#but it was like already thought that she probably wouldn���t have like a year left but rather months

[towriteloveontheirarms]

"Prologue"- The kissing booth AU

part 1 of 4 || series masterlist || next part

pairing: modern!Aegon II Targaryen x Reader, side modern!Aemond Targaryen x modern!Floris Baratheon

summary: You hadn´t been kissed at the ripe age of sixteen years old, that is no secret to Aemond. After all you grew up together, however throughout all your childhoods and even know you have a different secret to keep. One that could possibly destroy your longest friendship.

word count: 1,4k

warnings: language, mentions of character death and grief, mentions of fighting

note: Here it is my darlings! The prologue for my first ever series. Let me know what you think.❤️

You are born in Kings landing memorial hospital. Same day, same time as Aemond Targaryen, your best friend. Your mother and Alicent Hightower were bffs ever since before people even knew the term. Thus you grew up basically as twins. You were inseparable. For as long as you can remember Aemond and you loved to dance. If there was one thing at your young age of six years, it was that dance machine at the arcade, which would turn out to be your favourite place to dance. That year Aemond got a scooter for Christmas, which you tried riding. Big emphasis on tried, seeing as you almost immediately broke your leg. Aemond signed the cast and started something that would soon turn into a tradition between the two of you. He bought ice cream as an apology.

After your leg is healed you go to the pool with Aemond and his older brother Aegon, who against a protection fee consisting of ice cream, chases of some bullies for you.

Not too long after that you fond yourself in the hospital again. This time it is Aemond who sits on the shitty, small bed. Crying as he tries to process the fact that he would soon lose sight in his left eye. The sight in that eye had been gradually getting worse for a while. It is the hardest you had ever seen him cry.

At age eleven you watched Aegon in his first fight at school. He won.

Then your world as you knew it got shaken up, as you ound out that your mom was sick. It was strange seeing her in the hospital for the first time. You try to stay strong for your father and your younger brother though and try to get used to seeing her there. To say it wasn´t easy is an understatement.

Getting into a fight with Aegon for beating up Aemond  a while later brought some normality back. Especially as you made it up to Aegon by letting him fix your bike. He is so handy.

Afformentioned normality brought you to the realization that you really liked soccer. In fact you were really good at sports.

After you visit your mother around your fourteenth birthday and before you leave the building, your father pulls you aside for a talk. Your mothers condition had gotten worse and the doctors predicted she most probably wouldn´t have much time left. After getting those news even dancing with Aemond didn´t feel the same for a while after that, but he was there for you like no one else. You spent a lot of time in the hospital that year, just sitting with your mom and trying to create somewhat happy memories. You even tried to help her put some make up on, even though you weren´t of much help. You also held her hand for a long time and only cried when she was asleep. You didn´t want your tears to pull her down more than the medical procedures did already.

You also tried to score your first kiss with Jason Lannister. It´s safe to say it wasn´t exactly a love connection. If only for the fact that he sneezed on your face as you inched closer. So instead you watched Aegon getting really, really cute.

The same year you went as a pirate for Halloween. Aemond as the black swan, going all out to include the tutu and makeup and everything. It made you laugh the most you had in years.

Only to have the floor pulled from underneath your feet the next year, when you had to say goodbye to your mom. She had lasted a lot longer than the doctors had thought and that made you proud and happy. You had a lot to say to her. Sitting in the grass beside her grave for endless hours as you told her all about Aegon. Who you didn´t realize you had a crush on just yet.

Months later you watched Aegon ride his motorcycle for the first time. Only to then watch Aemond try to ride Aegons motorcycle. Ending in Aegon teaching Aemond a lesson for sitting on his motorcycle. A lesson consisting of pulling up Aemonds boxer briefs until he gave in and apologized. Only letting him go with the warning to never do that shit again.

Your sixteenth birthday Aemond and you start out by celebrating that he got his dream car. Only to learn not too long later the full extent of just how mean girls really can get.

Your next fail at a first kiss happens while playing seven minutes in heaven. You are alone with Cregan Stark and everything looks like it finally is playing out fine. Your Faces inch closer and you are about to celebrate that he, unlike Jason, hadn´t sneezed in your face yet, when you feel your foreheads bump together painfully. It was no big deal you, tried to tell yourself, but still it gnawed on you, that at the ripe age of sixteen, you still hadn´t been kissed or even been on a single date yet.

The pit in your stomach got bigger when you finally realized you had a crush on Aegon. As probably the last person in your life. Well, other than Aemond, who you hoped, would remain blissfully unaware of the fact until you got over your crush.

Which you did… mostly.

Savouring the last fleeting moments of summer at Aemonds pool. You are painfully aware of the passage of time. The end of summer and the start of the school year, but it´s moments like this that make you wish things could stay this way forever. Aemond sits on the pool lounger beside you. Lathered in sunscreen and sunglasses shielding his eyes from the mid-afternoon heat. The peace of the moment doesn´t last long though as school doesn´t want to wait until the end of summer to torture you.

“Student council expects an idea of our dance club this week, for the fund raiser. We need to come up with something. Something good. Fast.” You turn towards him. Lazily sitting up on the lounger you were lying on before. Aemond looks at you, opening his mouth to reply something when you are distracted by his brother walking in. It´s like the scene in one of those guilty pleasure romance movie. You push your sunglasses up to watch Aegon´s bare upper body glistens with sweat in the sun as he comes walking up the stairs to that lead to the area you and Aemond are chilling in. Shirt slung over his shoulder casually as his free hand runs through his silver hair. Everything feels like it was happening in slow motion.

“Hey, princess.” Aegon´s teasing as usual tone pulls you back to reality. He knows that you hate being called that.

“Hello, Aegon…” You shoot back in an equally teasing tone. You know he hates being called that.

“You, when did you get those boobs?” He points to your very well formed cleavage, that is hidden only by a skimpy two piece you decided to wear to tan.

“That must´ve been about when you were in Football camp, Asshat.” Aemonds interference is well meant, but not helpful at all. Prompting you to scoff at him.

“Aemond! Number two, please.” Number two of your friendship rules stated to `Never share our secrets with anyone else.´

Aegon laughs and shakes his head. “Mum and dad are out of town this weekend. Party starts at eight. No assholes.”

“Does that include you?” Aemond means to say it quietly, only for your ears, but somehow his brother hears. Prompting him to shove your friend in the pool.

You join in with Aegons laughter as he walks away.

“Gods, he´s such an ass.” Aemond grumbles, crawling out of the water, grabbing a towel to dry himself off. You however don´t see any of that. Instead your gaze is fixated on Aegons rear as he walks away.

“I know right…” You whisper distracted but appreciatively.

“Hey! Do I have to remind you of rule number nine again?” Rule number nine was Aemonds responsibility and it was a big one for him. `Relatives of your bestie are totally off limits.´

“What? No, come on! Ew” You huff at him.

“Yeah? You got a bit of drool, right there.” He motions to the corner of his mouth.

“Oh really?” You ask with a mischievous glint in your eyes. It is the only warning he gets, before you throw Aemond back into the water.

The rest of the afternoon the two of you spend pointlessly brainstorming ideas while tanning and drinking ice cold lemonade, homemade by Alicent, who had become much like a bonus mom to you by now. Until the sun starts to set and it is time for you to return home.

[konohamaru-sensei]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY @foolishk. I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH.

hq au cuties.

The usual jingle sounded over the speakers in the train car and Hajime steadied his nervous hands by taking out his phone from his pocket as he left the car. It was about a ten minute walk from Tenno-Ji station to the studio in Harajuku, and he would suffer the entire way if he couldn’t keep his mind busy somehow.

In his bag the bottle of wine he had brought was clinging with every step. It had taken him ages to pick out, mostly because he didn’t know what Kaiya liked or if it even was appropriate to bring anything for the occasion. Sure, she had said that they could celebrate the final product they had worked on together, but maybe she had just meant it metaphorically.

Unfortunately for him, his phone screen didn’t show anything that he hadn’t already seen when he woke up. There were about twenty messages of support from Tooru, mostly emojis. It was about 2 a.m in Buenos Aires right now, but that didn’t seem to deter his best friend from texting. 

Hajime already regretted that he had talked to Tooru about this in the first place, given his track record with lovers, he probably wasn’t the best guy to chat up about advice. But he hadn’t wanted to go to anyone else with this specific matter that made him so very insecure.

Still, he couldn’t help himself. He opened the LINE-chat with Tooru and looked at the last batch of the spam he had sent overnight. “Tell me everything when you are done ^_^ “ and “I will stay up and wait for your report ><” and “Of course she likes you too, who wouldn`t?!!” 

Yeah well, Hajime thought in a reply he would never send, Tooru hadn’t liked him, no matter how long they had stayed by each other’s side. Not that this mattered now, their friendship was still solid and with Tooru time zones away in Argentina, Hajime at least had the opportunity to move on to someone new.

He found the studio in a backstreet of the busy clothing streets of Harajuku, the outside sign was as colourful and weird as it had been the first time he had come here. It felt ages ago by now, though it was only about half a year, when he first stood here and stared at the entryway of this old 60ies style building. Hajime didn’t know then who that person was he was about to meet and frankly, he had only limited interest in that project the marketing department had thrown together and involved him in. All he knew was that the artist’s name was Uchiha Kaiya and that this was her colourful but weird studio.

“We will make it a contest,” the marketing lady Yamagata-san had said with the widest grin she could muster without looking like a mannequin. “Several artists can submit concepts for an advertising campaign involving our national volleyball team. The winning artist will be then contracted to design the full campaign and we will distribute it nationally.”

 Hajime had nodded, but wondered why he was being told this. “Sounds solid.” Surely, there was a catch, otherwise they weren’t telling him about this.

“We thought you might be the advisor to the winner.” Ah, he thought, there was the catch. Yamagata-san read his face. “Not all the time, of course, Iwaizumi-san, just at the beginning. Once the campaign is sort of set, we from marketing can take over. It’s just important that all the players are well represented and nobody knows them better than you.”  

As much as he might have wanted to, there was no arguing with this point. And, since his players were currently mostly engaged in their own clubs all over the world, he couldn’t even excuse himself from the responsibility by saying he had training to attend to. 

So he found himself staring at the oddly coloured sign of the contest’s winner, Uchiha Kaiya, who had a degree from prestigious Tokyo University, but had not done any bigger projects after that. Not that Hajime blamed her for that; making money with art was notoriously hard.

His first impression of the young woman that appeared in front of him was that she looked cute, but Kaiya was much more than just a pretty face. Not only was she clearly talented at her work, she was also passionate and cooperative, smart and funny and above all, she loved the sport of Volleyball, though she had barely played it herself when she was younger.

By the time the three sessions that he had been obliged to tag along had passed, Hajime found himself going back anyways, no matter how often Yamagata-san told him he didn’t need to. He faked interest in the campaign, used an excuse or two to say that it was just for the sake of his players portrayal, but in reality he just went back to see Kaiya again.

Turned out, she had grown up in Tokyo and had never left the city. “I can’t really see myself in the countryside,” she had said and smiled. “But I’m sure it can be nice.”

“I certainly miss going everywhere by bike,” he had replied. “I know I could technically do that here in Tokyo too, but it seems so very dangerous. Also, the noise here is something one needs to get used to.” She laughed at his remark and he felt like he had done something right. 

Kaiya told him how she used to sneak into the Volleyball practice of her high school team to observe the boys playing, sometimes the girl team too, but mostly the boys. Hajime, as main scout and head coach of Japan’s national team, had obviously heard about Nekoma High school and their premier boys team, though he had never personally played against them in their prime. 

“Ask  her out,” Tooru had said right away when Hajime had mentioned Kaiya the first time. 

Back then he had replied a lazy: “It’s not like that” even though it maybe was exactly like that.

Eventually though, when the design for the posters and the train banners were slowly nearing its completion and Hajime was often just sitting with Kaiya for hours talking about everything but the campaign, he had to allow himself to admit that he might have a little crush again. THen it took him another week or so to fight his own insecurity. Just because he had a crush that led nowhere in his teenage years, didn’t mean this one needed to lead nowhere too. 

He just needed to follow Tooru’s advice and ask her out. “I will see her on Sunday morning for the last time to clear up the very last questions,” he had told his old friend. “I will ask her out then.”

 “You can do it, Iwa-chan,” Tooru had sung over the phone line. “I will send you support when the time comes.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Hajime had assured, but of course Tooru did whatever Tooru wanted and sent 20 texts anyway.

He took three steps at a time to make it up to the studio entrance door, which once again had the wildly coloured sign of her name next to it. If all went well he would probably return to this place another time after he left it today, but if not… No, he wasn’t even going to think about that, it would just make him nervous again.

At first he didn’t see her at all when he entered her studio, but then he spotted her legs crossed behind a big canvas. “Iwaizumi-san” Kaiya said with a smile when she noticed him. “Nice to see you!” There was a bit of red paint on her nose and Hajime actively suppressed the urge to wipe it away from her.

“I see you are working hard,” he smiled, avoiding as always to address her by her name. He had somehow gotten used to calling her Kaiya in his mind, though she had never offered her first name to him. It was too embarrassing to admit that he already felt so familiar with her, that he wasn’t using her last name as she was using for him, so he just avoided using a name in general.

She was painting a giant canvas of a sunrise and when he looked over it with awe, she explained: “Client wants it for their living room, but I’m not happy with it yet, I think I will start over.”

“I think it looks phenomenal,” he said and meant it.

 His compliment made her laugh a little shyly. She put the brush down and stretched a little, then she said: “Should we look at the final product one last time?” He nodded and offered his hand to help her get up from the floor. 

Not that there was anything new to look at really, they had gone over the design so many times that there was nothing to discuss. Still, Hajime had come round every week to “see if there were any changes”, just to have an excuse to see Kaiya again. He had wondered why she hadn’t pointed out this fact a long time ago and secretly hoped that maybe, maybe, she had also scheduled more meetings with him, because she liked hanging out.

They walked over to the posters on a big pile on her work desk. With the Olympics over it was never a bad idea to keep interest in your sport high, especially in a country like Japan so dominated by Football and Softball, so they had decided to make the ad campaign very flashy. Several players were on each poster and when Hajme had to think back at the struggle it was to get all of them for individual photo sessions and on top of that, for each of them to look good, he almost got a headache.

“I wish we had gotten a picture of him where he doesn’t frown,” Hajime said for what felt like the third time, picking up one of the posters that showed Wakatoshi and his ever so stern stare into the camera. “But every picture with him smiling somehow ended up scarier.”

Kaiya took the poster out of his hand and looked at it thoroughly again, as if she hadn’t looked at it about a hundred times before. “I tried to make the lighting different so he looks a little more friendly,” she explained something she had said before. “Unfortunately it seems like a lost cause. Ushijima-san looks best when he just looks relaxed.”

“If that is what you can call “relaxed”, then yes,” he laughed. 

“Is there anything else that you notice?” She asked and put the poster down. “You better not, because I don’t want to start over now.” She laughed, but he knew she was being serious. Last time, after all, he had told her that it was exactly right the way it was.

He lifted his hands in defence: “I don’t-  I don’t have anything, I swear. I just thought we could celebrate the successful work together.” He pointed at his bag. “I brought some wine, mostly because I couldn’t decide what champagne to buy..” And also, though he couldn’t say that out loud, because he felt like champagne was much too fancy and felt like he was asking her for marriage, when he was just trying to ask her out.

She watched him take the bottle out. “I don’t think I have glasses for that…” she said and put a finger to her cheek. “I don’t think I have any glasses here.”

“Damn,” Hajime let out. “I totally forgot that is necessary.”

“We could always just go into town and have something there,” Kaiya put her head to the side. “It is lunch time soon anyway.”

He almost dropped the bottle he had been holding. The entire week he’d been at the end of his nerves for this day, planning to ask her out for dinner or a movie or karaoke or anything she liked doing, and here she was, just casually inviting him out for lunch, ruining his plan completely.

Well, even if they went out for lunch he would have to ask her to see her again after that, so he guessed not everything was ruined.

“Sure, if you feel like it.” He smiled. “My treat.”

Kaiya lightly moved over her nose. “Huh?” she made and then looked at her finger and blushed instantly. “D-did I have paint on my face the entire time?”

Her embarrassment was so cute that he bit his lower lip not to let out a big, long drawn “awww”. Instead he rather felt like sparing her. “I didn’t even notice,” he lied.

She looked at him as if she knew he was lying, but quickly wiped the paint off her face behind a flat hand so he couldn’t see.

“You can lead the way, then,” he said, walking to the door to open it to her and when she moved past him his heart skipped a beat.

On the way down the stairs he quickly typed into his phone: Go to sleep. But then added a quick: :) 

[unbreathable]

ride home  / S. Rogers

Summary : As a girl you were always told to never accept a ride from unknown men. You knew what could happen, you knew the dangers and heck, you`ve seen how it ruined some girls. But hey, he`s your teacher, nothing could happen. Right?

Pairing : Dark(soft)!teacher Steve Rogers x female Reader

Before you read, please understand that this is intended to be a dark fic. There will be noncon elements, rape, violence, manipulation and so much more. If you find any of these disturbing, please click away. 18+ only.

Warnings for this one shot : manipulation, noncon elements, rape, use of drugs, lost of virginity. This is some kind of au and Steve might be out of character a little.

Word count : 3.319

Credit : for the gif I used, the credit goes to its rightful creator.

Note : Don’t expect this to be any good. I came up with this over the course of a few hours and I’m still learning how to write one shots, as I find it much easier to write a series. Also I still suck at writing “smut”. I’m trying to perfect it, tho. Promise. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this one shot till my mind would be satisfied with the way the next chapter of “The Magpie” turned out and would let me post it. :)) Also, please excuse any mistakes I made. Have a great day you guys!

                   Also, to all the writers from this platform : thank you !

Girl found wondering around without any memory of the last few days, claims she had been abducted and raped...

Your eyes narrowed as you stared at the case which has been all over the news for the past week. It was quite predictable, really. Young girl, too drunk for her own good woke up by herself in the middle of nowhere. You sighed. In a city as big as New York, cases like this happened almost every other day, but there was always something left behind. Fight marks, blood, hair. Anything that could help the police find the person who did it. This time though, there was nothing.

The poor girl. You couldn`t help but pity her. She must be terrified. All alone against a world that knows nothing better than to judge. You pinched your nose in exasperation.

Cases like this, it`s what made you choose to study law. You wanted to be able to help other women. To offer them a chance at justice. No one deserved to be told that it was their own fault for wondering alone at night or for wearing something more showing. No girl should feel like the law protects only the male population...

“ And what`s your opinion on this matter, miss I`m too busy scrolling on my phone to pay attention to class?”

You cursed in your head, as you put your phone away and lifted your eyes to meet your teacher.

Steve Rogers. America`s hero, savior of the world and an actual pain in your ass, was looking at you expectantly. You held his gaze as you forced your lips to form some kind of smile. Something about him always put you on edge and the way his eyes darkened as he stared at you, didn`t exactly help ease the feeling.

“I`m sorry, I was distracted.” you murmured, not wanting to give him the satisfaction that he caught you unprepared. ”If you would be so kind...”

You looked at him as you raised one eyebrow. It was always like this. No matter what you did he`d always find something to pick at you. At first you took it as a form of banter between a teacher and his students, but with time it became clearly that he had a problem with you. Your grades didn`t reflect the hard work you always put in. Your extra work wouldn`t be considered. Every time you would as much as look at your watch he`d find something to jab at you. He would also have something to say about every paper you handed him. It was a miracle you even made the grade for his class.

You cringed as you remembered the comments he would make about your life outside his class. You seemed to bump into him on a daily. There was also something, in the way he watched your every move, that it made the hair at the back of your neck stay high on alert. You really couldn`t understand what you`ve done that America`s sweetheart despised you that much.

”The women rights...” he smirked down at you.

“Oh, yes. I strongly believe that women should have got their rights the same time men did.” you smiled when you realized that he wanted to add something else. “I mean we know that every society of this world was built around androcentrism, but if we`re real the women were the ones that kept everything from falling apart.” you drew in a short breath. “Oh, and I believe that 1920 was a bit late for our women to get their rights, since women all around the world fought for it since the 18th century.”

You smirked, as for once in your life the bell rang exactly when you needed it. Forcing a smile his way, you stood up gathering your notebooks. You were quite proud of yourself, not because your answer was the desired one, but because you got on professor Rogers nerves. While he didn`t seem to have a problem with women and feminists in general, he sure had a problem with the way you choose to speak on the matter. From the corner of your eye you saw his jaw twitch.

At first you were afraid to even say your opinion lest you would upset him, but now you enjoyed to see that vein on his forehead nearly pop. You held back a giggle. Oh well, at least you won`t have to see him for the next few weeks.

“Professor!” you rolled your eyes when you herd your bestfriend use her sweet voice. “I was wondering if you`d like to come to our party tonight.”

You stood straight, narrowing your eyes at the one that has been your friend since the first day you came to the city. What the hell was happening. You knew she had a crush on him, everyone did, but she wasn`t the one to just go and ask someone out, especially not him. You watched her in confusion as professor Rogers made his way to the front of the class.

“You know, with everything happening right now, the uni council would let us hold the party only if there was someone that could take care of us.”

“Oh!” you supposed that made sense, but even so why did it have to be him.

“Of course professor Barnes already said that he`ll be there, but we`d be thankful if you came too. Please!” your friend bated her eyelashes at him as you rolled your eyes.

Professor Rogers had a pleased smile as he moved his eyes from her to you. You held his gaze, even going as far as raising one eyebrow at him. He blinked, before turning his head towards the rest of the class.

“Since you asked so nicely.” he said after a short moment dismissively. ”`I`ll be there.”

There was something sinister in his eyes. Something that you failed to see as you made your way out of the lecture class.

“I can`t believe you invited him!” you playfully jabbed your friend in the shoulder as she walked next to you.

“Oh, come on! It’s just tonight, and I bet he won’t be able to stay up that late since he’s like... the same age as history?” she bit back a laugh, as she took your hand. “It will be fun, you`ll see.”

You hoped she was right since you were never a big fan of parties of any kind.

                                       _ _ _

This wasn`t fun. Not at all.

You knew you should have stayed home, yet you still wanted to enjoy the last night with your class mates before break. But this wasn`t it. The music was too loud and you couldn`t even hear what some people were saying. Also you`ve never really been a techno fan. The food was crap and you were sure everyone came just because there were free drinks.

It was well past midnight and you have been there since the beginning, but you were already dreading it. You smiled as your only joy came from watching drunk freshmen being rejected by some of your friends. The girls were ruthless and that made you proud.

“Hey girl!” your bestfriend came by your side, holding two glasses in her hands as her body danced along the rhythm of the music. “Look at was professor Rogers sent us.”

Her words were slurred and you could see that she drank already too much. That`s why at first you thought you didn`t hear her right. While it wasn`t unusual for men to send women drinks, getting a drink from your teacher was something you never thought could happen. It was wrong in a way.

“What?” your eyes widened as soon as the word left your mouth.

You eyed the glass she handed you. It seemed to be one of your favorites, and after the sour taste the beer left in your mouth, that would have been like a desert. Still something made you suspicious.

“Come on, take it!”  your friend pressed as she smiled broadly. “He must have realized that he’s been an ass all year and wants to make amends.”

She was giggling as her glossy eyes drifted around the room. She didn`t seem to be able to focus on anything, but somehow her shaky hands found yours and brought the glass you were holding closer to your mouth. You weren`t exactly sure what came over you, but you opened your mouth and let the liquid go down your throat. Involuntarily, your eyes wondered around till you saw the back of your least favorite teacher. He didn`t even seem to care about anything around him as he was engaged into a discussion with professor Barnes. That alone made you feel safe, even though the drink left a bitter taste in your mouth.

You were too quick to judge, you resonated. This was probably his way of saying: “Sorry I tormented you that much.” You suddenly giggled. It was shortly followed by your friend`s laughter. She threw the glass to the side and took your hand leading you to the dancefloor.

You weren`t that much of a dancer. You knew just some basics moves and that was it, but now you didn`t seem to care. You let your body move, and only chuckled when your legs started to feel like jelly. It was a strange feeling. You suddenly felt like were floating.

You furrowed your brows as you started to feel that your body didn`t exactly respond to your impulses. Everything around you happened in slow motion.

You cursed. Just how much did you drink? Moving one hand to your head, you tried to get your senses back, but you found it too hard to do. Your head buzzed. For a second you looked around trying to spot your friend among the sweaty bodies on the dancefloor, but it was like you couldn`t recognize anybody.

Fuck this. You had enough of this party already, and the way you felt made you decide that it was time to go home. You moved between the sea of bodies as fast as you could. Your coat and purse were the only thing you spent more than five minutes looking for, but as you found them you practically run out of there.

The bus stop wasn`t that far, but just the thought that you`ll have to go home by bus, made you want to throw up. You didn`t feel well and there was  dizziness that started to overcome you. As you watched the empty street, you cursed again. Of course you`ll have to wait till the next bus came. Damn it! You should really get your license.

The sound of a engine from behind you, made you turn your head. Your eyes narrowed as you watched the Range Rover slow down and actually stop right next to you. You squinted your eyes, trying to see through the tinted glass, but as a wave of nausea hit you, you moved your head to the side. You didn`t exactly pay attention when one of the windows went down. You didn`t really care. You felt sick, and all you wanted, was to get home.

“ I saw you left the party early.” the deep voice said. “Are you all right kitten?”

You hissed when you heard the voice of the last person you wanted to see right now. What was he even doing here? Your heart skipped a beat as another wave hit. You took a deep breath and tried to steady yourself. Just ignore him and he`ll go away. You didn`t exactly knew why you choose to act like that but there was something in your head that told you it was for the best.

“Come on girl, I have to make sure everyone is safe and sound.” you heard his voice. “If you don`t feel fine, I can take you home.”

The idea of getting home sooner and in a nice car was looking really good right now. But still, you didn`t feel like it was the best for you. You choose to keep quiet for reasons not even you knew. You glossy eyes scanned the schedule of the bus that was right in front of you. Thirty minutes and you`ll go home.

You heard professor Rogers sigh.

“And here I thought you never shut your mouth.” there was a deep chuckle, fallowed by the sound of the engine coming to life. “Look kitten I can either get you home or I`ll go my merry way and let you here all alone... well not quite. But I`m not sure you`d want that kind of company.”

Confusion filled your mind. The sudden move you made to look at him, made you dizzy. You tried to focus your eyes, in time to see him pointing to somewhere behind you. You slowly turned.

A group of guys were eyeing you like a wolf would his prey. Your mouth fell open as they did obscene gestures at you. Your whole body freeze as fear took over you. You knew what could happen. Suddenly you were more sober that ever and as you heard the car start moving, you nearly threw yourself in front of it. On shaky legs you moved towards the door.

“Wait” you find it hard to speak. “Professor, I`m sorry I... please!”

You looked at him with pleading eyes, and didn`t even register the way he smirked as you got into the car. Everything was a haze. You only felt like you could breath when the car started to gain speed. You didn`t even remembered to give him your address or anything, but as the car rolled down various streets you were only thankful you were far away from them.

“It such a crazy world out there” professor Rogers voice made you move your head towards him, but as the fear was gone, you started to feel the dizziness again.

With unfocused eyes you watched him. America`s hero was giving you a ride home for free and you were acting like he was your biggest enemy. What was wrong with you?

“I have to say I`m impressed.” he suddenly said as the car started to slow down. “That was one of the strongest drugs that you drank, and you still have some of your conscious left. The other ones were down after a few minutes.”

You looked at him and simply blinked. You wondered if your mind was playing games with you. Surely, he hadn`t said what you think you heard. You must have imagined everything.

“E... excuse me?” you asked dully.

You drew in a shaky breath as your trembling hand went to the door. He chuckled darkly at your attempts to open it. You wanted to scream but as your movement became slower and slower you found that fear wasn`t enough to fuel your limp body.

The car came to a sudden stop. You closed your eyes as you felt hands pulling you back.

“Now, now honey.�� you could feel his breath on the back of your neck. “Don`t waste your energy, you`ll need it.”

You turned your head and watched him through your eyelashes. Something in your head was screaming at you to fight, to run, to get away. You wanted to punch, scratch, hurt him in any way. But your body didn`t listen.

It happened too fast. In a matter of second your dress was ripped to shreds. And your found yourself pressed to the door. He was over you in an instant. Turning your head to the side so that he could stare into your eyes. He had a hungry look on his face. You`ve seen it many times but it never terrified you as much as now.

“Just as pretty as I imagined.” he said in a husky voice.

You squeezed your legs as you felt his hand moving around along your body. He tugged at your bra till the clasps snapped. Your nipples stood erect, you didn`t know if it was from the cold of the car or the heat that was inside you. One of his hands came forward at pinched at your nipples. You made to move, but as sensing your intention he tugged your head back by your hair.

“Don`t you even dare!” he growled as his thumb played with one of your nipples. “I waited a long time for this”.

He leaned forward kissing down your stretched neck. His mouth was hot against your skin. You gasped when you felt his tongue leaving wet traces along your collarbone. He tugged at your hair one more time before his hand went down.

“Always dressing like this world is your own runaway, always thinking that you know it all.” he let out a moan as he squeezed your ass. “Do you know what a face as pretty as yours and an attitude like that do to a man?”

You whimpered. You never meant to catch his attention in that way, you just wanted to feel good about yourself. You wanted to tell him that. To tell him that you were sorry, but your brain didn`t work anymore. There was no reaction even as he spanked you. You felt like you could pass out every second.

“Don`t even think about it!”

You closed your eyes when your panties were soon the same as your other clothes. Slick was going down your legs. Despite everything, you were aroused.

“So fucking wet already. Good girl!” he praised.

You felt his hand descend down to your very core, proding around. You bit your lips as tears filled your eyes.

“How many have been here before?” he gave a low chuckle the same time his fingers pinched your button.

“One?” he mocked as one of his long fingers entered you.

You held back a gasp. Non, no, no. This wasn`t happening. Nobody touched you like that before. Nobody even came close to it. That`s not how you wanted it not how you dreamt it would happen. You wanted dinner, roses, a man you loved... not him.

“Two?” he continued as another finger stretched you.

You felt your walls clench around his fingers, as he moved them in and out ou you, everything while his thumb circled your most sensitive part.

“Fuck... you`re tight!” his breath was ragged, it was like he couldn`t get enough.

There was a sudden pause. In a quick move you found yourself pressed to the door of the car, as he angled your body to have better access to your burning core. He drew in a breath.

“A virgin.” he moaned.

You closed your eyes as you herd him playing at his clothes. The sudden hardness you felt proding around your core, made you shiver. You didn`t dare to look back and see it. You were scared. It seemed too big. You were afraid it would split you in a half.

You screamed when he entered you. The pain blurred your vision. Your whole body ached and tears fell down your cheeks. No, no, no. You bit back a moan of pain when he started to move, not caring about you at all. His moves were rough, punishing.

“Shhh doll, I`ll take care of you.” he rasped. “You must have waited so long for this... saving yourself for me.”

Your body moved in rhythm with his. His cock dragged along your walls as every move sent a wave of pain through you. Soon though, you found the pain disappeared. A strange feeling took over you. It was almost pleasurable. You guessed you would have enjoyed it under any other circumstances. But now? Now you were just tired.

As you passed out, you failed to notice the feeling of something warm flowing through you.

                                          _ _ _

Steve smiled down at your sleeping form. So pretty, even after being used like that. You had a glow. Too bad you might not remember anything that happened. He chuckled. It`s a  good thing he planned to keep you. He`ll make sure you`ll never forget him.

You were his girl after all. The only reason he took that shitty job as a teacher.

[feminaexlux]

Fall to Me

TBH I realize belatedly after writing this that Truth was fomenting chaos in my soul and it needed to be taken the fuck out with a proverbial shotgun

Anyway here's a fic that was based off of Truth and without knowledge of the rest of S4 so far, just in case nothing makes sense

I also know I promised smangst (smut + angst) but I got tired/lazy and @mintaka14 posted something I felt was eerily similar (or just reminded me I needed to get this done) so I wanted to get this out the door

Read on AO3 here!

Rated M for language I guess?

⁂

Luka was in a precarious situation. He was lying half-naked on Marinette's chaise, with Marinette herself lying half-naked on him. She let out a quiet sleepy giggle when she brushed her thigh against his raging hard-on, still unfortunately trapped under his over-tight jeans. His neck felt sore where she'd bitten him and he figured there'd be a pretty obvious bruise there soon.

His chest was also similarly marked.

He woke up like this. He had woken up when he had needed to sneeze because some hair got all up in his face. He then realized he had a whole-ass person on top of him. And that person was the girl he had been in love with for years. He had gently brushed away her hair and she had hummed out a "Mmmm, Luuuuka," that got him hot-and-bothered and unable to go back to sleep. He kinda didn't want to wake her in fear of this whole precarious situation blowing up in his face.

⁂

This all started a week ago with Dingo, that fucker. Well, sort of. Maybe. Maybe that was all circumstantial. But Dingo had 2 extra tickets to The Bondsmiths and Ding had given them to Luka. Juleka was busy with stuff, his Ma wasn't into this newfangled noise, Ivan wouldn't go without Mylene, Mylene was in Spain on vacation, Rose was "stuff," and if Dingo was involved most of Luka's other friends wouldn't be.

He'd just thrown it out into a group chat "Hey I have an extra ticket anyone want to come?" and Marinette was the one that said "me~!" Luka and Dingo had a tense stare off when Dingo handed over the tickets.

Her? Dingo's sharp brown eyes seemed to say.

Luka stared back coolly. Yes. We're friends.

Dingo fucking smirked. How much longer, eh? Cheers, mate. He gave the tickets to Luka with a smarmy wink.

The night of the showing Luka got stuck being the designated driver. He was used to it. The concert area was indoors and packed. Ding almost got shitfaced and Brielle had to keep him from falling over. At least the sets were fantastic. When the concert was closing at around 02:34 Ding and Brielle were having sloppy disgusting make-outs, making both Luka and Marinette ever so slightly uncomfortable.

That was when it all started getting weird. Weirder.

Brielle came up for air and told Luka that she and Ding would take a cab back, so all Luka would need to do was drop off Marinette. Luka shrugged and did just that, but Marinette invited him up to crash at her place because it was already so late and he looked so tired. He was about to pass on that when Marinette mentioned that her parents were on vacation in China and wouldn't be back for a whole month, just… out of the blue.

Before he could formulate any sort of coherent response she took his hand and pulled him up the stairs to the living room, sat him on the couch, started brewing some chamomile tea for the both of them, and talked about the concert. Marinette smiled at him after handing him a mug and short-circuited his brain again. "That was fun!"

"I'm glad you enjoyed," Luka smiled back, sipping his tea.

She sat down next to him and brushed her hair back over her ear. A shiny black earring seemed to glimmer with the light it caught. "I'm really glad I was able to go with you."

His head was empty except for noticing the light blush she had on her cheeks. She looked up at him with her big blue eyes, and somehow Luka got the sense that she was… expecting something? Oh, a response, duh. "Same. It's always nice to hang out with you."

She smiled, drank the rest of her tea and set it aside. "Luka, can I kiss you?"

… What? Wow, alright he was tired. He thought he heard her ask him if she could kiss him. He was already in the half-asleep pseudo-dream state and probably imagined that whole thing. Goddamn he was such a simp for her. "Heh," he said noncommittally.

Marinette blinked at him. "Is that a… a no?"

"Hmm?"

She scooted closer to him and he took a big gulp of his tea to hide his nervousness. "You… don't want me to kiss you?"

Oh God he heard that correctly. He sputtered and coughed, covering his mouth with a fist. "Wh-what?" He blushed hard.

She blushed as well. "Sorry! I'm sorry. I-I-I thought… um."

Several years ago they had tried to date but she'd always been… unavailable. So they kept hanging out as friends, which was… fine. It was fine. They'd never even gotten to really do anything together as a couple but as friends? It went better.

He wasn't over her. Never tried to convince himself he was. But he also honestly hadn't expected her to want to get back together. So… what changed? She sighed heavily, her complexion calming back down. "Nothing changed. Not really." She looked down toward the floor at her feet and he finally realized he asked that last thought out loud. "I… maybe I guess I did." She looked back up at him. "I've been thinking lately that I just want… to do something for me, for once. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" She trailed off and stared back at the floor.

"I've never stopped wanting to be with you." Oh shit he said it. She looked back up at him and he awkwardly took another swallow of tea and looked away. "Sounds bad. I guess it is," he said eventually.

"But you didn't tell me?"

He met her eyes. "You were happy. You were with Adrien. I can't force my feelings on you."

She took a breath and let it out slowly. "I was, yeah." Her words hung in the air.

Luka hadn't figured out what happened to break up the state of Adrienette, but when he came back from touring with Jagged, Marinette and Adrien were "just friends" again. Luka wasn't sure how long ago the split happened and after 2 or 3 years apart did he even know Marinette anymore?

She had welcomed him back to Paris as a more grown up Marinette, not actually so different than he had remembered her. She had more confidence, less anxiety, a spine of steel. She was in charge of herself and it was so good to see her so sure.

He didn't want to mess that up for her in any way. So they remained friends for 2 more years. And for one reason or another they both kept being single.

He had somehow reintegrated back in her inner circle of friends. Luka saw for himself that Marinette and Adrien had a lot of history in their little in-jokes and double talk, dropping code phrases and making each other laugh at random. Maybe they'd reignite that spark and Luka didn't want to be caught in the resulting blaze. Even if they didn't, underneath it all he worried about being disappointed and left in the dark by Marinette like he'd been all those years ago.

Not that it did anything to change his attraction to her. He was a sucker for girls like her, except there had only ever been the one.

Marinette took his free hand and squeezed it gently. "I was happy, yes. And… I was hoping I could be again. With you?"

⁂

Slowly, Marinette thought, take it slow. She did spring this on him a little suddenly but hey, it felt right, and she had it on relatively good authority that it was time. At this point in her life she knew to trust her gut instinct and friendly advice. Although she felt more okay with this because her head was sliiightly impaired right now.

She also thought that he'd jump on… her, she supposed, given the opportunity - but he was uncharacteristically reserved. Was it uncharacteristic? Maybe not. He'd always been pretty laid back and easy going.

And observant.

Which meant he was thinking and had doubts about them. Well, shit. Okay. She didn't make it easy on them the last time they tried anything like this. Actually, Hawkmoth had made life difficult for her so there hadn't even been an opportunity for a them.

He sighed softly and squeezed her hand back. "I want… this. I do. But there's still something that worries me."

Alright, fuck going slow. "I'm Ladybug. I am now and I was then. That's why I kept disappearing." This was alright, it was kind of an open secret by this point in her superhero career. Her parents knew, her closest friends knew, and Luka was a close friend she wanted even closer, so he should know.

His mouth was slightly open and his eyebrows shot up. "Ah."

"Things are… okay now, aren't they? I'm not needed like I was before."

He smiled a little and his worried expression softened, understanding. "That… does explain a lot of things but that's not the only thing I was worried about."

That surprised Marinette. And actually now she started to worry herself. What other red flags had she given him? Shit. She'd been a basket case in her earlier teens but she'd left behind the Teenage Angst Things and graduated to Adult Things, hadn't she? Fuck.

He chuckled. "It's not --all-- a you thing, this is a me thing," he said.

"Oh please don't give me the 'It's not you it's me' talk when we haven't started anything," Marinette interrupted.

He snorted, putting down his empty tea mug on the table. "Yeah, I still want to give you some context," he continued. "First off, I'm not like Dad, I don't want to be a big rock star with all that baggage. I just wanna play music and do small gigs and have fun. I'm not gonna be rolling in money and I can't give you everything that you'd possibly want."

Marinette blinked. "I… already knew that?"

"Second, if you do want to 'start' things I promise you I'm not just going to let you go again."

Marinette bit back a smile. "Alright. Are we entering some kind of agreement here? Is this a pre-nup?" She stuck her tongue out at him.

"We're already getting married?" He laughed.

"Not if you don't want to kiss me!" He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers.

Soft, warm, simple. Real.

She placed her hands on his face and brought him in for another kiss, stopping him from pulling back all the way. "More," she breathed out.

⁂

"More?" Luka thought. It was… an odd ask but okay… He was sort of interested in more as well so why not? Except well, there were a few things clarified but he really meant to talk about things in detail before diving into… her mouth like he just did. Her fingers worked their way through his hair, her nails skimming across his scalp sending shivers down his spine. She gave back as much as she was receiving from him in their make-out and if he had to taste only one thing for the remainder of his life he'd want it to be her: sweet, warming, with notes of chamomile, bourbon, vodka, and rum.

This was getting a little too indulgent but most of him didn't mind. One part of him craved this from her, but… wait, shit. Bourbon? Vodka? Rum? She'd been drinking, dumbass. Shit. "Mm--" He tried to say her name to get her attention, maybe slow them down a bit -- okay, a lot -- but she had just leaned back on the couch and he was pulled down with her still relentlessly kissing him. "Mar--" he tried again, but she took that opportunity to take his bottom lip gently between her teeth. One of her hands went to his hips and she grabbed a belt loop and hooked a finger under his jeans, tugging him closer.

Oh boy.

He broke free from her a little reluctantly. "Hold on," he chuckled nervously after pulling back. "Wait a sec."

Her eyes went wide open and she froze. She pulled back her hands and stuttered out a "W-was that bad? S-Sorry! Oh I'm so--"

He pressed two fingers to her lips to stop the torrent of apologies. Apparently the penchant of apologizing for everything wouldn't change about Marinette even if she'd been drinking. "Marinette, you had a few drinks. I don't… I don't think…" He sighed, sitting back up.

"I only had 3?" Marinette squeaked.

"4. You finished off Brielle's."

"I-I think I'm pretty sober?"

"But you're not sure."

"I'm… sober enough, aren't I?"

"I'm not confident making that call."

"But I… I want this," Marinette said quietly but firmly. "I really want this."

The thought that kept mentally slapping Luka across the face was But will you still want this in the morning? Well. He had to be honest with himself. It was really Will you still want me in the morning?

Her knowing the general trajectory of his life and joking about marriage aside, she hadn't said anything about wanting him. Wanting a "this" and wanting to be happy again, sure. Having him along for the ride, sure. But actually wanting him and all he was? Still unclear.

And even if she said she wanted him, would he believe her? She'd been 14, yes, but she said she wanted to date and… never actually followed through, Ladybug duties aside. He sighed to himself. She hadn't been ready. That wasn't her fault. She couldn't tell him then.

But that time of being left behind didn't magically evaporate with an explanation.

He didn't think he was bitter or resentful but all of that was hitting him full-force now. Not again, his head warned him. Not again. You don't have to deal with that. And yeah, he didn't have to deal with that... Sometimes a heartbreak was worth braving.

He needed some time to think about if this was worth braving.

He felt Marinette shuffling at his side but he didn't give in to the temptation to look. He stared down at his hands, his elbows propped on his knees as he slumped forward.

"Can… Can I hear what you're thinking?" Marinette asked softly. There was a little bit of uncertainty in her voice. He didn't say anything for several heartbeats. "Luka?"

Well, at least she didn't call him Adrien. That was a plus. God that'd been once and it still left an awful taste in his mouth. "You should probably head to bed. We can talk later." Later. There was always later. Except he was tired of later. It'd been better when he didn't have to tell himself he could wait. It'd been better when he hadn't had anything to wait for.

Easier. Not better. He had to give her that.

"No," she said. "I'd like to talk now if that's alright. I'd like to… understand." Right, she was better at standing her ground. She wasn't 14 anymore. He wasn't 16 and naïvely hopeful anymore.

He probably wasn't going to sleep anyway. "I don't know how to trust you."

⁂

Shit. Shit shit shit.

Marinette felt the all too familiar cold panic settling on her shoulders like it always did. Of course he didn't trust her, she wouldn't trust herself fully now with how things played out back then. She was definitely getting a headache.

Fucking Cockmoth. Fucking Guardianship. Fucking… Adr--no, she made her peace with Adrien. They were past that now. Fucking… obligations and wrangling all those threads in her life to hold together. Marinette figured she was done with all that, but…

At the epicenter of all of these problems was her. She had to admit, it wasn't her fault but it became her responsibility to treat those around her as fairly as she could. And she hadn't been fair with Luka.

God, she spent hours staring at pictures of Adrien and drooling over every damn appearance. When she tried to get past the crush the whole universe was conspiring to push her to indulge it instead. And worst yet, she did indulge it while trying to date Luka! This was… she should have seen it coming. Who in their right mind wouldn't be at least a little bit wary of her intense obsession over Adrien in her formative years influencing her now? It defined who she was for a long time.

But she was different now, she grew up. She just needed to show it, right?

Wait. There was something about the way he said what he said. "You don't know how to trust me?" He nodded. "Do… do you at all?"

"Mostly." Okay, so there was still a tiny sliver of a chance? "I trust you with almost everything."

"Except?"

"Except me." He paused for a moment. "And you've been drinking."

But! But I… Yeah. "Okay." Her being slightly impaired did make things a little complicated. And maybe that was the reason why she was being a bit impulsive right now, the alcohol was fast-forwarding her decision making process. Marinette let out a breath she held in. "Will you stay here tonight?"

He raised an eyebrow but relented with a "Yeah."

"Come upstairs with me?"

He raised the other eyebrow as well, looking nervous. "Upstairs? To your room?"

"Yes, I wanted to--" It took a second but it clicked. What she asked didn't sound any less impulsive with how he probably interpreted that. "Oh I'm not going to seduce you or anything I just was thinking it'd be nicer for you if you were using my daybed instead of the couch here but I guess it could sound a little like I'm asking for sex which I'm not. I mean unless you consider making-out se--okay nevermind!" Wow, way to go, Marinette. Her face was burning with embarrassment. "I'll bring down a blanket!"

Okay, she had to admit it, she was definitely more than a little tipsy. She felt lightheaded when she stood up quickly. She tried to hide her disorientation as best she could as she walked away, heading toward the ladder leading up to the hatch. She'd been so focused on seeming not-drunk that she bonked her head at the top climbing up. "Ouch!"

"Are you alright?" Luka asked, and even tipsy Marinette could hear the puzzled amusement in his voice.

"I'm fine," Marinette muttered. She forced open the entry and it slammed open on the other side with a loud thunk. Fuck, she wasn't at all convincing him that she was sober. She slipped off her shoes and sat back down on her chaise/daybed, feeling incredibly embarrassed at herself. This was not at all going the way she hoped. He still felt betrayed at the things that happened when she was an idiot teenager. Should she have known? He never told her!

But he never told her because he never thought they'd get back together. That was obvious in the way he said all the things he said.

He did want to be with her. He did want her. But he'd been so hurt by what happened and… she never knew. No, of course she knew, he was akumatized by it. He'd carried that for so long and let her live her life without her knowing. Damn it, she needed to… she needed to make this right.

How could she make this right?

She was unsurprised as she felt the cool streaks of tears falling down her cheeks. In the morning, they'll talk. Ignoring the fact that it was already morning, she knew they both just needed to put this aside and get some rest for now. She heard shuffling and Luka making his way up the ladder. She quickly wiped her eyes.

"Hey, you doing okay?" He had a clear look of concern on his face, kneeling down in front of her. "Is your head hurting?"

"Oh no, sorry, I just spaced out."

"You hit your head that hard?" Luka asked, sounding even more concerned.

"No, no. I-I was… My head's fine, Luka." She sighed. "Just. Thinking, is all. Sorry, let me get the blanket."

He looked up at her a bit more keenly. "You've been crying." A simple statement.

"Yeah," Marinette said quietly, defeatedly. "But I'm okay." She pasted on a smile that didn't reach her eyes. She started getting up but he caught her attention and spoke with some hesitation.

"I don't need the blanket. I'm probably not going to sleep," he said with a half smile, sitting down on the floor in front of her. "Too much going on here," he tapped against his temple. "I'm guessing the same for you?"

"Yeah again," she said, smiling for real this time. "Can we keep talking?"

"We can. I thought it'd be better if you got some rest but sleep isn't coming for either of us anyway." The lights in her room were muted but she could see the bags forming under his eyes. He passed his hands over his chin, lightly scratching at the stubble coming in.

"I was really kind of… no, not kind of. I was awful when we dated before."

"You weren't awful. You just weren't there. I understand that you had Paris to save," he added quickly when she had furrowed her eyebrows. "But the fact remains that I wasn't able to spend any time with you. Juleka kept telling me to watch out and that you dated me only because Adrien wasn't available to date anymore. I was hoping you'd change your mind and you would want to be with me, but then you were making time for him and your other friends while I was left waiting. I'm a human being, Marinette, not a doormat. You forgot about me. It was miserable and I felt like shit. I almost regretted asking you out at all."

⁂

Ah, fuck.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. There were none of his usual filters. He just spewed all that out there. It was all true but maybe he should've let it go? She was young and dumb, anyone at that age was capable of making stupid-ass mistakes. Luka himself made soooo many of them. It'd been like 5 years since their breakup, maybe he should just get over it already. Marinette was in his arms literal minutes ago and he had to go and get like this. And he made her cry again. Nice one, Couffaine.

This was the worst sort of crying. She went absolutely still with a solemn expression, being oppressively silent while the tears fell from her eyes. He felt his mouth go dry and he swallowed. "I--" he cut himself off.

Marinette nodded her head so slightly Luka almost didn't see the motion. "I didn't make time for you," she agreed, her voice tiny and broken.

He suddenly wanted to make a quip about knowing all about time and giving Second Chances to let them both recover but that would be disingenuous and corny as hell. He wasn't so sure he believed in them much anymore. And maybe the way this played out was better anyway, at the very least he needed to own what he said as he couldn't take back his words.

Marinette broke the silence. "I… I wasn't very happy with myself back then. I did make a lot of bad decisions. I didn't give you… much of anything I guess."

He smiled a little. "I still have that pendant."

"I could have given you more. I could have been doing so much more. And I didn't. I didn't," she repeated, a hitch in her voice.

Fuck. He could meet her halfway at least. "It sounded like you had a lot to deal with. You knew your friends better so it makes a lot of sense that you'd prefer to hang out with them. I was just some guy. The brother of a friend. I wasn't that important in the long run."

"Don't say that," Marinette cringed a little. She wrapped her arms around herself. "You were--are important. I was… I was scared. Of a lot of things. A lot of stupid things." She shivered slightly. "I was a little scared of disappointing you. I was scared that maybe I had used you to… make me feel better about myself. I was scared that you'd never see all of me. I was scared that Hawkmoth would use you against me and your family and Paris if you knew I was Ladybug and it happened anyway without you knowing about me. I was so stupid back then."

He sighed. "Hey, please don't beat yourself up. I didn't want to make you feel like you have to explain what happened in the past. I got too… wrapped up in how I felt back then. We didn't work out and that's just life." It hadn't been their time.

Did he still love her? Sure. But they'd been better off as friends. She even made a point of trying to hang out with him nowadays. She told him everything that was on her mind. She gave him small gifts here and there, made it to all of his gigs, invited him to all of her fashion showings. They saw the movies and concerts they wanted to see together. When she felt lost or sad he was the first one she reached out to.

As… friends?

There was this uncomfortable feeling tugging at the back of his mind. He felt it at the base of his skull, a slow dawning realization. But… he almost didn't want to acknowledge it as it could have been just some phantom hope that she would love him like he sometimes dreamed. It was way too easy to get lost in some fantasy.

Maybe he was just scared himself. Scared of being ghosted again if he picked up this hope and tried to make it real. In a roundabout way he was saying that, at least.

Okay. Time to bite the bullet. He leaned forward and put his hand on her elbow. "I know we're hanging out a lot more now. I'm sincerely enjoying all the times we get to do stuff together. I'm grateful that you're giving me all that." This is it. Just say it out loud. "I'm saying that if we want to be more than friends, I'm scared that you're going to leave me again."

Whew. Was that so bad? Actually yeah it was terrifying.

There was a grimace on Marinette's face. "I… I-I understand," she said weakly. "I understand why you'd be afraid of that. But I don't know how to prove to you that I won't?"

It felt like the world shifted, the same as the first time he ever saw her. That earlier hope was coiling around his heart, making it beat faster. "You won't?"

She kept looking pained. "J-Just so you know I t-totally get it if you wanna stay friends or… or something, but I-I want… I know I messed up and I get pretty crazy sometimes so maybe you don't want anything to do with me after this and it's completely your right to do that--"

"Hold on," Luka interrupted her, half anxious and half this is so Marinette. "I'm not--" She put her fingers to his lips to quiet him.

"B-But I have to ask if you could give me a second chance?"

⁂

Marinette pulled her head back a bit and got annoyed at herself. "Sorry, that wasn't supposed to be a pun. O-On your… history as Viperion."

Great, so not only had she made an ass of herself but she just unintentionally punned at Luka. Marinette intensely disliked when Chat had made those inappropriately annoying puns whenever moments were tense. She seemingly picked up the habit, ugh.

Luka laughed and the tension was cut a bit. Maybe Adrien wasn't so wrong to have joked all the time. Luka took her hand into his and pressed his face against her palm. "Alright, alright," he breathed out. Instantly Marinette's heart started beating faster. "I just wanted you to hear me out. You do hear me, right?"

Marinette nodded. "I hear you." There was a slightly rough and tickling sensation under her finger tips as she was able to feel some of his 5-o'clock-shadow (except what was it now, 4am?). Funny, she didn't notice that so much when she'd been kissing him.

"Then you should know that even though I've been scared, I could never stop hoping you'd warm back up to me." He gently folded her hand in his and smiled up at her. "Do you want to go out to dinner with me? We don't have to get married along the way."

"W-Well, yes to dinner, or maybe breakfast? But I mean," Marinette said, attempting for casual but probably still coming across nervous. "Don't throw that whole marriage idea out yet. I'm still not sure how to… prove things?"

He smiled. "Spend some quality time with me. That's all. It doesn't have to be big."

"Okay, breakfast and dinner. And lunch, too." She wanted to spend all the time she could with him. He wasn't asking for much -- to be honest he never asked for much, and this was something she wanted to give.

Luka smiled, probably thinking she was joking. "Think you can get some rest now?" He asked. "I can head back downstairs--"

"No! No, no, I mean, stay here with me. I-If you want."

"You're not trying to seduce me, are you?" He grinned.

"Well, I can," Marinette grinned back. "Can I?"

He seemed a little surprised by that. "Uh," he blushed.

How cute, he got flustered. Capitalizing on that, Marinette leaned forward to wrap her arms around his shoulders, her forehead against his. "I'd really like to," she whispered.

"How... inebriated are you?"

She sighed. "Do you really think I'd be having a coherent conversation with you if I was drunk?"

"You tell me, Ladybug."

"Luka Couffaine, you are a gentleman but I'm merely... warm and not even buzzed anymore. I would definitely still like to seduce you."

He blinked a few times. "Oh." He paused again, thinking it through. He gave a little laugh. "I'd really like that too."

[mariamermaid]

Patronus-Protector

Sirius x Reader

Summary: Much to your dislike, your friends have been hiding something from you. Now it is your turn to find out what has been slumbering beneath the surface of the marauder group…

Words: 3.1k

A/N: requested by @divergirl9-blog Sorry it took so long!

Warnings: swearing, blood, little bit angsty

Patronus{m}, Latin- Protector

“Have they been avoiding you?”

Lilly frowned as you sat down across from her in the great hall. It was a custom habit of the two of you to do the potions homework on Tuesdays together. But your mind was everywhere but on the potions.

“What do you mean?”

“Don´t act stupid, Evans. Did James tell you anything?” You scrunched your nose and leaned a little over the table, so the red-head couldn´t avoid your glance. She held in for a second; James hadn´t particularly mentioned anything. On the other hand, the past times she had seen her somewhat secret boyfriend, there wasn´t much talking involved.

“Not really”, Lilly sighed and tried to get back on the homework. But you were too stubborn and took away her pen. You wouldn´t let this slip another time. “Not really? Is that all you got Lilly?”

“For Merlin´s sake Y/n, I don’t really know! He mentioned something about going to the Shrieking Shack.”

It was your turn to furrow your brows in confusion. “What do they want there?” You asked muttering more to yourself. Lilly rolled her green eyes, until they landed on a certain dark-haired boy. You quickly followed her glance, finding Sirius standing across the hall. It seemed like he had either watched, maybe even eavesdropped, but before you could further question the whole situation, he left the hall with hasty steps.

“You´re done, Black”, you cursed as you hurried after him and to hell with the homework, which you left behind.

Lilly watched as you left, her head back in her hand. “Young love.”

It was no secret to her that you felt a little more than just friendship for the heartbreaker boy. It was also no secret, that Sirius Black was only heartless until it came to you.

There was no thing he wouldn´t do for you, much against his own denial. However, Sirius was best at one thing; protecting you. Mostly, from himself.

Oh yes, he wouldn´t trade your long friendship for anything or anyone, but his craving to feel your soft lips on his, was getting stronger by the day. The fear of breaking in took away his sleep. But as the time the night came, he realized the empty spot in the bed next to him. However, he decided on the empty spot, instead of losing you forever. He had determined years ago, his purpose to protect you was greater than his pain.

You made it hard though. Especially as you ran after him through the halls, after he was explicitly advised not to talk to you with the upcoming full moon. It would be hard to contain Remus and James couldn´t babysit a werewolf and an Animagus at the same time. Especially, if said Animagus was only focused on protecting the girl he loved.

“Sirius!”

He ignored you.

“Sirius Black if you do not stop running, I´ll hex you!” Finally, he stopped in his tracks. So abruptly, you almost ran right into him.

“For Merlin´s sake, you better tell me what is going on!” You scolded him angrily. He avoided your eyes, staring out of the window instead.

“I don’t know-“

“Don´t!” You became angrier by the second, but beneath all that anger was hurt. Why didn´t he tell you? What had you done, that made him loose trust?

“Don´t do this, Sirius. We don´t have secrets from each other, I´ve known you my entire life. If I did something wrong-“

It was his time to cut you off.

“You didn´t do anything wrong!” He assured you quickly and you sighed, as he finally starred into your mellow face.

“But clearly something is wrong and as long as you prefer to keep it from me, instead of letting me help, you can shove our friendship up your ignorant ass!”

He wanted to prevent exactly what just happened; you getting hurt. But you were hurt and his actions felt like betrayal to you.

Angrily and gloomy, you left him standing in the empty hall.

For the next two days, neither of the marauder´s saw much of you. Lily, who shared her room with you was the only one. Sirius, who had given up on trying, after your recent fight, only watched you from afar. Both James and Remus attempted to catch you after class, but you slipped away and hurried back into safeties of your room. All of them worried about the silence that hung like dark thunder clouds, but the full moon was approaching fast. They had bigger worries.

It was on the second day of your oppressive silence; night was approaching and your stomach growled in hunger. You had skipped dinner in order to evade James and Peter, who sat with Lilly. It was weird seeing them without Remus or Sirius, but you hadn´t given it much thought. They were probably up to no good as always.

But as you snuck out your room hoping to get at least a late-night snack, you heard toned down voices. Waiting at the end of the stairs of the common room, you listened to James and Peter.

“Come on, Potter! You can always talk to your girl, but we have to get going now! Sirius will need our help.”

James sighed defeated. “If this continues, Lilly won´t talk to me just like Y/N.”

“If Sirius would´ve acted a little more elaborated, she wouldn´t be as pissed as she is. That boy knows how to charm every girl, but her.”

James snickered at Peter´s comment. “You´re right, let´s go!”

You had no idea what was happening, but your feet acted on pure instinct as you hurried after the two boys. After all, curiosity killed the cat.

They left the school building and you had trouble keeping up, cursing at Merlin for their endurance from the quidditch training. You watched as they arrived at the whomping willow, hiding behind rocks and high grass, and then, they disappeared.

How did the old willow not even attempt to crush them? You eyed the plant structure from a safe distance, analyzing where James had previously stood. Something was there, you couldn´t fully make it out, but James had leaned down a little to touch the willow.

“For Merlin´s sake, those boys will be the death of me!”, you cursed whispering as you hurried to the willow. Hastily and purely relying on hope, you searched the plant for anything. It was your luck, that you found the knot at the base and a secret passage opened up.

Your mouth slightly opened and quietly you admitted, that the marauder weren´t completely stupid. At least not all the time (often enough though). It was a rather awkward slide into the passage, but luckily, James and Peter were already more far off and they didn´t hear your stumbling.

It didn´t take long until you found yourself at the shrieking shack, slowly the pieces were put together. However, you already heard loud voices coming from inside.

At this point, your gut feeling took over your prudence and you hurried inside, following the yelling. Screams from all of the marauders echoed through the old shack and you panted, when all kind of horrible scenarios came to your head. Argument or not, they were your friends and you´d do everything to protect them. With your wand safely in your hand, you entered the large room, but what came to your view wasn´t at all what you had expected…

At the back of the stone wall was Remus… But he wasn´t himself.

In the rise of the silver full moon his eyes turned savage and fur crawled across his skin until he was fully covered. You heard the breaking from the metal chains as he rose from the ground, taller than ever before. A gasp left your lips, which brought all the attention to you.

“Remus!”

James, Sirius and Peter exchanged quick looks, it wasn´t their first battle against the full moon, but this time you were a new meeple in the game. James and Peter lunged forward, trying to keep Remus, who was in full werewolf mode, back and Sirius ran to your side. “What are you doing here?” He asked furious and your head snapped at him.

“Me? You were the one lying to me! I wouldn´t have come, but you were hiding something from me!”

“I wasn´t!”

“Uhm, how about Remus being a werewolf?”

“I wanted to tell you!”

Your argument was interrupted as both James and Peter were thrown against the wall, Remus was on the loose. Sirius who had positioned himself safely in front of you, let out a growl as well.

In the next second, he jumped forward, his clothes ripping and when landing, the four paws scratched across the wooden floor. Yes, you had spent many hours cuddled together with Sirius in his hound form, watching sunsets and sometimes sunrises as well. But it was the first time, you witnessed him other than an adorable dog. This time, he truly seemed dangerous.

Not only he, but Remus as well and you felt fear growing. You didn´t know what they were capable of. Barely realizing how Peter grabbed your arm to pull you back from the fight, you watched as the two shadow figures began battling.

“Y/n stay back”, Peter tried to remind you, but you too captivated. Both he and James couldn’t do much, until Sirius was thrown against a nearby dresser, which fell to pieces. Sirius bellowed in pain and while James tried to help the hound pack on his feet (or paws), you placed yourself right in between him and Remus.

“Remus, remember who you are! We´re your friends!” You exclaimed, but aimed with your wand right at him. No one hurt your friends and seeing Sirius down, felt like a wakeup call.

Remus however didn´t listen and as he made another step closer to you, you were left no choice.

“Stupify!”

The red light bathed the dim room, but then the darkness crawled back into the corners and your senses. Your eyes had to adjust again, but then he was suddenly right in front of you. A sharp pain emerged, as you held up your arms to protect your body and head, then you felt yourself hitting the ground. Everything was spinning, you had lost your wand and burning red liquid ran down your outer, lower arms. Screams echoed further in the shallow room and you did your best to concentrate. Sirius´s dark shadow lunged off the ground and threw Remus back down, howling and growls cut through the air. But the two of them disappeared in blurriness. Two pair of arms grabbed your side.

“Y/n, can you hear us?” James´s distant voice rang through your mind; you formed a faint nod.

Peter starred at the continues blood stream.

“James, she´s losing a lot of blood, we need to get her to the infirmary.” Peter quietly explained and shock as well as fear was clearly written in both of their faces. “What about them?”

James felt like vomiting at the sight of your injury and feared the fact, that you were zooning out more and more. But Sirius had Remus pinned down, and Peter carefully, but rapidly put your arms around James.

“Get her to the infirmary, I´ll help Sirius in tying him down, go!”

It was at the edge of your consciousness as you felt yourself leaning against James, while he tried his best to get you through the dark, dirty passage. Then, before you reached the light of the moon again, you blacked out.

 He had decided years ago, his purpose to protect you was greater than his pain.

 Now Sirius sat on the marble bench outside the infirmary. All he ever wanted was to protect to you, and he failed miserably. Deep, dark circles from lost sleep were seen under his matt eyes. It had been almost two days since the incident and he had not the slightest idea, how James had explained the entire situation. Madame Pomfrey sure had enough to do as he carried you in, in the middle of the night with blood dripping on the way. They were able to stop the bleeding fairly quickly, but your body needed a lot of energy to fully close the wounds. As steps approached, Sirius looked up to find Remus; he looked just as tired.

He had lost all memory of the night, but seeing you pale and injured, hit him hard. He probably hadn´t slept as well. “She´s not awake?”

Sirius didn´t answer, his sole presence was enough. On the other hand, he wasn´t sure if he could even face you.

“Lilly´s with her.”

McGonagall’s lecture was hard, but bearable. Lilly´s on the other hand, only created more remorse. She was right, if he had just told the truth, things would´ve been different, under control at least. A deep empty pit inside his stomach growled as blame remained. But the heaping pain in his heart was even worse. The image of you in the hospital bed had been like a trigger, that created an avalanche. It could´ve ended worse, he could´ve lost you.

Sirius felt like throwing up again as the thought crossed his mind. It was his biggest fear; losing you.

 “Amortentia is the most powerful love potion in the world. It is distinctive for its mother-of-pearl sheen, and steam rises from the potion in spirals. Amortentia smells different to each person, according to what attracts them."

“What in Merlin´s beard are you reading to me?”

Lilly´s head snapped up from the potions book, she couldn´t help herself but feel the need to entertain you. And maybe herself as well, while she held watch at your side.

“You´re up!” The red-head exclaimed excited and sat down on the bed next to you.

“How are you feeling?”

You let a small groan as you sat up a little higher, your limbs felt weak and heavy.

“Tired”, you offered her a small smile.

Your eyes traveled down to the bandages on your arms.

“Glad to see you didn´t amputate them.”

“At least you didn´t lose your humor.”

Then you found Lilly´s gaze again. “What about Sirius and Remus?”

She quickly shook her head. “You left us all worried and with terrible remorse, but we all survived, more or less.” You raised your eyebrow at her, questioning, but she ignored your gesture.

“I´ll just get them.”

Only seconds after, you heard steps approaching again. From behind the curtain came two terribly exhausting looking boys; your boys.

“You both look like shit”, you couldn´t hold back the comment and the three of you erupted in easier laughter. The tensions slightly shrunk. Remus was first to sit down next to you, guilt still hidden behind his eyes. But before he could even speak up, you shook your head.

“Don´t. It´s not your fault, you weren´t you.”

He offered you an apologetic smile.

“If I had told you the truth, or at least allowed Sirius to do so, this wouldn´t have happened.”

“Yeah”, you agreed nodding. “Better to remember for next time.”

Remus grimaced, still eyeing the bandages on your arms. “I hope there won´t be a next time like this.”

“If it helps, I barely remember getting here.”

Remus stayed still, but you carefully grabbed his hand. “Remus, I´m fine. Don´t beat yourself up about it, I forgive you.”

Finally, he looked up as well, nodding with tears in his eyes. It was a huge relief that he felt dropping off his shoulders. He gave you a careful hug. “I think I should give you some more rest, and don´t worry, I´ve been doing all your homework!”

Playfully, you hit his shoulder. “You should´ve started with that apology!”

Remus nodded at his friend as he left your side again, but Sirius remained standing next to your bed. You rose your eyebrow at him. “What´s wrong, Black?”

“Nothing´s wrong, you´re back and healing. It´s all that matters.”

“Something´s clearly wrong.”

Sirius pinched the bridge of his nose; it took all his strength not to break down. “We could´ve lost you.” He paused.

“I could´ve lost you.”

“But you didn´t”, you wanted to argue, but Sirius turned his back to you. Nervously wandering up and down in the room.

“I should´ve protected you better”, he mumbled quietly, his hand roughly running through his messy hair.

“That´s not your job-“

“Yes, it is. I can´t take seeing you hurt. So, I need to protect you!” His voice became louder, almost sounding angry. But beneath the façade was angst and deep distress.

“No, it´s not! Your job is to be my friend, not my patronus! You shouldn´t have to hide something like this!”

Suddenly he stopped, his back still facing you and his hands forming fists. You saw how his shoulders rose and dropped from his heavy breathing.

“Maybe, if I can´t protect you as a friend, we can´t be friends.”

His voice was low and so quiet, you weren´t sure at first about the words escaping his mouth. You felt your heart drop at his sentence, a gasp coming from your lips. Your mouth opened, but no words came out and you watched as Sirius pulled the curtain back, leaving the infirmary.

No, you wouldn´t let this go. Not like this.

You threw back the blanket and your bare feet touched the cold ground. You didn´t care though, or about the thin layer of white linen covering your body.

Just outside the infirmary, you caught up to him.

“Maybe we can´t be friends!”

He stopped once again, not bearing the thought of turning to look at you directly. He felt tears forming and he didn´t want you to see him like this. Weak and vulnerable, unable to protect you.

“And you can´t protect me from everything, especially not heartbreak! Because, you, you Sirius Black are breaking my heart!”

Carefully and slowly, he turned towards you, his eyes still glued on the floor. Your voice was quaking and your entire body shaking.

“You were never just a friend to me!”

Swift, in a blink, Sirius was right in front of you, his hands cupping your face. Only inches were left and you felt his warmth breath on your skin.

“I never wanted to break your heart, all I wanted was not to lose you”, he whispered with his voice shaking as well.

“You didn´t lose me and you never will.”

Then you felt his lips on yours and you eased into the kiss. His touch felt welcoming and you inhaled his musky scent. You had been right, no one was able to stop you from falling for your best friend. But after all, you didn´t need protection; all you needed were your friends and your love.

[albino-whumpee]

Found in the trash

It has been itching to be written for a while, so. Kinda dropped this project but still kinda like it lajksdflkj

Hope you like it TW:// slavery, human trafficking, blood, gunshot wound, dehumanization in form of calling someone “it”

He covered his face as he spotted the patrol car. He waited a while to dare turn check if it was gone. Not taking any chances, he trotted back to his tent.

The small homeless camp had been his home for years. He had found something like a family among them, but if they knew who was searching for them, he knew they would hand him over. Wouldn´t blame them. The reward was obscenely high.

As he walked through a thin alley, he heard a russtle from a trash pile on his feet.

He jumped back and took out the small glass knife hidden between his clothes. He pulled it up against the origin: a dirty boy laying carelessly over the trash bags. A leather collar on his neck.

The man pulled down the knife slightly as he realized he was bleeding. A gunshot on his left arm. He felt a tug on his heart as he saw the numbers on his wrist. A runaway box boy. The image of the patrol car went right into his mind. Were they searching for him?

It meant trouble.

He put a feet back, considering just running back to the safety of his tent.

But he was injured…

He shook his head. It wasn´t his problem and he wouldn´t gain anything but trouble if he helped him. Even if he was wounded and alone and possibly scared… He stared back at the heaving figure before shaking his head again.

As he kept his inner dilemma going, the boy pulled one eye open and when he saw him standing in the dark, knife in hand, he screamed and rushed to put a trash bag between them.

“Don´t kill me! Please!” they cried as the man pulled the knife away.

“Shut up! Calm down or else they will come get you!” that seemed to do the trick, as the boy fell silent instantly. Was it the conditioning or the fear? “Look, I´m not gonna hurt you” they hunched a bit, stepping closer to the terrified boy. “The patrol car is rounding the block” The boy stiffened below the trash bag letting out a small gasp “You better hide before they see you” the man said taking off his ratty coat and putting it on the floor. At a safe distance from both. “There´s some bandages in the pockets. Though tearing it up is fine too. Don´t let them see you” he said already walking back to the shadows. It was bothersome to lose the coat, but he could find another one later. That was as far as his help would go.

Or so he thought, but a second later a patrol car siren made him take the boy´s wrist and shove him behind a trash bin. Of course the boy let out a scream. The man put a hand over his mouth as he heard a door slam open.

He put a finger over his lips as he pressed himself against the wall. The boy stopped thrashing and held tight the coat under his bloody fingers.  

“Do you see it?” a woman´s voice said.

“Are you sure it wasn´t just a vagabond? There´s a camp nearby…” a younger, male voice replied to a scuff. The flashlights got dangerously close to their hiding before turning away “Look there´s nothing here”

The woman stayed silent for a second before they both heard a rusttle. “There´s blood on the trashbags” The man shoot his eyes open scanned around and took a glass bottle before throwing it down the alley. The shattering sound followed by the cocking of their guns.

“Follow it!” she shouted at the right moment the man pulled him up and ran in the other direction.

They kept running through dark alleys until they got to the camp. Panting holding his knees on the entrance, the boy stared at the man. He noticed and turned to look at him holding his injured arm tight. He sighed straigthening up “No need to thank me” he said before pointing a finger at the injury “Gotta get that patched up, but first you gotta take that off” he pointed to his neck. The boy made deer eyes at him before shakily trying to lift his hands up. It took a moment for him to find the buckle and undo it. But he knew it wasn´t only the injury slowing him down.

Part of the training was to learn to keep their hands off it. Whatever means necessary to ingrain on their brains that taking it off themselves would carry punishment. Giving only their owners the right to adjust them.

He saw the boy stump over the leather various times with second hand joy.

“Better?” he asked as the boy nodded with energy. Blond strands of hair falling over his sweaty forehead. “Good, now stay quiet and put the coat on” he said walking inside the camp. There was an oldery woman who saw them pass by and amiably waved her hand at them. The man didn´t stop walking, so the boy kept following. He quickly noticed he was quite a loved member of the community.

“Good to see you Clark”

“I made soup, want some later?”

“Clark I found a job! Thanks for the tips”

“Who´s that behind you?” one woman with crooked teeth asked.

Clark smiled and pulled him behind him “A friend´s son. He´s shy, so please don´t bother him too much” he said before waving goodbye.

“Frustrated father syndrome I see” she laughed.

The thin man with a fuzzy beard showed him the entrance to a lime green tent. Cocking his head before the boy entered.

They settled down between blankets, noodle cups, notes and other stuff. The blonde was pulled back to reality as the man inserted the needle into his skin. The man kept working anyways “So, do you have a name?”

The boy shifted awkwardly “LE078” the man stared at him for a while. “He said it was a waste of time to name me” they boy sulked down a bit as Clark kept stitching the skin together. Scarred tissue over scarring tissue.

“I see” he said before they stayed quiet for a second “Leo, I´ll call you Leo. Is that alright?” he asked looking up for a second to see his gleaming expression.

“Leo…” he repeated tasting the words “I like that” the man smiled again. Small wrinkles forming on the sides of his eyes before he pulled back with the needle.

“Well, there you have it Leo” he pointed at his arm. They were surprisingly well done despite the lighting and the materials.

“Thank you sir” the boy said as he shook his hand.

“Don´t call me sir, I´m Clark” he said now putting somewhat clean bandages over his arm. “There”

The boy stayed quiet for a while.

“Why are you helping me?” the boy finally asked. Clark stared back scratching his neck after a long silence.

“I don´t really know either. You don´t have anywhere to go and…” he shrugged. But oh if he didn´t knew exactly why “I´m not turning you for a reward if you´re worried about it” he said noticing how he relaxed a bit “I would get in trouble just by walking to the police station anyways” he said pulling his tools to a side and shoving a blanket on the boy´s chest. “You´ll be paying for the tools I used tho´. So you better rest for tomorrow” The boy let out a simple affirmation. A slight note of resignation on it that Clark didn´t care about “I´ll go sleep with Sanders so you have the whole place for yourself before I get you your own tent tomorrow” He lifted himself up as the boy blinked and turned back to see him go through the tent.

“W-Wait!” he yelped, green eyes filled with worry.

Clark chuckled “Want me to sleep with you?” the smile on his face fell when Leo stayed quiet. The eyebrows so pulled together that it made him uncomfortable. Leo looked pretty young. Around 18. Clark felt a burning ache as he realized he was probably just an scared, trembly child when he became a  box boy  “Oh…” he let out simply. He let some air out as he settled back down.

Three hours later they were sleeping side to side. A thick wall of improvised pillows between them. Clark was awaken by the urgent muttering of the boy next to him. Straigtening up, he saw he was crying. And with a bitter surprise he found himself crying as well. He washed off his first, before he squeezed his hand. Remembering he would have loved to have that same treatment when he ran away.

Hiding, fearing every little sound, crying after being robbed, fighting for scraps and some clean water, doing whatever to buy false documents, dealing with the nightmares and the triggers, weren´t things he would have to do when he wore a collar. He only had gotten a place to sleep a few years ago, when he got a tent on the camp.  

He went back to sleep when Leo´s breathing was normal. Patting his head once before covering himself with the blankets and closing his eyes. Even if it was hard for him, Leo didn´t have to have it the same.

It certainly worried him to death that the boy had escaped with a gunshot wound he hadn´t explained to him yet how he had gotten it. Besides the obvious reasons of how bad it was he had a boxie sleeping next to him. Clark put a hand over his eyes and sighed.

He would worry about that in the morning. Now he just needed sleep.

[hendrickfw]

A ray of hope/LU AU

The end was near. An enormous asteroid, a hundred kilometers wide, was about to impact Earth. The last time it happened was about seven hundred years ago, during the golden years of heroism. A young white duck astronomer wearing a red jacket watched through his telescope, noting the object getting closer to Earth.

-Jet? Please turn off the light and get to sleep.

Jet´s brother, Turbo, was sleeping in a blue pajama. He stood up and walked to his brother.

-I can´t. I´m a witness of a cosmological event never seen before!

-Wait. Space, you mean?

Turbo loved space. He pushed his brother apart and started watching through the telescope. His eyes opened wide at the incredible sight of the rock.

-Guys, someone is trying to sleep here- said Rebel, putting his pillow over his head.

Jet, Turbo, and Rebel were triplets, all brothers of the large Duck family. They lived in Acmetropolis in their uncle´s Nash Duck house. Their mother traveled through all the galaxy, so she rarely was with them. The trio also passed their time with their uncle Ebenezer McDuck.

Rebel went with them after his complaints were unheard. He used some green pajamas. He wasn´t so happy about being out of bed.

-Wow, that´s so cool! You never told me a pink lady was flying over there!- exclaimed Turbo, making Jet curious.

-Pink lady? What are you talking about?

Jet pushed his brother and started watching through the telescope, impressed by the phenomenon before his eyes. A strange pink-dressed woman flying near the asteroid fired some kind of ray to it. The meteor was destroyed, although some debris continued its trajectory to Acmetropolis.

-That´s impossible! That is some abnormal event! How is a woman able to fly? What did she fire? Why...?

-Kids. What are you doing?

Another white duck opened the door. He was Nash, the uncle of the ducklings. He seemed mad after seeing his nephews out of bed late at night.

-Nothing, Uncle Nash- responded the three, hiding the telescope behind them.

-You should be sleeping. Remember that tomorrow we´ll visit your uncle Ebenezer.

-Ok, Uncle Nash- the trio responded again in unison.

The ducklings returned to bed, ready for the next day. Although, the strange event they have just seen got them intrigued.

While they were sleeping, some meteor debris fell to the city with some cosmic energy. Fortunately, it wouldn´t affect any individual. Right?

Acmetropolis University

It was a summer day in the city. The people could feel the heat of the day. There was, at least, one person, or animal, without that kind of problem. He was Tech E. Coyote, a Ph.D. student of the Technology Department of the biggest and most important university in the city.

Tech, as his ancient name suggests, was a coyote with brown fur. His green eyes, concentrated on his latest invention, still showed a wild persona, but also wisdom. He was wearing a lab coat. Despite someone's sound entering into the lab, his concentration didn't leave the device in front of him. Smith Pierce, Tech's professor, entered the lab. The coyote did not hear his presence until he felt someone touch the chair where he was sitting.

“You should rest. We're going to have a meal with the rest of the class at Pizza Fest. You coming?”

“I don't think so, sir. If I want to investigate the astrological phenomenon of the time, I must finish the intercosmic suit.”

Of course, the genius knew about the asteroid in the direction of the planet and wanted to investigate it closely. Very close. Smith, as much as he wanted to convince Tech to get out, knew he wouldn't make it. The professor sighed and walked out.

“If you change your mind, we will be waiting for you. Warner Street corner with Mouse.”

Tech nodded from afar, still adjusting the suit's protection systems. There wasn't much time, as the asteroid would arrive in a few days.

“You know? If you listened to me, I'd introduce you to my friend the roadrunner. Both could complement each other very well in the lab” asked a female voice. Tech had to start paying more attention to his surroundings while he was working.

“The delivery guy? You know I don't trust working with anyone since Casey, Lexi.”

After Smith's departure came Lexi Bunny, a tan fur bunny. She didn't study anything related to science. Instead, she was an athlete. She had been a cheerleader in high school and was now looking to pursue basketball. Despite this, she had taken some physics and engineering courses (specially to learn more about those subjects than his brother) under Tech's mentoring. Since then, they have become good friends, although Tech has had confidence issues.

And that's why Lexi wants to include him in ger close group of friends. In addition to the roadrunner whose name went through Rev, there was his older brother Ace. Rev also claimed to have two friends who would introduce them today. Just the ideal situation to take Tech.

“Today Rev will introduce me and my brother some friends. You should come, it'll be fun.”

“I can't. I have to finish this before I miss the opportunity.”

“Then do it as a favor. Remember the time you...?”

When Lexi pursued an objective, she usually made it. That's what he admired her. Well, he had to admit that, from the few times they'd come out, he'd had more fun than usual. Maybe he'd do the same this time, even though there'd be more people outside of her brother and herself.

“All right, all right. I 'm going. Just help me put some things in store” the most he tried to hide his smile, he just couldn't. He really enjoyed the company of the bunny.

As they both began to pack the objects Tech used, Tech recalled a recent comment from the bunny. That would serve to kill the silence in which they were involved.

“And... are you sure you want to do it?”

“I don't know. It's a big step and, so far, Ace hasn't taken it well.”

“We can postpone it so you can think about it better, discuss it with him and, well, with me. We haven't decided everything.”

“Doesn't it bother you? It's a decision that's yours too.”

“Not at all. I'd rather you be comfortable, specially.”

Lexi felt unsure of the action to take, but at least she was happy to have Tech's support. It was comforting to some extent.

Once they both finished storing everything, they left the University and walked to the city subway, from where they took transportation to downtown. Tech felt somewhat uncomfortable about being in such unhygienic, crowded environments, but at least having Lexi by his side giving him conversation took those thoughts out of his head. Soon they arrived and took to the streets of the metropolis. A short time passed, and they entered the Pizzarriba establishment.

Pizzarriba was a pizza restaurant created in the 21st century, miraculously afloat after losing almost all its establishments to Pizza Fest. Luckily, the original restaurant was still standing. It continued to maintain the same style as in its founding years, specially to attract customers.

Lexi, followed by Tech, walked through the door. It was Tech's first time on the establishment. Lexi quickly ran to one of the tables. Tech recognized her brother, Ace, whose grey fur was unmistakable for the coyote. He wore a jacket and jeans, his typical outfit after finishing his auditions. He was the only one on site, probably saving space for the group. The table was big. How many friends would the roadrunner bring?

- What's up, Doc? Ace asked Tech after hugging and greeting her sister.

-Hi, Ace.

Ace gave room for both of them to sit down. Lexi sat next to him and Tech was left next to her. Before they could start chatting, the three of them heard the door of the restaurant open with an unusual sound of someone talking.

“... a-robot-commissioned-by-my-dad-so-I-had-to-look-for-a-replacement-and-you-know-how-difficult-it-is-to-find-a-modulator-at-the-middle-of-desert-so-I-improvised-putting-together-several-remnants-of-old-inventions-with-something-of-cheese--which-reminds-me-have-you-proven-this-pizza-is-delicious-and-look-there-are-my-friends-hello-Ace-Lexi-and-you-should-be-Tech-is-a-pleasure-Lexi-told-me-a lot-about-you-and-your-inventions-sound-awesome...”

Tech started to feel dizzy. He didn't know what it could be, but it started a little after the roadrunner arrived. By focusing on his problem, he failed to hear the last words of him, at least until Lexi interrupted him.

“Hello Rev. Tech, he is the friend I have told you about.”

Tech tried to return to his posture and reached out to say hello. He didn't expect a loud, quick handshake from the roadrunner. He heard that he continued to speak with the same speed and joviality, which caused the coyote more dizziness. It was nothing to his liking. Rev was the typical roadrunner one could find in the desert, with blue plumage on the body and violet on the tail. He was wearing a sports suit because he probably was used to run a lot. After the introduction, Rev returned with his friends and introduced them.

“He-is-Slam-the-Tasmanian-demon-and-he-is-a-professional-fighter-and-very-good-at-it-I must-admit...”

Slam was a little bigger than the average Tasmanian demon. He was huge in Lexi's opinion, but behind his smile she saw the personality of someone friendly rather than intimidating. They hoped it would, even though Lexi didn't hesitate. Tech failed to understand Slam's growls, but by his raised hand he suspected it was a greeting.

“... and-he-is-Duck-and-between-him-my-brother-Rip-and-I-we-are-best-friends-practically-brothers-or-what-do-you-say?”

The black duck was crossing his arms, without saying a word. Everyone noticed that he looked coldly at Ace, who looked back at him the same way.

“Rev, I didn't know you knew the duck.”

“Umm-yes-why-do-you-know each other?”

"Unfortunately," Duck replied.

"And this got awkward," Tech said louder than he wanted. Slam made sounds agreeing.

The three newcomers sat in front of those who were already there. The large size Slam occupied in the chair explained the size of the reserved table. Lexi was the first to break the tension when she saw Duck's shirt.

“Where did you get that? I've been looking for that shirt for centuries!”

Duck watched his shirt. He changed his expression of discomfort to a smirk. He looked at the bunny pointing at his shirt.

“This shirt? Please, the biggest fans of Duck Dodgers are the only ones who can carry them.”

"I-didn't-know-that-you-were-fan-of-Duck-Dogers-too-Lexi-I-mean-it-is-fantastic-other-thing-that-we-have-in-common.”

“Well, lady, it is your lucky day. I´m the Duck Dodgers fan club leader so I may allow you to join us. Do you know where we are?”

“Please give me something easy. Here was Dodgers' first fight in 2021 during the concert of a famous band of the time.”

“2021? Wasn't he a hero in 2500?” Ace asked, intrigued or her sisters´ knowledge of the character. He knew of her love for the hero, but not how much she had dived into his history.

“Actually, no. It's a common mistake. Duck Dodgers debuted at this restaurant in the 21st century but is best known for his heroics in the 25th century. Besides, it wasn't at a concert by a famous band of the time. The Caballeros were not popular when they played in the incident" corrected Tech. Everyone looked at him and Tech felt uncomfortable. “What? You can't be the only ones interested in superheroes.”

“Told you” bragged Lexi to her brother with a big smirk.

"Sure, I already knew that." Duck bragged too, though everyone distrusted his sincerity.

“Wouldn’t-it-be-amazing-to-have-superpowers-or-what-do-you-think-guys?” Rev asked with his speaking speed. “I-mean-I-already-run-fast-but-I-wouldn´t-be-annoyed-if-I-was-faster-or-which-powers-would-you-guys-like-to-have?”

"Definitely jump higher, be able to reach places I couldn´t." Lexi replied, already knowing the answer.

“Besides the intellect, which I already possess, probably some form of technokinesis. It would be helpful to me when working.” Tech replied, showing off and being honest at the same time.

Slam made incomprehensible sounds to others again, but Rev interpreted them as the ability to eat more.

“I don't want superpowers. With my agility I could kick any thief” said Ace confidently.

“Finally, you share my opinion, Ace. I wouldn't need either. Duck Dodgers never needed. I just need my natural duck strength.” Duck added.

“Where was that strength when you needed my help moving a ladder in the supermarket, Duck?” The others couldn't help but laugh a little bit about the anecdote.

“The ones with wheels to move around, Ace?”

“Nice deduction, Tech.”

"You are despicable..."

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

The afternoon passed quickly and was fun, even for Tech or Duck, who were the most apathic. After eating the pizza and getting to know each other a little better, everyone returned to their homes. Everyone had their own responsibilities to attend.

Rev was the first to get home thanks to his speed, despite being the one who lived the farther away. The roadrunner arrived at his parents' house. Ralph, his father, greeted him immediately, diverting the little attention paid to his son Rip. He asked his favorite son to help him build his new Robo-Amigo as Rip was too "inexperienced" in the robotics area. Without hesitation the roadrunner arrived to the garage, where he began to work.

Slam, after lunch, arrived at the arena where he had a contract to fight. At the moment his fights were against unexperienced players, as his sponsor, Pierre Le Pew, still kept him to fight the great cup champion for later. The demon didn't want to serve just cheap entertainment because he wanted to have fun with the fights, besides being able to have an extra income if it wasn't too much, because the economy wasn't going well lately for him.

Duck came to his apartment, which was extremely messy, with dirty laundry all over the place. It looked like a homeless man lived there. And, honestly, it was near the truth. Despite the ducks´ confident and arrogant behavior, Duck was nothing but a drag on society. Not even that house was his: it was an unpaid hotel room for four months. Duck's life was miserable, and he knew it very well. Only his job of picking up trash from a public pool said it all. Duck threw himself in his bed and looked at a photograph of his adoptive parents, dead at that point. Duck missed them and would do anything to bring them back. It was the best thing that ever happened to him.

Tech returned to college, to the same lab where he spent the rest of the week working. He was already late and had to continue with his armor. He had Lexi's insecurity in mind. The coyote hoped she could solve the problem. But the voice of the roadrunner didn't go out of his mind either. In truth, listening to him speak so much, with that force and speed caused him a terrible headache. He didn't dislike him, on the contrary, they were almost “birds of a feather”, but that voice detail was still there.

Lexi and Ace returned to their apartment. It was humble, the best they could get. With Lexi's scholarship and Ace's salary as a stunt, it was the best they could rent. It was cozy, but Lexi wanted to change. Between the two brothers several discussions had been emerging and Lexi thought the best was to take some time apart. Luckily, she had found support in a coyote, who was willing to share the same roof with her. It was a possible way out.

Ace, meanwhile, was saddened by the constant conflicts with his sister. He understood that she needed her space and was no longer a child, but he was the older brother and their parents had commissioned him to protect her. Was he wrong to want to do his job?

But, despite each other's problems, the same event brought them together. It wasn't their meeting at Pizzarriba. At about 6:30, they all fainted without any apparent explanation. It was only a matter of time before someone noticed and they were taken to the hospital.

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

Some general stuff. This is my AU fanfiction of Loonatics Unleashed where the heroes have some solo adventures before they form the team. This is an awfully done introduction. I don´t really trust my English writing abilities, so please tell me if you find any grammatical mistake. If any hero wants to help me with that part I will not be able of thank you enough.

I finally decided to make it a shared universe with my other fanfiction: Los Tres Caballeros viajan de nuevo. I´m not sure if I´ll use any characters referencing that story because I want to focus on the show cast. For now I just want to put the important pieces on place before starting everything.

And feel free to comment. I´ll try to upload more but, I´m finishing this semester and the exams and essays will take my time. Anyway, for those shippers, I may have some Tech/Lexi at the start but I´ll transition it to Tech/Rev and Danger/Lexi.

I hope you like it and happy weekend to everyone.

[bemused-writer]

VNC Chapter 46.5 Analysis

After a long hiatus, VNC makes its return! Mochizuki has decided to take pity on us; this year has been hard. She knows most of us aren't ready for heartbreak just yet, so she gave us a lighthearted chapter with the assurance the next one will crush us. I'm looking forward to it! :D

This is a really good chapter, though, so let's take a look. ^^

Dante says this is news to him, and it is indeed news to all of us! But honestly, this answers a lot of questions I've had. What do these two do with their free time? Apparently, Noé works a lot and he has this work because people trust him instantly. That sounds about right; there's not a single person in this series that dislikes Noé save for Astolfo.

We aren't told what Vanitas does with his free time, but we can guess.

I've often wondered if Vanitas spends as much time analyzing Noé as Noé spends analyzing Vanitas, and I think we can give that a resounding "yes." He'd have to to have this kind of knowledge of his habits and preferences. What this also tells us is that Vanitas cares enough not only to observe this information, but also to retain it and put it to use by going to find Noé when he wanders off. This surprises Dante who thought Vanitas would just leave him alone, which does seem more in character. Once again, Noé is the exception to how Vanitas normally conducts himself: he would have left anyone else to figure Paris out on their own.

So, to put it more bluntly, Vanitas probably spends a good deal of his time analyzing Noé, chasing after him once he's gone on an ill-conceived adventure, hanging out with Dante, and, it almost goes without saying at this point, hanging out with Noé.

I genuinely love this exchange because Dante has reached the obvious conclusion: Vanitas is spending an insane amount of time with Noé and yet Vanitas is trying to claim that "No, I just give him tours sometimes." Logically, he'd only need to give Noé a tour of Paris once, which we saw all the way back in chapter 2. The fact that he now has to explain he "only" gives Noé tours when he asks still means Noé is probably asking to go out a lot and that Vanitas is just going along with it.

So, Noé actually spends his free time doing a lot of stuff: working, chatting with the neighbors (so to speak), and hanging out with Vanitas. Vanitas seems to do less. He sometimes spends time with Dante and then he spends a ton of time with Noé. What's he doing when Noé is at work? XD Maybe reading? Or plotting? We don't really know what his hobbies are.

Regardless, we get an idea of how Vanitas and Noé get along. Furthermore, we even get a good contrast in the very next short story!

In this one, Roland has gone missing and the chasseurs go to Olivier to figure out where he might have gone. This seems like the logical thing to do: they're known to be friends.

But we quickly learn that Roland and Olivier have a very different relationship compared to Noé and Vanitas despite seeming to be similar on a surface level.

Dante thought Vanitas wouldn't look for Noé because Vanitas tends to be cold towards others and doesn't like attachment. However, not only is he willing to look for Noé, he's worried when he realizes he might have wandered off.

Here we see that both Amelia and Vanitas are used to this behavior from Noé and, while they're exasperated, they're also worried. In other words, Noé has friends that care about him and will worry about him.

Contrast this with Roland and Olivier. Maria and Georges go to him because he's friends with Roland. They assume he will care enough to look for him and that he might even share in their concern about where he's wound up.

Not only is Olivier not worried, he's seriously judging them for bothering him about the whole thing to begin with. Granted, some of that disgust and judgement is probably aimed at Roland as well. He regales us with a story about the last time he tried to find Roland when he was lost (unlike Noé he genuinely has a bad sense of direction) and how poorly it went. Even in the flashback we can see that Olivier did not want to look for Roland; he just wanted to get back to what he was doing as swiftly as possible.

This entire story is basically a foil to the previous one to give us an idea of how these two duos are different. So, let's take a moment to explore those exact differences.

1) Olivier doesn't worry about Roland and he is frustrated by his antics as well as how easily he gets lost. Vanitas does worry about Noé and, while exasperated, seems almost excited to go looking for him. Furthermore, Noé isn't "lost;" he just likes exploring.

2) Both Olivier and Vanitas know their partner exceedingly well. The main difference here is that Olivier has known Roland for years while Vanitas has known Noé for a couple months or so? I'm not sure about the timeline. Olivier has a good idea of the places Roland will go and the things he cares about (finding books for his brothers), but he can't totally predict his movements beyond that. Vanitas has an insane knowledge of what Noé is interested in and has it down to a science. Sure, he needed Dante's help, but that was minimal compared to what he already knew. Also, I think we can safely say that Olivier and Vanitas both keep tabs on their partner, but in very different ways. Olivier is mostly concerned about what trouble Roland is getting up to and how it inconveniences him. Vanitas seems to be going out of his way to understand Noé, much like Noé is with Vanitas.

3) Olivier and Roland have kind of a more normal friendship in the sense they get annoyed with each other and they bicker. They hold grudges (or at least Olivier does) and they don't spend all of their time together, and yet they clearly will work with one another and help each other out as we can see in Gévaudan. There's definitely trust there despite the annoyance.

Vanitas and Noé are unusual in that not only do they spend all their time with each other, they haven't gotten sick of one another yet. And while they argue, every single major argument (and they have been significant) is resolved pretty quickly and forgotten soon after. That is decidedly strange. They trust each other, but that level of trust would indicate they've known each at least as long as Roland and Olivier have, but instead it's been a very short amount of time. No wonder Roland is in awe of them; their friendship level is through the roof even if they haven't realized that yet. 8D

But what this short story also reveals is that Roland does have someone who understands him completely and who even used to admire him completely and that's Astolfo. This relationship still isn't like the one Noé and Vanitas have, however. Apparently, Astolfo used to worship Roland and admire him completely. Somewhat similar to how Noé admired Vanitas's ability to save vampires, but on a much higher level.

Once again, there is a significant difference: when Roland did something Astolfo disapproved of, he grew to hate him. In contrast, when Vanitas killed a vampire instead of "saving" her, Noé eventually realized he'd placed unfair expectations on him. He learned to accept Vanitas for who he is and took him off the pedestal he'd put him on.

Honestly, Roland's relationships are looking a lot more strained than Noé's. Also, I wonder what he did to upset Astolfo so much? It can't be that he decided to see vampires as people; Astolfo grew to hate him before he even met Vanitas and Noé (I think), so it must be something else. My guess is that it would have to do with religion, though. Roland is out there, following his own beliefs regardless of whether they match up with the Church's. I imagine this would upset Astolfo at some point. Maybe it's all of his failed relationships with women? XD I mean, dating that much doesn't really mesh with being a man of god all that well....

Also, I had wondered how Roland treated Astolfo. Since Astolfo hated him so much, I thought that maybe Roland treated him badly. However, it looks like Roland probably treated him well, like a little brother, so all that hatred is definitely stemming from something else entirely. Probably going to have to wait and see on that, but for now we know that Roland has at least two strained relationships and, judging by the background chatter in that earlier panel, a lot of chasseurs just don't like him. This is another difference between him and Noé: Everyone likes Noé. Not as many people like Roland.

But let's move on to the third short story. This one is about Louis and while it takes on a very different tone to the last two stories, it does provide some room for contrast. I think the most important detail to this story is that Louis wanted people to come looking for him. Noé and Roland didn't mean to cause any trouble or to make people worry about them (or get annoyed as the case may be). Louis absolutely was trying to provoke a reaction.

The purposefulness to this is just... unreal. XD He was spending time with Noé--they were each reading a book--and then he decides he's going to go get lost in the woods. In other words, he wanted to make Noé look for him. He prevented Noé from following him from the get go because, again, he wanted to make Noé look.

Now, we get to see what book Louis was reading, which prompted his leaving in the first place. It's about a boy who meets a fairy who then whisks him away into the forest. His family looks for him, but they don't find him. When they don't find him, they give up on him and move on with their lives. While this is sad, the boy then lives with the fairies, making friends there.

There's no way we're not supposed to read into this, so let's see what we can glean. Louis wasn't actually looking for a fairy, that much we can safely say, but he was trying to get Noé to look for him. And it is Noé specifically he wants, judging by this panel:

Dominique is there looking for him as well, but it's Noé's expression he hones in on. He's happy to see that Noé is anxious about him. Now, Louis was under a lot of stress, but this is still a mean thing to do to someone, but I don't think the point here was to prank Noé exactly. He wanted to see if Noé cared enough to look for him, to worry over him.

It's completely different from the previous two stories as I mentioned earlier. Noé and Roland aren't dealing with the possibility of dying or the possibility they'll be forgotten after they're gone. Louis is, and because he's young, rather than just ask Noé if he'll remember him, if he cares about him, he has to test him instead.

But I don't think we should ignore the fairy part of the book he was reading. Even though Louis didn't go out to meet a new friend, he eventually "disappeared." He was cursed and he died, but could he have been taken somewhere else? I've often wondered if curse bearers become a part of Charlatan. If that's the case, then Louis really is still around, but the people he cared about can no longer see him.

It figures even a short story about Louis would still be very sad. (^^)" I honestly hope we do hear more from him, whether in a flashback or in the present. I think there's a lot between him and Noé that still needs to be explored. Our current arc could be a good lead in to that, actually, since we're dealing with the de Sades and Noé's relationship to them and Dominique more specifically.

One last thing I'd like to point out: both Olivier, Vanitas, and Astolfo all demonstrated a certain understanding of the person who was lost. They could put themselves in their shoes and figure out at least some of what they might have gotten up to. However, when Louis is "lost," Dominique and Noé are incapable of guessing what he's really thinking. They have such ironclad belief in him that they believe he predicted the future rather than think he might be pranking them. In other words, they didn't understand Louis at all, and this is still one of Noé's greatest regrets to this day. Perhaps it's one of Dominique's as well.

[octupus-on-the-moon]

A table

~It's been done *laughs in Dr. Frankenstein*. After a lot of sweat, cursing and repeatedly flipping of my laptop and tablet. A new part of a nightmare is ready. It's a bit longer because of my absence and I hope I can keep my motivation up~

《 Previous - Masterlist - Next 》

Ninth part of nightmare

Word count: 1,814

Pairing: Bucky X Reader

Warning: Non I guess. Just some fluff and a burned gratine.

Bucky opened the door, awaiting the cold, baldness of the walls. To end up being surprised by the green he saw everywhere.

He totally forgot the little plants, y/n bought for him. They really made a difference. A welcome one. His clenched jaw and frowned eyebrows disappeared.

After taking of his jacket, he took an empty glass and went around pouring some water in all the colorful pots. He cursed under his breath, after he spilled some water for the second time. Mentally making a note to buy a watering can. Without noticing that his dark thoughts lifted and the silence around him was a welcome one, rather than a threatening menace.

Barnes looked at his wristwatch. It was still over an hour, till y/n would come back from college. He felt a sting of joy in his stomach.

That was new, Bucky wondered. It was probably just the excitement of finally having something to look forward to, instead of enduring one day after the other with the same maddening routine.

In the meanwhile, he could be useful and cook lunch. Y/n would be hungry after college and he had promised to cook the next time. Bucky looked in the fridge and cupboards. Potatoes, cheese and bacon. Exactly what he needed

Y/n had 30 minutes of lecture left, till she was free. She really wanted to go back to her little room in James’s apartment after the first class, but Monday was full of important courses, so she somehow managed to convince herself to stay.

The short call with James lifted her spirits considerably. It was his stoic way of talking, as soon as she showed a bit of interest in him, that made her feel warm inside. Her thoughts wandered off. To him. To the unpleasant night and how she finally saw the scared child he was. But then they went off to his blue eyes and the little crinkles around them when he frowned.

He must have been quite a look back in the forties.

Of course she had seen the photos in the Smithsonian, but she pictured him in a classier way. With a fitted suit and a fedora hat, walking down the street stealing hearts. Maybe a girl at his side and his eyes constantly lingering around her, as if she were the whole world and more. At the thought of it, y/n caught herself picturing a girl just like her, beside his tall figure.

That made her stop and turn back to reality. It was not a good sign. Or maybe it was. It felt like forever, since she let someone into her life and James was pretty much the last person she would have thought of. But she also did not expect her father being a criminal and her whole existence a facade.

Life was full of twists and turns lately. Some good, some bad. Maybe it was time to let something good happen.

“Ms. y/l/n, could you resume the discussed topic?” The professors sharp tone ripped y/n out of her train of thought. This will be the longest 30 minutes of my life, she thought.

A quite knock on the door distracted Barnes from intensely starring at the oven. He decided himself for a simple potato gratin, that would hopefully suite y/n’s taste. With is heart beating a bit too fast he neared himself the door.

And there she was. Her hair a little mess. A bag casually hanging around her shoulder and a beam as bright as the sun itself.

“Will you let me in or just keep starring?” Her playful greeting made Bucky’s heart stumble and without wasting words he stepped aside. He made another mental note. His gaze is not to be trusted. “How was therapy?” she asked letting her bag slide to the floor entering the kitchen in on smooth motion “Who of you two bit off the other one´s head first?” It took Bucky moment to get out of his trance.

“I….. We…. It went good” Barnes cleared his throat closing the door behind him “But she got a little suspicious about me deciding to cooperate” Y/n was drinking a glass of water leaning against the counter and once again Bucky could not get his eyes off of her.

“I did not think about that. We should have done one thing at a time. But I guess it´s too late now. Oh! And it smells amazing” she replied signing over to the oven. The quick hand move, the way her voice floated in the air, that one fuzzy hair in her face, everything captured him. “I…” A sharp smell tingling his nose interrupted Barnes. It came from the hot oven in the middle of the kitchen. His concentration fully gathered again, let him act quickly, reaching over for a rug and rescuing his gratin in the last moment. The crust was now a bit darker than needed but it was still acceptable.

“It´s a burned potato gratin” Barnes darkly commented, placing the form in the center of the already ‘set up table’.

“Hey, don´t be so hard on yourself. It still looks amazing”

“I´m not being hard with myself, I´m blaming you. It wouldn´t have burned if you wouldn´t have distracted me” Bucky’s eyes were glimmering amused.

She gasped overly dramatic, laying one hand on her chest “Me?”

“Yes. You” He broke out into a smile, without wasting another thought he reached over to her, brushing that fuzzy string of hair out of her face. Y/n’s giggle stopped for a moment at the closeness between both, making place for a shy smile, her eyes searching the floor. Barnes retreaded himself, feeling a heavy stone inside his stomach, as he realized how intimate the gesture was.

She did not expect him coming so close, her heart was already fluttering and was about to explode at his touch. Then he moved away causing an emptiness inside her. The same emptiness she always felt since the day of the notification. It was the last time she felt truly fulfilled and at ease, she had dreams and goals. Then everything changed. Life suddenly was a landscape of grey. Every task dull and meaningless. Time passed. She soon enough noticed that the emptiness would stay and the grey would only flourish.

Then the nightmare happened. And the already grey landscape had now even dark shadows to be afraid of.

James moved away to cut and serve the gratin. Giving her a little time to calm down her heart beat and ‘take a seat’ on the kitchen counter. After another heartbeat of discreetly observing Bucky serve the plates, y/n decided to break the silence “James”

He looked up with a shy grin “Yes?”

“We really need to get you a table”

….

“Is it really necessary?” Bucky and y/n were standing in front of the furniture store. Bucky incredulously, Y/n exited.

“Well at least I am not going to keep eating on the floor and, or the counter. My back is literally hurting from eating the gratin”

“Yes, it’s true. But. I…” Barnes closed and opened his fists a few times weighting his options “Okey. I guess we can take a look around” She nodded enthusiastically leading the way into the shop, James sighted heavily and followed.

The store was more or less deserted, which relieved Barnes. He didn´t like being in a already overwhelmingly filled hall with an ever more overwhelming count of people in it. The exit routs were explicitly signed which calmed his anxiety a bit more.

The most urgent thing for y/n was definitely the table, which led them to the dinning room section.

“I feel like a mafia boss” Y/n declared sitting down on the front side of a heavy wooden table. The chair, throne-like, up-holstered in a red velvet.

“Yes. A very scary mafia boss” Bucky jeered from the other side of the aisle.

“Hey! I can be scary if I want to”

“Jupp, as scary as a teddy”

She got up from the huge seat and walked over to him “Have you ever started into the cold dead eyes of a teddy bear?”

Bucky thought for an overly long moment “No, I haven´t. What about this one?”

“James. That’s a plastic table and it isn´t even a good quality one. In half a year, you will need to buy a new one” grabbing his arm she dragged him away “Come on these place is gigantic, we can find something better”

Yet, they didn´t. Every table y/n suggested was rejected by Bucky and vice versa. It was mostly to big, to small, to pompous, to dull, to much seats, to little seats and so on.

Both had almost reached the end of the section, when y/n suddenly dragged Bucky over to another exemplar. It´s design was simple, a glass top and a blond wooden frame with matching metal legs. Four chairs coated in a clear fabric rounded the dining set.

“This one. It´s the perfect size and I think I saw stools that would match, for the counter” Y/n sounded near desperate. Bucky took his time to look around the table. He was searching for something specific on it.

The price tag.

Y/n had picked out the most beautiful and practical tables, but the price was often more then exorbitantly high, which led Bucky to refuse all her suggestions. And the same happened with this one, it was by far the best table she had found today. It would look amazing between the plants, near the window, the chairs comfortable to sit on, in the early mornings to drink coffee and read the paper. It was a shame the table was out of Bucky`s scarce budget.

“I don´t know” Barnes commented “The chairs will get dirty pretty fast” Y/n´s face dropped.

She really didn´t expect it being so hard to satisfy Bucky´s furniture taste. Y/n thought that given Bucky´s cloth taste, he would have somewhat the same taste for furniture. Modern, comfy and in style with the room. Yet, every piece he had found acceptable was old styled, plastic or just straight out in a horrible color “You really liked that plastic table didn´t you?” She sighted.

For the break of a second Bucky frowned disgusted, then he nodded convincingly. But it was enough for her to know, what was keeping them from agreeing for a piece of furniture.

Cheap.

Every single table he elected was not because of its design, colour or material, it was because it was cheap. For a moment y/n felt bad. It was selfish of her not thinking that way, even though she truly believed that she didn´t have a rich complex, sometimes she did forget that not everyone had unlimited resources.

“Maybe it´s time for a little break. I think I saw a popcorn stand outside” Bucky’s conflicted face lit up a bit at her words.

All rights reserved.

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Tags: @ginger-swag-rapunzel

[polaristranslations]

Yotsugi Buddy Episode 4

As someone who'd rather involuntarily become a vampire and been turned into a thrall, it was an idea that I could have never conceived of.

The idea of creating an oddity.

Even if she said it with the mood of, "I'm going to make an origami crane," I wasn't going to slap my knee [hiza wo utsu] and go, "So there was a method like that!"

If anything, it was such a shocking suggestion that it felt that I'd been shot in the knee [hiza wo utsu]... After all, it took me so much effort to become human again, and to state it clearly, even over a year later, I was still suffering from the dependence, aftereffects, and rehabilitation from that experience.

Even though it may not seem that way...

"B-but, is it really okay to do that? Creating an oddity is a pretty big deal, isn't it? I thought that you specialists were here to prevent that from happening... I was sure it was some forbidden act."

"Yeah. It's a black that's pretty close to gray."

"So it's still black!"

"Yep. Well, everyone gets all spooked when they hear about how forbidden it is, but don't you think it'll end up being not a huge deal when we try it out?"

"Spoken like an idiot just before they make an irredeemable mistake!"

In the first place, Ononoki-chan herself was an oddity that was created—revived—through a taboo.

As mentioned previously, Kagenui-san and Teori Tadatsuru (then college students) bore witness to that revival, and thus sustained appropriate curses...

The curse of not being able to walk on the ground.

I was a college student like them, but I didn't want to meet the same fate as them.

"It'll be fine. For you, oni onii-chan, isn't it similar to the difference between a life surrounded by walls and a life spent on top of walls, right?"

"A life spent on top of walls? Speaking of which, my bigger little sister used to do that a lot, while doing handstands."

Although she didn't do that as much anymore.

Since she'd entered high school, she'd stopped going out in a tracksuit.

I wonder if she became fashion-conscious.

"Okay, listen up, Ononoki Yotsugi. Once upon a time, Shinobu and I kept going along with a mood like that, traveled through time, and ended up destroying the world."

"The result of that is too extreme for me to use as reference. Besides, weren't you in a similar mood when you saved the dying Heartunderblade in spring break?"

"Hell no I wasn't! I was completely serious at the time, and it was a serious mistake!"

"Anyway, I want you to listen up. Oni onii-chan, are you so sensible that you'd get discouraged after one or two mistakes? What would you even do with that? How pathetic. Didn't we use to do stupid things together? Nadekou has also been making some mistakes recently, but she still hasn't gotten discouraged yet."

"I know it's not my place to say this, but what the hell are you doing with Sengoku!? Don't do stupid things with her! If you're going to, do them with me!"

"That's why I'm going to do this with you right now, oni onii-chan."

It's fine, it's fine—said Ononoki-chan, making an empty promise.

But I sensed nothing but danger.

"Though I say 'turning it into an oddity', it'll only be a temporary change. A temporary and restricted monstrous change... It'll just be like a shikigami making a familiar [tsukaima]."

"A god [kami] making a demon [ma]? What kind of situation is this... It definitely has to be forbidden..."

"Didn't you say back in the bathroom that you were 'ready to take anything on'? Was that a lie? Did you lie to me?"

"I didn't realize that even a lie of that level was unforgivable in our relationship... I meant that I was ready to take anything on, as long as it doesn't anger Gaen-san, doesn't destroy the world, and doesn't dissolve my certification as harmless."

"If this little bear once belonged to sensei, then you could say it was simply 'left for safekeeping' outside of the territory. In other words, it should still have the makings of an oddity. I'm just going to accelerate that process. When you make a vaccine, you induce a virus to grow, right? It's like that."

"It sounds persuasive, but is that really the same?"

I've often read stories in suspense novels about a virus that grows out of control and destroys the human race...

"Even if this tiny little bear gets out of control, I'll be able to take it down in no time."

"Those are the words of the researcher that dies first..."

"Nothing but complaints, huh, oni onii-chan. You should have a little more faith in me. You've hired a specialist, so just leave it to me."

"Even if you tell me to leave it to you in that monotone of yours..."

She sure had guts to say something like that after those acts of violence in Room 333.

She definitely wasn't a specialist when it came to renovations.

"In the first place, creating oddities isn't even your specialty, right?"

"That's not true. Actually, there was a time when I used to live with a very skilled doll maker."

Teori Tadatsuru, huh... Well, even if the only corpse doll he made was Ononoki-chan, he'd certainly made lots of other dolls as well.

"If you absolutely can't trust me, then I don't mind throwing things over to Teori onii-chan?"

"That would be a problem. When it comes to relying on him, he's second to Kaiki in terms of how reluctant I am."

"Rather than reluctant, you just hate them, don't you? But it relieves me to know that even you have someone you hate, oni onii-chan... I'm not trying to cover for my creator, but considering I was the one to blow up Araragi Tsukihi—wouldn't you say there isn't much difference between relying on me and relying on Teori onii-chan, who kidnapped your two sisters and your junior?"

The difference is marginal—but as she said that, even if it was true, it was still a matter of feelings.

It was a contradiction that Ougi-chan had heavily criticized me for.

"That guy's still going after me and Shinobu, ignoring our harmless certification, as well as my sister, isn't he?"

"It's the same for me. I'm always thinking about killing all of you if I can get the chance."

"I hate Teori. I like Ononoki-chan. These feelings of mine will not change just because my life is threatened. I'll protect Shinobu and I'll protect Tsukihi, so that I can continue to like you, Ononoki-chan. All right, fine. I'll leave it to you. You're free to do as you like."

"How embarrassing."

You've given me more faith than I was expecting—said Ononoki-chan, hiding her face behind her hands. It was a cute gesture, but behind those hands, I knew she was as expressionless as ever.

In the end, it felt like I was taken in by Ononoki's smooth-talking, or rather, the cajolery of a specialist... However, as long as I didn't have a plan of my own, Ononoki-chan had carte blanche to do anything she wanted.

It was true that, if I couldn't count on her here, I shouldn't have relied on her in the first place. I didn't have any other choice, but right now, it wasn't like I didn't have another choice but to rely on Ononoki-chan this time.

This time, I chose, deliberately, to rely on her.

"So... What do you plan to do, specifically? Is it something we can do at this park? Or, if it's rituals, we can go to the Kitashirahebi Shrine..."

"Ah, yes, the well-known Kitashirahebi Shrine, where Nadekou writhed around in a school swimsuit."

"Don't make it sound like an indecent shrine."

"That place has already become spiritually cleansed, thanks to my all-around great efforts. It's no longer an air pocket or a hangout for bad things."

She was taking more credit than she should be, but that was certainly true... Plus, I had been the one who practically got in the way of those efforts.

"So it doesn't meet the requirements. Creating an oddity isn't just something you can do anywhere. You can't just go pon, pon, pon and pop out an oddity."

"I can only imagine you popping out an oddity like that, though... But, on the other hand, now that it's a shrine with a proper god, isn't it more suitable for ceremonies?"

"If that god finds out, we're doomed."

So you're trying to do something that will doom us after all... How about we don't do something that could get Hachikuji mad at us?

That's what I wanted to say, but after having expressed that level of trust, it was kind of hard to take it back, even as a man with no guiding principles... But, if we wanted to do it without Hachikuji finding out, then it probably wasn't a good idea to do it here in Shirohebi Park, either.

Or rather, it was a bad idea to continue this fruitless discussion here. Since this was where Hachikuji and I had first met, this park was practically her territory.

"Yes. We're going to use that concept of 'territory'."

"Mm. What? What do you mean?"

"If we assume that the abused doll and the clothes became oddities because Room 333 was sensei's territory, then turning this little bear into an oddity should also be done in her territory."

"...So we're going to return there? By this point, a commotion has to have started by now."

"Even if there wasn't a commotion, we shouldn't go back there. If you're making a vaccine, you wouldn't want to use a virus with the same potency as the actual virus."

Well, yeah.

Even the flu shot was made up of an extremely weak version of the virus, injected so our body could produce antibodies... Well, I heard that even a weakened virus could make you feel unwell, so we couldn't be too careful.

"In other words, territoriality... The best place would be somewhere with a less 'private' feeling than her home. Do you have any ideas, oni onii-chan?"

"Of course, that would be her workplace. What about the office where I first talked with Associate Professor Iesumi?"

"Her office is still a private office, right? That's still pretty high in terms of territoriality... I'd prefer a more communally used space, where other people might go. Like her favorite restaurant, or something."

"The university cafeteria... But I don't know if Associate Professor Iesumi ever ate there. In the first place, we shouldn't be doing this around other people, right?"

"I don't really mind if anyone sees, though? What's wrong with showing off our relationship?"

"Don't act like we're on a secret date. ...What about a lecture hall? The lecture hall where I take the associate professor's language course, that is."

"That would be too weak for territoriality. After all, there are a lot of other classes that go on, and isn't that more of the student's territory?"

That was how it was in university, huh... If it were a high school, I'm sure the classroom area would be fine as the homeroom teacher’s territory.

"Darn, I can't believe that the fact that I moved onto higher education would come back to bite me like this... If only I were still a Naoetsu High School student!"

"If you still were, then I bet nothing in particular would happen. You'd live a life where nothing happened, except for breaking up with Senjougahara Hitagi."

How harsh.

But, again and again, I deeply realized that I'd taken on a request from someone I knew absolutely nothing about... I couldn't think of any territory for Associate Professor Iesumi at all.

I guess it was because she was that kind of person that she was able to disappear without a trace, except for a single little bear left on the roof...

"That's for sure. Normally, no matter where you disappear to, you would usually go home at least once to prepare yourself. The fact that she disappeared directly from work makes me think that she must have been preparing this for a long time,"

said Ononoki-chan.

For her, it was just an offhand comment, possibly not even something she really believed, but those words made it click for me.

"Ononoki-chan! What did you just say!? No, before that!"

"You didn't even let me respond. What part? The fact that she disappeared directly for work?"

"No, before that—no, that was it. Sorry, sorry."

"You're just starting to sound like a guy that likes saying 'No, before that'. But what is it?"

"How about inside her car?"

I asked.

"If you close the door, it gives off a private feeling, and even though it's not a common place, she wouldn't be in it all the time, so it's not as territorial as her home or her office, right?"

"Mm... It's not bad, but I dunno. That would mean we'd have to go back to the apartment, but is that all right?"

It would certainly be bad if we went back.

On top of the tires of the cars in the parking lot all having been slashed, my New Beetle was also parked there, making it an unfavorable situation. I didn't think I wanted to return without wearing a mask of some sort.

However...

"If she disappeared directly from her office without returning home, then wouldn't Associate Professor Iesumi's car still be parked in the university parking lot?"

026

To make an unsubstantiated claim, as someone who didn't actually know Associate Professor Iesumi well, I didn't know if she commuted by car or not, and I didn't know if she left her car behind when she disappeared... If anything, if you think about it normally, you'd think a person would disappear using their car, if they owned one.

It was a very convenient vehicle, after all.

Thus, my previous statement was quite the careless statement, not backed up by anything.

However, if she wanted to completely erase her presence, instead of just simply disappearing, then driving a vehicle with license plates on the front and back was basically the same as traveling with a name tag.

Just like with her home, it felt like she would have left something like that alone, without getting her affairs in order... Maybe this line of attack had some merit to it?

I didn't expect things to go smoothly.

As long as we were expecting unpredictability, we were going to need an indiscriminate brute-force attack...

It seemed that, strangely enough, luck favored the kind of guy that liked to take detours without any plan in mind... The number of parking lots near Manase University was not small, including the one I usually used. Going through all of them would not be easy, no matter how mobile Ononoki-chan was—not only did we not know what kind of car Associate Professor Iesumi owned, we also didn't even know if it existed.

But, even so (because I was afraid that Hachikuji might find out if we kept lingering at Shirohebi Park), I figured we may as well get moving, and headed to the campus of Manase University in its summer break ("Unlimited Rulebook"—I'd taken off my frozen cap and jacket). And when we arrived, I realized something that I hadn't expected at all, but of course something like that existed.

In other words, the campus had a parking lot for staff use.

It was far from my usual travel route, and even if I had passed by it at one point, it might have left my awareness as an area that had nothing to do with me as a student... It wasn't that I didn't know everything—there was nothing but things I didn't know, this university that I attended.

Not to mention, since it was summer vacation, there weren't many cars parked in the parking lot, which was just a plain asphalt lot with orange lines painted onto it.

It was sparsely populated.

If it was like this, then we'd be able to conduct a full investigation in a limited amount of time, and, if we were so inclined, we wouldn't even need to go that far... That was because there was one car that stood out from the rest. A car with a distinctly different disposition [keiro].

Or rather, it just had a different color [iro]... Basically, it was a car that had become covered in dust and dirt. Like an abandoned automobile... Is this what happens to cars that are left uncovered for just a few days?

Just because the owner disappeared and left it alone... It looked like it was originally a pretty expensive car, too—a foreign car with the steering wheel on the left side.

"Feels like the car's been abused,"

said Ononoki-chan—it was some harsh criticism of the owner, but an excellent statement. Only a tool could express such a thing.

It seemed that the statement that "homes quickly fall into disrepair when people don't live in them" could be directly applied to automobiles, as well... It also happened to be favorable for the ritual that we were about to perform.

"No security cameras here. Good, good."

I was basically acting like a criminal by now, but the fact that this car was not parked in a contracted parking lot was really the luckiest thing... It was unknown if the bizarre phenomenon of the blanket puncturing tires in the apartment building's parking lot was captured on video, but if we were caught on video tinkering with this abandoned car, it would totally be vehicle burglary.

But we couldn't just dawdle around.

If the owner of the car was not found, the car would eventually be towed away... I wanted to hurry up. In the first place, bringing a tween girl to a university campus could easily attract attention on its own.

"Seems there's no dash cam installed, either. All right, all that's left is to hotwire the car."

"Don't talk about things you can't even do. The only thing you can do here, oni onii-chan, is keep watch."

The tween girl made me into her underling... Well, it was true that I couldn't possibly attempt to cooperate in the creation of an oddity.

"But how do you plan on getting inside? Ononoki-chan. For the record, I'm not going to let you break a window, okay?"

"What kind of ruffian do you think I am? I wouldn't do something like break a windowpane."

And with that, what the god of destruction broke was the lock to the trunk in the back of the car. While I was speechless, she slipped the little bear from my pocket.

"Then, see ya. Keep watch for about half an hour, will you? It's a job that only you can do, oni onii-chan. I'm counting on you."

She dexterously folded her body into the not-very-spacious luggage compartment and squeezed in like some girl that had been kidnapped, closing the lid from the inside.

I see, she didn't have to sit in the driver's seat or the passenger seat to perform the ritual... With the trunk lid closed like this, no one would be able to see what was going on from outside, so the choice of the trunk area was a pretty nice idea.

Even if there were no security cameras or dash cams, it took a certain amount of bravery to perform a questionable ritual in a car for half an hour—and for Ononoki-chan, the darkness inside the trunk was nothing to be feared.

I couldn't help but get curious about what sort of forbidden ritual was taking place inside the trunk to breathe life into that little bear (I could hear an odd wriggling sound—wriggling?)—but it was probably better for me not to know.

A careless guy like me...

I'd been told to keep watch so that nobody interfered with Ononoki-chan as she put her heart and soul into that little bear, but considering that a guy who wasn't even a staff member loitering around the staff parking lot was plenty suspicious, I almost thought it would be better if I joined Ononoki-chan in the trunk. The fact that she didn't give me the time to do so was probably because she didn't want me to learn anything unnecessary, on top of how already cramped it was in the trunk.

Despite all she said, she was a rather considerate tween girl... I guess she was leaving me out of the loop so that I didn't get cursed even more.

Certainly enough, the curses placed on me by my childhood friend were more than enough... Plus, she was the one that started this whole thing.

Oh, that lovely girl.

On the other hand, on the flip side, you could say that Ononoki-chan was just willing to take on that much risk—for a professional, it probably wasn't that big of a risk, but it still made me a bit anxious.

So that I wasn't just dragging my feet, I decided to at least act like an admirable student, industriously cleaning my professor's abandoned and dusty car—I didn't have any cleaning fluid or brushes, so I couldn't do much, but I could at least brush away the dirt with my hands. I even thought about using my ski cap as a towel, but decided against it, thinking it would be a bad idea to clean someone else's car with something that was once covered with drool.

As I did so, I could see the inside of the car through the window, but there was nothing unusual about it—no stickers or decorations on the seats... Also, there were no stuffed dolls from a crane game lined up in the back seat or anything like that, either.

Well, even if I were to break into this car, there wasn't any sort of fabric that could come and attack... No, wait, was it possible for the floor mats to come flying at me?

"......?"

There, my hands that were wiping the windows paused—partly because my hands were getting so dirty that they were no longer useful for cleaning, but also because I had a strange feeling about the interior of the car.

As mentioned before, there shouldn't have been any cause for concern inside the car, and yet my attention was drawn to something... Unlike the third bedroom where that father doll lay, it didn't give off the impression of being a set. It didn't feel like a car displayed at a car dealership... It had the feeling of being lived-in, the feeling of being used.

Then what part of the car was bothering me?

If only I were the kind of person that could get flashes of inspiration. Then life would be so much easier... Although something like that seemed more tiresome.

If only I had a button to give me a flash of inspiration.

In the first place, there weren't enough things inside the car to worry about... Maybe this was the kind of thing where I was not worried about something "being" there, but something "not being" there?

But, the steering wheel was there, the accelerator and the brake were there... The back mirror was there, the gear shift was there, the parking brake was there... Maybe something that wasn't so fundamental?

Was I just concerned about how the steering wheel was on the left side? But, my New Beetle also had its steering wheel on the left side, so I was actually pretty used to that—something my car had that this car didn't... Not only in the driver's seat, but also in the passenger seat—

"...Ah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah."

I got it, I got it. When I figured it out, it was almost shameful... Honestly, I didn't want to describe it. But now that I'd made myself so obvious, I couldn't just keep my mouth shut about it, even if it might not have anything to do with the main topic.

It was the passenger seat—the child seat.

In my New Beetle, the passenger seat was equipped with a child seat for Shinobu's use, but this car just didn't have one—because both cars had steering wheels on the left side, I was able to feel that sense of discomfort.

Good grief, what was I doing, getting all preoccupied in the middle of more pressing issues? In terms of the mise-en-scène of a child seat, there were more cars that didn't have them than did... After all, if you didn't have children, it wasn't an essential element at all—if you didn't have children?

But Associate Professor Iesumi was a mother with a three-year-old daughter...

Hm? No, "Iie-chan", the three-year-old daughter, was actually the Iie-chan doll... But if Associate Professor Iesumi thought that the doll was "her own child", then...

The doll was the target of abuse, so she didn't provide it a child seat as part of the abuse? Well, that could be the case.

If it was locked up in a cage, then it wouldn't have had a chance to go out with her—but it wasn't locked up all the time, and there must have been a time "before the abuse"...

Besides, it was a legal obligation to install a child seat, right? I liked the way Shinobu squeezed in tightly into that small seat, so I set mine up without regard to the Road Traffic Act, but when I looked it up when I bought the car, it was mandatory to install a child seat when taking a child under the age of six into the car—by the way, Shinobu's outer appearance was that of an eight-year-old.

There were even those who thought that babies shouldn't even be put into cars for safety reasons... But not even I thought that we needed to be that much of a stickler. While we're on the subject of the law, child abuse was an unforgivable crime in the first place... However, when I remembered the "remnants of affection" I felt from the nursery, I wasn't sure if it made sense to remove and dispose of the child seat because she didn't think of Iie-chan (the doll?) as cute.

Associate Professor Iesumi's abuse came in the form of abandonment.

That's why the fruit knife stabbed in the back was a clear contradiction—then, shall we assume the child seat was removed by someone else? But I was pretty sure that child seats were treated as oversized garbage in most areas... It was obvious that getting rid of one would be troublesome.

I'd been regretting becoming aware of this, but that regret was quickly changing into a different kind of regret... I had a feeling that if I continued to think about this, the end goal would be good for nothing.

Earlier, I'd wanted a button for a flash of inspiration, but now I wanted a button to undo it—such a self-centered wish would normally not get fulfilled, but it seemed luck was on my side here as well.

If I hadn't used up all my luck yet, I would have preferred it take my side in a different scene than this one... Anyway, my thoughts, which I couldn't stop on my own, were interrupted by an external impetus.

When I noticed, it turned out that much time had passed, as Ononoki-chan said, "Thanks for waiting, oni onii-chan," and crawled out of the trunk.

"Rejoice, for the ritual has succeeded. Look."

But even if she told me to look.

The result was not exactly something I could rejoice over—when looking at the little bear doll standing atop Ononoki-chan's hand, and when looking at Ononoki-chan's face half an hour later.

This was the first time a change occurred in Ononoki-chan's face, which had always been expressionless—I wanted to opt for a description that was as appropriate as possible, but the more I twisted it, the more disturbing it became. So, to say it outright.

Ononoki-chan's right eye had been gouged out—turned into a hollow cavity. And.

In the face of the little bear doll wriggling atop her hand, her right eye had been implanted.

027

Thrall-making. Familiar.

The process of embedding a part of your own body into a doll to make it an alter ego—simply put, that's all it was, but it was still frightening.

Fear [kyoufu] prevailed over amazement [kyoutan].

Rather than devoting one's heart and soul [shinketsu], it was more like devoting one's flesh and blood [ketsuniku].

Since her design was that of a tween girl, I never thought that Ononoki-chan's appearance was scary, but now that she was speaking to me with one eye hollowed out yet still expressionless as ever, it was kind of horrifying.

It was both expressionless and not expressionless at the same time.

Although, it was probably more normal to be afraid of the little bear doll that was moving bizarrely like a marionette in Ononoki-chan's palm... No, don't get confused. A little bear doll with an eyeball embedded in it was plenty scary.

It was scary enough that I could even faint right here.

I'd noticed that the little bear doll had been old and both eyes were missing, but I didn't expect Ononoki-chan would try to "repair" the missing parts in such a way...

She'd created a bug-eyed monster, hadn't she.

"A-at this point, we really won't be able to make an anime out of this... Of course I wouldn't be able to participate in the ritual."

"Weren't you an eyeball fanatic, oni onii-chan? You're pretending to be scared, but really, your heart's skipping a beat at this eye socket, isn't it?"

"Don't try to push a preference worse than lolicon onto me. Eh? Did it really have to be an eyeball? Isn't it normal to use something like hair for making an alter ego?"

"Well, I'm not Sun Wukong. That would have been fine, too, but the centerpiece [medama] of this mission was to have the familiar guide us, so I figured using an eyeball [medama] was a good idea."

"That's not a funny joke. What makes you think you can get a laugh out of me right now?"

"Your viewpoint."

"It wasn't my viewpoint that was wrong. It's my judgment [megane]. It was a terrible misjudgment to leave this to you."

"'The eyes, huh [me ga nee]', you say? Well, that's what you get from just five thousand yen."

I'd thought for sure that it was a clever line, but it turned out she was cutting corners because of her fees... It was hard to come across a buyer's remorse as bad as this. As for "the eyes, huh," she was skimping on even the gags.

Well, in terms of pupils, I suppose holes were naturally a part of eyes...

"Damn, if it was going to be like this, I should've crowdfunded one yen from every person in Japan and paid one hundred million yen..."

"Don't talk about elementary school fantasies as if they're modern management techniques."

"But... Ononoki-chan, putting aside gags [gyagu] and fees [gyara], are you really okay? With that eye socket. Is that something you can fix later?"

"I don't need your concern. I'm a corpse, after all. This level of damage doesn't even hurt or itch. Feel free to shower me with thunderous applause. Or you can just rain down kisses upon this eye socket."

"Don't try to test my affections."

"Not to mention, I've been in a worse state when I played around with Nadekou."

"Really, what the hell are you doing with Sengoku?"

"It'll go back to normal if I put it back. In the worst-case scenario, if it doesn't go back, I can just become an eyepatch character."

"Don't try to change your character after all this time! You're already decked out just as you are, Ononoki-chan!"

"It's nice to hear that, but don't think that what you see now is all of me. I had an eyepatch during the war, you see."

"At the Battle of Waterloo?"

"Non. During the Ononoki War."

"There was a war with your name on it!?"

They probably wouldn't teach that in history class.

If it wasn't an irreversible change, then it made me a little relieved, but from now on, I had to make sure I didn't make any careless requests to Ononoki-chan.

She wasn't afraid to hurt herself.

I'd totally forgotten about what I was thinking about... Something about a seat? Or a sheet? Maybe a cooling sheet? I certainly wanted to cool myself down.

Well, to take my eyes off of Ononoki-chan for a second... Not as a gag—literally, take my eyes off of Ononoki-chan.

And look at the little bear doll that was infused with a soul through a horrible, squirming ritual.

Rather than a familiar, it felt more like some sort of talisman... Huh? At some point, it disappeared from Ononoki-chan's hand?

When I looked, I saw that the little bear doll with the eyeball had jumped off while we were fiercely clashing, and that it had begun lumbering along the lines atop the asphalt of the parking lot... It looked like it was about to fall over, and when I thought it would, it held its head high and regained its balance.

Even its movements were frightening...

It felt like some new life form that human arrogance created from scratch through genetic experimentation... Of course making something like this would be forbidden. I would have to accept whatever punishment Gaen-san threw my way... Whoa, it came this way.

"Shall we give it a name? I might even get attached to it. This is something I just thought of, but how about Koyomi?"

"You should at least give it a name related to Associate Professor Iesumi, or even a name related to yourself."

"You sure are noisy, Koyomi #2."

"I'm #2?"

"Make way for Koyomi, Koyomi #2. Otherwise I'll demote you to #3. The navigation has already begun."

Huh... So it wasn't just wandering aimlessly, but already trying to return to its original owner...

At first I wasn't sure if it would work, but if the flying blanket was headed to Associate Professor Iesumi for revenge on its abuse, then it wouldn't be strange if this little bear doll had the same latent directionality... Rather, this doll was the only one here that was doing its job as instructed.

Look what Ononoki-chan and I have become.

"But isn't it bad that it's going so smoothly? I mean, it's a little bear doll with an eyeball, walking around in public where anyone can see."

"It's going smoothly, so we can gouge out some eyes for the trivial stuff."

"Gouge out some eyes for the trivial stuff!? You mean turn our eyes away from the trivial stuff, right?"

"I'll gouge out the eyes of anyone who sees it."

"I can't turn my eyes away from that. I'm going to tell Kagenui-san."

"It's something onee-chan often says, though. Come on, oni onii-chan, don't be silly. Just pretend you're Geppetto."

"You're assigning me one of the hardest acts of all... So basically, I have to act like I'm controlling a marionette with piano wire, right?"

"That's right. The setting is that we're both new members of a circus club. I skipped a grade, and my specialty is riding the trapeze."

"If you're going to pay that much attention to the setting, you should've planned things out a little more carefully from the beginning. We're being way too haphazard."

"Speaking of haphazard, here. I found some mineral water in the trunk. I guess it's for emergencies in case of a disaster, but the fact that it's carbonated water does feel like a sensei from Europe. Hold onto it."

"? I'm not really thirsty, though?"

"Pour it on the bear if it starts going wild."

She was pretty hard on it after giving it a name, especially my name... She wasn't getting attached to it at all.

"Even if we do successfully find her, I'll feel morally responsible if the bear ends up finishing off that intellectual sensei."

"You wouldn't just be morally responsible, you'd be completely responsible!"

Once again, I realized how forbidden this all really was.

Although it already looked that way from the bear doll's wobbly movements.

Originally, with the size of the little bear doll being what it was, it wasn't exactly designed to be able to stand upright, let alone walk, and the eyeball attached to its head made its balance even worse...

"Employing a familiar is kind of like taking care of an animal. It's the owner's responsibility to take care of it, up to the point of killing it, right?"

"For a moment, I thought you were going to give me a lecture on taking responsibility for life or something, so I was going 'ugh' in my head, but Ononoki-chan, that's not quite right."

But true, "the weakness being water" was something I'd figured out a little while ago... So this familiar was no exception.

But this weakness didn't seem to matter to Ononoki-chan, who opened the lid of her own plastic bottle and gulped down the water—she must've gotten tired out from the ritual.

"Pwaah. Well, it's not chilly at all. Lukewarm carbonated water sure is peculiar."

"Well, it was in the trunk after all... Ononoki-chan, I thought about this when you blew away that father doll, but you're pretty cold to dolls despite being a doll, huh."

"Are you saying I'm the one who's chilly? But I'm not chilly [hieteinai], and I wouldn't say that [ieteinai]. It's not despite being a doll, but because I'm a doll. I don't even have normal empathy. No naive feelings of hating something similar to me. Did I act in a way that made you misunderstand? A doll is a doll. Isn't empathizing with dolls the domain of humans? For oni onii-chan, and for the intellectual sensei."

"......"

I was flustered just by the sight of Ononoki-chan's eye socket, so it was hard to argue back. Empathy, huh...

"Are those thoughts what causes doll oddities to be formed?"

"Who knows. I don't think onee-chan and the others put that much thought into bringing me back to life—come on, if you don't keep up, we'll lose track of the bear."

"Ah."

I had thought it was just wandering around aimlessly, but I realized that the eyeball-attached little bear doll was slowly tottering forward, as if in a game of "Red Light, Green Light"... There was no way it could've made it that far at the speed it was waddling, but was it speeding up whenever I didn't have my eyes on it?

But, if it wasn't going to move at that speed, then the sun was definitely going to set on us... Especially since its stride was short, and it didn't seem to be able to fly like the Iie-chan doll.

"Right, I kept its functionality to a minimum. Like I said, it's a weakened version of the virus. You don't want it to go out of control or make more companions, right? It doesn't have any will or any feelings. If you want to think of it like this, it's basically a radio-controlled car."

"Then, instead of just following behind it, we should try to keep figuring out where Associate Professor Iesumi disappeared to."

It was better to think of it like a compass, not a state-of-the-art navigation system... The theory that it began to maneuver at high speeds when we looked away was intriguing, but we wouldn't be able to recover if we inadvertently let it run off into the wild.

Hm... Huh?

But, where was it going?

If it went that way, it would run into the school building... Was its intelligence suppressed to the point that it couldn't even avoid walls? In that case, it was a bit pitiful, but when I thought about how this sort of compassion was what put the world in danger, I suffered from a dilemma that I didn't need to suffer from—and then.

At that point, my cell phone rang.

I received a message. Actually, two messages, at almost the exact same time.

Holding the plastic bottle in my other hand, I pulled out my cell phone and checked the senders of the text messages, making sure not to take my eyes off of the eyeball-attached little bear doll.

It seemed there was good news and bad news—in other words, the senders of the two messages were Hamukai Meniko and Araragi Tsukihi.

When I checked the bad news (in other words, the message from Tsukihi), the star-laden message said that the hike ended with no bodies being found, so she really was going to go visit Nadeko-chan's house now, because she didn't want to lie to her best friend.

Sengoku.

I had nothing but apologies to offer you.

And now for the good news—no, based on the content, maybe I should classify this as bad news as well.

"Araragi-chan~ I finished deciphering that thing you sent me~ Sorry it took me so long~ Full text below~"

Even in text, her usual lax attitude came through. But below that, the message read,

"(* It contains some grotesque expressions, so prepare yourself~)"

I couldn't help but think that the line of text was unusually unsettling for Meniko.

"......"

"What's the matter? Oni onii-chan. Did you get some kind of weird text?"

In response to Ononoki-chan's natural question that arose when I suddenly stopped in my tracks...

"It's a testament,"

I responded frankly.

"What arrived was sensei's testament."

"? 'An'ya Kokoro'?"

028

"To Araragi-kun.

"I'm leaving you this letter with peace of mind because I don't think you, my proud student, have the language skills to be able to translate it.

"Now, where should I start? There's so much to talk about, though.

"How exciting.

"But don't take it too seriously.

"After all, my life has been full of lies. I've somehow managed to cheat and deceive my way through life, pretending that it was all real.

"I have no idea what it feels like to be up front about my true feelings. Isn't opening your mouth to speak basically the same as lying?

"Just kidding. Even a claim like this, I'm not really serious about—I just thought it would be a good way to start this letter. It may as well be sleep talk.

"I'm pretty good at sleeping, you see. That's the truth.

"I've spent my whole life sleeping, and I've spent my whole life dead—rather, I was never even alive.

"Because I'm a doll.

"Yes... I suppose I should begin there. If I'm going to confess.

"Araragi-kun, I've lied a lot to you in the short time we've known each other, so in order for you to forgive me, I want you to be able to sympathize with me first.

"I want you to consider the extenuating circumstances.

"I'm pathetic and pitiful, so I absolutely need for you to think that you'll forgive me... Well, I never actually considered it in that way, but maybe you'd be more easily convinced if I said it like that.

"You'd rather not think that you were tricked and taken advantage of by a crazy adult, right? It doesn't sound very convincing to say it here, but I want children to be able to believe in adults.

"'I don't want you to become like me.' It's an old and oft-repeated line, but I wished that someone would have told me the opposite.

"'Become like me. Life is fun.'

"I wanted to meet an adult that would say that to me... Oops, don't worry. That doesn't mean I'm going to say that you should become happy in my place.

"There's no need to worry about that.

"Araragi-kun, I'm sure what you care about the most is 'why I chose you', and the rest may not matter at all to you, but I'd like to put on airs and save that answer for the end.

"I'll save the fun for the very end.

"Because, while it probably isn't a fun answer for you, I want you to read to the very end.

"One thing I will say, though, is that Oikura-san really isn’t involved... Please understand that it's not her fault.

"Please be gentle to her.

"Now, it's time for class to begin. Enjoy."

029

"The person I respect is my father, and the person I respect is my mother.

"I have to say, it's those college seniors on the job hunt that can answer the interviewer's questions with those words that I truly respect and love.

"That I hold in high esteem.

"Somewhere inside me, I have the feeling that familial love is a wonderful thing. But, you see, it was only inside me.

"It wasn't in the house.

"And it wasn't in the cage.

"We talked about something like the cycle of abuse, right? You know, where you aren't able to love your children because your parents didn't love you... But, in that sense, my parents were fine people.

"They were a fine pair.

"They got their dream jobs, were active in a foreign country, and even obtained citizenship there... I believe they were respected and loved even by the people around them.

"They were a fine pair, and it was just that that pair couldn't become a fine trio.

"Daddy was a pediatrician, and Mommy was a fashion designer for children's clothes... I'd never really thought about it in this way, but in a way, they were both specialists of children.

"Specialists.

"And I think they were good at it. Daddy didn't let me die, and Mommy used to make clothes for me all the time.

"Hagoromo is a pretty unusual name for my generation, don't you think? It's a name that Mommy gave to me. Meaning 'a robe of feathers'.

"The legend of the hagoromo.

"I can go on and on about how they came to Switzerland, how they achieved success there, or perhaps even the romantic tale of how they met, but, yeah, I'll stop here.

"I don't feel like bragging about my parents. I wouldn't do something so embarrassing. For reasons beyond just embarrassment.

"But, well, when I look back on myself, it's like I've done similar things, in a similar position, right?

"I wonder if they've been through something terrible, too. I wonder if that's why they gave me such a hard time.

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

"There's a saying like that, right?

"There's also a saying that goes, 'The child is father to the man'—I'll quote this saying again later, so remember it.

"Because I want you to warn me if I forget to do so.

"I said that it was time for class to begin, and I'm starting to use the same tone of voice as in my lectures out of habit, but, well, I'm not really qualified to teach... I say 'habit [kuse]' but it's really despite [kuse ni] being me. I said it as a metaphor, but at the same time, it means exactly what it sounds like.

"If I'd been an honest person, I wouldn't have been able to work at a national university. Even if you don't manage to decipher this letter, Araragi-kun, I'm sure someone will eventually find out. That I was a fake teacher.

"Don't get me wrong. My parents definitely loved me. Thinking like this could be a form of Stockholm Syndrome, and you might criticize me for being complicit in my parents' actions, but still, even if it was a bit warped, I would say that was still love.

"Although the idea that parents will always be parents to their children, even if they are abused, makes me sick.

"At the very least, even though I had never attended any kind of school, not even for a day, I was still provided enough education to be able to teach at a foreign university. Although it's a bit ironic to think that my longing for school was what made me a university professor.

"They did love me.

"But, they didn't pay me any respect.

"Do you get it? In other words, they didn't treat me like a human being.

"They treated me like a doll.

"They took care of me like a toy.

"I was a teddy bear to those two.

"Bears are cute, aren't they? I wonder why they're so cute?

"But, it's only the children that are cute.

"Adult bears are scary. You can't call them with '-chan'. You end up wanting to use 'sir' or 'madam'.

"I'd like to say that only pandas are cute even when they grow up... But even pandas are cuter as children.

"Have you ever been told that, Araragi-kun? 'You used to be so cute as a child.' Well, children don't grow up the way parents want them to. Like how characters move on their own in the culture of Cool Japan, I guess?

"Anyway, about my parents.

"About my home. About my cage.

"I was their little teddy bear... and they didn't want their little bear to grow up so quickly. They really, really didn't want it—they wanted me to stay their adorable little baby forever.

"So.

"They stopped raising me."

030

"First, they threw me into a handmade cage. They carefully transferred me from a crib to a cage.

"You know how they say you shouldn't keep a goldfish in a large tank? Because they'll grow to the size of the tank.

"If you want to keep the goldfish small, you shouldn't keep it in a tank that's any bigger... Well, I figure it's more like an urban legend, but that's what they did.

"As specialists. As parents.

"To their own child.

"They imprisoned me in a meticulously calculated cage—not because the baby would move around and mess up the house, not because it was troublesome if the baby followed them around—but because they didn't want me to grow taller or gain more weight than the length, width, and height of the iron fence.

"It was an act filled with love.

"It was an act filled with hope.

"'I hope that Hagoromo-chan stays small forever.'

"'Please stay cute forever, Hagoromo-chan.'

"I don't really remember what it was like as a baby, but I surely had to have cried out because of such discomfort.

"It would have been a high-pitched scream.

"But it's a baby's job to cry.

"So as they watched me cry, they considered me the most lovely little thing—the abuse against me did not even involve discipline.

"They were trying to spoil me.

"It really makes you think, doesn't it?

"What kind of upbringing did they have to have to become parents like that... Would it be comical to say that I wanted to see their parents' faces?

"There should be four of my grandparents here in this country, but I don't think I want to meet them... They're probably not even alive.

"Well, if you've been trapped in a place for as long as you can remember, you'll end up thinking it's completely normal.

"At some point, I stopped crying.

"Because crying was a waste of water.

"Water was important. For the sake of staying alive. The only effort I could make of my own volition to stay alive was to 'not cry'.

"So, after being trapped like a foie gras goose, unable to move, I was constantly stuffed with food, just like a foie gras goose—but of course you don't think that, right?

"In fact, it was the opposite. I'm sure you can imagine.

"Daddy and Mommy didn't even try to nourish me. Because, if I did, I might grow.

"Breast milk was a no-no.

"I know I said I didn't remember anything from when I was a baby, but I can vaguely remember my mom in the kitchen, milking her own breasts and throwing away all the nutrients I needed to grow.

"I get that feeling. It could just be a false memory. Maybe, because it was a waste, she gave it to Daddy to drink. Sorry, that was an adult joke.

"All I drank was just water.

"But I wasn't badmouthing it by calling it 'just water'... After all, it was how I maintained my transient life.

"Just a transient life.

"But, since water was all I had to drink, you can pretty much guess what my food was like, right? Do you think you can answer correctly if I gave it as a quiz? It's a question that ninety-seven percent of babies can get right.

"At the very least, there was no need to wean me off of milk onto baby food. I didn't need to be weaned, because I wasn't even drinking milk in the first place.

"Basically, I was given nothing to eat.

"If you don't eat, you don't gain weight. Maybe I should put out a book called 'The No-Eating Diet'.

"How should I put it? I felt like I was almost dried out. Like a flimsy mummy that was nothing but skin and bones—like tanned leather. So it was like water brought me back to life.

"But it wasn't like that water was unlimited. So it was normal for me to not eat or drink... But, maybe once every three days, once every five days, once every week, once every month, I was given some fruit to eat.

"An apple, a pear, a banana, a tangerine, a melon, an avocado, or a durian.

"Daddy used a fruit knife to peel it and cut it to the size of my mouth. My mouth was small, after all. Like a puckered-up mouth, I guess? My teeth weren't coming in at all.

"Were you thinking that I was being fed something surprisingly nutritious?

"Indeed.

"Although, all I was fed was the peel. The apple, the pear, the banana, the tangerine, the melon, the avocado—the peel of those fruits.

"Being in a state where I was like tanned [namesareta] leather, all I did was lick [nameru] the peel that I'd been given.

"Doesn’t it sound like a tongue-twister?

"They say that the flavor of the fruit is concentrated near the skin, but I wonder if that's really true? At the very least, with that being all I ate, my limbs didn't grow very quickly.

"Mommy and Daddy's wish had been completely fulfilled.

"They made their dreams come true.

"I had become a baby that didn't grow.

"I kept the weight I had when I was a newborn.

"Of course, I was chronically undernourished, which made me prone to illness, and I suppose I was more of a handful than most babies. Daddy was basically constantly at home, giving me treatment...

"Mommy turned me into her dress-up doll.

"She made tons of clothes for me. Clothes filled with love. I was like a mannequin... I was immobile, after all. I could move even less than a mannequin. I was capable of wriggling around in the cage, but I didn't want to waste my energy on something so pointless.

"You'd be on the right track if you said I was playing at being a statue.

"Have you ever felt like you might die just because you turned over in your sleep? It's thrilling and addictive.

"And since I was such a frail person, putting on Mommy's clothes was draining... The clothes must have weighed more than I did.

"Well, my name is Hagoromo, after all.

"It wouldn't be strange if I was light enough to fly... By the way, what kind of story is the legend of the hagoromo, again?

"A man found a heavenly maiden bathing in a lake in the forest, stole her robe of feathers hanging on a tree branch, and forced her to marry him if she wanted it back?

"Amazing. There's nothing but crimes there.

"I can't help but wonder if there was a baby born between the heavenly maiden and the voyeuristic, larcenous, and blackmailing man. I don't know how it ends, but I sincerely hope it's not, 'And so the family lived happily ever after.'

"Anyway, I grew up just like the name my parents gave me... A life like cloth, flimsy and light.

"To sum it all up.

"In a cage in the corner of the room, I survived as the doll of a baby, never growing up—for over twenty years."

031

"I reached adulthood while still a baby.

"To be honest, I'm surprised I didn't die. To think that I was a baby for longer than you've been alive, Araragi-kun—it's hard to believe.

"Sometimes I wonder if it was all a dream... And I want to wonder if I had actually been raised warmly in a happy family.

"By the way, although I said I'd reached adulthood, the age of adulthood is different in Switzerland compared to Japan. Moreover, I'm pretty sure they never filed a birth registration, so I surely wasn't even recognized as a person.

"At the very least, my neighbors hadn't been aware of my existence... Apparently, there are countries in which it's a crime if you don't report hearing a child's cries, but as mentioned before, I was an abused child who didn't cry.

"Daddy and Mommy. Their abuse was most likely made possible due to their strong bond and their cooperative attitude.

"However, it seems their opinions clashed when it came to how they wanted to educate me—and, as a result, it saved my life.

"But it was only as a result. The process involved me getting stabbed in the back, you see...

"Daddy wanted to make me a child prodigy.

"Mommy wanted me to remain as a fool.

"In other words, Daddy wanted me to be cute on the outside and smart on the inside, but Mommy wanted me to stay a baby on the inside as well... In reality, it wasn't so simply divided, and both of them probably had mixed feelings, but the basic attitude was that Mommy kept talking to me in baby talk, while Daddy tried to teach me the four languages of Switzerland.

"He was a doctor, so did he have a belief in education? Or maybe he was just infatuated with the baby genius archetype... The only exception to that strict 'no growth' policy was 'education'. Behind Mommy's back, that is.

"That 'education' eventually led me to my current job, but before that, one of the few things I'd been given was the ability to speak, which was what saved me. I'm sure that wasn't Daddy's intention, but children don't grow up the way parents want them to.

"No matter how much I suffered from malnutrition, I wasn't just in a daze for twenty years. No matter how much I thought being in a cage was completely natural, if I devoted myself to reading the example sentences for language-learning, I would end up learning what was outside the cage.

"There were even hints from listening to my parents' conversations... If I could understand the language, I could talk. And if I could talk, I could converse. And if I could converse, then I could persuade.

"I set my sights on Daddy.

"Thinking about it, I was a terrible daughter, to try and drive a wedge between her parents... But if their cooperation was the key to their success in concealing my abuse, then I had no choice but to destroy that partnership.

"I didn't think I could stop their abuse.

"But I did think I could make it end—it was about when I was a fifteen-year-old baby, or perhaps a little later. I began to beg my dad.

"'Please kill me,' I said.

"...I wasn't being serious. I was just trying to appeal to his conscience.

"Well, that's just what I'd like to say, but I probably was being serious. There was no doubt that I felt that I wanted Daddy to kill me if possible. That feeling was probably stronger.

"'If you love me, then kill me.'

"'Use that fruit knife to stab me.'

"'I don't want to be alive. I want to die.'

"Whenever Mommy wasn't around, I kept trying to appeal to Daddy... The process of persuasion wasn't very easy, and it took quite a long time, and I couldn't even say it was successful.

"But, about five years after I'd begun to say that.

"Daddy finally stabbed me in the back.

"His love was real.

032

"However, I didn't manage to die there.

"In fact, the one who died was Daddy.

"After discovering me with a fruit knife stuck in my back, Mommy became frantic and stabbed Daddy in the face, and so he died tragically.

"And after that, Mommy disappeared... Or should I say she fled? Since she concealed herself after killing her partner.

"Though I failed to get killed, I guess you could say I succeeded in destroying the bond between my parents... And so, staff members at Mommy and Daddy's workplaces visited the house, concerned about the two of them not showing up for work, and discovered Daddy's dead body.

"They also discovered me, on the verge of death... Well, I had always been a baby on the verge of death, but now, with a fruit knife stabbed in my back, it was a 'verge of death' easy for even a beginner to understand.

"For what it's worth, the only reason I survived was because of my malnutrition... Daddy, being a doctor, apparently aimed precisely for my heart, but apparently my heart was thinner than a normal baby's? It was teeny? So the blade of the fruit knife didn't even graze it.

"I wonder if it was good luck.

"I suppose the fact that it was from behind was another factor in his failure. If Daddy had had the guts to face me from the front, it surely would have been fulfilled.

"Both his aim and my desire.

"This isn't about the legend of the hagoromo, but since nobody knew the two of them had a baby, there was a huge uproar—or not.

"I was unconscious and in critical condition, and they couldn't get a read on the situation externally. They were also afraid that it would have too much of a negative impact on the public, so they kept it from reaching the news. Nowadays, it would be easy for that information to reach the Internet somehow, but back then, computers were not as common.

"Yes, that's how long ago it happened. If I were to be more specific, it would reveal my true age, so...

"And just like that, I was admitted to the hospital and placed on absolute bed rest—not just because I was stabbed, but because I was so skinny and tiny that they had no idea how I was still alive.

"Finally, some peace for me, who’d been peaceful nor quiet.

"From there, my life finally began. The life of a baby doll, who was far behind in the race—about twenty laps behind. And even though I wouldn't be able to catch up no matter how I struggled, my life still began.

"Days of nutritional intake and rehabilitation.

"It wasn't easy, but it was a lot more luxurious than being stuck in a cage and not being able to move. I wondered if it was okay to feel like I was slacking off so much every day.

"I'm truly grateful to everyone at the hospital that took care of me... Seriously, I even wanted to stay at the hospital permanently.

"It was probably the first time I'd ever met anyone besides Daddy and Mommy, but I wasn't a shy baby. And frankly, I wasn't in a position where I could care about the other person's personality or appearance.

"But, you see.

"Saying that I felt like I was slacking off was about ninety percent bluffing, but the reason I was able to press forward without getting discouraged was because I felt, 'I had to leave the hospital as soon as possible'—why, you ask?

"Well, that's because even though Daddy, who had failed to kill me, was killed—Mommy, who was the one to kill him, was still alive.

"So I had to escape.

"I had to run away from the runaway.

"I thought that Mommy would lock me up in a cage again... Or maybe she'd scold me for going against her love and growing up in a medical facility.

"It may sound strange, but I was more afraid of being scolded than being killed. After all, my mental age was that of a 'twenty-year-old baby'.

"If I thought about it calmly, I would have realized that there was no way Mommy, wanted for the murder of her husband, would come to me just because she knew I was alive. But it's hard to think calmly, isn't it.

"But maybe I was in more danger than I thought.

"Maybe the reason they never publicized Mommy's murder of Daddy and my survival was for my protection.

"A privacy policy that guarded you from your guardians was a theory a bit hard to accept... At any rate, I did my best to grow up in order to escape from Mommy.

"I kept thinking of places to escape to.

"At the very least, I had decided to leave Europe, but in the end I chose Japan because that's where Daddy and Mommy were from.

"It wasn't nostalgia.

"Having listened to their conversations, it seemed they'd either left their home countries because they couldn't stay there, or because they were sick of it. I figured that no matter where in the world Mommy escaped to, she wouldn't show up in Japan.

"...Although, if I were thinking calmly, I would realize it was shallow thinking.

"After all, because she'd run away from her home country in such a way, it was possible she'd make it her last resort.

"To be honest, I start to doubt myself. Maybe I really wanted to see Mommy again, and lay in wait in Japan, hoping that she'd come back to her home country?

"After failing to get killed by Daddy, did I want Mommy to kill me this time—or did I want to get revenge on her?

"Did I think that my life would truly be able to begin if that happened? Since I continued to write over my thoughts, I can't say for sure what my mental state was at the time.

"In the end, my true feelings remain a mystery, but I decided to go to Japan as if I'd been led there. After I was discovered, I had naturally been granted Swiss citizenship, but I had no intention of coming back and decided to obtain a visa to become a permanent resident in Japan.

"For that reason, I got married.

"Marrying for the sake of residency might sound like a sham marriage, but that wasn't what I did. What I did was much worse.

"Instead of a pretense, it was forgery.

"I picked out a man who met the requirements and submitted a marriage certificate with his name on it to the municipal office—there were various requirements that needed to be met, but in short, he needed to live in an environment where 'he wouldn't notice if someone registered his marriage without permission'.

"It wasn't an easy requirement, and it took a lot of investigation and research. In fact, I was almost caught several times and was forced to withdraw from my plans. But in the end, I was able to manage a man with the last name 'Iesumi' and successfully obtained the qualifications.

"Although it was a felony.

"Compared to that, falsifying my work history to sneak into a national university as a professor is almost cute.

"There's nothing you can't do if you're desperate, even if it's a crime.

"Of course, even my age was fraudulent. As stated above.

"It wasn't just making myself look younger for a career.

"Beyond that, all I did was lie. Since the lies began from my name, I had to lie in every aspect of my life. To live in this country, to live a normal life.

"After having lived in a cage, my second life had me enclosed in lies—I was living in a cage of lies.

"Honestly, I still don't feel like I'm alive.

"Sometimes I come to my senses and think, 'What in the world am I doing?' I wonder if this is what it feels like to be 'alive'.

"Or is this how it feels to be 'dying'?

"The meaning was uncertain. My life-death status was uncertain.

"At least I had been sincere when I was in the cage, interacting with Daddy, trying to get him to kill me.

"Those are my true colors. That's my true form.

"The true form of Associate Professor Iesumi, the professor you took classes from for half a year and then accepted a request from—but there was no true form in the first place.

"I was nothing but an illusion."

033

"I'm sure you've had the chance to look around the room, but no need to worry about that whole playing house. Although, I guess it's useless to say that now.

"But I'm sure you've figured it out by now. That was like a reenactment of my upbringing.

"Don't worry.

"I never once thought of 'that' as my real daughter, or even as a human being.

"I'm sure you're thinking of it as creepy, scary, or unsettling, but it was more or less the result of trial and error.

"Or a failure of trial and error...

"It was inevitable because of the paperwork, but I had to act like a married person, after all—I rented a family apartment and tried to simulate a typical Japanese family.

"At least, I tried... But the results weren't very good. All I ended up simulating was my past.

"I was just playing house, but it didn't go very well.

"I can even say that my parents did much better than I did. I didn't even last three years, let alone twenty.

"I created that 'daughter' with the intention of loving it properly, but in just two years, I couldn't love it at all.

"I stopped thinking of it as cute.

"As the size of the doll became less and less like a baby... I could no longer watch over its 'growth'. After a while, all I could think was, 'She used to be so cute'.

"Were Daddy and Mommy right?

"Were children cuter when they didn't grow up?

"And... Araragi-kun, did you look in the next room properly? Did you find 'my estranged husband'?

"It's no good if you overlooked it. In the future, you have to do more than what you are told.

"I'll confess that that was also, of course, my handiwork. As well as the recreation of the murder scene. Although the setting was not as elaborate as my daughter's room. I have to say, I'm not too happy with the way it turned out.

"On top of my 'daughter', I couldn't bring myself to love my 'husband'... Well, of course. Daddy almost killed me, and Mommy killing Daddy was basically my fault, so perhaps, towards the living thing called a 'father', I had... What was it called again? Something-or-other.

"Right, that. Trauma. PTSD.

"Well, in my case, it wasn't psychological trauma, but the usual, physical, trauma.

"With that in mind, perhaps what I was doing was not playing house or recreating the crime scene, but something like sandplay therapy?

"Though I wish I hadn't done it.

"I ended up starting to hate going home—that said, Araragi-kun, I didn't send you to my place because I wanted you to clean up my broken home.

"A teacher that forces a student to clean their house would get in big trouble.

"That wasn't it. I was trying to get you to report it. I wanted you to be an eyewitness. In other words, it was evidence.

"The kind of information only the real culprit could know.

"Combined with this letter, it should be enough evidence... I'm sorry for being so mean in the beginning. Even though I provoked you so much, the truth is that I don't think you won't be able to decipher this letter, Araragi-kun.

"There are plenty of good translation apps out there.

"I just wanted to buy some time. Until I could get away to a safe place—after that, I wouldn't mind having you publicize the letter.

"I'm not running away because I was caught abusing my daughter, and I'm not running away because I was caught abusing a handmade doll. It's not something so dramatic.

"Shamefully, it seemed that it would end up being found out—the series of frauds I committed, starting with the false marriage. While doing my usual self-check as a routine part of my lifestyle, I found some mistakes I couldn't recover from. Laws and management systems had changed before my very eyes.

"The trend of allowing foreign workers to live in Japan permanently is something that I truly appreciate, but for me, it's a few decades too late... Rather, it's that change in the wind that led to my crimes being exposed.

"I won't complain, though. It's a good thing, after all.

"I thought I had successfully exploited a loophole in the rules, but in the end, committing wrongdoings was bad. If I were to be found out, I'd get arrested. That's why I ran away.

"I hate to say this because it sounds like a joke, but I don't want to be confined in a cage anymore.

"I don't want to be deported back to my birthplace, where Mommy is probably still hiding, and most of all, I don't want to go back to being me.

"I don't want to give up the persona of Iesumi Hagoromo that I raised... Though I'm sure I made a mistake in raising that persona at some point.

"I'm attached to this name, like it's my own child.

"And so, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

"The child is father to the man.

"Like Mommy fled after the crime she committed, I will also flee—and, Araragi-kun, I want you to deliver this letter to the police and tell them about my apartment.

"I know I said I'd give you the answer at the end, but I think you've figured it out by now. The reason I requested this of you.

"It was true that Oikura-san told me you were the greatest professional of child abuse among the students of Manase University, but that wasn't the deciding factor.

"It's because you're the son of the Araragi couple, the prefectural police's greatest human rights caseworkers—I'm sure you hate being told that, but you really should be proud of your fine parents.

"She never said so explicitly, but Oikura-san once got in contact with you for that very reason, didn't she? Through you, she wanted to skip all the complicated procedures and appeal to the top brass of the police.

"I thought I'd try to copy her.

"That's it! Was what I thought.

"I didn't have the guts to turn myself in, so I figured I'd ask Araragi-kun, who had the strongest connections, to help me. I wanted you to assist me, a liar, into becoming an honest person.

"For once, I wanted to walk down the path of sincerity—and I may have wanted to avoid Switzerland's image being tarnished as a result of my crimes being exposed. I wanted to make sure this was disclosed not as an international issue, but as a family matter.

"I may be a criminal, but I'm not a bad person.

"I'm just a bit pathetic.

"It's become a rather long letter, but now that I've foisted these fuzzy feelings like the stuffing of a doll onto you, I feel better now. I guess I should have done that from the beginning.

"I'll leave the rest to you.

"I'll run away where no one can reach me—because I'm Hagoromo, a robe of feathers. I may not be a heavenly maiden myself, but I'm sure I can fly. Like a piece of cloth, fluttering in the wind.

"Aah, it feels like I'm going to heaven."

034

"It feels like I'm going to heaven—since I tied things up with such an unnecessary statement, is that how you found me here?"

If so, I was way too negligent, and that's really pitiful of me—said Associate Professor Iesumi quite languidly, after we met for the first time in about a week.

I shook my head "no".

"To be honest, I haven't even read the letter properly yet."

"Then please read it. It's the letter left behind by a missing person, right? Even so, I didn't think it would be deciphered so quickly."

A testament.

That was not what Associate Professor Iesumi called it.

"Did you use an app?"

"No... Well, something like that."

Well, I wasn't going to tell her... The day of her disappearance, the letter she had left in her office had been discovered by me along with Meniko, who had accompanied me.

Not just four languages—she could probably speak over forty languages. Even I was surprised to find a college student who could speak Latin.

Even if it was a cryptogram mixed with Swiss German, Swiss French, Swiss Italian, and Romansh, it was nothing but a mental exercise for her... Well, she didn't have a lot of time on her hands because of club activities and stuff, so she thought it took quite some time, but it was still a lot speedier than me tackling it myself.

The translation may have ended up a bit light-hearted thanks to her, but that's something I could overlook...

"Didn't you think I'd hand the letter straight to the police, or maybe even the university?"

"I can tell just by your quiz results that you don't have the personality for something like that. Araragi-kun, you always try to fill in the answers to questions that you have no clue about, right? You don't like to turn in an answer sheet that's been left blank. You might rely on friends or apps, but I never once thought you'd relinquish a letter addressed to you without knowing what it said."

"...If you can profile me like that just from my quiz results, you really are a good teacher."

"Although I'm a fake. Can you answer my question? If you didn't read my letter, Araragi-kun, then how did you find me here? In other words, the place I disappeared to."

A little bear doll with an eyeball attached to it guided me here—but of course, I couldn't say something like that. Instead, I said this.

"Associate Professor Iesumi, don't you have a habit of throwing things you don't need onto the roof?"

"Eh?"

Associate Professor Iesumi looked at me with an expression of bewilderment—but, in fact, this was the university building's rooftop.

As soon as Ononoki-chan's familiar collided with the school building, it began to climb up the wall just like that... Free climbing. At first, I'd thought it pitiful that its creator had not bestowed upon it the wisdom to circumvent obstacles, but I soon realized—the one who lacked wisdom was actually me.

I was the most pitiful one.

I should've noticed earlier that Associate Professor Iesumi's office was located in said school building—and that the office was on the top floor, just like Room 333 of the apartment building.

A university professor who abruptly disappeared.

The office was empty, and nobody had seen her leaving the school building. She hadn't gone home, and she'd left her car behind—but maybe no one had searched the roof of the school building, which was naturally off-limits, right?

It wasn't so much as a blind spot as it was the first place you'd cross off the list, saying, "That can't be it"... The idea that she was holed up in her apartment was still more plausible. At least at home, she would have had a good living environment and would be able to order everything she needed online—whereas on the school building, there was no electricity or even running water.

She would have zero lifelines.

It was unsuitable as a hiding place or a place to flee to... But if she wasn't thinking about living or surviving, then it was a different story.

If she was just trying to escape.

If she was just trying to escape from this world—then the rooftop was the best place to do so.

"Did you think I'd jump to my death? I want to ascend to heaven. I don't want to fall to the ground."

Associate Professor Iesumi looked emaciated and gaunt—she was leaning against the fence, and didn't even look at me until I called out to her.

To be honest, I thought I hadn't made it in time and she'd become a Buddhist mummy... But she was still alive.

Though it was dim, her consciousness was still there.

"I'm good at living without drinking or eating. To the extent that that's the only thing I'm good at."

With the fence behind her back, that fence looked like it was part of a cage... It was as if she was still trapped. Trapped in the cage that her parents put her in.

But indeed, in this situation, there was no need to be afraid of her jumping off... I guess Ononoki-chan, who'd been on stand-by under the school building, wouldn't have her time to shine.

Incidentally, to prepare for any falling objects, Ononoki-chan had collected the eyeball from the little bear doll... This was because she wouldn't be able to catch anything without her sense of perspective. But it also meant that the little bear's life was much too short.

It would be a bit too arrogant to mourn its life, but even more so than its navigation to the rooftop, the fact that it was discovered on the rooftop of the apartment was more helpful in guiding me to this very location. So I couldn't help but be curious about its origin.

I'd acted like I hadn't read the letter properly, but the truth was that I had read it properly... There had been a point where she'd mentioned teddy bears, but she hadn't talked about this key chain itself.

From her reaction, it made me doubt whether or not it was something Associate Professor Iesumi even threw away... But, before that.

"In that case, would you like some water? Although it's carbonated."

"Hm?"

Associate Professor Iesumi strained to look.

She may have realized that the carbonated water had come from the trunk of her car, but she didn't say anything about it.

"I'll pass. If I drink water when I'm this hungry, I'll get refeeding syndrome."

That was her response—water shouldn't cause refeeding syndrome, but it was too heavy of a statement coming from someone who had experienced having water as her sole source of nutrition. But had I really just barely made it?

In fact, a considerable number of days had passed... As I recalled—the maximum length of time a person could go without eating or drinking was, yes, about three days.

Not to mention, it was the middle of summer, underneath the blazing sun.

There was no way I'd made it in time.

"No, no, you've done very well. Good for you. I'm sure your parents will be very proud of you. You've managed to capture a major criminal alive."

"...We can think about what to do later, but for now, why don't we get out of here? It's dangerous."

"Dangerous? Why?"

Because there might be a blanket coming to get revenge on you—or so I thought about responding, but I decided not to.

Since I managed to find Associate Professor Iesumi while she was still alive, it definitely hadn't been pointless, but after reading that deciphered letter, I realized it was a needless worry.

Surely, the Iie-chan doll had done nothing but escape—just as the mother had done from her mother.

That's right. Speaking of the letter...

"Sorry. From what I read of the letter, there's something I didn't quite understand... So was it you that stabbed the Iie-chan doll with the fruit knife, Associate Professor Iesumi?"

"Eh...? Stabbed what?"

For the second time, Associate Professor Iesumi looked bewildered... It wasn't that the term "Iie-chan doll" didn't ring a bell—it was as if she really didn't know what I was talking about.

I'd been thinking about adding onto that by asking who stabbed the father doll... But I guess I'll stop here.

In the letter, Associate Professor Iesumi confessed that she'd been the one to make the dolls, but she never wrote that she was the one to stab them.

The bear doll on the roof. The clothes that attacked.

The reason why there was no child seat installed in her car was because the existence of Iie-chan was false in the first place, and Associate Professor Iesumi's handiwork was limited only to her house... Though this major criminal had laid herself bare with this confession, there were still many mysteries left to be solved.

Not to mention, how much of the letter was actually true...? I didn't think that Associate Professor Iesumi was much of a liar, but there were quite a few things in there that didn't seem like they could be true.

But it wasn't my job to solve those mysteries.

All I could do was to fill in the answer sheet without leaving any blanks.

"Did I go wrong when I sought help from you, Araragi-kun?"

Associate Professor Iesumi, who was unable to stand up, spoke to me as I offered her a hand, but it sounded like she was talking mostly to herself.

Yeah, you could say that.

She'd mentioned in her letter that it wasn't her intention to ask me to clean things up for her, but as it turned out, instead of tidying up, I'd just about destroyed Associate Professor Iesumi's apartment and car as much as I could... If she had only listened a little more carefully to the rumors from my dear childhood friend, she would have realized that I was a completely undependable and lazy son.

So, even though in my mind I agreed with her wholeheartedly, I changed my mind, as if that wasn't it at all.

"No. You went wrong when you tried to die,"

I answered.

It was a compensatory answer that was unlikely to receive any extra credit.

[rhubarbbaby]

Strawberries and Art 4

Jihoon x Y/N

Genre: College AU, Fluff, Smut (y´all can visit me in horny jail) Word Count: 6,3k Summary: Like every passionate art student, you spent most of your time immersed in your drawings and paintings. The day you meet Jihoon, your everyday life suddenly gets a lot more exciting…

All chapters: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

Chapter 4

When the two of you entered your apartment you took both of your jackets and threw them over one of your kitchen chairs. It was weird showing him your living space after only having met him a few days ago. You were not a tidy person…paint, drawings, blank pieces of paper were scattered all over your apartment. Even though he was aware that there were still oh so many things he didn´t know about you (yet) Jihoon instantly recognized you everywhere. Every item in your apartment screamed you. The small potted plant on your window sill, a blue hairclip on your kitchen table, the seemingly empty bottles of paint that you had left in the sink. All of those things added up to you like puzzle pieces.

Only now realizing the intimacy of the moment, you became nervous again. For a moment the silence between you was filled with uncertainty and a hint of awkwardness. He had never been at your place and neither you nor he knew how to act. God, you really should´ve tidied up yesterday.

“Uhm, you want a glass of water or something?” you finally broke the silence. “Yeah, sure.” His voice sounded a bit distracted but because you were trying to hide the shakiness in your own voice you didn´t notice it too much. You filled two glasses with water and put them on the kitchen table. Jihoon was not looking at you. He was focused on the wall that was connecting your kitchen with your small living room, which basically only consisted of a sofa and a TV that you only rarely used. On the wall you had hung up some of your work. Not because you specifically liked it, there was simply not enough space where you could have kept all of your drawings. The wall was stuffed; some of the paintings were even overlapping each other. The thought of him seeing your work was making you so nervous you wished to vanish so you would never have to look him in the eyes again to see his reaction. What if he didn´t like your work? You couldn´t think of anything worse in that moment. But at the very same time you couldn´t keep yourself from staring at his side profile. He really was astonishingly beautiful.

“Did you draw these?” he asked you, still looking at your paintings. “Yup.” “All of them?” “Yeah..” “I…I´m not often speechless but wow I really don´t know what to say.” He turned around to look at you again. “Are they that bad?” you forced out a giggle. He stared at you, he knew you were joking but your voice suddenly didn´t sound confident at all. Your eyes were fixated on the floor; you were trying to avoid eye contact. “Y/N, these are fucking amazing.” He said softly, a smile appearing on his face. He looked so sincere. Accepting compliments had never been one of your strengths but the relief of realizing he actually liked your work paired with the fact that the compliment was coming from Jihoon himself made you grin. “Thank you.” “Don´t thank me. I should thank you for letting me look at them.” “Now you´re exaggerating.” “No I´m not.” “You are!” “Ok, maybe. But you just look too cute when you´re flustered.” You just stared at him for a second, wide eyed, cheeks rosy and hot, still grinning. When you couldn´t bear the tension between the two of you anymore you hid your face in the palms of your hands. “Jihoon, can you please stop.” He chuckled and took two steps in your direction just to put one of his hands on your hip to get you closer to him, while his other hand tried to drag away your own hands from your face. “I´m not doing anything, Y/N. No idea what you talking about.” Obviously having way too much fun teasing you, he was beaming. You had your head tilted to the ground, so you still wouldn´t have to look at his face. “You know exactly what you´re doing.” Your heart was beating so fucking fast and your breathing was shaky but you couldn´t help but giggle at the situation. Why did the bastard always have to tease you?? “I swear I´m innocent!” You were looking up at him again, both of you were grinning, and if you would´ve paid a bit more attention to his breathing you would´ve realized that he wasn´t as calm as you thought. “Innocent, my ass.” You shook your head to accentuate your point. He let out a hearty laugh at your choice of words just to pull you even closer into him at the same time. He now had both of his hands on your hips which had made you put your hands on his arms to steady yourself and oh Jesus you could actually feel his muscles through his shirt. Raising one eyebrow, still smiling at you, he said “If the lady would be so kind to tell me what she is accusing me of, I might be able to change my behavior.” “You´re just…” you started your sentence but you couldn´t get yourself to finish what you wanted to say. The situation, the tension, him…Everything was too much, so you just tried to hide your face on his shoulder. “I´m just what? Continue.” He urged you on but he also held you close to him with putting one of his hands on your lower back. “You´re…you´re just making me so nervous and I don´t even know how to react.” You whispered against his shoulder. He didn´t say anything he just pulled you into an even tighter hug. One hand on your lower back, the other one stroking your hair. “I´m sorry. But you just look too cute when you´re blushing.” “Jihoon!” He chuckled and you could feel the vibrations of it too. “Sorry.” You stayed like this for a while, your bodies pressed together, him stroking your hair. You were so close to him you were able to feel his heart beat in his chest. Your cheeks were still a pretty shade of red and you still were a tiny bit nervous but your heartbeat was finally slowing down again and had started to align with his. You were sure you could´ve stayed like this forever; hugging him in your kitchen while beams of sunlight were coming in through the window.

“Y/N?” “Mhm.” “Can I kiss you?” You lifted your head off his shoulder to look at him. Your eyes were wide, startled by his request but as soon as you saw the tiny bit of insecurity in his eyes you realized that no you hadn´t imagined that, and you also hadn´t misheard, Jihoon really had just asked to kiss you. You didn´t have to think about it, there was probably nothing you wanted more in this exact moment so you simply just nodded with a slight smile. In a second his lips were on yours, his hand was now holding your face. His lips were so soft, and he tasted so damn good and for a moment you forgot about everything. You forgot about how minutes ago that same man you were kissing now had been able to turn you into a blushing mess, you forgot you were standing in your messy apartment, hell you even forgot about your assignment. You just felt his body against yours and how perfectly the two of you molded together, you felt how tight you were holding him, how he was holding you even tighter and fuck you actually felt his lips on yours. When he slid his tongue inside of your mouth, you couldn´t stop yourself from letting out a small sigh which made him chuckle against you.

He eventually pulled away after what had felt like a way too short eternity. He fondly stared at you just to turn his head to look at your drawings again. He still had his hand on your face stroking your cheek when he said: “On a serious note, you´re really talented. Like seriously.” You hugged him tighter, you couldn´t see his smile when you did so. And maybe, just maybe he was blushing a bit too. “Thank you.” “I should be thanking you for drawing me. In some years people are going to pay you lots of money for that." “Oh my god will you stop it already.” You giggled against his chest.   “Never.” You just stood there for a few more moments, both of you not wanting to let go. Being close to him made you feel comfortable and excited at the same time. You could still feel the beating of your heart very distinctively and your stomach was doing things but you also felt at ease. Fuck you had such a crush on this man.   “Ok so like do I have to sit still on a chair or how does this work?” Jihoon ripped you out of your thoughts. “Basically yes.” You giggled and softly pushed yourself away while gesturing to the kitchen table. It felt weird not to touch him anymore. The second you had let go of him, you wanted nothing more than to hug him again and nestle your face against his neck and fuck you really wanted to kiss him again. “Uhm, my desk is really small so I think we should just stay here.” “Perfect.” He sat down at the kitchen table, smirking up at you. He looked so fucking cocky. “Give me a second; I need to get my stuff.” You stuttered, still a bit perplex because of the kiss.

Had this really just happened? You stumbled to your bedroom where you had your desk, on which you kept most of your drawing utensils. Quickly you grabbed all the things you needed. Your mind was foggy, still in denial of what had just happened. Coming back to the kitchen you sat down in the chair opposite of Jihoon and took out all the items that you needed. You tried very hard not to look at him, fuck you swore you´ve never been as nervous as at that exact moment. How were you supposed to draw a straight line after just having kissed him?

“You ready?” you asked, your voice too quiet to sound confident. “Born ready.” He grinned. “Just please make me look handsome.” You playfully rolled your eyes at him. “Are you fishing for compliments, Jihoon?” “I don´t know…is it working?” he chuckled. “You already know you´re handsome. I don´t have to tell you that.” You laughed. “So it was working.” He winked at you. “Shut up.” You averted your gaze from his face, so he wouldn´t see the blush that was covering your cheeks again. He just snickered at your remark but kept looking at you, never turning his eyes off of you.

“Can we talk while you´re drawing or do I have to be quiet so you can concentrate?” “We can talk. I´ll try to pay attention but don´t be mad if I get distracted.” “I could never be mad at you, sweetie.” You nearly dropped the pencil you had just picked up. “Jihoon! Stop calling me that.” He had both of his arms crossed over the table and was leaning forward to grin at you. “You don´t like it?” “Oh my god Jihoon, just stop teasing me.” You said while trying to hide a smile. He threw his hands into the air defensively. “I swear this wasn´t my intention. I´ll stop.” His face was serious but the corner of his mouth was twitching, trying to hold back a smile. After looking at you for a second he added: “I´m sorry, Sweetie.” “Jihoon!” No longer being able to hide his amusement, he let out a deep laugh. That kind of laugh that made his eyes disappear. And even though you were still nervous and blushing you couldn´t help but join in. “I´m sorry Y/N. I´ll try to stop. But you really don´t have to be embarrassed. You do look very pretty when you´re blushing. Seriously.” You didn´t avoid his eyes this time. Why did it feel so intimate to just look him in the eyes? Your breathing wasn´t exactly regular and you felt like your tummy was full of butterflies who were trying out new break dance moves. “Thank you.” Your voice sounded so soft and Jihoon could hear the shyness in it but there was just nothing more adorable than you in that moment, or so he thought. He wouldn´t mind teasing you for hours, hell he´d love that.

“Should I tilt my head a certain way?” “No not really, just try to look my way.” “So I´m getting a free pass to just keep staring at you. Awesome.” “That was just cheesy.” You giggled not looking at him because you had already started to outline the shape of his head on your piece of paper. “But you liked it.” He stated. “I wish I had your ego.” “I swear it´s not as big as it seems.” “Not sure I believe you.” You shot a glance at him as you said so. He didn´t say anything for a moment, only the scraping of your pencil on the paper was filling up the room. Of course you couldn´t have known but Jihoon was contemplating. Contemplating whether he should open up to you. He liked flirting with you, making you blush, fuck he loved kissing you and he´d be lying if he said he hadn´t thought about doing other things to you… but he also couldn´t ignore your seriousness, the way you seemed to be really interested in what he was saying. He couldn´t ignore how you were actually listening to him talk about the things he was passionate about. And he definitely couldn´t ignore the fact that he was nervous because you had only gotten to know this cocky, overly confident side of him. He wanted to get to know you. But he also wanted you to get to know him.

“I´m insecure about a lot of stuff too, you know.” His voice had come out softer than he wanted it to. You didn´t look up from your paper. But he knew you were listening, you always were. “I´m very insecure about my music.” He continued. “I really want to play some songs for you. Now that you showed me your work, it´d only be fair. But I´m afraid you won´t like it.” You stopped drawing for a second and looked at him, puzzled by his honesty. “You really don´t have anything to worry about. I already know I´m going to love your music. Every piece of art, every song or whatever is always a self-portrait of the artist themselves, in some sort of way at least. And I like you, why wouldn´t I like your music?” He stared at you, a hint of disbelief glistening in his eyes. Jihoon had been so sure he would never meet a person who knew all the right words, had been so sure he would never meet a person who would be able to give him a feeling of security just from a sentence. But there you were, sitting in front of him concentrated on your drawing, not aware of how much a difference your words have made. There you were: tenant of all beautiful words he had always wanted to hear. Jihoon didn´t consider himself romantically minded but holy shit you were making him reconsider. “Thank you for saying that, sweetie. It means a lot.” You smiled. This time the pet name didn´t make you blush as much.

You had been drawing for about an hour now. Both of you hadn´t said anything for the last few minutes. The silence was comfortable and neither one of you had felt the urge to break it. Jihoon kept looking at you, admiring your concentrated face while you took in every single one of his features. It felt so right to draw him, like everything that had ever happened in your life had lead up to this exact moment. His face was full of beautiful lines and curves and you saw beautiful shapes everywhere. It amazed you how perfectly and neatly all those sometimes imperfect lines were connected to form something even more beautiful. Yes it felt right to draw him but you also weren´t able to ignore the tiny hint of anxiety that was sitting in your chest. You really wanted this portrait to be perfect, not because you wanted a good grade (that too) but because you wanted him to like it.

Meanwhile Jihoon was still looking at your wall full of drawings. “Did you hang up that drawing of that poppy field you did?” he finally asked. You smiled to yourself, realizing he had actually remembered the paintings you had told him about. “I gave it to my mom. It´s back at home.” “By the way I still remember you telling me about that one hedgehog drawing you did as a kid. Do you have that around somewhere?” he beamed at you. You groaned playfully “I told you it´s not even good!” “I just wanna see a cute hedgehog drawing. Is that too much to ask for?” he was pouting and you giggled. “Maybe I´ll look for it later.” “You´re the best.” A childish grin settling back onto his face. Trying to hide your own smile you just continued to shade the left side of his face.

After the second hour had passed Jihoon seemed to have grown a bit bored with sitting still the entire time. “What are you thinking about?” “Not much honestly. I´m contemplating if I should use another pencil for that part or if I…” “You ever do nude paintings?” You looked up from your drawing to look at him. You had definitely not expected him to ask a question like that. If this was a comedy show, you would´ve comically spit out your drink out of shock. “You´re volunteering or something?” you had no clue how you did it but you somehow managed to make your voice sound very casual as if his question hadn´t really affected you much. Obviously amused by your attempt to flirt he raised an eyebrow. “You really just want to get me naked Y/N don´t you?” This was not fair! Why was he so cocky? When he saw you trying to hide your blushing cheeks with staring (a bit too hard) at your drawing he chuckled. “I´m just joking…” he said softly and waited for you to stop eyeing the piece of paper in front of you. When you glanced up at him he added “Unless…” while wiggling his eyebrows. Yes your face felt hot from blushing and yes your hands had started to shake a bit again but you couldn´t help but laugh. “Jihoon you are the worst.” You giggled. “Nah I´m not.” He smiled at you. “No you´re not.” You smiled back.

“Nah but seriously. You ever do nude paintings? I´m just curious.” “Yeah sometimes. But I only ever draw women.” “Why?” “I don´t know. I guess I just find the female body aesthetically more pleasing.” “Makes two of us.” You giggled “Why did I know you would say something like that?” “Because I´m a smart man who appreciates women?” he smirked. “How are you so cocky?” “Cocky? What do you mean? I´m just being honest.” He dramatically put his hand over his heart as if he was outraged you´d think something like that of him. You snickered “Yeah right…” “You don´t think I´m smart?” You were still smiling, but your eyes were focused on your drawing again. “I didn´t say that.” “So you don´t think I appreciate women?” “I didn´t…” He interrupted you before you could finish your sentence. “You know, I could show you. That I appreciate women I mean.” He was smirking when you looked up from your drawing. Had he really just said that? You let out a nervous laugh “Jihoon, please stop teasing me.” You again hid your face behind your hands. “I mean…I meant what I said.” He chuckled. “But yes I´ll stop, sweetie. I know you have to finish your drawing.” “Thank you.” You mumbled as you continued to draw. His words echoed in your ears...I meant what I said.

“I think I´m done.” You smiled at him and slid the piece of paper over the table for him to look at. He looked at your drawing. He had always been rather confident when it came to his looks. He considered himself averagely looking. He had small insecurities like everyone else, sometimes he thought his eyes were too small and not always did he like the way his eyebrows went or how his nose bent. Normal people stuff. But he was looking at your drawing of him now and all those insecurities seemed to have vanished. You had really captured his face perfectly. He didn´t look perfect he still thought his nose could be a bit smaller but for some reason the drawing looked so delicate, so soft. He could see you had drawn it. He was sure he would´ve been able to recognize any of your drawings anywhere. He looked at his face and his heart started beating a tad bit too fast, because he realized you had looked at every tiny detail of his face and still decided to draw this soft, beautiful version of him. Hell you´d definitely get an A. But he couldn´t care less about that. All his mind was focused on was realizing that this was actually how you were seeing him. He was sure he would never be able to completely fathom that.

“You don´t like it.” your voice made him look up from the drawing. “What?” he wasn´t sure he had heard you right. “You´ve been staring at it for so long…you don´t like it do you?” “Sweetie, you´re crazy.” “What?” now it was your turn to be confused. He just got up and walked over to you. Lingering in front of you for what must´ve been at least half a second he looked down at you still sitting on your chair and then he simply bent down and pressed his lips onto yours. It took you a short moment to reciprocate the kiss. You were still confused. Hadn´t he just called you crazy? Deepening the kiss he was reaching down to cup your face with his hand. Just as you had completely immersed yourself in the kiss he pulled away and stared into your eyes. “How the fuck are you gonna hand me the most perfect fucking drawing I´ve ever seen and still think I´m not gonna like it? Huh? How does that make sense?” “I…” you stammered. “You really have no clue how goddamn talented you are.” He didn´t even let you think of something to respond before he was kissing you again. This time you were quick to move your lips against his. You were still sitting when he grabbed your hips and arms to pull you up against him. He held your hips so tight that it almost hurt but fuck it also felt just so so good.

You sighed against his mouth, which made him pull you even closer to his body. The kiss felt so good but you also weren´t just able to forgot about how he actually liked your portrait of him. Had he actually called your drawing “the most perfect fucking drawing I´ve ever seen”? You had been so worried he wouldn´t like it, only for you to find out he loved it. You giggled against his lips. “What?” he pulled away, his hand still on your face, putting a strand of hair behind your ear. “It´s just…I´m really happy you like the drawing.” “I love it.” he replied, his voice so sincere. “Thank you for letting me draw you.” “Don´t you dare thank me. I literally just had to sit on a chair.” “I mean yeah…but still…thank you.” “I said you shouldn´t thank me. Why are you never listening to me Y/N?” he jokingly groaned. He really wasn´t giving you a choice was he? You looked at him, trying to hold back a laugh before you started: “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, tha…” He cut you off by kissing you yet again. His mouth finding yours in a matter of seconds. The kiss was more rough this time, he didn´t waste time to slide his tongue inside of your mouth. It took your breath away. “Is this really what I have to do to stop you from thanking me?” “Maybe” you grinned. He shook his head as if he was disappointed before hurriedly pressing his mouth back onto yours.

When you felt his hands wander under the hem of your shirt and touch your bare skin you shivered. He quickly pulled away “Is this ok?” You didn´t trust yourself to use your voice so you simply took both of his hands and slid them further under your shirt. When you leaned in to kiss him again he smiled against you. He couldn´t believe his luck. You felt so good against him, so delicate, so soft. He let his hands travel further under your shirt to feel your bare skin. You felt so warm and when he was tracing his fingers over your side he could feel goosebumps forming on your skin. As you wrapped your arms around his neck just to slightly pull at his hair he groaned against your lips. God he really wanted you so bad. You still weren´t able to fully grasp the situation. You were actually kissing Jihoon. The boy you had only known for a few days, the boy you could listen to for hours because everything in him was full of passion, wholeheartedness and artistry. You didn´t know a lot about tunes or rhythm but you knew Jihoon embodied music and you couldn´t get enough.

Your bodies were glued together, not even a thin sheet of paper would have fit between the two of you, so when he walked you a few steps back until your hips were colliding with the table, you had to hold onto his arms and neck for balance. When he reached down to grab the back of your thighs to hoist you up onto the kitchen table you let out a tiny squeak of surprise which made him chuckle. “I´m not gonna let you fall. Don´t worry.” You were now sitting on the table, slightly looking down at him between your thighs, his hands under your shirt on your bare hips again. “You sure?” you raised your eyebrows. “Very sure, sweetie.” With that he started giving you light open mouthed-kisses on your neck that made you pull on his hair in return.

When he found that sweet spot right under your ear that made you see stars you gently moaned. “Fuck, Jihoon.” Without looking up at you he mumbled “What is it, sweetie?” When you didn´t answer he paused to look at you while cupping your face. “You want me to stop?” Yes he was teasing you; you could easily tell by the grin that had spread all over his face, he knew he was making you feel good. But his question was sincere.  You knew asking for consent and respecting boundaries were the bare minimum but fuck could this man be any more perfect? “God, no” you said and pulled him in for another kiss.

Jihoon´s hands wandered down to rub your thighs through your pants which made your hips jerk forward against his stomach. The growing heat in your abdomen robbed you of the ability to form a clear thought, you weren´t thinking straight, hell you weren´t thinking at all. You had slipped your hands under his shirt and were running them over his back. The combination of feeling his skin on yours and him continuously sucking on your neck and your lips made you let out a soft moan. He couldn´t believe you were making those sweet sounds just because of him, for him. “Sweetie?” his breath tickled your ear and made you squirm. “Mhm.” “Can I eat you out?” Your eyes widened at his request. Never had someone asked you something like this so boldly. When he didn’t receive an answer right away he slowed down and looked at you. “You don´t have to say yes. I didn´t mean to make you uncomfortable, sweetie.” “You didn´t make me uncomfortable. I just…you´re the first guy to ever ask me for this…” “Seriously?” You just nodded. And in that exact moment Jihoon wanted nothing more than to ruin you. You looked so innocent, so fucking pretty. “Let me take care of you?” he asked. You smiled at his choice of words. This man made you so so nervous, and you didn´t want to, couldn´t ignore the heat in your abdomen. “Please.” You whispered. A smile spread on his face and he gave you a quick peck on your lips. “Lie down.” His voice sounded so husky, so determined, he didn´t leave space for objection. He gently pushed your upper body onto the table so only your legs were hanging down. He quickly picked up your drawing from besides your head and put it on a chair nearby. “We don’t want this to get wrinkles, don´t we?” You let out a small giggle and before you could reply he had hitched up your shirt to leave kisses on your stomach. He didn´t waste time and pulled your shirt up to your chest so the only think covering your breasts was your bra. His mouth was still all over your upper body when he yanked down your bra so your nipples were met with cold air. You had closed your eyes and when he gently pulled on one of your nipples he could see how your mouth fell slightly open just to let out a soft moan. “Such pretty tits.” He groaned. His voice was so deep and he was so close to you, you could feel the vibrations of it on your stomach. You could´ve sworn this was the hottest thing you had ever heard in your entire life.

When you felt his hands pull down the zipper of your pants you tried to lift up your hips as so to help him but he only used his second hand to push you back down. “You´re so impatient, sweetie. Let me do the work.” You whimpered at his words. He was slowly pushing down your pants, including your panties while kissing down your legs. After you had heard the thud of your pants hitting the floor Jihoon hooked his arms under your knees. Your pussy lay open and unprotected before him but he didn´t pay any attention to it. You could feel the air on your folds and the wetness that had gathered between your legs. He was grabbing and clawing at your thighs and leaving kitten-licks all over your skin. As he got closer to your core he bit down gently. It felt so good, you weren´t able to hold back your moans. The noises that were coming from you urged him on even further. When he finally got to your core he looked down at your pussy. He didn´t touch you yet, he just looked down at you. You felt already so hot from arousal, you didn´t think it was possible but your face started blushing even more.  

“You ok?” he asked while caressing your legs softly. “Fuck, just touch me, Jihoon.” You whined and you were sure that with anyone else you would´ve felt embarrassed to sound this desperate but this was Jihoon. “Say please.” He grinned. “Please.” In any other situation you would´ve laughed at his words but you would´ve been lying if you said it didn´t turn you on. “You´re such a good girl.” He said when he finally ran his fingers up your folds. You bucked your hips against his hand at the sudden touch which just made him chuckle lightly. Your breathing was heavy and he could see your chest heaving up and down. Yes you were impatient for him to finally touch you where you needed it the most, but holy shit Jihoon was just as impatient to put his mouth on your beautiful pussy.

When he couldn´t hold back any longer he pushed your legs up even further so they were close to your shoulders and finally put his mouth over your folds. Your legs trembled at the first contact. And because patience definitely wasn´t one of Jihoon´s strengths he immediately started sucking on your clit and lapping up your wetness. It felt so good you thought you were turning mad. Your hands had clung to the sides of the table but now you had started to pull at his hair desperately, how could his mouth feel this good?? After a harsh pull on his hair he groaned against your pussy. “You taste so fucking good, sweetie.” You were not capable of forming a reply so you just let out another moan.

The heat in your lower body was so unbearable, so big, you felt like you would burst into flames any minute. As he started to suck on your clit more harshly you were sure you wouldn´t last another 5 minutes. Your orgasm was already so close and you couldn’t help but pull his face even closer to your core. He understood and continued sucking and licking your clit in the same rhythm. “Jihoon, I´m gonna cum.” You mumbled in between moans. He didn´t lift his head just let out an approving moan against your core. And then you came with Jihoon´s mouth over your pussy and your hands gripping his hair and for a moment you thought you would burst into tears from pleasure.

After your hips had stilled he gently put down your legs and pulled you back up into a sitting positon just to hug you close. Your breathing was still not back to normal and your legs were shaking a bit. Jihoon was soothingly running his hands up and down your back. “You good?” he finally broke the silence. “Better than good.” “You really are adorable you know.” “Just shut up.” You giggled.

Neither of you had a clue how much time had passed while holding each other. Your pants were still scattered on the floor and both of your hair was a mess but you couldn´t have imagined a more perfect moment. As you looked out of the window behind Jihoon´s shoulders you saw that the sun had already started to set and it was already getting dark. Without much thought you asked: “Hey uhm, do you maybe wanna stay the night?” Jihoon looked up at you. You really were gorgeous. The truth is he would´ve probably sold his kidney to spend a night with you but he also knew he had classes tomorrow morning that he still had to do some homework for. Life wasn´t fair. He ran his fingers over your jawline while looking at your face. “Fuck, sweetie I wish I could. But I still have to do some work for school.” “Oh my god I´m so sorry. And I kept you here all day just to finish my own assignment. I´m sorry.” He shook his head and gave you a quick peck on the lips. “Hush. That´s bullshit. I was just selfish.” “Huh?” “I just wanted a pretty portrait of myself.” He grinned and you let out a laugh. “I´m sure you´ll get an A by the way.” He added. “I really hope so.”

After you had put on your pants again and had fixed your ponytail you were standing next to Jihoon at your front door. “Can I see you again soon?” he asked. “Only if you say please.” “God you´re such a brat.” He chuckled and in a second his lips had found yours again. You really didn´t want to let him go. “Text me when you get home?” you asked. “Of course, sweetie.”

When he had left you started digging through your old paintings. 

The next day at school you were waiting for him in front of the music building. ”Y/N, what are you doing here?” He immediately pulled you into a hug. “Not happy to see me?” you grinned and started rummaging through your bag. “Of course I am. I´m just surprised.” “I actually need to get going asap because my classes are starting in a minute.” You murmured while still searching for something in your bag. “There it is” you mumbled as you pulled out the small envelope you had prepared. “I actually just wanted to give you this.” Jihoon hesitantly grabbed the piece of paper. “Why…” “I wanted to give you this as a thank you for letting me draw you.” He looked down at the envelope. “What…I told you, you didn´t have to thank me!” “I know but it´s nothing special. I promise!” you said, already turning on your heels to get back to the art building. “I hope you have a wonderful day!”

Jihoon just stood there completely dumbfounded. He opened the envelope right away, out fell two pieces of paper. He picked the smaller one. It was a little note on which you had written words with your neat handwriting:

“Thank you again. I know you said I didn´t have to thank you but still... I also know you really wanted to see that (really bad) hedgehog drawing I did as a kid but I couldn´t find it anymore. So I thought I´d just draw you a new hedgehog. Hope you like it!”

He just stood there. Speechless. And that was a big deal. Jihoon was never speechless. Why couldn´t he stop staring at this drawing of a hedgehog? He didn´t even care about hedgehogs. He was 120 percent sure he had never spent more than two seconds thinking about hedgehogs in his entire life.  But nonetheless he couldn´t stop staring. He of course knew that all this had nothing to do with the hedgehog itself.   And he knew it was ridiculous because he had just met you what was it? Not even a week ago? He knew it, but he also couldn´t keep looking at that small cute painting of a hedgehog. A fucking hedgehog…

Hi! It´s me, Jo. I´d like to thank you for reading my stuff! I really hope you enjoyed it. If you have any feedback, comments, requests, questions please let me know!

[leia-organa-fics]

aftermath (part III)

I know it´s been forever and there are still open asks in my inbox, but this wouldn´t leave me alone, so I had to write it. I hope you enjoy.

You can find part II here.

***

Before he could get lost in his thoughts again, Leia hectically entered the lounge. “The proximity alarm just went off,” she stated.

“Damn it,” Han cursed and ran to the cockpit, Chewie and Leia hot on his heels. He sat down on the pilot´s seat and started checking the sensor alerts. It wasn´t just one ship in their near vicinity, it was a whole kriffing fleet. Twenty-one ships. Three of them were only freighters, but the rest was equipped with enough weapons to be battleships.

“Are they Imperials?” Leia asked.

“Doesn´t look like it. Probably just scavengers, but we can´t risk them recognizing our ship. We need to get outa here.” Easier said than done. They needed to leave the asteroid field before they could enter hyperspace, but the fastest way to do so would have them flying directly towards the approaching ships. All other routes would lead them through thousands of miles of asteroids, something their shields and hence they would not survive. The ships had effectively cut off their only escape route. That left them only one option.

“Prepare the ship for a jump into hyperspace, Chewie!” Han yelled before yanking the ship around. He would rather take his chances with the fleet than with nature´s force.

Leia didn´t seem to share that opinion. “What are you doing?” she hissed. “You´re heading directly for them.”

Chewie, the traitor, gave a warning roar, too.  

Han didn´t even look at them. “Have a little faith, will you.”

“Oh, I have absolute faith in your ability to get us killed.”

“Didn´t they teach you in princess school that it´s not nice to talk about people like that?”

Leia snorted. “Telling them the truth you mean?”

“Thought you politicians don´t do much of that anyway.”

“I´m not a politician anymore. I´m a rebel.”

“That you are, sweetheart,” Han said. “Are you gonna let me concentrate on piloting now or do you actually want us to get killed?”

If she replied, he didn´t hear it because he was too focused on avoiding asteroids. He tuned the rest of the world out. All there was, was the Falcon. The line where he ended, and his ship began was blurred. It was an extension of his body. His hands had melted into the steering panel and all he could think about was dodging.

It took an eternity and mere seconds at the same time, but then, finally, the field started to thin out. There was more and more space, but that also meant that the ships were now right in front of them.

As of yet, they hadn´t fired though. That had to be a good sign, right? Or they wanted to capture them alive …

Behind him, he heard Leia gasp. “That are Alderaanian Battle Cruisers,” she cried.

Chewie gave a distressed roar.

“I don´t think so,” Han answered. “What good would it do the Imps to hijack Alderaanian ships?”

“They must have patrolled the sector, when…,” Leia trailed off. She seemed to be in shock. “Can we contact them?”

Han grimaced. “It might still be a trap.”

“Or it might be my people in need of help.”

He turned to his co-pilot. “Is the jump calculated?”

Chewie made an affirmative sound.

“Alright,” Han said. “But at the first sign of trouble, we get out of here.”

Leia´s hand was already reaching for the comm unit before he had even finished talking. Typically. She jammed in the frequency and send out a signal. “This is Princess Leia Organa. I wish to talk to whoever is in charge of the approaching fleet. Please identify yourself.”

For some seconds there was only static silence, then a man´s voice sounded. “Princess Leia?” he asked incredulously. “Is it really you?”

“Commander Rieekan!” Leia seemed to be just as stunned.

“Princess, I am so glad to hear your voice, but how is this possible? Word of your death reached us almost two weeks ago.”

“Lies of the Empire. They boarded the Tantive IV and detained me, but with some help, I was able to escape.”

“Do you know what happened? Alderaan …“ The desperation in the man´s voice was palpable and Han felt for him. One more person who had lost everything.

Leia sucked in a pained breath. “This is not a conversation we should have over comm. I´m afraid our ship does not have enough space for guests, but may I come over?”

“Of course,” Rieekan said. “We would be honoured to have you.”

With that, the conversation ended. As soon as Leia had cut the connection, Han spun around to face her. “What do you think you are doing? Going over to their ship? It could still be a trap!”

“It´s not a trap,” Leia answered calmly. “This man has served our family for decades. I have known him all my life. He would never betray me.”

“You may think so, but his planet was destroyed because your family dabbled with the Rebellion!” He regretted the words as soon as they had left his mouth – and not only because Chewie gave him an angry shove and called him some very colourful names.

For a second, Leia looked absolutely shattered, then a controlled mask slid over her face. He knew that something between them had just broken and it was his fault alone. Where before she had to a degree trusted him with her emotions, there now was only her political training. The hurt would recede – he hoped so, at least, because some wounds never closed, and he had just worsened one that was already too deep – but gaining her trust back would be one hell of a job.

He wanted to apologize, but before he had the chance, she said, “Riekaan´s loyalty lies with the Rebellion as well. He won´t betray me.”

“Okay,” Han conceded. Because what else was there to do? “But you´re not going alone. I´m coming with you.”

“That´s not necessary.”

“It is. You´re our passenger, I am responsible for your well-being.”

Leia shot him a glare. “I can take care of myself; not that it will be necessary this time.”

“Just humour me, princess, alright?”

“Fine.” She seemed still annoyed with him but at least she agreed.

Rieekan´s ship broke away from the rest of the fleet and approached them. Han, still wary, watched its every move but nothing seemed out of the ordinary so far. When the two ships were close enough, Han steered the Falcon to the cruiser´s docking bay. The two ships connected.

“Be prepared to take off any minute,” he said to Chewie, before joining Leia at the docking bay.

The door that separated the two ships opened. On the other side stood only one man. He looked maybe fifteen years older than Han. He was wearing a dark blue uniform with lots of shiny orders pinned to the jacket, but the material was rumpled, as was his hair. His face was pale and his eyes red-rimmed. All in all, the man – Han assumed it must be Rieekan – looked thoroughly haggard. Still, his face lit up in genuine delight when he laid eyes on Leia. “Your Highness,” he greeted her. His voice spoke equally of graveness and relief.

Leia pressed her lips together. A motion that, as Han had learned over the course of the last few days, meant she was trying not to cry. “Just Leia,” she said after a couple of seconds. “Titles don´t matter anymore.”

Rieekan´s face twisted into a sad smile. “On the contrary, Your Highness,” he said. “Now, titles matter more than ever.”

Leia shot him a questioning look. “What do you mean?”

“We have been robbed of our home. The few of our people who have survived are dispersed all over the Galaxy. They need something to rally around.”

“And you think that something should be me?”

“I didn´t mean to overwhelm you, but you have been the voice of our people since your inauguration as a senator. Now they need you to be their heart as well.”

Leia took a shaky breath. “That´s a lot to ask of a single person.”

And it was. Han´s expertise may not have lain in politics, but even he could comprehend how much this Rieekan person was asking of her. After the loss of Alderaan, he wanted Leia to become their people´s new centre of gravity. Han believed she could do it, no doubt, but even the brightest suns burned out. What if she imploded when hit with the full weight of the remaining Alderaanians´ grief? It hadn´t even been a week. She had barely had time to deal with her own loss …

“I have known you all your life, Leia,” Rieekan said. “You were meant to do this.”

Leia nodded. She seemed to be deep in thought, but Han couldn´t tell whether she agreed with Rieekan´s words and had thought so herself all along or whether she was just bending herself backwards to meet this man´s expectations. He couldn´t decide what would be worse.

After some seconds, Rieekan finally broke the uncomfortable silence. “My apologies, Your Highness. I did overwhelm you, after all. Perhaps we should continue this conversation somewhere more comfortable.”

“Of course,” Leia answered. Then she turned to Han. “Please forgive my rudeness. This is General Rieekan. General, this is Captain Han Solo. He helped me escape and is now escorting me to the Alliance.”

Rieekan looked at Han as if he had just noticed his presence. There was a flicker of … something in his eyes. Maybe it was surprise, maybe even scandal. Then he extended his hand though. “I owe you my thanks, Captain.”

Han took his hand and shook it. He couldn´t suppress a smirk. “Don´t worry. The Alliance already compensated me accordingly.”

“He can´t accept that he´s one of the good guys now,” Leia said exasperatedly. “His co-pilot is a lot more tolerable though.”

Han shot her a wounded look. “And there I was starting to think your princess manners were finally extending to me as well.”

“You were the one who insisted on being friends with me.”

“The last week has undoubtedly proven that my judgement is not what it once was.”

Leia ignored him and turned to Rieekan instead. “You said something about going somewhere more comfortable, General.”

“Of course, if you´d like to follow me.”

He led them away from the docking bay. The few crew members they passed on their way all seemed to be still in shock after what had happened to their planet. That didn´t prevent them from reacting to Leia´s presence with awe though. All of them bowed and greeted her respectfully. Inwardly, Han shook his head over their behaviour. No wonder she was so bossy when people had treated her like that all her life.

After reaching some kind of conference room, they were equipped with some refreshments before finally continuing their conversation. Again, Rieekan didn´t beat around the bush. “Do you know what happened to Alderaan?” he asked once they were alone and behind closed doors. “We were at the other end of the sector. Our sensors could only detect some kind of explosion and then it was just gone.”

Leia was staring at the wall behind Rieekan when she answered, “The explosion you noticed was caused by a weapon. The Empire created a battle station with enough firepower to destroy a planet. However, a weapon like that is only feared when people know that it works. I would have never imagined … “

Rieekan´s face twisted in anguish. “The Empire did this?”

“It did.”

Silence fell over them. Suddenly, Han felt very out of place. He wasn´t from Alderaan. He couldn´t relate to their loss (and hopefully never would be able to). Back on the Falcon, when it had just been Leia, Chewie, and himself, that hadn´t been a problem but now he felt like an intruder who was disturbing their shared grief. It was too late to back out though. He was stuck in this room with them. The thought of what the conversation he would witness could entail made his stomach churn.

As if he had read his thoughts, Rieekan whispered, “Why Alderaan? There are countless uninhabited planets. How did we deserve this?”

“We didn´t,” Leia answered icily. “Not one sentient being that was on Alderaan when it happened deserved that fate.”

“Why did they choose Alderaan then?”

Again, Leia couldn´t meet anyone´s eyes. She kept staring grimly at the while and her voice was hoarse when she started to talk. “A small strike force managed to steal the battle station´s blueprints. They sent them to us, to the Tantive IV, during the battle of Scarif. We tried to get the plans to the Alliance, but Vader caught up to us near Tatooine.” Leia took a shaky breath. “Before he boarded the ship, I sent two droids out in an otherwise empty escape pod, to bring the plans to an old friend of … my father´s who lived on Tatooine. They got away, but Vader took me prisoner. He wasn´t exactly happy about not finding the blueprints. Neither was Tarkin. So when I refused to give up the Alliance´s location and they were in need of a target …” Leia didn´t finish the sentence. She didn´t have to. “I´m so sorry,” she whispered instead.

Rieekan remained silent. He seemed to need some time to take in all the new information. Han couldn´t blame the man. Even his own head was swirling after hearing all that and he had already known a big part of it beforehand. Suddenly, Leia´s behaviour made a lot more sense. She was blaming herself for what happened to Alderaan. She´d had to stand by helplessly while the Death Star had destroyed her planet and Han could only guess that it had destroyed a part of her as well. He wondered what she had been like before. Somehow, he couldn´t imagine her as carefree and wasn´t that just awful?

He snuck a glance at her. She was still wearing the same stoic mask. Han couldn´t help himself. In contradiction to his earlier resolution to not intrude on this conversation, he said with all the conviction he felt, “It wasn´t your fault.”

That jerked Rieekan out of his stupor. “He´s right,” he said. “It wasn´t your fault, Your Highness.”

Leia took a shaky breath. “If it had been someone else who had brought the plans, they would have destroyed another planet. The only reason they chose Alderaan was me.”

Rieekan´s kind gaze held something fatherly when he answered, “That still doesn´t make it your fault, Leia. You did everything you could. Your parents would be proud.”

“We will never know, will we? They´re dead.”

There wasn´t much that could be said in response and definitely nothing that would have made a difference. There were a couple seconds of silence.

“What are you going to do now?” Leia finally changed the topic.

“I can only speak for myself, but my place is with the Rebellion.”

Leia nodded as if she had anticipated that. “Everyone who wants to join is welcome with the Rebellion and if I have anything to say, we will still provide help to anyone who doesn´t.”

[vigilantegetawaydriver]

Definition Forbidden C1

Frank castle slightly x oc

word count: 2.1k

warnings : violence, other stuff, no smut I think there might be fluff

summary: Amy's adoptive sister and Frank only have one thing in common, and that's keeping Amy save. They don't get along really well.

Rose groaned as she sat up from the couch she`d been sleeping on, and was happy to see Frank hadn`t come back yet. She got up, quietly as not to wake Amy who was peacefully sleeping on the only bed the trailer had.

She made herself a cup of hot brew and ate this protein bar that was laying on the counter.

Then changed into her workout clothes and did some pushups, and pullups at the doorframe leading to the kitchen, all while trying not to be too loud.

As she was doing a set off pull ups she heard Franks voice from the outside, announcing his arrival.

She opened the door and told him to keep quiet , because of Amy , ignoring the fact that he was covered in blood beneath his jacket yet again. Frank let out a grunt as answer and made his way to the bathroom,

to probably tend to his wounds. Meanwhile Rose started doing her last set of push ups, while listening to the frustrated sounds Frank made.

She decided to ask if he needed help, so she went to the bathroom door and knocked :"You sound like you could use some help, I know we`re not exactly besties but yea I just want you to know Im here if you need help."

She waited a few seconds, Frank had gone totally silent since she had spoken. She was about go when the door to the bathroom opened. As she stepped inside she could see that Frank had taken off his shirt and was apparently trying to stitch up a nasty cut at his lower back.

She immediately reached for the wet cloth that was laying on the counter and the rubbing alcohol, and started cleaning his wound with it.

"How the fuck does that happen?" She asked while preparing to stitch the cut. "Didn`t wear my vest

and one of those fuckers jumped at me from behind." He flinched as she started stitching.

"He wouldn`t have gotten the jump at you if I had been there to back you up Castle." At that he visibly tensed "Yea right what would you have done? Shot him?

killed a man?" Now Rose was pissed too, at his total disregard of her abilities "You`re damn right I would have shot him, and you fucking know it, you know I`m a goddamn good sniper." He flinched as she angrily forced the needle to

go in. After a moment he said" Yea you keep tellin yourself that, and maybe it`s gonna happen, but I ain`t seen you shoot any weapon before kid." Rose kept her composure and responded passive aggressively

"Yea because you don`t just go off shooting at random things, and you just don`t want any help because you hope that you get killed right? So you can finally die, well let me tell you something Castle, I don`t like you I don`t give a shit

if you die or not, but if you do. And I hate to admit it , there won`t be anyone able to protect Amy like you do from what’s commin, so if you really care about her Castle, I suggest you stay alive. And don`t you ever call me Kid again."

At that he didn’t respond, she silently finished his stitching and put some bandages around his wound. Then she wordlessly cleaned and took care of all the minor injuries he wouldn`t been able to reach and left.

Well that was one nice conversation she thought as she took her bag and exited the trailer.

Frank still just sat there, thinking about what she had said, it had really gotten to him. The fact that she knew that he didn’t care whether he died or lived. But he forgot to tell her that he didn’t want her to die too, he didn’t want anyone else to get caught up in this mess, and as far as they knew there was no one looking for her, yet. He suddenly heard the door being shut and got out to find Rose was gone. “Damn it .” He uttered.

Rose was determined to get the guys that were after Amy, and so she did something she promised herself to never do again, but it was Amy , so she had to.

Later that day Rose returned , with a large sport bag contents unknown. She strode inside like on a mission and placed it on the table , ignoring Franks questions as to where shed been and what she had been doing.

She wordlessly opened the duffle and pulled out a long black box.

A weapons case, frank recognized.

“Hey what are you two up to?” Amy asked walking up to them from behind. “Amy I don’t want you to see this, could you please wait in the back?” Rose inquired.

“Like hell I am, I am sick of being shut out, and treated like a kid from the both of you. I am staying.”

“Fine, but don’t touch anything, you too castle!” Rose spoke with an annoyed undertone, as she opened the case, and revealed its contents a black Barrett M82.

“Where the hell did you get this?” Frank furiously inquired. “I took it with me when I left the army.” She answered calmly to release the tension. “Right , you have been deployed, you’re what 20 ? With a criminal background , when would that have happened?”

Rose let out an annoyed sigh at his disbelief and explained: “ I`m twenty one actually, I went to the army when I was eighteen , stayed till I was like nineteen and a half , I was a natural as sniper, was deployed for a few unimprtant missions, then they wanted to use me and a few other recruits as hitmen, I knew with what I knew they wouldn’t let me live if I refused their offer, so I took my shit and went AWOL. I had to disappear , after that I had to keep over water somehow, and so I did some jobs where I could put my special skills to use. It was extremely violent, and after a while I realized that I couldn’t keep doing it anymore all the things I did were just so wrong. So I searched myself a new kind of job, promising myself to never bring up my past again. I found these guys that were giving out jobs where you had to con people and it was pretty well paid that’s when I met Amy. That was about a year and a half ago.”

Amy had just been silently listening and suddenly uttered “ I thought you trusted me , and that we tell each other everything, and now I hear that you were a hitman , a mercenary?! So you lied to me about your past, and that’s how you were able to shoot a gun and beat up those guys that were after us once. Its like I don’t even know you anymore.”

Frank just silently watched, though it looked like he was contemplating something in his head.

“ Amy , you know I love you, you are like a sister to me, and I didn’t want you to know about this because its dangerous, there are still people looking for me and its dangerous for everyone who knows about this. And I tried to leave that part of my life behind, so I decided to never tell anyone , till now.”

“Yea its too dangerous, that’s what everyone keeps telling me , you know what you two , deserve each other, both keeping secrets and telling everyone its for their best ,but you-“ she was pointing at Rose “and especially you –“ now she pointed at Frank “ Are just psychopaths who like to find excuses for the awful things that you do.” With that Amy took her stuff, and went to exit the trailer. “Wow where do you think you are going.“ Frank suddenly inquired. “ Don’t even try to stop me , I am staying with Curtis, I am so sick of you too, but hey maybe you two can go on a murder spree together now. That’s what you do right?!” With a loud thud the door was slammed shut and Amy gone.

Rose wanted to go run after Amy, but Frank grabbed her arm and held her back “Don’t , she’s save with Curt , and you and me have to talk anyway.” Rose wriggled out of his hold and countered :” Oh we have nothing to talk about, the only thing we had in common , just left, I don’t owe you anything!”

She made her way to the table and started packing her stuff. Frank in the meantime phoned Curtis, about Amy.

Curtis told him that Amy had already called him and asked if she could stay with him, and that he was on his way to pick her up.

Now he turned to Rose, he watched her furiously trying to fit all her belongings in one small duffle, he would have never thought that she was ex military, but he had never seen her fight before too, except for when they first met ,she had pointed a gun at him and they had almost killed each other if it hadn’t been for Amy stepping in.

“I just talked to Curt , he is picking her up , she’s save now, you don’t need to worry about her kid.” Rose ignored him, but stopped packing and sat down burying her head in her hands.

She had realized that she wasn’t mad at Amy, or Frank, she was mad at herself, for burying up her past.

“Look just give her some time, she`ll come around sooner or later, you were just trying to protect her she`ll see that.” Frank spoke sitting down on the other end of the couch. Rose didn’t look up but mumbled :”I don’t think so, she hates me now, I messed it up again, she’s the only one I care about and now she hates me too. I should have never lied to her , I mean how could I keep this from her ?” Now it sounded like she was crying. “Look , kid. I – . I knew when I was deployed I signed up for this shady operation that wasn’t the normal kind of mission, hell I knew that this might affect me later in my life. That it might have some consequences when I`d come home. Even endanger my family. But I ignored those thoughts , I ignored all reason because I liked it, I always loved it. War all that shit. My wife knew , she told me herself that it was ok , that she loved me anyway.

But in the back of my head I knew , I always knew that I was and undoubtably am the reason they died. I had a choice, I could have signed out, lived a happy life, but I didn’t. What I wanna say is , you had the chance to get out, and you did, you are a good person Rose , and I don’t believe that Amy hates you for one second.”

Rose sighed “Yea , but I am just as bad, when I fled I could have gone under, really disappeared , but I didn’t I searched the fight I took jobs that were just as bad as the one they had offered me in the army. Back then I beat up guys just for the fun of it sometimes. I decided that I wanted to fight , and it didn’t matter if it was in the army , as private security, or something else. When I fled I noticed it that itch , the need for violence. Till I finally realized that it had to stop, that I had to stop.” She looked at him and when Frank didn’t answer she continued :” And keeping it from Amy was wrong, I should have told her who I really am, what I had done, but I just wanted to feel normal. But regardless of what I did , I never killed anyone. I beat them up, tortured even but I never killed, I didn’t want to go that far.”

Frank now regarded her and said:” You´re better than me kid, you haven’t crossed that line you still have a chance at normal. You were right trying to keep the past in the past and when this is over, you should take Amy and go start a new life, get a chance at normal.”

Rose regarded him for a moment before getting up and grabbing her bag “Thanks Castle, for keeping Amy save, and for the advice. I´m gonna go now, call me when Amy comes back.” She said laying a burner phone down next to him, before walking to the door.

“Castle you are probably the only one that’s able to give her the protection she needs, now , but I want you to know that when she’s save you don’t send her to me, my life never was normal and never will be. And don´t take this personally, but I hope we´ll never meet again.”

-And with that she left.

Authors Note: I hope this makes any sense at all

[feminaexlux]

5 Minutes

Part 2 of Miraculous Leap

Btw I'm heavily referencing We Have a Problem by @verfound 'cuz I can take partial ownership of Dewey hehehe. Ages are fudged around for convenience

AO3 link

⁂

As soon as he left the bedroom and was out of sight Luka felt his knees start to buckle and he let himself slump to the floor. Hopefully she didn't hear that. A minute ago he'd been reaching for his bracelet to set Second Chance but then Ladybug collided into him and they were sent tumbling to the ground. When he had opened his eyes he found…

He was almost dead certain that it was Marinette propping herself up over him. Even if she looked older he wouldn't have mistaken those eyes for anyone else's. Those eyes looked as surprised as he was. While she had moved over to his side to sit up he had taken a quick scan of the room and of her. She looked… very curvy? … And pregnant. It was incredibly… well. There'd been a mix of feelings he couldn't put words to.

But the room? Deep down inside, he had an odd sense of being at home. And as he took some deep, meditative breaths to control his heartrate he knew whatever this was, it wasn't a dream. It had too much… certainty and realness to it.

Marinette was looking panicked, so he had offered to get some water. He needed some water himself. He also needed to leave the room so he could freak out in private and not upset her any more than she was already, and that was why he was more or less faceplanted on the floor out of view right now.

What was the akuma? It had some ability to see the future, which was why Viperion was called out to help Ladybug and Chat Noir in the first place. No one on the Miraculous team had known that it had the power to send people into the future, however. Luka was sure that was what had happened. Ladybug and Viperion got hit with the akuma's blast and… now Marinette and Luka were here, in their future. ONE future, he should say.

It wasn't necessarily set in stone. Luka knew how much could change in just 5 minutes.

He knew Marinette was Ladybug. Marinette might try to convince him she wasn't Ladybug if it ever came up. He'd have to roll with it and make her as comfortable as he could. Or maybe he could steer the conversation away from that in the first place. She might never call on him to be Viperion again if he told her that he knew and had known for a while.

Because even if Marinette had always looked over Luka for Adrien, Luka wanted to spend whatever time he could with her, in her super Miraculous suit or in her normal everyday clothes.

He got back up on his feet and sighed to himself, looking into the different rooms he passed as he meandered his way blindly toward a kitchen. There were a few rooms that had been for kids, he thought. He walked by what looked like Marinette's crafting workshop, full of partially dressed mannequins and half-finished projects and colorful children's drawings. A hallway he passed through was full of pictures of kids he didn't recognize, but they all had a strong familiarity.

Probably because they were his kids. His and Marinette's. He could hardly believe it, but his older self and Marinette's older self were there throughout most of the pictures too.

One thing caught his attention outside of the kids' pictures: a flatscreen in a large ornate frame playing a soundless video in the center of the hallway wall. It was of him and Marinette on what looked like their wedding day. He had swept her up off her feet in her wedding dress and she had her arms wrapped around his shoulders. She had been laughing and then had leaned in to kiss him.

Luka watched that replay a few times. They looked happy. He hoped that future Marinette didn't have any regrets.

After the replays he realized that they didn't look that old in the clip. Well, not much older than they were… now? Before the akuma? Definitely not teenagers anymore, but not more than a few years after they both left their teens.

So how did he manage to get all this? What happened that let Marinette finally see him? Did his future self leave any hints?

Last he knew of anything, Marinette had come back to the Liberty from her class' New York trip and admitted to the GirlSquad™️ (while Luka was within earshot) that she was still in love with Adrien. "I-I mean there's plenty of reasons to love him… he's so cute and talented and smart and--and… and I think everyone keeps saying we were made for each other but… but it's so hard," Marinette had groaned. "Why is it so hard?"

Luka had made his presence known so he wouldn't be unintentionally eavesdropping something he wasn't supposed to. Any more than was already said, anyway. He had started to leave when Rose stopped him then. "Luka! You're a boy! You know what boys think! What do you think is going on with Adrien?"

Luka had laughed and said he didn't know. "What I know is that it isn't supposed to be easy. It's something you have to keep working on. But it's supposed to lift you up and make you feel stronger." He then left the girls in their plotting/scheming/arguing to lounge back in his room. He had been surprised when a few minutes later Marinette came to join him.

"It doesn't make me feel stronger. I just feel dumb," Marinette said then, quietly. He had let her stay with him while he played random songs on his guitar, trying to cheer her up. She had finally started smiling again when he played her song, except with a little bit more flare and bubblegum pop. It was what he heard in his head when she was happy. "Thank you. You know, I feel less dumb being here with you."

He finally reached something like a kitchen. It'd been huge and there were clear boxy canisters of different types of flours and sugars and mix-ins… He saw a high end mixer and maybe 30 different types of baking sheets. Looked like Marinette still put her baking knowledge to use.

Alright enough being distracted, he shouldn't leave Marinette alone too long. He grabbed two clean glasses and got water from the fridge's built in dispenser and headed back the way he came.

"I brought some water for you." He was a little worried when he saw her on the floor. He had no idea what it was like being pregnant but it couldn't have been easy… "Hey, are you doing okay?"

Marinette took the water gratefully. "I don't know… Are… are you Luka Couffaine?" He nodded. "Huh, just a few minutes ago I was 14, and now it looks like I'm 34. And your wife."

There was something to her voice… she wasn't horrified, which was good news. There'd still been some confusion, maybe? And a little disbelief. That was as much as could be expected from Marinette, Luka supposed.

He was pretty sure she was Marinette, but it would be all kinds of messed up if he just found someone who looked a lot like her. It'd been her art, her designs, her baking… right? No one else could just… be all that she was. He had to be sure. "Are you Marinette?"

She looked up at him with her light blue eyes. It had to be Marinette. There'd been a wave of relief that washed over him when she nodded.

"I think this is our future," she said.

⁂

(Meanwhile…)

Luka blinked and… all of a sudden his wife had a Ladybug mask on. He hadn't seen that on her for months now (he had the Ladybug Miraculous since she was pregnant) which was the first clue that something had rudely interrupted them. He groaned internally and tried to mentally ping Sass or Tikki to see if there was anything to worry about. Marinette looked as bewildered as he was. He took her shoulders and gently pressed them both up to sitting.

Okay, well, she was… she was definitely not pregnant and therefore not his Marinette. Then he noticed he was suited up as Viperion. Ah, it ssseemsss you have been… regressssed, Massster, Sass said in his head. God, Marinette looked… what, 15? And Sass hadn't called him "Master" in forever.

Do you know what happened? Luka asked Sass.

There is an akuma who controlsss time. Well, of course. Their power has ssswapped you with your younger ssself, Sass answered.

Luka had to stop himself from laughing. His younger self was in for one hell of a surprise. That aside, he had to check on this Marinette. "Hey, are you okay?"

Ladybug looked up at him and brushed through his hair with her fingers. "Viperion? Your hair… It's so short…? Wait… wait wh--where's…" She looked down at herself and patted her stomach. "D-D-Dew--"

Oh, Dewey. Viperion pulled Ladybug in for a hug as she started crying. She was his Marinette and… and their son was in the future, not here with them. "He's alright. He's waiting for us. We're somehow in the past, but we'll get back home."

Well, shit, that meant that the younger Marinette was in the future as well.

"I-I-I thought I had l-lost him," Ladybug said quietly, her voice breaking.

"Hey… guys…" Chat said awkwardly after landing nearby. "Milady! What's wrong?!"

Right. Chat Noir. At 15. This was going to be annoying as fuck.

[mariamermaid]

The Heir of Silberstein; Gold und Silber (ch.5/ final)

“gold and silver”

Fred Weasley x Reader

Summary: As a new school year approaches in Hogwarts, the students are surprised when Dumbledore introduces a group of German siblings joining the school. The royal family of fortress Silberstein is now sent to Hogwarts to learn the matters of a normal teenager life. …

Words: 1.6k

A/N: The story has come to an end! I hope you enjoyed this little journey, I for my part had so much fun writing it.

 Masterlist

 At last, it was Fred´s voice, that you heard and his soft eyes staring down to you, before blackness swallowed you whole…

When you finally woke up again, coming to ignore the sharp pain shooting up from your side, you quickly scanned the room. It was empty though.

However, it wasn´t unfamiliar to you; you were still located in Silberstein.

It was very similar to the infirmary to Hogwarts, light walls and beds and shelves with books and healing potions.

You couldn´t help but feel your thoughts slip, did everyone survive the battle?

Just as you were to sit up, the door opened. King Michael entered in all his glory and a gasp of relief left your lips.

“Father!”

He wore the king’s attire, sophisticated and graceful, as it should be.

He chuckled at your response, and gestured you to stay seated. He was wearing the crown, it fitted him perfectly and he looked much healthier. But as he took a seat on the side of your bed, he placed the heavy metal on the bed stand.

“It´s good to see you awake again.”

“How long was I out?”

He breathed steadily and held eye contact with you, his hand grabbing yours. It was warm and soft.

“Three days, we were all worried if you´d make it”, he explained calmly. For you, it had barely felt like a couple of hours.

“Hendrik, August and Ruth! Are they-“, You stopped, before continuing even hastier. “Fred and George!”

Your father let out another snicker and placed a kiss on the back of your hand. “You shouldn´t worry about them, as much as you should maybe take more care of yourself. They´re all fine and they´re all back at school.”

Your face dropped once again. “At school?!”

“Yes, you all abandoned the school regulations and not only snuck out, but you even left the country. As your father, I cannot endorse such behavior.”

He sighed, but then he began smiling as well.

“I´m very glad you did though. If it wasn´t for you, I probably wouldn´t be here.”

Finally, you lunged a little forward, embracing him tightly. You felt how tears formed in your eyes and his familiar warmth radiating against your tired body.

“I missed you dad!”

He hugged you back, his chin on top of your head. “I missed you too.”

When you let go of him again, your brows furrowed.

“Albrecht, is he?”

“Dead, yes, for good this time. The guards that were in cahoots with him, were banished and their memory was removed. Everything went back to normal.”

It was like a heavy rock falling off your chest, it was over.

“August was right by the way; he did have mother´s ring. All those years, he planned it all out. Killing your mother, poisoning me and when the idea rose, to send you children away, he had me thinking it was the best solution. But the moment you were gone, I knew the mistake it was.”

He sighed and his hand pushed back his hair, just as dark as Hendrik´s.

“I was left helpless, knowing he had too much power at this point. My last hope laid with you children.”

“What about Silberstein? Are you still planning to turn this place into a school?”

He nodded, starring out the window for a few second, bemused, before turning back to you.

“Yes, but I will wait until Hendrik graduates. I cannot build a school system on my own and my time leading, is long over. It is time for Hendrik and you to take the lead.”

You grinned approving. “That sounds very thought over.”

“I had enough time to think and to get a little help, I´m going to accompany you to Hogwarts when you´re feeling strong enough again. Me and your headmaster have a lot to discuss.”

 Fred, George and even Hendrik and August sat in the Gryffindor common room. As they had come back, the news had already made a round. It was however needles to say, that they were pretty disappointed to all receive minus points, and the immediate send back into the classes. As much as they wanted to celebrate the victory over Silberstein, none of them were in the right mood. Their worries stayed behind with you and they spent days hunched together, hoping for an owl from Germany. Especially Fred looked tired with dark circles beneath his eyes, he had barely eaten or slept. The door opened for the hundredth time, they all looked up with very little hope, but this time, it was Ruth.

“They´re coming!” She announced loudly. Other students in the common room looked up, interested as well.

“Who´s coming?” Hendrik asked, but all of them had jumped off their seats anyways.

“The royal carriage!”

“Y/n?” Fred asked the youngest of the siblings, but she could only shrug. It didn´t matter, they all hurried outside, where several other students had gathered as well. They all watched in tension as the carriage landed and the door finally opened.

First to enter was King Michael, out of reflex more than actual knowledge on how to behave, the students bowed. But the king softly smiled, before reaching out with his hand, a second figure entered. You.

It was like the day had suddenly lightened up and Ruth ran up into your arms, quickly followed by your brothers and the twins.

“Don´t ever leave us waiting like this!” Ruth urged you and you grinned.

“What? Were you expecting an owl instead of me?”

Hendrik and August patted you shoulder, but Fred couldn´t hold back anymore. He quickly embraced you as well and you felt how your feet slightly left the ground. He didn´t care about the stares, all he cared was for you to be there, in his arms, again.

“We did it, Freddie”, you whispered leaning into the hug. He nodded slightly.

“No, you did it, Y/n!”

 White clouds, shaped like cotton candy, covered the sky and the white linen draped across the Fortress. Perfectly shaped snowflakes danced from the skies down. The soft neighing of the horses echoed, you felt relieved. Christmas laid in the air, cinnamon and mistletoe, and icy snow covered the trees. You had taken the liberty of inviting the entire Weasley family, Harry and Hermione as well as a few other friends from Hogwarts.

After the initial howlers, yes plural, from Molly, she and Arthur had gladly accepted. The new attire for the formal occasion that each of the red-haired family members were gifted with, were stunning. Dresses with beaded details and a suit, Ron wished he had at the time of the yule ball. Molly and Arthur were barely able to close their mouths after arriving at the fortress and the prior anger towards their sons, disappeared. Instead, pride settled in and Molly placed lovingly kisses on Fred´s and George´s cheeks.

The Christmas evening was filled by laughter, you were all seated around the large table in the big dining room next to the ballroom. The Weasleys, schoolmates from Hogwarts as well as friends like Paul or Ruben, and of course, you own family. Due to the formal etiquette, the crown was back on your pate. For the first time, you didn´t mind though. Your family had been broken a long time ago, finally you had healed and even though the process had taken time and even more effort, you had reached a peaceful state.

However, you did decide that a little fresh air wouldn´t hurt, the sun had already set and the sky filled by stars and snow enlightened the nightly horizon.

You found yourself in the front yard and a Pegasus greeted you, as if had been waiting for you. You let out a chuckle as your hand brushed through the mane. Suddenly, you heard the door behind you opening and closing again. You instantly felt Fred´s presence and turned towards him, happily grinning from ear to ear.

“I never imagined to be at a castle for Christmas, could get used to it though”, he explained shrugging cheesily. “It´s been a long time since Christmas felt this festive and joyful for me as well.”

Fred stepped closer to you, admiring the silver horse. You let out a sigh, as your mind wandered back to Hogwarts. “I don´t think it was our last battle”, you admitted quietly, Fred only nodded.

“No, it probably wasn´t.”

“Maybe I´ll follow you then into the next fight, hm?”

“What about Silberstein?” Fred asked and his eyes carefully found yours. But you smiled gently at him. “Well, I first need to graduate. Hendrik will keep a spot open for me.”

“So, you´re all going back with us to school?”

“I wouldn´t want to miss it.”

He glanced up and down from the ground, stepping closer again. One of your hand remained on the back of the Pegasus. It was as if the horse felt the attraction and slightly nudged you towards Fred´s direction.

“Is it a crime to kiss a princess?” He asked whispering and you felt his warm breath on your skin.

“Not if she gives you her permission.”

His hand traced the silhouette of your face, only inches stayed between the two of you.

“May I, princess?”

You nodded.

Finally, Fred fully leaned forward and his lips crashed against yours. You melted into the kiss, your hands grabbing his neck, while he embraced your waist to pull you closer. The neighing from the silver horses made you both chuckle and separate a little, but your foreheads remained touching. “Care for a little ride, Weasley?” You asked grinning and while Fred seemed taken back at first, he nodded agreeing.

He sat down behind you on the strong back of the Pegasus, his hands first carefully, but then rather happily holding onto your waist.

“You´re going to love it!” You exclaimed before the horse started cantering, and then spreading the white wings. Fred felt weightless as the horse left the ground with no effort and cold air embraced him. But it was refreshing and liberating.

You smiled, eyes pinned lurking back to see Fred´s gaze as well, you were under the same sky at last.

———-

tags: @ britishspidey @ perfectlysane24  @ acoolnight

[jaredstrout]

Just Azula

(embarrassing how many months it took me to even finish this part of something that was meant to be a single post short story)

Azula opened the door to her chambers for the first time, since she left for her hunt of her idiot brother and later the Avatar.

The room was clean and tidy, just as it should be and the smell of lavender reached her nose, as she walked with large, angry steps over to the bathroom. The door to her own private bath was open and it was the source of the scent in the room.

Two servants jumped to their feet from the large bathtub in the middle of the room and then hurried to bow.

"Is the bath ready?" Azula just asked without any further acknowledgement of the servant´s.

The woman next to the princess quickly nodded. "Of course your highness...shall we..." she started, but Azula cut her off with a sharp motion of her arm.

"Out!" she flatly told them. That was a rather unusual order, as it was among their usualy duties, to take care of the princess´s hygiene and after a long journey, they had certainly expected to return to this duty.

"Your highness..." the servant carefully tried to keep the protocol, only to find herself at the focus of Azula´s angry glare.

"I have taken the Impenetrable City...do you think I can´t handle a washcloth?" she asked, dangerously calm.

The servant shrunk in her frame and shivered under the cold eyes of the princess.

"Of course not your highness...forgive me" she begged with shivering voice. Azula just stood there, crossed her arms and started to look more and more impatient, till the servants finally got the clue and made their way out, their faces down to avoid to anger the obviously already bad-tempered princess.

As she heard the door to her room close Azula let out a sigh and slowly walked back into the main room. Her harsh demeanor melted away with every step and she reached up to the topknot of her hair and removed the golden crown, to let her raven black hair fall over her shoulders, as she threw the massive piece of gold on the bed and stared at the stylized flame.

So much had changed, since she left. And yet everything was as usual. Zuko had returned home, thanks to her help and advocacy, but he already had tried to throw her into the flames.

The little chat they had at the palace pond was just a few minutes back and Azula felt...tired. Zuko hid something from her, something important and maybe big enough to shake the foundations of the Fire Nation´s victory.

The Avatar might be alive. Azula was not sad about the idea, that she still had not killed anyone. The moment, when her lightning struck the boy´s heart had been...cold. The realy impact had hit Azula a few moments later, when the water peasant had caught the lifeless boy in her arms and for a brief moment, she and Azula had looked straight into each other´s eyes.

The triumph over defeating the most powerful being in the world in the moment before it unleashed its power was replaced with the sour feeling of having killed a little boy.

The horror in the water bender´s eyes had ensured, that Azula felt whatever she was able to.

It had been a strange moment of revelation, as she faced her long lost conscience. And since that moment Azula wondered what the water bender had seen in her. Probably what Azula wanted people to see in her, especially with that smirk she had perfected over the years, so even father only saw the perfect daughter. Cold, calculating with a bit cruelty behind the determined logic.

It was the first time as far as Azula could remember, that she wanted someone to see past that mask. It was a weird feeling, especially as she wanted an enemy to do so.

She knew she´d get over it eventually, what was a relief and still kind of sad.

And now she might have to deal with a totally different problem, well Zuko had.

Despite her bitterness about her brother´s betrayal, she did grow a smile for a moment.

Of course Zuzu had no idea of the letter, Azula had written just the day after they had taken over Ba Sing Se. Oh he´d be mad once he learned that father thought of him as the great Avatar slayer. But what did he expect? He was quite right about father´s...desinterest in his son and nothing less than the death of the Avatar could get him home in one piece, whether he was ready to see that or not.

With a sigh Azula slid out of her clothes, to get into the hot water. She closed her eyes as the warmth engulfed her like a loving embrace. Zuko was an idiot, always had been, always would be. She wondered if he already knew and a spiteful smile grew on the princess´s features, as she let herself sink completely underwater.

The water enticed her body to relax, while her mind started to get over Zuzu´s petty little attempt to get rid of her. He had failed before he even tried and she´d remain ahead of him, if the effort to keep him in place was the price she had to pay to have her dumb brother back at home, so be it.

And she was already looking forward to rub it in how he had set his own foot in the flames he had prepared for her.

But as she broke through the surface, her long hair forming a dark curtain around her shoulders, she still felt uneasy. Actually...she was concerned.

Despite her efforts to convince herself that Zuzu was still the same...she knew he wasn´t. Sure he was still a miserable liar, his attempt to fool her proofed that. And Azula was quite aware, that her hopes to mend the old childhood rivalry with her gift to him had been foolish enough to remind her that he was indeed her brother, as she fell for the same weakness as he did. Yet it seemed the hostility towards her had even grown, beyond what she had seen when she tried to arrest him, where he had tried to kill her.

That memory send a painful, cold tenstion through Azula and the princess gritted her teeth. She was very ashamed of how much that still stung after more than 2 months...she had really expected to be better prepared for this. If father ever found out...well he wouldn´t...nobody would.

Nobody but Azula.

With a hiss the princess climbed out of the bath and let the water drip off her body for a brief moment. Instead of taking a soft towel, laid ready by the servants, she took a breath and focused on her Chi. Heat radiated from her body, as she stepped out of the tub and water evaporated slowly from her skin.

She focused on nothing else, but the fire and her body as he slowly walked out. When she reached the door to her bedroom, Azula was mostly dry already and she greeted the room with a smirk. It always helped to remind herself of her strengths.

But the cold feeling in her belly resisted the heat of her bending. Even now she felt uneasy and her smirk faded away with the heat of her fire. A grim expression on her face, Azula walked over to the closet and took her usual robe for the night out and out it on, tied the sash and glared at the mirror at the table.

Her image glared back at her as she moved closer to grab the brush. After a few minutes of brushing her raven hair, she tied it to a simple pony tail and got off again.

Well, after all the time she should probably see if an old friend was around. For the first time today a real smile grew on Azula´s face as she walked through the room, to push open a hidden door at the far end of her bedroom. Cold air tickled her face as she stepped into the old shoes she had put in there, just for occasions like that, when she didn´t want to carry the dirt from the hidden pathways into her room. After all cleaning up was a servant´s job, but she had no intention to ever let the servants, or anyone else, know about her little trips.

One hand lit a flame and revealed the dark, dusty tunnel, that lead downwards beneath the palace gardens. With soft steps the princess slid through the hidden path, that she knew so well she could walk it with her eyes closed.

After a few minutes she had to walk upwards again, as the tunnel she had chosen lead her towards the rear wall of the palace. Another push opened a hidden door at the outer wall, covered by a large hedge, that was probably only there, to hide the door and give any members of the royal family time to assess the situation outside, without revealing themself.

And so Azula peeked out into the fading lights of a warm Fire Nation evening. The street behind the palace was mostly abandoned, but she waited for a few more moments anyway, till she whistled.

"Ikuzo...come over here!" she softly called her friend. Silence answered her, only a few sounds from the people living around the palace reached her ear. Did he forgt about her? She had been away for months after all...would he care for her at all now? Did he feel abandoned? Azula´s heart got heavy as she bit her lips and waited...she called again for Ikuzo...nothing.

Just as disappointment and a dark feeling of sadness threatened to boil over she heard the sound of something moving through the hedge. Azula froze, then she beamed a bright smile. "Ikuzo!" she exlaimed...then something rubbed against her knee and green eyes stared up to her, as the old, scarred street cat greeted the princess with a purr.