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generalsdiary · 8 months

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a stupid bet (part 2)

gn!reader x Dr. Ratio

part one here

warnings: kissing, suggestive themes, occasional curse words (?)

word count: 6k~

a/n: didn’t expect so many of you to like it, so here’s part two, I knew which way I wanted to take this – and no it isn’t smut like some might assume. two adults with a complicated situation such as this would behave a tad differently, this ain’t a movie after all. but it was fun writing, a bitch to edit it, I hope you guys like this one as well, I am quite pleased with how it turned out. not beta read (we get snapped like Tingyun), if he is ooc this has been written before he became playable ((doubt there will be another part btw))

description: the aftermath of the bet, how the new dynamic functions, stubborn and arrogant attitudes with the fear to show emotions underneath it, all the while yearning for each other (fluff) yes they are communicating, this ain’t miscommunication trope, DW

It is the same day. Late at night with the workplace practically empty, you are finishing up some work. Being in a high position of power means also late hours, you stand up to stretch from sitting for hours.

It is quiet, everything seems still and desolate, with only the occasional sounds of machines, the soft buzzing of the lights, and the occasional Ruan Mei’s creation passing through.

You’re not alone to your surprise. Another figure also stands up to stretch, you aren’t aware of the presence until you hear the low sigh.

Veritas Ratio was still here, also finishing up work, just like yourself. Both hardworkers it seems… You two have a lot more in common than either of you would ever care to admit.

Upon acknowledging each other's presence he simply says. “Oh, so you’re still here as well?”

You nod, not finding the words to say, plus small talk is pointless in your mind. To which he nods back.

“Mind if I ask what kind of work you’re still working on at the time of night?” He tilts his head, you don’t know if it is cockiness in his voice or actual curiosity. On the other hand, he should also be very aware of your area of work.

“I’m done- about to head home~” You avoid the question, the simple rivalry and some sort of defensiveness still existing.

“Huh.” He ponders for a moment. “We’re both here, we’re both almost done and we’re both also heading out? It seems we’re more similar than I thought.” He makes a lame joke, to which you cross your arms and stare him down with a raised eyebrow as if to ask ‘Seriously?’.

You do answer, more of a scoff, “Perhaps” as you turn off the screen. Then the irony of the stupid attempt at the joke also brings a smile to your face. You don’t even notice it.

He also slightly smiles, realizing the stupidity of it, “Well… I mean, we’re already here at this late night. We could also just go ahead and leave together if it is alright with you?”

You nod, not thinking much of it, “Sure, c'mon.” You two exit the building.

He happily follows you out and you both soon exit the large lab building and walk out into the dark and chilly night. You weren’t aware, or maybe you didn’t notice the weather conditions being added to Herta’s space station. You two walk, all alone in the dark of late night, with only each other’s company to keep you warm.

He looks over to you, as he whispers. “Seems so peaceful and calm here, doesn’t it? It feels as if everyone has vanished from the station with you and me only left standing. Some life of the scientist huh?”

You nod at his words. Noticing your silence, it didn’t feel awkward, more tired, full of confusing thoughts and comforting silence. He continues, “How about we just keep walking without saying anything else? Let’s just… let’s just walk together and enjoy the peace of this… artificial night.”

“Sure” You didn’t mind his suggestion, walking beside him and feeling tempted to hold his hand.

He also gets an urge to hold your hand and even, hold you close. This quiet, late night has always made him feel at ease and rest, and this moment is no exception. In the darkness, it feels different, the way you two interact and behave.

You break the silence. “I’m still shocked we kissed today” to which he chuckles softly.

“I could almost say that I was surprised too. It didn’t feel like just any old kiss, it felt… like there was so much more inside it. A sort of intensity, a spark, that I couldn’t shake off for a long time. Almost as if my body felt as though it could simply melt from that kiss. It took me a bit to focus on my work again today.” He dryly chuckles.

You laugh softly at his analysis, “It appears someone liked it a lot.” And also avoiding the thoughts of it. He laughs softly at your tease and whispers, his voice a bit more tender and sensual. “Oh, I definitely liked it. I liked it a lot. It was as if I could hear some sort of music playing in that kiss. It was as if the very notes that this melody was composed of was just for that single kiss… that was the impression the kiss left on me…”

You smile, “Interesting” Is he actually truthful or mumbling nonsense? Who could know? You two bump into each other while walking and your nostrils fill with his cologne again today, just like while you were kissing and you sigh.

He also sighs and feels a sudden urge to wrap his arm around your waist, to take you in towards himself. He barely holds back the urge. “Interesting would be an understatement. You and I really must share a similar taste,” his voice goes lower, “but I can say one thing. I don’t think there was enough of our… closeness and the kissing.” He has more thoughts about this, yet quite unlike him he decides to keep them to himself, the thoughts of how your lips feel like they were made to just kiss each other and only each other, and perhaps meant to walk together in these quiet night station hours… He sighs softly, his mind turning into just nonsense.

It certainly is pleasant to be walking during these hours, and his words make you ponder over your thoughts and possible bubbling emotions. The calmness is unlike most other places, yet this peaceful atmosphere keeps you calm with which you also feel a bit of temptation. Feeling like you want to give in, want to take his hand in yours… Be close to him.

You both walk slowly, wanting perhaps to be closer to one another, your hands bumping into each other as you walk. Your bumps, as well as every other accidental touch and brush, only seem to tempt you further.

When your fingers brush against his you move them away like you got burnt, it feels like a zap of electricity, they feel too hot, too cold… like fire. And you wonder… gods why do you just want to hold his hand and get burnt? It seems as if those accidental touches are now turning even more intentional. You both keep the slow pace, perhaps both enjoying the feeling of being this close together and not wanting it to end.

Silence befalls you two once more. You don't know what to say. Stuck in a quiet and silent moment, as your bodies brush against each other with each step. Shoulders bumping, fingers brushing. Gravitating closer, you can feel that gentle heat of his body. There isn't much you two can say at this moment – you should just let this peaceful, calm, yet sensual and tempting moment speak for itself… a moment like this is worth more than any words could ever describe. Although this is more like a set of moments, rather than a single moment. Time feels like it is speeding by, seconds running yet it also feels like it has been slowed down.

„Veritas,“ You say his name softly. At the sound of your voice, he turns his head a little bit and looks right at you through the faint night lights. The look on his face seems to be filled with longing and passion, a look on his face that seems to be waiting for you to complete whatever sentence you were trying to say. He seemed quite eager to hear what you were about to say. His eyes looked as if they were burning with passion. Or perhaps you just imagined it all and he was merely waiting for you to speak, but you had his attention.

„You said you wanted to get to know me,“ you're looking ahead while walking, „yet we walk in silence.“ You try to slice the silence, the tension and thoughts of how he smells and how warm his touch would feel filling your mind, so you try to make conversation.

He nods and chuckles softly as you make this observation, „The truth is… it's just that I am enjoying being so close to you that I'd rather keep walking like this for a bit… I just…“ he sighs, closing his eyes for a moment, „I just want to feel you next to me without having to speak a word. And to also be honest…“ His voice turned to a whisper. „…I'm feeling a bit tempted. The quiet and the... silence of the night making everything feel so much more sensual, I'm having a hard time resisting…“

You look up at him, hoping your cheeks aren't shaded pink, „Resisting?“

He is fast to answer, „Resisting the temptation… I want to kiss you again… I want to feel that warmth again. Your perfume is driving me insane… I just want to get lost inside of you with every kiss… with every touch…“

Veritas' words leave you in shock, he is completely frank, and blunt. Your thoughts scatter at his eagerness. You offer a small reaction. „Oh…“

He chuckles silently to himself at your surprised reaction, he is getting slightly out of hand, out of his usual stoic self, leaning closer while walking to say, „I mean, we could stop here and just enjoy these feelings with each other. No words are needed. I believe the quietness and the silence have just really been making everything feel so much more… as I already said, sensual. So I ask you, dearest, would you like to continue walking together as we are, or would you like to let these feelings finally get the best of us, and just… kiss?“

You stop walking and look up at him. You smirk, „You don't have a lot of self-control with indulgence now, do you?“ You tilt your head when you say these teasing words. Then almost like karma, an artificial draft blows past you two, his cologne filling his senses, making you close your eyes while it returns you the what happened earlier that day before you open your eyes again.

Veritas' eyes light up when you point out the lack of self-control but he can't help but chuckle softly. „You don't know half of it. It has been eating at me today, seems like a dam of suppressed… thoughts burst through. And they seem to be getting better of me the more and more we stand like this. I do apologize for my eagerness, it is improper… Would you really like to know just how hard it has been to hold back from simply kissing you?“ He adds the last sentence as if he is saying a secret, whispering it softly.

You smirk, „Oh, do tell me~“ Barely hiding the way his cologne almost had you swept off of your feet. Of course, he sees your reaction, just how much of an effect he seems to be having on you right now. You can feel your body just wanting to sway towards his, wanting to feel his touch, his warmth.

„Oh, where should I begin“, he does his analysis as a doctor, „My breathing has been feeling… hot and heavy… it's almost as if my heart rate has been rising faster than normal, or perhaps the fact I want to embrace you with every fiber of my being right now. But don't make me start listing the symptoms.“ He ends with a smile, to which you smile back. You'd never normally do that, you wonder what is it about this late at night?...

„Well, a mere hug is innocent enough, Veritas“ You smirk, teasingly and continue walking now. He laughs at your words before speaking, „Indeed it is. But the problem I find with this so-called 'innocent hug' is that it would inevitably lead us into the unavoidable action of you and I embracing tighter and tighter until a point where our hands may wonder and- let me not ramble, but“, he whispers into your ear, „A hug is just the beginning. Would you still like such an 'innocent' act of a hug?“

He is right, and you know he is. You try hard to not imagine it as he speaks, struggling to hold the thoughts back, to try to ease the tension you tease. “Overthinking~” You shoot him down and walk, avoiding anything upfront and making it obvious to the clever man as to why. You know he is as desperate as you to touch each other, feel, hold hands… And confused by it.

“My dear friend”, the nickname icks you the wrong way, but you ignore it, “I have quite the knack for figuring things out. And I can easily see that you want to hold me and embrace me too, but you seem to want to tease and want to be teased. Would you like to tease you a little bit?” He smirks, reading you like a book and recognizing the weak spots he can aim at.

“Oh, Veritas please don’t tease me, I don’t take it well. And, also, I assume then the innocent hug would be a bad idea.” You answer honestly rather than putting up a strong front that would crumble in mere seconds.

He is amused at your sudden concern about being teased and has an amusing tone of voice, “Alright, alright then. I promise to not tease you… well… not too much. Yes… no hug for us. It would lead us to do more… well, it would lead us down a very… not so innocent path.”

You two continue walking at a rather slower pace, you get the feeling of just how close the two of you are getting, bodies moving almost in sort of a sync, every little sway that one of you makes is seemingly replicated by the other. It is as if all other movements have faded away, except for the two of you walking together silently in the darkness.

Your fingers brush each other making you sigh. The touch of your fingertips is felt through the fabric of clothes. You become aware of each other's breathing in this silence. It all drives you insane, why do you want to hold his hand so badly… it makes you sigh again. It appears your fingers brushing has the same effect on him, your hands gravitationally shifting towards each other, as if trying to come in contact with each other, you can barely resist and you can tell Veritas is struggling not to just take your hand in his. More bumping, the desire to hold hands feeling like a natural response at this point, yet you don’t. “Veritas…” You quietly sigh.

The sound of your sigh sends shivers down his spine, turning his head to look at you, and his face is readable like a children’s playbook right now. His desires are, the same as yours. Maybe you’re both too prideful and too scared, to be honest with each other.

“We are almost where I live.” You gesture with your head, telling him the walk will end soon. You now brush your hand against his on purpose, the feeling of getting burned makes your heart skip a beat. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow then…”

He nods and you two stop near your place. His mind wishes for an embrace but you two decided against that, his eyes scanning your body as if wishing he could keep this view of you in his head. “Good night.”

People are much more honest at night time, especially if tired, the walk was something… You sigh when you enter your home, feeling frustrated, the chemistry between you two is insane, but your pride, much like his, is too big. Both without the courage to make the next move. Playing this back-and-forth game, with neither of you being willing to take the leap of being the one to start it. Kissing can be discarded always, but if someone states their feelings… with both of your arrogant personalities and your ‘enemy’ like history… well it isn’t an easy thing. So for now, you both go your separate ways, yet wishing you were in his arms, you and him laying alone in bed.

The thought of him keeps crossing your mind. You are thinking of him as you crawl into bed, feeling the weight and warmth of the blankets surrounding you. As you lay there, you think about how it felt to walk beside him. Imagining how it would feel to sleep beside him, feel his body next to yours. Sleep overcomes you, dreams end up being of him.

The night passes by and another work day begins. As you walk into your workplace you can see Veritas walking to his desk, right across yours. He meets your eyes for a moment, it is obvious that last night left both of you shaken up and still confused… which is an understatement, to be true to the fact, both scared, tension still hanging in the air between you two.

Occasional rumors about the people who saw you kissing feel annoying to you but you divert your attention to work. Both focused on work in your own separate bubbles, time passes by quickly. Yet your mind doesn’t clear up, not with all the hushing and whispering of your co-workers in the background. Everyone seems to be chatting about this supposed ‘romantic attraction’ you have to each other, while you two pretend nothing happened yesterday. You make an effort to not even glance at him, at his indigo hair which just makes you wonder if it would feel as soft with your fingers going through it- no, you stop your thoughts.

Feeling tired from a few hours of work and your mind distracting you with memories and scenarios you get up from your desk, intending to walk outside and get a break, catch some air. Your work building has experiments of installing new weather conditions on the station getting performed on it, so you look forward to the artificial wind on the rooftop.

While you walk away, you hear footsteps, someone had the same intention as you. Following right behind you.

Outside you find a spot without anyone, yet the footsteps follow close behind. You slowly breathe in, and the air feels fresh, the experiment might be successful, but it sure feels real. You turn around to see who followed you to ruin your break and time alone.

When you turn, you find Veritas staring right back at you. You both wanted to get away and walk away from all the noise. His face is neutral, but his eyes are soft while he tries to figure out your mood, and your thoughts. The tension fills the air again, especially since he is the one person who wouldn't help with all the thoughts you had of him.

„Morning“, you say simply, standing a few steps away.

„Good morning to you too.“ He nods, tilting his head slightly, „Did you also want to get a break or some… space from everything?“

„Needed a break, yeah.“ You nod back.

Attempting to turn the conversation about work his tone sounds formal, „The work can be exhausting, stressful… especially when people keep… gossiping“, he gives you a knowing look, „and everything.“

„Sleep well?“ Your voice is also formal, yet soft, not as loud as it would be if you asked him while inside.

„I'll admit“, he chuckles, „I was having a few interesting dreams last night, but other than that, I slept nicely. How was your rest last night?“ You notice how this isn't something a co-worker or a close colleague would just say to one another. You both were behaving differently, dancing on the line, on the edge of it.

„It was alright.“ You keep it simple, as silence falls again. The silence could be cut with a butter knife when the air feels thick, tension growing as you keep staring at each other. How did years of disliking and rivalry turn into this… tension after the bet and the kiss? Well, more than one kiss, but that's beside the point. Both prideful, so prideful. Like cats, predatory cats, so carefully circle their prey, but not sure if the prey is poisonous yet. Both are in the same boat, feeling the same way.

You sigh, „Veritas, I'm-„, you exhale „frustrated, but… prideful. Like you.“ His gaze was still on you when you spoke, his eyebrows raising at your words. Both struggle to get any words out regarding the matter, yet the electricity between you two is too strong, too powerful. You feel a pull towards him, and you look away.

Veritas stares at you for another few moments, before looking down to clear his mind.

„You're awfully quiet“ You complain and move away a few steps.

At this point, he also struggles to contain it anymore. His chest filled with a strange feeling of some sort of anxiety at wanting to say something yet holding himself behind. Even as you walk away from him, he calls your name, making you turn around. „Wait-„ He looks almost vulnerable, yet it could be the experiment's artificial sun making you imagine things. You make a few steps closer, raising your chin, „Yes?“

„I wish to ask you something“ He speaks softly.

„Ask.“ You look at him, a strong wind blows and you both move closer to the wall of the building, the entrance to the rooftop area, now a step or two apart.

Standing closer you can almost feel the heat of his body, it makes you tremble for a second – or is it just your imagination playing with you? He leans closer, and you also feel the desire to lean in close to him as well. He is about to say something when rain starts falling heavily and you both move under the entrance's rooftop, your bodies close to each other. So close, so close… your face a breath away. He exhales shakingly. You make an observation, a wrong one, „Why are you nervous?“

He chuckles a little bit, „Quite the opposite actually. Just finding the words for the question.“

You deadpan, „Ask then.“

The wind blows stronger moving the direction of the rain falling and you two move even closer together. The proximity makes your mind hazy, struggling to find words. Upon moving closer and the sudden temperature drop you feel the heat between your bodies, the strong wind now blowing the rain right over you. The feeling of electricity makes you both lean in closer while your hair and clothes get damp from the rain. The rain cooling you down, your breaths mingling and you curse under your breath.

Almost like you could read his mind you find the words for the very thing on his mind, „Why are we like this?“

“I… we’ve been like this ever since… well we’ve been like this for years. I feel so drawn to you…”

You tsk at his words and look away, your voice full of complaints, “I can’t get you off of my mind since the bet, your… cologne, and your- our kissing… Why the hell do you smell so good?” You furrow your brows.

He chuckles when he hears talk about the bet, making his cheeks blush a soft pink, and laughs a bit when you mention his scent.

You sigh, continuing your complaining, “And it doesn’t help that you’re so goddamn attractive and the fact that despite our hatred we know each other pretty damn well, so all this… tension…” Your words make the man chuckle warmly. He nods, agreeing that you are very familiar with one another, also feeling attracted to you. Veritas looks at you curiously.

Even after the intimate moment in the hallway yesterday you both still hesitate. You sigh, thinking of more things to complain about while he smirks at you and remains quiet.

He wonders, maybe it was more than a bet, maybe an excuse to actually get close to him, he will ask you more about it in the future. You both hesitate now, staying quiet with something just on the tip of your tongue.

You narrow your eyes, “You’re surprisingly quiet for a man who always had something to say about me.” To which he chuckles, very much aware of how right you are. He always had something to pick on about you. But now, he can’t help but smile at you silently. You curse at him softly, “Cat got your tongue?” He laughs even more, the proximity making him speechless, he looks down shaking his head slightly in amusement while you shake your head and look behind him. The tension fills up, cold rain hitting you, the desire to kiss rising. You both turn to face each other and your lips brush accidentally, just barely. You can feel your own heart beating faster when you slow your movements, almost like freezing upon the soft brush. It all feels overwhelming as you both fight the desire to kiss. You sigh and look down.

While you’re focused on resisting your urges, he moves closer. The two of you are breathing heavily, you can feel his breath against your lips, the heat of his body. You observe the way he drifts closer, but his hands remain at his sides. So proud, so hesitant.

You look at each other, the final drop about the overflow everything, you want to reach out, and his hands are formed in fists to hold back his wish to touch you.

You curse and meet his gaze, “I can’t- I… I am not a patient person, Veritas” You say sternly before meeting his lips. This time it feels as if the tension of years that passed is getting released. You both press up against each other, the heat rising. The kiss feels like it will be a longer one, your hunger to kiss him only growing while the rain pours down your back. Your hands move up his chest, over his soaked shirt, feeling the muscles of his torso, one hand moving to his damp hair pulling him closer even.

He turns pushing you gently against the wall, pressing his body into yours almost offering protection from the rain and the wind, unhelpful, you both keep getting watered down like dried plants. Not that you two would notice it that much at this point. The rain is pouring down on you, washing away your worries. You breathe in, his scent swimming around the air, making your mind foggy, both desiring to be even closer to each other. His hand stays a moment on your hips before moving to your back, pushing you into him, the proximity between you two nonexistent.

You pull away, creating a tiny distance between your lips, mumbling, “Sorry”.

He shakes his head softly, but his eyes are on your lips, they’re wet from the rain, like his. He breathes heavily, attempting to catch his breath. You look at each other, the loud rain falling the only sound.

Feeling like your actions spoke louder than words you don’t say anything more than that. He notices, chuckles, and speaks, “I know our… history. I may have never admitted myself but I always found you so… insanely clever, strategic… hot- and all of our good and bad conversations, moments when we behaved as friends- and moments when we were behaving as enemies… I- I was just too stubborn to acknowledge it- that, there might be something below the surface.”

And he was right, you two from yesterday played this back and forth, of talking and making out to prove points, and stating your confused feelings and thoughts, yet still held back. It is difficult, the fear that he might turn around and smirk, mock you for believing his actions, saying it was an experiment or something. It is very obvious that he is experiencing the same fear. Your walls are up high, and so are his. The never-ending pride, arrogance, strategy- move planning, what is the other person thinking… Is this another of his tricks… are you playing a trick on him? Too many years of lending a helping hand, or giving a snarky comment as a bully would. Of course, you would both be on edge, on the edge of control to not jump each other's bones, on the edge of misbelief, on the edge of calling him a liar. Because would you even dare imagine such a thing? You and him… him and you… It sounds good, feels right and feels wrong, feels strange, and feels like it was always meant to be- yet it doesn’t. So you both stand tall, defensive, and wishing for the other's attention. Hoping to recognize the truth and escape the lies.

He whispers, “This rivalry seems like it was an excuse to stay close, which at this moment-“, he smirks, leaning closer, “I don’t mind at all, wouldn’t you agree?”

You shake your head, whispering back, “I don’t know anything anymore”

It is painfully attractive the way he leans above you, his nose next to yours droplets of water dripping down it and falling to your lips. It feels intimate, that one droplet… you lick it off of your lips, and his eyes are glued to the action, inhaling slowly. He gathers himself and whispers, “May I propose a goal? A tool of discovery? A new goal, to sway off of rivalry, a goal of keeping ourselves united and closer than ever, and of helping each other become the best we can be and be the best we want to be for each other?”

You smirk, easily reading between the lines, “Are you asking me to date you?”

Veritas chuckles under his breath, every word spoken softly, no need for any loud or even normal volume, “Yes… yes, I am… it may be ridiculous, but I just… can’t deny the strength of…”, he makes a small break, finding himself at a loss of proper words, “us.” He looks up, “Imagine it… how brilliant we are together. Yes, I could ramble on about a ‘power couple’ of sorts and intellect and how smart we are, but I just want you. I don’t care about that, I love your genius, and the way you work and behave- it is extremely attractive I might add.” He smiles, and continues, “In this moment, I just want you, I want to keep you close, stay close to you, I want to see us and where we would go, would we work…”

You fidget with his fingers, thinking it all over, the cold water cooling you down and the passionate kiss you had moments ago moving away from your mind. Going out, to get to know each other isn’t a bad idea… but you know so much, years of him, years of Doctor Veritas Ratio and his habits. If anything you already know his flaws, as well as his virtues. This leaves only one option you’d do, “I may find myself agreeing to a new goal, Veritas Ratio.” He smiles at your words, but you still feel uneasy- like this is a dream you will wake up from and you are again being snarky to each other, the thoughts don’t help so you say more to yourself than to him as he says, “Thank you-“, interrupting him, “Oh, hush now” and crashing your lips on his again, to drown the thoughts.

This time the kiss feels slower in a way, deeper, passionate. He cups your cheek, his thumb gently caressing your cheekbone. It is almost sensual, the desire still clings onto you two, below the surface, an eternal dance between attraction and emotions, fast making out and slow meaningful touches.

You dare to take your hand in his, he swiftly gives you a small squeeze, and slowly separates your lips, with your bodies still pressed against each other.

Looking at him it feels strange to think he is taken, moreover that he is taken by you. He is yours… well, and you are his. He leans in kissing you softly once more, and you feel both of your desires rising again- “Veritas”, you mumble against his lips. He clings onto you even more, truly lacking the mentioned self-control in moments like these, you catch your breath, separating from the kiss, completely soaked with rain now. “Just because we are at the top of the food chain doesn’t mean we should abuse our power and take too long breaks.” You say in a normal voice, it is very much so unlike either of you to behave such a way, and he probably got carried away.

He laughs softly, nodding to your words. Pulling slightly away to give you some space, the wet clothes making you stick together makes both of you laugh, and he gently tugs his shirt away.

A couple of moments of silence pass, his hand caressing your cheek, gazing into your eyes, not trying to read you like he usually is, it looks like he is almost… adoring you.

Soon enough you two return to work. When asked about why you’re soaking wet- you call out the weather experimenting on the roof, to which people nod in understanding or the reckless ones dare laugh.

Later that day, again you two are the last to leave, and you walk, again, just like the night before. The night is quiet, there’s a cool draft when you exit the building, you both walk in silence, there are not a lot of words to say, and there are too many. At least you’re now together, each other’s. Your hands bump into one another.

You sigh, not wanting yesterday’s walk to repeat, and take his hand in yours, making him smile. It may all be complicated and confusing, but this feels right. You will take it slowly, this… everything. His thumb caresses your knuckles and you two walk with more ease, bumping less into each other.

When you reach your home you both stop, “Good night, Veritas” You say softly, releasing his hand, your mind does wonder how his body would feel warming up yours, would he hold you tight, would he snore… You chuckle at your thoughts. Similarly, to you, he wonders how it would feel to have his arms wrapped around you tightly, your bodies pressed against each other the entire night. You keep staring at each other- “You won’t say good night back?” You tilt your head, teasing, knowing he is thinking about something.

He laughs gingerly, raising an eyebrow and shrugging, “I wasn’t quite sure if you finished saying your goodbye yet, since you were… hmm… staring at me” He smiles brightly, happy with how he phrased it. “But yes, good night. It was nice walking with you. I shall see you tomorrow.” He reaches for your hand and places a soft kiss on the back of it while making eye contact, you step closer and kiss his cheek, whispering, “Sweet dreams, Veritas”.

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flover4ever · 3 months

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✧･ﾟ:* with child

summary with your husband, jin, gone for business, yuna finds out that you are with child. and eventually, jin does too.

husband jin sakai x fem!reader, platonic! yuna x fem! reader, post-game, pregnancy, vomiting, minor spoilers, i might have a slight obsession with dad! jin... dw i have a non-dad! jin fic coming soon 😭🫶 EDITED

Yuna found you near a bucket, sweat stuck to your forehead and puking. Immediately, her rough yet tender hands rubbed up and down your back. You smile tiredly, your nausea from the morning catching up on you– right before you thought it was gone.

Yuna has been tasked with protecting and taking care of you while Jin is out fulfilling his duties as the Ghost in Izuhara. He was out on business for a week or so, killing Mongols to prevent them from advancing to the mainland. To Jin, the only one skilled and trusted enough to protect his wife, was his dear friend, Yuna.

“Thank you, Yuna,” you said, in between your labored breaths. The two of you have garnered a close relationship– almost like sisters ever since Jin introduced you to the clever thief. Your gratitude towards her never faltered; with Yuna being the sole reason why Jin was alive to this day. Yuna appreciated your friendship, you radiate kindness and hold yourself with such grace– yet you were playful around those you loved.

“Of course,” she replies, returning your smile. “Let me take you to bed.”

She grabs your arm, wrapping it around her shoulder. She carries you to your bedroom, placing you gently on the covers.

“Will you be alright?” Yuna asks, her eyebrows furrowed in concern. “I will inform Jin on–”

“It’s quite alright, Yuna,” you cut her off, raising your hand. “I missed my cycle by a couple weeks now, if you understand what I am telling you.”

Yuna considers your words for a moment, her eyes widening. “You are. . .?”

“With child, yes,” you reply, almost chuckling. “Only a couple weeks far. Do not worry, I will tell Jin when he gets back.”

At sunrise, Jin dismounts from Nobu and you are first to greet him. Your smile is infectious, and one can not fail to notice your radiant glow. Thankfully, you are only a month along your pregnancy, no prominent bump appeared through your kimono.

"Jin," you greet him, bowing. "Welcome home."

"Hello, beloved," he replies. Oh, how you missed the sound of his voice. The two of you are not ones to display your affection in the open, even around close friends such as Yuna and especially not Kenji.

Jin intertwines his hand with yours, heading towards your shared bedroom.

"I have missed you," you softly, softly squeezing his hand.

"As have I," he replies, squeezing your hand in return. "It crushed me to not be able to send letters to you."

"All that matters is that you are home, beloved," you say, giving him a soft smile.

Jin merely hums, his eyes glancing down at your lips. Clearly distracted, he continues by caressing your cheek. The air between you is thick, and even after years of being together, Jin still manages to feel breathless and awestruck by you.

But before Jin was about to close the gap between him and his wife, you push your hand against his chest.

"Is something wrong?"

"Of course not, it is just. . ."

You hesitate. You have waited for so long to tell Jin and you do not know if it just a symptom of with your pregnancy, but your eyes start to well up.

Jin panics before softly comforting you. "There, there. . . You know, you can tell me anything, my love."

You nod weakly, sniffling, trying to make out of the words.

"I am . . . with child."

"Oh my dear wife," He wipes the tears off your cheek, the both of you forming equally bright and lovesick smiles. His other hand rests on your stomach, your hand on top of his.

"Kami has blessed us with a child." His forehead rests against yours, both of your eyes in tears. "Thank you, my love."

#ghost of tsushima #jin sakai #jin sakai x reader #jin sakai x you #jin sakai fanfic #jin sakai fluff #dad! jin sakai

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betasquadx · 11 months

Note

since you're looking for requests, why don't I give you something?!

you can write about how Niko's constantly being touchy and he can't take his hands off during ALL times (he has to be giving kisses on the forehead, all over the face, hugs, grabbing hands, just ANYTHING other wise he'd go crazy)

idk why but I have some sort of feeling that he'd be like this 😭

The way I agree with you 101%😭. I swear he’s the touchy type especially in public when he’s around people (yk as I said before mans definitely gets jealous) like have you seen the way he is with his friends? Especially Kenny & Aj, he’s definitely touchy.

BTW this is heavily inspired by a fic I saw a while ago, I can’t find it but if you notice similarities between this and it please tag me in it so I can give credits!!

———

Needy - Niko Omilana

Summary : After a long day at an event, you and your boyfriend Niko headed back home. However, it was during these late hours that your boyfriend often revealed his more needy side.

Warnings : none

———

You sat beside your boyfriend in the taxi, coming home from an event that left both of you exhausted. His hand gently rested on your waist, caressing it slowly.

You rested your head on his chest, listening to the rhythm of his breathing, while his other hand found its way to yours.

The taxi arrived at your apartment, both of you stepping out, heading inside.

As you both rode in the elevator, he planted soft kisses on your forehead all the way down to your cheeks. You giggled, squeezing his hand as he grinned down at you.

You both made your way into the apartment, immediately sinking into the couch, your black dress stretching out as you hummed.

Niko sat next to you, showering your cheeks and neck with affectionate kisses while moving even closer.

You smiled at him, recognizing the familiar pattern. It was that time of day, when Niko's touchiness and need for attention increased.

Your hand brushed his hair, a gentle smile appearing on your lips. Niko moved in closer, wrapping you in a warm, loving, hug.

You both sat there in complete silence, enjoying each others presence. You often wondered how the world would view this softer side of him.

It was very unlike his usual loud, sarcastic self, proving how different things where when the cameras shut off.

His hand made its way to your hair, curling and twisting it around his finger, all while wrapping his leg around yours.

"I love you," he mumbled. You smiled, head tilted back, both of you too tired to do anything. "I love you too," you replied with affection in your voice.

Laying there for a while, you went to leave, but as you did, he groaned, holding onto you tighter ''please stay.''

You sighed, not knowing what to do. 'Just one more minute,' he whispered, gazing up at you with a pleading look.

You took a glimpse down at him, his eyes half-open as he gripped your hand. ''One more minute,'' you chuckled, giving into him.

Again.

———

Im so sorry for taking long with this Request!! I’ll definitely try faster in the future, so if this seems rushed dw cause I’ll be editing it over time, but anyway hope you enjoyed🫶🏻

*also sorry that its really short as-well I’ll try add to it soon*

#aj shabeel #beta squad #chunkz #king kenny #kingkennytv #niko omilana #sharky

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bisexualchaosdemon · 5 months

Text

Honorary Fox, Number 11, Anastasia "Bunny" Josten turns four!

This took me far too much time to edit to have white cuffs, you have no idea

Her little Fox family all know what it is like to grow up feeling unloved, and they won't ever let her feel that way, so they are sure to give her a birthday to remember.

Daddy Neil:

A bunch of cute fox themed things and any child friendly ASL books he could find

Coach Wymack/Miss Abby/Dr Bee:

Her own bed 😭 one that can grow with her too

The upperclassmen:

A CD player for their long drives to away games

The monsters:

In a rare moment of team collaboration, they got a load of kids' books that come with CDs (and music too obvs)

Wymack:

Despite the staff going in together on their gift, Wymack gets her a custom set of home and away uniforms because she's a Fox too (dw Neil he got her a team windbreaker too, to cover the name on the back)

Drew:

Andrew goes all out on the soft bunny stuff. A new blanket because she loves the one Neil bought her. A bunny plush the same size as her because she's never without the one they made together. Comfy cozy PJs because he just thought they would be cute and he remembers what it's like to not have basic things like that

#anastasia josten #trans teen dad neil josten #trans neil josten #neil josten #aftg #all for the game #andrew minyard #coach wymack #aftg fanfic #hwddt

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lees-chaotic-brain · 5 months

Note

You and I by richard hadley and the death ramps, toji, fluff if possible but anything else is great too!!

WC: 2.4k

CW: sorry anon i threw a tad bit of hurt/comfort into the fluff, NOT beta read, editing what's that?, reader referred to as a biker girl, swearing, toji being a bad partner (dw he pulls it together), possibly very ooc idk i've never written for him before, plz don't ask how this got so long i honestly have no idea

taglist: @arlerts-angel @ponderingmoonlight @m0k0k0

listen to this while reading

Event Guide | Event Masterlist | JJK Masterlist | Blog Navigation

There was something off about you. It left him unable to keep his eyes off you, but he didn't have the faintest idea of what it could be.

Was it the emotion in your music? No, that couldn’t be it because there almost always was some musician or another at the diner. And they were normally pretty decent. Maybe it was the motorcycle helmet and keys sitting next to your bag behind you. But he had been around biker girls before, so that didn’t make sense. What was it?

He always goes to this particular diner for lunch when he could, but today as he sat there examining you the place felt different. The smudges and signatures inked on the walls seemed to add to the atmosphere instead of being an eyesore, and the smell of grease and fast food almost comforting. The atmosphere seemed different today, and he felt like it had something to do with you.

Caught up in his musing, he didn’t even notice he was staring at you until you shot him a cheeky smile and a wink as you sang. Shaking his head to clear his mind, he refocused on his neglected lunch, shoveling it down to try and forget what your gaze had done to him. For some reason, he found himself wishing you would look at him again, that feeling lingering throughout the rest of the day and into the next.

I like the way you look at me baby

Toji Fushiguro doesn’t make mistakes. Not because he was born perfect, but because the reality of his life was that one mistake meant death. In a world where cursed energy was deemed necessary to fight curses he made do with brute strength alone. Which worked. Normally.

See, for his way of doing things to work, he needed to have his head in the game. To be one hundred and ten percent focused on the fight at hand. So why the fuck was he thinking about you? And why the actual fuck was the thought of you enough to throw him off his game??

These were all things running through his head as he finished off the curse before slumping to the ground beside it, one large hand pressed against the wound on his ribs as blood seeped out through his fingers.

He couldn’t afford to lose focus. One moment of distraction and this had happened. If it weren’t for his quick reflexes he would be dead right now. So he had no choice. He had to get to the bottom of this. He had to go back and see you again, if only to see what made you so special. All so that he could focus on his job, of course.

At least that’s what he told himself as he returned to the diner, hoping to see you again.

I act as if I'm not going crazy

Girl I'm in a muddle tonight

Packing up your stuff after a long gig at your local diner, you couldn’t wait to get home. Caught up in your fantasies of a hot bath and a pack of instant ramen, you didn’t notice the man approaching you until he stopped in front of you, his shadow blocking the light.

“Sorry, they’re closed, I'm just headed out now.” You look up, vaguely recognizing the hunk of muscle that stood in front of you. Oh, that’s right. He’s the guy who was staring at you during your performance the other day. You wondered what he needed.

“Give me your number.”

“Excuse me?” Of all the things you expected him to say, demanding your number was not one of them. “May I ask why you need it?”

“Just cause.” He folds his beefy arms across his chest, not wavering as you narrow your eyes and scrutinize him, unsure if he’s being serious. Unfortunately, you think he is.

“Listen.” You sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose. “I’ve had a long day. I’m tired. I want to go home. If you want my number, you have to give me something more to work with here, buddy.”

“Buddy?” He quirks an eyebrow, a smirk stretching the small scar at the corner of his mouth. “Do I look like a “buddy” to you?”

You make a show of examining him closely before straightening. “No, you’re right. You look like the guy who ate my buddy. Which is exactly why I don’t think I should give you my number.”

And with that, you sling your bag over your shoulder and leave, climbing on your bike and speeding away. Assuming that would be the last you saw of him, you were surprised when you arrived for your next performance and found him waiting there for you.

“Didn’t get enough of me, huh.” You snark, breezing by him. “At least leave a nice tip this time, ‘kay?”

“No.” His deep voice rumbles from behind you, and you spin to see him staring at you with a stupidly sexy grin on his stupidly hot face.

“Why not?”

“Cause I’m broke.”

You’re unable to hold your snort in, surprised and amused by his unashamed bluntness. Still laughing to yourself, you turn around and pat his bicep.

“Sorry, buddy.” His mouth quirks at your emphasis on the offensive word. “Now you’re definitely not getting my number.”

With that, you walk inside, leaving him outside on the sidewalk with a sneaking suspicion that he just fell in love with you.

Would you tell me where you're gonna take it

If I had a heart you're the one who should break it

Two years later and he has successfully obtained your number, and the two of you are now in a semi-serious relationship. Surprisingly, you were the one to initiate the relationship, despite repeatedly rejecting him when you first met.

At first things had been really nice, as close to perfect as things could be, in your opinion. He was by no means a gentleman, or good with his words, but his dry humor and actions were enough to convey his affection towards you. And that was enough.

Or, at least it was, until he stopped showing up. About a year or so into your relationship he started standing you up occasionally due to work. Honestly, you weren’t entirely sure what his job was, only that it required him to travel and stay in good shape.

The first few times it happened, you brushed it off. After all you were both adults with jobs and lives outside of each other. Of course you would be busy. But then it started happening more and more, and the periods of time he was gone became longer and longer.

The breaking point came around your two year anniversary. You had received a job offer that would require you to move, and as much as you wanted to take it you knew you had to talk it over with him first. There was just one problem. You hadn’t seen him in over a month.

With your two year anniversary approaching, you really wanted to try and reconnect because you hadn’t felt close to him in awhile, and with this job opportunity on the horizon you had to think about whether or not continuing your relationship was worth it.

So you told him that you really wanted to celebrate your two year anniversary with him, and that you had something important to tell him. Not ready to give up on your relationship yet, you put a lot of effort into the night, buying a new dress and cooking a nice dinner for the two of you to share.

But just as you finish setting the table and tidying up the house because he’s due to arrive any second, your phone dings.

Toji <3: Sorry. Won’t be able to make it tonight. Took another job. I’ll be back next week.

The engines running, can't decide if I should ride away

Tired and sore from the last job he had accepted, Toji heads back to your shared apartment, eager to see you again. He didn’t particularly enjoy taking on new jobs, but money didn’t grow on trees so he didn’t really have a choice. He did miss your cooking and affection when he was gone though.

Fumbling with his keys, he finally manages to get the door open and steps inside, only to be greeted by a dark apartment. That was strange. Normally you were home by now. The thought crosses his mind that something could have happened to you, and he slips into the living room, panic stirring in his stomach.

Moving with an amount of stealth unexpected of someone his size, he checks the entire apartment, only to find it empty, with no sign of…anything, really. Realizing that you could just be out with friends, he flicks on the lights and plops down on the couch with a sigh.

Stretching his arms above his head and yawning, a piece of paper sitting innocently on the coffee table with his name on it catches his attention. Absentmindedly cracking his neck, he reaches down and grabs it, gently unfolding it.

His heart sinks as he scans it, your familiar handwriting suddenly illegible. Because there’s no way he’s reading this right. There’s no way you left. There was no reason for you to. Things were great between the two of you. At least, that’s what he had thought, but according to the letter in his hands you didn’t feel the same way.

The next few minutes pass in a blur of tearing open dresser drawers and frantically searching closets for a sign that you hadn’t packed up all of your belongings and left. But all he found was empty space, the smell of your perfume still lingering in the air, despite it being devoid of your presence.

Finally taking a moment to stop and process, he finds himself wondering what he’s so worked up about. So what if you left? It’s not like he needs you or anything. He didn’t even do anything to warrant you leaving! Sure he missed your anniversary, but he planned to make it up to you when he got back! And maybe it wasn’t even the first time he had stood you up like that on an important date, but if you were willing to leave over something as miniscule as that, were you even worth keeping?

At least that’s what he kept telling himself as he went on with his life pretending there wasn't a gaping hole in his life that you used to fill.

Too stubborn to be the first person to reach out when he still felt he hadn’t done anything, a month went by without any contact between the two of you. In the beginning it didn’t bother him that much, because the reality hadn’t fully set in yet. But slowly as the weeks wore on, so too did the absence of all the little things he hadn’t realized he took for granted.

Like the way your quiet humming brought life to the otherwise dull apartment. Or the way your things scattered around on various surfaces had been a constant reassurance of your presence. He missed you scolding him and telling him he needed to take a break, he missed your laughter, he missed your kisses, he-fuck.

He missed you so much. What was he doing?

I had a woman, she went away

And now I'm lonely, fuck it

It’s now been a month since you left in a storm of hurt feelings and anger, but you still hadn’t heard from him. Deep down, you hadn’t expected to actually break up. You figured you would leave and time to cool down. Then when he got back and realized you left it would be a major wake up call for him and he would come running to you with an apology and then he would change.

Instead you got radio silence. You weren’t too concerned the first week because you knew Toji was as stubborn as you were and probably didn’t want to be the first one to reach out and admit he was wrong.

So you waited (semi) patiently, but when a second, then a third week went by without a word, you were faced with the possibility that he wouldn’t ever call. That the two of you truly were over.

Which is why when you were awoken from your nap on the couch by loud knocking at three in the afternoon, you shouted informing them that you would be there in a second as you adjusted your clothes assuming that someone just needed you to sign for a package or something like that.

What you were definitely not expecting to see was your kinda ex-boyfriend standing stiffly in your doorway, staring steadfastly at something over your head.

“Um. Hello?” You lean against the door frame and tuck your hands into your pockets, hoping to conceal their trembling. “You need something?”

“Yes. Actually. I do.” His eyes met yours, and you were shocked by the raw emotions swirling in them. “I need us. Together. You with me. Me with you. The way things are meant to be. I know I can be a bit of an asshole sometimes-”

You snort and raise your eyebrows. “Well, a lot of the time.” He amended, rolling his eyes.

“But, I do really care about you and while I’m not the greatest with my words, or the brightest guy you’ll ever meet, I promise that if you call me out on my bullshit I’ll listen and do my best to change.”

You pretend to think it over, as if the two of you getting back together wasn’t inevitable the second you saw him standing in your doorway. “Let me see…oh wait. One second.”

Pulling out your phone you tap away for a couple of seconds before sliding it into your back pocket. “Sorry ‘bout that. I just accepted this job. Let me get back to you in a week.” With that snarky comment and a smug wink, you shut the door firmly in his face and he hears the sound of the deadbolt clicking into place seconds later.

For a moment he stands there, unsure what to do before he starts laughing. There was the feisty person he had fallen in love with and missed so desperately. And when he heard your quiet chuckles coming from the other side of the door, he knew the two of you would be okay.

The two of you were able to laugh and be together. Just the way you belong.

You and I

#lee's brain writes #lee's brain writes: requests #lee's song fic event #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen fanfic #jujutsu kaisen fanfiction #jjk fanfiction #jjk fluff #jujutsu kaisen x you #toji x reader #fushiguro toji x reader #toji x you #toji x y/n

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goldenempyrean · 2 years

Note

sick!reader x natasha where nat gets home from a month long mission and learns from their friends that reader is miserable with a cold. however the spy knows how stubborn you are and wants to see how long you can pretend you’re fine until you accept being taken care of

Everything's Gonna Be Okay

Oh damn, this was meant to be a short little fic... Well here I am 3 and a half hours after starting... Oops, ALSO! I did actually edit this, I know, Im shocked too dw. (Pls for the love of God and my sanity ignore any mistakes i've missed.)

Summary: Natasha's been away for so long. Shes finally coming home, nothing can go wrong. Only it does, of course it does.

Wordcount: 3580

░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░

Natasha gave a much-needed sigh of relief as she finally stepped onto solid ground, she never thought she’d ever be so happy to be home again. Nat had been sent away on a long deep-undercover mission and in total she had been away for about a month, however as of the nature of the mission, keeping in close-contact wasn’t possible. The only communication you received was via small hand-written letters, and they meant the world to you. though they were small you’d kept ahold of every one, keeping them safely tucked in your bedside drawer, re-reading them before you’d turn in to sleep each night.

Which is why you had been so excited for Nat’s return; you’d even deep cleaned your shared bedroom so everything would be perfect for her arrival. Nothing should’ve gone wrong. If only everything went how you’d planned...

~~~ ~~~

You’d gone to bed a little later that night, feeling a little more tired than usual, you wanted to have plenty of energy for tomorrow. That’s probably when you woke up that next morning, your body washed with fatigue and the feeling of a migraine settling in, you felt your eyes grow teary. How could this happen today? Of all days for you to get sick, why today?

No. You pulled yourself from the bed, as you stood a wave of dizziness fell over you, sending you scrambling to grip the bedpost to steady yourself, ignoring your body's cries to remain laying down. You gave yourself a moment to adjust before forcing yourself to remake the bed behind you. There was no time to be sick today.

You tried to sniffle, but you couldn’t. Now that you thought about it, you had been breathing through your mouth the whole morning. You twitched your nose and sniffled again, trying to get some air through your nose to no avail. You rolled your eyes, could today get any worse?

You regretted asking yourself that question a second later when you found yourself pulling off Nat’s red hoodie (the one you’d been sleeping in for the past week) feeling an uncomfortable warmth begin to settle over you. Maybe a shower would help, you thought before making your way over to your bathroom.

Stepping into the tiled room, you turned on your shower and waited for it to get warm, feeling dizzy again, you put your hands on the counter to steady yourself and looked up at the mirror. You felt yourself physically cringe at the sight. God, saying you looked awful would be a huge understatement, your eyes had dark circles beneath them, it looked like you hadn't slept in weeks.

The mirror slowly began to fog up, reminding you of the shower which was running behind you. Pulling open the door, you were hit by a cascade of warm steam. It felt amazing and you could feel your congestion start to loosen a little.

Only your delight lasted for a second, a familiar sensation creeping into the bridge of your nose. Stepping into the shower, you were only able to enjoy the feeling of the water briefly before the sensation in your nose grew to an irritating tickle.

“Hhup’tshiew! Hh-’iishiew! HHe’TSHHIEW!” Your body bent forwards at the waist as you sneezed down into your hands before washing them off under the water, you grimaced at the sound you made, knowing it was only the first of many to come. You sighed, your stuffiness returning in an instant, though you really didn’t get long to dwell on it before you began coughing into your fist.

It took you about 30 seconds to finally stop, “Well that was attractive.” You spoke for the first time today, finding your sarcastic tone had a painful-rasp to it, your consonants blurred by congestion. Although nobody was there to hear you, you found yourself cringing at the sound of yourself. Taking a deep breath, you could feel your chest crack, you looked upwards, allowing the water to fall directly onto your face. It was obvious today was going to be a very long day.

You let yourself spend longer than usual in the shower, stepping out of the warm water, your body shivered and you rushed to wrap yourself within a towel. Getting changed was a task which proved harder than you thought, every time you removed the towel, small goosebumps ran down your arms, making your wrap yourself back up, desperate for warmth. Eventually though you managed to pull through and you changed into a pair of Nat’s sweatpants and a thick cotton-lined hoodie.

It was almost 10:30AM by the time you’d wandered down into the compound kitchen in search of something to eat, you weren’t necessarily hungry but still you had to eat something. Nat didn’t like it when you didn’t have something for breakfast plus you were hoping that if you ate something then you’d feel a little better.

Looking in the cupboards, you settled on having some Poptarts, you were reaching up to grab the box when Clint, Wanda and Bruce came into the kitchen together, they’d most likely just finished training.

“Morning Y/N.” Clint said cheerily as he came to sit at the island behind you, “Nat's coming home today.”

“I'm aware.” You said bluntly, as you sniffled into the sleeve of your hoodie, taking two Poptarts and putting them in the toaster.

“Woah, no need to get snappy.” Clint said throwing his hands up in fake-defence, you knew he was only joking but still, it pissed you off.

“Can yo-” You stopped to muffle a small chesty cough into your hoodie, “Can you just stop?” You said with an irritated tone, turning around to glare at him.

You half-expected him to return the gesture but instead you were met with looks of concern from him along with Wanda and Bruce who’d watched the whole thing unfold.

“Y/N, honey,” Wanda’s soft voice said as she came to lean against the fridge, trying to get a closer look at you, “Clint was only joking, he didn’t mean to annoy you. You're sounding a little stuffy over there though, you feeling alright?”

“It's okay,” You sighed, looking over to Clint, “Sorry, I overreacted and Wanda, I'm fine, don’t worry.”

It was then that you felt your nose begin to tingle again, you fanned your face for a moment, in an attempt to somehow stave the tickle off but it didn’t help, you turned quickly to the side away from everyone as you sneezed into your elbow.

“Hh-itshhiew! HhH’uptshiew!” You gave a small congested groan before reaching over to grab a tissue from the box sitting on the countertop.

The three Avengers blessed you, exchanging glances between themselves. You didn’t notice however, as your Poptarts were ready a moment later. You grabbed a plate and put them onto it, taking a bite, you winced as you swallowed, the action angering the soreness at the back of your throat. You realised then that you really weren't hungry at all, you took another few bites before pushing the plate away from you. You’d only managed half of one.

“It's not like you to leave food.” Bruce voiced the thoughts of everyone around you.

You gave a weak shrug and pushed the plate infront of Clint, “You can finish it if you want.”

He was about to take a bite of your half-eaten one when Wanda pushed it away mid-air, a red glow forming around it.

“If Y/N’s sick, you don’t wanna catch that.” She him chided lightly.

“Who said Im sick?” You looked over to her as you began to walk out from the kitchen, “I just happened to leave some food unfinished, that doesn’t mean Im sick, does it?” You said grumpily as you left.

Wanda shook her head and shrugged at the others before following you out into the corridor, jogging up so she could walk aside you, following your lead as you made your way towards the lounge.

“Mind if I tag along?” She asked politely, “You really don’t seem yourself today, did something happen with you and Nat? You’re normally buzzing with excitement every time she comes home.”

“Nothing happened Wands,” You stopped walking, suddenly sneezing down into your hand, “I can't wait for her to come home obviously. Im just a little tired or something.”

Wanda blessed you but gave you an uneasy look, she didn’t believe you but seeing how you’d gotten irritated at Clint earlier, she didn’t want to accidently annoy you.

You and Wanda made your way into the lounge, settling on opposite sofas. You pulled a blanket around yourself, your hoodie doing little to keep you warm. You let Wanda pick something to watch, you didn’t really care, all you wanted was something to take your mind off the mind-numbing ache in your head.

“Is Brooklyn-Nine-Nine alright?” She asked as she browsed through Netflix.

“I don’t mind.” You sniffled, burying your head into the blanket as you coughed deeply, the noise causing Wanda to look over at you with worried eyes.

“You sound terrible.” She said as the intro to the series began to play.

Looking up at her, it was obvious she was concerned, “Just something in my throat.” You grumbled, your voice coming out in crackled, raspy words rather than a flowing sentence, “Its fin- h- Hh'tshhiEW!”

Wanda wordlessly got up and picked up the box of tissues from the coffee table in the centre of the living room and placed them firmly next to you, ignoring your glare. You couldn't help but feel weak, if you couldn’t hide your little cold from Wands, how on earth were you meant to hide it from Natasha.

You and Wanda sat in silence for 2 episodes before you felt your nose begin to run causing you to begin sniffling repeatedly, it was then that you found yourself being thankful for her prior act, taking 2 tissues to blow your nose, you mentally thanked her, giving her a brief smile.

Wanda looked over to you, she’d heard your thoughts and gave you a kind reassuring smile.

You didn’t know it, but you were slowly falling asleep, your eyes growing heavier by the minute. You looked up to the clock on the wall, it was almost 12PM, meaning Nat would be home in afew hours. You yawned, maybe you’d just close your eyes for a minute...

~~ ~~

Stepping off the Quinjet, Natasha could barely contain herself, finally she’d be able to see you! She didn’t waste any time, leaving the Quinjet loaded and her bags at the exit. She could clean up later, she had to see you first.

She practically jogged down the halls towards your bedroom, expecting to find you waiting for her.

“Im home bab-” She called out but stopped, realising the room was empty, she did notice how tidy it looked though, well except the random towel in the middle of the floor, but apart from that the room was almost spotless.

Nat stopped to think for a moment before realising you were probably with the other Avengers, she said hello to Clint as she poked her head into the kitchen, scanning the room for you.

“They’re with Wanda, in the lounge.” Clint called, answering her unasked question as he wiped down the countertops, cleaning up after himself.

Nat thanked him before actually jogging towards the living room, she swung the door open and smiled seeing both you and Wanda sitting on the sofas.

She was about to call out to you but stopped, seeing Wanda put a finger to her lips. She stood up and came over to Nat, pulling her outside.

“What's up?” Nat asked, visibly confused at the witch’s actions.

“I thought you should know, Y/N’s sick, they sounded dreadful earlier. They fell asleep about 3 hours and have barely moved an inch.” She explained, “Im glad you’re back though, how was it?”

“It was alright, I missed everyone though.” Nat smiled and hugged her friend, “Thanks for telling me about Y/N too.”

“Don't mention it.” Wanda smiled and left to go do something, allowing Nat to greet you privately.

Natasha came back into the lounge, carefully coming to kneel infront of the sofa you were asleep on, “Hey baby.” She whispered, as she softly stroked your cheek, she recoiled her hand, instantly alarmed at the heat radiating from your face, “Wakey, wakey sweetie.”

It took some more love from Nat before you slowly began to wake up, moaning softly as your eyes adjusted to the light in the room, you rubbed your wrist against your eyes as the image of Nat came into focus.

“Did you have a nice nap baby?” She asked, helping you sit up.

“Natty.” Your voice cracked as you spoke, sending you into a small fit of deep coughing. Only this time you had Nat to softly rub her hand down your back, “Sorry, something got caught in my throat there, when did you get back?”

“About 10 minutes ago, when did you get sick?” She raised her eyebrow at you as you woozily stood up, quickly offering her arm out to support you.

“What do you mean?” You asked, resisting the urge to sniffle. If there was anytime you needed your acting abilities to be flawless, it was now. You had a pretty rocky start but you could still make up for it.

Nat gave you a curious look, “Wanda said you were sick?” Her words came as more of a question then a statement.

“Oh.” You feigned surprise as you tried to discreetly clear your throat, “Well Im fine, never better.” You flashed her a small forced smile.

‘Fine’ is probably the most misused word in the whole of the English language, you most certainly were not fine, even as you stood still it felt as if the room was spinning around, you but you did your best to act as if nothing was wrong.

Now Natasha knew you were lying, it was obvious from your appearance alone, your eyes were tired and glassy, not to mention both your cheeks and nose were tinged red. But still, she was impressed at your perseverance, maybe that was why she went along with your scheme. She wanted nothing more than to wrap you up in her hands with tissues and a blanket but she just wanted to see how long it’d take for you to give in.

“Maybe Wanda was wrong then.” Nat smiled at you knowingly, “You wanna go out for drinks later?”

You wanted to cry, you wanted nothing more than to go out for drinks with Nat but you knew there’d be no way you’d be going, “Sure, sounds nice, Im really happy you’re home ‘Tasha. I missed you so so mu-” Your trailed off, feeling the ever-present tickle in your nose grow. Not now.

“Hhu’tshhiew! Hep’TSHHIEW!”

“Oh bless you, my love.” Nat cooed, holding back the plethora of concerned words which were about to tumble from her mouth, “I thought you said you weren't sick?”

“Im not,” You stammered, quickly rubbing the sleeve of your hoodie against your nose, “It was just two -Hh- rando- Hh'iishiew!- random sneezes, its nothing.” You sniffled wetly, reaching for the box of tissues which was still sat on the sofa behind you.

Natasha was stuck. Her heart broke seeing you sick but she really was curious how long you would deny it for, she thought for a moment, if you got any of worst then she’d take matters into her own hands.

“Have you eaten yet?” You asked, even through your fever, her welfare was still at the top of your mind.

“No, but I could use a drink though.” She fibbed, hearing the rasp behind your voice, it was clear you needed water.

“M’Kay, we should go get you one then.” You mumbled, linking your arm with hers as you both left the lounge to go to the kitchen.

Entering the kitchen, you let yourself sit down on one of the stools at the island as Nat grabbed two glasses from the cupboards, pouring water into each.

“Here baby.” She said lovingly, sliding it over to you.

You thanked her and drank it, the cool water feeling amazing against the burning of your throat, “Did you already unpack?”

“Not yet,” She replied, sipping her water, “I’ll do it later.”

“You need a hand?” You offered, praying she’d decline your offer, you really weren't too confident in your lifting abilities at the moment.

“Aw thanks baby but I think I’ll be okay.”

You sat silently, waiting for Nat to finish her water when you started sniffling, feeling your nose begin to run again. You eyed up the tissues on the counter opposite, but grabbing them would be an instant sign to Nat that something was wrong so you opted for trying to discreetly rub your nose against your hoodie.

However, the action only seemed to irritate your nose further, sending an intense tingle to the bridge of your nose.

“Hh’k-tshhiew! Heh’iiishiew! Hh..H..HHitsshiew!”

“Bless you, bless you!” She exclaimed, her worry slipping into her tone as she spoke, “You need a tissue?”

You nodded, as you swiped a handful from the box which she offered out to you. You blew your nose softly, though it did little to ease your discomfort. You sighed, fanning your hand infront of your face, feeling that familiar warmth from earlier that morning come over you again.

You tried to ignore it, but it slowly became unbearable, you raised your arms, pulling off the cotton hoodie, revealing your black sports bra.

Natasha looked over you, puzzled, before noticing that your fever-flushed cheeks had darkened further. Right. This had gone too far now.

She firmly pressed her palm to your forehead without warning, letting out a string of curses in Russian as she felt your raging fever.

“Shit, Y/N. You feel like a furnace. Enough, I know you’re sick, I’ve known the whole time, it's gone too far now.”

What? Her words barely formed coherent sentences in your foggy mind, how did she know? You’d hidden it so well. Small beads of sweat began to form and run down your hot skin and you groaned in discomfort, longing for her love.

“Natty-” You spluttered off into a series of deep coughs, your chest convulsing as you coughed down into your elbow. Natasha had rushed to your side and began running circles down your back, slowly helping you regain your breath.

“Baby I don’t feel good.”

“I know sweetie, I know.” Nat kissed your cheek before grabbing a tissue to wipe your running nose, “You need to get into bed, come on.”

You nodded and opened her hand out towards you.

You stood and the world span around you, your peripheral vision fading black suddenly as your knees buckled under yourself and you felt the weight of gravity pull you down. You thought you were going to hit the ground when sudden you felt yourself being lifted upwards. Natasha’s fast reaction had allowed her to slip one arm beneath your knees and another behind your back, safely catching you in her arms as you lifted you up in the bridal position.

She held you for a moment before releasing a deep exhale, “Jesus Y/N. You scared the shit out of me, don’t ever do that again,” She brought her head and pressed it softly against yours, “Poor baby, you’ve been so strong but we need to get you to bed now, okay?”

You nodded woozily, Natasha continued to whisper sweet nothings to you as she carried you, her strong arms supporting you. Your eyes fell closed for a moment and the next thing you knew, you were being lowered down onto your bed, Natasha’s anxious green eyes looking down at you.

“I guess we’re not going out for drinks then?” Your words were mumbled but you saw her give a slight smirk at your humour.

“No baby, we’ll go out when your well.”

“Sorry your first day back was so eventful, I wanted you to be able to relax.” You sighed, with a damp sniffle, rubbing your nose against the blanket which Nat had pulled over you.

“You’re okay baby, you’ve done so much today. You just need to relax yourself, just lay here. That fever of yours is no joke, you need to rest.”

Natasha opened your drawer, seeing if you had a thermometer at hand, what she wasn’t expecting to see though was her letters, “You kept these?” She asked, her eyes prickled with tears. She hadn't expected you to keep them, her mission had been hard and seeing her letters only reminded her of how much she’d missed you.

“They remind me of you so I wanted to keep them.” Your words were slurred but she understood you anyway.

She honestly wasn’t sure why she thought you wouldn’t keep them. Seeing them lit a little flame in her heart, she leant down to your side and planted a soft kiss on your lips, “I’ll never leave you again baby, okay? Im here.”

You muffled another deep cough into the blanket as Nat regained her composure, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes. She came and slid into bed beside you, sitting upright. You shuffled backwards so you were laying on her, your head on her chest, listening to the steady beating of her heart as she softly ran her hand through your hair.

“Everything’s gonna be okay.”

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thehollowwriter · 2 months

Note

Actually: for Cosme!

What's the fastest way to piss them off? To calm them down? To cheer them up?

How do they deal with entitled attitudes or otherwise disrespectful students?

Are there any students they've come to see as their own kid?

How do they feel about the one magicless student on campus?

Do they enjoy being a part of student gossip/actively involved in student drama?

Yaaay Cosme questions!

What's the fastest way to piss them off? To calm them down? To cheer them up?

Messing with his students, lmao. Or just treating them badly in general. Especially when it's another staff member because, like, that's the opposite of your job. Blatantly disregarding his authority is another one. He cares for his students, but he will get you for that/hj

Funnily enough, a good way to calm him down is to just tell him to breathe. Cosme swears he's so chill, but when he gets mad, it's like he's on the verge of hyperventilating fjfjgjg. Some other ways are reminding him that he's at work or that he's setting a bad example for his students.

Cheering him up can be a little harder since when he feels down, it's really bad. But honestly just making him coffee or something and sitting with him, even if nobody says anything, really makes him feel better.

How do they deal with entitled attitudes or otherwise disrespectful students?

UM, babyyyy. He'll paralyse them for a little while. Dw it doesn't hurt, and he doesn't do it for long, but any student who's been dealt this punishment will tell you even a few minutes like that is agonising.

Luckily, since he's head of discipline, few students have the guts (or stupidity) to act like that towards him. The title alone already let's you know that hey, this guy can probably fuck up my time here (or end it) if he wants so let's not. Let that happen.

Are there any students they've come to see as their own kid?

Ngl probably Yuu cause he's like the only member of staff who seems to give a fuck about them 😭 he made the soup Crowley drops off at Yuu's and nearly lost his mind when he learned Crowley put them in Ramshackle.

However, I've been considering... Riddle. Even though he finds Riddle extremely irritating (please... the Queen of hearts rules are not that serious... and he doesn't have time to deal with every little problem, Rosehearts) I think he'll come around to him after a while and probably realise Riddle's lacking in good parental figures and ends up unintentionally filling that role.

Back off, Mrs. Rosehearts, the jellyfish has adopted your kid/j

How do they feel about the one magicless student on campus?

Very worried about them cfifjgkgjg. This school is not a place for someone like them to be (in the sense that it can be dangerous for them even without overblots), and there's like... a lot of things they have to do to keep their home that he finds ridiculous. However he does admire their resilience and can see their potential even without magic.

Edit: omg I just realised I forgot the last one 😭

Do they enjoy being a part of student gossip/actively involved in student drama?

No, not really. It's not any of his business unless it's breaking school rules or putting them in danger.

...Is what he would say most of the time but during Astrology classes? The tea is PIPING. He he'll give advice and say a quip or two, but won't like get involved. Please, god, don't involve him 😭

Tagging: @distant-velleity @br3adtoasty @rainesol @theleechyskrunkly @jovieinramshackle

@galaxies-and-gore @cyanide-latte @cynthinesia @officialdaydreamer00 @krenenbaker

@offorestsongs @kitwasnothere @elenauaurs @boopshoops @inotonline

@1dont-really-know @kazumify @minteasketches @elysia-nsimp @skrimpyskimpy

@casp1an-sea @offorestsongs @tixdixl @poisoned-pearls @the-trinket-witch

@ramshacklerumble @ghostiidasponk @thegoldencontracts @the-banana-0verlord @cloudcountry

@skriblee-ksk @twstinginthewind @lumdays @theolivetree123 @natsukishinomiyaswife

@authoruio @jewelulu @raguiras @honeynclove @moonyasnow

#quinn quips #quinn answers #quinn's friends #trinket #cosme da costa #twisted wonderland #twst oc #oc ask #oc ask game

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mammoney-22 · 1 year

Text

Found this in my drafts so here lol

Headcanon that my MC is straight up an animal magnet. Almost every time they go out, they come back with something. As a result HOL is always crawling with critters they're trying to find homes for -and a few permanent residents because someone got too attached.

Minor edits made May 31st. Mainly grammatical stuff.

At first a few of the brothers were pretty fed up. But anytime a threat of any kind was made towards the animals MC just appeared out of thin air with the most terrifying expression on their face.

*random goat that followed them home, currently eating Beel's snacks -package and all*

Beel, about to lose his shit: How would you feel if I ate you?!

MC leaning into the room, smiling: I'll replace your snacks, but touch the goat and I'll make a real nice roast outta you.

Beel and the goat actually became bffs after this.

Satan sitting in the common room, book in one hand, scruffed puppy in the other: This is the last time you interrupt my reading you little runt!

MC wrapping their arms around his neck from behind, whispering softly: Put the puppy down, Satan.

Satan, slowly setting the pup back on the couch: When- how- ?!

MC: I was summoned.

He still thinks cats are better, but he definitely cried when the puppy left.

Mammon gently yeeting a rabbit (did not hurt it dw) when he caught it eating his money: That's not lettuce ya dumb furball!

*turning around and seeing MC in the doorway*

Mammon: M-MC, um.. when did you get here?

MC, scooping up the rabbit: I mean this in the nicest way possible because I love you, throw her again, and I'll burn every Grimm of yours that I can find ❤

*Mammon.exe has stopped responding because they said they loved him while also threatening him*

He's not turned on or confused thank you

Won't admit he likes the bunny but MC catches him dressing her up in little yellow tinted sunglasses and gold chains like two days later.

*MC regularly comes to dinner with a snake wrapped around their neck or arms, sometimes a lizard tucked in their hoodie pocket, or some strange insect/arachnid perched on their shoulder*

Levi:

Simply stops functioning because not only are you nice to him, but you seem to appreciate the more widely considered 'strange' creatures as much as he does

Generally asks to hold said creature

And take pictures -of you holding the thing obviously

You just.. look so much cooler than him! Obviously.

Mammon:

Poor baby nearly shits himself when you sit next to him and he realizes there's some horrifying, eight legged, kitten-sized thing clinging to your shoulder

He tries to ignore it but he's leaning away from you the entire meal

"Ain't ya afraid of anything, human?!"

Lucifer:

Sincerely doesn't fucking care anymore.

He tried being mad for so long and you just ignored it

I mean, animals at the dinner table? C'mon MC.

Fuck it.

At least your little creatures are less rowdy than his brothers

Asmo

Do you care about him at all?!

Fear isn't good for him

Nor are gross things.

And that spiny, hissing thing clinging to your forearm was the definition of his bane

Satan

Thoroughly amused with his brother's reactions

Finds your creatures fascinating

Not fazed when one makes its way across the table and up his arm

This causes Asmo to nearly faint as the thing becomes much closer to him

Satan obviously shoves it in his face

Till MC basically rips his head off

They're delicate, he gets it now

Please stop lecturing him it's kinda scary

And hot?

#obey me crack #obey me shall we date #obey me #obey me mammon #obey me headcannons #obey me lucifer #obey me!#shall we date obey me

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bunni-v1 · 24 days

Text

(Twenty) Nine Lives for Love

Chapter 4: Right. Prev Chapter\\Next Chapter m.list

Tw: Feelings; Crumbling relationships with parents (dw it'll be fineeeee)

Info: Kenma x Reader ; Kuroo and Reader; Kuroo is a wingman (bad at his job); Maki is still fat

Word Count: 5.3k 🍓Soooo, I finally had time to edit this (yay!) I was supposed to work on Curee but uhm... no! Kenma Kozume you will never ever want me the way I want you, but you take precedence!

Tag List: @angel-academia @bi-bi-papillon

By the time practice is out on Thursday, you have fully relaxed into your new routine at Nekoma. Walk to school with Kuroo and Kenma, attend class, eat lunch with Kenma (now featuring both Yamamoto and Fukunaga), head to practice, and then grab snacks from the convenience store after it's all done. It’s easy and much like your old one at Karasuno, so you get comfortable quickly, especially with how friendly and receptive the team has been to you.

As you approach your neighborhood today, Kuroo offers to let you come over for some of his gran's delicious sweetbread, but you decline. His disappointment makes you feel like you kicked a kitten, but you have prior commitments. So, you promise you’ll have the time another day, and he and Kenma wave you off.

As usual, your old man isn’t home when you get back. Never early, never late. Your school bag thumps to the floor as Maki greets you with excited chirps. You take the time to make sure she has food, sweep the floors, and do some other chores before heading up to your room for your final task of the day: Calling Noya and Tanaka. (Calling it a “task” was an exaggeration, you were excited to talk to them again.) It was an odd time to do so, but you promised them so you couldn’t back out now. You pull the laptop you’ve had since middle school out from your desk that you’ve had just as long, and nestle yourself into your pillows. Your Dad and your Mom (and your Stepdad) offered to get you a new one, but you can’t bring yourself to do it just yet. You’re too damn sappy. It whirrs to life, fans a bit too loud to be a good sign, and you’re greeted with a picture of yourself and Noya covered in mud and bruises.

It’s your favorite picture of you two together. Back when life was good and easy and all you were worried about was when the next volume of Shonen Jump was coming out and making sure you got the first spot in line for recess. Your mom took this picture, and you know it was her because she was the one who scolded the two of you for making such a mess of yourselves right before dinner. You briefly think about going through the other pictures on the clunky thing, but Skype pops up and starts chiming to remind you that had better things to do. You accept the call, immediately greeted by Tanaka’s awful posters of half-naked women behind his bald head and Noya squinting way too close to the camera to get a good look at said posters.

“Don’t look too hard, you’ll pop a blood vessel,” you say dryly.

“He’s popping something, that's for sure,” Tanaka responds smoothly – ironic coming from him.

“I am not!” He defends, then slowly adds, “...yet…”

You roll your eyes, “Both of you are nasty.”

“I didn’t even do anything!” Tanaka argues.

“It’s your poster you perv!” You shout back.

“Hey! Admiring beauty does not make me a pervert! In fact, you’re the perverted one for thinking like that.” He shoots back.

You scoff, crossing your arms haughtily, “Do your legs hurt from making that leap? If not, I can come back to Miyagi and break ‘em for ya.”

“Guys c’mon, we can try and kill each other later,” Noya says, somehow the voice of reason despite being the cause of the problem, and points accusingly at you (you think, because he’s just pointing at his computer screen), “You owe us a catch-up, Miss too-busy-to-text-my-best-friends.”

You sigh at Tanaka’s childish ‘yeah!’ holding your hands up in defeat. You had been busy with the team and adjusting, but in your defense, you were texting them! Just not as much as normal, not enough to give them a real run-down of your daily life – which was enough for their complaining to be reasonable. “Yeah, yeah, I got it. It’s not all that exciting like you’re thinking – not like that little redhead Tanaka’s been talking about, at least.”

Tanaka groans, whining about getting up early every day. He was just such a good senpai, helping his little freshmen train. Both you and Noya call him an idiot, which derails the conversation for a little while until Noya suddenly gains consciousness again and bitches at you to get on with it.

You proceed to tell them almost everything that’s happened in the past week so far. Kuroo and Kenma, managing the volleyball team, your classes, and of course giving them a much-needed Maki update after she trods herself up to your room. (Noya insists she got fatter, Tanaka thinks she’s slimmer, and you think you need to have a serious chat about the amount of treats your Dad is giving her). They’re very interested in the volleyball club, which was expected of them. You swear they have a volleyball instead of brains sometimes.

“So… you’re pretty much their manager,” Tanaka drawls, chewing loudly on some chips Saeko gave him earlier.

“It's not official yet.” You correct. You can feel Shimizu-Senpai’s ire from Miyagi already. You hope she can find someone to replace you this year. “Offical sign-ups for clubs start tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Noya hums, also munching on something bready that you can’t make out on his pixelated screen, “you’re gonna say yes, so why be so dodgy about it?”

You frown, evading your eyes, which tips both of your friends off that something is up. It’s not as if you didn’t want to say yes. Saying no to the position felt like a sin against every god you could name. There was just a little, tiny, itty bitty anxious part of you that was filled with what-ifs. What if you’re not good at it long term? What if the team was only tolerating you? What if it’s overstepping boundaries? What if you don’t have the time with classes?

“Oi!” Noya shouts, getting close to the camera again. If he were here he would probably grab you by the face and force you to look him in the eyes. That alone makes you slide your eyes back to the screen to look at his glare.

“Quit overthinking things,” Tanaka scolds – which feels wrong, considering he’s normally the one being yelled at. This whole friendship thing works both ways, you suppose.

“I know–” You try, but they aren’t having it this time.

“No! You’re gonna go to the sign-ups tomorrow,” Noya starts.

Tanaka continues, “You’re gonna… fill out those forms, or whatever!”

“Then you’re gonna give them to the coach right away. No ifs ands or buts.” Noya finishes, poking his camera for emphasis.

“Okay! Okay, I’m gonna say yes, I promise,” Shimizu-Senpai is out there somewhere, planning her revenge on you.

There's a nice lull in the conversation, and you think you almost got away with not talking about Kenma. You did try not to make a big deal out of him or Kuroo, but alas, Nishinoya Yuu and Tanaka Ryunosuke are not your best friends for no reason.

“Sooo,” Noya drawls, and you know what's coming, “tell us more about that Kenma guy~”

“Ugh, god, I knew you were gonna make a deal out of him.” You complain, visibly flustered.

“There is something up with him!” Tanaka declares, “Told’ja she was hiding something from us.”

“Nothing is up with him, okay? He’s just…” You struggle to put it into words. What is he? Nice was too mild. Amazing was too much.

“A total hottie?” (Tanaka.)

“The love of your life?” (Noya.)

Your idiots say at the same time, forcing a sigh past your lips, “No. He’s just… he’s right. You know? He’s right.”

“Right?” They say in sync, then nod as if they understand and repeat, “He’s right.”

“Yeah,” you sigh, a little weight lifted off your shoulders, “It’s like we were meant to meet. Everything is easy and comfortable. It’s… right.”

Then, when you feel like you have solved the puzzle, the dreaded question comes, from Tanaka of course, “Do you think he’s your soulmate?”

The weight is back, and your friends can tell from how quickly they try to backtrack, but you’d rather talk to them a little about it than shove it down.

“He doesn’t believe in soulmates. I think he thinks they’re silly,” you laugh dryly, chest aching, “besides, just because I click well with him doesn’t mean he’s my soulmate. I get along great with Kuroo too!”

“But it’s different with that Kenma guy,” Noya says simply, ripping apart any rationalization you’ve been able to do the past few days, “like you said, it feels right. He’s right.”

You think about it for a long moment, trying to find a good way around what he said. As usual, though, you just can’t beat Noya’s simple, straightforward logic. You can’t complicate something so incredibly uncomplicated.

“Even if he is my soulmate, which he probably isn’t, I won’t push it on him,” you respond, voice thoughtful and quiet, “He’s a friend first, and if he happens to be my soulmate, I don’t want to push him away with daydreams.”

That gets them to back off long enough that you can masterfully change subjects back to the new freshmen on Karasuno’s team. You take a stab at trying to convince Noya to rejoin, but as usual, he’s too stubborn to reason with. Talking with them, as always, is easy. It almost feels like you’re right there in the room with them, if it weren’t for the way Noya’s audio glitches every once in a while. You get so lost talking to them that, before you know it, it’s 8:30 and your Dad is shouting for you to come down to eat. You didn’t even hear him come home. He didn’t even bother saying hello.

With promises that you would text them more consistently, and that you’d definitely plan a trip to Miyagi over a break, you hang up the call and join your father for another tense dinner. Ever since you had accidentally ignored him on Tuesday, he’d been a bit distant. He was still warm and loving, but you could tell it seriously hurt him when you broke the routine. So, you’d been doing your best to keep everything as balanced as always. You chat about classes, practice, and the latest movies coming out. Nothing that could rock the boat, because it already had enough water in it, and you couldn’t afford it sinking.

Speaking of sunken ships, he mentions that your Mother and Stepdad wanted to come visit sometime. Which was fine with you, but you knew things were tense between the three of them, so you left the decision up to him. By the time you make it back up to your room, you want nothing more than to collapse and sleep for a million years so you don’t have to deal with the weirdness surrounding you and your dad.

It lingered around the house. In each dark corner where light doesn’t quite reach, each creak of its old bones, each awkward silence left in the still kind of strange-smelling air there is a discomforting reminder that things are not right with him. There is an ache in your muscles that you must fix it, and a stab to your stomach when you realize you don’t know how to. It makes you want to sleep forever; let your muscles relax for just a little bit.

Sleeping Beauty had it pretty good, you think. At least she had a prince waiting for her. All you had was a cat the size of a medium dog and two of the dumbest people you’d ever met a few hundred miles away. In a last-ditch effort to feel better, you slide the box labeled ‘textbooks’ out from under your bed and dig out the object of your desire. The studies of soulmates.

You’d managed to masterfully (sloppily) hide them from your dad. Thank god you have (had?) a good relationship, or else he might’ve gone through your room and found them already. With greedy fingers, you tug the only bookmarked one out from the bottom of the box, flipping it open with a big grin on your face. Reading about soulmates always made you feel better. Always.

This was volume three of six of the original set – your mother did not have the revised versions the author put out shortly before they had passed. Still, the first edition of the first two volumes was fascinating, if not for minor inaccuracies. Volume one covered entirely what soulmates are; who can be a soulmate; how the lifetimes of soulmates intertwine, and things along that line. Volume two discussed “the in-between”, the place between life and death. This volume you were on, however, discussed the process of discovering your soulmate.

You had read through the more… logistical parts of the book and were now on the part about the feelings. It was a short chapter, as far as you could tell, but it would be enough to maybe make you feel better. Grazing over the parts you’d already read, you quickly ended up back where you had left off. The spark.

“The ‘spark’ is not a concrete thing, nor is it entirely flexible. It occurs differently for every person and creature that may experience it, and yet there is one thing that is common among all described experiences. Without fail, all people who have experienced this ‘spark’ have a sense of intense familiarity regarding everything related to their soulmate. A sense of belonging within their other half’s social life. Family, friends, hobbies, pets, and everything in between seem to settle into place without any effort.”

You nod along to the words on your page, comprehending them as best as you can. You recalled Tanaka talking about something like that with Kiyoko, though you doubted it a bit at the time. You flipped the page, deciding it was best not to dwell on how ironically familiar this was all sounding. The next section covered several other facts about the connection between two soulmates, but you couldn’t stop your mind from thinking about that short but impactful paragraph.

You did not want to be dramatic, nor did you want to sound insane, but you had noticed a familiarity with Kenma. About… everything surrounding him. The way you felt like you’d found a missing puzzle piece beneath the foot of a table, one you’d long since given up looking for. Like you waited a whole lifetime to finally click into place with him. You’d only met him four days ago, though. You did not know him. Certainly not enough to be acting this delusional. He was right, though. (Your heart insists it, loud and clanging like church bells in your steeple of a chest).

You try for a little longer to read the text, but it all blurs together with the rampant thoughts of hope singing in your brain. You growl at yourself, slamming the book shut and shoving it back under the bed in the box. (Maki startles, yowling and flying across the room in fear, though you don’t pay her any mind.) You’d only managed to make things worse by thinking about Kenma. He was not your soulmate, and even if he was he didn’t believe they existed. That shuts down any chance of this wild pipe dream coming true – NOT that you had any intention of chasing it in the first place. Hell, you hardly believed it. It would be too easy. Too simple. Too convenient. That is not how the universe was and you knew better than to fool yourself into thinking that.

With nothing but anger and annoyance left in the place of energy, you grumpily toss on your pajamas and decide to call it a night. Maki crawled up into bed – hesitantly like you might throw her next – and curled against your side. Tomorrow would come fast, and you’d be able to forget about your stupid thoughts in the morning. That's what you kept repeating in your head to stop your mind from drifting again.

.·:*˚¨¨ ≈★≈ ¨¨˚*:·.

You do not sleep well, and because of this, you manage to sleep in nearly too late. You miss seeing your Dad off, and you hardly have enough time to get changed, let alone eat before you are flying out the front door. You hope Kenma and Kuroo are waiting for you, though you wouldn’t blame them for ditching. Just because you’re late doesn’t mean they have to be. Lucky you, they are good friends, and they’re awaiting your arrival patiently at your front gate.

“Sorry, I’m late!” You apologize, still hopping into your shoes as you exit the front gate, “Just couldn’t get up this morning!”

Kuroo shrugs your worries off, “Just means we won’t have time to stop at the vending machine.”

Kenma busies himself with straightening out your hair, a habit that he’d started after the head pat incident. It makes your cheeks flush with heat, but neither of you bother to acknowledge it, and luckily Kuroo doesn’t care either. “Means we don’t have to deal with Yamamoto this morning.”

“Oh, I’m sure he’ll find a way to be a problem,” You laugh, Kenma sighs, and then you remember something you’d been meaning to ask, “Oh! Wait, before we go! Which houses are yours?”

They both give you odd looks, like you should know by now, but… you don’t. You give them an awkward shrug, and they return the gesture, letting it roll off their shoulders.

“Mine is the kinda misshapen grey one over there, and Kenma’s is–” Kuroo explains.

“It’s that one,” Kenma cuts off, pointing to the one neighboring Kuroo’s. They’re both across the street just three houses down. No wonder they gave you weird looks, you totally should’ve figured that out, especially with their names on them.

Kenma’s is shorter than Kuroo’s, which makes it stick out a little amongst the other houses. It’s an off-white color with brown trimming, simple but inviting. You feel like you’ve seen it before. Like you’ve walked up its cobblestone path and right through its front door. That was impossible, you think as you turn on your heel, you’d never been to Kenma’s house.

“Boy, do I look stupid,” you laugh, leading the way so you can get to class on time.

“You always go in right away,” Kuroo dismisses, “I wouldn’t’ve put it together either.”

“Our names are on the front gates,” Kenma mutters, ending the conversation, still lost in his PS Vita as usual. You wonder what he was playing… you peek over his shoulder, and he leans in closer to let you see. Oh, it was one of those Persona games. You watch him play with interest for a while, maybe you should get into the franchise. It was visually pleasing, and the gameplay looked fun. Despite your best efforts to distract yourself with his game, your mind still wanders back to the houses. That sense of Deja Vu was hard to ignore.

“Y’know,” you announce suddenly, “Your houses are kinda… familiar? When I was looking at Kenma’s, I felt like I’d already gone through the whole place. Isn’t that odd?”

“Yeah,” Kuroo echos, “maybe you have prophetic dreams of house tours.”

You scoff, readying a comeback, but notice Kenma has this kind of quiet look on his face. Like he wants to say something, but he isn’t sure if he should say it. They’re common from him, especially around you. Normally Kuroo would be the one to poke at him, but since you’re already close, you give him a little nudge, “What’s on your mind, Kenma?”

He frowns a little, hesitant as he answers, “I feel the same way about your place.”

“Oh?” Is all you can manage, and you hope you don’t look as stupid as you sound.

His eyes are fixated on the game, though he isn’t doing anything in it anymore, and he nods, “Yeah. When I first came to pick you up, I got this feeling like I’d been there before. For reasons other than visiting the Shirashi’s with my parents, if that makes sense.”

You try to crush the glimmering hope in your chest. You were not thinking about soulmate stuff today. You told yourself today was a no soulmate talk kind of day and you meant it. (If you didn’t want Kenma to know how deeply your adoration for the concept ran, that would be humiliating.)

“Oooo~ Maybe you two are soulmates!” Kuroo purrs, shattering any thought of ‘no soulmates.’

You huff, face heating up. Dammit Kuroo Tetsurou, did he have it out for you or something? You brace yourself for his adamant denial, but it doesn’t come. You realize then his ears are bright red and– oh my god, he’s so cute when he’s embarrassed. Wait. Why was he embarrassed?

You curse Kuroo out in your head, but just as fast as he brought this curse upon you, he remedied it with smooth words and quick thinking. “Just kidding! I know Kenma doesn’t believe in that kinda thing.”

“It’s not–” Kenma starts, clearly more bothered than he expected himself to be. He takes a deep breath, then tries again, “I don’t not believe in them, I just don’t… It’s too romantic to accept that they’re real. Waiting lifetime after lifetime for one person? Too dramatic for real life.”

You couldn’t argue with that. It was the same idea your Dad had about them, but he was more bitter about it. If you were a different person with a different Mom and a different childhood, you’d probably think the same way.

“That’s what makes them so nice though, right?” Kuroo argues, “Someone out there that was made just for you? Sign me up!”

“Exactly,” you accidentally say out loud, and the three of you are finally approaching the front gates of Nekoma High. Looks like you’re failing at the no soulmates thing. “I mean… maybe they aren’t real and I’m just being childish, but… someone who just understands me effortlessly sounds nice. Logical or not.”

“Logic is what makes sense of everything,” Kenma counters, “Without it, we wouldn’t understand anything.”

“Yeah, and that's all good and fine, but emotions aren’t logical. The way we feel doesn’t make any sense most of the time, so why would eternal love be any different?” You ask aloud.

“Bingo.” Kuroo punctuated with two finger guns pointed your way. “Not everything has to make sense, and not everything will. Soulmates are just one of those things that you’ve gotta have trust in your feelings for.”

Kenma doesn’t say anything as the three of you make your way up the stairs, the five-minute bell chiming at a higher pitch than the ten-minute overhead. You want to apologize, but Kuroo shoots you a hidden thumbs up to assure you, so you don’t. Kenma is tense for the rest of the day. Quiet and thoughtful, though he still takes the time to talk to you. It leaves you feeling all warm inside that he would account for you, despite what’s happening in his head.

During lunch, he doesn’t pull out his PS Vita like he usually does, which Fukunaga points out as strange. Kenma says the battery is low, but you know it’s not because it was at full charge when you peaked at it this morning. Yamamoto is also late, which you know Kenma is more than happy for, but you can’t help but worry. What if he doesn’t eat? How horrible! He’s an athlete, he needs to eat a lot to stay strong and healthy. (It’s nice to be distracted from your worry over Kenma.)

Your worries are squashed when he bursts through the door of your classroom, scaring several unsuspecting students with his heavy panting. Was he sweating? Did he run here? From where? His aura is intense as he approaches you, face hardened into a determined glare. If you hadn’t taken time to get to know him, you’d think he was trying to kill you. He stops right in front of you, the toes of his shoes almost touching yours. He shoves something in your face, not a knife (thank god), but a flimsy sheet of paper.

The three of you give him an odd look, wordlessly asking what his issue was, but he waggles the paper. You take it, careful to avoid brushing your fingers with him, and read over it. It was… an application for managing sports teams… Most of it was already filled out in messy handwriting. You grin, looking back up at the incredibly red Yamamoto.

Fukunaga grabs for it, and you let him take it with no resistance. He laughs as he reads it, and finally, Kenma grabs it. Instead of amusement, which you didn’t expect in the first place, he’s… annoyed. He glares at the paper like it’s personally offended him. You try and pretend not to see it, though it does make your heart ache a little. (Does he not want you to sign up? He was the first person who asked, so what’s his deal?)

“I realized you hadn’t applied officially to be our manager, and I thought I’d give you a headstart,” Yamamoto admits awkwardly as the paper finally makes its way back into your hands, “Most of it should be filled out.”

You smile at the paper, “This is sweet Yamamoto, thanks. I was planning on signing up at the activities fair, but I guess this saves me the trouble, huh?”

“You can give that to coach at the fair,” Fukunaga explains, “It’s the easiest way to apply and should guarantee your spot. Not that we were expecting any applications outside of you in the first place.”

“Just trying to play it safe,” Yamamoto defends, “don’t wanna lose her right as she settles in.”

“Thanks, guys,” you say with a big grin, “I’ll finish it up, then we can walk together to get it turned in?”

Fukunaga gives you a quiet thumbs up, while Yamamoto yells his acceptance, earning glares from the other students situated around the room. You glance to Kenma for his approval, but he’s too busy thinking again. You shrug it off because if you think too hard about it, you’ll worry.

.·:*˚¨¨ ≈★≈ ¨¨˚*:·.

Practice is canceled for the day thanks to the activities fair. Kuroo, Nobuyuki, and Coach Nekomata are all going to be promoting the volleyball club, so there’s no real reason to go. As promised, you and a still pensive Kenma wait patiently for Fukunaga and Yamamoto in your classroom. You’d been able to avoid how uncomfortable Kenma’s silence had made you all day because you’d had other things to do. Yamamoto even noticed though he had no idea what his deal was. Now that it was just you and him… well, you can’t avoid it.

“Okay,” you announce, pressing your palms flat on his desk, “time to fess up. What’re you thinking about so intensely?”

He blinks at you, surprised, then he shifts his gaze to the chalkboard behind you, “Was it that obvious?”

“You lied about your PS being dead,” you put plainly, “that’s super weird.”

He lets out a breath, and then shrugs in defeat, “I was just thinking about the stuff from this morning.”

Your head tilts a little, “What? The house stuff?”

“The soulmate stuff. Why would I be thinking about the house stuff?” He snarks, pulling back a little when you laugh.

“That makes a lot more sense,” you giggle, and he rolls his eyes in what you think is a playful manner (playful for him, at least), “I’m sorry if what I said bothered you. I get that it can sound… insane… if you don’t believe in them.”

He shrugs, eyes still avoiding yours. You appreciate it a little. You think if he looks at you, you’ll do something stupid.

“I played a game about soulmates once,” he mumbles, leaning back to glare at the ceiling. You lean forward, resting on your arms now. “It was cute, really romantic. You played as each partner and helped them navigate through their lives. There were a bunch of close calls where they almost met, but something always messes up and keeps them apart in every life. Then, at the end of the game, they finally meet, and it ends when they realize.”

“That is cute.” You hum attentively.

His head shoots up looking at you with an unreadable expression, “It was scary.”

You blink at him, and without meaning to, you laugh a little, “What? You just described a romance novel and you found it… scary?”

He huffs, “It’s not the romance stuff, it’s the ending.”

“What’s so scary about soulmates meeting?” You say incredulous.

“It ends,” He states as if it's the most obvious thing in the world, “everyone talks about soulmates like they’re the final destination. The story‘s over once you meet them. It’s awful. Immediate game over.”

You scoff, “Ken,” The nickname is so natural it makes you sick, “Meeting your soulmate isn’t the end, it’s the beginning.”

It’s his turn to blink at you, head tilting curiously. It makes you smile, and without thinking you grab his hands and squeeze them. It’s a comforting gesture your Mom always did when you were confused or upset or anything other than happy. You think he could use it too. He stares at where they connect with wide eyes, and his ears burn red again.

“Sure, you spent like a gazillion lives trying to find that one person, but when you find them…” you try hard to remember how Noya’s Gramps put it, then try to translate that to something he can understand “It’s like you defeated a final boss, and the huge XP boost it gives you allows your character to level up into a new class type. Does that make sense? I don’t play a lot of RPGs.”

At some point during your explanation he affixed his gaze on you, intense eyes practically drinking in all of your features like it was the first time he’d seen you. It makes your stomach flip, especially when he squeezes your hands back. “Close enough.” That is all he says, and it's the only indication that you might’ve gotten through to him. The two of you sit and stare at each other for a good long moment, unsure of what you should say – if you even should speak.

“Ooo, are we interrupting something?” A playful voice sounds from the doorway. Both of your heads whip around to see who it is, and you grin, thanking the universe for Morisuke’s abrasiveness. You might’ve kissed Kenma if it weren’t for him. (Did you really just admit that to yourself?)

Kenma pulls away first and quickly busies himself with packing away his things. You smile at him, then stand and toss your bag over your shoulder. “We were just talking. What are you doing here Morisuke-Senpai?”

“I heard about Yamamoto’s scheming, so I figured I might as well be a part of it too,” He snickers.

“It wasn’t scheming! It was… tactical coercion.” Yamamoto defends.

“That sounds worse,” Fukunaga comments candidly.

“Really?” Yamamoto squeals.

You huff a laugh out of your nose, walking up to them with Kenma at your side. “You guys are too loud,” He complains.

You ruffle his hair to appease him, which seems to work like a charm. You ignore how shocked his friends seem at it, “Let's go get this turned in. I can’t wait to officially be your manager!”

A chorus of cheers (followed by a groan) comes from the boys around you, and you lead the way through the halls until you realize you don’t know where you’re going, then Morisuke leads the way. With promises of celebratory pork buns, you all pick up the pace, though you let yourself fall back a little to keep Kenma company as the other three glavant forward.

You look at the piece of paper in your hands, a mix of Yamamoto’s handwriting and yours. Then your eyes drift over the three boys and finally land on Kenma. For once, he’s already looking at you. You give him a grin, and he smiles a little back.

#haikyuu #haikyuu x reader #kenma x reader #kozume kenma #kenma #kuroo tetsurou #nishinoya yuu #tanaka ryuunosuke #x reader #(Twenty) Nine Lives for Love

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