#how do you sleep at night knowing your destroying one of the most beloved characters in the world?????

[taylorsabrina]

watching snow white for the first time in 20+ years and i'm weeping.

[lyrical-fics]

I Wanna Be The One You Think About At Night, And I Wanna Be The One That You Would Put Up A Fight For.

Song: Flaming Hot Cheetos - Clairo

Synopsis: Who would fight for you, who would think about you non-stop, and who would do both?

Characters: Ei, Jean, Ningguang

A/N: Do not attack me, these opinions are personal 🥲 btw I may have gotten a bit carried away at Ningguang’s, sorry that my favoritism is showing 😭😭

Who would fight for you?

As the electro archon, Ei will not be afraid to throw hands if people were to ever talk shit about you. She’s not that good with her words since she has kept herself locked inside her Plane of Euthymia for 500 years, so the least she could do is protect— in her words— your precious soul away from people that are not even worth 1 mora.

“N—no! Please, I’ll do anything! I’ll apologize! I’m sorry! Don’t hurt me!”

Her determination to absolutely destroy this man is unwavering, eyes full of disgust and the air that surrounds is electrifying. Her intimidating demeanor contrasts her gentle and calm voice.

“Oh? So you think a little ‘sorry’ is enough to fix what you’ve done? You deserve a lifetime—”

“Ei? What’s going on?” you ask while walking into the room, your voice immediately catching the attention of your beloved and the other.. thing. Scanning your eyes around the place, you see the guy kneeling down and immediately rush to him to check for any injuries. The guy was absolutely distraught. His face resembled a chalk due to how pale he became with his interaction with Ei. He even looked like he was about to pass out.

Your beloved watched as you checked up on the guy, shocked that you still had guilt and remorse left for him. Especially the fact that you forgave him for doing such an unforgivable thing. Spreading rumors about you using her for power? There was no way she nor the shogun would allow that.

As you finally finished making sure the guy was okay, you told him to leave. You knew this act greatly shocked your lover, so you walked up to her and gently cupped her face with both hands.

“Ei, it’s okay. What he did was harmless, and I honestly don’t mind it. There’s more things your pretty face can worry about, hm? And you wouldn’t want your reputation to be damaged just because they said meaningless things now, would you?”

Truthfully, she would rather have a destroyed reputation than having nobodies speak about you in such an unpleasant way. But seeing you speak so softly really calmed her down. And maybe— just maybe— she’d be willing to let him go, but not without asking Miko to damage his reputation a bit. Just “a bit.”

“Alright, if that’s what you want,” she mutters while closing her eyes and melting into your touch even more.

You leaned in and gently kissed her, giggling as you sense her chasing after your lips while you pull away.

“Thank you, Ei.”

Who would think about you nonstop?

Jean has always been putty to the thought of love. But being in love with you? You just turned her into a mess! When you two weren’t dating yet, she would giggle like a high school girl to the thought of you. Always thinking about what you’re doing, how you are, and getting worried sick when she hears that you get in trouble. Now that you two are dating, it gets even worse! Often asking if you’re okay and sometimes when she’s still drowned in paperwork (which is most of the time), in need of your presence, she’ll ask knight or one of her trusted friends to call you and then next thing you know, you’re sat on her comfortable lap.

Slumping in her chair, the dandelion knight groans at the sight in front of her, a whole stack of paperwork. Great, just as she planned to finally come home to you early. She then proceeds to massage her temples before continuing her ongoing work.

“If only Y/N was here..” she thought and chuckles to herself, “I wonder, what could she be doing right now? Sleeping, most probably”

“Actually, that guess is incorrect. As far as I know, I’m inside the office of my favorite acting grandmaster,” you say, grinning at the way her head instantly tilts up to your voice.

She looks so stressed, new eye bags appearing and you could tell she was having a headache right now. But it all seemed to disappear as soon as she saw your face, her body finally feeling at peace.

“My love? What are you doing here? It’s late, and you should be asleep at this time.. and you do know that I’m the only acting grandmaster here, right?”

“Oh come on Jean, loosen up a bit, hm?” you reply, walking over to her and sitting at her lap while embracing her.

“Lisa called me, she told me that you looked like you needed a Vitamin Me.” you said, laughing softly and burying your face into her neck to breathe in her scent. “And she was right.”

Her face immediately burns at the fact that Lisa was indeed correct. Maybe all she needed was you, after all. As she wraps her left arm gently around your waist, she props her head on your shoulder, finally allowing her body to fully relax.

“See? I told you, you needed rest.”

“You are my rest.”

Who would do both?

Oh Ningguang. Being with her is just like a dream, you know? She’s gorgeous, dominating, rich, caring, but most of all— loving. Oh? These people are bothering you? Well, considering that she’s the Tianquan of Liyue, she doesn’t mind pulling a string or two just to get rid of groups that are causing you any type of trouble. Not like the citizens would ever suspect her of doing anything like that. In addition, since she’s busy most of the time and doesn’t get to spend time with you a lot, she thinks about you so much. So the least she could do is ask one of her many servants to take care of you. But don’t fret, she’ll make sure to come home to you every night to make up for lost time.

“Y/N, dear, I’m back,” she says softly, careful not to wake you up if you were ever asleep.

“Mm.. Ning.. Ningguang?” you groggily respond, your eyes barely open. If only you could see the wide grin plastered on her face. You just looked so adorable!

She carefully places her hand on your cheek and lightly kisses your forehead. It’s moments like these where you truly feel at peace. Moments like these are where she makes you feel like you deserve the love you receive even if you consistently protest against that fact.

Ningguang closes the lights before laying down in your shared bed, wrapping her hands around your waist and letting her senses be completely enveloped by you. You, the one who makes her forget all her worries and the stress she’s received all throughout the day, replacing it with gratitude towards the archons for gracing her a person like you.

You turned around to face her and relish more in her embrace. Saying your ‘i love you’s and ‘goodnight’s before you allowed yourself to start drifting off to sleep.

She remained awake looking at you, simply admiring your whole being. She stayed like that for a while before closing her eyes and muttering a few words.

“I love you— so much more than you think I do. And while we’re still alive, I will not hesitate to prove just how much I love you and everything you do.”

[savingthrcw]

what if the point of her character is that she doesn't have a super specific past or personality because she's The Liar which can make her fit in pretty much any fandom - birth name is Elizabeth but the name she feels most real to her is Stella, because it was given to her by her baby sister. Goes by whatever name feels more appropriate around your muse.

And like, when she's herself she's chill and uncaring at the same time, would definitely spend her days having cocktails by a pool after a night of dancing, either living the Life or eating McDonald to cure her hungover (or the historical version of trash food), can't stop conning even if she's rich because she still can't resist a good crime, probably has a mountain of diamonds somewhere. Especially can't stop when she can punish someone who is being cruel.

But when she's LYING, she can be anything and anyone. Her gift, which she excels at, has always been to lie/con/act, BUT she decided to use it for good after she found out how nice it felt to help people (Leverage style) or avenge them or whatever else she can offer, and she's the kind of conwoman who gets Christmas cards from her former marks because either they never found out she tricked them or were still charmed after discovering the fact (again, Leverage style, if you've seen it think of Sophie). She WILL even give away her beloved money if it means saving people, but she'll do it while complaining a lot. She will destroy those who scam sick people too. She's got no fighting skills but has connections that can make her dangerous.

If you want to interact maybe she's "working" or maybe she's at the point of retiring, or she's being hired to do her job by the other person, or, more easily, your muse or a person close to your muse is the NICE type, and she feels compelled to help when they are in trouble, especially if it means freeloading for a while. She could be in the police's radar in certain fandoms and tasked to help (technically there is no charge against her whether because her fake identities are the wanted criminals or because like I said her marks just can't hold it against her)

shippy wise: she's only good at flirting when she's acting a role (she gets shy if flirted with otherwise, she's not that smooth). I historical/fantasy fandoms she's a widow, who impulse-married a boy she was in love with as soon as she was of age, already thinking of retiring by then and staying out of the game while married (because yes, she was already into this as a kid, her whole family is a mess of criminals) but he died a couple of years later and she was done with romantic commitment for the time being, at least in her real personal life. In modern verses she didn't marry the guy, life just got harder so they simply split up and she went back to what she was good at. Also, she DOESN'T sleep with her marks to con them, she only sleeps with men she actually likes. She claims it's because it'd make the game too easy and she likes a challenge. If a guy is too kind and gullible as opposed to a gullible bastard, she CANNOT con him, she doesn't have the heart for that.

and if anyone is interested let me know!

specific of fandoms where she can't just be human:

baldur's gate 3: a bard with very high charisma and deception obviously, and maybe spells to charm people.

dragon age: rogue and spy, bit like Leliana. Still has spells to charm enemies.

grishaverse: a tailor who specialized in changing her own face first but besides that she's the same person from the bio

marvel/DC: can be a completely normal person dragged in for her ability to lie or, if it works better for our plot, an alien with the same skills but also the ability to make people believe ONE lie at a time until she drops it (the rest is up to her regular acting)

ouat: part of Robin Hood's gang at first but moved because she wants to make more money, would be a tax collector when cursed

merlin: a sorceress that has obviously a lot of extra charming powers but much like in the mcu cannot and will not abuse of that power

icons not mine! credit to hollowedartist and buffyism

[flutteringfable]

cael and scara brainrot time bc they make me all soft and giggly

no warnings only fluff

~~~

cael gives scara the domestic life he never got to experience. they live together in cael’s house post-shouki-no-kami. during lunch breaks at the akademiya, scara makes a point to visit the cafe where cael works, even if he isn’t getting lunch there.

they get home around the same time and spend the evenings curled up on the sofa while they chat about their days and eat dinner. cael likes to hold scara in his lap and wrap himself around scara as much as he can. scara sleeps with his head resting against cael’s chest to hear his heartbeat and his doll tucked securely in his arms (if u don’t know abt his doll PLLSSSS go check it out its the little extra blurb besides the vision one in his character story and it is the cutest thing ever)

just,,,, scara getting to live a domestic life free from any pressure about losing loved ones or having to fight to get what he wants is literally everything to me i just want this man to have a better life.

~~~ scara sneaking cael in to see the shouki no kami. it’s incredibly late at night, so dottore and the sages are gone. he leads cael to the room, and when they draw closer, he makes cael close his eyes.

when cael sees the mech, he’s in awe. scara tells him about how it works, and it’s the most excited cael has ever seen him. once scara is done explaining, he smiles over at cael, who’s grinning in return.

“so, are you thrilled to know your beloved is going to become a god soon?”

“a god, huh…? i suppose that would make me your first disciple, then, my lord.”

scara gets so flustered cael has to apologize.

~~~

cael finding scara after the shouki no kami is destroyed, bringing him home to tend to his wounds and bathe him. scara is still devastated from the battle, and cael comforts him quietly all evening.

scara may not be a god or even a harbinger anymore, but he’s still everything to cael.

~~~

scara getting to hold gabriel for the first time.

shoot, even getting to see his and cael’s son for the first time brings him to tears he didn’t know he had. he’s so afraid when cael hands gabriel to him; scared he’ll do something wrong or that their son won’t like him, but as soon as gabriel settles against his chest and falls asleep, his doubts are washed away. he gazes down at the tiny, kitten-like baby in his arms and silently promises the world to him.

~~~

hope you enjoyed the softness, i like writing them being happy and soft bc scara deserves more happy and soft things in his life.

feel free to talk to me about them, they are everything to me and i could talk for hours about these silly little guys.

[roscgcld]

RYOMEN SUKUNA || we will meet again

anime: jujutsu kaisen

characters: ryomen sukuna

pronouns: she/her

proof read: N/A

"Promise me...that one day, we will meet again."

Back in the day, when Jujutsu Sorcerers were at their prime, lived a Cursed Spirit who goes by the name Sukuna. Once a human Sorcerer himself, he had somehow managed to create himself into the Jujutsu world's most feared Cursed Spirit. He was dubbed 'the King of Curses' and rained terror over the human and jujutsu world; with super natural powers and a sadistic personality to match the title. Everyone who has crossed him shook in absolute fear.

That was, of course, before he met a particular princess.

She was a beautiful woman; the daughter of one of the then king’s favourite concubines. Born with the alluring beauty of her mother, and a heart of gold, it was hard to ignore her presence when she walked into a room. 

She was brought up in the palace, where she was given the title as princess; but she will never sit on the throne of the kingdom her father rules over. As only the King’s wife is allowed to bear the heir that will sit on the throne. She didn’t mind, she had never desired such power to begin with. Even if she was going to be married off to one of the many foreign princes asking for her hand in marriage, she didn’t care about titles. 

Since she was never destined to sit on the throne, her father had given her quite the freedom to do as she pleases. With all her free time, she tends to use it connect to the people of her kingdom; helping the needy during their time of need, always purchasing things from the local vendors and merchants that have travelled long and far. She is beloved by the people, and shines a light on the royal family that makes them more human instead of the godly image that is projected onto the royal family.

Anyone who meets her would fall in love for her - and apparently not even Cursed Spirits were the exception.

The princess have always love spending her time out in nature - horse back riding with a few of the guards in training, swimming in the river that her brothers love to hunt by, learning about the different plants and herbs from the doctors that go out foraging for medical herbs. So it came to the surprise to no one when Sukuna stumbled onto the princess by accident on the riverbed.

Sukuna had not expected to see any human about as he goes about his walk deep in the woods. It was one of those rare moments to himself where he does not necessarily have anything he needed to do on hand, and also the few rare moments where he does not have a mob of sorcerers up his ass. He was just enjoying the sounds of nature and the soft wind blowing against his kimono when he heard what sounded like a human's laughter coming from the river near by. At first he was curious, since no human usually ventures this deeply into the woods. At the same time, he had wanted to ignore it, since humans are just a pain in the ass to deal with even if they can't see you. However, there was something so alluring about that soft giggle that had him wanting to see just who this annoying brat was. So, without even him realising what was happening, his feet quietly walked towards the river and before he knew it, he had pushed the last branch aside to peek over at the river bed curiously. Sitting before him on a flat rock by the river was a woman with flowing hair, her small feet dipped into the running water below as her hands reached forward to play with a few of the fishes that swam by. The pink fabric of her furisode laid behind her like a pink halo, showcasing the intricate sakura trees and flowers that were sown into the fabric. The aura around her was relaxed and peaceful, and somehow just seeing her brings him a sense of peace. As if she could sense his stare, the woman suddenly pauses before she turns to look over her shoulder curiously; bright and seemingly glowing eyes meeting his red ones head on. Sukusa felt the world around him come to a stop as the eyes of the princess before him trapped him on the spot, causing him to loose all train of thought from before. "Oh - were you wanting to sit here too?"

"Huh?"

The casual way she just asked him that question definitely threw him off. The woman actually just lets out a soft laugh at his dry answer. "It's alright - we can share the space if you don't mind." She commented, a teasing tone taking over her voice as she patted the free spot beside her. "I promise I don't bite."

If she had known just who this man was, she might actually understand how ironic her sentence was. But Sukuna decided not to comment on it as he quietly makes his way towards her, sitting down at the spot beside the princess whose eyes had already returned to the river before her. "The water feels extra nice today. And there is more fishes then usual." She conversed with the man casually, causing Sukuna to wonder if she is pretending to be as dense as she is right now. "How are you so calm right now? I mean, do you see a 10ft tall human with four arms every day or what? Your reaction is sort of dull." 

The princess pauses in thought as she thinks, looking far too relaxed by his side. "I have always been able to see...odd things." She started off with a soft hum, glancing over at the man beside her with a soft smile. "I have asked people around me before, and after realising that I am the only one who can see them, I decided to ignore them." She admitted, running her dry hand through her hair softly. "But if I am being honest, this is the first time one has actually ever spoken to me."

"Well, I'm not the everyday curses." He said with a slightly proud tune in his voice, to which the princess beside him looks up at the taller man with interest. "Every day curses are small things, I am basically what people in my world call a Special Grade Curse." He continued, and for some reason, when he saw how her eyes were staring up at in him awe, he looked away with a light blush on his face. He doesn't even know what was about her that drags out these human-like emotions from him - he had never felt like this ever before.

"Special Grade Curse?" She echoes back with curiosity, to which the man beside her just nods softly as he leans back to rest on the free arms, the other two crossed across his chest. Suddenly she turned to face him, her eyes shining so brightly with excitement that it caused Sukuna to squint a little. "Can you explain just what you are to me a little more?"

One question was all it took to have Sukuna falling, and if he was being honest - he actually didn’t mind spending so much time on this little human. From sharing stolen nights in her bedroom in the royal palace, to sneaking out to just go to the riverbed where the met for the first time; they even spent time just wandering about his domain. It was actually during these small explorations of the world around them that created a special bond between the two.

For her, he was her escape from the restrictive and repetitive routine of royal life. For him, she was his utopia, a person he can turn to whenever he feels like just killing everyone around him. Soon though, these emotions sprouted into something deeper and more personal. It was jarring at first, falling for a human - but he knows that she was worth it all.

He remembers the way her eyes shone brightly with a constant look of innocence in them, yet she is mature and realistic enough to know that not everything is sunshine and rainbows. He remembers the way she carries herself, her warm and loving smile, how content he felt whenever she wrapped her arms around him. He loves the feeing of her soft hair that tumbles around her face in soft waves, how it feels like silk whenever he runs his fingers through them. How with just one glance, she can fill the void in his heart that he didn't know existed.

Yet they were never set to happy ending to begin with.

It was during just what started off like a normal day when the town the princess was in was suddenly invaded by a rival kingdom’s army. Their goal was to conquer and take over the kingdom with any means necessarily; meaning that the royal family had to go.

Uraume had entered his hideout, panting with wide eyes as they told Sukuna of the town now plunging into chaos. Within seconds the Cursed Spirit was up and sprinting towards the royal palace, great fear and anger gripping him from within. Entering through the destroyed doors of the grand palace, he ignored the screams of anguish of the others around him as he ran straight towards one of the buildings - the building where the royal sleeping chambers were located.

When he finally found her room, he felt like his heart was ripped out of his chest at the sight before him.

The once beautifully crafted shoji doors with panels decorated in a beautiful forest scene now laid in tatters, the furniture inside looking as if though a huge scuffle had happened. Rushing deeper into the room, he felt his heart sank to its stomach when he saw the splatters of blood leading towards the small room where the princess would sleep in.

Entering the back room, his red eyes scanned over the many splatters of blood about the room, the red handprints of the princess smeared across the ornate walls whilst the body of the princess laid on her futon; the sheets now soaked in blood. "No, no, no.." Sukuna managed out in horror as he quickly made his way to his lover's side, pulling her bloodied body into his arms immediately. "Flower, open your eyes. Please.."

Slowly her eyelids begin to move, and Sukuna felt his heart break when he saw how her now dull and tired eyes shifted to look up at him, taking a moment to truly process just who he was. "I'm so sorry..." Sukuna mumbles out through a small voice as he pulls her closer, trying his hardest to press his hands against the gashing wound on her abdomen. Since the wound was inflicted by a non-sorcerer, there was no trace of cursed magic on her; meaning that there was no way he can save her to begin with. "I-If only I had known..."

"Shh...it's okay.." The princess whispered out in a soft but pained tone, her bloody hand reaching up to cup his tattoo cheek ever so softly. The familiar touch brought another wave of emotion through Sukuna as he tries to blink back his tears, pulling her closer to his chest as he shifted his posture so she was sitting in his lap. He barely even acknowledge his own kimono that was slowly being soaked in blood. "Y-You didn't know this was going to happen...no one did...don't blame yourself..."

With watery red eyes Sukuna marvelled at how even though she was on death's doorstep, she still tried to put on a smile for his sake. "I'm so sorry..." Sukuna manages through a pained tone, tears now sliding down his face in thick streams whilst the woman just gave him a loving smile, resting her head on his shoulder. "Don't be.." She mumbles softly, forcing the man to look down at her as she gave him the same smile that had him falling for her from the beginning. "You know that...it takes more than this to get rid of me.."

The teasing words caused Sukuna to let out a soft and pained laugh, remembering the times where he would tell her how annoying she was whenever she would cling onto him and tease him relentlessly. He would trade anything to go back to those moments once more. "Brat.." He manages through his silent sobs, to which the woman just lets out a soft laugh as her fingers slowly traced along his features. For a few moments it was just silence, but the next time she spoke, Sukuna knew that the end was coming.

"Promise me...that one day, we will meet again."

"I promise, my love." Sukuna mumbles back quietly, resting his forehead against hers when he noticed how much effort it takes for her to blink. "No matter how long it takes, I will wait for you." He told her firmly as he presses a loving kiss on her forehead. "No matter how long it takes.." She echoes quietly, to which Sukuna just press a loving kiss on her head just as he felt her soft hand slowly slide down his chest, falling limply on her side.

For a moment Sukuna just held her against him, quietly crying into her hair. His entire world was in his arms, and just like that she was taken away from him. From that sadness came anger, and he soon found himself with the deep desire to crush whoever took her away from him.

Thus started the true rein of terror under the King of Curses, his anger fueling him to chase for bigger goals. Whilst he strive to rid of this world of dirty humans who took his flower away from her, he kept the vow that they promised one another - that they will wait for the other no matter how long it takes.

Because he had promised you so, and he’d do anything to keep that promise.

© roscgcld — all rights reserved to me, rose, the author and creator of these works. do not repost/translate/claim my work as yours on any platform

[dreamyyang]

summary: you made taeil’s undead heart soar and he was absolutely addicted to the feeling.

pairing(s): yandere!zombie!moon taeil x reader | kim doyoung x reader

warning(s): swearing, obsessive behaviour, mentions of blood, gore (kind of..?), minor character death, cannibalism, non con (taeil forcefully kisses the reader)

word count: 2.6k words

a/n: this is pretty heavy stuff so if any of the aforementioned content triggers you, do not read. please note that I do not condone taeil’s behaviour and that this is purely a work of fiction. my fic is not an accurate representation of taeil’s actual personality. 

part of @127-mile’s addiction collab

emotions were as foreign to moon taeil as brains and human flesh once were. while he doesn’t mind either of them, they were just very hard to come by. that changed when he got a job at the qian family’s mortuary, courtesy of qian kun, a mutual friend. johnny had already explained taeil’s special situation to kun, who agreed to give taeil access to the bodies so long as he worked as kun’s assistant. it was an excellent arrangement for both men - taeil could finally eat some proper food while kun finally had help. for obvious reasons, not many people were willing to work at a morgue, especially for such low wages.

taeil managed to ease himself into a routine of work, brains, sleep then repeat. while many people would eventually go insane from being constantly surrounded by cold, still bodies, taeil couldn’t care less. a zombie couldn’t ask for a better arrangement. while he did not experience emotions, he still felt a semblance of peace.

at least, that was before you showed up, completely unannounced. of course, your arrival wasn’t completely random, kun did warn taeil that his cousin was coming home after getting their phd, but you weren’t what taeil expected. he had this mental image of you being stoic and reserved. he thought you’d briefly acknowledge him with a slight nod while visiting your cousin and that would be it. imagine his surprise when he came to work and was greeted by a smile brighter than the sun. you were like the human embodiment of a meadow of flowers in the summer - warm, wonderful and welcoming. hell, you even smelled like flowers.

suddenly, his daily routine was ruined. 

most mornings, you would meet him at the mortuary, looking as fresh as a daisy, and hand him an equally fresh box of baked goods from the bakery next to your clinic. if it was a slow morning, and it usually was, you would make small talk with him while kun went over the day’s plans in his office. he began to cherish those morning conversations with you and his undead heart would sink when the clock struck nine and it was time for you to hug him and kun goodbye. from then on, he was usually in a sour mood for the rest of the day, not humouring the silly jokes kun made as they worked. he would get off work with a dull ache in his heart if you weren’t there to pick kun up or offer to take them out for drinks.

this abrupt change frightened taeil more than anything. why was he suddenly experiencing these strange feelings? he hated it. every day, he was going through a rollercoaster of emotions that would be decided by whether or not he saw his boss’ cousin. it was so absurd. in the past five years of him being a zombie, he hadn’t felt such extreme emotions before. they all felt so...so human.

when he consulted johnny about these strange occurrences, his friend began to howl with laughter, “dude, it’s so obvious!” 

taeil glared at johnny, “care to explain what exactly is so obvious?”

“you like y/n. why else would you be constantly pining for them?” 

taeil scoffed. johnny must have smoked something because there was no way he liked you. at best, he had known you for three months and it isn’t like you regularly spent time together. plus, you were related to his boss. johnny had no idea what he was talking about, he was full of shit.

“that’s bullshit. I don’t buy it,” taeil shook his head, leaning back in his chair.

“no I swear, it’s true! we drove past this factory and they were just beheading these chickens out in the open,” you sighed. “anyway, the sight was so sickening, I’ve never looked at meat the same way since.”

“yet you decided to be a thoracic surgeon.”

you shrugged, “yeah but operating on people and eating meat are two different things. I don’t mind looking at flesh and blood but the thought of eating any makes me sick.”

taeil silently thanked you as you made that statement. ever since johnny had suggested that taeil liked you, he’d been searching for reasons not to like you. and of course, there’s no way he could like you if you were a vegetarian. you would be absolutely disgusted if you knew what his main diet consisted of. yet, every now and then, he felt his mind drifting away to a different mental list - a list of the things he liked about you.

he liked how you would come up with the most absurd conversation starters, just to make him crack a smile. he liked how your hugs were warm and comfortable. he was even beginning to like the fuzzy feeling that would envelop his heart whenever he was around you. you made him giddy and lovesick and eventually, he didn’t mind anymore. being around you all the time forced him to accept that he had very strong feelings for you. in fact, he was certain that even as a human, he had never had feelings this intense. there was just something special about you that had him feeling some sort of way. normally, he would have been afraid of how you controlled your heart but now? he was in too deep to care.

he decided it was better for him to just accept the fact that he loved you. why try to fight it? it was highly unlikely that he would feel this way about anyone ever again. he had to hold onto you, he would be insane to let you go. 

finally, he plucked up the courage to confess to you. he was falling for you more and more every single day, and not being with you was slowly killing him. he decided to surprise you at the clinic where you worked with a bouquet of your favourite flowers. he planned to treat you to lunch at a romantic café then confess to you while walking you back to the clinic. he had rehearsed the little speech he wanted to give over twenty times with johnny, who repeatedly assured him that everything would go well. 

it did not go well.

taeil was greeted by a unpleasant surprise when he reached the entrance of the clinic. there you stood, his beloved y/n, in another man’s arms. taeil watched, horrified, as the man placed a soft kiss on your lips. you looked so happy with him and it broke taeil’s heart. he felt awful as he watched you smile at the man. that same wonderful smile that he wished was for his eyes only. it felt like a cruel joke to have your laughter fill his ears as tears pricked his eyes. taeil was glad that nobody was paying attention to him as hot tears stained his cheeks. he couldn’t have gotten away sooner, pushing past the people on the street to go home. 

he quickly texted an excuse to kun about how he felt sick and would be gone for the rest of the day. it wasn’t exactly a lie - he did feel sick and every time he thought about you and the stranger, it only got worse. he ripped up the bouquet and the plastic that had been wrapped around their stems, screaming as he did it. pain bled into fury as he destroyed the beautiful flowers. he was unbelievably angry and wouldn’t stop until every last petal had been snatched from the base and scattered on the floor. he was blinded by rage as he made a mess of his apartment floor. finally, the bouquet had been completely ripped apart and tears cleared taeil’s vision.

he dropped to the floor, feeling miserable as he stared at the mess, tears streaking down his face. he loved you so much, but someone had stolen you away. how dare that asshole? you were supposed to be taeil’s, how could he just come between the two of you like that? how incredibly selfish of him. taeil had to get rid of him, as soon as possible. the more time you spend with that jerk, the more he’ll ruin you. taeil scowled at the memory of the two of you kissing. he will pay.

 it was decided. taeil was going to make you his, one way or another. whether you liked it or not.

“I hate this, taeil.”

taeil nodded, feigning sympathy as you pouted and continued to complain, “doyoung’s been so busy the past week that he hasn’t been able to call me even once. he just sends brief texts… I really miss him.”

“that sucks, y/n, but you know, it’s a very demanding job.”

“yeah I know…but would it kill him to at least call to say good night?” you sighed, sipping your tea. “whatever. thank you so much for listening to my rant, taeil, I really appreciate it. you’re an awesome friend.”

the word stung, but taeil tried not to show it as he smiled and promised you that he didn’t mind. which was half true. taeil could never get tired of listening to you talk about any topic but one - kim doyoung, your boyfriend. it didn’t really matter, though. soon, taeil would make sure that you would forget all about that piece of shit. soon, moon taeil would be the only thing on your mind, just like how you were the only thing on his min

but first he had to punish you. you deserved it. if you hadn’t gone and dated another man, he wouldn’t have considered such a thing. you needed to be disciplined. you belonged to taeil and he was going to make sure that you remembered that fact. so he sat there in front of you, politely nodding as you vented about your boyfriend, and tried to think of a suitable punishment.

“I know I’m complaining about him a lot, but I really like doyoung,” you laughed. “even though he took me to a barbecue place for our first date.”

that’s when a lightbulb went off in taeil’s brain.

for someone who couldn’t survive without eating brains, taeil sure was an idiot. somehow, he’d gotten roped into a dinner date with you, doyoung and doyoung’s sister, jisoo. at least he managed to convince you to let him host the dinner at his apartment, insisting that he wanted to make a good first impression on jisoo. you’d wiggled your eyebrows and teased him about it but he knew, deep down, setting him up with someone else was hurting you. but you wouldn’t have to worry about hiding your feelings for much longer - taeil would soon relieve you of your misery. ideally of course, he wouldn’t want to start off your relationship with a double date with other people. not to mention your little punishment, but hey, all relationships have their ups and downs.

now if he could just get that pesky little jisoo out of the way.

after briefly stalking doyoung’s instagram account, taeil managed to find jisoo’s account and figured out where she worked. getting her to stay away was easier than he thought it would be. all he had to do was press a small knife against her neck and she was begging for him to leave her alone. he left her trembling in the alley behind her office, with her tears stinging the small cut that ran down the side of her cheek. he wasn’t worried about her telling her brother since that’s who he’d be visiting next.

he had to say, out of all the humans he’d made dishes out of, doyoung was certainly the best. probably because his meat was actually fresh, but you really seemed to enjoy him as well.

“god taeil, your spaghetti is wonderful. I can’t believe doyoung and jisoo are missing out,” you nearly moaned as you devoured your dinner. “these are the best vegan meatballs I’ve ever had. seriously, how’d you make this?”

taeil shrugged, “I used a pretty basic recipe, although I did use something extra special for those meatballs.”

“would you mind sharing what that special thing is, master moon?”

taeil’s smile dropped, his expression completely serious now. you didn’t think much of it, taeil was probably just being dramatic. however his tone as he spoke his next sentence sent a chill down your spine.

“enough dilly-dallying. tell me, sweetheart, did you really think you could get away with dating another man?”

you were too stunned to speak, what the fuck did he just say?

“woah, don’t get shy now. did you seriously think you could go be someone else's whore and I wouldn’t get mad?”

“taeil, what on earth are you talking about?”

you looked like a scared and helpless little rabbit and taeil would be lying if he said that didn’t make him feel some type of way. taeil’s predatory gaze burned into your eyes, ensnaring you and refusing to let go. you were confused. why was taeil behaving like this? why was he so angry with you? but you were certain about one thing: tonight was not going to end well for you. 

with a gentle voice, you tried to calm him down so the two of you could have a rational conversation but taeil wasn’t having any of it. he grabbed you by the wrist and pulled you up to your feet, stepping away from the dining table and pulling you close till your chest brushed against his. suddenly, his steely gaze slightly softened.

“y/n, my love, I hope you know that I didn’t want to do this to you, but you left me no choice. you forced my hand.”

tears were beginning to well up in your eyes. taeil was getting frustrated. you knew exactly what he was talking about yet you were acting as though taeil was speaking in cryptic messages. taeil noticed your tears and tsked, cupping your cheeks. there was no point in you crying now. the deed was done. taeil was hoping you’d learnt your lesson so the two of you could move past this.

“don’t cry, sweetheart. at least, not until you know what I did.”

“but taeil, I don’t even know what I’ve done,” you sniffed lightly.

“darling, I love you. and I know you love me too, you don’t need to say it. but why did you have to go and date doyoung? do you know how much that hurt me?”

you shook your head, “taeil, I really didn’t know how you felt. but I’m sorry, I don’t feel the same way.”

taeil glared and tightened his grip on your jaw, “fucking lies! that dickhead doyoung has brainwashed you. oh my precious y/n, I feel so awful for punishing you the way I did, but how else will I fix you?”

“what do you mean?” you asked, afraid of the answer he was going to give you.

“those vegan meatballs, darling. although I suppose the term ‘doyoung meatballs’ would be more accurate.”

your beautiful features were twisted into a look of pure horror as realisation dawned upon you. taeil couldn’t help but let his lips form a maniacal grin. he was rather proud, even if he did say so himself. doyoung would never be a problem ever again. nor would anyone else be, for that matter. taeil knew that you were his good, obedient little y/n. you wouldn’t dare to hurt him ever again. satisfied, he leaned in and forced you into a kiss. you were too shocked to fight back.

as he pulled away, he pushed the hair out of your face.

“remember to behave yourself, darling.”

[plasticnightmaredoll]

This is an idea/scenario I’ve had for a good while now pertaining to Arkham Knight Riddler. I don’t know if it’s any good -- it may be too “fluffy” to be in character -- but I wanted to write it down and get it out there, see what people think. Ironically, the idea came from a similar one involving Telltale Riddler, and I may post that one someday, too, but this AK Riddler one is...very different. Different in regards to a lot of headcanons, imagines, drabbles, etc. about him.

So, the scenario is like this: Someone wants to fuck with this poor guy -- not Batman, not one of the Bat family, not even one of the Gotham Rogues. It could be some random new villain, someone who is maybe more sadistic than any of the Rogues (save for Joker). I thought about this antagonist kidnapping AK Eddie’s s/o and holding them hostage …

But with a twist.

Catwoman has nothing to do with this because she’s not evil, but I thought about the explosive collar Riddler put on her in Arkham Knight, and what if this antagonist -- to really mess with Eddie -- decides to put such a collar on his s/o? And Riddler has to show up and complete some tasks (dangerous puzzles and riddle-based traps most likely), or else, his s/o loses their head.

Of course, Eddie shows up because he’s panicking. This was never supposed to happen! Nothing was supposed to happen to his s/o. This is beyond anything Batman had ever done. This is so sinister, so vile, so abhorrent, Eddie can’t even begin to comprehend it. At first, he bargains, offering money, tech, robots, his hacking skills -- even offers himself up to wear the collar instead because he can’t take the sight of his beloved wearing something that could blow their head right off, right in front of him, and leave him emotionally and mentally broken for life.

But the antagonist doesn’t want to bargain, even when Eddie begs -- like, really begs to the point of tears, asking for mercy and pleading with the antagonist to let his s/o go free. They have nothing to do with any of Eddie’s work. They’re innocent, and they’re too important to him! He can’t let this happen!

The begging amuses the antagonist but once again, it’s not enough. Eddie has to do the challenges, and if he completes them all correctly, the collar comes off. If he messes up, then his s/o dies. Eddie reassures his s/o that everything will be just fine, he’s got this under control, they’ll be out of trouble in no time so don’t be afraid.

It’s difficult to not be afraid when you have a bomb around your neck and a sadistic psychopath with the trigger. As bad as Eddie can be, he’s not THIS malevolent. He has some humanity left in him. But this person, they’re just out there to make him suffer because it’s “entertaining” to watch him squirm. 

As you know, by this point in his life, Eddie is very mentally unstable and could have a mental breakdown if pushed even just a little too far. His s/o is the only thing keeping him grounded, the only reason he has to keep his sanity (or what’s left of it), and this is the only person who has ever cared for him despite the fact he knows he’s not worth it. If he loses his beloved, then what would he have left? There would be no recovery from such a thing.

So, Eddie completes the challenges, although he is internally freaking out the entire time, partly because he doubts himself and partly because he has no idea if the antagonist will just press the trigger and kill Eddie’s s/o without warning. By the time Eddie is done, he’s a nervous wreck and on the verge of a breakdown, but he hopes that, by enduring all this, by letting this person watch him squirm, sweat, beg, cry, and panic, that maybe it’s enough to end this madness without his s/o dying.

But the antagonist doesn’t care that Eddie completed all the tasks. In the end, it’s about making Eddie suffer horribly because watching a nearly broken man finally break -- shatter -- is the point of all this. So, the collar has a 30 second timer set, and as it counts down, Eddie obviously freaks out, hyperventilating as he tries to plead once again for his s/o’s life, offering himself up again in their place, and yet, it’s not enough (kind of reminding him how he was never enough for his father, even if he agonized over pleasing him). The antagonist just laughs at Eddie’s mental breakdown and tells him he better use the remaining time to say goodbye. And no funny business. If Eddie or his s/o attempt to remove or disarm the collar, then it will detonate. 

Eddie’s s/o, despite being terrified does their best to put on a brave face and they tell him it’s ok, it’s not his fault, just don’t look, look away, it will all be over soon, he has to keep going for them...Eddie doesn’t know what to do, and seeing as he now has 10 seconds left, he does the only thing he feels he can and should do, and he grabs his s/o despite their protests and holds them tight, crying and saying over and over how sorry he is, he’s so sorry. 

And the timer reaches zero on the collar.

There’s a soft click.

Then nothing.

No explosion. 

The antagonist bursts out laughing, confessing that the “bomb” is a dud, was never going to explode, and since both Eddie and his s/o were too distressed to think all this through, they never even considered this as a possibility. The collar has been unlocked and Eddie’s s/o just kind of sinks to their knees in complete shock, and he can’t believe what he’s seeing. At first, he’s confused, wondering if this is all some sort of twisted dream, then he’s relieved because his s/o is safe, then he’s angry because what the hell was this?! He vows to get revenge on the antagonist and throws the collar away as he all but screams in rage.

Now alone, Eddie remembers his s/o is still on the floor, pale as a sheet and unresponsive. Kneeling down, he asks if they’re ok, tells them they’re ok, that this was all some sort of sick joke. When his s/o snaps out of their daze, they get mad and push him away, yelling at him for being so foolish

“You were just going to let yourself die with me?!” they demand.

“Yes!” Eddie responds, too overwhelmed to even know how to respond to this. 

“Why? Why would you do that?”

“Because!”

“WHY?”

“Because I can’t go back to my old life! Not having known you! You think that I would just sink back into my old routine without a hitch? You think I would forget you? You think I’d just move on and live life normally? How could I do that? How? If I lost you, I’d have nothing, do you understand? Nothing. My life would be empty, more so than it’s ever been, and nothing could fill that void, not the way you do. No one has ever loved me, not even those who were supposed to! But you, you love me! I didn’t ask for it, and I don’t even deserve it, but you love me anyway. You make me feel valid, you make me feel like...like I exist, like I actually matter.”

His s/o is crying, and he’s crying, and they’re both going to be emotionally traumatized for a while. Sure, Eddie will get revenge but he’s also going to be having night terrors -- nightmares would be much better than what he experiences at night -- about his s/o dying in gruesome ways while is helpless to do anything. Sometimes, he won’t even be able to sleep because he doesn’t want those ghastly images in his head, and he’ll stay up holding his s/o as they (try) to sleep (they have nightmares of their own after this experience). 

He has to come to terms with his first real encounter with the threat of loss, a real loss. He never cared about anyone before because no one ever cared for him. He was used to being ignored, bullied and belittled, and he always had trouble trusting others because of how he was raised. He never had friends, never thought he would need friends because, well, he never had any. Forming emotional attachments was beyond him, as he never had such a relationship with his parents, and that is the first time children are supposed to experience attachment. If your parents don’t love you, you grow up feeling unloved, alone, and don’t understand what it’s like to be close to people, so you just push everyone away and look out for yourself. It makes you selfish just as much as it makes you feel lonely.

But now, Eddie has his s/o, someone who just kind of barged into his life and stole his heart despite his best efforts to not feel anything sentimental because being vulnerable meant he could get hurt, and he didn’t like the idea of forming an attachment only to have it ripped away from him due to the other person’s betrayal. In his eyes, love equals abuse, since that’s the only kind of “love” this Eddie seems to have ever experienced. 

It’s going to take a lot of time -- and patience -- for Eddie to deal with this, and he’s going to be watching his s/o like a hawk. They won’t be allowed to go anywhere alone, and definitely not at night. He’ll be very clingy, protective, maybe a little possessive but mostly protective. When he does eventually find a way to calm down, it will actually make him a stronger person emotionally, I think, because he will understand himself better, and he’ll understand the relationship he has with his s/o better. This experience has taught him -- in the most insane and unwelcomed way -- why his s/o is so vital to him, and while attachment like that is almost frightening because of the risk of loss, he doesn’t want to go back to his old life and be alone, being seen as some sort of joke by everyone in Gotham. He doesn’t want to go back to being isolated, left with only his thoughts to comfort him despite his dwindling sanity and self-esteem. He needs to have a reason to press on, and trying to be better than everyone just won’t do it anymore. He needs to be loved, loves to be loved, but is also thrilled to be able to give it in return, whatever the risks may be.

And you know the antagonist is going to be utterly destroyed by Riddlerbots. Or something. Something awful will happen to that person. We know that much.

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

Ugh, so let me know what you guys think! This is way out there in left field in terms of portrayal of Arkham Knight Eddie (or just Arkhamverse Eddie in general) but this idea has been stuck in my mind for so long now. Feedback is definitely encouraged and appreciated here because this is such an epic and crazy h/c. Constructive criticism is welcome. Just don’t be mean, please.

[2manyfandoms2count]

Love you (not) - Chapter 1

I can't believe it's already @marichatmay again... What a year. This time, I won't be jumping in completely blindly into the challenge, I've got it mostly planned out in a single fic, which starts on the same day as Weredad, but embraces the fake-dating shenanigans because yes. This relationship will be mutually unrequited from our beloved characters' point of view, until it's not anymore.

Hope you enjoy!

Read on AO3 | Next

---

Chapter 1: In which the author sees the fake dating shenanigans canon provided and deems they weren’t enough

“That’s because I’m… In love with you!”

The words still echoed in Marinette’s head hours after they’d been said, and covering her eyes and ears with her arms as she laid in bed did nothing to make them less loud.

Stupid words coming out of her mouth unbidden. Untrue, too.

She ought to have told Chat Noir that she’d had every right to be standing on her rooftop at night, after an Akuma had destroyed her room. She totally would’ve been allowed to feel slightly claustrophobic and want to take a breath of fresh air; or even to want to check that everything was back to normal.

But noooooo. She’d had to declare her love for him. She grunted at the thought that saying she had a crush on him would have been more than enough. He would’ve gotten the gist, he could’ve turned her down gently, and they could have marched on as if nothing had happened. It wasn’t like they ran into each other that often - like this, anyway.

But now Chat was coming over for lunch with her family, and he’d surely want an explanation. How could she backtrack? How could she explain to him that she’d blurted the first thing that had come to her mind to avoid him discovering that she was his superhero partner, whom he happened to be in love with, without telling him that part? You don’t just accidentally confess your love to someone instead of saying you were just hanging out on your balcony.

She tossed in her bed. She had to solve the situation. She had to come clean to him at lunch, at least to clear her conscience.

Maybe sleep would help organise her thoughts so she wouldn’t say anything stupid.

If she could only get the damn words out of her head.

---

“That’s because I’m… In love with you!”

Saying Marinette’s words had been unexpected was probably the understatement of the year, Adrien thought as he lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.

His first thought after seeing her had been that she must’ve been a fan. Of Ladybug, at least, and maybe of his. Given how close she and Alya were, he wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d been out to catch something to contribute to the Ladyblog. After all, her balcony had been a particularly excellent spot that night to snatch some close-up pictures of the heroes, and maybe even an interview.

Not to mention the other reason that explained her presence, which he’d realised after giving it a little more thought: they’d been fighting quite literally on her doorstep.

But even if he could’ve thought about it for ages, there was no way that he could have even suspected the real reason she’d been waiting on her balcony. That she was in love with him. With Chat Noir.

But then again, he thought as he shifted to his side, maybe it did make sense. It kind of explained why she didn’t have a significant other (not that girls needed a boyfriend or a girlfriend, but couples were pretty common at Françoise Dupont). Given how kind and amazing Marinette was, and how many people had had crushes on her (Nino being a fine exhibit A), Adrien had kind of wondered why she didn’t have people flocking around to ask her out. Her being in love with Chat Noir was new information for him, but maybe it was common knowledge, and he just hadn’t paid enough attention.

It wasn’t like they talked about their feelings much at school, he supposed, wondering if that meant she didn’t trust him enough to confide in him. He shook away the small wave of sadness and... was it yearning? that overcame him at the thought, and recentered the topic.

The point was, he’d been too taken by surprise by Marinette’s confession to process it in time and turn her down in the gentlest way possible. Or even at all.

If anything, he’d dived straight into a potential relationship by accepting lunch at her parents’.

That didn’t send out the right message at all.

He had to fix it. Soon, before it got out of hand, so as not to lead her on. He had to do it the next day.

Sleep would help him make his rebuttal as smooth as possible.

If only he could just get her words out of his head.

---

As she stood guard on her balcony the next morning, threatening grey clouds hanging over the horizon, Marinette entertained the hope that Chat Noir wouldn’t come over at all, which would solve the problem of coming clean to him, and the newly formed outrage that Chat Noir was falling in love way too easily these days. So much for the strength of his love towards Ladybug, really.

It seemed a little cowardly for him not to respect his commitment to lunch, but it had been pretty last minute, and kind of surreal; she would have understood, and she was sure her parents would have as well. It wasn’t like Chat Noir wasn’t one of the superheroes of Paris; she would have been ready to sign him a waver as Ladybug saying he’d been dealing with some Very Important Business on the other side of town if the topic ever came up with her parents.

This is why she was almost surprised to see him vault across the rooftops, clearly making his way towards the Dupain-Cheng Bakery, just as she’d been ready to give up on his presence. She grunted internally as Tikki gloated, and made her way downstairs to greet him.

Tom stood proudly next to the table, which she’d laid out for four people. She hid an embarrassed eye roll. It almost felt like he was the one who was waiting for his date. At least, he seemed a lot more excited about it than she was.

“Come on Marinette, open the door for him!” He all but pushed her towards the entrance.

She did as she was told, and had barely had time to register Chat Noir’s greeting when she was pushed aside, Tom engulfing her guest in a bear hug. She facepalmed. This was not sending the right message at all .

He’s going to think that I stayed up all night gushing about him to my parents, and that I’m convinced that I’m going to marry him even though we’ve only talked like twice before, this is a disaster, he’s going to think I’m insane and -

Her inner freak out was interrupted by her mother reminding her father that Chat Noir did need to breathe, which coincidentally shut down any analysis of why Chat thinking she was insane would be such a terrible thing, when really, sending him running would solve most of her immediate problems.

She was suddenly facing her partner with a mind void of all social etiquette. How did one greet someone one had recently declared their love to? Was shaking hands appropriate? Or was it more of an elaborate fistbump situation? This situation would be a lot less awkward if my parents weren’t staring and- woah, what does he think he’s doing?? She thought as she saw Chat lean forward with his lips puckered up. Surely we’re not there yet?! Even if I told him I loved him?

She froze as his face approached hers, her lips automatically kissing Chat’s cheeks when she realised he was simply going in for the classic, friendly, Parisian bise . Thank goodness , she sighed discreetly as they pulled away.

“Here, I wasn’t sure what to bring,” Chat Noir scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he handed her a rose.

A pale pink rose, she noted as she took it. Symbolising gentleness and gratitude. He wasn’t jumping into this relationship like he did with Ladybug. There was hope yet.

“Thank you, that’s very thoughtful of you,” she replied with a smile, interrupting her father before he blurted out whatever well-meaning, but unhelpful and slightly embarrassing speech he had lined up. She turned towards her parents. “Maman, Papa, is lunch ready yet?”

“Not exactly, I’m sorry, Mr. Chat Noir, I wasn’t exactly sure when you were arriving…” Tom replied a little sheepishly.

“That’s perfect! I mean, it’s fine, Papa, don’t worry about it. Can Chat Noir and I go upstairs for a bit?” Marinette laughed awkwardly.

Sabine smiled knowingly, and put a hand on her husband’s arm. “I think that’s a great idea. Tom, why don’t you prepare some vol-au-vents for them to snack on?”

“Of course!” Marinette watched her father rush around the corner and pile the amuse-bouches on a plate. “You’ll have to tell me what you think, I tried a new recipe in honour of young love.” He shoved the plate in Marinette’s hands and all but pushed them up the stairs. “Have fun, you two! And leave the door open!”

Marinette ran up the stairs and put the plate down on her desk before hiding her face in her hands, mortified. “I’m so sorry about my Dad.” She peeked at Chat Noir from behind her fingers. “He’s not usually this intense with people he’s just met.”

“I kind of like it, actually.” Chat smiled. “It’s nice that he cares.” He picked up a vol-au-vent and studied it, before gobbling it down. Marinette could have sworn that his gaze had darkened.

She played with a piece of fabric that poked out from her project hamper, unsure what to say next. Chat ate another pastry. In the silence that surrounded them, the slight pitter-patter of the rain that had finally broken out on her roof was deafening.

“Listen, I need to tell you something-” They both started simultaneously.

“You go,” Marinette gestured towards him.

“No, you,” he gestured back.

“You’re the guest, you should go first,” she encouraged him.

Chat Noir took a deep breath and accepted to bite the bullet. “Listen, Marinette, I really like you. You’re amazing. To be honest, I’d love to know you better…” He scratched the back of his head.

Marinette had bitten the inside of her cheeks as she kept a smiling façade during his praise, but she had to interrupt him. “Chat… I really don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, I put you on the spot last nice and I’d really hate you to think that because I... have feelings for you,” she winced as she spoke, even though she knew deep inside that there was no better way of putting it and that she had to stick with her lie, “you have to go out with me or something, or even stay here.”

“There’s no obligation, I promise, Marinette,” Chat said earnestly as he looked at her put on a brave face. It was just like her to put her feelings aside if it could make him happy, but he couldn’t just leave. He had to make sure she was alright. She deserved that much, if not more. She was such a great friend.

“But really, if you have better things to do, I’d totally understand it…”

In the peculiar light of the spring shower, Marinette looked particularly anxious and tormented, Chat Noir noted. Leaving now, even though it would be best in the long run, was just a recipe for an Akuma. And if she did indeed get akumatised, he would feel like he’d planted a seed, and their environment had quite literally immediately gone to water it.

“If it’s what you want…” He probed.

Marinette realised that Chat looked very dejected at the idea of leaving; the way he gazed longingly at the vol-au-vents made her question if her partner ate enough as a civilian. She sighed as she saw that outside, the rain had intensified. She really couldn’t let him go now. Cats didn't mix well with water.

“ A table! ” Her mother’s voice came exactly at the right moment.

“I’d be very happy if you stayed.” She smiled, extending a hand towards him.

“Really?” His tone was hopeful as he walked towards her and took it.

“Yeah.” She led him downstairs, shaking her head imperceptibly at the thought that she was probably making a big mistake by doing this.

Seeing him laugh out loud at her father’s bad jokes, tears streaming down his face as he held his sides, before proceeding to eat like he hadn’t in a decade, encouraged by her mother, made her change her mind. Maybe she could keep up the charade for a bit, if it meant he could be this happy.

After all, even though she didn’t love Chat Noir that way, she still loved him a little bit. Enough to keep him out of the rain, that was for sure.

[fanmoose12]

Partners

Characters: Petra Ral, Levi, Hanji Zoe x Levi Genre: Action / Mystery / Romance Rating: T

Detective!au

Summary: when Petra was promoted to a detective and partnered up with legendary Levi Ackerman, she felt like the happiest person in the world.

But, as she soon found out, detective Ackerman she used to admire so much was actually a far cry from the ideal policeman Petra thought he was. He was rude, harsh and easily annoyed. And, in addition, he still hadn’t moved on from the death of his previous partner - detective Hange Zoe.

Chapter 8/?

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Сhapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Сhapter 7

Petra was walking down a street with a slight spring in her step. Today would be a good day, she could feel it. Entering the precinct, she was filled with a sense of giddy trepidation.

She couldn't wait to see Levi. Last night's events seemed like a dream to her. Meeting detective Hange, almost getting into a fight with her and then watching her reunite with Levi - she couldn't quite believe that it actually happened. But it did, and now Petra wondered if the change in Levi would be visible.

Would he drop the gloomy, irritated facade? Would she see him smile?

Ah, Petra was so excited!

She was so excited, so lost in her world that she didn't pay much attention to her surroundings. So when her forehead collided with someone else's, she got quite a surprise.

Petra jumped back, immediately apologizing. She lifted her eyes and met the icy stare of her partner.

She gulped. So he didn't drop the gloomy facade.

"Good morning!" she squealed, feeling her cheeks burn in embarrassment. Levi continued to bore his eyes into her, and Petra fidgeted, unsure of what to do and not knowing the reason for his anger.

She watched him beneath her eyelashes - Levi's face was pale with dark circles under his eyes. His shoulders were hunched and his posture was tense. Petra's eyebrows knitted together, it was all wrong.

She could explain the circles under his eyes, Levi met his long lost partner after two years of separation, of course, he didn't get much sleep last night. There was probably a lot they needed to discuss, and maybe... They did other things too. But why was Levi so frustrated now? Did something happen between him and detective Hange? Did they have a fight?

"I was waiting for you," Levi said finally. "Put your things in the office and come to the forensics department. I'll be there."

And just like that, Levi was gone. Petra stared after him, confused and bewildered. He reunited with his beloved partner just yesterday, wasn't he happy about it?

She didn't have the time to ponder about it, though. Whatever was the reason for Levi's tenseness, she didn't wish to anger him anymore. And so she needed to hurry. Petra whirled around, heading to the elevators. Walking inside, she pushed the needed button with a heavy sigh. It looked like another long day was ahead of her. 

***

When Petra entered the forensics department, Levi was the only one there. He was standing in the middle of the room, his eyes narrowed and his lips pursed in deep thought, as he studied the stack of papers in his hands.

"Hey," Petra called timidly, gripping the side of the door tightly. "Where is everyone else?"

"Moblit and Nifa are busy in the dissection room," he answered without looking up. "They'll be here soon."

"Alright," Petra softly stepped inside. "Did you find something in there?" she gestured to the papers.

"Nothing that could give us a definite clue," Levi said, obviously annoyed by this fact. "The victim was dragged, just like the first time. The drug was injected into her neck, though, and not administered orally."

"Maybe, the killer was in a hurry?" Petra suggested.

"Possibly," Levi nodded. "Maybe, he didn't have the time to woo her like the last victim. Maybe, he needed to kill her that night because— oh," his eyes widened and he froze for a second, gripping the papers tighter. "It makes sense now," he whispered.

"What does?" Petra frowned, confused.

"Nothing," Levi shook his head. "Something Hange told me. I need to check it first. There is another thing, though."

"What?" Petra leaned closer, looking at papers behind Levi's shoulder.

"The jacket, there is a trace of Hange's DNA."

"So? You already identified it yesterday."

"Hange’s DNA is not the only one they found," Levi took out small package. "Here, look at this.”  

Petra snatched the package from his hands, curiously looking it over. She was quite disappointed to realize that inside was just a single hair.

"Isn't it..." she squinted a bit. The hair was brown. "Doesn't it belong to detective Hange?"

"No, hers is slightly different. The color is richer. And this one curls at the end."

"Alright," Petra had no choice but to agree. Apparently, she was talking with an expert, with someone who had spent a lot of his time staring at detective Hange's hair.

"Besides, it was confirmed that this hair doesn't belong to her. Obviously, it's from the killer."

Tall man with curly brown hair, Petra suddenly remembered. So the witness was right after all?

"Zeke most probably isn't the killer," Levi announced after a few seconds of tense silence. "Hange says there is no way he could be involved."

"And you believe it?" Petra asked carefully.

Levi hung his head. "I'm not sure. On one hand, no else has the motive for these killings. On the other, Hange is sure it's not him."

"How is she, by the way? Was everything alright last night?" Petra's gaze shifted from one corner of the room to another, unable to meet Levi's eyes. Fighting with her nervousness, she wriggled her hands behind her and continued. "You just seem a bit tense today, and I couldn't help but wonder why. I, well, maybe I just expected you to be a little bit happier. Yesterday you've found out that your beloved is actually alive so—"

The papers fell from Levi's hands. Petra shut her mouth immediately, eyes snapping to her partner's face. They stared at each other for a long moment, the heavy silence hanging over the room. The strained atmosphere was destroyed by Levi's quiet curse.

"What the fuck Petra?" he crouched down, frantically gathering the papers. "We— four eyes and I are not—" he closed his eyes, scowling. "We are not lovers, for Christ's sake! How could you even think about it?"

"You... are not?" Petra stared down at him, her mouth agape. There was no way she could read the signs wrong. It was obvious!

"Of course we are not!" Levi snapped. "How did you come up with nonsense?"

Well, where Petra should even begin?

"You care so much about her!" she decided to start with the most obvious clue.

Levi raised an eyebrow, looking up at Petra from his position on the floor. "Don't you care about your friends?"

"Of course, I do," she huffed, resisting the urge to stomp her feet in frustration. Levi wasn't seriously trying to use the friend's card. She saw them yesterday, their relationship was obviously much more than simply platonic.

"You grieved for her for two years!"

"Just like any close friend would do," Levi replied. He rose up, fixing his tie and giving Petra an unimpressed look.

She wasn't going to give up so easily, though. There should be something, something Levi wouldn't be able to deny.

And then she remembered.

"The witness!" she pointed her finger at Levi's chest. "The concierge at detective Hange's old place, he recognized you! So you shared an apartment with her!"

"Don't be absurd," Levi waved her off, still completely unfazed. "I just visited her a lot. Hange could never wake up in time for work, so I used to visit her place to wake her up. Sometimes I came to make her dinner or clean that junkyard she called her home, that's all."

That's all? Levi woke her up in the mornings, they frequently had dinners together and he helped to clean her apartment? And they weren't in a relationship? She couldn't wrap her head around it. She saw them together, what they felt for each other was undeniable. Could they not see it?

"But—" she stuttered, unsure how to follow up.

Levi sighed. "Even if the subject was quite questionable, your dedication is admiring, detective," he patted her shoulder, walking past her. "However, your deduction was wrong."

It was not and she knew it. Petra knew she was right. She could do nothing, though. If Levi himself didn't notice his true feelings, she wasn't the one who could make him see. He had another partner for that.

"If you have any questions regarding the case," Levi said when he was already in the doorway. "Wait for Moblit and Nifa. If you need me, I'll be in Erwin's office."

"Ah, okay," Petra answered feebly, watching the door close after him.

A moment later, however, another door opened. Nifa and Moblit walked inside.

"Petra!" Nifa squealed, hurriedly taking off the protective goggles and gloves. "How was your date? Did you enjoy it? Did he like your look? Did you two kiss? Did—"

"Nifa," Moblit smiled forcefully and squeezed her shoulder. "Take a breath and pay attention," he nodded at the papers in Petra's hands. "Detective Ral obviously didn't come here to discuss her personal life."

"Ah, yes," Petra finally snapped out of her stupor. "I did come here for work purposes, but," she laid the papers down on the nearest table. "I have a question too. It's kind of personal?"

"Oh?" Nifa pressed hands against her chest, her eyes alight with curiosity. "Spill it already."

And well, how should she begin? The straight approach was the easiest one, she decided.

"What is the nature of relationship between Levi and detective Zoe? Levi just told me they aren't lovers but is it really true? I mean, they're so..." she bit her lip, thinking. The word close didn't quite cut it.

Nifa interrupted her musings, clasping her shoulder with a grin. "Ah, frustrated much with their relationship? Welcome to the club, dear," she announced chirpily.

"Wait," Moblit raised an arm, coming to stand directly in front of Petra. He loomed over her, his hazel eyes boring into her with unusual seriousness. "You discussed this with detective Levi? And why did you talk about detective Hange as though she is..." his voice cracked on the last word. Moblit closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "As though she is still alive?"

"Oh," Petra cast her eyes down, thinking. She forgot that Levi wasn't the only who cared about Hange. Should she tell them? Or should she keep it a secret? Levi said that he trusted the guys from forensics department, but how much? Would trust them with the secret of his partner?

In the end, it was the pain and misery in Moblit's eyes that pushed Petra to make a decision.

"The thing is..." she cleared her throat, not knowing where to look - at Moblit's nervous expression or at Nifa's confused one? "Detective Zoe is actually, well, she's alive."

"What?" Nifa's hands flew to her face.

Moblit squeezed the edge of the nearest table, using it as his support. "What..." he began quietly, uncertainly. "What are you talking about?"

"She survived the explosion,” Petra explained softly. “I've met her last night. In our office."

"You've never seen her though," Nifa frowned. "How can you be sure it's really detective Hange?

"Well," Petra's lips curved into a faint smile. "Levi had seen her too, so..."

"Oh," Nifa breathed out.

Meanwhile, Moblit sat heavily on the chair, covering his eyes with a palm.

“I don’t know how exactly she survived,” Petra added. “But she’s alive.”

Silence fell over the room. It lasted for a few more minutes, and then Nifa cried out in joy, lifting her hands in the air.

"Detective Hange is alive!" she exclaimed it with the biggest smile. "We should celebrate! Moblit, make us tea! And bring my apple pie!"

Despite his shaken state, Moblit was on his feet instantly, ready to fulfill Nifa's request.

"Thank you for telling us," he whispered to Petra, giving her a quick hug. "It means so much to me."

"Sure," Petra patted his back awkwardly.

"Right," Moblit took a step back, letting her go. "Now, the tea."

"So," Nifa sat down, putting hands under her chin. "How our detective Hange is doing? Does she still look so cool?"

"I don't know..." Petra scratched the back of her head. "She has a patch over her left eye now, though."

"Ah," Nifa sighed dreamily. "So she looks even cooler now."

"Don't mind her," Moblit advised, as he put the tray with tea and pie on the table in front of them. Petra thanked him and joined Nifa. "She just used to have the biggest of crushes on detective Hange."

"Oi, shut up," Nifa smacked his arm. "As if you're that different from me."

"I don't have a crush on Hange," he denied, glaring at Nifa. "I just admire her a lot. Platonically."

"Oh, sure," Nifa huffed. "Should I tell Petra about that time when you invited Hange on a date, Mr. Platonic Admiration?"

"It wasn't a date," Moblit said stubbornly. "I just had a spare ticket to a very interesting science exhibition, and I knew Hange likes this stuff, so I decided to take her with me."

"Tell her," Nifa nudged, sending a piece of pie in her mouth. "Tell Petra what happened next."

Moblit sighed. "She agreed to come with me."

"And?" Nifa prompted further, smiling slyly.

He turned his face away. "And then she showed up together with detective Ackerman."

"Oh," Petra rubbed Moblit's back soothingly. "It must have been rough."

"It was okay," he forced a smile. "Besides, Nifa here," he pointed his fork at her with a smug look. "Used to have a crush on both of them."

"So what?" Nifa shrugged. "I don't deny it. They both look very good and have you ever seen them in action? Once I watched them spar with each other in the gym. It's the hottest thing I've ever seen."

"Eugh,” Moblit cringed. "However," he turned to Petra. "You should have seen how she tried to flirt with them. It was hilarious. And a bit awkward, since none of them really noticed her attempts."

"Yeah," Nifa agreed solemnly. "As smart as they are, they are so oblivious," she shook her head. "They're too focused on each other."

"So," Petra gripped the cup tighter in her hands. "It's true? They aren't a thing?"

Nifa laughed. "They're most definitely a thing. They just don't know about it."

"Oh."

"But, since detective Hange is alive, they have time to figure it out," Moblit smiled encouragingly. Then the smile vanished from his face, as he fixed Nifa with a strict gaze. "We, however, don't have the time. Finish your tea and get up. We still have a lot work."

"Yes, dad," Nifa whined.

"I need to get going as well," Petra smiled, finishing her tea. "Thanks for the conversation and for the snacks, but Moblit is right. The work doesn't wait. I'll see you soon."

"Goodbye!" Nifa waved her hand. "We'll be waiting for you to come back!"

Petra waved back and then headed to the door, still smiling softly.

 ***

On her way to the office, at the opposite end of the hallway, Petra saw a familiar figure. Her first instinct was to run and hide. To her dismay, however, he already noticed her.

"Detective Ral!" Sannes called, hurrying to get to her.

As he came closer, Petra noticed that he wasn't alone - a young, dark-haired man was trudging after him. Petra didn't recognize him. Was he not from the precinct?

"I haven't seen you yesterday," he said, as he finally caught up with her.

"Had been busy with a case," Petra mumbled, staring at Sannes' companion. He wasn't a part of the police, she was sure of it. His clothes - buggy shirt and ripped jeans - further confirmed her suspicion. Who was he then? And why was he making her feel so uneasy?

"A case?" Sannes' companion asked, flashing Petra an awfully smug grin. "You're talking about the recent murders, right? I've heard they're pretty gruesome," even as he said this, the smile didn't leave his face. Petra's skin prickled in alarm. There was something about this man - she couldn't quite pinpoint what exactly - but something about him was disturbing. Her guts feelings were screaming, telling her to get away from him.

"Do you have a suspect already?" he continued, oblivious to her discomfort. Before Petra could even start thinking what to reply, the man beat her to it. "I've heard Zeke Yeager is the culprit, is it true?"

"It's not," Sannes interfered, the smile on his face wavered, turning into a grimace. He grasped the elbow of his companion, his grip so tight Petra wondered if it would leave bruises. "Forgive him, Ral. He's a new intern, and there is much he has to learn."

"For example, he should know that Zeke Yeager had been dead for two years," Petra offered with innocent expression.

"Um, yeah," Sannes nodded. He avoided looking her in the eyes, and watching him squirm, Petra internally cheered.

"Anyway, we should go, I was just finishing giving him a tour around the precinct."

"Good luck," she smiled. "Hope you'll enjoy your new workplace, intern," she added, not bothering to hide the sarcasm.

The intern glared at her, breathing heavily. He obviously wanted to say something, but the grip Sannes had on his elbow and the death looks he had been sending him, persuaded him to keep his mouth shut. Sannes gave him a rough shove, pushing him in another direction.

"See you, Ral," he said and walked away.

Petra watched them go, the cogs turning in her head. How could this man know about Zeke? Except from her, Levi and Captain Erwin, no one could know that he's considered a suspect. No one could know that he's considered alive. Then how did Sannes find out? How did this man find out? Who was he? Why did he make her feel so nervous? And where did she—

Oh.

Petra finally remembered. The witness testimony. The tall man with dark curly hair. He fitted the description perfectly. Could it really be him? Why would Sannes conspire with a killer, though? And why would he ask after Zeke? Could it be that—

No, Petra rejected the idea even before it was fully formed in her mind. It was too outlandish, ridiculous.

However... Her gut was telling her otherwise. She needed to check it. And she already knew how to get closer to the truth. It wasn't a good plan, stupid even, Levi would never agree to it. Luckily, Petra knew someone, who could help.

She turned around, heading into another wing of the precinct.

She needed to find Oluo.

 ***

"Erwin?" Levi called, knocking on the door of his office. "It's me, Levi. Are you in here? Can I come in?"

"Wait for a bit please!" Erwin shouted behind the door. "I'm busy."

"Asshole," Levi muttered, leaning against the wall. "First calls me here and now he's busy."

Just as he prepared to glare at the door before Erwin finishes with whatever he was doing, his phone started vibrating in the back pocket of his pants. He took it out, staring at the screen. He received a message. From unknown number. Frowning in confusion, he opened the message.

Still alive and kicking. Don't worry shorty :D

Levi huffed. He didn’t worry. He was just slightly curious about her wellbeing. Before he could start typing his response, two new messages appeared.

don't give erwin shit btw. He kept it a secret because i asked him to.

don't you dare punch him, levi. I will know. And I won't be pleased about it.

Levi rolled his eyes, feeling the familiar annoyance stir inside him. The annoyance he hadn't felt for two years. He bit down a smile, typing a quick reply. 

Just as he was finishing, the door to Erwin's office opened. Nile Dawk, the captain of special enforcement unit, and Dot Pixis, the captain of property and crime scene unit, walked out.

Dawk looked grim as he pushed past Levi, not sparring him a glance. Pixis, however, was as cheerful as always.

"Good day, detective," he said, clasping Levi's shoulder. "How are you doing?"

"Great," Levi pushed himself off the wall. "Excuse me, Captain, but I need—"

"Of course," Pixis winked. "Have a nice, productive shift!"

"Sure," Levi mumbled, giving him a weird look.

"What the fuck was that about?" he asked Erwin as soon as he closed the door to his office. "Since when you're buddies with Pixis and Dawk?"

“It’s important to maintain a friendly relationship with other units.”

“Don’t give me that crap,” Levi plopped down onto a chair in front of Erwin’s desk. “What are you planning this time?”

Erwin turned his face to the side, hiding a smile. “It’s too early to tell.”

“Whatever,” Levi mumbled, sitting back in the chair. If Erwin wanted to keep his secrets, so be it. He didn’t give a shit.

No, Levi instantly corrected himself. There was one secret that he did give a shit about. And Erwin kept it from him purposefully.

“Don’t you dare punch him,” the voice in his head reminded him. Of course, it was Hange’s.

The temptation to defy her was big, but he'd try to keep it together. For her sake.

"So?" Levi crossed hands on his chest. "What did you call me here for?"

"Ah, yes," Erwin got to his feet, reaching the cupboard next to his desk and taking two cups from it. "I wanted to ask how you're doing," he started making tea for them, facing away from Levi. "It was a difficult day for you."

"That it was," Levi agreed, boring his eyes into Erwin's back. "But it got better. I met someone. An old friend."

"Oh?"

He continued watching Erwin, waiting for his reaction.

"Yeah, four-eyes said hello."

Erwin froze. Just for a second, but he did.

"Levi, I'm sorr—"

"No," Levi said harshly. "No, you're not."

To his credit, Erwin didn't try to protest. He carefully put the teacups on the desk and then sat back in his chair.

"For how long?" Levi asked. "For how long did you know?"

Erwin sighed. "For almost a year."

Fuck. Levi gripped the arms of a chair so tightly the old wood creaked. He wanted to kick the desk in front of him. Wanted to take that damn teacup and smash it against the wall. How could they? How could they hide it from him for so long?

"You know how much I care for her," he began, his voice calm despite the emotions swirling inside of him. "You knew how much I grieved, how much I've missed her. And you let me suffer."

"I know that you feel betrayed, Levi. I know that you're angry," Levi scoffed. Angry? That was an understatement. He was fucking furious. "But you must understand - I couldn't tell you."

"And why the fuck not?"

"Hange asked me."

"But why? Why did she ask you to keep it from me?"

Erwin's eyes softened. "You know why, Levi. You know why she wanted to keep you away. You wouldn’t let her go. And you wouldn't have let her follow through with her plan."

"So you agree with that idiotic plan?"

"No," Erwin answered firmly. "I want to get Zeke as much as she does. But I'm not going to sacrifice Hange's life to do it."

Levi exhaled. He didn't even know it, but he was afraid to hear Erwin's answer. He was afraid that he lost an ally in the battle against Hange's stubbornness and martyr complex.

"So you have another plan?"

"Yes," Erwin nodded.

"And Hange doesn't know about it?"

"Not yet."

"That's why you're conspiring with Pixis and Dawk, right?" Levi guessed.

"Like I said," Erwin clenched his jaw, determination shining in his gaze. "I'm working on it."

After hearing this, most of the tension left Levi's body. He slumped in the chair, reaching out for his teacup.

"That's it?" Erwin raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to even punch me?"

Levi made a face. "Hange asked me to spare you."

Well, she didn't ask, but ordered him. Obviously, Erwin didn't need to know that.

"Ah, I should thank her then," Erwin chuckled. "She saved my life after all."

"Don't be so dramatic," Levi rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't have punched you that hard. Maybe, just broke your nose or jaw."

"Yeah," Erwin winced, rubbing his nose. "I'm glad we could avoid that."

Levi was glad too. If he really broke Erwin's nose, it would be such a mess. There'd be so much blood, and he'd have to clean it all by himself. Yeah, good thing they avoided it.

"Something still bothers you," Erwin noted, lifting the cup to his lips. "Care to share it with me?"

As always, Erwin was right. There was something that he couldn't stop thinking about. It plagued him ever since that kiss Hange planted on his cheek. And it began tormenting him after his morning conversation with Petra.

"Do Hange and I look like a couple?"

Erwin choked, coughing and spluttering tea all around his table. Levi tsked, rushing to Erwin's side to clasp his back a few times.

"What the fuck Levi?" he croaked out in between his coughs. "You can't just ask things like that."

"What?" Levi frowned. "It was a simple question. Petra mentioned it today. She thought, no, she was convinced that Hange and I," Levi cringed a little. "That we are romantically involved."

"Well," Erwin straightened in his seat, wiping his face with a handkerchief. "She's not the only one who thinks about you two that way."

"What?" Levi's eyes widened. "Who is it?" he demanded.

Erwin smiled. "Pretty much everyone at the precinct thought you were dating."

"But we— we did not," Levi protested helplessly.

"I know," Erwin comforted him. "Why does it bother you, though? It's just gossip, you were never the one to care what people say behind your back."

"And I still don't. I just— something happened last night," Levi closed his eyes for a second, recalling that small moment. "Hange— she kissed me. On a cheek!" he clarified, seeing Erwin's shocked expression. "You know four-eyes, she doesn't know what personal space is, but— it made me feel, I don't know, warm inside? I wanted her to do it again," he paused, taking a breath. This convention was making him feel so damn embarrassed, but he already started it. May as well finish it. "I remembered then, that warm feeling. It appeared frequently before you know," he shook his head. "Hange's death or whatever the fuck it was, but I was too busy then to stop and think about it. And after Hange was gone, I didn't really want to think about it. So, what do you think, Erwin? Could it be—"

"I don't know," Erwin said earnestly. "I'm not an expert in relationship, Levi. Especially, em, that kind of relationship, but... You have time. Hange's back, and I'll make sure, do my damnedest to make sure that she's back for good. You can figure it out together."

"Together, huh," Levi repeated. He liked the sound of it.

After all, that's when Hange and he were at their best. When they were together.

 ***

Back from the dead for less than a day and already getting on my nerves, four-eyes?

Staring down at the phone, Hange grinned. As she thought about his grumpy face, the grin grew wider.

"What are you smiling at?"

Hange quickly put the phone back into the pocket of Levi's coat. She looked up and saw Pieck and Porco stare back at her.

"Just a text," she said, shoving hands deep into the coat's pockets.

"A text?" Pieck arched an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you've got yourself a date or something."

"I don't have a date or something," Hange mimicked Pieck’s voice, earning a glare from her. "Just a friend."

Pieck continued to watch her with narrowed eyes. Hange looked back, still grinning.

"Is it a new coat?" Porco asked, interrupting their staring contest. "It's nice."

"You've got the wrong size," Pieck commented. "It's too small on you."

"Ah," Hange scratched the back of her head. "It was the last one."

"Hm," Pieck finally looked away. "We should go. The faster we deal with the job, the better."

"Aw, you don't want to spend more time with me, Pieck?" Hange nudged her in the side. "And here I thought we were becoming friends..."

Pieck sighed, shifting her gaze to Porco. "Bye, Pock. Talk to you later."

Then she started walking and Hange had no choice but to follow.

"So," she began, falling into step with her. "What Zeke wants us to do?"

"Check some of the local businesses, demand the protection money, threaten if they refuse. The usual stuff."

Hange let out a barely audible sigh. She hated this kind of work the most. Looking into the pleading faces of helpless owners, taking from them more than they could give - it was the worst. She still had to do it, though. She had to keep her cover. At least, today Floch wasn't her companion. Pieck, as sarcastic as she was, was a much, much preferred partner.

"You're spacing out again," Pieck's bored voice brought Hange back to present.

"Huh? I'm not."

"You've been doing it a lot today,” Pieck continued, ignoring her protest. “And you... you look happy. I don't think I've ever seen you smile so brightly before. Let's take a turn here," not giving Hange the chance to answer, Pieck grabbed her elbow, stirring her a bit to the left. "It's a shortcut."

"You really don't want spend more time with me than absolutely necessary," Hange noted with a grin. "Don't you enjoy our friendly banter?"

"I do," Pieck said, making Hange whip her head to stare at her. There was a small, bittersweet smile on her pretty face. "Truth be told, I'm going to miss it."

Blinking a few times, surprised by Pieck's words, Hange chuckled. "You're making it sound like I'm going away soon..."

"Don't you?"

Hange stopped abruptly.

"What are you trying to say, Pieck?" she asked, carefully observing her companion.

"I may not be as smart as you Hange,” Pieck huffed. “But I'm not dumb. I notice things too. Zeke's worst nightmare came to life, didn’t it? Your memories, they came back?"

"I—"

"And that means we're screwed, right? You'll take revenge on Zeke and us for lying to you."

"How?" Hange whispered, shocked by Pieck's perception. And here she thought she was so smart, so careful. "How did you find out?"

"It's in your eyes. Well, eye," Pieck sent her a sympathetic look. "It was confused before, lost. Now there is nothing but determination in your gaze."

"You've been staring at me a lot, Pieck," Hange teased, trying to clear the tense atmosphere. And mask her nervousness.

"That's my job."

"Does Zeke know?"

"No," Pieck started walking again, looking straight ahead. "And he won't know. Not from me at least."

"What?" Hange ran to catch up to her. "Why won't you tell him?"

"Because I understand," Pieck replied simply. "Because Zeke ruined your life, lied to you again and again, using your skills and intelligence. Because if I were in your place, I'd be filled with rage and desire to make him pay."

"I..." Hange swallowed a lump in her throat. "Thank you, Pieck. When— when shit hits the fan, I won't involve you. You'll be able to escape, I promise."

"Oi," Pieck smacked her arm. "I didn't tell you this because I wanted to get on your good side, weirdo."

"I know," Hange smiled. "I was going to do it anyway. You..." she faltered, pressing fingers to the patch on her face. "You've been there for me. You've helped me. You could have gotten in trouble with Zeke for that, but you still decided to help me. I won't forget that."

"Don't involve Porco," Pieck blurted out. "I know I'm asking for too much, but—"

"I get it," Hange cut her off. "Your safety won't mean a thing, if he's not safe too."

"I— yes," Pieck nodded. "You really get it."

More than you know, Hange thought, as an image of a certain scowling midget appeared in her mind.

"For how long have you known?" Hange she asked Pieck casually. "About me getting my memories back?"

"Almost a year."

So she figured her out almost instantly. Not bad, Hange decided with a weird sense of pride.

"And Zeke? He still hasn't caught up?"

That was weird. Zeke was exceptionally smart. Could it really be that he still didn't know?

"Maybe, he suspects it. But I think he doesn't want to believe it."

"How come?" Hange frowned. She was utterly confused. She always thought that if Zeke were ever to find out about her memory coming back, he'd deal with her instantly.

"Because he needs you. Don't sell yourself short, Hange," Pieck scolded. "You're valuable to us. More than you actually realize. You've been two years with us, and during this time we managed to keep ourselves completely below police's radar. Our profits raised, our gang became bigger and we found ourselves new allies. And all of it because of you."

Hange lowered her head, completely flustered. It was a while since anyone had praised her so. There was another thing she needed to know, though. She promised Levi she’d look into his case. And she needed to be sure. If Pieck was right and Zeke actually valued her, then...

"You said Zeke needs me, right? Would he listen to me? Does he value my opinion?"

Pieck knitted her eyebrows together. "Something happened," she didn’t ask, simply stated it. Hange was impressed with her more and more.

"Yes," Hange nodded. "While you and Zeke were on your trip abroad, two women were murdered."

"So? A lot of people die in this city."

Hange shook her head. "Not like this. The way these women were killed - it's obvious that someone is trying to set Zeke up," Hange didn't give to shits about Zeke, anyone who tried to get him behind bars was a friend. But they've taken two innocent lives. And they hurt Levi. She wouldn't let them get away with that. "If I tell him about it—"

"You'll have to tell him the truth then. About your memory coming back. It won't end well, Hange," Pieck warned.

"I know," If Zeke will find out about it, it'd destroy all of her carefully constructed plans. She was willing to take that chance, though. Her revenge could wait. "I won't be facing him alone. I— I'm planning on bringing backup."

"Backup?" Pieck repeated incredulously. "You'll have to find someone good, someone who would be able to make him reconsider killing you on a spot. Someone who can actually scare Zeke."

"Don't worry," Hange grinned. "I know just the guy."

And taking out her phone, she typed a short message.

Hey partner, wish to remember the good old days?

[amindofstone]

I wish(ed)...

a/n: Listen up. I barely know this character but I love him so so much. Like he holds so much power and literally screams SUPERIOR. I love him SO damn much. I kinda have a thing for older male characters. Like they can get me so damn weak!!!!! Anyways I hope you like this.  Bye! <3

Words: 950

Genre: anime imagine?

Warnings: This is going to be a bit sad. Just a bit, I guess. [ + Maybe grammar or spelling mistakes. (I genuinely apologize. English is not my mother tongue and I´m really trying to improve. So please be so kind and have mercy)]

Spoiler(s): none

Character(s): Shanks/Akagami Shanks/ Red Hair

!!! Please do not steal my idea or work. Credit me if this is shared or published in any other platform or any other way. This took me a lot of time. So please respect me as the writer and my work. Picture is not mine. Credits to the rightful owner. If anyone knows who drew this please tell me ASAP so I can give them the credits (found on the internet). !!!

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

I hoped  that one day I'll be able to hold you in my arms and tell you "I love you." without having to hold back tears. I hoped that one day I won't have to go to bed all alone and with an aching heart. Without having to cry myself to sleep while thinking about everything we used to have.

My sobs and my aching heart beats that turnined into a sad lullaby were accompanying me through the lonely nights. Nights I wish you were laying next to me while allowing me to look into your loving face. The face I would love to hold with both of my hands while giving it the soft and passionate kisses I always dream of.

Oh how I wished I could have you in my arms while trying to put my feelings for you into words. How much would I loved to hold you in my arms. Oh how much...

How much would I liked your face to be the last thing I see before I fall asleep. Oh how much would I liked your face to be the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning while leaving the sleep behind that was holding me back from showing you how much I loved you. How much I appreciated you. Oh how much you meant to me.

How much would I liked you to never leave me behind.

The fear of never being able to see you again was eating me alive. The fear of never being able to hear your voice calling my name was eating me alive. The fear of never being able to look you in the eyes while dancing around the house with you humming the melody that was played on our wedding was making me shed tears for days.

I was scared that I'll never be able to hear your laughter again. I'm scared I won't see you laughing over my soft heart like you used to whenever I came back home with a puppy while begging you to keep it.

I was scared that I will never be able to hear you complain about my night shifts in the hospital. I was hurt to death whenever I thought about the words of my mother that used to always remind me of the fact that I will never be able to have the family I always wanted with you. With you, my first and last lover.

I have my doubts. I doubt that this letter of mine will ever be reaching you my beloved Shanks. I doubt that you ever will hear from me ever again. I doubt that you're thinking about me in any way my lover but I can not keep all of this to myself anymore.

I'm tired of the pain in my chest. I'm exhausted by all the tears I shed. I'm done with crying myself to sleep. I can not bear seeing other couples walk around the town with no worries. I can't bear the pain anymore, my dear.

My dear Shanks. My beloved lover. My precious treasure. My lovely husband.

There is no day passing without me thinking about you. Your smile. Your voice, your eyes and your lips. No day is passing in which I do not visit the harbour, the place I meet you for the first time. There is no day passing where I don’t sit at the same bench while imagining how a life would be with you if only you wouldn't be one of the things the world hated and feared the most.

My beloved husband. We might be husband and wife but you rarely were with me. Next to me....

But it's alright. I'm not mad at you. In fact I am happy to know that you are something you genuinely enjoy. I'm glad to know that you are a free and happy man with people around you who are willing to die for you. I'm so happy to know that your are doing fine.

My dear Shanks. Thank you for everything. For every day you spend with me. Thank you for all the love you gave me. Thank you so so much. Even if I would thank you for hundreds of years it wouldn't be enough. Because there is no way I could thank you for the love you gave me.

I was happy. I am happy and forever will be happy for your love and trust. I wish I could tell you all of this and more personally but I can't and will never be able to do that. Because by the time you will see this I won't be found among the living.

My dear Shanks. My beloved husband. No matter what you hear. No matter what you get told. No matter what your mind tells you. None of this is your guilt. You are a good man. A righteous man. There is no way you are the reason why my heart stopped beating. My dear, I had to fight against a tumour that did not seem to let go of me and had to destroy my wish of seeing you one more time. But that's for the past now and has no importance. The only thing that is and shall be important to you is the little gift a left for you.

I am not sure when you will receive my letter but even if it's in a years from now or ten. The little gift will stay were I left it. Hopefully happy and healthy.

Akagami Shanks I will love you and the little gift of mine even in my next life. Forever and always.

In love, your wife.

[iaminlovewithtrr]

Christmas with a stranger

This is my submission for 'gift of cheer' by @cordonianroyalty and @texaskitten30. This is the fluff one shot requested by @anjanettaexcordonia.

Characters belong to pixelberry

Pairings:LiamxRiley

A/N: this is the first fic I have ever written, so i apologize for any mistakes. Criticism is openly accepted, negative or otherwise. Feel free to say anything!

Tags: @texaskitten30 @cordonianroyalty

@kat-tia801 @eadanga @xxrainbow-princessxx @knightthunderis @kingliam2019 @anjanettexcordonia @stuti-singh @queenrileyrose @bbrandy2002 @twinkleallnight @bebepac @ladyrileyrussel @hopelessromanticsposts @dcbbw

Summary: Two strangers spend Christmas day with which each other, which changes the rest of their lives.....

Song inspiration: All I want for Christmas is you

Word count:2683

I don't want a lot for Christmas

There is just one thing I need

Don't care about the presents

Underneath the Christmas tree

I don't need to hang my stocking

There upon the fireplace

Santa Claus won't make me happy

With a toy on Christmas Day

I just want you for my own

It was the morning of Christmas, and Riley was overly excited. She always waited for this time of the year, especially Christmas. Nothing is more enjoyable than sipping cider in the presence of her beloved and enjoying the Christmas meal, she always thoughts. Orphaned at 4 ,she didn't had a blood family to celebrate with , but was blessed with a great deal of foster family and friends. Every year, during Christmas, as a sort of tribute, she spends the entire day celebrating with the children of her previous foster care. Watching those kids playing merrily reminded her of her own good days in the past.

She quickly ate her breakfast and made her way out of her NY apartment, whistling and softly humming to the tune of All I want for Christmas is you, her favorite song.

More than you could ever know

Make my wish come true

All I want for Christmas is you

Baby....

She was so engrossed in her little singing gig that she barely registered the stranger coming towards her, and crashed right into his broad chest, spilling her reticule's content on the sidewalk.

"Oof"she yelped, rubbing her forhead.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! Let me help with those! " the stranger apologized.

Riley and the stranger kneeled down at the same moment to collect her scattered belonging, and for the first time the two glanced into each others eyes. Ocean blue eyes locking onto dark ones. Damn... Those eyes.. Riley swallowed.

"Ahem" she softy cleared her thought, quickly collected her belongings, and stood up.

"Sorry for that. Should've watched my steps. " then she quickly disappeared into the crowd, not noticing the stranger eyes on her from behind.

Riley finally arrived at the foster care. Loving hearts. A bit strange name, but filling her chest with warmth nonetheless. She rummaged through her reticule for her Digital key card, but it was not there.

"Uh...?"she muttered. "Where the hell is my keycard? "

After a few moment of searching she gave up. "Im not going to get in there without my key card...."

"Excuse me Miss.... But I belive this is yours. " a voice behind her startled her.

Riley turned around and found herself staring at the pair of those same dark eyes she encountered earlier. I'd recognise those eyes anywhere, even though I had stared at his eyes for less than 5 seconds. The (cute) guy i bumped with!

"Ahem" the stranger let out a exaggerated cough and riley realised that she has been staring at his face for a solid 10 seconds.

"Right.. Ahem... Sorry... I mean... Thank you for returning this. You totally saved my ass--, i mean my...my...job". Way to make a fool of yourself Riley.

The stranger laughed quitly. "Well then I am glad I could save your job. But I should get going."

Just as he turned, a little voice in the back of her head called out to her, and instinctively she reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

"Er... Sir... I know this is extremly forward of me... But if you would be kind enough to spend the day with volunteering at the orphanage I work at? We are kinda short-staffed tonight, and there aren't much volunteers. Those children at the orphanage will be quite happy to see a new face. You could spend the with them. And me. If you are free, that is?

Crap. Crap. Crap. This i really asked a random hot stranger to volunteer?! Snap the hell out of it Riley!

Plz say yes. Plz say yes. The little voice inside her screamed.

To her surprise, he gave her a smile. "Id be happy to. I don't have any special plans for today. Btw. "

He smiled, and stuck out her hand to shake hers.

"Liam Rys"

"Riley Brooks". She said she she shook his hand. A familiar electric tinge sparked through her veins as she held his hand. His hand impossibly smooth underneath her. Woah! Are guys even supposed to have this soft hands? I wonder what kind of moisturiser he uses....

"Miss Brooks --"

"Call me Riley. "

"Well ahem, Riley.. it is rather cold outside. What say we make it inside? "

"Oh right."

She quickly swiped her keycard and stepped inside, sighing contentedly as the warm air from the heaters enveloped her. She melted a little inside as she felt Liam's warm body alongside her. Brushing this aside, she focused her attention on the scenario in front of her. Numerous gift boxes piled beneath the Christmas tree... Children merrily running and there... Volunteers mingling with each other and the children... The aroma of the food... And the Christmas songs softly playing in the background. A wide smile played on her lips.

While Riley was busy observing the surroundings, Liam found his sight stuck on the beautiful women he had known for not more than 15 minutes. She was beautiful, in a way that the noble ladies back at home in Cordonia arn't. And seeing her here in here element, smiling widely without giving a damn about public decorum or whatsoever, he found himself attracted to her. And without a second thought, he agreed to volunteer. We'll see how the day goes...

Liam cleared his throat, claiming her attention. "So what needs to be done? "

"As you can see this is a orphanage, so the children here dont have any families to celebrate the holidays with. So each year, myself and many other gather here to celebrate the celebrate with them. Thats what we have to do. Mingle with the children, play with them... And make them feel loved. "

"Sure. I can definately do that. I actually volunteered too at orphanages back home."

"If I may ask, Where are you from?

Liam immediately stiffened at the question. When he asked his father for a quiet getaway before the beginning of the social season, meeting Riley was not on the itinerary. And the fact that he was leaving Tommorow didnt helped either. The last thing he wanted to do was to lie with her, but he wasn't going to destroy these good moments he had with her by revealing that he was the crown prince of cordonia.

"I'm actually from one of the small islands surrounding Greece. "

Before she could open her mouth to ask more, Liam immediately turned away to play with one of the children.

The day went on quite peacefully and quite enjoyable for Liam. Holidays back home were anything besides spending with families. It was all about press conferences and photo ops and disguised motives hidden away in gifts. But here I was a lot more different, the sight of children playfully jostling each other without giving a damn made him smile, as that was the part of childhood he missed.

He suddenly felt a small hand on his shoulder and his pulse quickened at the feel of skin over his clothes. Behind her was Riley, holding a eggnog mug in her hands.

"Not to ruin your volunteering gig, but I got you something. "She said as she handed him the mug. Their fingers brushed, and lingered for just a moment longer.

"Ahem. Thank you. " Liam blushed, his ears turning pink.

Riley chucked softly at his antics. He is already so cute, and looks extra cute while he blushes.

Night came quickly. After winding up all the activities for the day including the gift exchanging and christmas dinner, all the children were put to bed and the volunteers were bidding their goodbyes. Only the foster care staff plus liam was left behind.

Riley glanced around. All the staff were mingling on the rooftop, with only her and Liam left in the main hall.

"Hey.... " she softly asked Liam, who was lounging in a chair beside her.

"Yeah? "

"Will you accompany me for a little walk around the times square? I just wanna clear my head a bit. " And hopefully spend some time with you...

He smiled. "Sure! Just let me get my coats. "

The pair walker out of the building and into the cold, brisk night. Celebrations were in full swing outside. Its called the city who never sleeps for Nothing.

Outside was really cold, and with the softly falling snow Riley barely suppressed the shiver that ran up het spine. Suddenly she felt strong arms around her shoulders and a moment later a coat was wrapped around them.

"I would be a terrible gentleman if a let a beautiful lady like you freeze to death. "

"Beautiful, huh? " she teased.

He blushed. That blush.

They both arrived at the square, staring at the enormous Christmas tree situated in the very middle. The glow of the lights and mini bulbs bathing them both in a gentle bluish light.

"Its really beautiful, isnt it? Riley asked. Just as she turned her head towards him liam's eyes quickly found their ways towards the decoration. Was he really admiring me than the beautiful decoration in front of him? Was it possible that he was feeling the same fluttering in his heart that she felt whenever they interacted? No, it can't be. I am reading onto this too much. We are strangers. Strangers.

"Indeed it is. " Liam quitly whispered, hiding the blush in his cheeks. Crap, she caught him staring at her. I hope she doesnt think i am creep or something. To Liam even the most beautiful decorations paled in front of her, she was more beautiful than any sights he had laid his eyes on. Don't get too attached, Liam. Its temporary. You are going to leave tomorrow. There can nothing be between you and her. You have a duty back home. This is just a little escape from reality. They are strangers. Strangers.

Just then the local band striked up a a waltz. All around them peoples paired up, with Riley watching the couples with a hopeful gleam in her eyes... which didnt went unnoticed by Liam. And in that moment, he knew what he had to do.

Liam bowed a little in front of her, and held out his hand, his other arm draped around his back. "May I have this dance? "

She smiled as she put her hand into his, her pulse quickning, "It would be my pleasure. "

She awkwardly bowed, earning a chuckle from Liam as he sweeped her in his arms, her one hand on his shoulder, his on her waist, their free hand twined together. They elegantly twirled together on the makeswift dance floor, stepping in time to each rhythm. As they glided together, liam couldnt help but gaze down at her angelic face, illuminated by the surroundings. His gaze strayed to her lips just as Riley glanced at him, they met each other halfway as their lips come together in a magnetic kiss. Time seemed to stopped when his lips met hers, and the flutter in their chest intensified. Riley's finger gently curled in his coat as liam tangled his hands in her soft brown curls. She smelled like jasmine, a scent that liam is all too familiar with. Their hands tighten around each other, almost desperately, refusing to let go, their lips moving against each other in perfect harmony. Liam tightened his arm around her waist, pulling her into his chest, and Riley softly sighed as she breathed in the scent of him.

For that moment it was only the two of them in the entire world, all the surroundings fading into nothing. Their little bubble of heaven was broken as the pair heard the the sound of clapping and soft cheering. Flustered, Liam grasped her hand and led both of them out of the dance floor and into the streets, grinning all the way.

The two of them found themselves at the threshold of a quint restaurant, and they both collapsed onto the stairs, still holding each other while wearing goofy smiles.

"So... That was.... Something else.. " Riley chuckled.

"Indeed it was. " Liam snickered.

As he glanced down at the lady in his arms, Liam felt a sudden tinge of guilt in his chest. I still haven't told her who I am. I have to tell her.

After her laughter had subsided, Liam gently took her shoulders in his hands and looked square in her eyes. "Riley, can I have a word with you? "

"Yeah... What happened? "

"I haven't told you where I am from, or what I am doing alone in a unknown city without my family. The truth is I am the Crown Prince of a small country called Cordonia. "

Riley stared at him, then burst into laughter. "Haha, Liam, nice joke. If you are a crown prince then i'm Kate Middleton." She stopped laughing when she saw the look on his face. "Oh, you are serious?"

Liam nodded. "Of course. I have no reason to lie to you. I just wanted to let you know that....that...." He struggled to move forward. "That i'll be leaving for Cordonia Tommorow morning. My social season will commence once I get back. I have to choose a bride from all the noble ladies presented to me as suitors. "

Her face fell. "You... You are really going back... I just thought we.... " She trailed off.

"I knew Riley, and I am sorry that I didn't told you sooner. I understand if you are mad--"

"Of course im not mad Liam. You did what you thought was the best. You just wanted a nice time without wandering about your duties."

"I... I wished we had more time together Riley." He whispered.

"Then lets make the most of it. We just have this night tonight, Liam. And I want to make it count. For just this one night let's just be Riley and Liam, two peoples without any obligations.

Riley pointed to the mistletoe over their head, then leaned forward to capture his lips in a heated kiss. He immediately responded, his hand cupping the side of her neck tenderly as she ran her hair through his dark hair. They pulled apart, staring into each others eyes, then their lips came together again, more passionately this time.

"Merry Christmas, Riley."

"Merry Christmas, Liam."

The night was spend together in Liam's suite, tangled in the sheets and in each other's arms.

************

The next morning

Liam woke up in his room.... Alone. He glanced around, none of Riley's belongings were in sight. A single note was on the coffee table beside the bed.

Liam,

I want you to know that the short time I have spend with you more to me than I could describe. You gave me the one thing I wanted most for Christmas...Family. I'm grateful for that. I'm sorry that I had to convey this to you by a letter, but i thought it would be better for both of us. Perhaps we will meet again.

Riley

Liam reached and wiped the lone tear that has escaped on his cheek. "I'm grateful for our time together too, Riley.

**********

Cordonia

It was the evening of the masquerade ball in the palace. Liam was dressed in his usual black regalia with a matching ornate mask. No matter how hard he tried, his thoughts managed to make their way back to Riley. Be a good prince, Liam. She's gone.

Liam stood in the huge elegant ballroom, a queue of noble ladies in front of him. Each lady he encountered, whether it was the poodle loving lady Penelope, the diplomat's daughter Kiara, or his best friend Olivia, made him realize that none of them were her.

The next lady approached, who was adorned in a white angel costume, with a literal halo above her head, her blue eyes peeking out of the glittering mask. Why are those eyes familiar...

"Hello..." Liam greeted her politely. "I don't believe we have met... Have we?"

The women smiled, then reached behind the back of her head to loosen the mask strings, Liam caught a glimpse of a familiar face as she removed her mask.

"Riley..."

[dolphindiluna]

𝗜 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗡𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗲 The cell continued to ring. He should talk to Sam, let him know that he was alive. He laughed bitterly at the thought, was he really alive? He didn't feel that way. He was flesh, bones, tears and blood. But alive? No. Living had just taken on another dimension. The point is that he died so many times that he lost count, but for the first time he knew what it was to really die, this death that people talk about, death in life.

How many important people fell on the way?

His mind returned to the day of his mother's death. Even though he was not in his room that day, his father had counted on so many details, on a night of drunkenness, that he didn't even need to see with his eyes, his mind "saw" much more than he wanted.

Then the father. That father obsessed with killing the damn demon who took the life of his beloved wife. The father who raised his children to save people, hunting things, the family business. The father absent for loving too much.

And Ellen and Jo. Pamela, Bob, Kevin, Charlie. And so many others. Many…

And again the father and mother.

And Sam. Each time he lost his brother, a piece of him died together. Sam, who kept calling over and over.

- Sam, I'm fine.

- Dean! What happened? Why did it take so long to answer the phone?

- Sorry, Sammy. Are you ok?

He heard the sound of his brother swallowing the words, those few seconds hanging over them like a sharp sword. Dean knew, he always knew.

- Sammy?

- Dean, everybody's gone, everybody. Charlie, Bob and even Donna. It's just me and Jack.

The brother's voice was weak. Sam who was so dedicated to protecting everyone, even with the weight of Eileen's loss on his shoulders. He wanted to hug him. He wished he could go back in time when he carried Sam in his boyish arms and rocked him, promising to protect him from danger. "Take care of your brother, Dean" had been the main task his father had given him, and he, as a good soldier, never deviated from his mission. Taking care of Sam, protecting him, was what gave him the strength to get up every morning.

- Sammy, come home.

- Dean, is everything okay? What happened to Billie?

- Billie is dead. You and Jack, come home soon.

- Okay, Dean.

He hung up the phone and put his hands on his face again. He was not able to tell Sam the whole truth, because telling what happened was having to face reality, and he was not yet ready to say goodbye.

The silence in the dungeon choked him, but he didn't have the strength to leave. Maybe he didn't want to leave. Somewhere in his heart, a fragile flame continued to resist. He looked at the wall, hoping the black hole would regurgitate what The Empty had stolen from him.

"I annoyed an ancient cosmic being so much that he sent me back."

Dean remembered those words as if they were said yesterday. He clung to them in despair. But deep down, he knew, he knew that The Empty would not give up again.

Why didn't he tell the truth? Why?

Why did he push his feelings into some dark corner of himself, not even allowing himself to think?

Why didn't he give himself the right to believe that he could be loved, be happy?

All that fury that has weighed on his chest since childhood, that anger that he thought defined him.

"Everything you have ever done, the good and the bad, you have done for love."

Even now he couldn't see himself that way, because that meant he was always a coward for not having struggled to take on what he felt.

Coward. He had been a coward until the end. And now he paid the price for being afraid to say the same words he had received.

The chest pain increased. He needed to get out of there, he needed to breathe. Shivering, using the wall as a support, he stood up slowly. The first steps were unstable. He managed to reach the chair in the middle of the room, held it in search of something solid to keep him on his feet until he felt he could walk without fear of falling.

When he finally reached the door, he couldn't resist and looked back again. That flame in his chest had just gone out. The pain increased, crushing his heart.

"You changed me, Dean ... I love you."

He ran out of the room, his hand over his mouth to stifle his sob.

He didn't want to be that anymore. He no longer wanted to be the Dean who assumed all the responsibilities and suppressed any feeling that his enemies could use against him. He was tired of being strong, of trying to be invincible.

He heard Sam calling for him. He needed his brother, needed this time to reverse logic, needed Sam to take care of him, to protect him from pain.

- Sammy.

Your voice so weak, so different from your voice of thunder.

- Sammy, Sammy!

He arrived at the library without strength. His brother was near the big table in the lobby.

- Sammy, please.

Sam ran towards him, followed closely by Jack. His frightened eyes were filled with concern. There, in the center of the library, the two came face to face.

He couldn't take it anymore, everything around him spun. He saw Cass in every corner of that place. Cass hugging him when they met after Chuck and Amara left. Cass sitting next to him in one of the few moments of peace, celebrating Jack's life.

Cass, smiling through her tears, saying goodbye to never come back.

- He's gone, Sammy.

Finally, the heavy tears broke through the barrier and he fell to the floor. The weight of defeat weighed on his body. He punched his chest several times in penance.

Sam didn't know what had happened, but he suspected it had to do with Castiel's absence. He knelt in front of his brother, pulling him into his arms. He always feared that this day would come, the day when Dean would accept his own feelings, but that Cass would not be there to receive them.

- He's gone, Sammy, gone. And I didn't say. I didn't say, Sammy.

- Put it all out, Dean, don't keep it anymore.

The brother's words allowed him to be the Dean that Castiel once loved.

- CASS!

The aching cry tore at his chest.

Jack watched his parents' pain and felt powerless because there was nothing he could do. All he wanted to do was bring Cass back, but he had no more powers. He no longer had Castiel. His father had died.

The strength with which the angel's name was said in that place full of magic, had the power to transcend the walls and resonate beyond that plane. In heaven, the angels wept for the loss of yet another of them. Castiel had been a friend and also an enemy, in the end being just another puppet in the hands of God.

In hell, Rowena stopped in the middle of a lustful laugh. His eyes watered. After all, the angel also became his boy.

But it was Chuck who was pierced by that spear of pain. He, who in his arrogance despised his own creations, who played with their lives, now felt the agony with such violence that it surprised him. In her mind, Amara's voice, full of bitterness, prophesied:

- Brother, you can lie to yourself as much as you want. But the truth is that you lost your most loyal son, the one who loved you so much, the one you wickedly despised. And I know it hurts you. We feel Dean's pain. And as long as we exist, we will carry that pain as a reminder of how bad we can be.

Chuck turned his eyes to Dean and for a moment hesitated in his firm intention to destroy everything. The weight of loneliness as a reminder of your choices. Sitting on his mythical throne, he was the image of a defeated god.

In the library, Dean continues to cry hugging his brother, his face buried in Sam's chest. It was sad to see that they had switched places, Sammy was taking care of Dean as Dean had always done for him.

- Dean, you need to vent, you can't have all that feeling with you anymore.

The pain, like fire, rose in his throat and was finally released.

- Cass, you are the only one I want to have, my true happiness. Cass, I love you ...

Words can transform. Words heal.

In The Empty, where angels and demons rest, dreaming eternally of their past, Castiel, in his serene sleep, dreams of the words he wanted to hear so much. His lips curl in an affable smile, while a tear escapes his sleeping eyes.

- I always knew, Dean … ----------------------------------------------------------------------------  I wrote this story a few days after the episode aired, listening to "I Will Never Be The Same" (which became the title of this story) by Melissa Etheridge, because this song, for me, is the synthesis of what happened to these two characters. These were, as they have been ever since, days of sadness and anxiety. The question the fandom keeps asking itself: is it really the end? Did the series make Destiel canon to kill Castiel soon after? As a fan, especially as a fan of Destiel, I am still waiting for the return of our beloved angel in the last episode, to finally find happiness with the man she loves. Because these two definitely deserve to be happy after everything they've been through. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------  English is not my first language. Please forgive any mistakes I may have made. And I don't know whose illustration it is. If anyone knows, please let me know so I can give the artist proper credit.

[crystaljins]

Gleaming Silver

Characters: Jimin x Reader

Word count: 3.3K

Synopsis:  You love and trust your captain above all. But perhaps he’s not the man- or rather human you thought him to be.

Pirate!Jimin x firstmate!Reader

Notes: Things to do while in quarantine: Write about pirate/merman Jimin, I guess?? (JK i’m not in quarantine don’t stress guys) dedicated to @tuserendipia​, who apparently misses seeing me on their dash ;)

Warnings: Conversations while not maintaining 1.5m social distance, mentions of violence and piracy.

It is the duty and honour of a first mate to know every intimate detail particular to their captain. A captain without a first mate stands alone, useless- for how can they command loyalty of an entire crew if they cannot even have one person whom they could trust unconditionally? And that was who you prided yourself on being when it came to your captain. You had even gained a reputation across the seas- no one had ever seen the back of the Mighty Pirate King Jimin, for it was constantly guarded by his fiercely loyal first mate. From the moment Jimin had recruited you, an orphan, cast out on the streets and forced to pickpocket to feed herself, you have dedicated your entire life to him.

Yet, though you have prided yourself on your loyalty to your Captain, and though you considered yourself to know him better than anyone else, it is, as evidenced by the sight before you, all a farce. No, you do not know your captain in the slightest. Even your most basic assumption about him, that he is the most fearsome human to roam the nine seas of Quiruvea, is apparently incorrect.

For Captain Park Jimin is no mere man. No, you have witnessed it now, beneath the silver moon that paints his skin as if it were smooth marble. The shimmering, iridescent fish tail where his legs were prior to you being knocked overboard proves that you do not know your captain in the slightest. Cold, dizzying, confusing fear grips you at the unfamiliarity of the man- or rather, merman, who sprawls across the sand before you.

“Turn around.” He commands, gazing at you almost lazily. He is surprisingly calm after having exposed such an earth shattering secret, one he has somehow managed to keep from you for years. And your ingrained sense of loyalty has you turning away obediently, blinking rapidly in disbelief. Perhaps you are mistaken- perhaps your time out on the seas and the full, glowing moon above you have finally driven you to the brink of insanity. Or perhaps this is all a dream- perhaps you were never knocked overboard at all. Perhaps you had rolled off your bed in your sleep with a particularly hard rock from your beloved ship and you are actually sleeping peacefully on the hard floor in this exact moment.

The clink of metal as Jimin redoes his belt buckle behind you alerts you to the fact that Jimin is once more fully clothed and the human legs you knew him to possess have returned. You turn your head to face him, only to find the cool blade of a knife pressed against your throat. He lurches forward until he plants his knees on either side of you, pinning your prone form to the sand. Just the slightest pressure from your captain and the wet sand beneath you will be soaking up the remnants of your life. It is a night of betrayal, it seems.

“Will you kill me?” You question, gazing up at Jimin. You are unable to keep the slight wobble from your voice. Though you are brave, having faced many dangers since becoming a pirate, you have never been on the opposite side of Jimin’s blade. And rightfully so- he is your beloved, trustworthy captain. Or at least, you thought he was. But perhaps you are wrong. For to the rest of the world, Jimin is a cold, dangerous man. You have witnessed that many times first hand- to make a living off stealing from the king and adventuring the seas for hidden treasures, one must have a certain degree of ruthlessness to them. People are right to fear him, even if the thought that maybe you should as well has never crossed your mind. But it does now, because never has that sense of danger and ruthlessness been directed towards you in the way that it is now- a heavy, distant gaze that sizes you up like he is measuring your worth. Like he is cold-heartedly weighing up whether it is worth his while to keep you alive.

“That depends.” He rasps, moving in close until he hovers centimetres from you, planting one hand on the side of your head where it rests against the sand. The waves lap at the soles of his boots, and his damp cotton shirt billows outwards in the slight breeze like the sails of a ship, and the heavy material of his overcoat falls around you like a heavy curtain, shrouding your form in darkness. “Will you kill me?”

The question throws you off guard- for why would you ever consider killing your captain? Even after the revelations of tonight, after witnessing his glittering tail, you could never and would never turn your blade against him. At your stunned silence, however, Jimin twists the knife further, just firm enough that you can feel its pressure but not firm enough to cut, and that’s when you detect it. The slight tremor to his wrist, the barely concealed fear in his eyes. To anyone else, even to a member of his crew, Jimin would look like a ruthless killer, ready to murder his loyal first mate for discovering his deepest secret, but suddenly you see the situation clearly for what it is. A terrified man, fearing for his life. Fearing betrayal from his most trusted comrade, a fate that is perhaps worse than death to him. For if people were to know he were such a creature, he would know doubt be sought out. Merpeople were highly prized amongst the rich- they made beautiful additions to their gardens, much the same way a koi fish might adorn the fountain of a frivolous noblewoman, and the scales of their tails have immense abilities. Healing, potions, magic brews being the least of these properties. All it would take to ruin Jimin were to let slip to a passerby that the Mighty Pirate King is merely a lost merman, above the seas instead of below it, and he would never find peace no matter what corner of the seas he sought.

You feel yourself soften at the revelation, and reach trembling fingers upwards to wrap around his wrist.

“Never.” You whisper, a solemn promise. He does not hold the knife to you with any real force- you are able to tug its lethal edge away with no resistance from your captain until it falls useless beside you. He watches your expression as you do so, and when you make no move to fight him, his shoulders slump weakly. His gaze softens with relief as he rolls off you and collapses weakly in the sand.

“Are you hurt?” He asks, gazing listlessly up at the blanket of shimmering stars overhead. It takes a surprising amount of effort to force yourself into an upright position. When you do, you gaze out at the endless wash of black before you. Beneath the night sky, you cannot discern the smooth line of the horizon- only the constellations above guide you on your location. Somewhere far, far east of where your crew members conducted mutiny and tossed you ruthlessly overboard. Just the thought of it has your entire being shaking with rage.

“Not physically.” You respond. He nods, sitting up to gaze at you with gentle eyes. “I... don’t understand what happened tonight, Captain.”

You don’t specify what you don’t understand- there have been a lot of confusing events to unfold this night, beginning with the mutiny of crew mates you had trusted and loved, and ending with the discovery that your captain is a rare, nigh extinct race of mythical creature who followed you overboard without a moment’s hesitation and had obviously dragged your barely conscious body to the first piece of land he had come across. Jimin offers you a thin smile, combing his hand through his hair, which has dried with a slight curl to it, the way hair does when soaked with saltwater. He straightens, pulling off the dark coat that adorns his shoulders and adjusting it so that it falls across your figure, concealing the way your damp cotton shirt has gone translucent. You flush at the realisation and are grateful for the small gesture. It reminds you that despite the events of tonight, the man before you is still your captain, who rescued you from a life of starvation and showed you adventure and freedom, out amongst the dancing waves and endless horizons. The man whom you love and trust with your entire heart. You tug the coat more firmly around you despite the fact that it is heavy and laden with seawater.

“I do owe you an explanation. Perhaps I should start from the beginning.” He tells you, gazing out forlornly across the sea. “Beginning with who I am. I am Park Jimin, Crown Prince of the Eleven Seas of Altanea.” You blink in confusion- according to every map you’ve ever come across, there are only nine seas, and you have never heard of a place called Altanea. But you do not interrupt- instead you allow your captain to confess the words he has kept secret to all but himself for so many years. “Or rather, that’s who I was. For my kingdom was destroyed and its people scattered many years ago, when I was a young child.” He looks at you and his eyes shimmer in the moonlight. Even after so many years, to recount the story brings tears to his eyes. They catch the meagre light and your heart squeezes at the sight of them. “I was raised onland by two merfolk who were clever enough to conceal their true identity and to teach me to do the same. But we are drawn to the sea, for it is our home. And initially I sailed them with a licence- I worked hard and became a well-respected naval officer. And that was how I planned to live my life until the end of my days, until I discovered the truth of what had happened to the remnants of my people.” He says the words darkly, and his fists clench until his knuckles go pale. His eyes flash with cold fury and it is a look you know well- it is the face of the feared pirate king who sits before you. “The king that I had been so loyally serving had them trapped as commodities, ornaments to decorate the gardens of those who pleased him, and as farmed livestock to produce scales to cause his kingdom to prosper. A kingdom built on the blood and pain of an entire race.” You have only seen Jimin tremble and shake with rage the way that he does now once before. It was earlier that night, when your crew mate first announced her intent to mutiny. “Of course, the only way to remain on the sea if I am not a naval officer is piracy. And so I stole the Crimson Voyager and found myself a loyal crew.” He shoots you a furtive glance, and this is the part of the story you know, for you had been amongst the first Jimin recruited when gathering his crew. And you had witnessed each and every member promise their loyalty to Jimin. “My intention had been to gain riches and loyalty until I could stage a revolt and return my people to the seas where they belong, but I foolishly let my guard down around Chaeyoung.”

You stiffen are the mention of her name- the youngest and newest member of your crew, recruited by Jimin under mysterious circumstances despite your protests, and the very crew member who had initiated the mutiny. The first and only time you have questioned your captain’s actions. It seems, in this case, your misgivings were warranted.

“Is she... like you?” You question. It is too baffling to say the words you mean aloud. Jimin watches you curiously, before his lips curl with a faint but fond smile.

“Yes. Though, unlike me, she was born in captivity. She has never seen our home. I know you had your doubts about her, but I could not turn one of mine away.” He says. It is a familiar term of endearment, the way he refers to Chaeyoung as his. He does the same with all his crew- with you. To him, you are all his. His to protect, to trust, to guide. And the thought that Chaeyoung betrayed that has you clenching your teeth in anger. “I am sorry. I wasn’t yet ready to tell you the truth about my past. And it’s clear to me now that I trusted the wrong person. For it seems a life of witnessing the injustice her parents faced has left her bitter and angry with the world. She did not agree with my methods and wanted immediate liberation for our people... and you have witnessed firsthand how exactly she intends to do that. By brute force and pigheadedness.”

You are quiet for a long moment, drawing figures in the sand, and the soft wash of the waves lapping at the shore is the only sound that exists between you.

“How... how did she convince them to betray us?” You ask softly. For that is probably what hurts the most tonight- not the revelation that you know nothing of the man you love, nor the stress of being thrown overboard, but the pain of being betrayed by people you consider family. For just as Jimin fondly refers to the crew as “his”, they are also yours. Your family, your friends, your crew. That they could even consider betraying you goes against everything you know to be true. Jimin bites his lip and you watch the way he worries at the skin for a long moment, before he decides to confess the truth to you.

“We bear the power of persuasion.” He finally confesses. He watches you warily, as if fearing your reaction. “Of course, if someone knows they are being persuaded, they can break it, and so I have just granted you safety from such a power. But it is likely how she was able to stage the mutiny when she became discontent with my methods. And for the record, it is a power I have never used on any of you.”

You nod, feeling relief billow outwards in your chest, warming you to the tips of your chilled fingers. They did not betray you. But then another question fills your mind.

“Then why did she not persuade me?” You ask aloud, in the same moment that Jimin launches himself forward, almost eagerly, until his face hovers mere centimetres from you. You feel each puff of his breath glide over your skin, and your eyes widen at the sudden and unexpected proximity.

“That is precisely what I want to ask you.” He asks, but rather than look grim or angry or puzzled, he just stares at you with a steady, fixed gaze. You would almost call the look in his eyes longing, but surely you are mistaken. “She must have tried to. You are the most valuable and influential member of my crew. You could probably convince them to revolt even without the power of persuasion. How did you resist a spell as powerful as hers? How can your loyalty to me be so strong that even a mermaid’s song cannot sway you?”

His gaze scans curiously, desperately over your features, tracing from your brow to your eyes, your lips, your throat, before settling on the spot where a tarnished silver necklace rests against your collarbone. It had been a gift from him- he had found it amongst the first treasure the two of you had ever discovered, hidden in the depths of a jungle island, and had instantly declared it yours. It is simple- a mere locket, in the shape of a heart. You do not keep anything in it- it is the necklace itself that bears meaning to you, rather than its contents. Jimin reaches up wonderingly to stroke his index finger across the smooth surface, and then following the links of the chain as they fan across your décolletage. The action is intimidating- you feel as though he gazes upon your actual heart, the one that should be hidden safely beneath your ribs. He smiles, like there is a funny joke etched into the metal of your locket.

“Tell me.” He urges you softly. Jimin always becomes very smug whenever he catches a glimpse of the necklace you wear at all times, and he is extremely smug now. Like he knows your answer but wants you to be the one to declare it.

You bite your lip and his gaze tracks the movement, his tongue darting out to moisten his own lips. He is a work of art, up close. Silver moonlight gilds the line of his jaw and the high arc of his cheekbones and he owns a beauty that the most talented sculptors in the world can only dream of replicating.

“And you?” The words come out as a whisper. “Why have you revealed to me your secrets after so many years? Why did you follow me overboard rather than stay behind and save your crew?”

Jimin tilts his head slightly, before gently cupping your face and smoothing the rough pad of his thumb lovingly against your cheek. You must be quite the sight- a complexion darkened by days beneath the sun, hair matted and in disarray thanks to the salt that has dried in it, but he gazes upon you wonderingly like you are the most exquisite piece of treasure he has ever laid eyes upon.

“There are times where our bodies move faster than our minds.” He confesses sweetly. “By the time my mind registered what had happened, I was already in the water with you in my arms.”

You blink in confusion, and he chuckles, dropping his head so that his forehead rests tenderly against your own.

“I believe that happens because our bodies obey our hearts before they obey our minds.” He explains. “And my heart is entirely yours in any way that you want it. Just as this heart is mine.” He says, playfully tapping a finger against the small metal heart that rests against your sternum. You have a feeling that he is not referring to the cold metal heart that sits above your ribs.

You attempt to speak, to respond, you really do. But all that emerges is a confused squeak. And Jimin, brave, terrifying, powerful Jimin, releases a laugh. A full, joyous laugh, the laugh of a carefree young man in love, not the laugh of a terrifying pirate king recently betrayed by his crew. He throws his head back with the force of it, and when he recovers enough to gaze upon you once more, you are glaring at him with the most endearing pout upon your lips. And he is only a man- he cannot resist the urge to place a quick peck upon your lips, and when he pulls away, you stare at him in bewilderment.

“It is ok if you are not ready to say it aloud, yet, my love.” He tells you warmly. His tongue darts out against as if it is chasing the taste of your lips lingering on his. “For I already know the reason why- there is only one other method, other than awareness, to resist the power of a mermaid’s persuasion.” He pulls away, straightening and dusting away the wet sand that clings to his trousers. He takes inventory of his belongings- he had gone overboard as a man, and had removed his pants prior to transforming. It seems in his desperate swim to shore with you unconscious in his arms, he had lost his gun and his favourite knife, but his sword still remains, as well as the old rusted knife he had cast aside earlier. “There will be time for you to tell me in detail how much you love me later. For now, we have a crew to save.”

And he turns to you and extends his hand. And you could protest- you could flounder and deny his declaration that you love him. But such an endeavour would be pointless- for you both know it to be true. So instead, you take his hand and allow him to pull you to your feet. For your Captain is right.

You have a crew to save.

[joon-ipersgirl]

O1 - “singularity”

genre: strangers to lovers!au, angst, fluff

pairing: jimin x reader (f)

summary: they say home is where the heart is. you’re convinced yours was taken the day your father died. until you meet jimin.

you believe in love but after watching men cycle through your mother’s arms, rocky relations with ex boyfriends, and broken friendships, you no longer see it in your future. so much so, you never settle in one place long enough to create ties and call it home, choosing a job where you’re always on the go and on her own.

on a chance encounter on a flight from new york city to bali, indonesia, you meet. flustered by jimin’s flirty advances but understanding and good-natured tendencies, you start to fall. what starts off as a work-trip soon blossoms into a budding romance, but will jimin’s secret destroy the relationship before it’s had the chance to truly begin?

word count: 3.2k

warnings: mentions of anxiety, cursing a/n: welcome to bitter and beloved part 1 - singularity! this entire story is self-indulgent for me and i hope you guys will love the characters as much as i do. not much else to say here, but enjoy :) ofc thank you to vi for beta-reading as always.

full masterlist // series masterlist // next

For some people, 4 am was an ungodly hour. For some people, the idea of change was unthinkable. For some people, being alone was unbearable, but for you, you craved it. The silence of being the only one awake as you roamed the different studio apartments in the middle of the night. The freedom to come and go whenever you pleased. The ability to create your own routine. There was no one holding you back, no one holding you down, nothing to get tied up to.

You sat on the windowsill, a cup of black coffee in your hands, as you watched the city that never sleeps take a brief nap before she set off for the day. Raindrops slipped down the large bay windows as you sipped your first daily intake of caffeine. You enjoyed the quiet lull of the city during the early morning hours as some people were just waking for the day, the others just returning from the graveyard shift. You watched the almost microscopic bodies march down the sidewalk from the fourteenth floor like ants who marched along a picnic blanket.

The gentle buzz of your phone pulled you back into reality. You glanced down at the screen and saw the name Michael appear. You sighed. What could he possibly want now?

Michael: Remember, they want to see passion! Have a safe trip! [4:47]

You didn’t bother to respond. You placed your phone back onto the windowsill and rested your forehead against the cool glass, welcoming the contrast combined with the heat from the mug in your hands. Capturing passion wasn’t as easy as most people tried to make it seem. You couldn’t just yell “cut!” and try to shoot the scene again. Passion was as fleeting as it was enjoyable, only staying for a minute before it left you with a yearning for much more.

Finishing the remainder of your coffee, you washed the cup in the sink and returned it to its home in the cupboard. You pulled your oversized t-shirt over your head and neatly tucked it into your backpack. Dressing quickly, you grabbed your lone suitcase and backpack before heading out the door. The keys with the Empire State building keychain were left on the short table by the front door. Your time in this little home was up and it was time to find another. You hailed one of the infamous yellow cabs, your destination: John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The thirty-five-minute cab ride was uneventful and you tipped the driver your last few U.S. dollars for assisting me with my bag. A grin spread across your face as you entered the international departures terminal. If anywhere could be considered home for you, it would be an airport. There was nothing like entering an airport and seeing the hustle of people as they went on their way to whatever destination. The terminal was mostly empty as it was 5:14 am and most people would have had the sense to book a much later flight. But not you. No, this gave you the perfect opportunity to edit in peace. It also meant the lines for check-in were much shorter and you were grateful for not having to maneuver through the masses.

“Good morning. Passport or identification please?” Grace, the airline administrative assistant for Cathay Pacific Airways, asked you. Her blonde hair was smoothed back into a tight bun and her blue eyes sparkled much too brightly for your liking. You handed the thin book to her.

“You’re here quite early, aren’t you? Your flight doesn’t leave for another 5 hours!” she exclaimed as she read your flight information. You stared at her blankly. Her smile faltered as you didn’t respond. Clearly, you knew what time your flight would be leaving.

“Um, if you could please place your bag on the scale.” You did as you were told while she printed out your luggage tag and boarding passes. She didn’t speak as she attached the tag to your bag and placed it on the conveyor belt behind her.

“Have a good flight,” she said as she handed back your documents, her voice significantly less chirpy than before. You thanked her dryly and headed off to security.

Your stomach grumbled as you joined the short line and made a mental note to stop somewhere for some breakfast. As much as you hated it, you would have to use your travel-only credit card so you didn’t die before you’d even stepped foot on the plane. You groaned as you felt the vibration in your hand coming from your phone, wondering who could be calling you this early in the morning and what they could possibly want. It was 5:30 in the morning.

“Hello?”

“Y/N? Y/N, where are you?” Your mother. You sighed and shuffled the phone to rest between your shoulder and ear as you attempted to remove your laptop and cameras from your bag.

“New York,” You replied shortly. You were approaching the officer quickly.

“You weren’t going to call and tell me you were here?” she asked loudly into the phone. You rolled your eyes.

“It was a short business trip.” She snorted in response.

“Business trip? Is that what you call it? Y/N, you don’t have a real job. Baby, come home and let me help you,” she said in the most soothing tone she could muster. Her voice failed to offer any comfort. There were five people in front of you now. You had to go.

“You know that isn’t going to happen, Adele. Tell Richard I said hello.”

“I told you not to mention him to me!” she wailed. You cringed at the sound.

“Ah, he’s left, has he? Well, I too have to go. Goodbye, Adele,” you said calmly into the phone. One person was in front of you now.

“Y/N!” she screamed. You hung up.

The officer gestured for you to come forward and you stepped up, handing him your passport and boarding pass. Adele was a woman you no longer tried to understand. Though she was your mother - and you wondered how much truth to that there really was - you’d never had the best relationship. You reminisced on a younger you vying for her attention but it was always somewhere else, with someone else. You smiled sadly at the memory as the officer handed your documents back to you and told you to have a good day.

Juggling your phone, passport, and laptop was difficult enough when you remembered your camera bags were still in your backpack. Panic spread her fingers across your chest as you tried to grab enough bins to hold your stuff. Damn Adele and her breaking your security routine with her unhelpful, unscheduled phone call. Glancing over your shoulder, you did your best not to hold up the line as you fumbled to get both cameras out of their respective bags while toeing off your sneakers. You missed the way your backpack swung low on your shoulder, and a solo lens teetered on the edge as if it were deciding whether to jump or not. It did, gravity calling its name.

“Woah!” You gasped as you looked over your shoulder to see a man holding your Fuji 23mm lens in his palm.

“Shit!” you breathed out, taking it from his hand and carefully inspecting it for any damage. Fuck the line at this point.

“I think it’s okay,” he told you in a soft voice that you barely heard as you cradled the equivalent of $500 to your chest.

“Thank you,” you told him sincerely, finally looking at him. Well, his chest.

You blinked slowly. He was much taller than you expected. Past your hands, he also had sneakers on his feet. His hands were tucked into grey sweatpants that hugged the muscles around his thighs just as well as the graphic, black Sublime! t-shirt stretched across his chest. A single gold link chain settled against his collarbones that reminded you of your own gold anklet wrapped around your right foot. His neck was strong and met a sharp jawline. The smile he wore was almost as blinding as the lights. Almost.

“Miss, please keep the line moving,” another officer said, slightly annoyed as you stared at the stranger. More people were behind you now. Your face heated up as you nodded and carefully placed the lens in the bin with the rest of your camera equipment.

You joined the line to go through the body scanner, willing your heart to calm down from the embarrassment in your chest. You were making a big deal out of nothing, as per usual, and it was quite probable that no one had seen your little fumble. Except for the stranger behind you. You took a deep breath and raked your fingers through your short hair. It made no difference if he remembered the incident or not; it was over now. There really was no reason to dwell on it, but you knew you would, the anxiety getting the better of you.

After passing through the scanner, you started grabbing my belongings, shoving your feet into your sneakers and tucking your Sony Alpha 7R III into its camera bag and into your backpack. You double-checked the lens for your Fujifilm X-T3 - you could never be too thorough - and slipped that into its respective bag and into your backpack too. Michael could do without a few airport scenes for this next video as your stomach grumbled again. Food was more important.

Two buttery croissants and another large cup of coffee from Charlie’s Cafe saw you sat at Gate F17, headphones blasting, adding edits to your Saipan video. Though it was the most tedious process, video editing really allowed you to showcase your talent and calmed you down. There was just something about deciding which shot to use and how they should be sequenced along with the background music that was so fulfilling. As a self-taught videographer, it felt good to make a substantial living from doing something you loved. Not that it was enough for Adele. You shook the thought from your mind. You wouldn’t let her fuck up the rest of your morning, not after that earlier incident.

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Boarding for flight 1167 to Bali, Indonesia, will begin in 15 minutes. All stand-by passengers who still need a seat, please come to the desk to receive one. Thank you,” a female voice boomed over the speaker. Was it really 10:50 am already?

“Um, excuse me?” You glanced up from the sandy beaches and blue skies on my laptop into the soft brown eyes of a small boy. You nudged your Beats headphones off your ears to hear him better.

“Yeah?”

“Um, what kind of camera is that?” His long-sleeved shirt was much too big on him; his fingers were barely visible as he pointed to your camera bag on the seat beside you.

“Uh, it’s a Fujifilm X-T3,” you replied, unsure if he had any idea of what any of that meant. “It’s really good for taking videos and stuff.” He nodded with a smile on his face.

“Can I see it?” Your heart constricted in your chest as you thought of all the possible things that could possibly go wrong from letting this young child hold $1300 in his hand. Unsurprisingly, there was quite a lot. “Please,” he added as if just remembering his manners. You inhaled deeply through my nose.

“Sure,” you said on the exhale. It couldn’t be that bad. His little face lit up as he pushed his sandy blonde hair out of his face. He was missing his two front teeth, and you grinned back at him. It must be great to be seven without a care in the world except wondering when the tooth fairy was going to bring your dollar and whether or not your mom would finally quit trying to feed you cauliflower.

“You sit here -,” you told him while shoving your laptop into your backpack, “- and I’ll show you how it works. You have to be real careful, though. Okay?” He nodded eagerly and clambered up into the now-vacated seat. His little legs barely reached the end of the chair and he waited expectantly as you pulled the camera from its bag.

“Alright. This is the “on” button. This is the shutter button; it’s how you can take all the pictures. And this little screen? This is where all your pictures and videos show up once you’ve taken them. And here, this is where you can change the lenses to take different shots,” you explained, guiding him through the different parts of the camera, turning it the different ways in his hands.

“Shots? Like guns?” he asked with wide eyes. His tiny hands could barely grip the camera as you sat cross-legged in front of him on the ground.

“No,” you giggled. “That’s what photographers call each picture that’s taken. It’s like another word for -”

“Jacob!” His petite frame snapped towards the voice. “Oh my gosh, Jacob. How many times do I have to tell you not to walk off?”

“But you were gone for so long!” he whined. “And I wanted to see the pretty lady’s camera.”

The young woman shook her head. “It wasn’t that long. Come on. We need to go back before Dad gets worried.” She turned to me, her short brown hair brushing against her white t-shirt. “I’m sorry about my brother bothering you.”

“I wasn’t bothering her!” Jacob yelled, his leg jerking in annoyance. You reached forward instinctively to secure your camera from his hands. There was no telling what kind of tantrum he would throw, and your camera didn’t need to be involved.

“Yeah, he wasn’t bothering me. Honestly. We had a great conversation, right?” He nodded quickly.

“Alright, time to say bye, Jacob.” His sister grabbed his arm, and Jacob tried with all his might to resist. It wasn’t much.

“No! I don’t wanna! I want to look at the pictures!”

“Hey,” you said, grabbing his attention as you crouched down to his level, your voice barely above a whisper. “How about we take a photo together so you can really see how this thing works, and I’ll send it to your sister so you can keep it?” He stopped flailing. His attention was firmly secured on the words coming from your mouth.

“What’s the catch?” he asked in all seriousness. His sister sighed in exasperation. She apologized again, but you shook it off.

“You go back with your sister and behave. No questions asked, no fighting, no screaming, and no yelling.” He eyed you warily, sizing up the deal.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to flight 1167. We are now boarding our passengers with wheelchair assistance and passengers with children under the age of two.” You raised my eyes at Jacob as the announcement rang out overhead.

“Times ticking, Jacob. That’s my flight.” His eyes widened, and he nodded his head so vigorously, you thought it might fall off.

“Okay!” he responded enthusiastically and rushed over to you. You stood and handed your camera to his sister, showing her where to look through and which button to press.

She snapped a few shots, some smiling and some of you two making silly faces as you stood in the middle of the seats. You smiled some more as Jacob laughed at the photos, and he pointed out his favorite ones, the sleeves of his shirt still falling to cover most of his hands. Seeing him like this made me think of your own brother and how he was doing, the smile on Jacob’s face very similar to what you remembered when he was around Jacob’s age. The two of you giggling to one another as you played your silly little childish games. The carefree-ness you’d felt while with Jacob dissipated, and the reality of being an adult settled back in like a fat cat on the porch on a hot summer’s day.

“You’re really gonna send them, right?” Jacob asked again. You reassured him once again.

“Yep, as long as you honor our deal,” You said. You tucked the camera carefully back into its bag and then into your backpack.

“You got it, lady!” he yelled and wrapped his pinky around your own. “Promise.” You smiled down at him and ruffled his hair. His sister thanked you again as she was finally able to drag him back to their family, no protests leaving the little boy’s lips. You grabbed your backpack and joined the line for the last group of passengers on flight 1167 to board, your heart much happier than when I had first sat down.

The worst part about boarding the plane had to be making sure you weren’t decapitating anyone with your carry-on. Well, maybe having everyone stare at you while you were walking down the aisle could make podium too. You sunk your teeth into your lower lip, adjusted your beanie on your head, and double-checked that your seat was 36A for the fifth time between scanning your boarding pass and actually getting on the plane.

You swept the numbers on the right side of the aircraft - the AB side - and almost stumbled into the person in front of you as you realized where your seat was located in relation to a certain camera-lens-saving stranger. Silently pleading with the Lord that the coffee rush was wearing off and that’s why you couldn’t read the numbers correctly, you continued down the aisle slowly. It seemed as though God had ignored this particular prayer. You tried to quiet the nerves in your chest as your over-anxious brain reminded you that you were reprimanded for holding up the TSA line because you were staring at the man in front of you. Like you currently were. Fuck.

“You’re in my seat,” you blurted out. He looked up at you.

“I’m sorry?” he clarified, closing the book he was reading.

“I mean, the window seat, it’s mine. Um, you’re kind of in the way,” you said. You glanced over your shoulder at the people waiting behind you.

“Oh, -” he shoved his book into the seatback pocket in front of him, “- my bad.”

Though the space was small, he slipped out of his seat with grace. Much more graceful than you in your haste to exit the aisle. He sat back down, and the rest of the people flowed past. You were acutely aware of how close the two of you were and shrank closer to the window. He cleared his throat and reached for his book, settling in while seeming to ignore you. You buckled yourself in tight and stared out the window. Of all flights that were leaving today, he had to be on the same one you were, going to the same place, sitting in basically the same seat.

“Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for your patience. Welcome aboard flight 1167 with services to Hong Kong and Bali, Indonesia -” you started to tune the air stewardess out as she gave the usual spiel about safety and what not to do in an emergency.

“Is your camera okay?” His voice startled you out of your thoughts.

“Hmm?”

“Your camera. Is the lens okay? I wasn’t able to ask you earlier.”

“Yeah, it’s fine,” you answered dryly.

“Good. That’s good,” he said with a soft smile.

15 hours and 55 minutes. That’s all you had to get through. You turned your head to stare out of the window, the scenery rolling past like the memory of this morning. Only 15 hours and 55 minutes to go.

full masterlist // series masterlist // next

© joon-ipersgirl, 2020.

[sinjata]

Inuyasha / Kagome Fanfic : When Your Heart Makes a Wish - Chapter 1 - After all these years

Hello everyone!

This is my very first Inuyasha fanfic, so please, be nice! ^^ I discovered Inuyasha in March-April 2020 and I fell in love with it completely. If you can find any mistakes etc. from my fanfic, please, be kind and tell me, so I can fix those! My English skills are not as good as I would like them to be, so sorry about that! I just don’t have anyone, who could read through and check my texts for me. But hopefully you readers get my point from it and can follow the story! Wonderful Rumiko Takahashi owns the characters/story, whose life I continued with my own, special color pen. Enjoy!

When Your Heart Makes a Wish

Old, hidden well. It is waiting, hearing the wish of the heart. Remembering. When there is only memories left. Those memories, that only someone special can share with you. Regardless of time or place. Another wish has been made too, hesitantly. Without daring to hope for, what the heart wants most. But that's enough. The well is not alone - someone is running towards it. Fast, like it is about life or death. Opens the doors, runs down the stairs, stops and jumps without hesitating at all. Wishing…

“I need to see him. Please, let me go to him!”

The light flow glows from the depths of the well. But something is not right there. That old well knows the wishes, without knowing theirs destiny.

Chapter 1 - After all these years

Kagome is enchanted while she is looking at the night sky at her home yard on temple square. Wondering, how the stars are shining so brightly there. They had never appeared like this in her time before, because the light pollution too skillfully concealing its beauty. But now they shine as if the lights of the whole city had gone out.

“A shooting star... Second one, and third!” a young woman breathes in enchantment.

Stars are falling above her, like little diamonds. The sight is so dumbfounded, that Kagome does not even notice to make a wish. But the sight also makes her remember, how she loved falling asleep under the stars. If only I could share this sight... With him. She finds herself thinking.

Suddenly she hears it; the voice she heard coming from the sanctuary building, was so familiar, that it could not be mistaken. She had not heard it in years. Kagome runs as fast as she can, her long black hair fluttering and hearing how blood rushed in her ears. She opens the doors with hurry, runs down the stairs and jumps into the embrace of the old well. Kagome falls, but unexpectedly into someone’s arms at the bottom of the well. After surviving of the fright, Kagome bursts into a wide smile.

“Inuyasha, you got here! How this is possible??”, Kagome's happy voice echoes from the walls of the well.

She drops down from Inuyasha's arms and snaps herself around his neck, hugging firmly. Inuyasha hesitates for a little moment, then hugs back gently, until he hugs her harder than ever before. Kagome is very surprised, but at the same time rejoices, when Inuyasha hugs her so. You really are here... I can't believe this! Kagome feels overwhelmed with happiness.

“I guess, you also missed me for a little bit?”, she asks, gently touching the other soft silver-white dog ear above Inuyasha's head.

“Kagome...”, he only gets answered quietly.

“I-is everything alright?”, Kagome asks, when he is pretty quiet, just hugging her.

“I wanted to see you. You smell nice, I don't want to let go of you...”, Inuyasha slurs into Kagome's hair, sounding like he is half asleep.

“Then don't...”, Kagome responds happily.

“Hey... I would like to be like this with you, no matter how long, but let's go up. I want to show you something!”, Kagome says after a while, remembering the starry sky.

“No, I didn't come to stay. I decided... I made my choice; I’m going to protect Kikyo. I choose hell, as she hopes for our destiny. I owe my life to her...”, Inuyasha says coldly.

Kagome blinks her eyes in disbelief and rips herself away from the hug. Something is not right...Kagome wonders.

“What on earth are you telling me? But she's not -”, Kagome asks, examining Inuyasha's calm face, him suddenly interrupting her.

“You stay here. I'm not going to see you again. Sorry...”, he mutters.

Kagome begins to get anxious without understanding, what Inuyasha is talking about. He still wants to follow Kikyo, even after everything we have gone through together? But Kikyo's soul found peace years ago, she's not in hell. What has happened in his time, while I have been here? She wonders feverishly, unable to stop the tears from coming anymore.

“I have missed you for years down to my heart roots, and now when you are finally here, you are only abandoning me, huh?!”, Inuyasha's glazed gaze becomes frustrated as she looks at the upset woman.

“Stop that whining! I also needed these -”, Inuyasha says and shows a small glass jar in his hand, Shikon shards inside of it.

Kagome instinctively tries out the pocket of her green skirt, which really is empty.

“You scamp, did you hug me like that, just to get the Shikon shards from me?!”, she yells furiously at him, until she realizes something.

Wait a minute - Shikon jewel was intact and destroyed, then why did I still have those shards?Kagome is now even more confused.

“No, I didn't... I really meant what I said, when I hugged you. I need to say goodbye to you, I don’t want to hurt you anymore. But I really don't want you to hate me...”, Inuyasha speaks again, but softer, the expression on his face turning softer too.

“No... You can't go, you don't belong there!”, Kagome sticks in horror at Inuyasha's red kimono, shaking this.

“How can you choose Kikyo? S-she tried to kill you - and me too! Don't you care at all??”, she cries, like there is no end to her tears.

“Kikyo would never have done that to you, why are you fabricating such lies? This is already hard enough...”, Inuyasha replies little bit angrily.

He doesn't believe me... Why can't you believe me?! Kagome feels like she can't breathe.

“It’s not love, if you take your beloved one with you to hell! You need to live, Inuyasha! You have friends here, who really care about you! And I... I love you!”, she tries to talk, but it is getting more difficult to do, so she buries her face in Inuyasha's kimono, sobbing.

“S-stop it already! I had to choose! She needs me, my life belongs to her... You’ll be safe here - from me too!”, Inuyasha shouts, when his eyes and voice are now full of pain now, while his tears are falling from his cheeks into Kagome's hair.

Inuyasha seems struggling to get his words said. He pushes the opposing Kagome further away from himself. Inuyasha begins to tremble slightly, while his hands are clenching into fists. Kagome is looking at him feeling a little fear in her, that a half demon would turn into a full demon at any moment. To her horror, his tears are turning red, blood.

Tears of blood, has the Flower Prince demon come back to life? Are you under his spell? Kagome wonders in panic, when she remembers the creepy encounter with the demon and how Inuyasha almost ended up following Kikyo through his sleep to the afterlife. She tries to wipe the blood off from Inuyasha's face with the sleeves of her shirt, but the tears of blood won't stop coming.

“We need you too here, you idiot! I won’t let her take you away! Don’t do this, please!”, Kagome begs, she didn't want to lose Inuyasha again.

Inuyasha finally calms down. His long, silver-white hair is starting to turn black and his golden yellow eyes brown, as he becomes human. Like his fangs, long nails and dog ears disappearing as well. Inuyasha pushes shocked Kagome to her knees to the ground, takes off his kimono and swings it around Kagome, kneeling in front of her.

“Let it protect you, I failed at it. I hope you can forgive me someday. Goodbye, my beloved Kagome...”, he smiles sadly at Kagome while touching her cheek, gets up closing his eyes and disappears into the flames.

”INUYASHAA!”, Kagome screams his name in her distress, as much she is capable from crying, but in vain.

She feels how the flames are burning her too in a horrible way, she had never felt before. Kagome hears Kikyo's laughter, the wicked one she had heard once before. In panic, Kagome beats the ground at the bottom of the well so violently, that the skin comes off her hands and blood begins to flow. She doesn’t care, she just lost Inuyasha again. And she will never see him again.

Kagome does not even realize, what forces make herself climb up the ladder up the well and the stairs of the sanctuary up to the empty home yard. She stops in the middle of the yard looking at the night sky, which is now completely black - starless. Tears well up in her eyes again. She is trudging to the Holy Tree and leans against it, like she would be praying for help from it in her pain. While she touches the bark of the tree, the blood of both of them sticks to it from her hands. Kagome sinks on the ground at the base of the tree, with her arms around her, closing her eyes. Hearing Inuyasha's voice, his goodbyes echoing in her ears.

You said you will always be with me, Inuyasha... But I can't feel you anymore.

The stars in Kagome's sky had disappeared.

A New Day

Kagome wakes up in her own bed sweaty, gasping for breath and crying. Buyo the cat rolls off from her stomach to the floor, habitually jumps back and wraps himself around to the end of the bed, next to her feet. It has slept every night next to Kagome since her returning back home, as if he would be guardinging her sleep.

It was just a dream, a good, bad dream... Kagome thinks and feels somehow angry. She has seen very oppressive dreams of another time again recently, but this dream was definitely the one of the worst for a long time. Kagome gets up to sit on the edge of the bed, trying to calm herself down. She had not cried in her sleep for a long time either, probably for a couple of years. It is a disgusting way for her to wake up, but that was what had started to happen, when the well closed permanently.

“Happy birthday to you...”, Kagome mutters, wipes away the tears and starts to examine her hands.

She would not have been surprised, even if she had seen wounds in them. It was as real as a dream can be, like her hands were really on fire because of the pain. Suddenly Kagome startled while remembering a moment, when Inuyasha held her hand in the same room and almost kissed her.

“Where did that come from...?”, she wonders.

The longing that creeps into her mind, seems to grow into a big tsunami after a long time, which would drown her in an instant moment, if she gave the power to it. Kagome closes her eyes tightly for a moment and notices, that she is shaking. She glances at the alarm clock. It's only five in the morning, but I know I won't get any sleep now, even I would try. Kagome thinks.

Judging by the silence her mother, grandfather and little brother Sota are still in deep sleep. She gets up gently on her trembling legs and wears a warm, long pink coat. The cold open air greets her, as she opens the window of her room. Kagome's gaze hits the dusty traces on the windowsill. She has not wanted to clean them out, although she has seriously considered it in her weak moments. However, she wants to keep at least something - a small piece of him. That guest with dusty toes, won't come to visit us anymore... Without her notice, Kagome's shoulders fall slightly lower.

She closes the window and decides to already make her bed. Then she goes quietly into the bathroom and stops in front of the mirror. Black fluffy hair seemed desperately need a tamer. Hair tresses can be seen here and there, sticking to her sweaty skin. Somewhat sad, crying-smeared blue eyes are looking back in the mirror. The sight makes Kagome feel even more miserable.

This will definitely be one of those days, when I should have just stayed under warm cover. Fortunately, these days have been really rare, then before... Kagome wonders. She washes her face with as cold water as possible and looks at her reflection in the mirror again. How on earth do I get the corners of my mouth turned up today, with tape maybe? She sighs deeply.

“Happy face, Kagome. Happy thoughts... Birthday. It’s something happy, isn’t it?”, she sees her reflection smiling and tries to trick herself into a better mood.

Everything's fine, right? A smile will reach my eyes too, hopefully later. Kagome dries her face and decides to go down to the kitchen to make some tea. I could go enjoy it outdoors, fresh air would definitely do good for me... As the water boils, Kagome picks up her shoes from the hallway and thinks about her dream. Why are my dreams so real again, so damn distressing?

It has been three years since she returned home, permanently to her own time. The early days had been awful for her, like downright hell. It felt like the longing became more physical day by day. And even though she had felt many kinds of pain during her life, she had not even been able to prepare for such like it was. Like a poisonous miasma had left to gnaw in her veins.

She could not properly accept, that Inuyasha would no longer come to meet her, would lean against the doorstep of the sanctuary and greet her in his typical, sometimes rough way. With a smile, which had almost begun to take Kagome out of her feet, without her noticing. That dangerous thought of losing him, almost paralyzed her for a very long time. She could suddenly fall to her knees on the ground in the middle of the chores, without getting up by herself. Kagome wanted to yell his name, but in the end could no longer do so either. Somehow, she felt as if there were no longer stars in her night sky, only darkness remaining.

Dreams made sure, she would not forget Inuyasha even while sleeping. Thanks to her subconscious, where the memories also seemed to have etched. Nightmares turned into sleep paralysis in the worst of times. Sometimes Kagome saw Naraku beside her planning to suffocate her with a pillow, when on other nights Kikyo was threatening her life with an arrow, while Kagome was unable to defend herself in any way. She began to learn to wake herself from those, but the nightmares continued through the night and she just had to endure them.

Kagome has felt as if part of her had stayed at another time. She wondered if she would ever get it back, or if she would feel this way even decades from now. Family, friends, and a focus on school helped her go on with her life, as normally as she could. Still, something held Kagome in its grip and did not let her forget, even if it had been easier. She just was not feeling like herself anymore. She had to try to get her life back on track. To be brisk, to survive even somehow. Kagome began to push aside her memories of the past from her mind; of her friends - almost everything. She was unable to look at her suffering loved ones anymore, who were constantly terribly worried about her well-being. She really did not want to worry them indefinitely. Kagome prayed for strength from his father, both for herself and her loved ones, so that they could cope with her in those difficult times.

Kagome grabs her favorite tea mug from the closet’s shelf. She adds some honey to the tea and mixes it, while Buyo appears next to her and pushes gently her feet.

“Good morning, my chubby one. You better stay inside, it's still pretty chilly outside”, Kagome squats to rub Buyo’s ears, sinking into her thoughts as the memory of happy Inuyasha playing on the floor with the cat surprises her.

“Just the person I was waiting for! Oi, Kagome!”

Kagome's heart misses a beat. What - his voice... She shakes her head desperately, trying to get her thoughts back on track. Gosh... He did it again, sneaked into my thoughts, like stealth...

“Do you miss him too?”, Kagome asks from Buyo, who just stares at her, then winking his right eye.

Kagome gets up on her feet, slips the shoes to her feet and takes the tea mug with her. She steps out the door and inhales the peppermint-smelling steam, which is rising from her mug. The sun has already risen, the home yard is quiet except for the birds singing.

“Seems to be way too beautiful day coming, compared to my mood. On days like this, it should just pouring rain like crazy, with big water drops. And frogs...”, Kagome murmurs and closes the door behind her.

She wonders, if she really dares to be in such silence with her thoughts alone right now. Kagome nods, as if encouraging herself, and walks slowly forward across the home yard, as if only her feet were deciding where to go. She pauses for a moment her way and glances at the sanctuary, still clearly remembering her nightmare. Kagome now remembers after a long time that painful moment, when Inuyasha disappeared back into the well after their return. She had felt an almost similar wave of pain back then, when she realized, that the well would probably no longer work in either direction, because the Shikon jewel was destroyed, as she felt in her nightmare when Inuyasha disappeared into the flames.

So much was left unsaid... The swish of the leaves of the great Holy Tree, awakens her from her deep thoughts, while a little whirlwind sweeps Kagome’s hair on her face. She sits on a bench next to a tree, pulls her coat’s hood over her head and focuses on her tea, before it would be cold. Or at least she tries her best.

...To be continued...

Thank you for reading! This was just the beginning of their story. Leave a review, what's on your mind. Thank you and stay safe! :) -Sinjata

[nazariolahela]

Best Beloved: Chapter 4

A/N: Hey y'all! This is a PM AU I’ve been working on. It’s a bit different than my previous fic series and I’m really excited to try something new. I hope y’all enjoy it. This story is told in dual first-person narrative, from Kaia (F!MC) and Damien’s POV. The first half of this story takes place during Kaia’s freshman year and Damien’s senior year of college. The second half is two years after Kaia graduates. There will be sprinklings of canon in this fic, but we’ll try to step out of the box for the most part. Thanks for reading, and please leave feedback, and/or if you would like to be tagged.

Catch up here

Series Tags: @burnsoslow​ @lady-calypso​ @irishwhiskys-blog​

Synopsis: What happens when you find yourself crushing on your best friend? For years, Damien and Kaia have been best friends, while secretly harboring feelings for one another. Everything changes one night after a little too much alcohol and years of pent up feelings. Can they control their emotions and salvage their friendship, or will the feelings they hold for one another destroy everything they have?

All characters are the property of Pixelberry Studios. Thanks for allowing me to borrow them.

Chapter Summary: Damien struggles with the state of his relationship and Kaia meets Hayden.

Damien

I sat at my cubicle on a Thursday afternoon, putting the finishing touches on the report I needed to write up for my internship. I had landed a Securities and Intelligence Analysis Internship with a local security agency. My duties included collecting, processing, and analyzing, intelligence, and providing assistance to the senior analysts within the agency. If everything went well, they mentioned offering me the opportunity to join the agency full-time. To be honest, though, I had bigger dreams.

I was proofreading my report when my phone went off. I looked at the screen and saw Alana’s name flash across it. I sighed and dragged my hand down my face. She had been blowing up my phone all day with text messages. After the frat party last weekend, we got into an argument about how I “disappeared on her” after our makeout session in the bathroom. I didn’t intend to, but when she stormed off and I lost her in the crowd, I didn’t make much of an effort to go look for her.

I felt like our relationship was going in a different direction than I was hoping. You could blame it on our busy schedules, and her turning down my proposal left a sour taste in my mouth. But as much as I wanted to deny it, I felt like Kaia coming back into my life had a lot to do with it. Feelings I didn’t know I had crept up on me every time she was around. Her touch, the sound of her laugh, and the sweet smell of her shampoo stirred up all these emotions in me. I needed to get them in check before I did something I’d regret.

My phone buzzed again and I groaned and dropped my head to my desk. I should have called her back and smooth things over, but I had to get this report done before I left today. I picked up the phone, and stared at it for a moment, then clicked the lock button and slipped in in my pocket.

A moment later, the research analyst I was paired up with rounded the corner of the cube farm and called out as he approached me. “Nazario. Do you have that research portfolio on current conflicts and security threats?”

I reached into my desk drawer and pulled out the manila envelope, handing it to him. He took the files and peered over my shoulder at my laptop.

“Thanks, man. Looks good so far. When you’re done with this, can you compile the materials from the counterterrorism report?”

“Sure thing, Agent McDaniels. I’ll have that to you shortly.”

He nodded and clapped me on the shoulder before walking off. I signed off on my report and hit “send” then leaned back in my chair with a smile on my face. This internship was easier than I thought it would be.

My phone buzzed in my pocket again. I groaned and pulled it out to see another missed call from Alana. I locked my computer and got up from my desk then made my way into the break room. Tapping my phone against my palm, I took a deep breath and dialed her number. She answered on the first ring.

“What?” she snapped.

“Baby, come on-”

“Don’t ‘baby, come on’ me, Damien. I’ve been trying to reach you all day! I’m sick of you always bailing on me all the damn time. First, you ditch me to go meet with your advisor. Then, you disappear during the frat party last week. And yesterday you fucking bailed on our date to go visit your mom. I know you have shit going on, but so do I. And I don’t think it’s too much to ask for a little reliability from my boyfriend.”

I groaned. We had planned to spend the afternoon together after classes, but Mom called yesterday morning, asking if I was able to come home and help her with something. And like the good son I am, I emailed my professors that I’d be absent, hopped in my car, and made the hour drive home. Now, I had to face the consequences. As much as I hated to admit it, I’d been kind of a lousy boyfriend lately. I wasn’t doing it on purpose, but with everything going on this year, I had to prioritize.  “I know, Alana. I’m sorry.”

“Are you fucking someone else?” she accused.

“What?”

“You heard me. What about that freshman you’ve been hanging around the last few weeks?” she spit out, the venom in her voice leaking through the phone.

Was she serious? I never told her about me and Kaia, so I don’t know where she even got the idea from. Just because Kaia and I had history, didn’t mean that I wanted to sleep with her. Okay, maybe I did, but I sure as shit didn’t act like it around my girlfriend. I dragged my hand down my face, sighing deeply. “Who? Kaia? She’s an old friend from home. I don’t even like her like that.” Lie. “Why would you think that?”

“It would make sense. Look, I know our relationship isn’t perfect, but if you have feelings for someone else, the least you could do is let me know so I’m not wasting my time.”

I yanked the phone away from my ear and mouthed several curse words. After all that we had been through, she had the audacity to say that to me? I pressed the phone back to my ear.  “Excuse me? Did you forget that I fucking PROPOSED to you? And you have the nerve to say I’m wasting your time! What the fuck, Alana?” I growled.

She went quiet on the other end and I had to check to see if she had hung up on me. After several beats, she spoke up. “It’s just...fuck, Damien. I feel like you never want to be around me anymore. Especially since you started hanging around with that Kaia girl. Plus, we're both always so busy, it’s like our relationship got put on the backburner.”

“Alana. If I didn’t want to be with you anymore, I wouldn’t be with you. I get why you’re upset. I do, but you have to understand that I have a life outside of this relationship. This internship is important to me. And my mom’s been having a hard time since my dad passed. I’m sorry for bailing on you, but you can’t go around accusing me of cheating on you every time. This relationship is never going to work if you do.”

“Well, what do you expect me to think, Damien? This new girl pops up out of nowhere, and all of a sudden you’re spending all this time with her,” she huffed.

“We have one class together, Alana. That’s it. We don’t go out to eat or spend time together on the weekends. Other than the frat party, the only time I’ve hung out with her was during our study groups. I’ve had female friends for almost our entire relationship and you’ve never batted an eye over it. Why is this one any different just because I’ve known her since we were kids?”

She sighed. “I really don’t want to talk about this over the phone.”

“I’m at work right now, but I can come over later if you want me to,” I said, tugging at the knot of my tie.

“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea, Damien. I just need time to myself right now. I feel like you’ve been smothering me lately, and I can’t deal with this.”

Jesus, this woman was making my head spin. “I don’t understand. First, you say I’m neglecting you, and now you say I’m smothering you. Which is it?”

“It’s...it’s complicated, Damien. I just don’t know if this relationship is worth it anymore.”

“Babe, what are you saying? Are you saying you want to take a break from us?” My chest tightened as I struggled to say the words.

She paused for what felt like an eternity before answering. “I don’t know, Damien. I’ll call you in a few days,” she said, before hanging up the phone.

I stared at the screen, anger coursing through my veins. I fell back against the refrigerator, digging the heels of my hands into my eyes. My department supervisor entered the break room and saw me leaning against the fridge.

“Hey! Everything alright in here?” she asked, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

“Yeah, just dealing with some personal stuff. It’s taken care of though,” I replied. I slipped the phone in my pocket and made my way back to my desk. I sat down in my chair, powered up my laptop and opened my school email. I noticed two new emails: one from my advisor and another from Kaia. Jesus, talk about shit timing.

I sighed and opened the one from my professor. It was an outline of the things I needed to do to complete the first half of my internship. I skimmed through it, taking note of all the important parts, then replied that I would have it to her by midterms.

I closed out the email from my professor and hovered the mouse over the one from Kaia. I wasn’t sure if opening it was such a good idea, but a voice told me to do it anyway. I opened up the email and started reading.

Hey Dames!

Here are the notes from yesterday’s lecture. I highlighted everything Prof. Ross said would be on the test. Let me know if you need anything else. :)

- K.

P.S. Hope your mom is doing okay. Tell her hi for me next time you talk to her! 

Of course. I had texted her on the way to Mom’s asking her to take notes for me in class. Sure, I could have asked anyone else in that class, but let’s be real. I wasn’t going to. Any excuse to talk to her, I snatched it up like a dog with a bone. Her email was innocent enough, but just seeing her name pop up on the screen made my heart beat faster. I swallowed the lump in my throat and closed out the email. That must be why Alana was so upset. I sighed deeply and got to work on my next task. After about thirty minutes of struggling to stay focused, I powered down my laptop and walked over to my supervisor’s office.

“Hey! I have an assignment due tomorrow that I need to finish up. Do you mind if I take off?”

She looked up from her computer and nodded. “Sure thing. Just let me sign off on your timesheet and you can be on your way.” I handed her the sheet required for my internship credit hours and she initialed the document, then handed it back to me. “We’ll see you next week,” she replied, then went back to her computer.

I walked back to my desk, packed up my things and headed out. When I got to my car, I dumped my bag in the backseat, then climbed in the driver’s side. Pulling out my phone, I contemplated texting Alana. But after the conversation we had earlier, I decided to let her have her space. She would reach out to me when she was ready to talk. Until then, I had to be patient. Against my better judgment, I texted Kaia.

My breath caught in my throat. Yep, she was definitely flirting with me. Good lords, this girl was going to be the death of me. I’d been fighting feelings for her since my sophomore year of high school. It was easier back then because she was so young, but now that she was older, I was having a hard time keeping my emotions and my dick in check. If I didn’t get this sorted out soon, I was going to completely fuck up both of my relationships. I shook my head, put the car in drive, and headed back to the dorms.

***

Kaia

Sloane, Nadia and I sat in the library Monday afternoon, studying for our Comp class exam. Even though we were only a couple of weeks into the semester, our professor decided this morning that we needed to have a pop quiz on Wednesday and told us to be prepared.

“Ugh, this stuff is so confusing and not at all pertinent to my degree. What is an independent clause anyway?” Nadia whined, holding her phone in one hand.

Sloane leaned over and tapped Nadia’s note sheet. “It’s a clause that has a subject and a verb and can stand alone. Didn’t you learn this stuff in high school?”

“Psh probably. What does that even mean?”

I sighed. “It’s a complete sentence. You’d know that if you were actually reviewing your notes and not texting Steve.”

Nadia rolled her eyes and went back to her phone. “I wish we all had this class together so I could just cheat off your papers.”

Sloane snorted and I rolled my eyes, throwing a ball of wadded up paper at her. “Shut up and study.”

Nadia laughed and grabbed her highlighter, highlighting some sentences on her study guide. “Prepositional phrases are going to be the death of me.”

Ugh, this was so reminiscent of high school. I love my cousin, but she can be a bit flighty. “I’m going to be the death of you if you don’t study your notes, Miss Art Major. Just because this class isn’t,” I held up my index and middle fingers, making air quotes “pertinent to your degree, doesn’t mean you can slack off and not study. What’s going to happen when Steve gets drafted to the NFL and he dumps you for someone smart?”

“Steve would never do that. I’m too cute,” she gasped. Sloane chuckled and went back to her notes.

Ten minutes later, Nadia looked up from her study guide. “So, you guys going to Homecoming?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” I sighed, not looking up as I turned a page in my book.

“I don’t know, it might be kind of fun,” Sloane said, looking up from her study guide.

A grin spread across Nadia’s face. “I agree, Sloane. Plus, there’s so much to do! There’s the parade, the game, the dance. And Delta Sigma Phi is having another party!”

“They have parties every weekend.”

“Not like this,” Nadia retorted. “This one is supposed to be huge.”

I shook my head and went back to studying my notes. The idea of homecoming made me cringe. I only had bad memories of going. Most recently, my junior year. The game was a total blowout (the other team kicked our asses 55-0) and my boyfriend ditched me at the dance for the Homecoming Queen. I didn’t even bother going my senior year because I knew it was going to be a suckfest.

An hour and several chapters into our composition textbooks, Nadia groaned and smacked her head on the table. “I’m hungry, you guys. I say we take a break. My brain hurts.”

I pressed my forefingers to my temple and sighed. Sloane dropped her pencil on the table and removed her glasses, rubbing her eyes. “For once, I agree with Nadia. We could use a coffee break. I’m kind of going cross-eyed over here from reading and re-reading these notes.”

“Fine. I’ll go grab coffee. Who wants what?”

“Ooh. Get me a Strawberry Passion Fruit Boba Tea, please!” Nadia said. “And a banana muffin.”

“I’ll take the caramel almond latte,” Sloane replied.  I nodded and grabbed my purse, making my way to the campus coffee shop. Whoever designed this college to put a coffee shop in the library is a motherloving genius. When I arrived, there was only one person in line in front of me. I perused the menu, trying to decide which caffeinated beverage would give me the boost I needed to power through the last leg of our study session.

When it was my turn, I approached the counter and put in Sloane and Nadia’s orders. The barista asked me if that would be all, and I replied there would be one more drink, but that I was still deciding.

“You should try the Cinnamon Roll mocha. It’s indescribable,” a deep voice behind me suggested. I whipped around and came face-to-face with a tall man with warm brown eyes and jet black hair. His soft pink lips were curled into a friendly smile. It was crazy how suspiciously attractive he was. Was every guy at this school an undercover model or something? He looked familiar and I studied his face, trying to figure out where I knew him from.

“How do you know I’ll like it?” I asked him.

“You seem like the type of girl that likes sweet things,” he winked.

I blushed then turned back to the barista. “I’ll take that.” She nodded and got to work making my drinks. I turned back to the mysterious stranger. “If I don’t like this drink, you have to buy me a new one.”

“That won’t be necessary, because you’ll like it,” he laughed.

I moved over to wait for my drinks as he ordered his. I smirked when I heard him also order the Cinnamon Roll mocha. Okay, guy. I see what you’re up to. As we waited for our drinks, he moved over and grabbed a stirring straw, sticking one end in his mouth. My eyes were automatically drawn to the movement as his tongue swirled around the tip of the straw. He noticed me watching and winked. 

I cleared my throat. “So...um. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you look really familiar.”

“I should. We’re in the same College Algebra class.”

I paused, cocking an eyebrow at him. “Oh?”

“Yeah, you sit in the second row. Let’s just say, I may have checked you out once or twice. No big deal. And since I helped you out with your drink order, you can help me out by telling me your name.”  

I laughed. “It’s Kaia. I knew you looked familiar. And thanks for the suggestion, I guess. We’ll see how you did here in a minute.” He extended his hand and I took it, feeling his warm hand squeeze mine.

“Hi, Kaia. I’m Hayden. And trust me on this. You’re going to be so blown away by this drink, you’ll offer up your firstborn for another one.”

I rolled my eyes and grabbed a stack of napkins as the barista called my name and slid the tray with my drinks across the counter. I moved to collect them along with Nadia’s muffin. Hayden watched me intently as I picked up the cup marked “CR” and took a tentative sip. When the coffee hit my tongue, my tastebuds were transformed to a new world. He must have seen it by the look on my face because a huge grin spread across his.

“What did I tell you? You love it, don’t you?”

“Okay, okay. You were right on that one. Any more life-changing advice you want to give me?”

“You got something… right…” He reached over and wiped a dribble of the coffee from my chin with his thumb, then brought it to his mouth, sucking the liquid off. My breath caught in my throat at the contact. I quickly composed myself and grabbed my items. As I juggled the drink tray with shaking hands, Hayden swooped in and took it from me.

“Need a little help with that?” he asked.

“Thanks. We’re just sitting over here,” I replied, guiding him over to where Sloane and Nadia were chatting. Nadia’s eyes lit up when she saw us approaching.

“Ooh! Coffee and eye candy,” she squealed, leaping from her seat to take the tray from his hand. “Who is this tall drink of water, Kaia?”

“Don’t you have a boyfriend?” I eyed her incredulously.

She sat down and handed Slone her drink before taking a sip of her own. “Hey! You can look at the menu as long as you don’t order anything from it. I’m Nadia. And you are?”

I shot her a glare. “Nadia, this is Hayden. He's in my algebra class. Hayden, this is my cousin Nadia and my friend Sloane.” He leaned over the table and shook each of their hands.

“You’re in my American Government class. Do you want to sit with us?” Sloane asked, taking a sip from her coffee.

Hayden looked around the library, like he was waiting for someone, then back to me. “Oh, I don’t want to impose. Looks like you ladies have your own study group going on.”

“Nonsense. Come, have a seat next to my extremely beautiful and extremely single cousin,” Nadia insisted, motioning for Hayden to take the chair next to mine.

“Nadia!” I snapped.

He grinned and sat down, raking his eyes over my body. I blushed as I took the seat next to him. He tugged his backpack from his shoulders and dug around, pulling out a spiral notebook. He then leaned over to see what we were studying. “Well, I don’t have Comp homework, but I guess I can work on my algebra homework.”

I glanced at his notebook and nodded. “I can help you with that when we’re done here.”

He smiled, sending the butterflies in my stomach into overdrive. He had a nice smile. Sloane looked up from her notes and addressed Hayden. “So, what are you majoring in?”

He paused and took a sip of his coffee, eyeing the three of us, then swallowed. “I’m actually majoring in photography.”

“Wow! A fellow art major! How exciting,” Nadia said, extending her hand for a high-five. Hayden laughed and slapped his palm against hers.

“Photography, huh? That sounds exciting! How’d you get into that field?” I asked.

“I joined Yearbook my sophomore year of high school and took pictures for the club, and I just kind of fell in love with it. I started taking pictures for fun and ended placing second in my state’s high school photography competition.”

I placed my elbows on the table and rested my chin in my hands. Listening to him talk about his love for photography made me smile. I wish I was half as passionate about anything as he was about photography.

The four of us settled into a comfortable conversation, neglecting our studying. We talked about our favorite (and not so favorite) professors, which classes we were looking forward to taking the next four years, and which spot in the student union was best for people-watching. We learned that Nadia and Hayden also shared two classes and the same advisor. Another hour had passed when my stomach growled and I looked at my phone to see the time was 5:30 p.m.

“Holy shit, it’s dinner time. You guys wanna go grab a bite?”

“I can’t. Steve gets done with football practice soon, so we’re going out after,” Nadia said.

“I’d love to, but I have a ton of homework I need to get done for my Spanish comp class. Maybe another time.” Sloane said.

I debated texting Damien to ask if he was free, but he sounded really weird when I spoke to him a few days ago, so I let it go. I shrugged and started gathering up my books. Nadia left first, with Sloane taking off shortly after, leaving Hayden and me by ourselves. He shoved the last of his things in his backpack and slung it over his shoulder, then followed me out of the library. We walked through the courtyard toward the dorms, surveying the sun as it slowly set behind the horizon. He stopped walking then turned to me.

“I hope you don’t think I’m being too forward, but would you want to go get a bite to eat sometime?”

I stared down at my shoes, kicking a stray pebble on the pavement. He seemed nice enough. But why was I so hesitant to say yes? I shifted on my feet and looked up at him. “Oh...um...I don’t know.”

He frowned. “Hey, no big deal. I get it. Just thought I’d shoot my shot.”

“No. I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant that I’m not ready to date yet. I guess I’m still adjusting to the new school year. But if you’re ever up for another study group, let me know.”

He smiled, although it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Yeah, sure. Do you want me to walk you to your dorm?”

“Nah. I think I’m okay. I’ll see you in class.”

“You too,” he replied and winked as he made his way to the dorms. I watched him walk away as I stood in the middle of the courtyard. What was wrong with me? This extremely good-looking and nice guy just asked me out, and I shot him down. It’s not like I already had a boyfriend, so why was I acting like a scared little bitch? I briefly considered chasing him down and saying, ‘lol j/k let’s go out sometime,’ but something held me in place. I just couldn’t figure out what it was.