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#don’t flop pls this took way too long
kyoukamybeloved · 8 months
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“Such a shallow bond.”
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for more soukoku web weaves
creds:
epithalamium - Louise Glück// art by @xieliancore // annunciation - Marie Howe// cowboy like me - Taylor Swift// queen of peace - Florence+the machine// from a classic greek play but i can’t remember which one// deathless - Catherynne M. Valente// art by @iztea // the dive from Clausen’s pier - Ann Packer// sad beautiful tragic - Taylor Swift// free - Florence+the machine// madness love// art by @muaviinu // unkown// never love an anchor - the crane wives// blinding - florence+the machine// wayward son - Rainbow Rowell// free - florence+the machine// ivy - Taylor Swift// p.d vulpe// art by @nittkach44 // sharp objects - Gillian Flynn// art by @dersacerj // by zee on medium// suburban legends - Taylor Swift// the crooked the craddle - the crane wives// art by @iztea// planet of love - Richard Siken// heavy in your arms - florence+the machine// i almost do - Taylor Swift// r.m drake// art by @twilicidity // bloodsport - Yves Olade// art by @yomeiu // p.d. vulpe// the moon will sing - the crane wives// anti-hero - Taylor Swift// the flesh i burned - Ritika Jyala// art by @nittkach44// cat’s eye - Margaret Atwood//shake it out - florence+the machine// anti-hero - Taylor Swift// grace - florence+the machine// art by @venusgoose // the secret diary of laura palmer - Jennifer Lynch//
tags (comment or send a message if you want to be added/removed):
@philzokman @dinosaur-mayonnaise @vivid-vices @pendragonstar @vinylbiohazard @fixation-central @sommmee @lotus-reblogs @galaxitic @gorotic @dazaisbbgrill @thesunshinebard @underthetree845 @whiteapplesandblackblood @pe4rl-diver @autistic-ranpo @the-gayest-sky-kid @amagami-hime @ricelover888 @sskk-brainrot @liyv @hypotheticallyhaunted @sigskk @oatmilkbasic @sempieternall @pastel-paramour @thornedarrow @springkitten @sproutingstars @ghostsinacoat @shroombunnies @cosmiclovehauntings
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tvgals · 1 year
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‘ BUZZCUT SZN ‘
• the mha boys asking you if they can get a buzzcut for summer (they do it anyways)
- includes; shoto todoroki, izuku midoryia, katsuki bakugou, eijirou kirishima, and denki kaminari 🤘
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a/n - took me like thirty minutes in total lol
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cinnanamii · 1 month
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uhh I haven’t posted in awhile so here’s a reupload of my Demi edit I posted on tiktok 🙏‼️
(this took 3 hours…)
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You Know Who To Call
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Billy Russo X F!Reader
Summary: You went on a date hoping to forget him, but Billy was right there to remind you who to call
Warnings: explicit sexual content, minors dni, vaginal fingering, unprotected sex (pls wrap it), p in v, creampie dom!Billy, Billy canonically likes it rough, possesive!Billy, protective!Billy, jealousy (both of them) choking, bit of breath play, dirty talk, language
WC: 3.5k yall are already used to it
A/N: why my horny ass decided to write this knowing damn well itll flop I've not fucking idea, all I know is that that manipulative borderline psychotic and homicidal fuck can fuck me six ways till sunday so, I wrote it. Might write more, Billy has a lot of potential. So if you're one of two people are reading this, enjoy :)
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You really should’ve known better than to come to the one bar you knew he often went to. Especially when you were then with another man, on a date. But in your defense, you never talked about being exclusive. You were pretty damn sure he was fucking anyone he could get his hands on, and with a face like his, that wouldn’t be too difficult. 
Or so you thought. Billy Russo was a complicated man, and you were yet to realize just how much. 
You knew you were setting yourself up for failure the second you said yes to this man’s advances, knowing that BIlly was the only man in your mind. But you wanted to force yourself to move on, and have other options. Oh how mistaken you were. The second this man opened his mouth you were already regretting your decision. It began with him judging your choice of drink, saying something along the lines of 'I thought pretty women could only handle cheap wine' and it just went downhill from there.
You were constantly checking your phone, wishing time went faster, so you could at least say you stayed long enough to be able to leave without seeming rude. To say that your night was going to end rather disappointedly was an understatement. Maybe an hour went by when you were standing up, excusing yourself with the reason of having to be up early due to prior plans. And you thought that was it. 
“Hey, the night doesn’t have to end so soon. We can head back to my place if you just want to get out of here.” And there it was. He stood up as well, crowding you in an instant, getting all up in your space to block you from leaving.
“I really can’t. Listen,” You took a step back to give yourself some room, “You seem like a great guy, but I’m not really feeling this. I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry?” He scoffed in disbelief, his face slightly twisting with hints of anger as he stepped forward again, making you take another step back, “You led me on all night, made me buy you drinks and all you have to say is you’re sorry?”
“Listen, I wasn’t leading you on. And I didn’t ask you to buy me anything, you insisted,” You stared at him with disbelief, baffled that he would feel so entitled, “Just because I agreed to going out with you doesn’t mean you get to take me home.” 
“Well I’m getting something, you can’t just leave me like this.” 
You were already done with tonight, and you didn’t want to hear anymore of this. You simply shook your head and started to walk past him towards the exit, but he grabbed your arm with a grip so tight you audibly winced.
“Don’t you dare walk away from me you bitch.” He spat, pulling your body against his with a forceful grip on both of your arms. You groaned in distaste, turned your head away from him and shoved at his chest, but he didn’t let you go.
“Get the fuck off me.” You said loudly, tugging your arms against his grip, but his grip only tightened. You were about to start screaming when you felt a tug on your shoulder, your date letting you go so suddenly you stumbled back, right into someone’s chest. 
“Get your fuckin' hands off her.” Oh.
You were confused, not quite registering what had just happened. Your date looked both confused and angry, but not at you, but at whoever just pulled you to his chest. And you only realized when you heard the man behind you speak. You would recognize his voice anywhere. 
“Billy what—” You turned your head back to look up at him, your back still to his chest as he held your arm now. His dark eyes only met yours for just a second in acknowledgement, and oh he was pissed. He tore his eyes away from yours to look at your date, jaw tight and back straight as he stood behind you, like he was marking territory. 
“Who the fuck are you man?” You date asked, anger lacing his words, but he didn’t dare move.
“Me?” Billy grinned slightly, his head twitching ever so slightly as he moved past you, his arm brushing your shoulder as he now stood in front of you, an arm behind his back as you gripped his hand tightly, preventing him from standing any closer to your date, “I’m just the guy that's gonna drag your face across the pavement if you ever get anywhere near her again.”
“Billy.” You said softly, you knew he heard you, but he otherwise ignored you. 
Your date stood with both a shocked and angry look on his face, but he said nothing. Billy was a good half a head taller than your date, and he wasn’t a man you’d want to get into a bar fight with.
“Get the fuck outta here before I break your jaw.” You squeezed your eyes shut at Billy’s words, you knew he could get physical pretty quickly, and the last thing you needed tonight was to have to pull him out of a fist fight. 
Your date stared at Billy for a long time, but he didn’t move a muscle, like they were doing this silent macho thing, see who backed out first. And Billy wasn’t exactly a man known for backing down easily. Your date ultimately surrendered, scoffing loudly as he shook his head.
“You can have her man. I didn’t even want to fuck that whore anyway.” He mumbled under his breath as he turned to walk. But Billy definitely caught his words, and with a clench of his jaw he lunged forward, mostly likely to slam your date’s face into a table, but you held him back, tugging his hand. 
“Billy, hey.” You said his name loud enough to get his attention. He was facing you now, his hand coming to touch your face as he made sure you were okay. You said nothing, only taking a deep breath when you felt his touch. And it made you forget why you even considered sleeping with anyone else in the first place.
“C’mon,” Were the first words out of his mouth, his dark eyes locking with yours for a second before he was dragging you out of the bar by your arm. You sputtered, saying his name in protest but you never actually made any effort to stop him. He shot you a look of irritation regardless.
“Get in the car. Now.” 
“I’m not getting in your car Billy.” You argued when he stopped in front of his car. He stared at you, and you simply folded your arms over your chest, giving him a defiant look that made his eye twitch. 
He said nothing as he looked around him for a second, making sure no bystanders were walking by to get the wrong impression of what was going on. Then, he stepped forward making you back right into the side of his car, and one hand came to rest flat against the car door, trapping you between his much taller frame and his car. You took a sharp inhale when he leaned down and you jumped when his other hand grabbed the back of your neck.
“I’m not gonna say it again darlin’. Get. In the fuckin’. Car.” He emphasized every word, his nearly black eyes not once leaving your face he spoke. You swallowed hard, inhaling shakily when he forcibly moved you, his hand still on the back of your neck as he opened the passenger’s door. 
You don’t think you’ve ever moved so fast in your entire life. You were sitting in his car faster than your brain could process it. Well so much for wanting to move.
It was like you were on autopilot, you walked right into his penthouse like so many times before. Only that this time, it wasn’t exactly all fun and games. You heard Billy slam the door shut behind him. You took a deep uneven breath, preparing yourself for the screaming match that was going to ensue before you turned around to face him. He was standing in front of you in three long strides, and you’d be lying if you said that the sight of him this angry didn't make you rub your thighs together a bit.
“You know that wasn’t necessary right? I didn’t need saving, and I definitely didn’t need you to bring me to your apartment.” You spoke first, but clearly, judging by the way his face twisted, it must’ve been a mistake. 
“You shitting me? Of course it was necessary. You see the way he was grabbing you? Like he thought he owned you or somethin’.” He huffed, shaking his head at you. 
“Sound familiar?” 
He stared at you with confusion for a second, then he rolled his eyes at you, “That’s different and you know it.”
“Oh really? Tell me Billy, how is it different?” You asked rhetorically, hands on your hips and head tilted as you looked at him.
He shook his head, eyes not meeting yours now, “I just don’t know why you went out with some asshole, what were you fuckin’ thinkin’?” 
You laughed dryly, running a hand over your face in disbelief, “What was I thinking? Well I don’t know, I just wanted to have fun with someone, see someone.” You caught the way his eyes flickered over to you again, and you could see the anger begin to flicker in his eyes, so you continued, “I mean, you’ve been doing it. You’ve been fucking Dinah Madani for weeks, so I thought I would fuck someone else too.” 
Confusion and disbelief flashed over his face, his eyebrow furrowing as he ran a hand through his black strands as he tried to process the words that had just left your mouth, “What? I haven’t—” He laughed dryly and shook his head at your stupidity, “I haven’t fucked Dinah Madani. And I wasn’t gonna.” 
You stared at him for a few seconds, face twisting with confusion and your lips parted as you tried to speak, “Billy, I saw you at the bar with her last weekend, I’m not fucking stupid.”
“Yes, I had a few drinks with her a couple times, and she did some training at Anvil, but I never fucked her.” He explained, sighing with irritation like he was explaining something to a petulant child, “I just needed some information from her, that was all.” 
You didn’t even know what to say, you felt stupid, and a bit angry at yourself for acting without thinking of even asking him what had really happened. Because despite your confusing and unlabeled relationship, you had no secrets, and you told each other everything. You laughed in disbelief at yourself, leaning your face into your hand as you shook your head. Billy grinned softly, knowing he had gotten through to you. He stepped forward, pulling you to his chest by your arms. You looked up at him, lips pulled into a defeated pout that he leaned down to kiss softly. 
“We still have a problem though.” He said as he pulled back. You frowned softly.
“What?”
“That you, darlin’, need to be reminded that if you wanted to be fucked, it has to be done properly,” His hand gripped your jaw, his long fingers sprawling over your neck as he held your face, “And if you want it done properly, you call me.” 
His mouth was on yours before you could reply, his hand holding your face in place as he slipped his tongue. You whined softly as your hands found his perfectly slicked back hair, and certainly tugged it out of place. You didn’t know exactly when he hoisted you up on his waist, or when he carried you to his bedroom. But you did notice when he unceremoniously tossed you on his bed, your back hitting the mattress with a thud. You took a deep breath as you leaned on your elbows, watching as he pulled his burgundy jumper over his head, his jeans following the same fate on the floor before he was crawling over you. He crashed his lips against yours again as his hand lifted your dress over your hips. His thigh settled between your thighs and he brushed it against your clothed clit, making you gasp softly.
“Please Billy.” You said breathless, looking up at him with pleading eyes. His lips tugged into a smirk, thoroughly pleased by your begging.
“You want me to fill you up baby? Want me to fuck you into this mattess ‘til you forget how to talk to other guys?” He said into your ear, words coated with arousal as he ran a hand over your thigh, fingers squeezing your skin. 
You nodded quickly. 
“I wanna hear you say it.” 
You swallowed thickly and took a deep breath as you tried to speak, his almost black eyes staring at you so deeply that you knocked the air right out of your lungs, “Please Billy. Please fuck me, I need you.” 
The growl that rang in his throat was nearly animalistic, and he was flipping you over on your stomach in a matter of seconds. You gasped softly when your face hit the mattress and your arms were stretched out in front of you. Billy sat back on his knees behind you, one hand pulling your dress the rest of the way over your head, while the other tore your panties down your thighs. He took in the sight of you, all sprawled out in front of him, ass out and ready to let him take you as he pleased. He’d be lying if he said the sight didn’t shoot straight to his cock. 
He spat on two fingers and without a prior warning, he pressed them against you, spreading the wetness over your clit. You gasped softly, the sound slowly turning into a quiet mewl as he drew quick circles over your clit. Though the sound quickly turned into a choked out cry when two long fingers slipped into your dripping core. 
“Ooh fuck Billy,” You whimpered softly, your hands clenching the sheets as his fingers filled you. 
He took in your sounds happily as he pumped his fingers gradually quicker. He buried them knuckle deep each time he slammed them into you, your whimpers quickly turning into moans. He scissored them open with each snap of his wrist, your core soaking the palm of his hand. He could feel it too, the way your walls tightened around his fingers, the way your thighs shuddered and your toes curled. And he had you coming all over his hand the second his fingers curled against that one spot that made you see white. His fingers slowed as you shook violently, and only then he pulled his fingers out. He left you empty so suddenly you lifted your head to look at him over your shoulder. You caught him sucking on his fingers with closed eyes for a long second, and the sight made you clench around nothing. 
His eyes quickly opened to yours and he smirked as he tugged his boxer briefs down and kicked them behind him to join the rest of his clothes. He then leaned forward, taking himself in his hand as he positioned himself behind you. He rubbed the head of his cock through your folds a couple of times, coating himself in your slick. You whimpered again, your head falling forward as his name fell from your lips. He gave you a hum of acknowledgement and leaned over you, one hand pushed your head down against the mattress as the other lined up his cock at your entrance. Just as you whined at his forceful action he filled you, burying himself to the hilt with one snap of his hips. Your whine turned into a cry and your hand fisted the sheets as pleasure filled your body. 
Billy gave a breathy groan of satisfaction as your walls clenched around him. He held the back of your neck, making sure you kept your head down while the other gripped your hip, holding you perfectly in place as he drew his hips back, pulling almost all the way out before he snapped his hips forward. And again, and again until he was fucking you into the mattress, and it was anything but gentle. 
Your whines quickly turned into moans and muffled cries, and Billy always took particular note of the squeal that ripped from your throat everytime he hit that perfect spot. When it got hard to breathe, you turned your head so your cheek was pressed against the mattress instead, and Billy’s hand moved from the back of your neck to wrap around your hair. And he happily took in the pathetic sounds each of his thrusts ripped from you. 
“Sound so fuckin’ pretty makin’ all those sounds for me.” The head of his cock brushed against your g-spot and another squeal of his name left your mouth, proving his point, “You think your asshole friend woulda made you cry his name like that?”
You shook your head as much as you could, with the position you were in, but he wanted to hear you say it, so he pulled you up by your hair. 
“Say it.” 
“No! Only you can!” You probably sounded so pathetic, you knew your voice was shaking. He gave you a grunt in response as he leaned his body over yours, his chest pressed against your back and his lips found the back of your neck.
“Didn’t think so.” He sunk in his teeth, sucking and biting that one spot in your neck he knew drove you insane, the pace of his pistoning hips never faltering.
The hand on your hair moved to the front of your neck, and the one of your hip also moved to your neck. He forced your head back, both of his hands holding your throat as he leaned down, lips capturing yours into a messy kiss. You could barely keep your lips closed long enough to kiss him properly. But he kept your head in place, and a guttural moan left his mouth when you pushed back on him as he fucked you, your ass meeting his hips.
“Shit, keep fuckin’ yourself on my cock. Fuck just like that darlin’.” He hissed, his fingers digging into the column of your neck most likely to leave bruises he’d brag about in the morning. “Fuck, you’re fuckin’ stupid if you think I’d want any other pussy when yours takes my cock so well.” 
“Please, please Billy I’m—” You didn’t need to finish your sentence, he knew your body better than anyone else on this earth, he could feel the way you clenched his cock the same way you did his fingers, and he was pressing his fingers to your swollen clit in an instant. 
“Come for me, do it now.” He groaned in your ear, moving his hand to the base of your neck as he held you to his chest, his fingers on your clit moving at the same pace as his hips. 
It hit you quick, and fucking hard. You were shaking so hard you probably would have slipped right off his cock if he hadn’t been holding you. And his name fell from your lips over and over as you came all over him. And with the way your walls gripped his cock like vice, he wasn’t much further.
“Fuck, that’s my girl.” His eyes rolled into the back of his head, curses sputtering from his lips as he gave you a few more thrusts before he held you down on his cock and spilled himself deep inside you with a breathy moan. 
His head fell forward, dark strands falling over his face and eyes still closed as he held you, his quick and uneven breaths filling your ears. Your own head fell back on his shoulder, eyes also closed as you reached back and your fingers brushed over the shorter hairs on the back of his head. He gave you a quiet hum, lips pressing against your neck briefly in a nonverbal praise before he pulled himself out of you, your mixed releases dripping down your thighs. He maneuvered you both into a spooning position, him behind you and you pulled flushed against his chest. Neither of you said anything for a little while, simply laying in comfortable silence as you both fell back into normal breathing. 
“Hey,” He mumbled into your ear, and you half nodded in acknowledgement, “You know that if you ever, ever, need anythin’ you call me. No one else.”
You bit your lip, turning your head to look at him over your shoulder, “Yeah.” 
“Yeah?”
You nodded, lips tugged into a sly smile, “Yeah. But y'know, I might need another reminder, just to be sure I don’t forget.” 
Billy smirked, in the back of his head wanting to take you all over again for merely suggesting it. He gripped your jaw and pressed a hard but deep kiss to your lips before saying,
“Oh trust me baby, you won’t wanna talk to anyone else after I’m done with you.”
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Pt 2: if only you knew
The Start of a Long Night
prologue and part one and part three!
word count: 4k
warnings: major violence, adult language, and angst
a/n: thank you guys so much for your patience. I’m so sorry this took literally forever to write and post. I’m not going to make excuses or anything, I just hope you guys like it. Pls give feedback! Love y’all 😘
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The entire night was one fight after another. You couldn’t remember the last time you stood still. The multiple close encounters and being thrown around had caused your outfit to tear, not to mention the grime that had accumulated was making you feel ten times heavier. Watching the last guy fall to the ground, you thought about how he must have been the twentieth guy you had fought.
You notice that Gotham is gradually getting brighter. The downpour had turned into a drizzle as you made your way towards the clock tower. Keeping off the street and using the roofs of Gotham for travel. Once at the clock tower, you looked around, ensuring no one had followed before allowing the entrance to open.
Bright light filled the room as Barbara used the computer. Surveillance footage and maps are pulled up. Hearing the door close, Barbara began speaking.
“Morning sunshine. How’s it going out there?” You almost missed her question. Her voice was so soft compared to the abrasive noises you had been around all night.
When you hesitate to respond, she turns to you. Her eyes take your appearance in. “God, you look rough.” Her face scrunches up as she notices the bloody splashes on your skin.
“Thanks, Barb.” The couch squeaks as you flop onto it. Your head instinctually goes back as your eyes shut, enjoying the brief moment of rest.
“Can I ask for a favor? I need an update on tech. My radio shit the bed halfway through the night.”
“You could call Lucius. Surely he’s got something that’ll help.”
Puffing air out through your nose, you object, “And have Bruce get wind of it?”
“He already knows you’re out there fighting. What’s wrong with him knowing you’re being safe about it?”
“It makes the risk of us running into each other much higher. I’d rather just avoid that altogether.”
“You’re going to have to see him, eventually. He cares about you, you know.”
“Yeah, I’m sure in his own emotionally constipated way he does.”
There’s a silence that falls over the room. Neither of you cares to break it. Having no strength to fight back, you let the silence pull you into sleep as your eyes grow heavy.
Jolting awake, you take in your surroundings. There’s sunlight coming through the small gaps in the shutters and Barbara is back at the computer. Groaning as you rub your face, you feel extra gross now that everything has dried.
“I decided to be nice and let you have my old stuff.” She tosses a thick smartphone-looking device and an earpiece at you.
“These are long-range devices. The comm has multiple lines you can connect to. I programmed mine, Tim’s, Bruce’s, and Dick’s, that way you’re not alone out there.”
“Thank you, this is amazing.” Getting quickly accustomed to the device before you head out to go to your apartment before nightfall.
“I’ll keep in touch tonight. It might help to have an extra pair of eyes on me.” You lean down to hug her. She smiles and hugs you back.
“Hopefully, things will go back to normal soon.”
You both know it won’t, you don’t think there’s going to be a normal Gotham after this. It seems too unreachable to even hope for.
When you finally get home, you dedicate an hour to taking a much-needed shower. After the shower, you gather your sewing materials and take a proper look at your clothes.
The outer layer is scuffed while the mesh sides are sliced through. You stand in your living room deciding whether to settle for a makeshift look for tonight or dedicate the time to fixing the clothes. You’re about to just say fuck it and not worry about it until you remember the kevlar fabric Dick had dropped off. You run to grab it from the drawer in your bathroom. Settling on just reinforcing the holes with kevlar, for added protection.
After running it through the sewing machine you’re happy with the outcome. You shimmy into the clothes, moving in different ways to get the somewhat tight underlayer over your body. Reloading your gear, and pulling the hood over your head, you leave your apartment as Gotham is being covered in shadows again.
You flip on the your transmitter and wait to hear where you’re needed the most. Sitting down with your legs hanging over the roof's edge, you look out onto the streets below. It would usually be a pretty sight, Gotham being lit by all the neon signs. But observing the riots unfolding below, on the empty streets, illuminated only by flickering neon signs and the occasional car fires, only added to your unease. The absence of people served as a haunting reminder of the chaos and destruction that had taken over the city.
Before you jump down, a low rumbling makes you pause. As the sound reverberates through the air, you turn your gaze in its direction, your eyes widening in disbelief. A massive, fully armored car comes barreling around the corner, its plated exterior gleaming under the neon lights. The men on the road barely have time to clear out of its path. It makes no attempt at stopping; it continues barreling down the street toward Chinatown. As it disappears from your view, the unmistakable sound of the Batmobile's engine reaches your ears, and in the blink of an eye, it speeds off toward the military car.
Guess I’m using the bike tonight.
“Vulture, you have to see this,” Oracle’s voice comes in over the comm.
“If it’s basically a tank on the streets of Gotham, I’m aware of it.”
“Yes, that, but there are actual tanks in Gotham. I’m tracking several transport helicopters. Gotham is about to be flooded with them. Batman could use the help.”
“Not sure I’m much help against tanks, Oracle.”
“Maybe if you talked to Lucius, you would be.”
She closes the line before you have time to say anything back.
Pulling up your mask to cover the bottom of your face before saddling up on your bike. You give a quick twist to the throttle, revving the engine of the bike. The powerful roar fills the air as you speed through the dark streets of Gotham. The men quickly dispersed as the bike zoomed past, leaving an empty space in its wake.
You spend your time following cop cars that are being chased by thugs in vehicles and stopping momentarily to stop the bigger groups of armed men.
As you drive, the number of cars similar to the ones Bruce was following earlier increases, and you start to spot men in full body armor.
Stopping near Bristol, you hide your bike and quickly make your way to a high vantage point. You watch as a group of men set up what can only be described as a checkpoint. There are crates full of guns and they put up walls that cover them from street view.
Oracle’s voice causes you to jump as she begins talking over the comms.
“Something’s happened at ACE Chemicals. There’s a new character, he goes by the name Arkham Knight. Be on the lookout for any militia.”
“Funny you would mention it. I’m looking at what appears to be a checkpoint full of militia.”
“Don’t engage. They are very organized and heavily armed. That Arkham Knight guy put them through a lot of training.”
“I can’t just let them set up a checkpoint. I’ll swoop in and check it out. If I start getting my ass handed to me, then I’ll dip.”
Barbara sighs, knowing she’s just pleading with a brick wall.
“You get out of there at the slightest hint that you’re losing.”
“You got it!”
You take a few moments to think of how you’re going to approach the fight. After watching them, you finally see a blind spot. Getting back down on the street, you run over to the right wall of the checkpoint. You give it a minute and then you hop over. There’s a crate to your left, you roll behind it as you listen to hear footsteps. Soon enough, one officer walks by the grate. Lunging forward, you wrap your arms around his neck, pulling as tight as you can. He falters from the lack of oxygen, but he’s taking too long. You need to get back to hiding before the others notice. Pulling out a baton, you hit the side of his head with just enough force to knock him out.
Laying his body behind the crate, you wait for another one to walk by. You repeat the same process to the second guy. Unfortunately for you, the others notice the disappearance of their coworkers.
Taking a chance, you stick your head out of your hiding spot. Not noticing anyone, you start your crawl toward another box, that’s in the center of the floor.
You feel your body being lifted off the floor before you even see the person. Then you’re being flipped around and brought down onto the floor which has you almost blacking out. You wheeze as your lungs collapse from the air that’s being forced out of them. Your eyes involuntarily shut as you try to regain your breath.
As you’re finally able to open your eyes, they widen at the sight of a massive metal boot coming toward your windpipe. By pushing your body up at an angle, you narrowly avoid getting hit by the boot. Jumping to your feet, you create space by taking a few steps back from the two men.
“We were told to look out for Batman. Didn’t realize we’d have some wannabe.”
Faking a laugh, you take out your rope and throw it over the bigger man, yanking on it gets him to stumble but he stays upright. Sprinting at him, you use his shoulder as leverage to wrap your legs around his waist. Using all your weight, you toss yourself back and pull the rope, causing him to fall. Flipping around at the last second, you let him break the fall. Making quick work with the ropes around his legs, you tie him up.
Before you get too far into tying the man up, you hear footsteps behind you. Turning to look you find that there’s a metal pipe headed directly at your face. Using your arm to shield your face, you grab the pipe from the man. Taking the pipe out of his hands, you stand at full height. Flipping the makeshift bat in your hands you start using every ounce of strength to swing it back and forth. You feel the bat make contact multiple times, and the man groans with each hit. A blow to his knee causes him to crumble over. Not stopping there, you hit him in the stomach, causing him to curl in on himself. You remember that there had been another man, glancing over your shoulder, he’s gone.
Shit.
You crack the pipe down on the man’s head twice. He stops moving, but you can see his chest still rising. Turning around, you’re met with the sound of a gunshot.
As you look ahead, you see the man you failed to tie up, his figure casting a long shadow over you. Upon impact, the bullet bounces off your body, tumbling to the ground. Smirking at the guy as you start walking towards him. He smirks in response and proceeds to fire the weapon in rapid succession; the sound echoing through the air.
Pulling out your baton again, you chuck it at the wall behind the guy. It bounces off the wall and slams into his back. He lowers the gun for just long enough for you to run towards him. You grab his wrist and forcefully strike your palm against the joint of his elbow. It cracks loudly as the bone shatters. The gun falls and so does the man. You deliver a kick to his head, and he falls, unmoving.
Taking a look around, you attempt to find what’s keeping the walls up, then you hear the soft beeping. Following the noise, you’re able to find the remote, taking it off the man, you place it on the ground and crush it with your baton. The walls fall and you’re able to see the street again.
There are multiple tanks in front of you. It doesn’t seem like they notice you as they drive on by, but you don’t want to risk it. You leap behind the little wooden crate on the floor.
“I found those tanks you were talking about. I just saw multiple driving together in a line.”
“Did they see you?”
“I’m talking to you aren’t I?”
Oracle lets out a small laugh, “True.”
“The checkpoint is destroyed. I took some damage to my suit, but it’s still intact.”
“Hmm, good work.”
“Thanks. I’m going to stick to the rooftops. I don’t think my bike would hold up against those tanks.”
“Stay safe, I’ll keep in touch.”
Running across the street you get on top of the building. You begin to make your way around Gotham by leaping from one building to another.
Incoming call
Incoming call
You’re about to jump when the call disrupts you.
“Hello?”
“Good evening, It’s Lucius. I was told that you need a new suit, are you able to stop by Wayne Tower? I’ll need measurements before I can start with any updates.”
“Uh, I don’t really need anything. I appreciate–”
“Mr. Wayne said that you would try to resist the help. I’ll have the Batwing pick you up. Please stay in your current location.”
“Uh, thanks?”
“Hey quick question, how the hell did Lucius get my com line?”
“Oh uh….I let Bman know you were out there fighting with handed-down equipment. He didn’t like that idea so he reached out to Lucius.”
You groan, “Oracle-”
“I know you didn’t want him to know or to help, but take it as him trying to rebuild the bridge.”
The line once again closes before you can say anything back.
You stare off into the distance.
Over the years you have heard all of Dick’s thoughts. All the good and bad ones. How sometimes it’s the best thing in the world and then the next minute you want to pull your hair out.
There’s something in you that can’t imagine working with Bruce. There’s still a part of you that blames Bruce for what happened. There’s still that part that seethes with anger when you think about how nothing was done after what Joker did. You won't betray Jason like that.
Even after all this time, the grief and the guilt still consume you. You can still see his youthful face, that the life of a kid on the streets of Gotham had already hardened. You wonder what he would look like now. You’re pulled out of your thoughts by the noise of the Batwing circling around.
As you arrive at Wayne Tower, more memories of you and Jason flood your mind. How the two of you used to do homework together, and how you two would pester Bruce while he tried to do his work. Every place you two had been to held a bittersweet spot in your heart.
Standing at the end of the hall is Lucius. He smiles warmly at you as you get closer.
“Hello, miss. I'm glad you were able to make it. Please come in, let’s get started right away.” He holds the door open for you.
Inside the room are multiple measuring tapes, fabrics, and weapon holsters. He begins with taking your measurements and asking what you have in mind for your suit.
“It’s crucial that not only are you recognized as your own person but that you’re also well protected.” His voice helps ease you a little. For just a few minutes you’re able to forget everything going on outside the tower.
He goes over your fighting style if you’re more acrobatic like Nightwing or more of a heavy hitter like the second Robin. The mention of Jason makes your heart sink.
“I guess I’m somewhere in between the two.”
“Very well, is there a specific color in mind?”
“I guess dark green if you can, black is fine as well.” He nods and picks up the book with all the measurements.
“It’ll only take me a few hours to get it all put together. I’ll let you know when it’s done.”
“Thank you, Lucius. I appreciate your time.” He smiles back at you.
The peaceful feeling you had earlier was instantly shattered as you emerged onto the chaotic streets of Gotham. Everywhere you looked, clusters of armed men patrolled the streets, their presence adding an air of tension. As you glance around, you spot another checkpoint situated high above on a nearby building.
As you leap onto the roof, a rush of adrenaline courses through you. You take into account how many more men there are compared to the last checkpoint. You hesitate for a minute, maybe you should leave this for Bruce. But you’re too stubborn and prideful to not at least try.
By sneaking around the edges of the roof, you’re able to pick off some of the unobservant men. Moving further onto the roof you were able to destroy some of the sensory guns. Being too focused on infiltrating you don’t realize the attention you’ve garnered.
You stop as you hear a robotic voice over their coms.
“Don’t forget your training! Don’t embarrass me!”
As the robotic voice echoed through the comms, your heart raced as you quickly strategized your next move. With the element of surprise gone, you know that you have to act fast and take out as many people as possible.
You move swiftly, dodging the ones reaching out to grab you. You land hits on some of them with your baton. You’re swinging punches and dodging as many as you can. Too caught up in trying to knock someone out you don't notice the man charging at you.
Being slammed to the floor for the second time tonight you struggle to counter his moves. You finally throw him off and get back onto your feet.
Suddenly the right side of your body is engulfed by a pain so intense that you can’t move any further. Looking down there’s a blade sticking into your stomach. Grabbing it with both hands you yank it out and throw it behind you in hopes of hitting someone. You feel yourself falling and you can’t do anything but brace yourself. You finally cry out in pain as you hit the ground. Grunting heavily as you get back up your nerves scream in agony. But you have to get back up.
Rest later, survive now.
Getting on your feet you start swaying, only making it a few feet before, a pair of hands seize you. As you try to wriggle free, they quickly immobilize your hands, securing them tightly behind your back with ropes. Before you know it, the man is hoisting you up over his shoulder.
You start thrashing back and forth. Trying anything to get out of the grasp, doing everything you can. Nothing works.
You’re tied to a chair in an empty room. You scan your eyes around the room, looking for an escape route. You can feel blood leaking out of you. It’s gone cold and sticky and your suit is sticking to you uncomfortably. Your attempt at fleeing earlier had only caused you to do more damage to your open wound.
The ropes squeak as you pull them against the chair. Attempting to rub them against the backing of the chair to try to wear them down proves futile. You just keep pulling at them in hopes they’ll break.
Two men throw open the door and walk in. One has a med kit with him and the other is carrying a taser stick. They lock the door behind them.
“Why do you care if she lives or dies?”
“I don’t, but the Knight will have our heads if she dies. You know he wants to be the one to take care of all the little vigilantes. It’s personal for him. I’m just stopping the bleeding.” The one in white comes and kneels beside you.
He cuts the blood-soaked suit away and lazily wipes at the blood that’s still coming out. Taking thick gauze, he pushes it up against the wound and then uses multiple layers to secure it before taping it.
He turns his head towards the other man, whose intense gaze suggests he's eagerly anticipating an opportunity to deploy the electric weapon. “All done. Let him know we got him a prize.”
An idea pops into your head about how you’re going to get out of here. Letting your head flop down like dead weight against your chest you begin to mumble softly to the medic.
“What is she saying?”
“I’m not sure. Speak up.” The medic barks the order at you.
“Can’t breathe. Need…need.” Then you put on the best performance of your life. Convulsing your body and gasping for air.
“Oh fuck, what did you do?”
“I didn’t do shit! We have to untie her, quickly!”
They make quick time to get your convulsing body untied and lay it down on the floor. Dramatically you stop convulsing and heave out a final breath.
“Fuck fuck fuck, we’re so dead.” The medic sounds like he’s almost in tears.
You sneak a peek and see the medic getting ready to start compressions. They’re so scared of Arkham Knight that they’ve forgotten to check your pulse.
As he goes to place his hands on your chest, you grab his arms. Bringing him down to you as you curl your body up, you slam your head into his, before tossing him towards the other man.
Gasping for breath from the excruciating pain, you stumble before running towards the guy with the taser. Locking your arms around his midsection, you’re able to lift him off the ground and slam him harder into the door. He drops the taser as his hands go to grab your shoulders. You drop to pick up the taser.
There’s a banging on the door as the people outside try to get in. You pay them no mind. You’re running out of time before you collapse.
“If you unlock that door, I’m going to shove this so far up your ass you’ll feel it in your brain.” You spit at them.
Looking up to the skylight above you and then towards the table that’s covered in your weapons. You know you’ll need a boost to get up there but you can’t move the table yourself.
Taking the taser you jam it into the medic's neck, moving out of the way as he drops. You gesture to the other one.
“Pull that table so it’s below that skylight and I won't shoot you.”
He stands still, challenging you.
“Bullshit, Batman doesn’t let his lackeys kill people.”
“Well unfortunately for you I’m not one of his fucking lackeys.”
Taking out your small pistol, you aim it at the skylight and fire. The nonlethal bullet cuts through the glass, and you turn your gaze back to him as it crashes around you. He swiftly moves the table under the skylight.
“Appreciate you doing that for me man.” Your voice is dripping with sarcasm and he scoffs a disgusted laugh.
Standing on the table, you don’t even spare a look at him before you take the pistol and pull the trigger. The nonlethal bullet hits his shoulder, and he examines himself to see the damage before realizing it didn’t pierce his skin. When he looks back, you’re gone.
You move away as fast as you can. Your heart thumps and the drumming of your blood in your ears adds to your headache. Jumping from one building to another, your wound grows larger. Looking down, you noticed that the once-white patch of gauze was now stained with patches of dark red. Getting to the edge, you see a shorter building that you’re able to lower yourself down onto.
Your eyes droop and you wobble. Stopping for a moment you brace yourself and try to push forward but your legs don’t allow you to go any further. You collapse.
Using the energy you have left you push the comm.
“Oracle I’m injured….need….help.”
“Phoenix, what happened? How bad?”
“Stabbed in side…can’t keep my eyes open.”
“Hey, hey keep talking to me! I’ve let Batman know, he’s on his way. Just keep talking to me.” You feel bad from the panic in her voice. She’s trying so hard to fight it but you hear the shakiness. You don’t have the energy to fight against having Bruce come to save you.
“I’m…still…here Barb. I can’t….move. Too…tired.” Your words come out thick like honey as you begin to lose consciousness.
“Bruce, hurry. She’s passing out.”
There’s silence on the other end. With her eyes closed, she leans forward, as if on the verge of offering a silent prayer. The thought of losing another friend is unbearable for her.
Bruce finds you with your hands clasped around your side. He assesses your vitals, you’ve lost a lot of blood but other than that you’re stable.
“I’ve got her Barbara. She’s going to be ok.”
“Oh, thank god.”
They both let out a shaky breath.
taglist: @thegirlwiththeyarn @pank0w @geminizmoonz @emilia527 @elizamay @anime5005 @babypaperwitch @skypperlegacy @rwylm-things @mayo-0-o @ex-cla-ma-tion @pheonixfucu @not-herexo @g0atmansbridge182 @theg0ddesshera @redhoodedangel @just-lost-inbetween-worlds @marigiano @lyralibra @peterparkers-bbymomma @lilocapoca @magic-without-bloop @misaki-kira8 @blackcanary130 @ykyouluvme @kiwi03 @xbonniepricexx @definitelynotanalien @ghostlyleech @pinkmaggit666 @0littlestwolf0 @stupid-ninja @reanie-xoxo @kittykatchicha @bunz-lover @justalittleb1tcrazy @gghoulpool @snackeyalleyjuice @deadplantluver @comealivedaya @thefandomdiaries07 @peter-parker-tony-stank-trash @awstrck @gemini-bichxx-blog @jennifermoyas @xdrin @harleycao @screamingsilence3 @ex-pinguina @kat-nee
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saintship · 11 months
Note
Ooohh can I request #3 with Ghost please? I’m picturing reader and Ghost have been flirting and dancing around each other for months but Ghost hasn’t really made things “official” so she gets annoyed and decides to go on a date with some one else… Ghost finds out and of course goes all possessive and… well you get the rest. But also, anything you want to right for this prompt I would love and thank you so much!
Prompt #3 - “How was your date?”
My debut back. I missed you, reader
EDIT I HAD AN UNFINISHED SENTENCE IN THIS PLS KILL ME PLS KILL ME PLS
Why bother - Ghost x reader
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You and Simon were an odd pair; A linguist and a revered operator seemed to live in different worlds. But, after Hassan and their allegiance with Las Vaqueros, it was clear that none of the 141 was equipped to deal with foreign communication on their own, the fact exacerbated by how long it took to get any information from a civilian without Alejandro’s help.
You were a special case, individually offered a position working closer to operators like the ones in the 141. Rigorously trained to hold your own, you were assigned to accompany Captain Price and Kate Laswell in analyzing foreign communication, your true profession. Missions centered around gathering intelligence or questioning a suspected threat were the ones that you would tag along for. It wasn’t until late into your first duo mission with Ghost that you saw a glimpse into Simon Riley.
You were walking the bustling streets of Urzikstan. You knew he was sweating under his uniform just like you were, but he had a way of making it look like he was completely unbothered.
“You don’t mind the heat?” You had observed quietly as the two of you walked to the exfil point.
“Never said that.” He didn’t break his focus from where it was trained ahead of him.
“You didn’t have to.”
He glanced at you, and you saw a mixture of disbelief and amusement in his eyes.
“Spend four weeks in Moscow sleeping in a drafty shed and tell me you still prefer the cold.” He offered.
“I could say the same about four weeks here..”
“Do you enjoy bickering?”
“When I have a good partner.” You concede. He’s quiet for a moment, and then he laughs. He really laughs.
Even though it’s barely a second of time, a quick escape of energy, it felt like the dawn breaking. You couldn’t help but want to take on the challenge that was being Ghost’s friend, and you knew he responded to honesty; people who didn’t tread fearfully or treat him like he would violently snap if they asked for his name.
“You would like Soap..”
“I’ve met him.”
What you meant was, you had met Soap, and you did like him, but you found yourself wanting to talk to Ghost more. Soap had his own friends, his own way of having fun, his own way of working. Things you didn’t gather so easily about Ghost. He had a shell you wanted to splinter at slowly until he didn’t even realize he was out of his comfort zone, he was just talking. And you did.
Over time. Over missions, and food, and early morning skies, you broke through. And the part you took the most pride in was the fact that you didn’t force a single minute. It was only until he asked if you’d like to help with his rent, and share his flat, that he began to deeply confuse you.
What began as playful, exaggerated jokes became something that just felt too real to be humor. The way he looked at you, the way he rested an arm on the top of the doorframe as he spoke to you, as he made these jokes. Weeks went by of tossing and turning, bargaining, long conversations with your friends and flip-flopping between emotions regarding Simon. And then there was a night that lit up your heart before it caught, burning even deeper than before.
It was late, a movie he had chosen playing quietly on the TV screen as you and Simon spoke over takeout. At one point, he gestured to something on your face, and didn’t give you ten seconds to locate it yourself before his own thumb was swiping against your skin, his palm warm on your jaw. He kept his hand there, and you were aware that he was suddenly closer than before. But just before you had the courage to break the tension, he busted out laughing, wiping the food residue off his hand with a napkin. The idea of having a tense moment with you, to him, was funny. Ridiculous, outrageous. You had excused yourself to go to bed early, white-hot shame burning your lungs and throat. You cursed him, cursed yourself. It took everything in you to pretend like it was all fine. It took even more to say yes to a date with someone else.
A few days later, you walked into the living room to grab your keys, dressed up and accessorized.
“Got a date?” Simon spoke from the couch, and you could hear that stupid, beautiful, stupid smile in his voice. The question was a joke.
“Yes.” You replied shortly, ignoring his questions as you let the door shut behind you. If he wanted to know, he should have asked sooner. God knows you’ve done enough waiting for the both of you. His muffled 'Hey!' was the last thing you heard before sitting down in the passenger seat of your date's car.
By the time you got back, you were more dissatisfied than before. The guy hadn't bothered to throw away the old food in his car, he tried to order for you, commented that "You'd be so much happier if you hit the gym more", drank four beers in under thirty minutes, and didn't notice when you slipped away with a poor bathroom excuse. You rode a taxi home, surprised to see the living room lights still lit beyond the filmy curtain of your shared flat. He must be working late.
Your key got stuck in the door for a moment, nearly causing you to break the damn thing off its hinges in frustration. You weren't sad; that guy didn't deserve that power. You were just fed up.
You hung your keys and yanked off your shoes, padding into the kitchen with a steadying sigh. Simon was making tea.
"Hey." You greeted shortly before getting the leftovers you wanted and turning to leave again.
"What, no debrief?"
The words were playful, but his voice was cold. Like you'd left a argument unresolved. You paused in the doorway.
"It was bad."
"No shit." He lifted his mug to his lips, the smug look in his eyes making you want to tip the steaming coffee onto his stupidly perfect chest and stomach.
"What are you so smug about?" Your tone was a bit snippy as you set down what you were holding. Simon shrugged.
"You know that you won't find a decent guy on an app, love."
"I'll get back to you when I find a fuck to give."
Any playfulness in his demeanor stilled to a stop.
"Watch your mouth."
"You don't get to tell me when I'm allowed to be angry, Simon. And my dating life is none of your concern. Not that you know much about relationships anyway, all you've ever done is talk in circles and stare when I'm walking away."
His brow knitted in a quiet anger. "What the fuck are you saying?"
"Don't. Don't look at me like I'm insane, you know exactly what I'm talking about." You pointed at him briefly, your voice wavering in its strength. You weren't angry. You were finally just sad.
He set down his mug, scoffing frustratedly.
"You won't find someone if you're only going out to get at me. If that makes you so happy, I'll tell you; it does get at me. You drive me insane when you give shitty people your time while I wait for you." He steps a bit closer.
His hypocrisy made you grasp at the sides of your head, exhaling roughly as your eyes closed.
"What? What now?" Simon gestured weakly to your frustration.
"You don't wait for me. You have never waited for me. You treat the idea of anything happening between us like a joke. Who does what you did the other night and expects the other person to not be confused? I saw how you looked at me, and for a second I actually thought that you might.. what are you doing?"
He had drawn closer while you were talking, taking your hands in his.
"You and me.. it's not a joke. It never has been."
"What?" You breathed, shaking your head gently.
"I'm sorry, alright? But I don't want to watch you go out with.." His jaw twitched. "I just—god, I just want to kiss you.."
You didn't pull away when he took your hands, and now, you weren't pulling away when he brought his lips to yours. Every daydream that had plagued your boring shifts, every glance, every catch in your breath. He kissed all of it away, and replaced it with the real thing. And when he drew back, he looked softer than you'd ever seen him before. His hair was mussed, remnants of his eye black lingering on his cheekbones. Those cobalt eyes. He held your jaw in your palm again, and this time the warmth of his body was all over. He spoke softly enough to let you know his words were only for you.
"I hope that tells you how I feel, because I'm a bit shit with words.."
You just kissed him again. No words was fine by you.
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banannabethchase · 6 months
Note
For the Spotify wrapped thing, 71 with Danny/Yuta pls?
You're There (That's All I Really Need) - also on AO3
~
Danny invites Yuta to a party, but it feels like there's something else going on.
~
Sorry this took forever! Number 71 was Party for Two by Shania Twain feat. Mark McGrath. Title from the same song.
~
“Hey,” Yuta says, balancing the phone on his shoulder. “What’s up?”
“I’m having, like, a little party thing at my hotel tonight,” Danny says. He sounds nervous almost. “If you want to come.”
“Sure,” Yuta says. He leans against the wall. “What time?”
“Whenever,” Danny says. There’s tension somewhere in his voice, but Yuta can’t figure out where it’s coming from. “Just a few people, you know. Chill.”
“Course,” Yuta says. “I always like an excuse to hang out with you.”
The silence stretches on the other end of the line longer than Yuta’s comfortable with. “Yeah,” Danny says, after too much time. “Cool.”
“I’ve got to jump in the shower, but I’ll be there about forty-five minutes,” Yuta promises. “I’ll see you soon.”
“See you,” Danny says. His voice is small. And he hangs up.
He washes his hair and worries. They haven’t been doing whatever this is for too long – maybe a few weeks – but he’s never gotten this feeling from Danny. Yuta can’t imagine he’d dump him at a party or bring him there to jump him, but he doesn’t ever quite know with Danny.
On the way to the hotel, he adjusts his clothes and tries to look presentable. Danny didn’t say who would be there, but there’s enough people Danny hangs out with who hate him and Yuta doesn’t want to give them more ammunition. He goes back to his hotel room first, checking his clothes. He hesitates on changing, but putting on something else might look like he’s trying too hard. Sighing, he checks his phone for Danny’s room number, and makes his way down the hallway.
When he knocks on Danny’s door there isn’t any noise from inside.
Danny pulls the door open, looking stressed until he sees it’s Yuta.
There’s nobody behind him. Yuta blinks. “Um.”
“Hey!” Danny says. “Come in.” He steps to the side. “Welcome to the party.”
“It’s just you,” Yuta says, looking around. “I thought this was a party.”
“It was supposed to be a party,” Danny says, sitting down on the bed. “But Zay was busy, and Anna wanted to hang out with Ang and Ruby, and then Daddy Magic is home.” He sighs, flopping back onto the bed. “Just you and me, man.”
Yuta stares at him. “Are you breaking up with me?”
Danny stares at him. “What?! No!” He sits up, staring at Yuta. “God, no.”
Yuta sighs. He’s not going to let Danny get away with this. “If you want to go on a date or hang out, all you have to do is ask.” He sits down on the bed next to Danny, who drops back flat. “You don’t have to make, like, a production out of it.”
Danny rolls over, peering up at Yuta. “Not a production,” he argues. “It’s just a party for the two of us now. It was supposed to be a real party.”
“I don’t know if I believe that,” Yuta says. He flops down onto the bed next to Danny, scooting up so they’re eye to eye. “Are you sure you didn’t, like, forget that you’re allowed to tell me you want to hang out?”
Danny scoots closer. Their noses touch. “Can we hang out?” he says quietly.
“Any time you want,” Yuta says. His heart is racing. “You know that, right? I wanna hang out with you even if we’re not, like, doing anything.” He tilts so he can press a kiss to Danny’s nose.
Danny tilts his head, studying Yuta. “You do?”
Yuta nods. “Yeah. I always wanna hang out with you. Even before we started…whatever this is.”
“So, like,” Danny says, eyes darting to the side, “even if I didn’t want to do anything tonight…” Yuta doesn’t miss how he can’t meet his eyes, how Danny seems to be saying something else beyond the words.
“We could finally watch Jurassic World Dominion and maybe get pizza,” Yuta offers. “And I can sleep over if you want, or I can go back to my own room.”
“Sleep over,” Danny says automatically.
Yuta grins. “Yeah, I can do that. Pizza?”
Danny nods. “And the movie?” He bites his lip. “If – if you still want to.”
Yuta nods. “I want to hang out with you, no matter what it looks like, Danny. Even when you piss me off.” He wants to kiss Danny, wants to see if that helps him understand. But he can feel that something else is going on right now and he’s not willing to break what’s happening.
Danny shuffles sideways on the mattress and curls up on top of Yuta. It’s almost startling, the way all those limbs flop on top of Yuta’s body. He shoves his face into Yuta’s neck. If he didn’t know better, Yuta would say he feels tears.
Yuta wraps his arms around Danny’s shoulders. He’s not sure if it’s the right thing to do. But it feels like it helps. Danny takes shuddering breath and clings tighter, entire body pressed into Yuta’s.
“I got you,” Yuta says. “Okay? I got you. No matter what it means.”
Danny makes a sound that’s sort of a whimper, but also might have some words along with it.
Yuta waits a second. “Did – were those words?” he asks. “You don’t have to say anything, I just want to know if I missed something.”
Danny lifts his head a little, then wipes his face in Yuta’s shirt. “I said thank you,” Danny mumbles. “Nobody’s ever said that kind of thing before.”
Yuta reaches up and brushes a missed tear off of Danny’s cheek. “Like, that they want to hang out with you no matter what?”
Danny shrugs. “Everybody always expects things,” he says quietly. “Bryan, Jericho, Sammy.”
“Zay’s a good friend though, right?” Yuta asks.
“Yeah, he’s a good friend,” Danny says. “But you – you’re different. I’ve never had a not friend like you before.”
“Not friend?” Yuta asks. “You can call it something else, if you want to. If you’re okay with it.”
“Boyfriend?” Danny says. He sounds almost scared, hesitant. Yuta wants to make that stop.
“I’m your boyfriend then,” Yuta says. “I’m whatever you want me to be. Whatever you need.”
Danny leans down and kisses him gently. Yuta follows his lead, a gentle, closed mouth press of lips that makes him feel cozy and warm. But that might be the six foot dreamboat on top of him.
“You okay?” Yuta asks when Danny pulls away. He strokes Danny’s cheekbone, tries to memorize the way his eyelashes fan across his cheeks.
Danny smiles, looking at Yuta. “I’m great,” he says. “Let’s get pizza.”
Yuta grabs his phone, keeping another hand on Danny’s hip. He doesn’t miss that Danny’s still tangled around him. “And a brownie.”
~
Mini Playlist: Party for Two - Shania Twain feat. Mark McGrath. Rhythm of Your Heart - Marianas Trench Ready - Kelly Clarkson I Could Get Used to This - The Veronicas
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captainaikus · 2 years
Note
BELLEEEEEE!!!!! I’ve missed you so much 😭😭😭😭😭!!!!! Typing this as I’m sitting in my car after getting out of my last class. FINALS. ARE. FINALLY. OVER. And I passed all my classes with As!!!! Final exams went really well too!!! I feel like I’m gonna fall and pass out for 12 hours. Which I actually did yesterday because I had finished all my exams/classes but I had one more class to go to today.
BUT ENOUGH ABT ME HOW ARE YOU MY DEAR SWEET BLUE PUNK FAIRY FRIEND??? Have you been eating and drinking water?? Resting??? Taking breaks??? Isabelle. If you haven’t. *gently bonks head* Oliver would reprimand you too yknow? And not the fun bedroom scolding. TAKE BREAKS LOVE!!!! 😭😭❤️ Taking regular breaks is a responsibility to yourself that everyone forgets sometimes when they get lost in all their other responsibilities. Multitasking writing different works too much can cause headaches, speaking from experience sweetheart. And going to the gym is great but your body needs to relax and rest too. Water and a good meal and a hot shower/bath do wonders after a long session do wonders trust me. So please rest okay?
CONGRATULATIONS ON 1.6K 🎉✨🥳!!!! The numbers keep climbing so fast and all these milestones are amazing!!!! I’m so proud of you love 🥹✨❤️!!!
I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHOS WATCHED KUROKO NO BASKET. Seriously the fandom is almost completely dead 😭😭💀. I knew it was a oldie but a goody but I didn’t think it was dust and tumbleweeds out here 😭😭. So glad you like it too!! Haikyuu will always be my favorite sports anime and one of my top favorites in general, it holds a really special place in my heart, but KnB was still a really fun watch.
ASFKKFFKJFHKHJG. THAT OLVER ART. Pls he’d hate getting out of bed and just become a complete octopus in the mornings. You gotta wake him up for practice and it’s such a chore. He’s such a big baby pshhhh. But there are some upsides like him saying the only way he’s gonna get up is if you place exactly 100 kisses all over his face, more than half of them end up being on the lips when he actually starts to get up, and you relent every money with a roll of your eyes and and huff and a fond smile he misses cause his eyes are closed. The first thing you do is wipe off that smug smirk from his face. Also hc that Oliver is actually really ticklish and it’s your weapon. Don’t get up even after the kisses? His sides are looking very open rn. Wont get off after flopping on you on the couch? You’re in the perfect position to reach his armpits. Wont stop clinging to you while you’re trying to do a new eye makeup style for your guys’ date? His neck is literally wide open cause he loves smushing his face into the crook of your neck.
What video? Did you post it on your other account? Because I couldn’t find it. Dangit I wanted to simp for Oliver too 😭😭.
Seriously I’m an introvert what are you gonna do? Lock me inside your house? Great free access to your clothes. Still me seeing friends? What friends babe? Take me everywhere with you? Nice let me grab my book and coffee and we’re good to go. Adjkgfhnjhhhv 💀💀.
That girl shoving into you was so rude. All it takes is a simple excuse me dude. And ISTG PEOPLE WHO SPOIL THINGS WHEN NO ONE ASKED 😤😤😤. They seriously piss me off and ruin the experience. See it’s different when I intentionally spoil myself because I’m too impatient. Someone else doing it? Oh heck no. Its the same feeling as someone taking the last of your favorite snack from the vending machine.
Also just a heads up. I’m gonna sending in multiple asks cause there’s just too much I wanna talk abt and breaking it into parts sounds better. So this is the first one. *sends aggressive virtual hugs that feel like they squish all the exhaustion out of you*
- ✨ anon
Starry! Omg- All As! That's great! And it's a good thing you took rest too- ik that i'm bout to pass out when i finish exams. I hope you're doing alright tho! Sorry it took me long to get to your ask; tumblr is being weird cause i can only see it when i get on my pc... and not on the app. yeah no I'm moving to ao3. i saw the rb of which character i would interpret the best and you said- Oliver Ofc. he's my husband but he doesn't know it yet ૮꒰ ˶> ༝ <˶꒱ა Well, I've been doing pretty good! I finished a jar of nutella (in 2 days) and i'm planning to buy a bigger one; i did drink a lot of water, ate some pasta, taking rest too made a wedding playlist for me and aiku and lowkey enjoyed it *the way i laughed when i saw : And not the fun bedroom scolding.' I'd like to see Oliver reprimand me (truth : he can't. Cause he knows at the end of the day even if he's bigger and stronger than me, he is gonna be beneath me) but yeah he'd probably say something like "you're gonna get sick, doorbell." But yeah i've been taking rest, dw starry! i'm actually giving myself a treat. with ao3 i can take things slow and easy tbh, which is another reason i'm moving there. The blog will be up ofc; to answer asks and for anons who wanna talk to me abt my work, but yeah my activity on ao3 is gonna be very irregular... THANK YOU!! 1.6k is such a big number, past me would have been like 'huh... never thought i'd make it this far.' BUT YEAH I DID ! T.T But actually it’s you guys who got me there so thank you everyone 💓
I think everyone thought that they were the only ones who watched knb; me included. I used to have the BIGGEST crush on aomine, i even found an asmr of his. (and yeah i do listen to asmrs btw) And yeah the fandom is almost dead (。 ́︿ ̀。) and I didn’t even get to read that many aomine works too…but yeah I really liked that anime! Haikyuu made me cry after clannad and also made me laugh the hardest, does hold a special place in my heart as well, Bokuto was my fav and rn… no one really. I like all of them cause they’re so unique yk?
As for the Oliver art, pretty sure he would hold you down to the bed. He would demand kisses! He is such a smooth talker- but since I’m me. When he expects a kiss *places hand on his lips before you kiss* “good morning. It’s time to get up” and he just groans when you have a tiny smirk and walk out of your shared bedroom, and his brain just going ‘god woman. You’re gonna be the death of me.’
How- I think I’m getting too predictable with my writing cause I do have something to do with eye makeup in Ocean hues… 👁️ *but we don’t talk abt that cause no spoilers!*
The video! Starry. I BLEW A FUSE CAUSE OF THAT REEL. so story time, I was checking my insta in the morning after I woke up and this gym based reel popped on my feed. And the moment I saw it - I thought of Oliver. Like alright fineeeee this is a guy Idek on the internet just doing his own thing and posting fitness reels but his body. IT LOOKED. LIKE. OLIVER. AND HIS HAIR WAS LIKE AIKU’S TOO! I’m not even joking - The shaggy hair down at the back minus the green highlights - it’s like the way I imagined Oliver’s body to be like. And- I really wasn’t expecting to see THAT in the morning. So it was a really great start to my day- and I couldn’t stop thinking about it for a whole day so I had to save it. I posted the link for a bit so that blue (💙 anon) and other Aikuists could check it out and we were just fawning over this guy. I took the link down soon after cause I didn’t want anyone reblogging it and creating chaos. I’ll put the link again and take it down in 10 mins. I’m telling you though. IT. WAS. FUCKING. HOT. (i'll be putting up the link in a bit and taking it down too you should totally take a look at it- cause the content is not mine neither do i know the guy but FUCK. THAT LOOKED LIKE OLIVER.) The free access to clothes 😭 Happy relationship = yandere bf + a very introverted partner oliver stealing my oversized clothes in the corner I'm an introverted person as well introverted enough to terrify a yandere as well istg- idk who that was, but it was rude to push shove someone and not apologize for it or even an excuse me. and the girl who spoiled wednesday, never saw her again. i get that someone's enthusiastic about a show, but at the same time... some consideration for people around you 😭 anyway, that times gone and i got a lot of better things to move onto like movies, working out and just overall, making myself happy and having a good day yk? *Sending hugs back*
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avenging-fandoms · 3 years
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PLS he'd come home with a bloody face and blood knuckles bc he got into a fight with a pogue about something stupid, but it actually seems as if he hurt himself and he doesn't stop you from helping him, since you're the only one thats really given him affection
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*i know this isn't normally how rafe acts, but sometimes we can imagine things and enjoy fluff sometimes! :)
“rafe? rafe!” you shouted as you lounged in the pool, but he just looked at you and walked inside. you huffed and quickly got out of the pool. you wrapped your towel around your body, sliding on your flip flops and running up to rafe’s room.
the door was closed and you knocked softly. “go away” rafe mumbled and you sighed.
“can’t get rid of me that easy, sugar” you smile as you enter the room, but the smile soon dropped when you saw him sitting on the edge of his bed, knuckles and mouth bloody. “rafe!” you sprinted over to him and sat next to him, lightly holding his chin and turning his head to face you.
“i told you to go away” he whispered and you shook your head, tears softly pooling your eyes. “i didn’t want you to see me like this”
“rafe, what the hell happened?!” you took your towel off and tried to wipe away the blood, but it was dry. “was this a while ago? what happened?!”
“those stupid pogues, yn! there was 3 of them and one of me!" he exclaimed and you watched as he got up, placing his hand on his hip and he took a breath. i sat in my car for a while because i didn't want to come home and have you see me like this"
"rafe.." your voice was soft, heading over to him and replacing his hands on his hips, ear to his chest as you listened to his quickened heart beat. "was it john b and them?" rafe shook his head, and you sighed. "but you didn't see who it was?"
"i did see who it was, yn, i just said they were pogues" rafe's voice had a hint of attitude and you chose to ignore it. you pull away and look up at him, studying the cuts on his face.
"head to the bathroom for me, okay? i'll meet you in there after i change" rafe just looked at you, holding your hand. "what?"
"i don't.. i don't want to be alone, yn" rafe whispered and you nodded, hugging him. rafe let out a soft cry and rested his cheek on top of your head, holding onto you tightly.
"i'm not going anywhere, rafe. i promise. i'll meet you in the bathroom to clean you up, i just have to change before i get hypothermia" you joke and rafe chuckles, sniffling.
"okay" he whispered and kissed your forehead, wiping his nose and heading into his bathroom. you took a deep breath and dug in his closet, finding an old pair of his shorts, tying them so they fit. you took off your bathing suit and draped it over the back of his chair, sliding on one of his shirts.
you put out a t-shirt and sweatpants on his bed for him to change in after you cleaned him up. rafe sat on the edge of his bathtub with his jacket off, a giant bruise on his arm. "oh my boy.." you whisper, running your hand over his hand and kissing the top of it. "do you want to take a shower or a bath?"
"i.. uh.." rafe was shaking, and you hated seeing him like this. normally he was confident, cool as a cucumber. but he was shaking, vulnerable, and it broke your heart. "a.. shower. can you use that nice smelling shampoo?" you smile and nod, running the water and he checks it, nodding. you put the shampoo out and hold the hem of his shirt, rafe placing his hand on top of yours.
you pulled the polo off and held a gasp as you saw his cuts, bruises, and new scars. you felt sick to your stomach. your fingers shook as they hover over the cuts, tears in your eyes. "my god.. rafe.. you should have called me, baby"
"i was embarrassed" rafe was always honest with you. never once did he lie to you, he vowed never to. "can i get in now?"
"of course" rafe stood up and took off his pants, underwear, socks and shoes. even if you two had been dating for 2 years, you still looked away until he submerged himself under the water.
"you're safe now, ray" you whisper, holding his cheek and rubbing your thumb over his cheek.
"can you get in with me?" rafe's eyes finally met yours and you nodded, smiling at him. you took off the shirt and shorts, stepping into the steaming shower. you squirted some of the shampoo in your hand and massage it into his scalp. rafe closed his eyes and sighed at your soft touch.
rafe wasn't used to this. he wasn't used to soft touches, he wasn't used to soft words. rafe was a different person around you, he was kind. he was smiley, he was happy.
rafe rinsed the shampoo out of his hair and looked down at you as you softly touched his cuts, cleaning them and cleaning off the dirt. you stopped when he hissed, and continued when he nodded.
the shower relaxed your boyfriend and you two got out. rafe wrapped the towel around his waist and you wrapped it around your body, rafe sitting on the cover of the toilet. you cleaned his knuckles and wrapped them, bandaging the cuts that were deep and kissing his cheeks.
"yn.." you hum and he takes your hand, kissing your palm. "thank you.. for.. everything you do for me" rafe's voice was quiet and every time he was quiet you had to make sure it was actually him.
"anything for you, rafe. i love you" you smile and hold his chin, kissing him softly. you left the bathroom and dried yourself, putting on the clothes again. rafe dried himself off and changed into the clothes you gave him, laying on his bed.
you opened his balcony doors and stepped out, staring out at the moon and stars. rafe looked over at you and rolled onto his side, resting his head on his bicep. you looked at him over your shoulder and waved him over.
rafe stood up and headed over to you, his arm over your shoulders. rafe was behind you with your hands holding onto his arm. you kissed his bicep and rested your head back against his chest, looking out at the water.
"i wish everything was this calm forever" you mumble against his skin, rafe rocking back and forth softly. "i wish we could run away, rafe"
"soon, i promise. anywhere you want to go" he whispered in your hair and you nod. rafe closed his eyes and laid his chin on top of your head. "i love you"
"i love you too, rafe" you two stood there for a few minutes, soaking it all in, the calm before the storm. "let's go lay down, baby. you've had a long day" you took his hand and pulled him into his room. you and rafe snuck under his blankets, rafe holding you tightly as you traced down his nose. "if you're ever in trouble again, rafe cameron, you c-"
"call you. i got it now" he whispered, kissing you softly. you pulled back and looked at him, hand on his chest. "i promise" you nod and kiss him again, hugging him.
"and.. don't go looking to get your revenge on them. i know it was hard but.. i don't want to clean you up like this again, ray. i hate seeing you hurt"
"i won't, i promise you, sweetheart" he rubbed his nose against yours, thumb against your jaw. he kissed you again, pulling you tightly to him. "i promise" he whispered, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep as you drew patterns into his back.
rafe wanted to cry when he felt your soft touches, the feeling foreign to him. you vowed to him to always be kind to him, and that vow you kept, even when he did something stupid and made you angry, you still scolded him in a nice way. and rafe listened more to you than to anyone when he wasn't screamed at.
rafe felt loved, safe, vulnerable around you. he never felt like that before with anyone. rafe made you feel protected, heard, beautiful. you two needed each other, and neither of you were letting go any time soon.
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pascalpanic · 4 years
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Drunk Words (Frankie Catfish Morales x f!Reader)
Drunk Words / Sober Thoughts part one of two
Summary: Frankie’s drunk off his ass and needs a ride home. PART ONE of a two part Frankie fic
W/C: 2.7k+
Warnings: language, copious amounts of alcohol, Frankie is absolutely shitfaced
A/N: THANK U TO MY BABE @sanchosammy for this idea!!! I love it so much I fuckin LOVE my baby frankie
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As you roll over in bed, you groan. You’ve been up for about 20 minutes now, unable to return to the blissful sleep that had been enveloping you before. The time on your watch now reads 3:07. You frown and grab your phone, lying on your side. The light is bright enough to make you squint, and you smile at the text thread you’ve received from Frankie tonight.
The man brings nothing but happiness to your life. You really do love Frankie, not just platonically. You want to hold his big and strong hands, want to lift up his ball cap and kiss him on the forehead, want to fluff the hat hair he always gets from that Standard Oil cap. More than anything, you want to softly kiss that little patch in his beard. It’s just existing there, perfectly clean even when he’s almost at a full beard. His tough fingers scratch it and you giggle, looking away when he asks what’s so funny. Nothing, Fish, you immediately reply. Fishie, if you’re feeling a little more flirtatious.
Frankie might be feeling the same, you’ve noticed lately. He’s a little more touchy with you. He hugs you longer than the other men, makes you dance with him when a good song comes on. He lets it happen when you steal his ball cap and wear it, where he’d scold and smack any of the other men for it. He lends you his flannel when you’re cold, wrapping it gingerly around your shoulders.
It’s been a long time that you’ve been friends now. Just recently, you’ve come to appreciate him differently. The way he hugs you warms your heart still, but it makes your heart race and your hands sweat. It makes you want to lift your face from where it rests in his neck and kiss him softly, your fingers working into that little bald patch on his jaw.
Even now, as he’s clearly drunk, you adore him. How can you not?
Frankie 🚁: attachment: one image
You open the photo and laugh. It’s a blurry selfie of Frankie, an arm draped over Santiago’s shoulders. The two men make faces like they’re going to bite the other, and it makes you chuckle aloud. You can see his fluffy curls peeking out from beneath the cap, and you desperately want to play with them. The image is blurry, showing that it must’ve been moving while he took it.
Frankie 🚁: missing u tonight, Santiago says he doesn’t like me when you’re not around
Frankie 🚁: holy fuck their new beer is really good, you gotta try it soon
Frankie 🚁: lol I fuckin love the nachos here
Frankie 🚁: snati is so annoying, pls get him away from me
Frankie 🚁: u r probably sleep sorry :((((
Frankie 🚁: can we got o a zoo soon?? I wanna see animals 🦫🐈🐕‍🦺🦡
You laugh out loud at the words, at Frankie’s terrible typing. He must be shitfaced. He’s hilarious when he’s drunk.
The last text was only four minutes ago.
Me: Alright, Fishie. Stop drinking and eat something. No more beer.
Frankie 🚁: ha I’m drinking that Coffey shit… Kalua?? isk but it’s so gooood
Your phone rings, filling the screen with your profile picture of Frankie. It’s a photo of him smiling, his dimple evident. Your cheek is pressed to his, grinning just as wide. God, he’s so fucking cute. You love him so much.
You take a second and stare at the photo before pressing the answer button and putting it on speaker. “Hey, Fish.”
“Hey,” he laughs, dragging the word out long and slow. “S’a shame you weren’t here, Will’s been buying all night.” His words are slurred and woozy. You can hear the roar of the bar behind him.
“Ah, so that’s why you’re shitfaced,” you laugh into the phone.
“Precisely,” he slurs, a smile clear in his voice. “I can’t drive.”
“I’m glad you realize that. What do you want me to do about that? I can have an Uber coming your way in ten minutes.”
“Will you pick me up?” He asks, his voice like a child’s. “Fuckin’ Ubers cost money, ‘n I just wanna see your pretty face.”
“Frankie,” you warn but feel your body warm at the notion.
“You got a cute little nose,” he laughs. “Just wanna boop it. Can I boop it? Just go… boop, boop boop. Right on the nose.”
You sigh. “Fine. I’ll be there in twenty minutes. You’re so fucking lucky I think you’re cute.”
“Thank you,” he practically sings. “See you then. Mwah.”
You throw on a hoodie and walk to your car, not caring to cover up your patterned flannel shorts that you sleep in. Your hair is messy, you don’t have makeup on, you don’t really give a shit. It’s Frankie.
Once you reach the bar, you shoot him a text, and the four men stumble outside. “Yo!” Benny calls and rushes over to you. It’s clear his normal balance has left his body for the night, his body a little wobbly. He’s an excited drunk. He slams on your window until you lower it. “Hey, you missed out on a good time,” he grins. His words blur together too.
Frankie follows behind him, an arm thrown across him. He’s still got a little balance. “Missed you so much, cariño. Santi’s being an ass.”
You look up at Will. “These fuckers need a ride too?” He’s the responsible one of the men, even when intoxicated.
He shakes his head. “Got an Uber coming. They’re staying at my place tonight.”
Frankie puts a hand on the car to steady himself. “Knew you’d come. Pretty girl always comes through for me, even at 3 A.M., thank you,” he slurs happily, his eyes half open.
Santiago leans against your car. “Hey gorgeous. We missed you.”
“Yeah, yeah,” you roll your eyes. “Get the grizzly bear in the car.”
Frankie laughs at the words. “Ooh, I like that. Big and fluffy but murderous.”
“I’m about to get murderous if you don’t get in the car right now, Francisco Morales.”
“Oh, snap!”
“Shit, man.”
Benny gives a whistle. The men all make noises in commentary and laugh, Will opening the door. Frankie flops down inside. Benny ensures that all of his limbs have made it in and shuts the door. “Don’t party too hard with him tonight,” Santiago calls and you roll your eyes.
The two of you drive off and out of the bar parking lot.
“Hey, Fish,” you say, snapping your fingers in front of his face. “Buckle up. I’m not getting in trouble for your dumb ass.”
“You always do, though,” he mumbles and tilts his head to look at you. “You’re so good to me.”
“I’m a fucking saint,” you sigh sarcastically. “Seriously, buckle up. If you can’t do it yourself, we’re going to the ER for alcohol poisoning.”
“No,” he whines and pouts at you. “Just wanna be close to you. Wanna just…” he trails off and rests his head against your shoulder. “Mm. There. Your skin is so soft.”
“That’s my hoodie, Frankie.”
He takes a deep breath in through his nose, the scent clicking in his addled brain. “No, that’s my hoodie.”
He’s right, you realize. You grabbed a random sweatshirt and pulled it on before leaving. You’re the one who’s always cold at gatherings, leaving Frankie to share one of his many layers with you. You smile a bit. “It’s comfy.”
“I like it better on you. I really like you in my clothes, you know that? Wear them way better than I can. You just look so cute and so little.”
“Frankie, I’m 5’9,” you refute and glare down at him, where he looks up at you with puppy-dog mocha-colored eyes.
“Just look so small in ‘em. I’m like 6’0, you know that.”
“I do know that, Francisco. You remind us all the time,” you laugh, removing his ball cap and tossing it into his lap. “Still shorter than Benny. Get that hat off and I think you’re shorter than Santi.”
“I’m taller than him,” Frankie whines at the reminder. “How come Benny’s the baby and he’s so tall? He’s like a fuckin’ giraffe up there, can never see his stupid face,” he pouts.
“He’s too tall for comfortable hugs,” you nod in agreement. “And Santi is too short. And Will is too fucking awkward,” you laugh. You purposely leave out the bit about how perfect hugs from Frankie are, how much you dream about them and crave them.
His dark brows furrow as he looks up at you with glazed eyes. “Wha’bout me?”
The car stops for a moment as a light in front of you turns red. You smile down at him and push his messy curls from his forehead. “I like hugging you. You’re comfy.”
“Ha, grizzly bear hugs,” he slurs. “Y’should call me that more often. I like it when you call me things the boys don’t. Makes me feel tingly,” he laughs, lovestruck as he looks up at you.
“Tingly?”
“Yeah, like when they put the meds in before they steal your teeth.”
“Steal your teeth?” You laugh loudly, toying with one of the curls. “Do you mean get a tooth removed?”
“Same thing. I don’t like it when they do it then. I like it when you call me stuff though. Fishie makes me laugh and feel happy.”
“Oh yeah?” God, he’s so fucking precious. He looks at you like a puppy stares at their owner, pure and unadulterated love radiating from them. “I’ll need to call you Fishie more often then.”
It’s quiet for a while. Frankie’s head still rests against your shoulder. He can feel all of the tiny muscles move as you steer and navigate the car. He likes the way they move, making his drunken head even more floaty. After a few moments, he shifts to lean against the car door, just watching you.
The music drifting from the radio is soft and quiet. You almost think Frankie’s fallen asleep, since he’s so quiet, but you look over and see him gazing over at you. “Penny for your thoughts, Fish.”
You’re expecting something stupid. Frankie is quite the philosopher when he’s drunk, always asking odd rhetorical questions. ‘Is a muffin an unfrosted cupcake?’ has always been a favorite of his. He’s never quite made up his mind about it, waxing poetic about the difference in the two baked goods.
He always says something stupid, but this time, his sober thoughts become his drunken words. “You’re the most absolute prettiest woman I’ve ever seen,” he smiles at you, those pink lips curled into a soft smile. It shows off his dimple, and you want to scream from how cute he looks. One of his big hands reaches over and cups your face.
“You’re drunk,” you shake your head, looking back at the road. “Don’t be stupid.”
“No, I mean yeah. Kinda drunk and really stupid, ha, but I mean it. You’re so fuckin’ pretty, cariño.” The backs of his fingers trace across the side of your face, resting on the side of your neck now.
You look down at yourself, still skeptical. “No, I know what you’re gonna say,” he pouts, beating you to the punch. “You’re in your pajamas and your hair is all messy ‘n whatever, but you’re so pretty. Your face is so cute. I love your nose. Just wanna…” he leans over and makes good on his promise for earlier. “Boop,” he coos as he pokes the tip of your nose, smiling wide. “You’re so cute. The guys make fun’a me because I never shut up about it.”
“Oh really?” you ask, raising an eyebrow and laughing.
“Yeah. Santi says I’m in love with you,” he murmurs, sitting back against the car window.
You gulp as you force yourself to grip the steering wheel harder, staring at the white dashes separating the two-lane road. “Yeah? What do you have to say on the matter?”
“I’m kinda thinkin’ he might be right.” His voice is small and quiet.
You shake your head again, eyes watering from the honesty. There’s no way he can think that. He’s shitfaced. He doesn’t mean it, there’s no way. He’s never been more than a friend, done anything to indicate romance.
Or… maybe he has, you reflect. He pays for your drinks most nights. He’ll order something you want and share it with you. He’s always a little touchier than he is with the boys. “You don’t mean that,” you say quietly, swallowing hard.
Whatever common sense he has left tells him to be quiet, so he does. He sits there silently for the rest of the drive, the tension palpable between the two of you. When you finally reach his house and park, you hold your breath. You don’t know what to do, what to say, but you can’t just let him go inside without saying anything. He sits up a little straighter as he realizes he’s come to a stop.
You bite your lip and look over at him. “I should help you inside.”
He nods and you turn off the car, putting the key in the pocket of your hoodie. You get out and walk to Frankie’s side, opening his door. He reaches his arms out to you and you chuckle a little. He looks like a helpless little child.
“Alright, grizzly bear,” you grunt as he swings his feet out and you help lift him to his feet. His arms cling to you tight until he’s standing up.
“Thanks,” he murmurs and wraps an arm around your shoulder when he’s upright.
“Don’t thank me yet,” you chuckle.
Using you as a crutch, he walks alongside you and into his house. He fumbles with the key until you open it for him, then lock it behind you. He leads the way to his room, opening the door and sighing as he sees his bed.
“Not yet,” you say as he tries to get to the bed. “Come on.” You pull his flannel off, leaving him in the t-shirt underneath. “Okay, go on.” He flops down onto his bed with a happy noise. Once he’s down, you unlace his boots and pull them off, then his socks.
Standing at his side, you undo his belt. “Woah,” he laughs. “‘M way too drunk for that, pretty girl. Kinda wanna though.”
“Shut the fuck up, Fish,” you laugh and thread it through the loops, tossing it aside. “I’m getting your clothes off so you can sleep.”
“Oh,” he sighs, giggling drunkenly as you pull his pants off. “Kinda feels like we’re gonna fuck.”
“Maybe another time,” you tease and pull the covers over him. Pushing his curls from his face, you softly kiss his cheek. “Call me when you’re sober, okay?”
He frowns and grabs the hand on his face with both of his rough palms. “Don’t leave me,” he pouts.
“Frankie,” you sigh and look at your watch. “It’s 3:35 in the goddamn morning.”
“Then stay the night,” he begs. “You said you like hugging me. I want you to hug me all night long,” he sighs, kissing your fingertips. You smile softly. It’s a good offer, you have to admit. He makes it even harder to say no. “I won’t be able to sleep if you’re not here when I wake up.”
“Lots of things can happen while you’re asleep, Fishie. I can-”
“Mm, Fishie,” he says with a smile, his eyes fluttering closed. “Come snuggle with me, pretty girl.”
You sigh as you look at the man. It’s not like you haven’t spent time pressed into his side, watching a sports game or a movie. You and Frankie are affectionate friends. He looks so warm and inviting, his body radiating heat. “Fine,” you give in. “Only because I’m cold.”
“Not ‘cause you like me too?” he asks and rolls over, leaving room for you.
“We can discuss that when you’re sober.” The spot he laid is warm and cozy, his body heat making it perfect for you. You slide under the covers next to him and he wraps his arms around you, pulling you into his chest.
Frankie presses a sloppy kiss to your head, smiling. You can hear his slow and steady heartbeat. “G’night cariño,” he mumbles, lips still buried in your hair.
“Goodnight, Frankie,” you whisper.
He falls asleep almost instantly, and you’re close behind him. You’ve never been more at peace than when you fall asleep in Frankie Morales’s arms.
-
read part two: SOBER THOUGHTS
-
taglist:
@remmysbounty @mishasminion360 @softly-sad @blo0dangel @binarydanvvers @sleep-tight1 @apascalrascal @randomness501 @spideysimpossiblegirl @notabotiswear @pedro-pastel @sanchosammy @lv7867
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liptonsbabe · 3 years
Text
Remember me [F.O]
Finnick Odair x Female! reader
Chapter 1, Chapter2, Chapter 3, Chapter4
Summary: President Snow has a plan to get rid of the reader. The Quarter Quell is just around the corner and the reader knows she must stay one step ahead of the game. 
Word count: 2.2K
Warnings: swearing.
English not my mother language so pls tell me if something’s wrong. Enjoy!
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Chapter 4: Volunteer
It all makes sense when you sit down and analyze things in detail.
It seems silly to think that Snow has done his charitable deed by letting us go back to our districts; all he wants is for us to go back to be in the reaping for the new games.
I sit on the bed and laugh at my stupidity. Last night, Finnick forced the bathroom door open with a lock pick after it took me over two hours without leaving the bathroom, he carried me to bed and stayed with me stroking my hair and whispering that everything will be okay. I don't believe him one bit.
Finnick enters the room with a tray full of food and sweets. He sits down next to me on the bed and places the tray in front of me.
“I brought you something”
“Thanks, but I'm not hungry”
He grimaces but says nothing. Instead he puts the food down on a stool and takes my hands.
“You must feed yourself well”
I look at him and perceive a reddish tinge in his light eyes and I know mine are the same. Grief pierces my chest like a dagger as I remember that it is already a fact that Finnick will return to the Capitol. I hug him and he hides his face in my neck.
“I told you. I told you he would get revenge”
“What are you talking about?” He questions quizzically, pulling away from me.
“He used the games to get rid of what's in his way, Finnick”
“No, that's impossible. Those cards have been written a long time ago and...”
“Come on!”  I jump up angrily. I walk to the other side of the room, looking away from him “The new Quarter Quell was very opportune, don't you think? The fact of making us go back and say that the elders cannot participate, does it seem a coincidence to you? Wake up! “He raised his hands trying to clear my anger “The only thing he's looking for is to get to me, don’t you understand? And to get the newbies of district twelve out of the way”
“Don't talk like that. He could be listening to us”
“So what if he is?” I yell and whirl around the room  “I don't care if he does. Are you listening, Snow?! Do you hear me, you son of a bitch?! I hope you know how much you disgust me, you filthy rat!”
I take a deep breath and flop down on the mattress brushing back the hair that has fallen in my face after that little outburst of madness. I look at Finnick who is standing there without seeing me or saying anything.
“All I want is for the reaping to be over as soon as possible so I can get on that stupid train and get it over with”
“You are too sure you will be chosen” he says
“I can tell you don't know Snow at all”
The overwhelming silence settles in the room until Finnick approaches me and kneels in front of me. He puts one of his hands on my belly and looks up.
“What's going to happen to our baby?”
I clench my jaw and close my eyes as I deny. Finnick sobs
“I don't know”
.
.
The sunsets in the Fourth are different from the other districts. I've noticed this from spending so much time in the Capitol and some more on the Victory tour i had throughout Panem. Here the sun's rays play catch with the water of the rivers forming dancing figurines that stretch out to the anchorage where the fishermen have already finished their day's work. When the light fades and the stars appear instead, i pick up my sword and continue my training.
Tomorrow is the reaping and I must be prepared for whatever lies ahead. Finnick doesn't quite agree with me and my thinking, but I don't care. If I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it right. I make a few turns and swing the sword as if I have an opponent in front of me even though the only thing I cut with the blade is the air that is starting to threaten the shore. For people who didn't work as fishers, approaching the shore was strictly forbidden, but who cares? It's not like they can take it out on me any more than they already have.
I like swords. They're slight and highly deadly, you can attack from a certain distance and be just as deadly. I could say it's my strong point, i can handle crossbows, knives and even Finnick's trident but the sword without a doubt is my comfort zone.
I use my weapon for a couple more minutes until Finnick approaches me carrying the wooden trident he made himself, it wasn't like the one he had in the Capitol, this one is more special and not exotic at all. I smile at him and go back to my work.
“I thought this training would be temporary," he says putting the trident between his shoulders and leaning on it, "But I see it's going to last for a long time”
“Well, one and two’s victors aren't the only Careers, are they?
Finnick laughs and for a moment my legs give out. That's the effect he has on me. It makes me vulnerable to his presence and his beautiful way of being and acting. He knows it and approaches me leaving his gun stuck in the sand.
“I think you should get some rest. In your condition it's not good for you to exert yourself too much”
“I'm fine. We're fine” I assure and Finnick grabs me by the waist “A little exercise wouldn't do us any harm”
“I really hope you two are out of this” I tilt my head and he smiles shyly “It's not that I want Annie to come with me, of course. I just... I don't want you to have to go through that hell again”
“We're the only victors under seventy left, Finnick. One of us will have to go. And I have no doubt who it will be”
Finnick hugs me and hides his face in my neck tickling me with the hair that has started to grow on his chin. He laughs too and kisses my neck making my senses go off balance.
“Come on doll, you've been training all afternoon. You need to rest” I push him away knowing where he is going with all this. He wants to entangle me to forget this whole thing. I look at him reluctantly and he smiles at me.
“Very smart of you Finnick”
“My love..." he says, feigning to come closer. I place the tip of my sword on his chest without hurting him.
“Stay away if you don't want me to stick this in you”
“I'm the one who wants to stick something in you tonight," he says, making me blush. I deny and walk away
“Come on, take your trident and let's practice together”
“Fight a pregnant lady? I don't think so”
“You don't think so? Well, this pregnant lady can kick your ass”
Finnick raises an eyebrow waiting for me to make a move, but I don't. He smiles and picks up his trident as he gets into position.
“Okay, Mrs. Odair. Let's do this. I'll be careful not to hurt you”
I roll my eyes and get into position.
“Come here, smart ass”
.
.
The prep team has come to our house as a surprise the next morning. Finnick and I are too beat up to open the door, but that doesn't stop them. Somehow they got their hands on a copy of the key and entered as if it was their house. They've pulled us up by our hair to prepare for the reaping.
“Lydia, I don't want to do this. It's too early in the morning and I'm tired," I grumble when my long-time stylist orders me to take a bath.
“It's not my fault you've been training like a couple of cavemen. So inside we go!”
Lydia nudges me from behind, encouraging me to go into the bathroom. Dorian and Ravena, Lydia's helpers, are already there. They smile at me and help me undress.
“What have you been doing?” Lydia screams in horror, looking at how uneven my nails are. I shrug my shoulders and step into the tub. "Good God, I'll have a heart attack before I can even put hairspray in your hair”
“You overdo it, as usual”
The prep team helps me get cleaned up which I find very bizarre and unnecessary. They all grope me and mutter about how unkempt my body and hair are while whispering about the sad news about the Quarter Quell.
“And now what are you going to be a mother, Oh dear!” Lydia bursts into tears over my wet shoulder. I push her away and smile unwillingly.
“It's okay, Lydia. I guess something like this was bound to happen”
“Everyone in the Capitol is going crazy," Ravenna argues, brushing my hair, "No one wants to see you in the games. People are hoping that Annie will be the one to participate.
I look at Lydia who has nodded at her partner's words. For a moment I am disgusted by the way she has spoken and by the behavior of all the people in the Capitol. I get up from the tub and Dorian wraps a giant towel around me.
“It will be what it has to be”
The three nod and continue with their beauty ritual. They apply light make-up and do my nails, stamping small waves as if the bottom of them were a vast sea; they dress me in jeans, a white blouse, a pair of brown boots and a coat as the cold has started in the district. Lydia kisses my cheek and says goodbye.
“I have to go to Finnick's to help him a bit. You know, to make him look better”
“I don't understand, there's no point in getting dressed up for the reaping”
Lydia shrugs and fixes my hair one last time.
“It's the least we can do for you” Her eyes have reddened behind that exaggerated layer of makeup and i know she's ready to cry. I hug her and she holds back her tears.
“I thank you so much, I really do. For doing this and risking you to President Snow...”
“The only thing that matters to me is you, honey”
I nod, touched by her words. I let her go and the other two stylists lead me to the door where the peacekeepers are waiting for me at the entrance. They take me by the arms and lead me to the center of the victors' village, where Annie is already waiting for us. Her red hair is combed and her clothes are clean, although i know she's had one of those seizures that leaves her with mental lapses. I try to hug her, but one of those peacekeepers pulls me fifteen paces away from her. We wait a couple of minutes until Finnick comes out and they lead him towards us fifteen paces away from me.
We walk to the esplanade in the middle of a caravan of people who have gathered to witness the event. Most of the people gathered there are friends from years ago or simple villagers who come to give us their pitying glances. We arrive at the justice building and I see that a wave of people is already prepared to hear the district advisor announce this year's tributes. We walk down the main corridor and stop at the bottom of the stairs. I notice Mags to the left side of me and avoid looking at her because i know i'm going to collapse on the spot. We go upstairs and Tonya, the district advisor, places Annie and I on her left side and Finnick on the right; there are two balls, one of them only has one name and the other two names. I swallow thinking that one of those is mine.
“Welcome, welcome," she says without his usual shrill voice. She’s sad, as I am” Today, we will meet the tributes who will represent us in the third Quarter Quell. As always, ladies first”
I curse when Annie starts sobbing. I flick my wrist and hold her hand letting her know that everything will be okay. We both look straight ahead and my gaze is lost on a pair of little birds fluttering among the small branches of the oldest tree in the district. I wish i could be those birds. To be able to spread my wings and fly far away from here with Finnick and get lost in a place where our lives are not in danger every second. For a few minutes i miss Tonya's previous speech and relive until she announces the chosen one.
“Annie Cresta”
The people say nothing and seem relieved that it's Annie who dies in these games. My blood boils as i think how happy Snow must be to have manipulated the outcome and then changed it to his benefit by controlling the masses. I turn and see Annie who is crying and Finnick with his face down. Then, I raise my hand
“I volunteer as a tribute”
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egcdeath · 3 years
Text
act natural
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pairing: steve rogers x reader
summary: sometimes, you just have to share the bed. 
word count: 2.4k
warnings: fluff, sharing a bed, idiots in love, cheesy
a/n: this is really just an excuse for me to write a lot of self indulgent bants, but it’s also a part of @stargazingfangirl18’s soft!dark challenge, and i decided to write something soft and use the prompt of only having one bed! (p.s. i like did not edit this at all so if a few words are used a lot pls forgive me) 
Dinner at the safehouse was finally wrapping up after a long day of getting your ass beat by an angry android and a few enhanced teenagers. You and everyone else around you seemed to be more than exhausted from the extensive day of revisiting deeply repressed traumas, and petty arguments between teammates over who was truly at fault for every predicament you found yourselves in.
You took a long and final swig from a beer bottle, glancing up to Bruce and Nat as they stood up and pushed in their chairs, retiring for the night. 
“Thanks for hosting us, Laura,” Natasha offered, grabbing her plate from the dinner table, and dropping it off in the dishwasher.
“Of course, guys. Any time,” she gave a half smile to her friend, then looked back at the table, where everyone else had taken the memo, and found themselves somewhere in the process of leaving the table, or grabbing their dishes, “but before you all go, I wanted to warn you that someone else is gonna have to share a room tonight.”
You glanced over at Steve, who was on your left, and Tony, who was sat at the head of the table. You and Steve shared an awkward chuckle at the thought of being in the same bed, not even considering the similarly uncomfortable situation of sharing a bed with Tony. 
“I think I’ll be rooming alone. These two lovebirds can share,” Tony chided before either of you even had a chance to think of a response. You looked back over at Steve, whose cheeks were currently dusted with a light shade of pink, and the bigger man quickly looked away from you.
“Tony, you know we are not- you know what, nevermind,” you huffed, deciding the argument was not worth it. 
Tony shook his head as he dropped his dishes off in the dishwasher. “So no objections?” he asked teasingly, eyeing you both with a smirk on his way back from the kitchen. “Why am I not surprised?” You could’ve sworn you heard Clint and Fury laughing to themselves before excusing themselves from the table, and dispursting though the house.
Besides the slight humiliation of being teased for your situation, you weren’t too concerned about the act of spending the night, or next few nights with Steve. You and Steve were friends, or something like that. Just a few pals with crushes that you refused to admit to each other (or yourselves).
Pushing this thought aside, you grabbed the neck of your empty beer bottle, along with a few pieces of silverware and marched off to the mechanical cleaner yourself. You dropped off the things that needed to be cleaned, tossed your bottle in the recycling bin, then went to turn away when Steve grabbed your arm, automatically catching your attention. 
“Is this okay with you?” He asked, letting his vice grip on your arm go.
“It’s fine. I’ll see you upstairs,” you muttered before speeding off, and heading upstairs where you strolled into the only vacant room, with the door wide open, and both your own and Steve’s duffle bags on the floor. 
You made a mental note to thank whoever brought them in (probably Laura), and dug through your bag to find something even slightly comfortable to sleep in, eventually settling on an oversized shirt and your favorite cotton shorts. 
You had just barely finished changing in the tiny closet when you heard the soft click of the room door, notifying you of Steve’s arrival. You slid open the closet door, and made a beeline for the bed, flopping onto the left side, and reaching for your phone as a distraction. 
“Do you want me to sleep on the floor?” Steve asked, searching through his own bag until he found the only clean comfortable pair of pants he had in there, that just happened to be a jokey Christmas gift donned with a red white and blue color scheme, and graphics of mini shields on it.  
“What the hell, Steve. Of course not,” you set your phone down so that you could get a better look at him. “We probably have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.” You could live with that excuse, especially considering that it would not be very becoming of you to tell your crush that missing an opportunity to sleep in the same bed as him feels like a federal crime. 
He stood up from his squatting position, squeezing into the tight space of the closet so that he could change into the corny pants, and finally get out of his clothes from the day, “I just didn’t want to make things weird.”
“Well, they won’t be as long as you stay on your side, okay?” You said petulantly, setting two pillows across the middle of the queen sized bed and attempting to ignore the excited butterflies in your stomach. 
“I will,” Steve responded, exiting the closet slipping into the right side of the bed cautiously, and looking at the wall that was facing him.
You glanced over at Steve, and when you caught wind of his shirtless torso, you couldn’t help but to look away with a warm face,“this is so awkward now,” you said after a beat. “Why couldn’t you have roomed with Tony?”
“Tony is the worst bed mate ever. Total blanket and pillow hog,” Steve chuckled, attempting to ease up some of the tension.
“You’re no saint either. I’ve heard you’re a cuddler,” you bantered back, allowing yourself one more glance at the man. Steve seemed to be having the same thought as you at the same time as you, as your eyes briefly met. 
It was uncomfortably silent in the room once more, and you reached over to your nightstand to turn off the bedside lamp, “Goodnight, Y/N.”
“Night, Steve,” you turned your back to the border of pillows, fell into a fetal position, and squeezed your eyes shut, hoping that you’d be able to find some sort of peace after such a bizarre day. You tried not to dwell so much on the horrors you’d been forced to face earlier, and instead relied on the rhythmic breathing coming from the man next to you to ground you.
----
You weren’t sure when exactly you fell asleep, but a jolting of your bed, and a bit of a commotion coming from somewhere in your room pulled you away from your unsettling dreams.
Blinking yourself awake, you uncurled your body, and rolled over to look at Steve, whose legs were thrown over the edge of the bed while he panted heavily.
“Steve?” you slurred sleepily, “you ‘kay?”
“’m fine,” he yawned.
“Well you woke me up,” you mumbled, throwing your head back against a pillow.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I was having a shitty dream anyway.”
“Really? I was too,” Steve refused to look at you, staring blankly at the wall.
“So tell me about it,” you hummed.
“It’s just… I keep thinking about how I missed out on so many things from the past. I could’ve been happy, living out my days in a semi-peaceful and familiar world. Not anything like this.”
You sat up as you listened, pushing aside a pillow from the border you’d constructed to move closer to Steve and set a reassuring hand on his back.
“I guess I just wish that I was there. With everyone and everything I used to know.”
“But it’s not all bad, right?” you offered, and Steve shrugged before looking down. 
 “I’m sorry. I really am. I know that I’ll never truly understand that, but there’s nothing any of us can do about it now. You’re here now, and you have no other choice but to make the best of it. I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but if you spend all of your time in the present lamenting about what things could’ve been in the past, you’re just gonna be miserable forever,” you rambled sleepily, words slurring occasionally. 
“Your experience is so unique, so I could be getting this all wrong, but there are plenty of good things here in the now. I mean, a world without the internet? I don’t know if that’s a world worth living in,” you chuckled softly, and were joined in your quiet laughter by the man on the other side of your bed.
“Seriously, though. I know you can’t control your dreams, but maybe your subconscious is letting you know that it’s okay to let go. Of like, the past. It might just be time for you to move on and be happy. I’m sure that Peggy and everyone else from your past would’ve wanted that for you too.” In the dark, you saw the silhouette of Steve’s head nodding. 
“You always know what to say, huh?” he asked, kicking his legs back over onto the bed while you scooted back over into your previous space. 
“I’m like half asleep right now, Steve. If you asked me to repeat half of what I just said, I would not know what to say,” you giggled. 
“You wanna talk about your dream?” Steve asked in a concerned tone. 
“Mmm, I actually just wanna go to sleep. As crazy as that may sound,” 
“Is there anything that I can do to help you not have another bad one?”
“Hmmm,” you pondered, becoming a bit more lethargic by the moment. “Spoon me?”
“As you wish,” Steve happily obliged, grabbing one of the pillows from the middle of the bed and adding it to his stash of pillows. 
You threw a pillow from the border between your knees, and received a strange look from Steve. “What? I heard it’s good for your back.” He still didn’t seem convinced. “Stop being so judgy and cuddle me already,” you murmured, turning your body so that you could lay on your side.
Steve scooted closer to you, and you pressed your back to the front of his chest. He tossed an arm over you and somehow managed to pull you even closer to him. You swore you hadn’t been this comfortable since you left the womb, and you nearly purred in response. 
“Can I make a request?” he asked.
You simply nodded.
“Can we just… talk until we fall back asleep?” 
“That’s really cute,” you mumbled into your pillow. 
“You just have a relaxing voice!” he defended playfully.
“You are such a dork,” you giggled. “What do you want to talk about?”
“Just tell me about… I dunno, anything.”
“That was so helpful, Steven.”
“My bad. Tell me about your favorite… mission?”
“Mm, probably that one time you and I had to go undercover for like a month to bust that arms dealer.”
“Which one?”
“Some dude in the Midwest. Can’t remember his name.”
“Oh yeah, yeah I know who you’re talking about.”
“It was fun being your life partner for a month. We were really good at being domestic.”
“Hmm, now that I think about it, we really were. Do you remember that cookout?”
“Of course I do,” you laughed at the memory. “Everyone else was getting so drunk, but you just… couldn’t. They were like Joseph, you’re such a beast, and shit. And who would’ve guessed that you, the old timer would be such a beast on the grill.”
“Well, who would’ve guessed that you were so good at cornhole?”
“Was I really that good? Or were you just really bad? Like really bad, especially for someone whose skill set revolves around having good aim,” you teased.
Steve scoffed and laughed, shaking his head at you. 
“How didn’t those people recognize us? I just don’t get it.”
“You’d be surprised how much a beard and dyed hair can change your look.”
“I guess,” you sighed softly, and set a hand on top of Steve’s. “Does this feel counterproductive to you? We’re just sitting here giggling. We’re probably getting less tired.”
“I guess I am less tired. But I’m also not thinking about the impending robot apocalypse.”
“Well now that you brought it up, I’m thinking about the impending robot apocalypse. You better fix this, Rogers.” Emboldened by what must’ve been the butterflies in your stomach falling asleep, you began to roll a bit in his arms so you were facing each other, kicking away the pillow between your legs in the process. 
“How can I make it up to you?” Steve asked, raising a brow.
“You’re the man with a plan, right? Think of something,” your lip quirked slightly in a smirk.
Steve leaned in just the smallest amount, before a lightbulb seemed to go off in his head. “I got it. We can do one of those one word stories until we fall asleep.”
Well, that’s not exactly how you thought this moment was going to go. 
“Okay, I’ll start then,” you nodded, pressing your head down against a soft pillow, and looking up at Steve, “once.”
“There,” Steve added.
“Was.”
“A.”
“Death-bot,” you giggled. 
“Okay, Y/N. No. No more stories. We can just listen to each other breathe now until we fall asleep like before since you wanna ruin the mood.”
“What mood? And you listened to me breathe?”
“What else was I gonna listen to?” he furrowed his brows, “it’s too late for this anyway. We can talk in the morning.”
“All you had to do was tell me that it’s way past your bedtime, and I would be understanding. But goodnight anyway, Stevie,” you cracked him one last smile, not budging from your position as you closed your eyes. 
It was silent for a few minutes before Steve whispered up out of the blue, “you still awake?”
You slurred something into the pillow, much more asleep than awake. 
“Well, I really like you a lot. Maybe one day I’ll get the guts to tell you that when you’re not completely out of it.”
You grunted as a response, and Steve couldn’t seem to wipe the grin off his face, not while he was falling asleep, and certainly not during his rather pleasant dreams.
——
You just couldn’t seem to catch a break with your wake up calls. While you and Steve seemed to sleep through the rapping against the door, and the door itself opening, you both seemed to become aware after the artificial shutter of an iPhone camera flooded through your ears.
“You guys just looked so cute, I wanted to archive this moment for the rest of time. And I’m sure the team will be glad to see that you got along well last night,” Nat teased as your eyes widened and you shot up. “Breakfast is ready downstairs, by the way.”
Well, you two were going to have a great time explaining this one. 
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ifmywishescametrue · 3 years
Note
Frustrated kisses with stony pls ?👉🏽👈🏽
hi! I’m sorry this took so long, but I hope you like it!
Steve hates nights like this. He watches from the corner of the room while Tony flirts with some guy, a plastic cup clenched so tightly in his hand that it might break, and wonders why he even came to this party with him. He knows why, of course, because Tony asked if he wanted to and Steve never says no. Tony doesn’t even have to ask twice. One look is all it takes, and Steve would follow him anywhere. 
But this is always how it goes - with Tony flirting with someone else while Steve desperately wishes it was him. 
He also knows that he doesn’t have the right to be jealous. Friends shouldn’t care who their friends flirt with at terrible frat parties. Friends shouldn’t care that sometimes those friends go home with those other people, and they definitely shouldn’t spend the rest of the night staring at the ceiling and wondering exactly what it is they’re doing right now. If that other person is making them feel as good as Steve knows he could make them feel. 
“You gonna stand over here all night?” Bucky asks, and Steve isn’t quite sure when he joined him. “Cause I gotta tell you, man, you look kind of pathetic.”
“Shut up,” Steve grumbles, loosening his grip on the cup and taking a sip of the lukewarm beer. 
Bucky shakes his head with a sigh, and he follows Steve’s gaze over to where that guy now has his hand on Tony’s arm. “Don’t worry about that one. He’s in my psych class, and I’m sure Tony’s already figured out he’s a dumbass.”
“I’m not worried about it,” Steve lies. 
Bucky hums noncommittally. “Of course not. Why would you be?”
The hand on Tony’s arm moves to his hip, and Steve feels a twinge in his chest. He takes a bigger drink from his cup. “I think I’m gonna head out soon. Early class tomorrow.”
“It’s Saturday tomorrow.”
“Practice. Early practice,” Steve amends, even though they both know the football season ended already. Bucky gives him another pitiful look. “Don’t say it.”
“Not a word,” Bucky replies. He claps his hand on Steve’s shoulder before walking away. “See you tomorrow after practice, I guess.”
Steve stares for a moment longer at Tony and the other guy, wondering if he should walk over to say goodbye before he goes. But Tony’s head tilts back as he laughs, and Steve swallows hard and turns away. He ditches the half-empty cup on a table on his way out. 
On the sidewalk, the cold breeze makes him shiver, and he shoves his hands deep into his pockets. He should really stop doing this to himself. He should find some way to get some space and time, or find someone he might have a shot in hell with. Shouldn’t spend all his time on someone who doesn’t feel the same and continuously ending up with this sinking, aching feeling every time. 
But he knows that tomorrow when he wakes up the first thing he’ll want to do is text Tony. And later, when Tony shows up to their usual study session still sleep-rumpled, all Steve will want to do is run his hands through his messy hair. Tony will let him, too, leaning into his side in that easy way of his, but only Steve will know how much it means. Because Tony is free and open with physical affection, but Steve is careful with his own. 
Steve stops at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to change even with no traffic in the way. He can see his breath, and he’s watching it twist into the air before disappearing when he hears the pounding footsteps behind him. 
Tony is out of breath by the time he’s caught up to him, that one unruly curl flopping against his forehead while he runs. 
“What are you doing out here?” Steve asks.
“You left,” Tony says, as if that answers the question. There’s a hint of accusation in it when he adds, “You didn’t say goodbye.”
“Yeah, I, um, have to be up early tomorrow, and you looked like you were having a good time with that guy, so I didn’t want to interrupt anything.”
Tony laughs, and he slips his arm through Steve’s as the light changes colors. “That guy? Not really. Nice face, sure, but not much behind it, if you know what I mean.”
Steve smiles despite himself. “I do know what you mean.”
“Did you find anyone to talk to? I saw you were with Sharon for a while there.”
Steve shrugs, barely remembering the brief interaction near the beginning of the party. “For a minute, maybe.”
“Only a minute?”
“I think she was with Nat most of the time.”
“Oh, sorry,” Tony says, and Steve frowns.
“Why are you sorry?”
“Just, you know, you like her, and it didn’t work out or whatever.”
Steve stops walking abruptly, and Tony’s grip on his arm makes him lurch when he doesn’t see it coming. “What are you talking about?”
“You and Sharon,” Tony says, and Steve’s silence makes him sigh and continue, “It’s, like, a thing, right?”
“Why would you think that?”
Tony chews on his lower lip, eyes shifting away from Steve and out into the street next to them. “I mean, I’ve seen you look at her, and how she looks at you, and the flirting and stuff. I didn’t want to ask and pry, but it just seemed obvious.”
“How I look at her? How do I look at her?”
Tony tosses his hands in his air, gesturing broadly as if to encompass everything, “You look at her like, I don’t know. Like you’re interested.”
“I’m not interested.”
Tony rolls his eyes, folding his arms over his chest, and Steve misses the warmth of him the second it's gone. “There’s no reason to lie about it, Steve. You don’t have to spare my feelings or whatever this is.”
Steve’s frown deepens, “What does that mean? Why would I be sparing your feelings?”
“Can you stop answering everything with questions?”
“Can you start making more sense?” Steve counters. 
Tony huffs, and he runs his hand through his hair, still not looking directly at Steve. “Look, I know that you know how I feel about you, and I know that you don’t feel the same, but I’m fine with it. I’m fine with not talking about it, but you don’t have to pretend that you aren’t interested in someone else when I can see that you are. We’re still friends, and you’re supposed to be able to tell your friends about that kind of shit. I still want you to be happy, even if it’s not me that’s doing it.” 
Steve feels frozen in place suddenly, like the air has grown too thick to breathe in and it’s caught in his throat. The word comes out strangled when he asks, “What?”
“And this is why we don’t talk about it, because now it’s weird,” Tony says, sounding frustrated. His jaw is clenched when he finally turns his face back to Steve. “Just go back to ignoring it, okay?”
“Ignoring it? How can I ignore it when I didn’t even know it existed?”
Tony laughs hollowly, “You don’t have to pretend. I heard you with Bucky and Nat talking about it awhile back. You told them to shut up, but I still heard them make fun of how obvious I am about it.”
There’s about a hundred conversations Tony could be talking about, but one thing is true for all of them, “They weren’t talking about you.”
“Yeah?” Tony raises his eyebrows dubiously. “Who were they talking about then? Who else is so ridiculously into someone they can’t have around here?”
“Me,” Steve confesses. “They were talking about me.”
“And Sharon?”
Steve laughs, relieved and elated all at once as it starts to really sink in, “You know, for a genius, you’re kind of dumb sometimes.”
Tony looks offended, pushing at Steve’s shoulder when he takes a step closer, “You don’t have to be an ass -”
Steve doesn’t wait to hear the rest of the sentence. He’s been waiting far too long to learn the taste of Tony’s lips. 
Tony is still for a moment, paralyzed with surprise, but when he does react, it’s better than anything Steve could have possibly imagined. Steve threads his fingers into Tony’s hair, and his other hand finds Tony’s hip, tracing over the spot where the wrong guy held him earlier, like he can erase the touch. Tony’s hands, in contrast, are everywhere at once. Under his shirt, along his back, and down his sides as if he’s checking to make sure it’s real. Steve kisses him a little harder to tell him that it is. 
“Oh,” Tony whispers, and even in the pale moonlight, Steve can see clearly every emotion in the depths of his eyes. “They were talking about you.”
“Yeah,” Steve smiles softly. “They’ve been doing that a lot lately.”
“I’m kind of dumb sometimes,” Tony admits. 
“Apparently so am I.”
Tony grins, “We make a good set, then.”
Steve kisses him again, revelling in the fact that he can. “A perfect match.”
274 notes · View notes
arcadejohn127-9 · 4 years
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Heyyy, I hope you’re doing ok! I love ur blog and I know we’re strangers who will possibly never meet but Recently, the little things have pushed me over the edge and close to an anxiety attack I presume but I’ve been using knitting and crochet to cope. It sounds weird Ik, but may u do the brothers and Undateables with an MC who does that and MC just ends up making so much stuff in one day that she gives it away to them. I’m so sorry if it’s weird, pls feel free to choose whether to do it or not but this blog has made me a little happier than before, thank you for reading and being here!
I actually use to do knitting, never finished anything and lost interest but it was really calming and fun. Couldn't keep my attention for long as it was very repetitive and got boring quickly but I always just genuinely enjoyed it despite that?
Stress knitting seems like the most wholesome way to handle anxiety and stress, it helps you focus on something else, you're being productive and having fun aswell as being safe! Though do be careful with the needles
And thank you for being here and supporting me, I'm glad I could make you feel even a little bit happier, a small amount of happiness is better than none! So thank you for making my night with how kind you are! Your habit and anxiety relief isn't weird at all, I don't see how it could be weird tbh
Sorry this took so long, I feel stupid now but I got really stumped on some of them on what to make but now I'm laughing at myself due to how obvious they were
Lucifer:
You made him mug holders and now it's all he uses
"It's very useful, I'll take extra care of it - no need to worry."
He can handle the heat but he must use what you've made
You even made a massive sweater and socks for Cerberus
How you got his dogs measurements is beyond him but it was the most prominent things he uses from your biggest pile
But he was no fool, he knew you
He knew your habits and how you've grown more anxious
He isn't always the most available person with his emotions and with his schedule
But he was always willing to listen to your issues
Mammon:
You made him a money pouch - how could he not be happy??!!
He loves jingling it to hear all his latest 'finds'
What was even better you made him a sweater he got to wear for his modeling job and show off to Everyone
That article was an interesting find
"CHECK IT! everyone loved your sweater! I say we can make a bussiness with this."
But when you come handing him a large bag full of your latest projects he can't help but raise a brow
He's greedy, he loves being showered in gifts
But he knew you, he took note on your emotional
He got pouty but he hugged your shoulders
Reminding you that you can always come to him and he'll make you feel better
Levithan:
You made him knitted wrist support, for his long gaming sessions
He wears them pretty much everyday at this point
Not only are they comfortable and helpful
But you made them! Specifically for him! For him to use! YOU MADE IT!
Has bragged to his gaming friends about it one too many times
"My player 2 is obviously better than yours, does yours knit cute things for you? I thought so."
Also you made him a crotchet plush of his favourite animal crossing chatacter, he prefers the Devildom version of the game but he's a sucker for bright cute things
Anything he could he'd either put in on his desk or on his figure cupboards
But when you come in with a massive pile, strained smile he felt himself panic
You both have anxiety, you were comrades in it! So of course he knew how knitting was part of your coping mechanism
He felt annoyed and worried on why you weren't coming to him but quickly calmed himself down, when he saw he patted your head
Explaining you can always come to him because you're in this together
He definitely stole a line or two from his latest favourite media
Satan:
Crotchet chair cat paw socks was his favourite out of the pile
"They're little paws..... I need these for all my furniture!"
His second favourite is the baggy sweater you knitted for him
He's going to cherish these gifts until he dies
Which could be never
Though even in death he'd be keeping what you've made him
Worried about the massive increase as he knows it's coping for your anxiety
He's read books about anxiety so he has a fair amount of knowledge on it
Insists you can always come to him when you're worried
Asmodeus:
He adored everything you made!
The sweater had little holes in them? He doesn't care and even smirks at the holes
"wanting to expose my beautiful skin~? I don't blame you."
Made a scarf? He'll wear that instead of his usual black one
Just knitted squares or unwearable things? Proudly shows off your work
Is concerned you've been so ridden with anxiety
He wants to help as much as he can, he has teas and bath scents for these kind of things
Just say the word and he'll bring all of it out
Beezlebub:
A crotchet layered burger he can take apart because it's velcro-ed together??!
It's like a real burger!
He tries not to bite or chew on it but it has happened before
Would feel awful if he accidentally ripped it
"I love it, are you going to make more?"
Didn't expect for you to actually make more
As time went on he learned that it helps you calm down from anxiety
So he especially didn't expect you to come in with a massive bag full of your latest creation's
He immediately got worried
You wanted to show them off to distract your mind but he just grabbed your head
Gently moving it so you looked at him
He told you he wants to help and he'll be there for you, no matter what and no matter when
Belphegor:
You made him w blanket - you know how young children are normally seen with baby blankets? Just always carrying them around
Yeah that's him
"You can't make me take it off Lucifer-! This is MY gift from (Y/N) and I'm going to make sure everyone sees it!"
Always showing off the blanket you made him by carrying it around or having it wrapped around him
He loves it! He also loves the pillow covers you made! It helps spice up his pillow collection
But you can't hide your anxiety from him, he goes out of his way to give people it
And soon he found out how kitting was a coping mechanism
He felt a little special you were making him things because it calmed you down but also worried about your mental health
The concern RISED when you were in the attic, placing and organising the big pile you had
He hugged you and flopped onto the bed
Telling you that he'll look after you and you can tell him what's wrong, stress naps are always welcomed with him
UNDATEABLES↓
Diavolo:
Didn't expect to find such a huge pile of new stuff in his room
He saw mug holders and mits
Horn warmers
And his favourite- a shawl with tassels, he immediately wrapped it around him and refused to take it off
He's going to wear this everywhere no matter his outfit
"Barbatos can be strict but I'll wear this no matter what, if I even see a spec of dirty on it I'll make sure to get it cleaned with delicate care."
But then it hit him, you become more active with your hobby when you become anxious
He immediately got to you, asking you if you're okay
He's ready to charge your whole class schedule if he has to
Barbatos:
You crocheted desserts and he never felt so much warmth and love in his heart
Almost collapsed from sweetness when he found a knitted pair of gloves in the big pile of your creation's
Appreciates the gifts alot
"these are marvelous, I look forward to see what else you make."
Brings you calming teas as a thank you, understanding your anxiety must be high
Offers a shoulder to cry on and happy to take time out of his schedule to listen to your worries
He asks you to teach him so he can make things like you
He wants to repay you for all the things you've given him
Solomon:
Has a whole room dedicated to everything you've ever made and given him
Whenever he has guests he likes to take them to check out your creations
"Come and admire my collection, My apprentice made these, aren't they neat?"
The potion sacks you've made are extremely useful
Aswell as the coldrain mat
Can sense your anxious energy in the newest creation's and gets concerned
He'll invite you over to talk about what's wrong
Let's you to take your time incase you're comfortable to talk
Simeon:
His favourite amongst the massive pile was a cute crotchet octopus
It was nicely stuffed and felt so nice to rest his head on
Others that peaked his fancy were the long wrist warmers you made, the way you made it made it look like lace
Aswell as a shawl and the very well made bag to store his books in
"You're so thoughtful, I'll treasure them all."
But he noticed just how worked up you've been and knew your anxious habits
Sat you down for tea to ask what how you're feeling and if could help
Also offers to be a guardian angel and make sure you don't get so anxious
If he can he'll wear an entire outfit made out of your knitting
Luke:
Is in awe how much you gave him
Almost died with Happiest when you knitted him a new hat
The crotchet wings you made just made him bounce with joy
He loves everything!!!
"I'm going to wear everything you've made and carry the little crochet puppy with me everywhere! I promise I'll take good care of him!"
Though will always check in on you
Once he's learned you do it more or only when you're really anxious he'll want to do everything he can to help
Has looked up guides on how to help people with their anxiety and panic attacks
He's going to be your guardian angel!
436 notes · View notes
Text
Fury of Their Scales
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m.yoongi / reader
genre: dragon!au, wyvern!yoongi, human/herbalist!reader,
warning(s)!!: isolation/alienation, mentions of war, injuries/blood/violence, dragon boy yoongles is stuck in a trap bc he’s dumb, y/n is so sO pure, protective dragon yoonyoon, villagers physically bully y/n a lot :(, unfair situations, y/n takes so much shit like a champ she deserves an award, dragon boy is a dragon for the first half of this (sorry, not sorry), don’t be scared there's actual humor and wholesome stuff too :D, slow burn (kinda)?  
w.count: 17.7k
Series | One-shot | Two-shot | Drabble | [Rated: T]
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synopsis: a world of dragons, demons, devils, gods and ghouls- humans were of small number. you’ve lived on the outskirts of your human village in the woods ever since you could remember. living alone in a small cabin with nothing but woodland trees, ponds, lakes and animals was like a small paradise- with the occasional bump in the road. as someone who’s studied and experimented with nature to make all sorts of concoctions- your home was ideal. it didn’t matter that your village didn’t like it or that they rejected your life of medicine. what did matter, however, was the dragon stuck in a trap not too far from your home that you just discovered.
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a/n: i literally haven’t sat down to write fanfiction in over a month bc my brain was fried and i got sucked balls deep into a fandom of an anime i dont even watch (yet). It took me three hours to edit this bc i pass tf out, pls be easy on me LOL
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A shrill whine echoed through the woodland area. Bouncing off trees, echoing in caves, spooking off wildlife of rodents and critters that crept along the ground with far too many spindly legs.  Rustling in the wind, entangling with the leaves that blew and then erupting when a campfire crackled, settling in it’s burning pit of wood and stone.  
-x-x-x-
You shot awake in bed, the morning light peeking in through your bedroom window that was covered in a beginning to tear curtain.  You breathed out a heavy sigh as you flopped back down onto your mattress that squeaked at your movement.  You really should be getting a new bed sometime soon. This one was old and did nothing for your pressure points or back while you slept.  What was the point of a good night rest when you wake up feeling like you just wrestled a bear and lost? 
You looked at the small streaks of light that soaked into your wooden home as you closed your eyes, took a deep breath and opened them again before getting out of bed.  You threw your covers off, your nightdress coming down to your knees as you started to stretch.  Your arms reached above your head as you stifled a yawn. 
You could hear the birds outside and from the way the sun angled into the room through the drapes, you assumed it was still fairly early.  You hated that you could never seem to sleep until later into the morning, but you couldn’t help the fact that when you're up, you're up for the day unless you’re ill. 
Walking to your window, you drew open the curtains and immediately shut your eyes. Peeling them open slowly in a squint, the morning light was brilliant until you finally adjusted to the sudden light difference.  Letting the morning sun warm your room with sunspots, you started to change.  
Tossing away your nightdress, you changed into your everyday- not at all flattering- attire.  
A dress of a faded moss green skirt and a stretched, overly used leather corset around your waist that tucked around the white top half of your dress. Tying your hair back you slipped on some socks. 
Leaving your room, you immediately dashed to your fire place where a kettle of day old water hung from the single hook inside the top of the pit.  Striking a match, you ignited the wood that had not yet been completely burnt and noted to refill the kettle with fresh water later on- too lazy to do it right off the bat. 
You walked around your small, cabin home jumping place to place with small tasks or chores that took a mere few seconds to complete to start your day off waiting for your kettle to whistle with hot water.  When it finally did, you carefully took your kettle with a cloth wrapped around your hand and set it on your countertop. Grabbing a clay mug from your cupboard (that you made on your own to your pride), you dropped in a few leaves from a box of herbs you had and poured the steaming hot water over them.  
“Alright,” you assured yourself as you left your kettle to cool off again. After a handful of minutes, you took your mug and sat yourself at your small table that was made for two- but only occupied by yourself. You lifted open your window and let out a breathy sigh at the fresh air.  You placed a small plate of grain and food on the open window seal and soon enough, birds were flocking to it to grab something. 
“Good morning you guys,” you chuckled as you basked in the small moment of peace before the day ahead.  You weren’t sure how long you were sitting there in your spot of sunlight and birds with the occasional squirrel, but after the sun had shifted just enough to get you to notice, you deemed it long enough. 
Getting up, you set your mug into your sink and took the plate that was previously filled on the widow as you walked to your door.  Grabbing a white cloak to tie around your shoulders, a small gathering basket and placing a pair of worn down, brown boots on, you were leaving your home.  Grabbing the key that hung on a nail beside the door, you locked your cabin door behind you and placed the key around your neck. 
Taking a list from beneath the small cloth in your basket, you started reading aloud to none other than yourself.  You kept yourself company, that’s the only way you stayed somewhat entertained in your lonesome cabin. 
You lived on the outskirts of your village, having been born in this cabin and growing up in it even when your parents left you there as a child.  You found out quickly how to grow and live independently and by now it was just second nature.  Sure, you had your rough days of work and weather, but it was manageable.  At least you didn’t have neighbors that stressed you out- only the occasional bird, bat or squirrel that got stuck in your chimney that you had to chase out. 
“I need to find some goldenrod for sure,” you muttered.  “I’ll need to make sure not to grab yarrow in its place; although, I guess it wouldn’t be all that bad if I did.” Your knowledge and interest in medicine was also another reason why you never branched further into the village as a person.  All they did was ridicule you for not following the status quo. “I need honey too, but I’d have to go to the village for that unless some merchant runs into me while I’m out.” You sighed, “I doubt it. I’m never that lucky.” 
You started your way off, passing by the small well in your front yard and bypassing the small station of firewood you had yet to cut and move.  A pile of logs sat sliced into thirds under a tarp beside your front door. The hardest part of your life was building the muscle and stamina to cut your own firewood, not to mention swinging and actually hitting the wood with your axe instead of magnificently missing it and getting the blade stuck in the stump you used to chop on. 
As you walked away from your cabin, the trees becoming thicker as you followed the dirt trail further into the woods, you started looking around.  Scanning for any signs of any herb that you may want to snag along the search for the days main goal: goldenrod.  You started off the path and began walking between trees and away from small holes from rabbits and moles so you don’t jeopardize your ankles and fall. 
You were searching for a while as you were knelt into the grass, scanning leaves and flower petals to identify what was what when you thought you heard something.  From somewhere beyond the trees, past the wall of foliage, you though you heard a sort of... whining? Or maybe howl?  
A sense of deja-vu washed over you. Had you heard this whining somewhere before? Was it a wolf cub or maybe a bear? No, it sounded too rough to be either of those.  A cry echoed after a moment of silence and then the whines from before returned shortly after.  
A part of you wanted to forget about it and leave the area immediately.  Something about the way it seemed to bend and mold the air around you with it’s unfamiliar cry made your skin crawl.  However, the bigger part of your heart that knew that the cries you were hearing were cries for help made you think otherwise.  
Rising to your feet, you tucked your basket to your side closer in a pitiful sense of self-comfort as you made your way towards the cries. The trees became less dense and soon you were approaching a small opening.  You could hear the sounds of metal clanking together along with the loud cries and whines.  Perhaps an animal had gotten snagged in a trap?  If that were the case, you wondered if you should free it or not. 
Although you felt bad for the animals in the moment, you knew that they were someone else's food source or something important to help somehow; whether it be a pelt for warmth or their claws for weaponry. You had no right to free an animal that wasn’t your prey- so you decided that if it was an animal you’d leave no matter how much your heart ached.  
When you could see the clearing ahead, you slowed your footsteps and slowly crept up behind a tree to peer around it.  As you did so, your breath caught in your throat as you gasped and slapped a hand over your mouth to keep from choking and making a sound.  You spun around, nearly dropping your basket from your arm as you hid behind the tree you had peered around and pressed your back firmly to it’s trunk. 
Your breath shuttered, shook, halted and repeated.  You couldn’t remember how to breathe properly as you tried to be as quiet as possible.  Around that tree trunk and indeed caught in a metal trap was no animal. 
It was a dragon. 
You racked your brain trying to be reasonable.  Perhaps it was just a trick of the mind? A hallucination? Maybe the leaves you boiled earlier that morning were hallucinogenic and you were simply too careless about what you were brewing in your morning daze? 
You peered one more time around the tree trunk to verify and your entire body ceased up again at the same dragon from the first time you saw it.  You didn’t hide immediately this time.  You stayed hidden, tucked away but examined the situation the best you could; even if every orifice of your body was telling you to run. 
You weren’t too well versed on the dragon race, but this particular dragon you had read about before in a book once- but only briefly.  A wyvern you think it was called. 
The creature was large, as tall as the trees- one not quiet fully grown yet you imagined. Or maybe it was because the creature was folded in on itself, crouched to the ground as it tugged on it’s trapped legs- so it appeared smaller en masse. 
A large bear trap had sunk it’s sharp metal teeth into the scaled leg of the mighty creature.  With nowhere near enough space to try and fly away- trap attached or not- and no room to try and back away, shake it off or even break the chain that held the trap in place, the dragon was ultimately stuck in whining pain. 
It’s scales were that of ashen red; the color of a fine blush, but rough to the texture like brick. It’s arms were large and folded inwards, the talons of one digging into the earth to steady itself and the other crawling at the trap futility. It’s long tail was curled around it’s back and the length of it disappeared behind the tree line where you suspected it was barbed at the end.  It’s head was long, thin and had three horns- one on the end of its nose and two on either side of it’s head. 
Needless to say, it was a wonder to witness.  A dangerous wonder, but a wonder no less. 
Dragons were a very rare sight around human territory.  They hated the human race and for reasons that you couldn’t blame them for.  Years ago, you had read about a war- if you could call it that- that took place between human and dragon.  
The humans in their invincible high from all sorts of discoveries and conquering of other places had decided to set their sights on the dragons.  If they could tame the mighty beasts of the skies and elements and use them as war creatures- the people would reign over all. That’s what they had assumed. 
They had no idea just what they had signed themselves up for when they marched into Dragon Country. The doom that took place was instantaneous for the first brave and foolish group of marchers and it only got worse.
A group of nearly 400 men were slaughtered at the hands of just a few dragons who were the first to be approached as mere animals.  Burned alive, crushed, eaten, slashed into ribbons- the humans stood no chance in hell. 
Then, the dragon’s returned the favor.  If the humans wanted war, so be it.  The dragon race was smart, far smarter than the average genius human being.  With magic on their side along with their mighty strength and numbers, they took to the Humanlands and burned it to the ground. 
This pathetic war lasted no longer than a week and nearly one-third of the human population was blown away from the very beasts they had wanted to tame and use.  
The two had long since left each other alone, no one wanting to repeat the past.  Humans fear dragons due to the stories- that was unavoidable. However, dragons live long and hate even longer.  They can hold a grudge longer than that of a devil or demon.  
That is what shook you to your core as you gazed at this one single dragon caught in the woods of the Humanslands. Why was it so far from Dragon Country? Had it wandered here because of boredom? Perhaps it was banished by the king of dragons you had known about.  Or maybe this dragon was just foolish. You weren’t sure and you less sure if you’d stick around long to find out. 
The creature was a terror and the snarls and whines and cries that came from it were something that would surely haunt you in the middle of the night when you hear the wind howl. Regardless of that however, you felt pity for this dragon.  
As of the moment, it had hurt no one and you had heard no word of any dragon attacks.  It was just stuck, injured and helpless.  Before you could muster up the conscience to quietly leave, you stepped forwards just an inch and knocked a small rock from its place on a tree root.  
The dragon’s head whipped up, it’s sensitive nose finally catching a whiff of a different scent that wasn’t of Woodland descent now that it wasn’t as preoccupied with the stupid bear trap. 
It’s black coal eyes narrowed as it’s mouth opened to show its rows of white fangs that could easily devour you. A violent shiver ran through your entire body as your eyes connected with its own.  You were discovered and there was no going back down. 
Swallowing the lump in your throat felt like a massive stone was lodged inside. You took a few more shaky steps forward, showing your entire body to the beast.  It’s winged arms lifted in defensive as it’s head lowered; it’s chin becoming level with the ground and still growling.  You could see plumes of steam coming from its mouth due to it’s hot breath. 
It was clear this particular creature wanted nothing to do with you- a human- and you couldn’t blame it.  You didn’t want to be here either. This situation could end with you getting killed, but your morality and ability to sympathize with the weak or injured was larger than the risk of your safety. 
Lifting your arms to show you had nothing on you, you started to enter the small clearing.  
“Easy,” you hushed softly as the dragon snapped it’s jaw just one time in warning. You gulped again, daring to take another stupid and foolish step. “I want to help,” you said.  Earning another growl in response didn’t shock you. 
It took several minutes, a handful of snaps to stay away, constant growls and steam filled breaths for you to even get within arms reach of the trap.  You were sure that if you made one wrong move the creature would bite you in half- but you had to take a chance.  
You think the dragon knew this too.  You were the closest thing to an escape it would probably find that wasn’t going to go and tell other humans to capture or kill it. It would cooperate until it was free, you were sure of that- but after? You could only imagine. 
It’s winged arms were around you, shading you from the sunlight that the tree’s didn’t cover as your fingers brushed the cool metal of the trap. As you eyed it you wondered why someone would make such a large trap in the first place.  It seemed far too large and frankly a bit overkill for a just a bear trap.  
You look over your shoulder to see the head of the dragon that was the size of your body staring down at you just above your head. You swallowed for the nth time that morning in nervousness. 
“I’m going to try and release it,” you say. “It’s going to hurt.” 
You carefully pulled the sleeves of your dress up as you curled your fingers around the thick metal teeth.  The scales of the dragon were broken and destroyed as the trap dug into it’s reptilian-like skin. 
Blood had already begun to stain the metal. The trap’s teeth were warm- warmer than the rest of the trap due to the dragon's blood being so much hotter than an average animal or human.  It’s hot, like steamed bathwater, and it steamed the metal to warm your hands almost uncomfortably. 
You took a breath before you started to pull your arms away, fingers aching from pulling on the teeth to try and open the trap.  You had been thankful in the moment that you did indeed chop your own firewood because it built up some bit of muscle in the grand scheme of things.  The trap began to give and slowly creaked open bit by bit.  The dragon’s coal black eyes widened a fraction as it started to wriggle it’s leg. 
“Stop moving,” you hissed instinctively. If it thrashed too much, you could loose your grip and then it would just clamp down on it’s leg again. With a whining and grunting mixture of sounds, you soon pried it open enough to where you were almost certain the creature could free itself.  “Okay,” you huffed in endurance as you held it open, “move!” 
The dragon was quick to rip it’s leg out of the trap and send it, and you, off the ground.  The rapid motion tore you away from the trap, the metal scratching your fingers as you fell to your ass and then onto your back in the dirt as the trap snapped shut again away from you.  It fell to the Woodland floors empty and bloody as you hissed on your back. 
You pain and breathlessness were soon replaced by fear and anxiety when you felt the dragon you had just freed hover over you.  It’s taloned, long, winged arms were on other side of your body and it’s hind legs- one of them being the proffered injured one that still bled over it’s brick colored scales- were perched like it was ready to pounce.  
It’s nostrils were hovering above your chin as it’s eyes bore dangerously into your own.  
This was it.  You were going to die, you were almost certain of it now.  
The dragon huffed as it opened its mouth.  Small licks of fire fanned across it’s tongue in the dark cavern of it’s fang lined mouth and steam pushed from it’s nostrils like a chimney that hadn’t been opened to let out the smoke of the fire in it’s hearth.  
You were petrified, frozen in fear and weren’t even capable of breathing.  All of your senses were focused on the threat of death inches away from you and you knew that no one would know that you died.  No one would find it odd that you weren’t in the village like you were every few weeks or so. They wouldn't find it strange that your cabin was abandoned. And you were certain that they would not conduct a search for you- you didn’t matter to them in the long run. 
You were going to die and you were going to do so alone and your body would stay alone until the earth reclaimed it in it’s soil. 
The dragon only then opened its mouth further, roared into your face and then sprung off you.  It plunged into the tree line, knocking down and busting through the trees and tearing up the soil beneath its claws and talons as it escaped. Running from you and leaving you alive. 
“What,” you breathed as you soon let out a strong, almost painful, burst of air that had been held and contained in your chest.  Your heart beat strong like it would burst straight from your chest into the sky.  You weren’t sure how long you lay in the dirt just trying to regain control of your body that had been previously paralyzed. 
When you did manage to pick yourself up- albeit pathetically- you grabbed your discarded basket once again and rushed home.  
“No more outside,” you declared to yourself in the clearing of trees and the one bloody trap left behind. 
-x-x-x-
Despite the events of the day behind you, once your heart calmed itself and you were able to finally rationally think again instead of assuming you were at death’s door, your mind would flutter back to the dragon and it’s injury. 
As you carried in buckets of water from your well or logs of wood for your fireplace, you worried.  You felt silly worrying over such a mighty and strong being, but you couldn't stop that cloud from covering your mind. You wondered how it was doing or if it made its way out of the Woodlands- only briefly thinking about the damaged and torn or uprooted trees in its wake. 
You went to bed that night far earlier than usual. The blanket of black had not yet completely enveloped the sky of deep orange and red.  However, maybe the early bedtime hadn’t been a bad idea, considering you were awoken in the middle of the night anyway. 
It was a small noise in the distance.  A sound like the padding of paws of a dog running on wood or horse clops on cobblestone.  Small and forgettable, but almost irritating and grinding on the nerves of the listener.  
Crawling out of bed almost at zero energy levels from your previous encounters, you shook your head to try and shake the sleepiness away. Trudging to your door, you cracked it open to try and see if it was some foxes scraping in the glory of midnight or maybe some critter getting into trouble. Instead, when your door opened, the sounds of an eerily familiar growl filtered through the air. 
All tiredness from before flew away as you shut the door harshly and grabbed your cloak to throw over your nightdress. You rushed to your table to grab your glass covered lantern and lit it before blowing out the match and tossing it. Going back to your door you threw it open again and ran out of it.  You didn’t even bother locking it, the key still hanging on it’s key as it flopped against the wall from the air of the forcefully shut door.  
You ran through the woods, trying your best not to trip on any rocks or sticks. You let out an occasional wince from your bare feet scraping too hard on the dirt or catching on the rough end of a stone. You were going down hill when you saw in the shadows a series of trees uprooted or knocked in two with claw marks on the trunks.  
You tried skidding to a stop when the hill started to level out steadily, but there was a fat chance of that happening.  You threw open your arms and snagged a tree trunk to forcefully stop yourself from going further.  Your legs flew out in front of you far too dramatically for a spontaneous run in the woodlands at midnight as your lantern nearly flew out of your grasp.  
You huffed as you heard the same growls you had heard before echo around you.  You could hardly see, but you could tell the outline of the dragon in the darkness.  You looked around as your lantern had lost it’s flame.  
You dug in the pocket you had sewn into your nightdress and struck another match, lighting it again as the fire dimly lit up your face.  You were now fully aware you were seen- even though you knew it already to begin with.  
The dragon had previously been nipping and lapping at it’s wound with it’s split tongue before you had interrupted it’s silence.
“I knew it,” you whispered as you saw the same dragon from before.  You slowly approached it, somehow feeling a little more confident than earlier even though it still growled at you.  “Hey,” you soothe, “you know me. Just let me see,” you said as you walked around it’s curled body to it’s injured leg.  Lifting your lantern up to see better, you weren’t shocked to see the scales still wet with troves of blood.  Just how much blood did dragons have? 
If a human bled this much for this long, you were sure they’d be long dead by now. 
You carefully set your lantern aside and worked around your neck to remove your white cloak from your shoulders. “Hold still,” you instructed as you started to rather sloppily wrap the wound. You couldn’t let it just keep bleeding and it wasn’t like you had anything else to try and wrap it in- you’d just have to sew a new cloak or buy a new one in the village. 
You didn’t even take the time to be shocked that the dragon once again let you do as you pleased in aiding it’s unfortunate situation. In fact, it was silent.  There was no growling or snarling, just the sound of hissing when you brushed against the wound or wrapped your cloak around it too tight. 
When you finished, you almost pouted at the sight of your cloak already starting to dot with the dragon’s hot blood seeping through the fabric.  A loss, yes, but you felt like it was worth it from the relief you felt in your chest at the dragon’s ease of tension. 
“If you stay put,” you started, grabbing your lantern again and looking up at the dark eyes of the dragon you were becoming almost familiar with, “I can come back in the morning with something to help you.” The dragon showed no sign of obeying or denying you and you weren’t going to stick around and press the issue.  
At the end of the day, it could still very well tear you apart. 
You soon left the dragon’s side, the fire of your lantern lighting your way back home. You’d come back just as you said you would and if the dragon was still there, then you’d try and help further so that it can eventually go back home.  Even you knew that it had a home somewhere and you were sure that home was missed to some degree. 
When you returned to your cabin, you breathed a small sigh of relief when you saw that in your haste of not locking your door behind you- no nightcrawler had snuck in and wrecked your home or stole anything.  You walked inside, shutting and tightly locking up behind you as you set your lantern on your table.  
Wincing at your sore feet, you wrapped them in cloth and a paste of herbs you had in a jar to help soothe aches and pain before you tucked yourself back into bed. Hopefully, you could stay asleep until the sun rises this time. 
-x-x-x-
You were pleased to see that when you opened your eyes again, you could hear the birds and see the sunlight of what looked like late morning.  At least you managed to get some decent sleep- although you weren’t all too surprised looking back on the last 24 hours.  A lot had happened and to say it was taxing was an understatement. 
You were slow moving this morning; another thing you weren’t shocked about.  
Trudging around your cabin, you walked around in your nightdress gathering small jars of salves and ointments that could be useful to the dragon in the woods that may or may not still be there with your- no doubt- beyond salvaging cloak. 
When you finally got changed, you threw on a dress of a fairly unflattering shade of brown since you may be kneeling on the ground or thrown into the dirt again from the dragon. You wrapped up a new layer of paste for your still sore feet before pulling them into your boots. You grabbed your basket with your half-hazardly thrown together first aid treatments and left your cabin- actually locking the door this time. 
It was all a blur on what direction you rushed to last night in your sleepy, adrenaline pumped haze, but you were able to clearly see where your footsteps pressed into the soil. Following your own trail, you carefully descended the hill you flew down the night before and when it all leveled out, you smiled at seeing the dragon sleeping peacefully in the same spot you left it.  
“Good,” you breathed happily.  You were glad it stayed put- whether it was because you asked or not didn’t matter.  You would be able to help more now and nothing filled your chest with more glee than being of use to someone, or rather something in this way.  Healing was your passion after all. 
You slowly padded up to the sleeping dragon and decided against working on it while it slept.  It could spring to life and attack you out of instinct for all you knew. You sat a good distance from its body and in view of it’s line sight for when it woke up you wouldn’t be hidden. You sat on the ground, you're back against the trunk of a tree as you started digging around your basket for the folded and wrapped up herbs you had. 
You weren’t sure how long you sat in the tree shaded morning sun plucking, grinding and mixing different herbs together in a cloth draw pouched you had with you. Eventually you started to hear groans from the dragon ahead of you.  You figured that if the first thing the creature sees when waking up was you staring at it, then you’d push away any future idea of treating its leg. So, you kept yourself occupied with your herbs until it made a noise of awareness. 
A handful of minutes pass when you feel a warm wind push towards you. Instinctively, you look up to see the dragon’s dark eyes looking at you. You smile at the mighty beast, the polar opposite of yesterday’s fear stricken paralysis. 
You finished grinding a handful of mint smelling herbs between your palms to sprinkle into an oil you had with you as you swashed it around in it’s cork plugged jar.  It was odd, doing your everyday tasks with a dragon for an audience.  
When you finished, you stood up after placing the jar back under the cloth of your basket and brushed off your dress’s skirt.  You fumbled around to grab the small oval container of salve before you started to approach the dragon. 
It didn’t growl and it didn’t snarl.  It extended it’s winged arms as it’s head dropped to the ground and it’s leg that was wound with your cloak that was now a deep shade of red was pushed out further for you to inspect.  You didn’t want to let it get to your head that maybe, just maybe, this dragon was learning to trust you. 
You knew that dragon’s had to have good instincts, so maybe it just realized that you weren’t a threat. 
You carefully unwound your awfully tied cloak as you tossed it to the ground in a heap. You were glad to see that the hot blood that had been continuously seeping through brick red scales had finally stopped.  You twisted open the container and began to smear the salve over and between the thick scales to the broken skin beneath. 
You had expected them to be cooler to the touch like a lizard’s skin, but the scales and skin of the beast was warm like a freshly doused warm towel. 
The dragon let you work in peace as it watched you without disruptions or growls.  It didn’t even twitch if you touched a particularly pain-sensitive area. 
When you finished, you placed the cap back over the salve and looked up at the dragon to address it. “The bleeding looks to be done, but we should cover it with something.” You looked down at your soiled cloak. “We can’t reuse that, it’s already used and we can’t put dried blood back on a wound.” You started to walk away to your basket to place the salve back and maybe take your cloth in your basket to try and at least tuck it into it’s scales or something when something snagged your dress skirt. 
Yelping, you spun around and took a moment to process that the dragon had moved it’s winged talon to step on your dress to keep you from moving.  Looking up to its face, you saw it looked at you with a calm expression flitting through its eyes and it shook its head.  
“What?” You asked more to yourself than the dragon.  “You don’t want it to be wrapped?” The dragon only moved it’s head back to look at it’s leg before lifting it’s arm back up and freeing you.  You trotted back to the dragon’s leg and squinted at it like he was trying to tell you to. 
You gasped at seeing how the wound already looked way better than it had just twenty minutes ago.  You saw the damaged scales start to repair themselves as the skin below it’s scaled armor pulled itself back together and became covered again. You looked back to the dragon’s face, relief evident in your expression as you breathed out a sigh of happiness with a hand on your chest like a weight had been lifted off you. 
“Oh, thank goodness. I’m glad that the rumors of a dragon’s healing potential are true at least.” You went back to your basket, dropping the container of salve inside as you lifted it back into your arms. “I’m going to be on my way then,” you said. You felt a little bad for leaving so soon, but you had hardly gotten anything down yesterday because of your meeting with the beast, so you were already behind on your own personal tasks.  
You still needed to find some goldenrod and if you were honest, plucking some stuff to replace the amount of salve you used on the dragon’s leg wouldn’t be so bad either.  
As you left into the thick Woodland, you couldn’t help but feel like you were being watched.  You peered over your shoulder several times and from somewhere you could almost tell that the dragon was watching you from beyond the trees.  Dragons had eyesight far stronger than human eyes, so when you felt a stare on your back, you didn’t doubt it. 
It was obvious that it couldn’t travel through the Woodlands like you could without plowing down trees in its wake and it wasn’t exactly spacious enough to spread its wings and take off in this section of the woods. 
When you left a location you could feel the eyes following you and even heard stomping in the distance of the dragon moving so it could keep you in it’s sights.  You wondered briefly why it would be following you around if not for it wanting to eat you, but you just shrugged it off.  
It was just past midday when you had finally started to depart back to your cabin. As you unloaded your basket inside your cabin and began to put everything away, you went back outside to gather a bucket of water from your well and you nearly jumped out of your skin from the sounds rustling behind your home. 
If the glimpse of horns and wings was anything to go by, you knew that the dragon had somehow squeezed around the trees and followed you back to your cabin. Even closer to human territory.  You crept around the cabin and met the dragon face to face for yet another time as you just smiled at it. It seemed relaxed and at ease to your surprise. 
“Are you going to follow me around now?” You playfully asked as all it did was let out a small huff.  “I know you can understand me,” you teased as you looked it up and down.  You felt bad mentally referred to it as ‘it’ all this time, but you had no idea how to tell what this wyvern was.  “If you’re going to follow me around girl-” your sentence was stopped short at a small growl.  You perched your brow up at the dragon as it glared down at you. “Boy?” You corrected as the unpleasant look left his eyes.  
You ticked your head a bit, nodding to yourself.  
“Okay, that settles that.” 
Throughout your day, you had the company of a dragon sitting in your yard watching you work. When you were inside, you kept the front door propped open with a piece of wood at the bottom and the windows were open so the dragon could still see you and you could still talk to him. 
You rambled- a lot.  It felt silly to be having a one-sided conversation with a dragon, but you couldn’t help it.  You didn’t want him to feel left out- as odd as it was to say in terms of the beast- so you talked about a lot of things.  Your hobbies, the process of making an ointment or what herbs to crush and mix with something to get the smell of berries.  How you cooked and what it was; you even offered him a loaf of bread; he denied it (which you were glad for because that would have been an expensive sacrifice). 
“I actually live here alone,” you speak aloud from the inside of your house so he could hear you through the open window his head rested next to on the ground outside.  “I’ve lived here all my life practicing medicine and plants. I take care of myself decently well considering I live in the Woodlands.” You paused, mixing some broth with a pot of steamed vegetables and spices you had been boiling. “My village doesn’t exactly like me or my studies all that much, so my life here works out in the long run.”
You wondered if he found your babbling annoying since he was just stuck listening to you ramble on about whatever came to mind to keep him somewhat entertained. Spilling your life story wasn’t a thrilling tale, but it was a silence filler. You figured he didn’t mind as much as you may think since he stuck around.  
When the day was ending, he made a sound of disgruntled groaning that wasn’t exactly a growl, but a sound of attention. He was apparently announcing his departure.  You waved the dragon off through the open window as he left back into the Woodlands and you assumed that this would be the final time you met him. 
You would be wrong. 
Because that following day as the sun was high at just past midday, there he was again. Steadily, he was visiting you often and he became a normal part of your life.  
-x-x-x- 
“Hey, Suga,” you called when the dragon came into view from your window as you read in the morning light.  You had started calling him by the name weeks ago when you caught him sniffing through your window at whatever you were baking at the time and accidentally sucked a bag of sugar up his nostril.  You would have called him Sugar, but he just growled at the soft sounding name, so removing the R was the best deal you could cut him.  He didn’t indicate what his name actually was, but you couldn’t just keep calling him ‘dragon’ or ‘wyvern’.  
You had some decency. 
You shut your book, setting it in the open window as you got up and made your way out.  The leg that had been injured weeks ago had healed like it wasn’t hurt in the first place.  No scar left behind and no scale left tarnished- it pleased you in all honesty. 
Walking to him, he lowered his head to the ground with a small sigh through his nostrils as you brought you hand to run along the scales of his nose and head.  It was like having a giant lizard fawn over your touch- or rather that was exactly what it was. 
“Good morning, I haven’t seen you in a few days. Did you have a safe trip?” You asked as he just let out a small swooned dragon sound.  You had gotten good at deciphering what his sounds and noises meant to a certain degree.  
You had noted that every so often he would disappear for days on end and then return- be it a few days to a week or more later.  He would travel to Dragon Country and then return to check and visit with you, or so you highly assumed. You knew that was his country and his home, so it was no shock to you that he went back. The shock was that he kept coming back to your cabin in the Woodlands. 
You had read dragons were loyal, but this was astonishing.  If regular visits with a mighty dragon was your reward for treating and freeing him from a trap, you had no regrets in doing so.  
You stopped your ministrations on his head as you turned to go check off whatever chore you had left to do this morning off your to-do list when you felt his nose push into your back.  Shoving you playfully forwards, you stumbled on your feet as you turned around with a playful smile and lifted brows. 
“Oh you wanna play that way, huh?” You riled as he just huffed steam into your face.  Your hair and dress whipped behind you as you just scoffed and jumped at him.  The dragon shot to it’s legs and winged talons, skillfully dodging your puny, human lunges.  
When you snagged your foot on your dress skirt and was ready to take a tumbling, ungraceful fall to eat dirt, his nose shot under you and caught you before you even made it close to the ground.  Hooking your wasit with his horn, he nudged you back up to your feet as you just laughed at him and stroked his nose once again in gleeful thanks.  
Suga almost purred- if dragon’s could ever.
As you spent your day with your companion, the sky started to tell you that night was coming and Suga’s departure once again was near.  You were out in the yard, sitting on the grass with your basket beside you and all sorts of herbs, a grinding stone and jars and jugs to mix and create with.  Suga lay behind you, curled around you like a protective wall, lazing away silently, but not sleeping.  Just relaxed.  
“Will you be back tomorrow?” You asked as you sprinkled some flower petals into a bottle of clear oil. He whined- a signal for no.  “Going back to Dragon Country already, huh?” He huffed in agreeance as you chuckled.  He sounded so sulky.  “Will you be gone for a while this time?” He made no noise, but his head moved to affirm a yes.  Another handful of quiet, dragonless days were in your future it seemed. “Well, be safe on your way. Watch out for traps,” you teased as he moved his body back just a bit for you to teeter backward from where you were leaning against him. 
When he left you that night, his nose pressed against your torso as your arms wrapped around it in farewell.  He had only started doing that recently- after his last trip back to Dragon Country in fact.  
You always felt a little bit colder when he left you like that. 
Four days passed and on the morning of the fifth, you had walked out of your house early in the morning with a freshly sown cloak of brick red and an empty basket.  You dreaded going into the village for a great many reasons.  But you simply couldn’t push it off any further and you needed things that only the merchants and shops in town would have.  
It helped that when strangers would come into the woodlands and see your house, they would almost always knock on your door from curiosity and you’d always take any chance to sell something of your creation for a decent amount.  
Locking your cabin door, you started your trip. You sighed. Hopefully, you’d be able to get into town and then get out just as quickly. 
Suga had returned that day as he approached your cabin.  He heard nothing inside and saw no sign of you around.  Peering into our windows, you weren’t inside from what he could tell and he pouted at not seeing you.  He lay at the side of your cabin, his head lay by your front door as he waited for you to come back.  
A few hours passed and his ears picked up on the sound of your footsteps- he had familiarized himself with the sound and weight you put into your steps- as his eyes opened ready to greet you.  However, a growl slipped past his fangs as he saw you come from the dirt trail between the trees that lead further out of the Woodlands. 
You were shocked to see him back so soon as you wiped some sweat off your brow.  Sweat that was mixed with dirt and the smallest dried patch of blood. 
You had forgotten that Suga had never seen you go into and back from your village before, so the growl pulled from his throat made you shiver.  Your forehead had a small cut about the length of your knuckle and your lip had a split in it.  Your dress had grass strains in the knees and up the side of it as specks of dirt spotted your face and neck. 
You walked to your door, setting your basket down with a cloth over it, the items you had gotten covered as you walked to Suga and placed your hand on the horn at the end of his scaled nose.  
“What is it?” You ask, oblivious that it was your current state of disarray that made him fume with unease. He pulled his horn from your palm as he moved to nuzzle his nose into your torso. You stretched your arm to stroke under his eye as you soothed him.  “Suga?” It wasn’t until he refused to move that you realized he was wondering if you were well and then you realized. “Oh,” you breathed, “I’m alright.” 
He finally moved away from you and stared at you.  You moved to pat his horn once before your fingers went under his scaled chin to lazily rub there.  He almost hummed at the actions as you smiled with your split lip.  
“This happens every time I go down to the village. Don’t worry too much, Scaly Hide.” As you soothed him, you weren’t completely aware of just how your injures made his dragon blood boil hotter than usual.  You had been nothing but kind and vulnerable and truthful to him- a dragon- for no other reason than that’s just who you were as a person.  Seeing you all cut up because of others? He found it absolutely preposterous. 
As you rubbed beneath his chin, you started talking again.  Your voice taking on a small wave of emotion he hadn’t heard from you before. 
“I’m almost jealous of you,” you told him.  His barbed tail twitched at your words. “I don’t know what the world of dragons is like, so I can’t say whether or not you understand the scorn of others. The prospect of you not having to deal with other humans though is one to be envious of.” Your eyes had a far off look of sadness that riddled his scaled body with pain. 
He pulled his head from your hand and moved to nudge it behind you. He pushed your body against the giant wall of scales that is his own body as you started laughing at him.  It wasn’t hard to understand an awkward attempt of a dragon wanting to console you. You raised your arms, reaching around what you could as you hugged his neck while his head stayed pushed against your back over your shoulder.  
Suga didn’t understand how humans could do this to others of the same race.  Dragon’s weren’t just comrades in arms in battle, but they were kin.  They were branches of family, dear friends and reliant to each other in a way that didn’t just revolve around war and destruction. Of course, his race wasn’t perfect either with the occasional rouge or traitorous dragon, but those specific turncoats were always taken care of. 
He couldn’t understand why humans hurt you, and he didn’t want to understand why. He just wanted it to stop. 
When you finally stepped away from him and got back into his line of sight in front of him the look on your face made him feel better.  It looked like you were already recovering from all the bad emotions that plagued you earlier.  He blew a small huff of steam into your face playfully as you swatted at his horn. 
“I’ve been curious,” you started, “I read once that dragons have large quantities of magic and even have a second form they can change into.  A human form that is different with each species.  Do you have one?” His chin dipped as he let out a noise of confirmation.  He did have one, though it had been years, maybe even centuries since he last changed into it. He didn’t even remember what it looked like anymore- he had forgotten about it truthfully.  
Your eyes light up in excitement at the discovery.  
“You do! That’s so cool!” Your over-excitement almost startled the poor beast. You let out a small sigh of contentment as you turned back to head inside and put your things away and to wash off the grime of your injuries.  “I kind of want to see what it looks like,” you mutter, unable to realize that your thoughts slipped out in the form of words that were just loud enough for the dragon to hear. 
Suga was quiet as he stood guard outside your home for the rest of the afternoon. The only time you left was when you went down to the small lake nearby and washed up. He was a distance away to keep anything or anyone else from intruding on your privacy.  He seemed tense, but also not- even if it didn’t make sense.  You tried asking him what was wrong with him, but he just nuzzled his head into your chest without a sound.  
When you told him goodnight he left in the same silence he had been sitting in all day.  It took a little longer for you to go to sleep because of your worry. 
The next morning, you woke up and did what you always did.  Same old routine with the label of a different day. Though, when you left your home to go and grab a few pieces of cut up wood for your fireplace, you stopped short.  Outside your door, sleeping against the side of your house on the ground was a man. 
You hadn’t seen this man before in your life and you were shocked speechless as you looked him over.  He was dressed oddly, far different than the men in your village dressed. 
His body was lean and covered in small scars around his chest, as shown from the absences of a shirt.  A long, black cape hung at his back that he used to lounge on instead of the hard, dirt ground as the collar of it was covered in fur that covered his shoulders and brushed against his chin.  His pants were brown and baggy that wrapped around his ankles and displayed his bare feet that were no doubt covered in calluses.  Red gauntlets ran from his wrists to his elbows on both arms that were crossed against his bare chest.  
You were hesitant to wake him up, but this was your cabin and it was early in the morning.  If Suga came by to see another man here, he could get defensive and that was a scenario you really didn’t want to witness. 
You knelt at his side, the door to your cabin still open behind you just in case he was hostile and you had to retreat back inside in a rush.  You reached out and grabbed his shoulder- his skin was hot. You shook him once- nothing.  
“Excuse me?” You squeaked as you shook him again.  He groaned as his head nodded off to the side before his chin dipped and you saw his brows moving underneath the fridge of his black hair. You retracted your hand when you felt his shoulders move up and heard him take in a breath of awakening.  “Sir, are you alright?” 
Lifting his head, his eye were narrow and dazed in sleep as he looked up at you. They were beautiful.  They were dark, black and shining like obsidian jewels.  They were... familiar? You squinted at him as he opened his mouth. 
“Oh,” he lazily breathed out. His voice felt like a breeze of summer wind. “You finally woke up,” he told you as you just started inquisitively at him.  
“Isn’t that my line,” you quipped back.  “Do I,” you hesitated, “have we met before?” He didn’t answer you as he just sat up straighter and raised his hand to your face.  His warm hand ran along your jaw to your lip where he pushed against the scabbed over split in it.  You flinched away from his touch as you backed away from him, your eyes locked onto his without any will power to break the contact. 
“You said you wanted to see what my human form was like,” he point forwardly told you.  You looked him over one more time before returning to his eyes.  So that’s why they looked so familiar. 
“Suga?” You asked with a pitched voice.  
“My name is actually, Yoongi,” he smirked as an unfamiliar heat rose in your cheeks.  
-x-x-x-
Yoongi’s visits continued and he often stayed in his human form around you now. He would waltz into your home with you and even started helping you with chores around the cabin.  He’s taken to splitting your firewood (although he wouldn’t use your hatchet, he’d just rip the logs in half), and would carry things for you when you were moving to and fro. He’d watch you cook and learn if you offered to teach him something. 
You had to admit that having him walking and working around with you as a human instead of a wyvern was a lot more convenient. Plus, this way he was able to have actual conversations with you.  
The season’s started to change and the cool breath of autumn began to creep into the air. You would often wonder if Yoongi would stop coming to visit when the temperature drops.  
“Yoongi?” You called as he sat in the middle of your floor in front of the burning fire.  It was late in the afternoon as you were cooped up inside away from the chilly air.  He turned to look over his shoulder at you over his fur lined cape collar.  
“Hmm?” 
“When winter comes, will you still visit me?” You asked as you took a drink from your warm tea before setting it back down on the table with the book you had been reading before.  “I mean, you’re still technically a reptile in basic regards, so you must not like the cold that much.” 
“It’s true that I don't like the cold,” he said, “I hate it.  It makes my scales rough and then that makes it tough to move around.” You let out a small, nearly silent sigh.  “However, if you get lonely, I’ll still come see you.” You looked back at him as he was staring at you completely serious.  
The conversation died after that, you not having the heart to ask him to keep visiting. You couldn’t ask that of him if he disliked the cold that much.  Surely, you’d be okay without him by your side for a few months, right? Besides, you still had until the first snow to spend with him, autumn had just started after all. 
Another week passed and you had once more traveled into the village for some items you needed that you had run out of.  It was no shock seeing a trip to the village so soon after the last considering you had been feeding and caring for Yoongi when he came to your cabin. Supplies run a lot faster on two figures instead of just one.
Yoongi had been gone the last couple days, so you assumed he’d be popping by anytime now so you went as soon as you could.  To your misfortune, when you returned once again roughed up, Yoongi was sitting in front of your cabin door waiting for you.  You had half a mind to sneak in through your bedroom window and avoid him for a bit before you let him in to avoid him seeing your freshly beat body. 
Though, you spent just enough time in mental turmoil that he had seen you already. 
He jumped to his feet, his face an expression of shock as he ran to meet you half way as you walked to your cabin.  You greeted him with a smile just as you always did.  
“Good-”
“Hush,” he shushed you as he quickly took the basket from your arms and set it on the ground at your feet.  He took your chin between his fingers and started tilting and moving your head around in different angles looking you over.  Your cheeks flushed as he stared intently at you.  You knew it was just an inspection of your wounds, but it still made your heart pound in your chest.  “They hit you again,” he growled.  
“Yoongi, it’s alright.” 
“No,” he seethed, “it is not.” You swore you started to see small wisps of smoke seep from his nose as he breathed steam.  He must be really angry, you though.  “They cannot just keep treating you like this just because you’re you.” The hand that held your chin moved to rest on your cheek before gliding up to your forehead- pushing your hair back as his hand moved to rest on the back of your head.  “Human’s really are cruel,” he whispered.  
You couldn't argue with that. 
“I’m already used to their treatment,” you attempt to sooth. The physical pain may still occur with each lashing, but you had long since grown emotionally distant from them.  They couldn’t break you any further. 
“You shouldn’t be. You should be treated with respect and kindness.” 
“Like how you treat me,” you teased, trying to lighten the mood.  Yoongi paused, his hand coming down to rest on the crook of your neck, his long nails running over your pulse point as his eye softened.  
“No,” he whispered.  “I’m the only one who can treat you this way.” 
“What?” You were confused. He treated you exceedingly well and he wanted other people to treat you better too, but not like him? “That doesn’t make much sense, Yoongi.” 
“It does to me.” 
“Well, then the argument is officially over, huh?” You chuckled as he brought his hand off you and reached for your basket.  He let a smirk grace his lips as he turned and led you back to your cabin so he could help you clean your injuries. 
As he helped treat and dress your wounds and even helped you make the daily meals, he would nit pick about you going into town.  He offered to start going with you, or at least waiting on the edge of the village so he wouldn’t make a fuss in human society with his less than human approach to things, but you denied him.  
He wanted to argue with you, to let him do as he wanted, but you just told him that you usually only went on days he wasn’t with you.  It was never planned, but things just always seemed to fall in that manner.  
In the end, he yielded on the subject; however, before he left that night, he presented you with something.  A flower-sized, brick red scale.  He placed it in your palm before he left you. 
“If something ever happens, you use that scale and call for me. I’ll come flying over as quickly as I can.” You laughed at his over protectiveness.  Dragon Country was miles off from here, so it would take him more than a handful of minutes to get to your cabin depending on where in the world of his kind he was at in the given situation.  You accepted the scale nonetheless, grateful for his tender gesture.  
Everything seemed fine again for time, until Yoongi came to your cabin and saw you prepping to go into the village yet again one morning.  He scowled as he watched you pull your red cloak over your shoulders and grab your basket as you pulled on your boots.  He hid behind the wall of your home as you locked the door and were on your way. 
Yoongi didn’t want you to know he was there following you.  He stayed behind you as you walked the Woodlands trail back to society and the entire way he pouted that you had once again not told him you were going.  
He stood on the outskirts of the village that brought you harm, sitting high up in a treetop to avoid being seen. He knew going into the village after you would get him caught and he knew that if someone even looked at you strangely, he’d probably snap. 
He sat there for a while, just waiting and watching until you finally showed up again, ready to head back home.  His back straightened as he almost smiled seeing you unharmed. He was going to jump down and greet you, fess up that he had followed you and let you scold him as he walked you back home, but before he could even begin moving, he stiffened. 
Knelt on the tree branch he hid behind the brown, red and yellow leaves that hadn’t fallen to the ground and the black of his cape as a group of boys not much older than yourself ran up behind you.  You were just at the tree line of the Woodlands when they had taken your basket from you and shoved you from behind, making you fall to your knees with a cry. 
He was technically in Woodland territory, he had no problem showing himself outside of your village.  
As you rolled onto your back, ready to shove your way to your basket and scurry away just as you had a million times before, something fell from the treetops behind you.  Twisting your body, you only saw a blur shoot past you before one of the three boys was on his ass in the dirt groaning.  
Turning back to your front, your mouth dropped open.  
“Yoongi?!” One boy had helped the other off the ground as the last was squaring up to start a scrap with this random guy who had popped out of the Woodlands.  You wanted to shoot up and tell them to stop it and leave Yoongi alone, but they froze before you could even warn them.  
The three of them swallowed as they started taking small steps backward in retreat.  
Yoongi had tensed his whole body, fingers curled with his claws out.  His face had scales trailing from his cheekbones to his chin as his eyes seeped with complete blackness.  It was like his hair was standing on end as he snarled and raised his lips to bare his fangs at the offenders.  He was daring them to try him.  
Anyone with two eyes, even one eye, could clearly see this man was a dragon and nothing short of a fierce one who didn’t know how to stand down.  Not willing to pick a fight with a being of that caliber and not being properly prepared to boot, the trio turned tail and ran back into the village.  
It was deathly silent as they retreated and Yoongi’s body seemed to relax as you started at his back. His still shoulders went slack as his squared and ready to pounce stance calmed and straightened back out.  His hair settled and the small growls you had heard before disappeared.  
“Uh, Yoongi?” You call softly, not knowing if he was going to whip around and start yelling at you or not.  
He did not.  
He calmly walked to the basket they had taken from you, picking it up and walked back to your side.  He set it down before he grabbed your arms gently and started to pull you off the ground.  Once you stood on your feet, he straightened out your cloak as you brushed off your dress skirt.  
“What are you doing out here?” You asked him, but he didn’t answer you. He just placed his hand on the small of your back, turning you around before he gently pushed you forward to start you off back into the Woodlands and back to your cabin.  
No matter how you tried to talk to him, he never answered the entire trip.  He was completely silent and he didn’t give you any facial ques on what his problem was either.  He stayed quiet, a still canvas  all the way into your cabin where he sat your basket on your table then sat himself in front of your fireplace that wasn’t even lit yet.  It was like the might dragon was pouting.
“Yoongi, please just come over here,” you plead.  You walk behind him as you see his shoulders slump in a silent sigh before he’s standing in front of you again.  He turns and looks down at you and instead of an angry look in his eyes like you were expecting, you see them shine with unshed tears. “Yoongi-” 
He pushes the words from your throat out of you as he wraps his arms around your shoulders and pushes you face into his warm, bare chest.  He lets out a small, shaky breath as his hold tightens around you.  The hand on the back of your head holding you to him felt desperate and sad. You reach around him and snag you hands on the inside of his fur lined cape behind his back. 
“I was worried about you,” he all but whimpers.  “I know I shouldn’t have followed you, but you didn’t tell me that you were going to that village again and I just couldn’t stop myself.  I was so relieved to see you unharmed as you were leaving, but then those scumbags,” he cut himself off with a harsh breath.  “Does that really always happen to you?” 
You nod and give a weak ‘yes’ in reply.  
“No more,” he tells you. “I won’t let it happen anymore. I’ll keep you safe and I’ll protect you from them.  Even when winter comes, I won’t stop visiting you. I’ll keep coming back, I promise.” You wanted to deny him, tell him not to worry about it since he can’t stand the cold.  But, you felt selfish and you wanted him to keep coming back.  You wanted him to dote on you and to keep you safe like he says. 
“I’ll be relying on you then,” was all you told him. When the moment is past, you pull away from his warm chest to look up at him with a playful grin. “You’re pretty pushy when it comes to my safety, it’s almost cute.” 
He shoves you at your jest as he tells you to sit down and go unpack your things.  He plops himself back in front of the fireplace, huffing a ball of fire to get it going in a hurry.  You weren’t sure if it was the light from the fire or not that painted his cheeks pink. 
-x-x-x-
You went without village harm for a month now.  Just as he said, Yoongi was at your side at least every other day instead of a few days away at a time.  He’d always ask if you were alright or anyone had given you any trouble. He knew when you were lying, he had gotten good at telling apart your quirks, so when you told him you were alright he was always relieved. 
The weather kept getting colder and you kept getting more concerned about Yoongi’s choice to go against the cold to come see you as often as possible.  You always thought about how to tell him to not come after the first winter snow to help his overall health; you just had to figure out a way to phrase it so that he’d actually listen. 
It was one of those nights where you hadn’t gotten to sleep very early with your thoughts, and you had just drifted to sleep.  You were somewhere between unconscious, yet aware as you briefly heard something in the distance.  You weren’t awake enough to care and you weren’t aware enough to think it was something other than the nighttime animals. 
A handful of minutes pass when you’re suddenly ripped from your sleep just as you were equally ripped from your bed.  A grip on the back of your nightdress yanked you from your side sleeping position and pulled the fabric against your neck as you choked out a surprised gasp. 
You kicked your legs in panic, your blanket hitting the floor of your room as you were pulled off your mattress and onto the floor.  Hands grasped your biceps and began to drag you backward. You finally found your voice in the form of small screams and protests. You stumbled from the balls of your feet to your heels as you were pulled backward through your cabin before you were through the front door and on the ground. 
Laying in the dirt and covered in goosebumps from the cold night air, you rolled to your back and propped yourself up with your elbows to see who just evicted you from your home.  You shouldn’t have been shocked to see a band of men from the village, yet you were. You instantly started trying to scoot backward on your elbows and heels.
They were covered in furs and boots with torches in hand to light their way through the darkness.  You looked at them in fear and confusion.  What were they doing this far from the village and why were they here at all? 
“What are you doing?!” You scream, your heels kicked into the dirt as your nails dig into the earth trying to back you away from one oncoming man, a blond one. You squirmed as one of his feet kicked at your wrist and pushed your back to the ground as he grabbed you by the collar of your nightdress.  You whined, grabbing his wrist as you grimaced with squeezed shut eyes.  
“You witch,” he accused as you peeked open your eyes. “We’ve let you live close to us, but you’ve gone and made a pact with a demon- a dragon!” Your eyes widened.  Is this because Yoongi just popped out of nowhere a month ago when he followed you? 
“You’re wrong!” You denied.  You had no pact with him.  He was just- you paused mentally. Was Yoongi a friend to you? You had been unconsciously thinking that for several weeks, but saying that out loud and admitting it to yourself as well as someone else- friendship didn’t feel like it did it justice.  Was the connection you had with the dragon you saved from that trap- the same dragon who snarled in your face and decided not to kill you all those weeks ago- really just a friend?  You swallowed.  
Your breath lurched in your throat when the grip of your collar was released in turn for the hand to now encase around your throat fully.  You gagged for a moment as the blond’s nails burned against your skin.  
“Ransack the place!” The man who held your throat shouted over his shoulder.  The two other men with him ran into your cabin and your squeezed shut eyes opened.  You shoved the man’s hand off you, your neck burning as you pushed against his chest.  He fell on the dirt as he groaned. 
“Don’t! Leave my cabin alone!” You cried as you scurried to your feet.  You didn’t get far before your ankle was grabbed and your leg yanked back.  You tumbled ungracefully onto your chest, your nightdress riding up your legs and bum as you felt a weight on your back.  The blond was sitting on you as you kicked.  He held one of your arms behind your back and his other hand pushed your cheek into the dirt, holding your head down.  “Stop it!” You cried into the earth as you heard sounds of destruction in your home.
Glass being thrown to the ground and broken, your shelves being pulled from the wall.  You heard doors of cabinets opening and slamming shut after everything was pulled from them.  The distant sounds of mess told you they were evening throwing things around in your room.  You weren’t sure what they were looking for- evidence? But for what? Your connection with Yoongi to use against you?
“Hey!” One called from inside.  “I found something!”  Footsteps came back outside and stopped above your head.  You were yanked up to sit on your knees- nightdress dirty and covered in small tears and frays of fabric- as the blond behind you snagged a hand in your hair pulling your head to look up.  You winced as your eyes instinctively shut in pain before your chin was grabbed in a new hand.  
A man stood in front of you, brown hair and accusatory eyes. In front of you, he dangled the scale of Yoongi’s he had given you that you had placed inside of a glass locket to keep it safe. You jolted in the blond’s grip, ripping your chin from the brunettes touch. 
“Don’t touch that!” You screamed. The blond restrained you tighter.  “Stop! That hurts!”  You felt tears prick at the corners of your eyes. 
You weren’t sure how long those men kept you outside your home as they continued to trash it. You were less sure how long you were out in the cold, pinned to the ground and jerked around like a toddlers ragdoll.  
Stomps to your legs to keep you from crawling or getting up and away.  Jabs to the stomach to subdue you just long enough to restraining you as you tried to get your breath back.  Knocks to the head to try and knock you out as you kept on fighting back.  The cold was starting to get to you, your fingers and toes going numb.  Scraps on your knees and elbows from the cold, autumn chilled dirt.  
You were on your back on the ground, the same blond over your, pushing your face down as your arms were trapped under his knees that pinned you on either side.  
You were close to giving up.  You were going to lose your home- you expected them to set it on fire- and you were going to no doubt end up losing your life if this kept up.  Would they take you back to the village and execute you?  Tears trailed down the side of your face as you chewed on your lip. 
This wasn’t fair.  
“Yoongi,” you whimpered as your palms pushed into the earth, the dirt and rocks pushing into your skin just painful enough to keep you conscious.  
It seemed instantaneous to you. It felt like a whirlwind just formed at the center of your small world as the gusts of wind blew around you.  The man above you was blown off as he rolled in the dirt away from your tired, weak, and beaten body.  Whimpers of terror rang in your ears from the other men as growling accompanied those whimpers. 
Stomping and rushes of heat surrounded you with ignited sparks in the night sky.  You managed to push yourself over to weakly roll onto your side and twist onto your stomach to look up at exactly what was happening.  You didn’t see anything in front of you other than your cabin and the three men all on the ground cowering from the sight of something. 
Your dazed eyes narrowed before you heard another growl and the feeling of something massive standing over you.  Coming to a stomping halt at either side of you with distance to spare and to not make you feel suffocated, your eyes widened.  You felt more awake now than the rest of the evening.  
Twisting to look up, you were met with the mighty, giant form of the wyvern you had freed from the metal trap of men.  Snarling with bared fangs and small puffs of fire on his tongue, Yoongi stood over you protectively.  
Tears ran down your shocked face without your control at seeing him really showing up at your side when you truly, desperately needed him with you. You felt weak, but before your body could slump onto the ground, something grabbed you.  
Another new body had looped their arms under yours to keep your chest off the ground and held you to them.  You didn't recognize this person as you looked up at them.  Another man, but this seemed far more mystic.  
Snow white eyes with no iris or pupils to sit in their seas of white.  Illuminated scales of white shone on their cheeks and their ears were pointed and finned.  Hair as silver as the moon and skin as tanned as cooper.  Was this another dragon?  You couldn’t tell anymore; all you knew was that you felt safe in this person’s arms with Yoongi above you. 
You slumped against them, your consciousness finally starting to fade on you with the adrenaline running low now that you felt a sense of safety.  You couldn’t lose it yet, however; you had to calm Yoongi down.  The men had stopped their attack in fear, so Yoongi didn’t need to instigate further. 
“Yoongi,” you called weakly against the second dragon’s chest.  “Don’t,” you pleaded.  There was a small hush before the wind picked up and the stomping that was present before was replaced with harsh footsteps. Yoongi had reverted back to human form as he ran at the blond man who had previously held you down. 
Yoongi’s long claws tore and pierced through the shirt fabric of the blond’s collar as he brought him up to his nose, snarling down at him.  His fists shook in rage as his body trembled with restraint in your presence.  Had you not been there, he was certain he would have killed all three of them without hesitation. 
He picked the blond off the ground just enough to make his toes leave the grass as he threw him at the other two. He huffed, steam blowing out of his nose as his face remained angry. 
“You ever come back here and I, as Y/n’s personal dragon, will tear you apart,” he threatened.  “Now, leave!” He roared as the three men scrambled embarrassingly to their feet and down the trail back to whatever hole they crawled out of. 
Yoongi huffed, breathless as he quickly heard your whimpers behind him.  He spun around, rushing back to your side as he knelt on the ground beside you and took you from the other dragon’s grasp.  He ran the back of his fingers along your cheek as you saw him.  His calm, worried face brought you a sense of peace as you knew the trouble had left.  
“Rest,” he whispered as you finally lost yourself to the unconsciousness that had been choking you around the throat.  
-x-x-x-
You groaned slightly as your eyes cracked open. You were on your back as your lidded eyes were blurred staring up at the ceiling of your room.  You were in a haze as you looked into nowhere.  Thoughts were muddled in your head as you were aware of nothing for a handful of minutes, still high from sleep and drowsiness.  
The sun shone through your open window as you heard the birds outside sing.  It was bright- far brighter than you were used to waking up to.  
It all came back to you all at once like a punch to the jaw.  Memories of being dragged out of your bed, your home, to outside and pummeled until you were weak in the dirt as your home was broken into and wrecked.  
Your arms shot up from under your blanket as they threw the covers off and you sat up straight as a rob.  You sucked in a deep breath that hitched in your throat from the sudden movement that clouded you with a wave of dizziness.  
Your palm moved to push into your forehead as your eyes squeezed shut and you hissed.  Cracking them open, you felt something burn into your side like someone staring at you.  Looking beside your bed, you weren’t wrong.  
Sat on a stool beside your bedroom door was that same unfamiliar dragon with snow white eyes from the night before. You stared back at the unmoving dragon.  Was he… sleeping?  His eyes were open, but his arms that were crossed didn’t even twitch and his body was still as a corpse.  He sat straight up and showed no signs of movement.  
Did some dragon’s sleep with their eyes open? Yoongi didn’t, but maybe other breeds did. 
“It is a relief to see you’ve awakened,” he suddenly spoke.  You squeaked in shock, not expecting him to do- much less say- anything. “It has been a handful of hours since you lost consciousness.”
You looked away from him as you looked down at your lap.  You scrunch your blanket in your palms, the same palms that you were finally starting to feel the stinging sensation of when you were thrown to the dirt.  The small cuts and scrapes on your knees and legs and arms all started to tingle with an indescribably unpleasant feeling.  
“So, that wasn’t just a nightmare after all,” you sulked to yourself.  
“It seems that Sire holds a great deal of worry about your condition.” 
Your brows drew close together in confusion.  
“Excuse me?” You asked, confusion painting around your eyes.  This dragon with no expression and no irises with the pure white eyes just stared at you. “Sire? Who are you talking about? No,” you cut yourself off, shaking your head. “Who are you?” You re-ask, wanting to know this stranger dragon first.  He was just sitting in your room watching over you, you figured an introduction wasn’t out of the question. 
The dragon brought a webbed hand up to their chest, lowering their head to you in a small bow.  You recoiled at such an action.  No one had bowed to you before in your life- that was reserved for royals and people of importance. Not someone like you, a Woodlands hermit. The action made a blush fan across your cheeks in embarrassment. 
“I am Navia. I work under Sire as the leader of the Dragon Guard of His Majesties palace.  I apologize for not introducing myself earlier. It is a pleasure, My Lady.” His voice was smooth like the surface of a peaceful lake surrounded by nature.  His usage of honorifics only made the embarrassing red cheeks of yours darken. 
“Y-you don’t need to address me like that!” You sputtered as you twisted on your bed to slide your legs out of your covers and hang them over the bedside.  “Just Y/n, is fine. I don’t need any titles,” your voice wavered in embarrassment as the white eyes of Navia returned to you. 
“I do not know if I will be able to address you so casually. It may displease him.” 
“You keep mentioning someone; Sire? Who is that exactly?” Navia never got a chance to answer when their was three knocks on your bedroom door before it was opened.  The redness in your cheeks was broken and a smile pulled on your lips on seeing Yoongi in your doorway.  “Yoongi!” You happily called as he quickly made his way to your bed, kneeling in front of you taking your hands into his own. 
“How long have you been awake? Are you in pain?” 
“I haven’t been up long, I was just talking to Navia and introducing ourselves. I don’t feel particularly good, but I don’t feel particularly bad either. Though, I feel better than I did if that’s anything to be accounted for.”
Yoongi’s eyes softened at your smile. You talked so easily and so soon after you were attacked so brutally.  He wondered where you found the strength to do so.  If he was in your position he’d be a pot of boiling rage, but he didn’t sense anything like that from you.  Yet, instead he could see the sorrow behind your eyes. 
“Navia,” he spoke as the dragon behind him stood at the call of his name. “Give us a moment,” Yoongi’s voice was stern with instruction. 
“As you wish, Sire.” You looked at Navia as he left. You looked back down to Yoongi who was already looking at you as if you were the only thing he wanted to look at for the remainder of his life.  
“Sire? So, he’s been talking about you?” You quirked your brow as Yoongi’s hand left yours and moved to cup around your cheek.  “Yoongi?” 
“There is a lot I haven’t told you and there are a lot of things we need to talk about. I didn't mean to lie- to keep it from you, but I just never had the chance to bring it up. Things about me I’ve kept from you.” You remained silent as he spoke no more.  You both sat in silence for a while as you gathered your bearing.  
Yoongi had taken to tending to you.  You showed him once how to properly wrap bandages around wounds, and so he did.  He wrapped any wound that seemed painful (which was many to his eyes) before he was helping you off your bed. 
“Yoongi, I’m not so hurt I can’t walk myself,” you chuckled as he wrapped his arm around your back to support you.  One of your arms clutched at the cape behind him as the other supported your balance on his chest.  He held you to his side as he was careful not to rush his steps and trip you up. 
“Still, you’re in no condition to be completely independent right now. Allow me to help you.” You almost scoffed at his aid as if you weren’t able to handle yourself, but you did appreciate it- especially when he didn’t need to offer such kindness.  
As he helped you out of your room, you were shocked to see not a trashed cabin like you expected, but it was almost completely clean aside from the broken cabinet doors that sat against the wall in a pile.  Whatever would have been broken was picked up and things were on the counter and on the table out of the way and where they belonged.  A fire was even lit in the hearth of the fireplace.  
You looked up to Yoongi. Did he clean it up? He helped you to the table where he sat you down on the chair by the window where you would normally drink something warm.  You felt a little bad you hadn’t set out a plate of feed for the birds and critters today- but allowed yourself a pass considering your situation. 
Navia was sitting by the fireplace as he watched the two of you.  Yoongi moved to sit on the table’s edge- as unmanneristic as it was, it somehow suited him.  He was in front of you against the wooden table, his fingers brushing along your cheek that had a patch over it to cover your cuts. 
“Where would you like me to start, Scale?” He asked you. Your face deepened when he addressed you like that.  Was that his form of a nickname? You shook the thought away as you opened your mouth. 
“My cabin, I guess?” You realize you didn’t give him much of a specific answer. “I mean, I was expecting it to be a nightmare, but it’s so clean?” 
“That is because I cleaned it up,” he softly told you with a small smile.  So, you were right.  “The times I have been here, I was familiar with the placements of most of your belongings.  Others I admit I guessed, but I couldn’t leave it like it was.  You have enough to worry about.” 
“Well, thank you for that,” you graciously tell him.  
“It was nothing.” You spent a good portion of that day talking to Yoongi where you were.  If you wanted to get up and move to take a break from the flood of answers to any question you had, he would help.  Navia would walk around and do small chores for you if you were kind enough to ask- or have Yoongi tell him to. The tanned dragon was awfully obedient, yet kind to a fault it seemed. 
The shortened days of winter were showing as the sky started to progressively darken.  You watched it from the window of the cabin you had been in all day.  It had been a long time since you spent all your time inside without much of anything to do. It was relaxing even if under unpleasant circumstances.  
Yoongi had handed you a mug of something warm for your throat as you thanked him and took small, cautious sips due to its heat.  Yoongi watched you as you watched outside, the occasional chuckles slipping past your lips when you saw birds or squirrels chase each other around. 
“Y/n,” Yoongi called as Navia had taken his place back by the fireplace.  He was, unsurprisingly, not fond of the cold so he had stuck to the fireplace like glue as often as he could. “Do you want to leave this cabin?” 
His question caught you off guard.  You lowered your mug to the table top as you looked at him. 
“What?” 
Yoongi’s mouth was pressed into a thin line as his eyes were narrowed in a veil of anxiousness.  In truth he didn’t want you to live here anymore.  What happened the night before could very well happen again and what if he didn’t get to you in time next time? What if next time they drag you off or even kill you? He couldn’t handle that.  He didn’t even want to think about it. 
“If I left,” you chuckled bitterly as you looked back outside, “where would I go? I can’t just live in a cave or in trees.” 
“You could come back with me.” There was silence in the cabin’s front room.  The sound of the fire crackling and the small sounds from outside your walls.  “Come back with me to Dragon Country and live there.” 
“That’s impossible,” you told him. “I am no dragon. How could I live there?” You half expected Navia from behind to slip into the conversation and throw in his opinion on the matter.  You, a human leaving the Woodlands and running off to live in Dragon Country? There was no way, it was preposterous. “Why take me back anyways?” 
“Dragon’s are only able to choose one being to become absolutely loyal to without fault in their lives.  We live for years, decades, centuries.  The oldest of dragon’s can live for hundreds of human lifetimes, so we are especially picky when it comes to our choice.”
“What does that have to do with me?” You asked. 
“I said so before, I am your dragon.” That’s right. You did remember him saying that in his rage the night before.  Something about being your personal dragon and threatening the men not to try another attack stunt again. 
“So, then-”
“I chose you,” he admitted. You felt your air leave you in silent waves.  “Out of all things I’ve met of my years alive, you were the first to treat me kindly without expecting anything in return.  You were my first in many things that warmed my being. That is why I want you to come back with me.” 
You opened your mouth then shut it again before you shook your head, trying to process his words.  You took a shaky breath and looked back to him again. 
“Say I agreed, isn’t it too dangerous? I mean, you might be with me, sure, but I’m still just a human woman. What could I possibly do so you wouldn’t have to protect me all the time? Wouldn’t I just be a constant risk?” 
“That would not be the case,” he told you sternly. “I would see to it that every dragon be made aware of who you are. Once they know, they wouldn’t dare lay a talon on you unless they’re turncoats.” Yoongi sounded so serious, you almost believed him. “They would treat you better than these humans ever have,” he promised. 
“How are you so sure?” You narrowed your eyes at him, challenging his word.  He sure sounded high and mighty for proposing something that sounded so risky. 
“Because I’m your dragon,” he repeated.  You almost groaned and rolled your eyes.  You felt like you were running in circles with him. 
“What does that have to do with anything?” So what? You get to boss around and rely on a dragon. As legitimately remarkable as that is, you didn’t seem to connect that to your safety in his country. 
“Because my Master in question- you- would be commanding the dragon in charge of Dragon Country.” There was a beat of silence. 
What. 
“So, you’re claiming to be what? The King of Dragon Country? Am I just supposed to believe that?” 
“Yes, you are.” He told you with a straight face.  There was no sign of lying or hesitation. He seemed so sure and serious of himself that you were questioning yourself of his truth.  
“But that’s-”
“If I may,” Navia spoke, cutting you off from behind you as Yoongi shot him a glare for interrupting you.  You turned to look at the white-eyed dragon as his tanned skin shone with the fire’s casted light. “It’s wise to know that the King detests liars and lies in general.” 
Your eyes widened as you whipped your head back to Yoongi who was still shooting the other dragon a look before he returned his sights back to you.  
“Oh my Gods, you’re serious.” 
The night concluded a long, well-rounded talk about just who Yoongi really was.  Finding out he was a king was one thing, but it was harder to understand that you were now in charge and in command of that king.  You felt simultaneously all powerful and powerless. 
In the end, you did agree to go back with him; however, under one condition. 
-x-x-x-
You sat at your desk in your room, scribbling line after line of ink on a piece of parchment.  It had been a week since your ‘unfortunate situation’ as you called it and you were healing well.  You fixed your cabin the best you could and moving around like normal again was easier by the day.  You could already almost chop firewood again- not that you actually were. You had no reason to stock up anymore.
On your bed was a bag.  One that was large and had the flap open to show the contents inside.  A few folded dresses and one of your leather corsets that wasn’t completely ruined.  Jars and bottles of salves, potions, crushed herbs, flowers, and sacks of roots and leaves.  Even your favorite cup and a knowledgeable book about medicine.  All neatly packed. 
You stretched as you leaned back in your chair and looked out the window to your room.  You smiled as a bittersweet feeling fluttered in your stomach.  
You looked down at the letter you had just finished as you folded it up and placed it inside of an envelope before writing the name of to whom it would be addressed on the front.  
Your windows rattled with a gust of wind outside. You smiled as you got up from your desk and grabbed your bag.  You tossed the flap of ti over the bag, the large button in the flap of it looping through a latch to close it securely.  You threw the long strap over your shoulder as you grabbed the letter from your desk and opened your bedroom door. 
You stopped, turning to look at the room once more.  It was clean, bed made and everything neat and tidy. You smiled sadly at your space before you said goodbye to it.  You felt silly saying farewell to a room. 
When you walked into the main room, Yoongi had already let himself in.  He smiled at you when he saw  you.  Just as you had asked him a week ago, he had left you alone for the last 7 days. That was your condition, even if he grumbled about it.  You wanted one last week on your own in your lifelong home- that was all. 
He walked to you and grabbed your arm gently before bending to softly push his lips against his cheek.  You jolted as you covered your skin with your hand. 
“What was that for?” You asked, flushed. 
“Simply, because.” 
“That is not an answer,” you scowled.  “Did Navia come with you?” You asked peering around his back to look.
“Of course he didn’t.  I don’t need an escort.” 
“Of course you don’t,” you giggle. You walked around your cabin, running your fingers over the surface of your counters, your fireplace’s bricks, your dining table and around the window frames.  You took everything into your memory even though this was the only home you ever had. Maybe that was why you felt like crying. 
“Are you unwell?” Yoongi asked, coming up behind you and placing his hands on your shoulders.  He could see how hard this was for you even without you looking at him directly.  He knew this was his selfish wish, but if you really wanted to stay he wouldn’t drag you away.  
“I feel like I'm homesick, but I haven’t even left yet,” you chuckle as your eyes stung.  One of Yoongi’s hands moved to rest on your head as he pushed his cheek against the top of his hand to lean against your head.  
“It will be alright,” he soothed.  
“I know,” you chocked.
You spent a little while longer in your lifelong home before you felt like you were finally as ready as you’d ever be to leave.  You feared if you stayed too much longer you’d root into your floorboard and then you’d never move again. As you walked out of the house, you took the key that hung on the inside of the door frame and took it out with you.  You didn’t lock the cabin door, instead you placed the key on the outside doorknob. 
This cabin would be welcoming to anyone who needed it, that was what the key hanging outside the space signified.  
“Are you sure you’re ready?” Yoongi asked for the umpteenth time, earning him an eye roll from you. 
“Yes, now take me away or else I’ll start ugly crying.” He chuckled before he was walking with you out of the Woodlands and when you reached the edge of the lands, he transformed into his wyvern form.  You climbed onto his neck just behind his head so you could clutch onto his horns (or his ears, whichever worked best with your grip) before he was flying off with you completely.  
Leaving that cabin, the humans and one single letter on the dining table addressed to ‘Villagers’ behind for good.  
-x-x-x-
“Father! Look, is this what you were talking about?” A small child cheered as he ran through the Woodlands and came across a small cabin that was covered in overgrowth.  The wood had been overrun with vines and moss. Small tree saplings sprung from the wood above on the roof and weeds overtook the ground that was once all dirt.  The trunk that had once been used to chop wood years and years ago had a sapling of a new tree ready to grow in the next hundred years. 
Nests of birds, holes and burrows of moles and squirrels littered the area. 
The child ran around the perimeter of the cabin, eyeing it up and down as small plumes of red smoke puffed through their nostrils in excitement.  
“I’ve never seen a human house before!” 
“Juilius, come back to me before you trip or get caught in a vine.” 
The child trotted back to his father who had come to the Woodlands simply to show his son what the home of a human looked like.  Although, times have changed and this is certainly not how humans lived anymore.  This cabin was long forgotten to time and nature had long since reclaimed it. 
The visit was short and sweet to a degree as the child was soon ushered to be ready to leave.  “Your mother wants you home at a reasonable time. We can’t keep her waiting.” 
“I’m coming,” the child cheered as he started leaving the Woodlands with his father’s hand in his own. “Will I get to fly part of the way back this time? I swear I can!” 
“Alright, you can until we hit the first mountain peak; but don’t tell your mother.”
“I won’t!” He promised.  
Landing peacefully in Dragon Country and arriving safely at the palace, the child giggled happily to himself on how well he was able to fly on his own and how his wings were getting stronger day by day.  
“Yes, but you still can’t retract your scales yet, now can you?” His father teased.  Juilius pouted as his brick red scales refused to fade in his human form.  
“Well,” a voice called to them in a happy tone. “You look just like your father when you pout like that with your scales out.” 
“Mother!” Juilius cheered as he ran to his mother’s arm, clinging to her as he was picked up and nuzzled into her neck.  “Father took me to the Woodlands today. He said that there was a cabin in the woods where you used to live, so he let me see it!” 
You blinked down at your blush-cheeked scaled child. “Oh did he? I hope he didn’t let you fly at that dangerous height.” 
“Nope!” The child grinned as innocent as can be- keeping his promise to his father in the small little white lie. 
“You always assume the worst of me. Don’t you, Scale?” Yoongi teased as he came to your side with your child on your chest as his legs kicked playfully on either side of your hips.  He was young, only a decade old. He was still a hatchling when it came right down to dragon ages. 
“I wouldn’t go that far.” 
“Mother, can you tell me about the humans?” 
“You’re always so curious about them. Why do you want to know, Hatchling?” 
“Well, you used to be one right? Father said you only got your scales and horns when you came here.” 
“Well, then that is going to be a long story. It’s only right if your father helps tell part of it too. It is his fault I became a dragon in the first place,” you looked at Yoongi as he cleared his throat. “Isn’t that right, Your Majesty.” 
“I really don’t know what you could be referring to,” he sheepishly retorted, looking away.  As Juilius tried annoying the answer out of his father, he just shushed him. “I’ll tell you when you’re older.” 
“That’s not fair,” the child pouted. 
“My Lady,” your attention was called from Navia who had finally tracked you down. His white eyes glowing down the halls like nighttime fireflies as he approached.  “A new hatchling was born in the valley this morning and it’s mother asked if you would be gracious enough to name them.”
Your eyes shined. “I’d love to,” you said as you set Juilius down and kissed his forehead.  You moved to kiss Yoongi’s cheek as you allowed Navia to escort you away. The dragon child took his father’s hand.  
“So, what mother said about how she became a dragon; why do I need to wait until I grow up to know? Is it some kind of big dragon secret?” Yoongi’s face flushed as he cleared his throat again and was soon leading his son off somewhere else to clean up after his day out. 
“I already told you, not until you’re older.” 
Who knew that the exchanging of the blood and saliva of the king of dragons was able to gradually change humans into dragons? Yoongi certainly never knew until one morning you woke up with scales dusting your cheeks after a rather specific night.
To which would soon be the outcome of the pestering royal child, Juilius. 
-END-
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jasmine-iroh · 4 years
Text
Sparring Partners
Pairing: Zuko x f!reader
WC: 2.5K
A/N: howdyyyy I’ll be honest idk what this is besides self satisfactory fluff oops. send in some requests pls, I’m bored as heck!
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Never let (Y/N) and Zuko spar.
That was an unspoken rule on Team Avatar after Zuko joined the group. The group had witnessed the aftermath of their practicing one too many times; angry gatherings of flames licking at the bark of uprooted trees scattered around piles of rubble and burnt grass.
Simply put, the pair were a force of nature. That wasn’t the reason they weren’t allowed to fight, though. No, nobody really paid much mind to their destructive tendencies, as long as they weren’t too close to camp.
It was their moods after the fight was done that brought about the rule.
Zuko would slink away to his tent and brood, grumbling at anyone who ventured too close to him. (Y/N) would stay with the group, a grin stuck to her face the whole time. It wasn’t a smile that put anyone at ease, though. It was feral, the snapping teeth and predatory curl of her lips more suited to a big cat than a young girl. Even Katara, who was usually found near (Y/N)’s side, avoided sitting too close.
(Y/N) was never mean to the others, but she had a razor sharp edge to her for hours after the duel that made Aang shift nervously in his seat and Sokka focus more on being the meat guy than the sarcasm guy. Suki would stay on edge until it was finally time to split up into their individual tents. Her fighting instincts would be on alert at the scent of scorched earth coming from (Y/N), a completely different smell from the smoke from the campfire.
Zuko, of course, would be the one to start said campfire. There was a tense, almost shy set to his shoulders as the weight of wild eyes bore down on him from near Toph. Toph, incidentally, never seemed to mind the rumbling of thunder in (Y/N)’s voice after a fight with Zuko, or the way Zuko’s heart beat staggered whenever (Y/N) so much as walked past him.
Toph didn’t care if the pair sparred, as long as it would get them over their timid dance around camp. She thought it was an entertaining break in the monotony of training and hiding, and the feeling of (Y/N) earthbending with such raw emotion was as sappy as any romance story there was. It was truly hilarious to her that nobody else could connect the dots between the unbridled chaos of their fighting and their quiet moments together around a campfire.
**
It had been a few days since the last incident when Toph finally decided to ask (Y/N) what their deal was during a training session.
“So, what’s up with you and Sifu Hotman?” She asked, a slightly maniacal laugh falling past her lips when she managed to catch (Y/N) off guard and nail her in the side with a boulder. Toph had taken to using Aang’s ridiculous nickname after she realized how quickly she could get under Zuko’s skin with it. Payback for Zuko burning her feet, she had justified.
Coughing and sputtering from the blow, (Y/N) tried to deflect the question with a volley of rocks she’d been keeping suspended in the air long enough for Toph to half lose track of.
“Hey, that’s cheating!” Toph huffed indignantly, dodging the attack before shifting her feet and sending the slab of earth below (Y/N) tilting sideways.
“No, I just saw a weakness and used it,” (Y/N) laughed and leapt from her crumbling perch to position herself in the middle of the sparring area, knowing that Aang, Zuko, Suki, and Sokka were somewhere behind her. Toph wasn’t stupid, she knew (Y/N) was trying to get into a position that would make Toph go easier on her with their friends in the line of fire.
Oh (Y/N), you really think you’re clever, don’t you? Toph thought with a smirk as a plan formed in her mind, pressing her knuckles into the dirt and twisting them sharply. She felt (Y/N)’s growl before she heard it, knowing that the other girl hated when Toph locked her feet into the earth. This time, though, she kept her hold on the rock, sitting down and waiting for (Y/N) to answer her original question.
“Toph, c’mon!” (Y/N) whined, trying to free herself as Toph sat a few meters away laughing.
“Just tell me and I’ll let you go!” Toph called back, bending herself a chair from the earth with one hand while the other kept it’s grip on the rocks around (Y/N)’s ankles.
“You’re such a little jerk,” (Y/N) answered instead, looking around for something to help her. She was weak without being able to use her feet as her center, something Toph had been hounding her about forever.
“I thought best friends told each other everything,” Toph mocked as she felt the others stop fighting to watch the scene in front of them.
“Yeah, but you also told me you’d throw me off Appa because I took Momo’s seat last week,” (Y/N) replied, crossing her arms stubbornly. Toph was a stronger bender, but (Y/N) had more patience, knowing Toph could get bored or frustrated pretty quickly. That’s how they’d always been, ever since (Y/N) had been sent to live with her helpless, blind little cousin all those years ago.
“What’s going on?” Aang asked the pair, scootering over on a ball of air with a peeved looking Zuko trailing behind him.
“(Y/N)’s keeping secrets from me and acting like I won’t find out,” Toph accused, watching as Suki and Sokka joined the group. Katara, who had been assigned camp duties for the day, drew closer at the lack of fighting sounds.
“Toph,” (Y/N) warned, a sharp threat in her voice as the sound of a tree being pulled up at the roots echoed around the clearing as (Y/N) clenched her fists.
“Yes?” A challenge in her voice, her fist twisting further into the earth and sinking (Y/N) up to her waist in tightly compressed rocks.
“Enough.” Zuko stepped in between the pair, and Toph couldn’t help but notice the spike in his heart rate when (Y/N) dropped up to her shoulders in rock.
“Zuko, stay out of this. Toph’s just being a pain,” (Y/N) huffed, having a hard time breathing with the merciless press of dirt and rock around her chest.
He didn’t stay out of it of course, his heart beating faster than a bird's wings as he watched (Y/N) struggle in the ground. Toph thought the duo were nauseatingly oblivious.
She let out a frustrated growl and slammed her foot on the ground, sending Zuko sprawling flat out next to (Y/N) and encasing his hands and feet in earth.
“Fine. You can both stay here until one of you tells me, then.” Toph declared before standing and walking away from the pair. The rest of the group looked from Toph back down to their friends buried in the ground, and decided that maybe they didn’t want to end up stuck next to the pair. They walked off, promising to talk to Toph and have her fix this.
“Spirits, she’s such a little bastard,” (Y/N) mumbled, turning her head to look at Zuko. She blinked in shock, not expecting his face to be quite so close to hers. A tricky little bastard, the girl amended in her head.
“What were you two fighting about?” Zuko asked quietly, not having to speak much above a whisper with their proximity. Had his eyes always been so golden?
“She asked about what was going on between us,” (Y/N) answered, closing her eyes and turning her head away from him towards the sky. The sun pressed red kisses against her closed eyelids while the breeze played with her hair, making her feel for a moment that she was laid out next to Zuko in a spring meadow by choice instead of locked into the dirt by Toph.
“What did you tell her?” He kept his voice low, tone conspiratorial. He stared at (Y/N), the sun loving her throat and pressing kisses to her cheekbones. He thought, just for a moment, that Toph had done him a favor by locking him into this view.
A laugh, and then, “I didn’t tell her anything.”
“Why not?” He prodded, wishing (Y/N) would turn her head so he could… could what? He thought to himself, images of him wiggling closer and closing the distance between them flickering in his mind without warning. A warm blush crept up his neck at the thoughts, wishing he wasn’t so affected by their proximity.
“Because sometimes you need to let Toph think she holds all the cards so she’s a little less of a pain in the ass. And so she wouldn’t question what we really do when we spar,” (Y/N) whispered, opening her eyes and turning to face Zuko. She met his amber gaze immediately, a grin pulling at her mouth as she leaned closer to him, feeling the heat radiating off his body.
“Oh, you mean that thing where you torment me with your comments all day around camp and then try to play innocent when we’re alone?” Zuko huffed with a smile as he wormed his way closer.
“Hey, don’t get mad. I just saw a weakness and used it,” (Y/N) giggled as she leaned in towards him. Her gaze flickered briefly from Zuko’s eyes, to his lips, and then back to his eyes in a way that made him feel like the ground was falling out from under him. He leaned up to meet her halfway, falling just short of being able to seal their lips together. A soft groan from (Y/N) pulled a chuckle from Zuko’s throat, before his head flopped back down onto the packed earth.
“Such a little bastard,” he heard (Y/N) mutter a moment before her face contorted and rumbling from around them was heard.
Zuko’s hands and legs were freed from their earthen prison, letting him roll away only a second before (Y/N) rose up from her hole on a pillar of earth. She hopped down gracefully and brushed her clothes off before helping Zuko to his feet, that wild look back in her eyes.
“You couldn’t have done that earlier?” Zuko asked, brushing the dirt out of his hair.
“I can put you back, if you’d like,” (Y/N) hummed, stepping closer to him and giving him that sharp grin that sent his stomach fluttering.
“I’m fine right here, thank you,” he replied, a deep blush staining his cheeks as (Y/N) pulled him close and finally, finally, pressed her lips to his own in a slow kiss. He returned the kiss eagerly, loving the warmth of her hand cupping his jaw with gritty fingers as the other tangled in Zuko’s mop of hair.
The pillar she’d used to free herself moments before was now scraping against his back as (Y/N) traced a lazy trail of kisses along Zuko’s jaw. He let out a sound that was suspiciously close to a whimper and felt a thrill go up his spine at the glint of absolute trouble reflected in (Y/N)’s eyes when she pulled away.
“How long do you think we have until they realize we’re not stuck anymore?” She pondered, pressing delicate kisses up the side of Zuko’s throat and along the edges of his scar.
“Enough time to get a head start and cover our tracks.” His eyes moved deliberately to the forest away from camp, before flicking back to hers with a bashful quirk of his eyebrow. His breaths trembling, he tried to ignore how his nerve endings were alight with the feeling of (Y/N)’s lips on his skin.
“Very tempting, but I don’t feel like listening to Mother Katara yell at us for ‘running off and worrying the group,’” (Y/N) whispered back, pressing a kiss to Zuko’s chin before moving to pull away. His arms snaked around her waist quickly, locking her against him.
(Y/N)’s brows shot up in pleasant surprise at his actions. She had been the one to make moves from the start, more accustomed to touch that wasn’t soured by pain or anger. Zuko figured she’d like to have more physical affection from him, but the long nights spent untangling his emotions in return for a kiss were enough to keep her happy and moving at his pace. Zuko had been without a loving hand to hold for so long that he forgot how simple and sweet an embrace could be, how the pad of a thumb rubbing across bruised knuckles could soothe his aches better than any balm.
Feeling bold between the column of earth and (Y/N), Zuko leaned down to her height and pressed a gentle kiss against her lips, retreating before she could respond. The girl only grinned widely, wrapping her arms around his muscular torso. A puff of air left Zuko’s lungs as he was pulled into her strong arms, before tightening his own arms around her waist and pressing his face into the crook of her neck.
“We have to at least make Toph think nothing’s changed, or we’ll never hear the end of how she’s so right and it's everyone else who is really blind,” (Y/N) told him, pitching her voice in Toph’s bratty little sister voice she used when she won arguments.
“Let her. I’m tired of not being able to be like this whenever we want,” Zuko replied, his warm breath against the side of her neck sending a wave of goosebumps over (Y/N)’s skin. It shocked her in the most pleasant way possible to hear him say that to her, since they’d agreed to keep things quiet until he could figure out his emotions.
“Alright, but don’t say I didn’t warn you when she makes you wish you were hard of hearing,” (Y/N) laughed, nudging his head back up to face her. Her senses were filled with Zuko, the smell of smoke filling her nose as the heat from his body scorched a pattern into her heart. Their noses brushed once, twice; their lips a breath apart.
Before either could close the distance, Toph marched around their column of rock, almost slamming straight into them. In a breath, she was gone again, back the way she’d come.
“I knew it, I was so right! You losers are so blind!” She shouted to the others.
Her sudden appearance had shocked the pair apart, making (Y/N) quirk an eyebrow and pulling a rare grin from Zuko at the astounding accuracy of (Y/N)’s impression of Toph.
“Just remember, you brought this upon yourself,” (Y/N) laughed, turning to walk back to camp. Zuko’s hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, reeling her back in towards him so he could seal a lingering kiss against her mouth.
“I know, but that was worth it,” he hummed, walking alongside her back to camp, their fingers tangling together without a second thought.
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