#got all my paperwork & my resume together

[lilac-5ky]

TOJI AND VIRGIN READER!

The Favor (officeAU!Toji x virgin!Fem!Reader)

Plot: The first day you met Toji, he told you everything on his CV was a lie. Three years later, he's your beloved work husband, the one you go to when you decide it's time to lose your virginity.

Tags: Office!AU, loss of virginity, fingering, oral sex (f.receiving), agee gap (reader mid 20s, toji mid 30s), soft!dom toji, dirty talking, praising, pet names (sweetheart, darling, kid, wife, whore, slut, etc), aftercare, toji catches feelings after fucking you, daddy vibes without the word, friends to lovers dynamic, size kink, lube handjob, MDNI obviously.

A/N: Combined your idea with my intense need to write an office!au. Hopefully this turned out to your liking and you forgive me for writing this much filth LMAO

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For promotion, for demotion, for raises and for cuts, in overtime and in bureaucracy, until layoff do us part.

In the insufferable reality of Japanese corporate life, a work spouse exists to shoulder the burden of overdue deadlines and never-ending stacks of paperwork. A husband who, in spite of not being bound to you through marriage, has vowed to stick by your side until either one of you breaks free from the shackles of human resources; your work husband.

You met each other on your first day at the company, both of you passing interviews for the same lowly position of staffing coordinator.

Your first impression of candidate number 9 was that his suit wasn’t really his but was likely borrowed from someone whose bicep wasn’t the size of their thigh and calf combined. Your second impression was whispered to your ear as the dark haired man rose from his chair and paraded down the interview room, nonchalantly letting slip that his bachelor’s degree along with every bit of qualification on his CV had been faked.

Whether that was a declaration of war or a testament to his unparalleled confidence, you wouldn’t know until a week later when you were assigned to the same miserable office corner, sharing a desk, a title, and a secret whose value skyrocketed once you became acquainted with your work place’s imposing policies.

One word would get both him and his knowing smile fired, but the moment you shook hands with Fushiguro Toji and promised to get along, you signed yourself up for a long-lasting partnership.

Over the three years you worked together, each grew out of their initial post. Your all-nighters paid off and you got promoted to an HR assistant, meaning you didn’t have to memorize everyone’s coffee order any longer, while Toji flourished as the department’s eye candy.

He’d ceased pretending that his broad shoulders could be boxed in second-hand suit jackets, and instead opted for rolled-up button-ups with the occasional monochromatic tie—a fit that put his sculpted physique into full view and threw the entire female populace out of balance.

He was an objectively good-looking man who bordered on great. The type to be conscious of their effect on others, cutting corners with suggestive glances and smiling his way out of otherwise unforgivable report oversights. Every woman in the office was openly in love with him. Even your supervisor referred to him as the team’s ace and discreetly unbuttoned her cleavage in his presence.

You realized then, they’d sooner let go of you and your hard-earned master’s, than part with the department’s mascot.

Despite the differences in skill and appearance, your sense of kinship survived the passage of time. Perhaps you’d subconsciously fallen victim to his charms, but whenever you saw his thin brows furrow and his right foot threaten the unresponsive copy machine with a killing blow, you couldn’t look away. This is a favor; you’d remind him at every formal email and resume assessment you helped put together.

And favors are repaid.

While Toji couldn’t assist with payroll processing, he always had the scoop on who cheated on their spouse with whom and whose bra was filled with padding—which you didn’t find all that interesting, but turned into a fun game of guess the cheater during dull 9 a.m. meetings.

On mornings when the alarm was hurled at your bedroom wall, he made excuses for your absence, and on work dinners, he saved you a seat away from all the grabby drunks.

Toji was far from a good person. His mere presence in a company you’d broken your back to get into was a mockery of your efforts. He led others on and got into muffled shutouts over his phone behind the water fountain, where he thought no one was listening in.

That’s how you found out about his eight-year-old kid and the custody battle with his allegedly “psychotic” ex-wife. He didn’t know you knew because you never told him. Everyone had skeletons in their closet, and it wasn’t your job to sort his out. As far as your work marriage was concerned, he was a good husband who diligently fulfilled his marital duties—all except one, which you feared the pretext of a favor wouldn’t begin to cover.

“Here’s your poison,” you slid the scalding coffee cup in his direction, mindful of the papers on his desk. “Black Americano with four shots of espresso and no sugar to compliment your wretched dark soul.”

Toji raised an open palm in your face, motioning for you to wait until he was done punching words on the keyboard and pressed save file. Your eyes were drawn to his fingers, threaded with faded scars that followed the expanse of veins down his wrists, dipping deep below the white cotton of his shirt. Another unsolved mystery you hadn’t gotten to the bottom of.

He brought the cup to his equally scarred lips, defying the steam spirals with a long-drawn sip. “Unnecessary intro, but thanks.” He gave a lazy smile. “Aren’t ya a sweetheart?”

You dropped your beverage on your side of the desk and swiveled your chair nearer. “Think you could do said sweetheart a favor?

“A favor, huh?” His breath was laced with caffeine. “Depends. If you’re asking for a buck, ‘fraid I’m all dried up till the end of the month.”

So he isn’t planning on paying for his order.

“I make more than you.”

“Doesn’t mean ya can’t find yourself in a pickle.”

You shook your head, stealing a sip of liquid courage from your mocha. How did people ask those things again?

Your contemplation lasted long enough for him to turn his head back to work, filling his home screen with enough tabs to distract you from his unfinished round of solitaire.

“What are you doing after work?” Your voice cracked into shards of uncertainty.

“Nice try.”He sneered. “You dug your own grave taking on the grievance procedures from the union. Climb out on your own.”

“Not everyone offloads their work load on others, Toji.” You rolled your eyes, scooting even closer to make sure only he’d be the recipient of your next words.

He sensed something was off because he wasn’t pretending to input random lines into the search bar anymore, and while he studied you, you studied him back. You had your doubts about this, and you weren’t sure he was your type either. You liked your men responsible and mature—like Nanami from sales, who would’ve been your first choice if your legs didn’t turn into jelly the minute you saw him.

Toji was the safe option. You talked to him. You joked with him. You were used to him, and more importantly, you trusted him. All the lack of qualifications in his job, he made up for with his experience in that other field you were a stranger to.

“Hey, kid.” His voice mellowed down with a beat of concern, a heavy hand landing on your shoulder. “If you’ve gotten yourself into trouble, I—”

“Please have sex with me.”

“Make yourself at home.” He nudged your back into the apartment, glancing over his shoulder to make sure you were following even after he’d pulled away.

Moving forward felt hard—as if you’d forgotten how to. You weren’t sure whether to wipe your shoes on the mat or stash them in the corner. You didn’t know which foot to put forth and what set of slippers to pick. Every decision suddenly mattered a lot more than it should.

You’d never been to Toji’s house before, and up until a few hours ago, you couldn’t fathom standing at his doorstep either. You weren’t that close so as to meet outside work hours, but you were about to get a lot more up close and personal.

The way he accepted your request with a mere, almost offensive, okay still boggled your brain. You’d considered every question he could possibly ask, painstakingly compiling your list of answers like a witness called to the stand, only for him to not speak a word of it—not even when it was just you and him and the solitude that came from enjoying lunch a hundred stories above Tokyo’s bustling streets.

He seemed to have forgotten all about your plans, up until he pulled over at the bus stop where you were waiting and stuffed you in the front seat of his car.

“You coming?”

Kicking your heels off your feet, you skipped straight through the hallway, your head turning left and right as if you were at an art gallery. You didn’t know what to expect, but a high-end apartment in the heart of Minato wasn’t it. Neither your income nor his justified an inox steel kitchen with mahogany wood flooring—let alone a direct view of the illuminated Tokyo Tower.

You were so bedazzled by the city skyline that you nearly missed the hastily buried socks peeking beneath the kotatsu, along with the cobwebs his untouched bookshelf flaunted. Much like his suit, his apartment was handed to him by someone whose love for both their books and spouse had run out.

“Whaddya think?”

Toji stalked behind you, his reflection in the glass becoming more defined with every step he took. He was holding something in each hand—two glasses whose orange liquid sparkled in place of the stars.

You turned around slowly, accepting your share with a small smile on your face.

“Your ex-wife has good taste.”

He blinked, taken aback for a split second. He wondered what gave it out—the pink slippers or the flipped-down picture frames you’d yet to notice—and somewhere down the line, he got the wrong idea, beaming with an unwarranted “Thanks.”

“I meant the house, not you.” Although you couldn’t blame him for his inflated ego when every female practically dropped their panties at his feet. Especially not when you were there to do the same.

Your teeth clicked sharply against the glass as you tilted your head and sipped on what tasted too sweet to be whiskey. Apple Juice?

“That’s not alcohol.” You stated.

“Ever thought of becoming a detective?” Toji padded toward the leather couch, spreading his thighs across the two middle cushions.

“Ever thought of becoming a comedian?” You retorted, squeezing in to his left. The furniture would’ve been big enough to fit you both, had he been considerate. “So what’s the joke? Too young to be drinking, or hard liquor ain’t for pretty girls like me?”

“Nah.” His head dropped on his shoulder, both propped against the headrest. “Need you sober for what’s about to happen.”

You mirrored his stance, your knees touching as you folded them on the smooth leather. “And what’s about to happen?”

“I think we both know, or else ya wouldn’t have followed me here.” He wet his bottom lip, pretty green eyes clouding dark.

A certain dryness gnawed at your throat, the pink color of his tongue appealing to you more than it should. You weren’t interested in Toji, but the strands of black that fell over his forehead painted a cuter image than you were used to seeing at the office. You wondered what he’d look like with his hair pushed back, all slick from beads of sweat rolling down his temples. And when you realized you couldn’t pin any of those thoughts on the alcohol, you took another sip, hurriedly averting your gaze.

“How many have? Women from work, I mean.”

You were surprised to hear him state “None,” and even more surprised that he claimed not to mix business with pleasure. You could think of at least three coworkers you suspected he fooled around with. At least so they bragged in the ladies’ room.

“So why bring me home?”

“‘Cause you asked.” Toji said gruffly.

“You fuck every woman who asks you to?”

“Only the cute ones.”

Your cheeks flushed red as you reminded yourself to take his words with a grain of salt. He wasn’t interested in you any more than you were in him. This was simply platonic—almost transactional. He’d do what you asked, and then you’d pay him back with another, mundane favor like sorting mail in his stead.

You finished your drink, your eyes licking up the remaining drops at the bottom of the glass. “This line works?”

Toji shrugged. It probably did. He probably didn’t even have to open his mouth for it to work. While the moment you opened yours—

“Want more?” He motioned to your glass. You nodded, extending your arm, only for his expression to turn sour. “I’m not your fucking maid. Bottle’s on the counter.”

You sighed, getting up so he wouldn’t see your eyes roll at his comment as he shoved his glass in your face. Who’s the maid now?

Aimlessly, you strolled into the kitchen, taking longer than necessary to fill both your glasses. You didn’t mean to start snooping around, but you couldn’t help yourself from seeking a sign of his presence in his picture-perfect apartment. Houses typically reveal something about their residents, and while the display of crystal glasses spoke plenty of his ex-wife, there was no evidence of Toji’s personality.

You weren’t interested in him—just curious. That’s what you kept telling yourself as you picked up a frame stowed away behind an empty cookie jar.

Four smiles greeted you, the brightest belonging to a young girl with elongated bangs, holding a boy who strove to copy his sister’s expression. Their parents stood behind them, a beautiful woman with long brown hair tucked in a ponytail blissfully leaning against the shoulder of a Toji that seemed less happy the longer you processed his strained features.

“She left.” The proximity of his voice startled you. The frame danced between your fingers until he snatched it, his jutted-out chin betraying his annoyance. “Took the kids, left the house and me behind. Ain’t that what ya wanted to hear?”

You shook your head, about to drop to your knees and beg for forgiveness on his parquet. However, the hostility that rose faded as soon as he threw the picture in the first open drawer and returned to the living room, leaving you to fetch your drinks. Then you remembered the phone calls. They weren’t on good terms.

“Having kids isn’t bad. Nor being divorced.” You handed him the glass, assuming your previous position on the couch. “Doesn’t ruin your cool guy image whatsoever.”

“Who said I care about that?” Toji snorted.

“Then you wouldn’t care if anything slipped in front of your fan club?”

“Mind your own fucking business.” He hissed. You chuckled. Sharing a couch wasn’t that much different from sharing a desk, and sharing two secrets was the same as sharing one.

“What are your kids’ names?”

“Kid,” he corrected. “Megumi.”

By the name, you assumed it was the girl. You were wrong. You tried to ask something about his son’s mother, but somehow you couldn’t find one right thing to say, since the woman in the photo wasn’t the boy’s biological mom either. You were lost. The more cryptic answers he gave, the more unanswered questions you ended up with.

Your plan took a backseat while Toji trod the sensitive topic of his divorce to that “bitch,” who’d taken his kid from him out of spite. The custody battle was tipped in her favor, courtesy of a legal system that’d rather see a child separated from its biological parent in the face of cold cash.

Megumi only visited every second weekend of the month, which explained his father’s eagerness to leave early on certain Fridays and come late on the following Mondays. He didn’t need to say this, but you understood his reasons for cheating his way into the company. A proper job looked good in court, and whatever earned him those scars was far from proper.

Both your hands emptied as you finished your second round of drinks. Your head would be buzzing if there was alcohol involved, but you didn’t miss it. Toji was hard to engage, and talking to him felt like running into one brick wall after another. However, working out of those dead-ends was preferable to clinking glasses with some guy who wouldn’t quit boasting about his Ivy League diploma or his burning passion for vocaloid singers—both cases reflecting the sad reality of blind dating in your twenties.

“So.” Toji drawled, a burly arm stretching behind your head. “Why you want me to fuck you? Can’t find good dick in the market?”

Your mind went blank in an instant, every excuse and curated version of the story vanishing when you needed them the most.

“I—um,” you cleared your throat, while your eyes scanned over his body.

There was a lot to take in: the fine lines of his pecs, highlighted under the taut white fabric; the black tie hanging loose around his unbuttoned collar; the hem of his shirt that dangled out of his fitted pants, exposing the tiniest window to the happy trail on his lower abdomen; his slim waist and his thick thighs; the curve of his bum; and the light touch of his fingers closing around your shoulder. You traced the same route of landmarks, finding yourself returning to his achingly handsome face and the playful curiosity in his eyes that had you shifting in your place.

All the reasons for someone to want to be fucked by this fine specimen of a man were right there, and you picked the most inclusive one. “Because you’re hot.”

The ends of his scar drew apart as Toji smiled a wolfish smile. He inched closer, your back hitting the armrest when his right hand caged your body between his arms and the couch.

“Bullshit.” A tickle from where his nose brushed against yours, and a thud from where your heart dropped inside your chest. “You think I wouldn’t know if ya had the hots for me, kid?”

“N-not everyone throws themselves at others.” You tried to reason.

“Maybe. But attraction comes with signs.” The side of his hand grazed the corner of your eyelid. “Batting your pretty lashes,” he trailed off, rough knuckles softly tracing the apple of your cheek. “Blushing your cheeks red.” The pad of his thumb swiped down your cupid’s bow. “Biting your lip raw.” He continued with his eyes, glancing at the skirt that lay high above your knees suggestively. “Pressing those plushy thighs together.”

“You do none ‘f those things.” Toji accused. “So why the sudden itch? Indulge me, and I’ll pound that pussy till ya scream.”

The promise of his words forced a gulp down your throat as your thighs involuntarily rubbed together. You started to reconsider. You didn’t want to fuck him just because any man would do. You wanted to fuck him because it was him and because every patch of skin he made contact with begged to be touched again.

“I’m a virgin.” You admitted, voice low, and stare even lower—utterly defeated as he flinched away in surprise.

You wondered what he’d say. A virgin at your age? was the most common response, followed by Is something wrong with you? and typically concluded with You sure you’re not a lesbian?

Everyone preaches how precious innocence is, but no one wants the pressure of taking it. What men really want is a woman who is both a saint and a slut—a woman who can suck their dick ten inches deeper than they can provide while simultaneously shying away from every insinuation of sex.

The problem is with the poor souls who belong in either category without adhering to the other, because squeezing your legs shut is just as faulty as spreading them open for the public.

Seeing as Toji remained silent, you realized you wouldn’t get an answer, and maybe it was for the best. You didn’t want to put a strain on your work relationship. It’d take a while to look him in the eye again, but in a month or two, you’d laugh about the incident over a cup of soggy store-bought noodles like nothing happened.

“Sorry for bothering you.” You mumbled as you picked up your last vestige of dignity and stood on your feet, only to be anchored by a set of fingers that tightly gripped your wrist.

“Sit.” His unfaltering gaze confirmed the sincerity of his command.

You thought about breaking free and dashing to the door. You thought about how much it’d actually hurt to let him ridicule you, and the tears started to build up on their own. And when you didn’t do as you were told, he towered over you with a palm that was eager to cup your cheek, tilting your face in position for him to print a rough kiss on your parted lips.

“I said fucking sit.” Toji repeated, while you contemplated how someone who spews words so harshly could have such soft lips.

Sheepishly, you fell back onto the couch, expecting him to follow suit and not kneel on the floor like he did. “What’s the story?” He asked, large hands taking hold of your knees and slowly rubbing them apart.

“What makes you think there’s a story?” You prayed that he couldn’t feel your heartbeat bounce across your body as if it were an empty vessel.

“With you, there always is.” He licked his lips as his eyes settled between your thighs, darkening with lust the second they were met with the damp patch in the middle of your pink lace knickers. “Wanna hear all about it while I feast on your little hole.”

“You’re not gonna fuck—”

“First things first, sweetheart. Gotta make sure y’are all prepped before I stuff you with my cock.” Toji smiled, pushing your skirt until it rolled over your stomach. “If ya gonna scream my ears off, better be from pleasure, mm?”

You nodded, watching as his slender fingers slid your underwear off and temporarily—you hoped—shoved it in his back pocket. You saw him marvel at the sight of your exposed cunt and wished you could peer into his brain to hear him curse himself for not coming up with this idea first.

You looked so pretty down there, your puffy clit safely tucked behind its hood while your lips shimmered with your wetness—the scent so intoxicating his pants tightened into a size too small.

He was already considering his next favor. Now that the door was open, he’d make sure it never closed again. Bending you over the copy machine was the front-runner. Getting a print of your tits squeezed against the scanner while he blows your back, his palm muffling out the pathetic sounds you let slip—he’d be lying if that wasn’t what he fantasized about whenever you refilled the ink cartridges for him.

“Ya ever touch yourself here?”

His thumb swiped over your clit, drawing an incomplete circle that ended with light flicks around the sensitive nub. Left and right. Up and down. Searching for the combination that’d have your body answer in place of your mouth, and when your hips bucked forward, he knew exactly where to press.

“Y-yes!” You whined, more as a reaction than an answer to his question.

“And ya ever push a finger in?” He continued, teasingly dragging his thumb between your lips.

“Just one. Rest hurt.”

“Mhm, bet they do.” He hummed as he tasted you on his finger, exaggerating the suck with a soft pop. “Ever had a guy kiss ya there before?”

Toji gave his own answer as he buried his head in your pussy, the sticky mix of his saliva and your juices trickling down your entrance while he made out with your clit. You struggled to keep your thighs apart, the raspy grunts at the back of his throat vibrating against your mound in joint symphony with your breathy moans. His tongue felt so good soaking on your slick that you felt yourself melting into a pool of pleasure.

“Get talkin’ or I’ll stop.” He warned, slowing down with broad, near-maddening, strokes that occasionally dipped between your folds.

“I wanted to w-wait,” you panted. “Wanted to fall in love first, but then I waited too long, and—ngh, fuck, right there!” Toji pinched your folds apart, his stare lecherous as he sucked the puffy pearl into his warm mouth.

Your body jerked in response, the leather squeaking hard beneath your bared ass. You weren’t sure at what point interest surpassed curiosity, but the signs were all there, manifesting as heat in your cheeks and blood that threatened to drop from your chewed-up lip.

His jade eyes narrowed into a shrewd reminder. Putting your thoughts in order was impossible, but if you stopped, so would he.

“Everyone ‘round me started d-doing it, and I was the only one l-left.” You tried to regulate your breathing through your nose, your throat turning hoarse from all the strain. “Went on a bunch of blind dates, but the guys were t-turned off, and—how the fuck are you so good at this?”

Toji chuckled, the pink tip of his tongue parting your lips in a languid motion that made you shudder. “Let’s just say my marriage didn’t fall apart ‘cause of this.”

He mounted your knees atop his shoulders and neared your entrance, with his middle and ring fingers ghosting over the softness of your pulsing slit. “Gonna use my fingers now. Be a good girl and cum on them, will ya?”

The first digit pushed forward, much thicker than any of your fingers. You felt so full already—nails digging into the cushions, while he thrust in and out of your walls, curling the lone pad to find a spot so sweet it elicited a moan of equal sweetness.

“Ya did well to come to me.” He continued, his raspy voice effortlessly sexy. “Kids these days don’t know shit ‘bout pleasing a woman.”

The veins on his wrist flexed along with his scars as his ring finger joined in the action to defy your previous claim. There was no pain. Only immense waves of pleasure leaking through your squinted eyes as hot tears beaded your eyelashes.

“Doin’ so good for me, darlin’.” He praised, repeatedly hitting the swollen bundle of nerves inside your throbbing cunt, bringing you closer to the edge with each thorough pump.

“Maybe I was wrong, hm? Maybe that’s what ya wanted all along. I know I did. Fucking wanted my hands on this pussy since I first saw ya fidget with your little skirt at that interview.”

“Toji—”

He dived between your legs again, his hand maintaining the same erratic pace even while his tongue hungrily lapped at your clit. Your head lolled back, the tension in your guts rapidly building up until you came undone, your pussy clenching and creaming around his calloused fingers.

You’d never finished so hard on your own, the tremors of your orgasm ringing in your ears and jogging your memory.

Your first impression on that day was sadness, right? Sadness over the wedding band the handsome stranger hid in his pocket right before entering the building, thinking no one else caught sight of it, and embarrassment about how your impure thoughts for a married man followed you into the shower every night after work.

“Atta girl.” A present-day and very-much divorced Toji licked his lips into a smile. “Their fucking loss.”

His knee pressed into the gap between your thighs as he stood on his feet and prompted you to open your lips. You took his fingers in your mouth, licking your cum off while your chest heaved with one labored breath after the other.

“See how good ya taste?” Toji cooed, rhythmically fucking his fingers on your tongue before removing them. “Sweeter than honey.”

“Thought you didn’t like sweet things.” His coffee order came in mind.

“How ‘bout we make an exception?”

You weren’t sure what got into you when you grabbed him by the tie and pulled him forward, kissing him with such vigor you’d never experienced. You always thought of losing your virginity as checking an item off your bucket list. You didn’t imagine you could ever lust after someone the way you currently lusted after Toji, your desire escalating into an all-consuming need.

His tongue moved as skillfully in your mouth as it did when it explored your pussy, dancing with your own rather than overpowering it. You liked kissing him. You liked kissing him so much that you wanted to incorporate it into your morning hellos and your evening goodbyes, dragging yourselves into an endless loop of returned favors.

Without breaking the kiss, Toji hoisted you up from the couch and held you in his arms, his palms finding the perfect excuse to grab onto your ass while he carried you across rooms you didn’t care enough to see. A door creaked behind your back, and soon you were tossed onto a large body of endless softness—a bed, you realized as Toji hastily shoved a couple of pillows behind your head.

“Ever heard of that stupid nickname that goes ‘round work?” He whispered in your ear while his fingers worked on undoing your blouse. “How they call ya my work wife?” His palms slid around your ribs and back to unhook your bra. “Guess this makes it our wedding night, heh.”

You rolled your eyes, holding back a chuckle. “Don’t you feel any shame calling me your wife when you’re about to fuck me on your ex-wife’s bed?”

“My bed now, and what I say fucking goes.” He stripped your body from every garment, salaciously gawking at your nude figure on his (her) satin sheets.

You didn’t feel too bad about showing your body, but his stare was almost intrusive—especially with how he hadn’t lost a single article of clothing himself.

“Such a gorgeous body, wife.” He dragged out the final syllables, hoping to elicit a reaction separate from the soft pants you let out as he caressed your soft curves—both much softer than the bedding you were splayed across, liquid velvet in his hands. “Such a good little wife, saving herself for her husband to deflower.”

“Why thank you, husband.” You chortled, cupping his face in a deep kiss.

You knew Toji was the right choice. Not because touching him felt like winning the lottery or because he knew exactly what he was doing, but because he could’ve made this situation a lot more awkward and didn’t. He made your first time feel special, granting your wish of doing it with someone you loved, even if it was all an illusion that’d fade come tomorrow morning.

You almost thanked him as he began to unbutton his shirt, the display of corded muscles and pale scars breaking the dam between your legs. Whatever your type might’ve once been, was no more. It was all Toji, with his clenched fists lifting the weight of his brawny, veiny arms, his shoulders so wide you could ride on them, and the self-complacent smirk your stupefied expression brought to his lips.

“This ain’t an exhibit, sweetheart.” He mocked. “You can touch all ya want.”

He didn’t need to say it twice for your palms to roam his body, starting from his neck and slowly gliding down his torso, feeling out the tension in his steeled abdomen. His skin was smooth, except for the few unruly hairs leading down to the bulge in his crotch, whose sight alone made you lick your lips and buck your hips into his. You wanted to see the rest of him.

“You are the hottest divorcee I know.” You smiled earnestly.

“Ya know lots of ‘em?” Toji cocked his head while you shook yours with a giggle. “Don’t be so flattering.”

“I do have a great-aunt…”

“Oh, please.” He groaned, allowing you to laugh it out. He didn’t like how his bottom lip twitched as he struggled to contain a chuckle of his own. He’d long sworn off girls that made his heart skip a beat.

“Think y’are ready?” You nodded. Repeatedly.

Digging his knees into the bed, he stretched an arm toward the nightstand, fishing for a bottle in one of the drawers. Lube, you realized as he settled it beside you to remove his pants, flinging them along with his boxers to the other side of the room.

Your eyes widened at the sight of his cock, an expression that didn’t look too good considering fear was about the last emotion you should be experiencing.

He was packing in every sense of the word. Long, thick, and definitely heavy as it hung above his hefty balls, the reddened tip pointing at your entrance. It wasn’t like you’d never seen a cock before. Porn existed, and so did perverts in trench coats, but comparing either one to him was both disrespectful and a huge understatement.

“Don’t go cold on me now, mm? It will fit.” He read your mind, taking your hand in his and slotting the bottle in your fist. “Prepped you so good for it. You’ll see; you’ll like this more than my fingers.”

“Promise.” He added, squeezing your hand reassuringly. You chose to trust him, and when he brought your other hand to his shaft, you knew what he was asking you to do.

The bottle spurted a thick glob of liquid that your palm smeared all over his cock head. Toji watched with bated breath as you stroked his length, each thorough pump of your delicate hands warming him up.

He deserved a pat on the back for not cumming right then and there—the distinction between the clear lubricant and his creamy precum becoming more prominent while he throbbed and twitched in your tight grasp. He thought about how much tighter your walls would be, milking every drop he had to offer while you writhed beneath him, with little ah-ah-ah’s and Toji please’s complimenting the squelching of your tight virgin cunt.

“That’s enough.”

He pulled your hand away and cracked the bottle open once more, rubbing a small quantity between his fingers and then scissoring them in your walls. You clung onto him, your hips chasing after his touch. Cute.

“Eyes on me, darlin’.” Toji leaned close enough so that your field of view was consumed by his face. “Keep your eyes on me, breath in ‘n’ out, and it won’t hurt one bit. I’ll take good care of ya.”

Your legs were parted as he ran his cock between your folds and pressed down firmly, his hand moving to your hip once he guided the first inches inside.

Toji was the first to react as he sank in deeper, about two-thirds in when he felt your pussy snare around him like a vice, the warmth of your walls making him curse under his breath. His last fuck was less than a weekend ago, and yet he felt like one of those loser kids he scorned earlier. He’d forgotten just how good being inside a virgin was—a one-and-done deal that would cease to amaze him after he fucked you into his shape.

“All good?” He remembered to ask, taking your strained yes at face value.

Small creases formed over your forehead, contorting your expression into a pained wince the further he sheathed himself into your wet cavern—and when his words weren’t enough, his lips took over. He kissed your worries away and cradled your breasts in his palms, doing everything in his power to keep the pain to a minimum as his hips met with your pelvis, bone against bone and skin against skin, until he finally bottomed out.

A whimper cut your kiss short, and for a second he feared tears would stream from your glassy eyes, not considering the possibility of your shaky legs wrapping around his back and your swollen, pretty lips calling out his name with a stuttered moan.

“F-fuck me, Toji. Please—fuck, I need you so badly.” You begged, dropping the pretense of composure.

“Yeah? Want me to fuck your little virgin pussy?”

“Y-yes, Toji, yes!”

“Yes, what, doll?” He teased. “Say it.”

“Please be my first, Toji.”

His grin turned feral in a heartbeat, your words stirring something in him that he could not explain.

He was prepared to spend the entire night fucking you at a snail’s pace, buttering you up with praises, and pampering you as if you were a golden egg goose, but now he didn’t have to. He could fuck you exactly how he pleased—fold your knees onto your stomach and hold down onto your thighs, pussy all exposed to where he could watch his cock pound into your hole and hear each and every strike of his balls against the fat of your ass—and you would take it.

But when he looked down and saw the ring of red that’d formed around his shaft, he had a change of heart. Maybe another time.

Planting his fingers on your hips, he withdrew slightly, purposely aligning his tip with the roof of your cunt. He didn’t have to go hard to make you happy. All he had to do was hit that one spot, and you’d be coming back for more. Having a steady thing wouldn’t hurt either. It was convenient—certainly better than burning gas driving across town just to pick up some random slut he’d tire of five minutes into her over-the-top screams. At least you lived close by.

With lavish strokes, he rolled his hips against your own, dipping forward to grind his pubic bone against your mound. It didn’t take long for the stimulation to get overwhelming, your hair falling from your strict work up-do all over your sweaty forehead while you thrashed around the sheets, huffs escalating into whiny moans.

“Sh-shit, gonna cum, Toji.” You managed, though there was no real need to tell him.

Your body responded perfectly to his, wetness gushing over his cock while your walls tightened impossibly around him. He fucked you through your high, wrapping his arms below your shoulders and muting your blissful sobs to chase after his own release. Your breasts were squeezed against his pecs, pebbled nipples making him regret not giving them the proper attention.

This wouldn’t be the last time. Your body was like a playground to him, and he sure as hell wasn’t done playing.

“My fucking work wife.” Toji grunted possessively in your ear, nipping at the lobe. Only his lower half moved, a constant snap of hips bouncing through the room as the second lewdest sound after the ones you traded. “Wanna send your ass crawling to work on all fours. That’ll show them, mm? Show them who fucked you so good. What a—fuck, what a good slut y’are f’me. From a virgin to my whore—hah, make ‘em all so jealous.

“Shhhhit, ya like that?” He interpreted your clenching as he willed. “Wanna start a rumor? Fuck on every desk, in every stall, and have everyone know?”

“Yes, Toji! Yesyesyes, want everyone to know you f-fucked me.”

You went back and forth between panting out his name and chanting yes, as those were the only two words you could mindlessly repeat. He wasn’t joking about making you scream. You were on the verge of passing out, so engrossed in ecstasy that you’d lost track of how many times you’d climaxed.

“‘s too much, T-Toji!” You begged, burying your head in the curve of his neck and breathing in his musk. You were both so sweaty, glued together like two puzzle pieces.

“One more, sweetheart. ‘m so close—wanna feel ya cum with me.”

He toyed with your clit until he started to fall out of pace, drawing his cock out before it was caught in the spasms of your pussy. A hefty load burst in his fist as he jerked himself off to your fucked-out form, hot drops of cum spraying your stomach like creamy droplets of rain.

Neither of you realized how soaked the sheets were until Toji left the bed, his eyes not faking their surprise. You didn’t seem to be in that much pain, and yet the amount of blood and wetness was at least equal to carnage.

Would it be a dick move to task you with his laundry?

He spared you a glance, not bothering to hide his smugness. Your legs were still trembling, your breasts puffing up in your struggle to breathe through your agape lips. He was tempted to tell you off—something cheesy like, “Want somethin’ in your mouth that badly?”

“Hey, kid. You are not dead—are you?” He asked jokingly, laughing through his nose as you found the strength to flip him off. Now that the effects of your orgasm were wearing off, so was your obedience.

“How’d ya like your first time?” A thumbs-up this time. “A’right. C’mere.”

The longer he let the stain settle, the more of a bitch it’d be to remove it. That’s what Toji told himself as he picked you up in his arms and carried you into the bathroom, returning to the bedroom only to roll the sheets into a ball he’d later discard in the washing machine. He wasn’t avoiding looking at your cute face, and he definitely didn’t think of your weakened infant-like state as cute when he scrubbed your thighs clean with a wet towel either.

A weird image sparked in his memory, one from the many nights you’d spent working side by side at a dimly lit office. He remembered you ordering him takeout and looming over his head like a vulture while he went neck-to-neck with the vicious spreadsheet program. You insisted on tutoring him, claiming your dressy outfit was a result of canceled plans—even though you kept stealing glances at the clock—and staying with him until the wee hours when you didn’t have to.

You really were a sweetheart, an angel, and all the other terms of endearment he used on you knowing they made your lips stretch and your eyes sparkle. But that wasn’t for you to know.

“Toji?” Your voice jolted him out of his reverie—frail, but not as frail as the hands that wrapped around his own to snatch the towel.

What could he say to make you leave without any harsh feelings coming back to bite him in the ass?

He pondered his options while you bent forward from where he’d seated you on the counter by the sink. You held his limp dick in your palm, gently wiping the dried blood and cum that clung to his girth.

It was sickening how quickly he stiffened, all ready to ram it in your pussy and fuck you with the mirrored view of your ass in the backdrop, but what truly made his guts churn was the little cheeky smile you beamed with. He stood by his words. Virgins were the biggest sluts.

The towel dropped to the floor as you pointed his cock at your entrance, and that was all the convincing he needed.

“Fine.” Toji sighed, pinning your wrists on the cold quartz counter top. “You can stay the night, but mention work and I’m kicking ya out.”

This is definitely not how you say it.

You made it to the office the next day after a brief raid on your apartment. Going to work in your previous day’s clothes screamed, “Look at me! I got laid!” And as fun as creating all those fantasies with Toji was, you could do without earning “Hated Employee of the Month.” Everyone hated you for being friends with him as is.

He waited until you’d changed into a presentable outfit and dropped you off a block further away for precaution. You shared your final kiss in the car, wasting a whole fifteen minutes sucking each other’s faces off like teenagers at a drive-in. Dating a colleague was against the rules, and you didn’t want to date Toji either. Not that he’d asked. Not that you expected him to ask.

Losing your virginity was a lot more complicated than you thought.

He counted on you to bring coffee, and you would have if an intense craving for spicy tuna onigiri didn’t win you over. The convenience store was right around the corner, and its coffee was honestly not that bad if you squinted your eyes and fooled your senses a bit.

You grabbed two onigiri from the stand—in case Toji felt like stealing yours—along with an apple juicebox, both as a means of thanking and poking fun at him. You paid for the items and walked to the office, nauseated by the butterflies that swarmed in your stomach. You should’ve really eaten something instead of having your final hookup at the breakfast table.

A few people greeted you in and out of the elevator to the forty-seventh floor, some commenting on your looking less gloomy than usual, but that was about it. The world spun the same way it did even before you had sex. No big change or mind-blowing epiphany; just a euphoric feeling of accomplishment that dissipated the moment you saw the stack of documents waiting on your desk.

“That’s just the tip of the iceberg.” Toji magically sprouted from behind, loaded binders balanced on his arms—the same arms that’d lavished you with affection all night long. “They had a fall out at one of the subsidiaries, and now we gotta clean up their shit.”

And back to reality we go.

“Where’s my coffee?” He searched for a cup on his desk.

You pushed your desperation aside and held the juice to his face with a smile that turned awkward the longer he took to accept it.

“It’s um, you know.” You stepped closer, placing the box atop his mountain of files. “Thank you.”

“Also, got you this, so don’t even think of taking mine.” You balanced the onigiri beside the juice and plopped down on your chair, an antsy, blushing mess that refused to meet his stare until he looped an arm around your headrest and attached his mouth to your ear.

“Care to do me a favor?”

[twice-inamillion]

The Company

Recruitment

Light smut and Story Building

Chapter 7

1,360 Words

(You take Jennie’s opinion into consideration and look for a reliable flight attendant. Some important decisions are made for the future of the company and a possible recruitment of someone special.) 

A few days have passed since you and Jennie fucked for the first time. The morning after, Jennie complained of soreness from your length and how wide you stretched her, “Daddy, I don’t think I’m going to be able to walk correctly for the next few days. Is it okay if I take a day or two off?”

You smile at Jennie and smack her ass, “Sure. You can tell your members you have a stomach bug, and I’ll let the coach know the group will take a break from practice.

“Thanks, Daddy,” giving you a hug. 

The first thing she did after recuperating was text you early in the morning, “Daddy, I’m all better now. How about going another round?”

You message her back, “It’s 6 in the morning, and you’re thinking about sex?”

“Yes, these past two days, I couldn’t think about anything besides your big cock stretching my small pussy.”

“Okay, how about tonight?”

“Actually, I’m outside your door, hehe”

You roll your eyes, get up from bed, walk towards the door, and check the screen, “Daddy, open up.” Jennie immediately lunges herself at you after you open the door, “Daddy, I missed you!”

“I missed you too, but you’re up so early.”

“It’s the only time I can sneak out without the members noticing.”

You smirk at her and say, “You’re a bad girl. Daddy needs to punish you for sneaking out.”

Jennie smiles, and your comment, “Daddy needs to punish me with his big cock. He should fuck me roughly and pump me with cum.”

You don’t even respond and instead, pick her up, walk towards the guest room, and toss her onto the bed. 

The two of you fuck until eight in the morning, showering together and having a light breakfast. “What are you reading there?”

“Just some resumes. I just purchased an airplane and am now looking for a flight attendant. These are some resumes I got sent over by one of my assistants.”

Jennie looks over your shoulder at the various applicants' pictures, “Oh, she looks pretty,” she says as she gets one of the applications. 

“You think so?”

“Yeah, you can see it in her eyes.”

“Hmm… you might be right.”

“What about hiring Jisoo’s sister? She’s about to graduate from flight attendant school.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, she’s really pretty. With her pale white skin and nice body, she might be your type.”

“Do you have a picture of her?”

Jennie pulls out her phone and scrolls through her photo album of Jisoo with her sister, “Here, take a look.”

“Wow, she's beautiful.”

“Right? You should hire her. Did you know that many flight attendants struggle to find work because it's a competitive field?”

“No, I didn’t know. Maybe I’ll let one of my assistants contact her.”

“I’ll ask Jisoo about it and let you know.”

“Thanks.”

—————— 

“Sir, Bang Si-hyuk replied back.”

“What did he say?”

“He said that he accepts your offer and is more than happy to partner with us.”

“Good, get the paperwork ready so we can have a final meeting. Also, tell him that I want to invest in his boy group, the one with the seven members.”

“Yes, I’ll get right on it.”

“What about Park Jin-young?”

He replied too, but asked for a bit more funding.”

“How much does he want?”

“About ten or fifteen percent more.”

“Haha, that man is greedy.”

“He is, sir; what do you want me to reply?”

“Tell him that I’ll accept, but I want the full transfer of his upcoming girl group to our site and any other female trainee in the future. I’ll send you more information.

“Thank you, sir.”

——————

A few weeks went by since Jennie mentioned Jisoo’s sister, the flight attendant. After giving it some thought, you considered her opinion and asked one of your hiring assistants to look into hiring Jisoo’s sister. Luckily, she was easy to get in touch with after getting the information from Jennie. 

“Hello, my name is Kim Ji-Yoon. I’ll be your flight hostess starting today,” she said as she bowed.

“Nice to meet you. Take a seat.”

Ji-yoon takes the seat across from you, and IU goes over the contract. “You will be a salaried worker. Here is the amount of money the company is offering,” sliding the piece of paper towards her.

Ji-yoon opened it, and her eyes widened. “Are you sure? This is a lot of money, much more than what they pay someone who’s working in the business for years.”

You respond, “Yes, I want to ensure you are rewarded nicely and expect your utmost discretion. You’re also Jisoo’s older sister, so I wanted to do something nice.”

“Thank you so much. I will do my best not to disappoint you.”

“I’m sure you won’t. Also, our first trip is going to be in a couple of days, so I hope you’re ready.”

“That's great, sir; where will we be going?”

“Japan.”

—————

“We will be landing in Japan shortly, sir.”

“Thank you, Ji-Yoon.”

“Would you like to drink?”

“I’m fine, thank you, though.”

“My pleasure,” she said, and she made her way to the attendant area on the plane. 

You watch as she walks down the passage, her nice-length skirt giving you a glaze at her toned thighs, “Damn, what a view.” 

The purpose of today is to visit and hopefully recruit a potential trainee after getting a couple of letters of recommendation from a dance studio. The head choreographer linked the company's recruitment account to multiple videos of their student. She praised her students' stage performance and talent, suggesting that someone visit and see them in person. 

The recruiters watched the videos were attached and gave you an idea of what to focus on after watching. You watch each video multiple times and can’t help but be amazed by her beauty and elegance. The way she performs is something that many people can imitate unless they’re a natural. 

After settling down at your hotel, you get in contact with the head choreographer and let them know that you will be arriving later that day. She thanks you for visiting and the opportunity to see one of her students. 

You arrived at the location before opening and were given a studio tour. Walking around, see the pictures of all the trainees, “Is this one her?” as you point at the photo. 

“Yes, that’s her.”

“Okay, nice to know.”

“She’ll be coming to the studio in about twenty minutes.”

“You seem nervous.”

“I am. She’s been with us for so long; we know that she can do much more out there.”

“You seem to care for her a lot.”

“Yes, which is why I emailed the company so you can see for yourselves.”

The person arrives twenty minutes later and sets their bag before entering the changing room. They come out in sweats and t-shirts and walk toward the center of the room before playing the starting the music. You hear the song begin, focusing on their dance movements and expressions.

You watch her dance to various types of music, but the one that caught your attention was when she danced ballet. The way she presented herself and moved with such elegance was heartwarming. You know that you needed to recruit her at all costs. 

The music stops, and you slowly walk out of the office and greet both the choreographer and the dancer. “That was amazing. Great job.”

The dancer bows, “Thank you so much for your compliment.”

“No, no, you deserve it.”

You see her get shy and play with her fingers from the attention. The choreographer steps in and says, as she points at you, “This is the person I told you about. He’s from Olympus Entertainment and came to see you perform.” 

She bows and says, “Thank you for visiting us. I’m Myoui Mina. It's nice to meet you.”  

[misc-obeyme]

Lucifer's Favor

I'm continuing my daily chat series, but it's a completely random order. I originally wrote a scene for one of Lucifer's Nightbringer chats, but it ended up being so angsty and sad that I decided not to post it. I wanted to write some fluff! So this chat is from the OG. Though if anyone actually wants to read the sad Nightbringer one, I'll post it lol just hit up the ask box.

GN!MC x Lucifer

Warnings: Nothing that I can think of.

LUCIFER: Could you come to the council room after class? I'm absolutely buried in paperwork. I just can't seem to catch up. I was hoping that you could help me feel better with your presence. All you have to do is sit beside me. Would that be possible?

MC: Are you sure you want me?

LUCIFER: Indeed. It has to be you, MC. Please head straight to the council room once your classes are over. And be warned that I won't be letting you go for the rest of the day.

You stretched as the bell finally rung through the classroom, indicating the end of Seductive Speechcraft. You shoved Mammon, who was engrossed in his D.D.D. and didn't seem to notice the end of class. He looked up at you as you stood from the desk, then looked around at the other students already leaving the room.

"C'mon," you said. "Class is over."

You picked up your bag, slinging it onto your shoulder and heading toward the door.

Mammon scrambled to follow you. "Finally!" he said. "Man, that class is borin'."

You both started down the hall together, but Mammon stopped when you took an unexpected turn, headed toward the council room.

"Oi! Where are ya goin'? Home's this way!" he said, gesturing down the opposite hall from the one you were going down.

You paused and turned back to him. "I know, but I told Lucifer I'd go to the council room after class."

Mammon shuddered. "Why would ya do that?"

You shrugged. "He asked me to."

Mammon seemed to consider this for a moment. He frowned and muttered to himself, "Yeah, he's got a lot of paperwork…"

"You think I should just go home instead?" you asked.

Mammon waved a hand at you. "Nah. Go on, ya don't want to keep him waitin'!"

You nodded. "All right, then I'll see you later."

Mammon waved goodbye as you headed back down the hall. You smiled to yourself as you went. Mammon always wanted to be with you, but he understood Lucifer, too. He knew that Lucifer would be able to get through his piles of work easier if you were by his side.

You reached the council room door and found it slightly ajar already. You opened it further and stepped inside, pausing there in the doorway.

Lucifer was already seated at a desk that was absolutely covered in piles of paper. You grimaced at the towering stacks.

Lucifer looked up and saw you, a satisfied smile crossing his features. "Ah, MC. Thank you for coming."

"Of course," you said, moving across the room. There was a chair positioned on the side of the desk and when you sat in it, you were facing Lucifer. "Is this where you want me to sit?"

"Yes," he said. "As I mentioned before, all you need to do is sit beside me."

"All right," you said. "Then I'll sit beside you for as long as you need me to."

Lucifer smiled at you, his expression unusually soft.

As he resumed his work, you took out a textbook and began to read. The room was quiet, filled only with the sound of your breathing and the soft hssh of Lucifer's fountain pen. Occasionally you would flip a page or Lucifer would pull another item from one of his many stacks.

You were comfortable in the padded chair and in Lucifer's presence. He had asked you to come here to make him feel better, but you couldn't deny that being with him made you feel better, too. You sat in companionable silence for some time, each of you focused on your respective work.

A few moments passed before you realized you could no longer hear the sound of Lucifer's pen. You looked up from your book to see him staring at you.

When your eyes met, he smiled. It was a knowing, possessive smile that sent a little shiver down your spine in a good way.

You fidgeted a little, suddenly shy to be under his gaze. "Do you want a snack?" you asked, reaching for your bag. "I have some pastries Luke gave me earlier."

"I suppose I can take a short break," he said, as though he wasn't already ignoring the papers in front of him in favor of staring at you.

You pulled out the little bag of pastries Luke had given you, opening it and handing one to Lucifer before taking one for yourself.

As you nibbled on the sweet treat, you regarded Lucifer as he leaned back a little in his own chair. He looked tired as he ate the little pastry you had given him. He was good at covering it up when he was overtired, but you knew. After all the time you'd spent with him, you could tell.

You noticed right away when, upon finishing the pastry, Lucifer began to stretch out his fingers slowly. He paid extra attention to his writing hand.

You frowned. Certainly he was getting cramps in his hands after all this work. You finished off your own pastry, then held out a hand to him, determination stamped across your features.

Lucifer looked at your open hand, then looked up at your face. He frowned. "What is it you want, MC?"

"Your hand," you said.

Lucifer smirked. "Ah, I see. You should have told me sooner."

He put his hand into yours, gripping it tightly. You turned his hand over, fingers sliding beneath the edge of his black glove.

"What are you doing now?" he asked.

You didn't respond right away, instead slowly removing his glove, carefully pulling out every finger. You set the glove aside on the desk then took his hand in both of yours. You began to press your thumbs into his palm, massaging it gently.

Lucifer sucked in a breath at this action, which caused him to blush. He frowned again.

"Did you think I didn't notice the way you were flexing your fingers as though they were in pain?" you asked, eyes on your task. "I know you have a lot of work to do, Lucifer, but you really need to be more careful. You could really hurt yourself. What if you got carpal tunnel or something?"

Lucifer's soft laugh caused you to look up at him. "Do you really think demons can get carpal tunnel?"

You had to consider this question because it wasn't something that had occurred to you. "That really isn't the point," you said at last, continuing to massage Lucifer's hand, now working on each individual finger. "You were experiencing pain from too much work and that means you should stop for a bit. Whether you can actually get carpal tunnel or not isn't relevant."

You were taken by surprise when he pulled his hand from yours, turned it around, and interlaced your fingers with his. He stood up from the desk, pulling you up with him. You were now in close proximity and your eyes widened as your heart began to race.

He was smirking again as he reached up to brush your cheek with his other hand, still gloved. "I hope you know that you are the only one who would dare to scold me like this and get away with it."

You tried to calm yourself even as you felt the blood rushing into your cheeks. You met his gaze seriously. "I just want you to take care of yourself."

This statement seemed to genuinely touch Lucifer. His smirk fell away and he pulled you even closer. Your hand was still tightly gripped in his and his other arm circled around your back. "You needn't worry so much about me, MC. I will always be at my best as long as you are beside me."

others in this series:

Mammon | Barbatos | Solomon | Leviathan | Simeon

Asmodeus | Diavolo | Beelzebub | Belphegor | Satan

masterlist | Thank you for reading!

[scarlettriot]

Okay, listen, I don’t need annnyone telling me how half baked an idea this is but it’s living rent fucking free in my head right now so I’m throwing it in a post (as opposed to in @twisteddaydreams1135 DMs like I have been).

A/B/O stuff. Alpha Kiri and Beta Reader. I write Beta’s a little differently so if you end up not liking it, it is what it is.

No real warnings here. It’s a lot of fluff and comfort honestly.

A Drabble that ended up being about 2K words… my bad.

No editing or proofing. Again, my bad.

Alpha Pro Hero Red Riot who co-owns and agency with Dynamight. Red Riot who’s in his 30s and not married or even mated. He works himself into the dirt because it keeps his mind occupied. Handles everyone’s paperwork. Picks up all the extra shifts at the office. His friends and coworkers can’t remember the last time he took a vacation, if ever!

But, Kirishima never complains. His pack his happy and he claims that makes him happy. But, the pack is getting worried. The dark circles under his once bright eyes never seem to go away. He only redyes his hair when Bakugou reminds him. He’s barely around for pack dinners and if he is home when they’re happening he usually just takes a plate with thanks and what he thinks is a genuine smile and goes to his apartment. He was still a phenomenal leader. So caring with that big heart of his. In fact, it seemed Kirishima cared about everyone around him far more than he ever cared for himself.

So, the pack came up with a plan, you.

You were new to the city, looking for work with your resume being passed around and Mina got her hands on it. A Personal Assistant could be exactly what big guy needed.

She brought your resume to Bakugou who agreed you seemed like a good fit with strong references and skills to match. And, you were a Beta. There’d be no chance your scent would bother Kirishima and both Mina and Bakugou agreed that was a good thing.

So, you started an hour before he did on a sunny Monday morning. In a small office right next to Red Riots. He came in with his protein drink and did a double take. They hired someone new? Since when? Last he checked him and Bakugou approved all hires together.

“Who the heck is she, do we even have room in the budget for a new hire?” He asked his friend after closing his office door.

“Made room in the budget for her. Her name is Y/N and she’s your new personal assistant.”

He made room because everyone took a small pay cut. Which they all agreed was worth it if it gets Kirishima to take a break and fucking relax for once.

“I don’t need a personal assistant. No one else has one!”

“Because everyone else can manage their time just fuckin’ fine. You can’t. You haven’t for almost a damn decade now. Not since—”

“Don’t.” Kirishima rumbled. “I know what you’re gonna say and just don’t. I’ll try and work with her but I make no promises.”

Bakugou knew that was the best outcome he could ask for right now so he didn’t fight him on it. Just nodded as Kirishima left his office and watched as he walked into yours.

Your new boss was nice. He lived up to everything you heard about him aside from a few things:

Kirishima wasn’t a fan of interviews. He would do them but he always looked incredibly worn down when he returned from one.

Kirishima had to be reminded to dye that red mane of his. You scheduled time for that.

And perhaps the biggest thing you learned about the man;

Kirishima HATED down time. You scheduled breaks in his day per his friends requests and either he flat out ignored them or he was in your office bothering you the entire time. Even on his days off he found reasons to be in the office. His newest was bringing you lunch.

You didn’t mind these little visits. In fact, you kinda liked the big guy showing up in your door way. He was a change of pace from some of the other Alpha’s you’ve worked with. And, not that you’d ever admit to crushing on your boss to anyone else, you could at least admit to yourself that you liked having him around.

Still, you had to remind him that this was his day off and he shouldn’t be at work.

“I’ll take a break when you take a break. After all, you are my personal assistant. If you’re working, I should be too.”

“I don’t think that’s how that works, Red.”

He shrugs those wide shoulders. “It is if I say it is.”

You just rolled your eyes at him and reminded him again that there’s still things you need to work on when he’s out of office. Just like how you keep working when he goes on patrol. But, he waved his hand and changed the subject as usual.

Despite feeling like he definitely didn’t need someone managing his schedule, Kirishima actually really liked having you around.

You were easy to talk to, you didn’t seem to judge him, and he knew you were doing what you could to keep his best interests in mind even if he wasn’t.

He wouldn’t dare admit it out loud or to anyone but he knew deep down he had a hint of a crush on you. It started when he watched you storm up to Denki and push a paper against his chest. “Kirishima is not handling your strawberry milk requests anymore, I’ve told you this. If you want special snacks so much, put the order in yourself.”

He knew his friend only did it to get a rise out of you. And it worked every time. It was cute to see the way you cared about him even if it was just from a professional stand point.

When he had free time in the weeks that followed he found himself fond of hanging around you. You were a Beta but whatever perfume you had on was pleasant and he could feel the worries he carried around with him for years ebb away when you were near.

That’s why even on his days off he sought you out.

He’d sit at the little table in your office and you asked him about his interest and found some common ground between the both of you. Things to talk about and fill the quiet time. It wasn’t in the job description but he was thankful for it nonetheless.

After reminding him yet again he wasn’t supposed to be in the office on his days off you asked him wouldn’t he rather be doing something different instead? Something more fun?

“The things I enjoyed doing aren’t really fun alone. I go for my runs and workouts and that’s about it.”

“You have plenty of friends, Red! And you’re still one of the most eligible Pro Hero bachelors, I get like 10 emails a day asking if you would agree to a date with people if you’re looking for something more romantic. You don’t have to be alone!”

“My friends have families that they spend time with on their days off, just as they should. They don’t need to go spending time with me. And I’m not looking for romantic right now.” or possibly ever again, he thought.

“Alright, so, what are you gonna do on your next day off?”

“Probably this!” He grinned all proud of himself.

But you had a grin of your own. “Might be a little difficult since I listened to what you said: how I should take time off when you do.”

“Oh…” Even though he tried he couldn’t hide the disappointment in his voice. “That’s good though! You should take more time off.”

“Yeah…” You pushed some food around your plate for a moment and then he heard a little sigh before you spoke. “On my days off I like going to this little book shop I found.” You described the area and he knew exactly where it was. “It’s got a little café inside. I’ll probably go around 11 and be there for a few hours, if you wanted to meet me.”

He hadn’t agreed to plans so quickly in he could remember how long!

On his day off Kirishima was up bright and early, went for a run, came back and showered, changed into jeans and a nicer shirt.

“Where the hell are you goin’?” Bakugou asked, just as stunned to see the man looking so chipper and up and moving on his day off rather than secluding himself in his room.

“I’ve got plans! See ya later!” He called and headed to the bookstore without realizing he had two nosy friends following him. One blonde. And the other pink.

They watched him from across the street and saw him walk up to you with a grin like they hadn’t seen on his face in so very long and they knew hiring you was the best decision they could’ve made.

The two went home, not wanting to interrupt the plans, and left you two to the outing.

Kirishima stood beside you in line while you two talked about the different options the cafe had. You told him what items where your favorite and what you thought he might like.

It was while you waited off to the side for your number to be called that he said something that caught you off guard. “The perfume you wear, it’s nice.”

While the compliment was appreciated and made your cheeks a little warmer you looked up at him confused. “Thanks but I don’t wear perfume.”

Now he looked confused. “But, I smell it all the time. Have for weeks now.” Your eyes went wide as he tried his best to describe it. It wasn’t your shampoo or body wash, not even the lotion you wear from time to time.

You knew Alpha’s had good noses but you weren’t expecting this. “Kirishima, that’s not something I wear. That’s my scent.”

[madelynraemunson]

Bonus scene 𓆩♡𓆪

from the CALL ME WHAT YOU WANT universe (18+)

strip club owner!eddie x fem!exotic dancer!hargrove!reader

timeline: 015, THIS SCENE, 016** | ** = smut

Eddie has an important question to ask you on your birthday.

contains: fluff, physical touch, flirting, loverboy!eddie, romantic eddie, implied history of abuse from billy

wc: 1k words

*play this while you read to really be immersed in st nostalgia* 🥹 (if you want)

♡

“Oh no,” you breathe.

Everything starts to make more sense when you see Steve waiting for you at Hellfire’s doors. He’s got the smuggest look on his face. You quickly try to turn and run the other way, already embarrassed. But the former Star Athlete is faster, immediately lunging at you to drag you into the club.

“Nope!” Harrington protests.

“Steve-” you begin.

“No no no no,” he shakes his head. “Where do you think you’re going, young lady?”

They’re all gonna see you like this. You hate to admit it, but you had just spent your entire commute crying — evident by your raccoon eyes — because you thought everyone (except for Billy) had forgotten your birthday.

Robin and Vicky were already out of the house by the time you woke up. Max, you assumed, got a ride from Steve to their new barista job. Chrissy turned down a pre-shift ‘Hot Girl Walk’, and Eddie never called. It was starting to feel like the most Adult birthday ever, but by a long shot not the worst.

“Put me down!” you persist.

Birthdays suck. Especially when you share one with your abuser. But you’re in a new era now. An era where you are loved, celebrated, and protected.

“SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHY GIRL!”

You’re bombarded by obnoxious kazoos and party hats, streamers and confetti in all shapes and colors, and what looks like a homemade birthday cake in Jane (Mike’s girlfriend)’s hands, decorated with funky, florescent candles, and crafty red hearts that overpowered every inch of the thick white fondant.

“Oh my god,” you beam.

Max, Robin and Vicky. Chrissy, Argyle, Nancy, Jonathan, and Henry. Will, Lucas, Dustin, Mike, Jane, and Erica who also just had a birthday (she turned 18 last week). Steve. Gareth, Jeff, and Grant. All the faces you’ve grown to know and love since moving to Hawkins, all together in one room to celebrate YOU.

“We were trying so hard to keep this a secret,” Steve explains as he gives you a hug. “I’d say we did a pretty good job.”

“Yeah sorry we couldn’t get a better location,” Mike adds. “Chuck E Cheese was fully booked so Hellfire was the next best thing.”

“You guyssss,” you begin to sob. “This is oddly perfect. Thank you.”

“Well,” Jane says. She holds the cake up to your face. “There's no sense in waiting any longer. Make a wish!”

You close your eyes. I wish for life to always be this peaceful.

And when you open your eyes, you see Eddie in front of you, with a beautiful rose bouquet and a bag in his hands.

“Happy birthday, sweetheart.”

His eyes are twinkling like a kid who woke up early on Christmas morning. You greet him with a warm hug to which he uses that opportunity to affectionately rub your back. You hear some soft “aww”s in the background, but you’re too infatuated with the man in front of you to jokingly scorn at whoever said it.

“How’d you know it was my birthday?” you ask him.

“You can find out lot of stuff from paperwork,” Eddie winks at you. “Specifically your resume. Which, might I say, is very impressive.”

“Why, thank you, sir,” you giggle.

You can tell the sir made Eddie’s stomach do somersaults. Completely blushing now, he hands you your gift in the form of a bag, ushering you to open it — right here — in front of everybody.

"You didn't have to..." you mutter quietly.

You take the bag from him.

"Yet… I did," Eddie spews confidently. He watches as you unwrap your gift. “I’d get you strippers but then it’d feel like work. And your bday should never feel like work.”

You nudge him as you roll your eyes. Such a fucking cornball.

But then you become the cornball. A tear begins to form in your eyes when you look at all your gifts. The roses. A custom metalhead Build-A-Bear with a leather jacket and jeans whose certificate reads “Eddie Bear”, and a gold plated charm bracelet from Everlasting Memories with your name engraved on it. But just when you think you had everything, Eddie scoops up the last one from the bottom. It’s a small wooden sign with a message on it.

CAN I BE YOUR BOYFRIEND?

“Oh my god…” is all you can say.

His voice is as gentle as the fingers he uses to patiently graze your arm. "So can I?"

The tear that formed in your eye finally trickles its way down your rosy red cheeks. "Of course you can."

Then you two share a kiss, eliciting an even louder swarm of “aww”s than the ones before, and generating a reaction from nearby, a very curious dancers.

“I hope you know how special you are to each and every one of us,” Eddie says to you. “Especially me, haha.”

You wipe the happy tears away from your eyes.

“It sure feels like it.”

Eddie gives you the day off and you use it to stuff your face and play board games with all your friends. Eventually after the short festivities you stay behind to chill with everyone for a bit. Then you go your own way to start making dinner, which you insisted on, at home.

When you get home, you’re surprised with another text message from Billy.

Billy Hargrove

I’d say the move has helped us a lot. I have room to miss you 🤣

You smile as you answer back.

To be better days ❤️ Happy birthday, brother. I miss you tons.

Billy Hargrove loved “To better days ❤️ Happy birthday, brother. I miss you tons.”

After your convo with Billy, you make your way over to the freezer to grab and defrost the chicken. Tonight’s menu consists of chicken, greens, and potatoes for dinner, followed by some birthday muffins Bob Newby had his bakers make at his coffee shop (courtesy of Max and Steve) for dessert.

Next, you begin to set the table, making sure to make seven settings for tonight: you, Max, Robin, Vicky, one for Eddie, and one for Wayne.

And when you’re finally done, you take a look around your house that you have made a home with your sister and best friends. You’re finally home. Hawkins is home. And for the first time in a really long time, you can truly say you’ve had… a happy birthday.

🏷️ tag list: @chrrymunson , @the-fairy-anon , @ali-r3n , @corrodedcoffincumslut , @bebe07011 , @mmunson86 , @eddiesguitarskills , @chelebelletx , @imonhereforareasonsadly , @eddies-trailer-babe @hideoutside , @motherfckerr , @jxpsi , @lindseyj23, @sidthedollface2 , @manda-panda-monium , @elvendria , @micheledawn1975 , @hereforshmut , @siriuslysmoking , @nymphetkoo , @m-chmcl-rmnc , @justinelittlewoodsworld , @ahoyyharrington , @keepittoyourselftellnobodyelse @kellyxo1 @emsgoodthinkin @winchester-angel @chloe-6123 , @redbarn1995 @angietherose @kiyastrf94 , @purplewitchcauldron @kellsck @joyfulfxckery @munsons-mayhem28 @dragonfire @emma77645 @drivelikenina @livosssblog @thinkingth0ts @hugdealer @ellielunamckay

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for reprimanding someone else's kid?

I brought my friend's 2 foster kids to the park so she could have some time to work on adoption paperwork. The kid this pertains to is the two year old, he's super social and charismatic, both adults and kids are drawn to him, I'll refer to him as K. A little white boy was playing with a soccer ball, he must have been around 7 or 8 years old. K fucking loves soccer and eagerly ran over to the other kid, and they started playing together.

The older kid's guardian was there and asked about K, we exchanged small talk and I praised how gentle and patient her kid was with K. I learned her kid's name, we'll call him T. At some point K got distracted and stopped playing, following his foster sister around. T began playing on the playground with 2 other boys in the generally same age group as T, both were white.

K once again was drawn to T, and now his friends, as they were playing something like cops and robbers. T's guardian and I observed from a distance. T seemed perturbed by K's presence, though K was just watching them and not doing anything in particular. T informed his peers of K's name, then proceeded with, "but he's a poop. A stinky brown poop!" his peers weren't paying much attention and were arguing over where the jail should be. T continued insisting that K was a stinky brown poop. K was becoming upset, he could definitely tell this was an insult and not in jest. K isn't particularly good at communicating yet, he's only 2 after all, but he did manage a proper, "it makes me feel bad when you say that!" as his foster momma has been very good at encouraging her kids to express emotions through sentences with one another like this. What I'm supposed to do with the 2 foster kids, if one uses their words appropriately like this, and the other one fails to stop, I'm supposed to intervene to get the other one to respect their request.

T's guardian was simply observing. I think the social situation was a bit loaded (I was presently the white guardian of a black kid, she was the black guardian of a white kid, I don't know if she was his mom or babysitting like I was, addressing the situation was tricky either way). I don't know if T's comments were necessarily a learned racism thing, or if it was related to K being younger. At any rate, he didn't seem to want to be seen with K by his peers.

I made eye contact with T, and said loudly and sternly, "T, be kind to K or hush up." T looked shocked that an adult stranger addressed him by name. The 2 other kids heard and, as children do, started making fun of T with, "oooo you're in trouble!" and, "yeah, hush up T!" K joined in as well, though he was definitely just parroting the others. T became flustered, his face got bright red and he began shouting that he wasn't in trouble, telling them to stop. I noticed It's guardian watching me, but she didn't say anything, and I didn't either.

T backed away, his two friends then started paying attention to K and were amused by K parroting them, they then resumed playing cops and robbers with K this time. K went back to smiles and being his typical charismatic self, while T kind of stayed away, repeatedly glancing at me. After a bit K veered away from the other 2 and made finger guns at T and pretended to shoot him, leading T's 2 friends back over to include T once again. All 4 boys were then playing together, as though nothing had happened.

I feel like I may have been TA because really, what happened was T was requesting space from K, just going about it wrong. Kids who don't learn to say things like, "I need space," usually use insults or hitting instead. But I do feel that T began insulting the little guy because he's got weird feelings about race, that are triggered when he's with his friends. I have no way of knowing. When we left, T's guardian waved at me and smiled, I returned the gesture and told her to have a good night. I told K's foster mom about it afterwards, and she said it's tricky and thinks what I did was fine, but I dunno. Additionally I may be TA for not stepping in when the other 2 and K berraded T.

AITA?

What are these acronyms?

[miyaur]

⟢ i love you 3000 ft. head over heels genshin men ・synopsis. ever since you both met, he couldn't help but like your cheeky, playful, yet affectionate and kind demeanor, your sly smile whenever you manage to outsmart people, the little glances you give him when you both fight together, how could anyone not like that?! ・notes. just my takes on genshin men who are so head over heels for you, because why not?? oh also this'll probably have a part 2 where you both get into a relationship, + nsfw hcs........ idk honestly i wanna write all my requests bad but like, my mind goes blank for bsd atm ・warnings. implied that character likes reader, reader is super playful and most of the time sarcastic, overall fluff! modern mixed with og genshin au :)

you both met because of his boss: a new colleague? with the company's high standards? wow, but what's more amazing is that you got along with his boss, and you were wildly attractive. — thoma, gorou, kaeya, scaramouche/wanderer, zhongli, al haitham. ・definitely surprised, and honestly, was more surprised with your good relationship with his boss, how are you two friends? well aside that, you were quite playful and sarcastic, and your little stares at him when you tended to look at his pretty little face for too long, god.. you're making him red now.. your flirting with him doesn't make getting over his happy crush on you easy, at all. makes it bigger in all reality. and if he'll be honest with you right now, he's so grateful that you and his boss are good friends, so much that you could land a job at their company, eternally grateful, your smile, your words, your voice, your stare, you in general, is so grateful that you're in his life, and it may seem like he doesn't talk to you a lot, but i promise, he's trying hard, somewhat stutters around you, and lowkey loses his cool in the process whenever he tries to talk to you about work. much rather you do most of the talking, would rather listen to you ramble about the stupidest things all day, and he wouldn't be bored, way more than entertained.

As he laid in your lap, tired, and exhausted from the stacks of paperwork, that are now done, he lays his head on your lap, on the couch in the office you both work at, you hum a tune, a tune that's something your parents sang to you when you were little, it's faint, but you remember the melody, and that's enough to lull him to sleep.

you're his new secretary, you were one of the best people with a great resume, and by far the most attractive, slowly he fell, and fell harder. — diluc, ayato, baizhu, capitano, childe/tartaglia, il dottore, pantalone, pierro ・didn't know someone could be so playful, snarky, & sarcastic, yet so attractive, and you were all that, as a person, the definition in fact. but honestly didn't mind, it's like a little spark in his life that keeps him going. but during those moments where it's really you and him together, just you both; man were you attractive when you were serious, but he'd never admit it. maybe.. maybe he'll admit how cute you looked when you both had to go on a business trip together, and half the time you slept on him, and his shoulder. no, he's playing hard to get, don't forget the times he let you stay over while the rain poured, and made you food by his own hands, or the days you both, well, didn't really mean to but, held hands, saying it's for business purposes, god, you make him feel a way that no one has ever made him feel, like the butterflies in his stomach when you talk to him, heart to heart. the little moments between the both of you, it's really what made him fall, seeing your beauty up close, and it's just the two of you, so no, it wasn't awkward. the way you cup his face when you want him to look at you when you talk to him. dear archons, can you get any cuter?

"i'm sorry that happened at work today.. i made you something to cheer you up!" you hand him his favorite dish, "how do you know?" he asked, looking up from the warm dish in his hands, "how do i know what? your favorite dish?" taking a seat beside him, he nods, "it's my job to take care of you, i should know your favorite dish by now anyway." leaning onto his shoulder, laughing a bit even. "the archons really sent me an angel, huh." he holds you closer, maybe you both could be more than just 'friends'. maybe you already are.

a frequent costumer at the little cafe he worked at, and honestly loved taking your order whenever you came by. — venti, albedo, kaveh, heizou, xiao, kazuha, aether ・a regular you were when he started working there, so much so he memorized your order, remembers what time you usually stop by, everyday, makes your order in advance, and makes sure to always remember it, even a sticky note there for him to remember the order if he can't seem to find it in his memories. but what is in his memories? your smile, and the conversations you've had. on his breaks, and when you were staying at the cafe for a bit just to maybe study, or research, in general just there, you both would chat, and from time to time, you'd hangout when there were breaks, for both of you. he always looked forward to it, definitely was awkward around you at first, but now? you both are good friends, on good terms with each other. but how does he confess? it makes his brain go blank, has 0 idea on how, anyway, he loved it when you decide to stay over sometimes after a few times hanging out with each other. likes to flick your forehead when you're in deep thought, but also loves to cup your face, just to look at you, in silence. maybe that's what convinced you that he liked you, but you beat him to confessing. even if you gave a month or two for him to do something, maybe even... ask you out before you do instead?

You caressed his head, as he hummed a familiar tune, looking at each other quietly, he admired your face, and you analyzed his features. brushing little strands of hair off his face, to get a clearer look, his head on your lap, you looked down, to see a quite literal god among men when it came to looks. his personality was beautiful, better than imaginable, and more than most men had, everything about him was ethereal, breathtaking, and he could say the same for you, but he stayed quiet, as he closed his eyes, he felt something soft on his lips, something that felt so long, yet lasted so short. a quick peck on his lips, "Your lips taste sweeter than I imagined." he said, "Yours are softer than I imagined." you said, going in again, except letting it last a little longer. a little longer than imagined.

hello! i hope you enjoyed reading! a part 2 will come soon, just maybe not today, not tomorrow, not the day after tomorrow, just soon. this time i included the harbingers, thank you for the support <3.

[sadnessisavegetable]

Spam Call - A Transformers Short

In which Optimus learns about spam callers and decides to try and enter into the chaos ring the humans and Wheeljack have going to answer them. (The characterization may not be completely accurate, but I wanted Chaos Prime himself to activate for everyone to see.)

Jack groaned as his phone started ringing, hoping it wasn't his mother. He took it out, only to see the unknown caller ID on his screen. He snorted, smirking down at it for a moment.

"Miko, you called dibs on this one. Here." Jack tossed his phone to her and they cackled before answering on speaker phone.

"Helllooooo you have reached alien tech support, how can I assist you in deciphering human technology? Is it a language problem? Is the screen too small? Do you need to order a new keyboard?" Miko chirped into the phone.

Optimus watched with veiled curiosity as Miko paused, listening to the phone. The telemarketer sputtered for a bit before managing to speak.

"I'm sorry, I must have the wrong number."

"Oh, that's alright. You will have an agent with you soon to erase your memories of this number since you don't need it! Remain stationary, if at all possible. Thank you, human!" Miko giggled before hanging up. They tossed Jack's phone back.

"What was that?" Optimus found himself asking.

"We have this annoying thing that happens...uh...spam callers or telemarketers. Their thing is either staying silent, being AI, or wanting to sell things. Miko got one that wasn't a dud just now, on Jack's phone. Our challenge is usually to just spout the most unhinged crap at them to get them to leave us alone." Raf explained, a slight smile quirking into place.

"We usually call dibs when we're together." Miko added, her grin holding so much mischief. "Wheeljack has answered one of my spam calls once to mess with them."

"Can confirm. I did a spiel in Kalius at them and then waited. They hung up pretty quickly." Wheeljack chuckled. "Might try Vossian next if I get the chance. Maybe Prax."

"Oh my Primus, Wheeljack! Why did you do that? We're trying to stay secret from as many humans as possible!" Ratchet scolded.

"What? Sometimes Miko answers in Japanese! I had to see how fun it would be with some of our languages." Wheeljack defended himself. "Plus, Tolkien was crazy enough to invent a new language so there."

---

The first spam call that Optimus was allowed to answer was on Agent Fowler's phone. It was a late night, Fowler was napping on the couch as Optimus was working on the last bits of paperwork and grumbled as he opened and held the phone up.

Optimus calmly spoke in the language only Primus' chosen could easily speak. It sounded a bit like music to the ear, except too mechanical. He calmly asked if the spam caller was looking for religious freedom through the Highest.

The telemarketer tried to ask a few questions, but Optimus only spoke in that Primacian language in reply.

Then the caller hung up.

Optimus grinned a little to himself and straightened up as Fowler resumed his nap on the couch, going back to doing paperwork.

Ratchet looked as though he'd gotten whiplash from that and Optimus shrugged a bit at him. Ratchet decided to go lay down for a while after.

---

The next time Optimus took a spam call was when everyone was present.

The children watched with interest as Optimus delicately pressed the button with a thin stylus as he balanced the phone in his massive hand before clearing his throat and going on a wild tangent in the Kaos language.

The language of Kaon was one that he wasn't quite as fluent in, but he got the point across that he was very "irritated" and very "willing to hunt people down". When in reality he was just angrily reciting a recipe for chocolate chip cookies.

Arcee's eyes widened and she started to laugh a little. Bee looked almost bewildered as Optimus shouted.

The caller had hung up midway through and Optimus started to laugh a bit as he realized.

"What was that?" Raf asked with awe.

"The recipe for chocolate chip cookies that Optimus had translated over to use for this. He planned this, kids. I need you to know that." Arcee cackled. "He used the language of Kaon just to yell the recipe for chocolate chip cookies at a spam caller."

Miko started to laugh in disbelief.

"The Prime has a sense of humor, wowww." Wheeljack commented.

"Welllll...let's say I didn't quite grow out of mischief completely." Optimus—or was that Orion just now saying hello?—hummed with ease, passing the phone back to Raf.

Miko giggled a bit and started to think about what pranks they could talk Optimus into. Jack and Raf looked as though they were concerned about her plotting.

"So I wasn't hallucinating from lack of recharge." Ratchet commented grumpily. "Good to know."

Arcee seemed to sober up for a moment, if only to ask the question that everyone had now.

"What do you mean?"

Ratchet sighed heavily, glaring over his shoulder at Optimus, who gestured innocently for Ratchet to speak. The medic shook his head with slight annoyance.

"Optimus answered a spam call last night from Fowler's phone. He used the Prima language—which I don't even understand—to spook a caller into hanging up." Ratchet explained. Optimus grinned.

"I did." Optimus agreed before intentionally starting to speak it again. "It's a fun language to use so that no one can understand what I mean by anything."

Ratchet looked more annoyed. "Shut the actual pit up."

[nehswritesstuffs]

Peer Review

Something about this sort of scenario seems just so Law to me and I can't really put my finger on it, even after writing it out, so here we are.

3227 words; starts off with a 19yo Law and all the self-righteous fury contained therein (Penguin is 21, Shachi 20, and Bepo 15, for comparison); I’m sure that some people have done something similar but it’s my turn with the football now I guess; may or may not work within canon, idk yet, try not to think about it too much; maybe get an additional editing pass after I sleep idk on that either

Peer Review; Law is sick of watching all of Flevance's contributions go to waste, which leads him to take drastic measures: passing board exams.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Uh… are you sure this is a good idea…?” Penguin wondered. He watched as Law was hunched over the table in the Polar Tang’s mess hall, furiously completing paperwork. His captain did not answer him and that only made him worry more. “Cap…?”

“Ignore him,” Shachi droned from the kitchen. “You’re never going to win.”

“This is not about winning—this is about him being delusional.”

“No, what’s delusional,” Law said, slamming his pen down on the table, “is that these uptight twits playing at doctor think they can just ignore an entire plethora of medical and scientific achievements simply due to the authors getting in the crossfire of a genocide! They know they’re not publishing the truth in these fucking jokes they call medical journals! It’s like peer review means that they just skimmed it over right quick before putting it to press! If they had any shred of ethical acumen these works would be known and referenced!”

“Literally none of us have ever seen you more upset and it’s kind of scary,” Penguin mentioned. “I mean, you’re sounding like you’re about to vomit a thesaurus.”

“What I am about to vomit is the contents of my stomach because they are ignoring my parents’ work!” Law retorted. He gestured over to the wall, where a knife had been Shambled into the metal as it held up a journal that had been stabbed through the center. “I remember reading it! I was there! My parents let me read over it to check for typos! And we’re talking about one of the medical associations that turned me away as a kid!”

“Yeah, and what is passing boards going to do about it?”

“Give me an in.” Law went back to the paperwork, manically filling everything out to the best of his ability. He put together what he hoped was an impressive resume, hoping that it would be enough to convince the licensing committee to allow him to sit the boards without going through all of med school on-island first. If he was pressed, he probably could have figured out how he knew more than the average fourth-year med student by the time he was eight years old…

“Hey everyone! News Coo’s here!”

“Shit!” Law scrambled to sit up and run over to the hatch of the Polar Tang, where Bepo was waiting on the top deck. A News Coo was sitting idly on the railing, resting itself as it stared at the pile of mail in Bepo’s paw. Law took the envelopes from the Mink and began to sort through them, finding one small, discreet letter amongst ad leaflets about a WEJ news subscription and Shachi’s naughty Sora, Warrior of the Sea fan zine.

A letter from the licensing board.

Law shoved the rest of the mail back towards Bepo and tore open the envelope. He read it over three times, with his friends divvying up their own mail in the meantime.

“I got my in,” Law marveled quietly, voice barely above a whisper. He turned towards his crew—his friends—his brothers—and laughed. “I can take the exam!”

“You what…?” Shachi blinked in confusion. “What was all that paperwork for then?”

“Red tape that they want me to come in and fill out, but I already got the jump on them so they can’t pretend like it doesn’t exist.” Law put up a Room and popped the paperwork, a pen, and an envelope to the deck, replacing it with the letter and Shachi’s zine. He ignored the complaints as he put together his response and stuffed it in the envelope, putting it in the News Coo’s bag before the bird took off.

Now, it was off to Lvneel.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“You have an… interesting set of credentials,” the woman at the desk frowned. She let her eyes flit from the papers in front of her to the boy sitting on the other side of her desk. He was trying to not fidget, though it was also apparent that the attempt at looking serious was just something unfortunate his face did. Not only that, he looked so young, even if he did have patchy facial hair filling in on his chin and cheeks. So young and so unsettlingly familiar…

“All worth its weight, I can assure you,” he replied. “The gap I can explain by having worked out in the field, which I’m told is often worth as much as thrice the same amount of time in the classroom.”

“True… but without verification, I can’t really say that this is as solid as you claim, not to mention the fee…” She watched as the boy took some money from his inner jacket pocket and placed it on the table. “A bribe…?”

“All the admissions fees, up front, in your hands, now.” He stared her down as she counted it—not a beri out of place. “There is nothing barring me from taking the exam.”

“You’re feisty—I like you,” she smirked. “You’ll mostly be a pain to the other departments, which to me is honestly enough reason to let you through. You just have to remember something.”

“Anything.”

“Lvneelish people don’t take kindly to being made fools.” The boy froze, seemingly afraid he was caught in some sort of lie, and she chuckled. “I don’t know who you are, Wittman Lars, or where you really came from, but just remember that if you’re going to go through with this, then make it good. Do you understand?”

“Yes, ma’am,” the boy nodded. He looked cowed, as though he rarely deferred as such. She watched as he bit his lower lip in thought, slipping further away from the headstrong confidence that he had walked in with. “If I pass this exam, I can submit studies and critiques to the Greater Lvneel Medical Journal, right?”

“It would be within your right, yes.” She raised an eyebrow at the boy, who looked much younger in that moment than she was comfortable with. “I won’t ask your reasons, but is that why you are sitting this exam?”

His silence was all the answer she needed.

“Then get out of my office—collect the necessary paperwork on the way out.” She handed him a slip of paper with a stamp on it, which he stared at incredulously… as though he didn’t entirely believe he was holding it. “Exams are in three weeks; a failed exam can be retaken in six months. Not reporting forfeits your right to another chance for a year. Cheating bars you for five years. Any other questions will be answered by the secretaries; now leave.”

It took a moment for the boy’s brain to catch up and he scrambled up from the chair and scurried out of the office like a scared animal unsure of its limbs. She nodded to herself, wondering how many people would see in the boy what she saw—hopefully not too many.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Three weeks?!” Penguin griped. They were in the small rented house they had found on the outskirts of the city, far enough away from the main of Lvneel to not attract too much attention. Shachi was already getting dinner prepped while Bepo was helping Law sort through medical books at the kitchen table. The eldest Heart Pirate had just gotten home with the shopping when Law dropped the news on him.

“That’s when it is; can’t change it,” Law replied. “I’m surprised the registrar let me do any of it at all.”

“This is going to eat into our savings, you know this,” Penguin frowned. Shachi wordlessly took the bag from his hand and procured the seal meat that was going to be the night’s dinner. “We don’t have that much.”

“I thought the haul we got from those Kueni assholes was more than enough to let us coast for half a year in a more central part of town,” Law reminded him. Penguin only folded his arms in response. “Besides, it’ll do us good to be on land for a bit, and the Tang’s not that far away if you want to visit her.”

“She’s a ship, not a woman.”

“Yeah, but same rules apply.” Law opened a Room and moved a fresh stack of books to a nearby shelf. “We’re going to be here long enough for me to sit the exam and get a hold of my certification. If it takes that long, then it’s going to take that long.”

“You’re fucking nuts if you think we’re going to stay under the radar the entire time.”

“Then it’s a good thing I don’t.” Law handed Bepo a book and pointedly did not look at Penguin. “I think she recognized me.” His crewmates all stopped to stare at him in horror.

“Wait, what?!” Shachi snapped. “Cap, don’t tell me you’re going to get us all busted because of this!”

“We won’t,” Law assured. “They can’t prove anything, not until it’s too late, and once I get my license they can’t strip me of it unless a malpractice suit comes up against me or there’s an injunction, both of which take time.”

“It’s bad enough Bepo’s a bear—don’t apologize Bep—but someone recognizing you?!” Shachi put his hands on his hips while their kid brother whimpered. “We’re literally hundreds of miles from Flevance. Why do you think this lady recognized you?!”

“Just a feeling,” he shrugged. “People travel for work or pleasure; medical tourism was a thing where I grew up; I’ve got a Flevench face—any number of reasons.”

“For fuck’s sake…”

“I told you,” Penguin said, gesturing at Law as though he wanted to add a “see this shit” at the end.

“Then leave,” Law deadpanned. He handed another book to Bepo, who put it in the appropriate stack. “Nothing’s stopping you. The door’s right there.”

“Yeah, but why would we leave Bepo alone with you?” Penguin scoffed. “He needs an adult.”

“I am an adult.”

“Tch; barely.”

“…and whose idea was it to beat the bear up?”

Okay, he had them there, but…!

“Are you going to hang that over us forever?” Shachi groaned.

“As long as I need to.”

“Then I say I should be able to hold my arm over you in retaliation,” Penguin sniffed. Law simply acted as though he hadn’t heard his eldest crewmate, continuing with sorting his study materials. “It still gets tingly, you know.”

“That’s because you probably have carpal tunnel, not because of anything I did,” Law replied dully. “I’d fix it for you if you let me near your arm next time you experience localized paresthesia.”

Penguin and Shachi exchanged an exasperated look before looking at Bepo, who shrugged helplessly. The sooner they could get their captain off this rock, the sooner he’d be less of a dick, they supposed.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

While the crankiness that the Hearts dealt with as Law was studying for his exam was unbearable, the exam itself was even worse. Law sat in the large room with dozens of other applicants; it was warm and stuffy and smelled like burnt coffee and body odor. He was the youngest person in the room by-far, which was something that he knew others noticed. The uncomfortable feeling of eyes on him raked against the young man as he sat at his seat and readied himself alongside all the other candidates. He knew that not only was he not someone who had been through courses with everyone else there, but he looked different—like his father—and there had to be at least a few people in the room aware enough to put two and two together. The Doctors Trafalgar had both done plenty of talks on neighboring islands, after all.

In both an instant and forever, the exam was done. The room was made to put down their pens and Law began to panic, knowing there was too much test left. He put all the papers in order in their folder and handed them in despite his nerves. Before he realized it, the teen was vomiting in the bushes outside of the university hall, Penguin and Shachi holding onto him while Bepo wrung his paws in distress.

“What the fuck has you like this, Cap?” Shachi wondered as Law finished dry-heaving. The younger man was still shaking unsteadily within his grasp.

“I… I couldn’t finish the test,” he croaked, voice raw. “They kept staring at me… and I couldn’t even finish…”

“Maybe they design it so no one finishes?” Bepo offered.

“That doesn’t help,” Law moaned. He stood up and weakly shook off Penguin and Shachi. Neither of them backed away, which he took in stride. “I still just sat an exam I didn’t finish—I always finish my exams.”

“Last time you finished an exam you were ten,” Penguin reminded him.

“Nuns don’t make it easy,” Law reasoned as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Something sat in the pit of his stomach, seeped into his empty stomach and weary heart, and he frowned. Fuck… of all the things… “I don’t think I passed.”

“Can’t you retake it?” Bepo asked.

“In six months,” Law replied, “and I don’t want to stick around that long. We can’t afford it.”

“We’ll get there when we get there,” Penguin assured. “Now, what are we going to have for dinner? I’m fucking starved.”

Law laughed awkwardly as his friends began to discuss their dinner options, thinking that his sitting of the boards exam was cause for celebration. He allowed himself to be dragged along to the celebration, despite not feeling much like partying or eating, and spent the entire rest of the day and into the evening trying to calm himself down the best he could.

‘They know,’ he kept on thinking. He felt hyper-aware of everything—of everyone—as they sat in a pub with food and beer for the rest of the night. Bepo even had his first drink, much to the bear’s disgust, and provided the other two goobers with entertainment that lasted for hours.

“C’mon, Cap,” Shachi chuckled, his words on the verge of slurring. Law had lost count of how many beers any of them had, yet it was not enough for him to not cringe as his crewmate threw his arm over his shoulder and leaned in. “You gotta loosen up at some point tonight.”

“I don’t really feel like it,” Law replied for what was likely the dozenth time. “I don’t even really want to be here.”

“I don’t either,” Bepo squeaked. “I feel sick.”

“You barely finished your pint!” Penguin scolded.

“I’m sorry! It just tastes so gross!”

“Your first few pints are supposed to be gross.”

“I don’t think how it’s supposed to go…”

“Ah, we’ll make a man out of you yet,” Penguin scoffed. He looked at Law over the rim of his mug and shrugged. “Eat something; you look like you’re going to pass out.”

“No.”

“I don’t really think it counts as mutiny if I act for the good of the captain,” he reminded him. Law rolled his eyes and busied himself with one of the whale fritters that were still on the table. “Good. Now, what are we going to do about those bounty hunter-looking types across the room that have been eyeing us for about an hour?”

Okay, it made him feel a little better that it wasn’t just something that had buried its way into only his brain. He watched as both Penguin and Shachi went and stood, the pair deciding to let their captain and navigator sit this one out—they had to take care of the kids somehow, and this was something they definitely knew how to do even when drunk as they were.

Law went and Shambled some takeaway boxes to the table—he was not letting whale fritters, fries, and Flevench-style croquettes go to waste because the idiots got into some trouble.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Three days passed by slowly. Painfully. It almost made Law go completely mad. He sat in their rented house the entire time, pacing the floor. When he wasn’t pacing, he was bouncing his leg as he sat, or tossing and turning on his bed, or just being restless in general. It was enough to make his crew crazy, almost wishing they had waited out the results while on the Polar Tang. In fact, Bepo had to sit on Law in order to keep him from rushing to the door when the mail courier arrived, leaving Penguin to get it and Shachi open the envelope.

It didn’t matter one way or the other—he passed.

…he passed, but with a caveat.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“I NEED A STAMP! DOES ANYONE HAVE A STAMP?!”

Law��s shouting fell on deaf ears as the rest of the Hearts rested on the beach of the island they were docked at. He needed just one more to take care of the Coo fee and it seemed as though his reserves had run dry. At least it seemed as though the News Coo was taking advantage of the delay, the bird relaxing in the sun of the Summer Island’s Spring.

“DOES ANYONE HAVE A STAMP?” he repeated, doing his best to allow his voice to carry. No one paid him any heed; there was plenty to do with their time on land that facilitated the accidental ignoring of their captain. Sunbathing, volleyball, splashing in the water, setting up for the night’s big barbecue/bonfire… it was looking as though the crew was going to have a great afternoon on the tiny spit of an island they were resting on.

Except, suddenly, Law opened a Room and swapped his crewmates with a bunch of barnacles that had not yet been scraped off the top overdeck, dropping everyone rather unceremoniously onto the wooden planks.

“Ow! Hey! What’d you do that for?!” Ikkaku snapped.

“Since no one listened to me the first time, I had to resort to drastic measures,” Law reasoned. “Does anyone have a stamp? The Coo’s waiting.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, I got it,” Clione griped. He went below deck, returning to the rest of the crew being back on land as he held a postage stamp towards his captain. Law took it and attached it to the front of the thick, buff-colored envelope along with four others before offering it to the News Coo. The bird regarded it sourly before squawking in resignation, allowing Law to put it in his bag. “What’s it about this time, Captain?”

“Vitamin D intake in correlation to heavy metal poisoning’s effects on the Human body,” Law explained as the Coo flapped off. “I needed so many stamps because I included two copies.”

“One by Trafalgar Law about Amber Lead and…?”

“…one by Doctor Wittman Lars about arsenic and mercury,” he admitted. “I don’t think the case study about Jean Bart’s tinea pedis and its correlation to his days in captivity is ready yet; still needs some refining in regards to outlining the causation.”

“The entire world isn’t ready for Jean Bart’s feet; subjecting Lvneel to it is just plain cruel,” Clione shuddered. “The snail photos you had me take still haunt my nightmares.”

“Be glad you weren’t around for the Bed Bugs or Mange Debacle,” Law reminded him. Clione nodded silently in reply—all he wanted from that was the stories and he didn’t even really want those.

[benevolentpeach]

Home Is Where You Are

(Pro-Hero Deku x F!Reader)

WARNINGS⚠️‼️: Slight Teasing, Cursing, Being Alone, Sad Thoughts, Abandonment Issues

Genre: Angst/Fluff

Alone.

Again.

Something you'd grown quite used to over the years since getting together with your hero boyfriend Izuku.

You really shouldn't have expected anything else considering he was the new Symbol of Peace, hero work was of utmost importance to him, you understood that yes, but..

It seemed he never had just one moment for you anymore.

But again, you knew what you were getting into when you got together with him.

His job would always come before you, that was something you accepted a long time ago.

He would always come home from work, eat, shower if he had the energy, and then fall asleep without giving you so much as a goodnight kiss.

At first you thought nothing of it, that kind of work would tire anyone out.

But as the days droned on, they soon turned into weeks, then months, then a year.

An entire year of him coming home from work only to eat, shower, sleep, and then wake up just to do it all over again.

At this point you were questioning whether or not he even had feelings for you anymore, but you never bothered to ask, too afraid that you might be right.

Tonight you had a plan.

You had an idea to have a romantic date, just the two of you, no hero work, no stacks of paperwork to fill out, just you, him, and a night full of movies and food.

You'd hoped this plan would work..

The familiar sound of keys jangling outside your front door alerted you immediately and a small smile crept onto your face, rushing to the door to open it.

Once you got the door open, there stood your fluffy haired boyfriend, the same blank expression on his face that he'd always come home with.

You were by far way shorter than him by comparison, so he had to look down at you to even see you in front of him.

"Welcome home my love! I have something I want to talk to you about!" You squealed, a small giggle escaping your lips as you tried your best to contain your excitement.

A small smile made its way to his face, but something about it seemed forced, almost like he didn't want to.

Ignoring your intrusive thought, you stepped to the side to let him in, closing the door and locking it behind him once he made it through.

"You've been really busy with work lately.. It seems you never have a day off to yourself so I decided to plan a weekend for just the two of us!"

His movement ceased, head dropping down low as if he were ashamed of something, but instead of saying anything, it was silent.

Now you were beginning to get nervous, maybe he really had lost feelings for you, maybe he just got tired of you but didn't want to hurt your feelings."

"I planned a movie marathon.. Remember when I told you I'd never seen Star Wars and you flipped out saying we were gonna watch them together? Well, I bought the entire saga earlier this week and thought maybe this weekend we could sit down and watch the entirety of it."

He still didn't speak, but he had resumed untying his boots so he could take them off.

"I'll even make some of your favorite foods! It's been awhile since we had anything homemade so I went to the grocery store as well to-"

"I can't."

Your heart sank deep into your chest.

"What..?" You barely muttered.

"I said I can't, Y/N." His tone was bitter and harsh, almost as if he were annoyed he had to repeat himself.

You took a step back, bewildered at his response, all the anger and frustration you'd bottled up from the way he'd been treating you, finally boiling over.

"I expected as much from someone who can't even give his girlfriend a simple fucking kiss goodnight." You spat harshly.

He turned to look at you with wide eyes, as if he were surprised with your outburst, then just as quickly as the shock came, it left, replaced with anger and frustration.

"You know I've been busy Y/N, hero work isn't easy, I told you that when we first got together, you seemed perfectly fine with it before." His voice was lower than usual, his bangs now covering his eyes.

"Too busy to say hello to me when you come home? Too busy to tell me you're okay? Too busy to at LEAST give me a kiss before you fall asleep? How do you think I feel in this situation?! Have you ever honestly stopped to think, 'Hey, maybe I should at least tell my girlfriend I'm okay and not dead'."

Things were starting to heat up between the two of you, yeah sure the two of you got into small arguments in the past, but this one was different, this one was bound to leave a mark.

Although you couldn't see his eyes, his mouth was still visible, his tell was when he'd bite his lower lip. He only ever did so when he was confused, angry, or anxious, and right now he seemed more angry if anything.

"I don't have the energy to deal with this right now Y/N, just drop it, we'll talk about it later."

Like hell you were going to drop it!

"No!" You shouted, body beginning to tremble softly.

"You never seem to have the energy to do anything with me anymore! All you know how to do now is work, eat, shower, and sleep! When was the last time you even acknowledged me or touched me?"

He didn't answer, biting down on his lip much harsher than before.

A small pitiful chuckle left your lips as you stood up straight and wrapped your arms around your body tightly, hugging yourself for comfort.

"You don't have an answer, do you.. I don't even feel like I have a boyfriend anymore, just a roommate that I don't associate myself with.. That's how alone I've been." Your voice was beginning to tremble as you spoke, body now trembling more noticeably.

Your tough exterior was starting to crumble slowly, pieces of it being torn away from your body like broken glass in a fresh wound.

Each piece that crumbled sent searing pain throughout your body like venom, it was agonizing.

"Y/N I-"

"I'm the one talking right now! For once can you please just hear me! Listen to me!"

Your pleads seemed successful, as he slowly closed his mouth and stared at the floor.

"I know very well what I signed up for when I agreed to be with you Izuku Midoriya. Don't you ever think for one second that I didn't." You spat, gritting your teeth harshly.

Finally he looked up at you again, pupils dilating upon hearing you use his full name.

"The thing is.. I know what I fell in love with.. WHO I fell in love with, and that's not you anymore, you've grown distant and cold, you've left me alone with my thoughts every single day for an entire year, and now I'm stuck wondering if you even love me anymore."

Really, you didn't want to cry, especially not in front of him. You didn't want to be seen as weak for crying over something so simple when you knew others had it much worse than you.

But with each word that left your mouth as you talked to him, hearing yourself finally admit everything you'd been feeling outloud, you found that task to be quite difficult.

"I'm stuck wondering whether or not I'm even worthy of your touch, eyes, your love, anything from you.. I'm stuck wondering if one day you'll come home and tell me you no longer love me."

The pain and anguish you'd been feeling for months was starting to really catch up to you, tears brimming your eyes as you hoped he would finally hear you.

"I've been so utterly alone, even when you're around, and it shouldn't be like that.. I know hero work isn't easy, I know your job requires your full attention, but I wasn't the one that approached you for a relationship." You glanced up at him through teary eyes, trying to cover your pain with a smile.

"I've been so alone I've started to actually think about packing everything and just leaving without telling you, because even if I did tell you, I feel like you wouldn't care, you'd just stay silent like you are now."

It had been a long time since you'd felt like this, abandoned, like there was no one else in the world that cared about you, that you were just alone to face everything head on.

Izuku had told you of his past, keeping certain parts out that you were curious about, but had respected his privacy enough not to dig deeper.

Everything about how people constantly bullied him and doubted him because he wanted to become a hero, despite him being quirkless.

He told you how he felt in those times, how alone and trapped he felt, coming close to giving up on his dream when his idol basically told him it wasn't possible for him to become a hero without a quirk.

He KNEW what loneliness felt like, he KNEW what abandonment felt like, so why..?

Why was he treating you the same way he was treated back then..

Your bottom lip began to tremble as you stared at him painfully awaiting his reply. At this point you were desperate for him to say something, anything, but he'd gone completely silent, bottom lip stuck between his top teeth harshly.

A short pitiful laugh escaped your lips when the silence had gone on for far too long, and a simple smile appeared. "Goodbye Izuku." Was all you said before grabbing your phone and walking out the door.

He didn't try to stop you, he didn't even call out for you.. He did..

Nothing...

Yep, just as you'd suspected, he'd lost feelings for you a long time ago.

He might've thought it was better to stick around and not say anything because he didn't want to hurt you, but this.. This was far worse than just telling you upfront how he felt.

***Later that evening***

"I'd say just give him some time to think things over Y/N, honestly I think this argument between the two of you was a good thing all things considered."

"I don't mean to sound like I've lost all hope for our relationship Kiri, but like I said before, an entire year without him even so much as glancing in my direction just makes me think he doesn't love me anymore." You sighed, staring blankly at your black phone screen.

You'd left the house in such a hurry that you hadn't realized you had no destination, so here you were now, spending the night with Kirishima and Bakugou who were supposed to be strategizing for a big mission they had coming up.

"Quit your bitching about the damn nerd already, it's starting to piss me off! Why are you even here pestering us about your stupid relationship anyway?!"

Kiri let out a dramatic sigh and mouthed for you not to listen to the raging blond in the next room over.

"He's a little on edge right now, always gets like this when we have an important mission coming up, just don't pay any mind to him alright?" He tried reassuring you, patting your back lightly.

But.. Honestly, Bakugou was right.

You shouldn't of been here, you knew the two of them were also busy, but still asked to come spend the night because of your own selfishness.

No matter where you went lately, you felt like an intruder, like all you were doing was getting in the way of people that had more important things to do than sit around listening to your relationship problems.

"Y/N..?"

Kiri's soft, worried tone snapped you out of your thoughts, only for you to realize that your body was beginning to tremble, and silent tears were now dripping onto your blank phone screen carelessly.

"I.. Love him.." You muttered out hopelessly, setting your phone down and bringing your hands close to your face.

"Even now.. As angry as I am, I still love him.. I want.." You paused, sniffling quietly as you tried to hold back the waterworks.

Bakugou had since poked his head into the doorway of the living room, a somewhat blank expression on his face as he silently listened to your struggles.

Kirishima desperately wanted to help you, but when Bakugou had shook his head no, he stayed put, red irises staring at your breaking exterior.

"..I so desperately want things to get better.. I really do, when I got with him.. I told my mom and dad that he was the one I wanted to marry someday.. To have a family with, grow old with.. But now.."

That was it, the last piece of your wall had finally shattered..

A broken sob emitted from your trembling form as you tried your best to continue.

"Now it seems like everything is being torn away from me, I don't know what to do, I feel so lost!"

"I want to go home, I want to go home to him because he makes me feel safe, before any of this happened he'd been the first person to make me feel safe, the first person to make me forget all the bad things and replace them with good.. I just.. He is my home and without him, I'm just lost, alone, and so scared!" The sobbing had become more violent, your voice growing hoarse as you continued to shout.

No more words came out of your mouth, if they did, they were a slew of babbled incoherent words that no one else listening could understand.

When was the last time you broke down like this..?

Matter of fact, when was the last time you broke down over loving someone..

The air was being sucked out of your lungs with every exasperated inhale you made, and it wasn't until Kirishima had his arms wrapped around you, that you realized you were trying to push him away.

"Get off of me!" You shouted in a fit of rage.

Kiri didn't let go, if anything he held onto you tighter, glancing at Bakugou with worried eyes as they both watched you thrash and jolt to get out of the crimson haired man's arms.

"I'm not letting you go until you calm down Y/N, please stop thrashing like this, I don't want to have to activate my quirk.." He muttered quietly, barely audible to your ears.

The thrashing stopped when you heard a familiar voice from where Bakugou was standing.

Whipping your head towards his direction, you noticed Bakugou had his phone in his hand, with Izuku's caller ID on the screen, the call had been going on since the beginning of your outburst.

"When did you have the time to pull your phone out dude?" Kiri asked from behind you, still hugging you, but not as tightly as before.

"Tch. It's none of your damn business shitty hair, just shut up and listen. Now that she's finally calmed down, I think it's time the two of them figure their shit out here and now. I'm not doing this back and forth bullshit." The angry blond mumbled, closing his eyes.

The room was silent for a moment, an unbearable, thick silence that twisted your gut into knots.

"Y/N, are you listening..?"

A nauseating feeling washed over you upon hearing what you had now considered to be, your ex boyfriends soft tone of voice.

Just the way he called your name.. It was the same way as when the two of you got together, and it pained you.

"Answer him ya crybaby! We aren't gonna sit around all night!"

"Hey man, give her some time to process, you of all people should know how meltdowns work." Kiri patronized, finally letting go of you.

The blond rolled his eyes and let out a deep, frustrated sigh, before shooting a threatening glance in your direction.

"I'm listening.." You almost whispered, thinking Izuku hadn't heard you.

"Did you mean it?"

What did he mean by that?

You got so worked up you said things you never would've said if you had been in a better state of mind. Sometimes it was things you'd regret, or things you'd find too embarrassing to admit out loud.

Finally it clicked in your head.

He was talking about what you'd said earlier in regards to your feelings for him.

But you wanted to play stupid, just to hear him repeat what you said.

"What do you mean by that.."

Bakugou looked as if he wanted to intervene and call you out on your blatantly obvious bullshit, but instead, he sighed again and rubbed his temple in agitation.

"Did you mean it when you said you wanted to marry me, have a family, and grow old together..? Did you mean it when you said I was your home.. Your safe place..?" His tone had shifted dramatically, now it sounded as if he were on the verge of crying.

You shot a questioning glance at Kiri, who had been silent throughout the entire conversation, silently pleading with your eyes on what you should say.

It wasn't that you didn't mean every word you said, you just didn't want to give the freckled man even more of a reason to dislike you, if he didn't already..

"Tell him how you really feel Y/N. Things will work out more smoothly if you're open and honest with your feelings. If the two of you are going to be in a relationship, that's one thing you have to understand. Communication is very important, and that goes for you too Midoriya." The last part was a little louder so the man on the other side of the phone could hear him loud and clear.

Looking away from Kiri, you took a deep breath, telling yourself that everything would be okay, even if things went horribly wrong.

"I meant every word Zuku. You of all people should know that I don't lie or mess around when it comes to someone else's feelings."

The trembling in your body finally died down, patiently awaiting the man’s response from the other end of the call.

Although you were still nervous of what might happen..

Right now, there were two options.

One: Things could go terribly wrong and you’ll end up single, and going back to your old job as a waitress for some shitty restaurant downtown, or..

Two: He’d accept your feelings and everything would be fine, normal.. Well at least what you described as "normal".

Kirishima had nudged you a little with his elbow, stealing your attention from the phone call temporarily.

"I'm proud of you for telling him how you really feel, good job Y/N." His shark tooth smile lit up your entire world.

You didn't have many friends. But you were grateful for the ones you did have, after all, you probably wouldn't of been able to speak your mind if it weren't for these two.

"Thanks man.. I really wouldn't of been able to do this if it weren't for you and angry pom-pom over there."

"EXCUSE ME?! WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!" The angry blond in question snarled, gripping his phone so tight his knuckles turned white.

"Kacchan, calm down please.. I have to say something to Y/N." Bakugou sighed in annoyance, muttering some smart words under his breath about the greenette on the other end, making a quiet giggle escape past your lips.

"Y/N, if you don't mind.. I'd like for you to come home so we can continue this conversation in a more.. Private setting, I really don't want Kacchan and Kirishma butting into our private life.." Izuku's voice was shaky and uncertain, he was still getting used to sticking up for himself.

Kirishima rubbed the back of his neck before placing a gentle hand on your shoulder, a reassuring smile doting his lips as he nodded his head in agreement.

"Go home and talk it out, just remember to keep your cool and be honest, don't hold back, but don't be a jerk about it." The last bit was rushed, as if he'd thought you wouldn't be civil about it.

In all honesty you didn't blame him for thinking that, considering you did blow up on your greenette boyfriend before he could even get a word in earlier in the day.

The two of you exchanged quick hugs.

It kinda sucked that you weren't very used to friendly interactions with people, it had been awhile since you'd gotten a hug from anyone really, so the warm tight embrace from the manly man really made you feel better than before.

As you gathered your things and headed towards the door, you paused, turning around to give the slightly ticked off blond a soft smile.

"Thank you Katsuki."

"Tch. I didn't do anything ya damn crybaby." He retorted, shoving his phone back into his pocket.

"You did though. You helped me, both of you did, and for that I am forever grateful.." You opened the door, stepping outside into the cool midnight breeze, inhaling the crisp scent of the autumn wind.

"I couldn't of asked for better friends.. If you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to just show up or text me, you're always welcome wherever I am."

*Back at Home*

You hadn't been nervous the entire time you were on your way back home, but now.. As you stood at the door of the place you'd believed not even 2 hours ago was no longer your home, it was like something in your gut was tossing and turning like an uncalm sea.

The doorknob was mere inches away from your hand, yet you couldn't muster up the strength to actually touch it. You were frozen in time to say the least.

What if things don't go well..

What if everything goes wrong..

I'll have nowhere to go, I won't know what to do..

Why am I so nervous???

You thought to yourself, trying to gather up enough courage to turn the doorknob.

Taking a deep breath in, you closed your eyes and reached for the doorknob, then exhaled quickly, but before you could turn the knob, the door opened.

"Y/N?" Hearing his voice so close to yours just made you want to break down in his arms.. He sounded so worried and broken.

Opening your eyes again, you were shocked at what was before you.

He was crying..

Although the tears fell silently, although he wiped his eyes to discard the evidence of his hurt, you stood still in the doorway in shock.

"Y/N I.." He fell to his knees and covered his freckled face with the palms of his hands, a quiet sniffle protruding from his mouth. "Please don't go.." He sobbed.

The hands once covering his face, were now snaking through his hair, grabbing hold to tiny unkempt tufts.

You were at a complete loss for words. Despite all the confidence you left Kiri's place with, you really couldn't find the right thing to say to the unwinding man in front of you.

Even though you couldn't speak, you acted, reaching your hands out to cup the sides of his face softly, but when his crying didn't cease, you knelt down low beside him and told him to open his eyes.

With a little hesitation, the freckled hero opened his eyes which were puffy and red from all the crying he'd been doing, emerald irises staring into your loving E/C ones.

You took this moment to really admire every freckle that dotted your lovers face like constellations, each one having a different beauty to it than the next. You thought back to when you used to trace invisible lines on his back to see which constellations you could scrounge up.

He thought you were silly for doing such a thing, but nevertheless, he'd stay firmly planted on his tummy, allowing you to lightly trace his back.

His bright shining emerald irises also held a special place in your heart. You couldn't count the many times you'd gotten lost in them while doing something important.

And his lips... He had a scar over his upper lip, which he'd had since you'd met him. He told you he'd gotten it fighting Shigaraki a long time ago, same with other scars that littered his tan skin everywhere you looked.

Without much thought, you lightly traced your thumb over the scar, watching as his lips slightly parted upon feeling the gentle touch.

"I always worry about you.. These scars are a constant reminder to me that I'll wake up one day and you won't be here.." You muttered, hoping he hadn't heard you.

A calloused hand touched the side of your face, before a gentle thumb slid beneath your eye. It was at this moment that you realized you were crying again.

"You never check in with me anymore.. I spent so many nights wondering if you were going to come home or if that front door would never open.. I'm scared to lose you Zuku.." You shamelessly admitted, leaning your forehead on his own.

Thinking back to what Kiri had advised you to do before you left, you opened your mouth to continue to express how you felt, but before a word came out of your mouth, you were stopped by a gentle kiss to the cheek.

Sure you'd received plenty of cheek kisses from him in the past, but it'd been an entire year since you'd last had one, that the action felt almost foreign to you.

"I love you Y/N, I really really do. I know I haven't been treating you right for a long time and I have no one else to blame but myself for that.. You've constantly gone out of your way to make things better for me, and despite how I have been treating you, you've stayed.. You've tried to help me, you haven't given up on me.." His head lowered after realizing what he'd said.

Although he didn't say it outloud, you could tell he felt extremely guilty about the past year, his eyes told on him.

"I've treated you so horribly Y/N, so the real question is.. Why have you continued to support me and stay by my side despite everything..? Why do you continue to feel love towards me when I haven't even shown an ounce to you for an entire year..?"

The pain in his voice broke your heart. You hadn't heard him sound this upset for a long time.

But..

He had a good question..

"Come on Zuku, the answer to that question is so blatantly obvious.."

Nuzzling a hand underneath his chin, you lifted it up so he was looking directly at you once again.

"I want an honest answer Y/N, I-" He paused and averted his gaze momentarily, as if he were struggling to figure out what to say next, before finally gazing in your direction once again. "I-I want to hear you say it!" He shouted, clearly embarrassed that he was practically demanding you tell him what he wanted to hear.

You couldn't help but smile gently at your shy, dorky boyfriend, letting go of his chin to pinch the bridge of his nose lightly.

"I'm proud of you for telling me what you want instead of staying silent. I'd rather you tell me these things instead of wallowing in misery y'know." You joked, ruffling his hair a bit.

It was at this moment that the two of you had grown silent, eyes gazing into one another's as if they were endless oceans under the starry night sky.

But just as quickly as the silence came, it went..

"It's because I love you Izuku. I knew for a long time that I loved you, even before you asked me out. Back when we were still best buds in college.. Which might sound weird coming out now, but it's the truth-" The lovesick look in his eyes made you feel warm and light as you tried your best to continue pouring your heart out to him. If you were being honest, instead of talking, you just wanted to kiss him..

But Kiri was right about communication being important in a relationship, so you fought the urge and let out a content sigh.

"You're my home, my happiness, you made me feel loved when no one else did, and for that, I will always love you. You and I both know how it feels to be alone and scared, and as much as I know you probably deserved my leave, I stayed.. Because I couldn't allow myself to make you go through that again.. I know hero work can be time consuming and dangerous, I know it's even more difficult for you because you're number one, and I can never hold your own duties against you-" You leaned forward a bit, touching your forehead to his once again and closing your eyes peacefully.

"You're a hero to the world, and a hero to me Zuku. You're smart, stubborn, kindhearted, and dorky, but you'll always be mine as long as you'll allow it.."

The amount of love you had for this man was absolutely ridiculous. A long history of bad relationships and friendships made you think that there was simply no one out there for you, losing all the hope you had left in your heart and soul.

Once you'd actively stopped seeking out companionship, regardless of relationship or friendship matters, that's when the greenette stumbled into your life and changed everything.

Really..

You hadn't expected to fall for him so quickly and easily. The invisible wall you'd built to prevent people from coming and going into your life as they pleased, had been knocked down the moment you realized you were in love.

"This might sound crazy, but I remember the exact moment I realized I wanted you to be my forever person.." The words came out of your mouth so naturally, like the confidence you'd had before was resurfacing.

Izuku leaned his head even closer to your own, looking deep into your eyes as if to urge you to continue.

"I was really sick. Like.. Stomach flu sick.. I didn't attend classes for an entire week because I was too busy puking my guts out. Of course wonderboy over here was worried sick about me within the first few minutes of me not being in class as per usual."

"Wonderboy? Since when do you call me that?" Izuku teased, running a hand through your hair gently.

"I've always called you that, just not outloud.. I was too embarrassed.." You admitted, a light chuckle following suit.

For a moment you hesitated to finish sharing your memory, believing that it was too cheesy and stupid, but when Izuku pleaded with his eyes for you to continue, you swallowed your embarrassment and carried on.

"When you randomly showed up at my apartment, I was surprised to say the least.. Not to mention embarrassed as hell because I looked like absolute garbage, and felt like it too."

The playful glare your boyfriend gave you after saying this was almost enough to make you laugh, but you resisted the urge.

*Flashback *

"Izuku?"

"Y/N! I was so worried about you! You weren't answering any of my texts or calls, you didn't show up to class at all, I thought something bad happened to you!" Izuku shouted, concern and worry shrouding his eyes.

A frustrated sigh left your lips, as you rolled your eyes dramatically. "I'm sick Midoriya, I was either sleeping or becoming best buds with the toilet bowl for the past two hours, I promise there's nothing for you to worry about, I'll get better soon." As you were beginning to close the door in his face, he wedged his foot in between the door, preventing you from returning to your comfortable bed.

"Y/N, I'm still worried about you, you know how many people die from being sick a year? The stomach flu no less? 34,157 people."

That seemed to get you to open the door.

"Yeah and? I've been sick like this before, I'll be fine Midoriya, now please go back to class, I really don't want you to get into any trouble, nor do I want to get you sick." You could feel your stomach begin to grow uneasy again, so you were trying to get him to leave quickly, but no matter how hard you tried to convince him that you'd be fine, he wouldn't budge.

Once your stomach had gotten worse, you finally decided to let him in, before speeding to the bathroom, only to regurgitate violently.

You hadn't had time to lock the bathroom door, let alone shut it, so when the first wave washed over, you were met face to face with the greenette, who looked more worried than anything.

"How many times have you done this today?" He quipped, leaning against the doorframe nonchalantly.

"Why does it matter?" Your head lurched forward again for what seemed to be the 5th time that day, groaning once you'd finished the second wave.

A sigh left the man's mouth as he walked over to you, grabbing your hair and putting it into a ponytail with the hair tie he had on his wrist.

"You're stubborn when you're sick." Was all he said as he gently rubbed your back in small circles to try and help you feel better.

You attempted to laugh, but coughed, a gravelly sigh leaving you instead. "Look, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself Midoriya, I'm not being stubborn, I'm just telling you that I don't need your help."

After your stomach had finally emptied out all of its contents, Midoriya instructed you to take a cold shower, to which you reluctantly listened.

He'd disappeared after grabbing you a clean towel and a fresh set of pajamas, leaving you to your shower.

Cleaning yourself off, and letting the cool water roll down your overheated face, thoughts began to swirl around in your head.

Wondering why Izuku of all people would rather be here taking care of you and making sure you were okay, instead of attending class.

Wondering why he sounded so worried and concerned about your health, despite only being friends with you for a few months.

Everything going on right now was confusing you. Maybe it was because you were sick, but you had the feeling it was genuine confusion. You weren't used to people caring about you the way he did.

After your shower, you'd gotten dressed and brushed your teeth, trying to get rid of the nasty taste in your mouth, before making your way back into your living room.

"You feeling any better?"

Ignoring his question, you plopped down onto the couch, grabbing the remote to turn the TV on.

"Y/N I asked-"

"Why are you doing this for me?" You cut in before he could finish.

The silence that filled the room after that, was so thick, not even the usual hustle and bustle of the cars outside of your apartment complex could be heard.

Maybe you shouldn't of come off as ungrateful, that's not how you wanted it to go at all.. You chalked it all up to being confused.

"Why even ask something like that." It came off as more of a statement than a question, his tone had completely changed.

"Because I genuinely want to know why you even care about me. We've only been friends for a few months Midoriya, out of everyone you could've picked to be your friend, you decided to pick me, the one who no one wants to be friends with, let alone associate with because of the rumors being spread about me. So let me ask you again-"

You looked up at him, finally meeting his stern emerald irises.

"Why are you doing this for me, Izuku Midoriya."

For a moment his mouth opened and closed rhythmically, as if he were trying to find the right words to say.

When he lifted his gaze to you once again, his eyes held a fondness you'd seen before.

The same kind of fondness they held when he talked about how cool all of his peers quirks were.

The same fondness they held when he reminisced about his days at UA high.

The fondness you'd realized weaved it's way around your broken heart and helped to slowly heal it with tender love and care.

"Ever since I was young, I wanted to grow up to be just like AllMight. I wanted to save people, become a hero, and do it all with a smile-" He paused and glanced at the scars that littered his open palms, before curling them up into a fist and smiling.

"I don't care who someone is, or what kind of danger they're in, I'm going to attain my dream of becoming a hero by saving everyone that needs it. Since you're my friend Y/N, I value you. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't help you even when you thought you didn't need it."

"So let me take care of you and help you feel better.. Please.. Will you allow me to take another step towards my dream by helping you recover?"

This was the very moment you realized you'd fallen again, even after telling yourself you weren't going to for a long time.

And it wasn't his want to help you recover, no..

His determination, his willpower, the eagerness to attain his dreams was what made you fall, wanting to help you recover was just the cherry on top.

~End Flashback~

"From that moment on, I knew I'd fallen in love with you. The fire in your eyes as you spoke about your hopes and dreams, drew me in. Everything about you from then on just made me smile and realize that I was so lucky to have you by my side." You stared up at the night sky, the fond smile on your face growing as you went on.

"You helped me realize a lot of things about myself, the world, others, and your determination inspired me to find my own. Like I said before Izuku, you're a hero to the world, but a hero to me as well, and for that, I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am."

Turning around to face him once again, you were immediately pulled forward, right cheek flush against his chest as he held the back of your head tenderly.

"Thank you.." Was all you heard from above you, cheek still pressed firmly against his chest.

You wanted to ask him 'What for?' But it seemed he'd anticipated your question, answering without you muttering a single word.

"For loving me, supporting me, sticking with me through everything, despite everything you have been there to cheer me on.. I thought for sure.. Tonight would be the night I lost you forever.. I was scared.. I hurt you and I want to make it up to you in any way I can.." He tilted your chin so you were looking up at him now, the moonlight reflecting off of your watering eyes as the two of you stared lovingly at one another for what seemed like eons.

There was no thought that popped into your head, no hesitant feeling as you felt your body move on its own, leaning up to kiss the man in front of you. The one you called home, the one you called yours...

When your lips finally collided with one another, that same electric spark you felt when kissing him for the first time, hit your body at full force, and the only thing you cared about in this moment, was him, the way he tasted, the way he felt, the way he so lovingly kissed you back with more passion and love than you'd ever experienced before.

His lips were so soft, almost like fluffy pillows against your own.

He tasted like mint, which made you lean in even more.

You missed this..

You missed him..

The tenderness of the kiss soon disappated, his soft plush lips leaving your own to trail light feathery kisses from your chin, all the way down to the soft supple flesh of your neck.

"I love you.. So so much Izuku.." You whispered, leaning your head back so he could continue showering you in soft kisses.

You were crying again, but this time.. It was from joy.. The simple joy of being so close to the man you loved, feeling his tender kisses against your warm skin, his messy green tufts tickling your nose just a little.

"I love you too Y/N.. I always have and always will.." He muttered against your neck, before refocusing on showering you in kisses.

An intimate, vulnerable moment like this, one you haven't shared with him in awhile, was enough for you.

It was then you realized..

You were finally back home.

[bearhugsandshrugs]

Heya em! Can I hear about “divorcee” for the wip name ask game? 😳💞

I stared at the word for an embarrassingly long time before I remembered that “divorce with two e’s” is also a noun 😭😂

Hiiii! Yesss it was an Astarion/Tav drabble that I wanted to turn into a fic or oneshot but I never finished it and I somehow lost the ability to write Astarion.

Anway you can have the whole WIP, it's not a lot. The concept was that Tav and Astarion got married in the heat of the moment and he divorced her without telling her:

The letter looked official. It even had a wax seal. But Tav spotted his name before registering anything else. He signed a... petition? Wh–

By the power vested in me as magistrate of Baldur's Gate, I hereby declare the petitioner's divorce GRANTED.

Oh.

Astarion pretended he didn’t know she was coming up to him and only turned around when he heard her calling out.

"Hey", she said, voice unusually flat, closing the distance between them in long, quick, steps. "I think I got your letter by mistake."

They both knew nothing about this was a mistake. Especially Astarion. It had all been very deliberate, last night. A bribe here to get the paperwork, a threat there to recover the seal. Nearly two bottles of wine to sign the papers himself. And an hour of quiet pacing before he left them next to her pillow. She'd slept through it all, as he had planned.

"Ah thank you, darling", he replied, lips curling into the familiar smile he wielded like a shield.

Tav scoffed. "Really?"

"Come now, no need for this to turn unpleasant." Astarion tried meeting her gaze, but instead looked over her shoulder into the far distance when he saw the hurt in her eyes. "I do so very much favor you up to date on all important news."

The outburst was louder than he'd expected. "Gods, do you ever stop?! Not everything is a joke!"

"Oh, I agree. Which is why I took it upon myself to remedy this joke of a situation we committed together when we got married. You should be thanking me, really."

Tav stared at him, mouth open, arms crossed; nearly as if to hug herself. Seconds seemed to stretch out into years. 

"T-thank you", she said eventually, voice shaky, but eyes clear. "Yes... Thank you." 

She nodded, more to herself than to him, then turned around, her face unreadable.

Astarion swallowed. Time to hold his head a little higher. "Wait – you don't want to congratulate me on resuming my magister duties, dear? I'm hurt."

Back still turned towards him, Tav nodded once more: slower, more intentional, more dangerous. 

"Congratulations, darling", she said, mocking his intonation. "How great for you to return to your life before me."

Astarion shouldn’t have pissed her off that much anymore, but with this stunt, he just managed to do it. Yes, they got married in the heat of the moment – drunk, on a post-sex high, madly in love. And Tav even agreed that it probably hadn’t been the wisest decision, after all, they only knew each other for weeks. Nevertheless – they had shared intimate moments before, they had fucking trusted each other! Or… she had trusted him. Now, she knew better. What an asshole. 

[kallystah]

~~~ Little Biscuit ~~~ Charlotte Cracker x reader

~~~~~

It had been a long day in Totto Land, the marshmallow-haired man having had to catch up with a traitor from Mama. He had traveled all over the archipelago to get his hands on him. Did this spy sincerely believe that he would arrive at his destination? What an idiot.

Cracker huffed. He was tired and had wasted an entire afternoon and evening crossing the islands when he could have got on with his administrative work at Sweet Commander.

He opened the door of his home, and entered his apartments. At least the day was over and he could now go to bed in the huge pile of mattresses that made up his shared bed.

He crossed the door of his room, and noticed that in this one, he was missing his roommate. Finally, his wife. He lifted the duvet to see if his baby was just hidden under all the covers, but still no trace.

Where could she have gone? he wondered.

Indeed, Minister Biscuit had been married a few years ago to a charming little human. Finally, he called her small from the height of her three meters seven, but she was still two meter one, crossed by a human and a small giantess about thirty years ago.

The beginnings had been a bit long between the two, but time and actions had passed, thus bringing the two souls closer together. It was now eleven years that they were married, and lived the perfect love.

The young woman named Y/n, had been scared when she heard the news that she would be married to a son of the Charlotte family, she had not been asked her opinion. But after finding out who he was, she had changed her mind and started to believe in her husband.

To return to the present time, the son Charlotte was looking for his companion in his palace. He was starting to worry. His wife wasn't wanted by the Navy, she didn't have any enemies in Totto Land either, people liked her, and it was raining outside, so she wouldn't have come out, so why wasn't she at her sides? Cracker had returned to the living room, the first room he had searched.

- Crack? You are home ? Came a sleepy little voice from the room.

- My cookie! Where have you been? I looked for you in all the palace. He replied hastily.

- I was on the sofa, I was waiting for your return by helping you with your tasks as commanders, but it seems that I fell asleep.

Cracker sighed tenderly, it was only with her that he could be like that. He approached her and took her in his arms.

- Come on, let's go to bed. And please don't touch my commanders business anymore, you don't know how to handle political affairs.

- Hmm. She grumbled, but he was right, she had quickly given up on reviewing an old report. Paperwork wasn't for her.

The two go to their common room. The young woman climbed onto the big bed they shared and took refuge under the covers. All you can see is a vague shape under the quilts that take up half the bed. Then the man joined her, happy to have found his wife and his cozy bed.

He slipped under the huge duvet and formed the large biscuit spoon, the name of the position in which they were, chosen by his wife. He was glued to her, chest against back, and his head above that of the young woman, calmly listening to the rhythm of her breathing.

- You know Crack, she started, the real reason I waited for you all day was because I had something to tell you.

- I'm listening to you. He said, waiting for calm.

- In a few months, we will have little cookies running all over the palace. The woman smiled, her heart appeased at having finally told her.

- Wait, is that really what I think? I will finally have my own family?

He returns to the woman with his arms, in order to see her face. She didn't give him that joke but he couldn't believe her. At this surprise gesture, she let out a laugh.

- Yes my Crackote. I saw the doctor today, she told me three little biscuits would arrive in 8 months.

- Stop calling me that. Oh! It could be the name of one of our children. He resumed with great joy.

- Crack please...

The woman didn't seem to want her children to be named after a treat, too.

- We'll have plenty of time to talk about first names together, as for Mama, we'll let her know in a few days. I want to enjoy this just with you. She finished by approaching her husband, sticking her chest against his chest.

- Anything to make you happy my cookie.

And the two fell asleep with a smile on their lips, each dreaming of a large family and one on the island of cookies.

~~~~

I'm sure there are spelling mistakes, sorry, but I hope you liked it : )

👀 My others OS :

https://kallystah.tumblr.com/post/691333316098637824/hi-everyone-here-is-my-masterlist-one-piece-3

[starlightrows]

4 — Bittersweet

Hiding In Plain Sight

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Pairing: Commander Wolffe x reader

Words: 4.3k

Warnings: Morning after awkwardness, descriptions of war and a battle, character death, early stages of grief, healthy coping skills

Summary: You and Wolffe come to an arrangement, and The Pack’s first real mission is an emergency in a familiar location

“Oh shit” 

“I uh… I don’t think anyone saw us” you sit up and try to start getting your things together “I don’t think anyone is back from the event yet, if I hurry–” 

“Wait” he cuts you off, sitting up too. You turn back to look at him, pulling up your panties and covering your breasts. “I don’t want you to run off and feel like this was a mistake” 

“But wasn’t it?” you ask “If we get caught… if anyone finds out… they will court martial you” 

“They might” he agrees “But I don’t regret anything. I would do it all again” 

That stops you in your tracks. Standing there in your undergarments, looking at him with a surprised and slightly sad expression on your face. “You would?” 

He would. He absolutely would. True he hasn’t known many people outside of his brothers, but he’s never met anyone like you. It’s not just that you’re beautiful, because you are beautiful. It’s your sense of humor, your friendly yet discerning disposition, your acceptance and fealty to this team, your talent as a medic, and your undeniable attraction to him in return.  “In a heartbeat” 

“So where do we go from here?” you ask, sitting back down on his bed. 

“I don’t know. You’re right, no one can ever find out. But I don’t want to pretend this never happened” he says 

“So we don’t. When we’re on duty, things are normal. I think you and I are both more than capable of keeping our work and personal lives separate” you start “But when we’re off duty… we’ll figure something out. Find a way somehow” 

“I don’t think there is a better option than that at this point” he agrees. You’re both quiet for a moment, taking in the reality of how difficult this could prove to be… but also how exciting it is to have a secret.

“I probably should sneak back to my own room before anyone gets back” you say with a bit of heat in your cheeks 

“Suppose it wouldn’t be good if we got caught 5 minutes into hiding in plain sight” he chuckles, standing up and putting his undershorts back on, while you work on getting your dress back on. He steps in front of you once you have your dress back up over your shoulders, and helps you zip it back up on the side. He stands there for a moment, gazing at you in your gorgeous dress. A slight smirk quirks his lips upwards, as he draws a hand up to your face to brush his thumb over your cheek. He leans down just a bit and kisses you, just to cement in his mind that this is real. 

He pulls away, adjusts your hair and sends you on your way. Luckily you don’t have far to go and it’s a straight shot back to your quarters. Once you were alone and behind closed doors, you had to sit there and take a minute. Stars you wish you could write this down or take a holo image of yourself with your make up all smeared to prove this wasn’t just a dream in the morning. But writing it down or even taking a holo image would be proof to others as well, this is one secret that can not get out. 

In the morning, life resumes as normal. You actually found it really wasn’t difficult at all to keep things professional with Wolffe in front of the others. It certainly helped that this morning’s training was in no way fun or sexy. Endurance training with double weighted packs to simulate having to carry out a civilian or fallen soldier. By lunch you were exhausted, sweaty, and grumpy about having to continue your day with desk work instead of taking the big nap your body wanted. No, instead you had piles and piles of paperwork sitting on your desk. A glamorous lifestyle to be sure. But all day long, your hip bones had a bit of an ache to them. That was all the proof you needed that last night happened. 

You were worried that it would be more difficult to “act natural” around the men in the evening. Even though everyone is technically always on duty unless on shore leave, the evening does tend to be when your battalion has down time. Usually they all crowd together in the barracks to play sabacc or in the mess hall to eat together, you are almost always there with them unless the day’s paperwork forces you to work long into the night. But when you and Wolffe turn up to join the others for dinner, nothing is different. Maybe this could work out after all. 

That evening when everyone goes back to the barracks you and Wolffe wander back to the officers quarters together. You wonder for a moment if you should try to sneak into someone's room together again? But when you reach the concourse that separates the two of you there are other officers milling about. You glance over at Wolffe, he glances back at you. Nope. Not tonight. Too risky. 

“Goodnight Commander” you nod

“Captain” he responds, the two of you turn away from one another and walk to your respective rooms. It really was too easy to pull it off without any sort of difficulty or hiccup, but at least you both proved that you can keep it together in front of others. You go to bed that night, dreaming of the night before. His lips trailing down your neck, his hands squeezing your tits, the firmness of his abdomen and stars above his –

Suddenly you are torn from sleep by both a frantic knocking at your door and your com device blaring at you. You blink awake and stumble out of bed in your sleeping shorts and t-shirt, swiping your com device to answer it and wrench the door open at the same time. It’s Wolffe, hastily latching his armor over his black fatigues with a serious look on his face. 

“What the hell is going on?” you growl, not even looking at him, trying to get your com device to shut up.

“You’re needed in command, right now” he says. You’re about to protest when you see the chain codes that have been blowing up your com device. Several members of the war counsel that govern this base are requesting your presence immediately. 

“I’ll be right there” you tell him

“I’ll make a pot of caf and get the men up, I have a feeling we’re going back to Eris” he grumbles walking away from your door

You don’t really take stock of what he said, only that he was making a pot of caf. You pull on your uniform and get your hair up to regulation standards in record time and glance at the chronometer just before you leave. 2:56am is too god damn early to be having a crisis.

You make it to the command center and find it buzzing with military officials, not unlike the other day. All of them have cups of caf in hand, but none of them seem to be drinking any. Do these psychos just never sleep? Wolffe steps into the room behind you and closes the door, handing you a fresh cup of caf, just the way you like it. 

You give him a sidelong glance. The I don’t want to fucking be here kind of eyes. 

He raises an eyebrow, and you can see the barest hints of dark circles under his eyes. Yeah, neither kind of eyes. 

The meeting is called to order. You and Wolffe are informed that the Separatists have returned to Eris and mounted a full scale invasion to gain control of the planet and its resources. Several attack battalions and full legion groups have already been deployed. The 104th is being deployed to the epicenter of the invasion, the region capital, to facilitate evacuation of civilians. 

That wakes you right up. The people you met on Eris, while not representative of all the regions on the planet, were not fighters. The thought of those kind and welcoming people being subjected to the hostilities of an invasion, makes your stomach twist itself in knots. The two of you are dismissed from the meeting, and ordered to get your squadron ready to depart immediately. 

By the time the two of you make it to the barracks all eight men are awake, armored up, and getting together the last of the gear bags. Slush tosses you your medical pack as the men file out of the barracks and start heading towards the hangar where General Plo is waiting to join you. 

“Are you copiloting for me this morning Captain?” he asks, still chipper and bright despite the early wake up call

“Promise not to crash the ship” you ask, sipping your caf 

“I did not crash the ship!” He says indignantly 

“Alright alright, it’s too early to bicker” you relent. You finish your caf and ditch the disposable cup before boarding the ship. Once the doors close, and the engines are on, it’s all business. The flight back to Eris feels like it takes no time at all, because you barely have time to get anxious about what you’re about to fly into before the ship is dropping out of hyperspace into a battle. 

Slush goes into evasive action, avoiding the Separatists battleship by speeding off towards the planet’s surface by using the Republic Cruiser as a screen. The coordinates you were provided with by the war counsel will take you down to the planet’s surface, just outside the capital city of Eris in a region far away from where the pack had landed before. 

It is utter chaos down there. The ships firing on each other are visible in the daylight against the sky. Droids march on the capital and fire on the civilians with no regard for taking prisoners or minimizing damage. This is less of an invasion and more of a genocide. Sinker, Boost and Cinder spring into action, firing back on the droids on the ground. Comet climbs on top of the ship to get a vantage point and starts calling out what direction reinforcements are coming from, taking shots with a long range rifle when he can. Jag and Slush start directing civilians into the city gates, while Mav and Cricket do a perimeter sweep. General Plo stands out front with the men, using his lightsaber to defect in coming blaster bolts. Wolffe makes contact with the war counsel to update them on the situation on the ground, and you start setting up a triage sight to help the wounded inside the walls. 

Wolffe joins you at the triage, where you are ordering able bodied civilians to help move the injured in doors. He yanks you aside, 

“We’re about to get a massive influx of civilians into this city with clankers on their heels” he tells you 

“This is about to be a bloodbath sir” you wipe the sweat off your brow

“The war counsel is sending in attack battalions to flank them from behind, but we need to buy them time and get as many people behind these walls” he grunts, glancing back towards the pack. 

“We’ll do everything we can sir” you nod 

People pour into the city through the gates. The sounds of blaster fire, people calling out for help or loved ones, others howling in pain as you and the few volunteer medics and nurses attempt to treat their wounds. It feels never ending. 

Suddenly there is a massive and cacophonous sound that tears away your focus from the patient you’re attempting to get situated. You turn to look over your shoulder only to see the wall of droids that seem to materialize from the dark spaces between the trees. Your heart drops. If those droids breach the walls, all the civilians that fled here to be safe will be like fish in a barrel. You leave your patient in the hands of one of the more skilled healers that’s volunteered to help, and sprint for the front gate, drawing your own blaster to start returning fire with your squadron. 

“Where’s our back up?” you holler

“Coms are down, we’re in the blind here” Wolffe shouts over the noise 

“Commander” General Plo address Wolffe, “If we are to save the people that already made it this far, we need to close the gates and engage the city’s defensive measures” 

“Yes sir” Wolffe barks “Round up the stragglers boys, we need to close those gates!” 

Half of the men peel off and start ushering civilians inside, while the others close ranks and continue firing on the enemy. But it’s not enough, the droids just keep coming and the there are too many civilians to move to get the job done quickly. 

“What we need is a gap. Just a couple minutes where we could have more of the men moving the civilians and to get the door closed” you observe 

“I’m open to suggestions Captain” General Plo says 

“Cinder!” You yell over the noise

“Captain?” he looks back towards you from where he just deposited an elderly woman within the city walls

“I need you to get me a bomb. Something we can laugh behind their line to create a gap in their waves” you tell him. He thinks your just a moment

“Uuhh… yeah… yeah I could do that” he nods. 

You yank the blaster out of his hands, “Go!” you order him sternly

He nods and darts into the city walls to have a safe enough spot to take off his pack and start assembling a remote detonated explosive. He returns a few minutes later holding a terrifying looking contraption and a remote control. 

“I’ll have Comet use the rocket launcher to get it behind their lines Captain” he says, heading over towards the ship to give the bomb to Comet. You hope this will work, but know that you have to coordinate with the rest of the pack if it stands a chance. 

“Commander, tell the men to be ready to stop firing, move the last of civilians, and pull the doors closed from the inside. Comet is going to launch a bomb behind their lines to give us time” you explain quickly

“Will it work?” He asks 

“It’s going to have to sir. We don’t have another option” you shake your head. He gives you a nod, if you say it will work, he trusts you. He turns his head to address the men. 

“Sinker Boost, be ready to cease fire and get inside on my mark. Jag Slush get those civilians in those gates. Cinder Comet, the second you launch, get out of there and over the wall. Mav Cricket, be ready to pull the doors closed from the inside when everyone’s in. Captain, pull the General and get back to the triage sight” Wolffe orders. 

“Yes sir” you respond, and leave the pack to advance forward to get General Plo’s attention and fill him in on the plan. He agrees that it does seem likely that this plan is the only thing that will save these people, and retreats with you behind the wall. Just as you make it beyond the wall, you hear Wolffe’s voice ring out over the others “Mark!” followed by a small pop, a whizzing sound and then a massive explosion. 

Everyone flies into action. Comet and Cinder make a sprint for the city gates, Cinder scooping up a frightened child and tossing them over his shoulder. Sinker and Boost cease fire and move quickly to join Jag and Slush, getting the last few civilians inside. Wolffe darts in too, and orders Mav and Cricket to shut the gates. The two of them tug on the ropes that hold the doors. They move slowly, being that they have not been closed in what you guess is hundreds of years, given that they are never closed. The pack and some of the civilians too grab the ropes and help to pull the doors shut. 

The droids in the next wave are coming fast, you didn’t buy as much time as you had hoped. The left side door seems to come free and swing closed on it’s hinges, slamming shut. But the right will not budge. General Plo extends an arm, attempting to use the force to move the door. But it won’t move, something is obstructing its path. The more the people pull, the more tension gets put on the rope. Suddenly the tension breaks and the rope snaps towards the highest point of it’s attachment, the door is stuck in the open position. You don’t even have time to panic, or think of another solution because out of nowhere, Mav lets go of the rope and takes off running out of the city gates. 

“Get back here soldier!” Woffe barks, but Mav doesn’t even turn around. He skids to a stop and clearing away the debris that’s holding the door closed. He only has to move a few large stones before it starts to glide back a bit. But it isn’t enough without the rope to pull it closed from the inside. You watch in horror as Mav gets on the other side of the door and starts to push it closed from the outside. 

The door breaks free as Mav pushes it closed. It snaps shut. With him on the other side. 

“Mav!” the men scream “Mav!” 

But all that can be heard from the other side of the wall is blaster fire. You stand there in shock. In less than a standard minute all of that had happened, and you could do nothing to stop it. You’re wrenched from your shock by the driving force in your gut. The job is not done. You turn on your heel and sprint back to the triage sight, just as reinforcements fly in and lay down a spray of blaster fire on the droid army. 

—

When the smoke clears, and the doors are open again. Wolffe confirms what everyone already knows. Mav held the door closed and took an innumerable amount of blaster fire. He saved the pack. He saved the civilians. He bought the last three minutes of safety for the people until the reinforcements arrived. But he was gone. 

There are many casualties amongst the civilian population too. They offer to include Mav in their funeral procession and honor him as one of their warriors of days long past. It is a kind and generous offer, one the pack is more than happy to accept. All of the fallen are placed on a pyre and cremated. Many of the civilians sing songs of mourning while the fire burns, or of celebration and liberation. It seems to vary between what region each family came from on Eris. But all of them wear a line of slate gray paint on their right cheek. 

When a middle aged woman comes by the pack holding a little bowl of the paint to adorn your faces too you ask her what it means to her people. 

She paints the line down your cheek with her finger with a sad smile on her face “Gray is the color for bravery in the face of the unknown, strength for yourself and others, thanks for the gifts you have been given, and mourning for what you have lost” she tells you. She goes down the line and gives each member of the pack a line on their right cheek as well, General Plo leans down to accept a gray streak as well. 

After she leaves the team stands together in silence. You take in your squad. Exhausted, disheartened, dirty, bruised and battered. Mismatched armor and clashing colors. You’ve had rough days in this war, some of them have too, but others… this is their first true battle and true tragedy. 

“Seems fitting” Wolffe clears his throat 

“What does?” Sinker asks with a bit of a bite in his tone 

“Gray paint” Wolffe says simply “We are still a squad. And we still need a unifying color. Gray seems fitting for this team” 

“For remembrance” you echo his thoughts. You look around the circle and see them all nodding in agreement. 

“Gray it is then” Wolffe says with a small nod

Unfortunately, you have to return back to Coruscant. No one is particularly talkative on the flight back. Or when you disembark back on the base. 

“Get yourselves cleaned up boys” Wolffe tells them as they head back to the barracks 

“Gentlemen” General Plo calls out before they can leave “Captain” he address you as well “This evening, I would like for all of you to join me in the training facility after you all have a chance to eat and rest” 

The men are a bit confused, a little irritated, but ultimately no better than to protest. “Yes sir” they all acknowledge him. You also are wondering what the bloody maker the General is thinking. Does he actually expect them to go through training drills tonight? After all the shit that just happened? Regardless, you don’t verbally question it either. 

You trudge back to your quarters and take a long shower. You let a few tears fall since there is no one to witness them. It feels good to let it out, but you would rather take a blaster bolt to the foot than let a squadmate or really any other military personnel see you cry. 

Once you’re clean and you’ve got your hair situated, you change into your base fatigues and force yourself to go eat something. The only other person that seems to be on your wavelength is Slush who sits at a table alone in the mess hall with near dripping curls wetting the back of his shirt. 

You take a seat across from him and attempt to eat some of the rations you were provided. You wait to see if Slush will start some kind of conversation. Opening with a joke. Asking about your love life. Blabbing out drama happening in other battalions. But he doesn’t. And neither do you. Soon, others from the team filter in, joining you at the table and picking at their food. No one speaks but the silence doesn’t feel uncomfortable. 

Eventually the whole team is sitting at the table together. Squeaky clean with damp hair, tired eyes and somber expressions. Wolffe clears his throat after a time “I’m not sure what the General has planned for us tonight. But I told him we were not up to doing physical training today. He has assured me that is not his intention” 

Some of the men at the table exchange looks with one another. Confusion in some. Curiosity in others. Disinterest in most. “Commander… can this wait until morning?” Sinker asks, Boost elbows him in the ribs. 

“I don’t think so lads. General Plo assured me this wouldn’t take long. The sooner we get in there, the sooner we can go to bed” he says 

The squad grumbles but stands up and files to the training room. General Plo has pushed back all of the equipment to the edges of the room, and laid down the sparring mats. Your heart drops. He wants the team to spar? At a time like this? 

But no. That is not the General Plo Koon you know. And that is not what he has planned. He is sitting at the head of the room, and kindly asks everyone to take a seat wherever they feel comfortable. You do, crossing your legs and sitting up straight, looking around to see what everyone else does. 

“We can all agree that today was both a victory and a tragedy. The people of Eris will live and prosper thanks to the ten of you. But the loss of Mav is not something we should take lightly” he begins “I invite all of you to take a moment of silence for yourselves. Feel all of the emotions you are feeling, and embrace them with open arms. Do not run away from your fear, your anger, your sadness” 

You close your eyes and sit in your feelings for a moment. You’ve been told before that The Force the Jedi wield and worship is something that can be felt, experienced and is ingrained in all living things. And it’s not that you didn’t believe that in the past, but you didn’t really feel it and couldn’t be bothered to try to search for it. But now, as you focus on your breath and allow yourself to sink into the present moment. Maybe you do feel it. 

You are not the only one. Others in the room fall into similar states of meditation, ruminating on their own inner thoughts and turmoils. It’s strangely comforting. 

“Thank you all, for taking this time to meditate with me” General Plo says calmly after a few minutes “Many Jedi practice the art of meditation, but it is not limited to those who use the Force. I use it to process emotions and understand my feelings. I wanted each of you to have this tool to help you process your own feelings and emotions, and to know that I would be more than happy to speak with you about this heaviness we all carry, should mediation not bring you the peace you seek” 

“Thank you General” Cricket says quietly. A chorus ‘thank you’s follow. To which General Plo bows his head in acknowledgment.

“You are welcome” he says “Now, it is also my duty to inform all of you, that you have been granted shore leave for the next two days. You are free to leave the base if you choose. But I ask all of you to keep your health and safety in mind. I look forward to seeing you all again in a few days' time” And with that, General Plo stands, bids you all a good evening and exits the training room.

[magicline]

Yumekuro • Link (The Beginning Of A Dream) Meister Story Translation Part 5/5

(A/N): It is recommended to read the story with in-game voiced lines ! Beware of spoilers and enjoy reading ^_^

⚠️ STRICTLY NO REPOSTS !

In A Project.

Then, few days later—

Emma : Sorry Link, but do you have a moment? I’m having trouble understanding something.

Link : Oh. What is it ~?

Emma : The thing is—

Recently, I’ve been learning how to edit videos with Link.

Emma : (Wish I could help out a bit with how busy Link is. How naive am I…)

There’s still a lot to learn, and it’s going to be hard for me to help him right now.

Link : — Then, just click here, and you’re done.

Emma : Ah, it works!

Link : Basically, it’s just a combination of editing techniques ~ How did you know?

Emma : I was just trying to come up with an idea, but I don’t have enough operating skills to begin with…

Link : Ahaha, you got some great sense of ideas right there ★

Link : No worries. I usually try to come up with an idea, if it fails then try again, and repeat.

Emma : Or start over if it fails…

Emma : Hey, Link. How long did it take you to develop the Magic Line?

Link : …

Link : Ten years. Plus three years as far as I could remember.

Emma : Ten years… and, plus three years?

Link : I’ve been interested in this kind of technology since I was a child. For a long time, my friend and I had been working on it.

Link : Halfway through, I kind of stopped doing the project. We resumed the project after I joined Over The Rainbow, and it took us another 3 years.

Emma : 13 years altogether… That’s a long time.

Link : Mhm, that’s why I remember it so well. For the first time, when I was able to connect my voice from a distant place—

Link : I cried.

He stopped.

And Link’s smile filled his whole face.

Link : To conclude ★ Emma shouldn’t be in a hurry, alright? I’m still very grateful you’re here to help.

—

☀️ Sun’s choice - I want to help you more than I’ve ever done.

Emma : I want to help you more than I’ve ever done.

Emma : The Magic Line that Link had spent so much time on creating it, I want more people to acknowledge it.

Link : … That’s such an adorable thing for you to say that, you know.

Link : Really, I’m truly happy to hear that.

🌙 Moon’s choice - Link will be here to teach me.

Emma : Link will always be here to teach me.

Emma : (Really, you don’t look like you’re bad at socialising.)

Link : Ahaha, seems like I owe you a big favour for giving me the Magic Shot?

Link : — Not only that. I know you really want to help me, obviously.

—

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, we looked at each other and laughed.

Then.

*knocks on the door*

Lagoon : Both of you. Why don’t we take a break? Hollow said he’ll brew a blend he got from Land Of Tea.

Hollow : Fu. I’d rather break it down than mix it up… We also got some high-quality cookies given to us from our business partners.

Link : Cookies? I want some!

Link : Oh, Hollow! Remember the Magic Shot I told you before, Emma gave it to me!

Hollow : That thing. The other night, you kept on talking about it all-night long.

Following Hollow going to the hot water supply room, Link bounced out of the room.

Emma : (Link, he must be good friends with Lagoon too.)

Lagoon : Miss lady, you’re good. Latest gadgets are always Link’s breakpoint.

Emma : Breakpoint?

Lagoon : Yeah. He seems to like you, but he’s good when it comes to putting up a facade and his guards.

Emma : I knew… But, it’s still a little strange to me.

Emma : Link always has a smile on his face, and truly enjoys interacting with everyone during live-streams. It’s hard to believe he’s not good at socialising.

Lagoon : … All I can say to you, is that I hope you can keep on supporting him.

Lagoon : Link has a big dream. He needs someone by his side, someone who will work hard together with him.

Emma : Together with…

Lagoon’s words, it suddenly made me think of something I accidentally left behind in my room.

Emma : (… After we have our breaks, I’ll have Link to take a look on this one.)

Link : …

With the way Link was looking through the paperworks, I watched him with bated breath.

Link : … I see ~

The document Link was reading on that time, it’s the one I’ve been working on outside my regular duties…

Aiming to expand awareness of Magic Line, it has to be a major event project.

Link : I think the content should be new and innovative.

Emma : !

Link : We have never held an event that brings together Magic Line streamers in a large scale, nor have we had such an event.

Link : But… Hmm ~

Emma : (I can see why Link is reluctant.)

He’s busy, he said he’s not that good in socialising, and he has a lot going on as a top streamer.

But, let’s say he agreed that it’s a profitable dea. It is something that could potentially contribute to the development of Magic Line.

Emma : If you’re concerned about the arrangements, I’ll handle it. Though I might have to ask you few questions…

Emma : So, what do you think?

When I looked straight at him with serious thoughts in mind, Link’s eyes shut as if he was in a state of confusion.

To be continued…

(A/N): If there are misspellings, mistranslations etc. please let me know and excuse me. 🙏

Next chapter : Sun Route Part 1 (soon) + Moon Route Part 1 (soon)

Prev. chapter : Part 4

[meanderingthoughtsofthewretched]

Back again.

Another night staying up way too late crying because am I’m trying to fall asleep my brain starts dredging up shit. I was done literally less than an hour ago, but now? Crying again and I know I won’t stop for a while unless I actively distract myself, so might as well type here.

I guess I’ll start with the big one. I was not accepted into grad school. Again. For the *third fucking year in a row*. When I first got the news I was sad, sure, but more than that I was just pissed. I tried *so fucking hard* because *no one* was helping me. I don’t know what people want, what they expect, and I’m just flailing around in the dark.

Yeah, I know the first year was my bad. In my defense, I had not clue what I was doing. I spent wayyyyy too long studying for the stupid fuckjng GRE (why the shit do they have math that I haven’t seen since 7th grade????) and not near enough time on the statement of purpose, cv, or resume. But also in my defense, I didn’t know what schools I was trying to apply for because I was *literally* told certain ones I was not allowed to go to (which I bet my dad conveniently forgot he did) and then the ones I found I was told sucked ass. By the time I was told this (because of course no one fucking told me on their own, I had to fuck up first) it was too late to apply for any of the good ones. Yes, I was someone picky, but god forbid the tiny short ass 100 pound soaking wet sheltered kid not want to go across country **by herself** with *no drivers license or car* and no experience living in an apartment. So I applied to where I could and crossed my fingers.

Obviously, that didn’t work out. Year two, I tried to go for one school only, that way I could tailor my letter better. I thought I did good, but the panic attacks I got any time o tried to work on it made it take too long, and one of my profs didn’t get their letter of recommendation in on time, this I was auto denied. Which sucks, but I understood why.

So try again! Except, the time when I could have been connecting with profs, and writing, I had to spend relearning how to drive and then actually taking the damn test. Fuck, I hated that entire experience. I was constantly anxious and panicked, crying myself to sleep most nights and struggling to hold it together in front of my parents, who were acting like it was the easiest thing in the world to do and didn’t understand why I was struggling. I had to redo everything because wow! Paperwork can expire! And when I last did all of this *two fucking years earlier* they didn’t help me, and left me to flounder. I don’t know why they thought I could magically learn how to drive a car without *being in one* but I guess it didn’t matter that much to them until it was an inconvenience and actually affected them.

Anyways, this year I don’t know why I didn’t get it. I can only guess. Was it because I only had one bio prof, and the other two were other branches? (Earlier prof who got in late decided she just… didn’t want to, and made it my problem because she also took almost a month to answer me, requiring me to find a prof that was willing to write on an incredibly short notice.) Was it because it was turned in close to the deadline? If so, why have the deadline there??? It makes no sense. And I hate that it is during winter break, because if something goes wrong you have to work your ass off to get anyone to answer you about stuff. I also couldn’t show that I was upset, or worried, because that might have made my lil sister upsetti about going back for another semester 🙃

Every single. Fucking. Time I have any problems, someone else has it worse so I have to bite my tongue to not make it worse *for them*. Especially the bean. Jesus I hate that I’m here essentially as an emotional support sister, because my parents were tired of her losing her shit at the smallest things.

And yet!!! She has her life together!! Holy fuck! She’s got a car that she likes that she is confortable driving, a boyfriend who is willing to come see her at the drop of a hat, friends who she regularly sees and hangs out with and are willing to take her places, gaming consoles that are just hers, and a place to stay that is away from parents and where she feels she can be herself. She’s got a job and an internship *paid*, like **well paid** coming up that will likely lead her to other jobs, profs that like her and have said they are willing to write her recommendations, and it’s all been handed to her on a fucking platter.

I was not allowed to learn how to drive until now, much less have a car. No significant other to see or hang with. Friends are far away and don’t bother initiating contact (I have a whole rant saved for later about that). I’ve literally never had my own console to play on, they have all been shared and eventually taken away by my siblings, much less the tv and projector she has. I feel trapped here, and watched. I was literally not allowed to have a job and now can’t do anything because the walkable things are for students only and *I don’t have a fucking car*. One of my profs straight up said she doesn’t want to bother writing for me anymore because I’m not worth it. Basically any opportunity in college was squashed thanks to COVID and me not taking a year off when I should have. And now all opportunities are limited to students so I can’t even get any more experience to try and because a student to actually move on in life. And I just??? What the fuck am I supposed to do??? All I can do is cry.

I haven’t told my dad yet, I have no idea how he will take it. He will probably get mad.

My mum actually had the gall to ask me if I actually want to get a masters. I told her yes, but in reality?? How the fuck should I know??? I was never allowed to have a damn opinion about things involving my life, why start now?? She was the one who decided my life path, hell she tried to decide that for all my siblings, and I was the only one who didn’t say no. So, no, I don’t know if I actually want this, I don’t know what I want to do at all, this is her dream. Be been so damn depressed for so long, all I want is to have a stable life.

All I want is somewhere to live with people I choose, who I don’t feel obligated to take care of, a stable job that pays decently so I can occasionally get things I like, and isn’t soul crushing, a car that gets me places safely, and the ability to breathe without being constantly stressed out.

Is that really so much to ask???

I’ll do the friend rant later, but I’m. Too tired. It took over an hour to write this and it’s just ramble at this point.

Fuck

[thecornerofegg]

(Cw: injury and blood, no graphic descriptions)

I have a lot of oc's, 78 to be precise, one of which is my spider oc (Yk like a spidersona but it's not acctually you) and i would like to introduce you to them cus i think they are cool. So without further ado, let me present to you... *drumroll*

Ira (a.k.a. The Glass Spider)

(They/e) A 23 y/o smithing student, hobby engineer and artist living in [city with undisclosed name] (possibly New York, haven't decided yet). Being a student by day and vigilante/hero (depending on who you ask) by night doesn't leave much free time or income, so e shares a smal 3 room flat with eir best friend (yet to be named). She workes as a tattoo artist while Ira studies and takes weekend shifts at a grocery store, they met in school when they were 10 and stuck together. Ira's friend knows they're Glass Spider, but she comes home while e's out patroling and promptly passes out on her bed, soundly asleep when Ira comes back, leaving them to deal with any injuries alone. Not because she doesn't want to help, if prompted she would move mountains for Ira, e is her rock and she eir rock right back. She has a lot on her plate, with a partner in another city who's dealing with mental health while healing from an acident plus being the only one in the household who has a propper income, waking early and working late to scrape together as much as possible. Besides, Ira's been doing this for 9 years, they're capable, and if something went really south they would surely wake her up.

Ira got bit at 14, walking home one night and passing the Oscorp building where one of the specimen for an early-stage project conserning enhansing traits in creatures such as spiders had managed to crawl out an airduckt. 8 years later (after the project had first been shut down, then revived albeit sidelined and recently fully resumed) one 15 y/o Peter Parker was bitt at his school trip (the project then proceded to be scraped compleatly about 2 months later to never be resumed). One more year and we've arived at the pressent day.

The Glass Spider is a crime fighting vigilante/hero who's been active for 9 years. Their powers consist of being sticking, producing webs (due to tight budget Ira doesn't get the ideal amount of food for their metabolism, which makes the webs unreliable, so they opt to use artificial webs and webshooters instead), turning invisable/cloaking, the spider sence, enhanced metabolism + healing + muscles (strength, jumping, clinging, running and all the stuff you use muscles for) and hightend sences (you might notice they wear glasses in civies, that's cus after the bite e went from really really thick perscribtion glasses to just barely needing any. They wear contacts in the suit).

One of Glass' specialties is sneaking around unnoticed, spying and listening in on plans and conversations in abandoned warehouses, dark alleys, the backs of trucks and the like. They carry around a little recorder conected to a flashdrive in one of their pouches and a smal camera in another, as well as a few zip-lock bags just in case.

In this universe the Avengers are a thing, and they've been around since Ira was 16. Since Ira was 17 they've been trying to convince them to join, and since Ira was 17 they've been saying no thank you, not a way in hell. Glass generally works alone, end of discution. Joining something like The Avengers would not only put em in more danger and possibly drag eir friend into this whole thing, it would ultimately keep em from patrolling and helping the general population with problems and crimes smaler then an alien invation, and might just force em to fill out mission reports and other tedious paperwork. So no thank you. But they just keep on asking! Tony Stark is stubborn and so it the rest of that team, but Ira can also be stubborn. 6 years of stubborn and counting. Despite that, The Avengers have managed to drag Glass along to important fights, training sesions and the odd team bonding exercise, though they do not know eir identity, with the exeption of Peter.

Glass has their own key card to the tower, leading to the door on the roof, the training room, the Avengers' comunal living space and kitchen, their own guest room (installed against their wishes but to the joy of the team) and any other rooms they might need access to. It's not an all to rare sight to see Glass patching up a perticularly bad wound in the bathroom, or stoping by during patroll for a snack or a glass of water if it's closer then their flat. Some days when Ira doesn't have any clases, e might swing by the tower in eir mask to do suit repairs or make more webfluid in one of the labs, ocationally being joined by one of the labrats of the team, Peter for the most part.

Spiderman joined the Avengers at 16, but had met Glass Spider out on patroll only a week after starting out. They were fast friends despite the age gap and they have eachothers backs, ready to help if needed. Peter didn't have natural webbing, but he was a science nerd with access to a lab for an after-school extracurricular. They figured Peter could use Ira's webbing as a base and work from there while Ira, being a hobby engineer, uppgraded the simple contraption they'd previously used to shoot semi-artificial webs. Between the two of them it was an easy problem to solve. Peter is a close friend, and the only person beside Ira's roommate who knows they're Glass Spider. Sometimes they go out and do a whole patroll together, instead of just running into eachother. A few times one has had to carry the other to the tower to get patched up after their joined patrolls, a few times its happend after they ran into eachother, one of them reeping the consequenses of a perticularly nasty fight.

Here's their oldest design and consept from back in june

I have currently been in the process of redesigning for say, a few months? So I'm still working on the colors

Hope you like 'em cus i do :D

If you acctually read all the way, thank you!!!! If you have any questrion about them just ask away