#and i was like ‘wow what a weird and nonsense reply that sounds like they’re replying to someone other than op’

[labyrynth]

PSA for “canon jiang cheng” folks:

please stop using the “subordinate” thing as a basis for your arguments. that word does not mean what you seem to think it means.

y’all talk about jc asking wwx to be his subordinate as if it’s like some show of disrespect. some of y’all literally use it as “evidence” that jc “never cared about wwx” and that he “never viewed wwx as anything but a servant” but like.

my friends. subordinate literally just means “someone with a lower rank (than someone else).” it does not carry any connotations of subservience, servitude, lesser worth, or disrespect.

we understand how sect leadership works in mdzs, yes? there is One (1) sect leader.

Everyone who is Not the sect leader, but is affiliated with that sect, is Subordinate to the Sect Leader.

nobody ever claims that lan xichen didn’t care about lan wangji, lan qiren, or any of the juniors, even though they were all subordinate to him as the sect leader.

nobody ever claims that jin guangshan viewed madame jin, jin zixuan, or jin zixun as “just servants” or even servants at all, even though they were all subordinate to him as the sect leader.

hell, nobody even claims that nie mingjue viewed meng yao as “just a servant,” even when meng yao actually WAS a servant!

[edit: apparently some people are taking objection to calling meng yao as a servant? y’all, they literally made him be their water boy. what would you call that?]

that’s just how leadership works! being subordinate isn’t a bad thing!! it’s just “a person who has a boss”

“right-hand-man” IS a subordinate position to “sect leader,” and it’s also literally the highest position jc could have given wwx without quite literally making wwx sect leader!

so like. unless you ARE legitimately arguing that jiang cheng should have forced wei wuxian to become sect leader of yunmengJiang, just…please drop it.

that word Does Not mean what you Think it means. the thing you are Mad about is Made Up. please just let it go.

[lizamango]

I Like When You Say My Name (Frank Castle x Reader)

AN: Hi everyone I feel like shit so here’s a frank fic and wow I'm crying now what happening does anyone 18+ wanna be mutuals to talk fics, recommendations and writing advice? I wanna start writing smut but I can’t get past the taking their clothes off stage anywasyssss

summary: you get to know Frank, AKA Pete as he walks you home from work

warnings: none

wordcount: 1203

masterlist

add yourself to my taglist - I'll be adding frank and matt and billy

The same customer always comes in near the end of your night shift, ordering the same food every time.

“Can I have some of that coffee, ma’am?” He calls out, sitting by his usual place at a booth by the window.

You smile and walk over with the fresh pot, knowing he would be coming. “How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that? You’re older than me…” you complain, jokingly. “Want anything else, sir?” You already know his order.

“Three eggs over easy, some bacon and sourdough toast if you have it.”

“Sure do,” you say, walking off to the kitchen.

“That guy here again?” Danny, your cook asks once he hears the order.

“Mhm,” you hum in acknowledgement.

“Who has breakfast at 4am?” He wonders out loud as he starts to cook.

You shrug even though he isn’t watching you. “Maybe he works a late shift so his sleep schedule is all weird. You’re telling me you’ve never craved breakfast for dinner?”

“I’m not convinced… he probably just has a crush on you or something so he keeps coming back here,” he teases. “Why don’t you offer him some pie?”

You laugh and roll you eyes. “Maybe I will. Would that shut you up?”

“Maybe if you ask him out…”

You walk away, leaving the nosey cook be to wipe down some tables even though you already did so earlier.

“You have a busy night?” The customer calls out.

“Little bit,” you reply. “What about you? What is it that you do…?”

“Pete,” he finishes for you.

“Pete,” you repeat with a small smile. “I’m Y/N.”

“It’s nice to meet you.”

Danny rings the bell, letting you know that the food was ready. He gives you a wink as you pick up the tray and walk to Pete.

“You a full time waitress or…?” He strikes conversation.

“Part time,” you reply. I’m studying to be a vet.”

“Surgeon or nurse?”

“Surgeon. I got two years of vet school and I’ll be a full on doctor,” you say proudly.

“Congrats.” He gestures to the seat in front of him. “Why don’t you join me?”

You look around the diner hesitantly but there’s no one around. “Sure,” you smile and sit down awkwardly. You star at the salt shaker as he eats. “What about you?” You ask back, realising that you hadn’t.

“Construction,” he answers simply.

You watch him eat as if it was the best meal he’s had in days. “Must tire you out…” you comment.

“Sure does,’ he replies.

Your eyes shift to Danny who gives you a thumbs up.

“What time do you get off?” 

“6,” you answer a little too quickly.

“I’ll wait.”

“For what?”

“For you.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” you try to protest but he isn’t having it.

“Nonsense. Lotta dangerous people out there.”

“How do I know you’re not the dangerous one?”

“Oh I am dangerous, sweetheart. Just never to you.”

“You use that line on all the waitresses?” you tease.

“Just the ones I like,” he says boldly.

“Did you grow up here?”

“Nah, I’m from the west coast.”

Your brows shoot up. “That should make sense. You look like a hipster, Pete.”

He chuckles at your observation. “I’m offended.”

“Don’t be. They’re all the rage right now. I have 12 in my class.”

“If you want me to leave, you could just say so, ya know.”

“What will you do for an hour and a half?”

“Watch you work.” You laugh at how serious he sounds. “Hey, maybe I’ll go round the back and help Danny boy cook. He always seems more interested when I’m around.” He takes a sip of coffee and you get up to refill it despite his protests. “Time goes by when you people watch. We’ll be outta here in no time.”

“When did I agree?”

“Will ya stop teasin’ me, Y/N?” He says playfully.

You smile, looking up to meet his eyes. “I like when you say my name,” you tell him softly.

“I like saying your name.”

The bell on the door signals incoming customers and you get up before Pete could see you blush. They seat themselves and you approach them asking if they wanted something to drink.

The time goes by fast as you feel Pete’s gaze on you and he smiles whenever he catches your eye. You go to your locker, pack your apron into your bag and and put your jacket on.

“Ready to go?” Pete asks. You nod and bid goodbye to Danny as the morning staff come in. “I find it weird that New Yorkers walk everywhere,” Pete comments.

You smile. “It’s because there’s never any parking. But don’t worry, my apartment’s not far. It’s why I chose to work here.” You walk a few blocks in a comfortable silence, the chill of the early hours surrounding you. “Do you miss home? The warm?”

You don’t realise that that has a different meaning to him as thoughts of Maria and his children makes his blood run hot.

“I just needed a fresh start.” You slow to a stop as you reach your apartment building.

“Is that why…” you start before you could think about what you were saying.

“Why what?” Pete waits.

You freeze and you don’t look up at him but you can feel his eyes on you.

“Y/N?” He prompts.

“Why you changed your name?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I know, Pete. Danny doesn’t watch the news, he’s a kid but I do…”

He shakes his head slowly. “You don’t know anything about me.” He turns around but you catch his wrist.

“Okay,” you sigh. “Your name is Pete. You work in construction. You’re from the west coast that’s why you dress like a hipster.” You see him try to suppress a chuckle. “You love coffee. I might even say you’re addicted. You come in every Thursday and Friday at 4am to order the same thing. You like pie and I’m kicking myself because I forgot to offer you some but only because I was so excited at the mere thought of you walking me home. So much so that I took us the longer way around just to spend more time with you. And I didn’t even care that most of it was in silence! It was the best walk of my life.”

He turns around, keeping his hand in yours, placing his empty hands to your cheek and leans forward. He tastes like coffee and he smells like fresh aftershave and maybe a little sweat from working but it makes him even hotter. His beard brushes against you as his lips travel down to your neck sending tingles down your spine. You arch into him and squeeze his hand still in yours. Your other hand travels up to his soft locks as you push him into you, not wanting to lose this feeling and you just know that he’s leaving his mark on you. You should hate it but you don’t. You welcome it and get excited for more as you lead him up the steps, unlocking the complex and taking him up to your apartment.

💖

It could have gotten spicy if I could write smut I’m sorryyyyy

I’ve stopped crying now :)

[sandwichrin]

A Little into You (Junkyu x Reader) (Ch. 23)

Chapter 23 - Pure Drama

Word count: 4.1k words

Genre: Fanfiction, PG13, Comedy, Romance.

A/N: Surprise! Here’s the next chapter! And uhh, like the title of the chapter itself-- this chapter is literally pure drama :’)

Treasure and Y/n’s Apartment Block (Lobby)

“Y/n! Heyyyy it’s been a while!” the familiar cheerful voice said, making you turn around.

“Ah, Hyunsuk! Hi!” You greeted him back with a smile. “Getting your mail?” You asked him.

Hyunsuk shook his head, “Nope. I’m going to the office to retrieve my parcel from them.”

“I see. I’m heading there too, actually. An old friend of mine sent me some snacks from our hometown,”

“Nice! Let’s head there together!” Hyunsuk said happily, making you grin from his excited behaviour.

The both of you walked side by side, making small talk with each other.

Once you’ve both arrived in the building’s office which was located right beside the main entrance of the building itself, Hyunsuk hurried in front of you to help open the door for you.

You giggled at him, “Wow, I didn’t know you’re this much of a gentleman,”

“But of course.” Hyunsuk grinned.

You entered the office first, Hyunsuk following behind you now. The moment you approached the counter located in the office; you informed the staff on duty that you wanted to take your parcel.

“I’m here to pick up my parcel? I think it arrived yesterday. The name’s (insert y/n’s full name).” you glanced over at Hyunsuk who was standing beside you before adding, “Oh, and another one is under the name of Choi Hyunsuk.”

Hyunsuk smiles at you and pats your head. “Thanks.”

“No problem,”

The both of you waited for a minute or two before finally receiving both your parcels. After collecting the parcels, the both of you thanked the staff and left the office together.

“Your parcel seems kind of big, y/n. You sure you can carry it?”

“Yeah, I’m good. It’s big but it’s not heavy. They’re all just snacks anyways,” you assured him.

Hyunsuk nodded at you, holding his medium-sized box in one hand. He helped press the elevator button for the both of you.

Entering the elevator doors, Hyunsuk helped press the buttons to both your floors as well.

“Thanks Hyunsuk. You’re a lot of help,” you complimented him.

“Yeah, sure. No biggie.”

While waiting for the elevator to reach your floor, Hyunsuk suddenly had an idea.

“Hey, y/n,”

“Yup?”

“Have you had lunch?”

“Well…I’m ordering some takeout later. Why?” You turned to face him now.

“Ah, it’s just.” Hyunsuk paused. “The boys and I are all having lunch at my dorm.”

“Ahh I see. Sounds fun!” You smiled at him.

“Well I was wondering…if you’d like to join us?”

“Oh? Is that really okay?”

“Why wouldn’t it be okay?” Hyunsuk snickered at your question. “It’s been a while since we all hung out together, I’m sure the boys would be happy to have you join us,”

“Hmm.” You thought to yourself for a while.

Ding! The elevator reached your floor.

“Oh, it’s my floor.”

Hyunsuk pressed on the button to keep the doors open for you.

“Thanks,” you said to him. “I uh…I’d love to join you guys,” you added.

“Yay!”

“Ah, but can we stop over at my place for a bit?” You said, giving him an apologetic smile.

 *

 Treasure’s Dorm #1 (Main Entrance/Living Room)

“Just wait til the boys see you, they’d be so happy,” Hyunsuk said to you as he closed the door behind the both of you, his cute smile beaming at you.

You nodded back at him as you took your shoes off at the entrance.

“I’m back! Where is everyone??” Hyunsuk called out as he entered the living room.

“I’m in the kitchen, hyung!” you both heard Doyoung answer from the kitchen.

You followed Hyunsuk into the living room and there you saw Asahi, Haruto and Junghwan sitting around chatting with each other.

“Heyy, where’s Yoshi?” Hyunsuk asked the maknaes with you still following close behind him.

“Yoshi-hyung went to help clean Jeongwoo and Jaehyuk because they kept making snow in the kitchen using flour,” Asahi answered him.

“Ahh, that seems like something they’d do,” Hyunsuk snickered.

Junghwan stopped looking at his phone to look at Hyunsuk, and that’s when he noticed you.

“Noona!” Junghwan immediately got up from the floor, rushing towards you.

You lift a finger to your mouth, signalling him not to be too loud since you were planning to surprise the rest who hasn’t known you’re here.

Junghwan nodded and pointed at the paper bag in your hand. “What’s that?” he whispered.

“It’s Junkyu’s shirt that I used last time,” you replied.

Junghwan was about to talk to you further but then Hyunsuk had already excitedly pulled you with him towards the kitchen.

The moment the both of you had approached the kitchen’s doorframe, you could already see your other friends’ faces and you were happy to see them since you haven’t seen them for days. Well, most of them.

You smiled at them but then none of them returned your smile, making you wonder what they were so immersed with.

You recognised the person that was speaking in front of you, the guy that you had sort of missed these couple of days—especially since that weird incident that happened between him and Chani which had resulted in you rarely seeing him around you anymore.

Your grip on the paper bag in your hand tightened, you felt hopeful now that you’re finally seeing him again.

Now, of course you didn’t know the whole dispute that begun in the kitchen at the time—where Junkyu was being all bitter about Chani leeching on to you but instead of lashing out about Chani, he had made the mistake of venting his feeling of annoyance towards you.

And so, the timing when you entered the kitchen was when Junkyu was already saying this:

“…doesn’t care anything about us. We’re always looking out for her, but what do we get in return??”

You tilt your head, wondering who he was talking about. Hyunsuk, who was beside you also seemed confuse as to why everyone looked so tense in the kitchen.

You were about to step further into the kitchen when suddenly, Junkyu said—

“Y/n is annoying,”

You immediately stopped your foot from advancing. Your eyes lift up to see Yedam, Jihoon, Doyoung and Mashiho all staring at you, fear clearly showing on their faces because this time, they all realised you were directly behind Junkyu. Which meant…you clearly heard what he had said.

Suddenly, you saw Jihoon bursting out in laughter. “HAHAHAHAA very funny Junkyu! Look at you! What a horrible joke to make!” he laughed.

You took a deep breath, thinking maybe they were pulling a prank on you.

You opened your mouth to say something, but before you could say anything, Junkyu had already spoken up again—

“No, I wasn’t kidding! Y/n really is annoying. She’s a bother—”

“HYUNG STOP!” Yedam yelled, noticing how your expression changed drastically the moment you heard Junkyu’s words this time.

Hyunsuk immediately placed his hand on your shoulder, feeling shocked. But right now, he was more worried about you because you heard it all.

The air felt heavy in the kitchen…everyone going silent for a few seconds.

And then slowly, Junkyu turned around, his eyes meeting yours.

“Y-y/n…” he said, his voice slightly shaking now.

You stood there quietly, your fingers fiddling with the paper bag in your hand.

You blinked a couple times, your gaze slowly avoiding his. What is this feeling you’re having right now? Why does your chest hurt so bad?

Junkyu could hear his own heartbeat sounds ringing in his ears. He felt bad. He felt really bad. He saw how you slowly looked away from him, making him feel even worst.

Junkyu couldn’t handle the heavy tension going on in the kitchen so he immediately dashes out of the kitchen, leaving everyone else behind him.

You felt his presence leave you, as he passes by you. You bit your lower lip, holding in the tears that were forming in your eyes now.

Everyone else exchanged glances with one another, wondering what they should do now.

Mashiho switched off the stove, knowing that he should at least save their meals from getting burnt since he had a feeling that what had happened would take up some time to be solved.

Yedam lets out a heavy sigh, deciding to approach you since you wouldn’t stop staring at the paper bag in your hands now.

“Damn,” Jihoon muttered to himself as he tossed the knife that he had been holding since just now. He shook his head as he made his way to leave the kitchen.

As he passed by Hyunsuk, his hyung raised a hand, implying him to stop.

“What is it, hyung?” Jihoon said in an exasperated tone.

“Go easy on him,” Hyunsuk adviced, knowing that Jihoon would definitely go to console his best friend.

“Hm.” Jihoon hummed as he nods. He leaves the kitchen, not sparing a glance at you.

 *

 Treasure Dorm #1 (Junkyu’s Room)

Junkyu closed the door behind him. He started breathing raggedly, his breaths uncontrollable by now. Is he having a panic attack right now?

He tried to walk towards his bed, but instead, his legs failed him. He ended up kneeling on the floor instead, trying to catch his breath.

He kept imagining the pained look you gave him earlier. He knew, he had hurt you. He had hurt you bad. He messed up badly this time.

Junkyu clenched his fists, his chest hurting, his head throbbing. He felt pain all over. Why? Why did he have to utter all those nonsense about you? He didn’t mean all of it. He really didn’t. He cares about you.

Junkyu lets out a soft sob, unable to hold his tears this time. He felt his tears streaming down his cheeks by now.

“Junkyu!” He heard Jihoon’s voice calling his name.

Jihoon hurriedly closed the door behind him, quickly approaching his best friend who was close to collapsing onto the floor.

Jihoon wrapped his arms around Junkyu, pulling his best friend up to his feet, dragging him over towards the bed.

Once he had made sure Junkyu was already sitting comfortably on the bed, Jihoon sat down on the floor, facing Junkyu.

Junkyu covered his face with his hands, softly sobbing into them.

“Junkyu…”

“Stop. Please, stop. I know. I know,” he said, his sobs getting louder.

Jihoon placed his hand onto Junkyu’s knee, patting it gently. He couldn’t bear watching Junkyu cry like this. It’s rare enough to see Junkyu cry about something but right now, seeing him as a sobbing mess, Jihoon couldn’t help but sympathise him.

“I hurt her, hyung. I hurt her. I’m a horrible person!” Junkyu tried to speak up this time, his sobs a little under control now.

Jihoon shook his head. “No, no Junkyu. You’re not a bad person. You slipped, that’s all. Okay? You didn’t mean what you said, did you?”

Junkyu wiped the tear streaks on his face with the back of his hand. He shook his head furiously, “No way! I don’t! I really don’t. I just—I was just upset when Yedam said Chani and y/n looked like a couple…I…I don’t want to have to picture them being together, hyung!”

“I know, I know…” Jihoon answered softly, his hand still patting Junkyu’s knee gently.

“Hyung….how do I fix this…? Y/n must hate me right now,”

“No…she wouldn’t, okay? Y/n is a nice person, she wouldn’t hate you in one day,” Jihoon assured his best friend.

Junkyu shook his head again. “No! She would, she deserves to hate me!”

Junkyu took a deep breath, trying to control his own ragged breathing.

Pushing his hair to the back with one hand, Junkyu continued, “I told you…I told you, didn’t I? That liking her would bring us something like this,”

“Junkyu, there’s nothing wrong with you liking y/n, okay?”

“No, hyung! You know this. You can see it too, right?”

Junkyu lets out another heavy sigh.

“Yah…Kim Junkyu…it’s all gonna be alright, get it?”

Junkyu kept quiet for a while, sniffling once or twice. He contemplated for a while before asking his hyung another question.

“You said last time that you had a feeling that someone would like y/n among us, and you said that you knew who it was going to be, right??”

Jihoon nodded, remembering the talk they had after you all had that first lunch-meet with y/n.

“That person…who was it?” Junkyu’s eyes were now staring into Jihoon’s.

“I—” Jihoon lets out a sigh. “What are you talking about? Of course it’s you! Why do you think I keep pushing you to talk to her? Why do I keep teasing you about y/n? I even made sure y/n sits opposite you most of the time whenever we eat together, just so you both could stare at each other’s faces,”

Junkyu wiped his tear-stained eyes again. “W-what?” he sniffled.

“Duh! The moment we first met y/n, I had a feeling you both were attracted to each other. You both just needed a little push, that’s all.” Jihoon was no longer patting his best friend’s knee now, seeing that he had stopped crying.

“Hyung…”

“Aigoo! Look at you, crying like this. Yah, how are you going to face y/n later?” Jihoon chuckled softly, teasing Junkyu.

“Y-yah. I’m still handsome,”

“Pfft, yeah sure. Tell that to your red nose and puffy eyes,”

Junkyu swallowed the invisible lump in his throat, a small smile creeping on his lips as he succumbed to Jihoon’s teasing.

Jihoon lets out a sigh.

“Hyung…can I ask you a question?”

“Hm? What is it?”

“You see it too, right?

“See what?”

Junkyu clicked his tongue. “Tsk, you know, hyung. I know, you know.”

“Junkyu I don’t have time for your out-of-the-world curiosity,” Jihoon said as he shook his head.

“Aw come on hyung. You know. You know…that I’m not the only one who likes y/n, right?”

“Duhh, of course! It’s you and that Chani kid,”

Junkyu shook his head again. “No. Someone else. Someone else in our group.”

Jihoon’s eyes widened. “W-what?”

And as if on cue, Junkyu’s bedroom door opened.

Both of them turned to see—Hyunsuk entering, closing the door right after.

“Hyunsuk-hyung.” Both Junkyu and Jihoon said at the same time.

 *

 Treasure Dorm #1 (Kitchen)

When Jihoon left the kitchen to go console Junkyu who had stormed off, Yedam and Hyunsuk stayed by your side to make sure you were okay.

You were still staring at the paper bag in your hand.

You had planned to return Junkyu’s shirt today, and maybe talk to him. It’s funny how you sort of miss him, when in reality, the both of you usually only made small talk with each other.

“Y/n, I…” Yedam tried to speak, but then he stopped. He shook his head. He wouldn’t know how to fix this right now. All that he knew was that you must have felt sad after hearing what his hyung said earlier.

Hyunsuk pulled you closer to him, wrapping one arm around you, causing you to lean your head against his shoulder.

“I’m so sorry y/n” he whispered to you.

Yedam stood still beside the both of you, his face still showing concern over you. He should have stopped Junkyu much earlier, he thought.

Doyoung and Mashiho, who were still near the kitchen stove too, watched over you, not continuing their cooking.

You tried your best to not feel sad, you didn’t want your friends to worry over you too much. But how? You still felt the sharp pain in your chest, and you know it’s not a heart attack that you’re having right now.

You let yourself lean comfortably in Hyunsuk’s arm that was wrapped around you, and without realising, a tear flowed down your cheek.

“Y/n,” Yedam said in a sad tone when he noticed you crying.

Hyunsuk immediately wrapped both his arms around you, hugging you close to him. “Shh, shh, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry y/n,”

You closed your eyes and you felt your tears wetting your cheeks even more now. Crap. You’re crying now.

Yedam looked around the room, noticing that both Doyoung and Mashiho were looking super sad as they watched you silently crying in Hyunsuk’s arms.

“I…I just…” You said softly.

“Hm? What is it, y/n?” Hyunsuk leaned close to you, wanting to hear what you were saying clearly.

“I just…” you stopped to swallow a silent sob before continuing, “I just wanted to see him…I just wanted to return his shirt, that’s all. I didn’t know…that all these while I was annoying him,” your voice straining as you said the final words that pained you.

Hyunsuk and Yedam exchanged glances with each other.

After a few minutes of silently sobbing, you slowly lifted your head from Hyunsuk’s embrace, making him releasing his arms from you gently.

You wiped your tears and took a deep breath. “Hyunsuk,”

“Yes?”

“Could you help me return this to him?” you asked, as you pushed the paper bag in your hand to his.

“N-now?”

“Anytime works. I…I don’t think I should see him for now. He’s…clearly annoyed with me being here,” you said half-jokingly. You tried to giggle when you said this, but it only made you sound even sadder than you look right now.

Hyunsuk held onto the bag that you gave him. “Sure. I’ll give it to him. Don’t worry, he’s not annoyed with you, I’m sure of that,” he said, trying to assure you.

You chuckled softly. “Clearly he is, but it’s okay.”

You took a deep breath and pushed your hair behind your ears. Forcing yourself to smile at your friends, you tried your best to sound okay when you said, “So, you both making lunch today?” You asked Doyoung and Mashiho that had been staring at you.

“Uhh, ah yeah. We’re making kimchi jjigae…” Doyoung answered you.

“Smells good,”

“Thanks,” Doyoung said as he nodded slightly towards you.

Mashiho turned towards the stove again, “We’ll resume cooking, alright? And then we’ll all eat together.” Mashiho turned to look at you, flashing his warm smile at you.

You smiled a small smile and nodded.

“Yedamie, you take y/n to the living room, okay? Let her rest up there. I’m gonna go check on Junkyu for a bit,” Hyunsuk said to Yedam.

“Okay, hyung.”

Hyunsuk leaned down close to you, his face levelling with yours. He stroked your cheek with one hand and said to you gently, “I’m gonna go first, okay? Don’t cry no more. It’s gonna be okay.”

You stared into his eyes for a couple seconds before nodding slowly.

And with that, Hyunsuk left the kitchen, your paper bag consisting of Junkyu’s shirt in his hand.

Yedam linked his arm around yours, “Come on y/n. Let’s rest up in the living room, okay?”

 *

Treasure Dorm #1 (Living Room)

Now, bringing you to the living room isn’t really the best idea as of the moment—

Why?

Well, you see, the moment Yedam and you approached the rest of the kids who were in the living room, they were all shocked to see your tear-stained face and flushed complexion.

Unlike the rest who were busy gaping over what they were seeing, Junghwan immediately got up on his feet and rushed over to you.

“Noona! What happened? Why…? Did you cry earlier??”

“Shh, let y/n sit first,” Yedam said softly to the maknae.

Haruto got up from his seat on the sofa and pointed towards the seat, telling you to sit there.

You were still in a daze after your crying earlier so you simply complied with whatever they told you to do.

Finally sitting down, you leaned back against the cushion behind you.

Yoshi, who was sitting closely beside Jeongwoo and Jaehyuk after helping them clean up earlier, decided to go to the kitchen to get you some water since you looked restless at the moment.

Asahi, who was seated beside you right now, turned to look at you—his usual expressionless face showing.

“So…what exactly happened…” Jeongwoo said slowly.

Yedam sat down on the floor, close to the boy asking the question and lets out a sigh.

“Something…happened in the kitchen.”

“Like…?”

“Just…something.” Yedam answered simply.

“That’s not very helpful Yedam,” Jaehyuk said this time. “How are we supposed to know what happened if you don’t tell us,”

You bit your lower lip as you felt it quivering again. It’s all happening again. You could still hear Junkyu’s voice in the back of your head, even when you’re shutting your eyes right now.

“Y/n is annoying.”

Your chest felt tight once again. You opened your eyes and sat up straight, surprising the rest who were still prodding Yedam to tell them what happened.

You stood up from the sofa and looked around you. The faces of your friends showing a mixture of concern and confusion.

You shook your head. “I…I think I’ll leave now,”

You were about to leave but then Yedam quickly grabs your hand. “Y/n? Aren’t you joining us for lunch?”

You shook your head slowly. “Maybe next time, okay?” you said, your voice shaking now. You looked at Yedam, your eyes glossy with tears that you were trying to hold back.

“Y/n…”

“It’s okay! I’m okay!” You said as you faked a laugh.

Yedam hesitantly lets go of your hand. He didn’t want you to go. But he also didn’t want to force you.

You quickly walked towards the house entrance, not looking back and immediately grabbing your shoes in your hand, as you leave the front door.

Yedam lets out a heavy sigh once you were gone from their sight.

“Hyung, what happened…?” Haruto asked this time.

Yedam sighs again before saying, “I’ll tell you all about it in a bit. I need to go tell Hyunsuk-hyung that Y/n left,”

 *

 Treasure’s Dorm #1 (Front door)

The moment you stepped out of their dorm, the door shutting behind you, you walked as fast as you could, hoping that you’ll be far enough from them for now.

It was at least few metres away from their dorm’s door that you stopped to lean your side against the wall of the corridor to control your breathing.

You felt out of breath because you had been holding in your tears, and now…it’s just hurting you.

Slowly, your shoulder still resting against the wall, you slide down to your feet. By now you’re already kneeling on the floor with your palm holding onto the wall for support.

A loud sob escaped your lips. Ah crap. Now you’re starting to cry out the tears you’ve been holding in. And you’re doing it in public too.

But could you blame yourself for being this sad and dramatic?

“Y/n is annoying.”

You shook your head, trying to stop yourself from hearing to those words over again.

Is this your first time being called annoying? Maybe. But would you care if anyone called you annoying? No.

Then why was this hurting you too much?

Was it because you thought that Junkyu and you were finally becoming friends?

You thought the both of you were already clicking. You thought….that maybe, Junkyu had liked being friends with you. He was more open with you recently…then why? Why did he say that about you?

You thought…ah, that’s right.

You thought.

You kept thinking that everything was working out fine with you both. You’ve never clearly thought if Junkyu himself was enjoying being friends with you.

You swallowed your sob, wiping your tears with the back of your hand.

“Silly me. He’s clearly annoyed with me all this while. He’s just too nice to say it to my face,” you muttered to yourself.

You blinked and again you felt your tears wet your cheeks.

You’re starting to feel annoyed with yourself too by now, considering you wouldn’t stop crying.

Why are you this sad?? You shook your head softly. Could it be…that you have some feelings for him? Have you caught feelings for Junkyu and yet you never realised it?

You pushed your hair back and took a deep breath, trying to stop yourself from crying again.

Slowly, you got up on your feet and tried to stand up properly now.

You should just hurry and return to your apartment unit, you thought. Maybe make yourself a cup of warm drink and just calm yourself down.

And just as you stepped forward, you suddenly felt a pair of arms pulling you from behind.

The arms hugged your waist tightly, and you felt the back of your head resting against someone’s chest.

The familiar voice said to you softly, “You’re not annoying. You were never annoying. He’s stupid to think of you that way.”

You then felt yourself being hugged closer by the boy behind you. “You…you’re so nice to us. You don’t deserve to be told as annoying at all,” he added, sounding upset.

 To be continued…

[gifted-burnout-archive]

The Other Side of Hollywood

Part Three

Word Count: 4.5K+

Author’s Note: Ok, so, just a heads up! I was going to write a scene in this chapter using Perfect Harmony for Luke and Y/N but I just couldn’t, it’s Juke’s song. So, instead popped in a lil bit of Hallelujah, the Jeff Buckley one though. He sings it better. In case anyone has not been properly educated, listen to it here.

Again, let me know if you want on the tag list, this might be my favourite part of the story... So thank you for reading my nonsense.

Warning: Nada.

Part One here, Part Two here, and my masterlist here.... If you wanna catch up or find out more.

--

Whatever that boy did or said, remember this: love is weakness, and I don’t tolerate the weak.

The words floated around Y/N’s head all morning, and forced her to do anything, anything at all, to forget about Luke. She went about her daily tasks as usual after recovering from Caleb’s outburst: she made sure to clean up the rest of the glass and finish polishing tumblers for that evening, she buffed tables and prepared candle holders, she vacuumed and polished and dusted whatever she could reach.

She had to make up for her indiscretion, after all.

By the time the clock hit midday, Y/N was on her knees, scrubbing the dance floor clean, just trying something, anything, to occupy her time. And each time her mind wandered to music, to Luke? She scrubbed harder, visualising it as a stain on the floor that needed removal.

“You clean anymore today I think your fingers might fall off.” A friendly voice called over to her, and Y/N looked up to find sneakers right on top of the spot she just cleaned. She sighed, letting the scrubbing brush melt through her hand and clatter on the floor, pulling herself up to her feet.

“What do you want, Willie?” She asked, walking towards the bar as Willie took it upon himself to clear up the last of her cleaning supplies.

“Reminder to Willie: thank Y/N more often for keeping the club sparkling… I swear, this place would be a dust-ridden attic if you didn’t tidy up around here.” Willie poured the soapy water down the sink and rinsed off the scrubbing brush, only to look up and be met with a tired glare. “What?”

“You didn’t answer my question.” She replied, rubbing her eyes of sleep. She hadn’t slept after her time with Luke, she was too happy to sleep… Then Caleb happened, and she had spent every last ounce of energy on cleaning the club. She wasn’t in the mood for Willie’s habit of skating around his actual point.

“I… I need to talk to someone.” He sighed, sitting on the bar counter cross legged to the left of Y/N. “I need to talk to you.” He clarified, and she looked up at him. Those big puppy dog eyes, his tangle of dark hair: he looked like an abandoned puppy.

“Is this about you stalking Alex and the guys?” She asked, and Willie went red.

“Caleb told you?”

“No, Luke did… I bumped into him last night, complete accident…” She trailed off, and for a moment she could feel his hand on hers as they sat at the beach.

“Y/N, don’t you think we should-”

“No, no we’re not doing this now.” Y/N cut him off, harsh in her tone, and got up from her chair, ready to walk away from the conversation. Unfortunately, Willie was fast, and not taking no for an answer.

“What we’re doing is wrong… We’re hurting them, Y/N…”

“We’re doing our jobs!” She snapped back, taking a steady breath. “You’re acting like working here is some sort of prison sentence, Willie.” She ran a hand through her hair, clearly as distressed by the situation as Willie was, even if she wouldn’t voice it. Something was eating at her insides.

“Isn’t it?” Willie muttered, taking Y/N’s hand in his. “They’re branded… We should at least tell them why-” Before Willie could finish his sentence, a flash of light appeared on Y/N’s side, one Willie was all too familiar with. He had been watching the boys for days now, and had seen it happen to them too. Y/N coughed at the pain it brought, sitting herself down on the nearest chair. “You’re flickering… Why are you flickering?” He asked, panic in his voice.

“Because we’re talking about this, Willie!” Her voice was pitched high, interlaced with a cold laugh and a look that told him to stop being so stupid. “Caleb…” She started, taking a few steady breaths to cope with the residing pain. “I breached my contract last night, Caleb found out… It’s punishment, same as everyone else who breaks the rules. I’m fine, I’ll be fine. But you need to stop talking about this like we have options.” She muttered, getting up and walking towards the backstage area.

“We can’t save ourselves, but we can save them.” Willie called after her, still stood in the room’s centre, and Y/N froze. “We can help them cross over…”

“And what happens to us, Willie, huh? Have you figured out your purpose?” She asked, turning around to look at her friend, her best friend. Her best friend who had been keeping things from her since they both met that stupid boyband. “You realise that if we help them, if we tell them anything, the people going down for this are me and you? If Caleb wants them to join the house band, we make sure it happens… Or it’s our afterlife on the line. I won’t be the only one flickering.” She warned, pressing a hand to Willie’s heart.

He didn’t respond, the pair sharing one last look before Willie ran out of the club, leaving Y/N alone as another jolt hit her.

--

Luke, Reggie, and Alex had spent their morning a little differently.

After Luke finally got the last of the lipstick off his cheek and persuaded the boys that there were more important things to focus on, being their gig that night, they had gotten comfy on the couch in the studio and started planning out the set list for that evening.

“Look, we add the echoes during the chorus, then when Julie comes in with the melody, it’s gonna sound perfect.” Luke spoke up after fiddling on his guitar for a second, Reggie and Alex putting a halt to their own casual practising to nod their heads in agreement with their songwriter. Luke was the one who could audiate the sound in his head, hear all the harmonies, piece a whole song together with just the words in front of him.

A thud distracted them from their conversation, all three heads looking over to see a familiar face peeking through the studio window, cracked helmet atop his mess of hair and all.

“Again?” Reggie muttered. It hadn’t been the first time Willie had stopped by to check on them, in fact it was coming on the fourth or fifth, but the skater never stayed, never talked with them. Alex sighed and stood up, poofing away to go follow him, maybe catch him for a talk, and Reggie and Luke shared a glance.

“You know, I’ve been meaning to invite Y/N to the show tonight… I could maybe check in with her, see if she knows what’s happening with Willie?” Luke offered, trying to keep it casual. He had only just got the guys to stop teasing him, last thing he wanted was for Reggie to start up again.

“Don’t stay out too long, we need you back here for rehearsal.” Reggie had a stupid grin on his face as he spoke, and Luke rolled his eyes, standing up and setting down his guitar. “Say hi to her for me, don’t go breaking hearts while you’re gone.” Reggie continued, just teasing now, and Luke disappeared with a roll of his eyes.

He landed down in the club a moment later, welcomed by the sound of an all too familiar opening guitar riff, and he walked round the corner to find Y/N alone, themed with the song in an Eagles band t-shirt, one Luke was sure he had in his own collection somewhere, humming along to the 1976 hit ‘Hotel California’. He stayed back, curious to see what she did in her time alone, and smiled as her feet glided over the dance floor.

Y/N couldn’t feel Luke’s eyes on her, too engrossed in the song to care much about anyone else, and spun and danced her way around the stage set up. She hummed slightly off-key, but it didn’t bother her much: she may have been on backing vocals for Caleb, but that was years and years of practising the same songs over and over. She didn’t really find her voice worked with other songs, though it didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy them.

Luke found himself taking a seat, sitting back to watch her as she moved up into the band stand: her fingers moved with confidence the same way his did when he played guitar as her hands hovered over each instrument. It was like she was looking for a match, something that would pair with the placement of her fingers on the air, and Luke raised an eyebrow when she finally stopped.

A cello.

He hadn’t seen the instrument the last time he was there, but it made sense that they had different instruments for different songs. Was she their cellist? It would be a pretty big thing to gloss over, though it wouldn’t be the first time Y/N had downplayed her musical abilities.

Y/N just stood there, looking down at the instrument. It happened every time she came up to the band stand, to dust, to polish, whatever, that weird feeling came back. It was only ever around that cello, and the piano on the stage’s other side, and she had never been able to figure out why.

25 years, and every time she walked past them, she felt off. She felt sad.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” The voice startled her, and caused Y/N to jump and turn in its direction, her frown turning to a smile as she recognised the culprit.

“Denim… What do I owe the pleasure?” She asked, walking from the band stand in his direction, only to turn and grab a remote from a table, stopping the song that had become background noise to them both, for different reasons, just as it was coming to an end.

“You didn’t tell me you played cello.” He remarked with a gulp, suddenly finding it hard to get the words he wanted out of his mouth. He wasn’t sure where the comment had come from, but he decided to roll with it, walking over to the instrument and picking it up. “Wow, this is heavier than I expected…”

“I don’t…” Y/N quickly corrected him, following and taking the instrument from him, and setting it back down. “Don’t have the talent for the, uh, the practical side of it.” She said. “Sorry, why are you here exactly?” The initial surprise has faded, a frown settling back onto her face as Luke began walking the length of the bandstand. She was still processing her argument with Willie, his words now fighting for room against Caleb’s in her head.

What we’re doing is wrong… We’re hurting them, Y/N…

“Not that pleased to see me then?” Luke replied with a sweet smile, and Y/N looked back up at him, her eyes searching for a moment to find him sat at the piano.

“Sorry… Willie and I got into an argument this morning…” She said with a shrug, heading over to the piano with a sad smile on her features. It was clear something was on her mind, making her feel out of sorts, and while Luke wondered on the details of it, he didn’t ask for her to elaborate, instead just patting beside him on the piano stool, beckoning her to sit down. Y/N took a moment before giving in, planting herself a few inches from him, her hands clasped on her lap.

“You said you don’t really sing last night…” Luke offered the new line of conversation. The comment had changed her expression, Luke glancing over to find her attempt at a smile faded, her eyes boring into the black and white keys as she thought for a moment. “You don’t happen to not play piano as well, do you?” Luke asked, convinced she was just selling herself short on the musical ability thing. He had seen her perform after all, she kept perfect time, he had watched her sing.

After a few moments of silence, Y/N seemed to have come to a conclusion in her head, and reached her hand over to Luke’s, spreading his fingers apart and placing each on a white key. He let her move and mould his hand into whatever shape she saw fit, placing her fingers on top of his and pressing down on the first note.

Y/N continued to stay silent, still in a pensive state as she pressed each of Luke’s fingers down onto the keys in turn, starting him into playing an arpeggio. When she moved her hand back, Luke kept going, able to recognise the notes as they filled the air, the sound surrounding them. Y/N listened, her head coming to rest on Luke’s shoulder for a moment as he played the same four notes over and over again.

“Show me another one.” Luke asked after a minute, looking down at Y/N with a grin on his face. He had never needed to learn piano, after all he had guitar, but he couldn’t lie about his interest in the instrument: he had watched Julie play every once and a while, knowing her hands played the same chords and notes he could on his electric, but in a completely different way.

Y/N’s hand came back over his, moving his hands further up and pressing them down once more.

“C major, A minor…” He whispered to himself, remembering the chords as they went, committing them to memory. “F, G…” He stopped, glancing over at Y/N with a raised eyebrow. “Hallelujah?” he asked.

“You know the chord progressions?” She asked, and he shrugged, sure he could figure it out on the way with her help. “Then keep going… I like the song.” She urged, and he complied with her request, noting where the keys were and moving his hand down an octave.

“I heard there was a secret chord,” Luke began singing along, Y/N resting her head on his shoulder again, humming along. “That David played and it pleased the Lord, but you don’t really care for music, do ya?” Her hand reached over, guiding his as he moved into the next section. “Well it goes like this,” Luke found himself closing his hand into a fist, stopping the song from continuing, and Y/N looked over, removing her hand from his.

“Sorry… I didn’t mean to…” She started, but trailed off, not quite sure what to say. Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you play me a love song? Sorry, I didn’t mean to hold your hand like that? I didn’t mean to… Her thoughts trailed away from her, not keen on slipping up and giving something away by mistake, so opting to stay silent instead.

“It’s not that… I just want to hear you sing it.” Luke admitted. “And I promise not to tell another living soul about this, I won’t make fun of you if that’s what you’re worried about…” He started to ramble, and Y/N thought it over for a moment, quieting Luke by placing her hand on top of his once more.

“Don’t say I haven’t warned you… Play…” She said quietly, a smile bursting onto Luke’s face as he sat up straighter and began pressing the keys again, Y/N’s hands moving in time on top of his. She took a shaky breath, steadying the surge of nerves that had suddenly appeared.

“I heard there was a secret chord…” Luke didn’t stop playing as she struggled to match the key, the smile on his face didn’t waver when her voice cracked a little. Y/N found herself screwing her eyes shut at the sound, though her fingers still moved with Luke’s. “That David played and it pleased the Lord…” She continued, more talking almost on-key than singing. “But you don’t really care for music, do ya?” As she rolled her shoulders and let her head fall back, her voice suddenly found it’s place, and Luke glanced up.

“Well, it goes like this, the fourth, the fifth,” Y/N’s head dropped back down, her hands moving and guiding Luke to the correct chords, “The minor fall, and the major lift.” Another deep breath, and Luke found his hands moving back, watching in awe as Y/N’s took their place, pressing down on the keys. “The baffled King composing Hallelujah.”

In that moment, Y/N’s voice resonating in the air, it felt like they were both alive again. Her hands began moving of their own accord over the keys, playing the bass line arpeggios and melody like a concert pianist might do, and Luke slipped off the bench to grab an acoustic guitar nearby, happy to strum out the chords he had just learned moment ago on his preferred instrument.

“Your faith was strong, but you needed proof,” Luke began singing, his eyes on the girl at the piano as she began singing a sweet harmony line. Her voice was soft, airy, like something from a dream. Like when she spoke, Y/N pronounced every syllable as she sang with him, as if missing any would take away from the beauty of the music. “You saw her bathing on the roof, her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya.”

“She tied you to a kitchen chair, she broke your throne, she cut your hair. And from your lips she drew a,” Y/N took over the melody, pausing for a second to breathe, her eyes fluttering open as she sang the last word of the verse with Luke, “Hallelujah.”

Y/N couldn’t pull her eyes away, the way Luke’s eyes held her own made her heart flutter, her head spin, and her hands dropped from the piano keys.

“Maybe there’s a God above, but all I’ve ever learned from love was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you...” She sang slowly, the raw grit and passion in her voice evident, causing her eyes to water, Luke accompanying her with the guitar and a look of awe on his face. “It’s not a cry that you hear at night, it’s not somebody who’s seen the light. It’s a cold and broken Hallelujah.”

With ever ‘Hallelujah’ of the chorus Luke sang, Y/N echoed him with a stunning variation, then proceeding a hold a gorgeous, ringing note as he repeated the chorus and played the song’s outro.

As the song finally came to an end, the pair were stood across the stage from one another, both caught in each other’s gaze, both shocked by what they had just created between them. Y/N looked down at her hands, at the piano, and backed away from the instrument with wide eyes, while Luke set down the guitar and ran over with a dopey grin on his face.

“I knew you could sing! And play!” He grabbed the hands her eyes were examining, with something between terror and fascination, in his.

“How did I do that?” She whispered, and Luke laughed.

“Well, you’ve been holding out on me, clearly. You no doubt play that cello amazing as well. I’ll tell the band; you could be an honorary Phantom!” He suggested in excitement, thoughts running through his head. He started piecing together the songs in his head, beginning to pick out the ones that would sound amazing with that added dimension when Y/N spoke up again.

“Luke…” the use of his name made himstop. “I’ve never played piano… Ever. Or cello. I don’t…” She pulled her hands out of his. “I don’t know how that happened.” Her life on Earth was a little foggy, but Y/N remembered the last 25 years of afterlife pretty well: she had never been able to play an instrument, never been able to sing: heck, she had to learn to dance just to be a part of the club officially. How could that have just happened?

“Well, I’ll tell ya something kids, it was magical!” Footsteps approached with the voice, Caleb coming through the front door of the club with hands clapping and a smirk on his face. “25 years together, Y/N, and you decided to keep all that hidden away?” He questioned, and she found herself gulping. “Hello Luke.”

“Hi Mr Covington!” Luke waved.

“You know, if you and the boys decided to join us, I’m sure we could find a slot in the night for you and Y/N.” Caleb suggested with a shrug. “if it picks up, make it a twice a week thing. I can see it now, quite honestly…” He continued, looking over at the faces’ of the two teens: Luke, with bright eyes and a smile at the prospect, Y/N confused and glaring his way.

“Mr Covington, that would be-”

“Luke was just leaving, Caleb.” Y/N interrupted before Luke made anymore promises to the man, earning a frown from the club owner. “Band practise, right, Luke?” She said with a fake smile on her lips, and Luke glanced at the time. He had been there almost an hour. The guys would be wondering where he was.

“Yeah, actually. It’s why I came by. We’re playing a gig tonight, at Julie’s.” Luke said, spotting a marker sat nearby. He rushed over, taking a second to pick it up from the table, and walking over to write the address on Y/N’s arm, the same way she had written her number on his only a week or so ago. “If you wanna come by, it would be really cool if you did.” Luke looked down, laughing through the blush on his cheeks, scratching the back of his neck in nervousness. “Oh, and Mr Covington! If you want to come-”

“Unfortunately, I don’t think either of us will make it…” Caleb looked over at Y/N, who suddenly felt a horrible pain in her stomach. “Y/N doesn’t look too well.” He finished as she suddenly ran backstage, Caleb starting a quick walk after her. “Nice to see you Luke.” Luke watched puzzled as the pair disappeared behind the stage, waving a half-hearted goodbye before poofing back to the garage, a little disheartened despite his high spirits after singing with Y/N.

--

The boys were back at rehearsal, working in preparation of the gig that night, running through some of the new stuff they had added to give their big number a bit more pizazz. Or, they were trying to. Luke wasn’t feeling his best after finding out Y/N couldn’t make it, but Alex… Alex was not happy.

Whatever had happened with Willie had led to the blonde trying to work out his feelings, rather angrily, on his drum kit. So much so, he completely lost focus on what they were practising, leading Reggie and Luke to hang back on the playing and check in.

“Alex, you alright?” Luke asked as Reggie tried to get the ringing out of his ear.

“Yeah!” Alex lied rather unconvincingly. “Yeah, yeah, why?” He asked, Luke looking to Reggie for some assistance.

“I know it’s tough, man. People say you never forget your first ghost. Maybe that’s true.” Reggie offered, with a weak smile and shrug of the shoulders. “But… I’m sure there will be others.”

“Yeah… Thanks Reg.” Alex tried not to be mean about it, he knew his bandmates were just trying to help.

“And, Alex, you’re a great drummer and a great guy, ok?” Luke finally offered something. “I wouldn’t let all that stuff get in between you and what you love.” The words were also a bit of a reminder for him: he had been distracted the past few days with Y/N… Since the night at the club in fact.

“I don’t know man. Sometimes a little fire can make things better on stage.” Reggie suggested with a wiggle of his eyebrows. “Like you and Y/N, perhaps?”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Luke asked, wondering if somehow Caleb wasn’t the only one who saw what had happened between him and Y/N earlier that day.

“Come on. Everyone can see how you look at that girl when you sing.” Reggie explained. “And the way she looks at you? You guys ooze chemistry…”

“You should never say ‘ooze’ again, but, yeah, I agree.” Alex added, standing. “You’re acting like you didn’t come home this morning with her lipstick on your cheek.”

“Or that you didn’t spend an hour with her today?”

“Ok, no. I have chemistry with everyone. When Julie and I perform together?” Luke was grasping at straws, but he wasn’t exactly sure why. He knew he liked Y/N, so maybe it was that he was unsure in her feelings for him. Alex and Reggie shared a glance, clearly not believing him. “Seriously, watch. Uh…” He paused for a second, finding the right lyrics, and making his way towards Reggie. “I believe, I believe that we’re just one dream, away from who we’re meant to be, Luke lifted his hand to pull Reggie’s face closer to his own. “That we’re standing on the edge of… great.” Luke met Reggie’s eyes, keeping his hold on him as Reggie gulped.

“Wow. I see chemistry.” Alex joked.

“That was pretty hot.” Reggie admitted, Luke kissing his fingertips before pressing them to Reggie’s lips and walking away, leaving his bandmate laughing nervously. “Girls, am I right?”

“Yeah.” Luke muttered.

“No.” Alex replied, sitting back down at his drum kit.

“Besides… After I sang with her today she was really weird, and I don’t even think she likes me like that… So we’ll keep it friendly.” Luke finally blurted out, glad to get it off his chest. He pulled his guitar back round to them front of him body, looking up for Alex to give them their cue, instead met with two shocked faces.

“Did you just say-” Alex started, and Reggie started pacing.

“He’s going to John Lennon us, Alex!” Reggie seemed to be somewhere between shock and worry. “And I liked her too! But then again, The Beatles liked Yoko Ono before she stole away John!”

“Reggie, Reggie, calm down!” Luke was quick to damage control, grabbing his friend by the shoulders. “I would never leave the band, ever.” He reassured. “It just… happened.”

“He’s blushing, you’re blushing because you’re thinking about her.” Alex pointed out, and Luke sighed, taking his hand off of Reggie and running them through his hair. “Gonna tell us what happened or?”

“I just… There was something about what happened afterward, it was weird… She said she had never played piano before, or really sang before… She was genuinely surprised she could do it at all.” Luke paused for a moment, letting a smile settle on his face. “But she can sing… I mean her voice is just… And the way she sings I just…”

“You know, the more you talk about her, the more in love you sound. Save this for when Julie gets back, she’ll want to hear all about her.” Alex suggested with a smile, glad to see his friend so happy even if he felt a little blue. “Why don’t we take it from the top?” He suggested, and with nods from both Reggie and Luke, he banged his sticks together. “Three, four…”

--

Part Four is here...

--

Tags: @im-a-writer-right​ @elioelioeli0​ @jenjen889​ @walkingonshunshine​ @parkeret​ @lolychu​ @leahstypewriter​ @j-mar-memester​ @sunsetcurve-h​ @musicconversedance​ @gracefulpenguin​ @shae-is-not-ok​ @talksoprettyjjx​ @xplrreylo​ @smol-book-nerd​ @lord-of-the-fried​

[kimistorm]

The Color in My Life [Marc Anciel X Blind!GN! Reader]

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug

Pairing: Marc Anciel x GN! Reader

Warnings: None

“Ladybug and Chat Noir danced proudly towards Frightingale.” You listened in happy silence as the boy next to you recounted the story of Ladybug and Chat Noir’s last fight. You loved listening to his voice and just basking in his wonderful presence. “Their steps were in perfect harmony as they drove her back. Panicked, she flailed her way backwards, whipping her fluorescent pink whip back and forth in an attempt to stop them, but that didn’t stop Paris’ superheroes. Without missing a beat, they knocked her off her feet. In a last attempt to get away, Frightingale ran into the building where Clara Nightingale had hosted auditions earlier that day. Littering the wide room were pink statues of frozen people, stuck in positions of fear. Frightingale angrily shouted at them, calling them cheaters, but when did that ever stop Ladybug and Chat Noir? Seamlessly, they ran at her and got her wand, Chat Noir’s cataclysm disintegrating it into black dust. A small white butterfly emerged from it, and it was over. In sync, the two superheros shouted “Miraculous Ladybug!” and all of Paris was saved.”

“You’re such a good story teller Marc.” You gushed in the direction where you heard his voice.

Marc laughed nervously, “no I’m not. I was just telling you what happened.”

“But you recounted it wonderfully!” you argued, “it was almost like I was there. Your words are magical. You should totally share it! I’ve heard that there are websites where you could post your writing!”

“Oh no no, I couldn’t do that.” He immediately disregarded your idea.

You frowned, “why not?”

“My stories aren’t that good.” He answered without missing a beat, but his voice seemed to ooze self-doubt.

“Nonsense! Your writing is amazing!” you couldn’t understand why he didn’t believe you, “why do you doubt yourself?”

Marc sounded rather dejected as he told you, “you’re only telling me they’re good because you’re my friend.”

You gasped and felt a little hurt, “I would never! You’re the best writer in the entire school!”

“Hey guys!” you felt a gentle hand on your shoulder and Marinette’s voice.

“Marinette! Tell me, are Marc’s stories awesome?” you were happy that the kind girl was there. She’d help your case.

“To be honest, I’m not sure” she replied hesitantly, “Marc’s never let me read his writing.”

“Wait really?” you swiveled your head around since Marinette was on one side of you and Marc was on the other, “how many people have read your writing?”

“Just you” He mumbled, “and technically you never read my writing.”

You gasped good naturedly, “rude!” Marc quietly laughed. “But I’m flattered,” you told him seriously.

“I have an idea!” Marinette declared excitedly, “you guys should come over to the art room!”

You weren’t too fond of that idea, and you made it heard, “I don’t know Marinette. Art and me? I wouldn’t be able to appreciate it.”

“Not all of it is visual!” Marinette told you, “there are students in there who are writing music!”

You thought it over, “maybe. What do you think Marc?”

“Sure, why not?” he answered unenthusiastically.

“Maybe you’ll let me finally read your writing, and then I can answer your question (y/n)!” Marinette suggested.

“Yeah, I don’t know.” He sighed, sounding unconvinced, “maybe.”

“Awesome” Marinette cheered, “see you guys later then!” You heard her footsteps fading away and knew she had left.

“Hey Marc, you don’t have to if you don’t want to.” You told him kindly. You heard his lack of enthusiasm, and didn’t want to force him to doing anything. Especially since he seemed uncertain about his work, “but I do think it’d be a good experience. You can be with other artists!”

“You think so?” he asked, still sounding unsure.

“I’ll be right next to you,” you told him gently, “if that helps.” You added hastily.

“Oh no no,” you heard his voice raise in alarm, “you don’t have to come. Like you said, you wouldn’t really be able to appreciate the art.”

“It’s no problem!” you grinned, “I can listen to the music!” There was a pause and Marc still seemed unconvinced, “don’t worry about me. You’re always narrating to me what happens in the world, at least let me try and pay you back by supporting you all the way!”

“Okay.” Marc agreed.

“Shall we go then?” you asked, “or do you want to wait?”

“Let’s go.” There was the sound of rustling, and you guessed that Marc stood up, “Marinette invited us, so we should go sooner than later.”

“Sounds good!” you smiled. You grabbed the white cane that was laying on the seat next to you, and stood up. “Lead the way!”

Your cane swept back in forth in front of you to make sure you didn’t run into anything, while Marc walked next to you letting you know when to turn left or right and when you approached the stairs.

“Am I really the only person who’s read your writing?” you asked in awe as the two of you walked through the school.

“Yeah.” He answered quietly.

“Wow,” it took you a moment to take in the new information, “I feel special.” You felt your cheeks heat up, but you didn’t know why.

“That’s because you are.” Marc’s voice had a smile in it.

“I just, wow.” You had no words to describe the fluffy feeling inside of you. If only you had Marc’s prowess over the English language, maybe you would have been able to say something more riveting than ‘wow’.

It was silent between the two of you, except for the light taps your cane made on the ground, “it’s because I trust you.”

“Thank you Marc.” You smiled, “I trust you too.”

Marc didn’t seem done with his small monologue and continued, “and it started with just telling you about the news of the day, and I guess, I just started telling you my original stories.” He trailed off into silence, sounding like he started berating himself in his head at the end of his sentence.

“Y’know,” Marc’s silence made it seem like he was lost in his head again, “if you didn’t tell me before, I would’ve thought that your original stories were just news. They sound so realistic and like I’m in the moment.” You paused, then continued, “I’m really happy you’re in my life Marc. If I could see, I’d say that you made my life more colorful and brighter.” You smiled.

Marc faltered, “I, do you mean it?” he sounded breathless.

“Of course! Why would I lie to you?” you were confused, why was he breathless? It wasn’t like the two of you were doing anything physically exerting.

“Because,” there was a pause and a shaky breath, “you’ve made my life colorful as well. You are the highlighter that colored my world.” You didn’t realize that the two of you had stopped walking and couldn’t help but gape at him. “Oh no, I said something weird didn’t I?” Marc’s voice started to sound anxious, “I’m sorry (y/n), that was weird.”

“No, Marc!” you were worried that he was going to leave so you reached forward in an attempt to grab something. Lucky for you, you were able to grab a part of his hoodie. “That was just, beautiful. I, don’t know what to say.” You took a deep breath and refocused yourself, “are you getting a warm, fuzzy feeling inside your stomach? Or is that just something bad I ate earlier?”

“Yeah, I’m getting the fuzzy feeling too.” He murmured.

“Do you, know what it means?” you questioned in shock. What was this new feeling?

Marc hesitated, “I think, that’s how people describe love.”

“Love?” the word seemed so foreign to you. You never thought that you loved Marc, but as you thought about it, you could understand. You were always happy when you were near him, he was the highlight of your day, and, if he were to suddenly leave, you would probably be devastated. “Marc, I think I love you.”

He took your hand off of his sweater and held it within his hands, “I think I love you too.”

Masterlist

[jesswritesthat]

hey babe! i love your writing so much!!! so i recently watched kaguya-sama: love is war and i was wondering if you could do a headcanon of kuroo, bokuto and atsumu where their crush gets sick and they visit her and she drags them into her bed to sleep with them? you can decide how it ends. thank you so much in advance if you do end up writing this! i love you and take care of youself💞

Hello lovely! Thank you so much for this, I’ve never seen Kaguya-Sama but it sounds really cute. Also take care of yourself too and I hope these are okay! Much love 💕

Summary: Bokuto, Kuroo and Atsumu checking up on their sick crush headcanons

>>>>—————————>

Bokuto Kōtarō:

• Has felt like he's been missing something all day but couldn't quite decipher what it was until Akaashi mentions how you're off sick.

• Thats when your phone is bombarded with ‘urgent’ messages inquiring about your wellbeing to the dramatic extent of:

[ Kou: (N/N)! You haven't answered me yet, are yOu StiLl AliVe?! ]

[ (N/n): no ]

[ Kou: Aw, can I have your cool headphones then, since you won't be needing them anymore? 😁💕 ]

[ (N/n): Wow Kou, I'll haunt your dumbass at Volleyball games for that. ]

[ Kou: Even in death, your support means everything to me. ]

• Despite his nonsense he kept updated with you throughout the school day by sending memes in hopes of raising your spirits. The most peace you got was during Volleyball Club time - the Ace too invested to message you at that point.

• At the end though he calls his team for a serious discussion and they're all expecting major improvements on their gameplay ready for Nationals.

But no.

"What can I get (N/n) to make her feel better, this is crucial. I need only good ideas!"

• They all knew about his crush on you, he wasn't exactly secretive about it but you were none the wiser. Even so, Fukurōdani offered what advice they could to their friend because like him, they cared about you too.

• "Akaashi picked up your schoolwork." Bokuto says as he walks into your room, waving the papers and placing them on your side.

"And you didn't think to take notes for me?"

"Nah, I wanted to bring you good stuff."

"Fair point."

• Bokutos likely brought everything he could find once he went home and changed/showered - he's got flowers, your favourite snacks, drinks, medicine and some movies to cure your boredom. Like how much do I owe you???

He's says it's fine though, in return you have to be better by tomorrow.

That's not how it works Kou.

• You're both seated on your bed watching some shitty movie when you start getting a bit sleepy and you just want warmth.

"Can you give me a hug Kōtarō? I just need a hug, I know how weird that sounds..."

• Doesn't even think twice about it, he practically tackles you onto the covers which elicits lovely giggles from you - the potential of him getting sick too isn't even considered, he's just focused on being with you and making you feel better.

• His arms are so warm and they’re beautiful, you forgot how toned he is and you grow so comfortable in his embrace. He’s also really relaxed about it and is calm enough to ramble on normally - except when you nuzzle against him during a cold shiver. Bokuto full on freezes mid sentence, releasing a cautious breath prior to changing the subject.

• It’s obvious he’s content with you though, and surprisingly falls asleep first which makes you laugh. Kōtarō keeps a strong but delicate hold on your body and is subconsciously receptive enough to your every move. You adjusted yourself slightly which stirred him, his voice is much huskier than before due to sleep but remains concerned.

“Can’t you sleep (Y/n)? I can-“

“I’m fine, you’re keeping me warm.”

• With a nod of understanding he’s gone again and you follow shortly afterwards, the both of you unintentionally making the nap a sleepover. Which you only realise the next morning - still in his arms even if the position has changed. You take a few minutes to enjoy it.

• Miraculously doesn't get sick, his immune system must be immortal as he's brimming with energy once he gets up. His radiance is actually contagious as you feel much better in yourself too and his vibrant attitude really motivates you for the day despite being physically exhausted from beating the flu.

• "Your partner is going to be blessed if you bring them breakfast, I mean talk about amazing." You comment as he brings up a plate that he’d crafted in your kitchen, which is surprisingly decent. You suppose he must keep his body fit somehow.

"My crush will have to do for now."

"Wait I - ah, you have a crush on me?"

"Hah, didn't you know? I never tried to hide it or anything."

Kuroo Tetsurō:

• Notices your absence immediately, he's observant by nature but especially where his crush is concerned and he isn't afraid to contact you before class starts.

• "Hey (Y/n), it's Kuroo, are you running late today?"

"Hnn, I'm not gonna make it. I tried but I feel awful - Sickness: 1, (L/n): 0." Already by the grogginess in your voice he can tell you're under the weather and winces at the sound of you stifling a cough.

"Ah geez, go to bed would you? And drink plenty of water, I'll inform the teachers and everything."

"Thanks Tetsurō, I owe you one."

• Will message you at regular intervals throughout the day regarding your health with cute little reminders. You were on his mind frequently, he’s lowkey worried okay?

[ Tetsu: Drink water, and eat breakfast if you can. ]

[ (Y/n): Yeah yeah I have, go learn something. ]

[ Tetsu: Why are you replying? Shouldn't you be sleeping it off - I don't want your germs. ]

[ (Y/n): Sharing is caring. ]

[ Tetsu: Oya? It took a cold for you finally admit you care, so is it gonna take a pandemic to say you love me? 😏 ]

[ (Y/n): 🖕🏻]

• Is actually considerate enough to tell you he'll swing by after practice, and asks if you want anything from the shop so you give basics like water and tablets. Comes equipped with the extra notes he's taken from all of your shared classes and requested papers from teachers in those you don't, so you're not falling behind.

• Aside from the bare minimum you requested, he chucks your favourite snacks on your desk stating that it’s important to keep morale high too. Liar. He just wanted to do something nice for you.

• Checks your temperature despite your protests of not being a child, he only does this because it vexes you and Kuroo finds that cute. As a silent apology for teasing the Hell out of you, he’ll make you some tea and you both get lost in conversation.

• Notices you’re starting to doze off, rest you should’ve had instead of texting everyone - but ensuring everything is fine, he’s about to stealthily exit until your fingers grasp his wrist and tug him back slightly.

"Stay Tetsurō..."

"You'll likely regret that request once you wake up."

"S'ok, it's you."

• The strength you have when tugging him into bed with you catches him completely off guard and he’s actually blushing - doesn’t know what to say but knows he has to at least maintain some composure.

“So uh, never knew you wanted me this badly.”

“Ugh shut up dumbass, I can feel your rapid heartbeat from here.”

“Right...”

• Kuroo goes all shy, you’ve wrapped your arms around his waist and are comfortably leaning against his side and he absentmindedly runs his fingers soothingly up and down your arm to settle his own nerves.

• It’s peacefully silent, simply enjoying one another’s company before he hears your muffled sniffles indicating you’ve fallen asleep and a soft smile graces his lips. If you were his, then he’d definitely kiss your forehead, and lips to be honest, but the fact you aren’t leaves him with a disappointed sigh.

• You both end up taking a nap, waking up wrapped in each other’s arms and noses practically touching which startled the Captain - Kuroo literally falling off of your bed with a yelp much to your amusement. Afterwards, he departs suggesting you get more rest, get better soon and he’ll see you at school next week.

• At least that was the plan, which altered with the text exchange the following morning.

[ Kuroo: Sharing is not caring, I wanted your snacks not your sickness! ]

[ (Y/n): RIP us. 💀 ]

[ Tetsu: You owe me one remember? I've got the house to myself this weekend so would you like to suffer together? I have blankets, entertainment and food. ]

[ (Y/n): Beats sniffling alone, I'll bring the tissues and drugs. ]

• So, you went over with a trail of sneezing in your wake and ended up snuggled with Kuroo under a blanket with a variety of games gracing the TV as you skilfully passed around the tissues. Aside from being ill, spending time like this with him was perfect.

• "Sickness: 2, (L/n) and Kuroo: 0..."

"No, Kuroo: 1.”

"How so? You K.O. a sneeze or something?"

"I got to spend the day with you didn't I? That counts as a win in my book."

"Tch careful, anyone would think the Scheming Captain cares~"

"I do smartass, I care about you a lot (Y/n)..."

Miya Atsumu:

• Atsumu wasn't one to act needy in any way, the only excuse for him to contact you in regards to your absence was to do it with a remark and hope you'd elaborate.

[ Atsumu: Yo, are ya ditching me to survive English on my own? That's cold (Y/n) 😭 ]

[ (Y/n): Sorry 'Tsumu, I'm too busy dying to care rn. Have a fun missing me loser. ]

[ Atsumu: Hah you wish, you alright tho? ]

• You're good friends but he's never really expressed genuine concern about you before, not verbally anyway. You thought the final "K" after you'd told him you were gonna rest would be the end of it.

So you were beyond surprised when he rocked up to your house later that evening.

• It took everything you had not to mock him for his embarrassed stature, solely flustered by the fact you'd seen him so considerate. Admittedly you were also exhausted and probably couldn't think of a snarky reply anyway.

• "What's up? Was there homework or - ugh, or something?"

"Huh? Oh I dunno. But uh, I got 'Samu to make you some Okayu, and a Umeboshi Tea since it's good for colds and stuff."

• Totally pestered Osamu all day to help him make you something and had to do stupid favours in return but Atsumu will deny it if you ever ask.

• “I love how you don’t care what you look like when you have guests over.”

“Take your stupid backhanded compliments and shove them up your pretty litt-“ You bite back, flipping him off in the process while Atsumu remains proudly victorious.

“Nah ah, is that any way to speak to the man who brought you dinner?”

“It’s the way to speak to the man whose currently annoying me.”

“You’re welcome, this is revenge for ditching me in class gorgeous~”

• Despite how irritating he could be, Atsumu stuck around for a bit to make sure you ate everything he’d brought and taken the appropriate medication.

• “Oh yeah, I brought that movie you were talking about the other day. Figured it might pass the time a bit.”

“Thank you! I’ll give it back once I’m better - thank you so much ‘Tsumu.”

Your excitement was endearing, and he had to collect himself a bit since admiring such little quirks was out of the question - his crush was bad enough as it is.

“Wanna watch it now? I haven’t got anything to do so I can give you spoilers.”

“Sounds good - and not a word!”

• You spent the afternoon watching the film and playfully wrestling the blonde in order to shut him up whenever he made an attempt to spoil it - he would never, but provoking you was too funny.

• You settle down later on, putting on a mindless tv show for background noise before collapsing onto your bed with groan. Atsumu raising a smug brow at your exhausted state as he threw his jacket on.

• "Wanna sleep with me?" It was innocent, at least you didn’t think much of it then.

"Do I what now?" He was smirking, thankful that your panic left you oblivious to the blush crawling up his neck at the mere insinuation alone.

"Sleep wit- ohh I did not think that through! I meant sleep in my bed, next to me, to help me drift off. Maybe it's the sleepiness or medicine but I really want you Atsumu..."

"Not helping your case at all." Again he smugly responded, dropping his jacket to the floor with a sly smile.

"Stop smirking and just hug me okay? Then you can leave and tease me about this later."

• Atsumu isn't awkward about it, subduing his nerves enough to pull you into his arms as he sits up - dutifully ignoring the butterflies in his stomach due to your close proximity and the intoxicating smell of your hair.

• Atsumu becomes unintentionally soft, his fingers slowly begin to glide through your hair and he hesitates when he feels the hum of contentment you release before continuing. Your whole body just relaxes against his and he subconsciously does the same, not even realising he was this tense around you - was his body always like that in your general presence?

• As you start quietly talking about nothing and everything, he notices a weakness - you’re a lot more open when drowsy and god he wants to take advantage but knows you’ll remember the questions he asked and murder him for it when you’re able.

• Intead he attempts to protect any dignity he thinks he has left with you - jokes on him, it’s absolutely none. You guys are way past that level and he knows it.

“You better get healthy quick, not that I care but English is really borin’ on my own ya know?”

"The people you truly care about must be really lucky to have you 'Tsumu..." The mumble is enough to make him roll his eyes, but he waits until you’re asleep to reply.

"Yeah... you are..."

<——————————<<<<

[ Masterlist ]

[doodleimprovement]

CSAU :: Moonie Jericho and the Mysterious Case of the Moon-Jumper Mask - Alternate Ending

Or: “The extremely self indulgent 7 page fic were Nell gets to be more helpful and has some actual characterization” 

Yeahhhh this isn’t canon to the fic, but I wanted to write it because I can, at LAST give ya’ll Nell’s backstory for how they came to live in Subcon in the CSAU

Per usual, the “Coffee Shop AU” belongs to the ever wonderful @doodledrawsthings

Also, note: Both MJ and Nell use “they/them” pronouns, with MJ being “He/They” and Nell being “She/They” To keep things from getting too confusing, Nell will be “They” and MJ will be “He” 

Enjoy! 

--

Nell was honestly a bit surprised when MJ came to their home the morning after Halloween, sheepishly stating that the mask seemed ... stuck.

“Really?”

He nodded.

“Huh.. Come on in then. I’ll get some tea going and see about helping you out, hm?”

He walked into their house, taking a moment to actually look about the place- as he didn’t get much of a chance before- and took a seat in their small living room.

The ambiance of the outside followed inside, with the walls painted chestnut brown with warm yet bright pops of color on the windowsill and the various picture frames full of people he didn’t know. The curtain over the wide window was patterned with little pumpkins, which he found cute, and hanging from a few ceiling hooks were what Clover would call “Low-maintenance” plants. The dark colors match well with the room, making it feel a bit comfier than it otherwise might.

The couch he sat on was across from an armchair, and both were colored a warm orange, with an espresso-colored coffee table. On said table were some envelopes and a copy of “Better Homes and Gardens”

Huh, he didn’t peg them as a reader of those types of magazines. Then again, Clover was the one that knew Nell, not him.

They came back with two mugs - one was purple with the “Snatcher” face on it, and the other had a little grumpy ghost on it, with “I’m spooky before my coffee” written above the drawing.

They handed him the Snatcher mug

“Can I ask where you get all of this Snatcher merch?”

“My best friend is an Etsy fiend. Despite him living all the way in Nyakoto, he ships me Snatcher merch whenever he finds something fun. He’s a real character” they chuckled.

“Huh” MJ acknowledged as Nell walked around the coffee table and sat next to him

“Do you feel the mask?”

He nodded, his hand up at the edge, right where he felt it “When I pull, it just… doesn’t move”

“Hm..” they sipped. “When you try to take it off, how does it feel?”

“Like… it’s like a thousand little… things? Pulling at my face, I think?” MJ pulled up their mug and sipped the tea.

“Like… string? Thread?”

MJ nodded. “I think that's the right word, thread”

Nell puts down the mug as MJ takes another sip. “Let me see” they scooted closer to him, and he put his mug down and turned his head.

Their hands seemed to glow green as they raised it “There we go…” They muttered, hand immediately finding the mask’s edge, and seeing what he was talking about “... Huh, the threads… well, that's the right word. They’re… criss-crossed…”

Before he could ask if they could remove them, he felt a slight burning at the edge of his face and jumped

“Ah!”

“Sorry, sorry, but, that did work… Though, it means you might be here a while” they admit “I’ll need you to stay still, okay?”

“Oh.. okay”

It was... Not Okay.

A few minutes into Nell’s attempt at getting the mask off, they let out a huff.

“You can’t keep squirming”

“I- I’m sorry” He muttered “It's just, you know, hard to stay still”

“I understand that, but I don’t want to mess this up. I’d like to see your actual eyes” They muttered.

“I know, it just.. Weird feeling” He tried to explain.

“Moon” They pressed, but sighed “... You seem still enough when I’m talking to you, need a distraction?”

“I mean, I guess…?”

Nell sighed “Hm… How about I tell you how I came to live in Subcon? That’s a long-ass story”

“Oh uh, if you’re okay with sharing!” MJ tried to be polite. He knew that even Clover wasn’t completely sure why Nell came to live in the town, she just knew that “something happened” back at the coast where they were from.

“Nah. It’s been 5 years. That’s more than long enough” The nurse stayed focused on the magic threads, their magic seeming to thrum in his ears- sounding almost like the hum of a fan in the dead heat of summer..

There was a pause, before they took in a breath.

“When I was 19, I took a job in Nyakoto, and left my hometown as fast as the train could take me. I had a scholarship to a little nursing school there, and before my 21st birthday, I’d gotten a nice, decent paying job as an ER nurse for a hospital in the East Side” They started “The hospitals were all interconnected, so I ended up meeting different doctors and nurses while I worked, and sometimes was called to assist in other hospitals.

“I was.. 25, when I met him” They recalled, something in their voice seeming heavy. “We’ll call him Chris

“He was in residency at a hospital down in the Wesservale neighborhood. We met at a medical appreciation gala… He had something about him I couldn't place. . . A charisma, almost. A kindness. He seemed so eager for the future, so excited for what the next day might bring him. I’d never been like that. His optimism drew me in.

“We started dating the year after. Like with most relationships, everything seemed great. He was funny, kind, thoughtful, all of that stuff. He even went with me to pride stuff, which was pretty cool at the time.”

“Pride?” MJ chimed in. Nell couldn’t hide a chuckle.

“Yes. You’ve heard of the Nyakoto Annual Pride Bonanza, haven’t you? One of the biggest in the country”

“I have, yes”

“Good. Back to the story” Nell redirected “When I was 27, about a year and a half into the relationship, I realized, quite unhappily, that we weren’t actually very different, and didn’t really get along as well as we thought.. It's not that we argued, but.. We didn’t really… talk. I never spoke to him about my problems, I didn’t feel like I could, and that really made me realize that we weren’t actually all that comfortable around each other. So, when he came over to my place that night for dinner, I spoke to him, and tried to tell him that we weren’t compatible, and that I thought perhaps we’d be better off as friends.

“He convinced me that we just needed work, going on and on about all these plans he had for us. Trips, dates, things to look forward to, always looking toward the future, Chris did”

Nell paused again

“.. I really should have noticed how little he cared about happiness in the present.” They commented “Not a traditional red flag, but it was a warning nonetheless”

“Well, I mean, that’s not so bad”

“In a way, no” Nell replied “But when you think about the future so much, you forget the present, you forget to live, and your past just.. Ends up a horrible haze. Even the happy stuff is hard to recall”

MJ hadn’t thought of it like that

“But hindsight is 2020, and in the moment, I believed him. I wanted to believe those bright dreams of the future, and I let go of the fact that I did not even like to talk to him very much.

“... I tried to break up with him 4 more times in the 8 years we were together.”

Okay, MJ hadn’t been expecting that much time passing.

“By the time I was 34, we were living together, but barely seeing each other. From the outside it must have seemed perfect to everyone else. I think only Daph knew about my.. Issues, with Chris. I still never talked to him about anything that wasn’t the future, or how the day was, or.. Just, absolute nonsense.

“One night, after one more attempt to break up, I’d gone to bed defeated, and woke up at 3 in the morning while he was on the night shift in Wesservale.. I came to this… realization

“If I didn’t leave right then and there, I’d marry him…. and I’d …. I’d be stuck. He’d have me, and I’d be stuck for the rest of my life..

“So I grabbed everything I had in the apartment, sent a resignation email to the East side hospital I still worked at, left him a note telling him I was leaving, took my car and just… started driving”

“.. Did he call you?”

“I blocked his number.” They answered curtly. “Drove for days until I came across Subcon.”

MJ didn’t comment.

“I stayed at the Alpine Motel for a few nights, and when I was at the diner, overheard that there was an open position for the school nurse at the elementary” They continued. “I applied for it, and 3 months later cashed in my savings to put a down payment on this little place” They made a motion with their hand briefly “The rest is history”

“Well… If it's any consolation, I think that's a good reason to get out of the city”

Nell couldn’t hold back a laugh. There was something a little… sad, in it, but the laugh was genuine.

“Yeah, then again, every reason is a good one to get out of the city” They commented, and MJ had only just realized that their hands were now on the other side of his face. Nell worked quickly, it seemed. “Hm.. okay. On the count of three, I'm going to try to take it off, alright?”

“Oh, uh, wow, okay!” He replied eagerly, closing his eyes.

“One…” They slowly started, both hands on either side, their nails right at the edge of the mask.

“Three!”

MJ startled as Nell pulled, and a cold, sharp feeling spread over his body before it abruptly ended. When he opened his eyes. He looked at Nell, who had, in their hands, that damned mask.

His hands went up to his face, and he let out a relieved laugh as he felt his skin, glasses and hair “hah! Hahah! I’m human again! No more magic!” He raised his hands and leaned back on the couch “Sweet relief”

Nell let out a chuckle, putting the mask down gently “Finish your tea, I’m gonna grab you a damp towel. You have… paint? On your face”

His brow was furrowed, but he reached for the still-warm mug anyway as Nell got up and went down a short hallway.

He took the few moments that Nell was done to think over the story he’d been told, the exhaustion in the nurse’s voice as she told it. Was he really the first one to learn? It gave him a weird feeling right in his chest.

When Nell returned, she offered a small, damp towel… that had the “Snatcher” smile on it

“... How many of these do you have?” He almost laughed again, and they just answered with an amused smile and grabbed their own coffee cup.

MJ cleaned his face, seeing a candy-red color coming off on the purple towel. “Hm..”

“What?”

“Well uh, the color looks like the magic strings I was able to summon”

Nell Blinked “... Well uh, bring that up with Tim when he’s back in town. That’s a little out of my wheelhouse”

“Noted”

The two fell into silence, sipping their warm drinks and giving them some time to unwind

“Will you need a ride home?” they asked him, putting their mug down.

He hadn’t actually thought of that.

“Oh, uh, it’s fine”

They raised an eyebrow at him

“You live 20 minutes away and Luka isn’t here to … fly you home, per se” They laid out “I’ve got a car, I’ll drive you home”

He turned a little red to the ears “Oh.. Thank you”

“No problem, Moon” They smiled back at him. “I’m going to change real quick, then we’ll leave”

And with that, they left back into the short hallway, to what Moon assumed was their bedroom.

Nell returned a few minutes later, dressed in a loose blouse and skirt that went down to their ankles, a far cry from the tank top and sweatpants that he’d seen them in before. He supposed that it was more so not wanting to go out in Pajamas than anything else. She picked up the mask, wrapping it in a handkerchief before holding it out to him

“It’s chosen you. You have to keep it”

He just nodded, and gingerly took the troublesome thing into his hands.

The two got in their truck (Nell owned a truck??) and drove into town.

MJ took in a breath as they turned onto a main street, passing The Horizon. “So uh, Nell..”

“Hm?”

“About your uh, the story you told me.. I won’t tell anyone”

“I don’t mind if you do” they answered, eyes on the road

“What, really?”

“Like I said before. Five years feels long enough”

MJ’s brow furrowed “I’m still not going to say anything.. That’s a personal story. It’s not mine to tell”

Nell glanced over at him with an unreadable expression, before moving to turn on the radio. Lo-fi started, and it seemed they were right in the middle of a Billie Eilish song.

“.. Thank you” They ended up responding as the song picked up

”I know supposedly I'm lonely now.

Know I’m supposed to be unhappy without someone.

But aren’t I someone?” 

MJ didn’t say much of anything else once until they got to his apartment building

“Thank you, Nell. For everything”

“Don’t mention it” They gave him a small, but sincere smile “Get some rest, hm? The bags under your eyes are aging you”

MJ just laughed “I will. Don’t be a stranger, Mx. Buonacci”

The nurse gave him a lazy salute with a soft smile, before the window rolled up, and they drove off

Exhaling, he looked down at the covered mask, wrapped in a…. Snatcher-patterned handkerchief.

He couldn’t help but laugh.

[fallingstarnovel]

Chapter Four

“Holy fuck!” Evan yelped, before running down the stairs and opening the front door. “Dude, you are fast!”

Ruth laughed and scratched the back of his neck. “It seemed like an emergency.”

“You’re not wrong,” Evan grumbled, before quickly ushering him inside. “I was going to apologise for the mess but I guess you’ve seen everything already.”

Ruth, to his credit, managed to look completely non-judgemental as he stepped over a pile of shoes and pizza leaflets. He waited patiently for Evan to close the door behind him before speaking.

"May I see it?"

Evan hummed and hawed for a moment, before sighing. May as well get this over with. He turned around and lifted up the back of his hoodie so that the tattoo was poking out over the waistband.

There was an intake of breath behind him. He felt a warm hand nudge his hoodie a little further up his back, being careful not to actually touch his skin.

"How bad is it," Evan said, full of dread. "Can you read what it says?"

Ruth hummed under his breath. When he spoke, he sounded like he was trying to be very careful. "Would you believe me if I said that someone put a curse mark on you?"

Evan laughed out loud, and looked at Ruth. The laughter died at the dark look in the other boy's eyes.

"Oh. You're serious."

Ruth nodded. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, curses are..." Evan began, before stopping himself. There was no polite way to say "curses aren't real". "They're... Kind of spiritual, right? More based in belief than fact."

The dark look was still there in Ruth's eyes, but he did manage an amused smile. "You're a skeptic."

"I'm a scientist," Evan replied flatly. "Trying to be. Sorry. If you're one of those people who believes in magic and stuff, that's super cool, I'm not going to call it bullshit. But this is probably just a normal tattoo."

"Just a normal tattoo that appeared on your body without you noticing."

"I might have been drunker than I realised," Evan said hotly. "But even if someone was trying to somehow curse me by tattooing me, I'm not bothered about that. Curses are... um. Probably not replicable in lab conditions. I'm more worried about the fact that they managed to somehow jab a needle in me when I wasn't looking and do some of the chunkiest black work I have ever seen. So what does it say?"

Ruth's gaze skittered away. His pleasant smile was like glass. "I don't know."

"Damn it. You're sure?"

"..."

"So how do you know it's a curse?"

Ruth swallowed. He hesitated, before holding out a hand. "May I touch it?"

Evan said "yes" without really thinking about it. He realized his mistake as soon as he felt two warm palms come into contact with the small of his back, brushing along his skin.

Oh no. This was really nice. It had been quite a long time since he had been touched by someone. With a nervous laugh, he jumped away in shock at the electric feeling that rushed through him.

"Cold hands," he lied.

"Oh. Sorry."

That was his second mistake. There was the sound of Ruth blowing on his own fingers and rubbing them together to warm them up, and then the hands were back, except now they were hot and unignorable.

Idiot. Idiot fool stupid ass. He just invited this random guy over to his house and said "oh sure touch my back in a totally normal kind of way" and now he's making it weird, and poor Ruth was probably standing there like, what's this weirdo doing blushing like some kind of idiot because I'm touching his freaky new tattoo? His weird drunken tramp stamp? Just copping a feel of this guy's lower back like a spectacularly PG version of a freaky train groper?

God, he wished he could get his brain to shut up when he was nervous.

"... It doesn't feel like a tattoo," Ruth said after a moment. "It feels like a curse."

"A curse to do what?"

"It's a bad luck curse," Ruth said. His voice was strange. "Luck so bad it'll force you to..."

Evan stared at him over his shoulder. "To what."

"..."

"To what."

"But it is only triggered when, under certain conditions..." Ruth began before trailing off. "The conditions will not be met. There is nothing to worry about."

His smile was very reassuring. One of his dimples popped. It was incredibly sweet.

"You're sure?"

"I'm certain."

Evan tore his eyes away and sat down heavily on the couch, putting his head in his hands. "So some kind of spiritual nutjob has put a weird mark on my ass. Wonderful. That's really great."

"I'll fix this."

Evan looked up at Ruth in surprise, before shaking his head. "You can't just remove tattoos so easily. It's going to cost so much money to remove, and it might not even work. And it's going to hurt."

He sensed Ruth coming closer, close like he might reach out and touch. But he didn't. He was silent.

"... You think it was someone at the party."

"Yeah. Maybe. I don't think I had it before then, and I don't know when else I would have been drunk enough not to notice it happening."

"A curse mark can be placed with just a touch–"

"Dude," Evan groaned, throwing his head back, "it's not a curse mark, it's just a pain in the ass. It's a tattoo. And I have to deal with it. I wish I–" he groaned, and buried his head in his hands again. "This always happens. I shouldn't go to parties."

Thick silence again.

Ruth’s voice was gentle. His hand landed on Evan’s shoulder. "You didn't ask for this."

"But what if I did?" Evan said. "It's the not knowing that’s the worst. What if I did want this? But why would I... I never would, but who knows? Who knows?" He stood up suddenly. "That's why I have to find someone who was there and ask them."

“I can help you do that.”

“... you can? How?"

"I think I might know a couple of people who were there," Ruth answered. "I can ask them."

Evan stood up and grabbed Ruth's shoulders. "Please! Can you come with me to meet them?"

His expression turned sour. "I would prefer you didn't. They are... they're not good company."

"I don't care. I need to ask them. Please."

A long tense silence, and then:

"Alright. I will ask around."

Evan sighed and collapsed back on the sofa. "Thank you. Really."

"There's no need. Anything you want, I'll do."

He gave Ruth a weird look, tilting his head in curiosity. "Are you this charitable with everyone? You've been so nice to me."

Ruth's smile returned with a vengeance. Cheerful sunshine was practically flowing from every orifice. He said, rather carefully, "not with everyone, no. But you could say that it's something that sustains me. Being helpful, I mean."

"Huh. You enjoy being a good Samaritan, then."

Ruth nodded. In between talking about the curse nonsense, and the desire to help people, and the way he was a little – hm, intense, Evan wondered if he hadn't accidentally made friends with a very motivated missionary. Weren't Christians supposed to love thy neighbour?

Oh no, was Evan being indoctrinated into a fundamentalist cult? Was that why Ruth was being so nice?

"... Are you religious, Ruth?"

He hummed, seeming to think about the question. "That... is complicated. I guess so. But maybe it's more accurate to say that I... that I do my own thing. Are you?"

That did not rule out the cult side of things. Evan nodded, hiding his suspicions deep where they couldn't possibly offend this potential fundie.

"I do my own thing too," he said, deciding to be cautious just in case. "I just try to be nice and hope for the best."

"A good philosophy to have," Ruth said with a laugh. "Keep it. Well, I should probably go and track down the people at the party. If you want anything, you can call me whenever you like."

Hm. Way, way too nice. "I will," Evan lied, before guiding Ruth back to the front door. "Thanks again."

"It's nothing at all," were Ruth's last words before he left, bundling out onto the street and walking away.

Evan watched him go. Watched that bundle of curly blonde hair and a warm blue scarf grow smaller and smaller until it turned a corner and once again disappeared.

A few days later, Evan was waiting outside of his lecture hall, when someone suddenly stopped beside him. He squinted at them, finding their face oddly familiar. That long brown curly hair, the wide set of their shoulders...

Wait a minute, this was the person from the party who kept giving him shots! Sand! No - Ice?

“Rock,” said Rock, looking exceptionally nervous. Their eyes kept darting to the side. “From the party.”

“No, yeah, I remember,” Evan mumbled, feeling a little dazed. What the hell. They just suddenly turned up with no warning. “What’s... up?”

“You said you had questions,” Rock said quietly. They seemed completely different now from that night. Whereas before, they were loud and bouncy, projecting their voice across the music, now they seemed to be holding their arms close to their body as if trying to look smaller.

It was weird.

“Um. Yeah. Hey, let’s just...”

Evan stepped aside from the other students who were waiting outside the lecture, and Rock followed, until they were both in a slightly more private spot.

“Are you good?” Evan asked, because Rock looked very sweaty.

They nodded quickly. “I’m good. I’m chill. Look, whatever you wanna ask, please go ahead.”

Evan thought about it. This was his chance. He needed to make sure he didn’t mess it up.

“So... did I do anything weird?”

Rock stared at him in disbelief. After a moment, their gaze once again skittered around the place. “No. Not really.”

Okay. Good. He would just have to try and believe that. “Sweet. Okay. Christ, um. Did anyone at the party have a tattoo gun?”

Rock swallowed and shook their head. “No.”

Shit. “Are you lying to me?”

Rock’s eyes widened, and their back stiffened. “No. No, I swear. Nobody had a tattoo gun.”

“Were you upstairs with me when we were... playing a game?”

“I was.”

Nice! A witness!

“Did I kiss someone?”

Rock nodded.

“Who?”

“Ophelia,” Rock said hesitantly. “She kissed you.”

Ophelia... “Was she, by any chance, the girl with the black hair and the platform boots?”

“That’s her.”

Wow. Hot Goth Girl kissed him. Evan thought he would feel excited about that, but instead he just felt a little nauseous. He was so drunk. How could that have been enjoyable? Surely he was way too much of a mess for her to get anything out of it...

“Rock, can I have your number? I might have more questions if that’s okay.”

Rock suddenly looked a little panicked. “You’re not satisfied?”

“What? Uh, I guess? Look, you don’t have to, I just--”

“No, you can, you can,” Rock said, hurriedly pulling some paper and a pen out of their pocket and wrote down a number. “Here. And... please, look, tell him that I’ll do anything you want, okay? I’ll cooperate, I’ll behave!”

Evan stared at them. “Tell who?”

But Rock was already running away, visibly sweating.

Huh. Weird.

Evan kept throwing glances behind him as he finally trailed into his next lecture. He found it difficult to concentrate on the class.

Bad luck followed Evan around that week like a bad smell.

He dropped his phone while he was walking, and the whole screen shattered so bad that he could barely see what he was typing anymore.

Whenever he went walking, he ended up stepping in dog muck. He didn't even know there were this many dogs in the city. How come all the owners had suddenly decided to be lazy bastards who didn't clean up after their mess?

If he forgot his umbrella, it rained, and if he brought it, he lost it. And then it rained anyway.

But all of this wasn't so bad when he thought about it. At least he still had his health, and his lectures were still taking place, and anyway. He wasn't doing as much walking now that exam season was underway.

It was today. Exam day. One of the big ones. He had small exams all week leading up to this one, but this was the one he was most worried about.

Evan still wasn’t sure he believed in the concept of luck, but he figured that now was as good a time to start believing as any. He pulled out his favourite pair of socks from the drawer and decided that they were lucky. As he walked to the exam hall, he made sure not to step on any cracks.

He wasn’t sure that cracks would affect his exam score. Weren’t they supposed to break your mother’s back if you stood on them?

He didn’t take any chances. If he wanted to pass this exam, he couldn’t risk getting called out halfway through because of any back related medical emergencies.

He also avoided walking under any ladders, or seeing any magpies, or opening any umbrellas indoors. If avoiding bad luck was a game, he had the high score.

Evan was just across the road from the exam hall when he saw that strange flash of black in the corner of his vision. He turned on instinct to see the black cat he often saw around campus sitting on the pavement a little bit ahead of him.

The cat looked up and made direct eye contact. Evan stared. He stared so hard that he didn’t notice where he was putting his foot until it was too late.

There was a groan and the sound of old metal creaking, and Evan found himself stuck up to the knee in the rusty grating of a road gutter. He tried to pull himself out, but he was well and truly stuck.

Something honked. Evan looked up to see a truck racing towards him. It was okay - the truck was far enough away that it could brake long before it reached Evan. He hoped. He tried yanking his leg out of the gutter again, but it felt like something was holding onto his foot.

Lazily, he felt the swish of something soft against his hand. The cat jumped past him, before racing up the road towards the truck. It ran out into the road.

The drive had presumably already been stressed out by the sight of a kid stuck in the road. He was already honking his horn and slamming his foot on the brakes, making an awful screeching noise. The cat must have exacerbated the situation, because all of a sudden, the cab of the truck veered sideways as if the driver had just pulled a sharp right.

In horror, Evan could only watch as the side of the truck began to tilt. It leaned, and leaned, tires squealing, black smoke pouring from where they scraped along the tarmac. Cars beeped, people screamed, but nobody was close enough to help.

Evan was going to die here, he realised. The truck was rolling over, and it was going to squash him flat. He would die right before his exam and fail it. Why couldn’t this happen afterwards? Didn’t he study hard? Didn’t he spend all night revising his notes and memorising formulas?

All that hard work, wasted! If he knew he was going to die today, he would have spent last night doing something fun instead!

The sun suddenly broke through the clouds. Sunlight bounced off the wet tarmac and the muddy puddles at the edge of the road. Evan couldn’t even think. All he could do was watch.

A strong hand suddenly gripped his underarm and pulled. There was a horrible lurch as his leg was pulled free from the grate, his jeans getting shredded and a terrible pain running down his calf, and then Evan was being lifted up and out of the grate into someone’s chest.

A sudden flurry of movement, and Evan was out of the road. A mere second later, the side of the lorry slammed down on where he had been stuck. Someone screamed far away.

If he was still there, he would have been flattened into a pancake.

Someone laid him down on the pavement, gentle and kind. Evan looked up, dazed and dizzy with adrenaline, everything seeming too sharp and too clear. Above him, looking down with a sweet smile, was a boy with curly blonde hair. The sunlight hit him from behind and made his hair glow gold at the edges, his face cast into shadow.

Evan swore he saw two huge white wings spread out from the youth’s back, one tall and strong, the other held slightly lower as if it was injured.

“Ruth,” he gasped. “Ruth, you're...”

“Don't talk,” Ruth replied gently. “Just rest. I have you.”

“Hey... hey, kid! Are you alright?”

Someone was running towards him, one of the bystanders who had seen the accident. Evan closed his eyes for a second. The pain in his leg was unbearable. At least he wasn’t flat.

When he opened his eyes again, Ruth had disappeared. A random woman was hovering over him, asking him questions and sounding panicked, but he could barely pay attention at all.

Was that... real?

Author's note:

if you've managed to read this far, it's lovely to have you on board! i've had internet issues so i had to post this later than i wanted to :( but now it's here!

thank you and enjoy, see you soon :)

Previous Chapter | Contents | Next Chapter

[prurientpuddlejumper]

Well This is Strange and Unexpected [Toshinori x Reader] [Part 1 of ?]

Part 2 ->

I tried to resist completely weebing out over My Hero Academia, but Toshinori’s siren call pulled me in. It’s weird writing for a fandom with more than 5 people in it, but oh well… I AM HERE! 

Summary: Female reader with a healing-ish quirk rescues a sickly stranger, and impulsively asks him out. Toshi is touched that someone would be attracted to him in his weak form, but weirder still… you don’t like All Might?!

3,990 words | SFW

A couple of guys were harassing him. One of them had him by the cuff of his shirt (which hung loosely on him, accentuating his shriveled size), snapping shark-like teeth, while the other one stood back and threateningly produced sparks from his fingertips. This wasn’t what you expected when you walked into the corner store, but not really surprising—this isn’t the best neighborhood.

They didn’t seem like real villains, at least. They were being careful not to actually use their quirks to do anything beyond intimidate, or else heroes might get involved.

Just assholes bullying an easy target.

The guy they were picking on didn’t seem too worried either, despite being the most fragile-looking man you’ve ever seen. Gaunt cheeks and deeply sunken eyes—everything about him, in fact, giving the impression of a zombie—with a mop of blond hair that was just as oversized as his clothes. He looked more annoyed at his current situation than anything, glancing over his shoulder and scowling like he’d left the oven on at home.

You couldn’t help but smile at his attitude.

Shark-face and sparky weren’t as charmed. “Hey! Are we boring you, grandpa? Learn a little respect!” They shove him forward and back between each other until he doubles over in pain, wheezing and coughing blood. That can’t be from anything they did. Come to think of it, they’re in the medicine aisle. Wow, they decided to pick on a sick guy. They push him to the floor while he’s still hacking and convulsing, struggling to breathe. Your fists clench at your sides.

“I don’t have time for this right now,” the zombie growls, wiping the blood from his lips like a boxer who just took a punch and is ready to deal it back. Except they barely had to touch him. He could be in trouble if this turns into a serious fight.

His ice-colored eyes dart around the room, looking for something, anything he can turn to his advantage, like a desperate, wounded animal. A news report of some big drawn-out fight with All Might earlier today plays on a TV above the register. The cashier doesn’t look up. Other customers are in the store, but nobody is paying any attention—nobody wants to get involved.

You don’t want to get involved either, but…

The shark-tooth guy lands a kick to his ribs, shooting more blood out of the thin man’s mouth, while his accomplice cackles wildly. “That’ll wipe that smug look off your face!” He goes in to kick him again—

“STOP IT!” you shout, rushing forward to insert yourself between the bleeding man on the floor and his assailants. Adrenaline pulses in your veins. Your muscles shake. Thanks to your quirk, you’re not too scared of getting hurt, but you have no idea how to fight, or what to do next.

“What’s this?” the shark menaces, with a harsh laugh. “You his little girlfriend or something?”

Your cheeks flame, but before you can deny it, you think—they probably think a guy like that couldn’t get a girlfriend. They’re already bullying him for being weak. So you announce defiantly, “Yeah, maybe I am!”

“Really? This loser?” His jaw drops.

“All the more reason to break his face in,” the fire-starter snarls. “Then you can date a real man.” He steps in to your space, uncomfortably close, and runs his tongue over his lip. Your skin crawls. Ugh, why did I go and provoke him?

“M-miss, please don’t get involved.” Shaking, the pale blond struggles to his feet behind you. “It’s fine—” The other criminal shuts him up with a hand around his throat. His cold eyes narrow fiercely at the assailant, but his struggling does nothing to loosen his grip.

“Sure, I’ll go out with a real man. Know any?” you spit.

“Bitch!” he growls, and winds up to strike you, his fist suddenly engulfed in flame. Smoke (or is it steam?) begins to fill the room.

You drop to the floor before he ever touches you.

Then you start screaming.

“AAAHHHH, HELP!!!! WAAAHHH!” you cry in your most pathetic, high-pitched wail. “NOOOO, PLEASE DON’T HURT ME!! HELP!!! POLICE! POLICE!!!”

The blond guy has stopped kicking against his attacker’s grip, and the attacker has lost his zest for choking. They’re both just staring at you. So is everyone else in the store. Other customers are peeking over the tops of the aisles, or rushing over to help. Somebody asks, “Are they beating up a girl?”

“AAIIIIEEE!!! OW, OUCH!” you sob, clutching the imaginary wound on the side of your face.

The two troublemakers glance at each other. Then at the growing audience.

They drop the stranger and run.

Everyone is a little surprised when you’re suddenly all better, but they turn and go back to their shopping. “That was disgraceful,” says a stern voice above you. His ego was clearly hurt being rescued that way, but his eyes are warm as he offers you his hand and helps you up.

“You’re welcome,” you reply with a cheeky grin, brushing off your clothes.

“You didn’t have to get involved, you know. What was your plan if they didn’t run away? That was a risky gamble.”

“Nah. I know their type. They were counting on not drawing too much attention, that’s why they were going after a weak target… uh…”

The guy is pouting with a tragic look on his face. “Weak,” he repeats in a long, extended squeak. His shoulders fall, “It’s true.”

“Are you alright, anyway?”

“Me?” he perks up, giving a big smile to show he’s OK, and pointing a thumb at himself. “Don’t you worry about me, I’ll be fine. Thank you for hel—”

Blood gushes from his mouth, and he falls to the floor, unconscious.

****

Dammit, why’d I have to get jumped when I’m already way past my limit? I hate this weak body. Pathetic. I can’t protect anyone. Not even myself.

Everything is dark. Everything is quiet except for the steady pulse of his heart. Then he hears your voice, distant and small, calling to him. Slowly, the voice gets closer. The darkness fades. Yagi Toshinori feels himself coming back to life.

As his eyes open and his vision clears, he sees you, hovering over him. His lungs aren’t filled with blood anymore. In fact, he hasn’t felt this good since the last time Recovery Girl healed him. He looks up at you smiling back at him.

“Thank goodness,” you whisper. You cough, and blood runs down your chin.

****************************************************

“I don’t have a healing quirk. Not really,” you explain, wiping blood from your face. “I can’t make injuries go away, but I can transfer them between people. The neat part is, it isn’t all-or-nothing: I can absorb, say, 10 percent of a wound, and share the burden so we can both recover. But if I wanted to heal somebody all the way, I’d end up just as hurt. So, my quirk is honestly pretty useless.”

“That doesn’t sound useless at all. You helped me, didn’t you?” The stranger’s bright eyes are piercingly kind as they gaze up at you from their dark sockets. Even on the floor of the medicine aisle of a convenience store, with drying blood speckling his white shirt, he has an inspiring aura that makes you want to believe his compliments instead of brush them off.

“How are you feeling? I couldn’t heal you anywhere near all the way. Your body is… pretty messed up. UHHHH, sorry for using my quirk on you without permission! I… kind of know some private medical information about you now. Sorry.”

With great strain, he sits up on his elbows, and struggles to get to his feet, but is caught off balance by a fresh fit of coughing, and slumps back down. You offer him a hand. As soon as you’ve pulled him up, you are wracked by a bloody cough, and he quickly grabs your shoulder to keep you from stumbling.

“I’m sorry,” he says in a low voice, lanky bangs falling in front of his face. “You’re suffering now because of me.”

“It’s nothing, really. I only took a little; you’re the one who’s been suffering. Can I help you get home? Do you have anywhere close you can rest?”

He shakes his head. “You’ve already done too much for me, don’t worry. I’ll get a taxi.”

“In your condition?! No way. Why don’t you come home with me—my apartment is right across the street.” Your pulse starts racing. Did you just ask a stranger home? “Just to rest for awhile! Until you’re sure you won’t black out in the back seat of a cab.”

His razor-sharp cheeks flush with a tinge of pink. “That’s very kind, but… Really, this is normal for me.” He gives a carefree grin which is actually extremely tense.

“Then…” you ball your fists in determination, “will you go on a date with me?”

He stops cold. All he manages to make is a short, nonsensical string of vowels. You’re in shock at yourself, too. Your heart is pounding like crazy, but you’ve already gone this far.

“I mean, you said I’ve done too much for you, right? So, you can pay me back with a date!”

“Wha—” His entire face turns bright scarlet and his nonexistent eyebrows fly off his forehead. “Wha… but… uhhh. I. Um. What kind of date? (Is it really OK to ask for that kind of payment??)”

“I’ve got the latest Space Adventure movie and a bowl of microwave popcorn back at my apartment. I was going to watch it alone, but it would be more fun with company.”

His brow tents upward, and he gives a defeated whine, “You’re kind of devious, you know, miss!”

“What do you think about curry for dinner?”

His mop of hair falls over his face, and his shoulders begin to jerk. You can hear him laughing beneath it. Finally, he tosses his head back smiling—as his twin bangs fly upward, for a moment it reminds you of a certain hero. “OK, OK, I surrender!” he puts his hands up. “I’m clearly outmatched here. I’m Toshinori, by the way.”

 ****

After checking out of the store, you slowly limp your way home, practically carrying each other down the block. You offer him your arm for support. He insists on supporting you instead. You counter-insist. In the end, you wind up leaning against each other like a pair of drunks staggering home from the bar.

“So, you said you can ‘transfer injuries between people,’ not that you can transfer them to yourself. Does that mean you can transfer them back?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Then you should give it back to me right away!” he clenches his fist, and announces it with so much passion that passers-by stop to see if someone is being robbed. He softens his voice to a low rumble, and leans closer. “You shouldn’t be hurt on my account.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, you’d pass out again. You’re pretty thin but I still don’t wanna carry you.”

He mopes silently for a moment. You had him there. He bounces back from the sulk with academic curiosity. “Can you use your ability to transfer injuries to a third party, as an attack?”

“Yes, but…” You drop your gaze to the sidewalk. “I don’t ever want to use it that way.”

“Why not? It sounds like it would be a strong power for a hero.” Imagine how useful a quirk like that would be to pair with young Midoriya, healing him when he uses One For All at full strength, and simultaneously dealing out more damage to the bad guys.

“Are you kidding? Sucking wounds out of allies to use against an enemy? Their bones spontaneously snapping and shattering with a single touch? Their organs failing from an attack that never even hit them? Deciding who lives and who dies? It’s horrific.”

“Battle is always horrific, no matter how it’s done. But I understand what you mean.” He smiles. “It’s good that you don’t want to hurt people.”

“Besides, it only works through touch; I’d have a hard time grabbing onto a villain with my body broken.”

“That’s not the only way you could use it. If you honed your reflexes, you could reflect back the damage from a punch instantly. It would be like your opponent was punching themselves!” He excitedly throws a jab at the air with his free hand. “I’ve never heard of anyone with a quirk like that. You’re pretty special,” he adds with a smile.

A warmth blossoms in your chest. You’ve never been proud of your weird quirk, but the way he talked about it made you feel like maybe it was special. You never even thought about using it that way, and he came up with it in thirty seconds!

“Yeah, we could call you Mirror Girl, or Stop-Hitting-Yourself.”

“Well, I’m a little old to go after a hero license now, and naming things is clearly not your forte,” you stick out your tongue. “But thank you. What about you? Quirkless, right?”

“Something like that,” he answers nervously.

 ****

Your apartment is a small-but-cozy, slightly messy space at the top of a flight of stairs you would have described as “short” before having blood in your lungs. As soon as the door is open, Toshinori spots the couch and gratefully slumps onto it without hesitation, letting out a long sigh of relief. Remembering manners, he turns to you.

“Thank you… for everything, really. It was embarrassing to have to be rescued like that, but you were very brave, helping me even though you didn’t have to. You even thought of a way to get me to stop being so stubborn,” he laughs. “You were joking about the date, right? I promise I’ll take it easy and rest, you don’t have to pretend to be interested.”

Your skin grows hot and you’re suddenly hyper aware of everything your face is doing. On the walk over you’d gotten comfortable leaning on him, and kind of forgot you asked out a random guy you just met like some kind of psycho! But…

“I wasn’t kidding. Unless you don’t want to—I mean—not to pressure you, th-that is… I was kidding about the ‘you owe me’ part! I was just trying to get you to not run off on your own in this condition.” Maybe you can just dig a hole in your living room floor and hide in it? “But… I would like to go on a date with you.”

He’s completely taken aback. “You really want to go out with someone like me? Who can’t even protect himself?”

“Sure. You’re kinda my type, actually.”

“Are you serious?!”

You laugh a little at how shocked he’s acting. “Come on, it’s like you’ve never been asked out before.”

“Not like this I haven’t!” He blurts, then claps a hand over his mouth like he spilled a secret.

“Like… this?”

He grumbles and drops his shoulders. “You must have sensed it when you were using your quirk on me anyway, so there’s no point hiding it. I wasn’t always this weak.” He pulls up his shirt and reveals a grizzly web of scars and inflamed tissue taking up half of his left side. “An accident damaged a lot of my organs and completely destroyed my stomach. I’m barely patched together with everything medicine and healing quirks can do. There was a time those guys wouldn’t have been a problem for me.”

“Oh, wow.” Without thinking, you’re beside him on the couch, and your hands are on his mangled flesh, studying it with fascination. He draws in a sharp breath between his teeth.

You quickly take your hands off him. “Does it hurt?”

“N-no, just…” His eyes dart away.

Gasping, your hands fly to your mouth. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry! That was completely inappropriate, I should have asked! You must think I’m some kind of—I’m so sorry!”

“It’s OK, you just surprised me. You can go ahead, if you really want to…”

You bite your lip. Having to consciously decide to touch his bare skin makes it so much more embarrassing. It’s way too forward, right? Then again, you both agreed it was a date…

Slowly, you examine his wounds with your fingertips. You could tell something was off about his internal organs when you were hunting for damage to absorb from him, but this is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Ridges of scars and sutures extend from his chest to his lower abdomen, and unlike an old wound that has properly healed, the tangled flesh is red and angry. There are a few fresh bruises blooming on his ribs from the kicks he took, which you have a matching set of, and some other recent injuries of mysterious origin. The most surprising thing is how muscular he is, considering his emaciated frame. He probably could have taken those guys in a fight, if not for the internal bleeding.

His breathing becomes rapid and shallow as you explore his body. Goosebumps raise on his skin everywhere that isn’t scar tissue. He swallows, hard.

“Aren’t you disgusted? I don’t usually show this off on the first date.”

“Not at all. I think it’s cool! Ah, I mean—ugh—sorry. It must be really painful for you, of course it’s not ‘cool,’ I just mean…” You hide your face in your hand with a groan. “I’m really messing this up, aren’t I?”

He chuckles softly at you. “I’m just glad you’re not freaked out. Most people react… differently.”

“Heh, well, honestly…” you peek out from between your fingers. “Frankenstein is my favorite book, so this look is actually really appealing.”

“Are you comparing me to the monster? That’s not a compliment!” he scolds theatrically, with a playful light in his eyes—before blood erupts from his mouth.

“Sorryyyyy!!!!” you laugh—before blood erupts from your mouth.

Tentatively, he reaches out, and rubs your back as you recover from coughing. His face was built to frown, and the deflated expression of regret etched deep into its sharp lines effortlessly slips back into place over the brief moment of levity.

“Did you absorb my respiratory damage? Those injuries are permanent, they’ll never heal— you have to give them back, right now.”

“Stop worrying so much. Chronic injuries are different; I’m not even sure if I can transfer them. Pretty sure it’s just inflammation that got aggravated from exerting yourself.”

His frown deepens. “You should still give it back.”

“I told you, don’t worry. It’s already feeling better. Anyway, if I did that, I’d be hurting you, and you know it’s illegal to hurt another person with a quirk.”

“…in that case, it was illegal to use your quirk in public in the first place…” he grumbles.

Quickly changing the subject, you point at the TV. “About that movie!”

 ****

Because of his total gastrectomy, Toshinori can’t eat anything too sweet, spicy, fibrous, or fatty, among a host of other things to avoid. Moreover, he can’t eat very much at once, so he has to be snacking constantly through the day.

Luckily, popcorn fits the bill, so you both sit on the couch with a big bowl of it between you, while laser weapons flash through space on the screen.

Halfway through the movie, he yawns sleepily, stretching his lanky arms over his head. As they come down, one of them lands awkwardly on the back of couch just behind your shoulder. Your head swivels. Your mouth hangs open. You stare at him, aghast.

“DID YOU JUST DO THE YAWN TRICK?”

“Uhh…” He stares stiffly forward at the TV screen, arm discreetly inching back up from whence it came.

“Seriously, this is a date. If you wanna cuddle, just go for it.” You move the popcorn bowl to the side, and snuggle into him under the offending arm. It is the world’s tensest cuddle, as you both question whether this is way too fast. But soon he relaxes, lowering his arm around you.

By the time the end credits roll, he’s laying with his head in your lap, half asleep, while you stroke his messy hair. “C-captain Wan…” you sniffle, wiping a tear from the corner of your eye. Toshinori stirs.

“I don’t get it. What were those snake things about?”

“What?! Haven’t you seen any of the Star Adventure series?”

“It’s a series?”

You sit, sputtering, opening and closing your mouth again. He sits up as you explain that this is the latest movie in a really famous franchise that has been out for decades, spanning television and the big screen—you thought he knew that!

“Ohh. I’m not really into nerd stuff.”

Before you can vibrate into an antimatter weapon and explode with enough force to tear open the space-time continuum, he laughs “kidding, kidding!” and tells you he still had fun. Charming bastard. Good thing he’s cute.

Next time, you promise to show him the first movie. Or make it up to him with something he’s more interested in. And you’ll be sure to have more snack options on hand!

“Next time, huh?”

What does he mean by that? He was smiling but his eyes looked kinda stern, like he was teasing? It means he’s looking forward to it, right? Or is he saying it’s absurd? You did totally shanghai him into this and he didn’t even like the movie. “That is,” you start sweating nervously, “If you wanted a second date.”

He stares into the distance, squinting in thought. Not immediately reassuring.

“I should warn you, most days I don’t have any free time,” he says in a low, serious voice. “Today I got so far past my limit, I had no choice but to rest awhile… but I wouldn’t be able to see you very often. It wouldn’t be fair to you.”

“Slow down there, Yugioh! I’m asking for a second date, not your hand in marriage,” you quip, flicking one of his floppy bangs. Your shoulders fall. “Oh. Wait. Unless you’re just being polite. You can be straight with me, I don’t pick up on hints very well.”

“No, I meant it!” He takes your hand and draws it close, interlacing his bony fingers with yours. You think he’s about to kiss it, but he just holds it to his chest like a precious possession. “This has been interesting. To know someone could still want me like this…” He rubs circles over the back of your hand with his thumb. The sensation sends shivers radiating through your arm, making your heart flutter and ache for more. “I just don’t want to make promises to you I can’t keep. My schedule doesn’t leave much downtime, but… the hospital is in this neighborhood, so I could visit you whenever I’m nearby. It isn’t as much as you deserve, but…”

“Second date. Not marriage. I just want to see you again sometime, and keep getting to know you.”

Maybe it’s just that you love his angular, skeletal figure, and his grim but friendly eyes. Maybe you just love taking care of wounded birds. But maybe it’s something deeper. There’s a fire within him that draws you in, and you just want to see where this goes.

A PHONE CALL IS HERE! A PHONE CALL IS HERE! A PHONE CALL IS HERE!

The moment is abruptly interrupted as Toshinori drops your hand to hastily pull out his phone, and fumbles to silence the ring. He’s so mortified he spits blood.

“Is that All Might’s voice?” you ask, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“What? No, it’s just a novelty ringtone!”

“That is totally All Might! Oh my god, you’re…”—he winces—“a fanboy!”

He lets out a held breath, visibly relieved, then laughs boisterously. “You caught me, I love that pillar of justice!”

“Ugh, no!” you groan, head sinking into your hands. “I can’t believe you’re into that obnoxious meathead!”

“Haha… Wait, what?”

[the-currian]

Could you please do a prompt with "I don't know who to choose" with reader, omi and masumi??

I see you, anon  👀👀👀 This prompt isn’t actually on the list – the closest would be “I don’t know which one to choose.”

If you really meant that prompt, this would be an entirely different scenario. But since I thought of a scenario already when I saw the prompt you sent in, I’ll let it slide…

But for future reference, please follow the rules of the posts I make, everyone!

Anyway, I’m not mad. I just wanna stick to the rules of my blog^^

Also, I’m gonna assume Year 3 ages so this will be less squicky for me. Therefore, Omi is 22 and Masumi is 18.

“I don’t know.” Ideas

“I don’t know who to choose.”

Your sketchbook was settled securely on your lap as you perched upon a fountain, lost in the scenery around you at the local park. As you try your best to commit the image to paper, your mind registers the faint shutter sound of a camera in the background. Used to hearing the sound around the scenic park, you pay no heed to it and continue to sketch. Strangely, the shutters of the camera slowly become closer and closer. You try your best to ignore it up until the point when the shutters become too close for comfort. Annoyed, you look up to see a (quite attractive) young man standing a few feet away from you sheepishly lower his camera.

“Er… hello…” he greets, trailing off with an awkward laugh.

You narrow your eyes at him and set your sketchbook aside, standing up to stride over and give him a piece of your mind. Probably sensing the aura of righteous fury you radiate, the brown-haired man raises his arms up in surrender as if trying to placate you.

“Wait, wait!” he cries out. “Hey now… let me explain, please.”

‘The audacity…’ you think to yourself but cross your arms expectantly, waiting for his explanation.

“I’m Omi, a photographer and actor.” he says, extending his hand for a handshake. When you refuse to offer your own hand, still pretty pissed at his intrusion of privacy, he pulls his hand back and rubs the back of his neck in embarrassment. “So, um… I came to the park looking for still life to photograph, but then you caught my eye and I kinda just thoughtlessly snapped a shot. I’m really sorry –”

“Can I see the picture?” you interrupt.

“Of-of course.” Omi obliges. His cheeks flush in embarrassment, but he dutifully shows you the picture he took of you. You marvel at his use of light, manipulating the angle to catch your sharp features as you appear to be in complete focus, fixated on your own artwork.

“Wow… you made me look great in this photo…”

Omi murmurs something that you don’t quite catch but when you ask him to repeat it, he flushes an even darker shade of pink and diverts the conversation to his interest in photography, showing you other shots of the still life that he claimed to be taking pictures of earlier. You find yourself drawn in by the passion glowing in his eyes as he talks about the photos.

Over the course of your conversation, the two of you move to one of the parks benches. Mid-sentence, Omi glances at the park’s clock and he pauses.

“Everything alright?” you ask.

“I didn’t realize the time…” Omi replies, looking at you with a troubled gaze.

“Hey, no problem. Don’t let me keep you.”

“But–“

“I frequent this place a lot for inspiration, so I’ll see you around?” you say, standing up. Feeling bold, you give him a playful wink and say, “And next time you want to take a picture of me, just ask! See you soon, Omi!”

You run off without glancing back, a bit embarrassed to find out what his reaction was.

--

Later that week you visit your favorite music store. As you browse through some vintage vinyl, you can feel someone’s eyes on you. You quickly swivel around but find no one else in the aisle with you. Warily, you turn back to the music selection only to feel someone’s presence somewhat uncomfortably close to you.

“You’ve got good taste.”

You jump at the proximity of the stranger’s voice and take a few seconds to calm yourself before facing the guy.

“E-excuse me?”

“I’ve been watching you make your rounds through the store.” He says, absentmindedly twirling the cord of his white headphones. “I prefer post and progressive rock, but I know how to appreciate some of the older gens of music.”

As he goes on, you notice that he slowly inches his hand closer and closer to your face. You close your eyes – in fear? anticipation? – and are surprised to see that he merely pulls out a record from behind you and starts scanning its contents.

‘Weird…’ you think, watching the stranger. ‘But he is kinda cute, I guess…’

Noticing the title on the case of the vinyl, you instantly perk up, forgetting your earlier apprehension.

“Hey, that’s one of my favorites!”

Before you can second guess yourself, you pluck the vinyl out of the stranger’s hands and march over to the store’s vinyl record player. When the stranger fails to follow you, you throw him an expectant glance and he dutifully makes his way over. As you play the record, a smile makes its way onto your face, and you bop your head to the beat. Again, you can feel the stranger’s eyes on you, but this time you pay no heed – actually basking in the attention this time.

“My name is Masumi, by the way.”

You smile at him.

“Nice to meet you, Masumi.”

Before you close your eyes to lose yourself in the vibe of the music, you could’ve sworn you saw a dark blush on Masumi’s cheeks as he stared at you but quickly shoot down that idea.

‘It’s probably nothing…’

--

Weeks pass since the last time you’ve seen those two – admittedly handsome and charming – strangers. Remembering yourself, you shake your head to clear your cloudy thoughts.

‘Focus. You’re here to support Izumi’s play.’ You think to yourself as you take a seat in the packed theater. You review the playbill given to you at the entrance. ‘A mixed troupe play by the Spring and Autumn Troupes, with the leads played by – ‘

Your eyes widen.

‘Omi Fushimi and Masumi Usui?!’

You’re shaken out of your thoughts by Izumi’s voice ringing throughout the theater, announcing the beginning of the play. Sure enough, the two strangers you met earlier this month come out on stage. Thankfully, neither of them seem to be able to see you among the crowded audience.

‘I asked fate to give me a plot twist this month… but not like this!’

--

“Izumi!” you yell your friend’s name, practically barreling her over when you see her after the show. “You did so well!”

“Ahahaha, hello to you, too.” Izumi returns your hug before pulling away. “But you give me too much credit – it’s the actors who carried out the show, after all.”

“Don’t you dare give me that self-deprecation, Tachibana!” you scold, mockingly shaking a fist at her. “The director is just as important as the actors!”

Izumi laughs, waving off your playful anger. “Yes, yes. Come on, I wanna introduce you to the cast.”

Remembering who exactly the lead actors were, your mood quickly turns sour. “Uh, maybe not… I wouldn’t want to bother them right after the show. They need their rest if they want to keep going for the rest of the week.”

“Nonsense!” Izumi says, linking her arm with yours. “Let’s go!”

Izumi whisks you backstage, you desperately trying to escape her grip and trying to make excuses up along the way, but Izumi has none of and before you know it the door to the dressing room is unceremoniously thrown open. Immediately, you can feel several pairs of eyes on you, and are particularly attuned to two of the actors’ gazes which you try your best to avoid.

“Great job, everyone!” Izumi greets, oblivious to the atmosphere in the room. “This is one of my friends from my old theater troupe. They said they really liked your performance, and they’re here – “

“- for me.” Two voices cut in.

Omi and Masumi stare at each other, surprised. A few beats pass and Masumi gets a feral look in his eyes, which Omi meets with a smug smirk. The two quickly make their way over to you and Izumi, who is looking more and more confused by the second.

“I had no idea my favorite muse would be coming to watch our show.” Omi says with a cheeky wink. “If I had known you were interested in theater, I would’ve invited you myself.”

Before you can reply, Masumi butts in.

“Your favorite muse?” Masumi sneers condescendingly at the older man. As Masumi focuses his gaze on you and Izumi, his entire demeanor does a 180.

“My angel of music here obviously heard about me being the lead and came over to see me. How kind of you to bring them backstage, director. You’re the best. How about the two of you join me for dinner?” Masumi says, outstretching his hands to the both of you. Beside you, Izumi sighs but seems to be accustomed to Masumi’s antics.

Omi gently nudges Masumi to the side, offering his own hand. “Oh, but it wouldn’t be fair to split your attention between the director and your… angel of music, now would it, Masumi? How about you take the director out to dinner, while I go to dinner with – “

As the two men bicker, you shoot a desperate look at Izumi, who seems to finally have a grasp on the situation. Looking at the men’s hands offered to you in invitation, you feel an internal struggle rise.

‘I…I don’t know who to choose!’

Mercifully, Izumi finally comes to her senses and comes to your rescue, slinging an arm around your shoulders.

“How about we go with the whole cast in celebration for a successful opening night?” Izumi says, more of a command than a question. The two men immediately stop their argument and defer to their director, but both have pouts on their faces, brows furrowed.

You and Izumi walk out of the theater, arms linked. Omi and Masumi are close behind the two of you, with the rest of the cast leisurely trailing after. As you chat with Izumi, she suddenly looks back with a stern expression. Omi gives a kind, but obviously strained, smile in response, while Masumi does his best to school his face into an innocent expression. You and Izumi glance at each other and sigh.

‘This is gonna be a long night…’

[haileygarciasunshine]

The Equation

Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader

Word Count: 2,235

Warning: Swearing, Violence.

Summary: Tony calls a friend to help fight against a new villain.

Peter Parker Masterlist

*If you haven’t figured it out already, I’m writing Peter Parker in his early twenties because first, I feel like there isn’t a lot of fanfics like that and second because I feel weird writing about an underage kid🥴

“Tell me again why were going to help Tony Stark?” Wade whined from the passenger seat.

Rolling your eyes you responded. “Because Wade. He needs our help with something..”

“So?” He replied crossing his arms over his chest. "The guy doesn’t do anything for me.”

Scoffing you insisted. “You don’t know that.”

“Don’t I?” Wade countered. “I’ve helped the guy countless times. Not once has he had the decency to help me.”

“He’s a changed man now Wade.” You reasoned. “Besides, you were only focused on fighting Ajax because according to you he fucked yo your face.”

“Well it’s true!” He exclaimed throwing his hands in the air.

“To be fair, why would Mr. Stark care about helping you with a personal vendetta?” You asked raising an eyebrow.

He grumbled. “Fine. You win this one. But I’m not gonna like it.” Wade recrossed his arms over his chest, while looking out of the window.

“Whatever you say, Doc.” You cooed in response.

Walking into the Avengers tower you were greeted by friends.

“Y/N!” Thor roared excitedly. Throwing his arms around you, he lifted you off of the ground swaying side to side as he gave you a bone crushing hug.

“Alright, Thor. Let the poor girl go.” Tony stated.

Placing you back on your feet, you grinned at the towering man above you. Wanda and Natasha were over the moon to see you again. It had been months since the last time you had been together.

“Y/N, nice to finally meet you. I’m Tony.” He spoke extending his hand for you to shake.

Accepting his hand you replied. “Nice to finally be able to put a face to the voice.” You grinned. “Nice to meet you Tony. This is Wade.” Motioning you the awkward man beside you.

“Sup.” He spoke, making sure to pop the ‘P.

Gawking at him, you rolled your eyes and shook your head. “I apologize Mr. Stark. He doesn’t take well to meeting new people.”

“Please call me Tony.” He responded. “It’s alright I’m used to it.”

After the initial meeting, Tony have you and Wade a quick tour around the Tour.

“This is our lab.” Tony grinned opening the door allowing the two of you to step in, as he followed.

“Wow.” You whispered jaw falling slack.

“Y/N, look!” Wade exclaimed from the middle of the room. “We’re amongst your people!”

Groaning you pinched the bridge of your nose. “I hate you.”

“It’s true!” He continued.

You flipped him off in response, causing him bellow in laughter.

“Y/N? As in the Y/N?” A man questioned from beside Wade.

“Y/N look!” Wade called. “You have a nerd fan!”

Letting out a heavy sigh, you walked down the stairs standing in front of Wade.

“Please remind me why we’re friends?” You snapped.

“You’d be bored without me.” He pointed out, throwing an arm around your shoulder. “Besides who else is going to save my ass?”

“No one because apparently they’re all smarter than me.” You groaned.

“Good point.”

Before you could respond, Tony was standing beside the two men in front of you.

“Y/N, this is Ned and Peter.” He motioned towards them. “Guys, this is Y/N.”

Holding your hand out, neither one of the accepted it.

Wade fake coughed a ‘Freak,’ at you before he ventured towards another area of the lab.

All of a sudden, a body was pressed against yours as they began hugging you. Your arms limp at your sides as you stood shocked at the motion. Once your had caught on to the actions, you returned the hug, much to the strangers surprise. Pulling back, the man introduced himself.

“I’m Ned.” He offered his hand. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m a big...big fan of yours.” He beamed.

“Nice to meet you, Ned.” Shaking his hand. “I’m a fan of yours too.”

Shock replaced his excited expression.

“This is Peter.” Tony introduced. 

Motioning to a strawberry pink cheek man.

“Y/N.” You responded shaking his hand. “Nice to meet you.” 

“Where is she?” A voice boomed, in the lab.

“We’re over here Bruce.” Tony mentioned rolling his eyes.

You shot Tony a widened confused expression.

“Y/N.” The voice called from behind you. 

Turning around, you looked at the new man. 

“I’m Bruce.” He approached extending his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Giggling, you accepted his hand shaking it. “Nice to meet you too.”

“Come.” He remarked. “I want to show you something.”

Nodding your head, the group began to follow Bruce. Halting your steps, you looked down the steps turning around to search for your friend.

“Wade!” You exclaimed. “We’re leaving come on, lover boy.”

 “I hate you.” He jokingly replied.

“You loved me.” You remarked nudging his shoulder with yours.

Opening the door to a secure lab, Bruce allowed everyone to walk in. “This is where all the action happens.” He stated motioning towards the lab he and Tony share.

Glancing around the room, there was plenty of unfinished high tech projects. Focusing in, you noticed the new suits that was in the process of being finished. Walking over to them, you admired the work that had been put into them.

“We’re stuck.” Tony commented from beside you. “We can’t quiet get the math right.” He admitted sadly.

“Would you mind if I take a look?” You asked, the chatter in the room coming to a grinding halt.

“Please.” Bruce quickly commented, joining the other side of you handing you their notes.

Silence fell upon the room. The feeling of eyes watching you, sent shivers down your spine.

You hummed. “I found the problem.” Speaking a matter of minutes, you kept your gaze on the paper in front of you.

“The equation is y=mx+b.” You commented. “The Y has a positive value, when it should be a negative value.” 

“I...” Tony started.

Interrupting him you continued, “The rise and run are also wrong. It’s a positive when it should be a negative.”

“That’s impossible. I...I triple checked.” Bruce commented taking a look at the paper. “Shit. You’re right.”

Taking the paper from your hands he walked over to his desk, he began reworking the equation.

“Son of a bitch.” Bruce exclaimed. “Tony she’s right!”

“Kid!” Tony pulled you in for a hug. “You did it!”

The rest of the night was spent helping the men assemble the rest of the suits. Looking at the clock it was just after midnight. Pushing your chair back you stood up startling the men. 

Stretching you let out a groan. “Well boys. I think it’s time we get going.”

Collectively the group let out a whine.

“Nonsense.” Tony stated. “Stay the night. We have more than enough guest rooms.” 

Exhaustion set in, not allowing you to put up a proper fight. Letting out a defeated sigh, you nodded your head. Following Tony, he led you to the room you would be spending the night in. Shutting the door you fell on top of the bed, throwing an arm across your eyes you basked in the silence.

The silence didn’t last long, as a knock on the door sounded. Groaning you yelled, a “Come in.” Not bothering to get up.

“Uh...Y/N?” Peter questioned stepping into the room.

You hummed in response.

“I...I brought you some clothes for pajamas..” He hesitantly stated.

Removing the arm across your eyes, you used it to as leverage hoisting yourself up on the bed.

“Thank you, Peter.” 

The door suddenly opened again, as Wade barged into your room.

“Y/N.” He stated placing his hands on his hips. “There’s no way you’re going to sleep. Tony suggested we watch me a movie.”

“Wade..” You groaned.

Looking between you and Peter he wiggled his eyebrows. “Oh I see.” He smirked, nodding.

Opening the door he existed not before yelling, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do kids!”

Flopping back onto the bed, heat began to rise in your cheeks. “I’m sorry about him.”

Peter chuckled. “It’s alright. Mr. Stark likes to embarrass me too.”

Placing the clothes at the foot of the bed, he was about to leave your room.

Over time, you and Wade begun spending more and more time at the Avengers Tower. The team welcomed you both with open arms, happy to more people they considered family.

As you were spending more time with the team, you began spending more time with Peter. He was studying biophysics at NYCU. You considered Peter to be one of your best friends. Tony wanted you to stay at the tower with them, even making a room for you. 

Sam and Steve took it upon themselves to train you.

Your back hit the mat with a harsh thud. 

“Kid.” Sam muttered. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

You groaned in response.

“Come on kid.” He stated. “You need to focus, you can’t just rely on your superpowers to save you.”

“Sorry, Sam.” You muttered.

He sighed. “I’m tough on you kid because you have potential.”

Extending his hand, helping you up. Making your way back to your room, you jumped in the shower. Wrapping the towel around your damp body, you walked into your room sitting on the bed. Letting out a yelp, you bolted to your feet. There was a groggy groan that filled the air.

“Y/N?” Peter questioned lifting his head from underneath your blankets. 

Gripping the towel tighter around you. “Peter? What’re you doing here?”

“I was sleeping...” He stated as if it was obvious. “What time is it?” He questioned rubbing his eyes.

Glancing at the clock it read 10:30pm. He groaned again.

It wasn’t uncommon for one of you to go into the others room to sleep or spend time together. Peter was usually flirty towards you. Gently touching you, cuddling, purposely leaving clothes in your room knowingly that you would wear them.

Rolling your eyes, you went around the room gathering a change of clothes. Exiting the bathroom, you crawled into bed. Immediately after you were under the blankets, he wrapped an arm around your waist pulling you into him leaving no space between you. Bringing your hand to his hair, you carded through his loose curls. You began tracing his features, lightly tracing over his lips earning a light kiss from him.

The next morning, you woke up to Peter’s head laying on your chest as his limbs were intertwined with yours. 

Walking to the kitchen together, everyone turned to look at you both. Whistles sounded through the air. 

“Morning kids.” Tony chirped. “I’m so glad you could join us.”

Rolling your eyes, you sat down. Peter placed a cup of coffee in front of you, before taking the seat next to you. Attempting to pay attention to the conversation at the table, a large hand was placed over yours overturning it before lightly tracing shapes and figures in the palm of your hand. Smiling you glanced at the man sitting next to you. 

The next day, the villain had made his threat more serious. Everyone spent the day preparing for the anticipated battle. There was a knock on the door, before it was opened. Peter wound his arms around your waist, resting his chin on your shoulder, pulling you flush against his chest. Not stopping your movements, you continued to pack your bag. He placed a gentle kiss on your shoulder, causing butterflies to erupt in your stomach, as heat washed over your cheeks.

“Everyone understand the plan?” Steve questioned over the ear pieces.

A series of “Copy that,” sounded through the ear pieces. Your hear began beating at a rapid pace, causing you to hear your heart beat in your ears. Both you and Wanda were partnered together. As the battle had gone down a bad path. You decided that you had to go against the plan, to save your friends.

Before you knew it, you were fighting off four of the villains minions. In no time, the villain had wrapped its giant hand around you before you had a chance to put up a fight.

“Y/N!” Tony yelled through the ear piece.

The villain began mocking you as he brought you closer to his mouth. The thought of a plan floated into your head. As you ‘talked,’ to the villain, you were able to say things that was specific enough to each Avenger secretly telling them the plan you had come up with.

Standing in front of the mirror, you registered all the bruises that littered your body. The battle had taken a toll on you. Being focused on the bruises, a pair of arms wrapped around you exposed waist as a chest pressed into your back. Your shriek filled the air as you furiously spun around. Peter sent you a smirk as you looked at his face. Realizing you were only in your undergarments, you quickly grabbed your robe and rapidly putting it on.

Facing Peter, he took a step forward as you absentmindedly, took a step back as your back was met with the chilled firmness of the wall. Peter reached up, carding his hand into your hair, he cradled your head. Leaning forward, he brushed your nose with his before lightly pressing his lips to yours. Your hands gripped the hem of his shirt, holding him firm to you. Peter pulled back slightly he gazed into Y/E/C. 

FRIDAY sounded over the sound system, “Mr. Stark requested both of you join the team in the living room.”

[twoidiotwriters1]

Written In The Stars CXXVI (Harry Potter xF!Oc)

A/N: Super busy week we having but I hope you’re having fun -Danny

Words: 2,969

Series’ Masterlist

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter 

Chapter Twenty-Four: Test of Patience.

"These are old, but we can fix them," Sirius handed a pair of Regulus' old robes to Erick. "Try them on, see if they fit you..."

Mel had mentioned during breakfast that Erick had decided to go back to Hogwarts, which pleased Emily a great deal. Sirius tried to hide his disappointment, yet another friend he couldn't keep around the house, but as soon as he heard Erick quietly mention he still needed to get robes since he couldn't borrow one from a bunch of Gryffindors, Sirius' spirits lifted, he dragged Erick out of the room and into his brother's.

The robes were a bit musty but they would do for a week at least, the twins joked about stealing a few from the school's laundry, but Erick blatantly refused to accept stolen items. Mrs Weasley promised she would send him the books as soon as she were at the burrow and Hermione had a few extra supplies for him to take back to school. 

It was clear that everyone in the house had adopted Erick and even though he wasn't entirely happy about it (He was having a hard time accepting that he needed their help) he did show lots of gratitude towards everyone.

As they were saying their goodbyes before leaving (they were going to take the Knightbus), she found a moment to talk to Sirius, but he was adamant to let her speak, knowing beforehand what she wanted to say.

"You go and have fun, alright?" Sirius told her. "Don't worry about us, I promise I'll take care of your mother–"

"Will you take care of yourself too?"

"Don't look at me like that, little Em," He said grimly. "Don't give me those eyes, you know I wouldn't put the Order's plans at risk..."

"You're building a family, you're doing something important," Mel held his arm tightly. "I'll never get tired of thanking you for giving my mum a second chance. Don't forget that."

"It was Mily who gave me a chance that I definitely didn't deserve," Sirius tried to joke, but his eyes were lacking their usual playfulness.

"Are you ready to leave?" Lupin patted her shoulder. 

"Please take care," Mel insisted, this time looking at both men, "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You make it sound like we're the children here," Lupin laughed. "We know what we're doing."

"I'm just making sure!"

"Alright, time to cut the nonsense," Sirius shook his head. "If I hear you're wasting your time at school worrying about us I'll send you a howler— and look after Erick... he's good."

"I know," Her eyes wandered to the boy currently smothered with attention by Emily. "I won't let him do anything stupid."

Mel hopped on the bus with the rest of her friends after receiving her own hurried kisses and hugs, she felt slightly anxious about leaving them behind. Sirius was an adult, but it didn't mean he was wise, and her mother was unable to leave the house completely.

Being excited about a baby now felt ridiculous, in the middle of everything that was happening? Sirius Black's kid? How was her mother going to explain this to the world, if she wasn't supposed to have any kind of contact with a criminal? Mel had to trust they would find a way to make it work.

Erick's books arrived the morning after they got to the castle. Some people commented on the way his robes were old-looking, but Erick wore them with his head held high and no one dared to confront him about it.

On Monday people kept asking about the D.A. meetings, but Mel and Harry brushed them off saying they would use the galleons once the time came. Smith made a pretty nasty comment when he found out Harry was going to 'Remedial Potions', which was the way he had to refer to his Occlumency lessons.

Seconds after Smith had left, Cho Chang approached, it was the first time seeing each other ever since their kiss, and judging by Harry's attitude, he was fully aware of that.

"Oh. Hi."

"We'll be in the library, Harry," Hermione grabbed Ron by the arm and took him away.

"I, er... Fred, " Mel rushed back to the stairs. "See you!"

"So," Fred told her one night during dinner. "Next Hogsmeade visit... I just want to know what's the plan, are we going out or..?"

The girl shrugged. "I don't see the point, we're not a real couple..."

"I guess not," He replied. "We should still go, otherwise boys will assume we're no longer together—"

"I don't really care," Mel yawned. "They can ask, but I'm not obliged to explain myself."

"Would you go if I asked you though?"

Mel snorted. "Are you going to?"

"Don't laugh, you heartless witch!" Fred threw a bean at her, but he was laughing too. "I heard Chang and Harry are going together."

"Are they?" Mel looked over to the Ravenclaw table. "That's why she cornered the idiot... wait, how do you know that?"

"News travel fast," Fred winked at her. "Are we going, then? Are we making a scene?"

"Not the one you want for sure," She raised a brow. "But it could be enjoyable... never had a real date before..."

"This is not a real date—"

"I know that, but at least others think it is," Mel paused. "Wow, that sounded really sad. I don't know... I don't need to prove a point anymore..."

"Well, that's even better! The real fun can begin!" Fred finished his dinner and stood up.

"What's that— Wait! Where are you going?" Mel stood up. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

Some students gave her a few curious looks, Angelina walked up to her.

"Practice tomorrow at seven. Don't be late."

"Practice..? Oh!" She'd forgotten all about Quidditch. "Sure. Hey, guess which broom I got—"

"A firebolt," Angelina smirked. "George told me yesterday. That's great, it means we still have a chance."

"News do travel fast around here," Mel pouted. "Okay then, I'll see you tomorrow."

The girl hissed in pain, dropping her quill over her finished essay. 

"What's wrong?" Ron frowned. 

She closed her eyes for a moment and saw a flash of something, Harry's voice came from the back of her mind.

"What's in the Department of Mysteries?" 

Hermione and Ron stared at her. 

"It's Harry, isn't it?" Ron whispered. "That's so strange!"

Mel blinked, rubbing her forehead. 

"He's having a hard time with the lessons... maybe I should help..."

"Yeah, you should," Ron agreed. "Snape's an awful teacher— Why is he teaching Harry when Dumbledore's teaching you?"

"Maybe he doesn't want to catch Umbridge's attention," Mel shrugged, "I mean, students are used to see me in and out of the Headmaster's office, but if Harry starts to go as well Umbridge will try to see what's going on— And he's busy either way, he barely has time to teach me..."

"Are you in pain?" Hermione asked. "Maybe we should leave the library... if you start to scream—"

"No one's going to scream," Mel said defensively. "It caught me off guard! I can do this..."

She closed her eyes again, but this time she didn't try to see Harry, the girl held onto the edge of the table, breathing in and out the smell of old books and parchment, when she opened her eyes the pain was gone.

"It's over?"

"Yep," Mel smiled, continuing with her homework. 

Maybe it was that she'd talked things out with Harry and she could fully focus on the present, but she didn't have such a hard time trying to tune him out now.

"So rare..." Ron muttered in awe.

"What did you say before?" Hermione tilted her head. "About a department of mysteries?"

"Oh, did I say that out loud?" Mel frowned. "It wasn't me, Harry was talking about it with Snape, but I have no idea what that—"

"That's in the Ministry!" said Ron. "Maybe they're talking about his dreams!"

"Hmm..." Hermione said, lowering her gaze to the parchment. "It does sound like it has to do with his dreams... we'll ask him later."

When Harry found them, he was looking slightly pale.

"Are you all right, Harry?"

"Yeah... fine... I dunno— Listen... I've just realized something..."

He explained further what Mel had seen, it was part of the nightmares he'd been having for months now, and he finally knew where that place was.

"So... so, are you saying... that the weapon — the thing You-Know-Who's after — is in the Ministry of Magic?"

"In the Department of Mysteries, it's got to be. I saw that door when your dad took me down to the courtrooms for my hearing and it's definitely the same one he was guarding when the snake bit him."

"Of course," Hermione said.

"Of course what?" Ron frowned.

"Ron, think about it... Sturgis Podmore was trying to get through a door at the Ministry of Magic... It must have been that one, it's too much of a coincidence!"

"How come Sturgis was trying to break in when he's on our side?" said Ron.

"Well, I don't know," Hermione admitted. "That is a bit odd..."

"He could've been framed," Mel offered. "Maybe someone tricked him."

"So what's in the Department of Mysteries?" Harry asked. "Has your dad ever mentioned anything about it?"

"Well, that's where the Unspeakables work, you know, Mel's dream job," said Ron deep in thought. "No one really seems to know what they do in there... Weird place to have a weapon..."

"Oh, right!" Mel hit her forehead softly. "I think Mr Weasley told me about it last year!"

"It makes perfect sense," said Hermione. "It will be something top secret that the Ministry has been developing, I expect... Harry, are you sure you're all right?"

"Yeah... fine..." He was rubbing his forehead roughly. "I just feel a bit... I don't like Occlumency much..."

"I expect anyone would feel shaky if they'd had their mind attacked over and over again," said Hermione. 

"How come you're not exhausted when you practice with Dumbledore?" Harry asked her.

"We don't spend the whole hour attacking each others' minds, sometimes I just meditate, I shut down my emotions so he can't see through me, and then I try to see through him... it's not so bad, perhaps because he's patient with me. Snape's probably not doing that..."

"And how come you're not feeling my headache?"

"Oh, she felt it!" Ron said excitedly. "But she... uh— grounded?"

"That's right," Mel said proudly. "Told you I could control it, I just had to find my way around it!"

Harry nodded, looking slightly perplexed. 

"Good..."

"Let's get back to the common room, we'll be a bit more comfortable there..." Hermione insisted.

"Headless Hats!" shouted George, as Fred waved a pointed hat decorated with a fluffy pink feather at the watching students. "Two Galleons each — watch Fred, now!"

Fred swept the hat onto his head, beaming. For a second he merely looked rather stupid, then both hat and head vanished.

Mel was laughing along with the rest of her housemates, she was giving out hats while Lee Jordan was receiving the money. She watched Harry walked away from the fuss in annoyed silence and Fred nudged her arm.

"What's wrong with him?"

"He had his first lesson with Snape," Mel explained. "Poor bloke, he's having the worst—"

Mel inhaled sharply and dropped the hat she was holding, she felt as if something had hit the top of her head.

"What is it?" Fred eyed her up anxiously, quickly holding her in place. 

"Call Ron," She closed her eyes tightly and tried to ground herself for the second time that day.

Ron had gone upstairs right after Harry, and once her vision cleared, she pushed Fred aside.

"I have to go..."

When she got to the door, she heard Ron desperately calling for their friend.

"Harry! HARRY!"

Harry was maniacally laughing on the floor. Ron was staring at him with wide eyes.

"Harry!" Mel called, but he didn't listen. In a desperate attempt to bring him back, she slapped him, the burning sensation on her own cheek quickly faded. Harry's voice died instantly.

"What happened?" Ron asked hoarsely.

"I... dunno..." Harry blinked, he sat up with difficulty, panting. "He's really happy... really happy..."

"You-Know-Who is?" 

"Something good's happened... Something he's been hoping for."

"Hermione told me to come and check on you," said Ron as he helped him to his feet. "Mel walked in right after me, 'Mione says your defenses will be low at the moment, after Snape's been fiddling around with your mind... Still, I suppose it'll help in the long run, won't it?"

Mel and Harry shared a look.

"Listen, I know I said I would mind my own business, but—"

"I could use some help," He admitted, his eyes never leaving hers. "I'd appreciate it if you could..."

"I can," She replied. 

‘MASS BREAKOUT FROM AZKABAN MINISTRY FEARS BLACK IS "RALLYING POINT" FOR OLD DEATH EATERS

The Ministry of Magic announced late last night that there has been a mass breakout from Azkaban.’

"There you are, Harry. That's why he was happy last night..." Ron muttered.

"I don't believe this... Fudge is blaming the breakout on Sirius?"

"What other options does he have? He can hardly say, 'Sorry everyone, Dumbledore warned me this might happen, the Azkaban guards have joined Lord Voldemort' — stop whimpering, Ron — 'and now Voldemort's worst supporters have broken out too.' I mean, he's spent a good six months telling everyone you and the Dumbledores are liars, hasn't he?" 

"What an idiot," Mel sighed. "This is bad. This is worse than bad... Poor Neville..."

She looked around the table, the boy didn't look sad that morning, and it occurred to her that maybe not all the students read the newspaper every morning, but some definitely did, she confirmed as much when the watch in her pocket warmed up, letting her know Erick had arranged a meeting.

"Oh my —" Hermione gasped.

"What now?" Harry groaned.

"It's... horrible," said Hermione.

Mel took the newspaper and the boys leaned closer to read along.

 ‘TRAGIC DEMISE OF

 MINISTRY OF MAGIC WORKER

St. Mungo's Hospital promised a full inquiry last night after Ministry of Magic worker Broderick Bode, 49, was discovered dead in his bed, strangled by a potted-plant...’

"Bode..." said Ron. "Bode. It rings a bell..."

"We saw him. In St. Mungo's, remember? He was in the bed opposite Lockhart's, just lying there, staring at the ceiling. And we saw the Devil's Snare arrive. She — the Healer — said it was a Christmas present..."

"How come we didn't recognize Devil's Snare..? We've seen it before... we could've stopped this from happening..."

"Who expects Devil's Snare to turn up in a hospital disguised as a potted plant?" said Ron defensively. "It's not our fault, whoever sent it to the bloke is to blame! They must be a real prat, why didn't they check what they were buying?" 

"Besides we were focused on Neville's parents," Mel lamented. "We didn't notice anything else... But I doubt that was an accident."

"I don't think anyone could put Devil's Snare in a pot and not realize it tries to kill whoever touches it?" Hermione agreed. "This — this was murder... A clever murder, as well... If the plant was sent anonymously, how's anyone ever going to find out who did it?" 

"I met Bode!" Harry said after a moment. "I saw him at the Ministry with your dad..."

"I've heard Dad talk about him at home!" Ron gaped. "He was an Unspeakable — he worked in the Department of Mysteries!"

"Holy fuck," Mel breathed, leaning back on her seat and pushing the hair out of her face. "This is terrible."

"Where are you going?" Ron inquired as Hermione leapt to her feet.

"To send a letter— It... well, I don't know whether... but it's worth trying... and I'm the only one who can..." She left without ending her sentence.

"I hate it when she does that," Ron rolled his eyes. 

"Yeah, it's a bit exasperating, but we'll find out eventually," Mel said gloomily as they got up and made their way out of the Great Hall.

"Would it kill her to tell us what she's up to for once? It'd take her about ten more seconds — hey, Hagrid!" 

"All righ', you three?" 

"Blimey, Hagrid, have you been fighting with Dragons?" Ron elbowed her ribs harshly to shut her up.

"Are you okay, Hagrid?" asked Harry.

"Fine, fine," said Hagrid nervously. "Jus' busy, yeh know, usual stuff— lessons ter prepare — couple o' salamanders got scale rot — an' I'm on probation..." 

"You're on probation?" Ron yelled in outrage, it was Mel's turn to nudge his ribs. "Oof! Sorry — I mean — you're on probation?" He asked again, lower this time.

"Yeah. 'S'no more'n I expected, ter tell yeh the truth. Yeh migh' not've picked up on it, bu' that inspection didn' go too well, yeh know... anyway... Bes' go an rub a bit more chili powder on them salamanders or their tails'll be hangin' off 'em next. See yeh..."

"Probation," Mel said through gritted teeth. "I'll give her probation..."

When she arrived at the library (alone, because Hermione was busy with homework as well as Ron and Harry) she noticed Erick standing next to their usual table.

"You read the Prophet?" Mel asked him. "I can't believe it! And Hagrid's on probation now, I swear things can't get any messier..."

"They can," Erick grimaced. 

Mel noticed someone was sitting behind him. Her eyes widened at the sight and she stumbled back, stopping when her back hit a chair. Daphne Greengrass stood up giving her a very grave look.

"Evening, Miss Dumbledore."

Next Chapter —>

Taglist.

@dee123ksha @vampiregirl1797 @siriuslysirius1107 @stardusthigh @mikariell95 @vernon-dursley @thesuitelifeofafangirl @tomshollandz @kylosleftbuttcheek @reverse-hxlland @bloodorangemoonlight @omiwashere @t-rexs-world​ @just-here-to-escape-from-reality​ @21bruhs @i-am-scared-and-useless-bisexual @dielgonacoffee​

[thetravelerwrites]

Geyarajan (Gandharva)

Rating: Teen Relationship: Female Human/Male Gandharva Additional Tags: Exophilia, Gandharva, Childhood Sweethearts, Puppy Love Content Warnings: Blood, Broken Limb, Separation, Memory lapse Words: 4600

A commission for @floral-and-fine​, who did the lovely artwork above of Geyarajan! An angsty story about childhood love that gets torn apart by family, race, and circumstance! Please reblog and leave feedback!

The Traveler's Masterlist

In Hinduism, the Gandharvas are male nature spirits and husbands of the Apsaras, the spirits of clouds and air. Some are part animal, usually a bird or horse. They have superb musical skills; they guard the Soma and make beautiful music for the gods in their palaces. Gandharvas are frequently depicted as singers in the court of the gods.

Gandharvas in the historic sense acted as messengers between the gods and humans; today they are depicted as imitators, cheaters, liars and those who have tricked themselves 'into being god'. In Hindu law, a gandharva marriage is one contracted by mutual consent and without formal rituals.

You couldn’t remember exactly how old you were, perhaps six or seven, when you first met Geyarajan. You’d heard singing in the forest as you played in the garden behind your house, and though you knew you shouldn’t go into the woods alone, you couldn’t ignore the draw of the sound. After maybe ten minutes, you stumbled upon a clearing wherein a boy was singing, though he was unlike any other child you’d ever met.

Your village was human only; beasts and monsters were not allowed to settle there. In fact, non-human merchants were discouraged from selling their wares in the area and non-human travelers weren’t welcome in the taverns or inns. In your short life, you’d only seen a person who wasn’t human maybe twice, and only in passing. You didn’t quite understand why, but you were a small child and didn’t think to question it.

Not until you met Geyarajan. When you first saw him, you were mesmerized by his music. You sat and listened as still as a statue, afraid of spooking him, except when he stopped singing, he looked right at you and smiled as if he’d been waiting for you to come. He hopped off the rock where he had been sitting, and you got a better look at him.

He wore no clothing, but from the waist down, he was all feathers. His legs were long and spindly, ending in three-toed claws like that of a purple heron. The feathers extended up his back to his large wings, heather-grey in color, which were folded at rest behind him.

His hair was long and falling around his shoulders in ringlets, the same heather-gray as his feathers. He had a four streaks of black, two on each side, running down his neck, one stripe down his arms to his wrists, the other down the inside of his shoulders and disappearing into the feathers near his hips. His skin was dark brown and his eyes were sharp in shape, amber-gold in color, and hawk-like.

Though he was much taller than you because of his long legs, in his face, he looked to be about your age, perhaps slightly older. He was slender and graceful in his movements, taking careful steps toward you as if not to scare you, though you didn’t think you could possibly be afraid of him.

“Aren’t you from the village?” He asked, his speaking voice as musical as his song suggested. “Won’t you be in trouble for coming into the woods? My parents say that humans are scared of the woods.”

“I’m not scared,” You said, puffing up. “Papa says I’m a big girl. I can go to the corner store all by myself now. I only came ‘cause I heard you singing.”

“Oh,” He said, frowning. “I must be too close, then. I should go.”

“Wait!” You reached out, grabbing his hand. “Stay and play with me, won’t you? What’s your name?”

“Geyarajan,” He replied, not attempting to break away from your grasp. “You’re the girl who lives in the house near the river, right? What’s your name?”

You told him. “How do you know me?”

“I’ve seen you sometimes,” He said, leading you to the rock where he was sitting before. There was a bushel of flowers laying there. He began to weave them into a ring. “When I fly above the town. I know you from the ribbons.” He tugged at the blue ribbon you wore in your hair, which matched your pristine dress. Your mother insisted on dressing you like a doll, always making you wear frilly dresses and putting ribbons in your hair.

“You can fly?” You whispered in awe.

“Well, sure,” He laughed, fluffing his wings a little. “These aren’t fake, you know. I have to fly pretty high, so the only thing I can see of you clearly is the ribbons.”

“Why do you fly so high?” You asked him.

“Mother says it’s too dangerous to fly too low over the town,” Geyarajan said. “She says the people don’t like us, that they’d be mean to us if they knew we lived in the forest next to them.”

“Oh. That’s a shame. If it’s dangerous, why don’t you move?”

“Our kind lived in these woods before those humans ever settled here,” He said, pointing toward the village. “Why should we have to leave?”

“That makes sense, I guess,” You admitted. “I don’t see people like you in town. It’s only humans. I don’t know why.”

“Mother and Father say it’s because humans hate us,” He said morosely, looking at his hands as he continued to weave the garland. “Do you hate us?”

“No!” You said. “You’re so pretty! Can I… Can I touch your wings? I’ve never met a person with wings before.”

He regarded you warily, but said, “Okay, but only for a minute. Mother says our wings are a sign of divinity, that they make us holy.”

“Divine? Like an angel?”

“What’s an angel?”

You tried to explain what an angel was to him, but he just looked confused.

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Do you want to touch my wings or not?” He asked impatiently.

“Yes, yes!” You exclaimed. You reached out tentatively and ran your fingertips gently down his proffered wing. He watched you carefully, his hands stilling in their work.

“Wow,” You breathed. “It’s so hard to believe they’re real.”

“Well, they are,” He sniffed, eyeing you. “It’s weird.”

“What is?”

“Well, I’ve never met a human, but my parents said they’re all cruel and heartless. They call your kind monsters, but you seem nice.”

“I am nice,” You replied. “I’m friends with everyone in town. I want to be your friend, too. Can I call you Rajan?”

“Why?”

“It’s a nickname!” You said. “It means we’re friends.”

“Oh,” He replied. “Yeah, I guess so. Can I give you a nickname?”

“Sure!”

“Alright, how about…” He looked around for inspiration and his eyes fell on the flowers in his lap. There were wild daisies, coneflowers, purple poppies, blanket flowers, black-eyed susans, and blush-pink primroses. “What about Primrose?”

“I love it!” You said excitedly. “Primrose and Rajan.”

Rajan giggled.

“What’s funny?”

“Well, my whole name, Geyarajan, means ‘king of songs,’” He replied, finishing the crown of flowers and placing it on his head. “But Rajan just means ‘king.’”

You giggled too. “I like that! You can be the king of the primroses! It’ll be a kingdom just for us!”

“Sounds fun!” He said. “Let’s play Kings and Flowers, then!”

“That’s not a real game!”

“Is too! I just made it up!”

The two of you played until it started to get dark, then Rajan escorted you home. He stopped about thirty feet away from the treeline, where you could hear your mother calling.

“I can’t go closer,” He said, still wearing the flower crown. He took it off and placed it on your head. “You should run home now. I’ll watch you to make sure you stay safe.”

“Alright,” You said brightly, standing on your tip-toe to give him a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you again soon!”

He blushed and touched his cheek, frozen. You laughed joyfully and ran back to the garden behind your house.

“There you are!” Your mother shouted as you came out from around the house. “Where have you been? Look at the state of your dress!” She fussed. “It’s ruined! Do you know how long it took me to sew that?”

“Just make me a normal dress, Mama,” You said. “A plain one I can play in.”

“Nonsense,” Your mother said, taking your hand. “I’ll not have my daughter wallowing in the muck like some street urchin. To the bath with you!”

As she dragged you along into the house, your lovely flower crown slipped from your head and floated away on the breeze.

“Oh, Mama, my crown!”

“Leave it,” She said.

“Oh, but it was--” You stopped short before saying a present. You didn’t want your mother asking from whom. You watched as it floated into the road and was trampled by a passerby. Sighing with disappointment, you followed your mother inside.

Geyarajan became your best friend from that day on. You had to be careful, though; you couldn’t go too deep into the forest for fear of dangerous creatures and he couldn’t get too close to the village, or he’d be seen and possibly captured by the townspeople. As such, you could only see each other once a week or so, and on the days you agreed to meet, often you’d sneak out to play for a few hours after bed.

Having a secret friend was thrilling. It made you feel special and important. He’d told you that he hadn’t told his parents about you, either, because he didn’t want them to be mad at him for getting so close to humans. It was as if the pretend kingdom the two of you built together was real, and you were the only two in it.

It didn’t take long at all for you to develop a crush on Geyarajan, and it seemed to be mutual. He always held your hand whenever the two of you walked together and you often gave him quick pecks on the lips to see the surprise and delight on his face. It was the pure, innocent love of childhood, and though your time together was limited, you were both happy.

Of course, secrets are never meant to last.

Time passed. One evening when you were eleven, after you’d snuck out to see him, the two of you were stargazing in a clearing, making up constellations, your fingers intertwined loosely.

“See there,” He said. “That’s the raven. It’s good luck.”

“Who says?” You asked, laughing.

“I say!” Rajan said. “I’m a king, aren’t I?”

“Oh, right,” You replied. “Papa calls that the eagle. And that’s the dog star.”

“Why do they call it the dog star?”

“I don’t know,” You said. “Tell me another one.”

He squinted. “I can’t see it all that well from here. I usually look at the stars from up in the trees. It’s harder to see them all clearly on the ground like this.”

“How high up do you go?”

“The top, obviously,” He said, sitting up and pointing straight up to a nearby oak tree. “The tallest, strongest branch. That’s the best place.”

“I’d be scared to go that high,” You said, shivering a little.

“I could help you,” He said. “I’d fly you up there.”

“Aren’t I too heavy?” You asked him skeptically. “I was the last time you tried to lift me.”

“That was a year ago! I’m much stronger now.” He hopped to his taloned feet and flexed his skinny arms. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

“Are you sure?” You asked as you took his hand.

“Come on, you trust me, right?”

You straightened up and smiled at him. “Yeah, of course I do.”

He grinned back. “I won’t be able to take off from the ground,” He said. “We’ll have to climb up a little ways so I can do a drop. I’m really good at those.”

You frowned at the thought, but since he knew way more about flying than you did, you didn’t argue. Swallowing down your nervousness, you followed him up the tree.

You hadn’t known how to climb a tree when you first met him; your mother had forbade such things. Geyarajan had decided immediately that it was inappropriate for anyone to be unable to climb a tree and taught you how to do it the second time you met. You got pretty scraped up the first few times, which you had a hard time explaining away. Now, you were an expert. You were even able to keep leaves and dirt off of your nightgown.

Of course, Geyarajan was much faster than you, since he’d been climbing trees before he could even walk. We was already on the branch he planned to launch from, waiting patiently for you to catch up. He wasn’t above heckling you, though.

“Are all humans as slow as you?” He teased. “I could be halfway to the coast by the time you get up here.”

You stopped for a moment to blow a raspberry at him. In the few seconds that you were distracted, you misstepped, your foot sliding out of your evening slipper and catching you off balance.

Geyarajan leapt, reaching out to catch you, but he was too late. You fell straight down, landing on your right leg. It snapped in half upon impact. The pain shot up your body and struck your brain, and you screamed like you never had before. Geyarajan landed next to you, panicking, trying to figure out what to do. You were crying too hard to speak.

“Hold on, Primrose, hold on,” He lifted you as carefully as he could and began to run through the woods. The pain and smell of blood made you violently sick. “I’m taking you home, just hold on.”

“No!” You managed to gasp. “You can’t go there!”

“I won’t be able to stay, but I can get you there, I promise,” He said.

“No!” You said, beginning to struggle, squealing as the movement made the pain worse. “They’ll kill you! You can’t go to the village!”

Geyarajan stopped in his tracks, breathing hard and looking toward the village and back into the forest.

“I’ll get into a lot of trouble, but there’s only one other place I can take you,” He said, sweating and shaking with fear. “Hold on to me. We’ll be there soon.”

What happened next was a blur of pain, color, noise, voices, and a terrible sick feeling throughout your body, the only familiar thing through all of it was the sound of Geyarajan’s voice and his hand holding yours. At some point, you blacked out completely.

You woke up to the sound of screaming. You were lying in the back garden of your own home, a large, grey feather in your hand, and your mother rushing over to you, checking you frantically.

“Oh, god, are you okay?!” She asked. “Where have you been? What happened to you?” She saw your leg and shrieked. “Who did this to you?!”

Her shouting had attracted the attention of several men, all of whom looked tired and held burned out torches. One of them dropped their spent torch and lifted you up, carrying you into the house. There was noise and shouting and confusion all around you, made worse by your mother’s constant shrill crying in the background. You let them do as they will in silence, clutching Geyarajan’s feather.

Your leg hurt, but nowhere as badly as it had before. You looked down and saw to your surprise that the leg had been wrapped set, wrapped in cloth to stem the bleeding, and was in a makeshift splint made of straight wooden rods and vines.

The physician was called and examined your leg. During this time, you learned you’d been missing for four days. The men with torches were part of the search party, tirelessly searching the woods for any trace of you. When they found blood on the grass and a fragment of your clothes, along with several large feathers, they thought some massive monster had gobbled you up.

The physician determined that your leg had been expertly set, however, meaning it was no monster that had taken you. Since you couldn’t remember most of your time missing, you kept silent, which made everyone grim-faced. They assumed the worst and decided someone had taken you and kept you in the woods somewhere, and you were so traumatized by the incident that you’d blocked the entire event out. You couldn’t exactly argue with them, but you knew Rajan would never hurt you. Not that you could tell them that.

The search began anew, only this time it wasn’t retrieval. It was revenge. You wished you could tell them that it wasn’t necessary, you wanted to stop them, but you couldn’t do anything without telling them about Rajan and his people, and you had promised never to do so. So you could only watch anxiously as the townsfolk worked themselves into a froth, looking for a predator that didn’t exist.

Bedridden and helpless to stop the villagers from their crusade, you spent many nights crying and wishing you could see Rajan. It was too dangerous now; you thought you wouldn’t see him for a long time. You were surprised when, a week later, Rajan came straight to your window late one night. He opened it and hopped down.

“Rajan!” You breathed, elated, and reached out your arms to embrace him from the bed. He stayed out of your reach. You couldn’t see his face well in this light, but his body radiated distrust.

“How could you?” He said whispered, pain seeping into his voice. “I thought you were my friend. How could you do this to me?”

You dropped your arms. “Wha… How could I what?”

“You know what!” He retorted angrily, his voice rising in anger. “You told them! You told the humans about us! You told them where to find us!”

“I didn’t!” You replied, stricken. “I would never, you know that! I never told them anything!”

“Liar!” He snapped. “Men came! They set fire to our colony! We have no home now because of you!”

You ignored the pain in your leg and swung around to sit up properly. “I didn’t tell them anything! I don’t even know where your colony is! I’ve never been there!”

“You’re lying! You were there! My parents cared for you, they fixed your leg! This is how you repay their kindness?”

“What?” You replied, confused. “I… no, I… I don’t… I don’t remember. I don’t remember anything. The last memory I have before waking up in the garden was you carrying me. We argued because I didn’t want you to come to the village. I was worried you’d get hurt--”

“Stop,” He said, raising a hand. “Enough of this. My parents were right. You can never trust a human.”

“Don’t say that! How could you have so little faith in me? We’ve been friends since we were little! I’d never do anything to put you or your family in danger, you know that! Why would I do that?”

The light from the moon caught his face, and the pain in his eyes stopped your heart.

“You tell me.”

He climbed up onto the windowsill, walked out on the roof, unfurled his wings, and took off. You fell to the ground with a loud thump. Your father came in to find you sobbing in anguish. He lifted you and put you back to bed, petting your hair and telling you it would be alright. But it wouldn’t.

You decided that once you were healed, you’d go and find Rajan and keep protesting your innocence until he believed you. You didn’t count on your parents’ plans.

Another week passed, and your mother came into your room.

“How are you feeling, love?” She asked.

You shrugged your shoulders. You’d been sullen and depressed since Rajan’s visit. Everyone assumed it was because of your disappearance and you made no attempt to correct them. The guilt of his family’s home being destroyed weighed heavily on your mind. If only you hadn’t tried to climb that tree.  

“I’m sorry, darling,” She said. “I can’t believe monsters were living right next door to us in the woods. It’s become too dangerous in this place. Look at what they did to you!”

“They helped me!” You shouted. “They’re not monsters!”

Your mother rounded on you, her face pinching in suspicion. “How would you know that? What do you know about them?”

You scowled at her and remained silent.

“I knew you were lying when you said you couldn’t remember anything.” She stood up and looked down her nose at you. “That does it. We’re moving to Dunmountain.”

“What?!” You cried. “No! I don’t want to move!”

“The decision has already been made,” She told you, pulling out your luggage and starting to pack. “Your father and I can’t abide those disgusting creatures living so close.”

“But there are people like them in the city!” You argued.

“There are rules for them there,” Your mother said. “Most of them are ring fighters or laborers. They don’t practically nest  in the backyards of decent people.”

“Who said you were decent?” You screamed. “You can’t make me go!”

“Who’s going to stop me?” She shouted back. “Your father has agreed. We’re going!” She threw your bag on the floor next to your bed. “Pack your things yourself!” With that, she turned and walked out, slamming the door behind her and leaving you to weep bitterly into your blanket.

You had no choice. Within the month, you were all packed and in a wagon headed to the city. You had become withdrawn and quiet, unlike the girl you had been before. Your father worried over you, but your mother told you to suck it up and get over it. New city, new life, new start.

She was more right than she knew. In the city, you were a new person. The cheerful child that was friends with everyone she met was gone. You were shy, introverted, and taciturn, only speaking when spoken to. You found it difficult to make friends and were quick to tears.

Your mother, in an effort to desensitize you to “monsters,” took you to the gladiator’s ring and made you watch them fight each other. You hated it; the sight of them viciously attacking each other for no other purpose than to entertain humans made you physically ill.

As you got older, the people of your neighborhood began to call you the monster girl because of your tendency to go to the ring and talk to the fighters. Just talk. Some of them were willing participants, but there were others who were forced to fight. People with debt, criminals, the homeless, the mentally ill; anyone society deemed abnormal. Their jailers seemed to forget that they were still people.

You’d often sit outside of their cells and talk to them, comfort them, even write down messages to give to their loved ones. Your mother despaired of you, and the humans thought you were weird, but the creatures of the fighting ring called you an angel.

One day, when you were nineteen, there was a new arrival at the jail, a young woman with wings and bird feet. When you were told, you immediately went to see her first.

“Hello?” You called softly, tapping gently on one of the bars.

“Who are you?” She asked.

You told her your name. “I come here to talk to the fighters and help them when I can. What’s your name?”

“Aashiyana,” She replied. “You can help me?”

“I can try,” You replied. “Why are you here?”

“I caught a deer in a field near my home,” She said. “It was apparently owned by a nobleman or something. What kind of person owns a deer?”

“People with too much money,” You replied, laughing. “How long is your sentence?”

“Until my fine is up. Six months, I think they said.”

“How much is the fine?”

“300 gold.”

“That’s highway robbery!” You exclaimed. “Let me see what I can work out.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that,” She said. “This city is stifling. I hate it here.”

“So do I,” You replied, standing. You were about to turn and leave, but you were compelled to ask. “By any chance, do you know a boy named Geyarajan?”

Aashiyana sat up straighter and peered at you. “I did know a boy by that name, yes.”

Your heart hammered in your throat. “Did?”

“He doesn’t go by that name anymore. His name is Gaveshan now.”

“Why did he change his name?” You asked.

“How do you know him?”

“He saved my life years ago. He… was my friend.”

Her eyes widened and jaw dropped. “Are you Primrose?”

Your expression matched hers. “Yes! How did you know about that?”

“We met!” She said, her eyes lighting up. “Your leg was broken and my mother set it. She was the colony’s healer. You stayed in the colony with us until she felt it was safe to move you.”

“I don’t remember,” You told her. “I don’t remember anything. I was with Rajan when I broke my leg, and then I passed out. When I woke up again, I was back home and I’d been missing for four days. I don’t know what happened during that time.”

Aashiyana frowned. “You don’t remember me at all?”

You shook your head sadly. “I’m sorry. What happened to the colony?” You asked her, putting a hand on hers around the bars. “Rajan told me that it was burned, but he didn’t give me any details.”

“Men came out of the forest with torches. They set fire to everything. We had to flee with nothing. Some didn’t make it.”

“Oh, god,” You said, covering your mouth in horror. “I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t fallen out of the tree…”

“Did you tell the men how to find us?”

“No! I swear I didn’t! I don’t even remember being there!” You said. “I swear, Aashiyana, I swear on my life.”

He deep brown eyes searched yours for a moment, a discerning look on her face, and she said, “I believe you.”

Your face crumpled as the tears began to flow. “Thank you.” You wiped your face on a handkerchief and straightened yourself. “Let me see what I can do for you. I’ll get you out of here.”

“Thank you,” She said.

It took some time, but you managed to make a deal with the judge. It was a lucky thing that your parents were in good standing with the stadium, as your father was a financier, so you were able to pull a few favors. You returned to Aashiyana’s cell three days later and directed the jailor to open the door.

“What’s happened?”

“I’ve made a deal,” You said. “You’re free of the fighting ring, but in exchange, you must work. I’ve made arrangements for you. I’ll tell you about it once we’re in the carriage.”

“Carriage?”

You took her by the arm. “Come on.”

Outside the jail, a carriage was indeed waiting for you. You opened the door and assisted her in getting inside, as the steps weren’t built for her large claws, and got inside after her. The carriage began to move.

“So what deal did you make?” She asked.

“You are to be my personal servant for the remainder of your sentence.”

She balked. “What makes you think I want to be a slave any more than a punching bag?”

“I have no intention of giving you any order,” You told her. “But if you wouldn’t mind, I’ll like you to take me to see Geyarajan. Or Gaveshan, I guess.”

“Do I have to stay with you?” She asked, eyeing you.

“Of course not,” You replied. “You’re free to go as soon as we get out of the city limits, as far as I’m concerned. I have no intention of ordering you around.”

“Can’t you get into trouble for this?”

“Of course. The penalty for assisting a criminal escape is taking their sentence plus five years.”

“If you know that’s going to happen when you come back, why would you do it?” She asked you, horrified.

“Simple. I’m not coming back.”

Since my work is no longer searchable, please do me a favor and reblog this story if you enjoyed it. Help me reach a wider audience! To help me continue creating, please consider buying me a Kofi, becoming a Patron, or donating directly to my PayPal!

Thanks for reading!

My Masterlist

The Exophilia Creator’s Masterlist

[froggycatvest]

Title: A Thoughtful Gift Words: 1500 Parings: Kinda Gordon/Benrey. They’re not together, tho Characters: Gordon, Benrey

------

Gordon was in a playful mood and pretty much numb to all the chaos of the past however long it had been as he picked up a skull from the ground.  

“Hey, Benrey.” He held the skull up in front of his own face. “Guess who I am?”

Benrey stared at him from where he sat on a crate. He always looked tired or suspicious, always squinting at everything and everyone. Gordon thought he should just join the rest of the group who were taking a nap, and maybe he’d look refreshed for once.

“Come on,” he cajoled, clacking the teeth together when he was met with silence. “Guess.”

“Why do you not respect the dead?” Benrey raised an eyebrow at him, and Gordon yanked the skull down, frowning.

“Says the murderer. Don’t scold me,” he huffed, but Benrey’s tone didn’t change as he pointed at the skull.

“You’re the one doing things.”

“I’ve seen you do things, too!” Gordon said flabbergasted. Wow. Benrey was really going to act like he didn’t desecrate multiple dead bodies this entire journey. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten.”

“You forget a lot of things. You’ve got--”

“Okay, okay. The answer was you.” Gordon shoved the skull into the other’s hands. He didn't really want Benrey to go on and on against him. He just wanted to joke around because he was bored, but someone liked to ruin things. “You were a skeleton. Or did you forget?”

Now that he thought about it, they never did get an answer for that, did they? It was easier to think that Benrey got affected by whatever nonsense happened in Black Mesa at some point and he could just do weird inhuman things. Like an experiment that went bad or he walked into the wrong room and got zapped by a radioactive beam.  

It could also explain Benrey’s wonderful personality.

The other man had been quiet, staring at the skull cradled carefully in his hands for a long time before he glanced up at Gordon. “You got a uh...a crush on me huh?”

...What? 

“What?”

Benrey nodded towards the skull. “Giving me a gift. I don’t want it.”

Gordon scoffed. “I just wanted you to hold it. For a moment. It’s not a gift,” he insisted, shaking his head, “let alone a token of my affection.”

“What why not?”

The response had been immediate, Benrey sitting up straighter and his eyes focused more than his usual. Gordon blinked at him.

“Do you...do you want a gift from me?”

“It’d be nice.” Benrey shrugged. “It would show you’re not mean.”

Gordon gave a brilliant smile, gesturing theatrically at the skull. “Then it’s a gift!”

Benrey stared at him, before muttering out, “...Shitty gift bro.”

With a sigh that bordered onto an irritated groan, Gordon rolled his eyes. “You are just...impossible to please, you know that?” He clapped a hand down onto the crate to lean on, tilting his head to look up at him, unimpressed. “What do you want? What kind of gift would make you happy? The oh-so-great Benrey, the amazing security guard of Black Mesa.”

Benrey made a noise, a breath from his chest as his mouth twitched. “You don’t gotta be sarcastic. That hurts.”

“Your feelings? It doesn’t look like it. You don’t--you’ve never actually…” Gordon’s eyebrows pressed together and he straightened up, deep in thought. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you show any emotion, dude.”

“I just did. I laughed.”

“That?” Gordon’s eyebrows popped up as he grinned. “That was a laugh? That was barely anything.”

“Maybe if you made better jokes, it’d be funny.”

Gordon gave him a blank look. “Okay, give that back. You don’t deserve it.”

He really expected Benrey to do something like fling the skull across the room while maintaining an unbroken eye contact, or to hop up and jog away without a word to leave him behind all confused and demanding his return because that's not how you leave a conversation. But Benrey simply clutched it to his chest, twisting his upper body away. 

“No it’s mine. You gave it to me.” His tone became accusing, eyes narrowed. “You take back gifts is that it?”

It wasn’t even a gift! It was someone’s bones, their remains! He wouldn’t really want it, would he? He had to be messing around, so Gordon guessed he would, too, and he put on his sternest voice.

“Yeah, I’d like it back.” He held out his hand pointedly, and Benrey glanced at it before meeting his eyes. 

“That's wrong. I thought you were getting better. You're the villain in this story.”

“The villain?” Gordon snickered out at Benrey’s matter-of-fact tone. “I think you’re making a big deal out of this. What story?”

“Tommy said you were good.” Benrey made it sound like he was blaming Gordon personally for this. Like Gordon was betraying them by being a ‘Villian’ when he was supposed to be a good guy. “Tommy said to give you a chance.” 

“And you should,” Gordon insisted. He didn’t know why he wanted to prove himself to Benrey. Half the time it was frustrating struggling to keep up with whatever seemingly random and/or wrong things he spouted. But the other half of the time, it was a fun challenge to go back and forth like they did. Gordon wanted to trip him up so bad sometimes, to catch him off guard and have him show more emotion and to get worked up. That would be entertaining. Gordon generally didn’t lie, but...

He pretended to be thinking, knuckles pressed to his chin. “Or maybe…” he said smugly with a grin. “I should tell Tommy that you think he’s wrong? I don’t think he’d be happy to hear you don’t trust him.”

He wouldn’t do it, of course, but there had to be a reaction to that, right? Those two were friends, right?

Benrey didn’t react, his retort coming out easily like he didn’t have to think about it. “Why would he listen to you? You’re not his friend.”

Gordon began sputtering out the beginning of about ten different things that leapt to his mind, distraught. Like, the nerve! To say he and Tommy weren’t friends! Talk about being a villain! Who was the mean one here?

“You know what?” Offended. That’s what he was. “I don’t think you deserve my very thoughtful gift.” He spoke over Benrey’s reply of It’s not that good. “I put a lot of care and love into it, but if you’re going to be ungrateful, I’ll just take it back.”

Benrey doubled down on protecting the skull, arms wrapped around it and a shoulder up to keep something between him and his prize. Gordon paused in mild confusion.

“You really want to keep that, huh?”

“No.”

They both stared at each other, the air around them suddenly strained. 

Gordon launched himself forward, grabbing the skull, but Benrey was stronger than he gave him credit for, the other man wrenching it out of his grip. He then leaned away in an instant and stretched out his arm in an attempt to keep it out of reach, flinging up his other hand to prevent him from getting closer.

It was hardly a deterrent, Gordon only focused on one thing as he shoved against Benrey’s unyielding palm, and he yelled out in delighted victory when his fingers were able to take hold of the skull. 

“Too slow,” he crowed, flashing a wide smile right in the other man’s face. “Just give it up. You’re not winning this time.”

It was easy to feel like he had the advantage. Benrey usually backed off when Gordon gave him a taste of his own medicine by invading his space, and there was no place for him to go this time. When they got into each other’s faces, it would only last a few seconds, but this was lasting a quite a few moments longer without even a word of expected snark. 

In fact, Benrey didn’t move, his expression frozen. Gordon couldn’t even hear him breathe.

His eyes traveled down, and he realized he had pressed himself against the crate and between Benrey’s legs in the short scuffle, had a hand firmly on the man’s thigh to hold up his weight as he leaned close into the other’s face. He couldn’t feel the hand against his chest because of the suit, but he was now distinctly more aware of it than ever. His eyes shot back up to meet surprisingly wide ones. 

He heard him swallow hard, and he found himself doing the same.

“Uh, Benrey--”

The next thing he knew, Benrey sank through the crate as if it weren’t solid, like a rock into deep water, disappearing completely. 

It still made Gordon pause and process it whenever he phased in and out of things. He crouched down next to the crate and pressed his ear against it, unable to not be concerned at least a little. 

“You okay in there?”

Gordon could hear him making childish noises, mocking his question.

Yeah, this was probably better than addressing that awkward moment, and Gordon decided to leave him alone for now.

He patted the crate. “Enjoy the gift.” 

[myheroacademiashorts]

Easter Gift

Pairing: Tamaki Amajiki x Reader

Rating: Fluffier than a bunny’s tail

Words: 2,826 (THE ENDING, IM SORRY IM SO BAD AT WRITING ENDINGS TO FICS, FORGIVE ME)

A (Belated) Easter fic for Tamaki, as well as my first fic with this soft boi. Hope you enjoy!

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

Tamaki Amajiki hated crowds, that much was painfully obvious. But another thing he hated was giving someone a gift with a crowd.

Nejire tugged on his arm, grin on her lips as she led him closer to the classroom’s doorway. The hallways of U.A. had been decorated in pastel colors and paper eggs for the last week, everyone’s excitement sky-high for Easter. However, after the holiday, the decor had been stripped away and tossed in the trash. From the corner of his eye, Tamaki could see a stray, forgotten plastic egg on the ground. “Oh, stop worrying!” Nejire huffed, yanking on the boy a bit more forcefully but to no avail. “It’s just a little gift, she’s going to love it!”

He gulped, Adam's apple bobbing nervously as he slid his gaze downwards. It wasn’t exactly a little gift, in his mind; the basket was heavy in his hand, and it wasn’t because of the chocolates. “Y-you don’t think she’ll f-find it w-weird?” Tamaki murmured, more to himself than to Nejire. Mirio clapped him on the back, and he suddenly remembered his second friend being there. The blonde was all smiles. “Nonsense! She’s gonna love it!” His voice was a little booming, causing the shy man to shrink back and glance inside of the room fearfully.

“Sh! S-she might h-hear you!” Tamaki whimpered, and he was at least grateful that your attention seemed to be elsewhere.

What he didn’t know, however, is that you had seen him standing outside of the room for a few minutes, now, one of your friends elbowing you with a grin. “Looks like you-know-who is out there. Wonder why?” She teased, and with a furious blush growing on your cheeks you glanced towards him. He was as handsome as always, face red and eyes downcast to a colorful basket in his hands. Was that for you? You didn’t want to dwell on the thought, in case it was really for someone else, shoved yourself up from your chair. He didn’t seem to notice you approaching him, but Nejire and Mirio sure did as they both offered you polite smiles.

“Hi!” Your voice made the poor boy jump, and he spun to you with comically wide eyes. The basket originally dangling from his hands was suddenly hugged to his chest, then shoved behind his back and away from your - and your classmates’ - prying eyes. He met your gaze. “Y-Y/N!” His deep voice shook, and somehow his blush turned an even deeper shade. “H-Hi! I-I’m Tamaki, I mean y-you already k-knew that b-but just in case y-you f-forgot, or m-maybe didn’t r-remember. I m-mean, I hope y-you remember me, because I r-remember you… O-oh, that sounds w-weird, doesn’t it? I’m s-sorry.” Tamaki wished he had Mirio’s quirk at that moment, so he could phase through the floor and away from the terribly awkward blabber that he couldn’t stop falling from his lips.

You giggled, attempting to use one hand to smother down the noise as you used the other to close the classroom door. You could hear some of your classmates groan at the loss of drama during their free period. “I remember! Is there anything I can help you with, Tamaki-kun?” You smiled sweetly at him, and he looked as if he were on the verge of fainting. When he didn’t answer, Nejire took the reins.

“Hi, Y/N! Tamaki here just needed some help with…?” She shot a helpless glance in Mirio’s direction, and he piped up instantly. “... With some papers! For our teacher! Nejire and I are busy, so do you mind?” The lie was obvious, but you didn’t mind. Plus, it would be good to spend a bit more time with Tamaki.

You looked at the fairy-like boy, your smile growing. “I’d be happy to! Lead the way, Tamaki-kun!” Mirio leaned closer to the boy, whispering something in his ear with a devious grin before plucking the hidden basket from him and rushing down the hallway. Nejire offered you a wave. “Thanks, Y/N! See you later!” She said, before skipping after her blonde friend with a hum.

You looked back to Tamaki, who stood frozen as he stared at the spot his friends had just stood moments before. Then, his dark eyes moved to you. “Y-yeah… The papers.” He murmured, and cleared his throat. “F-Follow me, Y/N-chan.” You nearly squealed at how adorable he was being, that blush never leaving his pale cheeks as he slid his attention to the hallways and began walking, hands tucked into his pockets. You walked alongside him patiently, hands swinging at your sides. Meanwhile, Tamaki was in a state of shock; what was he supposed to do? Should he try talking to you? What if you already thought he was weird, and you were only helping him so he’d leave you alone? You were his first high school crush, and he may have already ruined it. Maybe he should just-

“So, how have you been in the last week?” Your voice floated, soft and patient, and Tamaki pulled himself from his anxious thoughts. You kept your eyes mostly in front of you, with a few side glances at the dark-haired male beside you. He wished he could stare at you forever. You looked beautiful, especially with the way the sun was streaming through the window just right to show off the glow of your hair, and the brightness of your E/C gaze. Not to mention the way you’d smile at him, so bright and full of life in his direction, just as you were doing right now-

He dropped his gaze, and you fought down the giggle that threatened to erupt from you. “S-sorry, wh-what was the q-question?” Tamaki cursed the stutter that held within his voice.

“How was your week? I haven’t seen you since the presentation last Monday.”

Ah. The presentation. It was hard to believe that just one week ago, Tamaki had met you for the first time in his life as he and his friends went to your class to give a presentation on becoming Pro-Heroes. You were a second year in the 2-B Hero course, and after almost spilling an opened carton of coffee on him when running into the room late, you’ve been on the boy’s mind. He had frozen as you stopped yourself just in time in front of him, using your free hand on his shoulder to balance yourself before looking up at him and giving him a smile more blinding than the suns. Maybe even more blinding than All Might’s himself, in his opinion. Either way, you had made an impression on him, whether he liked it or not. He didn’t want to call it love at first sight, but if he had to…

“I’ve b-been good! What a-about you, Y-Y/N?” He blushed, your first name foreign on his tongue. You forced everyone you met to call you by your first name, originally being from a country where it had been normal to do so, yet it still made Tamaki hesitate. He couldn’t even imagine you saying his first name without fainting on the spot.

You perked up as the question was redirected to you. “Me? I’ve been great! I loved the decorations from Easter. Did you celebrate?”

“N-no, did y-you?” The stutters were killing Tamaki, yet you found them heartwarming.

“Only with my classmates in the dorm, but it was fun! We ate a bunch of candy, watched some movies… I even baked some cookies! Do you like cookies and sweets?” You kept redirecting the conversation to him, wanting to hear more of his deep voice.

Food. Tamaki knew about food, considering his quirk. He allowed his shoulders to relax slightly. “C-cookies? Yeah, they’re good… N-not very good f-for quirk use, b-but I still like them. C-candy, too.”

You were glowing, ready to fire a few dozen questions at him, before he halted in front of a door and cleared his throat. “H-here.” He muttered, and you deflated slightly. But you could still talk to him while carrying something, right? He pulled the door open for you, but almost just as quickly slammed it shut, pressing his back against it with a pale face. “Tamaki?” You prompted, one hand hovering over his shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

“Wrong? Nothing’s wrong!” Mirio’s voice came from the wall, and you looked up to see his face poking out. Only his face, and you squeaked in surprise. He laughed. “Sorry! Didn’t mean to scare you!” He disappeared and instead yanked open the classroom door, grinning at you as he stepped out. You sometimes forgot how his quirk worked, as well as how creepy it could be depending on how he used it.

Mirio looked at Tamaki with a wink. “Just had to grab something! Gotta run!” Tamaki didn’t have a chance to reply, and before Mirio ran off, he made sure to purposefully shove both of you into the room, closing the door behind him as he escaped down the hallway. Originally, you had thought Tamaki didn’t want to enter because of Mirio, but it was only after you had glanced around the room that you discovered the real reason.

The Easter decorations that had been scattered around the school decorated the small classroom, including the handmade posters that many classes had made and one large metal rabbit, courtesy of the Support department and their scraps. Tamaki audibly gasped, and twirled around to hide his face against the wall as you continued to explore the room. “Wow, this is so pretty!” You gasped, grabbing at one of the paper eggs that dangled from the ceiling. “I wonder why it’s all here…”

You heard him mutter something, but decided not to push him as your attention was drawn to a basket eerily similar to the one Tamaki had been carrying a few minutes before. “Oh, your basket!” Your exclamation made him freeze, then zig-zag past the desks and towards the forbidden basket. He didn’t even get close enough to it as you reached out for it, hand wrapping around the handle as you peered inside of it curiously. At that moment, Tamaki wished he had fainted, but unfortunately he wasn’t given the courtesy.

You furrowed your eyebrows as you registered the contents, then looked at Tamaki slowly. “Was this… For me?” The question was hesitant, but it was obvious that the basket was meant for you by the notecard with your name scrawled across the front of it.

“Youdon’thavetoopenitifyoudon’twanttoI’msorry.” His sentence came out in a rush, only one breath to say it as he now hid his expression behind his hands, peeking through his fingers to watch your reaction. You laughed.

“Why wouldn’t I want to open it?” You began to tear through it, and didn’t wait as Tamaki let out a strangled noise at every object you pulled out. The first was a carton of the coffee drink you had almost spilled on him a week ago, which seemed normal enough, yet everything after was something you liked. It made you happy, sure, but how did he know you liked orange-flavored chocolate and a certain brand of pens? You held the unanswered question in your eyes, as long as both items, as you glanced at Tamaki. “How did you?...”

“Your f-friend.” His voice was muffled from his hands, and he even closed his eyes. God, this felt so embarrassing, he thought to himself, but forced the words out. “T-The one with t-the curly h-hair. Mirio and Nejire h-helped me t-too.”

You nodded, clutching the items to your chest for a moment before setting them aside. There was also an intricate notebook, one that looked too expensive to write in, let alone buy, and you gingerly set it with the other items on a spare desk. Only two items left, one being a small box and the second being a note. You took the latter first. “Dear Y/N,” You began to read it aloud, and Tamaki squeaked, sinking his face further into his palms. You glanced at him, giving him a chance to stop you, before continuing. “After meeting you last week, I can’t seem to get you off of my mind. I was hoping you’d be interested in a… a date, with yours truly. XOXO, Tamaki…” You looked back to the boy with wide eyes, a bright blush on your cheeks. “Tamaki, did you write this?”

He furiously shook his head, face still hidden. “M-Mirio and Nejire d-did. T-they wouldn’t let m-me read it b-before they put it i-in the basket. I-I’m sorry, you can just i-ignore it-”

You surged forward, note falling from your hand as you wrapped your hands around his wrists. “Tamaki, look at me.” When he didn’t budge, you tugged. “Tamaki? Please?”

He finally lowered his hands, but only enough for his dark eyes to peek out as he kept the rest of his face below that hidden. “Do you really want to go on a date, or…?” You felt a bit bad for putting him on the spot, but you needed to know that this was what Tamaki really wanted; not what his friends wanted. He nodded his head and squeezed his eyes shut. There was a faint tremble from his body, and you did the only thing you could think of to stop his worrying.

You pulled his hands away from his face and kissed him.

It was a peck, really, so quick and light that he might’ve completely missed it, if it hadn’t been for his eyes snapping open right when you leaned in. His breath hitched in his throat, but his trembling stopped as you pressed your lips to his own before pulling back. At this point, both of you were red in the face. “I- Did you-” Tamaki scrambled for the right words, still trying to process what had happened, as you released an airy laugh.

“That means yes, silly. I’d love to go on a date with you, if you’re still up for it.” And as soon as the words had left your lips, he fainted.

He was lucky you were so close to him, and with a grunt you caught him before he hit his head on the ground. Luckily, he came around a few seconds later, waking up with his head in your lap as the two of you were on the floor. “Are you okay, Tamaki?” He asked, and shyly he nodded, ready to hide his face once more but you stopped him. He bolted up instead, scrambling to his feet and offering you his hand after, which you gladly accepted. It was a bit awkward, but you didn’t mind; you had a small crush on him as well, so didn’t mind.

Tamaki moved to the basket, removing the box and turning to you once more. “H-here.” He said, voice low as he held out the item, and you gently took it from him with a smile. “I-if you don’t like i-it, y-you don’t need t-to wear it! So-”

“Tamaki, I’m sure whatever it is, I’ll love it.”

He clammed up, hands frozen at his sides as he watched you pull the top off from the giftbox, watching your eyes light up with a mix of amusement and glee. It was a necklace, small but detailed in design as an octopus pendant dangled from a thin chain. You untangled it from the box. “Help me put it on?” You asked, and despite his nerves, Tamaki immediately stepped forward to comply. His fingers were warm, brushing against your neck as you handed him the jewelry and turned for him to latch it. His breathing was shaky, just as his hands were, and he fumbled with the latch for a moment before successfully letting the necklace fall against your collarbone.

“How do I look?” You asked, spinning around and showing off the newly acquired piece of jewelry. Tamaki’s eyes lingered on the pendant for a beat, before he lifted his gaze to you boldly. “B-beautiful.” He stuttered, but it still made a deep blush spread over your face. You two were barely a foot away from one another, and while you were debating on reaching up to place a more substantial kiss to the man’s lips, his two friends clambered through the open door.

“GOOD JOB, TAMAKI!” Nejire squealed, breaking you from your thoughts as she bolted to you first, yanking you into a bone-crushing huge. Mirio followed close behind, offering a high five to his dark-haired friend. “Congrats! And you two have already had your first kiss, eh?”

For the second time that day, Tamaki Amajiki fainted. Not that he minded too much, because just before he allowed the darkness to take over once more, he remembered that you two had a date to plan. And just that little fact made all of the difference. And maybe, just maybe, he’d be the one to kiss you.

He couldn’t wait.

[thebibliomancer]

Shadows of the Dark Crystal liveblog pt 14

Shadows of the Dark Crystal by J. M. Lee because a new challenger approaches.

Last times on book: Naia is on a journey to Ha’rar with Kylan to clear brother Gurjin’s name and warn the All-Maudra about all these dark crystals. Due to bad life choices, Naia and Kylan went through the Dark Woods at night, saw all kinds of spooky nonsense, and then Naia dreamfasted with a tree which unspooked the woods. Then a four-armed figure with a mask burst out of a tree.

Chapter 16

A weirdo four-armed guy called urVa has Naia and Kylan for supper. I’m sorry, I mean to supper.

Why would healing the Dark Wood end in releasing a dangerous monster?

Asking the real questions, Naia.

The four-armed possible purple Gelfling-eating monster moves slightly so Naia immediately hucks a bola at it.

It shot from her hand, on target toward the monster’s narrow-set eyes - but quicker than she could see, the thing’s hand darted forth, snatching the center bola stone before it could make its mark. The counterweights flailed uselessly, spinning in open air, striking nothing.

Wow!

Reflexes!

The creature just kind of chuckles at this and finishes the slight movement, removing the wooden mask from its face. Reveaing whorled skin.

!!! Definitely an urRu, yup.

“Sounds like Gelfling breathings,” it mumbled in a voice that sounded like many tones all at once, speaking the Gelfling tongue with an unfamiliar accent. “That Gelfling urVa sees there? Two? Ah! The one who healed Olyeka-Staba.”

! The Archer! Hey, Naia, its cool. This guy is friend-shaped.

Apparently, urVa had come to the Dark Wood to try to help the Cradle-Tree but “seems the Cradle-Tree could be healed by Gelfling hand, or else by none.”

Hmm. That keeps happening. You have a funny way about you, Thra, making Gelfling the only ones who can clean up the messes the urSkeks leave.

Naia is still suspicious that there’s something vaguely Hunter-ish about this guy. Weird but good insight, Naia.

urVa tells the Gelfling that the wood is dangerous and invites them to come with him, in the most ominous way possible, for some reason.

“Come with urVa, for supper. Been a long time inside that tree... Very hungry.”

Surely you know how you sound, dude?

Naia even goes ‘hey supper sounds great but what d’you suppose are the odds that we’re going in the pot?’ to Kylan. And asks him if he thinks urVa is the Hunter.

The boy gets sassy.

“Since when do you believe the songs?” he asked. Naia felt her cheeks warm, but Kylan went on. “The Hunter is ruthless. He isn’t a trickster. If urVa were the Hunter that took my parents, he wouldn’t have given us a false name... He wouldn’t have spoken with us.”

Good points, Kylan.

Besides, they’re both exhausted by traveling and Naia especially by dreamfasting with a tree.

“Maybe... we should see where he’s going. Just to find out.”

Kylan hugged himself with a shiver.

“Do we have a choice?”

“Yes. Our other choice is to sleep here in the wood and see what other monsters come crawling out of it.”

Well, when you put it that way...

So they hurry after urVa through the Woods Formerly Known as Dark which is already making up lost time by sprouting a whole buncha new green plants. They’re able to catch up to urVa without too much effort because as an urRu he has one travel speed and that’s ‘i’ll get there when i get there’

He takes them to a dirt hovel covered in a curtain of “frothy”? vines in a smal glen that urVa has simply littered with chimes made out of every given thing strung up between all the trees.

He has an Aesthetic and I appreciate that.

The hovel itself was hardly more than a few ancient stones holding up a mound of earth. The dusty rocks that made up the entryway were dream-etched, reminding her of the doorways in Great Smerth, back home. urVa entered without a word, leaving the two Gelfling to follow of their own will.

Naia also sees “a satchel full of thin spears with feathers on the ends, each stick longer than Naia was tall” oh my god! She doesn’t know what arrows are!

Although, in fairness, Gelfling as a whole seemed to have skipped past archery in favor of throwing rocks.

“Hmm... Left the door open too long and time came in, I see. Ha-ha.” He waved a hand, clearing some of the dust but stirring up just as much in the process. “Apologies, little Gelfling, for the time inside. Had I been meant to be found, I would have been more prepared.”

I like urVa. He’s fun.

He busies himself boiling a kettle of water and adding stuff to it and basically making soup. Vegetable soup I guess.

“A Drenchen, aren’t you?” urVa said suddenly. “I remember Sog... yes, ah! And that little sapling, what was it? Smerth. I suppose it’s grown enough now to climb, hmm? Do the younglings dangle from its branches like alfen fruits?”

The thought was nearly comical. Naia said, “Not exactly.”

Little sapling? urVa, how long have you been treestuck??

urVa mentions that the great trees like Smerth-Staba and Olyeka-Staba are supposed to be pillars of the world and protectors of Thra but inevitably the shadows of the crystal (oh! Almost a title drop!) have fallen upon them.

“... but I must stay out of such things. Have for a long time, will for a long time yet...”

Darn urRu passivity.

urVa serves Naia and Kylan some sopu.

“Now, eat, eat, little Gelfling. Gelfling like to eat. Yes.”

Yes, exclusively Gelfling like to eat as a unique trait to them =P

Those powerful urRu brains, amirite.

Since Neech seems relaxed, Naia decides she won’t worry either and she consumes soup.

And the more time they spend hanging with urVa, eating soup, the less worried Naia becomes about the other shoe dropping. Because it would be a really long con for urVa to secretly be sinister at this point, right? I mean, I know he isn’t because show and because urRu but Naia doesn’t but it has to seem like this would be a really long way to go ‘haha foooooled you!’

“Do you live here all alone?” Naia asked. “In the wood?”

“No, no. Plenty of trees and rocks.”

I adore urVa.

Naia couldn’t tell if urVa was being intentionally obtuse, so she clarified: “I mean, are there others like you...”

urVa tilted his head and rubbed his chin with a big hand.

“Yes. But we all went our separate ways... after the separation. Divided, then divided again.”

Huuuuh so I know that the urRu would sometimes come to the Valley of the Mystics because the Wanderer was famous for spending more time wandering widely rather than popping back in. But it sounds like the urRu just all fucked off to do their own things most of the time. And the situation with them living together in the Valley was primarily for Jen’s benefit? To give him a stable upbringing of ten dads and minimize the Skeksis deciding to pop in.

Naia was mostly asking because she doesn’t want to be surprised by another four-armed monster showing up so she’s tentatively satisfied with the vague answer.

Kylan has been staring at the markings on the wall this whole time pops in to ask about a triangular emblem with three concentric circles within.

“It is a time, I suppose?” he asked, as if Naia or Kylan might be able to answer him. “Or a door? A time or a door or an awakening. Yes. Something like that.”

“Those aren’t nearly the same thing,” Kylan muttered under his breath. “Perhaps he’s not the Hunter, but he certainly may be mad.”

“He makes a good pot of stew, even so,” Naia replied with a yawn.

Its a tightrope to write a character who is not only incredibly wise but also kind of lost in their own mind because they’re missing half of it.

I also appreciate the dramatic irony where the readers, if they’re familiar with the movie, understand more or less what urVa is getting at.

I also appreciate Kylan’s annoyance with not getting a solid answer. And Naia’s more practical consideration. Good characterization. Best boy Kylan just wants some solid deets to write down. Naia is soup-somnolent.

She watches Kylan try to puzzle out the symbols while also wondering if she could get seconds.

Whats also interesting is that this symbol isn’t known to the Gelfling apparently. Its a hugely important symbol in the lore but the Skeksis have managed to keep it out of public knowledge.

“The Great Conjunction,” Kylan said, and then he stopped. Naia didn’t know what he was referring to or what the words meant, but she shivered. “When single shine the triple suns.”

“Mm,” urVa agreed, though he added nothing despite Kylan’s querulous expression.

Hah.

Instead urVa points Naia and Kylan to a pile of robes so they can get some sleep.

urVa is a good host because the Gelfling nod off pretty much as soon as they lay down.