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inkblot22 · 4 months

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Can You Keep A Little Secret?

JFC this took me longer than usual I'm so sorry anon. I sort of explained it before, but I didn't exactly use your prompt, based on ineptitude on my part. After I finish reading Oshi no Ko, I might try again! Line divider by @/cafekitsune.

This fic is aimed towards sort of everyone, but the reader possesses afab features (they don't come into play until later, this chapter has no mention of them.) You'll understand what I mean by it being for everyone if you read the first paragraph or so. It has to do with suspending your belief/ employing your imagination.

TW for: lots of confusion, semi-shy reader, creep behavior, mention of death, mention of lobotomy/grippy sock jail, reincarnation. These warnings will get worse, and this takes place when all characters are 18+.

Waking up was never your favorite part of the day, but that feeling increases tenfold when you wake up in someone else’s body. You know for sure you didn’t look like this last week, and the name on your ID is similar to your own, but you don’t recognize the face in the mirror. Whoever you’re inhabiting has a few similar features to your own, but your skin was never this dewy, your eyes never so… hollow and strange.

When you looked up your name, you found out that you, or your body, at least, had died in your sleep. When you looked up the name on that ID, you found out that you’re the child of some big business man and a prolific model, and you apparently dabble in acting. Your dad isn’t your dad, but he calls you every night to make sure you’re settling into your “new” apartment. Your mom isn’t your mom, but she has popped by once or twice to ask you how you’ve been and make you really good food. She mentioned last night that your acting instructor was worried, since you hadn’t attended your Thursday classes, and also that your agent has been trying to contact you. You didn’t know you had an agent.

When you called your agent, who was literally just titled “Agent” in your new phone, she sounded relieved then irritated, chiding you for living the high life too fast. She said you weren’t popular or loved enough to go on week-long benders, and then she mentioned that she had a job for you and she’d see you on Thursday. According to this phone that isn’t yours, Thursday was tomorrow.

You made a night of getting prepared- slathering on the fancy face masks, trying on various outfits, scrolling through the pictures on the phone of your new body in the past, painting your really gorgeous nails- and then you went to sleep and woke up to a phone call from your new dad.

“Hi, sweetheart!”

“Uh… hi, Dad…” You mumbled. You didn’t know him from Adam, but there was no point in being rude to him.

He pauses, and then he speaks slowly, “Did you hear from your agent, honey?”

“Yeah- yeah I did, uh, I have acting class in a little, and she said she has a job for me.”

“Oh, I’m glad to hear it! You know you can always visit me if something is wrong, okay? Just call me or Devin and he’ll come get you as soon as possible.”

You don’t know who Devin is, but you don’t point it out, “Of course. Thank you, dad.”

There was another pause. This one stretches out for a while and then he mumbles, “Okay… love you, sweetpea.”

“Uh… love you too. I’ll call you when I get back home?”

“Sure thing. Bye bye.”

The call ends with a click and you hop in the shower, trying to scrub away the confusion. You pair the lotion with a body spray that makes you smell like a summer afternoon in an apple orchard, and then you dress yourself in a soft off the shoulder sweater dress with a pair of tights with little sequins and gems sewn onto the sheer black material. You pull your hair back, tied at the nape of your neck, and roll on some lip gloss. You grab your bag, which isn’t your bag, and stroll out, walking down the street to get to the talent agency.

The receptionist looks at you in some measure of shock and greets you kindly. You smile and wave. He looks even more confused as you clomp into the stairwell. Once you get to the third floor, mildly out of breath, you hurry to room 3-5 and silently slide into the back.

You’re not sure why you’re acting so covert, as the class hasn’t even started. A woman with dark hair strolls in and flinches when she sees you sitting there, your new name tumbling from her lips with confusion.

“Hello.” You hope that she’s the instructor, “How are you?”

She looks at you like you grew two heads and forces a smile, “Oh, I’m well, dear. Give me a moment to look outside.”

She clicks to the window in her heels and opens the blinds looking around wildly before she turns back to you.

“Well, nothing’s on fire and there’s a distinct lack of flying pigs, so I guess you’re finally serious about getting better at acting?”

“Uh… I…?” You don’t know how to respond, “I didn’t realize I’d been late so often.”

“Late? Half the time you didn’t even show up. The only person worse than you is-”

The door behind you opens. You clench your hands to stop the shaking you just realized you were struggling with, and turn slightly in your seat to see a willowy young man, tousled lavender hair being haphazardly smoothed by his slender hands.

The instructor snorts, “Speak of the devil. Hello, Mr. Felmier.”

He smiles, but it’s a bit too calculated. When he speaks, his voice is soft, almost artificial, “Ah ha… Good morning, Angie.”

Angie, evidently, rolls her eyes and takes a seat at the front of the room, crossing her long legs, and tilts her head skeptically, “Sure. If a satellite doesn’t crash in this room and kill us all in the middle of class, I’ll be shocked.”

“Mr. Felmier” walks over and smiles at you. It seems even more strained than before, and keeps eye contact with you as he points to the chair next to you, his voice high and sweet, “Mind if I sit here?”

“Oh, of course not. I don’t own that chair, haha!” You joke.

His face twitches, some micro expression that you’re just observant enough to notice, but not to see, and he takes a seat. Angie gets up and leaves and you look out the window. You can feel eyes on you, and when you turn to look at him, his face is impassive save for a slight narrowing of his eyes. You look down at yourself and pat your cheeks, suddenly nervous.

“Oh, no, is there something on me?” You ask.

He doesn’t immediately respond, his eyes blinking so fast that if he hadn’t done it twice you would have never seen the movement, and then he gives you that sweet, plastic smile, “Oh, no. Your makeup is different than usual. It looks nice. Pretty.”

“I- I’m only wearing lipgloss, so I guess that’s why. Thank you.”

He nods slowly, and tilts his head, still smiling as though he’s trained to do so, “After we’re done here, did you want to go get brunch together?”

You’re about to say no. You don’t remember him, because this is not your life you’re living, but if you did know him, you’d decline anyway. Something feels funny about him. You don’t really have to decline, though, since you have to go down to floor 2 and see your agent afterwards anyway, “Oh, uh, I’m so sorry. I have to do something after.”

“I can wait.”

“I don’t want to put you out. Maybe another time?”

His eyebrows pinch together ever so slightly and his smile doesn’t strain, but it feels wrong as he leans his elbow on the back of his chair to better face you, “Did you hear the news from Mirelle?”

“What news?” You don’t know who Mirelle is.

“Oh, you’re meeting with her afterwards, aren’t you?” He smooths the hair along your temple so it is slicked behind your ear, “Are you wearing that perfume I got you? You said you hated it.”

Okay, so whoevers body this was definitely knew this man, and now you don’t even know his full name. Judging from the way he’s speaking to you, you were friends at least. Your lashes flutter and you look away from him.

“I- I’m sorry. It smells very nice.” You don’t know how you’re supposed to be acting. The irony of waiting for an acting class while not knowing what your role here happens to be is not lost on you.

Felmier sits up like you insulted him and his voice is quiet, so quiet and tense that you don’t think you’re supposed to hear him, “Interesting.”

You glance at him again, “What?”

“I didn’t say anything. You like that bagel place down the street, don’t you? After you see Mirelle, meet me in the lobby. I think we should have a chat.” Although he is smiling, his voice doesn’t leave any room for argument as he turns back to the front.

You stand up, leaving your purse in your seat, and walk to the window, looking out of it for a moment until Angie strolls back in. She clicks her tongue and you walk back to your seat.

“It’s just you two? Now I’m really expecting a freak accident. Well, let’s get started.”

Acting class was… interesting. Since it was just the three of you, Angie had you read lines from a script and act out some kind of argument. She seemed pleased with your performance, but Felmier kept stumbling over his lines and making the wrong expression. He seemed tense by the time the two hour long session was over. You didn’t want to follow that thread, and besides, you had somewhere to be. You went down the stairs again and bumped into a woman with silver hair, who looked at you just as confused as everyone else had been, and smiled sweetly, genuinely.

“Hey, you. You’re a bit early.” She says.

“Uh, yeah. I guess so? I don’t know.” You guessed this was supposed to be Mirelle, your agent, maybe.

“It’s a good change, babe. Why don’t you come into my office?” She doesn’t really ask, since she’s already leading you over.

She takes a seat behind her desk and you take a seat in front of her, and she taps away at her computer for a moment before she says something.

“You remember Epel? Epel Felmier?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess so.”

“Oh? You ‘guess so’? Not that the two of you are constantly arguing, or anything.” She smirks, glancing away from her monitor to look at you, “Regardless, I’ve got something that will help with your little PR nightmare last month. What were you thinking?”

“Uh, I’m sorry.”

Her eyes narrow a fraction, but whatever she was thinking is ignored, “You and Epel are gonna be collaborating on an upcoming short film. Hopefully the two of you don’t get into another screaming match.”

“Um. Yeah. Hopefully.” All this new information and these new people are making your head spin. You don’t want to start panicking- you did enough of that last week- but you’re already exhausted. You wonder if there’s a back entrance to this building so you can just sneak out and don’t have to talk to Epel again. You don’t think you can mentally handle him talking to you over a cup of coffee.

Your agent, Mirelle, is looking at you expectantly, like she just said something. Your heart jumps into your throat, then sinks to your gut and you clear your throat quietly, shifting in your chair.

She laughs airily, “Oh, you didn’t hear a word I just said, did you?”

You shake your head, and she laughs again.

“I just said that production starts Monday. Try not to do anything crazy. This project is monumentally important for your public image.”

“Okay. Sorry for causing so much trouble in the past.” You mutter, standing up.

She shrugs with a happy little grin, “Oh, you’re young. Maybe you’ll grow out of it.”

You just nod. How are you supposed to even respond to that? If you get mad, you’ll probably get hysterical, and if you get hysterical, that is a one way ticket to a stay in grippy sock jail or a lobotomy. Rich people are different, and even though you’re living in some rich person’s body, you did not live this life for longer than a week.

You purposely walk to the other staircase. Most buildings have two for fire safety. Your eyes water as you pause on the stairs and you sigh before you start descending them.

Just as you get to the exit, your hand on the door, you hear a voice behind you, “Hey.”

It scares you out of your skin. You jump and spin and squawk, only to meet the wicked smile of Epel. It doesn’t reach his round blue eyes. He tilts his head from side to side, slowly, as if appraising you, and then he starts walking towards you and you push back against the door, opening it ever so slightly. He stops his motion and looks a tad surprised.

Then his eyes narrow, “Come back in.”

His voice sounds different, rougher. You don’t really want to, but it’s hot outside and you figure from all the odd looks and reactions you’ve gotten, running would be too erratic for this poor person’s life you’ve taken over.

When you close the door and remain leaned against it, Epel’s face relaxes. You didn’t even realize he was making any sort of tense expression. He glances at the spandrel, the area beneath the stairs, and sighs.

“You hit your head last week? That why you were missin’?” Yeah, he’s speaking entirely differently. He has a sort of charming country twang to his voice, an underlying roughness that makes him seem even more boyish than before.

“Huh?”

“‘Huh?’” He mocks, looking back at you. He looks like he might cry, but his eyes are angry, “That all you got to say? For years you’ve told me that I don’t mean shit, and now you’re actin’ like you don’t even know me.”

He is right. You don’t know him at all. Even though you’re still in the cool building, you begin to sweat. You don’t know what to say to this without going through the experiences you’ve had in the past week, so you decide you don’t have to, especially since it seems like he may get aggressive if you say the wrong thing.

You lean hard against the aptly named panic bar, turn on your heel once outside, and take off running. It dawns on you a little late that he might be following, or, seven forbid, that he knows where you live, so you take a different route as dictated by your GPS and call your new father as soon as you get in the building.

It’s the middle of the work day, so he obviously doesn’t pick up. You unlock the apartment door and pant breathlessly, leaving a hasty voicemail, “O-oh, great seven- ugh- okay, hi, Dad. I told you I’d call you when I get home, so that’s what I’m doing. Hope I didn’t disrupt a meeting or whatever. Call me back, bye.”

You flop face down on the bed and groan, rolling onto your back as the ringtone that you would never choose goes off. In bold white letters on the screen, it says “Bumpkin Boy” with no other indication of who it might be. You pick up.

The voice on the other end sounds heated, a quiet mocking lilt to it, “Bet you went home, huh?”

Your blood runs cold and your very ability to speak is ripped from your lips.

“S’okay. You don’t have to talk. I could pay you a little visit, see what it’s like to live like a nepo baby for a day, but I think…” He pauses, and when he next speaks you hear the smile in his voice, “I think I’ll just wait for Monday, since you owe me a coffee date, don’t you?”

He hangs up after that. You stand up and double-check that you’ve locked the door before you hide in your closet and try not to start hyperventilating. You can’t even beat yourself up for this one. These circumstances are entirely out of your control.

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celabi · 1 year

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I’m super glad you’re back! :D

I’ve got a ton of little prompt ideas floating around in my head for scummy scara but I don’t want to dump them all out at once so I’ll just bring one for now:

what if reader asked scara out on a date?

bonus points if reader shy and stuttering because yes

here’s a gold star for your awesome writing ⭐️

Hello!! I’m semi-returned to writing!! I’m still in the hospital but I feel better then I did before so I’ll be trying to clear out some of my drafts !! 🫶 sorry, this is really short, I didn’t know how to write it 😭😭

Asking Scummy Scaramouche out on a date! ☆彡

The lesson had just wrapped up for the day when Scaramouche feels a light tap on his bicep. It’s you, when he turns his head to the side— and with a cute little smile plastered on your glossy lips no less. He blinks slowly, and momentarily halts his actions of packing away his stationary so he can provide you his full attention— even going as far to prop up his elbow, leaning his red tinted cheek on his palm and returning your grin. “Yes, [name]? Would you like me to walk you home today? I truly mean it when I say that my time for you is unlimited.” ‘Please say yes, please say yes, please sa—’ his eyes slightly crease and shoulders visibly drop in disappointment when a head shake is what he receives in return, but he still nods back to you in understanding. “Oh, okay… no worries.”

He watches in curiosity as you turn your gaze and look anywhere but towards his dazed stare— awkwardly coughing into one of your fists and softly tapping your fingernail on the surface of the desk. “Ahem… it’s actually because I was wondering if you… uh, wanted to like, you know, hang out t-together, instead.” The first thing he takes notice of is the way your voice is in a much lighter tone then normal, which he mentally coos at. ‘She’s acting shy now… did I do that to her? Does— does she love me too?’ Giddy, that’s what he found himself feeling— and even though he knows he shouldn’t get so far into his deluded fantasies, he can’t help but to imagine you getting all flustered over him. Him. “We could go to the… movies? That’s always fun. Or maybe we could go to the park, i-if you’d prefer to talk, or something…”

“Like a— a date? You and me? Us? T-together?” Scaramouche has to make sure that he’s not misunderstanding your intentions and jumping to conclusions, because god he would be so upset if he accidentally managed to embarrassed himself in front of you if he happened to be wrong. He gulps down the lump in his throat, and reached up the tug at the collar to his shirt as he had started to feel slightly light headed from this whole ordeal. It can’t just be a regular study session, could it? The term was almost over, and he can’t rack his brain and recall if the professor had assigned any new assignments as of late. (Either there really was no new work to be completed— or he was just too busy staring at you every period and couldn’t bother to listen to the teachers words.)

The thought out you just asking him to hang out like friends would, enters his head— but he’s too delusional to care about that. And you’re so nice that he wouldn’t even think you’re trying to mess with him, there’s no way. Still, you both hang out all the time and you aren’t usually so fidgety and bashful around him, so this… this just has to be you asking him out romantically, right? He hopes so, he hopes so bad that his fantasies are coming to life and he can finally have you all to himself. Hell, he’s shifting around in his seat excitedly just thinking about it.

When you nod shyly in response to his clarification, Scaramouche is one hundred percent sure he would just Aww at just how adorable you look right now— if it weren’t for his heart almost bursting from his chest. This isn’t a dream, it’s real— he‘s sure it is from how much he’s sweating. You like him back, and though it’s a stretch, he thinks there’s a chance that maybe you love him too. You want to date him, to hug him, to kiss him, like he does you? Of course you do, why else would you ask him out. Duh.

He lets out a breath, and you take notice of how shaky it sounds, and how he looks like passing out. “Uh… if you’re sick, we can reschedule, o-or just not go at all if that’s what you pr—” you don’t even get to finish your sentence before he’s straightening up in his chair and whipping his head into your direction, a panic look overtakes his previously dreamy one.

“No, no! I’ll go, I want to!” He interrupts, and waves his arms around in embarrassment, before looking down into his lap shamefully from his sudden outburst. “I mean… I would like that… if you took me out on a d-date. Please.”

“Pftt… okay, Kuni, follow me then.”

He only nods, a love sick smile on his lips as he stands up and trails behind you, reaching for your hand and even forgetting to grab his bag on the way out because of his excitement. Loser 😔

#genshin impact x reader #x reader #yandere scaramouche #scaramouche x reader #scummy? scara :(#🍃ー celabi ☆彡 #wanderer x reader #yandere wanderer x reader #genshin impact #yandere genshin impact

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aka-libby · 11 months

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Counting Our Regrets

Aki Hayakawa x gn!reader | established relationship | semi-canon [ domestic tooth rotting!fluff + angst (with happy ending/comfort) ]

Word count: 4.3k

Warning(s): mentions/implied topic of de*th, insecurities about love, VERY BRIEF mentions about rough past regarding home life

Summary: Aki hated you at first but after a series of events his view on you changed. Now you’re together as a couple, with the regrets of wasting all that time hating and being avoidant of the inevitable spark you had. Yet even with these regrets on the both of you, it’s when you’re in his apartment having dinner like any other night that he finally realized how he truly feels about you.

A/N: So I have a story in the WIP folder that explains their past and how they became the couple here in this fic. There is a LOT to unfold and it’s honestly a drain to write angst and pain all the time SOOOOO I would write this fic when I’m bored and somehow I finish this one first…. so now here we are. I do hope it’s not confusing but hints enough context for readers to understand the development of the two. Plus I’m WAYYYYY too impatient to wait to post this cause I’m so PROUD OF IT UGH.

Anyways enjoy.

“Is it weird that I still get a bit nervous every time he invites me over for dinner?”

Your friend laughs over the phone. “Really?! It’s been so long now. Just breathe and treat it like any other time you guys are together.”

You’re glaring at them, even though they can’t see it. “I’m serious. You know how the past was, we hated each other… well he hated me. I don’t blame him though, it was in every way my fault for how things are but… still.”

Your friend probably heard the change in your tone towards the end. The mischievous aura drips from them. “I understand but the situation has changed now. You stopped being a lil brat and he realized the amazing person that you are underneath it. He fell for you instantly, I see it and am reminded of it everyday when I see you two in the same room.”

“Really?” You are curious now about what they meant. “What do you mean?”

“You don’t see it?” The utter disbelief from their tone surprises you more. “The way he looks at you speaks millions. Like a moth lured to a bright ass light. I believe it.”

You smile as your chest lightens from the doubts slipping off you. Their words really eased your mind. “That’s… cute.” Images of Aki flash in your mind of all the times he would get embarrassed when caught showing any form of affection. “He’s really sweet.”

“He is and it is cute but also utterly revolting.” They gag through the phone. “You two are so lovesick for one another and yet SOOOO oblivious at the same time. My eyes get cavities from seeing you two within the same radius.”

The both of you chuckle a bit before they bids their farewell. “Now go in and enjoy the dinner, okay? Tell me more about it later.”

“I will. See you soon.” You say before ending the call.

The grip on the plastic bags you have to your side tightens as you take a deep breath in and out. You know more than anyone this night will be just like any other night. Just a casual dinner with 2 co-workers/friends and your boyfriend.

Boyfriend.

Your lips form into a soft smile as the title lingers in your head. It feels too surreal to be together now after a year of discord between you and Aki. Then a time period of uncertainty of what kind of relationship you guys had. It was the result of the change with his thoughts about you and your thoughts about life. With Himeno’s death being the catalyst to it all.

It doesn’t help that both of you have gone through great suffering revolving around death. Life is unfair to both of you. His family was taken away so suddenly by a worldwide Devil attack while yours…

Agh, the thought hurts too much to think about.

Even with all the hurt, pain, and self projecting in denial of the truth of it all you two somehow ended up here, together. It made you happy to realize that after so long but so late. With time still ticking every single second, it’s only sooner than later that both your lives could end so suddenly.

With Aki’s time limit down to 2 years and yours still in the air, anything could happen at any moment. It was hard carrying the regret of projecting your trauma and fear of abandonment to the relationships around you. How you pushed others away to protect them and yourself. It wasn’t fair to you or your comrades.

They never got to meet the real you.

Your thoughts are cut from the feral screech coming from behind Aki’s door. You know all too well who it was, and you smile softly from the moment, as it reminds you to be present in the present. No time to dwell on your regrets, it will only waste more of your limited time.

You are with Aki now, that’s all that matters.

Finally, you take the last few steps over to Aki’s door. Knuckles barely hovering over the door before it’s busted open.

Power cheers out your name as she pulls you in for a half hug, arm over your shoulder. Her eyes don’t meet yours, instead they’re on the bags at your sides. “You brought food for me?! I'm STARVIN.”

“Hey!” a familiar voice echoes from inside. “That’s no way to treat guests!”

Power is quick to nag back at him with a roll of her eyes before taking the bags out of your hands. “Allow me!” She excitedly offers but you know there are other intentions behind her kindness. Your head shakes from her obvious facade.

Walking into the Hayakawa Residence, you instantly envelop yourself in the comforting feeling of your second home. The smell of the three housemates and the aroma of home cooked food wafts into your nose causing your previous insecurities to flee. Is this what it's like to be at ease? You’re pretty sure it is by how safe you feel once the door closes behind you.

Turning around the corner, you see Aki casually stirring a mixture of veggies in a savory sauce in a wok. It instantly waters your mouth. “Hi Love.” You greet walking over to where he is in front of the stovetop.

It was then you realize what your friend’s comment meant earlier, about how Aki looks at you. His eyes instantly shine with adoration and his body is fully turned towards you, letting go of whatever he was focused on to meet you halfway. Once you’re within his grasp, he pulls you into a hug and kisses the top of your head.

“Hello love, was the trip here okay? I’m sorry I couldn’t pick you up.” He apologizes before rubbing your back soothingly.

Shaking your head to look up, you reassure him with a smile. “It’s fine, don't worry. I can’t expect you to always pick me up and host a dinner.”

“I know but I would rather do it knowing you are safe than for you to take a taxi or walk here.” He tells you softly with his arms now draped over waist, his hands interlocked behind you. Blue eyes still looking at you. “Next time I’ll open my schedule up to do so.”

You instantly shake your head. “No, you’ve done too much for me.”

He looks at you softly, almost bittersweetly. “It feels like I haven’t done enough.”

Your lips are already on his nose before he could continue. “You’re perfect.”

Those insecurities leave him and it’s replaced by the previous admiration he first had when you walked into his field of view. Instead of replying, he just pulls you in for another tight hug, his cheek now on top of your head. His indirect way of saying many things with one action.

You mean the world to me.

I appreciate you.

Thank you.

Pulling back from the hug to check up on the veggies he was stirring earlier, you point towards the living room, where Power and Denji lay as they go through the plastic bag you brought. “I hope you don’t mind but I brought some extra food I prepared yesterday and sweets.”

“Mmm you didn’t have to. I made extra food too.” He explains as he tosses the veggies around the sauce, evenly coating each cut piece. “But I do appreciate it, thank you love.”

I smile and wrap an arm around his torso. “I don’t mind. It was going to rot in my fridge anyways with how often I eat here. Plus, you have 2 extra mouths to feed.”

His soft eyes gloss over to you, and he can’t help but feel the need to kiss the side of your head. “You’re the best.”

“Oi! Can you cook faster and stop flirting so much!” I hear Denji yell from across the place. Aki’s soft feature forms a frown as he goes to scold Denji for interrupting the moment.

Just now remembering you had more people in the room, you walk off to where the other two reside. Both are already munching on the baked goods you’ve brought, happily enjoying it while watching their show.

“Like em?” You ask Denji as you sit down next to Power. Her cat senses your presence, immediately heading over to you, purring happily under your loving touches. “Hi cutie.”

Without taking his eyes off the screen, he replies back with his mouth stuffed. “Therwe realu-

“Don’t talk with your mouth full!” Aki scolds from the kitchen.

“Whamever.” He dismisses but gulps it down anyways before continuing. “Good ass…” He draws a blank. You watch the way the gears in his mind slowly rotate as they try to put together a coherent sentence. “Good ass goods!”

Power slams her hand flat onto his back, repeatedly slapping him, and causes poor Denji to choke mid consumption of the said goods. Her boisterous laugh echoes within their flat. “You sound more stupid than usual!” She hollers out then starts shaking him.

He starts to cough from all the sudden movements and finally dryly swallows the food. Despite watching Denji almost choke, you can’t help but laugh from watching the events unfold. They really were siblings by heart.

As the conversation slowly dies, Aki takes this opportunity to step outside to smoke. Everyone sits comfortably in the ambience. With the sound of the Tokyo nightlife and the lowered volume of the TV playing some random channel, it really lured everyone to a relaxed state of mind.

It could be the combination of good food and it being quite late into the night that caused both Denji and Power to pass out on the ground. Your buzzy self smiles at the sight of them, so peaceful from the food coma. The whole environment feels so… nice.

It was somewhat odd for you. Your body is aware of the empty space where your walls and guard used to be. Not really used to this feeling of being safe and secure. Growing up in a chaotic and unstable household really puts a toll on you and your point of view on what a safe home should make you feel.

In a way, you never really felt at “home” before.

The silence you’re used to in your own apartment isn’t much different compared to what you’re currently experiencing now, but it makes you feel different. You don’t feel lonely or alienated. You feel…. comfortable. You’re not sure if it’s the alcohol or the fact you are now just appreciating what a domestic life is like, but it’s a new foreign feeling. Nonetheless, it’s not unwelcome, it’s more than welcome.

You hope this doesn’t come to an end anytime soon.

Taking in a sip of the alcohol of your choice, your eyes pick up on the mess that surrounds you. Dirty plates, unfinished platters of food, both used and unused napkins sprawled over the table. Overall it was just messy, but honestly this is what's expected from a late night dinner with Power and Denji involved.

Without another thought, you stood up with your wobbly tipsy legs and started to clean up. Picking up the empty cans and garbage as you scout the room for more.

“Hey.” Aki calls out for you, head just barely poking into the apartment.

You look up at him, an empty beer can in hand. “Hey.” You greet, confused.

His brows lowered from your response. “I wasn’t saying hi. What’re you doing?”

“Oh.” A giggle escapes from your lips from your tipsy brain. You continue to pick up the beer cans and toss them into the recycling bag. “Cleaning up.” You answer simply.

“You’re a guest.” He starts off walking towards you and takes the bag. “You should be relaxing.”

“You hosted this Aki, in your own home. The least I can do is help clean up just a bit.” You explain then immediately start to stack all the dirty dishes. “How about you get the garbage and I’ll do the dishes. Hm? How does that sound?”

Leaving no room for him to argue further, you leave the living room and head to the kitchen. Aki watches as you walk away happily with the stack of dishes in hand. You look over to him once, an eyebrow raised from his stare.

“What?” You ask as you hold a soapy dish sponge in one hand and a dirty plate in the other, scrubbing away the grim and food off the plates one by one.

A lot of thoughts are running through his mind but he makes no attempt to show it. He just shrugs and chuckles. “Nothing.”

Both of you fall back into comfortable silence. Only breaking it to drop a couple of small talk here and there. With the TV still running in the back, now on the news channel. You make notes on a few topics the news anchor mentions and Aki does the same, feeling comfortable with the surface level talks.

Nothing about this was new to either of you. You always offer freely to clean up when invited over and Aki follows up by refusing you from doing so. A routine both of you are accustomed to for the past couple of months. In some way, you should feel content or happy being with someone who flows with you so easily and has grown accustomed to you over time.

But as your thoughts simmer a bit longer, a bitter side to all of this comes around. You’re reminded of the reality you’re truly in. Both you and Aki’s death are determined when you both sign your life away to Public Safety. With Aki being two years left and yours possibly just as short.

The unwavering and daunting feeling never goes away and always ruins moments like these you want to cherish and really be in, to really exist in. No matter how much you try to avoid it, the feeling was and is always there. It doesn’t help that a good chunk of your time with Aki was wasted on avoiding getting to this intimate point in your relationship.

The person you were back then would’ve looked down on you. How could you give in to these selfish desires? Get into a relationship with someone knowing the limited time you have left. It wasn’t fair to them or you. A cruel ending to have to anyone. So you did what at the time felt like the best thing to do, barricaded yourself from the world.

You were committed to keeping a facade up. A mock up personality to shield you and others from getting close to you. You hoped you could keep up with it long enough that one day you leave this world and feel relief no one would experience grief like you did.

Sadly even with trying to avoid the inevitable, you landed in the worst possible position ever. To end up regretting what you did and having to accept the conditions your fear set out for you. If only you gave up sooner than later. Maybe just maybe you would have enjoyed more of these moments with Aki.

“You okay?”

Your head whips to him, ocean eyes hold much concern. “Yeah why?”

He frowns, not convinced at all. “You’re shaking.”

It’s when he mentions it that you realized your shaky hands. Instantly you shove whatever lingering thought you had left and try to play it off as something else, despite knowing he wouldn’t believe you. “Just….” You trail off drawing a blank for an excuse.

“If you’re going to lie, at least make it believable.” He scolds but his actions don’t mirror his words as he pulls you in for an embrace. “There’s something bothering you. You can talk to me, you know?”

You have… Already. It was a topic that was brought up quite often between the two of you. It was hard to really fully walk past the topic. No advice or form of communication would really ease the both of you of what’s yet to come. But it does in some way help temporarily. At least, until you come back to the same thought again like now.

A sigh leaves your lips when you snuggle closer into his chest, arms wrapped tightly around his large frame. “You already know what it is.”

The same sigh leaves his lips as his grip tightens. “I’m here nonetheless.”

Much to his response, it does say a lot. Both of you fall into another routine. Where one would be reminded of the ticking time bomb and the other comes around to comfort them. Neither of you felt the need to speak more with how often it happens. It was a silent way of saying “I’m tired of this too, but just know I’m here for you if you wanna talk more. Just say it and I’ll be here to listen.”

After a few moments, you finally pull back to look at him. A bittersweet smile on your lips. “Thank you.”

His arms never leave you. Instead, they are holding the sides of your arms, thumbs rubbing soothing circles into you. “Anytime.”

Finishing up the last bit that was needed to be done, you both head out to the balcony. You pulled a bit of the curtain from inside to shield where his dingy white lawn chair was on his balcony. A simple but not really effective way to have some privacy from the sleeping children. As you close the sliding glass door, the chills of the night are apparent on your bare arms.

Aki sits down first then signals for you to take the spot on his lap. “Sit, I’m not making you stand.”

Well, you can’t really deny such a tempting offer. You smile at him before doing just that. Both of you adjust yourselves a bit before settling comfortably in the current position. Your head on his shoulder, his arms wrapped around your waist, and fingers intertwined on your lap.

The soft buzz of the night life from his quiet neighborhood drowns out your thoughts as you stare aimlessly at the street lights. His arm that was once on your waist now hoists up just below your upper back. He pulls you in closer.

“Hm?” You question the sudden movement.

Aki is silent for a few seconds before talking. “I was just thinking.”

You return the same silence before saying. “Care to elaborate?”

“I…” He pauses, unsure how to say what he wants to say.

There was just too much to say and too little of the time to say it at that moment. No amount of words or poems could describe the cloud 9 feeling he gets when he sees you there, just existing in his world. It reminds him so much of everything that it overwhelms his mind and makes him draw a blank during moments like this.

Where he wants to say everything but can’t.

So many words and sentences just zoom around him like dust in the air getting blown until it turns into a tornado. Every fleeting thought gets thicker and stronger. It consumes his mind and he can’t choose nor figure out what he wants to say during moments like these. What’s something that could just say everything he needs to say all at once? To tell you he appreciates you. Wants to stay like this with you forever. To continue to live in each other's presence until time stops him for good.

To see you come through that damn door again with a big smile and sparkling eyes as you hold bags of food in both your hands happily. While greeting him with that god forsaken fucking melodic voice of yours.

It hits him.

It’s so simple but it finally hits him.

He looks down at you, meeting your eyes one last time as his nervousness clogs his own throat. The phrase in itself is simple but the meaning is so heavy, so meaningful to him that it almost scares him away from being able to say it. But it’s the only thing that really describes this feeling he feels for you.

God he should really shut up and just say-

“I love you.”

He watches closely to the way your face reacts to this statement, both out of fear and excitement. It’s when he sees the way your eyes get slightly glossy and your cheeks burn bright in warm hues like a sunrise that he reflects the same expression with the biggest smile.

Not much is said. Only the sound of multiple pecks and tender kisses from Aki as he covers your whole face with love. You giggle like a lil highschool girl from all the affection. After almost basically covering 90% of your face in kisses, you finally get a word in. Feeling overwhelmed from joy and love.

“I love you too.” You finally say, holding his face close til your noses are just barely touching. “I… Never thought you could ever love me.”

He understands very well what you meant by that. Given the history between the two of you, but he doesn’t care. At least at this moment he doesn’t. The rays of pure unfiltered feeling of love is all too consuming and subtly blinds him from truly acknowledging the double meaning to your statement.

“We have gone off on the wrong foot and I know we both regret heavily how late it is to be in this position.” He starts off in a whisper then tilts his head slightly to rub the side of your noses, lips barely hovering over yours. “But to me, in this very moment with you, without all the worries we had been dealing with before for weeks. Hell fucking months!” Raising his tone just a bit to playfully emphasize the last part of his statement. “I know for sure I love you. The person here on my lap. The body that holds your beautiful heart and the beautiful heart that holds your soul. From every bit and piece of you, that is all for me to love until I can no longer feel.”

You feel your face get more red with every word being said. It absolutely stuns you to the core and you can’t get your mind to put together a sentence or a single word to say. You’re not used to this true unadulterated form of love. It completely fried your brain, and the only response or reaction you gave were tears.

“I…” You first choke out. “I didn’t do anything special.” You sob out. The big insecure part of you is in some way confused by his declaration. “All I’ve done is hurt you, Aki. I don’t understand.”

He quickly adjusts your positions enough to fully face you from above. Your eyes are bloodshot red, cheeks wet from tears. It’s so painful to see the doubts you’ve had hidden from him resurface but he doesn’t mind. Cause you’re you. He loves you for you, therefore he loves all that comes with you.

Aki starts to kiss your tears and gently guides you to sit up on his lap. Both his hands on your cheeks, wiping the remaining falling tears with his thumbs.

“Hurt is inevitable. We’re human, hurting others will always happen whether we intended to or not. I forgive you love, because I understand what it’s like to be scared of connecting. Especially in the field we’re working in.” His voice is tender and gentle, reassuring you with much sincerity.

He takes the time to really admire every little detail about you. How your hair frames your face. The little scratches and scars from Devil attacks on the cheeks he loves to kiss. How your eyes hold every single emotion that shapes the person you are today.

Your entire being is everything to him.

“You were made to be loved. I don’t care what person or experience made you believe you weren’t but I’m telling you this now sincerely that you were made to be loved inside and out.”

As each word escapes his lips, he can’t help but inch your face closer and closer and closer until his lips just barely hover over yours.

“Especially by me.”

There was a part of you that wanted to scream at him for lying. For spewing out such bullshit to you at this moment. Cause how can someone so beautiful like him love someone so complex and messy like you? How is that possible?

Whatever the case was, there was a stronger, more hopeful side to you that believes everything he claims. It constantly clashes swords with your insecurities. The same insecurities that made you push him away.

And you know better than to do that now.

He watches the way your eyes light up just a bit as a smile forms. “I love you Aki. Thank you for being…. You.”

It’s after saying that you finally lean in and kiss him with all the same love and care he has for you. He makes no mistake to delay this. Kissing you back with all his entirety. Your souls intertwine through an invisible bond the more the kiss deepens. Unspoken love of affirmations set ablaze the passion you have for each other.

And in that very moment, both of you knew no matter how much time you guys wasted wishing and counting your regrets. You still had each other. As bittersweet as it is, that’s all anyone could ask for.

Well… Aki is hoping he could ask for your hand in marriage but let’s leave that for another time.

A/N: thanks for reading! please let me know if you see any mistakes with the gn!reader pov, this is my first :)

#aki hayakawa #aki hayakawa x reader #aki hayakawa x gn!reader #csm x reader #aki hayakawa fluff #aki hayakawa angst #aki x reader #chainsaw man fanfic #aki hayakawa fanfic #self insert #domestic fluff

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spicerackofblorbos · 4 months

Text

Chapter 6: April

☾ Pairings ➼ Levi Ackerman x fem!mute!Reader (she/her pronouns), set in a modern semi-fictional world

☾ Summary ➼ Due to childhood trauma, you find yourself an adult without the ability to speak. After years of working on it, you have found ways to live without a voice. Now here in your late 20s, you are 5 months in getting used to a new town. On a fateful day in late November, you and your adopted sister visit a local bookstore-café, unaware of the friendships about to blossom. Throughout the months, one friendship in particular develops into something more.

☾ Content/Warnings ➼ fluff, slowburn, oblivious feelings, romance, angst, mention of minor character deaths, trauma, illness, adoption, mentions of fire, disabilities, alcohol use, very light nsfw mentions, references to child abuse, smoking and alcohol abuse mentions, domestic violence, light assault (to be continued as writing is ongoing)

☾ Author's note ➼ *kicking my feet excitedly* hey guys, turns out I was just being dramatic. I'm actually really happy with how this turned out. Could it be better? Sure, but that doesn't change that I'm happy with what it is right now. This is super long, but I promise it's worth it. It's filled with tropes and fluff and surprises and I hope you guys enjoy it! Also just a quick 'I'm sorry' for making you wait so long! I was struggling with some bad writers block and then I got covid so things just couldn't pick up the way I wanted them to. But it's here now!!

☾ Word Count ➼ ~10.9k (huehue)

The Sakura Festival held downtown was unlike anything you’ve ever been to before. Since Hange and you had moved here sometime over the summer, you had missed all of what Jinae’s spring had to offer. Suffice it to say, though you didn’t know it yet, it was well worth waking up for at 8 in the morning. Your sister, however, thought otherwise as you both sped down the streets towards Levi and Erwin’s apartment while she curled up in her seat.

“I just don’t understand why we have to go right when it opens. It’s going to be…” Hange pauses to yawn heavily. “…an all-day thing.” They finish with a big stretch in the passenger seat. You shoot her a quick displeased glance and they throw their hands up in the air.

Your thoughts were clouded with more Levi than usual. He'd been much more open to you the past couple weeks than in the last 5 months combined. The progress was rocky, sure. But progress was still progress. Fortunately, Hange still hadn’t asked for any details of what happened that night, but she knew something was up. You fiddle mindlessly with your necklace at these thoughts, the one you haven’t taken off since it was put on by Levi.

“Thinking about Shorty?” Hange cuts in with a teasing voice. You blindly swat at them without looking over, frowning. “Hey! It’s not my fault you’re smiling like an idiot right now!” They laugh and you swat at them again, but you can't help but break out into a matching grin.

Soon after, you park in the street across from the boys’ apartment and shoot Levi a text that you were there. You and Hange had suggested that they carpool with you since Erwin’s wrist was still on the mend and Levi had an aversion to driving himself. The reason why you were stuck behind the wheel, though, and not Hange, was because she was ‘too tired to drive’. You decided quickly that you would rather drive than get into a wreck because your sister fell asleep in the middle of the road.

In the corner of your eye, you see Levi bounding down the steps with his blonde best friend right behind him. You shift in your seat nervously, fingers tapping on the wheel. When they get closer, you're incapable of keeping your eyes off the two handsome men. Even for how warm it was today, you’re not surprised to see Levi wearing his leather jacket over a hoodie with the hood pulled over his head. Erwin is dressed in a relaxed fit blue button down and a pair of sunglasses that cover his matching eyes, a denim jacket flung over his shoulder by one finger. They could have been supermodels if they wanted to, you chuckle to yourself.

Levi’s deadpan expression doesn’t faze you - though were you able to read his mind, you would know his heart was beating faster than a racehorse the moment he woke up today. Erwin teasingly ruffles Hange’s frazzled hair and pats the top of your head gently. You wouldn’t say it to his face, but he radiated such ‘dad vibes. Not that it bothered you any.

“Well look at you both!” Erwin boisterously exclaims as he beams to the two of you. You smile right back at him in satisfaction. You spent so many hours in the last week trying to find the right thing to wear today. A pair of off-white overalls cinches at your waist and stops at your thighs, the hem hugging at your skin effortlessly. Your favorite band t-shirt can be seen peeking over the straps. With your hair pulled up in a loose ponytail that created tendrils that fell in your face, the look was completed by your new favorite accessory. Which of course was perfect for the occasion.

Levi’s gift glimmers in the sun as you shift in your seat. The gift giver himself had his eyes on you the moment he stepped into the vehicle and only looked away once you met his gaze. A soft blush creeps up your face while you turn to face the wheel.

The drive to the festival grounds was a relatively short one, thankfully. With the help of Erwin’s clear directions, you were able to get there without issue. But then you had to turn down Hange’s obnoxious loud metal music so you could focus on finding a place to park. Even showing up early, parking was a nightmare, and you could only find a spot about a 10-minute walk from the closest entrance.

Jinae has a fairly wide river that cuts through the heart of the town. The festival itself sat on the surrounding outer banks of it, both sides occupied by vendors and joined by a bridge that crossed over the crystal water. It was there on the banks of the river that most of the cherry blossom trees rested, swaying in the spring breeze that caused a flurry of petals to fly around. When you all make it to the archway, you can’t help but clap your hands and jump in excitement. The atmosphere was so lively already, and you could not wait to dive headfirst into what the festival had to offer.

“Well, what’s first on the docket?” Erwin inquires as he steps forward to stare out into the bustling square ahead. You’re already signing excitedly about today’s activities and Hange has to grab your hands to make you stop and start over. You give them an apologetic grin then take a deep breath before signing everything again, slowly this time.

‘There’s a parade of floats made out of flowers that starts in about fifteen minutes. Then there’s a duck race sometime in the afternoon. Not to mention the carnival rides, live music, and finally fireworks to finish the night!’ You had spent such an ungodly amount of time staring at the festival’s schedule that it was practically burned into the back of your skull. And like Hange mentioned earlier, you were dedicated to seeing it all.

“That sounds like a lovely plan, Love. Let’s get going so we can get a good spot then.” Hange says as they bump into your shoulder affectionately when they walk past, starting up a conversation with Erwin as he falls in step with theirs.

You feel something tickle your scalp and as you reach up to see what it is, your hand feels another about to pull away. When you look over, you see Levi’s nimble fingers carefully plucking a blossom petal out of your hair. He mouths a wordless apology. Even with his uninterested face, his eyes couldn't hide his amusement. Amusement for what, though, you didn't know. Not even thinking twice do you grab his hand and start tugging him along into the depths of the crowd.

There were all sorts of tropical flora that formed the shape of a conch shell in the center, and it sat on a bed of beautiful blues and whites that formed into waves around it. You’ve never had the opportunity to go to the coast but seeing the float made you long for the sea in ways you’ve never had before. You hoped one day you’d get to go.

Once everyone who wanted to enter did so, city officials then released all of the purchased ducks down the river to be collected at a certain point. Levi didn’t know of the specifics, but he said that eventually someone would fish them out at the designated finish line and people corresponding to the first 10 ducks that crossed would win a prize. It was the silliest thing you’ve ever heard of so naturally you brought money to participate.

Even if you didn’t win, you were happy to know it was going to something so worthy. To be perfectly honest though, the biggest reason you were so excited about it is because of the way Levi had talked about the race during your last hang out.

With it coming up so soon, you had wanted to pick Levi's brain on what you should check out first. Levi said that it had been years since he last went, so he wasn't the best person to ask. But when you asked about the duck races, his usual stone-cold exterior softened. Levi didn't elaborate, but you could tell by the way his voice lightened that he was quite fond of the fundraiser. So, if Levi liked it, then so did you.

To your delight, Erwin and Hange pay for one duck each. You purchase three like you had planned. And Levi purchases five. As he reaches into his wallet to pay, you can't help but watch in adoration at how carefree he seemed, like he was genuinely enjoying his time. His jaw and shoulders are slack and a small smile twitches at the corners of his scarred lips as he speaks to the booking clerk. Something pokes you in the side; it's your sister. Hange snickers at you with a gleam in their eyes. You stick your tongue out at them and they just poke you again, eliciting a small gasp from you.

"Everything okay?" You jump at Levi's sudden voice to the right of you. An eyebrow raises in concern, his eyes almost tinted blue from the clear sky above. You nod and roll your eyes in the direction of your sister, as if to say, 'Hange just being Hange.' He hums and looks down at his phone, lips pursing at whatever he was looking at.

"Furlan just texted me to let me know he’ll be here soon. " Levi slides his phone into his back pocket as he speaks.

"Furlan's coming?" Hange asks as they snake an arm around your shoulders.

"Yeah, he kind of invited himself." Levi mutters.

"Hey, the more the merrier." Erwin chuckles behind Hange. You smile in agreement, but the subtle disappointment in Levi's tone doesn’t escape your ears.

"There's no use in sitting around waiting. The races start in about an hour so why don't we use this time to wander?" Your sister raises a hand in the air as they start off in a random direction, their other arm linked with Erwin and currently pulling him along. Shaking your head in amusement, you and Levi follow close behind.

The Sakura Festival reminded you of the renaissance fair in the way that there were various booths and vendors that surrounded you, all selling anything and everything you’d expect. The only difference being the multitude of carnival rides and attractions that peppered around the grounds. That, and the very obvious size of the event itself. It wasn’t very crowded for now, but you suspect that will change later in the day. Hange calls out to you and Levi from ahead, arms waving above their head to get your attention.

"Guys! Look at this!" She's jumping up and down while pointing at a small but tall boxy contraption with a black curtain pulled to the side. Upon closer inspection, you notice there's a little space inside with a small bench and a computer screen sitting opposite it. It's a photo booth. You eye your sister quizzically.

"Well? Wanna try?" You shrug which Hange takes as an okay, a wild smile lighting up their face.

"Yes! Alright!! Levi, in you go!"

"Wha- like hell!"

"C'mon! It'll be fun!" Hange grabs Levi's arm and pushes him inside the booth so forcefully that he slams onto the bench with a hiss. "Erwin, you'll have to pop your head in from the side, you're just too tall." And then her fingers are grasping your arm as she pulls both of you in before you can do anything to stop her. The booth is even smaller on the inside and with the way you both toppled in, you find yourself plopping on her lap like a child. Cozy is not the first word that comes to mind.

"Ah, I can't reach the screen. Here, Levi, hold this." You suddenly feel your body being pushed to the side by Hange and a gasp escapes your lips as you find yourself in a new seat - Levi's lap. Levi grunts as you land. In a panic, you attempt to stand up but then his hands are on your hips and you’re being pulled down to his thigh closest to the wall, so that you are facing the camera at an angle. You can't bring yourself to look at him, and any knowledge on how to breathe vanishes. The sound of angry waves fills your ears as heat rushes to your cheeks. Oh my god. Is this really happening?

"'Everything okay?" Erwin's voice comes muffled. He pops his head through the curtain, and his bright blue eyes land on your wide ones. If he was thinking anything, he gave nothing away.

"Yup almost... got it!" Hange yells in triumph as they press down on something. "Get ready!"

There's a beeping coming from the corner of the booth that must be the countdown, but you can hardly focus on it. All you can think about is the way you fit on Levi's lap. Beep. How flush your body was against his chest that you could feel his racing heart, no doubt beating at the same speed as yours, against your back. Beep. His shallow breaths tickling the back of your neck as you clenched your hands into tight fists that rest on your thighs. Beep. Levi shifts under you, his leg jostling you for a moment. Beep. Your brain is foggy, clouded by Levi. Levi, Levi, all Levi.

Your name is being called - distant sounding at first then loud and right next to you. You startle at the sudden noise and whip your head to the source. Erwin and Hange are staring at you from outside of the booth, sunlight filtering through the spaces around their bodies as they stand in the little doorway. They both have matching amused smirks lighting up their faces. Levi clears his throat from behind. As if zapped, you shoot up quickly from Levi's lap and scramble out the hole, palms sweaty in your tight fists. The cool, spring breeze softly hitting your flushed and hot face is very welcoming.

"You okay?" Erwin steps up next to you, his voice laced with concern.

'Yeah, just really hot and stuffy in there.' You sign back, taking a deep breath. It wasn't a lie. But the way Erwin eyed you makes you feel like he knows something you don't.

"Oh my gosh look at US!!" Hange squeals from behind you. When you turn to face them, they're smiling down at a couple strips of paper which you guess are the photocopies. They bound over to you and shoves one of the copies in your direction then gives the other to Erwin. "Here, one for each household."

The sun glares off the film and you have to bring it close to your face so you can see the panels better. There are four photos total, all in color and bright from the flashes. Hange and Erwin are making different faces in each one, there's even one of them laughing mid-snap. But then you glance over to the other corner where you and Levi sit, and you want to throw yourself in the river in embarrassment.

The first two photos are the same. You're looking straight into the camera like a deer in the headlights, luckily with a small smile tugging at your lips but shock is very evident on your face. Levi is staring off to the side with a vacant expression, heavy lidded and slack. Both of you are red in the face though. The third one is blurry with movement. In the last one, you and Levi are looking at each other, his steely gray eyes flashing silver in the blinding light. A moment of you two staring at each other, something you don't remember doing, frozen in time. You flick your eyes up and over the little strip of paper in between your fingers to look at Levi. He's facing away with his hands in his pockets, his cheeks the same shade of red in the photo. Even if they were embarrassing, you find yourself pressing the photos close to your chest anyways.

"Alright, where to next!? We have plenty of time to kill." Hange exclaims.

So, the four of you did indeed kill time. It was mostly spent gawking at the vendors and making plans of what rides you all wanted to visit after the race. At one point Erwin and Hange got separated from you and Levi, leaving the two of you to seek refuge from the crowd under the shade of trees. Not a lot of conversation happened, you suspect because of the awkward moment at the photo booth. The revisiting thought makes you blush. You were on your toes trying to scan the ever-moving crowd for any signs of your sister when you heard an unsettling voice coming from the direction of where Levi stood currently.

"Hi little fella, got some tasty candy for you. Wanna try it?" Leaning down behind Levi with a comically large lollipop is a man decked out in the most garish of clown costumes. "It's reeaal good." Levi doesn't move.

Taken aback by his sudden assertiveness, your heart does cartwheels. You're about to ask where he’s taking you until you see that he's pulling you in the direction of Hange and Erwin who are currently heading your way. His hand releases yours before reaching them, far too quickly for your liking.

"There you two are! We were looking everywhere. Were you both making out behind a tree?" Hange jokes. Hange has an ice cream cone in their hand and Erwin’s wrapped wrist has a heart shaped balloon tied to it.

‘Where the hell have you two been?’ Actively ignoring the crass joke thrown at you. You sign this at the same time as you hear a familiar playful voice chirp up from behind the pair in front of you.

“What’s this about making out?” Hange steps aside to reveal Furlan who had his hand in a bag of kettle popcorn. He pulls his hand out to wave at you with a big grin and you reciprocate with your own. “Did Levi finally find himself a suitor?”

“Shut up.” Levi flips Furlan off with a grumble.

“Sorry I’m so late. I slept in and then finding a parking spot was a nightmare! Where are we headed??” Furlan looks around your little group expectantly.

“We should probably start heading back to the race area because I think it’s about to start.” Erwin checks the gold watch strapped to his good wrist. It glints off the afternoon sun and you have to glance away so that it doesn’t blind you.

“Aw man, did I already miss the registration?” Furlan hangs his head low in disappointment.

“Well if you actually used the alarm function on your phone, you would have made it on time.” Levi retorts back dryly.

Reaching into the little purse dangling off your hip, you pull out your three ticket stubs with a random number on each of them and step up closer to Furlan. When you wave your hand to get his attention, he glances at you and then at your pinched fingers.

“Oh. No! Please, it’s okay. I can always try for next year.” He insists, holding his hands up in front of his chest defensively. You give him a soft smile as you pick one out and push it towards him anyways. “Are you sure?”

Rolling your eyes, you reach over to push the ticket into his open palm and using your other hand, you clamp his fingers around it so that it sits in his hand safely. “Well… okay. If you’re adamant. Thanks!” Furlan chuckles and tightens his hand around the ticket. He gives you a wink before shoving it into his jean pocket.

“That was very sweet of you.” Erwin whispers down to you as you all make your way to the finish line.

‘I didn’t want him to be left out.’ You sign back with a frown, and Erwin nods in understanding, a warm smile crinkling his eyes.

By the time you all make it to the starting line of the race, the ducks have already been released via crane. Hundreds of little ducks were floating down the river and it was quite a sight. You clap in excitement and run towards the edge of the river to get a closer look. They were all bunched together, and you worried how they would fish out the little ducks accurately.

“I don’t know how they do it, but they manage to pluck out the first 10 so easily. It’s like magic.” Furlan says in reassurance. He must have noticed the concern on your face. He laughs and leans against the little stone wall that surrounds the river on both sides. “I’m sure it’s just because they’ve had so many years to perfect it though.”

The rest of your crew lines up against the wall, watching the ducks go down the river. You have to squint because of how the sun reflects off the water, but otherwise it’s a quiet and nice moment to have with everyone. The breeze from the river blows past and you inhale the subtle but sweet smell of the cherry blossoms. Levi stands next to you stoically, his arms crossed the way he does as he stares off. His weight shifted to his left leg. He’s done well to hide it from everyone else, but you could tell easily that he was limping from all the pressure he was putting on his knee.

‘You okay?’ You sign to him, giving him a soft smile.

“I’m fine.” He shrugs his shoulders. Something was bothering him, and it didn’t feel like it was just his knee pain. His eyes glance up to yours, and his hard features loosen. “Really, I’m okay.” You’re not convinced, but you nod in acknowledgement anyways.

“They got winners!” Furlan yells out beside you, pointing down the river. There’s a crew holding up a green flag to signal the end of the race.

“Ooh let’s go see who won, yeah?” Hange’s eyes gleam with excitement and starts making their way to the finish line with the rest of the group in tow. You keep your steps slow so you can keep up with Levi while everyone else trails ahead quite a bit. He gives you a side-eye as you pretend not to notice, fingers fidgeting with the necklace around your neck.

“Tch, I know what you’re doing.” He mumbles. He hesitates, then whispers a soft thank you.

After a moment, the announcer made a statement of where the winners needed to go to gather their prizes and then started listing off the numbers one by one. Unfortunately, no one in your group had a winning duck yet, though Levi never looked disappointed. In fact, he actually looked quite pleased that he hadn’t won anything.

“Aaand first place goes to… number 23!!”

“NO freaking way, that’s me!” Furlan shouts. He leans down and gives your cheek a chaste kiss before running off to the designated spot to collect his prize. You stand stock-still, pulling your hand up to where his lips just were, not really sure how to react to it. Something grumbles behind you. When you turn, you see a listless Levi, eyes off to the side but furrowed. Your heart pangs with guilt, for why exactly though you're not sure. You bite the inside of your cheek in thought. Furlan calls your name.

“You’ll never believe what’s in here!” He runs up to your group, out of breath and waving an envelope in the air. He takes a moment to bend and lean against his knees so he can gather himself.

“Well spit it out, what did you win!?” Hange asks eagerly.

“They’re airfare ticket vouchers! $500 each.” Furlan stands up straight with a huge smile.

“Each? How many did you get?” Erwin raises an eyebrow, curious now.

“Two. Which means,” He grabs one of the slips of paper and holds it out to you. “You get half.” You feel your eyes bug at his statement. Raising your hands defensively, you shake your head no. You eye Hange as you start signing, and they understand right away.

‘I can’t do that, you won them.’

“Yeah, but with the ticket you bought. You deserve some of the prize too.” He grabs your hand and clenches your fingers over the piece of paper, like you had done with him earlier. “Take it, please. At least share this victory with me.”

You eye him skeptically, unsure of what to say. The way he looks at you, with his wide eyes and cocky smile. You can’t say no. And, well, you did buy that ticket. After a beat, you nod and pull the paper to your chest and shoot him a big smile.

“Yes, thank you! Isn’t this awesome? I have no idea what I’m going to use it on, but I guess we’ll see in the future.” He pulls his shirt up so he can tuck the envelope in the waistband of his jeans.

Before you all know it, the sun is high in the sky and the rest of the festivities are in full swing. The sounds of screaming and laughter fill the air as the rest of the town arrives in droves. Erwin had suggested that you all rest and recoup to take a break from the crowd. So that’s why you and the others were sitting on plush grass under the shade of cherry blossom trees, eating lunch from the miscellaneous vendors around. None of you had thought to bring a blanket to sit on unfortunately, but that didn’t bother you. Levi, on the other hand.

“Tch, are we really okay with getting grass stains on our clothes?” Levi grumbles as he places his garbage on the pile of already accumulating trash sitting in the center of your small circle.

“You could always stand.” Erwin’s currently leaning against the tree, propped up on one shoulder as he sips his drink. His eyes light up at the sour expression he’s shot with.

“Or you could just live a little. It’s just some grass and dirt, Levi.” Hange tuts as they ball up their own wrapper and throws it in the pile as well, a smile playing on their lips in a mocking manner.

“I’m sure your 5-step laundry system will get out any stains.” Furlan adds in with a chuckle. He pulls at his little dish of fries as he side-eyes you as you laugh along.

The sun filters through the trees onto your face and you close your eyes as well, relishing the warmth. Unbeknownst to you, Levi is cracking his good eye open to peek at the serene expression complimenting your pretty features.

It's like this for a while. At some point, Erwin had disappeared to find a ‘gentleman’s room’ as he called it. Hange and Furlan were in the middle of a conversation about some movie that came out last week. You're resting with your arms splayed above you, your vision turning pink from the sun hitting your eyelids. The warm rays caress your exposed skin like a comforting hug. The soft running of the river pairs well with the rustling of the blossoms above you from the breeze. You sigh in content.

All of a sudden, your face feels cool from something blocking the sunlight above you. You swat at it thinking it’s your sister but then something nips at your fingers. Hange was weird, but not that weird. You have to squint after initially opening your eyes due to the bright surroundings but when your vision finally focuses, you freeze. Standing above you is a massive white goose, its head bent back slightly as it stares down at you.

You hear Levi and Furlan calling your name, but you don’t look over. You always laughed at the idea of geese, but now the source of terror stands right in front of you. The goose had its beak slightly open and you’re quick to spot rows of sharp teeth.

“Hey, look at me.” Levi says softly. When you glance over with a side eye, he’s watching you carefully. You swallow hard. “Keep backing away slowly. It should leave you alone once it sees you’re not a threat.”

As if Levi had cursed you with his words, you step back on a twig with a ‘crack’ and there’s a moment of silence as you stare horrified before all hell breaks loose. And then you’re running for your life down the grassy field. You hear something chasing after you and you pump your legs harder. The wind blows past your ears, and it takes everything in you to hurdle over the obstacles in front of you - those obstacles being people.

You don’t know how long you’ve been running but you're winded faster than you would like. Not to mention that by the looks of it, you were about to run out of open field. You were going to have to face your opponent sooner than later. Taking a deep breath and steeling your resolve, you twist your body around and blindly kick towards the goose. Except, you don’t make contact with a goose.

“Gah!” Levi doubles over in front of you, groaning from the ground as he clutches his stomach. When you look behind him, Hange and Furlan are chasing the goose away loudly screaming and clapping. You drop to your knees and place your hands on his shoulders to shake him gently to get his attention. When he raises his head to look at you, you're met with glazed, dark eyes.

"Are you… okay?" He mutters hoarsely through gritted teeth.

'Me?! But you?!' You sign back, emphasizing your words with a bemused expression.

"I just... need... a minute." Levi falls backwards so that he's on his butt. A hiss of air escapes his lips as he lands, his face scrunched up as the waves of pain subside. "I don't know what your intent was with that kick, but I have a feeling you would have sent that goose straight to hell." He coughs a little and stares up at you with an amused glint in his eyes.

‘I’m sorry, I panicked.’ He waves his hand dismissively.

You decide to sit with him as he catches his breath. You can’t keep the embarrassed flush from heating up your face. You pick at the grass anxiously as you keep replaying what just happened in your head. This is not something you would forget, unfortunately. Especially having hurt Levi.

“What did the grass ever do to you?” You hear Levi joke next to you, his voice back to a normal octave and significantly less breathy.

‘Sure you’re okay?’ You glance over to him sheepishly, fiddling with a blade of grass in between your fingers. He meets your gaze.

“I’m fine, seriously. But you should consider going pro with those legs of yours.” After a beat, he realizes what he said and clears his throat, looking away. “You know, like soccer or something.” The tips of his ears are already turning red.

“Are you two okay?!” You hear Hange screaming from the other side of the park, arms waving to get your attention. You shoot her two thumbs up.

“We should probably get back.” Levi grunts as he pushes himself up. There’s a considerable amount of weight he’s putting into his left leg, like earlier. But you figure if you ask him if he’s okay again, he might scold you. So, you opt to stay quiet as you watch him with caution.

“Are you coming?” His hand is outstretched towards you to take, which you do so without hesitating. His skin is rather warm against yours, callous yet soft. He pulls you up without effort, and he ends up having to grip your arm to steady you so you don’t fall face first from the force. He considers you with a slight smile and then starts off to the rest of your friends, with you following closely behind.

There was even a time where you had talked Levi into trying the absurd ice cream flavors from a stall suspiciously located all by itself off the beaten path. The glare full of daggers was resounding but he caved. It actually wasn’t as bad as he made it out to be, but he disagreed strongly.

“Oh, you’ve got it bad don’t you.” Hange mumbles to the right of you, breaking you out of your thoughts. You were waiting by the sinks in the public restroom for your sister to finish up their business. You peer at them with confusion at their random question. They flick their eyes down to your fidgeting fingers that currently twisted the cherry blossom necklace dangling around your neck.

“For Levi.” Both were confident statements. You blow a raspberry at them and roll your eyes. Letting go of the charm, you lift your hands to say something, but you’re at a loss for words. In all honesty, you’ve never really sat down to think about your feelings for Levi past the ‘I like being around him’ thoughts. The comfort he emanated was enough for you, so you never gave it a second thought. But if the little moments throughout the day with him accomplished anything, it was the establishment of your feelings in a new light. Whatever those feelings may be.

‘Just a friend.’ Is all you sign back.

“Are you sure about that?” They tut and grip your biceps in both hands as they face you head on, their eyes bouncing back and forth between yours. A small smile plays on their lips, but when you say nothing back, she nods and walks out the bathroom door with you in tow.

The men are waiting outside the building, seemingly in an in-depth conversation. You catch Levi’s eye on your way over, your heart skipping a beat at the way the late golden sun rays hit his pale skin. His eyes flick back over to Furlan and Erwin’s conversation.

“There’s just a little more time before the fireworks go off. What now?” Hange calls out a few steps away, grabbing the men’s attention.

“It’s almost sunset! It’s the best time to check out the ferris wheel.” Furlan chips in.

‘Oh yeah, I’d love to check that out!’

“Sure thing. There’s something I wanted to see over there anyways.” Erwin smiles and turns, leading the charge. You end up falling back so that you’re at the tail end of the line. When you glance back, you see Levi trailing behind with his eyes fixated on you. Your step fumbles momentarily and you whip your head back around so you can watch where you were going. A soft huff-like laugh from behind makes you bite your lip in embarrassment.

The line luckily only had a handful of people in it. But with the wheel currently going, there was a little bit of a wait in front of you. You were behind a group of four kids who were currently goofing off and laughing with each other.

“C’mon Jean, you gotta get over it sooner than later.” A closely shaven haired kid blurts out with a hard laugh.

“No! I’ve asked him multiple times to stop calling me horse face! Now the whole class is in on it. It pisses me off!” The kid named Jean yells out. He's currently staring down at his phone, light from the screen illuminating his very agitated face.

“Hey, let’s quiet down. We’re out in public, you know.” A kid with freckles chuckles nervously, his eyes sweeping around the small crowd around them. They land on a figure in front of them furiously stuffing something in their mouth. “Sasha, what are you eating now?”

A girl with red hair turns with powdered sugar all over her face and she’s mid chew, her eyes wide and expressive. “Deep fried Oreos.” Her voice is muffled by the food stuffed in her mouth.

“How did you even manage to grab those? We’ve been in line this whole time.” Freckles asks exasperated. The shaven haired kid reaches over to the doughy goodness only for the plate to be whisked away with an almost growl coming from the red-headed girl. They start lightly wrestling. You laugh quietly at their antics with fondness. They reminded you of you and your siblings around that age.

After what feels like forever, the ferris wheel cars start unloading and reloading. The kids in front got into their own car, a couple of them pushing each other with laughter as they filed in. Unfortunately, each car could only house four people at a time. Erwin opted out of the ride, but then Levi and Hange got into an argument about who would stay behind so that Erwin wouldn't be left alone. Ultimately Hange won. Oddly enough, Levi didn’t seem too bothered by it as much as he let on.

With the sun almost gone, the sky now a stunning mixture of blues and purples littered with pale stars, the air was getting cooler by the minute. Furlan settles himself in the spot next to you, shooting you a half-cocked grin. Levi gingerly sits himself down on the bench across from you and takes a moment to use both hands to massage the kneecap of his bad leg with a grimace.

'Okay?' Levi shifts his gaze up to you at the hand movement.

"Fine." You smile at him softly, but he's already looking off to the side at the man closing the car door.

A moment later, you feel the car shift and then you're ascending slowly, cool air blowing from behind. You shift in your seat so that you can lean over to the side better, but the car is so small that your leg bumps into Levi. An apology is already on your fingertips, but Levi stops you with a look.

"No need. You're okay."

'Leg? Okay?' You frown.

"Fine." That word again. “Just a lot of wal-"

"Now look at this view!" Furlan cuts Levi off with a yell. His sudden loudness makes you flinch. He's got his body half-hanging out of the car as he stares out to the ground. You just now notice the wheel had stopped moving and the car was sitting almost at the top. When you look over on your side, you stare in awe at the lit-up festival grounds beneath you. The warm yellow glow is broken up by various multicolor neon signs and string lights. People mill around and the sound of muffled chatter makes its way up to your ears.

By this time, the sunlight was completely gone and replaced by a bright full moon with twinkling lights dancing around it. They remind you of Levi. His leg was still pressed up against yours. Glancing over, you see his head tilted up to gaze at the stars as well, his hair swept back out of his face. As if he could feel you watching him, his own heavy-lidded eyes peer at you over his cheeks. From this position, the way the moonlight illuminated his body… he was breathtaking. Divine, even.

"Where's Hange and Erwin?" You all stepped off the platform to wait for the two in question on the ground, but crowds of people filed out and the wheel was going again. Neither your sister nor tall, blonde friend had made an appearance.

"I bet they ran off to do something stupid." Levi mutters next to you.

"I know I haven’t known the two of them as long as you both have, but I get the feeling that they have an annoying habit of doing that." Furlan chuckles. He stretches his arms above his head with a yawn.

"It’s almost your bedtime, old timer." Levi jabs. Furlan punches him in the arm with a wide grin.

"You're one to talk, grandpa. Anyways, where to now?" His bright eyes glance over at you.

Hange had made a comment about it a week ago but the way he brushed it off made you too nervous to talk to him about it, so you didn’t. You only wished you could have told him how much it warmed your heart to see him learning, whether it was on purpose or not.

You were so lost in thought that you hadn’t realized you lost sight of Levi and Furlan. The sounds of the crowd suddenly become louder as you’re pulled back to reality. You bite your bottom lip anxiously as you scan around, people’s faces and bright lights becoming a blur. Suddenly you feel a hand pulling at you and you’re being tugged out of the crowd by a strong grip. You were about to sigh in relief, but the hand felt unfamiliar to you. You attempt to pull back, but their fingers are wrapped tightly around your forearm, and you don’t have enough leverage to break free.

“There you are.” You don’t recognize the voice. The face you see when you look up is not one you’ve seen before but one that will haunt you forever. Dark shadowed eyes and a gaunt face, yellowed teeth bared at you with a nasty smile. You pull your arm even harder, eyes wide in panic, but the grip gets tighter. Instantly, you’re small again cowering on the floor of an old foster home. You open your mouth, like you’re going to scream, but nothing comes out.

“What’s a pretty thing like you doing out here alone?” He purrs at you as he pulls you closer. His breath smells of strong liquor and is hot against your face. You go to kick him in the shins but it’s like the impact doesn’t even phase him. You lacked the velocity to do any damage, and he just chuckles darkly at your bleak endeavor. “Got a fighter, I see.” He begins to pull you closer to him and you have to use every muscle in your body to push away from him, your free hand trying to pry his fingers off your skin at the same time.

“Get your grotesque hands off her.” An icy voice calls out from behind you. Tears prick at the corner of your eyes because it’s a voice that you do recognize. The man smirks and is about to say something back but when his gaze flicks to the side of you, you see his face go a sickly shade of gray. The grip on your arm lessens greatly so you take this opportunity to shake him off and step back, rubbing the sore spot where his fingers once were.

“I-I’m sorry sir, I didn’t realize she was yours.” He stumbles back. You glance behind to see the scariest expression you’ve ever seen grace Levi’s face. The snarl pulls at his lips with a sharpness in his eyes. What you don’t notice right away are the cups that were once filled with some sort of liquid were now crushed in his trembling hands, purely from anger. The drinks pool at his feet but he doesn’t blink an eye, his focus strictly on the assailant in front of you.

“Yeah, she’s mine. Leave now before I make you regret ever waking up today.” Levi spits venom into every syllable. His aura radiates so much danger that you could feel it from where you stood. At that, the man runs off. Levi steps over to you, throwing the cups into a nearby trash can as he does. His gaze is noticeably softer when he centers in on you and the shaken state you’re in.

“Are you okay?” Levi speaks in a low, gentle voice. Taking a shaky breath, you sign a no with a trembling hand. He tenderly takes your forearm and inspects your skin under the streetlight that lingered above you. His hands are sticky from whatever beverages he had managed to procure for you. In the yellow light, you see a red hand-shaped imprint. Your arm will definitely bruise tomorrow, much to your dismay.

“Sick bastard, putting his hands on you like that.” He grumbles, his gaze stuck on your arm as he speaks. You’re reminded of that incident at the gala that felt like a lifetime ago. Taking your free hand, you pull your phone out from your back pocket and start up a new memo.

‘Thank you. For saving the damsel in distress. I needed it.’ He glances up at you incredulously. It takes a moment to sink in, but when he realizes what you mean, his lips quirk up into a half smile. A huff escapes his lips in what you think might be a laugh.

“Thanks for the gratitude. Brat.” He drops your arm carefully.

‘Where’s Furlan?’ You stand on your toes to look over the crowd, but you don’t see your taller friend anywhere. The way Levi’s face falls at your question goes unnoticed.

“Why? I’m sure he’s off doing his own thing.” Levi scoffs. You frown at his sudden attitude, stealing a glance at his uninterested face.

‘He’s your friend, aren’t you worried?’ He rolls his eyes, which were currently lit up from your phone screen.

“He’s fine. I’ll send him a message to let him know where we are.” And like that, the topic of Furlan is closed. You sigh as you take a moment to text your sister where you two were located. You look around for a noticeable landmark to direct them, and you spot the live stage to your left. No one was playing at the moment, probably on their break or waiting for the fireworks, you think. Instead, there is contemporary music playing from the stage speakers and a couple of people dancing.

‘Aren’t those employees of your café?’ You slide him your phone and then point to the dance floor when he looks up. A girl with medium-length hair the same shade as Levi is in the arms of her boyfriend and they’re currently swaying to the beat. You haven’t had much of a chance to really speak to Eren and Mikasa because normally when you came to visit the café, it was close to closing and they were already off due to being in school. They look so happy.

“Looks like they’re having fun.” Levi responds in a blasé tone. You stand there imagining that it was you and Levi instead out on the floor, him holding you just as tightly. You blink hard to get that visual out of your head. What a silly sentiment. A cold breeze blows through your hair, and it makes you shiver. You wrap your arms around yourself to hold in some warmth.

“Cold?” You nod sheepishly. You remembered halfway into the day that you had left your coat on the armrest of the couch in your excitement. Levi hums and you watch as he pulls off his leather jacket and then his hoodie. Your eyes flick to his exposed abdomen as he pulls off each layer, polished and toned. You look away quickly as you chide yourself for even staring.

“Here.” he says after a few beats. When you look back over, he has his leather jacket back on but is handing you his dark hoodie. Your eyes widen at the gesture, and out of instinct you shake your head no with a ‘thank you’ at the end of it. He pushes it over to you anyways, an earnest look on his face.

“You look miserable. Just take it.” You frown at him again.

‘You’re one to talk, grumpy.’ You sign at him but take the hoodie anyways.

When you have it pulled down all the way, you can’t help the heat from searing across your cheeks as you feel the thick cloth hugging at every inch of your torso and arms. It seems your noticeable height difference had a huge disadvantage when it came to sharing clothes, not like it was ever anything you had thought about before. You look over to Levi whose gaze is intently fixated on you. His eyes flick up to yours and he looks away quickly, clearing his throat. Sharp, gray eyes side-eye you as he speaks.

“I-um. Are you warm?” You slide your cold fingers into the front pocket and smile at him, though the embarrassment was still eating away at you. You tuck your chin in the collar to get more warmth - it smelled just like Levi. Clean laundry, musky body wash, and surprisingly, a hint of lavender. It was calming in more ways than one. And it was so soft.

“I’m sure they’ll find us soon. The fireworks are about to start. Let’s go find a spot.” He mutters as he turns around on his heel and walks down towards the river without another word. You inhale another whiff as you follow him, smiling to yourself under the collar.

But it was nowhere near as stunning as you were, leaning back to rest on your arms so you could stare up into the sky. It felt like every part of you overwhelmed his brain. The way his hoodie clung to your body, the way you looked at him, your stupidly sweet smile. The way his heart races any time he sees you let alone thinks about you. How could he not? Your eyes shift over to him, and he’s suddenly aware of his staring.

‘What?’ You sign to him. You’ve sat back up to stare at him, a perplexed expression across your face.

“Nothing. You just look relaxed.”

‘Yes. I am happy.’ Another soft smile that lit up your eyes. Levi didn’t miss how you made a conscious decision to simplify your signs just for him so he would understand. Through every interaction in the last couple months, you had left him with more knowledge on how to communicate better, but you assumed it was only the small stuff. Little did you know, he was currently taking late night lessons because he couldn’t stand not being able to look into your eyes when you messaged him.

‘You?’ A frown replaces your smile.

“Me what?”

‘Happy?’ You stare straight into his eyes as you ask, searching. This prompts a signature Levi eye roll.

Levi sighs under his breath and goes to do the same. But then he feels his hand grazing against yours, fingers lightly resting on top of each other, and an electrified shock passes from his arm all the way through his body. You don’t pull your hand away though, and neither does he.

In fact, you’re still staring at him with a look he couldn’t discern. You cautiously wrap your pinky around his own and offer him a reassuring smile. He doesn’t think twice about tightening his grip. The sounds of laughter and idle chatter dimmed away to the sound of his reverberating heartbeat that threatened to blow out his ears. What would it be like to kiss you right now, he asks himself. Your eyes flick down to his half-parted lips as he says your name in an almost-like whisper. Your eyes are a brilliant shade under the moonlight. When did you get so close?

“There you two are!!” You both jump away as you hear Hange’s earth-shattering shriek from behind, any contact now left cold from whatever that moment was with you. Levi hisses out of frustration. You’re already getting up to stand to meet the newcomers, so he does the same. Shitty-glasses and their shitty timing.

“I didn’t realize y’all had already found a place to sit! We were waiting by the dance floor this whole time.” Hange tuts as they playfully punch your arm. Erwin stood a couple feet away, currently on the phone with someone. The expression on his face gave the implication that it was not a pleasant conversation.

‘Sorry, a lot happened, and I got distracted easily. You found us though!’ A fake smile pulls at your lips. There’s a glance in your direction but it’s gone as quick as it happened. He didn’t imagine that, did he? Were you ignoring what happened intentionally or pretending it never happened? Levi kicks himself mentally and disguises his face in indifference as he speaks.

“Yeah, where the hell did you both even go? And have you seen Furlan?”

“I haven’t seen him, no. And we were wandering! Erwin suggested it. Also,” Hange reaches into their pocket and pulls out their phone. They flip to their contacts and then shoves the phone in your face. Levi blinks at the sudden change in brightness. “I got someone’s number!”

“So, you ditched us to chase after someone?” Levi crosses his arms over his chest.

“Nooo, I ditched you guys to wander, I just said that! This was just a bonus.” Hange purses their lips. “I gotta tell you about them! They’re just so…” Levi zones their voice out and watches as a laugh escapes your lips as you reach for your sister, an adoring smile lighting up your features as you ask questions about who it was that they found. Levi’s phone vibrates and when he slides it out, Furlan’s name is bold on the screen. Sighing, he presses the green button and pulls it to his ear.

“What?”

“H-hey sorry! I didn’t mean to ditch, I got lost and then sidetracked.” Levi stares over to you as you sign animatedly, laughter at your sister shaking your body as you converse. “Anyways, I was calling to let you know I haven’t been murdered or anything.”

“Tch, wouldn’t be the worst thing if that happened.”

“You jest but where would you be without your best friend? Probably in prison.”

“Whatever you say. Where are you then, if not dead?”

“Oh, I grabbed another bag of kettle corn and went home. I have an early shift anyway so…” There’s a moment of pause before Furlan’s soft voice mutters through the speaker, “Do you like her?”

“Who?” Levi grumbles, pinching his lips together.

“Don’t play dumb with me. I saw the way you looked at her all day.” You’re glancing over to him now, your eyes shining in a way that makes his heart melt. Hange says something else, and you break eye contact as you double over in a fit of giggles.

“You don’t know what you’ve seen.”

“So, it’s okay that I ask her out on a date then?” Silence. “That’s what I thought. Levi, you’re allowed happiness you know. Stop thinking something bad is going to happen.”

“Sure, but I doubt she feels the same.”

“You never know unless you ask. Anyways, I’m calling it. Talk to you soon, old man.” The line clicks and then he’s gone.

A resounding boom explodes from behind Levi, the sign that the fireworks show had just begun. The look on your face when you twist around mid-conversation to stare at the remarkable display left Levi in awe. The colors that danced off your face as you smiled up to the sky, your body practically jumping up and down from your enthusiasm. You were breathtaking to him in every way, and he decided right then and there that he just wanted you. Just you, and no one else.

You repeat that to yourself as you climb up the stairs to your shared apartment. Hange’s voice is dull against your raging thoughts, but you’re pretty sure they were still rambling about the person they met tonight. You go to unlock the door but are stopped mid-turn by Hange grabbing your hand to get your attention. Glancing over, you see a concerned look etched into their face.

“Are you okay?”

‘Fine.’ You unlock the door and push it open. ‘Tired.’ You yawn to emphasize, which really wasn’t a lie. Though your mind was far from tired, the events of today really wore you out.

“Me too. I could use a 30 hour nap. But I suppose 7 hours will do, for now.” They laugh as you both walk in the door, making sure to lock it behind you. You throw your bag onto the little side table before reaching down slowly to pull your shoes off. Something in your back pops. You were going to be so sore tomorrow, you groan to yourself.

“Hey, is that Levi’s jacket?” You glance down at the tight fabric around your torso. Shit.

‘Yeah, he let me borrow it. I completely forgot to hand it back to him.’

“I’m just surprised he forgot. He’s usually so meticulous about his things.” Hange says as she hangs her things up and pads to the kitchen to get something to drink. “It’s fine, we’ll probably see them again soon so you can give it back then.” Part of you didn’t want to, though.

You snap to get your sister’s attention before signing, ‘I’m going to shower then bed. Let me know if you need anything.’

“I should probably do the same. But hey,” They eye you carefully. “Are you sure you’re okay?? I notice Levi spends a lot of time around you.” You can’t help but roll your eyes at that, a habit you most definitely picked up from the guy in question.

‘It’s not like that. Everything is fine.’ You offer a reassuring smile. Everything was fine, just confusing.

“Okay, if you say so. But you do know you can talk to me about everything. Especially feelings for men. Certain raven-haired men that never smile.” They crack a big grin as you throw a couch pillow at their face on your way to your room. “Love you!!” You hear before you shut your door. How are you going to talk about your feelings about a certain terse man when you don’t even know how you’re feeling.

After your shower, you couldn’t help but pull Levi’s hoodie back over your head and snuggle into it. It might be smaller than what you’re used to, but it was very plush and warm. Not to mention the comforting smell that emanated from it any time you moved.

You curl up in your bed and yawn, recounting everything that happened today while fighting the urge to kick your feet like an overjoyed child. Suddenly the photo booth comes to mind. The photos! You fling yourself out of your bed and quietly tiptoe to the front hallway to grab your bag, making sure to be quiet so you don’t wake Hange - who could be heard snoring loudly from their room.

On the off chance you are completely wrong though, you decide it might be best to wait. Saying something now might ruin what you both have, and you were not willing to risk that friendship. With the smell of Levi pervading your senses, you’re lulled into a deep slumber. The thoughts of him swirl through your brain and turn into pleasant dreams.

bzzzzz

Levi: I hope my hoodie kept you warm, please take care of it. Sleep well.

☾ Previous Chapter: March ☾ Next Chapter: May

29 notes · View notes

chaotic-on-main · 1 year

Text

Chapter 6: April

☾ Pairings ➼ Levi Ackerman x fem!mute!Reader (she/her pronouns), set in a modern semi-fictional world

☾ Word Count ➼ ~10.9k (huehue)

“Okay, okay. I know, you’re excited and want to see everything. But I didn’t get to bed until like 3 in the morning. So, excuse me if I’m exhausted.” They mumble before giving in to yet another big yawn. You roll your eyes at them. It’s not like this was sprung upon them last minute. After the conversation with Levi at the diner last month, it was all you could think and talk about. Well, not all. Your thoughts were clouded with more Levi than usual. He'd been much more open to you the past couple weeks than in the last 5 months combined. The progress was rocky, sure. But progress was still progress. Fortunately, Hange still hadn’t asked for any details of what happened that night, but she knew something was up. You fiddle mindlessly with your necklace at these thoughts, the one you haven’t taken off since it was put on by Levi.

“Oooh here come the men. Do you think they rehearse that walk when they’re together?” Hange laughs. Levi and Erwin slide into the back seat a few moments later and you turn around in your seat to greet them with a massive smile and wave. Levi’s deadpan expression doesn’t faze you - though were you able to read his mind, you would know his heart was beating faster than a racehorse the moment he woke up today. Erwin teasingly ruffles Hange’s frazzled hair and pats the top of your head gently. You wouldn’t say it to his face, but he radiated such ‘dad vibes. Not that it bothered you any.

The parade was as magnificent as the pictures online portrayed, maybe even better. There were floats of various themes that you had a lot of fun discerning while you jumped around in the crowd. You had decided your favorite out of all of them was the oceanic one. There were all sorts of tropical flora that formed the shape of a conch shell in the center, and it sat on a bed of beautiful blues and whites that formed into waves around it. You’ve never had the opportunity to go to the coast but seeing the float made you long for the sea in ways you’ve never had before. You hoped one day you’d get to go.

The second the last float drifted by, you wasted no time dragging your little group straight to the duck racing registrar. According to Levi, Jinae hosted this race as a fundraising event for the local orphanage in town. The premise is that people would pay for as many rubber ducks as they want for a certain amount of money and each duck had a number written on the bottom. Once everyone who wanted to enter did so, city officials then released all of the purchased ducks down the river to be collected at a certain point. Levi didn’t know of the specifics, but he said that eventually someone would fish them out at the designated finish line and people corresponding to the first 10 ducks that crossed would win a prize. It was the silliest thing you’ve ever heard of so naturally you brought money to participate.

Hange decided to start hosting weekly movie nights at your shared apartment and of course everyone was invited. As usual, your sister chose something "ironically hilarious", not without a mischievous cackle. Much to Hange’s disappointment but not surprise, you and Levi chose to spend that time playing cards and talking about the Sakura Festival at the dining table instead. With it coming up so soon, you had wanted to pick Levi's brain on what you should check out first. Levi said that it had been years since he last went, so he wasn't the best person to ask. But when you asked about the duck races, his usual stone-cold exterior softened. Levi didn't elaborate, but you could tell by the way his voice lightened that he was quite fond of the fundraiser. So, if Levi liked it, then so did you.

"Furlan just texted me to let me know he’ll be here soon. " Levi slides his phone into his back pocket as he speaks.

"Furlan's coming?" Hange asks as they snake an arm around your shoulders.

"Yeah, he kind of invited himself." Levi mutters.

"Hey, the more the merrier." Erwin chuckles behind Hange. You smile in agreement, but the subtle disappointment in Levi's tone doesn’t escape your ears.

"Well? Wanna try?" You shrug which Hange takes as an okay, a wild smile lighting up their face.

"Yes! Alright!! Levi, in you go!"

"Wha- like hell!"

"'Everything okay?" Erwin's voice comes muffled. He pops his head through the curtain, and his bright blue eyes land on your wide ones. If he was thinking anything, he gave nothing away.

"Yup almost... got it!" Hange yells in triumph as they press down on something. "Get ready!" There's a beeping coming from the corner of the booth that must be the countdown, but you can hardly focus on it. All you can think about is the way you fit on Levi's lap. Beep. How flush your body was against his chest that you could feel his racing heart, no doubt beating at the same speed as yours, against your back. Beep. His shallow breaths tickling the back of your neck as you clenched your hands into tight fists that rest on your thighs. Beep. Levi shifts under you, his leg jostling you for a moment. Beep. Your brain is foggy, clouded by Levi. Levi, Levi, all Levi.

"You okay?" Erwin steps up next to you, his voice laced with concern.

'Yeah, just really hot and stuffy in there.' You sign back, taking a deep breath. It wasn't a lie. But the way Erwin eyed you makes you feel like he knows something you don't.

"Alright, where to next!? We have plenty of time to kill." Hange exclaims.

The expression on his face would have been priceless had the clown been less horrifying. You give the clown a polite smile before gingerly grabbing Levi's hand, taking extra care of the missing digits, and dragging him away to a random direction within the crowd. He doesn't resist. He actually tightens his grip and pulls ahead so that he's the one leading. Taken aback by his sudden assertiveness, your heart does cartwheels. You're about to ask where he’s taking you until you see that he's pulling you in the direction of Hange and Erwin who are currently heading your way. His hand releases yours before reaching them, far too quickly for your liking.

“Shut up.” Levi flips Furlan off with a grumble.

“Sorry I’m so late. I slept in and then finding a parking spot was a nightmare! Where are we headed??” Furlan looks around your little group expectantly.

“Aw man, did I already miss the registration?” Furlan hangs his head low in disappointment.

“Well if you actually used the alarm function on your phone, you would have made it on time.” Levi retorts back dryly.

“That was very sweet of you.” Erwin whispers down to you as you all make your way to the finish line.

‘I didn’t want him to be left out.’ You sign back with a frown, and Erwin nods in understanding, a warm smile crinkling his eyes.

‘You okay?’ You sign to him, giving him a soft smile.

“They got winners!” Furlan yells out beside you, pointing down the river. There’s a crew holding up a green flag to signal the end of the race.

“Tch, I know what you’re doing.” He mumbles. He hesitates, then whispers a soft thank you.

Near the finish line was a sort of stage, something you suspect might be used for the live music later in the day. There was a man at the podium lining up the ducks as a crowd started gathering at the base of it, all ready and excited to see who the raffle winners were. You all decided to stick to the back because of how big the crowd was getting. After a moment, the announcer made a statement of where the winners needed to go to gather their prizes and then started listing off the numbers one by one. Unfortunately, no one in your group had a winning duck yet, though Levi never looked disappointed. In fact, he actually looked quite pleased that he hadn’t won anything.

“Aaand first place goes to… number 23!!”

“Well spit it out, what did you win!?” Hange asks eagerly.

“They’re airfare ticket vouchers! $500 each.” Furlan stands up straight with a huge smile.

“Each? How many did you get?” Erwin raises an eyebrow, curious now.

‘I can’t do that, you won them.’

“Tch, are we really okay with getting grass stains on our clothes?” Levi grumbles as he places his garbage on the pile of already accumulating trash sitting in the center of your small circle.

“You could always stand.” Erwin’s currently leaning against the tree, propped up on one shoulder as he sips his drink. His eyes light up at the sour expression he’s shot with.

“I’m sure your 5-step laundry system will get out any stains.” Furlan adds in with a chuckle. He pulls at his little dish of fries as he side-eyes you as you laugh along.

“That’s not the point, you idiots.” Levi mutters as he leans back against the tree next to Erwin and closes his eyes, crossing his arms against his chest as he does. Despite his terse words, he looks very relaxed. You don’t blame him. It was such a lovely spring day. A warm burst of air breezes through as if responding to your mental compliment. Smiling widely, you throw yourself backwards into the grass and stretch your limbs out. The sun filters through the trees onto your face and you close your eyes as well, relishing the warmth. Unbeknownst to you, Levi is cracking his good eye open to peek at the serene expression complimenting your pretty features.

You scramble to stand up and the goose’s head rises with you, never breaking eye contact. You take a couple tentative steps back. The wings had unfurled in a guarded, hostile stance - it seems you had made it mad. Every step back was not enough to distance yourself from it as it kept pace with you. You hear Levi and Furlan calling your name, but you don’t look over. You always laughed at the idea of geese, but now the source of terror stands right in front of you. The goose had its beak slightly open and you’re quick to spot rows of sharp teeth.

"Are you… okay?" He mutters hoarsely through gritted teeth.

'Me?! But you?!' You sign back, emphasizing your words with a bemused expression.

‘I’m sorry, I panicked.’ He waves his hand dismissively.

“What did the grass ever do to you?” You hear Levi joke next to you, his voice back to a normal octave and significantly less breathy.

‘Sure you’re okay?’ You glance over to him sheepishly, fiddling with a blade of grass in between your fingers. He meets your gaze.

“Are you two okay?!” You hear Hange screaming from the other side of the park, arms waving to get your attention. You shoot her two thumbs up.

The sun is just verging towards the end of the horizon the next time you’re conscious of the time. Oranges and pinks start to fill the sky. Somehow the day just slipped right by while you were all playing carnival games and jumping on the very questionable rides around the grounds. And it was all so fun. Your face ached from the contagious smiles and laughs that surrounded you. There was even a time where you had talked Levi into trying the absurd ice cream flavors from a stall suspiciously located all by itself off the beaten path. The glare full of daggers was resounding but he caved. It actually wasn’t as bad as he made it out to be, but he disagreed strongly.

‘Just a friend.’ Is all you sign back.

“There’s just a little more time before the fireworks go off. What now?” Hange calls out a few steps away, grabbing the men’s attention.

“It’s almost sunset! It’s the best time to check out the ferris wheel.” Furlan chips in.

‘Oh yeah, I’d love to check that out!’

“C’mon Jean, you gotta get over it sooner than later.” A closely shaven haired kid blurts out with a hard laugh.

A girl with red hair turns with powdered sugar all over her face and she’s mid chew, her eyes wide and expressive. “Deep fried Oreos.” Her voice is muffled by the food stuffed in her mouth.

That left you, Furlan, and Levi in one car. When you step in, the car wobbles ever so slightly and you have to grab on to the side to steady yourself. Someone places a hand on your back for support and when you glance back to see who it is, you see Furlan smiling up at you from the platform. You give him a nod of appreciation and turn to sit on one of the benches. The metal is cold even through your clothes and it makes you shiver. With the sun almost gone, the sky now a stunning mixture of blues and purples littered with pale stars, the air was getting cooler by the minute. Furlan settles himself in the spot next to you, shooting you a half-cocked grin. Levi gingerly sits himself down on the bench across from you and takes a moment to use both hands to massage the kneecap of his bad leg with a grimace.

'Okay?' Levi shifts his gaze up to you at the hand movement.

"Fine." You smile at him softly, but he's already looking off to the side at the man closing the car door.

"No need. You're okay."

'Leg? Okay?' You frown.

"Fine." That word again. “Just a lot of wal-"

"I bet they ran off to do something stupid." Levi mutters next to you.

"It’s almost your bedtime, old timer." Levi jabs. Furlan punches him in the arm with a wide grin.

"You're one to talk, grandpa. Anyways, where to now?" His bright eyes glance over at you.

‘I need something to drink.’ You sign lazily, increasingly aware of your parched throat with every step. Levi nods to you in understanding and starts making a path towards the vendors closer to the heart of the festival without a word. You’ve noticed in the past month or so that Levi had surprised you with his quick ability to pick up signs, even specific ones. Hange had made a comment about it a week ago but the way he brushed it off made you too nervous to talk to him about it, so you didn’t. You only wished you could have told him how much it warmed your heart to see him learning, whether it was on purpose or not.

“Thanks for the gratitude. Brat.” He drops your arm carefully.

‘Where’s Furlan?’ You stand on your toes to look over the crowd, but you don’t see your taller friend anywhere. The way Levi’s face falls at your question goes unnoticed.

“Why? I’m sure he’s off doing his own thing.” Levi scoffs. You frown at his sudden attitude, stealing a glance at his uninterested face.

‘He’s your friend, aren’t you worried?’ He rolls his eyes, which were currently lit up from your phone screen.

“You look miserable. Just take it.” You frown at him again.

‘You’re one to talk, grumpy.’ You sign at him but take the hoodie anyways.

Levi and you had found a spot under the trees, out of the crowd just like he wanted. People shuffle around as they find their own designated spot, all laughing and talking. The festival lights dance off the river’s reflection as it flows steadily and not a single cloud obstructs the sky. It was so peaceful, stunning even. But it was nowhere near as stunning as you were, leaning back to rest on your arms so you could stare up into the sky. It felt like every part of you overwhelmed his brain. The way his hoodie clung to your body, the way you looked at him, your stupidly sweet smile. The way his heart races any time he sees you let alone thinks about you. How could he not? Your eyes shift over to him, and he’s suddenly aware of his staring.

‘What?’ You sign to him. You’ve sat back up to stare at him, a perplexed expression across your face.

“Nothing. You just look relaxed.”

‘You?’ A frown replaces your smile.

“Me what?”

‘Happy?’ You stare straight into his eyes as you ask, searching. This prompts a signature Levi eye roll.

“I don’t know.” He glances back over to your face and the noticeable drop in your demeanor has him scrambling to recant his statement. “I think I am. It’s nice here, I guess.” With you. He rubs the back of his neck anxiously as he watches your face turn back into a big smile. With that you nod, satisfied with his answer, and lay back down against your forearms like you were before. Levi sighs under his breath and goes to do the same. But then he feels his hand grazing against yours, fingers lightly resting on top of each other, and an electrified shock passes from his arm all the way through his body. You don’t pull your hand away though, and neither does he.

“Yeah, where the hell did you both even go? And have you seen Furlan?”

“So, you ditched us to chase after someone?” Levi crosses his arms over his chest.

“What?”

“Tch, wouldn’t be the worst thing if that happened.”

“You jest but where would you be without your best friend? Probably in prison.”

“Whatever you say. Where are you then, if not dead?”

“Who?” Levi grumbles, pinching his lips together.

“You don’t know what you’ve seen.”

“So, it’s okay that I ask her out on a date then?” Silence. “That’s what I thought. Levi, you’re allowed happiness you know. Stop thinking something bad is going to happen.”

“Sure, but I doubt she feels the same.”

“You never know unless you ask. Anyways, I’m calling it. Talk to you soon, old man.” The line clicks and then he’s gone.

The night ended in quick goodbyes as everyone had work the next morning, besides you of course. After dropping the boys off, you made quick work of the drive back home. Your mind kept wandering back to the spot under the tree, where you’re certain you had almost kissed him. Wait, you almost kissed him. What is wrong with you, you chide yourself. You were just caught in the euphoria of the day, that’s all. You repeat that to yourself as you climb up the stairs to your shared apartment. Hange’s voice is dull against your raging thoughts, but you’re pretty sure they were still rambling about the person they met tonight. You go to unlock the door but are stopped mid-turn by Hange grabbing your hand to get your attention. Glancing over, you see a concerned look etched into their face.

“Are you okay?”

‘Fine.’ You unlock the door and push it open. ‘Tired.’ You yawn to emphasize, which really wasn’t a lie. Though your mind was far from tired, the events of today really wore you out.

“Hey, is that Levi’s jacket?” You glance down at the tight fabric around your torso. Shit.

‘Yeah, he let me borrow it. I completely forgot to hand it back to him.’

You snap to get your sister’s attention before signing, ‘I’m going to shower then bed. Let me know if you need anything.’

‘It’s not like that. Everything is fine.’ You offer a reassuring smile. Everything was fine, just confusing.

Back in your room, you empty the contents on your desk and grab what you were looking for; the film strip of the four of you. You focus on the last one as you lie back down on your bed, a blush creeping up your face while you stare. You press the photos to your chest again. There’s no mistaking it, there was something going on between you and Levi. Did he feel that too? How long were you both going to dance around the subject, you wonder. On the off chance you are completely wrong though, you decide it might be best to wait. Saying something now might ruin what you both have, and you were not willing to risk that friendship. With the smell of Levi pervading your senses, you’re lulled into a deep slumber. The thoughts of him swirl through your brain and turn into pleasant dreams.

bzzzzz

Levi: I hope my hoodie kept you warm, please take care of it. Sleep well.

☆AN ➼ Hey guys, thanks so much for sticking around!! I hope you enjoyed! Only two chapters left. whoo! ☆

☾ Previous Chapter: March

☾ Next Chapter: May

65 notes · View notes

hungry-tum-stuff · 1 year

Text

Regional Phenomena: Zora’s Domain

! Spoilers for the Regional Phenomena Questline in Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom !

Synopsis: Link and Sidon venture together to save Zora’s Domain. However, Sidon is exhausted from working tirelessly to keep the Domain’s water clean, and he might need a break before they can tackle what’s waiting for them on the sky islands.

CW: Hunger, Stomach growling, Denying one’s own needs, Angst, Tummy rubs, Starved-to-stuffed, Cuddling.

Word Count: 2.3k

Author’s Note(s): Okay so I’m making moves in my niche little fanfic here, but

1. I won’t be rewriting actual cutscene dialogue from the game even though it takes place when a cutscene happens, this is all just fanfic. You know how it works.

2. Link talks briefly in this one. I have never written speech for him before, and feel free to comment any feedback you have on how his voice sounds to you! But just bear in mind that Link, as a silent protagonist, is meant to be interpreted by the player. And as a semi-verbal person, I put a lot of thought (and had a lot of fun) in writing him, even though he doesn’t even say an awful lot.

3. No Yona Hate! I don’t want to see it! She’s neat and I purposefully left the relationships in this fic as ambiguous (aside from Yona still being Sidon’s fiancée) so you can interpret the fic however you please.

4. Thank you for reading <3

Link readied his spear just as Sidon’s water bubble enveloped him.

“You have him now, Link!” Sidon called out from behind him as Link rushed the monster. It lunged at him, and the protective bubble burst, showering Link with water. That was his signal to thrust at the creature with his spear, driving it into its weak point. The slimy monster wailed, and both Link and Sidon heaved a sigh of relief as it wilted and disappeared in a puff of gloom. Link looked to Sidon, who had taken a knee and was leaning heavily on his spear.

‘Are you ok?’ Link signed, to which Sidon nodded and pushed himself up wearily.

“I’m quite alright, brave Link. It is still as exhilarating as ever to fight alongside you.” He smiled encouragingly, to which Link smiled back. They both turned around as Yona stepped forward, worriedly looking them both over.

“Goodness, I’m glad you both are alright…” Yona took Sidon’s hand and inspected anywhere he might have been hit, and the Prince chuckled abashedly.

“I’m alright dear, really…” Sidon takes her hand, squeezing it gently. “I must ask though, are you certain Mipha Court will be safe if I leave? What if another monster like that attacks while I’m gone?”

“Sidon dear, we’ll have bigger things to worry about if you don’t go.” Yona stopped her fussing over her fiancée to take both of his hands, looking him in the eyes. “I know for certain that Zora’s Domain will be safe with the help of you and Link, I just hope you trust me to keep it safe while you’re gone.”

“Of course I do!” Sidon insisted. “My love, you are the caretaker of our people. There isn’t a soul I would trust more than you.”

Yona beamed. “Then it’s settled. Go with Link, and save our domain.”

Sidon nodded assuredly, and gave Yona’s hands a quick squeeze before letting go and starting towards the cliff atop Mipha Court.

“Link, let’s not waste any time. To the reservoir!” He called, charging ahead as if he were already on the front lines of a battle. Yona and Link both watched him dash away with equally amused grins, but before Link could take a step to follow him, Yona caught his arm.

“Link. I have a favor to ask of you.”

Link turned around, already listening intently.

“Could you please… Keep Sidon safe? I know that sounds a bit silly, but you know him… He gets in over his head, and I worry not just for him, but for the whole Domain if something were to happen to him. Especially after his father was attacked…” Yona trailed off, and Link placed a hand on her shoulder, nodding solemnly in understanding.

‘We’ll keep each other safe.’ He signed. ‘You don’t have to worry about either of us. I promise.’

Yona smiled, nodding gratefully.

“Thank you, Link. Good luck, I’ll be here when you both return.”

And with that, Link waved goodbye and headed up the staircase of Mipha Court. He gave Mipha’s statue a fleeting glance before diving off the cliff and into the reservoir below. As soon as he surfaced, he caught sight of Sidon standing atop a chunk of ruins, staring down at the Hylian in awe.

“That was an impressive dive my friend! I would expect most to be scared of a plunge like that.” Link hoisted himself up onto the rock and put his hands proudly on his hips before signing a response.

‘If we’re going into the sky, I can’t be afraid of heights.’ Sidon chuckled softly, and at that Link couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. The Prince was still acting less energetic than usual, and he couldn’t tell if it was nerves or something else.

“I suppose not. Though I still don’t see any clear way to get up onto the island… Come, let’s investigate that light in the water.” Sidon readied himself to dive into the water, but before he could, Link stepped in front of him to keep his attention.

‘Wait.’ He signed quickly, looking up at the confused Zora. ‘Are you sure you’re ok?’

Sidon tilted his head, though his gaze did not meet Link’s. “Of course. I wasn’t hurt in the fight, my friend. I cleared that matter up with Lady Yona.” He insisted, but Link shook his head.

‘That’s not what I’m asking.’ Still confused, Sidon opened his mouth to speak, but he froze as a loud, angry growl tore from his stomach. Link immediately looked at the Prince’s midsection, surprised by the noise.

‘I was going to ask if you were tired or hungry.’ Link raised an eyebrow again, glancing up at his friend. ‘But I guess I don’t need to ask anymore.’ Sidon looked away and placed a hand over his belly; embarrassed.

“I apologize… I am a bit hungry, but we don’t exactly have the time to stop on account of me, now do we?” Sidon tried to step into the water again, only for the Hylian to throw both of his arms out and stand firmly in front of him.

‘You need to eat.’ Link signed sternly. Sidon’s stomach grumbled again, and the Prince sighed and shook his head.

“I am hardly concerned with what I need right now. We both need to focus on what needs to be done.” Sidon argued. Link glared at him before dropping his arms and stomping off the edge of the ruins, beginning to swim towards one of the docks at the edge of the reservoir. Sidon watched him, briefly turning back towards the beam of light before following Link into the water.

“Link! You’re going the wrong way!” He called out, but the hero ignored him as he pulled himself up onto the dock. Thunder crashed overhead alongside the setting sun, and Link hurried under the awning as it began to pour. Sidon, already caught out in the rain, watched as he took something from his bag and set it up: A cooking pot. As Link began rifling through his bag and taking out ingredients, Sidon stepped over to stand just outside the edge of the awning.

“Link, you really don’t have to cook something for me.” Sidon swallowed thickly as Link took out some fish. “We should just figure out how to get above the clouds so we can get out of this storm…”

‘We don’t know what’s waiting for us up there.’ Link signed grimly. ‘I know you want to press on. But you’ve been in Mipha Court purifying the water non-stop. Bazz told me you were up there for days on end without breaks. So when we go up there I want to make sure you aren’t already at your limit. Because it sounds like you’re close to it.’

Sidon blinked, taking in Link’s words for a moment before lowering his head. Link frowned and set his ingredients in the pot as he got up to stand in front of Sidon.

“I’m afraid you’re right, my friend…” Link rolled his eyes and signed ‘Obviously,’ to which Sidon chuckled. “I apologize, everything that I’ve done in these past few months since The Upheaval has been for The Domain. I suppose I just… find it difficult to consider myself when the lives of so many others are at stake.”

Link nodded. ‘I know the feeling. Trust me. That’s all I felt when I woke up after The Calamity.’ Link admitted. ‘But then I met you. And everyone I know now. I’m still trying to put it into practice but you all taught me that I don’t have to carry the weight of protecting Hyrule alone. And that I’ve only hurt myself trying.’ Sidon smiled, but before he could say anything heartfelt in return, his stomach groaned longingly. Link snickered, and Sidon flushed, rubbing circles over his empty tummy.

“Your words mean a lot, dear Link. But you have me convinced, the smell of your cooking alone is driving me mad.” He admitted, and Link gasped and rushed over to his cooking pot to stir the stew he was making. Sidon finally stepped under the awning and sat beside the fire, his stomach churning and rumbling in anticipation. After determining that it needed a bit more time, Link set his ladle aside and sat down next to the Prince.

‘Done soon.’ He signed quickly, sighing and rubbing his own belly. Even though he started making this meal for Sidon, it was nearly dinnertime. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t starting to feel hungry too. Though, he figured Sidon had worked up far more of an appetite than him. ‘How long since you last ate?’

Sidon thought for a moment, seemingly looking for the answer in the flames of the fire. “About two days… That was when I last stopped to rest.”

Link’s eyes widened and he stared up at him in worried disbelief, and Sidon simply nodded and made the universal ‘it’s okay, calm down’ sign in the hopes that Link would hold his lecture. “I know I know, there was initially a night shift while Lady Yona was overseeing the purification alongside me, but then people in the Domain began to fall ill, and then she left to aid them, and the sludge just kept coming so I kept working…” His stomach moaned again, this time it was enough to make him flinch. “I felt like I couldn’t leave.”

Link huffed and reached a hand towards Sidon, to which he removed his own. Link placed a hand over Sidon’s belly, beginning to rub in slow, wide circles.

“Well now I feel kinda bad for making you wait.” Link said quietly. Sidon looked over, the fin on the back of his head wagging slightly. Link didn’t speak often, but when he did, Sidon was assured that the young Hylian was perfectly comfortable. But before he could make any comment, Link held a finger up to Sidon with his remaining hand. The strange new one.

“I just need both hands.” He interjected before he began rubbing both hands in opposite-direction circles. Sidon sighed, relaxing under the other man’s touch. His stomach however, was getting whipped into a frenzy and was growling furiously beneath Link’s fingers.

“That feels very nice…” Sidon winced as a particularly painful growl rippled through his belly. “But when will the food be done?”

“Soon.” Sidon frowned at the unclear answer, but nodded and continued to relax as Link rubbed his tummy. He could have sworn he heard Link’s stomach growling too in the moments when his own stomach was silent, but that wasn’t much of a surprise. The hero had an appetite that rivaled his own.

And of course, as soon as Sidon was eased perfectly into the motions of the other’s hands, Link got up, tasted the soup that was beginning to simmer over, and nodded before pulling out two bowls and filling them up generously. He handed Sidon his bowl, and the Prince hardly took the time to consider where his spoon might be before he began slurping down his stew with as much famished politeness as he could muster.

‘Slow down!’ Link signed frantically before beginning to slurp from his own bowl. Unfortunately, Sidon didn’t see his sign, and Link was still only halfway through his bowl by the time Sidon stood up to pour himself a second helping. By the time Link finished his bowl, Sidon was going in for thirds.

‘Be careful.’ Link signed, waving his hands around and repeating the sign a couple times to make sure Sidon got the message. Sidon just nodded, sipping a bit more politely now that the sharpest edge of his hunger had been staved off.

“Don’t worry, friend Link. Your stew is amazing! I surely doubt I’ll feel anything but full when I’m done.” Link smiled at the compliment, but he couldn’t help but shake his head. At least Sidon’s energy was coming back just fine.

Link himself went back for seconds, but he was surprised to find that there wasn’t an awful lot left in the pot. He glanced between it and Sidon as he poured himself another bowl, deciding that the rest would be better off left to him.

And that it was, because Sidon went in for fourths. And after that was finished and the pot was empty, he really began to feel the weight of his fullness.

“Oh dear…” Sidon exclaimed softly, setting his bowl aside and looking down at his belly. There was a gentle roundness to his usually toned torso, and Link couldn’t help but lower his own bowl to have a peek. He raised an eyebrow, and Sidon glanced over abashedly.

‘Overdid it?’ Link asked with a grin, and Sidon just pursed his lips.

“It’s hardly my fault. As I said, your stew is amazing…” He sighed, beginning to stand up. He took one look out towards the storm still pelting the reservoir, and immediately didn’t want to go back out there. He wasn’t even sure he could swim while he was so full.

‘And heavy. I told you to slow down.’ Link signed, packing up his bowls and cooking supplies before glancing over to the bed that Sidon was already eyeing up. ‘You should probably get some sleep too, y’know?’

The Prince looked back at Link, and then back at the bed. His belly felt heavy, but his eyelids felt far heavier.

“I suppose it couldn’t hurt… And we’ll head out first thing tomorrow!” He exclaimed, excitement for their upcoming adventure still filling him with energy despite his drowsiness.

Link just nodded, yawning as Sidon got into bed. The stew had made him a bit tired as well, and without a second thought, he flopped into bed beside him.

“…Link?” The hero looked up drowsily, and Sidon paused for a moment before gathering the smaller man up in a tight hug. “Thank you.”

Link froze before smiling gently and returning the hug, and within the next few moments Sidon had laid his head down and fallen asleep, his stomach still churning away and digesting the four helpings of stew he’d eaten.

And Link simply curled up beside him, and fell asleep soon after.

#ITS DONE #TOOK A BIT BUT ITS DONE #I’m very proud of how this one turned out but I hope you guys like it <3 #sfw hunger kink #hunger kink #stomach growling #tummy kink #stuffing #angst #whump #hurt/comfort #fanficton

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diamantinasfrilledshark · 8 months

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Roleplay Rules!

Status: Semi-Open as of November 2nd, 2023

Feel free to DM me or ask any questions in my inbox! I can't guarantee that RPs will start right away, but we can definitely start setting things up.

In order to RP with me, you NEED to send me the hidden phrase in here so I know you actually read the rules. If not, I will not RP.

Literacy Style:

Literate to semi-literate. I like to write in multiple paragraphs, both with detail and somewhat dialogue heavy. If you’ve seen my writing, it’s a lot like that! I expect potential RP partners to follow in suit/match.

It seems as of late that I prefer literate with multiple paragraphs and details.

I’ve been RPing since I was like, 10. If I see *she smiles* it might summon rage 💀 /hj

Where We Can Talk:

Just starting off? Tumblr DMs! I won’t RP in the comment section of a post.

You can now ask for my Discord. It’s where I’m most active.

Slots:

Don’t really have a cap off but it becomes too much at once I will be sure to let you know.

Genres and Plots:

Almost anything and everything! However, towards strangers and people I’m generally unfamiliar with, SFW are going to be the topics I steer towards. Adventure, drama, horror etc. are all fine the first go around.

I’m pretty flexible on genres so like, hey don’t be afraid to suggest it.

NSFW, I like writing smut, I just need to like you as well lol. Not a slight on your behalf, but I will let you know whether smut is a possibility or not.

NSFW will only be done with other 18+ adults who have verified they are in fact, adults. I absolutely refuse NSFW to “ageless” accounts and minors.

Honestly I don’t want to RP with minors so if you’re a minor, don’t message me. Don’t do it. Thanks.

Pairings:

Gets a little odd here, I don’t actually ship anything, if that makes any sense? Like, canon character X canon character just isn’t in my repertoire unless they’re already an established couple or the franchise is heavily leaning them that way.

That said, I’m totally cool with self shipping and OCs X Canon characters. (If self ship, it has to go both ways. Sorry I’m a simp too 😔)

Platonic, familial, those work best though especially if I am unfamiliar with you as a person.

Honestly I’m not as veered towards romance unless you’re a good friend of mine.

Do:

When first DMing, send me memes to help break the ice! I’m pretty good about speaking to people, but I understand how awkward it can be

If you’re using an OC, please tell me all about your OC! If you have any reference pics etc, send them so I can describe them during the RP.

If you’re playing a canon character and you’ve changed anything about them that’s notable, feel free to mention their quirks, and the lore building you’ve done for them.

Tell me if it gets to be too much or if you wish to change directions. I want you to feel safe and have a free voice during the chat. If something doesn’t click, tell me.

Please talk to me about the RP plot before we start! That gives me a good direction on what bases to hit and which lines to not cross. Your boundaries are just as important as mine and I want to respect them.

Use brackets or some other notation to let me know you’re speaking out of character! I’m very prone to using []

Understand that you can leave for a while and don’t need to apologize. Genuinely, I know you’ll get back to me. If you don’t think you will or it’ll take longer than expected then let me know. I know people get busy, so it’s honestly no problem.

Don’t:

Do NOT ask to RP if you are a minor. I do not wish to RP with minors.

Send me unsolicited NSFW or a starter without any conversation prior to. It’s just kind of ???? On my end.

Do not godmod HEAVILY. I’m okay with like, “and he helped her up and watched as she walked over to the desk.” But fully godmodding is a no.

Send one liners. Self explanatory.

Wildly deviate from the plot in bizarre ways. Like, making things NSFW all of a sudden or cause angst when there was none. I hate saying “Mary Sue the RP” but do not Mary Sue the RP.

Please don’t be upset when I take a hot minute or two to respond. I’m a person that has a life outside of her phone and is actually prone to migraine if I look at screens for too long. I will always get back to the RP unless I say otherwise.

Be pushy for a character or a pairing I said no to.

Go too OOC for canon characters.

Ask for things like rape, beastiality, common DNI criteria.

I understand RP can be therapeutic but remember, I am not a therapist and the RP we have is not substitute for actual mental health help.

Fandoms:

SCP

Call of Duty

Darkwood

Assassin’s Creed

Grimm

Uncharted

My Little Pony (yeah goin' back to my roots)

My OCs (need to ask about those, there’s,,,, many and they’re all intricate.)

Other Things:

Please use third person, past or present tense. Usually past tense.

I feel it goes hand in hand with literate RP but use “speaking” for a dialogue and ‘thinking’ for thoughts.

Try not to rush anything! Let it happen naturally and it’ll all play out.

Don’t be afraid to talk to me outside of the RP either. Like, it’s a personal thing we’re probably going to become friends.

Some Examples of My RP Style:

Mind you, not all of these are going to be extremely long. Things tend to taper out.

All of these examples were lifted directly from one of my RPs.

November 2nd, 2023: I swear not all of my replies are going to be like this. I'm immensely more busy now.

This is a starter:

A young princess sat on the balcony of her mother’s grand palace. The stars of the night were absolutely gorgeous as her dark eyes peered upwards, tracing constellation upon constellation. There, she could see the proud statue of Amun and feel the loving gaze of the beautiful mother goddess, Hathor. Strings upon strings of stars hung in the sky and bathed the desert in a warm white and blue gold, illuminating the darkness so she could observe the night life of her people. At barely eighteen years old, the young princess had been coming to a very startling conclusion as she stared out at the houses amongst the dunes and the boats and their ferriers on the Nile: that one day, all of this would be hers. The thought scared her, as ruling over such a people with the same authority as her mother and her mothers before her… The burden was crushing in its own right.

Sameera, the current pharaoh of Egypt and seated daughter of Isis and Ra, had been gearing her only daughter up for greatness since she had been brought into the world. The palace had served little as a home and more of a house of education, gearing up the little girl for a future in which all would bow down to her. Sameera has been, and will be considered a bountiful ruler. She ushered in an Egypt in which magick and divine favor rained down on the land, where suffering was lightened, and where pain had been naught but a bruise.

To give her daughter, Tavi, a taste of what it would mean to be the seated pharaoh and begin expanding her power besides running the palace, Sameera had placed her in charge of the Festival of Hathor. The festival in itself being amongst the most important task Tavi has been held in charge of to this date. In the morning, Tavi would be heading out by herself to Dendera, the main site of Hathor’s cult and preside over it, and of course, ensure it passes smoothly.

It sounds so simple: let people get drunk and feast, make merry, and enjoy singing and dancing in the company of others, but Tavi has never been a part of such importance in ritual ceremonies. She’s only ever observed, and even that in itself has been something hidden to her as her mother finds the merrymaking beneath her real education under the watchful eyes of Thoth.

Tavi sighs deeply and rests her arms on the balcony for just a moment more, already intending to head back inside and rest for the night before one of her lady maids interrupts her train of thought.

“My lady,” the finely dressed woman begins. “You have a visitor.”

Tavi’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise as she crosses the balcony through the cool night air to come to her lady maid’s side. “What? Who on earth would come to my quarters at this hour?” She inquires, more curious than angered at the thought she has a visitor.

The woman bows her head in the princess’s presence as if to silently ask her if she should address the visitor. “I believe it pertains to the Festival of Hathor, but it was not my place to pry,” the lady maid continues, her voice soft and sweet. “Shall I tell them to leave?”

Tavi blinks before shaking her head. “No, you may leave. I’ll handle this,” she replies warmly, her hand resting on the taller woman’s shoulder. “Go, get some rest,” she hums.

The lady maid nods, thanks her princess, then exits out the servant’s entrance, leaving Tavi to her own devices.

The young princess brushes back some of her black hair, wondering who would ask audience with her so informally and so late at night. She crosses her limestone floor quietly, akin to a ghost as if to tell her visitor no one is present before stopping just shy of the door. Mentally, Tavi remembers what her mother has said about acting regally in the presence of others, how to stand tall and like a future queen, and physically rolls that onto her stance.

With a deep breath, she opens the door.

And here is another response show casing what RPs tend to look like down the line WITHOUT me RPING multiple characters:

Tavi’s eyebrows shoot up In surprise as the listens to Arya’s words. “That is troubling,” she murmurs more to herself than anyone else as she once again brushes back some of her hair.

Her mind wanders, wondering what the right course of action would be. Of course, they would be moving during the earlier morning before the sun would come up, but with the flowers on the line… “perhaps we should leave earlier,” she hums.

But then that would require waking up the rest of the party—and they needed their rest. “We can discuss this inside, please,” Tavi moves aside in the doorway, gesturing for Arya to enter. “I would despise seeing your work go to waste because of the heat and the sun,” she says, already moving to her table to give Arya a cup of water.

[Howdy, here’s the phrase. “An ocean without unnamed monsters would be like sleep without dreams.” ]

And here is a response showcasing me RPING multiple characters:

Abasi mentally rolled his golden eyes at Arya’s childish gesture as he led Tavi through the halls. He enjoyed the feeling of the princess’s hands on his forearm—she felt delicate beneath his touch, and it made his heart beat just a little bit faster.

The area they had stepped into was absolutely beautiful, gorgeous in every which way. The air was sweet and warm, like a mother’s caress.

“Great mother Hathor,” Tavi murmured, her head bowing in reverence to the goddess. “What a beauty and blessing you are,” she murmured to herself, slowly letting go of Abasi’s forearm.

“Princess!” A priest’s voice cut through. “What a pleasure to see you here,” he said warmly. “I presume you’ve come to make an offering?”

Tavi smiled and nodded, gently telling Abasi that his guard could lower. “I have. What a magnificent job you and the priests and priestesses have done.”

The priest beamed and quickly nodded for one of the lower ranking priestesses to fetch a bowl full of offerings they’d prepared for the princess. “It means the world t hear it from you,” he said. “We’ve gone all out this time for her festival.”

“It shows,” Tavi hummed, silently thanking the lower ranking priestess who handed her a bowl full of spices, jewelry, flowers and sweet smelling oils. Gently, Tavi came to the edge of the pool, kneeling down and offering silent prayers to Hathor, a blessed mother, before placing the bowl gingerly on the water.

It rippled as it flowed on the surface, almost resting perfectly in the middle amongst the sparse lily pads and lotus flowers.

On her way back up, Abasi offered the princess his hand, and she took it.

The priest once again beamed. “The goddess is most pleased with your presence,” he noted, barely able to contain his joy. “Would your companions like to make offerings as well?”

#if you've seen this post before it's bc I directly copy and pasted it from my main #rp #rp rules #rp blog #oc roleplay #roleplay rules #my little pony rp #cod rp #Darkwood rp #plz i would sell my soul for good Darkwood rp #uncharted rp #scp rp #assassin’s creed rp

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missmagooglie · 8 months

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Okay I gotta ask about the Practical magic one bc I love the movie and about the fire instructors one bc it sounds good!

Fire Academy Instructors fic answered here!

Practical Magic AU, my beloved. So it's based on the movie. Buck is Sandra Bullock's character. Eddie is also Sandra Bullock's character.

If you're wondering how that makes sense, it's because Maddie is Nicole Kidman, while Pepa, Abuela, and (to an extent) Adriana are Stockard Channing and Dianne West.

... Look, you just gotta trust me on this one. Here, have Eddie and Buck's super romantic first meeting on the beach at sunrise:

Maddie glances nervously at the sky, which is steadily growing lighter on the horizon.

“We were supposed to leave before sunrise,” she hisses at Buck. “What if somebody sees us?”

“We’re almost done,” Buck says, not looking up from the hole in the ground as he uses both arms to sweep sand and dirt back into it as fast as he can. “Just keep working, it’ll be ok.”

Maddie lifts the shovel and continues to fill the hole in from her side. It’s a dinky little thing, just a foldable camping tool that Buck was lucky enough to have left in his trunk, but it saved them from having to dig by hand the entire night or stop the car with a body in the back seat to make a suspicious purchase. And at least it was sturdier than the frisbee Buck had used until it snapped.

They work steadily, despite their exhaustion. Both of them grow more anxious as the minutes tick by and the sun threatens to peek over the dunes and reeds behind them.

Not for the first time that night, Maddie asks, “We’re really, really sure he’s dead, right?”

“He went into rigor, Mads. I don’t know how much more sure we could be,” Buck says, not bothering to add that even if Doug hadn’t been completely gone when they started, the siphoned gasoline from the jeep’s tank and a lit match probably did the job and the several feet of tightly packed earth they’ve been laboriously shoveling over him for the last few hours made it stick.

“I just don’t understand how you did it,” Maddie tells him. And honestly, neither does Buck. All he knows is that one moment he was simmering with helpless rage, and the next moment Doug had fallen back dead.

“I panicked,” is what he says to Maddie. “He was hurting you, and I didn’t know how to stop him and it just… happened.”

“It doesn’t make any sense, though,” Maddie says. And Buck knows that, alright? He’s never cast a spell in his life. He doesn’t need to be reminded how impossible it is that the first bit of magic he ever cast – by accident, no less – was strong enough to kill a man.

“It was self defense,” he says, because that much he knows. “Maddie, he was going to kill us both.”

“Hey,” Maddie says, looking up from her work and grasping Buck by the arm. “I’m not blaming you. I’m grateful, alright? I don’t feel anything but relief about the fact that he’s dead. You saved me.”

Buck can’t quite make himself lift his head to meet his sister’s gaze, but he acknowledges her with a shaky nod. They lapse back into silence in the semi-darkness as they continue to bury the body as fast as they can.

The early morning light has fully surrounded them by the time Buck finishes packing down the last layer of earth with his feet and begins to sweep loose sand over the now-covered hole.

“Ok,” he whispers to Maddie, “I think we’re just about finished. We should get out of here before anybody sees-”

“Are you making a sandcastle?” a bright, cheerful voice calls out from somewhere over Buck’s shoulder. He turns, startled, and sees a young boy making his way steadily towards them on a pair of crutches with wide, flat disks at the bottom that seem to keep them from sinking into the sand. The boy grins sunnily at them from behind a thick pair of glasses, the sunlight catching on his tousled curls.

“Um,” Buck says dumbly, his body suddenly frozen with panic. Beside him, Maddie is reacting in much the same way.

Before either of them collects themselves enough to answer the boy properly, another voice calls out from behind him, “Christopher! Who are you talking to?”

#Fic: Practical Magic AU #oops i accidentally fic'd #911onfox #911 abc #evan buck buckely #eddie diaz #buddie #practical magic au #how do i fanfiction?

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wastedlychee · 10 months

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CW: DEATH BATTLE SPOILERS, FIRE EMBLEM THREE HOUSES SPOILERS AND SEMI-SPOILERS FOR BERSERK.

For people who don’t know me, I’m a loser who absolutely loves Three Houses and Berserk. I'm going to take time to talk about Dimitri VS Guts, because holy fucking shit I love this Death Battle so goddamn much. I was going to make a prediction blog for this fight but didn’t really see the point as Dimitri stomps being brutally honest.

I want to talk about Guts VS Nightmare first before talking about Guts VS Dimitri, as this is the only time I'm probably ever going to mention it: I genuinely dislike the episode.

When it originally came out, how they portrayed Guts wasn’t right at all; the thing I find

genuinely annoying is how is how after that Death Battle was released, people formed this thought that Guts was this Doom Guy/Doom Slayer-type character who slaughters demons for nothing more than sheer hate, which is true… at least at first. But then later on, Guts became-

much more than that due to his hate making him do nothing more than just become a hollow shell who fights only for his selfish desires to fight Griffith and protect Casca, even letting people into his life again and becoming friends with other people.

The story of Berserk went from being about an angry nihilist who fights just to fight, into a story about broken people helping each other in any way they can. So what did Death Battle do for Guts VS Nightmare? Make him just his angry, nihilistic self and not mention how he has changed.

There was also some research-related stuff that had issues, but to be blunt I don’t personally care about if either Guts or Nightmare should have won. If you want the truth of how I feel, Nightmare is so much stronger that the argument of “Guts beats people stronger than him everyday” isn’t really a good argument - not when unlike everyone Guts has ever fought, he's thousands of times stronger than the strongest person Guts defeated.

But that’s the main reasoning on why I don’t personally like Guts VS Nightmare - despite thinking it was okay animation-wise.

Now let's talk Dimitri VS Guts… well kind of.

I wanted to talk about my attraction towards this matchup; as mentioned before, I love both Fire Emblem and Berserk.

Starting with Dimitri: I got into Fire Emblem around the time the GBA games came out, and while I did fall off the games, I got back into them when Awakening was released.

With Berserk, I got into the manga around middle school after I was talking to a friend that I absolutely loved Hellsing and Black Lagoon. To be blunt I didn’t like Berserk at first because I disliked Guts until the time he changed, and to me changed for the absolute best. (I still wouldn't recommend Berserk tho cause....yeah)

Dimitri himself is a character that I absolutely fell in love with, from his story of mental health problems to his desire to change after the events of the timeskip as the redemption arc of sorts

happens. I’ve been wanting to do a "Who’s My Personal Favorite Characters of All Time" list, but I haven’t found any personal time to do so.

Now onto the actual episode with the analysis of Guts- this time, the episode did Guts legitimate justice as a character, as he is treated to much more than his past. With Dimitri, it also did pretty well as there’s not really anything I personally disagree with.

I know there were some people who took issue with the analysis, starting with the fact Dimitri was stated to have magic; however, they also were factoring in Three Hopes, which in that game he was able to use magic. To briefly touch on the animation, I can understand the issue of Dimitri stomping should have ended the fight with the lightning attack shutting down Guts’ armor, though I dislike that possible ending and you'll see why when I get to the actual ending.

Next, let's talk about those who disagree with the Rhea thing- you need to realize something with Death Battle as it's clear you guys don’t do VS Debating stuff: scaling is important, and Dimitri should get the scaling considering Edelgard and Byleth did kill Rhea in Edelgard's route.

There's also the fact that Dimitri kills Edelgard in his route, and also fights a powered-up version of her anyways. Scaling matters in these match-ups.

But onto the animation itself: I absolutely loved it - the back and forth with them becoming more bloodied and hurt, but neither caring due to how they fight. I especially loved the "voices in their heads" scene before Dimitri and Guts power up again. Plus, holy fuck the music is so good,

Brandon Yates did an amazing job with God's Hand.

Now the ending: if the voices scene didn't happen, this would be my favorite part. Dimitri thinks Guts is dead, then all of a sudden he gets up and breaks his lance, but ends up dying because he fought until every drop of his blood was gone. I also love the touch that the Berserker Armor is the reason why he is still standing despite dying. Dimitri realizes Guts fights for those who lost their lives too, and then decides to fight for Guts. Holy fucking shit man, this may be one of my favorite Death Battles of all time.

Closing thoughts, I absolutely loved this episode of DB and the team did an amazing job with it.

#death battle #fire emblem #fire emblem 3 houses #berserk

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ransiquack · 10 months

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DISENCHANTMENT PART FIVE SEMI-SCRIPT DOCTOR (ig)

Ok so, I would like to begin with the character deaths. I’ve got a lot of points but I’d like to start with death. (Also I might forget some stuff don’t kill me (also also forgive me for my lack of gifs n pics :( ))

Luci dies for seemingly no reason other than to make him an angel and bring mora back, two exceedingly stupid reasons in my opinion. We have already been served the point that Luci is a really good person- for example, WHEN THEY SENT HIM TO HEAVEN THE FIRST TIME. The only thing he does in heaven is be there when jerry kills god, which does practically nothing besides -now getting into my second point- bring mora back. Now, I know that sounds mean but if you think for more than a second you may realize we already have a pretty available means to bring mora back, THE ETERNITY PENDANT! It’s pretty apparent that this last part was rushed and since we already know where the pendant is we could use that pretty useless b-plot time for things much more important AND we KEEP LUCI ALIVE! Then we could also make bean choosing to bring mora back with the pendant a direct parallel to the whole Elfo death debacle! A GIANT BEAUTIFUL FUCK YOU IN DAGMAR’S FACE! Now, in terms of Elfo you may already know I do not enjoy the Elfo-Miri relationship, but I swear I have good, non-gay propaganda reason.

So, as you may remember, Elfo is already the heir to a throne. The ogre throne. And as we see at the end, Miri would’ve ended up queen no matter what. (And I do think giving the kingdom back to the elves and having Miri be one and rule was a good idea btw) so why the hell did we get a very rushed and ,supposedly, very important relationship with one of our MAIN CHARACTERS. Them being together does fuckin NOTHING and once again WASTES MORE TIME WE DONT HAVE! We could’ve made even more time for more important plot lines and Elfo still ends up a royal. SHABAM another problem solved!

Okay, now I wanna talk about characterization. Starting with Luci.

Luci is, through provided evidence, a really genuinely sweet thing. So why thE FUCK is he so into being satan’s son and extensively, torture, this season? At the very least they could’ve given him SOME hangups! He has grown so much since the first season and yet they continue to ignore that. It’s very frustrating :(.

Alright, elfo’s turn. I don’t have much to complain about regarding him this part but, blegh. I think my biggest hangup about him is how he reacts to luci’s death, the whole thing just feels eerily wrong. Though I suppose with my rewrite we don’t have to worry about anyone’s reactions to luci’s death so,,

WEPA! Bean time! I DO NOT LIKE THAT SHE LEFT WITH NO GOODBYE! I HATE IT ACTUALLY! bean is so incredibly attached to her boys and they have changed her life for the better, literally reigniting her WILL TO LIVE! She would never in a million years abandon either of them. I do support her decision to leave dreamland and I do find that in character but everything else just feels wroongg,, also why push the whole ‘choose love’ thing if she ends up abandoning her best friends?

This one’s short but zøg one billion percent should’ve had a proper goodbye with bean and I don’t understand why he didn’t.

Also get rid of all the ‘I’m gonna destroy the magic’ stuff. Still have bean be pretty irked towards magic but also have her be all “ magic ruined my life but I kinda need it for the whole killing my mom thing”.

Probably also retcon alva’s whole plan cuz It doesn’t really make sense. AND NOW WE’VE GOT EVEN MORE TIME!

I know I definitely missed some stuff but this stuff irks me the most 100% hope you guys like this strange not very well put together rewrite :) 👍

#love them hate how it ended #they deserve to be close forever #disenchantment #disenchantment netflix #script doctor #i guess #disenchantment part 5

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walker-extended-universe · 8 months

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At The Fair

Relationship(s): Geri Broussard/Hoyt Rawlins/Cordell Walker/Emily Walker

Tags/Warnings: Pre-Series, Teen Romance, Polyamory, Secret Relationship, Semi-Public Sex

Summary: Cordell, Emily, Geri, and Hoyt usually had to keep things under wraps. But they could have plenty of fun out and about at the local fair.

Written for @flufftober day 27: Outdoor Event

Taglist: @theladywyn, @ihavepointysticks, @klaatu51, @itsjessiegirl1, @neptunium134

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Cordell, Emily, Geri, And Hoyt were a tight knit group. Everyone knew that. They were a package deal for the most part. Everyone also knew that, on the rare occasion they weren’t hanging out, you could find them in groups of two. Cordell and Emily (a couple). Hoyt and Geri (a couple). Cordell and Hoyt (best bros). Geri and Emily (best friends). Everyone saw and no one questioned it. They were all just really close; nothing odd about that.

There was a lot that no one saw. There was a lot they made sure no one could see. Because they knew no one would understand.

They just wouldn’t understand how Cordell loved Geri and Hoyt just as deeply and passionately as he loved Emily. They wouldn’t understand how Emily could desire Geri just as much as Cordell and Hoyt. They wouldn’t understand how Hoyt would feel safe tying himself to not one but three of his closest friends. They wouldn’t understand how Geri couldn’t imagine her life without all three of them in it.

Really, it didn’t matter what anyone else thought. They loved each other and that was all that mattered. But they also knew that if anyone found out, there would be trouble. They knew there would be some that just wouldn’t let them be. So, most of the time, they hid.

But sometimes, they could let go a bit. Sometimes, circumstances allowed them to be free. Sometimes, the county fair came to Austin and no one would be the wiser to a few teenagers hanging all over each other all day.

Those days were good days.

—----------

“Cordi, hurry up!”

“I could move a lot faster if I wasn’t carrying someone.” He chuckled and Geri’s half-hearted smack to the back of his head.

He made his way to where Emily was impatiently waiting by the water gun game booth. “How am I supposed to win if half the competition isn’t here?”

“I think that’d make it easier,” Hoyt drawled, casually leaning on one of the water guns.

“Em, this is, like, the 100th game we’ve played today, not including the 3 times you made us do the obstacle course because you wanted to beat Hoyt,” Geri whined. “I’m hungry. And tired. Can’t we get snacks first?”

Emily’s face softened and she placed her hand over where Geri’s were clasped over Cordell’s chest. “I’m sorry, sweetie,” she said softly. “I was just excited to be out of the house. My dad’s been crazy lately….” She sighed. “Just one more game and we’ll spend the rest of the day chilling. Okay?”

Geri hummed. “Fine. But only if you win me the giant pink bear.”

Emily smirked. “You got it.”

—---------

Emily bought snacks for everyone, including a funnel cake for Geri- which she insisted on being fed because she was just so tired and Emily could never say no to her when she got like that.

While the girls relaxed at their claimed picnic table, Hoyt dragged Cordell toward the port-a-potties. “I’m not making out with you in one of those things,” Cordell muttered.

“Give me some credit,” Hoyt said, pulling him to a small area behind the cluster of outdoor toilets. It wasn’t exactly private but no one would really be looking here.

Cordell didn’t even get a chance to complain about the smell before Hoyt’s mouth was on him, hand running up underneath his shirt. “You are such a damn tease,” he hissed.

“You’re one to talk,” Cordell muttered, sliding his hands into Hoyt’s back pockets and squeezing. “You were egging me on with the fucking strongman hammer game.”

“That was just payback for humping me during the obstacle course.”

“I didn’t- The pathway was narrow and you were slow!”

“Shhh…” Hoyt undid his belt. “Wanna have another contest?”

“Fuck.” Cordell knocked his head back against the plastic fence. “You get me off first, I’ll buy you the most deep fried thing in this park.”

“Deal.”

Even though Hoyt technically won that bet, Cordell felt like they were both winners.

—--------------

The crowd thinned out as the day wore on and as night approached, it was mostly other teenagers hanging around the fair. As much as they wanted to stay in their little bubble all night, Emily had to be home by curfew and it wouldn’t be right for the rest of them to stay without her.

Before they left, they opted for a ride on the ferris wheel.

There was no one else in line at this point in the night and the operator didn’t ask any questions when they all got in the same car. Geri rested her head on Hoyt’s shoulder while Emily spread across the seat and Cordell’s lap to look up at the stars.

“Today was pretty perfect,” Cordell said idly, stroking Emily’s hair.

“It was,” Geri murmured.

The wheel stopped at the highest point and, for a brief moment, they were the only people in the entire world.

Eventually, they did have to come down. They had to kiss each other goodnight and go their separate ways.

But there would always be another fair.

#flufftober 2023 #day 27 #outdoor event #geri/hoyt/cordell/emily #walker #walker fic #my writing #my fic

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mochisdoll · 2 years

Text

Fools

Feat. Tendou

This was meant for April fools day! It’s July!!

You probably didn't pick the best day to confess your feelings to your friend, but it's not like you planned to that day either.

You had been sitting in the library of Shiratorizawa for about an hour when Tendou decided to join you.

"Whatcha reading?" He asked, pulling a chair out and sitting across from you.

"Trying to find sources for a research paper, what about you?"

He spoke as he dug around his bookbag for something. "Came to give you company while you found sources for a research paper."

A grin creeped onto your face. "You really wasting your time just to give me company while I work?"

He finally found the Shonen Jump manga he was searching for and pulled it out. Without looking up from the book while flipping through the pages he said, "I don't think it's a waste."

Your heart fluttered as the words hung in the air. You were speechless, and touched by the sentiment.

You tried to focus back on your work, but found his presence very distracting. Stealing glances at him, admiring him as he leaned his chin on his palm. And after about a dozen glances were thrown his way, he finally looked up.

"What?"

You blushed, caught red handed. "Nothing, nothing."

He looked back down to his magazine before you threw caution to the wind and called for his attention.

"Satori," He looks up, that was the first time you had ever used his first name. "I like you. We should go out." You said it more as if you were stating your own opinion instead of asking him.

He stares at you for a second, as if he didn't understand what you said but it looked like realization finally dawned on him as a smirk grew on his face.

"Haha, yeah ok."

"Sure."

He looked back down to his magazine, so you got back to work, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted off your shoulders, but productivity never came, you instead doodled all over your paper, showing Tendou your favorites until the free period ended and the two of you went your separate ways.

"Oh, wait!" You called out to him before he completely turned away from you. "Can I come watch your practice later?"

He gave you another incredulous look before it morphed into one of realization. "Sure, you can sit with Ushijima's fans, they're mostly nice. Just tell them you're with me and they'll play nice."

The phrase "you're with me" awakened the butterflies in your stomach. "Okay." You smiled before practically skipping to class.

When school finally ended, you walked right into the gym, before you could climb up the bleachers, Semi approached you with a frown on his face. He crossed his arms as he stopped in front of you.

“Your joke went a little too far today.”

You stared at him dumbly. “Joke? What joke?”

“The one you played on Tendou.” You tried to remember any prank you did that day but couldn’t recall anything. Semi sighed at your lack of response. “He said you asked him out as a joke.”

“I know you probably just thought of it as harmless but it’s Tendou. You know what his dating history looks like, plus he really likes you. You really hurt his feelings.”

“What?? But that wasn’t a joke.”

“Well that’s what he told me.”

“Hold on a second.” You said to him as you walked away to find Tendou.

“Satori!” You yelled as you spotted him across the gym.

“Yes?” He questioned. Confused as to why you were power walking angrily towards him.

“You thought I was kidding?” You asked, smacking his chest. “I meant it!”

“Ow! What?” He recoiled back.

“When I asked you out earlier! It wasn’t a joke.” You threw your hands up.

“Oh.”

“Yeah! ‘Oh’! Telling people I asked you out as a joke!”

“Ok, in my defense, it is April fool’s day.”

“Yes, but you should know I wouldn’t do that to you.” You spoke softer, finally calling from your fuming state.

He smiled at you fondly, just now comprehending your words. “You’re right, you wouldn’t. It just seemed too good to be true.”

“So, do you still say yes? Now that you know I’m serious.” You spoke quietly, noticing all of the attention the two had garnered.

“Duh, no way I’m messing this up again.”

Across the gym Goshiki cheered for his upperclassman, causing a few more people to join in. Ushijima even gave Tendou a thumbs up.

“Well, I should let you get to practice. I’ve made enough of a scene, I will never step foot in this gym again or interact with members of team again.”

“But you have to come to my games,” Tendou pouted. “I’m your boyfriend.”

“I’ll think about it, for my boyfriend.”

#tendou satori #tendou x reader #tendou satori x reader #haikyuu #haikyuu!!#tendou hq

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viscountessevie · 2 years

Text

The Viscountess’ Re-Introduction

Hello and welcome to my newly revamped blog! Due to some privacy issues that occurred a couple weeks ago, this decision has been on my mind for a while and I finally settled what I needed to settle with my previous username and I am now starting semi-a fresh!

Okay firstly, I do not want to use my old name publicly anymore - its just not something I am comfortable with strangers knowing it. So whoever knew me as the name I used to go by, please treat it as a dead name, thank you.

Instead on my blog/ask/referring to me on here, you can just call me Viscountess/Vi, Evie if you really want lol or use my Callsign, Sahara that stemmed from my side blog which has a lot of Top Gun content lol. Feel free to tag my stuff as #The Viscountess tag or #Sahara tag (I am leaning towards the former for myself cos its cooler ahahha)

What does this change mean for my blog: I will still be posting Bridgerton stuff, it just won’t solely be a Bridgerton blog anymore. I’m dipping my toe into the HR world and started off recently with the later half of The Wallflowers Series by Lisa Kleypas! I’ve also made Mr. Malcolm’s List my entire personality irl so it would be nice to blog about it!

TLDR: new people feel free to follow me if you like the following: HR novels/blogging, The Wallflowers Series, Mr. Malcolm’s List, Alexis Hall [Imma be reading A Lady for A Duke after Devil in Winter woo hoo] also feel free to like or comment on this so I can follow you back!

For my current followers/moots: I totally understand if you want to unfollow me because of this change but if you still want to follow me for just my Bridgerton content, I’ll be tagging my other HR posts as #Not Bee Show for yall to block/filter. I will also be using the tag Bee Show instead of Bridgerton unless its something pressing I need everyone to see. I just don’t want to be on the main tag anymore. Speaking of tags, all my old asks will be now tagged as Bridgerton Asks cos I want to separate that from future asks and from my old name. Future asks will be tagged as #The Viscountess Answers

I was going to add my fic and works links but I think I’ll make a new Masterlist once I’ve revamped my AO3 too. Will update this post with the link to that post when it’s ready!

Anyways any other questions (that don’t include my old name or user - everyone that needs to know, knows who I was before); feel free to drop it in the comments, my DMs or ask which I’ll be opening again later tonight after I clear some of my older fun ones!

Final Note: This goes without saying but NO BIGOTS ALLOWED ON THIS BLOG!

I dunno why this isn't obvious and common sense but: DO NOT send ANYONE death threats

We are going to rise above the bigots and just call out their shit - no need to send them nasty anons because it's not nice, we don't need to sink to their level and also they aren't worth it.

Also @ haters: you want to send me anon hate for whatever reason? Take a second look at my icon and remember I used to be a marksman in high school.

#Viscountess Evie is Here!!#HR Blogging #Historical Romance #The Wallflowers #Mr. Malcolm's List #The Viscountess' Blog Update

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pretendicanwrite · 2 years

Text

Something Happened PT. 2

Part two!

All character credit goes to @Lumosinlove

This part is a little shorter, but it gets a little more graphic, just letting you know.

CW: Semi-graphic descriptions of s*xual assault, and mental health issues.

**********

Heather nodded, although aware Leo was paying her no attention. “Was it a good or a bad thing?”

“I know it was bad, but it’s messing with my brain.”

“Okay,” Heather paused, pulling out a notebook from one of her drawers. “Was it an interaction with someone, or just a specific occurrence?”

Again, Leo hesitated. “It was kind of both.”

Heather stayed quiet, waiting for Leo to continue, not wanting to press him too far. He was still a nineteen-year-old, and this was only his second year on the team. Sure he had played through high school, and had interactions with other teams, but as a professional, meeting fans can either be really great experience, terrible, or anywhere in between.

“I went to pick up groceries just over two weeks ago by myself.” Leo lifted his head to look at one of the posters hanging on Heather’s walls. “I was loading the bags into my car. We had just gotten back from a game and it was late, but we didn’t have anything to eat, so I offered to go pick some things up and make something. I found a really cool new sauce while I was there, and I was so excited to go home and make something with it. The parking lot was dark, and I was parked away from any of the lights like an idiot.”

Heather had an itchy feeling like she knew where this was going. She took notice of his scrambled timeline, and how he sidetracked in order to avoid saying what he was thinking.

Leo paused and took a deep breath, pools of tears gathering in his eyes. “I was leaning over the trunk, putting a bag towards the back so it didn’t roll, and I felt someone walk up behind me.”

Having known the teenager for almost two years, heather felt sick as he recounted what happened.

“He put his hands on me, grabbed my hips, and was breathing and mouthing on my neck. He knew my name, so I’m guessing he recognized me and followed me out into the parking lot. Anyway, he was holding me so tight, and his bottom half was… was pinning me a-against the car. I couldn’t move.”

Leo’s breath picked up, now actively crying. He kept wringing his hands together, picking at the skin around his fingernails.

Heather made sure to keep her face blank, although thinking about what happened to the rookie was making her sick to her stomach. She thought she would be used to hearing about people’s traumatizing experiences, especially having worked in a women’s mental health clinic before joining the lions, but listening to him was affecting her way more than anyone else she had ever worked with.

“I- It felt like I was paralyzed. I should have… should have moved. I should have gotten him off of me. I’m a professional hockey player for God’s sake.”

All Heather wanted to do was wrap the kid up in a hug, but she knew that after this experience, contact would probably be a bad idea.

“Eventually, he moved his hands lower, and it shocked me out of whatever kind of trance I was in. I elbowed him in the face and pushed him. I just slammed the trunk and drove away to a well-lit parking lot full of people. I sat there for a little while crying, then eventually I went home to Finn and Logan.”

Full-blown sobs were now coming out of Leo. He looked like he was struggling to breathe, and his arms were crossed over his chest with haunched shoulders.

Heather knew that he was trying to make himself smaller, probably thinking that in doing so, he could make himself less of a target, or trying to disappear altogether.

“Leo, I have to ask you some hard questions now. Feel free to take as long as you need to answer them, but they will help me to understand how you’re processing this.”

Wordlessly, Leo nodded, staring into his lap, his cries slowing down.

“Do you think this is your fault?”

“Not really, but I know that I should have moved quicker. This wouldn’t have happened if I had just immediately pushed him off.”

Heather wrote down that he was partially blaming himself for this, and that he was thinking about how he could have changed the results.

“Alright, are you aware that this is considered sexual assault?”

Leo snapped his neck up to meet Heather’s gaze that was focused on him. “It- there wasn’t any,” Leo hesitated for a minute, his mouth opening, but no words coming out. Finally, he dropped his voice into a whisper. “There was no penetration.”

“Leo, there doesn’t have to be for it to be considered assault. Did he ask if you wanted him to touch you?” When Leo shook his head, she continued, “Did you tell him he could?”

“No.”

“Then he didn’t have your consent, and therefore no right to touch you. He did not have your permission, and even if you weren’t saying no, you didn’t say yes. You didn’t consent, and he still touched you. This is by no means your fault.”

Heather let Leo sit with it for a moment. She could practically see the gears turning in his head.

Finally, when he seemed to understand what she said, she continued. “Have you told anyone else about this yet?”

Leo took a moment to think out his response. “No. I was, and still am ashamed that I let it happen. I don’t want Finn and Logan, or the team to think that I’m dirty, or like I asked for it. If people know that I’m gay, a man did this to me, they’ll probably think that I want it to happen.”

“Alright, hearing your thoughts, it sounds like you’re not ready to tell anyone, but eventually would you like to tell anyone? Telling me was a huge accomplishment, and I’m proud of you for taking that first step.”

“I want to explain to Finn and Logan why I've been so distant, but I panic just thinking about it. Telling you took a lot out of me, and I’m not sure I can go through that again.”

“Alright, I hear you, but I’m going to give you an offer. Would you like me to be there? I can take control of the situation, and answer some of the questions that could be asked, or you could use me as a type of grounding mechanism.”

Heather watched as Leo’s face took on an awed look. “You would do that for me?”

“Oh, Leo, of course, I would. I’ll always be here for you. Whether it’s as a resource, a therapist, or a friend, you can always talk to me.”

“I think I can tell them if you’re there. Can we do it after practice?”

Heather nodded, leaning back in her chair, and crossing her legs. “Just an offer, but I can pull them out of practice if you don’t want the noise of the locker room in the background while you tell them. Having a calmer more tranquil environment might help to keep you calmer.” As she was speaking, Heather pulled out a light controller from a drawer and handed it to Leo.

He dimmed the lights a little and turned them into an orangish-yellow color.

“Can you do that please?”

She nodded and told him that she would be right back.

As she stood in the hallway, she took a moment to lean against the wall and take a breath. She could feel a few tears gather in her eyes, her brain averting back to the fear in Leo’s.

After composing herself, she walked down the bland corridor and out to the ice.

The boys were running drills, working in groups being led by different people. There was a puck handling section, speed drills, and plays all being run at the same time.

The coach spotting Heather waved her over to the boards, motioning for his group to stop.

“How can I help you, Heather?”

She kept her voice down as she asked him to borrow Leo’s boys.

“Of course,” He turned his head to the ice, and continued, “O'Hara, Tremblay! Get over here.”

**********

I still have no idea how long this will be, but here we go!

Feel free to leave me prompts.

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whats-wild-to-you · 1 year

Text

Abandoned (Jay Park AU)

- Deal With The Devil -

Sophia knew something was wrong when Jay stayed silent on their flight back to Seoul. No matter how much she tried to make sense of what had happened the previous night, she simply couldn’t shake the idea that Jay already regretted it.

When they landed in Seoul, a helicopter waited for them to take them back to the mansion. Jay had informed Choi on the way, and him, Lim and a few others gathered in the conference room, waiting for what Jay had to tell them.

“Is everyone clear on what their job is?”

Jay’s men nodded, and he went back to his office semi satisfied. Choi Minsoo closely followed him.

“Boss, I’m worried.”

“About what?”

“Sophia. Her safety. I don’t think she understands what it means to marry into an other mafia family.”

“Don’t worry, I talked to her. I can talk to her again if you think it’s necessary. But I’m telling you, she’s tougher than she looks.”

Choi nodded and left. Jay quickly wrapped up work and went to find Sophia, who honoring his wishes, moved back into the mansion after they returned from their short trip to the U.S. Her safety wasn’t the only reason why Jay was so adamant that she move back in. It also had to do with the fact that he wanted her around. Wanted to be able to see her at any given time of the day.

“It’s me. Can I come in?”

He checked the hallway two, three times, before he knocked on Sophia’s door.

“Is something up?”

She pulled him inside her room, quickly shutting the door behind her.

“I just wanted to see you.”

“I’m fine, really. No need to check in on me constantly.”

After they had sex, things got quiet between them. No one wanted to address the elephant in the room but neither one could deny that there was something there. But with her imminent wedding approaching Jay didn’t see why he should give in to his feelings. It would only complicate things. But it didn’t stop them from seeking each other.

They both knew they had to be careful though, especially when others were present. But every now and then Jay would make up excuses to visit her, simply needing to see her for a bit. It was enough to calm his nerves and he was able to refocus on the task at hand.

“The wedding is tomorrow.”

“I know.”

He took several steps towards Sophia. Then a couple more, until he closed the gap between them, her forehead resting on his chest.

“Are you sure about all of this?”

“Isn’t it too late to back out now?”

“Say the word and I’ll find a way!”

“I don’t want to run away again.”

Jay nodded understandingly. With his thumb and index finger he carefully grabbed her chin, tilting her head upwards so she was looking directly into his eyes.

“Did you pack already?”

His eyebrows furrowed and he forgot what he wanted to say initially as his eyes had landed on her luggage, neatly stacked in a corner behind her. His chest tightened and he held onto Sophia, willing to risk his life in order to keep her by his side.

“We’ve already talked about this. I won’t spend much time there. I’ll make sure to find a reason to leave him.”

“Just be careful, okay? And don’t trust anyone!”

Sophia nodded and Jay sighed before his hand fell down at his side and he took several steps back, creating some much needed distance between the two of them.

On Sophia’s wedding day Jay was nowhere to be found. This would be her last day in Jinyoung’s mansion but it seemed that he was purposefully avoiding her. No matter how many times she ran into Choi, she would hear the same lame excuse.

“The boss is really busy today.”

“Today of all days!”

“He’ll be at the wedding though.”

Choi tried to comfort her. Luckily it seemed that he was clueless.

“When is the limousine coming to pick me up?”

“2pm.”

“Alright. I’ll be in my room until then.”

Sophia’s fingers glided over the expensive fabric of her wedding dress. Objectively speaking, it looked stunning, tailored perfectly onto her small frame. Sophia failed to hold back the tears as she thought about what her life would be like from now on. She didn’t get to see Jay before she left and she seriously doubted he would make an appearance at the wedding like Choi had promised.

“Am I interrupting?”

She turned around, locking eyes with Lee Ho-Seok, her future husband. A knot formed in her throat and she swallowed a few times before she spoke.

“I thought it was bad luck to see the bride before the ceremony?”

“You’re not dressed yet, so I guess it’s ok. Why aren’t you dressed yet? The ceremony will start soon. Where are your bridesmaids?”

Sophia held back a chuckle. Ho-Seok’s voice wasn’t controlling. Instead, he sounded seriously concerned.

“I needed a minute to myself so I asked them to step out for a bit.”

“Are you ok? All this must be too much to handle.”

“I’m a bit overwhelmed, but I’ll be fine.”

Ho-Seok nodded and told Sophia he would hunt down the bridesmaids and send them back to help her into the wedding dress. She thanked him and turned around, fixing her makeup.

When Sophia finally walked down the aisle, her eyes darted around the room, trying to find Jay. People who thought she was looking at them smiled at her and she politely smiled back. But no Jay in sight. As expected. She arrived at the altar and stood next to Ho-Seok, who was beaming at her. He may have been a charmer but he wasn’t faking it. He really looked happy to be there. Sophia scanned the room one last time and that’s when she spotted Choi and Lim standing all the way in the back. Behind them she made out Jay’s figure. Both relieved and heartbroken, she turned to face Ho-Seok and the ceremony started.

By the time they were pronounced husband and wife, Jay had already left. Only Choi and Lim stayed behind, as representatives, to congratulate the newlyweds. Sophia spotted them and walked up to them, realizing that they came with dates.

“You look very good together, congratulations!”

The woman next to Choi said, smiling brightly at her. Sophia forced herself to a smile and a thank you. She locked eyes with Lim, silently asking him if Jay was still around. But Lim just shook his head.

“Thank you for staying. It feels nice to see at least some familiar faces.”

Lee Ho-Seok soon appeared by his bride’s side, gently placing his hand around her waist.

“Did Park Jaebeom already leave?”

“Yes, he’s got some business to do.”

Sophia realized it was a lame excuse, but maybe it was better that way. She wouldn’t want Jay to see this. Although they only shared one night together and avoided the topic after their return to Korea, Sophia knew it wasn’t meaningless.

The party went on even after midnight, with people dancing, talking or simply enjoying their time. Sophia was sitting at the table and had taken her shoes off when Ho-Seok approached her.

“You’ve had a long day, huh? How about we get out of here?”

Sophia nodded thankfully and Ho-Seok offered her his hand to get up. Together they walked up to his father and bid their goodbyes. Lee Sang-Woo looked more than pleased and congratulated the new couple before handing his son a thick envelope. Ho-Seok put it in his pocket and grabbed Sophia’s hand, leading her away from the crowd.

They were driving when she suddenly realized she had no idea where they were going. The wedding took place in the Lee mansion and Sophia assumed that that’s where Ho-Seok and her would be living. It seemed unlikely now. Ho-Seok noticed her puzzled expression and quickly caught on.

“Oh, yeah, no. I’m not living at home. I have my own apartment in Gangnam.”

“That’s good I guess.”

Sophia sounded relieved and Ho-Seok chuckled while looking straight ahead.

“I think you’ll like it there. The apartment overlooks the Han River and the view during sunrise and sunset is truly beautiful. One of the reasons I got this apartment in the first place.”

“What are the other reasons?”

Sophia asked after a few seconds of silence. She had no idea who this person was, but figured that she should probably try to find out more about him.

“Peace and quiet.”

“Ah, of course.”

“I hope you’re not a wild party animal, because you’re going to get bored with me!”

“Me? Party animal? Quite the opposite. No, I enjoy a quiet night in.”

“Well, in that case, I think we’ll get along just fine.”

Soia remembered how Jay had told her Ho-Seok would likely have a mistress and wondered if he was seeing someone at the moment.

“So...”

For some reason she felt uncomfortable asking, maybe was even a little bit afraid of Ho-Seok’s answer.

“Don’t be shy! Ask me.”

“Did you have a girlfriend before the wedding?”

He turned and looked at Sophia, raising his eyebrow at her.

“What do you mean? If I was single?”

“Yes. You’re a good-looking man, women must have been lining up for you.”

“What is it that you really want to know?”

He challenged her, this time staring at her intently since they stopped at a red light.

“I just want to know if I’ll be getting death threats from women, telling me that I stole their man.”

“That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in a while!”

He tilted his head back, laughing wholeheartedly, with Sophia eventually chiming in.

“Is that what you think of me?”

“I-”

“I’m not like that, Eun-ji.”

His eyes pierced through hers and Sophia’s skin erupted in goosebumps when he called her by her Korean name, but there was sincerity in his eyes. Sophia nodded and they continued their drive in silence.

It was night when Sophia arrived in her new home. Her luggage had already been brought here a few days ago and maids even put her clothes and other belongings in the closet.

“Take a shower and change into something more comfortable while I make us dinner.”

“Dinner? But we already had dinner at the reception!”

“I saw you. You didn’t eat anything.”

“I didn’t want to mess up the dress. Plus, I don’t think it would fit me anymore if I had even a bite of food.”

“That’s why I’ll make you dinner now! Go! It won’t take long.”

Ho-Seok was right. As soon as Sophia stepped out of the shower, her stomach started growling. It only intensified when Sophia went into the kitchen. She stared at Ho-Seok, who had his back turned away from her, stirring the pot with one hand while expertly flipping a frying pan with the other. A chuckle escaped her lips at the thought of Ho-Seok cooking for her. But then she reminded herself that he probably wouldn’t do that every day.

“What’s so funny?”

“I’ve never seen a man cook.”

Ho-Seok was taken aback by her sudden confession but then he remembered that Sophia grew up without her father around.

“My father would always cook breakfast for us. Every day!”

“Sounds nice.”

“It was.”

Sophia picked up on the fact that Ho-Seok was talking in past tense, she also didn’t see a woman by his father’s side or anyone who could be his mother. Carefully she approached the subject.

“My mother worked two jobs and would make me cereal in the morning before she left. By the time I got up, it was all soggy. But it was the tastiest breakfast since my mom had made it. Later in college I’d purposely leave out my bowl of cereal but it never tasted the same.”

“I’m more of a scrambled eggs kind of person, so you will have to make your soggy cereal by yourself.”

Ho-Seok scrunched his nose and they laughed together, until he turned away, continuing to stir the pot, a concentrated look adorning his face. After a few seconds he spoke up again.

“My mother divorced my father when I was 20.”

Sophia’s ears perked up. Jay had told her she probably wouldn’t be able to divorce Ho-Seok that easily and wondered how his mother managed to do it.

“I’m sorry to hear.”

Unfortunately Ho-Seok wasn’t in the mood to share any more details. He said he didn’t want to spoil the day but Sophia made a mental note to ask him again at a later time. After he set the table, he served the food and sat across the table from her. He even opened a bottle of wine to toast to the occasion.

“To our first dinner together. And to many more!”

Sophia dug right in, savoring her food and giving Ho-Seok the thumbs up. She volunteered to do the dishes afterwards, while her husband enjoyed the rest of his wine. Only then it dawned on her that she would have to spend the night in the same bed as him. The only other person she ever slept in a bed with had been Jay. Shaking her head, she banned all thoughts of him and focused on Ho-Seok instead. He seemed like a nice guy who would treat her well. Maybe he would even agree to a divorce once he saw that there were no feelings between them.

“Ok, done!”

Sophia announced, dabbing the sweat off her forehead.

“Don’t worry. Usually I have someone who comes in every day and cleans the place. Today I gave her the day off.”

“Oh, does she also do the cooking?”

“Why? You didn’t like my food?”

“No, I did. It was tasty.”

“To be honest, I rarely eat here. I hate eating by myself.”

“Me, too.”

They smiled at each other, and Ho-Seok cleared his throat before bringing up the topic of sleeping arrangements.

“There are two bedrooms. If you want you can sleep by yourself, but if I’m honest I’d much rather share a bed with you, if that’s ok.”

Sophia was tempted to take him up on his offer and claim a bedroom for herself but then she remembered that it was her who agreed to marry him despite Jay’s objection. Not sharing a bed now would only make her look suspicious.

“I’m fine sharing a bed.”

Ho-Seok’s face lit up as he lead the way to his bedroom. Sophia decided she would just fake a migraine if he tried anything tonight.

Against her better judgement, the last thing on her mind before she drifted off to sleep was Jay. She couldn’t help but ask herself if he was up, thinking about her too.

***

- It’s Showtime! -

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