#anyway. have mostly packed up my things to go for tomorrow.

[alittleemo]

DOGY TOMORROW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bumpscosity]

Got my next covid booster 💪

[southislandwren]

okay SOMEHOW this little baby got put in charge of bringing the van over to the department building so now i have a little baggy of car insurance information and the knowledge that if i miss my 5:30am alarm tomorrow i am royally fucking up everything.

[multifandoms4]

Secrets

Lando Norris x Leclerc!Reader

Word count: 1.2k+

You and Lando have been together for about a year now, but no one knows. You kept your relationship a secret because of how the press can be and more importantly your older brothers. You love your brothers but sometimes they can be a bit much, like now. Lando had accidentally left a hickey on your neck and your brothers saw it before you could hide it. And now, they were practically interrogating you.

Charles was pacing around the room, Lorenzo was just sitting and staring at you and Arthur was asking you questions. "Who have you been seeing?" "How long has it been going on?" "Why would you not tell us?" You kept silent and didn't answer any of their questions which only made Charles more angry. Your phone started to ring, but Charles grabbed it and saw it said “Baby❤️” then answered it. “Hey baby, when are we meeting up today?” Lando asked before Charles could say anything. “You’re dating LANDO?!” He yelled at you then he started yelling at Lando who just hung up on him.

You looked up at Charles to see him fuming. “Cha, please listen-” “No, I asked one thing of you years ago and that was to never date another driver. And what do you go and do? Exactly that.” You could feel the tears building up as Charles shows his anger and disappointment towards you. Eventually you got up and walked to your room and started to pack a small bag of clothes. You grabbed your keys and looked at your brothers, “You may not agree or be happy about me being with Lando but it is my choice and I love him. So when you are done throwing a tantrum, come talk to me then.” You grabbed your phone and left.

Lando was parked outside and opened your door for you. “Thank you Love.” You murmured and gave him a small kiss. He closed the door once you were in the passenger seat and got in the car. The ride to his house was mostly quite and he didn’t know what to do. “I’m sorry that I caused us to be caught.” He whispered. Lando felt terrible that your brothers were rude to you because he had left a hickey by accident. “It’s okay Lan, the truth would have to come out anyways.” You told him. “I just want to forget about it.” You whispered. He nodded and when you got to his house, you changed into a hoodie of his and laid down.

He got into a pair of sweatpants and laid down with you. Lando pulled you into his arms and you buried your face into his neck. “They wouldn’t let me explain and all I could see was Charles’ anger and disappointment.” You whispered. He pulled you closer to him and held you there. “I’m sorry baby, I wish I could do something to help.” He said and you could tell he was upset at your brothers. “Just being here is enough.” You told him and slowly drifted off to sleep. Right before he went to fall asleep, your phone started ringing. He saw it was your mother and answered it.

“Hello Mrs. Leclerc, this is Lando Y/n’s boyfriend. She is currently sleeping.” He waited for her response afraid she was going to yell at him. “Can you please tell Y/n that I want you and her here tomorrow night for dinner. I’ll keep her brothers at bay but I would like to meet you.” Lando was shocked that was what she called about. “I’ll let her know, thank you so much Mrs. Leclerc.” He replied. “She seems to really trust you if your who she went to when she’s upset. I’ll see you two tomorrow.” She ended the call and Lando finally drifted off to sleep.

Once morning rolled around and Lando took you out for breakfast, he told you “Your mom called last night and told us to be at dinner tonight.” You slowly put your fork down. “She did what?” “She called and I didn’t want her to worry over you so I answered and told her you were fine. Then next thing I know, she’s invited me to your family dinner tonight.” You smiled at him “At least maman seems to be happy I’m dating you.”

~time skip to dinner~

Lando had went out and bought your mom her favorite flowers and he was nervous to say the least. You opened the door and yelled out “We’re here.” Then you heard footsteps which turned out to be your mother. “How are you doing dear?” She asked you. “I’m fine maman, really.” She smiled then turned to Lando “These are for you Mrs. Leclerc.” He handed her the flowers. “Oh they are so pretty! Come on in, dinner is almost ready.” You gave Lando’s hand a squeeze and followed your mom.

Your brothers were already sitting at the table and you could tell they were not happy. “Lando, these are my other two brothers Lorenzo and Arthur.” You pointed to them and they just stared back at him. “Guys this is Lando.” You said trying to get someone to talk. Once you realize that they weren’t, you went to the kitchen to help your mom. “You can come with me if you want.” You told Lando. He nodded and grabbed your hand. His hands were a little unsteady due to nerves. “It’s okay baby. The only one whose opinion matters is me and of course my maman’s.” You joked with him. He gave you a smile and a laugh. You smiled up at him and pulled him down for a quick kiss.

Dinner had gone smoothly thanks to your mother but she truly loved Lando and that was all you could ask for. Both of you were currently sitting on the patio in the back yard. “I told you you had nothing to worry about.” You teased Lando. He rolled his eyes playfully and you laughed at him. “You’re always right aren’t you?” He joked with you. “Something along those lines.” You remarked and pulled him into a kiss. It lasted a few minutes before you pulled away and rested your head on his chest. Arthur and Lorenzo really like Lando once they got to actually talk to him but Charles seemed to hold onto his anger. At least until now.

He was watching you and Lando and he could see how good you are for each other. He looked down and started to feel guilty for yelling at you over this when you had always been supportive of his relationships. Once Lando decided to call it a night, Charles stopped him on his way out. “I know I’ve been rude all night but you make my sister happy and you seem to treat her right. That’s all I can ask for.” Lando nodded “Thanks man, that means a lot to me.” Charles pulled him in for a hug and it made you happy to see that.

After Lando left, Charles apologized to you about how he acted and handled the situation. “Definitely could have been handled better.” You joked with him. “I’m just glad that you came around and aren’t going to try to kill him every chance you get.” You smiled and gave him a hug. “How long have you two been together anyway?” Charles asked as you walked to your room. “About a year now.” You stated and shut your door. “A YEAR?!” Charles shouted and it made you laugh.

—————

Author’s note:

Hey, this is my first time writing an image so please ignore any mistakes. I’ve been wanting to write things for a while but finally decided to do it. If you have any feedback please let me know but please don’t be rude about it. Hope you enjoyed it!

[kinardsevan]

I wanna see both 4 and 6 but my first choice is 4

Tommy is pissed. He and Evan had plans to spend a week off in Florida, hitting up all the parks at Disney World. The tickets have been bought, the bags are packed, and they’re supposed to be leaving in twenty-four hours. 

Which is why he can’t understand why Eddie called him from the ER. 

Last he’d heard from his boyfriend and their mutual best friend, they’d been planning to take a bike ride through the park. Evan just got a new mountain bike that he’s been using pretty regularly on his days off. Tommy has joined him on several of the rides,  but he’d been finishing up a 12 that he’d picked up off of one of his coworkers to help add to their vacation fund. 

When he walks into the trauma bay, Evan is on the gurney and Eddie seated in the chair beside him, arms crossed. 

“What in the fuck happened,” he asks, taking in Evan’s obvious injuries. He’s managed to scrape up half his face, there’s a nasty cut on his knee that probably needs stitches, and Evan is holding his left arm pretty tightly to his body in a way that has Tommy thinking it’s probably pretty injured. Eddie isn’t unscathed either; he has scrape on both calves and forearms, but he’s far less beat up than Evan is. 

“We were just fucking around and finding out,” Evan replies, keeping his gaze low. “And we ended up finding out a little too hard.” 

Eddie snorts. 

“Evan.” 

“He went over this thing that looked like a half-pipe,” Eddie states. 

“Edmundo!” Evan whines. Tommy glares at him. 

“Which one of you is in the hospital bed right now, Evan,” he chides. The blonde flinches at the statement. 

“Anyway,” Eddie continues. “Turns out it was a wall, not a halfpipe.” 

Tommy’s gaze zeroes in entirely on Evan than. 

“What in the actual fuck?” He asks. He’s laughing, and he’s not even sure why, because he’s definitely not amused. “Baby,” he comments incredulously. 

Evan presses his lips together in a thin line, eyes darting back and forth away from both Eddie and Tommy’s gaze. 

“Oops?” he finally comments after a silence that’s drug on far too long. 

Tommy just shakes his head, and he laughs again, mostly because he both can’t and can believe this is the life he signed up for when he and Evan started dating exclusively eight months ago. 

“You’re an absolute shit head,” he tells him, crossing the room and perching on the bed, resting a hand on Evan’s thigh, away from the blood. “And you’re lucky I love you.” 

Evan blushes then, looks up at him, a small smile on his face. “Still?” 

Tommy tilts his head at him. “Yes, still.” 

Eddie gags obnoxiously then, pushing himself up from his chair. 

“I’m gonna go find the vending machines,” he states. “Let me know when we’re leaving.” 

He walks out of the room, leaving Evan and Tommy alone. Tommy shifts into the empty chair, leans his head against his hand with his elbow on the arm of the chair. 

“So what’s the worst of it,” he asks. Evan gets that inconspicuous look on his face again, looks away. He scrunches his face, like he’s trying to make less of the moment. 

“Just a small, minor…dislocation.” 

Tommy groans then, dropping his head back on the chair. After a beat, he lifts it back up, looking over at his boyfriend. 

“Still going to Disney World tomorrow?” He asks. 

Evan grins. “Oh fuck yes. Try and stop me.” 

[maybege]

What If - Part 4

Summary: Mandalore approached and you cannot help but feel like something is about to go terribly wrong.  

Pairing: alpha!Paz Vizsla x omega!fem!Reader

Wordcount: 6.2k | Rating: E (18+ only!)

Warnings: A/B/O dynamics, explicit sexual content, size kink (Paz is big-big), (semi-)public sex, oral sex (m receiving), unprotected sex, creampies, knotting, cockwarming, dirty talk, praise kink, Angst with a capital A, fluffy fluf

As we say in German “Was lange wärht, wird endlich gut” which is what I am using as my excuse for why this took so long. The truth is: depression is a bitch, real life is a bitch and creativity and time for writing are like the same side of two magnets that do not want to even go near each other. Anyway, we made it!!!

There are a few people I gotta thank for this. First and foremost the iconic, the brilliant @mostly-megan who not only suffers through all the random AU ideas I have (and there are a LOT of them) but also brainstorms with me. The Ragnar Scene and also a very (very!) lovely scene towards the end of this part would not exist without her and for that, I am very grateful. Then, of course, the ever-present, ever-lurking genius that is the Boba Tea Anon who is in the Paz trenches right there with me and encourages me in everything I do (even if it is just a – I promise one day I will do a Lord Huron Paz piece!). Also, a very special shout out to Neyo (@galacticgraffiti) who gave the Mando kids their names, suffers through The Horn Knee with me and is always there to cheer me on. And then, of course, all you Paz girlies (gn) who make me feel like a sane person while I ramble about a faceless man who appeared for a total of 23 minutes (if that) and is – canonically – dead anyway. You make sharing my writing worthwhile in the first place and I will be forever grateful for getting to share my writing with you.

And with that – on to the last part (and the new canon for me lol). Please let me know what you thought in a comment or a reblog!

masterlist | crossposted on AO3

There was a certain impatience to him you had not expected at the last meal. When the announcement came that you were approaching Mandalore, Paz – who had spent the dinner between you and Ragnar – had pulled you into his lap, his arms like iron around your body. Ragnar had wandered off to the front with all the other foundlings, expectantly looking up at the clan leaders.

You had turned your face into Paz’s neck, trying to get his scent on you. You could not believe how you had only known this man for a few days – a week, at most! – and yet his scent was the only thing that seemed to calm you down. And it was no different for him.

The alpha’s hand immediately found your scent gland and you shivered as the soft leather brushed over your skin. It did not take long until he pulled his gloves off, settling them into your lap, before resuming his motions.

The nervous energy in the room was palpable but it was practically radiating off him and it inevitably affected you as well. Where you had been excited, if a bit reluctant, a few weeks ago at the prospect of reclaiming Mandalore, now there was only a strange sense of dread in your stomach. One that even the alpha could not dissolve.

“When you wake up tomorrow, some of us will set foot on our homeland for the first time in too many years,” Briggs announced, his serious gaze roaming over the packed hall, “I cannot promise you it will be easy. I cannot promise we will all wake up to the sight of Mandalore. But we will die trying.”

You could see Ragnar looking back at his father who tilted his head. A gesture meant to be reassuring but only resulted in you questioning whether Paz would be one of those dying. You shifted nervously, causing Paz to tighten his hold on your waist.

“Calm down, love,” he rumbled quietly behind you, “It will be alright.”

Forcing yourself to nod, you gripped his large hand tightly, trying to burn into your brain what it was like to touch him,

“Rest well and rest assured that tomorrow will mark the start of a brand new era,” Briggs raised his glass, “And let us toast to our home!”

“To our home!”

Everyone lifted their glasses and the conversations resumed, a constant background roar that reminded you of the countless fates that were tied to the success of this mission. A strange feeling started in your chest, and not the kind that Paz’s presence usually caused.

You shifted again, watching as the crowd dissipated and the foundlings were walked off to bed. Their excited chatter moved down the hall and something cold clenched your heart when you watched Ragnar wave at his father.

Immediately everything quieted down. With everyone returning to their own conversations and the hall being considerably more empty now, Paz did not waste any time. His hands landed on your thighs and you managed a wobbly smile.

 “What is going on in your pretty head?” he asked you, his fingers skimming over your thighs, “You’ve been squirmy all evening.”

“Who says something is on my mind?”, you popped a berry into your mouth, grimacing at the sudden sour taste.

“True,” he laughed, “You might have just spent dinner thinking about when you can finally sit on my cock again.”

“Paz!” you gasped, “you cannot – I mean – what if –“ You glanced around with flushed cheeks, relieved to see that no one had seemed to hear his indecent theory.

He laughed again and the sound made your heart and body melt. “I will never tire of making you flustered,” he murmured, his big hands pulling you closer, “Though I actually would not mind having you cockwarm me tonight, sweet omega,” his fingers brushed the underside of your breasts and you shivered, “I would be lying if I said I could ever get enough of you.”

“I actually had something similar in mind,” you admitted shyly, slipping off his lap and enjoying the way his hands followed you and his body leant into you. As if he wanted to keep touching you, as if he never wanted to let you go. Your heart skipped a beat and you smiled.

“I … would like to try something?”

He leant back, his legs spreading with the movement and your teeth dug into your bottom lip at the sight of the obvious bulge in his pants. “Oh yeah, omega, and what would that be?”

You made a few steps away, making sure that your robe (a dark blue, just like his armour) swished around your form as enticingly as possible. Paz’s head turned to follow your movement from your place in front of him to a chair in a dark alcove, dressed in shadows where you knelt down right in front of it.

The big alapha hummed, rising to his feet, knowing exactly what it was you had in mind. “I think I can get behind that idea.”

From the other sounds that were floating through the cantina, you knew that illicit things were already well underway. Most of them likely more graphic and adventurous than what you had in mind. Still, you felt a little nervous at the prospect of sucking Paz Vizsla’s cock.

But for some reason, this was exactly what you needed. You wanted to bring him pleasure, so much pleasure.

You watched as he pulled off his cape, folding it expertly before motioning for you to stand. He dropped it on the floor, his hand steadying your elbow as you sunk down on the soft fabric. “Don’t want you uncomfortable,” he announced, before sitting down in the chair.

He looked big like this, bigger than usual. And oh so confident it already made your panties wet. His knees spread, the trunks he called thigh caging you in and you watched with bated breath as his fingers undid his codpiece, expertly freeing his cock.

He was already hard and dripping precome, the knot at the base slightly inflated and you squeezed your thighs. It was not like you had never seen his cock before and it certainly was not as if he had not fucked you before. Yet, the sheer size of him and the thought of taking him in your mouth overwhelmed you a little.

Where were you supposed to start?

But when one big rough hand closed around his shaft and Paz started to jerk off right in front of you, you could not help but to simply … dive in.

Opening your mouth as far as it would go, you closed your lips around his tip, one hand struggling to fit around him. The grunt he let out, paired with a twitch of his hips, had you smiling around him.

“Stars above,” he cursed, “Warn a man next time, won’t you, love?”

You looked up at him, teary-eyed, while your tongue licked the underside of him. Or at least the part you could reach. He was heavy in your mouth, heavy and big and he tasted of something that made you want more. Slowly, you moved forward trying to take more of him but soon enough, he bumped something at the back of your throat and you sputtered.

Before you could panic about breathing, Paz had pulled out of you, his large hand cupping your cheek while the other was still wrapped around the base of his cock. “Deep breaths, omega,” he soothed you, his hand leisurely stroking himself, “You are doing so good for, trying to take it all.”

“You’re so big,” you marvelled, wrapping your hands around him, “I want it all, alpha, I – Paz, I really want it all.”

“Want my help?” he asked, “Might have to be a little rougher, though, sweet omega, and I can smell how much that turns you on but I need you to tell me – Are you sure?”

You nodded eagerly, darting your tongue out to lick at him. “I am sure, alpha,” you murmured, pressing a kiss to the tip, “I promise.”

“If it is too much, tap my thigh three times, understood?”

You nodded again, shifting on your makeshift pillowed. Your thighs were already drenched at this point and you wondered whether you could come just from sucking him off. It seemed like you would be able to do a lot of things when it came to Paz.

His grip on your face loosened just the tiniest bit. “Open up for me,” he ordered, pulling your face towards him, “There we fucking go. Gorgeous.”

“I will never tire of this sight,” he groaned, “You struggling to take my size, trying to be so good for me,” he shifted, his hips surging forward and you smiled with pride when you did not gag this time, “Can I go deeper, love? Is that okay?”

With your position between his legs, your jaw wide open around him, you could not really nod. But Paz seemed to recognize the excited twinkle in your eye because you could hear the grin in his voice when he muttered a “Stars, you’re perfect.”

You took great care to keep your breathing even and through your nose, experimentally swirling your tongue around him every time he pulled out of your mouth. His thrusts grew heavier, his hold on you tighter and you swore you were this close to coming just from the sheer sight of his shaft covered in the sheen of you.

It was not long before he came in thick spurts on your tongue. You struggled to swallow it all, your throat working overtime as you did your best to swallow around him. “Good girl,” he praised you, “My good fucking girl.”

Your heart jumped in your chest as you licked him clean, not quite ready to let go of this intimacy.

His hand came to your chin, gently scooping up some of the come that had spilt from your lips. “Here you go,” he offered his coated thumb and you sucked the digit into your mouth without hesitation. You could never get enough of his taste.

“Let’s retire for the night, love,” he suggested, “We have a long day ahead of us.”

*

By the time you got settled in your bunk, you knew it was only a few hours before everything would start. Before you had to say goodbye.

Paz had excused himself, leaving you to get ready for bed alone before he appeared by your side, dressed completely in his armour.

“Are you okay?”

“Said goodbye to Ragnar,” he explained, sitting down on the little cot, hunching his shoulders over so he would not hit his head.

“Oh.”

Somewhere behind the curtains, someone snored.

Paz grunted when he laid down, his giant arm reaching out and pulling your back to his front.

“Is this okay?” you asked quietly, “It’s a tight fit.”

“It’ll be okay,” he murmured, grunting when he pulled the curtain closed, “I will not spend my last night without my calmer.”

“Aren't you uncomfortable?” you asked, your voice small, “With – with the armours and me and all the …”

“I will not spend my last night without my calmer,” he repeated, leaving no room for doubt. It took a bit of shuffling to turn you around but when you finally were facing him, you already felt much better. You tucked your face into his neck, breathing in his scent as he wrapped both arms around you.

Your heart was squeezing so hard in your chest that the emotional pain became physical.

What if this was his last night? What if you would never see him again?

And what if you did? Would it ever be like this again? Would he want to keep you as his calmer (or more?) when Mandalore was finally reclaimed?

Paz shifted, his large hands running over your back until one settled at the back of your neck.

“I got you,” he rumbled, “You’ll be safe, omega, I promise.”

You swallowed away the need to tell him that it wasn’t your safety you were worried about.

 *

The next morning was worse. It barely qualified as morning and you were sure you had not found any sleep. You had just been shifting all night from side to side, desperately burying your nose in his neck to soak up every little bit of his scent that he could give you.

You were not sure if Paz had slept either but when the alarms sounded in the room at the same time, it took him a minute to get up. Everyone was shuffling around the packed room silently, most of them already dressed and armoured. Ready to descend to the surface of Mandalore.

Despair was clawing at your insides. You felt like you were watching something from the outside that you knew would fail. That you knew would destroy everything you held close to your heart.

And yet, you watched helplessly as they lined up, preparing to board the ship that would take them into the atmosphere.

It was silent – eerie – as if everyone knew something big was about to happen. And you couldn’t move from his side. You couldn’t even if you wanted to. You needed to be here with him.

You watched as Paz double-checked his weapons and your mouth quirked up as you remembered how the man had seemed like a weapon on his own the very first time you had seen him. And how true it was, now that you saw guns and rifles packed to every piece of his armour that could carry it.

Your smile fell just as quickly as it had appeared. Would this be the last time you got to see him?

You had been scared a lot of times in your life. Like when your parents had taught you how to swim and you had been convinced you would sink to the bottom of the sea. Or when you had taken a bad fall in one of the hiding places and scuffed your knee. But that childish fear of creatures and heights was nothing compared to the existential dread that settled in your stomach.

It wasn’t fear that something could go wrong it was fear that you knew something was going to go wrong.

And could you really risk this?

“You, uh, you will come back, right?” you whispered, already hating how needy you sounded. But you needed to hear him say it. You needed Paz Vizsla’s words to be the ones to tie you to the hope of a future together.

“Someone already scared for me?” Paz tilted his head and while you knew this was supposed to be a joke, his voice did not sound very light. Like he knew it too. That feeling.

“Well, I mean you have Ragnar,” you shrugged, pulling the cloak closer around you, “And I mean your tribe needs you, you are a great warrior and –“

“Exactly,” he interrupted you gently. You watched as he approached you, his steps heavy and measured and you swallowed. “I am a great warrior,” he repeated with his fingers under your chin, tilting your head up to look at him, “Which is why I will come back to you.”

“But –“

“Listen to me,” he whispered, his hand cupping the side of your neck, scenting you so gently your eyes fluttered close, “I vow to the stars, I will come back to you, love.”

That was the last thing he said to you before he boarded the ship.

*

If somebody asked you what happened during the time you were waiting, you would not be able to tell them. As soon as Paz embarked on the with the scouting group, it felt like time stood still. You barely knew what you were doing. You were pacing the entire length of the ship it seemed, Ragnar keeping you company for a few of those pacing trips before he distracted himself by playing with the other foundlings.

You tried to approach your feelings rationally. You had spent a lot of your time these past few days in close proximity with Paz. He was an alpha, you were an omega, obviously there were some biological components that could have contributed to your feelings for him.

But that was exactly it. Your feelings …

At the thought of Paz not coming back, it felt like your heart ripped into two. You could not fathom a world without him in it and, more importantly perhaps, you could not fathom your life without him in it. You wanted him to come back and when all the tribes settled in their parts of Mandalore, you wanted to be as close to him as now. You wanted to spend your evening with him and Ragnar and you wanted to know what his days were like, what his role was in his clan.

Whether he wanted to keep you in his life as well.

Waiting was pure torture. Communications were cut and all that remained was the cold silence of the ship. You avoided the cockpit and strategy meetings, Briggs (thankfully) seemed to understand your reluctance and did not press you on the matter. Until Axe Woves came to warn the ship of the Imperial that had settled on the planet and the fight that had broken loose.

That was the meeting you had insisted on attending, hoping that – in whatever capacity – the stoic alpha might drop some comments about the people on the surface.

“Is,” you swallowed, “Is he well?”

The beskar-clad man, much to your frustration, said nothing at all.

Which was not very helpful.

The fight continued and troops were dispatched and you stayed, keeping the foundlings safe and quiet. In fitful dreams, you heard yourself confessing your love to him just before he disappeared never to return again. You woke up with cold sweats until you crawled into his bunk, pressing your nose into his pillow and willing yourself to think of a future in which he came back to you unharmed.

Sometimes, you could hear Sluice and Chants converse about what to do if it all failed. Whether to settle back in Nevarro was another possibility or if the tribes should stick together to find a new home.

All you could think was that you would not leave Paz on this planet.

You could not leave him.

It was morning when the announcement came. You had buried yourself in his cot, his sheets pressed to your nose as you took trembling breaths when the PA system stuttered to life, the mechanical voice echoing through the empty hallways.

You had retaken Mandalore. The air was breathable and you could safely land on the surface to meet the victorious troops.

The joy and excitement that spread through your entire body could not be described. Nothing could happen to wipe the smile off your face as you frantically searched for the one good dress you wanted to wear when you saw Paz again. You wanted to please him and kiss him and tell him you loved him. And maybe, if you were very lucky, he loved you too.

Stars, how you hoped he would.

But that elation stopped short when you set foot onto Mandalore. You could not even look at the surrounding landscapes, the fallen home of your ancestors – when you spotted the group but no Paz. A quick glance around did not reveal him either and suddenly the feeling of dread was back again.

Briggs was standing there too, and you knew the man long enough that when you saw his eyes getting glassy at your sight, he did not need to say anything anymore for the tears to fall.

This was it then.

You always wondered what it would feel like to live with a broken heart. Now you knew.

The pain in your heart was unbearable and you suddenly wished that you had never left the bunk this morning. That you were still curled up in his scent and his blankets without the knowledge that the alpha you wanted to spend your life with was dead.

“Where is my buir?” Ragnar asked somewhere behind you and you could hear it in his voice. How he tried to sound strong but he was just a child. A child without his father.

He made his way to the front and stopped by your side. You put your hands on his shoulder.

“I am sure he will be fine,” you assured him, not believing your own words, “He – he must have … another mission somewhere, right?” you looked to Axe Woves who avoided your gaze, “Right?”

Ragnar grabbed your hand. “Bu said if he is late, I need to distract you.”

“What? Why?”

“Because we're family,” he said it so effortlessly, “and because I know he will come back but you might worry and you shouldn’t worry.”

You were not sure what happened first: the stopping of your heart or the break in your breath. Paz told him you were his family? Ragnar considered you … his family?

“Do you wanna play a board game?” the boy asked and the breath rushed back into your lungs, “Bu taught me a few games for when I wait for him to come back.”

“He did?” you asked, your voice faint as you followed him back to where someone had set up a small open-air cantina at the ramp of the ship. You ignored the looks Briggs and Chants gave you. Ignored the way that Bo Katan bowed her head as if to pay respect to you as if you had something to mourn.

Not now, you told yourself as your heart cracked in your chest. Maybe tomorrow you could bury yourself in Paz’s bunk, breathing in his scent until there was nothing left but your own grief.

Tomorrow, you promised yourself, Tomorrow I will know he is dead.

*

The sun was setting over the mountains and Ragnar made no sign of stopping the game anytime soon. He had patiently explained the elaborate card game to you before dealing the cards. And then he had continued to play with you the entire day. Sometimes, people joined you for a round or two. The first had been Din Djarin – the man with the green baby. He had not said anything but you could feel the sadness coming off him in waves.

Then there had been The Armourer who had stayed for only one round, occasionally speaking to Ragnar about his helmet ceremony (the first having been interrupted only a few weeks prior). She was followed by Sluice, Bo Katan and finally, Briggs.

“Mind if I join?” the older man had asked, only sitting down when you nodded.

“Not at all,” Ragnar spoke up, relieving you of the to find the energy, “Do you know the rules?”

Briggs had left after two rounds, his warm hand on your shoulder the only indication of what he had come here to say. My condolences for your loss.

The tears had burned hot in your eyes but you forced yourself to keep playing. Ragnar won most rounds and the one he did not, you were fairly sure he lost on purpose. “No worries,” he assured you with childish wisdom, “Sometimes it takes a little longer to get the rules.”

“That is okay,” you forced yourself to smile, “How about we take a break for some food?”

“Good idea!” the boy jumped up, “I will get some of the berries and you stay here and watch the cards!”

Before you could protest, he had raced to the small buffet table.

You both welcomed and feared the moment of solitude this afforded you. It allowed you to take a deep breath, to let your shoulders and your guard fall. Maybe even a few tears if you were quick about it. You did not want Ragner to see you like this. He seemed to be determined that his father was alive and well – that he would return – that you could not bear to be the one to break his heart.

“Bu!” Ragnar shouted and you whipped around immediately. It took you a moment to find Ragnar but when you did, he had his arms wrapped around the legs of a large man. A man dressed in dark blue armour.

 “Paz,” you sighed, feeling tons lighter. Ragnar threw himself at his father who caught him though you did not fail to notice the way his legs almost buckled.

Stars he was hurt.

A new wave of panic washed over you and you did not realise you had stood up until the stoll toppled behind you. Several pairs of eyes were on you but you only cared about one.

Paz set Ragnar down and whispered something to him. You watched as the boy nodded, skipping off to Din and the Armourer. And then Paz walked towards you. Though walk seemed too weak a word for the way his heavy steps came closer and closer, his looming figure soon right in front of you.

Paz was right in front of you.

“You,” he growled, taking your hand without slowing his stride, “Come with me.”

“Paz, what happened?” you asked, trying to look him over, “Are you hurt? Did – Were those Imperials we spotted on the radar? Axe Woves and Briggs and – oh stars, we need to get you checked out and wait – are you bleeding? Where does it hurt maybe I can –“

A door swished open and you glanced around in confusion. This was not the infirmary. This was not even a proper room if the cleaning supplies on the shelves were anything to go by.

“Paz, you need – oh!” your hands gripped his shoulders tightly when he lifted you onto a surface. Was it a table? A counter? Stars, you could not bring yourself to care. Not when he was standing in front of you, panting like he had the fight of his life behind him.

Which he probably did.

Your heart clenched again, from fear or joy you could not tell.

His large hand fiddled with your dress and with a rip, your entire front piece was hanging off you in tatters.

“Alpha,” you cried, moving your hands from his shoulders to his chest, “Alpha, are you all right? I was so worried.”

The big man stepped between your open legs and you took a deep breath. The smell of adrenaline burned your nose but you could not help but notice the arousal that was in the air as well. He was angry and determined and the way he did not even look at his hands when he tugged on his belt made you glad you were already sitting down.

“Keep calling me that and I will be,” he grunted, opening the snaps of his armour and finally his fly.

Your eyes were fixated on his hand around his cock. “Pull down your dress,” he instructed instead, “I want to see your tits.”

You hurried to do so, almost ripping the fabric entirely in the process but you could not care less. Not when you had your dream of an alpha standing between your open legs, getting ready to fuck you. The ruined fabric pooled around your hips and the cool air made your nipple pebble. But then Paz was right there, the bulk of his body between yours and you could feel his cock against the inside of your thigh.

He pushed the tip of his cock against your folds, slowly circling your clit and you whimpered. Why did everything he did feel so good? “Ready?” he asked, spreading your wetness around and you found yourself wishing that you could see. That you could see how big he was against you, how his hand gripped himself, how his brows might furrow in determination and the set of his lips as he pushed inside you.

But you could not have everything in life. And for this moment, the feeling of his cock stretching your walls was enough. He was here, he was alive and he made you feel so stars forsaken good.

“Fuck,” you sighed, “Paz …”

“That’s good, huh?” he grumbled, slowly pulling out before pushing back in. You could feel your walls ease around him, your juices covering his shaft and the gland on your neck pulsed with the need to have him scent you.

He remained still for a few moments and you took a deep breath, breathing him in again and trying to get yourself to realize that he was alive. Your alpha was alive.

Paz started to move, then, and slowly pushed inside you again before building up a steady rhythm that had him deep, deep inside you. And all you could think, between bouts of pleasure, was that he was alive. Paz was alive.

“Fuck,” you whispered, your hand shaking as you gripped the edge of the table, overcome with emotion, “A-alpha, I was so scared. “

A particularly hard thrust had your hands fly around his neck. “I was protecting you,” he replied, his voice shaking, “You were never in any danger, omega, I would not allow it.”

“I wasn’t scared for me, you di’kut,” you cursed as you hastily wiped away the tears streaming down your face, “I was scared for you!”

Paz grunted at your admission, pushing inside you again and pulling you as close as he could with the armour in the way. “And I was scared of never seeing you again,” he confessed into the darkness between your faces, “That I was breaking my promise to you.”

“Wh-What,” you gasped, feeling his cock grow inside you, “Alpha, what is happening?”

“Oh fuck,” he grunted, “Sorry, ‘mega, sorry, I didn't mean to – oh shit, love, you gotta stop squeezing me.”

Easier said than done. In fact, it seemed impossible. Because as soon as you realized that it was his knot swelling inside of you, all you could think about was what it would be like to be knotted by him. Which turned you on beyond belief.

The mental image of him filling you up to the brim, the giant size of him staying inside you, made your walls flutter and your high approach so much faster. Paz’s movements did not stop and you could feel the ring at his base growing and growing, catching on your entrance with every thrust and making you yearn to keep him inside.

“Alpha, will you – Can you – oh!” he hit that spot inside you again that made your blood sing and you fell back against the wall, completely at his mercy.

And then the light went out.

Your body tensed with fright and you squeaked, thinking something had gone horribly wrong. But Paz did not seem deterred and you faintly remembered that the light switch was somewhere on his side of the room.

There was a sound you could not pinpoint, followed by a loud clatter and then his hand was at the back of your neck, pulling you to him and you squirmed at how he folded you in half, his cock still nestled deep inside you and then he was … kissing you.

You gasped, the feeling of his lips familiar against yours and everything you had dreamed of.

“Fuck it feels good to fill you up,” he murmured, the praise making your cheeks warm.

Your legs were still trembling around his hips and you tightened your hold around his neck. Your nose bumped against his scent gland. Add that to the feeling of his smile against your shoulder and even retaking Mandalore could never rival the feeling of being scented by him.

“That good, huh?” he teased you, his lips moving against your skin.

He had some stubble that tickled your sensitive skin and you gasped, the sensation opening you up even more.

And then he pushed inside you one last time as you came around him. The knot at his base swelled with no signs of stopping, locking you together as he filled you up. You shivered at the feeling of him twitching inside you, spurts of come filling you up in a way you had never experienced before, increasing the pressure inside you that made your walls clench. He continued to rut against you, causing your clit to rub against his pelvis again and again, prolonging your peak.

After what felt like an eternity, you came down from your high, relishing in the feeling of him still pulsing inside of you. It was strange, something you had never experienced before, but the closeness made you sigh contentedly against his lips.

Paz was quiet save for a few grunts, his hands grabbing your hips, keeping you as close as possible.

“I’ve never been knotted before,” you admitted between kisses.

“Really?” Paz asked, his mouth pausing on yours, “How does it feel?”

“It feels kinda nice, alpha,” you whispered, pulling his face closer to yours again.

Paz did not say anything for a moment, his laboured breath loud in the small room. Then his hands cupped your face and you could feel his eyes on you and you wondered if he was able to see you despite the darkness. Probably not, after all, it was his visor that usually enabled him to do so. But he made you feel seen with how his thumbs brushed over the apples of your cheeks, still wet with tear tracks or how his lips softly landed on yours.

“I don’t think I told you yet,” he said against your mouth, “But you are beautiful. To me, you are the – the most stunning omega I have ever seen. When I was down there – when I … I dreamt of what it would be like to see you with my own eyes.”

A flutter started in your chest. An awful flutter of hope that had you thinking of futures beyond the next few days. He could not mean what you thought he meant, right?

“But you helmet –“ you started, trying to rationalize away the hope in your voice.

But Paz had other plans. “I want to court you,” he said, sounding as determined as ever, “Stars, I want to properly court you, love, whatever that entails for your clan but I asked Briggs and –“

“What?”

“I wanted to make sure that I did everything right,” he explained, his hand warm on your back, “So I asked him about any customs I might have to know, that last night before we left and – and for a second there it looked like I would never get to ask you. But I can, love, I can ask you now. Will you let me court you, ‘mega? Will you let me spend the rest of my life with you and Ragnar and all the other foundlings the stars let us have?”

“You – you want children, too?” you asked, feeling like the breath was stolen out of your lungs, “M-more than Rganar, I mean?”

You could feel his smile against your neck, the tip of his nose buried in the valley beneath your ear. “Course I do,” he confirmed, “Ragnar is the biggest gift of my life, I won't say no to that joy again.”

A laugh bubbled up in your chest and you could feel your walls clench around him. Paz moaned, his cock twitching inside you. “Is that a yes, then?” he asked carefully, his hand wandering up to cup the back of your neck. He moved away from you,

“Yes,” you breathed out with the biggest smile on your face, “Yes, Paz.”

The scent that surrounded you made you euphoric and you realized that it had been Paz all along. That sweet scent that made your heart beat faster and a smile appear on your lips? Paz fucking Vizsla.

“Open your eyes, mesh’la,” he asked you quietly, his breath warm on your face, “Look at me, sweetheart.”

And you did. Your eyes blinked open and it took you both an eternity and a second to get your eyes used to the seemingly blinding light of the storage room. But then your eyes met his and you saw Paz Vizsla for the first time.

He had dark eyes, just like you had daydreamed, and his hair looked just as soft as it had always felt. It was matted to his forehead in places and he looked … exhausted, like he had not slept in days. There were bruises on his cheekbones and you could see some dried blood and dirt on his jaw. But all of that was overshadowed by the brightest, biggest grin on his face.

It made the corners of his eyes crinkle and you could not help but smile back, absolutely in awe of the man in front of you. What were you supposed to say the first time you saw the face of the man you had fallen hopelessly in love with?

“You are handsome,” is what you settled on finally, carefully brushing your fingertip over his crooked nose.

He huffed out a laugh, his eyes twinkling with mirth. “Thank you, my love,” he rumbled and your heart skipped a beat at him calling you his. Because you were, truly, whether you had realised it before or not, his.

“I love you,” you blurted out, feeling oddly shy.

“I love you too,” he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to your lips, “There is no version of this life in which I do not love you.”

“You will have to tell me about your scars,” you whispered, your eyes roaming over his face, catching on one that cut through his eyebrow, “Every single one.”

“I will,” he promised, kissing you again, “We have a lifetime for it.”

[cakerybakery]

To further the After Eden idea of Lucifer/Lilith/Adam/Eve having adventures on untamed Earth.

I would give Adam an axe as a weapon/tool. He’d be more the fighter/protector of the group as one of the strongest in it. He’d use it of course for normal axe stuff, chopping wood, makeshift hammer, can’t think of a third thing. But also against wild animals trying to eat them. Plus he uses a guitar or axe as a weapon in the show so it’s fitting.

He’s a bit more likely to stick around camp when they make camp. He’ll explore with everyone else but he’s not prone to going off alone, at least not very far. He was created to be the first man and protector, it makes him uneasy if he can’t quickly get back to the group he low key thinks of as his to keep safe. But he has a disproportional sense of danger.

He’s over confident in himself and under confident in everyone else. He lacks a sense of danger about terrain, particularly if they’re in a group as he’s overly confident he can keep them safe from a few rocks or a little bit of water. But if someone is doing something by themselves, even mildly dangerous, it freaks him out.

A half rotting log over a river? It’s fine. Eve in a tree? PANIC!!

Eve I think would have a cast iron pot. Lucifer used a good deal what was left of his power to make it for her. It’s heavy but she won’t let anyone carry it for her as she feels it’s special since Lucifer had to use up so much of his powers to make it. It helps keep them all fed as she now can make stews or boil oats, roast foods too. It’s more versatile than just roasting on a stick or eating things raw. If she figures out bread she could make some in it too. Plus it packs a wallop.

She’s a bit of a gather by nature and does tend to wander off or climb stupidly high just to reach possible food. Adam practically has a full time job keeping an eye on her. He is easily goaded into getting things for her when he says that’s it’s too dangerous.

“But I need that fruit for breakfast tomorrow. I’m sure my big strong protector can get it for me if it’s too dangerous for little old me.”

“Darn rights I can! Just watch me!” … “wait, how did I get in this tree??”

Lilith would rather avoid danger at all costs, not just for the group as a whole but to avoid putting Lucifer in a position that might trigger his anxiety. She carries a spear/trident. Mostly it gets used for fishing. I’m not sure which I prefer she has so I’m thinking she has both. She tried to use a spear for fishing but the fish too easily slipped off so she and Eve developed the trident to hook fish. But the spear is better for protection. She uses a sharp rock for the spear as it lasts longer in a fight but the trident is wooden and carved since that’s easier to replace or fix if she smashes it against a rock trying to fish.

She thinks Adam is too protective. She can take care of herself, thank you very much, and so can Eve. They don’t need Adam hovering all the time. And then immediately hovers over her tiny husband.

Lucifer doesn’t really want a weapon. He’s just as strong as Adam, having been reduced to a mere mortal man (mostly). Which is still hella strong as the only mortal man is Adam, he just doesn’t look it and is incredibly weak compared to how he was as an angel.

He has a bow and arrow, he was a cherubim according to one version of the bible and in modern times we tend to associate cherubs with cupid and bows and arrows so I thought it was fitting. It also gives him a long distance attack which I think would be similar enough to his angelic powers that he’s more comfortable with it than Lilith’s spear or Adam’s axe.

Most of his powers have been reduced to some fire starting and mild healing. He tends to be more of a support role.

Adam looks at him and goes, “you’re a tiny guy, you should stay here with Eve.”

Lilith looks at him and goes, “you’re too sensitive for this, why don’t you sit this one out.”

Eve looks at him and goes, “do it anyways.” Partly to get him out of her ‘kitchen’ and partly because she knows he’s not as weak and helpless as the other two think. He’s an angel for goodness sake, wings or no wings. He’s just as strong as Adam, he has some of his powers left, he’s way more resilient than the three of them, and he’s not going to get better mentally if everyone treats him like some delicate little flower.

It’s one thing not to purposely upset Lucifer, it’s another to act like they can shelter him from the fact that Earth is wild and dangerous and they will on occasion be in danger and they’ll get hurt, this is what they signed up for when they decided to tell heaven to fuck off.

And because I forgot this bit last time. Lilith and Lucifer are married. Adam and Eve are married. But Adam and Lilith sleep with both Lucifer and Eve but not each other, much. At least not one on one and she doesn’t want to get pregnant by Adam so that’s 100% out. Lucifer and Eve sleep with Adam and Lilith, but not each other, much. They’re more a friends with benefits type thing.

[the-bad-batch-baroness]

I’m so glad you decided to participate love!

“may my heart

be the softest place you fall,

may this love

be the wildest place you run”

😍😍😍🥰

Cushions

Kix x Fem!Reader

Summary: Kix comes home to find you hiding in a pillow fort.

Pairing: Kix x Fem!Reader

Characters: Kix

Tags & Warnings: domestic fluff, menstruation

Word Count: 1.7k

Author’s Note: I have finallyyyyyy written the fic for this prompt! It took me a minute to come up with a good idea, but I really like it. boyfriend!kix is back with pure fluffy goodness! This is also the shortest one-shot I have ever written. As always, please enjoy! 💚

@clonexreaderbingo Square: "Leave me alone."

Kix leans back in his chair and sighs as he finishes up the last of his paperwork for the evening. It’s been a long week at the GAR medical center and he’s finally ready to go home and enjoy his weekend. As the chief medical officer, he has the perk of spending his nights and weekends with you mostly undisturbed. He’s still on call for emergencies, but it’s a pretty rare occurrence, and most of the medics he’s trained can handle a plethora of situations without him.

Before packing up the rest of his things, he briefs the night-medics on the updated patient charts and gives Corric the master data-pad. They’re a good group of medics and he never has to worry with Corric in charge, which makes leaving his wounded men a little easier. After packing up his duffle, he checks his comm again. He had sent you a message asking if you wanted him to pick up dinner on the way home, but you never responded.

Kix shrugs and tosses his duffle over his shoulder. Perhaps you fell asleep after work and didn’t see his comm. Come to think of it, you didn’t answer his comm from earlier that day either. He lets a brief amount of concern flash across his features, but ultimately dismisses the thought. If you needed him, you would have commed him. Regardless, he decides to pick up dinner on the way home anyway. He can always put it in the conservator for tomorrow if need be.

After picking up the food, Kix strolls down the neon-lit street towards your home. The evening is uncharacteristically beautiful today, not too hot, with a slight breeze that gently flapping the plastic bag of food he’s carrying. He takes a deep breath and rolls his shoulders as he lets the stress of the week melt off of him. He knows it won’t take much convincing to have dinner out on the balcony tonight. The weather is just too gorgeous to ignore.

Kix reaches the entrance to your apartment and swipes his key card to open the door. “I’m home,” he announces, kicking his boots off onto the rug by the door.

He waits for you to answer in the same sing-song voice you always do, but he’s only greeted by silence. He knits his eyebrows together in confusion, but continues his journey into the apartment.

“I picked up dinner,” he says as he places the bag of food on the counter. Still no answer. Maybe you really did fall asleep when you got home.

Kix continues towards the bedroom, but he’s stopped in his tracks when he reaches the living room. Every single couch cushion, pillow, and blanket has been fashioned together into a rather robust looking fort in the middle of the floor. He blinks and cocks his head to the side, before stifling a small snort. He was expecting you to be asleep in bed, not bunkered down in a non-regulation pillow fortress.

Kix walks around the fort to inspect it. He nods his approval at the overall construction, but he’s not really sure what is keeping it upright considering some of the intricate details you somehow managed to add. As he walks around to the other side, he notices a flimsy sign taped onto the blanket that’s draped over what he believes to be the entrance to the fort. The sign reads no boys allowed in red crayon. He bends over and tries desperately not to laugh.

“Mesh’la?” he calls from outside the fort.

“Yeah?” you answer with a muffled voice from within the fort.

“Can I come in?” he asks.

“Did you read the sign?” you reply.

“Yes, I did,” he answers.

“Are you a boy?” you ask.

Kix chuckles. “Last time I checked.”

“Then you can’t come in!” you snap.

“Okay,” he concedes to your demands. “Do you mind if I sit out here with you?”

You think for a moment before answering. “I guess it’s okay.”

Kix smiles and sits down on the floor, leaning his back against the adjacent wall to the entrance of the fort. He sits in silence for a couple of minutes, wondering what exactly prompted you to build the fort and also keep him out of it. He considers the pillow-fort factors of safety, comfort, and isolation, and what those three things have in common. He decides on a few hunches and formulates a plan to get you to tell him.

“How was work?” he asks first.

“Meh,” you answer.

Kix raises an eyebrow at his first clue. You only answer a question with ‘meh’ when you’re annoyed, but that’s not enough to go off of, so he continues his quest for more clues. “Do you want some food?” he asks. “I brought home dinner.”

“I’m not hungry,” you answer.

Kix nods his head at the second clue. Lack of appetite is a rather rare occurrence for you, so he knows something is definitely not right. He rolls a few other options in his head before asking another probing question. “Are you tired?” he asks. “We could go to bed.”

“No!” you yell. “Just leave me alone!”

Aha. The lightbulb turns on Kix’s head and he sighs knowingly at your sudden agitation. “Did you start your period?” he asks softly.

You groan at his expert detective skills. “No…” you mumble out, but you’re a bad liar.

“Mesh’la,” he presses, wanting you to be honest with him.

“I… I’m fine,” you say, not wanting to give in, but you’re not really fine.

“Does it hurt?” he asks.

“That’s a dumb question,” you retort back.

Kix chuckles. “Yeah, I guess it was.”

“Are you nauseous too?” he asks.

“Another dumb question,” you answer. “This is why boys aren’t allowed in my fort, you're all dumb.”

“Mm,” he nods his head. “Understandable. But did you know that boys are good for other things?”

“Like what?” you ask sarcastically.

“Oh, you know,” he starts. “Like cuddles, and kisses, and stuff.”

You ponder his words. “I guess those things aren’t so bad.”

“Do you want some?” he asks carefully.

“No,” you answer quickly, but your voice falters at the end.

Kix smiles as you try your hardest to push him away. “Are you sure?”

You pause and think about his offer. On one hand you don’t want to be touched, but on the other hand, you do want to be touched. Periods always make these decisions difficult and it stresses you out. You sigh and finally decide to let him into your little fort. Kix watches from the outside in silence as your hand sneaks out from behind the blanket, rips down the no boys allowed sign, and tosses it. The flimsy doesn’t go very far and gently floats down onto the carpet.

Kix stifles another laugh at how adorable you’re acting. He gets on his hands and knees and crawls up to the blanket entrance of the fort. “I’m coming in,” he announces. Once he pulls back the blanket and sees you, his heart drops a little and his features soften. You’re on your side, curled up into a little ball and wrapped up in a fluffy blanket. He imagines there’s a hot water bottle somewhere under all of that fluff.

Kix is a bit big for the fort, but he maneuvers himself carefully as he enters and crawls towards you. He gingerly lays himself down on his side next to you, giving you some space, as his feet hang out of the entrance. You slowly scoot yourself backwards so that your back is pressed against his chest. Then you reach your hand back and pat him while you try to find his arm. He sees you struggle, so he gives it to you and you pull it across your stomach.

“Comfy?” he asks.

“Mhm,” you answer as you snuggle further into him. You appreciate that he’s letting you make all of the moves and decide what you want, rather than him grabbing at you. It’s one of your favorite things about having Kix as a boyfriend. He really pays attention to what you want, even if he doesn’t get what he wants.

You both lay like that in silence. The moment is blissful, well, as blissful as it can be with the cramps wracking your lower body every couple of minutes, but it’s still nice. After about thirty minutes, you feel Kix shift his legs. He shifts them a second time, and then a third time. You feel him tense around your body and he lets go of you, shooting himself straight up to readjust his confined body.

“Cramp,” he grimaces as he kicks his leg out.

Unfortunately, he kicks the side of the fort and all the pillows and cushions come crashing down onto you both. You let out a small yelp and instinctively cross your arms over your head to protect it. When you open your eyes Kix is hovering over you on all fours, protecting you from the falling cushions. His breathing turns a little heavy and his eyes are locked on you, as if his combat training kicked in and the soft cushions were actually rocks that could crush you.

You start giggling at his selfless act, then snort when you think about how your brave soldier heroically saved you from an avalanche of couch cushions. Once Kix realizes you’re okay, he starts laughing with you. All of a sudden, you’re both laughing hysterically over your fallen fort with tears falling from your eyes. Your night started out miserably, but now it’s ending on the best note possible. This is a memory you won’t soon forget.

You both finally stop laughing and look into each other’s eyes lovingly. Kix lowers his head down and gives you a small kiss on your forehead, causing a big smile to form on your lips. “Come on,” he says. “Let’s go to bed.”

You nod your head. “Carry me?” you ask with pleading eyes.

Kix untangles himself from you, slips his hands under your legs and back, and pulls you up into his arms. “Anything for you,” he smiles.

You lean your head on his shoulder as he walks towards the bedroom. “I love you.”

Kix gives you a kiss on the top of your head. “I love you too.”

Masterlist

A03

Tag List: @nahoney22  @kixs-husband  @commander-sunshine @sunshinesdaydream  @padawancat97  @verndusk  @starrrgazingbunny @coraex @lickylickylicky @homemade-clones @523rdrebel  @clonemedickix @starrylothcat @moon-wrecked @mooncommlink @ladyzirkonia @stunkbiggu @cdblake1565 @ladytano420 @novas-daydreaming

Join my taglist HERE

Tip me a tea on Ko-fi HERE

[annab-nana]

Scenario: told parents about SO and now you have to rope someone into it for the holidays with Eddie!!

ooo so i did this already here, but this time, i'm going to switch it around and have eddie ask her

warnings: not proofread, a bit long for a blurb

❀ masterlist ❀

"wake up! wake up! wake up!" eddie's voice sounded around you which was weird because you distinctly remember falling asleep at your house alone, not at eddie's. you would've written it off as a dream if you weren't feeling his hands on your shoulder and arm, attempting to shake you awake. when you cracked an eye open, you saw him standing over you, so no, this wasn't a dream.

"eddie, what the fuck?" you groaned as you grabbed your blanket and pulled it over your head to block him out.

"nope, not doing that," eddie told you, pulling the blanket out of your grasp before you could fully cover your head and placing it back where it was. you just groaned even louder and crossed your arms over your eyes.

it was too early for this shit right now.

"eddie, please don't take offense to this, but for the love of god, get out of my house right now."

"nope." you felt the bed dip beside you where he sat. then, his hands were on your arms and he lightly pulled them up to see your eyes.

"what time is it?"

he glanced at his watch. "5:47."

your eyes about popped out of your head. "a.m.?"

"yeah."

you propped yourself on your elbows and gave him an incredulous look. "okay, now i mean this offensively. get the fuck out."

"you don't even want to know why i'm here?" eddie asked and when he spoke, you finally took notice of the pleading look in his eyes. with that, you were a little more awake and willing to hear what he had to say.

letting out a sigh, you scooted all the way up to sit up fully and listen. "out with it, eds."

"you know how we're supposed to leave tomorrow to see my aunt in new york?"

you nodded, too tired to verbally confirm your knowledge of the plan.

"well, wayne talked to her a couple of nights ago to tell her he wouldn't be there until next week because he can't get off work, but we were still supposed to go tomorrow. but, she called last night and said that we should leave as early as we can today because they are gonna start doing some road work on the highway later today and that if we leave earlier, we'll run into less traffic. i tried to call you last night to tell you that, but you didn't answer."

"so we have to leave right now?" you inquired as you rubbed your eyes. you were glad you were mostly packed anyway. all you had to add were your everyday items.

"yeah, i'd like to. it's going to be a long drive anyway. the last thing we want is traffic slowing us down, especially christmas traffic at that."

"okay," you spoke before yawning and nodding. he didn't seem finished though. "is there something else?"

"yeah..." whatever it was, he wasn't chomping at the bit to share it.

you were getting nervous. "what is it, eddie?"

"when we were saying our goodbyes on the phone, she said that she was really excited to meet my girlfriend. i guess, from what wayne's told her, she thought that since we hang out together all the time, we're going out," eddie stated, letting his words hang in the air for you to piece together.

"but i'm not your girlfriend."

"i know that."

"did you tell her that?"

his lack of response wasn't boosting your confidence.

"eddie?" your tone was one of warning.

"i didn't realize what she said until after she hung up."

"eddie," you whined, leaning forward and resting your head on his shoulder for a moment before pulling back. "so, what now? you want me to play your girlfriend?"

when you said it, you were half-joking, but the look on eddie face read of complete seriousness. "oh, for fuck's sake," you grumbled under your breath.

"i'm sorry," eddie apologized, a begging undertone in his voice, "it's just that it's my first time seeing her since i was like ten and i don't want to look like an idiot. and she said she was excited to meet my girlfriend and i don't want to let her down, so please for me, do this. we're already pretty close as it is. we'll just have to embellish some things." when you silently looked off in consideration, eddie spoke up one more time. "come on, y/n. please. you owe me."

you cut your eyes back to him because he was right. you did owe him for saving you from a few bad guys at the hideout by pretending to be your boyfriend, but the circumstances were completely different. he was pretending for maybe a minute max. you were staying with his aunt for two weeks.

you hated that you looked back at him because it made it so much harder to not give in. his stupid big brown doe eyes were making it impossible to deny him even though you knew you were going to say yes. he knew it too.

"fine," you said softly and no less than a second after the word left your lips, eddie's arms wrapped around you tightly.

"thank you so much! i owe you big time."

"yeah, you do," you commented, a light chuckle following your words before you patted his arm. "alright, boyfriend, let me go so i can finish packing and change so we can leave."

remember to support writers & reblog :)

turn on notifications for @annab-library to be notified when i post something new or join the tag list here!

tag list: @fiction-is-life @jellyfishbeansontoast @daisyridleyss

[arc852]

21. Coveted

Definition: greatly desired

Summary: With spring break approaching and Grian and Joel packing, Jimmy decides now is a good time to head back into the walls to prepare for the following weeks alone. He is stopped by Grian and Joel.

G/t: Grian and Joel are normal-sized, Jimmy is a borrower

Word Count: 2070

AO3 Link

This is probably one of my favorites in the BBBCAU! I hope you guys enjoy!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Jimmy knew, with the end of the semester, marked the start of spring break. Which meant most students would be going back home for a couple of weeks. For Jimmy, this usually meant he would have to stock up on supplies and seek out the few students who would be staying the whole time. Borrowing during breaks was always a hit or miss, something he learned back when he first moved into the college dorms.

 He didn’t think anything would be different now, even with Joel and Grian knowing about him. They both had families they wanted to get back to after all. He had overheard them talking about plans they had for over the break. So with them leaving, that meant he would be going back to how things used to be. 

 Honestly, he hasn’t visited his own home in the walls for weeks now. He hadn’t really had a reason to. Not when Joel and Grian offered up their room for him to stay in. Now that he’s thinking about it, he hasn’t borrowed in about as long. Not when Joel and Grian were willing to share food and other things with him.

 Has he been relying too much on the two of them?

 Jimmy shook his head. He didn’t want to get into that line of thought. They were his friends and friends did things for each other. That’s what he’s learned, at least. Even if he felt like he wasn’t offering as much to the two of them as they were to him. 

 Anyway, he had to get ready for the long weeks ahead and get back into the swing of things. Especially with how rusty he must be. 

 He stood up from his spot on the nightstand, having been watching Joel and Grian pack and talk with one another about their plans. He started climbing down and could feel some attention turn to him. Joel and Grian were used to this though and mostly just kept an eye on him to make sure they knew where he was in order to avoid any…accidents.

 Jimmy was thankful for that.

 Once his feet hit the floor, Jimmy started on his way toward the entrance he had into this room. He hadn’t used it in so long he almost forgot where it was but thankfully he remembered it was underneath Grian’s desk. As he made his way, he was careful to not look at Grian and Joel. From this angle, it was still terrifying to see them. No matter how long he’s known the two humans, he doesn’t ever think he will quite get over the sheer size difference.

 As he made it under the desk, he realized there was a box blocking his way back into the walls. With a slight annoyed huff, he turned back around. Looks like avoiding his friends from the floor was a no go this time. “Hey, Grian! Can you move this box, please?!” Jimmy yelled from the floor. Thankfully, Grian heard him and carefully walked over.

 Jimmy turned away but felt more comfortable looking again when Grian kneeled down on the floor. “Oh, sorry Tim.” Grian grabbed the box and Jimmy backed away a few steps to get out of the way as Grian dragged it out and away from the wall. “Did you need to grab a few things or something? You haven’t wanted to go back into the walls for a while.”

 Jimmy looked at him a bit confused. “No, I just figured I’d go ahead and start on getting things ready now. Most people will be gone by tomorrow and even more by the next day, I gotta get going before everything’s been cleaned and packed.” He noticed as he was talking that Joel came over to crouch down behind Grian to see what was going on.

 “Jim, what are you talking about?” Joel asked, just as confused as Jimmy himself felt.

 “I gotta stockpile on food for spring break.” Jimmy put it plainly. “If I don’t start now, I might miss out on some things. But don’t worry, I was gonna come back and say goodbye before you guys left tomorrow.”

 Grian and Joel blinked, their eyes going wide as they looked at each other. Realization crossing their features. “We forgot to ask him.” Joel said.

 “I didn’t think we even had to! I thought it was obvious!” Grian exclaimed and now Jimmy was even more confused. Why was being around these two always so confusing for him?

 “Now what are you two on about?” Jimmy asked, gaining their attention back.

 “Timmy, honestly…” Grian started and trailed off as he shook his head and scooped Jimmy off the ground. Jimmy yelped as he was suddenly lifted up and even more so as Grian stood up. He was brought up to chest level. “We weren’t just going to leave you alone for two weeks.”

 “Yeah!” Joel chimed in on his other side. “I thought we made it clear you didn’t have to borrow and stuff anymore.”

 “But…well, yeah, I know that Joel. But I know you guys aren’t staying here for spring break. You’ve already talked about going back home. Which is fine, I know you guys wanna see your families. I’ll be fine, I just gotta go and start borrowing now.” Jimmy tried to explain. He didn’t want them missing their vacations because of him.

 “My goodness you’re an idiot.” Grian mumbled.

 “Hey!” Jimmy yelled, face flushed. What wasn’t he getting?

 “Jimmy, we’re not planning on leaving you alone but we’re also still going back home. Which means…?” Grian tried, leaving the last bit of his sentence in the air for Jimmy to finish. Unfortunately, Jimmy was still confused.

 “Uh…” Jimmy let out a noise but otherwise didn’t know how to answer. Thankfully, Joel stepped in.

 “Which means we’re taking you with us, dummy.” Joel said.

 Jimmy blinked. And then blinked again. “Wait, what?”

 Grian sighed and if he wasn’t already using both hands to hold Jimmy, he would have used one to pinch the bridge of his nose. “We’re not leaving you here all alone to try and fend for yourself. We promised you would never have to worry about borrowing or going hungry again.” His voice became softer, which was unusual for Grian. “We’re not going back on that promise just because we’re leaving the dorm for a couple of weeks.”

 “O-Oh…y-you guys really mean it?” When he was met with nods from both humans, some tears started forming. “I just…sorry, I just assumed I would be staying here. I-I didn’t think…” Of course he knew they cared for him. They were friends and had been for months now. But the dorms were his home. They weren’t Grian and Joel’s. He just figured they would all be ‘going home’ per say, for spring break.

 “I told you we should’ve asked.” Joel said, glaring at Grian. Grian rolled his eyes and then suddenly there was a giant thumb in his face. It gently wiped away the tears that had started to fall without him realizing. 

 “Come on, don’t cry on us, it was just a misunderstanding.” Grian said, but his tone was still soft. “Is that okay? Going home with one of us?” 

 Jimmy nodded, wiping up the last of his tears. “Y-Yeah, I would really like that.”

 “Then it’s all settled.” Grian said, setting Jimmy back down on the nightstand. “So unless you need to grab something, there’s no need to go back in the walls.”

 “Yeah, no, I’m good.” He’s gone this long without needing anything from there. He already had everything he needed out here, after all. But he quickly realized there was one thing that hadn’t been made clear to him. Especially considering both Grian and Joel were going to two different places. “Um, who am I going home with by the way?”

 “Me.” Both Grian and Joel said at the same time and then looked at each other in surprise.

 “Joel, I thought we already discussed this and agreed I was going to be the one to take him.” Grian said, eyes narrowing.

 “What?! No, I definitely remember me being the one who we agreed would take Jimmy home.” Joel yelled back.

 Jimmy laughed nervously. “Uh, guys?”

 “When the heck did that happen? No, I’m taking Jimmy home.” Grian said, pointing at himself and then crossing his arms.

 “No, I’m taking Jimmy home!” Joel did the same, crossing his arms with a huff.

 “Guys!” Jimmy shouted, finally gaining their attention. “Stop fighting, I’m not-I-I mean, I’m surprised this is even something you guys are arguing about.”

 Something crossed their features briefly before becoming neutral again. So fast Jimmy couldn’t hope to try and figure out what emotion it had been. “Of course it is. You’re our friend Jim, we want you with us.” Joel said, uncrossing his arms.

 “Ah! W-Well…” Jimmy said, feeling flustered again. It was kind of nice when they said it out loud like that.

 “There really is no use arguing though.” Grian reasoned. “We’ll never come to an agreement at the rate we’re going. So, how about we let Jimmy decide who he wants to go with?”

 “Wait, what?” Jimmy asked.

 Joel nodded. “That sounds reasonable and fair.” Both humans turned to Jimmy. “So, who’s it gonna be?”

 “W-Wait! I can’t choose between the two of you! I’d feel bad for whoever I didn’t pick…” Jimmy said as he trailed off. He really couldn’t choose between the two of them, they were both his friends after all.

 “You don’t have to feel bad, Jim. We’ll be fine with whoever you pick.” Joel said, his tone going softer.

 Grian nodded in agreement. “Yeah, whoever you don’t pick now, well, that just means you get to go with them for the next break we have.” He explained. If they did it like that, then all Jimmy would have to do is choose once and then they would just go back and forth from there. No more arguing after that.

 “Still…I don’t know how I’m supposed to choose.” But Jimmy knew he was really the only one who could. He sighed and tried to think. Maybe…if he tried figuring some more stuff out. “Okay. well, um…what are you guys going to do while back home?”

 The two humans blinked, not expecting to be questioned. Joel was the first one to answer with a simple shrug. “I mean, my plans were really just to hang out with family and relax. Nothing too exciting honestly.”

 Jimmy nodded and then turned to Grian. Who was not only glaring at Joel but also looked a bit down. “Uh, Grian? What were your plans?”

 Grian crossed his arms and looked away. “My family and I were, uh…gonna go river rafting.”

 Joel laughed out loud while Jimmy once again became confused. “River rafting?”

 Joel leaned down with a big smirk. “It’s when you get an inflatable boat and take it out on a river and let the water take you wherever it pleases, basically.” 

 Jimmy’s eyes widened at the explanation and he suddenly pointed at Joel. “I choose Joel.”

 “Yes!” Joel celebrated, pumping his fists in the air. Meanwhile, Grian looked defeated.

 “Sorry Grian, but that sounds way too dangerous for me. Next time though?” Jimmy said, trying to cheer Grian up.

 Grian sighed but then lifted his head, a small smile on his face. “Yeah, I figured. It’s all good though Tim, next time for sure.” He reached over and ruffled Jimmy’s hair with a finger.

 Jimmy laughed and tried to push the finger away playfully. Grian took his hand back and Jimmy smiled, happy he wasn’t taking not being picked too badly. He must have realized it would be a bad idea to take Jimmy with him too, once he remembered what he and his family were going to do.

 “Alright, we’re losing daylight here. Let’s finish packing and then we can go grab something to eat. And then we should probably head to bed. We all have a big day tomorrow, after all.” Joel said as he turned back to his suitcase.

 “Sounds like a plan to me.” Grian said, going back to folding his socks. 

 “Sounds great.” Jimmy chimed in, sitting down on the nightstand and once again going back to watching and listening as they talked and packed.

 He couldn’t wait to go home with Joel for the break.

[mikeywayarchive]

x

Mikey Way: "Don’t be so preoccupied with yesterday and tomorrow, because there’s a whole today that you’re gonna miss"

Mikey Way opens up about the importance of staying present, his ambitious new album-and-graphic-novel project with Electric Century, and working with My Chemical Romance bandmate Ray Toro again.

February 26, 2021

Words: Emily Carter

Full interview under the cut:

“If this makes someone feel better for even an hour in a day, then I think I did my job,” smiles Mikey Way. “Even if it’s one person that loves it.”

The My Chemical Romance bassist is currently unpacking the wonderful self-titled second record from his side-project with Sleep Station’s David Debiak, Electric Century. Released alongside an accompanying graphic novel and a whole new world for fans to dive in to, Mikey is aware that his latest ambitious undertaking could serve as a welcome break from the strange times we’re all living in right now… not that it was initially planned that way. That’s simply how Electric Century have always been since their inception.

“The benefit of this project is that it is a pandemic, and people aren’t able to do conventional things to release art, so it’s pretty cool – this was going to be unconventional anyway, but I think people are now more open to something unconventional,” Mikey enthuses. “We didn’t plan on touring on this. We maybe were going to play some shows – in fact, there was one that we were going to do at San Diego Comic Con. But we weren’t really going to tour on this, especially in light of, you know, I have something else going on that is touring.

“But I still felt so strongly about this album and the graphic novel that I wanted it to be exciting, and I wanted it to be fun. And I think people are ready to be immersed anywhere else – people need escapism right now. And not only that, but they also need emotional release, and I think you’ve got both: escapism is the graphic novel, and I think the music is the emotional release.”

The self-titled follow-up to 2016’s excellent For The Night Control, Electric Century does indeed provide both of those things. An 11-track effort produced by Mikey’s MCR bandmate Ray Toro, the record takes in the infectious ’80s new wave of their debut, and ramps things up even further, packing in finely-tuned musical ideas while tying in cohesively with the story of the graphic novel.

“We kept going back and revising things, and then we would sit with things for a while, and we’d add to it,” the bassist explains of why the partly-fictitious and partly-autobiographical (“That’s my sweet spot!” says Mikey, “I love mixing music with fiction”) album has taken such a long time. “One of the things that extended this project was that we wanted the graphic novel to be as great as it could possibly be, and great things take time. The graphic novel gave us the time to perfect the music, and we were able to really make sure that this is the statement we wanted to make. Even until two weeks ago we were still tweaking songs! So I think the graphic novel gave us the freedom to really make the music everything we wanted it to be.”

Here, Mikey dives into all things Electric Century – from the album’s creation, to working with Ray again, to keeping the project open-ended and continuing the story…

Was the album all created remotely or were you able to get into rooms with both Dave and Ray at various points before – or even during – the pandemic? “It was all mostly before the pandemic that we did the brunt of it; I think some time in 2018 me, Dave and Ray got together in Los Angeles and did a big chunk of it. And then the rest was done with Dave sending stuff to Ray, and me going to Ray’s house, or us sending stuff to Ray and him sending it back. We got to do it in a way that a lot of projects are done in the pandemic nowadays! That’s how this project was done before the pandemic: it was done mostly remote. There was only one time where we were all in a room together, and in fact me and Dave, before we went to Ray’s, were never in a room together. He would demo stuff, send it to me, I’d give him feedback and make edits, send it back… And then once Ray became part of the project, he joined in on this process where we were sending him things. And then it all came to a culmination of us going to Ray and recording.

“I always joke with people that me and Dave have never really played any of these songs together in a room – we’ve rarely even been in the same room when we’re creating things. And maybe that makes something special… maybe we’ve stumbled upon something where we’re making something special, far apart.”

When Dave sends you an idea or demo, is there anything in particular that you’re really listening out for? “Most artists will tell you about this thing that happens and it’s like you get this feeling in your chest or your throat when you hear something. I kinda listen for that. I want to feel something when I hear it, and stuff will jump out to me and I’ll be like, ‘Dave, that’s the one we need to hone in on.’ I know what Dave’s great at, and when I hear him reach that point I’m like, ‘Let’s explore that.’ Maybe internally it’s hard for a human being to point out what they’re great at, and I feel like I’m great at finding what’s great out of what Dave’s doing. I talk to a lot of musicians and they kinda feel the same way: it’s like, ‘Ah, man, I know what you mean!’ Most musicians have this sixth sense where, if you feel something and you know it speaks to you, then maybe it’ll speak to other people, too.”

What have you learned from working with Dave? “What I’ve learned from Dave is to just be relentless! He’s relentless; he just doesn’t stop. At any given time there will be 40 demos that he’s sent me – and even over the past few months he’s sent me a bunch. He just tirelessly makes music, and I think there’s something admirable about that. His work ethic is amazing, and I think that’s what he taught me. I mean, I knew it before, but he’s really taught me to be tenacious with things.”

You’ve spoken about needing to stay creative, always. But what was the driving force that was pulling you back to this whole concept in particular? “When Electric Century was all about to kick off, I went to rehab [in 2014], and by the end of that 30 days, I was like, ‘I don’t wanna tour anymore.’ I wanted to take care of myself, and I think it kind of set the stage for this project – in my head, it was like, ‘How can I make this fun and not have a conventional record cycle?’ I always respected what Gorillaz did and thought, ‘Well, they make it work and they’re living in a ‘fictional’ world…’ And it made me realise that it could be done. I put a pin in that for a bit, and then around 2018, towards the end of the year, Z2 reached out and were like, ‘Hey, we’d like to make a graphic novel for the next Electric Century album,’ and I was listening to them pitching it to me and the guy said, ‘Hey, I kinda see this project as something like the Gorillaz!’ and it hit me like a lightning bolt, as I’d never said that to anybody before. From that moment on I was like, ‘This is what we need to do,’ and it kind of informed the project. I want Electric Century to exist in this almost Twilight Zone world.”

Did having such a big project to meld together drive you a bit mad at points?! “Um… no! I had a lot of help from people – one of my best friends Shaun Simon co-wrote the comic with me, Dave and Ray were there to help me make the music… I feel like with an ambitious project like this, I also had ambitious people with me. Some of the most creative, hard-working people I know worked on this, so I never felt overwhelmed. I felt like, if there was ever a moment for me to feel overwhelmed, somebody would be like, ‘Yo, I’m gonna help you out!’ It was a great tag-team effort.”

How did Ray get involved when it came to production? “We were unsure of what we were going to do with it. Dave had somebody that he loved working with, but they both felt it wasn’t a good match for the project – it was a mutual thing, which is fine. So then the first name that popped into my head was Ray – I was like, ‘Oh, Ray! He can do this!’ He did a tester song with Alive, and Dave was sold – we were just blown away. It’s funny about that song, too, because when I was in rehab [in 2014], Dave came to visit me – he brought a tape recorder with a cassette in it with Alive, and it was just him and an acoustic guitar. And I listened to that thing for probably a month straight – I was just lost in it, and I kept imagining all the things we could do with it. I kept roadmapping it in my head. That was the one that I kept going back to – I was like, ‘It’s got to be the song.’ And I think we succeeded with that; I think Alive is the anchor of the whole thing.”

Were there any conversations with Ray about, ‘Hey, you can tweak things as much as you see fit’ because you have so much trust in him? “Oh yeah, we let Ray do whatever he wanted! We were like, ‘Get as crazy as you want.’ We were excited to get his guitar on there, and his vocals are on there a lot as well. There’s a ton of Ray Toro on that album, and I’m super-excited about it. Just getting to hear his solos makes me happy – he’s one of the greatest guitar players on planet earth, doing what he does best. Getting to hear that on a record again made me so happy. He’s one of the best there is, and everybody knows that.”

What made Till We’re Gone the first song to show people ahead of release – was it a case of it opens the album and welcomes people into this world, so it was always going to be the first song people would hear? “For me, Till We’re Gone is a great way to explain our sound, if you listen to it. It sets the stage – like when you watch a movie and you see the opening credits, and all the actors’ names cycle through! I feel like, when I listen to that song, I picture a movie starting. And not only that, but just sonically it’s everything that Electric Century does best, I think, in one song. And it’s also short and sweet. It’s got a very traditional song structure, and I feel like that’s the best first taste for this album.”

When we last spoke, you mentioned how the album sort of came before the graphic novel, and you had to create the story around that. Was the album tracklist quite easy to fit together, or did you have to rearrange songs to fit in with the story to make everything cohesive? “What’s interesting is – and when I look back on it all – when we did that initial interview, the album has changed since then. I feel like we were able to use that time to fix things. So there’s a bunch of songs we added, there’s a bunch of songs we fixed. I think that time allowed us to properly marry the two things, and make the songs fit the story that we’d written and vice-versa. When we did those initial interviews, the album was a little bit different, and a whole bunch of songs got added.”

The album begins with these thumping drums on Till We’re Gone, but then it ends on Someday We Will Sing Again which is so stripped back, and the complete opposite of the opener. What was the process of creating that musical journey? “I like the concept of this big, bombastic opening, and this stripped-back, raw ending. I feel like that’s how we’re put on this earth: we’re loud and bombastic as babies, and then we’re frail and raw when we’re elderly. I feel like that’s a good story arc for an album, and I felt being raw and exposed on that last album was a good juxtaposition for everything you’re gonna hear when you go through the journey. And then it’s the same thing with the story: the story kind of follows a similar arc as well.”

Would you say that this is a more emotional album than For The Night To Control? “A lot of emotion was channelled into this record, in all its forms. Dave was going through a lot – but of course that’s for him to talk about. But that is exactly what art is: you use it as an outlet to work out your feelings, both positive and negative. Ultimately that is what makes what you create whole and hopefully what the listener can relate to.”

You’ve spoken about mixing fiction with real life in your work – is there any song that you could pinpoint as the most autobiographical on Electric Century? “Alive – that’s a good one that I just like to kind of remind myself: be present, be alive. That whole sentiment of, ‘Your best moments are actually right here, right now.’ And that’s one of the themes of the graphic novel as well. People kind of romanticise about ‘the good old days’, or ‘when we were kids or teenagers it was so cool…’ but maybe the best days are right here, and maybe you’ve been wishing to be where you’re standing right now and you don’t even realise it. That’s the theme of the graphic novel, and that song especially. It’s a simple thing: be alive. I feel like that’s something I try to remind myself on a daily basis. And especially in light of what’s happening in the world. A lot of people feel like they’re in some strange purgatory – I think everyone feels that. And I think that song is going to speak to a lot of people.”

Is there anything that this project taught you about yourself? In terms of the storyline and putting yourself in that nostalgic headspace, did it make you realise anything? “It’s something that I’ve always suspected, but I’ve talked at length with people about it, where it’s like, ‘Don’t be so preoccupied with yesterday and tomorrow, because there’s a whole today that you’re gonna miss. There’s a whole today going on.’ We’re all guilty of that – and especially now when we’re all stuck inside and we can’t go anywhere, or do anything that we used to love on the outside world. And it’s like, ‘Well, maybe right here is where we’re supposed to be right now.’ You have to kind of hop into that perspective and realise that we’re all here for some reason, and we have to roll with it and make the best out of the situation right now.”

For people who’ve listened to For The Night To Control this is obviously just the next logical step, but are you nervous in any way, or is it more like, ‘Yep, of course people are gonna like it if they liked the last one’? “That’s kind of what I feel about this: if you liked the last album then you’re going to love this one even more, you know? We had a lot more time to do it, and I feel like we’re all older and wiser. I’m 40 now – I was in my early 30s when we made the last one! It’s almost a decade on from when Electric Century started, and I feel this is the complete sentence. The last one was like we were getting our feet wet and figuring it out, and this one feels like we figured it out.”

Is that your proudest takeaway about this entire project? “Well, what I’m proud about is that I didn’t expect this! I didn’t expect to make an album and graphic novel – it started out as an album and as time went on it grew and grew, and it’s something I’m proud of. It’s very ambitious, and I didn’t see it coming. It was that fateful call with Z2 – they said things to me and I was like, ‘That’s what we need to do.’ I’m proud of that, and I feel like it’s mission accomplished in terms of what I want Electric Century to sound like. I feel like we’ve reached the point I wanted it to be – it sounds exactly as I wanted it to sound.” 

Could you see a sequel – both musically and with the graphic novel – happening some day down the line? “Yeah! Honestly, the graphic novel leaves everything wide open. It introduces us to a world, and you can easily revisit this world. And that’s another beauty of this project. I was blessed to work with a lot of amazing professionals, and this whole thing never once felt like a drain or a drag. It was a delight from the beginning to the end, and it’s somewhere we can revisit if we want to!”

Electric Century is out now along with an original graphic novel published by Z2 Comics.

[journey-to-the-attic]

3rd anni req 14: mammon, belphie / nap

ao3 link

note: i couldn't think of how to actively describe a nap happening for a sufficient amount of words, so this is mostly prelude to a nap, but it does happen in the end! requested by @soramcduckahyucky - hope this is to your liking!

∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎

It isn’t that I didn’t feel the lack of sleep catching up to me, but I didn’t realise it was this obvious. I stare hard into the mirror for a moment, then sigh. All those sleepless hours are making themselves very apparent under my eyes. Nothing I can do about that right now...

“Are you done yet?” Belphie calls from behind the door. “Everything's gonna close if you go any slower.”

“Hang on!” I splash my face with a little cold water, hoping it'll help somehow. “It’s not that late yet. And there’s always tomorrow.”

“Yeah, but all the good stuff’ll be gone then.”

I pat my face dry and finally emerge from the bathroom. “There’s this cool thing called restocking.”

“Psh,” He mutters, as he always does when doesn’t have a clever rebuttal. “Anyway, bring a coat, it’s chilly.”

I didn’t pack one this morning, but I think I left one in the wardrobe. I swing the door open and stare at it for a moment. Then, all of a sudden, a wave of fatigue practically hits me in the face. I have to go outside. I have to walk around. I have to think about everything in the shops.

“...you feeling okay?” Belphie asks, as if from a great distance away. “We don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”

When I fail to respond for about ten seconds - only able to manage a small, confused noise - he gets up and shuts the wardrobe door for me. Then he makes me look up to face him.

After a moment, he sighs. “Yeah, forget about that. You're taking a break. Right now. No arguing.”

“Break from what? Wait, the market…”

“We’ll check it out another time. It’s not a big deal.” He shrugs off his own outside coat, then starts shooing me to my bed. “Come on. Get comfy.”

“I don’t wanna,” I grumble, attempting to duck out of the way, but only succeeding in walking into his arm. “I can’t sleep now. It’s too early.”

“You can sleep whenever you like, actually.” He pauses, then sighs. “Alright, fine. Let’s go to the observatory.”

“Huh, not going out anymore?” Asmo asks as we pass him in the hall. “Ooh, darling, how about we—”

“Busy,” Belphie announces, and makes an oddly specific hand signal at him. “Can’t stop.”

Asmo had looked offended at first, but as soon as Belphie did the hand thing, his expression melted into something more understanding. He nods, and skips back on his way down the hall without any more protest.

What’s that about? ...I can't be bothered to think about it...

The music room is empty, but - unusually - the piano cover’s up. I wonder if Lucifer’s been practising.

Belphie makes a beeline to the observatory mattress, and flops straight down. He’s very eager for a lie-down, for someone who’d been ready to go out barely five minutes ago. That’s just typical Belphie.

“School been rough or something?” He asks, eyes already shut.

“Huh?”

“You’ve been staying up too much,” He says, opening his eyes again and gesturing for me to lie down as well. “What’s up? Any bullies we need to beat up?”

“Don’t be silly.” I wrench the blanket out from under him and begrudgingly let him have a half when he makes grabby hands for it. “There isn’t anything wrong. It’s just… stuff.”

“Stuff?”

I shrug and flop back as well. It’s not easy to put into words. I haven’t exactly been over-stressed, or over-worked… at least, I don’t think I have. It just always feels like there’s more to do than go to sleep. Like watch a video about ducks, or trawl through a mostly tangential chain of wiki pages.

“...I get it,” Belphie says after a moment, reaching over to tap me supportively on the arm. “Sounds to me like you need a do-nothing day.”

“There ya are.”

Belphie and I lift our heads almost in tandem as Mammon sidles through the curtain between the music room and observatory. Belphie glances down at me and pulls an exaggerated face.

“What d’you want?” He asks with well-practised faux grumpiness.

“Asmo said— well, doesn’t matter. Any room for me?” He doesn’t wait for an answer. “Scoot up.”

“Get your own spot,” Belphie grumbles, but does so anyway. “...I’m not sharing the blanket with you.”

“Whatever,” Mammon says, and yanks a corner for himself. Belphie clearly can’t be bothered to fight it. “So what’re we doing?”

“Nothing.”

“That’s boring.”

“That’s the point.”

“Do you hear that?” I interrupt. They both go quiet.

There’s very faint shouting from upstairs. And it's definitely Lucifer's,

“Sounds like someone’s in trouble,” Belphie comments, sounding mostly pleased about it. “And it isn’t Mammon for once. I'm impressed.”

“Oi!”

I move to get up. “I’m gonna check it ou—”

“Oh, c’mon. Whoever it is, they can handle it.” Faster than I have time to react to, his arm comes down like a seatbelt. “We’re taking a break. Look at the stars.”

“...fine.” I don’t know if I have the energy to make the trip upstairs, anyway.

The stars are as pretty as always. I trace the constellations with my eyes, trying to remember them all by name. Therapeutic and methodical, like counting sheep…

Mammon huffs. He’s started kicking his legs restlessly in the air.

Finally, he opens his mouth and takes a deep breath. Belphie makes a warning sound - he pauses, then starts at a volume probably much lower than he was intending to use, “Are we really just gonna lay here all day?”

“No one said you had to come,” Belphie retorts. “You can go do whatever you like.”

Funnily enough, Mammon doesn’t take him up on his invitation. “...nothin’ at all? Come on, we can’t even play a few games?”

“Fine,” Belphie relents. “I spy with my little eye… a big idiot who’s ruining the quiet.”

“Then I spy someone who needs a good whoopin—"

“Quit it,” I groan, though it’s hard to avoid a laugh. “We’re having a nice lie-down here.”

“Sorry,” mumbles Mammon begrudgingly.

“I’m not,” Belphie adds. Mammon makes a loud scoffing noise, but doesn’t attempt to retaliate.

Merciful quiet for a while. I feel my blinks getting longer and longer.

Eventually, Mammon cranes his neck up and glances down at me. He laughs quietly. “Hey, sleepyhead. Don’t need another blanket or nothin’?”

“Nah, I’m alright."

I can tell by the lack of movement on my other side (and the quiet snoring) that Belphie’s already dropped off. Mammon lifts his head again and glances over at him as well. “...I’m practically hangin’ off the edge here. Shove him over a bit.”

I look at him a little incredulously, but give it a go anyway. As suspected, sleeping Belphie seems to way about a ton more than he usually does - and I can't usually move him when he's awake, anyway.

Mammon huffs. “You’ll just have to squish up, then. Else I'm gonna fall off."

I imagine this is what the remote feels like when it gets stuck between the sofa cushions. I’m a little grateful for the sparse blanket now, though - at least I won’t overheat.

Mammon stretches his arms straight up and leaves them in air, as if reaching for the skies. After a moment, I copy him. The light of the stars behind them make my hands look like shadows.

I make a pair of dog heads. Mammon decides to do the same with one of his own hands, then motions for me to hold mine either side of it.

“Cerberus,” He announces, and we share a slightly muted giggle.

I can’t think of any more shadow puppets to make now. Without much else to do, I start hitting his hands about in mid-air instead. Mammon lets this happen for a little while, then very promptly wins the one-sided match by catching both of my hands in one swoop.

Belphie mutters something in his sleep and shifts, yanking most of the blanket to himself. Mammon catches the edge just before it can leave his range entirely and attempts to wrestle his portion back - but Belphie holds fast, so he settles for draping what little he’s recovered over me instead.

“Maybe you need another blanket,” I tell him.

“I’ll manage,” He dismisses, suppressing a yawn into his hand. “...man. Now I’m gettin’ all sleepy, too.”

“Belphie’s got the right idea.” I look over just in time to see a small smile cross his slumbering face, as if he heard, somehow.

"Might as well join him." Mammon stretches one more time before fully relaxing - he practically melts into the mattress. “We need to get your energy up, anyway. I hear Diavolo’s got somethin’ big planned this week.”

“Should we be worried about that?”

“...hmm. Maybe. That’s a tomorrow problem, though.” He yawns again and shuts his eyes. “Get some shut-eye, kiddo. I reckon ya need it.”

I murmur in agreement and close my eyes. Belphie makes another muffled sound - this one sounds approving. I wonder what he’s dreaming about.

We should do this kind of thing more often. I close my eyes and drift off.

[angels--trumpet]

Ngl I'm a bit embarrassed to make this one but worms are worms and @funable-rainy simply has to have one conversation with me to make them wiggle so here we go 

This is mostly just a post I had to take down on Twitter cause it keeps trying to kill my account rip

Cw: 185, sfw

Gojo met Yuji when he was 17, Yuji was small, dumb, chubby and annoying but he was also so sincere

So kind, and so bright 

Everything Gojo knew that his world would sniff out and crush imminently

Like bloodhounds on a fox 

He was called to a mission around where the boy lived and barely prevented the stupid brat from eating the worst kind of poison in the world

One of sukuna fingers 

He made sure to give the brat a piece of his mind, and in return, he was given the other half of his packed-up brownie. Yes, he took it. He was hungry, and he ate all the candy he had on him beforehand, so he was running a bit low 

He just owed him that's all 

A favor for a brownie 

Yuji wanted to go to the park and play, so Gojo took him, and they played. Why did this kid had so much energy?

Yuji wanted to go get snacks, so Gojo took him to the corner store and they got snacks

Yuji wanted to sit down and eat his snacks and get told silly stories, so gojo told him the many stupid pranks he's Pulled before, the craziest missions he went on when he didn't have a good handle on his own abilities It's not like the kid would even remember what he said tomorrow anyway.

Gojo didn't stop visiting, and Yuji never forgot what he said, holding onto every word with reverence

Calling Gojo a friend

And the word held weight like it ment something, it wasn't like with Geto or Shoko this was different he loved the boy and wanted to protect him even if he had no obligation too, no reason other than 

"This boy is good and I want to keep him alive"

Gojo introduces Yuji to his friends one day, getting permission first from his grandfather to take him on a little field trip. He shows him around campus, his dorm room, he takes him around the city, and Geto even smiles that real smile he has when he truly is happy.

It felt so nice.

Then, the failed mission happened. 

He couldn't face Yuji he couldn't face Geto, trained on his own for days, perfecting what he unlocked so nothing could get that close again. He sees something is wrong with his best friend but can't bring his voice out to really dive into what's wrong.

So he leaves it be, thinking the other teen would get over it eventually. He surely has before about other things.

Yuji finds him, had rode all the way out from his home to Gojo campus all by himself. Gojo is grumpy about it, complains, and plays it over dramatic, so the boy giggles a bit dispute, saying sorry and actually meaning it.

But Gojo was also thankful. He's so glad to see Yuji again, even if he avoided him for months now. Geto Despite looking like he has not eaten or slept in days reminds him to call Yuji grandfather to make sure he knows where Yuji is since it was already too late to go and return him. Yuji spends and entire night and evening with Gojo, who just keeps the boy in his lap and lets him watch as many movies as he wants till he passes out.

Joyful screaming and flailing, talking put loud for Gojo to humm a response too.

Geto joins them, and for the first time in days he seems to fall asleep peacefully with the help of Yuji just being as he is. Gojo ends up being a bit more possessive of Yuji afterwords, Geto even seems to enjoy the boy's company more now than ever the only other person Gojo trusts to keep a good safe hold of him when Gojo needs to do things.

In a way Yuji seemed to save them, and all Gojo can give in return is hold a love he horbors in him that was completely inappropriate and not something he wanted to feel, but he cannot stop now.

He denies it and fights against it, never shows it past the regular care and love he usually gives Yuji.

He didn't want to ruin that.

Extra bits

Gojo totally freaks out over the fact that he fell in love with Yuji, who he is essentially co-parenting with Yujis grandpa how much he takes Yuji with him to do things with Geto. 

Geto still has this distance for normal people, but it's not too bad because he has yuji reminding him of the good Tho he is secretly trying to get Yuji to use CE so he can become like them but he suspects heavenly pacts because of Yuji unnatural strength.

When Yuji grows older he develops the biggest crush on Gojo, and everyone uses it as like blackmail the one thing that makes the strongest freez up and blush, well less like blackmail and more like a joke that they can finally laugh at this cocky guy. Yuji is Gojos' weakness, so as his best friend Geto makes sure to always keep Yuji protected with one of his curses, he won't admit it's cause he loves Yuji too and wants him to live a long normal life.

Yuji essentially has two scary dogs.

This ended up being a lot more angsty than funny like it originally came out to be when I was chatting in the goyuu server

[grandeoatmilklatte]

Undying Love 💍 (Part 4 - Escape)

A/N: Once again, I am insanely sorry this took so long to post. I'm starting to think I'm not cut out for long fics with how distracted I get and how much I end up delaying them. Anyways thanks for sticking around, there is one more part to this that I am writing as we speak (and it'll be smutty) and that I swear will be posted tomorrow!

Undying Love - Part 4: Escape - Ominis Gaunt x Female MC

Summary: The trio enact their grand finale, but there's still tension present from past events. 2.4k words

Warnings: no smut in this one, but parts 1 & 3 do contain smut. This one is mostly angst.

Tagging list!: @myrachondria, @lesbolordo, @froggyinaspen, @lora-erwood enjoy! 💕

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 5!!

-----------------------------------

It had been twelve hours. 

Twelve hours since Ominis was pronounced “dead”. Twelve hours since MC and Sebastian had to play the grieving friends, MC doing an exceptionally good job at it, her tears completely real, the stress of the night bringing those tears out of her. As if she hadn’t cried enough tonight. Her mind was cluttered with fear. Her brain screamed at her, “What if it doesn’t work?” repeating over and over in her head. Sebastian tried to comfort her, which worked in their favor, as he just looked like a good boyfriend to Ominis’s family. 

Twelve hours had passed, and his funeral was already underway. MC wasn’t surprised that his family didn’t seem too upset by his “passing”, they never truly cared for him. It angered MC how little they cared when he meant the world to her. Her heart ached for him and for all the pain he had been through, some of the pain having been caused by her own actions, her tears starting up once again. Sebastian wrapped his arm around MC, rubbing her back and comforting her as Ominis’s coffin was placed in the family mausoleum. Sebastian had conjured up some holes in the coffin to allow airflow, which went unnoticed by his family, even Marvolo, who up until 12 hours ago seemed to always be suspicious of the three of them. He remained silent and unreadable. He didn’t seem as apathetic as his family, but he didn’t seem distraught either. 

Once everything was said and done, Sebastian announced that he was going to take MC upstairs so she could have a minute to cool down, having been so distraught by the whole ordeal. Once they were alone with the door shut and a silencing charm in place, Sebastian immediately jumped into action. 

“Alright, so, it was around  eleven o’clock when Ominis took that potion, it’s almost noon now, so we’ve got less than…” Sebastian whipped out his pocket watch,  “twelve hours to do this. We’ll pack our things, let them know that we’re leaving, wait until dark and once the coast is clear we’ll get Ominis out and leave. As long as we’re out well before he’s supposed to wake up, this plan should be fool proof!”

MC wiped her nose on the sleeve of her jumper, one of Ominis’s jumpers that she had claimed for herself, and sniffled. Her voice was small and nervous. “Alright, I’m just so nervous. Is he alright in there? What if he doesn’t wake up? What if we get caught?” Her mind was spinning. She felt like she might pass out. 

Sebastian brought his hands to MC’s shoulders, his hold on her felt comforting. “MC…I know things have been weird between us. We haven’t gotten to speak much since the library incident. I’d be an idiot to deny that I still love you. I always will. But your friendship and Ominis’s friendship mean everything to me. You two have stuck by me through my worst days, even when I didn’t deserve it. And right now I’ll do anything to get you both out of here safely. You have my word.” Sebastian picked up MC’s hand and kissed it.

-------------------

It was a few minutes after noon when Sebastian and MC emerged from Ominis’s room, their belongings packed and ready to go - with a little less than eleven hours to spare. They attempted to sneak out the door unnoticed, but were stopped by Marvolo, his streak of not being suspicious having ended.

“Are you leaving?” he asked with a small smirk on his face, not as obnoxious as he normally looked.

“This whole thing has been really rough on me. The last place I want to be is Ominis’s room, or his home for that matter.” MC tried to sound as somber as she could. 

“Aw, shame.” Marvolo shot her what was most definitely a fake smile. “Why don’t you at least stay for dinner? Mother and father would be incredibly disappointed if you both left now! Everyone’s been up all night, you two must be so tired. You can leave after dinner.”

“Of course we’ll stay!” Sebastian jumped in with a chipper tone to his voice, no doubt trying to come off as least suspicious as possible. 

----------------

A whole six hours had passed by the time dinner was served and eaten. They only had five hours left, which may have seemed like a lot, but MC grew more and more nervous as the hours passed. Eager to leave, but trying not to seem too eager, Sebastian spoke up, trying to remain casual. 

“Well, I believe we ought to be leaving. It’s been a rough day for all of us. I imagine some alone time would do us all well.” 

Mrs. Gaunt’s voice was soft when she spoke, almost as if she felt a little sadness. “Oh, you two are welcome to stay an extra night. It is late. We’re all grieving. It might do you both good to rest here for the night.”

MC couldn’t take it anymore. She had gotten no sleep during the night, the last time she had truly eaten was 24 hours ago, as she had barely eaten her dinner tonight, and the stress of the day left her feeling light headed. She stood up from the table far too suddenly with the intention of protesting and insisting that it would be in their best interest to head home. But as she stood, the room began to violently spin. She blinked, momentarily seeing black before she opened her eyes, finding herself face to face with the floor before she saw black once again. 

-----------------

She woke to find herself in bed, her hand seeking out the warmth of Ominis before her memories flooded back to her. Sebastian rose from the chair he was in as he noticed her stir. “MC! Holy shit you gave me a scare back there. You fainted as soon as you stood up.” Panic began to spread through her whole body. “What time is it?! How long was I out?!” She shouted at Sebastian before throwing her hand over her mouth, realizing she was far louder than she should have been. 

Sebastian sighed. “It’s after 9 o’clock. You were out for three hours, so we’re down to less than two hours now.” MC practically jumped from the bed. “We need to go. Now!” 

“We’ll have to sneak our way out. The Gaunts insisted we stay another night after you fainted. It seems like the Gaunts are asleep, but we may have Marvolo to worry about. I already took our stuff outside, and I have a note ready saying that we left once you woke up. So we just need to get out of here.” Sebastian seemed determined, and it warmed your heart to hear how willing he was to help you pull this off, even if his feelings were conflicted. The two of you cast disillusionment charms on yourselves, and quietly crept out the door. 

-------------------

Sebastian’s assumption was correct, as they found Marvolo up, sitting in the library reading. With how observant he had been thus far with the duo, they exchanged panicked looks, pausing for a second to think through their options. The door was open, and they needed to pass the room. Marvolo was facing perpendicular to the entryway, but facing them where he would most likely see them if they ran past. 

MC thought back to a time Sebastian and her shared together, before things got complicated between them. It was their time sneaking into the restricted section of the library. They were in a similar scenario, trying to get past the prefects, also covered by disillusionment charms. MC’s heart fluttered for a moment, remembering how Sebastian protected her when he got caught, refusing to give her up. It was the exact moment she fell in love with him. She pushed that specific thought out of her mind, instead remembering how they got past the prefects anyway. MC hesitantly lifted her shaky arm, terrified that Marvolo would sense the action. She aimed her wand at a glass vase behind him on a bookshelf and cast a nonverbal spell at it, causing it to shatter behind him. Marvolo looked up in their direction for half a second before turning around to figure out what just happened, MC grabbing Sebastian’s hand and running past the entryway and into the foyer, where they took a second to hide behind a wall, making sure Marvolo wasn’t following them. The front door being feet away from them. They were almost in the clear. Almost.

They heard Marvolo exit the room and heard his footsteps creeping towards the foyer. Sebastian, inspired by MC’s actions, peaked out from behind the wall and shot his own spell into the kitchen off to the right of the foyer area. Marvolo headed that way. They dashed forward and made it to the door, but their footsteps were a little loud, Marvolo immediately coming back into the foyer. The pair were grateful it was dark in the foyer, meaning they weren’t caught right away, but they were certainly about to be caught, Marvolo looking around with his wand drawn. Both MC and Sebastian had their wands drawn as well, neither of them having an actual plan as to what they were going to do now. Marvolo looked in their direction, as if sensing them, and began to slowly approach them, his typical smirk on his face. He raised his wand, ready to shoot who knows what in their direction, but MC acted quicker, shouting the first spell that came to mind to help them in this situation. 

“Imperio!”

Sebastian removed the disillusionment charm from himself, a look of shock on MC’s face. MC’s charm had come off as well. Guilt painted on her face. MC let out a sigh. “You didn’t see or hear anything. Go back to your reading.” Marvolo obeyed immediately, a green glow in his eyes, walking away from them. They walked out the front door unbothered, but not before Sebastian left his note on the kitchen table explaining to the Gaunts that they had gone home. 

The duo ran as soon as they made it outside towards the small family cemetery. Once they crossed the threshold into it, MC collapsed onto the soft ground and began to cry. On her wedding day, one of the many promises she had made to Ominis was that she would never cast an unforgivable curse ever again, knowing the pain those curses caused Ominis. Not only had she broken her promise and cast one, but it was on a family member no less. They were awful people, but that didn’t stop her from feeling guilty. The whole time they had been here all she had done was broken promises she made to him. She felt awful, like she didn’t deserve to be Ominis’s wife. Sebastian wrapped his arms around her, letting her cry into his shoulder. 

“MC, we should go. There’s not much time left. We need to get Ominis out of here before he wakes up and before anyone gets suspicious.”

Wiping her tears, they made their way into the mausoleum, quickly opening up the crypt with some spellwork. There he was, her husband, still fast asleep, she hoped. MC looked him over, her tears starting up once again. “Is he still okay?” MC asked, her voice small and hoarse. “I think so. Afterall he is supposed to look dead!” Sebastian chuckled trying to lighten the mood, but his attempt was a failure. Sebastian picked Ominis up, throwing him over his shoulder as MC repaired the crypt back to its original state, sealing it in the hopes that it would never be opened by his family. She then peaked outside, listening to ensure the coast was clear. They placed disillusionment charms on themselves once again, and quietly and quickly exited the mausoleum and took off running into the forest before apparating. 

They landed in a small wooded area near MC and Ominis’s home, having enchanted the home so one could not apparate onto the property. They collapsed onto the ground, panting, trying to catch their breath. Sebastian placed Ominis’s body softly onto the ground. MC leaning over him, staring at him and running her fingers through his hair. “How much time?” she asked Sebastian, beginning to cry once again. “Should be any minute now.” he said as he watched her.

MC continued to run her fingers through Ominis’s hair, her other hand coming to his face, stroking his cheek. “Darling, please wake up. We did it. We’re safe now. Please?” She sat there for several minutes, fearing the worst. “Ominis, I love you. Please wake up. I need you. You’re my entire world and I can’t live without you. You’re my best friend, my favorite person, the one who makes me forget about every bad thing I’ve ever been through. Marrying you was the greatest thing I ever did. I’m sorry for the hurt I’ve caused you. I’m sorry I kissed Sebastian, I’m sorry I cast an unforgivable curse on Marvolo, I’m sorry for hurting you but I only did it for you. Please…I love you.” MC’s soft cries had turned to sobs at this point as she held his hand and rested her head on his chest. Her tears immediately stopped when she felt the gentle rise and fall of his chest. She sat up. “He’s breathing normally. He’s awake!” 

Ominis opened his eyes and sat up. “How unfortunate, I was actually enjoying hearing you tell me how much you loved me!” He smirked, but his smirk immediately switched to a look of anger “Did you say you cast an unforgivable curse on my brother?!” 

Sebastian jumped in “She had to, mate, we almost got caught trying to escape that hellhole.” 

“Shut it! Don’t think for a second that I’m not still angry with you. Both of you.” Ominis ripped his hand out of MC’s grasp, which made MC gasp. Ominis fished for his wand, holding it out to determine where he was. The tip of the wand pulsed red for several minutes before Ominis got up, wand held out, and began walking his way back towards their home, leaving Sebastian and MC still sitting on the ground. 

Their plan worked, but at what cost?

----------end of part 4---------

[help-itrappedmyself]

Clone!Izuku part 4

“Midoriya, please stay after class. The rest of you are dismissed!” Present Mic call out at the end of the day.

“What’s going on?” Shinsou asks.

“I’m not sure.” Izuku can’t think of anything he had done today that would require a talk with a teacher. There is always the possibility that they found out about his information being ‘outdated’. Which would be bad but not the end of the world. Shinsou and him had plans to train together, but it looks like that would have to wait. “Sorry, Shinsou. We can train tomorrow?”

Shinsou nods and heads out. Izuku packs up his stuff so it’s ready to leave then waits patiently at his desk for everyone else to file out of the classroom. Present Mic is handing out homework to everyone as they leave, when the last person leaves, he comes over and gives a sheet to Izuku as well.

“Are you in a hurry at all?” Izuku shakes his head as he takes the worksheet. Looks like mostly English verb conjugations, some new vocabulary. And that’s Eraserhead coming through the door right now, staring at him, and Izuku is so screwed.

Does he work here? Or does he just know people that work here? Did he put an alert out for him? Are other heroes looking for him now too? Izuku might have to move. He might have to drop out of school. But then again, he may also not be leaving this room, so.

“Hey Midoriya!” Present Mic calls to get his attention. He had gone to greet Eraserhead while Izuku was spaced out at the sight of him. Present Mic turns to face Izuku as both adults walk into the room. “Why don’t you come up here and join us?”

Present Mic has taken up a position sitting in a desk at the front of the row next to Izuku’s, closer to the door. Eraserhead is leaning against Present Mic’s desk at the front of the room, effectively keeping him unable to get to the door. Izuku grabs his bag and moves to the desk at the front of his row, next to Present Mic.

“So, as I think you know, this is Eraserhead.” Present Mic introduces. Izuku nods, trying to only look at Mic or at his desk. Do not look at Eraserhead. “He said that he ran into you a few days ago and we’ve been a bit concerned.”

Izuku can feel his eyebrows scrunch together. “Concerned? I’m not using my quirk in public anymore, I swear. And it didn’t hurt anyone!” Izuku could feel himself gearing up to ramble, but Present Mic held his hands up, cutting him off.

“That’s good to hear, Midoriya, but I meant we were concerned about you.” Present Mic has a nice smile, Izuku notes absently in the part of his brain not panicking. It must be very comforting to civilians during rescue. “That was a bad neighborhood you were in, pretty late at night. And there was an effort made to get into contact with the emergency contacts you listed on your application.”

“Right. Sorry. Um, I haven’t been out that late since then either. Why were you contacting my guardians?” He needs information to create a game plan at this point. He still doesn’t know why exactly they’re here. If he’s in trouble for the quirk use, or to update the contact information.

“For one thing, we have had reports about things in that neighborhood, and we were wanting to ask you questions about it, but we would need a detective here for that part.” Eraserhead explains.

“Oh.” Izuku nods. He can talk to a detective. It’s probably about the drug dealing happening in that district, it has been getting worse. “I can answer some questions. I don’t know how helpful I would be though.”

“That's great, that will be very helpful." Present Mic says, clapping his hands together.

"Would it be possible for you to come with us to talk with a detective?” Eraser shrugs. Ooh, Izuku can feel himself getting played. “We can drive you down there and we can get this sorted right now.”

“Sure, I guess. I was supposed to stay late for training today anyways, so no one is expecting me for a while.” Izuku nods. It’ll be easier to find a way out of a station with overworked police officers watching him than from this room where he is being body-blocked by Pro Heroes.

[scarletwinterxx]

Confess my truth in swooping, sloping, cursive letters - mark lee imagine

hello! happy holidays to all of you, sending lots of warm hugs. thank you all so much for being a part of my year💛I appreciate each and every one of you who showed love and support for my blog.

Haven't written a story this long in such a long time, i should give myself a pat on the back🥺😅also i really really like how this turned out, i hope you do too!

Song inspo : paris - taylor swift

if you have a request or scenario you want me to do, just send me a message I'll see what I can do😊💌

For my other works you can check them out here, and for my other story series’ you can check them out here.

All works are copyrighted ©scarletwinterxx 2022 . Do not repost, re-write without the permission of author.

(gif not mine, credits to owner)

“I’m going to cuff her, just you wait” you hear Mark say from beside you. While you're too busy trying to understand the notes you took down yourself and still not understand a thing, your bestfriend has his own distractions.

“Who?” you ask without looking up

“Aeri, the new transfer” Mark answers swiftly

“Like you would have a chance with her, it’s too early for your delusions Min” you call his nickname. Min, from his name Minhyung. Most people call him that, or Mark. But when it's just the two of you talking you mostly refer to him as Min.

“What? It’s not a delusion. We have like a lot in common” he reasons out, letting your eyes roll at his reasoning. You finally look up at him, and ask

“Oh yea like what?”

“We’re both exchange students” you shoot him a deadpanned look, waiting for him to say something else

“You moved here 11 years ago”

"So?"

"You know what if that's what you believe, go. I'm not going to crush your feelings this time. If you want to be dumb, go and be my guest"

Mark snickers at your words, not sure if it was you showing support or teasing him.

"What are you reading anyways? Just accept your fate and focus on something else" he says, looking at your notes. The handwriting is not neat at all, only you can understand it at this point but Mark has known you long enough to read it like his own.

"Dude, are you studying for the exam tomorrow?" he asks

"Yea why?"

"This is the wrong chapter"

"Motherfucker"

Turns out Mark was right, you were reading the wrong chapter all along. After having a mini freak out upon realizing that and realizing you didn't have enough time to cram a semester worth of lesson in one night, Mark had to calm you down and make sure you don't cry the rest of the night instead.

He made sure to buy dinner for the both of you before he walked you back to your dorm, leaving a pack of gummy bears in your bag for you to find later because he knows you'll probably pull an all nighter.

The next time you see each other is after the exam, your eyes were swollen either from the lack of sleep or from crying that Mark is not sure of.

"You look like shit"

"Thank you, like I didn't already know that"

He passes the coffee he got you before taking your bag and slinging it on his shoulder, "How did the exam go?"

"Good, better than I expected" you mumbled, taking a sip of your much deserved coffee "Thank you" you tell him, referring to the coffee.

"So now that you're a free woman, there's a party later"

"I know where this is going, I haven't slept since Monday. A party is the least of my priority right now, Min"

You do feel very drained right now and you haven't slept a wink, exam seasons got you staying up all night and crying in between the 15 minute breaks. The only reason you haven't lost the last of your sanity is because of the human walking beside you.

You and Mark may argue a lot but you have each other's back no matter what. He's your bestfriend, he's your mediator, you're his voice of reason.

"You can nap before the party. You deserve to relax after this stressful week" he says, stepping behind you to massage your shoulders to convince you further.

"You stress me every week, what's the real reason you want to go"

"I may have heard Aeri is going"

"We're still on that?"

"It hasn't been a week since I told you that and yes, I'm still into her. So what you do say?" he looks over your shoulder, meeting your eyes to look at you directly because he knows you can never say no this way to him.

"Why invite your bestfriend at a party you want to meet the girl you like?"

"Because"

"Because what??"

"Who would hype me up? I can already see myself chickening out, but if you're there then you can convince me"

You can only think of all the times you convinced him to do something stupid because when it comes to you, Mark can be pretty gullible. That makes you feel proud knowing he trust you but also that makes him an easy target for your pranks.

"Convince you to make a total fool of yourself? Hell yes I'm in"

A couple of hours later, Mark and you enter the party side by side. Already seeing a couple of familiar faces in the crowd.

You made your way through the crowd until you saw your other friends, "Finally, they show up" Haechan shouts, immediately passing a shot glass to you and then Mark

"To catch you up, we already started so you better get going" he tells the two of you, pushing the shot glasses towards your faces

"I'll have only one, and his also because he's driving tonight" you say taking the glass from Mark before he can say anything. Then you shoot your head back, drinking the shots simultaneously and earning cheers from the two boys. Mark already too distracted looking around hoping to spot the reason why he came here tonight.

"Damn woman, how are you not cuffed down yet?" Haechan jokes

"You're asking that when he's standing right here?" Jeno butts in, throwing an arm around Mark.

Of course they would bring that up whenever they can. Those two don't believe a boy and a girl can stay in a platonic relationship. Swearing you and Mark are meant for each other but too scared to admit it. The old but beloved bestfriends to lovers trope, Haechan calls it.

"He's only standing here at this party to cuff someone and that woman is not me, luckily. Have you seen Aeri?" you ask Haechan,

"I think I saw her talking to Dery outside" you then turn to Mark, dusting off his jacket for no reason. Just to boost his confidence, you think.

"Go do what we went out here for, and make it quick. If you don't get her number by the end of this night, I'm shaving your seagull eyebrows in your sleep. Got it?"

Mark chuckles at your empty threat, he knows you only said that to not make him nervous and it works everytime.

"Yes ma'am. For you, I'll be a taken man by the end of this month"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, you're hot but not that hot. Okay now go before they hand me another shot" then you're pushing him towards the direction of the backyard door.

Meanwhile, Haechan and Jeno watch the two of you like it's a live action drama happening infront of them where the two lead characters are bestfriends who swore they don't feel anything for eacth other only to end up together in the end.

"What the fuck was that?" Haechan ask after Mark walks off, turning to face the two boys

"What?"

"The sexual tension was killing me, you swear you two haven't kissed?" he asks back, you shake your head as an answer "No, we haven't and will never"

"I get that you guys are just bestfriends and swear it's nothing more than that, but did you just call him hot?" Jeno ask you

"Yes, I have eyes. I call them as I see them"

"And you say you're not into him?"

"Do I look like I'm into him?"

"Yes" they answer at the same time, shaking your head at them

"It's not like that, I already told you that. I've known Mark since we were kids. That's the same kid who looked like a chipmunk with glasses" you tell them

"More reason why you like him! You've him at his worst, not sure about his best but you're the one who's been there for him. It's the perfect plot for the most cliché love story" Haechan says dramatically

"I'm afraid this book is not how it ends, can you just pass me another shot"

That night ended in different ways, for starters you got so drunk you forgot how you got home. All you can remember was Haechan daring you to jump on the trampoline and do a back flip, you can't remember if you did it or not.

Mark's night however wasn't as exciting, yes he did get to talk to Aeri but nothing more than a few words. Not enough for her to peak interest in him, there was a bunch of other people with them so he couldn't exactly just talk to her and he didn't want to ruin the fun. So instead he found himself walking back ready to admit his defeat to you and accept his fate of having his eyebrows shaved only to find you on the grass laughing your ass off.

Turns out Haechan dared you to do a backflip but Jeno still had some of his common sense and tried to stop you, and by that he meant tackling you off the trampoline and down on the ground.

Mark helps you up from the ground, dusting your clothes to rid of the grass. Holding you by the arm while you sway on your feet clearly intoxicated.

"You're done for the night, no more leaving you alone with them" he tells you as if he was scolding a child

"Boo, you're no fun. Just say you're jealous" Haechan tells him, poking Mark's back

"Shush, don't tease him. Angry Mark is scary" you whisper shout, oh yess you're definitely drunk

"Let's get the three of you home, Jeno drag Haechan please"

And that's how it ended. Mark dropped the two boys first before he drove you back at your dorm.

"So how did it go?" you spoke all of a sudden, fighting the sleepiness off to do your duty as the nosy bestfriend

"Good"

"You didn't get her number did you?"

"Nope"

It wasn't the last time Mark dragged you somewhere in hopes of finally talking to Aeri. And all the other attempts always end up a fail like the universe just doesn't want him to succeed.

He also has become a regular at the library where you spend most of your time when you're not with him. He may have heard that Aeri comes here sometimes so why not give it a shot. He prefers studying in his own room where he can blast music, while you prefer the quiet atmosphere here.

"It helps me focus" you tell him when he asked you why you liked studying here when you can just do it at the comfort of your own dorm or his.

"I'm going home for the weekend, by the way. Want to come?" Mark ask you, remembering his mom asking him to ask you.

"And you tell me only now when it's Saturday tomorrow?" you ask back

"I'll pick you up at 3am?"

"Minhyung, I'm going to kill you" that's a yes. He just smiles and give your cheek a pinch then turning his attention back to his laptop, since he's already might as well get some work done.

Like he said, he did show up at your doorstep at 3am. Handing him your bag for the weekend, eyes half closed face bare.

"Make this weekend worth my while, Min or I will seriously shave your brows this time" you threaten him

"Yea yea, I'll get you your favorite cookies back home"

While most people will stay up with the driver on a long trip, you where back to dreamland a few minutes after Mark drove off. He passed a hoodie and a blanket over to you and the next second you were out.

Instead of waking you up, Mark just turns on the music loud enough to keep him awake but low enough not to disturb your sleep. But really it doesn't matter, he can be playing Bohemian Rhapsody on full volume you'll still sleep through it.

When the of you arrived at Mark's childhood home, his mom was already waiting by the door. Her smile doubling as she sees you exiting the passenger side, "Y/N! I'm so glad you made it!" she says with open arms. You walk over to give her a hug.

She's like a mom to you, whenever your parent's went on holidays or work trips they would always leave you with Mark's parents. The two of you weren't kidding when you say you spent a lot of your childhood together.

"You two must be tired from the drive, why don't you eat breakfast then rest for a bit?" she tells you, when Mark walks towards the door his mom hugs him too.

"Sounds good, thank you"

"I made your favorite cookies by the way, Mark made sure I didn't forget" she tells you with a smile, "Really?" you asked excitedly, and Mark thinks it was worth bugging his mom over the phone last night.

It was a great way to detox from all the stress from university, the rest of the weekend you relaxed as much as you can. Slept in without a worry about anything, you only wish this weekend lasted longer.

"Mom, you need to let us go. We won't make it in time" Mark tells his mom who is too busy smothering him, you jsut smile at the mother-son interaction happening infront of you.

"You two have a safe drive back" his dad says, giving Mark a quick hug too.

"Don't be a stranger, I'll tell your parents you rested well this weekend" Mark's mom tells you, you thank her again before giving her one last hug and saying bye to his dad too.

"Can we just not go back to school?"

"We can, but then what would we do? and I can't leave the plants to Haechan, they will die" Mark says, that made you laugh

"Why though? something bothering you?" he adds

"Nothing, I just had fun this weekend. I haven't slept that good since I moved in my dorm" you tell him

"You're still having trouble with sleeping? I told you just call me, I can bore you to sleep"

"I'm sure but I'm not going to call you every night when I can't sleep"

"Nonsense, I already sleep late anyways"

You didn't mean to let your mind wander but for the first time ever in your history of friendship with Mark, you let your mind think would it be different if he wasn't just your friend. Haechan and Jeno's words echoing inside your head.

Mark's words just then made you think about it but then you shook those thoughts away quickly as they came.

“Wait hold up, you two talk about that?”

“You haven’t?”

Haechan looks at you with disbelief, silently asking if you were being serious

"Yo Jeno! If i get bitten by a snake on my dong will you suck the venom out?" Haechan asks Jeno who just arrived. You're currently over at Haechan and Mark's place since you had to finish a project you were doing with Haechan, Jeno is just a regular visitor here.

"What the fuck? No" Jeno answered, confused with the context of his friend's question

"But like, it's an emergency" you say

"Still no, I'm sorry but you're dying my friend" Jeno tells Haechan

"Who's dying?" Mark asks, finally getting home from his last class. He knew you were here hence why he choose to order food on his way home.

"Jeno" you and Haechan answered at the same time

"Would you do it for him?" you weren't looking at Jeno so you didn't check if he was asking you or Haechan

"No..."

"I mean"

Jeno looks back and forth between you and Haechan, Mark is in the kitchen unboxing the food he got for the group.

"Y/N!? Is this what you two were talking about?" Jeno ask the two of you

"Talk about what?" Mark curiously asks, walking back to the living where the three of you were. Putting the chicken and pizza on the coffee table before taking a seat on the floor beside your legs.

"If you get bitten by a snake on your-"

"I'd rather not talk about it infront of your dinner, thank you very much" Haechan cuts you off

"I'd rather not have that image in my head" Jeno adds

"What?" Mark asks, you just shake your head and take the slice of pizza he just took a bit of

"Nothing, let's just say you're the only one not dying here" you answer him.

You and Haechan finished late. Before you go back to your dorm, you checked on Mark to see him also busy with something. Sitting hunched back on his desk,

"Your back will hurt, stop slouching" you tell him, walking towards where he was sitting

"You sound like me when I scold Haechan. You two done?" he ask, looking up at you

"Mhm, I should go it's late" it's past midnight already. Jeno went home after dinner while you and Haechan worked on your project. Mark was waiting for you finish so he can drive you back, when he thinks of something

"Why don't you just stay here for the night?" he asks you

"Huh?"

"Stay for the night, it's late and you probably will have hard time sleeping once you get home. You can borrow my clothes" he says, already walking towards his closet to grab you a pair of shirt and sweats for the night

"Do I have any say in this?" you ask

"Just say yes, Y/N. It's late, you're tired but you'll probably stay up all night if you go home now. If you stay here I can make sure you're going to get some sleep" Mark tell you, then hands you his shirt and sweats.

"Go change, I'll sleep on the couch"

When you got back from the bathroom now changed in Mark's clothes, he's still slumped over his desk. "You should call it a night, too. I can take the couch"

He turns his chair around to face you, shaking his head "Nonsense, go sleep I'll be done in like 5 minutes"

"Then just sleep here, there's enough room for the two of us. This is not the ending of titanic"

He chuckles at your statement, watching you get cozy under his covers. This made him want to call it a night and cuddle in with you, that very thought confused him in different ways.

One, it confused him how thinking about cuddling you seemed so natural. And two, it confused him how it wasn't weird at all. To him atleast.

He shoots you quick smile before turning back to his table to finish his work. More than five minutes passed when he finally finished, turning of his laptop and desk lamp before turning to check on you only to see you quietly scrolling on your phone.

"What did I say? Go to sleep, dummy"

"Was waiting for you, c'mere" you say while opening the blanket for him. He didn't even say no, he didn't say anything. It's like his body was on auto-pilot. Like you're the one in control. He didn't mind it one bit.

Mark turns off the lights first before settling beside you, he lays his head on the pillow beside yours. You send him a sleepy smile, mirroring your actions.

"You need to go to sleep, missy"

"I'm trying, believe me"

"What usually helps you sleep at night?" he ask, both of you were whispering even though no one would hear you in his room. It was past midnight, the only light coming from the lamppost outside his window.

"I cuddle something, usually my favorite pillow" you mumble, you'd be embarrassed to admit you still need to hug something when you go to sleep but you're talking to Mark. You didn't mind showing and telling him everything about you because you know he'd stay after everything.

"Cuddle me" he say without missing a beat. And for a couple of seconds the two of you just stare at each other, waiting for something. Maybe for the other person to say something.

"Uh I mean I don't want you to be uncomfortable, my head's a bit heavy" you tell but he just chuckles back at you, opening his arms as if inviting you to come to him if you wanted.

"My head's bigger than yours, come on. Your eyes are about to close, why are you fighting it"

"I'm not, it's my mind that won't shut up"

"Then don't think, just listen to me. I'll keep on talking or humming or something until you fall asleep" this time he pulls on your arm, making you move from one side of his bed over to him. Leaving you no choice but rest your head on his chest. His heart drumming under your ears, like your personal white noise machine.

"You're warm" you mumble, cuddling against his chest more because he feels warm. You've never cuddled like this before, why haven't you cuddled like this before?

Oh right, because friends don't do things like this. Once again, Haecha and Jeno's word bounce around your head. Making you question your feelings for your bestfriend.

"Can you relax? I can tell you're still thinking about something, just... listen to my breathing or something" he tells you, this time you feel his hand run through your hair making you more sleepy.

And you listen, listen to him. Listen to his heart. The loud thoughts in your head now just mere background noise. All forgotten.

"I'm going to tell you something, but you're not allowed to tell me I told you so"

Jeno looks back at you confused. You popped out of nowhere, now taking the vacant seat in front of him.

"Uh okay"

"And you can't tell Haechan or Mark. Swear it" you tell him

"Okay, I swear. Are we scheming them or what?"

You opened your mouth to speak, repeating the action one two three times but the words can't seem to come out.

"I can't say it"

"Why? Did you run overe someone? Did you forget to water Mark's plants?" he ask again

"No, I didn't. It's not like that. I can't say it because I can't believe it myself and maybe it's not even real. Maybe I'm just confused or something. Maybe I'm sick, yeah I think I'm sick. Am I sick?" you ask him, pulling his hand to lay it on your forehead

"No, but you are starting to scare me."

"I'm starting to scare myself too!"

"Why???"

"Because I think I'm in love with my bestfriend"

That got the two of you quiet. You can't believe you just said that out loud, and now that it's out in the world you can't believe you might be inlove with your bestfriend, Mark. The guy you've known your whole life. The same guy you swore you will never see as someone who's more than a friend.

Jeno was also caught by surprise, he did expect it to happen at some point but he thought it would be Mark realizing it first before you. And he didn't think he'd be the first one to know. Now he has to hide this from Mark and worse, Haechan.

"There you two are, I was looking for you! I have some great news" Mark says, surprising you and Jeno. Sending him a look which he understood.

"What?" you ask, turning to look at Mark who's now sitting beside you.

"I finally got Aeri's number, and get this we're going out this Friday night" he says with the biggest smile on his face.

You didn't even hesitate, immediately shooting his a smile back. "No way, you finally grew the balls to do it. Who would've thought" you joke

"What did I say, I'll be cuffed down before this month ends. Now I just need your help to think about where I should take her, dude are you okay?" he asks Jeno, notiching the guy has not said a word since he arrived.

Mark wonders if he interrupted something, you did look like you were in the middle of a serious talk. You tried to cover it but he did notice the look on your face when he arrived. He didn't want to push it right now, leaving a mental note to ask you about it later instead.

"Me? Yeah totally. I just remember about this thing I forgot back at the library. I should go there and get it before someone else takes it"

"I'll go too, I need this book for my next exam" you say, already slinging your bag on your shoulder. Standing up from your seat.

"I'll see you later, bye" you tell Mark quickly before stalking away, leaving a confused Mark behind. He turns to the other guy also watching your retreating figure.

"Did something happen?" he ask Jeno, "Huh? No, I don't know. I'm gonna go. Bye hyung" Jeno smiles at him before waving goodbye, walking the same direction you went to.

That was the last time Mark saw you, after that you kind of went into hiding. Always coming up with an excuse to not see him: whether you're busy with another project, you're sick at home, you're on your period and too tired to leave your dorm. At this point you're running out of minor injuries to use as an excuse.

Friday came and went, you didn't have the strength to call him and ask him about the date. You really can't invest in his love life when you're having trouble with yours. Well technically yours is one sided.

You just got back from the cafe you found jus tthis week in your attempt to spend less time on campus since you know you're most likely to bump into Mark there. So instead you found a quaint cafe outside campus and made it your new study place. What you didn't expect though was to find your bestfriend standing outside your dorm room.

Mark heard footsteps coming down the hallway, looking up from his phone to see you standing on the other end. It's been almost 2 weeks since he last talked to you, apart from the few texts he received from you this has been the longest time he's been away from you.

"Hey, were you out?" he ask when you got to him

"Yeah, I was studying"

"I was at the library. but I couldn't find you" he tells you, right off the bat he could tell something was wrong. You won't even look him in the eye right now.

"I was studying some place else"

"Oh okay, is something wrong? Are you okay?" he ask again, now he's worried.

"Me? Yea no I'm fine. Just busy and tired" now that you mention it, he notices the dark circles under your eyes. You're still beautiful despite that, but he could tell you haven't had proper sleep probably a couple of days now.

"Have you been sleeping okay?"

"I'm good, why'd you ask?"

"Nothing, I'm just worried. You just said the other day you had a massive headache, you should get some rest. Did you eat dinner already? I can go grab some for us before you call it a night" he suggest, ready to run down the nearest restaurant but you shake your head at him

"I already ate, I think I'll just call it a night. I'm tired. I'll call you later" you tell him, opening the door to your dorm. Waving goodbye to him before closing it, leaving a very worried Mark on the other side.

Something is definitely up with you and he's not going to rest tonight until he figures it out. The last person he saw you with was Jeno, so he texts the younger guy asking his whereabouts. It turns out Jeno is over at his and Haechan's place.

He made his way back home, seeking for answers. When he got there, he calls for Jeno.

"What's up?" Jeno asks

"What happened between you and Y/N?"

"Huh?" Jeno asks back, confused. Meanwhile Haechan pauses the game him and Jeno were playing to join the conversation

"Did something happened?" Haechan asks

"Yea well the last time I saw her she was talking to Jeno, you two looked like you were having a serious conversation then she walks off. Then after that she's been avoiding me" Mark explains, arms flailing around. Clearly frustrated with the situation.

"Why did you say she's avoiding you? Maybe she's just busy?" Haechan asks again, "We took the CSAT's at the same time, believe me even if she's that busy she's not going to avoid me like this"

"And you're assuming that based off of that?"

"I just know something's wrong okay?! I just don't know what it is" Mark frustratedly says, voice rising a bit. Meanwhile Jeno stays quiet. He promised to keep quiet so that's what he's doing.

Haechan looks over at him, immediately he could tell Jeno knows something

"Speak, I can tell you're hiding something" Haechan tells him, Jeno just shakes his head

"Dude, what?? So you know something?" Mark says

"I promised not to tell, especially the two of you" Jeno finally speaks, "So she did say something??" Mark prods even further

"I can't say it, I swore to Y/N I won't"

"What can't you say to me and Mark hyung? Haechan's the one to ask this time, making the pieces fit together in his head. And when it did, it's like a light bulb turned on in his head.

"OH MY GOD!" Haechan says catching both boys' attention

"Haechan no!" Jeno says

"What what??" Maark says

Haechan looks back and forth between the two guys, then stopping at Mark. "I don't know either but I think I do"

"Then tell me!!!!"

"No! Because if what I think is right then you would want to hear this from Y/N" Haechan says, Jeno lets out the breath he was holding.

Mark couldn't wait another day to talk to you, even though he promised he'd let you rest first he can't just sleep tonight without knowing.

That's how he found himself standing outside your door again, ringing the doorbell thrice like he always would. When you opened the door, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes.

"Mark? Is everything okay?" you ask, confused why he'd be out here this time of the night

"Sorry for waking you up but I just can't sleep tonight knowing something's not right with us. Are we okay?" he ask you.

This was enough to fully wake you, opening the door for him fully to let him in. You wait until you're inside before you face him again,

"I just needed some time off, I guess" you tell him

"Why?"

"Well, you said you had a date with Aeri. I didn't want to get in between that, you can't be spending that much time with me once you get a girlfriend. I'm not going to be that kind of bestfriend, Mark"

Your explanation although very valid, did not make any sense to him. Because now when you say things like him getting a girlfriend, he don't see Aeri beside him or any other girl.

The only person he can picture beside him is you. The only person he wants to spend all his time with is you. The one he wants to take out on dates is you. When he went out on that date with Aeri, he did have a great time but the two of them thought they're better off as friends. He just never had the chance to tell you because you've been avoiding him.

"Well you don't have to worry about that, I'm not going out with Aeri"

"What?? why?? But you like her"

Now you feel guilty, wondering what could've went wrong and if you had something to do with it.

"I thought I did. I mean I like her, but only as a friend. Turns out we're better as buddies" he lets out a chuckle, watching your confused reaction

"You're still my bestfriend though, so will you tell me what's wrong?" he asks, taking careful steps towards you until he's an arm length away

"Like I said I didn't want to intrude"

"I don't think that's just it. Jeno said-"

"Jeno said what??? Oh my god I'm going to kill him"

He just smiles at you, this is the first time you said more that a few words to thim and the first time you sounded like the usual you.

"Actually he didn't say anything, then Haechan somehow figured it out and say I should hear it from you instead" he looks at you, observing your face. Committing every detail he's been looking at for years. This time with more adoration and love in his eyes.

"What's wrong with you?" you ask, noticing the way he's looking at you.

"Nothing, just thinking about something completely stupid" it's not stupid. He was thinking about all this time he didn't any other girl, he always have liked you but too scared to say something about it. So instead he searched for something similar.

But of course no one could even come close. There's after all, only one of you for him.

"What?"

"You tell me first what Haechan and Jeno know then I'll tell you"

Now that he's the one asking, you're not sure how to get out of this one. He got you cornered with no place to go.

"I'll tell you but you have to promise me if it ever gets awkward after this you'll still be my bestfriend" you tell him,

"Of course"

Instead of telling him in words, it's like a higher power possessed you. Standing on your tiptoe, resting both hands on his shoulder. Pressing your lips flat against his.

You can tell just how shocked he was, frozen in his place. Your blood runs cold thinking you just ruined your friendship forever but then you feel his arms snake around your waist pulling you closer towards him. Mark tilts his head a bit to the side, deepening the kiss. Smiling against your lips, he can taste the strawberry flavored chapstick you always use.

This should feel weird and foreign to the both of you, but no. This moment feels so right. Being in each other's arms makes so much sense, like this was how it should've been all along.

Mark takes a few steps forward making you walk back until your back is against the door, still lips attached together. Eventually the two of you had to break apart to take a breath, your eyes still closed you feel him kiss your lids then your nose then he kisses you on your jaw down the side of your neck. Leaning your head on the side to give him more space because right now his lips feel so good against your skin you just wanted more.

He gives you a few more kisses before leaning away to look at you with that lovestruck look on his face.

"I know this might seem a bit too fast but a decade worth of memory with you seems enough, can I be your boyfriend?"

This time you kiss him again, shorter this time though so you can give him your answer "Of course, who else would I make more memories with. Plus I love your mom too much"

Mark smiles at your words, finally finally all the pieces fall into place. Finally he got the girl.

"What did I say, told you I'd be a cuffed man"

"Shut up and just kiss me"

"Yes ma'am