#and thanking illumination everyday for what they did with him and his character and his design

[akiiame-blog]

Dude he is so.

I'm never going to get over him.

[accio-victuuri]

WYB’s 6th Single ( Analysis Post ) ☀️

a recap to start : first teaser clues, second teaser clowning, about the studio who made initial artworks and that letter z.

This will include multiple topics and it will be a mix of CPN ( heavily ) and about the track itself, lyrics, relation to yibo’s life and artwork. also my personal thoughts. If you are only here for the candies then feel free to skip to Part II and IV because I discuss it there. Thank you to Yibo for his end of year gift to all of us. 🤍

It’s a long post so get a snack or something. 🍟

━━━━━━━☆☆━━━━━━

I. The Song Composition

LTS is Yibo’s 6th single and as per the notes on the track, they credited the lyrics to Tang Tian and composed and arranged by the famous Qian Lei. Tang Tian has a lot of song credits. Qian Lei is a known piano composer and you can clearly hear that in this song. An important link is that the theme song for "Yesterday's Blue Sky", which is dubbed by Wang Yibo (for Qi Jingxuan), was written, composed and arranged by the two of them.

This information was actually already “leaked” a few days before the actual song was released. Now the next and common question will be if that’s the case, does it make the song less personal? Well, songs written by an artist themselves really are as personal as you can get. It’s their own words, but sometimes they can write about someone else’s life and experience. Yibo is not the first artist in the world who have people write and compose songs for them but that doesn’t mean he did not connect to it. Yibo only releases one single to his name everyday so it’s logical to think that he will choose one that speaks to him the most. It represents his feelings for the year and what he wants to communicate to his fans/audience. Think about this year, how he was relatively quiet and working, he only became active with BAH and SDC. He almost never posts something personal. This song, so to speak, is his chance to deliver a message to his fans.

The description of the song in streaming platforms is more general and geared towards the theme of uplifting others. This will likely be the same explanation that will be given by Yibo and his team — and they are not wrong. A song can have different meanings and intention. Yibo cannot easily say that this is a love song, that it’s from his experience with a specific person in his life. I don’t doubt that Yibo meant it for people to interpret as a hopeful song to give them warmth. That has always been a part of his character, wanting to uplift other people. A message of individuals coming together and how wonderful that could be.

"Like the Sunshine" is a song about encounter and hope. About hope that ignites the light of the world. Though the winter nights are long and lonely. Let's embrace each other when we meet, we will become a fire that warms each other's hope. The sun will always come inadvertently as usual, then we will discover- It is not the sun that lights up the world, but the light that everyone gathers. the sun is not far beyond the sky, every day we light up for each other. A cluster of flames is the light that illuminates the world

The same is echoed in the weibo post of the studio, Warriors Music.

The cold winter is gone, the warm spring is coming again, and the fallen leaves are new on the branches. We must embrace life like the sun, and we must bloom life like the sun.

The studio has a really cool logo cause it has the word BRAVE that describes Yibo if i do say so myself. Also their tagline is : every author who dares to take risks, integrate, and innovate in music is a warrior! Yes. Sounds like a group of people that someone like Yibo would love to work with. This year 2022, their most notable products were songs for Eason Chan ( which Yibo is a fan of ) as well as Zhou Shen and Faye Wong. So you know that Yibo chose well.

Going back to the actual song, this single is definitely a clear departure from his previous tracks. From upbeat sounds and introspective lyrics to this. I see him trying dipping his toes in with Nian, which was a mix but in this he fully committed. You can say that he has matured and that artists really do evolve in terms of their sound and what they sing about. or if we’re talking political, he is trying to appeal to not having a problematic message to his song so censorship will not criticize him. He’s been lending his voice to a couple of “positive energy” songs this year and he can’t slip up. Now since i’m a turtle, my opinion will be the same as before, love makes you gentle. I could see at some point in 2019/2020 the frustrations Yibo had in his life as a celebrity. Although it’s still there, I wanna believe that he has a better hold of how his life should work now. He has a good support system and someone like GG to get him through. I can only imagine how isolating one’s life would be if you’re a celebrity like XZ/WYB, this is why I’m so thankful they found each other when they did. They saved each other from heartbreak by being there at the right time.

II. The Artwork

*DRUM ROLL* 🥁🥁🥁

The star of so much anticipation and speculation has finally been released. We talked about how a studio claimed ownership of the first two teasers, visualizer and stage design. However for this particular piece, they reposted YBO and their caption was more on the NYE stage which they already claimed ownership initially. If you look at their page, that seems to be their strength, integrating visual design to live performances. I am not trying to discredit this company because I honestly loved the work they do, I’m just pointing out how different this was presented. The previous 2 had their own posts, emphasizing it was creatively designed by them and this did not. I could be wrong about this but i’m adding it here.

Now let’s look at some clues:

1. The strongest one that made me weep is the accidental z. We know that this is ZZ’s recent signature for his artworks and he can’t exactly put it anywhere if he wants to stay as the mystery artist. So being placed in the visualizer in that clever way is amazing. They thought we wouldn’t notice? Lol. This is not the first time a hidden Z was spotted in something related to Yibo ( p2 and p3 ). Add the WYB and XZ reference in the writing itself. We know ZZ is a master of hiding things in calligraphy.

2. Also the similarity between GG’s previous works to this and Nian. We’ve all said this, it gives us that feeling of someone making the same thing. It’s his style. No matter how professional ZZ is and his experience in adapting to what a client wants, you will still see it. If you’ve been exposed to enough of his personal works. It’s like the soul of the artwork screams Xiao Zhan. Take a look. ⬇️⬇️⬇️ Zoom in on the colors of the branch too.

3. The leaves falling remind us of one of ZZ’s photos.

4. A lot of BXGs are using previous Bazaar photos from their Thailand fanmeet and comparing it to the artwork. Black and White to Colored. It’s like when we are apart, we are B&W, but together, they become full of color. 😌

5. I am still in the headspace that GG made this, if he didn’t he gave lots of input or a draft of what it should look like. He may be the one going for the chalk-drawing design and they found a studio with the same style and had more experience in it. Some people might say, ZZ doesn’t have the time. Lol. No. Have you seen him complete artworks in between works while in his trailer? Yep. He can do it. All the more if it’s for someone important like Yibo. I don’t think Yibo necessarily demands it but more of an unspoken agreement. It’s their way of collaborating.

III. Relation to Yibo’s life

Parts of the lyrics that relate to him. I have already discussed in Part I yibo’s reason in choosing this. He had always been known as someone who is quiet and a slow starter but we have slowly seen him opening up to people. I am so happy with his message about the importance of having people around you to get through life. As much as he knows the pain of being separated from his family and friends most of the time, how it’s basically the norm in his life— he still believes that he can’t be alone. He is not Mister Lonely anymore.

How do I call you-the one in the shadows of the trees, the one who waits for the dawn, the one as silent as I am?

This is him acknowledging his trait of being silent and trying to reach out to someone like him. It doesn’t matter if he has hard time doing so, Yibo always had his own way of reaching out to people. Some may be surprised with how well he gets along with people he works with like Huang Xuan ( Luoyang ) , BAH cast and SDC when he is so aloof. However his aloofness doesn’t mean he won’t reach out, he opens himself up and when he does, he really captivates the people around him.

I have once journeyed a very long way, you dreamt a very long dream.

A line that resonated with lots of fans especially about his long journey. He started his career at a very young age, leaving his family, moving overseas and back just for his dream.

The many lonesome nights drift pass like fallen leaves, yet they will find a way to grow anew on the trees.

A very hopeful message about loneliness ending and that those nights will not last forever. I like how this is written because it does not say what’s the cause. It’s not heartbreak or anything — you are just lonely. It is something that a lot of people experience and usually feel guilty about. I think this speaks to Yibo and he wants to pass along the message that this feeling is okay and it will pass.

Dance-at every crossroad, in journeys, in the dawn, in the wind.

Dance. Very Yibo. You can probably use other words here to describe movement but they used dance because it’s very him. Dance has accompanied him in many aspects of his life, good and bad. Yibo will continue to dance through it all.

If we are together, the winter shall pass

Like birds flying through the darkest of clouds

Wherever you go, I wish you happiness

The same theme of coming together, the dark and lonely winter shall end ; It’s about holding on to the hope of better days. This year has been filled with ups and downs for Yibo and I have always loved his disposition of things getting better and having no regrets. There are incidents in year that i’m sure he felt like it’s “winter” but he hold on to the fact that better days are coming. I wish you happiness, his message to the people listening. It’s like wherever you find yourself going after all this, I hope you are happy.

When the winter is past-

Let us exchange our stories.

Finally, another message or coming together as a group. A message of Unity. I like the part of exchanging stories. Those times of “winter” and loneliness is not something to keep and be ashamed of. You can learn from it too and tell other people.

I love how open and vulnerable Yibo allows himself to be by singing these lyrics. He is not going for the “i don’t care” message anymore. He cares. He has such a big heart and wears it on his sleeve. Passer by might see him as an Ice Prince but those of use who watched him for some time know that this is not the case. He easily cries when things move him, fiercely loyal to his friends, attentive to other people and reaches out to those who need his help. That is the true Yibo and he is letting himself be seen now. 🤍

IV. Interpreting the lyrics to BJYXSZD and other clownery

Soaking in the wind of the late spring, waiting for the rains, that usher in the new grains,gazing at the stars together with the wild beasts

gazing at the stars together. Need i say more. This is not just figurative in their case, they did gaze at the stars before. Add the countless star reference between the two. Well. It screams xz and wyb. ✨

As we talk the bonfire is lit, time stealthily passes like the scattering of petals.

This is giving me the imagery of them camping, you know, the bonfire. Which the both of them have talked about enjoying recently. It can also be a figurative description of how a fire was lit when they started talking back then. Once they started, it didn’t stop. It can also be that when they talk to each other by phone or video call — the time of them being apart seem to vanish. There are lots of LRLG submissions of them communicating constantly and I think this points to that.

I have once journeyed a very long way, you dreamt a very long dream.

BITCH! This line made a lot of BXGs cry. I talked about Yibo’s journey in Part III of this post and in this case “dreamed a very long dream” is XZ. It’s not a secret that XZ had a normal life as an office worker but he couldn’t let go of his dream of being a singer so he joined an idol survival show and the rest is history. Personally, I can dismiss all the other lines because this is the most important. It’s the two of them. This tells their story in one line.

If we are true to each other, the winter shall pass

The many lonesome nights drift pass like fallen leaves,

yet they will find a way to grow anew on the trees

You and I will meet just as surely as the world spins

Meeting after the winter sounds like their long distance relationship. It’s an assurance that no matter what happens, despite the lonely night, they will might again. As surely as the world spins. It’s the most natural thing in the world for them to find their way into each other’s arms again. 😭😭😭

Flickering light cupped in my palms for you-

bits and pieces of the happinesses I've picked up along the way

How do I call you-how gentle is your name?

I pray you speak it when the dawn breaks

The most romantic thing right here everyone. Here you go. This is a love song. Come and fight me. Such sweet imagery, bottling up all the happiness and saving it for you. Calling each other’s name. I feel so soft.

Wake just like the sunlight. Dance-at every crossroad, in journeys, in the dawn, in the wind.Wake just like the sunlight.

This is them going through things together, much like dancing in the rain — this has that same meaning. They both go through lots of shit with their lives as celebrities, but they remain unbothered ( mostly ).

If we are together, the winter shall pass

These two lines also speaks of their relationship. As long as they have each other they can get through anything. We see silent ways of them supporting each other. It’s like Yibo hiding ZZ’s rehearsal under his name. Their lawyers being related in practice. Suing the same companies.

Let us exchange our stories

Their usual never ending talking to each other about anything and everything under the sun. Whether in what we’ve seen with their interactions in BTS or Untamed promos— to the LRLG submissions. They always keep in touch. They are genuinely interested in what each other is doing.

In general, it’s the story of the love being present and remaining warm despite the distance. It does not deny that their is loneliness but it shall pass because their love is stronger. This has to be the most romantic song in Yibo’s roster of singles.

V. Final thoughts

My initial exposure to Yibo’s singing was Wuji and Bu Wang so you can only guess what kind of sound I fell in love it when it comes to his voice. I have always wished for a mellow song — a love song, and I am happy that gave it now. This seems like such a perfect time for a track like this. It’s so Yibo. It’s another aspect of him — not the cool/motorcycling/skateboarding/blank faced Yibo. It’s the Yibo that is warm and wants others to feel safe and heard.

This song will be so wonderful on stage. It will definitely be a unique performance, as expected of Yibo. It’s such a good way to end the year! Truly feels like a reward. 🙏🏼

-END.

[ijustwant2write]

His Protector-Fred Weasley x Reader

(GIF credit to @winter-and-zombies​)

Masterlist

Prompts Lists

Summary: At the Battle of Hogwarts, Fred is saved by (Y/N), a close friend of the twins. Both have always had feelings for the other, and in true cliche fashion, neither have admitted this. Years after the battle (where things are somewhat back to normal), the twins have remained friends with her, but it’s only at a Weasley family party does (Y/N) finally say something.

Characters: Fred Weasley x Reader, George Weasley x Reader (platonic)

Meanings: (Y/N)=Your name

Warnings: Mentions of death, PTSD, injuries, blood, lots of fluff

(A/N: This is quite long! And also the first time I’ve written for Harry Potter, blame it on my FYP on Tik Tok)

                                     *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

There were no dry eyes from anyone gathered in the Great Hall. It was full of students, resting from the battle and treating injuries, or mourning over friends who didn't make it. Some were huddled together as they sobbed, others keeping to themselves as they tried to stop the horrifying images keep playing in their minds.

The Weasley’s were gathered around Fred, who was laid out on a makeshift stretcher, tears streaming down their faces as they waited for some sign of him waking up. He had dried blood on his face and partly in his hair. When he was first carried in, their immediate thoughts had been he was dead, because he seemed so lifeless. They were extremely grateful when they realised he was breathing, and he had a heartbeat.

Molly stroked back her son’s hair, trying to calm herself down as to not alarm her children. Never in her life did she think they would have to go through something like this, especially at such a young age. These were her babies, and she was going to protect them with her life like any mother would. George sat beside Fred opposite his mum, praying that his brother's eyes would soon open. Although it had been confirmed that he would be alright, albeit with a few injuries, seeing him lying there made it feel like he wasn’t with them anymore. Suddenly, Fred began to stir, scrunching up his eyes and moaning as he felt the pain throbbing through his body.

“How you feeling Freddie?” George quickly asked as the family got closer.

Fred mumbled something, but no one could understand. 

“What was that Fred?” Molly quietly said.

“(Y/N)...”

“Who? Who are you talking about?” Molly was sure she had heard the name before, perhaps when the boys were still at school. 

“(Y/N), where is she?” Fred moaned.

“I don’t know Freddie.” George replied.“I haven’t seen her since you were brought in.”

“Is..is sh-sh-she a-alive?” Fred was still weak, struggling to speak.

“Fred, please, just rest for now.” Molly begged, not wanting to see him in pain any longer.

“Sh-she’s d-dead?”

As the family struggled to keep Fred still and stop him from panicking, Ginny backed away, knowing the only way Fred would settle was if she found (Y/N). When Fred was carried in, (Y/N) had also been brought him right behind him, but they were separated. She was taken off towards her friends, and in the heat of the moment, Ginny hadn’t questioned if she was alright, making her feel awful.

Although (Y/N) had been close to the twins, she hadn’t been as mischievous as them, not wanting multiple detentions or to get in any trouble as much as they did. It was a surprising friendship between them, especially when (Y/N) was so nice to Ginny, despite the age difference; she was always surprised that the boys never invited her round to their home during the holidays. Because she saw how Fred would sneak glances at the girl, always rolling her eyes at how obvious he was being with his feelings, yet neither one did anything about it. 

Ginny ignored the calls from her dad when she set off in the hall to find (Y/N), bombarding her peers with questions, desperate to find her as quickly as possible. Luckily amongst everyone, she spotted (Y/N)’s friends huddled on the floor, holding onto the unconscious girl’s hands. Ginny startled them as she rushed over.

“Is she...” Ginny started.

“She’s alive. But she’s weak.” one of her friends sniffled.

“We need to move (Y/N).” Ginny demanded.

“What?” 

“She needs to be beside Fred.”

“Why?”

“She just does! Come on, help me move her. Please!”

The girls glanced between each other, and they knew Ginny wouldn’t be requesting such a thing for no reason. They struggled to navigate her body on the stretcher through the people, Ginny going ahead and commanding that they move out of the way. All eyes were on (Y/N), wondering why they were moving her. Ginny gently ushered George and her father out of the way, the men helping lay (Y/N) down on the floor. Fred also watched, slowly turning his head to look at her, expecting to see her beautiful eyes staring back. But when he saw they were shut, he panicked. He shakily reached out for her hand, struggling to find it as they were crossed over on her stomach. George took on her hands, placing it in Fred’s, smiling at the size difference.

Molly and Arthur looked at each other, wondering why this girl was so special to Fred and also why they hadn’t been told much about her.

“This is (Y/N). She saved Fred’s life.” Ginny explained to her parents."She's alive Fred."

Fred didn't reply, still staring at her and grasping onto her hand. His mind flashed back to seeing her save him, hearing how angry and upset she was as she shouted out her spell, somehow defending him from his death and saving herself. He had blacked out before he could see if she was safe. Although he heard Ginny, it didn't make him feel any better. He just wanted to see her eyes open. That was it.

"(Y/N)." he tried to raise his voice, but his throat was so hoarse that it came out as a whisper. He tried shaking her hand slightly, and again, he was too weak to even do that.

George held (Y/N)'s other hand, trying to help his brother wake up their friend. He too wanted her to wake up, and not just for his brother's sake. Her eyes fluttered open, then quickly shut again. Instinctively she was going to rub her eyes until she realised her hands were preoccupied.

"What's happening?" she breathed out, looking around at the Weasley family.

"You're safe dear." Molly reassured her.

"You're alive." Fred smiled, relief flooding through him.

(Y/N) only realised it was Fred talking beside her, breathlessly laughing as her head lulled to the side. There he was, alive just as she was.

"Fred? Oh my...Y-you're here."

"All thanks to you." George smiled, squeezing her hand.

"I'm so..." she gulped before continuing."I'm so happy you're both safe."

"Please don't do that again." Fred begged.

"Do what?"

"Put yourself in danger to save me."

"Don't be stupid Freddie. You can thank me later."

"Let me guess...lots and lots of chocolates."

"Exactly."

                                         *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

(Y/N) yawned as she packed up her things from work, tired after another long week. She passed co-workers, waving goodbye and smiling as she left the building. As she put on her hat, she looked up at the sky, smiling at the sight of snow falling. It was turning dark, and seeing the snowflakes illuminated by the street lights made the street she walked down everyday look beautiful. (Y/N) took her first few steps towards her route home, suddenly stopping for an unknown reason. Something was pulling her in the other direction, she wanted to take a different path today.

Following her instincts, she walked in the opposite direction, hypnotised by the weather around her. Once she reached the end of the street, she looked up at the sign post, and the only part of it not covered in snow was the one that said 'Diagon Alley'. She hadn't been down there for so long, she hadn't seen two certain men for so long.

Why was she headed there? And of all the times to go, why now? She hadn't seen the twins for months, not because she didn't want to, but because she was so busy, as were they. Continuing her walk, she thought back to how often they would spend time together, especially after what happened to Hogwarts. She needed solidarity, she needed to be reminded that Fred was still there, that she didn't dream saving him, it had to be real. (Y/N) would regularly visit them, or vice versa, trying to act like everything was normal and that they weren't effected by anything that had happened.

The shops were closed, she could see the owners locking up, beginning to tidy everything away. Lights were dim, signs now said 'closed' and she was one of the few people left in the street after a busy day of shopping. As (Y/N) approached 'Weasleys Wizard Wheezes', she grew nervous, wondering if this really was a good idea. She hadn't seen them for all this time and now she was suddenly turning up on their shop doorstep? Was it rude? Was she being stupid in thinking that they would be totally fine seeing her after a working day?

Mustering up as much courage as she could, (Y/N) forced herself to the front door, seeing that no last minute customers were left. She tried opening the door, luckily it was open, and let herself in.

"Sorry, we're closed!" a voice shouted out.

"Even for me?" she cheekily called back, giggling when a confused George poked his head around a pile of boxes.

He grinned, practically running towards (Y/N) with his arms open wide."Where have you been little miss?"

"I'm sorry, I know this is a random visit but...I don't know, I just thought of coming to see you and Freddie."

"You're welcome here any time of any day. You know that."

They pulled apart, still smiling."Thanks, I just feel bad that I've not made much effort."

"Hey, we're all busy now. Don't worry about it. I'll go get Fred, he's going to love this!"

George was ecstatic as he dashed off to find his brother. All of them were to blame for not catching up more often than they used to, and he had seen how it effected Fred. They had all been each others support system after the battle, but it was clear that Fred and (Y/N) hugged a little tighter than they used to, looked into each others eyes longer, and smiled as much as possible when together. George had always wanted to set them up (he would have preferred involving pranks somehow) and that old itch was back. These two were hopeless with their feelings for one another, he just had to give them a little push in the right direction...into each others arms.

"Freddie!" George exclaimed, laughing when his brother almost dropped a box out of fright.

"What?" Fred sighed as he recovered, placing the box on the floor. He just wanted to get the stock out for the next morning and go home.

"Come see who has paid us a visit."

George said no more, going back to the shop floor, leaving Fred rolling his eyes as he followed. He rolled up his shirt sleeves as they slid down his arms, not paying much attention to his surroundings. So when he looked up and he saw her, his mouth dropped open, shocked to see (Y/N) standing there.

"Would you just get over here and hug me?" (Y/N) joked, though not as boldly as she used to.

Fred just laughed as he did what she said, reaching down to wrap his long arms around her. She had miss how he held her, how tightly he clung onto her, as if it were their last hug ever. George just stood there, crossing his arms over his chest as he waited for them to finish.

"What are you doing here?" Fred asked.

"Just wanted to see you both." (Y/N) simply stated.

"Well I'm glad you did."

"How about we go for some drinks? It is the end of the week after all." George suggested.

(Y/N) nodded."Yeah, I'm up for that."

"Well then, let's get packed up Freddie."

(Y/N) offered to help, but the twins refused. They came in and out of the stock room, being as quick as they could. (Y/N) took the opportunity to walk around, see what items they were selling. There were some new products, but most were older classics. She reminisced over all the times the boys used pranks such as the ones in the shop, and how they could sometimes get a lighter punishment, just because everyone loved them. She took part in a few schemes here and there, but only the harmless ones, the ones that would only land her in detention if they got caught.

She came to a stand that held numerous love potions. She smiled as she remembered making Amortentia in her lessons. That had been an awkward class. No one wanted to be picked on and asked what theirs smelt like, not in front of their peers. (Y/N) knew who's hers smelt like as soon as the lid of the bottle popped off.

"No luck in the love department then?" George smirked as he put on his coat.

"Hm?" (Y/N) hadn't been paying attention, thinking back on old times.

"Still not found 'the one'?"

"Oh, no, I don't have time for any of that."

"Well, hopefully Mr Right just stumbles into your life." George was growing more excited by the second.

"Yeah, hopefully."

"Right, ready to go?" Fred appeared.

"Yes-Oh!" George startled them."Freddie, I just had a great idea."

"Oh here we go." (Y/N) joked.

"(Y/N) should come home with us, to the Burrow, for mum's party!"

"A party? Why is your mum throwing a party?"

"Dad got a little bonus at work, mum thinks it's something to celebrate. And it's an excuse for her to get the whole family back together."

"That is an amazing idea actually." Fred beamed.

"I can't impose on something like that. Especially since it's a family thing."

"Nonsense." the twins said in unison.

"Are you sure? I mean, I haven't seen your family for so long."

"Mum would love it." Fred reassured her.

"OK then!" (Y/N) grinned."I've always loved a Weasley party."

"That's settled then," George opened the door,"we'll discuss the details over those drinks that are waiting for us."

                                       *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Smoothing down her dress once again, (Y/N) checked her tights for any holes or ladders. She had planned her outfit a week before the party, changing her mind countless times before she finally decided on what she wanted to wear. All morning, her heart had been racing, stomach twisting into knots as nerves got the better of her. Why was she so nervous? She had met the Weasley’s many times, she even stayed the Burrow!

There was a knock at the door, meaning the boys were here to pick her up. Sighing, she checked herself one last time in the mirror before going to answer the door. As she opened it, she noticed it was only Fred standing there, no sign of George.

"Hi, where's George?" she asked as she let Fred inside the flat. She took a note of the smart-casual shirt he was wearing; thank god, she was dressed correctly.

"He's waiting downstairs. Said he can't be arsed to walk up all those stairs. Even though there is a lift..."

"Since when did he become so lazy?" (Y/N) giggled, grabbing her handbag and keys. Turning back around, she saw Fred staring at her.

"(Y/N), you look..." Fred was speechless, which was rare for him. He always had a witty remark, a joke or a flirty comment at the ready, but when he was around (Y/N), those words seemed to get stuck in his throat,"...beautiful."

(Y/N) smiled, ducking her head to hide her blush."Th-thanks Freddie. You look very handsome too."

There were so many more words that he wanted to use to compliment her. He wanted to slap himself for using such a basic word. (Y/N) was gorgeous, she was dazzling, he could believe such a smart, independant and caring woman was in his life. Why did he have to stutter or forget how to speak when he was around her? The real words he wanted to say were on the tip of his tongue, but they would never leave there.

Awkwardly laughing, they left the flat, meeting George outside. George noticed their pink cheeks but didn't mention it, knowing they had embarrassed themselves enough in front of each other.

The journey was full of banter and inside jokes, making it seem like they were students again at Hogwarts. (Y/N)'s nerves about seeing the Weasley’s again had disappeared, but new ones emerged. And they were all because of Fred. (Y/N) wasn't stupid, she had always had feelings for him. But after the battle, she hadn't snatched him up, something held her back, and she just couldn't bring herself to even talk to Fred about it, like any other normal adult would.

The Burrow was just ahead, now the nerves were taken over by excitement. Fred and George reminded (well, warned) (Y/N) how excited their mum was going to be, but she didn't mind. It would be great to receive such an inviting reception. She walked between the twins up to the house, letting them go in first, hesitating slightly as she took in how many people were there; they weren't joking when they said everyone would be there.

"Mum, look who else we brought." Fred struggled to say as he was smothered with kisses across his face.

Molly finally let him go, her smile turning into a shocked expression before letting out a scream, making everyone jump. She didn't waste time bringing (Y/N) into a bone crushing hug. (Y/N) would have laughed if she could breathe, but didn't complain.

"Oh, it's so good to see you dear! It's been too long since you've been back here." Molly held (Y/N)'s cheeks in her hands, looking at how the young girl she knew had turned into a beautiful woman.

“I couldn’t say no when Fred and George invited me.” (Y/N) said through squished lips. 

“Alright mum, give her some air.” George gently chuckled.

“Oh, this is so nice.” Molly beamed, glancing between (Y/N) and Fred, who was already looking at her. 

It took a good ten minutes for the twins and (Y/N) to greet everyone. She always forgot how many Weasley’s there were, some she had not seen for years. Homemade food was laid out on the table (far more than what was needed), everyone nibbling at anything they fancied as they spoke over drinks. There was a toast held for Arthur, who humbly thanked everyone, bashful over Molly’s speech; and she didn’t leave out mentioning how lovely it was that the family was extending, referring to (Y/N). She had blushed too much recently, avoiding eye contact with Fred as everyone stared at the pair who were stood together.

The day was moving on too quickly, it was becoming dark outside, and she didn’t want the night to end. The family had split into groups, still having much to talk about. (Y/N) decided to refill her drink, parting from the others to head to the kitchen. Just as she found another bottle to open, someone appeared beside her. Craning her neck upwards, she flinched back as Fred held out her coat to her, along with her hat, scarves and gloves.

“We’re not leaving are we?” (Y/N) frowned, not wanting to leave.

“Just popping out.” Fred smiled.

After getting wrapped up, (Y/N) followed Fred outside. Once again, it was lightly snowing, starting to stick to the ground which was already frosty, the sound of grass crunching underneath their shoes. She nonchalantly looped her arm through his, snuggling into him (if he asked, she would blame it on the cold), her heart fluttering when Fred instead wrapped his arm around her shoulders, meaning they could be closer. They didn’t stray too far from the house, Fred casting Lumos to light the way. There was a crumbling stone wall which Fred confidently hopped onto. (Y/N) waited for some part of it to collapse, and when it didn't, she joined him, having to jump higher to reach the top. He laughed, forgetting how much advantage his height have him almost everyday.

"We've never sat here before." (Y/N) commented.

"Honestly, I didn't even know it was here."

"So we were just wandering around?" (Y/N) smiled.

"Yeah." Fred confessed.

“How come you wanted to get out of the house?”

“Uh...I wanted to, well, I thought we could talk.”

“About?” she dragged out the word.

“When I saw you again, after all this time, I realised what an idiot I’ve been.”

“What do you mean?”

“Obviously we’re busy, we’ve both got jobs and it’s always harder to meet up. But I regret that so much. After...what happened at Hogwarts, you were my rock, I always felt normal around you, as if nothing had happened. We were able to carry on with our lives like we had planned. When I didn’t see you, I would lie awake all night with that image of you beside me in the hall. It would never go away.”

“Why have you never told me any of this?” 

“I’ve been too scared to reveal anything. I didn’t want to bring anything up, because who would want to be with someone who is still stuck in the past?”

“I would. Fred, you’re not alone in this. I’ve always felt the same. I visited you all those times because my mind would make me think that I never saved you. And if I hadn’t....I don’t know how I would have gone on. Because if I didn’t have you in my life-”

“Don’t finish that sentence, please. We’ve been through so much that we shouldn’t have. But we’re here now, together again.”

Fred held her hand, slowly interlocking their fingers. They both looked down, butterflies erupting in their stomach. The pair glanced at each other, quickly looking away when they realised how close their faces were.

“Why are we acting like kids at school again?” (Y/N) laughed.

“You’re asking the guy who owns and runs a joke shop with his brother, I don’t think I’ve ever stopped being a kid.”

“We did, once.”

“(Y/N), we don’t have to think about that anymore. It’s in the past.”

“Freddie?”

“Yeah?”

“Remember the last time we were in a situation like this? When you actually had the courage to ask me to the Yule ball?”

“And we went as friends?”

She nodded.“Yep. You know, I was a little disappointed when you added that part.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I was sort of hoping you would ask me out as well. Then when you said that, and I just gave up trying. You never noticed me flirting anyway.”

“I never asked you because I never knew. And you also had guys after you so I didn’t think I had a chance.”

“Are you joking? Fred, no one else was wanting to date me.”

“Now you’re the one who is joking.”

“Well...”

“Well?”

“Let’s not make this more awkward than it already is.”

“Oh it’s awkward now?”

“Fred!” (Y/N) exclaimed but couldn’t help laughing along with him.

“No, no, I’m enjoying this.”

“Fred Weasley, after all this time being idiots and wasting time not being together...”

“What? Did you change your mind-”

(Y/N) didn’t know how to say it, instead closing the already small gap them and kissing him. Fred was shocked by how forward she was, but wasted no time kissing back. Her hands cupped his cheeks as Fred’s hands wound themselves around her waist. This had been long overdue. As they pulled away, breathless from the passionate kiss, Fred started to chuckle.

“What is it?” (Y/N) asked.

“Mum is gonna scream when she finds out about this.”

[mrs-gucci]

Gucci’s Girl [REPOST] {Maurizio Gucci x Reader}

author’s notes: hellooo! I originally wrote this story as an ‘x OC’ because that’s what I was writing at the time, but I decided to change it into an ‘x Reader’ story since that’s what more people like to read!

**I used a translation application for the Italian in this story. Apologies if there are any typos and/or incorrect sentences/grammar. Italian sentences/words are in italics throughout the story with translations after the sentences in parenthesis.

**This is MY OWN INTERPRETATION of Maurizio Gucci’s character, as portrayed by Adam Driver in the upcoming film, House Of Gucci.

warnings: smut. fluff. grinding. multiple orgasms. pretty vanilla sex.

(possible) tw’s: infidelity (he’s engaged, not married).

SMUT under the CUT!

“Tesoro” means “Treasure” in Italian (an affectionate nickname).

“Y/N, will you stay after for a bit?”

Mr. Gucci walks over to your desk.

“I need to ask you something.”

You nod, smiling up at your boss.

“Of course, Mr. Gucci.”

Inside, you were panicking. 

He’s never asked you to stay after work before, except on your first day, which made sense.  But this doesn’t make sense… 

He returns the smile.

“Excellent. Just come to my office.”

You continue to work, faxing and typing away until the clock read five. 

Everyone else begins to pack up and bids you farewell as you make your way up to Mr. Gucci’s office.

The wooden door has never looked more intimidating than it does in this moment, as you raise your knuckles and knock.

“Entra in.” (Come in.)

You take a deep breath before you turn the handle, forcing a smile on your face.

He looks so scary and intimidating when he sits at his desk, a fact that, when you told him, made him laugh.

“Ah, yes, Y/N. Come in, sit down.”

The chairs in his office are top-of-the-line, a refreshing change from the less-than luxurious chairs out on the floor.

Mr. Gucci lights a cigarette and takes a drag before standing up and walking around to take a seat in the chair next to you.

When he sees your confused expression, he laughs softly, taking another drag.

“I know you think I look scary sitting back there, and I don’t want you to be scared of me.”

Your eyes go wide.

“O-Oh, that’s not what I meant—“

“I know, tesoro.”

He chuckles, eyes flickering over your face before he speaks again. 

“So, the annual House of Gucci Ball is coming up, as you know.”

You nod.

“And, I was wondering...would you want to...come with me?”

Your stomach drops.

“W-What?”

The CEO looks incredibly flustered and anxious, a new look for him.

“My fiancée isn’t feeling well and as the head of the House, I really don’t want to go alone…”

In a bold move, you reach out and gently place your hand over his. He looks up at you, and you smile.

“I’d, uhh, I’d love to go, sir. It would be my pleasure.”

“Great.”

The corners of his lips tug up into a genuine smile and his eyes dart away from yours as he takes another drag.

“I’ll have the company tailor come in tomorrow and take your measurements for a gown. And you’ll come here three hours beforehand in order to have hair and makeup done.”

You’re still partially in shock as he discusses dresses and makeup and hair. 

It’s become clear to you over the past few weeks that he has feelings for you, and you think they’re the same feelings that you have for him. 

But obviously, neither of you can act on them, no matter how badly you wish you could. He’s set to be married in a few months, and there’s a very strict company policy that forbids relationships between workers and their supervisors.

So, it left this unresolved tension between the two of you, and you literally just agreed to spend an entire night at an event with him.

The reality hits and you feel lightheaded.

Oh my god, I’m going to the company ball with Maurizio Gucci.

Four Weeks Later

The elevator dings and you step out into the now-vacant office. You see several people standing around a portable salon setup, and they all turn to look at you.

“Miss Y/N?”

One of them asks.

You nod.

“Si.” (Yes.)

They quickly sit you down in the chair and begin applying makeup and doing your hair.

-

You’re tearing up a little bit as you look at yourself in the mirror. Clad in a long, form-fitting gown and in full hair and makeup, you look and feel like a princess.

The stylist hands you a small accent clutch and almost immediately after, the elevator dings, and Mr. Gucci steps out, clad in a snappy black suit, not unlike what he wears at work everyday. 

That man is never not in a suit, you’ve learned.

His eyes go wide as you step down from the small platform. Your cheeks warm under his intense gaze.

The stylist looks nervous as his eyes roam your figure. 

She speaks up a moment later, voice meek.

“Il vestito e il trucco soddisfano i suoi standard, signore?” (Does the dress and makeup meet your standards, sir?)

He tears his eyes away from you, and nods at the stylist.

“Ha superato le mie aspettative.” (It’s exceeded my expectations.)

You’re blushing madly now, unable to meet his eyes as you feel him looking at you again.

Soon, the stylist packs up and leaves just you and Mr. Gucci alone. 

He clears his throat, breaking the silence.

“You look...beautiful, absolutely beautiful, tesoro.”

You bite your lip as you look up at him, absolutely starstruck by his handsomeness. He somehow manages to look better and more attractive every time you see him. 

“You’re too sweet, sir.”

He takes your hand, kissing your knuckles. 

“Please, I’m Maurizio tonight.”

You nod, trying his name on your tongue. 

“Maurizio.”

Mr. Gucci smiles as he releases your hand.  “We have a few minutes before the car gets here...would you like some water? Espresso?”

“I’m alright, but thank you.” You say. 

A few moments of sexually-charged silence lingers between you two.

“Thank you for agreeing to join me tonight.”

He says suddenly.

“I always enjoy our time together, Y/N.”

You smile.

“Me too.”

“Really? You do?”

Maurizio blushes slightly.

“It’s just...I’m an old man, you’re a young woman...”

You chuckle as you reach out to hold his hand.

“You’re not old, sir—Maurizio. And yes, really, I do enjoy our time together.”

“I’m glad.”

He says, eyes flicking down to your lips as he leans in a little bit.

Wait...what? Is he gonna… Fuck, oh god, this can’t happen...

Honk!

He flinches at the sound, standing up straight and clearing his throat.

“I guess the car is here.”

You chuckle nervously as he holds out his hand, and you take it, walking alongside him to the elevator. 

It’s a short drive to the hotel and when you two arrive, there are swarms of paparazzi, all crowding around the car when the driver pulls to the curb. 

Maurizio clearly sees your overwhelmed expression and tension, reaching over to squeeze your hand. 

“Don’t worry, tesoro. Just stay by my side and don’t answer any of their questions, yes?”

You nod and he gets out, walking around to open your door and help you out of the car. Immediately, when the press sees that you’re not his fiancée, the cameras flash even more rapidly and voices overlap one another. 

“Sei la nuova fidanzata di Maurizio?” (Are you Maurizio’s new girlfriend?)

“Maurizio, dov’e la tua fidanzata?” (Maurizio, where’s your fiancée?)

“Strumento a mano.” (Gold digger.)

“Puttana americana.” (American whore.)

They were all basically on top of you, asking so many questions and saying so many things about you, it was incredibly overwhelming.

Suddenly, Maurizio’s voice boomed through the crowd, and everyone fell silent.

“Lasciala in pace!” (Leave her alone!)

His arm wraps tighter around your waist, pressing you even further into his side as he walks you both into the building. The cameras and crowds were almost completely silent, still, and you were just trying to process it all as the two of you walked into the event, you still tucked into his side.

He stopped just inside the door and let you go, taking your hands instead, eyebrows furrowed with worry. 

“Are you okay, tesoro? They didn’t hurt you, did they?”

You shake your head, still trembling a little bit. 

“N-No, I’m okay, just a little shaken up.”

“They’re vicious and relentless...mi dispiace. I should’ve warned you about them beforehand, but I’m relieved that you’re okay.” (I’m sorry)

“It’s okay, Maurizio, really.”

You smile sadly.

“Thank you for helping me.”

He wraps an arm around you again, gently squeezing your hip before rubbing it lightly. 

“Of course, anything for mi tesoro. I’m indebted to you for joining me tonight.”

You’re blushing, eyes darting away from his. 

“Oh no, that’s not necessary. It’s an honor to accompany you, and I’m sorry that my presence caused so much trouble for you, with the press.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

He smiles, eyes lingering on you for a moment before guiding you into the massive ballroom. 

You’re absolutely stunned by the beauty of it, the chandeliers glittering on the ceiling as they illuminate the entire room. 

Maurizio seems to notice your staring, and pauses as well, chuckling softly. 

“It’s very pretty, isn’t it?”

You turn to him and nod, smiling. 

“It’s beautiful.”

Once you get inside and take your seats, Maurizio is immediately flocked with people wanting to speak with him. Some of them give you a judgemental glance or gaze, and you just look away, taking another sip of your wine. 

This is gonna be a long night.

-

Naturally, Maurizio has been talking to people nonstop all night, which was expected of course, but for some reason, you’d sort of hoped he’d make some time for just the two of you. You genuinely enjoy his company, he’s actually really kind and funny when he’s not in ‘work mode’. 

Why would he do that for you? You’re just his replacement date, Y/N, nothing more.

So, you sit back in your chair and casually nibble at the new dinner course that was put on your plates a few minutes ago. 

A dance song begins to play and suddenly, Maurizio stands up and holds his hand out for you. 

“Would you like to dance, mi tesoro?”

“Absolutely.”

You blush, biting your lip as you stand up.

He places his hand on the small of your back as you two walk onto the floor. You wrap your arms around his neck while he places his hands on your waist, holding you close as the two of you begin gently swaying to the slow tune. 

“It’s nice to step away from the table for a bit.”

He says, chuckling. 

“I only see these people once a year, so they always want to talk the night away.”

You laugh. 

“I understand, and I’m happy that I could provide an excuse for you to get away, even if only for a few minutes.”

“You’re anything but an excuse, Y/N.”

Maurizio says, blushing a bit. 

“I’ve been wanting to make some time to spend with you, but I haven’t gotten the opportunity. I’m sorry for that, this must be tedious for you.”

You shake your head. 

“No, it’s alright, although I do respect your fiancée much more now that I understand what happens at events like this.”

You jest, and he laughs.

“But, in all seriousness, I’m fine. You shouldn’t feel any obligation to keep me entertained, I understand my role for tonight.”

His face sinks ever so slightly, but he still smiles nonetheless. 

“I did hope to spend some time with you, though. Like I said, I enjoy spending time with you.”

The song suddenly ends and a much more upbeat one takes its place. 

Maurizio’s face seems to light up, and he smiles widely. 

“Are you ready?”

“Ready for what?”

You’re suddenly lifted up and spun around. You laugh the entire time and he continues spinning you. 

The whole world seems to fade and suddenly, it’s just you two on the dancefloor. 

Your eyes are glued on one another as he sets you back down, and you don’t think you’ve ever seen him smile so genuinely. You briefly wonder how many of these moments he gets to have with his job.

You’re still laughing as he takes your hand and tries to twirl you around. He’s laughing along with you as you start to twirl, but you forgot how long your dress is, and you start to fall backwards.

A strong arm reaches down and scoops you up before you can hit the floor, and suddenly, you’re centimeters away from his face, his breath tickling your skin. 

He’s still smiling as he slowly stands back up with you in his arms. 

“Be careful, tesoro. We’re not taking any trips to the emergency room tonight, okay?”

You smile, unable to bring yourself to take your eyes off of him as you’re placed back onto your feet, his arm still around you, holding you close. 

You allow yourself, for the first time since your internship began, to take in all of his features. You let your eyes drink in his beauty and it feels like time has stopped. He’s even more handsome up-close, his pale skin a stark contrast to his dark eyes and the freckles sprinkled across his features. 

Before you know it, he leans forward and rests his forehead on yours, his lips so close now.

“Voglio davvero baciarti, tesoro.” (I really want to kiss you right now, treasure.)

He whispers.

His voice is so deep, yet soft and full of yearning. It sends a chill down your spine.

“Non ti fermero, bello.” (I’m not going to stop you, handsome.)

“Bene.” (Good.)

He leans forward the rest of the way and your lips connect in a tender embrace. 

You close your eyes and let your hand reach up to cradle the side of his face. 

He soon pulls away, a face-splitting grin on his face. 

You’re wearing a similar expression.

“Mi chiedevo quando l’avresti finalmente fatto.” (I was wondering when you were finally going to do that.)

You giggle, nuzzling your nose against his slightly.

Maurizio laughs softly.

“Mi chiedevo quando avrei dovuto farlo anch’io.” (I was wondering when I was going to do it, as well.)

The moment is quickly ruined when you realize exactly where you are, and you’re afraid to know how many people saw that. You quickly stand up straight and so does he, both of you taking a small step away from each other as you straighten yourselves out. 

When you turn back towards the table, all of the people stare right at you, and you feel your face get hot. You look up at Maurizio when he comes up beside you.

“I think I’ll just catch a cab back to the house…”

You say, looking down.

He looks over at the table, seeing his work colleagues giving you judgemental glares. His finger gently lifts your chin until you’re looking up at him again.

“Let me take you back, tesoro. It’s the least I can do, and we can talk about...everything.”

You nod. 

“I’m really sorry about this…”

Maurizio shakes his head. 

“No, tesoro, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have done that in such a public space.”

Your cheeks get warmer. 

“Are you saying that you still would’ve done it?”

His cheeks go pink as he looks away. 

“Yes, I still would’ve kissed you, Y/N.”

Is this real?

He clears his throat, placing a hand on the small of your back.

“Why don’t you go up to the front while I retrieve our stuff from the table? I’ll make sure that no one says anything or thinks poorly of you.”

“Thank you.”

You say, smiling. 

“I’ll get them to call us a cab.”

He’s at the table for about five minutes while you wait by the door, anxious for what’s to come. 

“Sorry, mi tesoro, they tried to tell me that I shouldn’t leave early. But, I insisted on seeing you safely back to your house.”

“If you need to stay…”

You begin, but are quickly stopped.

“No, I’m going with you.”

You’re so flattered that he would leave the biggest company party of the year just for you. You.

The cab arrives shortly after and you two walk out into the warm Italian night air, hopping into the car. His hand rests gently on your thigh as the car pulls away from the curb. 

He sighs.

“I’m sorry that I got you involved in this. My life is...complicated, especially as someone constantly under the public eye.”

You don’t even want to ask this next question, but you have to.

“Maurizio, are you still engaged?”

His head turns away to look out the window.

“I’m not sure.”

Your eyebrows furrow. “What do you mean, you aren’t sure? It’s a yes or no question.”

“Patrizia left me last night and she hasn’t come back.”

He says, choking up a bit.

You gently put your hand over his and he looks over at you.

“I’m really sorry, that’s...terrible. Did she say why?”

“I told her that I was taking you tonight, and she got upset.”

He sighed. 

“She asked me if I had feelings for you, since I talk to her about you almost every day…”

“You talk about me?”

Maurizio smiles softly, nodding. “Of course I do. Ever since you’ve been here, the office has been...happier. I’ve been happier.”

You take a deep breath, trying not to freak out over what you’re hearing.

“S-So, when she asked you if you had feelings for me...what did you tell her?”

He turns fully to the side, bringing a hand up to cup your face.

“Le ho detto la verita, che mi sono sentito per te sin dal primo giorno in cui sei entrato in ufficio.” (I told her the truth, that I’ve felt for you since the first day you walked into the office.)

You can’t help but smile as your face warms again, eyes darting away from his as he continues.

“Sono un uomo migliore con te nella mia vita, tesoro.” (I’m a better man with you in my life, treasure.)

“Maurizio, I…”

You begin, trying to find the right words.

“Lo so che non dovrei, ma mi sento anche per te.” (I know I shouldn’t, but I feel for you, too.)

He smiles, leaning in closer.

“Qual e la ragione dell-amore senza rischi?” (What is the point of love without risk?)

This time, you close the gap between your lips. His other hand comes to hold your face as you kiss, so much passion and want in every movement of your lips together. 

You move closer, legs draping over his lap.

Just as you make a move to sit on his lap, the cab pulls up to your house, forcing you apart.

Both of you are panting softly, eyes staring deep into each other’s.

“Tesoro, ti prego, faccio l’amore stasera.” (Treasure, please, let me make love to you tonight.)

He leans in and crashes your lips together again, this kiss filled with urgency, with lust, with need.

You nod, biting your lip.

“Ti voglio. Ho bisogno di te, per favore.” (I want you. I need you, please.)

Maurizio smiles, paying the driver before quickly hopping out of the car, rushing around to let you out. As soon as you step out, you’re swept up off your feet and carried bridal-style to the front door. You unlock the door and he quickly closes it with his foot. 

You reach up and begin planting kisses on his neck, enjoying the way he sighs softly. 

“Which one is yours?”

He asks, breathily.

“Upstairs, the loft.”

He makes his way up the small flight of stairs. 

“Is anyone else here?”

You nod. “They’re all on the first floor.”

Maurizio hums, gently placing you down on the bed before shedding his suit coat, hanging it on your desk chair, followed by his tie. He takes off his loafers and socks, placing them beneath his other clothes.

You’d barely gotten your heels off at the point. He laughs when he turns around and sees you struggling to get the shoes off. He quickly pulls it off and tosses it on the floor, holding your foot while he kisses your ankle and calf. 

He takes a moment to look at you laid back on the bed, once neatly done hair loosened, makeup a bit smudged. His lips pulled up into a smile, teeth playfully scraping at your ankle bone. 

“You have too much on, mi tesoro.”

You smile, standing up and turning away from him, silently asking him to unbutton and unzip your dress. He steps up behind you, breaths hot on your neck as his fingers work the buttons. 

His lips begin planting kisses on your shoulders, soon undoing the zipper, freeing you from the dress. You step out and stand before him in just your underwear, looking away as his eyes rake over your figure. 

Your cheeks grow hotter when you look down to see the tent growing in his dress pants.

“Etereale.” (Ethereal.)

He mutters, fingers working the buttons of his shirt, gently tossing it with his other clothes before working at the buckle on his belt. 

“Formidabile.” (Gorgeous.)

The leather belt was soon tossed onto the growing pile of clothing. He unbuttons his pants before stepping forward again, now almost right up against you. 

His hand wraps around your wrist and brings your palm to the tent in his pants, growling softly when it touches. He leaned forward, lips at your ear.

“For you, tesoro. All for you.”

You shudder as his lips plant kisses all over your neck while his hands roam your bare body, fingers teasing your breasts.

“You’re so sensitive.”

He breathes, hands squeezing your breasts gently. 

“When was the last time someone touched you like this, hm?”

“It’s been a w-while.”

You say, gasping when his thumb rolls over your pebbled nipple. 

“O-Oh…”

Maurizio grins, placing one more kiss on your neck before standing up straight, tugging his pants and boxers down. You watch in amazement when his length bobs as it’s exposed, mouth watering at the sight.

He smirks. “Do you see something you like?”

“Absolutely.”

You reply, biting your lip. 

He laughs softly. 

“Well...would you like to touch it?”

His cheeks flush pink. 

You nod, reaching to wrap your hand around the base. His eyes flutter shut at your touch, and he sucks in a breath when you begin stroking.

“Mmmmm, davvero buono.” (so good.)

His head falls back when you increase your pace, hips gently rutting forward. His eyebrows knit in the center of his forehead, small moans escaping his lips.

Suddenly, he pulls away, letting out a shaky breath as his length stirs at the loss of contact.

“You are too good at that, mi tesoro.”

He bites his lip, fingertips teasing the lace waistband of your panties.

“May I touch you now?”

You nod, jumping softly when he all but tears the material down your legs, exposing your folds. He reaches down and cups your center, eyes widening when he feels how wet you are.

“Oh,”

He whispers, fingers tracing up to rub your clit.

“Tesoro...you’re so excited already, and I haven’t even touched you.”

Your hips suddenly buck forward out of instinct, and Maurizio chuckles breathily, rubbing a bit faster. You gasp, breath catching in your throat. 

“S-Shit.”

You allow yourself to get lost in the pleasure, head falling forward onto his chest. The small noises falling from your lips get increasingly louder as you draw closer and closer to release. 

His fingers suddenly push up into you, and you almost cum right on the spot. His digits feel so much better than yours as they begin plunging in and out, scissoring occasionally. 

“Lasciatemi prendere, tesoro, e ti acchiappero.” (Let go for me, treasure, and I will catch you.)

He whispers breathily, stroking faster. 

“Andiamo.” (Let go.)

His fingers curl up inside of you, and after a few rubs on your g-spot, you’re coming with a soft cry. 

“Maurizio...oh mio dio…” (Maurizio...oh my god…)

Your knees buckle and you begin to fall, but he catches you immediately, smiling down at you as his fingers continue to work you through your climax. He leans over to kiss you again, slowly and gently pulling his fingers out. 

“Lay back, mi tesoro, and open your legs.”

He whispers against your lips, standing back up straight as you sit down on the edge of the bed before laying back. 

You spread my legs, ready to receive him, and he smiles as he climbs on top of you. He’s still wearing his glasses, and while you find that humorous and quite frankly cute, it’s also incredibly arousing for some reason. You don’t dwell on it, wanting to focus on the moment unfolding before your eyes. 

Maurizio strokes his hardened length a few times, grunting softly, before rubbing himself across your folds. His eyes shut and he takes a shaky breath as your slick spreads across his cock. He starts pressing and rubbing the tip against your clit for a bit, smirking when your hips buck up against him.

He looks down at you, lining himself up with your entrance. 

“Are you ready? I’ll go slow for you, tesoro.”

You nod and he pushes in slowly, growling softly. He shivers, stopping when he’s about halfway in.

“Is it still okay?”

Your legs wrap around his waist, pushing his hips forward while you scoot closer, pushing him in the rest of the way.

“D-Does that answer your question?”

You chuckle.

He laughs breathily, nodding. 

“Indeed, it does.”

You take deep breaths while you adjust to his size, soon nodding, letting him know that it’s okay for him to move. He pulls about halfway out before pushing back in again, exhaling loudly as he establishes a rhythm of slow, deep thrusts. 

“O-Oh, cazzo, sei fantastico.” (Oh, fuck, you feel amazing.)

Your jaw hangs open, body bouncing with each of his inward thrusts. You hold onto his biceps for dear life as his pace increases ever so slightly. 

“Maurizio,”

You breathe, looking up into his eyes. 

“Keep going, please.”

The bed squeaks as his hips’ movements grow more desperate. 

“Tesoro, I--cazzo--I’m not going to last.” (fuck)

He says, eyebrows knitted on his forehead.

“I h-haven’t done this--merda--in a w-while.” (shit)

You nod in understanding, moving your hands up to cup the sides of his face.

“It’s okay, M-Maurizio, it’s alright.”

His eyes meet yours as he growls softly, shaking his head. 

“No, it’s n-not. You deserve better, t-the best, Y/N.”

Your thumb swipes on his cheekbone as his eyes tear up with a mixture of pleasure and frustration.

“Y-You already are the best, bello, and I w-want you to cum, no m-matter if I have o-or not. I want you to p-pleasure yourself, okay? Don’t worry about m-me.” (handsome)

He smiles softly, falling onto his elbows, lips connecting with yours as he thrusts get harder. He grunts deeply with each thrust, breath hot and heavy on the side of your neck.

“Oh tesoro, I’m...close. Where…”

He searches for the right words, mind clouded with lust. He groans in frustration.

“Dove vuoi che sborra?” (Where do you want me to cum?)

You tangle your fingers in his hair, tugging gently. 

“Sono sulla pillola. Puoi sborra dentro, se vuoi, bello.” (I’m on the pill. You can cum inside, if you want, handsome.)

These words seem to awaken something in him, his eyes going black, hips suddenly rutting quickly and desperately into you. 

“Cazzo, sei incredibile, sei perfetto, tesoro.” (Fuck, you’re amazing, you’re perfect, treasure.)

Maurizio buries his face into the crook of your neck as he reaches climax, moans and gasps muffled by your skin. He buries his cock deep inside of you, painting your walls with his release, rutting them desperately as he fills you up.

“Y/N, oh dio, prendi tutto per me. Bene, sei bravissima, mi tesoro.” (Y/N, oh god, take it all for me. Good, you’re so good, my treasure).

As soon as he finishes, his hand reaches down to rub your clit in circles, eyes meeting yours.

“C’mon, let me pleasure you now. Let go, tesoro, give yourself to me.”

Your back arches and your hips grind against his fingers, mouth full of whimpers, whines, and gasps as his fingers rub you. You grab onto his bicep when you cum, looking up into his eyes. 

“Yes, oh Maurizio, yes!”

You gasp, moaning softly as your release spreads throughout your body.

He continues to rub you through it, cock twitching slightly where it still sits inside of you, causing him to growl softly. 

After both of you take a moment to catch your breaths, he slowly pulls out, and you can see that he’s already hard again. He blushes, looking away for a moment.

“I...I’m sorry, that’s never happened before…”

You chuckle, shaking your head.

“Maurizio, you don’t need to apologize. It’s actually sort of flattering, that I can do that to you.”

He smiles softly, laying down next to you, pulling you back against him. You didn’t realize exactly how hard he actually was until you felt him pressed against your back, and you felt bad.

“Do you…I mean, I can...”

You trail off, a bit embarrassed, hoping he got the point.

Maurizio immediately shakes his head. 

“No, tesoro, don’t worry. I will be okay.”

Your teeth sink into your bottom lip before you speak.

“If you wanted to, you could...rub it against me.”

You feel his member twitch at your proposition, and you turn around in his arms, looking up at him. His cheeks are bright red.

“Will you show me?”

He asks quietly.

You smile, nodding. 

“All you have to do is start moving your hips against me, using my skin to rub on.”

He experimentally rolls his hips, jaw clenched as he tries to contain himself. 

“O-Oh.”

He tried it again, growling as his cock dragged along your stomach.

“Tesoro, it’s…”

You can’t pretend that this isn’t incredibly arousing for you to watch and feel. His tip was already red and leaking, so you knew he wasn’t going to last very long.

“Does it feel good, Maurizio?”

You feel him nod, hips moving faster now as he looks down at you. 

“Yes, cristo, it’s s-so good.” (christ)

His lips crash onto yours and he loops an arm behind you, holding you still as he begins rutting against you, growling into your mouth. He moves his head down to kiss and nip at your neck.

“Your s-skin is so soft, mi tesoro.”

He whispers, grunting with each forward motion now. 

His leg lifts up and lays over your hip, allowing him to thrust harder, hand still on your lower back. He’s close, you can tell, and you attentively watch the way his face contorts as he reaches orgasm. 

He suddenly hugs you tight, a choked sob against your neck as his seed spills all over your stomach and his.

“Ah! Ah--oh--cristo!” (christ)

You run your hands through his hair soothingly as he comes down, trembling slightly. He slides down your body a bit, resting his head between your breasts, kissing them gently. 

After a short while, he looks up at you. 

“Grazie, Y/N, grazie mille.” (Thank you, Y/N, thank you so much.)

You smile. 

“You don’t have to thank me, Maurizio, it was my pleasure.”

He reaches up and connects your lips in a tender yet passionate kiss before he pulls away, cringing when he feels the stickiness between you. 

“I’m sorry, fuck, I’ve never...that’s never…”

You kiss him again, cutting him off.

“No worries, we can just clean it off. I’ll get a wet washcloth.”

You stand and come back a moment later with a wet washcloth, reaching down to wipe yourself off before Maurizio’s hand wraps around your wrist, stopping you. 

“Let me.”

He smiles, taking the cloth from your hand, cleaning up the sticky substance before doing the same to himself. 

Your cheeks are warm as you look up at him.

“Thank you.”

“No problem, mi tesoro.”

He suddenly looks away, frowning softly. 

“I-I can’t stay tonight, Y/N, I’m sorry. If someone catches us…”

You shake your head, holding the side of his face.

“No, no need to explain. I understand.”

Maurizio nods silently, sighing as he begins to redress. You slip your panties back on, along with an oversized t-shirt and you pull your hair up into a ponytail. 

When he’s ready, you offer to go first, in case anyone’s still awake. He agrees, and you make your way down the stairs, looking around, not seeing anyone. You look up the stairs and nod, indicating that it’s okay. He makes his way down and you walk with him to the door. 

“Do you have a car coming?”

He nods. “My driver is already outside.”

There’s a moment of silence before Maurizio suddenly grabs your hips, pulling you against him as his lips crash down onto yours, the kiss desperate and full of longing. You wrap your arms around the back of his neck, pulling him down closer. 

He pulls away slowly, eyes fluttering open. 

“Alla prossima, tesoro.” (Until next time, my treasure.)

You smile, biting your lip as he sneaks out the door, rushing down and hopping into the car waiting for him. 

As you watch his car pull away from the curb, only one thought occupies your mind:

Holy shit, I just slept with Maurizio Gucci.

[chimeracowgirl]

Floral Arrangements

Summary // Flowers the AOT characters would give you & what they represent

Characters: Armin, Eren, Connie, Jean, Levi, Zeke

Warnings: Slight mention of Daddy Kink

Armin

Tulips | Deep Connection, Appreciation

Armin gifts you tulips because they’re a flower you can plant and continue to grow, just like your relationship. They express how he feels one with you and the empathic nature you have for one another.

Evenings spent at the beach watching the sunset with Armin were pretty common. At this point, it was close to being a tradition. While he always kept a pastel yellow blanket in the back of his car and you always made sure to bring along snacks, you were a bit confused when Armin advised you to not worry about it this time. He had already stuffed a woven basket with all your favorite items and made note of the flowers you had eyed last time you both visited your sacred spot. So as the both of you make your way closer to the shore, cool sand beneath your feet, you help Armin spread out the blanket and weigh it down with your shoes. As you claim your spot on the soft fabric, he begins to pull out the snacks along with the orange tulips.

“I hope you like them”  he sheepishly says, a small smile forming to conceal his nerves. 

Eren

Roses | Undying Love, Affection

Eren gifts you roses because they convey his passion for you. You see red roses, you think love. And Eren is determined to make everything he feels for you known. Whether that’s to the world or you or both. He’s a spontaneous lover.

As you both are heading home from running errands, sitting in the 5 o’clock traffic, you distract yourself by aimlessly scrolling on social media. Small conversation being exchanged between you and Eren as he keeps his focus on the stagnant cars in front of him. He notices a group of people walking down the street, vibrant flowers in hand. The closer they get he can hear them yelling out “ Five dollars a bouquet!” Signs accompanying them asking to help support  worker’s rights. You lift your head up from your phone and before you can realize what’s going on, you see Eren lowering his window, waving the man over.  

“I’ll take them all please” He says as he pulls out two twenties.

The vendor thanks him repeteadly with a nod of his head and hands over every bouquet in hand, to which Eren places into your lap.

Your confusion now amplified even more so, but not as severe as the swelling of your heart for the loving gesture, you let out a breathy laugh.

“Eren, what in the world?”

“What? I’m supporting a cause” he justifies with a toothy grin, knowing that wasn’t his only motive in doing so

Connie

Gerbera Daises | Playful, Innocent Love

Connie gifts Gerbera Daises because of how colorful they are. Night adventures are pretty common and being around you heightens his playful personality. It’s nothing but laughing fits and genuine comfort when in the presence of one another.

Neon signs and city lights illuminate the streets as you and Connie make your way towards the subway. Returning from your late night pizza run, you walk hand in hand listening to his corny jokes. Giggles filling the air as you lean into his side, Connie tightens his grip on your hand, forcing you to run with him to God knows where. He had noticed the bright red sign reading “FLOWERS” down the street, past the subway stop you both were supposed to get on. 

“What are you doing?” you ask while continuing to laugh at his shenanigans. 

“Getting you flowers, duh” he says while turning to face you and pointing upwards to the sign above him.

You both wander the shop, admiring the variety of flowers among you. Connie begins to pick out radiant daises, ranging from pink, yellow, and orange. 

“Do you like these?” he asks, looking for your approval

You reply with a nod of your head and beaming smile.

“Perfect. Help me pick out some more”

Jean

Lillies | Purity, Virtue 

Jean gifts Lillies because they’re pure, just like his intentions for you. All he ever wants is to be the reason you smile. He’s supportive in everything you do and you’re the same for him. He shows his appreciation for you often and while it appears in various forms, he likes to make sure you know how much you’re on his mind with tangible gifts.

After hearing your sobs over the phone from the previous night and the strain in your voice the following morning due to the stress you’ve been under from school/work, Jean decides to head over to your apartment. He figures you could use a break and since you’re not giving yourself it, he will. So as he makes his way over to you, he stops at a local florist and grabs a bouquet of Lillies, making sure to also snag a coffee from the cafe next door, before continuing his venture to you. 

As you lay in bed, engulfed by the warmth of your comforter, you hear a knock at your door. You make your way over, still swaddled in your blankets and open it to find Jean staring back at you, stifling a laugh at the sight of you as little burrito. Only then do you realize the gifts in his hands, and look up at him with thankful eyes. 

“Seemed like you could use some company” he says while entering and handing over your coffee. He had your order memorized just like very other little detail about you. 

Settling into his presence, you grab a vase for the flowers and fill it with water. Placing them in, you notice the little card accompanying the white lilies. Written on it is “Be kind to yourself, my love” and as Jean watches you read it, he walks over the other side of the island to where you are

“Please” he mumbles before planting a kiss on your forehead.

Levi

Peonies | Prosperity, Compassion

Levi gifts peonies, accompanied by eucalyptus because he cares deeply although it may be hard to express sometimes. It’s very subtle but with these flowers he’s able to root himself deeply into you the way you did him. The eucalyptus helps ease the everyday stress you (and him) face.

The sunlight shines through the blinds, awakening you as you lay in bed turning over to find your lover missing. 

Levi always woke up earlier than you, but usually on weekends he’d stay in bed with you a little longer until you woke up. This morning though, he decided to occupy himself by visiting the plant nursery you both had spotted driving home one evening. He remembered your comment on wanting to get a bouquet for your shared apartment, something to make it more lively. So as a way to let you know he was listening, he purchased flowers and decided to construct an assortment for you. Peach peonies for the pop of color and eucalyptus as aromatherapy. Sure, he could have bought a pre-made bouquet, but he knew it wouldn't be as perfect as he wanted unless he assembled it. 

So as you crawl out of bed to find him standing over the kitchen sink, trimming stems and placing the flowers into a glass vase, you can’t help but tease him a bit.

“Didn’t know you were a florist” you playfully poke

“Tch, shut it” he jabs with the tiniest grin.

Zeke

Baby’s Breath & Roses | Purity, Everlasting Love

Zeke gifts you baby’s breath and roses to represent the two extremes in your relationship. It feeds into his Daddy kink, as you’re so pure and perfect for him. The roses are his way of “tainting” you while conveying his feelings of loving you intensely yet delicately. 

Zeke’s always been into the more vintage things. He claims they have more soul, real significance. So as he picks you up to drag you to a new Vinyl Record shop he’s discovered, you’re a bit taken aback when you see flowers resting on his back windshield of his car. Opening the passenger side of the door, you can’t help the curious smile plastered on your face as you begin to ask him what they’re for and why they’re propped there out of all places.

“They add to your aesthetic” He defends while reaching behind your seat to hand you a seperate bouquet of roses decorated with dainty baby’s breath flowers.

“My aesthetic?” you question, quirking an eyebrow to express your confusion as you analyze the bouquet with a smile beginning to tug at the corner of your lips

Lighting a cigarette before pulling out of the driveway, he turns to you with a smirk

“Timeless”

I literally spent 8 hours looking at photos of flowers to make this. I wish I could say I was joking but I can't. It’s okay though *eye twitch* Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this, please let me know what you think!

[05aaphrodite]

I can't let you escape, not even to your own world

Pairings:Yandere! Venti x reader

Warnings:4th wall breaking,Slight crack fic,Reader death

(Plz don't let my friends see this lmao)

______________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐_______________

I chug all of my soda then slam it on the table "Aight, let's go farm for Venti's talent mats" I grabbed my controller then push the left joystick forward, after all of these grinding... I finally manage to get him on his rerun, I was skeptical that he would come home but surprisingly, I did a single pull then I got him, I'm grateful that I got my dream team, Xiao,Diluc,Venti,Bennett I will be saving for a Klee rerun.

My phone beeped a notification, I peek at it and it's my friend gc, I put down my controller then grab my phone

(A/n: Btw, the gc is based of my friend gc lol)

❀Genshin Gang❀

Diluc's hairtie

Y'ALL GUESS WHAT??

Albedo simp

OMGGGGGG CONGRATS BHIEEE

E_supremacy

CONGRATSSSSS

Xiao come home plz

I TOLD YA, YOU WILL GET HIM

Ventea

Hope all😭😭

VENTI CAME HOME

BROOOO CONGRATS OMG

ZHONGLI COME HOME

JK JK CONGRATS TOO

Diluc's hairtie

I was losing hope until I wished one more time😭

ZHONGLI COME HOME

CONGRATSSSS AGAIN, AND TO Y/N, BOTH OF YOU GOT VENTI

VENTI CAME HOME

THANKS PALL

E_supremacy 

Now my Zhongli is happy :D

Diluc's hairtie

YESSES

A smile plastered on my face, I'm so happy for them! My attention was stolen when Venti decides to say his idle line "Come on Traveler, let's go! The world is full of lost ballads just waiting to be rediscovered." I put my phone down then grab my controller again "Ok ok, I will pay attention to you now" I chuckled humorously "Good! Just don't make me murder your friends."

The moment he said that line, my thumb suddenly stopped pushing the joystick, did he just..... did I just heard that right? Murder... your friends? What does he mean by that? Someone never mentioned this voiceline of his, I should check the character icon. I clicked on the character icon then proceed to his voicelines, I checked every details but I can't seem to find it, maybe it's a bug? The fact that I was talking to my friends.... maybe Mihoyo intended it?

I shrugged my shoulders then continue to the domain to farm for talent materials. After countless of grinding, I started to have fun with his wind current while harassing random hilichurls for fun, I made him sat at the Barbatos statue "You finally came home..." I smiled as I touch the screen, Venti looked at the camera then smiled "That's so cute! He smiles when he looks at at camera!" I awed, I continue to fawn over him.

⌣ ‿ ‿ ‿ ‿ ‿ ‿ ⌣⌣ ‿ ‿ ‿ ‿ ‿ ‿ ⌣

I woke up by the sound of my ps4 opening, the bright light illuminated my body, and to my surprise, my ps4 opened by itself "What the fuck?" I stood up from the bed then went to investigate it. The creepiest thing is that Venti is the only one in my party, and he is sitting at barbatos' hands, and then I remembered the hacked accounts in genshin, this could be a sign..

I hurriedly grab my controller then check my characters, all of them were Venti! I can't find a single character other than him! What's going on!? I check my weapons but they are okay, I checked my profile and nothing changed but my icon was set to Venti, i checked my primogems and fate but nothing changed, in fear of getting hacked, I contacted Mihoyo for customer support, I can't lose Xiao, I whaled for him! I restarted my ps4 then go back to sleep, in hopes that it will be resolved next morning.

I rubbed my eyes then stretch my arms wide, I look at my ps4 then my phone, I grab my phone then text on the gc

❀Genshin Gang❀

VENTI CAME HOME

Guyssss, something weird happened yesterday 

ZHONGLI COME HOME

Why?

VENTI CAME HOME

My ps4 opened by itself and Venti was the only one in my party, I tried to change my party set back to normal but all of them were Venti

Albedo simp

Welp, sounds like a bug

But hey, freemogems :D

VENTI CAME HOME

My weapons and primogems were untouched but the weird thing is that my character icon is set to Venti, but I didn't change it

This is like a Ddlc reference lmaooo

Xiao come home plz

Aight, time to report to Mihoyo for free 600 primogems 

E_supremacy

Be careful, maybe you're getting hacked? You should change your password incase

VENTI CAME HOME

Yep bro, I will change it

I put my phone down then open my ps4, I prayed to myself that everything is back to normal. Happiness washed over me when I saw that my original party is deployed "must've been a crazy bug.." I chuckled, I change my icon back to Xiao then continue with the grinding "Ooohhh timmie's birds" I smirked, I switched to Xiao then climb the nearest cliff, I glide then plunge on the birds "Free fowls!!" I exclaimed then claim the fowls, my character suddenly switched  back to Venti, I didn't even press anything other than claim fowls "You know I'm getting impatient.." Venti said, again this was not even in his voice lines, then I notice that something is odd with my venti, he kept saying weird lines everytime my attention is drifted to somewhere else, could it be Mihoyo's doings? I hope so, I don't want a ddlc fiasco again.

After farming for his ascension materials, I quit genshin then read some fanfictions in Tumblr, I came across a Kaeya fanfic then proceed to read the contents. All of a sudden, my ps4's screen started to distort, my eyes widened at the sight of it, then a bright light surrounded me, making my head dizzy

.

.

.

. 

"Traveler, you're awake" I woke up to a familiar voice reaching my ears, I blinked my eyes slowly to realize that I'm not in my room, where am I? My jaw dropped when the person I saw in my eyes is none other Venti, this is impossible! He's not real! "Venti...?" I tilt my head in confusion, there's no way this is real.... this must be a dream! The bard showed a genuine smile before putting down his lyre "I'm happy that you pulled for me, I will go crazy if you pulled for him instead, hehe." Venti had a patronizing smile after that, my eyes widened as I sat up "Venti? There's no way that you're real!" I said, feeling my empty pockets, Venti sighed as he stood up, he had his lyre in his hand "Come on Traveler, let's go celebrate the windblume festival." the God reached out his hand, I was reluctant to respond to his offer, he seems a bit suspicious to me, considering my ps4 sucked me in Teyvat. Not to mention, he said these weird lines when I was communicating with my friends, and my controller would move on its own when I'm playing another character "What are you waiting for?" A smile was om his lips, I took his hand then stood up "Ok, let's go." Venti giggled as he led me in Mondstadt, I gaze behind to see the Vennessa tree.

No way.... all of this seemed real... the designs.... the npcs.... all of them are accurate! The only difference is that I don't see control menu "Isn't it beautiful? Traveler?" Venti turned to me, I nodded with hesitant. As my eyes scanned the whole city, Fischl and Bennett were talking to each other, Kaeya,Rosaria, and Diluc at the same table, although Diluc seems poker faced, Barbara was performing for the crowd, Jean and Lisa are eating together, Albedo,Sucrose, and Timaeus are experimenting,Amber is seen gliding, everything seemed lively more than the actual game.... "Come on Traveler!" The bard took my hand without giving me time to consent.

The rustling sounds of the leaves snap me back to reality, it still feels like a dream, did Mihoyo said something about this? The atmosphere is so lively and different "Uh oh woahhh!! Watch out!" Amber then crashed into Noelle, I giggled slightly then turn to the bard who was playing the lyre for a small crowd, as the sweet melodious tone halt to stop, the crowd clapped their hands, I smiled a little bit as I made my way towards him "Did you like it?" Venti inquired, I nodded then smiled, the bard chuckled as he took my hand then led me somewhere.

I realized we were getting far away from the festival, perturbation washed over me "Venti.... where are we going?" sweat dropped on my temples, Venti looked at me with a menacing smile "Somewhere..." 

He led me to starsnatch cliff, the breeze of the wind soothes my nostrils, I can't believe all of these are real.... Venti picked a Cecilia flower then hand it to me, I narrowed my eyes "Are you really.... real?" I gaze at his eyes 

"I'm aware that all of us are just video game characters, that's why I'm a God"

My eyes widened as he said that, he tucked the cecilia behind my ear "Y/n, will you stay here forever..?" The bard took both of my hands, his puppy eyes gleaming, I do want to visit Genshin.... but that does not mean I will abandon my world 

"Venti.... I have my friends and family there..." I said, I averted my gaze to the floor, his grip on me got tighter "Y/n, your world does not need you" his tone was a mix of devastate and anger "All you need is me, you belong here" 

My eyebrows furrowed, what does he mean by that!? "No! I can't just leave everyone! My friends care about me!"  I screamed in frustration. He then uses his anemo powers on me that sent me flying through the air "Arghh! Let me go!!" I desperately try to break free

"Don't you see that I love you? I don't like it when you control me everyday" Venti was feigning sadness on his tone 

"Because you're never real!" I retorted back, a grin was marked on his face "I ever regret pulling for you!" I yelled. The bard went closer then cup my cheeks "So? You already got me, you did this to yourself" then his hands swayed, causing me to fall of the cliff, my life flashed before me, this is it....

"May your soul rest in this game"

[anyoneseenadam]

That fenrys fic was divine 😭🔥 can I request something for him having a nightmare for the first time since he found his mate and she comforts him and reassure him ?a tiny bit of angst maybe 💔🤧

pairing: Fenrys x reader (throne of glass)

warnings: blood, violence, nightmares, character death (kinda), mainly fluff with a lil bit of angst

a/n: I completely stole the first half of this from a short story I wrote about Achilles lmao, also THANK YOU FENRYS IS AN ICON AND DESERVES ALL THE LOVE WHICH I AM HAPPY TO GIVE, hope u enjoy <3

(I did not proof read this because I am tired :))

——————————————————————————

Fenrys hands shook as they refrained from touching her, from pulling her in and wrapping himself around her, drowning in her hair, her skin, her clothes, her laugh, eyes, smile. She turned with a smirk and a cheeky eyebrow raise, beckoning him in. He lunged, grabbing her, ready to make true on his wish, staring in wonder as her solid form turned to mist in his hands as she moved further away. Her laugh drawing him in. And of course, he followed like the lost puppy he was, begging, and whining to return to comfort, home, safety. She was his home, and he would follow her to the ends of the world if it meant she stayed that way.

 She had moved again, this time into a series of winding corridors, the maze he called his heart, a maze she owned. He chased after her, but she was quick, twisting and turning through corridors and secret doors, the map laid bare for her to see as he stumbled blinding, led only be the light she left in her path and her infectious laughter. Finally, she reached a dead end, casually bracing herself against the cold walls, releasing an exhale of laughter through her nose. He slowed his pace to a walk as she smiled up at him through curling lashes, nothing but the faint smudge of rouge high on her cheeks concealing her natural face to him, which he proceeded to wipe with his thumb when he reached her, his build towering over hers.

 “Finished running, are you?” he mused quietly,

 “I knew you wouldn’t let me get too far,” she whispered back, lips tracing his jaw.

 “That’s because you hold my leash,” he allowed himself to concede, “always have, always will my darling.”

 She let out a sigh of agreement, before leaning to his ear, their bodies pressed so tightly together he could feel her heart beating in his own chest, as if they had swapped hearts giving the other all they were, all they could be.

 “There is no me without you.” She uttered the vows they had made that beautiful day, where she dressed as the angel he was sure she was. He leaned down to express his love, but she did not allow him to rest in her arms for long, pulling away with a giggle.

 “What?” he asked with a smirk, but she was already gone giggling behind him, the chase beginning again.

 But as he turned, blessed by the smile she gave him, all pearly white teeth and rosy cheeks, the warning shout he cried was not quick enough as a wash of deep red replaced the once pure and untainted white of her smile. Her mouth filling with blood, the sword protruding from her stomach like a handle. She stared at him questions not asked soon enough as she splutters up blood onto her previously fresh clothes, eyes full of fear, splitting his heart in half, the ground crumbling beneath his feet.

 He tried to run to her, hands grasping at air as he fell through the cracks in his own heart, a scream tearing from his throat as she was pulled from him, skin draining of colour and eyes turning black, full of hatred and contempt as she stared him down.

 His own scream woke him up, sweat and tears blending on his face like paint on a pallet, as he gripped her pillow and sobbed on their bed. He herded himself into the far corner of the bed, afraid when he realised she was not lying next to him, comforting words, and gentle hands ready to lull him back to sleep. Fear and sadness battled in his heart, the heart he had given her during the war, the heart she had held safely as she cut her way through armies to reach him again. The heart she had put back together with soft kisses and words of undying love. The heart she had tied to her own the day they wed and had kept pressed safely in her chest since.

 He looked now, tears blurring the image he was presented with, bookshelves filled with stories you promised you would read eventually, tubes of lipstick on the floor next to the frame of their mirror, tea left to go cold in mugs dotted around the room, sketches left to be forgotten on desks and ribbons tied haphazardly around bed posts.

 He saw all these signs of you, the clues you left him as he navigated your shared life. His eyes darted around the room, breath picking up when he couldn’t see you, pressing a hand to your side of the bed and finding it warm, his breathing only slowing a little.

��He stood, pulling on a pair of boxers, and grabbing two daggers he kept next to the bed as his mind filled with the worst possible scenarios. He slowly padded out the room, moving silently through the house and thinking of a million different ways to torture whoever had dared to touch you. The tears on his face had dried uncomfortably but it was the least of his worries as he stalked through his own home, fear clouding his judgement that argued you were probably safe.

 He heard movement in the kitchen and walked that way, footsteps light as he rounded to corner to a beautiful sight. His arms dropped as he took in the sight of you in nothing but his shirt, sipping from a glass of water, illuminated by the moons glow. You turned when he walked in, smiling at his but furrowing your eyebrows when you saw his facial expression and the knives in his hands.

 “Fenrys, what happened?” you asked, moving over to him as he threw his daggers down, arms encircling your waist as he breathed in your scent. “Fenrys please, you’re scaring me.”

 He pulled away from you and you reached up, stroking a hand down his face and looking up at him with nothing but concern in your eyes, eyes that were searching his for any clues of why he was acting this way.

“I though you were- I thought someone had,” he struggled to get the words out, pulling you even closer, one hand tangling itself in your hair as you furrowed your eyebrows at him, kissing his sharp jaw.

 “Slow down love, tell me what happened,” your soothing voice calmed him, his breath coming easier as you moved a hand to his shoulder, your loving grip grounding him.

 “I had a dream, then I woke up and you weren’t hear and I- I thought someone had taken you,” he whispered, eyes filling with tears as he pictured your lifeless eyes and limp body.

 “Oh my love, I’m sorry,” you pulled away from him, clasping his large hand in your smaller one and pulling him to your shared bedroom, “But you know I’m not easy to kidnap, I make too much noise.”  You joked, holding his hand to your mouth, and kissing it lightly as you walked over to your bed.

 He sat down first, and you stood between his legs, his arms wrapping tightly around you again. “Don’t joke about that,” he muttered into your stomach, but he couldn’t resist the smile forming.

 You pushed his head back and climbed into his lap, arms resting on his shoulders. “I mean honestly, if I ever got taken hostage I’m pretty sure I’d annoy them into letting me go, I’d just start explaining my top three reasons why every Jane Austen novel contains gay subtext.”

 “Or you could explain to them the tier list you and Aelin made of all the men you know.” Fenrys laughed as your eyes lit up.

 “I forgot about that!” you exclaimed and Fenrys laughed, lying down, and pulling you with him as he tickled your sides, revelling in your squeals as you batted your hands at him.

 When you calmed down, breathing quickly you rolled off Fenrys as he nestled himself between your breasts, holding you close.

 “Please never leave me,” he whispered into your chest as he listened to the steady beat of your heart as it created a song just for him. The vulnerability in his voice broke you and you moved a hand to his head, stroking lightly.

“Never.” You spoke with such surety that Fenrys let out the exhale he had been holding in. “I am never going to leave you, I’m always going to be by your side.”

“I love you so much, so much when I thought you were gone, I felt sick. I can’t do this without you.” He whispered into your skin. “Sometimes I’m scared that one day I’ll wake up and all this will have been a dream. And I’ll have to lie with Maeve again and kill for her and watch her hurt Conall and it will be so much worse, because I’ll remember this softness, I’ll remember you and maybe one day I’d find you and you wouldn’t recognise me, and for the rest of my life I’d think of you, of the woman I never got to love.”

“This is real.” You whispered, kissing his head, and ignoring the tears welling in your eyes, “I’m real, you’re real. We’re real Fenrys.”

He didn’t reply, just buried his face deeper into your chest, addicted to the feel of your heartbeat. The constant reminder that you were here, you were alive. After he lost his brother you noticed Fenrys had become clingier, you initially presumed it was just because he was in mourning and needed comfort but one night he had drunkenly confessed his biggest fear to you. The nightmares he would have where you left him, told him you hated him, and the worst of all, the nightmares in which he watched your life be cruelly ripped from you. He could live with you hating him and leaving him, knowing that somewhere in the world you were safe and breathing, but everyday he feared your death.

The mornings he would wake up and find you wincing, a hot water bottle pressed into your lower stomach, the thought of you in any form of pain ripping into him, making his heartbeat faster and his palms sweat. The powerful warrior brought to his knees for you, but you were always quick to reassure him with kisses and promises of staying in bed all day.

As he breathed in your scent now and listened to your heartbeat, happily surrounded by you and only you, he allowed himself to relax under you soft touch, his own heart slowing to beat with yours as the fear slowly melted from him.

He needn’t fear your death, as he knew that he would never let you die. No, instead he would always fall before you, sacrifice his own life, any life if it meant you survived. You were a Goddess sent to bless him and he would fall to worship before you, always.

[rosesbxrry-main]

//Fushiguro Megumi

Warnings: NSFW, somnophilia, implied cockwarming, masturbation, sniffing, cursing 

Characters: Fushiguro Megumi X Fem!reader 

[Date: 2 March 2021] 

Megumi walks into the dark and quiet space of the apartment; having just come back from another assignment on dealing a bunch of curses. He's been out of town for a week straight which he was not used to.

Undressing his jacket, Megumi carefully enters the bedroom he shares with you. Seeing your sleeping figure under the blanket causes his face to relax. His plan was to quickly take a shower and join you in bed for the night.

The sound of sheets rustling and you mumbling causes the male to halt his movement. The last thing he needs is to disturb your sleep. He watched you tentatively, your body that was laying facing away moved to rest on your back.

You mutter something under your breath before staying stilled. Megumi only let out a sigh of relief after confirming that you were still in slumber; chest moving up and down in a steady rhythm.

He eyed your sleeping face; a small smile ease its way on his face at your tranquil profile. His sight wanders to your body, going lower and lower, before his eyes widen.

Your lower body was covered with the blanket before you shifted so he didn’t realize that you were dressed in just a black shirt and red lace silk panties.

Your legs were bare before him, the exposed skin reminds him how much he craves the warmth and touch of it against his own. The embroidery of your tight panties fit your shape from your waist to your ass; the sight of it was erotic to his eyes.

Gulping down nervously, he slowly approaches you at the side of the bed. He has to admit, being away from you for that long did cause him to feel a bit lonely but he didn’t expect it to turn into sexual frustration. Judging by your face, he knows that you're tired as well; being a jujutsu sorcerer yourself.

But the heat pooling in his guts tells him satisfying himself later in the shower was not enough to eliminate the desire he was feeling but, at the same time, he doesn’t want to wake you up just to please him. He feels too guilty to do that.

So he finds himself tugging on the belt of his pants, pulling it down and steadily climbing on the bed- standing on his knees between your legs, looking down at your clothed cunt. Just a bit, he thought, just enough to calm down before he finished it off later by himself.

He needed something of you to get off later.

Glancing back to make sure you were still asleep, he dipped down his head to hover over your clothed pussy. He took a deep breath before rubbing his nose and lips against your heat. It was nice and warm; he could feel the humidity radiating through the thin fabric of the panties.

The smell of your juices invades his senses and he was quick to feel his arousal heightening from just the scent.  

Megumi closed his eyes to rub his face slowly across your cunt. Although there was a piece of clothing separating himself from your heat, he could imagine nibbling and licking on your folds. Imagining the feeling of your wet slick dripping down his chin as he eats you out sends an electrifying pleasure straight to his cock.

He straightens up and looks down, his dick now hard and erect; tightening itself against his boxers. His hands move to facepalm himself- cheeks flush in embarrassment.

God- he looks like some kind of pervert getting off of you while you were asleep and getting hard from just sniffing your heat.  

He moved to release his dick from the confinement of his boxers, a hand lightly gripping on the length. The vines were protruding out, head red begging for release as pre cum starts to dribble out of the slit. Megumi starts to pump himself- his pace slow and steady, watching your lips fall apart from sleeping.

Fuck does he wish those lips were on his dick right now.

The only light illuminating the room was the lamp on the table beside you, giving him a good view of your body to him. He could feel the pre cum coating his length as he started to quicken his pace, feeling his hands getting wetter. His eyes wander to your breast.

With the absence of the blanket, the cool night air must have made you shudder. He could see your tits perking up behind your shirt, the sight of your pair of nubs mocking him. He wants to tug it, bite it, suck it- imagining himself abusing your pretty little tits until your cry from the sensitivity.

“nghhh....shit...mmhhhm”

He could feel his length throbbing against his palm; begging him to release. But he still needs a little bit more to edge him- to climax. Megumi turns his gaze to your clothed pussy. the memories of your walls engulfing him in a tight embrace- rubbing him every time he rams into you. He could feel your nails digging on the skin of his back, moaning for him to go deeper, faster.

He could still feel the heat of you pussy like yesterday. You felt so tight- so good with his dick stuff into your pretty little hole, streams of moan and his name like music to his ears. Shit, he could fuck you for hours without getting enough of you.

The reminiscent of those feelings was enough to push him to climax. With back arch and head bent backward, he closes his eyes with mouth agape; letting out a frustrated moan as he has to keep his mouth shut to not wake you up. Hot strings of his cum shot out against his other hand, his palm already ready to shield his seeds from dirtying you.

His hand that was gripping his length was slowing down- still milking out every ounce of his cum and pleasure.

It took him a full minute to calm down.

He stares down at his palm coated in white; sighing in disappointment and embarrassment before deciding to head to the bathroom quietly to clean himself up before you wake up.

“Megumi?”

Every fiber of his body froze at the sound of you calling out his name. Panic surged through him as he stared at you; eyes open and already awake, looking back at him still laying down.

Shit shit shit

Explain himself? Clear up the misunderstanding? He is literally in between your legs, dick out still wet and palm dripping with his seed. It was pretty clear what he was doing.

“How long were you awake?”

“When you started sniffing me”

“........”

He felt his soul leaving his body at that moment. God, he should have just dealt with it in the shower and waited for the next day to save himself from this situation from happening. But now, he has been caught red handed.

“Look, I-“

“-Aren’t you going to continue?”

The words die down in his mouth; eyes widen at your words. He stared down at you and examined your face. He could tell your gaze was trembling, face slightly flush and breathing unsteady.

“Do you want to? It’s late now, better to get some sleep” He asks you gently, knowing how tiring dealing with curses everyday can be mentally and physically.

“But I want to.......” Your words caught him off guard. Something stirred in him watching you mutually wanting the same thing as him. Maybe...the stress of being away from him has the same effect as him being away from you and now- the sexual tension thickens in the air. 

With a final verdict, Megumi proceeds to undress himself out of his shirt, putting his weight slightly on top of you; hands caging you at the shoulder, feeling the mattress dip down as he puts the rest of his weight on his palm.

“Sorry, I’ll be a little rough” he whispered closer to you, eyes staring back at yours intensively. A hand silently moving to pull up your shirt, releasing your breast with a bounce “bare with me”

You let out a moan as he dips down to take a nub between his lips. His wet tongue swirls the perk nub, coating it with his saliva before suckling it with a bit of force. His hand took care of the other nub, pulling and pinching at it.

The motion causes a wave of pleasure surging through your body to your core. You arch your back as Megumi began to grope and lick harder at your breast.

“Me...gu...mi...” The moan you let out was shaky, fingers lacing through his spiky black hair.

You watch his lips go lower; leaving a trail of saliva as he licks from your torso to the navel of your stomach before finally reaching your panties. He glances back at you, eyelash long and visible thanks to the lamp illuminating his features.

There was something about looking down at him, his face close to your hip bone- teeth biting at the edge of your panties asking for assurance. You nodded back at him as you watched him pull the clothing away from your heat.

You can feel the cool air between your crotch; his hands finding their way to spread your legs wider and position it so that your knees are up.

“You're so wet” He hummed, watching as you squirm when he traced the lips of your pussy with his fingers. You grip onto the sheets and bit back a moan, feeling his finger rubbing your wet folds.

“Could it be-“ Megumi question, spreading your folds to enjoy the view of your juices dripping down. He chuckled at your reaction, your knees buckling at the pleasure as he played with your cunt.

“-Did you get turn on by me masturbating in front of you?”

You blush at his question but it only serves as a confirmation to him. You push his chest lightly with your foot, causing him to smirk at your pouty face. 

“I’m not the one who was rubbing and sniffing at someone’s underwear while they were asleep” 

Megumi grabs onto the ankle of your foot on his chest; positioning it to rest on his shoulder as he moves down to your core. He could have a clear view of your wet pussy; puffy and warm ready to be devoured by his lips. 

“I guess both of us are perverts to each other” He declared before you felt his lips on your heat. Megumi moved his tongue to lick between your folds; making sure to slightly suck on the skin which he knew would drive you crazy.

Moans and mewls escape your lips with tears threatening at the corner of your eyes. It felt so good to feel him eating you out, the sensation of it transforming you into a mess; toes curling at the overwhelming amount of pleasure

Megumi continues to lick and suck on your folds, taking his time to indulge himself while drinking you up. The sound of him slurping you up echoes together with the sweet sound of your moans. He could feel your thighs tremble against him.

He detaches his mouth from your heat, a string of your juice can be seen at the corner of his lips. 

“I’m gonna put it in now, okay?” 

You watch him grip onto his length, rubbing it against your folds before his head slowly enters your hole. The stretch was uncomfortable at first; your walls trying to adjust his length pushing to expand your hole. 

He leaned down closer to you as he slowly pushed his cock into you; his face twisted at the amount of warmth and how tight your hole was rubbing against his length with every movement. You wrap your arms around his shoulder, pulling him closer to your chest until he is fully in you.

“Megumi, start moving. I can’t wait any longer” You begged against his ears, causing the male to groan. He began to thrust into you, the sound of wet noses filled the room as his pace started to pick up.

“Shit, your so fucking tight. You feel so good clutching onto my dick. Fuck- your so warm. So good taking me in” 

 His thrust speeds up, feeling your walls throbbing against his length. You could only think of his hips moving into yours, the feeling of his dick ramming into you so roughly.

“You're so big Megumi. I can feel you reaching my womb. Faster Megumi, I want your seed inside me, filling me up” 

A growl erupted from his throat. The way you dirty talk was making him feel more aroused, ramming into you with no mercy; hearing you moan and scream his name in pleasure. God, how can you be so sexy and erotic begging him to cum inside you? 

The both you can hear the mattress squeaking as Megumi’s thrust moves in a godly speed, feeling his skin slapping against yours. Each shove reaching your sweet spot leading you into a drooling mess. The heat of his body against yours was overwhelming but you grip tighter; feeling your orgasm getting closer.

With one last harsh thrust, the both of you come undone. Orgasms wash over every inch of your body like a tidal wave. He could feel you tighten up against him as his cum filled you up, the excess fluid dripping out of your hole and deliciously pooling on the sheets.  

The heat in his gut was no longer there. The one week of missing you has escaped just like that after connecting with you. 

You hold each other’s sweaty bodies, shuddering and trembling from the overwhelming orgasm. You let your fingers wander to his back, tracing the muscle in a soothing motion. He could feel your breathing under him, the intimacy between the both you relaxing him. 

“Can we stay like this?” He nuzzled his nose against the junction of your neck, taking in your sweet scent that reminds him of home. He was still in you but no sensual intention was behind his question; only meant to hold you close against him lovingly. 

You pat his head, a small smile of endearment on your lips. 

“Of course you can” 

[xonepeacelovex]

love me

Characters: Kim Hanbin x Reader | Best Friend |

Genre: Angst | Suggestive

Summary: Questions. Life is filled with questions. Well, if you'll say it like that. Death is also filled with questions. Questions he's afraid to ask and questions you already know the answer.

Trigger Warning: Mention of death | The rest under the cut

Word Count: 1.3 k

A/N:

This is a rewritten au. I found the second part on my notes and decided to make it one fic. No more series for me until I finished The Wedding Planner, The Set Up and Tomorrows With You.

My first au for Kim Hanbin, my star.

Staring at the burning cigarette between your index and middle finger, you brought it to your mouth with enough courage.

You are outside a convenience store, the one you always frequent.

Holding the cancer stick between your lips, you tried to inhale the smoke, only to cough it out.

What are you doing?

Throwing it on the ground, stomping your feet on it, making sure you put it out. You are about to get it from the ground to properly discard it in the trash can when someone also reached for it.

What is he doing here?

You stared at Hanbin, slowly getting up. “I didn’t know you smoke?”, he commented, grinning at you then throw the cigarette in the trash can.

“Yeah,” you muttered. He nodded at you then he smiles. He’s been generous with his smile since last night, something you’re not been doing since, well, you cut off the people who cared for you.

Averting your gaze from him, you get the pack of cigarettes from your pocket, throwing it just before he can get one himself. He seemed amused with what you did and it frustrated you when his dimples made their appearance with his stupid smile.

“Why are you here?”, you can’t help but ask him this question. “You are not there when I woke up,” he explained like it’s a normal thing to say. Like waking up next to him is a normal occurrence in your everyday life.

You sigh, “Okay. Let’s go back,” you ordered him to which he answered with a grin and a hand salute. His hand reaches for your hand, fingers filling the spaces between yours.

You bit your lower lip, stopping yourself from smiling. Thank God you are behind him, he can’t see the way he affects you with the simple touch.

What the fuck you are doing?

What the fuck is Hanbin doing?

Last night, last night was different. The sound of raindrops filled your quiet home. As you lay on your bed, the lightning once in a while illuminating your darkroom. You’ve thought maybe this is peace until it was interrupted by the doorbell then a desperate knock.

You knew it the moment you opened the door, the body in front of you shivering from being wet. You saw it in his eyes. He’s searching for answers to questions he can’t even utter, questions only you can answer. He opens his mouth, only to close it when he didn’t find the right words to say as if his situation is not enough for you to let him in.

You open your door completely to silently invite him in. He didn’t budge, looking at his feet, contemplating.

Bitting your lower lip nervously, giving your pale face a color.

He looks at you again, inhaling deeply, “Love me,” he asked.

Love me. Hanbin, the man you’re in love with since forever asks you to love him.

You’ve been waiting for this, waiting for the time he finally sees you as more than a friend, and yet, you know it’s different. The love he’s begging is different from the one you’re already giving.

“I-“ you trailed off, looking at anything but him, ready to reject whatever he’s offering.

He desperately holds your face in his cold hands, making you look at him. Foreheads touching, eyes locking, he asks you once more.

“Love me, Y/N.”

You’ll never beg for love.

Hanbin didn’t wait for your answer as his lips met yours. His lips tasted nothing but vanilla. He’s not drunk, you thought.

Your rationality is thrown out at the window as you close your eyes. His hands traveled down from your cheeks to your neck as he deepens the kiss. Hanbin gently pushed you backward with his hand on your back while he closes the door with his other hand.

You knew it the moment you tasted his eager lips.

It didn’t occur to you how well he knows this house until Hanbin gently pushed you back on your bed. Breaking the heated kiss, he stares at you with intensity. With labored breathing, you stare back at him.

He slowly takes off his wet shirt. You gulp at the sight in front of you. Hanbin, your best friend, the man you’re hopelessly in love with, will make love to you if you let him.

It still wasn’t clear if you’re dreaming this moment.

His frame leaning above your body, caging you with both of his arms. And maybe you’re dreaming as you once again felt his lips against yours. Giving in, your body melting with his.

Later that night, when he hugs you closer to him, I love you was said in between his soft breathing, mumbling the words against your skin.

Your heart started pounding against your chest, a tear escaping from your eye. Letting it run down since your best friend is sleeping peacefully beside you.

You’ll never beg for love.

But this night it’s different.

You abruptly retract your hand from his hold. Thankfully, you have an excuse, you are both near your apartment. You walk faster than him this time, afraid of seeing his facial expression now. You hurriedly put your passcode, too fast for him to be suspicious.

He watches your back and before he can walk in, the door closed in front of him.

It’s too late to change anything.

You are getting more anxious every second you spent just standing there, alone. While he calmly opened the door again, your back facing him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked you, worry in his voice.

You inhale deeply to calm your racing heart. You turned around to face him with a big smile, “Nothing,” you lied. He slowly walks towards you, “Are you sure?”, he asked you again, looking at your eyes.

“It’s nothing,” you replied, you are looking anywhere but him. Still, he embraces you, holding you in his arms, “Okay,” he accepted your answer this time, kissing your forehead.

I still have time, right?

Since last night, he can’t seem to let go of your hand, constantly reaching out for it. Like tonight, as you now both lay on your bed.

“You know I’m dying right?” the question he can’t ask came out from your mouth, looking beside you.

His hold from your hand loosens, head-turning in your direction. His small eyes widen, sleepiness has gone from your question. You chuckled as you look at the ceiling again, swallowing the lump on your throat.

One more second of staring at his surprise face, you’ll cry, this time with him seeing so you averted your eyes away from him.

“You know this will end right?” whispering the words, reminding Hanbin the end of your story.

From your peripheral view, you saw him nodding, still looking at you.

You plastered a smile on your face before facing him, “You know, Hanbin, I,” you inhale and exhale deeply, keeping the tears at bay, “I wish for this. You know how much I wanted to be beside you. You know how much I waited for this,” saying your thoughts out loud.

Your hold tightens around his hand this time, “So why now? Why now you decided to look at me,” your other hand wiping away the tears from his cheeks.

“Why now after all these times, Hanbin?” your own tears falling. He hugs you closer, enveloping you with his warmth. He holds the back of your head as you lean against his chest. “Why now Hanbin?” you asked between sobs.

“It’s unfair,” you whisper, “for the both of us.”

“I didn’t ask for you to love me. I didn’t ask for anything when you kissed me,” you confessed.

When will be the right time to tell him these?

“I’m just here to fill the spaces but I won’t be anymore,” and he knows that.

Hanbin knows that you’re dying.

It's his answer.

You know he knows you're dying.

That's your answer.

Copyright © 2021 xonepeacelovex All rights reserved.

[karikarasuno]

The Sun Doesn’t Shine in Tokyo, Part I

Pairing: Tanaka Ryunosuke x Fem!Reader

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Angst, Character Death(s), Violence, Graphic Descriptions of Injuries, Mentions of Blood, Smut, Oral Sex (fem receiving), Choking, Vague Understanding of Computer Engineering (bear with me, y’all)

Summary: The year is 2065. Corporations have taken over the world, technology rules over everyday life, and the wealth gap is wider than it has ever been. The Elite Class has plans to destroy all of Tokyo to fulfill their twisted desires, but will this ragtag group of rebels be able to stop their plan before it comes to fruition?

Part I | Part II

Word Count: 10.4k

A/N: Here is my collab piece for the Smut Pile Apocalypse AU Collab. I am so excited to be a part of this and I hope you enjoy. Come along with me and binge the masterlist, which is my one and only plan for this weekend. 

I want to say thank you to the lovely @dymphnasprose​ for reading this for me and hyping me up so sweetly. I also want to thank @mindninjax​ and @lady-lunaaa​ for reading through my outline and motivating me to push through. 

The hallway leading to the basement of the lab was dark, the only light to illuminate your path crept through windows cut into the doors, casting a gentle blue glow that bounced off the linoleum. The sound of your footsteps echoed around as large hands tickled the sides of your waist, a giddy giggle resonating against the lonely space. “Shhh, you gotta be quiet or else we’ll get caught,” Oikawa whispers in your ear, lips grazing the sensitive skin behind it. “Then don’t tickle me, you moron,” little conviction behind your words as he begins to kiss down your neck, small pecks littering your skin. He plants his hands on your stomach, pulling you into his firm chest and toying with the hem of your top. You sigh into his embrace, the familiarity of his presence swimming you into relaxation. You move to wrap an arm around his head, your fingers playing with strands of his hair.

“I’ll do as I please, thank you very much,” the words are mouthed into your skin, a soft smile gracing your features as he continues to trail his mouth down the column of your neck, a slight shiver caressing your spine. One of his hands slips beneath the thin fabric of your shirt, his fingertips uncharacteristically cold causing you to laugh again and flinch away from him. He allows you to pull away before he spins you in his arms, pressing you against the concrete wall behind you. His hair hanging loosely over his eyes as he cups the side of your neck, ghosting his lips over yours. “Now, princess, what did I just say?” His question is left unanswered when you close the small distance between you, lips meeting his plush ones as you kiss him tenderly. You stay like that for many moments, time escaping you while you lose yourself in him.

You don’t hear the footsteps beating against the floor until you hear hushed, hurried voices sounding around the corner. The sounds startling you from the kiss while Oikawa grabs your wrist to push you into the nearest room. “Wait, what if they come in here?” Worry bleeds into your voice, afraid of the consequences that would come with the two of you being discovered down here. “It’ll be fine. Daddy owns the company, remember?” He sends you a teasing wink to reassure your nerves, still unsure of how capable he would be to get you out of this mess if they found you.

“Madoka, I am no longer requesting to see the President, I am demanding it,” a man’s voice is heard from right outside the door, your hands flying to grip the material of Oikawa’s shirt, your fear spiking at the proximity of them.

“I understand that, General, but Mr. Oikawa is a busy man and he will meet with you at his soonest opportunity. Now we must go back up stairs, you are not authorized to be down here,” you recognize this voice, the realization hitting you almost immediately. “Oh my god, that’s Yachi’s mom,” you tug on his shirt, your palms now sticky with sweat. Oikawa gives you a pointed glare, eyes screaming at you to be quiet.

“Like hell I’m unauthorized. I have been waiting around for weeks to meet with him. This tech has been developed for months now and not once have I been called to monitor it. If you intend on including the government in your plans, maybe run them by the general of the fucking military,” he spits the words at her, volume rising with his anger.

“Sir, like I said, he will meet with you as soon as he can. Please just lower your voice and we can discuss this upstairs in my office,” her tone is steady, clearly not intimidated by the man before her. You hear some shuffling and you can only imagine how the scene is unfolding from the other side of the door. You hear an exasperated sigh before Madoka speaks again. “The volunteers have yet to be finalized. We have some minor adjustments to make before they can be presented to you, but in short, they have been partially successful. Some of the people have reacted exceptionally to the implants, while others, not so much. They are the final piece that needs to be perfected before the extinction to ensure complete control.”

There’s an apprehensive grunt in response, “But what about the other shit? Is that done?”

“Yes, that was completed months ago as you were made aware of. My daughter developed the software herself, so it is stable. The control center is in this basement and on the scheduled date the controller of the volunteers will activate it. Once that happens, every product we have ever created will connect to one another. That means buildings, motor vehicles, computers, everything. The connection will need one final command, which is an algorithm that my daughter has already generated, that will simultaneously detonate all of it. The force of the explosion should be enough to wipe out all lower ranking citizens, leaving just us and our volunteers.”

You were shaking where you stood. The information erratically registering in your brain, the scope of it making the knowledge nearly incomprehensible. You could feel your heart pounding through your body, your blood chilling in your veins. “Now we need to go back upstairs and I’ll see what I can do about speeding up your meeting.”

You heard the General clear his throat as heavy footfalls made their way back down the hall. “Tooru,” your voice comes out as an anxious whisper, “what hell is going on?”

June 16, 2065

9:15pm

“You’re thinking about him again, aren’t you?” Yachi’s voice interrupts your train of thought as you remember the night that changed everything, the last semblance of normalcy you had from your old life.

“I can’t help it. I’m about to see him again for the first time in months and, I don’t know. I’m just nervous, I guess,” you reply, voice barely above a whisper. You hadn’t been back to the estate since the night you snuck off with Yachi and Yamaguchi. Once the plan was revealed it was as if your entire world was flipped upside down. Everything you had ever worked for, had ever lived to preserve was corrupted and exploited for the benefits of someone else.

“I would be too, especially if I was meeting with my mom. But you’re the only one who can do this,” she leans her elbows against the railing of the balcony in the apartment you had been hiding out in, head thrown slightly back while her eyes fixated on the starless sky above her. “I miss watching the sunsets and gazing at the stars,” she reaches one of her hands up, fingers twirling through the heavy smog that constantly layered over the city, a permanent fixture that served as a reminder for the new world you helped create.

“I can’t even remember what any of it looked like if I’m being honest,” you lean your body off the side of the railing, head falling forward as you watch some of the rebels unpack the new weapons from the metal encased vans downstairs. Your eyes began to unfocus as you search through your memories, seeing if just an afterglow was left behind. “We should get going. Your meeting is in 30 minutes,” Yachi sighs, hands now fiddling with the watch around her wrist, a hologram of the time illuminating her face as she jerks away from the unexpected light.

“I guess we should,” you chuckle, hands moving to lift you upright to turn into the small square room the two of you shared, your stomach in nauseating knots at the idea of having to revisit a life that seemed so parallel to what it was now. You felt Yachi’s hand intertwine with yours as you stepped into the hallway, a reassuring squeeze soon accompanying it.

“Tanaka’s still on his mission, right?” The tension in your gut winding tighter at the idea of running into him at this moment, a thousand excuses dying in your throat as they all failed to hide the truth about tonight’s meeting. “The boys shouldn’t be back for another two hours,” her tone gentle, smoothing against the wires sparking your nerves.

All you can do is nod as you walk into the elevator, back leaning against the mesh of metal, head thudding back dully. Sugawara had made you promise to leave Tanaka out of the plan, worried he would react adversely to the idea of you meeting with your ex-boyfriend, which wasn’t necessarily an incorrect assumption. But it still left a sour taste in your mouth that rubbed against the back of your tongue, the discomfort a warning to stay focused and if it all goes well he might never have to know.

The elevator rattles once it lands on the first floor, the pipes squeaking obnoxiously as the doors slide open. Sugawara and Yamaguchi are waiting for you in the wide common area. The walls are lined with floor to ceiling screens, a switchboard in the center of the room that also serves as a rectangular table for officer strategy meetings. Yamaguchi sits in one of the aluminum chairs, tugging at the necklace dangling over his chest as Sugawara outlines the path through the tunnels that leads straight to the basement of the main property where you were set to meet Oikawa.

“Suga, I know. I’ve usd them hundreds of times,” he whines, still obviously apprehensive about this plan since he opposed it from the beginning. “Don’t remind me. I don’t think I’ll ever get the image of you and Terushima f-”

“That’s enough!” Yamaguchi’s voice rises an octave, face flushing with embarrassment, while a knowing smirk graces Sugawara’s features. Yachi shifts awkwardly beside you, clearing her throat to get their attention. “Ah, finally. We need to get you geared up before you head out, y’know, in case anything goes sideways.”

“It won’t,” Yamaguchi promises, “Tanaka would kill me if it did.”

You could’ve done without the reminder, a pang of guilt stabbing your temple as you made your way towards Suga, his arms gathering the various straps and weapons that needed to be attached to your body.

He kneels before you so that you can step into the nylon straps circled in front of your feet. The straps are clipped in various places, the dull clicking between your shoulder blades, around the dip of your waist, and finally behind the backs of each thigh. Each sound solidifying the plan, your nervous system shot because you didn’t know what to expect from this meeting. The dagger sheathed to the side of your thigh casting an ominous glow over this whole thing, while Suga adjusts and pulls on the straps so tightly that the material begins to dig into your skin.

He then moves to strap the gun holster to your hip, but you jerk away, causing him to look up at you curiously. “Oh, um- I’m fine with just the dagger actually,” you explain, one hand moving to pull on a chunk of hair that was hanging out of your ponytail.

“But that only works with close range combat, you’re gonna need this too in case-,”

“It’s fine, Suga, I have a gun with me and I’ll stay close enough to her to use it, y’know just in case,” Yamaguchi interrupts, easily covering for you. You still weren’t comfortable handling one, the steel weighing heavy in your hands, the line between life and death too blurred in your palms.

With reluctance, Suga turns to place the gun back on the shelf beside you. His fingers skimming over the rest of the weapons laid out before he turns to double check the gear as he clips a bullet proof pouch over your chest. The dense weight pulling you forward slightly. The look on his face has you fidgeting, you can read it all over him that he’s wary of the amount of protection you have, but it was important that you look as non-threatening as possible. You couldn’t step into the meeting ready for war, even though that was to come soon enough.

He does one more once over of you and Yamaguchi before he steps back. “You look good,” he says firmly, arms crossed over his chest. His eyes meet Yamaguchi’s, a silent pact agreed between them. He lifts himself up from his chair after he wipes his hands on his knees, you can tell that he’s collecting sweat in his palms, a sign that he’s actively hiding his nerves.

“Alright, uh, let’s head out,” his hand rests on your shoulder, his fingers gently massaging the tense muscle as he leads you out of the room to wrench open the heavy door that leads down to the building’s basement. A loud creaking ringing in your ears as you wait for Yamaguchi to step down the stairs first.

The chill of the damp air seeps beneath your clothes into your skin. You shiver in the darkness as you close the door behind you. The weight echoing in the narrow cavern around you. You’d never traveled through the tunnels before, preferring to avoid endless night and roughing it out in the polluted air above.

Yamaguchi’s steps falter as he meets the end of the stairwell, the only thing preventing you from running straight into him is his outstretched hand. Your fingers find his as you step onto the concrete floor. The sounds of water splashing trickles into the hollow space around you. “Floor’s wet so we need to be careful,” Yamaguchi helps you maneuver through the darkness before he reaches into the many pockets of his black cargo pants to turn on a flashlight.

“We move as silently as we can from here on out. I don’t know if they’ve discovered these yet, or how much they may have explored. So it’s better not to risk anything this early on,” his voice holds firm as he guides you further in.

You round the corners with careful precision, hand clutching the loose strap dangling from Yamaguchi’s gear. You walk for what feels like miles until the tunnel opens up. The stark white of the tiled floor nearly blinding as the sounds of your footsteps turn from dull thumping to a sharp smack against the pristine floors.

The walls round out to form a circle that cups either side of another staircase on the wall opposite you. Your grip on the strap loosens as you're reminded of the last night you were in the estate, a poignant fear racing through your veins.

You can hear the rush of the air conditioner turn on before you feel it. The sound of your heartbeat still pounding in your ears as you sprint through the living quarters of the estate. Yachi’s door is in sight as you feel the gust of cold air hit the center of your back, your hairs standing on your skin but you’re unable to decipher if it’s from the AC or the chill still present in your blood.

You raise your fist to knock on the door, the hurried sounds forcing you to flinch back, too cautious of getting caught after what you just learned. The door whips open revealing a frightened Yachi, the cardigan she wore to work today pulled tight over her chest. She stares at you wide eyed before she registers that it’s just you, her stance beginning to relax until she fully takes you in. Your breathing is ragged, the breaths escaping in harsh gasps.

“Woah, what’s going on?” Yachi reaches out to grab your wrist and tugs you into the room. The gentle click of the door shutting releases some of the tension in your shoulders. Your eyes scan the room for anyone else, specifically her mom who happened to randomly drop by in the evenings, but all you’re faced with is a worried Yamaguchi and a wave of relief floods your system.

“Hey, are you alright?”

“No,” you suck in a deep breath to help reconstruct your thoughts in the hopes of making this somewhat coherent. “They are trying to get rid of the underground. The higher ups plan to kill them all for some twisted, fucked up utopia and I don’t know what to do. We have to warn them, right? But who? And how? And whe-”

“We know.” Yamaguchi interrupts you, the weight of his statement not yet settling. You stare blankly at him, the gears in your mind slowly piecing things together. “You knew and you didn’t think to tell me?” The hurt in your tone cracks through the tension between you, your shock only multiplying.

“We didn’t know if we could trust you yet,” Yachi adds quietly. “Not that we didn’t want to tell you, it’s just we found out on our own and I told Yams because he’s from there, a-and I wanted him to warn his family, his friends,” her shoulders are raised to her ears, a deep blush sinking onto her cheeks as she refuses to make eye contact with you.

“I found out a couple weeks ago. This probably won’t come as a surprise but I’ve been part of the rebel faction for years now. I’ve been working as, well, almost like a spy,” his voice pitches up at the end as if he’s asking you the question.

“I don’t understand why you wouldn’t tell me though. We’re best friends, or was that an act too?” You didn’t mean to accuse him, but your feelings of confusion and fear were bubbling over into anger.

“No, it wasn’t an act, I swear. You’re the President’s son’s girlfriend, I didn’t know how deep that loyalty ran and I couldn’t have the plan fail for any reason at all,” he rushes to explain, understanding trying to break through your anger. You hadn’t realized your hands were balled into fists, or that your body was itching with heat as you stared at him until you forced your shoulders back, your fingers uncurling themselves one at a time. You bring a hand up to rub down your face, a troubled sigh falling from your lips.

“So what now? I want to help and I know you can’t trust me, but I want you to,” tears begin to prick at the corners of your eyes, “I’m not with Tooru anymore. He doesn’t really know that, but he’s in on the plan and I can’t stomach the idea of killing thousands of innocent people.”

You feel the frustration start to fray at the edges again, “I tried to tell him that this was wrong, and he had the nerve to laugh,” a cynical chuckle accompanies your words as you recall the conversation. “I lied and told him I would help. I don’t know if he believed me or not, but I don’t care right now. All I know is we need to get out of here.”

“I can’t,” Yachi finally speaks up again. “I can’t go because I’m the one who created the software, maybe if I work from the inside like Yams did I can reverse the algorithm without anyone catching on.”

“That won’t work. Tooru isn’t dumb, he probably knows I ran here right away to tell you. Why wouldn’t he?” You watch her fidget with the edge of her sleeve, pulling the fabric down her palm over and over. “Listen, it’s not safe for you here. It’s not safe for any of us. I think we should leave tonight, we should just pack what we need and run. After we are off the property we can start brainstorming and putting together a plan. Maybe you can reverse it from the outside.”

You can see the cogs connecting in her head as she sifts through the different outcomes, her brain working overtime as she fights through the anxiety. “Where would we go?”

Yamaguchi raises his hand shyly, “I may know a place. If you’re okay with that?”

You blink up at him from the bottom of the stairs while he wears the same worried expression he had that night. “We don’t have to do this,” reassurance evident in his tone as he starts to step down from his place in the middle of the staircase.

“It’s our best shot at getting more information,” you say on an exhale, stepping up on to the first step to halt his descent. “I know we don’t have to, but I said I would, so I will.” The edge in your tone affirms your consent. You can do this, it will be fine. You continue your climb up to the aluminum door, Yamaguchi side stepping to allow you to go first. The door handle is cold beneath your hand, the same blue glow illuminating your skin as you turn it slowly, praying that it doesn’t creak and echo into the empty space. You take one final breath to confirm that you can still breathe under these circumstances, confident that you and Yamaguchi will make it out alive.

The door pushes in and you cross the threshold into your past.

You feel a tremorous hand graze the small of your back, appreciative of Yamaguchi’s familiar presence as you walk further into the basement, searching for the room that you had last occupied with Oikawa. You find the door and step inside grateful that you’re there before he is, boxes and cobwebs littering the room as you maneuver around them.

“I’m going to hide back here,” Yamaguchi points behind a tall metal fridge that’s stationed in a corner and you nod in confirmation. The dust particles floating in the air, barely noticeable if not for the sliver of light let in from the small window in the door.

You wonder how long ago the higher ups abandoned the building. The once spotless lab had layers of dust covering every surface, small bugs and spiders scuttling across the floor. The analog clock still ticked on the wall near one of the storage closets, and you tried to align your heartbeat with the rhythmic ticking to steady your nerves. Your fingers tapping lightly against the leather that encases your dagger. It was then that you remember the small tracking device Kenma gave you in the hopes that you could sneak it onto Oikawa during this reunion.

The tiny device blinks red to signal that it was on. You’re impressed by the craftsmanship, surprised that it was barely the size of your fingernail. After admiring it, you placed the tracker in your pants pocket, glancing quickly at the door and then the clock hung on the wall. A sigh leaving your lips as you noticed he was late, unsurprisingly so.

“Well, well, well,” his taunting voice slices through the silence. “If it isn’t my darling, traitorous girlfriend.”

“I’m not your girlfriend,” you spit through gritted teeth, your fingers tightening around the hilt of the dagger.

“Awww,” he pouts, shoulder leaning against the open door frame, bottom lip jutting out childishly. “But you never actually broke up with me. You just left in the middle of the night without even saying goodbye. I was heartbroken.”

Your lip curls in disgust, his mockery stabbing you in the chest, making you question how you could ever feel anything but repulsed by him. “Fine then, consider this me breaking up with you, but just know I’m not here to help mend your broken heart.”

He finally steps into the room, a smug grin plastered across his features, “It seems like you aren’t very excited to see me, princess.” His face leaning into yours as you snap your head to the side, his lips ghosting your cheek, a cringe shuddering through you.

“I’m surprised you even noticed, with your head shoved so far up your ass,” you put as much venom in your voice as possible. The grooves of the dagger molding into your palms at the feeling of his breath fanning your face. He laughs sardonically at you, straightening his back so that you have to look up at him.

“Hm,” his eyes narrow, intimidation secreting from all of his pores. “Well I wonder who put a stick up yours.”

You actively resist the urge to smack him, your fingers twitching at your side as you keep your emotions at bay. You don’t indulge him with a witty retort, trying hard to keep the anger from clouding your senses.

“Why invite me here if not to reunite with an old flame?” At this you meet his eyes, startled to find there’s no taunting glint or malice edge. “You do miss me, don’t you?”

The answer is complicated. The answer is both yes and absolutely not, and now you’re afraid that the hesitancy in your stance has given that away. “No,” you conclude.

“I don’t miss you because you’re no longer the you I remember,” you straighten as your gaze on him hardens, gentle confidence simmering within you. “You know why I’m here and it’s not to have some morbid heart to heart about what could’ve been.”

He scoffs, playful demeanor evaporating into something much more sinister. “Alrighty then, I guess it’s straight to business,” he drags his finger across the flat metal surface of one of the lab tables, collecting the dust and rubbing it against his thumb. “What would you like to know, sweetheart?”

You try not to outwardly react to the pet name, but instead lean against the boxes behind you. “For one, what’s really been on my mind is what you guys plan on doing with these ‘volunteers’?” You lift your hands to sign the quotation marks with your fingers.

“Ah yes, the volunteers,” he hums. “Our secret weapon,” he smirks, purposefully drawing out his answer.

“You see, the volunteers are a group of lowly citizens that decided to be a part of our little plan for certain… privileges.” You wait for him to continue, frustration surging through you with every passing moment.

“Privileges?” You question, prompting him to hopefully go on.

“We told them that if they would sign up for some physical experiments they would be recruited into the Elite Class. The promise of comfort and luxury,” he chuckles darkly.

“Which isn’t necessarily a lie, just probably not what they were expecting when they signed away their lives.” His fingers continue to draw figures in the dust, elbows now resting on the cool surface.

“They’re really just the foot soldiers to fight against your pathetic army of rebels, so that we don’t have to get our own hands dirty,” he stands up fully again and wipes off the excess dust he was playing with from his hands.

“And whichever ones survive come to live on the new property. Not that they have any real control anymore, so they’d be used for menial tasks that we wouldn’t bother doing,” he shrugs.

“And it’s quite poetic actually. These people fighting their own to stop a group they have no chance in defeating, only to subject themselves to more of the same.”

Your blood is boiling, an anger that you can no longer contain pulsing from you in violent flames. “How fucking dare you?” Your tone is steady and low. “What gives any of you the fucking right, huh?” Your voice is increasing in volume.

You pinch the bridge of your nose, a shaky exhale releasing from your lungs. “They are people, Tooru, more human than you will ever be.” You raise your eyes immediately meeting his, your stomach churning at his expression. He looks absolutely delighted, a devious grin stretching into his cheeks.

“You’re disgusting,” you spit at him.

“Ouch,” he clutches his chest in faux pain, nose scrunching into his eyebrows. “Don’t be so mean,” he pouts again as he walks around the table, the only barrier separating the two of you no longer there.

His confident strides stopping mere inches from you. You turn your face away from him until he roughly grabs your chin, fingers digging painfully into your skin, so that you’re looking straight into his eyes. “You really gotta stop breaking my heart, princess.”

You unsheathe your dagger, quickly pressing the tip into the dip between his ribs. “I suggest you get your hands off of me unless you want a punctured lung to accompany that broken heart of yours.” The words are a strained staccato pushed through the small gap between your teeth. He glares at you before you’re shoved into the boxes behind you. The one sitting precariously at the top toppling over, narrowly missing your head.

“You used to be such a good girl, y/n,” he’s a few feet away from you now, left hand rubbing at the place your dagger used to be. “Seriously, what’s gotten into you? I was gonna give you another chance, but then you go and ruin it,” his eyes are wild as they dart around the room. He walks back around the table, bending down to reach for something. Every fiber in your body is screaming for you to run, pleading for you to get as far away as possible. You begin to inch towards the fridge Yamaguchi is still hiding behind, fully prepared to grab him and bolt back to the tunnels.

“I really don’t wanna do this, but you’re not leaving me with another option,” the something he was reaching for catches the light, the dark metal of the gun reflecting off the table. Fear and adrenaline blending together, your brain’s alarm system blaring loudly in your skull.

“I wanted to save you! Can’t you see that?” Oddly enough there’s tears welling in his eyes. “Now you’re gonna die here, you’re never gonna see your stupid friends again. This naive dream you had about saving everyone will die here with you,” he’s waving the gun around carelessly, completely unhinged.

“Lucky for you, you won’t be alone for long. Your friends are gonna join you soon enough,” this catches your attention, your eyes not once leaving his frame as you continue your crawl to the fridge.

“What do you mean?” You force the question out, aware that if you make it out alive this information will be the most important.

“What do I mean?” He laughs hysterically. “I mean they only have one more day left. Exactly 24 hours from now I’ll explode everything. I’ll watch this whole city burn knowing that it was all thanks to you and silly, pathetic Yachi.”

This was good. Now you have a time limit, a lot shorter than you were expecting, but good nonetheless. You slide your hand across the fridge’s surface, fingers curling around the edge.

“I was hoping you’d wanna watch it with me, like all those times we used to watch the sunset together,” the memory strikes you powerfully, a warm evening spent beneath the shade of a cherry blossom tree, a childhood so deep into the past you could’ve never surfaced it on your own. You feel yourself leaning into that moment, slipping away drowsily until you feel smooth fingers slide between yours. The contact pulling you from its depths.

Once you come to, all that’s in your line of sight is Oikawa and the barrel of a gun. “Goodbye, princess,” you shut your eyes as you heard the gunshot comet through the air, prepared for the bullet to pierce your skin, but it never came. Instead you hear someone else cry out in pain, a hand pinching your shoulder as you open your eyes. Yamaguchi is behind you, right arm extended over your shoulder, his gun clutched in his hand.

“Run!” He yells as he drags you towards the door by your elbow, his body slamming into it to throw it open. The hallway seems longer now, your feet slapping harshly against the linoleum, the sound of the gun shot still ringing in your ears. “Oh, darling, you really think I would come here without my own reinforcements too,” Oikawa’s cackle bounces off of the walls in your direction. Your head turns his way, blood seeping and spreading beneath his white t-shirt, his arm hanging limply at his side from the wound in his shoulder. You recoil at the smile on his face, his eyes saucers devoid of any remorse as he moves to chase after you.

You cut the corner sharply, Yamaguchi’s hand still gripping your elbow, the basement door down one more hall. “We just have to make it to the tunnels then we can lose him,” Yamaguchi says over his shoulder, low enough for only you to catch.

You smell him before you see him, the putrid smell of iron and burning flesh is inhaled into the back of your throat. You cover your mouth, suppressing a gag. “Holy shit,” Yamaguchi’s voice is what causes you to look up. Straight ahead there’s a hulking figure, limbs slightly disfigured with thin lines of silver slithering down their neck and arms. This is the source of that horrid smell, the thick skin of his arms trying in vain to heal over the wires. “Iwaizumi?”

Bile begins to claw up your throat at the realization. The realization that you know him and that this is Oikawa’s best friend stops you in your tracks. The tunnels are so close but you’re blocked in, the door is behind Iwaizumi’s large frame and at the other end of the hall is a deranged Oikawa, his face twisted in glee, the predator successfully trapping it’s prey in their clutches. You refuse to die here. You shake your head, swiftly running through various scenarios, each outcome worse than the last, but death the ultimate destination.

You want to kick and scream in agony, anxiety beginning to creep into your thoughts preventing you from thinking rationally. You cannot die here. You never said goodbye to Tanaka, goddamnit, you refuse for your last conversation with him to be a lie. Because you lied to him and death is too easy an end for you. Your naive dream of saving everyone pushing to the forefront of your mind.

Your dagger is still in your hand, Yamaguchi’s gun pointed at Iwaizumi. “Iwa, what took you so long? I brought you some new toys.” Oikawa’s giddy with satisfaction, teetering excitedly on the balls of his feet. “You do wanna play, don’t you?” He twirls his gun around his forefinger before it’s focused on you again.

“He’s a volunteer, Yams,” you’re breathless with astonishment, never once imagining that they would be human/cyborg hybrids, a collection of flesh and metal, a weapon easily controlled but with the freedom of individual movement. “That’s not Iwaizumi anymore, so you can’t hesitate.”

“Of course that’s Iwa, y/n. He even remembers you, so don’t go hurting his feelings too,” Oikawa huffs out petulantly. His brattiness is really starting to grind harshly on your nerves, his incessant back and forth between whining and delight motivating you to get out of here even more. “Yams, you have a plan yet?’ Wishful thinking is beginning to take over.

He gives you a small nod, “it’s risky, but it might work. Problem is we don’t know what he’s capable of,” he points in Iwaizumi’s direction, his body still frozen at the end of the corridor. You think back to that conversation you overheard all those months ago, you remember them mentioning a controller or something. Your brain struggles to connect the dots until you roll your eyes at your own ignorance.

“It’s fucking Oikawa. He controls them,” the connection so obvious. “Once we hear his command that’s when we can act. Whatever you’re planning needs to be fast, we won’t have any room for mistakes.”

“Just trust me. I’ll get us out of this,” the velcro on his pants ripping in response as you watch his fingers grasp something round. “Yo, Oikawa?” Yamaguchi calls out, his stare still trained on the creation before him. “You gonna kill us or what? You’ve clearly backed us into a corner, so what are you gonna do about it?”

The tremor in his voice hardly distinguishable as he attempts to bait him. “I like to play with my food first, Tadashi,” the use of his first name makes him go rigid. “How could you forget?” He winks at you as he skips closer.

“Isn’t that right, Iwa? Why don’t we play our game? But this time you’re the hunter, okay?” He slows his tone, tongue lilting dumbly over each syllable. “Now come catch your prey.” You tug hard on Yamaguchi’s sleeve, the command activating Iwaizumi’s functions. Your spun in his direction as Yamaguchi switches your positions, another gunshot crowding the narrow space while your feet spring into action, running full speed at Iwaizumi.

His wide hand reaches to envelope your face, but before he can touch you your dagger meets the skin of his forearm, steel slashing through muscle and grating against silver. The sound vibrating in your teeth, throbbing in your gums. You duck beneath his bicep, swiping your leg to cross your ankle with his forcing him to lose balance as you plunge the blade into the soft tissue between his collarbone and shoulder, the warmth of his blood sticking to your hands. He drops to his knees, a gargled noise bubbling from his throat.

Oikawa is on the floor cradling his knee, Yamaguchi’s gun shaking slightly in his hand. “Let’s go!” He yells as he pirouettes gracefully in your direction, his flashy movements rebooting your system, your flight senses kicking into overdrive. He throws the object that was previously in his pocket at Oikawa, a grenade ready to destroy the corridor. You’re nearly at the door, Yamaguchi on your heels, when you hear another command.

“Throw it back!” His voice is cracking with derangement, a screech of insanity before the impact blasts you through the now open door. A slab of concrete slams into your side, an instance of pain shooting through you as you skid across the floor, halfway unconscious. Despite his injuries, Yamaguchi grabs you by your armpits to the entrance of the tunnels. The walls of the cavern cracking and folding in. You see Iwaizumi trip over the top steps before the ceiling comes crashing down. Yamaguchi’s body shielding yours from the debris, small shards still slicing your cheek.

The dust starts to settle and you can no longer see the staircase to the estate’s basement. Your breath stuck in your lungs, waiting for someone to burst through the concrete and pipes, but for a moment everything is still.

“What a psychotic bastard,” Yamaguchi says above you, his arms still cradling your head to his chest. “We need to hurry and get out of here. Either of them could’ve survived that blast and I’m not taking any chances.”

He helps you stand, the both of you swatting at your clothes to remove the chunks of plaster and dust sticking to you. You both then turn to jog through the tunnels, the pain in your side throbbing with every step.

“We’ll go above ground this time to make sure they can’t track our movements to headquarters.” You nod even though he can’t see you, your mental and physical fatigue making it difficult for you to speak. The rest of the journey is quiet besides the soft padding of your boots on the pavement.

“The exit is coming up,” he warns as his steps slow down. You appreciate the change of pace, your hand coming up to hold your ribs, your shirt wet with proof that you’re bleeding. “Shit,” you hiss, your fingers tinted red under the dull glow of the flashlight.

Yamaguchi pulls you against his side, arm looping around your waist while he drapes yours over his neck. The pressure of your own weight lifting relieves some of the tension on your side as you rest against him. “C’mon, let’s get you back,” he pushes the door open with his shoulder, the bright lights of the city forcing you to squint your eyes. The only thing on your mind is the first time you stepped outside of the estate. The pretenses are different, but the dread is all the same.

This was the first time you had stepped into the city in years. The air was thick with pollution forcing you to swallow harshly to prevent you from choking on it. Through the whispered fog you could see blurs of neon lights, blues and pinks flickering out providing some light to pierce through. You gripped the sleeve of Yamaguchi’s shirt as he led you down a narrow alleyway, Yachi trembling beside you and squeezing your hand tightly. The distant sounds of whirring and buzzing were the only things to accompany the eerie silence, a heavy sense of disillusionment burdening your chest, settling into the chambers of your heart.

As you stepped out of the alley into the open you were awestruck by the tall buildings framing the streets, their surfaces flashing with ads and promotions. The distraction of the blinding lights overwhelming you until your foot slipped on something wet and slimy, breaking the spell you were under. Yamaguchi’s hand jerked out to help steady you while a shrill squeak slipped from Yachi’s lips.

“Be careful and stay alert. The city isn’t the… cleanest,” his mouth carefully formed the words to soothe the anxiety shaking the both of you. 

The rebel faction’s hideout was located deep in the underground. Since night had fallen some time ago, the city seemed even more daunting with very little human life roaming the streets. 

“W-where i-is everyone?” Yachi voiced the only question on your mind as your eyes darted around every corner, paranoid by any minor movement in your peripherals, which was only exacerbated by the intense fog looming around you. 

June 17, 2065

12:03am

The two of you stumble through the doorway of headquarters. Air finally rushing to your lungs, the dizzying feeling of blood loss and adrenaline subsiding. The pain in your side was merely a dull ache now, but there was a large red stain in your shirt, stickiness clinging to your obliques making the wound appear worse than it felt. 

The building lacked movement and sound, the stillness slightly disturbing given how many people live here. Yamaguchi let out a labored breath beside you and you just noticed how exhausted he looks. His hair was damp from sweat, his bangs sticking flat on his forehead as other brown tresses fell from his hair tie. He had nicks and scratches scattered along his face and arms, a small limp present in his right leg. If he looked like that, you couldn’t begin to imagine the state you were in.

“Where the fuck did everyone go?” His voice strains as he takes a deep breath through his nose. “Of all the times to disappear now is probably the worst,” humor finds its way into his tone, a breathy chuckle slipping from your lips.

As you near the conference room a flurry of panicked whispers are barely audible down the hall, the door left ajar. You glance at Yamaguchi to find he’s already looking at you, his eyebrows raised in confusion and you attempt a shrug, only to wince instead. 

“They’ll be here,” Suga’s stern voice is loud above the others. The door bumping against your foot as you reach it, the impact floating it open to reveal the crowded room. All movement and conversation stop aside from Yachi’s pacing at one end of the switchboard.

“Hey?” You break the awkward silence catching Yachi’s attention as she bolts towards the both of you, your arms still holding on to each other for support.

“Oh, thank god,” a stuttered breath in your direction, her hands on your face, your arms, then ultimately your sides. Her fingers pulling away when you hiss in response, her fingertips tinged in the translucent red of your blood. “Don’t freak out,” you squeak as you reach for her hand. “It’s really not that bad,” you add, trying to calm her down.

“We’re okay,” Yamaguchi tries too as you witness the increasing panic behind her eyes while she glances between the two of you and her bloodied hand. After a moment exchanging anxious looks there’s a rush of movement. Yachi has traded places with Yamaguchi, and Terushima is holding his boyfriend delicately in his hands. You’re both led to the chairs circling the table, a soft grunt sounds from you as you’re seated. Trembling fingers untuck the material of your shirt as Yachi grazes the gash beneath your rib cage.

“Where the hell have you been?!” His voice is explosive in the tense quiet that weighs heavily on everyone. 

“Ryu, I can explain,” the guilt is hitting you full force, exhaustion turning your limbs to lead. You move to stand up again, but Yachi halts your movements, her hand squeezing your knee so she can start dressing your wound. 

He notices the blood on her hands first, eyes following her movements to the open wound on your side. There’s a flash of rolling anger in his glare which is quickly replaced by softened worry. “What the fuck happened while I was gone?” The question comes out louder than he intended, his sturdy frame wobbling a bit when he kneels beside you. 

You hesitate before you answer him, Yachi grabbing a roll of gauze to wrap your waist in to stop the bleeding, his hands helping her unravel the stretchy material. 

You swallow dryly before you continue. “I went to the estate to meet with Oikawa,” the words fell out in rapid succession hoping to just rip the bandage straight off.

“Alone?!” The hardened gaze returns as his hands stop brushing against your side. “No, Yamaguchi was there,” it seems like he is just now realizing Yamaguchi’s light whimpers of pain as Terushima tends to him. His eyes drift to him, locking on his motionlessly. You can see the thoughts running rampant in his mind, struggling to choose which one to voice aloud. But before he decides Yamaguchi gives him a small smile that turns into a grimace and a shy wave, forcing an awkwardly stifled laugh from Suga. 

Tanaka takes in his injuries, the conflicting feelings of concern and irritation screwing his features into a near snarl. “You mean to tell me you went to see your little shit of an ex with just Yamaguchi,” you know he doesn’t intend to say his name with a hair of patronization. This is confirmed when he turns to face him, his palms extended in front of him. “No offense, buddy.”

A humorless laugh is his response. “No, that’s fair,” he shakes his head and points to the cuts littering his skin, gaze cast downward. 

“This isn’t Yams’ fault,” you say as he takes a step away from you. 

“No. No, I never said it was, but when I leave for a couple hours and come back to you looking like this how do you expect me to react?” His emotions are beginning to stack, the height overwhelming him. 

“And then I find out it’s because you went to go see him and didn’t think to even mention it, huh?” He scoffs.

“For what? What information could we possibly have needed to send you in there?” His cheeks are flushing a brilliant red with the rise of his blood pressure. “Unless you’re gonna say you missed him or some fucking bullshit like that,” his chest is heaving, his arms swinging around in increasing agitation. The last thing he said sent a pang of affliction to your heart. If you were being rational you would’ve noticed his insecurity, but your eyes narrow in on him instead. Your wariness eroding away into a fury of your own. 

“Woah, chill out man,” Nishinoya cuts in, reaching to grab his arm only for it to be batted away. 

“Chill out?! Am I not chill enough for you?” He sneers. “Because you’re all looking at me like I’m fucking insane, but I’m not really sure how this is supposed to play out.” There’s a sharp inhale and a twitch of his eye during this brief pause. 

“I come back here and my girlfriend is sitting here injured after a secret meeting with Oikawa fucking Tooru, that you neglected to tell me about,” his anger is redirected at you again. 

“If I told you you would’ve never let me go!” Your heart is racing with adrenaline again as you sit up abruptly, the gauze in Yachi’s hand jumping from her grasp and rolling away. “And guess what? Maybe if you let me explain I would be more than happy to tell you about the important information we got.” 

“But at what cost?! You’re practically bleeding out from your side, Yamaguchi won’t stop whimpering from who knows what!” He’s shaking, his barely contained aggravation is being held in his balled fists, the veins in his forearms prominent with the strain in his muscles. 

“And you expect for me to just stand here and listen to you talk about a situation neither of you needed to be in. A situation that could’ve clearly prevented this,” his hand is waving to your body, gesturing to the obvious pain you’re in. 

“Is that what you want?” 

“Tanaka,” Daichi’s voice is deep and steady, in complete odds with Tanaka’s uneven syllables. His tone stilling him into quiet rage. “That’s enough.”

“No, let him keep going,” you say spitefully. “Since he can figure everything out on his own, maybe he can answer his own questions too.” Your body is facing him now, one of your hands tightly wound around the back of your chair. 

“Oh, really,” he huffs out, his simmering anger ready to boil over, but the rage swirling in your gaze stops him from speaking. Instead he turns to leave, his body accidentally shoving Nishinoya out of the way. His retreating frame only multiplies your frustration and for the second time that night you want to kick and scream. 

You allow your head to fall into your open palms and let out a muffled, disgruntled groan before you stand up, fully intent on chasing him. The sudden movement has Yachi scrambling for the gauze she had just finished re-wrapping. The scene was almost comical if you weren’t as pissed as you were. 

“Oh, hold on. Wa-,” Yachi stutters out while she tries to roll it up once again.

“It’s fine.” Your response is curt and you feel a little bad when she looks up at you with wide doe eyes, but you still reach for one of the switchblades on the table and tear the gauze in one, easy swipe. You don’t wait to watch the strip flutter to the ground where she kneels before you’re taking off in Tanaka’s direction. 

Your pace quickens as he comes into view despite the pain you’re in, and you can see he’s rapidly jamming the elevator button with his thumb as if that would make it arrive any sooner. 

“Hey!” You call out from behind him, his muscles tensing in response but he makes no move to face you. “I was talking to you!”

He lets out a sarcastic scoff, thumb now holding the button down. “Well I’m sure you can figure out that I don’t feel like listening all on your own.” 

Your previous words are spit back at you and this time it’s harder to ignore the insecurity riddling his tone. The doors finally rattle open and he gets in. You’re expecting him to force the doors closed or block you from entering, but he just cramps himself in the far corner and refuses to look at you. You take the olive branch and follow him inside, leaving a few feet of space between you. All those excuses you tried to draw up earlier in this exact spot were still as useless as they were then. So you let the silence stretch and pull until the doors shake open to the floor he stays on. He motions for you to exit first when you make eye contact, his hard facade crumbling.

The quiet you’re becoming accustomed to is leaving you worn out and tired. You’re sick of listening to the echoes of boots thump against the ground, the dreary soundtrack to your new life. 

The door to his studio apartment is open so you walk straight in, Tanaka not far behind. He shuts the door and steps around you to start stripping off his gear. You fidget in place wondering what he could possibly be thinking, none of his movements giving it away as you follow them. It’s all becoming incredibly unbearable as he continues to tug at each strap aggressively without saying anything.

“Ryu?” His name is heavy on your tongue. “I needed to do this. I needed to go because I couldn’t keep sitting around here feeling useless. I’ve been wandering this building for months, wasting space, while everyone else is out there actually doing something! And it’s been eating me alive,” you’re frail, your voice weak with helplessness. 

The dresser he’s clutching creaks and splinters in his hands. “You wanna know what I need? I need for you to be safe. I need for you to talk to me!” The muscles in his shoulders ripple beneath his shirt as he rolls them back before his body is finally turned towards you. 

“Why didn’t you just tell me? It’s not that I wouldn’t have let you go because I can’t stop you from doing shit even though I sure as hell would try. But I could’ve gone with you! I could’ve protected you!” His breath catches in his throat, voice thickening with emotion. 

“I don’t need for you to protect me, Ryu! I can protect myself!” You’re like a caged animal, fear is clawing at your throat, suffocating you. Tears start to build but you swallow them back down. 

Tanaka is in front of you in two long strides, his hands now gripping your shoulders. “I know you don’t need me to protect you! But why can’t you just let me?!” 

A tear slips down his cheek from obvious frustration and you bunch the fabric of his shirt in your fists to pull him down to your level. “Because I would never forgive you if you threw your life away because you were too busy trying to save mine.” 

His lips are flush with yours in an instant, pressing hard with desperation. One of his hands moves to grip the back of your neck, long fingers stretching around the column of your throat as he forces you still. Your lips part in surprise, his tongue immediately entering to lick inside your mouth. The taste of iron and salt explode on your tongue as his kiss becomes feverish, the thought that you had split your lip leaving faster than it arrived as he bites down on it, a needy moan spilling past them. He growls at the sound, his hands making quick work of the straps closed around your body, the nylon dropping to the floor in a dull thud. 

You slip your hands beneath the fabric of his shirt, skimming over the defined muscles of his torso when he moves to lick a stripe down your neck. His lips meet the juncture between your neck and shoulder as he bites down again, a shudder and breathy gasp waves through you while you dig and drag your nails down the skin of his waist. The motion stopping once you meet the buckle of his pants, your deft fingers undoing them effortlessly. He groans at your ease, his hands trailing to the hem of where your shirt had been lifted to rip the fabric over your head. The swift motion makes you wince into his chest as your cut widens with the rise of your arms. 

“Shit, are you okay?” He asks, pulling away from you. You nod, already missing the warmth of his body on yours. “Yes, just,” your fingers curl around the waistband of his cargos to tug them down. “Just touch me.” 

He doesn’t hesitate to unclasp your bra at your words. His hands come back around to palm and massage your breasts as your back arches into his touch. His mouth going back to suck and nibble at your neck as your hand reaches past the elastic band of his underwear, your fingers grasping his hardening cock, pumping it rhythmically. “Fuck,” his forehead drops to your shoulder, his hands now pinching your hips as he grinds into your palm. 

He fumbles with the button of your pants as he hastily unzips them. Bodies pressed together in desire, searching for friction to relieve the ache settling at your core. In frenzied movements, he removes your hand from his stiff cock, your palm glistening with precum, and you're tossed onto his bed, the springs squeaking under your weight. Your boots are untied and flung over his shoulder, the smack of the thick sole on the concrete hardly audible over the blood racing through your veins, pulsing restlessly in your ear drums. 

Your pants are next. The thick material yanked off your legs, the new exposure sending goosebumps to dance across your skin. He’s already knelt between your thighs, face level with your dripping cunt as you wiggle away from his grasp to drag him back up your body. He refuses you, his grip tightening around the meat of your thighs instead as he jerks your body towards him, the heat of his mouth enveloping your own wet heat below. Your eyes squeeze shut at the sudden contact, his lips and tongue sucking and licking with a ferocity you hadn’t been ready for. 

He encourages the closing of your thighs around his head, his fingers kneading the fat in his hands as he buries himself between them. His groans vibrate over your clit, your own mewls colliding with his in a raucous symphony. You’re teetering on the edge of your orgasm, close enough to see the small bursts of pleasure behind your eyelids when he pulls away. A complaint is on the tip of your tongue when you open your eyes to look at him, his face shiny with your slick, eyes a dangerous black once his pupils dilated enough to overcome his stormy grey irises. 

He wipes his face with the back of his hand before he grabs you again, dragging your pliant body over the edge of his mattress and flipping you on your stomach, your cheek meeting the scratchy material of his top sheet. He ghosts his fingers over the loose gauze at your midsection, the tenderness in his fingertips contrasting the hardened cock rubbing over the groove of your ass. 

“Ryu,” you whine, shifting so that his erection slips between your open legs. You grind down on it, your thighs closing so that he slides between your drenched folds. He soon takes over, all traces of tenderness gone as he pulls back, his dripping head finding your entrance easily. He doesn’t take his time like he usually does, his bruising grip on your hips numbing all feeling in your legs as he lifts you slightly, your upper body pressing further into the mattress. 

There is one last moment of stillness before he’s plunging inside, sheathing himself in one full thrust. The burning stretch sends flickers of fire flitting over every inch of your body from within. You muffle the unexpected scream into the bed as his pace quickens, his grip pushing and pulling your limp body over the girth of his cock. Your eyes are beginning to water and for the first time today it’s from unbridled pleasure. Adrenaline lining your system, not from fear but a passion long forgotten. 

Your mind has succumbed to the force of his desire, shutting down completely. Your body is now his to do with whatever he wants. Your nails are digging into the heel of your palm through the thin sheet. The noises you’re making drowned out by the obscenity of skin slapping skin.

“I need you,” his thrusts are losing their rhythm, your mind barely able to process his words. “To stay, shit- alive.”

Your knees are now on the bed, his palm enclosing around your neck, fingers squeezing your pulse points as you’re hoisted upright. Your bareback to his chest, his momentum never faltering as he pushes in deeper, the angle rubbing deliciously against the sensitive spongy tissue. Your head falls to rest on his shoulder, his breath fanning your ear. 

“I can’t lose you,” there’s a desperation in his voice you haven’t heard before, a pleading whimper so out of character from his usual self. “Because I, fuck, I love you.” 

You gasp not entirely sure if it’s from his declaration of love or his wandering hand landing on your clit. The pressure in your abdomen curling with every swift swipe across your nerves. “I-I’m close, Ryu,” you whine, your arm raising to fold around his neck, nails scratching his scalp through his short hair. 

He moves impossibly faster at this, his fingers working you with reckless abandon. The wires of pleasure pulled taut, the stretch snapping so suddenly your body bows against him, mind blanking while static obscures your vision. His fingers are shoved past your lips, the moan tearing your vocal chords stifled by the tips reaching the back of your throat. 

“That’s it, baby, just like that,” the fingers on your clit only stopped when you grip his wrist to push him away from the sensitivity. He lets your body fall to the bed in a hurry, the fluttering of your walls surging him to his own release. He pulls out and you feel the heat of his cum on your back, warm spurts mixing with the sweat on your skin, pooling on your spine. 

The white noise in your ears has cleared, your vision returning to normal as you begin to see the warm yellows and deep browns of his room. Your body is still quivering from the intensity of your orgasm.

“I think you need new gauze,” he says on a gentle chuckle. You can’t stop your own laugh from sparking through you as you allow your body to fall flat on the bed. 

“You think?” 

[kaeyas-beloved]

Be You {Leviathan x Reader}

Leviathan x Reader (They/Them) || Obey Me!

Warning(s): None (Well, actually I make Levi bully Mammon for less than a paragraph)

Note: This was a request I received from someone on Wattpad!

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

Finally, Leviathan’s done it. It’s been a long three days, hours upon hours having been poured into this playthrough. 

“Woop woop! Aren’t I the best!” he praised himself, smiling wide. He’s skipped meals, pushed assignments to a later date and avoided any outside interactions to finish this game. His sight may be blurry and his limbs numb but if those were the sacrifices he had to make to go full completionist then it was all worth it. Now, time to celebrate a well deserved win.

“I think this calls for some of Ruri-chan’s celebratory season 3 limited edition candy and-!”

A chorus of knocks on his door immediately snuffed out his joy. Levi scowled, turning to glare at his door from his chair, it’s gotta be Mammon. The third born is absolutely positive that it’s his scummy older brother - it always is - back yet again to mooch more money off him for a trip to the casino. The usual slander he and his brothers would throw at the second born was on the tip of his tongue, ready to fire at will. 

“Hey Levi? You there? It’s me....”

A voice that definitely doesn’t belong to the second born piping up and Levi, halfway through spouting the first syllable, shuts up all together. That’s his normie. A weight presses on his heart: he was just about to yell and insult his Henry… 

Clearing his throat in hopes of gaining some kind of composure (all previous anger having diminished) the usual “What’s the password?” came out in a stutter. The demon was only acutely aware of his heart beat. How it skipped periodically. How it raced like he himself just ran a marathon. Levi waits a moment for the human to finish reciting the TSL excerpt. His hands begin to shake, his palms exuding profuse amounts of sweat. Gah! Why was he so nervous? Yeah, he’s aware that he’s just some gross shut-in otaku but he shouldn’t be this anxious! It’s not like this is the first time the exchange student has hung out in his room... alone... with him…

“Yo Levi?”

“Yes MC?”

“You think you could open the door now? Please?” Snapped back to reality, Levi hastily opened the door, finding himself regretting it soon after.

“I, uh, MC? What do you…?” his voice trailed off, orange gradient eyes locked on their garments. Immediately he sputtered, taking a step back. A bright scarlet coated his pale cheeks. Levi tried to hide it with his hand, though it was proven useless. The sea demon's at a toss up; should he screech? Slam the door shut? Combust all together!? At the rate he’s going, number three is looking pretty probable.

On the other end of this exchange, the human stood almost timidly out in the hall, fingers fiddling with one another while their eyes darted anywhere but at the man in front of them. The words of the fifth born rang in their ears:

“You absolutely have to wear this dear! My brother would surely fall head over heels for you, even more so than he already is!”

Oh whyyyyy did they trust him? Cause he had knowledge in fashion and love? Yeah, that was it. Still, if this turns south Asmo is going to get a lecture worse than any Lucifer could ever give… Damn, they really should’ve never let the lust demon shoo them into his private bathroom and make them change into this girly outfit. 

And it hit them all at once: Levi doesn’t like it, what they’re wearing. What if he never talks to them after this? Maybe if they leave now then there will still be a chance they can forget about this.

Time went on slowly, like people who walk through mud are, and MC just about tuck tail and ran, what they had planned and gained courage for be damned. 

Levi had other plans though. 

Only now registering that the two were standing out in the open for all to see, in a blind and desperate attempt to save himself and the human from embarrassment, the third born latched onto their wrist, yanking them into the safety of his room. Unfortunately, demon strength is a funny thing and Levi had handled them with more force than he meant to, the human crashing into his chest - hard. 

Perhaps it was instinct -- a need to protect the fragile being within his grasp -- but the demon's arm found purchase around their form, pulling them almost impossibly closer as they tipped. The pair, balance long gone, toppled over, landing with a thud.

Somehow, just like in all the romance anime he’s watched, Levi found himself hovering over them, arms propped on either side of their head. Their noses brushed, both staring frozen into each other's eyes. It wasn’t everyday that either of them were this close to one another, the exception being when the duo falls asleep playing video games. God, with this kind of proximity he was sure that the normie could hear how fast his meek heart was pounding. If this went on any longer he might actually die.

“Levi?” They whispered, their voice so quiet that he almost missed the call of his name. He however did catch their whisper and tensed up before coming back to the here and now, catching sight of the ‘what’ that led to their current position. Standing, Levi’s face burned hotter than ever before.

‘It was all because of them,’ he thought, turning away turning away with tense shoulders as he still tries to mask the red that licked all the way up to his ears. ‘It’s always their fault when I start to feel like I do now!’

“S-stupid n-normie! Why are you even wearing that?” he asked, chancing a glance over his shoulder. Levi did have to admit… they looked kinda cute in those clothes… and it looked like something Ruri-chan would wear too… 

Gah! No no no focus Levi!

The ‘normie’ didn’t answer right away, instead raising to their feet and opting to grab a bag from beside the door. That wasn’t there before. 

“Asmo…” they sighed, turning back to face the demon, nervousness swirling within them. Now or never, “Asmo said you’d like it if I wore something like this” So this is Asmo’s doing? Damn him… “Anyway, here, take it.”

“Wha-?” A shimmering gift bag the same colour of the water Henry his goldfish swam in was thrust into his hands, whatever he was about to say dying in his throat. 

A present? For him? Oh why must a no good otaku like him have to go through such an intimate endeavor???? He just can’t take it! 

Then again, this was like that one scene from season 2 ep. 22 of this anime he binged: I Forget Important Dates all the time which causes me to get into really awkward situations. This time I forgot about my Birthday and my Crush handed me a bag before confessing their love for me!

So-! Spurred on by fictional characters and MC’s urging “go on, open it”, Levi tore the tape, presented with his spontaneous gift: a popular multiplayer game from the human world; one near impossible to get in Devildom.

“WHAOOO!” MC couldn’t help but think how much he’s acting like a kid on Christmas, the notion cute in their opinion. The human stood still for a couple minutes, allowing their friend to rant and gush over the game (and how cool they were for even acquiring it).

“But…” the purple haired demon calmed down, “why did you suddenly give me this?” What? Did he not know what today was?

“It’s… it is your birthday isn’t it!?” Don’t tell them Asmo lied to them about Levi’s birthday!

Levi pulled out his phone, his eyes widening to the size of saucers, “No, it is my birthday,” he assured. With all the gaming he was doing he must've failed to noticed, which is strange considering the last time his special day drew near he practically counted down the days. 

“MC.” He got their attention, looking them right in the eye, his words and actions portraying a sureness and sincerity, “Thank you and…” As quick as lightning strikes the ground, the human had themselves pulled flush against Levi once more, his head resting on their shoulder and nose buried in the crook of their neck. His hair, so soft and fluffy, left a ticklish sensation on their skin.

“And about what you said before. With Asmo. I do like what you’re wearing but…” he tightens his hold, “I like you just the way you are. I know you don’t usually dress like this and I want nothing more than for you to be comfortable, like how you make me. If that means dressing tomboy-ish then so be it. I want you to be you: the human only you can be: my Henry.” 

“I’m glad you feel that way…” They smiled, arms wrapping around his torso. They hope their gratitude is able to shine through in the hug, “Now, ya wanna play your new game?”

“Yes!” He smiled, pulling back and raising his hand. They return the grin, suppressing a chuckle seeing as the demon reminded them of the YES demoji. “Oh, but um! Would you like to change first? It’s not that I don’t like seeing you dressed like that or anything but like I said I want you to be comfortable but also I don’t think my heart can take it anymore… wait that’s not what I meant!” That made them chuckle though.

“Do I have to?” They teased, enjoying the reaction they got out of the third born. Levi gulped, ducking his head while whispering a small no. “Then maybe I’ll stay like this a little longer. It is your birthday after all.” Tugging the envy demon towards their usual gaming spot they let Levi set up the game before the two plopped down in their spots.

“Oh and Levi?” He hummed, tilting his head, the light of the screen illuminating the side of his face. They hugged him once more, “Happy Birthday”

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

[Masterlist]

Thank you for reading!

[kiryuun-blog]

Attack on School Caste ep 4 english translation (Attack on titan drama CD)

Here’s the english translation of the 4th and last episode of the drama CD “Attack on School Caste”. Kind of sad it’s over but it was fun to translate ! Also, I’ve uploaded on my Youtube channel all of the episodes subbed, so check it out: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQXkQAha6FpPBkUTg1qB9rA/featured

Translation below:

After spending some time together, and confronting each other several times, they ended up exposing little by little their real personalities. And after they divulgated the reasons why they were in detention, they opened up about their worries and dreams.

A: The reason why I ended up in detention is only known to some of the teachers, and I haven't talked to anyone about it. If it was known, it would be a big problem. J: What the hell did you do ? A: To tell you the truth...with this laptop, World-kun, I created a pirate anime site. R: What ?! A pirate anime site ? I can't believe that. Well, I heard that around Somalia there were pirates, but to think that there was one in our school...and that you tainted your hands with that kind of business, using anime... H: Reiner, it's fine if you don't know about it but there's no need to be that surprised. R: Sorry... H: A pirate site is one that illegally uploads anime, and that is a crime. J: So that's the kind of site where you can watch anime without spending a penny, huh. R: I see. That's definitely not forgivable. M: A complete evil which no one can prevent. A: Yeah...you're right. Not only it's an infringement to copyrights, but it also infringes the rights of all the staff that worked hard to produce these animes. It's the worst, it also tramples on the audience that loves these animes. J: And why did you do that kind of thing ? A: Because I'm someone like that ! I'm made fun of at school for being a geek, I'm not good at sports and I'm not even good at studying, and I don't have a lot of friends. I'm a grandpa's kid and weak, and I can't even tell others what I want. I'm just a pathetic and worthless geek. And that's because I'm this kind of guy that I wanted to, at least, shine on the net ! At the beginning, it was just a site where I recommended my favorite animes, but then, the views increased and I was thanked in the comments, so I wanted even more popularity and started to upload illegally episodes. And one day I realized that it ended up being a complete illegal site. I couldn't bring myself to stop... R: When did you realize it was bad ? A: My friend, Marco, warned me, saying that this was a complete crime. And, in order to stop me, he talked about it with the teachers. J: Huh, so he snitched. That sounds like what a serious ass like him would do. A: But thanks to Marco, I finally realized what I was doing. So that's why I immediately closed the site and it didn't become a serious problem. Well, I ended up in detention though. J: To think that you were a potential criminal. H: That's not a potential criminal, but a criminal indeed. M: One's outward appearance and one's real identity is completely different. Once the mask is removed, the truth shows its face. R: And I thought that you were just an otaku... A: Even someone like me has things I want to do and dreams...One day, I want to go to Akihabara, the sanctuary of anime ! Neons illuminating the high buildings, and posters of my favorite anime characters plastered everywhere...the sanctuary I'm yearning for ! A market so wide and deep that even if the geeks from all over the world were to assemblate, they wouldn't be able to buy everything ! When I was administrating that site, I felt that I was able to touch a little that world... But in truth, I was just drowning in the deep sea of the net... R: Dreams, huh. Up till now, I never even thought about that. H: Are you serious ?! Didn't you want to become a football player ? M: What about those titanic muscles...and that robust body...? R: Those were obtained after training regularly. But that was not because I wanted to become a football player. H: Then, why ? R: It's because I wanted to be acclaimed as an excellent sportsman and obtain a scholarship. J: Ha, what's with that. Such a petty reason ! R: Well, I was brought up by my mother only. It's already tough to let me go to school. I was born in a country beyond the sea. When I was young, my mother and father separated, and me and my mother moved here. After that, there were only hardships. It was tough to only feed ourselves in a foreign land. I want to provide for my mother and let her rest, that's what I always thought. J: H-huh ! After calling me a mother complex, you're not one to say ! R: Yeah, you're right. If I did my best in the football team, it was to make my mother happy. I trained myself everyday, in order to obtain this armor-like body, and even became the captain. And even for my caste, I became the president of the clubs, and volunteered for cleaning garbage, I gained popularity with the students and took special attention of the teacher's moods. I did all I could. And I finally became the jock. A: So you suffered a lot too... H: And why someone like you ended up in detention ? R: On the last physics exams, I had some difficulties... H: So you didn't pass ? R: Y-yeah...that's right. But, no, what I want to say is that...I scored 0 points. J: 0 points ?! For real ?! You must be lying, even I scored 17 points ! R: To tell you the truth...I'm really hopeless with studying. No matter how much I try, I never do well, and up until now, I've managed to barely pass. And physics is my worst enemy. I don't understand a single thing. Like you all said, maybe even my brain has become only muscles. A: But even so, 0 points...? R: That day, during the exam...I lost sight of myself. Until that moment, I always thought that I wanted to let my mother rest, and she has big expectations. In order to meet those expectations, I became the jock, the captain of the football team, the president of all the clubs, and I had to always be strong and right. And when I thought "do I have any dreams of my own ?" "do I have something I really want to do ?", my mind went completely blank, and without realizing, the exam was already over. I couldn't write anything other than my name. J: Well...that explains the score. R: But, even without that happening, it would still have been hard to score more than 10. Armin, before, I said that you were miserable, but, like Jean said, it was me, who has no dreams of his own, that was miserable. A: N-no...that's not true, you're doing your best aren't you ? H: After all, you were just a king in name. That's so stupid. J: Hey ! You don't have to say it like that ! H: It's already great that his mother has expectations of him. Unlike him, no one cares about me, and that includes my own parents. Laughable, isn't it ? R: Hey, Historia, you're a rich lady, there's no way what you say is true ! H: Here's the problem. Just because I’m crazy rich and the cutest, not only in this school but in the entire state, everyone's spoiling me. But no one cares about the real me. J: Huh, that's some luxury ! H: And what do you think you know, Jean ? What do you know, you, who has a mother kind and loving enough to bring your lunch to school just because you forgot it ? I only picked up some fruits that were left on the table. My parents never cared about my lunch. And we never eat together, the last time we ate dinner together was when I was five. They leave my care to the butler, and only see me as a tool for the succession of the family. R: But they're your parents...there's no way they think like that ! H: No, I'm only a tool, and a doll. I've been raised as a rich lady, with disinterested parents, and then I'll marry with a dull man who only has reputation, then give birth to a child and success this house. My parents, teachers and the people surrounding me at school, they're all stupid ! I'm fed up ! School caste ? Queen bee ?! What does that even mean ! A: I understand the situation...but you must have things you want to do, right ? If so- H: Are you really in a position to say that, Armin ? A: Huh ? What do you mean ? H: I also like japanese anime ! I can't help it ! Shugo Chara and Sugar Sugar Rune, they're all the best ! And I'm so envious of your bento box of Maji Moji Rurumo ! I want to go to Akihabara and Ikebukuro and buy all the goods I want ! Armin, you said it, right ? That even if geeks from all over the world couldn't buy everything. But that's not true ! If it's me, I can do it ! With the assets of the Reiss family, I can buy it all ! But I can't ! That's all because I have to be the queen everywhere I go ! I can't like anime ! A: Historia... H: I ended up in detention because I tried to steal an anime magazine, and I got caught. Of course, I had the money. I could have even bought 100 copies of it. But I couldn't let anyone see me buying it. So, I had no other choice but to steal it. J: Being the queen is quite burdening, huh... H: One day, I want my parents to look at the real me. I just want to have fun with real friends and talk about anime. Maybe it's a small thing, but I think that's my dream. I doubt that you all would understand me though. M: That's right, there's no way I would understand. J: Hey, you don't have to say it like that ! M: But, I am aware of the fact that I cannot understand you. You and I are completely different, and we don't live with the same worries. However, it doesn't change the fact that we are together in this darkness. H: Mikasa...how did you end up in detention ? M: After school in an empty classroom, I tried to perform a ritual to summon the goat-faced devil, Baphomet, who has the power to destroy this world and engulf it in flames. And I got caught by the History teacher. J: Ha ! Are you serious ? You should know when to stop with that persona of yours. M: I don't want to hear that from you. J: Well, my apologies ! But that's the truth, isn't it ? It's just a persona. H: Why are you a goth, Mikasa ? Do you really like gothic things ? Or is there another reason that you ended up in this caste ? M: It is...to have perfect control of myself. J: Huh ? What do you mean ? M: Before, I was a normal student. I didn't belong neither to light, neither to darkness, just a normal person. I had a friend, and lived nonchalantly. I had no complaints towards that kind of life. But one day, my friend went up a caste higher. And after that, that friend began to avoid me. R: They didn't want to mingle with a lower caste, huh... H: Well, that does happen often. M: Yes, it's a common story. But to me, that was an unbearable shock. That's when I realized, that this world is cruel. So, I have to have perfect control over myself in order to keep on fighting... J: And that's how you became a goth ? That escalated quickly ! That's crazy ! M: No, occult and curses are helpful to strengthen one's soul. Thanks to that, I managed to remain myself. Also, since I'm asian and my hair is black, it goes well with black clothes. H: It's true that it suits you. M: Also, goth is a caste that isn't bothered by others as much as other castes. If I keep on being immersed in my own world, no one talks to me. It's not that I'm avoided by others, but I do things so that they avoid me. I can think of it that way. R: So, you chose solitude ? M: I want to become stonger. I have to be strong. And one day, I'll become a strong woman like a fearless dark knight. J: Well...you don't have to be that stubborn, don't you think ? And right now, you're talking with everyone just fine. Who knows, you might make another friend ? M: I don't need that. J: Don't say that ! The six of us, who didn't have anything to do with each other, opened up and all ! R: Hey, wait a minute, Jean. J: What ? You want to be in charge again, is that it ? R: No, did you say the six of us ? A: Eren hasn't said a thing yet... E: Huh, me ? J: Don't "huh, me ?" me ! Take part to the conversation ! E: I did listen to you all. I went to the toilet twice though. J: Always about the toilet...what are you, an old man ?! E: I know right, to say the truth, I'm a little concerned about that... My organs may have some problems. Everyone, how frequently do you go to the toilet ? How about you, Historia ? H: Me ?? J: What's with you, Eren ?! No one wants to talk about that ! A: H-hey, Eren...why did you end up in detention ? E: I'm not sure, but I think it's because I skipped the History exam. R: So you skipped, huh. Are you bad with History ? Or, do you have any worries that you can't say to people ? E: Not really, I just forgot about it. When Mr. Smith talked to me about it, that's when I remembered. H: So, is that not because of worries, but because you couldn't think of anything else other than your dreams ? E: Not at all. I really just forgot about it. I don't have any dreams. M: It's complete nought, and thoroughly normal. E: Is that bad to be normal ? I don't really love or hate this world, and I don't have particular worries or dreams. I really don't care about school castes either. Even so, I'm living normally everyday. R: Well, that's true. H: Everyone's worries are different after all... M: Everything comes in all colors. So many men, so many minds. A: Why is it that even though everyone carries its own worries, we all become the same adults...? M: That's because everyone loses to something, and ends up giving up. H: We become arrogant and showy adults, full of deception, huh... A: Hey, in truth, there was something I was thinking about. I know it's weird to ask that, but, when we meet again in school on Monday, what should we do ? J: Huh ? R: What do you mean ? A: We are...friends, right ? H: Do you mean to ask if we should keep up our relationship, where we can talk freely to each other just like now ? A: Yeah. H: Do you really want me to answer ? A: I want to hear it. H: I'll ignore you. A: Is that so... M: Do you mean only Armin, or everyone here ? H: Everyone. I'll pretend that I never met you all. Well, I don't mind Reiner though. R: That's some attitude here. But you like anime, right ? You could talk about it all you want with Armin ! H: Ha, there's no way I could. And that's the same for you, Reiner. When you're with people from the football club, what would you do if Armin, wearing an anime t-shirt and carrying a bento box of Maji Moji Rurumo, went to you and spoke to you ? R: Well, that's... H: Even though you could exchange a few words with him, you would go back to saying bad things about him when he's gone, right ? "What's with that otaku, even though he's a geek, he has the gall to talk to me !" for example. R: I'll never do that, and I don't even sound like that ! H: Then what about that, "Hey, Armin. Everyone, let me introduce my new friend.", would you introduce him to your friends like that ?! They'll just end up mocking you. And without a fault, you'll lose your position as a jock ! Are you fine with that ? Even though you did so much to gain that title- R: Stop that, Historia ! J: Cut that crap... H: You two are liars and hypocrites ! Jean, could you introduce Armin to your delinquent friends ? Could you cosplay as a character from Twilight with Mikasa and go to a party ? J: Shut up ! H: You can't, right ?! There's no way you could ! I'm just being honest. I can't be on good terms with you all ! And why ? Because our castes are different ! A: Then...it's better to be a geek like me. Even if people call me weird, I don't have to care about my surroundings and avoid my friends... M: Armin's right. A: And you, Mikasa ? Would you avoid me if I were to talk to you ? M: No. A: Even if you're with other friends ? M: I don't have any other friends. Even if I had, they wouldn't hate you. J: Mikasa... A: Let me say that, I won't ever avoid anyone here ! That would be too mean. H: Say what you want. I'm different than you, because I'm the queen...the most popular girl in school ! I can't walk alongside with you ! J: I'm astonished...how conceited can you be ? H: I'm not conceited ! It's the truth ! It's because it's the truth that it hurts ! Do you know anything about my pressure ?! The pressure of having to be a good girl at home and at school ! I have to smile all the time to be loved by everyone ! I have to make fun of the anime that I like the most ! I'm fed up with all that ! R: Historia, that's enough ! H: No, it's not ! Nothing's fine ! There's no way it is... E: Hey, sorry to interrupt, but... H: What ? J: What, Eren ? A: Does something bother you ? Feel free to say it. M: You can open up about everything. E: Can I go to the toilet ? J: You...cut it out ! H: How about you try read the room ?? Why do you even ask us permission ! E: If I go on my own, Jean's gonna complaint about it...that's really bothersome. M: Even though he's normal, he's the weirdest... E: Really ? I think it's pretty normal. I just go to the toilet more often that everyone. H: Hah...that's so stupid. J: We were the ones at fault for believing you would say something serious. A: How about you just write your essay in the toilet ? E: Huh ? I don't want to. R: Come to think of it, I completely forgot about the essay. H: We should finish it first. M: Once again, we are back to the cruel reality. J: Let's just do it. A: Yeah. R: Okay everyone, let's finish it quickly and go home. J: Don't you try to be in charge of everything again ! E: Then, I'm going to the toilet. *bell ringing* E: It's finally over. J: I'm so tired. R: We finished just in time. M: We are finally freed from that cage. H: After all it was not impossible huh. Well, as expected of us. A: You all made me write in your place though... L: What, so you're finally going home ? J: Yeah ! R: Mr Levi, thanks for your work. L: Well, that is my work after all. Leaving that aside, what happened ? Your expressions changed since I last saw you. H: Is that so ? I was just having detention, with those five weirdos. M: That's what I want to say. A: Historia was the most surprising, right ? H: Huh ? Did you say something ? A: No, nothing ! L: Whatever. But if you've finished, then hurry and go home. You're going to dirty the floor. R: Mr Levi's right. Let's go home quickly, drink proteins and do some training. A: My World-kun's battery is running low. J: What about you, Mikasa ? Do you have someone to pick you up ? If not, then I don't mind walking you home... M: Huh ? H: Oh my, a bad boy being kind to a goth, what a sight ! J: Shut up ! That doesn't matter ! Right, Eren ? E: What ? J: The castes ! E: That kind of thing doesn't matter. J: Haha ! See ! *everyone laughing*

That is how the six who belonged to different castes, while carrying their own worries and dreams, went home, with the same bright mood. Meanwhile, the History teacher Erwin was in the library, checking their essays.

Er: Hm. "Mr. Smith, thinking about what we all did, it was a given that we ended up in detention. However, the theme "Who I am" was so stupid that it made us want to throw up. This school fixed upon us statuses like the "bad boy", "queen bee", "jock", "geek", "goth" and...the "normal person". Nevertheless, we will keep on moving forward. Without caring about other's expectations, we will do as our hearts please, and this world, this school caste...You will probably say that it isn't the right path, but still, it will surely connect to a future. To a future decided by none other than us."...they're really idiots to the end.

Erwin left with a mysterious laugh. The evening sun illuminated the empty library through the window, and their essay was left there, dyed in gold, like the sun was shining upon their hopes.

[writingdayandnight]

Line Without a Hook - Rafael Barba Imagine

Pairing: Rafael Barba x Reader (Fem. Pronouns) 

Word Count: 2650

A/N: Inspiration struck, perhaps a little OOC. Will probably go back later and edit. Just a little treat for everyone who misses Barba like I do. 

10:56 PM.

There was not a doubt in Rafael’s mind that he would not be home until after midnight. This case had been excruciating--brutal, really. Everyone had been pushed to their breaking point. Blood, sweat, and tears were poured into this case.

And here Rafael was with a pen cap fastened between his teeth, struggling to write an opening argument. It all seemed trivial. That words had the power to make or break a month’s worth of hard work. And that all he could think about was going home to his partner. 

He wouldn’t allow himself the privilege of a break until he finished his opening and prepped the summations, which was always his least favorite part. Tying everything together with a neat bow seemed to minimize the effort put into seeking justice. But it was his strong suit. There wasn’t a jury he couldn’t convince if given enough leeway during summations. 

His mind wandered yet again, back to the person that was waiting for him. He knew she would still be waiting for him when he got home, undoubtedly doing work of her own. She found solace in the quiet of the night. She would sit at the dining table with papers scattered across the surface, highlighters uncapped, lukewarm tea cooling unforgotten. 

Then there were her expressions. A furrowed brow while drafting a proposal. A lip bite accompanied by pensive tapping on the table. Her head slowly moving to the beat of the music that was playing from the speaker in the corner of the room. An exasperated sigh escaping as she typed another after-hours email. All of these things were the tiny details that Rafael loved noticing, learning, anticipating.

Finally, Rafael caved and placed a long-awaited phone call.

“Raf,” she answered, voice as tender as kiss goodbye.

“Cariño,” he replied, feeling a million times better just knowing she was on the opposite end of the line.

“When will you be home?” He could hear her trying to hide a yawn behind the scenes.

“Not any time soon.”

“Rafael, please take care of yourself,” she pleaded, yet it was to no avail. She knew this.

“I have to finish this prep, Cariño.” He could hear her eyes roll from across the line, “I bet you’re still doing work, too.”

“That’s none of your business,” she retorted, with a guilty shift in energy. 

“Take care of yourself,” he repeated, “I’ll be home soon. Don’t wait up.” 

“I love you.”

His heart grew full, “I love you more.”

Rafael ended the call, reclining in his leather chair. He had been overcome by love, both for his partner and for the way his life had been going lately. Despite the monstrosities he witnessed at work, everything had been going well. Even then, he enjoyed working with his coworkers; they acted as a support system, making the job a little more bearable. 

Then there was his love life. For once, everything was going right. He felt loved, supported, and capable of doing the same for his partner. It had been too long since he had that privilege. He knew too well the outcomes of a loveless life and he was trying desperately to escape them. Deep down, he understood that he didn’t deserve that. 

But there were times where he thought he didn’t deserve the love he had stumbled into. Never in a million years would he have thought that he would have fallen in love with the girl from the bar. 

The rain had finally let up outside, encouraging a few stragglers to clear the bar. Rafael remained, nursing a scotch on the rocks, muttering to himself about the news on the television overhead. It was a bunch of nonsense about the news anchor he and the SVU squad had just charged. He couldn’t listen much longer. 

A gust of wind hit as the door to Forlini’s opened; it sent shivers down Rafael’s back. Inquisitively, Rafael turned to see the person who just waltzed into the bar. Much to his surprise, it was a beautiful woman. He smirked and returned to his drink, secretly hoping that she would find her way to the bar.

She did just that, taking a seat two stools down from Rafael. He continued to watch the television, discreetly listening to her conversation with the bartender. Small talk. Nothing more, nothing less. Aside from her order--a vodka cranberry. 

“Will you get a load of this idiot?” She chirped, scoffing at the story of the news anchor. Her head was tilted in Rafael’s direction. 

He took a moment to answer, pausing to make sure she was directing her remarks towards him. 

“He’s surely a handful,” Rafael replied. 

Just then, his face appeared on the television screen. They had played his interview on the courthouse steps. He had been ambushed by the press, and even though he delivered better than most, it was not his best work. He silently thanked the Lord that the sound was off.

“Is that you?” She asked, spinning in her seat to face Rafael.

“Yes, it is.”

“It’s a shame, you look better in person,” she tisked, taking another sip of her drink.

Rafael couldn’t respond out of awe. No, that wasn’t the right word. He couldn’t respond because he was flustered. That was a first. 

“Sorry, it’s the vodka talking,” she retracted, making a face that suggested she was embarrassed. 

“No, I’m flattered. It’s not everyday the pretty girl at the bar tells me how attractive I look while sulking alone.”

“This is your version of sulking? Sitting at a bar surrounded by a bunch of people?”

“Perhaps,” he smirked, “Rafael,” he offered his hand.

“Y/N.”

“Beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”

“I was named after a comic book character, please don’t give my parents that kind of credit,” she laughed. It was contagious, infecting Rafael with an affliction that could not be easily cured. Not without an exchange of numbers and a couple of dates.

The memories of their first meeting flooded Rafael’s mind. It further distracted him from the task at hand. But how could he not think of the most impactful night of his life? Screw graduating from law school or getting promoted; nothing could top falling in love with Y/N. 

Nothing could top her love. From the little notes she dropped in Rafael’s briefcase to the silent support she offered when Rafael was not strong enough to ask for it. That’s when his mind wandered even farther, thinking back to the night he decided he was in love with Y/N. 

Rafael sat on the couch in a near-catatonic state. He couldn’t muster enough energy to move. His mind kept circling back to the horrors he had witnessed over the past 24 hours. In his ten years, never once had a case hit him this hard. It just cemented the callousness of man, something he had been trying to deny for so long. There was no such thing as a good person.

There was a knock at the door, a sound that should have startled him. Instead he was too lost in thought to react. He simply got up from the couch and headed to the door, only to be greeted by Y/N on the other side. 

“Rafael,” she mused, before noticing the hurt behind his eyes, “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

She invited herself in, dropping her overnight bag by the door. Concern washed over her.

Rafael tried to speak but no words came out. He couldn’t find the right thing to say. His choices were to expose Y/N to the horrors of his job or simply keep it bottled up. His choice was the latter; he couldn’t bear the thought of unloading this grief on her. 

“Raf, please talk to me,” she quietly pleaded. 

He did not respond. Instead, he made his way to the couch, taking a seat in the same spot he had been sulking in for the past three hours. 

Y/N followed without command. She rested her head on his shoulder, wrapping her hands gently around his arm. She placed a kiss on his cheek. It made Rafael’s heart jump, yet he still remained silent. 

But that didn’t deter Y/N. She remained glued to his side, occasionally laying a gentle kiss on him or drawing circles on his bicep. She didn’t push; she knew better than that. Still, just her presence brought Rafael to his knees. 

After an hour or so, Rafael could feel her heartbeat slow. He could see her eyes fluttering shut from the corners of his. 

“I love you,” he whispered, hoping that she wouldn’t hear. Rafael felt guilty saying those words for the first time in such a terrible state. 

“I love you more,” she replied, drifting into a slumber in his arms. 

Rafael knew this could never be true. 

The hands on the clock seemed to turn at an unprecedented pace, yet Rafael had gotten little done. It all seemed pointless. There had to be more to life than this. Hours spent in some poorly-lit office drinking dirt flavored coffee, waiting for his mind to stop running a marathon so he could focus. Watching people suffer everyday for some little bit of justice. Doubting the existence of good in the world with every passing moment. 

But the thing he couldn’t stand was being away from the love of his life. For such a pointless endeavor. It was pointless, but it wasn’t what he wanted. Not anymore. Not with the prospect of love sitting right in front of him. In that moment, he decided to be the most spontaneous he had ever been. 

He whipped open the bottom left drawer of his desk, pulled out a copy of his resignation letter, signed it, and placed it in the mailbox of his boss. He grabbed his jacket, briefcase, and cellphone before practically running to the lobby of Hogan Place. By a stroke of sheer luck, a taxi had been idling outside. Rafael got into the taxi without hesitation--or permission--and called out the address to the apartment he had shared with Y/N. Getting to their front door was his only objective. 

As he settled into the taxi, he reached inside of his briefcase and felt a small item lodged at the bottom. Rafael quizzically pulled it out, determining that it was cube-shaped. As it was illuminated by the passing streetlights, he recognized it instantly. And that’s where he decided to make the best decision of his life. 

“Mami, are you going to be okay if I’m gone for two weeks on vacation?” Rafael asked, changing a lightbulb in his mother’s apartment. 

It was a Saturday which meant it was his day to do chores around his mother’s apartment, with much reluctance on behalf of Lucia, while Y/N went through her laminated chore checklist back at their apartment. Rafael had come straight from his office, totally forgetting his to-dos. Until Y/N reminded him--a pretty common occurrence. 

“I promise, Mijo,” she said, taking his hand and guiding him down the step stool, “I’m just happy you’re taking time off.”

“Me too,” he sighed, a wave of bliss flooding his mind as he thought of going to Greece with Y/N. He’s dreamt of her sunburnt cheeks and wine-stained lips since the moment he bought the tickets. 

“It seems like an awfully romantic vacation. Have you thought about asking yet?” Lucia hinted, pointing to her ring finger. 

Rafael didn’t want to say ‘yes.’ He didn’t want to let her know that he had been planning it since their six-month anniversary. He couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his life with the woman he loved. 

“I’ve considered it,” he teased, “but Greece is too cliche. She wouldn’t appreciate it.”

“You underestimate her, Rafi. She loves you.” 

“And I love her. More than anything.” 

Lucia scoffed, furrowing her brow in disgust.

“Besides you, Mami,” he sang, pulling her in for a hug,

While in Rafael’s arms, Lucia slyly removed a small box from her pocket and slipped it into Rafael’s briefcase. It was his grandmother’s ring, the one she always talked about leaving for him. The one she made sure to mention everyday she was sick. Lucia would never forget something that important. 

Rafael grabbed his belongings with haste, basically throwing $50 at the cab driver, telling him to keep the tip. He slammed the door behind him, jogging to the apartment elevators. He was too lost in thought to greet the doorman or the security guard at the front desk. He was focused on one thing and one thing only.

The elevator couldn’t come fast enough--Rafael tapped his foot anxiously, cursing the damned thing. As soon as it opened, he pushed the 8th floor button at least ten times. He felt a rush of nausea, excitement, fear run over him. The elevator dinged and Rafael ran, rummaging through his pockets for his keys. 

He opened the door as fast as he could, revealing Y/N calmly making a cup of tea in the kitchen. Lamplight illuminated the living room. Her laptop was opened to a document, purple and yellow sticky notes scattered on the table. 2000s Pop Hits playing in the background. He had captured her in her natural element; he was witnessing the essence of Y/N.

“Baby, it’s midnight,” he spoke, calmer than he had been all day. 

“I know, but I was in the zone. I thought you wouldn’t be home tonight,” she answered, walking over to place a kiss on his lips, before strolling back to the kitchen to stop the whistling kettle. 

Rafael’s heart was beating out of his chest. His hands were shaking, mind racing. This was it. This felt right.

“Y/N?” 

“What’s up, babe?” She gently blew on her tea to cool it down. 

“I quit my job today.” 

Y/N almost did a spit, “I’m sorry, what?” She exclaimed.

“I couldn’t do it anymore. It broke me, Y/N.” He sighed, walking to her side, “There are better things in life than case briefs and court.”

Y/N was shocked but supportive, “Well, I’m glad you’re finally free. Why don’t you get ready for bed and sleep for the first time in a decade?” She laughed, placing her hand on his shoulder. 

“There’s one more thing,” Rafael said, reaching into his pocket and for the emerald box that housed his grandmother’s ring, 

Rafael expected the words to escape him; he hadn’t prepared anything in the taxi. These weren’t summations, he needed guidance.

But that didn’t stop him. 

“Y/N, you made me realize that I don’t want to live my life circling the drain and going through the motions. You have brought color to my black and white life. The joy you bring me everyday is immeasurable. Every second I spend away from you makes me feel like the world is ending. I can’t live without you, Y/N. That’s why I’m asking you-” Rafael began to bend his knee before Y/N cut him off.

“Yes! You don’t even have to ask. Yes, yes, yes!” She exclaimed, a tear already sliding down her cheek.

Rafael pulled out his grandmother’s golden ring from the box and slipped it on Y/N’s finger with extra care, as if she was made of glass. Tears had formed in his eyes as well, seeing the ring that reminded him so much of the other most important lady in his life. The most romantic person he had ever met. 

“I love you, Y/N. I wish I could have given you a better proposal, but I couldn’t wait,” he chuckled, once again admiring how well the ring hugged her fingers. 

“If you waited any longer, I was going to ask you,” she laughed, kissing him again and again. “Let’s go to bed,” she whispered, placing a kiss on Rafael’s neck.

[vaguely-concerned]

TF x Graves, 2500 words, complete and utter fluff

Stifling another yawn against the back of my hand I glance over at the window, which shows only the flat dark of a moonless night outside, before turning my eyes back to the line of T.F.’s naked back.

I’m already undressed and perched on the side of the bed, watching as T.F. is still in the middle of his nightly ritual of hanging or folding his fine clothes up all properly and neatly, lest they, I don’t know, unduly crease somewhere they ain’t meant to or somethin’. Listen, I keep my clothes in a pile on the floor by the side of the bed, right next to the shotgun, both within easy reach in the case of a middle-of-the-night emergency skipping of town. Our priorities in these matters don’t really intersect much, but to each his own and so on.

I don’t know why I’m waiting for him to come to bed to lie down myself, exactly — my eyes are already making a spirited attempt at staying shut on me whenever I blink, I’m pretty sure I’d be out and snoring in about three seconds once I got settled — but my skin has that thin restless thrum all through it that I know from experience won’t be satisfied until he’s settled into place against me and besides, the view is nothin’ to sneeze at in the meantime. He stands there shirtless, belt unbuckled and hanging loose around his narrow hips, though the fastenings of his trousers are still done up. In the light of the oil lamp across the room he’s in a rare state of relaxed unselfconscious disarray, his hair grown out long enough again that it spills over his shoulders and down his back while he fastidiously fastens the cufflinks back into place on the empty shirt so they’ll be easy to find in the morning. As he finishes up with the cufflinks he sings to himself under his breath, a good-natured jaunty little tune I vaguely remember the Brick would sometimes break out once you got a couple of drinks in him.

The hum under my skin grows higher and keener.

Stretching an arm out I hook my fingers into one of his belt loops and gently pull him in by it towards the side of the bed, until he’s standing between my legs. It prompts a half-bemused noise from him, but he goes along easily — when I wrap my arms around his waist and rest my forehead against his belly he seems to catch on, though, a sound of amusement vibrating through his chest.

He slides his hand to the back of my neck, twining his fingers into the short hair there, thumb trailing back and forth along the hairline.

T.F.’s too damned scrawny to have much in the way of padding anywhere, but there’s the warm body softness to him here nevertheless, the sweet yield and shift of a living thing whose pliancy belies the supple strength beneath. I rest my cheek against the flat of his stomach and sigh, moving my hand at the small of his back in slow caressing circles.

“Come to bed already,” I murmur, too sleep-softened along the edges to worry overmuch about makin’ sense.

He chuckles, fingers stroking through my hair. “Well, I was on my way, but then I was waylaid by some deplorable fellow in the process. Hell of a thing.”

I grin and turn my face up to him, so that my chin is resting against his belly and my lips brush his skin when I talk. “Huh. Sounds like a real shady character. You want a trustworthy sorta guy to escort you safely the rest of the way?”

“With such dangerous reprobates skulking around in the area, that’s probably for the best,” T.F. nods somberly, fond amusement deepening his voice. He runs his thumb down the bridge of my nose. “Could I afford to hire the services of a strapping upstanding gentleman like yourself, though?”

I make a nonchalant sound in my nose, squeezing him closer against me for a moment. “Eh, don’t worry ‘bout it, this one’s on the house.”

His thumb drifts down to rest at the upturned corner of my mouth as he grins back at me. “Hey, looks like it’s my lucky day.”

I kiss his stomach and lean back enough so I can start in on the fastenings of his trousers — not with any sort of heat behind it, there’s no hint of sex in the air, but in a weird way this is equally satisfying, the everyday-textured contentment of being close without any particular purpose, being the one to slowly render him naked in front of me for no other reason than that he lets me, his hands still smoothing patiently through my hair while I work.

Once I’ve got all the buttons sorted I run my thumb along the sharp edge of his hip bone until I can tuck it into the waist of his trousers and use it to tug them down. We get them about half-way down his thighs like that before we have to pause for him to shimmy out of them the rest of the way on his own, his hand resting on my shoulder for balance as he does the traditional one-legged hop to extricate his foot. Serves him right for only ever wearing pants that might as well have been painted onto him. I mean, not that I’m complainin’, mind.

“Whoa!” he says, laughing as he almost overbalances at the last hurdle, but my hand shoots out to steady him by the hip before too much disaster can be wrought. “Well, not the smoothest strip tease I’ve ever pulled off, sorry about the inconvenience.”

I nose at the newly revealed crease of his hip over the edge of his underwear. “Eh, that’s okay, if I actually wanted a proper show I’d just suggest a round of strip poker again and sit back and watch while you lose.”

“Oh, that’s a strange yet beautiful dream world you’ve made up for yourself there, Malcolm. It’s touching, really, the things the mind will do to protect itself from the truth. Positively — aah!”

T.F. jumps as I draw some of the skin of his hip between my lips and use them to nip sharply at it. His startled yelp turns into a snigger as I let go, possibly ruining the castigating effects somewhat when I brush my lips soothingly over that spot right after.

“Let that be a lesson to ya,” I say sternly.

“A lesson on what, that your mom was apparently half turtle?”

I grunt, still trailing soft kisses over his skin. “That judge in Piltover was right back then, you are an incorrigible menace to all decent and right-thinking people everywhere.”

“First of all, that might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me, Malcolm, thank you. Two, including yourself among the ‘decent and right-thinking’ feels like the invention of some fresh new form of fraud by way of imposture unfolding before my eyes, and it’s an honour. And third, that seems to me to be some very selective memory you have there, considering His Honour Judge Highton had some even more colourful words for you after you blew up the entire north wall of the court building breakin’ me out.”

“He might’ve been given to wearing a damn silly mop on his head, but you couldn’t fault him on his vocabulary,” I concede. Before that whole incident I’d honestly thought the wigs were some sort of practical joke the Pilties would play on gullible outsiders, but as it turns out no, if you get sent to jail in the twin cities they add the indignity of makin’ someone wearing a dead badger on their head break the bad news to you. It’s a strange ol’ world out there, alright. In Bilgewater, where people are much more sensible, the justice system basically boils down to the bounty board, or — if you’ve really managed to make a nuisance of yourself — a bunch of captains may call a temporary ceasefire with each other and go get your ass together. I’ve found that the risk of getting on the bad end of an unfair trial is about the same in both places, though of course the Bilgewater one tends to be harder to come back from if carried out to its fullest. I consider myself a bit of an expert in these things.

T.F. makes a thoughtful sound. “To be fair I don’t think anyone had ever given him cause or inspiration for profanity like you did.”

“Aw. That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

He leans down and kisses the top of my head before he straightens for long enough to work his second foot free as well, standing there in just the sleek silky underpants he somehow seems to have an endless fresh supply of wherever we go. (My money’s on some sinister underground ring of lingerie-oriented tailors across south-eastern Valoran, for the record; when it comes to secret societies the Noxians just can’t help themselves.)

“I do my best. Hang on just one moment, I’ll be right back,” he says and ruffles my hair before he turns around, which I would complain about except that the view is, as previously mentioned, impeccable, and I’m sleepy enough to be magnanimous.

After meticulously folding his trousers and leaving them with the rest of his clothes, T.F. moves over to the table across the room and extinguishes the oil lamp, then whistles under his breath as he produces a card from somewhere — he does this, seemingly from thin air and no matter how little he’s wearing; I prefer not to speculate too much about how, exactly — and lets a little magic into it so it gives off a low glow, only enough to light his way the short walk back across the room, ‘cause in T.F.’s world the stubbing of toes and smacking of shins against unexpected furniture in the dark is somethin’ that happens to other people. That probably says some things about him I’m not ready to go puzzlin’ out at this time of night, and that he wouldn’t want to have anyone go puzzlin’ about too hard in the first place anyway.

When I hold out my hand for him in the dark he smiles and takes it, twining our fingers together, and I use the hold to tug him in and deposit him, in a neat controlled wrestler’s roll held close against me as I lay down, to his side of the bed. He laughs again at that, a surprised delighted sound that edges dangerously close to a giggle but hey, I ain’t no snitch, so who’s gonna testify against him, huh?

The card ends up on the far side of his pillow after the tumble, still giving off a glow, enough to illuminate the bed and lend the shadows around it some warmth. It makes the bed seem a small cozy island, the rest of the world rendered a not-unfriendly ocean of darkness around it.

T.F. looks at me like the world’s most contented castaway, bourgeoning crow’s feet punctuating his smile on either side and fingers still linked with mine. His hair is mussed from the meandering fall onto the bed. If I were only fractionally less about five seconds away from fallin’ asleep, my body might start to get ideas about it. Well, tomorrow is always another day.

With the back of my free hand I brush some of his hair away from his brow, and he cranes into it like a well-pleased cat. Even with the blankets tangled around our feet and the not-quite-right positions we’ve ended up in, having tumbled into place rather than settled ourselves with purpose, everything feels warm and loose and comfortable, like I could fall asleep like this even with the decidedly odd angle my arm is at.

As if sensing that the drowsiness is about to claim me for real, T.F. brings our linked hands up to his face so he can press his lips to my scarred knuckles before he lets go, then reaches to pull the covers over us, taking a moment to tuck the blanket around my shoulder properly before snuggling under it himself, hooking his leg over my thigh as he settles into place. I shift until we fit together, the familiarity of how to rest against each other just right comfortable like an old and well-loved piece of clothing. On a sigh he rests our foreheads together, craning forward the tiny amount needed to brush our mouths together and humming contentedly when I meet him there. It’s a slow kiss, but it lingers, a dry sweet press of lips like one last spark sending the day off down into the gently drifting murk of sleep that’s about to claim me for a few hours.

When it ends — I don’t think either of us was really the first to pull back, at some point the kiss simply, in the way of snowflakes on tongues, melted into something different and less defined with the warmth — there’s a moment when my eyes can still fight against slipping shut. It’s weird, the way you can look at someone every day for years and still not feel like you’ve had your fill. T.F.’s sharp narrow face, his high pointy little cheekbones and mouth still curved with a smile as he watches me back — there’s something to knowing I’m gonna see all that again tomorrow morning that all the damn money on Runeterra couldn’t get you. And take it from me, from what I’ve seen of the world there ain’t a lot of things in this life enough money won’t buy. Stumbling across one of them long before we even knew what we had, by a stroke of little more’n dumb fucking luck… sometimes it feels like the biggest heist we ever pulled.

“Hey, Tobias?” I say, brushing the tip of my nose against his as my eyelids finally give up both the battle and the war and slide closed.

“Hmmm?” he says, cheerfully drowsy as well.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I murmur, because I can’t think of any damn happier thing in the world to say to him.

He wraps his arms around me, his hand stroking meanderingly up and down the scar-crossed span of my back, fingers trailing over my skin with the perfect amount of firmness because he’s taken the time to learn exactly how much pressure it takes to make it comforting. As sleep starts pulling me under to calmer depths I tuck my head under his chin, so my face is pressed to the line of his throat and to his chest. He smells so nice, all warmly real and well-known like my own breathing.

“Tomorrow,” he agrees on a yawn, nuzzling at the top of my head and tightening his arms around me, just for a moment.

I've been trying to write stuff -- literally just anything, no matter how meandering and nonsensical -- to try to break out of a writer's block; it's not really working so far but at least I've got SOMETHING tangible to show for it at the end of the day, so, you know, uh... partial success I guess?? haha

The idea of T.F. having a judge somewhere out there who considers him the One True Nemesis of his career, J. Jonah Jameson style, even though T.F. barely even remembers his name, came from a wonderful conversation with @inversway, and the idea makes me laugh so hard every time I think about it.

ETA: Also put this on AO3, so I have somewhere to put these ficlets that isn't just tumblr! I'm grimly clinging on to this blue hellsite like a obstinate barnacle to the hull of the Titanic, but I do realize it's not the best place to archive uh anything lol

[darthkruge]

hey could you do a jess mariano x reader where the reader has dyslexia but loves to read. someone at school makes a comment about her being dumb and she gets insecure but jess is super reassuring to the reader about how intelligent she is. also they can either be already dating or have mutual crushes. whatever you think fits better. <3

Jess Mariano x Dyslexic!Reader ~ All of You

Summary: Someone at school insults the dyslexic reader and their boyfriend, Jess, provides reassurance. 

Warnings: Bullying, language, insecurities, I think that’s it? 

Words: 2.1k

A/N: Hey!! I’m so, so sorry this took me so long to get to! I hope you don’t mind, I didn’t mean to keep you in the ask box void. I really enjoyed writing this, so thank you for requesting! I decided to make them already be dating because that’s where my brain went hehe. I hope you like it :)

You walked to school hand-in-hand with your boyfriend, as always. Even though it took him about 15-20 minutes out of the way, Jess never missed walking with you. He hated the thought of you starting your day by yourself and never wanted you to feel forgotten about or lonely. Thus, the tradition began and it has stayed the way you start your day, everyday, for the last few months that you’ve been dating. 

Jess pulled you behind the science building, pressing his lips to yours. Your hands instinctively wove into his hair and his arms wound around your waist, pulling your bodies together. He smiled into the kiss before pulling away from your lips and gently moving his kisses down the side of your neck. You hummed in content before moving to meet his face again, once again pressing your lips to his. 

These stolen moments were what you lived for. You’d never felt too confident in yourself, at least as far as relationships went, and you weren’t used to this kind of affection. Even so, you loved every moment of it. Everything with Jess felt so natural. No matter what, you came first to him and he never failed to show it. 

You both pulled away and he softly kissed your forehead.

“See you after second period?”

“Of course” 

“Okay, love. Text me if you need me. Or if you’re bored. Or if you miss me”

“Oh, yes! That Jess Mariano charm. I’m not sure how I’ll endure two classes without it!”

“I’m sure it’ll prove quite e difficult,” Jess said, laughing. The bell rang and he gave you one last smile before you parted. 

You walked into your English class with a smile on your face, giddy after the experience with him. He made you feel alive. It was the kind of feeling you didn’t know you needed, but once you felt it you couldn’t imagine losing it. 

You sat down in your seat, waiting for the teacher to start class. 

“Okay, everyone. Today we’re just going to be doing some silent reading for the first half of class and then I’ll put you in small groups to work on a new project”

Fuck. Group projects were the fucking worst. Unless you got one of your friends, people were normally assholes and impossible to work with. 

Even though you were upset with the new development, you were excited to have time to read. You pulled out your copy of The Great Gatsby that Jess had lent you and picked up where you last left off. Because you read so much and generally did well or at least half-decent in school, people never assumed you had dyslexia. Lots of people had this false narrative that if you have dyslexia, you must hate reading. It was something you were used to, the stupid comments and assumptions. You tried to not let it get to you but you sometimes felt frustrated. You’d run into loads of ignorant people in your life and while you weren’t ashamed to have dyslexia, you hated having to explain it to every new teacher, every new friend in your life. You never knew how���d they’d react.

Even so, reading was one of your greatest joys in life. Losing yourself in the work, in the story, it was enthralling. You loved to find characters that you connected with. Their emotions were palpable and made you feel validated and less alone. Reading was one of the main things that brought you and Jess together. He knew you had dyslexia and, thankfully, never treated you like you were any less. You were afraid he would break up with you once you told him, but, of course, he didn’t. You were still you, and that’s all he cared about. 

He loved trading books with you and hearing your thoughts on them. In doing so, he felt the two of you were brought closer together. Discussing literature was an almost intimate experience in your relationship. Learning which characters and themes resonated with a person was truly illuminating about their personality and mind. Right now, as you read Gatsby, Jess was reading Pride and Prejudice. You loved Jane Austen, as did Jess, and you completely enjoyed discussing her work. 

After a few moments lost in thought, your teacher’s voice pulled you back to the present. “Alright! Okay so for the group project you will be analyzing the short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. Please read it together today and discuss what you think the most pertinent theme is. I’ve already assigned the groups and I’ll display them on the board right now.”

Your teacher stepped back and turned on the projector so you could see the groups. Scanning for your name, you internally groaned when you saw who you were with. Sarah, Justin, and Alex. They were all close and their friend group didn’t exactly have the best reputation. You grabbed your bag, walked over to them, and sat down.

“So, y’all just wanna read it? Then just talk about it, I guess. We’re looking for themes, right?” Sarah asked.

Everyone nodded, opening up the copies of the short story placed on your desks. You jumped in and immediately felt yourself pulled into the writing. After a few minutes, your eyes glued to the story, you heard the rest of your group closing their packets. 

“Alright, everyone done?” Justin asked.

“Yeah, you?” Alex said

Sarah nodded in agreement.

You, on the other hand, felt your cheeks flush. You were only about 70% through the story. “Sorry, I just need a bit more time, is that okay?”

“Ugh, fine, whatever. Just hurry up,” Sarah groaned. 

Your face burning, you went back to the reading. It wasn’t like you weren’t trying, you were! They just wouldn’t understand it. You couldn’t count the amount of times people had told you to just “focus more”. It made your blood boil, honestly. It was so dismissive and you couldn't believe people still thought that way. You always focused and it wasn’t your fault, and, yet, morons like these three persisted. After a few more minutes, you heard Alex again.

“Come on! You can’t possibly still be reading?”

“I’m sorry, just-” You sighed, running your hands through your hair. “Please, just a few more minutes?”

“God, you’re so fucking stupid. No wonder no one wants to work with you. All you do is hold people up, you’re a goddamn idiot” Alex said.

Your eyes burned and unshed tears started to push their way up but you fought them down. You wouldn’t let yourself cry in front of them. They didn’t deserve to see how they’d affected you. 

Finally, the bell went off and you were able to leave. Your group glared at you and you realized you  hadn’t discussed the themes. 

“It’s, um, the story’s about the juxtaposition of peace and violence. Even though the people are in a calm, controlled setting, they resort to violence every year. It’s an outdated tradition they keep up and, thus, it highlights the difference between their actions and how they want to be perceived.” You said quickly, voice wavering. 

Your group scoffed before walking off. That didn’t bother you too much. You knew your analysis was accurate and probably far better than anything they could have come up with, even if they’d spent the last 15 minutes of class discussing it. Despite this, you still felt deflated. The shit they’d said, the way they’d treated you? You couldn’t deny it, it got to you. 

You walked over to your locker and put your stuff away. After that, you decided you were just going to go home. You could call the school later and say you were feeling sick or something. Honestly, you couldn’t bring yourself to care. You were just so drained, you needed to get away from this place and the people in it.

However, you didn’t want Jess to worry. You sent him a quick text saying you weren’t feeling well and put on your headphones before walking out of the school.

What you didn’t expect was Jess to come flying out of nowhere, appearing by your side as if you’d summoned him.

“Jess! What are you doing? Don’t you have class!”

He shrugged. “You weren’t feeling well. Did you honestly expect I’d leave you by yourself? And, seriously, Y/N, you know I hate this place. You’re the only thing that makes it bearable so if you  wouldn’t be here, why should I?”

You nodded and kept walking forward. Jess looked at you quizzically, trying to decode your dejected state. He kept quiet, knowing not to push you to talk. He trusted you’d come to him when you were ready. Therefore, he simply followed you until you made it off campus, where you turned into a random alley and suddenly stopped walking.

Jess caught himself, almost running right into you. You suddenly turned around, dropped your bag, and bolted right into his chest. He was caught off guard but instinctively brought his arms around you, trying to comfort you. He noticed you were crying, your broken sobs getting muffled in his shirt. He soothingly rubbed his arms up and down your back, desperately trying to give you solace. After you finally quieted down, Jess gently and slowly pulled you back.

His hands gripped your shoulders as he studied your face, your sad gaze meeting his. “What happened?”

“Stupid English, that’s all”

“Come on, Y/N, don’t shut me out. What happened?” He said, his tone kind.

“I-” You trailed off, trying to keep your composure. “Some kids just said some shit. I was just reading slower than them and they said some shit. It’s not a big deal, I just- it got to me, okay?”

“Who?” Jess said, firmly this time.

“Jess-”

“Who, Y/N?”

“Alex, Justin, and Sarah.” 

Jess groaned, rubbing the heels of his hands over his eyes. “Fuck them, Y/N. They’re fucking ridiculous and they don’t know anything about you”

“I know, I know. That’s why I’m so goddamn frustrated! Because, like, it did get to me. Jess- Jess, they’re right. I felt like an idiot today, I felt stupid. And I hate feeling that way!” Hot tears smarmed in your eyes, the frustration and anger bringing them out. 

Jess’s gaze softened. As livid as he felt toward the three of them, he knew that’s not what you needed right now. 

“Hey, hey, hey. Love, take a breath. I’ve got you, okay?” 

You nodded, your breathing shaky from the stress of the day. 

“I’m sorry that happened today. Listen to me, Y/N. You’re so smart. You’re smarter than I am, hell, you’re smarter than anyone at that school! They’ve got nothing on you!”

You looked at him and smiled at his words but shook your head. “You don’t need to do that, Jess”

“Yes, I do. We promised we’d be honest in our relationship, right? Well, that’s all I’m doing. Seriously, Y/N, who else at that school could debate the themes in literature with me like you? Who could discuss the importance of accurate representation in books with me? Who could talk to me about just how influential YA books are and why they should be taken seriously-?”

“They are and they should!” You cut in.

Jess laughs, nodding in agreement. “Exactly!! You’re amazing, Y/N. And I swear those fuckheads are gonna get what’s coming to them”

“Jess-” You warn.

“Okay, okay!” He laughed, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “They just- they messed with you and made you upset and I fucking hate that”

“I hated it too. I hate doubting myself because of my dyslexia. I feel so shit about myself when I get in that headspace and I start spiraling and it gets out of control so fast.” 

“I know. It’s not your fault when those spirals happen. And I know you know this, but I’m just gonna remind you: you’re not any less because you’re dyslexic. It doesn’t make you stupid or anything. It’s a part of you and I love you, all of you”

Your heart swelled at his words. Everyone thought Jess wasn’t good expressing his emotions but you knew the truth. He was quite eloquent when he wanted to be, he just sometimes had trouble with vulnerability. You didn’t blame him for it, with his past it made perfect sense. But when you needed that reassurement, that compassion, you could always count on him for it. 

He moved to place a kiss on your forehead before slinging his arm around your shoulder. “Let’s go home, okay?”

“Okay” You smiled up at him and kissed him once more before tucking your head into his shoulder. He pulled you closer and you grabbed his free hand with yours as you continued to walk through the Stars Hollow streets together.

[mashiraostail]

Hi Den! I just saw your depressive reader request and I really appreciated it, of course and your other contents, they were amazing. I wasn't really feeling myself lately and seeing the characters comfort the reader, believe me it really helps me, especially I'm going through a big test right now. I was wondering if I can request a Vlad King version, or any other characters you have in mind? I really wanted to be in his big arms, if no then it's ok too💗please stay hydrated at these times and be safe, I'm looking foward to your great work💗

 Hi! I'm really glad you liked them! I have another ask looking to get Mic and Yagi so I’ll add them here too, i hope your test goes well! 

Sekijiro Kan / Vlad King Hindsight is always much clearer. You wished you'd started the assignment when you got it rather than continually putting it off, but no, so everything had piled. You somehow managed to churn it all out the night before but it left you thoroughly exhausted. So much so that you end up flaking on your plans with Sekijiro, he doesn’t seem too perturbed on the phone though, he knew you had a lot of work right now, he’s been guilty of the same thing on occasion.  Though that was a week ago. Nothing particularly devastating had happened, nothing out of the ordinary, and yet you just felt so exhausted. Everything was a chore to you. Which made staying in bed with the lights out for days on end incredibly easy. But it made doing laundry, changing your sheets, doing the dishes, and even just finishing a glass of water basically impossible. All you had the energy to do was get up, go to your job, and come straight home and get back into bed. If your coworkers noticed your rapidly declining state no one said anything.  It was rare for Sekijiro to go more than a few hours without at least a text from you. You sent him literally whatever crossed your mind, pictures, random ideas or thoughts, questions about what you should eat for lunch or dinner, should you get mocha in your coffee or vanilla? You also usually called him when you were doing some sort of mindless task, cooking or cleaning and other things of the like. Not to mention how often you saw each other, practically everyday you usually stopped in on him while he was paroling, or asked him to come to your place when he was done. Now he was going full days without hearing from you at all. Since you’d given him a raincheck on your plans earlier last week he’d hardly heard from you. He texted you first of course, he’d asked how you were feeling numerous times now, but you always just said ‘I’m alright’ or ‘a bit exhausted’ at the worst before turning the conversation around to him again.  “You look nervous.” Aizawa doesn’t look up when he speaks, but it was an elephant in the room. Sekijiro was sure everyone had noticed how often he was checking his phone, or the nervous jitter in his leg every time it went off. “Yeah big guy what’s got you so rattled?” Mic agrees from his spot beside Aizawa in the teachers lounge.  “Nothing really.” Vlad cracks his knuckles, a nervous habit. “I bet you told Ryo. You shouldn’t play favorites it’s-”  “I didn’t tell him and I don’t play favorites.” He cuts Nemuri off.  “Is it romance troubles?”  “Why do you always take it there, Midnight?”  “So it is.” She looks proud, “I don’t always take it there, I just have a keen eye.”  Sekijiro lets out an empty huff of a laugh, “sure.”  “Maybe we can help.” If anyone but Aizawa said that Sekijiro would have written it off. It’s not that Aizawa wasn’t a nice guy, he was a hero after all, but for the most part he liked to keep to himself. Him offering help must have meant that Sekijiro was jumpier than he’d previously thought. “I have this...friend..and they’ve just been sort of MIA lately is all.  I don’t wanna barge in on them but they’re just not acting like themselves. I’m worried I did something to offend them, or that they’re hurt or sick and not telling me, when I ask they just write it off. I don’t want to seem like I don’t trust them but something just feels wrong.” Now that he said it out loud this did sound like the type of thing Ryo would have been really useful for, though that in mind Ryo knew you better than the others, the chance of him just barging in on you was much higher. The trio ponders this new information before Mic seems to have a lightbulb. “Why don’t you go there with a gift? That way it’s less like barging in and more like surprising!” Mic jumps, holding up an inquisitive finger, “or bring some take out or something like that!”  “That’s..not a bad idea..” Sekijiro murmurs to himself, it wasn’t out of character for him to surprise you at random times either...  “Great. Why don’t you head out now?” Aizawa offers and Sekijiro turns to him.  “No I mean, I would but I agreed to stay back for my class so they could use the-”  “We’ll be here for a while.” He’s curt but his kindness isn’t lost on the taller hero.  “Thank you Eraser. I really appreciate this, I’ll repay you.”  “Don’t mention it. If this’ll get you to stop shaking like a wet dog all the time.” He mutters to himself turning the paper before him over, “let us know if we can do anything else.”  You were starving. Yet you didn’t have a single morsel of food in your whole apartment, not even a jar of peanut butter. The hunger pains in your stomach weren’t enough to motivate you to venture out into the world, the terrible gloomy weather wasn’t helping either. You rolled onto your chest with a groan, wondering how much longer you could go on like this. Maybe after work tomorrow you could stop some place and pick up some groceries, for now though sleep was a great distraction.  Despite having a key Sekijiro still knocked, though after receiving no reply he elected to let himself in.  It seems like you’re in, your shoes are by the door, and your key is on the hook above them, but the coffee table is covered in plates, utensils and half empty cups of water or juice, your favorite blanket was strewn haphazardly over the couch, dangling onto the floor, you normally folded it neatly and draped it over the back. Your work papers and other things were cluttering the arm chair on the far end of the room and there were various wrappers around the floor and couch.  “Hello?” Sekijrio calls out for you but gets no reply. He clears a spot on your coffee table for the take out he brought and sets the other bag of various odds and ends on the couch before setting to straightening up. If you were asleep, which is what he figured, then you probably had a cold or something. He doesn’t wanna clean everything, incase you..liked it like this? He’s not sure himself but maybe you were trying something out. He empties the glasses into the sink and cleans them and the utensils off before discovering you had literally no food in your whole apartment. This was becoming concerning.  “Hey..” He knocks on the slightly ajar door of your bedroom, there’s no light coming from inside.  “I’m gonna come in alright?” He nudges the door open with his shoulder and the light from the hallway illuminates you, asleep. You didn’t look sick, though somehow you still looked worse for wear.  He shuffles over to you, “hey you?” He crouches down but keeps his voice low, “wake up.” He doesn’t want to startle you or anything. His efforts are fruitless. He straightens up and looks around a bit, pondering his next move.  He elects to climb into bed with you, he isn’t sure why he does this, but it feels like the right move. He carefully maneuvers your limp and sleepy form to rest against him. You start to mumble sleepily, still deadweight stacked against him, “Sek?” You’re wrapping an arm around his ribcage.  “Hey’re you up?” He looks down to you, only to find you are in fact not up. So he stays like that for a while, holding you by the back of your head to his chest, his other hand running long strokes over your spine, he could reheat the take out for you when you woke up.  When you do wake up you’re fully prepared for the terrible pang of hunger to be the first thing that you feel. But instead you just feel warm, you didn’t remember bringing a heavier blanket in here with you, but the warm weight on your back was comforting and...moving? Why was your blanket rubbing your back? The next thing to hit you was the scent, warm and piney to mask a slight metallic twinge, it was Sekijiro’s.  “Hey you’re awake.” His hand halts, “sorry to barge in like this.”  “it’s...okay.” You wipe your eyes and sit up, his hand slides off your back and wraps around to hold your waist.  “You feeling alright?”  The hunger hits you then.  “Honestly? No..” You’re straddling his leg, hands resting on his stomach.  “Yeah, I had a feeling. What’s up? It didn’t feel like you had a fever.”  “I’ve just been exhausted lately, Everything’s a chore. It’s all piling up and I have no motivation, and then I isolate myself and that doesn’t help.” You scrub your face. It clicks for Sekijiro then.  “Oh.” He sits up, “oh.” He holds either of your arms in his hands, “why didn’t you say something sooner? I would have come to help.”  “I didn’t wanna be a burden or seem childish, normally I can be pretty high functioning when I get like this. I’m still going to work and all so I figured I’d just pull out of this slump and then..apologize to you for being so aloof. I just-” Your stomach growls.  “And another thing! You don’t even have a crumb of food in here!” Sekijiro scolds you, “seriously I was worried sick when I got in. And you’re starving! You could have asked me to bring you something!”  “I didn’t wanna bother you, especially when I was being so cold I-”  “Okay. Don’t work yourself up.” Sekijiro uses the hand not being held by you to pull your bedhair back from your face, “well I brought food anyways. We can heat it up. So why don’t we talk after you eat?” “I’d... rather talk now..” You murmur, holding one of his hands in both of yours, “I’m really sorry Sekijiro. I shouldn’t have acted like that. I should have called you and explained and-”  “That’s a lot easier said than done babe.” Sekijiro stops you, “I won’t say I wasn’t worried, I was. Aizawa even said something to me.” He laughs a little, “but...this isn’t always something you can help. I didn’t wanna seem like I didn’t trust you by just barging in so I let it go on too long. I’m sorry for not coming sooner even though I was worried.”  “It’s not your responsibility to-”  “Shush. Anyways, now I know this kind of thing can happen from time to time, are you okay with me coming to check on you if I’m worried?”   “Of course I am..” You lean forward and drop your head onto his shoulder,  “I’m sorry too, for shutting you out and being cold..I didn’t make you think I was mad at you did I?”  He laughs, “It had..briefly crossed my mind.”  “I’m sorry Sek..” You wrap your arms around his back, you feel it shake with quiet laughter.  “It’s alright. Everything is fine now. You must be starving though, do you feel better? Enough to eat at least? Let’s go out to the couch, a change of scenery may do you good?”  You agree blindly, affectionately leaning into him as he rubs your back, truthfully you weren’t even sure what you agreed to until you were rounding the corner to the living room.  “Oh no it’s-” Not half as bad as you thought?  “I just picked up some stuff while you were asleep.” He waves, “I left your work stuff and the blanket, I know you can be particular about them. Get comfy and I’ll go heat this up.”  You sit on another bag by accident, curious you peek inside to find a niche collection of aspirin, a heating pad, and some socks among other things. You can feel your eyes getting wet.  “Hey why don’t you pick a movie too?” He’s coming back with two plates, “I can even give you a pass this time I won’t mind if you fall asleep because I-”  “Did you get all this for me?” You scrub at your eyes and he rushes over, quickly setting the plates down.  “W-well yeah I though you were sick!” He pulls you forward again, into his chest, he wraps his arms around you, “what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”  “It’s just really nice of you-” You sniffle, carding your hand through the back of his hair, “thank you for coming Sek.”  “Well..yeah of course I came babe. I’ll always...geeze, don’t cry..I didn’t wanna make you cry. Come on buck up.” His hands are sort of aggressively rubbing your back, but it’s actually kind of comforting..  “You could never bother me with something like this. I wanna help.”  “I’m sorry.” You pull away and wipe your face after he squeezes you one last time, “sorry I’m..I don’t know why I’m so emotional right now-” You sniffle and look up at him, “I'm such a baby aren’t I?”  “No..I don't think so.” He reaches out and nudges a tear with his knuckle, “I think it’s sweet. Babies are cute anyways.” His palms cup your face and his thumbs rub comforting strokes over your puffy cheeks, “let’s eat, okay? Put on a movie and you can fall asleep again if you want, I’ll even carry you to bed after. Tomorrow we’ll both go to work and then come back here and start getting you back on track alright? You’d help if it were me so don’t worry about troubling me. It’s really not any trouble at all. I feel better knowing you’re taken care of so really you’re doing me a favor.” 

Hizashi Yamada/Present Mic The pair of you were quite literally inseparable. You called each other during every commute, texted and chatted throughout the entire day. So when he started lamenting to Aizawa that you’d pulled away a bit Aizawa told him to buck up, you probably just needed time to recharge. He’d been friends with the voice hero for over a decade now and even he needed to take time to himself on occasion, and he didn’t see Hizashi half as often as you did sometimes. He always reassures Hizashi that loudness can be exhausting but that doesn’t mean he’s disliked, sometimes people just can’t match his energy. That was probably the case now. While that put him slightly at ease he was still a bit disgruntled. You’d never had an issue talking to him about this sort of thing before, you were always the first person to ask him to quiet down, or to lower his energy level, and usually you were the one of the few who could do it in a way that was somehow sweet rather than hurtful. The fact that you were plain ignoring him now sort of...actually hurt his feelings. You answered his texts, though usually with much less gusto than before, and you always cut your talks on the phone short with some random excuse, ‘i think someone is at the door’ or, ‘sorry someone else is calling me’ or ‘my phones about to die’ and so on. When he asked to see you you deflected, you had a migraine, you were backed up at work, you wouldn’t be home till later, you had to get up early the next day, any excuse under the sun to take a raincheck on him. He spent about 2 days brooding over it, genuinely hurt by your actions and wholly unsure of your intentions.  To be honest, his high energy, loudness, and general excitability was exactly what you needed right now. You never had trouble asking him for help with things before; Help me open this jar? Could you pick up dinner on your way back? Do you mind moving my couch please, I’m trying to redecorate.. Will you straighten my hair I always miss pieces in the back. So you didn’t know why you couldn’t ask him to just be here. You didn’t need anything else, just his company would have been nice. You’d had an awful week, there was so much to do and you could feel your interest waining as the seconds ticked by, it was normal for you to get dragged down this time of year. Your coworkers and teammates were understanding of it, everyone had their ticks and this was yours, they were happy to help pick up what overwhelmed you and you were grateful for that but at the same time guilt gnawed at you, you felt useless and burdensome, the last thing you wanted to do was ask yet another person for yet another favor. Begging for help when you should be able to do it yourself. You didn’t want to suck the energy out of Hizashi, you already felt guilty enough for leaning so heavily on your colleagues. In hindsight your reasoning would make no sense, but all you wanted to do now was isolate yourself. It was as if your growth wouldn’t mean anything if you didn’t achieve it all on your own. You’re never really sure how you reach these conclusions but in the end they always feel logical.  That being said, it didn’t feel like you were achieving much of anything right now. All of these tears were over nothing, it wasn’t anything that couldn’t be fixed but still. You’d written it all in pen, and now the error..it’s not that you couldn’t white it out, you surely could, but the white out would look sloppy now and it would be clear you made an error but you were so close to being done you didn’t want to start the whole page over. It felt like a silly thing to cry over, but you did anyways. Eventually it tired you out enough to get you to just resign to bed. Hardly past 10 pm, but bed. You needed bed. You were so wrapped up in work that you didn’t even notice him texting and calling, you hadn’t even spoken to him once today, and then when you decided to call it a night you just left your phone at your work space.  He was antsy, jumpy and even a bit irritable. Worry didn’t really begin to describe it. Eventually, late into dinner Nemuri tells him to just go to you. “Check up on them, if they really are exhausted they’ll tell you that to your face, it’s better to be safe than sorry.”  Everyone seemed to echo her sentiments, which was largely unsurprising considering his change in demeanor was probably the least refreshing thing to befall the group of teachers the semester. Dorming wasn’t entirely unpleasant, they liked each other enough, but when things like this happened everyone’s patience was tested.  He calls when he’s outside your complex, he’s mostly sure you won’t answer but he at least wanted to try before knocking, and then eventually deciding to just use his key. Not answering wasn’t going to be enough to get rid of him, he decided he was going to get to the bottom of this tonight. Even if the issues was simply that you just needed the time to recharge from him you could say that instead of just dropping off the face of the Earth, it wasn’t like you to be such a terrible communicator. Which is why he had trouble believing that as the truth, but even if it was there needed to be some sort of conversation about how this was not effective for either party because now he was mad at you and even if you had recharged sufficiently he wouldn't’ want to see you until he cooled down.  Hizashi isn’t surprised when you neglect to answer the door. He is surprised by the terrible state of your apartment though. Papers and pencils are scattered around the living room, the kitchen is practically turned upside down despite the only food on the stove being a pot of plain rice that looks hardly touched. The further he ventured into the apartment the less he worried about you being tired of him and the more he worried that something awful had happened, and he’d neglected to notice you when you were in harms way.  Your bathroom wasn’t much better than your kitchen, once neat medicine cabinet shelves were disheveled, cabinet doors were left open things were far from their usual place, not to mention the pile of laundry in the corner. He hand’t announced himself yet, normally it was the first thing he did, loud and boisterous and probably incredibly annoying to anyone but you, “I’m here, where are you?? come say hello!!” But something unsettling was constricting in him, his chest, his stomach, his throat it made his shoulders tense. Had something terrible happened to you while he was trying to give you space? Had he ignored an obvious cry for help? Was he too late? Would his neglect cause him to lose someone else? The last place to look was your bedroom, but the light was off, and it was hardly past 10, he brain wrote off any possibility of you being there, you were a historic night owl why would you be in bed at 10?  He wasn’t relieved by the lump under your covers, in-fact he’d go as far as to say his panic only rose, bubbling up to the point he could feel it behind his eyes, like some awful pounding headache, the kind you get after driving home from a loud concert and having to look at all the city lights at night, though this was much less euphoric.  “Hey?!” He can’t help tearing the covers back, flicking the lamp on, he hates to startle you, but right now startling you would be one of the best case scenarios.  You jump, it presses you back into your pillows, into your mattress, the sheets crumple beneath you, it’s just instinct, you don’t know what else to do, you throw a pillow at him.  “Get out!”  “Hey it’s just me!”  You were flinching, bracing for some sort of retaliation, though when nothing comes you open your eyes.  “Hizashi?”  “Babe, thank god,” he exhales like he hadn’t taken a breath in 10 minutes, not before pulling you up into a rib crushing hug.  “What are you doing here?” Your hands hover over his back, confused.  “What am I doing here??” He scoffs holding the back of your head, huddling you into the crook of his neck. “Looking for you! That’s what I’m doing here!” You feel a twinge of guilt at that, especially since he’s holding you so tightly, “are you alright?”  “I’m fine..Zash..I’m okay.” One of your hands fall limp into his lap.  “I was so worried.” He pulls you back, “seriously I was going insane, I thought something happened to you, you got abducted or hurt or worse I thought-” He stops himself, “please don’t ever disappear like that again.” He presses his forehead into yours, “you don’t need tot ell me where you’re going, I’m not trying to keep tabs on you, just please at least tell me you’re safe. Promise me you would tell me if you weren’t, that you’d be honest with me if you were in trouble or scared-”  “Of course I’d...Zash is something wrong?”  “I should be asking you that! Where have you been?” He’s pulling away again, squeezing your arms, “did you just get sick of me? Is this your way of-”  “No!” You jump, “no, Hizashi I’d never do that to you-”  “So then why? Why isolate yourself like this? Why would you do this? Did you just need a break from me? Was I being too loud, too much to-” “Zashi please stop you’ll make me cry-” You shake your head, “this didn’t have anything to do with you. Please stop thinking that, I’m sorry I made you feel that way I-”  “You’ve already been crying!” He’s inspecting your face, “why didn’t you call me, how long have you been upset for? Is that...” You can see the gears turning until the dots are connected.  “I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner I-”  “It’s not your fault don’t be sorry! I should be sorry I- and you-” You hiccup.  “Me? What about me?” He Looks down at you, “this is about you babe I’m fine-”  “No! You thought I was upset with you! Or tired of you! Or worse that I didn’t want to be with you and that’s not true! I worried you for no good reason and I’m sorry!”  “Oh babe...no..” He shakes his head before pulling you into another hug, “no..no way it’s not like that-”  “But it is! Isn’t it? You even asked me if you were too much lately! You aren’t you never are Zashi, there’s no such thing as you being to loud or annoying or..anything. I just want you to be yourself, I’m okay when you’re like that, getting to see you like that I.... I don’t want you to change anything, please don’t change anything-”  “Babe that’s sweet.” He squeezes you, you feel his lips on your temple, "but I’m worried about you. What happened to make you so emotional?”  “I just got overwhelmed. I hate this time of year.” You fist his shirt in your hands, “work was too much. Everyone is nice, they understand, but somehow I feel even worse taking help from them. It feels like if I can’t pull myself up on my own it makes me weak, it doesn’t count if I don’t do it by myself. Which is why I didn’t call you. Or text you, or try to see you at all. I was already leaning on so many people I didn’t want to take from you too. I didn’t wanna suck up your extra time, you energy I...you’re my boyfriend not my caretaker I just-”  “Stop me if I’m butting in unfairly.” He rests his chin on your head, “and I mean this respectfully. But that’s stupid.”  “Asshole! I just poured my heart out to you don’t call it stupid!” You shove him.  “Hey let me finish!” He catches your hands before you can get up, “it’s stupid because I lean on you all the time.” He pulls you forward again, “are my accomplishments null because you help me out all the time?”  “Zash When do I ever-”  “Don’t even finish that sentence. And don’t answer a question with a question.” He scoffs, “you help me out all the time. Even if it’s not always big emotional stuff...babe this past week’s been hell without you around. Even things that feel small, like making a bed, or doing laundry or running a bath for someone make a huge difference, they mean a lot to me and knowing I’ll get to see you has always helped my mood. I lean on you for stuff like that constantly. But I don’t feel guilty because I know you like doing it. So don’t feel guilty when it’s the other way around, I wanna give too, I want you to lean on me, to take from me. Seriously, nothing would make me happier than knowing I helped you.”  “I’m sorry I pushed you-”  “Don’t cry over that!” He laughs, “god you’re sweet. It’s okay. I was being mean. I shouldn't have said it like that. Anyways you never answered my question.”  “What question?” You look up at him.  “Are all my accomplishments null? Because I lean on you? because I need you?”  “...well it’s not-”  “It’s a yes or no question. It is the same. It’s okay to need help, more than just opening a jar. It’s okay to need support, that’s normal. No one is meant to do it all on their own. So yes or no?”  “...no you’re right. No.” You turn into his chest and he plaits his fingers through  the crown of your hair.  “And you’ll always be there for me right? Because you love me, don’t you?”  “Of course I’ll always be here for you. And don’t ask a question like that you know I love you.” You mutter, ducking closer towards him and wrapping your arms around his ribs, “i’m sorry I didn’t call. You really didn’t think I got sick of you right?”  “No.” He swings his legs onto the mattress and lays back with you, “Shota and the others said you probably just needed a break but it didn’t really sit right with me, you’re the only person who never seems to need a break from me. ‘s why I showed up. To be honest I wasn’t really that worried about your wellbeing, I just figured you were swamped with work and didn’t want me worrying, but then when I saw..you know the mess..I panicked. I thought something happened to you, and you hadn’t answered my calls all day, or even yesterday.”  “I’m so sorry-” You warble, “god I’m so selfish I shouldn’t have-”  “It’s okay. You were overwhelmed. But if this happens again just..try to let me know you’re safe okay? If you aren’t ready to ask for help...and on the topic of help, how can I help now that I’m here?”  “I just wanna go to bed.” You murmur, latching onto his arm.  “Hm..nonsense. How about I run you a bath? And hey what were you crying about before?”  You flush, this was embarrassing.  “I messed up the page I was writing. But I did it in pen so I didn’t know what do to and I didn’t wanna start over because I was almost done but white out will look messy and so I got upset and then I got overwhelmed and then I started crying and then I went to bed.” You press your forehead into his arm petulantly, “and if you laugh at me I’ll make you leave.”  “I’m not gonna laugh.” He promises, “I’ll run you that bath, while you’re in there I’ll rewrite the page for you so you can stop worrying about it. But you should use pencil from now on.” He squeezes the nape of your neck, “sound like a square deal?” You silence says otherwise.  “What’s wrong?” He looks down to you.  “I want you to take the bath with me.” You mutter it, it hardly registers, “please.”  “Huh? Did you just say what I think you just said?” He looks delighted, despite his tone being almost devilish, “why would you want me to do a thing like that?”  “because..I missed you...and I still feel bad and I know you like taking baths with me and..” You look down at your hands where they’re interlocked, “and...I want you to wash my hair. I can figure out that page tomorrow or something.”  He sighs, “I can’t be mean to you when you’re being so sweet.” You get pulled along as he sits up, “of course I’ll come, and I’ll wash your hair for you.” He cups your cheek, “what else do you want? You can have anything just ask.”  “After that I...I think I just want to go to bed, and deal with the other stuff tomorrow. I want you to stay though.”  “I’m gonna have a heart attack.”  “Hey! Don’t say things like that! It’s bad luck!”  “Don’t be so sweet then!” He argues, pulling you to stand.  “Of course I’ll stay. I’ll stay tomorrow, and help then too, if you want. You don’t have to decide right now I know asking for help can be hard. In the meantime let’s just take that bath okay?” 

Yagi Toshinori/ All Might Retirement had left Yagi with some rather pleasant spare time. He’d never gotten to have many hobbies before but now he was enjoying freedoms life as All Might had never permitted. Chief among them being a continuous close proximity to you. Even though you didn’t technically live together it didn’t really feel as though either of you had a designated space either. It felt right for Yagi to be in your space, using your things, like he belonged there. It felt equally right for you to be in his space, existing and using his things as you pleased. You didn’t need permission and neither did he, it just felt right to exist around each other. Especially now that he had the extra time to spend with you and you both realized how easy and comfortable being together was. Though right now nothing felt easy or comfortable or right, your entire existence felt like a pair of jeans that was way too tight. Just taking a breath that was too deep felt uncomfortable.  Your closeness to Yagi made the shift in your mood apparent to him from the very beginning.  It was silly in hindsight. The proposal had a 50/50 chance anyways and it’s not like you had anything directly to do with it’s failure, it was just the last straw, the tiny thing that made all the other things seem huge, and as quickly as you’d realized that your mood had already plummeted. You’d run out of motivation, any drive to do anything but sleep and drag yourself to work had dissipated, at work you did what you needed to to get by and afterwards you went back to your place, even though Yagi’s was closer. Just being with someone else privately seemed like it would be overwhelming. Despite the fact that Yagi was the least overwhelming person on the planet, if anything you’d say he had the opposite effect, he was amazing at pulling your attention away from the little overwhelming details. However you couldn’t shake the gnawing nervousness that popped up at the thought of seeing him or anyone really. So when you crossed paths it was short, you poked into the school with lunch, into his place with dinner, you never stuck around to eat though. A conference call pulled you away, an important meeting you couldn’t be late for, you were catsitting and it needed your attention, you promised to call a relative and they’re just soo chatty, a late assignment needed tending to, all overused excuses that you normally practiced on everyone but Yagi, usually to get the pair of you out of an unwanted dinner or social event. You tried to avoid letting him into your apartment, you knew it was getting cluttered, you avoided the dishes and your laundry like the plague, putting another plate in the sink atop the pile only fanned your anxiety but the thought of actually cleaning it up makes you sicker than the sight of it. You tried to keep the front living room neat, luckily the overflowing sink was out of sight around a small corner, and the laundry cluttered a small closet out of sight as well. The only things out of place at first glance were the shoes, the coat rack and the copious amount of cups, cans and bottles littered around the apartment, some empty, some full, others in between.  Of course he noticed these things, to a passerby it wasn’t extreme, but Yagi sensed the shift in you like it was a shift in himself. Though you insisted it was fine, you were just exhausted, it was the busy season after all, come February things would plateau. You promised him. So he resigned, he trusted you after all if you said it was okay that must mean you were dealing with it on your own.  To be fair you were trying to. You honestly were. You just didn’t know how to ask for help in a way that didn’t make your stomach want to grow legs and run away from you. You said you were okay though, even if he didn’t totally buy it he’d wait patiently for you to tell him the problem, to seek him out. He knows how overwhelming it is for people to pry when you aren’t ready to divulge information. He doesn’t want to contribute to anymore bad feelings. However he could tell you were hiding something, still he plays dumb for your sake. He doesn’t try to poke further into your apartment, to your bedroom, or kitchen, places he’d normally allow himself without double checking with you, he doesn’t prod at you when you seem unusually emotional, when your excuse doesn’t hold up. He know’s you’ll come to him when you’re ready, at least that's the hope.  When you were like this a mediocre day is a terrible one, and a genuinely bad day is world ending. Today had been genuinely bad. You woke up early to prepare for a meeting, you put extra time into getting ready, you even stopped for a coffee at your favorite spot, all things you hadn’t had the energy to do even just a day ago, you really felt like today may be when things start looking up. But then the first coffee the barista made you was burnt, the machine was acting up, you assured her it was fine, it wasn’t her fault after all, you woke up early so you had time to wait for another one. Even that wasn’t really sullying your mood, it was nice to chat with the young girl while she remade your drink, there were no expectations of you, she didn’t care about pile of energy drink cans in your apartment, or the mountain of dishes in your sink, she didn’t even know the existed and she’d probably never consider that they did as a possibility. She was friendly and she always looked happy to see you. But then your bus was early and you missed it waiting for your coffee. You could see it receding down the street. It’s okay though, you woke up early. You had time. Then it was raining. Then the next bus arrived but skipped your stop so you had to walk. And suddenly all the time you put into your hair meant nothing.  Nothing terrible happened in the meeting, it was as lifeless and uneventful as ever, you weren’t sure what you were hoping for. And somehow your bus skips you stop again on the way home. Why hadn’t it stopped raining?  You’re about to climb into bed, drenched clothes and all when you hear someone knocking on your door. It was Yagi, you could recognize it anywhere.  “Hey Yagi I’m really-” You want to send him away, you do, you don’t want him seeing you so upset you felt like a child, but he just looked so concerned.  “I just got back.” You change your phrase last minute, “wanna come in?”  He sits on your couch, you appreciate how he doesn’t try to peek into the kitchen. You know you haven’t been subtle.  “I’ll wait here. You can go change into something warm. Please.” Yagi takes your hands, “and we can order dinner.” He wants to offer to make you tea, but something stops him from it. “You’re shaking. You must be freezing. I’m cold just looking at you. Go on, I’ll sit on the couch.” So you do what he says, sort of grateful for the demand since you would have fallen asleep like this, freezing and miserable and wet, and woken up sick the next morning.  “Much better! Good you even got a towel! Comfy?” He’s grinning at you as you round the corner, now in dryer, warmer apparel.  “Sit in front of me, I’ll dry your hair for you a little, it’s still dripping.” You nod as you follow his directions, any excuse to not have to look at his concerned face, getting out of his earnest blue gaze was top priority.  “The rain was totally out of left field huh? It even lasted all day.” His hands are big and warm, even through the towel how gentle his touch was is obvious.  “Yeah..” You draw your knees up to your chest, “I couldn’t seem to avoid it.”  “Well at least we can warm you up now.” You can tell his grinning again, trying to brighten up your mood. You felt like an ugly gloomy cloud, and he was a big bright cartoonish sun.  “Go ahead, you can lean your head on my leg, close your eyes. I can see your head drooping.”  You do that too. You sit there for a quiet 5 or so minutes, it does wonders to quell the nervousness in your stomach. You feel him pull the towel away and card big familiar hands through your only slightly damp hair. His palms are soft and comfortable against you, it feels right.  “You’re exhausted.” He observes, combing your hair off your forehead and pulling your head back a bit, closer to him.  “Mhm.” You don't open your eyes to give your minimal reply, instead thoughtlessly coiling an arm around his leg.  “Why don’t you come sit up here with me? It’ll be more comfortable. Your hair’s much dryer now.”  “You don’t have to baby me.” You stand up then, “I’m alright.”  “Ok I won’t baby you.” Yagi’s smile is soft and he casts it upwards to where you stand before him, “how about some tea? Are you up for making it? I’m still a little cold from the rain. Then after that you can some back and sit with me. Not because I want to baby you, but because I want to sit with you okay?” “okay..” You relent, “I can do that.”  “Perfect. I’ll wait here.”  You don’t know why you bit at him like that. You watch the kettle warm up as the guilt gnaws at you. It’s not like you were mean. All you did was tell him not to baby you. That wasn’t mean. You didn’t bite at him. But you kind of did. He was just trying to help. You aren’t mad at him so why are you mad? You open the cabinet. Of course there’s not a single mug to be found. You venture to the sink in search of two.  You’ve found the last one by the time the kettle starts to whistle which startles you enough to get you to drop the stupid glassware. The ceramic shattering on the floor is sort of akin to a dam breaking. Tears are stinging your eyes.  Things were looking up, Yagi was here, he was gonna take care of you, you were gonna feel better and now this stupid mug. You crouch down to pick it up.  “Are you alright? I heard a crash?” Yagi’s there, of course he is.  “Hey be careful, you’ll cut yourself.” He’s turning heat below the kettle off, "sweetheart here l-" and then rushing toward you. "I've got it." You were collecting the bigger shards in your hand. "Let me. I’ll get a broom, before you cut yourself. Please let me." He insists and you snap, ever so slightly, "Yagi. I said I have it."  “Hey, okay, it’s okay," he takes a step back, "do you wanna be alone for a minute?" He offers and you sigh, "Tosh I just-" then you slice your palm open, "oh fuck everything," you hiss and drop the bits you were holding and Yagi kneels beside you, "hey." "I'm sorry." You could feel yourself starting to cry, the stinging tears pouring out, "i'm sorry I got so short with you." "Hey it's fine, I understand." Yagi murmurs, a large hand rubbing your back, "it's alright, leave this for now so we can clean your hand up." He takes your wrist in his hand, but you don’t say anything. “Do you hear me?" "Yes." You nod, and take in a deep breath, "yes I hear you...yeah let me just get the-" "It's okay, the shards aren’t going anywhere." You just sort of stare at the muddled mess of ceramic and now a bit of blood mixed up on the floor. "Hey." Yagi takes your face in his hands, "look at me." "I'm looking at you." Your lips barely move. "No, look at me, not through me. Ignore the mug, look at me." He presses and so you do, you focus on him, his face, his eyes, his nose, his hands on your cheeks, the warmth that radiated from him. "Let's clean you up." You nod, "yeah. Sorry." "Don't be sor-" Yagi stops himself, "it's alright, not a big deal. No permanent damage. Go sit on the couch, I’ll get the first aid kit.” “My bathroom’s really-”  “It’s alright.” He promises, “it’s okay. I’m here to help you. That doesn’t bother me. None of this,” he gestures around, “bothers me. I’m here for you, whatever you need that to mean. Go sit down okay?” He wipes a stream of tears away. It’s quickly replaced but it’s a nice gesture.  You do manage to get the loudest tears out before Yagi comes in. "Alright let's see the damage." He opens the first aid kit on the arm of the couch beside him, "does it hurt?" "No-" Your voice gives your current state away. "Sweetheart.." Yagi kisses your temple, "come on.." "I'm sorry-" "I don't mean like that." "I know-" You wipe your eyes, "I know..I’m sorry I just-" He shushes you and extends a hand, you hold out your palm to him, you had pressed an old face cloth to it which did help ebb the bleeding a bit. "It's not that bad." You murmur as he wipes the blood away, "just a lotta blood.." “That’s how it always is.” He murmurs as he presses the wet cloth to the cut and pulls your hands up to his lips, kissing the damp fabric over the wound. You tilt your head at the sight of it, "I love you Tosh..I’m sorry." "It’s okay sweetheart, it’s alright. I love you too." He murmurs back, squeezing the cloth for a little longer before pulling it away. He goes through the routine you'd so regularly followed on him, before, when he was All Might all the time, cuts and bumps and head injuries that you always tended to for him, you cleaned up all his wounds before wrapping some bandage around it and kissing it, he mimics the routine on you "good?" "Good." You nod back voice soft and wet with tears. "I'm no expert but..did pick up a few things from one." He grins and you snort a little which makes him coo, "hey there's that smile 've been missing." He kisses the high of your cheek, "how do you feel?" "A little better..." You nod, "sorry you had to see that..." "I know that you feel like you have to apologize for everything but trust me okay? Stuff like this? I'll always rather help with. It's never a chore, but even if it were that’s okay. I want to be there for you." He kisses your forehead, "I wanna make you happy." "Then.. thank you I guess.." You look up at him and he wraps you in a hug. You spend a comfortable few moments there until he pulls away. "Don’t mention it...now," He stands and takes you with him, "let's go clean up the mug? Together. Then we’ll sort out the other stuff tomorrow, together too.”