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curiousconch · 3 years

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Chase You / Chase Me (Pt. 1)

Part 1: Burning on the Edge of Something Beautiful

Catch up here: Series Masterlist

Chapter Summary: Alex finds herself personally affected by the Rothswell case and Gabe attempts to find out why.

Book/Pairing: Choices - Laws of Attraction / Gabe Ricci x MC (Alex Keating)

Words: 1.8k+

Rating/Warnings: Mature (16+) / implied sexual content, alcohol consumption

Disclaimer: Most of the characters as well as some dialogues belong to Pixelberry. I am merely borrowing them.

Wednesday Evening at McGraw Byrne

Back from a day in the courts, Gabe stepped out of the elevator and into the halls of McGraw Byrne. Eager to finish the day's work, he passed by the break room where he unwittingly heard something that made him instantly halt.

"Did you see how clammed up Keating became when you asked her that question?" Gabe heard Vanderweil's deep voice.

"Actually, I sensed something irked her during the ride back. Seems like I did strike a chord," a serious female voice replied, which Gabe presumed was Sinclair's.

He made the assumption that the line of conversation was about their visit to the Rothswell's mansion. Earlier that day, the law firm's major client Philip Rothswell, demanded that they see to the whole Lydia and Joey situation. So Gabe and Sadie instructed the associates to go see the young heiress, trying to give the firm more time to create a more solid strategy than playing family counselor.

When they were placating Rothswell, he noticed how Alex fidgeted in her chair as she listened to their client. The way her body pulled up every defensive stance in the book full with meaning.

Seems that what he just overheard confirmed his suspicions. Something was bothering Alex Keating. And like all things Alex, it piqued at his curiosity.

It irked him that he did, more than he was willing to admit. Seems like even as trivial as office gossip, as long as its about her, Gabe is guaranteed to take notice.

Hastening his strides, he continued on to his plush new office, the setting sun coloring the wood furnishings with a hue of orange. He tossed his briefcase on the khaki couch, his leather soles padding on the clean white carpet. Loosening his tie, he crossed the room towards his desk. He took off his coat, hanging it on the rack nearby and turned to face the glass walls which offered a much better view of the concrete jungle below.

His mind whirred as he rationalized with himself as to why he was so invested with Alex. He initially chalked it up as a familiar, primal response to her... attractiveness. Yet as he watched her emerge from every pressure test and challenge he and Sadie gave her, he can't help but root for her.

It's not just that. After a long time, Gabe wanted to be near someone. He wanted to hear what bothers them, their goals, even their history. A level of interest he never exhibited to his usual carnal pursuits.

She stirred up something sleeping within him, something he willed never to return.

Consumed by the thoughts of her, Gabe finds himself glancing at his Rolex and hatching a guise to know what made the mighty Alex Keating got so worked up about.

Sometime later, uptown New York

"Alex... Have you ever had someone like Joey mess with your head? It's not about smart or stupid," Gigi had asked.

Alex poked her fork at the piece of chocolate soufflé as her mind whirled back to the ride back to the office.

"I'm not buying you any more of that Riesling if you wouldn't even bother being a worthy companion," Gabe teased, before downing another glass of scotch across her.

Her head immediately perked up, breaking free from her introspection. Alex forced a smile in response.

"As if another glass would make a dent in your indomitable fortune," she leaned back, trying to hide her thoughts under the façade of her sarcasm, rolling her eyes at him for added effect.

The two find themselves in a swanky New York restaurant, its upscale interior design worthy of the five star Yelp rating. The sleek tables and gray scandinavian chairs made Alex grateful that her wine red dress fit among the crowd. With a private booth overlooking the city lights and the delicious gourmet food served, she did not regret accepting Gabe's dinner invitation to meet a client.

Her mind decided that more work and Gabe's company was a great way to distract herself from the nagging of her memories, and it didn't hurt that the senior partner was easy on the eyes.

And when the supposed big shot canceled at the last minute, Alex completely saw it as a win.

"Something bothers you." Gabe suddenly articulated, breaking her from her contemplations.

Alex's brow arched in reply, as Gabe stated it like a fact, not as a question.

Crossing her legs under the table, she folded her arms across her chest.

"And why does that concern my pretend-boyfriend, hm?" she interjected, hoping to evade his interrogation.

"You're not the only astute one in this booth," Gabe let his eyes trail across her defensive stance the second time today.

Throughout the course of their meal, the heat between them simmered as well as the flow of their usual banter. Their chemistry was palpable, convincing even the waiter of the restaurant. The cocky man was certainly redefining the phrase hot and cold for Alex. He quickly and easily shut down her attempts to flirt, pulling back when the temperature between them reached a boiling point.

But Alex was more surprised, pleasantly so, when Gabe briefly opened up about his past and the vague explanation of why he's still not settled down.

She sensed the current trajectory of their conversation was what Gabe planned to have all along.

But now, as she swirled the remaining expensive liquid in her glass, trying to decide whether to put her guards up or to just give in, she couldn't deny the uncharacteristic softness in his gaze. It was magnetizing, making Alex want to fold and drop her pretentions.

She watched him as he seemed to eagerly anticipate for her retort, a half smile lingering on that pretty mouth of his.

Alex knew he won't push her if she didn't want to, yet a part of her wanted to share the heaviness that weighed on her shoulder since meeting Lydia Rothswell. Of how much the teenager reminded her of her old, naïve self.

She's been trying to rack her brain for a reasonable explanation for her growing desire to introduce herself to Gabe more than she'd allowed the string of men that she had trysts with. Despite her continuous self-denial, her gut is telling her that Gabe wasn't like any other she crossed paths with.

Making up her mind, she decided to let the door open. Maybe just a little.

She sipped her wine beckoning some needed courage, wishing that she ordered something stronger.

Taking a deep breath, she began, her eyes fixed on the view behind him.

"Since you were wondering, my otherwise impeccable track record is stained by one mistake," she paused, finally turning her gaze to Gabe's waiting eyes.

"Like Lydia, I trusted the wrong person," she continued. "I... risked everything and got nothing."

Gabe's mouth twitched ever so slightly, sensing a fluttering in him because of Alex's candor. There was no trace of the witty comebacks he'd grown to see in her, only vulnerability.

And somehow, he adored her more.

He watched her as she bit her thumbnail, an action greatly contradicting the fiery personality she projected in front of everyone else.

Alex gritted her teeth as she fought back the overwhelming emotions as she stopped herself from revealing more than she's prepared to. Not yet, not tonight, she thought.

"But I woke up from that nightmare, solemnly swearing to myself that I wouldn't repeat the same wrong decision that almost railroaded my whole future," she concluded, determined not to expose herself any further.

A hush fell between them.

Alex raised her head to meet the eyes of the man that made her walls crack, expecting to find intrigue. Instead, she found a subtle look of understanding.

It's as if it was telling her that he knew. He knew every pain and every hurt that she wanted to just forget and bury inside a box, never to be opened again.

Just because for him, pain was a familiar companion. That like her, he too, has been through hell and back.

And while she relished under his attention, her breath slowed, letting herself be trapped within the depths of those reassuring brown eyes. Alex thought nothing can make her drop down her guard, but Gabe's next actions proved that there's still more he can do to break down her walls.

Without thinking, Gabe reached for her hand and took it in his, skimming his own thumb on her knuckles in an attempt to comfort her. He smiled warmly at her, expressing a gentleness that she never thought he was capable of.

It made Alex's heart skip a beat.

Even Gabe seemed to slowly enter the same daze, unable to veer away from Alex's unguarded view. Any remnants of his resistance, leaving him. He found himself leaning in, lured by the heady scent of her perfume - a mix of coffee, vanilla and jasmine. An unexpected combination that enticed him more to her.

For a few moments, their world stood still, as if they were on the edge of discovering something that all their lives they subconsciously sought.

Something more than any flirtation or any pursuit for lustful pleasure. Something more...

"More drinks, Gabe?" a familiar voice broke them from the temporary oasis that they pulled themselves in.

All of a sudden, they were sucked back to the reality of their actual surroundings. The noise of other patrons of the restaurant, the soft ambience of the lights overhead, and the fact that he was her current boss, and that she was under his professional supervision.

Gabe turned to James, their waiter, and refused the offer nonchalantly, and instead asked for their check.

"We should head back to the salt mines, the stack of work on my desk probably hasn't gotten any smaller since we left," Gabe casually said, erasing any trace of what just happened between them. Alex silently agreed, following his queue by checking her phone for emails.

The trip to the lobby was wordless, as well as the wait for their ride. Up until Gabe opened the door of the town car, not following Alex inside.

"Aren't you coming?" Alex inquired, briefly confused.

He cleared his throat, his expression stoic before he answered her. "I think its best if we part ways here. I wasn't kidding about needing to head back to the office," he paused, a look of contemplation in his eyes before it softly shifted to that of sincerity.

"You, on the other hand, should go home and get some rest. Partner's orders."

Alex couldn't help but smile. "Whatever you say, Gabe."

"Careful, Alex. I just might hold you to that promise one of these days," Gabe replied, the usual playfulness evident in his tone.

And with that, the door closed and the car pulled away.

But as Gabe watched the vehicle fade out of his sight, his phone pinged for an email. Glancing down at his screen, he saw the name of the sender, prompting him to open it in haste.

The message contained a single statement: "I found what you asked me to look for." An attachment was included.

When he opened the file, he saw a picture of a younger version of the woman he just parted from.

And a look of recognition passed over his face.

Author's Notes: This is getting a little canon divergent, though I'm just expanding their dinner conversation and using the intimate setting provided in the original book.

Tags: @adiehardfan @pixelnutrookie @starryjieun @fucking-random1 @choicesficwriterscreations

Thank you for reading! Let me know if you want to be tagged or removed on succeeding installments. If not, please reblog or comment, I'd really appreciate it!

#choices laws of attraction #choices fanfiction #choices loa #choices loa fanfiction #choices laws of attraction fanfiction #gabe ricci #gabe ricci x mc #choices fic writers creations #fics of the week

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downwiththemutantnjnjaturtles · 4 years

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We Met Within This Screen [chapt. 7]

[Donnie x reader]

chapter 6 here

"Nothing gets past me, especially not you and your nervous habits, Donatello," Splinter's voice bounced around Donnie's head.

The brothers all looked at each other incredulously, Donnie's anxiousness replaced by complete bafflement. Everyone was wondering the same thing: How did he know?

"You wonder how I knew," Splinter said pointedly, "as if you four are any good at keeping a secret."

They waited for him to go on, but instead there was another uncomfortable pause, Splinter assumedly expecting them to say something. It was Mikey who finally broke the silence. "Are you gonna, like...tell us what we did wrong? How you knew? So next you can't—"

Splinter scoffed and brought his staff down on the youngest's foot. Mikey yelped, bouncing away on one leg. "Teach you how to lie? I have taught you many skills, but one that will always elude you is how to keep something from me. Parents have a sixth sense, you know." He turned to Donnie, regarding the rest of them with a dismissive wave of his hand, "You three, to your rooms. Come to the dojo with me, Donatello."

The three were quick to scatter, Mikey whining into Raph's ear about being sent to their rooms so early, and Raph huffing that he'd been dragged in too.

Swallowing, Donnie followed behind him a few paces, not sure what to expect but nervous all the same. He was lead in and instructed to sit down on the floor, Splinter settling down in front of him. Donnie's fingers brushed along the ridges of the knuckles of his other hand again and again as he tried to find something to occupy them with.

Resting his palms in his hands, Splinter began to talk, voice less harsh than Donnie had anticipated. "I know that we lead a very isolated life, my son. But you must keep your priorities in perspective. You four need each other, and betraying one another's trust does not help that case."

"I'm sorry, Master Splinter," Donnie apologized and hung his head.

"Perhaps you should apologize to your brothers, just as they should to you."

I did put them on the spot, especially Leo, thought Donnie, considering now that he had put him and Raph in a weird position. They had to choose between ratting on him to Splinter and keeping it under wraps for the sake of not stirring up the pot needlessly. As much as Leo was a stickler for the rules, he didn't want to create dissension between him and Donnie. So, they chose the latter option, and now all four were in trouble with their father.

"Okay. I guess...but, Master Splinter, how did you know?"

"About your secret antics?"

Donnie let out a humorless chortle, feeling a twinge of embarrassment that he had actually thought at some point, he was getting away with anything. "Yeah, it...it wasn't very much of a secret."

Stroking his chin, Splinter plainly said, "It was only a suspicion, until you confirmed it."

That night a few weeks ago when Splinter came to him in his lab. The way he squeaked when he was confronted just prior to them going to talk alone. Why didn't I think of that? It was a classic trick, one their father had deployed quite a few times on them. He'd been baited into giving himself away. None of them could tell when he was bluffing or if he actually knew. Save for Leo, who managed only twice in their time to make heads or tails of it.

"I really walked right into that one," Donnie whimpered under his breath, palms pressing down on his knees.

"You did. But," his tone turned more serious, looking him dead in the eye, "you must fix your mistakes, son."

"How?" asked Donnie softly, searching for his father's guidance, but it would find no purchase. He was hard pressed to find a solution immediately.

Splinter shut his eyes and thought. It was a tricky situation, indeed. He gathered that if anything, this was an excellent lesson for Donnie, as well as the others. Under his own supervision, of course; there wasn't room for any more blundering.

Standing up, he placed his staff under his hand. "I trust that you will find a way. You have a brilliant mind, Donatello. Use it well," he told him, and went to leave the training room.

Donnie was still sat on the floor contemplating Splinter's words, honored yet uneasy at the same time that he was being entrusted to fix things. How, he didn't know. Truly. He was at war with himself trying to balance his logic with his emotions, trying to make the two meet gracefully, but it felt impossible. Whichever road he chose, it was a betrayal to the other. One left behind while the other took the wheel. And thoughtlessly, he blurted out, "What if your heart is telling you something completely different, Sensei? What if everything feels contradictory, and—and like there's no right answer, even though you do have this mind, you just can't seem to…"

Donnie's voice tapered. Slightly surprised, Splinter stopped in his tracks, brows high as he looked back at him, who was so clearly riddled with a deeper kind of conflict. Critically discouraged, but still the sliver of will in those eyes of his. His heart went out to him.

Splinter had known that Donnie was interacting with a human. What he hadn't known was that he was in love with the human.

There was a moment of understanding, and Splinter realized that Donnie could not do this on his own. It reminded him of the times the turtles had all been children, the way Donnie looked to him for wisdom as he grappled with himself. Sighing, Splinter sat back down, this time close to him. Donnie was despondent, reverting to staring at the edge of the mat he sat on. "I know your struggles, my son. It seems like there's a sacrifice no matter what you choose, does it not?"

"I don't want to let you guys down. But, I...you know, I'm sorry, Master Splinter, but you don't understand."

He didn't want to say bluntly that he wanted to think of himself and his needs, unlike usual. He knew Splinter would probably not approve of that. None of them had much of a chance to make a selfish decision, aside from everyday things such tucking into the pizza before it even made it back to the Lair. So far, the number of times he could recall making a consequential choice for the sole purpose of indulging himself, was an astounding zero.

"What makes you think I would not understand?" questioned Splinter, and Donnie regretted that he'd said it. He didn't miss how Donnie looked to be becoming mildly sour (among other things), though not at him specifically.

It was then Donnie clammed up, shut down the conversation, he was not going to say it. "It" being what he assumed Splinter wasn't privy to, that he had undoubtedly fallen hard for his friend. But knowing his father, he could totally have had a clue. Splinter didn't always need the details to make an assessment when it came to his sons, whom he knew all too well.

Letting out a crestfallen huff, Donnie rested his chin on his knee, arm obstructing the better half of his face. "It doesn't matter," he mumbled.

Splinter stayed quiet. He didn't want to drive Donnie off—not when he was in such a turmoil. The atmosphere changed to a cold one. Donnie didn't acknowledge him until he put his hand on his forearm, giving it a gentle squeeze and saying, "I will tell you again: I trust that you will figure it out."

What if I make the wrong decision?

"For all of our sakes, I hope you're right, Sensei," Donnie responded. Splinter smiled and got up, prepared to leave the matter at that until any further updates. Until the phone in Donnie's back pocket began to vibrate out of the blue. He wanted to answer, but what, at that point? What should he say?

A minute went by of more persistent vibrating, and Splinter's ear twitched, certain he knew who it was. He was disappointed with the carelessness that had brought them to that moment, but what was done was done. None knew if the girl had any suspicions. "Are you going to answer it?" he asked, sort of prompting him to pick the phone up.

"May I?" Donnie thought he might have sounded a little eager.

Splinter let out a calm hum and motioned for him to do it. Donnie lifted his finger to press accept, but Splinter interrupted firmly, "Speaker, Donatello."

Eyes flitting to Splinter, he accepted the call and reluctantly turned on the speaker.

"Bo, what was all of that earlier, dude? You had me worried sick!" spoke [y/n], more concerned than angry (which Donnie was somewhat relieved about), but he sunk down sheepishly upon seeing the look on his father's face. He gave Donnie a questionable glance at the word "Bo", as he wasn't aware of the details. Donnie wasn't about to correct her right now.

"I–...hey, [y/n]," he said, forcing himself to turn to the side so he wouldn't have to look at Splinter. The eyes on him made him feel put off to the point he couldn't focus on her voice, but the fact that Splinter was right there, listening in, and both were fixing to find out just what kind of mess they had on their hands. "Believe me when I tell you, you don't want to get caught up in this," he told her, "I can't—"

"Listen," she started, exasperated, "I've heard it before. 'I can't tell you this', and 'I can't tell you that'," she went on, "Be honest with me, Bo; is it that you can't or you just won't?"

Splinter's thoughts were undetermined. Donnie couldn't read anything from his stoic expression.

"It's not that I won't," he rebutted, pitch going up involuntarily, "Why won't you listen to me when I say I can't?"

"Because there's something going on, with you, and I know my eyes weren't just playing tricks on me. I saw something crazy—I heard it, too, when I called you the other day!"

I am so dead. Donnie's stomach did a flip. He couldn't face his father, but behind him, Splinter placed his hand on his face, covering his eyes. He shot Donnie an intimidating glance, and Donnie waved his hands nervously, listening to her go on as he backed up. Pivoting around from the jabs sent to his side by Splinter's staff, he jumped away with his comically long stride, trying to avoid the onslaught while juggling the phone. He muffled a grunf of pain when the cane managed to whack his head.

"Hold on!" he said, and Splinter stopped and narrowed his eyes, the voice on the other end of the phone also going silent. Donnie couldn't regain his composure while being chased around the dojo, so he finally was able to sputter out, "W-what did you see?"

"I was on the balcony, 'Don'. I heard your voice on the phone and saying the same thing from the roof, and saw two giant...turtles! With weapons, fighting what looked like ninjas?! What even is this?" she yelled.

She'd put two and two together. There was no fixing.

Only acceptance.

Blinking, Donnie nearly dropped the phone. Splinter shut his eyes, slowly shook his head, and turned around. The sound of his cane tapping the floor as he walked was the only thing he could hear after he tuned out the speaker.

He was now alone in the dojo, under the light that streamed through the grate above him, standing in the hush.

He turned the speaker off. She, on the other end, was quiet, too, in disbelief. And probably rightfully feeling betrayed, in a way, Donnie thought. The friend she'd come to care for so much turned out to be someone she couldn't have even imagined.

Licking his lips, he put on the most level tone he could and said in a struggle, "You can't tell anyone. I-if you say something, I'll... we'll…"

I could never threaten you, [y/n].

"You'll what?" she asked, voice low.

Then, all the could hear was her breathing. The dojo was completely quiet, the room was large, and there he was, in the middle. Donnie liked smaller spaces. Darker spaces, like his lab. He felt exposed in that moment, even when no one could see him.

"Be in danger," he said in earnest.

There was some rustling, then the sound of wind on her end. He barely heard a sliding door shut.

"Come here," she told him firmly.

His eyes went wide. "What?" he questioned, stupefied.

She sighed, "No more lying, Bo—Don—I don't know. If what we have really matters to you…"

A mix of emotions swirled in him as he waited for her words. She hesitated.

"I'll come," he whispered, finishing her sentence.

"You'll come."

Blowing a breath out from between his lips, and nodded. Sorry, Master Splinter.

He snuck through the Lair to the exit of the sewers.

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writefightandflightclub · 4 years

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Mixed signals

Author’s note: just a quick, simple hit of pure fluff, sweeties. Wrote this super quick idk.

Summary: you are Poe’s favoured comms officer, and it means so much to him to have your voice on the end of the line during a mission. You’re great at comms. You’ve talked him through some tough times. So why in the hell can’t he get you to speak to him when you’re face-to-face? And will his cute idea to get you talking work?

Warnings: hell, not a one.

(GIF by @cmorgana)

Poe has grown pretty fond of you over the past few months. The first time he spoke to you was over the comms, when his usual signals operator was injured and you were drafted in. He liked your style and you gelled well, and soon after he requested with the General that you be assigned to him and his squadron permanently whenever he was out on a mission. He trusted you to get the job done clearly, calmly, and decisively. You always stayed admirably cool in a crisis. And, to be honest, the other guy had always rubbed him up the wrong way, which was the last thing he needed when already under pressure.

He has come to depend on your voice on the other end of the line. Particularly the way you go over and above for him. Sometimes you talk him down if he’s scared on a mission -whether on the ground or in the air-, you boost him up when he’s hopeless, and sometimes you’ll even just keep him company through a private channel on his long flights home. You’re even ballsy enough to call him out when he’s being a dumbass, which he respects, even if he doesn’t admit it at the time. Your voice is often his lifeline, his saviour, and he’s losing count of the number of times you’ve guided him back home.

But when he’s face-to-face with you things are different. He can’t -for the life of him- get you to speak to him. It’s not like he hasn’t tried, of course. Case in point, the first time he spoke to you face-to-face, when you had just a couple of missions under your belt together, didn’t go down so well. He’d sidled over to your table in the canteen, thinking that he wouldn’t mind grabbing lunch and introducing himself to this (cute) new recruit he’d laid eyes on.

“Hey. Can I sit here?” he asks with a broad smile. “I don’t think we’ve met?”

“Yes, Commander Dameron.”

He recognises your voice instantly, suddenly turning goofy when he realises it’s you. “It’s you! From the comms!” he exclaims, with a succession of finger guns, cringing inwardly even as he does it, a heat slowly rising up his neck.

“Yes, sir. It’s me from the comms.” you slink away immediately, setting your empty tray down on the side without so much as a smile. He’s left sitting there alone, feeling like a bit of a buffoon, if he’s honest.

From then on, even in spite of that, he couldn’t stop wanting to talk to you. Your voice, the way you were with him on the comms already... did things for him, got him thinking about how he’d like to spend more time with you. But meeting you in-person, seeing how gorgeous you were, it had only cemented his attraction to you.

So, he tries again. And again. But no matter the situation, the topic, the time of day, the weather, you always seem to clam up and disappear, tight-lipped. For someone apparently skilled in communications there has definitely been some kind of break down between you. Maybe you’re just shy, he thinks; hopes, at first. But after a while he comes to the conclusion that you simply don’t want to talk to him unless you’ve been ordered to.

Finally, after months of pining, after becoming desparate to recreate the rapport he has with you over the radio, he just has to know what he’s doing so wrong. Did he piss you off? Is there something about him that you find deeply offensive? He needs to get you talking, and after some consideration, he figures out a way to do just that. At least, he has an idea and he prays it doesn’t make things any worse.

So, to implement his master plan, he approaches you in the canteen one day. He pulls you aside and softly asks if he can borrow you for a minute.

You clear your throat and respond stiffly. “Yes, sir.”

He smiles thinly when you fail to call him Poe, yet again, but motions for you to follow him anyway. He leads you into a spare bay in the hangar -now cleared out while everyone dines or hangs out in the mess hall- and gestures for you to tak a seat in the chair opposite him. Seeing the nervousness, discomfort in your expression, your tense shoulders, he reassures you that there’s nothing to be concerned about. It’s just a comms exercise. Then, he passes you a little hand-held radio and asks you to close your eyes tight.

“What’s happening?” you say, clutching the device in your fingers, your brows furrowed in confusion as you perch on the edge of your seat, clearly unwilling to relax.

“I’m going to ask you a few questions. And I just want you to close your eyes and talk to me like I’m in the air, ok? Just imagine I’m in my X-Wing, and you’re in the control room.” he sees a soft, subtle smile pass over your lips, sees you visibly unclench, just a little.

Maker, he likes looking at you. It kinda makes his heart flutter. Great, and now he’s getting nervous; he hopes this isn’t another of his utterly dumbass ideas. Only one way to find out, as per usual. Dive in.

“Black Leader to Nav Six. Do you copy?” He calls out, then mimics the “kchhh” sound of the radio.

You hesitate, your lips twitching up at the corners, but you respond. “Nav Six, I copy.”

“Do the noise.” he prompts you, with a gentle whisper.

You shake your head in confusion, flashing your teeth in a good-natured smile all the same. “Nav Six, I copy. Kchhh.”

“Black Leader to Nav 6. How’s your day going? Kchhh.”

“It’s getting a little weird, over. Kchhh.”

Poe notices your nose crinkle in amusement. He finds it adorable, and can’t help but smile in response to you. “Ok, Nav Six, I got eyes on the prize.” You must be able to hear the smile in his voice, because you reciprocate with your own broad grin. He always swears you can detect the emotions in his voice better than anyone. Always know what he’s feeling, often better than he does himself. Maybe that’s why your face drops as his tone switches, becoming more serious. Again, you mirror his expression unconsciously. “I gotta ask, Nav 6. Why do you talk to me on the comms but never face-to-face. Over.”

The radio drops from your lips and your face scrunches in mild distress. He swears a flush creeps up your neck, your skin beginning to glow with a soft sheen. He watches as you let out an audible, nervous breath, but determinedly bring the radio back up to your mouth. “Your voice alone is bad enough and then face-to-face? I have to look at you too?!” you blurt out.

“Wow, OK. Kriff. Copy. Loud and clear. Black Leader out. Kchhh.” He sits back in his chair, defeated, face agape. Maker, he hadn’t quite expected you to be that blunt. But at least he had some answers now. Mission complete?

“No, wait! I mean...” you appear to clutch the radio a little more tightly, screw your eyes up a little further. He watches your shoulders rise as you suck in a slow, deep breath. There’s something more. Something worse?

Searching your face, he leans forward again in his chair, his voice soft and gentle. “Talk to me Nav Six. Over.”

After one more long inhale you blurt out: “I have a huge crush on you, Poe!”

Oh. Oh. It’s a classic case of mixed signals.

“What?! You do?!” he smiles in utter delight, a warm feeling spreading through his chest, giving him jitters. Happy beeps. Happy kriffing beeps.

And now that you’re talking you can’t seem to stop.

Your hands are clasped together nervously, your shoulders practically tucked up next to your ears but you’re talking. “On the comms I can hide how I feel, a little, but in real life you’re so damn handsome and you smell too good and you make me so kriffing nervous that I can’t even speak.”

Now this. This he could work with. He scrapes his chair across the floor to come closer to you, and you bite your lip with apprehension as you hear the sound.

“Tell me more,” he encourages. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

You huff a little. “I was trying to avoid you finding out because it’s embarrassing and... and there’s no way you can like me back.”

He just looks at you, checking you’ve finished your outburst. Unbelievable. You really have no idea how utterly perfect you are, do you? You gulp as he shuffles his chair closer to you once again. He must be close enough for you to smell him now, he estimates, as your nostrils flare slightly, your breath quickens a little.

“Ok. Let’s review, Nav Six.” He can’t keep the smile off his face at the fact you still have your eyes screwed tight shut. “Some of that was correct- I’m handsome. I smell great. What I wanna know is why is there no way I can like you back?”

“You’re Poe Dameron...”

His eyebrows jump up in surprise and confusion. “What does that even mean?”

You laugh, hopefully realising how silly that sounds out loud.

Then he simply asks you: “Open your eyes.”

“Nuh-uh.” you shake your head, nibbling nervously on that delicious lip of yours.

“Fine, if you really don’t want to see me when I tell you I do like you back.”

Oh, you open your eyes now. You open them wide.

His eyes crinkle at the corners as he finally gets to gaze into yours. He looks up at you from beneath his pretty lashes, a little more nervous himself now. “In fact, I like you so much that I don’t even mind if you get all spluttery and nervous. If this is any indication? Then, it’s adorable on you anyway, quite frankly.” He reaches out tentatively to take your hands in his, scraping his chair a little closer. “But one thing I do kinda mind” he says, dropping his voice a little into his throat “is not getting to talk to my favourite person and look them in their gorgeous face at the same time.”

You’re grinning. “Are you done? Do the noise.”

“Sorry, Nav Six.” He says, matching your grin. “Kchhh.”

You giggle, and he just looks ardently at you, drinking you in. He traces his thumb affectionately along your jaw line, under your chin, over your bottom lip. Your breath hitches.

“See, this is exactly what I mean..” you say, becoming evidently flustered. “You ... you make me feel really... nervous.”

He leans in until his lips are almost on yours, enjoying the effect he’s having on you already. “Hmm, but I only wanna make you feel good, baby.”

Then he presses his mouth to yours, and suddenly... you’re giving him all the right signals.

#poe dameron x reader #poe dameron #poe dameron x you #poe dameron x y/n #star wars x reader #sw #star wars fic #swcreators #poe x reader #poe dameron fluff #fluff #reader insert #poe dameron fanfiction #star wars fanfiction

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animedaddymilkers · 4 years

Text

Kinkmas 2020: Day Two

Prompt: Pegging w/ Guy

Genre: Smut/18+ || Tags: Pegging, Anal fingering, Oral || Characters: Might Guy, Female Reader || read it on ao3 here

"Still sure you wanna do this?" You questioned for probably the tenth time that day, just making sure Guy hadn't changed his mind.

To no surprise he swiftly nodded at you, "Yes! I want to do this."

When he set his mind to something he never went back on it. This was no different, after you talked over the idea of him bottoming it barely ever left his thoughts. The past couple missions were especially interesting, leaving him distracted and generally off his game. It was a rather private topic, so he didn't want to bring up with any of his friends. Instead, choosing to do his own research through books and the internet. He'd be lying to himself if he said the first video he watched on pegging didn't have him immediately sold on the idea. The notion of experiencing pleasure to the point the men in the videos had was tempting and soon after, Guy told you he wanted to try it.

The actual purchasing of the strap on was a bit embarrassing, but the staff of adult shops are always over friendly to offset the awkwardness. Now, you had the emerald green dick strapped to your waist. The sheer energy and power the attachment gave you was overwhelming and you couldn't wait to wreck your boyfriend with it. Seeing him kneeling in front of you, mouth open and waiting for your cock was enough to get you lust drunk. It'd be rude to keep him waiting, so with a slow and tentative thrust you began to slide the dick into his mouth.

It was a bit obvious he didn't have much experience with this, though he said he had some. In hindsight, it was a nice little bonding experiment for you two as a couple. He could finally understand what you have to go through every time you try to swallow his own monster cock. The best redeeming quality about Guy was that he was ambitious and eager to learn. And it was clearly showing in the way he was quickly learning to twist his head as he went up and down your green cock. Eager might have been an understatement. For something you weren't exactly receiving any physical pleasure from, Guy was sure going hard at the dick sucking.

At a certain point you had to just take a hold of his hair and pull him off your cock just so you two could move onto the main event. When he stood back up you kissed him deeply, the taste of the cherry lube still on his lips. Then you laid him down and put some of the lube on your fingers before prodding at his entrance. Already, he was tensing up, before forcing himself to relax and allow your fingers to slide into him. The sigh that left his lips was delightful and only encouraged you more. Slowly, you pushed your two fingers deeper, gently prodding as you added another digit inside of him. Guy's thick legs spread wider, silently begging you for more

His cock was hard and weeping yet he didn't dare touch himself because he knew all too well the pay off would be better if he waited.

"Oh, Kami, please… more." It came out more of a whimper than a moan.

The thought that you had one of Konoha's strongest shinobi underneath you begging for more gave you a wave of confidence. Your fingers worked him open before slipping out, earning a full fledged whine from the black haired hunk spread in front of you. You couldn't help but snicker, wiping your hand on the nearby towel and instead focused on lubing up your cock. Then, you held your breath and watched one of the best sights as your emerald strap-on slid into his ass. Your eyes wandered up his chiseled body and met his as he sighed happily, reveling in the fullness he was met with.

As a test you pushed until your hips until they met his and without any surprise, he took it without complaint. With the first thrust his thighs tensed, hands quickly reaching to find yours. Fingers interlocked as your hips trusted again, this time earning a delicious moan from Guy. Not like you needed any more initiative to keep fucking him, but the sounds coming from him definitely helped. After the first handful of thrusts you found a nice rhythm. It was slow and powerful, enough to please him but also leave him wanting more. So it was no surprise when his hips began to lift up and try to meet yours, soft begs leaving his lips.

"(Y/N)..." his voice was different than it normally was, now deeper yet broken by desperate whines, "I need more. Please, move faster…"

You smirked and completely pulled your cock out, laying down next to him. The action earned a shock look from him making you laugh softly, "You want more? Come and get it big boy. Ride it all you want."

His eyes widened slightly before he understood and scurried to straddle your waist. The contrast of his large form looming over yours was almost comical and you would have laughed had it not been for the sight of Guy sinking down onto your cock again. That signature bowl cut was now a messy mop at best, bouncing along with him, framing his face like a goddamn painting. His hips moved on their own, up and down faster than you could ever ride him. Must be all those squats he does paying off. He didn't bother holding back his pants and moans as he used you solely to get himself off, his cock moving up and down with him.

At this point everything from his face to chest was darkened with a blush and the way his eyes were nearly rolling into the back of his head let you know he was close. Teasingly, you gave a couple thrusts up, meeting his hips as they came down, making him cry out. To add fuel to the fire your one hand held onto an ass cheek while the other wrapped around his neglected, leaking cock. He moaned at your touch and leaned his head back. His movements were getting desperate as your hand worked his cock.

The hand on his ass moved and you held one of his hands, "Go ahead baby, c'mon, cum for me~"

His only response was a long whine, followed by a moan as his hips crashed down fully onto your emerald cock. It was there where he stayed, hips rocking back and forth as his cock spurted cum over your hand and stomach. His face contorted, eyes clamming shut while his mouth fell open. Honestly, you wish you had a camera to capture the sight for eternity as Guy came down from his high, panting on top of you.

"You did so good~" you rubbed his thighs as his upper body slowly leaned over, burying his head into your neck.

Your hands moved to his back and rubbed soft circles as you slowly pulled your fake cock out. Guy kissed your neck softly, his attentiveness taking over after his climax. The notion made you smile as he pressed gentle kisses all down your shoulder, his hands ghosting down your sides.

"Why don't we get you cleaned up, hun?"

"Mmm, I think you're the one that needs to be cleaned up, beautiful."

The statement confused you for a minute until rough fingers slid under the strap and made contact with the wetness between your thighs. In hindsight, you should have known better. Guy is a people pleaser, especially when it comes to making sure you're satisfied and this time was no different. Before you could refuse his act of service the strap-on was discarded to the side and your hunk of a boyfriend began sliding down your body. Along the way he trailed kisses until his head was in between your thighs. Now it was your turn to spread your legs and sigh as his warm tongue locked up your soaked slit. His strong hands wrapped around your thighs, ready to dig in for his meal and dig in he did.

Never one to half ass anything, Guy immediately began to work you like always. His lips wrapped around your clit and sucked gently, while two of his thick fingers slid inside of you. The roles reversed as your head fell back against the bed, hand tangling into Guy's hair. Fingers curled inside of you, hitting your sweet spot almost right away. You moaned and held his head in your crotch, thighs squeezing around his head. It should be illegal for a man as perfect as Guy to also be this good at giving head. His fingers quickened as he flattened his tongue against your clit. Really, he was so good at giving head because he loved doing it, loved making you cum just from his mouth and hand. He let you know it too, moaning against your pussy as he only increased his fervor.

It didn't shock you anymore that you were on the verge of orgasm already. Your thighs would be shaking if Guy didn't have such a commanding grip on them. But that didn't stop your toes from curling and tugging harder on his hair. The reactions from you only encouraged him more and he once again quickened his actions. Before long you were thrown over the edge, wetting his hand and clutching the bedsheets. As your vision returned, you saw Guy happily licking his hand clean before laying next to you. You both met with kisses and cuddles, falling into each other's warm embrace, ready to settle in for the night.

hope you enjoyed! ;) remember likes & reblogs help me reach more people! :)

#naruto #naruto x reader #naruto smut #kinkmas 2020 #might guy #maito gai #might guy x reader #maito gai x reader #smut #reader insert #might guy x you #x you #maito gai x you

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timextoxhajima · 4 years

Text

The Misadventures of Ares: Promotionem

HOSTIS MASTERLIST

“Do I want to know if one of you will be reported missing tomorrow after I give you this information?” Dr. Choi has his left jaw snug in his left palm, head resting in his hand with his free one fiddling with the corner of a file.

“With all due respect, Dr. Choi, I doubt you have much of a choice,” Hyunjae grits his teeth and bares them like he was cringing. You would love to agree with him on the spot, but that’s not a very smart thing to do now, no.

The promotion was yours, and if it wasn’t, Dr. Choi might actually have to call 911 tomorrow when he doesn’t see your fiancé report to work.

He raises a brow and provides a slight shrug at Hyunjae’s words, already tuned to his little remarks that could cause a fire, but not enough for him to fire him. The hospital couldn’t anyway, not when Hyunjae’s done more good than most doctors in the building.

“I must have the both of you know that this promotion doesn’t mean anything. The paycheck is just about two or three thousand dollars difference and the working hours are still the same.”

A pause. He’s waiting for a reaction.

None.

“No matter which one of you gets promoted at this point, the other can get a promotion far more honorable, you know?”

He pauses again.

Nothing.

Dr. Choi sighs in resignation. “Very well,” He opens the file. Hyunjae sucks in a deep breath and shrinks his left eye, like he was scared something was going to pop out of those ivory pages. “I would like to congratulate Dr. l/n for excelling at her job, and the hospital would like to present her with-”

“YYYYYYYYYEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!” Your fists are clenched so hard and pushed so fast up into the air, the sides of your chest hurt. “AHA! DIDN’T I TELL YOU I’D GET THE PROMOTION FIRST?”

“Dr. l/n,” The senior doctor calls out, yanking your ghastly triumph back down to Earth. You hadn’t realised you were inches away from Hyunjae’s face, doing nothing but ironically talking down to him as if you were ready to win a rap battle.

“Oh,” Quick, embarrassed steps retreat you from your fiancé (and your loser of a colleague). “Sorry.”

Gaze stuck to the floor and your fingers tightly interweaved with one another, you cannot control the smile that’s erupting across your face. The glee, the satisfaction, the pure bliss that encapsulates your entire being in the form of a sheet of paper in front of you.

“Very graceful, Dr. l/n.” Hyunjae’s voice sneaks up from your right, and the childish need to stick out your tongue at him overwhelms your need to remain professional.

“Sometimes I question how you two made it past med school,” Dr. Choi looks up, over the rims of his glasses and raises a brow. The gesture earns a gentle huff from you as you turn away from Hyunjae. “Anyway, I’ll be sending you an email regarding the additional things you need to look out for, but for now, just keep up the good work.”

Clenching your fists in glee, you are snickering when you look up at Dr. Choi, who only turns to look at Hyunjae. “Doesn’t mean you can’t be the next to get a bigger promotion, Dr. Lee.”

“I know,” Hyunjae nods knowingly. The smug smirk directed at you rips out a sneer from your lips. “I trust you, Dr. Choi.”

You are halfway across the distance between you and your fiance, hand in the air and ready to slap it down against his arm when Dr. Choi raises both his hands, palms facing his audience and waving aggressively.

“If you two want to fight over this miniscule promotion, please do it at elsewhere, possibly in the safety of your own homes.”

Hyunjae tuts loudly, walking around you and heading for the door of Dr. Choi’s office. “Thank you, Dr. Choi,” He pauses, and glances between you and the older doctor. “And do help me call the police and ambulance tomorrow if I don’t show up.”

Your lower jaw goes slack as Hyunjae purses his lips in mischief, quickly exiting the office before you can throw something at him. “You-!”

“Dr. l/n!”

The mandarin shades of the setting sun is reflecting off the champagne glass tower as you are shown to the rooftop restaurant. With the spectacular view of the city and the sights of exquisite food placed on perfect-white porcelain plates, this is the last thing you would’ve expected him to do.

“Over here, Mr and Mrs Lee,” The waiter, who’s dressed in a suit that seemed mroe expensive than the clothes you were wearing now, gestures to a table for two nearest to the end where there was a gorgeous waterfall over the ledge and into the water catchment area below. “Here’s the menu. Today’s soup special is the Black Truffle Mushroom and I recommend that we get you started on a five-course seafood and steak meal with a Cabernet or Malbec.”

“Kitten, is there anything you don’t want before I get us started on that five-course?”

Your eyes dart away from the glistening water below to look at Hyunjae, whose eyes are plastered to the menu while the waiter is standing by the table with his hands before his abdomen.

“Uh- I-”

“We’ll both have the five-course. And make that two Cabernets. But is it alright if we change the soup special to Clam Chowder? It’s in the menu.”

The waiter takes the menu from Hyunjae that was being handed over. “Definitely. I’ll come by soon with the wine and soup.”

“Thank you.”

And with that, the waiter takes off with the menus and leaves you staring in awe at the view before you. Hyunjae peels your hand off the table and plants a kiss on the back of your hand, before cupping his own cheek in your palm.

“Do you like it?”

“Like it? I love it,” As much as you wanted to slam a book in his face for teasing you infront of your mentor this morning, you couldn’t. How could anybody? “You really didn’t have to.”

“No, no,” Hyunjae releases your hand for you to keep. “I’m great at being gracious and this is it. You won the fight and you deserve a treat.”

“But my treat’s the promotion. I didn’t need this.”

Hyunjae leans back in his chair, with his emerald green blazer a capturing all the orange there is that settling on the fabric. His hair is slightly tousled, and it’s a miracle how it remains in its position. He never liked touching much wax or hairspray unless he knew he couldn’t afford it getting into his face. But his skin is so clear, it looks like glass. And his eyes are pearls in the clear blue sea when you look down in the sand.

Then he looks at you with utmost genuine when he parts his lips, only speaking out enough for you to hear.

“At least let me enjoy celebrating your wins with you, even if you beat me to it.”

A gentle chuckle escapes your throat. “Is this how you won Minhee over, back when we were in school? With your... diabetic, sugar-infused speech?”

Hyunjae pokes the inside of his cheek with his tongue and crosses his legs under the table. “That probably wouldn’t work - words don’t click like they do in her head as they do in ours.”

“That’s mean!”

“Says you.”

The sound of your stomach gurgling stirs you in your sleep - which is weird. You've never had a problem with gastric or anything similar of the sorts. It's a surprise when your mouth starts flooding with saliva though, and you try to sit up in a bid to swallow down the need to hurl.

But a weight on your hip keeps you from sitting up completely, as so does Hyunjae's arm on your waist that keeps you pinned to the bed.

"Jae-"

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Get your leg off me."

"No."

"Get your damn leg off me before I-"

There it is again.

Hyunjae can feel your physique squirm against his chest. The feeling of queasiness lurches up your stomach and into your throat and finally it becomes unbearable. He isn't given a chance before you literally slide out from underneath him and bolt for his bathroom, and before you know it you're on your knees with your dinner and dessert being hurled out into the toilet bowl.

"Jesus, are you okay?" Hyunjae squats next to you after turning on the bathroom light. "Was it something you ate?"

The stench of the remnants in the toilet bowl stinks up the whole bathroom, and your slightly limp hand reaches out for the flush. "I don't know. I don't think so- you're not puking."

"Well- I could have a stronger stomach than you."

Sitting your bum to the cold tiles of the floor, your eyes naturally start shooting daggers at your fiancé. "You really know when to say the best things, don't you?"

The mischief in him slips away, replaced with a gentle smile as he presses his hand to your forehead. "Well, you're not having a fever so it probably isn't food poisoning."

"Never mind," Your hand searches for something solid to help you up, but Hyunjae interrupts you and slides his arms under your knees and your back instead. "I can get a check up at the hospital tomorrow when I check into work."

"Can't you take the day off and get your check up elsewhere?"

"We literally work at the hospital," Your bum leaves the floor as he carries you out, stopping by the switch on the wall to turn off the light. "Isn't it common sense to make use of that?"

Hyunjae hums, making it to his bed in about 5 or 6 steps. The cushion sinks under your weight when he puts you down in bed, and he crawls over you playfully, with his arms perching his torso above yours.

"You're so cute when you need me to take care of you," He pecks your nose and forehead.

"I don't need any taking care, Sir," Your fingers dig into his cheeks as you squish them, forcing his lips into an 'o'. "You're cuter, by the way."

Hyunjae grins widely, eyes still sleepy. Then he topples over and scoops you into his chest like a child holding a puppy, lips against your forehead as his gentle breathing takes you away into your slumber.

"Why did you even bother to clock into work today when you're not feeling well?" The general practitioner frowns at you through the reflection of his laptop as he watches you slide the door of his office shut.

"Aw, not happy to see me?" The sarcasm was awfully heavy in your voice as the smirk remains plastered to your face. Dr. Kyung Won Jin whirls around in his roller chair and scoots over to his desk where you head for, automatically pulling your white coat so that you wouldn't sit on it.

"I think I'd like it more if we were... perhaps in a restaurant or a café catching up instead." He takes your temperature and blood pressure.

"I would but I'm swamped," The blood pressure arm strap tightens around your skin and muscle.

"Not to mention that promotion I heard you got yesterday, right?" He smiles, turning to his laptop and letting some program run.

The satisfaction wells your chest. "So you've heard!"

"How could I not, when the entire department heard you yelling about it in Dr. Choi's office?"

A low chuckle collects the atmosphere as he removes the blood pressure strap. He clicks a pen and jots down the number, but it's not enough to catch your attention.

"Well, had to make sure to rub it in his face."

"Would've been there to see it myself... but, probably didn't want to be around when y'all are hurling things at each other."

"News flash, we didn't throw anything at each other," You grin at Dr. Kyung, who pulls out a needle and a blood tube.

"Nice to know," He wraps a band around your forearm before lifting the syringe. "Hold still for me, yeah?" Dr. Kyung starts pulling on the syringe. "So, how did he take it? Did he give you the cold shoulder?"

All you can remember from the previous day was the warmth of the sunset and the coolness from the starry night sky.

"Nah," A sweet smile overcomes your greed to flaunt your triumph. "He took me out for a dinner date."

"Aww," Dr. Kyung pouts cutely, eyes flitting back and forth between the blood tube and you. "So, when's the wedding? You've already registered your marriage, haven't you?"

"Well, yes. But the wedding's gotta wait," Dr. Kyung pulls out the needle, pressing a cotton pad to your tiny wound that you press into your arm. "I don't think we can afford the time to plan one now. We were already busy before and now with the promotion... Nah."

"Mm," He hums, sticking the blood tube into one of those test tube holders.

"That's a bummer. But if you do have a wedding, I'd hate to miss it."

Dr. Kyung helps you paste a plaster before you get up and take your leave.

"Of course not. Anything for you, Dr."

The marble counter is slightly stained with cream sauce and some pepper when the pasta is done cooking, and Hyunjae wraps his arms around your waist in a bid to plant little kisses into the back of your neck.

"You're already not helping and you want to pull this stunt now?"

Hyunjae turns off the stove before you're done and turns you around, letting you lean against the edge of the counter. "Who said I didn't help? I got the groceries and I set the table."

You can taste the butter from the garlic bread he was told to make when he presses his lips into yours.

"I told you to help with the garlic bread, not eat them," Hands on his chest, you pull away but unable to escape from between his hands on the edge of the counter.

"I was hungry, let me live a little, would you?" His fingers find your chin and bring them to his face again. The smile that stretches across his lips when you can't resist the kiss he's offering tastes like-

Then Hyunjae's right arm finally leaves the counter, and his left rests on your waist instead. His lips don't leave yours until he finds the vibrating device in the back pocket of his pants.

"Mm, hi- Dr. Kyung," He manages between the kisses. "Mhm- yes- she was just- cooking-"

Of all times to call...

"Right- the blood test- Mhm-"

Then he abruptly screeches to a halt, and your lips are left alone like ditching a puppy along the street.

"Ugh, will you hang up and just-"

"No, shut up, kitten," He shows you his palm as he transfers more attention to the person on the other end of the line, his left hand still gentle on your waist.

Rolling your eyes, you turn back to the pan and pour out your dinners into two plates that you bring to the table.

"It's my blood test," You mumble to yourself, annoyed. After setting down the food, you finally turn around to look at him, hands on your hips. Your lips are already parted to ask him to hang up and just come for dinner if it's nothing important, but he beats you to it.

"Kitten," The phone is held a distance away from his ear, his eyes flickering like satellites in the sky. "You're pregnant."

#hostis #timetohajima hostis #tbz hyunjae #hyunjae #lee hyunjae #the boyz #the boyz hyunjae

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seancekitsch · 4 years

Text

You Need Hands: Part of the Prize Buck Series

Warnings: smut, talking about abusive relationships, talking about drug use, unsafe bondage practices bc i am not a sex guru i am a writer of two flawed people, codependancy, praising

Klaus is surprised, to say the least when you come into the apartment raging, fingernails chewed off and eyes red as if you'd been crying on your walk home from work. Work was your only place, save for home, where you seemed truly happy. He notices your shaking and the barely contained rage behind the clench of your jaw.

“Hey! Hey, is everything alright?” he puts a hand out to stop you from pacing, and you turn on him, eyes glassy and red.

“Do you know what she said about us?”

What the fuck? Who would have said that? You talk to his siblings. Your boss. And. Oh. Okay, you talk to Gwen, your roommate from your University days that you recently gotten in touch with again. Klaus doesn't like her. It’s hard to get on Klaus’ bad side, but she seemed… pushy. Not pushy. What's the word he’s trying to use? Controlling? Scheming? Yeah, those are the ones. Accuracy cuts deeper, you always tell him. He pets your arm, feeble in trying to calm you down but after a few ragged open-mouthed breaths, you’re ready.

“She called us Sid and Nancy,” you continue, “She said we live in a sex den above a bodega slowly killing each other, if not outright doing it. She thinks you’re gonna get me high again. She basically met up with me up to judge me and tell me everything I’m doing wrong. I didn't even get to tell her about that paella we made last week for your whole family.”

“Oh, she’s kidding right? I’d make a terrible Nancy.” That makes you pause in your tracks, confusion lighting up your features.

“No- Klaus she thinks you’re Sid.”

“I’m not Sid.” He reaffirms, pulling you in and wrapping his arms around your frame. Noticing how the candlelight catches on your hair, making you look like a biblical angel, one of those terrifying fiery things, hard to look at but you’re all his. He knows how you feel right now, better than anyone. He’s used to being the one discounted and lectured. His own siblings, as much as he loves them dearly, only just started trusting him in the span of the past two years. It felt like something divine, that despite how mean and secluded you were at first, how you trusted him so deeply so quickly. He’d known you for almost a year, and in that year dragged you to another century, gotten you involved in a cult, exposed you to his family, ghosts, challenging and difficult situations other people could have easily cracked under without disease plaguing their mind. Klaus is capable of great cruelty and recklessness, he knows it. He knows you shouldn't trust someone who has seen and done the frankly fucked up shit he has, but you do. And he trusts you fully in turn, if not more. Even when you refused to be open with him, pushed him away; the days when you would have rather stuck pins in your hand than speak to him because he was loud and you were too weak to handle it.

He exhales a breath he didn't know he was holding when he feels your head dip and fall against his chest.

“Is she right?” your voice is far away, empty. Needing some empty comfort. “Are we killing each other? Do we suck?”

“Hey, c’mon, don't be upset,” he shushes you, “We’re good for each other. We have jobs! No relapses! Bet your ex could never say that.” He couldn't, your ex was part of the reason you were here, which Klaus wasn't exactly upset about because it meant he had you and no one else did, but you probably could have benefitted from years free from an active addiction that was more or less funded by the competitive nature of your work and home life.

“I’m not upset. I’m pissed.”

That solves it for Klaus. When you're pissed, you clam up. He doesn't want to emotionally lose you for the rest of the day, or worse, the whole weekend.

“We’re not killing each other,” he confirms, “Pretty sure you can't kill me anyway.”

You snort and swat at his ribs, but then your hand doesn't leave him after the hit, instead slinking from his side to his back, coming to rest on his shoulder blade. You're holding him, which means he hasn't lost you.

“Oh, wicked thing, I’ll show you how good I am for you.”

You sigh, and feeling the pricking of your nails on his back, he takes that as permission. His hand begins roaming your body, groping at your chest, squeezing at your ass as you grab onto him, holding him for stability as he keeps moving, his large hands making you moan.

“Klaus…” you trail off. What are you trying to say? What are you asking for? You don't know.

“How many days have you been clean?” He whispers against your skin.

“One hundred and ninety three.” You know it exactly.

“See? She’s wrong,” and he goes back to peppering your face with kisses as his hands work to pull your skirt out of the way. Its dirty the way he pulls your clothes out of the way to fondle at you, to rub against your cunt through your underwear, to pull that underwear aside and find you wet and waiting. His other arm wrapped around the small of your back, holding your rumpled skirt gathered in his hand.

“I’ll be real good for you,” he affirms, slipping a finger into you, and then another. You grip onto his shoulders now, enough to keep you standing when your legs want to crumble under his thrusting. He pushes in with ease, like you were made to take his fingers, your breath hitching and tiny whines falling from your lips. His forehead dips to press against yours, sweat beginning to form on his brow. Its dizzying, how deep his long fingers can be inside you, how full and whole you feel as he holds you against him, making you shake and moan as he props you up, letting you feel like a ragdoll at his mercy.

“Hey,” he nudges you with his nose, “Hey, Lover, look over there.”

He shifts his head to the left, and your head follows. You're face to face with the image of yourself in the cheap and grimy thrift shop mirror you had bought. You see how strong his lean muscles are, how they move against you, hold you close and safe.

“Look how fuckin’ good you look.” You nod, you have to agree, heavy bedroom eyes stare back at you, your lips parted almost pornographically. Is this how Klaus sees you all the time? He picks up the pace, eagerly moving his hips along with his hand, needing to feel some release and friction himself as he works you over, your voice raising an octave as he gets rougher, until your eyes close tightly; your body stiffens, shakes, and you can hear him praising you. You're doing so well, that's it, all for me, right on my hand, you're so sexy. Your voice comes out in a shudder. Trying to thank him as your muscles twitch and you look into his beautiful green eyes.

“No, no, no, shhhh,” he hushes you again, smoothing your hair down as he leads you to walk on wobbly legs over to the bed to sit, not bothering to fix your skirt. Your eyebrow quirks as he moves to remove his belt fully, not just unbuckle it to remove his pants.

But you wise up quickly, watching him grab your hands and start to wrap the belt around your wrists. You have bondage rope somewhere around here, but this is hot, and he told you to be quiet, so you don’t make a sound. He moves your hands at the wrist, checking for you to make sure the belt won't hurt you, then pushes you back onto the bed, staring at invisible patterns on the ceiling as you lift your hand for them, belted wrists landing at the other edge of the bed. You can feel him push your skirt up even more, then you feel his skin on yours, his bare thighs rubbing against the inside of yours, then the sensation of Klaus rubbing his cock against you. Fuck, you love his cock. You love him. He watches your expression, your gasps, your sighs from lips plumped by bruising, your eyes fluttering shut as he rubs against you. You're a fucking goddess. He doesn't deserve you, despite trying to carnally prove that he does. Youre so fucking good, you’ve helped better each other. Fuck what anyone says. He just hopes you believe it too.

“So fuckin’ good, Lover. Oh, I’m gonna worship this cunt,” he sighs, more to himself than you.

“Don’t make me wait, Klaus,” you command, but then whine as he enters you. Everything feels like so much, so much.

“Sensitive, Fraulein?”

“I can handle it.”

“Of course you can,” he agrees, setting his pace

He hikes one of your legs up onto his hip, then hikes his leg up onto the bed, getting a better angle to fuck you, but also to lean in and kiss you, his mustache brushing your chin, lips attaching themselves to the underside of your jaw as he kisses you fully, pressing his love into your skin.

He covers your body with his own, protective, possessive, and devoted; he fucks you through another high, making you scream into his mouth as he doesn’t slow his pace, once again shushing you and singing your praises. I love you, you look so good like this, let me live the rest of my life like this between your thighs. You want to let him take, and take, and take. Such a thoughtful, loving, loyal person. He gives. You want him to give.

“Klaus,” you sound breathless, “Klaus, come inside me, please.”

You beg, wanting him completely. He lifts your other leg, before climbing completely on the bed with you, his sweaty chest dropping against yours, palming at your breast as he buries his head into the crook of your neck, needing to feel the closeness of you as he comes.

He comes quietly, with a staggered gasp and your lips kissing his hair. One of his hands finds yours bound above your head, and grasps them both in his. He kisses your neck as he stills, body relaxing as he comes down.

You stay like that for almost a half hour before the phone on the wall rings and snaps you out of your loving haze.

#klaus hargreeves x reader #prize buck series

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jaeminzie · 4 years

Text

swimming pools | n.jm

↳ na jaemin x gender neutral!reader

synopsis: fwb!jaemin boldly confesses his true feelings for you, slightly drunk on alcohol and drunk on you.

genre: fluff fluff

word count: 2,078

warnings: small mentions of sex

another friday night of partying— a way to destress but the music bounced on the walls so powerfully that it made difficult to stay in the room, making your head ache. you gulped your drink and informed your friends who were currently dancing without a care in the world that you’ll be down at the basement where it was peaceful. the basement wasn’t far at all but the amount of sweaty bodies you had to squeeze through felt infinite. you made it though. sluggishly walking down the stairs and examining the room, and to your surprise— jaemin was seated at the kitchen island with no one but a beer in his hand with his head down. furrowing your eyebrows in confusion, jaemin wasn’t the type to be all alone during a party. he had way too many friends to be alone.

you moved towards the fridge placed in front of the island and grabbed yourself a cold beer, then taking a seat in front of jaemin. when he heard the stool chair squeak and your beer can open, he lifted his head and his eyes softened at the sight of you and your slightly glowing face from the alcohol you’ve consumed so far. nodding his head to you, “y/n, what’s up?”

“needed a break up there, i’m too exhausted.” you sighed and began drinking your beer, groaning at the bitter taste. “what’s up with you?”

“just...” he paused to take a sip and also sighed. “i heard there’s a swimming pool here.”

your eyes lit up in amusement with a smirk forming on your face. “that’s cool. but what are you implying, jaemin?”

“parties are getting so boring, let’s go do something else.” he chugged his beer and slid it away from him.

“jaem, i’m not really down to fuck tonight. i’m too exhaus-“

“y/nnn, i won’t pull anything on you tonight, i just wanna get out of here. don’t worry.” he gave you a reassuring smile and you felt your chest tighten. the alcohol has started taking an effect on you.

you weren’t sure if you trusted yourself to be with jaemin, your fuck buddy who you may or may not have feelings for, intoxicated. yet, you still said, “me too, let’s go.” chugging your beer to the last drop then shooting it into the trash and jumping off of the stool, jaemin doing the same with a big smile on his face that warmed your heart. but a sting of pain followed the comforting feeling when you remembered that your relationship with each other is only physical.

worsening the sting, jaemin took your hand and hurriedly dragged you up the stairs, past all the bodies, and out of the back door. he didn’t let go when you two were fully outside feeling the cold night breeze.

the awkward tension was unbearable, jaemin was kicking rocks and your hands were clamming up as you walked your way towards the isolated swimming pool all the way at the back of the backyard. the walk there felt like an eternity and the whole time, jaemin never let go of your hand but you tried your hardest not to think too much about it.

noticing the long period of silence, jaemin squeezed your hand and giggled. cute. “are you good?” he looked down on you with a smile. “you seem so off lately, even yesterday when i was blowing your back ou-“

“don’t! even finish that sentence.” he immediately shut his mouth and raised the hand that wasn’t gripping yours up in surrender while nodding. “school was tough this week, maybe that’s why.” technically, you weren’t lying. though, your behavior is also caused by the annoyingly unavoidable feelings you have for jaemin.

“hmm,” he nodded and absentmindedly rubbed your hand with his thumb which drove your heart to beat three times faster. “you sure that’s it?”

“yeah, what else would there be?” you tried your best to keep your voice in the same octave to avoid showing your nervousness.

“nah, just making sure.” he finally let go of your hand when your feet met the cobblestone that led to the edge of the pool. he stood right by the edge and signaled you to come stand next to him, and you did.

“you have extra clothes?” you questioned him, but your question was answered when you watched him undress himself until he was only in his boxers, then folding his clothes neatly and placed them on a beach chair. you’ve seen jaemin’s bare body multiple times and every time, you always had your breath taken away.

“nope,” he popped his ‘p’ and smiled at you before canon-balling into the pool making a loud noise and splashing water on you in the process. “come in, angel. it’s cold in here and i need you to warm me up.” jaemin does not know what he’s doing to your heart, or so you thought.

your hands began undressing yourself and followed the same actions jaemin did just moments ago. but instead of jumping into the water, you decided to just slowly dip your body into the cold water that instantly made you shiver. though, jaemin immediately swam towards you to wrap his toned arms around you in an attempt to warm your bodies up even just a little bit.

physical affection wasn’t a big deal for you both, but you always have to remind yourself that there isn’t any feelings involved to spare yourself some trouble. though, it was too late for that. “this is really nice,” jaemin spoke in a soft voice and his hands began caressing your back.

before you could reply, jaemin grabbed your hands and forced your body to swim along with him, still keeping the bright smile on his face. “you’re still tensed, y/n. it’s friday, you can relax now. please?” his eyes were pleading you to let yourself enjoy this moment. his puppy eyes worked effectively since your muscles began to loosen and a small smile appeared on your face which made jaemin’s big smile even wider.

you nodded and began to swim freely, straying away too far for jaemin’s liking which made him follow you around like a puppy. “stop!” you laughed at him and splashed water at his face. “let me be!” while in reality, you actually wanted him to continue what he was doing and possibly grab onto you like there’s no tomorrow. but of course, you couldn’t say that for the sake of your ‘partnership’ with one another.

“angel, you’re always so rude to me.” he teased back and did what you wanted, he eventually caught up to you and embraced you in a back hug while you two were letting out giggles sounding like little children.

your heart fluttered when he rested his dripping chin on your shoulder and placed delicate kisses on your neck. you were so close to giving in, but you could not take the strained feeling in your heart anymore. sternly, you told him “jaemin please.”

his kissing stopped but he kept his embrace just as tight as before. “i’m sorry. you just look so pretty tonight.” he mumbled against your shoulder blade, then turning you around to make you face him.

“it’s okay,” your voice was fragile and your eyes avoided his, but he desperately wanted you to look at him and notice that he wants you just as much as you want him. possibly even more. you thought of all the excuses in the world to get yourself out of this situation before the alcohol says something your sober self would regret, “i should be home early, i have somewhere to be tomorrow.”

you managed to get out of his hold and swim towards the edge of the pool, hearing the boy sigh behind you. “y/n, you’re really bad at lying. you never have plans on saturdays.” he begins to swim behind you and stopped when he was floating beside you closely. “i would know because we spend every saturday together.” he nudged your shoulder softly, giving you a reminder that both of you cleared majority of your saturdays so just you can do your sensual activities at his house.

you turned to him expecting to see his infamous smirk that you hated so much (but fell for). though, you were met with a frown and pleading eyes of the boy who was pulling you closer. this time with a tighter grip, not wanting to let you go.

“you’re really oblivious, aren’t you.” he laughed softly but his eyes weren’t bright like how they were a couple minutes ago.

you pulled him closer to you making your chest rest against each other because you were currently too exhausted to even try to talk your way out of this. in the end, jaemin will get you to stay and you both knew that. with a sigh, you replied with “just let me be.”

it has been such a long night for you, you just had to rest your head on his chest and hearing his heartbeat made you breathe more calmly. jaemin’s right hand went straight to the back of your head to stroke your hair while his left arm maneuvered your arms making them embrace his waist.

“i like you... too?” the first words sounded very confident but the last word was a completely different tone, making you smile tiredly. “i mean, you do like me right? or am i just assuming? fuck, sorry this is so awkward.” his heartbeat became unsteady and rapid against your ear, you began to shush him so he can stop rambling.

“i like you too, but-“

“but what? i don’t see anything wrong,” he cupped your face and made you make eye contact with his shimmering eyes. you melted at the sight of his desperate face, he was glowing due to the reflection of the pool, the moonlight, and the alcohol. you were too busy admiring his face to even respond, and jaemin seemed to notice. “please say something.”

you blink your eyes multiple times getting your focus back, “something could go wrong, jaem. i don’t want to ruin it, but i always do. that’s why i wanted a fuck buddy in the first place, i’m not suited for a relationship.” it pained you to tell that to him but you had to be truthful. you wanted to look away so badly but jaemin’s hands kept your face in place right in front of his own dangerously close.

shaking his head, “i’ll help you. i’m not gonna give up easily and you know that. i’ll be here to help you through everything, y/n. please?”

how could anyone say no to him? you wanted to turn him down so badly but you knew you’d regret it if you did. there was only a possibility of you hurting him in the end if you say ‘yes’, but saying ‘no’ without trying would hurt him no matter what. you pulled his hands away from your face and pulled him towards you so you can rest your forehead on his. “okay.”

he closed his eyes and sighed in relief, a smile shortly followed. “i promise you, you’ll do amazing. anything you’ll do, i’ll be happy. can i kiss you?”

you giggled at him, the strained feeling in your chest was finally released and was replaced with a sense of warmth, making you forget the cold water that was causing goosebumps to form on your skin. you nodded for barely a second before jaemin softly pressed his lips into yours.

the two of you have shared many kisses in the past, but this one was something that you both haven’t felt before. the fire was ignited and you were not trying to put it out like how you used to. this time, you can finally show how much you wanted him but not for his body, but for his love. you could feel jaemin’s excitement through the motions of his lips, yet he made sure to be gentle with you making sure you feel his genuine admiration towards you through his actions. finally, you could breathe around him and you could stop neglecting your strong feelings towards the boy. jaemin was relieved when he felt your body relax and melt into his arms, feeling accomplished that he’s finally made you feel confident enough to be with him.

the kissing stopped but you two remained in each other’s arms, not wanting to let go as you felt too safe in one another’s embrace after silently yearning to have the type of relationship you both truly wanted for so long.

#nct #nct 2020 #nct dream #dreamies #nct dream fanfic #nct dream drabbles #nct dream scenario #nct dream imagine #nct dream fluff #jaemin #na jaemin #na jaemin fluff #jaemin imagine #jaemin fluff #jaemin scenario #fwb jaemin

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simp4kuvira · 4 years

Text

The Guilty Consequences

My second-ever fanfiction! I tried to approach this using an angsty/hurt/comfort angle. Hopefully it’s satisfactory. Likes and reblogs are always appreciated 💚

Summary: Kuvira has achieved everything she's ever dreamed of. The Avatar and her fiancé are gone, Republic City has fallen, the Earth Empire is fully united, and there's nothing obstructing her goals anymore. But why does she feel the guilty consequences of her actions gnawing at her psyche?

Rating: Mature for foul language and mentions of death and violence.

Pairing: Fem!Reader x Kuvira

Word count: ~3,950 words

To read on fanfiction.net, click here.

To read on AO3, click here.

“Great Uniter?”

Your gentle voice draws Kuvira’s attention away from the cockpit’s windows of her enormous mecha suit, which is currently situated over the rubble of what used to be President Raiko’s office. After successfully stopping Team Avatar from meddling in Kuvira’s efforts to conquer Republic City, the rest of the United Republic of Nations fell neatly into the hands of the Earth Empire. Korra and her friends were clever enough to believe that kidnapping Kuvira’s so-called fiancé and using him as a bargaining chip would convince her to give up the assault on Republic City. Little did they know, Kuvira was ecstatic to seize the opportunity to rid herself of the engagement and wipe out Team Avatar for the good of the empire. One simple blast of her mecha’s spirit cannon directed towards Future Industry’s factory killed two birds with one stone. Of course, Kuvira still had to worry about Korra’s reincarnation when the new earthbending Avatar came of age, but seeing as how they would be reborn into the Earth Empire, the Great Uniter was not concerned about the future Avatar’s actions for now. She would worry about that problem on another day. For now, the aftermath of Republic City’s defeat was a more pressing matter.

The corner of Kuvira’s lip twitches upward in a faint smile when she turns to meet your gaze. You stride towards her and wrap an arm around her waist before planting a quick kiss on the beauty mark underneath her eye. A noise of contentment emanates somewhere deep in her throat as she leans into your touch. “You know you don’t have to call me Great Uniter, Y/N. Especially not when we’re alone.”

“Oh trust me, I know,” you retorted. “I just thought it would be fitting to use your official title to commemorate you on a job well done. The Earth Empire is completely unified now thanks to you.”

Kuvira’s eyes flicker back to surveying the remnants of Republic City. “You flatter me, Y/N. I hardly completed the effort on my own. There were my soldiers, my engineers, and don’t forget the radio technician that triangulated Team Avatar and Baatar’s location in Future Industry’s factory. We’d still be at war with Republic City if it weren’t for their intel. I owe my success to my loyal followers, and especially to you. I don’t regret appointing you to draft annexation treaties for the states that yielded peacefully.” She chuckled softly. “I would’ve never gotten to know you so intimately if I hadn’t done that, much less had the privilege to call you mine.” She presses an innocent kiss to the corner of your mouth.

You scoffed playfully and pulled back from Kuvira’s waist. “You give yourself too little credit! Not many people would’ve had the mental fortitude to take out your strongest opposition using the spirit cannon. The Earth Empire exists because of you.” You lower your voice and snuggle back to Kuvira’s side. “You know… I’m kinda glad that you did it, even if it sounds awful. It’s unfortunate that Korra and Baatar are gone, but at least we don’t have to worry about the Avatar for another sixteen-something years. We don’t have to hide our relationship from everyone anymore, and you don’t have to pretend to be attracted to some gross guy. We can be authentically together in peace while you build your nation. That’s what matters.” A twinge of guilt spreads through your chest when you dare to defile Korra and Baatar, but you ignore it as best as possible. This is for the best, you repeat to yourself. Funnily enough, that phrase has become a personal mantra for both you and your lover.

You felt Kuvira’s muscles stiffen almost imperceptibly when she heard the words “Avatar” and her ex-fiancé’s name on your lips. Surely she must feel relieved that she doesn’t have to fake being in love with a man as a cheap cover-up for her true sexuality, even if he was taken out of the picture a tad bit brusquely, to say the least. She also doesn’t have Korra breathing down her neck anymore, so what gives? Kuvira’s eyes are glued to the windows offering a panoramic view of the leagues and leagues of wreckage. She remains uncomfortably quiet.

Unsure of whether or not Kuvira wants you to remain clinging onto her, you start pulling away when she shows no sign of breaking the silence. You’ve been romantically involved with Kuvira for three years now, and you know that when she clams up, there’s no use trying to pry her open until she’s ready. During the first few months of your relationship, she would often have trouble separating her outwardly ambitious and cunning persona from her inwardly vulnerable and tender true self. On days where her reunification efforts fell behind schedule or the Avatar knocked her carefully calculated plans awry, Kuvira’s sour mood leaked into your personal lives. At times, she would inadvertently lapse into Great Uniter-mode while you were trying to relax together after a long day’s work. It wasn’t until you gently coaxed her out of her tension that she began to share what was weighing heavily on her mind. You supported her as best as you could, but when it came to more delicate topics, such as her childhood, her relationship with her adoptive family, or her innermost feelings, Kuvira shut down. She would come clean to you when she was prepared to talk. All would reveal itself in due time.

You murmured something vague about seeing her later as you padded quietly towards the door. Just as you were about to leave the mecha’s cockpit, a feeble voice called out for you to wait. Stopping in your tracks, you spun on your toes to look at Kuvira. The orange sunset filtered in through the windows and outlined her body in a shimmering glow, which seemed to have a softening effect on her unusually tense body language. Her entire frame was as rigid as a steel beam, legs shoulder-width apart, arms poised behind her back. Her brow was furrowed ever-so-slightly and the corner of her eyes were pinched, as if she was lost in thought or fighting off a headache.

“Y/N,” she ventured. She inhaled sharply before continuing. “I thought reuniting the Earth Empire and conquering the United Republic of Nations would be… different. Ever since Suyin refused to stabilize Ba Sing Se and share Zaofu’s progressiveness, I believed I was the only person competent enough to take initiative. I stepped up to the plate and accomplished my goals. The Earth Empire is stronger than ever. I’m finally in the position to launch industrialization and modernization campaigns in villages neglected by that archaic monarchy everyone despised. I restored order where there was anarchy. I stopped lawless bandits stealing from the poor. I gave resources to the needy when we annexed states, yet…” her eyes flutter closed for a moment as she pauses to collect her thoughts. When she reopens her eyes, her jade colored eyes plead silently at you. Even when you’re standing across the cockpit from each other, you notice that her shoulders are trembling ever-so-slightly.

You’re astonished at Kuvira’s rare moment of vulnerability. Usually it takes her a few hours, maybe a day or two, for her to open up about a touchy subject. Even then, she’s not one to show emotion so openly on her countenance, not unless she’s severely distressed and totally certain that you and her are alone together. You took a few hesitant steps towards her.

“You thought winning would be different, huh?” Unsure of how to proceed, you decided to try your hand at a bit of light-hearted banter to see if it might have an effect on your lover. “Well, yeah winning was going to be different! You made your plans based on the assumption that Korra would always be a pain in the ass even after we annexed the United Republic and started our projects, but now you don’t have to worry about her anymore! What about the wedding? You don’t have to marry a guy you don’t love, and we don’t have to worry about hiding our relationship from everyone. Isn’t that a weight off your shoulders?” Despite your confession, you knew the loss of life was a tragedy. You convinced yourself that it was for the greater good, and you knew Kuvira shared your sentiment. This is for the best, you recited. You shimmied towards her and reached out to hold her gloved hands in your own. Icy fingers of anxiety began to spider its way throughout your chest when you looked into her eyes plagued by fear. “Kuvira… is everything alright?” You squeezed her quivering hands for emphasis.

Kuvira’s eyes flitted to a spot right over your shoulder. “That’s not what I meant, Y/N. I meant I thought winning would be better than this.”

“Better?”

“Yes. Better.” It appears Kuvira is becoming irritated at you.

“Kuvira, I won’t understand what you’re trying to say if you keep beating around the bush like that. Why isn’t this better?”

Kuvira lets out an exasperated groan and yanks her hands away from you. “Don’t pretend to be stupid, Y/N. You know what I’m talking about. There’s more good in the Earth Empire than bad. At least, that’s what I keep trying to convince myself. This is for the best, we would always say. I made more progress than what I took away from people. The price I paid— no, the price other people paid— for my progress was justified. Isn’t it?” Kuvira’s voice falters on the last two words tumbling out of her lips. “What good is ruling the Earth Empire if all I have to show for it is a pile of rubble? Just look at this! How am I supposed to uplift my people if this is what I have to work with?” Her voice steadily rose in volume the more she spoke, until she was practically yelling when she swept her arm to the window showcasing Republic City’s destroyed buildings.

The adrenaline rushing through your body begins to drown out all hopes of rational thought and speech. You find yourself raising your voice to match your lover’s anger. “Kuvira, I thought this is what you wanted. You wanted to tear out the old and bring in the new. That’s all you ever talked about when we were campaigning. Why are you changing your mind now?”

“For fuck’s sake, don’t you see? You even said it yourself! It’s a tragedy that the Avatar and my ex-fiancé and all these other people are gone.” Kuvira’s eyes flash dangerously with seething rage. “Why did I make other people pay for my hopes and dreams for the Earth Empire? I dethroned Prince Wu and ridiculed him in front of the whole world, I threatened to let people die if they didn’t join me, I forced Varrick to build a weapon of mass destruction, I destroyed the most spiritual and sacred tree in the Foggy Swamp for the sake of violence, I didn’t hesitate to put dissenters in reeducation camps to be brainwashed and dehumanized.” She takes a ragged breath before bellowing “I murdered people with my spirit cannon. Why didn’t you fucking stop me, Y/N?”

Your voice reaches a shrill pitch as you hurl back your rebuttal. “I didn’t stop you because this is what you wanted,” pointing an accusing finger towards Kuvira to accentuate your points. “You’re charismatic enough to make other people agree with you. You convinced yourself you were doing this for everyone else’s good, and you convinced me, too. Don’t you remember? This is for the best. No one stopped you because you locked yourself in an echo chamber filled with people that agreed with your plans. And when someone did have the courage to speak up, you sent them to reeducation camps, threatened their lives, or outright killed them.”

“So you think this is my fault?” Kuvira takes an intimidating step towards you and looks down upon you threateningly. Her voice drops to a dangerously low growl. “Me? This is all me?”

“Now it’s your turn to stop being dense, Kuvira. You just admitted that you thought winning would be different and you just gave a guilt-ridden speech about making other people pay for your mistakes. Open your damn eyes!”

Kuvira abruptly pivots her body away from you and takes several steps back. “You are dismissed, soldier,” she whispered in a cold voice as unyielding as steel. She resumed looking out the window with her arms behind her back.

“Seriously, Kuvira?” you moan. “You can’t just push me away like that when you’re so close to realizing the truth. Why don’t you listen to me? Why don’t you listen to yourself?” You cautiously take a step closer before she whips around and metalbends a fragment of her shoulder plate in your general direction which misses your face by a mere hairsbreadth. Your body freezes as your mind races to comprehend that Kuvira would dare threaten your safety.

“Leave me, Y/N.” Kuvira refuses to look at you.

You stand motionless for a moment that stretches on for an eternity as your eyes overflow with bitter tears. The cockpit’s door slams loud enough to reverberate throughout the mecha suit as you plod your way down to the nearest exit and catch a ferry to Kuvira’s base of operations on Air Temple Island, knowing she would meet you there when she was ready to be calm and civilized. The whole time you spent traveling from the giant mecha to Republic City’s docks, throngs of weary-eyed refugees peeking behind piles of rubble plagued your sights. Thankfully, the two bodyguards escorting you to the personal quarters you shared with Kuvira kept the masses at bay, but the stark reality of so many war-torn people suffering from the conflict infected your guilty conscience. You roughly dismissed your bodyguards once you set foot on the Island and wasted no time briskly marching to your shared bedroom. You hoped the evening’s darkness masked the silent tears flowing down your cheeks.

Your nightmares consisted of petrified throngs of innocent people fleeing Kuvira’s army. Exhausted bodies toiling away in reeducation camps. The terror etched upon soldiers’ faces as Kuvira intimidated them with violence. And finally, a vision of what you imagined Baatar’s, Korra’s, and the rest of Team Avatar’s last moments on earth must’ve been like before an overpowering purple light burned their bodies out of existence.

You jolted upright in bed drenched in a cold sweat and gasping for air. “Fuck,” you stammered under your breath over and over. “Fucking fuckity fuck. Kuvira really did convince me that everything was for the best, didn’t she?” You didn’t want to believe it at first, but the nagging voice lingering somewhere in your head relentlessly reminded you that this destruction wasn’t worth thousands upon thousands of ruined lives.

Your only job in the Earth Empire’s army was to help expedite the political and legal process of unifying a country. If your position was relatively peaceful and bloodless, you couldn’t begin to imagine Kuvira’s guilt about orchestrating this three year long operation. How am I supposed to convince Kuvira to see the light? you pondered. She was so close to realizing it before she snapped at me. Maybe I can talk to her again and—

An abrupt knocking shook you out of your thoughts. I thought I told those guards to leave me alone. You shuffled to the door and slid it open, half expecting for it to be another diplomat’s messenger begging for you to revise this oh-so-important legal paperwork that couldn’t possibly wait until morning, until you looked up and saw Kuvira slouched against the doorframe. Her chocolate-colored hair cascaded about her shoulders, and her uniform was rumpled from head to toe. You could count on one hand the number of times Kuvira allowed herself to look this haggard, and frankly, the fact that she looked this way hours after your fight in the cockpit led you to believe that maybe she had taken your advice seriously.

“Kuvira?” you gasped.

“Y/N,” she mumbled feebly. “I’m sorry. I know you probably don’t want to see me after how I reacted, but I don’t know where else to go.” Her voice quavered. “I don’t have anyone else who I can trust with these feelings that are eating me up inside, and I thought maybe you could…” her sentence trailed off unfinished. “Before you left, you mentioned that you knew all of this,” she gestured vaguely at the surrounding area, “was wrong, but I convinced you that it was okay, and I convinced myself that it was okay too, but now I realize that it’s wrong and for fuck’s sake I don’t know what to do about it now.” The last of her strength escaped her body and she crumpled to the floor in a heap of unrestrained sobbing.

Swooping down to the floor alongside her, you promptly wrapped your arms around her shoulders and nestled her into your embrace. Whatever animosity you felt because of how she shooed you out of the cockpit had dissipated. Your fingers threaded themselves into the locks of her hair as you whispered soothing words.

“I’m so sorry I pulled the entire world down with me. I’m so sorry I ruined nearly everyone’s life.” The full force of her words bubbled out of her mouth uninhibited by her previous attempts of restraint. She couldn’t stop talking now if she tried. “I saw how hopeless my nation was after it descended into lawlessness. I was willing to pay the ultimate price to nurture it into something stronger than ever before, but I didn’t realize I had no authority to take away other people’s autonomy. I had no right to take lives, no right to let people suffer when I didn’t get what I wanted, no right to let people starve on the streets if a state didn’t join the Empire, no right to usurp power, no right to throw the entire world out of balance by murdering the Avatar just to achieve my vision.” She buries her face into your nightshirt before choking out her final sentences. “I’m so sorry I pulled you down with me, Y/N. I especially didn’t want to threaten you the way I did earlier. You’re the last person I ever want to hurt.”

You feel that Kuvira’s sorrow is rather misplaced. She shouldn’t be entirely apologizing to you, but rather to the whole world and everyone whom’s lives she changed for the worse. But now is not the time to object to her apology. For now, you let her weep into your chest for several minutes until her tears subside and her body stops trembling.

After her emotions have stabilized somewhat, you help your lover stand on her feet and guide her to the edge of the mattress. You gently work out the knots in her hair using your fingers and begin to strip the layers of her uniform off her body. She tries protesting by claiming that she’s perfectly capable of doing it herself, but you discourage her by pressing a finger to her lips and muttering “you’ve had a rough day in more ways than one. Let me help you get ready for bed.” Once you’ve helped her don her nightclothes, you stretched yourself out on the bedsheets and gently pulled her into your protective embrace once more.

Several minutes of silence pass like this, Kuvira curled up flush against your body, before you felt it was safe to express your thoughts about her confession. “Kuvira, I appreciate you apologizing to me, but I’m not the only person you should be apologizing to. Telling me you’re sorry isn’t going to absolve all of your guilt.”

“I know,” she said. “I know I have a long journey ahead of me, but you were the first person I felt I needed to apologize to before I kept going.”

“I say this with love, but I think you owe an apology to the entire world. You can’t keep living in guilt like this.”

Kuvira pauses briefly before saying “I don’t think I could live with myself if I keep being the Great Uniter. The position I created for myself carries too much blood and suffering.”

“Does that mean you’re going to stop being the Great Uniter?”

“I think I’m going to convene with all the major world leaders. Raiko is still around somewhere, and so is Prince Wu, Tenzin, the Beifongs, Fire Lord Izumi. I still want the country to be modernized like the rest of the world, but I think it’s best if they take the reins. I don’t think they’d appreciate me doing the work after how I’ve hurt everyone. I’ll arrange a speech announcing my decision to permanently step down. And then,” she takes a shaky breath, “I’ll happily walk into a courtroom and accept whatever punishment the law deems fit.”

“I’ll admit, I didn’t expect you to take such a drastic decision so quickly, but I’m glad you did. I’m not blameless either, Kuvira. I’m sorry for enabling you. I hope I can make up for it by being with you every step of the way.”

An unamused grin creeps upon Kuvira’s face. “Even if it means we’ll go to prison together?”

“Especially if it means we go to prison together,” you chided. “How else would I keep you company? I wouldn’t leave you all by yourself. Maybe we can be cellmates.” Her face is still marred red-rimmed eyes and a slight scowl. If you dared to tickle her, she might crack a genuine smile for the first time since Republic City fell.

You dig your fingers into Kuvira’s side, eliciting a sharp yelp from her before she’s overcome by a fit of giggles. The sound of Kuvira’s mirth is a treat she rarely shares with anyone, especially since she shouldered this massive enterprise. Who knows when you’d ever get to hear or see her happy like this?

A fraction of the tension in her body has melted away after her laughter subsides. “Thank you sincerely. Your support is priceless, and so is your humor.” She snuggles closer into your body before murmuring “I love you, Y/N” into your shoulder.

“I love you too,” you whispered before you both drifted off to sleep. The peace between you and Kuvira would be radically different, if not uncertain, by the time she calls upon the world leaders and steps down. For at least this one silent night, you can cherish your last few moments of freedom together with her.

#legend of korra #the legend of korra #lok #tlok #kuvira #the great uniter #great uniter #Kuvira x reader #reader x Kuvria #Kuvira x fem!reader #fem!reader x Kuvira #fanfic #fanfiction #lok kuvira #tlok kuvira #kuvira lok #kuvira tlok

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a-libra-writes · 4 years

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How the Peaky Blinders React To You Being Shy

ok so the original request was “could you do how they would react when their girlfriend is very quiet but talks a lot when she's excited but kind of cuts herself off in fear of talking too much?” but then i uh ,, ,went overboard like i do so here yall go lmao. bad title is bad

In this imagine, you’ll be with: Tommy Shelby, Arthur Shelby, John Shelby, Ada Shelby, Polly Grey, Michael Grey, Alfie Solomons, Isaiah Jesus, Luca Changretta, Aberama Gold

TOMMY SHELBY

Even if you had worked for the Shelbys for more than a year, he hardly talked to you directly. You were so quiet, and while you were very pretty, the shy sort of girls just didn’t catch Tommy’s attention. This changed on a day when he stopped by Charlie and Curly’s, and saw you excitedly talking to them about a horse Tommy had just bought. When he made himself known, you went red in the face, clammed up and shied away while Charlie talked to him.

First of all, it was strikingly cute, and Tommy didn’t often think that about anything. Secondly, he hated the idea that you might be anxious around him. Tommy said you could come see and ride the horse anytime, and still after that, kept trying to talk to you and see your eyes light up again.

Once you two are in a relationship, whenever you start excitedly talking about something, he’s quiet and pays complete attention to you. You’re still as quiet and shy as the day he met you, but not to him - which he privately likes. He enjoys being one of the few people you open up to.

ARTHUR SHELBY

From the day you first started working for the Shelbys, Arthur thought you were gorgeous. He completely lost his train of thought when he walked in and saw you, and John had to snap his attention away. He tried talking to you best as he could, but you were so quiet, and often had trouble looking at him. Arthur was convinced that you didn’t like him, so he tried to give up on his crush, as much as it hurt. (Okay, well, he couldn’t stop thinking about you that easily, so he just admired you from a distance).

One day he saw you outside the shop for the first time, and couldn’t keep himself from seeing what you were doing. You were bundling up a cat you found on the street. If that wasn’t precious enough, you were happy to see him and chattered about the cat, how you’d been feeding it and earning it’s trust, and you wanted to take it back home to treat its wounded leg. He walked you back home and once there, you blushed and clammed up, and apologized for taking up so much of his time. Arthur blurted you could have as much of his time as you wanted.

He visited you every day, using the cat as a lame excuse, and before long you two were dating. He was so relieved you weren’t afraid of him, he couldn’t help but confess as soon as possible. Whenever he gets you talking about something you like, he can’t help but grin and look at you like you hang the moon. He does tend to be protective of you, especially in big crowds, and he gets an adorably jealous expression whenever you chat animatedly with his brothers.

JOHN SHELBY

He was drawn to you right away, so he wasted no time in trying to chat you up and get to know you, even when Polly scolded him many times to let you focus on your work. You shied away so much and made excuses that he worried you were scared of him. John tried to brush that off, but it ended up bothering him more than he wanted it to. It was Ada who told him he was coming on way too strong, you were a shy and sweet sort of girl who didn’t need him messing with her heart (that last part may have ended with a not so subtle threat).

John wasn’t deterred, though. He just had to get to know you better, and when he he caught you outside of work, he noticed you were admiring several cars. This was his chance, and he was grinning like a dork once you began chattering away at different models of automobiles and engines. He absolutely showed you the Shelby car and even drove you home several times after work.

John is still much louder and more outgoing than you. During parties he'll take a minute to ask if you're comfortable and won't hesitate to take you home, he also makes a point to have everyone shut up if you want to say something during a family meeting. He loves it when you explain things to him because of how you word it and your voice - he could listen to you rattle off a weather report.

ADA SHELBY

Ada was drawn to your sweetness right away. She didn’t have many friends herself when you met, and while you were bashful, you were also honest. Ada always encouraged you to speak up for yourself and to not be afraid of other people’s opinions, especially after she stopped seeing her family for a while.

She adores how you light up when you talk about something you love, and she’ll always shush someone if you’re talking like this. It makes her SO angry when someone tries to speak over you. If you ever feel insecure about being shy or introverted, Ada will quickly tell you it’s one of your most endearing traits … though you’re certain she thinks anything you do is “endearing”.

POLLY GRAY

She wasn’t so sure about hiring someone outside the family for some bookkeeping and secretariat work, but Polly was impressed with your punctuality, thoroughness, and most importantly … You kept your mouth shut. Polly was the most hesitant to hire you at first, but once you proved your loyalty, she was quick to get to know you personally. She really felt you ought to speak up more, and not be so shy; especially in their line of business.

Pol has no regard for anyone who tries to talk over you or intimidate you, and anytime the Shelby boys (or anyone else) tries to flirt, they tend to get a glare from her. To say Pol is protective of you is a bit of an understatement; sometimes you worry she sees you more like a little girl than a woman.

Still, she means well, and it’s Polly who invites you to tea at her house and gets you to laugh and chat about all sorts of things. She’s very relaxed around you, and has confided in you many times, confident you’ll keep her secrets, as you keep the secrets of the Shelby company.

MICHAEL GRAY

At first, Michael got a little frustrated with you. He was fond of you, but he didn’t understand why you were seemingly afraid of him - okay, maybe he didn’t have the friendliest expression sometimes, and maybe you overheard him arguing business, but sometimes you’d just spend almost an hour in the same room together, saying nothing. Finally Polly had to give him advice, she thought you were a nice girl and not the type to be impressed by jewels and extravagance.

So, Michael started to do soft small talk and would bring you something nice, like a small vase of flowers for your desk or a cute box of sweets. You didn’t care for the grand parties that he’d partake in, so after work he’d linger behind and ask about your evening plans - probably slip and ask about a boyfriend, too. One of these evenings he got you chattering, and it was such a change, seeing your eyes light up and your cute smile as you talked. You both ended up staying way later than intended, and Michael was even later to the party because he wanted to drive you home.

Even after you’ve been dating for a while, Michael wants to spoil you with beautiful things and have you on his arm at parties and important business meetings. When he notices you start to shy away, he’ll ask if you’re alright and if you want to leave early. He always has a driver on hand to take you home if that’s what you wish, though he obviously prefers to do this himself. He has zero patience for anyone trying to egg you into talking more or asking pointed questions; he’ll shut them down harshly.

ALFIE SOLOMONS

You were one of the secretaries for their “legitimate” store fronts, one that Alfie had to visit often, and holy shit if you weren’t the cutest thing he’d ever seen. He always liked to tease the new secretaries once or twice, but you were the only one who lit up like a fire engine and stammered. He told your boss to make sure you were working the days he came in, and he’d spend several minutes teasing you and getting you to blush before starting business.

He did feel a little bad for always flustering you, and he wasn’t totally sure if you even appreciated the attention, so he figured he’d buy some flowers as an apology and (maybe) let up on teasing you. The thing is, you gave him the sunniest smile when he delivered them, and you started to chatter about the flowers with total confidence. You didn’t even shy away from his gaze or stumble over your words, you were so excited about whatever rare lily he bought - is that what it was? - and when your boss walked in to greet him, you clammed up. Alfie immediately told the man to fuck off and go back into his office.

After you’re together, Alfie still likes to good-naturedly tease you, but he’s great at getting you to chatter away at this or that. He encourages you to be more confident, but he knows it isn’t that easy. If anyone attempts to talk over you or interrupt, they get a terrifying glare from your boyfriend.

ISAIAH JESUS

Isaiah was SO sure you were just being aloof on purpose, that you were making him go through some kind of test. He heard about girls doing things like that, so he’d talk big game around you to impress you … Only to glance over and noticed you had walked away at some point. His father thought the crush was amusing, and it was him who said you were a shy girl who needed a gentler touch. Isaiah worried he’d mess it up somehow, but it ended up coming to him easily. His favorite thing was to stop by when you were leaving your workplace, so he could take you for a quick bite to eat, or he’d show up on your break to give you flowers or some sweets he just “happened” to have.

Once he found out how far your house was from your home, Isaiah liked to walk with you in the evenings. First the conversation was short and a little awkward, but then he started asking questions and got you talking, which he was very proud of. He’d quickly ignore anyone calling out to him in favor of walking and chatting with you. His friends would tease him once he finally showed up at the Garrison, but he’d just talk about how pretty and sweet you were, zero shame in his voice as he went on about his crush. It wasn’t too long before he asked you out.

Isaiah prefers to keep you separate from his gang life. Admittedly, he used to treat you like you were too fragile to handle the truth, but you quickly proved him wrong when you treated his wounds and scolded him for worrying you. Whatever you’re interested in, he likes to find out more about it so he can surprise you.

LUCA CHANGRETTA

Luca often flirts with the new girls who work for his family, and he found you especially charming. Once he realized how shy you were, he became gentler with his words, speaking to you in a more flattering way, loving how red your cheeks would get. He started to become very fond of you, and even a little protective - if his men tried to flirt as well, he’d irritably tell them to keep to themselves. He wished he could talk to you and learn more about you, but he also didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.

His wish was swiftly granted during the huge Christmas celebration his family always threw. They invited everyone from closest family to minor acquaintances, so of course you were there. Not only were you radiant in your dress, you were talking animatedly to some friends, and Luca couldn’t stop staring. He wanted to step in, to have you talk to him and look at him that way, but he didn’t want to interrupt the story you were telling, so he just listened.

The next he saw you, he made a point to casually bring up whatever you were talking about, and he tried to contain his happiness at how you began happily chatting away like you did with your friends. When you blushed and apologized for it, he was quick to ask you questions to keep you talking.

ABERAMA GOLD

Pretty girls often caught his eye, and not only were you that, you seemed to be the only quiet, reasonable person amongst the Shelbys. He liked to observe you, watching in amusement how you’d take careful notes, making little expressions as you wrote: rolling your eyes, biting your lip and so on. He casually asked after you when Arthur was drunk and got plenty of information. Whenever he’d see the Shelbys for business, Aberama made a point to say hello to you and exchange some words.

It was just fun flirting at first, but then he sent you into chatterboxing and when your hands hastily flew to your mouth to shut it, Aberama grabbed your wrists without thinking and asked you to please continue. Now he was too far gone. He’d bring you flowers, a bottle of wine, and you’d blush to your ears whenever Lizzie teased about where it came from. Tommy bluntly told him to stop flirting with his secretary whenever you were working.

It didn’t take long at all for him to ask you on proper dates. He’d want to take you wherever he goes, but he understands if you’d rather keep to yourself, especially at the rowdy boxing matches or big parties at the Garrison. His favorite thing is when you tug on his sleeve and make him lean down so you can whisper something to him.

LIZZIE STARK

Lizzie noticed you were a shy sort right away, and how easily you tended to blend into the hectic workplace of their company. She thought you were pretty, and had little opinion beyond that ... Until she noticed how clever and adept you were with the work, and how easily you handled the more interesting sides of the Shelbys. She made a point to talk to you, because in a way, she felt a bit of comradeship with you.

You started taking lunch together and she was delighted by how you’d go off on these tangents or deep discussions of work. Lizzie would sharply stop you anytime you apologized for talking too much, or anything, really - she wanted you to build confidence and insisted it started with stopping all these apologies. Anytime the men would talk over you, she’d give you a look and nudge you forward to say your piece. Polly and Ada teased her about her favoritism, and Lizzie thought it was very cute when you’d blush at their words.

You’re much more open with her in private, which she likes, and with her encouragement you’ve become more confident at work. If you’re still feeling nervous around strangers, especially all the parties you two are dragged to, you two have a system where you nudge her hand or say an innocuous word, and you both slip out and go home.

#peaky blinders x reader #peaky blinders imagines #peaky blinders #thomas shelby x reader #arthur shelby x reader #john shelby x reader #michael gray x reader #luca changretta x reader #alfie solomons x reader #isaiah jesus x reader #ada shelby x reader #polly gray x reader

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just-jordie-things · 4 years

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Pesky Feelings - John B Routledge

word count: 4238 warnings: swearing, two oblivious lovesick idiots summary: thornton!reader and John B are your typical childhood best friends, which comes along with your typical angst of secretly being in love and not knowing how to admit it :) request: @killerwasteland: I'm here with another idea for a John b : avoiding him like the plague after confessing your feelings and him tryna get you to talk to him because you didn't even give him the chance to say whether he reciprocated the feelings (+ bonus points if they're childhood best friends + extra bonus points if she's topper's sister) (a/n): ok I love this, and also john b is a major dork of a bf ___

“Can we talk?” (y/n) had asked quietly, grabbing onto her friend’s wrist softly, hoping he wouldn’t freak out at those three dreaded words.

John B didn’t freak out, he simply nodded, and followed her away from the party, so that they could have some privacy. There was nothing that (y/n) could ever say to him that would freak him out.

She was his best friend, he loved her, and he trusted her with his life. So he remained calm as they found a decent spot to talk privately, where the music wasn’t loud, and no one could really see them and make judgmental assumptions.

(y/n) sucked in a deep breath, letting go of his wrist as her hands tangled together. It was a nervous tic of hers, one that John B recognized, but even still, he was calm as he placed his hands over hers soothingly.

“What’s up?” He asked, ever so laid back.

She was thankful that he was such an easy going guy, it definitely made what she was about to say next a little easier.

“I just… um I wanted to tell you that… that I…” She licks her lips as she trails off, anxiety bubbling up inside of her like water that was about to boil over a pot.

John B doesn’t say anything, he doesn’t want to rush her and make her more nervous than she clearly already was. But he couldn’t deny that he was on the edge of his seat, dying on the inside of curiosity. He does his best not to show it, though.

“Look you don’t have to say anything, or- or feel the same way I just wanted you to know how I feel and that I… I really like you,” Her eyes flicker up to his, glossy and apprehensive. “I like you as more than a friend” She said more clearly.

John B opened his mouth to reply, and it should have been an easy response, but it wasn’t. He froze up completely, his hands stiffening over her own and his eyes blowing wide as he stood their speechlessly.

But while he was too bashful to know what to say, the pit in (y/n’s) stomach was trying to swallow her whole, and suddenly she wished a hole would open up below her and just suck her into the earth, out of this situation.

“Oh my god,” She mumbled, realizing what she’d just done. “Oh my god, I- I’m so sorry-”

She started to back away, pulling her hands out of John B’s, eyes scanning over the party in hopes to find someone that she could flock to.

“Wait, (y/n)-”

“I’m gonna go- yeah- I’m gonna head out”

She’s speed walking away from him before he can find the lick of sense to grab her hand and pull her back towards him, hold onto her and never ever let go.

“(y/n)!” He called after her, but she just waved goodbye, and went into the crowd to tell her brother she was going home, with or without him.

He was the one with the car, but she would run all the way to the Figure Eight if she had to right now. ___

(y/n) rolled over in her bed, pushing her face into her pillow and letting out a frustrated cry. No words came out, it’s just that when she thought about that night, the amount of cringe she felt took over her whole body.

“Okay, calm down,” Kiara said through the speaker of her phone.

They’d been Facetiming for the last half hour or so, but it was difficult for (y/n) to focus on any of the topics they tried to talk about when her mind was constantly reminding her of the biggest failure she’s ever experienced.

“It’s not that bad, (y/n)” Kie added.

“Not that bad?” (y/n) repeated, lifting her head to look at the screen. “It’s terrible. He was my best friend- what the fuck was I thinking?”

“You had a bit to drink, alcohol is liquid courage you know,” Kiara said, only half-joking. “And he’d been holding your hand all night, (y/n/n), that’s reasonable evidence that he liked you back-”

“Not reasonable enough apparently!” (y/n) shrieked. “I can’t believe I actually thought he would ever like me-”

“Hey,” Topper came into the room without bothering to knock, an annoyed look on his face. “Could you keep it down? Rafe and I are trying to-”

“Get the fuck out,” (y/n) grumbled, chucking a stuffed animal from her at him. “I’m going through something” She added.

Topper rolled his eyes at her.

“Really? He was just a Pogue (y/n), I don’t get why you hang out with them”

They’d had this argument pretty much every day their whole lives. Topper could be a good brother sometimes, he’d pick up dinner for her, drive her to the keggers on the beach, and he was definitely protective of her. But that didn’t mean his personality had a gold star next to it.

He was definitely your average Kook, if not a little worse. It could really get under (y/n’s) skin at times, but recently she’d just decided to ignore it. It was much easier to ignore it anyways, because then it would go away.

“Get out” She repeated, throwing a pillow at him this time.

He didn’t say anything, just shook his head and left.

“Wow,” Kiara groaned through the phone. “He sucks”

“I know,” (y/n) agreed. “But he just doesn’t get it. He doesn’t know John B like I do. He doesn’t know any of you guys like I do”

Kiara understood that the Thornton siblings had a major disconnect when it came to who they spent their time with. Anyone with eyes could see the difference in character between (y/n) and Topper.

In fact, when people met (y/n), they expected the whole family to be as sweet and charismatic as her. But they were almost always left disappointed.

“You should just come talk to him,” Kiara said, getting back on topic. “No matter what happens, or what he says, you know that he’ll be understanding. He doesn’t want you to feel hurt or left out”

“I know,” (y/n) huffed. “I know I just.. I don’t think I can see him yet. It won’t feel the same for me like it does for him. He’ll say that nothing has to change but… it will. It will for me”

Kiara frowned, but she understood where her friend was coming from.

She just also knew that John B had to feel the same way. There was no way that he’d been sweet on her all this time and didn’t have feelings. She’d known the pair all their lives, and for as long as she’d known them, John B had a soft spot for the Kook girl. It was the one constant in the group.

“I should have just listened to the rule, and kept my mouth shut. No Pogue on Pogue macking. It’s there for a reason. This is the exact fucking reason- hold on I’m getting a call”

“From who?”

(y/n) stared at the screen for a moment, her heart melting at the picture that she’d set for John B’s contact. It was them when they were in middle school, they looked dorky and very out of style, but it was sweet. They were going to their first school dance, and their parents had begged them to take a picture before they went, this picture.

John B had eagerly thrown his arms around her, hugging her tightly like he always did. He had a big cheesy and toothy grin on his face, which was adorable when you looked at the rest of the picture, seeing his crooked bowtie.

(y/n) had hugged him back, a bit more warily, and the smile on her face was softer. You could see the blush on her cheeks when you really studied the picture.

“John B,” (y/n) answered after snapping out of her daze, and hit the decline call option. “Sorry, I’m back”

“What? Girl, why didn’t you answer?”

“Because, like I said, it’s weird now-”

“He was probably calling you to invite you to a late night ride on the boat,” Kiara said, always the voice of reason to everyone in the group.

Sometimes she was convinced she was the only one with any brain cells.

“You should call him back” She stated.

“No way, I’m gonna wait,” (y/n) replied. “I can’t talk to him right now, I’ll clam up, or stutter, and it’ll be embarrassing”

“Who cares?” Kiara half-shouted. “He obviously wants to talk to you”

“But what if its about-”

“Does it matter what it’s about?” Kiara cut her off, “Him wanting to talk to you is a good sign either way”

“Well, he’s been calling me all week” (y/n) admitted, looking away from the screen.

“All week? Jesus (y/n/n), you’re probably freaking the boy out-”

“I know!” (y/n) cried, shoving her face back into her pillow. “This is all so stupid. This is like- high school drama stupid. I feel like an idiot”

“No offense babe, but you are an idiot,” Kie giggled. “I love you, but you're so oblivious”

“Am I?” (y/n) muttered, voice muffled by the pillow.

“Yes, without a doubt,” Kiara said, still laughing light heartedly. “Do you even remember when I met you guys?”

Kiara had been a new student at Kildare Elementary in the second grade. The first day was always the worst, but luckily by recess, she met a nice boy with messy hair and a friendly smile.

They had been playing on the swingset together for a little while, asking the ridiculous questions you ask other seven year olds when you’re becoming friends. Most of their conversation had been about the Power Rangers, until another girl came up to the swings.

John B hopped off his immediately so the short (y/h/c) haired girl could swing. She’d thanked him with an equally friendly smile as she sat on the swing, and waited for him to push her because she hadn’t been very good at swinging up high like he was.

“This is Kiara, she’s new,” John B introduced. “And this is (y/n),” He told Kiara. “You can be friends with her too, but she’s my best friend, so you can’t have her”

(y/n) had giggled at that, but hopped off the swing so that she could hug the new girl.

“We can all be best friends,” She’d announced. “There’s nothing wrong with having two best friends”

John B had pouted for a bit, but as their playdates turned into the three of them, and eventually they met two other boys, he was okay with having other friends around.

As long as (y/n) always picked him to be partners in hide and seek, and as long as she always laid her sleeping bag next to his, then he wouldn’t complain.

The girls were Kooks, and the boys were Pogues, but all their lives, it hadn’t mattered. (y/n) had never really thought twice about it, even when her brother would be kind of a jerk, or when other Kooks would pick on the group in high school, she never second guessed her friendship with them, her love for them. They were all her best friends, John B had just always been something more than that. Something beyond best. He was priority number one, and looking back on it, she’d always loved him.

“Don’t you remember?” Kiara asked again, bringing (y/n) back from the memories of their early childhood together. “You’ve been attached at the hip since like, kindergarden,” She reminded with a laugh. “He didn’t even want to share you with anyone, and honestly, he still doesn’t. That night of the party? He dragged you with him everywhere”

“He just doesn’t like when girls hit on him” (y/n) shrugged nonchalantly.

“Yeah, but he can probably go to the bathroom on his own”

All night, John B had been filling up cups at the keg with one hand, and the other had been tangled in (y/n’s). He’d had a bit to drink, and it wasn’t uncommon for him to get more affectionate after three beets, so (y/n) hadn’t thought much of it.

And she wasn’t about to complain about a boy she liked holding her hand.

But even when Kiara took over running the keg, and the other Pogues hung out, dancing around and smoking together, his hand hadn’t let go of hers. He always had a good excuse.

He didn’t like when Touron girls hit on him, he didn’t want to lose her in the crowd, he wanted to make sure she was safe by his side, no matter what he’d say, (y/n) would go along with it. But that night had been different.

He started to take her with him towards the Chateau, and she’d stopped him once she realized where he was heading.

“John B, I wanna keep partying” She said with a pout.

“Yeah, I just have to pee” He’d replied, rather honest. Five drink John B was a pretty honest dude.

“Pee by yourself” (y/n) giggled as a cringe crossed her features. She started to take her hand out of his, but he was quick to grab hold of it again.

“Wait- no, I don’t wanna go alone” He whined, pulling her against his chest.

(y/n’s) pout remained, but she followed him anyways with a reluctant ‘fine’.

“I don’t wanna hold your hand while you pee though,” She’d told him once they got to the house. “That’s weird, and kinda gross”

“Fine” John B muttered like it bothered him, making her laugh.

“You’re such a weirdo John B,” She said, and stood outside the bathroom door as he went in. She quickly shut the door when he unzipped his pants, a shriek leaving her throat. “Close the fucking door you dork!” She yelled, slamming the door shut for him, bursting into a fit of giggles at how weird he was at five drinks.

He usually didn’t drink much at these things, he liked to keep an eye on the party, and man the keg to make sure everyone was being safe with their underage drinking.

But for some reason tonight was different.

JJ stumbled past (y/n), a girl on his arm, and he almost kept walking to the guest room before he realized it was (y/n) standing there.

“What are you doin’ inside?” He asked, while the pretty brunette Touron was macking on his neck.

“John B had to pee” (y/n) shrugged back at him, trying her best to keep eye contact with him, and not look at the girl who was furiously sucking on his neck.

“You guys are weird,” JJ said, shaking his head before continuing to lead his hookup to his designated room.

But he said one last thing to her before shutting the door behind him.

“Maybe you should tell him you’re in love with him”

(y/n) had laughed it off, just as John B came out of the bathroom, but the words sat at the front of her mind all night, until eventually, she thought ‘why not?’ and just went for it.

Huge mistake.

“I don’t know why I listened to JJ,” (y/n) muttered in irritation. “Idiotic”

(y/n’s) phone buzzed, and she clicked on the notification.

[ John Booker ] : please call me back?

She typed back some bullshit excuse that she was busy right now, but she’d try to call him later. It was a lie, she knew damn well she wasn’t going to call him.

“You’re looking at this all wrong” Kiara told her. “You’re only seeing things from your point of view, you need to think of it from John B’s”

“I did, it made me feel worse”

“Not really though. Did you ever wonder why he clung to you all night? Even when he went to the bathroom? Or why he doesn’t like other girls flirting with him?”

She brought up good points, and (y/n’s) heart skipped a beat as she listened, but she’d learned not to have too much hope when it came to other people’s feelings, because you never really know.

“I think you should call him back. Or go over, he’s home now I think”

“Kie, you have way too much faith in me,” She mumbled, picking at the blankets on her bed. “I think I’ve been scarred for life, I don’t think I’ll ever-”

She was cut off by a tapping on her window, but when she turned to see what it was, there was nothing there, so she ignored it and went back to Facetime.

“-I don’t think I’ll ever make a move again-” She finished, but there was another tap on the window.

Still nothing.

It was strange that it happened twice, but she didn’t feel like getting out of bed, so she pretended it was nothing.

“That’s kind of ridiculous, don’t you think?” Kiara teased. “Besides, who else would you make a move on anyways?”

“Hey” (y/n) mumbled, offended by the comment.

“Come on, there’s no one for you but John B, you can admit it,” Her friend laughed. “And there’s still a chance…”

Whatever she started to say, (y/n) couldn’t hear, because her phone lit up with a bunch of texts at once.

[ John Booker ] : i know you’re holed up in your room, would you come to the window already?

[ John Booker ] : i’m outside

[ John Booker ] : hurry up juliet

(y/n’s) heart nearly stopped in her chest.

“... and who knows? Maybe you just have to give him some time-”

“Oh my god, Kie-” (y/n) cut her off, scrambling off her bed.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“He’s here”

“Who?”

“John B, he’s here” (y/n) stated, and hurried over to her window.

Sure enough, standing outside two stories down, was John B, still throwing pebbles at her window like he was in some teen rom-com.

“Oh shit,” Kiara giggled. “Go talk to him!”

When John B reared back to throw another rock, he noticed (y/n) was there this time, and his whole face broke out into a grin.

“Finally!” He hollered, throwing his arms up in the air.

“Oh my god” (y/n) mumbled.

Kiara was still laughing through the phone while (y/n) unlocked her window and slid it open, leaning out of it as she looked down at him.

“What the hell are you doing here?” She asked, making him bark out a laugh.

“You weren’t answering me! Now are you coming down or not?”

“I-” She started to say something, but he spoke up again.

“Don’t make me climb up there, Juliet” He said with a laugh.

“Stop calling me that,” (y/n) replied, but she couldn’t help the laugh she let out. “I’ll be down in just a second”

With that, she retreated into her room, staring at her phone, hoping Kiara would give her literally any advice right now.

“Just go talk to him, you dork,” Kiara said. “And call me later. Love you! Bye-!”

“Wait, Kie-!”

But her phone beeped as Kiara hung up, and she was left staring at her Facetime call log.

She stuffed her phone in her pocket as she went out the front door, and rounded the corner to the side of the house, where John B was sitting in her yard, waiting patiently for her arrival.

“Oh good,” He smiled as he saw her, standing up and brushing the grass off his shorts. “I thought I was gonna have to scale two stories, and last time I came over and did that I fell”

“Yeah, I remember,” (y/n) said with a soft chuckle. “I thought you died or something, you laid there for so long-”

“Why have you been avoiding me?” He said suddenly, cutting right to the reason he came over.

(y/n) froze up, anxiety flooding over her like a tidal wave.

“Did you… did you not mean it?” He asked in a quieter voice.

“Not mean it?” (y/n) mumbled back, her heart sinking in her chest as she thought about it. “Why would I say something like that and not mean it?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know what to think I mean- you say something like that and then you ran off and I haven’t seen you for a week”

“I- I’ve been busy” She mumbled uselessly.

It was pointless to lie to him, she’s known him her whole life, he could read her like a book. Any emotion she felt was like a headline on her forehead, easy for him to see and respond to.

“That’s bullshit,” He called her out, but he let out a small laugh after, letting her know he didn’t mean it to be hurtful. “But… don’t you want to know how I feel? About you?” He asked her, stepping closer.

“Um, not really” She answered, her hands beginning to wring together.

“Not really?” He laughed again in surprise.

(y/n) shook her head, her eyes meeting his, even though she felt small and bashful under his gaze. She knew it would be weird now, different, this is exactly how she expected to feel when she saw him again.

“No, I- I don’t want you to reject me, or pity me- we can just ignore it completely-” She started to explain herself, but John B laughed again, so she stopped. “Why are you laughing?”

“Because, for being my best friend, I really don’t understand you sometimes,” John B answered. “Why did you think I was going to reject you?”

(y/n’s) brows furrowed, and she gained some confidence from the annoyance she was currently feeling towards him. How dare he be a cheeky asshole right now? Couldn’t he see how terrible she felt? How anxious she felt?

“Because,” She argued. “I told you how I felt about you, and you didn’t say anything! Hell, you didn’t react at all”

“That doesn’t mean-”

“John B, that sucked,” She continued.

Might as well be honest with him now. If it was the answer he wanted, then fine. She had nothing left to lose right? She’d thrown all dignity out the window last weekend at the kegger. Why not her pride too?

“Do you know how embarrassing that was? I still want to be your friend, of course I do, but it was a mistake, I shouldn’t have-”

“You worry too much” John B said, and before she could react, probably by yelling some more, he crossed the space between them and kissed her.

She instantly swallowed her words and melted into his touch. All anxieties and worries that she’d ruined their friendship washed away, and all that mattered was him.

Her arms practically flew around his neck as she reached up on the tips of her toes to reach him properly. John B lost his balance at the sudden movements, stumbling for a moment, but he quickly stabilized them.

His hands cupped around her cheeks, keeping her close as their lips met again and again, and in all honestly, they both planned on standing outside all night and macking on each other. They’d waited this long.

John B’s lips were just so warm and welcoming, they were easy for her to get attached to, and probably addicted to.

“Hey! No macking on Pogues!”

Unfortunately, Topper ruined the good mood.

(y/n) whirled around, catching sight of her brother as he was heading to his car. She flipped him off, and stuck her tongue out for good measure. It made John B laugh, despite Topper’s usual asshole-ness.

Topper just returned the gesture, but got in his car and left anyway. (y/n) just hoped he was getting tired of keeping up the bad blood between the Figure Eight and The Cut.

When he left, she turned back to John B, a smile playing on her lips as she wrapped her small hands around his wrists.

“Now that he’s gone… wanna go inside and finish what we started?” She asked, only half teasing.

John B eagerly nodded, stealing another kiss from her.

“Abso-fuckin-lutely,” He said, and followed her out of the yard. “But later we have to go back to mine, I told JJ and Pope that we’d hang out later tonight after we settled… this” He explained, gesturing between them.

“Wow, you were that certain you were gonna get the girl, huh?” (y/n) joked.

As they went inside, he shut the door behind him, and immediately grabbed her by the hips, pulling her flush against his chest. The action made her cheeks flush red, and she bit her lip shyly.

“I mean, the girl did admit that she was hopelessly in love with me-”

“That’s not what I said-”

“And that she would just die if she couldn’t be with me, and she’s probably been waiting to kiss me for like, what has it been ten whole years?”

“John B,” (y/n) scolded, swatting half-heartedly at his chest. “I didn’t say any of that”

“Out loud,” He corrected. “You were definitely thinking it. I could tell”

She rolled her eyes as her hands took hold of the collar of his shirt.

“Just shut up and kiss me, dork” ___

xoxo ~ jordie

#outer banks #outer banks fanfiction #john b #john b x reader #john b routledge #john b routledge x reader #john b routledge imagine #john b routledge scenario #john b imagine

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only-lonely-stars · 3 years

Text

Cursebreaker, Chapter 2

[Prologue] // [Chapter 1] // [Chapter 2 - you are here!] // [Chapter 3] // [Epilogue] (FFN)

Summary: Once upon a time in the kingdom of Skytarin, a mermaid came to the surface for the first time, and laid her eyes upon a prince in red. Unable to shake the memory, she sought a curse to become human, if only to meet him. Little Mermaid retelling, part of the Fairy Tale AU! (Rated T for safety's sake, not a specific warning.)

Chapter 2: Discovery

Deep in the abyss of the ocean, time passed as it would in any part of the world, and the mer of the trench went about their lives normally each day. Those in the palace served Master Chen and his closest adviser, the wicked sorcerer Clouse. Even Skylor had to pay homage, as little as she liked it. Even as she did so, Skylor found her disobedient mind continuously wandering in the days after her visit to Zenith. The rocky cove, the plants on land, and the colorful city captured her memory, but none as much as the man in red. He was the most lovely memory: the most handsome human she'd seen in all that day, and better than all the mer she'd seen in all her life. Were all men as fascinating as he was?

Unfortunately for the mermaid, Skylor did not seem to have much time to go to the surface in the days that came after her first visit. She went about her days in the palace as normally as usual: doing the tasks her father allocated to her as his daughter. She spent time with her friends in the afternoon, but they stayed in the trench. Then she would return to the palace, where the guards' watchful eyes kept her in place. For days, this repeated, and she could find no exit. Her preoccupation was so strong, before she knew it, her father recognized her wistfulness.

One day, no more than a week after Skylor's visit to the surface, she joined her father for supper in the palace's dining hall. While it would usually be filled with many people, that day it was only populated by her father and Clouse, whose evil presence made Skylor's tail scales crawl. Nevertheless, she came to her father's side and greeted him with a kiss to the cheek.

"Good evening, Father."

"Ah, Skylor! There you are, I'm hungry!" He cheerfully grinned, and together they started their supper. Before they were far into their meal, however, Clouse whispered something in Chen's ear, making him cry out in agreement with it. "Ah, yes! Thank you for reminding me, Clousey Clouse!"

Skylor watched as Clouse sneered at the nickname, but he forced a slimy grin a moment later. "Of course, Master Chen."

Chen turned to Skylor with a prying smile, of the sort that set her on edge. "Tell me, Skylor. How do you entertain yourself these days? With whom do you spend your time?"

She turned her head questioningly, finding the question strange. "I do everything you ask of me, Father, to be the Master of the Waters like you one day."

"Yes, yes, I know that. Who are your friends?"

"Anemone, Mermista and Chamille, with some others," she responded automatically. "Is something the matter about them?"

"No, no, they are fine." He waved his hand dismissively, already changing tack. "You see, Clouse has– I have noticed you are quite distracted recently, Skylor. Despite the palace– it is beautiful, yes?"

"Yes, it is," she agreed slowly. "Father, I've been nothing but diligent, I promise you."

"Yes, I know this, but you have been so... what is the word?" He frowned. "You have been so distracted. Wistful. You're always looking up at the ceiling."

"I am?" She hesitated, glancing up, as if she were looking at the surface, where she wished to be.

"Yes, you are right now!" Chen leaned over, staring at her. "Daughter, are you upset? What is making you act this way?"

She hesitated again, if only to conceal her deception, afraid of him discovering it. "Well… it's not a problem, Father. It is simply… a little lonely in the palace."

"Lonely?" Chen cried. "What do you mean? Clousey Clouse and I are always here!"

"Yes, but… there is no one my age. None of my friends work in the palace. I'm away from them all the time."

Clouse nodded, having been silent and still for most of the conversation. "Would that be why you spend so much time outside of the palace, and return late? It has been… most inconvenient."

She nodded, looking down at her plate. "Yes, it is."

Clouse hummed, more of a sneer than an acquiescence. "We do not see you with them when you are away, Skylor. No one does. Where do you go?"

Chen took a bite of fish with aplomb, speaking through his full mouth to add on to Clouse's words. "Skylor, please, say you are being good. The trench can be dangerous! There are so many mer who would take advantage of you!"

She recoiled. "No, Father, it isn't like that! I don't go down into the deepest parts, or stay around strange mer... I stay with my friends."

"Then what is it? Is it… a special merman?" He grinned.

Skylor shook her head vehemently. "No, no, it's not that! You know I don't spend time with mermen."

"Not even when your friends are there?" Clouse probed. "They can be… negative influences."

"No, not then either." She struggled to find an excuse for her absence. "We… explore the ravine, and play with the fish."

"Explore? Pah!" her father exclaimed. "You have seen it all. Why explore more?"

"There is always more to see." Her mind turned to Zenith, and the man in red, but she did not speak of them. "Chamille recently showed me something secret. Something very special, which I had never heard about."

"Ooh, a secret? Tell me!" Chen all but demanded it, as gleefully as a child, his food forgotten.

Skylor hesitated, taking a bite of her own food while she fabricated her story. "...It was a cave, filled with treasure from the men's surface world. Gold, and silver, reaching all through the space."

"Oh, oh! Tell me more!"

"In the cave was… a lamp. What the men use for making light. It had a special engraving upon it, saying that he who rubbed it would be given wishes three, to use as he saw fit. We could not reach it– the cave was filled with air– but it was so tempting. There were gems, too! More than we have ever had here."

Chen clapped, happy as a clam. "This cave sounds amazing! Skylor, you must show me, tomorrow!"

Immediately, she shook her head, backtracking as much as possible. "Oh, no, I couldn't take you away from your work like that, Father. I'm sure you're busy."

"Nonsense! I would love to see!"

"I– I couldn't."

"Yes, you can!"

She hesitated. "No, really. I couldn't."

His giddiness slowly fell away, changing as quickly as the tides, as his emotions often did. "Why not? Do you not love me, Skylor?"

"No, of course I love you, Father!" She put up her hands, trying to placate him. "It's simply that… that the cave is near the surface. You would not want to go up to see it."

Chen paused, and Clouse cut in instead. "Near the surface, you say? The surface, which you are not to break?"

"I– yes. Not at the surface, but near it," she affirmed.

At her words, Chen's happiness completely collapsed into a dark look of anger. "You went to the surface, Skylor? You disobeyed the one rule which I have set to never be broken?"

"I– no, Father. I did not break the surf," she lied.

Clouse sneered. "You did not break the surf, yet you went to the surface? How can we be sure you are telling the truth, let alone that the cave is real?"

"What if you were seen?!" Chen cried. "What if you were seen by a man?!"

"I was not seen!"

Chen left his chair, lip quivering with rage as he rose up. "If I am to trust you, then prove it. Show us the cave! Now!"

"I can't!" she protested. "I was not seen, but Father, I just can't show you!"

"Then I cannot believe you!" He pointed a finger at her. "Skylor, you may have been seen by men! Because you have put us in danger, I will do what must be done to protect our people. The men must be struck first!"

Skylor's eyes grew wide. "What?"

Clouse sneered at her. "You have endangered all mer, Skylor. We must do all we can to protect our people… unless you can show us this cave? Perhaps then we could use this lamp you spoke of to wish for protection."

"I cannot show you," she protested. "Clouse, please understand! I should not have been there, I see that now."

Chen frowned darkly. "There is no cave, is there?" He neared her, and even as she left her chair, he cornered her in that side of the dining room, where there was no door. "Skylor, this must be punished. You shall see why we do not let you go to the surface, and then… we shall take care of the threat." His frown turned to a smile, too sweet to be on his face. "It is for your good, and for the people's. Now, sit, and finish your supper."

She hesitantly did as she was told, but for the rest of the meal, Skylor protested Chen's plan. However, his jealous rage was not to be dissuaded, for he spouted plan after plan to Clouse. Clouse inflamed his plans, and before long, Skylor was shut up in her room as they prepared to attack the kingdom of men. She pounded on the door to no avail– no, she could do nothing to stop him. All she could do was hope.

------

Days and nights passed while Skylor was imprisoned in her room, until she was finally set free. She was quickly informed that her father was beginning to make up a force of mermen, with which he would attack the men's ships, and according to his logic, protect the mer from them. Of course, it was clear to everyone else that such an action would reveal the mer's presence, but he could not be stopped, such was his rage. In every situation, any action of Skylor's was seen as a betrayal. She found herself constantly being forced into corners, unable to act or do anything, and longed for escape.

When she was finally less closely confined, Skylor began to scour every source for a way to evade her father's desires, and perhaps stop his wager of war on men. She read countless books, but found no help. She asked her friends for guidance, but received no aid. She prayed, but heard no answer. After all these failed attempts, she had to accept that her father would not back down, even as he proclaimed that it was for her safety… she needed something else.

As the situation grew more dire for the mermaid, a thought crossed her mind. If she could leave the Skytaran oceans, anywhere would be possible for protection. Despite the ease of provoking her father, by such actions, if she left the trench, she would be free to do anything. He would be distracted, and would not wage war; it was the perfect plan. As the idea grew and flourished in her mind, Skylor began to seek ways to achieve it. Thus, she began her research.

The first possible location for which to flee was ruled out almost immediately. While she could swim west, into the deep ocean, it was unlikely she would survive the wastes. It was uninhabitable for lone mer, and a mermaid was not strong enough to hold her own against the beasts of the deep. It would be asking for death, which she could not condone, and it would not help her anyway. Thus, one avenue of inquiry was ended.

The second possibility was ruled out just as quickly. Despite the closeness of the coast to the south, swimming toward the land kingdom of Kaiyo would prove foolish. An underwater mass of an unrecognizable barbed plant blocked all passage for one hundred miles, as it had for years beyond living memory, which would force her into the deep ocean as well. Even if she could make it around the obstacle, Kaiyo would be too warm of waters, and she suspected there were no mer living there. It would be a fool's errand to even try.

The third option was ruled out, too, but more slowly. There was a possibility of traveling north, toward the land kingdom of Vanterra. There, in their most northern islands, was another kingdom of mer. She knew not one thing about them, except for a troublesome fact, being that her father had a history with them. A history with her father often meant past war, and that she would not be accepted among them; they would cast her out if they knew her relation to him. She could not afford such a thing.

No, there was one fourth and impossible thing that she wished to do. If only she could go up on land, what would it mean for her? Would she stand, and walk on legs? If she only could, then she could be amongst the men and women. She could even meet the man in red… but how could she ever do such a thing?

In her consideration of her options, Skylor spent much time in the palace's library, avoiding her father and searching for answers. For days she found no answers, sinking into despair. However, at last she came upon a strange book that stirred a newborn hope in her. When plucked off its high shelf, so separated from the rest of the books, it felt heavy in her hands. Its bleached seaweed pages were strangely bound, undecorated... but perhaps it was what she needed?

The book needed no decoration to be fascinating, for every word was scrawled in the most beautiful squid ink calligraphy. The heavy tome made no pretenses, but she did not need them. Whatever this book was, it was not something she was meant to find, or anyone at all. It was similar to Clouse's many spellbooks, but this tome related to transfiguration… it was filled with deep, abyssal knowledge. The knowledge of the underwater sorcerers.

Skylor smiled brightly as she read it, and she closed it quickly. Stowing it under her arm, she made great haste, dashing to her bedroom as quickly as possible. When she reached it, she locked the doors firmly, just barely avoiding trapping her tail in the frame. Then she grinned and swam to her bed, placing the tome upon it.

Skylor sat on the bed and opened the book again. Hastily, she flipped to the proper page. She scanned its contents, taking note of the important details, and then… she smiled.

"Spell of Transformation: mer to man…"

No, the impossible was possible. She could disappear onto land! She could be a woman instead of a mermaid.

#OLST fanfic #ninjago #ninjago fanfic #skylor chen #kai smith #master chen #clouse #ninjago skylor #ninjago kai #ninjago chen #ninjago clouse #kai x skylor #skylor x kai #kailor #ninjago au #ninjago fairy tale au #fairy tale au #cursebreaker #little mermaid au

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rohad93 · 4 years

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Worth the Fight: Ch8

For the first time in a long time, Amity is excited.

More than excited, but she isn’t sure how else to describe it, even with her quite extended vocabulary. To finally have a chance at something she’d wanted to do all her life and had never had a chance to do until now? There are few words to describe the elation she feels.

She and Luz had spent a little longer than they should have at the market a few days ago picking out some clothes that Luz deemed suitable for her to train in, but then they had to hurry back to the manor because it was getting late and if they didn’t Bump would certainly stop her and there was no way to explain the clothes she’d bought. She liked Bump, he was a good teacher, wise, and knowledgeable. That being said, his loyalties were first and foremost to her parents and Amity could not trust him with her secrets, not like she could Lilith, which made it hard to navigate her situation at home at times.

It had been Lilith that had inspired her desire to learn to fight, well, her and ‘Azura, the good knight’ the heroine of her favorite book.

When Amity had gone to her asking to learn the art of sword fighting Lilith had been more than amenable to the idea, but her parents refused, insisting that she do what they had hired her to do, teach her enchantment magic, and as much as Lilith had wanted to teach her, she had acquiesced to her parent’s wishes, much to Amity’s disappointment.

She felt a twinge at the thought of her teacher. Lilith had been gone for over a year now, sent across the sea to fight at the Emperor’s order. There had been no word from her in months and some days Amity wondered if the raven-haired knight was even still alive; she missed her.

Amity shook her head, today wasn’t the day for this, she needed to stay focussed. That was what Lilith would want her to do.

Luz was going to start her training today. They would have started already, but Bump had pulled Luz to help oversee some deliveries being made from the estate and she’d been away all day for the last two days, but she was back now and they could begin.

She carefully concealed her training clothes in her dress, the only useful thing about one of the puffy, ugly, hunter green monstrosities her mother had given her, and one she never wore if she could help it, before leaving the room.

She hurried down the hall, Luz said she would be on gate duty whenever she was ready.

Just as she was about to hit the first stair, a pair of synced voices called out to her.

“Where are you off to in such a hurry today, Mittens?”

Amity groaned to herself before she glanced over her shoulder where her brother and sister were standing, grinning at her from the doorways of their bedrooms.

“It’s a nice day, I’m going out for a walk,” she grunted.

“Well, that sounds like a lovely idea!” Emira grinned.

“Indeed it does, dear sister, we’ll join you.” Edric’s grin matched his twins’.

“I’d rather you didn’t,” Amity grumbled as the twins came to stand on either side of her.

“Aw, come on, Mittens, we haven’t done anything together in so long,” Emira lamented as she leaned her head on Amity’s.

“No,” Amity scowled.

“Oh, please, we just want to spend some time with our little sister,” Edric baby talked to her as he leaned on her shoulder, making her growl and elbow him in the stomach. He grunted and backed off.

Amity was steaming inside, there was no way she was going to be able to shake the two now, she’d been waiting for days already!

She took a deep breath, she could wait another day, Luz wasn’t going anywhere.

“Fine,” she bit out and the twins grinned as they walked down the steps.

When they approached, Luz looked up and the confusion that broke out across her face as Amity came walking out of the house with two slightly older people that bore a striking resemblance to Amity, as well as each other, was apparent.

“Luz, would you escort us on a walk down to the coast?” she turned to the human guard as they passed through the gate, she tried to send Luz some kind of look with her eyes, trying to convey to her not to mention their training.

“Of course, Lady Blight.” Luz nodded, glancing between the three.

She’d heard of the Blight twins, of course, Edric and Emira, but this was the first time Luz had actually seen them in person. She hadn’t been in the manor since the first day when she’d met Bump.

“Oh, I’ve never seen you before,” Emira said, eyeing Luz up and down and the young knight’s face turned pink at the suggestive smile that had slid onto the older Blight’s face.

“Uhh…” Luz blinked.

“Luz is new,” Amity grumbled, rolling her eyes at her sister's flirtatiousness. She did this every time they got a new guard around their age, which wasn’t often, but it had still happened several times. Once, a young man had to be released from their employ because Emira had flirted with him and he had been convinced she was in love with him and begun following her around and serenading her at her window at night.

Luz just looked embarrassed, thankfully.

“Edric, Emira!” They all turned as Bump stood on the front steps of the manor, looking quite annoyed and the twins grimaced. “A word if you’d please…,” the old witch practically growled, arms folded behind his back and eyes narrowed at the two of them.

“Well, shit…,” Edric mumbled under his breath as they two moved back toward the doors.

Amity caught Luz’s eye and jerked her head in a very clear message.

‘Let’s go’

Luz nodded and gave a brief wave to Jerbo as they hurried down the road away from Blight manor before Bump finished reaming out the twins for whatever they had done.

They walked quickly until they were out of sight of the manor and Amity sighed in relief. She loved her siblings, annoying as they could be the majority of the time, but she was not in the mood for them, not today.

“So, those were the infamous twins the other guards talked about,” Luz hummed as they walked and Amity rolled her eyes.

“Yes, my brother and sister, Edric and Emira,” she sniffed.

“So I heard,” Luz chuckled. “What did they do to get Sir Bump all riled up?” she asked.

“I couldn’t begin to guess, the twins like to play ‘jokes’, which sometimes come back to bite them.” She shook her head. Last week they were confined to their rooms when they poured an elixir into the stew being made for dinner that made it congeal into an abomination, which the house staff had to chase down,” Amity said and Luz snorted. “The halls still vaguely smell like stewed lamb,” she sighed. “I’m just glad Bump showed up when he did, they were insisting on joining me for my ‘walk’,” she grumbled.

“You don't want to include them in your training?” Luz chuckled at the sour face Amity made. “Why not?” she asked.

Amity opened her mouth to speak but stopped short, jaw snapping back shut with a quiet click. She had just been about to explain her often strained relationship with her siblings when she remembered just who she was speaking to. Luz, who was still all but a stranger to her, an acquaintance, really. Why was she telling her any of this?

She just shrugged in response.

“We have a tenuous relationship at times,” is all she said and Luz waited for more but it seems that’s all she was going to say on the matter.

Luz frowned, she could feel the sudden shift in the atmosphere. They had been having a rather pleasant conversation when Amity had suddenly clammed up and Luz wondered if she had said something to offend her, but after quickly thinking over the conversation she couldn’t find fault in anything she said. She tried a different tack.

“So, are you ready?” Luz asked her as she led them to a secluded spot she had scouted out for them to train at, and Amity’s mood seemed to do another complete one-eighty as she smiled up at her, almost giddy, and Luz couldn’t help but think how pretty the noblewoman was when she smiled as opposed to scowling, as was so often the case.

“I’m more than ready,” Amity asserted, which made Luz grin.

They walked for a good fifteen minutes before they reached the spot.

A clearing, situated on a low ridge by the shore that hung out over the sand on one side and was mostly surrounded by large rocks on the other that would hide them from view as if the woods weren’t already doing so.

“We’ll train here, it’s away from everything and secluded so no one should see us.” She swept an arm around at the space and Amity nodded as she took it all in.

“Alright, I’m going to change…” Amity pulled the folded up clothes they had bought in the market out of her skirts and looked up to find Luz still standing there, looking at her curiously and her face flared hot. “Do you mind?” she asked, though it certainly didn’t sound like a question.

“No...” Luz shook her head innocently and Amity gave her a long look that made realization flash across her face. “Oh! Uh, right!” she spun around to face the woods and hide her red face. “Sorry! I just… with traveling on the road with my mentor the last five years… there was never much privacy to be had so we kinda just did our own things, ya know?” Luz scratched the back of her head sheepishly as she listened to the sound of rustling fabric.

“It’s fine…,” Amity’s voice is low and obviously embarrassed.

Luz anxiously tapped a booted foot in the dirt before Amity finally called out that she was ready and the human turned around to appraise her new student.

Amity was fidgeting with her clothes, she wasn’t used to such attire.

The snug, gray pants and leather boots Luz had insisted on felt strange on her person, but especially the double-breasted black jacket with the dark green piping and high collar that fit snugly around her neck and chest. When she moved the jacket's tails hit the back of her thighs with every step. She adjusted the magenta armband she had added around her left bicep, a small pop of her own.

Everything was new and strange, snug, but nothing was uncomfortable, just different.

“Well, you look ready to train,” Luz appraised. “For the most part…” Luz reached down to her waist and untied the second sword hanging at her waist and tossed the sheathed blade to Amity. “That’s my old training sword, it’s what you’ll be using for the foreseeable future,” she explained as Amity wrapped a hand around the blade’s hilt and pulled it free of its sheath, testing its weight in her hand.

“Training blade, hmm?” she mumbled, running a finger over the edge. “It’s dull.” Amity frowned

“Hey, it took me two years of training before Eda even gave me that,” Luz chuckled. “There's no jumping straight to the front of the line here, Lady Blight.”

Amity blinked at that. A knight named Eda, she’d heard that name before, but from where escapes her at the moment, there’s a nagging little twinge of familiarity in the back of her mind, but she doesn’t have time for that right now, they have training to do, she can puzzle it out later.

“What’s first?” Amity blinked up at her, as she tied the sheath to her belt and took hold of the blade again, ready.

“Well, first of all, that’s not how you hold it.” Luz walked over and wrapped her hands around Amity’s adjusting them on the hilt, warm, rough fingers moving her own hands into the correct places and once she was done Amity realized how much more natural her new grip felt.

“There…” Luz took a step back. Her stance was still wonky, but it wasn’t important at the moment. “Now try to hit me,” she ordered.

“What?!” Amity’s head shot up at that to look at Luz’s grinning face.

“Try to hit me,” she repeated.

“I’m not going to hit you with a sword!” She lowered the blade tip to the ground.

“I need to see where you're at and where we need to work, you won’t hurt me, I promise, now swing at me!” Luz again commanded.

“No!” Amity frowned. Even if the blade was dull, swinging it at her could still cause harm.

Luz frowned, tapping her foot before she got an idea, Amity had proven from the moment they met that she had a bit of a temper, and she was about to receive a first-hand lesson in one of the first lessons Eda had ever given her; how to exploit your opponent's obvious weaknesses’.

Luz walked a few steps over to the trees and scanned the ground before picking up a stick about the same length of her sword and walking back over, brandishing the stick like a weapon.

“Hit. Me.” she punctuated each statement with a poke of the stick to Amity’s stomach.

“Stop, I’m not going to hit you!” Amity grumbled, trying to swat the stick away, but Luz was much faster.

“Hit me,” she repeated stabbing harder still at Amity, who winced as the stick stuck her in the ribs.

“Luz!” she snarled, batting at the stick and missing every time as Luz circled around her poking her mercilessly harder and harder as she repeated her command to strike her.

Amity could feel her temper rising by a few more degrees every time Luz jabbed her with her stick. Her jaw clenched and her grip on the hilt of the training blade tightened. She knew what Luz was doing and she was not going to fall for it, there had to be a safer way to do this than what Luz was suggesting.

Luz could see it in her face, Amity was breaking, her temper was just about to boil over in a frothing rage with a little more prodding.

On the one hand, she was rather touched that Amity didn’t want to hurt her, but on the other, she found it laughable that she thought she could.

“Hit me, Blight!” Luz jabbed her particularly hard in the back with the tip of her stick and knew immediately that she had broken through Amity's patience.

With a strangled, rage-filled noise, Amity spun around, swinging the blade as though it were a bat.

Luz hopped back out of range, a grin pulling at her lips as Amity rushed after her, swinging haphazardly and snarling at her.

Luz could only grin to herself as she danced in and out of range, avoiding every one of Amity’s wild swings and intermittently poking her with the stick, just to add fuel to the fire when it looked like it was starting to dwindle. This was a test of stamina after all.

After a good five minutes of leading Amity around the clearing with her taunting grin and quick pokes with a stick, the noble stood panting, the sword resting against the ground as she tried to get her breath back and looking pissed off.

“Well, I can tell you that stamina is definitely going to need to be worked on,” Luz chuckled as she walked over to her.

“That’s not going to be a quick process is it?" Amity huffed, looking up at Luz as sweat dripped down her brow. Black might have been a poor choice in attire for training outside at the height of summer. The human crossed her arms and shook her head.

“No, you’ll just have to build it up as we go, but it means that our sessions won’t be very long until you start building up your endurance, if you overwork you’ll end up hurt,” Luz warned as she came to a stop in front of Amity, stick resting on her shoulder. “There are ways to help it along. We need to run.” she grinned.

“Run?” Amity grimaced at that and Luz hummed an affirmative.

“Yup, let’s go!” she whooped and took off, sliding down the ridge to the sandy beach below and tossing her stick aside.

“W-wait, Luz!” She sheathed her sword and quickly followed after her as she jogged down the beach with Amity trailing behind as they kicked up a cloud of sand with their boots. Luz was wearing a chainmail shirt beneath her tunic and still outrunning the noble by a longshot.

Her lungs burned as she tried to keep up with Luz as they dashed across the hot beach beneath the blazing sun, she was sure she was sweating to death inside the jacket.

So maybe there was more to learning how to use a sword than she initially thought, but Amity was nothing if not tenacious and resolved to all tasks she set herself to, and this one would be no different.

She wasn’t sure how long Luz made her chase her up and down the beach but it had to be at least an hour judging from the position of the sun overhead.

Luz turned around, running backward now to face Amity who was dragging through the sand at a slow trot rather than a run. Luz was exhausted herself but she did her best not to let it show, she had to put on a good face for her new student after all!

“Come on, Lady Blight!” Luz called, stressing the title. “Is that all you have?” She grinned and Amity scowled at her opening her mouth to deliver a scathing retort when the heel of Luz’s boot caught on a piece of driftwood and she went tumbling backward in the sand

“Ay, meirda!” she yelped as she rolled backward flinging up a wave of sand before rolling to a stop on her stomach.

Amity didn’t have the energy or breath to laugh, but that didn’t stop her from grinning wickedly as the woman rolled through the sand before finally landing face-down, flat on her stomach.

Luz grumbled as she pushed herself up onto her elbows and sputtered, spitting out sand as Amity came to a stop in front of her.

“Well, that was embarrassing…,” she mumbled, face pink as she looked up at Amity, who was panting, red-faced, but grinning at her. “Uh, let’s take a break!” she offered with a huff, getting her own breath back as she pushed herself up to stand, brushing off as much sand as she could as she walked over to the water and washed the remaining granules off her face and hands before plopping herself back down onto her butt in the hot sand, facing the sea.

Amity flopped down next to her bonelessly, cupping her hands in the water and washing the sweat from her face. The salty taste of the ocean water was indistinguishable from the sweat that had been dripping down her face for the past hour, but it was cool on her flushed skin and she sighed in relief. When it didn’t feel like she was going to pass out from the heat she looked up at the waves and the clear blue sky, it really was a beautiful day today.

Luz was contenting herself with digging through the sand till her fingers brushed something hard hidden among the granules and dug her fingers harder into the ground before lifting a whole shell free from its sandy prison. She brushed the remaining grains of sand off as she admired the shiny pink, and white surface, it’s soft spirals were perfectly smooth under her fingers.

“I love the ocean,” Luz said aloud as she turned the shell over in her hand.

“Hm, why’s that, seashells?” Amity cocked a brow at the human as she leaned back on her hands.

“Well, that’s one reason, yeah,” she chuckled. “It’s just so different from anywhere else, like a whole ‘nother world, with things you can’t find anywhere else.” She held the shell out to Amity who took it between her fingers. “I grew up isolated deep in the woods, I never saw the ocean till I started traveling with Eda five years ago.

“That’s your mentor, right?” Amity asked, turning the smooth shell over in her fingers. Luz nodded.

“Yup!” Luz smiled and Amity hummed but they said nothing more for a while.

“Alright!” Luz slapped her knees before she hauled herself to her feet and offered a hand to Amity, who took it and yelped as Luz practically jerked her off the ground effortlessly. “Ah, sorry!” she smiled apologetically. “I’m going to teach you some basic strikes.” she declared and Amity’s exhaustion vanished at that.

Luz pulled her own blade from its sheath, it made a quiet scraping sound as she pulled the blade free and demonstrated a few basic strikes. Which they practiced for a few hours, Luz using her own sword to block Amity’s strikes but nothing more. She corrected her footwork and form several times and Amity realized for all the books she had read over the years about the subject, and the knights she had watched compete in tourney’s, it was nothing compared to doing it herself.

They practiced till Amity’s hands were sore and her exhaustion returned with a vengeance. All she wanted to do was lay down and sleep. Luz seemed to pick up on her ever more sluggish movements before she called for an end to training, she was getting tired herself, though she blamed that on the chainmail she was still becoming accustomed to beneath her tunic.

“Let’s call it a day," she finally declared and Amity almost cried in relief, but she didn’t, though only just. She wanted to sit but feared she wouldn't be able to get back up if she did.

“When I get a chance I’ll set up some training dummies for you to practice on.” Luz scratched her chin as she looked around the clearing thoughtfully.

“Will we train here again tomorrow?” Amity asked her after a moment, sheathing the training blade.

“Oh, after how today went, we won’t be training tomorrow,” Luz said, looking at her.

Amity straightened, feeling indignation well up within her. Did Luz think because of her poor running performance today that she couldn’t do it, was she already rescinding her offer to teach her?

“No, I can do it!” Amity insisted. “Perhaps today had a bit of a rough start, but I can do this!” she insisted. Luz blinked wide, brown eyes at her.

“No, Amity, you don’t…”

“Just let me prove it!” Amity cut her off and Luz frowned. Amity obviously didn’t understand what Luz was trying to say to her. Now she understood why Eda had taught her with a ‘show’, rather than ‘tell’, style. Some things were just easier learned by experience, and though Luz didn’t really want to do that per se, it wasn’t going to stop what was going to happen tomorrow, regardless of whether or not she turned it into a teachable moment, so she might as well.

“Okay, we train tomorrow; no matter what,” she finished and it had a slightly ominous tone to it, but Amity got what she wanted and was pleased, so she nodded. Luz just shook her head knowingly.

When they returned to the manor she and Luz parted ways at the front gate and Amity hurried upstairs to her room, hand on the knob when a voice made her stop.

“Well, look who finally came home.”

“I can’t believe you ditched us.”

She glanced over her shoulder at her siblings, standing there looking at her from their own bedrooms, annoyed.

“You two seemed to have your hands full with Sir Bump,” she smirked and Edric snorted.

“He has no sense of humor,” The only blight son grumbled, crossing his arms and leaning on the doorframe.

“What happened to you, I thought you were going for a walk?” Emira cocked her head as she looked at her sister's disheveled appearance. Her mint green hair was slightly matted and damp while her dress was wrinkled with bits of grass stuck to it, but she looked overall pleased before the two of them had gotten her attention.

“I… fell,” she finally said and the twins glanced at each other.

“You fell,” Emira repeated, crossing her arms and giving her sister a long look.

“Yes, down a hill…” Was that really the best she could come up with? She scolded herself. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m tired.” With that she disappeared into her room, leaving her sibling standing in the hall in silence.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Edric asked, turning to his twin.

“That Mittens is shagging the cute new guard?” Emira asked and Edric blinked wide eyes at her.

“Actually, I was gonna say I think she’s getting more clumsy, but that makes way more sense!” He laughed. “Didn’t think she had it in her… no wonder she didn’t want us to come along…”

“Too bad… I thought she was cute…,” Emira pouted.

“You could always try anyway?” Edric suggested, looking at her from across the hall. “I mean, I’m not saying you should and it would certainly be a shit thing to do, but you could.” He shrugged. Emira scoffed.

“What kind of sister do you take me for, to try and steal a woman from my own baby sister?” She shot him a scandalized look that made him laugh.

“I was just saying!”

~ ~

Amity quickly pulled off her dress, training pants still on beneath. The jacket would have been visible beneath the dress, so it had to come off.

Just as she went to pull them off and she felt something in the pocket and dug her hand in to wrap around something smooth and warm before she pulled out the pink and white shell Luz had given her. She ran her fingers over the smooth surface. The pinks are bright against the off white and she admired it for a long moment before setting it on the table near her bed and finished changing out of the dirty clothes.

#Lumity #eventually #Luz Noceda #Amity Blight #Edric Blight #Emira Blight #fic #toh #the owl house

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cinnaminsvga · 5 years

Text

the walls have ears | Taehyung

→ summary: in hindsight, taehyung probably shouldn’t have told the paintings about his debilitating crush on you after he had (unknowingly) drunk some magically spiked pumpkin juice. after all, paintings don’t really have all that much going on, except getting excited over the occasional gossip or two. and well... news always travels fast when there’s magic involved.

{based on a prompt by @/alloftheprompts: “Character A tells a painting about their crush on Character B. The portrait spills their secret.”}

→ genre: hogwarts!au, fluff, humor → words: 5.6K → a/n: this is for the lovely @merriblazi who donated a couple ko-fis to fund my grocery bills lmao thank you so much!! also, i’m still accepting ko-fi comms until the end of august, so if you’d like something like this as well, feel free to drop a few ko-fis down my drain!! i’d love to write you all something!! (new banner was made by @jincherie ty girl ily)

The paintings at Hogwarts are all in high spirits today.

Taehyung notices this when he exits the Gryffindor common room, immediately being greeted by the Fat Lady’s cackles of excitement. He jumps up in surprise at her ear-splitting squeals, nearly knocking over a poor first-year student behind him. He shouts out an apology at the kid, but she has already scuttled off, spooked by the loud portrait. Honestly, Taehyung isn’t any better himself, turning back around to stare wide-eyed as the Fat Lady continues to point and giggle at him with her mouth stretched into a smirk.

Taehyung hazards a greeting. “Um, good morning?”

“Good morning indeed,” she singsongs, procuring a fan out of the many folds of her dress (from where exactly she had it stored, he tries not to think too deeply about). “Mister Kim, I’m sure you had quite an interesting evening the day before, did you not?”

Taehyung freezes immediately, his blood running cold at her words. Being a known prankster and rapscallion, Taehyung has grown to learn the importance of running at the first sign of trouble, despite how cowardly that might seem for a Gryffindor. The best way to continue having the pleasure of wreaking havoc is to choose your battles wisely, which is just a nice way of saying that he needs to scram before the authorities can catch him. He had learned all of this from the best, seeing as how his best friend happens to be a Slytherin.

He tries to think of what he had done the other night, but he comes up blank. He remembers being busy the entire afternoon trying to ask you on a date for the fourteenth time this month, only to no avail (as always). While others had already been deterred by intimidation alone, Taehyung remains hopeful that he will get the guts to talk to you eventually. After all, his mommy says he’s a handsome and charming boy who can sweep any girl off their feet, and his mommy has never lied to him before.

At least, that’s what he’s been telling himself these past few years of silently pining over you, but he digresses.

“I… I had an interesting evening?” Taehyung repeats quizzically, becoming more bewildered by the second. Due to the Fat Lady’s commotion, it seems to have caused a stir among the rest of the paintings, all of the nearby portraits peering over their frames to catch a good look at him. Taehyung can even see some of the more lethargic portraits waking up long enough to direct attentive gazes at him.

“Why of course!” The Fat Lady positively screams, clasping her hands together with a loud clap. “The castle is abuzz with excitement over your daring confession last night! Why, I could hardly contain my excitement for when you would awaken.” She flicks away her fan over her shoulder, accidentally hitting her neighboring portrait in the face. She scarely blinks at her neighbor’s barks of irritation.

Oh, jeez. It’s the crotchety portrait that everyone disliked. This isn’t good; no one could ever get the old fart to shut up once you got him going, and Taehyung knows better than anyone else how easy it is to get a rise out of him. After all, it was his favorite pastime.

“Watch where you flap those arms of yours, woman!” He shouts, bulbous features turning purple in mere seconds. The Scholar, or as Taehyung likes to call the Squalor, takes one of his many books from his desk, ready to hurl back at her.

Before he can even think of pulling back his shoulder, a stampede of finely dressed ladies comes rushing in out of nowhere, quickly subduing them by sheer number alone. There is a loud squabble as the ladies all corner him like a murder of multi-colored crows. At a closer glance, Taehyung recognizes them from one of the large paintings near the entrance to the Great Hall.

That was floors away. How had they rushed over so quickly? And for what reason?

“Oh hush, you simpering nerd!” One of the ladies snaps, grabbing the Fat Lady’s fallen fan and slapping the man in the face once more. The scholar sputters, at a loss for words for once in his life. Taehyung thanks the ladies internally, having always wanted to disfigure the bastard’s face ever since he called his yellow sunglasses unfashionable. What the hell did someone who died during the plague know anything about fashion?

“We came as soon as we heard, Lady Fat! Now, where is the boy that everyone’s been gossiping about – oh, my word!” Taehyung assumes it is the leader of the pack who gasps in surprise, her well-manicured finger outstretched as she waggles it at him. He can tell she’s the leader by the ostentatious crown on her head, complete with glittering jewels that he could scarcely tell the names of.

The Fat Lady moves to the side, allowing the women to enter her space until almost the entirety of her canvas was filled with nothing but powdered wigs and poofy skirts. Taehyung can hardly see her crown of vines with how many people were surrounding her.

Her voice sounds muffled when she replies, “For the hundredth time, my name is the Fat Lady, not Lady Fat. And yes Martha, it is him! His name is Taehyung, the one I’m certain who had spoken to Raphael the other night.”

Wait. Taehyung’s mouth drops, taken aback. This is certainly news to him! When had he spoken to Raphael? Who the hell was Raphael, even? Why did everyone seem to know more about his nightly activities than he did?

He doesn’t get to ask, however, as the ladies immediately begin to bombard him with a barrage of comments ranging from excitement to disappointment, no holds barred.

“Oh, it’s the cute Gryffindor boy with the long eyelashes! They would make a lovely couple indeed! I wonder if Raphael has already passed the message to her–”

“He’s the one? Surely not! I was hoping it was the cat-eyed boy with black hair instead. Wouldn’t he be a better match for her?”

“You must be crazy, Marie! This boy is clearly meant for her. My mother was a seer, and I can tell from a mile away that those two are meant to be soulmates–”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Taehyung cries out, anxious from all the chatter coming from all directions at once. He can feel the panic bubbling up, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He doesn’t even know where to start with all this! “Can everyone shut up for a second!”

Miraculously, all the portraits clam up at his request, still gazing upon him like he holds all the secrets to the world. Which, much to everyone’s disappointment, he does not.

The sudden disquiet unnerves him slightly, causing him to stutter in his speech. He swallows thickly, voice meek. “I-I… I’m a bit confused about all this. Can someone explain what everyone’s talking about? I just wanted to head down and get some breakfast.”

It feels like a hundred painted faces are staring back at him, and when Taehyung casts a furtive glance behind him, he sees that even the paintings from two staircases up are watching with rapt attention. Why was everyone so interested in him, all of a sudden? Not even his infamous dungbomb toilet prank got him this much notoriety. When he turns back to face the ladies, they all seem to be just as shocked as he is.

Lady Martha steps forward until she is almost taking up the entirety of the canvas, squinting at him dubiously. Her previously excited demeanor has soured greatly at his words. She tilts her head towards him, unimpressed. “Well? Are you not the boy with the crush on Lady Y/N? Have we sprinted across the entire castle just to find that the culprit of last night’s latest gossip had all been just another prank?”

“N-no, I – Wait. Did you just say–” Taehyung stops in the middle of his sentence to gape back at her, his ears feeling hot as his blood quickly races up to his face. “Did you just say ‘the boy with the crush on Y/N?’” He hisses the last part in a strangled whisper, snapping his head side to side to make sure no one else had heard. He is relieved to find that the only other people nearby do not seem to have heard their exchange, but he still waves his hands frantically to get all the portraits to lower their volume.

She raises her eyebrow at him, hip cocked to the side. “Yes? Had I misspoken? Had Raphael been lying to all of us once again?” She scoffs in exasperation, though it does not seem to be aimed at him. The rest of the ladies seem annoyed at this Raphael as well. “That’s just like him, too! We shouldn’t have trusted him again. That angel never did know how to shut his trap.”

The ladies make muted harrumphs of discontent, noses upturned in the air. Taehyung watches as a few of them begin to make their way back to their own canvas, but he needs to ask them one last thing before they leave. While he doesn’t remember ever speaking to a painting named Raphael, he still does not know how he had found about his crush on you in the first place.

He doesn’t know what he would do if you were to ever find out, even if it was just a rumor for now. This is not how he imagined he would finally tell you about his feelings; everything feels like a nightmare. He can already feel the apples of his tanned cheeks beginning to burn in embarrassment.

“Hold on, did you say an angel named Raphael said all of that stuff?” Taehyung asks hesitantly, sweat building up on the back of his neck. He can vaguely remember a fresco of some angels near the kitchens, but he isn’t quite sure. He never goes there unless he wants to snag some treats from the house elves, but he has started relying on Seokjin to do the food hauls for him these days. Never mind the fact that he had already gotten caught in the act thrice by you – ever the attentive prefect.

Oh, how he hated how much he loved you, despite the stick up your ass. That being said, no one was supposed to even know that he liked you, much less the entire painting population of Hogwarts. Not even Jimin knew, and that was saying something! How did this Raphael fellow find out when he had kept this secret deep inside his heart since the first day he had laid his eyes on you? How had he figured him out, unless Taehyung had been the one to tell him–

“Yes, the archangel Raphael near the kitchens.” Lady Martha nods, her sneer disfiguring her delicate features. “He said that a drunken boy with long lashes and dark brown hair had confessed his undying feelings for the rigid Lady Y/N the other night. Oh, how excited we were to hear the news!” Martha holds a hand to her chest, sighing dramatically. The remaining ladies chorus their sighs as well, one of them even fainting from grief.

The Fat Lady cranes her neck upwards, trying her best to speak above the fallen, wailing ladies. “Yes, quite. What a shame! When I heard from Lady Martha, who had heard from Lord Michael, who had heard from Sire Nicholas, who had heard from Professor Bang–”

“Wait, Professor Bang?” Taehyung mutters in disbelief, scarcely heard over the racket.

“–who had heard from Archangel Raphael that a boy with long eyelashes had been going on and on about his crush on a female prefect, I just knew it had to be you! Then, the Ladies of Commère discovered that the prefect was Miss Y/N, well… It was like a dream come true! We had all been hoping for her to find her prince sooner or later.”

“Her prince? What for?” Taehyung is kind of afraid to dive deeper into this mess, though he is too curious to let it slide. It isn’t like you’re short on suitors, despite how intimidating and uptight you are. It is part of the reason why he’s too shy to approach you in the first place, with how large his competition pool is.

“Well… She had been complaining to me during her nightly rounds about how lonely she has been feeling, ever since her best friend had started dating that oaf with a quaffle for a brain,” Lady Martha tuts, shaking her head pityingly.

Taehyung is familiar with that “oaf,” otherwise known as the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He admits that Jungkook isn’t the brightest boy, but he is a wickedly good player. Plus, Taehyung thinks he’s funny, especially after that incident when he had tried to snort pumpkin juice on a dare and consequently sprayed the entire wall with a myriad of fluids. (You had deducted points out of your own house for that, much to everyone else’s chagrin.)

Lady Martha continues, “She may seem like an independent woman, but I suppose all of us tend to get lonely during the night. And all the paintings love a good romance every once in a while, so we couldn’t help ourselves from jumping the gun a bit…”

Taehyung feels the dread begin to pile up like bricks in the pit of his stomach, reminding him of the time when he had eaten too much cauldron cakes in one go. He needs to go see Raphael as soon as possible and get to the bottom of this. He doesn’t remember speaking to him at all, which is what makes Taehyung the antsiest. Now that he thinks about it, he doesn’t quite remember what he did after dinner last night.

Somehow between now and then, he had managed to go to bed despite not knowing how or when. Taehyung had woken up this morning with a minor throbbing in the back of his head, but it was nothing to write home about.

At least that was what he thought. He was starting to second guess everything now.

He bows to the paintings, belatedly feeling a little odd for showing respect to inanimate objects. Regardless, the ladies appear to be delighted by his involuntary action, all of them cooing at his manners and wishing him a good breakfast as he scampers off towards the Great Hall.

When he arrives, the tables are still largely empty with how early he had risen, a rare occurrence in Taehyung’s everyday life. He doesn’t think he’s ever arrived to breakfast this early, but he blames the small headache from earlier that prematurely roused him from his slumber. Strange, he thinks as he trudges to his usual place, waiting for the rest of his friends and housemates to arrive. Everything about today has been nothing but a fever dream come to life.

As he spoons a large portion of porridge and fried sausages onto his plate (still piping hot and crisp, which is another weird and new prospect to Taehyung since the food was always a bit mushy by the time he turns up for breakfast), he replays the conversation with the Ladies of Commère.

Other than Raphael, there appear to be no other leads as to who might have found out about his secret admiration for you. The Fat Lady describes a boy with long lashes and brown hair to be the one who had conversed with him, which definitely seems to indicate it was Taehyung himself who had snitched.

An utterly preposterous thought. There is no way that he would ever admit that to some random passerby, certainly not while sober.

Taehyung pauses, spoon midway towards his open mouth. Bits of porridge drip over his lap as the sudden terrorizing thought flits through his mind. Had he been sober last night?

The ladies said the boy had been drunk when he had confessed. Taehyung didn’t drink alcohol, averse to the bitter taste. So how could he have..?

Taehyung rubs his temples frantically, his heart beating out of his chest as he tries again to remember what he had done right after dinner the previous evening. No matter how hard he racked his brain for information, he comes up blank every time.

Even if he had been drunk, do people really lose all their memories from just a sip or two? The only way he could have gotten drunk is if he had consumed it unknowingly, meaning someone must have spiked his food the other night. But who could have done such a thing?

The loud thud of a body barrelling right into the table forces Taehyung out of his reverie, nearly dislodging his head off his neck in the process. He yelps in surprise, before glaring at the new smiley intruder beside him.

The Slytherin grins cherubically, having the audacity to wink salaciously at him. “Good morning, Taehyungie! Surprised to see you up so early,” Jimin says, seating himself on the Gryffindor bench like he belongs there. With how often he visits his table, it’s easy for people to mistake him as his housemate. Even you and the rest of the prefects have stopped trying to get him to leave after their fifth year.

Taehyung groans. “It’s been a rough morning.”

“I can tell. You aren’t even eating any of the bacon,” Jimin whistles in surprise, casually heaping his own (stolen) plate. He gives Taehyung a proper once-over. “You feeling alright? You look kind of pale.”

“It’s…” Taehyung wavers, not sure what to reveal. He still doesn’t feel comfortable telling Jimin about his crush, but he thinks that if the entire population of Hogwarts might soon find out anyway, then his best friend might as well find out from the source himself. But first…

“Did you spike my dinner last night?”

“What?” Jimin laughs, but stops when he notices Taehyung’s serious expression. “Oh. You’re serious. Did you eat something funny yesterday?”

“I don’t remember eating anything weird except for the lamb chops and chicken and mashed potatoes and…” Taehyung trails off, realizing how much he eats during a meal. He looks down at his already half-devoured plate of what was once ten whole sausages before sighing dejectedly.

“It could have been anything, huh?” Jimin hums, rubbing his chin. “That’s weird though, because I don’t think I ate anything weird yesterday, and we ate pretty much the same stuff.”

“That’s the thing! I only realized my food might have been spiked this morning,” Taehyung grumbles. He pauses for a second, steeling himself before he spills his guts all over the shiny mahogany dining table. He breathes deeply, causing Jimin to watch him curiously from his right. Well, it’s now or never.

“What made you realize?” Jimin asks.

“You see, funny story…” Taehyung says, not at all amused by the tale he was about to tell. “This morning, I was assaulted by the Fat Lady and the Ladies of Commère. You know, the hoity-toity ladies near the entrance of the Great Hall? Anyway, they said something that made me rethink my entire existence and that maybe my memories aren’t as reliable as I thought.”

“What the hell are you even saying?” Jimin huffs, wagging his fork in his face. “Stop beating around the bush and say what you wanna say! What does this have to do with spiked food?”

“Basically… The ladies said I told one of the portraits about my crush on this certain someone, but the thing is, I would NEVER tell anyone about my crush on that someone, so the only way they could have known about my crush on that someone is if I had told them, but the thing is, I–”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Jimin interrupts Taehyung’s rambling, barely trying to suppress his giggles as he appraises his panicking friend. “You told a portrait about your crush on Y/N? When did this happen?”

Taehyung makes a startled sound, practically screeching in horror at Jimin’s nonchalant declaration. He had said it in a way like it was a simple truth, like how the sky is blue and how feet are sexy.

“You knew?!”

“Dude, everyone knows.” Jimin hums, nodding his head sagely. He snags one of the sausages off of Taehyung’s plate, even though he could have gotten a fresh one from the many other platters instead. He chews as he says, “Well admittedly, I’ve always known. Everyone else only just found out this morning as we entered the Great Hall. The hoity-toity ladies at the entrance were telling anyone who’d listen.”

“The ladies were–?” Taehyung stammers, mouth moving too quickly for his brain to catch up. “But I told them it wasn’t me!”

“Well, too late for that now,” Jimin shrugs, taking another one of Taehyung’s sausages. At this point, he was only doing it to make Taehyung’s day worse. “Apparently, Raphael the Archangel swore that it was you who had confessed about your crush on Y/N, and angels don’t just go around swearing, you know? Not that I know anything about Muggle religion, but also–”

“Oh Merlin, I think I’m going to be sick,” Taehyung says, slamming his head into his plate with the remaining three sausages. Jimin whines, lamenting the fate of his fallen riches.

“My sausages!”

“My love life!” Taehyung cries out, lifting his head and letting the greasy remains of his breakfast drip down his forehead.

Jimin is the first to recover from their respective meltdowns, using a finger to wipe some of the oil from his friend’s face and licking it with relish. “Damn, I love sausages. So, as I was saying… Why did you go and tell that portrait about your crush? Is that why you think you got spiked last night?”

Taehyung chokes out a sob, signaling his agreement.

“Oh shit, what if someone slipped Veritaserum in your pumpkin juice? But who?” Jimin wonders aloud, but it’s hard to narrow it down to just about anyone. Taehyung is pretty likable even amongst the most prickly students, so it will be difficult to pinpoint anyone who might have some personal vendetta against him. Then again, there are a couple of pranksters who come to mind…

“It doesn’t even matter who did it at this point. Y/N is going to come through those doors any moment and she’s just gonna know that I’m a fucking loser who spills his deepest infatuations to some random painting that I don’t even remember speaking to!”

“That is pretty lame,” Jimin says, not the least bit sympathetic. In his honest opinion, he feels like he should be thankful to whoever spiked his friend’s drink last night. Pining never did look good on Taehyung, despite all his natural handsomeness. If he had to catch him staring at you with that lovestruck look again, Jimin might as well have snitched sooner or later.

“Do you think I have time to go stop them from announcing to the world that I’m a loser with a huge boner for Y/N?” Taehyung is already rising to his feet, wiping the remaining grease from his skin as best as he can. He only smears it around some more, giving himself a blinding sheen. Somehow, he makes it work.

Jimin looks to his watch. “She usually comes in around five minutes before 8 AM, so maybe you’ll have some time before–”

He has spoken too soon. Lo and behold, you enter the hall with loud, purposeful strides, the entirety of your neck to your forehead flushed an endearing shade of red. You look absolutely mortified. Taehyung can say that he’s feeling the same, if not worse.

You pass by Taehyung in a blur, your gaze twitching towards him for a slight second before you are back to walking straight ahead with your head bowed slightly. Your best friend and Jungkook enter the hall soon after, both of whom were giggling raucously in your wake. The three of you slide into your usual seats a few spaces away from him, your eyes trained so fiercely onto your eggs that Taehyung is afraid that they might burst into flames.

Jimin looks from you to Taehyung, a smirk on his face. “You think she heard?”

The day continues onwards, filled with lots of staring and whispering. Taehyung can’t go from class to class without at least one person slapping him on the back in solidarity or others glaring at him out of contempt and jealousy. Either way, Taehyung isn’t sure whether he likes this type of attention or not.

Being hooted and cursed at for pulling off a fantastic joke? That, he could live with. Being the center of an ongoing cheesy romantic drama? This type of situation is a new world entirely.

The entire day is a whirlwind as he goes from class to class, not even getting to sneak off once to go and search for the ever elusive Raphael. Every time he tries to even look the other direction, his professors seem to be a step ahead of him, snapping at him to stay focused. Judging by the knowing smirks on their lips, they must have heard about the news as well, except they must be under the impression that he was trying to get away and search for you.

Oh, how wrong they are. He doesn’t even know what he would say if he saw you right now.

Luckily (or unluckily) for him, he doesn’t see you that often for the remainder of the day, except for one occasion when he passes you on the way to Potions. You aren’t with your best friend for once, but your eyes are still trained to the floor like they were this morning. Your usual pristine posture is gone, replaced by this timid girl who jumps up in surprise at the slightest bit of chatter. You don’t even scold a second-year for loosening his tie, and that honestly worried Taehyung more than anything else.

Were you embarrassed by him? He isn’t all that surprised that his affections were left unreciprocated – he’s long since accepted that his feelings will always remain one-sided. After all, with how often you like to reprimand him, you must only think of him as some loser seeking attention. In fact, he only ever plans his pranks so that you might be the one to catch him, like some misbehaving child who longs for the love of his absent parents.

Not that he thinks you’re like a mom to him, but then again… You’d be a great mom, but only if he gets to be the dad.

Wow. That went waaaay out of bounds than he was originally going for, but he digresses.

Still, he is a little hurt being ignored by you. Could he at least hope for a proper rejection? Just so he doesn’t have to keep having to speculating his whole life and wondering about what-ifs and what-could-have-beens. Oh, how he loathes what-ifs and what-could-have-beens. They are worse than losing an entire femur, in his opinion (and yes, he has lost a femur once. Luckily, they found it in the women’s bathroom, for some reason.)

He can’t blame you entirely though, since it must be hard on your part as well. He doesn’t ever remember seeing you this flustered in, well… Ever.

The afternoon winds down and classes end as quickly as they come. Dinner arrives once more, and Taehyung has more presence of mind to check what he eats before they even touch his lips. For safety reasons, he feeds his portions to Jimin first, just so if he gets spiked with truth serum again, at least the two of them could be idiots together.

He allows Jimin to lead most of the conversation, still not really feeling like everything’s fine despite his friend’s best attempts at lightening the mood. He did just get his heartbroken for the first time, after all. He’s surprised he hasn’t started bawling his eyes out in front of the entire school yet.

Just a few more minutes and I can cry all I want in the safety of my bedroom, Taehyung thinks to himself, feeling even shittier about how excited he is to spend the entire evening soaking his pillow with tears. It’s fine. He’ll be fine.

He is in the process of feeding a spoonful of peas into Jimin’s open mouth when he feels a soft tap on his shoulder, breaking him from his trance. He is in the process of telling the person that he’s not in the mood, but the words die in his throat the moment he turns and discovers the identity of the sudden visitor.

It’s you.

It’s you, with your hands wringing the edges of your sweater and the most endearingly rosy tint on your soft cheeks. He feels his heart start pounding automatically, just as it always has whenever he’s near you. He thinks the whole school has stopped talking with how silent the Great Hall has become, everyone itching to try and listen to your exchange.

Perhaps you had anticipated this type of scenario and didn’t want anyone to overhear, which is why you have already prepared a note beforehand, inked with your signature neat scrawl. You slip the small piece of parchment into his palm, folding his fingers over it gently. You bow your head awkwardly, reminding Taehyung of his similar gesture from earlier. You scurry away back to your seat, hands cupping your cheeks to cool yourself down.

Taehyung can’t see himself right now, but he thinks he might be even redder than you are, if that is even possible. Jimin, like the nosey bastard that he is, rips the note out of his hand and reads it before he can even process the last five minutes, guffawing loudly at what he finds.

“Guess you got a date later at the Astronomy Tower,” he says, shaking Taehyung’s hand in mock congratulations.

Well, at least he’ll have the stars to look at when he inevitably gets his heart crushed for real this time.

He doesn’t get his heart crushed. At least, not immediately. In fact, he thinks he might be on cloud nine right now as he sees you waiting for him, a small smile on your lips.

“Taehyung, I… really didn’t expect this from you. At all.” You start speaking the moment you hear him reach the top of the stairs, still slightly out of breath from the climb up. He rushes over to you immediately, letting the breeze cool his sweaty face.

“You didn’t… expect it?”

“Well, I mean! You’re always so…” You trail off, your mouth doing this weird thing where you look like you don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“A fucking little bastard?” Taehyung laughs when he sees you start to backtrack, stammering all the while.

“N-no! Well, you sorta are… But in the cutest way… possible?” You say the last part like a question, almost helplessly. You wave your hands wildly, adorable despite being frustrated. “I mean! It’s like! I scold you, but it’s my job, you know? But it’s not because I want to do it? Do you get what I mean? Ugh, I’m so awkward I hate this!”

“You think… I’m cute?” Taehyung lets himself smile a little, and it seems to make you even more flustered.

“Have you not seen yourself? Of course you are! I can’t believe that you even have a crush on me–” You stop yourself, slapping a hand to your mouth in horror. “I-I… I know it’s just a rumor and everything, and I don’t want to assume there’s any basis because oh my Merlin I’m never the type to listen to gossip and I don’t want you to think that I’m sort of–”

“What if it isn’t a rumor, though?” Taehyung has never felt this emboldened in his life, toeing the line of danger so closely that he can feel the electricity rush through his veins.

On the otherhand, you look completely baffled, as if the thought never crossed your mind before this moment. “What do you mean? Are you saying that…”

“That I like you, for real? Maybe I am,” Taehyung says, feeling cheekier the more he talks. It might just be the night sky or the wind against his cheeks, or maybe it’s the way your eyes are reflecting the stars like a mirror, but he feels like there is magic in the air. It’s cheesy, it’s cliché, but it’s everything he imagined it would be like.

He’s spent many daydreams thinking about this, and he isn’t going to let his fear pull him under. Not now, not when he can feel the string pulling the two of you together tighten with every second.

“If the rumors were true, what would you say?” Taehyung whispers, lacing his fingers through yours. Your hands shake imperceptibly, but your stare is as stagnant as the affection he feels for you. What he has always felt for you.

When you respond, Taehyung swears the whole world could hear his heart fluttering for you.

Somewhere in the Slytherin dungeons, Jimin is smiling to himself in the comfort of his own bed, turning in early for the night. It truly had been a good investment to secretly start dating a seventh-year potions prodigy over the summer. What is even better is that the Potions professor never did remember to lock his Veritaserum ingredients with nothing more than a simple deadbolt.

He snuggles himself deeper into his pillow, snickering softly. Good job, Yoongi.

All is fucking well.

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