#anyway i still have a few papers to write but you better believe as soon as i have time i'm making a throwaway ao3 account

[magentagalaxies]

THE MAEVE CHRONICLES UPDATE (aka that weird novel i wrote in 10th grade english class that people have been asking about lately)

I remembered typing it up the summer after 10th grade bc i wanted to put it on my website (which never actually worked as a website bc wix website builder was crap) but I thought I'd lost it completely bc it was on my high school email address which I no longer have access to

or at least i thought i no longer had access to it until i tried logging into google docs and it worked! so i quickly shared the doc with myself and made a copy in case my high school finally gets around to deleting my email account and/or i forget the password someday

TL;DR that weird Macbeth/Tale of Two Cities/Model UN research paper/Solarpunk Coming of Age novel starring a ghost that I wrote when I was fifteen is coming to AO3 at some point and thankfully I won't have to type every single handwritten page myself

[fallingdownhell]

hello! i was wondering if i could request a poly cyno x reader x tighnari where the reader is going through a tough time and is kinda burnt out. maybe where she tries to brush it off, but the boys catch on pretty quickly and then they comfort her? anyways, i hope you have a good day/night!!

-🌹 anon

Hey! Of course you can!<3

I don't have anything against poly ships, I do in fact have a few of them myself. Have I ever written for one? No, but I sure want to. Hope it turned out okay.

Thank you so much for your request, 🌹 anon

Content: poly relationship; written with fem!reader in mind, but can also be read as gn!reader; mentions of mental illness; self doubt; burnout; much comfort from the bois

Word count: 1,8k

Hope you enjoy reading<3

You were tired.

Your days studying in the Academya left you more drained than anything else lately. Although you were a good student, diligent and often praised by your professors, that didn't change anything about the heavy workload you put on your shoulders.

The days seemed to last for an eternity, while the nights were over far too quickly. You never felt like you got any quality rest.

While one of your boyfriends, Cyno, kept a close eye on you and made sure you took care of yourself, the other suffered extremely from the lack of contact with you.

You haven't really seen Tighnari for a few weeks, except for his one day visits to Sumeru city when he was in need for new materials. He would make it a point to visit you, but you were still so focused on your research, that you didn't spend much time with him.

Same with Cyno. While he was often times with you in the city, he rarely got to see you anymore either. Well, that's wrong. He did see you, but was the time spend with him? No, it wasn't.

You kept telling youself and your boyfriends that this was only a temporary issue, that you would soon be done studying in the Academya. Then you could finally give them all the attention that you have deprived them off until now.

And yet, two months after your last conversation with your boyfriends about this issue, there were still no signs of it getting better anytime soon.

You were working yourself to the bone, day in and day out. So it was only a matter of time until the stress would get to your head, poisining your thoughts.

You began to think about all the times you neglected Cyno and Tighnari, how you didn't even keep in touch with Tighnari back at Gandharva Ville via letters. He probably only heard about you through Cyno, meaning he had to rely on his words.

You couldn't help but feel bad, ashamed and guilty.

Your head then began constructing this idea... this terrible idea of your boyfriends. About how they started to resent you. For neglecting them, for focusing on your studies instead of them.

Thoughts began to bloom within you. Hlw they probably hated the idea of seeing you again, hating you in general.

Your hand that had been writing on a paper until a few moments ago, began to shake as silent tears began rolling down your cheeks.

You wanted to believe that it wasn't true. That this was just the stress getting to you...

But how could you, when it all made perfect sense? Of course they would feel this way.

Now that you thought about it.. you haven't seen Cyno at all the last two days. He usually came by every day, even just to make sure that you were taking care of yourself.

But... nothing. He didn't show up at all.

And as you realised that, the thoughts only became louder and more convincing.

'They already started separating from you, silently..'

'They feel they're not important to you...'

'You are no good partner to them..'

Those thoughts began to flood your mind as you set down your pen, tears continuing to fall down your face. That night, you cried yourself to sleep, as these negative thoughts kept pestering your mind.

...

The next day, Cyno saw you walking within the walls of the Academya and immediatly noticed that something was wrong with you.

He saw your red, swollen eyes and knew that you must have cried yesterday. The reason for it he might nit know, but that didn't matter. It was obvious that you needed him right now.

So, he talked to the Matras, gave them their orders and then set out to find you again.

He found you in a quiet corner in the house of Daena, reading some kind of book related to your studies, while you occaisonally sniffled and rubbed your swollen eyes.

Cyno approached you quietly, sitting down on a chair across from yours, his eyes fixed on your exhausted form.

You jumped a little, not expecting any form of company to disturb you. Once you recognise Cyno, you relqx a bit, but quickly tense up again, remembering what had happened the day before.

Cyno, of course, noticed that shift in behaviour from you.

"What's going on?", he immediatly asked, not wasting time with chit chat.

"What... do you mean, exactly?", you answered, trying to deflect, making it seem like everything was fine. Which, you failed. Because even if Cyno wasn't the best with feelings, he was perceptive.

"You cried. I can see that with only one look at you. So.. what happened?"

At his words, you wished to just slap yourself as you realised that you forgot to put on makeup, so that you could hide the obvious bags under your eyes. But that would have been only one part of the problem, anyway.

"Oh.. nothing much. Just... stressed."

"Stress? That's all?"

You nodded, not being able to look your boyfriend in the eyes. You knew that if you did, he would immediatly figure you out. Little did you know that by avoiding his gaze, he worried even more.

"You're hiding something from me.", he concluded. You sighed, but didn't give him anything further to work with for a few minutes. Then..

"It's just.. the stress is getting to me. To my head, exactly. It's been... a lot.", you told him in a low voice, not wanting to say anything more.

To your surprise, the next thing Cyno did was to just silently, without another word, stand up from the table and walk away. You didn't see were he was heading, but that didn't matter to you.

All your head needed, was right there. Your boyfriend walking away from you when you would have needed him the most.

You could feel the tears welling up again in your eyes, but this time, you forced them to stay in, not wanting to cry in broad daylight in front of your fellow students. But going home wasn't an option in your head either, so you tried to swallow the hurt and continued your studies.

Little did you know though, that Cyno was walking straight to the Acting Grand Sages office, not bothering in the slightest that he had just interrupted a seemingly important conversation with some other sages.

Alhaitham looked at him with his usual stoic expression, while Cyno explained the situation to him, requesting for a two weeks vacation for you amd himself.

After a few seconds of considering, Alhaitham signed it off, handing the documents to Cyno, whishing him the best of luck. Having achieved what he came for, Cyno headed back down to were you were seated before, glad that you were still in the same spot.

He approached again, but this time, you noticed him. And he wore an even more determined expression than he usually did.

"Cyno? What are you-!"

You got interrupted as he grabbed your wrist and pulled you out of your seat and after him, waking his way towarsa the exit of the house of Daena.

"Hey, stop. Where are we going?", you asked, weakly struggling against his grip.

"Visiting Tighnari.", he said.

"Wha.. but I can't. I still have to-"

"You don't have to do anything. I requested some time off for the both of us, and Alhaitham approved of it. We are going on a vacation, because Archons know that you need that, (name)."

After he said that, you were in no place to argue against him anymore. Your resistance against him grew less and less, until you completely stopped. He, in return, loosened his grip on your wrist a bit, but still held you tightly to him.

He made a stop at his and your house, to gather some stuff, mostly clothing, before you made your way to Gandharva Ville together.

The walk was mostly quiet as you were trying to figure out what to make of it. You were sure that they must hate you at this point, yet Cyno's actions clearly indicated the total opposite.

As you arrived at the base of the forest watchers, Cyno spotted Tighnari in front of his hut, talking to some other forest rangers.

The fox immediatly picked up on the scent of his two lovers as soons as you two entered the village. But he also instantly knew that something was up. He could sense that you were upset about something amd Cyno was worried about you.

He made quick work of the matter with the forest ranger, and as they began to depart, Tighnari already spotted you and Cyno walking towards him, so he waited there for you to.

"Hey..", he said in a soft tone, immediatly pulling you in for a long and loving hug as soon as you were close enough.

"...", you didn't say anything as you hugged him back tightly, which confirmed his assumption that something was definitely not right.

He looked over at Cyno, who motioned for them to go inside, which Tighnari gently coaxed you to do so with them.

"Do you want to talk about it?", Tighnari asked as you all were inside. But you didn't feel ready for that just yet, so you just shook your head slightly, gaze fixed on the ground.

"All right then..", you heard from the fox and the next moment, you were suddenly in the air, as your lover had picked you up and walked over to the bed.

The next moment, you were placed on the soft mattress, ine of your boyfriends on each of your side. You were completely surrounded by them, and suddenly, you felt safe.

Like a heavy weight has finally been lifted from your shoulder, and you could feel a single tear run down your face again.

Tighnari, who you were facing, brought one hand up to your face, softly carressing your cheek. He slowly leaned in, kissing you on the forehead.

In the meantime, Cyno, who was laying behind you, slid on hand down your arm, intertwining his fingers with yours once he reached your hand, as he slowly started to place light kisses on your neck.

In this moment, you felt so loved and cared for by your two boyfriends, you had no idea how you could have ever doubted their love for you.

You couldn't controll your tears anymore and you just let everything out that you had been holding back.

For the next few hours, you three just laid there, cuddling with each other, while Cyno and Tighnari whispered sweet and loving words to you.

You may not be able to talk about your troubles quite yet, but you knew that with them by your side, everything would turn out okay in the end.

Because you had each other. And now there was no doubt in your mind anymore..

... they did love you with all their heart.

[starstruckkittensweets]

“Letters to My Love” | Hanji x Reader

Fandom: Attack on Titan  Pairing: Hanji x Reader  Words: 4k 

A/N: This is a self-indulgent, completely unfiltered, messy little fic that deals with my love for Hanji. Ever since I started reading AoT back in 2015, I’ve had a soft spot for Hanji. My little ray of sunshine, one of my first comfort characters, the one character I could actually see myself becoming friends with in real life. Seeing her death finally animated (beautifully) brought a lot of feelings forward. She was brave and gorgeous and kind and absolutely amazing. It actually feels like I’m saying farewell to a close friend of mine. And so this messy fic was born, mostly unedited but with a lot of my personal feelings channeled into the reader’s POV. You can read this as either a platonic or romantic relationship, whatever floats your boat. I hope you enjoy the fic! 

Warnings: lots of angst, major character death, implied reader death, some blood and violence, struggling to cope with grief, post-war/post-snk 139 world, Hanji is referred to as female with she/her pronouns 

THIS FIC CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR AOT S4 PART 3 (AND THE UPCOMING PART 4) AND SNK 139! PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE NOT ALL CAUGHT UP, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK! 

It’s all so stupid. A stupid idea, a stupid reason behind it, a stupid man telling you about it in the first place. Why even bother with this in the first place? It’s not like it’ll help you in the long run.

But Falco’s still staring up at you with those big eyes, the slightest quiver of his lip, arms stretched out towards your own.

“Please?” His voice is unnaturally soft; it might be the lighting, but you can almost see a tear in those huge eyes. “At least try it, won’t you? I promise, you’ll feel better. Just like Dad says.”

You don’t have the heart to tell the kid his father’s full of shit, just like everyone else in this horrible world. Nothing’s left for you to enjoy, nothing you can cling to during the tough times. Those days are gone, the memories of bliss vanishing with every passing day.

But he looks so sad, so fucking hopeful, as though he still believes you can do it. You can lift this crushing weight off your chest with just a pen, some paper, and a few words every day.

“…Fine.” He practically shoves the dusty old notebook into your chest with a smile. “I’ll give it a shot.”

You’ll try, but you already know it’s a waste of time.

I’m not good at this. Writing’s never been my strong suit—not when it comes to other people. But you already know knew that, didn’t you?

Mr. Grice gave me the idea. Says writing everything down is a lot better than saying it out loud sometimes. Falco said the same thing; he still writes to his brother every other week. 

I don’t understand why. It’s not like I’ll ever send them, they’re just gonna sit in my desk collecting dust. But I told Falco I’d try for him. He’s a sweet kid, I can see why you like liked him. Sorry, it’s a habit. 

I don’t know what else to say. I guess I’ll try again tomorrow.

It’s me again. Onyankopon came to visit again. He checks up on me at least once every week. Same day, same time. It’s like he doesn’t trust me. Maybe he’s just looking out for me. That’s what Levi says.

Things are slowly going back to normal. He says it’s been almost five months since you left the battle. It’ll be spring soon. This winter hasn’t been too bad though. I miss the snow a little bit. Maybe one day we can go further north to see some next year. I know Gabi and Falco would enjoy it.

I can’t think of anything else to write down. I’m sure I’ll be back soon though.

Mundane topics. What you ate today. Who you saw at the market. The stories Gabi and Falco would make up whenever they were bored.

It’s all so stupid, but you write it down anyway. Stuff she’d like, stuff she wouldn’t like. Not her name, never her name. You can’t bear to say it out loud, not even spell out the letters without bursting into a fit of sobs. What’s the point, anyway? Not like she’s here to answer her own name anymore.

Still, you keep writing. Every day, at least something goes down in that little brown notebook. You’re the only one who reads it. Mr. Grice refuses to, says it’s for your eyes only. Falco sometimes shares what he’s written to his brother, but only when the two of you are alone. He has a little brown book of his own, same shape and size too. Always keeps it in the first drawer of his nightstand, same place you keep yours.

The days crawl by. Every breath hurts less and less. Slowly but surely, you wonder if you’re actually getting better.

I thought of you today. The kids wanted to stop in a bookstore during our shopping trip so I let them. They can be so eager and hyper when they want to be. (Why can’t they be like that when it comes to their chores?)

They both went for the bookshelf in the far corner. Books about the world; about weapons, inventions, plants, animals, experiments, I couldn’t keep track of how many there were. And the kids just sat there for hours, leafing through book after book. I ended up leaving just to drop off the groceries at home before heading back to pick them up. And when I got there they were still poring over those dusty, wrinkled pages.

You would like the bookstore. It’s on the smaller side but it doesn’t feel crowded. It’s got a few benches for people to sit and read for a bit, and there’s a café right next door too. But when I told Levi about it he got a little snippy; I think he’s jealous, his tea shop will always be superior.

He’s doing okay, I know you’re probably worried about him. His leg still gives him trouble but he’s getting better every day. He gave me a job after the shop opened a few weeks ago. Right now I’m just cleaning off tables and fixing up pastries in the back. Gabi handles inventory with Levi (she’s actually pretty good at it) and Falco takes care of the customers up front. He has the best attitude out of all of us, I think. The job is a bit boring sometimes but it beats killing Titans, using ODM gear, being a soldier

Never mind. I’ll write more later, I have to go for now. I’ll be back.

It’s really warm today. I keep thinking about that summer we spent in Krolva, in 848. You kept hunting for strange plants and flowers in the forest and had me and Moblit chasing after you all day! But you didn’t stop, not even when Levi threatened to knock you out and haul you back to base.

Sometimes I can still see Erwin’s smile, hear Mike and Nanaba’s laughter, feel the light summer breeze against my face.

I can still remember the way you said my name. I miss hearing the sound of your voice.

For the first time in a long while, you wake up with a smile on your face.

Your cheeks are stained with tears, still. You haven’t gone to sleep silently once in the past six months or so. Always stuffing your face into the pillow, muffling your sobs, praying neither Levi nor the kids hear you being so pathetic.

Your head is pounding, throat tight but chest feeling lighter than ever. You have to write it down, you don’t wanna forget, don’t forget—

The notebook is resting on your dresser. Your hands still shake when you reach for it, almost clatters to the floor when you try to pick it up. The pen leaps from your trembling fingers. The first words you write are barely legible, but you don’t stop writing for anything.

I had a dream about you last night. I can’t remember everything but I know you were in it and you were still alive smiling.

Still had both eyes, silly girl.

None of our comrades were there; no Levi, Moblit, or Mike. Just me and you, sitting on the rooftop of the old Survey Corps base, watching the stars twinkle above us. Your arm was so warm against my shoulders. Your messy hair tickling my cheek. You were laughing about something, I can’t remember what. But you looked so happy, so carefree and joyful. You haven’t looked that relaxed in years.

You whispered something in my ear, and my throat exploded with laughter. You held me close, lips brushing my cheek, eyes shining in the glowing moonlight.

You were happy, so I was happy.

But then I woke up, you were gone, and I was cold again.

Summer’s almost halfway over. The tea shop has been busier, Levi seems to enjoy the success. He’s still not very sociable but he’s learning to be more pleasant with the customers. They’ll keep coming back if he’s not rude to them all the time.

The town is expanding. Onyankopon thinks one of the nearby cities will start offering jobs, either railroad work or seamstress positions. A lot of factory jobs will start coming back too, and they’ll pay well. He says I could apply, just to keep my hands busy. Says it’s good to get out of the country once in a while.

Still undecided, I’d be going alone. Levi refuses, he hates the idea of city living, and he has the tea shop to worry about. The kids would stay with them; Gabi doesn’t like the smell of smoke, and Falco wouldn’t go anywhere without her. I can go, I don’t have anything tying me down.

What do you think I should do?

Four weeks left. It’s getting harder and harder to keep writing. I thought it would get easier, like Falco said. But I still feel that horrible pit deep in my chest. A weight that’s making it harder to breathe every day.

I don’t know what to do. I’m a burden. I can’t do anything on my own anymore. It’s always Levi or Onyankopon who’s there to hold my hand. Always Gabi and Falco to bring me back, remind me I have to keep living, to keep my head out of the clouds. But sometimes I wish I could run away. Leave it all behind. Maybe that city idea doesn’t seem so bad.

I wish you were here with me.

August 22nd. Two weeks to go.

Levi’s been quieter nowadays. Onyankopon isn’t as eager when he’s talking about the recovering towns and cities. Even the kids are more solemn than usual.

Still hoping this is all a bad dream. That I’ll wake up and you’ll be at my side, smiling and laughing like you do. Not a single care in the world.

The calendar is torn to shreds, left on the kitchen table for everyone to see. Gabi is utterly silent, a far cry from her usual loudmouthed self. Falco is quick to pull her aside as you storm past them, down the hall and into your room, slamming the door with a thud.

Burying your face in your hands. Chest wracked with sobs. Throat burning as her name rips itself from your mouth.

Hanji.

Stop it.

Your back hits the wall, knees buckling beneath your weight. Nails tear at the roots of your hair, scraping down your cheeks, eyes growing warm even though you keep them shut.

Hanji.

Another scream, you throw yourself against the wall. Your shoulder collides with the bookcase, but the pain doesn’t help. Nothing helps you anymore, not even writing in that shitty little book—

Someone’s calling your name on the other side of the door. Tiny fists pound on the wood; the knob twists and turns in vain. You made sure to lock it after coming in here.

Stop it. Can’t they see you want to be left alone?

Alone. You’re all alone now. You have no one left.

No parents, no children, no comrades…

And no other half.

Hanji.

“Stop it!” But you can still hear her name, swirling around in your head, a chorus of a thousand voices.

Hanji, Hanji, Hanji.

“Leave me alone!”

Something shatters against the wall. Your palm stings with something fierce, a shadow of red seeping from the skin.

The book, the book, where is it? Where did you put it?

There it is—right on your bed where you left it last. You’re scrambling over broken glass to grab at it, bloody fingers clutching the pen stuck between the pages. The tears are hot against your cheeks. Hurt like nothing else, not even the pain in your chest.

And they just keep on coming as you keep on writing.

Why did you leave me? Why did you have to go? Why did you have to kill kill yourself like that?

We could’ve handled it. Without your help. Maybe if you’d let us you’d still be alive with me. If you’d just trusted me—why didn’t you trust me? I trusted you, why didn’t you return the favor?

It’s your fault I’m like this now. I was fine before but then you fucked it all up.

Did you think you were some kind of hero? You’re not. Going out in a blaze of glory? Selfish asshole.

You’re not. You never were. You left me and now I’m alone and I hate

I hate you.

I hate you I hate you I hate you didn’t have to leave me but you did and now I hate you I can’t believe I love loved you how could I ever love someone so selfish fuck you so selfish

I HATE YOU

YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO DIE WHY AREN’T YOU HERE WITH ME ANYMORE WHAT DID I DO TO MAKE YOU LEAVE TO MAKE YOU GO WHY WHY WHY

I STILL HATE YOU

Levi finds you hours later. Sitting on the floor at the foot of your bed, hands trembling against your knees. The book is lying halfway across the room. Must’ve thrown it earlier.

He heaves a sigh, dragging his hand across his scarred face. And despite the ache in his leg he still kneels down to your level, taking a seat beside you against the bed. Wrapping up your hands in one of the spare shirts you tore from the dresser just minutes before.

“Brats were worried,” he finally says, and he sounds so fucking tired. There’s an inkling of guilt blooming in your chest. Such a burden to him, as always. “Said you’d run off and started crying.”

“…So?”

He rolls his eyes, focusing on your bloodied hands. They’re dry now, and he makes a sound of disgust in the back of his throat.

Eventually he pulls you on your feet, leads you to the washroom and runs your hands under the warm water. He wraps up your hands in some clean bandages; over his shoulder you can see two sets of eyes staring at you from down the hall. One brown, one hazel.

“Quit beating yourself up like this. That’s not what she died for, brat. And don’t ask me,” he snaps when I open my mouth, “what she died for. Because you and I both know the answer to that. …So don’t make me say it.”

You’re still blubbering like a child, fat tears rolling down your cheeks, splashing onto the clean bandages around your hands. Levi sighs again before pulling you in close, one arm looped around your shoulders. His chest is warm, heart strong against your palm.

But it’s nothing compared to hers—and the thought makes you cry even harder.

“I get it.” His lips are warm against your forehead, hand cupping around the back of your head. “I miss her, too.”

You’re not sure when he makes you leave the washroom. But once he does he brings you down to the kitchen, giving Gabi and Falco each a pat on their heads. You give them a smile, tears still fresh in your eyes, before gathering the torn pieces of the calendar in your bruised hands.

Maybe you can fix this. It’s the fifth of September, after all. Not a day you want to forget just yet.

I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it, I swear on my life. I wanna rip those pages out but I’ll lose the other letters and I don’t want to lose them like I lost you.

I don’t hate you. You’re not selfish, you never were. I know you did the best you could as Commander of the Survey Corps, with the incredible weight on your shoulders. Your main priority was always keeping us safe and giving us hope.

I know why you left that day. But I wish you hadn’t left me behind. I could’ve gone with you, helped you out that day. We could still be together dead or alive.

I love you. I wish I could’ve said it when you were still alive with me. I wish I could say it to your face instead of writing it down in a dusty old notebook.

I love you. I miss you. I wish I could see your smile one last time. Hear your voice again. See the beautiful shine in your eyes.

Because I love you, and I always have. Maybe someday I’ll see you again and tell you face-to-face. Maybe by then I won’t be such a coward.

Hope you enjoy your birthday up there.

Every day brings something new. Smells, tastes, sounds, even the wind outside is different every day. People passing each other hour after hour, car horns filling your ears, the sting of smoke deep in your lungs; it’s easy to get lost in the atmosphere.

You take it in stride. Onyankopon is standing there, holding out his hand, ready to guide you deeper into the city. He’s offered to carry your suitcase but you insisted you do it yourself; too many memories are stuffed in between the clothes inside.

You suck in a breath and take his hand. A little awkward, with a suitcase in your other hand, and the old tattered notebook resting in the crook of your elbow. But the damn thing has already wormed its way into your heart, no way are you leaving it behind now.

A tight swallow, a soft smile from Onyankopon, as you let him lead you towards the next chapter of your life.

City life isn’t as hard as I thought it would be. It’s busy and crowded but it keeps me looking forward. No time to dwell on the past here. Maybe that’s why Onyankopon was so adamant about me living here.

There’s a bookstore here, much larger than the one back home where Levi and the kids live. It pays well, the owner’s nice, and she lets me borrow some of her own books from her personal collection from time to time.

She wears glasses too—not as cute as yours, though.

I try to visit Levi and the kids every other weekend. Gabi and Falco come to visit once in a while but Levi always stays behind. Blames it on the bad leg but we both know the truth. Too many bad memories of Mitras has made him wary of crowded cities.

But I like it. I have my own apartment, right next door to Onyankopon’s, with a balcony and a slew of potted plants. Onyankopon says some people like to name their plants just for the fun of it. The two sitting on the windowsill are Sawney and Bean. (You’re welcome, silly girl.)

It’s hard work but I’m getting better. I don’t dread writing in this book anymore. I can think of your smile without bursting into tears. For now I’m content to sit back and enjoy city life, until whatever god watching over us decides my time is up.

I promise to write soon; have to head to work now. I’ll be back.

It’s been a year since you left me. I still want to see you again.

Onyankopon and I are heading into town for a few days to visit Levi. He says he doesn’t need help around the shop but he never complains whenever I show up at his door. Sometimes I wonder if he feels obligated to put up with me. If he thinks you’ll haunt him forever if he turns me away. That sounds like something you would do, silly girl.

I had another dream about you last night. Right after the celebration for Shiganshina, the night before the expedition to reclaim Wall Maria. We were laughing and drinking and sharing old stories—but we weren’t alone. Erwin and Levi were there. So was Moblit, and by some miracle, so were Mike and Nanaba.

I hope we’ll all be together again soon. I hope they’re all watching us, waiting to see what we’ll do with this new world we’ve forged for ourselves.

I know you are. You’re always watching, aren’t you?

I have to go now, or Onyankopon will head out without me. I’ll let you know how Levi and the kids are when I come home.

Miss you more every day. I hope I’ll get to see you again soon. Until then, I’ll just have to keep writing these silly little letters. I think you’d like them anyways.

See you later, Hanji.

It’s bright when you open your eyes. Too bright, a soft breeze kissing your cheeks, nose scrunching up as you shield your face with your hands. Funny, you don’t remember leaving the window open when you fell asleep. Or sleeping outside, for that matter.

You’re lying in the grass, a bed of wildflowers sprawled beneath you. There’s a forest at the edge of the valley, close enough for you to see the shadows of animals spilling across the trees. The sun is warm on your skin, so bright and beautiful, not a single cloud in the sky.

Almost too good to be true.

Is this it? Have you finally reached the end of your line? All those days with Levi, Onyankopon, and the kids, moving from town to city for work, seeing what little of the new world you could for both you and your other half…

Has your time finally run out?

“Hey, over here!”

Your blood freezes in your veins. A shadow crosses yours in the warm sunlight. A heavy cape blows in the wind, a dark green to match the forest beyond the meadow.

A pair of wings splashed against the fabric. Messy brown hair tied up haphazardly. Shiny glasses reflecting in the sun. Warm brown eyes that remind you of home.

“I was wondering when you’d get here. It’s been kinda lonely, I have to say…”

Hanji Zoe is standing right there in front of you, looking as radiant as ever. No scars or bruises to be seen, nor the black patch over her left eye. No burns or charred fabric on her body.

She looks…happy. Safe, content.

Alive.

“…Dumbass,” you finally find your voice, rushing into her outstretched arms. “You had me worried sick! Are you hurt? Can I do anything for you? I swear, I won’t let you go anywhere alone ever again! I’ll be right there by your side for as long as you—”

“Hey, hey, hey, come on now! You’re gonna make me blush with all that sweet talk!”

But you can’t stop yourself. And before you know it you’re sobbing into her chest, arms wrapped tight around her wrist, feeling the soft b-bmp of her heart against your ear.

“Love you, you know that? I love you, so please don’t leave me again…”

You’ll say it over and over, as many times as she wants to hear it. But for right now she’s silent, her arms resting around your waist and shoulders, tugging you in for a bone-crushing hug. Her messy hair is tickling your nose again, her smile could rival the sun in the sky. She shakes her head and lets out a laugh, before pressing a warm kiss to the apple of your cheek.

“I won’t ever leave you again, alright? I’m sorry about that, I never meant to hurt you. I didn’t mean to leave you like that…”

You hold her tighter, knocking her down into the wildflowers below. She lets out a real laugh this time, hair sticking out like a halo above her head, palms against your cheeks. For the first time in months—no, years—your chest feels whole again.

“I know you didn’t. It’s okay, I promise, it’s okay…”

A comforting silence washes over the two of you. It’s so warm right here, in this little meadow of your own, surrounded by a thousand wildflowers. She’s finally safe in your arms, after all these years, and you are never letting her go ever again.

“…I love you, Hanji.”

“I know,” she answers with a smile that makes your heart soar, “and I love you too.”

[the-new-pokespe-futures]

Announcement:

A Little Something to all Toxic Chain Possession Kieran AUs out there...

TC Pecharunt: "Hey Guys, so um, about a little something we're cooking up with...we're actually screwed. Not in that way, we had some screw ups here and there and uh...yeah. But anyways, I have some good news! So, who's ready for-

S&S Pecharunt: "Oh, will you shut it? We're barely getting the team together! It's pointless!

TC Pecharunt: "... What?"

S&S Pecharunt: "Have you seen ANY of our creators interacting with one another? No! Plus, some of these creators never get anything done."

TC Pecharunt: "Ok first of all, how did you get here? And second of all, what makes you think that way?"

S&S Pecharunt: "It's only been roughly a MONTH since our event was released and people have been hyping up for the leaks of us only to get disappointed by the supposed 'really good' 'Mochi Mayhem'. It's only the fanmade Toxic Chain Possession Aus, Toxic Chain pokemon and theories that's helping us.

TC Pecharunt: *grumbles* "Have you been looking at Twitter again?"

S&S Pecharunt: "You mean 'X'?"

TC Pecharunt: "TWITTER, X, WHATEVER IT'S CALLED!! Why did they even change it...But the point is, those people are just haters and enjoy being toxic. Don't you dare tell me you actually believe them!"

S&S Pecharunt: "So where is it? Huh? They have been working on their Aus for quite some time, yet some of the Aus and stories are incomplete AND some of them have improper schedules when posting their stories!

TC Pecharunt: "You do realise that these people are doing this for fun right? But they still are actual people with lives, schedules, family, friends and not dedicated their entire lives to running their blogs much less the Aus?! Those people that hate the Toxic Chain Theories or others probably won't even see the Au, much less see it in-depth themselves! You have a lot of NERVE to say all of THAT to MY face!"

S&S Pecharunt: "... But the guy writing this is-"

TC Pecharunt: "GAAAAHHH, I HAD IT WITH YOU!!!"

*The 2 soon started a fight before a figure looms over them...*

???: "ENOUGH"

Both Pecharunts: 'Huh? Oh Shit it's PV-'

PV Pecharunt: "You two are annoying me, I'll take care of this myself..."

...

"I know you are there, and you have seen us. But don't fret, because we, The Korrosion Klan. WILL get you next time, watch out heroes, wherever you are, you can't run, you can't hide, and soon, your soul will be mine...hahahahaha....."

...

...

...

TC Pecharunt: "There, now are you satisfied?"

S&S Pecharunt: "Really? The people would still be confused by what's going on."

TC Pecharunt: "Ugh, gimme a second..." *Brings a piece of paper.*

"Basically, The Korrosion Klan is a group consisting of Pecharunts involved in their own Toxic Chain Possession Aus. If any user wants their Pecharunt to join the Klan, they can reply in the comments or reblog to state if they want to join. We are open throughout the year, so you can join anytime and anywhere."

"There, better?"

S&S Pecharunt: "Much better."

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

I've been wanting to do this for some time! A crossover between the different Toxic Chain Possession Pecharunts is something I've recently thought of. I probably won't make a sideblog about it, but just a fun idea I thought of. Also, this is directly inspired by Mario's Madness Funk Kast trailer. Adn a few things were directly copied from it but most of all, it has changed.

Also, credits to the original owners of the Pecharunts:

Toxic Consequences (TC) Pecharunt belongs to @tealmaskmybeloved

Sweet & Sour Dipplins (S&S) Pecharunt belongs to @dipplinduo

Project Venus (PV) Pecharunt belongs to @milliemuus

[musical-shit-show]

I'm so sorry that i mixed up the characters 😅

Can you do Prompt list 1 , #14 for Peter Parker x reader

Can you also add , that Peter keeps randomly biting Reader's cheeks ( coz reader has fluffy cheeks)?

I'm sorry again for the mix up!

love bites

Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader

Inspiration: Prompt #14 (“when i’m not with you, it’s almost like…i can’t breathe.”) from Prompt List #1

Warnings: cursing, blood mention, suggestive dialogue, a tiny bit of angst, fluff

Word Count: 1,811

Author’s Note: Thanks for your request! I hope you don’t mind, but I did change up your request a little better to fit the story that popped into my head. That being said, I had a lot of fun writing for Peter. I don’t know why, but I thought of the Andrew Garfield version, but I’m still gonna log this as MCU content lol. I just pictured a more mature Peter which we haven’t really seen as much, but I guess since he was in No Way Home, that counts, right? Anyways, check out my Masterlist, About Me page, and Prompt Lists! And if you’d like to request a one shot, send an ask! I’ll do my best to fulfill them as soon as I can. Thanks for the support and happy reading!

“Do you want me to burn your eggs, Parker? Because I definitely will if you don’t leave me alone.”

“I’ll take that risk,” he purred, his stubble brushing against your cheek as he kissed it playfully. You shrugged him off of you, using your other arm to scoop the scrambled eggs onto dual plates that were already adorned with toast and bacon.

You didn’t know when you fell in love with Peter Parker. Maybe it was freshman year, when you offered to help the moody science major with his literature paper.

Maybe it was when you ran into him at the Bugle, where you two just so happened to be interning.

Or maybe it was right in that moment, when you wanted to tell him that you wanted to be so much more than friends with benefits.

You both stood in the kitchen of his apartment, which was tiny even by New York standards. Eating in silence for a few moments, you let the noises of the city drown out your thoughts. No matter how much you wanted to tell him, Peter wasn’t exactly boyfriend material.

He was gorgeous, yes, and undeniably sweet. But he was always disappearing, skipping important events and ditching you pretty frequently. Since this was a ‘no strings attached’ situation, you tried to not let yourself getting too upset.

But inwardly, you had a terrible feeling he was getting himself in trouble or worse, seeing someone else. You figured it was the former, since he would appear with mysterious bruises and black eyes, always blaming them on skateboard tricks gone awry.

“So,” you said, washing off your plate as Peter finished his last piece of toast, “Will I be seeing you at the office this afternoon?”

He shrugged, handing his plate to you. “If I get any good photos. Jameson is always breathing down my neck, so…”

“Right,” you said, turning to him, coffee in hand, “And it doesn’t help that you always flirt with the intern.”

“Well, I can’t help it,” he smirked, “She’s always staring at me.” He grabbed your coffee mug from your hands and before you could protest, he was again peppering your collarbone and cheeks with soft kisses.

A giggle escaped your throat as he started nipping at your skin. As much as you wanted to blow off your busy day and stay in bed with him, you had to remind yourself that you lived in the real world.

And in the real world, you had to go to class, and study, and work. And Peter Parker was not your boyfriend.

“Peter, if you give me one more hickey I swear—”

“Ah, come on,” he wrapped one arm around your waist, making your stomach flip, “I didn’t mean to, honest.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Somehow, I don’t believe you,” you pried his strong arm away from your torso, “But it doesn’t matter, I have to get to class, remember?” Peter groaned in frustration.

You traipsed to his room, pulling on your jeans from the night before. Rifling through Peter’s drawers, you found an old Midtown High t-shirt. You smiled. It smelled like him, his deodorant and body spray; Clean and simple.

Simple.

How you wished it could just be simple.

“That looks much better on you than it did on me,” he smiled into his mug, remarking on you commandeering his shirt. You searched the floor for your sneakers, doing your best to hide the blush creeping up your neck.

The second you slipped on your other shoe, you felt Peter’s arm around your waist yet again. How did he always manage to get his hands on your so quickly? Sometimes you felt like he moved like lightning.

“So, my place tonight?” you asked, electricity running through you as his fingers pressed gently along the waistband of your jeans. It was almost embarrassing how much you wanted to be with him, and yet he remained completely oblivious.

“Possibly,” he said, his tone reluctant, “I just…I really need to study and get these pictures and—”

“I thought you were friends with Spider-Man,” you mused, “Can’t you just ask him to do you a solid?”

Peter’s face reddened. “Yeah, well, don’t know if you noticed but the guy is notoriously hard to, uh, track down.” He looked at his watch and peered at you, a slight panic in his eyes. “Aren’t you supposed to be somewhere, anyways?”

You grabbed his wrist to look at the time on his watch.

“Shit,” you muttered, pulling away from him as you scooped up your backpack, “I can’t be late again, I’ll uh, I’ll text you?”

Peter nodded as you bound out the door, breathing a sigh of relief after yet another close call.

He wanted to tell you. He really did. It killed him that you didn’t know, but he couldn’t risk it. You knowing he was Spider-Man put your life in danger and he couldn’t bear the thought of you in harm’s way.

He just couldn’t go through that again. No matter how much he cared about you.

-oOo-

You should’ve known better.

You had spent the entire afternoon agonizing over your lack of a relationship that you found your way into Peter’s apartment that evening, thanks to a spare key that he had conveniently left at your apartment months ago.

You needed something big, an unambiguous statement. A grand gesture. So, you came with a bag of groceries, a slightly too revealing dress, and a goal: you were going to tell him how you felt.

Not only were you attempting the impossible – cooking a meal without burning anything – but you were also putting your heart on the line.

You let out a cry of pain as you burnt the tip of another one of your fingers lighting the final candle you had managed to bring with you. You watched the flame flicker weakly before growing steady, the constant sound of the city droning beneath you.

Impatient, you wondered if you should text Peter. Yes, it was supposed to be a surprise, but you could spin this if it backfired. After all, what was a little romantic dinner between fuck buddies?

Your thoughts were interrupted by a loud bang, followed by the sound of Peter’s bedroom window sliding open.

Instantly your heart was caught in your throat.

How were you supposed to fight off a burglar dressed like a glorified escort? You glanced at the candles briefly, but settled on grabbing the kitchen knife you had used to prepare the mediocre dinner that was still resting on the stovetop.

Who in their right mind would want to rob this tiny place? And why would they go through the trouble of climbing seven stories up the fire escape?

Another clatter made you jolt out of your skin, and you finally got up the nerve to run into the room, knife in hand. Planning was never your strong suit, after all.

Only there was no burglar.

It was Peter. Climbing through his own window.

Dressed as Spider-Man.

Your jaw dropped open, the knife clattering to the floor. Before you could say a word or even let out a scream of surprise, Peter rushed to you, holding his gloved hand over your mouth. His mask laid on the ground.

“What…what are you doing here?!” he asked, his voice panicked. He quickly removed his hand from your face. “God, I knew something was out of whack when I got here, I just didn’t think—” He was running his fingers through his hair now, his breathing shallow.

You got another look at him, your eyes widening in concern. “Peter, your face!” a sizable shiner was forming around his left eye, and there was a small trickle of blood coming from the same side.

“Oh, this is, uh, nothing,” he said coyly, “You shoulda seen the other guys.” You rolled your eyes; Of course he was making jokes at a time like this.

“Get some real clothes on,” you breathed, looking at his red and blue suit that left little to the imagination, “I’ll get the first aid kit.”

-oOo-

“Hold still,” you ordered, pressing the cotton cloth to Peter’s face. He winced, the alcohol stinging his wounds.

“No bedside manner from you, huh?” he hissed despite a small laugh escaping his throat. You sat in silence for a few moments, a million thoughts swirling through your head.

Peter was Spider-Man. Peter was Spider-Man.

Which meant he had been blowing you off to save the city on a nightly basis. Making up excuses for why he had to disappear so abruptly. Lying to you for years.

“Were you ever going to tell me?” you asked, your voice small and sad. Peter sighed, grabbing your hand. He tried to comfort you, tracing tiny circles on your palm.

“Not if I could help it,” he said honestly, “Kind of defeats the whole ‘secret identity’ thing, doesn’t it?” You couldn’t help but let out an incredulous laugh as you sat down next to him, his firm grip not letting go of your hand.

You could feel tears stinging in your eyes. “So, uh, I guess this is over, then?” Peter blinked, clearly confused.

“What exactly gave you that impression?”

“Well, I just thought—”

“Yeah, this…this complicates things,” he said, squeezing your hand, “But I have to be honest. When I’m with you, it’s almost like…I can’t breathe. I need you. And I trust you to keep this secret. I just hope you can trust me to protect you.”

Your heart swelled in your chest, and without thinking, you threw your arms around him, tears staining his t-shirt. “Of course…I can,” you sniffed, your voice shaking, “I really, really care about you, Peter. I won’t ever tell a soul.”

He pulled you from his chest and kissed you softly. You melted instantly. This was nowhere near how you pictured this night going, but you didn’t care; it was, in its own bizarre way, utterly perfect.

“So,” you pondered, your eyes trailing towards his bedroom, “You ever wear that suit for…other purposes? Besides crime fighting?” You saw a flush creep up Peter’s neck.

“Are you serious.”

“What? You know I’ve always found Spider-Man incredibly sexy.”

“I did not know that and you’re definitely making shit up now.”

“Just because I never told you doesn’t mean I’m making it up.”

“Okay,” he smirked, his mouth dangerously close to your neck, his voice low in your ear, “I’ll make you a deal: I’ll wear the suit, but tomorrow, we have a real date where you don’t burn the food and threaten me with a knife.”

You pretended to think over his proposal. “Hmm,” you teased, “I think that can be arranged.” Those were your last words before his lips pressed against your collarbone, nipping at your exposed skin as he carried you to his room.

-------

thank you for reading! please like/comment/reblog if you enjoyed!

[sassenach082]

i'm curious: since mav is bradley's legal guardian (permanent, I assume) does that mean he's probably on shore assignments (or top gun, i guess) for the majority of his naval career instead of what he does in the original canon (quits top gun, never goes back to teach after that first time, presumably is on deployment a lot before he gets in trouble for something and gets put in the test pilot program?) that's an interesting prospect to me since it seems similar to a lot of pre-tgm fic, where mav just... like, stayed at top gun after '86, and never left, but obvi in most of that, he didn't have a kid to take care of. i mean, things probably change a lot after bradley... maybe cuts ties in the 00s?? if the pulling papers things still happens, but with all the family support and no mention of carole ever explicitly telling mav in the beginning about not letting bradley fly, i'm also curious how that plays out too since it's also probably v canon-divergent. and also — how do u think ice's career trajectory goes? ive seen many takes on how he got to compacflt lol

Hey nonnie! Whew, buckle up, I have a lot of thoughts.

They're going to be at Top Gun for a while, but they won't be staying there. Ice will come back later on, but Mav will be doing other things. This is going to be long and rambly so if you want to read (and aren't bothered by vague spoilers) more under the cut!

With wars coming up they're going to be shifted around back to active duty flying, particularly in Desert Storm. Mav figures out a way to make it work but he refuses to let Ice go without him, and Bradley gets it because he's a military kid. They also aren't going to always be together; actually, they spend quite a few years apart, which is going to hurt my heart to write.

They try to stick to the West Coast. I don't know how much you know about the Navy, but the two main hubs are San Diego and Norfolk, Virginia. In real life they shifted Top Gun out to Fallon, Nevada, but since in the canon of the movie it's still in Fightertown it will be staying there. Most Naval Aviators on the west coast are actually stationed at Lemoore, a base in the middle of California which is a bit of a shithole if my cousin Jay is to be believed, lol, while the east coast aviator hub is Oceania, Virginia. Aviators go through cycles of on a ship, leaving a ship, and then into fleet replacement training to go back on a ship. As soon as my cousin the aviator gets a good night sleep I'm going to pick his brain more about it. If anyone reading this is an aviator or knows one hit me up! I adore my cousin but talking is not his superpower. I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS.

Anyway to answer your question it's going to be a bit roundabout. IRL you have to have a plan for your dependents in case of deployment and Mav gets it figured out with Ice's help as for who will watch Bradley which will be a whole other can of worms but I don't think Mav or Ice are the type to watch their friends go off to war without them. I haven't fleshed it all the way out but Mav is going to CHOOSE the test pilot path, mostly because it keeps him close to Bradley, and he's going to be doing some special ops shit because in my brain that's literally the only reason the kids in the movie have no fucking clue who he is even though they've all been to Top Gun and walked past his picture EVERY DAY in the atrium, haha.

He's still Mav so yes he will still be pissing off Admirals.

As for Ice, I haven't figured out exactly how I want to get him there I'm still doing research. I do know that they have to command ships so at some point he'll get a carrier most likely because he's Ice and who the hell better to hand a carrier to, in my opinion. He leaves the sky fairly early in his career if you look at the whole span of it, partly because flying is something he loves but doesn't define him like it does for Mav, and this way he can keep Mav up there doing what he loves while he also gets to climb the ladder. It's a lot of politics which I hate so I'll be grumpy about having to research all that shit but I mean COME ON, it's Ice. Of course he gets a fucking Fleet. I also headcanon that the Joint Chiefs are beating his door down and he's just like that Obama eye meme saying THEN PERISH because he likes being able to go to the ocean to escape them.

Anyway back to the Navy, not sure if you or anyone who is into Top Gun knows this, but Ice is quite literally AS HIGH as you can go in the Navy. There hasn't been a Fleet Admiral (with the five stars) since Nimitz died in '66 and has only ever been held by four dudes: William Leahy, Ernest King, Chester Nimitz, and William Halsey Jr. (names you may recognize if you know your WWII Naval history but I digress). So basically four-star Admiral is IT, like that is the top of the ladder, unless you get asked to join the Joint Chiefs of Staff and work directly with the president. Tom likes to be in charge of things so I think the Joint Chiefs would be hard for him - they have no direct control over the Navy at all and it's a desk job in Washington D.C.

Maybe one day he could become the Secretary of the Navy, but I don't know if I can see Tom doing that, tbh. They have to be 5 years removed from military service at minimum. So I dunno. Still up in the air as far as Tom! Right at this moment he's being an asshole on an aircraft carrier in 1987, so there's that.

[overlydramaticinephile]

the aftermath.

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Fem!reader (no physical descriptions)

Summary: Steve and reader have a heart to heart after their first time together.

Word count: 1.2k (this is probably more of a blurb idk but i'm excited!!)

Warnings: Season 2 Steve, arguing, mentions of sex, level 1 angst, fluff mmm i think that's it. English is NOT my first language. Not proof read.

A/N: so, i was trying to write part 3 of just one kiss but i was stuck i'm so sorry BUT i still wanted to post something so...here's a lil something. Again, inspired by the other king, pacey witter. thank you very much.

ANYWAY HOPE YOU ENJOY ILY <3

Steve and Y/N have been dating for 3 months now. They started off as friends though she already had a massive crush on the guy. It wasn't until Tina's 1984 Halloween party that Steve and Y/N began what would be a beautiful friendship. He needed someone who he could truly count on and Y/N seemed to be needing the same. So one thing lead to another and soon enough both of them would be telling each other how they felt. It changed everything and I don't mean the fact that they added romance in the mix.

Steve and Y/N were one of those couples that liked to count every mile stone in their relationship, either because this was becoming Steve's most serious and longest relationship so far or the fact that Y/N also loved all that corny stuff. So naturally, they decided without telling each other of course, that they would finally have sex on their 3rd month anniversary. Again, corny, but to them it was another big step. They were scared that it would threw their whole dynamic off, so if it happened, it happened.

So now we find ourselves four days after the big night, which did in fact happen.

Steve had been blowing off Y/N these past few days. She though he might need some space after...that. But she didn't expect him to be so cold towards her, it was almost starting to feel like the old Steve. King Steve. Which made her mad of course. They shared something intimate and special and he just pushes her aside? Hell no.

On day five, Y/N had enough. She would confront Steve on the issue. Let's just say it didn't go well. Steve once again was cold and acted like he couldn't wait to end the conversation with her. He of course denied any of her doubts but she was still not convinced, which he could tell yet he didn't seem to care. But of course that's what she thought.

After the fight, Y/N decided to storm out and leave the school for the day. It was pouring rain yet she didn't mind, she actually found it appropiate. Steve followed her to the car and got in. Truth was he was being an asshole who didn't want to lose her.

Y/N had a disappointed look on her face, not towards him but towards herself. She couldn't believe she fell for all that.

“Get out.”

Steve shook himself a little bit to get the excess of wetness off his hair. Not that it worked. “We're not done.”

Y/N found that hilarious. “Oh yes we are.”

“Y/N I know that my behaviour the last few days has been a little bit confusing and I'm really sorry for being so cold and so distant but a lot of stuff has been happening and I don't know, I don't even know where to start.”

“You can start by getting out of the car.” she gave him this serious look that he knew meant she wasn't messing around yet he decided to push his luck, which wasn't that big.

Steve sighed and finally looked her steady in the eyes. “Why don't I try starting with the truth?”

Y/N's love for Steve won. She did kinda want an explanation, so she waited for him to continue. His explanation better be essay good.

He started to take out something out of his backpack. A paper that was now a little damp yet still readable. “My history quiz. I never told you my grade.”

Y/N took the piece of paper carefully and examinated it. Her eyes widen you might think they would pop out of her head. “Steve…you got an-”

“An A. I got an A. It's the first A I've ever gotten in my entire life Y/N and it kind of threw me for a loop.”

“Why? You worked so hard for it.”

Y/N has been tutoring Steve a couple times a week everytime she came to his house, of course it ended in makeout sessions but it was part of their routine too. So even though Y/N was mad at him, she couldn't help but feel so very proud.

“Because, it changes everything. Don't you see everything's always been so predictable for me but now my whole life course is changing and ever since you and I slept together I felt anxious. Wondering if we should have waited, should we have slowed down, questioning whether or not it was the right thing to do. Wishing that I had taken the high road and that's not me.”

She kept giving him her full attention while Steve kept getting more nervous about opening up. This had never happen to him before. Any of it for that matter. Yet he decided to keep going.

“You know, the only comfort about being Steve Harrington was that I always knew what to expect. And now, I don't have a clue and I'm terrified. And that's why I was pulling away from you.”

After making heavy eye contact that said a thousand words, Y/N decided it was her turn to say something.

“It's okay to be scared Steve. I mean, the world is a scary scary place. But Steve, I don't want you to be scared of me.”

Steve scoffed at that.

“How can I not be Y/N? You're the one that's opening up this whole life for me and I'm just, I'm afraid that…”

“What?”

Well, it was now or never.

“I'm afraid because you are the single most important being to ever grace my existence. Y/N, I am falling hopelessly in love with you.”

They locked eyes again but you could now see Y/N fully stunned while Steve's hair was finally drying.

Steve looked at Y/N's mouth, waiting for some words to come out of it. But when it didn't he knew he had to keep going.

“Say something, please. Because I just kind of cut it open and lay it out for you.”

Y/N let out a nervous laugh, because even if she didn't want to admit it, love and trust didn't come easy to her.

“Yeah. That was…pretty scary.”

Now it was Steve's turned to laugh. “That's it. That's all you have to say.”

Y/N started smiling so big, not that Steve was noticing because embarrassment had taken over him so he just looked ahead to the parking lot. What was he supposed to do now? Say goodbye and get out of the car and walk through the storm? Probably.

Y/N kept looking at Steve with such admiration and content. “No. I'll say that…I share your fear.”

That made Steve turned his head so fast his neck hurted a little bit. “Yeah?” he said smiling wide.

“Your exact fear.”

Steve and Y/N couldn't help but keep smiling at each other for a while until they started kissing again. A needy kiss in fact. After five days of pure small talk and politeness, they missed each other.

And after this conversation, those three months seemed to go by so fast that they couldn't wait to keep hitting mile stones and living their best life, together.

The end.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING. FEEDBACK IS APPRECIATED AND PRETTY PLEASE COMMENT IF I SHOULD DO MORE SHORT/BLURB POSTS <3

[underaverageheight]

Love (5/8)

HJS x fem!reader Fluff, established relationship Warning(s): None Slightly proofread

Feel free to reblog and like with feedback, comments are great but I won't be able to respond since this is a sub-blog

“Oh, Minho can you believe it? We’re getting married! We want you to be the best man at the wedding.” You grinned brightly while talking to your best friend. Jisung held your hand, lifting your intertwined hands up to kiss the back of your hand. The three of you decided to meet up at a coffee shop in order to break the news to Minho.

“Congrats, I knew as soon you guys started dating that it’ll last. Jisung is the type that falls head over heels. I’m sure deep in his heart he knew he wanted to marry you,” Minho smirked, causing Jisung to bury his face in your shoulder, embarrassed. Everyone knew Jisung was too chicken to propose so you surprised him with a ring and he started crying.

“Aw Jiii~” You cooed, rubbing the back of his hand with your free hand.

Minho gave you two a mocking look of disgust, “Get a room won’t you?” Laughing, you pulled a crisp vanilla envelope from your bag and handed it to him.

“Don’t be late, Minho. We're going to get going now, thanks for coming!”

“You know that the groom and bride shouldn’t see each other, right?” Your mother chided you, wanting you to stay with them the few days before the wedding. “I stayed with my parents a few days before I married your father, you know that right?”

You groaned, “Yes, ma’am. I’ll tell Ji right now and pack.” Driving back to the home the two of you shared, you found Jisung sleeping soundly on the couch, note cards, crumpled paper, and pens on his lap and floor. You quietly cleaned off the numerous objects covering your future husband, noticing he was writing his vows. You smiled fondly, flipping them over, covering them, and making sure you did not read anymore. Your vows were sealed in a blue envelope, tucked away in a photo book he made for you for your 5th anniversary. You pulled a blanket over your sleeping fiance and started to clean up the paper. You figured it’d be better to let him sleep and just tell him in the morning. He already knew about the groom-not-seeing-the-bride-thing but you still needed to tell him.

“Morning Ji,” You walked into the kitchen, yawning. “My mom,” you sighed, “wants me to stay at the house til the wedding starting tomorrow. Is that okay with you? I can try to reason with my mom for more time,” You trailed off, worried about your fiance’s reaction.

“That’s okay… I understand and don’t want you and your mom to be on bad terms before the wedding. I’ll probably stay with the guys back in the company’s dorms. Probably in my old room. There have been a few things I’ve been meaning to retrieve from there anyways.” Jisung smiled, giving you a peck on the forehead. “Want me to help you pack?”

Jisung drove you to your parent’s house. Rather than yesterday, he seemed more anxious now than before. “Love you, I’ll see you in a few days,” He hugged you tightly. “Y’know, if we postpone the wedding, you wouldn’t have to go? What about just not getting married and just keep dating for the rest of our lives?”

“Ji, it’s for a few days, I’m not leaving you forever.” You smiled, his clingy self was adorable. You kissed him, “I love you too. Make sure to get some rest, I want to marry my Jisung, not a zombie,”

Part 2

Masterlist

A/N: I was very excited to write this, the full plan of this would have been really long but I might write a part 2 for this to finish my story...stay tuned~

[mint-yooxgi]

Hi!! Can I request a yandere ateez wooyoung drabble where he is kinda like the reader's academic rival but he ends up becoming her yandere?

✩ I hope you're doing well and stay hydrated! 🤗💕💕

It was stupid, and one sided on his part, but everything you did in your university class with Wooyoung, he would compare himself to. An upcoming test turned into needing to get a better grade than you. An upcoming assignment meant demonstrating how much more he knew on the subject than you. Hell, even presentations or discussions became a chance to prove how much better he could be than you.

Except you would always come out on top, without fail, every time.

You made it look so easy. Too easy. Enough so that Wooyoung began to wonder if you actually even tried to get good grades, or if they just came naturally to you.

He hated it; hated you for it. While everyone else was struggling to get a passing grade, you seemed to be skating by with ease.

You were probably fucking the TA or something. That had to be it. There's no other possible explanation for it. At least, none that Wooyoung was willing to accept. He had always been the best, always the one to come out on top, so there's no way you could possibly be beating him consistently. Every. Single. Time.

There's been a few instances where he's approached you under the guise of studying together at the library, but you've turned him down every time. So much for getting a read on your study habits, if you have any at all. Again, this just made him believe all the more that you were just naturally smart.

Yet, why was he so hung up on you?

Wooyoung shouldn't care. If he hates you so much, why does he keep tabs on you at all times? Why does he practically beg you for an ounce of your attention? Of course, he wouldn't admit to that. He would say he's just curious, that he just wants to know how you do it, but perhaps that's no longer the case.

Would you finally acknowledge him if he beat you? If he finally got a better grade than you, would you finally look his way longer than a few seconds at a time?

So, he studied. The upcoming exam was soon, anyways, and Wooyoung was determined to score the highest mark in the class. There's no way you're beating him this time.

When the exam day finally came, he had managed to pull an all nighter. Walking into the lecture hall to write his final, Wooyoung had almost been in a daze. Of course you would have chosen to sit beside him without realizing, too. That just made his desire to win all the stronger.

It took him and hour and a half to write the supposed two hour exam, and by the time he had finished, you had still be scribbling away at your paper.

Oh, how smug he felt being the first one done. A particular spring was in his step as he brought his exam to the front, handing it in with a final thank you and farewell to the professor for an excellent semester. It never hurts to be on the prof's good graces.

As soon as he got back to his dorm, he crashed. Wooyoung succumbs to sleep as soon as his head hits the pillow, the past twenty-four hours finally taking its toll on his mind and body. Finally, he gets to relax.

While asleep, images flicker through his mind, reflecting his thoughts about the exam. He knows he's aced it; it was far too easy for him given the amount of intensive studying he put into it. He can't wait to see your face when you learn he scored higher than you.

Wait, why are you smiling at him like that? Why are the two of you the only people in front of the results board now? And why, above all else, is he subconsciously glad that you're finally alone?

"I've always admired your intelligence," you tell him, bringing a hand up to caress his cheek. "It's really sexy."

Why are your words making him blush? He's supposed to hate you. So why, in the next moment, does he decide to push you up against the wall and claim your lips with his own? And why, why, does he love it so much when he feels your hands gripping onto him so tightly, one moving to tangle in his hair in the next second?

Wooyoung wakes with a start, sweat rolling down his back as he sits up in bed. It was all just a dream.

Calming his nerves, as well as his breathing, Wooyoung settles back into bed after changing his shirt. Maybe his subconscious was just telling him that having you admit he's finally bested you is what he really wants. What he craves.

Two days pass and the results for that particular exam are finally posted for the entire class to see. Making his way over to the results board, Wooyoung sees you already standing before it. Is that a furrow to your brow? You look surprised about something. He visibly straightens, a quirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he approaches you.

As soon as you feel him stand beside you to look at the board, you spare him a side eyed glance, a smile on your face, "congratulations."

His own brow furrows, skimming the list until he reads his results. Almost immediately, a smug grin is taking over his features as he sees he got the highest mark in the course. A full two points higher than you.

"Thanks," his response is nothing short of cocky, a sense of satisfaction washing over him as you continue to stand there.

"I mean it," you reply, turning to finally meet his eyes, and why is your smile making his heart race? "I've always admired your intelligence."

Wooyoung blinks, taken aback by the familiarity of the scene before him. His eyes shine with anticipation, a pleased quirk to his lips as his heart races in his chest, "and?"

"And what?" You raise a brow. "That's it. Anyways, see you around."

Without another word, you're walking away from him.

Again, Wooyoung blinks in surprise. He should be celebrating right now. He thought he would be filled with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and pride. He finally beat you and you acknowledged him! Yet, why does he feel so... disappointed?

A scowl takes over his features. See, this is why he doesn't like you! He works so hard and you barely give him a second of your attention. Attention which he realizes that he so longingly craves. You should be worshipping the ground he walks on, not going back to ignoring him as soon as your little interactions end.

Shaking his head, Wooyoung lets out a sigh, his whole demeanour changing. Guess he'll try again next semester...

[titanicfreija]

Revealed

Freija and Sunny seemed to figure out that Thomas didn't like what he found at all. Mercifully, they didn't ask and instead they left for the crucible as soon as they were settled with Thomas's safety. 

Rex didn't allow Sunny to transfer the data, likely unwilling to share something so intimate but coincidentally sparing Thomas the embarrassment.

While he read and scanned and skimmed, he wondered what kind of attitude he should take about any of it. Freija had been right about how weird it felt to know someone so close and yet never have met them. Him and not. 

He felt sorry for the guy and couldn't help wondering if it counted as self-pity.

And so Thomas, undeniably the warlock he was, wrote a biographical essay on his first life. He might as well let his friends in on the fun. Sunny would love speculating with him. So would Rex.

~

""I wish I was a Titan," says the guy who writes three-page papers for fun," Freija mocked, sitting heavily and studying the paper packet. "Got a short version?"

"No. You'll have to learn this one by osmosis. You do great like that, you'll be fine."

Freija curled up on the couch to let her Ghost perch and read. "Sunny said that whistle blowing was an industry term where someone finds fucky stuff and tells someone important enough to fix it."

"I didn't say it like that."

Thomas couldn't really correct Sunny and he knew Freija probably understood better than it sounded like she did. "Did she tell you that it got people killed?"

"No, but the word "industry", from what I can tell, has pretty much only ever meant getting people killed. Everything driving "industry" mowed people down like I do."

"Yeah, well." He didn't like how close to right she was. "Pretty much. And whistleblowers tend to be the guys that point out the more fucked up things."

The Warlock sat next to Freija, burrowed into the back of the couch, and heaved a long sigh. "How much do you know about the exos?"

She gestured vaguely at Three's wall. "Robot people. Radiolarium fluid. Uhh… I can keep playing word associate in here but it would be better if you just told me what you're getting at."

Thomas nodded and picked up his tea. "The earliest experiments were the stuff of the bad guys in stories, just ridiculously, cartoonishly evil."

Freija nodded slowly, waiting for him to continue. 

"Reflect, if you would, on the fact that the things Braytech did were regarded as miracles."

Freija made a noise, but clearly didn't get it. 

"I failed," he said. "Or if I didn't fail, I didn't stop anything and the perpetrators never saw justice."

"Well. No. He's a head in a basement on a frozen moon," Freija said, but she got it a little better. "So did they kill you? For snitching?"

"Worse." Thomas flipped through the binder he'd made of information. "There's three exposé articles in here about how poor Ambros must be out of his mind, several about investigations turning up nothing. He got fired, but then he got blacklisted. And he tried to tell everyone and that just made him sound crazier. I wouldn't believe this guy, either. Got bullied out of every forum except for conspiracy-based communities."

He looked to Sunny with a curious frown. "What is that server room, anyway? For the data I got, you'd think they were trying to hold memories."

Sunny answered. "Social Media gained and lost popularity a few times after its invention, and most times saw some effort in centralizing somehow. This was one of them. Likely even another Braytech work. Personally, I think Braytech killed you. After several years of one guy still getting attention, even if it was just to roll their eyes, they could have wanted to silence him."

"It's easy to see the despair," Rex countered.

"Wait, what?" Freija said. "Why is it a question? What happened?"

Thomas watched the ceiling  rather than look at any of them. "They found him in his apartment with his brains on the wall. Apparently sitting on his knees with the gun in his mouth when he pulled the trigger. He put up a plastic sheet to make cleanup easier."

"Killed himself?" Freija asked. "Or executed?"

"Everything points to suicide, but that could have been forced on him, too," Thomas said uncomfortably. "I figured you guys would have fun discussing which was more likely. Take the edge off it, hearing you and Sunny talk about it."

"We're gonna have shitty endings," Freija said. "I was massacred and left out, you offed yourself and got a proper funeral. I didn't have to dig myself up. I can't even decide how to feel about that, it just seems like I should be grateful for that luck but it feels like I wasn't mourned, just because no one knew they needed to."

"Yeah, this feels weird," Thomas said. "And here I blamed your thing with your feelings. Figured the discomfort was just that and you were being squirmy about it, but this really does feel weird."

"That's not going to stop," Freija told him. "At least yours doesn't make you feel like you shouldn't exist."

Thomas cocked his head to a side and considered it. "No. I feel like he got a second chance with me. You feel like you shouldn't exist? Like she shouldn't have died?"

"She would be alive right now, probably with a wife and toddler," Freija sighed. 

"She would be in the wilds of Earth, guiding mortals and protecting her sisters," Sunny argued lightly. "She had no guarantee of a long life. It's just that her killers weren't who we expected." She turned pointedly back to Thomas. "You feel like Ambros's second chance for what?"

Thomas laughed and glanced at Rex. "To spend at least some of my life building something good instead of trying to stop the inexorable evil. Let other people, the ones built for it, fight to defend what I'm building." He looked directly at Rex. "Like letting the Titan do her job while I rewire a power adapter."

"I'm moving my vote to autocide," Sunny said softly. "Found a coinciding event that probably hurt him badly enough to do it."

"Oh?" Freija rolled her head back. 

Thomas gestured at his information packet. "He died maybe a few months after the announcement of the Exo program's wider availability, and several articles about the painful progress and loss they persevered through– essentially proving what he said to be true, except they painted it to look like things that happened to Braytech instead of the people they did it to. They vaguely mentioned internal sabotage, and that's the closest they get to mentioning me. There's only a little in the way of ethics discussions, but it looks like, from the sound of everything I found in any archives, the general reaction was that you can't make an omelet without cracking some eggs."

"What?" Freija laughed. "Where do you get these lines?"

"Ambros liked old books." He wagged his datapad. "Apparently. It means that there's only so much you can do without damage, and sometimes that damage is worth the end result. So all the torture and death were worth Exos, as far as the general public was concerned."

"Ah." Freija turned her eyes to the ceiling. "Yeah, that's fucked up. So, going by timing, he probably did?"

"Yeah. Screamed until his voice dried up. Then everyone started singing it. He couldn't take it anymore." Thomas looked skyward and frowned silently. 

Freija waited for him to look back but he didn't. "Did you want me to leave you alone?" 

"Nah. Glad you're here. You don't have to talk." 

She nodded slowly, but clearly didn't understand. Sunny settled into the crook of her neck and shoulder, and she looked to the information packet he'd given them. 

"He had kids?" Freija asked, stealing a look at his face but refusing to meet his eye. She couldn't keep the horror out of her expression.

He didn't mind– inviting her here for sensitivity would make him a fool. "Two sons. They abandoned him after a while. I didn't track the line, I figured that it wouldn't give me anything I wanted, no matter what I found. If they're still alive, they're so many generations down and post-collapse, there's only guessing by names. If they're not, then I find out my bloodline ended. Just better to leave that mystery alone."

"I guess I got lucky," Freija mumbled. "No questions here."

Thomas sipped his tea as he mulled the thoughts. "See, we feel opposite, there. I would have been sad to find out about the end of my bloodline."

"I feel like I'd have been abandoning them, dying and leaving them behind," she said with a single shoulder shrug. 

He nodded and smiled again. "I kind of like how differently we feel about this, it's a fun study."

Freija brushed him off with a low grunt. Flipping through the packet, she found something that made her sneer. "Promising," she quoted scathingly. "Yeah, promising. Talking about your rise and downfall. Same magazine that ran the exposé about how crazy he was. What bullshit." She tossed the packet on the table. "Yeah, this kicks me in the sense of justice. Wanna go shoot Clovis's labs on Europa in front of him?"

Thomas smiled, seeing the affection for what it was, and he stood up. "Normally, I wouldn't, but I think I'll see if helping you satisfy this urge will make me feel better."

Request

Communication

The Database

Something Else

Campfire Stories

Jealousy 

Bickering 

Revealed

[sophierequests]

hi sophie!! how are you? i saw your post about yourself and i'm here to say that english is also not my fisrt language and i've been trying to write here so i can improve the language and it's so difficult, i swear sometimes i think my head will explode, so i just wanted to say that i respect you so much for writing so well in a language that's not your native, you are incredible <3

and, also, i've come to request for the songfic event! i was thinking zoya for the character and paper rings by taylor swift for the song, if you could do that i'd love it! oh, and i saw that you hate to wear pants and SO DO I, so if you could do y/n with that trait as well, it would make my day!

anyway, thank you very much for your storys, i love them, and congratulations for the followers!

i'd marry you with paper rings

Navigation┃Main Masterlist┃Request

Pairing: Zoya Nazyalenksy x f!Reader

A/N: Hi!!! I'm doing good, now that I'm on semester break lmao. Thank you so much for the kind words, I appreciate them more than you know. Writing is something that I was always very fond of, so naturally I used it to get a bit deeper into language learning, and I am so glad that people like my writing kagkdgkagd. I completely know that feeling of my head being about to explode, trust me, sometimes I can't even write a coherent sentence, but it's important to try! So I'm really proud of you for actively trying to improve!!! I'm sure your writing is amazing <33 I really enjoyed writing this fic, even though the formatting is kinda icky imo, I hope you still enjoy it! Also, #pantshatersupremacy

Summary: Zoya and the reader recall some of the most important incidents in their relationship.

Genre: Fluff, Comedy

Word Count: 3.1K

Warnings: Mention of being thrown against a tree (platonically), slightly enemies to lovers, but not really, marriage

“Do you still remember the night when we first met?” you asked, looking down at Zoya, who was currently laying in your lap, absent-mindedly fiddling with the fabric of your skirt.

She had taken you out for the day, and ended the evening with a nice dinner in her chambers. ‘Date nights’ weren’t something you got to have often, so you tried to use every chance you got to spend a day together. Now, you were curled up in a lounge chair on one of the balconies, gazing up at the starry night sky, whilst a vibrant full moon loomed over you. If anyone else would see Zoya right now they probably wouldn’t be able to believe their eyes, seeing the stern General Nazyalensky cuddled up with her girlfriend, the usual scowl on her face completely gone. Thankfully, this side of Zoya was only reserved for you, so you never felt the need to feel jealous.

“Of course I do.” her deep blue eyes met yours, a content smile on her lips, “Why?”

“Oh, the full moon just reminded me of that dreadfully awkward walk back to the Little Palace.” you giggled, causing her cheeks to glow in a faint red.

“Oh Saints, don’t remind me.” she huffed, actively recalling said night.

Your former captain and close friend, Nikolai Lantsov, had summoned you to the Grand Palace, asking for you to join his small excursion group in their advance against the Darkling. At first, you were sceptical of his real intentions. You were a well-versed Healer that had proven to be quite helpful to his crew when he was still tailored to look like Sturmhond, but of how much help could you possibly be when it came to defeating a creature such as the Darkling? Especially when he already had two quite capable Heartrenders on his side.

Against your better judgement, you still decided to follow his request and attend one of the first meetings with your soon-to-be friends and travel companions. When you arrived at the grand sitting room that the young royal called his own, you were already greeted with quite a few familiar faces staring at you. You recognized the two twins -Tamar and Tolya -, knowing them from your time spent working on board Nikolai’s ship. Nikolai sat at his wide wooden desk, an ancient-looking map was spread out in front of him. A stunning auburn-haired girl lounged on one of the sofas, leaning on the shoulder of a rather timid Fabrikator. You had never seen them before, but judging by their dynamic you assumed that they had to be the infamous Tailor Genya Safin and one of Nikolai’s most trusted Fabrikators David Kostyk. The penetrating stare of the last person in the round gave you goosebumps. A young woman in a well-kept blue kefta sat on the sofa opposite the twins, her silky black hair fell over her shoulders perfectly. She couldn’t be much older than you, but her icy expression gave her a certain maturity. You were sure that you knew who she was, but the right name just didn’t want to pop into your head.

“Y/N! What a pleasure to have you back.” the blond began with a welcoming grin.

It was odd seeing him look like this. The blond hair, straighter nose and fine clothing made him appear like the nobleman he secretly was, however, it posed such a stark contrast to the image of the cocky privateer that you were acquainted with. You’d definitely have to get used to this sight if you were forced to work with him for a longer duration.

“You already know Tolya and Tamar, so I suppose I don’t have to reintroduce you three.” he continued, while the twins gave you a quick wave.

They hadn’t changed a bit, and you were glad that you could at least rely on knowing two people.

“These two lovebirds are Genya Safin and David Kostyk. I’m sure you have already heard of them?” he inquired, pointing at the couple you had already identified upon entering.

“I have. It’s great to finally meet you.” you answered politely.

Genya returned your greeting, giving you a warm smile back, whilst David only nodded politely, silently agreeing with the pleasantries of his partner.

“And this,” Nikolai paused for a second as if looking for the approval of the black-haired girl, “this is Zoya Nazyalensky. She is one of the best Squallers you will ever meet.”

Realization hit you like a brick. This was Zoya Nazyalensky - the woman that you had heard so much of? She was as beautiful as Nikolai had described her to be, even though she was a lot scarier than you had imagined.

You only gave her a curt nod and a friendly smile, none of which she actually returned, before taking a seat in the armchair that you were offered.

The conference went over pretty swiftly with Nikolai talking the majority of the time - as you were used to. Occasionally, you could feel the eyes of the woman you now knew as Zoya latch onto you. Whenever you added something to the conversation, she seemed to think that you were one of the dumbest people to ever exist. Her eyes would constantly roll back when you made a new suggestion, and she let out a dissatisfied huff when you even thought of correcting a previously uttered statement. You had the sinking feeling that you probably would not get along with every member of this fucked-up little mission group.

At the end of the gathering, only Nikolai, Zoya and you were still situated in the sitting room, the others had long retired to their respective beds. If you thought of her previous looks to be downright insulting, the one she displayed now really took the cake. Even Nikolai appeared to be slightly taken aback by her hostility towards you. Nobody seemed to know the reason why she seemed to be so irritated by you. You didn’t exactly fit in with the people she was used to, that was true. You had never trained at the Little Palace like most of the others, you weren’t well-versed in court etiquette, you didn’t wear the red Corporalki kefta, instead opting out for long dresses and skirts, and you definitely weren’t used to all of the formalities that it would take to work with the prince of Ravka. You were quite the mess, and Zoya definitely wasn’t the person to take care of that.

“Alright ladies, as much as I would enjoy discussing these matters more thoroughly, I am in desperate need of some beauty sleep, so I’d suggest we wrap this up now.” he yawned, rolling his shoulder blades slowly, “Y/N, I have managed to arrange a room at the Little Palace for you. Zoya may show you the way.”

The raven-haired girl gave him an annoyed glare, turning her head to look at you as if you were one of her unwanted chores. It was obvious that she didn’t intend to spend any more time with you than she already had, especially not alone. You had no clue what caused her dislike towards you - you only knew since this afternoon, for Saint's sake - but you were keen on not giving her any more reasons to detest you.

“Nikolai, I really don’t think that’s necessary. I am perfectly fine to walk back there on my own. Just tell me where to find the room and I’m off. You don’t have to supply me with a babysitter.” you tried to argue, solely to be silenced by a dismissive hand gesture.

“Zoya will bring you back to the Little Palace. I have already decided that. It’s way too dangerous for you to go there alone and I don’t necessarily have any interest to look for a new Healer to accompany us. And since she also resides at the Little Palace, I doubt that it will cause any discrepancies, will it Nazyalensky?” he grinned, a devious glimmer in his eyes.

“I suppose it won’t.” the Squaller grumbled, throwing him another distasteful glower before turning away to leave, “As long as she hurries up. I don’t particularly enjoy waiting.”

You gave Nikolai one last anxious smile, already in motion to follow your involuntarily assigned tour guide. She kept a brutal pace and you weren’t whether she did it to spite you, or it was her genuine walking speed. When she passed some of the servants that were scattered around the halls, they scurried away quickly, clearing the path instantly. At this point, you weren’t sure if you wouldn’t be safer going alone.

“You seem to have quite the reputation here.” you commented, foolishly attempting to start a conversation.

“You could say I do. It’s the only thing that helps you stay on top.” she replied, her voice unwavering as she stepped outside, the cold winter wind making you pause a bit.

“You know, I actually heard quite a lot about you.” you started again, carefully eying the subtle change of expression that flashed over the Grisha’s face.

“I’m left to assume that you only heard the worst?” she inquired bitterly, her breath being made visible by the low temperatures outside.

“Actually quite the opposite. Nikolai occasionally writes me letters and you seem to be quite remarkable. The only considerably bad thing he ever told me about you was, that he thought that you can be terribly stubborn sometimes.” you chuckled, remembering the content of some of his older letters.

“What a coincidence.”

“What do you mean?”

“I recall him saying the same thing about you when he proposed having you tag along.”

“Well look like we have at least one thing in common then, don’t we?” you laughed, looking at how the corners of her mouth quirked up for a split second.

The rest of the walk towards the Little Palace was mainly spent in silence with the occasional attempt at small talk, which was eventually shut down by a prolonged period of quiet. Even though she still seemed to be a bit hostile towards you, she wasn’t as dismissive as before.

You silently cursed your style of clothing when you saw the huge staircase leading up to the entrance of the Palace. The snow mixed with the length of your skirt made the ascend pretty risky. But you would be damned to ask for help, knowing that she probably thought of you as frail already. More or less graciously, you clutched some of the fabric of your skirt, hiking it up just as far as you needed it to be. Zoya looked at you incredulously as she watched you cautiously climb up the staircase. Whether she thought your behaviour to be entertaining or irritating, you didn’t manage to realize.

After almost reaching the top, some of the fabric slipped out of your grasp, causing you to unexpectedly step on it. You let go, trying to stabilize yourself futilely as you stumbled backwards, already bracing yourself for the utterly painful fall. However, you didn’t fall for long. Before you even knew it, two hands held on to your waist, pushing you back up as gently as they could. In an attempt to steady you further, you felt her body press against yours, her hot breath hit your neck as she patiently waited for you to collect yourself again.

“Saints,” Zoya hissed, one of her hands still situated on your lower back, “I thought you used to live on a ship? How can your balance be that off?”

“Sorry,” you mumbled, slightly taken aback by her harsh tone, “I must’ve accidentally slipped on my skirt.”

Zoya huffed, quickly taking her hands off your back before walking up the few leftover stairs, leaving you an embarrassingly flustered mess. Did you really begin developing a crush on someone as unapproachable as her?

After she wordlessly guided you up to your room, she gave you a curt nod and then disappeared back into the hallways of the Palace, only hastily reminding you not to be late for the next meeting tomorrow.

“I am so reminding you of that!” you giggled, causing Zoya’s cheeks to flush a deep red, “Because after that, you just ignored me for the next three weeks!”

“Yes, because I was mortified after that!” she snorted.

“I should’ve been the one to be mortified. A girl that looked as if she wanted to kill me only mere minutes ago, basically saved my life! How are you supposed to react to that?”

“I did not look that threatening.” she shot back with an offended expression.

“You so did.”

“Well, I beg to differ.”

“Would you like me to ask Nik-”

“Absolutely not.” she interjected, giving you a playful jab to the ribs, “And for the records, I only ignored you for two weeks. I counted it.”

The following weeks were spent in a constant cat and mouse chase. You tried to approach her, and she pulled away. It made working together a shit ton harder, especially when Nikolai tried his absolute best to make the two of you like each other - at least to the extent where she wouldn’t be close to leaving the room as soon as you entered. You spent the majority of your free time with the red-haired Tailor, with whom you had developed a fast friendship. She told you quite a lot about Zoya, making you feel almost a bit stalker-like, but your curiosity got the better of you. Especially when you still weren’t even close to figuring out where her view on you came from.

After a certain incident, however, she changed her attitude towards you.

You just wanted to take a casual stroll along the training grounds, watching all the Etherealki train their Small Science. When you spotted Zoya standing a bit further away from the others, apparently trying out different intensities of her wind blows. In hindsight, it was absolutely foolish to even attempt to get closer to her since it was clearly visible that she was completely focused on her craft. But if you have to be stupid, you better be tough. Because as soon as you stepped closer, calling out her name in a friendly greeting, she swirled around, visibly startled. The next thing you knew was suddenly being lifted off your feet, forcefully getting thrown against a tree.

Zoya let out an uncharacteristically worried gasp, dashing over to you as quickly as she could. You weren’t in life-threatening danger by any means, but her unexpected reaction had knocked all the air out of your lungs, leaving you a coughing mess on the dirty ground. A few other Grisha rushed over to you, already beginning to chastise Zoya for her actions, but she only gave them a deadly glare, telling them to mind their own business and that she would handle this.

Apparently, she had called Tolya to help her carry you up to her room after you had blacked out from your short flying trip. When you woke up, you found yourself in a room you did not recognize - in a bed you did not recognize. You hastily sat up, wincing at the pain that shot through your back.

“What were you thinking?” Zoya’s voice almost made you jump as you began to recollect what had happened, “Did no one ever teach you that you shouldn’t bother people when they are training? I could’ve broken your spine!”

She wasn’t angry. That was the first thing you realized. She sounded rather concerned more than anything else. But exactly that was what unsettled you.

“I think that’s the first time you’ve properly spoken to me since the day I arrived.” you bemoaned sarcastically, rubbing your fingers over your temples in an attempt to tone down the headache.

Zoya was slightly confused by your comment, probably expecting you to lash out at her for smashing you against a tree. Her features softened after she let out a strained sigh, sitting down in the padded armchair next to the bed. It was a weird dynamic the two of you had established and no one dared to say another word for quite a while.

“I am sorry. That was absolutely unprofessional.” she muttered after a few minutes of utter and complete silence.

“What exactly? Ignoring my presence for solid three weeks, or flinging me against a tree?”

“Both.” she answered timidly, however, you could only laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

From then on, you began talking more. You still didn’t know why she had tried her absolute best to avoid you, but you weren’t going to poke a buzzing wasps’ nest. Much against the better judgement of almost everyone that had witnessed your relationship before, you two grew to genuinely like each other.

It came almost naturally, that she confessed her feelings for you. Just in a very Zoya-like way.

“Can you stop that?” she asked you suddenly, causing you to pause midst sentence as you were just recounting a possible solution to a military issue you had been discussing earlier.

“Stop what?”

“Stop being so damn likeable.” she groaned, throwing her head back and closing her eyes in dismay, “It’s irritating.”

You felt as if you had just been hurled against a tree again, all the air suddenly leaving your lungs. It wasn’t something you had expected. Not now, and definitely not from her. She didn’t even seem fazed by her statement. At least, she didn’t show it. She just continued looking slightly annoyed, while you secretly prayed that there was no Heartrender around because they might suspect that somebody was having a heart attack.

“What?” you asked dumbfounded.

“Saints, I think I have feelings for you.” she grumbled, rubbing her palm over her eyes, trying to hide the blush on her cheeks.

“Oh.”

“I can’t believe this was how you confessed your feelings for me.” you snorted, letting a hand run through Zoya’s hair, as her cheeks flushed a deep red.

“And I can’t believe that you only said ‘oh’ in response. What kind of answer is that?” she retorted playfully.

“I almost said “thank you” instead, so you should be glad that my brain wasn’t working properly.”

"Saints..."

After her questionable love confession and your also quite questionable answer, you had a long and very awkward talk about it. And talking about your feelings with Zoya is like talking to a brick wall. But eventually, you figured things out, leading to the point where you were at now.

Of course, things could be difficult. Zoya was far from an easy person to handle, her temper and stubbornness often getting the best of her, but you weren’t going to stop loving her just because she could be a bit complicated. She was more than happy to have you at her side. Receiving this kind of affection wasn’t something she was used to. However, since you entered her life, she felt like she could be more than just her small science. She was someone deserving of love, and you made sure to never let her forget that.

You had been quiet for quite a bit now, only occasionally massaging her scalp whilst humming some mindless melody. Your girlfriend wasn’t as calm though. She began to constantly shift in your lap, only slightly but still noticeable, whilst also letting out a strained sigh once in a while.

“Zoya, love, what’s wrong?” you asked, moving your hand from her chin to make her look up at you.

She closed her eyes for a moment before removing herself from your lap. Silently, she sat up, putting a bit of distance between you, as she angled her body to face yours. You were getting slightly worried when she took both of your hands into hers. Was she going to break up with you?

“Y/N, I’ve been thinking about this for quite a while.” she started talking, her voice slow and determined, “And I am not sure if this is the right time to do it, but it doesn’t leave me alone anymore.”

Zoya swallowed thickly, the grip she had on your hands getting tighter.

“We’ve been together for so long. You’ve seen every bad habit I have, and you never decided to leave. I never thought I’d have something like this, and I never want it to end. You’re smart, and kind, and so many more things that I can’t even begin to list - Saints, I am bad at this.” she paused, taking in a deep breath, “I guess the thing I wanted to say - to ask - is, will you marry me?”

The words only registered in your mind when one of her hands let go of yours, retrieving a small black box from her coat pocket. She didn’t open it yet, anxiously waiting for some sort of reaction coming from you, but you were too busy being overwhelmed by the whole situation. You always knew that you’d like to marry her someday, but the proposal still caught you off-guard.

“I know this is a terrible way to propose to someone, I didn’t think much about it, I just needed to-”

Her ramblings were cut off by your lips crashing against hers, causing her hands to land on your sides, pulling you closer to her body. Even though a kiss wasn’t the answer she had expected, she kissed you back, holding on to you as if her life depended on it.

“I suppose that’s a yes?” she whispered after pulling away, not letting you move away more than a few inches.

“It’s a yes. It’s always going to be a yes.” you whispered back, “I would’ve married you with paper rings if that’s what you would’ve offered me.”

[strandnreyes]

Want to come over for dinner after your shift?

Carlos shoves his phone in his pocket after sending the text. If he’s being honest, he’s not expecting a reply anytime soon and as much as he hates to admit it, he’s not expecting a yes, either. 

After three days of dodged calls and short responses to texts, Carlos is forced to admit that TK is avoiding him. 

He didn’t think so at first, and that was partly because he had been so busy himself with writing, but even TK declining his offer to come over a couple of nights could be easily explained. 

He’s had the morning shift at the diner the last few days and they had been spending a lot of time together before this. He can’t blame TK for wanting some space, though it does sting a little. He just wishes TK would be outright about it. 

Carlos tries to ignore the weight of his phone in his pocket as he gets out of the car and walks down the short stretch of sidewalk to the bookstore. Mateo’s behind the counter with a customer, but he nods to Carlos and points to the back.

The sharpie and a stack of paperbacks are sitting on the table in the office just like they were when Carlos was in here last week to sign them. Except this time there’s at least twice as many copies, a good idea considering how fast the first batch sold out.

With the tourist off-season in full swing now, the businesses that benefit from out-of-town consumers feel the hit the most, Mateo’s bookstore included. Marjan called Carlos last week, asking if he’d be willing to autograph a few copies to get more traffic in the store, hoping those shoppers would purchase other items as well.

It seems to be working as far as Carlos can tell. It’s the middle of the week and nearly closing time, yet there were still a couple of people in line.

Sometimes Carlos still can’t believe he wrote a book good enough to achieve that.   

He goes through the motions, flipping over the front cover, running the sharpie over the paper time and time again. He tries to focus on the curve of his name instead of the fact that his phone sits silent. 

He gets about halfway through the stack when Mateo finally catches up to him. 

“Dude, Marjan knows what she’s talking about. Usually by this time of the night this place is so slow that I start sweeping the floors for fun.”

Carlos cracks a smile, pushing the newly autographed book to the side. “Yeah,” he says half heartedly. “She’s great.”

Mateo goes to say something else, but Carlos is distracted by the vibration of his phone against his thigh. His mom would have words for him for checking it while someone’s talking to him, but he briefly glances at it anyway, needing to know TK’s response. 

Might be stuck late here. Table in the corner doesn’t understand that closing at 8 doesn’t mean you sit down 10 minutes before that. 

On the surface it seems light hearted, but Carlos knows better than that. TK will probably be held up there for no more than a half an hour extra and he could easily come over anyway, they don’t even have to have dinner. Carlos just wants to see him. 

But he doesn’t want to push. He doesn’t want to have to convince his boyfriend to spend time with him. 

“Carlos?” Mateo asks.

He shoves the phone away again, masking the hurt he feels with a forced smile. “Yeah, sorry. What?”

Mateo watches him carefully for a moment before jerking his thumb behind him. “I was just saying that one of my regulars is here and trust me, I’ll be with her awhile. You can just head out when you’re done. Thanks again for doing this.”

“No problem,” Carlos answers, barely registering what he’s seeing in front of him as he quickly works through the rest of the stack. 

By the time he’s back in his car he’s all but convinced himself that he should just pop into the diner real quick before he goes home since it doesn’t seem like he’ll be seeing TK tonight. Just to have TK smile at him for the surprise visit and have everything feel okay again. 

But just as he’s about to start the car, he gets another text. 

His first thought is that it’s TK again, but it isn’t until he sees Tommy’s name on the screen and reads her message asking how TK’s feeling that Carlos realizes he’s been lied to. 

TK had called in sick to work the past two days. 

[sorrydearie]

Since I am probably not allowed to request for more than one, I'd go with "13 - Nose kisses" if you feel like writing ❤️

“That’s it, we’re done, yeah?” Martín asks, his tone bordering on hostile. “Can you leave now?”

Andrés’s eyes narrow, his lips purse into a thin line. He’s doing that thing with his face again – allowing every single emotion to flicker through, like ink on tracing paper. Sometimes Martín thinks he’s overcompensating. That he’s exaggerating, playing it up. 

“You’re being rude,” Andrés chides him. “Your wonderful boyfriend has gone out of his way to bring you dinner, and you send him away like he’s some low-life concierge?”

Martín groans. 

“I am grateful,” he insists, summoning all the patience he’s got. “But I don’t want you here right now. Because frankly, I’m feeling like shit.”

Even worse: he looks like shit. 

His eyes are bloodshot, the skin around his nose cracked and dry. He’d actually winced when he had caught sight of himself in the mirror on his way to the door. 

He feels ugly and disgusting, and… Well.

He barely thinks he’s good enough to be with Andrés on his better days. When he puts in an effort, he can almost trick himself into believing that he deserves Andrés. That he’s refined and sleek and clever enough. Like Andrés’s slew of ex-wives. 

But right now all he wants to do is hide. Fall back into bed, press his tired face into the pillow. And succumb to his cold. 

His fingers twitch and tighten around the doorhandle. 

“Look, I’ll call you when I’m feeling better?” It’s a question. A peace offering. A plea for reassurance: yes, Martín, he wants Andrés to say, I’ll still want you in a week from now, don’t you dare doubt me.

Andrés’s expression is clouded, the candidness from moments ago gone. All because Martín couldn’t keep his damn mouth shut. Because he had to go and ruin it all by losing control, by insulting Andrés, by telling him to fuck off. 

He shouldn’t have opened the door, shouldn’t have let Andrés see him like this – so weak and vulnerable, a fucking mess. 

But against all odds Andrés smiles. That drawling, sprawling smile. The one that feels like sunrise.

“Do it soon,” Andrés says. “I don’t like being separated from you.”

The words squeeze at Martín’s heart. Warmth floods through him, tickling his tired limbs, his aching muscles – it’s reinvigorating. 

He clears his throat. His voice rasps when he speaks: 

“It’s just a cold,” he mumbles, flustered. “How long can it last anyway – a few more days? Anyway, I— wait, what are you— Andrés, I’m sick—”

But of course Andrés doesn’t listen to him. He leans in close, his lips just a breath away from Martín’s – before they change course and press against the rounded tip of Martín’s nose instead. 

Martín blushes. Violently. 

When Andrés pulls away, his grin is wide and bright. 

“Get well soon, mi ingeniero.”

[eristic-kaleidoscope]

National Treasure: Book of Secrets | Erik | Trial 2.3 | Re: Just Erika, Byrne, END, Kenshin, Airika

Midway through walking clockwise around the trial circle to Byrne, Erik freezes as Just Erika posits the theory that proved in the next few moments to be as unpopular as it was wrong. He lets out another hitched breath, counts to seven, and then thanks whatever deity must be looking down on the group right now that he hadn't gone in the other direction. Because just as much as he does like Just Erika, he's not sure he could have stopped himself from shouting at her. "Cosette would never have given up so easily, not when she still had so much to live for." He reiterates quietly, before moving on to where Byrne is.

Handing the pen to him, he waits quietly as Byrne writes down something on the piece of paper. Reading it while comparing the note in his hands to it, Erik visibly nods, before quietly asking Byrne for a hug. It's exchanged, and the two men separate after that. Before he leaves, Erik also squeezes Erisu's hand comfortingly, then heads back the way he came. Once he's back at his seat, Erik remarks, "The handwriting, as expected, does not match. We still don't have Arakiel's, but I'm not going to bother with trying to get his if he is deadset on not sharing it. I don't think it would be of much help, anyways." Know when to fold them, he supposes. There are better things to focus on, anyways.

(cw: discussion of suicide)

"I echo what Airika has to say about Cosette and Identity Theft. They told me in confidence as well, and I don't believe it has anything to do with the crime at hand." He tilts his head. "I can vouch for Kenshin-san, and besides... It's unlikely anyone would be writing a letter to him with his alias in mind. I can also vouch that Eri's real name does not begin with that either, as they were unintentionally outed to us during our VR run. I will not reveal any more details than that, however, unless any of those two are comfortable with sharing. That being said, while I understand not everyone will take me at my word or consider it enough to clear xem, given some of the other things that had been unfortunately outed to us during the run, it's impossible for Eri to have left Cosette in that sort of state or participate in what is tantamount to assisted suicide."

There's a bite in his tone that's undeniable, and it has nowhere to go. But his anger will be brought to bear soon enough. 

"There are a few other things about the crimes on the list I can talk about, but I have to stress that the act of serial killing was not the only crime that kept getting floated upwards. Originally, Criminal Sabotage was in fifth, and whoever was manipulating the order of revelations had it bumped up to second. I'm also relatively certain that Aiding and Abetting has nothing to do with the Serial Murderer, because the two people I've identified that belong to these should have nothing to do with each other's crimes." That's a pretty bold statement, but Erik doesn't even look fazed to be admitting that he knows more than he's letting on. "Put it this way: why is there a bottle of DeLight gummies marked clearly as prescription medication in that cabinet? Who was it meant for? Then take into account the blurb in Serial Murder: This perpetrator both directly and indirectly killed countless others with items of their own making."

Erik exhales, massaging the bridge of his nose. "I'm all but certain one of us is responsible for the creation of those gummies and likely many more items on the side, and through them, contributed to the deaths of many people to be eventually earmarked as responsible for Serial Murder. Did someone else come to the same conclusion and decided they needed justice done? Does that have anything to do with the case at hand? I suppose we'll have to find out."

(cw end)

At END's request, he deliberates the idea for a while, before eventually deciding. "I don't mind removing my gloves, but as a warning, what you see isn't going to be very pretty." With that ominous declaration, Erik sets his tablet and evidence pile aside, before rolling up his sleeves to the mid-forearm, and then pulling off his treated leather gloves.

(cw: description of burn injuries)

Even from where it is revealed beyond his wrist, the group can see the splotchy, scarred skin that takes up most if not all of the exposed space on both of his hands and arms, as if it had been exposed to hot temperatures for far too long. The scars seemingly stretch further up his arms on both ends, but some of the worst scars can be seen on his palms, his knuckles, his fingers. A patchwork of blight in red, branded beyond mere blisters... you wonder how bad it really is.

(cw end)

What's important to note is that none of those injuries look fresh, nor do any of them look like they're bleeding or recently opened. "I would prefer not to take off my mask." He states flatly. "Not that it would reveal anything beyond what you can guess has happened to me."

He gingerly wears them once again, and then prepares for what comes next.

[bensolosbluesaber]

Returning a Favor (Zemo x Reader fic)

TFATWS Ep. 4 Spoilers!!

Summary: When your old friend, Sam Wilson, needs your help in Riga you drop everything and go. You knew they broke Baron Helmut Zemo out of jail, but you didn't expect to bond with the villain. (AKA: I thought getting hit in the face by the Shield would at least leave a bruise. Here's how that would go down with a fourth person.)

CW: Blood, wounds, some creepy behavior (not from Zemo), a few Y/N inserts

No smut yet, just cute cuddles and taking care of each other. Maybe smut in the future though! Let me know if you want a Part 2 or added to a tag list for potential future fics! I think the reader can be any gender; I tried to write it that way and be inclusive, but please tell me if I messed up!

If you know me in real life, no you don't:) I write most of my fics on @aurora521 and write on AO3 and fanfiction.net under the same name. Please don't come for me about finding Zemo attractive.

Hope you enjoy!

---

Returning a Favor

Meet me in Riga. -S

That was the text you received from Sam Wilson, your old military friend, yesterday. And now here you are, outside the Riga airport walking toward Sam in traditional undercover superhero attire- a baseball hat and sunglasses.

“Thanks for coming,” he greeted. “We have a little problem.”

“Is his name Baron Helmut Zemo by chance?” You asked, following him to a jet black sports car.

You were very aware of just what type of trouble Sam was getting himself into since you, a SWORD agent, still had access to all kinds of classified information.

“See for yourself,” Sam muttered, gesturing to the back door of the car and climbing in the driver's seat himself.

You hesitated for a moment, then opened the door and slid into the back. And yes, Zemo was there, lounging back with legs spread. He’s wearing a long coat with fur lining, a deep purple shirt, black pants, and shiny leather shoes. He nods to you and smirks ever so slightly. Bucky Barnes, who you had only heard about but recognized immediately, turns from his spot in the front seat and smiles at you.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Y/N,” he says.

“And I you,” you respond.

Sam pulls out of the parking lot with a screech of tires. The ride is mostly silent, Sam and Bucky bickering occasionally. That made you smile, knowing that as much as Bucky annoyed Sam, this was the type of relationship he craved. Zemo watched you the entire drive, sizing you up.

The home they’re staying at is obviously the Baron's. He’s comfortable there, leaning against the counters, rifling through cabinets, lounging on the couch.

“So what am I doing here?” You finally asked.

The three men interact easily, and either Sam or Bucky is always watching Zemo. There’s no real need for a fourth person to get involved, at least not in your mind.

“Someone needs to babysit the Baron,” Sam explained with an annoyed sigh.

Zemo shrugged with a smirk so innocent it’s sinister. He’s still wearing that ridiculous coat.

“The two Avengers can’t handle him?”

“I believe your friends find it challenging to be around me,” Zemo answered for Sam.

“You shot a man in the head yesterday!” Sam snapped. “You antagonize Bucky at every turn. Forgive us for needing a break from whatever is happening in your fucked up head.”

Zemo tilts his head as if agreeing with everything Sam had just said.

“Anyway,” Bucky interrupted. “We have a lead on Karli. You can sleep off some jet lag while we’re gone, but starting tonight it’s your turn to keep track of him.”

You settled into a small bedroom. The moment your head hit the pillow, you fell asleep. At home it’s nearly ten at night; here it’s midday.

The trio is back all too soon, heralded by a slam of a door, and you force yourself to wake up to adjust to the time change as rapidly and effectively as possible. As you open the door to the living room, Bucky is stalking toward Zemo. He grabs the teacup from Zemo’s hand and hurls it against the wall.

“You wanna see what someone can do with leverage?” Bucky growled, staring at Zemo with an unnerving glint in his eyes.

“Take it easy. Don’t engage him,” Sam jumped up and grabbed Bucky’s arm. “He’s just gonna extort you and do that stupid head tilt thing.”

Bucky’s face softened slightly. Zemo stops tilting his head.

“Let me make a call,” Sam says and walks away.

“You want some cherry blossom tea?” Zemo offers Bucky with a mocking tone.

“No. You go ahead,” Bucky hissed, and after a moment of staring, he followed Sam out of the room.

You had watched Zemo for that entire exchange, noticed the slightest flinch and hint of fear when Bucky had grabbed that cup. The moment the other two men are gone and Zemo thinks he’s alone, he pours himself another cup. His hand is steady, but he draws a sharp, unsteady breath.

You move out of the room, and Zemo looks up at you from his spot on the couch. Without a word, you walk into the kitchen, taking a roll of paper towels and carefully picking up the shattered glass.

“I can do that,” Zemo says, speaking directly to you for the first time.

His voice is calm, accent thick.

“It’s alright,” you answer, then gasp sharply as a piece slices your pointer finger from tip to palm. “Fuck.”

You set the bloody piece with the pile of glass and hold a paper towel to your hand. You used the other hand to wipe tea off the wall and floor before picking up the glass piled on a paper towel and placing it in the trash, carefully tucked in other garbage.

“Let me.”

Zemo’s voice behind you makes you jump. You eye him for a moment wondering if there is some ulterior motive, some way he could hurt you or hold you hostage. Nothing comes to mind, not with Sam and Bucky so close, so you hold out your bleeding hand. He clicks his tongue at the wound.

When he takes your hand in his, his fingers are soft and warm. He moves your wound under a faucet and lets water run, rinsing the blood down the sink. He squeezes the wound a bit, and you wince as it begins to bleed more.

“We bleed to clean our wounds. It is the body’s way of protecting itself,” he says and presses a towel to your finger as he shuts off the water. “Ironic isn’t it. The very thing meant to protect us from future danger, often kills us first.”

“I’m not here to debate the ethics of superheroes with you.”

“Hold that,” he lets go of your hand and opens another cabinet. “I know how I feel about enhanced humans. There is nothing for me to debate.”

Zemo takes your hand back in his. You watch his face as he works. He uses his mouth to remove the wrapping from a butterfly bandage. The bleeding has slowed, and he uses the bandage to pull your torn skin back together. The cut isn’t terrible, certainly not the worst injury you’ve ever had, but it will scar. He adds two more strips, then places an absorbent pad over it and wraps it all in gauze.

“When we get back, I’ll change that for you.”

“I’ll hope you don’t get killed then,” you offer with a grateful smile.

He doesn’t respond but gestures to you to join on the couch. You do, keeping what you feel is a safe distance between the two of you. Zemo hands you a cup of warm tea, but as you grab it, he doesn’t let go. Your undamaged fingers brush his for a long moment and he chuckles.

“Promise not to take after your friend James? I quite like this tea set.”

Your eyebrows knit together as he smiles at his own joke and finally surrenders the cup to you. That’s the last words you two exchange, and when Bucky and Sam return ready for the next part of the mission, they find the two of you sitting in silence sharing a pot of tea.

___

When the three men returned, Sam and Bucky held an unconscious Zemo between them. You jumped off the couch, the book you had been reading discarded, and let them lay Zemo down.

“What happened?”

“John Walker,” the two men answered in the same disgusted tone.

You leaned over Zemo, finally seeing the blood and bruise on his right temple.

“This one disappeared for a few minutes, shot Karli-”

“Didn’t kill her,” Sam interrupted, sounding relieved.

Much like Sam, you sympathized with Karli’s motives if not her methods. And much like Sam, you were glad she hadn’t died.

“Then Walker knocked him out with the shield,” Bucky finished.

There was no jab at Sam this time for which you were grateful.

“Which is the only useful thing he did,” Sam added. “Zemo destroyed the rest of the serum, so right now he’s above Walker in my book.”

You looked down at Zemo, blood had dripped down his face and neck, though most of it was dried now. His eyelids twitched as he slept.

“Are you two okay?” You asked as you walked toward the bathroom.

“Fine. We ditched Walker, but we’ll need to get out of here as soon as we figure out what to do with Karli,” Sam answered, collapsing on the couch with a heavy sigh.

You dampened a washcloth in the bathroom and on your way back to the living room, grabbed the first aid kit Zemo had used on you earlier.

“What are you doing? He’ll be fine,” Bucky muttered.

He was sitting next to Sam now.

“Returning a favor,” you answered as you knelt at Zemo’s side.

You dabbed at the drying blood with the cloth, wiping it off his cheek, out of his hair. Somehow the coat came out unscathed. Sam and Bucky were talking about something behind you, but you were entirely focused on the unconscious man.

Zemo had a handsome, aristocratic face, and he walked like royalty, like he was untouchable. This was evidence he wasn’t.

You moved to the actual wound next. The cloth was soft, unreasonably so. A large hand wrapped around your wrist, squeezing tightly. You inhale sharply and shift your gaze to Zemo’s hand then his eyes. When your eyes met his, he seemed to relax, releasing you and letting his hand fall at his side.

“Apologies,” he grunted, mouth twitching with pain.

“It’s alright,” you answer calmly, very aware that the other men had stopped talking and were fixated on a potential threat. “Turn your head please.”

You put a hand on his cheek and turned him to face you to get a better look at the wound that was still seeping slowly.

“The new Captain America might force me to reconsider my stance on superheroes. I would enjoy seeing Sam and James have a go at him,” Zemo said as you prod the wound.

You wiped the cut with antiseptic, and Zemo hissed a bit at that but said nothing. Then, just like he had done to you, you placed three butterfly bandages on the cut. It wasn’t deep, just long and jagged.

“You’re my new favorite,” he joked with a little grin.

You laughed and walked to the kitchen for some ice. There were no packs, so you grabbed a bag of frozen peas, wrapped them in a towel and set it gently on Zemo’s temple.

“I can’t have you dying when I need this changed tonight,” you said, holding up a finger.

When you turned around, Sam and Bucky had both stretched out on the couch. They both wore annoyed expressions that Zemo got a whole couch and they got one to share. Bucky bumped Sam’s foot with his own, much to your amusement and Sam’s annoyance. He kicked his partner back, and you decided not to interrupt their little couples spat. Instead, you move to sit on the ground.

Zemo grabbed your wrist again, this time gently. He tucked his legs up, folding them into a V, and motioned you to share his couch. And you did, sitting in the same spot you had earlier, this time near his feet still clad in shiny black leather shoes.

“Hey, you two,” Sam called. “What’s this cozy little couch situation going on here?”

“You two could have a cozy little couch situation too if you’d just talk to each other,” Zemo shot back.

He didn’t even look at Sam, just held the frozen vegetables to his face, eyes closed.

“Y/N?” Zemo asked after a moment. “Can you get me an Advil? Or better yet, some sort of alcoholic beverage?”

“I’m not your servant, Zemo,” you sighed but stood and poured him a glass of some expensive alcohol from a bottle with Sokovian writing.

He sipped it, setting it on his chest between sips as he lounged on the couch with you. Bucky was watching you out the corner of his eye, and you were watching Zemo. Every few sips he would grimace, his lips pressing together and chest catching. Then he’d relax, exhale softly and shift the peas back into place. Eventually you picked up your book and began to read again.

Sam left the room to take a phone call a few hours later and came back shaking.

“Karli threatened Sarah, my nephews. I have to meet with her. Alone.”

“I’m coming with you,” Bucky jumped in, already on his feet. “Walker will be there, and you can’t handle the Super Soldiers and Captain Propaganda on your own.”

Zemo was either asleep or doing a good job pretending beside you. The pea bag had been returned to the freezer. He’d discarded his coat and was now wearing only his black pants and a deep purple shirt with shoulder holsters.

“You got him?” Sam pointed to the sleeping man.

“That’s what I’m here for,” you answered, setting the book aside and watching them prepare to leave.

Both men donned their costumes, Sam strapping his wings on, Bucky ripping the sleeve off of yet another jacket so his metal arm could move freely.

“Call me- us if you need backup,” you shouted after them, knowing full well they would do no such thing.

“If we aren’t back in two hours, take his ass back to jail,” Bucky called back.

Baron Zemo woke up the minute the door slammed shut, which made you doubt he’d been sleeping at all.

“And now it is only us,” he said in that thick Sokovian accent. “I will cook us something for dinner.”

He moved into the kitchen, boiling a pot of water while you watched. You perched yourself on the counter near him as he searched through cabinets. When he noticed you, he paused and chuckled before returning to the cooking. You watched in silence, keeping a close eye on him when he picked up a knife and began chopping tomatoes from a can.

He handed you a bowl of thin noodles with a thick red sauce. It smelled delicious.

“A traditional and simple Sokovian dish, a comfort food you might say,” he explained and joined you on the counter. “I made enough for Sam and James. Call me an optimist.”

Zemo didn’t talk much, you realized, as you enjoyed the food in silence. It was delicious, a bit like pasta. Suddenly, the back door clicked open. You glance around nervously, realizing just how wrong this felt.

“They shouldn’t be back yet,” you say quietly. “And they wouldn’t come in the back.”

“My old associates must have found me,” Zemo jumps off the table, and you notice the same nervousness as when Bucky threw the cup. He cannot know about James or Sam.”

You can hear a single person strolling toward the kitchen in heavy boots.

“I’m going to kiss you,” Zemo whispered, and before you could even process the words, he was standing between your legs and pressing his lips to yours.

His movements are slow and careful, trying not to be invasive as he moves his hands to your back, sliding one up to the back of your head. You wrap an arm around his waist and slide the other hand up the front of his purple shirt, splaying your fingers across his chest. His lips are soft and warm as they move against yours. His hand keeps you from pulling away, not that you’d want to.

“I heard you were back in Riga,” a new voice chuckled. “I had to see for myself.”

Zemo pulls back, feigning surprise, but kept an arm protectively around you.

“And as you have undoubtedly noticed, I am quite busy,” he replied. “Perhaps you could come back tomorrow? I’d prefer not to discuss our business in front of…”

Zemo nods to you. You were staring at the man who you recognized from work files. He was a former Shield agent. When Shield fell, he used the chaos for his own advantage, working for neither Shield nor Hydra and killing anyone who stood in his way. You suspected, but couldn’t be sure, that some of your best friends had been killed by him. Fortunately, you had enough self-control not to shoot him. His mere presence made you tense and uncomfortable.

“Of course, Baron,” he grinned and look at you in a way that made you shift closer to Zemo. “I’ll see you tomorrow, noon. The usual place.”

He gave the two of you one last look and left with a wink to Zemo. Even when the other man had gone, Zemo’s hands were still holding you against him.

“We will have to be gone before noon tomorrow,” he said looking down at you.

For some reason, you were both still wrapped around each other.

“You know who he is?” Zemo said, a statement masquerading as a question. “I am sorry.”

Your face was only inches from him, and you could smell his cologne. Zemo used the hand on your head to pull you against his shoulder. You set your head there, face turned into his neck, and inhaled deeply. And there he sat and you stood, hugging tightly for no real reason except that no one else was there.

Zemo pressed a soft kiss to your head, and rather than protest you let his lips linger. Finally, his head fell on your shoulder. After a moment, he slid you off the counter, took your hand, and led you back to the couch. Without asking, the two of you settled together on the couch, so close your sides pressed against each other. He pulled a gun out of his shoulder holster, and you froze until he set it down on the table, smirking a little.

“I don’t make a habit of shooting people I’ve just kissed,” he chuckled and raised an arm for you to lean against him.

You raised an eyebrow at him, surprised at the forwardness. You shouldn’t be, after all, he had just kissed you and held you on the counter of his kitchen. Helmut Zemo made no sense to you, but in the end, you curled against him. He shifted to lay on his back, head propped on the pillows he was laying on earlier while you tucked yourself beside him, head on his chest.

Zemo wrapped an arm around you. You put a hand on his chest, fingering the purple shirt. He was warm and soft, and you had to remind yourself that you could not fall asleep while you are supposed to be watching him.

“Why are we doing this?” You whisper. “Why are you doing this?”

“Why are you?” Zemo turns his head toward you.

“I haven’t had someone to do this with in a long time,” you answer slowly, cautiously, knowing full well this was a man who could turn on you on an instant or hold onto information until the moment it was advantageous to him.

“Neither have I,” He replied. “German prisons don’t allow much physical contact. Besides, I hope that with enough time perhaps I may kiss you again.”

You tilted your head up to see a grin tugging at the side of his lips, lips that had been on yours a few minutes ago.

“Maybe with enough time,” you answer and brush a lose strand of hair out of his eyes, letting your hand trail over the bruise on his face.

He caged your hand in his, bringing your joined hands back to his chest and holding them there. You felt the rise and fall of his breaths and it soothed you. When they grew deep and steady and the tension seemed to fall from his body, you realized he was truly asleep, not faking like earlier. Soon and against your better judgment, you were dozing off in his arms tossing a leg over his so your limbs tangled together.

Your last thought before you fell asleep was how warm and comfortable you felt with Helmut Zemo, and how completely ludicrous such a thought was.

It wasn’t long before the door opening woke you, still secure in Zemo’s arms. You tried to move, sit up so Sam and Bucky wouldn’t see this little arrangement. You failed. Bucky came in first, stopping in his tracks as he saw the scene on the couch.

“What are you doing? Keep walk- what?” Sam ran right into Bucky’s back then froze.

Their eyes were wide as they stared. Zemo shifted awake beneath you, and you could imagine the smirk on his face. Bucky’s metal fist clenched, and Sam, ever the peacemaker grabbed his arm and opted for a more amicable approach.

“One of you better start talking.”

[ramzawrites]

Ok I have coffeed up 🦀🦀🦀

Could I request a fic about a Male Reader Border Collie Hybridbeing hired to look after the pets of the Syndicate while theyre at a meeting? Having to feed every single dog, Ranboos cat, Carl, the parrots, Steve the bear, etc? Trying to wrangle the foxes because theyre trying to eat poison potatoes, shooing zombies off the turtle eggs? -🌱🌟

The Syndicate’s Pet Sitter - BorderCollie!Hybrid!Reader

Male

Pairings: none

Characters included: Technoblade, Philza, Ranboo, Nihachu

Warnings: n/a

Series: A request for my beloved 🌱🌟<3

Summary: The Syndicate is meeting up early in the morning and didn’t have the chance to feed their pets yet. Luckily Y/N who lives there as well but isn’t part of the Syndicate can take care of them. And no that is totally not because Border Collies are good herding dogs.

Words count: 4732

Authors Note: I just noticed I missed the foxes oh no ;_; Why do the Syndicate have so many pets I swear! I hope you guys enjoy this! Esp you 🌱🌟 since you requested it! I also haven’t had the chance to properly look over it look for typos, I apologize! I’ll deal with that as soon as I can! Also thanks for the prompt 😌 I have a weakness for animals and dogs

The chest let out a strained creak as Technoblade closed it for what felt like the hundredth time. He was preparing for the next meeting of the Syndicate and this time he, as well as Phil, had actually planned a few things other than just showing the newest members where the headquarters were and setting up the rules for the organization.

While both men were busy running from chest to chest collecting materials and writing down information into books, they were accompanied by a soft rhythmic thud as well.

That sound came from Y/N. More specifically his tail swishing up and down as he was sitting in front of a window on the windowsill. Watching peacefully as the two went about their business.

Y/N was a Dog Hybrid. A Border Collie Hybrid to be specific. He has been technically living with Techno and Philza for a while now but Techno liked to act as if he was just some stranger to him.

When Y/N first came to the SMP Philza and Techno were the first people he met and ever since then he has gotten quite attached to them.

At first Techno tried to get rid off him, especially since he always gave him wishy washy answers concerning his opinions on governments but Y/N wouldn’t let himself get spooked off that easily and even begun building his own little home close to them without asking. At that point Techno had to accept defeat and let him begrudgingly stay.

Philza liked to poke fun at that fact but he also understood Techno’s caution. Though over time Y/N has shown to be a trusty ally that could keep secrets, even once leading people astray since they became dangerously close to their home. Because of that Philza brought once the idea up that maybe they should let Y/N join the Syndicate after all as well.

Of course Techno immediately shut down the idea for the simple fact that not once has Y/N ever clearly stated that he was against any kind of government. There was no point in arguing with the Pig Hybrid about this particular topic so Philza just dropped the issue altogether.

That said after Niki came over to join the Syndicate and Ranboo got roped in it as well, Y/N managed to at least learn of the name of the organization.

He even asked to join to which Techno just said “Prove to us you are an anarchist and maybe I will think about it.”

“So you are saying you just want me to tell you the things you want to hear in order to get in? Doesn’t seem that smart to me.”

Y/N would always pull out these snide remarks whenever that topic came up.

For some reason Y/N woke up early and found that both Philza and Techno got up early as well so he just let himself in, sat down next to the window and begun happily munching on some cold steak for breakfast.

Techno made a point of ignoring him only muttering something about a “damn mutt” under his breath while Philza was chuckling to himself. Y/N’s fluffy dog ears obviously picked up on it but the happy swags of his tail continued on, knowing that if Techno really was annoyed by him, he would have already intervened way back when he begun building his home.

Phil was rummaging through a chest, trying to find some extra paper only to suddenly stop moving and turn around to look at Y/N, his arms still in the chest.

“Y/N?” adding a whistle to ensure that he would gain his attention.

As a response the Dog Hybrid looked absolutely aghast “Did you just-? Did you just whistle at me? Did you, Philza, just whistle at me to get my attention? Like a dog?”

“Sorry, just kind of happened but since you are here I have a request for you.”

Now Technoblade stopped whatever he was doing as well to observe what was happening in front of him, curious what he was proposing. A smirk adorning his features knowing full well that Philza probably whistled on purpose seeing how Y/N was kind of an unwelcome guest right now.

“You can request but no guarantee I will fulfill your request, old man.” Y/N spoke through an exaggerated pout.

This only earned him a tired sigh from Philza “Yeah, Yeah. As you can see we are up early for a reason but this also means we didn’t have the chance yet to feed the animals. Could you feed them all and make sure they’ll be alright while we are gone? You know how this place can get with pets.”

“All? Like all the pets? Like you want me to feed all the pets and take care of them?” Y/N was obviously intimated by the idea of the task judging with how his voice jumped up an octave to the end of the question. But who could blame him. Over time the group managed to amass a comical amount of pets which included a full hound army, polar bears, turtles, cows, Carl the Horse and in Ranboo’s case even parrots.

That reminded him.

“Does that include Ranboo’s bird and cat?”

“Does what include my bird and cat?” Suddenly the door swung open as Ranboo stepped inside Techno’s home. Cramping up the small cabin even more. The cold winter air only managing to sneak in for a short moment before he made sure to close the wooden door again.

Techno chuckled “We are asking Y/N here to feed our pets while we are busy at our meeting and to make sure they are safe while we are gone. He has time after all.”

Y/N’s shocked expression turned to a frown. Oh they did that deliberately alright.

Ranboo took a moment to take in the scene before he slowly nodded “Oh, if that is the case then I would actually really appreciate it if you could take a look at my parrot and cat. I haven’t had the chance to feed them yet since I ran out of seeds for the bird. Actually the reason I came over here was because I wanted to ask you guys if you had some extra.”

Techno’s smirk was ever present on his face as he motioned with his hand towards his mass of chests “Somewhere in there we have some but I’m sure Y/N will find them and take care of your pets as well.”

“Would you?”

Ranboo sounded so genuine and almost surprised by this that Y/N couldn’t come up with a snarky response but instead he looked defeated.

“I- alright. I will take care of your pets while you do your stupid Syndicate meeting.”

“We trained him well, Techno.”

“That we did, old friend.”

Now Y/N’s happy tail wagging did finally stop and he jumped up away from the window, surprising Ranboo in the process “You didn’t train me! I’m not one of your dogs!”

He knew they were joking but he still couldn’t let that stand.

Philza stepped closer to Y/N and put one of his hands on his head between his ears. Giving a short pat only to remove his hand again “Yes, we know. If that was true you would be listening to us at all times. Anyways, I spotted Niki outside and we are ready, so, we’ll be going. Make sure nothing happens to the animals! We are putting our trust in you!”

Before Y/N could protest or retract his agreement the group made sure to leave the little hut as fast as possible. Ranboo was very confused but still followed the others outside to loudly greet Niki.

Y/N himself was so bewildered by this whole situation he didn’t even make the effort to run out to greet Niki as well. Instead his thoughts begun to swirl around his new responsibilities.

What do Polar Bears eat? How is he going to feed all of the dogs? By Ender he hoped that Techno had all the necessary things in one of his chests.

That’s when a stray thought hit him “Did they hire me as pet sitter because I’m a Border Collie Hybrid? Did they seriously make me the pet sitter because Border Collie’s are stereotypically good herding dogs?”

That thought had to set in for a moment as he was asking himself if this seriously could be the case and knowing them that might have very well been a thought that crossed their minds. They all joked around about their hybrid parts but this was just ridiculous.

He didn’t know how yet but somehow he will make sure that the damn Pig and the Birdbrain will get this back tenfold. Ranboo was okay in Y/N’s book since he mostly got pulled into this by the others but even then he was still on thin ice.

“I better get going.” He whispered in order to try to pull himself out of his thoughts.

First on the agenda were the Polar Bears. Mostly since he wasn’t exactly sure how to go about it and just wanted to get it over with but also one of the Bears was laying inside the hut. Snuggling close to the fire place.

That polar bear was Steve and Techno often made comments of him being his emotional support animal and at this point Y/N just believed him. With Techno who knew at this point.

Well what would Steve eat? Just some meat?

“Fish!”

How he didn’t immediately come to that conclusion he didn’t know but better late than never.

Y/N excitedly rubbed his hands together. Time to snoop through Techno’s things. No way in hell is he going to use his own resources to feed their pets. Hence why he begun looking through Techno’s chests. Taking note of things like stray armor, golden apples and enchantment books.

Somewhere in a corner he found some cooked fish. Should be fine, right?

Taking a couple of fish he moved over to Steve who was still lazily draped on the ground enjoying the heat from the fire. Carefully and slowly Y/N put down a couple of fish in front of his big snout. His dog ears pressed down on his head as he stared rigidly at the bear. Hoping for the best.

Steve’s black nose begun to twitch. He slowly opened up his eyes and lazily begun nudging the food closer to his snout with his big paw. Snacking on the pile of fish.

“Okay? I’m guessing that’s fine? I think?”

Just to make sure he still threw more fish towards him and then made his way with a second pile outside where Ed was waiting for his food as well. Ed was way more active and often enough obstructs the way up the stairs that lead to both Philza’s and Techno’s house.

Philza was always annoyed at Ed because of that particular reason. Though today he was a good Polar Bear that was sitting next to the stairs staring at Ender knows what.

Y/N threw him his pile of fish and watched for a second as he happily begun munching on them.

“Guess I’m doing alright after all.”

Almost as if to answer the bear suddenly begun to move towards Y/N which made him panic. Stepping back, trying to understand what he was doing now. Sure the bears are cute but also big and dangerous if they wanted to be.

But Ed bowed his head down and softly pressed his head against Y/N’s chest.

“Is this a thanks, buddy? Aw, no problem.”

Tentatively Y/N placed his hand on the bear’s head to give him one or two scritches. To which Ed then let out a deep puff of air through his nose and immediately moved back to his food to continue his breakfast.

All the Polar Bears are fed. Now only the whole hound army, cows, parrot, Carl the Horse, Turtles and Enderchest the Cat were left. Oh by Ender. That is still a lot.

Y/N immediately ran back into Techno’s hut and begun to search through his chests again. Grabbing things like Seeds, Sea Grass, more fish and some steak.

The parrot and cat were the easiest to deal with first so he decided to run into Ranboo’s house. Even if just to avoid the cold outside for a tiny bit longer.

He climbed down the ladder and found the parrot patiently waiting for him. Excitedly squawking as soon as he saw him.

Placing the seeds in front of the animal Y/N took a good look at the colorful bird.

“How are you doing? Keeping Ranboo company? Making sure he isn’t feeling too lonely?”

“Company! Company!” Ranbird answered in a shrill voice only to continue picking up the seeds off the ground.

Y/N liked spending time with Ranboo. He was a bit of an enigma with his memory issues and interesting behavior at points but Y/N loved hanging out with him. He would always try to offer to play pranks on Techno but Ranboo was too apprehensive about it, not wanting to make the scary Pig Hybrid mad at him.

The two had a bit of a running joke going on where both Ranboo and Y/N would call the other weird. Ranboo for his weird behavior and Y/N for the simple fact that he apparently didn’t fear Techno at all. Philza and Ranboo having to mostly hold him back before he could seriously upset Techno.

“Enderchest? Come here!” Y/N called out and continued to do the typical mouth noises to attract cats. Luckily he did come around a corner.

Happily meowing when Enderchest saw Y/N. Chirping as he pressed his body against Y/N’s legs.

“See, you are a kitty and I am a dog hybrid but we like each other.” Was he still a bit salty about the fact that they most certainly chose him to take care of the pets due to his Hybrid side?

Yes. Definitely.

Sure, no one else was there who could deal with it but on the other hand normally they were always so prepared for everything so this must have been planned beforehand. They didn’t feed the animals on purpose because obviously he was there and had time.

A loud meow pulled Y/N back out of his thoughts again.

“Sorry, Enderchest. You are right it’s food time.”

He then took out two fish and placed it in front of the cat who immediately put them in his mouth and ran off with them. Probably to eat in peace.

Next on the list was Carl. If Y/N didn’t make sure that Carl was absolutely doing alright and was fed Techno would kill him. And while Y/N liked to joke with Techno and pretend that he wasn’t as dangerous as everyone else is treating him like, he also knew that Carl is so important to him that Techno let him get himself kidnapped by the Butcher Army for the horse’s safety.

Technoblade hid his horse behind a wall but Philza one day accidentally found it. Y/N immediately took the chance to build an actual hidden entrance. He liked being a bit of an annoyance for Techno but if he can somehow help out, he will.

Pressing a button on the stone wall gave away to the little stable he and Philza made for Carl.

“Breakfast!”

Some Hay and other food was always ready for Carl so all Y/N had to do was put some of it in the tray and make sure he still had water. Everything seemed fine so Y/N took a second to pet him.

“No idea why Techno is so attached to you but you do seem like a good one. He protects you so you better make sure to not disappoint him as well.”

Carl neighed and nuzzled his nose into Y/N’s shoulder. Softly nabbing on the clothes which made the man laugh in return and softly shoved Carl’s face away from him.

“My clothes aren’t food, buddy!”

Luckily Carl didn’t continue to screw around and instead concentrated on his actual food.

The next pit stop were the turtles and cows. It was easy feeding them since you just placed down the food and then let them go about their day. No, the dog army would be a problem later. They might be war dogs but they were still playful dogs.

Y/N closed up the stable for Carl and made his way through the snow towards the cows first. Opening up a chest that stood close by. He placed it there a few days back with a ton of wheat. It was meant as way to help with the feeding. It was meant for the others since these cows didn’t belong to him but now he was stuck with the responsibility after all.

The cows were happily chewing on the food that Y/N threw into their enclosure and seemed to be doing alright as well so he moved on to the turtles.

For the turtles he actually had to get into the enclosure. Putting the kelp down near the water so the turtles inside the water could see him placing the food down as well. All the while he had to make sure to not accidentally walk on top of the eggs that some of these turtles have laid.

The animals themselves seemed to ignore Y/N. Just slowly crawling along the coarse sand or floating inside the water.

That’s when Y/N heard a groan from behind him. A groan he knew too well.

“Oh no you don’t!”

Y/N swiveled around and pulled out his netherite sword. A sword he made with the help of Philza. During his travels in the nether he found some ancient debris but since he never worked with that material he asked Phil for help. Which was also the reason why the purple sword was called Swordza.

“You helped me make it, I’m naming it after you.” He said to Philza’s dismay.

Right now though the reason why he turned around so fast was that he heard the familiar retching sound of a zombie. It was still early in the morning no surprise there that a loose zombie might be around the place.

Also no surprise that the zombie appeared around the turtle enclosure. For some reason they loved trampling down turtle eggs which was really just barbaric if you really thought about it. Beings that seemingly just wandered around the overworld with no goal but as soon as they spot turtle eggs they suddenly know exactly where to go. Well, besides when they find a human to attack.

The zombie limped towards the turtles.

Y/N didn’t wait long to react. He immediately took a running start and jumped over the fence. Striking down with his sword while he was landing, giving the attack a little more oomph. Together with the enchantments on the sword the zombie fell down into a burning mess. Gurgling sounds escaping it only to die down. A growl escaped Y/N’s throat as he stared at the dead mob.

“Nothing will happen to the little ones while I have anything to say about it!”

He took another sweeping look around the place but found nothing out of the ordinary. With a relieved sigh he put his sword back. The turtles were fed and safe.

Though as he looked around his eyes fell unto the hoard of dogs. All fenced in under a self-made roof. Most of the dogs were laying around either in a small pile or alone. Some were trotting around or even playing but it seemed like the dogs were still tired.

It was time to deal with them.

Y/N walked over to the dogs and as he stepped closer the animals immediately took notice of him. A few running over to him while others just patiently stared. As he got closer to the fence the nearest dogs put their front paws on the fence. Barking excitedly.

If Y/N went in like this some will run out and that was not something he wanted to deal with. There was still some adrenaline pumping through his veins from back when he spotted the zombie but he was still slowly beginning to freeze. Honestly he wanted to get through this fast so he can go back into his cabin and enjoy the warmth of his hearth.

Maybe even begin to plot on how to get back at the Syndicate for doing this to him.

But this wasn’t important right now.

Y/N let out a sharp and loud whistle “Away! Come one! Move out of the way!” He pointed to a corner and surprisingly the dogs seemed to understand that he wanted them away from the gates.

When he opened said gate the dogs patiently waited for him to move in and close it again before they suddenly begun to swarm him. Jumping up trying to lick his face or they began sniffing him out.

“Hey! Stop! I can’t feed you like that!”

He had a frown on his face but his tail was happily swinging from side to side as the dogs greeted him.

“Okay, stop! Sit!”

Luckily the dogs were well trained since they immediately sat down. Still panting in excitement and whining but now they weren’t trying to pull Y/N down to play with him.

In return Y/N got out the steaks out of his inventory and walked past the dogs. Giving each one of them their share. Whenever some dogs begun to scuffle over the food all Y/N had to do was to whistle or yell “Stop!” and they would listen.

Truthfully he feared that feeding the dogs would be the most difficult task of all the animals but as it turned out they listened to him rather well. It’s probably only because Techno trained them so well but still, maybe there is a way Y/N could use this power for himself.

It didn’t take long for Y/N to feed all the dogs but once he reached the last one the first dogs were already done eating and happily following Y/N around the fenced off area. Sometimes barking, hoping to get his attention. While his ears would always move in the direction of the barking dogs, he made  appoint to concentrate on the dogs that he was actually interacting with.

Though when he was done he finally turned around to look at the happy dogs “You guys are needy, did you know that?”

As if to answer a dog right in front of him sat down and woofed at him.

Y/N rolled his eyes and knelt down, scratching that one particular dog behind his ear “You little pooch.”

That was a mistake. A huge mistake.

As he went down and balanced on the front of his feet the other dogs saw their chance as he went down to their height, practically jumping on.

Startled the Hybrid let out a yelp as the dogs pushed him on his back. Licking his face or tugging on his clothes.

He tried pushing the dogs away from his face but it he was unsuccessful. For every dog he pushed away two new dogs would try to jump into that new space. Sadly also pushing the dogs away seemed to be something fun for them.

At some point Y/N managed to get back up but still got swarmed by the dogs. All the dogs now in a happy playful mood after having eaten. Y/N could just tell them off but everyone on the outside could see that he had fun as well playing and tussling with the dogs.

Over time that tussling just became the dogs jumping into Y/N arms so he could throw them a few feet away while simultaneously trying to not fall down as some dogs begun tugging on his clothes again. The longer it kept going the more tired he got which was hi downfall. Quite literally.

He fell over again and while the dogs swarmed around him they too were getting tired and just laid down next to him. Framing his body or just straight up laying on top of him, one dog even snuggled up to his head, ending up more as a pillow for him.

At first Y/N tried to struggle against being buried alive by the animals but as soon as he noticed the warmth engulfing his body instead of the cold harsh wind he accepted his fate.

After all he was done with feeding the pets.

“Horrible. Techno would be proud with how relentless you all are.” A yawn escaped his lips which seemed to infect a few of the dogs as well.

It really didn’t take long for him to fall asleep. It was warm, soft and he felt safe.

The meeting for the Syndicate took longer than expected. They spent way too much time trying to find a common goal to start with. They didn’t want to do something huge at the beginning but start small, something that would test their cooperation and teamwork.

Though after they finally found something and started planning a few hours had past and since both Ranboo and Niki apparently had people to meet they had to stop the meeting early.

“You think the animals will be fine?” Ranboo asked Philza as they stepped out of their hidden headquarters.

The older man just waved off his question “Ah, they will be fine! We rag on Y/N often but we can trust him with things like these. He’s a good one even if he absolutely refuses to give Techno a straight answer when it comes to governments. I do believe he is only doing that to annoy him though.”

As the group approached their home again everyone took a good look around.

“Well, everything seems normal.” Techno noted.

Niki scowled “Aw I had hoped to see him. I couldn’t even say hello when I got here.”

That’s when Ranboo stopped dead in his track. He wanted to go home to get ready for Snowchester but something inside the dog pen caught his attention “Oh by Ender! There is an arm! The dogs have an arm!”

The other three ran over, confused with what the hell he was talking about only to see he was right. There was an arm sticking outside of the dogpile. Why did the dogs pile up in the first place though?

Out of nowhere Phil snorted and pressed his hand against his chest and mouth. Trying to stifle a laugh.

Niki still looked shocked and worried, confused with Phil’s reaction “What? Philza, why are you laughing?”

“Let me show you. Y/N! Are you awake, mate?”

At first nothing happened but then suddenly the arm moved and retreated back inside the dogpile. Now the others understood what happened.

Both Niki and Ranboo looked a bit embarrassed that they genuinely thought that these dogs might have ripped off an arm and were now cuddling with it.

Techno stayed stoic as always. Folding his arms in front of his chest, waiting for Y/N to properly react.

“Y/N, come on!” Phil called out again.

A muffled groan came from the pile of dogs and Y/N’s head appeared as he sat up “What?” He whined “I was having such a nice dream!”

“Oh my- Y/N! Good morning!” Niki greeted the Hybrid happily.

In response Y/N got a bit out of his furry burial but still pulled one of the ferocious war dogs closer to himself, hugging it. His tail now out as well showing the others his happy mood as he slowly drifted off again.

“Hello, Niki.” He sounded still half asleep. At least the others assumed since his face was buried in the dogs grey fur.

“Y/N please get away from my hound army. They are bred to fight and kill not for hugs and naps.” Techno grumbled.

“Then why are they so comfy and love me so much. They love me so much more than you” He made sure to drawl out the word “love” to really hammer that fact in.

“Let’s make Y/N then our go to pet sitter.” Phil noted.

This seemed to wake up Y/N, he immediately looked up with a scowl “No! I am not going to be your pet sitter! You put me in that role in the first place because I’m a Border Collie Hybrid, or am I wrong? If it’s true that’s seriously screwed up, by the way!”

Techno sighed “Yep, there he is. Now he is awake alright.”