#he sent me a link and I haven’t opened it yet but I can assure you I have read it

[lipstickstainz]

true lies - s. r. (10/15)

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader

Series Summary: Spencer is furious, when you rejoin the team after a year and after you left him, when he got arrested. Little does he know, that you leaving him was the only option to ever get him out of prison.

Chapter Summary: A case brings you back to Cat Adams - and there’s a lot she has to say.

Warnings: angst, be prepared

Word Count: 1.9k 

A/N: I’m sorry it took so long and it’s so short, but.i tried really hard. hope you enjoy. gif not mine.

Series Masterlist

previous part

Annoyed, you slap the steering wheel with the flat of your hand as if it will magically make the traffic jam in front of you disappear.

Ever since you ended the friendship between Spencer and you, the universe seems to want to punish you. First, a pipe broke in your apartment, flooding your bathroom. Apparently, it was fixed so well that two days later, suddenly no water arrived in your apartment, right when you were in the shower. Yesterday morning, none of your three alarm clocks rang, which is why you were way late for work.

And now you've been stuck in traffic for about an hour, and even though all the lights are green, you're not moving forward at all. You are lucky that you left an hour earlier than usual today and apparently you had a good nose. In the next few days you would leave nothing to chance.

The only positive thing about your bad luck is that all the stress doesn't leave you any time to think about Spencer, and since he's currently still teaching and not on BAU, you don't have to see him either. You wouldn't be able to stand wanting to be close to him without being able to. Even though it was your choice to turn away from him. But that doesn't mean it's any less painful.

When you finally get to the office, you head straight to the round table where everyone is already waiting for you. Even Spencer is sitting at his seat, and as your eyes meet, your blood freezes in your veins. What is he doing here? Did you miscount the days he wasn't supposed to be here? Or are you just unlucky again?

Emily stands next to Penelope next to the screen. In her hand she holds a file that looks very familiar. "Top secret" is written on it, and the fact that you're all here now - even Spencer - is definitely not a good sign. "Married men have been found dead in several states," she begins to speak, and Penelope shows the crime scene images on the screen. "They were always shot at close range."

"Seems personal", JJ says.

"What about the wives?", asks Tara. "Were they unhappy marriages?"

As the team speculates, you look more closely at the photos on your tablet. One of the men is wearing an expensive watch; another has a black American Express in his wallet.All of the men are dressed fancier, as if they had been on a date, but apparently not with their own wives, because they all had water-tight alibis.  Something about this case feels eerily familiar.

You take a look at the family pictures that had been sent to you. Some of the men had children, others didn't, but they all lived very luxuriously. Big houses, several cars. Bigwigs. Their lives seemed perfect. Maybe a little too perfect.

"So the killer is targeting rich, married men?", speaks up Luke. "But why these particular men? There are no connections between them, and I doubt they were chosen at random."

It wasn't random, you add in thought. Somewhere in your brain synapses link and it lays on the tip of your tongue, but you can't name it. The thought is like an itch you can't get rid of and you'd love to rip the hair off your head, it bothers you so much.

"Who throws themselves at married men only to kill them?", asks Matt. "An avenging angel who kills cheaters?"

You glance at the bank statements, and the scales fall from your eyes. Running a hand through your hair, you look first at Emily, who gives you a knowing look before casting a furtive glance in Spencer's direction. But he's already looking at you. Is he thinking the same thing you are? Has he figured it out, too? Does Emily know? Is that why she called him in?

"That's impossible", Spencer says without taking his eyes off you. The team looks at him before their questioning gazes move to you. Apparently, they haven't figured it out yet. "She's in jail."

You interlace your fingers in your lap so they don't see how much you're shaking. Just the thought of it makes you shudder. "It has to be a copycat", you return, to which Spencer's eyes narrow.

"Who are you talking about?", JJ asks, putting her hand on his arm, but he's so focused on you that he doesn't even notice.

Emily clears her throat and everyone looks to her except for Spencer and you. "Cat Adams."

-

"I talked to the warden", Emily says when you're in her office. She stands leaning against her desk while Spencer and JJ face her. You've taken the seat on the couch against the wall, elbows propped on your knees, foot bobbing up and down.

Really bad. Really, really bad.

"Adams is ready to talk. But only with you, Spencer."Though her words are directed at him, her gaze is calmly on you. Apparently, she wants to make sure you don't throw up on the floor.  You can't promise her. "In twenty minutes, you'll be flying out. As soon as the three of you find out anything, I want to be informed immediately."

Spencer's whole body tenses, but he doesn't respond. The two of them leave the office while you stay behind. Emily sits down next to you on the couch and grabs your hands.

"I'd rather you didn't go with them, Y/N," she begins. "But I'm afraid you have to go with them. You know why."

You look at her, her expression concerned, and you'd like to hug her as an assurance that everything would be okay. "It just doesn't make things any easier, unfortunately."

During the flight, no one speaks a word. You each turn your attention to other things to calm yourselves. JJ watches videos on her phone, Spencer reads a book about astronomy, and you close your eyes, trying not to think too much, but each time you do, you see her face.

The streak of bad luck continues to haunt you.

The warden takes you straight to the interrogation room. He says something, but you don't listen to him. You're far too preoccupied with the fact that everything could go to hell in a minute. To say you're scared would be an understatement.

The three of you stand in front of the glass, allowing you to peer into the room. Cat Adams looks worse than you imagined. Her hair hangs stringy and disheveled from her head, there are jet-black shadows under her eyes, and her overall appearance could be straight out of a horror movie.

"Are you okay, Spence?" asks JJ, but Spencer doesn't answer. "Take all the time you need. No one is forcing you to talk to her right now."

"The longer I don't talk to her, the more potential victims there are," he replies coolly and firmly, looking to his blonde friend. There's a hardness in his gaze that's only been directed at you lately. So that's how much he despises you. He puts you on the same level as a man-killing psychopath.

He squeezes JJ's hand before giving you a quick look that says more than a thousand words could. Then he opens the door and enters the interrogation room. Spencer sits down across from Cat at the table and folds his hands on the table.

"Spencie. It's been a long time."At the sound of her voice and nickname, Spencer barely flinches, and you want to flee.  But even if you could-you wouldn't let Spencer go through this alone. No matter what might come.

"It could have been a lot longer."

Cat leans back in her chair, relaxed, and looks at him. "Your hair has gotten longer. It suits you very well."

"Thanks." You can't see his face, but you're pretty sure he's raising an eyebrow. "We're not here to exchange pleasantries or compliments, though."

She nods curtly. "That's right. From what I hear, there's someone running around outside who gets as much pleasure out of killing married men as I do." She bites her lower lip, which makes her look even crazier than she already does. "I never thought there'd be a copycat of me. It's kind of cool, though. I have to admit."

"Do you know anything about that?" Spencer's voice is cold. Apparently he wants to get out of there as fast as he can, and you can't blame him.

Cat's gaze moves from Spencer's face to his hands. Slowly, she reaches across the table and untangles his fingers so she can look at his left hand. "From what I can see, you're not wearing a wedding ring at all, Spencie. What happened to your fiancée?"

You inhale sharply, and JJ's hand rubs your arm reassuringly for a moment. It was only a matter of time before she asked, but secretly you hoped she wouldn't.

Spencer's back muscles tighten under his dark blue shirt. "She left me when I got arrested."

Cat can't help but grin, and you'd love to punch her right in the face. "I'd say I'm sorry about that, but it's not like we're lying to each other." She plays with his fingers like it's the most normal thing in the world. "Must have been pretty hard for you."

"It wasn't easy."

"And you haven't heard from her since." It's more of a question than a statement. When Spencer doesn't answer, she drops his fingers. Her expression darkens abruptly. Your heart slips into your pants. "Right?"

Please don't say anything. Don't go into it.

"I'm not here to talk about her or me", he finally replies, and you can't help but breathe a sigh of relief. JJ looks at you in confusion, and a faint smile creeps onto your lips. But your moment of relief is short-lived, because Cat doesn't seem to want to give in.

"I want answers as much as you do, Spencie.  If you give me some, I'll give you some. A fair trade," she grins, leaning back in her chair again, arms crossed in front of her chest. "So?"

"She came back a few weeks ago", he replies coolly, and Cat's eyes widen as if she really wasn't expecting it.

"Oh, no. Really?" Again she leans forward, so curious is she. "And what did she say? Did she apologize? Or told you the reason she left?" Her grin is so wide it almost reaches her ears. It makes you want to throw up.

"She said she didn't love me anymore."

"And you just believed her?" She shakes her head, but waits for no response. "I thought you were a better profiler, Spencie. After all, you cracked me. You should have realized something was up."

"What do you mean, something's up?" he asks.

Your whole body tenses with panic, but inside you're screaming, pleading, and a small part of you is sinking into a black hole right now.

"At least one thing she stuck to." Cat's grin is false, and sly and insidious as she speaks. "She didn't tell you about our deal?"

next part

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[watchyourbluesturngolden]

go big or go home

this was a request from @kk2016

Hi!! could you write about being pregnant with Harry but no one knew so you guys show up to the Grammys together and everyone can see your baby bump through your dress?

here is the link to the dress you’re wearing. I have no idea if this is a good option, I’m terrible with fashion :) but I thought it was cute! If you hate it, definitely just imagine something else :)

warnings: pregnancy

word count: 2.8k

It wasn't exactly hard to hide a pregnancy during a pandemic. You barely left the house, and if you did, you weren't recognized. The one time you and Harry had been spotted, you had only been 4 months along and were wearing an oversized sweater. So it was safe to say this baby was your family's little secret.

Harry knew, of course. He had been the first person to know (after Anne and the doctor who confirmed the pregnancy). You had got around to telling the rest of your families after the first trimester was over. The "inner circle," as you liked to call it, were the few people who were aware. This consisted of your parents, Anne, Gemma, Harry's band, Jeff and Glenne. That was it. Neither of you were wild on the idea of Harry's entire fanbase knowing, so you kept it under wraps as best you could.

Which, once again, wasn't hard to do. You didn't even have to go out for groceries; they could be delivered. You could buy everything for the nursery online and have it sent directly to your front doorstep. You and Harry had stayed inside for the better part of the past seven months.

However, there was one event coming up that you absolutely refused miss out on. The Grammys. At first, Harry thought you should stay home. He was worried you would get sick, and how it might affect the baby. He was worried about his fans finding out. He was worried he wouldn't win and he would have to see your disappointed face right next to him.

Of course, you were not about to let this happen. You assured him you wouldn't get within six feet of anyone besides him. You wouldn't shake anyone's hand or hug anyone. You would wear two masks, if it would make him feel safer. You would shower in hand sanitizer. You really didn't care what you had to do; you were not going to miss this night.

"Harry, I swear to God, if you keep giving me that terrified look..."

"I'm sorry!" He exclaimed, dragging a hand over his face. "I'm allowed to be a little apprehensive. This really isn't a good idea, I think it might be best if you just stay home. I just-"

"Absolutely not," you spun around, placing your hands on your hips. "I'm going to be there, in person, so I can watch my husband become a Grammy winner."

"You can watch from here!" He argued. "Plus, that way, you don't have to walk around all night. I know your feet have been bugging you, and-"

"Don't use this pregnancy against me!" You threw your head back, taking a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, I'm not," he said, stepping closer and resting his hands on your belly. "I just want you to be safe. You and our little girl."

"I know," you brought up your hand to brush along his cheekbone. "And we will be. I'm not going to get close to anyone. I'm not going to touch anything. I'm going to have two masks on the entire night. Harry, there won't be anyone safer than me this whole night. I promise."

"I just..."

When he didn't finish his sentence, you leaned in to meet his eyes. "What are you really worried about?"

"Lots of things," he murmured. "Besides the literal plague? I'm worried about people finding out and being cruel. I don't want to deal with that, and I don't ever want you to be exposed to it. I'm worried something bad will happen, and it'll be all my fault for letting you come along. And... I'm worried you'll be disappointed if I don't win." His last sentence was so quiet you barely heard it, but it still made your heart ache.

"Baby..." You said quietly, your voice sad. You ignored his other two worries for now, because this one was clearly the most important to deal with. “You think I'll be disappointed in you?"

He nodded, looking at his hands on you instead of meeting your eyes. "Everything I do, it's all for you. You and her. What if it's not enough? What if I fail?"

"Harry," you kept your hands on his face, directing him to look at you. "I will never, ever be disappointed in you. You are amazing, in everything you do. Understand? I personally think you will be a three time Grammy winner at the end of the night-" he grinned at this- "But even if you're not, I will still be so incredibly proud of you. I will always, always be proud of you, and I will always love you. Okay?"

He didn't move, but you used your grip on his face to nod his head up and down. His smile grew bigger, and he grabbed your wrist gently. He turned his head to kiss your palm, sighing softly before he pulled away.

"I love you so much," he said, his voice filled with admiration. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Make me feel better. You always know exactly what to say."

You shrugged with a small smile. "I'm just amazing, I think."

"I think so too."

-----

You were sitting on the couch, dressed in your normal quarantine clothing. Hoodies. Sweatpants for him, leggings for you. Why would you get dressed up for a virtual acceptance ceremony?

You bounced excitedly as they announced "Adore You" as one of the nominations for best music video. Harry smiled when you gripped his arm.

"I don't have a good feeling about this," he admitted.

"Well, you're just a ray of sunshine today," you huffed. "Here it comes!"

"And the Grammy goes to... Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, and WizKid."

You slumped back slightly, patting his arm.

He laughed lightly at your reaction. "She deserves it."

You nodded. "Not to be mean to you, but yeah, she definitely does."

-----

As the hours wore on, you could tell Harry was getting more nervous.

"It's just- it's my first performance in a while. What if it's not good?"

"Harry," you grabbed his face again. "It will be amazing. Yes?"

Again, he didn't respond. Again, you had to physically move his head up and down in a nod. Again, this made him laugh. It was a small gesture, but you could tell it helped calm him down at least a little bit.

"There's one thing we haven't talked about," he pulled away from you, going through his drawers to find his socks.

"What's that?"

"Your outfit."

You shook your head. "I already picked my dress." You pulled out the garment bag, unzipping it to show him. It was fairly simple; you didn't want to overshadow him on his big day.

He smiled. "It's beautiful."

You nodded. "We're going to look so hot together."

"Couple of the year, I think."

"We might break the internet. Seriously. You're wearing a leather jacket with no shirt and I'm pregnant. Twitter is going to explode."

He laughed again, pulling you into his arms. "Are you sure you're ok with everyone knowing? It might not be good, people's reactions can be really-"

"You do realize they will have to find out at some time, right? You can't exactly hide a child forever."

"I know," he sighed. "I just like living in our little bubble, where it's only me and you who know."

"And your mom. And Gemma. And my parents. And Sarah, and Mitch, and Adam, and Ny, and Charlotte, and Jeff and-"

"Alright, alright, you've made your point," he chuckled. "But you know what I mean."

"I do," you nodded. "And I'm ok with people knowing. Besides, it'll blow over soon. I can just stay off socials until it does."

Harry sighed again. "I wish you didn't have to. I wish people would just..."

"Treat people with kindness," you grinned. "Maybe they don't know. Maybe you should tell them to do that sometime."

He rolled his eyes playfully, pulling away from you. "You're funny."

"Hilarious, I know."

"I have to get ready," he sighed. "One last try- are you sure you don't want to stay home?"

"Not a chance," you smiled. "Now shoo so I can get dressed."

-----

His hands were shaking as he opened the door of his dressing room. You gripped his arm tighter, trying to remind him you were here for him.

"Everything's going to be ok," you said softly.

He nodded, but his hands still shook.

"I'll be right offstage, you can look at me if you get nervous," you reminded him. "This might not be the time, but I'm, like, really excited to see you perform."

"Yeah?" He gave a small smile.

You nodded. "It's been a while since I've been able to see that. And you look... very nice in this outfit."

"Very nice, huh?" He laughed. "What a compliment."

"I do have a way with words," you grinned.

"Always," he leaned his forehead against yours. "Now what was it you said earlier? Shoo, so I can get dressed."

"I'll be just offstage," you reminded him one last time, blowing him a kiss as you stepped out of the room.

-----

You couldn't take your eyes off him for the entire performance. He was worried for no reason, because he was incredible. He was born to do this, you could tell.

You cheered louder than anyone else when he finished, earning a cheeky smile from him. As soon as he could get away, he ran over to you and enveloped you in his arms.

"I told you you'd be amazing," you whispered.

He nodded, wearing the biggest smile you'd seen in days. "Couldn't have done it without you."

"I didn't do anything," you laughed.

"No, I couldn't have done it without your moral support," he clarified.

"Right, moral support," you nodded seriously before breaking into a smile again. "But really, that was amazing. You're perfect."

"That's all you, love," he returned the compliment, turning back around to watch Billie performing. He kept his arm around you, though. The camera panned to you a few times during the different performances, and you knew by this point the viewers at home had seen your bump. Your dress wasn't very tight fitting, but you were almost 8 months along. You were sure social media was exploding by now.

You didn't have to worry about that though, not yet at least. You had a few more hours of calm.

-----

Harry's nerves had apparently returned once you got to the table. His hand was gripping yours even tighter than before and his leg bounced constantly. You placed your hand on his thigh, trying to calm his frantic movements. His eyes went to yours, and you could tell he was smiling under his mask.

"It will be fine," you reminded him. "Everything will be ok. You already did the hard part, remember?"

He nodded, taking in a deep breath. "Right. And soon, we can go home, and sit on the couch, and eat ice cream."

"Exactly," you smiled. "And I can get back in my leggings and not get dressed again for the next 6 months."

He laughed at this, and his grip on your hand loosened. He still kept hold of you, but you could tell he wasn't so nervous anymore.

"Ok, shh, they're announcing it now," you said excitedly.

Harry looked down, apparently seized with nerves again.

"And the Grammy goes to... Watermelon Sugar, Harry Styles."

His eyes went wide, and your face split into a giant grin. He reached his arm out to grab yours, almost like he didn't believe what had just happened.

He pulled his mask off, standing up. He took your hand, gesturing for you to stand too, so of course you obliged. He pulled you against him, and you could feel how fast his heart was beating. When he pulled away, you smiled up at him.

"I knew you would win," you said softly, still beaming. "Now go!" You gave his shoulder a gentle push toward the stage.

"Wow, um..." He blew out a breath, looking at you before he spoke again. "To everyone who made this record with me, thank you so much. This was the first song we wrote after my first album came out, during a day off in Nashville, and I just want to say thanks to Tom, Tyler, Mitch, and everyone... Rob Stringer, and everyone at Colombia, my manager Jeffery, who has always nudged me to be better and never pushed me, thank you so much. I feel very grateful to be here, thank you. All of these songs are fucking massive, so thank you so much, I feel very honored to be here among all of you, so thank you so much. And I want to say-" he looked at you again, a smile of adoration crossing his face. "Most importantly, thank you to my wife. Y/N, I love you more than anything else on this planet, and I couldn't have done any of this without you. You make it all possible, so... thank you to the light of my life, and of course our daughter." His eyes went wide at the last sentence, like he hadn't planned to say that. He looked around nervously before he quickly made his way back to his seat.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to say that, it slipped out-"

You shook your head, taking his hand. "It's ok, don't worry about it," you smiled. "I'm so proud of you."

He put his mask back on, but it didn't hide the happiness on his face.

-----  

Once everything was over and you had both climbed into the car to go home, it seemed to really hit him.

"I won a Grammy," he said in disbelief, looking down at the award in his hands.

"You won a Grammy," you repeated with a big smile on your face. "Grammy winner Harry Styles."

"Yeah," he looked back up at you, his eyes still wide. "That's... insane."

You nodded. "And very impressive. And I'm so proud of you."

He smiled, scooting closer so he could put his arm around you. "Grammy winner Harry Styles... and his amazing wife."

"And their amazing daughter," you added, placing his other hand over your stomach. "Feel that? She's been kicking all night. She's excited for you."

He grinned, before his face dropped back into one of concern. "Are you sure you're ok with what I said? I really didn't mean to, I just got caught up, it-"

"Baby," you stopped him. "I promise, it's ok. Besides, everyone knew the minute I walked in there."

"Right," he nodded. "Has your phone been blowing up?"

You shrugged. "I turned it off. Should we check?"

"I'm a little nervous," he admitted.

"I'm gonna do it." You fished your phone out of your purse, eyes widening when you saw how many notifications you had. From every possible app. Congratulations texts, excited DMs, missed calls, and then there were the mentions. There were well over a hundred on your lockscreen alone.

You cleared all of them, deciding to open Twitter and see how bad it was. You were very pleasantly surprised.

"harry's daughter" was #1 on the trending page, and "harry in leather" was right behind it. Clicking on the first one, you found several GIFs of the terrified look on Harry's face when he accidentally made the announcement. You smiled, but scrolled further. Hundreds of fans were typing in all caps, apparently very excited that Harry was going to be a father.

"You're right, we broke the internet," he grinned, looking through his own timeline. "I've seen my bare chest more in the last five minutes than my entire life before this."

"What a power couple we are," you laughed. "We got the top two trending spots."

"What an accomplishment," he joked.

You scrolled for a few more minutes, still yet to see a negative message. "You were worried for nothing, babe. They're all very excited for us."

"I see that," he grinned. "They've also named our baby for us, and somehow know her zodiac sign."

"Oh, wonderful," you laughed. "But really, it could have been worse."

"Definitely," he nodded. "Well, that's one way to announce a pregnancy. On live TV in front of the entire nation."

"Yeah, you know, go big or go home."

"Exactly."

Closing Twitter, you moved on to Instagram. You gasped when you saw the first picture on your feed. "Sarah posted her bump! Now we can be baby buddies in public, not just in secret."

Harry smiled, turning off his phone and pulling you closer to him.

"omg, baby buddies :)" you commented. Within seconds, Sarah had liked the comment and replied with "they will be best friends😊"

With that, you turned off your own device and leaned into his side. "What a good night. Aren't you glad I came with you?"

"I am," he admitted. "Very glad. Thanks for being stubborn."

"Always."

[justreadingfics]

It’s a Deal (Ch. 14)

Chapter Summary: Hearts are broken.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Words: 3.5k

Warnings: angst, “The Mandalorian” reference.

A/N: One more chapter after this and we’re done. Thank you, incredible Suz, @bucky-the-thigh-slayer for having my back. Love you. The link to my masterlist, where you can find the other chapters, is on my description. Feedback is highly appreciated.

Tag list for this story is closed.  

There’s that annoying little chilling feeling running down his spine while Bucky parks his bike on the nearest parking lot to your building and steps towards your place. Not the dreadful feeling he gets on missions when his life or others’ are in danger. No, not that one. Is that feeling he gets when he knows something’s up, something’s out of order, not necessarily bad, but something that he needs to put his focus on…

He’s been trying to hold himself from going to your place, he knows that it may sound like he’s imposing himself in your personal space, in your life, but he’s been trying to call you in the last few hours, sent a few messages but you haven’t answered  and then that annoying little feeling came to say hello.

And in his long ass life, he’s learned better than to ignore that feeling. He knows you’re not at work because it’s a Sunday and maybe you just went out somewhere without your phone and he’s just being paranoid or something… But he’ll just check if you’re ok, see those pretty eyes of yours and leave. That’s it.  He may seem like a fucking stalker, but if that is going to assure him you’re ok, then so be it.

And God knows how much he would appreciate a glimpse of you right now.

The little hairs on his neck stand in attention at the sight he catches from the corner of your street and brings him to a full stop. That short little asshole of your ex, dragging a big suitcase with one hand and holding a couple of boxes with the other.

Bucky’s heart races and he frowns, watching when that Eddie guy lets go of the suitcase and balances himself to not let the boxes fall while he types the code to open the front door, getting into your building right after, dragging the suitcase with him.

The air catches in Bucky’s throat before it comes out in short little breaths. His mind runs with all the possible scenarios that would explain that scene… he desperately searches for ones that don’t have to mean what his jumping heart is telling him it means.

He’s not thinking clearly through the mess that his mind has become, but he decides he needs to see it for himself, as dreadful as he is of what he’s going to see.

In a few long and quick steps he’s at the building’s door, typing the numbers he’s just registered the douchebag typing and in a second he’s in the elevator up to your floor.

Once he’s at your door, ready to knock on the wood, his hand stops midair, before it drops to his side while he sighs. Deeply. This is madness… he shouldn’t be here. He doesn’t need to see anything, he can wait and talk to you some other time, when he’s less… anguished… anxious… He knows what he’s thinking, but it doesn’t mean that’s the case. You and the guy had lived together for years… maybe he’s just returning some of your stuff… maybe… damn… he brushes his hand over his face, harshly. He should leave.

And he’s about to do exactly that when the door opens.

Bucky has been calling the guy a short little asshole all this time and, while he still may be an absolute jackass and Bucky surely and easily beats him in height, somehow he feels like the smallest person on earth standing in front of the man right now.

“Can I help you?” Eddie asks, hardening his face after an immeasurable moment of stunned silence between the two men.

“Ahm,” Bucky clears his throat and keeps his voice firm, “Can I talk to Y/N?”  

Eddie lets out a small puff and God knows how much Bucky needs to hold himself back from punching that stupid little face, “She’s not home, she had a call for something at work,” Eddie answers plainly.

Bucky feels when his jaw tightens painfully and his chest puffs, “Then what the hell are you doing here?”  His voice comes out dangerously low as his chin tips up.

A little and annoying smirk twists Eddie’s lips and… fuck, Bucky has a terrible feeling about that. “Not that I need to give you any explanation but I’m moving back. This is my home again.” He regards Bucky for a second after adding, “Our home.”

The words punch the air out of Bucky’s lungs and, looking behind Eddie’s shoulder he sees the numerous boxes… your place… where he had you in his arms so many times now filled with that guy’s stuff next to your things… His stomach churns violently.

“Are you… are you and Y/N...” he can’t even finish the question, the words getting stuck in his throat, choking him like a deadly poison.

“Listen, dude…” Eddie bursts out, “What Y/N and I have isn’t some kind of fling or deal or whatever one small time apart can destroy, we belong together.” He huffs and bites his cheek before continuing impatiently, while all Bucky can do is stare at him, frozen in place, ”I have no time for this. If you have questions you can ask her whenever you want, if she has anything to explain to you, she will. Now if you excuse me.” He gestures towards the elevator.

Bucky would rather die a thousand times before he would allow himself to continue showing a single more minute of vulnerability in front of that guy… so he sucks it all down his throat and, holding himself in the excruciating pain rushing up his chest like it’s an anchor, he puts on a hard face and just nods, stepping away while he meets, for the first time, the ache he knows is the feeling of his heart breaking.

~~~

 At the sight before her, Natasha sighs and remembers the time when she would find much different scenarios when she would burst into Bucky’s place. Where she would usually find different underwear tossed around the floor and small parties in his room, now she sees a metal armed dude sprawled on the sofa, face deep into not one, but two huge pints of Stark Raving Hazelnuts from Ben & Jerry’s, while Home Alone plays on the TV, and an Alpine lays comfortably on his lap.

Her little head perks up once Nat’s steps into the room. At least one of them acknowledges her presence.  

“Jesus, Bucky...”

He then moves his gaze to her direction, showing off his puffed eyes while shoving a huge spoon of ice-cream in his mouth, “What?” He speaks with a mouthful, “Breakfast?” He makes an offering gesture with the pint.

“I see you at least put on your uniform,” Nat ignores the offer, stepping towards him, kicking aside the many remains and open packages of junk food on her way. She slaps his leg off the sofa so she can sit beside him. As he grumpily adjusts his position to give her room, an equally grumpy Alpine jumps off his lap and aims a gaze of sheer contempt at Nat, before sauntering towards her plate of food in the kitchen.  

“Well… Show must go on, right?” Bucky answers while his saddened gaze fixes on the tv again.

Nat just stares at him for a moment, her heart twisting in sorrow at his miserable demeanor, “Listen…” she says, with a softer tone, “I checked, she really is on a mission.” At that, she spots the twitch on his jaw, but he doesn’t look back at her, “Apparently it was some last-minute thing about Thor and earthly technology.” Nat frowns and shrugs, “That’s probably the reason why she’s not picking up your calls or mine for the last couple of days. She’s just busy. You can talk to her when she comes back.”

“Why?” He puts the pints of ice cream aside as his face snaps at her.

Despite the initial harshness on his tone, there’s no trace of anger there on his expression. Just… sadness… and, honestly, Nat would deal better with the anger. She’s never seen Bucky like this… not after he came back from Wakanda.

Bucky breathes in a shuddering breath, like it’s painful for him to even do that before he continues speaking, “The guy is back to her place, Nat… all his fucking boxes and clothes and shit next to hers. They’re back together. That’s it. I honestly don’t wanna listen to her telling me how much that guy matters to her…” His voice cracks, but he goes on talking, “That she and I was fun, I was a good fuck and all but not good enough compared to ten years with that…” He huffs, “That douchebag. I don’t wanna hear her saying he’s the real deal and not me.” He bites on his cheek, looking at Nat with eyes becoming glossy, “I just don’t think I can.”

“Bucky…”

“Ugh, no, seriously Nat, fuck,” he growls while he narrows his eyes and his jaw tightens, “Seriously, that guy… if he only… shit… he doesn’t deserve her.” Indignance pours out of his voice, which comes out through his teeth while his hands clench into fists, “He doesn’t appreciate what he has… ugh…” He groans, and lets himself fall back into the sofa, “But…” He sighs, and nods, licking his lips, “If that’s what she wants… I’m not gonna try and take it away from her. I won’t.”  He shrugs.

Like she’s sensing the distress in her human, Alpine materializes on the sofa, between Nat and Bucky, and lets out a meow before curling herself against his thigh. Bucky absentmindedly starts petting her neck, staring up to the ceiling.

Nat could hear the pain of his heart shattering through his words. As for her… regret creeps up inside her. Regret for starting this between Bucky and you. She had a feeling that things could go south, but in all the scenarios she pictured for that, Bucky being the one heartbroken definitely wasn’t one of them. And yet, there he is. Devastated. Completely fucked. In a way she never thought she would see him for… love.

Damn… 

“Are you guys ready?”

The three of them turn towards the voice, spotting Steve there, in his full gear and his signature worried and yet soft look that belongs to Bucky.

“Yup,” Bucky taps on his thighs and grabs Alpine in one hand, who meows loudly, and two suitcases, one bigger and one smaller with the other one.

“Are you seriously taking her with us?” Nat checks, following him towards the door.

“Wherever I go, she goes,” he answers, his voice as down as his face.

“Buck,” Steve puts his hand on his friend’s shoulder, stopping him at the door, “Are you sure you’re ok to go on the mission, I can-“

“I’m fine, punk,” Bucky cuts him off, “I’m a grown ass man, I can handle my feelings.” 

As Bucky walks past his friend and moves to the elevator, Nat exchanges looks with Steve. She’s heard Bucky saying that exact sentence numerous times lately, after he acknowledged the way he feels for you.

The difference is that the usual confidence is just not there anymore.

~~~

You’re frowning while looking down at him. His words making their way into your senses. 

You free one hand of his secured hold to reach over and cup his smiling face.

He leans into your touch.

You make a decision.

 Your heart and mind are finally set together in what you now know you want. Hell… you think you know this for a while, but now… with Eddie bringing all those memories and telling you all of that, it did help you get through the split in your heart and mend it back into one. A whole new heart.

One that is all his.

His.

“Eddie,” your voice is soft, while he smiles up at you, “I remember all of that.” You smile, too, referring to the box of memories next you, “Every single memory… everything we shared… those ten years… they helped me mold me into what I am. There’s no me, there’s no what I am today without them,” you state, while, with your thumb, you caress his cheek.

Eddie nods, “There’s no me without you, either, that’s why I’m here.”

“But, Eddie…” you sigh and lick you lips, “Remember how you’ve told me a couple of times I seem different?”

The smile on Eddie's face slowly drops.

“That’s because I am… I’m not just… I’m not just that anymore.” You nod towards the box, “I found out there’s more in me, and honestly, I think there’s more in you, too, that just doesn’t fit to what we used to be anymore.”

He blinks repeated times, staring up at you, and you lean even closer and cup both sides of his face. 

“I’m sorry. This is all part of who I am. You’re part of who I am. But I can’t go back.” You shake your head, “I can’t.”  

He keeps his stare on you and, after a moment, like he’s been processing what you said to him, he lets out a huff, “Are you serious?” he harshly pulls your hands away from his face and gets up, “Are you fucking serious? Is this because you’re fucking that guy?” He raises his voice, gesturing away.

“Eddie…” You tilt your head as a warning sign.

“No, seriously, you’re trading me, you’re trading us for what?” He spits and points to his chest while his face contorts into something ugly you’ve never seen on him before, “A player who will throw you in the trash for the next nicer piece of ass he sees? For what? A good fuck? An eight pack? A few more inches of dick? Come on…”

“Hey,” you snap, rushing up from your seat to level him, “What the fuck, Eddie?” You curse, as he stares back at you defiantly, “First of all you don’t get to talk to me like that, you lower you goddamn tone.” You point a finger at him, “And, honestly? Bucky is not just “that guy” to me. He’s not a player. You don’t know him, and you don’t know who I am with him, you could never know.”

Through the anger bringing red blurs to your vision, you see when his Adam bone bobs, but he keeps an insolent chin lifted up and he has struck something in you by talking about Bucky and your feelings for him in such a belittling way.  

“I didn’t want things to end like that,” you continue, shaking your head, “I really didn’t, but if you’re talking shit you don’t know the first thing about… ugh… fuck that,” you let out a harsh breath, “In one month or so Bucky respected and appreciated me more than you did in ten years. With him I don’t have to pretend I like or don’t like things just not to upset him or whatever, I learned I can be fun and honest… and…  and he fucking eats my pussy, for God’s sake,” you burst out in a rush of spite.

Eddie takes a step back, completely stunned by your words and outburst, while a dead silence settles in the room.

“Wow,” he mumbles nodding his head and looking away from you.

You shut your eyes and breathe in deeply, letting your head drop for a moment, while reason starts to come back to your senses, “Shit… shit…” You curse under your breath, looking up at him again, “This is not about that, Eddie…” you say, being honest with him and yourself, “I loved you, I really did, you are so important… I appreciate our time together so much… but now…” You press your lips in a taut line and shrugs, “It’s over…And, yeah… Bucky may be in my life now, but-“

He snorts, crossing his arms in front of his chest. There’s pure scorn in his gaze for you, but you decide to ignore that. Eddie really matters a lot to you and you don’t want to end it in such a bad note. You want closure for the two of you, so both of you can accept what you had is over and move on with your lives. 

“But this is not about him. Not completely, at least,” you continue, “It’s us Eddie.” You plead, taking a step closer to him, “Our relationship meant the world, but… but I think we outgrew it-”

“You speak for yourself,” he spits.

You sigh at the anger that is still there, spilling through his voice, but you nod, and speaks softly, “Ok, then… I outgrew our relationship, but even if you think you haven’t, that doesn’t mean it would be good for you to insist on something you realized at some point it wasn’t what you wanted anymore. You can’t deny that.”  

You gasp and try to keep your balance when he drops on his knees and latches himself at you, hugging your waist tightly, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I know I caused all this, but please don’t leave me, don’t give up on us,” he begs, his voice breaking, pressing his cheek on you, “Please… please.”

“Eddie… Eddie…” You try catching his attention, as he keeps his chant of remorseful and begging words,  “Stop... stop, Eddie, come here.”

You reach down for his forearms, adding some force to pull him up, to which he lets you. 

When his weeping face levels yours, you gently wipe the tears falling down with your fingers, “You ended this because you weren’t happy, either, and it’s ok. It’s ok to let go,” you say, gently, before cupping his face and fixing your gaze on his, “Let go, Eddie. Let go.”

He exhales, his eyes shutting. While you keep gentle hands on his face, he brings his forehead to yours.

“We’re gonna be ok,” you whisper, wishing that he would understand that moving on is the best thing for the two of you.

At that, he harshly parts himself from you. Hurt and rejection plastered all over his face while he averts his gaze from you.

“Eddie… I don’t know what else to say,” you heave a sigh.   

Before he gives you the comeback he’s about to give you, which you know it wasn’t gonna be a nice one, your phone rings. Nick Fury’s ringtone.

“Shit,” you curse, “I’m sorry, I need to pick that.” You rush and reach out for your phone on the center table, “Yes, Sir… of course… absolutely. I’ll gather my team and will be there in one hour, tops. Alright.”

“It’s work…” you tell Eddie, looking down as you turn off your phone.

“On a fucking Saturday night?” Eddie scoffs, not looking at you.

“Thor is on a solo mission and needs assistance from my team. Fury asked me to lead it. I…” You look at him, but he doesn’t look back at you, “I need to go change,” you say, defeated by his refusal to engage with you or with what you’ve been trying to tell him so far.

Once you come back from your bedroom in a hurry and ready to leave, Eddie is there in the living room, now sitting on the sofa.

“Are you sure?” He asks once you walked over the sofa and met his dull gaze.

“Yes.”

He nods slowly, biting his cheek.

“I’m gonna need to go now, Eddie,” you tentatively say. You step closer to him, but he turns his face to the other side and you take the hint. Stopping on your track.

“What of this place?” He gestures around.

You look around the place you two got together and as from that moment, you don’t see yourself in it anymore. Satisfied with your decision, you walk towards the key hook on the wall and he watches as you come closer to him again and take his hand from his lap, putting the keys in his palm.

“This place is not mine anymore,” you give him a tight smile.

You hold his hand a little longer while his gaze lingers at where you’re touching him.

“Goodbye, Eddie,” you say.

When he doesn’t give you an answer or even spares a look your way, you sigh, deeply. If that’s how he wants it to go, so be it. Letting go of his hand you walk to the door.

As soon as you step aside from your now former home, you realize you’re also walking towards a new phase of your life and you take in a big and refreshing breath before a loose smile forms in your lips. There’s only one thing in your mind, now. Or better, one person.

Bucky.  

~~~

[cxsmicmyeon]

MERRY LISTENING! ; KJM

kim junmyeon x fem! reader

every year, you make your friends specialized playlists as christmas gifts. junmyeon notices his lack of a typical playlist from you, but little does he know of the very special one you made for him.

genre: college au! fluff!!! word count: 866 warnings: none

author’s note: MERRY CHRISTMAS MY LOVES!!! this idea came to me like instantly after doing the very thing reader does, so i decided to make it into a little fic!! i do hope you all have amazing and stress free holidays with those you love!! 🎅🏻🎄💚🤍❤💞❄

You make playlists every year.

Ever since your friend group came to fruition during freshman orientation, you loved to show your appreciation during the holidays and birthdays by making playlists for your friends. It was a tad unusual, but all of your friends loved getting them and appreciated the effort you put into making them. You kept music taste in mind as well as giving them recommendations from your own favorite artists. The receiver really felt the love and personalization put into each playlist.

Junmyeon especially adores this special effort you put into gifting. He treasures each playlist he has gotten from you, loving to play them back to back just to see how much his (and your) music taste has evolved over the past three or so years. You and him were likely the closest out of everyone, sharing similar interests (and a sense of humor). He wanted to try and become more than friends with you, but held back. He didn’t want to ruin your friendship at all, opting to stay platonic friends with you over acting on his feelings.

Midnight on Christmas morning was when you sent out the links to everyone’s special playlists. Junmyeon always waited in anticipation, keeping your DM open, ready to click on the playlist and begin listening as he typed out a thank you message. However, much to his sadness, he did not get a link. Numerous times he would refresh his messaging app and check all of his social medias, hoping you may have simply sent it somewhere else by accident. Everyone in your group chat raved about their playlists, yet he could not do the same.

Your mutual friend held Christmas at their house this year, inviting the whole friend group over for dinner, drinks and gift exchanging. Junmyeon was the first to arrive, agreeing to help your friend with setting up as everyone else began to trickle in.

“Hey, did you get a playlist this year?” Junmyeon asked, beginning to set the table. 

“Yeah I did, why? Did you not get one?” 

“No, I didn’t. Would you know anything as to why not?” 

“Hmm, I don’t think so... Maybe ask her when she gets here, she could have forgot to send it last night.”

“You could be right.” Junmyeon murmured, his voice trailing off. His frown turned to a small pout; why didn’t he get a playlist this year? Things were fine between the two of you last he checked. He assured himself, telling himself that yes, maybe you simply forgot to send it. He’ll just ask you when you arrive. That’s a good plan, he told himself.

As everyone began to arrive, Junmyeon kept looking out for you. You were usually early to these parties (often arriving at the same time as Junmyeon), and it was a bit unusual that you haven’t arrived by now. Still, he assured himself you were going to be there soon. 

Soon was an understatement.

“Jun? Can you come here for a second?” He turned around to see you standing in the hallway with your hands behind your back. He was absolutely star-struck by you. You wore a simple Santa dress with a matching hat, yet he thought you were the most beautiful person in the entire world.

“Yeah, of course.” He said, following you into one of the guest bedrooms. He looked on the bed, seeing an open laptop sitting on top. The screen displayed the familiar landing page of Spotify. Curious, Junmyeon walked closer to the computer, seeing a playlist with an extra long, extra interesting title.

“’Junmyeon, will you go out with me...’” he read, gasping softly as he turned to face you. You held a wrapped present and a mini bouquet of candy and chocolates.

“I know you’re probably wondering why I didn’t send you a playlist last night. It’s ‘cause, um, I wanted to make it a little more special this year.” You placed the gifts on the bed before walking to the laptop. You pressed play, the familiar beginning of you and Junmyeon’s favorite song beginning to play from the speakers.  

“Um, I really like you. More than friends. I’ve liked you for a long time, and I gotta ask,” You timidly took Junmyeon’s hands into yours, looking up at him with stars in your eyes. “Can I be your girlfriend?”

“Yes.” Junmyeon said without hesitation. You gasped softly, feeling your face flush. You went to say something else but was cut off by Junmyeon leaning in. His lips touched yours in a soft yet passionate way, connecting the two of you together as if it was meant to be. 

You pulled away, a reddish tint coating yours and Junmyeon’s cheeks. “So, girlfriend, wanna return to the party?” You giggled at his cheesiness, nuzzling your face in his cheek.

“Yeah, let’s go, boyfriend.” you hummed, kissing him softly on the cheek. Wrapping an arm around you, you and Junmyeon walked out of the guest bedroom and to the kitchen, greeted by cheers and laughter from those who meant the absolute world to you. People you would never give up for the world. With Junmyeon (finally) at your side as well, Christmas was complete.

[itsallyscorner]

can you write something comforting with bucky? like, bucky being the reader's safe place from everything bad in her life and the only one who actually cares about her?

My first Bucky imagine! He’s my best boy he deserves so much love🥺 Enough about me tho, thank you for the request lovely and I hope you like it!🖤

 This is my first time writing for Bucky so I hope I did good🥺

💌.

You’ll Get There

Warning: Steve is kinda a dick in this one.

You were a monster.

You were created to destroy and kill not save people or stand alongside the heroes. Which is why living in the Avengers Tower was unsettling. It was wrong, you didn’t belong there. Your father was an ex member of Hydra. He was one of the most loyal and trustworthy masterminds who was close to Strucker. Until one day, when he and Strucker got into a disagreement concerning a confidential project.

Years of his ideas and experimental methods being declined your father eventually left Hydra and did his experiments in his own basement. With no volunteers for a test subject he used you against your will. At just the age of 5, you were used as a test subject, getting things injected into you and going under inhumane methods to turn you into what you were today.

Wanda sent a blast towards you, you tried to focus on the energy surrounding the red orb, manipulating it so you can control it. You used all your might but the feeling of Steve’s stare intimidated you. The blast came into contact with your stomach forcing you onto the floor. Steve who’s been watching on the side sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. You’ve been training with Wanda ever since you were rescued by the Avengers. From what Steve saw through your training there was barely any improvement. You were decent when it came to hand to hand combat and weaponry, but you couldn’t control your powers at all.

You’ve been in the training room for hours with Wanda. She’s been throwing blasts of her powers towards you while you had to try to manipulate it and use it against her. You were successful a few times and got to control the blast, but weren’t able to force it back at Wanda. You remained on the floor laying on your back since the impact of the blast made you loose your breath.

“(Y/n).” You snapped your head at Steve. The tone of his voice reminded you of the tone your father would have when you disappointed him during an experiment.

You rushed to get up and dusted yourself off to face the Captain. He towered over you with a look of exasperation on his face.

“We’ve been doing the same thing for months, why can’t you control your powers yet?” He questioned you an edge to his voice. You knew he was a nice man but the frustration of having to deal with you was probably getting to him.

“I— I don’t know. I just can’t manipulate it correctly. My mind won’t focus—,” you tried to explain but Steve cut you off.

“Well what’s it going to take for you to focus? We’ve been doing these sessions since you were rescued, (y/n), get a grip!” He yelled. You took a step back at his outburst.

“You think I asked you to rescue me?”

“Because I didn’t! I was perfectly fine living on my own hiding away from all of this! All you want from me are my powers, so you can use me to be part of your group! You want me to do this and do that! I’m tired! We’ve been training nonstop Steve!” You yelled back at him. Steve’s eyes widen at your outburst. You’ve never yelled, not even raised your voice at anyone. You mostly kept to yourself, maybe had a conversation or two with some other Avengers. But you snapped. The stress from training and having to adjust in the new environment placed a weight on your shoulders that you couldn’t handle. Steve yelling at you was just the perfect push for you to burst.

“(Y/n)—,” Steve moved towards you but you shook your head.

“No. I’m done.” You walk out the training room heading straight towards your room.

When you enter the hall you bumped into Bucky. You quickly apologized and continued the walk to your room.

“Doll?” He looked back at you to see you’ve already turned the corner. He saw Steve leaving the training room along with Wanda who was talking to him. Bucky was sure you were upset when you bumped into him.

Bucky was the first one to approach you out of all the other Avengers. Which was odd since Bucky barely talked to anyone besides Steve and Sam. You and Bucky got along. The first few months after being rescued he volunteered to help show you around the tower, even though he didn’t understand most of the high tech appliances in the tower. He learned that you were linked to Hydra, well your dad was, but you went though the same things he had to gone through when Hydra was in control of him. He wanted to make sure you had someone to talk to, if you were having flashbacks or night terrors. He knew how it felt because he’s lived through it, but because of T’Challa and Shuri he didn’t have to anymore. That wasn’t the case for you.

Bucky heard you have your first night terror during the second week of your arrival. He was at your room in an instant. Then there you were, tears streaming down your face with your hair and shirt sticking to your skin. A look of fear on your face. That night you asked Bucky to stay with you. He sat on the floor beside your bed while you clung onto his flesh arm. From then on, you guys turned to each other for comfort when it was needed. You guys even had movie nights every Friday.

Bucky debated on who he should follow. You or Steve? Seeing as you were upset, he decided to check on you first.

He knocked on your door.

No response.

Again, he knocked.

Nothing. He turned the handle of the door but it didn’t budge. He knocked again, “Doll, open up.”

He heard some rustling behind the door. Seconds later you opened the door. He was greeted by your flushed face. Your under eyes were puffy and the trails of your tears were still visible on your face. You silently turned away and left the door open for him, moving to curl yourself into the comfort of your sheets.

Bucky gently closed the door behind him and sat on the side on your bed. When he realized you weren’t going to talk anytime soon, he got comfy and leaned against the headboard. He brought your figure towards him and rested your head on his chest.

This was how you were. When you were upset you allowed yourself to feel it before talking about the problem. When you were upset about something you preferred to be wrapped around warmth to help ground yourself and not get lost in your thoughts. The heat that radiated off Bucky, along with the coolness of his prosthetic arm and heart beat kept you from losing yourself.

Bucky patiently waited for you. His flesh hand would switch from stroking your cheek and running his fingers through your hair.

“Am I hopeless?” You finally spoke. Bucky’s brow scrunched together in confusion.

“No, why would you say that?” He questioned softly.

“Then why can’t I get the hang of my abilities? I’ve been training with Steve and Wanda for months and there has been no improvement!” You sniffled as tears formed in your eyes again.

“Now, hold on. Didn’t you say you were able to control the blast Wanda threw at you? That’s improvement!” He reasoned with her.

“Well it’s not improvement to Steve.” You mumbled against his shirt. Bucky froze, his fingers stoping their track in your hair.

“What did Steve do?” He asked her, his voice lowered. Not that he would hurt Steve, the man’s done so much for him, but he has been rough on you lately.

“Nothing, it’s not a big deal, Buck.” You assured him.

“If it made you this upset, it is a big deal.” He retorted. You sighed not wanting to rat Steve out on his own friend. You shook you head.

“Doll, come on.” He coaxed you. You sighed giving in.

“He just yelled at me to get a grip. He said we’ve been doing those training sessions since day one and that I haven’t been able to control one of Wanda’s blasts successfully.” You answered him as you nervously fiddled with the hem of his shirt.

“What’d you tell him?”

“That I’m done.”

“What do you mean you’re done?” Bucky sat up properly against the headboard.

“I don’t want to do this anymore. There’s no use, Bucky. If I can’t control my powers then what’s the point of me being here?” You rested your head above his heart.

“A second chance.” Bucky immediately answered. He placed a finger under your chin and gently guided you to look at him.

“Look at me.” He whispered lightly, his thumb grazed against your bottom lip as it moved to stroke your cheek.

“Now listen to me. You’re here for a reason. You were rescued for a reason. Why do you think Tony practically begged for you to stay at the compound?” He started, you shrugged in response.

“He saw potential in you. (Y/n), this is a second chance for you to better yourself and use your powers for good things. Isn’t that great? You’ve been given these abilities and now you’re getting the chance to help people with it.” He finished.

“But it was given to me with the intentions of doing the opposite. I’ve killed people with them, Bucky.”

“The Winter Soldier killed tons of people, doll. Now look at me.” He huffed with a crooked smile. You stared at him for a moment. He looked healthy, his eyes were bright, he’s grown a beard, and his previously long and luscious hair has been nearly cut. You’ve seen the Winter Soldier before, through pictures and news articles, the Bucky in front of you was far from the mind controlled assassin.

“How did you do it?” You wondered titling your head at him.

“I had a lot of help. It took some patience but I had people who were willing to help me get better.” He responded. You nodded and rested your head on his shoulder. Bucky continued to stroke your cheek with his flesh hand and rubbed circles on your back with his prosthetic hand.

“You’ll get there. It’ll take time, but eventually you’ll get there, and I’ll be right beside you.” He comforted you. You nodded into his neck and wrapped your limbs around his body, Bucky followed in suit.

In his arms you felt safe. Like nothing could ever hurt you when you were in his grip. It was as if all your worries were pushed right off your shoulders when you were in contact with him. You gave each other a sense of peace while living such a hectic lifestyle. You were glad you had someone like Bucky, because without him you would’ve lost your mind trying to deal with your new living situation.

Eventually, you did get there. You conquered your abilities and were finally opening up to your teammates. You felt normal, like you finally belonged there. Bucky remained true to his promise, he went through it all and stayed beside you till the end.

[bokutosworld]

then and now | kuroo t.

pairing: kuroo tetsurō x f!reader word count: 1863 words, fluff! mutual pining!  warning: manga spoilers, with mention of kuroo’s timeskip occupation summary: always the bridesmaid, never the bride. you thought your time would never come until someone from your past comes along and brings up something you’ve long forgotten. OR where you and kuroo make a silly marriage pact and he shows up after years apart to make it come true.  

He chuckled, now comfortably holding your one hand and hiding it in his pocket to keep it warm. “Here I was wondering if you were waiting for me.

Because I was.” 

The church bell tolls, white doves are released, and joyful cheer and applause erupts from the crowd as the newlywed couple steps out from the cathedral. The now husband-and-wife gaze at each other full of love, and it is a sight guaranteed to make one envious and long for that same kind of affection. 

But to you, it’s a scene that you’ve seen so many times that it already feels like a short film played on repeat. For the past year, you’ve lost count of how many weddings you’ve attended – whether as a guest or part of the bride’s entourage – that you’ve acquainted yourself with the workings of the event. 

Heck, you’ve even memorized the readings of the priest that if they ever need a replacement, you can be the stand-in and officiate the program. 

However, this wedding was different. Your best friend of more than fifteen years is the one who walked down the aisle, and you’re more emotional than you expected you’d be. Earlier in the morning, she woke you up, feeling sentimental, and demanded a pep talk. It was laughable because, more than her, you thought it was you who needed that assurance as you sent off your childhood friend to a new journey in her life. 

The whole ordeal felt surreal and somehow, a tad more personal, because it wasn’t just any bride – this was the same girl you grew up with, the one you’ve seen in diapers, the one who held your hand in the playground, the person who you always ran to for boy troubles. Watching her exchange vows and rings felt like a coming to life of a scrapbook page, a long-awaited dream that you’ve talked about together in sleepovers where none of you really slept. 

It made you wonder if you will ever march down the same aisle towards the waiting arms of your beloved.  

---

“What a wedding, huh?” 

The hotel reception was no different to the ceremony that took place prior. This time again, you wore the bride’s maid-in-honor hat and only after making sure that everything – that included the food, drinks, and entertainment – were in place did you take your place on the table and chatted with your old friends from high school. 

The conversation started off with comments on how grand, intimate, and special the ceremony was. They talked about how it was wedding season, counting just how many of their schoolmates have already been wed. And before you knew it, eyes were on you and you had an inkling of what would follow. 

“So,” Yoshioka, your former student council president, turned towards you. “You’re the only bachelorette left in our batch. We’re just curious.”

You laughed awkwardly, “No, please don’t expect a wedding invitation from me anytime soon. I’m still happily single.” The smile you wore felt strained, but whether the other girls recognized it or not, they chose to not comment further. 

“Besides, it’s a great source of joy for me just being able to see you guys get married.” Noticing that the lights have begun to dim and focused on the spot on the stage, you clapped your hands, “Now, let’s just enjoy Yukie’s wedding, alright! Look, they’re coming out.” 

As soon as the couple walked to the floor for their first dance, you heaved a sigh of relief and slumped in your cushioned chair. They moved gracefully as one across the dance floor, seemingly lost in their own world as they gazed deeply in each other’s eyes and swayed to the tune of the love song. 

You thought back to the conversation earlier and weirdly, you felt a pang inside. Truth is, in every wedding you’ve attended, you can’t help but feel wishful. You consider yourself successful in almost every aspect of your life but sometimes, it can feel dejecting when you return home to an empty apartment at the end of a tough workday. 

A part of you craved to make that little girl’s dream come true of wearing the wedding dress that you’ve designed, staying up all night for a bridal shower, and walking down the aisle to where your lover was waiting. 

When the couple’s first dance ended, the host entered the stage and the program officially began. You could only hope that hours would pass faster. 

---

Two hours into the reception and you can already feel the shots kicking in your system. 

It wasn’t a really good idea downing five straight shots of tequila. At first, you thought it would quell your nerves, make you let loose and be the funnier version of yourself as you stepped to the podium to deliver your congratulatory speech to the couple. 

In retrospect, it looks like the drink did its job as you managed to emit laughter and emotional tears from the crowd as you reminisced on your relationship with the bride, recounting the story of how she fell deeply in love and decided that he was the one. 

But now, hunched in your seat with head on your hands, you were seemingly tipsy and all you could think about was escaping outside for some fresh air. 

So, you did. When the groom’s best man took the stage, you saw this as an opportunity to quietly slip to the balcony. 

Shutting the door behind you with a quiet thud, you eyed the empty balcony and sat towards the nearest bench. The surface was a bit cold as the city was now ushering the season of fall, signaling the arrival of long nights and chilly evenings. You shivered slightly and tucked your coat closer to your body as you stare at the darkness. 

You don’t know how long you’ve been outside until you heard the door open and in came a tall, attractive, and oddly familiar man. His face held a warm smile as you noticed that his gaze was directed towards you. 

“Long day?”   

And it was only until he stepped closer and stood in front of you, the moonlight illuminating his face and accentuating his features, that you realized who he was. 

“Tetsurō?!”   

When was the last time you saw the Kuroo Tetsurō? You racked your brain for your last encounter with him and your memories point to your high school graduation. All of a sudden, you felt small and your surroundings became hot as you stood in front of him. Your former childhood neighbor. Former best friend. Former crush. 

Not that he had any idea about that last item. 

“I thought I saw you earlier before the reception started,” he made himself comfortable on the bench, patting the space beside him to urge you to sit as well. “But it’s been so long since I last saw you so of course I thought I was hallucinating. Then you gave a speech on stage – which by the way, I thought was awesome, you’re still as witty as you were before – and my suspicions were confirmed.” 

You were breathless. Speechless. What were the odds that your reunion with him would be at a wedding? 

“Did Yukie send you the wedding invitation?”  

His laugh echoed in the darkness of the night, “Yeah, she did. It was nice to see familiar faces again.” He stared back at you, “I missed everyone.” I missed you, he wanted to say. 

You hummed in agreement and without realizing, the two of you engaged in a comfortable conversation with Kuroo leading just as he always did. Being charming just as he always was. Telling you stories from the part of the past that you didn’t know. Catching you up with his present where he now works in the sports promotion division of Japan Volleyball Association. 

A small part of you was relieved to know that Kuroo was doing well and successful just as you always hoped he would be. Years of no contact with the boy that stole your heart from day one certainly left you lonely. You wouldn’t say it out loud but he was part of the equation of why you still haven’t tied the knot. It was silly but you always thought that no one could measure up to him. 

Absentmindedly, you started fiddling with your fingers, a habit you’ve formed when you were feeling cold, and Kuroo noticed. And just as he always did back then, he enveloped your hands with his and brought them to his lips to blow warm air on them. 

“That better?” 

Your heart threatened to flutter, “Yeah, thanks.” 

After a long while of silence, Kuroo spoke. “I see there’s still no ring on your fourth finger.” He was now nonchalantly stroking your hands, letting his fingers slip in yours. 

You coughed nervously, averting your eyes from his deep ones. “Well, I haven’t really found anyone.” 

He chuckled, now comfortably holding your one hand and hiding it in his pocket to keep it warm. “Here I was wondering if you were waiting for me.

Because I was.” Oh no, be still my heart, you thought.

Kuroo went on, “Remember that silly pact we made on the night before graduation?” 

Your mind takes you back on that evening when you and Kuroo were sitting on the rooftop, away from the noisy crowds and drunk soon-to-be college students. This was your thing, enjoying the calmness and admiring the stars spread out in the night sky. 

That evening, you and Kuroo talked about the uncertain future that lied ahead. That evening, you bared your soul to him, letting him in on your worries and you fell apart in his comforting presence. He, as always, acted as your anchor, assuring you that he would always be your biggest supporter and that he’d always cheer on you even from afar. 

That evening, with the two of you drunk on the excitement and the many possibilities for the new chapter of life, he brought up a proposal.

“I have a crazy idea.” Kuroo linked his pinkie finger with yours. “If we’re still single and not yet married by the age of 35, I’ll find you and we’ll get married.”  

Swept away in the moment and the thrill of the idea, you agreed and sealed the proposal with a harmless kiss. 

“You still remember that?” You questioned, not expecting him to actually remember that silly pact. Not expecting him to be holding on to that agreement. 

“Sometimes, I wonder where we could be now if I just manned up and asked you out that night instead of pulling that act.” He holds your gaze, careful as he brings a hand to cup your cheek. “I’ve liked you for the longest time. And if you’re still available, if you’ll still have me, I am yours.” 

“But we’re not yet 35, Kuroo,” you teased. He chuckled and playfully shoved you before bringing you in an embrace. 

“I’ve decided years ago. You’re the only one for me,” he pulls away. “I’m sorry it took me a long time.” 

And that night, it wasn’t only your best friend that went home feeling the happiest girl in the world. 

Because there was Kuroo who was ready to make up for lost time and give you a reason to look forward to your trips back home.  

[lumosandnoxwriting]

Kissing in the Snow - Adrian Pucey

Title: Kissing in the Snow Pairing: Adrian Pucey x Ravenclaw!Fem!Reader A/N: this is for @fandomscombine​ who wanted some fluff with Adrian!! There’s no summary because this genuinely has no real plot haha. Feedback is always welcome and requests are open! Tags: @feltondarling​ @pandaxnienke​

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“He’s doing it again,” Rachel whispers as she leans towards Y/N.

Y/N can feel the blush creeping up her neck, and she turns her head just barely so she can see the Slytherin table out of the corner of her eye. Sure enough, Adrian Pucey is sitting in his usual spot between Theodore Nott and Marcus Flint and he’s staring right at her. She turns her head so she’s looking at her best friend again, a small smile on her face.

“That’s the third time this week,” Y/N points out excitedly.

“Not counting the time in potions when his cauldron bubbled over because he was too busy watching you,” Maya, Y/N’s other friend, reminds them.

“And he still hasn’t said anything to you?” Rachel asks.

Y/N shakes her head, resisting her urge to see if Adrian is still looking at her. Over the past month Y/N and her friends noticed that the Slytherin boy has taken an interest in her. It started with a few wayward glances during classes or meals but as time has gone on he’s gotten bolder and he’s settled on just straight up staring at Y/N any chance he gets. It’s caused quite a few awkward moments during class, but Y/N would be lying if she said she doesn’t enjoy the attention. The only thing Y/N would change is the fact that despite all the attention Adrian gives her, he’s yet to talk to her.

Maya bites her lip, sparing a glance over at the Slytherin table. “I mean he’s still looking. Maybe he doesn’t think you’re interested?”

Y/N shrugs. “You think? Should I like, look at him back?”

“Well I guess it all depends. Are you interested in him?” Rachel asks.

“I mean he is pretty cute,” Y/N muses, biting her lip. “And he gets decent marks. Not to mention the fact that he’s a great Quidditch player.”

“Bet he’s got a nice set of abs under that uniform too,” Maya teases with an eyebrow wiggle.

“Of course that’s all you’d care about you perv,” Rachel responds with an eyeroll. “But this isn’t about you and your crush on every male quidditch player in the school. This is about Y/N and her potential new boyfriend.”

“Woah, woah, woah. Who said anything about a boyfriend?” Y/N interrupts. “He hasn’t even said two words to me, I think you guys are getting a bit ahead of yourselves.”

Maya scoffs. “Oh please, don’t pretend like you haven’t thought about it. I saw you doodling hearts around his name on your Charms notes last week.”

“So you do have a crush on him,” Rachel giggles excitedly. “Why don’t you make a move on him.”

Y/N bites her lip, choosing to ignore her friends’ excited whispering for the time being. She turns around in her seat, allowing herself to make direct contact with Adrian for the first time. Much to Y/N’s surprise, he doesn’t look away. His eyebrows raise slightly, as if he’s challenging her, before he gives her a sly wink. Y/N’s cheeks flush pink and she immediately turns back around, just barely catching the smile on Adrian’s face.

“Okay, there. I looked at him. Now will you two shut up?” Y/N whispers, unable to keep the happiness she feels from creeping into her voice.

-

Y/N is in the middle of grinding up a Bicorn horn during potions class the next week when a crumpled up piece of parchment flies over her shoulder and lands on the table in front of her. Maya nudges her and winks, using her head to subtly gesture towards where Adrian is sitting. Y/N already knows that he’s been looking at her during class, she could feel his eyes on her as she moved around the room to gather the needed ingredients for the potion Snape had tasked them to make.

“Open it,” Rachel urges.

Y/N looks to make sure Snape is busy scolding the Weasley twins for Merlin knows what before she puts down the Bicorn horn and grabs the note. She hunches over to make sure neither of her friends can see what it says, her fingers shaking as she opens it up.

You look cute when you focus like that. I have to be careful or my cauldron will boil over again.

Y/N clutches the note to her chest, a faint blush adorning her cheeks. She lets herself read it a few more times, memorizing the loop of the letters. Y/N checks again to make sure Snape is preoccupied, before turning in her seat to look at Adrian. When their eyes connect her blush deepens, and he winks at her before looking away to scribble something else down. This time she catches the piece of parchment he tosses, and Y/N opens it.

Walk with me to lunch?

She bites her lip and looks back at Adrian. Y/N nods at him, her lips turning up into a smile when he grins at her.

It takes all of Y/N’s willpower to turn back around and continue working on her potion. It takes all of her focus to keep her mind from wandering towards Adrian, partially due to the fact that both Maya and Rachel fire question after question at her. They quiet down when Y/N promises to tell them everything at lunch, and she’s able to finish her work. When the bell finally rings for lunch Y/N packs her things up slowly, making sure to put the notes Adrian sent her into a pocket in her bag.

Rachel groans. “Will you hurry up?”

Y/N pauses so she can grin up at her friends. “You two go ahead. I’ll meet you at lunch.” Maya opens her mouth to question her, and Y/N tries to subtly gesture towards where Adrian is hovering by the door, clearly waiting for Y/N.

“Oh,” Maya sighs, getting the hint. “Rachel and I will meet you at lunch.” She sends Y/N a wink before grabbing Rachel’s arm and dragging her towards the exit. They both give Adrian a look as they pass, their giggles loud and clear as they head down the hall.

“Sorry about them,” Y/N apologizes as she comes to stand with Adrian. “They can be a bit much sometimes.”

Adrian smiles at Y/N as they start to head towards the Great Hall. “That’s okay. It’s kind cute actually, that they worry about you.” His hand wraps around the leather strap of her backpack as he watches her struggle to hitch it on her shoulder. “Let me carry that for you.”

Y/N blushes. “It’s fine, it’s fine, you don’t have to,” she stutters.

“I want to,” Adrian insists quietly, giving Y/N a reassuring smile. He winks at her as he takes the bag from her, slinging it on his shoulder like it weighs nothing. “Although you may have to give me a back massage afterwards,” he flirts.

“Name a time and place, I’ll be there,” Y/N responds cheekily, nudging him playfully.

“Don’t tease me, Y/N. Because I will absolutely take you up on that offer.” Adrian looks over at her as they slowly head up the stairs out of the dungeons. “I’m sorry for all the staring, by the way. I hope it didn’t creep you out too much. You just really are beautiful and it’s very distracting.”

Y/N blushes, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “No need to apologize, I didn’t mind at all. It was um, kinda nice actually.”

Adrian lets the back of his hand brush Y/N’s, and when she doesn’t pull away he links their pinkies. “Good, because I find it so hard not to look at you. You’re by far the most beautiful girl in the entire castle.”

“The entire castle? Are you sure about that?” Y/N asks playfully. “Even with all of those Beauxbatons girls fliting around the castle?” While Y/N had gotten to know a few of the girls from Beauxbatons, she couldn’t help but feel insecure around them. Their uniforms are far more flattering than her Hogwarts one, not to mention the fact that they all are drop dead gorgeous with alluring French accents.

“Y/N, not even Fleur Delacour holds a candle to your beauty,” Adrian assures her, squeezing Y/N’s pinky with his own.

“That is a load of rubbish, but I’ll let it slide because you’re cute,” Y/N teases. They reach the entrance to the Great Hall then and they both pause, turning to face each other. Y/N can feel her friend’s eyes burning holes in the back of her head and she shifts her weight from one foot to the other. “Thank you for walking me to lunch. And carrying my bag for me.”

“It was my pleasure, Y/N. But I will have to take you up on that offer for a back massage,” Adrian reminds her with a wink. He hands Y/N her backpack, letting his fingers graze the back of her hand. “Before you go,” he says quietly, grabbing Y/N’s wrist lightly. “I was wondering if you’d like to accompany me to Hogsmeade on Saturday?”

Y/N bites her lip and she can feel how hot her cheeks are. “I would like that a lot.”

“Great,” Adrian says, smiling at her. “I’ll meet you at the door to the castle at 11.”

“See you then.” Y/N waves at Adrian before turning on her heel and heading towards the Ravenclaw table, a swarm of butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

-

“Hi gorgeous,” Adrian greets as Y/N comes down the last few stairs towards him, a smile forming on his face as a warm blush creeps across her cheeks. Adrian has found that it’s quite easy to make Y/N blush, and he takes advantage of that fact every chance he gets. He thinks she looks even more beautiful with a pink tint to her cheeks.

“Hi,” Y/N responds, reaching out to take the hand Adrian offers her. He intertwines their fingers and brings their hands up to his mouth, pressing a brief kiss to the back of her hand.  “You ready to go?” Y/N asks, trying to hide some of her nerves.

“Now that you’re here, yes,” Adrian responds playfully, pulling Y/N closer to his side. They head out of the castle together, groups of their classmates swarming around them as they make the familiar trek down to Hogsmeade. Adrian just watches Y/N for a moment as they walk, dumbfounded by how beautiful she is. It took him nearly a month to work up the courage to speak to Y/N purely because his brain turns to mush every time he looks at her. Her hair is up in a delicate bun, a few long tendrils of hair framing her face, and it takes all of his willpower to not twist one around his finger.

Y/N watches Adrian out of the corner of her eye, still in disbelief that he wanted to go on a date with her. She’s had boys ask her out before, but none that were quite on Adrian’s level of desirability. He and some of his fellow quidditch teammates were often the topic of gossip during girl’s nights in the Ravenclaw common room, and a few of the Beauxbatons girls even inquired about his relationship status when they first arrived at the castle a few months prior. There are plenty of girls he could have given his attention to and while Y/N is surprised he’d chosen her, she’s also extremely happy.

“Are you enjoying the Triwizard tournament so far?” Y/N asks to break the silence that had fallen around them. “Or has Quidditch being cancelled made it too hard to enjoy?”

“I wasn’t too thrilled at first, I’m not going to lie,” Adrian chuckles. “But Flint and I still break our brooms out and pass the Quaffle around when we get a chance, which is better than nothing. Plus, that dragon thing was pretty sick.”

“I never thought I’d ever see a dragon that close in my life. It was about as thrilling as it was terrifying,” Y/N adds with a giggle. They reach Hogsmeade then and pause, neither of them sure where to go from here.

“Do you wanna go into that Madam Puddifoot’s place or whatever it’s called? That’s where Flint always gets dragged off to with Daphne,” Adrian suggest.

Y/N shakes her head, a shiver running down her spine. “Cho like to go there as well. But the place creeps me out if I’m honest.”

Adrian laughs. “Oh, thank Merlin, I feel the same way.” He bites his lip before giving Y/N a cheeky grin. “We could head into the bookstore. I’m sure that’s your favorite spot,” he teases.

“I get it, because I’m in Ravenclaw I like to read. Ha ha, very funny,” Y/N teases, shoving Adrian playfully. “Just for that the first round of Butterbeer is on you, Pucey.”

“Aw come on! It was a little funny!” Adrian laughs, letting Y/N drag him towards the Three Broomsticks. Once they push through the door Adrian reluctantly releases Y/N’s hand, nudging her towards the seating area. “You grab us a table, I’ll grab the drinks.”

Y/N nods and shoots Adrian a smile before going to find them a table. She’s heading towards a free table in the back corner when someone grabs her wrist and pulls her down into a booth. “I thought you guys promised to stay in the common room!” Y/N scolds, glaring at Rachel and Maya.

“No, we promised we wouldn’t follow you,” Rachel points out with an eyeroll.

“And we didn’t,” Maya points out with a laugh. “We got here first. So technically you’re following us.”

“Well technically you’re both annoying,” Y/N teases, flicking Maya’s ear.

“You two can fight later,” Rachel starts, giving Maya a look. “We only have a few minutes, how’s it going?”

Y/N blushes, fiddling with her fingers. “Good so far,” she admits with a small laugh. “He kept looking at me while we walked, and he held my hand.” Rachel and Maya squeal for a moment before Y/N shushes them. “Quiet I don’t want him to hear. He thought you guys being protective was cute, but I’m sure it’ll turn creepy quite fast. I’m gonna go, I’ll see you guys at dinner tonight.”

Y/N sneaks out of the booth and heads for the table she originally set her eyes on and she settles into a seat just as Adrian turns around, two frothy mugs of steaming Butterbeer in his hands. She waves him over, smiling as he approaches.

“Trying to hide on me?” Adrian jokes, placing the mugs down on the table. He slides into the chair next to Y/N, scooting as close to her as possible.

“More like trying to get you alone,” Y/N flirts, wrapping her hand around one of the mugs and pulling it closer to her. “Thanks for buying,” Y/N says quietly, taking a sip from the mug.

“Y/N I’d buy you the moon if it made you happy,” Adrian responds, smiling as her cheeks flush pink. He takes a sip from his own mug, letting the warm liquid calm his nerves.

“Not sure how that would work, but I appreciate the sentiment,” Y/N laughs. She smiles as Adrian puts his mug down since some of the foam is stuck to his upper lip. “You’ve got some um,” she starts gesturing towards his mouth.

Adrian chuckles, and Y/N watches in awe as his tongue swipes across his mouth, taking some of the foam with it. “Did I get it all?” he asks, his voice an octave lower than it normally is.

“Here, let me,” Y/N responds quietly, bringing her hand up towards his face. It takes all her concentration not to let her hand shake as the pad of her thumb brushes against his mouth, wiping the last bit of foam away. “There, all better.”

Adrian clears his throat, praying that the blush that now adorns his cheeks isn’t obvious. “Thanks.” He reaches out and tucks a piece of hair behind Y/N’s ear. “So, what do you like to do? When you’re not reading that is,” he jokes, winking at her.

Y/N shoves his shoulder, a shiver running down her spine when he grabs her hand and intertwines their fingers. “I really like to paint and draw actually. That’s why my backpack is so heavy, my giant sketchbook is in it.”

“That’s so cool. I like to doodle sometimes, but mostly when I’m not paying attention in class,” Adrian chuckles. “You’ll have to show me some of your stuff sometime.”

“I’d really like that,” Y/N says with a smile. A lot of the members of Y/N’s house are into some kind of art form, so her love of drawing and painting often goes unnoticed. She can’t remember the last time someone asked to see one of her pieces and the fact that Adrian is interested causes butterflies to rumble in her stomach. “I’m actually working on a sketch of Flitwick right now. He was trying to teach us all how to dance the other day for the Yule Ball and he had the funniest pair of dress robes on I’ve ever seen.”

“I can’t even imagine what that must have looked like,” Adrian muses with a laugh. “Snape was trying to teach us as well, though his lesson was less funny and more, disturbing.” He pauses to take a sip of his drink. “Although he did knock a fourth year over with his cloak when he did a spin and I laughed so hard I cried.”

Y/N laughs at that as well, unable to get the image of Snape dancing out of her mind. “Now that is something to see. I can’t even imagine Snape dancing. To me he only exists in the Potions classroom, I can’t imagine him just walking around living a normal life.”

“I know, right?” Adrian agrees. “Like he has to have hobbies or something, but all I can ever imagine him doing is sitting behind his desk starting at a wall.” Adrian bites his lip, watching as Y/N sips at her drink. “Speaking of the Yule Ball,” he says slowly. “You don’t have a date yet, do you?”

Y/N shakes her head a small smile on her face. “No, I was planning on just going with Rachel and Maya. A friend thing or whatever. Do you? Have a date?”

“Hopefully I will soon. After I ask you,” Adrian adds quickly, hoping his nervousness isn’t too obvious. “Y/N, will you be my date to the Yule Ball?”

Y/N squeezes Adrian’s hand. “Yes. Absolutely yes.”

Adrian and Y/N sit and talk until their drinks have long been finished and the sky has started to turn orange with the sunset, talking about anything and everything they can think of. They decide to head back to the castle as the students who were taking up tables start to leave in groups. Dinner will be served soon, and no one wants to miss that. Their walk back to the castle is surrounded by a comfortable silence, their intertwined hands slowly swinging between them.

“Can I walk you to potions on Monday?” Adrian asks as they reach the entrance to the Great Hall.

Y/N nods and her face turns beet red as Adrian leans in and presses a soft kiss to her cheek. “Thank you, for today.”

Adrian smiles at her, giving her hand a final squeeze. “It was my pleasure, Y/N. There’s no other way I’d like to spend my Saturday.”

-

“Wow, Y/N. You look incredible,” Adrian compliments dreamily as they come together in front of the Great Hall.

Y/N blushes as Adrian’s hand lands on her hip and he pulls her into his chest. Despite the fact that her and Adrian have spent nearly every moment together since their date at the Three Broomsticks, being close to him still makes her palms sweaty and erupts a swarm of butterflies in her stomach. “You don’t look too shabby yourself.”

Adrian smiles down at her, pressing a soft kiss to Y/N’s forehead. “We’re the hottest couple here I reckon.”

Couple. The word sends a tingle down Y/N’s spine and her knees quiver as Adrian intertwines their fingers and leads her into the Great Hall. It’s the first time either of them has defined their relationship, and it makes Y/N feel lightheaded.

“Wow,” Y/N gasps as they enter the Great Hall. “This doesn’t even look like we’re still at Hogwarts.” The room looks like the perfect Winter Wonderland, with a giant Christmas tree at the far end completing the décor.

“Maybe this shouldn’t have been our second date,” Adrian muses with a chuckle. “I don’t know how I’m ever going to top this.”

Y/N rolls her eyes playfully. “As long as you’re there with me it’ll be perfect.” She leans in and presses a kiss to his cheek. “Oh look, here come the champions.” They both turn to watch as the champions enter when Y/N feels Adrian wrap an arm around her waist before he pulls her into his chest.

“Fleur isn’t even half as beautiful as you,” Adrian whispers, causing goosebumps to erupt down Y/N’s neck.

As the champions start to dance Y/N turns around in his embrace and playfully slaps him on the shoulder. “I’m already your date, no need to be so sappy,” she teases.

Adrian chuckles as his free hand comes up to cup Y/N’s cheek. He pulls their lips together, and kisses Y/N sweetly. She melts into his embrace, her arms wrapping around his neck to pull him as close as possible.

“Come dance with me,” Adrian murmurs, pulling Y/N onto the dance floor. His hands settle on Y/N’s hips and her hands grip his shoulders tightly as they start to sway back and forth.

Fake snow starts to fall from the ceiling and Y/N tilts her head back, giggling as the flakes start to land on her face. “I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to celebrate Christmas normally after all of this.”

Adrian reaches up to brush some of the snow off of Y/N’s cheeks, smiling when she looks back at him. “I want you to be my girlfriend,” he says suddenly shocking them both. “I-I mean,” Adrian stutters, his cheeks turning a light pink color. “Will you be my girlfriend, Y/N?”

Instead of answering Y/N pulls Adrian into a slow kiss, their bodies still gently swaying as the snow falls all around them.

[mymelodyheart]

Miles Between Us Chapter 11 ~Suspicious Minds~

Picture Edit by melodyheart

Previously in The Art of Non-Communication ...

A familiar bright red Fiat slowed down next to them just as Jamie was about to get into the car, and Ian, their brother-in-law, poked his head out of the window. "Hey, lads, guess who I just saw back in town?"

The brothers looked at each other and shrugged. 

When Ian stalled, Willie blew out an impatient breath. 

"Out with it!" Willie grumbled. "I've been away from work for far too long already."

Ian grinned. "Yer pal Christie."

Jamie waved a hand in the air in dismissal and turned to open the car door, not particularly interested in hearing the latest coming and going in Broch Mordha. "I'm pretty sure the lassies will be thrilled he's back."

"Aye, ye're probably right, but I dinnae think ye'd be too pleased to hear if one particular lass is enjoying his company."

Jamie whipped around. "What do ye mean?" He sounded like someone just launched a flying rugby pass onto his stomach.

"Saw Claire and Tom through the window of Slater's Arms. Probably sitting down for late lunch."

  If you wish to read this on AO3, here is the link.

If you wish to read this from the beginning:

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 Claire hurriedly made her way to Slater's Arms to meet Tom Christie. They'd arranged earlier to meet at the pub after he'd dropped her off at the village centre to do her errands, so she was surprised to see him waiting outside. After exchanging a hurried cursory hello, he allowed him to guide her through the half-filled bar, his hand ever so lightly touching her elbow. They were greeted by a string of boisterous sallies from the locals, to which Tom good-humouredly responded with a couple of wisecracks of his own . It was becoming pretty clear they were in his local haunt and was well-liked by its patrons. But she also suspected there could be whispers going around, wondering what she was doing with him. Despite those thoughts, she kept her head up, and a smile plastered to her face.

After navigating through the narrow maze of tables and chairs, they opted for an empty space by the window, away from the bar where a heated football discussion was just about to begin. They simultaneously slid into their seats, sitting opposite each other, his lopsided grin and lax manner putting her immediately at ease. He was seemingly oblivious to the curious stares around them, but Claire paid no heed to the attention they were garnering and pushed her earlier encounter with Jenny away from her mind. This was a professional meeting, a welcome distraction even though it was proving an impossibility not to picture Jamie across from her. Suddenly missing Jamie, she allowed her thoughts to momentarily drift and wondered what he was up to.

"Hey."

Claire snapped out of her reverie. "Huh?"

"I asked if ye're hungry."

"Oh! Well, I'm not sure," she murmured, squinting at the specials scrawled on the blackboard hanging behind the bar. "Sort of, I guess."

"Sort of?" he laughed. "What kind of answer is that?" He passed her a menu. "Here. Ye ought to try their haggis tweeds. They have the best in this area."

She snorted, taking the menu card and skimming through it. "Really? I've never met a Scot who liked haggis, and yet every one of you lot I've met recommends it to non-locals."

"Aaahh," he leaned forward, propping his elbows on the table. "To be honest, I dinnae like haggis myself when cooked the traditional way. But the haggis tweeds are different ...more palatable. They're rolled into balls, breaded and deep-fried. I'm quite sure ye'll like them."

"Hmmm ..." When she glanced up from the menu, she met his thoughtful gaze. Though smiling, he had an odd expression on his face. "Wot?" She smoothed her hair, thinking it must be all over the place. She dreaded what her hair looked like after being caught in the rain earlier on. She wished now she'd tied it back before leaving the cottage. "Anything wrong?"

Tom shrugged his shoulders. "Just noticing ye dinnae look as upbeat as ye sounded on the phone the first time we talked. I was expecting ye to be more excited about selling me the idea of publishing my travel book. Ye kinda look as if something is bothering ye. Is anything the matter?"

She let out an exhale and placed the menu down. "I'm sorry. I've just had a rough day."

"Boyfriend problem?" he asked slowly.

She arched an eyebrow at him. Friendly as Tom was, Claire wasn't prepared to share any details of her personal life. "I just have a lot of things going on, and then you threw me out of the loop," she explained, not wanting to lie but not wanting to over-share either. "I was caught off-guard when you phoned earlier, and I wasn't expecting your call until, at least, sometime next week."

"Ye could've told me to meet at a later date. I wouldnae have minded."

"No! Today is fine," she assured him quickly. "I'm probably slowly weaning from the fast pace of hectic schedules in London, that at the first sign of change, I stumble a bit."

He grinned. "Weel, whatever is bothering ye, I dinnae like you looking so downcast. Maybe we can do something about it right now and tell ye a bit of good news. To cheer ye up."

"I like good news ..." she remarked, perking up, guessing he probably had a new picture or post on his blog he wanted to show.

"That's much better," he said when he caught a hint of a smile forming on her face. "As I was saying, I have a bit of good news. I've been giving your proposition a lot of thought ..." he shifted on his seat and took a deep breath. "I've decided I want to go ahead and publish my travel blog in print."

She blinked and swallowed before finding her voice. "But you haven't seen the projected sale and all the ..."

He waved a hand. "I'm quite sure after that impressive pitch over the phone, yer projected whatever and other wotnots ye wish to go over with me will be just as equally convincing. The idea is sold, and I'm on board."

"Just like that?"

He nodded his head, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Aye. Now that I've met ye in person, I'm pretty confident ye'll make sure I'll get a fair deal for my book. I'm a good judge of character, and I trust ye'll do what's right."

"Of course."

"So it's settled."

"Well, that's ...that's fabulous," she breathed, her mind rushing in all sorts of direction.

"This calls for a celebration, don't ye think?" he smiled, waving at the waitress.

Before Claire could reply, her purse vibrated. She pointed an index finger at Tom. "Hold that thought." She opened her bag and grabbed her phone. It was her boss, John Grey.

"Oh, hi, John! I'm in the middle of ..."

"Claire, I'm sorry to dump this on you," John said rapidly in a panicky tone. "Mary Hawkins just phoned and said she expects you to pick her up at Inverness Airport."

"Wot?!? But how? Why?" She glanced at Tom and noticed a light frown lining his brows. "She hasn't been answering any of my emails. What the hell is she doing in Inverness?" She knew it wasn't professional to be discussing another author over the phone with a potential client in front of her. But it couldn't be helped. At the moment, she was far too agitated to care. Mary Hawkins, the publishing's star author, had been elusive ever since she disappeared to France, and she'd been the reason Claire had decided to take a break in Scotland only to be given another job in the form of Tom Christie. "Please don't tell me you sent her here. I have enough on my plate as it is." She gave Tom an apologetic look, to which he just shrugged and smiled in understanding.

A frustrated sigh came from John. "I swear to God, this isn't my doing. She arrived yesterday here in London, and when she demanded to start work right away on her book, I assigned another editor. But she wouldn't have it. She insisted on working with you. So I told her you're in Inverness doing another project. And then she called a few minutes ago, demanding you pick her up at the airport. I swear I didn't know she was planning on flying to Inverness."

Oh, God! "John!" she whined. "I can't just drop everything and pick her up. I'm an editor, not a chauffeur! I'm in the middle of talks with Mr Christie."

"I'm terribly sorry for this mess, Claire but, isn't there anything you can do? Your boyfriend, perhaps? You know how Hawkins is a big deal for the company."

She took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut. Claire felt she was being put in a position she didn't want to be in. On top of it all, her uncle would be arriving in two days, and there was the added worry she had with Jamie and potentially Jenny. The day was definitely getting worse by the second, but Claire reminded herself she was John's only hope, and he was a friend and had always been good to her. When she finally had the strength to open her eyes again, Tom mouthed something she couldn't quite catch.

Wot do you mean? She mouthed back, shaking her head.

"Claire, are you still there?" 

"Yes!" she snapped, tamping down the urge to curse. "I'm here!"

"Well?"

She let out a frustrated breath. There was no way out of it. "Fine, John! But you owe me big time! I'll see what I can do." Damn it!

"You're a star!" John said, relief lacing his voice. "I knew I could rely on you. I'll text Hawkins to let her know you're on your way, and then I'll text you her private number. I don't think you'll have that. It's one of the reasons you couldn't get in touch with her. Anyway, let me know later how you get on."

Before she could answer, the line went dead. What the bloody hell just happened?

Claire dropped her head into her hands and groaned. She wanted to bawl, throw stuff and pull her hair out in frustration.

"Problems?"

She raised her head and looked at Tom. "I'm sorry you had to witness that. I have to cancel our meeting. I need to somehow get to Inverness and pick up this author I'm working with." Without going into too many details, Claire quickly explained her predicament, almost forgetting to breathe. By the time she finished, she was gasping for air and wondering if Tom understood what the hell she was on about. "As you can see, I probably have to organise her accommodation as well. So I really must get going." She stood up and grabbed her bag. "Raincheck?"

He got on his feet as well. "Look, I'm not doing anything for the rest of the day. How about I drive you to Inverness. I can even help you set her up."

"Tom, you don't have to."

"Hey, I'm about to get a book deal from your boss. Let me at least prove to ye what a perfect travel guide I am as I've portrayed on my blog."

Claire stopped to collect herself. On second thoughts, she did need Tom's help, and she couldn't well impose on Willie to drive her to Inverness when he'd been taking time off to check up on her ever since Jamie left. Maybe she could kill two birds with one stone and talk him through his own book's publishing process on their way to the airport. It was a brilliant idea, and hopefully, by the end of today, John would be able to draw up a contract for Tom. With a resigned smile, Claire appreciatively accepted the offer. "Alright then, but we do need to get going now."

"Absolutely. We'll go through the back door." When Claire looked at him curiously, he grinned. "I've parked the car in the staffs' parking lot. I'm good friends with the owner, so I get the privilege to walk through the kitchen and use the backdoor," he explained. Then he leaned closer to her ear and spoke in a low voice. "And if the chef is in a good mood, he might allow us to taste today's menu."

Claire laughed out loud, attracting attention from the pub's clientele. She ignored the curious stares. It was good to laugh again after the last couple of days of feeling down, and she owed it to herself to steer negativity and worries from her thoughts. "We'll stop by the cottage to get some clothes. Knowing my client, she'll probably want to stay in a posh hotel in Inverness and want to start working right away. She doesn't do bed and breakfast or small places. So I doubt she'll want to come to Broch Mordha."

Tom nodded with a smile as he took her hand and lead the way.

Heading to the back of the pub, Claire made a few mental notes on what she needed to take with her. She also reminded herself to message Willie about taking care of Rollo and Adso while she's away, hoping he would think nothing of it when he hears from the village gossip of her meeting with Tom.

...........

Jamie caught Willie's livid expression before the car started, and they were driving down the small country lane. He knew his brother was miffed with Ian, who'd sped ahead of them after revealing Claire's whereabouts with Christie. Though common sense told him he had nothing to be worried about, it had been still a punch in the gut to hear Claire was out with another man.

"Can ye speed up a bit?" Jamie muttered, shifting restlessly on his seat.

"We're not in a bloody motorway, and there are speed limits for a reason," Willie growled, his fingers flexing on the steering wheel. "And it will do ye a lot of good to use this time to calm down before we reach Claire. It's obvious ye're not thinking clearly."

Jamie almost wished he'd taken a ride with Ian instead. They couldn't see their brother-in-law's red Fiat anymore as it disappeared at a bend further ahead. But he knew Willie was right. He wasn't thinking clearly. It's just that, why it had to be Thomas Christie of all people Claire had chosen to go out with. He had nothing against the bloke, but he was a renowned player. What if Claire had grown tired of his condition and fell for Christie's charms? It wouldn't be a difficult feat as the bloke oozed charms by the bucketload. Hadn't he lost a girlfriend in the past because of Christie? Or was it because of his condition? He couldn't be sure anymore. Either way, knowing Claire was with Christie at this very moment was burning a hole in his stomach. "So ye're an expert on my thoughts now, are ye?" Jamie grunted, unable to think of a better excuse for his behaviour.

"I dinnae need to be an expert to know what ye're thinking ... it's written all o'er yer face," Willie retorted. "If ye'd called her up in the first place, then ye would've had a fair idea why she's meeting Christie, and ye wouldnae be in this stinking shite thinking the worse. The lass has been worried sick about ye, and she's put up with yer silence more than what could be expected of her. So do both yerselves a favour and calm the fuck down, aye?"

Jamie knocked back the claustrophobic sensation and forced himself to breathe. This had always been his trouble with his PTSD. He always had these intense emotions that always grew out of proportion to a point it would suffocate him, especially negatives ones like a feeling of lacking or guilt. Wasn't that what Geneva had said? There was a lot of misplaced guilt involved? And no matter what he did to get better, it was a bloody never-ending cycle that always brought him back to square one. But despite the shortcomings, he knew it would kill him if he didn't give himself a fighting chance with Claire. He might as well die trying. She was, after all, either going to be his reason for living or the reason he died. It was all right there, shining in front of him like a floodlight. 

With a sigh, he tried to relax. Jamie knew justifying his earlier behaviour was a bad idea in both their current edgy states, but nothing would stop him from seeing Claire right now. It was like a need that required satisfying, and he couldn't wait to finally see her. He focused on the road ahead of them and listened to the radio to take his mind of negative thoughts.

It's a dreich Thursday afternoon, and here's another trip down memory lane with Mac's Classics here at MFR, with the biggest hits and the biggest throwbacks. Next up is a song sure to make ye forget the dreary days ahead – Let's get rickrolling with Never Gonna Give You Up. 

"Turn it up," Jamie said suddenly, surprising his brother.

"What?" Willie glanced at him like he'd grown a pair of horns.

"I said, turn the bloody volume up!"

"Ye're joking, right? Rick fucking Astley? Nae chance pal!"

"Just do it," Jamie huffed, not caring what his brother thought of his song choice. When Claire had told him it had made her smile listening to it in the cafe the other day, he'd listened to it as well on his mother's antique record player. It was a bloody awful song, but for some strange reason, it had made him smile too.

Scowling and cursing under his breath, Willie eventually complied, and they listened to Rick Astley's song for the rest of the way. When they reached the village centre, Willie illegally parked outside Slater's Arms, carefully avoiding bumping into the menacing bollards. They were just about to get out of the car when Ian appeared from the pub, shaking his head.

Willie stuck his head out of the window. "What's the matter?"

"They're gone," Ian replied, shrugging, perplexity evident in his expression. "Spoke to Angus, and he said they didn't even order anything. They just got up and left."

Jamie got out of the car. "Did he say where they went?"

Ian narrowed his gaze at him. "I didnae ask."

Jamie ran a hand in front of his face and got back in the car. His brother had to work. There was only one thing left he could do, and it was to go back to the cottage, and if Claire wasn't there, he'd give her a call. He turned to Willie, letting out a sigh of resignation. "Just drop me off at the cottage. I've taken too much of yer time already."

"Ye sure?" Willie asked quietly. "I can drop ye off at Lallybroch. Yer car is there. Ye'll most probably need it soon, especially with more bad weather to come."

Jamie shook his head. He was certain Claire would be at home, and if not, surely later. He wasn't planning on going anywhere anytime soon but had every intention of making up for lost time with her. "It's time to go home," Jamie sighed, waving goodbye to Ian. "No more running away," 

Willie smiled, starting the car. "Good choice!" 

It was a short drive to his cottage, and by the time they pulled up outside his house, the sun started to peek out for a splinter of a moment, his driveway though occupied by an unfamiliar vehicle. As soon as he saw a man's profile sat on the driver's seat, he immediately knew it was Christie. As if anticipating his next move and before he could yank off his seatbelt, Willie slapped a hand across his chest.

"What?" Jamie wheezed.

"Claire's in the cottage. Talk to her first and find out what's going on before ye jump to any conclusions."

Jamie breathed through a laugh, but he could hear it was edged with doubt. "What if I've fucked this up?"

"Ye havenae. And it's up to ye to keep that way. Now go to her. Ye'll find out soon enough there's a perfect explanation for Christie hanging about."

Words were fighting to leave his tongue, but he clamped his lips together and held them back. Vocalising the feelings raging inside his chest would only allow his emotions to run away with him. He reigned them in and took a deep breath. Whether it's a consequence of PTSD or not, he couldn't expect Claire to understand every time. So instead, Jamie gave Willie a reassuring nod and hoped his brother was right. 

He got out of the car and walked straight to the cottage, refusing to acknowledge Christie. He knew he was being rude and could feel his brother's eyes boring into his back as well as Christie's. He didn't care because right at this moment, his primary focus was Claire. 

As soon as he opened the door and saw Claire hooking a bag onto her shoulder, he bounded across the room, dropping his face into her neck and breathing for the first time in days. "Sassenach," he whispered. "I'm so sorry for leaving ye. I wasnae thinking. Please forgive me."

Claire dropped her bag on the floor, wrapping both arms around his neck. "Jamie, you're here," she breathed into his ear. "Are you alright? God, I've been so worried about you."

"I'm alright now that I'm here and ye're here," he rasped, lifting his head for a moment and eyeing the bags on the floor. "Why are yer bags packed?"

She followed his gaze. "I ...ah ... it's work, and I have to ..."

"Ye're going back to London?"

"No!"

That's all he needed to hear. Unable to wait any longer for an explanation, he pulled her into his arms as urgency pumped in his veins. He badly needed to absorb as much as he could of her, breathing her in, in huge gulps of air. His mouth travelled over her neck, into her hair, across her lips, whispering for forgiveness, his hands restless as he touched her everywhere.

"Hey, look at me ... there's nothing to forgive," she murmured, drawing away. She placed her hands on both sides of his face and searched his eyes. "I understand what you've been going through, and I know you're fighting your hardest. It's going to be alright."

"I've missed ye." He turned his face to kiss her palm before placing her hand on his chest. "I-I thought ye're better off without me. I thought I could walk away from ye, and it would be enough knowing ye're safe from me. But nothing was right. I was sick to the soul, knowing I've left ye. I wanted ye to be with a better man than me, but now ... I'm gonnae be selfish and beg ye to let me be that man by yer side."

"Jamie, where's this coming from?" she queried. "I was worried and afraid for you, but I haven't changed my mind about us." She sighed. "Your brother told me yesterday, you were seeing a therapist this morning. Did you go today?"

Jamie swallowed and nodded, unable to still his hands, touching her everywhere, needing to assure himself he was really holding her.

"Is this why you're talking like this? Has the therapy dug up a lot of unwanted issues? Because if it has, it's perfectly normal."

"No!" He let out a frustrated breath. He'd been so unpredictable with the symptoms of his PTSD coming and going, she wasn't taking him seriously when he needed her to hear him out. "No, please listen and look me in the eye. I panicked when I saw the bruises on yer arms, and without thinking, I left. I did what I did because I didnae think I could ever be the man for ye ...a bloody disappointment, constantly causing ye grief. But I understand now why my condition is out of control at the moment ... it's because I have suppressed emotions that need to come out. It's been coming out more because all this while, ye've been the key to my healing. So I'm handing everything inside me over to ye because I trust ye, and ye're the only one who can make sense of me. I cannae promise smooth sailing, Sassenach, but there is one thing I know ye can depend on and will always be constant despite my condition. And that's my love for ye. I can guarantee ye with certainty ye can rely on that. This isnae a result of my therapy talking, alright? I willnae let ye go for anything. I can work around my condition with ye by my side, and I'll work twice as hard to get better."

"Jamie, I love you too, and I have no doubt that ..."

"Then why are your bags packed?" he questioned accusingly. "And why is Christie outside waiting for ye?" 

With a sharp intake of breath, Claire quickly explained everything from the call she received from her boss to Christie's involvement and an impatient Mary Hawkins waiting for her at the airport. 

He could tell she was itching to go by the way she tried to subtly glance at her watch, but he was feeling too selfish. "How about I drive ye to Inverness?" he cajoled, his hand stroking her hair. "Willie is still outside. We'll get my car in Lallybroch, and I'll drive ye." He suddenly felt like a bastard keeping her from doing her work.

"Jamie, no!" she said gently but firmly. He knew she was restraining herself from rushing off, wanting to make sure he was alright first. "I can't be fretting about you being in a city when I have work to do. There's a possibility I'll be back tonight, but if Mary wants to work straight away on her book, then I have to stay in Inverness for a couple of nights, tops. Besides, I need to explain to Tom about his book's publication and make sure he hasn't changed his mind. Until we've drawn up a contract, nothing is certain." Her hands smoothed the hard muscles on his chest. "Besides, I need you to be here when my uncle comes. He'll be hiring a car, so he won't require picking up."

"What? Ye're uncle is coming here?" he almost shouted.

"No. I mean, uncle Lamb won't be staying here in the cottage even though you told him he could. I've already booked him a place in the village centre ...close to the amenities."

He let out a sigh of relief. He didn't think he was ready to bond with Harry's look-alike ...yet. If anything, he dreaded it, afraid of other suppressed memories dying to come out and choke him with guilt.

"Jamie, I really ought to go. I promise I'll call later and explain everything."

With a groan, he pulled Claire in once more in his arms and kissed her thoroughly, and she responded with a whimper that told him she was enjoying the kiss. He hadn't even had a second to savour getting her back before the prospect of letting her go again struck him like a baseball bat between the shoulder blades. But he wanted to give her something to remember while she's away and what she'll be missing if she didn't hurry up with her work. He slipped his hand under her cardigan, caressing her nipple with the calloused pad of his thumb and pressing his burgeoning erection against her belly.

"I love ye ...always remember that." His mouth coasted along the lines of her jaw, his hands squeezing her waist. "I ken ye've been patient and understanding with me, but just try to be extra tolerant with me for now. Can ye do that?"

She nodded, her face red from beard burn. "Alright, but I do need to go, Jamie." Her eyes flashed. "And you have nothing to worry about. So please rest up tonight because you'll need a hell of a lot of energy when my uncle comes."

It's the way she looked at him, pleading for understanding that became his undoing as if she's reading his thoughts, and despite everything he'd done, she couldn't find fault with a single one. He needed to be a better man and control his emotions and needs. Her work was important to her, and she was important to him. "Fine, I'll walk ye to the car." He stooped down to get her bags and followed her outside.

They stopped beside Christie's car, and Jamie watched the other man climbed out, both men grunting a greeting at each other. 

"Am I still driving ye to Inverness, Claire?" Christie asked, avoiding Jamie's eyes.

Claire nodded. "Yes, please, if that's still alright with you. I'm so sorry I took so long."

"It's nae bother, and of course, I'll drive ye to Inverness," Christie smiled warmly. 

A long silence stretched as the three of them just stood there. Christie rocked on his heels, and Jamie held on to Claire's bags like it was his lifeline. 

Caught up in the awkwardness of the moment, Claire bit her bottom lip. "Well, I guess that's settled then. We best get going before Mary does something like bite some poor soul's head at the airport." Claire's attempt to sound cheerful lessened the tension in the air but not the one on Jamie's shoulders. She turned to him and tried to take her bags off his hands, but he couldn't seem to let go. "Jamie ...my bags," she whispered, her hand running up and down his forearm as if to tell him everything was going to be alright.

But instead of giving Claire's bags back to her, he begrudgingly handed them to Christie while launching if looks could kill look over her head. They had a few seconds of stare off until Claire's hands on his face forced him to look at her.

"Jamie, kiss me, goodbye?"

He didn't hesitate at her request and sucked on her bottom lip as she made a sobbing noise. That wee noise she made jolted something free inside of him, and he, too, wanted to cry. He couldn't remember wanting to openly cry before. Not like this. He couldn't control it, and it dragged him down, stealing oxygen from his lungs, but Claire's touches soothed him. 

"I don't want to go," she murmured against his mouth. "Not one bit. But I'm doing this for us, remember that. The sooner I'm done with work, the more time we can spend time together." 

He allowed himself to wade into the shallow waters of comfort Claire was starting to represent. He'd lived with this reality for too long that he wasn't enough. Or probably worse, he was too much. For years, these memories of loss and guilt and shame had been subdued. Now they're coming out with guns blazing, and he felt totally defenceless. But with her arms around him, he felt cocooned in her bubble of protection. So he clung to her like a drunk with his last shot of whisky, the desperation inside him going into overdrive, and he was practically mauling her lips with no care whose watching, drawing her onto tiptoes so he could get all of her from every angle.

"Jamie," she whispered shakily, gently pulling away. "My phone is going off every second. Mary is probably wondering why I haven't called her." 

Breathe, lad, it's going to be alright. Don't lose yer cool, or ye'll drive her away. He let go and opened the car door for her, not taking any notice of the man waiting patiently at the driver's seat. "I'm sorry," Jamie mumbled.

"It's alright." She smiled in understanding, squeezing his hand. "I'll be back before you know it."

He held on to Claire's eyes, the only tangible thing he could grasp, giving him a renewed determination to manage the condition that had ruled him all his life. At that moment, the world suddenly made sense, and he was veering into a place he didn't recognise ...a place of calm, where the voices in his head had lost their dominion over his thoughts.

He watched as Christie's Land Rover drove away and was surprised when a hand landed on his shoulder. Jamie turned around to discover Willie stood there, a smile etched on his face. Jamie had forgotten about his brother, too caught up with Claire's departure and the intense emotions he'd nearly let out of control. 

"Ye did well, bràthair. I'm so proud of ye."

Jamie dropped his head forward and let out an exhale, feeling a lot lighter in days. He knew he'd only scratched the surface of their relationship, but Claire was giving him all the time in the world to get back on his feet, and he was determined not to disappoint her. Though it had been a struggle not to let his emotions take control, it was at least a start. He glanced up at his brother and smiled.

"Ye alright there, Jamie lad?" Willie playfully slapped him on the back for good measure.

"Aye, I think so." This time Jamie meant it and believed his own words. He threw an arm around Willie's shoulder, squeezed it briefly before stepping back. "And thank ye for sticking around. I owe ye one."

"Aye ye do," Willie grinned. "How about repaying me like right now and coming to work. It should keep yer mind busy and help me catch up with a long list of jobs."

Jamie didn't need prodding. His mouth curved into a smile, and he nodded his head. "After seeing Christie, I think I'm in the mood for uprooting trees."

They shared a wicked glance and then laughed out loud.

 Dear Readers,

Thank you all for your patience with this story and the feedback from the previous chapter. 

Mental health stories are, I personally think, the hardest to put across because it involves a lot of emotions and psychological battle that are difficult to put into words. But I was determined to write this account even though it has its challenges, so I hope I've done it justice.

Part of the reason for pushing to write such a story that delves into the mind of a tortured soul is to raise mental health awareness because there are many things that people still don't understand about this illness. In saying that, some of you were disappointed by Jamie's behaviour, and I wanted that to happen to make a point.

In real life, it's so much easier to categorise and point out someone's shortcoming instead of trying to understand the psyche of a person's behaviour. From my perspective, each of us has undoubtedly suffered a form of mental illness at least once, but not everyone has the emotional and psychological strength and maturity to cope or overcome it. Nor do they have access to help. In Jamie' case, he's got a strong network of family, and he got Claire to help him get through it. 

So the moral of the story is, spread kindness because you never know what really is going on in someone's mind. 

For now, take care of yourselves. Until the next update ... X

[iliveiloveiwrite]

Healer

A/N: OKAY. SO. It has been a while since I posted, I know that and I apologise for it. I’ll not lie, I’ve just been struggling with writer’s block and my mental wellbeing and then j*k*r really did ruin things. However, I am here to say that I do not agree with one damn thing that woman has said recently - trans lives matters, black lives matter. She had some nerve doing that through Pride month. ALSO, the requests in my inbox - I see them, I know they are there, I have started writing some of them but please see the second sentence as to why they haven't been completed. Love you all, feel free to talk to me any time about anything - I am here for you all. 

Summary: An injury takes you to St Mungo’s where you run into a familiar face. (post Hogwarts).

Pairing: Draco Malfoy x Fem!Reader

Request: nope

Warnings: mentions of injuries, blood, hospitals 

Word count: 1.3k

The absolute last thing you expected today was to be sat in the waiting area of the Emergency Department of St. Mungo’s.

You glare at the wound in your hand, placing the blame of this situation on the toolkit back at your flat. You had assured your father that of course you could put up a bookshelf, you were an independent woman with your own flat, flat pack was no issue.

Your father laughed down the phone when you told him where you were. He did ask if you wanted him to meet you there once you were patched up – after his laughter had subsided. You turned him down; you got there on your own, you would leave on your own.

After being triaged, you were sent back to the waiting area. The bleeding had subsided, and the healers were not yet worried about signs of infection. If the wound was smaller, you could have healed it yourself, but the minute you could stomach to look at your hand, you knew that a trip to St Mungo’s was needed.

“(Y/N) (Y/L/N)? The Healer will see you now, please head to curtain area three.” The nurse at triage calls. You smile thankfully at her as you pass her heading towards the curtain area.

You take a seat on the stretcher in the room, feeling somewhat relieved that your hand was finally being looked at. The painkillers given to you at triage were starting to wear off and your hand was beginning to burn again. Tears prick at your eyes at the feeling, you willed them away, you did not need the Healer to see you cry.

“(Y/N) (Y/L/N)? Why is that a name I recognise?” A familiar voice sounds as the curtain is pulled back to reveal your healer.

Draco Malfoy.

He smiles as he finally places a face to the name on his chart. “(Y/N), how can I help you today?”

You throat is a little dry as you reply, “I cut my hand building a bookshelf. The cut is pretty deep, I didn’t want to heal it myself.”

Draco nods as looks at the tea towel wrapped around your hand. He grabs a wheeled stool from the corner and sits in front of you.

He points at your hand, that you’ve cradled to your chest, “May I?”

“Of course.” You hold your hand out to him, watching as he carefully unwraps the tea towel. You look away though as he starts to assess your wound, asking questions occasionally about whether you could feel this or that.

It’s a few minutes before he pulls away.

“Is it bad?” You ask, focusing your attention on the wall behind Draco.

“Well. You’ve done a number on your hand, it’s probably going to scar, but the good news is I can heal it.”

You sigh in relief, “That is good news.”

Draco stands, “Did you have any help building the bookshelf?”

“Nope, my dad offered but I turned him down. Told him I could do it all on my own.”

“I’d suggest asking someone for help next time. I seem to remember you were clumsy when we were at school.”

You can feel yourself flush, “I wasn’t that clumsy. I didn’t even realise that you took notice of me.”

Draco rubs a hand over the back of his neck, “Yeah, it was pretty hard not to. You were always caught up in a book, so much so that I am sure half of your accidents were book related.”

You laugh, “You’re probably right, but reading that much has served me well.”

“Oh?”

You nod, “Yeah, I’m now a published author both in the wizarding world and the muggle world.”

Draco smiles at you, “I knew you would do well.”

You smile back at him, “Look at you though! Healer Malfoy.”

Draco has the audacity to blush, “I really love it. Decided on it after my final year of Hogwarts, became a fully qualified Healer two years ago.”

“That is really great, I am so happy for you, Draco. Truly, I am.”

He ducks his head, “Thank you, that means a lot. Shall we get on with healing your hand now?”

You gasp, looking down at your hand, biting your lip, “I didn’t realise, I didn’t mean to distract you.”

“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it. I’m enjoying myself,” He grabs his wand,  “Okay, this may hurt but I’m only numbing it before I start to heal it.”

You nod. Draco takes that as confirmation to start.

He was right, it did hurt somewhat in the beginning, but the pain soon faded as the numbing spell started to work.

“Is that better?” Draco asks.

“Lots.”

“Perfect. I’m now going to heal your hand – you can watch if you want but it’ll be over in a moment.”

“Okay.”

You decide to not watch him heal your hand, but rather stare at the wall behind his shoulder and focus on his touch. It was so gentle. Draco at Hogwarts had seemed so rough; there really wasn’t anyone he was truly close to, that he could confide to. It created an aura around him that seemed impenetrable. His profession as a Healer shocked you, but as you talked you could see how much it suited him. He was a natural born healer, and it was obvious how much he loved his job.

“All done,” He murmurs, not even five minutes later, “You can look at your hand now.”

And you do. There in the centre of your palm is a light pink scar; the only memory of the dreaded accident with the bookshelf. You close your hand into a fist, marvelling at the fact that there was no pain. Though, that could also be linked to the remainders of the numbing spell.

You hop off the stretcher, “Thank you, Draco.”

He holds the curtain open for you, “It’s not a problem.”

Draco walks you back to triage where he places your chart in the discharge box. “Are you going to try again with the bookshelf?”

You huff at the glimmer of humour in his eye, “That’s my plan.”

He leans against the counter, “I finish here in a couple of hours. Would you like some help?”

The nurse sitting at the triage desk pauses in her work, her attention now wholly on the conversation taking place between you and Draco. For the nurse, this was news. She had set him up on date after date after date, and nothing worked – nothing had lasted long. This was something.

“Are you sure? You don’t have to, you’ll have just finished work, you’ll probably want to crash and sleep.”

“No, I want to. I can sweeten the deal if you like?”

You raise your eyebrow in question. The nurse has now moved so she is completely enthralled in this conversation.

“How about this,” Draco starts, “I finish work here. I grab takeout, I come over and help build your bookshelf as we catch up.”

You bite your lip, nodding. “Let’s do that. It’s a win-win situation for me.”

“Oh? How is that? He asks, a smirk forming on his face.

“I get free food and a handsome man builds my bookcase. What more could a girl want?”

Draco laughs, “It’s a date. I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”

You nod, starting to turn away, “You have my address right? And my number?”

“It’s on your chart, love.”

“Bit creepy but okay.”

He laughs again, and you decide then and there that you really like that sound and you wouldn’t mind hearing it again and again.

“Write it down for me if it’ll make you feel better.”

The nurse at the desk already has a pen and paper waiting for you; you give her an odd look but thank her nonetheless as you hand Draco your address and phone number.

“Thanks, love. I’ll see you soon.”

“Yes, you will.”

Leaving St. Mungo’s, the last thing you expected was a date with Draco Malfoy.

[icollectyoursins]

Demon!Jotaro x reader x Demon!Rohan

Anon asked “!!! It's monster fucker hours bay-beeeee!! May I perhaps request a Spicy Demon Rohan and Jotaro double team?? Pretty please with a cherry on top???”

Yeah I... I honestly don't know what happened in this one. Uh... Breeding but... Kinda weird? I dunno, demons are strange and I was a little tipsy when I wrote this! Readers' pronouns are they/them, but they have a vagina.

You were walking home, just minding your business when two men (one who was an overly flirtatious asshole and the other was... just an asshole) approached you, asking if you were interested in a little fun for a small price. You haven't discussed the price yet, but who cares, honestly. They're hot and you're horny.

Have a character, but no idea? Prompt list here!

Looking for more? Master post here!

WARNINGS: Ass eating, tied up, breeding, aphrodisiacs? A liquid that enhances the feeling, anal, double penetration, sloppy seconds, light self-degradation at the end from Rohan. What can I say? He's a freak.

Word Count: 1641

Teasing Euphoria

    The tall, cold man you had met on the road (who you learned was named Jotaro) sat in the hotel room chair, one leg crossed over the other with his cheek resting on his hand. The other man you had met (Rohan) was behind you, currently eating your ass out with fervor. You moaned at the thick tongue slipping into your plucker, pushing back into him. He pulled away, choosing to smack your ass before walking over to Jotaro and placing kiss on his cheek.

   Jotaro closed his eyes, hiding hid disgust then opened them again as the other one whispered something in his ear, grinning wildly. His eyes landed directly on you. The stare was intense, though not demeaning like Rohan's. Bright blue eyes drifted over your body, drinking you in. You were tied down with a ball gag in your mouth, silently pleading with him to do something. While sex had never been his strong suit, there was something about you that he couldn't deny.

    He walked over to you while Rohan closed the blinds, making sure everything was protected from the view of other people. It wasn't that they minded an audience, they just weren't quite so sure people would accept their true forms. The smaller one was the first to let go of his glamour, running his hands delicately through his hair as small, deep green horns started to protrude from his forehead. His eyes misted over to a stark white and the rest of his body seemed to shift until he was tinted green, shoulders, cheeks and elbows being darker than the rest of his body.

    As Jotaro approached you, he did the same, dropping his clothes with the mirage. His body wasn't the same colour and his horns were long, but he was no less stunning. Black shoulders freckled into pale skin. His eyes matched, but there was something about them that left you hypnotized by them. A long, clawed finger traced a wet stain from where you had cried after what felt like hours of teasing and denial from Rohan.

    "We will allow you to cum and please us," he said, voice ruling through your nervous system.

    "If they can handle us," Rohan chimed in, strutting over to his place at your backside. Jotaro shot him a look, then continued.

    "There is one request we ask of you. You will be let go if you say no, but you need to say so now. I doubt we'll be able to stop once we get started." The green one kneaded his talons into your ass, spreading your cheeks before letting go, smacking you again. You looked to Jotaro, giving him your best 'please fuck me' face you could muster. He continued, carefully watching your reaction. "Let us breed you." He grabbed your cheeks, pulling you close to his face. "Let us fill you with our spawn, birth it, be the start of a new generation. This is your only chance to say no, there's no turning back after this."

    You moaned as his grip travelled to your neck, squeezing it lightly. You nodded. Yes, you'll do anything, just fuck your ass, fill you. Jotaro neglected to tell you that it wouldn't matter where they came in you, it would travel to your womb or the equivalent of, assuring your pregnancy regardless. Though, cumming directly into your womb would be preferable. If you didn't have the assets, they would make do. He nodded to his partner who eagerly stuck his fingers in your ass, spreading you open.

    Your eyes shot open widely at the feeling, dexterous fingers scissoring you. Meanwhile, the view in front of you was getting more interesting by the second. Jotaro grabbed his length, slowly jerking himself off to the sight of you. He was going to be the first to cum in you whether Rohan liked it or not. He knew that the other demon could be greedy, but there was nothing that could stop him from filling you up over and over again.

    You keened as a third finger was added, then a fourth. A warm, tingling liquid was dripped onto your hole that made the sensation much more intense. Soon, you were reduced to a mess of drool and muffled words as Rohan gradually began fisting you. You were going to need all the help you could get when Jotaro fucked you and he was feeling generous. You were going to be the start of a new breed, after all.

    You were so close to your release already, mind fogged with wanton. With a clever twist of his fist, you were sent over the edge, cumming wildly onto the floor. The one behind you chuckled while the other grabbed a bottle. He removed your ball gag, lifting your chin up. Your half-lidded eyes and open mouth begged him to touch you more.

    He caved, taking a small sip from the bottle then kissing you, making you swallow what was in his mouth. The liquid was so sweet, like your favourite candy. Then came something you can only describe as fuck-me brain rot. Every small touch on your body was like fire or electricity, sending signals straight to your brain that just demanded a thorough fucking.

    Jotaro swapped places with Rohan, linking himself up with your entrance, sliding his tip between your gaping hole. He slowly pushed in, pressing down on your back to keep you still. You swear, it was the best feeling ever, letting out a loud scream/moan. He stopped, checking on your breathing. Rohan laughed cruelly.

    "He's not done yet." You looked up at him in shock. "You still have so much more to go, take some deep breaths. If you can." He added, shoving his cock into your lips. Jotaro began to push again, in sync with Rohan who slid deeper into your mouth. The two stopped again as the one in front of you tangled his hand into your hair. "Halfway there."

    Halfway? What?! How was there more. You already felt as though your bowels were full, stretched to their limit in every direction. They started again and Rohan began thrusting into your throat when he ran out of length. Jotaro kept going, the state of euphoria kept high by whatever liquid they gave you. You looked up to the green one eagerly taking as much of his cock as you could, creating a vacuum with your tongue and lips. His head tossed back, letting out a moan. He mumbled something about you being good at this or built for it, you weren't quite sure. Finally, the darker one bottomed out as your eyes rolled back in your head. A large, warm arm wrapped around you as two smaller one undid the ropes holding you down.

   You were lifted up with ease allowing the cock inside of you to rub up against your walls tantalizingly while another was shifted below you. Rohan grabbed your thighs, acing them on either side of his body, straddling his body which was now lying beneath you. Without wasting another minute, he lined himself up with your wet entrance, slipping between your folds with ease and up into your tight canal. The three of you groaned as the two cocks bumped against each other, rubbing together. If it hadn't been for the liquid, you'd be in pain right now, but all you could feel was bliss.

    Jotaro moved first, slowly gyrating his hits into you with shallow movements. It quickly became apparent that you wouldn't last long like this, your second orgasm quickly approaching. Rohan lifted a clawed thumb to your lip, pushing down so he could slip it in. You barely heard his order to suck. Even if he hadn't said anything, you're fairly sure you would have anyway. You were so desperate for him, for them; for anything.

    Soon, the other started moving, timing his thrusts with Jotaro's which only made you scream more. A second orgasm wracked through you, though you were too blissed out to care, too caught up in the feeling of two delightful cocks pumping in and out of you. The one behind you began to groan more loudly, thrusts getting a little less structured. He shot a look to Rohan who, much to your dismay, pulled out. It wasn't long before it was full again but with Jotaro this time.

    He pushed you over into the other's arms, picking up the pace on your not so stretched out pussy. Your tongue rolled out your mouth, eyes rolling back once again as he hit every sweet spot inside of you. His groans and breathing became louder as he got closer until finally-

    "Fuuuuuck," he growled you, burying himself deep inside you. Your pussy milked his cock, seemingly sucking in every drop of his hot seed. He was still hard when he pulled out. He could get used to this. In a brief moment of cruelty, he slipped himself into your ass again, leaving Rohan to do his own work on your poor cunt. The latter quickly filled you again, setting a quick and brutal pace for himself. His claws dug into your back as he moaned in you ear. Jotaro matched the pace, knowing that even if you did feel it, you'd love it too much to say anything.

    Soon enough, the two were cumming again in their respective holes. Rohan felt some kind of sick pleasure at feeling your cunt loosely spasm around him in an attempt to find your own release, but you were too stretched out from Jotaro that you could find no purchase. As degrading as it was to know his cock was too small to get you off, he loved it.

    You flopped over to bed, clearly out of it. One of them brought the drink to your lips again, this time taking their places beside you, too lazy to move your limbs at this point.

    "Oh, darling. We're only getting started."

    "We're not letting you go until you're leaving a trail behind you or we decide to take you back with us." You couldn't tell who said what, but you didn't care. Call it fate or destiny, but there was something about being a cock sleeve for demons that had you more turned on than anything else in this encounter.

[drariellevalentine]

This Is Me Trying- pt.2

Hey everyone! Hope you’re having a beautiful day! Sorry this took so long, I have exams going on currently. Here’s part 2 and here’s to hoping y’all won’t kill me for this.

If you haven’t read part 1, click here for the link!

Pairing:- Ethan Ramsey x Arielle Valentine

Characters:- Ethan Ramsey, Arielle Valentine, Harper Emery, Sienna Trinh, Elijah Greene, Naveen Banerji, Jackie Varma and Bryce Lahela

Warnings:- Angst, Swearing

Inspiration:- This Is Me Trying and the rest of the Folklore album by Taylor Swift

Harper’s PoV:-

Thirty minutes later, you stand in Naveen’s office, his face completely torn and yours betraying the slightest of sadness.

“Naveen?” He turns to look at you. You shoot him a look.

“I thought they would be fine, and now look how it’s turned out. They both have been arguing every single time and now Arielle’s…”

“She hasn’t transferred her residency yet, at least officially. I’m sure Ethan would have talked her out of it.” Naveen looks at you.

“Yes?”

“Nothing…” You raise an eyebrow. “Well, I mean you dated him…”, he trails off. You laugh.

“I wouldn’t call it dating, we would occasionally have dinner and sleep together, that’s it. Have you seen the way he looks at her?” You chuckle. “He’s like a completely different version of himself, a better version.”

Naveen smiles. “Well I’m happy to hear that, I was about to head out for a quick

coffee, join me?”

“Of course, I’d like to.” You both head out and have a coffee and a quick bite of pastry.

“That pastry was quite good.”

“You should try Dr. Trinh’s treats! Her and Sunshine stop by every now and then with a box of them, they’re quite delicious!”

“Oh, I’ve heard of them alright. Dr. Lahela raves about them during many surgeries.” Just then your pager beeps. “Speaking of surgeries…” You see it’s a page from Bryce. “Where are you?! You needed to be here five minutes ago!”

Naveen sees the page. “This sounds important, let’s go.” You nod and rush back to the hospital.

Bryce’s PoV:-

You’re just coming out from an OR when you spot him.

“Dr. Ramsey!” He looks around and winces as he spots you.

“Yes? Make it quick, I have urgent matters to attend to.”

“You mean Elle. She just sent me a text saying I’m transferring my residency back to New York. I was about to look for her but an emergency lobectomy came in and Dr. Emery was on break.”

“Well um yes, we sort of had a argument which got a bit out of hand.”

“ Go talk to her. Oh! And apologise! I’m sure everything’s alright, besides we all know she makes impulsive desicions sometimes.”, you say.

“...it wasn’t an impulsive desicion, Arielle’s signed all the damn paperwork.” Your eyes widen as you spot a head with the familiar balayage heading towards the atrium.

“There she is! Go, fast!” Ethan doesn’t give you a second glance as he runs after her. You shake your head with a slight smirk. “She’s got him wrapped around her finger.”

“Bryce! Did she tell you?!” You turn to see the whole gang in tow.

“By text. Turns out the old couple had an argument, the old man told me himself. He’s gone to make things right.”

“Oh he better apologise, he’s been treating her like some random person and if he doesn’t I will-“

“Woah, woah, woah. Cool your jets, Jackie.”

“I don’t know, Bryce. Jackie’s right. I’m worried that she’ll go back to New York, I saw her looking at the website a few days ago but I didn’t think it meant anything.”

“Did you see where they went?”, Elijah asks.

“Yeah, they were heading towards the atrium but”- Suddenly you hear a deafening crash sound.

“Oh my god, that sounded like”-

“It came from the atrium.”, Jackie finishes Sienna’s sentence. You all rush towards the atrium to find smoke pouring out of the central elevator, a huge crowd gathered by it.

You notice Raf and a few other paramedics assessing the damage and other staff ask questions. You quickly go and inquire Rafael about the situation.

“Dude, what happened?”

“Not sure, Bryce. It looks like a chain snapped, the elevator crashed down and a few nurses are saying that they saw Dr. Ramsey go inside but they’re not sure if he got off. They’re checking the security footage right now.”

Your eyes widen as you realise if Ethan was inside, then Arielle could be inside too. “What’s the matter?”

“If he was there, that means she was inside too! Oh god…”

“Bryce, calm down first. Who are you talking about?”

“...Arielle. They had a fight and he was going after her.”

“Oh my god! Guys, what do we do?”, you find Sienna and everyone else.

His eyes widen. “We’ll go check the security camera ourselves. Authorities are on their way already, it’s the only thing we can do.” You all rush to the security office.

Spotting Bobby combing though the footage, you head towards him.

“Bobby, any luck?”, Raf asks.

“Not yet, I’ve checked the footage but so far nothing.”

“Oh god, what if she was in there? You guys saw the elevator…”, Elijah rambles as

Sienna’s face pales.

“Guys, don’t panic. It won’t help us until we know what exactly happened.”, Jackie says but you can see the fear evident in her eyes.

A familiar face on the screen catches your eye. “Bobby stop! Scroll a bit back. There!” You point to Ethan’s face on the monitor entering the elevator, Elle’s half clearly visible.

“This was at 3:28. Check all the other elevator entrances around that time to see if they got out.”

“9th floor! She’s getting out!”, Sienna shrieks. But the relief doesn’t last long as she steps back inside.

“That was at 3:40. The time the elevator crashed.” Everyone is shocked, not knowing what to do as Bobby announces the victims on his walkie-talkie.

You pull out your pager and page Dr. Emery. You run your hand through your hair, trying and failing miserably to calm yourself.

Harper’s PoV:-

As you enter Edenbrook, you sense something is amiss. Naveen turns to look at you, understanding. You both enter to see a huge crowd gathered near the left side of the atrium, smoke billowing from the elevator. You spot Dr. Lahela amongst the crowd and call him. He and the other residents run towards you both.

“Thank god you guys are here!”

“Dr. Lahela, tell us exactly what happened.”, Naveen says.

“We’re not exactly sure ourselves, the authorities haven’t arrived yet. But the elevator crashed down from 9 floors above...and both Dr. Ramsey and Dr. Valentine were inside.”

“...they both were inside?”, Naveen asks as pain flits across his face. Bryce nods somberly.

“I have to go. Contacting the authorities is all we can do.” Naveen walks away sadly.

“Lahela, go with him.” Bryce nods and follows him.

“Dr. Emery, does Dr. Ramsey carry his phone with him? We could try calling them to see that they’re…”, Sienna stops not being able to finish the sentence. You nod and quickly pull out your phone. The ring continues as you place it on speaker, once...twice...thrice...you’re about to end the call when the familiar baritone tone greets you.

“Hello?” Relief washes over everyone’s features

“Oh thank god, Ethan! We were so worried. How many people are inside? Is anyone hurt?”, you ask.

“No, it’s just me and Ari-“ Suddenly, Ethan’s voice cuts off.

“Ethan? Ethan?! Ethan, can you hear me?!” You hear him shouting her name. Tears form in the corners of everyone’s eyes.

“Ethan, talk to me! What happened?”

Ethan’s PoV:-

You check Arielle’s pulse and other vitals. “Damnit!”

You hear Harper and the other residents shouting. “She’s unconscious. Her pulse is low, and she’s suffered major blood loss. Her injuries are...extensive. It’s impossible for me to determine how bad they are considering the conditions.”

“Naveen’s working on it. What about you? Are you alright?”

“I’m perfectly fine. Just work on getting us out of here, we need a CT and MRI and multiple drugs to stop further bleeding as soon as possible.”, you respond with the only thought on your mind being her, it always was and always will be.

“Got it. Does your phone have enough battery?” You check it and curse.

“Only around 20%.”

“Check if Arielle has her’s.” You carefully slide your hand into her back pocket, and pull out her phone covered in blood. “It has almost 90%.”

“Okay, I’ll call you when I have an update. Call me if anything happens.” Harper ends the call, leaving you alone.

You look at her as worry and fear takes over your mind.

“Hang on there, okay? You’re going to be just fine.”, you say, unsure if you’re promising her...or assuring yourself.

You spend the next 30 minutes checking her vitals again and again and try to assess her injuries to distract yourself, not wanting to think about what-if’s.

Harper’s PoV:-

“What the hell is going on here?! It’s been 30 minutes and there's still no action taken!”, you shout as you come back from Naveen’s office. You offered to take over as Chief, knowing that both of them mean a great deal.

“We’re trying, but the elevator is wedged sideways and stuck between the first and ground floor.” You sigh.

“Have you tried prying open the doors?”, you ask.

“That’s what we’re about to do. If this works, then get everything you need and assemble on the ground floor.” You nod.

“Dr. Emery! Any progress?” You turn to the young paramedic.

“Not yet, but we’re about to.” He nods. You quickly arrange for all specialists to be on stand-by and the other surgeons who can.

Naveen comes back from his office. You lead him to the site, filling him in.

“Everything’s prepped, Dr. Emery. Can we start?”

“I’ve got most doctors on stand-by and two ICU beds prepped. Let me call them first, it’ll be better with a communication source.” He nods.

Ethan’s PoV:-

A tune cuts through the eerie silence. You accept the call.

“Any progress, Harper?”

“It’s me, my boy.” Your eyes sweat as you hear your mentor’s cracking voice.

“Naveen?”

“Yes, don’t worry, we’ve almost gotten past the securit for the elevator. Now we’ll just need to pry open the doors. You both might be slightly jerked so be careful.”

“Alright. Do it fast. She’s going to need an oxygen mask any minute.” You hold Arielle’s body closer to yours as the elevator slightly jerks. The doors are finally starting to open, the heads of Naveen, Harper and Arielle’s friends clearly visible. They gasp as their eyes spot the blood.

“Thank god. Just a little bit more, we should be able to pull them out.” Just then, you feel a hand hit your chest. Your eyes widen as it dawns on you.

“She’s having a seizure… but why?...” You quickly check her for symptoms of an ruptured blood vessel, it matches.

“Damnit! She’s having a seizure! Get me an IV injection with Activase!” You pull her even closer, holding her body. A nurse climbs up on a ladder and hands you the syringe. You swiftly inject it into her arm, your own pulse finally normalises as her petite body stops jerking, The paramedics step up and help Arielle out of the lift. She’s placed on a bed, quickly wheeled away with Harper, Bryce and more specialists in tow. Rafael helps you slide out of the small space when you realise you’ve hurt your shoulder. He notices you wincing.

“Dr. Varma, do a full checkup on Dr. Ramsey.”

“I’m fine, which OR is Arielle in? I’m scrubbing in.”, you say not bothering to use her title. You quickly get up when Naveen stops you.

“That’s the last thing you’ll be doing. Dr. Varma and Dr. Trinh will be examining you, and then you will wait like everyone else.”

“But-“

“Nothing.”, Naveen cuts you off as you wince once again. You slump in defeat as the two doctors wheel you away.

They help you sit up on an examination bed, and remove your bloodied shirt. You can see them wincing as they see the amount of blood stained. The pair doesn’t say anything as they quietly check your vitals, examine you and dress your shoulder.

“I’m assuming both of you are quite angry.”, you say not knowing what to do.

“Quite angry?! Let me tell you we’re fucking furious”-

“Jackie!”

“What?! Because of him, she almost died, Sienna! Died, do you hear me?!” You wince. “She almost died because of you! Don’t you understand?!”, she shouts jabbing a finger in your chest. “Because of your damn ethics and morals, she ALMOST DIED.” Tears glisten in her eyes.

“Do you even know how hard it was for her? Every. Single. Time when you pushed her away? Do you know how much she cried, sobbed when you ran away like a damn coward?! She was heart-broken, barely ate or slept peacefully and turned into someone else. We would all find her crying in supply closets, on-call rooms, you name it! God, she loved you so much and you, YOU”-

“Jackie, stop! That’s enough!”, the petite resident shouts, pain etched on her face.

“Do you even love her? Because she’s irrevocably in love with you and she says that you might too someday. If not, then she'll be an idiot. But do one thing, tell her fucking EXACTLY what you feel. Don’t say some half-assed sentences then go back to your stone cold self again. Tell her what she means to you, even if it was just a fucking casual hookup.”

“She was never-“

“Save it for her.” Jackie storms off.

You both stand there in silence, knowing that every word the fiery resident said was undeniably true.

“...I really fucked up, didn’t I?” The look on her face says it all. “Lord...I never meant for this to happen-“

“We all know you didn’t, Jackie’s mad, that’s all. But even if what she said was harsh, it’s true. You know how badly she’s been suffering, and I can’t watch anymore. You need to make a decision.” You watch the resident fight back a tidal wave of emotions as she replies coldly, completely unlike herself.

“I’ve dressed the wound, get someone to change it after a few hours and don’t do it yourself.” She turns around to leave, not able to look at you.

“Sienna.” Her breath hitches as she turns around. Her wall collapses, the wave of bottled-up emotions finally being freed.

“She- She almost d-died. It’s- not fair. She doesn’t deserve this, she doesn’t deserve any of this! It’s not fair, nothing’s fair! She can’t just come into our lives and just completely leave us like that! It’s not fair, it’s just not fair!”

You put a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her, knowing it’s the least you can do. But what you don’t expect is for her to throw her arms around you. You return the favor, both of you stay there in utter silence, not daring to speak.

Harper’s PoV:-

“Go take a break, Bryce. You’ve been on-call from last night.” You enter to see Bryce with one eye open, multiple textbooks propped up.

“I will, once I-“

“Once I nothing. You’re taking a break or else I’ll have you excluded from surgeries the whole week. We’ll update you if there’s any change in Arielle’s condition.”

He sighs, running a hand over his face. You can sense the worry.

“Bryce, Arielle went through brain surgery. You very well know all the possibilities that can take place. No matter what you do, nothing can change the outcome.”

He’s even more dejected now. “What do you think?”, he asks you. You look at him.

“I mean do you think she’ll be alright?”

“Well as a doctor, I already told you, not to mention you already know. As someone who knows her personally….I think she’s going to be alright. She’s a strong woman and she’ll pull through.”, you respond. He looks up meeting your eyes, his own eyes betraying the slightest amount of hope. He nods in an act of thanks before leaving the room. You follow him in pursuit to find Ethan. After inquiring about them to a few staff members, you find him and Dr. Trinh in the residents’ lounge.

“Ethan.” They whip around hearing your voice. Ethan opens his mouth to speak but he’s too slow.

“Dr. Emery! Is everything alright?! Did something happen? Why did she have a seizure?! Dr. Ramsey said that-“ The young resident rushes forward bombarding you with question after question.

“Sienna, calm down. Let her speak.” She finally notices she’s been rambling and smiles sheepishly.

“Oh, um... sorry Dr. Emery.”

“It’s alright. But to answer your questions, Arielle had a blood vessel rupture in her brain like Ethan said, which was most likely caused by hitting her head. That caused her brain to be deprived of blood, and the seizure. That caused an acute subdural hematoma. Luckily, the blood vessel only burst just before we got her into surgery so there wasn’t any permanent brain damage. The blood vessel was also repaired perfectly, courtesy of Dr. Lahela. The seizure was caused due to the pressure in her brain.” They nod solemnly.

“She was in a lot of pain, barely able to speak.”, Ethan responds, wincing as he relieves the memory.

“Her body was exhausted from the trauma, also most of her ribs are bruised. We did more scans to rule out other diagnoses, so far she’s clear.”

“Thank you, Harper.”

You nod. “Now both of you take some rest and meet me later. I have Dr. Varma and Dr. Greene strictly monitoring her, not to mention Naveen hovering over her.”

“I’ll just check on her and then I’ll go rest.” You sigh, knowing that you’ll lose this battle.

“Fine, Ethan. Only five minutes, then you’re going back to bed. Or else I’ll have you on bed rest for the whole week. Dr. Trinh, make sure he actually goes back to bed will you?” She smiles lightly, nodding.

Sienna’s PoV:

You stand at the entrance of Arielle’s room, as Ethan hesitates to go in. You lead him inside, both of you softly gasping at the sight. Multiple IV’s hooked up to her, her body wrapped in several casts, not to mention her head. Her usually glowing skin now lightly pale.

“Ethan!” Naveen spots him and wraps him in a tight hug, carefully of his shoulder. Jackie and Elijah are nowhere to be found.

“Ah, Dr. Trinh. How are you doing?” He unexpectedly wraps you up in one too. ”I’m...okay I guess.” He nods understandably.

“I sent Dr. Greene and Dr. Varma on a break. They looked tired and then they told me that they both were on the night shift.”

“I’ll catch up with them later. How’s she doing?” Naveen looks back, looking at her now completely unrecognisable body.

“Considering what she’s gone through, she’s doing alright. Only time will tell.” Ethan only stands there, still as a statue, staring at her. Naveen follows your gaze.

“Ethan, do you want some privacy?” He doesn’t look at him, only shakes his head.

“Alright then.”

“Dr. Ramsey, let’s go back. You need to rest.” You lead him back to his room, worries about both of them filling your mind to the brim.

Ethan’s PoV:-

Sometime later, you’re lying in bed unable to fall asleep. You decide to pay a visit to Arielle, and slowly walk to her room making sure no one sees you.

Entering her room, you see that the bed’s empty. Your mind races for an explanation when you spot her in the corner of the room. You rush over to her, pulling her in for a hug.

“Oh, I’m so glad you’re alright…. Do you know how worried I was?” You pull back when you don’t hear a response. But you only see a sheepish smile on her face.

“Oh...well I didn’t know that doctors cared this much about the well-being of their patients. I must have gave you quite a scare if you’re this happy I’m okay”, she responds with a laugh.

“Don’t joke around, Arielle. You’re acting like you barely know me.”, you respond.

”Well that’s the case!”, she laughs. You look at her sternly.

“Oh, I’m extremely sorry but I really don’t remember meeting you. Was it at one of the medical conventions perhaps? My brain is foggy, and I don’t remember much of how I even got here.” Your eyes widen at her words.

“This can’t be true right? She’s obviously just deflecting about what happened before.”, your mind says. “Arielle, this isn’t the time to be joking around. Hours ago, you told me you love me and now you’re acting like you don’t know me.” With that she erupts into laughter.

“I’m sorry doctor, but I think you’ve hit your head. Besides, how can I even say that to someone I don’t even know.”, she says with a clueless smile.

“That can’t be true….this can’t be true. There’s no way...” But deep inside, you know that one of the factors is memory loss.

“No, no, no! Stop lying to me!”, you shout.

“Okay, now you’re freaking me out. Hello?! Is someone else here?”, she calls out.

“Arielle, stop. Don’t do this to me, I know I’ve hurt you innumerable times and I’m sorry but this isn’t fair.” She ignores you and keeps calling for someone else.

“Arielle, listen! You need to stop. Think! Try to remember!”, you shout.

“Let go of my hand! I’m sorry but I don’t know what to say. I’ve never met you in my entire life and you just can’t expect me to believe you!”, she shouts back. Her words are impossible to digest.

“What’s going on here?!”, Harper enters the room with a few more doctors in tow, shouting.

“Oh finally! This doctor here claims that he knows me when I haven’t even met him!” Her head whips around meeting your eyes.

“Ethan, we’ll talk later.” Just then, Arielle starts seizing again.

“Damnit! Nurse, administer another IV with tBa.”

The doctors crowd over her, attempting to stop her seizures as you stay there.

You stand there as your life crumbles before your eyes. The only person who’s out ever gave a damn about, the only person who truly understood you, got to know you, cared about you… now doesn’t even know your name.

And you know that it’s all your fault.

=======================================

Author’s Note:- Okay, I know y’all are probably livid and extremely angry at me but I’m sorry?! Part 3 will be out sometime soon... Bye for now!

Ethan x MC taglist:- @tsrookie | @starrystarrytrouble | @mysticaurathings | @caseyvalentineramsey | @alina-yol-ramsey | @openheartthot | @gryffindordaughterofathena | @binny1985 | @jasminedayz

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Let me know if you’d like to be added to my taglist!

Love,

@drariellevalentine

[because-of-a-friend]

Boyfriend!Hoshi Fluff

MASTERLIST

Coups | Jeonghan | Joshua | Jun | Hoshi | Wonwoo | Woozi | DK | Mingyu | Minghao | Seungkwan | Vernon | Dino

This is another series that I only do by request so if you see that there’s one I haven’t written yet that you want, please request it! I’m sorry this one took so long! I’ll try to time things better next time! (But I am currently in my Hoshi feels so this request came at a good time)

Like Josh

Soonyoung strikes me as the kind of person who’d prefer to know someone and become friends with them before dating them

So

You’ve been friends with Mingyu for as long as you can remember

And you’ve met a few of the boys here and there throughout the years

But Mingyu tries to keep you to himself bc you’re like his best friend and he doesn’t want to share you

But one day you come over to the dorm 

You text Mingyu that you’re there and wait outside the door

Then suddenly it opens

You go to put your phone away as you grumble 

“Geez Mingyu, what took you so long?”

But when you look up

It is not Mingyu opening the door

It’s Soonyoung

And you’re like ????

And then !!!!!

Bc you’ve never met him before and that wasn’t a great first impression

And then you’re just stuttering out something like “Oh... you’re not Mingyu...”

And Soonyoung is stuttering out something like “And who are you?”

But just then Chan walks by and recognizes you

“[Y/N]! I didn’t know you were coming here!”

He pulls you inside 

You awkwardly bow to Soonyoung as you pass by

The rest of the members are all home that day

So you meet the rest of the boys at once

It’s a little intimidating but they all like you immediately

And despite the fact that Mingyu is trying to push you out the door before they can speak to you anymore

They invite you over to hang out again that weekend

And so it begins that you start hanging out with all of the boys more often

Soonyoung and you get along great

Despite your awkward first encounter

His humor always makes you laugh and you share a lot of interests

I guess it’s just good chemistry, the two of you click really well

First he’s too nervous to hang out with you one on one

So for awhile, the two of you only see each other in group settings with the other boys around

But it’s fine because you’re getting to know all of the boys you’ve never met before

You definitely start growing close to them as a group

And Mingyu is happy with it bc he realizes that all of you being friends is great and it’s like you’re one of them and he doesn’t feel jealous at all

Soon hanging out with the boys becomes a norm for you

You all do everything together

And you spend most of your free time at the dorm

It becomes more common for you to branch off and hang out with the boys one on one

The first time you really hang out with Soonyoung is late one night

All of you are having a movie marathon

But you run out of snacks

You volunteer to walk to the nearby convenience store to get some more

Soonyoung volunteers to go with you

The two of you walk comfortably down the street

You’re trying not to notice how cuddly Soonyoung looks in his hoodie 

And with his persistent yawning that’s always followed by him insisting he’s not that tired

You both take your time picking out snacks and drinks at the store

And you get yourselves ice cream for the walk back

You naturally just kind of link your arm with his and walk in sync as you make your way back

“Am I the only one that didn’t like that alien movie?”

“Oh thank god, I’m so glad you said that! Everyone else liked it so much, I thought I was gonna go insane!”

You both joke and laugh 

“Hey, [Y/N]?”

He asks when you reach the dorm

“What’s up Soonie?”

“I’m just really glad you’re around”

You look at him and you both just stare at each other for a second

Then Soonyoung breaks the eye contact to look down at the ground and scratch the back of his head

“I mean, we all are! All of us are really happy to have you in our lives”

“Thanks, Soonie”

Your face hurts from how much you’re smiling

Soonyoung smiles back just as wide and leans over to ruffle your hair

After that night, the two of you spend a lot more one on one time

At first it’s just because you two realize you really enjoy each other’s company

And then it kind of becomes.... a little more deep than that

But neither of you really think about it 

Until one day

You two are talking in the kitchen of the dorm

And Soonyoung brings up an inside joke between the two of you

You two start laughing 

And then Chan

Who is sitting across the room from y’all 

Just goes

“Are you two dating or something?”

Your laughter abruptly stops

And Vernon

Who is sitting next to Chan

Grabs him and drags him out of the room

Leaving you and Soonyoung alone

And woof

Is that the most awkward silence you’ve ever encountered

You both just sit there for a second

Not sure how to move forward from that moment

Soonyoung gives out an awkward laugh 

“Sorry about Dino... sometimes he just says things he shouldn’t...”

“No it’s ok!”

You also laugh awkwardly

The next time you two see each other you both act like nothing happened

And then you two continue hanging out like normal

And it’s all the same

Or so you thought

One day, Soonyoung texts you and asks if you two can meet up

You agree enthusiastically and head towards the location he sent you

It ends up being this really cool green house/ garden place

And it looks so pretty because it’s around sunset

“Wow Soonie! This place is so cool! I can’t believe I didn’t know it existed!”

You grab his arm and begin excitedly drag him around the building

And as you’re exploring the place you realize Soonyoung is being a lot more quiet than usual

So you slow on a path and link your arm with his 

You two walk in comfortable silence for a bit

You sneak glances at him

He looks so... serious

It’s strange to see him like that

“What’s up Soonie?”

He looks at you

Your heart skips a beat just from the look

It’s filled with so much emotion and you don’t think anyone’s ever looked at you like that

“I can’t stop thinking about...”

“About what, Soonyoung?”

“What Chan said the other day”

He breaks eye contact and looks in the other direction

“Hey” you say quietly, stopping completely and pulling him to look at you

“Finish that thought, Soonyoung”

“I just... why aren’t we dating?”

“Oh, well... I didn’t know you even felt that way about me”

“[Y/N], are you kidding me? I think about you all the time. Every time you look at me, I feel my heart soar. Nothing and no one has ever felt as right as being with you.”

You pull him forward by his jacket and crash your lips against his

It takes him no time to respond, wrapping his arms tightly around your waist to keep you close

Even though you two are already so close and know so much about each other

He wants to take time with your relationship and build it up like it’s brand new

He doesn’t want the two of you to rush into it and get overwhelmed and then give up on your relationship without giving it a real chance

So first he takes you on a bunch of typical dates

And asks you the dumbest questions, lol

“So, what do you like to do for fun?”

“You already know Soonyoung, we see each other almost every day”

But the dates are lots of fun and he’s super cute, so

As time goes on and your relationship gets more serious

Soonyoung gets really worried about being a good enough boyfriend

Your relationship progressing sparks a lot of communication between the two of you

He always wants to know that you’re on the same page and that both of you think things are going well

He’s genuinely such a considerate boyfriend

A lot more serious than you thought he would be

Especially when life is hard in general

He’ll show up at your place and just hold your hands as he quietly talks about what’s bothering him

He’ll be embarrassed if he cries in front of you but it happens sometimes

You always assure him that it’s ok and that he should be able to depend on you as much as you depend on him

And then he’ll cry more bc he loves you so much

In fact, he’s crying the first time he actually says “I love you”

And you really think this sweet sweet boy is gonna kill you with how loved he makes you feel

Seriously, his emotions are huge and intense

But that doesn’t mean your relationship isn’t also super fun and lighthearted because it is quite often

You two love to go out and do crazy things

You also love spending lots of time with the other boys

You have to hang out with Mingyu more so he doesn’t feel like Hoshi stole his best friend lol

But he’s also super happy you two are together and thinks y’all are good for each other

Everyone does

You two seem to be a perfect match

You support him when things are tough and also accompany him on all the random activities he wants to go on

And he pushes you out of your comfort zone and teaches you a lot about enjoying life

The two of you really enjoy going on walks

It gives the opportunity to stumble upon more fun activities 

Like that one time you found that random butterfly garden and you thought Soonyoung was gonna pass out from his excited vibrating

It also gives the two of you time to talk

Which, as cheesy as it sounds, is your favorite thing to do together

Because the two of you can talk and talk about anything and everything without ever getting bored

You also start spending a lot of time at the practice room watching him dance

He likes to show you the new stuff he’s working on

And sometimes you’ll cheer for him and make a big deal out of clapping and such

And he’ll just slide over to where you’re sitting and pinch your cheeks for being so cute

He also enjoys teaching you some dance moves 

(No matter how bad you are at it)

But overall 

Your relationship is really pure and steady and great

Soonyoung is a great bf and you don’t mind reassuring him when he doubts it

You’re incredibly grateful to have him in your life and you can’t imagine being with anyone else

[vixenpen]

Neighbors (Bakugo x Hawks x Miku)

12. Who Can I Run To?

Bakugo ran his fingers through his blonde hair and paced back down the stairs for the millionth time that night.

He hadn’t slept a wink since Miku had caught him and Kirishima in bed that evening. His eyes burned from lack of sleep and his head felt foggy and heavy.

He tapped Miku’s contact again.

“Miku...Dove, look,” his voice cracked, he cleared his throat, “baby, I know how bad it looked, but we need to talk. I need to—I owe you an explanation, right? Please, just pick up. We can work this out. Think of everything we’ve been through together, Angel. Four years strong, baby, remember? I don’t wanna throw that away. Please, Miku, just give me a chance to explain.” He barked out a pained little chuckle. “Damn, you got me beggin’, Dove. Fine. I’ll fuckin’ beg, but just-“

“If you’re satisfied with your message, press one to send.”

The robotic female voice cut him off.

“FUCK!”

He tossed the phone harshly on the couch before collapsing beside it and raking his fingers through his messy hair.

Dammit!

He’d gotten comfortable, and as a result, had gotten sloppy and careless.

The fact of the matter was, he loved Miku. He was in love with her. He wouldn’t have invested four years into her and their relationship if he wasn’t, but he also loved Eijirou.

It wasn’t as if his love for one made him fall out of love with the other. He didn’t love one more than the other, he just needed Miku to let him explain...

Just then, his phone buzzed with a call. He practically pounced to grab it, answering without bothering to check the caller ID.

“Miku?!”

“No.” Was the deep voice’s dry response.

Bakugo exhaled and plopped back against the cushion.

“Eiji, I don’t have time to-“

“Shutup and listen,” the desperation in his voice made Bakugo snap to attention, “have you checked the tabloids yet?”

“Yeah, babe, I’ve spent the last ten hours catching up on the latest gossip,” Bakugo snapped back, “no I haven’t fucking checked the tabloids why would—“

“JUST SHUT THE UP AND LISTEN!” Kirishima shot back, cutting him off. “There’s a video. Of us. Together. I don’t know how it got out or who did it, but it’s been spreading like wild fire all over the fucking blogs!”

“A video?”

“I just sent the link,” Kirishima replied, sounding tired, “just...call me back when you see it.”

The line went dead.

Grumbling in confusion the man checked the link that had his lover so out of sorts. The moment he clicked it, he felt his entire stomach bottom out.

Ground Zero Blows Up Relationship With Pop Princess, Syren!

Just one week before before the biggest charitable event in hero society, top ten heroes, Ground Zero and Red Riot, are discovered to be secret lovers!

The explosive hero has been very public about his relationship with long time girlfriend, Syren. Not so much with his supposed liaison with fan favorite hero, Red Riot.

This footage shows the two heroes in the throws of a secret passion.

Bakugo didn’t have to watch the video to see that it was obviously himself and Eijirou on the tape. Both their distinctive hairstyles were as distinguishable as what they were doing together.

“SON OF A-“

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Bitch...”

Keigo’s golden eyes scanned the article once more as he waited for Miku to answer the door.

He never mistook the younger hero for a nice guy, or even a decent person for that matter, but as much as Keigo hated to admit it, he at least thought Bakugo was a good boyfriend to Miku.

Speaking of which, Miku finally opened the door. Her skin looked dull and her big eyes were bleary and glassy. She wore the hotel issued kimono robe tied loosely on her hunched over frame.

When her eyes landed on Keigo, her face crumpled and she burst into a fit of sobs. He grabbed her immediately and ushered her inside.

“It’s ok, Angel.” He assured her.

“You were right, Hawks,” Miku looked up from the crook of his arm with wide, wet eyes. “All the signs were right under me, but I was too stupid to notice.”

“You weren’t stupid, Angel, you were in love.”

She shook her head. “I caught them together in Katsuki’s bed.”

“Yikes.” Keigo felt that one in his chest. So he could only imagine what Miku must have felt actually discovering it.

“I am the biggest idi-“

Keigo tickled her tear streaked cheeks with a feather, cutting her off with a weak giggle.

“What are you?-“

“I’m not about to let you beat yourself up for loving some jack ass that didn’t deserve it. You are not stupid for trusting your heart to the wrong guy, ok?”

Miku nodded, tearfully.

“Good.” He squeezed her shoulders. She melted into him. He smelled good. Like outside and whatever aftershave he used and he was thin, but solid, and-

Miku pulled back and pouted up at him.

“Will you fuck me?”

The man practically swallowed his own tongue.

“I-what?”

Miku crept a hand up his leg and pressed against him. His breath caught.

“Please, Hawks, I just-please fuck me.”

“Angel,” he grabbed her hands and gently eased her away from him. “No.” He replied as gently as possible.

Still, Miku’s face fell like she had been slapped, and Keigo felt like a complete asshole for the causing the hurt on her face.

“You don’t want me either?” Miku sniffled.

“Angel, come on, you know that couldn’t be further than the truth.”

“Then why won’t you? I want you-“

“No, you want to use sex to cope, and I am not about to take advantage of you while you’re in this state, Angel. You don’t need dick. You need a friend.”

Miku’s lips quivered.

“I’m such a—“

“No, you’re not!” Keigo shot back, a bit harsher than he intended. Especially judging from the way the woman’s mouth snapped shut. “Now get up and get dressed. You can’t hide here forever.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“MIKU?! I SWEAR TO GOD—LOOK, I KNOW I HURT YOU, BUT THIS IS TAKING IT TOO FAR! CALL ME.”

“Miku, at least tell me,,did you have something to do with that article? Look, I know you’re pissed, and you have every right to be, but...fuck, Dove, we could have talked about this! If you would just answer the damn phone-“

“Miku. Baby, I promise I’m not mad at you, but we have to talk. We can clear this up.”

“Baby, please, what happened was a mistake. Please believe me. I love you.”

“Dove, I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you.”

“I love you.”

“I can explain everything, Angel, just give me a chance. You have to let me explain.”

“Baby doll, just give me a chance to make this right. I’m sorry.”

The switch in Katsuki’s voice and demeanor was terrifying and Miku felt sick to her stomach listening to each message.

“Angel,” Hawks called out in a warning tone, “stop checking his messages.”

He gave her a chastising look. Miku sighed, tucking the phone away.

A strong hand stroked her white curls, and even though the touch was unfamiliar—and she usually cursed most people out for touching her hair—she leaned into the it.

Hawks had brought Miku to yet another one of his properties which was situated so far on the outskirts of Tokyo, she wondered if the location could even technically still be considered apart of the city.

He flashed yet another charming smile down at her, and passed her a cup of tea. Miku managed a smile back.

“It’ll get better, beautiful. In the mean time, you can stay here as long as you need. I’ll try to stay out of your way.”

“Please don’t,” Miku sat the mug down on the coffee table in front of her. “I don’t wanna be alone right now.”

Keigo nodded, ruffling her hair once more.

“Then I’ll be here.”

His amber eyes were warm and sincere. For the first time that day, Miku felt reassured.

Hawks plopped down beside her, and pulled her into another gentle hug. Miku cuddled into the huge, vermillion wings wrapping around her body and cooed.

[anjuschiffer]

Amira Wayne - Chapter 17

Another chapter! Woo! And yes, I’m still going on with @biodad-bruce-month event despite being two months since it ended :D

Chapter 17: Villain (2)

WARNING: BLOOD MENTION AND DEATH IN THIS CHAPTER

-

P.Tag: @theatreandcomicfreak @damianette-is-life @toodaloo-kangaroo @elijahcrevan @vixen-uchiha @nathleigh

Tag: @we-want-mini-mini @ramos123 @bluesimani @redscarlet95 @greatcatblaze @promiswords @fantasiame @corabeth11 @anonymously-odd @alexandriamw @officiallydarkgeek @galla02006 @maleive07 

-

MASTERLIST | FIRST | PREV | AO3

Something wasn’t right and no, it didn’t take Wally having to see fog outside Amira’s bedroom to know that. 

He had been on the phone with Dick, telling him of Amira’s stress baking when the chilly afternoon became a dark, foggy evening. 

Rolls of mist covered the Parisian roads, people yelling out to each other as they stumbled to find each other. 

“Dick. I have to call you back.” Wally said as he scrambled around the room in search of his suitcase. 

To think he would need Barry’s gift so soon. 

“Back? Wally what is-“ Wally hung up when he found the comms, his eyes darting around the room until he found a box tucked under the desk labeled ‘utilities.’

Rummaging around it, he grabbed some flashlights, batteries and some goggles before heading into the Parisian street. 

He thought the fog was bad from behind the window, but now standing in...it was a nightmare. 

Amira, please...be safe...

Fishing for his phone, Wally quickly scrolled through his contacts until he found Amira’s and began to call it. 

The longer the call rang, the more Wally began to worry. 

When his call didn’t get through, he tried again, turning on the goggles, taken aback at how high tech they were. 

The perks of being rich he guessed. 

When he noticed that the night vision wouldn’t work in this situation, Wally switched over to thermal, running into the school across the street and up the stairs.

“Marinette!” Wally yelled, holding back the urge to yell out her real name. But he knew better than that. 

He knew better than to yell out Amira’s real identity.

“Marinette! Where are you?” Wally yelled out again, looking to see if anyone reacted to the name. That’s when he noticed a heat carefully walked towards the doorway of a classroom on the second floor.

“Hello?” A Parisian asked him, Wally biting his tongue. Damn it!

“Listen, do you speak English?” 

“A little.” The person said back.

“That’s fine. Do you know where Marinette is? Do you know what happened to-”

“She was akumatized!” The person bellowed back, Wally feeling his heart stop.

Amira...Amira is the akuma? She...she got akumatized...by Hawkmoth?

How? This wasn’t part of the plan she told him last night!

Snapping from his spiraling thoughts, Wally cupped his hands around his mouth.

“What caused it?” Wally asked, wondering what the hell happened to Amira that caused her to lose control of her emotions.

What caused her to snap?

“She had a little argument over a boy with her classmate. About a boy named...Jason.”

Holy shit.

“No, no, no, no.” Wally muttered to himself, digging his hands into his hair, hating the answer to his questions.

“Are you-” The person asked, Wally seeing them almost hit with the balcony in front of them.

“Stop! Don’t leave the classroom! Stay in there and wait for La-Chat Noir and the team to arrive.” Wally managed to say, his brain running through every possible situation to help him cope with the idea that Amira was somewhere out there, distorted by her emotions…

Alone..dealing with emotions she never liked lingering in for too long...walking with her baggage of pain...and guilt…

Wait...the person said she was arguing with someone who knew Jason...but how was that possible?

“-can do for you?” Wally managed to register, running up the stairs and walked into the classroom, shutting the door behind him.

“I need you to tell me what exactly happened before Marinette got akumatized and don’t you dare try to cover up any details. If you do…” Wally closed his eyes and took a deep breath, hoping he wouldn’t jinx the situation. “This akuma may become your livelihood for a very long time and not only that...this maybe be the Miraculous Team’s last fight and be Hawkmoth’s victory.”

---

Adrien held Chloe close as she continued to grip at his shirt, her body shaking violently as she muttered incoherent words. Tears ruined her makeup, her eyes bloodshot red as Chloe remained curled against Adrien’s shirt.

“Adrikins...you’re still there...right?”

“I’m still here.” Adrien assured, hugging Chloe closer to him.

“Maman and Daddy… I saw them die before my eyes. And I saw Sabrina and Mari...they..they also-”

“You don’t have to tell me.” Adrien hushed, turning to where Plagg was despite not being able to see anything but his glowing green eyes.

After Mari-Banshee caused Chloe to collapse and then disappeared from his sight, Adrien ordered Nino and Sabrina to head back to the class while he took care of Chloe.

Carefully dragging her to the locker room, Adrien began to softly talk to her, holding her hands as he tried to think of a way to lessen the effect of Banshee’s power on Chloe so that he could-

“-help her.” Cloe muttered out, Adrien feeling her hesitantly push herself away from him. “Go help her, Adrien.”

“Chloe, you aren’t-”

“But she needs more help than me Adrien.” Chloe echoed. “I know this will go away once the akuma is found, but right now...we need to do something about the akuma. Who knows how long Ladybird will get here and get rid of the akuma, but we’re here. You’re here.”

Adrien felt as Chloe untangled her hand from his. “I can’t do anything, but you can. You can help de escalate the situation and you even know who she is after. So please...help her Adrien...she’s our friend...who knows how long she can endure it…”

Adrien bit his lip, feeling Plagg settle back into Adrien’s pocket inside his jacket.

“I’ll try Chloe. I’ll try.”

Giving Chloe’s hand a squeeze, Adrien slowly makes his way back to where he last saw Marinette, holding back a scream that nestled in his throat.

“Kid. We need to hurry.” Plagg reminded him. “Because Chloe was right. We don’t know how long it will take Ladybird to find Marinette so we need all hands on-”

“I know Plagg.” Adrien cut off, digging his nails into his palms. “Plagg, claws out!”

---

Dick paced around his apartment, putting his phone to his ear as he attempted to call both Wally and Amira, only to get sent to voicemail. 

Huffing, Dick was about to call again when Tim called first. 

“Tim, can this-“

“This is urgent.”

“Tim, I’m trying to-“

“Something wrong is happening in Paris right now. Just open the link I sent you right now.”

With Tim hanging up, Dick got a message and opened it, watching a Parisian news station play on his screen. 

“Nadja Chamack. Don’t bemused, it’s just the news. As you can see, it’s currently XX:XX and yet-“ Then the camera pans to show the conditions outside. “Our once sunny December day became a foggy night, our reporters are trying to- what? An akuma?” 

The station then transitioned into a live feed of what seemed to be a figure walking within the fog. 

“This just in! Turns out that this is the result of Hawkmoths most recent akuma! So everyone who is watching, under no circumstance, do not leave the premises you are-“

Nadja went on to talk about akuma protocol when Dick notices something oddly familiar about the figure that walked within the live video. 

That bracelet on her hand…

Dick felt his heart sink to his stomach. 

Grabbing some keys and his bike, Dick began making phone calls again, hating that no one was picking up... 

Or so he thought. 

“Selina? Yes... I need a favor.”

—-

Wally slammed his fist against the teacher’s desk, hearing a few gasps escape from the students in the class. 

Damn that Lila. Can’t even face the consequences of her own actions. 

“Did you idiots seriously not think something was wrong when someone you knew was acting unusual? Even if they weren’t your friend, when someone isn’t acting like themselves, that means you should be concerned.” Silence filled the room. Wally recomposed himself. 

This was no time to lecture these idiots. Right now I have to track down both Marinette and Lila Rossi. “Does anyone know where Lila would have run off to?”

When he got nothing but silence for an answer, Wally held his composure. “Okay so no one actually knows this girl. Fine. I’ll look for her my-“

“Shouldn’t you leave this to Ladybird and her team?” The teacher spoke, Wally really wondering how dependent Parisians have become on their ‘heroes’ taking action first. 

“My best friend has been akumatized and we haven’t heard a single update about the situation from the Parisian vigilantes. My thoughts? The Miraculous Team is having trouble finding either person and if I can at least help to locate Marinette, then so be it. 

I’m not going to stand here and just depend on the vigilantes when I know I can actually do something to help.”

Walking towards the door, he stopped. “I suggest you guys find a way to deal with the mist inside this classroom. Perhaps turn the ventilation system on or something. You rather be able to see each other can keep each other company rather than not knowing what’s going on in the very room you think you’re safe in.”

With that, Wally dashed out the room, not noticing two other people walk behind him. 

—-

Lila stumbled as she ran away from the thing that was supposed to be Marinette.

That creature dressed in an ombre dress that transitioned from white to black and whose eyes haunted her was no Marinette!

That was a creature straight from tales she used to hear from the nanny that took care of long ago.

A banshee.

Lila held in a whimper as tears filled her eyes as she heard the akumatized Marinette’s hums, hums that fluctuated between her name being shrieked and soft wails. 

“Lila.” She would whisper in a hoarse voice, causing Lila to run even more. “Where are you?”

Lila turned a corner and scrambled to hide behind a dumpster, collapsing her hands over her mouth as she heard Marinette slowly make her way towards her.

Lila shut her eyes tight as she heard the hum grow louder, Lila hating that the hum kept getting louder by the second.

The hum was now right at the corner Lila had finished turning when it came to a halt.

With the foggy streets and the humming coming to a stop, Lila could hear her footsteps nice and clear, listening as her heels clicked and clacked as Marinette walked on the cobblestone street. 

Lila didn’t dare to move, she didn’t dare breath as she kept hearing those dreading footsteps. She did, however, wish she had another set of hands as a piercing shriek, in the form of her name, rang throughout the Parisian streets.

Lila didn’t know what happened next as the shriek caused her ears and head ring, her vision becoming muddled as Lila attempted to open her eyes.

She wishes she had not.

As she fluttered her eyes open, bloodshot red eyes looked back at her, a thin smile directed at her.

“Here you are.” Marinette sang in her raspy voice.

Lila felt herself begin to violently shake as Marinette helped her get up by grabbing her wrists. “You know, you didn’t have to make up all those lies to get the class to like you. They just love to throw themselves to anyone if it meant gaining a new friend. They’re just so open hearted like that.

Of course, those types of people are the type whom I’m not fond of, so I steered away from them.

Sadly, you thought lying to them was the best course of action instead of checking to see if you had to lie or not to get their adoration. I could only assume you thought this was the best course of action as it's been your main way of getting attention.

Sadly, you have to pay for your actions this time ‘round. 

Didn’t your mother teach you that every action has a consequence?”

Lila watched as Marinette let go of her hands.

“While they might forgive you for lying to them, I will not. You disparage my brother’s name and for that, you shall pay, Lila Rossi.”

She grabbed hold of Lila’s hand, Lila letting out a deathly scream as her hand went ablaze, watching as Marinette’s veil turned pitch black in color.

“Pay for your lies, for your manipulations and schemes.”

Lila felt her other hand go ablaze and soon her heart began to burn, screaming her lungs out as she watched her get swallowed by the ground.

She screamed and cried as she clawed to bring herself back up to the surface, only to feel cold hands pull her down.

“This is your punishment, Lila Rossi. Suffer like I have at the loss of my dear brother.”

The last thing Lila saw before being pulled underground was Marinette’s veil and dress turn pitch black, a vivid black she had never seen before.

Black just like the void that swallowed her, a black that was the only thing Lila could see for miles around her.

She didn’t know for how long she kept screaming, how long she was crying but she knew for quite some time as her throat grew dry. It became itchy, her eyes stinging and she started to grow cold. 

She began to walk through the darkness, not daring to stretch out her arms in fear that she may attack her once again. 

That’s when she saw him. 

Standing there, in the darkness, was a man with olive green eyes and chestnut hair staring back at her.

A man she knew...

“Papà?” She said hoarsely. 

She watched as the man looked at her with a smile, opening up his arms, welcoming her. 

With a warbling smile, Lila ran to her father, only for him to disintegrate upon her touch. 

“Papà!” Lila screeches, running after the dust. Why? Why?!

“Lila.” She heard her mother say monotonously, causing Lila to promptly shut up and stop pathetically trying to get her father back. 

She slowly turned to her side, having to look up to see her mother’s pale face. 

Was she always this tall? 

Looking at herself, Lila realized she was holding her mother's hand and standing before her father’s grave. 

She was 9 again. 

9...“You can’t keep crying mia stella. We have to keep moving, no matter what. It’s what he would have wanted us to do.”

“Yes, Mamma.” Lila complied, watching as the two walked from the grave, watching how the grave quickly got invaded by thorn covered vines with each step she took. “Bye, Papà.”

.

“Bastarda! Bastarda!” The boys chanted as they circled her, Lila covering her ears, shutting her eyes as she crouched towards the floor. 

“Smettila! [Quit it!]” Lila yelled, holding in tears as she heard the girls in her class whisper and snicker about her. 

It wasn’t her fault that her mother couldn’t afford the latest clothing, the latest car or anything new for that matter. 

If only her mother were more than just a secretary. If only her mother were someone important. 

How she hated that they were able to see through her lies. 

She could hear the laughter ringing around her, the chants of her being a bastard and bugiarda [poor] echoing in her mind. 

She watched as smeared faces of her past circled around her, laughing at her and began to sing. 

“Delilah! Delilah! Delilah the liar!”

“Shut up!” Lila screamed, but it went ignored. 

The faces continued to sing and ridicule her, Lila screaming until she couldn’t anymore. 

---

Chat looked out to the city below him, clicking his tongue when he wasn’t able to see anything below despite being at the very top of the Eiffel Tower.

Taking out his staff, Chat called Queen Bee, only to be sent directly to voicemail. He tried again, this time using their other mode of communication.

When he heard a click, Chat was about to talk when Bee beat him to it.

“I’m down Chat.’

“What?”

“I was in the area when the akuma struck. I tried to apprehend the Victim, but she got to me first. I don’t think I can...I don’t think I can fight in my condition Chat.”

Chat huffed, picking up a shriek in the distance. Narrowing his eyes, Chat started to sprint to the direction of which the shriek came from. 

“Have you heard anything from Ladybird?” Chat asked, almost crashing into someone when he got to the ground. “I tried calling her, but-”

“I didn't get anything from her…” Chat heard a shuddering of breath from the other side. “Do you think...do you think the Victim got to her?”

“Let’s hope she didn’t.” Chat said, realizing where he was. Extending his staff, he went straight to their usual training grounds, glad to be up high again. “After all, she’s the only one who can reverse all of this.

Without her, we’re screwed.”

“I know Chat...I know. But what are you going to do without me? Without her? You need allies now more than ever Chat! Without them, who knows how long it will take to defeat this Victim!”

“I’ll find a way Bee, don’t you worry. For now, rest up. We’ll win this fight, you’ll see. We won’t let Hawkmoth win, not on our watch.”

With that, Chat hung up and mumbled a ‘claws in.’

“Did we-hey! Isn’t the reason why I give you my power to-”

“Plagg, you mentioned a Master Fu before.” Adrien cut off, handing some camembert towards Plagg. “You need to take me to him. I need to-”

“I know.” Plagg said, swallowing the cheese whole. “Something tells me you might need his help for this fight.”

“Thank you, Plagg.” Adrien said, eyeing a bag of utilities nearby. He rummaged through it before finding what he needed. 

Plagg eyed the grappling hook in Adrien’s hands, wondering if he should tell him or not.

Should he? Should he tell him that Ladybird wasn’t going to come? That she was the Victim this time ‘round?

“Alright then, follow me!” Plagg said with a smile.

No, he shouldn’t tell him. Who knows what might happen if the kid would be at risk of also getting akumatized and that he couldn’t risk.

Not his kitten...not on his watch.

---

Black.

That is what Amira first saw when she barely came to her senses.

Amira felt herself walking, watching as something else took over her body.

Is this what every Victim felt like when they got akumatized by Hawkmoth?

Amira tried to move her arms, or attempted to stop herself from walking, but to no avail.

She kept walking to who knows where, hearing herself hum as she did, humming as she was looking for someone…but who?

The humming continued, Amira wondering why it resonated so much with her. 

Amira listened to the hum, closing her eyes and soaking in the melodies as the hum continued, 

---

Wally stood still as he barely made out the figures of the neatly aligned parked cars on either side of the road. Not a single person was in the street, not a single piece of paper dared to flutter within the dense fog.

Only the dim lights of the streetlights and of a few store lights allowed Wally to know where he was.

“Marinette!” He screamed, holding his breath as he strained his ears for any type of noise. When he heard nothing, he walked a few meters before standing still again and calling out for Marinette.

He kept doing his for what seemed an hour until Wally found himself right by the Seine. 

The moment he stepped onto the Pont des Arts, he heard the faintest of hums, Wally feeling the edge of his lips begin to turn upward.

“Marinette!” He yelled out, but got nothing in return.

Sprinting to the other side of the bridge, Wally was glad to hear the humming grow louder, but hated that he had yet to see Amira.

“His chirps brightened my days

Talks that would last for hours

My jay, my jay.”

“Amira!” Wally yelled, his head swinging from side to side in hopes of seeing her, but nothing. 

The quiet Parisian street taunted him, the rolling fog egging him to follow the only clue he had of tracking Amira. 

“One day after you left

For you I did wait

Another gentle night like no other.”

Wally quickly began to follow the song, hating that no type of heat was registering through the goggles.  

“I awaited for your arrival

But a visit I did not get

As I approached the window

I saw you there...

There you were.”

Wally felt like he was running towards nowhere, seeing as he had been running in the same direction for a while. 

“On the ground

Your blue feathers now dyed red

Your flight towards me

Was a flight towards another place.”

Just where the hell was he?!

“Goodbye my Jay...goodbye.” 

As those last words were said, the fog started to lift up a bit, Wally turning to see Amira staring back at him through her black veil. 

Her eyes were a dull emerald, her hair long and straight just like it was when they were younger. She wore a black lace dress that seemed to sparkle under the dim Parisian streetlights. 

“Wally. You’re alright.” Amira said, walking up to him, stroking his cheek with the back of her hand. He felt his breath hitch. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

I’m more worried about you.

“I’m fine.” Wally tried to hold her hand when she pulled it away.

“That’s good.” Her hand returning to her side, averting her gaze from him and biting her lip. “What about Chloe? Is she doing alright? I didn’t mean to hurt her like that.”

Wally gulped. She had used her power on Chloe? 

Were those tear trails running down her face?

“She’s doing alright. She’s still under your power, but she isn’t as in much pain as she was before.” Wally lied, holding her wrists in his hands, ignoring the pain her got from placing pressure over her bracelet.  

So it’s her hands he has to be wary of…more specifically, her palms.

“What about the rest of my team? Do they know where I am?” Amira asked him, Wally biting the side of his cheek.

“I think one of them might know where you are. As for the rest, I do not know.”

“I see.” Amira said, looking back at Wally, turning away from him.

“Where are you going?” Wally asked her, watching as her veil flared out a bit. He watched as a grin emerged from her once stoic face.

“I’m going to go check on Lila. You should’ve seen the look on her face as she succumbed to my punishment.”

“Amira, what have you done?” Wally almost growled out, noticing the small rips on her dress, how it seemed to merge with the shadows.

“She got the punishment she deserved. Right about now, she should be screeching her heart out.”

“How...how could you do something like that Amira?” Wally yelled, tightening his grasp on her wrists. “Vengeance isn’t the way to-”

“This was the only way to make her pay for trying to use Jason’s name for her own personal gain! Every action has a consequence, whether it be a good one or a bad one.”

“Amira, can’t you see-”

“If you are here to stop me, then don’t. I already made up my mind.” Amira tried to jerk her hands from Wally’s grasp, but couldn’t. He wouldn’t let her escape, not when she was right in front of him.

“Amira, please! Think-”

“I have. And this,” she lifted her arm ever so slightly, the corners of her mouth curving upwards as her palms hovered over Wally’s wrists. “This is my answer.”

WARNING: BLOOD AND DEATH AHEAD

Placing her palms on Wally, Wally screamed in agony as he collapsed to the floor, his hands grasping on his shirt, his knuckles turning white as his head and chest began to ring in pain.

Wally watched as his vision flickered between seeing Amira walking away from him in her black dress and her yelling out his name as she was being pulled away from him.

Wally watches as she tries to crawl back at him, as she claws at the ground as she’s being pulled away by purple miasma. 

Her nails are scratched, her skin peeling off her fingers as she tries to hold onto loose cobblestones on the ground.

She screams for him, her tears merging with the blood that trailed from her head, mixing with the dirt on her face.

Cuts, both new and old were scattered, dried blood seeping from her mouth.

She manages to get up before she’s thrown back to the floor, a scream escaping from her.

“Amira!” Wally yells, trying to reach for her as he feels tears slip from his eyes. He watches as Amira stares at him one last time before her head limps forward, her hair draping over her face.

Wally feels himself stop breathing, raising his head as he sees Joker above her. 

Why? Why were they back at Gotham?

His eyes register the crowbar in his hand, covered in blood...Amira’s blood...

Blood that dripped from the same hands that killed his friend, the same feral clown that looked down at him with his feral smile and crooked yellow teeth.

Wally let out a scream as he watched Joker walk away, leaving Amira’s corpse on the floor.

Managing to find the strength to get up, Wally ran next to Amira’s limp body, only for it to turn into mist upon lifting it.

Wally watched as the illusion merged with the mist around him, the mist slipping through his fingers as he watched his surroundings return him to the present...to Paris..

“Illusions…” Wally said, finding himself laughing as he ran one hand through his hair while the other pulled at it, feeling himself still shaking...

This is exactly why he wasn’t very fond of magic...

END

---

Nino jumped when he felt a hand on him, feeling his racing heart relax upon seeing Master Fu.

After having left the classroom when the mystery guy had run out, Nino tried to look for Ladybird, hoping to once again help his friend. But he had been running for hours, not seeing a single person at all as he searched for the Miraculous Team or Banshee.

“Master Fu, what are you-”

“You know clearly why I am here.” Fu said, slipping off the Turtle from his hand, Nino stretching out his hand towards him. “Ladybird and Queen Bee are down for this match, leaving Chat on his own.”

Nino couldn’t believe that. Chat...was on his own? Ladybird and Queen Bee...were out of commission? How?

Placing the bracelet into Nino’s hand, Master Fu closed it and looked at Nino. “Now go.”

“But Master Fu! How are-”

“The two of you are not alone.” Master Fu clarified. “Gris is to join you alongside a new ally. With you four, you must do what it takes to defeat this akuma. If not,” Master Fu lowered his gaze. “Hawkmoth might just get his hands on several miraculous tonight.”

Nino gulped, feeling unspeakable pressure pushing down on him. 

Looking down at the bracelet, Nino furrowed his brows, slipping it on. Wayzz appeared before him, smiling at him.

“Don’t worry Master Fu. I will do what it takes to protect my team, the miraculous and the people of Paris! I will not let Hawkmoth win! Wayzz, shell on!”

---

Chat’s ears twitched when he heard a thud from behind him, turning to see Carapace walking towards him.

“About time you came.” Chat said, greeting Carapace. Gris waved at the turtle hero who returned the gesture.

“Master Fu mentioned having a new member. So, where are they?”

“A new user?” Gris asked, wondering why she didn’t get the memo.

“I would like to introduce you two to our newest member.” 

The three turned to where Chat gestured, watching as a person with golden horns emerged from the doorway that led to their training grounds on the Montparnasse Tower. 

“Hello everyone. My name is Ryuuko, wielder of the Dragon miraculous. I hope to be of some help.”

“Woah, she has a whole katana by her side! Is that allowed?” Carapace asked, stretching to see the black sheath that held the katana.

“Carapace. Focus.” Chat stern said. “It’s our job to deal with this akuma as soon as possible. As you know, Queen Bee is down and Ladybird might be due to her absence. 

For this to be a success, Ryuuko, you are in charge of finding a way to lift up this fog to help with the search. Gris, multiply and scatter yourself around the city for any hints of where the akuma might be.” 

“Got it.” “Roger that!” Ryuuko and Gris said, jumping off to complete their tasks.

“What about us?” Carapace asked.

“I want you to look for Lila Rossi. She’s who the akuma is after.”

“Right. But what about you?”

“I’ll keep searching around this area. Something tells me to stay put.” Chat said. 

He watched as Carapace nodded, leaving him by himself.

Chat looked out towards the city, wondering if he was up to the job, if he was able to shine a candle to Ladybird, now that she was nowhere to be found. Would he be able to save Chloe? Marinette?

Sighing, Chat looked up to the sky, shutting his eyes firmly.

“What should I do, what should I do...Mom?”

NEXT

[chaoticspacefam]

The Lana Shipping Meme!

This is a meme made by @swtor-legacy-sitcom​ who very kindly tagged me to fill it in, thank you! :D This was super fun, I’ve been in a bit of a writing rutt lately so this was a nice way to sort-of dip my toe back into it :P I TOTALLY forgot this was in my drafts and forgot to schedule it to post, I’m soooo sorry it took so long lmao 😳😬

I’m not sure if we’re supposed to tag other people with this one so I’ll just leave a general, open tag here: if you have a Lana ship and want to fill this one out, feel free to yoink the meme and say I tagged you! Yes, I promise I mean you <3

Spoilers for KOTFE/KOTET, and slight spoilers for the Subterfugeverse “version” of said events, will be discussed below, so be aware of that before proceeding! There’s also some midlly nsfw questions so you might wanna skip those if they’re not your thing! :D Under a cut because it’s long, but no trigger warnings need apply.

Is Lana Beniko absolutely done with their shit?

Oh yes, absolutely. Nearly always. At any given time, BUT Lana wouldn’t have it any other way. Saarai may be a reckless, overly-heroic idiot with seemingly no self-preservation, but she’s Lana’s reckless, overly-heroic idiot, ya know :’D

Do they make jokes together?

Fairly often, yes! Theirs is very much a flirty/fond banter type of relationship. Lana tells her she’s insufferable, Saarai rolls her eyes and snarks back, so on. See:

Saarai: Well this was a stupid idea Lana: Considering it was one of yours, I’m not surprised Saarai: Why didn’t you say something? Lana: I did and you did it anyway. And what have we learnt from this? Saarai, quietly: I’m a dumbass and I should listen to you more.... Lana: Good. I still love you, though. Saarai: :’D

Lana, two minutes later: You’re going to do it again, aren’t you? Saarai: Yeah, probably.

as well as that little cutscene “You’d better come back blah blah blah” “Well I have you to rescue me, that’s all I need~” is their default pre-dangerous battle banter :P

Who’s hornier? (who initiates)

Saarai is definitely hornier, and while she’s not always the one to initiate, she’s definitely the one to ask more often. (if I had to give it a number, prolly something like 65/45 lol) One of these days, Lana’s going to buy a spray bottle /jk

Kinkiest they’ve been?

Not awfully. Saarai’s a biter (Lana likes it, don’t worry 😏) and she loves it when Lana pulls her hair, but other than that, and making use of connections within the Force to heighten the sensations during such activities ;) they’re pretty vanilla

There was a post going around a while back about an alternative to a praise kink that was like, a “reassurance” kink, instead. I can’t find the actual post to link to it and I haven’t pinned down any specifics for them yet but I definitely think that’s a Saarai thing to look into later 😏

Has Lana ever covered up something your OC did as Minister of Intelligence?

In a roundabout way, yes. Technically, Saarai’s entire existence on Rishii. Since, teeechhnically, as far as the Empire’s concerned at that point, Rai’s supposed to be dead. Lana doesn’t know the technicalities of why that is (and Saarai isn’t comfortable telling her, even now), but she knows it’s important, so she does it for her even if she doesn’t know why.

Favorite non sexual downtime activity?

Cuddles! Saarai is a cuddlebug, and while Lana enjoys them she’s definitely not the “if I don’t get cuddled x times a day I can’t go on” type (in my headcanon, ofc, I’m not saying she can never be that way!) but, Saarai’s also very warm and cuddling her is cozy, so it’s something they both enjoy, whether Rai’s the big spoon, or - and this is Rai’s favourite thing ever - Saarai putting her head in Lana’s lap so Lana can play with her hair, it’s something they always do at the end of the day when they’re both done with work.

Mushiest thing Your OC has ever done for Lana?

So, I’m too impatient & lazy to do the actual HK missions in-game, but I know you can technically get another HK unit, so because ✨it’s my fanfic and I get to make the rules✨ Saarai sent Aria (my DS! Jedi Shadow, very good at stealth) back to Zakuul and though it was a bit battered up, she managed to retrieve HK’s processor. They had to get him a new chassis, but Koth and Ty managed to salvage the rest of his “important” bits and they rebuilt HK for her after they settled on Odessen :’3

Most Embarrassed Lana has ever been because of your OC?

In the middle of an important meeting, in front of everyone on the Alliance High Council, including Theron, Senya, Ni’kasi, Vano, etc.

Lana, sarcastically, after they’ve been disagreeing on how to handle a particular matter for ~1 hr: hahaha bite me.

Saarai, dead serious: Okay, where? 😏

Lana was mortified, to say the least XD

That thing that happened that they vow to NEVER speak of?

Saarai’s reaction when they went to Nathema. Rai’s psychometric, and in hindsight she realises putting her hand on that wall as she ducked into the building was a mistake. She was bombarded with flashback after flashback of what had happened on Nathema when it was still Medriaas, the planet where she was born and where most of her family died, it was not a pleasant experience for her and Rai actually collapsed at one stage because it was all too much for her ;w;

Lana had to bring her back around and herd her back on the ship, where Rai had to wait because she just couldn’t go any further, and Lana and Vano had to go on alone. Lana agreed not to tell anyone else about what had happened, because Saarai didn’t want any of them to worry about her, or think she was “weak” because of it.

The Angriest they’ve ever been at each other?

There’s actually two instances that come to mind for this one

1) Koth’s betrayal/stealing of the Gravestone, Lana was pissed at Koth and wanted to take it out on him, Saarai was pissed at the situation and got between them and chewed Lana out for taking it out on him. (Subterfugeverse is kinda complicated, there’s two Commanders calling the shots for different parts of the Alliance, Koth took issue with something Vano did and made the reckless, kinda stupid decision to still steal the Gravestone even tho Saarai didn’t do anything. (also for anyone new to the blog, all three of them are dating, they’re polyam ;)) Lana took it personally, Saarai was more upset that he was upset and didn’t say anything before he did something stupid. Rai and Lana butted heads about how to deal with it, Lana got salty cause she got yelled at, but they ofc fix it later :3)

2) Torian’s death. Saarai had tried to warn Lana what would happen if they split Vette & Torian up during that fight, Lana brushed it off and told Rai to “stop overreacting, it will be fine”. Obviously, it was not fine. Rai was very angry at the result because, I quote, “I WARNED YOU! And you wouldn’t listen to me!” Saarai refused to speak to Lana for a few days after that, it was kinda a rough time for Lana, she’s only seen Rai get that angry a few times, and only once at her so it shook her a bit. 😢

How does both Lana, and your OC initiate the ‘fade to black’ ;)

For Saarai, the “indicator” is usually when her kisses start to become 50/50 between kissing and biting/nibbling. That’s the universal “ok I want to” signal for Rai. Usually very quickly followed by a soft “yes?” or “are you sure?”, either against her skin or into her ear, depending on where she’s kissing at the time; because she’ll always check first, and if Lana says “no”, it’s off, because Lana’s consent is more important than any of her feelings.

For Lana, it’s when she’ll let Rai pick her up and/or usually to pin her to a wall. There’s a decent height difference, Saarai’s 6 ft 3, and I headcanon that while Lana’s not necessarily “short” at around 5 ft 8, she’s considerably smaller than Rai, as well as being more “reserved” with PDA, she’ll hold hands, or kiss her on the cheek etc. in front of other people, but otherwise Lana tries to keep somewhat “professional” while they’re at work. So when she starts climbing her like a tree, Rai knows she’s about to get some. XD

Do they have kids?

Kiiiinddd of? It’s complicated. Saarai has a son, Ty, from a previous relationship. Lana & Koth both sort of step up to help co-parent, but since Sith Purebloods age differently (i.e. they’re adults at ~20ish the same as humans, but after that they’re more like elves and their physical aging slows down, so they’re more long-lived), even though Ty’s very young by Pureblood standards, he’s still 60 years old, so he’s technically older than Lana and it’s kind of awkward for him to actually call her mom even if she kind of acts like one. He accidentally called her “mom” once, it was very awkward for both of them XD

What has been the most protective Lana has ever had of said kid?

I sat and scratched my head for ages trying to think of something to answer this question with, but I’m very sad to say that right now at the time of answering this meme, I don’t have any specific scenes planned out to tell you about! :( But rest assured that Lana absolutely would rush to help Ty if it was ever necessary :D

House pets? Is your Lana a dog person, or Cat person?

Funnily enough, they don’t actually have any pets! I’d like to think of Lana as more of a cat person than a dog person, in my personal opinion. But they have yet to get any pets of their own, maybeee later on, I dunno. Haven’t hit on any solid ideas for them yet, but I feel like if they happened upon a cute kitty they definitely could adopt one at some stage :’3

Do they get freaky on the Alliance Base or in the Shuttles?

They’ve done both, to be honest lol. Thankfully, Saarai’s sneaky enough that they haven’t gotten caught doing it, yet. Thank the Force.

Are their Sparring Matches Flirtatious? Hardcore?

They could go either way, it depends on what kind of mood they’re both in. If Lana’s particularly annoyed (usually not at Rai, but sometimes) then it’s more likely to be a hardcore spar, Rai’s a pretty tough cookie so she’ll often offer to be Lana’s punching bag in order to spare them some repair bills so she doesn’t rip apart the training dummies irrepairably, it’s okay, Rai can take it ;)

But if they’re both in an otherwise good mood and are just sparring for practise sakes, then yes, they often very quickly devolve into flirtacious banter and some of the classics, you know, “okay you win, you can let me go now” “mmm, nah” “I thought we were sparring” “do you want me to stop” “...don’t you dare.” etc. :’D

Class Specific things that play into their relationship?

Saarai’s a Juggernaut, and I headcanon Lana’s probably some sort of Sorcerer, so they tend to fight as such. They cover each other in more ways than one, if you want to get to Lana you have to go through Saarai first (and good luck to you, that woman can take and give a fucking beating lmao). Lana picks off whatever Saarai’s saber misses, usually with Force attacks but sometimes with her saber, too. Saarai takes bullets for Lana so Lana doesn’t have to get hurt. Lana yells at Rai for doing that and then fixes her up with Force healing afterwards, rinse and repeat. :’D

When they do argue, Lana tends to spontaneously manifest Force lightning, Saarai’s used to it and doesn’t bat an eyelid, she knows Lana’s not actually going to throw it at her and she’s more than prepared to dodge any stray bolts that do come her way.

Lana’s the tactician and the ground support, Saarai’s the battering ram/the bigass hammer used to clear space when Lana needs a bit of extra “oomph” (and trust me, they’re usually never far apart. The other one will be there and then you’ll be in trouble lmao)

Describe a time your OC went ‘Full beast mode’ to protect Lana, instead of the other way around?

"Kriff. Koth, what happened?” Three words was all it took, and everything made sense: “They hurt Lana.”

That scene in the Endless Swamps on Zakuul, just before they pull the Gravestone out of it and Lana and the Commander get ambushed. Saarai went with Lana & Koth to break Vano out of carbonite (since Saarai was still on Rishii at the time, she doesn’t get frozen, only Vano) so when they split up, Saarai goes with Koth to look for ship parts while Vano goes with Lana to look for water.

Lana and Vano get ambushed by the Knights/Skytroopers, and Lana’s hand gets busted. It takes Saarai and Koth a little while to rush over there to help them, but when they do

Saarai. Goes. Fucking. Feral. It’s the scariest she’s ever been in front of Lana and Lana will never forget it, they almost didn’t really need Senya’s help for that part, Saarai basically had it covered. I imagine Lana later described it as “kind of hot, but also kind of terrifying, actually”

Saarai’s considered Chaotic Good, so generally speaking if there’s a peaceful, non-violent solution to a problem, she’ll opt for that, but she has a few buttons that you just do not want to push, ever. And hurting her partners is one of those buttons. She will go apeshit and that’s exactly what happened in the swamp lmao

Little things couples do to annoy each other. What does Lana do? What does your OC do?

Saarai likes to wake up early and hide Lana’s kaf mug in increasingly ridiculous places. Once, she even got Koth to help her stick it to the top of the Gravestone’s hull. It took Lana half the morning to find it, Lana was not amused. XD

Saarai and Koth also have an ongoing “terrible puns” contest where they basically see who can annoy Lana with the most ridiculous puns possible, see this post for an example :P Lana wonders where/how they keep coming up with these puns, she really does.

Does Lana get jealous in your headcanon?

Not really! In Subterfugeverse, both Rai and Lana are polyam, so generally speaking, jealousy isn’t a problem for them, and when it is it’s more of a case of “hey. Hey. Hey, I’m not getting enough attention, pay attention to me.” and then it’s usually dealt with and all is well ;)

When Lana meets Anri, the only thing Saarai does is tease her about “when she’s going to make the move”. 😜

Story that is prominent in their relationship?

I was gonna draw a little doodle for this but the poses kept not coming out right so I gave up, sorryyy qAq

I haven’t gotten very far into planning the SoR onwards+ segments of Subterfugeverse, just bits and bobs like this, but I’d say for now the most prominent is probably their first meeting on Rishii. Basically, meet-cute but with a lightsaber involved too hahaha. There was a lot of posturing and flirty subtext right from the get-go with these two, even if Saarai was particularly suspicious at first (see the earlier question about her being technically dead to the Empire). At first, when she noticed Lana tailing Ty (because Lana was extremely confused about why a Pureblood was so far from Sith space ;)), Saarai assumed that something had happened to her twin and the Empire had A) found out she and Ty were still alive and B) Sent Lana to track them down and kill them for good. Several tension-loaded hours later and Lana managed to convince Rai that actually, Ni’kasi was fine and speaking of, she was trying to avoid being killed too so maybe, actually, they could help each other. And that was all she wrote <3

[yourmadfish]

Deserved (one shot)

Hello! its been a bit because of the holidays, but I know winter time can be a strain on mental health and I wanted to give everyone a little treat.

Again special thanks to all of these accounts for keeping me writing: @akitokihojo @keichanz @heavenin--hell @lemonlushff @born-for-eachother

Enjoy this rewrite of Moroha’s episode 8 dream sequence because I’m willing to rewrite the whole thing.

All rights to Inuyasha go to Rumiko Takahashi

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(Rewrite of episode 8 in which nothing bad happens)

           They were out in the open, so vulnerable, so alone, but not afraid. Kagome cuddled the small Moroha in her arms as she softly cooed against her mama’s chest; she always loved curling up to her parents’ warm bodies and closing her eyes as she grew more every day.

           Miroku suggested that Moroha be left with them for the time being. While Inuyasha was hesitant to the idea at first, he was assured that Moroha would be kept safe for as long as him and Kagome were away. He never liked leaving his baby girl, but he looked forward to the smile that she would give him when he came back.

           Kagome was the same way, for she never liked the times that she, Inuyasha, and Moroha weren’t together, but she couldn’t wait to return to their hut and have her husband and her little girl within her reach as they dozed off together.

           “Kagome, they’re coming.” Inuyasha said in a low voice. He was already in a battle stance. Kagome stood behind her husband, hand on his shoulder lightly squeezing as reassurance that she would always be there. She knew he was scared and so desperately wanted to hold his head in the crook of her neck while telling him they were going to see their little baby soon, but they had to do this first.

If this were four years ago, Inuyasha would have sent Kagome running for the hills in the face of his older brother but not now. Inuyasha, rather than the powerful Tessaiga to harness his strength, had the knowledge that would have Sesshomaru frozen to the core. This knowledge being that Moroha was linked to their father’s strength and demon capability, a strength far superior to Sesshomaru’s embedded into the lip paint that Kagome had given to Moroha.

The steps were becoming louder and the sounds the gravel made beneath the two demons was becoming clearer by the second; there was no time for turning back now. Soon the faces of Sesshomaru and Kirinmaru became visible through the dense fog that had shrouded them prior. The only thing that could be heard in that moment was the simple rustle of leaves within the trees until Inuyasha finally spoke.

“I know what you want Sesshomaru, and you’re not having it,” he growled. “You should know better by now than to fuck around with what is mine, y’know.”

“When have I ever needed your permission to get what I want, little brother?” Sesshomaru chuckled lowly. “It’s just her dreams I want is all, nothing more, and you will give them to me, Inuyasha.”

“You’re not taking my daughter’s dreams, you asshole.” Inuyasha whispered. “In fact, you’re not taking anything from me anymore.”

“And why would that be?” Sesshomaru was bemused. He never knew Inuyasha as one to back down over something he wanted, but he knew it was one fight he would never pass up.

“She has something you nor him will ever have the chance of possessing.” Inuyasha directed his looks over to Kirinmaru, who was smirking as if this was going to be easy prey and over within the next five minutes. Sesshomaru’s eyes widened; what could Moroha possibly possess that he can’t have for himself? What could Moroha have that even Kirinmaru could not take for himself as well?

“She has our father’s blood, Sesshomaru, and with one swipe she would rip you to shreds. His power runs through her veins as we speak and if you go through me and Kagome, you’ll have her to deal with.” Inuyasha captivated Kirinmaru as he spoke with such vibrance and certainty; Inu no Taisho’s granddaughter inherited the powers of the Great Dog Demon himself and there was nothing he could do but wait until the day that the girl would obliterate him in battle.

“Let me guess, Sesshomaru: Kirinmaru doesn’t know about Towa or Setsuna, does he?” Inuyasha hurled the final blow that was needed to draw the two off. “You haven’t told him about your daughters, have you Sesshomaru?” Inuyasha stepped back as he asked yet again, and Kirinmaru’s eyes jerked to be fully opened.

Sesshomaru’s eyes panned down to the ground as he turned his heels and began to walk in the opposite direction, a clear sense of disappointment and anger at the revelation but there was nothing that could prevent him from hiding the truth from Kirinmaru. He had targeted Inuyasha’s child not realizing that Inuyasha as a father was even more striking than when he was a boy.

Kirinmaru stayed in his place as Inuyasha stared him down. Sesshomaru had deceived him into thinking that it was Moroha they needed to go after, when in reality it was so Inuyasha would suffer in the wake of them both becoming fathers of such powerful children.

“Listen here,” Inuyasha barked. “I don’t know what he told you, but he intended to take the dreams of my only daughter to keep a human girl alive. He is not the demon you think he is.” Kirimaru began to turn and follow Sesshomaru, either to confront him or to kill him, something that Inuyasha did not care to contemplate.

Kagome grasped the hand of her brave husband; he did not reveal the truth as a means of pride, but to protect the new family he created through love. Moroha was the gift formed by their love of one another, and that was something he never wanted someone to fuck up. He had gone through life fighting to seem deserving of the love he so desperately wanted, when he was always deserving of love. He was a product of his parents’ undying love for another and that power had now been passed into a child of his own. A child he deserved, a family he deserved all because his wife, his Kagome, believed he deserved all the love she could give him and more. Kagome, Inuyasha, and Moroha: they deserve to not have to fight a battle to prove they love one another. They deserve to live, Kagome concludes.