#don’t worry I’ll get back to shades very soon

[minijenn]

Deadass so sorry for not putting any actual content out in a while I just got a new laptop that can actually play Games on it so I’ve been uhhh doing that

[kiss-inthekitchen]

same sky | spencer reid

pairing: spencer reid x reader

a late night phone call with Spencer. unruly amounts of fluff. no gender identifiers in this one. apologies to residents of las vegas, i did insult your city's aesthetics. i had to do it. for the plot

word count: 2k

notes: this is a rework of a very old fic i used to have up on ao3 by the same name. it's the second in a series of fics i've updated from my vault of oldies :) this one's for the girlies who liked the banter in no vacancy <3 oops! all banter

“I miss you,” you say into your cell phone, standing on the back porch and gazing out at the sky. It’s late, but you can’t sleep. Spencer has been gone on a case for the better part of a week, and you don’t sleep as well without him. 

“I miss you, too. But I’ll be home soon,” Spencer replies, keeping his voice low.  

“Is everyone else asleep?”

“Yeah. It’s been a long day.”

“Where are you right now?” Even though you aren’t in danger of waking anyone up, you find yourself mirroring Spencer's tone. 

“Best guess, somewhere over New Mexico.” They’ve been in the air about an hour, and given their trajectory, he’s pretty sure he’s right. Spencer is seated at the edge of the couch, his back against the arm of it and a blanket thrown over his legs, barely covering his mismatching-socked feet. 

“How come you’re still up?”

“I wanted to talk to you,” he says. Somehow, he can feel you smiling across the line. It makes him smile, too. He doesn’t ask why you’re awake when it’s even later where you are; he knows already. "What are you doing?”

“Looking up at the stars.”

“You know, you won’t be able to see me up here.”

“Ha ha.”

“Here, I’ll open the shade on the plane window. At least we can share the same view.”

“Hm. Almost like we’re together,” you hum. 

His heart aches. It’s only been a few days and he still can’t stand it. “Almost.”

For a minute, neither of you speak, looking out at the sky from two different time zones.

“When I wake up tomorrow morning, you’ll be here, right?” 

“Mmhm. Maybe even before that,” he responds, a low, soothing hum in your ear.

“Should I stay up until you get here?” you already know what he'll say, but you kinda like the idea of it anyway.

“No, no, it’s at least another four hours. Don’t worry about it. When you wake up, I’ll be there.”

“Sounds good. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

You’d intended to let him go after just a quick call once you realized that the rest of the team were resting not too far from him, but you don’t want to hang up. He doesn’t make any moves to do so either, wanting to hear your voice as much as you want to hear his. “So, how was Tucson?”

“Oh, you know. Hot. Desert-y. Lots of murder.”

“Less murder now.” 

“Yeah.” 

His voice sounds strained. He doesn’t like indulging in a sense of accomplishment after closing a case, doesn’t ever feel like he’s done enough. He shows up too late and does too little, and then he gets to leave while the families of the victims have to pick up the pieces. You understand why he doesn’t like to think about the work that way, but you’ve tried to remind him that the good he does is incalculable; how many lives saved, how many tragedies avoided. It’s all you can do. 

You pivot a little, not wanting him to get too caught up. “I remember, when I first moved to Virginia, I was so shocked at how green everything was. I swore I’d never seen that much green in my life.”

“I had a similar experience,” he says, fondly, aware of your tactics. 

“Oh, I can only imagine. I’ve been to Vegas. It’s icky.”

“Icky?” he asks, laughing at your word choice. 

“I mean, no offense, but… it’s kinda ugly.”

“Wow, okay, insult my hometown, why don’t you.”

You laugh. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. You’re right.”

“I know,” you sigh. “Always am.”

“Well, statistically, you actually have a seventy-two percent chance of being right, which is still impressive, but hardly a flawless track record.”

“Spencer Reid coming in hot with the stats. I love when you talk numbers to me.” 

“I don’t think we’d have gotten very far if you didn’t.” 

“But I think I should be right more often than that.” 

“Are you asking me to fudge the numbers?” he asks with put-upon shock. 

“I’m just saying, maybe you’ve got it wrong.” 

“Oh, so you dare to challenge the accuracy of my eidetic memory? Or is it the statistics that you think I’ve calculated incorrectly?” 

“This is affecting my score, isn’t it?” 

“I’ll have to factor it in. You understand.” 

You giggle, and Spencer starts to feel some warmth come back into him after too many days of stress, doubt, and destruction. He hadn’t been able to talk to you nearly as much as he wanted. And it was hard to talk to you on certain cases, to allow you to make him feel lighter when reality was so dark. When he felt so much weight on his shoulders, when he should be focusing on the profile and apprehending the unsub and… sometimes he just didn’t feel like he deserved to have that weight lifted by you, even for a little while. 

“Spence?” 

“Will you go inside?” he asks, his tone full of something like reverence for you. “Please?”

“If you insist,” you sigh, already opening the door. 

“I do. I do insist, very forcefully.” 

“I’m already inside with the door locked.” 

“Man, I’m good.” 

“Mmhm.”

“Going to bed?”

“Yeah. Will you talk to me for a few more minutes?” you ask, sliding under the covers. Spencer hears the slip of fabric as you pull them up over your shoulders, and it sharpens the ache he feels to be home with you already. 

“I’ll talk to you for the rest of the night, if you want me to.” 

“No, I don’t wanna keep you awake, too.” 

“I probably won’t get much sleep regardless.” 

“I don’t condone that,” you say, your frown evident in your voice. 

“Noted,” he replies, though he sounds apologetic. 

Four hours feels an eternity too long to wait. You miss Spencer, and you hate how tired he sounds. You want to fix things for him. You want to run your fingers through his hair til he falls asleep and you want to make sure his dreams are peaceful when he does. 

“What do you wanna do when you’re back?” you ask, hoping that planning for it will make the time go faster. 

“Oh, I’m taking a shower and getting right into bed. And you can’t make me get up.” 

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“I’m serious. Don’t ask me to do a single other thing cause I won’t do it.” 

You laugh. “For the whole day?” 

“Probably. And you better not go anywhere either. We could both use the rest.” 

“Okay, rest day all day.” 

“We can order Thai though. So we’ll get up for that. But even then, it’s just to sit on the couch.” 

“Maybe the floor.” 

“I will also accept floor,” he concedes, and then it occurs to him that you might’ve been asking because you want to do something with him. “Is there something you wanted to do the next day though?” 

“Well... the saucer magnolias are blooming at the Smithsonian again.” 

“Say no more.” 

You sigh wistfully. “You’re my favorite boyfriend I’ve ever had.” 

“Well, I should hope so,” he says, smiling. “You’re my favorite, too.” 

“Aren’t I the only partner you’ve ever had?” 

“Ha ha. I had a girlfriend in college.” 

“Spencer, you were like sixteen in college.”

“I wasn’t sixteen the entire time,” you hear the eye roll in his voice, “I have three PhD’s, it took me a little while.” 

“Well, who is this girl? Do I need to beat her up?” you joke. 

“No,” he laughs. “You are my favorite, after all. She wasn’t very nice to me.” 

“Okay… so you told me not to beat her up but then gave a reason why I should?” 

“Please don’t beat up my ex-girlfriend. I do appreciate your violent impulses though.” 

“Mm, okay. As long as you know I could.” 

“Sure, angel. You’re very scary,” he placates. 

You let out a little gremlin laugh. 

“Oh, and you’re delirious,” he notes, an amused lilt to his tone. 

“Delirious because I miss you,” you sing, dragging out the ‘you’. 

“God, where did I even find a weirdo like you,” Spencer laughs. 

“I found you. You attracted me with your peculiar aura and soulful eyes. Trapped me in your… fucking what’s-it-called. Tractor beam.” 

“You know, the term tractor beam was actually coined by science fiction author E.E. Smith in 1931 as an updated version of his original term ‘attractor beam.’” 

“Hmm, yup. You caught me in that.” 

“Did you call my eyes soulful?” he asks, seemingly just processing that part. 

“Oh, you don’t like my adjective choice? Next you’ll have a problem with me calling your aura peculiar.” 

“I mean… I don’t know that I loved it.” 

“Here he goes fishing for compliments,” you sigh, rolling over to your other side and creating a bunch of shuffling noise on the line. Spencer wrinkles his nose, holding the phone a little farther from his ear until he hears you speaking again. “Okay, your eyes are big and brown and beautiful and they contain a standard unremarkable amount of soul, and your aura is also really regular. Regular Reid, that’s what they call ya.” 

He’s frowning, you can practically see it, but he’s also fighting off an amused smile. “Well, that one started off nice, at least.” 

“God! You’re so difficult. My boyfriend is sooo difficult. Why don’t you come home to me first and then I’ll come up with some more adequate compliments?” 

“I’m going to hold you to that.” 

The two of you talk for a little while longer, with you telling Spencer about the new coffee shop you’d tried out and how their lavender latte actually tastes like lavender, which is basically unheard of. Spencer tells you about the standoff between him and an all too curious roadrunner that he swears was trying to get into his motel room. Calling it a standoff is generous; the man got bullied by a bird. 

You try not to laugh and end up unsuccessful, with Spencer insisting that you were taking sides and he was well and truly in danger, which only makes it funnier. His voice pitches up even as he tries to keep his volume low, and you argue that his energy is just so attractive that even the local wildlife are drawn to him. 

“Don’t start,” he warns, overwhelming fondness in his voice. 

You make Spencer tell you something boring to calm yourself down from the image you’ve conjured of him being chased by a roadrunner, which, in your exhausted state, is even funnier than it should be. He claims to regret confiding in you with this, but he knows he’d do it again just to hear you laugh. 

Instead of telling you something boring, he recites some of the poems he’s memorized over the years. It works the way you’d intended, and you regret it when you have to stop him to tell him you’re falling asleep. He’s just a little smug about it. 

“So, you’ll be home in four hours?” you ask, the start of your goodbyes. 

“More like three now.”

“We made time go faster.” 

“We did.” 

“Will you try to get some sleep?”

“Fine. Only because you asked.”

You hum, victorious. “Goodnight. I love you.” 

“And I love you.” 

Hours later, just as the sun is beginning to change the hue of the sky from deep navy to a hazy cerulean glow, you feel your mattress shift underneath you. You’re barely awake, but still you register the scent of Spencer’s shower gel, fresh and sort of woodsy. 

Half asleep, you shift to accommodate him, and he slips an arm around you as you lay your head on his chest. You wrap an arm around his torso and throw your leg over his hips, as close as you can possibly get without literally being on top of him. 

You sigh, deep and relieved, and Spencer’s heart stutters. 

“I missed this,” he chuckles, resting his cheek against the top of your head and wrapping his arms tighter around you. You just hum in response, the last of your energy before you’re pulled back under. Within minutes, Spencer is asleep too, and the two of you sleep through sunrise and into the afternoon. 

[colossalcriminal]

Housekeeping

Pairing: Harry Potter x Fem!Reader

Summary: When Harry gets a part-time gig cleaning the house down the street to escape the Dursleys for a few hours a week during the summer, he soon recognises the residents’ daughter as his own schoolmate.

Content Warnings: None, really? Not proofread. There’s no specific time this takes place, you could say it’s the summer after fifth year. Reader is also a Ravenclaw but it doesn’t have too much of an impact. Mentions of a functional family.

“There you go, Harry. Don’t worry about the downstairs, today. Just some light dusting upstairs and wiping the windows.”

Harry nodded, smiling down at the many shiny coins that lay in his hand.

He got to work, somewhat disappointed that there wasn’t much to do today. He wondered if there really was more, but the L/Ns were too nice to ask. Dusting along several shelves that lined the wall of the upstairs hallway, he made his way to the first room. 

It’d been his first time in this one. The door, for the first time ever, was slightly ajar, a stark difference from its usual shut position. It wasn’t too clean, the trunk open and closet half empty, not yet finished with unpacking for the summer holiday. Books and trinkets were scattered about the table, bed haphazardly made. The walls were painted a pretty shade of cream, almost completely covered with posters of musicians such as Celestina Warbeck and Lorcan d’Eath, he was surprised to see them accompanied by several Ravenclaw banners and a blue and bronze tie hanging from the bedpost.

He had an inkling that the L/N family knew of magic and wizards, but for their child to attend Hogwarts? Harry did as he was paid to do, wiping the windows. Dusting the shelves, he was oddly determined to find out who lived in this bedroom.

A Ravenclaw.

Judging by the clothing style and size, which he knew very little about, she couldn’t be much younger than him. 

The boy refused to snoop through the stack of letters on her bedside table, only one name catching his eye. Dean Thomas.

Were they friends? He hadn’t noticed Dean with a girl, but lately, he hadn’t noticed much at all. Were they dating? “Who are you?” Harry murmured, sighing as he went to look at the framed moving photographs.

With narrowed eyes, the name he’d been searching for had uncovered itself in his brain. “Y/N L/N.”

△⃒⃘

It was warmer than it was a few days ago when he was wiping windows and dusting shelves, Harry walked down the street, knocking on the door of number 8 Privet Drive.

Would she be home?

The door swung open several minutes later, but it wasn’t to address him. Perhaps his knock was too quiet, too nervous, to be heard. “I’ll be back late, tonight!”

“No, Y/N! Not a single minute after twelve!”

“Let's make it twelve-thirty!” She shut the door before her parents could retaliate, eyes widening slightly at the sight of him. “Oh, I think you’re cleaning the kitchen today.” Y/N told him before scurrying off, readjusting the purse strap on her shoulder.

His eyes trailed after her as she walked away. Summer was most definitely here, one could tell from her skirt and vest, along with the sunglasses that covered what he remembered to be very pretty eyes.

Shaking his head, Harry scolded himself for looking too long, getting one last glimpse of her wonderfully styled hair before entering the house.

He’d seen her, she’d spoken a total of eight words to him.

△⃒⃘

Thursday came, the second and last day of the week he had to clean, Harry would have to wait four more days to return on Monday to find any sort of reprieve from the Dursleys.

He insisted on wiping the countertops slower, ensuring maximum shine, scrubbing with utmost precision while Mr. L/N sipped on tea in the living room and Mrs. L/N judged the flower arrangement on the dining table.

The front door shut, and no one flinched. “I’m home!”

She placed her bag onto the table her mother was sitting at. “Hair up please, darling, Harry’s just cleaned the floor.”

Y/N huffed slightly before bunching her hair up into a clip, plopping down onto the sofa next to her father. “Hi, dad.”

Her father’s eyes remained on the newspaper. “Hello, you.”

“I’m hungry.”

“Hi, hungry. I’m dad.” She pouted at the awful joke. “You should’ve eaten while you were at the burrow.”

“I wasn’t hungry at the time.”

Harry kept to himself, brows furrowed. The burrow? He’d never seen her there, it must’ve been a remarkable coincidence that their lives overlapped so heavily, yet they have yet to speak more than ten words to each other. 

“Go make a sandwich then.”

“I’m lazy.”

She retreated to her bedroom after a light chat with her mum, and soon he was due back at number 4.

△⃒⃘

“Why don’t you stay for dinner, Harry?”

“What?” Y/N almost dropped the plate she held while setting the table.

“What?” Harry’s face was one of surprise. The two spoke simultaneously. “Oh, I wouldn’t want to intrude, Mrs. L/N.”

The older woman waved him off, supplying her daughter with a fourth plate. “Nonsense, we would love to have you.”

And so the quartet sat for dinner, the teenage girl beside her father, the boy beside her mother. “This is really nice, Mrs. L/N.”

“Thank you, dear.” A short pause. “Are you and Y/N good friends in school?”

The pair weren’t sure of what to say. “We don’t talk much, mum. Different houses and that.”

“Speaking of houses, that final game for the Quidditch cup!” Mr. L/N began, eliciting a sigh from Y/N. “Absolutely ridiculous! I always tell Y/N, just because you score the first few points, doesn’t mean you calm your attack, don’t you think so, Harry?”

“I can’t say much, sir, but I know that Y/N is a great player.”

“Not great enough for Ravenclaw to beat you.” She murmured, slightly annoyed. “We would’ve won that match if Davies hadn’t substituted Chambers for Bradley.”

Harry smiled. “I have no doubt. Fair game, though?”

With hesitance, she nodded. “Fair game.”

He took notice of her face, the lipgloss she wore and the darkness of her eyelashes, a blush creeping up his neck.

As dinner soon came to a conclusion, Y/N was tasked with the light burden of walking him to the door. “See you Thursday.” She dropped the coins into his hand, their fingers brushing against each other, but only he took notice of the warmth radiating between them.

Had he been hallucinating?

△⃒⃘

“Mum and dad are out, come in.”

He nodded meekly, the confidence he’d built up since Monday dissipated. “You’re working on downstairs, today. The floors.” It was his first time seeing her at home, comfortable. Not leaving, or just returning.

But the thought of it reminded him of a particularly embarrassing day.

The upstairs flooring was completely carpeted, easier to clean than downstairs as all he had to do was a quick vacuum.

He pushed the machine along, running it over every imperfection he could spot, until he found himself before a certain door that was now shut, like always.

Harry contemplated. Her bedroom counted as upstairs, right?

The boy was itching to refresh his memory of her room, dying to know if her decor had remained the same, despite it being just a little over a week since he’d last seen it.

With an odd spur of confidence, he wrapped his hand around the old knob, twisting it and opening the door with a quiet click.

He didn’t expect her to actually be home, and he wasn’t surprised she hadn’t noticed her door open just about three inches, a bespectacled eye peeking through. It was much too loud to hear the opening of the door, with the noise of the vacuum and the melody of Celestina Warbeck’s debut album playing at a considerably loud volume.

She laid on her stomach, bed lazily made underneath her, her cheek resting on her palm, the other hand holding an arithmancy textbook.

Her legs occasionally swung back and forth in the air. Y/N was clad in just a pair of pajama shorts and a vest to combat the summer heat they weren’t used to in London, or Hogwarts. 

Harry’s breath hitched into his throat, all of his willpower being used to ensure he was not to choke and break out into a coughing fit at the sight of her chest pushed up due to her positioning. After all, he was a teenage boy.

With a gulp, he quietly shut the door, shaking his head at no one but himself.

She didn’t instantly run upstairs, instead, she returned to her seat at the dining table, picking up her quill and continuing her scribble. 

Y/N’s system was neat, efficient. Several relevant textbooks were scattered around her, each open to a different section. Multiple past essays she’d written, and scored especially high on, displayed for her to copy any impressive vocabulary. The television was on, but she didn’t seem to be distracted, instead, she hummed along to the tune of whatever Weird Sisters song was playing, continuing to write.

Grabbing the broom, he began his duties.

Minutes passed, downstairs was a lot of ground to cover.

He worked around her. “Would you like anything to eat?”

Harry’s head snapped up to find her already looking at him with a sheepish smile. “Sorry? Erm, no. Thank you, though.” She nodded, unsure of how to feel after what felt like his rejection. “Do you like music?”

The girl chuckled at his question. “I do, a lot. You?”

“I don’t listen to it much.”

“You should come over more often, then. I have a massive collection of records upstairs, we could listen together, find out what’s to your taste.”

He only nodded with a small smile, internally giddy a the thought of this being their first conversation, instigated by no one but them. His heart nearly burst at the thought of being in her room, a record turning while they chatted about whatever. “Do you go to the burrow a lot?”

“Only sometimes, to see Fred and George. I’ve never seen you there, do you go often?”

“Sometimes, yeah.”

“Must be a coincidence, we keep missing each other.”

In his effort to get the mop out and ready for use, his shoulder jerked, hitting the shelf next to him.

Multiple books had come off at the impact, falling onto the floor and landing with a harsh thud. “Here, let me help.” Harry didn’t hear her, and he didn’t notice the speed at which she’d walked around the dining table and to the shelf, too soaked up in his nervousness and silently scolding himself.

Y/N crouched down, collecting the fallen books into a pile. “Thank you, I’m sorry for the mess.” He forced out.

She let out a giggle, then another, and then a proper laugh. He only stared at her in utter bewilderment, wondering whether he was a joke, or she was a madwoman. “Sorry,” She calmed down, a few chuckles still coming between her words. “you’re just so oddly charming.”

The Ravenclaw took notice of his expression, an adorable mixture of worrisome, flushed and somewhat flattered. “It’s a good thing. You’re cute.”

“Cute?”

She shuffled closer to him to reach for the stack of books he’d picked up, the pair of them now fully sat on the cold floor. “Yes, Potter. Cute.”

He turned his head to face her, they were now aware of their proximity, the closeness. The lack of space between them. His brows furrowed nonetheless, his mouth forming a pout. “Cute? Really?”

“Would you prefer another adjective? Adorable?” Her face moved toward his, a bashful smile playing on her lips. “Harry?”

“Yes?” The call of his name didn’t aid him in snapping out of his trance, he was hypnotized by the colour of her eyes, the strawberry scent of her moisturizer filling his nostrils. “Can I kiss you?”

With her nod, their lips joined, his hand travelling to cup her cheek.

The front door shut, with a brief announcement from her parents, declaring their return. “Better get to work.” Y/N whispered, patting his chest twice before returning back to her study station.

[abbyromanoff]

Hey since father's day is coming can i request a daddy nat x reader fic? It's ok if you ignore this ^_^

Pinky-Promise

Pairings: Natasha Romanoff x afab!reader

Word count: 7102 (still can’t believe this only took like 3 hours)

Warnings: smut, fluff, angst, divorces, cheating (R to their boyfriend), daddy kink, degrading, praise kink, soft sex then rough sex lol, breeding kink, strap ons, squirting, multiple orgasms, fingering, cunnilingus, mutual pining, arguing, Nat being a dick beforehand, slapping, spit kink (very brief), filming, body worshipping, mentions of masturbation, marking, kinda beefy!Nat, lotssss of pet names, cum-filled straps, happy ending

No one is permitted to steal, copy, or reblog my work as their own!!

“Momma!!” Came the yells of your two children as they entered the large home of your ex-wife. She picked both of them up in her arms and hugged them tightly, giving a kiss to their foreheads before setting them down. It was Father’s Day weekend and before your divorce last year, your little family would always celebrate Nat while they celebrated you on Mother’s Day. And now, this was your first year being divorced during the holiday. And while you were planning to just drop the kids off for the weekend, they begged you to join them, to do it as a family again, as they had said. And their puppy eyes which were exaggerated to the max were impossible to resist. So, you had contacted Nat and told her the plans, that you and your kids would be spending the weekend at her house and would leave Sunday night.

“Oh, you guys are getting so big! I’m not gonna be able to pick you both up soon.” She pouted, receiving shared giggles from the twins standing at her feet. Alex, your 6-year-old son, had similar hair to you with light shades of red shining. His eyes were an exact copy of Nat’s, as were his sisters, Lena. Alexei often bragged that his grandson was named after him, even if it was just a coincidence. But Lena, she had been named after Nat’s sister, Yelena. She didn’t show it, but you knew she was beyond ecstatic to know her niece was named after her.

Your son looked back at you, trying to signal the card that had been put away in your purse. You knew what he was asking, he wanted you to give it to her, they were both too shy to see her reaction. You smiled at them and stepped forward, both children immediately clinging onto you and watching with filled nerves as Nat grasped the card, letting her fingers gently brush against yours for such a small moment that you almost didn’t notice, but you did. You retreated your hand back quickly and watched your kid's excitement grow as Nat let out a gasp, smiling with tears starting to pool in her eyes as she read their messy handwriting inside.

“You guys...Did you make this all by yourselves?” They nodded and you could’ve nearly wept watching the interaction your ex-wife had with them. You knew she loved you and your children more than anything in this world, but she wasn’t great at showing that.

“Are you sure? Because if you asked me I’d say a professional drew this masterpiece.” You could see the pride in their faces at her words.

When it was nearing the end of the day you were trying to figure out the bed situation. The kids had their own rooms, Nat made sure of it. But she didn’t have an extra room for you or any guest at that.

“Don’t worry about it, I can just take the couch.” It had been a while since you two had a conversation face to face and all alone.

“Oh, shut it. Here, you can have the bed and I’ll take the couch, you are my guest after all.” You sighed, knowing there was no way of fighting this argument but you still tried. You didn’t want her to sleep on the couch with those painful edges that you had bruised yourself on many times before.

“You’re not taking the couch, I am. There, it’s settled.” You both shared a look at the couch and back at one another, both being able to sense what was about to happen. You two ran as quickly as possible, trying to beat the other onto the furniture. You had landed first, but you both tackled over the spot.

“Stop, stop!” You yelled out as her long fingers tickled your skin and caused laughs to pour out of you.

“Accept your defeat and I’ll stop.” There were so many giggles from the both of you and, for a small minute, it was like everything in your past had disappeared, you were just in this moment.

“Okay, okay! You win!” Her legs that were around your waist loosened and her hands finally retreated back, she placed them right next to your head on the sofa. They were trapping you in from both sides, and you couldn’t deny the way it still left you as breathless as it did many years ago.

Time seemed to have stopped as you both stared into one another's eyes, her emerald ones looking identical to your children. You seemed to have realized the position you two were in and nervously chuckled, trying to stand but she wouldn’t let you.

“Nat, we should probably get to bed.” She licked her slightly dry lips and nodded, still refusing to move herself from you. She wasn’t looking at you but instead had her gaze lowered, it hurt to see how affected she was by you.

“Nat-”

“Please. Please don’t leave me tonight.” You looked at her with confusion, furrowing your brows and silently pleading her to continue.

“I haven’t been sleeping well, Y/N, I haven’t been for the past year. I miss having you by my side, no other girl could ever replace your warmth.” The mention of other girls lying in her bed, the same one you two had shared the most intimate and sweetest moments in, made your stomach drop.

“I-I get if you think it’s weird since we’re, you know.” You noticed the way she refused to admit what it truly was, that you two were divorced, separated. No longer a pair. “But, I think you know I’m secretly a better cuddler than your boyfriend.” Your eyes widened at her words, she seemed to have picked that up.

“The kids mentioned him. I promise I wasn’t, like, stalking you or anything.” You chuckled dryly and she joined you. You could sense the small tension that was still there, it never truly left you both. It would haunt you in the nights, as it did with her. There had been so many times where you had almost called your boyfriend Natty, your favorite nickname that only you were ever allowed to call her. The thought that someone else might take that spot, might be able to share those sweet moments like you two had shattered your heart completely. Neither of you ever fell out of love with one another, and you both knew that too. But it wasn’t working. She was barely home, and when she was she was working. During your family movie nights, she would have paperwork in one hand and a pen in the other. The work had putten stress on her, stress that she didn’t know how to handle. So, she had taken it out on you, something she would forever regret. The arguments were taking a toll on the kids, and that’s when you knew it was too much. After that, it took you less than a month to get the divorce papers. You tried just getting it over with and freeing your kids from the pain of seeing their mom’s like this, but you didn’t want to accept the fact that it would be over. And she didn’t either.

She hadn’t taken the news well when you told her. She cried, dropping to her knees in front of you and holding onto your legs to not let you get away. You had Alex and Lena stay at your parent's house, you didn’t want them to see you two like this.

It wasn’t the same since then. You’d often get the urge to text her throughout the day, only to remember she was no longer yours.

“It’s okay, I guess we can share the bed for the night then.” She smiled, quickly trying to hide it as not to scare you away. There was a hair strand covering her cheek, your hand instinctively reached out to pull it back, letting your hand linger on the side of her face. She leaned into your touch, wishing this moment could last forever. But it didn’t, and you removed your hand just like you did earlier in the day.

“Uh, let’s go then.” You said with a tight-lipped smile and she sighed, knowing the small moment was done for.

“Yeah. Yeah, let’s go.” It was awkward lying next to each other. You both wanted to hold one another like before, although neither of you made the move. You both lied there, staring at the ceiling before finally falling into a deep sleep.

That morning you were lucky to be greeted with the sight of the sun blaring through the curtains. You turned, stretching and being surprised to see Nat next to you, that was until memories of last night flooded your mind. Her arm was draped around your waist and you wished it could be this way again, and not just for the weekend.

“Mm, good morning, angel.” She hadn’t seemed to notice her slip up and you didn’t correct her on it either.

“Morning, Natty. How’d you sleep?” The refresher of the nickname felt so relieving to finally get out.

“Better than I have in so long.” She chuckled, trying her best to capture this moment before it would get ripped away from her once again.

Your faces were so close, you nearly could’ve kissed. But then there was a sudden burst of the door opening and your two kids running in quickly to jump on the bed. Lena cuddled in between the two of you while Alex immediately went into your arms.

“Happy Father’s Day, Momma!!” They both yelled at once. You’d never get sick of how they interacted, it was the sweetest thing.

“Thank you, kiddos! Now, how about we all go make some pancakes together, hm?” She was as much of a child as they were, picking one up to rest on her waist and the other receiving a piggyback ride.

You started getting ready in the bathroom and looked back at the bed where your ex had just rested. It reminded you of the years before when you’d wait for her to wake up since she slept in so late. When she’d never want to leave the comfort of her bed unless you left as well, or if you were about to get into the shower. When her smile was the first thing that greeted you in the morning. And that smile of hers always got you, it continued to make you melt every day.

Your sniffles were unheard by anyone, you were left all alone. You knew that you needed to hurry or your kids would come to get you and see you like this. Or maybe even Nat. You wondered what she’d do if you told her the truth, that you never wanted to leave her, that you would still love her no matter what. That you felt like a coward leaving her instead of trying to fix it. That you missed her, the old her. The one so deeply in love with you that nothing ever made you think otherwise. If she saw you, and you told her everything cascading through your mind, would she be mad? Sad? Would she feel guilt or remorse? You didn’t want to ruin her day, but you feared that if you didn't tell her, it would haunt you for the rest of the time.

“Y/N? Y/N, you in here-“ She stopped in her tracks when seeing your tinted cheeks and the sad look she knew all too well.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” She walked closer, hesitating to take your face in her hands in case you were sensitive or frightened, she had learned over the years how to do that for you.

“Nothing. Nothings wrong. Now, why don’t we have some pancakes, I bet you and the kids made some delicious ones like always.” You tried to walk past her with a false grin on your face, but she stopped you in your tracks.

“I’m not letting you go until you tell me what’s bothering you.” She was persistent, she always was.

“I told you, it’s nothing-“

“Bullshit, Y/N, I know when something is bothering you, we were married for fuck sake.”

“That’s the point.” Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion at your statement, it was a silent urge for you to speak again.

“Do you think I wanted to come here? Do you think I wanted to sleep in the same bed with you after everything?” Your voice wavered while you tried to hide the depths of your emotions.

“What do you…what do you mean? I thought you were okay with this, I thought you agreed to sleeping in the same bed as me.” She backed up, hands being held at her sides defensively as she looked at the ground.

“You needed me to, you couldn’t sleep so I thought I’d help and maybe that was a fucking mistake! I-“ You cut yourself off, trying your best to hold back the tears already arising at the surface. “I can’t do this with you, I can’t.”

“No, no, no, you don’t get to just walk out on me again, not when the kids are right outside.”

“Walk out? I walked out on you? You walked out of this marriage way before I decided to end it.” She was near shouting, only to remember how small of a distance there was between you both and the children.

“Look, I never walked out of our marriage-“

“Oh, really?”

“Let me finish my fucking sentence, Y/N!” She started, anger looming in her voice. “I never left you, and I never wanted to lose you either. You left, not me. You signed the paper, I didn’t want to. You were the one who took the kids and left your wife, the love of your goddamn life.” You couldn’t believe her, even after all this time she didn’t realize what she had done. She didn’t realize the reason you were forced to leave her.

“You think I wanted to leave you? You really think I just, fell out of love with you or something?”

“Then what was it, Y/N? Truly, I want to know what I did so wrong.”

“You left me, maybe not physically but mentally you did. Work was your new love, not me, not your kids. The breakfasts that were spent with your arms around me while I cooked turned into the kids wondering why momma forgot to give them their kiss goodbye. Picking up the kids from school with you turned into them wondering where momma was. Even the teachers questioned where you were when you didn’t show up for parent-teacher conferences. Dinners were spent without you and if you were there you had your work in your hands. One mission led to several, and days turned into months. I was tired, Nat, so tired. I knew you loved me, and I know you still do. I will always know your love, but I’ll still always know that you’d choose your work life over me. Do you even understand how hard it is to explain to your children that momma wasn’t there? That you didn’t know if she’d even make it back? They looked up to you, but you weren’t there! And I guess being back on that bed, seeing you there, just brought back everything I’ve been fighting so hard to get over. I never stopped loving you, Nat, but I stopped loving what you did to me, to us. To our family.” Nat looked at you with something you’d never seen before. After more than ten years of being together and six and a half years of being married, you still have never seen her look at you the way she did now. It broke your heart knowing you had hurt her, but a part of you wanted her to feel the same pain she caused you.

“I’m sorry..” Before you could say anything else you felt yourself being pushed against a wall, lips being placed against yours. You melted into her, your hands holding onto her hair for dear life.

“I love you, baby, I love you so much.” She mumbled against your mouth, her tears landing on your cheeks as well as hers.

“I know you do-“

“No, my love, I love you, you hear me? I love you more than anyone, I’ve never felt this type of love before I had you, and I wanted to hate you for ruining that but- but I couldn’t. I could never hate you, and that’s the part that I hate. So, please, please just be with me right now.” It was more of a question than a statement. You didn’t want to say no, so you didn’t.

“I’ve got you, Natty. I’m right here, you feel this?” You grabbed her hand and placed it against your chest, your heartbeat being just noticeable by her. She nodded, her forehead gently hitting yours with every movement she made.

“That right there, that’s my heartbeat. My heart beats for you, sweetheart. It beats for you, and it beats for our family.” She grinned happily, rejoining your lips together in a hungry kiss. You were desperate to have each other, to just feel one another. Her hands wandered your body and landed on the back of your upper thighs, lifting you up into her hold and sitting you down on the counter. Some of the clutter fell to the ground when coming in contact with your body.

“You feel so good in my arms again, my darling girl.” Her lips slammed against your neck, her heart and soul wanting to leave marks, any symbol to show you were still hers, that all that grievance wasn’t real, that it was just a nightmare. But her mind knew she couldn’t. The kids could see, or better yet, your boyfriend could see. Your boyfriend. Alex and Lena’s stepfather. No. No, she was their mother, their father. Not him. You were her wife, not his. What if he was to take her place? What if he was to put a ring on your finger and replace the one that you still had a hard time taking off? She had never taken off the one you had given to her, she refused to.

“Mommy? Momma? The pancakes are all decorated, just like you said.” Alex said through the door, his little hands knocking so gently you almost didn’t hear it. You both retracted from one another unwillingly and you sighed, realizing that this moment was ruined and, as much as you loved your children to death, you really wish they had slept in this morning.

“Come on, the kids are waiting.” You tried to stand, but once again, she stopped you.

“Nat-“

“Wait. Just, wait.” She pressed her forehead against yours and fluttered her eyes shut. “Please don’t tell me this is over. Please don’t tell me I won’t get this with you again.” Her lip quivered and she bit it to hide her sadness from you.

“This isn’t over, baby, we’re not over, okay? Later tonight, once the kids have gone to bed, we’ll talk more. But for now, we need to be there for our children. You need to.” She nodded with a tight-lipped smile, kissing you once more before opening the door to a waiting Alex.

“What are you doing in here, Momma?” He could see you, and while he still didn’t understand most adult things at his young age, you could almost feel his judgemental gaze.

“Oh- well, me and mommy were just playing a game of hide and seek while you guys made our surprise. And, well, you know how bad of a hider momma is.” He gasped, looking at his mommies with a hint of betrayal.

“You played hide and seek without me? But, momma, I thought we always played hide and seek together.”

“Well,” You could see her struggling with an excuse to make, but she always knew what to say to him. “Me and Mommy wanted to let you guys finish before we invited you to play with us. We thought we’d get some good practice at hiding since you’re such a good seeker, aren’t you, little guy?” She booped his nose and he giggled, pulling her with him to the kitchen where the food awaited you both. You followed her after taking a quick moment to look at yourself in the mirror, a saddened grin breaking over your face when you took in the whole situation. You had a boyfriend, a lover, but Nat was still yours. While she may be your ex-wife, she was still your wife. She still was the only carrier of your heart. Your family, you and Nat’s family, was the only keeper of your broken little heart.

“Mommy, I wanna stay longer.” Your daughter pouted, the clock reading late into the evening and nearing the time you were planned to leave.

“Yeah, why can’t we stay one more night?” Her twin added on, giving you those puppy eyes you couldn’t ignore, and neither could Nat.

“Yeah, Mommy,” Nat teased, mocking her kids' words. “Why can’t my three babies stay a little longer, hm?” You didn’t miss the obvious gesture towards you and you didn’t complain about it either.

“Alright then, I guess since you kiddos don’t have school tomorrow we can stay another day. But just one more night.” They all cheered in excitement, nodding along to the compromise that you knew would be hard to keep. Your kids rushed to the living room, trying their best to figure out the remote for movie night. You and Nat were left in the kitchen alone. She stepped closer to you, brushing her fingertips against your arm and holding the sleeve of your sweater.

“So, one more night I get to spend with you, huh?” You grinned to yourself at her words, nodding and copying the move she had done to you by running your hand up and down her arm. You stopped at her hand, interlacing your fingers with hers and holding them up together. Her face was nearly touching yours with how close you became, you could practically feel her breath hitting your own.

“Kiss me, baby.” And she did. She moved her lips on yours like a starved woman, hungry for the attention of you. Neither of you cared to pay much attention to your kids bickering playfully in the other room, you were too engrossed with one another to notice anything else around you.

“Mm, what about them?”

“They’re stuck on the tv, they won’t notice us.” You giggled as her nose tickled against your neck while her mouth left marks of her love.

“No marks, Natty…Richard will see.” She paused in her steps, shocking you into a gasp when you felt her teeth sinking into your neck this time.

“N-Nat, let’s do this when the kids aren’t around.”

“You’ve already made me wait so long, I just want to feel you again.” You brushed the messy hair out of her face, cupping her cheeks and she leaned into it.

“Trust me, once we put those little ones to bed, I’ll let you touch me however you want.” You said. “Remember all those nights before we had the kids, and even after we had them, where it was all just so perfect? It was raw, meaningful, and so unbelievably hot. Our sweaty bodies just rocking against each other, desperate for anything we could get our hands on because we were just so deeply infatuated with one another. All those moments are what have kept me up at night for the past year, I’ve just been so needy to have you.” Shivers traveled down her spine as she pictured it with you. It was true, you two shared some of the best sex known to mankind. Even your friends were jealous of your love and intimacy with Nat when their partners barely acknowledged them.

“Fine, I’ll wait. But know this, the second I get you on my bed, sprawled out and ready just for me, I’m not gonna stop ‘till you’re begging me to. And I’m gonna fuck you so hard, you won’t even remember your own damn name.” You bit your lip in excitement, your hips slightly grinding into nothing. She noticed with a sly smirk, departing from you and entering the living room while her eyes were stuck on where you had just been, she thanked all Gods that the wall was there to cover your moment from the kids.

The time had finally come when your kids were knocked out in their beds after your bedtime stories. They were tired after all of their running throughout the day and you both knew there was no waking them from their slumber.

The second you closed the door behind you, you were being dragged into Nat’s room, the one you used to share with her for many years, and being pushed onto the bed. Nat was moving faster than the speed of light as she removed her shirt along with yours, noticing with hungry eyes how you lacked a bra.

“Baby, baby, just relax, we have all the time in the world.” She took a deep breath and agreed with you, dragging her hands down to your breasts that had been calling her name. She grasped them in her hands as if there were stress balls and ran her thumbs over your hardened nipples. You hummed in delight as she continued, now straddling your lap while ducking her head to your chest. One hand continued her actions while the other was taken into her mouth. You ran your fingertips through her hair and pulled gently, eliciting a soft moan from her cherry-red lips.

“I missed you so much, sweetheart.” You didn’t know whether she was referring to you or to your breasts, but you smiled anyways.

“Show me how much you missed me then, Natty.” You pulled her face closer to yours, your eyes seemingly stuck in the endless loop of falling in line with her own. But her eyes were just so enchanting, so beautiful. You could stare at them for hours on end and never get bored.

She leaned in for a searing kiss and it felt as though the world stopped spinning. Everything came swarming back like a bee hive. All the memories, good and bad. All the kisses, sensual and sweet. And all the touches, hot and sweet.

Nat could feel the way you softened in her hold and sat back upright, examining your face and nearly copying your saddened expression.

“Oh, love, please don’t cry.” It only caused you to do so even more. You had been trying to hold back your emotions this whole stay, but just like Nat had said long ago during one of her fits that she took out on you, you were too emotional.

“I’m sorry, I-I just, I don’t even know.” You let out a fake chuckle to lighten the mood, but Nat didn’t return it.

“It’s okay, we can just lie here or talk, we don’t need to have sex.” You quickly tried to explain yourself before she got off of you, you really didn’t intend to ruin the moment.

“No, no, I want to. I do. I guess just being with you and kissing you again just makes me miss you even more.” She gave you a small grin full of pity and understanding. But you didn’t want her pity, you just wanted your Natty.

“You don’t need to miss me anymore, I’m right here. And I’m not going to risk losing you again.”

“You promise?” She stuck her pinky in the air, pointing it your way. It was a sweet memory you both shared. When you were children you had met under the circumstances of your parents being new friends after she moved into town. Anytime you asked her to promise you something she had held her pinky high and not once did she break her promise.

When she was taken away, she made a pinky promise to herself to find you again. And when she did, she promised you to never lose you again. But that was the only one she had broken, but she intended to fix it. She was going to make you hers again, and she’d do anything to achieve that.

“I promise.” You moved your mouths together once again, her tongue occasionally poking your lips until you gave her access. Her hands explored your body as if she’d never seen it before.

“You’re so beautiful, Y/N.” While you loved her pet names more than anything, the compliment felt more sincere when being followed by your name.

Your hands copied hers but on her body, traveling to her stomach where you felt her abs nearly pulsing. She clenched the muscle and caused you to laugh into the kiss. She smiled against you and brought her mouth to your neck, continuing her earlier abuse of the skin, this time the hunger was replaced with care. She didn’t just want you, she needed you.

When you let out a small whimper as her teeth brushed over the bruised skin she smirked, “You like when I do that?” You nodded in response.

“No, no, tell me. I wanna hear that sweet voice I love so dearly.” You bit your lip as she did it once more, teasing you further.

“I love it so much, daddy.” She groaned at the title, bucking her hips into nothing.

“You’re so addicting, love.” Her face had traveled down to your chest, kissing the skin with adoration and affection that was only ever masked as love. She kissed her way down to your stomach, letting her lips linger for a second too long on your stretch marks. They were the marks of your children, her children.

She took notice of the way you tried to hide in embarrassment, thinking she didn’t like the way you looked anymore. After all, it had been a while since she’d seen you like this.

“Don’t shy away from me, my love, you’re breathtaking. And so, so gorgeous. These marks adorning your skin only makes me love you even more. It shows your bravery, and your pain. It’s a symbol of our love, and of our beautiful babies.” She kissed each one and you nearly broke at her softness. While you two often shared hot, steamy sex that left you both breathless, the soft nature of her made you crumble in the best ways possible.

She had made her way to your waist after climbing off on you and resting her body in between your legs that she got permission to spread. She stared at your wet cunt, licking her lips and smelling your sweet nectar.

“Oh, how I missed this pussy.” Her tongue licked a stripe up your cunt, letting out an enthusiastic moan as your juices entered her tastebuds.

You threw your head back as she sucked your clit for dear life, her eyes fluttering shut as she became engrossed in you.

“You like how that feels, hm? You like how daddy’s mouth feels?”

“Daddy, you eat me so well. God, I- I need it!” She leaned back, your whines filling the room from the loss of her warmth.

“You need to tell daddy what you want, how else will she know?” You tried pulling her head back in place, but she didn’t budge.

“Ah, ah, ah, you know what to do.”

“I need you, Natty. I need your mouth, I need your cock, I need your fingers, I just need you. I don’t want anyone but you, you’re all I think about.” She smiled at that, replacing her tongue with her fingers like you asked. Your clit was rubbed in small circles and your hips bucked up, only to be held back down by Nat’s strong hold.

“You think about me, baby?” You nodded and she leaned over your shaking body.

“What do you think about?…” It was an open question that she couldn’t help but mumble out. The big, Black Widow was shy above you.

“You. Whenever Richard would fuck me, fill me up, and have me bent over, all I thought about was you. I’d- I’d think about your cock, how he was nothing compared to you. He never- ah! He never made me cum the way you do. He’s never made me squirt. He’s never hit my g-spot. And he never pleased me the way you always did.” You paused, your nails scratching her back red as her fingers eased into your hole.

“When I touch myself, you immediately come to mind. When I’d- oh shit! Yes! Right there, daddy!” She fucked you deep with two fingers, curling them to hit your g-spot repeatedly.

“C'mon, be a good girl and tell me everything in that pretty little head of yours.”

“When I fucked myself, it would never be enough. I’d use my fingers, toys, the- the pillows, I did everything, but it wasn’t enough. I haven’t had an orgasm since we broke apart.” This made her stop in her tracks. The realization hit her, she really was the best you ever had.

“You didn’t- you didn’t have an orgasm until me?” You shook your head in embarrassment and fear. You didn’t know what you feared, but you worried she’d leave you after hearing the information.

“Please, I need to cum so badly. It’s been so long.” Her fingers continued after her sudden stop, immediately picking up a quick and sensual pace.

“I want you to cum all over me, Y/N. And then, I wanna fuck you hard with my cock.” Your orgasm came crashing over you, your nails still left on her back digging into her skin and causing small amounts of blood to leak from her.

“Yes! Don’t stop, daddy, don’t fucking stop!” Your moans and pleas only turned her on further and caused wetness to paint her cunt.

“God, you have no idea the effect you have on me.” She whimpered. She let you ride out your release, slowing down her rough speed and watching your blissed-out face. She moved her face down to your cunt, licking up the juices that coated your thighs before pulling out completely. You mewled, the noise soon being muted by her fingers in your mouth. She made you suck off the sweet taste of your cum.

“Where are you going?” You asked when she stood up, walking towards the closet and soon returning with the toy in her hand. Your question had been answered when seeing it. The strap-on she held was your favorite, it never failed to have you screaming by the time she was done. It was long, at least six inches, and had the perfect amount of girth to fill you to the brim and have you begging for more.

“Like what you see?” She teased, only receiving a nod from your end as you were still too spaced out to speak. She harnessed the toy around her waist and sat back on the bed in front of you.

“You gonna fuck me now, daddy?” She groaned in pleasure and held you down, both hands wrapping around your biceps to keep you still.

“You tell me if it’s too much, alright?”

“I will.” One of her hands went to wrap around her length, guiding herself in your tight hole before returning to its spot on your arm. She clenched her teeth together when the strap rubbed against her clit ever so gently. You tightened your fists together as she bottomed out inside of you, pausing to let you adjust before you gave her the okay to continue.

“You’re so fucking tight- fuck! You think your little boyfriend can fuck you like this? Can that pathetic bitch make you cum like I do?” She already knew the answer; no. You had already confessed the embarrassing truth, but she still wanted to use it against you.

“No one can make me feel as good as you do, Nat.” She moved her hips faster, the sound of skin hitting against each other filling the room. You followed her rhythm, sloppily trying to match her pace as to fuck yourself on her cock.

She grabbed your phone from the bedside table, already knowing the password that was her birthday. She opened the camera app and pressed record, showing off your fucked-out face, your mouth wide and your eyes shut. Moans and whimpers escaped you repeatedly, your body bouncing up and down on the bed as the headboard hit the wall over and over. You prayed it wouldn’t wake your kids.

“Look at the camera, baby.” You did as she said, taking the thumb she rested on your lower lip into your mouth and sucking like you had earlier.

“You wanna put on a little show, hm? Wanna show the camera just how much of a dirty slut you really are for me?” You nodded, unable to speak until she ripped her thumb from your lips.

“Answer me, whore.”

“Yes! I’ll do anything you want daddy.” You were cut off by a moan, feeling her tip poking at that spongey spot deep inside of you.

“Shit! I’m your little slut, daddy, only yours!” Your hands grasped the sheets tightly, nearly ripping the soft cotton material in half.

“Mhm, and how do you think your boyfriends gonna react when knowing you’re mine?”

“I don’t care- ah! I’m gonna cum! Please let me cum again, Natty?” She gripped your chin in her free hands, squeezing your mouth open and spitting on your tongue. You swallowed it without a complaint, the action making a smirk cover Nat’s face. She took her palm that had just been resting on your face and slapped your cheek, hard. You bit your lip to hide your moans, too ashamed to show how badly that turned you on.

“Oh? You like when daddy slaps you, little girl?” Both of you had forgotten about the camera filming your every move.

“Mhm, love it so much.” Your stomach was tightening with how badly you needed to finish, but she kept you on edge.

“Please, I’ve been so good for you. Please, please let me cum.” You weakly murmured, only to receive another slap on the same spot.

“Is that how you ask for things? Oh, love, you need to beg better than that.”

“God, please! Please, I’ll do anything, anything you ask of me. Just wan’ you to fill me up, turn me into your breeding bitch and make me a mommy again.” You lost all composure, only being focused on the orgasm waiting for you. You knew how much she loved to hear those words, so you used it to your advantage.

“Yeah? You wanna be daddy’s cum slut? I’ll fill you up with so much fucking cum, you’ll be dripping for me.” The strap was filled with artificial cum, making it possible to fulfill both of your fantasies.

“You want me to put another baby in this precious stomach? You’ll be so beautiful all round and full of me.” You felt like you were holding your breath with how long you were waiting for her permission, but that was her whole point.

“Cum with me, pretty girl. Make daddy proud and fucking cum.” You threw your head back in pleasure and succumbed to the feeling of release. It felt so good, so fucking good. You could feel her cum shooting deep inside of you, it only turned you on further. You could hear a small gasp but you were too far gone to care. You were seeing stars, it was all too euphoric to be able to take in.

“Holy fuck, baby.” You had begun to regain yourself at this point and looked up at Nat with worry.

“What? What’s wrong?” She was staring down at your conjoined bodies, completely mesmerized.

“I just made you squirt.” Even in the long ten years of being together, she had never done so. You don’t think you had ever even done so in your entire life, until now.

“Shit, I-I’m sorry-” You rushed out but she was quick to ease your worries away with a gentle hand leading you back down.

“Don’t you dare apologize for this. I’ve never been happier.” You chuckled and she tossed the phone somewhere on the bed, already ending the recording moments before. She was planning to send it to your boyfriend, Richard, but she knew she needed your permission first.

“Thank you for that, Natty.”

“No, thank you.”

Nearly half an hour later and you two were finally laying in bed after a soft moment of care was shared between you.

“So, are we going to talk about this or what?” Nat sighed, turning to sit on her side, her arm holding her head up.

“Yeah, let’s talk.” And while you hoped it was true at the time, that weekend saved your already-ended marriage. You left your boyfriend soon after with an apology that didn’t matter to him, you still cheated and would always be a cheater in his eyes, but you didn’t blame him for that one.

Your kids were more than happy when you told them the news. No longer would they have to spend weekends with one and weekdays with the other, you were a true family again. Nat finally retired with a promise to be a better mother and a better wife. She felt like she was able to come to you for anything just like you hoped she would. You both attended couples counseling every two weeks and while it wasn’t always easy, you would never make the mistake of letting go of each other again. But really, if you hadn’t divorced, and if you hadn’t spent the weekend with her, you don’t know if you’d be able to fix what was already broken. So, you had the break up to thank. Some thought you were crazy for saying so, but it really did bring you two closer than ever before.

But as pinky-promised, you two would love each other till the end of time. And as she had pinky-promised to herself many years ago, she would always find you in the end. But this time, she didn’t just find you, she found herself, her true self. And nearly four years later, you were able to remarry the woman you spent your entire life loving. And you weren’t going to stop loving her anytime soon.

[katsu28]

hi baby! could i request "[ NUZZLE ] sender presses their face into receiver’s neck" with hangman please! ily<3

LOLA!!! thank u for requesting ily ily <33

jake "hangman" seresin x reader, 1.3k

Jake was finally coming home after a full seven months away on deployment, and you’d never been so excited (and anxious) to see anyone in your whole life.

Seven months of sporadic video calls with shitty audio and even shittier video, seven months of sending emails whenever he could and letters even less often. Seven months of waiting for the love of your life to come back to you, safe and sound. 

Sure, some days were worse than others. Some days you could barely carry on normally with things because you were so worried. Some nights you had nightmares about getting that one letter, that one knock on your door that would send your whole life crumbling to the ground. Some days all you could do was sit on Jake’s side of the bed, clutching one of his shirts to your nose just so you could remember what he smelled like. 

But today was not that day. Today, Jake was coming home. 

You smoothed your dress out nervously as you waited with the rest of the people with family members or partners returning home today, rocking back and forth on your toes in barely contained excitement as you watched the ship dock in port. 

Your eyes combed through the crowd of naval officers and civilians alike, searching for that head of perfectly coiffed hair sticking out above the others. 

The chatter of the crowd around you dulled to a muffled blur of noise the second you laid eyes on him. He hadn’t seen you yet, his own gaze still flitting around at the folks reuniting with their loved ones all surrounding him. His brow was furrowed in the utmost concentration, and you almost wanted to play it out a little longer, have him wait a little longer just to make your reunion that much sweeter. 

But your need to bury yourself in his arms, to feel his warm skin beneath your fingertips, to finally, finally kiss him until neither of you could breathe anymore—that need was greater than anything else at the moment. 

Breaking out into a run, you ducked and weaved through person after person as you made your way towards Jake. You nearly bowled him over with the force of your hug when you finally got to him, barely giving him enough time to drop his bag as you threw yourself into his arms with a cry. 

“Holy shit,” Jake inhaled, steadying himself enough to withstand the force of your hug. He sounded amazed, breathless like he couldn’t believe you were here in front of him at this very moment. “Holy shit!” 

Your nose pressed into his neck, the smell of sunscreen, sweat, and a little bit of engine smoke accompanying the familiar smell of his cologne. This wasn’t a smell you could get from one of his old shirts. It was raw, unfiltered, so very Jake that you could damn near sob right now. Seven months of missing your man really took a toll on your emotional state. 

“Hi,” You mumbled against his skin, squeezing him so tight you wouldn’t be surprised if you were able to meld into him. He murmured back a soft greeting of his own, large hands splaying across your back as he lifted you off your feet and spun you in a circle. You tightened your arms around his neck with a squeal. 

He hooked his shades onto the breast pocket of his uniform as soon as he set you back down on the ground, pretty green eyes flitting around your face, taking in every single detail. “My god, did you get even more perfect while I was away?” 

You felt your cheeks grow hot under his focus. “Oh my god, stop it.” 

“What? I’m so serious right now, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stop looking at you. Look,” he grinned, not even attempting to cast his gaze elsewhere. “See, I can’t even take my eyes off you. Couldn’t even if I tried. Not that I’d want to, with you lookin’ like somethin’ straight out of my dreams.” 

“You’re horrible.” 

“I’ve just gotten home after months and months away and I’m horrible?” Jake teased, giving your hip a light pinch. Any response you were about to give died in your throat as soon as you registered the weight of his words and you just stared at him, blinking furiously to stop the influx of tears that you knew were coming. It didn’t work. 

Jake saw the tremble of your lip and brought you back against his chest within a second, cradling the back of your head in his palm. His other hand smoothed over your back in small circles, lips pressed to your forehead gently. “Oh hey, hey, you’re okay. Everything’s fine, no need for tears.” 

“Sorry, I’m—god, I’m sorry, Jake,” You breathed, inhaling a shaky breath against the scratchy khaki of his uniform. You retreated a little bit, managing to gather yourself enough to look up at him. 

He gave his head a miniscule shake, mouth curving into a reassuring smile. “No need for sorries. Glad to see you missed me while I was gone.” 

“Of course I missed you, asshole.” 

“Asshole? Me? Shit, maybe you didn’t miss me!” 

“Don’t even joke about that.” You huffed, feigning a glare at him that faltered almost immediately. “You’re really here?” 

“I’m really here, darlin’.” He echoed, sliding his hands over yours and bringing them up to his face so he could press a kiss to both of your palms. “Right here, right now, and I’m not plannin’ on leaving again anytime soon.” 

Happy tears welled in your eyes, your heart thrumming hard in your chest at the mere thought of Jake staying stateside for the foreseeable future. You let out a watery chuckle, smoothing your fingers over the smile lines near his eyes before breaking into a smile yourself. 

“There’s my girl.” Jake hummed, tapping you on the nose lightly. He held you at arms’ length, finally taking the time to fully take in the sight of you. His eyes traveled down the length of your dress, lips curving into a cheeky smirk. “New dress just for me? I’m honored.” 

“You like it?” 

“Oh, I love it,” He hummed, ducking in towards your ear for his next words. “Though I think I’ll love it even more on the floor of our bedroom.” 

“Well, what’re you waiting for?” 

Jake’s eyebrows flew sky high at your insinuation, and he quickly stooped down to snatch up his duffel, throwing it over his shoulder and grabbing your hand in one fell swoop. He pulled you through the crowd until the parking lot, where he let you take over until your car came into view. 

You moved to toss him the keys because you knew he’d probably missed driving through the streets of Fightertown whilst he was away, but before they could leave your hand, he nudged you back against the side of the car. He pushed up close until he was flush against you, and you barely caught a glimpse of his pearly white smile before his mouth was on yours, moving with such a hunger that seemed a bit much for a public setting. Not that you were complaining though, this was the first time you got to kiss him in ages. 

You only remembered you were in a crowded parking lot when Jake’s hand at your waist crept around to give your butt a squeeze, bracing your hands against his chest to push him back a few inches. “What was that for?” You panted, kiss swollen lips parted as you attempted to catch your breath.

“Had to give my girl a proper hello.” He shrugged, pressing a much shorter kiss to your lips before plucking the keys out of your hand and pulling open the passenger door for you like he hadn’t just kissed the living daylights out of you. “You comin’ or what?” Judging by the cheeky smirk gracing his face, he knew what he was doing. 

“Like I said earlier—asshole.” 

“Happy to be home too, darlin’!” 

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[bisexualcage]

If it’s not a problem, can I request a fluffy MK1 Johnny Cage x male reader fic where reader suffers from a lot of chronic pain? I suffer a lot from it and I’m just really in need of some comfort from my bbg Johnny. I’d greatly appreciate it if you did do this!

-🦇 anon (idk if this was taken but if not im now bat anon)

(Sorry this took a bit long!! I hope you enjoy ❤️)

A Rising (Fallen) Star ⭐️ | Johnny Cage x Male Reader

Warnings: no warnings, just very damn tooth rotting fluff!

Relationship: Johnny Cage x Male Reader, MLM

An: I didn’t really proof read so rip

It was nearly 7 pm, Johnny had a busy day but you decided to stay in while he worked. He insisted on staying to pamper you all day but you basically forced him out, he wasn’t gonna miss a directing opportunity because of you. Or at least that’s how you saw it. Every time your chronic pain flared up you felt like hell warmed over, you didn’t want to burden anyone else too much with it and that included Johnny even though he consistently told you otherwise. That didn’t stop him from spamming your phone with texts which you’ve missed in your deep pained slumber.

“Babe, u feeling better? Take ur pain killers. U looked so tired b4 I left”

2:03

“I’m gonna buy u some stuff as soon as

I’m out of this building, I think they like my script idea! Watch out! Director Johnny Cage incoming 😎 no but seriously, u ok?”

4:48

“Hello? Honey???”

5:11

“They accepted my pitch! You’re worrying me. I’m heading over to the pharmacy to pick up some knick knacks for u stud😚”

6:19

Of course, your phone was left accidentally on silent and by the time you read these with guilt on your face you already heard the front door opening and closing, heavy steps approaching your bedroom door. You groan and yawn, sitting up weakly from the bed and rub your sore back. “Ah shit…” you mumbled under your breath.

The door clicks open and you see a worrisome Johnny with bags of stuff hanging from his hands. He takes his shades off as he spots your tired pained figure on the edge of the bed and walks over dropping the bags immediately on the floor.

“Babe, are you okay? You weren’t answering me.” He kneels in front of you and kisses your nose, his eyes so big and soft.

“My back aches so bad. I’m so sorry- as soon as you left I knocked out and-“ you rambled in guilt.

“Shhh, nonsense. Now, do you want me to start a warm bath for you?” He mumbled and caressed your jaw with his hands. “Get those muscles to relax a bit?”

You blush and nod, standing up with a wince.

“Atta boy’.” Johnny smirks and guides you to the bathroom slowly, getting the bath water going immediately.

“I’ll take it from here, okay?” You said softly, you didn’t want him to see you as weak. This has happened one too many times. It was stupid, he insisted that he didn’t see you as a burden and that he liked caring for you when you were in pain yet you just couldn’t stop being stubborn about it.

Johnny made a sigh, looking over you one last time before nodding and then peeping through the open crack of the door one last time, “Shout at me, I’ll be right outside if you need anything okay, honey?” He said tenderly.

The actor had a knowing expression, the way you were trying to act tough all of a sudden and able. You knew that he could see through your facade. When the door closed you started stripping and then submerged yourself in the warm water, you sighed in pleasure as your sore muscles relaxed. About 15 minutes passed while you were soaking in there, you winced in pain as you pulled yourself up from the bath. Carefully leaning over to get a towel, you were practically shaking.

“Christ-“ you sigh tiredly as you rubbed the towel down your torso and legs. Once you were done drying and dressing up, you started to smell something as you made your way towards the kitchen.

Johnny never cooked, not if he could help it.

Oh no. He’s cooking.

“Johnny wh-“

“Don’t worry baby, I ain’t burned the house down yet.” He turned around from the stove to face you, something simmering in a pot. Johnny looked at you up and down in your cozy pajamas and wet hair, walking over to you and wrapping his arms around your waist, pulling you tightly against him. He started rubbing the back of your wet head as he held you in his arms and talked.

“How was that bath? Warm enough?” He mumbled against your neck with his eyes closed, very at peace to be in your arms.

You grew warm and smile softly for the first time all day, “It was good, very nice.” You whisper, overlooking his shoulder and seeing the food being cooked. “Is that…soup?”

Johnny chuckled and pulled back, “It’s canned soup I got you from the pharmacy. Among other things.”

“Are you sure you’re cooking that-“

“Honey, I ain’t gonna stink up the house like last time I promise. It’s just simple soup I’m warming up for my, baby boy.” He smirks at you and walks over to the soup, turning the stove off.

You grow warm, whenever he called you baby boy he knew it sent you over the moon. He was being purposeful.

“Before you eat…” He looks back at you briefly and starts pouring the hot vegetable soup in to a bowl, your stomach already grumbling, “…I’m gonna give you some pain killers alright? You haven’t drank any right?”

You scratch your head, you could have sworn in your painful delirium earlier that you planned on taking them but you just knocked out immediately. “No I haven’t…damn it.”

Johnny chuckles, walking over to you with the soup in hand and places it on the kitchen island, motioning for you to sit. As you do, he takes out a painkiller bottle and gives you two pills with a glass of water. “Drink BOTH.” He said a bit sternly but with the upmost care in his eyes.

You groan, “Johnny-“

“Don’t Johnny me, I know you hate pills and swallowing them.” He crosses his arms, waiting for you to swallow them.

He was right, you hated them and you always had trouble downing them. But you took a deep breath as he rubbed your arm and swallowed them easily. It’s like his presence alone made things easier.

“Good boy! Woohoo!” He kisses your cheek, “Nothing The Cagester can’t bring out of people.” He jokes and winks at you.

“Alright alright- settle down movie star.” You smirk at him as you start practically downing the soup at a crazy pace. “These are good, no burn flavor.”

Johnny rolls his eyes and watches you eat with a small smile on his face, he was like a hawk. “I know you didn’t eat all day or take your pills.”

You look at him with shyness, “I didn’t mean to.”

“I know honey, I know. I can’t imagine what’s it’s like to hurt all the time. You start to loose the energy to do basic things.” He says with an understanding face, yet he was holding something back. Biting his tongue.

“Johnny, I thank you for all of this. I know it’s not easy sometimes and I sure don’t make them easy.” You say lowly, looking down at your lukewarm soup.

Johnny looks at you with glassy eyes, or maybe that was the dim lights in the kitchen, you couldn’t tell. Nonetheless he swallowed heavily and walked between your legs on the chair you were sitting and placed both of his hands on your cheeks— looking deep in to your tired eyes.

“When I’m with you it’s like I’m a damn lovesick puppy, you make things unbelievably easy for me. I’ve told you before, I don’t care about what you got going on. You’re not a burden-“

“I didn’t say-“

“But you’re thinking it. You’re constantly thinking it. I saw it back in the bathroom. I see it now. And if I need to reassure you a billion times that you’re nothing but a star in my life then I will. I like taking care of you. I like doing these things for you. You’re my guy, you’re my boy.” He runs his thumbs across your cheeks, his eyes filled with nothing but care.

Suddenly, he leans in and crashes his lips on to yours, you’re engulfed by his warmness, his proximity, his love. He shifts his lips softly against yours, taking his time, your noses rubbing against one another. A small grunt leaves your throat and you reciprocate just as passionately. You then both pull back slightly, breathing heavily and trying to catch your breath with him. He keeps his arms around your waist, rubbing lightly at your sore back in circular motions.

“Someone’s passionate today…” you chuckle.

“For you? Always. Now eat up. After that you’re gonna lay down for me and we’re gonna try the new heat pad I bought you.” He grins with excitement.

“Another one?! I have like 5 heating pads from you already!” You laugh.

“But this one supposedly has some cotton flex technology that helps muscles or some shit, isn’t that cool?” His eyes are shiny.

“Is this what you decide to buy with your big new director money?” you laugh more with a blush.

“Hey! This big new director got his script approved today. Green lit baby! So more heating pads coming your way.” He says playfully, loving the banter between you both.

“Congratulations!” You say lovingly with a huge smile on your face, “I’m so proud of you ahh.” You squeeze him closer to you.

“Thank you, sweetheart! I told you, that Karate Zombie script was gold- wait a second are you trying to distract me from you eating your soup cause it’s cold now?” He says teasingly.

You snort loudly, clearly being caught a bit. But you were still proud of him regardless.

“Eat the soup! I will feed it through your nose if I gotta!”

[chee-shep]

Can I get first kiss headcannons for Kagaiku and Genya?

Thanks for the request. Of course I had to go and do both Human and Demon Kaigaku >w< I’m happy that Genya is getting more love as well! These kisses will during an established relationship too~

Human Kaigaku

I personally believe that Kaigaku is touch-starved, but refuses to acknowledge and/or admit it

The two of you were taking time to relax together during a short break he was given from the core

You two were out in the orchard by Master Jigoro’s estate

You were sitting on his lap as he leaned against a tree in the shade

The two of you don’t normally share a lot of words when cuddling, the two of you usually just enjoy each other's presence

At some point though, you sat back and placed you hands on his shoulders, which did catch him off guard

He almost naked you what you were doing but the look in your eyes told him pretty quick 

His hands settled on your waist as you leaned into kiss him

He even actually leaned in as well, which was a pleasant surprise 

You surprised him as well, as you were more aggressive with the kiss than he thought you’d be

But he wasn’t going to complain, he just pulled you closer to him

Neither of you said anything when you two finally pulled away

Your foreheads rested against each other’s

You returned to laying on top of Kaigaku and snuggling with him after that

But he really was hoping for another kiss…

Demon Kaigaku

I still believe Kaigaku to be a tsudere as a demon, but he covers it up much better with his new confidence

Kaigaku was in fact the one to instigate this kiss.

It happened during one of your midnight meets

It’s actually quite common for you to occasionally give Kaigaku a small shove or push as a joke since he’s pretty hard to knock over

However, Kaigaku was feeling… ‘frisky’ might not be the right word but we’ll use it here

After one playful shove to many Kaigaku decided to push back

Push you back up against a tree, that is

This definitely took you by surprise

He titled you head up with two fingers under your chin

“You seem playful tonight, princess, are you trying to ask for something~?”

Something about the way Kaigaku calls you princess sends chills down your spine

Kaigaku chucked as he leaned in towards you before placing his lips on your

This first kiss was a rough, but passionate one

When you two pulled away, Kaigaku wasn’t done with you

He pulled you back into another kiss the second you caught your breath, this time forcing his tongue into your mouth

Genya Shinazugawa

This sweet baby is shy with you, but he does try his best

He used to be very stiff with things like holding your hand and hugging but he’s gotten better with them through time

While Genya was the one who asked to kiss, he ended up freezing up after you said ‘yes’

Ah yes, Genya.exe has stopped working once again

That’s fine, you were more than happy to help him

He’s still nervous and frozen when you go into kis him

But he actually relaxes once you do kiss him

He was actually worried maybe he was moving too fast, or that maybe you didn’t want to kiss him in general

He finally realizes that you are okay with this, and that kissing you is relaxing in itself

The kiss was brief, maybe just a few seconds, but when it was over Genya relaxed

His face was still rather red though, but he was a smiling

It was so cute you couldn’t help but embrace him

Now that he was feeling more relaxed he was able to give you another kiss

Don’t expect to be making out soon, he’s still getting used to just a normal kiss

He’d still be shy about kissing you in the future, but he’s not going to be freezing up anymore.

Sorry that Genya’s came out a bit shorter, I’m still getting the final details on how I’ll be writing for him figured out!

[thebiggerbear]

i need your hand but i don't want to burn it part 1 - Beau Arlen x Reader

A/N: Not going to lie, this past month has been a tough one for me. I recently lost someone and it just sucked all of the energy out of me for writing or anything else. I started this back on Feb 16th, within hours of receiving the news, because I was trying to process it as well as my feelings on it all. Beau was in my mind from the very beginning because like I mentioned before, I literally had the thought "Man, I could go for a Beau hug right about now." So this took form and even though I was blocked on everything else, this became a sort of tool of processing for me. I was going to keep this just for myself because I found it to be deeply personal, but then I thought, well, what if someone out there is also currently grieving someone they lost and a little Beau comfort might make them feel better, too? Even in this scenario? So that's why I'm sharing it.

While it is personal what I go into, I changed up things to keep it fictional and sort of tell a story. So the characters and dynamics are fictional, just not the feelings of the reader and the emotional journey/grieving process she goes through if that makes sense.

Unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine. I attempted the graphics.

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

Song that randomly came out of nowhere and strangely worked was "broken" by Jonah Kagen. The lyrics just really hit home for me.

Warnings: mention of death; death notification

Word Count: 8587

Beau taglist: @deans-spinster-witch; @birdiellie; @heartlessdelusions; @nancymcl; @illicithallways; @muhahaha303

It was a bright, sunny day when you got the news. The sky was this unimaginable shade of blue, not a cloud in the sky, and the temperature was a comfortable one. You were on the job and the slight breeze ruffled through your hair when you saw that your aunt was calling you. A knot immediately formed in your stomach; if she was calling you, that couldn’t be good. And sure enough, it wasn’t. 

“She’s gone,” she informed you matter-of-factly. 

It took a moment for your brain to catch up to what she was telling you. “What?”

“She’s gone, Y/N. Happened this morning.” Again, her tone was bland, as if she was simply telling you a package had been delivered to your home.

“How?” Your mind felt as if it was running in circles but also slowing down at the same time.

Poppernak’s head snapped in your direction but you immediately walked away from the scene. You didn’t notice the deputy watch after you and then head in Hoyt’s direction. 

“Stroke.” Your aunt was only willing to give you one word but that one word changed your entire world. It altered the landscape of your universe in a big way.

You nodded, forgetting that the woman couldn’t see you, and you felt a lump start to form in your throat. You forced your gaze onto some trees ahead and mentally told yourself that you would not cry. “Oh,” you choked out. So much for not allowing any emotion to bleed through.

“Yep.”

Once again, very bland, almost dry. You weren’t surprised, though. It had always been like this between you. “Um…did they say when the services will—”

“Nothing’s set in stone yet but the information will be on the obituary online. It’ll probably tell people who can’t make it where to send flowers.” And just like that, the digs began.

You ignored her attitude and quietly cleared your throat. “Okay,” you attempted to smooth over. “I’m so sorry, Aunt Ida. If there’s anything you need, please call m—”

“Oh, I’ll call you, don’t you worry. But right now, as it stands, we’re good. I have to get going. I still have to get to the funeral home and make all the arrangements. I’ll be talking to you soon.” Before you could say goodbye, she hung up.

You let out a heavy sigh before lowering your phone from your ear. You focused on the trees once more, pushing any thoughts away and stuffing your emotions back down. When you felt confident enough that you wouldn’t break, you turned to find Hoyt and Poppernak watching you worriedly from near the crime scene tape. You sighed once more and then began your walk over to answer the burning questions they appeared to have. 

You were driving back home on autopilot, lost in a sea of memories that forced a single tear out onto your cheek every now and then, prompting you to wipe each one away quickly. Your phone began to ring and as you expected, Beau’s name popped up. Well, that had to be some kind of record for Hoyt. Though, you supposed in these circumstances, you couldn’t blame her and you could appreciate her difficult position. She was only supposed to call Beau if there was an emergency but if she didn’t let him know that she sent you home for the rest of the day after receiving the news of a loved one’s passing, then she’d most likely be in hot water. In trouble with you or in trouble with Beau? It wasn’t hard to see why she made the choice she did. 

Beau was on vacation and you hated for that to be interrupted, especially due to this. He worked his ass off every single day and he deserved this time. He had offered to take Cassie and Kai fishing and camping, after the date passed that the two were supposed to have gone with her dad who had been killed. Kai was excited and Cassie was grateful when Beau made the offer. You and Hoyt were happy for them. Beau had even tried to entice Emily to fly up for a visit and go with them, but Carla put a quick stop to that with the mention of school and it being Emily’s senior year. To say Beau had been disappointed was a massive understatement.

And now, he was most likely spending his time worrying about you alongside teaching Kai how to catch trout and attempting to keep Cassie laughing and her spirits high. You almost didn’t answer, because you didn’t want to be one more thing he had to worry about and also because you didn’t feel like talking, but in the end you did. To reassure him if for nothing else.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” he greeted back, sounding worried just like you had predicted. “You okay?”

You briefly closed your eyes in annoyance at Hoyt. Despite your initial understanding, this really wasn’t something she needed to call him about. Someone else, yes, but for you, no. “Yeah, I’m okay,” you reassured him. “Hoyt just thought it best that I take the rest of the day, clear my head, and come back fresh tomorrow. That’s all.”

A moment of quiet passed between you as he likely mulled over your answer. Accepting it, he then offered, “Do you need anything?”

You cleared your throat to keep the lump at bay. “Nope. Thanks, though.”

“If you don’t mind my asking, who passed?”

You pressed your lips together, not really wanting to answer, but he’d find out eventually. “My grandmother.”

Sure enough, his tone softened. “I’m so sorry, Y/N.” He knew how deeply this one would cut.

You swallowed past the lump again and forced out quietly, “Thanks, but it’s fine. It was expected at some point, you know?”

“Yeah. Doesn’t make it any easier though, does it?” Beau lost his parents back when you had worked together in Houston. His dad had passed unexpectedly due to a heart attack. Everyone had been shocked, of course, but it hit Beau’s mom the hardest. It wasn’t too long after that when she started developing her own health issues and began declining. Beau’s father had only been gone for a year and a half when he lost his mom as well. You and your unit were there for him, giving him your unending support, and half of the department had showed up to the funeral, just as they had the senior Mr. Arlen’s. Not only was Beau well liked and respected but his family were no strangers to law enforcement; his dad had served on the force for decades before he finally retired. 

What you were feeling now in no way rivaled the loss he had endured back then. He not only had lost a parent, but he lost both in a short time frame. You couldn’t imagine how you would be feeling had that been you. You doubted you would be able to stand up much less continue to function day to day like he had. You wished you could borrow some of his strength, something you could use right about now.

“True.”

Another moment of quiet filled the car tainted by uncertainty and an almost alien awkwardness. That wasn’t the norm for the two of you but this situation also wasn’t the norm. Being your best friend and having known you for a long time, Beau knew some of your history but not all of it. What little you had told him had been enough for him to know this wasn’t a topic you liked to revisit and he needed to leave well enough alone. So he’d happily compensate and regale you with funny stories of the hijinks he and his brother used to get up to when they were younger instead. He didn’t push for more than you were willing to give and that was something you deeply appreciated about him.

And right now, you appreciated him even more for not pressing you for details or trying to make small talk around the huge elephant that was currently sitting on top of you. An elephant in the form of your grandmother, an elderly woman who helped raise you who you had a…complicated relationship with to say the least. You tried to think back to one of the last times you had seen her but you really couldn’t remember. The memory was there somewhere, on the edge of your mind, just out of reach. Instead, a memory resurfaced of a younger you holding onto her hand as you crossed a busy crosswalk in the city, wearing one of your best dresses with tights, shoes, a very proper coat with gold buttons done up, and a ribbon in your long hair. You had been on your way to see a play that she managed to get tickets for and you remembered that moment of her immediately shielding you as a car nearly hit you both, ignoring the traffic light as well as all of the pedestrians crossing. You couldn’t remember the heated exchange between her and the driver of the yellow cab, but you did remember her hurrying you to safety and then kneeling down to check that you were okay. You could see the determination in her light eyes shadowed by a layer of fear as she did up the top two buttons of your fancy coat and smoothed a hand down your hair. She had protected you and basically saved your life. The memory shocked you with its reappearance; you hadn’t thought about that one in a long time. You had to have been around six years old when that happened.  

Beau cleared his throat quietly. “Listen, I’m on my way back.”

That jerked you out of your reverie. “What? No, Beau, don’t. I’m fine. You’re on vacation and so is Cassie. Kai was excited to go on this trip, don’t cut it short. I appreciate it but I’d rather your plans didn’t get interrupted.”

“I already talked to Cassie and she’s in agreement. We’re heading back. She talked to Kai and he understands. We’re going to try this again next month.”

The guilt was thick inside your chest. He had been trying for a while now to get Cassie to agree to a fishing trip with him, and he’d only just convinced her. “Beau…”

“Already done,” he assured you. “We’re packing up now actually. Besides, you’re going to need some time and Hoyt’s going to need backup.”

“I told you, I’m fine and I’ll be back to work tomorrow. You don’t have to—”

“You’re going to need the time for the services. Any idea on when they might be yet?”

You pressed your lips together and glanced in your rearview mirror. “Not yet.”

He heard what you weren’t saying. “Well, it just happened. Give ‘em some time and they’ll sort it out,” he offered gently.

“Yeah,” you muttered. 

“You set up a flight yet?”

You shook your head, forgetting for a moment that he couldn’t see you. “No.”

“I should be back later tonight. I’ll come over and help you sort all of that out.”

It hit you in that moment that Beau was going to be seeing you in a few hours’ time. A part of you was relieved but another part of you wasn’t ready to let him in just yet. Not that you didn’t trust him (he was the person you trusted most actually) and not that he didn’t know how to be there for you, but something was stopping you from letting him.

“You’re going to be back late. How about you just stop by in the morning on your way to the office?”

You didn’t need to see Beau to know he was taken aback at your suggestion. “It’s not going to be that late,” he tried again. “I was thinking, if you didn’t mind, I could just stay at your place for the night. It’d be a shorter drive for me to the station tomorrow.” 

You knew it would be and you knew he was just looking out for you, being there for you should you need him, but weirdly, that was the last thing you wanted right now. “I appreciate it, but it’s going to be a long drive and you still need to drop Cassie off. I’ll look up flights when I get home. You just focus on driving and let me know when you made it back okay.”

“Y/N—”

“Someone is calling me from a New York number. It could be important. I have to go. Drive safe, alright?” 

“Darlin’, just—”

“Thank you for calling, Beau. It means a lot.” You meant that last part, you really did. You quickly disconnected the call before he could speak again. There was no call from New York, of course, and you know he knew that, but you just needed a second to think. You put your phone on silent and continued the drive to the small house you had put a down payment on when Beau had convinced you to move here to join him about a year or so before.

You ran a hand through your hair and sighed, feeling majorly conflicted. You wanted nothing more than one of Beau’s comforting hugs but at the same time, you didn’t want to be touched or comforted. You didn’t want anyone’s awkward condolences like Hoyt had offered you earlier after Poppernak told her you might have received some kind of bad news. You didn’t want to talk or cry or try to distract yourself from reality in any way, shape, or form. You wanted to just be. 

And considering where you would be flying to in the next twenty four hours, you needed as much time to process and compartmentalize as you could get.

There was no processing or compartmentalizing happening. Your brain was a chaotic mess at best. Your thoughts were all over the place, same with your emotions, and yet somehow you still felt numb and in shock. 

Not only did memories play on a loop inside your head but you could not form one single coherent thought. You had walked past your full sink of dishes at least four times before you remembered you were going to stack them in the dishwasher. You had to remind yourself that you hadn’t eaten breakfast that morning, preferring your usual coffee, and you had to eat something now that it was late afternoon so you could satiate the loudly rumbling hungry beast known as your stomach. You barely tasted the food or the beer you chose to wash it down with. 

At some point, you had pulled out a shoebox you kept carefully hidden away in a closet and began to go through old photos you kept stashed alongside a few Christmas and birthday cards over the years. You studied your grandmother in each photo and whether it was a blessing or a curse, you weren’t sure which yet, you could hear her voice and even her laughter in your mind. You could hear her yelling, too, but your brain pushed those memories away, knowing you weren’t ready to deal with that just yet.

You came across one picture of the two of you. You were in high school and had just received an award. You two were standing outside of the school and neither of you were embracing or smiling too widely. One of your aunts had asked you both to take the picture, to mark the special occasion, but the truth was, you two had been arguing most of the day, practically up until the ceremony. Just one of the many arguments you both had over the years where you didn’t see eye to eye.

You dug deeper into the box until you pulled out a special group of photos in an envelope. You took a sip of beer, a deep breath, and then opened it. These were pictures of your parents, gone in a freak accident when you were barely kindergarten age. You smiled down at the photos of the two of them with a baby version of you. No matter where you were or who took the picture, all of you appeared to be happy. Sadly, you didn’t remember those times too much, the memories too hazy and existing on that fine line between reality and fantasy. You only remembered the sorrow, the pain, and the devastation their sudden absence left. 

You came across a photo of you and your mother, but this time, your grandmother was also included. You must have been two years old and you were grinning widely from your mother’s lap at the older woman who smiled brightly back at you. You had even reached out your hands to her, almost as if you had been asking her to pick you up. You stared hard at the picture, almost as if trying to remember that exact moment in time so you could then remember the feeling.

Your phone ringing loudly made you jump and jerked you out of your concentration. You placed the photo down and sighed. You had put your phone back on when you arrived home a few hours ago and though he hadn’t called, Beau had sent you a few texts. It was more of him offering to come over, to be there for you, and to help with anything you needed. You had immediately swiped the notifications off of your screen; you couldn’t deal with that or anything else right now. You appreciated it but you just needed some time…some space actually. Just until you could get your head on straight. 

You picked your phone up and glanced at the screen, surprised to see your cousin’s name flashing back at you.

Your brows furrowed and you immediately picked up the call. “Lucy? What’s wrong?”

“Hey,” she greeted you though her usual cheery voice lacked its usual enthusiasm. While you didn’t keep in touch with most of your family, Lucy had been the exception. You weren’t close by any means but her texts and calls didn’t always go ignored. “Aunt Ida said she called you today to tell you about Gran. How are you holding up?”

You shrugged. “As well as can be expected, I guess. How are you doing?” Lucy had been just as close with the grandmother you shared while growing up but she had also stayed within the family unit while you bolted. She and her husband, John, even purchased a home two blocks away from where your grandmother lived. 

“Um, I’m okay,” she sighed into the phone. “It’s sad and not the way we expected but we all kind of knew it was coming.”

“Yeah,” you whispered, taking another sip of beer. 

“I know it might sound horrible to say but it’s kind of a relief. For Gran, I mean. She’s no longer suffering. You know, after the past couple of years…”

You felt a familiar surge of guilt start up in your chest again, and a burning feeling began in the corners of your eyes. “Yeah,” you repeated. You both stayed quiet for a moment, each thinking back to Gran’s initial diagnosis of Alzheimer’s more than five years ago and how it had quickly progressed, especially during the pandemic years. 

Lucy finally broke the silence. “So, um, I was just wondering if you were going to be flying in tomorrow.”

Your brows mashed together again. “Tomorrow?”

“Yeah. For the visitation the next day.”

Your head began to whirl. Perhaps it was the beer and you had misheard her. Though, you had only had two, maybe in conjunction with what you were feeling, you weren’t thinking straight. “Wait, wait. The visitation is the day after tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Luy sounded unsure why you were asking. “And the funeral will be the next morning. That’s why I was thinking you would probably be flying in tomorrow.”

“Aunt Ida told me that she had no idea when the services would be yet but she would let me know.”

“Oh.”

You could practically hear her nerves through the phone. “Lucy,” you warned. “When were the plans finalized?”

“Um…”

“Lucy.”

“Yesterday?” She nearly squeaked out.

That hit you like a gut punch. “Yesterday? I thought Gran just died this morning!”

Now you could really hear the nervousness in Lucy’s voice. “She, um, she passed on Monday morning.”

The fury working its way through your veins felt like molten fire. “Today is Wednesday!”

Lucy knew better than to answer that. “I’m so sorry, Y/N. I thought Aunt Ida explained when she said she spoke to you this morning. She was dealing with a lot and—”

“--couldn’t be bothered to tell me, I get it. But why didn’t you call me?” The tears building were practically burning your pupils. Your grandmother had passed away two days ago and no one could be bothered to tell you.

“I-I wanted to, Y/N. I really did but, Aunt Ida said—”

Your jaw tensed and you nearly slammed your bottle down on the floor next to you as you got to your feet, all too certain what Aunt Ida had said. While Lucy was a kinder soul than most in your biological family, she also lacked a backbone when it came to your older female relatives.

“Forget it,” you hissed, roughly wiping away tears that had escaped down your cheeks. “I’ll be arriving tomorrow. Is the obituary up or was she bullshitting me on that one, too?”

“N-No, they just posted it today. It’s actually quite nice. I think you’ll—”

“Send me the link,” you ordered before you hung up and quickly began scanning available flights as you hurried into your bedroom to begin packing.            

It was late when you landed, your flight having been slightly delayed. Not that it mattered to you; if you could have delayed the flight altogether, you would have. But that wasn’t possible and neither was you staying in Helena. As angry as you were, you refused to let it keep you from doing the right thing. Plus, when you called the station earlier to tell Hoyt you wouldn’t be back until Monday, she had insisted you take the bereavement time available to you (more like ordered you) and see to your family, wishing you well. Normally, you would have put your foot down and flat out refused, content to hole up in a corner of the office and burrow yourself into work, but you knew she was right. You had to attend the services; you owed Gran that much at least.

You nodded a thanks to the cheery but tired flight attendant as she thanked you for flying with their airlines, and ambled down the bridge towards the airport. Thankfully, due to the late hour, there weren’t many people milling about and you were unencumbered from making your way down the escalator towards Baggage Claim. 

While waiting for the carousel to start up, your phone started vibrating. You glanced at the screen, sighing when you saw the name pop up that had been popping up on and off all day.

You immediately rejected the call and slipped your phone back into silent mode. But before you could hit the button, a text snuck its way through to display on your screen.

You felt bad reading the message previews and you certainly weren’t trying to ignore your best friend but you just needed some time to process all of this on your own. You had sent him one quick text earlier telling him not to come by since you wouldn’t be home. You also told him you would call him as soon as you were able. Apparently, he was ignoring that last text going by his several attempts to make contact. You weren’t trying to stonewall him, you really weren’t, but you had to go into this with a clear head. Or as clear a head as you could have in these circumstances. Wasn’t that something he always said before you two went into anything dangerous on the job?

Speaking of the job, it wasn’t that you hadn’t seen your fair share of death, mostly in ghoulish evil ways that people had come up with in order to hurt each other, and it’s not that your grandmother’s passing wasn’t expected to happen at some point like Lucy had said. But you hadn’t been prepared for how you would feel when it did and you certainly hadn’t been prepared for it to happen now.

Conflicting emotions roiled in your head and churned in your stomach. Your empty stomach from that all-too familiar discomfort you’d gotten frequently during your career. The lunch you’d eaten earlier had made a reappearance after Lucy’s phone call. You would have to get some food and soon, but where you would get that at this late hour except a greasy diner, you couldn’t even begin to imagine. Not that it mattered, either. The very thought of food made an altogether different unpleasant sensation roll in your stomach. Emptiness versus nausea…fun.

Eventually, your other suitcase made its way to you and you quickly scooped it up. You ordered a Lyft, scoffing when you noticed the wait time was a half hour, possibly more, for a pickup. How was that even possible? This was an airport! At this rate, you’d be better off taking a cab but that was bound to be pricier than the Lyft. You heaved a great sigh and plopped down on your larger suitcase, resting your chin in your hand as you waited. Eventually, you whipped out your phone and decided to mindlessly scroll through your Instagram. You weren’t a fan of the app or any social media really but Em had made an account for you one day when you had unwisely left your phone sitting on one of Beau’s deck chairs while helping him pack Pedro for a camping trip he was taking her on. You quickly got bored of any new content on your feed, since there weren't any updates from anyone you actually cared about, and swiped over to your profile.

A glimmer of a smile appeared on your face when you saw the picture Em had taken of herself and her dad, posting it for you after she saw your Houston photo and labeled it a semi-pathetic attempt at a first post. Your eyes scanned through your meager posting and the picture of Poppernak that you had taken one day near the end of your shift reminded you why you wouldn’t be working with your beloved partner the next few days. Your smile immediately disappeared and you clicked out of the app, powered down the screen, and slipped the phone into your jacket pocket.

Luckily, only a little while later, your Lyft finally arrived. After loading your suitcases into the back with the driver’s help, you were on your way to the only hotel in town. You stared out the window as the scenery passed by. Your driver, Antonio, had tried to make small talk but thankfully begged off when he noticed you weren’t too talkative, most likely chalking it up to the late flight and you being tired. Familiar landmarks came into view as he turned onto another street and memories started to flood your mind. You shut your eyes, as if to keep them out, and it miraculously held them at bay a little longer. You then settled your gaze on the back of the driver seat, refusing to look out the windows until you arrived at your destination. 

You’d have time enough to wallow in memories and regret the next few days. No reason to rush it. 

As soon as you checked into your hotel room, you immediately jumped in the shower. It always made you feel better after traveling and the flight had felt excruciatingly long this go around. That could have had something to do with you coming from Montana, though. The few flights you’d taken from Texas back in the day had definitely been shorter.

You wrapped yourself in a towel, your damp hair spilling down your back, and started going through one of your suitcases to find body lotion. Once you found the bottle, before you could begin lathering it up in your hands, your phone vibrated on your night stand.

You heaved a sigh and glanced over, seeing you had another missed call from Beau, and yet another text.

You nearly rolled your eyes, knowing he would make good on this threat if you didn’t check in with him at least once before you went to sleep. And that was the last thing you needed right now.

You slipped in your earbuds, hit his name, then the phone icon, and switched it over to bluetooth as you began to moisturize your skin. He answered it in two rings.

“Hey,” he gruffed out before clearing his throat. “About time you called me back.”

You ignored how hearing his voice immediately made your chest feel that little bit lighter and your shoulders release some of the tension you’d been carrying around the past day. “Yeah, well, when someone threatened to put a BOLO on my ass, I responded real quick. That’s all I need, this town’s cops pounding on my door, in addition to everything else.” You had meant it to come out teasingly but your voice had betrayed your aggravation. You regretted it the moment the words were out of your mouth. You knew Beau was just worried about you, that he cared about you, and wanted to make sure you were alright. In all fairness, you could have at least sent him a text to let him know you landed but you were tired and didn’t feel like talking. He would have understood. He wasn’t the asshole in this scenario; you were.

“I’m sorry about that,” he offered gently and you could hear the genuine remorse in his tone. “I wasn’t trying to give you a hard time but damn, Y/N, not one single text to let me know you’re still alive?”

You flinched at the last word and started applying the lotion more aggressively. You were eager to be done with this call, with everything, so you could crash and finally get some much needed shut-eye. You hadn’t slept much in the past forty eight hours, probably stress from the job (it happened sometimes), and you were feeling it.

“Sorry,” he murmured. “I shouldn’t have said that.” More remorse.

“It’s fine,” you muttered, popping the cap on the bottle closed and placing it on the nightstand. “Well, now that you know that I’m fine, no BOLO’s are necessary.”

“Y/N, I didn’t—”

You knew you didn’t really have a right to be angry with him but you also didn’t have the bandwidth for dealing with anyone or anything right now. You appreciated his concern and him checking on you, but all you wanted to do was hit the sack and evade consciousness for a few hours. “Listen, it’s super late, I just got in because it was a late flight and delayed at that. I’m exhausted. So if we could…” You left it open-ended, hoping he’d just take the hint and say goodnight.

You heard some rustling on the other end and you realized he must have been in bed already when you called. You quickly glanced at the alarm clock and thought over the time difference. It wasn’t even 10:30 yet back in Helena and Beau was already going to sleep for the night? That was odd. Then again, he was now a deputy sheriff down and Hoyt would need the backup in case something came up. Plus, you knew he had cut his vacation short to rush back to Helena. He was probably just as exhausted as you were, possibly more so. “Y/N… You’re not shutting down on me, are you?”

You practically did a double take at the question. “What? No! I’m not. What, I’m tired and want to go to sleep after the long day I’ve had and that’s suddenly me shutting down on you? Seriously? All because I didn’t answer a few texts or pick up one of your many phone calls?” You had no idea why but that question majorly pissed you off. The logical part of you knew you were overreacting to a genuinely concerned question from your best friend but your temper seemed to be off to the races; you couldn’t stop it if you tried. “I get that you’re a grade A worry-er and everything but I’m not some goddamn child you need to check up on every ten minutes for Christ’s sake!” In your rush of anger, you hadn’t even realized just how much your voice had raised. Not until there was a deafening silence in the room and on the other end once you finished your little tirade.

“I wasn’t trying to insinuate that you were, darlin’,” he spoke calmly.

“Don’t you darlin’ me. Don’t you dare patronize me with that shit, Arlen. Do you hear me? Don’t you dare.” Your chest felt immediately tight again and tension filled your body once more. You huffed out an angry breath and decided the best thing for you to do in this situation was to end the call as soon as possible. “Look, you wanted to know I’m still alive, now you know. I would appreciate it if you would stop calling me and texting me all the time while I’m here and threatening me when you don’t hear back from me right away. That’s the last fucking thing I need on top of everything else,” you snapped.

Beau remained quiet but you could still hear his breathing on the other end so you knew he was listening to your ranting.

“Now, I’m going to bed. I appreciate the check in but it’s unnecessary. When the services are over and I’m going to head back, I’ll let you know.”

Still nothing.

“Good night, Beau.” You hung up and angrily tossed your phone onto the bed with your earbuds before heading back to the bathroom so you could blow dry your hair.

You thought over the entire conversation. You felt slightly bad that you had lost your temper with him when he was just making sure you were okay but God, you didn’t need that right now. What you needed was to get through the next few days so you could return to your life, your normal routine, as fast as possible. The best way you could do that was to keep going, not allowing yourself time to think, and get this done.

A twinge of guilt surged in your chest when you had that thought. You hadn’t meant anything disrespectful towards your grandmother or to insinuate that you didn’t care that she had died when you were thinking that. It was just…things were already going to be difficult, if your Aunt Ida’s attitude on the phone had been any indication as well as her behavior so far. If it hadn’t been for Lucy’s call earlier and the obituary link she texted you, you wouldn’t have even known when the services were going to be so you could grab the first flight out. Yes, things were bound to be difficult and tense until this was over.

You unplugged your hair dryer in a huff and finished getting ready to go to sleep. Beau just needed to give you space. Your life in Montana had nothing to do with anyone or anything here and you were determined to keep it that way. Texas never did despite your few trips back over the years; Big Sky Country wasn’t going to either.

You supposed you shouldn’t have been surprised at the text message notification on your screen when you lit up your phone.

You felt that twinge of guilt again but this time in your heart. Beau hadn’t deserved what you had unleashed on him before. He was a good man and he hadn’t done anything wrong. You were mentally kicking yourself as you hurriedly dressed for bed and snuggled under the sheets. You stared at your screen, your thumb hovering over his name, the desire strong within you to call him and apologize. You yearned to hear his voice one more time, even if it was just him talking and you listening, him giving you hell for the things you had said in anger earlier. Hell, you almost wished he was here with you so you could fold yourself into his arms and burrow into his chest, letting his Texan drawl wash over your ear as he assured you everything would be alright. And you could stay there as long as you wanted, safe and comforted, not having to face the world or how it had changed so drastically for you with one phone call.

After a minute of indecision, you decided to let things be, get some rest, and then call him tomorrow to apologize when you were a little more clear-headed. And God, you hoped you would be more clear-headed. You powered down your screen and turned the light off, getting into a more comfortable position. You closed your eyes and tried to let the silence settle over you to start lulling you into sleep. 

A few minutes passed by of you unsuccessfully getting your mind to stop racing, constantly replaying your phone call with Beau, the phone call from your aunt, what Lucy’s call revealed (though you shouldn’t have been surprised), what you would be facing come tomorrow, and everything that entailed. Almost as if it was a track on repeat. Finally, you let out a loud huff and reached for the TV remote, turning the television on. You channel surfed until you landed on a rerun of The Golden Girls. You tried to get into the episode; the series was an old favorite that you loved. But when you saw Sophia talking to her granddaughter, you winced and decided that the show wasn’t for you right now. You continued to click through channels until you found an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond. The minute Marie walked through the youngest Barone’s household, giving her daughter-in-law a glare, you let out another wince. You finally settled on The Weather Channel and stared at the screen while the woman talked about the highs and lows expected for the next week in the area. You noticed that rain showers were being forecast for the day of the burial. How apt. And just like that, you knew your brain wasn't going to let you get any rest.

You sighed and tossed the remote away from you and rubbed your hands down your tired face. So much for sleeping.

The next day, you arrived at a familiar red-colored house with white trim, stepping up onto the old wooden porch. You could already hear a low buzz coming from inside as voices batted back and forth in conversation mixed with the sounds of young children running around and playing. One voice stuck out to you from all the rest and it made you tense up. A part of you wanted to turn around and retreat back to your hotel room.

You briefly closed your eyes and took a deep breath. No. You were not going to avoid this. You couldn’t. You wouldn’t. You could do this. You would do this. You were an adult now, you had your own life, and you were a deputy sheriff for Christ’s sake. You dealt with dead bodies, assaults, and much scarier criminals every single day. You refused to turn around and leave with your head hanging down.

As if to ensure you wouldn’t be able to leave, without your permission, your hand lifted and gave two confident raps on the front door. You could hear the chatter pause long enough that you knew they had heard the sounds. You straightened up and squared your shoulders, making sure you were holding your head high just like you did during work hours. It was a silly fleeting thought but you almost wished you were wearing your badge on your belt, having it near as some layer of invisible protection.

Before you could scoff internally at yourself, the door yanked open and there stood the older woman you hadn’t wanted to deal with. You hadn’t seen her in years and while her sandy hair was mixed with more gray and her face sported a few more lines resulting in an even harsher scowl than you remembered, the dark eyes full of contempt whenever they focused on you remained the same. 

You didn’t smile, tear up, or surge forward for a hug, and neither did she. “Aunt Ida,” you greeted. 

“Y/N,” she replied icily. “So you decided to show up for the services after all?”

You could feel your teeth set on edge but you schooled your features. You weren’t going to let her little digs get at you and you would be damned to let her see it if they somehow did. You weren’t fourteen anymore. “I did. Mind if I come in?”

Her beady eyes gave you a once over and she practically sneered before stepping back and opening the door a little wider. Not exactly a warm invitation but an invitation nonetheless. You gave her a nod and took it, ignoring the tiny snort of derision she let out as you did.

You sat uncomfortably on the old couch that you had hated as a kid. Aunt Ida had insisted this couch was for entertaining, not for young children to watch television on or jump on or do anything on really. The seat was practically as rigid as your aunt.

You silently wondered what Beau was up to now as a temporary means of mentally escaping this situation. You had tried to call him before you came over here but his phone had gone straight to voicemail. You would be lying if you said you weren’t a little hurt and a little let down that you hadn’t been able to speak with him. He had told you to call him anytime, that he was there for you despite the harsh words you had launched at him the previous night, but the one time you actually tried to reach out, he hadn’t been available. You hadn’t been prepared for the beep of the voicemail, signaling you to talk, and you ended up leaving him the most awkward message you had ever left someone. “Hey. It’s me. …I’m sorry. Call me back when you get this, okay? Or if you don’t want to, you don’t have to. I’ll understand, but…it would be really nice to hear your voice. Well…you know what I mean. Anyway, just call me back…if you want.” That had been four hours ago. And granted, he was three hours behind you now, but you knew he would already be up, getting ready for the day. So why was his phone off?

You had chastised yourself out loud after hanging up the phone, telling yourself that he was probably in the middle of something for a case that he got called in on overnight and couldn’t be disturbed. How many times did you have to do the same? You had scowled at yourself in the bathroom mirror while putting the finishing touches on your foundation. “What the hell is wrong with you, Y/N? You need to get a fucking grip.” In perhaps an immature move that you were glad no one else was around to witness, you stuck your tongue out at yourself and shook your head, muttering “Stop being such an asshole already”, and walked out the door.

And now you were here, in the house you didn’t really want to be in, surrounded by people that you didn’t really want to be around. Well, perhaps that last thought was harsh. There was really only one person you didn’t really want to see and she had been the one to let you in the door.

You quickly glanced around the room you were in, noting not much had changed since you had been here last, when you had left this town in your rearview mirror and didn’t look back. Even the scent you hated as a child was still the same: a mix of old lady perfume and stale cookies. You could feel nausea starting up in your stomach but thankfully you hadn’t eaten anything before you came here. 

Your Uncle Mason, who sat on your right, gave you a tight smile when he noticed you surveying the room. 

“Still looks the same, huh?” He offered.

“Exactly the same,” you agreed without looking at him.

Your cousin, Lucy, sat in the stiff armchair on your left and looked around as well, smiling. “I like that it hasn’t changed since we were kids. A lot of good memories happened here.” 

Your gaze dropped to the oak coffee table that still had the scratch in it from when you were a child and didn’t know any better. That was one of your countless infractions your aunt had held against you. “Yeah, good memories,” you muttered. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed Mason tense a little and Lucy fidgeting nervously.

You all heard Aunt Ida finish up her conversation and hang up the old handset before she made her way into the room. “That was the funeral home. There was an issue with the plot next to Dad but it’s been resolved.”

“What kind of issue?” Uncle Mason asked.

“Payment,” Aunt Ida spat out as she sat down before turning a fresh glare on you. “I hope you’re not here thinking there’s any money waiting for you and that’s why you decided to show up.”

You nearly ground your teeth together but forced yourself to remain calm. “Of course not. I’m here for Gran.”

She scoffed and shook her head. “Only took her dying, right?”

Lucy struggled to her feet, her round belly acting as an obstacle, but she managed. “You know, I don’t hear the kids anymore. I’m going to go check on them and be right back.” She then hurried out of the room; if she could have run, you bet she would be sprinting towards the backyard her kids had been urged out into when you had arrived. You couldn’t blame her. You would be, too.

“Ida,” Mason attempted to admonish his sister. “Now is not the time.”

“Then when is it?” She snapped, making Mason shrink back, before she turned her scowl back onto you. “Why else would you show up? It’s not like you came when she needed help, when we all needed help with her. You didn’t visit her once while she was in the nursing home. Not once when she was in the hospital.”

Your jaw tensed and you felt the familiar twinge of guilt deep within. “You told me not to come, Aunt Ida,” you reminded her.

She barked out a laugh. “Is that how you heard it?”

“That’s how I heard it because that’s exactly how you said it.” You didn’t look away when she was slightly taken aback by your reply. You refused to back down from this one. You reminded yourself that you were no longer a child; you were a grown woman who didn’t have to take her shit anymore. You were no longer dependent on her or anyone else in this family for anything though when you were, she had only been too happy to make you feel like crap for it every single day of your existence.

The woman shook her head, laughing at you. “Right. You’re some big shot cop now, right? Too good for us lowly citizens.” She smirked over at Mason in collusion, though her brother was shaking his head, refusing to meet her gaze. That angered her further and the glare she settled on you was worse than before. “It’s obvious why you’re really here. Like I said, there’s no money for you. Anything she had left went to the payments for the nursing home and her funeral. And what she had left was pretty much nothing. So if you came here expecting a payout from her will, you’re going to be sorely disappointed.” 

You lifted your chin slightly higher in defiance of her accusations. “And like I said, Aunt Ida, I didn’t come here for anything other than to pay my respects to Gran, and to help where I can.” Your voice softened a little at the thought of your grandmother. “She would have wanted that.”

The other woman scoffed once more but didn’t say more due to the doorbell ringing. 

“I’ll get it,” Mason hurried to offer and then nearly rushed from the room, leaving you and Ida in one hell of a glaring contest.

“I’m only trying to do right by Gran,” you assured her.

“Too little, too late,” she hissed.

You unclenched your jaw and took a quiet breath. “Yeah,” you reluctantly agreed. “Suppose you’re right.” Right then and there you decided that once you were back in Montana, you would sever all ties, this time permanently. You owed nothing to this woman or to any of them, regardless of any blood you shared. The one person you might have owed something to once upon a time was no longer alive. If anything, you were being quickly reminded why you had left this house all those years ago and hadn’t come back.

Ida harrumphed and continued to shake her head.

You were about to stand and leave, having had more than enough in this one little exchange with your aunt, and tell her to call you if she or anyone needed anything before the wake, when Mason returned and a familiar figure filled the entryway to the room. Your eyes widened and your jaw dropped.

There stood the very man you had been trying to get a hold of earlier, giving you one of his warm smiles. You could see slight rings of shadow underneath his eyes that were similar to yours that you had been sporting this morning before using concealer. Exhaustion lined his face but so did relief. His green eyes that were centered on you softened slightly and in that moment, you knew everything that had happened the night before had been forgiven. He was here, for you.

You didn’t remember making the decision to move when you hurried over to him, Mason barely able to get out of your way before you launched yourself at Beau who immediately wrapped his arms around you, practically picking you up off the floor. You squeezed your eyes shut to keep any tears from coming out and burrowed into his neck, happy to breathe in the familiar scent of his cologne. No one said anything and for that you were grateful. You didn’t want anything to shatter the one good moment you’d had in the past two days.

Eventually, when you felt like you wouldn’t break down in tears and you had yourself under pretty good control, you choked out in a whisper, “You’re here.”

“Damn right I am, darlin’,” he confirmed into your ear, making you smile as you heard that Texan drawl you loved so much. The tension in his body relaxed though his hold on you did not. You felt him press a kiss to your hair before hugging you even tighter. “I’m here.”

[noorpersona]

Broken Telephone Pt. 3

For the most part, you’d gotten over the ‘grocery shopping incident’ as you liked to call it. You’d had a very stern talk with both Kugisaki and Itadori the next day, making sure that they wouldn’t tell this secret of yours to the one person who you’d never want to know. The man of the hour, Fushiguro.

“This kinda feels like you’re threatening us…” Itadori had said, sitting in front of you, unable to look you in the eye. In full intimidation, you had simply raised a brow and said, “And?”

Just like that they dropped it and promised to not mention anything to Fushiguro. Well, Itadori at least, Kugisaki just scoffed but you took it as the best you could get from someone like her.

You could be pretty scary if you wanted to be, especially if it was a topic such as this. You seriously needed to do some damage control, because the more people who heard about this little secret, the greater the chance an unspeakable evil would announce itself. And if it did, you’d be absolutely screwed.

So with the two biggest mouths sewed shut, you didn’t think you had anything to worry about.

But just because they promised to not tell Fushiguro, didn’t mean that they promised to never bring it up again.

*Yeah, you really should’ve read the fine print. *

You’d learn that lesson the hard way almost a week later when the entire situation had once again left your mind.

In hindsight, that was truly your first mistake.

But to be fair, it’s harder to concentrate on your mortifying secret being exposed when you’re getting an ass-kicking of the century by your upperclassman.

It was a day hotter than most, considering you were still in the thick of spring. But that didn’t stop the unblocked sun from beating down enormous amounts of heat on you as you lay on the grass, trying to grasp the escaping breath that had been kicked out of you—courtesy of Maki-san.

“Nice, that’s five to zero. Wanna go for round six?” Maki didn’t seem out of breath in the slightest, doing a little twirl with her staff. And while that would give you enough fight and energy to push you to go another round, that was what pushed you the four other times.

You think it was safe to assume you weren’t going to be winning anytime soon.

“Thanks for the offer, Maki-san, but I think I’ll pass. Maybe I’ll spar with someone who’s more merciful.” You’ve sat upright now, panting shallowly while you wipe the sweat off your face.

“I think you’ve worked her enough Maki. I don’t think you want a reputation of being more cold-blooded than you already are, and to be known for beating up your underclassmen.” You heard Panda-senpai from behind you and you turned to see his extended hand, or rather paw, offering to help you up. You give an appreciative smile as you stand, your legs straining from the pure exhaustion Maki-san put you through. You were definitely going to get her back for this.

Yeah, as if you could.

“It’s not training if you aren’t pushed.” Maki stated defensively, crossing her arms sourly. You decided to not add your input.

You stretch out your tired muscles while looking across the track and field area you were training in, noticing that the others were nowhere to be seen. Others being Fushiguro, Itadori, Kugisaki, and Inumaki-senpai.

“Where are the others?” You ask, and Panda points to a small shaded seating area. You assume they’re getting a break from the sun. Wordlessly, you all head towards the area, finding the students as Panda said, sitting in the shade. You make eye contact, and they wave you over.

“Finished getting beat up by Maki-san?” Kugisaki asks, smug voice enhancing her teasing gaze. You narrow your eyes, debating on whether you want to fight her today. You decide that you’ve fought enough for the day and choose to be passive.

“Yeah pretty much. By the way, how was falling practice with Panda-senpai? Still eating dirt?” Your face mimics hers as you see hers drop, hearing the other members of the group chuckle in the background. You said you wouldn’t fight, but you wouldn’t take her shit sitting down. She tsks and you nudge her playfully, before looking among the group, and noticed immediately that it’s missing a key face.

“Where’s Fushiguro?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” You hear Itadori’s voice creep up, face dripping with mischief, knowing eyes boring into you, with Kugisaki joining him almost immediately. On the outside, your face remained passive and calm, as if there wasn’t a hidden meaning to their words, but on the inside, you were considering how much trouble you could get in for murdering your classmates. And whether it’d be really worth it.

The penalties weren’t really that much of a deterrent at this point.

“Yes, that’s why I asked.” You respond plainly, trying to stop the suspicion growing in the second years, the tone in Itadori’s voice most likely letting them know something might be up.

“Salmon roe.” Inumaki responds to your question, making a motion with his hands to help you understand what he means.

“Off to get drinks?” You ask to confirm, and Inumaki nods.

“Kugisaki made him go off alone a little while ago.” Itadori adds, deciding to drop the teasing. You hum in understanding.

“I’ll go over there too. I doubt he got what I wanted.” You were being completely honest when you wanted to go to the vending machine to just get a drink. Of course, Fushiguro alone would be a bonus, but you didn’t like altering your actions simply to get a boy’s attention, you simply found it below your own level of self-respect.

But of course, idiots didn’t see it that way. And you should’ve realized that.

You hear the two idiots in question hum knowingly, and you don’t even have to look to see them smiling at each other smugly.

“Sure…” Their simultaneous response paired with the look they were sharing had you stop dead in your tracks.

“Careful, or I’ll convince Fushiguro to give me your drinks instead.” Your voice is calm, delivered with your usual dryness but mixed in with severe undertones of ‘drop it, you assholes’, but that sure as hell didn’t stop them.

“You can’t get him out of your mind for a second! Even your plans to screw us over involve him!” At this point, you swore you could feel your blood pressure rise.

You realize that Kugisaki is crass and blunt, and you’re willing to accept that, but you really can’t accept her lack of awareness.

It was really too much at this point.

You clench your teeth, knowing now that you’re completely screwed. The second-years weren’t dense, and you knew they’d already be somewhat suspicious at the first comment, but those two Neanderthals just put the final nail in the coffin.

“What’s going on?” You hear Maki ask, looking between you and the other two, slightly cowering at the pure aura of anger now surrounding your form.

Silence fills the area, with the first years not knowing what to say, and second years standing there in basically complete confusion.

And then it happened.

“[Name]’s in love with Fushiguro!” Kugisaki blurts out, and your jaw drops to the floor. Immediately all eyes were on you, causing your already there blush to burn ever redder across your cheeks, giving everyone the confirmation that it was indeed true.

To some extent.

“Wha-what?! I am not! I-I never said-“ You continue to stutter and cut yourself off, the stares of the first and second years being a little too much. You bury your face in your hands as you hope and pray that the world swallows you whole.

No such thing occurred.

“Well, To be fair, [Name] said that she liked him, not loved him.” Itadori, of all people, is the one who comes to your rescue.

Well, kind of.

You snap your head up at his words. “O-oi!“

You go unnoticed by the two loudmouths, who were getting sucked into their own argument.

“Hah? Are you stupid? Of course she loves him. She talks about him all the time, and told me that she even wanted to get screwed by-“

“I never said any of that!” You felt like you wanted to pull your own hair out at this point, stomping your foot like a child and cutting Kugisaki off. Your little outburst manages to snap them out of it.

But you just couldn’t seem to catch a break.

“Is this even new information?” Maki’s words hit you like a freight train, whipping around to look at the now unimpressed second-years.

“Wh-what?”

“I mean, even if you didn’t say anything, it’s pretty damn obvious that you like him.” You swore you could feel your heart stop.

“That-That’s not true! I’ve never shown my feelings for him.” You’re quick to defend yourself, not hearing your own words.

“So you do like him?” You hear Itadori pipe in, making you jump. You don’t even have any time to smack him until Panda decides to add his fifty cents.

“Regardless of whether she’ll admit it, she does. Whenever he’s training, she’ll stare at him so hard you can practically see hearts in her eyes. I’m surprised you guys didn’t know until now.” You know what, you’ll retract your previous statement. Now you want the ground to swallow you whole.

“Can all of you shut up?! I do not stare at him!” You yell, trying to keep the last shred of dignity you have intact, only for it to be completely shattered by the disbelieving eyes of your classmates.

“Bonito flakes.” It’s the tired tone of your upperclassmen that manages to finally push you over the edge.

“Okay, okay, fine!” You snap, the redness running across your cheeks removing any seriousness or intensity you wanted to have. The only thing you’re met with is indifference and amusement as your classmates watch you.

“Believe what you will, whether it’s true or not is irrelevant.” You say through clenched teeth, ignoring Maki’s eye roll and Kugisaki’s scoff. “But just keep this ridiculous theory to yourselves.” You weren’t really talking to the second years at this point, but the only people dumb enough to tell Fushiguro and effectively ruin your life.

You stare down Itadori and Kugisaki. With them looking at each other and then at you. “I don’t care what it is I’ll have to do, but you two are as good as dead if you tell Fushiguro anything.” You hiss, too angry to notice that their eyes are now not looking at you, but behind you.

“Tell me what?”

The voice makes your heart drop all the way down to your feet.

You whip around to an extremely suspicious-looking Fushiguro holding a small bag of drinks. He looked extremely confused, but not awkward. He didn’t hear anything.

You silently thanked all the Gods you could think of. But you weren’t off the hook just yet.

He started to look to the others, searching for someone to fill him in, but they didn’t give him a coherent answer, purposefully avoiding eye contact and mumbling to themselves.

Some friends they are. You make a mental note to curse them out later.

You needed to come up with a reasonable excuse, and quick. Because the more time you let him think on this, the harder it’ll be for him to believe anything half decent.

But being the presence of your crush, (Yeah, you weren’t going to deny it anymore.) your mind draws a fat blank and you just end up dumbly opening and closing your mouth like a gaping fish.

The seconds are agonizingly slow, and the silence among the group is soul-crushingly loud. You knew it must’ve been extremely hard to watch. And maybe it was because it was hard to watch, or she was bored, that Maki decided to help dig you out of the hole you fell into.

More like pushed into and buried, but you digress.

“She was just embarrassed that she lost to me so many times during training. She doesn’t want you to think less of her.” Her tone is light and casual, and you’re almost scared of how convincingly good your senpai sounds. You see the others follow her lead, nodding and adding small agreements. You catch on quickly.

“Uh… yeah, that’s it. I was just a little embarrassed.” You add on, avoiding looking at him so he couldn’t see the redness on your cheeks that you couldn’t seem to get rid of. He raises a brow, and your heart beats faster as you watch him process your excuse. You feel your blood pulse through your ears as you wait for his response.

“Well, Maki-senpai is a formidable opponent and she does push people a little hard.” You hear Maki let out a scoff, but you pay no mind to it. “Plus, you just started training recently. I wouldn’t be too upset about losing to her.” He finishes. You could tell by his face that he wanted to add more, but decided to keep it to himself.

You’d take that any day.

You laugh, trying to edge out the awkwardness and nervousness in your voice before speaking. “Yeah, you’re right. It sounds stupid now. I’d appreciate it if we just forgot about this.” You rub the sides of your arms, still avoiding looking him in the eye.

“Alright. Here.” You hear his bag rustle and it causes you to look up at him. After a couple of seconds, he pulls out your favourite drink. You show your confusion. You didn’t ask him for a drink.

Seeing your expression, he explains himself. “I always see you get this one. Figured you’d want it.” He hands it to you before giving everyone else the drink they requested, acting like five minutes ago never happened. Rowdiness of the group returning to homeostasis.

You stare at the drink with the dumbest smile on your face, not being able to hide it.

You chose to ignore the looks of your classmates.

[kryptid-writes]

Chapter 5 - The Bearer of Bad News

Just as Y/N starts to settle into the bunker, a mysterious pain leaves her feeling helpless and scared. Castiel must be the bearer of bad news, leaving Dean to pick up the pieces. (3.3k)

The echo of footsteps grows louder by the second as Lucifer slowly creeps closer. His soft adoring eyes meet mine, igniting with passion. He's drenched in blood from the tips of his fingers to the crook of his elbows. His arms hang limply at his sides as the blood drips from his hands onto the leaves of the forest floor beneath us. The brown leaves, long dead from the bitter winter air are painted a rich crimson color, one drop at a time. The colors swirl together like some realistic macabre painting, hauntingly beautiful.

He stops in his tracks, until he’s all but a few inches away. He closes his eyes and leans down to rest his forehead against mine. 

I can feel the familiar buzzing sensation connecting us in the most enticing way. 

His hand takes mine and intertwines our fingers, the wet feeling of blood sticking between my knuckles, still warm from the slaughter. 

I let out a quiet sigh, feeling oddly at ease despite the eerie situation.

“Admit it, you miss me,” he says in a cheeky tone. One side of his lips tug upward revealing a sly, charming smile. 

I look away, avoiding the question. The truth is some disturbed part of me did miss him. He was dangerous and rude. He kidnapped me, for fucks sake. But something deep inside pulls me to him like a magnet. Two opposite forces drawn together in unforeseen ways. I can’t help but lean into the feeling.

“You feel the connection don’t you?” He says, his voice low.

I look up at him through my eyelashes, gazing into his beautiful ruby eyes, my face flushing a light shade of pink.

“You do.” He lets out a breath of laughter, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “Don’t worry my beloved, I'll be coming to get you very soon.” He places a soft kiss on my forehead.

 “Those Winchester boys are bad news, and If they believe they can steal you away from me, they’re sorely mistaken.” A flash of anger and jealousy appears on his face. “You're mine, not theirs. Do you understand?” His mood suddenly very serious.

“I don’t belong to you, I don’t belong to anyone.” I snap in protest.

“Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.” He shakes his head disapprovingly. “You and I are destined to be together and you’re gonna need my help sooner or later. And when that time comes,” he leans in, his lips hovering over my ear whispering, “I’ll be here waiting for you.”

My breath hitches in my throat, butterflies fluttering in my stomach. He snaps his fingers and the world goes black. 

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I shoot up in bed, my breathing shallow and slightly painful. My sweaty hair sticks to my forehead and my throat feels as dry as a desert. 

The dream felt so real, but I suppose they all do. It’s different now though, knowing that they’re actually real, that he really is communicating with me through the dream realm.

 I can’t help but wonder what he meant when he said, “I’ll be needing his help sooner or later.” Asking Lucifer for help is the last thing I want to do, the thought alone sending chills down my spine.

I swallow down my anxiety and step out of bed onto the cold wooden floor. I enter the bathroom, getting ready for the day and slipping back into my clothes from the night before and step out into the hallway, closing my door behind me. 

The aroma of sizzling bacon and eggs fills the air. My stomach growls painfully in hunger, reminding me that it has been far too long since I've eaten anything. 

I follow the smell down the twisty hall into a quaint little kitchen. It’s lined with light green tiles, illuminated by the fluorescent lights on the wall. Pots and pans dangle from hooks above the metal center island where dishes of breakfast foods are displayed by a stack of plates and silverware.

 Dean stands by the stove, frying a batch of fresh bacon, unaware of my presence in the doorframe.

 Sam, on the other hand, sits at the small wooden table, eating a piece of buttered toast and sipping on a cup of black coffee. His eyes flick back and forth, scanning over the newspaper in his hand as he mindlessly bounces his leg. 

Castiel is nowhere to be seen, not that the lack of angels bothers me.

I clear my throat, attracting the attention of both the brothers. 

“Morning Y/N!” Sam gives a genuine smile, taking another sip of his coffee. He catches my eyes glimpse over the food, my mouth flooding with saliva.

 “Dean cooked breakfast, please help yourself.” He gestures to the plates of food on the island and I quickly make my way over.

“Hope you like bacon,” Dean chuckles, throwing a glance at me over his shoulder.

“I love bacon,” I happily reply, filling my plate to the brim with eggs, bacon, and toast. 

Dean smiles at this.

 I take my seat across from Sam, shoving forkfuls of food into my mouth. I’m sure I've forgotten my manners, but the wonderful blend of tastes melting in my mouth distracts me far too much to care. I close my eyes, forgetting the world around me and savoring every bite. When I open my eyes, I see Dean filling a mug placed in front of me with freshly brewed coffee that’s never seemed so appealing before.

“Did you sleep okay?” He asks, sitting down in the seat next to me. His plate is nearly overflowing with crispy bacon. 

Sam looks at him slightly disgusted, but not entirely surprised. 

“Um. I guess you could say that.” I take a bit of toast, keeping my mouth full so I don’t have to talk.

“Right, well we decided to take the day off from hunting, so we’ll be around if you need us,” Sam says, shooting me a reassuring look.

“Hunting?” I didn’t take the Winchesters to be the trigger happy animal shooter type.

“Yeah, we uh, we save people and hunt monsters for a living. It’s kind of a family business,” Sam replies, his eyes scanning my face, gauging for my reaction.

“Oh,” I place my fork down, processing the information. “So you guys actively search out the crazy?” I raise my eyebrow in question.

“Yeah, it’s kind of our thing” Sam nods with a polite smile.

I let out a half hearted chuckle in disbelief. None of this seems real. I mean, just 2 days ago I was living a relatively normal life in blissful ignorance of what the world was really like, completely unaware of the existence of angels, demons, and monsters, and now, here I am in the middle of it all like the eye of an unrelenting storm.

“Look,” Dean says, catching my attention. “We’re almost certain that Lucifer will not be able to find you here, you should be safe. But we’re gonna stay close, keep an eye on you just to be sure.” He looks me in the eye, making sure I understand the full gravity of the situation.

I nod in response, picking up my warm coffee mug and bringing it to my lips. I sip on the coffee, its hot liquid warming my throat and leaving a pleasant bitter taste behind. Just as I was finishing the drink, my muscles seize up and I drop the cup, spilling the coffee everywhere. My eyes screw shut as bolts of pain run through my spine into the nerve endings throughout my body. I hiss at the feeling, grinding my teeth. The pain quickly subsides, gone just as soon as it came.

“Y/N! Y/N! Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Sam asks, his voice filled with concern, and  grips my shoulder.

“Yeah, Fine,” I groan, opening my eyes to meet their concerned faces. “Just a muscle spasm,” I assure, in an attempt to dismiss their worries and grab a napkin to mop up the spilled coffee from the old wooden floor. The spill doesn’t look entirely out of place among the myriad of old stains that litter the smooth gray tiled floor.

I have never experienced a random burst of pain before, but I'm sure it’s probably just related to the physical and mental stress I've endured recently. 

“That was one hell of a muscle spasm,” Dean says with a scoff.

“Nothing a hot shower won’t fix.” I give a weak smile and excuse myself from the table.

“Hey, uh, i’ll bring you some fresh clothes to change into. You can borrow some of mine until we’re able to get you your own,” Dean says, getting up to toss his now empty plate and coffee mug in the kitchen sink with a loud clunk.

“Thanks Dean.” I give the brothers a final glance, putting on my best brave face, before exiting the kitchen and making my way back to my room.

Despite the bunker being bigger than a stadium, I’m able to navigate through the labyrinth of halls with ease, running my fingers along the winding tile walls. In college I had done my fair share of camping in national parks and retracing my steps when lost in the forest is a skill I have down to perfection.

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

The hot water does wonders to ease my muscles as I step into the steady stream. I sigh, and lean my head back to rest on the foggy glass wall of the shower, and to my relief, everything fades into blissful silence, my head pleasantly empty. 

The peace lasts only a moment before another bolt of shooting pain racks through my body. This one is far worse than before. It feels as if every nerve in my body is on fire simultaneously. I let out an involuntary scream that I can hardly hear over the rush of water and loud ringing in my ears.

“Y/N?” Dean shouts on the other side of the door, knocking incessantly. 

I try to respond, but am interrupted by another wave of pain flowing through my body, knocking out the air from my lungs like a punch to the gut. The pain is so unbearable that my legs give out and I collapse onto the tiled floor with a thud. The cold tiles quickly turn into a feeling akin to being pressed against a hot grill. Everything burns.

“Y/N!” He yells, furiously jiggling the locked doorknob.

I curl up into a ball, pulling my knees into my chest. I close my eyes as hot tears flow down my cheeks, mixing with the shower water streaming directly onto my face. The water gets into my nose and mouth. I choke as it becomes harder and harder to breathe, but I just can’t muster the strength to move my body to safety. 

Wave after wave of pain hits me, starting from the top of my spine, flowing between my shoulder blades, and rushing through the rest of my body. I want to call for help, I want to call for Dean, but all I can manage is a measly whimper. Once again, I'm left feeling completely helpless.

After what seems like an eternity, Dean finally kicks the door down and rushes to my side, dropping to his knees. I can’t open my eyes to see him, but I can feel his presence looming over me like a real guardian angel.

“Y/N,” He says, pulling me out of the shower and into his arms. 

I tuck my face into his chest, breathing in his musky scent that's immensely effective at calming my nerves. The pain doesn’t stop, but when I’m in his arms, for just a moment, it feels like everything might be okay.

“Breathe Y/N,” Dean says, keeping his voice steady. “I need to pick you up and move you to the bed.” He places his arms under my neck and the back of my legs.

“No!” I mumble in protest. The thought of moving my body at all from my current position on the bathroom floor makes me feel sick to my stomach. Everything hurts. Even the slightest movement of my body sends spikes of pain through my core.

“I’ll make it quick, I promise,” His voice is calm, trying to hide his panic in an attempt to soothe me.

All I can do is whimper in response. I know he’s right, but the rational part of my brain is offline. I cry out a choked sob as he lifts me from the floor and carefully moves me to the bed. The satin sheets that felt so comfortable before now sting when they come in contact with my skin.

“Shh you're okay,” he coos, cradling my head. 

Tears stream down my face as the vision in my eyes starts to blur. Blotches of blue, purples and greens dance along my line of sight as the black abyss crawls from the corners of my eyes. My cries and whimpers grow silent as I go limp in his arms. My consciousness slowly slipping away.

“Y/N? Y/N! Stay with me! I need you to stay awake!” He shakes me lightly. The sensation burns, but I'm too tired to care. “SAMMY!” Dean yells, his voice booming off the walls of the bunker.

I fall into sweet unconsciousness, a temporary relief to my pain.

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

Lucifer cradles me in his arms, tentatively wiping away my tears. 

My breathing comes out choppy, followed by the occasional hiccup. The pain is gone, but the sickly panicked feeling still bubbles in my core. 

He runs his fingers through my hair, massaging my scalp. 

I lean into his touch. My head lulls back, physically exhausted.

“Everything is going to be alright my love. I would give anything to be there with you right now, help you through this adjustment period.” He places a kiss on the top of my head, resting his head there for a moment before pulling away. “It will all be worth it, you’ll see.”

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

The dream lasts for only a fleeting moment before I’m pulled back to reality by a wave of pain flowing through my body. A strangled scream rips through my throat. My body thrashes and shakes in agony, unable to cope with the overwhelming feelings. Once the tremors calm down, I peel my eyes open to see Sam and Dean sitting on either side of my bed, staring at me intently, looking incredibly concerned.

“It’s okay, we’re here.” Sam says in a calming voice, moving stray locks of hair out of my face.

I want to respond, I want to thank them for keeping me company, but all that comes out are sobs that rack through my body. I hug the large red flannel that they must have placed around me, into my chest. Clutching the fabric in my fingers brings me some unexpected comfort.

They exchange looks with one another, seeming to have a silent conversation without ever opening their mouths.

“I don’t know what’s happening,” I croak. “I’m scared,” the last part comes out as a whisper. I stare up at the ceiling, feeling utterly hopeless.

Dean takes my hand in his, giving it a comforting squeeze.

“I think it’s time you make a call,” Sam says to Dean, giving him a knowing look. 

He responds with a nod and places his hands together in prayer. “Castiel, we need your help. Get your feathery ass down here… please,” he says, his tone turning from confident to desperate.

Barely a moment passes until the sound of wings fills the room. 

I have to fight my panicked gut reaction to the noise, reminding myself that it’s not Lucifer, that I'm safe here with the boys.

“Dean,” Castiel says, in his deep monotone voice.

“You have to help her, something is seriously wrong.” He gives the angel a pleading look.

He shuffles to my side, hovering over me with no regard to my personal space. 

I turn my head to look at him, hot tears flowing from my eyes, staining the pillow below. 

His face is void of emotion, unreadable as always.

“Please make it stop!” I beg. I wince and groan, feeling smaller waves of pain shooting through my spine and shoulder blades.

He looks at the brothers before placing two fingers to my forehead and closing his eyes in concentration. 

I wait for the sweet relief that never comes and let out an almost inaudible whimper.

 His brows furrow in frustration. “My healing grace isn’t working on her.”

“What do you mean, it’s not working?” Dean barks in anger. “Try again!” He demands.

Castiel shoots him a knowing look, but tries again regardless. Yet again, nothing happens. “There’s something blocking my energy. Something that’s not entirely human.”

“What does that mean?” Sam asks. 

I look at Cas, my eyes searching his for any kind of answers.

He turns to look at Dean and Sam. “I’m sensing the presence of angel grace in her nervous system. I’ve never seen anything like it,” he tells them, as if I'm not even there.

“WHAT?” My voice is clear for the first time since the pain started and eyes wide with horror. 

He ignores my outburst and continues what he was saying. “Lucifer has done something to her, I'm certain it’s the cause of her pain.” 

They exchange silent glances once again before turning their attention back to me.

A sickly feeling washes over me as realization dawns on me. I clench my jaw as the traumatic memories flash across my mind. “He…. he injected me with something while I slept.” 

“Was it a glowing white substance?” The angel asks. 

I nod my head in fear of what it means.

“He’s transferred some of his grace into her body. It’s completely unheard of, but theoretically it may create some sort of human and angel hybrid.”

“No.” I shake my head in disbelief. “That’s not true. Please tell me it’s not true!” I plead, grasping onto the sleeve of his tan trench coat.

“I’m sorry.” He gives me a look of pity. 

“I need to talk to you,” Sam says to Cas. “In private…” He glances at me. 

Clearly whatever he has to say, he wants me out of the loop. I should be offended, but I'm in too much a state of shock to care.

The two men exit the room and Dean stands to follow.

“Wait.” I grab his arm, catching his attention. “Please don't leave me here alone,” I plead, my eyes wide with hope.

He pauses for a minute, weighing his options, but ultimately agrees with a short nod. He crawls into bed next to me, pulling me flush against his warm body, providing a silent comfort.

I rest my head on his chest, draping my arms across his torso. He smells of beer and musky cologne that I find oddly comforting. 

He wraps a muscular arm around me, his hand resting on the small of my back. It reminds me of the way Lucifer held me after injecting me with his grace, but this feels safer, more genuine.

“You’re gonna be okay,” he whispers, placing a soft kiss on my temple. 

My body tenses in surprise, but I quickly melt into the feeling, a peaceful sigh escaping my lips. In all of the chaos that seems to surround me, he’s the only thing grounding me, keeping me from simply drifting away.

We stay there for God knows how long. After what feels like forever, his breathing becomes deep and heavy. But sleep doesn’t come so easy for me, my mind still trying to process the life changing information of the day.

Many hours later, after tracing my eyes over his figure too many times to count, memorizing every freckle, scar, and curve, I finally join him in slumber, my body still exhausted from the agonizing pain. It seems as of lately I've slept more than I ever have in my whole life. I won't complain though, it’s a much needed escape from the horrors of reality. The peace in a wake of pain.

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[archiveikemen]

Ikemen Genjiden Act 2: Prologue

This is a fan-made translation solely for entertainment purposes with no guaranteed perfection. I do not own any of the original content. Please support CYBIRD by buying their stories and playing their games. Reblogs appreciated.

❥･• Warnings and FAQ

(The sun is rising higher. I should head back as soon as possible.)

I was hurrying back to the castle with a slight feeling of urgency on the inside, after attending to a house call early in the morning.

(There’s a special meeting later today that involves me, so I mustn't be late.)

(... Huh?)

Suddenly, something caught my attention in the corner of my eye.

Someone was sitting in the shadows of an alley.

(I don’t have time to stop. But what if they’re feeling unwell?)

By the time that thought crossed my mind, my legs had already started instinctively moving in that direction.

Yuno: ! What’s wrong?

I found a man slouched over in a shaded area with his head lowered, looking completely drained of energy.

Worried that he might be seriously unwell, I rushed to his side and called out to him, but he didn't respond.

Yuno: Uh…

I peered into his face, and my breath caught in my throat when our eyes met.

(Huh? — His eyes look like deep and bottomless pits.)

For some reason, I couldn’t take my eyes off them.

The man noticed me kneeling there at a loss for words and blinked slowly…

Black-Haired Man: … Noisy.

(What.)

Black-Haired Man: … ot…

Yuno: … ot…?

(... Oh, is he trying to say “hot”?)

(He must be hiding in the alley to seek shelter from the sun. It’s not very sunny today, though.)

The man wasn’t sweating — his skin was pale, making him look cold instead.

(His complexion looks alright… and the mole near his mouth is rather striking.)

The way he languidly leaned against the wall in the shade had a unique kind of sexiness to it.

Black-Haired Man: …

I did a visual physical assessment of him as an apothecary, and finally noticed his well-sculpted face when I took a closer look at him.

Because we were both seated on the ground, our faces were quite close to each other's.

(I- I should move a little further away. Even if I’m just concerned about him, this might come off as disrespectful.)

Just as I was about to distance myself,

Black-Haired Man: … want to….?

Yuno: Huh?

(... Want to… what…?)

Before I could clarify, he gently lifted my chin with chilly fingers.

My eyes met his through the gaps between his fringe, and I found myself strangely captivated by them.

(Nn…)

He traced his fingers down my neck.

(Why are his fingers so cold?)

A shiver ran down my spine, it was as though my skin was being touched by ice.

The man before me gave a small smile.

Black-Haired Man: You’re sensitive. Does the cold make you feel good?

His low, honeyed voice ticked my eardrums as he whispered into my ear.

Yuno: W-What are you doing all of a sudden…

Snapping out of my enchantment, my cheeks immediately turned bright red.

The man cocked his head while keeping his fingers on my chin.

Black-Haired Man: Am I wrong?

Black-Haired Man: I thought you approached me because you “wanted” something, but I guess I was mistaken… then, why did you approach me?

Yuno: “Why”? I just thought you might be feeling unwell…

Black-Haired Man: Me?

The man looked a little surprised by my response.

Black-Haired Man: I was just going outside for a walk, but the sun was bothering me, so I came into the shade to rest… hm.

(Whoa… h-he came closer.)

I got startled when he drew his face closer, and instinctively leaned back…

Black-Haired Man: You’re warm.

The man muttered with a frown and abruptly withdrew his hand.

(What was that for!?)

Yuno: … I don’t really understand what that was all about, but you don’t seem to be unwell.

Yuno: I’m sorry for bothering you, I’ll get going now.

I hurriedly stood up and left without waiting for his response.

I glanced back from a short distance away and saw that the man was still sitting in the alley.

Perhaps he noticed that I was looking at him, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

That gesture was oddly charming, making me shudder.

(I feel like there’s something strange about him.)

The touch of his cold fingers on my skin lingered.

I shook off that thought and took a deep breath before hurrying back to the castle.

— After Yuno left, the man in the alley, Rikka, sighed.

Rikka: She thought I was unwell? She’s too kind-hearted.

Rikka: She could've been dragged into the shadows and had something horrible done to her if I were a bad person.

Rikka casually muttered some disturbing things and suddenly, he noticed something about Yuno when looking in her direction as she left.

Rikka: This atmosphere surrounding her… ahh, I see.

Rikka: So she’s the one.

…

Yuno: *huff*... This is nerve wrecking.

I could hardly calm my nerves in the face of events that are about to change the course of history.

Shigehira: Being nervous won’t change a thing, so just be your usual carefree self.

Yuno: Y-You have a point there.

Yoichi: You look better with a smile. Isn't that what you wanted to say to her, Young Master?

Shigehira: … Don’t put words into my mouth.

All the members of the Shogunate, Rebel Army, and Imperial Court were gathered at the Okura Gosho in Kamakura.

(It’s been three months since the war between the Shogunate and Rebel Army ended.)

(I was worried when the Imperial Court joined the war and turned it into a three-way battle, but…)

After a long fight, the three sides decided to agree on an armistice.

(Today is the day!)

Yoritomo: Alright, let’s get this over and done with.

Yoshitsune: That’s good news. I was getting so bored of waiting, I almost wanted to slice your head off.

Yoritomo: Yoshitsune, if you need someone to teach you how to be more patient, feel free to approach your “big brother”.

Yoshitsune: … Sounds like the man born before me wishes to die before I do.

Akihito: Ahh. The two of you are still as hostile as ever towards each other. Everything alright over there?

(Grudges don’t get resolved overnight… I guess.)

Kurama: Just hurry up and start already. I’m fighting Tamamo today.

Ibuki: Have you forgotten how you blew off the roof of a teahouse in Kamakura ten days ago?

Tamamo: Even though everyone knows who we are now because of the war, I still don't agree with threatening the safety of humans without reason.

Due to Tamamo, Kurama, and Ibuki’s involvement in the battle, their identities as ayakashi became known to the soldiers.

Their stories had also spread throughout town as rumours.

(Of course, there was a lot going on before that happened. The three of them must’ve had their fair share of troubles.)

All this while, the three ayakashi have been doing their best to act as “human” as possible while in public.

Benkei: If all three of them were to have their deals broken in the future, won’t they cause a lot of damage to the town?

Kagetoki: Worrying about a future that we don't know for sure will happen is what only an idle man would do.

(That’s right. Even though the war has ended, it doesn't mean that everything is over.)

(If we achieve true peace, it’s possible that Yoshitsune and Akihito would give up their demonic powers.)

That included Tamamo and myself, as we had accumulated enough powers from ayakashi during the war. But because we needed to balance the Shogunate’s strength with the Rebel Army and Imperial Court, we didn't terminate our contract.

Yasuchika: Instead of worrying about a “Great Yokai War” breaking out, why don’t we take much more important matters into consideration – such as whether these blood-stained hands can truly come together and become friends?

Yoichi • Shigehira: …

Morinaga: — What are your thoughts on this, Yuno? You were involved in those bloody battles as well.

(Me…?)

Yuno: … I think it’s wonderful to have hope for the future, even though it may seem uncertain at this point in time.

Yuno: I learnt during the war that everyone here is bearing the emotional weight given to them by their pasts.

(After watching the consequences of conflicting beliefs during the war, of course I want to be a strength for the Shogunate, but…)

(Along the way, I found myself interested in the way of life.)

Yuno: The battle was a tough fight filled with challenges and grievances…

Yuno: I want everyone whom I respect and admire to be happy.

Everyone’s expressions softened slightly as I conveyed my message to the best of my ability.

Sueharu: — Oh, my goodness. I shall not be insensitive and criticise your wishes.

Yuno: Perhaps I sounded too naive… my apologies.

Nevertheless, I still hoped that there would come a day when everyone could laugh happily together like they used to.

Right when I was imagining that kind of future—

(KYAA!?)

A loud noise rumbled through the air, bursting my thought bubble.

Shigehira: —! What was that!?

The soldiers standing guard outside the meeting hall came rushing in.

Shogunate Soldier: Lord Yoritomo! We will investigate the source at once!

Yoritomo: — I will go too.

Upon hearing Yoritomo’s words, everyone stood up and followed after him at once without another word.

Morinaga: You wait here, Yuno.

Yuno: Ah… no, please let me come with you. I’m worried as well.

(They might need an apothecary if it was a landslide or earthquake.)

…

I hurried to the front of the palace together with everyone else—

Yuno: What is that!?

The ground below us was split open, eerie black smoke billowing out of the cracks and painting the sky in an ominous colour.

Shogunate Soldier: T-This is…

Rebel Soldier: What's happening!?

Yoshitsune: Everyone, stay calm. We’ll split up and investigate the cause of this strange phenomenon.

Yoritomo: At the same time, we’ll evacuate the panicked civilians to safety. Firstly—

Yoritomo and Yoshitsune quickly gave orders to their respective armies.

Akihito: Do you know anything about this, Yasuchika?

Yasuchika: I’ve sent my Shikigami to investigate, this is the first time I've ever seen such a thing.

Yasuchika: From what I see, it seems that the negative energy from the underworld has combined with an unknown element to become something much worse…

(Even Yasuchika doesn’t know what this is.)

Tamamo: It smells awful. We should start by looking for where the smell is strongest.

…

With a minimal number of soldiers as guards, everyone went tracing for the source of the smell.

I rode on the back of the horse I was given, following them.

(It’s getting foggy…?)

Shogunate Soldier: Ugh…

Rebel Soldier: … Strange, I feel drowsy all of a sudden…

In my hazy field of vision, I saw the soldiers ahead of me start to waver.

Yuno: Watch out!

The soldiers fell off their horses one after another.

I quickly dismounted my horse and rushed over to check on their condition.

Yoritomo: What’s wrong with them?

Yuno: I’m not sure… from my assessment, they’re just asleep.

Benkei: Oi, even the horses are falling asleep. Be careful!

Everyone immediately jumped off their horses when they heard that.

And then—

Sueharu: Looks like it’s only the fourteen of us who didn't fall asleep.

Kagetoki: This is extremely suspicious. It’s almost as though this was done by someone on purpose.

Yoichi: For the time being, we have no choice but to continue moving forward.

(I don’t know what’s happening right now, but I have a bad feeling about this.)

I anxiously walked through the fog that was so thick, I could barely see my own feet.

After walking for a while, we found ourselves at…

…

Yuno: Is this… the sea?

(The seawater is red. I’ve never seen anything like this before.)

The waves crashing onto the shore were of a rusty red colour that resembled blood, making the hairs on my neck stand on end.

Tamamo, Kurama, and Ibuki changed into their original ayakashi forms and remained vigilant of our surroundings.

Yoshitsune: …! Halt.

(S-Something’s there…)

… Something breathing was hiding behind the fog.

The rustling sound of something long and heavy dragging itself on the ground reached my ears.

A dark shadow looming high above us moved noticeably closer…

???: I’ve been waiting for you, mortals.

(Ah…)

— Everyone’s breaths caught in their throats.

Standing before us was a serpent with eight heads.

(It looks like something I’d see in a terrible nightmare.)

Ibuki: … Yamata no Orochi?

Serpent: Yes, that was what the humans called me in the ancient times.

(... I’m getting the chills.)

My skin was getting goosebumps not because I was cold, but because of fear.

(Even though I’m used to seeing ayakashi, this one has an overwhelming aura to it. I feel like I’m being crushed.)

Ibuki: This better not be some bad prank.

Ibuki: Even I have never seen the Yamata no Orochi before.

Ibuki: It’s an ancient being that died so long ago, it became a myth.

Serpent: That is correct.

Serpent: I now belong to neither the realm of the living, nor the realm where the ayakashi dwell.

Serpent: I’ve become a messenger from hell.

Yuno: Hell…?

Shigehira: It's said that some of the deceased go to hell. Is that the same “hell”?

Kagetoki: Tamamo, is this serpent telling the truth?

Tamamo: Even for ayakashi, the afterlife is inaccessible.

Tamamo: Where do souls go after death? Living for hundreds of years won’t give you an answer. You’ll never know unless you die.

Kurama: — There’s a way.

(Kurama!?)

A fierce whirlwind of invisible blades sliced through the air and attacked the serpent.

Serpent: …

The serpent showed no sign of resistance as its body was cut mercilessly by the blades.

(Did he succeed…?)

But the next moment…

Kurama: …!

Serpent: Goodness. The young surely are very hot-blooded.

The severed parts of the serpent’s body reconnected and returned it to its original form.

(You’ve got to be kidding me…)

Serpent: Though, doing such things on a whim is a privilege granted to all living beings.

Tamamo: — No matter how ancient of an ayakashi you are, that was some formidable regenerative abilities.

Serpent: It’s not that easy to kill something that’s already dead.

Serpent: Even if every single one of you here attacks me at once, you’ll still fail.

(How strong is it that all of us attacking together won’t be enough to defeat it…?)

Yoritomo: I understand that we’re unable to defeat you at the present moment.

Yoritomo: So, what’s your purpose in approaching us? I assume it’s not to exchange friendly greetings.

Yoshitsune: If you’re a messenger like you claimed to be, then you must have something to tell us.

Serpent: Very well.

The serpent turned its eight heads to face Yoritomo, Yoshitsune, and Akihito.

Serpent: Minamoto no Yoritomo, Minamoto no Yoshitsune, and Sutoku - Akihito.

Serpent: According to your fates, the three of you should've already been deceased.

Yoritomo • Yoshitsune: …!

Akihito: …

(Their fates… what does that mean?)

Had any one of them lost their lives, the war wouldn't have ended on a peaceful note like it has now.

Serpent: All three of you hold powerful positions in the mortal world.

Serpent: It was predetermined for the world and its people to fall into chaos after your deaths.

Akihito: Predetermined? You speak as though you have witnessed the future yourself.

Serpent: While it’s true that some minor things can be slightly altered by a couple of coincidences…

Serpent: Events of such great magnitude that can change the course of the world are predetermined, they’re inevitable.

Those words heavily impacted us.

Serpent: The Rebel Army lost their purpose as they mourn the death of Yoshitsune.

Serpent: The Kamakura Shogunate, although expected to be the ultimate victors of its time, met its downfall a few years after Yoritomo’s death…

Serpent: Although the Imperial Court continued to exist for a long time, their lack of an absolute ruler resulted in them being entirely different from what it is now.

It was a future I didn’t want to believe was possible, and I couldn’t help but feel frightened by the way the serpent said it so matter of factly.

Serpent: However, threads of fate intertwined, and you three managed to survive.

Serpent: As a result, the tens of thousands of people who would've died due to the ensuing power struggles have been saved.

Serpent: And that is why, hell demands the deaths of everyone who was meant to die.

Yuno: Meant to die…?

Kagetoki: — In other words, you’re going to take the lives of Yoritomo and the others, along with the lives of those tens of thousands of civilians?

(Absolutely not! It took us so much effort to avoid the fate of death.)

Yoritomo: Preposterous. Fate is in the hands of man.

Serpent: Some aspects of fate cannot be changed no matter what — as someone who has suffered because of that, you should be more than familiar.

Yoritomo: …

Yoshitsune: In that case, who determines these unchangeable fates? If you're only a messenger, then who is your ruler?

Serpent: I don’t know. Hell is merely a concept of death, and death has no form.

Serpent: Rather, even if it did, humans and takashi wouldn't be able to understand it.

Serpent: When I awakened from my prolonged slumber in the darkness, I already had this mission engraved into my eight heads.

Serpent: I’m nothing more than a lifeless body being controlled like a puppet.

(If this is true, then what can we do to stop it from happening?)

(How are we supposed to challenge the concept of death…?)

I clenched my fists tightly, my heart filling with hopelessness.

Serpent: However… I was instructed by hell to put the humans through a series of trials before taking their lives.

Yasuchika: Trials? What do you mean…?

Serpent: The barrier separating hell from the mortal realm will be lifted, and corpses will start crawling out onto the earth.

Serpent: Those corpses being manipulated by hell will bring disaster to mankind.

Serpent: If you can successfully defeat them, it’ll be your victory. But if you can't… a predetermined number of lives will be taken.

Akihito: How will we fight against beings that cannot be killed, such as yourself? It sounds to me that we are at a disadvantage.

Serpent: I’m an exception. The corpses aren’t immortal.

Serpent: Kill them ten times and the bonds tying them to this world will be severed, sending them back to hell.

Yuno: Ten times…

(No matter how strong everyone here is, that just sounds nearly impossible.)

Serpent: But then… like death, hell is fair. Therefore, you shall have a new power bestowed upon you.

(Power?)

I saw a long tail moving about in the corner of my eye, and the moment I realised what was about to happen—

(Wha…!?)

My body was already suspended midair.

Shigehira: Yuno!

I struggled desperately as the serpent's tail coiled around my body.

Yuno: Let go of me…!

Serpent: Behave.

Yuno: Urgh.

The tail tightened around me…

I felt an unexpected burning sensation coming from where my body came into contact with the tail.

Tamamo: — What are you doing!?

(Something's… changed. Right, this is a similar sensation to what I experience when using my fox powers.)

Strands of silver hair danced at the edge of my vision.

(...! My hair! Why is it drawing out my powers without my consent?)

Serpent: Don’t come any closer. You don't want this woman to be strangled to death, do you?

Everyone who was about to attack the serpent stopped in their tracks, their faces twisting in fury.

Yoritomo: This woman has nothing to do with any of this. Leave her out of this.

Serpent: False — this woman has the most important role, she's at the core of it all.

Yuno: What…

Serpent: At first glance, she appears to be an ordinary apothecary.

Serpent: However, her presence played a surprisingly large part in creating what looks like a temporary peace.

Yuno: …! That’s not the case at all.

(I just happened to possess these fox powers.)

Serpent: You may not be aware of it yourself, but the men here seem to know what I’m talking about.

Everyone: …

Serpent: I will make this woman a Shamaness of the realm of the dead.

Serpent: By interfering with the connection she has with the nine-tailed fox, and redirecting the flow of her powers…

(This is bad, I can’t subdue them!)

A tremendous amount of my powers surged up from the depths of my body and out of my abdomen.

Yuno: Stay away from me!

Kurama • Tamamo: … ggh.

Ibuki: Tch.

My powers went out of control. Tamamo, Kurama, and Ibuki immediately had their demonic powers taken away.

(Strange… why do my fox powers also work on Tamamo?)

Serpent: These powers will remain in my possession for now.

Serpent: Like this.

A colourful ball of light hovered in front of the serpent.

(Is that all three of their powers combined?)

Kurama: — Give it back.

Serpent: It will never return to its original form again.

Serpent: Nine-Tailed Fox, Karasu Tengu, Shuten Doji — I have created a new type of magical power by combining the powers from the three of you.

Serpent: It has the ability to destroy the undead and save the world… let’s call it “Hero’s Might”.

Shigehira: Hero’s Might, huh.

Yoichi: That’s… a pretty extravagant name.

Sueharu: So what? You’re going to be extra generous and bestow each of us a share of that power?

Serpent: As much as I’d like to say there can only be one hero… it’s too much for a single human body to handle. Thus, two people will be chosen to possess this power.

Serpent: My Shamaness, call upon the names of the two people you wish to bestow this power upon.

(Me!?)

The serpent loosened its tail that had been coiled tightly around me, and I was able to move freely again.

Serpent: You brought the Hero’s Might into existence. You should know best which two people are most worthy of possessing it.

Serpent: But you must know that great power comes with a price.

Benkei: A price?

Serpent: There’s a possibility of the Hero’s Might going out of control and draining the life out of its vessel.

Yuno: … I don’t want anyone to possess something so dangerous.

Serpent: Rest assured that you can prevent it from going on a rampage by absorbing it with your fox powers. That is part of your role as a Shamaness.

Serpent: It might feel different from what you usually feel when using your fox powers, however.

(What does that mean…?)

Serpent: There is a strong bond between the Hero’s Might and the Shamaness.

Serpent: If you absorb the powers from someone you’re deeply involved with… you will get a sweet feeling of being intoxicated.

Serpent: Now, my Shamaness, it's time for you to make your decision.

The glowing ball of light slowly floated towards me.

I bit my lip and looked at everyone's faces.

(What should I do… countless lives will be lost if I don’t make a decision.)

Encouraged by everyone's silent gazes, I took a step forward and approached the ball of light.

I slowly shut my eyes…

(I can hear the Hero’s Might calling out to me.)

My lips trembled as I opened my mouth to speak.

Yuno: … The names of the two heroes are—

[toomanyfandoms-notenoughfics]

Celestial Beings

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘖𝘯𝘦: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨

Characters- Alastor Moody, Molly Weasley, Reader

Summary- It's an introduction to our Reader's situation, laying the groundwork for the rest of the story. Don't worry, Remus and Sirius will be in the next chapter.

Word Count- 1,342

Warnings- None really for this chapter, slight mention of torture

Confusion is the first thing (y/n) felt. Then it was the raging headache and the pain in her lower abdomen. She opened her eyes, only to be met with more darkness, the sound of dripping water echoing throughout whatever room she was in. (Y/n) was not sure of how she got here, or even as to where “here” is.

The last thing (y/n) remembered was sneaking out of Borgin and Burke’s while everyone else was distracted. Just needing a bit of fresh air. Then, right as she shut the door and rounded the corner, there was a flash of color and the world went dark.

Suddenly the old iron door swung open with enough force to make the cement wall behind it crumble ever so slightly. Light followed soon after, the person who had entered silently casting Lumos. (Y/n) squinted, trying to grow accustomed to the now very bright room, shielding her eyes with her arm.

“You’re up,” grunted the man. “Finally we can talk.”

(Y/n) stayed silent, taking the opportunity to survey the room they were in. Room was too nice of a word, it was more like a cubby. The walls and floors seemed to be either stone or concrete, cracks covered the one farthest from the door. In one of the corners was a sleeping bag with an old ratty blanket.

“Are you listening to me?” Barked the old man. “If not I suggest you start, otherwise this will begin to be quite unpleasant for you.”

“I’m sorry, but was that a threat or a promise?” (Y/n) taunted. “Because either way I don’t care.”

“Are you sure about that? I don’t think you quite grasp the situation here. I’m very willing to do whatever I must to gather information out of you, regardless of my own morals and emotions.” He lowered his wand, just enough so (y/n) could see his face.

(Y/n) recognized him instantly, and it must have shown on her face due to his chuckle. His eye, or rather the prosthetic he had for his eye, gave him away instantly. This wasn’t one of Lucius’s loyalty tests, nor was it someone who she could easily run from. This was Mad-eye Moody, an Auror known for going to extremes to get what he needs.

“Now, perhaps you need some time to think on my offer, after all, I hit you with a very strong stunning spell. Who knows,” Moody shrugged. “Maybe some more time in the dark will be just what you need to get your thoughts together. I’ll come back tomorrow, hopefully, your stance will have changed by then.”

“I highly doubt it.” (Y/n) sneered. “After all, if you are my captor, that gives me all the more reason to stay quiet.”

Moody put out his light and shut the door, leaving (y/n) in complete darkness yet again. She slowly felt her way across the floor, finding the sleeping bag and blanket. She sat, cross-legged on the sleeping bag, pulling the blanket onto her lap.

“Is this a test?” She thought to herself. “Could he be secretly under a curse? Or maybe he’s been in on it from the beginning, plenty of death eaters are on the other side as spies, some with deeper covers than others.”

(Y/n)‘s eyes started to adjust, it wasn’t pure darkness but there wasn’t any true light source either. She could faintly make out the barrier spells on the walls, and more importantly the door. The pale blue shade helping give the room a form, like seeing on a grid, with no detail just the dimensions. She ran her hand across the wall, watching the spell turn into darker hues the closer she got.

Sighing she rested her head against the cool wall, closing her eyes. “Test or not, I hate this place. I can’t even tell how long it’s been since I woke up, let alone since Borgin’s.”

It seemed to be an eternity before the door opened once more, this time a woman holding a lantern entered. She was red-headed, a little plump, and had the faintest of smiles on her face. She looked (y/n) up and down, and the smile slowly disappeared, instead replaced with pursed lips.

“Dear, did they not give you a change of clothes? Or at least a pillow?” The woman tutted. “Well, can I interest you in some stew? Just made some for dinner, and figured you might be a bit starving as well.”

“Wait, I’ve seen her before, she isn’t a Death Eater. This can’t be a test, not unless the Weasleys have suddenly changed their opinions.” (Y/n) backed farther away, causing the Weasley woman to frown.

“I promise it isn’t poisoned. Might be a bit cooled off by now, but still enough to be edible.” The woman reached behind the door, bringing out a small wooden bowl and setting it on the ground. “Here, I’ll take a bite first to prove it.”

“I’m not hungry.” (Y/n)‘s stomach however believed otherwise, grumbling in betrayal as she spoke.

“I’ll just leave it here, in case you find yourself hungry later.” The Weasley woman said, backing out of the doorway. “I’ll see what I can do about getting you some light and a change of clothes. Moody seems to think the only way to go against someone is to behave the same way they would.”

(Y/n) sat there and waited for the door to shut and the light from under it to fade. As soon as she was back in the dark she snuck forwards towards the bowl. Very carefully and very slowly she searched the floor for it. Grasping the bowl with both hands she started eating ravenously.

Gently placing the bowl back in front of the door, she stood up, stretching her legs out. Wiping the sides of her mouth with the back of her sleeves she chuckled. The stew was better than anything Narcissa ever had someone else make. Feeling along the walls, (y/n) started walking in circles, watching the colors grow and fade as she moved her hand along the barriers.

After concluding there were no weaknesses, (y/n) found her way back to the makeshift bed. She had found where the dripping was coming from, it was on the wall left of the door, almost perfectly nestled into a crack in the corner. She wrapped the blanket around herself, opting to fall asleep rather than await another visit while staring at the nothingness of her room.

When (y/n) woke up for what seemed to be the 100th time, nothing new or changed in the cell. The blanket was still scratchy, there was no light, and her bones ached. She felt around, finding a small bit of concrete, and threw it towards the door. Just as it reached the barrier the door opened, filling the room with blinding light once more.

“You know, a heads up would be nice.” (Y/n) groaned, squinting towards the door and watching Moody enter in. “Oh, it’s just you.”

“Have you had ample time to decide?” Moody ignored her remarks, shutting the door behind him and hanging the lamp on a small hook next to him. “It would be much easier on you if you just answered my questions without a fight. Otherwise, well, I’m sure you’re familiar with all the different ways to get people to reveal their secrets.”

“Go ahead, what’s really going to happen,” (Y/n) stood up and stretched. “It won’t matter if I tell you the truth or not, you’ll never fully believe I’m being honest. It’s okay, it’s not like I plan on telling you anything anyways. What would be the point if I know you won’t believe me?”

“I had a feeling that’s how this was going to go,” Moody pointed his wand at (y/n). “Just remember, I gave you an out.”

“No you really didn’t.” (Y/n) thought to herself as Moody cast the first Cruciatous Curse of many.

~~{𝘌𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘖𝘯𝘦}~~

[lilspidermonkey]

Bakugou x reader Touch Chapter III

Chapter III! As promised, here it is!

This chapter is slightly longer than the others, so have fun with it.

I will say this everytime, please excuse any spelling and grammer issues, words are hard!

I Hope you guys enjoy, let me know what you think, I appreciate the feed back!

Chapter I Link: https://at.tumblr.com/lilspidermonkey/bakugou-x-reader-touch-chapter-i/kp732lg6s4sa

Chapter II Link: https://at.tumblr.com/lilspidermonkey/bakugou-x-reader-touch-chapter-ii/hyxe2pvcq9j1

This, right here, is what you were trying to avoid last night.

You dragged the blanket off the bed with you and wrapped it around yourself as you searched around for your discarded pants.

Bakugou was still frozen in embarrassment and shock, eyes glued to you, “Explanation. Now.” he demanded.

You looked at him, “I told you I have bad sleeping habits!” you yelled.

Bakugou furrowed his eyebrows, “I thought that you meant you snore, or drool, or sleep talk, or some NORMAL sleeping shit!” he yelled. “Why do you strip in your sleep!?”

Groaning, you glared at the boy, “Don’t say it like that! When I’m asleep, I get uncomfortable at some point, and I kick off whatever pants I’m wearing!” you explained.

Bakugou looked at you in disbelief, “That is so stupid.” He mumbled.

You glared at him, “Hey! I tried to get you to go back to your own room!” you huffed.

A sudden knock at the door made the both of you jump, “Shit!” Bakugou exclaimed.

Practically jumping onto the boy, you covered his mouth with your hands.

The boy flushed, “What’re you doing!?” he screeched, words muffled by your hands.

You leaned into to him and hurriedly whispered, “You need to be quiet!” you hushed. “No one knows that you’re in here, and I don’t need the others coming up with some weird rumours okay?”

The knock repeated itself, “(Y/n)? Are you awake?” It was Mina. “Are you okay? I thought I heard voices?”

You leaned your head back away from Bakugou, “Yeah! I’m all goods, was just watching some videos before I had to get up!” you called back to her.

Looking back at Bakugou, seeing him blush a nice shade of pink as the boy avoided eye contact with you.

You heard Mina hum, “No worries, there’s still heaps of time, I’ll meet you on the first floor soon, I got some things I have to take care of first.” She explained.

You nodded, still watching Bakugou, “No worries, see you then!” you called.

Waiting a little to make sure she left, you quickly separated yourself from Bakugou, and jogged to the door, making sure to lock it, just in case someone chose to barge in for whatever reason.

You sighed, head against the door, “My precious few minutes to sleep in…” you groaned.

Turning to look at Bakugou, who was still pink and refusing to look at you, you walked over and reached over for your phone.

You sighed again, “Okay, I’ve got some time to get ready, but I think it’s best to wait a little before you go to make your great escape.” You said, mostly mumbling to yourself as you were mentally preparing for the day in your head.

Hearing no response, you looked back at Bakugou, he had managed to get up from the bed, but was half turned away from you, one hand on his hip while the other was on the back of his neck.

You blinked at him, “Cat got your tongue?” you teased with a smile. “Mina didn’t notice anything, so it’s fine.”

Bakugou glared at you, “Don’t you think you’re forgetting something important?” he asked.

You blinked, “If you’re worried about being caught, I’m honestly surprised.” You said.

Bakugou groaned, “You idiot!” he turned to point. “Put some fucking pants on!”

You froze and looked down, you were still wearing your sweater and panties.

Nothing else.

The sweater doing very little to cover anything.

You flushed and pulled your sweater down, a little squeak of embarrassment leaving you.

 You sigh as you finally had some actual clothes on, you peeked your head out of your dorm, no one was in sight.

Looking back, you glanced at Bakugou, “Common lets go.” You said.

Bakugou followed you out of your room, but as you were double checking you had everything on you, a voice called out and made you both freeze, “(Y/n)? And Bakugou?”

You turned with wide eyes, Jirou was standing there, her eyes darting from you to Bakugou.

Blinking you smiled like nothing was amiss, “Hey, Jirou, what’re you doing on this floor?” you asked.

Jirou pointed behind her, “I was grabbing something for Uraraka from her room.” She looked to Bakugou. “What’s Bakugou doing here?”

In that moment you realized that Jirou wouldn’t have any clue about the quirk accident Bakugou was involved with.

You sighed, “I guess Aizawa-sensei didn’t alert the everyone else about the situation with Bakugou?” you asked.

Jirou brought up her phone, “No, he did, a message was sent out to everyone last night.” She said.

You walked over and looked at her phone, a message was sent out explaining the situation.

Guess that saves you from explaining that.

Jirou raised her eyebrow, “Wait, did Bakugou…spend the night with you?” she asked.

You blushed a little, “W-well, I-I…” you fiddled with your fingers, trying to come up with an appropriate answer.

Bakugou sighed, “Jesus.” He nudged you a little, “This brat was messing around and running late, so I came to get her ass.” He crossed his arms. “That’s all.”

Jirou blinked and shrugged, “Okay.” she said.

You relaxed your shoulders, that was easy.

Bakugou huffed and grabbed your hand, “Common, let’s go already, I’m not looking for anymore interruptions.” He said and dragged you off.

When you were both in the elevator, you blinked and looked up at Bakugou, “You…handled that so much better than I thought you would.” You said.

Bakugou raised an eyebrow, “I don’t buckle easily.” He said.

Now it was your turn to raise an eyebrow, “Except when it comes to seeing a girl in her underwear.” You teased.

Bakugou’s ears dusted with pink, “Shut your trap.” He mumbled.

You grinned impishly, “Never seen you go that red from anything besides anger, might hopefully get to see some new expressions soon.” You giggled.

Bakugou grumbled, “Just shut up.” He said.

You smiled but was brought out of your teasing upon noticing that Bakugou was gripping your hand.

Not tightly or to the point of being uncomfortable, but something more.

You couldn’t help but smile at the hold, tightening your hold on him as well.

When the elevator doors opened you noticed Bakugou’s hold moving from your hand to your bicep.

You almost felt disappointed but tried to shake the feeling off as you walked out.

Turning into the living room, you spotted Mina.

Smiling you went over to her, “Hey!” you greeted.

She smiled, “Hi! Ready to get going?” she asked.

Bakugou raised an eyebrow, “Going?” he repeated.

You elbowed him lightly, “Me and Mina had plans to go out together today.” You explained.

Kirishima came over, “Oh, what do you guys have planned?” he asked.

Mina put her hands on her hips, “We were going to go to the plaza to do a little shopping, then maybe go to the arcade, get lunch and then see where the day take us, right?” she said looking to you.

You nodded, “Yep, pretty much, gonna be a lot of fun.” You said grinning.

Sero walked over with his hands in his pockets, “I hear something about going to the plaza for shopping?” he asked.

You nodded, “Yeah, me and Mina are going.” You shrugged. “Wanna come with?”

Sero smiled, “You mind? I need to get some stuff.” He said.

Mina smiled, “I don’t see why not.” She said.

Kaminari popped up, “Hold up! If you guys are all going, I wanna come too!” he announced.

You turned to look at Kirishima who was pretty much giving the puppy eyes, “Wanna come along too, Kiri?” you asked with a chuckle.

Kirishima looked like he was going to break his neck with how hard he was nodding.

You all laughed together, you looked over your shoulders to see Bakugou scoffing over to the side, pouting.

You shrugged your shoulder, making the arm that the boy was holding bob, “I’m assuming you’ll want to come along?” You chuckled.

Bakugou huffed and his hand slowly slipped down to your wrist, “No shit.” He said.

You smiled, “Then it’s settled, let’s all go!” you announced.

It wasn’t like this was your first time hanging out with Bakugou and the others outside of school or the dorm, you did this most of the time.

But having Bakugou so close to you all day was something completely different.

Going shopping, you and Mina liked to try on clothes, and the boys would give you both genuine opinions, which you both really appreciated.

Though today you were incredibly conscious of Bakugou’s eyes that were practically always on you.

As you were finishing up in your dressing room, lost in thought, a knock on the wall brought you out of your thoughts.

You looked to the wall with surprise and confusion, “Hello?” you asked.

A groan was heard, “(Y/n)! I need your helppppp!” Mina whined.

You chucked and left your changing room and went into hers, helping her with a dress that had multiple zips.

The fabric was caught in every zip, “I dare say this isn’t the dress for you.” You said.

Mina groaned, “How is this dress meant for anyone?” she groaned.

After fiddling, you managed to get it, the both of you chatted a little, but soon were interrupted.

“Are you almost done yet?” called a grumpy sounding Bakugou.

You rolled your eyes, “We’ll be out soon, grump!” you called with a grin.

Hearing the boy grumble in response, you just chuckled and continued to help Mina.

Blinking you looked up to see Mina grinning at you in the mirror.

Your eyes widened, “What’re you grinning about?” you asked.

Mina chuckled, “Soooo, you and Bakugou, huh?” she teased.

You rolled your eyes, “Please, you know it’s not like that.” You said.

She raised her eyebrow, “Doesn’t look like the normal look you’d pull over the Explosion Boy.”

You blushed a little, “This is just my face!” you defended.

Mina nodded with a chuckle, “Ah-huh, keep telling yourself that~” she sang.

You gave her a light shove, “Common, get off it.” You said.

After that you all went down to the arcade, Sero kicking your butt at basketball shooting, with you kicking Kirishima’s butt at any shooting game.

You and Kaminari tied almost perfectly with DDR, which made Sero and Kirishima cackle.

While the others went on a racing game against each other, you went to go win yourself some things at the claw machines.

Though Bakugou quickly came over to put you in your place about how crap you were at it.

Showing you how it was done, he won a pro hero keychain plush.

You lean your face close to the glass, “How did you do that!?” you asked.

Bakugou huffed with a smirk, “Cause I’m just that good.” He said.

You grabbed his arm, “Do it again! Show my how!” you said with excitement.

Bakugou seemed a little taken aback, but grinned again, “Better watch closely.” He huffed.

You nodded as you kept your face close to the glass next to the boy, watching as he skilfully managed to get yet another plush keychain.

You jumped, “Let me try again!” you called.

Bakugou moved to the side and let you have a go, but as you were trying to line it up, Bakugou came up behind you and put his hand over yours, taking control of the remote, “Not there, go a little more this way.” He said into your ear.

Feeling his breath on your ear made all the heat rise to your face, your ear felt like it was on fire.

Pressing the button to pick up the toy, you actually managed to grab one.

You held your breath, almost too excited to think about the heat radiating from your face and ears.

When the claw released the toy keychain into the prize box, you jumped with joy, “I did it!!” you cried out with excitement.

You lunched for the prize box and pulled out the little All Might keychain.

You held it out to Bakugo, “Look, I did it!” you exclaimed.

Bakugou half smiled, “Yeah, yeah, good job.” He said patting your head fondly.

Giggling, you handed the All Might keychain to the boy, “Here! As thanks for teaching me!” you said.

Bakugou took it and rolled his eyes, handing you the two keychains he won, “Here.” he said.

You took them, giggling to yourself, “Thank you.” You said, smiling so much your eyes closed.

Bakugou tilted his head a little, his half smile widening slightly as he lightly shook his head.

Soon you all decided to get some lunch, all of you laughing together after having an amazing time.

Bakugou made a comment that made you all laugh, you nudged him while laughing, and he reached for your hand under the table.

You grinned at him and held his hand back.

Spotting something new on Bakugou’s plate, you leaned on him, “Hey can I try some of that?” you asked.

Bakugou huffed, “Nothing’s free, hand over some of yours as payment.” He pointed.

You laughed, “Yes, yes, here you go.” You said and handed him some of your food and reached over to get a mouthful of his food.

Reaching over was uncomfortable while holding hands, so you ended up linking arms with the boy instead, intertwining your fingers together that way.

You all spent a while just eating and talking until a familiar figure popped up.

Lifting your head with speed, you watched them walk a little closer until you were 100% sure of who it was.

You smiled, “Hey! Tetsu!” you called.

Hearing his name, the boy whipped his head around, “(Y/n)!” he called back.

You jumped up from your seat, separating yourself from Bakugou and running over to the white-haired boy, “Tetsu! What’re you doing here?” you asked, hugging the boy around the neck.

The boy lifted you and spun you a little, making you giggle, “I just came here for lunch with Shinsou!” he said.

After the boy put you down you cocked your head to the sided, “You and Shinsou? What a strange combo!” you pointed out.

Tetsutetsu smiled, “Right? But I thought since we both wanted to try a specific restaurant here, that we’d go together!” he said with a grin.

You looked behind him and saw said purple haired boy, “Hey there Shinsou!” you greeted with a wave.

The boy gave a small smile and rubbed the back of his neck, “Hey there.” He greeted back with a small wave.

Kirishima got up, “Hey! Tetsutetsu! What’s up man?” he asked.

The boys grasped their hands together with grins, “Kirishima! Not a lot, how about you?” he asked.

Kirishima put his hands on his hips, “Same with us, we’re just out hanging out today!” he said.

You clung onto Tetsutetsu, “You have to come over to visit me more!” you said.

The boy laughed full heartedly, “Yeah, yeah, I will, promise!” he said.

Bakugou came over with the others, looking grouchier than ever.

Mina raised an eyebrow, “What’s with the two of you?” she asked with a snicker.

You pouted, “It’s not like that, Tetsu and I have been friends since we were kids.” You explained.

Bakugou huffed, “Whatever, let’s just get going.” He said ands started walking away.

You groaned, “I’ll catch you later, gotta go make sure the Grumpy Firecracker is okay.” You said and ran off.

Chasing after Bakugou, you grabbed his hand, “Hey, slow down, what’s wrong?” You asked.

Bakugou stopped, and just looked down, avoiding your gaze. “Nothing, let’s just go.” He said.

You blinked; you half expected the boy to pull himself out of your hold and be snotty like always.

You sighed, “It is getting late, do you want to go somewhere else with the others? Or do you not want to be around everyone right now?” you asked.

Bakugou didn’t look at you, and just gripped your hand back and dragged you off.

You followed him, getting your phone out to text Mina that you’d catch up with her and the others back at the dorm later.

 After walking for a bit, you both just ended up wandering about the city, it was a little crowded, to your dismay, “Ugh I hate major crowds.” You said.

As you said that, almost on cue, someone bumped into you, pushing you away from Bakugou.

You blinked as you slowly got swept away in the crowd, “Eh!?” you blinked in bewilderment.

Reaching out you tried to fight against the crowd, “Sorry, make way!” you called.

Soon Bakugou grabbed your hand again and yanked you towards him, “Don’t get swept away like that, what are you, a child?” he asked.

You sighed, gripping his arm, “Phew, thanks, that was close.” You breathed. But you stopped, as if Bakugou’s words only just caught up with your brain. “Hey!”

Bakugou laughed, “You’re an idiot.” He chuckled.

You blinked, “Well, you seem to be in a better mood.” You said.

Bakugou looked away, “Whatever.” He said.

You hummed, “So what’re we going to do?” you asked. “It’s getting late, and we’ve been walking around for a while.” You clung to his arm. “Should we plan for dinner?”

Bakugou stayed silent, “We can eat when we get back.” He said.

You smiled, “Your home cooking?” you asked excitedly.

Bakugou huffed out a laugh, “Ha, whatever, you big brat.” He said.

You jumped, “Oh, oh, oh! We should go shopping for ingredients! We can cook together!” you smiled up at him. “We can even make dessert!”

Bakugou smirked, “Fine, if you’re that hung up on it.” He said.

You grinned from ear to ear, “Hell yeah!” you cheered.

You both went off and got ingredients together, Bakugou held one bag and you held the other one, while both your free hands held onto each other.

You both talked while on your way back to the dorm.

By this time, everyone was mostly in their own rooms, doing their own things.

You both made your way towards the kitchen, getting all the ingredients together, and getting to work.

While you, well mostly Bakugou cooked, you chatted and laughed together, and honestly just had a good time in each other’s company.

You sat up on the counter next to Bakugou while he cooked, just laughing about anything and everything.

After making a joke you nudged Bakugou with your foot, tickling his side.

In retaliation, Bakugou wiped your face with some sticky soy sauce.

You gasped, “You did not!” you called.

Bakugou grinned, “Looks like I did.” He chuckled.

You gaped your mouth at him, “I see how it is.” You said.

Reaching behind you, you grabbed the left-over eggs the were whisked in a bowl.

Grabbing the whisk and letting it drip a bit, you grinned at Bakugou mischievously.

Bakugou’s smile dropped, “Don’t you dare.” He said.

Your grin grew as you flicked the whisk at him, egg spattering all over Bakugou.

You laughed out, “Oh, I dare!” you mimicked.

Bakugou grabbed a handful of flour, throwing it at you.

You gasped and scoffed at him, snatching the bag of flour and covering him with a good amount of it.

You squealed as Bakugou chased you with two eggs in his hands.

You ran around the kitchen trying to get away from him, laughing loudly.

Bakugou cut you off and wrapped his arm around your waist, stopping you from escaping, “Gotcha!” he announced.

You squealed again, “No!” you yelled out.

Bakugou crushed the two eggs atop your head, making you scream out again.

You groaned, feeling it going into your hair, “You are so gross!” you yelled.

Bakugou laughed out, “Says the one covered in shit.” He laughed out.

You giggled as you backed up in his hold, hitting the bench.

Bakugou grinned down at you as you looked up at him, a giggling mess.

He had you caged up against the bench, nowhere for you to run, “No escape now.” He said.

You giggled again, “Oh no, whatever shall I do?” you asked.

Bakugou shook his head lightly, his eyes not leaving yours.

You smiled up at him, you reached up to cup his face with your hand.

He seemed surprised, but he didn’t pull away.

Scrunching up your nose you smiled, “Distracted?” you asked.

Bakugou didn’t respond, just stared at you.

You grinned, reaching up a little and smashed an egg atop his head.

Bakugou’s eyes widened in surprise as you grinned up at him in victory.

You tried to run out of his hold, but he held you back, “You cheeky shit!” he chided.

He lifted you up into the air, making you squeal and laugh.

 After cleaning up you both ate together, still a mess. You both teased each other and laughed about it, deciding that the dessert was best saved for tomorrow night instead, it was already getting pretty late.

You both went your separate ways for a shower, you making jokes to Bakugou about not missing you too much.

It was almost too nice too get that icky crap off your skin and out of your hair.

Coming out of the shower, and putting on your comfy pyjamas, you rubbed your hair with a towel that was around your neck.

Looking at your phone you had a message from Bakugou, ‘Come here for a bit, cheeky shit.’

You giggled at it, rolling your eyes.

Sneaking your way over to his room, you knocked lightly.

Waiting for a response, you looked around you, making sure that you hadn’t been spotted.

But when you weren’t looking, the door swung open, and a familiar hand dragged you in.

With a squeak of surprise escaping you, you were already in the room and the door had shut behind you.

You looked up at the boy, “Jesus, couldn’t you see I was trying to be stealthy?” you asked.

The boy raised an eyebrow, “Stealthy, with that squeak you let out? Wouldn’t be surprised if Kirishima heard that loud and clear from his room.” He teased.

You swung passed him and sat on his desk chair, “Ha, ha, very funny.” You said with a smile.

Bakugou went over to his bed and laid on it.

You curled up onto the chair, knees to your chest, “Soo, why’d you want me to come by?” you asked.

Bakugou shrugged, “I dunno.” He grumbled.

You rested your head on your knees, but then realization clicked in, and you raised your head in realization, “Wait, don’t tell me you missed me already?” you asked.

Bakugou remained on the bed, no movement or response.

You smiled and got up jumping over to the bed, looking down at him, his cheeks dusted pink.

You grinned, “You did! You cheesy bitch!” you laughed.

Bakugou leaned up on his elbows, “Would you shut your trap for once?” he asked.

You smiled up at him, laying down next to him, “Nah, too much fun.” You said.

The boy rolled his eyes, “You’re such a pain.” He said.

You shrugged your shoulder, “A pain that you ended up missing after an hour.” You teased.

Bakugou shook his head, and looked back at you, laying back down.

You closed your eyes and yawned, wiping your eyes a little.

Bakugou looked to you, “Tired?” he asked.

You hummed, “How’re you not?” you asked.

He shrugged, “I am, trust me.” He said.

For a while you both just laid there in silence, for moment you thought that Bakugo had fallen asleep. For a moment you thought you did too.

You felt Bakugou’s hand in your hair, but you were too tired to mention it, the best you could give him was a hum.

Bakugou watched you with tired eyes, “Stay here.” He mumbled.

You cracked your eyes open, “What?” you asked.

You were met with his red eyes, “For the night.” He clarified.

Sighing you snuggled into his bed, “If I do, then we’ll really have to spend every night together.” You looked back at him, “You’ll get so used to the closeness, that you’ll end up freaking out if I’m not here, thanks to the quirk.”

Bakugou shrugged, “So what?” he rubbed you wrist with his thumb.

You chuckled, “’So what?’ he says. You know someone’s going to find out, and it’s going to be so weird with the others.” You said.

Bakugou huffed, “As if I could care any less what anyone else thinks. It’s not like we’re doing anything bad.” He smirked at you. “You just got to keep your hands to yourself.”

You scoffed and shoved him, “Get real, you idiot.” You laughed softly.

The boy looked at you again, “Made up your mind yet?” he asked.

You sighed, you weren’t sure if you really wanted to stay the night, or if it really was just the tiredness making you not want to leave his room.

All you could really think about though, was that last night was one of the best sleeps you’ve had in a long while.

But staying together every night?

Even if it was just for the quirk on Bakugou’s side, you couldn’t help but wonder what this would do to you?

You couldn’t deny that you did feel attracted to Bakugou, and it had only been two days, barely even but you were possible feeling something more.

You sighed again, this was going to be a rough road.

But looking back at those red eyes, you smiled ear to ear.

You just couldn’t say no.

  -Chapter III Fin-

[revasserium]

*runs in* ISAWYOURAUPOSTNAJSJSJSJJS Omg hiii

I really like your blog! It's like yummy food for my tired brain, so I got really excited to see you're making aus!

Can I ask for roommate au with Jamil? I'm down bad for him;;;

for my 31 days of au challenge @bakedgrape

a story in reverse

jamil; 3,571 words; fluff and slightly suggestive themes though it's never actually nsfw; college roommates!au + implied fwb...; you can read the story top the bottom or bottom to top ;)

day 273.

on the last day of term, you say goodbye for the very first time — and it stings like an unsuspecting papercut found by a thoughtless dollop of hand sanitizer, sharp and bitter with the pang of betrayal.

“ah… i guess this is it, huh?” jamil’s voice is lighter than it usually is, and just as forced.

“you say that like we’re not coming back next year…” you say, though there’s a twist in your stomach that makes your throat seize at the thought, even if it is just a thought.

“s-sorry! i just meant —“ he clears his throat and tries again, “i meant that i’ll see you soon, hm?”

for a second, you don’t know what to say — you can feel a torrent of unsaid words pushing up against the back of your throat like an insistent tide, crashing against the shore of your tongue. but then, jamil is reaching out to tip your chin back, brushing his lips to yours.

“soon. i promise,” he whispers, his eyes softer than you’ve ever seen them, gray and bright as the breaking dawn.

“yeah — i’ll see you soon, jamil.”

you pull your lips into a smile and watch as he jogs towards the curb, kalim already waiting there for him with their family car (rich boys, ugh), a dark-suited man in shades dipping his head in your general direction before slipping into the driver’s seat. you wave as jamil and kalim both turn towards you, raising their hands.

“see you next year!” jamil calls even as you nod.

“yeah, see you!”

and then they’re pulling away from the curb, leaving you standing there amidst your three rather large, well-scuffed suitcases. you let out a long sigh, plopping down on the largest one, the shell painted red and gold, though the colors barely peak out now from beneath the countless travel stickers to places that you’ve never been to (but jamil had promised he’d take you to all of them, didn’t he?)

well. there’s always next year.

day 212.

“are you gonna dorm again next year?”

“hm? i’m not sure… kalim says that we should just get a place together, so that’s what i might do.”

“oh.”

you pause over your half-eaten tub of haagen-daz, licking your lips of the mint-chocolate flavor. jamil glances over, reaching out to dig his spoon into the melting icecream.

“don’t worry though, wherever you’re staying, i’m sure we’ll be able to find a place nearby,” jamil says, flashing you a smile and a wink even as you duck, your cheeks flooding with color.

“that’s not what i was thinking about!”

“no? hm… i could’ve sworn that’s what you were looking so upset over but… well, if i’m wrong…” you can hear the mock-seriousness in jamil’s voice as he shrugs and heaves a melodramatic sigh.

“you’re the worst…” but you can’t keep from grinning as he cocks a challenging eyebrow in your direction before pouncing on you, pinning you beneath him on the sofa, the springs squeaking beneath you as the nearly drop the nearly empty pint of icecream.

“j-jamil! the ac’s still out —“

“mm… but isn’t that why we got icecream?”

his lips chase fire over the plains of your skin and despite everything, you find yourself shivering.

“y-yeah but —“

but your words die on your lips as he sinks his teeth into the juncture of your shoulder and neck, tearing a gasp from your throat as your head tips back.

day 196.

he’s always running high after his dance competitions, and this time it’s not different. so when he comes home, his eyes limned in glitter and khol, you’re not surprised to feel yourself being hauled out of your chair and into his lap, his fingers digging into the flesh of your thighs as you purse your lips, card your fingers through his hair and hold his face steady with a teasing grin.

“i’m guessing that you guys won?”

“course we did,” he says, his breath still coming in short enough pants, his irises blown nearly black as he leans up to nip at your jawline, “we swept.”

“mm — i mean, you guys are pretty damn good.”

“how would you know? you never come to our competitions, even when i ask.”

you pull back with a dainty smack of your lips, pressing a finger to his frown.

“you guys could try to have competitions that aren’t either overseas or during exam weeks — then i might actually be able to go.”

jamil rolls his eyes, readjusting your in his lap even as he lets his head fall back against the sofa cushions.

“stupid exams…”

“just because some people are geniuses doesn’t mean we all are —“

your breath hitches as he narrows his eyes, a quicksilver glint flashing behind them as he hoists you up into a bridal carry and makes a beeline for the bedroom door.

“but since some other people finished their most stressful exam today… don’t you think they deserve to be… rewarded?”

a delicious shiver races down the length of your spine as you allow yourself to be plopped down on your too-narrow bed. jamil grins like the devil as he tugs off his sweat shirt and you can’t help the way your stomach clenches at the sight of him — so lithe and muscular, his skin smooth and perfectly sun-kissed. you’d never get tired of looking at his body, not in a million years, you think.

“i… i suppose one night off wouldn’t hurt…”

“mm, that’s what i like to hear.”

day 120.

“dance practice again tonight?”

“yeah. every monday, wednesday, and thursday —“

“— and sometimes fridays and sundays —“ you grin as you watch him shove a towel into his sports bag.

“here,” you say, holding out his water bottle, “i — uhm — you said you wanted to try liquid iv’s the other day so i put a packet in for you — i don’t know if you’d like the flavor but…”

jamil blinks as he pauses over his half-tied shoes.

“thanks.” he reaches out to take the bottle from you, giving it an experimental shake, “i — uh — i’m sure it’ll taste just fine. that was… really thoughtful of you.”

you hate the heat creeping up your cheeks as you turn back to your studies.

“it’s nothing. they had them at the farmer’s market i passed by this morning so…”

“uhm… will you be… up… when i get back?”

your head snaps up as you turn to look at him, eyes wide. fire courses through you, followed quickly by the sobering cool of uncertainty but still. you gulp and lick your suddenly very chapped lips.

“i — i don’t know… may… maybe?” you tuck a strand of hair behind your ear, casting your eyes back at your half-written notes, your mind already spinning over the calculations of how long it’d take for you to finish them properly.

memories from the past few weeks flood through your mind and you can’t help the twisting coil of tension thrumming at the base of your belly.

“well… i’ll text you later when i’m on my way back then,” jamil says, double-knotting his sneakers and flashing a grin your way. he gives you a two-fingered salute before he’s off and out the door, leaving you very nearly squirming in your seat at the mere thought of ‘later’.

day 101.

the third time it happens, neither of you can blame the alcohol. there was no party this time, no crush of ill-dressed bodies, no too-loud music and too-cheap beer. this time, there was just you and him and a shared bowl of under-salted popcorn, the lights off, a rerun of some movie both of you have watched at some indefinite point in time.

you don’t quite remember who made the first move — maybe it was you, when you’d coiled your legs under you, pressing your knee to the outside of his thigh and leaving it there. maybe it was him, when he’d rested his arm along the back of the sofa and let his fingers tangle absently in your hair.

maybe it was the moment of breath between one scene and the next, when the screen had gone miraculously dark and left nothing but the imprint of light behind both your eyes and before either of you could blink it away, your lips had found each other.

there’s nothing to blame this time but yourselves and each other, no questions to ask but the ones you’d already answered — right here, right now, because it feels good, because it feels right.

you fall asleep tangled in each other’s limbs, half beneath the silken covers of jamil’s brand new sheets.

and when you both wake up this time, it’s to the warmth of each other’s arms, the steady of one another’s breaths. jamil doesn’t pull away and you don’t try to think of something casual to say. instead, you both just look at each other and jamil grins.

“so… breakfast?”

you laugh, letting your head thump back onto his uber-plush pillows.

“yeah. that sounds fantastic.”

day 75.

the second time it happens, you blame the alcohol. you blame the crush of ill-dressed bodies, the too-loud music and the too-cheap beer. who’s idea was it to host a house party in your dorm room of all places anyway? and why is jamil’s entire dance crew suddenly here? hooting and hollering and grinning knowingly in your direction, a few of them even tossing you obvious winks.

as if they knew.

do they know?

you curl into yourself, press your body against the cool of the wall and toss back your drink, grimacing at the taste. whatever jamil had put in the punch bowl originally, there’s no question that it’s since been spiked with maybe a dozen different alcohols. and the mixture is fowl as it burns through your chest into your stomach.

the room spins, and eventually, you find yourself being pressed up against the back of your bedroom door, the party still booming along outside.

“f-fuck —” you fist your fingers in jamil’s long hair and tug; he lets out a hiss as his head jerks back, but even in your alcohol-induced haze, you can see the desire burning bright within him.

“sorry — did i —?”

“no — just f-feels good —” you bury your face in his shoulder, your body going soft and languid in his arms even as he slots a leg between your thighs to keep you still against the too-thin door. your hips ruck down against him and he lets out a thick groan at the way you shake against him.

“yeah? g-good… i like that —” he tugs you back with him and the pair of you topple onto your bed, all desperate fingers and dirty hands, sloppy lips, taking what you can, each from the other as if your bodies were endless things. and like this, with his hand pinning your wrists above your head, his gasping breaths bursting by your ear, you think they just might be.

the next morning, you wake up to an empty bed and cold pancakes on the kitchen counter.

day 47.

“why don’t you just talk to her about it?” kalim asks.

jamil frowns, running through his cooldown stretches, his eyes focused on his own form in the mirror even as kalim glances over at him.

“because — what’s there to talk about? i mean — it was just… one of those things.”

kalim shrugs, turning back to the mirror as well.

“if you say so but… it seems like you wanna talk to her about it.”

“it’s fine.”

“till it happens again.”

“it’s not gonna happen again.”

kalim slates him a look; jamil scowls even harder.

“if it does —” kalim’s voice is light as they both pack up their stuff and click off the lights to the dance studio.

“i said its not gonna happen again,” jamil snipes, readjusting his bag on his shoulder and digging out his phone. your message thread is pulled up and he’s halfway through the sentence — on my way back — before he catches himself and shoves his phone back into his pocket.

kalim grins, looking a bit too smug as jamil clears his throat and tries to play it off as if nothing’s happened.

“if it does… you should make her breakfast the morning after.”

“w-why the hell would i do that?”

kalim laughs, “because! then she’ll know that you might want to spend more time with her — time when you’re not —”

“okay! okay — ugh… but like… what do i even make her for breakfast anyway?”

kalim looks much, much too pleased with himself as he peers into jamil’s face.

“how about pancakes?”

day 31.

the first time it happens, it’s barely more than a month into your co-habitation. it’d been a not-quite-accident kind of accident. it’d been one of those rare nights when jamil doesn’t have dance practice and you’d finished all your work early.

“wanna play a game?”

jamil’s smile had been viper-sweet and just as dangerous.

“only if drinks are involved.”

you roll your eyes but agree.

“never have i ever.”

jamil shrugs, “sure. we drink if we’ve done the thing, right?”

you nod, pouring a row of malibu shots. jamil grimaces.

“why malibu?”

“cause — it’s sweet and it’s cheap and it’s the only thing we had in the cabinet.”

“fair. alright — you go first.” jamil pulls a glass towards him, his eyes fixed on you. he watches as you swirl your own shot glass with a contemplative look on your face, and he wonders if you know how terribly tantalizing you look.

so… he might’ve caught himself staring a few times right after you’d gotten out of the shower, wrapped in nothing but a towel, your hair tracing water down the bare skin of your shoulders and back. and he might’ve lingered over your uncapped bottle of perfume, swallowing hard as he catches a whiff of the vaguely floral fragrance, the base warm and woody and dizzying.

“never have i ever… gone to three different countries in one month.” your smile, when he finally fixes his gaze on you again, is nothing short of wicked.

he narrows his eyes as he takes his shot, “that’s not fair — you know i have to travel for my dance crew’s international competitions.”

you roll your eyes, “yeah, and i’ve never been to half the places you’ve been so…”

“i’ll take you with me one day,” he says, the words out of his mouth before he can stop himself. you cock your head as you stare at him, and then you raise your already refilled shot glass.

“i’ll hold you to it then.”

jamil refills his own glass and downs the shot.

“never have i ever… been walked in on after taking a shower.”

“hey! and who’s fault is that?”

jamil smirks, shrugging nonchalantly as you take your shot, quick and vindictive.

“fine — never have i ever walked in on someone after they’d just taken a shower.”

jamil takes his own shot in stride, swallowing down the burn with a wide, satisfied smile.

so it goes on like this, the never-have-i-evers getting more and more ludicrous till you’re both drunk and laughing and more than a little hot beneath the collar.

“never… have i ever… hm…” you muses, your head lolling back as you cast your eyes up at the ceiling, as if an interesting thing not to have done might be written there.

“what’s something… super cliché?” jamil wonders aloud, letting his gaze flicker up as well.

you pause for a moment before dissolving into a pile of red-faced giggles.

“oh! never have i ever hooked up with a roommate! there — that’s a good one.” you smile wide and sure, looking proud of your own accomplishment in thinking up this thing that you’re certain he’s done.

jamil licks his lips and swallows, his eyes meeting your as he lets out a breath.

“i haven’t either.”

the air between the pair of you thickens as your eyes flash down towards your empty shot glass.

“oh.”

“but i guess it is kinda cliché, huh…” he says, setting down his glass and dragging a thumb along his bottom lip before popping into his mouth.

he hears rather than sees the way your breath hitches and he can’t help the pleased purr rumbling through him at the thought of being able to do this to you.

“y-yeah… i guess it is…” you lick your own lips, “makes you feel a little left out, doesn’t it?”

jamil hums in response, and it isn’t till you look up again that you realize he’s leaned over the graveyard of now-emptied shot glasses, his lips hovering inches from your own.

“but how about we change that, hm?”

day 15.

it only takes two weeks for one of you to walk in on the other in the bathroom, and all things considered, it was kind of a miracle that it hadn’t happened sooner. the bathroom door doesn’t really lock and jamil had been too preoccupied with scrolling through the music for their next showcase to see the tell-tale strip of light beneath the door that usually indicates that the bathroom is currently occupied.

when he pushes through, it’s to find you stepping out of the shower, the steam still rising from your skin in thick, white wisps, your hand reaching for the towel on the rack.

“wh —”

jamil stares, drop-jawed and dumbstruck as his eyes rake over your very, very naked body, the music still thumping from his large headphones as he blinks.

you scream.

he slams the door shut.

15 minutes later when you leave the bathroom, your cheeks flushed a deep shade of maroon, your hair still damp, but your body now covered in a long t-shirt and sweats, neither of you says a thing.

day 3.

three days in and you have to admit that it’s kind of nice, having a super rich trust fund boy as your roommate. if nothing else, all the furniture he’s brought along is gorgeous — from the thick persian rugs to the tasteful suede sofa, you very quickly find yourself living in a dorm that looks like it might have belonged in the pages of a crate & barrel magazine spread.

“but apparently, his cousin’s family is even better off —” one of your friends had informed you after you’d looked up jamil’s family online, very quickly finding the wiki page that links him to the al-asim family.

“oh yeah? what do they even do?” you squint at the wikipedia page detailing the al-asim family legacy.

“i think something to do with… water filtration?” your friend peers over your shoulder as you scroll through the page before clicking back to google. she tugs your phone out of your hand and quickly types something into the search bar before making a gagging noise and turning the phone results back towards you.

“holy shit.”

“holy is right,” your friend had said.

“with a net worth like that… what the hell are they doing in school?” you ask, your eyes wide as you look back up.

your friend shrugs, a wicked grin twisting her lips as she leans over the library table and whispers in your ear —

“but y’know if you can bag jamil you’ll be set for life!”

you flush and shove her away, “shut up! we’re just roommates!”

your friend tuts, “plenty of people end up hooking up with their roommates — it’s a literal cliché at this point.”

you roll your eyes, “well not for us, it won’t — and e-even if we do… there’s a long way between ‘hooking up’ and bagging someone for life.”

your friend giggles, batting her lashes floridly at you, “never say never!”

day 1.

“o-oh! hi — sorry, you must be…”

jamil frowns, turning around at the sound of your voice.

“jamil viper…” he says as his eyes land on you for the very first time, taking in the three large suitcases gathered around your legs, and the light blush dusting your cheeks from what he assumes is the exertion of having wrangled them down the too-long hallway.

“yes — right…” you purse your lips, tucking a strand of hair behind your ears.

“and you must be my new roommate, right?” jamil says, recovering from his momentary shock to offer you his hand.

pretty, is his first thought, smells like flowers, is his second.

you beam up at him, nodding.

“it’s lovely to finally meet you!”

[blackcherryvelvet0909]

Seashell Seashore (Ortho & GN!Reader)

Note: This one-shot with Ortho is strictly platonic

You sighed as you stretched out on your towel. Your sunglasses protected your eyes from the bright rays of sunlight that shone down on the beach. They would certainly get you bone dry before long; you could already feel the sea moisture evaporating from your hair. It’d been a nice swim, exactly what you needed on a hot day like this. The fact the beach was less crowded today was just the syrup on the snow cone. As you rested your arms above your head you closed your eyes, determined to spend the rest of your time relaxing in the sun. 

The sound of splashing took you out of the haze your mind was slowly fading into. Whether out of curiosity or the disturbance of your impending slumber, you opened your eyes and craned your neck forward to look out at the shoreline. Through the shade of your sunglasses you saw Ortho standing ankle-deep in the water, hands reached out in search of…something. Did he drop something into the sea by accident? You worried it might be something vital to his waterproof body. Though your body screamed in protest, you got up from your spot on the towel and trotted over to Ortho. 

“Do you need any help?” you asked as you looked down at the robotic boy. 

Ortho looked up to meet your eye and smiled. “Oh, hello [Y/n]! If you would like to help, I would be very grateful.” 

“What’re you looking for?” Your eyes scanned the shallow water, now cloudy from your footsteps and Ortho’s searching. “Did you drop something?” 

“Oh, no, I did not drop anything.” You sighed in relief - no crisis to be concerned about. “I am looking for seashells.” 

“Seashells?” When you took a closer look at the boy, you realized he had a fanny pack across his chest. The bottom was slightly damp - that must be where he kept them. 

“Mhm!” Ortho nodded. He took one of his hands out of the water and held up a pink one for you to see. “Yesterday, Vil taught me how to make jewelry with them.” He unzipped his pouch, put the little shell inside, then zipped it back up again before he went back to his search. “I want to make one for my brother! He hasn’t come out much since Kingscholar dunked him into the pool the other day.” 

Oh yeah, you remembered that…poor guy. He looked like he almost had a heart attack, not that Leona was too remorseful. At least he got quite the reprimand from Trein for it. You smiled as you rolled up the sleeves of your kimono cover. “Let me help you out with that. I’ll help you make the jewelry once you have enough.” 

“Thank you!” Ortho was practically beaming now. While you could not see the smile under his mask, you could envision it by the way his eyes crinkled with joy. “I believe I have collected enough to make a bracelet. I want to make myself one, too; maybe I can make even more if we gather enough.”

“Well, let’s get to it then!” You knelt down in the water so you could dig further into the sand. “We can look tomorrow, too, if we don’t get enough for a few.”

Ortho seemed excited by the prospect for the way he quickly set to work beside you. The two chatted idly about nothing in particular as you went along long into the day. Sometimes you talked of what either of you had been doing during the trip, while other times you spoke about what you looked forward to doing in the days to come. Before you knew it, the sun had begun to set behind the ways, which cast your surroundings in a light orange hue. You looked up from your current search spot, a few feet from where you’d first begun, to scan your surroundings. It seemed you both were the last two on the beach - everyone else had gone elsewhere. 

“It’s getting late,” you commented. Water dripped from your kimono and swimsuit as you stood. “We should head back to the resort to wash off - it’ll be dinner time soon.” 

“Yes, I think that is a good idea,” Ortho said as he zipped up his fanny back. “Brother will be wondering where I am; I do not want him to worry.” 

“Give me a minute to grab my stuff,” you said as you began to walk back to shore. “I’ll walk back with you.” 

“That is a good idea, too.” Ortho began to hover over the water as he followed after you. “It is best to travel in groups, just in case trouble should ari-”

“Ow!” Your painful cry stopped Ortho mid-sentence. Your foot had hit something hard beneath the sand. You didn’t think you were bleeding, but it sure did hurt! 

“Are you alright?!” Ortho asked, now at your side as his eyes searched you for injuries. “Do you need medical attention?” 

“N-No, I think I’m fine.” You grunted as you lifted your foot out of the water. You bent your leg up and across your other leg to get a better look at your foot. Nope, no cut in sight. It didn’t look like it would bruise, either. You smiled and showed Ortho to reassure him before you put your foot down. 

“See? Just bumped my foot against something.” Your forehead creased as your brows furrowed as you focused on where your foot had been. The water was murky from when you shifted your foot, but you could make out something poking out of the sand. You reached down to grab it, then carefully pulled it out. Both you and Ortho gazed in awe at the object in your hand: a conch shell! 

“Wow!” Ortho’s yellow orbs seemed to swirl with stars as he ogled the large shell. “It’s so pretty! That is a conch, isn’t it?” 

“Yeah!” You couldn’t help but beam yourself as you brought the shell up for a closer look. “These are really hard to find, especially in this condition. This would cost a ton at a gift shop!” 

“It seems to be fully intact as well,” Ortho observed as he circled you to get a full look at the shell. “That is a very good find, [Y/n]!” 

You nodded as you continued to stare at the shell. Its body was a soft pink color that faded to white at the lower and upper tips. You saw that the inside was white as well - smooth, too. You tipped the shell over and shook it gently to get any remaining sand out of it, then put it up to your ear. You smiled as you listened. 

“What are you doing?” Ortho asked as he curiously tilted his head. 

“I’m listening,” you replied as you removed the conch from your ear. “If you press your ear against the opening of a conch, you can hear the sea.”

Ortho raised an eyebrow in confusion. “That is impossible, even if you are on the beach. The sea is not inside the shell; how can you hear it if you are far away?”

You giggled, “It’s just a traditional fantasy, Ortho. You can’t really hear the sea - but the way the air circulates from your ear to the shell sounds like it.” You offered the conch to him. “Here, try it!”

Ortho showed no hesitance as he took the conch and pressed it to his ear. You watched as his eyes widened as he listened. Your smile grew into a grin as Ortho took the conch away from his ear and practically jumped up and down at the discovery. “It does sound like the sea! We must have my brother listen, too!”

“Yeah, we should!” You began to walk again, and Ortho followed close to your side. “I’m sure he’ll think it’s cool.” 

Idia, indeed, thought it was cool - at least that’s what he said for his brother’s sake. You spent a good time in Idia and Ortho’s condo that night as you helped Ortho make little shell necklaces and bracelets. Before you could leave when bedtime came, however, Ortho gave you the conch you’d found. While you protested at first, Ortho insisted that you keep it. 

“I can hear the sea whenever I want to - I just have to load up an audio file.” He gently pushed the conch into your arms. “But you may not be able to one day. When that day comes, you can listen to the conch and remember the time you spent here - the time we found it.” 

Ortho was right. In the future, whenever you grew lonely, you picked up that conch and placed your ear against its crevice to listen to the sea. To relive those memories at the beach with your friends, and the little boy you helped collect seashells for his brother.

[peachyloveswriting]

hihi may i request vash x reader where the reader is an artist and does this as a job for money for the group and there's a commission that they're stuck on and they end up pulling an all-nighter and vash gets concerned?

I’m an artist myself so I feel this big time. There might be typos please point them out so I can fix them later!!

Art Block — (Vash)

Summary: You spend all night and day in a commission from an old friend, determined to get it done on time you start to lose sleep. Vash is starting to grow concerned.

When had the suns set? Why did it only feel like moments ago and now they crest the horizon line? The cold air wavers off into slim steamy clouds laying against the ground as the suns heat kisses the sand and bathes your tired eyes. Sitting on top of the truck you look out at the first of the two suns breaking the horizon. The golden hues stretch out over the sky as sleep invades your eyes.

The wind is so still and the heat melts right into your bones as it sinks into your skin. Your sketchbook sits in front of you, pencil lazily held in your hand as your eyes began to drift down to the page. They retrace all the pencil markings, your head throbbing in an attempt to make out what’s next.

Maybe you should do a background next, maybe use water colors to fill in the shades. Is it hot inside the truck right now? When will everyone else wake up? You bet Vash is still asleep in the truck below you. Is he sleeping well?

Your thoughts drift further and further from what they should be as you look over at everyone’s tents and then the windows of the truck below you. It’s very tempting, the comforting seat’s inside and knowing who’s asleep and waiting for you. As sweet at Vash is, he always seems so aloof, like when the sun is setting but it doesn’t feel like it is.

There you go drifting off again, your eyes drifting shut as you take soft slow breaths. The heat of the suns is like a blanket over your body.

Jolting you awake is the squeak of the window being rolled down below you, Vash climbs up, sitting on the window while his arms rest beneath the luggage railings. He has a soft, tired look in his eyes and a warm smile gracing his lips.

“You still working on that?” He asks with a tired chuckle.

Looking up at him with half-lidded eyes, you softly sigh. “Yeah, I’m stuck.” You admit.

His brows furrow as a frown tugs the corners of his mouth down, he can see just how tired you are by the way your eyes look alone. “Please tell me you slept?” He asks in an almost begging voice.

“Nope. There’s no point in sleeping now. Everyone will be awake soon.” At your words, he casts his gaze over to the silent tents on the other side of the truck, a nod of acknowledgement towards you. Vash shifts his gaze back to you, that sweet smile returns as he extends a hand out to you.

“Why don’t you put that away and sleep with me while you still can?” He offers you gently.

Slowly blinking at his hand, you have the strongest urge to lay your head in his palm and fall asleep like that however your back aches for a more comfortable spot. Clumsily and painfully, you wave him back inside the truck and slide off onto the ground. Before he can open the door for you, you’re climbing in headfirst into the backseat. With a grunt, Vash grabs you beneath the arms and hoists you inside before he rolls the window back up and lets you get comfortable.

“You need to stop staying up so late all the time.” Genuine concern swims in his gaze as he wraps an arm around your shoulders and lets you rest you head against his chest. “It’s bad for your health and you won’t get enough sleep to function right.” He tells you.

His eyes are filled with worry and concern as he looked down at you, lifting his hand to gently rub your head. “I’ll try to make them keep quiet when they wake up, I promise.”

—

Vash wasn’t able to keep his word, you only got a few minutes of sleep in his arms before everyone suddenly piled back into the truck and a long, bumpy, and noisy ride ensued. You sat in the middle, Vash to your right and Wolfwood to your left. Both of them have rather broad shoulders so it’s hard to not keep bumping into them every time the truck hits a small dune or hole.

For the whole day you’re so on the verge of sleep that you’ve forgotten whole conversations going on around you as they happen, you zone out for hours, losing focus on everything. Tired of holding your head up and your eyes open you let your head fall back against the seat and your eyes flutter shut. Vash see’s you lay your head back from of the corner of his eye and he frowns. The bags under your eyes are bad, you can hardly stop your body from just going limp from exhaustion and sleep deprivation.

Reaching over, he gently grabbed the other side of your head and pulled it to rest on his shoulder. You raised your brow as you looked up at him but he silently motioned for you to be quiet before he looked back out the window.

For the moment, Meryl and Wolfwood had stopped bickering long enough for your eyes to grow heavy again, your breathing slowed and you practically melted into Vash’s side. Carefully he slid his arm over your shoulder and pulled you close, letting you full on use him as a pillow. You held no complaints, he smelled nice and he was comfortable to lay on. It was just so unbearably hot…the heat killed you. Sleep was unreachable.

Just hours later, that afternoon, Meryl decided to stop at a nearby town. It wasn’t big time or anything but it was nice and tucked away. As you climbed out of the truck lazily, a hand hooked around your elbow and pulled you close. “I’m hungry. Why don’t you come with me and we can eat?” Vash asked you softly.

You hum in agreement. With a gentle smile and concerned eyes, Vash tugged you further inside the town, leading you to a small lunch spot. Just a small hole in the wall food joint that had an outside patio to eat on. “C’mon, they have fans.” He said as he pulled you with him to one of the outside tables. As you sat down the fans above you blew on your hot skin and let you relax under the breeze.

“So much better…” Vash groans as he lets his head fall back. He sits across from you. His elbow is draped over the back of his chair and he kicks his feet up on the table. “I could take a nap like this.” He lifts his head to look you in the eyes sternly. “I bet you could too, huh?”

Slowly blinking at him, you close your eyes with a sigh. “It was so hot in that truck.”

He furrows his brows. “I know right! Makes me wanna sleep.”

“You trying to tell me something?” You ask as you open your eyes and raise a brow at him in question. He gave you a strange look, almost as if he was trying to say: You know exactly what I’m trying to say. You immediately shook your head and furrowed your brows. “I am not sleeping in a public space. No.” You fussed as you pulled your bag off of your back and went to pull out your sketch book.

“Hey!” Vash moved his feet off the table and stood up, leaning over and snatching your bag from you as he leaned back. “Stop that! You’ve been working on this thing all night. Take a break.” His face went from stern with worry to soft with concern. “You’ve been spending all your time on this thing with no sleep. Take a break.” It was almost like he was begging for you to just stop and take a breath.

You shake your head and grab your bag back from his hands with a grimace. “No. It’s supposed to be done by tomorrow.” You huff in frustration as you sling the bag over your shoulder and stand. “I have to finish it.” As you went to walk away he reached out and grabbed your shoulder, pulling you back.

“No, you don’t. I get it, you want to help provide money for the group but you don’t have to work yourself dry.” His eyes were gentle with worry and genuine concern. Vash hated watching you work yourself to the point of no sleep. “At least let me buy you a motel room so you can take a nap. I’ll even stay with you if it helps you sleep.”

You stared at him, thinking over his offer as you watched his soft blue eyes look you over. It was true, you were absolutely exhausted, and he seemed to help put you to sleep at the strangest of times. With a sigh of defeat you sat back down at the table. “We eat first.” You told him.

His eyes lit up at your words and a smile crept across his face as he took his seat across from you again. With his arms on the table and leaning forwards slightly he gave you a loving look. “Thank you.” You knew how much he cared for you and vice versa. You hated seeing him so concerned for you wellbeing.

“Of course, Vash.” You said with a soft smile.