#i don’t get sick often but when i do it simply has to knock me out for 2 weeks apparently

[hella1975]

clear sinuses tonight? clear sinuses tonight queen?

[leviraaaaaa]

Here it is safe. (Levi x reader)

Slight, very slight mentions of anxiety attacks? Idfk. Basically reader often gets overwhelmed and hides, guess who's there to help?

Levi knocked at your door, not surprised when he didn’t get a response. But he waited nevertheless. He tapped against the door a few more times until he reached for the doorknob and twisted it, cautiously pushing it open. Also not to his surprise, your office was empty, not a hair of you in sight. Seemingly. If not for the fact that he’d seen you entering here just two minutes ago and if not for the fact he’s been here way too many times to know better. And so he found himself slowly stepping in, soundlessly shutting the door back. Light on his feet, he approached the desk standing near the back of the room and peered down. “Hello.” You whispered when his silver eyes found yours. It was rather unusual to find most people crouching beneath their desks, was it not? Levi thought so too, the first time he found you here. He remembered being so confused, watching you as you curled up in a ball, rocking back and forth. He remembered being clueless, wondering if you were sick, wondering if he should call Hange or Nanaba, wondering if he should just leave you alone. But time has passed since and he’s learnt a thing or two. That everyone gets overwhelmed sometimes. Levi sighed.

“What are you doing?” He asked softly. “..hiding.” You mumbled, avoiding his gaze and pulling up your knees against your chest. You drummed your fingers anxiously on the floor. “So I’ve figured.” He nodded. “From what exactly?” "I.." You cringed a little. "..don’t know?” “Come out please.” You hesitated, meeting his gaze. It was soft. Warm. Understanding. Safe. But yet, the world was far scarier still. You glanced back at the floor.  “I don’t want to.” “It’s alright. Come out please.” You shook your head. Levi exhaled. “That’s okay,” He said, shifting. “I’ll just come down then.” Before you could even respond to that offer, he was already squatting down, slipping himself into the small space under the desk that could barely even fit you. But he settles in anyways, leaning back opposite of you, your knees touching his. You smiled, letting your hand find his and hooking your cold fingers through. In response, he rubbed circles on your palm with his thumb, squeezing gently. For a moment you just simply sat there, feeling gratitude flood your thundering heart as it quiets, the tension leaving your body and everything wrong in your mind eases away. In that moment, there was only you and him. You could finally breathe again. “You don’t have to do this every time, you know?” You told him. “What would people say?” He raised a brow questioningly. “Your reputation would be so screwed if people find out you hide under tables like a little child.” You shook your head, trying to explain. “Just because I’m weird, doesn’t mean you have to be too.” “You’re not weird.” “Levi.” “What?” ‘“You don’t have to do this. I’ll be fine in a bit.” “I know.” “So why?” You demanded. He looked at you and shrugged. “Because you needed me.” That’s all he says.  “You needed me." He repeated softly, "And I’ll stay as long as you need me to.”

[lani-heart]

|| series masterlist || next // previously

parings -> ( eventually ) enhypen x reader genre -> soulmate au, fantasy au, angst warnings -> angst word count -> 2.6k

abstract -> sometimes you need to be selfish to feel satisfied...

y/n's perspective

I feel guilty… Heeseung approached me saying Jay planned on rejecting me but didn't want me to get hurt. It was strange to know that he was there on Jay's behalf to reject him.

I knew he was telling the truth but I swear there was more to what he was saying. 

He wasn’t telling me a few things and I knew he was withdrawing details I should’ve known. He’s done it before…

“Stop thinking too much” I heard Sunghoon whine. I smiled as I simply muttered ‘I can’t’ he nodded understanding but grinned.

“Then think of how handsome I am!” he said, making me laugh but we heard a scoff coming from Sunoo. “Hey! I’m older than you, show me respect” Sunoo only shrugged.

“How delusional are you to feed our soulmate lies?” he taunted and the two started bickering. It was funny to see but also nice that they were still friends…

“y/n!” I heard as I saw Taki. “EJ and K need to look over some documents with you about homecoming!” he said and I nodded as I packed up my stuff to start going.

“Ah, you’re leaving us already!” Jungwon complained. “Well if you didn’t quit stuco I would still be working with you,” I said and groaned. 

“I barely see you anyway” Sunghoon added and I sighed.

“Well, a lot of work has been coming on. You guys also need to start practicing again for the next match” I said and they scoffed… except Sunghoon.

“Try to get along… before me, you guys were actually friends”

jay's perspective

Practices weren’t like they were. It's now awkward and uncomfortable. I wouldn’t be surprised if they quit our football team too. 

I was pulled from my thoughts when I was knocked down by Niki. “Come on Jay! Before Niki never could’ve knocked you down!” Sunghoon said and he was right. 

“It’s probably the rejection,” Sunoo said and I sighed. It felt horrible, my body was constantly drained. “Sooha!” Jake yelled and she grinned as she came over to us. 

Was he still blind?

“It's been a while since I’ve been at your practice!” she said. “It's been a while since I’ve seen you three!” Sooha said to Jungwon, Sunoo, and Niki. 

“They’ve been busy with the little witch–” Jake got cut off by Jungwon throwing the football at his head. “She has a name!” Sunoo said and Jake didn’t say anything for once.

“She’s been avoiding me,” she confessed. I noticed Heeseung looked at her with a sad expression. I wonder why he was so eager to hurt himself… torturing himself when he could just have y/n.

She talks to him… works with him… listens to him and yet he rejects her? I don’t understand how that could make sense.

“Is she doing well?” she asked Sunghoon and he nodded. “She’s doing well. I’m just worried about how much she’s working” he confessed. 

“She’s been working too much… I'm worried she’ll get sick” Niki said while Jungwon and Sunoo stayed quiet. 

“Well is she eating well?” Sooha asked and he sighed. “She’s been skipping lunch often because of homecoming,” Sunghoon said and I felt guilty. 

Was she skipping meals?

'She rejected you, she’s not your responsibility'

Heeseung… sometimes you should just shut up.

We were still practicing when we saw EJ and y/n.

“Looks like you guys are training hard~” EJ taunted and she smiled at her accepted soulmates. She ignored me, Heeseung, and Jake. Heeseung looked at her for a second before snapping out of it and going towards Sooha… was she a distraction for him?

He then glared at me and I looked away… I then looked at Jake, who looked sad? 

“Are you okay?” I asked and he nodded. “I don’t like that she sees me like a monster… or that Heeseung thinks it's deserved, '' he said and I nodded. “But you did hurt her,” I said and he nodded.

“I can clearly see the turtle neck she’s wearing. So shut up about it, okay?” he said as he left. I needed a break.

“EJ! I need–""Sorry Sooha, but I need to go,” he said as EJ just left… even y/n looked shocked. I guess all of Riverfield was ignoring her.

“y/n… please talk–” “Sooha it isn’t any of her business,” Sunoo said as he hugged her from behind. It almost seemed like a challenge for Sooha. “ It is tough! K rejected me for her… I just wanted a chance. y/n you have to understand” she begged and the witch sighed. 

“I’ll talk to him about it but Sooha give him some time. He can change his mind you know” she said and I wondered if she’d change her mind about– “What the fuck!” I yelled as I got hit by the football.

Of course, it was Heeseung… “Are you okay, Jay?” Sooha said running towards me. I looked at y/n though who also looked worried… did she still care– “Maybe we should finish practice here” Heeseung said and I scoffed. 

“What is your problem?” I asked and he scoffed. “Don’t fight please” Sooha said and I looked at Heeseung who stared at me, almost challenging me…  

“Immature the both of you” I heard Jungwon say. 

“Just stay out of it” Sunghoon advised 

“Let’s get dinner!” Niki said as he pulled y/n away from Sunoo and left… “What the hell, dude?!” I said and he scoffed. “Get over it already!” Heeseung yelled at me. “Heeseung don’t–” “Sooha this doesn’t involve you” he cut her off as he walked away. 

The more he was rejecting his feelings the more resentful he was. 

y/n perspective

“Has Heeseung been more… snappy recently?” I asked Sunghoon and he nodded. “Jay thinks it’s because of you…” he confessed and I thought that too. 

“He thinks he likes you but is ignoring his feelings,” he said. That couldn’t be true though… he was the first to reject me. 

“Don’t worry your pretty little head about it. You’re stressed enough” he said and I nodded, but It was difficult not to worry  

“Jungwon, I think you need to go back to the council” I suggested and he groaned. “I know but… we're so divided it doesn’t even feel like we’re friends anymore,” he confessed and I sighed. “Don’t let me be the reason you guys aren’t friends. You guys have been by each other's side for such a long time” I said and they sighed. 

“Besides… I don’t think Heeseung can handle being president any longer” I said… I was worried even though I shouldn't be. Even when me and Jay only chatted… he confessed how much Heeseung was drowning himself in work. 

He hasn’t made any move to replace them… in fact, they were still in council but just refused to go back. 

“I think we all need a conversation with each other”

jungwon’s perspective

We walked into the student council room. 

“Yah! Quit acting like you control me!” Jay yelled at Heesueung who only stared blankly at Jay. Jake was also clearly annoyed. “And stop trying to make me feel worse about myself!” he said in retaliation, making the oldest hyung almost laugh mockingly. 

“What do you want?” he said, looking at us now. 

“Did your little love send you here?” he said, clearly trying to annoy me by using my nickname for her. “Yah… get to work will you. You’re behind on paperwork for y/n and she’ll be on me if you don’t finish it.” I ordered him and it must've thrown him off for a minute. 

“You’re not president any–” “Yes I am. You didn’t find a replacement, you never even told the principal of the change so I am. Honestly, are you all trying to ruin my reputation?” I wanted to get them to start doing work. How far has our group fallen?

“The room is a mess!!” Sunoo screeched in horror.  Papers were all out of order… in organizing files too… it's only Riverfield stuff that's been kept up to date and ordered correctly. 

“Heeseung,” I said and he only looked at me… was it jealousy? 

“I’m president, so listen to what I have to say. You’re my vice president unless you need to be replaced” 

Everyone worked quietly. 

Jay, Jake, and Heeseung were too quiet… but they didn’t protest

I was able to look over a bunch of the files that Heeseung was doing and fixed them only having to send them to y/n who would turn them in. 

I was the only one doing the final touches while they organized and cleaned. 

“I think we’re finished for once?” Jake said to Jay who nodded. They both looked relieved. 

Heeseung however could only stare at the desk he sat by blankly…

“Is this a one-time thing?” Jay asked, almost worried that we’d answer. 

“No… teachers have been angry at me for not doing my work. I have no other choice do I?” I asked and they nodded. They still had a wry smile though… I kind of missed it.

Did I miss them? 

“I’m sorry” I heard as I saw Jake bow… “I lost control but I didn’t mean to hurt her,” he said, apologizing for burning her. “You should be telling her that,” Niki said and Sunoo rolled his eyes. 

“She’s still scared of him,” he said and I nodded. 

“Give her time…” I muttered and he nodded. He was sorry… I could see it in his eyes but I didn’t miss Heeseung scoffing. 

He was almost annoyed… 

“I’m not annoyed,” he said and I scoffed. 

“Whatever, make sure to finish the assignment–” I was cut off by the door opening… “Oh… all of you in one room!!” Sooha said with a big grin on her face. 

I kinda missed her– “What the heck, Heeseung?!” I yelled as I felt him smack my head. “You have your soulmate, she should be enough,” he said and I was confused.

“What are you implying ?” I was a bit irritated at what he said.

“No more fighting, you guys are finally getting along again!” she said and I don’t think that's what I would call it. 

“How are you doing?” She asked Jay who looked at her with a fake smile. “Better” he lied.

“She’ll come around just like with Sunghoon and Jake can too—“ “No way is he allowed near her” I cut her off and they all looked at me.

“I didn’t mean—“ “You didn’t feel an ounce of guilt… you didn’t care as long as you had Sooha’s attention,” Heeseung said, shocking everyone.

“That’s not true! I do—“ “The day you burned her. You didn’t care… now that she treats you like the monster you are is when you felt guilt,” he said and I could see the pain flash in his eyes.

He hated being called a monster… he left the room and I could tell he was hurt.

“Heeseung! Why would you do that to him?! He deserved a second—“ “Sooha does he? If K burned your neck raw rejecting you?! Leaving you in fear of every vampire around you while barely even leaving your, studying, or even eating?! None of you saw how she was when it happened… it’s stupid is everyone losing their mind?!” he yelled.

“I think you’re the one losing your mind,” I said and he scoffed “You shouldn’t be thinking things like—“ “Don’t tell me what to do. I don’t like Sooha romantically. I never did… I love y/n and you’re just projecting to everyone” I said and he scoffed.

“Get a grip Heeseung” 

y/n’s perspective

Jungwon came to me with filled-out reports. For once since the beginning of the semester, Declis Academy Council was finished with the reports for the rest of the week. 

“How’d it go?” I asked and he sighed frustrated. “They're all at odds and Heeseung is acting crazy…” he muttered as he buried himself into the crook of my neck. He wrapped himself around me… vampires weren't warm, they were cold so it was nice on days that were a little warmer. 

I heard a knock on the door pulling me away from my thoughts and Jungwon stood up straight. “Jay?” he said as I saw him with… a lunch bag.

“Can we talk?” he asked and I looked at Jungwon who only stared indifferently at him. “You can stay if you want Jungwon, but I'm not gonna hurt her,” he said and the boy sighed. He kissed my forehead and smiled at me. 

“I’ll be around. If you need me, text me okay?” he said and I nodded as he left me alone with Jay. I wasn’t scared of him… just weary around vampires ever since Jake. “I brought you food. The boys said how you haven't been eating because of how busy you were… so I assumed you haven't had dinner yet?” he asked and I smiled softly. “Thank you… I actually had to skip lunch today so I'm really hungry” I confessed. 

“You shouldn’t be skipping meals” he scolded and I chuckled. “I know… but I have a lot of people relying on me, '' I said and he nodded. “Which means you can’t jeopardize your health that way” he scolded and I sighed. 

“Why do you care? Heeseung told me about you rejecting–" "He wasn’t supposed to get involved…” he cut me off looking confused. “Heeseung… he pulled me aside saying you wanted to reject me and that you wanted me to do it. Was that not what you wanted? You like Sooha don’t you?” I asked, confused, about what he wanted. 

“I was thinking about what I would do… since Jungwon found out you're our soulmate I contemplated. I wanted to be friends… to get close and I don't know okay? I just knew I had to be involved with you... I didn't want you to shut me out. But Heeseung got involved when it didn't involve him, '' he explained. 

“The thing is Jay… I can’t be your second option–” “I know… which is why none of this is fair to you. I clearly have feelings for Sooha… but I can’t help but worry about you even before the bond formed” he confessed and I nod.

“So what now?” I asked and he sighed. “I can never be with Sooha. She’s not mine… and I messed up horribly with you. I’m not asking for forgiveness or to be your lover. I just… want you to be happy” he said and tried walking away. I didn’t know what came over me but I grabbed his wrist. 

“Jay… tell me what you want” I demanded and he smiled a soft sad smile. “Nothing–” I don’t normally use magic… and I was sorry for using it on a soulmate but I needed to know. 

“I want to be one of the people by your side,” he said and he looked at me confused. “What just happened?” he asked as I let go of his wrist which he took the opportunity to suspect. 

“You’re overthinking things… but your inner desires sometimes are buried so deep you don’t know what you want” I explained and he nodded. “So I'm sorry… I used magic on you” I said and he shook his head. “It didn’t hurt me… Jake didn’t do as much for you in that department” he said and I sighed. 

“I do want to be by your side… I don’t know if I want to be a lover, a friend. Anything, maybe?” he said and I chuckled. 

“Then be selfish” I said and he laughed. 

“Can I be by your side?”

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[creative-caramel-coffee]

Sick day in the dorm

Pairings: Principal Weems x Student!reader (platonic) || Marilyn Thornhill x Student!reader (platonic)

Word count: 1.8K

Summary: Reader doesn’t show up for class, so Weems and Thornhill grow concerned. What happens when your too sick to let them into your dorm?

TW: Throwing up, fainting, general illness stuff,

A/n First Wednesday Addams fandom fic!!!

Ms Thornhill was growing concerned. It was almost twenty minutes into her lesson, and you were still not here. Pausing the lesson to glare at the empty seat in the back of the classroom she decided to ask.

“Has anyone seen Ms L/n today?” She said watching heads snap up from textbooks around the classroom. Her frown only deepened when she heard a chorus of ‘no’s’ come from the class.

“If it helps Ms Thornhill… Y/n hasn’t shown up to any classes all day.” Enid said and Ms Thornhill’s feeling worsened.

“How come it hasn’t been reported?” She said. Enid simply shrugged.

“None of the other teachers noticed.” She replied and Ms Thornhill’s concern grew. It was almost the fifth lesson of the day; you should have shown some signs of life. She shoved her worries down, she would go check your dorm after class, she had a planning period next she could spare.

As the rest of the lesson passed, she got rid of her nervous energy by watering the various plants around the room. When class finally finished, she dismissed the students and folded all of her papers and placed them in her desk. Taking a quick glance around the classroom to ensure it would be ok until she returned, she left the room and locked the door behind her.

Walking down the halls to your dorm the school was quiet as the students had one more class until lunch. She rounded the corner until she was stood in front of your dorm door. You had a single dorm which despite being uncommon seemed to work quite well for you as you often needed your own space to recharge your social battery. Drawing a breath, she knocked on the door, frowning at the following silence.

“Ms L/n if you are in there, please let me in. Your absence is unacceptable.” Again, there was no response.

“If you don’t respond soon, I will enter.” She said knowing it was her responsibility to make sure you were safe. With no response she tried the door handle cursing softly when she found it locked.

After a minute she tried knocking again. This time she heard some shuffling inside indicating you were alive at least. After a moment the shuffling stopped, and she heard a loud bang. Knowing it was now imperative to get to you she called through the door again.

“Y/n sit tight I’ll be right back; I’m going to get the key.” She said hurriedly and raced off to principle weems office. Luckily your dorm wasn’t too far from her office. Which wasn’t surprising as you weren’t the most obedient student. You did well academically but were a royal pain in the ass when it came to your pranks and troublemaking.

Rounding a few more corners Ms Thornhill knocked in quick succession on the principle's door.

A soft “come in” sounded from inside and she burst in startling the principle.

“Marilyn what’s the meaning of this?” She asked raising a brow. Ms Thornhill braced her hands on her knees panting as Weems rounded her desk to place a hand on her back.

“Breathe Marilyn.” She said growing concerned. “Whats the matter?”

“Its… Y/n” she panted and the principle grimaced.

“What has she done now?”

“Not what… what she hasn’t done.” She caught her breath as the principle frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“She hasn’t been present in her classes all day and I went to her dorm to get her its locked. I heard shuffling and then a bang. I don’t think she’s ok.” She said and weems frowned.

“Come then.” She said motioning for Marilyn to follow as she walked briskly to you room, keys in hand. As she got closer, she fiddled with the keys to find the right one. The clicking of her heels stopped in front of your door.

“Ms L/n you are to let us in, or we will enter with the key.” Weems said needing to warn you. With no response Weems placed the key in the lock and listened for the small click as the mechanism turned over. Gently opening the door, she peered in not seeing you. Opening the door, the rest of the way she caught sight of you sprawled out on the floor by the desk unconscious.

“Y/N!” principle weems called and rushed over to your side, crouching in heels. Ms Thornhill was close behind as she sat behind you and pulled your head into her lap as she cradled your body.

“She feels quite warm Larissa.” She said and the principle shuffled to a kneeling position as she laid the back of her hand against your damp forehead. She hummed in agreement. After a moment to gauge your temperate she began to rub a soothing hand up and down your exposed arm.

“Y/n/n darling you need to wake up hun.” She said moving to tap your cheek. You looked exhausted. Dressed only in your sleep attire of a large, oversized T-shirt and boxers with little stars on them. The two teachers were unbothered more focused on ensuring you were ok.

“Larissa, do you know why she may have passed out?”

“Most likely due to her high fever. We will need to measure it and get her into bed once she wakes up. Until then i don’t want to move her.” Weems said as she gently pressed her hand to your cheek again to check the temperature of your skin. She frowned at the heat she felt. Moving to rub your arm again she began trying to rouse you again.

“Y/n/n wake up darling. You need to wake up for us love.” She said and watched your eyes screw up tight.

“There we go. Come on darling you can do it.” She said and squeezed your bicep as you blinked and squinted. Closing your eyes quickly and groaning.

“There we are. Welcome back darling. You gave us quite a scare.” She said knowing the worst wasn’t yet over until they had tamed your raging fever.

“Come here darling.” She said and placed an arm under your legs and back to lift you into a princess carry. Gently she sat on your unmade bed and swung her legs over, so you rested across her body.

“Marilyn could you please grab some medicine from the nurse and a wet rag?” The principle asked and Ms Thornhill nodded and left briskly.

“Hmm why didn’t you come find one of us darling?” Weems ask as she brushed the damp curls from your forehead. You mumbled something incoherent, and she chuckled as you buried your face in her stomach as you were completely unaware of what you were doing in your fevered state. Weems patted the back of your head and said softly.

“You're not so much of a troublemaker now are you darling? Hmm? This fever seems to make you quite the snuggler. your much less of a problem like this aren’t you darling?” She said and you hummed in agreement not really knowing what you were agreeing to. She chuckled and ran a hand through your hair.

“It's alright. Ms Thornhill will be back soon, and we can get some medicine into you darling.” She said and as if summoned, the teacher in question entered and handed over some tablets and a glass of water before going into the ensuite to dampen the rag.

After coaxing you into taking the medicine and pressing the glass to your lips the principle guided you head back into the crook of her arm. She pressed the thermometer to your temple as it beeped, she frowned.

“Marilyn? Do you have that rag? She’s far too hot. 102.8” she said, and you winced. “Sorry love.” She said softly as she stroked your cheek which was radiating heat. The normie teacher emerged and draped the cool cloth over your forehead as you whined at the cold contact. Weems shushed you.

“I know, i know darling but it will help.” She said pulling your hand away from where you tried to remove the cloth. She held you hand and looked back up at the other teacher. You rolled over into weems more and wrapped your arms around her midsection muttering something that sounded suspiciously like the word mama. Weems elected to ignore the slip up and began to talk in hushed tones with Ms Thornhill. You were incoherent and needed to be attended to.

The nurse was simply on call for the day meaning she wasn’t scheduled for a whole day whereas you would need constant surveillance in order to get rid of the fever that was tearing through you. You shivered in her arms and weems patted you back as you curled into her more looking for warmth. She winced at the heat; you were burning up. She pulled you away for a second ignoring your whine to check you temp again with her hand. She hummed. Before she could say something, you sat up looking pale as the cloth fell from your forehead and into the principles lap.

The normie teacher recognised the look all too well and was quick to grab the empty bin by your desk before darting back to place it in your lap. After a second you gagged and buried your face in the bin. Your hand gripped onto the bin tightly as Weems placed a hand on the bin to steady it, her eyes widening as you began to actually throw up. She rubbed you back while Ms Thornhill whispered words of reassurance as you were sick.

“It’s alright, its ok Y/n/n. Everything’s ok.” She said as you began to cry, confused and sick from the fever. After minute the gagging stopped, and you flopped back against principle weems shoulder burying you face in her neck. Ms Thornhill who you hadn’t seen leave handed you a small cap of mouthwash as you swished it around and spat it into the bin.

The teacher wordlessly took the bin to the bathroom after ensuring you were done. Weems pulled you back into her lap on the bed as Ms Thornhill washed out the bin in the shower without complaint. After a moment lying in her arms Weems replaced the cloth which was still cool somehow and watched your eyes flicker shut.

“Sleep now Y/n I’ll be here when you wake darling, I’m not going anywhere.”

She said and you fell asleep there on your bed in your nightclothes in the arms of your principle with your botany teacher cleaning out your vomit from a bin in your bathroom. Forget fever dreams your life was insane.

MASTERLIST

[kelcemenow]

Touchdown - Chapter 7.

Pairing Travis Kelce x Reader

Words 3777

Warnings It's a bigger chapter this time but I wanted to get everything in! There's alcohol and strong language and the flirting is going to 100.

CHAPTER 6.

CHAPTER 7.

“You look incredible!” Jess sang through the phone. You had called her on FaceTime to catch her up with everything that had happened. She was mid-way through cooking a meal and wiped her hands on her apron quickly before picking up the phone and making her way to the sofa, “Will, come and see how hot Y/N looks!”  

Will was Jess’s boyfriend. They had been dating for around a year and he spent quite a lot of time at your place. He was roughly the same height has Jess, but with a heavier frame. He was a published author and would often come in handy to proof-read your articles.   

“You look simply delightful, Y/N!” He appeared on the screen, his rounded glasses perched on his nose whilst he read.  

“Keep it in your pants, Will!” Jess jokingly quipped.  

You had picked out a pair of black, figure hugging, leather trousers which made your legs look around 6 feet long. A bright pink bandeau top clung to your skin and the colour matched your strapped stilettos perfectly. You had kept your hair simple, styling it in gentle but defined waves and full of shine. You danced your way to your suitcase to try and locate some lipstick options.  

“Your makeup looks fire as well!”   

Your eyelids were sparkling with a shimmering silver eyeshadow a slick black eyeliner that extended out to make your eyes look bigger. You had groomed your brows to perfection and your skin was glowing.  

“Thank you honey, I’m just trying to find a lipstick.” Your hand was out of sight on the screen as you dug through your makeup bag.  

Jess gasped, “No! Don’t wear lipstick, you don’t want Travis getting it all over his face!” She laughed and you heard Will cheer in the background.  

“Now now, I am a professional! There will be no funny business on this trip and I will keep myself poised and classy.” You left a pause as you picked up a pink toned nude lipstick before throwing it over your head and onto the bed, “Or not!” You let out a loud laugh when there was a knock on your hotel room door, “Oh, that’ll be Hannah, I have to go. I promise I’ll take photos, I’ll take videos, I’ll post Instagram stories, all that good stuff…”  

“And tell me everything in the morning!” Jess shouted.  

“Of course, bye honey!”  

“Have fuuuuun!” You heard Jess say just before you hung up, taking a white, oversized jacket out of the closet on your way to the door.  

Hannah was dressed in an olive-green strapped mini-dress which complimented her long, blonde hair perfectly. It was slicked back into a high ponytail and her petite stature was elevated by some tan laced up heels.   

“You look sick!” You exclaimed.  

Hannah spun around and flicked her ponytail behind her shoulder, “As do you! Man, we look hot!”   

You both giggled as you quickly grabbed your hotel key card and closed the door behind you.   

Hannah had managed to find out where Travis and the rest of the team would be hanging out after the game and had swiftly booked an Uber, giving you just enough time to get ready. After a short car journey, you were standing outside of The Aura. The outside was unassuming but once you had stepped in, you were greeted with floral decorations and greenery lining the walls and ceiling. Two men were stood at a door, one was holding a clipboard and the other was closely observing a small group of people just behind you.   

“Good evening, ladies. Can I take your names please?” The first man said.  

“Hannah Charlton and Y/N.” Hannah replied.  

The man glanced down the list attached to the clipboard. He looked up and smiled, stepping back to open the door. “Enjoy yourselves.”  

The lights hit your face immediately as you made your way further inside and the once muffled music swelled louder and louder. The room was slightly smoky and the botanic theming continued throughout. It was relatively busy for a Sunday and it seemed that every table was taken with people scattered everywhere. Waiters were moving swiftly past you with trays laden with elaborately decorated cocktails and food, the scent surrounding you.

You were scanning your eyes across the blur when Hannah leaned in to you, “Come on, let’s get a drink.”  

You nodded as she told hold of your hand and led you towards the bar. You managed to find a space and secured the attention of a young, clean-shaven man behind the bar; he acknowledged your presence whilst he finished making a drink before coming to take your order.  

“Two Mojito’s, please.”  

He smiled and proceeded to make the cocktails. You were looking down the bar, watching other patrons when you heard a familiar laugh and a distinctive American accent.  

“Well, I owe Travis 20 bucks!”  

Glancing over your shoulder, you saw Patrick Mahomes clutching at his stomach. You furrowed your brows as you turned around, “Sorry?”  

“He was so damn sure you’d come tonight, but I said you probably had better things to do than hang around with his sorry ass.” Patrick came closer and signalled to the bar server.  

“Oh, he said that, did he?” You smiled to Hannah.  

“Oh, yeah. He said you wouldn’t be able to resist.” His curls were free from the restrictions of his helmet and were bouncing against his forehead. He was wearing a plain black t-shirt with grey jeans, casual but classic. He reached to the bar where there had been an ice bucket full of champagne left for him. He gestured towards your cocktails. “Hey, put these on my tab, man.”  

“Thank you, Patrick, we really appreciate it.” You handed Hannah her drink and took a sip of your own.  

Patrick held out an arm and motioned towards an area of the club that was roped off, “Follow me, ladies.”  

You shot Hannah a smile and followed the quarterback as the red rope was pulled aside for him. Grey upholstered circular booths lined the walls to the left and right, with a slightly larger one directly in the middle. As you got closer, you could see Travis enthusiastically chatting to the people sat around him.   

“Hey, Trav. Turns out you were right, man.” Patrick stepped aside slightly and you flashed everyone a smile before finally focusing on Travis.  

He paused for a second, then his mouth dropped open to a huge grin. He stood up and made his way closer.  His tongue was pressed into his cheek and he was rubbing his hands together, as if he was almost nervous. You stayed still and let him come to you, shifting your weight from one leg to the other, showing off the curve in your hips. His eyes traced down your body and your thighs tightened at his stare. Hannah was already at the table being introduced to everyone by Patrick when Travis' cologne filled your nostrils. 

"You just couldn't stay away, huh?" He raised an eyebrow. His voice was soft and deep, with a slight growl that excited you. 

You licked your bottom lip and held the eye contact, "Turns out I had some free time." A slight shrug of your shoulders made Travis laugh. 

"Honestly, I can't work you out." His rubbed the side of his neck. 

"And you hate that, right?" You tipped your head to one side, "You always have to win."  

His scent was rich and intoxicating as he came closer, "You can drop the act now, okay? I know you're interested; you wouldn't be here if you weren't." 

"Who said I wasn't interested? I just like seeing you work hard." 

He let out a loud laugh, "Did you not see me today?" He held his hands up, "As soon as I knew you were watching, I upped my game, man!" 

You left a silence as he waited for your response. 

His arm snaked around your waist and his fingers lightly brushed your ass. He leaned in towards your face and his lips were almost touching your ear, "Are you saying that you weren't turned on watching me?" 

Your skin tingled and you felt a shiver at this touch. You looked down for a moment before whispering slowly to him, "You're being very rude and not introducing me to your friends." 

Travis quickly moved his hand down and gripped your ass before stepping back and leading you to the table. He introduced you to the various teammates that were scattered around the table, some of which you recognised. 

"You're that reporter, right?" George Karlaftis lifted his glass towards you and smiled warmly as you sat down next to him. 

"Well, sort of. I work for The NFL Show on ITV, I do research and social media stuff with Hannah." 

He took a sip of his drink and nodded, "That's awesome, man. So, you're a football fan?" 

You felt several pairs of eyes on you and you shot a glance towards Hannah, who was smiling. You shuffled awkwardly in your seat as you searched for an answer, "I have to stay as impartial as I can." 

"Good answer, I like it!" Patrick nudged Travis as he took a seat opposite you. 

"Y/N is one of our newest and most valued recruits on the channel. We're hoping she sticks around for a long time." Hannah smiled and sipped her drink. 

"Well, I think other people are hoping for that too." Another player, JuJu Smith-Schuster shot a glance to you before turning to Travis. 

You smirked as you waited for Travis' response. 

"Alright, man. This ain’t high school." He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, awkwardly.  

You leaned back into the backrest of the booth and crossed your arms, "Then why are you blushing like a teenager with a crush?" 

The table erupted into laughter and JuJu stood up, slapping Travis on his back, "Hey, dude! She got you, man, she got you good!" 

Travis laughed along and grabbed JuJu's arm, "I think I need a drink, get your ass to the bar, now!"  

The pair disappeared into the crowd to the sound of laughter when Patrick leaned slightly across the table. 

"You're under his skin, that's for sure." 

You shrugged your shoulders and picked up your drink, batting your eyelashes, "Who me?" 

Patrick leaned back in his seat and laughed as you glanced around the table. You caught Hannah's eye as she was chatting excitedly with Brittany, Patrick's wife. 

"Toilet?" You mouthed the words and tipped your head away from the table. 

Hannah nodded and turned her head back to Brittany, smiling at her as she stood up and reached out for your hand. You followed the pair through a corridor and as the music became quieter, you arrived at a large restroom with stalls lining one wall opposite a long line of sinks and mirrors. Brittany immediately pulled you in for a hug once you were through the door.  

"I loved that! You girl, are something!" 

Hannah laughed as she entered one of the stalls, her voice echoing around the room, "Y/N is quickly becoming my favourite person!" 

You giggled at Brittany as she turned to the mirror to fix her long, blonde hair, "Trav is usually so confident and he has this attitude of being the main man, you know." She scrunched her nose up, "Don't get me wrong, he's a great guy. But he can be an asshole!" She laughed, "But he's like a puppy dog around you!"  

"To be perfectly honest, I am quite enjoying myself." You lifted your head to check your make up in the mirror. 

The sound of the toilet flushing rang out as Hannah appeared between you both, "So, am I! Although, I can't help feeling you two need some alone time?" 

"What?" 

"You sure we're not cramping your style?" Brittany raised an eyebrow and put her arm around your shoulder. 

You sighed, "You guys are crazy! We're here for a good night, to celebrate the guys' win. That's all I'm here for." 

Brittany blew a raspberry and playfully nudged you towards the door, "Party pooper." 

You laughed loudly as you made your way out of the bathroom, followed by Hannah and Brittany. You glanced an eye over to the table to see the group chatting enthusiastically. Travis looked distracted though, not focused on the conversation. His hands were fidgeting and his eyes darting around the room. You couldn’t help but wonder if he was looking for you. Your thoughts were interrupted by Brittany placing her hand on your arm. 

"Another drink, honey?" 

You smiled, "Yes please, thank you!" 

"You Brits are so polite, you're too cute!" She squeezed you close for a hug and smiled as she disappeared to the bar. Hannah moved in front of you. 

"Okay, we need to talk strategy." 

You looked at her, questioning her words. 

"Y/N, he's leaving tomorrow night. If you want anything to happen, it needs to be tonight." 

The thought hadn't even crossed your mind, you had been immersed in the atmosphere and swept up with everything that was going on, you had completely forgotten that Travis would soon be on a plane heading over 4,000 miles away. You barely knew him, but you were drawn to him. You couldn’t deny the feelings you had, the butterflies that took up residence in your stomach whenever you saw him, but something was stopping you. Was it the idea of the long distance? Was it something about him, his lifestyle, his career?  

Hannah widened her eyes and clicked her fingers in front of your face, "Umm, hello?" 

"Sorry, I was just thinking." You shook your head gently, "Look, I've already said, I just want to have fun tonight. If anything happens, that's great. But I'm not looking for anything serious." 

"Well, that's perfect! You've got one night, enjoy yourself!" She turned her head towards the table and started singing along to the music with her arms in the air, dancing her way back to the others. Just as you were about to follow her, Brittany reappeared with your drinks. You looked down at the tray to see two cocktails and two shots. "Shots?" 

"I thought you might be a tequila girl like me?" Brittany smiled as she picked up one of the glasses. 

You winked as you picked up the other, "You read my mind!" 

She squealed before joining you in knocking the sharp liquid back in one go. You hissed through your teeth as you felt it work its way down your throat. Brittany quickly handed you your drink as she took hold of your other hand, leading you back to the table. Through the mass of people, Travis' eyes landed on you and he almost looked relived. Your lips curled at the edges to a small smile and you glanced around the table for somewhere to sit. Brittany had already squeezed next to Patrick and everyone else seemed to be chatting in smalls groups with each other. You looked towards Travis who was half listening to JuJu and spotted the space on the end of the booth next to him.  

"Room for a small one?" 

His eyes quickly traced your body and you felt goosebumps even though the room was almost too warm. He angled his body towards you as you slowly slid into the seat. You misjudged however, and spilt some of your drink onto your forearm, the cool liquid dripping down onto your leg. 

"Someone's clumsy." Travis laughed. 

Placing your drink onto the table, your eyes searched for a napkin, "Just a bit." 

"Here, I got it." Travis locked eyes with you as he grabbed his napkin from under his drink and carefully patted your skin dry. You smiled and glanced down at your leg and he followed your eyes down, "Honestly, I'd prefer to lick that off." His voice low and gruff in your ear. 

You let out a shriek of laughter and your head flew back, "Mr Kelce!" 

He smiled, “I know I told you not the call me that, but I kinda like it.” 

You could feel your cheeks burning, so you turned away, which only made Travis move in closer. The heat from his body warmed over your arm and you shuffled slightly in your seat. 

“I was surprised you didn’t reply to my email.” 

You turned towards him, but not facing him directly, “Do you send that email to every woman that interviews you?” 

He looked down and laughed slightly, “Just the ones who make me smile.” 

You pressed your lips together in an attempt to stifle your laugh. 

He looked up at you through his eyebrows, “What?” 

“That’s such a line!” You laughed loudly, getting some looks of amusement from the group, “Come on, be real with me!” 

Travis gave you a big smile and cleared his throat before pausing briefly, “Okay, man. You got me. I like you, alright?” 

His sudden honesty made him seem almost vulnerable, inexperienced somehow, as if this was not the usual type of exchanges that he was used to having with women. You waited silently as he continued. 

“When I talked to you on the phone, man, I didn’t wanna hang up. And then today, in the corridor, I just wanted to know who you were. I didn’t think for a second you were the same person. You have an awesome personality and energy; I’m drawn to you. I like you, you’re funny and interesting…and so hot.” His eyes glittered as he spoke but was barely making eye contact. 

You left a pause after he spoke, letting his words really sink in. “Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” You giggled and nudged into his chest with your shoulder. 

Travis raised his eyes to meet your gaze and moistened his lips, “Yeah, it was actually. You…make me nervous.” 

Another loud laugh escaped your mouth, “Me? That’s ridiculous.” 

His hand rested on your thigh, fingers brushing back and forth leaving tingles in their wake. “I don’t know what it is, but when I see you…fuck...baby…” His eyes rolled back. 

His words made you melt and you giggled again, leaning into his chest and breathing in his scent. You craned your neck to make eye contact, his gaze staring deep into yours. Your breathing felt heavy as Travis leaned closer to you, his eyes flickering down to your parted lips. Suddenly, you were blinded by camera flashes through the crowd. You squinted and turned towards the source of the lights, noticing paparazzi attempting to push past security. Patrick and the rest of the guys played up to the cameras, with Travis joining in. You sat back and watched, witnessing the commotion when two large security guards intervened at the VIP entrance and ushered the photographers away. 

“I don’t know how you do it. It’s so invasive.” 

Travis took a sip from his drink, “I don’t know how they got in here, man.” He turned towards the group, “I feel like dancing.” 

“You always feel like dancing!” Patrick laughed. 

Travis gave your thigh a squeeze, “Wanna dance?” 

You pressed your lips together into a smile, “I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do.” 

“Oh, I can.” Travis’ eye’s creased into a smile, giving you wink as he stood up and took your hand. You rolled your eyes and followed him towards the dance floor. 

“You don’t know what you’ve let yourself in for, girl!” George’s voice called out as you headed away from the table. 

The music was thumping from the speakers, you could feel it in your chest. As you were walking, Travis was already moving his body in time with the beat, his hips swaying wildly. You dipped your head and laughed when he spun around to face you with a huge smile on his face. Your cheeks were aching from grinning as he lowered his hands to your waist and pulled you in closer. You locked eyes with him and matched his rhythm, watching as he sang the lyrics back to you. You placed both hands on his toned chest and slid them downwards as your hips moved from side to side. His eyebrows shot upwards and his top teeth clamped down on his bottom lip. As you rose, you spun around so that he could get a good view of your ass, leather stretched over the curves. He playfully pulled you in towards him so your back was pressed into his chest and you ground into him, hearing a groan in your right ear. You felt him pick up the pace and his hips bucked forward slightly. You slowly turned around and placed an arm around the back of his neck, gently scratching at his skin. Something changed in his eyes as he pulled you back in, his large strong arms tight around you. He leaned forward and placed his lips near your ear. 

“Fancy getting out of here?”  

Your eyes widened as you opened your mouth to speak, but you didn’t know what to say. 

Travis grasped at your hand, “Come on.” 

Before you could think, you were moving through the dancefloor crowd and back towards the table. Hannah waved as you approached the group and Brittany smiled, holding out another shot of tequila.  

“I got you another, honey!” 

“Aww, thank you!” You knocked the shot back, the familiar warmth running down your throat and you gritted your teeth. 

“We’re going to bounce, man.” Travis held his hand out to Patrick as he stood up, the pair pulling each other into a hug. You could see that they were closely exchanging words but you couldn’t hear over the music. 

Hannah quickly got to her feet and rushed to your side. “Are you sure about this?” 

You laughed back to her, “You’ve changed your tune!” 

“I know, I know. I just want to make sure you’re okay?” 

Brittany appeared behind Hannah, dancing slightly to the music. You grabbed your bag and coat from the booth, feeling Hannah’s eyes on you, “Babe, I’m fine! We’re really getting on, I like him, he seems nice.” You shrugged your shoulders. 

Brittany’s head briskly nodded, “He just told Pat that he really likes you.”

Your eyes widened as you looked at Brittany, “Really?”

“Yeah. I mean, I couldn’t just keep that information to myself! It’s funny though, Trav doesn’t usually say much about this sort of thing so early.”

You turned back to Hannah, your lips pressing into a smile.

Hannah squeaked with excitement and pulled you in for a firm hug, “Okay, have fun. Message me when you’re back to the hotel.” 

“I will.” 

______________________________________________________________

Ohhhhhhhhh...where is this going?? We're getting somewhere now! Please do let me know if you're enjoying this and if you want to be added to my taglist, just give me a shout!

Taglist @rd14 @dandelionwrites8 @keiva1000 @fantasywritersstuff @caelipartem @anacarangel @she-lives-in-her-dreams

[genshin-scenarios]

Adopt a Wanderer: Sick Day [Part 4]

Summary: Kuni feels a little downcast when reminded about going back to his world, however any thoughts about that are quickly washed away when you get a fever (reader is sick, but it’s nothing too serious! He gets worried, though.)

Note: This is meant to be a found-family series with Scaramouche, who you address as Kuni in this AU! Mostly meant to be interpreted as platonic.

Part 3 <-

-> Part 5

Perhaps it was because of the weather, but you noticed that Kuni finds himself lost in his thoughts quite often these days.

What you don’t know, of course (seeing as you aren’t a mind reader), is that his concerns stem from something that’s never stopped looming over the both of you; his return home. Not only is Kuni pouring his worries over the ifs and whens, but the mere idea of going back to Teyvat - waking up and not being able to find or speak to you anymore - carves a crater in his chest that is hard to ignore.

He’s happy here now, but the mystery of how he arrived remains unsolved, and neither of you know when his last day might be.

It could be tomorrow or in another year. Or he could just be overthinking and letting anxious and depressed thoughts take over, but that doesn't change the fact that this uncertainty is both a blessing and a curse in its own right.

All this becomes irrelevant once you get sick, though. It's not that bad of a fever, but you're still fighting off a headache and a horribly sluggish feeling in your limbs, so naturally Kuni ends up panicking on your behalf because of how worried he was about you.

Since this is the first time he's seen you staying in bed because of sickness, it's understandable that Kuni is alarmed. But in the back of your hazy mind you register that it's also kind of endearing how he fusses over you - not sure of how fragile human bodies are compared to his.

Ah… right. He can't get sick, can he? It's no wonder he's acting as if you could collapse any minute. You appreciate the water refills he's been giving you (courtesy of a pharmacist's advice when he rushed to get you supplies at their shop) and the easy-to-stomach foods, but it's hard not to feel bad when Kuni is treating you so carefully. Sure, you didn't ask to get sick, but this is practically monopolizing all his time!

In an attempt to return to a bit of normalcy, you trudge your way to the living room and wrap yourself up to be stationed there. Kuni is understandably confused at seeing you cocooned in a different spot, but his eyes light up when you explain you'd like to watch something with him.

"That means you're feeling better, right?" He smiles, joining you on the sofa. Before he turns on the TV, he gives you a worried look. "Your head's not going to hurt from the screen's brightness? Or should I lower the sound?"

Just what kind of articles has he been reading? Or did you look that miserable a few days before? "Nope, it's fine!" You assure him. "I got all the way here without getting dizzy, so let's just hang out like we normally do. And… I wanted to say sorry for the trouble. I didn't think I'd get this sick all of a sudden."

"Actually, taking care of you has been a good distraction." Kuni admits. "It gives me something to do, and because I want you to recover, I get to put my energy towards something useful." Not to mention, it's stopped me from brooding about going back to Teyvat.

So long as he’s still here, Kuni has decided he'll simply make the most of the present. There's nothing either of you can do to control what happens later on, and the arrival of your fever knocks him back to his senses about what's important to him.

You've looked out for him, after all. Even taught him to do the little tasks that add up to human routine (back at Shakkei Pavillion, he never had the need or awareness for things like brushing his hair or dusting the room). How could he not treasure your presence? You've become like family to him, or at the very least someone that he hopes to stay connected to.

(Nevermind the people that tease him about following you around like a puppy. They were just impressioned by his early days, is all.)

“...Besides, I think I should also apologize for panicking the other day.” Kuni glances away sheepishly. “I forgot for a second that people can get sick, since I’m not…”

“You’re human to me,” The words slip out before you can catch them. “I mean, everything that you’ve done from the first day you arrived might be considered more humane than some actual mortals.” You joke. “So for what it’s worth, I think you’re just alive as anyone else. Just missing some parts is all.”

His eyes widen, and for a moment you scramble for more reasons to try and smoothen the conversation, only to stop when Kuni lets out a laugh. “Sorry, it’s just–” He gives you a smile, equal parts soft and inexplicably mesmerizing. “I’m starting to think that it’s a good thing I’m a little bit different. That way, I can take care of you whenever you need me.” Kuni raises his pinky finger between you. “Promise to get better as soon as you can?”

You hook your own pinkie with his in agreement. “Promise. And when that happens, I’ll drag you out for a weekend trip outside the city!”

Kuni has always shown an interest in sightseeing, so you thought it’d be nice to have a change of pace and explore somewhere new. With however long you still have together, you’d like to amaze him at least one more time.

>> Part 5

[m1d-45]

Yo, mid, i know its very late for me and i just am trying to sleep while its fucking COLD, i had a thought jolt me awake from my dozing.

How hot do pyro's run? I do know that some people CANON it to be true that pyro users have high body heat, but is it like africa versus the northpole or something like that?

Cuz i currently desire a personal heater snugglebug.

Goodnight.

-🥘Stew

warmth

a/n: could be read as sagau, could be taken as just regular genshin. this kinda devolved from the ask but… eh? only diluc and thoma are ‘x reader’s, the others are mostly character studies.

word count: 2.1k

-> warnings: n/a! minor spoilers for character lore, i suppose? xinyan may be slightly ooc? mentioned xingqiu x chongyun in hu taos part?

-> gn reader! (you/yours)

characters: diluc, bennett, klee, amber, xinyan, xiangling, yanfei, hu tao, yoimiya, thoma, in that order :) the traveller is mentioned but isn’t specified (they/them, no names)

taglist: @samarill || @thenyxsky || @valeriele3 || @shizunxie || @boba-is-a-soup || @yum1x || @esthelily

< masterlist >

mmm it honestly depends on your opinion, but i personally am pretty guilty of imagining myself a diluc to hold onto when i’m cold, so i’d say there’s at least a bit of a difference.

i heard from the first golden apple archipelago event that diluc apparently melted kaeya’s icebridge (citation needed), so that pretty much confirms that a significant level of difference is present between pyro users and the general public. however, it was still summer and assuming diluc was still wearing his giant coat, they must be at least vaguely immune to overheating/possess some sort of control over it. all this to say that at the bare minimum, diluc wouldn’t mind holding you close during a chilly winter. the winery is prone to chilly hallways, just due to its size, and he stays up late anyway. please, don’t be afraid to go knocking on his door: chances are he’s awake and more than willing to let you in. despite being a pyro wielder, his blankets are large and thick, carrying enough heat to keep you warm while he wraps up his paperwork. you don’t have to stay awake with him if you don’t wish; the sight of you tucked away within his bed is one he wishes to memorize.

i imagine bennett’s high heat has definitely saved him from getting sick when his adventure is ruined by rain (again), keeping him from ever being at risk despite the fact that his clothes are soaked and the path he’s trudging through is muddy. he’s well used to it, but it doesn’t stop his dads from chastising him whenever he returns, directing him towards his room and one of the many, many spare sets of clothing he had. he dries off quickly after showers, his clothes never sticking, and sometimes when his adventure ended well he’ll be glowing, embers in his eyes as he excitedly tells you about it, uncaring of the way some of the dry grass caught in his hair begins to spark. for your sake and his, bring him inside and let him talk to you after you remove the tinder.

klee, younger, likely has a lesser degree of control over her vision. she’s probably prone to hiking up a few degrees when she’s excited, and is often found in albedo’s camp at dragonspine simply due to the fact that she both can easily re-light his fire when the winds blow too hard and he knows she won’t get sick. he sits on his stool, watching his experiment and listening intently to her talk about gunpowder. when snow washes in and puts out the measly store of wood collected in the middle of his lab, it barely registers before she’s collected pyro in her palms and shot it neatly to the center of the pile. any moisture vaporizes, the flames licking higher than they normally would.

amber has a better control over her vision than most would expect from somebody so young. her vision hangs off her belt and only barely glows a bit brighter when speaking about the knights, her gloves waving animatedly as she tells some tale of the cavalry captain’s newest scheme. he comes up, hearing all gossip in the city and doubly so that which pertains to him, but even the hiss of cryo doesn’t dampen her emotions. she ignores the hand he puts on her shoulder and simply puts hers on her hips, pretending he isn’t there and continuing about how it’s so irresponsible of him to continue such behavior. he laughs, telling her it’s rude to be so cold, but the way the inside of her gloves grow warm says otherwise. it’s invisible to most, dampened by leather and the many guards of an archer’s arms, but anybody that looks can tell you for certain that the brightest fires in the city are lit by an outrider’s glow, provided only that you ask about her recent expedition.

xinyan is well aware of her loud nature, and learned the hard way not to let it get out of control. pyrotechnics are a large part of her shows, but it took her a while to get there. she loves rock and roll, and performing gives her so much energy- she played barely a day after she received her vision, when her control was weak and her body was still adapting to the change, and the guitar she played then on no longer works now. five dots singe the area around the strings, a large patch where her palm rested sunken into the wood. if you ask about it, she’ll wave you off shyly, unwilling to tell you about how she had to wear heat sinks in a pair of special gloves for a few months. still, just to be certain, she bought a bottle of heat-resistant sealant to brush over her current guitar for her tours. she loves music, loves her shows and doing what she does, and she’s much better at controlling her vision now, but… it’s better safe than sorry, right?

xiangling, similar to bennett, has been saved many times by her heightened body temperature. turns out, it gets incredibly dangerous climbing the spires of liyue since the wind can turn your fingers cold and creaky, making it deadly to try and climb, but she’s never run into that problem. she moves with ease, unfettered by the chill, her sheer enthusiasm seeping into the stone beneath her. when she travelled to mondstat, she passed by a camp near the base of dragonspine and overheard a peculiar recipe, one that required a special kind of ‘chilled meat’. the chef seemed nervous to give her the location, due simply to her clothing, but she set off anyway. needless to say, dragonspine is colder than liyue, and the traveller found her and guoba hunched by a campfire, clearly shivering. they led her off a mountain and with the promise to never return without a proper team (or warmer clothes), they handed her some chilled meat from their inventory. after a bit of further pressing, they taught her how to make goulash. she took excellent notes.

as a lawyer, the last thing yanfei needs is to be hot-headed. the law is slippery, always twisting from her hands, and the ability to grit one’s teeth and stand again after it swipes beneath their feet is one needed in the world of legal advice. ningguang can’t count the amount of times she’s received a letter from her detailing the most recent loophole she’s found, the paper stained with ash around the edges. at first she thought it unprofessional, but after being stopped on the street and quite frankly chastised due to the slow response time when such a matter as the law was concerned…. she understood a little more. her next letter was responded to promptly, and yanfei’s gratitude showed in court, citing one of the tianquan’s letters as proof that a law was changed prior to a merchant’s new policy, not after. as a half-adepti, more power runs through her than most, and she often grows too warm to think in her office. she has measures to counteract this, such as traveling to deal with cases, allowing the wind to wick away her frustration, or simply wearing cooler clothes during the summer. madam ping was the one to suggest the latter, and she lives every day grateful. still, as they share a cup of tea as yanfei rants about a civil case she’s been assigned, yanfei’s mug stays warmer than ping’s for nearly the entire time. thankfully, she prefers her drinks hot anyway, and green tea has always helped take the edge off her irritation.

hu tao is many things, but emotional is not one of them. being a funeral director requires a certain level of coldness to it, as to not let the many deaths a day affect you, and she handles her role quite well. she carries enough respect that her voice is somber when speaking to the families of the deceased, yet doesn’t allow the constant gloom to affect her. perhaps it’s her sense of humor, allowing her to brush it off a bit easier, or perhaps it’s the fact that it’s hard to feel sad when xingqiu is describing his latest escapade with chongyun. the latter is at wanmin, waiting for his popsicles, and hu tao listens with bubbly glee to their most recent tale. it’s funny, how oblivious chongyun can be, and as they sit and swing their legs across the street, the stone beneath her feels less and less warm. they share, they banter, they talk about poetry and all things literary. when their hands knock together xingqiu winces slightly at the heat of her rings, but cools his hand easily enough with a bit of hydro. when chongyun returns, xingqiu takes the small treat he offers her, unwilling to risk him getting singed. chongyun recites what xiangling told him to about her newest creation, and hu tao stifles a grin. the edges of the small napkin begin to darken, but she hardly notices. focused on the slight glaze in xingqiu’s eyes, the funeral director laughs.

working with fireworks with a pyro vision is a risky adventure. yoimiya, who was incredibly cautious about such things and only ever used her vision to light fireworks at first, rarely ever runs into this risk, but it’s on her mind. as the queen of the summer festival—a title that never fails to bring heat to her cheeks, should you mention it—its her responsibility to keep up and maintain the same level of quality year after year, and she is intent on delivering. still, she’s not immune to problems associated with a vision like hers. the small building of naganohara fireworks is one with a rich history, gunpowder and dye embedded between the floorboards, but it doesn’t have the best ventilation. it’s by design, as a stray breeze can ruin a fragile firework, but sometimes she wishes she could have a fan. she loves creating them, enthusiasm sparking whenever she gushes to her father about her latest idea, but when the summer gets hot and the room gets hotter, even one sleeve of a kimono feels like too many. don’t get her wrong, the process of barely singeing a dye so it crackles instead of pops is one far easier with a vision, but when the time finally comes to sit back and let sparks fly, she doesn’t hang around to watch the fuses get lit. instead, she moves somewhere cooler, letting the night breeze cool off her excitement, sitting cross-legged on chilly grass. when the fireworks start and the sky lights up, youmiya glows along with them.

a housekeeper does a lot of things, but starting fires is not typically one of them. both ayato and ayaka prefer cooler weather, the former having the ability to mostly self-regulate, and thoma’s vision mostly went unused. other than occasionally lighting the fire at shimura’s or one of the other food stalls he stopped at, thoma’s days were quiet, free of battle. he was simply a housekeeper, and though he occasionally misjudged the weather and gave ayaka a false impression, they both quickly learned to seek a second opinion. the same was with you. quiet days, mornings spent in a soft sort of haze as he woke up before the sun even on his days off. he didn’t mind, turning to brush away some hairs from your face, but you leaned into his palm, shifting closer. he smiled, one that dissipated when he noticed the goosebumps down your arm, leading beneath the thin sheets. he was confused for a moment, as the room felt fine to him, but he quickly remembered that it wouldn’t be the same to you. with a murmured apology and an arm around your waist, thoma made a mental note to bring thicker blankets for you from the closet. winter was coming and evidently early, and the last thing he wanted was for you to be cold. still, that was a problem for later, for when your skin didn’t warm under his and when the sun was further overhead.

[thekinkyleopard]

Why Me?

An Alistar x Draeko Sick Fic

⚠️Content Warning⚠️

Sexual Tension, Snz, Sick, Fluff, Slight Angst

Author’s Notes: Hi guys! Been awhile since I’ve posted something, so sorry! I was pet sitting for the week and let’s just say those dogs would not let me have a moment of peace. 😭😭😭 I’m going to try to get a bunch done this week, as I’ll probably have more overnights at the end of this month to do. 🥲 So honestly, me and Geezie love Al x Drae’s relationship, so I thought I’d do a one shot of Al taking care of Drae. :>

Description: Al is stuck babysitting the sickly mutt, instead of enjoying a day of leisure. Can he contain himself against the mutt’s kitten like sneezing??

“Luciftias…I don’t want to go without you…I should be here, rubbing your leaking face holes with soft mulched tree sheets…” The grey skinned man looked somberly down at the sniffling, and stifling mutt. The mint and pink themed boy met his gaze with the other and tried to muster up the softest smile he could through tear stained cheeks and a reddened nose.

“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be better in no time but you can’t miss this….these divers are experts and they don’t tour out here often…” doing whatever he could to convince the hound not to miss out on such an opportune moment to learn about the ocean. Something not many got to.

“How will I know how to act? Or what to do? I need you there…” Kanai almost whimpered, feeling slightly a miss without the mutt coming with him. They’d been inseparable since they met, and this would be the real challenge. Trying to blend into a human setting without his …relatively…human guide. Drae tried to muster up the energy to giggle, shaking his head softly back and forth.

“You got this, okay? I’ll be here healing, you go learn! Text me if you need to, remember I showed you how to do that right?”

“Yes…okay…well…I can’t leave you to fend for yourself….” He considered for a moment what he was supposed to do in a situation like this. When suddenly it hit him. “I know,” his face beamed brightly, in aura, his expression mostly lay flat, either way it was something that didn’t happen too often, as he was mostly void of any expression. Now standing to his feet, he quickly made his way down the hall of the apartment he shared with his best friend. As he approached the door he could hear ICP playing very loudly from the other side of the door. Kanai knocked at a decent decibel, hoping to acquire the demon's attention.

Soon enough, the music cut and the bedroom door swung open. Alistar stood there shirtless, in a pair of black occult sweatpants and his ruby red hair tied up in a ponytail as his crimson eyes looked Kanai up and down. "Sup dude?" curious as to what he wanted, he cocked a thin red brow, knowing full well the hound had plans for the day.

"I need you to help me," the navy haired demon said simply, his emotionless eyes resting on that of the other.

"Ok, with what?" Cocking his head upward now, Al was intrigued by his friend’s sudden dance around the subject.

"I need you to look after Draeko while I'm out, he isn't feeling well," immediately Al's eyebrows fell into a furrowed motion and he crossed his arms over his chest as he absorbed the inconvenient request.

"Why me? I dont know the first thing about whatever the hell it is he's got," scoffing with a dramatic toss of his head.

"For me? Please?" This time Kanai stared straight into Alistar’s….being. Can you really say he has a soul? Maybe somewhere in there, to whatever part of Al’s body Kanai often appealed to, he bore into it.

"Fine...but you owe me," folding like a lawn chair, as he typically did in matters like these, but he was pointing a serious index finger into the other's slyly smug face.

"Thank you, Al," He nodded his head gently in a kind gesture, his face turned up, almost as if he would smile, but the motion was still too foreign to the hound. Yet the change in his general energy, could be easily deciphered from the red head. Al rolled his eyes, trying to push away the blush that was almost unnoticeable if he wasn’t so pale. Ever since Drae started coming around he was doing that, almost smiling thing more. Typically it was only something he had seen when they’d done something malicious, but it was still very different from that. However, things were changing for them now. Both of them.

"Yeah, yeah...so like...what do I have to do?" begrudgingly he started following the man out to the living room, now where they both loomed over the sniffling mess of a man that lay across their couch.

"You just have to always ask him what he needs...a lot....maybe set a timer every 15 minutes to check in on him.." he thought thoroughly before stopping in their tracks.

"Oh...jeez..he looks like he's dying...are you sure he's not dying?" Alistar looked over at Kanai with an air of seriousness, never having really seen a human this ill, without the reason being heavy addiction. Drae peaked open his dulled duo colored eyes and sniffled weakly.

"I'b not dying...I'b jusd sicg!" he huffed with a slight attitude causing Al to narrow his eyes over the little mutt. The two hadn't really exactly spent a whole lot of time together. Alistar thought Drae more like, a stupid distraction pulling his best friend's attention from him. Manipulating other's wasn't quite as fun without Kanai beside him thinking he was making acquaintances. Drae thought of Al as some bitter, angry, loser that was holding Kanai back. They clashed any time they shared a room together since K started dragging the mutt around with them every where they went.

"Listen here kiddo, if you're going to act like a priss I'll have you know I'-..." grumbling with slight agitation before Kanai lifted his hand in the space between the two of them.

"No, Drae is allowed to feel whatever emotions he feels Al, and you have to understand he is sick, he isn't himself...suck it up," Kanai spoke while gathering all his things and kissing the mutt on his forehead before taking his leave from the apartment all together. "Be good," he spoke more toward Al than he was Drae. The demon rolled his red eyes dramatically before looking down at the mutt once more, the front door now closing shut.

"....Is there anything you need....?" grumbing meerly under his breath but enough for the other to catch it.

"Y-yeah...I'm kind of hungry actually?" Drae perked up slightly his gaze leering slowly up at the anti-christ that refused to make eye contact with him.

"Uh...ok...what do you want?" looking to the side, he wasn't much of a cook, truly, the convenience of delivery and take out was far too grand than learning how to cook for one's self. Why would he? He could have all the money he wanted, and never have to lift a finger.

"Soup?" the mutt asked with a sore throat, trying to swallow the feeling of pins sliding down his esophagus. "Maybe some water?" bringing a tissue up to his swollen and red nose, an action caught by the red head who deemed the motion, rather cute in a strange way.

"I can make mac n cheese," he shrugged his shoulders, finally now attempting to look the other in his face, but still avoiding their eyes touching.

"No, I can'd habe thad, Al, it's bad for sicg people, it mages id worde cause of the dairy in id," furrowing his eyebrows in distaste at the mere suggestion of a flemmy meal.

"Uncle Fuckin’…..fine, whatever. I'll just order something, what kind of soup do you want?" Now pulling out his latest upgrade iphone and scrolling through the uber eats app. "They got some shit called pho, you want that?" looking up from his screen momentarily to possibly catch a response through Drae's face.

"Mmh...no...I jusd wand something comfording..." he mulled over the idea for a second but never really took to much a liking to pho. He snuffled loudly, though it was still soft and less disruptive than your typical sniff. “Sndfff…”

"Okaaaay....I could order from this weird diner, they have beef stew? Or clam chowder?" not even really certain what these kind of meals were. Al hated soup. Liquid meal? It's not a meal, its a beverage, with chunks. Gross.

"Stew sounds kind of nice...." Draeko started when he suddenly felt a painful, persistent prickle at the bridge of his nose. It crept higher, and higher. It overwhelmed him until he was hitching his mouth wide open and squinting his eyes almost halfway shut. "Heh'Kisssh!" a breathy kitten like sneeze escaped his mouth, flinging his arm across his face in order to catch the mess in the crook of his elbow.

"W-Wha?" Alistar blushed brightly at the sound, looking up from his phone to see the other still struggling to keep himself under control. Eyes leaking, nose swelling and lips dripping as he hitched again. The demon froze, just watching as his heart started to beat rapidly.

" 'ihschh! H'sSHIEW!" Again, and again the mutt suffered through as his tiny sneezes echoed the space between the two men. Al clutched his phone tightly in his right hand as he just continued to stare, almost in a trance, unaware of what was happening to him right now. Usually he was a man of composure, cool, slick, but currently he felt like he could melt into a physical puddle.

"Wait what's...what's happening are y-you okay?" he asked cautiously reaching his left palm out to gently touch the hybrid's sweating forehead.

"I'-Hih' I'm ...'TSCH! Fibe..." Draeko grumbled and sneezed, swatting his hand away trying to gain some sense of composure as his nose started to leak.

"You're literally exploding from your face," Alistar quickly looked around and grabbed a tissue bringing it over to the mutt and gently dabbing at the other's wet face.

"I'b sneeding," Drae rolled his tear stained eyes, allowing the other to help clean him up, a simple but kind gesture, it couldn't hurt to actually allow the hellion to tend to him.

"Yeah, I know what a sneeze is but...I didn't realize so many could come out at once..." looking completely entranced by the other’s stuffy, and snotty state of being. His motions moving slower as he started to notice the fine details of his chapped skin. Drae’s breath snagged in his throat once again, trying his best to respond.

"S-some-tim..'ihschh! H'TSCH! 'sHiew!" Befouled by the inevitable illness that had it’s tightened grasp on the small mutt. His sounds were innocent, like a small cat, there was minimal mess, but still puffs of stray mist would escape past his arm. Alistar felt his heart beating in places it certainly shouldn’t be at current as he tried his best to compose himself, he cleared his throat, standing back from the other’s space now.

“Okay well, uh…I’m gonna order that…stew…” he lingered as he contemplated his next move. Was he going to go back to his room and return to his previous tasks or, should he stay? Granted, the worse the mutt got, the more Alistar felt the innate urge to ravish him, but that was certainly inappropriate. He took a deep breath and swallowed. “Alright I’ll let you know when it’-…” cut off by the softest, most defiant whimper he’s ever heard, it caused a rush of heat to flood through the back of his ears and jaw.

“S-Stay? Keep me company?” Draeko pleaded from behind his stack of blankets, and used tissues, those glistening mint and pink colored eyes staring right through the soulless demon. His blackened fingers twitched as his sides. He knew he shouldn’t but, fine. He’ll do it for the sake of his best friend, and behave to his best ability.

“Uh…Alright…” looking around Al found himself more comfortable sitting on the ground next to the sofa Draeko was laying across. “You want to…idk…watch something?” He asked almost nervously, there was something off about the demon now, and Draeko could suddenly sense it. He had no time to ask questions as he continued to cough, and sniffle into his palm of crinkled tissues.

“Hnnn…” he groaned in response leaving the hellion in charge of having to make the decision.

“Okay, what if….I show you the Kardashians, huh?? They’re totally tone deaf to society around them and are actively shitty people, it’s fun to watch them scramble for a sense of normalcy in a world they begged for,” he snickered maliciously to himself as he thought back to all the episodes he’d already binged. Drae flopped his head to the side, looking at the demon with a less than amused expression.

“Okay then what do you want to watch?” Sighing deeply and leaning against the couch to look at Drae from an upside down angle.

“Aggretsuko,” he said simply. Al blinked a few times before he raised a thin brow in confusion.

“A what now?” He blinked a few times, not even really sure he heard the mutt correctly.

“Aggretsuko… just gimme the remote,” sticking his one hand out now from under the covers, Al slid the device over to him and the man began to find it in the recents, pressing play. Al went back into his phone now, ignoring the tv altogether in order to finish completing his order.

“You want anything with your stew?” He asked with an unamused tone to his voice.

“Nah,” equally distracted, Drae already found himself lost in the screen title of his show.

“K cool, it’ll be here in like 45 minutes,” clicking his phone shut he set it down on the ground beside his leg and began to watch the screen now in front of them. “What the fuck is this garbage?” He asked as the title scene came to an end and the show itself started. His eyes scanned over the harshly designed animated cat mood switching between scenes.

“It’s like..my favorite show sndfff,” Drae slicked up another mound of building sick from the depths of his sinuses, trying his best to keep them down.

“You can’t actually enjoy this shit can you…?” Alistar’s lip turned up in disgust he was so going to make Kanai pay him back for this. Before the mutt could answer there was a hiccup followed by a series of staggered inhales. “Whoa, is it happening again?” Alistar quickly turned around and almost like a dog that was told ‘treat?’, watching with intense intrigue before the hybrid let loose. Yet, with Al in such close proximity now, it filled him with nerves, stage fright. He stifled. “Hihh’GXXTsh!…Ihh’gxxnt!” shoveling his face deep into the comforter, trying to hide himself away while the feeling of built pressure pounded against his cranium.

“Now come on, that can’t feel good,” clicking his tongue with dissatisfaction. “Let it out!” He turned his body now to face the other fully, while getting a good look at his current state. His usually bright eyes were sunken, and rather lifeless. His mouth was chapped and his nose was almost swollen, hair strewn about in a terribly messy fashion.

“Bud…id’s embaradding….” He mumbled gently, shifting his gaze to the side before reaching for the box to obtain yet another tissue. Slopping it lazily against his aching nose.

“It’s just me here,” cocking a smug smirk before licking his lips dangerously. Draeko rolled his eyes in repetition.

“Thads the problem…” Mumbling with a new found shyness that Al hadn’t usually seen on the normally bubbly man.

“Just let it out,” rolling his own red orbs in reflection, with slight irritation now as he waited for the mutt to stop acting so damn coy. “Here do you want me to close my eyes?” He asked shutting his lids closed finally, Draeko giggled, though it did help a bit with the anxiety.

“Lil bid..” he uttered softly under his breath, already feeling the intense tickling build once more, his throat tightening, the prickle etching through the center of his nostrils the longer he focused on it.

“K’GNSH’’iiew! Hihh’…” his mouth hung open, and he allowed his eyes to fall shut after the first, before another forced itself through. “GXXTSH!” He sniffled loudly, though it still came off as a very gentle sound compared to most people. Alistar’s body trembled, he could not see the action but he could feel the vibration of the couch shaking beneath the pressure of Draeko’s sneezes. His toes curled in his black socks as he could not escape the thoughts in the darkness of his eyelids. His face felt hot.

“Can I look now?” He asked already starting to open his curious red orbs. Suddenly Drae panicked, trying to grab at himself uselessly trying to find something to cover his face but in no time, the dripping from his nose, the sting behind the light shining into his eyes from the peaking curtain, he found himself remaining underneath the cruel fate of fit.

“Ihh’gxXNT’IIEW! Heh’KISSH!” Out into the open air, mists of saliva drifting into the air between the two of them, a few stray droplets hitting the demon across his cheeks. He blinked his crimson reds in …almost amazement as it seemed. Quickly he grabbed a tissue and presented it to the young mutt.

“That was a surprise for you AND me,” he chuckled trying to distract himself from the rising heat within his chest. Draeko took the tissue in his own grasp, patting and rubbing his sore, leaking features.

“Shuddub…” Drae rotated his teary eyes back while blowing his nose self consciously into the thin sheet of tissue. “Uggggh I hade dhis,” he uttered helplessly while continuing to fight off the horrendous feeling that grew inside of him.

“I know, pup, but…you’re leaking like a faucet, and I’m stuck in charge so…is there anything else you need while we wait for your food to arrive?” Seemingly genuine, almost like he was dropping the hardened facade and maybe, cared? Drae blinked and shrugged gently.

“Somb more meds? On tha…uh…” his words fell back down his throat as a gasp of air forced it’s way through, his mouth hung open.

“The…?” Alistar stared at the frozen mutt, hoping to get an answer while he slowly came to a stand.

“Tha..H…Hih’hhishiew!…..counder….” Groaning with a powerful snort of his nose, desperate to feel clarity while his face only felt fuller by the hour.

“A-Alright…” Alistar quickly sped off to the kitchen and clutched the counter with his blackened hands. The Anti-Christ felt like he’d run out of air, like the time he was socked in the chest by Remi for being a bit too cheeky with the cat. He shook his head and tried to balance himself. He was sweating. “What the fuck? Why is my vessel leaking like this?” He swiped at his temples and turned to the sink and flicking it on with one swift motion. “Get it together, dude…” swift flashes of Draeko bent over the couch, looking behind him with that dripping nose and reddened eyes…the feeling of him sneezing while he’s buried…”DUDE,” he scolded himself, now dunking his entire head under the running water. He soaked through his red hair, allowing the shockingly cool temperature change to ground him, letting out a deep, desperate sigh.

“Do not…try and fuck the sick….DONT…” he stared at himself in the reflection of the over head microwave. Turning, he snatched the box of mucinex from the counter as droplets of water trickled down his scalp, neck and exposed back. When he returned to the living room Draeko looked at him with almost certain surprise.

“Why’re you all wed?” Raising a pink brow to examine the demon from head to toe, like he’d had a bucket of water dumped over him. How?

“Mind your business…here,” he tossed the box ontop of the mutt haphazardly, avoiding eye contact before he slid back to the ground, back flush against the couch.

“Okay….” Drae sighed, not liking the sudden change in atmosphere and mood. “Well…I need wader to tage it…” he managed as he fumbled with the plastic sealing on the individual pills.

“Oh shit..ok be right back,” sighing deeply before Al stood back up, walked into the kitchen, grabbed a Mountain Dew from the fridge and then brought it right back out to the mutt.

“Dude….no…wader,” sniffling sharply, pushing his sleeve against his exhausted nose. Alistar sucked in a breath of air through his teeth.

“Fuckin’ Uncle Christ,” he turned sharp on his heels, and back into the kitchen. Flinging open the fridge now with borderline rage, not really at anyone else but himself. If he had maybe a little bit of earthly knowledge in this sort of situation, that would be nice. They don’t really teach ‘Healing the Sick’ in Anti-Christ training. He snagged a water bottle out of the fridge and slammed it shut before he once again, returned to Draeko who was stuffing bits of tissue into his nose and still tending to his ever flowing face. “Here,” he shoved the bottle into the mutt’s lap before once again, taking a seat on the floor. Yet, the second his butt touched the surface, there was a knock.

“Bro! Every time I sit down?!” Now letting out an exuberantly frustrated chuff of air he stood, AGAIN, and stomped his way to the door, flinging it open with such rage that it spooked the delivery person standing on the other side. “What?!” His red eyes narrowed in on the bag in the shaking man’s hand.

“D-delivery f-for Al?” Presenting the bag slowly to the raging demon, he snatched it with his blackened hand, narrowed his eyes and spoke without emotions.

“Thanks,” closing the door he walked into the kitchen, a place he was sick and tired of having to be in, and started to fix a proper bowl of stew for Draeko. “Stupid Kanai…stupid Draeko…stupid earthly illnesses…I just wanted to watch ICP music videos today, maybe jack off a couple times, MAYBE, get some Poon….NO…” he grumbled the entire way through pouring the contents of the Togo bowl into a real temperature regulated containment. “I’m here…taking care of KANAI’S fuckin PET….catching BLUE balls…” Slamming the now empty to go box into the trash, shuffling his feet out back to the living room. While he approached the couch once more with his hands full of soup, uttering, mumbling and grumbling to himself he paused dead in his tracks.

Draeko was sitting up now, hugging his legs, and gently crying into his knees. “Hey…wha-…wait,” Alistar, already feeling and knowing the very real sense in sorrow. He set the bowl aside on the table and he sat next to Drae, looking at him with quizzical eyes. “What’s this? Why are you sad?” He wanted to reach out with his hand but, he couldn’t seem to make his body do it. So his hands stayed in his lap, and his ruby reds bore curiously into the mutt.

“Just leave….if taking care of me is SUCH an inconvenience on you, then leave, I don’t need you stomping around here making me feel worse,” He now looked up at the Hellion with tear stained eyes.

“Hey, wait! I didn’t…..” Al sat back for a second and reflected on the way he acted. Normally, it was fine with just him and Kanai here, but he hadn’t realized how sensitive the pink and mint colored male was. “Look, my bad okay? I just…..” he took a breath in and averted his gaze to the side while the sniffling, shaking mutt listened closely. “I never get to see Kanai anymore..and I just, feel left out…and like I don’t know…” he shrugged.

“Are you jealous of me, Al?” He asked quizzically.

“No. I’m not…jealous? I just hate…that you have such an influence on him, and that…I don’t know, what happens if you put all these things in his head, and then you disappear and he’s not the same as he was before? I’ve seen it ya know…” he muttered running a hand through his crimson threads. “Look, I just…I’m not used to….talking…I just don’t want you to change my best friend for the worst…and not in a fun way either,” he chuckled trying to lighten the seriousness of his sudden vulnerability.

“Oh, I have absolutely no intentions of going anywhere, Al….I really love that big lug…and I know, before you start…” he looked down at his hands. “I know it’s probably highly unlikely that he will even fully understand or truly love me back…” his face turned up into a smile, those his eyes stay somber. “It just means I’ll have to love enough for the both of us, but that’s perfectly fine with me cause, he’s the first person that’s ever felt like home,” trying explain himself the best way he could, looking up now to meet the demon’s avoidant gaze.

Alistar realized in that moment, this may be something incredibly real for his best friend. The only opportunity for him to ever know what it’s like to be loved selflessly.

“I’m sorry I’ve been a heathen….there’s more reason than one but…” he said genuinely, though it was hard to tell how genuine when his face always seemed so emotionless when he was trying to be, vulnerable. Meanwhile, he kept his struggle of arousal to himself. Least he make their newly found friendship, weird. “Let me make it up to you…” he turned his whole body to the side, and he noticed a visible chill go down Draeko’s spin. A tinge of pain shot up the mutt’s body and into his temples.

“Well first…I need a pain killer or something…can you grab me some Tylenol?” Taking the opportunity in the now seemingly once again peaceful environment, to get some relief from his suffering.

“Yeah, no problem, hey there’s soup over there if you’re peckish..” he nodded his head in the general direction of the bowl, before getting up and walking into the kitchen. This time, he wasn’t so angry, but thoughtful in his own head. He hadn’t realized how sensitive earthly beings were and for the first time he was actually aware of how he was carrying himself. Taking a deep breath to make sure he maintained an even aura, he grabbed all the medicine stuff that had been splayed across the counter. “Okay, so hopefully I won’t need to come back for any aide shit,” mumbling softly to himself as he came back arms full of bottles and packaging. “Okay which one is the Tylenol?” Looking down within his loot to scan any of the labels facing him.

“The white bottle with the red lid,” Draeko said before sliding a spoonful of stew down his throat. He was sitting criss cross on the couch, bowl in his lap as he continued to observe the demon. Who, in turn sat on the ground, and spilled over his hoard.

“Red lid….” His eyes visibly scanning through the different items before they spotted the exact bottle description he was given. He snagged it in his hand, turned it over and it read ‘Tylenol’ in bright red letters, satisfied he had found the correct item he popped open the lid and then looked up at the mutt. “Uh…how many you want?” Lifting his brow in confusion. Drae couldn’t help but giggle at this point.

“Are you allergic to reading? Medication bottles usually tell you in the directions how many you can exceed in a 24 hour period,” they both shared a chuckle while Al shook his head.

“My bad ok! They don’t really emphasize the attention to detail on the health care system, just how to abuse it,” he shrugged simply with a snicker before he actually took the time to scan over the bottle. “Okay says don’t exceed 6 so….give you 6? Or?” Fixing his gaze back up to Drae.

“Well I COULD take 6, but that wouldn’t be a good idea, give me two, and then set a timer for two hours for me to take another..okay?” It was slightly taxing having to explain how to take care of him to a seemingly grown man, but he never forgets that both Al and Kanai, are not from here, and it takes patience to deal with them sometimes.

“Alright cool, here’s two then,” the hellion handed the two pills over from his blackened hand and then preemptively taking the bottle of water next to the mutt, twisting off the lid and handing that over as well.

“You ARE learning!” The smaller giggled with a wink before snapping the pills back in his mouth and sloshing it down with the refreshment.

“Whatever,” rolling his crimson’s with a sly smirk spreading across his face. “Okay so you wanna watch that show now?” Though it played softly in the background this entire time, he meant more in the sense of actually watching the damn show instead of going back and forth.

“Yeah!” Drae seemed to cheer up now, before he suddenly looked very, quizzical. “Can I ask a favor though?” A light blush spreading across his cheeks.

“What’s up?” Almost cocking his head to the side as his ruby reds looked over the mutt’s slightly shy expression.

“Will you sit up here with me?” Patting the spot to the right of him, lifting his blankets to clear space for the demon.

“Uh…yeah, sure,” shrugging his shoulders without giving it a second thought, he plopped himself directly next to the small man, slinging a long arm across the back of the couch, behind Drae’s shoulders. “Alright, so what is the point of this show?”

“Well, Retsuko,” he started but quickly was met with interruption by the demon.

“The cat?” Alistar spoke out, looking between the tv and Drae who had just previously tried to speak.

“She’s a red panda!” He seemed offended, but any negative connotation that would come with offense was lost when he shook his head with laugh.

“Okay! Sheesh…” Al returned it with a huff through his nostrils and a toothy grin.

“Anyways…Retsuko works at an office and basically hates it, so she often vents through out the show in the fashion of death metal,” explaining a bit more with his hands than he was with his own words.

“Huh…” The demon now stuck watching a scene to which would be described as Retsuko venting, via death metal. “That’s kind of sick though…I’d probably find the human race a bit more tolerable if this was how they all vented,” he snickered, unconsciously his arm slipped down to pull Draeko into the crook of his chest, essentially snuggling him. Neither of the two men spoke about the sudden closeness they were sharing, it felt rather natural to them as they occasionally chittered and chuckled.

A few episodes went by and at first it seemed like the mucinex and Tylenol were working miracles on getting Draeko to a place of better health. However, mid way through the third episode, he started to feel that tickle again. Drae shifted under Al’s clinging arm, and tried his best to fight the urges rising within him. Alistar noticed the sudden twitching, and shifting under him and he looked down to see the small man’s nose flexing, and twisting.

“You okay?” He asked with a slight edge of concern in his voice.

“N-n…Hh’NDKT’ih! ‘ihschh!” He sneezed toward Al’s bare open chest, a mist of saliva spreading across his flesh. Al froze, and looked down, trying to hide the blush on his face that was surely growing brightly, quickly Drae slapped a hand over his face.

“S-sorry…H’GXTSH’UE! ‘TSCH! H’ih’Sshiew!” Trying now to shield himself as he shoved the blanket up into his face, successfully stifling any continued mess away from the hellion.

“N-No…you’re good…” Alistar muttered weakly as he reached over for a few tissues, bringing them over to Drae’s nose, pinching and rubbing the poor hybrid’s nostrils for him. His gaze staring closely at the darkened circles under the mint and pink orbs. “You need some rest, your vessel is tired,” he warned the mutt lightly while wiping any stray dribbles of saliva that may be on his chin.

“Bud…we’re wadghing someding…” whimpering stuffily he tried his best to keep fighting the broiling symptoms inside him.

“No arguing, sleep will do you some good…maybe laying down will help,” Al leaned back on the couch, his long body spreading as far as he could with the other still sitting there, he opened his arms out. “M’ere,” his fingers wiggling inward toward him, beckoning the sick one to come forth. Letting out a slightly defeated huff before he crawled into the space between Al’s leg’s allowing the demon to wrap his arms around his neck loosely, snuggling together like two puzzle pieces. “See? Get comfy, catch some Z’s it’ll be okay,” bringing a hand over to softly play with the loose strands of hair that fell over his lower abdomen.

“Bud…I’b…nod..” trying to fight against him but unfortunately, the warm body he laid on, and the fingers in his hair quickly sent him into slumber. The exhaustion from suffering all morning long, was just far too great. It was almost instant the second his body had gotten comfortable. Alistar, long abandoning the colorful television show that played mindlessly in the background, his eyes watched over Drae’s now sleeping figure. The way his chest gently rose and fell, but caught and stuttered in between breaths, mouth hanging slightly a jar. Any time it seemed like he may struggle himself awake, Al would slip his darkened finger tips tenderly down the male’s nose bridge, allowing it to soothe whatever interruption may intrude on his slumber.

As much as he longed for another, needed just one more to store in his memory to make the perfect mental compilation. He owed it to Kanai to take care of the sickly mutt at his best capabilities. This small hybrid male…may be the only creature in existence that can truly love the hound for exactly as he is, and truthfully, the only one that’ll follow him where he’s going. Alistar wasn’t sure what the future held, and if his father ever caught onto what he was doing down here, he could very well never see Kanai again. Leaving the hound alone. As he lost himself in one of the first thoughtful moments he’d ever had with himself, Drae shuffled. The demon blinked a few times as the movements brought him into reality, immediately looking down to see the mutt turning on his side, completely spooning Alistar’s thigh and leg.

“Pup?” He asked quietly out loud, trying to peer over to see his face, yet it was covered by the other’s colored hair. When he was met with silence he spoke out loud to himself “Guess not,” he chuckled through his nostrils, continuously running his hand delicately through Draeko’s hair. As his fingers gently combed through the strands, he let the backs of his digits slide gracefully across the other’s sleeping cheeks, causing him to slightly stir into the motion.

“K-…anai…” Drae whimpered in his sleep, snuggling closer into the demon’s body. Al almost froze up but realizing the mutt’s eyes were still sealed shut, he could only allow a small smile to slip over his features.

“Don’t worry kid, he’ll be home soon…I’ll take care of you til then,” his voice was soft, nothing but a whisper as he continued to run his hands over the man’s sleeping form. It felt like forever as the show played behind them and Al just carefully watched over Drae, Ruby eyes constantly gazing up and down the man’s body to observe any changes.

“Mmh…” the mutt grumbled from his sleep.

“Shh…” Al cooed with upmost care, just trying to insure the man retained his comfort, despite the fact his own leg was starting to go numb. “Shit..” he uttered loosely, unable to move his lower half as it joined Draeko into dream land. He heard a distant ding from under his torso, he just barely fidgeted to slide the device from under him with his free arm, looking at the screen he saw the display name.

Mine 🩵🩶: Hey can I eat these handfuls of colorful pellets they’ve given me?

Draeko: It’s Al. Drae fell asleep. Yeah, go for it.

Mine🩵🩶: ok

Alistar snickers to himself knowing full well he just told the hound to eat a handful of fish food. Often, finding it funnier to make his best friend fuck around and find out. Just as he was about to set the phone down another text came in.

Mine🩵🩶: It was salty. Everyone is looking at me weird. Why are they dumping theirs in the water?

Draeko: lol

Mine🩵🩶: Al????

Alistar sets the phone back down, he knows the 2500 year old being can figure how to manage on his own. For someone who was deeply invested in research, he surely didn’t pay enough attention to folks around him, and it was about time he did. His gaze switches over to the tv and though he had long lost interest in the strange cartoon, he was stuck here watching it. The remote had fallen onto the floor, and was not within Al’s range of reach. Instead he just continued to lay there, staring at the ceiling. Hm. He was bored. Severely bored. He sighed, almost completely forgetting he was trying to remain a comfortable source to the mutt, his expressive exhale is what woke him.

“Hmm?” Drae stirred, and Alistar’s crimson orbs shot down to examine the once sleeping creature’s face to see dulled out, and sleepy mint/pink eyes searching the space around him.

“Mornin’,” Al chuckled sliding his hand through the strands of hair that covered the mutt’s face and pushing them out of the way. “Sleep good?”

“Mmm…yeah,” followed with a yawn before he turned over to lay flat on his back now. “When did I fall asleep?” Blinking the sand from his eyes as he felt his body starting to waken, different areas of him throbbing uncomfortably.

“While ago,” The demon replied back smoothly, his face still searching that of the mutt’s exhausted features.

“You’ve just been…letting me lay on you then?” Drae raised a mint brow, his eyes looking up at him from where he was, his view of Al completely upside down but unchanging in the way he comprehended the hellion’s tone.

“Yeah, no biggie…K texted, but I helped sort that out so you could keep resting,” shrugging his shoulders and nodding his head into the direction of Drae’s cell that laid on his upper chest.

“Oh is he okay??” Trying to find the strength to sit up, only to be stopped by Al’s strong blackened hands keeping him in his position.

“Yeah, all good,” nodding once, with a slightly reassuring smile.

“Good…my head is killing me…” the mutt seemed to settle back down between Al’s legs, laying on his back as his hands came up to massage the different places on his skull that ached.

“Need me to rub your temples?” Alistar offered simply, his eyes going back and forth between watching Drae try to soothe himself, and the mutt’s pained expression.

“Would you?” Peaking his mint colored eye out from under his closed lids, wishing himself relief from the currently pounding headache.

“Sure, just relax,” the demon shifted just slightly so he could look down at Drae more fully, being able to see his head completely, he brought his hands to each side of the other’s head and with four fingers, on either side, began to gently massage the sore spots. Immediately he could feel Draeko melt into his lap, eyes slipping closed and groaning gently in response.

“It’s so much better when someone else does it….” He sighed with relief, allowing the hellion to work out his pain.

“That’s what she said,” Al couldn’t help but chuckle playfully, watching as Drae’s eyes shot open to make contact in his own.

“You’re such a turd,” giggling with a roll of his dual colored orbs.

“Yeah, rather me be a turd than a puddle of wet shart though,” Al said almost too seriously for Drae to not respond with a genuine laugh.

“Sometimes, the things you say are incredibly concerning,” slipping his eyes back to a closed position, while Al’s hands never ceased their movements despite the conversation between them.

“Probably, but it made you laugh, so I guess the line between funny and horrendous remains the same…” winking his crimson eye at the mutt as his hands continued to soothe and massage at Drae’s head.

“Mmmhh touché, just don’t stop,” rotating his eyes closed once more, feeling the first bits of real relief he hadn’t felt in days. Al’s face was flushed as he felt his body change in temperature again, the sounds of the relaxing man were proving to be a tad tempting. Yet, despite his natural hellish instincts to try and put the moves out, he swallowed it, and just remained attentive to the little mutt.

Seemingly, the tension inside his skull was starting to subside but as the pressure released there, it almost felt like it was migrating. The center of his face now feeling much tighter than it had when we woke. “W-Wait…think…I’m gonna…” hesitating to get the full sentence out, Drae’s eyes opened but squinted immediately when the light of the tv only irritated the continually building feeling. “I’m…” he tried to push back at the hellion’s hands but it was if no real use.

“Are you gonna sneeze again?” Alistar asked almost hopeful? It was enough to confuse Drae to disregard the fact he was trying to hold back.

“Hihh’GXXTsh’iiew! ehh’Gxxtchh’iew!” He brought a palm up, slapped clear across his mouth as he exploded outwardly. It was impossible to stop the force, but he did everything in his power to. Al reached down to snatch each of Draeko’s wrists pulling them apart from his face.

“Stop holding them back,” his voice was now much darker, commanding, Drae suddenly felt very small compared to the demon.

“Ehhh?” Looking up at Al from his still laying position.

“Stop. Holding. Them. Back. You’ll make your eyes pop out,” smirking, knowing it was a good enough excuse beside the sheer fact he just wanted to hear it. He’d been waiting hours again for the mutt to fall into another fit. The mutt looked innocently at the hellion before biting his lower lip, and as his ducts began to well with liquid, the red head could already suspect more were to come. “Release,” he said simply, but yet still laced with a dark edge.

“K’GNSH’iiew! Hih’hhishiew!” Each one so special in their own quietly explosive way, it was truly like a musical orchestra in the demon’s buzzing head. There was a lack of mess that disappointed him, as they weren’t relatively outward ENOUGH.

“See? Doesn’t that feel much better?” Releasing one of the male’s wrists to swipe his thumb under Drae’s moistened lower lip. In turn, the mutt nodded, but his maw hung open lazily as he struggled to breath.

“Bud now my node id plugged again..” warbling weakly, followed with a pout.

“Awww but the way you sound is so unbelievably adorable!” Pinching the mutt’s cheek playfully. “Come on…I know you have another in there…you still sound so full..” tickling his finger tips feverishly under Drae’s already struggling nostrils.

“H-Hey!”

“Just a little more…come on, we’re friends, right?” Licking his teeth predatorily. Draeko groaned lowly in his throat before he let out a sigh of defeat.

“F-fine…H..hh…” stuttering and shaking under the demon’s still dusting hands. “Heh’kissh!! H!! Hih’hhishiew!” Al had just in time moved his palm to hover over Draeko’s open sneezing mouth, capturing any and every particle that came flying out. The mutt now unable to handle it anymore, he brought his wrist up to swipe and wipe at his leaking and wet face. “T-There…habby?” Snuffling and rubbing at his still itching nose. The hellion brought his hand upward twisting it under the light of the tv, the living space darkening as the sun started to set. He watched as his hand glistened and shined with even a poorly lit atmosphere.

“Very,” he responded lost in his trance of admiration before he brought his palm down and slid his tongue across a collection of the mess, giving into his carnal desires if just a little.

“Uh…” Drae stared up at him, suddenly feeling almost like prey in the palm of a hunter.

“Hm? What? I deserve to get a LITTLE something out of this…even if that means my own imagination later on tonight…” he spoke so nonchalantly, it almost slid right over the sickly mutt’s head but he furrowed his brows and rolled his eyes.

“You’re a weirdo,” shaking his head slowly back and forth.

“Yeah well, get used to it, kid,” he smirked ruffling his hair a bit now. Just as he was retracting his hand back to his side, the front door opened to their apartment and in walked Kanai, their favorite hell hound. “Hey buddy!”

“Don’t Hey buddy me, you let me eat fish food…” the man furrowed his brows over now at the demon who was already bursting into hysteria, shutting the door behind him. Draeko snapped back to look up at the cackling man and seemed now equally as upset.

“You did what??” He exploded in a tone of accusation.

“Hey! In my defense the guide probably told him, it’s not my fault he wasn’t paying attention,” trying to clear himself of any blame in this situation.

“It tasted horrible,” Kanai stepped closer as he looked over the two and his lips almost pulled up in what seemed like a smile. “You two seem to be getting along though, how are you feeling?” His eyes now coming to fall upon Drae’s swollen and red face, pressing the back of his hand softly against the hybrid’s still burning forehead.

“Still like poop…I missed you…” reaching his hands out in a grabby fashion, Kanai leaned downward and placed a gentle kiss upon the mutt’s clammy forehead, as he had before he left that day. Al stayed seated, but couldn’t help watch how different the hound seemed to be around Drae. It almost softened whatever heart he had beating inside his hallow chest.

“Yeah…well…babysitting is over for me now I guess…” chuckling to try and mask the slight disappointment that he would no longer be of any use now.

“Or…K could set up a spot on the floor and we could have a cuddle puddle! That would help me feel better faster, I know it!” Both hellions seemed rather confused by the sudden idea, but in all truthfulness, Draeko didn’t want Alistar to feel left out anymore. He could see it past the masking ruby orbs that he missed quality time with his best friend, and the mutt, despite being ill, was determined to make a change. If Kanai was his forever, so be it that Alistar would be too. The navy haired man shrugged his shoulders before he voiced his own opinion on the situation.

“If that’s what you want, Luciftias, I’ll go grab some extra pillows and blankets,” already settling into the idea without any hesitation. Draeko swiftly nodded his head, managing to beam up happily at the hound, who could only return the gesture by ruffling the already messy mint and pink colored hair strands. “Anything for you,”

Alistar smirked, his gaze fallen upon the little hybrid, almost lovingly. He could see exactly what the little mutt was up to, and it melted a thin layer of ice that had long encased his heart. Maybe there was more to this plane of existence than chaos. Maybe there was more to his existence, than chaos.

The End.

Author’s Notes: Aweeeeeeeee suh cute 🥹 Alistar’s secretly a softy for his best friend, and in turn, Drae as well. Cbwizckwh sorry if this wasn’t my best? Idk me and Geez wanted something cute so I hope ya’ll enjoyed 🥰 @aller-geez did the cover art and Owns Draeko as well as Kanai!

[ohanahoku-ao3]

Whumptober Day 13

@whumptober Here's a short and sweet sickfic for this one!

General Audiences - Gen - Teen Wolf

An Uncle's Love

     It didn’t often happen that werewolves could get sick, but young pups were still susceptible to certain things like the flu, so when Peter heard a knock at his door, it wasn’t surprising to find young Derek in the doorway, his cheeks flushed and lips quivering. “Uncle Peter? I don’t feel so good.”

     Peter sighed softly but set the paperwork he was doing aside. “Alright then, come on.” He murmured, walking over and scooping his nephew into his arms. “Let’s go tell Alpha.”

     The feverish pup nodded, curling into his neck and whimpering softly as he sniffled. Wolves primarily relied on scent for comfort during such times, but with his nose stuffed up, Derek couldn’t smell much.

     “It’s okay,” Peter said softly, rubbing his back as he headed downstairs. He knocked on the door to Talia’s study, waiting to be called in before opening the door. “Derek isn’t feeling well. I believe he caught the flu.”

     Talia’s nose wrinkled in poorly hidden disgust, even as she clicked her tongue sympathetically at her pup. “Poor pup.” She cooed, though she made no move to get up. “Peter, could I talk to you for a moment? Alone?”

     Peter’s lip curled in obvious distaste for the question, but at this point, he wasn’t surprised by how his sister acted towards her children. “As you want.” He said, leaving the study and setting Derek on the couch in the living room. “I’ll be right back, pup.” He assured him, getting only a miserable nod from his nephew. His lips thinned, and he stalked back into the study, a slight growl lacing his words as he spoke before his alpha had a chance to. “Your pup is sick. Shouldn’t you be comforting him?”

     “Peter, I’m much too busy for this,” Talia said, and Peter rolled his eyes at the lack of compassion. “Derek will be fine, you know this. Coddling a pup for something so insignificant is unnecessary. These things come and go, but Derek is strong. He’ll be fine.”

     “Your pup is sick for the first time in his life, and he’s scared. You don’t think that warrants your attention as his mother? As his alpha?” Peter asked incredulously.

     “Enough, Peter!” Talia snapped, hating to have her capabilities as an alpha questioned. “If you think it necessary to hold his hand, you can do so, but I am simply too busy to handle this right now. I have an entire pack to care for, and you seem to forget that.”

     Peter curled his hands into fists, refraining from letting his claws out like he wanted. “I will never forget the pack that I help protect.” He snarled. “But neither will I forget their individual needs. Right now, Derek needs his mother.”

     “I said enough!” Talia said, slamming her hands down on the desk as she stood. “If you’re such a bleeding heart, then you can cater to Derek and his childish illness.”

     Peter’s teeth ground together, and he bit the words out. “Fine. But one day, you’ll wish you had taken the time to do so yourself.” He turned and stalked out of the room, taking a moment to calm himself down before going back to Derek. His heart ached to see the young pup curled up on the couch, sniffling and shivering. “Hey, pup. Let’s get you warmed up.” He said, his voice infinitely softer than it had been talking with Talia.

     He grabbed a blanket and wrapped Derek up before picking him up again. He settled him on his hip, and his chest squeezed at the quiet whisper in his ear. “Mommy hates me, doesn’t she?”

     Peter sighed, rubbing Derek’s back as he carried him up the stairs. “No, she doesn’t hate you, pup. She just forgets sometimes how to love.”

     “How does she forget?” Derek asked, the teary sound of his voice hitting Peter hard.

     He laid Derek down in his bed, tucking him in. “Well, sometimes she forgets how to love as a mother because she has to be the alpha.”

     “Don’t alphas love?” Derek asked after thinking hard about that for a minute.

     “They’re supposed to,” Peter answered, feeling Derek’s head. He was feverish but not too hot. “She’ll remember that soon, I’m sure.” He reassured him.

     Derek nodded, starting to look sleepy as he yawned and blinked slowly. “Do left hands love?” He asked, looking up at his uncle.

     Peter smiled, running a hand through Derek’s hair gently. “We do. That’s something we never forget.” He promised.

     Derek nodded, on the cusp of sleep as he answered. “Good. Love you, Uncle Peter.”

     A warm feeling bloomed in Peter’s chest as Derek started snoring softly. “I love you too, pup.” He whispered, leaning over to kiss his forehead. He’d grab some cold compresses and a good book and settle in for the night. Maybe an uncle’s love wasn’t the best substitute for a mother’s, but he refused to let his nephew think he was unloved.

[randonauticrap]

🥰 ~ with Clavis Lelouch (Christmas Twist!)

Part of the Kiss, Hug, or Cuddle? event

~~~

Pairing ~ Clavis Lelouch x Reader

Word Count ~ 1938

Author's Note ~ I have no idea what happened, but I got sooo carried away with this one. Thank you for the request, Mary Ellen (@rhodolitesrose)! It was a joy to write, and I hope you enjoy it!

Christmas twist: keeping each other warm

-

You much preferred your room; quiet, peaceful, and beautiful. The window sill in your room at the palace was big enough for you to sit in, perched on the precipice between the inside and outside worlds, with only a thin veil of glass separating you. Sometimes, like in the current winter chill, you breached the wall of glass and pushed one side open, letting the crisp breeze of the night air reach your legs under the blanket. It was snowing, everything was frozen, even you. But that didn’t stop you from letting the fine, ephemeral flakes swirl into your bedroom before hitting your blanket; the carpet; the bed; and sticking, then slowly melting into nonexistence. Snow was a beauty you didn’t get to see often, and if getting to see its beauty up close meant freezing your limbs, so be it. 

A soft knock at your door pulled you from your reverence and you padded, sock-footed, over to the door and opened it to reveal a certain plum-haired prince in your doorway. “Good evening, Clavis.” you gathered him in your gaze, searching for any obvious clues as to why he had arrived here like a lost puppy at some poor unwitting woman’s doorstep.

“I couldn’t help but notice, my lady, that you have your window open despite it being unbearably cold outside.” Mischief glinted in his eyes and you stepped back involuntarily. 

“I do, yes.” you replied hesitantly. “Were you watching me from the garden?”

“Mhm,” he hummed, taking the space between you as a sudden invitation to cross the threshold, and strolled over to said open window. “But what’s the point if you can’t sprawl out in it, am I right? Tsk tsk.” he chided, the ghost of a smile haunting the faux disappointment on his face. 

Whereas normally yours and Clavis’s ideas of fun were vastly different, you couldn’t help but agree with him here, and let out a soft sigh. “Sariel would kill me. It’d be too easy for me to get sick and fall behind in my studies.” 

“Well then, little kitten.” Clavis turned abruptly to face you. “Isn’t it just perfect that Sariel isn’t here right now?” 

“You know he has eyes everywhere, Clavis.” you admonished.

The 3rd Prince’s grin widened into that Cheshire smile you were so used to seeing blooming on his lips. “Not in the places I know about. Come on! We’re gonna have some fun tonight, and Mr. Grumpypants will be none the wiser.” Before you could even consider disagreeing, your hand was folded in Clavis’s and he was tugging you out the door. 

You should have been rolling your eyes; you should have been concerned about what Clavis was up to; you should have missed the novel you had left discarded on your window sill. But all you could think about, as a blush crawled its way up your neck and face, is how soft Clavis’s hand felt as he laced his fingers with yours, and how your heart lurched at the idea of him letting go. 

Squeezing through a cabinet in the kitchens, down back stairs that had no flames to light their descent, through a small alleyway between two of the palace towers, and down into the courtyard below, Clavis led you, taking care to keep you upright and unharmed. “It would ruin the fun if we had a blood trail,” he had said, but a small piece of you hoped he simply wanted to keep you from getting hurt. You yelped in surprise when he lifted you off your feet and settled you into his arms, bridle-style. 

“Shhh!” he chuckled softly. “Don’t wake the guards. The Devil will really have our heads then!” he was chastising you, but there was mirth in his gaze, and you tucked your head in his neck to keep from giggling foolishly. 

“So why are you carrying me?” you whispered into the warm skin of his neck.

“This way, there’s only one set of footsteps leading out of the castle, not two. No incriminating evidence of you disobeying orders, milady. Just me.” you could feel his triumphant grin without even looking at him, and snuggled closer to his chest. 

“And you’re okay with that?” you whispered again.

“Of course!” he replied under his breath. “I am an expert at evading the Devil’s wrath.” 

“And what of your secret passageway? It’s practically ruined now.” you murmured, almost feeling guilty at the absurd notion.

“I have plenty.” came his simple reply, and your guilt vanished instantaneously. Of course he did. After several moments where you heard nothing but the crunch of Clavis’s shoes in the snow and the consistent beat of his heart against your ear, you reached a secluded part of the garden that he had shown you once before, in the spring. The wrought iron gate was decorated in a collection of icy flakes, making it sparkle and shimmer in the pale moonlight. Even in the winter, this tiny corner was ripped straight from the pages of a fairytale. You had every intention of walking in yourself, but Clavis made no moves to put you down as he fiddled with the key in the lock to the gate, merely shifting you so he could hold you with one arm instead of two. 

Your giggle finally escaped your lips and you clapped your hands over your mouth, until you looked down at Clavis, who had ceased in his war with the gate and was gazing up at you with- no, it couldn’t be, could it? Your hands lowered from your face absentmindedly, gravity returning them to where they belonged. Clavis’s smile was no longer that of an unruly wildcat, but of an arduous lover, and suddenly this rendezvous felt forbidden in a different way entirely. A clank beside you pulled his gaze from you at last, and he cast his eyes down at the lock that had haplessly fallen from the gate. “Shoddy piece of rubbish,” he mused, shaking his head. 

A moment later he had whisked you inside and closed the gate behind you, setting you down with a distinct crunch as your sock feet collided with the wet snow. “Ah!” you yelped at the stinging cold and hopped over to the bench in the center of the alcove, brushing the mound of snow away and sitting down, much preferring your rear to freeze than your feet. Clavis laughed, trudging over to you. 

“What a show you always give me,” he muttered, a tender smile on his face as he pulled a pair of slippers from his coat. 

“How did you-?” you muttered.

“I wasn’t planning on letting you say no.” he grinned up at you as he bent in front of you and took your foot into his hand, eliciting a surprised gasp from you. Winking, he slipped the shoes onto your feet and shrugged off his cloak, wrapping it around your shoulders instead and tying it at the base of your throat. It was warm, and smelled like him: lavender with a hint of cinnamon that drew you to close your eyes and absorb it without any other sensory distraction. When you opened your eyes, he was leveling you with that look again; the look that stoked a fire inside of you, hot enough to burn away the remnants of the chill.

“Clavis-”

“How do you like the snow?” His sudden and sharp change of pace threw you out of orbit and you sputtered for a moment, unsure of what to say. 

“I- uhm, it’s beautiful. Thank you for bringing me out here.” you replied, at last forming a coherent sentence. 

“Good, I’m glad you like it.” he turned away from you, as though he were admiring something within the bushes, then he bent low like he was examining something. 

“Clavis, what are you- ah!” you screeched as a splat of something distinctly cold and wet hit your cheek. Upon recovery, you realized that Clavis had flung a snowball at you, and was now grinning cheekily at you from where he stood. Once the shock wore off, you began to laugh; an unruly, unfettered laugh that very well could have carried on the wind to the palace guards. But you couldn’t find it in yourself to care, because you were already picking up a snowball of your own to hurl back at the 3rd Prince, who livened up immediately once he was sure the game was on. 

Snow was volleyed back and forth, defensive walls were made, and laughs exchanged. The snow had long since ceased its descent from the sky by the time the white flag was raised, and you were a mess of wet snow and incessant giggles. You met Clavis in the middle of the alcove and shook his hand in mutual surrender, then the prince burst into laughter too. “Alright, let’s get you inside before you catch your death - or I catch mine.” he said with a more serious tone. You nodded, remembering his weak constitution, and let him lead you back to the gate. But before he exited, he turned, holding his arms out. “No evidence, remember?” he smirked and you tittered, nodding. He hoisted you into his arms once more and you laid your head against his chest without even thinking. You heard his melodic chuckle above you and you realized what you had done. Despite the fact that your cheeks were burning, and not from the cold, you didn’t move. You laid against him willingly the whole way back to the castle, snuggling as close to his damp skin as his clothes would allow. 

Once you were back at the door to your room, he made a little mockish bow. “Milady,” he said curtly and turned to leave. But your hand shot out without warning even you, and your fingers curled around his bicep. He turned to look at you, surprise written in his shadow-cast features.

“Do- do you want to warm up?” you asked sheepishly. “I can light the fire in here. It gets warm pretty fast.” A beat of silence. Two. Perhaps you were mistaken? Perhaps the heat between you was yours alone. You loosened your grip on his arm and pulled your own back to your body, subconsciously curling into yourself. “I apologize. I crossed a line. Goodnight Pr-” but before you could even finish the word, he had pressed up against you, pushing you to step back until he stood in the room with you. 

“I’d love to.” he murmured softly, tracing your features with his perceptive gold eyes. “Warm up.” he added, his voice barely above a whisper, and your heart began to race.

“Okay,” you replied, a small smile catching your lips up in your heart’s erratic hoping.

That is how the night ended with a roaring fire in your fireplace, and two bodies tangled closely together under the covers of your bed, fingers tracing every available inch of skin with reverence and vulnerability, and lips gracing lips with unspoken words of ardor and desire. The cold had melted away in the arms of the man that never failed to make you smile, and you snuggled impossibly closer to him, your heart swelling when he beat the odds of pulling you in even more, his hand crawling under your nightshirt to splay his palm against your back, his touch as smoldering as his eyes before they closed so he could kiss you again. You sighed, relinquishing your will in the long battle against sleep, and drifted into a world where no number of beautiful dreams could possibly contend with your reality in Clavis’s arms.  

~

[thescrappyraccoon]

Hello, my sweet summer children.

My name is Skye and I’m new here. I am a late diagnosed AuDHDer with a permanent, progressive disabilities (rheumatoid arthritis and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome) and fibromyalgia. I am undiagnosed, but my doctor and I also suspect lupus and Matt cell activation syndrome. I’m a Complex trauma survivor healing my CPTSD. I’m an artist, a writer, and a single mom. I’m polyamorous and pagan. And my goal is to use this space so I can finish soft.

From my journal: Finish Strong

I haven’t been creating much lately. It’s hard to create when you feel like you’re under attack from every front, and I come up just often enough to grab a breath of air before I’m pulled back into the fray of being a disabled single mom, arrows of doctor’s appointments and attorney emails and school calls and tears. So many tears. So much heartbreak.

I’ve been grieving deeply…the death of my marriage, the loss of my health, my former clients and office, my work, my family who live away from here, the future I had envisioned, my life before so much was ripped from my hands. I have felt hopeless, like a failure, lost. My imagined future is gone; I’ve felt like I was losing myself too.

And not only that, but I’ve been grieving the world. Grieving what patriarchy, misogyny, racism, classism, greed, religion, colonization have stolen from all of us. Grieving the experiences shared in my own Bear vs Man post. Grieving how my children have to grow up in a world where some people believe they shouldn’t exist simply bc of who they love and their genders. Grieving a world that says I’m better off staying in an abusive marriage. Grieving a world that says my health issues make me worthless because I can’t “contribute to society.” Grieving the thousands of years of violence against one another and the Earth.

To keep from being pierced to death by it all, I wrapped myself in armor.

This morning when I woke up, I had a phrase running through my head, a part of me ready to examine it. The phrase was “Finish strong.” And I thought about how weak I feel. I’m exhausted physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, relationally. Some days I barely have the strength to move from the bed to the bathroom and back to bed, the fatigue turning my limbs to jello.

Every time a new memory resurfaces (not uncommon after years of dissociating to self-protect), I fear this will be the thing that ends me. Bracing myself for what’s coming around the corner has left me bone tired, soul tired. I do not feel strong, no matter how many times people tell me I am. I don’t believe it, not when I know my own weakness.

But then I thought about the rest of the year, and what I can envision and hope for in the days ahead. I started thinking about what art I want to create. I started thinking about the garden my kids are planting, and all of the blooms on the tomato plants, each a promise. I started thinking about a concert I’m attending in August, a birthday gift from the dearest of friends. I started thinking about an event I’m planning for November. I started thinking about the music my brother is writing just down the hall, and how I can’t wait to hear the album. I started thinking about my new nibling and their big siblings. I started thinking about summer break and cherry limeades and ice cream cones. I started thinking about campfires and backyard parties. I started thinking about my morning cuppa, anticipating the steamy Earl grey.

In all of those visions I am still sick. In all of those visions I am still a single mom. In all of those visions I still live in a world where hatred screams so loud it’s deafening at times. But the difference is that in those visions, I don’t *have to be strong. I can just be soft. It doesn’t mean I don’t get up and dust myself off when I’m knocked on my ass for the tenth time today. It doesn’t mean I give up. It just means that I don’t have to armor up for *everything.

Sure, there are times when it’s simply unsafe to be my fully unmasked self. The world can be cruel, especially to sensitive souls. I used to be so ashamed of my sensitivity. Learning that I’m autistic and an ADHDer has helped me grow in self-compassion in this area. My neurotype takes in so much sensory information constantly; my nervous system is built for sensitivity. My soul is built for sensitivity.

Sensitivity is a gift, not a burden. And if it’s a gift, then it’s worthy of protecting. And not by armoring up, but when possible, stripping down to my softness, my vulnerability. Finding spaces where I can let down my guard and simply be my full, unfettered self. Surrounding myself with people who see and value my sensitivity rather than weaponize or manipulate it. Creating opportunities to be soft.

2024 has not gone the way I ever could have anticipated. I have experienced the lowest of lows and the highest of highs. I’ve been abandoned and fiercely loved. I’ve been harmed and staunchly protected. I’ve been heartbroken and fallen in love with life all over again. I’ve been lonely and held tightly. I’ve been hopeless and confident that my story doesn’t end here.

Instead of striving to “finish strong” Maybe it’s enough to simply “finish soft.” Maybe the real test in all of this is to keep my heart from turning to stone. Maybe the best measure of strength is whether I end 2024 differently than it began…weak maybe, but also soft. Maybe soft and strong aren’t such different concepts.

[ss3890]

TAROT - One of my favorite things to do is to pick a Card of Contemplation:

I’ll shuffle until 1.) It just feels right or 2.) I fumble a card and it falls out of the deck. #2 usually happens first.

This week’s pull was:

I run the Witches Tarot deck. It’s one that has really nice artwork and just seems to mesh. I have an affinity for it, which makes me use it more - and when I do, it is almost always relevant to my situation.

You don’t always need to do a full reading. A simple pull like this is often all you need for valuable bits of insight and advice and is my default use of the deck.

Here’s what this card is telling me:

This past month I was sickest I’ve been in quite a few years (pre-pandemic, wasn’t even sick throughout the entirety of that.) Really knocked me on my ass and was pretty miserable because:

I am also 35 weeks pregnant and can’t take any significant medication to soothe symptoms of any sort. My body is constantly in flux, huge, out-of-balance, and sleep is kind of hard when a small being kicks the shit outta your ribs every time you try to do lay down…

And I have to lay and sit down A LOT. Climbing a flight of stairs is a fight for my life. Getting anything done around the house and simply bending down is a chore. I thought that was a normal part of the pregnant experience…and it is, to a point…but as it turns out, I’ve grown anemic and didn’t realize it - so I just couldn’t ever get enough oxygen in my body no matter how hard I was breathing. Supplements are helping, but I’m still huge and waddle around like a penguin everywhere I go.

This card is a much needed reminder that I NEED to slow down and that it’s OKAY if I do. It’s time for it. I’m putting on that good face - still working, still managing a house, and still have a bad habit of feeling like I need to take on everything myself - and I need to start letting that go. I need to be okay with asking for more help than I’m used to, to be okay with stepping back and trusting in others to get things done, and to not let my anxiety at being out of work and losing income push me beyond what I should physically be doing right now.

I don’t need to beat myself up for not getting every little chore done, or having a bit of clutter here and there, or feel frustrated at my own helplessness. It’s okay for me to rest and recover from the physical strains I have already been enduring. I have the monumental task of childbirth fast approaching, and I won’t be able to do it successfully if I’m already worn thin. That’s not doing myself or my child any favors.

It’s okay to rest.

[smoothbromes]

My Boyfriend.

My Boyfriend.

I think about my boyfriend a lot because my boyfriend is often on my mind and I like to have him there. There’s something really fun about focusing on my boyfriend I won’t allow myself to feel shame about it. My best friend Cornelia said it’s okay for me to do this so I think it’s okay too. When I imagine my boyfriend he is looking over at me with just the most beautiful look of love. Sometimes he looks over at me with lust and that’s when things get extra exciting. My favorite way to think about my boyfriend is to do it when I’m alone. It’s sweet of him to give me my space. I would never dare to become a codependent lover again and he very much agrees.

I met my boyfriend in a great way. He was walking down one side of the street I was on the other we both crossed the street and knocked right into each other! If I were a stronger girl I would’ve been upset with him like watch where you’re going. Instead I said nothing, I felt dizzy. My boyfriend makes me dizzy. While I was standing there holding my dizzy head he picked up all the stuff I dropped, how considerate. Crouched down holding my things he kept apologizing. My boyfriend on his knees, looking up at me with worried brown eyes. That’s the way I love to see my boyfriend. At night when he gets off work, I walk around our beautiful apartment pushing things off the counter so he can pick them back up for me. One of our many silly little games…

Or actually, now that I’m thinking about it, I met my boyfriend at the pet food store. I don’t have a pet and neither does he, we were both in there buying gifts for friends. Isn’t that darn stinking cute? A talking parrot had garnered my attention when he came up next to me. “Fucked up about its leg, huh?” he asked, referring to the parrot’s fucked up leg. I said something back along the lines of “yeah, so fucked up,” then smiled my biggest smile at him because I like to smile for sexy boys. With all the animal pheromones bouncing around I felt the urge to shove my nose into his armpits and lap up his smell. So I did. I love my boyfriend’s smell. We stood in that pet food store, in front of the talking parrot and its fucked up leg, licking and sniffing each other until they kicked us out to close.

These days I spend a lot of time carrying my boyfriend from the couch to the bed. What I haven’t told you is he has one of those sicknesses where you just slowly waste away, and I have this one where you keep on growing bigger. It sucks that my boyfriend is sick but if he wasn’t I wouldn’t have met him. He looked so sad sitting there all alone in the waiting room, I simply had to beckon him to my arms and squeeze his face against my getting-bigger chest. When he feels well enough, we take long walks. We speak to each other sweetly. Sensitive like me, it only takes the brush of my fingers for his sigh of contentment: “the feminine touch…”

He knows, and I know, how lucky we are to have met. He makes me tell the story over and over again. I love my boyfriend’s bad memory — he loves that I still remember.

[that-is-just-so-typically-me]

If I step back and look at the differences in my needs now compared to what they’d been for so long (which I often do, because I need to “update the manual”, to borrow from a friend, as my subconscious is still mainly operating on survival tactics that weren’t great, just the best I could do then, and that certainly won’t make the cut now), it’s really fascinating to see how much has changed. I’m at the point where the threshold for the amount of pain or suffering I can see in a show or movie is incredibly low, and retracting at an accelerating pace. I’ve always had what I considered average upper bounds to the pain and suffering I can tolerate seeing in entertainment, depending on the survey pool I suppose (I could always watch any horror except for torture-porn and extreme body horror). I could watch sad, even disturbing moments in dramas, for sure, and just move along past it to flow emotionally with the rest of the story. But I’m at the point where I just have to fast-forward through a lot of even momentary disturbing acts of violence - can’t even grimace through it. When people lose loved ones in shows/movies, I am now guaranteed to cry. When people get their hopes crushed or are spoken to meanly by someone they trusted, it just like, affects me. Characters enduring unexpected pain or being put through shitty things by others or just being knocked on their ass by life, dealing with more than they could reasonably take - it just sets off the worst spiral of thoughts. I am so tired of our entertainment options for any audience above PG consisting almost exclusively of characters with traumatic backstories or going through trauma, or just badly behaved people acting badly to others (often fellow badly behaved people), and dismal views of our future. I really feel like there’s no way it can be good for us to not balance these things out with depictions of people generally choosing to behave excellently to each other, and treat that as just normal and everyday. I want a better mix of characters who don’t go through extreme trauma, or who at least have great support through it and are shown healing. I feel like we’re just teaching each other that this is the best we can do and what we should expect, especially given how many shows and movies we’re all consuming, and how little trust we have with other people in general these days. It’s like there’s no escaping it, no safe refuges in our stories these days, especially since the only gentle stories tend to be for little kids or just feel weird and hollow and 2D and outright dismissive of how hard life can be (instead of simply acknowledging it, but not welcoming it into the narrative). I need interesting, dynamic stories that nod at but aren’t steeped in trauma, where people are guided through hard times with the love of their loved ones. I’m sick of hopelessness. I want hopeful movies.

[zhongliologist]

Breeding Kink | Dragon!Zhongli

Pairing: Zhongli x fem!reader

Genre: SMUTTTT!! 

Words: 4.6k

A/N: So uh yeah, this was mainly inspired by hcs from @genshin-spice​!! thank you for the ideas sjkdha as well as the asks I have received! I decided to combine them into one fic bc im lazy i hope u like it jkasdha

Warning: THIS IS AN 18+ FIC, SO MINORS OUT THERE, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION. 

*

It was in the dead of the night.

Zhongli breathed in; eyes dilated.

His study was quiet—yet all he could hear was his heart beat pounding violently against his chest and the sound of skin rubbing against skin.

He couldn’t take it.

In Zhongli’s mind was an image of you in positions you have never been before. He could see you on the bed as he pins you down, ass high up as he gripped on your waist until bruises form. He could see sheathing himself completely into you, reeling at the erotic sounds which escaped your lips as he roughly thrusts in and out.

The grip of his hand tightened, moving up and down his enlarged shaft. Zhongli grunted as he felt his digits grind on a particularly sensitive spot. It would’ve been better if it was your mouth instead of his hands.

“YN….! Nghh…!”

Ignoring his locks thrown askew by his movements, Zhongli continued to see you in his mind’s eyes. Precious, beautiful; more than any stone or gem in the world. He’ll spread you out, pleasuring you and worshipping your body with his tongue. In every turn, he would leave his marks, proving that you were his and his only.

“Ahh…darling…I just…want to…!”

He growled, speeding up the movement of his wrist. He could feel himself grow even bigger as scales begin to form on his skin, as his nails turn sharper.

Zhongli wanted you. He wanted to pound into wildly until you keen and clamp around him; until you become a staggering mess of moans and drool. You will be quivering as your orgasm washes over you, yet he wouldn’t stop. This wasn’t the time to stop.

“Ughh….haa…! YN….! YN…! I’m close—!”

He’ll push even deeper, harder; making sure the tip of his cock reaches your womb. And that’s when he’ll release his warm seed into you, filling you up until his cum is dripping from your hole, until you were spent on the bed and still shaking from the intensity.

That’s not enough, Zhongli could sense something growl in him. Not enough.

You will be screaming with oversensitivity as he pushes inside you once more, his dick still hard as he keeps on going. You will be muttering his name ceaselessly as he fills you up, cumming inside you over and over again until you get pregnant with his child.

Yes.

The image of you on the bed, exhausted from his relentless pounding as cum leaks from your hole, surely pregnant with his child burned vividly inside his imagination. It sent an overwhelming surge of pleasure towards his cock; urging him to climax.

“Nnnh—!”

In one move, Zhongli orgasmed, his cum spurting to his stomach and clothes as he breathed in heavily. He tried to calm himself down yet the image of him cumming inside you was still so fresh that his excitement wouldn’t subside.

“…what is…this…?”

It seemed like his libido has peaked dramatically in the past few weeks. Normally, he could withstand not having any sexual activity for some time, especially when you were out of town, but for some reason, all he could think about right now was fucking you senseless.

He touched the scales on his arm. It also hasn’t escaped his notice how he would often show some of his draconic features in the midst of it all. There was only one thing that he could think of.

“Could it be…”

Wait. He hasn’t been in heat for more than a thousand years, and for it to appear right now is mind boggling to the say the least. But he could no longer see this at any other angle. It must have been triggered by your presence, in some way or another. The beast in him knew how he was madly in love with you, how he had taken you as his mate, and now it wants nothing but for you to bear him offspring.

Zhongli sighed. This is a matter that should be discussed first with you. Yet his heat is upon him and if it comes to it, he had to protect you even from himself. Zhongli sighed again heavily and gazed at the wedding ring on his left finger.  

“It seems the need arises to arrange necessary measures.

*

“Please explain to me, in some way or another,” you started. “…why I cannot see my own husband in my own house.”

With brows furrowed and arms on your hips, you glared at the offending ‘guards’ loitering around outside the bedroom as they looked at you with a panicked expressions. There were a few familiar faces like QiQi, who was busy staring at nothing and Xiangling, who simply came to visit to deliver freshly cooked dishes from Wanmin Restaurant.

“Dr. Baizhu!” you called out when you were only met with silence.

Giving you a worried look, the doctor tried to calm the situation but to no avail.

“Look, YN…” the doctor hesitated. “Mr. Zhongli is under…certain conditions which makes it dangerous for you to go anywhere near him.”

You blinked, mouth frowning as you tried to make sense of what he was trying to tell you. “And what would that be?”

Travelling around Teyvat for quite some time, you had only returned to Liyue and to your husband (of a year and a quarter) today; and to be denied access to somehow greet and touch the person you had missed so dearly only irked your frustration. You were determined that the first thing you do when you return was to run straight into his arms, kiss him hard and talk to him about an important matter in both your lives, but it seemed like the odds weren’t in your favor.

“Well,” Dr. Baizhu struggled to reply, as he was under the implicit instruction not to reveal the exact details. “All I can say is that it’s a condition where Mr. Zhongli wouldn’t be able to act properly around you. But please don’t worry, it’s not contagious and it’ll be over in a week or so.”

If anything, the vagueness only alarmed you. What illness could possibly make him lose control like that? Zhongli, as you knew him, was always someone who regarded himself with propriety and dignity. If this condition can weaken him like that, you were all the more worried.

“I…If that’s the case, then I really need to see him,” you insisted, now concern etched into your eyes. “I can’t just leave him alone like this.”

Stand firm, Dr. Baizhu. My wife is especially stubborn—he had been warned a few days before, dismissing it as something a husband would normally say about his wife, but now that he was face to face with that stubbornness he had been warned with, it seemed like he had underestimate you.

“YN…I…” he breathed in as he placed a consoling hand on your shoulders. “I would not recommend seeing Mr. Zhongli at this point—”

“Just a peek wouldn’t hurt, right?” you interrupted. “I just want to see him.”

The doctor gazed down at you with an apologetic look, fully understanding why you were desperate in your request. You haven’t seen him for quite some time, and to find him sick and unable to see him when you finally returned—he could understand. He really does. That’s why, in the end, the doctor relented. He’ll face the consequences later on.

“Alright,” Dr. Baizhu sighed. “Just a peek and nothing more, got it?”

Upon hearing his words, your face brightened up in a flash. “Thank you, doctor!”

As he led you to the door of the master’s bedroom, you followed silently behind; watching as Dr. Baizhu unlocked the door from the outside—why would they need to lock it anyway, you thought—and pushed the door slightly ajar.

You pursed your lips.

In a breath, you knocked the doctor aside and went in as quickly as you could; shutting the door behind you as he protested from the outside. Apologies, Dr. Baizhu…!

Swiftly recovering from the sudden action, you noticed that it was dark inside; the windows shut and heavy curtains blocking any stray sunshine. The only source of light was the single glowing lantern at the far end of the room which only illuminated half of your face and offered a simple silhouette of your husband sitting on the bed.

You breathed in a sigh of relief.

“Right. I don’t really have much time, and I already duped Dr. Baizhu, so I’ll make this quick. I just want you to know that I’m back, and while I do have something I want to talk about with you, I’ll wait till this gets sorted out. So if you need anything, I’m right here—”

You halted; ears trained at the low growl you just noticed.

“…Zhongli…?” you asked, apprehension rising as you took a step forward.

“Why are you here?”

He finally spoke, yet instead of the sweet deep hum of his voice, this one was a lot harsher.

“What…?”  you asked, surprised at his words. “I-I just wanted to see you…”

“You’re not allowed here,” Zhongli continued as he rose from the bed, his frame seemingly much taller that usual yet the darkness had hindered you from telling clearly. “It seems Dr. Baizhu has failed to stop you.”

Brows furrowed, you spoke with a waver in your voice. “Zhongli, what’s wrong…?”

In a bat of an eye, he was in front of you, pining you against the door with his lithe form. His clutches were firm but gentle enough not to hurt you as you felt him look closely at you. Daring your eyes to open, finally, finally, you could see him.

His usual warm amber orbs were now glowing golden, his pupils turned into slits. You could see scales on his skin and horns on his head as he grasped your wrists with his clawed hands. You would’ve screamed if you weren’t too surprised. Astonishment was an understatement of how you felt at that exact moment.

“Do you now see what is wrong?” he snarled at you, his eyes narrowing.

Taking in a gulp, you tried to calm yourself. This is still Zhongli, just different. You were used to the unusual things happening around him because of his status as an ex-archon, but this just takes the cake.

“Wha—why are you half….half dragon?!” you exclaimed.

He could feel him make a disgruntled noise as his grip on you tightened. “That is of no importance. You have to leave before I lose my sense of control.”

You glared at him, finally realizing that he was still the husband you knew; probably just a bit frustrated.

“No. Tell me exactly what’s happening Zhongli. It is my responsibility as your wife to take care of you, and I can’t possibly leave you like this without knowing the full extent of the problem.”

Zhongli clicked his tongue and closed his eyes, exasperated at your mulish behavior. Why can’t you just follow obediently? He was really weak against you; even more so at that exact moment.

You can’t hold his cheeks with your hands pinned but you at least tried to console the obvious turmoil inside of him. “I’m right here, love. It’s alright…you can tell me.”

In an instant, Zhongli conceded, melting at your presence as he nuzzled himself on your neck, his breath tickling your skin. He always loved your scent; amplified by his draconic instincts, it was even more intoxicating.

“As a dragon, I am in heat,” he whispered just below your ear as you felt him smirk. “Are you still willing to help me out?”

Heat…?!

You immediately flushed at the implication of his words. Sex was no stranger in your relationship even before you became husband and wife, but for some reason, at the suggestion of Zhongli being in heat, you became bashful like a giddy schoolgirl.

“I-I…! Of course!” you replied despite the tumble in your voice. “I’m your wife, it’s only natural that we satisfy each other’s…er…sexual needs…”

Zhongli made a low chuckle as he allowed his lips to graze your skin.

“Have you understood what being in heat truly entails?” he replied, unable to contain the intensity in his voice. “This is not simply an act of making love. I will fuck you. And I will fuck hard, YN. Do you understand?”

It was incredible how his mere words were enough to make your legs shake and your lips quiver. His effect on you has always been like this, but for some reason, in his half dragon form, it had only became more powerful.

“Z-Zhongli…I—”

“This will be different from everything we did so far,” he interrupted you. “I will be rough and relentless. I will bite you and mark you that you are mine and mine only. I will not stop even if you tell me to. I will keep on pounding into you until your womb is full of my seed, and even then, I will not stop. I will breed into you until you become pregnant with my child. Do you truly understand?”

You bit your lip. His words were swirling in your head like a thick soup of lustful thoughts; pushing you into arousal. If he was meaning to scare you, then it had surely backfired.

“I do,” you replied, as he pulled away from you to look into your eyes. “And I want you to do all those things to me.”

For a moment, Zhongli stared at you; speechless and totally caught off guard by your reply. It seems like he hadn’t expected you to agree at all. You were supposed to be frightened, freaked out by his monster-like appearance, but here you are taking up the challenge as if it was nothing.

He grunted as soon as he realized you weren’t backing off. He knew who he had married.

“There is no guarantee that I can control myself later on, YN,” he cautioned you one more time. “I have no wish to hurt you, my love.”

You smiled at him, loosening his grip on your wrists and gently caressing his face. “I know, and I trust you.”

With a sigh, Zhongli stood up straight and scooped you from your place. Carrying you on his arms, he then dropped you unceremoniously on the bed with an ungraceful plop. He gazed at you from above; the power of his eyes never waning.

Because of how dark it was, you have never noticed that he was naked all over. But with the light shining just to the side, you could see his dragon features much more clearly now—dark scales scattered all over his skin, golden horns on his head, sharp claws for hands and feet, as well a tail which was moving back and forth. Shifting your eyes downward, you promptly bit your lip.

You begin to feel apprehensive. It was natural that his dick is much bigger than his human form, but could that even fit inside you? Would you even survive after being fucked with that?

“Zhongli…um….just a moment—"

“You have been warned, YN,” Zhongli finally said as he crawled above you, never breaking eye contact. “I will no longer hold myself back.”

Pining both your wrists above your head, Zhongli cupped your cheeks and captured your lips in a harsh yet searing kiss. His tongue was immediately against yours, exploring your mouth and licking your lips which he had missed for so many months.

He had your breath knocked out of you immediately, as you struggled to keep up with the rapidly electrifying pace he had set. His hands were all over your body as he kept his lips close to yours as if he was trying to devour you. Zhongli wasn’t kidding when he told you he was going to be rough.

Like a rabid beast, he quickly made work of your clothes; ripping them open with his sharp claws as he jumped from your lips to your neck—his favorite place to mark you. He knew every sensitive pulse to suck and nip at; tongue and lips meandering at every dip and rise of the muscles on your neck. Soon enough, he had left it with dark splotches of color on his wake, keening at his handiwork as if it had satisfied the animal in him.

In the sea of silken sheets and two bodies intertwined, you arched to his touch, loving how his mouth descended to your breast, flicking his tongue at your pert nipple. You could feel waves upon waves of arousal as he assaulted you lavishly with his mouth and lips—making sure he worships every inch of your body.

“Z-Zhongli…!”

You could feel his horns touch your skin, his tail twirling around your leg to spread them open; ready for him when he crosses that bridge. It didn’t help how he kept on tracing your skin with the blunt side of his claws, fascinated at how your flesh dipped; at how he was only one push behind before he draws out blood. But you were becoming increasingly sensitive the more he kept on marking your whole body and it only served to add a distinct kind of pleasure from his mouth and tongue.

He was right, this was different from everything you had done so far. This was feral, animalistic and unrestrained. All his past gentle touches were gone, only to be replaced but such an intensity that kept you panting.

“I suppose it is time to get you ready for me.”

Releasing your wrists so he can spread you open, Zhongli gazed up at you as he tore off your underwear, tossing the offending fabric to some corner of the room. You both could see how drenched you were, with him smirking at you as he dipped. And just like he said, he didn’t hold himself back.

In an instant, his tongue was around your clit; sucking and licking at the sensitive nub. You arched on the bed, your hands on his horns as you tried to hide your lustful cries. He growled at you from below, the vibrations eliciting a novel sensation which only made you even more aroused.

“Zhong…li…p-please! Wait—”

You were rapidly getting lightheaded from the sheer pleasure of his tongue, your body shaking as he swiped up your cunt, saving every drop of your juices leaking out. He kept your legs open with his strong claws, making you unable to do anything but submit to his ministrations.

Since he couldn’t insert his digits in you, he pushed his tongue into your hole; the wriggling sensation making your eyes turn. It was incredible how he felt; face buried in your cunt as he kept on licking you like a starved man.

“Oh god….! Please…please! Zhongli! I’m close…! I—”

With toes curled, you shut your eyes tight as your mouth flew open for a loud moan. Each pulse of your orgasm engulfing you with pleasure as Zhongli went on without stopping; electricity running underneath your skin.

Just like that, Zhongli pulled away and straddled you between his legs. His burning feral eyes looking down on you as he pumped his cock right before your face. You knew what he was planning to do.

“Open your mouth.”

Unable to deny him despite how lightheaded you are, you opened your lips and slowly took him in, accommodating his large girth and trying not to choke. It wasn’t like this was your first time but you were sucking off a monster of a cock, and your mouth can only fit so much of it.

Twirling your tongue around the tip, you did the best that you could. You knew where he was most sensitive in and kept attacking those places with your tongue. Licking up his shaft and sucking on a prominent vein, you slowly began to enter a lull of arousal—all you could think of was sucking him off, loving how he grinds himself inside your mouth with a guttural groan.

With his claws gripping your head, Zhongli pushed even harder, making you deepthroat him and gagging at how forceful it was. He kept on fucking your mouth, his large dick hitting the back of your throat at every thrust. It seemed painful and it was, as tears streamed down your cheeks, but you were also getting off of it, your cunt once again drenched.

You loved how full your mouth was of him, how the pain and the pleasure melded together into an incomprehensible yet hedonistic sensation. He was rough but you loved it.

Suddenly however, Zhongli pulled out from your mouth, his cock bobbing on his toned stomach. He gazed down at you who seemed to have woken up from a trance with watery eyes and pre-cum stained face.

“That’s enough. I think you’re ready.”

Dazed, you could only watch as he returned to his previous position; rubbing his cock on your drenched cunt. Every time he touches your clit, you groaned in delight—your writhing figure only served to push him further into carnality.

Without any warning, he sheathed his dick inside of you in one sharp thrust as you cried out so loudly from the sudden stimulation. He was so thick and you were so full of him in an instant; your cunt quivering from almost cumming.

“Z-Zhong…li…! Nnngh!”

The image of you underneath him—back arched and face in pure ecstasy—Zhongli could no longer stop himself. You were clenching around him so tightly; the warmth of your folds urging him to fuck you senseless.

And he did. Pulling almost all the way out, Zhongli then pounded back into roughly; grunting at how you felt so good around him. He continued to thrust into you, setting up a rough and harsh pace as he chased his own high.

“You take me in so well, YN,” he whispered as he bent down, your leg hanging on his shoulders. “Hang in there, love.”

All you could feel was him inside you, grazing on your most sensitive spots; turning you delirious with pleasure. He was so big, stretching you to your limits and it felt so good as he kept with his unrelenting thrusts; your cries fueling him to push harder.

His lips were on yours once again; determined to have them swollen with his intense kisses. He had long been waiting for this—every night where he had only had his hand to relieve him; he would think of you in this exact position. But now that he could finally be one with you, he couldn’t help revel in the absolute bliss of your embrace.

With his mouth, he continued where he left off on your breasts; giving the pert nipples more attention with a little bite. You could only scream at the sudden stimulation as it paired perfectly well with his every violent thrust; once again nearing you to the brink of climax.

“Z-Zhongli….Zhongli…! Aah…please…I can’t! It’s…too much!”

“No…” he growled at you, his claws now on your hips, easily manhandling you as he kept on pounding again and again. “I won’t stop.”

Skin slapping against skin was heard all over the room other than your hoarse whimpers and his deep groans. Limbs trembling at the overstimulation, you could only grasp on the sheets as Zhongli pleasured himself inside of you.

You were close…so close to climax that it only took one harsh thrust for you to come undone; screaming and clenching around him like a vice grip.

In his eyes, you were so beautiful, so erotic as he watched your orgasm wash over you like a tidal wave. He can’t help but think of how you would look like filled up with his seed, how he would breed into you until you bear him children.

Zhongli immediately felt you tighten up; groaning as he also felt his own orgasm upon him. As the both of you connected glances, he pushed himself further into you, his pace becoming more erratic.

“Nghh…! Take my seed…YN…!”

He moaned as he shoved deep inside of you, his thick cock filling you up with his warm seed. You convulsed once again, loving the way he was cumming inside of you, your eyes seeing nothing but stars.

Breathing in an out, you tried to calm your wildly beating heart as he pulled out. You sighed at the sudden emptiness, already missing how he felt inside you. Trying to find his eyes, you were able to exchange glances as you laid on the bed, breathless.

 However, he only returned your fucked out expression with a smirk, which only became more devilish with the slits in his eyes.  He could see his cum beginning to leak out from your hole; the image like a drug in his system, sending him into overdrive.

“Did you think we’re already done?” he asked as he turned you around, your ass high up on the air. “That would hardly get you pregnant, my love.”

With those words, he plunged his still hard dick back inside of you who was keening at the sudden stretch.

“…mnn…Zhongli…!” you cried. “I…I’m still sensitive!”

He only chuckled at your protests. Leaning down, he took a bite of your shoulder, and then began to look on the indentations he left.

“Did you conveniently forget the fact that I am a dragon in heat?” he asked, leaving another set of love bites on your shoulder blades. “I will stop at nothing until you are filled to the brim with my seed.”

“…Z-Zhongli…wait…!”

Your husband once again moved roughly, his lips now busy with decorating your back with his marks. Tonight, you will be full of him—his scent, his marks, his seed—you belong to him and no one else.

For the rest of the night, he did exactly what he promised. Zhongli kept on fucking you over and over, and cumming inside you every single time. He seemed to have endless stamina, and kept on going for hours on end. The both of you tried every position possible—from you riding him to him fucking you on his lap—there was no respite.

It was when you heard the roosters crow and the bright singing of the birds that Zhongli finally stopped. Buried on stained sheets and throes of pillows, he finally collapsed beside you who was still trembling from your last orgasm—how many times was it? You had already lost count.

“Have you calmed down now?” you asked, still breathless as you felt him creep a hand around your waist to pull you into a tight snuggle.

Your husband hummed. “Yes. For now, that is.

“So there’s more?”

He kissed the nape of your neck now adorned by his bitemarks. “I did precisely tell you that I am in heat, darling. Heats do not last for a night.”

You sighed at his reply and then turned to place a chaste kiss on his lips. “I’ll be ready then.”

With your words, Zhongli only chuckled, nuzzling against you. “It is still beyond me how you easily agreed. There is no doubt that you will be with child after this.”

A smile crept on your lips.

“Well, actually…that was what I was hoping to talk to you about,” you replied as you covered his arm with yours. “I was going to say I’ll be resigning from adventuring, and focus on finding work here in Liyue so that we can stay close like this.”

“Oh…” was all he could say as everything fell into its rightful places.

“It turned out quite better than expected, didn’t it?” you told him with a grin.

“It did,” Zhongli replied. “Now get some rest, we’ll continue once you wake up.”

[irene-with-a-gaze]

Hiyaa!! Mind if you write a Bakugou x fem! reader angst loosely based on tolerate it by taylor swift? extra points if she ends up leaving him at the end!!!

Pairing: Bakugou x fem! reader

Genre: Angst

A/N: ahaha! angst! taylor swift! you got it! who would ever resist such a mix?

I sit and watch you reading with your head low

I notice the light rust on the golden plated number on the door before I fumble with the keys until I manage to insert them in, turning the knob with only a sneeze on my part to announce my presence.

The apartment is relatively lit, with geometric shapes acting as a light source. As I round the corner, dark corners are gaping, including the kitchen and the open door to the laundry room. I shudder despite the warmth that wafts from our upgraded heating system that he had insisted on installing when we first moved in, knocking his knuckles against my forehead, pointing out that I easily get sick. It helped, I suppose, but the warmth displayed now in this harsh winter has recently been overshadowed by the cold presence he exudes.

It’s raining relentlessly, evidence being my hair as it sticks to my brow, although the books and vegetables I had brought in were safely protected inside my coat. I carefully take off my headphones, Sony gleaming off their sides. Slowly I approach our bedroom, and as expected, he’s doing reports, his head hanging to the side, eyebrow furrowed, not looking up even when I clear my throat.

“Hey Katsuki,” I mutter, “when’d you get here?”

I hang my coat on the handle, taking my books to the bookshelf nearby. He takes a minute to reply. “About an hour ago, dinner was shit. Don’t take out from that sushi restaurant again.”

“Oh, well,” I itched the side of my forehead; I thought it was pretty good. “How was work? Any problems?”

“ 'nothin. Just did patrol with Shitty Hair,”

“Ah. Haven't seen Kirishima in a while, why don't you invite him to dinner sometime?” I suggested.

He grunted. Whether in approval or disapproval I couldn't tell.

“I had a good work day today, father said that I should be able to acquire his position within a few months,” I was met with silence on his end. Sighing, I padded to the closet, pulling out a basket of dirty clothes. “He also wanted to talk to you soon. Something about good family investment,”

He looked up, confusion etched on his face, “My career is a good enough investment,”

I hummed, before to turning to ask him, “When did you say that gala was? The uh, award ceremony?”

“Tch, how many times do I have to repeat it? Friday Y/n!”

I sigh, making my way to my vanity. “Right, Friday,” Our fifth anniversary. I thought of reminding him, but he looked pissed off as it is. 

______________________________________________________________

“Here, let me do it for you,” I offered, taking the tie from his hand. He said nothing but simply glanced at the watch on his wrist. I mechanically moved as if trained years to do this. And in some sense, it was true. It used to be a way to showcase my affections for him and his to appreciate me wholeheartedly, but now…

“There,” I whispered, fixing his suit although it was perfectly pristine. He hummed, and I thought he was looking at me with something other than a deep annoyance for a split second. But as soon as my eyes met his in a hopeful gaze, he tore away from me.

“Can’t be late, so hurry up.”

______________________________________________________________

I can understand to a certain extent why Katsuki worked so hard for what he became now, the 2nd top hero in all of Japan. The glamorous parties, connections, and sea of beautiful women all dressed in expensive dresses. Amongst them, I felt plain, despite the dress my mother sent me from Italy, rivaling against said gorgeously dressed women.

I held onto Bakugou’s suit-clad arm, carefully constructing my face to a poised, practiced smile I often use during meetings at my father’s trading corporation. He had yet to retire as chairman, and I was content with my position, despite the everyday exchange of fake pleasantries (but it was sometimes the only way to seal the deal).

I arched my back, rolled my shoulders, and held my head as high as possible. As soon as we enter the humongous doors of silver and gold, I take a good glance around. Not only to look for old friends but to manage a few good business deals, a mission assigned by my father. And lucky me, I am met by one approaching from my right. Strike one is the creator of Beez, an up-and-coming video game company. Easy pray and is deemed to be successful. 

“Ah, Mrs. Bakugou, a pleasure to see you here,” he greets me once within talking distance before grabbing my outstretched hand for a shake, doing the same to Katsuki, whose eyes harshly scrutinize him. 

“The pleasure’s all mine Mr. Nanaka, and you know my husband,” I gesture, to which he lets out a big laugh. 

“Who wouldn’t know top hero Dynamight! Big fan here, and let me tell you, we are already creating an entire video game about you pro-heroes!” he exclaimed, flashing a charming smile.

Nanaka Suwa, a young man in his twenties, self-made and becoming more successful by the day. He is charming as one could get, especially with the glistening of his dark hair. I went to middle school with him but haven’t seen him since.

Bakugou grunted before asking, “Video game?”

I laughed awkwardly before quickly replying, “Nanaka here owns a video game company, very successful if I may add,”

Katsuki gave me a look, practically spewing words from his gaze, ‘of course you only came here for business, tch. what can I expect from you.’

“Right, and weren’t you the first to doubt me when I told you back in middle school?”

“Ha, of course, I was! You showed me plans for a company that could rival a second grader,” I exclaimed, surprised that he even mentioned our past friendship.

“Uh, okay. Those drawings are what got me here, attending this gala, walking amongst literal heroes,” 

“Alright, alright. Say, draw me up a contract, let’s do some business together,”

He smirked, “You got yourself a new business partner.”

Nanaka walked away, but not before presenting me with his card.

I turned to Bakugou, only to see him chatting with non-other than Ochaco. Pain swarmed my chest, a hurt look on my face as he seemed to gently tuck a piece of her hair back.

An odd memory fluttered in the back of my head, triggered by the scene in front of me. It felt all too familiar, a feeling I thought was long gone. He swore that he stopped loving her, that he loved me. But how I can believe it now as I did back then when for the past few months, nothing but dread occurred in my stomach to watch him seemingly move on from our supposed life together.

Before I could approach them, a hand latched on my shoulder, breaking me away from the thoughts that swam in my head. As I meet his heterochromia eyes, a sudden smile breaks out. “Todoroki!”

“L/n, how are you?” His brows were pushed uncharacteristically, concern deeply imprinted on his face. 

I sigh, fighting the urge to look back at the horrific scene, “Doing as best as I can, what about you? Long time no see,” I chided playfully.

“Listen, this may not be the best circumstance, but I have to talk to you privately,”

“Yeah, sure. What’s going on?” I uttered slowly.

______________________________________________________________

The ride home was excruciating, and what tears I expected to burst were but mere droplets that I hadn’t let go past my lashes. Rain was heavy, the perfect weather for a walk outside with an umbrella or hot cocoa and an old sitcom. What a waste. 

My face fell as I looked at the package that had arrived at my door; a gift for him. My breath slowed as I picked it up, throwing it in the trash can in his office as soon as I entered.

What! What right does he have to keep me hanging as a trophy wife while he hangs around her! And to think-- just to think that I love him--

      loved him? Does he even love me? 

                                  Did he ever?

After all the support I've given him, sleepless nights spent worrying over if he'd even make it home, if he's injured or in the hospital, becoming friends with his friends so that he could feel comfortable. Where'd that all go? Could it so easily vanish? The years we had spent together?

It was as if one day he woke up and decided that I wasn't good enough for him. The 2nd top hero in the game. And I tried to get to him, tried to understand, relentlessly. Figures, it was another woman. Something I hadn't expected out of someone whom I knew so well, memorized like poetry.

As quickly and as quietly as I could, I shoved what belongings I had in a spare box we had left. Pictures ripped apart on the floor, books of his mingled with mine thrown mindlessly. Clothes and toiletries in bags. Not a single trace left of me. Except for the couch I had picked, the drapes we hung together, and the paintings I had bought just for him. What a fool.

I wish he had ended it long before this had started.

Why... why couldn’t he???

                                                                                      Why, why, why, why...

Nevermind that. With all my belongings pushed to the front door, it felt like the dagger thrust into my heart for these long, empty months had finally been pulled out. 

Staggering to the kitchen island, I left my ring, allowing a teardrop to escape the dam I had tried to build.

______________________________________________________________

Divorce papers were sitting on Bakugou’s desk as he eyed them with distaste. He rubbed his eyes, marked with dark rings. It was a painful reminder of his mistakes when he seemed to awaken from a nightmare at the sight of their apartment that night. 

He searched all night long, called her until his phone died, and even dared to ask her parents. She had... simply disappeared. He had assumed until he received these cursed papers in his rough hands. 

He didn’t mean to go that far. And she was perfect. Their life together was perfect. Almost too perfect. He got scared. It was a terrifying realization he had nearly five years after the fact, and he couldn’t--

A ping brought him out of his distracted mind. Someone had sent him something. An article. Articles.

The air tensed, stilled. 

                                                         Her. 

Clad in all white, she was smiling, brighter than she had possibly all her life. Receiving what seemed to be an award.

With chairman L/n F/n now retired, his multi-millionaire company falls in the hands of his one and only daughter, L/n Y/n, who has proven herself in the last decade more than...

He swiped quickly, his finger accidentally pressing on the second one he had been sent.

Dating scandal of the month! Here we have it, folks; it seems even successful businessmen can’t keep from the gossip, as we see our beloved L/n Y/n hand in hand with up-and-coming Nanaka Suwa, who had shown up to the event personally to support her...

Oh.