#him not having natural webbing anymore? i am ignoring it

[fry-house]

I'm not trying trying to do a full on "the creators are morons" or anything arrogant like that, but I will say that Miguel being the one who programmed Lyla in ATSV is an annoying change. Like the whole "she's his only friend" thing is kinda funny/sad but also...

XINA.

[fandomvariousness]

Caught

Pairing: Eren x reader

Warnings: swearing, angst, violence, smut: fingering, slight dubcon, power play, choking

Summary: Eren fu*ks you through the bars of his cell. YEP. That’s it.

Word count: 2k

A/N: We love deranged Eren supremacy, don’t we ( ͡• ͜ʖ ͡•)

It always takes just a slightest moment of distraction.

You couldn’t take your eyes of the Attack titan, who has also happened to be your lover, tearing everything apart. You were standing in a stupor on the edge of some building, aware that you’re having an unforgivable meltdown, yet you couldn’t move a limb. How has it come to this?

Just as you were regaining your common sense, a giant hand swatted you away like you were nothing but a pesky fly. You managed to see the Jaw titan scurrying away as your back hit the hard brick wall of another building before you plummeted down, what, 3, 4 stories?

The pain was excruciating: your head was pulsating unbearably, vision fuzzy, taste of blood in your mouth.

“Fuck,” you muttered as you tried to get yourself together and ignoring the severe injuries stood up.

Yet you only managed to get on all fours before feeling your consciousness slip away.

~

Your eyes fluttered open as you felt your consciousness tap back into you. You groaned in slight pain and started to get up, but was pushed back down by a soft hand.

“Please, don’t move.” It was Mikasa.

“Mikasa,” you mumbled, rubbing your eyes. “What’s going on?”

She remained silent as you forced your eyes to open properly and immediately regretted it. You’ve never seen Mikasa with such grim an expression that she wore now.

“Mikasa…” you repeated, afraid to ask what’s wrong.

She gulped. “Sasha’s dead. She’s been shot after two Marleyan kids snuck into the airship.”

You felt the shock run down your throat, dispersing all over your body.

“Shit,” you mumbled, trying to control the shaking. “Shit…”

“She’s already buried. You’ve been unconscious for some time.”

You were wiping your tears away that couldn’t stop streaming. After a while, you mustered up the strength to ask about him.

“And Eren? Where is he?”

Mikasa let her head hang even lower.

~

You sauntered over to the deep basement, where Eren was being held. You told no one you were coming, especially not Hange or Levi. All of the events were too much for you, and you just needed to lay eyes on him to know whether what they say is true.

You don’t want to believe any of it, but you saw with your own eyes how the Attack Titan destroyed the city. No remorse, no hesitation – just destruction.

Dimly lit stone hallways gave off eerie atmosphere, the flames dancing with the shadows in every crack and crevice. You knew no one was here except for you and Eren in his cell further away, but you felt like you were being watched. Watched by the dark.

As you approached his cell, still slightly limping, you heard him muttering something.

“Fight… Fight…”

You gulped and finally stepped into the light, taking in the sight of Eren at the same time: his damp hair was gathered in a bun, his lean yet muscular frame leaning to the sink with his hands, staring dead in the eyes of his own reflection.

You forced yourself to stop staring at his bare, toned torso before you diverted your gaze to his face, trying to catch his eyes, yet he wasn’t interested, he didn’t even acknowledge your presence.

“Eren?” you croaked out, slightly wavering on your intentions. Maybe you shouldn’t’ve come here, especially how he acted with Hange not so long ago.

He sighed silently and let his head hang a little lower, with his eyes closed – obviously annoyed. “I thought the visiting hours were over.”

Oh, so he’s being cheeky? After all of you risked your lives for his selfish intentions, after Sasha died, after you almost died, after each of you abandoned your morals and did what Eren wanted you to do.

You felt yourself burn with odium – you realized you’ve never been this angry on him before.

“Look at me, you, jackass,” you spat angrily, striding over to the bars and rattling them with both of your hands. “All of this so funny to you, huh??”

His knuckles whitened as he was clearly restraining himself from acting out against you.

“Y/N…” he growled alarmingly, few orange sparks jolting around his frame.

Your heart stuck in your throat, yet you forbid yourself to show him how terrified you were.

You chuckled. “Ooh, go ahead, just blow this whole building away, because you don’t even care about us, right??”

You heard the sink creak before he threw himself towards the bars, rattling them in rage a single time, as if to shake you off. Naturally, you drew back a bit, but didn’t let go of the bars.

Both of you were breathing heavily, staring each other dead in the eyes.

“Eren, I swear, I would slap you so hard if –”

If not for these damn bars, you were going to say, but the airflow was cut off when his calloused hand wrapped around your neck and drew you flush against the bars, metal squeezing against your sore skin.

You didn’t lose your cool as your eyes were still having a battle of their own, Eren’s fingers squeezing into your skin to the point of teasing.

“Go ahead and try.”

You slightly bit your lower lip as you stretched out your hand between the bars, squeezing your own dainty palm against his thick neck. That did almost nothing, of course, but you were showing him that you won’t cower before him like he expects you to.

He noted that as the corner of his lips twitched ever so slightly. “You’re feisty today.”

You cursed yourself mentally as you felt blush creep up your cheeks – not in a million years you’d want to give in to him in this situation, but your body was acting on its own.

You curtly pushed him away with the hand you were holding his neck as he released his own grip, yet the look didn’t break.

You were genuinely pissed on Eren – you wanted to have a nice, calm talk with him and find out what’s really going on, but he’s being even more stubborn than usual.

You sighed. “Sorry to disturb your… slumber.” you noted snarkily and turned around to walk away, yet Eren’s hand wrapped around your throat from behind in one swift motion and dragged you back.

Your body hit the bars painfully, making you wince.

“You wound me up, and now you’re going away?” he muttered smokily against the back of your ear, lips as close as the bars allowed.

You grunted as you tried to pry his fingers off of your skin when his other hand snaked around your waist, barring your escape completely.

“Am I your hostage now?” you breathed out, feeling your stomach flutter as Eren’s breath tickled your skin.

The hand around your waist snuck under your white long-sleeve shirt, leaving a scalding-hot trail in its wake. “Kind of.”

You managed to suppress a moan, but your eyelids fluttered down on their own.

“Didn’t you miss me?” he whispered, his hand kneading your breast as the other tightened around your neck.

Heat was continuously pooling in your lower stomach as you hummed in agreement.

“Didn’t catch that,” he jerked your body against the bars, rattling them. “What was it again?”

You winced and gripped the bars above your head with both of your hands. “I missed you.” you wailed louder than intended.

You didn’t see it, but you sure as hell felt him smirk.

His tongue brushed against the nape of your neck, coaxing out a quick moan out of you, making Eren release a breathy laugh. “I missed your cute sounds.”

You blushed even harder as you flailed your hand in air for a second, searching for Eren’s head before you found it and burrowed your fingers in his dark hair, messing up his bun.

“Eren,” you breathed out and he knew exactly what to do – he always did.

Normally, he would tease and edge the shit out of you, but having being apart longer than ever, he himself was eager to touch and feel you.

His hand left your neck and snuck under the waistline of your leggings and panties, gliding his fingers through your slick core.

You shivered as he breathed out. “All that rage got you so wet for me.”

“Yes,” you whined squirming against the bars, feeling his own hardness against your behind.

He circled your clit, his own pants feeling tighter and tighter. You felt like your skin was glowing from all the heat and for a moment you wished so hard these damn bars would melt from that same heat, leaving no barrier between the two of you.

Eren’s expert hands were making you moan louder and louder before you felt an intrusion in your mouth as he slipped two digits inside. “You don’t want Hange to interrupt our quality time, do you?”

You yelped as he pushed a finger inside your core – it was just one finger, but you were already on the brink of overstimulation.

“E-Eren,” you croaked after a few moments. “Need your cock, please,”

The battle between your mind and your body was long non-existent as you admitted you’re such a mess for him, like always. You always got caught in his web, and this time is no exception.

You lowered your hand to stroke the obvious tent in his pants, making him groan oh-so-sexily.

He didn’t hesitate as he hooked his fingers under the hem of your pants and underwear as he pulled them down to your knees, a waft of air hitting your wet center. You didn’t even mind the bars painfully pushing against your skin and bones anymore.

You gripped the metal above your head again as Eren aligned himself with your entrance, his fingers digging into your hips as he pushed inside, the sweet stretching ache turning into blazing pleasure almost immediately.

You let out a prolonged moan at the cacophony of these sensations as Eren started to move.

“So tight, always so tight,” Eren mumbled, losing himself in you too.

His tip hit your G-spot, what wasn’t surprising since he knew every inch of you and was always marking your responses to his ministrations. He knew exactly how to make you lose your mind.

The bars were rattling real loud as he pounded into you as if the barrier was non-existent, both of you ignoring the pain from constantly hitting the hard metal.

“Missed my dick, didn’t you?” it was more like a statement than a question, what made you feel dirty and was a final point of tipping you towards you release.

“Eren!” you yelped. “I’m gonna cum,” you were a hot mess, tongue lolling out of your mouth slightly.

He felt your cunt clench around him, indicating that you’re indeed so close, as he pounded into you hard a few times more, one hand cupping your breast and the other on your stomach. You released a short, high-pitched moan when you finally fell, seemingly straight into his embrace.

He pumped into you chasing his own release as you were coming back to your senses, holding on to the bars for dear life as you finally felt his seed spill inside you, your bodies becoming one despite the obvious division.

He held you against the bars with his arms snaked around your waist for a few moments more as you both tried to steady your breathing.

“Really missed you,” Eren muttered quietly, his breath tickling your neck sweetly.

You pulled up your leggings as he did the same with his own pants and turned around to face him, cupping his face with your hand, gently this time.

“I’m so glad you’re back.” was all you could say as you got emotional all of a sudden, seeing his face snuggle into your palm, resembling a small, stray puppy, so desperate for comfort.

He smiled slowly. “You’re not angry on me anymore, are you?”

You released a breathy laugh. “I won’t be if you watch that filthy mouth of yours from time to time.”

“But you like it filthy, don’t you?”

You bit your lower lip. “I do.”

[deadontheinsidebut]

—The HQ boys falling in love as love quotes found on the Internet

Do you know what it feels like to fall in love? Then come join these boys as they fall for you through quotes from their heart

For the Haikyuu boys I hold dear in my heart💌

Osamu, Atsumu, Akaashi, Bokuto, Tsukishima, Sugawara, Kageyama, Oikawa, Iwaizumi, Kuroo, Kenma, Ushijima

miya atsumu— someday when the pages of my life end, I know that you will be one of it’s most beautiful chapters because a love story with him is but a fleeting moment. It can come as quickly as it falls apart. But if you manage to find your way back to each other, the pages you once thought were a beautiful chapter, will become your life’s story.

miya osamu— getting lost in you was the best adventure I have ever had because with Osamu, the little things that were so insignificant begin to feel like a journey and the big things that used to hurt you become bearable. The things holding you back became a lesson and loving him became a gift.

akaashi keiji— i’m a hopeless romantic who still believes letters are much more beautiful than text messages because loving him is like a fairytale where a happily ever after is ensured. You find the moment within the words and each word he pours into the messages he sends you are intricate love letters that carry the weight of his heart.

bokuto kotarō— moments with you, that’s when I wish I could stop time because his love can burn like an ember until it becomes a fire too big to contain. You wish to relive these memories over and over again, but when the moments don’t stop and the exhilaration doesn’t ease, you realize that you can make new moments as long as you’re with him.

tsukishima kei— i love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you because a love with him is filled with tender trust and hesitant promises. It is being the stars to his moon and illuminating the darkness when it is too difficult on his own. And it’s dangerous knowing the faith you put in each other but it is that belief that strengthens you everyday.

sugawara kõshi— you are everything my heart dreams of in which he becomes the embodiment of love. It is the kind of love you wait eons for because it’s only a dream until it isn’t. You fall asleep to the rhythm of his heartbeat and the steadiness of his breath and lull into a deep slumber followed by a lullaby of dreams consisting only of him.

kageyama tobio— thank you for loving me when I still tasted of heartache and war because amidst the scars of his past, you looked forward and saw him for simply himself. And although the scarring is etched deep within his heart, he began to taste of home and comfort.

oikawa tōru— something about you made me feel a little more alive and far less lost because you were a weightless anchor that breathed life into him while keeping him grounded on the right path. Falling in love with him was pure acceptance in the flaws and support through the pain. Because when everyone was telling him ‘no’ you kept his spark alive.

iwaizumi hajime— i caught myself smiling and then I realized I was thinking about you because your love stirs gradually, building up to the peak of a mountain before you’re on cloud 9 wishing for nothing more than to wipe that godawful smile from your face because you can’t hide the fact that you’re on top of the world.

kuroo tetsurõ— chemistry between people is the strangest science of all because when you two met, the fibres of love began to intertwine, creating an undeniable chemistry that you would be a fool to ignore. And this woven web became a red string made from destiny’s womb.

kenma kozume— you made me feel things I didn’t believe in anymore in which you become the one thing he holds onto that makes his efforts feel like they’re worth a million. It’s where the boy who only saw gray in the world begins to feel the colours of the universe the longer he’s with you.

ushijima wakatoshi— it was instinctive, the way I fell for you. Like an effortless intake of breath because like volleyball, it came naturally to him. He’s not versed in the world of romance, but when he falls for you, it’s easy and breathless. There’s a whirlwind of thoughts in his head as he tries to decipher why he feels this way and how simple it is for him to hold your hand and feel like this was easily his place in the world.

Taglist 🏷 (send an ask or comment to be added):

@janellion @personality-still-downloading @darkdinosaurpeanut @sugacookiies @anianimol @sstardusty @karaseijoh @flavoredmilktea @millie-mint @spicyness @kuroos-babie @yourfavoritedarling @shou-kunn @stcrryskies @katsushimaa @bbakougo @mrs-kuroojinguji @k-eijiakaashi @animatedarchives

[kasienda]

The Five Minute Adventures of Snake Noir: Ch 5 - Unwanted Revelations

Chapter 1: I Want It To Be You

Chapter 2: Best Friends

Chapter 3: Best Laid Plans

Chapter 4: A Thank You

Chapter 5: Unwanted Revelations

“You okay, dude?” Nino asked. They were sitting on his bed, watching an anime, but Adrien had no idea what was happening in the current episode. 

Adrien’s head shot up from where his cheek had been pressed into his propped up knee.

“Yeah, of course,” Adrien said. “Why wouldn’t I be?” 

Nino frowned, and paused the show. “You’ve just been quiet tonight. 

“I’m just tired,” Adrien said, which was mostly true. “The photo shoot this morning went seven ways to hell after it was disrupted by that akuma.” 

“That akuma sucked!” Nino said.

Adrien nodded in agreement. It had taken Ladybug, Chat Noir, and five temp heroes (Carapace included) hours to deal with. “And once it was cleared up, father insisted the shoot continue even though we had already lost our lighting. Then afterwards he lectured me for an hour about not being professional enough because none of the shots came out to his satisfaction.”

Adrien trailed off, noticing that Nino had his lips pressed tightly closed. 

“It’s not that big of a deal,” Adrien said. 

Which had been the wrong thing to say. Adrien knew it as soon as the words left his mouth. 

“Not that big a deal?!” Nino repeated. “Dude, he runs you ragged, doesn’t let you have any fun, puts you in situations where it is literally impossible to succeed, and then he yells at you when you fail.”

“He doesn’t yell,” Adrien defended.

“I don’t know why you defend him!”

Adrien shrugged. “He’s my father.” 

“Is he? Seems more like he’s your boss.” 

Adrien sagged on the floor, and Nino wilted a second later. 

“I’m sorry, dude. I don’t mean to make you feel worse. He just… makes me so angry!”

Adrien smiled then. “It feels good to have you on my side.” 

“How would you feel about me borrowing the Snake?” Nino asked, casually. 

Read on Ao3

Adrien started, sitting up straight. “What?!” 

“I mean, I just want to punch him in the face. Just once, dude, I swear. But I’d prefer not to get thrown in jail with my future career destroyed because your old man is vengeful.” 

Adrien burst out laughing. “I’d pay to see it actually.” 

Nino smiled and bumped his shoulder into Adrien’s. Adrien’s laughter died down, but his smile remained. 

But Nino looked solemn. Adrien frowned and leaned forward. “Are you okay?”

Nino smiled. “Yeah, I was just thinking. Have you ever thought about using the Snake to confront your father?”

“No,” Adrien admitted. “I am trying not to use it for selfish reasons.”

Nino rolled his eyes.

“What would I even say to him?” Adrien cleared his throat. “Hello Father! I bend over backwards to meet your expectations, but they’re impossible to reach. I want you to show me the same respect you expect me to show you.” Adrien shook his head. “What would be the point? He won’t remember, so nothing will change.”

Nino stared at a Jagged Stone poster across the room. “I just… wonder sometimes if he even knows how much he’s hurt you. Confronting him might tell you that.” 

Adrien was silent for a long time. 

“Dri?” 

Adrien looked up at Nino’s concerned gaze, and then turned away again. “I just…” Adrien said. “What if the answer is he does know? And… doesn’t care?”

Nino wrapped him in a hug at that moment, and Adrien let his cheek fall onto Nino’s shoulder. 

It had been easy to visit Nino and Marinette with the Snake Miraculous. Adrien knew that they cared about him. In fact, he had known they had cared about him on both sides of his mask. If anything, he had underestimated how much affection and love they held for him. So he hadn’t been afraid of anything that might come out in a conversation with them that they couldn’t remember. He knew he’d still hold them in the highest regard. 

But with his father, if he learned something he didn’t like - that his father didn’t care about him, rather than was just abrasive and uncomfortable with feelings and affection - Adrien didn’t know if he would be able to keep up the song and dance routine required to keep his father happy. Adrien wanted to keep what little freedoms he had managed to squirrel away. He couldn’t stand it if they were taken away. He was terrified he wouldn’t survive it.

On some days, he knew he was too close to not almost wanting to survive it. 

It was too easy to throw himself in front of an akuma’s blast, too easy to picture his own bubbling cataclysm floating towards his chest without concern.

But things had gotten better, were continuing to get better. Thanks to Nino mostly, and to Ladybug, too. 

“Have you ever used the snake with anyone besides me?” Nino asked, interrupting Adrien’s thoughts.

Adrien didn’t want to mention Marinette. He knew Marinette wouldn’t have minded, and Nino would have listened without judgement. But it felt weird to tell Nino something about Marinette that she herself didn’t remember.

“Ladybug picked me to use the snake against Desperada,” he confided instead.  

“You’re Viperion, too?!”

Adrien winced. “No, I was Aspik, but… it didn’t go well, and I eventually gave it up, and she selected someone else to be the snake. That person is Viperion.” 

Nino looked at him suspiciously. “How long did you stay in the loop before you gave up?” 

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. “Umm… like three months?” 

Nino bolted to his feet. “Months?! Dude! You need to stop torturing yourself!” 

“I just… wanted to impress her as myself. She’s already said no to Chat Noir. I was hoping… that being Adrien was a…” 

“Second chance?” Nino filled in sarcastically. 

Adrien grinned. “Exactly! But… she needed a temp hero in the first place because the two of us weren’t enough. So… I had to give it back, and tell her to find someone else. I feared that Adrien was only a disappointment to her.” 

“You tried for months! What more could she ask of you than that?” Nino pursed his lips. “Like how many loops is that?”

“25,912.” 

Nino’s eyes widened, and he just stared at him until Adrien had to look away. 

“Didn’t you lose count?” 

Adrien shook his head. “The snake doesn’t let you forget the number. You know every time what loop you’re on.”

Nino was really solemn after that. “I think that power is the scariest of them all,” he said quietly. 

“Scarier than the power of destruction?” Adrien teased, trying to lighten the mood again. 

“Yes,” Nino said seriously, not taking the hint.

Adrien sighed. “What was the hardest akuma for you as Carapace?” 

“As Carapace?! I was fighting Anansi as Nino while you were caught in some spider web! That was terrifying.” 

“You were a natural with the baton,” Adrien said. 

Nino ducked his head down - trying to hide a blush.

“I was really threatened by it at the time,” Adrien admitted. 

Nino’s gaze snapped back up. “Threatened?! By me?”

“I… It felt like Ladybug was trying to replace me.” 

Nino shook his head. “She was trying to save you, dude!”

“It kinda feels like she’s trying to replace me now, too.” 

Nino frowned. “What do you mean?” 

“She told someone else her identity. And yeah, she explained why she couldn’t tell me so it’s easier to accept now. But Nino, I’ve been sidelined so many times recently. Rena Rouge removed me from the battlefield when Style Queen attacked. I was so far away that by the time I got back…” he trailed off, his brain spiraling rapidly.

“Dude?” 

“Rena Rouge told me not to interfere with SentiBubbler, too.”

“I’m sure she didn’t mean to push you aside like that. Alya loves you both as heroes. You should hear her fangirl about working with both of you.” 

But Adrien wasn’t hearing Nino anymore. Rena Rouge knew a lot - more than any of the other temp heroes. She had made plans with Ladybug before Ladybug had even shown up. 

Rena Rouge was the one that knew Ladybug’s identity. 

But Rena Rouge was Alya.

Ladybug had said she told her best friend in her civilian life.

That meant… 

Adrien couldn’t breathe. 

“Adrien? What’s wrong?” Nino asked, urgently.

But Adrien couldn’t answer. All he felt was horror and dread writhing sickenly in his gut. This was knowledge he wasn’t supposed to know. 

He was the one person that wasn’t supposed to know.

But it fit and he couldn’t unknow it. Marinette had… she had burst into tears upon learning his identity just like Ladybug. She had ranted and railed in anger that Ladybug hadn’t realized how hurt her partner had been by her actions. She hadn’t been angry with Ladybug - she had been angry with herself. And then, she had erased her own memory when he had hesitated because they weren’t supposed to know. 

He was going to throw up. 

“Dude! Talk to me!” Nino begged, tapping either one of Adrien’s cheeks.

Adrien turned toward his friend, but his eyes looked past him, remaining unfocused. 

“Plagg! Sass! Help!” Nino called.

The kwamis flew into his line of sight, and conversed together briefly. Adrien heard none of it.  

His body was trembling - shaking so hard it was amazing he hadn’t fallen off the edge of Nino’s bed. Though that might have had to do with the hand clamped painfully onto his shoulder bracing him from tipping over. Hot tears fell from his cheeks and his chest burned. He clawed for air that refused to come.

“Kid,” Plagg called. “Slow down. You’re okay. Nothing’s happened yet.”

“I-I’m n-n-not supposed t-t-to know,” Adrien managed to get out between the body quakes. He had always wanted to know. And Marinette, she was amazing! She always had been. He wanted to be ecstatic at the revelation. “I don’t w-w-w-want to destroy the world.”

Ladybug had said the moon was in pieces.

“And if you get akumatized right now over it, it will be a self fulfilling prophecy!” Plagg snapped. “Now breathe properly already!” 

“Dude!” Nino chastised. “That’s not how you calm someone down during a panic attack.”

“I’d like to see you do better,” Plagg challenged.

But Nino was already ignoring the kwami. “Dri, breathe in with me.” And then he slowly and dramatically breathed in. 

Adrien tried to follow suit. Really, he did. He took in a slow deep breath, but then his throat would lodge close again, and he’d start gasping again. His chest spasmed painfully. 

“Can you reset the last five minutes?” Nino asked Sass. 

The kwami shook his head. “It’s very dangerous for me to use my power without a holder to limit them. It's not worth the cost,” Sass informed. “He already knew everything needed to put it together. He just hadn’t thought about it. We can reset… maybe… without destroying the timeline completely, but he’ll just figure it out again probably within a few days. Plagg and I knew it was only a matter of time.”

“Some warning would have been nice!” Adrien shrieked, his anger cutting through the shaking, but only for a second. 

“Look kid, we don’t know that this is the end of the world. And honestly, it probably isn’t!” 

Adrien’s green eyes locked onto the floating kwami. “What do you mean?” 

Plagg turned to Sass. “You explain it.” 

“My power works differently than Fluff’sss, but from my understanding, the end of the world probably had very little to do with you knowing each other's identities. It was more like that it was an event that was easy to change to prevent a certain series of events. It wasn’t necessarily that you couldn’t know one another. Just that you couldn't know that day.”

“Why didn’t you say any of this before?” Adrien gasped out. He was still struggling to keep his breathing slow. 

Sass shrugged. “Because we don’t know for certain what happened, and anything short of a guarantee wouldn’t have been enough for Ladybug.” 

“Look!” Plagg interjected. “If things truly go to absolute hell and back, Fluff’s holder will most likely show up to fix things again, and since she’s not already here, we’re likely fine.”

The tension in Adrien’s chest broke, and the rest of his body slumped. Luckily, Nino was there to catch him. Adrien clung to his shoulder even as he tried to face the kwamis. As always, Nino was a rock. If he was phased at all, Nino wasn’t showing it. 

Adrien was dripping with sweat, his blond hair was plastered to the sides of his face. He could breathe now, and breathe heavily he did, still leaning heavily on Nino. 

“So, what do we do?” Adrien asked.

Plagg shrugged. “Use the snake to tell Ladybug you figured her out. Then come up with a plan together. She’s a crafty one. She’ll have ideas.”

Sass nodded. “Most likely, she will know more than she’s told you, Chat Noir. She may have a better idea of what needs to be avoided.”

Adrien nodded. “Okay, okay. We can do this.” He turned to Nino. “Help me stand?”

Nino held out his arms, and Adrien hauled himself to his feet with Nino’s support. 

“I’m sorry to cut our illicit slumber party short,” Adrien said. 

Nino shook his head. “No worries, dude. Fate of the world stuff obviously should come first. But… umm… are you going to be okay running over rooftops? No offense, but… you look like shit.” 

“Plagg, claws out,” Adrien called. As the transformation washed over him, Adrien could stand up straight, breathe easier. He sighed in relief. “With the transformation, I’m okay.”

“Can you let me know when you get somewhere safe and outside a time loop, dude?” 

Adrien smiled. “Yeah, sure.” Adrien pulled his baton from his back. “And Nino?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for being here. Thank you for not asking questions.”

Nino smiled. “Of course, dude. Anytime.” 

… 

Marinette wasn’t on her balcony, but her light was on. He couldn’t handle waiting so he sent Sass through the window. She was up on the roof less than a minute later. 

“Chaton? What’s wrong?” 

He transformed with the snake and activated second chance immediately, and then fell heavily onto the only chair on her balcony.

“You shouldn’t have let me keep the snake,” he began without preamble. 

“What are you talking about?” she demanded, but her eyes were wide. 

“We don’t have time for you to try to misdirect me. It’s too late, m’lady.” 

She wilted. “How? Did you try to figure it out?”

He shook his head. “No. I just…” His fingers tried to tear through his hair, only to find the suit draped over his skull. “You told me to tell someone. So I did. I told my best friend. Only he turned out to be a temp hero. He slipped. He thought I knew who he was when Chat Noir showed up in his room. It’s not his fault.” 

“Breathe, kitty.” 

He took in a shuddering breath, but he was still shaky. The panic was starting to grip him again, and he was trying to keep it from exploding, but he knew he was slowly losing the battle. 

She crouched down in front of him and held his hands. 

And he barreled forward in the story. “Then because I knew his identity, I later realized who Rena Rouge was. And I know that you never told me that she was the one that you revealed your identity to, but… she just… knows too much. And I know who Alya’s best friend is. I swear I never meant to figure it out!”

And he couldn’t breathe. “I can’t… m’lady, please. I’m so scared.” He broke off as the sobs overtook him again. 

She held him, stroked his head and neck with calming hands, and whispered nonsensical soothing sounds into his ears. He leaned into her comfort, into her warmth, fighting to collect himself. He needed to get enough out so she could tell him what to do. How to fix this. Because he didn’t want to be akumatized and he didn't want the world to end. Especially not by his hand.

“Tell me what to do,” he sobbed.

“Who’s your best friend?” she asked. 

“Nino.” 

He felt her sharp intake of breath.

“Please don’t start crying,” he begged. “You always cry when I tell you.”

“It’s too late, Adrien,” she whispered. And when he looked up her eyes were already filled with tears.

“Please tell me you have an idea,” he begged. 

She took up his hands and squeezed them tight as she kneeled in front of him again. “You’re not going to like it.” 

He snorted through his tears. “That’s a given.”

“You’re going to go back and you’re going to pretend you don’t know.”

He sucked in another breath and he closed his eyes against her words. “How do you expect me to do that?”

“You’re clearly a very good actor,” she said gently.

And he crumpled in on himself at her words. His head fell into their joined hands as his body shook in an emotional earthquake.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, continuing to stroke his head. “I wish it was different. I wish I wasn’t placing this burden solely on you. That I wasn’t asking you to put on mask after mask. You shouldn’t have to.” 

“I just… why, do you need me to pretend? How does that help us?” 

“Nothing can change between Ladybug and Chat Noir.”

He felt himself nod though he wasn’t sure if he could ever pull that off. He felt like his whole world had been thrown out of orbit.

“And nothing can change between Adrien and his very good friend, Marinette. You understand?” 

And suddenly, he did.

“We can’t date,” he concluded.

She nodded. “We can’t date. Knowing who you are… it’s clear to me that it wasn’t the reveal that was the problem. It was that our reveal led to us dating.” 

“Wh-What? What does that have to do with anything?” He asked.

“We can’t date. You have to pretend like you don’t know. Can you do that for me, kitty? Can you wait until Hawkmoth has been defeated?”

“I uh… wait?” 

“I love you,” she confessed. 

And he stared at her in shock. She loved him? 

“And you love me. But our love… it destroys the world.” 

Her words hit him like a never ending monsoon. He felt thrown about, twisted up, and torn into pieces all at once.

“What?” he hissed.

“That’s what Chat Blanc told me. I didn’t know you were Adrien. Adrien was the person who learned my identity that day, but it was Chat Noir who knew. And Chat Blanc… he said it was our love.” 

He shook his head even as he cried. “No, no, Mari, I refuse to believe it.” 

“I still have nightmares of the place. Of you alone, and half insane.” Her hands cradled either side of his face. 

He kissed the palm of one of her hands. 

“Mari, please,” he begged. “Don’t make me pretend with you.” 

She kissed him. Hard. He felt dizzy. 

She pulled away and smiled. “Figure I owe you a kiss that you will remember.” 

Then the world blurred around him. God damn her! This was how she knew how the snake worked in the first place, knew how to activate it when she had him distracted. She was the fucking guardian. 

He was standing again. He collapsed into the chair again and just continued to cry.

“Chaton? What the hell happened? Why are you always crying on the other side of one of your loops? How awful am I to you?”

His arms snaked around her midriff, and he pulled her against him. And just sobbed into her stomach.

“You’re not awful, Mari. You’re amazing.” 

And he loved her. 

Her fingers ran over his head and cat ears, causing them to flick back and forth.

He spent the whole loop crying, and the next one after that. But he recovered faster than he did with Nino that first night with the snake. It only took four loops before he got ahold of himself. Maybe he was  getting better at coping with world-ending fear and grief. Or maybe it’s because his lady is just a little bit more soothing to him, as awesome as his best friend was. 

Now, he just felt numb.

And exhausted. 

“How many loops have you been through?” she asked softly.

“Five” 

“What can I do?” she asked.

“M’lady, you’re already doing it.” 

She stiffened at the endearment. He holds her to him harder. “I know have to pretend that nothing has changed. I have to wear a mask around you all the time. Every moment of every day as Chat Noir and every day as Adrien, and I know that I’ll get really good at it. It’s something I’ve done a million times before. But let me have an extra loop or two okay?” 

He can feel her shaking as suddenly she’s crying too.

“I just… I’m scared,” he confessed. “I don’t know how long we’ll have to do this. I don’t know if I’ll remember how to take the walls down when it’s over. Will I even know who I am?” He squeezed her tighter. “And… I don’t know if you’ll wait for me without knowing,” he whispered.

She was caressing the sides of his face in gentle soothing strokes. Tears streamed from her eyes. 

“You’re so amazing!” she told him. “So resilient, and so much stronger than me.”

He barked a broken laugh that held no humor. “You’re wrong. I’m so broken. I’ve been so tempted so many times to just break the loop and let you remember.” 

“But you haven’t.” 

“You’re usually the one that resets it once everything comes out.” 

She kneels down at eye level with him. “You’re my strength, Chaton. My ability to reset the loop is to keep you safe. And no one else. I love you so much.” 

“I love you, too, m’lady.” 

She moved forward to kiss him and he pulled back. She frowned. 

“Please don’t,” he begged. 

“Why not?” 

“Because there’s already too many kisses that we can’t remember. I want us both to remember them.”

“Chaton, if you feel that way strongly, I can respect it. But if you’re afraid of forgetting what it feels like to be yourself, I want you to feel it, to remember it every single day. You should always know what it means to not have to wear masks. What it means to be loved.” 

“Every single day?” he repeated. 

She nodded firmly. “Every single day.”

“What about not abusing the miraculous?” 

“Abuse it,” she said. “I don’t care. You’re more important.”

He was speechless. 

So when she leaned in again, he let his eyes fall closed. Let her press her lips gently against his own. His whole body melted into the contact like butter. He kissed her like it was the first time and like it was the last time, because in a way… it was. 

They stayed together - sharing their life’s breath, letting their mouths and tongues dance together in sync the way Ladybug and Chat Noir always were. They didn’t stop. Eventually, the world blurred, and he realized she had reset the time loop herself again.

But this time he was smiling when he found himself standing on her balcony once again peering into her concerned blue eyes. 

This time he felt lighter and freer. She loved him. And he loved her.

And they would be together someday. 

He had to believe that.

...

Chapter 6: Miraculous Abuse

[omniscientwreck]

Like Waves Upon An Open Shore

Pieces of this conversation came to me late last night and I couldn't write anything else until I got this out of my system. This is one in a series of pseudo-character study/ missed conversation fics I have on AO3. There's no lifespan angst here, it's more of a meditation on power and potential.

The first to approach him was Caduceus. After they’d imprisoned Ikithon they combined efforts to build back his home. It turns out that this is something Essek’s particular arcane flare is appropriate for. He is learning to accept that his power has limits and that it likely always will. He’s never had to worry about this before, even knowing that one day he will be among the dirt and there he will stay. He’s never had to consider that the flow of time and how it feeds and consumes life is something one might need to control. When it had hit him, when they’d needed the improbable and he could not deliver, he had cried for this man he’d never known save for fond rememberings told by happy words and sad eyes.

He had come to help them and when they needed him most he couldn’t even fail because he never could have started.

However, fixing a roof is practical. Spreading density until large loads of materials are manageable to carry, freezing objects in place as they’re affixed by regular means. He can be useful here and he is. In the first two days he uses all of his strength helping and at the end of the day he’s exhausted. But Caduceus also needed help with the garden. Yasha had shown him some basics and every night he worked with his hands, for the first time of his life bringing new beauty to a scarred earth.

The first night is quiet and he is alone with his thoughts. The eyes are gone and he can properly think again. The new one, Kingsley, sleeps outside but he’s been through a lot and it’s difficult for Essek to look at him knowing he did nothing. It’s difficult to look at Caleb. To look at any of them for the first day.

But he does. He is trying to learn humility, to learn that whatever ugly thing rises in him (guilt for things he can no longer change and selfishly wouldn’t, longing for someone he has no right to feel close to, regret at working with those who had hurt him so badly, sick satisfaction at seeing him stripped of power, the desire to end him then and there) is not always the most important thing. He works alongside the Nein still. He laughs when Jester jokes, he levitates Luc to catch the child’s attention when he’s being particularly mischievous, he attempts another joke which a few of them catch this time. He is there for them now, an imitation of the way they’ve been there for each other.

He digs into the earth in the cool breeze of dusk, removing his gloves now that the sun is fading on his second night there. He’s elected to tend to the graves of an elven family, many of whom have the last name Akhilvarr. He recognizes the surprisingly light footfalls of the firbolg approaching him as he gently holds two flowers, deciding.

“You’re up late.”

He places the plants down softly in front of the hole he’s dug out, brushing dirt from his bare hands, learning to relish the coating of grime, the feeling of having an impact on the world around you. “I don’t really sleep as much as the rest of you.” He hesitates and from the way Caduceus’ eyes bore through him he knows the statement has a second half, “And I feel like I need to be out here.”

He nods and sits, levelling eyes with Essek who’s still on his knees, facing the graves. “How are you feeling?”

The question is so simple but Essek cannot find an answer that is satisfactory, no words he’s ever known can accurately sum the corners of his heart. “It does not matter right now how I feel. Your home was nearly destroyed, you brought someone back from the dead. I dare not burden you with my own troubles.”

“Essek if I may,” he’s learned by now that Caduceus means this to be a precursor to a deep insight and though he is raw he allows him to continue, “there is a difference in being selfless and being harmful. Now I won’t force anything, only you can know if you’re ready to talk, but I never ask a question I don’t want an answer to.”

“I just-” he can feal traitorous heat as tears threaten to spill over his eyelashes and realizes he can’t wipe them away without streaking his face with mud. “All my life I have trained to be powerful. I have learned to manipulate the equations and theory that make up the way we experience the world. I can manipulate the lenses through which we understand the things around us. I have been touted as a prodigy and I couldn’t do anything to affect fate when it mattered to you all most. I am so thankful that you were there, that you and your god were able to fix a great injustice, but this is the last piece of my world shattering. I thought I could protect you all, to be useful in any circumstance and I was wrong.”

He stares into the two flowers and the purple one to the left blows in the wind, while the yellow remains still. He goes to tuck the purple bloom into the dirt and gently packs earth in around it, protecting roots and brushing dirt off leaves. Caduceus allows him to do this and by the time he looks back up at him, there’s a gentles smile at rest on his face. He knows Essek has more to say and he gestures for him to continue as Essek considers which flowers would most like to celebrate the Akhilvarr family.

“It’s funny, almost. I have heard much about the wonders of gardening and never believed a word. But here I am, dirt under my nails, digging in the earth, repairing damage for once in my sorry life, trying to leave somewhere better than I found it.” he finds a red flower with ruffled petals and a taller white flower who’s stem splits off into several tiny flowers, clustered into one sphere, they seem impatient.

“The gardens at my tower were never tended by myself, I had someone else to do that. They were arranged perfectly, planted with aesthetic and design in mind and little else. Looking idly at the beauty of nature is one thing, but this place-” He looks around, mosses give off a light glow as the sun has now disappeared. Slowly but surely fireflies blink to light up the air around them, dancing from leaf to petal. “I keep having the impulse to decide based on aesthetic. It’s difficult to ignore but-”

Caduceus fills in where he has no words, “That’s not your world anymore. I regret to inform you that as soon as we crossed your path your days of neat little boxes and even rows gained an expiry date. The world is so much wider than the machinations of people, we can never predict what is outside of our purview and when we take a step back, relinquish that control, often something more beautiful will spring up. I have tended this garden for many years, longer than the memory of many and I could never have dreamed up the beauty that lives here now. It gets more and more beautiful as each year grows on because the chaos is nurtured and you are learning that.” Caduceus grabs the trowel and begins digging his own hole, “You have come so far Essek and I do not know whether I have the right to feel this way, but I am immensely proud of you. I’m proud for who you are now, and who you are about to become.”

Essek laughs and it sounds like broken glass, “Proud is a funny word to use for someone who has done as much wrong as I.”

“Each decision we make is a point in a network of thousands of other decisions we make connected to webs of the decisions of everyone who has ever had a hand in our lives. If you and everyone around you acts in fear your decisions will be rooted there. Those are the times where we are most lost and I think you are beginning to realize that.”

Every bad decision flows through Essek’s consciousness and he lets them drift by, hands trembling, and the red flower with the beautiful frills slips from his grasp and falls into place in the hole beside the deep purple of the last planted bloom. It’s fate.

“So each bad decision you’ve made has crashed in on the wave of every other bad decision you’ve made, and every bad decision anyone has ever made about you. Now, every beautiful thing you do, every good decision you make will be carried forward by every good decision you’ve made before. It’s a web, it’s a network where everything is connected and you have as much agency now as you did then, every good decision counts towards every good decision you will make in the future and I know there will be many.”

Tears stream freely down his face now and he doesn’t care about the dirt as he wipes them away. “That is-”

“I believe-”

Again, the silver tongued shadowhand has no words, “Thank you Mr. Clay. I think that is more kindness than I know how to give myself. It is difficult to process and accept but I will try my best.”

Caduceus’ hand wanders through the bag of flowers, not even looking as he picks one, a massive flower, bright white and nearly glowing in the moonlight. He sighs contentedly and plants the flower. They work together in companionable silence and Essek relishes the sound of his companion’s breath, the feeling of dirt sticking under his nails, the gentle breeze that blows through fireflies and looking through them up to the stars, once again teeming with the promise of possibility, change, growth.

AO3 Link Here

[kikilefangirl]

The Witch Who Won’t Part 3

Klaus Mikaelson x Reader

(Word Count: 1626)

Normally, you tried to dedicate time specifically for reading your Gammy’s grimoire. It was history, filled with guidance from past witches and their spells.

Your time was cut short by none other than Marcel Gerard.

“We’re closed,” You said, running a gloved hand down the page before closing the book entirely.

Grimoires were for a witch’s eyes only, especially your Gammy’s grimoire.

“I need a protection spell.” He asked.

Marcel reminded you of Klaus. He had a twinkle in his eye and a habit of demanding things get done.

“Ask that little girl you got to do it for you.” You sniped offhandedly. You lug the grimoire back into

“I need a protection spell.” He asked.

Marcel reminded you of Klaus. He had a twinkle in his eye and a habit of demanding things get done.

“Ask that little girl you got to do it for you.” You sniped offhandedly. You lug the grimoire back into your bag.

“C’mon, Y/N. Davina needs a little more time to bake.” Marcel pleaded with you.

You’d been working all day and not one vampire showed up, but since closing they wanted to make an appearance. You frowned at the thought. Not even Klaus, who had been making somewhat regular visits, had shown up. You hadn’t seen him in weeks. You sighed and shot him an exasperated look.

“Who is it and where can I find ‘em?”

Marcel smiled. His dark eyes lit up, and his laugh lines were on full display.

“Thank you. She’s the blonde bartender, works at Russo’s.” For how old he actually was, Marcel looked like a kid in a candy shop. You didn’t want to get his hopes up.

“Don’t thank me yet. I need to assess. You ain’t got pull with too many witches. I’m only considering this because I’ve seen your record. All the good you’ve done for us.”

Marcel met your eyes and nodded, seemingly sobered by your words. He knew what us meant.

With a quick goodbye, he was gone.

                                                        ...

You hadn’t been to Russo’s in a minute.

They had gotten new furniture and updated the light fixtures, but the lively atmosphere hadn’t changed at all.

But when you spotted the bartender girl you’d been looking for, you wanted to hit something.

Klaus. He was there, flirting and going on and on with the girl. It didn’t take long before reality dawned on you. Marcel wanted to protect her from Klaus or whatever trouble Klaus brought with him.

You tried to fix your face into a calmer one. Vincent was always on you about your complete disaster of a poker face. You wore your emotions on your sleeve, but as a witch, you had no choice but to keep them in check. You guessed this was one of those times it came in handy.

You strut into the bar and take the stool next to Klaus.

“I’ll take two of whatever he’s having.” You said. Your voice is harsher than you intended it to be.

The woman replied, and went off to the other side of the bar. Klaus’s gaze burned with curiosity, but you looked straight ahead.

“Why won’t such a beautiful creature look me in my eyes. You wound me.” He told you. You resisted the urge to make a face. Klaus didn’t deserve the satisfaction.

“Why is an Original slumming it in a bar when I know you probably own the best booze in town.”

You knew the answer. But the blonde’s resurgence with your drinks stopped him from giving it. You downed both glasses, ignoring the fire building up in your throat. Bourbon.

You’d learned enough. You stood up, “He’s paying.”

You knew Klaus was too conniving to follow you out the bar with the bartender—Camille, Camille was her name—watching him. He would get creative, but payback for your snub was a problem for later.

Besides, you leaving Klaus was becoming a pattern for the two of you. He was used to it by now, no doubt.

                                                        ...

Fine. I’ll do it.

You texted Marcel and turned your phone on airplane mode.

Pouring a hefty glass of wine, you settled on the couch. The TV was on, but you couldn’t pay attention to it. Your apartment wasn’t very large, but it was yours. Vincent and Eva had lived in Gammy’s house when they got married. Then the bitch tainted it. The very place Gammy taught you what it meant to be connected to nature and the supernatural world, was perverted. You’d only been back there a few times, and that was more than enough.

A single knock pulled you back to reality.

“Go away.” You muttered. You didn’t move to get up, and you weren’t going to. You took another sip from your glass.

A second knock came, this time more forceful and in rapid succession.

Your head snaps up. The alcohol dulled your senses, but your magic was under no such condition. You could feel his presence—the presence of an Original, standing just outside your door. You set your glass on the table.

“As someone with extra special hearing, I’m damn sure you heard the part where I said go away.” You quipped.

You stood a few feet from the door with your hand held out, just a hair’s breadth away from the door. You had just made up your mind to turn away when you heard his voice.

“You should’ve stayed longer, I believe it would’ve been more fun.”

Klaus spoke and you were ashamed to say you missed him. You closed your eyes, and flung the door open.

There he was, perched in your doorway. You could feel his gaze, trying to find an opening. You refused to face him head on.

“Invite me in, love. It’s rather lonely out here.” He told you with a crooked smile and raised brows.

“If you want something, the store opens at eight am sharp. Goodnight.” You said. You swallowed hard and grabbed the doorknob.

“You would leave me out here as if I am a stranger to you.” Klaus yelled out.

Your head snapped towards him, and for the first time you could see how ancient he was. All of the lifetimes he’d lived, all the blood he’d spilled, all the pain carried for a millennia.

The man in front of you was absolutely terrified.

And he was going to leave if you didn’t stop him. You scrambled across the threshold, and grabbed his arm.

“Klaus!” You called out.

“What did you come here for?” You hoped it wasn’t for that girl. But you needed to be sure you weren’t just imagining the little moments you shared.

Klaus glanced down at your hand and you quickly snatched it away. Straightening up, you purse your lips in preparation for whatever was coming out of his mouth.

“A warning.” The hybrid’s voice was hollow.

Before you could retreat back inside your apartment Klaus’s expression darkened. His once blue eyes were replaced by golden ones, and a web of veins appeared underneath them, distorting his handsome face. His true nature—his hybrid nature, had bubbled up to the surface.

He pinned you to the wall, your body landing with a soft thud.

Then his lips were on yours. They were warm and soft. You could feel his fangs recede as you kissed him back. When you reach up to grasp at the closely cropped hair on the back of his neck, something weight you down. Before you could fully register what had happened, Klaus shackled your wrists and pulled away.

No magic. You lurked forward, as if trying to reclaim the phantom heat Klaus provided. You blinked rapidly, trying to get your bearings. The heavy manacles tipped out weight, so had to step back.

You shouted his name, but your voice broke before you could finish. You searched his eyes for a reason, any reason.

“Klaus!” You called out again. He didn’t say a word.

The shock was gone and anger rushed through you. You raised your hands and tried to bring them back down. Klaus caught every single one of your wild swings—he moved mechanically. Detached.

There was no fire, no fight. He let you keep on, and you did. Klaus never said a word. He was in complete control.

Tired of fighting, you sunk to the floor and glared at him. No more looking away, Klaus was going to see his betrayal all over your face. You stared him down, and huffed.

He squatted and held his hand over your cheek. You bristled. He had no right to touch you. Not anymore.

“Elijah will release you in the morning.” He told you as he rose to his full height. He pulled you up with him.

“What do you need me out the way for?” You ground out.

The hybrid only dropped his gaze. He was going to do something else stupid, tonight.

“You wanted neutrality, this is what it looks like, love.” Something about his tone broke your heart.

He was disregarding you for whatever was going on in his head. The anger came back and swelled inside of you. Raw power hummed through your veins.

“I’m a grown ass woman! You think you can push me aside because you feel like it! You can’t!” You shouted at him, becoming louder after every word.

You were shaking as you chanted. No more holding back. You were done playing nice.

The shackles clattered to the floor. Klaus watched them fall wordlessly. His shocked expression didn’t make him back down, though. He drew his lips in a hard line and stared at you with watery eyes.

You stepped back into your apartment and picked up your drink. You chugged it down in one gulp.

Maybe the hybrid’s kindness towards you was in the moment, and the moment had passed. He let you keep your shop the way it was. You should’ve accepted his offer and went quietly into the night.

“Don’t ever come to me for anything, you selfish bastard.”

Klaus wasn’t the only one who could hurt.

[jeeperso]

D&D Quotes Without context

Miscellaneous Edition, for those quotable lines from between sessions

"All I wanna do, is fork a giant woman! A giant woman!" "Jonni, I'm pretty sure she is some type of undead, probably a vampire. Are you sure that is a good idea?" "If I don’t get turned into a blueberry it won’t be my worst date." "Okay, but if you have to defend yourself just don't burn the place down for once." "Oh, Nyx. Sweet summer child. I never make promises we both know I won’t even try to keep." "Jonni, if I wake up to my bed surrounded in flames again I'm short-sheeting your next bed every night for at least a month." "I know you're trying to score here, but Lady Dimitrescu's daughters are literally vampires AND bugs. I can overlook one, but as a Paladin, it is my sacred duty to burn this place to the ground and stir the ashes."

"We don't let Marshall make breakfast anymore." "Those waffles are well-fortified." "I'm going to be charitable and call it hardtack." "We can use these waffles as melee weapons." "Well if we need to deflect siege engines they'll be good to have." "This is still carbon based and digestible by human systems without any poisons." "I can't serve this. It'll cause ... death." "Marshal we've been over this. This Pizza has 10% less of a lethal amount of grease." "Plus they signed the waivers when they bought a ticket. It's fine." "And don't forget to push the Cakeon." "Cakeon being slices of cake wrapped in bacon." "The special sauce is a mixture of mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, ranch, horseradish, cheddar cheese, sour cream, and anything unfortunate enough to fall into the mixing vat."

"You do have a copy of the legal code I requested in my letter? As landed gentry you should actually have legal avenues to... I'm sorry did you say Burning child?"

"First I'm going to nail a crossbow bolt through your heart. Then I'm going to mount your balls to walls on opposite sides of this chamber." "I need Three Barrels of Butter" "Are you serious? Those Claws could crush an elephant in full plate!" "You're Right!" *Turns to first person* "We might need more than three barrels of butter."

"So Ioun is the patron of poor college kids. that scans "

"its hardtack or a mug of molten cheese-fried... something in a woven mug of bacon. your choice."

"Welp, all this coke ain't gonna snort itself..."

"Right hand me that dress and the bail money. I'll get Jonni." OOC: Well I mean they allow men in the city. Its just no men live in the city. "I stand by my statement. I'm allowed to look pretty every now and then." OOC: And dragons are the most unprejudiced lovers of anyone after bards.

OOC: Well I mean come on, its Ravenloft: saying a place is of death and madness is like making the observation the day ends in y. "Going out. Getting laid." "Jonni, she’s a werewolf." "Going out, forking a werewolf." OOC: Well Lycanthropy isn't usually sexually transmitted. Its just that Mercedes is a biter. OOC: ...I don't have an appropriate response to that.

"You seriously think I’d turn on my friends for a pile of gold?!?" "sigh I’ll show you my tits. "Hot damn, let’s get these murders done!" "No, Jonni, stay good. Besides, there are plenty of other girls who will do that without asking you to murder us." "Hmmmm… this is the moral quandary of my life…" "I’ll give you five bucks." "Scales tipped!" "Phew, I thought I was going to have to cover her next trip to the topless bar." "No, no, I have the bail money right here."

Nyx: So what’s the inside of Jonni’s head like? Edmund (with thousand yard stare): Imagine every ladies only smut magazine you’ve ever heard of going on forever into infinity while everything is on fire. Food was good though.

"It’s cool. They stole it." "And you know this how?" "Magic." “90% of Ravenloft deaths are mysterious vanishings.” "Why does everything come out covered in glitter and … is that …" "Lube. I’ve got a few theories." "Please don’t share them."

OOC: This is a plan that ends with Strahd having fewer brides, his castle is in flames, and he’s lost his cape.

OOC: Our team consists of a horny pyromancer, a gnome who can fillete you in five seconds, an HP lovecraft protagonist with actual magic backing them up, a literal slab of iron with a face, and a guy with a "I went to the eternal city of Ryleth and all I got was PTSD and this lousy T shirt". Gorbash smashing his shield into their face: "Have! You! Considered! Therapy!" OOC: Good news is you guys will no longer be the most conspicuous guys at the masquerade now. Jonni: Challenge accepted! "Nyx, the bounty on stealing his fake mustache is still on."

"Vanilla is the king of flavors. What does it say about society where vanilla is considered just 'regular'?" "That they have a lot of vanilla." Lash: "Don’t you want wishes?" Jonni: "Do I need wishes to get to see you naked?" Lash: "No?" Jonni: "Fuck ‘em." Vesh: "Oh dammit its my arranged fiance." Pit Fiend: "Milady." Vesh: "An extra wish to whoever punches this douchecanoe in the nards." Jonni: "I wish…for Bigby’s clenched fist of nard punching."

Soth: "Oh, gods, why am I on fire and why is Immigrant Song playing?" Jonni: "Take a guess." Hazlik: "Okay, so its a partridge, stuffed inside a chicken, stuffed inside a duck, stuffed inside a turkey, and the whole thing is fried on a stick. Congratulations, that's the most horrible thing I have ever seen, and I once crossbred an elephant and an owl." "I give him the 'itis, and we run like we stole something." OOC: ...weirdly Curse of Strahd has stats for Strahd zombies but not Strahd Skeletons. Or Strahd's skeletal Steed. Strahd once went to a branding seminar hosted by Bane and it changed his life.

"Are we on a high enough floor that if I throw him through the window he'll be killed by the fall?" "Oh, but when I say stuff like that it’s all 'Jonni, murder is wrong.'" "When they say pick your battles they don't mean to pick all of them. That's too many battles Jonni. Put some back." OOC: He's technically already got a symbiote. OOC: They can get married. Gorbash: "I'm increasing the rent." Venom: "Can I keep the pool table?" Gorbash: "I'm not a monster." Giant Brain: "Jonni… I have summoned you here for… WHY AM I ALREADY ON FIRE! PUT ME OUT! PUT ME OUT!"

"Hello We're the party-crashers. This is Jonni, she's here to steal your women and burn your shit down. That's Nyx, she's going to repatriate certain items from the premise. Marshal over there, is here to studiously ignore our shenanigans. This is the New Guy. He seems pretty chill. I'm Gorbash... and I have been distracting you."

"Will you walk into my parlour?" said a spider to a fly. Jonni: "Hold up. Trying to sex a spider." Nyx: (throws her hands up) And then Jonni wakes up with a spider venom hangover webbed to a wall waiting to be eaten. Jonni: "Eh, I’ve had worse one night stands. I’m not a fucking blueberry." OOC 1: Hey, where does your weed elf grow [her] crops? OOC 2: She probably just grows them in the room she hasn’t paid rent on. OOC 3: Because I was also considering a circle of spores druid tortle. OOC 2: We could be partners! We could turn this into road to el dorado staring Cheech and Chong. OOC: Wait, I just realized five people are hanging out in a pirate bar, and none of us are rogues. We are gonna need someone to get thieves tools. OOC: We have a barbarian with a big stick.

"Are we Foxhound now? Blunderbuss Octopus." OOC1: You want to put the stoner in charge of food. OOC2: Eyup. OOC1: I see no way this can go wrong! OOC3: We need the four basic food groups. Beans, Bacon, Whisky, and Lard. “We pray to Almighty Darkseid! Give us a sign! Thumbs up, for the triumph of the human spirit! Thumbs down to begin the everlasting reign of darkness!” “Where did you find this guy?” “Me? I thought you hired him.” OOC: Yup, nature, arcana, history, investigation and religon at +6. MJ got baked and watched the Discovery Orb a lot. Tordek: "But we have a cleric, Jozan, over there." Strahd: *sigh* Snaps fingers, and suddenly one of Strahd's brides sucks Jozan out the window, cue screaming. "Oh look, you suddenly have an opening, how fortunate." Tordek: "We also have a druid...." Vadania: "SHUT UP, TORDEK!" Edmund: "I think the first order of business may be to discuss your Human Resources strategy..." Strahd: "I have a guy for that too."

"When someone as smart as him talks with himself, it's not crazy...They call it monologing." "I thought it was soliloquy?" "No, soliloquy is when you're talk at someone else when your talking to yourself." "Most people would run from a demon, you run towards it to study it." Professor: "THIS IS ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING! A FROGHEMOTH, AND RIGHT UP CLOSE, IT WILL BE AMAZING TO SEE THIS PERFECT KILLING MACHINE IN ACTION." OOC: Also note the Professor is Lawful Good, Archie is Chaotic Good, so collectively they balance out to Neutral good. OOC: That's good. "The incinerations will continue until morale improves!" “You never incinerate the women!” “Because I’m fucking them!” “I… was not expecting you to be so honest about that…”

"You got what you wanted....but you lost what you had...." "Yes, I'm familiar with how capitalism works."

OOC: Dragons are like, “That’s Krandor the shiney. He only fucks other dragons. Weirdo.”

Gorbash: "D'awww, so tiny... perfect size... FOR PUNTING!" *boots tiny mind-flayer into the horizon*

"Dracula hasn't been spotted in almost recently. Whats he gonna do, destroy all we know and love like he definitely can?" "... my god you people are too stupid to live." "What are you doing in my house?" Gorbash: "...well Edmund has been reading your books, I've been sorting through your armory, Nyx and Irost has been going through your other shinies, Marshal has been cleaving anything monstrous that gets too close, and Jonni has been lighting things on fire to stave off boredom." Gorbash: "Okay Marshal, Jonni. Rock, paper, scissors over who gets [to kill] the bishop."

Jonni: "Did you really think this would make up for what you did?" Nima: "I… killed everyone you grew up with." Jonni: "Yeah, and I’m still not forgiving you for what you did to Eddie." Nima: "I am missing some key context here…" Nima: "Also I committed identity theft on you by having my new undead army tell everyone you are running the show." Jonni: "Oh, no. You’ve fooled the boar tribe. Who still haven’t figured out shitting in a hole." Nima: "Yeah I noticed that. I ruined two pairs of shoes attacking their camps."

[thr-333]

Mismatch- Part 23

Bio dad Bruce Wayne month 2020

.............. (:

First< Previous > Next

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“How long were we gone?” Marion asks her, as they run through the halls back to class.

“Ahhhh,” The Akuma hadn’t been that hard but it still took time, “forty-three minutes,”

“It’s not that bad,” Marion shrugs, slipping as they turn the corner.

“Not that good either,”

“Now what would make you say that?”

“Marinette! Marion!” Lila’s shrinking greets them the second they open the classroom door, “Why would you leave me to do all the work?”

“Oh I see,” Marion whispers to her, she gives an ‘I told you so’ look.

“They had already completed more work in the three minutes they were here than you have in the past forty,” Damian sneers, Marinette watches with amusement as Lila visibly forces down the snarl.

“It’s meant to be a group project,” Lila’s lip quivers as they reluctantly take a seat at the table.

“Is that why you’ve spent the whole time talking to others and stealing their ideas?” Damian raises a brow, and hot damn if only she could film this.

“I wasn't stealing them, they wanted to help me out since my group abandoned me” Lila turns ‘innocent’ eyes to the tables near them, “Right guys?”

“I never said you could use our ideas,” One of the Gotham students looks upset as she talks.

“Plus you didn’t actually talk about the project only yourself,”  The other says, focusing on the worksheet in front of them.

“You could have at least tried to join another group,” Damian points out, gaming back Lila’s attention as she tries to defend herself, something about not wanting to upset the twins.

“Do you guys not like Lila?” Mylene, who was put with the students asks.

“Not really,” The second one shrugs, looking up from his worksheet for Mylene, “all she does is talk about herself and try to guilt you into feeling sorry for her,”

“Huh, I guess” Mylene shrugs, Marinette doubted they could break her out of Lila’s web, “Well Lila has a lot of achievement even with her disabilities,”

“Yeah, I don’t know,” Mylene looks shocked at the first Gotham students' tone.

“Mm, you get kind of good at reading people growing up in Gotham,” The other says, leaning back in his seat, “I would avoid her when walking down the street,”

Marinette looks away from their conversation, not wanting to see that look on Mylene’s face any longer. Instead, she focuses back on Damian and Lila still locked in a heated argument.

“Someone looks like their about to murder Lila,”  

“Oh sorry, I’ll reel it in,” Marion says deadpan, not looking up from his paper.

“Not you, him,” Marinette nudges him, making him look towards the pair.

“Oh,” Marinette can only sigh as a grin splits his face, “You want me to handle it?”

“Are you going to diffuse the situation or focus the blood lust on yourself?” Marinette asks instead.

“Hahaha, don’t be ridiculous,” Marion’s grin widens as he bounces over to the pair, leaning against Damian’s head, “Hey Dami,”

“Cheng-Dupain,” Damian tries to glare at him, giving Lila the chance to escape, naturally going crying to Rose and Alya, “Why do you insist on clinging to me?”

“Ummm, cause it annoys you why else?” Marion leans over to get in his face, not shrinking away from the scowl.

“Dupain-Cheng can you explain his behavior?” Damian turns to her, even under the weight of Marion.

“No, but he backs off if you hit him hard enough,” Marinette slides into the chair across from him, curiously his group members nowhere to be seen.

“Nette how could you!” Marion places a hand on his heart, “I am insulted you would think so little of my dedication,”

“So I cannot remove him by force?” Damian asks despondently.

“No, he’s like a leech-”

“Hey!”

“-He’ll fall off when he wants to,” Marinette shrugs, fiddling with her backpack.

“Everyone is so mean to me Dami!” Marion collapses against him, although he doesn't sag under the weight, “Don’t you feel sorry for me?”

“I do not,” Damian tuts, focusing on his book, “Do not call me Dami,”

“I’ll stop calling you Dami when you call me what I want,”

“And what would that be?” Damian asks with disinterest.

“Big brother,” Marinette gives him a warning look, just getting a wink in return.

“Absolutely not,” Damian snaps, trying again to push him off, not that Marion will budge, “We aren't even related, Dupain-Cheng tell him-”

“Big sister, call me big sister,” The look of utter betrayal on his face was completely worth it.

“I thought you had more sense than to feed into this rumor,”

Won't be a rumor for long

“Think of it as reverse psychology then,” Marinette shrugs instead, that news would come later today.

“That is unlikely to work,”

“What if we called you little brother then?” Marion leans back over into his line of sight.

“ No ,”

“No fun,” Marion shakes his head.

“No fun at all,” Marinette agrees.

“Cheng-Dupain you are an idiot,”

“Is that so?” Marion grins, getting up but not before ruffling Damian’s hair.

They watch as he practically skips to the front of the room handing a stack of papers over to the teacher with a flourish. They read over it with a frown that slowly melts into approval. Even if they can’t hear they can tell Marion is being congratulated, confirmed by him walking back seconds later with a smug grin. While the rest of the class rushes to finish off the project.

“What now little brother?”

“Impressive,” Damian's tone doesn't betray any sense of being impressed, “Of course I finished it in the first fifteen minutes of class,”

“Dami, I haven't even been here for fifteen minutes!” Marion cries out, taking a seat at the table instead.

“Tt” Damian reluctantly admits, “... that is true,”

“Are you conceding defeat?”

“ No ,”

“I think that's a yes,” Marion nods wisely under Damian’s glare, pointing to Marinette, “Nette write this down,”

“I hereby officially declare Marion the winner of the first challenge issued,” Marinette recites, doing her best loopy handwriting in her sketchbook, “As such he has the ability to bring this up every time Damian calls him an idiot, this will be valid for three years,”

“I never issued a challenge,” Damian’s face twists up, still looking betrayed that Marinette would go along with Marion’s game, but it looked like Damian needed some fun in his life anyway.

“Is that really how you want to spend your objection?” She asks instead, rolling up the paper and handing it to Marion.

“... Three years is excessive,” Damian corrects, just as the bell rings.

“Ops too late, bells going!” Marion jumps up before he can protest further, “Alright let’s go!”

With that Marion starts pushing Damian out of the classroom. They get halfway out of the building before Damian breaks off to grab something before leaving. The twins loiter around in the empty halls while Damian takes his sweet time.

“Uh-oh, Satan's envy approaching,” Marinette doesn't need to look down the hall to know Lila is headed their way.

“Hi Lila, can we help you?” She asks politely, but not polite enough to look at her as she does.

“Just because these stupid Gotham kids don’t believe me don’t think anything has changed,” Lila finally release all the spite that had built up over class into her tone. At this point, Marinette was willing to bet they were a form of stress relief for her.

“Are they stupid?” Marion considers, leaning against the wall, “They don’t believe you, I would guess that's the bare minimum of intelligence,”

“Everything will go back to normal at the end of the week!” Lila shrieks, “Well leave Gotham, I’ll make up some lie about you and everyone will hate you again!”

“Lila, what makes you think we care anymore?” Marion drawls, honestly they had much bigger things to worry about today than Lila, “It’s been so long I have no desire to be their friend again,”

“Then I’ll have to step it up!” Lila smiles nastily, Marinette catches Damian at the end of the hall phone out and has to keep the smile off her face, “Everyone will hate you so much they’ll really bully you and make your lives miserable! Do all the things I say you do to me!”

“Like push you down the stairs?” Marinette raises a brow, subtly nudging Marion to look at Damian.

“Yes,” Lila crosses her arms, looking smug.

“And destroy your property?” Marion catches on, even braving a little wave to the camera.

“Yes,” Lila scowls like they’re stupid for not understanding.

“Spread nasty rumors about you?”

“Yes!” She snaps at Marinette.

“Every time you’ve ever lied that we were mean to you?”

“Yes!”

“Great,” Marinette claps her hands, looking over to Damian. “You got all that?”

“I did indeed,” Lila pales as he comes up behind her, “I suggest you keep to yourself and not influence my decision on what to do with this footage more so,”

“I- you can’t- wait!”

“Get out of my sight,” Damian scowls, it being a lot more effective on her than Marion as Lila scuttles away.

“Dami have I told you that I love you?” Marion grins, giving Damian a side hug.

“Don’t be melodramatic,” Damian tries to push him off but Marion just latches on tighter.

“I loooovvvvveeeeee you soooooooo much,”

“That's it I’m no longer sending this footage to your class,”

“Dami nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo,”

Marion somehow, somehow manages to keep it up until they reach the car. Alfred promptly forces Marion to drink a glass of water much to Damian's relief. Since Marion had ruined his voice with his little stunt there wasn't anyone to fill the silence. Marinette kept trying to distract herself, looking out the window and fidgeting with her clothes, they were in for quite the show, which would be great if they weren’t the main attraction.

Marinette can see Damian keep glancing over at her. She can see how he goes to say something several times before stopping himself. It breaks her heart to see him become more downcast the longer they ignore him. She looks to Marion for support, but he just taps his fingers to an erratic beat. He meets her eye just grimacing, she nods relieving the pressure from him. The atmosphere in the car grows stifling on the too-long journey to Wayne Manor. Marion practically leaps out of the car before the car even rolls to a stop.

Marinette follows Damian out of the car, watching as he walks more stiffly to the manor. She follows without the easy silence they usually have. They are guided to a room where everyone was waiting, technically family or not Bruce had given them a brief of every last one, and had likely done the same for them.

“What's going on?” Is Jason's immediate question, Selina slips into the room behind them.

“Is this about the rumor?” Tim asks, papers in one hand coffee in the other.

“Yes!” Marion points at him, nervous energy coming through his erratic movements, “And no,”

“It's really less of a rumor and more a very lucky guess,” Or unlucky depending on how this goes , Marinette adds privately.

“…. What?” Dick asks confused, everyone else either in thought or with dawning realization/horror.

Bruce slides a sheet of paper forward, on it a genetics test she isn't going to ask how he got a hold of.

“WHAT!” is chorused across the room, making Marinette flinch at the noise.

“Welcome to the family,” Dick pulls the two into a group hug, and is this what Damian feels like when Marion hangs off of him? The big brother hug?

“Wait... but who…” Tim trails off, looking far too tired for this conversation.

“Selina,” Bruce looks uncomfortable with all eyes snapping to them.

“Of course,” Jason mutters with a surprising amount of venom, knuckles white.

“This is unacceptable!” Is Damian’s outcry hands slamming onto the DNA test, she can feel Marion flinch beside her.

“How long have you known?” Dick turns hurt puppy dog eyes to Bruce, the hurt behind it making even Marinette’s stomach churn.

“What about-” Jason cuts himself off, glancing at the twins mysteriously.

“Excuse me” The twins jump at Alfred’s voice talking quietly to them, they get released by Dick who goes to Damian, getting brushed off, “But it may be best to give them all some time to process,”

They nod, slipping out of the room with the butler, leaving behind a mess of yelling as the door closes. They stand outside in silence for a moment before Marion breaches it.

“Well… that went well,”

“Ah Patrol the perfect place to ignore feelings and take them out on other people,” Marion stretches, looking over Gotham city. Marinette shakes her head at his antics, focusing instead on the fight in the alley below.

“Seems like we’re not the only ones,” She watches as Robin tears through the goons one by one, alone with violence she hasn't seen from him yet. Marion looks down as well, being the first willing to get in between the angry Robin and his angst.

“Hey there little bird,” Songbird drops down into the alley, Robin doesn't even spare the two a glance, “Let's try not to give the doctors a harder time than usual kay? I mean it’s Monday no one wants to deal with that,”

“It’s Tuesday,” Robin smashes another face in as if the date was the main complaint about what he was doing.

“Right, regardless, what's up?” Sparrow moves forward to take down the last thug in a much… nicer way.

“Nothing,” They both match him with equal stares of disbelief until he caves, “... my position is being challenged,”

“For Robin?” Songbird asks, something in Robin’s posture gives him away, “I know we joked about the name but we weren’t-”

“Not you,” He snaps, grappling hook taking him out the alley.

“Civilian life then?” Sparrow guesses, following him onto the rooftops, “We know a thing or two about that,”

Robin ignores them speeding up to run across Gotham. They let him for a while going to a spot that had a great view of the city. Marionette nods at Songbird when Robin lands on a gargoyle.

“I don’t know who they are, so I can’t speak for them,” Songbird lands in front, cutting off the best exit for Robin to jump to the next building, ignoring his look of irritation, “But I know you’re amazing and skilled enough not to be replaced,”

“Doesn't matter, that's just the way things go,” Sparrow lands behind them, crossing her arms as Robin seems to debate with himself, “Besides... it’s not just regarding skill,”

“Did you talk to them about it?” She asks, he pivots around to look at her, or rather glare, “Do you even know they want to take your place?”

“... No,”

“Alright then, just consider that maybe they’re not trying to hurt you,” Songbird rests a hand on his shoulder, which he surprisingly allows. He guides Robin to sit down as they do, looking over the city from atop the gargoyle.

“... This is how all the other Robins have been replaced,” He says after a time.

“And what? After that they all went ‘oh well guess it’s time to live a quiet life’,” Songbird’s comment lessens Robins frown, it might even be able to be classified as a smile for him.

“No, of course not,”

“Then there's no need to worry,” Songbird shrugs, kicking his legs no fear for the street far below him. “If you do get replaced, and I don’t think you will,” Sparrow adds quickly, “I have no doubt you will become something even greater,”

“... I’m meant to become Batman, it’s my birthright, and now it’s being challenged,” Robin reveals likely fatal information in the wrong hands, she prided herself in the trust that he thought they were the right hands.

“Again, talk to them about it,” Marinette suggests, rubbing a small circle into his shoulder.

“... They don’t even know?” To that Songbird bursts with laughter, offense crossing Robin's face.

“They don’t know then why are you panicking?” He laughs, lessening the tension in the air, “You’re worried they’re going to claim a title they don’t even know about,”

“....” Robin goes silent after that and they let him mull it over for some time. Marinette can tell Marion is judging when it’s best to pull him out of his spiraling thoughts.

“Heard you beat Sparrow on the swings,” He says randomly, looking out over the city, “Bet I could top you,”

“Yeah right,” Robin scoffs, relaxing a bit as he is broken from his thoughts.

“Well you see I have a secret,” Songbird conspires in a soft tone, despite literally no one being around to hear.

“And what would that be?” Robin sounds condescending, but she picks up the hint of keenness underneath it all.

“Singing,” His grin gives Robin pause.

“First of all that's a horrible strategy, putting energy towards singing instead of swinging,” Robin decides after a minute, “Second you’re horrible at secrets,”

I’ll have you know I’m an excellent secret keeper,” Songbird stands, ruffling Robins hair despite the look of indignation he gives,  “So rest assured this conversation stays between us,”

“... All of Gotham is going to know by the end of the night aren't they?” Robin gives Sparrow a flat look, she smiles.

“Yep,”

“HEy!”

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

Taglist:

@technicallyburninggarden @fusser90  @misslenamooney @superbwhispersconnoisseur @biodad-bruce-month @nalu-ismyjam @the-one-woman-army @rosesandsailboats @blackmagicforever @zeneralla @ivymala07 @tired-butterfly @Ranger-gothamite @A-star-with-a-human-name @enchanted-nerd @trippingovermyfeet

[oh-so-scenarios]

ᴛʜᴇ sᴇʀᴇɴᴅɪᴘɪᴛʏ ᴏғ ᴛʜɪɴɢs...♠| 11

⤖ ᴡʜᴏ ʜᴀs ᴛɪᴍᴇ ғᴏʀ sᴏᴜʟᴍᴀᴛᴇs? Jᴜɴɢ Hᴏsᴇᴏᴋ ɪs ᴛᴏᴏ ʙᴜsʏ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇᴀᴅ ᴏғ ʜɪs ᴍᴀғɪᴀ ɴᴇᴛᴡᴏʀᴋ. Hᴇ ᴡᴏɴ'ᴛ ʟᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴇ sᴇʀᴇɴᴅɪᴘɪᴛʏ ᴏғ ʜɪs sᴏᴜʟᴍᴀᴛᴇ ᴍᴏᴠᴇ ʜɪᴍ…ʀɪɢʜᴛ?

⤖ Mᴀғɪᴀ Lᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ Hᴏsᴇᴏᴋ x ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀ Fᴇᴍᴀʟᴇ Rᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ, Aɴɢsᴛ, sᴍᴜᴛ, sᴏᴜʟᴍᴀᴛᴇ!ᴀᴜ,

A/N: Warning: Its starts to get....steamy. The next few chapters will. This chapter is kind of a filer. Next chapter might be a Hoseok POV. We’ll see.

* Please ignore any errors! 

(Word Count: 7.32K)

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Y/N:

It’s dark. It’s dark but it’s not scary. How long has it been? How much time has passed since I last opened my eyes? I don’t remember. 

It’s warm.

I can hear movement. The shuffling of feet? Whispers? Hushed voices and the humming of the air conditioning. Where am I? 

My body aches as I gain feeling in my legs again. Starting from the tips of my toes and up my thighs. It’s a tight and stinging sensation that makes me want to groan but I can't. My throat feels so cramped. My eyes stung and they began to water as I struggled to open my eyes. 

Wtf. Why does it feel like I’ve been asleep for a short moment, but my body is asking like it’s been in a long and stiff slumber?

I managed to get my eyes opened, first being overloaded by the white lights followed by the frantic whispers.

“Y/n?” The small voice said. I was still trying to figure out what I was seeing, as my eyes adjusted to everything around me. 

“Y/n?” This time I recognized the voice. It was Jennie. I finally found the strength to move my neck and meet a smiling Jennie. Her smile was happy, while her eyes showed a mix of relief and sadness. My eyes darted around the room, noticing Jimin and Jungkook who was looking at me with small smiles.

They leaned against the wall opposite of Jennie and were watching me closely. 

“Sleeping beauty finally awoke,” Jungkook said softly. His voice was soft and sounded like he was recovering from a cold.

The slight chuckle that played on his lips wasn’t enough to get me out of my trance. For a moment, I forgot what had happened, and why I was in the….hospital? This isn’t a hospital. This is...the headquarters? I’m in the room where Jennie and I do our work. 

My eyes darted around the place, widened as my memories came flooding in. 

The club. Hoseok. I was shot. I moved quickly to sit up, hissing slightly at how stiff my legs felt. As well as the slight tightening pain from my left side. 

“Take it easy,” Jennie said, putting her hands on my shoulders. I ignored her words and sat up, my face scrunching up due to the tightness in my back.

“How--” My voice gets caught in my throat, The one word I could get out sound gritty and broken. Like an older woman who had forgotten to speak and decided to clear the spider webs from her vocal cords.

My hand went right to my neck, looking at Jennie in shock. She giggled a bit, looking towards the two guys who had their lips pressed tightly together. They also wanted to laugh.

My brows scrunched up at them, a bit of annoyance entering my system.

“Sorry Y/n, but you sound awful,” Jennie said, placing a comforting hand on my thigh. She laughed for a few seconds before her face started to turn red. At first, I thought it was from laughing too much, but I soon noticed the tears welling up in her eyes. 

She still smiled, reaching for my hand and squeezing it tightly.

“We’re just glad you’re awake.” She said softly, fighting the sob that made its way up my throat.

After calming down, she takes a deep breath and continues to speak, “Y/n, you were out for 5 days.” 

5 days? My eyes searched everyone’s face for answers, I looked to Jungkook, and the question in my eyes was clear.

“Hoseok hyung was here earlier, he had to leave for some work. But….he’s been weird lately.’ Jungkook answered. He shakes his head as if wanting to erase the last bit of his words.

 “I’ll let him know you’re awake.” Jungkook pulled his phone from his pocket, walking out of the room as he dialed something.

The room was silent for a while before Jimin stepped up to say something, “It was a scary 5 days Y/n. Jennie did everything she could. She took the bullet out, stopped the bleeding and patched you up. It wasn’t something too serious. At least that’s what Jennie said.”

Jennie nodded, using the back of her hand to wipe her tears, “I did everything correctly, so when you weren’t waking up...it was scary.”

They kept speaking, talking to me about my condition and how worried they were. Their words weren’t sticking, my mind was still hazy and the seriousness of the situation hasn't hit me yet. I was out for 5 days? Is that considered a coma? 

I glanced down at my side, pushing my hospital gown up a bit until I saw the bandaged area. It was a little above my hip, and just at the bottom of my waist. Jennie said something about being lucky that the bullet didn’t hit my hip bone, or else there was nothing she could have done. 

After Jungkook returned with a water bottle and a strained smile, I knew something was up. I took the water bottle from him, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Where is Hoseok?” My voice was scratchy and dry. It sounded like I struggled to get the three words out. And honestly, my throat was already strained. 

“He is busy with work,” Jungkook said nervously, “But he’s come to visit you the past 5 days. I’m sure he’ll stop by soon.” 

He didn’t. Hoseok didn’t stop by. He hasn’t come to the headquarters at all. He hasn’t been answering my calls and he’s been ignoring my text messages. All we’ve heard from him is simple orders to the guys. 

Seriously….what the fuck is his problem? After one day, I understood. Maybe he really is busy but it’s been 3 days now. I won’t be okay to return to work for another week, and I have a slight limp because my side shoots in pain when I walk. Jennie said it shouldn’t last for long. 

So here I sat, at the round table of the headquarters with Yoongi who was reviewing some instructions from Hoseok. Even the guys don’t know what Hoseok has been up to. But if he was truly worried like they explained to me, why hasn’t he come to see me? 

He hasn’t been seen at the hospital. I had a few co-workers, texting me with questions. Was I really sick? Did Hoseok and I run off on a vacation? He wasn’t making it to chairman meetings and he wasn’t answering other business phone calls. 

I was getting worried. I’ve gone from confused, to angry and now I’m just sad. Did I do something wrong?

When I asked the guys if this was normal behavior form Hoseok, but the vague answers I got told me this was also something new for them.

Jennie held my hand softly, her small smile bringing me no comfort at all. Though she tried to cheer me up with plans for Hoseok's birthday. He agreed to be there for whatever we planned, and that he would sit through whatever craziness we had planned. But I can’t help but worry about the awkward interaction. 

The first time I’ll see him since I woke will be on his birthday? Should I just muster up a smile and act like I wasn’t hurt? Cause my feelings are hurt. It feels like we took some steps back, and a cold distance in growing between us again. 

It often leaves me replaying that night in my head. Did Hoseok already have a plan in mind and I ruined it? 

“So we picked out the cake, making sure it has green on it in some type of way.” Jennie further explained, but my dazed expression was enough for a tired sigh to leave her lips.

“I’m sorry,” I snapped out of my trance, apologizing quickly. She showed me a small smile, the pink lipstick on her lips looking so natural that I questioned if there was any lipstick at all. Her hair was down, tousled and in light waves as she squeezed my hand. 

“I don’t know what to tell you Y/n. I don’t understand Hoseok’s behavior. He was so...beside him when you were shot. He sat there quietly, not talking anymore. He was zoning out with that same poker face of his but his legs shook with nervousness.” 

I rolled my eyes at her. She’s said this same thing before and I’m getting tired of hearing it.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Jennie. He cares for me so much, and yet he isn’t here.” 

“You know how men are! They can’t express their emotions well! And Hoseok is a manly man! So he probably doesn’t know how to face you! Or does he blame himself?” 

She lets go of my hand scratches the back of her head with confusion. I turned my attention back to Yoongi, tuning into the things he was discussing. Other than Hoseok, Jimin and Taehyung were also absent, but I lacked the energy to ask their whereabouts. 

“So Hoseok wants to look more into our further….branches. He wants us to check in on those in Japan, China, and Thailand.” He pulls out some files, reading them briefly before speaking.

“He wants to tighten things up and make sure everything is running correctly since he’s been very focused on the Seoul branch of the network.” Yoongi’s eyes flicker my way. I knew Hoseok’s mafia network was large, but I didn’t realize it stretched that far. Yoongi further goes into detail on the growing number of people who are working under “Seok”. 

I was genuinely focused on Yoongi's words when the metal double doors were pushed open so forcefully that the guys at the table were ready to reach for their guns. Jennie and I spun around in our seats, ready to possibly make a run for it when my heart shot up into my throat. 

The man I’ve been wanting to see so desperately strolled wearing a grey loose t-shirt and black joggers with black combat boots. His hair was a bit of a mess, not the usual gelled together look I’ve seen from him. His eyes met mine right away, and though I couldn’t see any reaction, my heart soared. 

I was so focused on him that I didn’t notice the beat-up man he dragged in behind him. The guy had his head hung down, with his hands tied and his mouth gagged with a cloth. His build was bigger than Hoseok and he had broad shoulders with visible muscles on his arms. He was bleeding. I couldn’t tell the source, but the blood was certainly his own.

My eyes drifted to Jimin and Taehyung who trailed behind Hoseok, two more battered men being dragged along with them. They were headed towards us. 

Jungkook who had been unusually quiet today, gawked, “So this is what you guys were up to?” His voice held a slight giggle to it as he stood up out his seat to walk around to my side of the table. Hoseok stops in front of me, leaving about three feet between us. 

I stare back with wide eyes, his expression giving nothing away as his eyes moved across my face, and up and down my body. 

I suddenly felt weird in the dark wash skinny jeans and red graphic tee I wore. I opened my mouth to speak but Hoseok quickly pushed the man forward, bringing him to his knees before me. Jimin and Taehyung did the same with the other two, so the three men were lined up in front of me. All three men looked scared, breathing heavily. I leaned away, looking towards Hoseok who was watching me closely. 

He looks towards Taehyung and Jimin, almost giving them a silent signal. They removed the cloth from the mouths of all three men who gasped for air. 

“Do you have something you’d like to say?” Hoseok hissed at the men. A chill ran up my back. I haven’t heard his voice in a while. The three men look at me, and I stare back. Still confused. 

“Fuck that bitch!” The bigger once snarls, glaring at Hoseok who stood beside me. Hoseok runs his fingers through his hair, seemingly weighing his options. Hoseok suddenly kicks the man in the back, making him fall to the floor on his face. 

I gasp, this being the first time I see Hoseok really be violent. The man’s cheek is now pressed against the floor. Hoseok sets a foot on the back of the man’s neck.

“Apologize to the lady.” He yells this time. The other two men proceed to start speaking small apologizes to me. I am still confused, as the man on the floor struggles to lift his head. 

“You’re lucky she woke before I got my hands on you. She’s one to show mercy, I’m not.” Hoseok adds. I’ve never seen Hoseok so...angry. His words tremble with his anger as the guys watch on. They’ve seen Hoseok like this before. I haven’t.

“Hoseok, wait.” My voice came out softly, and I moved forward to take hold of his hand. He flinches back like I was on fire.

“I’m giving you 5 seconds.” Hoseok doubles down, stepping down harder on the man’s neck. 

“I-I’m sorry for s-shooting you.” The man on the floor manages to get out. Oh! That’s who these men are! They’re the ones from the club. My memory of that night is still a bit foggy so I couldn’t remember their faces till now.

Hoseok takes his foot off the man’s neck, proceeding to kick him in the side. The only ones who seem to react to this are Jennie and I. The both of us only see the docile and quiet Hoseok most of the time. Hoseok nods towards the men, and Jungkook steps closer to bring the kicked man to his feet. 

Jimin and Taehyung did the same with the other two men, before walking towards that other hallway. 

“In the blue room.” He commands over his shoulder. I step forward as he does, thinking he was coming to speak to me. He instead walks right by me, leaving me frozen in shock.

“Hyung,” Hoseok says towards Seokjin who had been watching everything unfold, “Push back the meeting with the art buyers. Make it sometime next week.” I’m still standing there, frozen in my spot. What is going on? Why do I feel like crying?

I am snapped back to reality as Hoseok walks around from Seokjin and past me. 

“Hoseok,” I call, my voice not sounding too confident. I walk after him, making his steps slow to a stop. He turns around to look face me and I almost shrink back. There it was. That look of indifference that I hadn’t seen in so long. 

The slight smile I’ve become used to was no more. The cheerful twinkle I thought I was seeing in his eyes was also gone. He glared down at me, making me feel like a bother the longer his attention was on me.

“I haven’t seen you since I woke up. I missed you.” I said matter of factly, trying my best to muster up a smile. He continues to look down at me, the silence surrounding us crushing me the longer it goes on. 

“Hoseok?” I asked, raising an eyebrow, “Is everything okay?” 

I watch his eyes flicker up and down my body for a moment. It doesn’t feel the same as it usually does. 

“Ho-” I’m cut off as he turns around without a word and makes his way down the hallway. I can feel the guys in the lobby on my back as I stand there frozen. My face grows hot and my heart feels like it’s dropped to the floor. I watched his back disappear into the hallway and the Hoseok I saw before this incident seemed to have disappeared. 

“Y/n?” I felt Jennie’s presence behind me. I spun around, plastering a fake smile on my lips. I noticed Yoongi and Seokjin watching on with what was clearly pity.

“I guess he’s not in much of a talking mood.” I tried to sound happy, my eyes avoiding the sad gazes on me.

“Let’s go back to party planning.” I almost whisper, keeping my eyes on my feet. 

~!~

“You didn’t have to come and visit me!” Mrs. Cho shouted as I pulled up a seat beside her bed. She smiled widely and I couldn’t help but smile back, though I wasn’t in the best mood. 

“I hadn’t seen you in a while! I wanted to see how you were doing.” I answered, managing to cross my legs. She reached out to take a hold of my hand, squeezing it tightly. 

“I was told you were going to be out for some time, and that you were hurt.” She said in a low voice, “I don’t know the details of what happened but I hope all is well.” I nodded to reassure her.

“Everything is fine.” I answered, “I’m coming along well. I’ll be back to walking down the hospital hallways soon. Don’t you worry.” 

She shakes my hand in excitement, the smile on her face seeming to light up the whole room. 

“How is your husband?” I questioned, as we feel into our normal conversation. She takes in a slow inhale and exhales even slower. The once wide smile fades into a grimace. Her lips twist up in thought and she shakes her head.

“Nothing.” She says flatly, “He hasn’t shown any sign of waking.” She pauses and continues speaking.

“Sitting there waiting for your loved one to wake up is maddening. I don’t know when he’ll wake up if he will...what problems I will face when he wakes up. All I can do is sit there and stare at his close eyes, secretly hoping they’ll open and those eyes will be looking back at me.” 

Her voice falls to a whisper, “It’s maddening and horrifying. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.”

“I can’t imagine.” My voice also falls to a whisper.

“Every day that passes is torture.” Her voice wavers and tears begin to form in her eyes. We sit there in silence for some time, letting the solemn atmosphere pass over us.

“How do you think you’ll react when he wakes up?” I ask. Mrs. Cho looks away from the window where the sun shined high in the sky. She stares at me for a second, as if she heard the question wrong and looked back to the window. 

“I’d take him up in my arms and never let him go.” She looks back at me curiously, “Why?” 

When I don’t answer she leans towards me, “I knew something was wrong from the moment you walked in.”

“There is this guy--” She squeals, smiling widely.

“I knew it! There is no way a woman as beautiful as yourself is alone!” 

I chuckle at her eagerness, “Well, he’s not exactly my boyfriend. He is my soulmate.”

Mrs. Cho nods, understanding the situation from just that sentence, “Ah so it’s one-sided?” 

I shake my head, “No, I wouldn’t say that. Things were progressing. He’s kind of hard to read and he’s stubborn but I can’t get enough of him.” The shy smile that pulled on my lips was followed by Mrs. Cho giggled.

“When I got hurt he was very worried but since I’ve been recovering, he’s been avoiding and ignoring me. It’s like we’re at the beginning all over again.” 

“And you’re confused?” 

“Basically. I don’t know if he’s realized he doesn’t like me or maybe I’m too clumsy--”

“I don’t think it’s any of those things Y/n.” Mrs. Cho interjected, “This guy of yours reminds me of someone I used to know.”

She pauses, a flashback of some sort playing in her mind before she sighed. 

“He cared for me deeply. He loved me and took care of me. But, the moment things went wrong and he felt like he didn’t have control over things...he would shut down. He won’t talk to anyone, he won’t tell anyone what is bothering him, he’ll just decide that the problem must be him and want to remove himself.”

“Really?” I was surprised she was talking to me about who seemed to be a past lover. There was some sadness in her voice, so I wasn’t going to dig for more information.

“Oh yeah. He didn’t know how to move on from whatever went wrong, so he’d run from it cause he didn’t want to have whatever conversation had to be had.”

“He was sad about it?” 

She shrugs, “I think that was part of it, but he was scared. When people react to someone they love getting hurt in such a way, they are scared. I’ve learned this from my years on this earth. If it’s not anger-driven, it’s probably fear-driven.”

“So what’s the solution?” 

She gives me a knowing smile, “Guys like that? They’ll speak up sooner or later. But If I was you, I’d be the first to start the conversation. I don’t know if it’s a pride thing, but they will just not start the conversation.”

I look down at my hands, thinking over her advice for some time. 

“What’s this guy’s name?” She questions, her curiosity growing.

“Hoseok,” I answer, keeping my eyes on my lap.

Mrs. Cho is quiet for some time before she speaks again, “What a lovely name.”

~!~

“What am I dressed this cute for?” I muttered to Jennie as she danced around the headquarter lobby with decorations. She was really getting into the whole birthday party thing, to the point of making everyone dress nicely. I sat at the round table staring at the cake that we picked up.

It simply said, ‘Happy Birthday Hoseok’. We didn’t want to go too far with things. Though as I look around at Jennie’s decoration, I can tell that line has already been crossed.

I wore a rusty orange off-shoulder jumpsuit that was form-fitting with a simple orange necklace. My hair was down and resting on my shoulders as I just sat and stared around me. The guys were standing among themselves, talking and chatting. They seemed excited to do something like this for Hoseok and though I wish I could help more, everyone could tell I was down. 

It’s been two days since Hoseok seemingly stared at me like I was a stranger and I’ve been feeling off since then. I know I want to say something to him, but I can’t be sure where to start. What should I say? That I’ve missed him? That I jumped in front of him because I couldn’t help it?

What if that bullet killed him? What was I going to do? Should I tell him I think I love him? Would he even care?

Jennie wore a cute blouse with some dark wash jeans and heels. She let her hair down recently and giggled as she noticed Jaehyun struggling with the decorations. She invited Jaehyun cause why not? 

Seeing them lovey-dovey only made me urge to fix whatever this spat was between Hoseok and I. I wanted us to find and establish our own normal. Even if our normal isn’t like everyone else. 

By the time Hoseok arrives, my mood has turned sour. I’ve gone from sad to angry. I’m also annoyed. What the fuck is his problem? 

He strolls in, looking fine as hell in his dark green silk shirt and his black pants with a black belt and a thin silver chain hanging off the belt and clipping to his pants. His hair gelled back as he seemed like he had some work to attend to before getting here. 

His eyes scan the room, clearly seeing me standing a bit further back as everyone went to wish him a happy birthday. His eyes didn’t stay on me long. He looked at the guys as they spoke to him, some giving hugs with big smiles. 

He smiled slightly, muttering small thank you to the guys. Jennie who stood among them glanced over her shoulder at me. Her eyes were telling me to come over to say happy birthday and all I could do was shake my head, my gaze moving back to Hoseok. I kept my distance most of the small get together. 

I avoided sitting near him, and I tried to avoid any conversation with him. Even as everyone joked while sitting around the table, I simply ate my slice of cake and kept my mouth shut. Everyone tried their best to act like the air wasn’t so thick, but it was hard to do. Jungkook would naturally try to bring me into the conversation, resulting in some awkward silence. 

After finishing my piece of cake, I stood up with my paper plate, walking over to the trash can and disposing of it. I made my way back to my seat, Jennie giving me a weary smile. I could only nod in reply, taking my phone out from my bag that was on the empty seat beside. 

I looked up from the text on my phone in time to see Hoseok’s eyes move their focus off me. He looked off to the side, a scoff leaving his lips. 

My brows furrowed in response, my blood beginning to boil again.

“Do you have something to say Hoseok?” My voice was soft, but everyone heard it. The jokes and the laughter stopped, everyone felt like the trigger they wanted was set off. I glare at Hoseok who glares back at me, a mocking grin pulling at the corners of his lips. 

“Of course you don’t.” I snap, “You’ve been avoiding me like the fucking plague, acting like you weren’t cuddled up with me two weeks ago.” 

“Oh please stop with all that Y/n. Is now really the time for it?” He finally replies. My heart hummed at finally getting him to speak to me. 

“It looks like now is the time cause it looks like at this point you’ll never say anything. I’ve tried to be understanding.” 

“Have you?” His voice comes out cold and eager. Like I'm about to say something he’s been wanting, so he could tear it down.

“Yes! I understand that you were probably overwhelmed, but ignoring me for all this while? You need to work on your communication skills.” 

He chuckles darkly, “Overwhelmed? Y/n, you jumped in front of a bullet.”

I rolled my eyes, “Yes I know. It was a stupid move.”

“No.” Hoseok deadpans, “You don’t know Y/n. It was a fucking stupid move.” He raises his voice a bit, leaning forward with a wicked look in his eyes. 

“You jumped in front of a bullet, for me, without a second thought. What the hell were you thinking?” He scolded.  I leaned back in my seat, looking to Jennie to see what her thoughts were, but her eyes were down on the table. I looked around at the others, and even Jaehyun but no one was meeting my eyes. 

“Do you trust me so little Y/n? Do you think I don’t know how to do my job, that you thought I wouldn’t be ready for everything and anything?”

“He was going to shot you--”

“I had a bulletproof vest on Y/n! One of the best! If that bullet hit me I would have been fine Y/n! We knew what we were doing. You should have--”

“I should have what?” My voice came out small, trembling slightly. I can’t be sure if it’s the embarrassment or it’s Hoseok’s yelling that is now causing tears to well up in my eyes. 

“I should have just sat back and done nothing?” My eyes start to burn and my vision begins to blur as my tears well up before falling from both eyes and down my cheeks.

“Yes, Y/n. You should have done nothing.” He says like I'm a child. My mouth drops open in shock, surprised at the response.

“Wow. Hoseok does that make fucking sense? I couldn’t have sat there and watched you get killed..” My voice was growing louder as Jennie set a comforting hand on my knee. My shoulders rose and my breaths grew heavy.

“So it’s better for me to sit and watch you die?!” His tone was different from his previous harsh words. He was really asking me a question. Like he wanted to hear what my answer was, but he already knew he wasn’t going to like it. 

“Why do I have to watch you die? Why do I always have to watch everyone die?” His voice is quieter this time, but still speaking like he was spitting acid. He stands up from his seat at the table, pushing the chair away to make his way down the hallway. 

Before I could stop myself, I rose from my seat, dashing after him down the hallway. 

“Hoseok!” I trailed after him and down the hallway. He was walking quickly, trying to get to his office like I wasn’t calling after him.

“Hoseok!” I called after him again. He made it the double doors of his office, pushing in whatever the number key was and pushing the door open. He rushes into his office, leaving the door open and I follow him inside, shutting the door behind me.

“Hoseok--”  He cuts me off quickly, his back facing me as he stared aimlessly at his bookshelf.

“You were out for 5 days Y/n. Jennie said everything went well and you’d wake up after the drugs wore off. One day turned into two days, two days turned into three days and you still weren’t waking up.” I watch his back intently.

“You weren’t moving, you were opening your eyes. You laid there like a fucking vegetable and no one could tell me why you weren’t waking up. I felt like a 16-year-old boy again, watching my father wither away into nothing. Except his time, it was you. I maybe be used to seeing people dead but...” 

He trails off, looking over his shoulder to peek at me and my confused facial expression. 

“But those people aren’t you so...”

I walk over to him, stepping in front of him and forcing him to look at me.

His face is turning pink and I find myself pouting, 

“Hoseok,” My voice comes out softly, “But I’m fine! See!” I grab both his hands and place them on my face, I move them to my waist and I put my hands on both his cheeks, forcing him to look into my eyes.

“I’m fine Hoseok. I told you that you won’t get rid of me. No petty gunshot is gonna take me out.” 

“When the guys called and told me you were awake I was relieved but...I don’t know why I felt so worried about seeing you.”

“Hoseok, it’s okay to say you were worried! Everyone told me you were! I wasn’t thinking of how scary it probably was. I just assumed because of the work you do, you’d be used to seeing stuff like that.” I admitted. Hoseok backed up till he was leaning against his large desk. He pulled me along with him, his hands still on my waist. 

I drop my hands from his face and begin lecturing him. 

“Hoseok, that still doesn’t excuse ignoring me for the past few days? You were being rude and it wasn’t very fair to me. I woke up confused, hurt and I was really really hurt when you didn’t even come to check up on me. It felt like we were moving backward. You can’t do stuff like that, it makes this difficult.”

I was so focused on my hand movements as I rambled on, trying to make sure Hoseok understood how important communication was to me. I was so focused that I didn’t notice the way his hands gripped my waist tighter and brought me closer to him.  Our hips were basically touching, any small movement caused our bodies to brush each other.

I was oblivious to the way he narrowed his eyes and the hot gaze that was on me as I spoke. He rubbed circles into my sides with his thumbs. 

“...Communication will always be a big thing. Blocking yourself off will always lead to misunderstanding and--” My voice caught in my throat as my eyes finally looked away from the walls it was focusing on as I spoke to the man who stood before me. 

His eyes flickering from my eyes to...my lips? He leaned in closer, that familiar smell of his overtaking all my senses. 

“You didn’t hear a damn thing I said about communication did you?” I mutter in a disapproving manner. Hoseok chuckles, just confirming my suspicion.

I rolled my eyes, ready to start from the very beginning when he closes in the spaces between us, and his lips meet mine. It was my turn to stiffen at such affection. I thought my heart was gonna explode from the speed in which it was beating. 

His lips are warm, soft and tender. He moved forward with such eagerness, but the kiss wasn’t rushed. But the neediness behind it was clear.

Hoseok is...kissing me. That instant spark and the fireworks I expected to feel when I first met my soulmate were saved for this moment because it felt like I was flying. This is why everyone is so desperate to find their soulmate. This connection and this feeling. Nothing could change my mind about this being the man for me when such a light show of sensations is bouncing between us.

The kiss was gentle, and a bit shy. He was worried that I was going to push him away, or tell him I didn’t want this. But, oh did I want this and him.

We both let out a sigh of what feels like a sigh of relief as our lips part. Though I was mostly unresponsive to the kiss, as I was lost in the moment trying to process it, I’m sure he understands that I didn’t hate the kiss.

We sat in silence for a few moments, the only sound between us is our breathing. Hoseok brought his hand up to cup my cheek and he leaned down and reconnected our lips. I couldn’t help the slight whimper that felt my lips as the kiss grew a bit rougher.

Hoseok pressed me flush against him, his lips pressing and moving against mine desperately but slowly. I couldn’t think straight with the way he was kissing me. My body was growing hot with him holding me like this. I couldn’t get close enough. My thoughts were running like a mantra. 

I love him. I love him. I love him. 

I love him. 

I am in love with him. Fuck, I am in love with Hoseok. 

As my feelings bloomed in my chest, I pressed back, kissing him back with just as much vigor. A small hum in question left his lips. Our lips left each other for a few seconds, both our chests rising and falling as I watched his eyes move over the exposed skin of my shoulders. I can see the wheels turning in his head. 

Oh, how easy it would be to just push down the top part of this jumpsuit. I kind of want him to. I silently thank Jennie for convincing me to go with this off the shoulder outfit. 

He brings his gaze up to meet mine and his eyes narrow while his lips pull up into a small smile. 

“Oooh.” He coos before I’m being lifted off the ground with his arms around my waist. I hiss a bit at the dull pain from my left side. He squeezed a little too tight, but I didn’t feel the need to comment on it.

 I yelp as we’re spun around and I’m being set to sit on his desk. I land gently, my hands resting on his shoulders.

Hoseok places both hands on the desk, caging me between his arms. He brings his lips to my ear and whispers, “What am I supposed to do when you’re giving me eyes like that Y/n?”

A shiver runs up my spine and my hands move from his shoulders to his chest. I only hum in response, my eyes fluttering close. 

“You little minx, you’ve been holding back this whole time? Do you want me that bad?” He continues to tease, his lips brushing the other part of my ear. 

“At least take me on a date first?” I could hear the smile in his voice. The breathy laugh I let out sounds choked and strained as my hands move from his chest to gripping the fabric of his silk shirt at his sides.

“A date is long overdue, but we know why that hasn’t happened yet.” I retorted and moved back to smile up at him. He smiles back, the fondness in his eyes making me want to scream.

“Yeah, yeah yeah. I know Y/n. Lack of communication can cause misunderstanding and blah, blah blah.” He mumbles, moving back from me. Or as much as he could. He takes one small step back, my hands still holding onto his shirt. 

“So let me do some of this communicating and tell you that I’m sorry.” He says, “It wasn’t fair to shut you out like that. I won’t do it again.” 

“You probably will, but we’ll work on it.” I jeer before stretching up to peck his lips. Despite the frown on his lips, I kiss him a second time. 

“We’ll work on it.” He repeats after me. I nod, agreeing with him. 

“Whatever happened to those three guys?” I raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Don’t worry about it, I took care of it.” Is all he says, and I don’t see the need to push it any further. 

“Oh!” I perk up, “I forgot to say, happy birthday!” 

He rolls his eyes, “Took you long enough!”

“Hey! You were the one ignoring me! I lacked the confidence to approach you. I thought you’d walk past me like I never spoke.” 

He hums in response.

“I probably would have.” He answers with a neutral facial expression. 

“I know your mannerisms too well,” I say under my breath. We talk for some time. I asked him about how his first birthday party in a while was. He gave me short answers, as I expected, but I still enjoyed the conversation.

We sit in silence for a while when Hoseok takes in a sharp breath. The question that follows took effort. I can tell by how he rushes it out, looking up at the ceiling as he says it. Accompanied by his ears turning a bright red.

“You wanna do this dating thing seriously?” 

My eyes widened at him, “Yeah.” I answer a little bit too quickly.

“Cool.” He replies just as swiftly. 

“Cool.” I kiss his cheek, drawing back slightly as his head my way, taking the chance to kiss his lips. A lingering kiss that’s interrupted by the ringing of a phone. A small grin leaves Hoseok’s lips, but he decides to ignore the ringing phone. 

He starts leaving small kisses along my neck, the action feeling innocent but the way he’d let his lips brush my skin before pecking another kiss caused goosebumps to rise. 

“When are you gonna start working again?” He asks, pecking another kiss on the base of my collar bone. 

“A few days? I can’t wear heels for a while though. Jennie said I shouldn’t push it.” I answered through labored breaths. 

He hums, putting an arm around my waist drawing his face closer into my neck. My breath catches in my throat when his other hand rises, tracing the necklace of my outfit. The bit of cleavage of the off-shoulder piece reveals also being touched by his finger. All he has to do is push the fabric down. 

He returns to show my lips' attention, giving me another peck just as the phone starts to ring again.

“You should answer it,” I speak like I’ve been jogging. I’m trying to catch my breath as Hoseok reaches into his pocket, staring at the caller Id before answering. He sets the phone on the desk beside me and puts it on speakerphone.

“Yes?” He answers, keeping the arm around my waist and letting the other hand fall to my thigh.

“Mr. Jung! I hope I am not catching you at a bad time!” A male voice said. 

“I answered didn’t I?” Hoseok replies, looking away from the phone at me. 

As he caresses my thigh I giggle, “You’re quite touchy aren’t you?” I whisper. His brows furrow and he takes his attention back to the phone.

“...so they want to change the terms of the agreement.” The man finishes his statement. Hoseok shakes his head, a serious frown appearing. 

“Tell them it’s not possible. If they want the funding, they need to accept it on my terms. They can go to someone else if they’d like.” 

The man sighs, “Sir. We can’t let this project slip through. If we do they’ll go to--” 

“Go to who Mr. Robins?” Hoseok barks, “To Wang? I am not worried about losing clients to Mr. Wang. The terms the owners of Project Kane were asking for too much. The amount of money for the stakes in their company was not doable.” I watched intently as he switched to Mr. Jung. 

The stern and serious CEO who was known for being able to pick out what investments would be successes and wouldn’t. I did a bit of research on Hoseok as ‘Mr. Jung’. 

Known for finding small projects, and seeming to be able to tell when they'll be a success or a failure. Mr. Jung doesn’t fund a project he believes will fail. 

“Their terms are crazy Mr. Robins! I am not going to give that much money for such a small project. What will they possibly do with that large sum?” As Hoseok got more into the conversation, I found the need to see myself out.

I hopped off the desk, his arm naturally dropping form around me. I looked at his side profile as he grabbed his phone off the desk, bringing it closer to his lips. 

If his lips were looking swollen, I don’t want to know what I look like.

“I’m gonna go.” I mouth when he looks my way. He nods, moving the phone away from his mouth. He wordlessly brings his face closer to mine. I quickly kiss him, on the lips. Feeling my face burn up as our lips parted.

He swiftly turns back to his desk, pulling on the drawers to find some files. I silently make my way out the room, pushing open one of the doors, only to crash into something. 

I gasp and peek my head out in time to see Jennie, Jungkook, Taehyung, and Jin booking it down the hallway. They were listening in? Or at least trying to. I steal another glance at Hoseok who was now flipping through a folder.

I close the door behind me, starting down the hallway.

“You guys are so nosey!” I shouted as I rounded the corner to the lobby. Those who I saw running down the hallway stood in unnatural poses around the circular table. 

I crossed my arms over my chest as I approached.

“Is there no sense of privacy?” I yell in a dramatic fashion.

“Do you want to do this dating thing seriously?” Jennie mocks in a deep voice. A blush rises on my face.

“Yeah!” Taehyung answers in a high voice. 

“Cool.”

“Cool.”

I roll my eyes, “Okay, okay. Enough with all that. Pass me a slice of leftover cake.”

Laughs sounded through the room as Jennie started making kissing noises while skipping around the table. Jaehyun shaking his head at the silly behavior.

Life is good and so are the people I have around me.

♠----♠----♠-----♠

I do not know when the next chapter will be...but it might just be a Hoseok POV. 

Idk how I feel about this chapter but...I managed to type it while I was stuck in bed.  I tried to go to work today, got sent back home because I was coughing way too much. lol. 

So my question for you is, I asked you guys some chapters ago if you liked Hoseok and what your thoughts of him are. Now, what is some growth you’ve noticed in not only Hoseok but how everyone else responses and reacts to Hoseok? Thank you :))

[sockablock]

When in sudden need of a place to stay, Caleb Widogast finds a room for rent at a price so low he can’t believe his luck. Ignoring the worries of his friends, he moves in and quickly finds himself tangled up in the life of one Essek Thelyss, a reclusive scholar who may be even more socially awkward than Caleb himself.

(start) - (next) 

Chapter 1: Likewise, Mr. Thelyss

“It sounds suspicious,” Beauregard said. “There’s no way. He’s going to steal your organs.”

“I doubt—”

“Read my lips: no way.” She folded up a piece of paper and tossed it across the table. “Seriously, at a price like that? There’s gotta be a catch. Or…or there’s some kind of crime.”

Caleb Widogast tried to look reassuring. He largely failed, but this was normal.

“Ach,” he said, “is it so hard to believe that just maybe, my luck is turning around?”

She slowly broke apart a lemon muffin.

“Yes.”

She offered him half, which he glumly accepted.

The two of them were seated together at a table in the Wayfarer’s Cove, a small diner tucked away on the edge of the piers of Nicodranas. The windows here, though a bit stained, overlooked the Restless Wharf at noon, providing a clear view of tangled docks, bobbing ships, waves rushing up the harbor and sailors, merchants, and deckhands hard at work. Flocks of seagulls and the occasional migratory albatross swooped in overhead, their cries swelling up along the wordless stream of noise.

Back in the faded pleather seats of their diner, Caleb finished his muffin and brushed the crumbs off his hands.

“What other choice do I have, Beauregard? I am in no rush to return to the Empire—”

“Hear, hear—”

“—but I have nowhere to live if I remain here. This city is expensive. More expensive than I anticipated.”

Beau picked up her mug of coffee. “You could stay with Fjord and Caduceus,” she said. “Or you could tell Nott that you aren’t moving out.”

“But I promised. And more than that, I offered.” He ran a hand through his hair and immediately regretted the decision. It was sticky.

“Take the offer back,” Beau shrugged. She watched him fumble with a napkin. “Gods know the place is just as much yours as it’s hers. And it’s not so small that four of you couldn’t…well. I guess four is kind of a lot—”

“And Luc is five years old,” Caleb sighed. “He will be noisy enough for six people.”

“A Library—”

“Your library?”

She gave him a stern look. “I told you, it’s still being established. You’re going to have to wait another six months.”

He smiled faintly. “It was worth a shot, no? And anyway, I doubt even a Cobalt Library would let some uncredited stranger stay the night.”

“It’s shit that you’re doing this, you know that?” She took another sip of coffee. “I mean, it’s nice, but it’s this…this sort of self-sacrificial thing that’s gonna end badly.”

“Maybe,” he said, in a tone that suggested even “maybe” was too much of an agreement. “Nevertheless, I think it is the right thing to do. Nott has spent so much time separated from her family that she truly deserves this. She was missing them quite a bit anyway, and at least this way she will not be leaving us.”

Beau’s hard expression eased just a little. “Will she be…okay with them around? You know, in her cond—”

“She says she’s made arrangements. And anyway, I feel like I am getting closer. It just…will take time. And the sooner I firm up my own living situation, the sooner I can get back to work helping hers.”

Beau studied his face, and finally relented. “Alright, well…I wish I could help.”

Caleb stared into his mug. “I do not think I can stay with Fjord and Caduceus,” he said instead. “Their apartment is…very small. And I think they are still saving up to move somewhere else.”

“Gods, I mean, if Yasha hadn’t moved in with me and Jes after, well, after y’know—”

Caleb smiled again. This time, it almost reached his eyes. “I will see about this perspective roommate,” he said firmly. “Who knows? Maybe I am getting lucky.”

— — —

“—after the tone.”

Caleb rubbed his face and set down the phone. Filling his room—though doing that wasn’t very hard—were all of his worldly possessions, packed away.

He smoothed out the flyer, a bit rumpled now from its time shoved in his pockets, and read it over.

SEEKING: TENANT FOR HOUSE

One room Available to Rent $300/Month Internet Access, On-Site Laundry

Must be Quiet, Organized, Willing to Sort Recycling

NO DOGS

At least, he mused, scanning the last line, there would be no issue with dogs. And Caleb naturally was a quiet person, very amenable to learning how recycling worked. Beauregard’s accusations from earlier this morning did flit briefly through his mind, but in the face of a rental price that low, any concern of impending doom was promptly, seamlessly, quashed.

Besides, it wasn’t as if Caleb couldn’t defend himself. A single spool of silver thread went a long way.

He glanced at the number again, and re-dialed.

— — —

“No, Verin, as much as I appreciated your help, I do not think it will be necessary anymore.”

“Is it because of just the one recommendation? Because if you let me try again—"

From behind the kitchen counter, his microwave whirring and a coffee mid-pour, a young dark elf with short-cropped hair did his very best to hide a scowl.

“Verin, your recommendation came back every night at two in the morning and never once locked the door. He also clearly did not understand how to do his chores. And he left hair in the shower.”

“Ah, but he was quiet, wasn’t he?” This was followed by the sound of something smashing on the other line.

Essek sighed. His brother was many things—a good friend, a compassionate person, a true confidant—but calm or quiet was not one of them.

“Perhaps by your standards, Verin. Certainly not mine.”

Another noise, like someone laughing, then footfalls.

“You should lower your standards, then! You’re in a foreign city surrounded by strangers, and probably every one with different customs.”

“I was under the impression that silence was a universal language.”

“I think that is love. Or, actually, Common—”

Essek rolled his eyes and glanced at the microwave, which had just finished beeping. Leftovers from last night, re-heated, a delicacy for the preoccupied scholar. He slid over to retrieve it, lowered his phone, and only then did he notice the message across his screen: CALL INCOMING.

This wasn’t a number he knew, but with a growing sense of dread he noticed that it had already tried to call him twice…

He abandoned his lunch and pressed the phone to his ear.

“—but if Undercommon exists, then what does that say about us, really—”

“Shut up, Verin! Someone’s calling!”

“It—wait, what?”

“I’m hanging up! I’ll call you later!”

“Yes, you’d better! I still haven’t asked you about the—”

Essek ended the call. He took the briefest pause to compose himself, then hit answer.

“He—”

“Hal—”

A pause.

“I am so—”

“My apolog—”

They both stopped.

Essek began counting to ten. When he hit six, the voice on the other end of the line said:

“Ah, er, hallo, my name is Caleb Widogast, I am calling in regards to your, ah, your advertisement. Am I speaking to Mr. Essek Thelyss?”

Essek sat back down. “Yes,” he said smoothly. “I am Essek. You’re interested in the apartment?”

There was the faint rustle of fabric. “Yes. I am quite interested in renting.”

There was another pause. At the count of three, Essek gave up and took the initiative. “I am happy to hear that,” he said. “Have you reviewed the fee and the conditions? Do you have any questions?”

More rustling. This time it sounded like paper. “Er…no, actually. I am happy to agree to your requirements. Er…I do, ah, have…I have a cat—but, but if that is too unwelcome—”

“No, no,” Essek waved a hand. “A cat is more than fine. There is…yes, there should be space in a corner of the living room for…cat…things. Boxes. And…bowls? Yes, so long as you are amenable to cleaning up after, er, him?”

“Him,” the voice confirmed. “Frumpkin.”

“I see, er…charming.” Different customs, Verin had said. “Well, if there are no other issues, I would be happy to begin renting to you as soon as possible. I should mention, though, that while the clauses I stated earlier are the most important to me, I would also like to negotiate a contract with you regarding other details.”

“Oh, er…of course. What did you have in mind?”

“Well, they mostly focus on the division of space and…promises to keep? I would like my bedroom and study to remain off-limits, but you are welcome to any common areas you would like. I do not take up much space in the fridge, so if you wish to cook, that is fine, however I also ask you not leave a mess. Smaller details of this nature.”

“That is completely understandable,” the voice said. “If I am being honest, I believe it will make establishing boundaries and navigating our living situation much more clear-cut.”

“I am delighted you think so,” Essek said, finding that he actually was. “If that is the case, then…I would be happy to have you move in as soon as possible. Mister…Mr. Widogast, was it?”

“Ja. And that would be perfect. I, er, when exactly would you be ready to have me arrive?”

Essek tapped his chin. “Well, I normally do not spend much time in the unit, to be honest. But I was home this morning cleaning up after the last tenant, so the room will be available tonight.”

“Tonight!” There was a pause, and then a shuffle. “If that is no rush, then tonight is wonderful.”

“Excellent.” With one hand he nudged the microwave open again and retrieved his lunch. “In that case, I will see you tonight. I look forward to meeting you, Mr. Widogast.”

Essek heard a chuckle. And then he realized he’d been smiling as well.

“Likewise, Mr. Thelyss. See you tonight.”

— — —

“No.”

“Aw, come on—”

“No. I mean it.”

“But why not, Caleb?”

“She does have a point, you know,” Nott called from her perch atop the car. “We don’t know anything about this guy. He could be dangerous.”

“He could be a murderer,” said Jester. She was helping Caleb load the very last of his belongings onto the trunk. One last cardboard box joined to two smaller boxes, and a trunk.

“You will scare him into evicting me if you storm his building like that,” Caleb said. “And anyway, He sounded polite on the phone. I will not be getting a better price.”

“Luring you in with rent to die for,” Jester nodded.

He elected to ignore this, and instead turned to Nott. “It is not a bad neighborhood, either. I am sure everything will be fine.”

“But…are you really sure?” she asked. “I mean…if you need more time to look around, Yeza and Luc won’t be here for two more days.”

“I know, and thank you,” he said gently, “but I doubt two more days will be necessary.”

“I feel like I’m kicking you out,” she said wretchedly. “This was your house for as long as it was mine. And you’re my…well, I shouldn’t do this to you—”

Caleb quickly shook his head. “Do not say that, please, do not. It is more important to me that you and your husband will have a place to be together. Truly together, for once, and with your son.”

“If the apothecary hadn’t burned down—”

“But it did,” he said. “And now here we are. Do not worry. Please, do not worry.”

She met his gaze. “You’ll have to visit,” she said eventually. “Every weekend. And weekdays. At least twice.”

He nodded immediately. “I will do my best. You have my promise.”

She hopped down from the roof of the car, a landing so perfect any acrobat would be proud. Three foot four of determined goblin wrapped as much of him as she could into a hug.

He crouched down and hugged her back. After a moment, Jester joined in for the spirit of things. Her charms jingled and jangled as she moved.

And eventually, when Caleb was dimly beginning to realize they were blocking the sidewalk—

“You two, I am not leaving for another hour.” His voice was muffled. He was also feeling a bit warm.

“That’s nothing,” said Jester.

“I don’t care,” said Nott. “I’m going to miss you.”

“I am just a phone call away. Barely a bus ride.”

“And don’t you forget it.” She finally pulled back, and quickly wiped at her eyes. “You hear me?”

He smiled. Quite easily. “Loud and clear, Miss the Brave. I do.”

Jester tapped the side of the car. “Beau says she doesn’t need this ‘til later tonight. We could go out for some food?” Her voice was hopeful. “There’s a really good place that I heard about that does these big milkshakes—”

Nott elbowed her. “Does it have real food too? Or just sugary drinks?”

“Oh, they have burgers, and pizza, and fries, and—”

Nott’s mouth threatened to split her face in two. This was happiness, in goblin form.

Caleb ruffled her hair. “Let’s do it. I am starving just thinking about it.”

— — —

Essek had only just rolled up his sleeves and wiped the condensation from his brow when the phone rang.

He glanced back, and his eyes lost their glow. The faint sensation of coiling wind faded from the interior of the room. About half a dozen various cleaning implements clattered to the floor.

Annoyed, he waved a hand and floated his phone over. Then he scowled.

“Can it wait? I am in the middle of something.”

“Well, if it is something more pressing than the greatest Dunamantic breakthrough of this century—”

“Yes, yes, alright,” he responded testily. “What is it?”

“I believe you will want to see this in person.” This voice was a smooth baritone, lightly accented by something airy, and old. “Besides, it is quite difficult to make progress without our resident expert—”

Part of Essek wrinkled his nose. The other part, a part that he would not readily acknowledge, nor likely even recognize, puffed out its chest.

“I…have a prior engagement tonight,” he said, but was already beginning to itch for the study. His mother once said that knowledge was a disease, and right now he could hardly disagree. “How much time will this take?”

“I believe that is up to you, is it not? It is your artifact—”

“I am glad you remember.”

Silence followed, and Essek basked in the little victory. He floated his coat across the room.

“Give me a moment to get ready and write a message,” he relented. “I will be there soon.”

He could practically hear the pleased smile without seeing it. “Excellent. I await your arrival.”

Click.

He sighed again. Of course, he wanted to chalk this up to…to his associate being overly nosy and much too eager to flex his authority, but the fact of the matter was that he very rarely bothered with Essek unless it was important. Which, naturally, had its own problems, but at least it let Essek keep to his own schedule.

It was just a shame that he would have to miss the arrival of his new tenant. He hoped it wouldn’t set a bad first impression—well, second impression, technically. The first one…already it had been two missed phone calls and a stiff conversation.

He found a piece of paper and uncapped a pen.

Then again, he wasn’t here to make a friend, was he? Of course not. He was just being self-sufficient.

Mr. Widogast, he wrote. Unfortunately, I have been called away for an emergency at work…

— — —

And it was only about twenty minutes later, as he let himself into the Marquis’s guesthouse, that he realized he should probably text his tenant the house code.

— — —

“Maybe we should’ve brought him something too,” said Nott, leaning on the side of the car, watching Jester and Caleb lift one last box. An orange tabby cat wound between her legs.

“Scheisse, I did not think of that,” Caleb blinked. “Er…do you think it is too late to visit a store?”

“A store?” Jester shook her head. “What are you going to get him, a bag of chips?”

“Well, er, no, but…perhaps an ice cream…”

He leaned against the stack of boxes and caught his breath. When he looked back up, there was pity in their eyes.

“Caleb,” said Nott, “that’s a terrible gift.”

“What? I…really? I thought…don’t people like them?”

Jester reached across his luggage and gave him a pat.

“I got an extra slice of blueberry cheesecake,” she said. “I was going to save it for later, but…I think you should give that to him.”

“Oh, Jester, I cannot—”

“Do it,” she insisted. “If you’re not going to let me meet him, then at least I want to help you make a good impression.”

“Apparently, he is not even home right now.” Caleb gave his phone a gentle shake. “He texted me earlier with the door code and an apology. So unfortunately, you would not be able to see him even if you wanted to.”

“Part of the trap—”

“It is not a trap—”

“Oh, but if he’s not home,” Nott began, and Caleb was instantly worried from her tone, “doesn’t that mean…doesn’t that mean we could go inside? And…take a look around?”

“Nott—”

“Oh, oh! But what if it’s a trick!” Jester gasped. “What if it’s a test? To see what Caleb’s like?”

“Caleb is great at tests,” Nott said. “I’m sure he’ll do fine.”

“I can only do fine if you two cooperate,” he rubbed his face. “Please, if I do end up staying here long term, I am sure that there will be plenty of opportunities for you to snoop.”

“Not snoop,” Nott corrected. “Scope him out.”

“Ja, exactly that. Now…” Caleb glanced at his friends, then looked over his shoulder at the entrance to the apartment complex. It was in a much nicer area of Nicodranas, much nicer than he particularly was used to, though quite a distance from the coast. Tall oak trees draped over the streets, boughs draped in a fine trailing moss, branches weaving modest shade from the sky. Coral ivy climbed up the side of the building, and from down on street level, looking up, Caleb could count a total of six floors.

A few of the windows were open, letting in the cool summer breeze.

Home, Caleb thought. A home, anyway. For now.

He gave Nott and Jester a smile.

“Thank you for helping me move, today. I promise I will send you pictures of the inside.”

“Good!” said Nott. “It’s the least we deserve.”

“And don’t forget the cake,” Jester added. “Are you sure you’ll be alright lifting everything by yourself?”

He held up a hand, and waggled his fingers.

“I think I can find a way to manage. Though I must say, it will not be nearly as fun without you two.”

— — —

And now, it was well after sunset.

Caleb sat in a bedroom that was three times bigger than his last one. Neater, too.

This Mr. Thelyss must do very well for himself, to afford such a home. After lugging his belongings into the elevator and congratulating Schmidt on a job well done, Caleb had ridden up four floors and punched in the password and had been truly surprised at the size of this housing unit. Thelyss had a full kitchen, complete with bar stools and a counter, and even a small sitting room with a couch and TV. There was a bathroom, with a tub, and Caleb noted the two other doors that were off limits—bedroom and study. There was a section of the sitting room, by the large bay windows, where space for “cat things” had been set aside, and a sliding door beside that area led to a modest balcony. All of the décor was minimal, with only a few paintings adorning the walls, depicting landscapes of some place that Caleb could not recognize. Aside from that, the only concession to personality was a bookshelf stacked to virtually spilling with tomes and novels and hardbound texts. To his surprise, he’d also found he could not read a majority of this writing, though not for trying.

There had also been a note on the counter. He could read this one. And after he did, he smiled faintly, then wandered into his bedroom, put his things away, and got his cat settled, as instructed.

Then he gently placed a single slice of blueberry cheesecake next to the note, taking care to make sure that none of the corners got jostled.

He picked up a pen. He wrote:

Mr. Thelyss—

I once again thank you for your flexibility. Though I similarly am saddened that we cannot yet meet face-to-face, you have a beautiful home that I will do my utmost part to maintain. Additionally, please accept this gift as a small housewarming token.

Also, Frumpkin is a very well-behaved cat. If you see him when you wake up tomorrow, feel free to give him many pats.

Looking forward to speaking with you, Caleb Widogast.

He read through a note a few more times to make sure that he was covering everything of importance.

And, when that was settled, he retreated to his bedroom, and flicked off the lights.

He lay in bed for a few minutes, gently stroking his cat.

“Well, Frumpkin. Here we are. Home sweet home. For now.”

Frumpkin meowed back.

“Well-said. Now, we should probably get some rest, eh?”

He shifted around, getting comfortable, and eventually closing his eyes. How lucky he was to find a place like this, he marveled as he began drifting off to sleep. With such comfortable sheets, as well.

And all that was left was to finally meet this Essek Thelyss.

On his chest, Frumpkin began to purr.

And to hope that they’d both get along.

— — —

✨ Ko-Fi Link in Bio! ✨ | Requests are OPEN

[majoraop]

The following one shot is loosely based on @jemichi90‘s fanfic “The Ruins of a Man” (it’s still unfinished but really good). I’ve had the wip of this short story sitting around for a while, and I finally decided to finish writing it since it was perfect for the “twist ending” prompt on my card for the One Piece Bingo hosted by @op-pirate-fleet .  ^^

White Nightmare

Law was walking down a wooded path, white all around him like in a fairy tale.   The trees were white, the city in the distance was white, even the sky was white—until it started turning a gentle shade of orange while the sun descended on the horizon. The white landscape shimmered when the night finally covered everything with its large protective mantle. The lights from the homes where families were reuniting to have dinner together reassured him, a comforting feeling of familiarity even as he kept walking alone on his lonely path.   Where am I?   Law only wondered about that after an undefined time. Had he been walking alone for days? Months? Years? Yet, he didn’t feel hungry or tired. He was accustomed to the whiteness, even if his brown complexion standing against the rest of the scenery made him feel somewhat naked. Slowly, though, he started changing: it was just small white spots at first; then, they grew larger and became splotches of fragile skin.   What is happening to me?   He kept walking, but his disease made him weak. He felt cold. He felt scared. The whiteness around him did not feel pure and beautiful anymore, but dangerous and cruel.   Why am I alone?   Suddenly, the whiteness around him became snow: freezing, fierce, extending as far as his squinting eyes could see. The lush forest became a barren land with scarce scrawny trees. The warm wind became a chilling breeze as the night howled with the snowstorm.   Where is the city with its lights? Where are the people?   Law dragged his feet, tired, aching more and more with each step he took. He wanted to sleep, but he knew that sleeping would mean not waking up anymore. The temperature was too low to stop, his disease too severe to ignore, but he didn’t have anyone to ask for help. So, he just kept walking. The landscape had disappeared, and the storm was so intense that he could only see the snow before him on the ground. Then, that same snow turned red.   Blood.   The snowstorm stopped at once, and Law looked up. He couldn’t see them, but he knew that strings were enclosing the sky, the land, everything around him. Trapped on a freezing island with no hope of getting away, Law felt the sharp threads getting closer, slowly but unstoppable. There was no way to cut them, to stop that giant birdcage from ensnarling him. He felt like he was suffocating and gasped to force air down into his lungs. It was so cold that he didn’t feel anything anymore other than pain as his skin slowly flaked off. Once his body turned completely white, he knew his end was near and couldn’t do anything about it.   But I can still fight.   Law’s body changed the moment that thought sparkled in his mind: he became taller, stronger, but his skin looked as pallid as before. He ignored it, together with the pain still accompanying him, and stared up at his enemy: Donquixote Doflamingo. For some reason, he knew his name. However, he did not know who he was and from where he came. But Law understood that he had to kill him if he wanted the cage to disappear.   “I love you.”   The moment Law remembered those words, his complexion reversed back to its natural darker colour. He felt energy returning to his limbs: his disease was no more. When he turned to look around and find who or what had made that magic, though, he screamed. Next to him on the stained snow was lying a man.   The same man who gave me back my life—and my heart.   Law recalled everything: Corazon, no, Cora-san, had given up his life to save him. And he also remembered his benefactor’s actual name: Donquixote Rocinante—Doflamingo’s brother. Law rushed to his side, falling on his knees in the puddle of melted snow and warm blood, and searched for a pulse. It was weak, but it was still there.   Don’t die, Cora-san! Don’t die!!!   A silent prayer crossed Law’s mind as he stood up again and drew his sword. He then leapt ahead in a final attempt to change destiny. Kikoku, the nodachi that had appeared in his hands when he had turned into an adult, clashed against Doflamingo’s invisible strings. He could fight back now: he wasn’t a sick child anymore.   Then, the scenery around him changed again.   Now, they weren’t on the snowy island of his memories but inside a dark dungeon unknown to him. Law jumped back to put some space between him and his enemy and stopped briefly to study the new surroundings. That place reeking of stale air looked like a prison. Large stones made its walls and ceiling, but he couldn't see its floor clearly since snow covered it. That recurring lack of colour haunted Law. When he noticed bloodstains, though, he wished he could go back to the aseptic whiteness of before. Fear gripped his heart as if a hand was squeezing it. He looked around, and his worries were confirmed when he saw Cora’s unconscious frame lying on the ground. The man’s chest heaved slightly.   He’s still breathing!   Law remembered that he was a surgeon—a doctor. He could help Cora-san! He needed to hurry and defeat Doflamingo for good. Then, he would be able to heal his saviour and to leave that place together with him.   “Fufufu! So full of yourself that you think you can look away while fighting me?”   For the first time, Law heard his enemy talking. His voice felt as familiar as Cora’s silence and as sharp as the strings that tried to capture him in a deadly web. Doflamingo mocking him made Law focus on the battle, and he sparred with him some more. He was fast enough to keep up with Doflamingo’s swift attacks, but he was getting tired. Again, he felt the merciless coldness of the snow and the despair clutching at his throat. Again, he felt as helpless as a child.   I can’t give up!   Law scolded himself, but his vision was already blurring. This time around, he couldn’t block his enemy’s attack. He screamed when the strings cut his flesh, blood spraying from the deep wounds in a red cloud around him. Incapacitated, he felt his body tossed around until it clashed against more invisible threads that cut his skin some more.   The cage is still here!   Law felt the strings around his arms and legs relenting just slightly, but he didn’t let that opportunity go to waste. He tried to get up and away from his enemy—until he could get his sword back at least: he was willing to fight to the death if that meant he had even the smallest chance to save Cora. However, no matter how much he tried to get up, he remained perfectly still.   The “Parasite”.   Doflamingo had rooted his strings deeply into Law and controlled his every movement—or lack of thereof. Law felt disgusted to be a puppet under his opponent's cruel smirk. Doflamingo imperceptibly twitched his fingers, suddenly pulling Law’s arms behind his back. After the first moment of shock, Law screamed. Doflamingo moved his fingers again, and the pain of his dislocated arms became so overwhelming that Law could only pant as tears filled his visions. He tried to turn his head to look at Cora one last time, but he couldn’t even do that simple movement.   “Where are you looking?” Doflamingo chuckled as he prepared to impale Law with more strings to finish him off. “You’ll die here, and I’ll take Corazon with me.”   “Nooo!” Law heard himself crying out, but it was like seeing the scene from outside his body. He saw blood covering his arms and chest, tears flowing down his face. He hated to see himself like that.   Please, stop!   A mute plea, but he still despised himself for begging before his enemy. At that point, though, he just wanted not to suffer anymore. Maybe, after dying, he would return to that peaceful white place of before. Cora-san may even be there...he must be there!   As Law’s consciousness started slipping away, something warm touched his shoulder gently. He opened his eyes again and didn’t see his tortured body trapped in Doflamingo’s strings anymore. His enemy had disappeared, too, and so had the cold dungeon and the snow. When Law realised Cora-san had also vanished, he started panicking. Soon, though, he recalled everything. His heart sunk, but he knew that sadness already and had learned to live with it long ago.   Law slowly turned his face around and saw Bepo’s paw on his shoulder and the bear's kind smile. Penguin and Shachi were there, too, and they looked like they were fighting the urge to hug him. Law tried to smile at them but didn't know how much of that showed on his face. He knew his life would never be easy and that he lost more than what he believed he would be able to withstand. Nevertheless, maybe there was still a shimmer of hope.   Maybe, I won’t be alone ever again.   The empty whiteness and pitch-black dungeon had crumbled together with the birdcage.   Now, I’m free.

[fanficshiddles]

Caught in his web, Chapter 27

Chloe felt like she was in a bit of a daydream while she was getting ready for the first day of college.

Part of her was excited, another was still slightly shocked because when Loki initially took her, she didn’t believe she would even get to see the light of day again, never mind have freedom to go to college. But then there was also a part of her that was just terrified in general.

She knew first day jitters were to be expected, but she never realised how bad they would actually be.

When she went down for breakfast, Loki was sitting in his usual spot at the head of the table.

‘Good morning, doll.’ He smiled brightly at her when she entered.

‘Morning.’ She smiled back at him and sat down, Tania came over to ask what she wanted to eat then went to prepare it for her.

‘Are you looking forward to starting college today?’ Loki asked as he put down his newspaper.

Chloe caught part of it, it looked like a picture of Loki from last week when he was opening a new foodbank that he’d funded.

‘Uhm. Yeah, I am.’ She nodded and then thanked Tania when she placed her breakfast down on front of her.

‘You do not sound so convincing.’ Loki said, taking a sip of his tea.

‘I am… I just… have a bit of first day nerves, is all.’ She said as she swirled her spoon around her cereal.

Loki raised an eyebrow then stood up and moved behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and started massaging her as he leaned down. ‘Well, firstly, eat your breakfast. You definitely need it. And secondly, it’s natural to be a bit nervous. It’s the first day of the rest of your life, after all. However, you are a very clever girl, Chloe. You have good friends, too. I know you’ll be fine. And if there’s anything, anything at all that isn’t fine, you just let me know and I’ll sort it.’ He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

Chloe knew he would do exactly that. And it did make her feel a tiny bit better.

Ralph took her to college and dropped her off. He said he would collect her after too, on Loki’s request. Loki had wanted to go with her but he had to start work before she left, so it wasn’t feasible.

Chloe was fine once she met up with Georgie and Amanda. They went to their classes together, luckily they were all studying fashion design so were in the same classes.

It didn’t last overly long though. During their lunch break, the three girls were having lunch together when two other students appeared. Chloe felt her stomach drop, she hated those two, they had always picked on Chloe, Georgie and Amanda from primary school right up and through secondary school too.

‘Oh great.’ Chloe whispered to her friends as the two bullies, Laura and Taylor, approached them.

‘Well what do we have here?’ Laura sneered, folding her arms over her chest and staring at the three. ‘I’m surprised you three even got to step foot in here with your terrible fashion sense.’

Chloe, Amanda and Georgie had tried multiple things over the years. Telling their parents, the teachers, being nasty back, killing them with kindness and also just ignoring them. But nothing worked, they were still horrible bitches towards them.

So Chloe just rolled her eyes and carried on eating.

But Laura didn’t like that. She smacked Chloe’s hand, knocking her sandwich out of her hand and then slammed her hands on the table. ‘I’m speaking to you, bitch!’ She shouted.

‘Seriously? We’re not in school anymore, you’re supposed to be a damn adult, why don’t you start acting like one?’ Chloe snapped at her.

Laura and Taylor laughed.

‘She’s got a voice after all.’ Taylor sniggered.

‘Just leave us alone?’ Georgie tried, but ended up with Taylor getting right up into her face.

Before anything could escalate, a teacher luckily walked into the cafeteria. So Taylor and Laura backed away, in-case they were seen.

‘We will be seeing plenty of you three nerds.’ Laura laughed as they both walked away.

Chloe wanted to be sick. She sighed and put her face into her hands. ‘I can’t fucking believe this. Why did they have to be here, out of everyone we know?’

‘It really sucks.’ Amanda grumbled.

The rest of the day went ok. But it turned out the three friends had some classes with Laura and Taylor. Who decided to make their day hell, so Chloe was rather relieved when it was finally the end of the day.

Ralph was waiting outside to pick her up, she had never felt so relieved to get into the car than she did at that moment. She let out a big sigh as she sat down on the leather seats.

‘Are you alright?’ Ralph asked, glancing in the mirror.

‘Yeah… Just… A shitty first day.’ She sighed again.

‘I’m sure it will be better tomorrow. First day jitters are normal.’ He said and drove on.

‘I doubt it.’ She grumbled quietly, not thinking he heard her.

When they got back to Loki’s, she actually felt relieved to be… home? She still wasn’t sure about calling it home. But it was better than being at college right now.

Loki didn’t seem to be in, so she grabbed a quick bite to eat then went up to her room. She sat at the desk in her room and started doing some college work, finding she was able to focus so much better than when in class with Laura and Taylor constantly nagging at her.

She was so focused on her work she never heard Loki entering her room and creeping up behind her to see what she was working on.

‘Good day?’

He smirked when she almost jumped right out of her chair. She spun around and glared up at him for scaring her.

‘Stop doing that!’ She whined.

Loki chuckled and put his hands on the arm rests as he leaned down, lips close to hers. ‘I just find it so adorable when you jump, doll.’ He closed the distance and kissed her on the lips softly, taking her breath away.

When he stood up straight, he moved around to perch against the desk. ‘So, how was your day?’ He asked as she turned around to face him.

‘It was good.’ Chloe nodded and looked back to the work on her desk.

Loki frowned and leaned forward, gripping her chin. ‘Don’t lie to me, Chloe.’ His eyes pierced into hers, making her feel like she was trapped if she didn’t tell him the truth.

‘It… was… kinda crap.’ She said sadly.

Loki released her chin, now looking concerned. ‘What happened?’

Chloe ran her hand down her face. ‘There’s these two girls that went to our primary and secondary school. Bullies. Always picked on me, Georgie and Amanda. We tried everything to get them to stop, nothing worked. The teachers were useless. I tried telling them today that they’re adults and should act like it, but it just made them laugh. Throwing bits of paper at us during our lessons today, glaring at us and walking into us in the corridors. Knocking my lunch from my hand. It’s bloody childish, but so annoying. We had no idea they were going to the same college. Not to mention they always put us down about our capabilities of fashion designing.’ She let out a big breath after her rant.

‘Sorry… I just… I hate them so much.’

Loki reached out and cupped her cheek. ‘Don’t apologise. They do indeed sound very childish… What are their names?’

‘Taylor Wilson and Laura Henderson.’ Chloe said without thinking about his question.  

Loki paused, thinking. ‘Don’t fret about them, they won’t bother you anymore.’

Chloe’s eyes widened a little. ‘Wh… No, don’t hurt them!’ She squeaked.

As much as part of her thought she wouldn’t mind if they suddenly… died… She knew that wouldn’t be the right thing to do.

‘Leave it with me, doll.’ Loki stood and pulled his phone out, then started towards the door. ‘No one upsets my girl and gets away with it.’ He growled on his way out.

‘Ohhh shit.’ Chloe groaned and put her head down on the desk, she wasn’t sure if she should’ve told Loki or not now…

-

The following morning Chloe was expecting Ralph to be taking her to college again. But she was a little surprised when she found Loki waiting at the door for her.

‘I’m coming with you to drop you off today.’ He smiled and put his arm around her, kissing the top of her head.

‘Ok….’ She felt her stomach twist in uncertainty.

Loki had a few calls to make on the way there, Chloe just kept quiet and looked out the window. She was in a daze when Loki put his hand on her knee. She turned to look at him, he was smiling at her.

‘I want you to enjoy your time at college, it’s not just an important part of your life but it should also be one of the best. You shouldn’t have to be dreading to go every day because of two pathetic excuses for human beings. I’m glad you told me about them, and I hope you know you can come to me about anything at all. I will do my utmost to help you, ok?’ Loki said firmly, yet with a kindness in his eyes that soothed her.

Though there was a part of her that was still a little worried about what he’d done… Or was going to do.

‘Ok, thank you.’ She nodded.

When they arrived, Loki held the door open for her as she got out. There were many pupils heading into the college gates. Loki walked with her inside the grounds, then he turned to her and cupped her face, leaning down to kiss her. He didn’t care about the public display of affection, neither did she at first as she was lost in the feeling. But then when they stopped, she realised people were looking and whispering as they passed by.

‘Enjoy your day, doll.’ He winked at her.

‘Yeah… Thanks.’ She replied, slightly flustered as she hurried on inside.

By the time she sorted her things out at her locker and then grabbed something to eat from the cafeteria, since she’d not had breakfast before leaving, she got to her first class just on time. People were talking and smiling at her on the way, even holding doors for her when yesterday nobody seemed to give a shit.

She was confused, but shrugged it off. Thinking perhaps yesterday she had just been in a foul mood.

When she got to class, Amanda and Georgie were grinning from ear to ear.

‘What’s going on?’ Chloe asked, sitting down.

‘Why don’t you see for yourself.’ Amanda grinned and motioned with her head to the window that looked out to the front of the building.

Confused, she went and joined other pupils that were looking out. Her eyes widened when she saw Loki with the head teacher, and he was glaring at Laura and Taylor as they were leaving the premises.

‘What the…’ Chloe trailed off.

‘Turns out that Loki owns the damn college. What he says goes. And he wanted those two out.’ Amanda said, joining her by the window.

‘And I wonder why that is?’ Georgie said, joining them both as she nudged Chloe.

Chloe was in shock, she didn’t know what to say.

‘And it’s spread like wildfire that you are his girl. Some saw him kissing you when he dropped you off.’ Amanda grinned.

‘Oh crap.’ Chloe groaned.

‘Hey, Chloe.’ One of their classmates moved down to her. ‘What’s it like with Loki? He’s super hot and rich! You are one lucky girl.’

For Chloe it was much the same for the rest of the day. Other students asking her about Loki, some were just plain scared of her though and avoided her like the plague.

Even though she didn’t want to admit it… She rather liked the way everyone was nice and respectful towards her. Without Laura and Taylor there too, it was like she could finally breathe properly.

At the end of the day, she walked with Georgie and Amanda out of the gates, where she spotted Loki just down the street waiting outside the car.

He took off his sunglasses and smiled at them as they approached.

‘See you tomorrow, Chloe.’ Amanda and Georgie said, then they greeted Loki.

‘Would you girls like a lift?’ Loki offered, opening the door.

‘Sure, thank you!’ Amanda said gratefully, and Georgie thanked him too as they bundled into the back of the car.

‘Good day, doll?’ Loki smiled, slipping his arm around her before she got in.

‘It was… Yeah. Thank you.’ She smiled, blushing a little.

‘You’re welcome.’ Loki gave her a quick kiss, then helped her into the car and got in himself.

Some students saw Georgie and Amanda getting into the car with Loki and Chloe. So after that, they got the same amount of respect that Chloe did… And they certainly weren’t complaining either.

[ask-spider-man-61610]

"...Guuuhhh."

He slumped backwards, falling on his ass, only a few seconds after his last opponent had gone down. His heart was racing. His hands ached from the punches he'd thrown. His costume was soaked with sweat and, in some patches, torn and bloody. One especially determined trafficker had managed to get a knife through the bulletproof fabric, and the resulting gash ached and stung with every labored breath.

One of his eyes was swelling shut under the mask. Blearily, Spider-Man wondered how he'd get that contact lens out intact.

He tried to push himself to his feet, and only made it up on the second attempt. His good eye squeezed shut, Spider-Man took a cartridge of medical webbing off of his hip and used it to seal his scrapes and his stab wound shut, even as he limped over to the hostages in the capsized train car. If he hadn't been so tired and sore he could've pulled the door off singlehandedly, but now he stuck both hands to the metal door and strained for a few seconds before the metal managed to tear away. "Anyone injured?" he called in, too sore to really tell by vibrations alone. "If you're bleeding I can patch it up."

After a few seconds of silence, a shaky hand tried to reach out. Without looking Spider-Man could sense its three fingers and thumb, the odd scaling of its skin, the danger of each sharp claw. Nevertheless he reached in and grabbed the arm by the wrist, pulling its owner out of the wreck as quickly as he dared.

"Thank you," the mutant whispered as Spider-Man started webbing their wounds closed. "I--I didn't know what I was gonna do."

"Die, probably." Spider-Man helped them lean against the train and began to help the next one out.

"Y-you knocked over a train." The fourth or fifth mutant said, wide-eyed, as he pulled them out. "...I didn't know you were that strong."

"I'm not. A little bit of prep time and you can do anything." He checked for more hostages, then looked away, his hand on his injured leg and his brow furrowed beneath the mask. "...I'm forgetting something," he muttered to himself. "What am I forgetting?"

"Should...we go to the police?"

"Hm? God, no," replied Spider-Man, looking back at the rescued mutants. “At best you’d end up right back where you were. More likely you’d just get killed and I’d get framed. Again.”

He gave them instructions on how to keep their heads down until Xavier could get to them, then pointed out the way out of the subway tunnels. As they began to hurry off Spider-Man leaned against the wrecked train and groaned in pain, holding himself up by spite alone. There was no time to sit around feeling sorry for himself. Retriving his backpack from its hiding place, he set to work scouring the train for every scrap of information he could find.

He still didn’t know where exactly the traffickers had been taking mutants, or what for. He didn’t know how long this operation had been underway. He didn’t know how deep it went--it had connections to the Life Foundation in LA, and the police, but was it connected to the CCA? To Albany? Washington?

There was so much he didn’t know. And he was still forgetting something.

Eventually Spider-Man concluded that he’d gathered all the info he could from the train. Optimistically, it would take his laptop a few hours to decrypt the data he’d ripped from the traffickers’ tech, but between this little crash and the damage he’d done to their loading station their operation was over for the foreseeable future. This wasn’t as satisfying as it should have been. For all he knew there were hundreds of mutants still in captivity, being dissected, being brainwashed, dead. But it’d be hours before he could go any further in his investigation, and as long as there were no more mutants being taken in that time, he thought he could be okay with that.

The way home was slow and cumbersome with his body as drained as it was. He walked across rooftops, hopped over streets with small grunts of pain, and made more use of his web-shooters than usual, firing weblines and just letting himself swing rather than put his body through any more effort. He swung through Times Square like this, tucking his knees to his chest as he gave the line a tug, gaining a bit of altitude to hide within the holographic ads. The entrance to the Interspace Terminal passed by beneath him, and as he passed by an LCD screen it switched to his own Wanted poster. He ignored it with a grumble.

Going home in costume wasn’t safe anymore; too many cameras and drones milled through the streets, always searching for unregistered superheroes. So Spider-Man slipped into an alley a few blocks away from his apartment and perched behind a dumpster for a few minutes, waiting. The constant buzzing in his head rose and fell with the passing of pedestrians on the sidewalk, with the flight of drones above, each movement sending pulses of vibration through the ground or the air and each camera or potential weapon sending a small chill through his spine. But eventually it settled slightly, a gap in the traffic, and in that moment Peter Parker slipped out of the alley, his costume hidden beneath a jacket and sweatpants, his scarred and bruised face hidden by a hood.

There was danger in his apartment.

Not just the defenses that he’d hidden throughout his home after Kaos had resurfaced; there were dangerous people. His head snapped up towards the thirty-first floor as he stepped onto the block and froze, his good eye wide with horror. Emjay would be home already, was she safe? It took a long, long second for him to recognize those myriad threatening tingles as people he knew: people with powers, people like him, people he had worked with for years now. He didn’t really relax, but his panic subsided as he headed into his building and started up the stairs.

Was that what he had forgotten? he wondered on his way up. Was there a group mission he was supposed to help with? Or had he talked to them already about the mutant trafficking? It seemed unlikely; his responsibilities stuck in his brain. But that was no reason to rule it out. He accelerated, taking the stairs three at a time, moving as fast as he could without giving away his superhuman nature. As he reached the twenty-somethingth floor he felt quick, hasty movements from within his apartment--they’d definitely sensed him by now; what were they moving to do? He had his keys out as he reached his floor, and was just beginning to slide one into the lock when he felt Emjay’s footsteps and heart approach the door.

Peter lowered his keys as she cracked the door open, amber and freckles and deep brown eyes greeting his vision. Emjay’s attention focused first on his swollen eye, worry flashing across her face, but as his eyebrows jumped in embarrassed acknowledgement she swallowed her reflex. She’d seen him shrug off far, far worse, many times before. Still, the smile that she gave him was subdued, and a little melancholy.

He nodded towards the heartbeats and nagging danger of the Spiders just out of sight. “What’s the occasion?”

That got a better smile. Emjay snorted, her dimples showing, and glanced down for a moment. “I knew you’d forget,” she chuckled as she looked back up at him, and as Peter’s brow furrowed she allowed the door to open completely. “Happy birthday, Tiger.”

Members of the Cluster were either standing around the kitchen’s island counter or seated on the furniture surrounding the coffee table. A few boxes wrapped in paper were piled in both spots, their wrappings gaudy and bright and festive, and each Spider gave Peter either a wave or a verbal greeting. A few of them had beverages already. Poppy in particular had been halfway through a sip from a mug as he entered, and she hastily set it down as she waved. A little girl with heterochromia and fluffy hair dashed up to him and wrapped him in a tight hug, and as he returned it out of habit he watched Piper unveil an incredibly large cheesecake. Peter hated birthday cake. They must’ve been planning this for a few days at least.

A laugh rose up out of Peter’s chest. It started quiet and remained that way: he covered his mouth and looked away as he tried to control his own response. Nothing doing. His shoulders hiked up as an uncharacteristic grin spread across his face, and he closed his eyes and nodded at nothing as he continued to laugh. Thank god they weren’t singing, he reflected, still laughing at himself a little. Emjay must’ve told them he hated that too. He opened his good eye as his laughter managed to trail off, and caught sight of her own shoulders shaking with silent giggles.

“We can wait a little longer if you need us to,” she said, as the Spiders started back into whatever conversation had been interrupted by his arrival. “You know, take a few minutes in the bathroom and patch yourself up. The cheesecake’ll still be here when you’re--eek!”

Damn the injuries. Damn the long and difficult day fighting people. Damn the entire world outside their apartment door, and all the worlds outside that. Damn it all except the people in this room right now, remembering a little part of himself that he’d forgotten, giving him those few hours to indulge and be social and act like something besides the full-time vigilante that was Spider-Man. Peter’s arms wrapped around Emjay’s waist in silent thanks for putting this together, and her feet left the ground as he pulled her close.

Her lips tasted like strawberries and honey.

[doing-an-okay-job-miranda]

Vampire Kisses

Part One: AO3 / Tumblr

AO3 link

Masterlist

Warnings: Mentions of Drider!Virgil, Vampire!Patton, Blood Puns/mention, A little insecurity but this fic is mostly just fluff

Summary:

"Patton!" Roman cried out as he bursts through the door of their inn's room "I'm in love!" The prince rushes forward and flings himself on the bed, causing his sweet vampire to laugh as they bounce.

"Again?" Patton's eyes are fond and crinkle up with his smile. "You haven't even been gone for a day."

"It's not my fault there are so many pretty boys!"

Or Roman goes to his Vampire boyfriend to gush about his Spider crush

----------

Patton!" Roman cried out as he bursts through the door of their inn's room "I'm in love!" The prince rushes forward and flings himself on the bed, causing his sweet vampire to laugh as they bounce.

"Again?" Patton's eyes are fond and crinkle up with his smile. "You haven't even been gone for a day." Still, Patton sits up and crosses his legs all too excited to hear who captured his partner's heart.

"It's not my fault there are so many pretty boys!" Roman drapes his arms over his eyes as he sighs loudly, only peeking up when Patton giggles and leans over him. "You should have seen him, I've never seen such purple eyes before. Oh, how all his eyes widened when I called him gorgeous! You'd think no one recognized his beauty before! It's a crime! It's illegal! I will make it illegal and I will-" The prince is cut off by a soft kiss to his lips, the angle is awkward and upside down as Patton leans him but Roman eagerly leans up and smiles against his lover's lips.

Sadly, Patton pulls back before Roman can get to into it but the prince can't find it in his heart to be upset when he looks up at Patton and sees an angel(despite the more 'unholy' nature of Patton's existence but when Patton smiles with his sharp teeth and soft lips how can Roman be anything but reverent?)

"When do you think I could meet this criminally gorgeous man?" Patton snickers and it takes a moment for Roman to even remember what he was talking about before, how on Earth was he supposed to think clearly with Patton being so cute above him?

But then his stomach drops. "Oh, uh-" Patton watches him, a little concern in sparking in his silver eyes as normally Roman wouldn't hesitate to drag the vampire to the next cute boy he found but this situation is a little different.

There are three things working against him.

Spiders. Roman is sure this is only a minor issue, as the cute Drider isn't an actual spider and while Patton may be a little unsettled at first, his darling would never judge anyone on what they were.

The main issues were that his amethyst lived underground. Patton would never be able to enter such an enclosed space without being reminded what the horror he went through, without reliving the feeling of having to dig himself out of his own grave.

"Should I-" Patton hesitates, hand raising to cover his mouth and hide half of his beautiful face. "Should I not meet him?" Roman knows that look in his eyes too well, the sadness of being reminded that Patton isn't human anymore and that such horrible idiots have the nerve to be scared of the purest ball of sunshine Roman has ever met.

Roman sits up quickly to face the vampire. "No, no, my love, that's not why I'm worried. You know that I would never even entertain the idea of someone who couldn't see what an incredible being you are." He rushes to assure, gently taking Patton's hands and pulling them to rest over his heart. "My heart beats for you, my sweet cloud." Roman finds himself smiling as Patton's face flushes up without fail. "I'm just worried because his home is in a burrow and I'm not sure of my ability to coax him out. I never want to risk your comfort."

There's a moment of quiet between them, Roman watches Patton smile return to him, although a bit sadder than before. "That would sure make my blood run cold."

Apparently watching Roman's expression suddenly drop between soft comfort and utter despair is funny because Patton's expression immediately lights up as Roman groans.

"I really appreciate it, your effort isn't in vein!"

"Patton!" The moment is ruined! The prince finds himself flopping back to lay down once more although the effect is lost a little as he lays his head on Patton's lap.

"Oh! Sorry, was that the final nail in the coffin?" Patton runs his fingers through Roman's hair, gently scratching his scalp and making it really hard to stay upset.

Roman lets out a long-suffering sigh before sealing his fate. "It's a bite too much." He mutters out grumpily but it's a hard battle trying to fight off a grin with how ecstatic Patton looks. He quickly loses said battle when Patton leans over to kiss him again, muffling giggles when Roman catches his bottom lip between his teeth.

They lay there for some time, exchanging kisses and filling the breaths in between with rambles of love, either for each other or for Roman's new crush. The prince couldn't be anything but content, only mildly wishing he had a lovely spider boy curled up beside them to share kisses with as well.

"So what is he?" Patton finally asks the fated question as Roman goes into the less human details of his newly beloved.

"Um, well... He's a Drider?" Roman says with a sheepish grin, carefully watching Patton's expression only to get a confused look as Roman figured that Patton has no idea what that is given the fact before his love died he lived in a very human-only town. "Ah, he's um- well, don't repeat this but he's a spider person. Like a centaur but a spider instead of a horse."

"Oh." Patton makes a cute little 'o' with his lips that Roman has to fight the urge to kiss. "No wonder he has you caught like a fly."

"Oh my lord, he could trap me in his web any day." Roman felt his face heat up with the idea but he quickly shoves those down, the Drider hadn't agreed to be courted yet and the prince sure as heck will respect that.

"Does he have a name or should I wait till I meet him to ask?" Many creatures didn't like they're names being given freely as both Patton and Roman have learned but the question makes the prince pause.

"Oh my fucking Lord." Roman's hands shoot to hide his face, ignoring Patton's small chastising for his language. "Patton!" He whines. "I forgot to ask his name!" The prince's ears heat up as he steals a glance through his fingers at Patton, the vampire with a hand over his mouth to hold back laughter. "Don't laugh at me! Patty, I have to wait a week to see him again! How will I survive?!"

Patton barely stifles his snickers but Roman couldn't truly be upset as the vampire twirls a lock of the prince's hair. "It'll be okay, honey. You just need to B positive."

Roman peeked through his fingers slightly, embarrassment fading a little as he was just more confused now. "I'm afraid I don't get that one, love." The way Patton said it made it obvious it was a joke but Roman is stupid and gay right now, thank you very much.

Patton doesn't take offense though, scratching dulled nails softly into Roman's scalp. "B positive is a blood type." He explains but it only adds to his prince's confusion.

"There are- there are types of blood?" When did that happen? Is this just a vampire thing? "What type am I?"

Patton's fingers paused their movement which is a crime in itself. "You're AB positive. Were you not taught this in your schooling? I've had a conversation about it with Remus before."

"Look," Roman's face immediately heats up again with embarrassment but Patton starts playing with his hair again so not all is lost. "I was taught a lot of things I didn't pay attention to." Schooling was so boring and half of it wasn't even useful, why would he even need to know about blood and stuff? He's not a doctor. "All I need to know is how much of a snack I am."

"I don't know if you'll ever compare to my midnight cookies but you're definitely a close second." Patton's giggles fill the air and Roman has to resist the urge to lean up and kiss him, except he doesn't resist at all and gladly bares his red flustered face to the world to steal Patton's lips for a moment.

"Your cookies are amazing, I don't accept second place but they are a respectable foe."

[kca1516]

Summary:

Draco and Y/N are rivals...until they are most certainly not.

~~~~

This is a oneshot (with potential to be expanded on) where the reader and Draco are enemies through their years in Hogwarts. One day Draco's insult goes too far, and the reader starts avoiding him. Outraged and jealous, Draco tracks her down and forces her to tell him what's wrong.

She finds out not everything is as it seems.

(Gryffindor!reader)

Warnings: Smut, light dom/sub, dom!Draco, angst with a happy ending, slight dub-con (at one point the reader tries to escape from where draco has her pinned, this leads into the smut but the smut is consensual) also this was edited quickly so mistakes will pop up hear and there

This fic can also be found in full on ao3

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26475127

Hope you enjoy the Final Part!

A crisp hint of mint fanned along your face as he held you down. He had removed the hand cupping your lips when he had grabbed for your arms, but you were still left speechless. 

“Answer me, flower,” Malfoy demanded, body all but covering your own. 

You had no wiggle room to escape, or turn the tables on him. Though you tentatively tested for slack, you already knew he would never make it that easy for you. 

Your brain was already running wild with ways to throw his plot back in his face.

Oh, how you had missed this. 

In just a week you had managed to forget the precise way Draco Malfoy made your blood boil for a fight, needy to spit in his face and tear him down to nothing. You had been longing to fall into this role, craving what you had gone too long without.  

“What the hell are you doing, Malfoy?” you sniped, knowing it would only make him stir crazy.

Avoiding his question, and talking back? You were in for a show, but now way in hell would you have ever let him get answers from you so easily. 

“Taking to hiding in darkened corridors isn't your style. How you do love an audience.”

He shoved your wrists down on the wall again, sending a jolt through your body. Hatred bubbled like tar within your veins.

“You don’t want to play games with me right now, flower,” he snarled, “maybe if you had bothered to so much as glance at me this week I wouldn’t have been pushed to such drastic measures.”

Maybe for the first time ever, Draco was mad at you. Truly mad at you. 

Good.

Even from the first fight between the two of you there had always been an element of enjoyment you’d both deny, but this was different. This was the collision you had both been waiting for, and exhilaration lit your nerve endings.

“Answer the damn question, what the hell has been up with you.”

You answered with enough cheek that you knew would spur on the clouds gathering in his stormy eyes.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I am terribly flattered you were so bothered by my presence...or lack thereof.”

You glowed with satisfaction, knowing you had caught him. On one hand, he’d have to admit that he had been keeping tabs on you this week in order to get answers. On the other he could save his dignity and brush you off, but he’d have to let you and your well guarded secrets go. 

You should have known Draco would always be ready with a third option. 

Eager to take the power back, you quickly found one of his hands wrapped precariously around your neck. With his newfound leverage, he tipped back your head so it scrapped against the stone’s behind you. Your breath hitched as a fire erupted low in your abdomen. 

Long, spider web fingers splayed possessively along your skin. The light pressure trying to convince you that you had no control in this situation. 

He would get what he wanted one way or another. 

You couldn’t find it in yourself to be that upset about it. 

Even though your right arm was free now, you knew better than to take it from where Draco had left it. Though you made sure he knew he hadn’t won yet.  

“Pinning me down isn’t going to make me magically know what you’re throwing a bitch fit over,” you pointed out.

You could have sworn you saw the beginnings of a smile because of it, but any hint of laughter quickly turned back into a scowl. That worried you. He really wasn’t going to let this go until he had answers, and you didn’t know if you could stomach giving in.

“Pinning you down might not stop you from lying, flower, but it does make you quiver. That might just make it worth it.”

Your jaw dropped just enough to let him know he had caught you off guard. As much as you didn’t want it to, your heart beat wildly against your chest. Hard enough that you wouldn’t be surprised if Draco felt it, too. 

A mirroring pulse drummed up somewhere else as well, you firmly ignored it. 

“I-I still don’t know what you’re talking about,” you managed to say, though you knew you weren’t fooling anyone. 

You were going to stick to your story until you couldn’t anymore

That’s what snapped Draco back into his rampage, and you almost felt sorry for it. 

“Don’t know what I’m talking about?” he said, a growl to his words, “how about the fact that you’ve been avoiding me for a week? Or when every time I call your name you disappear? How about the fact that when I was finally able to track you down you were all but snogging Potter in the library? Tell me one more time that you don’t know what I’m talking about, Y/N, and we are going to have a serious problem.”

Despite Draco having just admitted to being jealous over seeing you with Harry, ammunition you could have so easily used to get yourself out of this interaction, that wasn’t what stuck in your mind.

No, you were too busy mulling over the fact that he had just called you by your first name.

You didn’t think you had heard him, seriously, call you by your first name since your first year together. 

It was always flower. 

Goddamn flower in his attempt to knock you down with the ridiculous pet name. 

Where once you had made the mistake of letting on that it bothered you, now you had grown used to it. 

It had become almost comforting hearing him spit the title like a curse. It had become ridiculously enticing the way it dripped from his tongue so naturally. You would even admit to dreams where he had whispered the name in your ear while he explored your body.

So when he shouted your first name, it slammed you back down into reality. A reality where you were hurt, and wounded, and the truth was he didn’t care at all. His pet had stopped playing with him, and he had come to find out why. That was all this was.

You viscously cut away the longing that had sprouted inside of you like poisonous weeds, and closed yourself off from Draco. The gentle circles his thumb was making against your jawline came to a sickening halt. 

You knew he could tell that something had changed.

“No,” he said, almost to himself, “stop it. You’ve never run from me before.”

If you bothered to notice, you might have heard the pleading desperation in his voice, but you were oblivious to the true meanings of his words. Rightfully, you were too blinded by the persona he had adopted well enough to fool even you. You saw nothing but a self centered, egotistical bastard with nothing but ice lining his bones.

“Fuck you, Malfoy,” you sneered, “fuck you, let me go.”

You began struggling against his grip, despite knowing you wouldn’t get far. Nonetheless, you brought your hand down banging it against his chest in hopes to push him away. You didn’t know if you could bear letting him see you crack and fissure. 

Draco wasn’t going to let you go anywhere. He quickly recaptured your wayward wrist, and pushed his hips forward to keep you from bucking. Whatever vulnerability he might have shown you before was gone.

A wicked chuckle fell from his lips. A shiver trailed down your spine.

“Did you really think that would work, flower?” he said, “God, I’ve let you get away with too much; you think you can bite back at me like that? Remember that day in the hall, when you thought it would be wise to threaten me. You pushed your wand against my throat.”

You shivered, falling still as you remembered. It had been the memory you had been fixated on all damn week. 

He took your silence as answer. 

“It would have been so easy to grab your wrist and twist, unarming you without even using a spell. I wanted to pull you in so your back was to me, and lift up your skirt so I could paint your ass red. Then once I had you crying I’d give it to you good. The way you’ve been begging me to give you for years.”

Your breath hitched. 

All those times the two of you had cursed, and screamed, and bantered with each other. You realized now more than ever that it had always only been foreplay.

You had never actually thought it would lead anywhere. For the first time, he was bringing into light the unspoken truth between the two if you. 

You both knew that should you give into it, nothing would ever be the same.

A week ago you would have given in like you craved to now. A week ago you would have eagerly let him paint bruises on your skin. A week ago you would have never looked back.

We are a different breed.

You couldn’t unhear it. 

You were not his toy to play with and then discard once he made a fool out of you. 

His forehead was resting on the side of your head as he breathed promises of release, of relief, in your ear. 

But you weren’t done yet.

“Sure I wouldn’t be too disgusting to you,” you spit out cold and detached, “are you sure you’d be able to stomach having someone like me? Someone who’s barely more than dirt when compared to the all mighty, pureblood, you?” 

You felt him freeze against you, and any hope you had of this being real crumbled. A cold, detached laugh fell from your lips, though you couldn’t feel yourself release it. Tears burned in your eyes, and this time you weren’t strong enough to resist them. 

“That’s what I thought,” you murmured, unafraid to catch his eye now that he had broken your heart, “let go of me, Malfoy. I am not your animal.”

Draco didn’t move, you weren’t sure that he could. 

He could only stare at you, watching you shatter as if he was seeing you for the first time. Like he had finally found the final piece that completed the puzzle.

You started fighting his hold as a sob escaped you. You hated that even now you didn’t feel panic rise in you, even like this you trusted him. You struggled, and tried to kick and bite at him, but he just stood there pinning you. He was barely moved by your efforts as he let you wear yourself out. 

Finally, with a frustrated cry you stopped. You dropped your head, defeated and unable to stop the river clawing its way into your splotchy cheeks. Humiliation, that’s what it was.

“There you go, flower,” Draco said, oddly gently, “let it out, I’m here Y/N.”

“Shut up,” you all but hissed.

One of his hands reached down to firmly grip your chin. Draco jerked your face upwards so you couldn’t escape his gaze as he stripped you of your defenses until you were left bare. 

“You know better than to speak to me like that, flower,” he said, “I’ll let it slide only this once, but I mean it when I say I’m done letting you get away with the disrespect.”

To your surprise, your tears became sluggish until they came to a halt. You felt more focused than you had in days. Is this what happened when you finally let yourself give in? 

“Now,” he said, gentler, “I need you to know this, Y/N, you were never supposed to hear what I said to Blaise that day. Just not for the reason you’ve concluded, though I can’t blame you for coming to the conclusion you did.  Hearing him-”

Draco all but snarled.

“-hearing him talk about you like that makes my blood boil. Same way it kills me to see you and Potter cozying up in the library or at dinner or-”

“What’s your point,” you cut in, voice soft and hoarse from crying.

But a sliver of defiance, the thing that had drawn Draco to you in the first place, crept in.

Draco shot you a promising smirk.

“I had to shut him up,” he continued regardless, “I’m not proud of this, but I said the first thing that I knew would put an end to the topic. I’m not saying it was right, but it’s the truth. If you really think I view you as nothing more than an animal, a pet to parade around, you’re wrong. You’re mine Y/N. You’ve been mine since the first time I lay eyes on you, and I am very possessive of what belongs to me.”

You wanted to believe him.

You wanted to believe him so bad. 

He was confirming every secret thought you’d had concerning the Slytherin. You were his, he was yours. That’s how it had been for so long. Now you had forgotten what it was like to pretend any differently. 

But the spit of his insult didn’t leave you so easily, not when you had obsessed about it for a week. The balm of his promises could only do so much. You had to make sure he was telling the truth.

“Why should I believe you,” you said simply.

 Draco dragged his touch down your arms until he was cupping your face, knowing you weren’t going anywhere, not now. He rested his forehead on yours, gently brushing the tips of your noses together. 

“Let me show you that I never meant a word of I said that day. You’re mine, Y/N.”

Your gaze traveled past the slope of his nose to his lips whispering sweet words that warped your brain, and pulled you deeper into fantasy the two of you were living now.

You knew what he was insinuating.

 For once, you didn’t care. You didn’t care if he was lying, or if he would drop you tomorrow. Thunder rumbled outside, and if this was the only time you could have him, you couldn’t pass up this chance to make him yours. 

You pushed forward, giving your answer with a brush of your lips against his. It wasn’t a real kiss, more like a preview, but it unleashed a tidal wave you wanted to drown in.

Draco growled as you pulled back before he delved in any deeper. 

“I can’t be gentle with you, flower,” he said, “tease me and I’ll tear you apart. Make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into.”

Now it was your turn to smirk. You’d had just about enough of him thinking you were completely helpless, and at his mercy. He had control only if you gave it to him.

“After all this time, and you still believe that I want it gentle?” you whispered against his cheek, breathing him in with a hunger that matched the swell of his pupils. 

You hated him.

You still didn’t know if he was telling the truth in concern to the Blaise situation, but the need inside you had grown too strong.

“I’m going to ruin you, flower.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

The words had barely fallen before his lips crashed into yours, and by then none of it mattered. It didn’t matter if he was lying, or if you hated each other, or that you hadn’t talked in a week. Not when he was licking wide strips into your mouth and possessively biting at your lips. 

Draco’s hands dug into the flesh of your hips, and you knew that there would be bruises by the morning. They were only a preliminary of the ones he had promised to write into your skin, but you knew those would have to be saved for a later date. For now you were content to devour each other as your worlds aligned perfectly.   

He untucked your shirt from your skirt, and trailed his hands to the underside of your breasts. You whined softly, making it very clear that you wanted his hands to continue their ascent. However, Draco didn’t plan to give you everything you wanted, even if this was his way of apologizing.

He hummed against your lips.

“Did you really think I’d make it that easy for you?”

You nipped at his kiss swollen lips, now a deep pink. 

“Did you forget who's apologizing right now?” you replied.

A sudden moan of pleasure-pain fell from your lips as Draco effortlessly slipped his hand under your bra cup and ruthlessly pinched your nipple.

“Oh that is beautiful, flower,” he said, all too smug as he rendered you speechless, “I’ve been wanting to put you in your place for so long.”

“Draco,” you moaned as the pressure never gave up, and he started in on the other one. Your hands gripped at his arms to steady yourself, even as you pushed your chest into his touch despite the zipline of electricity that heated your core. 

“Shhh, there you are,” he said gently removing his hands, “but you aren’t wrong. I did promise you an apology, and I plan to follow through.”

Before you could even process what was happening, Draco Malfoy slipped down to his knees before you. 

Your cheeks heated as you realized what he was about to do.

You greedily took in the sight before you. 

Draco was stunning. 

The smell of rain and static swept the hallway, ruffling his hair as a flash of light illuminated his sharpened smirk. 

Draco slowly rolled up the sleeves of his black button down, revealing the veins that danced and entwined up his arms. 

“I always knew you’d get on your knees for me one day,” you quipped, trying to seem unaffected. 

Neither of you were fooled.

You were met with a sharp sting as Draco’s open hand came down hard on the inside of your bare thigh. You bit your lip to hold in the moan, though no one would have been able to hear it over the pounding of the rain that had just begun.

“Watch your cheek,” he said, grounded in reality while you felt like you were floating even though he had barely touched you yet.

“Yes, Draco,” you said, breathy and hazy.

His hands came to squeeze at your thighs before going higher, and hooking in the waistband of your underwear. You imagine they would be meeting the floor soon enough.

“Good girl,” he said and ripped the fabric in two.

You felt a gush of slick coat the beginnings of your thighs as a soft moan left your lips. No one you had been with before had ever taken so much control with you. You were coming to find that it might have been why those relationships didn’t last. 

“You like that flower? Like being my good girl?”

His thumb came to rest on your clit. He began to make slow, tortuous circles with the pad of his thumb while one of his fingers came to tease at the beginnings of your entrance. 

“Fuck, Y/N, your soaked. I guess that answers my question.”

You were barely able to hear him with the way you were working so hard to keep your noises to yourself. 

You were in a public hallway afterall. Abandoned or not, anyone could come walking along and stumble upon them if they weren’t careful. 

Your silence was not what Draco wanted. 

Suddenly, his touch was completely gone from your person. You couldn’t hold in the gasp at the loss of touch.

“No,” you pleaded, legs shaking from the pleasure taken away from you.

You didn't care that it only fed into Draco’s superiority complex; you needed him back on you now.

“So needy, flower, you’re so goddamn needy, but I did make you a promise. I’m going to eat you out until my face is glistening, and you’re going to put your hands in my hair. If I don’t think you’re being loud enough I’m going to stop for thirty seconds, and we’re going to start over again. Got it?”

Your knees almost buckled, and you would have fallen if he wasn’t already balancing you. 

“But there could be people-”

“Let them hear. Let them know just how good I’m taking care of what’s mine.”

One of his hands wrapped itself around your knee, and true to his word he hiked it up to his shoulder. Using one hand to balance your hip, and the other to help elevate your leg, he looked up at you. Despite your position there was no second guessing exactly who was in control.

“Are you going to be loud for me? Are you going to be my good girl?”

As if in answer your hands found their way into his hair, sorting your fingers through each strand.

Thunder rattled the castle.

“Yes,” you said meekly.

“Yes, what?” he urged, biting at your inner thigh until you knew he must have broken skin. You keened high and loud in the back of your throat.

“Y-yes, Draco,” you moaned as he licked the bruise.

“One day I’m going to leave my mark on every inch of your skin.”

Without any more hesitation he pulled your hips closer to his mouth and delved in. Your breath escaped you accompanied by a high whine in your throat as his lips closed around your clit. He played with the nub before opening his mouth wider so his tongue slithered down to your opening.   

“Fuck, Draco,” you all but screamed. 

He didn’t waste time, thrusting his tongue deep inside you. He caressed your walls as if to gather up every last drop hidden inside of you.

He pulled his tongue out right as you began to thrust your hips into his mouth. 

You whined momentarily at the loss before you realized he had removed one of his hands from your waist. Two of his fingers probed gently at your hole before thrusting in hard. It didn’t take him long to curl the pads of his fingers so they brushed the spot inside of you that made you wail. 

“My good girl,” he said as he emerged from underneath your skirt, his face dripping, “my flower.”

“More, Draco please,” you cried over and over with every thrust of his fingers.

“Who am I to deny you,” he said, and dove back in.

Now each thrust of his fingers was met with him tonguing your clit. His teeth scraped the knot of nerves every so often to make you tighten the hold you had in his hair.   

The tightening in your gut began to build with every sloppy thrust of his fingers.

“I’m close-so close,” you all but sobbed, “Please-just a little bit-”

Draco added a third finger. Your walls stretched to a new limit, as his tongue continued to play with your clit. 

You thrust down hard, and your eyes rolled to the back of your head. 

With a flash of lightning you cried your final release.  

You exploded onto Draco’s fingers and tongue as he worked you over, making sure not to take out his fingers until your walls spasmed with oversensitivity.

Gently he removed the stimulation.

He was all too composed for your liking. Not when you looked the way you did with your hair knotted, your clothes a rumpled mess, and your knees about to give out on you. 

“Finally found the perfect way to get you to agree with me,” Draco said as he licked your slick off of his fingers.

Proving his point, you didn’t have the energy to fight back.

“Draco,” you said, as your knees finally gave out.

Right before your ass would have hit the ground, and probably broke your tailbone, a body was there to steady your own. Draco brought you down slowly, and situated you so you were leaning against his chest while he leaned against the wall. 

“There you are, flower. It’s okay. I’ve got you,” he said gently, kissing the side of your head.

You couldn’t help but lean into it, even as your doubts began to trickle back in.  

“Draco,” you said, making your tongue work even though it felt sluggish in your mouth, “tell me this was real, even if it’s a lie.”

A hand came to wrap around your throat, giving you something real to latch onto as you came down from your high. His hand turned your head so you could see him.

“This was real, flower. Now that I’ve got you, I’m never letting you go. This is only the beginning. Rest now, the storm has only just begun.”

His arms came to wrap around you, and even though the two of you were seated on the cold ground, you felt warm and alive. 

You kissed the underside of his jaw as the rain poured from the sky outside.

The End