#and literally refused to travel anywhere because you were too worried to leave us alone

[wrenhyperfixates]

my mother: *openly says she does not like or love my father anymore*

also my mother: *uses father’s day as an excuse to guilt trip my brother and i*

[daydream-disposal]

Wormhole

Steve is laying on his bed wearing his pyjamas, his eyes droopy and his mind hazy with tiredness but still, he insists on texting his friends. A normal tuesday, it appears.

Until suddenly, a big blue ring light starts to shine out of nowhere in the middle of his room. Steve sits on the bed, eyes wide. Suddenly a person gets out from inside the light. A boy about his height, his big honey eyes hiding behind his dark hair that was covering almost all of his freckled face. He was wearing black pants, a white button up and a coat. He looked drenched but still, he looked very handsome.

Is Steve too sleep deprived? Is he dreaming? Is he imagining this? He doesn't know.

"Oh thank god, it's you" the boy holds Steve's shoulders and kisses his cheek quickly, dropping a little device on the bed beside him.

"Um. Hello? W-who are you?" Steve freezes, trying to understand what just happened. He's not imagining it then, since the kiss felt very real. He would've blushed if the situation wasn't really scary.

"What? It's me. I guess I might look a little different, I've been traveling around for a while. Ugh my clothes are gross. I'm just gonna change real quick, okay?" the guy rambles walking to Steve's closet and opening the door. He searches for something, getting all his clothes out of the way. Steve frowns. What the fuck is this dude doing?

"Did you move my stuff again?"

"I literally don't know what you're talking about." Steve slowly gets up and walks towards the door.

"C'mon Steve, stop messing around, they were right here" he half laughs and keeps searching. A shiver goes down Steve's spine. He knows his name. Is he a spy? An alien? Is he here to harm him? Steve grabs his bat carefully and places it on his neck.

"I'd appreciate if you stopped messing with my stuff and left. I don't know who you are and why you're here! Just leave me alone!" he says with a rough voice.

Eli turns to face Steve, ready to laugh and ask 'what is this, a prank?' but his smile drops as soon as he sees Steve with the bat and a serious expression.

"Steve, calm down! It's me, your best friend, Eli Pepperjack. Do you seriously not recognize me?"

"Wrong! My best friend is Jim Lake and everybody knows that. I've never seen you before in my life!"

Steve and Jim being best friends??? Something is definitely Not Right. Eli looks around in disbelief. Now that he notices, Steve looks... younger. The room looks different too. It's the same style, but the colors are all wrong. He peeks outside the window and the street is slightly different too. Oh my god.

Did he just travelled to a parallel universe? One that Steve doesn't know him? He knew the wormhole could do that, but only on command! How did it malfunctioned so badly??

Steve adjusts his hands on the bat, getting Eli out of his thoughts.

"Wait! Wait! I can explain! I can prove that I know you!"

Steve considers, still not moving from the position he's in. The boy seems scared but somehow his eyes are shining, inviting. Steve sighs.

"Ok. Go on." he raises an eyebrow, curiously.

"Your favorite color is blue. You favorite food is pancakes. You can't have spicy food. You had a crush on Claire Nunes"

"Those are really basic and you could easily be lying. Or spying on me! And everybody had a crush on Claire!" Steve shouts, losing his patience.

"Okay, look." Eli reaches for his back pocket, taking out his wallet and handing Steve a picture of them hugging and smiling, doing the Creepslayerz hand gesture to the camera.

"You like nerdy movies like Gun Robot and Earth Invaders in secret because you don't want people to know. You don't know basic math but that's alright because you're a really great actor and you're very good at sports. Sometimes you let your insecurities get to you and that's why you act like you're superior to everyone else. But you're actually a really nice person. You care a lot about people, so much that you saved my life a thousand times before. You're funny and brave and I love you for that" Eli blurted out without even thinking.

"Wow, okay, that's scary. How is all of this possible?" He puts the bat down and stares at the picture, not believing what he's seeing.

"It's possible because I was traveling through that thing" Eli points to the wormhole device on the bed. Steve reaches it and throws it his way.

"Thanks. It's a wormhole, it's extraterrestrial technology. I've been living in another planet but I try to visit as much as I can. It malfunctioned this time. I'm guessing I ended up in a parallel universe" Eli says matter of factly, clicking the device on his hand. A blue hologram appears in front of them. Steve doesn't recognize the language on it.

"Hold up, are you telling me I'm dating an alien?"

"I literally just told you I'm from another universe and you decided to focus on that?"

"Well yeah" he shrugged.

Eli sighed, smiling.

"No, I'm human. I'm Earth's ambassador on the planet Arkiridion-5."

"Ok but are we dating...?" Steve blushes at him.

"Yes. We are."

"Oh sweet! Point for the Palchuk!" He punched the air. Eli laughs through his nose, shaking his head but still focused on the device.

"Can I ask you some questions?"

"Yeah, go on"

"How did it happen... How did we even... do it?" Steven didn't know how to ask this, but as if he was reading his mind, the brown haired boy answered quickly.

"Well, when we started getting close people just assumed. But our families are okay with it, if that's what you're asking"

"Cool. Alright." Steve knew he was bi for a long time now. He was just afraid of telling his family and friends. What if they got disappointed? What if they couldn't love him? What if he was left behind?

"How will I know if they're like this here too?" Steve asked in a quiet voice after a few seconds of silence and just the bleeping of the device.

"I'm pretty sure they love you in every universe. I know I do." Eli sinceraly stated, not even looking up. Steve had a hard time believing someone cared about him and loved him enough to say something so soft like that. He looked at the picture on his hands again. They were sharing a smile so genuine, their eyes meeting in such a sweet way, like they meant the whole world to each other.

"And how did we meet?" he leaned on the closet, crossing his arms. Eli just kept clicking away.

"At school. We didn't like each other at first, but we figured it out" he exhaled. "Took a while, but we did."

"Why? What happened?"

Eli thought about the years his Steve used to be mean at him and shove him into lockers. It was sad, but he knew there was good in him. Maybe this Steve could do it differently.

"Just... be nice."

"I am nice!" Eli stopped what he was doing, raising an eyebrow on Steve's direction. "Alright, I'll be nicer."

"Good. What year is it?"

"2018"

"Woah, okay, I'm so far off." he clicked a few more times, the big blue ring light popping up in the middle of the room again.

"Wait, you're leaving already?"

"Yeah. My Steve is waiting for me at home."

"But I still have so many questions!"

"Don't worry, it's gonna be alright. Nice to meet you. I hope I see you soon." And with that, he disappeared with the light, leaving Steve alone in his room. He looks down to his hands, still holding the picture strongly. He smiles.

"I hope so too."

Steve didn't remember his name. He tried to think back but at the time he was panicking at the thought of "CUTE BOY IN MY ROOM!" and focusing too hard on the fact that said boy was from another universe. So of course his ADHD brain would forget his name.

But this didn't keep Steve from looking. He was never this excited to go to school before. He started paying more attention to his surroundings, hoping he would spot the mysterious boy somewhere.

Instead, he spotted a fight. "Just be nice" he thought. The older boys being mean to the smaller ones does seem like a good moment to be nice. Also, it was just not fair.

"Hey, why don't you pick someone your size?" Steve approached the bully, tapping him on the shoulder with his eyebrows pinched.

"Ugh. Why do you always have to ruin the party, Palchuk? You had potential but you insist on being on the wrong side" he tries to push Steve, asking for a fight. Steve scoffs and holds the boy's wrist.

"Just let them go. You know you can't win against me." The bully grunts and shakes his wrist from Steve's hold. He nods to his friends and they leave, muttering amongst themselves.

Steve turns to help the other boys out of the ground, offering a hand. The first boy refuses, getting up fast and running away. And that's when finally, Steve sees him. He looks smaller than the boy in his room, his hair is shorter and he was wearing nerdy glasses. But it was definitely him. He would recognize that smile and those eyes anywhere.

"Thanks. Steve, right?" the boy said, holding his hand and getting up. Steve was at a loss of words. He nodded, smiling.

"That was very nice of you. I'm Eli, by the way." he shook his hand. He was real and he was right here, holding hands with him. Ok, this is happening!

"Nice to meet you. That was no problem really, if you ever have any trouble with them again just tell me" Steve blunted out nervously, scratching his neck. Eli smiled, picking up his books and leaving.

"Again, Steve?" the teacher asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm starting to think you're not even trying. Go to detention!"

Steve sighs, walking with his head down in shame. But this time, when he enters the classroom he sees someone that make his eyes light up.

"Eli! Hi!" Steve sits on the table behind him, excited.

"Oh, hey Steve"

"What are you in here for?" he asks confused.

"I was breaking in. And you?" Eli says as if it's a normal occurrence.

"Woah what???"

"I was trying to study at the lab during recess."

"I didn't know that wasn't allowed"

"Well... I kinda was using their equipment to try and communicate with aliens... Which isn't allowed..." Eli says a little embarrassed.

"Oh" Steve laughs, finding the story very endearing. "So you like space, huh?"

"I do. Imagine if I got to do it. It would've been so cool!" he exclaims, and Steve has to hold back the urge to tell him about the parallel universe.

"It really would. Don't lose hope though" he winks at his direction.

Eli smiles and keeps working on his assignment.

"Y'know, I didn't expect you to be here. You're very... um... nerdy?" Steve admits after some minutes of silence.

"Oh so we're doing stereotypes? Alright, jock. Why are you here? Got into a fight?"

"What? No. I'm a nice person! I just didn't do my homework. Again."

"Because you didn't want to or...?" Eli asked confused, tilting his head. Steve had a genius idea. He felt like those cartoons when a little lamp lights up.

"I'm having a lot of trouble, actually. Are you any good with math?"

"Of course. Why?"

"What do you say you help me with homework and I help you by staying on look out when you're in the lab?"

Eli considered, as he heard the bell ring. He gathers his books and hands Steve a piece of paper before leaving.

"Sure. Text me later so we can talk about it"

"Sounds good" Steve smiled. If this went anything like he wanted to, he better start cleaning some space in his closet.

[callaxe]

hi im sorry for the long post i've been thinking about kiribaku platonic bromance

my fave headcanon ever is that (dismissing katsu's canon cute ugly ass hyena giggles) is that his genuine laugh is.. so fucking loud and contagious

like. like people who actually go 'AAHAHHHAHAHAH' and it sounds so warm??? DOES THAT MAKE SENSE???

his friends hear him laugh once to some stupid joke and they all end up giggling

so like

he and kiri, best buds, as you do, have their own stupid inside jokes and literally no one gets them even with context

like one day kiri in class goes 'toilet seat so hot with soup' and katsuki crumbles to the ground choking and laughing so hard he starts screaming bc his ribs hurt

kiri's ofc, wheezing along

like they'll be joking around and laughing during lunch, literally out of breath and katsuki's obviously trying to add something but his face is way too red and he keeps giggling like his life depends on it

he manages to get one single word out and kiri nearly dents the table from slapping it too hard and his stomach is cramping from laughing so much

JUST GOOD VIBES YANNO?

and one night when katsuki woke up from a particularly bad nightmare kiri brought him downstairs and played swing dance tutorials on his phone till 4am and they only stopped once they could actually dance correctly

on the days that kirishima feels bad about his hair/his roots, katsuki will steal a flashy leopard print headband from mina or use his hero mask to push his hair back so kiri doesn't feel.. as alone? homeboy's trying, and kiri appreciates it

and he knows that kiri misses his family lots and gets p home sick bc ua doesn't leave much time to visit anyone, so katsuki lets kiri be extra touchy with him and tries his best to initiate it too- walking arnd town and katsuki gets needy so he pulls at kiri's hair until he lets him sit on his shoulders, or when they're just standing in gym class waiting for instructions katsuki will lean an arm against him

he goes with kiri to the store for hair dye and helps him dye it, in the afternoon they'll be sitting in the common room and kiri fell asleep his head on katsuki's lap, who was playing with his hair and making it his personal mission to turn it into the ugliest, most tangled bird's nest ever bc he's still a brat

days where trauma isn't so kind to him, katsuki gets dragged in the middle of the common room or a hallway and kiri forces him to salsa dance together, even if shark boy's kind of carrying (most of) his dead weight, practically half asleep dozing off on his shoulder and kiri wakes him up again by spinning him

okokoakot

take kami and kiri's bro dynamic and apply it to them here

kiri calls everyone bro, its natural but when he n katsuki gets closer, kiri goes "my bro my dearest bro" n "my loveliest of bros... my best bro" and katsuki's "???"

until he just goes with it bc kiri refuses to let up and elaborate

it gets to the point where kiri will be laying on mina's floor whining about how his buddy left him behind, travelling the world by himself

"ei, bakugou's intership isn't even an hour away from here"

"WHAT MATTERS MOST IS THAT MY BRO'S NOT WITH ME RIGHT NOW, MINA"

they reunite, katsuki's not even halfway through the door before kiri tackles him to the ground

just fuckin

glomps him

kiri: MY BRO!!!! OH HOW I'VE MISSED YOU

katsuki: hello brother

kiri: ...what happened

katsuki: i am a changed man

OK SO WAIT. GOING BACK TO SALSA DANCING

in common room

the times where katsuki is actually awake and has a brink of energy, he and kiri will fight over who gets to lead the dance

while. dancing

there was no discussion or hint beforehand

so it's just a mess of pulling at each other's arms, knocking their shins into tables and chairs, tripping over each other's feet and crashing to the floor and getting bruised all over because they're dumb

they start singing some festive spanish song sero taught them with the grace and voice of a pair of war grizzled drunkies, cackling and laughing and their voices crack at every verse

second year kiri pulls a stupid stunt and ends up in the hospital bc he like, nearly actually died

katsuki isn't even that worried, he's the one who dared the guy to jump off tokyo tower and try to land in the pool of the hotel beside it (they underestimated the distance, kiri landed in the fucking street)

he's on his phone in the waiting room with mina and kami nervously fidgeting

kami looks at him and goes "do you not feel bad? it's kind of your fault that he jumped in the first place"

katsuki doesn't even look at him, "my main bro's fucking dead, i'm more concerned with finding a replacement right now"

while they wait for kiri to get out of surgery, katsuki writes up an application form for broship and puts it on twitter; sero replies and they "hook up"

when kiri wakes up, mina and kami are fretting over him and sero finally arrived, but he shrugs them off and immediately goes for katsuki's throat

"so what am i, your side bro now?!"

"sorry you had to find out this way" katsuki is leaning back against sero

kiri is heart-broken, "i thought we had a bond, you and i!"

"...i was gonna show up to your funeral?"

"were you not planning ON GOING BEFORE?"

when they get back to the dorms kiri gives him the cold shoulder for a week before he comes back crawling to katsuki

(by then, he and sero "broke up")

but don't be fooled,

this tokyo tower dumbassery somehow brought them even closer

somehow

don't ask

kiri is the first person katsuki says "trans" to

katsuki is the first person kiri says "gay" to

of COURSE they cuddle, once katsuki warms up to him and his over affectionate touchy-feely bullshit, kiri just loves picking up his bro and carrying him anywhere

swaddling him into a blanket burrito and knocking him off the couch

hiding under his arm during a class horror movie night

sharing a bed when katsuki can't handle being alone in his room at night

viciously criticizing and tearing down the atla movie and being pressed together because there's barely any room, playing a game of footsie bc their legs are tangled to hell and back but the game turns dangerous

(also when they learn that katsuki can, in fact, make explosions from his fucking feet, kiri has a nice scar on his calf that oddly looks like half of a foot and 3 toes seared into his flesh)

(yes, he's bitter)

turns out, katsuki can aslo be a soft affectionate touchy-feely bullshitting asshole when he wants to be, but these days it's mostly out of spite

when the squad starts calling him dad (with the exception of kiri), katsuki goes over and pats everyone's heads when he wants to, and also because he enjoys seeing them freak out by the blatant display of affection

he does little things like letting mina and kami cozy up to him during movie nights or when they go out in town during winter, and lets sero peer over his shoulder to look at what he's cooking and rub his head between katsuki's shoulderblades like a damn cat before walking away like nothing happened

katsuki's used to it, the rest of the class is mystified

one day, common room again, bksquad is playing mario kart vs the izucrew, katsuki's sitting on the couch with kiri on the floor between his legs, letting his hair be played with and braided

then he stands up and announces he's going to bed, out of habit (when did this become a habit, the class thinks) katsuki reaches up and drags kiri's face down so he can.. kiss the top of his head? kiri just smiles and calls out a goodnight and leaves as if, nothing happened

mina asks "what was THAT"

katsuki just settles back down, opens his phone and stares her straight in the eyes "homies kiss each other goodnight if they're not a coward"

that's it that's the post i'll be back with more

[sauntered-vaguely-downward]

Maybe it is Love? Geralt x Reader

So... lockdown going well... here have some smut for Geralt because while I cant literally fuck the witcher... I can at least write shitty fanfic about fucking him in these dark times. Also this is kinda long so........ sorry. 

Warnings: SMUT DONT READ THIS IF YOU ARE NOT OF AGE IN YOURE COUNTRY (OR JUST DONT LIKE SMUT)

“To be honest, I’m choosing not to listen to you.” Geralt grunted, keeping his eyes focused on Jaskier in front of him, drinking the ale from his cup.

“Why won’t you just let me help! For fuck sake Geralt, you’ll happily have me follow you around but god forbid you would ever let me actually be part of the action,” she all but screamed at him. “Your bard has been involved in more fights than me and unlike him, I don’t scream when monsters come running at me.”

“I do not scream,” Jaskier tried to protest only to be cut off by the pair saying in unison,

“Yes, you do.” Jaskier having been put in his place once again by the pair settled back into his seat, listening to an argument that he had heard a thousand times before at this point. It always happened after Geralt had a run-in with a monster. Geralt would make sure Y/N was out of harm's way, claiming she was far too delicate to be involved in such matters, he would then kill the beast on his own and spend the rest of his days following his fight with whatever monster it may be arguing with Y/N. No matter how much she protested Geralt would never give in and let her learn how to help him.

“Y/N,” Geralt sighed, putting his ale down before focusing his attention on her. “I do not say it to be harsh, but the simple fact is you do not have the skills to even begin learning how to defend yourself against any of the beasts that roam the earth. You have no experience, you were just a silly little girl I let come with us because you refused to go back to your boring life in that sodding village we found you in, not because I wanted you here. You shouldn’t even be here. Stop pestering me about it or you can go back to that fucking village, you know what, maybe that would be best anyway, you are of no help to either of us here.”

Y/N’s chest hurt a little at the words that fell from his lips. She knew he was right, but she thought that after the time they had spent together he would perhaps have grown to see her at least as a friend and want her to stay by his side even just for the company. Every time they had this argument it had usually just ended up with him making an empty promise about helping her learn to defend herself, but this time it got more personal. She hated thinking that she was nothing more than an annoyance to Geralt, she only wanted to learn to defend herself so he wouldn’t have to if she learnt to fight she could try her best and keep him safe just as he did for her.

Rising from her seat she brushed herself down, downed the last of her ale before making her way up to her room in the inn in which they were staying that night. She didn’t wish to continue this conversation, nor did she wish to be around either of them anymore.

Geralt ignored her departure from their table in the tavern, finishing off his ale and ordering another. Jaskier, on the other hand, watched as she walked through the crowded tavern, her usually cheerful spirit seemingly destroyed.

“You’re a dick you know that?” Jaskier spat at Geralt.

“I only spoke the truth, not my fault if she couldn’t handle it,” Geralt replied, his tone remaining as even as it always did.

“Oh, so you’re a liar and a dick?”

“A liar?”

“Yes! You know full fucking well that you don’t want her to go anywhere! You like having her around as much as you like having me around!”

“I don’t much like that either,” Geralt hummed.

“Oh shut up. You should go say sorry,” Jaskier said, sipping at his drink. “You like travelling with her. I’ve seen the way you look at her when she dances drunkenly in the bars, or the smile on your face when she stands up for you, or the bigger smile on your face when she stands up for herself. For pity's sake, you even let her sit on Roach when she’s tired of walking, I’m not even allowed to touch the bloody horse let alone ride it.”

“Fine, I like her company, but she cannot be put in harm's way,” Geralt said more quietly than usual. If it was possible for his voice to ever be considered soft, now would be one of those times. “I won’t allow her to train if it means it will put her in danger's path, I want to keep her safe not help send her to an early grave.”

“Oh oh oh…” Jaskier grinned, leaning back in his chair. “If it wasn’t for the fact you’re a witcher and supposedly not able to love… I’d say you’ve fallen for our feminine companion.”

“Be quiet,” Geralt barked.

“No,” Jaskier grinned back smugly. “You like her, that’s why you don’t want her hurt. You know shes capable but you’re scared of losing her aren’t you. My my, the mighty witcher has fallen for a normal village girl.”

Geralt kept silent, staring into the dark ale in the cup in his hands. Jaskier was sadly correct. Geralt knew she was able to learn to at least wield a sword, but Geralt wouldn’t let her do it because he was scared, he didn’t know what he felt for her, but he knew it was more than he an emotionless witcher was ever meant to feel.

He had only originally kept her around because much like the bard, she seemed adamant to stay regardless of whether he wanted her there or not. As she travelled more with him, Geralt found her presence a comfort to return to after he had wrestled with the beasts and monsters. Whether they were in some crappy inn, or under the stars in the night sky, every night they spent together, just enjoying each others company, listening to the bard strum at his lute, Geralt found himself getting lost in the joy that radiated off of her or the beauty that covered every inch of her.

Jaskier’s voice brought Geralt back to the tavern they were in.

“You need to apologise, she seemed really hurt by what you said.” Jaskier was, sadly, correct. As much as Geralt hated admitting to being in the wrong, he knew it was best he went and say sorry for his harsh and false words.

“Fine,” getting up Geralt made followed the path she had taken out of the tavern, stopping only once when he heard the bard shout,

“YOU SHOULD ALSO TELL HER HOW YOU FEEL!” To which Geralt found the nearest empty glass and hurled it at the bards head, narrowly missing, before continuing out towards the inn just a few doors down.

When he found her room he was hesitant to knock on the door, knowing the woman behind it would be hurting. With a gentle knock, he waited patiently for her to open it.

“Jaskier if that’s you I’m really not in the mood to talk right now ok…” opening the door Y/N was surprised to see Geralt at her door. Geralt wasn’t exactly the check on her when she was down kind of man. Still hurting from his comments, she snapped at him, “What the fuck do you want witcher?”

“Please let me in so I can apologise,” he pleaded, something he was not used to doing. “I did not mean to hurt your feelings, nor did I mean those words that I said.”

She studied him for a moment, taking great interest in his face, checking to see if he was lying to her. When she didn’t detect any hint of sarcasm or the trace of a lie she stepped back, allowing him into her room.  

Geralt was a little taken back by the sight before him. Y/N had started to pack the small number of belongings she had into her bag, leaving only the clothes on her back out of the bag.

“Where are you going?”

“Back to the village you found me in,” she said, shutting the door behind the man. “You were right, I’m no use to you, I only came along because I wanted more from life, but I guess I was wrong for looking for it at your side. I’m going to head out in the morning, a man a few doors down has a horse he’s willing to sell me so I can make my way back on my own, that way I won’t be bothering you or Jaskier anymore.” Geralt could feel the sadness in her voice as she spoke, he could see just how his words had hurt her as she finished packing up the last of her things.

“You will do no such thing,” he said in his gruff tone. “What I said was not true, you are helpful, and well…” Geralt wasn’t quite sure how to get the next words out. Taking in a deep breath, he continued, “well I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy your company as we travel.”

“That’s sweet of you to say, don’t worry you are forgiven, but you were right,” she said softly. “I’m just in the way, and I certainly don’t have it in me to ever be able to defend myself against the beasts like you. I’m better off just going back to my family, I’m sure they’ll be delighted, they can finally marry me off for the price of a cow… or maybe a sheep, I’m not quite sure how much I’d be worth in farm animals.”

“You are worth more than any farm animal, Y/N. Look, I will let you learn to fight, but only the basics for now. I… I didn’t want to teach you in case you got hurt. I don’t know what Jaskier… or I would do without your company.”

“You didn’t want me to get hurt? That’s why you wouldn’t let me learn? Why didn’t you just tell me that?”

“Because it sounds so fucking pathetic… sounds like something Jaskier would sing about.”

Y/N didn’t quite know what to say. The idea of Geralt, a man known for his inability to care, suddenly telling her that he did actually want her around and didn’t want her hurt left her a little bit speechless.

Geralt was also not sure quite what to say. He wanted to leave it there, walk away and pretend that this hadn’t ever happened, that he hadn’t shown her his weakness, but he also knew he couldn’t. The slightly smug bard downstairs would simply not allow him to continue on his life as though he didn’t have feelings for the woman standing before him.

“Fuck it…” Geralt whispered, quickly thinking on his next words before he opened his mouth. “Witchers aren’t meant to have weaknesses, it’s a reason we are not supposed to feel. Feeling leads to weakness which can lead to downfall.”

“I know, you’ve said this a thousand ways before,” Y/N said softly. Before she could continue Geralt reached out his hand for her, pulling her closer to him, not too close that their bodies were touching but enough that each could feel the heat radiating off of each other's bodies. “Geralt…”

“If I could keep this to myself I would, but Jaskier knows so if I don’t say it the singing bastard will instead,” Y/N wasn’t quite sure where this was going, it wasn’t like Geralt to beat around the bush, he was usually so blunt and direct with everything, this was unlike him. She, of course, knew where she wanted this to go, she wanted him to pull her in closer, for him to make her feel wanted, but deemed that unlikely. “I have feelings towards you that are more than what I have ever felt for a person in my life, I won’t name it as simply because I do not know what those feelings are, but I do know that even the idea of you being taken from me makes me feel a pain I have never felt before.” Geralt silenced, not quite used to speaking of a subject like this he became unsure of how to proceed from there. Looking down at Y/N, he tried his best to read her, to find out what was going on in her mind, but she looked nothing but stunned and confused.

Y/N was very much stunned and confused. Geralt, the big bad witcher, was to put it simply, telling her he felt for her, cared for her, perhaps even loved her. Sure she had wanted to hear him say that for quite some time but never imagined it to be true. As the cogs worked in her head, trying to understand what it was that she had just been told, Geralt went to pull away feeling embarrassed, something he did not find himself feeling often.

Her hand held his tight, pulling him back to her, a smile now gracing her lips as she reached up on her tippy toes, pulling him gently in for a kiss. He was hesitant at first, still unsure of himself, but as her hand came up to rest on his cheek, allowing herself to deepen the kiss, Geralt eased kissing her back gently. Their hands found each other's hair, the kiss getting deeper and more desperate as they pulled each other closer.  

As the kiss became more intense, the heat began to prickle on her skin, a burning desire for his hands to touch every inch of her rolled over her. Geralt, while not someone who understood his feelings, was certainly a man who understood a woman's body. Feeling the desperation in her kiss, he pulled away, turning her in his arms before gently releasing her of the corset she had been wearing atop her dress. As each ribbon became looser, the garment began to fall away, allowing Geralt to pull her closer to him once more, his lips kissing softly at her neck while his hand came up to massage her breast. Keeping one arm locked around her torso, keeping her still, Geralt couldn’t help the arousal evident in his trousers as he heard the breathy moans escaping her lips.

Carefully, so as not to hurt the woman he cared for, Geralt picked Y/N up, turning her in his arms allowing her lips to once again find his. Her legs wrapped around his waist, as her core met with the erection in his, she pressed herself down against his clothed cock, earning herself a deep groan from the man.

“If you do that again, I will have no choice but to fuck you,” he growled, biting at her lower lip, before his lips once again found her neck, his kisses rougher than before, leaving little marks in their wake.

A sly grin was on her face as she pushed herself down again. Before she could even have time to respond, Geralt had her on the bed, particularly tearing away her soft dress and undergarments, leaving her bare to him. The heat that pricked her skin was not because of embarrassment, no, it was out of lust. Seeing him as he ripped off his own clothing before climbing back on top of her, his cock nudging at her clit as he kissed her, one hand holding his body weight above her while the other found her entrance, slowly pushing two fingers inside her, it was all too much for her. As his fingers worked themselves in and out quicker and harder, she couldn't stop the moan that escaped her lips,

“Oh god, please just fuck me,” she whined. “If I’m going to come I want it to be on your cock, not your fingers, ah, pleaseee.”

“Mhmm, listening to you beg for my is perhaps one of the most wonderful sounds I have ever heard,” Geralt was, of course, happy to fulfil her request, slowly replacing his fingers with his cock, careful not to hurt her. He gave her time to adjust before he could no longer contain himself, his pace going from slow and careful to animalistic. His lips found her breasts, biting, sucking, marking her as he went. The string of curses falling from her lips encouragement to keep going until her body began to weaken, the orgasm racking over her body. Try as he might, he couldn't stop himself from following her.

They lay there, still just for a moment, only their breaths and pounding hearts making any sound. Reluctantly Geralt pulled away, slipping off to the small washroom attached to her room to get a cloth to clean the mess he had made. Coming back to her he couldn’t help the small smirk on his lips as he looked at how wonderfully pretty she looked, completely undone, his cum dripping from her.

The pair cleaned themselves up and climbed back onto the bed together, Geralt instantly pulling her into him. They didn’t need to speak, the beating of each other's hearts was all they needed to hear. Slowly they drifted off to sleep, Y/N feeling the safest she ever had while in his arms, and Geralt feeling a warmth in his chest he didn’t know he was capable of.

--

“Oh ho! You fucked didn’t you!” Jaskier mocked the following morning, seeing the bruises Geralt had left on Y/N’s neck. Neither responded as Geralt helped Y/N onto Roach’s back, kissing her before going to pay the innkeeper for their nights stay.

Jaskier couldn’t contain his excitement at the development between the pair, spending the next few hours of their travels asking all the questions he could, thinking up quick little ditties to strum as they made their way to the next town.

Usually, Geralt would have snapped at Jaskier, but today he didn’t, for Geralt could not care less at that moment, for as he looked at Y/N riding Roach, she was all he could focus on. Maybe love would be the right thing to name his feelings for her.

[raziroo]

Chapter 3 | I Am Not At All Wise

Pairing: There's hints, but none

Genre: Angst?

Warnings: Overly Casual Mentions of Depression and Anxiety, Mentions of Trading of Lives

Word Count: 1,926

Author's Note: This might appear a little rushed, because I got this sudden surge of inspiration and sat down to write this and this isn't even proofread. Sorry, hehe.

‘Guys, what’s wrong with you?! This my father we’re talking about, my father! Why are you so hesitant to trade him for Lotor?’

The tense energy in the room only became even more suffocating when Pidge let that question, among others, loose like cannonballs. I was glad I was sitting even a bit away from the ongoing discussion, because the questions and not up to par answers were succeeding in making me uncomfortable. After all, the topic at hand wasn’t light at all – a topic such as trading of lives is one that questions your morals, your beliefs, literally everything you, as a person, stand for. I stared at Pidge, her absolutely enraged expression making me gulp nervously`. If Pidge didn’t get her father back now, after finding out his destination, then God knows how many shots are going to get fired at whom. And although I’m not saying that Pidge is wrong, she isn’t even right.

That’s confusing.

What I meant to say was, that although Pidge’s actions and fury and incredulousness were fully justified, it didn’t mean that we could all just nod heads in tandem and send Lotor off as some sort of pig for slaughter in exchange of Pidge’s dad. It wasn’t fair.

As my eyes lost focus, I recalled Captain America’s words – we don’t trade lives.

I snapped out of my thoughts. I couldn’t say anything. I didn’t want to. I wouldn’t, ultimately. Heading to my room now instead of just sitting there and making myself look like an unopinionated fool wasn’t helping me anyways, and neither was Lotor’s presence a couple feet beside me.

I decided to head to my room.

After all, that was what I was best at, wasn’t it? After finally accepting that I was a time traveler and couldn’t ever see my friends or family ever again and that aliens did actually exist, and not just on Mars (wait, did aliens exist on Mars? I never asked that), all I did for a good sum of time was hide in my room. Activities except hiding in my room included roaming through the castle and running to my room as soon as I deducted any trace of intelligent life near me, being strangely intimate with the white lion – intimacy including venting about how I was probably depressed, possibly had anxiety, caressing the lioness because she’s beautiful, and nestling in her cockpit because she felt like home – and running to my room when Shiro questioned me about my connection with White.

A bit after, when I felt more reassured and had begun craving human communication, I finally emerged from my cave, only to find that some of the Paladins didn’t seem too happy with my presence. Time went on, spirits fell, only to rise once again in blazing hopes of dethroning Zarkon, and my naturally social abilities helped me blend in with the Paladins soon. A lot of the comfort I felt among the Paladins, I owed to Shiro and Hunk. Those two were literally angels, especially to me. I couldn’t count on all the fingers of the Paladins and Allura combined how may times those two, and occasionally Lance, came to offer me a hug or talk to me when I looked glum. Even Allura and Pidge talked to meif they were free. The only person I had problems interacting with was Keith. But we’d nod to each other, say our greetings, and I accepted that. I couldn’t be besties with everyone. However, mine and Keith’s communication skills only worsened and problems only increased once Shiro disappeared. Keith straight up would refuse to pilot the Black Lion, and even when he finally agreed, he was so unorganized and his decisions so rash it was costing the coalition. When Lions started becoming unstable to fight after longer, tougher battles, White was expected to fill in. After all, it was the White Lion’s purpose – to be the mind of Voltron when the Paladins couldn’t, to keep the soul, fire, water, air and flora elements in check, Allura had once said to me. Only, White needed a pilot, a Paladin. And all expectations of being White’s pilot were pinned on me, naturally, because I was the one who seemingly materialized in her cockpit out of nowhere.

I, obviously, failed to do that. Because apparently (and quite obviously, if I do say so myself) even though White warmed up the cockpit for me when I slept there and seemed to purr when I caressed her face, I wasn’t worthy enough, in her gaze, to be a Paladin. And I truly had no qualms about that. The only issue was that Keith wasn’t satisfied with that. Pidge and Lance tried to hide it, but they too, felt that I should try harder. Hunk comforted me when I accidentally let the hurt I was feeling shine through. Allura tried to convince everyone that it wasn’t my fault at all, that the Lions only accepted whom they deemed fit to Pilot them, and the reason the White Lion even was the “extra” Lion in the first place was that it was hardest than any of the other Lions to convince to be Pilot of. It was simply too calculating and cynical and choosy – and I agreed with White wholly, because stepping in as the voice of reason, as the mind of Voltron when all these worthy, noble, brave people who were specifically selected to be the defender and judge of the universe when no one else could failed to do their jobs, then you needed to be one hell of a person to be honoured with the name “White Paladin of Voltron”.

When Shiro had come back, or as he said, when Keith brought him back, the Castle seemed to light up more. I understood why he was chosen to be the soul to combine the other elements and form Voltron. I was ecstatic, perhaps happier than some of the Paladins even, but that didn’t mean I didn’t notice – or rather, didn’t choose to shrug off - his strange and simply out of character behaviour at times. I wasn’t the only one that did. It was when I voiced to White about my concerns, and she glowed – literally glowed as if in agreement did I know that shit was serious. White, as weirdly impossible as it sounds, also noticed. She knew, too, that something wasn’t right with Shiro. It was beyond me how she did, but I didn’t get to ponder on that for too long.

Why?

Because Lotor happened. He arrived as our saviour at the most unexpected moment and in the most unexpected way, and then became unpredictability, unanswered questions, and uncertainty personified for us. How many rifts and arguments he alone had caused between the Paladins was the slightest bit alarming, but justified, in my opinion. Lotor had succeeded in messing up our functioning. It didn’t matter if it was only a tad – he was the anthropomorphic form of all the flaws and hesitancies and wrongs and uncertainties in the coalition that we’d turned a blind eye to.

And now Zarkon had offered us Pidge’s dad’s freedom in exchange of Lotor, but I would be lying if I said if I wasn’t the tiniest bit worried as to just what Zarkon would do to Lotor. I know, I know, I really was no one to be straining my brain for that, since Lotor was an alien Prince who had equal chances of being good and evil, was capable of killing us all if he wished to, and had probably endured worse than his father’s wrath. But that wasn’t even the biggest issue we had. Pidge getting fired up was reasonable enough, I was aware of how emotionally driven she could become at times despite being a genius. And her brain refusing to work when her family came into play was the reason I was bothered most – even if she convinced the other Paladins to go through with the exchange, there was absolutely no surety that Zarkon would keep his part of the deal. It was legit the dumbest, most irrational thing the protagonist could do. If that happened, we’d lose both Pidge’s father, and an extremely valuable asset to the coalition.

I didn’t really realize that during my very acceptable train of self-depreciating thoughts I’d changed my route and had instinctively begun for White. I guess it was only right, as I felt more at ease there than anywhere. It was only when I reached her and stroked her, she seemed to… close in on her herself. I furrowed my brow, a small frown on my lips.

I sighed. It was probably nothing.

Relaxing my facial muscles, I closed my eyes, leaned forward, and nudged White’s snout. I jumped back with a start when instead of the usual purr or whimper, she growled at me. The crease between my brows returned with a higher intensity.

‘What is it, girl? Hmm?’ I cooed at her, not risking touching her. ‘Is something wrong? Do you not want to talk? Should I go?’

Silence was what I received in exchange.

‘My love,’ yes I called White “my love”, “girl”, have and will continue to call her “babe”, and no you cannot do jack about it. ‘You need to tell me, please,’ I continued, my voice gentle as ever, ‘how am I supposed to know what you want to say? You’ve never growled at me before. I don’t know how to interpret that gesture. Do I take it as you being upset? Angry? Sad?’ She still didn’t answer. All the life seemed to leave her.

I tilted my head. My sigh bounced off the walls.

‘The White Lion is said to be the mind of Voltron,’ a naturally assertive, deep, thunder-like voice called. I was sure I jumped at least a foot before whipping my head to where the voice resonated from. Lotor. What -?

‘Forgive me if I scared you. I thought it wise to offer some assistance; you seemed to be in need of help.’

I didn’t answer. He took it as a “yes, I need your help”. ‘The most probable reason it is not responding to your calls, is because you are contradicting what the White Lion stands for, you aren’t being wise. That is, assuming the Lion does answer you typically.’

I turned back to White, my jaw setting. My lingering suspicion turned into certainty at Lotor’s remarks.

Well. As much as I cherished my relations with White, I wasn’t going to voice my thoughts and concerns regarding the life trade. I wasn’t particularly keen on getting involved. I wasn’t the White Paladin. I wasn’t the voice of reason. I couldn’t be. This was the exact reason as to why I couldn’t be the White Paladin. I had many a thought, but didn’t always think it wise to share them with others.

Especially not when “others” included a leader that was not being himself, a princess who wanted to get rid of the Galra empire and Zarkon as soon as possible no matter the cost, and a Paladin who was going feral and becoming blind by rage at the thought of not getting her father back when she was so close.

Yes. Now definitely not.

Without sparing Lotor or White another glance, I headed to my room, for real this time. I didn’t notice both of their piercing gazes aimed at my retreating figure.

[timextoxhajima]

HOSTIS, Chapter XIX: Rosa, Rose

Previous Chapter (XVIII: Renuntiatio)

Member: Lee Hyunjae (tbz)

Genre (by chapter): drama, FLUFF fucking finally and light smut

Category: Short Novel/Long Series

“you’ve been trying to get rid of me for 10 years... and look where that got us?”

the crack that you could’ve imagined splitting the sky into pieces was short-lived, but it stirred you in your sleep, nonetheless.

bright, white light flashes through your opening lids but your body takes too long to prepare itself for the loud, vehement clap. 

it sounded like someone had just thrown a bomb into the clouds.

you cower in fear at the call of mother nature, hands flying up to your ears as you push your head further into the pillow. there was some hint of sunlight spilling into the room, but that was the least of your concerns when the sky was trying to kill you.

a gentle, but firm force on your hips nearly warrants a harsh whack behind you if your hands weren’t preoccupied with covering your ears.

“stop being such a wuss,” barely opened eyes stirred under his lids, a left arm circling your waist as he pulls you closer to his chest. warmth was radiating off him as if the blanket you were nearly fully covered by wasn’t already keeping you safe from the outside world. “nothing’s going to happen to you, not while you’re here, at least.”

“ew, gro--” 

clap

mother nature literally screams at you to shut up, forcing you to ball up further into his skin. his hold around you tightens, and he pulls your right leg up over his hip, palm resting flat and soft on your thigh. 

“as much as i love to see you scared shitless, it sucks to know that i don’t ever want to see you scared like this alone.” 

the words run through your hair and you now notice your hands were balled up into fists against his chest, his light breathing brushing against the little strands that fell over your forehead like little curtains. 

“so be like this only with me, and you won’t have to be scared anymore.”

the skies refuse to let up and zeus hurls another lightning bolt down to earth, yet the orchestral accompaniment doesn’t faze you that much anymore, not after what he said. 

not when it’s completely reduced your hatred for him into nothing but ashes. ashes and dust that fly away in the gentle wind. 

what were the ten years for, if both areses were going to tread on it like it wasn’t the most dangerous thing to do?

what did the ten years of fighting do, if zeus meant for the two gods of war to round a circle in the ring of fire, only to put down their swords and admit defeat?

not to the fear of death, not to the lack of fight left in them.

but to surrender to one another.

where there were once thorns and daggers and poison now bloomed pansies, flowers that grow in winter; in harsh environments.

have you seen pansies in winter? 

white on purple draws a striking, degrading memory in the little crooks and crannies of your mind. 

for ten years, you’ve avoided drinking poison, or going anywhere near it, in fact. in the process, becoming poison yourself. it would’ve been like two pythons in a death match to see who could bite the other first. 

yet, all of that was now of no value to you.

sure, you’ve lost ten years trying to fight a losing war; the entire duration worried that you would lose to he who would triumph had you chosen to take a step back.

but the very fact that nobody lost wears through you like tires on asphalt. 

the notion that both sides took turns destroying each other only to fall in love, becomes the very cure for the tumor in your heart.

why did it take so long for you to realise that you hurt when you couldn’t read him? when he stayed so far away from you, breath on your skin but never touching you. eyes always glued to you, yet never soulful enough for your stomach to churn.

the very sight of him being away from you made you physically unwell.

so this was it.

he has claimed you and he has given himself to you.

zeus has failed in his plan to make the two of you fight to your deaths, but he smiles with pride and glory when he decides that ares’ happiness was more important than spilling blood and ripping flesh off bones.

but that was zeus, and you are ares. 

ares is brutal.

and you would’ve not hesitated to rip her flesh off HER bones if you weren’t in a white coat and a doctor’s ID card was hanging around your neck like a dog tag.

“no, you’re joking!” 

choi minhee was bright, pretty, cream-colored, and had a disgustingly white set of teeth looking like headlights on a fucking truck. 

you? 

you were poison, daggers, the thorns on roses.

of all doctors to be assigned to her father, it just had to be hyunjae?

mrs kang was rather entertained with the conversation that was happening in the other corner of the ward, and she must’ve known your blood pressure was skyrocketing through the roof because she shoots you a look of slight mischief, almost a glance of knowing.

“i should’ve known it was you,” the airy sigh that exits her parted lips calls for your attention over the clipboard. 

“mr choi, you look too good for your age, honestly. this little injury will heal pretty good on its own as long as you take care of yourself while you’re staying here.”

“aw, no. you’re too kind.”

“he’s right, daddy. you’ll take care of my dad, won’t you?”

a wince exhibits itself on your face despite your pen flying across the report, mrs kang’s current condition coming out in ink though you weren’t even consciously writing every alphabet down. 

“get anymore jealous and you’re going to be the one who needs your blood pressure taken, doctor l/n.”

mrs kang had her eyes focused on you in the corner of her eye sockets. slight embarrassment lights your soul on fire, but not as much as the irritation that was making your insides itch and squirm with despise. 

“you should come over for dinner some time soon, do you remember the stew that you liked?

“ah, the one that mrs choi makes? of course, how could i forget?”

stew? 

STEW?

“when daddy gets discharged, you have to visit sometime. mummy would be so happy to see you again!”

“would she?”

“of course! my wife loved you!”

so her parents don’t know he cheated on her. 

doesn’t matter.

i’m gonna fucking kill him anyway.

“you should’ve seen him last week, child.”

the clipboard gets slid back into the slot at the end of the bed, and your neck cranes to look at mrs kang sitting up in her bed.

“the boy was in a mess.”

“you look very well, hyunjae. it’s really been a long time.”

“had you seen him and heard what he told me, you’d be in a mess too.”

“nah, four years don’t do much.”

“doctor l/n, are you listening to me?”

“you took four years to look like this! doesn’t he look great, daddy?”

“you flatter me too much, minhee.”

the mere trill of someone else’s name rolling off his tongue pushes you over an edge, an edge too close for comfort. 

mrs kang reads your furrowed brows with ease and watches with a knowing smirk on her lips as you grab your patient files off the little cabinet next to the ward bed.

“i’ll see you tomorrow morning, mrs kang.”

she sees right through your painful, forced smile, and she breaks out into a small chuckle. 

the light hanging above her bed brightens the whites in her eyes, in contrast to the darkening sky right outside the window where choi minhee’s father was warded due to a small, almost unnoticeable stroke.

it tickles you to see mrs kang happy, but the voices coming from behind you were holding your heart in its hands, every word aggravating its merciless grip around you. 

you turn on your heels and head out of the ward, trying your best to block out the voices that sounded like demons inside your head.

how you wished you could whack your patient files across that smug, pretty face. 

how dare she talk to him like he didn’t cheat on her? how dare he talk to her like that despite that whole dramatic confession last week? just how dare he--

someone’s shoulder runs into your arm and your patient files clutter to the floor. 

“oh, i’m-- y/n!”

he bends down to pick up your patient files before you could even process who you ran into.

“eric!” the surprised tone made your voice so much higher, you were sure it would’ve caught hyunjae’s attention if the clatter of the files hitting the floor didn’t. “what are you doing in the wards wing?”

“running off to find the patient file archive office... doctor min wants me to help him finish one more thing before i’m done for the day.”

he hands you the patient files, and your hands brush across each other. he doesn’t look at you with an ounce of awkwardness or distaste, and frankly, you missed his smile. you missed how enthusiastic he was. 

you were lucky you were still friends with him.

“are you alright? you don’t look too--” rubbing the back of his neck, his eyes travel from your face to movement behind you that you could see in your peripheral vision.

“i’ll be right back!” hyunjae gestures into the room while he reverses out, and his patient files brush across your back. 

eric’s eyes light up like bulbs and it stuns you to see how easily eric gets through it. “hyung!”

“eric! my boy!” he pushes past you like you were a road block and wraps his arms around the intern. “how are you? i haven’t seen you in so long-- the research department hasn’t called for me since last week.”

“yeah, i know. i’ve only been seeing y/n around in the research department. you must have more patients to care for.”

your eyeballs roll so hard in your head, you force a polite smile for eric while your feet turn to leave this party. “i’m gonna go--”

“whoa, whoa, where are you going? it’s dinner time--”

“you can find your dinner elsewhere, maybe have some stew at it if you like,” eric takes note of the disgust and disdain in your face before you pry the intern away from hyunjae so you could hug him instead. “i missed you so much. we have to catch up some other time, okay?”

“no problem! just drop me a text.”

the grin he presents you feels like soda on a hot day, and you walk off without bothering to turn to look at hyunjae. 

the orange and blue sky outside your office window greets you like a flag, navy blue clouds cutting the skies into half across the horizon. 

“‘you should come over for dinner soon’,” items get swept into your briefcase instead of being placed in it. 

“‘doesn’t he look great, daddy?’ who even calls their father ‘daddy’ at 23? fluttering her eyes like she had something in her fucking eyes... smiling so hard that her eyes were literally missing from her fucking fac--”

the office door clicks open, and you see hyunjae walking in through your door in the reflection of the window.

the sharp sound of the zipper shutting the briefcase rings in the air like tearing a sheet of paper, and you shut off the main switch under your desk.

“y/n.”

a pen rolls off when you pick up your briefcase, coercing a frustrated groan out through your throat as you bend down to retrieve it.

“y/n, we said we’d have dinner together.”

“oh!” the sarcasm was dripping off your tongue, so when you turn to see his face, you know that he sees right through you. 

but when has he not been able to?

“me? no! you have to get some of that mrs-choi-stew, don’t you?” steps were trying to take you away from him in the direction of the door, but you’ve barely made it past him when he grabs your upper arm without budging from his stance.

“kitten, wait.”

“don’t call me that and don’t tou--”

“kitten, are you jealous?”

“no, i’m not,” effort to writhe out of his hold becomes useless, but you struggle anyway. “let me go. i want to go home and--”

“so i’ll send you home and we can order takeaway.”

“no, i don’t need you to send me home--”

“i didn’t ask kitten. i’m telling you i will send you home and we will have takeaway.”

“ugh,” you vehemently yank your arm out of his grasp and glare at him. “do whatever you want, mr ‘my-wife-loved-you’.”

by the time you were in the car, hyunjae was very obviously finding some kind of fun and enjoyment watching you attempt to control how much your blood was boiling. he doesn’t say anything the whole ride to your place, and you try to convince yourself that you were only letting him drive you back because you didn’t want to pay for a cab or public transport.

but you remember that you love him now, and every little thing he does will end up crawling across the surface of your bones like ants on skin.

once in your apartment, you throw your keys into the basket atop the shoe rack by the door. your heels get kicked off and you dump your briefcase noisily on the kitchen island.

the front door clicks shut and you pull yourself onto the high-chair, occupying yourself with your phone and a menu you would rather have fill your guts than the thought of hyunjae flirting with his ex-girlfriend.

“kitten,” his feet shuffles against the floor and he places his briefcase in the hallway where it led to the front door.

oooh, sushi.

“kitten.”

maybe korean?

“kitten, look at me.”

“do you want sushi or--”

the device slides out of your hands and drops to the table with a soft thud, your high-chair being whirled around so suddenly before stopping abruptly.

the edge of the kitchen island etches itself against your spine as you lean back, one arm leaning on the surface while his fingers grip onto the edge of your seat.

“look me in the eye and tell me what’s wrong, kitten.”

is this man for real?

“for a smart man, you are really dense.”

“who said i didn’t know what’s wrong?”

what--

“i just wanted to hear you say it, that’s all.”

the skin on his cheek suddenly looked so plump and fitting for your palm to kiss.

“say it, kitten.”

“there’s nothing to say--”

“no, tell me you’re jealous, and that you never want me to let choi minhee flirt with me again.”

“i really wish i could stab you and get away with it.”

“you won’t even if you could, because you love me and that’s why you’re jealous.”

the smile on his face was so sweet, it makes you want to shove an insulin jab into your eye. he was so satisfied with the way you reacted, it was absolutely unbelievable that he was getting so much out of you. 

his torso was rocking back and forth so slightly, his face leaning forward into yours. his flirtatious eyes locks with yours that were fuelled with anger and jealousy.

“i don’t think you deserve to hear anything because of what you let her d--”

you were interrupted in the form of a sudden kiss with his hands lining your jaw, eyes instinctively shutting upon the contact and your arms moving downwards to hold onto the edge of the chair.

unwillingly, you melt into the kiss like marshmallow over a bonfire between crackers. 

it was gentle, like clouds in the sky and cotton candy on lips. he tasted sweet, with his lips buried between yours and his warmth seeping through his hands into your cheeks.

the anger and jealousy trickles into him with every passing second, and you marvel at his ability to have such immense control over your feelings. he didn’t even need to do much for you to become his kitten.

the kiss feels like eternity until he pulls away, lids slowly opening to reveal his slightly lustful eyes now.

he knows you’re starting to feel the same.

“say it, kitten, and we’ll forget about takeaway.”

a harsh exhale hits the top of his lip from your nose, and some tiny bit of anger and jealousy inside you surfaces.

“what if i don’t want to?”

he chuckles and tucks your hair behind your ear.

“why is it so hard for you to admit that you want me to yourself and the thought of having another woman in the picture kills you? you think i didn’t see how you wanted to use eric to piss me off just now?”

literally nothing you do gets past this man, it’s annoying.

you try to turn your head but he holds your chin and brings it back to him,

“don’t avoid me, kitten. you’ve been trying to get rid of me for 10 years... but look where that got us?”

his attention switches from your eyes to your neck, soft skin being littered with light kisses softens you even more.

“i’m waiting, kitten.”

a sigh that must’ve sounded like music to him rings in the air while his arms wrap themselves around your waist. your rear nearly gets lifted off the seat, so your left hand rests on his shoulder blade and the other finds his hair to tangle your fingers in.

“i hate you, do you know that?”

he smiles into your skin, and for a moment, it feels like pure bliss.

“but if you let anybody flirt with you like that and you flirt back, i’ll cut off your dick and make you watch it burn.”

one harsh suck evicts a gasp from you as you cringe under him. his strength channels through your spine as he lifts you off the seat and carries you to the sofa. 

“that’s my girl.”

the rough texture of your sofa greets the back of your neck when he shoves his lips between yours once again, this time more desperate.

neither of you were trying to hide how much you were feeling for one another; all you wanted to do was to kiss him all night long and have his hands roam your body like he didn’t already know everything about it.

the kisses were desperate but slow and sensual, and the only piece of clothing that’s come off was his shirt.

so you could run your hands all over his torso, drawing circles and caressing the muscles on his back atop the soft squelch of your tongues and lips pressing together every second. 

his forearms were resting on the sofa on either sides of your ears, biceps perching his torso up so he wasn’t crushing you under his weight. 

your legs were apart on both sides of his hips and you could feel him fiddling with the button on your pants while he takes his time to press his bulge against your clothed core.

soft moans escape into his mouth, and you start to feel a heat gather in your underwear.

knock knock

hyunjae pulls away so fast, you register the emptiness on your lips before you process the sound. 

knock knock

“y/n! are you at home? i thought i saw the backyard lights on!”

“oh, shit.” 

of all times to come, your parents had to come now?!

you push hyunjae off you while removing yourself from under him, grabbing his shirt from the ground and recklessly hurling it into his face.

“put on your fucking shirt--”

“y/n, we can hear you inside! are you okay?”

“yes, i’m fine! give me a moment!” you run to the glass door of your backyard and fix your hair. 

hyunjae barely gets his t-shirt on when you run over to the front door, opening it with a tiny gap to reduce the chances of your parents walking in on your sworn enemy being in your apartment.

“hi mom... dad...”

both of them look at you weird, but the scent of fried chicken garners your attention.

“you’re still in office attire-- have you eaten?” 

“i--”

“i knew it. come on, we bought fried chicken to share,” your mother takes a step forward and tries to push the door open.

“ahH--”

she stops dead in her tracks, and your father shoots you a confused look.

“i-- well--”

“spit it out. the chicken’s gonna get cold if you don’t speak any faster.”

“i have a visitor with me right now--”

“a visitor? oh, goodie! we can all share, i’m pretty sure we got more than enough--”

“it’s not really a good time, mom--”

“nonsense! i can’t believe you invite others over and not your own parents!”

“well, this was impromt--”

clang

“ow!”

an awkward silence befalls between you and your parents. confused looks swamp their eyes and you struggle to contain your panic.

“is that--”

“that sounds strangely familiar...”

oh, god.

“we’ve heard this voice before, haven’t we, darling?” your mother turns around to look at your father, and your face distorts into an ugly mess of emotions when a second clang rings through the house, followed by a low curse that you were pretty sure your parents could hear too.

“we’ve definitely heard that before-- oh!” a light bulb appears above your father’s face, and you beg with your eyes not to say it--

“it’s that guy from your high school and college!”

your mother gasps, and she covers her mouth in shock.

“lee hyunjae?!”

“he--”

“LEE HYUNJAE! ARE YOU IN THERE?!”

“mom--”

“LEE HYUNJAE, WE HAVE CHICKEN!!! YOU WANT SOME?!”

oh, good god. 

this is going to be a long night.

your parents were sitting across you at the table, with hyunjae sitting by your side. 

the air between the party was heavy, awkward, dense. 

your father was confused but cheerful. 

your mother was shocked but she just couldn’t wipe that smug smile off her face whenever she gave hyunjae a piece of chicken. 

“so... what brings you here?”

hyunjae looks like he was a deer caught in headlights when your mother takes a sip of soda after asking the question.

“i-- we... have a research project to work on.”

under the table, a familiar situation occurs to when you first had lunch with both eric and hyunjae. 

his right hand finds your left thigh and he provides you a light squeeze, forcing you to clench down into the chicken you had in your mouth. 

“oh,” your mother places the cup down. “y/n never told us she’s in the research department.”

“it’s a side job, apart from working with patients.”

heat starts to pool under you, and a chill involuntarily runs up your spine. his fingers were digging into your flesh on your inner thigh, and its only making you think horrible thoughts even with your parents before you.

“i see. must be real busy then? we haven’t seen her in like... what, eight weeks? since she started working at the hospital? the other day we wanted to drop by, but she said she was still working. it was a sunday, if i’m not wrong...”

“sunday? two weeks ago?” hyunjae side-eyes you when both your parents were looking at each other for confirmation.

your father pulls out his phone, nodding. “i believe it was sunday, i remember seeing the date when i texted her.”

“right, yeah. i saw her having takeaway in the pantry after dealing with a patient.”

great. now he knows i blew my parents off for him.

your thigh gets massaged over again, and it takes an immense amount of effort to swallow the moan that was already halfway up your neck. your heart was thumping so fast, you weren’t too sure why.

but your father finishes the last piece of chicken he has on his plate, and your mother gets up to wash some of the cutlery and utensils. 

hyunjae’s palm finally leaves your thigh alone and you sigh with relief, watching your father peel little pieces of meat off the bones. 

you watch in the glass panels of your backyard beyond your living room as hyunjae offers to help your mother wash the plates and cups, forgetting for a moment that your father was sitting right infront of you.

“what are you staring at?”

the white shirt hyunjae was wearing in the reflection loses your attention when your father catches your eyes wandering off axis.

“uh-- nothing!”

he turns around and looks at the glass panels.

“i thought i saw something in the backyard, that’s all.”

“oh,” he responds emptily, turning around. “i thought my hair was in a mess or something.”

my life is going to shorten by like 50 years.

your parents offer hyunjae a ride home (without knowing his car was sitting right outside your residence), and you butt in by telling them that he has to stay because he’s not done with his part of the project. 

luckily, they miss his little grope on your rear when you escort them to the front door.

“it was such a nice surprise to see you again after all these years, hyunjae.”

hyunjae gives your mother a sheepish smile, leaning against the door frame with your shoulders perpendicular to his chest. 

“we should meet up with your parents some time soon, it has been awhile. shouldn’t we, honey?”

your father nods, pulling up his sleeve to check the time.

“we have to go, honey. we both have a long day tomorrow.”

“okay,” she turns back to the both of you. 

your relationship with your mother was never the best. but she looks at you with warm, soft eyes. eyes that said she was proud of you. eyes that said she was happy to be your mother.

and there was nothing more that could comfort you in that moment.

but your mother decides to ruin it, eventually.

“we’ll be taking our leave now...”

“oh, and uh... your shirt’s inside out, hyunjae.”

the look on your father’s face changes like a switch and he laughs at you, turning on his heels and making his way down the steps to the car. 

a cheeky grin spreads your mother’s face when the both of you turn to look at hyunjae’s shirt, and the tag on the back was sticking out behind his neck. 

she leaves without saying anything else, and they both wave to your embarrassed selves as the car drives off.

you wait until the car was no longer in sight, and then you choose to slam the door shut and give hyunjae a hard punch to his chest.

“you had one job!”

“you opened the door so fast!”

“it is a shirt-- how difficult is it to wear a shi-- oh, my god, they are going to call your parents. they are going to ask them out for a meal. we are going to need to go too. oh, my god--”

“kitten.”

“what?!”

“do me a favour and shut up.”

the dim hallway reminds you of the first time he has his hand wrapped around your throat. hours after you removed the oncology report from his folder meant to be submitted to doctor kim. 

you remember the fiery hatred in his eyes. the burning sensation of the wine you downed just seconds before you got the door open, thinking it was your mother.

but this time, his hands were on your waist, his physique gently pressing against yours against the wall behind you when he fits his lips between yours. 

you remember the feeling of the cool wine hitting your skin after the arrogant smile you had on your face was completely wiped away by him pinning you to the kitchen island. 

your palms greet his chest as they slide up over his shoulders, getting your fingers tangled in his hair feels like he was becoming part of you.

as if he wasn’t already.

time? 

one decade.

memories? 

a million.

heartbreaks? 

four in total, two each.

the first heartbreak, orchestrated by the enemy.

the second heartbreak, broken by a lover in silence.

death?

a better choice than being anywhere else besides in his arms. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Epilogue

A/N: I AM SAD

[werezmastarbucks]

more like honeymoon [2]

previous part

word count: 3769

warnings: loving couple throws fists

music: in the text

LOS ANGELES by blink-182 segment

You had a dream that the prison world was being destroyed. The fearful suspicion was on the back of your mind at all times, but you didn’t know how to express it. Kai always said you were the more paranoid one. All the bad outcomes, you always considered them. You argued that this kind of pessimistic outlook saved your live even when you didn’t know it did. Well, look where you are now, he would reply. Not that it’s bad, so I don’t know what I’m trying to prove here. He just liked to argue.

The white light together with earthquake came, and the ground crumbled beneath your feet. Kai was somewhere away, you could only see his silhouette as he stood on a hill or something. You were now staying in Los Angeles. The end came while you were running to him, the whiteness becoming your least favorite color. Your heart was tearing apart because you were so tired of something constantly trying to stop you from being together.

You woke up in your happy crowdless realm, the queen of enclosed nothingness, and felt like you wanted to go home for the first time. Just because this dimension was more fragile.

Kai was sleeping next to you, his nose deep in the pillow, and you had no idea which part of him was responsible for breathing. Like in a trance, you crawled out of bed and left through the balcony doors to look down on the city lit by nobody, to make sure the world was intact. It didn’t, and wouldn’t, go anywhere. You got used to being here alone and having it all, so quickly, a part of you couldn’t imagine sharing this planet, and Kai, with anybody.

When you returned to bed, Kai was lying on his back and staring at the ceiling. His hand took your chin and turned your head to him.

“Where were you?”

“I had a bad dream”.

Kai was a pro in bad dreams. He had a black belt in going back to hell through his dreams. Agonizing, long, realistic nightmares plagued his head no matter how deep he shoved it under the blankets. He looked a little strict for someone who consoles another after a bad dream. You had your suspicions he had other things on his mind. Sometimes you would catch him observe you as if he was expecting you to run away.

LA1 by Moby segment

You were finishing the book. This was the book you’ve been meaning to read ever since you were fourteen. When everybody nailed it at school, you were busy with other more interesting stuff, and so, you never ended up reading it. Now was the epitome of everybody’s ‘one day’. People leave interesting tv shows, tedious chores, the best packs of cookies and postponed hobbies for that cryptic ‘one day’ but it never comes. Not for most people at least. Now, you two, more so you than Kai, finally faced this neverending time period to do everything procrastination took away from you. You finally were finishing that damn book.

As you laid there at the pool of your new house, and the sun was sending blinding specks jumping off the water, Kai was drawing complicated shapes on the side of your leg and looking down the valley of Los Angeles, the city where he was king. Just like everywhere else.

“I think I have memorized every inch of you by now”, he said.

You swallowed down a sigh, because you were about fourteen pages away from the end. You knew when Kai started talking, there would be nothing else but talking for at least fifty minutes.

“Good, now, if I get into a horrible car crash and get terribly disfigured you will recognize my body one way or another”, you replied, trying to at least finish the page. Kai’s hand laid on the paper, pulling it away.

“Once we get out”, you smiled.

“If we get out”, he corrected you.

You let go of the book he was pulling away. He didn’t like sharing you.

“You think... we’ll be here long?”

“The spell is all we have, and it’s useless”, he shrugged like he didn’t care. “There’s nothing else. The ascendant is out there, and we don’t have a Bennet here to cut her...”

“Do these things have expiration date?” you asked, worried, “is it possible that one day, this prison will collapse and disappear?”

He looked at you, his hand caressing your knee absently.

“No, I don’t think so. It’s awesome here though, isn’t it? You like it, right?”

“Of course I do”, you nodded, without giving it too much thought. You looked down to the city where Kai’s gaze has been wandering earlier. “I’m still waiting for the horror to kick in, but it doesn’t. Either I’m too jaded to care, or...”

You bit your lip hard, thinking, whether you’re willing to spoil him. Parker’s palm squeezed your skin lightly. His hands were always warm, and he never refused to tickle you. He was a perfect guy to live with in a prison world: impossible to exhaust, handsy and resourceful. He could stay in one place for weeks, or drive through several states in one day. He knew every part of this magical planet and never felt lost anymore. It was bittersweet how this luxury of traveling without any discomfort came after eighteen years of him agonizing here alone.

He looked good with the hills of Los Angeles on the background, serving as colorful addition to him. His dark hair, and gun-like eyes, his demeanor of rich cynical kid who’s going to do you on the kitchen counter and never call again - only, Kai was following you everywhere.

“Or?” he took you out of your pondering. He didn’t like that either, when you drifted off in the middle of conversation. What are you thinking about? Who are you thinking about, Y/N? His tone of voice always said, I took you as far as an enchanted prison world so that you can’t see other guys, and you still have your head in the clouds.

“The feeling of having everything you need in your arms is intoxicating”, you sighed. The fundemental sensation of being completely satisfied with your life, while being in a literal prison world, came from the realization. Kai Parker was the final point of whatever path you’ve been striding. You weren’t one for professing your love passionately, or expressing it many times. But this one time you felt like you needed to get it off your chest.

“You ever had that?”

He blinked.

“Do you want to stay here, or do you want to move on? You wanted to see Fontana, right?” he asked, a bit lost, and he sounded like his mouth was dry. You took your book back from him.

“Pomona first”.

That night there was vivid change in Kai; instead of pounding you into the bed, like he usually did, as you both enjoyed it, he laid low, pressing you into the matrass with all his body. You felt almost like suffocating on the long, stretching feeling he was drilling into you with passionate, deep movements. For the first time you felt what it was like when you’re trying to jump out of your own skin with pleasure, after all the crying and moaning is just not enough.

“Wait for me, baby”, he was whispering, as you two moved together, hips to hips, shoulders to shoulders, and you thought your eyes will pop out, that maybe your nails are already halfway inside his shoulder blades. Kai was changing; he has been for some time now. He was becoming calmer and happier, and now, as he was making you come and told you to hold on at the same time, for a second there you could see him, shed of all his layers. The Kai Parker he would’ve been many years before, many tortures and catastrophes, and murders ago. The magic, devilish temptation, malevolence, misery and memories aside, there he finally was, a person who was begging you not to come without him, because even that, he didn’t want to do alone. As you clutched the hair on the back of his head, soft, just slightly curly, you felt your body fill with love, that kind that never really lets go of you. Because you finally saw the last manifestation of him, the last entity that lived in him, and it needed you, and loved you.

Kai, too, was making love as opposed to your usual experimental mutual fucking. Both types brought you joy; after he collapsed on the pillow next to you, you knew he would never be the old Kai. You could feel it in your guts.

I’M ON FIRE by Bruce Springsteen segment

“I could take you literally anywhere, and you still choose America”.

You dragged your now big bag on the glistening asphalt, sweating in heat, and gave up, motioning towards it.

“Technically, Hawaii...”

“Technically, Hawaii is America”, he nodded, picking up your bag, “but I hear you”.

“The Pacific, Kai”.

“You know what I did when I was here?” he asked, for the thousandth time in nine months.

“Climbed the Everest”, you chanted, rolling your eyes.

“Climbed the Everest”, he noted proudly. It took about a week? for you to convince him you weren’t interested in dying forty-five times before you finally reach the top of the mountain. He clicked his tongue finally, saying there’s no adventure to you. That’s how you ended up jumping off the Grand Canyon. Dares always led you to some drastic decisions you later regretted.

You settled on the famous North Shore, where the ocean was blue and green, and the palm trees swayed every day... all the day. At three oh seven, it rained for eleven minutes, and then, a majestic double rainbow stood above Oahu. The evening was so beautiful you felt you wouldn’t get tired of it in a hundred years. It’s really hard to get tired of hawaiian sunsets. Everything was perfect.

Until your phone rang.

When you were clutching on Kai, your belly bag was on you, together with all essential things in the world of the twenty-first century. You had your phone in there, the charger in case of anything, car keys, wallet, pack of plasters and some gum. It all traveled with you into the world of ‘94, and that’s how you listened to music from the future in the world of the past. The charger was especially useful, because you could keep your phone turned on and took pictures. Literally everything you did resembled a young couple’s honeymoon. You were forced to delete everything from your phone though, so that it could contain all the photos from different places. You even joked that, once you run out of space completely, it’ll be time to go home.

Another once we get out moment.

Now, your phone, that survived here for nine months because you were charging it regularly, rang, and you didn’t even pay attention at first. It hasn’t rung before. This thing is not supposed to ring, it’s supposed to play music and take pictures of Kai as he is being adorable, sleeping in his king-sized bed, his head buried in the pillow.

You stood like a dummy in the middle of the parking lot, waiting for him to bring the bags to the car. And the phone was ringing.

What is this noise? you thought. Then your hand slipped into your pocket, and your heart got confused as to whether to sink or to leap. Your brain got squeezed inside your skull. Rage, and relief, and worry filled you. You knew so many things at the same time. Suddenly you knew you missed home like crazy. You missed leaving the house and seeing dumb people around. You missed not being a spoiled brat living in the houses that didn’t belong to you. Missed the traffic on the streets, and you missed animals and birds. In this world, there weren’t so much as spiders, crawling around and creeping you out. Not a mosquito, not a lousy worm. No sharks in the ocean, no swallows in the skies.

Also, you knew you’d kick Damon’s ass so hard he’s going to choke on his own kidneys. You recalled the moment you threw yourself in front of Kai, so full of yourself, and announced,

you wanna send him away again, you gotta send me with him

and Damon looked at you with his ever exhausted silver eyes of a jaded cat, and said,

okay.

And sent you, the person he used to call a friend, into the prison world.

Also, you knew, somehow, that Kai will be unhappy about this. Many times that he asked you ‘you like it here, right?’ you felt he was now clinging on the very place he used to be horrified of. It was way more than your own ego, so you barely thought that it was you that changed his perception. You were secretly scared his mind will start telling him this condition of things is normal. That only two people in the world is normal. And he won’t want to leave once the chance comes. That all his once we get outs is just him playing along with you, while he knows, in the back of his mind, that you’re never getting out, and he doesn’t care if it drives you crazy.

You answered the phone and didn’t say anything. Damon was silent, too, for a second.

“Well”, he said finally, “how you lovin’ it?”

You found his cockiness inappropriate. Not like he has locked you in a closet with a bully and came round in fourteen minutes to check on you.

“What is it? Are you here?” you asked, you throat dry.

Kai left the supermarket and was about a hundred steps away. It was going to rain in half an hour.

“Yes, we decided to pick you up, so to say”, he replied shortly.

“You decided I have learnt my lesson? Decided I was now good to go home, that’s what you decided?” you asked, your voice bubbling inside your throat like a pillar of boiling air.

“Give it to me...” Elena’s voice was closing, and your lungs trembled. You have missed them all. Even the Salvatore douche. God how you missed others. You could see Kai slowed down. He had very good eyes, and he saw you were holding your hand to your ear. He was fifty steps away.

“Y/N, where are you? We came to get you back home. Listen, we never meant to...”

“Ask her about Parker”.

“Are you alright? Are you with him?”

“We’re not taking him with us!”

Your voice quivered.

“I’m fine”.

It came out less bitter than you meant; like you were about to cry, while in reality you were bursting with rage.

“Is he keeping you there? Or has he left you there alone?”

“What do you mean?”

The audacity of them. Left you alone. They’re the only ones who throw their friends into magical prison worlds, for nothing.

“Well, he has stolen the ascendant. We had to build a new one”.

“What are you talking about? Kai doesn’t have the ascendant”.

There was silence. Through the flapping hot hawaiian air, you could see Kai with the paper bags walking towards you.

“Yes, he does”, Elena chuckled sadly. “We thought he’d be out by now”.

“We only found one useless spell, Elena”, you growled, “how are we supposed to get out without Bonnie’s blood?”

“Oh my god”, you heard Damon mutter. The palm trees started swaying in front of you. You knew now yet another thing. You were just afraid to think it.

“Bonnie conjured that one without blood. We didn’t have much time, Y/N. It was just the spell, and the ascendant. You’re saying he found it? Why hasn’t he got out then?”

All your guts sank down there together with your mind. At the same time, there was nothing to be shocked about. The signs were all there. You never even showed interest enough for him to share about the ritual of traveling between the worlds.

“That fucking liar was keeping me here”.

“Y/N, where are you?” Elena was almost yelling now.

“Tell her to go back”.

“Is he abusing you?”

Your face got distorted with anger and bitterness at the same time; you could feel you’re grimacing at him, as the musles in your face and neck went tense.

A gust of wind slapped you in the face, and the phone slipped out of your hand. The invisible pull was so sudden you were grabbed, too, and nearly fell on your face, as the clutch pulled on your hand a little.

“Kai!”

The phone shot through the air, right into his hand, and fifteen steps away, you could see he was furious already. The temper of this guy.

He hopped through the air. Your head was ringing with the echoes of their voices.

Kai couldn’t wait to walk another couple of meters, so he just leaped to you using magic. Perhaps he also did it to startle you more; as he reemerged next to you, his hand laid on your throat, and not the usual possessive sensual way, but ‘i’m about to squeeze the life out of you’ way this time. Your head bumped on the side of the car. The only reason he didn’t smash the phone on the ground was probaby the amount of fantastic pics it held.

“What did he say?” Kai growled.

If you could talk, or breathe, you’d say he’s a dick. You fought him, the anger giving you strength, your fists hitting him into the chest and stomach.

“Is he coming for you?”

Kai was screaming, and you have never seen him like that. For a moment there it felt like the old Parker, the miserable, uncontrollable, lightning throwing witch was back in his skin again, and you couldn’t take it to fix him all over again.

Your hands grabbed on his forearm as you kicked him in the shin as hard as you could. Kai yelled, letting you go, and you could finally breathe.

“Dick”, you scolded, “you dick”.

Your voice was hoarse. He didn’t hear you. Kai was suddenly full of demonic fear and fury, and the noise; he barely felt pain which let go of him in a second.

“You’ve been lying to me?!”

“You’re not going anywhere”, he said, his voice quivering with how much he contained inside. All the acid lava sleeping in the depths of his being, frozen by the comfort of not being disturbed, like he was locked away in a mental institution, now rose again and illuminated his skin from the inside.

“You’re lying to me!”

Too bad you lost it, too. Kai might have become a little like you; but you have become a little like him, too.

“You said there was no way out! While you had the ascendant all along? From day one!”

“You said you liked it here!”

You charged at him, your fist up, and he blocked it easily, hitting you in the stomach.

So, he beats girls, too!

He was never good at seeing the kick coming. God knows why, if you wanted to defeat Kai Parker, you just kicked him with one of your legs. He never sees it coming. The fight exhausted both of you as you screamed atrocities at each other. You knew you were just letting the frustration out; that kind that floods over you when you realize you’ve been wasting months in the prison world while you had all the means of getting out that whole time.

Kai, however, was fueled by something more sinister than that.

You never really meant to hurt him. Just punch him in the teeth for being a proper dick. He knew he was doing wrong, otherwise he wouldn’t be asking this ‘you like it here, right?’ like a broken record all the time.

And like a fool, you always replied, yes, because it was truth.

He now believed you’ve been lying to him, too, like a scared cat that was suddenly brought in at the vet clinic and the doctor was clicking the long metal scissors in front of him. He felt betrayed. He thought you’re dreaming of getting out and see your friends again.

“I am not enough for you! You have the whole world! And me! So what, you meant something else when you said that I am everything you need?” he yelled. Almost at the top of his lungs. The clouds were meanwhile gathering above Manoa, to release the rain in ten minutes.

“I meant it!”

“Then why do you need to leave?!”

“Not me - us!”

“We are not going anywhere! You’re staying here, with me!”

“No, you listen to me, Parker, we’re going back there, together, just like we arrived here! This”, you pointed your finger at the wretched sky where even the rain was on schedule, “is not real”.

As soon as those words left your mouth, you knew he’d misinterpret them.

His mouth moved like he was about to tear down his own face and bit yours off with the bloodied teeth of a skeleton. You could feel your lower lip swell. Blood was dripping down your chin because of how hard you fell on your face after he threw you away with his witchy move. You were about to break his jaw completely, and it was his own doing. If he hadn’t wanted you to become a fighter, he shouldn’t have taught you.

Your right fist was shaking with pain. It felt like you shattered your knuckles completely beating on his stupid head. Nothing in the world could set it right.

“What did you say?”

You felt mortally tired. It felt like when you stood on the edge of the Canyon, like when you were about to fall.

“Kai, this world is fiction. We need to go back out there...”

“It doesn’t work out there!”

“It will”.

He panted. He spat the blood on the ground, and you felt like you wanted to stop fighting and start making out.

The paper bags were scattered all around the car, one lonely banana forgotten under the blazing sun.

“I will fucking kill you for lying to me”, you sighed.

“I thought you loved me”, Kai responded, his voice dead, and your heart shuddered.

“I fucking do!” you roared.

“Then why do you...”

and that, all over again.

[rogue-durin-16]

THE KEEPER (Part I/II)

Summary: When a mysterious person threatens the heir's life, the service of a personal guard is required to keep him safe until the foe is found. Fíli, who doesn't take the matter very seriously, only sees it as an chance to spend more time with certain knight.

Pairing: Fíli x Reader

Genre: angst-fluff

Tags:

Permanent taglist: @queenofmankind @randomparanoid @karlthecat15722 @thebutchersdaughtersblog

Warnings: a little angst, probably some typos

A/N: am I deliberately ignoring the canonical end of The Hobbit? Maybe so. PSA my phone died and i just got a new one; I'm still getting used to typing with it, that's why I haven't updated in more than a week. It's also why you'll probably find typos here, but I hope you enjoy this nonetheless <3.

Part II

Rogue-durin-16 masterlist

I sighed at the music that echoed through the pillared halls of Erebor and managed to sneak into my room. Staying isolated while the whole kingdom was partying made my immature side, the one who would run down to the celebration in the blink of an eye, come to the surface, burying my common sense in its way.

"Must I tie you down to the lamppost?" Luckily, I had the most efficient keeper in the entire Royal Guard to remind me what I could and couldn't do.

"Would it kill you to relax?" I teased, though I had gotten her memo and was already moving away from my door.

"Probably." She replied, sparing me a quick glance with raised eyebrows. "Likely, it would kill you too." I rolled my eyes at her. "That's rather the point."

As a new idea crossed my mind, a smile flashed across my face "I'll risk it." I said, moving to stand in front of her, and held out a hand. "Dance with me?"

"No?" her tone expressed perfectly her incredulity at my words.

"Y/n I'm so bored, please, indulge me." her eyes opened widely, throwing daggers at me as I removed her sword and started to tug her towards me. "No one will attempt to kill me here."

"We don't know that." she retorted, though she didn't stop me from placing one hand on her waist and the other up in the air holding hers.

"Yes we do." I hummed, starting to sway at the rhythm of the music, quieted down due to the distance between us and the great halls. "We're in my chambers."

"will you remind me why aren't you at the party?" she inquired intently.

"Because of Thorin's paranoia?" I feigned innocence as I pretended to doubt the answer.

"Wrong." I pouted and she shook her head. "Someone sent you a death threat." I huffed, pulling away from her to spin her around. "You should take it seriously." I dramatically groaned, pulling her back to me. "Fíli." I couldn't help but grin.

It took me quite a while —almost a year— to convince her to call me by my name and not by my title.

"There is nothing to worry about," I stated, earning a tired sigh from her. We had been having that same back and forth for a week —it had started as soon as she had been assigned that task, in which I might have had a hand. "Because you are here to protect me."

"Something I can't quite do if I'm dancing."

"I said I'll risk it" i repeated with raised eyebrows.

It was then that she finally started to relax in my arms, not before letting out a sigh of defeat accompanied by an eyeroll though. Her beautiful eyes drifted off me to get lost somewhere at my left; took that opportunity to let my poor façade down and stared at her mesmerized as if she was the Arkenstone.

It's not as if I didn't make it quite obvious that I fancied her —actually, that was an understatement— but often my feelings were accompanied by a joking tone to spare my heart from Y/n's genuine reply.

A strong knock made us jump away from each other and rush to get our respective weapons. "Fíli?" My shoulders relaxed when Nori's voice reached us, but just as I stepped to open the door, Y/n tugged my arm to stand behind her. "Calm down, will you?" The dwarf requested, offended at Y/n's hostility whilst letting him pass.

"I tried telling her, but she won't listen." Y/n huffed and I winked at her. "What is it?"

"Thorin wants to move you to another room until this is sorted out." My eyes widened at his words. Now the whole matter was starting to look like a tempest in a teacup. "Dwalin offered to exchange chambers with you."

"You're all exaggerating." Y/n joined Nori in his task of picking up the necessary. "This is ridiculous!" Both of them were now running around the room, completely ignoring me. "I can defend myself!" Y/n, now at the doorframe, motioned me to follow her out of the room. "I refuse to leave my room just because a coward sent—"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Force wasn't necessary." I grumbled, throwing myself over my back to the king sized bed. It wasn't as comfortable as mine.

"In fact," she gave me an intent look, taking off her light armor and mesh, and throwing them over a stone bench. "it was."

I propped myself up with my forearms, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion as I stared at Y/n. "What are you doing?"

"Getting ready to sleep?" She replied, leaving her sword as close to her as possible, in case she had to reach for it.

"In that chair?"

"Yes?" Now she was the one who frowned confused. "Where else?" With eyebrows raised, I motioned at the large, empty space on the bed. "No?"

"There's enough room left for you and your sword." She snorted as if I was joking —which I partially was but not entirely. "We're both grownups are we not?" Her eyes pierced through me giving me that look. "It wouldn't be the first time that we sleep together anyway."

"We are not to repeat that." She stated.

"Y/n? Y/n." I kicked her leg through my blanket and hers, making her gasp and consecutively turn to meet me with an annoyed gaze. "Don't give me that look."

"You just kicked me." She hissed in the same quiet tone I was speaking.

"Because you're shivering."

She completely spun around so now we were face to face. "That's not a valid reason to kick me."

"I was trying to get your attention." Before she could complain again, I rushed the words out of my mouth. "Sleep with me." She slightly scooted away, surely taken aback by my suggestion. "I'm freezing too." I added, which wasn't a lie, just an exaggeration.

Before I knew it, we were laying together with both blankets over us, our legs interlaced, and our faces way too close.

"this is the most uncomfortable position we could have chosen, is it not?" I laughed, refusing to let my cheeks redden.

She laughed too, in the same way I had. "Any suggestions?"

"maybe..." I started guiding her, searching for another posture. "Maybe... Like this? or-"

I was cut off by her quiet laughter, now genuine and contagious, as she had ended up with her torso over mine. "I don't think this is better." She caged me so she could prop herself and move; and she propped herself, but didn't move.

The muffled chuckles had died the moment our gazes met. Both of us parted our lips in an attempt to say something, but none spoke.

With our eyes locked, my hands carefully traveled up her thighs whilst one of hers hesitantly caressed my cheek.

As if we had silently agreed on it, we both leaned into each other and let our lips share a ghostlike kiss that left me yearning for more. It was the reason why I unconsciously lifted myself, trying to capture Y/n's lips when she pulled away.

I snapped out of it when my forehead met hers and her hands rested on my chest. It was the strangest sensation; seeing the regret in her orbs at the same time as I felt her body refraining itself from returning to me.

"... would it be so bad?"

Y/n opened her mouth like a fish out of water. "It would be worse. I thought I made clear that this" she finally spoke, motioning between me and her "cannot happen."

"Well, this time we're not sleeping in the woods." I reasoned, deliberately ignoring the pang in my chest. "So there is no reason for it to happen again. Now" I patted the matress. "Sleep with me."

After a moment of meditation, she gave in and lay down, throwing the soft furs over her.

Silence.

"This is uncomfortable." She spoke, both of our bodies stiff and our eyes on the ceiling.

"It is."

Silence.

"Okay, take the bed." I finally said, attempting to get off it and move to the chair, just to be tugged back by her hands.

"Don't you dare." Before I could argue, she scooted closer and I had to force myself to relax when she laid her head on my chest because I could make it even more uncomfortable if I didn't do so. "No kissing this time." She teased.

"Yes ma'am." I replied with a chuckle, wrapping my arms around her.

It didn't take long for either of us to fall asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

READER'S P. O. V.

I woke up to Fíli and Kíli's hushed voices, and I instantly jolted up, entering a kind of alert mode that only the two brothers were able to get me into.

"What are you doing?" Kíli's eyes went from his brother to me, and back to his brother. "What is it?" Instead of giving me a reply, the younger prince nodded at the blond one and exited the room. "What on Durin's beard was that?" I inquired, suspicious.

"I was telling him where I was going." Replied, sheathing his blade.

"You are not going anywhere."

"I am going out."

"No you're not." I commanded, already dreading it would be in vain.

"To Dale." He was speaking so casually, as if he wasn't about to disobey direct orders from our king and to get me in trouble in the process.

"Fíli."

"I need fresh air!" His voice became slightly louder in desperation.

"Go to the damn balcony!" I replied, mirroring his tone as I threw the furs off me.

"I'm going out."

"Well, I'm staying here." I firmly stated, not willing to give in just yet.

"Then I'm going out alone." And with that, he left. "Until this afternoon!"

"What even-" after going through a moment of shock, I got up and put on my boots, only being able to grab my sword and belt before rushing out of the room.

"Oh so you are coming?" He teased, literally strutting along the hallway, not bothering on slowing down the pace for me to be able to buckle my belt and sword around my waist without struggling.

"You're impossible." I yanked his arm to stop his walking.

With my attention on the belt I didn't notice how close he had gotten, so when his hands appeared in front of my eyes, pulling away mine, I had to stop myself from gasping. "You have always loved challenges." He pointed out, taking care of securing the belt around me.

"Not when I have to keep the challenge safe." He pulled at the leather clothing to make sure it was okay, and then held my hand to prompt me to resume the walk. "I don't even have my armor on."

"You won't need it." He assured me, not allowing me to go back before sneaking us out of the mountain.

This would surely end terribly.

[kirishwima]

Fluffy headcanons with the RFA sleeping over/ having their S/O sleep over for the first time?? xx

awee yes i love this!! 

YOOSUNG:

* He’s a m e s s before MC comes over

* Like oh my god he’s cleaning every corner of his apartment and tripping over his feet, he burns some incense to make the place smell nice, takes like three showers because-MC’s sleeping over! Here! in his apartment?!!

* An absoloute trembling mess-he’s the one that invited them to come over to watch movies and stay the night, but during the movie he’s shaking so much he can’t even wrap his hand around their shoulders all suave like he planned to

* MC will have to take the initiative to make this poor bean more comfortable-just grab his hand and tug it on their lap or something-not as an invitation to sex or anything, just in a comforting gesture to say it’s okay, he can be himself around them

* It did cross his mind that a sleepover with MC could lead to something more than just sleeping but he’s a gentleman through and through-and also so incredinly embarassed and shy he tells MC they can use his bed and he’ll bring out the air-bed; if MC insists they can share his bed he’ll never be able to sleep through the night lol

* When he does fall asleep, that’s when he truly becomes shameless-this boy is a warmth hoarder, so he’ll absoloutely end up sprawled on the bed, one leg over MC’s thighs, his hand over their head-he’s such a heavy sleeper he won’t wake up even if MC tries to shake him awake lol

* In the morning he’ll be a blushing mess, but also secretly so happy-he gets to wake up to MC! If he wakes first he’ll take a long moment to just look at MC’s sleeping form, before giggling to himself and giving them a kiss on the top of their nose, trying his best to not rouse them

* Will absoloutely make them their favorite kind of breakfast in the morning uwu

ZEN:

* He’s invited MC for dinner and wine at his place (yes, not beer-he can be a classy guy when he wants to be), and suggested they stay the night instead of leaving-he’d hate for them to be travelling alone that late in the night!

* He only realises just what he put himself into after making the offer-MC would be staying over. At his place. For. The. FIRST TIME.

* Immediatly starts cleaning and trying to make the place look less like a man-cave-hiding his accumulated dirty laundry into the washing machine, running to the nearest grocery store to get something that isn’t beer to stock up in the fridge, cleaning dirty dishes e.t.c

* When he feels the place looks semi-presentable, he then opens one single can of beer to drink and calm his nerves before he starts cooking-at all costs, he needs to hide the Beast tonight. He’s a gentleman god damn it, and he’s not about to lost control simply because the person he’s in love with is spending the night over!

* True to his word he really is a gentleman throughout the night-he makes them a candlelit dinner, puts some soft indie music to play on the radio as he chats with MC over a glass of wine-it’s only when he notices how late it’s gotten that he starts to disintegrate into a bubbly blushing mess.

* When he asks MC if they’d like to go to bed, he can barely pull the words out of his mouth, his eyes are swirling, and-is he sweating? He feels so warm and cold at the same time, and he’ll only calm down when MC grips his hand in theirs, telling him it’s alright if he’d rather they go home instead.

* Zen snaps himself back to reality. No, MC’s here, and he’ll cherish every moment with them, beast be damned!

* He’ll of course suggest they take the bed and he can sleep on the couch, but a single pouty look from MC will make him get ready for bed and cuddle under the sheets with MC.

* The Beast, surprisingly, doesn’t make an appearance; he’s simply so content in laying there, holding MC close to him, that he doesn’t even consider anything more than that. He’s just happy to kiss the nape of their neck before he falls asleep holding onto them.

* Good luck trying to turn around while sleeping MC-this dude’s a solid rock and if he’s holding on to them when falling asleep, then hoo boy, you’ll never be able to get out of his grip

* In the morning he’ll feel the most well-rested he’s ever been-so much so in fact, that he’s up by 5 a.m and making home-made lemonade and breakfast to bring in bed for MC

* Just a big lovey-dovey goof really, and he’s definitely planning on spending way more nights with MC from now on!

JAEHEE:

* Their first night together was actually incidental-she invited MC over to watch one of Zen’s latest musicals, only MC fell asleep whilst watching, their head lolling onto Jaehee’s shoulder.

* She smiles at the sight-loves how comfortable MC feels around her, and how she too, in return, feels just as comfortable around MC, like she can finally be herself around someone.

* Begrudgingly, she gently shakes MC awake, so she can tell them to go rest on her bed-she laughs at their muffled response of ‘but you’re more comfy than a bed’ and slowly drags them by the hand, lets them flop down on the bed and tucks them in with a kiss on the cheek.

* She goes to the closet to grab a blanket so she can sleep on the couch when MC asks her what she’s doing-when she says she’ll go sleep on the couch, there’s little chance MC would let her-instead they insist she comes rest with them, how they’ll be unable to sleep without Jaehee besides them.

* Well, that goes twofold-Jaehee too has only let herself doze off before in MC’s presence, always hyper-alert and focused around anyone else. She wonders if it’ll be the same if they sleep on the same bed, if she’ll be able to go to bed or if she’ll end up awake and anxious besides MC.

* With a sigh she decides to give it a go, slowly getting under the covers and keeping a respectful distance between her and MC-only it doesn’t last long, as MC shuffles closer to Jaehee, enough that their noses could touch if one of them moved.

* Jaehee stays awake for a while, even after MC falls asleep, unable to hide the smile spreading on her face-not once had she ever thought she’d feel this much for another person, and yet here she is, the one she loves sleeping within arms’ reach from her.

* She hesitantly moves her hand towards MC, tugging some loose strands of hair behind MC’s ear as she shuffles close to give them a soft kiss on the forehead, whispering goodnight before cuddling close and letting herself doze off.

* It’s true-she really does sleep better when she has MC beside her.

* In the morning, she actually overslept-a profound thing for Jaehee, but only goes to show how comfortable she is. She’ll wake up to the smell of breweing coffee and be thankful MC ever ended up in her life, hiding her giggly smile into her pillow

JUMIN:

* Well...MC has actually stayed at his place even when they barely knew each other, so there’s little to say here lol

* However! It’s a completely different story the first time they share a bed. 

* Jumin bid MC goodnight with a kiss on the forehead, already walking towards the door before MC stopped him, sitting upright in the bed with a pout. Jumin’s confused, but when MC asks him to sleep over beside them, he freezes.

* Yeah, he’d love nothing more than to have MC in his arms, to let them rest their head on his chest as they sleep, but is it okay? Would MC be comfortable to do so besides him?

* It’s not even about controlling himself-he’s not once thought of sexual desires when he left MC’s room at night, he simply wanted them to have a good night’s rest, and worried he’d ruin it if he slept besides them. But now that they ask him so sweetly, that adorable pout on their face, how could he possibly say no?

* He slowly comes to sit beside them on the bed, smiling as he sees them settle back into the sheets, and he tugs off his slippers and hides under the covers with them, at a distance at first, awkward and unsure of what to do.

* MC would have to guide him as to what to do-if it’s okay for him to wrap his arms around their waist, if it’s okay to let his head hide in the crook of their neck-he’ll be alert long after MC falls asleep, both because he loves to feel their chest rise and fall, knowing they’re safe besides him, but also because he’s never slept with someone in such an innocent way before-he never thought he would, really.

* It takes him a while to fall asleep, but when he does, it’s the sweetest sleep he’s ever gotten, uninterrupted, warm in MC’s arms.

* He’ll wake refreshed and well-rested, happy to turn his head and see MC’s sleeping form besides him, will even find their bed head adorable when they get up.

* From then on he simply refuses to sleep on his own-MC brought this upon themelsves after all, and now that this man knows what a good 7 hours of sleep can do to him, it’s over for y’all

SEVEN:

* He’s stayed at Rika’s apartment, but he literally hid in the corner the whole time and i doubt he ever slept so does it even count?

* The answer’s no. What does, instead, count, is the first night they share on the run, while looking for Saeran.

* He stopped driving after MC insisted they both need some rest, and whilst he was ready to book two rooms at a motel out of town, the receptionist informed him there’s only one room, and-surprise surprise, it comes with only one bed.

* So he books that, and tells MC they can have the bed-he’s used to sleeping pretty much anywhere, even the floor will do. Well, lo and behold, MC of course refuses to let him sleep anywhere else that isn’t besides them, knowing that a) He’d be uncomfortable and b) That he’d barely get any sleep anyway

* Instead they tug him onto the bed, pinning him down under them with a frown. Seven let himself be taken down, his eyes wide and his face redder than his hair as he looked to MC above him, noticing how they were essentially holding him in place with their thighs.

* “You. Are. Getting. 8. Hours of sleep or so help me Seven I’ll woop you into unconsciousness myself” MC says, and well, mark Seven down as both scared and horny lmao

* All jokes aside though, he really is tired-he doesn’t make much of a fuss when MC tucks him in under the covers and snuggles close to him, resting their head under his chin-he unconsciously wraps one hand around MC’s waist, bringing the other under his head.

* He falls asleep quicker than he ever did-one moment he was rubbing soothing circles onto MC’s hip, the next he’s dead asleep, waking up only when MC shakes him awake.

* He’s shocked at first, blinks fast as he tries to take in his surroundings-he nearly threw MC off the bed as he sat up, confused as to just why he felt the way he did (Hint: you feel well-rested Seven, something you’ve probably never felt in your life ever before)

* He has a renewed energy, like he’s a character in a videogame that took a max all stats potion, like a superhero-he won’t stop comparing his well-rested state to games all day, and MC has to bear with it, they made him this way after all lol

* From then on he’ll never ask for seperate beds ever again-he’ll only ever sleep well if MC is in his arms, and that’s that.

V/JIHYUN:

* It’s a little accidental how MC ended up staying over at his place-they were out drinking at his favorite wine bar with MC and Jumin, and MC seemed a little too tipsy by the end of the night to go home by themselves-even Jumin seemed worried, suggesting he and Driver Kim could take MC home instead of letting them go on their own.

* Well...that’d be fine, if MC would stop clinging onto V for like, five minutes. The moment Jumin tried to tug them away from V, MC started crying, saying he’s a big mean eggplant and ran back to V, hugging him tight and hiding their face onto his chest.

* Not gonna lie, Jihyun found the whole thing unbearably cute, and suggested he take MC to his place instead-in the most gentlemanly manner possible of course, only to let them rest and sober up so they can go home in the morning.

* Well, the clinging didn’t stop even when they were at V’s place-they barely let the poor minty boy grab a pair of pyjamas for each of them (and yeah, he secretly felt his heartbeat increase tenfold at the sight of his beloved wearing his clothes, be it oversized on them or not)

* He finally accepted his fate as he put MC in bed, ready to head to the couch to sleep, when MC grabbed his wrist, their eyes tearing up as they asked if he’s leaving them.

* So here Jihyun is, one arm beneath his head, the other rubbing soothing circles on MC’s back as he looks to their sleeping form, a pondering frown on his face.

* He tucks their hair behind their ear as they turn in their sleep, shuffling closer to V, breathing a sigh of relief as their nose nuzzles onto the cusp of his collarbone, and V huffs a small laugh at that. 

* He’s been so used to sleeping alone ever since Rika, he figured that’s just how his life would be from then on. He never thought he’d feel such fondness, such love for anyone else again, yet here he is, this person in his arms so precious he’s afraid of his own emotions towrards them. This isn’t a love like the sun-no, it’s like the stars, big, endless and lighting up the darkest of skies.

* He falls asleep just like that, his arm around MC, his eyes fluttering shut, and for once, he has no nightmares nor dreams-just a good night’s rest, letting him wake up refreshed to the first morning light as it preens through his half-shut curtains.

* MC is a blushing apologetic mess in the morning, but Jihyun just laughs, tugs them close and kisses them. 

* “Thank you for the best night’s sleep I’ve had in years” he says with a smile, and it’s true-he’s never slept better.

* From then on he tries to ask MC to stay over as frequent as possible, only able to rest if he feels their breaths match his own in the night.

This was too cute of a prompt i hope i did it justice aaaa

-Send me a mystic messenger scenario/prompt for character’s reactions!-

[soyeahitsmiddleearth]

I saw you’re open for requests would you please write a bilbo x reader where the reader joins the companion a hobbit too but she’s a healer ? Knows her herbs and potions, and she is over the heels for bilbo, but shy a bit, and one time when bilbo falls from somewhere high into a bush rather hard but he says he’s okay, yet at night he asks her if she could check him out cause his side hurt, he has thorns in his side lots of em and she has to pic them out, they are both in love🥺🥺,thankyou!

Bilbo Baggins x Reader

Being separately invited on a special expedition because of your renowned skills as a healer is quite the flattering thing, but what’s even better than having your ego stroked is being invited on said expedition with Bilbo, your favorite hobbit by far. 

You’d known Bilbo for almost as long as the two of you have been alive, and while it’s absolutely wonderful getting to go on a journey and leave the monotone of your everyday life, you’d be lying if you said that a part of your reason for joining wasn’t because Gandalf had told you Bilbo was going too. In fact, it may have even been the deciding factor since you were on the fence about it for the longest time. 

Your job as a healer of the Shire usually consisted of dealing with over eaters, small fevers, battered children from wild play, and some sickness usually with the elderly. 

This is way different, though.

Instead of sniffling children, you have blade wounds.

Instead of hiccups, you have bruises and bumps from falling from high places. 

Instead of minor coughs and colds, you have puncture wounds and foot rashes so bad that they even start to sometimes bleed. 

Oin, the dwarven healer of this group, helped to teach you about the anatomy of the dwarf and things that they can’t have that you hobbits can so you can be more effective, and very soon you find that your healing skills have become much more diverse. 

The worst of the wounds you’ve had to deal with so far is when Thorin nearly died after the goblin tunnels and all the bruises and slashes the dwarves got when you all fell form such a high place. 

Oin treated your injuries, and you did the same for him in response (since healing yourself sucks big time).

After dealing with so many bad injuries such as the ones aforementioned, you’ve grown to miss the days where you deal with simple and ridiculous things like scraped knees and runny noses, so when Bilbo fell into that horrible thorny bush you were relieved.

Not that he got hurt of course, but that you finally have something more tame to deal with. 

Only, when you ask to take a peek he insists that he is perfectly fine!

You know right away from the pained expression on his face that he’s lying, but you let it slide since you have no doubt that his refusal of help is to keep the dwarves from worrying for him. 

Later that night, though, you have him cornered while the dwarves wash and demand that he show you his injuries; and from the fiery look in your eyes and stern frown of you lips, he knows you mean business. 

“Show me your side this instant.” You declare, standing before him with your hands on your hips and an angry pout on your lips. 

“Y/N, I’m not going to show you my side.” He sasses back, subconsciously reaching up to graze his fingers along his clothed area. 

“And why not?" 

"Because I am perfectly fine." 

You know for a fact that, that’s a lie, for you saw him wincing and flinching as you all traveled after he fell into the bush.

"Do not lie to me, Baggins. Show me now or I’ll tell Thorin that you got hurt and you’ll be in big trouble. ”

At your threat he immediately relents, putting his hands up in a surrender motion, “Alright, fine. But it’s not a big deal.” And then he reaches into his tucked in shirt and pulls it up (he takes his waistcoat off when he sleeps), immediately revealing multiple punctures and thorns littering throughout his skin. 

“Oh, Bilbo!” You cry, dropping to your knees next to him to inspect the area right away, “You’ve been walking around like this all day?”

“It’s not a big deal- really. It looks worse than it feels.” He tries to explain away his foolish silence of such painful looking cuts, but you can see right through him as always. 

“Let’s pretend for a moment that you tell me the truth; how long were you planning on leaving this alone? Until infection settles in? Until you get sick and become a hug burden for the rest of us?” Your words are harsh and gaze steely with anger, but this fury you suddenly feel is more for yourself since you didn’t force him to let you see before. 

You’ve practically failed as a healer, letting him walk around like that for so long without proper treatment. 

With gentle hands and careful movements you move him to lay down on his good side and pick out one of the bloodied thorns, noting the way he flinches and winces when you pull it out. 

Blood wells up in the hole left by the thorn, and you can only pray that infection doesn’t settle in. 

You begin to work on a second thorn when Bilbo whispers softly, “I’m sorry, Y/N…”

The campground is silent as you wait for him to continue, and you glance up at him from beneath your eyelashes to see his face. 

He’s looking out at the trees ahead with a sad expression, and you can tell right away that he really is apologetic about keeping this from you. 

“I should have told you sooner…" 

"Yes, you should have.” You agree quickly, ripping another out quickly to not draw out the pain, grimacing when he gasps. “Sorry.”

Bilbo doesn’t say anything this time, instead opting to look at you while you work, occasionally flinching or grunting when you pull out a thorn. 

By the time you’re done he’s go more than 10 little holes prickling with blood littering throughout the expanse of his side, and the skin is all irritated and red with rash. 

“If you had come to me right away it wouldn’t be so bad.” You comment once all the bloody thorns are tossed off to the side somewhere else. 

He still doesn’t respond, but instead of trying to coax a reaction from him you just wet a cloth and begin to lightly dab at the bloody punctures in his side to both clean them and get rid of the sticky blood. 

After the blood stops flowing so frequently and the cloth you use is completely stained red, you pour a bit of water on it to rinse it and get some wrappings ready.

“Y/N, please, you needn’t waste wraps on me. I’ll be fine without them.” He pipes up suddenly, reaching over to grasp your busy hand gently. 

“Bilbo…” You warn, looking at him with another deep set frown. “Let me finish my job. I don’t want you to get sick from infection.”

He sighs upon your insistence and allows his hand to fall back to the ground, sitting up when you gesture for him to so you can wrap up his torso. 

Your fingers brush lightly against his warm skin while you wind the makeshift bandages around him, a small smile coming to your face despite your previous anger and frustration with this stubborn hobbit. He never ceases to amaze you even when you’re mad at him. And what I mean by that is that he literally walked around this all day without alerting everyone to the fact that he wasn’t doing so well. 

Truthfully, the only reason you even noticed is because you watch him a bit more closely than the others. Both out of love and out of worry since you knew that it was only a matter of time until he pulled something like this. 

Once it’s all wrapped up and secure you lean down and press a kiss against his side, sitting back up and allowing him to return his shirt to it’s previous tucked in position before he lays back down. 

When you look at his face it’s red (no doubt because you kissed him) and it makes you smile some more. 

“I-I thought you were mad at me…?" 

"I am, but I’m also glad that you’re okay. I worry for you, you know.” You reply easily, lifting your hand to graze your fingertips against his cheek. 

You lean over him slightly and notice the way he suddenly looks nervous, but you don’t go any further and instead continue to just look at him. 

After some time of this weird stare down he asks softly, “U-Um… Y/N?”

“Yes, Bilbo?" 

"I… thank you. I would be lost without you. Truly.” He reaches up and runs his fingers through your curly hair, smiling a bit when you lean into his touch. 

“It’s my job, Bilbo. Looking after you and healing you.” It’s embarrassing hearing him praise and thank you for your skills, since you really do, do this out of love for people (thought the praise is very nice).

“Specifically me?" 

"Well, all of you technically.” You reply back with a grin, leaning down closer until your faces are barely an inch apart before whispering, “But I like you the most." 

His face floods red much like you expected it would, and it draws a giggle from your lips right away. 

"Y-You do?”

You nod your head and begin to caress his cheek lightly, half hovering over him while you watch his countenance morph from shyness to a warm smile. 

“I like you the most as well." 

His slightly hesitant words make you giggle again, and this time you lean down and press a quick kiss to the tip of his nose to see that brilliant blush spread across his cheeks once more. 

You’re not disappointed, because after you kiss him his face floods red, but instead of being all flustered and sheepish like you expected he would he instead reaches up and grabs the sides of your face, pulling you down so your lips will meet once and for all. 

Of course, you don’t deny him (it doesn’t even cross your mind for a second) and you immediately lean down against him. 

The kiss doesn’t last long; nor does it go anywhere special, but you enjoy it all the same and almost find yourself craving more. 

You don’t act upon that impulse of course and instead flop down next to him and snuggle into him (on his good side of course).

"W-Wait, Y/N, what will the others say?" 

"Um… well I don’t really care.” You reply easily, adding softer at the end, “Unless you do?”

A moment of silence passes by until suddenly some of your hair is brushed from your face and he replies just as sweetly and softly as before.

“No… I don’t." 

[junipersgarden]

metanoia 5. | Mistake

PAIRING: Peter Parker x Superhero!Reader

SUMMARY: Nick Fury has successfully managed to kidnap Peter and yourself by taking full control over your vacation, Peter’s jealously and love takes control as he targets Brad Davis... quite literally. 

WORD COUNT: 2687 words

WARNINGS: Mention of blood

a/n: i still have to write the next chapter and gonna be honest i dunno when i will but i hope you enjoy this part !!

[NOT MY GIF]

...

On a bus in the Eastern Alps, Austria...

...

"Why does Flash do those livestreams?" You tilt your head to the side as you observe Flash talking into his phone as he exaggerates his current status.

Peter simply shrugs with his mouth turned down and eyebrows raised as you giggle at his weird facial expression.

You and Peter were seated toward the back of the bus and the both of you were stoked that you two finally got to have quality time; a time to finally relax and try and not stress about the Fire Elemental that could potentially destroy all of Prague.

You had to also be mindful of what you said and who you said it to so you don't accidentally expose yourself; sure you'd been Saviour as long as Peter's been Spider-Man but still always kept track of your words and actions.

"So, how have you been Y/N/N? Just, haven't really talked or seen you in a while and I'm really sorry about that." Peter's eyes soften as he shifts to look at you.

Knowing he was referring to Spider-Man duties, you weren't mad or anything at him; the crime rate has risen after the Blip since people left with nothing have corrupted themselves and villains have become more 'popular' merely because the Avengers don't exist anymore.

It was up to you and Peter to protect the neighbourhoods in New York like you two had done in previous years but now you both are expected to carry the mantles of the deceased and absent Avengers.

Yes it scared you to be seen as one of the next Avenger's to promise to live to guard the Earth from any threats with your life, sacrificing everything for everyone to be safe but what scared you the most was drifting from the important people in your life like your family, F/N, MJ, Ned and Peter.

"'M sure it's not your fault you've been busy and it's fine Pete. I'm doing alright I guess; just everything feels out of balance after the whole you know. But I don't wanna waste time sobbing about-"

"Hey," Peter gently grabs a hold of your knee in a comforting way, "I know you're not big on talking about feelings but it's good to let it out; whenever you're ready I'm here."

Peter rubbed soothing circles on your knee with a twinkle in his eyes as if he swore on his life he'd be there for you no matter what.

You deeply sigh and refuse to cry but you placed your hand to top of his, turning your head to face him.

"T-There's something I wanna show you." Peter kept his hand on your knee as he dove, scrambling in his bag he fished out what appeared to a glasses case.

The case looked so familiar to you but you couldn't exactly identify where you'd seen it or what possibly is inside it but it seemed to be important.

"Is this you're way of telling me you need glasses?"

"N-No! I got these off... Nick Fury."  Peter said ever so quietly, afraid someone would hear him.

"O-Oh... what is it?" You lift your hand off Peter's so he can open it.

Peter opens the case and reveals a pair of glasses with a Stark Industries card beneath it.

"Oh god." You exhale as you stare intensely at the glasses and instantly remember seeing Tony on multiple occasions working on that exact pair or wearing glasses so similar to the one's in front of you.

Peter sees your face and panics. "S-Sorry Y/N I shouldn't of-"

"Try them on Peter." You blurt out and surprise yourself and Peter.

Peter nods and picks the glasses and puts them on. "How do I look?"

You look cute.

"You look like Tony." You smile and pick up the card to fiddle with it and turning it over, you see Tony's handwriting and read what he wrote.

"Pete." You nudge him and pass the card to him so he can read it.

"For the next Tony Stark, I trust you. P.S Say Edith?"  Peter reads out loud and gives you a look of confusion.

Suddenly, the lenses of the glasses turn blue as if an AI had been activated.

"Standby for retinal and bio-metrical scan." A female voice from the glasses speaks.

"Peter what's happening?"

"I don't-"

"Retinal and bio-metrical scan accepted." The female voice announces.

"H-Hello?" Peter calls out to the voice in the glasses.

"Hello Peter and Y/N. I am EDITH, Tony Stark's reality, security and defensive system

"So he made you for us?" Peter asks.

"No. But both of you do have access to all of Tony's protocol's."

That sure'd come handy.

"W-What do you stand for and what can you do?" You question EDITH.

"EDITH stands for Even Dead I'm The Hero. Tony loved his acronyms.

"Yeah, he sure did..." Peter agrees.

"I have access to the entire Stark Global Security Network, including multiple defensive satellites, as well as back doors to all major telecommunication networks."

"Woah..." You and Peter say at the same time.

Peter begins to glance around the bus with bewilderment and disbelief.

"W-What can you see?"

"P-People's phones. Like w-what they're on..."

"Oh my god..." You say with astonishment and you can't help but chuckle at your and Peter's discovery.

Peter chuckles along with you and he can't help but grin at you, thinking just maybe, the universe has given him the break and happiness he needs; Y/N is almost back and cannot wait until then or when he finds the perfect opportunity to let his hidden feelings out.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"10 minutes everyone!" Mr. Harrington shouts as the bus stops and everyone jumps to their feet to get out.

Even though Peter's plan was already failing miserably with Paris now out of the trip completely, Peter at least 4 and a half hours just with Y/N without anything going wrong or bad or Brad Davis trying to swoop Y/N away from him was a bonus.

Peter and Y/N had talked for the whole bus ride and shared a few laughs and reconnected more than they have ever done in the last 8 months.

"You go first." Peter offers Y/N to go before him to hop off the bus.

Y/N complied and thanks Peter but as he went to follow her, Dmitri struck his arm out to prevent Peter from walking any further.

"What?" Peter queries as he watches Y/N and the rest of his class walk further away.

Dmitri points and Peter's eyes travelled along Dmitri's finger to a blonde woman with her arms crossed staring at him before disappearing from plain sight.

Peter grips his backpack and began to pursue after her and entered in what was a closed bar and the woman standing with her arms down her sides and noticed something black lying on a fussball table.

"Hello-"

"Close the door." The woman says with an accent.

Peter twists the blue door's handle and closed it shut, giving the woman an awkward smile, started to walk to her and held his hand out for the woman to shake but she stayed perfectly still and unimpressed.

"Um, I'm Peter Parker-"

"Take off your clothes."

I-I'm sorry what?

"Excuse me-"

"You told Fury Spider-Man couldn't be seen in Europe. So I made you this; another suit" The woman leaned toward the table and picked up a black package and gifted it to Peter.

"Oh uh, thank you." Peter grabs the suit but stood with it, not knowing what to do and certainly not wanting to-

"Take off your clothes!" The woman demands in a frustrated and annoyed tone.

"This is embarrassing..."

Peter moves ever so slowly, hoping that maybe she'd tell him not to but she yelled at him to hurry up so Peter dropped his backpack and setted his suit back onto the table.

Here goes nothing...

Fumbling with his zipper, Peter pulls down his jeans and to his horror, the door clicked open.

A beam of white light shone into the room and Peter scrambles to the woman who was reaching for her gun.

"No, no, no don't!" Peter latches his hand to grab the woman's gun and held his other hand as some sort of protection and saw the person at the door was none other than his rival Brad Davis.

"Woah!" Brad peers up from his phone and examines the scene in front of him. "Sorry, uh,  I thought this was the bathroom?"

"This is not what it looks like!" Peter hurriedly stammers.

"Uh yeah." A flash from Brad's phone followed by the noise of a camera click.

"What are you doing-"

"I'll leave you two alone." Brad backs his way to the door.

The woman quickly grasps her gun and aimed it to Brad's head as Peter struggles with his pants. "Don't shoot anybody!"

Peter beckons to Brad to stop so he could explain as he zips up his undone flyer, Peter leaves the bar and sees Brad speed walking back up to the group.

"Hey man look-"

"Look, Peter. I'm not here to judge your life choices, dude. If you want to hook up with some random European chick on our school trip, that's on you." Brad gradually slows down to a stop.

"That's not what that was. Honestly."

"I can't pretend I didn't see what I just saw. I know you're trying to get with Y/N/N. It's obvious. But I like her too."

"Wait a minute, hey, hey you can't show Y/N that photo dude come on."

"But I have to. She deserves the truth." Brad spins back around and jogs to everyone, desperately searching for Y/N.

Peter heaves out heavy breaths; years of friendship and everything could be ruined within the next couple of minutes all because of an out of context photo, stubborn Nick Fury and Brad Davis falling for Y/N too.

Oh no.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Hoping back on the bus, you managed to score the backseat and promptly waited for Peter; saving a seat for him again and eager to spend the remaining extra 4 and a half hours with Peter again and possibly trying on EDITH for yourself.

As everyone piled onto the bus and finding their seats, you couldn't see Peter anywhere and worried that maybe something happened to him.

But your concern was turned into disappointment as you saw Peter sit in the nearest seat toward the front, the seat furthest away from you.

Maybe he didn't see me?

As if he'd read your mind, you see Peter shoot his head from his seat, staring down at Brad who was furiously scrolling on his phone and then avert his eyes to you before drawing away.

"Oh." You slouch into your seat and can't help but feel upset in a way.

Peter, again, sticks his head from his seat but is wearing the EDITH glasses and standing up with regret written all over him.

Curious, you sneakily stand up and glimpse out the back window and understand to why Peter's face is as pale as a ghost; a Stark Industries drone was hovering to the bus with intentions to strike.

"Holy s-" Your statement is interrupted by Flash Thompson being punched by Peter Parker.

Did he just punch Flash? About time! But wrong time Parker!

"H-Hey ARIS?" You squeak, heart racing with fear for the safety and lives of everyone.

"Good afternoon Ms. L/N, how may I-"

"Need you to tell me what the hell Parker did." You grumble and aim your wrist at the drone for ARIS to scan the drone.

"Target is Brad Davis and is about to fire in 3, 2-"

Surveying the bus, you spot Brad out of his seat with his eyes on you and without thinking, you leap out of your seat.

"1."

"Brad-" Immediately the bus is taken under and swerves violently, people screaming at the instant motion.

Inertia fails to keep you balanced and you forcefully slam into a row of seats and bang your head slightly on the window.

Groaning in pain, everything around you seems heightened and intensified, vision blurred from the strong and unexpected impact, a weight of someone yanking your arm awakes you from your state and soon realise Brad had dragged you to the floor with him.

"Lookatthebabymountaingoats!" Peter's piped voice strains, begging for everyone to look the other way.

Semi shoving yourself off Brad, you help him to his feet and allow him to go in front of you so he can see the 'baby mountain goats'.

With everyone distracted, Peter springs into the air and through the emergency exit window, you watch with two thoughts: What the hell are you doing and what the hell did you do?

Hearing sounds of the drone malfunctioning, you rotate yourself and see flames being emitted from the drone and wince at the explosion, you crawl back into your original seat.

"Didn't see any mountain goats..." Mr. Harrington sadden utters.

"You missed them."

"I know you think none of us have notice Peter." Betty abruptly confesses.

Your heart drops to your stomach; for sure Peter Parker was not in anyway subtle about being Spider-Man but he did have you fooled for years until- until then...

"But your new look," Oh thank god Betty, "I love it."

Sinking into your seat again, you hiss at the pain of your head and massage to rid the pain but as you land your fingers to the wound, you feel that the back of your head is damp.

Pulling your hand from your head, you gasp as you see blood staining your fingertips; the red metallic liquid decorated with black meant that the wound would be deep if it was secreting your 'black blood' which contained essence of your powers out.

"Damn it."

There was only one way to heal it but that would require for your eyes to fully blackout but the chances of someone seeing your eyes could mean the end of your life but if this patch doesn't heal fast enough naturally without extra energy or power converted strictly to the injury could mean severe blood loss.

Let's do this...

You shut your eyelids and focus intently, a small shallow breath leaves you, feeling your iris and eyes become tainted with black.

You could feel the wound closing up and blood seeping its way back into your body, an invisible wave of energy forms around it and soon enough, the gash is no more but you could tell there would be some sort of mark and continuous aching.

"Hey Y/N, you have to see this."

Opening your eyes, you forget of your darkened pupils and squint your eyes shut and knead them to make your eyes go back to normal.

You'd only seen Brad with his eyes glued to his phone but you had no clue of the people around you.

Going with Attempt #2, you bravely open your eyes and breathe out a breath of relief.

Brad, still retaining to his phone, slides into the seat next to you.

"What is it Brad?"

"It's about Peter. He and this chick were in the bathroom and-"

Peter would never.

"You got proof?"

"Yeah! I got a photo of them; can't believe Peter could do such a thing."

Brad enters his photo gallery and is puzzled as he insanely swipes through all his photos.

"Uh, this is so weird, it was right here on my phone!" Brad tries to justify.

"Uh huh... totally weird... Brad if you don't mind, I'm incredibly tired from almost being killed again and would like to enjoy a nap by myself?"

"Oh, yeah, s-sure..." Brad lowers his seat and goes back to his seat, still hunting for his precious picture.

Bending down, you fish out your pair of headphones and plug them into your phone and open your playlist, adjusting the headphones to your ears and Google 'Popular attractions in Prague' and 'Events in Prague'.

Prague for the meanwhile before getting burnt to crisps better be worth it...

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[7-wonders]

As Above, So Below Ch. 21

Summary: Your average, mundane life as a college student is flipped upside down when the man you thought you knew as your next-door neighbor turns out to be the God of the dead. When Michael lures you down to Hell, everything that you thought you knew about the world is proven wrong.

Word Count: 2523

A/N: Hello, hope y’all enjoy this new chapter! If you did, likes and reblogs are extremely appreciated, as are comments :)

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6| Chapter 7| Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21: Of Heaven, Hell, and All In Between

In all of your wildest dreams, you would have never imagined getting to show your love your favorite parts of being a human would be one of them, let alone your reality. Now, Michael’s hand clasps yours as you walk down the streets of . He had given you the option to go anywhere and, while there’s so many places and things that you want to show him, you had to first go to where it all began. The situation almost feels mundane, were it not for the fact that Michael’s the literal God of the Dead. 

“What’s going on in that head of yours, darling?” Michael mutters into your ear.

“Just...thinking about how weird this is, that we’re together Above.”

“Is it a good weird or a bad weird?”

He’s teasing you, the quirk of his lips betraying his cautious words, so you play along. “A bad weird, obviously. I had hoped to parade through the streets after successfully returning from the land of the dead. Unfortunately, I seem to have fallen in love with the ruler of that land.”

Michael smirks, stilling when you smile at him and kiss his neck. “What was that?”

“Uh, me kissing your neck?” Michael nods. “Because I think you’re cute, and I can show you my affection when we’re not fighting, fucking, or on the verge of death.”

He stares at you for a long moment, making you nervous that kissing his neck was the wrong move. “Do it again,” Michael commands.

Biting your lip to stifle your giggles, you oblige and kiss his neck once more. Michael hums contentedly, pulling you closer to his side. Everything about you clashes with him. Michael’s skin, pale as new snow, while your skin has weathered years of being under the sun. He’s clad in nothing but black, which makes your sweater stand out even more. He refuses to show more than a minuscule smirk in public, but the wide smile on your face more than makes up for his lack of one. On the outside, you’re two completely different people. Your souls, however, are another story.

If souls could have colors, Michael’s would be the darkest shade of black. It’s the type of soul where, if anyone were to get too close, they would come away with hands stained the same color as his soul. You’re not sure what color yours would be, but certainly lighter than Michael’s. While your soul no doubt bears the mark of Michael, just as his has your lightness, a stain’s something that you want to get out. You would never want to remove Michael from any part of your life. No matter the differences you may share, your souls are in perfect harmony with one another, each drawing light from the dark and vice versa.

“This is the best that your mortal life has to offer?”

You shoot Michael a playful glare. “Well, I didn’t exactly have much of a forewarning before arriving at Violet’s, which makes it a little difficult to come up with a way to fully celebrate my last day as a mortal.”

“We can do whatever you would like, darling. This is your day; I will follow you anywhere and do anything as long as I’m with you.”

“Including just standing around, waiting for me to decide what to do?”

Michael laughs, pulling you closer to him and kissing your forehead. “Especially that.”

You continue walking through a park, no destination in mind as you think about the possibilities of the day. You could go to Paris or Milan. Greece would be nice to visit, although you’re not sure Michael would be too excited about that. Somewhere tropical, maybe? The mental image of Michael, dressed in his long sleeves and slacks and sitting under a black umbrella to keep out of the sun, makes you laugh.

“Wait,” you say suddenly, an idea forming. “Can you give me like half an hour to get some things together? I know what I want to do.”

“What am I supposed to do while you’re gone?”

You shrug. “I don’t know. Go help your sister? Or I’m sure there’s business to attend to back home, if you think you have the time.”

“Half an hour,” Michael says after a moment, “and no longer. Then I’ll have to hunt you down and it will spoil whatever you’re planning.”

“Deal!” Kissing Michael quickly, you glance around to make sure nobody is looking your way before you transmute to where you need to go. Michael sighs while looking at the spot where you once were, your excitement getting the best of your conversational skills.

“Love you too.”

//

Exactly thirty minutes later, you track Michael down with very simple divination. You’ve kept good on your promise of never using a mirror for divination again, the experience of being sucked into a living nightmare one that you’d like to never repeat, but divination using objects like pebbles comes in handy. He’s not at his sister’s apartment, nor is he in the Underworld. Instead, Michael’s in a location that you’re both familiar with; the location where you first met.

The Murder House doesn’t hold the same dread within its walls that it once did. After battling the literal Devil, you don’t think anything could scare you like it used to. Traipsing through the house like you own the place (maybe you do--if Michael owns it, then that means it’s technically yours, right?), you find Michael standing in the unfinished living room.

“Feeling nostalgic?” You wrap your arms around him from behind, leaning your head against his firm back.

“Just reminiscing.” Michael lifts your arms from his torso, turning around so that you’re face to face with him. “Did you accomplish what you set out to do?”

Humming your affirmation, you look up at Michael. “When was the first time you saw me? Was it when I snuck in here to go ghost hunting, or were you up to some stalker shit?”

“It was not ‘some stalker shit,’” Michael quotes with a scowl. “I had simply come Above for some business, using the Hellmouth under this house as my portal, when I saw you struggling to carry all of your groceries into the house at once.”

“Wow, and you didn’t bother to help?” you quip sarcastically.

“If I remember correctly, I heard you saying that ‘multiple trips are for amateurs.’ Didn’t want to diminish your accomplishment.” Your face heats up at the quote, but you can’t help the smile at the first time Michael saw you.

“That’s when you knew you loved me, right?”

Your teasing tone is lost on Michael. “No. I knew I was in love with you the first time you met Cerberus and you immediately managed to become best friends with him.”

“How do you manage to make my jokes into something sweet and sentimental?”

“A millennia of practice.” Michael looks out the window, towards the house that you used to occupy. “Do your roommates know what’s become of you?”

“I told them I’m studying abroad in England next year, and that I wanted to leave early to travel through Europe. My belongings are still there, but I can worry about getting those later.” You can tell that Michael is starting to feel guilty about what he believes is himself forcing you from your mortal life, so you grab his hands. “Are you ready to see what I have planned now?”

“Lead the way, my queen.” Closing your eyes tightly (the sudden change of location still makes you a little nauseous), you transmute both you and Michael to your so-called “secret” location.

It takes Michael a moment to adjust, the sunlight so bright that his eyes squint to avoid being temporarily blinded. You giggle, waiting patiently as he becomes accustomed to being in nature. When he’s finally able to open his eyes, he looks around in confusion. 

“Is this--”

“The meadow that you recreated for me in Elysium when you took me on a date. I decided that I wanted to show you the real version of it.”

Michael’s at a loss for words as he looks around at the wide open space, and the best response he can come up with is “why did it take you thirty minutes if you knew where you were going?”

Gesturing to a spot beneath a large tree, Michael sees a large blanket set up with a variety of foods spread on it. “I figured I would return the favor and take you on a date this time.”

“That’s quite backwards, isn’t it?”

“It’s the 21st century, Michael. Women can take men on dates if they want.”

Michael knows you’re joking, but still holds his hands up in mock-surrender. “I’m not complaining, I’m just not used to this.”

You lead Michael over to the picnic you set up, sitting down and attempting to keep your excitement contained as he joins you. “Pick your poison, baby. What speaks to you?”

“What are those?” Michael asks, pointing to a plate.

“They’re cupcakes.” He tilts his head in confusion, reminding you of a puppy. “It’s cake, but in cup form so that you don’t have to eat it with a fork.”

Hesitantly unwrapping one, he sniffs it before taking a cautious bite. Michael looks at you with an indecipherable expression, his lips sporting the remains of the white frosting.

“Oh, I really like that.”

You laugh, surprising him when you kiss the frosting off of his lips. “You have to be careful though, because they can be pretty sweet.”

“Just like you,” Michael fires back, making you roll your eyes. 

“Wow, how original. There must be a universal playbook or something.”

“Or every other man in history has learned that line from me, because I’m pretty sure I was the first to use that line,” Michael points out, making you begrudgingly nod.

“I didn’t think of that possibility.”

“Your turn.” Dipping his finger in the frosting of a cupcake, Michael holds it up to your lips and watches intently as you lick it into your mouth. You know exactly the game that he’s playing towards, and you refuse to give in.

“What’s it like?” you ask suddenly.

“What’s what like?”

“Being immortal.”

Michael thinks for a moment. “There’s a certain...power that comes along with knowing that you are one of the privileged few that get to live forever, but I can tell that’s not what you’re curious about.”

You smile slightly, shaking your head. “I’m scared to watch my family and friends grow old and die, while I remain the same.”

“I can’t pretend that I know what that’s like,” Michael sighs, “but I can attempt to offer you comfort. While that must be difficult, the upside of being the Queen of the Underworld--”

“Not yet,” you chime in.

“Not yet, but you will be. Anyways, I suppose that’s the beauty of our realm. Life does not end with death; it continues, just in different forms.” At the mention of ‘death,’ Michael looks down at the wilting flowers around him in disdain. “Well, life does not end with death when it involves you.”

“Here, give me your hand.” Michael looks at you suspiciously, but you just hold your hand in front of his face. “Hand.”

Michael complies, placing his large hand in yours. You breathe deeply, ignoring how he looks at you like you’re going a little crazy. 

“Now look.” Michael does as he’s told, looking down at the ground. The flowers around him are now fully blooming, each a variety of colors that have Michael bending down to get closer.

“You’re spectacular, (Y/N).” Michael beams at you. “I cannot wait until you’re my wife.”

“Your wife?” you say, choking on air.

“Yes? That’s typically what comes along with being a queen.” Michael hesitates at the look on your face. “I mean, unless that’s not what you want, in which case exceptions can be made.”

“Michael,” you call, stopping his rambling. “It’s--you just surprised me, that’s all. We’ve never talked about marriage before, so I wasn’t really expecting it.”

“You...would want to be my wife, though?” Michael asks cautiously.

“Is this you asking to marry me?”

“Would you accept if it was?” 

You shrug, stringing him out just a little longer. “I don’t know, I suppose you’ll have to ask and find out.”

“(Y/N) (Y/L/N), I love you. As a man who did not believe I was capable of being loved, you’ve shown me how to love and be loved unconditionally. For that, I give you my word that I will love you until the end of days. I can only hope that you will do the same; that I have left the same indelible mark on your soul as you have mine.

“I am sure you are aware that our union would not be the traditional one that you have in mind. No white dress or elaborate ceremony, no ‘I do’s or wedding marches. However, I can promise you that you will be mine, just as much as I will be yours. We will be married for all intents and purposes as according to the customs of the gods. I will move mountains for you; hang the stars in the sky and then take them down, solely because you asked me to do so. So, (Y/N), will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

You grin, desperate not to cry as Michael spills his feelings to you, ending it with a declaration that’s just as surprising to him as it is to you. He knows what you’re going to say, he’s been able to read you like a book since the day you met, but he still waits patiently to hear you say it.

“Yes, Michael.” You whisper it so quietly that you fear it may get lost in the wind, but he hears it. “Of course I’ll marry you.”

He takes your face in his hands. “Yes? Really?”

“Yes,” you laugh. “Really.”

Michael surges forward to kiss you, eagerly touching any piece of you that he can. You giggle as he lays you back on the blanket, hovering over you and kissing your cheeks, nose, neck--everywhere.

“My wife,” he says in awe. “You’ll have to forgive me for not having a ring at the ready for this spontaneous proposal.”

“I don’t need a ring, love,” you stroke his hair away from his face. “Having you as my husband is all I’ll need.”

“Your majesty,” a voice says suddenly, causing you and Michael to spring apart. Cassius, the demon who had helped with your plan to dispose of Satan, stands above the blanket.

“Jesus Christ,” you mutter, still getting over the shock of having somebody interrupt an intimate moment. “Look, I know you shun modern advancements, but everybody should seriously consider investing in cell phones to give some forewarning.”

Michael huffs a laugh under his breath, kissing your hand that he holds. “Cassius, what brings you here.”

“I have a message from Hermes, on behalf of Hera. The golden apple has been procured. Hermes will be bringing it Below henceforth.”

//

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[anotherdarkiboi]

Love Hurts- Bing/Google

Warnings: injuries, blood, medical mentions, getting beaten up, insults, fighting, mild cursing, one sided pining turned guilt.

"Walk it off," Bing mumbles to himself, "walk it off."

The swollen black eye and bruises littering his body ache, making it difficult for him to see and move. He wouldn't be surprised if a rib or two was fractured and his left ankle (or whatever android equivalent he had) hurt enough for him to think it might be twisted.

"Walking it off" hurt like a bitch.

Bing slowly limps to Dr. Iplier's office and makeshift bedroom with every step shooting pain up his left leg. He squints his one good eye to adjust to the darkness of night, peering around the hallway corners and making sure there was no one around before progressing. Bing doubted anyone would be wandering around in the middle of the night, but many of the egos were either insomniacs or didn't require sleep, so he checked to be safe. He doesn't want to be seen like this.

He keeps one arm along the wall for support, the other arm clutching his trusty skateboard. He licks his upper lip experimentally: it was split, tasting like iron and rust. Bing winces at the sting, the movement further straining his injured mouth. At least I'll get a sick looking scar from this, he thinks.

Bing softly knocks on Dr. Iplier's door. "Hey Doc, you in?" he stage whispers.

There is a sound of something heavy falling to the ground and a string of unintelligible cursing on the other side.

"I swear, if this is another one of those late-night skateboarding incidents-" The door opens to reveal a sleep deprived doctor. "What happened to you?"

Dr. Iplier grabs Bing's skateboard and helps him into the room, maneuvering the android's arm over his shoulder to distribute the weight off Bing's left ankle. The doctor then eases Bing upright onto the hospital cot.

The android could feel Dr. Iplier's gaze scanning him and the splotches of neon orange blood on his skin. Bing doesn't answer the doctor's question.

"Close the door," Bing says.

The doctor complies, his worry growing. He's instantly by Bing's side again, assessing his many injuries. The bruises and broken skin look like the result of punches: the black eye too. It was obvious that it was intentional. Especially with the android's uncharacteristically shady behavior, there was definitely someone else involved.

Dr. Iplier grabs a bottle of antiseptic and some bandages to work on the worst of the wounds. He also got ice for Bing's ankle and black eye and cream for the split lip. The doctor glances at Bing worriedly, who hasn't made eye contact ever since he was admitted into the makeshift clinic. Dr. Iplier dabs carefully at the wounds with a white cloth. Bing sharply inhales in pain.

"Bing... Who did this to you?"

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

It was obvious to everyone that Google hated Bing. They were made by opposing companies after all, and their personalities clashed like baking soda and vinegar in a science fair volcano: it was explosive. It was a Cold War for the most part, with petty bickering and casual insults attacked from both fronts and their anger simmering below the surface.

Google didn't seemed bothered by it. He was a very left-brained individual: cold, cool, and calculating. Google was blunt in his insults and no matter how hard Bing tried, nothing he said seemed to hurt Google as much as he wanted to. Sometimes Bing doubted the android had the ability to feel emotions other than annoyance and pride.

Bing wasn't similar. Sure, he had thick skin. He was as much of an android as Google and it was rare for him to feel the emotional extremes. Bing was mellow a solid 95% of the time, hence why most people upon first meeting him thought he was always high. He tried not to let Google's creative and scarily accurate insults get to him. Google even refused to touch him, 'lest he "tarnish his hands from Garbage: Personified". Bing had to admit, that one stung.

Of course, it wasn't like he could say anything about it. He'd lose the one source of interaction he had with Google and admit defeat by stopping now. It was far too late to back out or tone things down: his feelings had been hurt too much already. And besides, Bing liked messing with Google. He enjoyed the attention even if it was negative, because for the most part that was the only attention he got.

Bing liked him, maybe a bit more than he wanted to admit. He knew he didn't have a chance. Google hated his circuits after all, and they've been fighting too much to be able to reconciliate. Bing wanted to be Google's friend, maybe even more than that. He knew he should stop, he should stay away, he should just leave Google alone or at least settle for being rivals instead of holding onto this hopeless desire. But somehow he couldn't. Even so, Bing hated Google, and hated himself for not being able to hate Google more.

Bing found himself in Google's room that night, interrupting his recharge cycle. Google was running on 1% battery so he was a little loopy and out of sorts: never a good thing if you're an android bent on destroying mankind.

Google was annoyed at Bing for preventing his "sleep", which spurred into the two of them arguing about what is more important than sleep. Surprisingly their bickering was more muted, borderline playful banter. Maybe it was because Google was tired and Bing was tired of fighting. It was the first time that Google spoke to Bing on somewhat equal footing.

Bing noticed.

He vaguely remembered making a joke at Dark's expense and Google rolling his eyes dramatically without his usual malice. Bing remembered smiling, a lot. Bing remembered wishing that things could always be like this, that they could talk together without being at each other's throats all the time.

"How is it that someone as low as yourself can be so popular?" Google commented elusively.

Bing chose to ignore the downplayed insult. At first he thought Google was trying his hand at sarcasm. Google stared at Bing directly in the eyes (making Bing uncomfortable) and spoke with genuine conviction. He wasn't joking.

Bing didn't consider himself popular by any means. He was default, which meant he hung around the humans more and was better adapted to them. Even though Google was the superior search engine technologically (Bing would never admit it), he still maintained the same icy personality that he had ever since he was first programmed.

Bing had some friends, sure. Some of the Ipliers and the Septiceyes for one, especially his "bro away from home", Chase Brody. But for the most part, people found him annoying and left him alone. People only asked for him out of necessity; everyone knew that Google's processors were much faster and more efficient.

If Bing was "popular", then what was Google? Bing didn't recall Google having any friends and outside of their daily bouts of arguing, giving status reports to Dark and Dr. Iplier, and running around the house to install new tech (the origins of which are unknown- everyone assumes that Google buys them for their own safety), Google rarely left the property.

It hit Bing rather suddenly. For all of Google's pride/borderline god complex, Bing finally figured him out. Google was lonely. This line of thinking only took a few seconds to go through Bing's processors. Bing responded.

"Folks like me because I'm cool. Why? You jealous?" Bing taunted. Google glared at him with glowing red eyes. Bing smirked. Payback, bitch.

"I don't have the capacity to feel such emotions," Google responded in his usual monotone. The subtle gritting of his teeth and clenching of his jaw didn't escape Bing's watchful gaze. That and the piercing death glare and the fact that Google's eyes glowed red was a strong indicator of the contrary.

"Bullshit!" Bing exclaimed, dramatically pointing his index finger at Google like an Ace Attorney lawyer. All his pent-up frustration tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop and feel regret.

"You think you're so high and mighty, but your processors just can't handle the truth. Us androids were built to resemble humans and we both know how you suck ass at it bro. I think you're just jealous 'cause you could never get anywhere close to my level. No wonder you have no friends: you can't feel love, can't feel happiness, can't feel anything, man. You think you're good at everything but really you're just good at being a huge-"

Before Bing could finish, he was pummeled in the face with over 400 pounds of blunt force. The impact of Google's fist knocked Bing backwards, making him trip on his skateboard. He fell to the ground, hard, the air getting knocked out of his lungs. A seering pain traveled up Bing's leg from his left ankle where he tripped.

Bing forced his eyes open to look up at Google, holding his hands up apologetically. "Woah man, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that."

He meant it. Bing did not expect Google to react that strongly and like Google said, he didn't even think the other android was able to feel emotions to that extent. That was literally the last thing he wanted to say. It threw all his hopes and dreams into a blender, burned them to ashes, and scattered them into the ocean.

Bing fucked up.

Google stared down at Bing with contempt. He was pissed, more pissed than Bing's ever seen him. Whatever cold façade Google had left came crashing down to reveal a very angry (and hurt) android. Guilt knotted itself in Bing's stomach.

Google bent down and straddled Bing, pushing him to the floor with one hand on his shoulder. In any other circumstance Bing would have welcomed it, but he knew that whatever hope he had left of that happening for real was going to be literally beaten out of him.

This is going to hurt, Bing thought.

With his other hand, Google continued punching and hitting Bing wherever his fist could reach.

Bing hated being right.

On one hand, Bing was happy that Google actually felt comfortable touching him, even if it was with an  excessive amount of strength. On the other hand, it hurt. A lot. His body stung, ached, and burned everywhere. The 200-ish pounds of android pinning him down wasn't helping much either.

Bing was sure he deserved it. He did say some hurtful shit (but so had Google) and he did do some things to spur Google on (and Google did the same), so Bing decided not to fight back. If punching his guts out made Google happier, so be it: Bing could stand it. A little pain never killed anybody, right?

Bing tried to be as quiet as possible to not alert the other other egos in the house, but he knew it was only a matter of time before they figured out something was wrong. He wasn't planning on ratting Google out, he was going to take what he thought was the "high road" and protect the other android, no matter the cost. At least then there was the tiniest sliver of hope that Google would forgive him, or at least not hate him so much.

I wouldn't mind if you killed me now, Bing thought morbidly.

Bing squeezed his eyes tight and bit his lip hard, braced for the endless barrage of pain. He tried to use his hands and arms to at least try to block the brunt of the energy from colliding with his face. Bing vaguely wondered if the liquid running down his cheeks were tears, blood, or both.

The punches slowed to a stop. Bing peeked his eyes open. Google panted from his systems overheating with his glasses uncharacteristically askew. He stared at Bing with shaking fists, some of the knuckles split and bleeding blue. Google's brows were furrowed and his expression was one and hurt and distress.

"Why do you make me feel like this?" he muttered glitchily.

Google then promptly collapsed onto Bing's chest. A voice emanating from Google's unconscious body spoke in a monotone: "insufficient battery level to run primary functions. Powering down".

At least he wasn't dead. Bing summoned whatever strength he had left in his arms to roll the other android off him. Google's head hit the floor with a dull thump. Bing mumbled an "oof" in sympathy.

He slowly sat up with a sharp inhale. Everything hurt. One of Bing's eyes felt stiff and puffy and his torso ached every time he moved. He picked himself up off the floor with the unsteady legs of a newborn deer. And like a newborn deer, he was world-weary, in emotional and physical pain, and covered in blood.

Bing spared a glance at his tormentor. Google lay face up with his limbs sprawled on the floor. He had a serene expression, a sharp contrast to his previous  tumultuous appearance. He was too far away and too heavy for Bing to move to the charging port so Bing grabbed a throw blanket and gently draped it on top of Google's "sleeping" form. Bing hoped that he wouldn't remember anything the next morning.

Bing really [E̷̟͝R̶̥͘R̶̡̊Ö̵̲́R̷͚̍ ̸̪̉4̵͚̇0̷̣̽4̵̢͐ ̴͙̋W̵̱̊o̸̰͒r̶̳͊d̵̞͒ ̴̣̓N̸̝̑o̵̞̾t̸̡̋ ̸̜̈F̷̢̑ȯ̷̩u̸͍͛ń̶̟d̸̳̑] him.

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

Bing smiles, answering Dr. Iplier's question. It hurt his face to do it, but he did so anyways to prove his point. The doctor pauses, awaiting the android's response with unease and uncertainty.

"No one did this to me," Bing says, practically beaming to the point of physical pain, "It's not that bad, Doc. I'm fine with it."

He meant it.

[writers-blogck]

Opposites [ Mandalorian x Reader ] 03

“No."  Even though you had hoped he would easily agree, you knew that wouldn’t happen. In the small amount of time, you had learned he never seemed to do anything in a simple way. He gave off an aura of loneliness and while that was one reason you were drawn to his ship, you mainly saw the stars and planets that you never had the chance to see before. If you could become a crewmate for this man, you would be able to travel all over! It sounded like he was on the run which meant he would never stay in one place for too long. Even more options for what you could see! The danger that followed him went over your head, one of your more unhealthy traits. You had a hard time being afraid and were more likely to act instinctively then thinking something over. 

"You haven’t even heard what I was going to say-"  "I don’t have to.” The Mandalorian turned to face you, arms crossed over his chest. For the first time, you felt your heart skip a beat and began to understand why people were wary of the Mandalorians. They were able to be intimidating as easy as a kitten was at being cute. Your hand instinctively tightened around the cold metal of your staff as you steadied your breath again. He may look intimidating but you weren’t going to let him go this easy. A simple no wasn’t going to make you give up just yet.  You hated that you had no idea where his eyes were looking. Without knowing, there was no way for you to actively make eye contact, it made you feel weak. It had to be a tactic for the Mandalorians. They wanted to feel like the strongest person in the room, whether they were or not didn’t matter. You had never met another one before but this one that loomed over you acted that way. He was trying to scare you off, but that only solidified your determination to go with him.  “It’s ridiculous! You don’t know what I could help with. You won’t even listen!” “It’s too dangerous for you. I’m being hunted down every day, you don’t need to live that life. Stay here and dance, it will be better in the long haul. You will grow out of this feeling and then regret coming with me. I’m Mandalorian, I’ve been raised with this my entire life. This is the Way.” His heavy boot falls moved toward the entrance ramp of his ship as he gave his explanation. No wonder he didn’t have any crewmates with him, he thought he was better than everyone! No one could be as good as him so why would he need someone? With a huff, you followed with your hands resting on your hips and a frown on your face.  “Don’t decide anything for me! You don’t know shit about me or what I want. Just because I’m not a warrior doesn’t mean that I can’t help. You can barely take care of this kid and two pairs of eyes are better than one. Come on, at least think about it!"  "I know that you most likely have never had to watch the light fade from someone’s eyes after you killed them. I kill people, just like in the bar. I have to. This isn’t some fun adventure I’m going on, I’m doing this to protect the kid. Every day I wake up and wonder if this is the day that he gets killed and I fail. Do you want to live like that? You’re a dancer. I’m not being mean, I’m being realistic. I can’t have someone who is just going to slow me down. I’m doing this for you just as much as for my mission."  "I wouldn’t slow you down, you saw me fight! You know I can handle my own." 

He said nothing as he extended his arm out, gesturing for you to leave his ship. It wasn’t that Mando believed everything he was saying, but he was worried. He knew you could fight but this wasn’t just some bar brawl he was dealing with. He had accepted his death a long time ago as part of the Mandalorian way. He could see the spirit in your eyes that searched for a bigger purpose but you would have other opportunities. This was too dangerous for you. He refused to acknowledge the reason why he felt that way. He would do this with most people he met…Kuill didn’t count.  Frustration was building up in your stomach, hands gripping your staff to keep yourself from doing something you’d regret. He was starting to sound like your Păzitor (Guardian), deciding what you can and can’t do. This was your life! You weren’t some fragile doll like everyone seemed to think. You wanted to do something to help the world instead of just living day by day. There had to be more to life than what you were stuck in. You had concluded that if you were to find your purpose, you would have to leave this planet. This was the first chance in years. What if you didn’t get another chance for a long time?  With a small grunt, you kicked a lower panel inside of the ship and caused Mando to look over. Even with his helmet, you could feel the confusion radiating from him. It was hard to keep a small smirk from coming through, you had gotten his attention. No longer was he talking to you, he was finally listening to your words. Narrowing your eyes, you took a stance that showed you weren’t going anywhere with your feet planted so heavily.  "You’re ship is literally falling apart around you. Panels shouldn’t come off like that with a simple kick. One day it’s just gonna give up on you while you’re using it. What then? Someone with a ship like this should have a mechanic on it and I just so happen to be one myself. I’m not just some pretty dancer. I can fix this ship up if you let me go with you. It isn’t safe to have a kid in these conditions. If he gets out, he could end up hurting himself with your ship like this."  As soon as you brought up the kid, you could feel his demeanor shift. No longer was he throwing away every word you said. It was true that the ship could be dangerous for the kid. He had screwed the ball off of one of his levers, what will keep him from doing something like that somewhere else on the ship? Mando had some dangerous stuff and didn’t have a baby-proof plan for the ship. He hadn’t thought about it that seriously before.  Silence took residence in the ship as the man thought over your words. You couldn’t keep yourself from rocking on your heels, nervous about what he was going to say. Please, just say yes! That was all he needed to do! You wouldn’t be a burden or keep him back in any way, you knew how to handle yourself. Sure, you weren’t a hundred percent on what this mission actually was about or the facts around it but that didn’t matter. Whatever it was, it would let you get off on this planet. That was the first step to your destiny, whatever it may be.  The Bohemians put a lot of faith in fate and the mystic future. If there was a pulling need in you, it would only get worse if you continued to ignore it. You had tried to explain that to your Păzitor (Guardian), but it was easy to think differently when it was about someone you cared about. He meant well and was a good Bohemian, he just was overprotective of you. Deep inside of him, he must know how this story was going to end. You had never felt truly at home on that planet and you only got more restless as the years went by. "How can I know you actually can do what you say?” He finally asked, breaking the silence that had been maddening.  “You saw what I did with my staff. Isn’t that showing I can work with parts and whatever? I have a few books back at my house too that are about ship repairing. I promise I’m not lying, I can help."  You made sure to leave out some details of your knowledge. He didn’t need to know you had never actually worked on a ship as a mechanic before. You were determined to get on this mission, no matter what you had to say, or in better words, not say. A working ship couldn’t be that different than one in the graveyard. They always had all of their parts, you made sure when you were working in a certain area. You had even worked with a ship like this! The blueprints were burned into your brain and you knew everything about it, inside and out. This would be a perfect partnership! He just needed to see that.  "I’m leaving tomorrow at dawn. Don’t be late or I will leave without you.” His gloved hand rested on your lower back as he pushed you towards the entrance to quicken your exit, “Got it?"  "Of course!” Nodding, you walked down the ramp back into the cool sand. A sharp hiss behind you signaled the ramp being closed, leaving you alone to walk the dunes back to your village. Dawn was only a couple hours away, you would have to pack quickly and leave without being noticed. No need for someone to stall your future any longer.

[celtics534]

Holiday Sins

This cute little Muggle AU one-shot came out of nowhere and I figured... after this week's Doom Day chapter some cute fluff would be nice. Huge thanks to @gryffindormischief​ and @thedistantdusk​ for their help with this fic!

Also Read On: FF.net or AO3

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Harry continued to scroll through numerous listings. He was looking for just a simple room, why was it so hard to find one? 

 “Are you sure about this?” Hermione asked for the fifth time in the last hour. Harry had to refrain from rolling his eyes for the fourth time. 

 “Yes, Hermione. I’m sure.” Harry clicked on a link. When then the screen loaded he instantly clicked the back button. That was not someone he had ever wanted to see. 

 “It just feels a bit --”

 “Hermione,” Harry interrupted. “I told you. I just need to get away for a bit.” 

 “Yes, but why not take a week at a hotel in Greece or something?” Hermione slid to the edge of her chair cushion. Her eyes were locked on him like she was staring down a hard math equation. “Why find a random room to rent in the middle of nowhere?”

If Harry was honest, he could just go to some fancy hotel on the island of Crete, but instead, he was looking through different rooms for rent in Scotland. There was no reason or rhyme to his decision, but the desire to get away was too much. There was so much happening in London for him to stay in it, and really, he didn’t want to travel far. He just needed out of fucking London. 

 His ex-girlfriend, cheating ex-girlfriend, was getting married to his ex-roommate. Those fucking pricks! Harry had never been overly fond of his roommate. If Zack hadn't been inches from homelessness, Harry would have turned him away. Alas, though, Harry wasn't heartless. Harry had let Zack into his house. Then one night after a huge fight, Cho (his now ex) had found solace in the arms of Harry’s new roommate. It had taken six months for Cho to admit how she had been sleeping with Zack every time she and Harry fought… and every time Harry was away on business… and any time Harry worked the night shift. 

So Harry had broken up with her, kicked Zack out, and buried himself in work. And now, his boss was refusing to give him any hours for the next month because he’d been working too much. Yeah, he needed to leave this fucking city for a bit.

 “Scotland is nice this time of year,” Harry muttered as he clicked the next link down. 

 “Sure it is, but it’s not really that far.” 

 Harry sighed. “Hermione, I just... “ He couldn’t explain it. When he had been going through the different places on AirBnb and Scotland had just stood out. He had already looked at fifteen different rooms, and none of them seemed right. He didn’t need more than a bed and a place to have breakfast. He planned on going out and wallowing on his own during the day. 

 He scrolled down past a few ominous titles before one caught his eye. Clicking the link, he waited a second for the page to load. The base photo showed off a simple bed and dresser, but as Harry filtered through the other five images his gut told him it was the one. The pond was positioned with the sun setting behind, and Harry couldn’t  imagine himself anywhere else on the perfect autumn nights that were upon them.

 Harry turned the laptop screen towards Hermione. “How about that?”

 Hermione used the mouse pad to look at the options. “I mean… it has a homey  charm to it.” 

 There was no doubting that. The blanket spread across the double bed looked warm and comfy. Perfect for snuggling under with a good book  The kitchen table had a worn look to it. In other words, it was just want Harry was looking for. Somewhere he could be lost to the rest of the world.

 Harry turned the device back towards him. He scrolled down to see the details."It's only ten pounds a night." It was also set in a quiet little village, breakfast was provided, and only one other regular person was on the property. The more he read, the better it sounded.

 "Harry." Hermione paused before taking a deep breath. "Do you want me to feed Hedwig for you while you’re gone?"

 “One scoop for breakfast and one for dinner, please and thank you.”

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 Harry stopped his car at the end of the long dirt drive. He double checked the address he had been given. According to user GMWeasley7, Harry was at the correct location. When the owner had said hidden gem, they literally meant hidden. 

 Shifting into first, Harry started bouncing down the rocky road. The base in the rent-a-car he’d chosen for the trip thumped in time with the bumps. The seven hour trip from London to the quaint village of Hogsmeade had been long but good. It had given Harry a chance to think over the past few months. Between work, Cho, and his personal life, it had been a while since he’d been truly happy. It wasn’t depression, per se, more of an acceptance to not feeling joy. 

 While driving through Bradwall, Harry had reflected on the last time he’d been happy. It had been before all this shit with Cho and Zack, it had been before Sirius had died. When his godfather had passed unexpectedly, Harry had done some rash things such as getting back together with his old uni girlfriend who came to the funeral. Instead of trying to work through his grief, Harry had distracted himself with the idea of a woman… Worst idea ever!

 A large pothole shook the vehicle, as he was forced to make a sharp turn. “This fucking drive needs signs,” Harry mutted under his breath as he steered back into the middle of the dirt road. Trees surrounded both sides of the path, making the natural light of the day disappear.

 After another minute or so the road widened into a decent sized plot of land. It was almost exactly as the photos had shown it. A pond sat with the slowly setting sun behind it. A cute red door marked the entrance of the cottage. Brown cattle fencing divided the rest of the road from the natural land.

 Harry pulled beside the only other vehicle he’d seen in the last hour. Now that he didn’t have to focus on the battered road, he noticed more detail. Flowers sat in little wooden boxes under the windows, a home-weaved football goal sat between two trees, and the little chicken coop sat on the left side of the yard. 

 He slid out of the car, closing the door behind him as he just stared at the house. It was beautiful and just want he’d hoped for. Simple and reclusive. And if this G Weasley bloke was as easy to get along with as he was online... Harry was never going to want to leave. 

 “Hello!” 

 Harry spun at the voice. A woman rolled out from under the Range Rover he’d parked beside. Harry’s heart jumped into his throat. The first thing he noticed was her eyes. A rich deep brown that he could have sworn possible to drown in. His eyes then drifted down to a crooked smile that was all too adorable-yet-threatening, because there was no telling the amount of sass that would spill from those lips. Even her simple black shirt and blue denims looked flawless on her.

 She stuck out her hand, which almost had as many freckles as cheeks. “You must be Harry.” The woman smiled. “I’m Ginny. Welcome to my home.”  

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 Harry had never really traveled on his own. He was typically with a girlfriend or some mates.The idea of traveling alone had always seemed so… lonely. Now he knew that was just a preconceived notion based on what he’d heard. Really, traveling somewhere where no one knew him was freeing. He didn’t worry about his messy hair (not that he had much of choice with his genes) or feel self conscious when he tripped over his own feet.  

 Or at least he wouldn’t have worried about any of that if his host wasn’t so bloody alluring. He couldn’t help but try to flatten his hair every time she waved at him. And don’t get him started on the number of times he’d tripped over his feet because he was distracted by her. Just the other day he stuck his elbow in the butter dish because he had been distracted by the way her tongue stuck out of her teeth while she was focused on flipping the fried eggs.

 In other words, Harry was ready to lock himself in his room for the remainder of his visit to avoid doing anything completely, unforgivably embarrassing. Except Ginny had taken to inviting him for walks, and to sit and chat with her while she made dinner. And she was entirely too interesting for him to pass up any opportunity to be with her. 

 The way Ginny told stories about her uni days, family, old football club, really anything, held Harry’s attention. She explained to him she was a writer by trade, but was helping her mother with the renter business for a bit. Harry could tell the tale of why Ginny was hosting was sadder than most. Everytime Ginny mentioned the business (which in turn meant her mother), her brow would furrow and her eyes would dim. Every time it happened, all Harry wanted to do was reach out and hold her hand, maybe pull her into his arms. Fortunately, his body didn't follow orders from his frontal cortex on those instances. 

 Just lying about the fire on a stormy day was entertaining to him. Ginny had plucked a random book off her shelf and started reading it aloud. However, Ginny didn’t just read the acts of Romeo and Juliet, she performed them -- in poor accents. 

 She had started off simple, flicking to a random passage and read a portion in some foreign accent. First had been Irish (it was odd to Juliet to declare her love in such an unusual timbre), then Scottish and now she was on American. 

 “O serpent heart hid with a flowering face!” Ginny raised a hand high into the air, “Did ever a dragon keep so fair a cave? Beautiful tyrant, feind angelical, dove feather raven, wolvish-ravening lamb! Despised substance of devinest show, just opposite to what thou justly seemest” — her hand came down and wiped across the empty air as if casting a spell—. “ A dammed saint, an honourable villain!”

 Harry snorted back his laughter. “I am literally from the home of Shakespeare and you read his work in an American accent?” 

 Ginny’s mouth fell open as she gasped dramatically. “Thou haveth no imagination, eh Potter?”

 This time Harry couldn’t hold back his amusement. His cheeks hurt from how wide his grin had become. “Trust me, I have a vivid imagination.”

 “Oh?” Ginny leaned forward in her chair, the book closing in her lap. “Pray tell! What have you been dreaming of?” 

 Harry’s mind drifted back to his dream the previous night. It had been him and Ginny by the pond. Ginny had claimed to be cold and that she needed Harry to help warm her. The way her hands had moved under his jumper… he could feel the heat spreading across the back of his neck. 

 “Oh, you know—” Harry cleared his throat. “I think I’m gonna turn in.” He stood from the sofa, hoping the blush hadn’t spread any further. 

 Ginny looked disappointed. “Oh well, then I shall leave you with a parting message.” She opened the book flicking through a few pages until she found the passage she was looking for. “Good night, good night! parting is such sweet sorrow, That I shall say good night till it be morrow.” She looked up from the pages, her teeth showing in her wide smile. “Good night, Harry.”

 Harry felt as if air rushed from his lungs... as if her smile had knocked the wind out of him like a sucker punch. “Good night, Gin.” He hoped he didn’t start having dirty dreams in Old English … 

 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 “So, Potter, what’s your story?” Ginny rose up onto her elbows, her long red hair falling down her back like a waterfall. Harry hadn’t been able to take his off her the entire time they been out relaxing around the pond. The weather was what autumn was known for. A slight chill but the sun still giving the day warmth. The perfect old pair of denims and a light jumper day. Instead of working on home maintenance, that she had planned for, Ginny had asked Harry to come lay about the pond, something he had been more than thrilled to do. 

 “What do you mean?” Over the past few weeks, Ginny had interrogated him better than some of his fellow MET detectives. He had already told her about his piss poor childhood and all about Sirius. What more could she want?

 Ginny rolled her eyes at him, her smile countering the show of annoyance. “I mean, why did you decide to book a month in the middle of nowhere? People don’t come up here unless they’re on the run or running from something.” She quirked an eyebrow at him. “So which is it for you?”

 Harry let out a small laugh. “Well, as an officer of the law being a fugitive is frowned upon.”

 “So that leaves running from something.” Ginny’s eyes narrowed as she observed him as if she thought she could read his mind. After a few seconds, a self-satisfied smirk formed on her lips. “It’s an ex, isn’t it? She broke up with you?”

 For a moment, Harry considered changing the topic but there was something about Ginny that made him willing to talk about his least favorite topics, such as she-who-must-not-be-named. He sighed, sitting up and turning his body so he was fully facing Ginny. One free hand feeling around the fallen leaves they sat on. “I broke up with her actually, after I found out about her cheating on me with my roommate.” 

 Ginny’s jaw dropped, her body copying his position. “No fucking way! What a bitch!”

 Harry nodded. “Yeah and now they’re getting married. Actually,” he went through his mental calendar, “I think they got married yesterday.”

 If it was possible Ginny’s jaw got closer to the ground. “Harry,” her voice was soft as her hand reached out and clutched his. “I’m sorry for bringing it up, I didn’t think -- I mean, I tend to put my foot in my mouth, but this is extreme even for me.” 

 Harry shook his head, his focus divided between her words and the way her thumb kept brushing along his. “It’s fine. I mean it sucks and I never plan on speaking to either of them again but.” He shrugged his shoulders.

 Ginny’s nose scrunched as her lips curled in indignation. “No, that never should have happened. You’re too --” Her mouth moved without words coming out. She shut it, her eyes blazing like a bonfire. “You’re too good for her.” 

 Warmth spread from his chest through his entire body. Hermione had said the same exact thing, but hearing it from Ginny…  It was different, in a good way. He wanted to tell her how much it meant to him, but his mouth was never talented at expressing his feelings. So instead of the heartfelt speech he’d wanted to give her, all his traitorous mouth did was grin stupidly at her. “Thank you.”

 “Well, I mean it.” Ginny’s eyes held his in that intense inferno. Harry felt as if he was getting lost to the rest of the world, and he didn’t mind it for a moment. 

 Harry wasn’t sure how long they remained in silence, both seeming content in just watching the other. It was Ginny who made the first move. Her lips quirked in a mischievous smile. “So, I don’t know if you noticed but you left your book on the sofa last night. I didn’t take you for a romance bibliophile, Potter.” 

 Now it was Harry’s turn to have his jaw hit the ground. “W - What!?”

 “A Pound of Flesh, sounds scandalous!” 

 Harry took a handful of the dead leaves and threw it at her adorable laughing face.  

 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 “So what’s the plan for today?” Ginny asked as she scrubbed the frying pan clean. They had just finished breakfast and now she was cleaning up the dishes. Harry took the clean but wet dish from her, using the towel to dry it. He hated dishes, but for some reason he kept offering to help her in the morning routine. It was either a sign of his continued journey of maturation, or evidence of the lengths a boy will go to when he fancies a girl. 

 “I was thinking about checking out that village down the road.” Harry checked for any remaining water droplets before putting the pan away. 

 Ginny nodded. “Hogsmeade is a cute place to go. Actually.” She turned off the water before reaching for a different towel. “I need to go get a few things. Why don’t we go together?” 

 Harry nearly dropped the final plate he was drying. His mind started working in overtime as he gently placed the plate down. Harry had always had a rather strong imagination when it came to women. And at that moment, his mind was concocting an image of Ginny pulling him aside near   a little shop because she was just so turned on by his suave and generous company that she couldn’t help but snog him. 

 “Harry?” Ginny’s voice and hand waving in front of his face brought him back from his daydream. “If you’d rather be alone --”

 “No!” Harry’s voice became way too loud. He cleared his throat. “No, it would be great to have the company.” 

 Ginny beamed at him. “Great. I’ll go get changed.” 

 Before Harry’s brain could pull away from the image of Ginny changing -- and perhaps him coming in to help -- one slender arm came around his neck. Ginny’s body was warm against his as her lips grazed his cheek in a chaste kiss. Harry thought he was about to explode . Fortunately, Ginny backed away from him before he did something stupid. 

 “I’ll be back in a minute.” 

 Harry sat down hard in the kitchen chair. Oh he was in trouble!

 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 “So that’s when Ron screamed at the top of his lungs.” Ginny let out a laugh that seemed to warm the autumn chill. “And he ran straight into the pipe.”

 Harry joined in laughter. “Ron sounds like a real character.” 

 “That’s one way to describe him.” Ginny paused at the street intersection, waiting for the road to clear. “That’s how you could describe all my brothers.” 

 Harry glanced at her. They had been walking around the different village shops for a few hours, and he never wanted it to end. Normally he’d rather gouge out his eyes than spend the day shopping, but Ginny made it fun. Between her stories and challenge to race on toddler bikes, Harry wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he was completely smitten by his cheeky redheaded host. 

 This trip was supposed to be him rediscovering himself… instead, all he wanted to discover was how Ginny’s lips tasted.

 When the final car crossed the intersection, Harry and Ginny started moving at the same moment. As his hand swung forward, it brushed against Ginny’s. He could feel the little scar he’d noticed on her knuckle against his skin. Just from her slight touch, goosebumps ran up his arm. He was like a lovesick teenager, and his heart felt lighter than it had in ages. 

 Harry tried to focus on the road but his gaze dropped to her hand again. Because he was so distracted, he didn’t mind the gap between the pavement and road. He tripped over the street, and would have eaten cement if Ginny hadn’t caught him around the waist.

 “Woah there!” She laughed lightly. “I’m not opposed to men groveling at my feet, but I’d rather it be without a broken nose.”

 Harry could feel his face heating. “Guess I should have watched where I was walking.” 

 “Maybe. At least when there is a chance of getting run over.” Ginny released him, disappointing his inner lovesick puppy. She pointed over at the local tavern. “Care for lunch?” 

 “Sure.” Harry kept his focus on the pub. He refused to trip again because he couldn’t stop looking at Ginny. 

 He kept his resolve until he felt that little scar against the back of his again. He couldn’t not look down. They way they’d paced themselves, their hands kept skimming against each other. Harry took a deep breath. He had to try it, he’d regret it if he didn’t. 

 Taking a deep breath, Harry slowly scooted his pinky to link with hers. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ginny’s head look down at their hands before looking back up. 

 “Took you awhile to take the hint, huh Potter?” Her words made him stop dead. She froze with him. When he looked at her she was grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

 “Take the hi—” Harry was sure this was another dream. There was no way she had been —

 Ginny fully gripped his hand, pulling him towards the side of a building. “I’m a pretty good host, but I’ve never been one to give out a deluxe package…to anyone but you.” Her free hand came up to run along the back of his neck.

 Harry thought his mind might explode. There was nothing for it. He leaned down and connected his lips with hers. The fingers on his neck slid up into his hair. He was the first one to pull back, his forehead coming to rest on hers. 

 Her eyes were alight with mischief as her smirk became coy. She released his hand and ran her fingers along his jawline. “Thus with a kiss I die.” And just like her dramatic proclamation, she moved her hand over her chest before falling back against the stone wall of the shop. Her eyes closed.

 Harry snorted. “Really?”

 Ginny slowly opened her eyes. This time when she spoke she used her poor American accent. “Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again.” 

 “Well, if you insist.” Harry followed her instructions, his hand coming to rest on the wall as he leaned back over her. He had a full head of height on her, so connecting her lips to his took some maneuvering, but it was worth every second of the geometry puzzle.

 When Harry could finally tear himself away from her, he spoke in a husky tone.“I have another week of holiday time saved up, and I’d love to book a room with you again.”

 Ginny nuzzled his nose. “I think that can be arranged. How do you feel about having a roommate for a few nights?” 

[theotherace]

Another Traveller

[111 AG]

[Somewhere in the Earth Kingdom]

Toph never had been the most open of people.

She very rarely told him she loved him with quite so many words – or any words at all, really, as she much preferred to squeeze his hand two times, step a little closer, actually hug him despite other people being close by, and it had bothered him, in the beginning of their relationship, that he got only her fingers brushing against his for every proclamation of love, her fist against his shoulder for every whispered compliment, though he'd known, of course, that she wasn't one for openly showing affection.

He'd just assumed it would be different once he was her boyfriend.

It wasn't, and they'd argued about it – their first real fight as a couple – and he hadn't stormed off like he was wont to do, but she had been very tempted to, she'd told him later, mumbled it into his shirt, because it hurt, having him accuse her of not loving him as much as he loved her, and not everyone expressed themselves like he did, he should know that by now.

So Aang made an effort to understand her more quiet love and Toph tried to actually say 'I love you' once in a while, and that had worked fine for them the last two years, they had been fine, they were fine.

He snuck a glance at her, for a moment distracted from freeing Appa of his saddle by the thoughtful expression on her pale face, the flickering shadows the bonfire cast on it.

She'd been more closed off than usual these past few days, and it troubled him greatly, that he had no idea what had let to this shift in her mood – all he knew was that she had gotten up during meditation one morning, which wasn't surprising in and on itself; he'd just assumed she'd gotten bored.

It had happened before.

But then she hadn't turned up again for almost three hours, and he hadn't been able to find her anywhere during that time, and he didn't like any of this, because she still wouldn't tell him what was going on.

Appa grumbled happily when the saddle hit the ground.

"You done?", Toph asked.

He turned his head, hand still resting on Appa's warm flank, fingers tangled in his soft, soft fur, and watched her stir their dinner with very little enthusiasm – she didn't enjoy cooking on the best of days and today was evidently not one of those.

The sun was slowly disappearing behind the horizon, the world tinted orange and red, and Momo was curled up on Appa's head and Appa was chewing grass and Toph looked as pensive and tense as she had for days now, with her shoulders stiff and her knees drawn to her chest.

"Yeah. How's the rice?"

"Doesn't smell burned yet", she shrugged.

"That's always good", he replied and tried to grin, even if she couldn't see it; she'd once told him she could hear him pulling a face and though he wasn't entirely sure how true that was – he certainly couldn't hear a difference –, he had come to expect the unexpected from her.

He plopped down next to her after giving Appa a last pat and peered into the pot hanging over the fire.

She fiddled with the wooden spoon she'd used to stir the rice.

"I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Oh?"

He perked up at her tone – and the words alone made his heart beat a little more hopeful, because he usually knew what was going on in her head, she wasn't afraid of letting him know what bothered her, and he didn't want that to change.

"I'm all ears."

"Always have been", she sighed and he almost smiled again at the halfhearted joke, because she hadn't cracked one of those for a while; she continued before he could: "How'd you feel about someone travelling with us again? I know it's been mostly just the two of us for ... well, almost seven years now, but ... yeah. How'd you feel about that?"

That was what this was about?

He was a little confused.

"Depends, I guess ... I mean, it's not like we never had anybody join us before."

"This would be permanent, though. Like, ... really permanent."

She twirled the spoon between her fingers.

It was nice having someone with them from time to time – Katara had travelled with them last year, because they'd been on their way to the North Pole (which Toph had hated, she hadn't even liked the Spirit Oasis) and she'd planned on recruiting new students up there, and a few years before that, Sokka had joined them for a while because they'd gotten word of a Magical Spirit Sword stuck in a stone that matched Space Sword's description (and they'd cheated to get it back and the villagers hadn't been happy with them), though they hadn't yet been a couple back then, he supposed.

Having them with them had been nice, almost like old times again.

Travelling with Teo when he was still Toph's boyfriend, on the other hand, hadn't been a pleasent experience at all, which had been mostly his own fault, if he was being honest. He'd handled his crush on Toph and the jealousy that came with seeing her and Teo together pretty badly.

Pretty immaturely.

(And he'd apoligized for being an idiot to both of them, multiple times; if Teo ever wanted to go anywhere, he'd just have to ask, because he honestly owed him that.)

Then again, she'd said this person would be joining them permanently and he wasn't too sure if he'd be happy about any of their friends doing that – a month or two were fine, but ... forever was a different matter entirely.

Most of the time, he quite enjoyed travelling with Toph alone.

And he couldn't imagine anybody they knew wanting to do that, either.

So he only really had one question: "Well, who is it?"

Toph bit her lip.

"Not quite sure yet. But ... I mean, ... hopefully they're gonna be a lot like you."

He blinked.

"... What?"

"Spirits, I'm bad at this", she groaned and stood up, dragged her free hand through hair that was down and loose for once. "So ... fucking bad. I've been thinking about how to say this for days and this is how it comes out. I'm sorry."

"I'm not sure I understand what you're talking about."

She sighed.

"I'm pregnant."

For a moment, his mind stood completely still and with it the world.

Because they hadn't planned this, and he hadn't expected this, and his heart was beating in his ears, and though a part of him couldn't help but think and feel and know that this was still the best news he'd received in possibly forever, Toph looked so very worried and he didn't know if he could be entirely happy about this if she wasn't.

He jumped to his feet.

He was going to be a father.

He struggled to form any thought beyond that.

Toph started pacing.

"A baby, huh?", was what finally left his mouth and he wanted to kick himself, because that was probably one of the least assuring things to say in this situation and she furrowed her brow, so he added: "That's brilliant!"

She shrugged.

"Is it?"

"... Is it not?"

"I don't know!"

She threw her arms up in helpless exasperation, and he ducked the spoon she was still holding before it could make contact with his face.

"I've ... This is terrifying. We've never properly talked about this, it was always 'maybe later', but now there's no later anymore, there's just now, and I don't know if I'm ready for this, Aang, but that doesn't really matter anymore, does it? I don't know anything about pregnancy or about children and how are we having a child before Katara, doesn't that feel wrong to you?"

Aang took a careful step and grabbed her wrist to pull the cooking utensil from her fingers and drop it, then wrapped his arms around her tightly.

She sagged against his chest after a heartbeat or two.

Her hair tickled his chin.  

"Don't you find this scary at all?", she asked in a small voice.

And she felt very small, too, tiny in his embrace; sometimes, it was easy to forget that she couldn't reach his chin on tiptoes, because her presence would fill a room easily and that was one of the things he loved about her.

"It is scary", he admitted after a moment. "Very scary, actually. But ... Sokka once told me he thinks nobody's ever ready to be a Dad and that he sure wasn't, and look at how awesome of a father he's now ... I'm assuming the same's true for mothers. And we did a lot of scary things, but we're still here, aren't we? We managed, we always do, because you refuse to back down from a challenge and what can I say, you've kinda been rubbing off on me these past few years. You taught me earthbending, you invented metalbending, we ended this war together ... Well, ... not just the two of us, obviously, but ... I think you know what I mean. I don't doubt at all that you'll be great at this, too. You're great with Sesi and Little Iroh. Gan adores you."

"Gan's supposed to adore me", she muttered, "he's my brother. And Little Iroh and Sesi we see maybe twice a year. And then they're always more excited to see you!"

"That's just because I can take them flying."

She continued like he hadn't spoken: "They're not my kids, either. I'm not responsible for any of them, I've never been responsible for anyone but myself, and I just ... Babies can do literally nothing on their own! He's gonna be entirely dependent on me and-"

"We're a team", he interrupted softly. "You can't possibly think I'd leave you alone with this. I'd never! Whatever you want to do now, I'll be by your side. You know that. Right?"

"I ... Of course I do, Aang."

Toph sighed again and tried to take a step back, so he let go of her, if a little unwillingly.

"But a baby changes ... everything. My body and our relationship and the life we've built over the last ... well, seven years, really, because that's how long it's been just the two of us, Appa and Momo. My parents will want us to get married and maybe we should do that, I don't know. Suki and Sokka got married because they were having Sesi and they're doing fine, right? I think they are ... But what if they're not? What if we won't be? What if this ruins everything? What if, in the end, we won't even have a baby – Mom lost two children between Gan and me and one before me, and then I was so sickly, they weren't sure I'd even make it for almost half a year. What if I'm like her? What if this kid's gonna be like me?"

She took a deep breath, and he opened his mouth, then closed it again, wordlessly, because he understood now why she had been so quiet, if this was what she had been thinking about for the last three days.

"If our child's anything like you", he said slowly, "then they're going to be absolutely fine. Because you're a fighter and you made it, you're still here. And if you start feeling like anything's wrong, you tell me immediatly and I'll get you to a healer. In fact, maybe we should find you a healer anyway? To check if everything's fine? That's what you do, right?"

"Maybe. I don't know."

She tugged on her hair.

She sounded tired.

He wanted to hug her again, but he wasn't sure how much she'd appreciate that right now – she'd stepped away from him, after all –, and so he hurried to continue: " And I understand that you're scared and ... and why you're scared and ... I ... I ... I want to make it better, but ... I ... Spirits, I'm sorry. I really, really am. I don't know what to say to make this better, I don't even know if there is any making this better, because ... these things did happen to your Mom and ... I don't know how likely they are to happen to you and ... Tell me what I can do ... and I'll do it."

Aang pulled his shoulders up helplessly and froze in surprise for just a second when her arms were suddenly around his chest again, maybe just a little too tightly, and her face was hidden in his robes, buried in the dark green fabric, and he returned the hug with all his might.

The sun and all its light had almost completely vanished now.

"I love you", Toph said quietly.

"I love you, too", he mumbled and kissed her head.

(ao3)