#i fell in love instantly when i met him on a volunteer shift

[sunsetzer]

It just occurred to me that my kitten has not graced tumblr with his presence yet.

Behold: Draco

[baepsaesbae]

Eclipse

Pairing— Day Fairy!Hoseok x Night fairy!reader    

Genre— SMUT, fae au, angst, idiots to lovers

Warnings— Oral (F receiving), nipple play, explicit unprotected sex, hair pulling, both praise and slight derogatory dirty talk bc I can’t make up my mind, slight swearing

Word Count— 3.3k  

Summary— The summer solstice is here and it’s time to celebrate. Your favorite part of the solstice is that you get to see Hoseok, or rather, the love of your life. It’s too bad you haven’t told him how you really felt, even though it has been centuries. Maybe this year will be different. 

A/N— This fic is part of The Fabled Collab hosted by @joontopia, @kimtaehyunq, and @whipped-for-kpop-fics. Hoseok is my sunshine, so I just had to write about him! Thank you to @s0seo and @taegularities for giving me motivation to write. Lastly, huge shoutout to Eden from @thebiasrekkers​ for making this awesome banner for me! As always, let me know how you guys like the fic! My askbox is always open <3

Fae clans have many holidays and rituals, but solstices are by far the most celebrated. Solstices mark the pivotal event that shifts the seasonal responsibilities between the sun and moon clans. The summer and winter solstice are always the biggest events of the year, with about a week of festivities leading up to the final event. 

Sweat ran down your spine as the sun beat down on you. You’ve been holding up a stupid banner for what felt like an eternity.

“Okay wait, you’re gonna hate me but I think we should put it back to where we originally had it,” Sunghoon said with furrowed brows.

“That’s it. We’ve been doing this all morning. Figure this out yourself,” you angrily threw down the banner and stormed off before Sunghoon had the chance to yell at you.

You ignored the friendly calls from other fae that were setting up decor nearby. It was way past your bedtime. Cranky and drenched in sweat, you were definitely not a happy night fairy. Heading straight to the pond, you derobed and found comfort in the cool waters that  washed away your stress instantly. You gazed up at the blue sky while floating on your back. The day truly was beautiful, you couldn’t deny that. However, nighttime was better in your very much biased opinion. The dark sky littered with countless stars that glittered like diamonds was an unbeatable sight. 

“Hey there sunshine!” a familiar voice interrupted your thoughts. You dipped back into the water and turned to the source of the sound.

“Hey there, perv. Care to join me?” you beckoned.

“I wish I could, but I need to go finalize some plans for the handoff ceremony--”

“It’s the same EVERY year. C’mon Hobi, you don’t need to go,” you whined.

“I’ll meet you back here at sunset, how does that sound?” he tried to appease you.

“Midnight. I’m already exhausted, I don’t wanna wake up early,” you blew raspberries into the pond.

“That’s fair. I’ll see you then okay?” Hoseok waved before flying off.

On top of parties filled with indulgences that would blow the mind of any feeble human, Hoseok was the added bonus that made you eager for each solstice. Admittedly, you two have had some sort of flirtationship going on for the past few centuries. Your friends always teased you about how madly head over heels you were for him. As much as you wanted to believe that he loved you in the same way, something always felt off.  

Hoseok always reciprocated your flirtatious advances, but it felt more like a game between friends rather than something substantial. You’ve even observed his interactions with other fairies, and it didn’t seem like he gave you any special treatment. He was simply a good friendly guy that everyone loved, but not the way that you loved him. 

You were dying to know how he truly felt about you. All these years of playful banter had been fun, but they had also been simultaneously eating away at you. There’s no way he doesn’t know that you love him. At the same time, what if he thinks you’re just a good friend? You needed to know for sure, and you intended to confront him about it at midnight.

“Good evening,” you greeted Hoseok shyly as you approached the pond’s bank. 

“Good day to you sunshine,” Hoseok called back as he kicked at the water.

“How’d the meeting go?” you asked.

“Boring as always. You’re right, it’s the same every year. But the elders still want to go over everything again to ensure that the ceremony is perfect,” Hoseok sighed.

“Thanks for coming to hangout with me even though you’re so busy,” you said, suddenly feeling guilty.

“Are you kidding? I’ve been looking forward to this all day! You’re the perfect person to unwind with after a long day,” Hoseok smiled. There it was. The radiant smile you fell for the first time you ever met him. 

“You sure I’m the perfect person for that? What do you do when you’re back in your own land surrounded by other day fae?” you prodded, hoping to steer the conversation onto the ‘what are we’ topic. 

“I have my friends there for sure, and I appreciate them too. But it’s different with you. Maybe because I can only hangout with you twice a year. You’re like my super special friend, yaknow?” Hoseok tried to explain. 

“Uh yeah, for sure. Like a special playdate kind of thing huh?” you tried to hide your hurt feelings.

“Exactly! You get it. It’s like you’re my favorite dessert that I can only have twice a year,” Hoseok nodded.

“Right…” you whispered softly to yourself. You spent the rest of the night listening to the unfruitful discussions Hoseok had during his meetings. All the excitement over the festival had drained from you. Now, you just wanted it to be over so you can go sulk in peace. 

“You’re awfully quiet,” Hoseok observed, “You haven’t interjected once about how stupid our traditions are or how you’re looking forward to having long nights again.”

“Hm? Oh yeah, I’m just tired. Sunghoon really worked me to the bone yesterday, that damn day fairy,” you faked a yawn.

“Hey, be nice! Wasn’t it you who volunteered to help us anyway?” Hoseok shook his head.

‘Yeah, because I thought I’d be able to work with you,’ you thought.

“It was a bizarre streak of altruism, that’s all,” you shrugged. 

“Nah, I know you’re a kind fairy deep down!” Hoseok playfully nudged your shoulder. Normally you would welcome this type of physical affection, but for right now it served as a painful reminder that you were merely seen as a buddy. 

You actively avoided Hoseok for the remainder of the week, counting down the hours to when it would finally all be over. You made up some lame excuse to not hangout with Hoseok every time he approached you. He must have caught on by the final day, either that or he was extremely busy. Afterall, he was the MC for the entire ordeal. 

Apparently, your abrasive reputation preceded you because no one wanted your help with anything. As soon as they saw you coming, they would randomly find themselves very preoccupied with something that made them too busy to talk to you. The only person who would put you to work was Sunghoon, who was one of Hoseok’s best friends. You wondered why he was always so nice to you even when you complained the entire time you helped him.

“That’s the last table! They all look great, thanks for helping with the set up,” Sunghoon gave you a thumbs up.

“You know it’s pointless setting up all these tables. Most of the fairies are just gonna be dancing or fucking all night long, no one is gonna be sitting down,” you said.

“Are you gonna be one of the fairies partying?” Sunghoon inquired.

“Definitely not,” you answered curtly.

“Then I’m happy at least one of these tables will be utilized,” Sunghoon nodded, “Try to enjoy yourself tonight okay?”

“Whatever,” you rolled your eyes.

The entire forest seemed to come alive that night. The trees swayed with the enchanting music while cheers of merriment erupted around the party scene. You sat alone at a mushroom table with your third (or was it fourth?) cup of berry wine. You glared at the fairies who had lost themselves to their pleasures, whether it be the wine or the toadstools, or perhaps even both. Fairies who had given into their more lustful urges could be seen on the outskirts of the dance floor, some in the innocent stages of kissing and others entangled full fledged fornication. Scoffing at the obscene orgy, you stumbled off to get another cup of wine. Even though you weren’t really participating, you had to admit that fairies knew how to throw a party. 

“Hey ___, I noticed you’ve been by yourself the whole evening. Want some company?” someone asked behind you as you filled up your mug to the brim. You turned to see two Sunghoons merge to become one hazy Sunghoon in the blink of an eye. 

“F-ffuck off Sunghoon,” you slurred.

“I wanted to thank you for all the hard work you did for this year’s summer solstice,” Sunghoon continued, unfazed by your harshness, “Wanna dance to celebrate?”

“Nope,” you answered as you pushed him aside.

“Yeah she seemed pretty pissed dude,” Sunghoon said while taking a large swig.

“At you or in general?” Hoseok inquired.

“Dunno man, she’s always been like that. However, she seemed more aggravated than usual, which is hard to imagine,” Sunghoon chuckled, “Did you do something to her?”

“No! I’ve been replaying everything we talked about at the pond but everything seemed fine! I even told her that she was my super special friend and---oh shit,” Hoseok’s face fell.

“Idiot,” Sunghoon tsked. 

Both fae clans had gathered by the main stage, intently listening to the same speeches that the clan leaders have spoken for centuries. You watched apathetically as the everlasting flame was being formally handed over. The crowd roared as the flame changed from a deep crimson red to an icy silver color with a blue hue, signifying that the solstice had come to pass. 

If the festival wasn’t wild before, it had only gotten more out of hand after the official ceremony. Seeing the other fairies go wild in every sense of the word made you nauseous. The noise level intensified as you watched your fairy brethren engage in rather promiscuous activities. Someone even beckoned for you to join in the fun, but you just walked away. The only person you wanted to have that kind of fun with was Hoseok. It infuriated you that your thoughts always drifted to him. You filled up your cup one last time and walked away from the ruckus, towards an empty grove. Hopefully you would be able to wallow in self pity in peace there. 

The stars twinkled above you, and dim moonlight speckled the ground around you as it shone through the trees. You could still hear the party, but it was much fainter now and served as nice background noise to keep you from drowning in your thoughts. With a deep exhale, you fought to hold back tears. You felt so foolish. Too many years have been wasted in vain for an unrequited love that you should have seen coming. It was so stupid of you to hold onto a sliver of hope that Hoseok would like you back. 

“The party is that way,” a familiar voice called out to you.

“Then why aren’t you there?” you didn’t try to mask the annoyance in your voice.

“I saw you walk away, I wanted to check up on you.”

“Why the fuck would you even care?” you sat up and hissed.

“Why are you being so hostile? You’re the one who has been avoiding me all week!” Hoseok raised his voice.

“I’m sure you didn’t have much time to spend with me anyway,” you huffed.

“That’s not true. I spent every moment of my free time looking for you, only for you to turn me away. Can you tell me what’s wrong?” Hoseok calmed down.

“Fine. I’m in love with you, okay? How fucking embarrassing. It hurt when you said that I was your super best friend or whatever. Seeing you afterward just reminded me of how dumb I am,” you couldn’t make eye contact with him.

“Oh sunshine, I’m the idiot. I shouldn’t have said that. You’re my special friend because I like you too. I wanted to spend every second with you this week. I didn’t mean to hurt you like that, I’m so sorry ____,” Hoseok got down on his knees and pulled you in for a hug. You were stunned.

“Why didn’t you say anything sooner then!” you pushed him off.

“I thought it was obvious from the way we flirted!” he argued. 

“You’re nice to everyone, it was hard for me to tell,” you pouted.

“My apologies for not being a sourpuss like you,” Hoseok laughed.

“So...what now? It wasn’t really a romantic confession but I guess our feelings are out in the open now,” you whispered as you leaned against him.

Suddenly, Hoseok pushed you back to the ground, straddling your hips. His dark hair nearly covered his eyes as he looked down at you. He was beyond beautiful, his white iridescent wings glittered ethereally in the moonlight. 

“Remember when I said you’re like a dessert I can only have twice a year? I’d like to make that a reality,” Hobi smirked. He bent over to kiss you. It was soft at first, his plush lips pressing up against yours. He gently cupped your face with one hand while the other wandered to your chest, undoing your blouse. Lust overtook the both of you as the kiss deepened and Hoseok fondled your breasts. You let out a small gasp as he played with your nipples, rolling them between his fingers.  

“Spread those legs for me, sunshine,” he demanded.

You complied, slowly exposing yourself to him. You couldn’t bring yourself to look at him while in such a compromising position. Hoseok gingerly kissed a trail along your inner thighs towards your core. His hot breath against your pussy made you squirm under him in anticipation.

“So impatient,” he chuckled, “Let’s play a game. You have to make eye contact with me while I eat you out. Every time you look away, I stop.”

“You’re evil,” you huffed before reluctantly looking at the beautiful being perched between your legs. 

“That’s my girl,” he purred approvingly before spreading your folds with his fingers. His eyes darkened with lust as you watched him lick tantalizingly slow stripes. He could feel your need for more, so he moved up to focus on your clit, giving it special attention as his tongue swirled around it. 

You tangled your fingers into his hair, gripping him tighter as he licked your clit faster. All your composure was lost as you looked down at him with pleading eyes.

“What is it? Need more?” Hoseok teased as his fingers traced your entrance.

“Please,” you whimpered.

“Please what?” Hoseok feigned ignorance

“Please touch me,” you said softly.

“We need to work on your begging, but you’re so adorable I can’t say no,” Hobi dove back into stimulating your clit as he slipped a finger inside of you. He smirked at how easily he went in, and immediately added a second finger. The new feeling had you throwing your head back as he grazed your g-spot. Right as things began to feel good, he retracted everything.

“Hobi!” you cried out in frustration.

“You looked away. Remember the rules to our little game?” Hoseok chided. You glared down at him as he immediately picked up where he left off, not giving you time to readjust. Fighting back the urge to close your eyes, soft moans escaped from your lips.

“Ready to cum, my dear ___?” he asked sweetly as his fingers dipped to directly attack your g-spot.

There was no time to give a proper response. Your back arched and your toes curled up as your orgasm overwhelmed you. Drenched in your juices, Hoseok glistened under the moonlight.

“Absolutely gorgeous,” Hoseok praised, “But I’m not finished with you yet,” he leaned in to whisper in your ear.

He unbuckled his trousers, releasing the monster that dangled between his legs. You willingly spread your legs for him, eager for more.

“So needy, you haven’t had enough yet?” Hoseok tsked as he rubbed the tip of his cock along your folds.

Finally, Hoseok began to bury himself into you. He took his time, relishing how your warm walls squeezed him. You closed your eyes in ecstasy, focusing on feeling every inch of him. Once he bottomed out, you wrapped your legs around him in an attempt to bring him impossibly closer. The dark lust that swam in his eyes broke for a second, replaced by the warm smile that made you fall in love with him in the first place. He bent down to kiss you, and you happily reciprocated. 

Hoseok moved his hips slowly as he fucked you at a deep yet gentle pace. Mouths still colliding, you shyly licked at his lips. Taking your hint, Hoseok’s tongue met yours. As the kisses deepened with more saliva being interchanged, Hoseok’s thrusts became harsher.    

“You’re so fucking sexy. Lemme see that ass baby,” Hoseok growled as he flipped you over.

He smacked your ass twice and watched it jiggle in awe before placing a firm grip on your hips. Almost animalistically, he bucked into you. Your body jolted forward with each thrust. You had never been fucked this hard before, and it was heavenly. Hoseok’s control over his body movement was insane. Your moans grew louder as his hips continuously rolled into you. 

One of Hoseok’s hands formed a tight grip on your hair, roughly bringing your head up off the ground. You couldn’t stop your wanton moans from filling the open air. 

“H-Hoseok,” you cried out.

“What is it? Is it too much for you?” Hoseok cooed in your ear as he brought your head back even closer to him.

“Mmm-no,” was all you could make out.

“I knew you could take it all, such a good slut,” Hoseok praised as he let go of your hair.

Unable to hold yourself up, you immediately fell back onto your chest. Your fingernails dug into the dirt as you could feel another orgasm swelling up inside of you. 

“I’m gonna cum again,” you wailed out.

“I’m almost there, wait for me baby,” Hoseok instructed.

With perfect timing, Hoseok let out a guttural moan as he spilled his seed inside of you. Sounds of pleasure bounced around the grove as you came in unison. Hoseok’s cum dripped down the sides of your inner thighs when he pulled out. 

“How did I do, sunshine?” Hoseok asked jovially as you laid on the ground before him.

“You knocked me out. I don’t think I can move for a while,” you weakly answered with a smile.

“Not a problem, we can just stay here for a while, sunshine,” Hoseok laid down beside you, beckoning for you to rest atop his chest. 

“I like when you call me that,” you yawned.

“Sunshine?” Hoseok asked.

“Yeah, that. It makes me feel special,” you nodded.

“Is that so? I’m glad it makes you feel special, because you are. You’ve always been the spunky night fairy that everyone knows but is too afraid to approach,” Hoseok laughed.

“What! I am totally friendly! Just not to those who piss me off,” you defended, “Which...I guess is a lot of people so I suppose I see your point. What made you want to be my friend if everyone thought I’m scary?”

“You treated me like everyone else. It always felt like people put on a fake facade around me since I’m the chief’s son. They’re nice to me to try and curry favor with my father, or maybe flirt with me to try and gain some special sort of status. I don’t know. I’m just me,” Hoseok shrugged. 

“If it makes you feel any better, you’re my sunshine,” you hugged him.

“That makes me feel great. I’ll do my best to see you more than twice a year, okay?” he kissed your forehead.

“I guess I can clear my schedule and come over to visit you too,” you giggled, “Or maybe we can run away and make a clan of our own.”

“Are you serious?” he asked, “Don’t tempt me. I’d love to go somewhere where no one knows my name or expects anything from me.”

“How about we go to where the day meets the night?” you offered.

“Like what? An eclipse?” Hoseok said as he gazed into the night sky.

“Precisely. We can make an eclipse clan. We only have to do festivals for eclipses, and those are kinda rare,” you giggled.

“Sounds like a good dream, sunshine. Let’s seriously discuss it in the morning when we’re both more sober,” Hoseok kissed your forehead.

“Goodnight, my sunshine,” you whispered into his chest.

Published July 23, 2021. No editing, copying, translating, or reposting allowed. All Rights Reserved © 2021 Baepsaesbae.

[sunseteyes]

THE WINTER WE MET

ㅤㅤ ↪︎ STARRING: muzan kibutsuji; gn!reader

ㅤㅤ ↪︎ THEMES: nurse!reader, turning into a demon, slight mentions of pain

ㅤㅤ ↪︎ WORD COUNT: 1, 852 words

ㅤㅤ ↪︎ SYNOPSIS: before you became his, you were a normal person who lived a simple life, a nurse to a clinic, a human.

ㅤㅤ ↪︎ INTERMISSION: last secret santa for this year! also, this is like the prequel of this drabble, so if you’d like to have more romance i recommend reading it afterwards~!!

[11:09 PM]

demons and humans alike had questioned you how and why you chose to be with muzan from the very beginning to the end, why you chose to live in a kind of life just to be with him.

you could remember how the snowflakes fell from above the dark sky to your nose, your lips pulling up into an occasional smile as you were on your way towards the place where you work. being a nurse at that time was not easy, especially with the limited supplies from the lack of financial help from the government. it was pure luck that you even have a job that pays you enough because the owner of the clinic himself was wealthy.

pulling your sleeves to cover your exposed arms, you stepped forward and continued your way towards your destination, each and every step seemingly trying to pull you back to home, the snow that formed on the ground restricting you from walking faster than you usually do, as if they had already predicted what’s to come after this day ends.

and you hoped you should have just called-in sick, just like your instincts and the snow had told you so. you wished you only came by the morning, where you could have greeted the sun one more time, maybe even as long as you’re alive.

the entrance to the clinic was warm, with a little bit of cold from the season, but it was warm nonetheless. you thought it was from the comforts of being somewhere you had been used to going for a very long time, yet it seems to have a very different reason that can only be known after clinging into a reality that was neither the truth nor not.

“you’re here (y/n)-san.” the gentle voice of your only co-worker came, his figure coming up by one of the rooms that was of a patient’s. his old stature coming into view as you were once again reminded of why you chose to still remain under his service. you simply couldn’t think of an old man like him to work and treat on other people’s injuries when he himself is at risk of infections and being caught with others’ sickness. you, as someone who has young blood, thought it’s your duty to help the elderly, at the same time as earning enough wage for yourself.

“it’s nice to see you, fujimoto-san.” you greeted the man back, bowing politely as you stepped further into the wooden and compact facility. it’s not as if clinics at that time were privileged, after all. everything that was in that place was there because it is terribly important and needed. any unnecessary supply or object are quite limited, which means that there are barely even anything unless they’re medical supplies or equipment.

“i’ve done my daily rounds now, but i still have to check one more patient. would you like to join me, (y/n)-san?” he inquires and you instantly accept, seeing that you should have been responsible for doing rounds in the morning as well. since you’ve decided to come late so that you’ll cover the night shift, it’s only natural that it would be the doctor who did the rounds alone. still, it was like you had done something wrong and now, you should repay the doctor by doing your job as much as you can.

there were several patients especially during winter, thus you didn’t suspect when someone came by the short time that you were not in the clinic.

“this is kibutsuji-san, he came here to volunteer for the experiment for the illness that he has.”

the words of the old doctor drowned in your ear and your mind as your eyes scanned the patient; his pale skin looking so pristine under the faint light that the moonlight bring, the strands of his dark hair looking as soft and silky as it presses unto the pure white pillow, the fullness of its color resonating well with where it’s peacefully resting at. If you were asked, you would gladly say and confess how you were captivated by this man’s beauty, yet you still have a duty to fulfill and a rule to follow. for now, this man’s welfare should be your top priority, and not the desires of your heart.

asyou and the doctor were about to walk out of the room, the sound of shuffling caught your ears.

“ah, it seems that you’ve woken up, kibutsuji-san.” the doctor greets as he steps back by the patient’s bed, a gentle and warm smile plastered on his face, the welcoming vibe of the room elevating, just as it should be.

“we have prepared the medicine that you’re about to partake. would you like to take them now, kibutsuji-san?”

“how am i assured that this will not kill me?”

“there’s no such assurance, kibutsuji-san.”

you listened silently as you walked by the doctor’s side, his cool composure despite the slightly heated conversation proving just how much he was a well-fit to the job. fujimoto is not just your employer, but he also became somewhat of a teacher to you, that’s why he holds a special place in your heart despite these times.

you see, the experiment, it’s not merely just to give cure to the patients who have untreatable illnesses. It was also for his glory. he wanted to prove to others that he was the best doctor in town and that he should be the one who people will go to when they have concerns.

there’s nothing wrong with having a goal, but this experiment is dangerous. one mistake might kill somebody, and if you were included in his schemes, it would mean that you’re a murderer as well.

andso far, the people that were killed were a total of ten.

this man—kibutsuji, he’s the eleventh patient.

nomatter how much you admired the doctor for his skill set and talent, surely this man deserves to have a little bit more taste of the life he has.

“(y/n)-san, please assist kibutsuji-san with his medicine. i’ll just have to go attend other patients.”

It seems as if all your prayers were accepted as you watched the doctor walk away, leaving you, kibutsuji, and the medicine that was on your hands alone.

when you met his eyes, his dark—same as his hair, eyes, they were expectant, but wary. you could intimately sense how hesitant he was in spite of also wanting to partake the medicine. from what you gathered, he had tried from all the other clinics as well, to which they claim the same very thing: he was untreatable. for him, this might be his very last chance of life.

for you, this glass of medicine is his death.

“what are you doing?”

you ignored his words as you raised the glass to your own lips, its scent filling your nose as quickly as your body worked on what your mind had thought.

he had reacted quite quickly as you had expected, grabbing the glass from your grasp and pulling it away.

“you seriously drank from it.” the deep frown from his face was obvious but you could see the way he raises his brows as he drinks from the same glass, emptying it out without any other thought.

“what is tha-”

it affected him first, much more than it did to you actually. it started with his skin, looking much paler than it was, but it seemed to have become smoother, much refined. then his eyes, the dark flickering with a hue far different than it once were, his irises growing thinner and thinner as he remained his gaze on you, the veins on his forehead becoming visible to the sight, his growls growing louder by the minute.

and then it was your turn.

“w-what did you make me drink?” the pain, it was hinted in his voice, this seering jolt of electricity coursing through your veins, you wondered if it was the same thing that he was feeling too, you wondered if the pain would ever stop, if this you would die and regret ever trying to act like the hero of the story. and yet before you could think more, you couldn’t, your mind was blank, drowned into the heaviness on your chest and the blood-curdling screams from both you and the man in front of you. It gave you the answer to your question of whether he was feeling the same or not, but it didn’t matter to you anymore.

then it stops.

you could feel the sweat that fell down the side of your face, but you couldn’t feel anything other than that. there was no more heat from your hairline, and the back of your neck. you just felt light, as if you were soaring at the clouds, the gravity not pulling you to the ground as it once did.

by the time your eyes met his, it was then that you realized what had occurred.

if you were to be asked, of course there were moments where you had thought of not having to go to work back then. because if you didn’t, then you wouldn’t be spending the rest of your life craving for a blood that was not of yours, clutching for a life over another. yet alongside that thought comes a life without muzan, and after all the years and decades that has passed, you couldn’t seem to fathom living without the said man anymore.

“is something bothering your mind, my love?”

a faint touch by your cheek brings you back to reality, to the present, a thousand years apart from the memory that kept circling your head ever since. his hand was not warm, his eyes should not display any kind of feeling, but you felt your heart crumble and clench, the very sight of him spreading a delicate sensation inside of you no matter how much you tried to stop it each and every time.

muzan, you wanted to say his name, but you can’t. one mention of his name will kill you, and one mention of yours will kill him. both of you shared the same secret, same curse, same blood, same tainted spirits. And yet, here you are, indulging it.

you raised your hand to touch his that were on your cheek, cold and smooth. even still, you chose to ignore it, like you did each and every time.

“nothing, my love. I’m just glad you’re here with me.”

and you were. because no matter how much trials, challenges and sufferings you had gone through, now you have him. you have him, unlike when you were all alone and without any kind of purpose in your previous life. now, even if you two will rot in hell, you have him, and he has you. you have no regrets for the winter that you two met, forevermore.

[plaidbooks]

The Detective and the Teacher

A/N: This idea kinda came out of nowhere, but I needed to get it out of my head (like most of my stories). It’s a two-parter, and I’ll post part 2 tomorrow. If people are interested, I could make it into a longer series, but I also am kind of ok with it being short. Also, idk how to write dates, sorry

Tags: None for this part, next part will

Words: 3k+

I have a meeting with a cute guy in my class. You should come, meet him

You rolled your eyes at the text your friend sent you. She was a professor at Fordham University, teaching Risk and Crisis Communications to undergrads and graduate students. She, however, was happily married. But that didn’t stop her from finding cute guys in her class and trying to set them up with you. “They’re college students; they’re going somewhere in life,” she would argue. Besides, her idea of “cute college guys” wasn’t totally off; the main problem was waiting for someone around your age to be in her classes. You were a teacher yourself, in your early 30s, and most people taking her classes were right out of high school; way too young for you.

It was the beginning of summer in New York, so you didn’t have classes, instead volunteering at the library. Your friend, Professor Stafford, was teaching night classes this semester; sometimes she stayed after class to help a student if they asked…and they couldn’t make her office hours. So, it was 8pm by the time you were walking the halls of the University, a coffee in your hand—an excuse to meet with a friend. It was her idea; if there was a potential date for you, she’d text you, you’d come to the University with a coffee or food to deliver it to her before the meeting, then casually “bump” into the student. You made it to her classroom, handed her the coffee.

“So, what’s his name?” you asked, grinning.

She took the coffee gratefully, taking a sip before replying. “Andrew Wise. He’s one of my top students; I think you’ll really like him.” She gave you a playful wink and you rolled your eyes.

“You said that about the last three guys, and they were all snobby jerks,” you laughed.

She opened her mouth to respond when there was a soft knock on the door, a man poking his head in. “Uh, Professor Stafford? Should I wait outside?”

“No, no Andrew. Come in. This is just my friend, dropping off some coffee,” she said, beckoning him in.

You looked Andrew up and down briefly; he seemed nice, and there was nothing really wrong with him, but just the vibe he gave off had you instantly thinking, nope. You gave a smile and wave to your friend before heading out, letting them have their meeting. You didn’t feel like waiting, like trying to come up with a reason to wait, to talk to Andrew after his meeting. Instead, you wandered through the hallways, looking out the windows to the trees, the sky darkening. The sunset was slowly fading, the sky changing from the bright pinks and oranges to the pale blue of evening. You were so engrossed with the picturesque beauty of it all that you walked face-first into another person, the side of your face fully connecting with their flat, warm chest.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry,” you said, pulling back to steady yourself, looking towards whoever you had just stumbled into. You looked forward and your eyes met chest, covered in a plain, Fordham U shirt. Your eyes travelled upwards into his face and you had to stop yourself from staring; he was, well, cute.

“It’s fine, really. I shoulda been watching where I was going,” he replied back, a small smile pulling at the corner of his lips. His dirty blonde hair was slicked back, his brow was furrowed, though his bright blue eyes hinted at amusement.

You smiled up at him, and he returned it, a goofy grin pulling easily across his face. “No, I was definitely admiring the view,” you gestured out to the landscape. You noticed the backpack slung over his shoulder, “and now I’m holding you from your next class.”

“No, no, I’m done for the night; just heading home actually.” He readjusted the backpack, as if your gaze had shifted it. He glanced over the balcony and towards the sky. “It really is a pretty view, huh?”

Your eyes never left him as you agreed. God, you’re acting like a teenager in a shitty romance novel, you thought to yourself, trying to snap out of whatever trance you were in.

“So, uh, do you go here?” he asked, eyes sliding back to you.

You shook your head. “I don’t, no. Uh, Professor Stafford is a friend of mine. I was just stopping by to say hi,” you explained.

“Professor Stafford? Hmm, doesn’t ring a bell. I dunno if I know them,” he said, contemplating. At some point during this conversation, you both fell into step next to each other, both heading towards the parking lot.

“Are you taking any Communications courses?” you asked.

“And that’s why I haven’t heard of them; I am not,” he grinned. “I’m a law student.” You nodded in understanding; while you thought Communications could be beneficial to a law student—to most students, if you were honest with yourself—most people didn’t take classes outside of their majors. Especially in a field that was so dependent on passing an exam.

“Well, if you ever need an elective, I highly recommend her class,” you smiled.

He chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind.” You walked in silence for a moment. “My name’s Sonny, by the way. Sonny Carisi.”

It had just hit you that you never introduced yourself; with the shock of literally walking face-first into someone, then the easy conversation, it had completely slipped your mind. It was like you were old friends already. “Oh, [Y/N] [Y/L/N]. Nice to meet you, Sonny.”

“Pleasure’s all mine,” he gave you that goofy grin again, and you swore that you swooned right there. How did he do that with just a smile? You made it to the parking lot and found that you were parked semi-close to each other. He followed you to your car, something that you initially thought should raise alarms in your head, but something about him was calming, unthreatening.

“So,” he started as you unlocked your car. You opened the driver’s door, then leaned on it, him standing near the front of your car. He suddenly looked nervous, bashful, and it made him look even cuter. “Can I maybe buy you a coffee sometime? To, uh, make up for running into you,” he quickly added.

You felt your face grow warmer as you blushed, your heart fluttering. Did he just ask you out? “Uh, yeah. I’d like that,” you replied, unable to stop yourself from grinning broadly at him.

He smiled himself, seemingly happy that you agreed. “Great! How about tomorrow, say 10am, Cuppa Beans on 6th street?”

You quickly thought through tomorrow, made sure you had nothing scheduled in the morning. “That sounds perfect. I’ll see you there, Sonny.” With that, he made his way to his car while you got into yours. Once he was out of your line of sight, you flailed your arms in disbelief—you got a date with a super-cute law student!

 *****************

You woke up the next day early, wanting to shower and pick out something cute to wear. While you got ready, you thought back to the information you had found last night. You weren’t stupid enough to go into a date blind; you googled “Sonny Carisi” the first moment you could the night before. And when that came up with nothing substantial, you asked Professor Stafford for help. Turns out, Sonny was a nickname; his real name was Dominick. With that knowledge, you were able to find that he was a detective for the NYPD, specifically for Manhattan’s SVU department. That gave you a little bit of a pause; you couldn’t imagine having to deal with those kinds of cases, what kinds of things Sonny had probably seen on the job. You wondered if that did anything to his mind, weighed on him at all. You hoped so; someone would have to be a monster for it not to. Maybe that’s why he was a law student, maybe he wanted out. Maybe he wanted some sort of revenge against the predators that he couldn’t get as an officer; some sort of control by being the prosecutor tasked with sealing them away rather than seeing the crime scenes.

You pushed the assumptions out of your mind; you didn’t know this man, not yet. You had met him less than 24 hours ago, had a small chat. He seemed nice enough, and he was definitely attractive. You resolved to judge him based on what you gained from first-hand experience, and to shove everything you learned online, all the conjecture out until you knew more.

Cuppa Beans was relatively close to your apartment, and it was a bright, sunny day in New York, so you opted to walk. Besides, you loved the fresh air of the city, the warmth of the sun on your skin, the soft breeze playing with your hair, the cacophony of sounds that others most likely found annoying or monotonous. You wore a simple, navy blue sundress that had a white tie around your waist, a big, white bow on your hip. You made your way through the crowded streets, full of people hurrying to whatever their destinations might be. You were early; you always were. But you didn’t mind; Cuppa Beans was set up for either those who wanted a coffee and to move on with their day, or for those who wanted to sit and relax, a shelf of books on their counter for anyone to read while they enjoyed their beverage. You ordered then sat, skimming the worn spines of books until a familiar one stood out to you. You picked it out, looking at the familiar cover. Remembering one of your favorite scenes, you opened the book, flipping the pages until you found it, then you quickly got lost in the text while waiting.

“[Y/N],” a happy voice greeted, pulling you out of the book.

You glanced up, Sonny standing in front of you, his trademark grin on his face. He pulled out the chair across from you as you closed the book, putting it back on the shelf.

“Hey Sonny,” you smiled. Right then, the barista brought you your coffee and you thanked her.

“Ah, I thought I was going to buy you a coffee,” Sonny said, jokingly offended.

Your smiled widened. “You have to order something to sit here, sorry,” you explained, taking a sip. Sonny ordered his coffee, and the barista left to make it.

“It’s fine; maybe I can convince you to let me buy you lunch instead.”

You raised an eyebrow, amused. “Are you asking me out on a second date before we’ve even had our first?”

His cheeks reddened and his eyes widened slightly. “Well, it doesn’t have to be…I mean, it can be an extension of this one?” You laughed, and he tried to switch the subject. “So, what were you reading when I got here? You seemed really into it.”

You nodded, grabbing the book once more. “It’s called Wind from an Enemy Sky by D’Arcy McNickle. It’s very good; I’m thinking of using it in my class next year.” He furrowed his brow at this. “Oh, I’m an English teacher at Townsend Harris High School…I know, I’m not a college professor at Fordham like my friend, but I like teaching high school.”

“High school, huh? I couldn’t imagine trying to teach a bunch of teenagers anything,” he smirked.

You nodded; that was most people’s reaction. But it was also that reaction that made you want to teach high school more. “It’s not as bad as people seem to think. They are people, you know. Just treat them with respect, and they’re pretty receptive. I mean, you’re going to have those class clowns, but you just have to know how to deal with them. Stimulate their minds in other ways,” you explained.

The barista gave Sonny his coffee, and he sipped at it appreciatively. “So, what’s the book about?” You started off slowly, explaining the main plotline of the book; how it followed Bull, the leader of the Little Elk tribe, and how it talked about how homesteaders came into the West, encroaching upon their land. But you couldn’t stop yourself from diving in, talking about the inherent cultural appropriation that the main antagonist has, how from the first page, you know how the story will end in tragedy, how the ecocentrism worked, and ending with how important it was for teenagers to read and understand books that were written like this; from the other side, from people other than white men.

By the end of your monologue, Sonny was blinking at you, a dazed look on his face, though something else underneath, something that looked a lot like admiration.

“I’m sorry; that got a lot more in-depth than I thought it would,” you said, cheeks turning red. Sometimes, you couldn’t stop yourself from getting into a text you really liked. Your students usually picked up on that and took advantage of it; many classes ended without the students talking because you had steamrolled over the conversation.

“Hey, don’t apologize for your interests. You just know…a lot more about themes and novels than I do,” he smiled.

You sat up at the praise but were still feeling embarrassed at the word vomit that had occurred. Taking a page out of his book, you decided to switch topics. “Tell me about yourself; how is it working as a detective and being a law student?”

Sonny’s brow furrowed, “how’d you know I was a detective?”

You face felt even warmer, and you knew you were fully red now. “I, uh, googled you last night…nothing personal, just wanted to make sure you weren’t, you know, a serial killer or something,” you laughed nervously, and he smirked.

“No, I get it, that’s smart, really. Can never be too safe.” He took a sip of his coffee. “I’ve wanted to be a lawyer for a while, now, but the timing just never seemed right, ya know? So, after high school, I just kinda went into the academy; I knew I wanted to help people, and I figured that was a good way to do it. It wasn’t until recently that I figured ‘why not’? So, now I’m taking the night classes to try and get my license, pass the bar.”

You nodded along with his story; you yourself changed your major a couple times before settling into where you were. It was definitely normal, and you believed wholeheartedly that anyone could go back to school at any point in their life, learn anything they wanted to.

“Are you going to switch out of law enforcement when you pass the bar, then? Become a prosecutor? Or are you just taking law classes to help you in your detective work?” you asked. The idea occurred to you while in the shower; knowing more about the law could help in the interview rooms, when he interrogated suspects. You knew he said he wanted to be a lawyer before, but that didn’t mean he was going for it.

“I’m…not quite sure, yet. I really like being a detective, ya know? I like helping people. I guess at this point, I just want to pass the bar; that’s where my focus is…when it’s not at work,” he explained. “I can figure out where to go after that.”

You nodded again. “I couldn’t imagine trying to work full time in…that department, and then also take college classes,” you commented. You shuddered remembering your time going to school full time and working retail at the same time.

“It can be…taxing sometimes. But at the end of the day, it’s nice knowing I’ve helped somebody.” There were unspoken words in the air, and you could hear them as if he had said them. You noticed it in his eyes, the flash of sadness as he thought about the ones he couldn’t help. But the moment passed, and his bright blues were clear once more.

That answered your other question; some cases did hit him hard. But, as you had also decided, that was a good thing; cases like that should pull on heartstrings. You noticed he had a hand on the table, and you reached up and slowly, so slowly, put your hand on his in comfort. That goofy grin reappeared on his face, and he interlaced his fingers with yours.

You both finished your coffees, then left the shop together, Sonny holding the door open for you, his hand never letting yours go. By some unspoken agreement, you both started walking down the street, hand-in-hand, arms swinging slightly. You asked Sonny about his semester and listened as he rambled on about some theory he had to memorize, or some law he had to apply to a fake case for a class. You realized that you enjoyed listening to him talk; he was very animated, dropping your hand to gesture in front of himself, then taking your hand again, before dropping it to gesture again. You smiled, then laughed as he described one of his professor’s insane expectations for how much he expected his students to read and write, wondering in awe how Sonny managed to juggle all that schoolwork plus his job.

“Do you sleep?” you finally asked, causing him to chuckle.

“Some nights,” he replied, and you couldn’t tell if he was joking or not.

Maybe because you were feeling bold, or maybe because he did already kind of ask you on a second date, but you replied with, “maybe I can help with that sometime.”

He stumbled a step, his hand gripping yours tighter as he struggled to stay standing, and you giggled. His cheeks were red, and he opened his mouth to say something, but then his phone rang. He dug it out, answering with a terse, “Carisi.” It was interesting watching him go from a flustered mess one moment to focused detective the next. He nodded against the phone, even though whoever was on the other end couldn’t see him. “Yeah, alright Lieu, I’ll be there in 20.” He hung up then gave you an apologetic look.

“Duty calls?” you asked.

He nodded. “Yeah, just got some new…developments on a case I’m working. I’m so sorry about this—”

“Don’t be, I get it,” you cut him off, giving him an understanding smile. If you wanted to try and continue seeing him, then this may become a habit…and you did want to try and see him, even though you’d only been on one date. You already felt a closeness to him that you couldn’t quite explain.

“I parked over at the coffee shop; I can walk you back there,” he offered, extending his hand back to you. You took his, interlacing your fingers once more, and hurried back towards the shop. Before he left, he handed you his card—you struggled not to laugh at the fact that he carried these around on his day off—and you put it in your purse, vowing to text him later that night, to set up that lunch that he offered to take you to.

“So, you do want a second date?” he asked, hopeful. You smiled; he was all in a hurry to head to the station, to get into whatever work awaited him, but he had stopped dead in his tracks at the prospect of another date.

“Of course. I had a great time today, Sonny.”

He grinned back at you, making your heart flutter in your chest. “I had a lot of fun, too. Hopefully our next date won’t be cut short.”

[cpd5021]

Santa’s Helper

Happy Smutmas! Here’s day number one! Rated very much M!! Enjoy!

It started off as any other day in Intelligence, they were working a case and Jay and Hailey had been out tracking down a witness. As they walked up the steps back into the precinct, the typical easy banter flowing between them, Hailey caught Platt’s eyes and immediately knew she would regret it. Platt stared her down and summoned her over with a wave of her finger. Hailey sent Jay a panicked look but he simply shrugged and continued his way up the steps leading towards the bullpen. Hailey begrudgingly made her way over to Platt, feeling her stomach sink with every step as she took in the clearly fake smile plastered on the sargents face. 

“Goldilocks! Just the detective I wanted to see!”

Her uncharacteristically chipper voice did nothing to quell Hailey’s nerves. 

“What can I help you with, Sarge?”

Hailey asked, forcing her own fake smile onto her face. 

“Upton, I am so glad you asked.”

Platt accentuated each word, smiling even more as she spoke. 

“CPD is hosting a little Christmas event for kids and I need some volunteers.”

The way she said ‘volunteers’ told Hailey it would be anything but voluntary. Hailey simply nodded along, waiting for the other bomb to drop. 

“We’re having a Santa and he needs some elves.”

There it was. Hailey cringed internally at the thought of what Platt was suggesting but knew better than to protest. 

“Who else is helping out?”

Hailey asked, trying to draw the attention away from her initial reaction. 

“Well, Kevin was more than happy to be our Santa and you should have seen the look on Kim’s face when I told her, she’s the one who suggested elves. It’s perfect!”

Hailey smiled at the thought of Kevin as Santa and was not one bit surprised that Kim was all for this. She nodded again, letting Platt know she would help out before turning to dart upstairs and hoping that she could somehow get out of this. Walking into the bullpen, Hailey walked by Kevin’s desk, sharing a knowing look with him as she passed by. She was so distracted by her previous conversation she didn’t notice Kim jogging up to her until they almost collided. 

“Did she tell you? I already found the costumes!”

Kim beamed, practically jumping with excitement. 

“Co...costumes?”

Hailey stuttered, not having even considered that thought.

“Well yeah, we can’t just go as is. We’re elves!”

This time Kim did jump and Hailey fought to plaster a smile on her face. She excused herself and hurried over to her desk, sinking into her chair and wishing they had used the other door when they came in. Jay sent her a questioning look from his desk and she couldn’t bring herself to explain so she just shook her head at him and focused on her computer. 

    Hailey made it through the rest of the day without mention of her new gig, thankful that they had gotten too busy for Kim to have the time to show her the costumes. Now she stood in the locker room, ready to go home and dreading tomorrow. It was supposed to be her day off anyway, she should have told Platt she had plans. Not that that would have mattered, the Sargeant would have gotten her roped in one way or another. While word of Hailey’s role at this shindig thankfully stayed under wraps, the mention of the function itself spread quickly. Jay had asked her if she planned on attending it and she had brushed him off, hoping he wasn’t planning on going. He had let it drop but the way he looked at her made Hailey think he suspected something was up. Hailey finished up in the locker room and quickly headed home, praying tomorrow would be over with quickly. 

    Morning came far too quickly for Hailey’s liking. She found herself snoozing her alarm a few times before she finally rolled out of bed. She padded into the bathroom, taking a long and hot shower before she got dressed and headed downstairs for some breakfast. She glanced at her phone, checking the time and groaning when she realized she needed to get going if she was going to meet with Kim at 11 as they had planned. Hailey headed out the door, pulling her coat tight against her in the cold Chicago wind. The drive to the banquet hall was much shorter than Hailey would have appreciated and soon enough she was trudging her way inside. An older woman at a table by the door pointed her in the direction of a room being used for the characters and Hailey cringed at the title placed upon her. Pushing the door open slowly, the first thing that caught her eye was Kevin in the corner of the room, donned in a full on Santa suit and instantly glaring at her smile. She walked over, lifting her hand to rub it up and down the red fabric.

“Wow, it’s even real velvet.”

She smirked, chuckling when he glared down at her. 

“Only the best for the best.”

He said, puffing his chest out and adjusting his Santa hat. Hailey was just starting to think maybe this wouldn’t be so bad when Kim came running up behind her, clad in a bright green elf dress, complete with obnoxiously glittery tights. She even wore a hat with a little bell on top and Hailey wanted to sink into the floor at the thought of putting it on. Kim handed her the bag containing her garment and pointed her in the direction of the bathroom. Hailey held back a sigh as she took the bag and headed out of the room. 

Once dressed, and having swallowed every last bit of her pride, Hailey walked back out into the main room. She met eyes with Kevin and it was his turn to smirk at her. She sent him a glare in return and then was bombarded by Kim once again. 

“Okay, I have some glittery makeup we can add for you. I think it really pulls the look together.”

Kim turned her head back and forth slowly, displaying her glittery handiwork. Hailey pursed her lips in an attempt at a smile, knowing she wasn’t getting out of this. Once kim had “worked her magic” as she called it, the two followed after Kevin as another older woman came to tell them it was time to set up. Walking into the auditorium, the trio were met by Platt, wearing a huge smile plastered on her face. She walked over to them, coming to Kevin first and cupping his face between her hands. 

“Most handsome Santa I’ve ever seen.”

She said and the look on his face was priceless. She turned to Kim next, sending her another smile before she finally turned to Hailey. 

“Awe, aren’t you just adorable.”

Hailey tried her best to smile at the Sergeant but it fell flat. Platt leaned in close enough to speak so only Hailey could here. 

“And hating every moment, which I’m loving. For the kids Upton! For the kids!”

And with that she was gone and Hailey was moving to catch up to Kim. 

The event started then and Hailey and Kim fell into an easy rhythm, leading the kids up to sit on Santa’s lap and posing for photo ops when requested. Hailey’s nerves had settled slightly as they neared the end of the event and she had to admit, seeing the kids light up by seeing Santa almost made this whole disaster worth it. Almost. 

As the afternoon wore down, the line started to thin. Hailey was standing next to a family with two kids, ready for their photo, when she saw the auditorium doors open and her heart sank. In walked Adam and Jay, heading directly her way. She panicked briefly and considered boltling, but the photographer reminded her they were ready to take the photo. By the time the camera clicked and Hailey was free, it was too late. Jay was standing just a few feet back, staring at her with the biggest grin on his face, Adam’s eyes were locked on Kim. The girls ushered the last few kids through, finishing out the event before Adam jumped onto the end of the line. Kim played right along, moving him up to sit on Kevin’s lap and Kim laughed as she snapped the picture. Jay walked up to Hailey, a huge grin still plastered on his face. 

“Shut up.”

She told him, though she was unable to control the small smile tugging at her lips. 

“I didn’t say anything.”

Hailey glared up at him, his mischievous eyes glinting down at her. 

“Did you want a picture with Santa too?”

She asked, raising her eyebrow at him. He leaned in closer to her, whispering into her ear as he spoke. 

“No, but I wouldn’t mind a session with his elf.”

Hailey instantly felt heat rush to her cheeks but she hoped the glittery makeup Kim had plastered on her would hide it. 

“I’ll see if Kim’s available.”

She deadpanned, knowing damn well he meant her. The two had recently shifted their relationship past just work partners and friends and honestly it had been the best decision Hailey had ever made. Jay was amazing, as she knew he would be, in every aspect of their relationship. But the way he was looking at her with the dark look swirling around his eyes, made Hailey very aware of the one element he really excelled in. The thought sent heat rushing to more than just her cheeks, something she knew Jay was definitely aware of. Jay stood behind her, with enough distance that any onlookers wouldn’t think anything of their spacing, but close enough he could tug ever so slightly on the hem of her short skirt. Hailey jumped at the contact and spun around to send him a threatening look. He sent her a smirk in return and she was blushing once again. Hailey turned back around to survey the room, Kevin, Adam and Kim were huddled in the corner all laughing at something Kevin had said. The cleaning crew was making their way in to tear down the decorations, signalling to Hailey that she was done for the day. She reached back to tug Jay’s arm, leading him out of the auditorium. They headed into the empty hallway and Hailey started back towards the dressing room. 

“Give me just a sec to change and we can get out of here.”

She spoke, checking the plaque on each door as she walked, looking for the dressing room. She only made it two more doors before Jay’s hand yanked her backwards and quickly turned her back to be up against the wall. He was in front of her in a split second, his knee coming to rest between her thighs. Her eyes darted up and down the hallway, finding it thankfully empty.

“Are you insane?”

She hissed, finally looking up at him. He winked at her before dipping his head down, his mouth instantly finding the spot just below her ear that he knew drove her wild. She clutched the front of his shirt, eagerly pulling him closer before she thought better and pushed him back. 

“Jay, look where we are!”

She hissed again, scanning the hallway once more. 

“I don’t see anyone.”

He countered, biting his bottom lip as he took in her flushed face. 

“That’s not the point.”

She muttered, her heart racing at the look on his face. 

“One of these rooms has to be empty, it’s a Saturday, everyone’s probably headed home.”

He whispered, waggling his eyebrows playfully. 

“You really are insane.”

She replied, making the mistake of looking him in the eye once again. Jay pulled her off the wall, tugging her down the hall and checking for an unlocked door. To her horror, and albeit slight pleasure, he found one and quickly pushed it open, yanking her inside. They found themselves in an empty office that looked like it wasn’t in use even during business days. A desk covered in a thick layer of dust was in the middle of the room but Jay led her to the leather couch pushed up against the wall. He sat down and immediately pulled her onto his lap, her legs straddling his waist. 

“I wasn’t joking about that session with an elf.”

He said, leaning up to kiss along her neck once again. Her hands came to rest on his shoulders, pulling him closer as her body began to give in to his ministrations. His hands gripped her hips, gently moving her back and forth against the front of his jeans, causing an obvious reaction from the both of them. His fingers came to dance up her thighs, sliding under the fabric of her skirt easily and continuing their way up. His thumb brushed over her sensitive nerves and even through all the fabric she bucked at the contact. He pulled back from her neck, tilting his head to smirk up at her. She bit her lower lip, her fingers trailing down his neck before scraping down his shirt until she met the clasp of his belt. His eyes darkened even more as she quickly undid the belt and his button, pulling down his zipper slowly, with enough pressing to drive him wild. She freed him from his boxers and her hands instantly started to set a rhythm, his hips lifting up into her with every stroke. She sent him a smirk before sliding off his lap and onto her knees in front of him. 

“Hailey…”

He breathed out, registering what was about to happen. She bit her lip again, sending him a wink before she dipped down and took him into her mouth. Her eyes never left his and she watched as he fell apart under her touch. She set a slow pace, something she knew drove him insane as her mouth and hand worked together to bring him to the edge. She could tell he was getting close when his thighs started to twitch around her and then his hands were in her hair, gently pulling her off. He pulled her up and positioned her on the couch, sharing a quick kiss before he pushed her to lay back. He pulled down the skirt and tights, dragging his nails down her thighs as he went. The sensation caused her to shiver and he sent her a devilish grin in response. Jay shifted himself down, his tongue darting out between his lips for just a second before he lapped at her wetness, Hailey arching instantly underneath him. He drew his tongue through her wet folds again before he moved back down and slid inside her. Hailey’s hand clasped over her mouth in an attempt to silence her moans as Jay continued to work her. As her legs began to shake around him, Jay pulled away from her, causing Hailey to groan at the loss of contact. Her disappointment didn’t last long before his fingers slid into her core, another loud moan rising from her chest. His mouth latched onto her clit and as his tongue sucked and flicked over the sensitive bundle, Hailey felt herself fall apart. Jay continued to work her until the waves of her orgasm finally slowed. Then he crawled back up her until his body hovered over her, the tip of his erection dancing just over where she wanted him most. His mouth found hers and she tasted herself there, causing another moan. Jay positioned himself at her entrance, nipping at her bottom lip before he pushed his whole length in.He paused for a moment to let her adjust before his hips began to rock against her. Hailey met him thrust for thrust and in a matter of minutes, they were both on edge. Jay moved one hand between them, his fingers dancing over her throbbing bundle and it was enough to drive her over the edge. 

“Jay...oh fuck…”

She moaned loudly before Jay’s mouth clashed against hers, silencing her with a kiss. His own release followed right after and his thrusts became sloppy as he lost control. They stilled for a moment, both catching their breath, before Jay moved out of her and sat up on the couch. Hailey laid, completely spent, on the cool leather sofa as her stomach and thighs continued to quiver. Jay stood and put himself back together before bending down to grab her clothes. He helped her slide back into the tights and skirt, laughing as she swayed upon standing. Her arms came to clasp around his neck, pulling him into a quick hug before she moved back to look at him. 

“You’re awful. A kids Christmas program?”

She shook her head in mock disappointment, causing him to raise his eyebrows at her. 

“I didn’t hear you complaining. In fact, I’m pretty sure everyone heard quite the opposite.”

His words brought another flush to her cheeks and she buried her face in his chest. 

“Shut up, I’m not that loud.”

He chuckled against her, giving her hips a squeeze before they separated. 

“That is highly debatable.”

Hailey shook her head again and pulled him towards the door. They stepped back out into the hallway and Hailey resumed her search for the dressing room door. To her horror, she only made it to the door next to the one they had just come out of. Hailey slowly pushed it open, hoping no one would be inside. Of course that wasn’t her luck and as they stepped inside they were met with a mixture of looks and whistles from Kevin and Adam. Kim sat in the corner laughing. But as Platt moved to stand in front of her, Hailey’s stomach sank. The Sergeant didn’t say a word, just glared Hailey and then Jay down before leaving the room. Hailey turned to punch Jay in the shoulder before bolting to the bathroom to change, locking herself inside and debating never coming out.

[firefistlaw]

Request:

Hello! Could you do a hc about Luffy, Sabo, Katakuri and Law gf getting jealous because their boyfriends is working with a really really beautiful princess ( like saving a country or going to a country from some work stuff).

or... you’re jealous. (Luffy) 

a/n: I had a lot of fun writing them, I loved the idea so I chose to make a scenario out of it. The stories will be posted separately. As a fair warning, the s/o get jealous over stupid things, but I thought it was funny. Please let me know how you felt about them! 

Luffy

The weight of the guns on your belt were the only thing that calmed you down. With soft fingertips, you went along the cold metal, feeling safe knowing you could always grab them and defend yourself. But the scene in front of you still tested your limits. It took you all of your willpower to not throw yourself into the water for a nice cooling down swim. You pressed yourself stronger against the wood railing of the Thousand Sunny, wishing the wood would just give in and let you be.

„So, is the plan clear?“ Your captain said one last time, typical grin covering his features. Under normal circumstances you’d smile right back at him, but today you could only frown. His black hair was falling messily down his forehead, you noted silently. The straw hat was perched up like usual on his head. You let your eyes wander and bit your lip in annoyance when your eyes met hers.

The princess was standing next to Luffy, blonde hair looking as golden as honey. You could feel yourself getting uneasy as the timeline of the plan went through your mind again. The logical part of you understood that she was rather defenceless and needed some protection, but the other part of you hated the fact that Luffy took it upon himself to bring her safely to her family. The role of the rest of the crew was: distract, defend and— you gritted your teeth, be at the opposite part of the kingdom. As easy as that was, it also meant that your boyfriend would be all alone with a woman so gorgeous, your blonde crew-mate had fainted after he had seen her for the first time and almost bleed to death.

You sigh and shift your weight from one foot to another. Nami, who stood next to you, gave you a questioning gaze. But you only shrugged and made your way up to the middle of deck, where the rest of the crew was talking excitedly about the banquet the royal family would possibly throw once Luffy brought their dearest daughter back.

„Are you sure you’re okay with it, Luffy-kun?“ You heard her ask then, voice soft as butter. You stole a glance at the two of them a meter away from you and saw how the blush on her cheeks made her look even more innocent than before. If Sanji hadn’t been called away by Chopper earlier, he would have fainted yet again. „Am I not too heavy?“

Now you audibly huffed. Where was this conversation going? You turned your body towards the pair of them, ignoring the way the rest of crew was flickering back and forth between you and them. The air grew slightly tense. Luffy and the princess didn’t notice.

„I’ve carried things heavier than you, Lulu—,“ Her name was Lilly, you recalled and hated how you felt satisfied at the way he didn’t remember her name properly, „so carrying you should be no problem! It will be faster like that!“ He gave her a thumbs up and turned himself around, ready to walk away and get ready, when her small hand shot out and touched his arm, causing the muscle to stretch half a meter.

Carry her?

„Luffy-kun,“ she whispered and quickly looked at your figure standing close. „can we… talk privately? I would like to talk to you about something before our ways part.“ This time, her blush got even deeper and you swore, she let her full lashes fall like that on purpose.

You have had a feeling that her interest in your boyfriend was deeper than just friendship, but hearing her words that were promising to a love confession still took you by surprise. You didn’t see, but rather felt the presence of Usopp next to you. For some reason, you had the feeling that he was getting ready to stop your infamous temper from getting the best of you and some part of you was actually relieved at him standing close.

But Luffy just shook his head. „No,“ He merely said and your heart jumped in your chest. Did he actually noticed the meaning behind her words? It had taken you a few tries to make him notice your hidden romantic feelings, so maybe he had finally learned. Your shoulders relaxed. But then, of course, you were wrong, „we will have plenty of time to chat later on, right? You can tell me whatever you want then, Lulu.“ Right. They would be all alone for a longer time.

„Okay,“ She nodded her head softly and let go of his arm. „I still can’t thank you enough for helping me out.“ She turned around and looked at every crew member that surrounded her, even into your eyes for a second. Her own eyes were wet with unshed tears, „All of you. Thank you so much for bringing me back home. I don’t know what I would have done, if I hadn’t met you guys.“

You could hear encouraging words being called from everyone around you, Franky singing some wonderful tunes along with Brook and even Nami calling out promises as well. But it was Luffy who caught your eyes again. Your captain turned his back towards Princess Lilly and spoke his next words with a seriousness that made the blood in your veins tingle „You asked us for help. And I will make sure you get home safely, Lulu. That’s what friends do.“ It still amazed you how Luffy could switch from moods so suddenly, but it was one of the things you admired so deeply about him. The sudden urge to wrap your arms around him almost got the best of you, but you just turned to the Sniper next to you and let out a loud sigh. Maybe later you could steal some moments with him.

It was your task to stay with Sunny and take care of her. The kingdom you all were staying at was rather large and Princess Lilly had mentioned some bandits who took it upon themselves to rob empty ships. Thus leaving without having someone to keep an eye was out of the way instantly. And since Usopp and you could fight any danger from distance— again, you softly touched the metal of the guns on your belt— you two volunteered to stay behind.

„We should ask Sanji to make us some snacks.“ You mumble towards him and swallow down your previous insecurities. You couldn’t let your foolish jealousy get the best of you. Luffy was protecting his friend — and his friend was your friend… even if the friend was show stopping beautiful and probably smelled like cherry blossoms. You needed to focus properly.

Usopp grins into the sky, relieved at the change of heart. „I would love some lemon cake, to be really honest with you, Y/N. But if I ask him, he’ll tell me to leave. You go and ask him instead. And while you’re at it — ask for chocolate too, yeah?“ With a slight shake to your head, you turned on your heels and went for the kitchen.

And soon enough, it was time for your duties. The sun was high in the sky and the waves were calm. It was the perfect time to leave now. Zoro and Franky left with Brook first. Nami and Chopper left with Robin and Sanji shortly afterwards and mere minutes after that, Luffy took his leave with Princess Lilly after his hour long nap.

„Good luck.“ You said, shifting your weight from one foot to another. Even though you tried to swallow the uneasy feeling down, you could still feel its presence in the back of your mind and before you could stop yourself, more words left your lips, „Don’t have too much fun. I guess it could be tempting for some. “

Luffy, who was already half off the ship, gave you a gleeful grin, completely obvious to the double meaning behind your words, or the grim glance you gave him. „Thanks, Y/N! Don’t eat something good while I’m away, either!“ You crossed your arms and huffed at that. You were getting annoyed. For a moment he looked a bit confused about your reaction, but Usopp took a step towards him quickly, long nose scrunching in the sunlight.

„We won’t! Now go! We will take care of our pretty Sunny!“ His enthusiasm overshadowed your childish words easily, making Luffy nod his head. When his arms grew with length, you expected the tight curl of him surrounding your body in a hug, but with a quick tug at your chest, you watched his arms hug Princess Lilly. Five times did his arms curl, before he stepped up the railing and jumped off Sunny, the woman hugged safely in his arms. Even after they left, you stood still. You know how he was, he didn’t understand certain things in a way you did, but the picture of him leaving with her in his arms stung. It stung how he had not said anything more, not done anything more.

„Y/N,“ Usopp then said, slight whine in his raspy voice. „It’s Luffy. The only thing you should be worried about is him stopping at a restaurant and leaving that princess behind.“ He shook his head, his bronze skin glowing in the sun above him. He let his hand fall down on your shoulder, „Now come. The lemon cake look too good to not be eaten!“

You were glad to have him with you. In all these months of being a part of the Strawhat crew, being a fellow Sniper like Usopp was one of the best things that had happened to you. It didn’t take much to be distracted by his adventurous stories and dry jokes, but as the sun made its way faster across the sky, there was still nothing happening. Neither bandits, nor your crew mates were seen. At one point your friend even fell asleep on the grass, all while you leaned against the railing and looked out to the numerous trees that lay before you. You couldn’t see anything from here. It was straight up boring.

Caught up in this boredom, your mind drifted to your captain and the pretty princess in his arms. Were they already at the castle? Or still on their way? Your shoulders tensed. It was starting to become dark. Did they already have their little talk? Did Luffy think she was pretty? You hummed.

Did Luffy think you were pretty? Sure, he did say you looked nice from time to time, but it was rare. And it was Luffy, for crying out loud. You never knew what he was thinking to begin with. He just wasn’t the type to be affected by visuals, though.

But he did hug you tight when you tried on new clothing. Almost as tight as when you both kiss. You liked his kisses. He liked your kisses, too. How would he react if she kissed him? Would he like it and tell her to do it one more time like he does with you? Would she smile so lovingly at him, the way that you do?

You shook your head, „For heavens sake,“ you merely mumbled to yourself, not believing where your thoughts were going.

You were about to turn around and wake your best friend up for some entertainment, when you caught something moving behind the bushes on your right. The metal of your guns were in your fingers in a heartbeat, your feet finding a steady place automatically. If you called out for Usopp to wake up right now, the unknown thing would know that you had noticed it, so you had to keep calm and wait for the right moment to shoot a bullet — a warning bullet on the ground or a warning bullet in the flesh. You could feel the adrenaline pumping through your veins and again, the bush moved quickly. And then it parted. You gun was raised instantly, finger already on the trigger, when you let out a disappointed sight.

„Zoro, what the hell!“

Out of the bush came every one of your crew members, some packed with bags, some swaying slightly on their feet and when you looked at the green haired swordsman, who was at the front, you couldn’t help but shake your head at the bottles of Sake in both his hands.

„The plan worked perfectly, Y/N!“ Was the first thing Nami said once her feet touched Sunny’s grass, „Luffy already brought her back home and the city was so relieved that they gave us everything for free!“ Nami squealed, shaking the full bags in front of you. „I even got some stuff for you! Look at this!“ She took out a shirt and started to rant about how pretty it would look on you, when you started frowning.

„But where is Luffy?“

There was a small pause.

The rest of the crew had successfully woken up Usopp and were in midst of telling him what had happened. Nami and you stood a few meters away.

„Well, look,“ her eyes flickered back and forth, fingers now raising to play with her orange hair. „He’s still at the castle. Apparently the king liked him so much that he insisted on keeping him there. I think he promised him some meat and, well,“ she laughed nervously. „You know how he is.“

You gave her a small smile. „Yeah, I guess I do.“  You merely said and left the deck for the aquarium. Ignoring the wild conversations outside, you let yourself plop down on the velvet seating and looked at the shark swimming around the otherwise empty water. Luffy and Usopp had put the shark in as a joke once and stupidly enough, it had eaten the rest of the fish. Now it only swam around and looked angrily at everyone that passed him. The red fabric underneath you makes a dull sound as you shift around, worry swimming around in your own head.

You got it, honestly. He didn’t have to come back first things first. Luffy had all the right to stay as long as he wanted. He was your captain. If he wanted to stay, he could stay. You had no reason to be feeling the way you did. But it didn’t stop the headache that found its way inside of you. Even though he didn’t had to, it would have been nice if he did. With a sigh, you could feel the jealousy blossoming in your heart.

You grabbed one of the deco pillows and hugged it close to you, suddenly feeling drained and tired. The feelings inside you were a mess and what was even worse, was that they were caused by nothing. Nothing but your own thoughts had caused this. Luffy did nothing bad, but you were still all up in yourself. And soon enough, the disappointment in yourself lulled you into a soft, dreamless sleep.

Time passed quickly. The first thing you noticed was the shake of your body and the tight grip someone had on your arm. Sleep was still surrounding you like a big, warm blanked, but step after step it was taken away from you as the shaking on your arm grew heavier.

„Y/N, wake up. You slept long enough~!“ Luffy was crouching down in front of you, brown eyes full of excitement. The dark fabric of the seat was now pressed against your cheek and with a groan you noted that you must have lain down unconsciously. Your bones made a few sounds as you stretched your arms and sat up. „Finally!“

„I must have fallen asleep,“ you mumbled quietly. Luffy was still crouching down in front of you, but now he let his hand graze your thigh. You wanted to grab his hand with your own, eager to finally have him back with you, when the thoughts from earlier sprang wild in your mind. You abruptly got up, making the hand fall down on the seat. „What time is it?“

„Uh, almost midnight, I think? The celebrations are fully on right now, we should leave before we miss all the good stuff! Nami said you were asleep for a long time, so you probably missed most of it anyway.“

„I’m not going.“

When Luffy stood, you crossed your arms. You were now a feet away from each other, but it was too far away, and yet not far enough for you. To hold in your feelings, you bit the inner side of your cheek. After all the things that clouded your day, he just popped out of nowhere and wanted to celebrate? It was midnight now, so there were a few hours that he had not been here. What was he thinking? What was he doing?

„Why not?“ He merely asked and the genuine confusion in his face made the blood in your veins prickle. He now leaned against the little wooden table in front of the seats, arms swaying softly back and forth. His straw hat was still perched up on his head, but his red shirt, which was closed before, was now opened and showed the deep scar on his chest. „Are you feeling ill? Should I call Chopper? I could find him quickly, if I leave now. I think he went to the plaza—“

„No.“

His brows furrowed again, then he started to rub his finger underneath the space of his nose. „Sanji told me this would happen eventually,“ he mumbled sheepishly, mostly to himself. You balled your hands into fists. „Are you…,“ He looked to the side, his cheeks now colouring slightly. „Are you mad at me?“

Your mind went blank. Did Luffy really just notice that you were mad at him? Or feeling unwell? That certainly was a first, you thought surprised.

„I…“ There was no point in sulking any more. Your feelings were hurt and you had to let him know. „Yes, I am.“

„Why?“ Luffy took a step towards you. His eyes were concentrated on your face, as if he could find the answer in your features and if you hadn’t been so overwhelmed with all of your feelings, you would have giggled at that. „I didn’t have that much fun, I promised you I wouldn’t.“ He nodded his head, taken your words from earlier literal.

„I didn’t like how you ignored me.“ You breathed out and cringed at the way you sounded. But that is what it was, right? He gave the princess what you wanted; his attention.

„Ignored?“ He merely asked and again, he was genuinely confused. He leaned his head to the side, fingers holding the hat on top of his head. He was thinking hard, you realised and again, you wanted to hug him so bad. „Ah… I think I know what you mean.“

And then he giggled.

„This is not funny, Luffy.“ But he still giggled. You shifted your weight. This was really testing your limits. Why the hell was he laughing?

„Lulu said that you were mad that I hugged her earlier. She even said that she felt bad for making you feel…,“ He made a high sound. „jealous? But I told her that I loved you. And that you shouldn’t worry. Why would I like someone else?“ He tapped his fingers against his chin. „I don’t need to like someone else.“ And then his eyes met yours. „Because I have you!“

You couldn’t believe that you thought Luffy ignored you on purpose. Or that he was affected by someone as pretty as Princess Lilly. He never cared about anything like that, so why should he start now? He picked you. You, not her or anyone else. You could feel another wave of shame crash over you. You hated Princess Lilly when she didn’t mean any harm to you. And yet, you let your own insecurities get a hold of you. You winced.

„I’m sorry.“  You whispered then and let your head fall down in your hands.

You heard him before you felt him.

Luffy was stretching his arms and let himself crash into you a second later. The impact was hard enough to swoop you off your feet, but before your back could hit the floor, he turned you both around so you lay on top of him and fell onto something soft. His laugh echoed through the whole room, making the shark in the water glare at the two of you. „You’re so funny, Y/N.“

„No,“ you pouted then and felt your cheeks redden when his hands grabbed your face. „No, I’m not.“

„I’m sorry.“ He then said, voice serious again. And yet again, you were surprised by his reaction. You didn’t know that Luffy could be this mature. At least not in situations like that. As a matter of fact, he was more mature than you were. The shame pinged again. „I will never hug someone else again. Not even Chopper. Even though he is so soft and fluffy…“

You snorted and let your head fall down on his chest. He pressed his arms stronger against you. „Was that wrong? I thought I was supposed to say that? Sanji told me to apologise if you get mad at me, and I did?“

„No, Luffy… it’s okay.“ You giggled. „You can hug anyone that you like. It was my fault. I didn’t like that she was so pretty and you spent so much time with her.“ You softly shook your head and looked back up to him. „I reacted stupid. You did nothing wrong.“

„I didn’t mean to make you feel like that.“ He then said, words filled with truth. But you already knew that.

„I know.“ You let your fingers touch his cheek, the feeling of him still so… interesting underneath your own nerves. „I know, Luffy.“ You whispered.

He smiled. „Do you want to go and celebrate now?“

You let out an amused hum and pushed yourself up, now sitting on his lap. He sat up as well, arms still wrapped tightly around you.  „Of course.“

„Sanji said I should kiss you after we fight. He talked so much that day… told me to do all these weird things. Said I should really kiss you. Either that or he will come and do it for me.“

The laugh bubbled out of you before you could stop it and a second later, Luffy joined you. Like fools the two of you sat on the floor of the aquarium and laughed.  

But at least Sanji didn’t have to come that evening.

[shotsbyshae]

Angel on Fire

Warnings: Language, Murder, Little Fluff, Smidge of Smut   

Words: 4.2k

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader, Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader

Summary: You literally fell for Bucky Barnes in 1944, Steve was there when it happened. How is it possible that you’re sitting across from him now in 2012 looking exactly the same?

Song: Angel on Fire by Halsey

A/N: Please do not hold me accountable for any of this lore. 

I’m standing in the ashes of who I used to be.

1944

It was a celebration.

A small gathering to acknowledge everything The Howling Commando’s had accomplished thus far in sabotaging Hydra’s operations. There was only one reason you were here – him. Steve Rogers, America’s golden boy. You had to admit the newspaper clippings did not do him justice. He looked so young and innocent in his service uniform that night.

Guilt. It echoed through the very depths of your soul.

You had traveled this far though, so you finished your glass of wine, a little liquid courage, and ran your hands along the front of the emerald green chiffon material of your dress to smooth it out. You inhaled deeply, trying to calm your nerves before you left the bar and waltzed across the room towards him with sheer confidence. The moment he saw you, his blue eyes widened, and he shifted on his feet. Chest out. Shoulders back. You kept your eyes on him, the corner of your lips turning up in a smirk at how utterly distracted he was by you – it was adorable.

An unseen force slammed into your shoulder, knocked you off balance, and strange hands grabbed at your waist and arm as you fell. The man had managed to catch you in time and pulled you back to your feet. His hand slipped from your waist to lower back as he steadied you against his strong frame.

“Dammit Dugan,” the man who was pushed into you hissed as you instinctively clutched his arm for support.

“Oh shit,” a large, burly man in a bowler hat and red moustache gave you a look of embarrassment as he tipped his hat. “Sorry ma’am.”

“Sorry about that,” the stranger’s hand was still on your lower back and heat radiated from his palm. Your skin prickled where his fingers gripped you ever so slightly through the dress, his hand felt as if it encompassed you wholly. For a moment you were terrified the fire that pulsed through your veins might consume you both. Dark hair and eyes that were blue as the ocean only emphasized the boyish grin on his face. “They’re idiots.”

This feeling was unlike anything you’d ever felt before. Lust? Love? One thing was certain, for the first time in a long time you felt safe. You smiled at him because his charm was infectious, “It’s okay.”

“I’m James,” he offered his hand as an introduction and you took it carefully. “My friend’s call me Bucky.”

You had given him your name and as he brushed his lips across your knuckles you knew things would never be the same. Sergeant James Barnes stole your heart that night and saved you from yourself without knowing. He wasn’t who you had come for, but sometimes fate has other plans.

The two of you fell in love hard and fast. The kind of love that absorbs two people so fully that nothing else exists in the entire world except each other. He was your first real love – first real mistake – being in love with Bucky had meant bringing his best friend into your life.

The photo Bucky had carried with him of he and Steve showed the person Rogers was before the war, the shield, the serum – a rail-thin kid from Brooklyn. Bucky had told you stories about having to save him from fights he’d get into and how awkward he was with girls. He’d also tell you how proud he was that Steve had volunteered for that experiment. Bucky wanted you like Steve, because that was important to him – Steve was important to him.

You tried not to like Steve Rogers, you really had. After all, you knew where that road would lead. There was no escaping it though, because Bucky was a brother to him. They were a packaged deal. You didn’t get one without the other. So, Steve had befriended you, against your better judgement.

“Watch out for each other,” you told them.

“Always,” Bucky placed a chaste kiss against your lips before he turned to join Dugan and Morita.

“Will do,” Steve gave a small smile, warm and assuring.

They were just young men – boys – fighting the monsters of the world. Not exactly the same types of monsters you were accustomed to, but monsters nonetheless.

One year felt like forever.

In the middle of a war, you had snuck around to places to you shouldn’t have been, just to spend a few moments with the guy you loved and the one you shouldn’t have met.

It was amazing.

Until it wasn’t.

People die. It’s the curse of being human. That’s one reason you’d never let your guard down before. Bucky Barnes had been worth the momentary lapse in judgement though, Steve too, even though you hated to admit it – he was a good friend.

When you lost them both, you had been devastated, but in your life, you knew you would outlive people.

Lose those you love.

That didn’t make it any easier.

However, with Steve Rogers gone you had nothing left to lose – literally.  

2012

You had seen the news – The Avengers had saved New York.  

At first you thought it was someone imitating him, just a cheap knock off behind the mask. So, you had come to see for yourself, after all, it’s been over sixty years.

They said he was frozen in the ice.

What is your excuse going to be?

You watch as he sits across the patio from you, a half dozen empty tables between you, sketching away in his notebook. Steve used to do the same thing, all those years ago, always drawing in his spare time. Against your better judgement, you pull your sunglasses lower on your nose, peering over the rim of them to get a better look.

It’s him – it’s really him.

The same golden boy you remember, he’s not aged at all. Your mind is racing and for a moment you just stare at him as a flood of memories wash over you. Your heart stops as his eyes flick up from his drawing and immediately focus on you.

He recognizes you instantly. You’re still as beautiful as the last time he saw you, but that was over sixty years ago. Steve blinks, afraid his eyes are deceiving him. His mind is telling him there’s no way it’s you, but his heart is reminding him that in a world full of aliens and gods – maybe – just maybe the universe could give him this.

A piece of home.

He’s been stumbling through a world that’s not his own. Everything has changed. At least when he puts on the suit, he has a job to do, responsibilities as Captain America.

He’s a hero.

A damn national treasure.

Take away the red, white, and blue, and he’s just Steve Rogers, a man who doesn’t belong here.

This isn’t his time – it isn’t either of your time.

Why are you both here?

The recognition is evident on his features and you quickly push your sunglasses back up on your face as you carefully stand, trying not to draw attention to yourself. It’s too late though, because he’s on his feet, notepad forgotten on the table.

He’s halfway across the patio as you head for the sidewalk, calling out behind you, “Hey.” You don’t stop, but he’s persistent as he chases after you. “Excuse me, miss?”

You pick up the pace, but he doesn’t relent. Images of your smiling face flash through his mind. Bucky’s arms wrapped tightly around your waist, his chin on your shoulder, the wide smile on his face crinkled the corners of his eyes. He had been happy for his friend, even if there was a tinge of jealousy there. Steve had saw you first that night, but after everything Hydra had done to Bucky – he was the one who needed you.

Rogers has to jog to catch up with you and gently places his hand on your shoulder to stop your escape. For a moment you forget to breath, his touch familiar – yet foreign. You close your eyes as he circles around to get a better look at you. An almost silent whisper falling from his lips, “It is you.” You look up at him slowly, staring into his curious blue eyes as he continues, “How – how are you here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” you remark.    

“Long story.”

“Mine’s longer.”

***

Steve tells you about everything, the fight with Schmidt, the tesseract, and crashing the Valkyrie, then about Loki and the battle of New York. You can see a happiness in his eyes when he looks at you, as if no time has passed.

It has though and so much has changed.

“How?” his brows furrow. “How are you here?”

You don’t want him to know the whole truth – not yet. You’ve lost a lot since he’s been away and having him here brings back feelings you’d long since forgotten.

You didn’t think it was possible anymore.

“It’s complicated,” you say before taking a sip of your coffee.

Steve knows you’re holding something back and his hand finds yours on the small patio table between you and he gives it a gentle squeeze, “Tell me.”

He had developed this uncanny ability to ready you like a book during that time together in the war.

Maybe it was from being a third wheel in your relationship with Bucky.

Maybe it was something else.

It had been wrong, and you knew it, but fate be damned. There had been something very pure about Steve Rogers – innocent. In a world full of monsters and demons, he was good and kind, and oblivious to it all.

“I can’t die,” you say simply as if that sums up everything he needs to know, “technically.” He stares at you for a moment, waiting for you to elaborate, but you take another sip of your coffee instead.

Steve raises his eyebrows after a few moments of silence, “I’m going to need more than that.”

“I’m not human,” you finally say, your fingernail anxiously scraping at the chipped paint on the table. “I’m what they call a Phoenix.”

His blue eyes are inquisitive, and you can see the flurry of questions waiting there, “Like the mythical bird?” You nod and he continues with boy like curiosity, “Do you breathe fire?”

“No,” you shake your head with a smirk and hold your hand up, wiggling your fingers. “That comes from these.”

He gives a slow nod as he contemplates another question, “Can you fly?” You give him another shake of your head and he takes a deep breath as he leans back in his chair. “Okay.”

“Okay?” it’s your turn to look surprised. “I just told you I’m not human and you’re just going to roll with it?”

“I fought aliens two months ago,” he gives you a half-smile, “alongside an Asgardian. Weird isn’t so weird anymore.”

Truth be told, as long as you aren’t Loki, he could care less what you are. You’re here. That’s all that matters. Seeing your face brings back the good memories of the war, those small moments in time, which he’d forgotten about.

“You know what we should do,” Steve says suddenly, as a thought crosses his mind. “Let’s go see a movie.” Your brows furrow together in confusion at him, the large smile on his face making him look like a teenager. “Remember? Me, you, and Buck, we used to talk about when the war was over and we got back home, we were going to spend all day at the theater just watching whatever was playing. Eating popcorn.”

“With butter,” you do remember those discussions.

“Loads of butter,” his eyes widen with excitement. “What do you say?”

You just got him back, you’re not ready to let him go just yet, even though you know you should. It’s selfish, and you know that, but you agree, “Deal.”

The two of you spend the rest of the day watching movies and binging on theater popcorn and snacks while reminiscing about the past and how much things have changed. When Steve talks about how everything is different now, you can see a glimpse of that rail-thin kid Bucky had always protected.

You know what it feels like to be lost, and even though you had told yourself you wouldn’t stay – you can’t leave him like this.

He was Bucky’s best friend – your friend.

2013

Just a few months, until he’s more adjusted.

That was the phrase you had started telling yourself in the beginning. Steve had no one and you couldn’t leave him. He needed you and the fact your friendship was able to pick up right where the two of you had left it in 1945 made it easy to stay.

But you shouldn’t be here.

You know it.

Yet, here you are, assisting Captain America and the Avengers in taking down another Hydra facility, this time in D.C. of all places. The fighting, the violence, it’s too much. Fueling the flame inside of you, making you irrational sometimes, but you can’t tell him that. Then you would have to explain everything, and you can’t do that either.

The mission is going according to plan until two Hydra agents get the drop on Barton and you’re the only one to see it. You react without thinking and your right arm juts out towards the two agents, hand igniting in a beautiful combination of red and orange flares. The action immediately causing the two men to burst into flames. Their screams of agony are short-lived as your manipulate the blaze with your hand. It only takes a few moments until nothing is left of the men but a pile of ashes.

Clint raises an eyebrow in concern because you’ve never used your powers like that, then gives you small nod of appreciation for saving his life.

“What the hell was that?” Steve says from behind you, ignoring Tony’s ‘Language Cap’ over the comms.

“Sorry,” your tone almost flippant.

“We’ve talked about that,” he reprimands you, making you feel like a child, which only pisses you off. “Incapacitate only. Killing is a last resort. We don’t do that.”

“You don’t kill people,” the cold look in your eyes is one he’s seen before.

“Neither do you,” Steve voice is still firm, calmer.

Shaking your head, you glare at him, “You don’t fucking know me. There’s a whole world of bad out there Steve. It can’t all be contained. Some of it has to be killed.”

You know you’ve said too much and you storm off. You’re going to have to tell him, but you’re too angry at him right now. You died too many times during the sixty years Steve was frozen in the ice. It’s taken a toll and you know he’s seen it, his blue eyes filling with concern and uncertainty at some of your actions. You aren’t the same carefree soul you were when he and Bucky met you, in fact, you know there’s not much of your soul left at this point.

That was part of being a Phoenix.

You and Steve have talked some on the subject of Phoenixes. He knows you’re a rare species who can control fire with your hands, although he’s not a fan of that. You haven’t mentioned the issue with your soul though, or how he plays a part in your story. There’s no easy way to tell him and you know it will be easier to leave – disappear.

Steve approaches the quinjet seeing everyone on the team except you and glances to Tony his eyes questioning your whereabouts without him saying anything.

“Hey Firestarter,” Tony says over the comms, even though you hate that nickname. “You still inside?”

“Yea,” you respond.

No one expects the explosion that originates from somewhere inside the warehouse and rocks the quinjet, but Steve’s eyes go wide in horror. Tony has to grab him to stop him from running into the flames. Metal arms cling to him tightly, as his world goes up in bright orange and red waves.

You told Steve you couldn’t die – technically. He never asked what technically meant because he was afraid to.

He searches the warehouse himself after the firetrucks leave. Tony and Natasha help, but there’s nothing left.

This is technically.

Later that night, you wake up in the rubble of the warehouse – naked and cold.

You know you’ve stayed too long. You can barely feel any of yourself left inside and it scares you. Feeling completely empty, void of any emotion or empathy. That is a fate worse than death.

It’s time to let him go. He’ll be okay without you. He has Tony and Romanoff now. You should leave while you can, but Steve Rogers is the only friend you’ve ever really had – which in itself is a cruel fucking joke.

***

You rap your knuckles against the wooden door in a rhythmic beat. The hem of the oversized bright yellow t-shirt you’d stolen from the construction worker’s truck brushes against the middle of your thighs, and it reminds you just how numb your body feels from the cold. It had been a long walk from the warehouse to here.

Steve opens the door to the apartment, red-rimmed eyes staring at you in shock. Your face has smudges of ash, sprinkles of it are in your hair, and you smell like the thick smoke of a campfire.

“Have you been crying?” Your tone edging on derisive as you enter the apartment.

“I thought you died,” he replies slowly, before closing the door hard behind you.

“And?” You can’t help the cockiness in your voice, chalk it up to being almost soulless, and you turn to him. “I told you, I couldn’t –”

His mouth is on yours, shutting you up as he pushes you back against the wall. One hand grips your waist firmly while the other tangles in the hair at the nape of your neck. Your mind races because this isn’t supposed to happen – it can’t. You shouldn’t be here.

The muscles in his shoulders flex under your fingers as he tightens his hold on you, pinning you to the wall with his body. Steve’s kiss is punishing and as his tongue slides past your lips, your body arches into him instinctively, overriding your thoughts. His assertiveness makes you forget the reason behind your visit, the warm, wet sensation between your thighs quickly becoming your new motivation.  

He presses his forehead against yours as he breaks the kiss for a moment, whispering against your lips, “I thought I lost you.” He has never looked at you like this before, with such longing and desire, and you feel it.

Really feel it.

The small part of you that is left is suddenly overcome with a surge of emotions and feelings.

Joy. Fear. Sympathy. Confusion. Love. All colliding together, twisting and spiraling inside of you like a whirlwind. Making you question yourself, ‘When did I fall in love with him?’

This need you’re feeling.

This ache.

You’ve forgotten what tears feel like as they prick the corners of your eyes and you cup his face gently with your hands, staring up at him. Your golden boy, “I’m here – I’m right here, Steve.”

It would be easier if he fucked you. Cold and hard against the wall of his apartment or with reckless desperation in the shower as water streams around the two of you, but he doesn’t. Steve Rogers makes love to you that night. Forcing you to melt as rough hands trace every curve and line of your body with feather like strokes and tender touches. His mouth both insatiable and intimate with kisses, expressing his feelings for you without words.

It’s raw, intense, and passionate.

You shouldn’t have come back, it’s not fair to him.

But you’re thankful you did.

Because you’ve never felt more alive – the irony of that is not lost on you.

***

The next morning you’re sitting at the kitchen table when Steve comes out of the bedroom and he can immediately see the look on your face. He notices the duffel bag by the door, and it makes his heart stop.

“We need to talk,” you say ominously, and the man slowly moves to sit across from you at the table.

“I don’t like how this looks,” there’s a noticeable tick in his jaw as he keeps his eyes focused on you.

“I didn’t tell you everything – about what I am,” you begin to explain, wrapping your hands around the coffee mug in front of you nervously. “Everytime a Phoenix dies and is reborn, or rises, a part of our soul burns off. It’s an incentive really, to keep you from dying. The more you die, the sooner you become a soulless monster, not caring about anything or anyone. Killing others becomes a second nature to us then, at least while we have a soul, we can keep that part of us in check.” You watch him closely as you speak, making sure he’s understanding everything as you say it.

“So, the two men at the warehouse?”

“Yea,” you nod shamefully. “Phoenixes are immortal, but we are destined to be killed eventually. A final death, one which we don’t rise from. When a Phoenix rises for the first time, there’s a name you’re given. The name of the person who will ultimately be the one to kill you – bring about your final death. Usually a hunter, or someone along those lines. Sometimes, that person may not enter your life for hundreds or thousands of years.” You glance out the window thoughtfully, “You have no idea what it’s like to know the name of the person who will kill you. Live with that for years, but you can’t run from fate.”

Steve sits across from you solemnly as he processes the information you’re sharing, “Can you change it?”

You shake your head. “I wanted to though. I wanted to change my destiny, kill the person whose name I was given before he had a chance to kill me. I found him too, but fate had other plans,” you glance away from him. “She’s cruel that way – fate – destiny or whatever it is that’s written in the stars. None of it would have ever happened if I’d not been trying to change it.”

“Whose name were you given?” he asks quietly.

“Yours,” you say, looking back over to him. “Steve Rogers.”

It looks as if you’ve punched him in the gut. That night, all those years ago, when he saw the prettiest girl at the party walking his way, it was because you had planned on killing him. Because eventually he was supposed to kill you.

“I never wanted to be your friend Steve,” you let the words slip out quietly. “Then Bucky happened, and I let my guard down. That wasn’t fair to you and I’m sorry.”

His mouth goes dry as he shakes his head, “But I wouldn’t –”

“You won’t have a choice Steve,” you reply. “When my soul is gone, that’s it.”

There’s a moment of silence between the two of you as he shakes his head in frustration. “How much is left?” he questions you, his brows furrowing together. “Of your soul?”

“Not enough.”

“There has to be a way we can fix this,” he tries to reason with you.

“No, we can’t,” you look at him hopelessly. “This is it. We both know what’s coming and I need you to promise me, when it happens, you’ll take care it.”

“I can’t do that,” the pain on his face is enough to break your heart.

“You have too. When there’s nothing left of me, I’ll just be a shell. The person you love won’t be here anymore, I’ll be a monster,” you can see the wretched expression on his face as you stand up from the table. “Promise me.” Steve looks out the window as he starts to chew on his bottom lip. You reach down, placing your hand on top of his, squeezing it gently, “Please.”

He glances up at you with glossy blue eyes. He’s broken because of you and you’ll never forgive yourself for this. You shouldn’t have come back.

“I promise,” his words are barely audible.

“I should go,” you say before leaning down to kiss his cheek gently. “I do love you.” The words come out as a whisper against his skin before you stand back up. You make it halfway to the door when you hear the chair scraping across the hardwood floor roughly. Steve is on you by the time you turn around, his hand flying to the side of you neck roughly, pulling you back to him. His lips crash into yours hard and desperate as tears slowly stream down your face.

Sometimes your soulmate isn’t the person you fall madly in love with, sometimes it’s the person you least expect.

A beautiful disaster.

Steve Rogers is your soulmate.

He’s also the man who will have to kill you one day when your soul no longer exists.

The thought of it shatters your heart and you’d give anything if you could take that burden away from him, but fate is cruel.

“I’ll see you around Steve,” you state quietly as you move to grab your duffel bag.  

He watches as you open the door to his apartment, his face full of sadness as he says the words firmly, “I hope not.”

[hadesglance]

All hail the new Queen... - 31 (Hades Original Story) End Book 1

You fought your way through the maze of the underworld to make a deal with the King…intrigued the lonely king listens…

Part One  Part Two  Part Three  Part Four  Part Five  Part Six Part Seven  Part Eight   Part Nine  Part Ten  Part Eleven Part Twelve  Part Thirteen  Part Fourteen  Part Fifteen  Part Sixteen Part Seventeen  Part Eighteen  Part Nineteen   Part Twenty  Part Twenty-One   Part Twenty-Two  Part Twenty-Three  Part Twenty-Four  Part Twenty-Five  Part Twenty-Six  Part Twenty-Seven  Part Twenty-Eight  Part Twenty-Nine  Part -Thirty

Hades sat on the bench looking down into the book turning a page. He didn’t need to read it…he lived it, but it looked better to turn a page every once in a while when one lingered in the mortal realm. He sighed as he felt the air shift next to him, “Zeus…what are you doing here?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing.” His younger brother looked around the area taking in the green forest behind them as people milled about selecting picnic tables for lunch, “This is a cheery spot…no wonder they built the hospital next to this forest. It’s beautiful. Probably why it does so well too. Demeter always says nature is a natural healer.”

“Zeus…” Hades looked at him with a glare.

Zeus sighed before looking at the old god, “I came…because I’m worried about you. You can’t keep doing this to yourself.”

“I’m still keeping everything in check…you don’t have to worry…” Hades looked back to the book for once focusing on the words to try and drown out what was about to be said.

“I’m not worried about your duties…” Zeus frowned, “I’m worried about my brother who won’t stop torturing himself over a woman who can’t remember him. It’s been a year…”

Hades took in a deep breath licking his lips before he spoke, “I promised her father…a mortal man, who had the ability to see through all my bullshit and accept me as a broken child…and treat me like a son…that I would protect her. I don’t break my promises or my deals…”

“That doesn’t mean you have to come here every week to see her.” Zeus sat up turning to him with a frown, “Hades…Y/N is fine. She’s thriving. She’s passed all her courses, the MCAT, and has made it into medical school…”

“For someone who doesn’t want me to have anything to do with her, you know an awful lot about her situation.” Hades shut the book looking at him finally.

Zeus looked away smiling a little, “…well…she is family…it would be wrong for me not to know what’s going on with her…but she doesn’t need us anymore, brother.”

Hades stared at him for a long time before looking toward the hospital. He felt his cheek twitch as he saw you rolling out a patient. You had started volunteering here once a week on an off day. You just sat with patients who didn’t have anyone or had been there a long time. Always giving your time to those who felt alone and needed hope.

He had only come to see you for a moment, and it had turned into something more of a habit. You had run right into him as you left a room at one point. Of course, you apologized profusely to which he simple shook his head telling you it was his fault. He had been in a memory forgetting where he was. You smiled at him and asked if he was lost…he fumbled through and told you he was just leaving. He apologized again and ran out of the place.

Ever since he took off, he’d been drawn back there, painfully aware of what he was doing to himself…but he didn’t care. His heart belonged to you even when you didn’t know you had it, “In some way…she’ll always need us. She still believes.”

“But not like she did.” Hades frowned at his brother’s words. Zeus looked at him before shaking his head, “Fine…do what you want, but seriously…if you must be here...maybe you should try to find her again instead of sitting by. Engage her…”

“She’s safer…” Hades opened his book again as he spoke.

“Yes, yes…that same old argument…” Zeus rolled his eyes, “I don’t care. You love her, more then you’ve loved anyone or anything…I only wish to see you happy, brother.”

Hades sighed before raising his head looking at him, “I know. In a way, I am happy. It’s just bittersweet, knowing she is safe, happy, and healthy…reaching her goals and dreams…”

Zeus stood up looking down at him, “Fair enough…I’m off, world to run you know?”

Hades watched him walk away surprised. It wasn’t like Zeus to give up so easily. Perhaps maturity had finally reached him, now that he had a mission to deal with. Finding their father was certainly more important than his love life.

“He’s not listening to me!” Zeus groaned as he fell onto the couch, arm draping over his face dramatically, “He’s just so…so…”

“Righteous?” Hera offered as she wrote notes at her desk.

“Yes!” He flipped over watching her and muttered into his arms, “Help me…”

“Excuse me?” Her hand stopped mid-sentence as she looked up to him, “Could you repeat that?”

“Ugh…” He sat up before putting his hands together in a pleading motion, “My dearest…beautiful…most intelligent wife…please help me save my brother’s marriage from the shambles our father left it in.”

Hera smirked before looking down to her work finishing her prior thought then put the pen down, “Alright, but we do it my way. Do you understand?”

Zeus was regretting agreeing to do it her way…it was…slow…

“Stop tapping your leg.” Hera looked at him across the table, “You said you’d do it my way…”

“I…did…” He stopped his leg watching her unwrap the hospital sandwich, “I just didn’t think it’d take weeks.”

“Love takes time dear, and there’s no guarantee what we’re about to attempt is going to work.” She sighed, “It took so long because I had to find a good distraction for Hades. We don’t need to him appearing and trying to stop us.”

“Oh, and what distraction did you give him?” Zeus finally began opening up the sandwich.

Hera smirked, “Poseidon. I told him what we were attempting to do, and he told me not to worry…he would handle it. Natural disaster was due to happen apparently…”

Zeus laughed a little his eyes glancing past her he cleared his throat, “She’s coming…”

“Just follow my lead.” Hera whispered to him glancing over as you took a seat at a nearby table, “You can’t be serious…”

He made a face before clearing his throat, “No…No I’m quite serious.”

“It’s been a year and it’s he still loves her…” Hera looked away from him shaking her head, “Why doesn’t he just talk to her?”

“Heh…I’ve asked him…” Zeus leaned back in his seat, “He’s says he’s protecting her. The distance is supposed to help her. He’s afraid he’ll hurt her again.”

“What a load of rubbish…” He glanced over seeing you looking at them quickly looking away as Hera began to speak, “It doesn’t make sense…they seemed so happy. I mean the first time he brought her over. She was so alive, and right away I could see her being a part of the family. It was just an accident…he had no control over any of it and he certainly didn’t mean for it to happen…”

“Yeah…he knows, but it doesn’t stop him from wanting to protect her…” He leaned forward reaching for Hera’s hand before he smiled, “Do you remember when they got stuck in the rain?”

“I don’t recall that…” Hera shook her head smiling at him.

“Ah you know big brother Nick…” He looked down, “She came to see me with some concerns…rode her bike to the park we met at. I guess on the way back it started to storm, and her bike broke down…it was a series of events one after another…he freaked out when he couldn’t get a hold of her. “

“So, he goes out and finds her stranded under a bridge. It’s pouring by this point…he’s in that once suit he wears all the time…” Zeus rolled his eyes.

“Oh, the black one, blue shirt…” Hera rattled off.

“That’s the one.” He nodded.

“I bought him that.” She smirked a little.

“Anyways… so they’re there…wet…cars are going by not helping and you know Nick...” He smiled laughing a little, “He’s gotta be so gallant, so he gives her his coat and they then I guess he looked into her eyes…and it was magic.”

“He said that.” Hera leaned forward leaning on her hand when he let go of hers, “What was so magically about it?”

“He said it was the first time, that he saw how much she cared about him. Living together for months, but he was so scared to see it…” Zeus looked down at his hands, “You know how much he went through after the war…how closed off he was. She could see all of it and she didn’t run away. Every scar…every dark spot… She never ran away from him…”

“To find someone who understands that…then to lose her…” Hera frowned reaching over taking Zeus’ hand in hers again, “I can’t imagine that pain. Isn’t there a way…to bring them back together?”

“I’ve tried…it’s something she has to do on her own…I thought he’d run after her, but he’s resigned himself to watching her from afar.” Zeus told her shaking his head.

“But he loves her, right? Love like that doesn’t just fade away, it leaves a mark…like a handprint…it lingers…” Hera glanced over to you sitting there. It was obvious that you’d been listening to bits of their conversation.

“I would hope so…even if their relationship started out as just some ridiculous deal…it grew into so much more.” He sighed heavily, “I know she’s left her mark on him and it won’t fade any time soon…”

“That’s right…she asked him for help, and he said he would if she would go with him…” Hera shook her head, “She was so brave. She didn’t even know him.”

“Yeah, he said the same thing. So human…” Zeus told her stopping as he felt a rumble under his feet.

“Dear…” Hera looked at him tilted her head with concern.

“I don’t know…” He looked around as everyone began to stand up. The rumbling intensified, “Hera…”

He stood up with her ready to whisk them away to safety, but she smiled looking toward you, “Something rises…”

Zeus followed her gaze looking at you as you sat there a soft aura beginning to move around you. A glow he recognized instantly, “Hera…”

“Everyone assumed it was about Cronus rising…” Hera smiled proudly at you, “But it was her sacrifices. It was her belief in us…in Hades…yes Cronus is out there, and he doesn’t need belief to use his powers…but Y/N…she never gave up hope for any of us…she was our hope. She is hope.”

“…hope…” Zeus smiled as you stood up looking over at them recognition evident in your eyes, “Y/N…”

“Where is he?” Tears streamed down you face as you looked at them, “Where is Hades?”

“Home…he’s at home.” Hera told you stepping forward pulling you into a hug, “You only need to think of him and I’m sure you’ll get there.”

Zeus stepped next to his wife as her arms fell to her sides, “My wife…so smart…catching all the details and knowing exactly how to bring out everything…”

“I like to pride myself in knowing a thing or two about true love.” She turned to Zeus giving him a kiss on the cheek, “Come…there’s much to plan for now…”

Hades stood in the tower looking out over the Styx’s shaking his head as he watched the souls move about. Why did his brothers always provide him with so much work? At least Poseidon had the courtesy to warn him this time…and he couldn’t blame him either…

Poseidon’s realm was the oceans themselves and humanity was slowly destroying it. So, every once in a great while he would bring forth a natural disaster to try and bring balance…it normally cost a great deal of life.

Maybe Zeus was right…he had not been prepared for this and he should have been. Building the Underworld was a massive undertaking at times. Souls needed a place to rest and the beaches were already so full from the wars humanity brought on themselves…

He looked up as his realm shook. Whatever quaked his realm was enough to send pieces of it flying…What was that? He moved to the other side of the tower to see if he could see what would cause such a disturbance.

His eyes scanned the rivers for any damage, but none could be found. He stood there watching souls of different colors moving toward Elysium getting lost in their peace. What would it be like to drift away to someplace eternal like that?

He tensed when he heard the door creak open. He quickly pushed himself out of sight behind a pillar. No one could come here without his knowledge and yet he didn’t feel anyone in his realm that shouldn’t be there.

He summoned his bident taking in a few deep breaths as he heard the person’s footsteps echo against the walls. Finally, they stopped and spoke making his heart thump hard against his chest, “Hades?”

He stepped out wincing a little as light blinded him. Slowly his eyes adjusted, and he saw you standing there in the center of the room. The bident dropped from his hand as he stepped out, he had to be dreaming, “Y/N….”

You turned quickly smile on your face. It was you…and it was more…He didn’t understand it and he didn’t care as you ran forward jumping into his arms giving him a kiss. Warmth spread through him like never before as your lips moved against his.

In a single moment, his world fell back into place. Tears fell from his eyes as he began to hold you. He could feel you…touch you…taste you. Finally, he pulled away to look at your face, “How? How is this possible?”

“I don’t know.” You whispered as his hands took hold of your face staring at you in awe and disbelief, “I don’t know…”

“This…shouldn’t…” He shook his head as he wiped away one f your tears. As it touched his thumb it seemed to glitter and glow into his skin sending warmth up his arm. His eyes widened as he felt your power surge into him as the words spilled from his mouth, “You’ve become a goddess…”

You shook your head before pushing up on your toes kissing him again. His arms slinked around your waist pulling your closer. Every touch seemed twice as sensitive than it used to be. He moaned against your mouth as you pulled away you nudged his nose with his, “How can I remember everything…I shouldn’t be able to…Cronus…”

His hands found your face again as he pressed his forehead against yours shaking his head, “I don’t know…I don’t care…you’re here…You’re here and I’m never letting you go again.”

“I’m home.” You whispered against his lips as he captured yours again. Gods it was better then before. Unable to control himself any longer he scooped you up before pushing your back up against one of the pillars.

Year long desires began to unfold from him, and you didn’t seem in any hurry to stop him. The dance was sensual and needy as his fingers traced your skin removing each article of clothing that kept you from him. He expected with each blink for you to disappear, but you never did.

Instead, you gave him constant reassurance as your own fingers danced across his scarred body. Clinging to him as his lips met with your skin burning his love to you in every way. When your lips met his skin sensations burst forth tingling like electric currents…what was it? Then I slowly came to him as you called out his name against his throat.

Love…he felt loved…every movement…every touch…every moan was unabated love for him.

You sat on top of him afterwards tracing his scars on his chest as he stared up at you. He reached up cupping your face and you smiled leaning into his touch. You looked so at peace and it made his heart soar. His hand trailed up your arm stopping over the mark he’d given you so long ago…it burned brightly still.

“I love you.” He whispered watching your eyes twinkle at his words, “So much…”

“And I love you.” You leaned forward kissing him before you spoke again. Your eyes were filled with such pain and saddness, “I’m so sorry…I had to get you away from him…”

He shook his head wrapping his arms around you as he sat up, “Never apologize for that…you did nothing wrong…except love a fool…”

“Hades…” You took his face in your hands caressing his cheek with your thumbs before he kissed your palms, “None of us knew what he had planned…”

“And we still don’t.” He sighed before pulling you closer, resting his head in the crook of his neck. He still couldn’t fathom that you were here with him. As a goddess no less, “How do you feel?”

“You didn’t hurt me…if that’s what you’re worried about…” You ran a hand through his hair getting him to shiver.

“I didn’t mean that…” He raised his head a little kissing your neck feeling your body tense instinctively to his touch, “I meant your powers…it has to feel strange…”

“I…” You looked down at him searching his face, “I don’t know…I mean…should I feel different?”

“I don’t know…I have never been human then a god before.” He smiled a little brushing your hair from your face, “But I imagine things are about to get very weird…for all of us.”

“What do you mean?” You mean you bit your bottom lip as your forehead rested against his.

“It’s been over a hundred years since we’ve had the birth of a new god…” He absently let his fingers trail up and down your thigh, “And Gy was just there…you… you however have become a goddess. Not just immortal…but as far as I can tell you are everything. You have belief…”

You stared into his eyes, “I don’t know what that means…”

He let out a sigh nodding before leaning up kissing you. As much as he desired to stay here with only you, it was time to find some answers. He pulled away nodding, “It’s time to find your answers…we need to go to Olympus…”

Standing with you he snapped his fingers dressing you both. You looked down at yourself wearing somewhat of matching clothes of his, but in your fashion, “Why do I get the feeling there is a lot more to it than just…hello…I’m goddess now…”

“As with anything to do with the gods…” He stepped to you before pulling you to his side smirking, “We must make a show of it…a coming out party if you will, but…”

“But…always a but…” You sighed hanging you head a little.

He lifted your chin meeting your eyes with his seeing such power behind them now, “But…I fear there may be a bigger concern. You have your memories back. It is likely Cronus knows and he will retaliate…”

You took in a deep breath nodding before you reached up touching his concerned face, “Then we’ll fight him together.”

Thank you my lovelies! It has been a wild ride hasn’t it! I have every intention beginning book two soon! I just want to start editing this book one first for a bit!(Thinking about sending it in and getting serious about it...we’ll see *shrugs*) 

Too each and every single one of you I cannot express how much it means to me that you followed me along and I hope you continue to do so! Bigger and better things await our dear Hades as he goes up against Cronus and whoever else he broke out of jail...questions still need answering *eyebrow wiggle*

If you have questions please ask away! As I’m starting to edit it again, I’d love to hear from you about things that didn’t make sense. Things that maybe should have more emphasis, etc... I appreciate it advance!

Love you!

[brown-bi-beautiful]

Give Me Some Sugar

Steve Rogers AU

Series Masterlist

Sugardaddy! Steve Rogers x Sugarbaby! Reader.

Summary: When young Y/n gets fired from one of her jobs she struggles to make enough money for college loans and Bills, that’s when she meets Steve. What Steve is looking for isn’t exactly a relationship, he just wants someone to look pretty in his arms and take care of his needs without asking many questions about his job.

Series Warnings: Salty reader, age gap, Sugardaddy, and Sugarbaby relationship and all the chaos that comes with it, SMUT (Obviously. Don’t try to tell me you didn’t see that coming, Karen.), asshole people (Yup that’s a warning.), language more will be added later to the chapters.

Characters (as per the chapter): Y/n (Duh), Steve Rogers (Duh again), Kyle (OMC), Sharon Carter, Wanda Maximoff.

Words: 2.9k

Chapter Warning: Language. That’s pretty much it.

CHAPTER ONE

You were happy. Your life was finally on track. You had two jobs that paid enough for your bills and if you keep working just a few more months and you will be able to pay back all of your college loans with interest. You finally got enough courage to stand up to your asshole boyfriend and broke up with him. And to top it all off it was your 21st birthday. It was the best day of your life right? Wrong. As soon as the words fell from your colleague's mouth that “Ed is calling you to his office.” You knew what it was about. All the smiles drained from your face. He didn’t call you this morning to ask you to take the day shift, he called you to fire you. But you went to his office anyway with that little hope in your heart that maybe, just maybe he was calling you to give you a birthday bonus and not to fire you. But knowing the cheap motherfucker he is, that’s probably not gonna happen.

“Ed, you called?” You asked as you poked your head inside after giving two knocks. You were trying so hard to keep it all together and not to burst out with tears already.

“Y/n.....Hey, first of all, happy birthday.” He said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes

“So, you remember my birthday?” You asked. Maybe he wasn’t actually going to fire you. You told your inner self to not get her hopes up.

“Yeah, Chloe reminded me when she saw your friend’s post on Instagram.” He said, making it clear that you were not important enough to remember your birthday. “Look I’m not gonna spin my words and make things complicated, I’m just gonna come straight with this OK? I’m sorry to do this on your birthday but the restaurant is not doing as great as it was a few weeks ago.” You wanted to call on his bullshit, you knew the restaurant was doing just fine, even better you would say, but you decided to stay quiet. “It was a hard decision to make.” Again bullshit, he hated your guts for some reason, if anything he jumped on the opportunity to fire you. “We discussed it for a whole week and decided that we have to let you go. Since you are the one who needs this job the least as you already have another one.” So that was the actual reason. 

You wanted to scream at him and throw your shoe at him and insult him and call him an asshole but then you reminded yourself that you were 21 now, You have to act mature. So you just smiled at him and gave him a nod. You have to say he was pretty surprised at your reaction, he didn’t expect you to act so maturely, after all, you were a little famous for throwing tantrums. 

“We’ll miss you,” Chloe added and you gave her a smile, she actually was a pretty sweet girl, you had no idea how did she put up with this asshole.

“I’ll miss you guys too.” You said and walked back to the locker room. You took off the restaurant’s black and purple hideous t-shirt and put on the shirt you wore this morning. “Did he actually fire you?” A voice said behind you and you turn to look at one of your good friends Kyle. As soon as you looked at him a single tear left your eyes. You nodded your head and he wrapped his arms around you. “It’s my birthday.” You sniffed against his chest. 

“I know. Hey, it's okay. You’ll definitely find a better one I promise.” He said with a comfortable tone and stroked your hair. You nodded with a small smile. “What did you say to him?” He asked.

“Nothing, I don’t wanna act like an immature baby and throw tantrums at him. I took it like a big girl.”

“Huh.. now that’s new. How about you be immature just one more time.”  He said and you gave him a confused look. “He’s a big asshole for firing you, you know? Even bigger for doing it on your birthday, so how about you tell him what big of an asshole he is before you go.” He explained and a smirk made its way on your lips. You took your purse and stormed to the middle of the restaurant.

“Hey, Ed.” You called out and everyone turned to look at you when Ed made his way out of his office you started talking again. “You know you’re an asshole right? You’re a jealous asshole who can’t stand his colleagues when they start earning more than him so he fires them on their birthday, but you know what fuck you and your shitty restaurant and I’m gonna find a better job where the boss is not a dick. And stop sending dick pics to your employees you fucking pervert.” His face turned red as you revealed his dirty little secret in front of the whole restaurant. Kyle winked at you as you throw up both of your middle fingers and walked out of the restaurant.

*******

“You actually said that?” Wanda asked as you continued sobbing and nodded your head. “Did he ever send you any?” She asked.

“No, but he d-did to some of my friends.” You said between sobs and rub your nose in the hanky that Wanda gave you.

“Oh my god, is she still crying?” Sharon said as she walked into the apartment and took off her shoe. “I left an hour ago, y/n, you can’t be still crying.” She said and sat beside you. “I can’t help it.” You said between the sobs again. As soon as you left the restaurant you came to the apartment that the two of your best friends shared. And you started crying as soon as Wanda asked you what happened. Sharon instantly volunteered to go out and bring some of your favorite food to calm you down. “Here, I got your favorite ice cream.” She said pulling out a big tub of mint chocolate chip and you instantly stopped crying and pulled her in a bear hug. You have no idea what would you ever do without these two here. 

After the three of you finished the whole tub of ice cream and Three full movies of twilight it was 6 in the evening. You were in a better mood again. 

“I hate that movie,” Wanda stated as she licked the remaining of her bowl. 

“Yeah, me too.” You said snuggling closer to Sharon.

“Yeah, twilight sucks.......why were we watching it again?” Sharon asked.

“Because we like to say we hate it but we love to hate it.” You said and they nodded their head like you made total sense. 

“Ok, Get up, both of you. Get ready. We need to leave at 11.” Sharon said as she pulled away from the comforter from you and Wanda and gestured for you to get up.

“Where are we going?” You asked with a confused eyebrow.

“It’s your 21st birthday and we are not gonna waste it. We’re going to a club and we are gonna look hot and we are gonna drink a lot of alcohol.” Sharon said firmly.

“Sharon I don’t think so, I mean, I just lost my job and-”

“So? you’re gonna get another one. You can’t just sit here like a fucking sloth till then.” She said and Wanda nodded along as both of them stood in front of you with their hands on their hips. 

“I don’t have anything here.” You said.

“Wear something mine.” Wanda suggested and your eyes lit up “Except for the red dress.” She said when she saw your smirk.

“Come on.”

“You can have my whole closet but that dress.”

“But It's my birthday.” You pouted with puppy dog eyes. No one, no one can resist your puppy dog eyes. So that’s why four and half hours later you were standing in front of Wanda’s trailer giving the final touch to your make-up. The said red dress was hugging your every curve like it was tailored specially for you. The hem landed on your mid-thigh, the plunging neckline was showing more than enough amount of your cleavage, the back was made of four strings. She gave you her black pumps which were a little too higher than your usual shoes. Your hairs were curled perfectly by her. Wanda gleamed at you as she admired her work.

“God, you’re gonna turn some head.” Sharon complimented as she walked in and as always she was looking wonderful. She was wearing a dark blue halter neck dress and Wanda was wearing the same dress as yours but in black. 

The cab was in front of their apartment in fifteen minutes. There was no doubt that clubs in New York were great but they were even greater when your friend’s bouncer friend is on door duty so as soon as the three of you arrived, Wanda smiled at the man standing on the gate and he let you in instantly making the people in the long line behind you groan out in frustration.

Sharon pulled both of you to the floor as soon as you entered the club, the music was so loud that you forgot about your shitty day completely. “Shots?” Wanda asked after a song and you nodded. You kept swaying your hips as you reached the bar. “Kamikaze. three each.” You said to the bartender and he started making your drinks with a smile on his face which you could bet was fake.

He lined up the shots in front of you and the three of you took ‘em within ten seconds. “More,” Sharon yelled and he lined up three more. After drinking five shots each, three of you got back to the floor.

After what felt like hours Wanda tucked on your arm and said.  “Look at those guys, they are hot,” Wanda said pointed at a group of businessmen sitting around a table who looked too rich to be here. They were definitely a lot older than the three of you. Your eyes instantly met with the blond man with the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen. He was already looking at you with an unreadable look on his face. “I called dibs on the blonde, He’s hot,” Sharon said as she looked at the said man who was already looking at you. You felt a slight punch of jealousy in your chest as she eyed him up, or maybe it was just the alcohol. 

“Ok, my legs are gonna give out, I’m gonna take a seat,” Sharon said as she moved to the other corner of the club. “Yeah, me too. You coming?”  Wanda asked you and you shook your head, not taking your eyes off the blond man. 

You don’t know what came over you but you bit your lips and started dancing more sensually than you ever did before, your hands roaming over your own body. He looked like he was enjoying the show way too much, you were pretty sure you could see his boner if it wasn’t so dark. He smirked at you as you swayed your hips.

The little bit of conscience that was left in you was telling you to stop it, that it wasn’t you. You were not like this. But you shut it off and kept dancing. Giving him a show.  

A hand tapped on your shoulder and you came to face with a very familiar face and your eyes lit up. “Kyle.” You exclaimed and jumped into his arm. He hugged you tightly and pulled you up from the ground. “What are you doing here?” You asked.

“Sharon invited me.” He replied. Kyle has a crush on Sharon ever since you have introduced the two of them. He made you promise him that you will never tell her anything about it, you have told him so many times to just ask her out but he keeps saying she’s way out of his league. 

“I didn’t know you would want to hang out with three girls on a Saturday night otherwise I would have asked you to come myself.” You said as you leaned into him due to the loud music, his hands were firmly rested on your waist in a friendly manner but it was enough to make the blond man across the room slightly jealous.

“Well, it wasn’t my plan either, I was gonna do some bowling with my brothers but then Sharon called, and you know I can’t say no to that woman.” He said making you laugh. “I’m gonna go say Hi to her and Wanda and then we’re gonna do some shots OK?” He said loudly over the music and you nodded before pushing him where Sharon and Wanda are sitting. 

You turn around to look for your hot stranger again but much to your dismay he was not sitting there anymore. You frowned as your eyes searched the crowd looking for the blond man who has caught your eyes.

“You looking for someone?” said a husky voice behind you as hot breath ran down your spine. You spun around so quickly that you almost lost your balance but before you could fall your stranger stretched his arm and grabbed you by your waist. “Careful, sweetheart, wouldn’t want that beautiful face to have a scratch on it.” He said as he pulled you close to him and started dancing with you. His grip on your waist was hard, it made you wonder how his strong hands would feel on other parts of your body. You subconsciously started grinding on him and he growled in your ear before grabbing a handful of your ass making you moan out at his sudden action. 

In quick action, he turned you around and pulled you to his chest. His hard member was pressed up against your ass and you ground on it. His hands holding your waist roughly. he leaned down to press his lips against your ear and said “That was a nice show you put up for me, does your boyfriend knows you are dancing for a strange man like that?” he asked.

“I don’t have a boyfriend,” you replied as you pressed your head against his chest. God, he was so strong and manly, so different from all the boys you’ve been with. They were just that, boys, but he was a man and you’ve always craved a man.  

“Good, ‘cause once I like something, I hate to share it with someone else.”  He said making your heart flutter. 

“Do you want to get out of here?” You couldn’t help but ask.

“Next time, Doll.” He said as he leaned down to kiss your neck before walking away from you. You turned to see as he walked away from you, his eyes didn’t leave yours till he disappeared into the crowd. Leaving you there, craving for more. Your heart became heavy with disappointment.

But he had said ‘next time. Did he actually mean something by it or was he just letting you down easy, so that the rejection wouldn’t hurt much? But he also said he liked you. Before your mind could overthink the whole situation your friends walked up to you. 

“Where have you been lost, girl. We’ve been calling for you.” Kyle said and you turned to look at the three of them. “Huh?” was all that left your mouth.

“Let’s do more shots,” Wanda yelled over the crowd making you laugh at her enthusiasm. “I’m good you guys go.” You said.

“Partypooper.“ Sharon said.

“You promised me,” Kyle said.

“But-”

“No buts, let’s go.” Sharon dragged you to the bar. After a few more drinks you guys were ready to go home. You pulled out your card to give it to the bartender to pay for the drinks but he shook his head making you frown.

“Your tab’s been paid for.” the bartender told you.

“What? Who paid for it?” 

“A very generous gentleman. I don’t know his name but he was very blond, said he knew you.” The bartender said and you knew exactly who he was talking about. Why would he reject me and then pay for our drinks? You thought.

“Woah Alex has a secret admirer!” Wanda exclaimed making Sharon and Kyle laugh. A blush made its way on your face but you reminded yourself you have to pay him back. You can’t let a random stranger pay for your shit.

“How much he gave you?” You asked.

“A thousand dollars said it would cover you for the night and the rest was a tip.” He said making your eyes wide like a saucer, not just yours your friends’ too.

A thousand fucking dollars!? that’s more than I have in my account right now. how am I supposed to pay him back?

“Woah, he was generous,” said Sharon.

After that Sharon and Wanda took a cab home and Kyle dropped you at your sister’s house where you were leaving. When you got inside Your sister, her husband and their kids were already sleeping. You went to your room as quietly as you can. You quickly took off your dress, did your night routine, and fell on the bed. You couldn’t stop thinking about the blue-eyed stranger the whole night, even as you slept he was on your mind.

*******

CHAPTER TWO

A/N: This chapter was more like a prologue, the main thing starts from the next one. Like if you like the chapter if there’s something you didn’t like feel free to tell me in the comments or in the asks, If you want to be tagged send me and ask.

Taglist:

@godspeedlover​

@captainchrisstan​

@organisationiskey-posts

@literaturefeen​

[missnmikaelson-main]

Fine Art

Klaroline AU Week 2020

I originally had no intention of participating in the AU week, but then I saw the prompts again and got inspired, so here is my contribution for day one.

“Are you anywhere near finished yet?” Caroline tried desperately not to whine, but it was damn near impossible. There were pins and needles in her left leg and a freaking cold breeze in a place there was never meant to be a cold breeze.

“Half-way,” he glanced up from his easel; drew a bold line.

“Half-way,” she rolled her eyes up and to the right, catching a glimpse of his knee. “You’re only half-way done! What the hell have you been doing for the past three hours?”

“Sketching,” he focused on the paper.

“Last week you sketched a perfect rendition of Stefan in thirty minutes,” she glared at the ceiling.

“I’m taking my time,” he cleared his throat and ran his gaze over the curve of her breast, shading the drawing. “You’ve been in this class for weeks, you know that some sketches take more time than others, love.”

“I’ve also noticed that yours have never taken that long,” she rolled her eyes. “Is ‘taking my time’ your way of saying ‘I’ve been ogling you for hours’?”

“I resent the implication that I would ogle,” he scoffed. “I do not ogle sweetheart; I appreciate when beauty is laid bare before me.”

She risked twisting her neck enough so she could watch the smirk and staring a moment too long; whatever, if he asked she would say she was appreciating his dimples.

“You’re ogling.”

“Appreciating,” he insisted.

“Whatever,” she looked up at the ceiling fan, “less appreciating and more sketching.”

“As you wish, love,” he chuckled, “but don’t try to tell me we wouldn’t be in this very position if our roles were reversed.”

She tried, she really tried, but she was incapable of stopping the image of a naked Klaus posing for her flickered to life. And it had the nerve to linger.

“I doubt we’ll ever find out since you never volunteer to model,” she enunciated carefully to mask the thoughts she feared would leak into her tone.

“Maybe I’ll follow your lead and surprise everyone,” he murmured. “Not that I’m complaining love, because you make a wonderful model, but what prompted your sudden confidence?”

“Not that it’s any of your business,” she turned to look at him, “but I lost a bet.”

“You volunteered to model nude because you lost a bet?” He met her eyes.

“I honor my bets,” she shifted.

“Don’t move your legs,” he chided, adding some shading to her calve. “What was the bet?”

“Elena said I couldn’t do a cartwheel after we went out drinking with Bonnie and Damon,” she pursed her lips. “If I had pulled it off then she would have been the one modeling today.”

“Aren’t you on the cheerleading team?” He frowned.

“We both are,” her fingers itched to rub at the goose flesh on her thigh. “And under normal circumstances I can do sixteen in a row, but…” colour rose in her cheeks, and looking down she saw it spread over the tops of her breasts, “… it gets decidedly more difficult after drinking with Damon. I fell flat on my ass.”

“I see,” he focused on the page.

Caroline suspected he was hiding a grin.

“Don’t laugh at me!”

“I’m not.”

His tone said he was.

“It’s not funny!” She crossed her arms. He didn’t complain about the sudden move, so she knew he was finished with her upper body – after three freaking hours.

“Who said it was funny?” She could hear the mirth in his tone.

“Stop laughing,” she scowled. “I’ve got a bruise.”

“Shall I soothe it for you?” He cocked an eyebrow, placing his stick of charcoal on the ledge of his easel.

“Are you finished sketching?”

“I finished a few minutes ago.”

“And you’re just now telling me!” She swung around, leaping to her feet and instantly swaying as the blood rushed back into her left leg. “Remind me not to pose with one leg over the back of a sofa again.”

“Oh, but it created such a lovely view,” he leaned back, taking a moment to appreciate the full view of her body before she could reach for her robe.

“Not overly comfortable though,” she cinched the white material around her waist. “And I still have to do the assignment,” she groaned at the thought.

“Who shall be your model?” He smirked.

“I haven’t decided yet,” she chewed her bottom lip.

“Shall I surprise you?” He stood, reaching for the hem of his shirt.

“What? Now?” Her heart thundered behind her ribs when he dropped his shirt on the floor.

“What’s wrong with now?”

She chewed her lip, lifting her eyes from the tattoo she wanted to reach out and touch to his dimples, glowing behind golden stubble.

“There’s just one little problem with that suggestion,” she tilted her head.

“And what’s that?”

“The school has a pretty strict policy on turning in anything vaguely pornographic,” she smirked, glancing towards the bulge in his jeans. “Is that why it took you so long to finish my sketch? Not enough blood in your hands because of your little problem?”

“There is nothing ‘little’ about this problem, sweetheart.” He followed the line of her eyes down, and his smirk did things to her insides that she would later tell Elena and Bonnie all about, but for now it was all she could do to remain on her feet.

“I still can’t draw you like that,” she shook her head. If she hadn’t taken a break a half hour ago she might have been anxious to get out of the studio, but as it was the feeling had returned to her foot and his current state was doing things to her confidence.

There were some guys in the class who got a little aroused during figure drawing when the model was attractive, and some girls too – she was guilty of being one of them – but he had never been one to let it affect him. He was usually one of the first to finish – normally she found that infuriating since she had to spend nearly twenty minutes perfectly shading a knee.

“Would you like some help with that not ‘little problem’?” She took a bold step forward, and made an even bolder move by trailing her finger over his abs – the grooves would take forever to shade just right, but she wouldn’t mind practicing tracing with her tongue. “I could draw you after.”

“That depends,” he snagged her waist with one hand, tugging at the robes tie with the other. “It that a serious offer?”

Her robe fell open, revealing the valley between her breasts.

“Was yours?” She hooked a finger behind his belt buckle and pressed her body against his chest. “If not I’m sure Elena would be more than willing to pose for me.”

He pulled her roughly against him, dragging one large hand up to cup her cheek gently. He could feel her heart beating rapidly, and bent to nip at her fluttering pulse point.

She melted into his arms. Her voice came out in a sigh.

“Does that mean Elena’s not stripping for me?”

@kol-and-elena-fanfiction @elejah-wonderland @elejahforever @xanderling @morsmornte @cry-btch @incorrectklarolinequotes @klaroline-4ever

[wickedgamesoyaoya]

Come Back... Be here.

Pairings: Tooru Oikawa x Fem!Reader 

Genre: Angst 

Word Court: 1.6k. 

𝅘𝅥𝅮  This is falling in love in the cruelest way. This is falling for you and you are worlds away.  New York, be here. But you're in London and I break down cause it's not fair that you're not around.  𝅘𝅥𝅮

It was a lonely life, one you were forced to become accustomed to. Your fiancé of three years was constantly travelling due to work, and right now he was in Brazil. You tried to maintain high spirits, filling your free time with volunteering and work. But recently every morning, you dreaded waking up. The emptiness that was usually dormant had become active once more, nibbling away at your will to continue your mundane life. Your first thought was to partake in something spontaneous. An activity that would revitalize your very being.

“I’m going to buy a ticket to Brazil!” It was the first idea to pop into your head, Tooru would never see it coming!

“You don’t have the money for that, y/n.” Your best friend, Akaashi was studying diligently when he heard your outburst. It was only natural for him to poke a hole in the plan you assumed was impeccable.

“That’s.... true. I’ll have to pick up more shifts. I can do it.” A determined smile had fixed upon your glossed lips. It would be a surprise.

For the next month every second you had was dedicated to earning money. During one facetime call Oikawa had inquired why the bags under your eyes have gotten worse. He suggested that you buy a new skin care kit, oblivious of the real reason your skin no longer had a healthy glow.

But because of your new and hectic schedule, the two of you barely spoke to one another. At first you did not notice, your whole goal was to surprise him after all. He was the one thing on your mind. It was Akaashi who commented on the lack of communication.

“You and Oikawa haven’t been talking as much.” It was a mere observation from a concerned friend.

“Well, you know I’ve been busy!” You waved a hand dismissively.

“But... he hasn’t called you either?”

You stopped stirring the pot, realization starting to hit. It was weird. Tooru didn’t seem to be phased by the sudden lack of communication. He simply went with it, as if nothing had changed.

If your absence doesn’t matter, then your presence never did.

You knew that all too well. When you were a child you slowly drifted from your friends, and while the others were indifferent, you cried your heart out. It was your older sister who told you that quote.

Now, you had accidentally drifted from your boyfriend by trying to get closer to him. Your chest constricted, anxiety beginning to course through your veins.

“Keiji, can you finish cooking this for me?” Your voice was barely released in a whisper, and your best friend was immediately at your side.

“Go.” He lightly pressed against your back, shoving you out of the kitchen.

The second you reach your bedroom, you placed the phone against your ear, listening intently to the dial tone. He would pick up, right?

“Hello, y/n?”

You instantly feel the stream begin, tears flowing freely as you clutch the phone as if it were Tooru himself.

“Hi.” Was all you were able to utter back.

“... are you crying?” His tone was dripping with concern, which only made you cry even more. You had missed him so much, and you were terrified about losing him. What if he found someone in Brazil? Someone whose face wasn’t colourless and drained? Someone who was able to cheer for him at every game. Someone who wasn’t you.

“Come back. I need you to be here!” The plead was completely unintentional, as you were overwhelmed by the emptiness you had tried so hard to combat. It had been months since you kissed his lips. Months since you were able to caress his face... Months since you felt loved.

Your words are met with silence. He wonders what possessed you to make such an ridiculous request.

“Y/n, I can’t do that.” There was no menace in his voice, rather he sounded defeated. His volleyball career had always strained his romantic relationships. It was nothing new.

“You can’t or you won’t? Other players at least visit their significant others or call them whenever they have a chance!” You were unable to control yourself, for three years you were the perfect girlfriend and then fiancé. It was your goal to be the last person Oikawa Tooru loved. You wanted to be understanding, that was why you never voiced your pain. But now there was no holding back.

“Did something happen? Why are you acting like this suddenly?” If he was being honest, he would have admitted that he did slack as a partner, but only because you never seemed to mind. There were plenty of occasions where his team members would request time off to spend with their loved one, but not him. Volleyball always came first.

“Nothing happened. I keep waiting for you to put me first... but it’ll never happen.” Pinching your eyelids shut, you stumble back a few steps, forcing your back to meet the wall for support.

“Y/n, please. Let’s talk tomorrow when you’re calmer.” His voice used to sound better than your favourite song, and right now he sounded like a complete stranger.

“Okay.” It was suddenly hard to breathe, your lungs were refusing to continue accepting the air, as if it were poison.

“Goodnight. I love you.”

You don’t say it back, which hurts him. But in your head you think he deserves it.

How could you build a family with someone who never viewed you as a priority?

——

He didn’t call the next day, and neither did you.

You had received your final pay-check in the mail the next day and still found yourself at the airport, buying a seat on a last minute flight to Brazil. But your reasons for going had changed. On the flight you fiddled with the ring on your finger, occasionally removing it to read the engraving inside. ‘Yours forever’

A bitter laugh crawled up your throat as you choked back tears. Forever never lasted as long as one expected.

When you arrived it was morning, you knew he had a game scheduled in the evening, and decided to spend the day exploring. It wasn’t a cheap flight, you may as well make the best out of the situation. After buying Akaashi a souvenir, you visited a few popular tourist attractions. It was oddly refreshing being on your own in a new city. It also reminded you that you survived without him before and could do it again.

You managed to purchase some close tickets for the game at a fair price, another benefit for being a single person. Most people bought tickets in pairs, you used to do it too. But not anymore.

When Oikawa entered the court, there were various screams throughout the stands. You even saw some signs that were decorated for him. He seemed to be the most loved player on the team, not that it was surprising.

In the first two sets he failed to notice you. But when he was prepping to serve in the final set, his eyes landed on yours as he began his journey back to the ground. The second his feet connected to the laminated flooring, he stumbled back clumsily. He had not expected to see her. Her presence had thrown Oikawa off his usual rhythm, which almost cost them the final set. Fortunately, his team mates were able to adjust and stole a narrow win. 

At the end of the game, Oikawa had ran off the court, eager to find you. Within minutes he found you at the empty stands. A hand was resting on his chest as he attempted to catch his breath.

“Y/n? What are doing here?”

“I was saving up to see you. That’s why I didn’t call as much recently. That’s why there were bags under my eyes.” A sad smile tugged at the ends of your lips as realization fell upon the man you loved.

“I didn’t know. But I’m glad you’re here. Let me introduce you to the team.” Extending out an arm, he attempted to grab your hand but you quickly stepped away from his touch.

“No, Tooru. I don’t think that’s necessary. I have come only to return this.” As your hands began to tug at the symbol of your love, fear flashed in his caramel irises. Instinctively he grabbed your hands, stopping you from completing the movement.

“Please, y/n. I know.. I haven’t been the best fiancé. But I refuse to let you end it like this.”

“You aren’t the only person in this relationship, Tooru.” Your voice cracked as tears began to cloud your vision.

“I will be better, give me the chance and I'll prove it." To your surprise, there were tears blossoming in his eyes. This was the first time you had seen him cry since high-school. "I love you, please don't do this." Lifting your hands to his mouth, he dropped gentle kisses to your knuckles, only furthering your confusion. How could you turn him down when he looked so vulnerable? A sight so rare that you had to wonder if you were dreaming the entire event. 

Stepping closer to him, your forehead dropped against his chest in defeat. Swiftly his arms snaked around your waist, drawing your small frame against his. It had been so long since you were able to feel his warm embrace. 

"I love you, y/n." He pressed his lips against the crown of your head, and at that moment you were roped in once again. All you could do was hope this time would be different.

[loveislattes]

Happy Birthday to You! (Chase Brody/Reader) Part 1

What starts out as a crappy night turns into a wonderful birthday!  ________________________________________________________________

Chapter 1 is a tiny bit of angst and lotsa fluff! Some threat of violence but no actual violence. 

Chapter 2 will be the smutty fun. 

  “I can't believe this!"

  Your shout reverberated through the room almost as loudly as the door slamming shut. The echoing bang only made your migraine ten times worse and it took all of your strength not to break down crying right then and there. Today was just not your day in the slightest.

  "Chase, what did you make for dinner?" You called out wearily, dropping your bag and coat by the hanging rack.

  Later you would have to pick those up. For now, you just needed to rest; Kick your feet up and lean back into a soft chair or even the couch with a plate of hot food. Hopefully, there would be something good on TV but even if there wasn't, you could just surf Netflix for a while. Anything would work at this point.

  You had made it to the kitchen before you realized Chase hadn't replied. Swiveling around in confusion, you call for him again as you pulled your phone out from your pocket. Silence was the only reply once again. A heavy sigh fell from your lips before you unlocked your phone, found his contact in the list, and hit the dial button.

  Frustration blossomed into anger in your chest as it went straight to voicemail.

  "What the hell could he be doing? It's almost nine o'clock," you muttered to yourself.

  Hopefully, he had left dinner in the fridge or at the very least the microwave, but you began to realize that hope was fruitless as soon as the fridge door swung open. The shelves were just as barren as they were before you went to work at ten that morning.

  "Chase… why?" You groaned.

  The fridge shut with a loud thump and your forehead mimicked the noise as it landed harshly against the steel door. Maybe if you hit it hard enough, you could knock yourself out and wake up somewhere different. Somewhere the world wasn't trying to make you go insane.

  "And to think I was actually looking forward to tomorrow," you sighed.

  Admitting defeat, you started stripping in the kitchen and tossed the uniform in the washing machine down the hall before heading to your bedroom. You quickly brushed your teeth and washed your face in the adjoining bathroom then tossed on an overly large t-shirt of Chase's and collapsed in the bed. The blankets wrapped around you like a cocoon when you rolled over and snagged your phone from the nightstand. A quick text was sent to Chase and then you flipped off the light and turned your phone on silent, ready to be swallowed into a happier world- or at least a dreamless, stress-less one.

  . . .

  When you awoke, it wasn't to the alarm that normally sounded so early in the morning. In fact, you felt much more rested than you should. Immediately a wave of panic hit you and you nearly flung yourself out of the bed, scrambling for your phone only to be suddenly jerked back into a strong pair of arms.

  "Hey! Hey! Calm down babe, it's just me," Chase nearly shouted.

  You struggled for only a moment more until reality set in and immediately you went limp in his hold. His familiar cologne filled your nose as you turned and wrapped around him, trying to calm your racing heart.

  "Scared the fuck out of me," you whispered hoarsely.

  "I'm sorry, babe. I didn't think you'd wake up to me climbing into the bed," he said, "What had you jumping up anyway?"

  "I thought I had overslept," you replied, then paused and tilted away from him to glare at him in scrutiny, "What time is it?"

  He beamed proudly and said, "Nine am. And don't freak out. I talked to Melissa and she said you didn’t have to come in today; there’s more than enough volunteers there. Said you've been working too hard anyway and needed a break."

  His words took a bit longer than you'd like to admit to process but finally you nodded slowly at him. Then last night came back to focus again and the calm mood soured instantly.

  "Where were you last night?" You asked, trying to keep the accusatory tone out of your voice, “I had a really bad day and I needed someone to talk to.”

  He blushed but didn't shy away from nor break eye contact- a good sign that he wasn't about to lie.

  "I was with Sean last night. He helped me pick some things out for your birthday. I got here at like eleven but you were already passed out."

  "So why are you just now climbing into bed at 9?" you asked tersely.

  Chase didn’t reply right away. The hesitation made your sleepy irritation grow in leagues. You were two seconds away from raising your voice at him when he finally spoke up.

  “Come with me. I was hoping you’d get to sleep in some more but since you’re up anyway…”

  He let his words trail off as he rubbed the back of his neck, eyes darting away bashfully, and climbed off the bed with a hand extended towards you.

  You took hold of it and let him pull you up. Chase’s shirt slid up your hips as you moved, catching on the swell of your ass, which earned a low groan from your boyfriend. Before you had time to react, he tugged you in close and wrapped around you until your hips were snug against his; bare ass pressed against his hardening length.

  “Did I mention you look amazing right now?” he asked slyly in your ear.

  A little shiver ran down your spine at the tickle of his breath across your neck.

  “You didn’t, but I appreciate it,” you murmured.

  The initial displeasure you felt from yesterday slowly dissolved away as his warm fingers traced delicate patterns along your forearms.

  “You look absolutely stunning, birthday girl. You always look perfect when you first wake up. The way your hair is all messy and how soft your face looks- Makes me fall in love with you all over again every time.”

  Warmth flushed across your face and you let yourself go limp against him as you tilted your head back. He caught your waiting lips in a gentle kiss.

  “Okay, Romeo, show me this surprise,” you murmured, nudging your nose against his.

  “Right. Right. Let’s go into the kitchen.”

  With one last lingering kiss, he released his hold on you and landed a swift pat to your bottom.

  You gave him a little snort but continued on through the house. At first, when you entered the kitchen with only the soft light streaming through the windows, it didn’t seem like anything was different. It wasn’t until Chase flipped on the ceiling lights that you finally made out what was on the table.

  In the middle of the large wooden table sat an open box of your favorite breakfast sweets. Rose petals surrounded the food as well as three other small boxes. Against the window sat a humongous bouquet of your favorite flower in a gorgeous crystalline vase. It was a beautiful display that was entirely unexpected.

  As tears pricked your eyes, you couldn’t stop the little ‘aww’ that escaped. Immediately you spun around and spotted Chase leaning against the wall. He looked uncharacteristically uncertain, complete with a full-on blush down to his t-shirt, and your heart thumped heavily in your chest.

  “Chase! This is so sweet!” you gasped

  His beautiful blue eyes lit up and a brilliant smile crossed his lips.

  “You like it? Sean said it might be a little overkill but-”

  “It’s absolutely perfect! Thank you so much, baby!”

  Launching yourself at him, you wrapped your arms tight around his shoulders and peppered kisses all over his face.

  His bubbly laughter rang out as you smothered him in as many kisses as you could manage before he finally broke from your hold and cupped your cheeks, planting a smacking kiss on your lips. You didn’t stand a chance in resisting his charm as he poured heart and soul into the embrace.

  “I’m so glad you like it, but this is only the first part of your birthday surprise, babe.”

  Surprised, you pulled back and gave him an incredulous look, to which he simply smirked.

  “Really?” you asked.

  “Yes, really. I have a whole day planned for us. What do you say? Breakfast and then we can get ready for the day?” he implored.

  An excited nod was all you managed before he nudged you toward the table, even taking the time to pull your chair out for you. It was the first time in a long time that he had acted so “properly” but you didn’t mind one bit.

  After you both had food and drink in front of you, he took hold of your free hand and flashed you an easy smile.

  “So you said you had a bad day yesterday. What happened?” he asked, wolfing down a bite.

  Being reminded of the worst day of your life so far made you cringe. Your favorite food was a little less appetizing as you mentally ran over the list of downfalls yesterday.

  “Well, first of all, I was feeling crappy all day; just headaches and dizziness mostly. Not to mention, work was hell. All kinds of rude clients and just everyone at the office was in a bad mood. Then, I got called into Evan’s office near the end of the day. He said my “performance” wasn’t up to snuff and make some rude innuendos about ways I could keep my job, so I told him politely to shove it. Needless to say, I was instructed to clean my cubby out after my shift ended. I just left then and there instead of waiting.”

  Stuffing a big bite into your mouth, you pointedly looked down at your plate and studied it closely. You don’t know exactly what you expected from him, but it might not be good. While Chase made enough to support the basics for you both, you brought in the extra income to keep your lifestyle comfortable. You knew he wouldn’t be mad at you but disappointment was always a possibility.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?!”

  His outburst tore your gaze back to him in shock just to find him almost visibly fuming.

  “Chase?” you asked weakly.

  Blazing with anger, his narrowed eyes met yours and a heated tsk escaped his lips before he took a deep breath and sighed.

  “I’m gonna fucking kill him. He seriously tried to use your job as leverage against you to sleep with him?!”

  When you nodded slowly, he let out a scary growl before shoving away from the table, shaking everything on it hard enough to make your heart stutter in shock. He jerked his phone out of his pocket and was typing furiously on it when you asked him what he was doing.

  “I’m having Anti pay him a visit, of course,” he bit out.

  “Chase, no! I don’t even want the job back, you-”

  He let out a disgruntled noise before snapping back, “I wouldn’t let you go back to work with him anyway. No, that asshole needs to learn not to treat women like that. I’ll make sure Anti doesn’t kill him… just rough him up enough to teach him a lesson.”

  Guilt knotted up your stomach as you watched his fingers fly over the phone keyboard. Maybe you shouldn’t have said anything. Then again, that jerk did need to be stopped. There was no telling how many women he’d done that to before you; younger, more vulnerable females who didn’t have the backbone to say no. As you mulled it over, the thought of Anti paying Evan a visit was becoming more and more appealing.

  “Okay,” you agreed after a few moments, “I wouldn’t want him doing this to anyone else.”

  Chase gave a sympathetic smile and nodded.

  “Exactly. Luckily, you’re my badass babe and you don’t take shit from anyone.”

  Swooping around the table, he pocketed his phone before wrapping you up in his arms. You leaned into him and he pressed a long kiss to the top of your head. There was a long, comfortable, silence as you soaked in the warmth and security that was Chase.

  “Let’s finish eating so you can open your gifts here and then we can go onto the next part of the plan,” Chase murmured.

  Breakfast was finished up with minimal small talk, though his free hand never left yours except to take a drink or wipe his face; almost as if he was afraid to let you go. It was sweet and just another reminder of how lucky you were to have him. Even with his rough edges, Chase was no doubt your perfect other half.

  It wasn’t until he waved a hand in front of your face that you realized you had zoned out while staring at his lovely features and you had to smile at the realization.

  “You okay? You aren’t still thinking about that asshole, are you? I promise Anti isn’t gonna kill him-”

  His words went silent when you pressed your lips to his gently. It didn’t even take him more than a second to catch on, his chair scooting back just enough to give him the room to pull you onto his lap. His strong thighs held you up easily as you wrapped around him and ducked your face into his neck.

  “I wasn’t thinking about that. I was just thinking about how lucky I am to have you in my life. You’ve always got my back and know just how to make me feel like the most important person in the world,” you murmured.

  Although you would never say it out loud, you felt the way his throat lurched and the shudder his breath caused in his chest. He really was a softie underneath it all.

  He was silent for a while, just holding you tight, before finally reminding you, “Hey, you got some gifts to open. Gotta open them before we can get on with the day!”

  “Oh yeah! How could I forget?!”

  Swiftly rearranging yourself on his lap, you snagged up the first gift and tore the wrapping off like a kid on Christmas. The lid went flying onto the floor without a care and inside the box laid your favorite brand of perfume- the expensive kind you rarely ever bought and saved for special occasions only. You had run out of it about a month ago but couldn’t bring yourself to buy the luxury item when you had other, cheaper, options still on your vanity.

  “Chase! You didn’t have to do this!” you gasped happily.

  Your boyfriend simply snickered and wrapped his arms around your waist, hugging you gently before saying, “Yeah, I did. Open the other one.”

  Excitement had you moving even faster than before as you unwrapped the second, slightly bigger, gift. At first, it appeared to be a leather-bound book, but upon closer inspection, you realized it was more than that. On each page was a hand-painted picture of you and Chase; basically a handcrafted photo album! Each picture marked special days in your relationship- anniversaries, birthdays, and get-togethers with the other Septics.

  As your fingers ran longingly down each picture, tears flooded your eyes and the sweet memories came to life in your mind. For the second time already that morning, you had to work hard to keep yourself from crying over his thoughtfulness.

  “I didn’t make ‘em,” he spoke up, “You know I can’t do art for shit, but I paid someone to make them for you; one of Sean’s friends. They did pretty good, huh?”

  You quickly closed the book out of fear that your tears would ruin the gorgeous pages before setting it aside. You tried to blink away the tears but eventually resorted to using your palms until you felt composed enough to move on. Of course, during it all, Chase didn’t say a word, just rubbed your belly softly and rested his chin on your shoulder in silent support.  

  Taking a deep breath, you found the last, and smallest, present with shaking fingers and opened it much slower than the others.

  “I hope you like it,” he voiced as you popped the box lid off, “This is the most important one.”

  Metal glistened in the kitchen light from the bottom of the box and caught your attention. In the middle of a tiny white satin pillow sat a beautiful silver ring that stole your breath. He started talking as you picked up the delicate piece of jewelry to inspect it closer. Laid carefully in the dainty metal twists was a beautiful peridot gem; your birthstone!

  “It’s called a caged heart Claddagh ring, or promise ring. I know we’ve talked about marriage and it will happen, and soon, but until then this ring symbolizes my promise to stay by your side. Through job changes and hard days, whatever may come.”

  That little speech is what finally knocked the final peg down in the dam that held your emotions inside.

  “Oh, Chase!”

  He helped you spin around to face him once more and held you tight as you burrowed in as close to him as possible.

  You soaked in the intimate moment for all it was worth, wanting to have the memory perfect in your mind for the years to come; the scent of his cologne, the feel of his body against yours, the overwhelming comfort he exuded. There wasn't a word to describe just how flawless it was.

  "Hey, we gotta get ready if you wanna be on time for all our plans today," he murmured after a while, fingers combing through your hair gently.

  Sniffling once more, you pulled away and wiped off the remaining drying tears. A quick kiss pressed to his lips and you were up on your feet.

  "Alright. Give me a little bit. I just gotta shower and get dressed. Don’t get into too much trouble while I’m gone,” you teased gently.

  He smirked and prodded your thigh with his nail before retorting, “No promises, babe!”

[saramelcky]

Fragments - Chapter 2

Bucky Barnes x Mom!reader

Summary: Y/n searches Grace with Bucky, meeting Sam for the first time. As the two come back home, Bucky deals with Sam’s teasing and opens up with Wanda. At the same time, Y/n gives some explanations to her friend, wrapping up the day.

Word count: 2.3k

Chapter Warning: Sam being a dick. A few insecurities. Is fluff a warning?

A/N: Okay folks, I don’t like this chapter at all. Yes, Grace is cute, but isn’t she always? So, I don’t have a lot to say, but if you expect some romance soon, well it will be awkward, like a lot.  Feedback and critique are well welcomed. Please don’t repost any of my stories without my permission but reblog if you want to!

Fragments Masterlist

Little steps echo through the common floor corridor, the little girl is wandering through the tower without a goal, she takes the lift and when requested she asks FRIDAY to take her to the fourteenth floor (as it is the biggest number she knows) and arrives in this big, dark corridor with only two doors, one of them semi-opened and with the light on inside. Giggling, she runs to the light and spies through the door.

“BOO!” The little girl shouts opening the door wide.

In the room, there is a man who, hearing the sudden scream, grabs a pillow and almost throws it at the door but stops instantly when he realizes there is a kid there giggling at him.

“Who are you kid?” The man asks.

“I’m Grace.” she says with a big smile.

“Hi Grace, what are you doing here?”

“I broke my arm. What’s your name?” She shifts from a sad face to a happy one in a couple of seconds and this makes the man in front of her concerned and confused.

“I’m Sam, what do you mean you broke your arm, can I see it?” He worries.

“I was at the park and I fell back, a big man helped me and took me here.” Grace explains staying partially behind the wall.

“And do you know this man?” He inquires right before going next to her to see her broken arm

“My mommy called him Bucket, I think.” she responds.

“Oh, you mean Barnes. I knew he was a part of this.” He mutters “Can you please give me your hand so I can see how bad your arm is?” 

“My mommy has my broken arm," she responds showing him both of her arms, "I don’t have it.” 

He notices the stump under the sleeve and realizes what Bucky has in his mind. “Alright, is your mom with Bucky?” Sam asks taking the kid’s left hand.

“Yes, Bucket was hugging my mommy because she was happy.” Grace answers walking to the elevator 

“FRIDAY, where’s Barnes?” He demands the AI.

“Mr. Barnes is in the gym on the tenth floor with a guest” she informs them

“Take us there.” Sam adds

The elevator is still there from before and takes them to the gym. “Don’t let go okay? Stay near me” Sam directs the child, who nods.

“It’s incredible, I’ve lost my daughter in the fricking Avengers tower. I’m such a bad mom” Y/n mutters to herself 

“You are not a bad mother; you don’t know how many times Steve ran away from me or his ma” Bucky chuckles

“How could you hear that?” She genuinely asks “I was almost thinking it” she laughs as it is incredible 

“Enhanced hearing,” he explains as it was normal for him "you know, super soldier and stuff.”

“Ohhh, right. I’m sorry I must have sounded rude” she apologizes.

“Not at all, it’s common being interested in...me. God this sounded really bad” he responds blushing a little.

“We, um, I think we should search Grace on the next floor.” Y/n suggests before hearing the elevator opening.

“Don’t let go okay? Stay near me” she hears a masculine voice talking. She looks at Bucky who recognizes the voice.

“Sam? Is that you?” He asks looking out in the hallway. Seeing his friend with the little girl frees him from a weight he hasn’t realized he was holding.

“Y/n! I’ve found her” he tells her.

“Oh, dear god, Grace! Why did you go away?” Y/n rushes, picking her up.

“You were hugging Bucket and I was curious” the girl admits “but I made a new friend, he’s Sam! I scared him before, but he became my friend anyway” she bubbles.

“You scared Sam? How?” Bucky teases laughing.

“Oh, shut up Bucket” Sam responds marking the mangled name.

“How did you call me?” He dares his friend.

“You heard what the little girl said” Sam rebuts.

Grace is laughing at their bickering, they seem more like children than avengers, but it’s just how they are.

“Okay, that’s enough guys! Bucky, I think we need to go home. If you leave me a contact, we can arrange a date to take the measurements, is that alright?” Y/n interrupts the men.

“Yeah, I can leave you my number” Sam nudges him on the side “Or my email, you know I’m learning more about technology every day” he laughs a little.

“Your number is fine, I guess” she blushes a little “I only have the commercial email and it would be a mess, I’m sorry.” she explains, trying to take out her phone while holding Grace.

“Wait, just put your number here, I’ll send you a text so you will have mine too” Bucky stops her.

She types her phone number and hears the notification of Bucky’s message. “Alright, see you soon, I guess.” she says goodbye to the men and Grace requests to hug them both before leaving.

“Man, that was awkward.” says Sam.

“What? The hug? No, she was cute” Bucky responded.

“No, you were awkward.” the man returns laughing.

When Y/n and Grace arrive at home, Lucy is still there, reading a book on the couch. “Hey, we’re back” Y/n greets.

“Hello, there!” Exclaims her friend.

“Where have you been other than the park?” She asks while helping Grace undress, noticing the missing prosthetic, she will ask about it later.

“First of all, how are you sure we didn’t just stay four, almost five, hours at the park; second of all, we kind of skipped lunch so while I’m cooking her something to eat could you please let her wear some clean clothes? Thank you so much” Y/n says.

Lucy doesn’t protest, but she’s very curious: in less than five hours the all sad and demotivated Y/n became this active and new woman she hasn’t seen in five years, she wonders what happened to them.

Bucky and Sam take the elevator to the common floor again, they live in different flats but on the same floor instead of on their own like the others so, if Bucky needs anything because of the nightmares, he goes to Sam quickly. The short ride is silent but weird enough. Sam is watching him, thinking about what the other has done, and in what awful situation he has put them.

“You know that the project doesn’t work like that” Sam speaks as they get off the lift.

“What?” Bucky asked.

“That kid, she can’t have that arm you know that, right?” He repeats.  

“Why not? After all, it’s my fault she doesn’t have her prosthetic anymore” he disagrees.

“First of all, you exactly know why. Pepper explained to us the procedure thousands of times. We already have enough volunteers for Tony’s project” Sam explains. 

“She’s not part of the project. She has never been. I’ll pay that arm for her” Bucky responds as they sit on the couch.

“Hey there, what are you fighting about again?” Wanda arrives from the kitchen.

“Barnes in here decided to be Mother Theresa to a little girl who needs a new prosthetic arm and her mom.” Sam tells her.

“Ohh is that for Tony’s project?” She asked happily. 

“She won’t be part of it goddammit!” Bucky burst to lose his calmness.

“Alright we get it, Barnes, you fell in love” Sam provokes him.

“Sam, come on!” Wanda reproaches the man as Bucky leaves the room.

“You’re an idiot” Wanda interrupts him “you know how lonely he felt since Steve has left. They were probably the first people he has talked to in days excluding us” She recalls, going to Bucky’s room.

“Turn off the oven when it goes off okay?” She asks him before leaving.

Wanda walks to Bucky’s door finding it strangely unlocked. “Bucky? Can I come in?” She knocks on the door.

“Yeah yeah.” he responds.

Wanda opens the door and sees the super soldier laying down in bed, staring at the ceiling.

“You did a good thing Bucky, you know?” She reassures him “and Sam can be quite a dick sometimes” she adds.

“I agree” he smiles a little.

“I want to let you know something and then, if you want to, you can talk about today. Alright?” She asks and he nods.

“It’s not important what happened today to let me say that you can move on, from Hydra and Steve. You deserve it.” he looks at her as he hears his name, having a melancholy feeling spreading from his chest.

“So, how’s it going today?”

Bucky explains to Wanda how he has met Y/n and Grace, what he knows about them and how good he had felt together with her.

“You know Wanda, I didn’t expect me to talk to someone this early after what happened...and when I saw how much she cared about her daughter, I realized that maybe I don’t want a lonely life anymore. But it’s like a curse, I haven’t seen happiness since the 40s, even in Wakanda I had these dreams and paranoias about Steve and guess what, they turned to be true so...” 

“Maybe you should let happiness enter in your life and not chase it like a mad man, would you try that for me?” She breaks in.

“If you want...I’ll just stick to go out more often, it will be better than nothing I think” he promises.

“That’s fine, but now text her, even just for that famous appointment” she suggests smirking.

“Okay, fine. I’ll write to her. I just need a moment alone; I’ll be back for dinner” he responds with a tight smile on his lips.

“Sure Buck, see you later.” Wanda says going out his flat.

Bucky feels overwhelmed, for over seventy years he hasn’t felt emotions and since he escaped from Hydra, he is more in alert than in any other time of his life. Feeling that bit of happiness and joy, sprinting out that little girl after everything that happened to her, makes him feel alive again and he can still feel her tiny arm embrace him saying goodbye.

After two fairy tales and some cuddling Grace falls asleep for her afternoon nap. Finally sitting down on the couch, Y/n takes a breath of relief as this crazy day is slowly coming to an end.

“So, would you mind to tell me what happened at the park since Grace doesn’t have her arm anymore?” Lucy interrupts her relaxing.  

“God, it’s a long story” she answers.

“I have a lot of time” the other retorts.

Y/n puffs and sits up straight on the couch.

“So, uh, where do I start. We were at the park; Grace saw this really big Labrador and went to pet it. She came back and bumped into a man and fell back, breaking the prosthetic arm” she takes a long breath before continuing “The said man was Bucky Barnes, okay? He felt bad and suggested to buy us a new arm but then he took us to the Avengers tower and explained to me a couple of things about the arm. Grace put a little game on us there, she escaped and wondered around the tower, I lost her, and I was going crazy when Falcon...uh Sam, found her in his apartment. So now I have to organize an appointment with Bucky for Grace’s arm and just thank them for it I think” she explains. 

Lucy stared at her friend for the whole speech, both shocked and happy. “So, you’ve met an avenger, got a new arm for Grace, went to their tower and then have met another one? That’s wild” she surmises.

“And I’m super tired even if it’s not evening yet” Y/n leans back when she hears her phone going off with a notification.

“Uhhh, who’s bothering, my god!” She groans.

When she reads the sender, she shuts up immediately.

“So, who it is?” Her friend asks.

“Bucky, actually” she responds.

“And what does he say?” 

“Just things for the arm I think, I don’t want to open it” she confesses.

“What? Why not?” Lucy is confused.

“I don’t know. It’s just fear, I think. I’ll read it after by the way” Y/n says.

“Alright, as you want. If you need to talk about him, you know you can” her best friend reassures her.

“There’s nothing to gossip about him, he’s just kind. That’s all” she declares.

“Okay if you say so” Lucy shrugs. 

“What?” Y/n protests. 

“Oh no nothing” her friend, lies “it’s just that I think you should read that message” she advises her.

“Yeah, I’ll do it later. I told you that before” Y/n repeats.

“Read it now. Trust me” Lucy insists.

“Okay I’ll read it,” she says unlocking the phone “God, why are you so pushy?” She sighs.

As Y/n opens the message she has to read it a couple of times before acknowledging the meaning of it. “You told me to read it because you read the preview, didn’t you?” Y/n asks Lucy.

“Well yes! He asked you out!” She pipes.

“Oh god no” the other laughs, “He asked if I was free for having breakfast tomorrow morning.” she responds putting her phone back.

“So he asked you out! I’m so happy” Lucy is jumping of joy. Y/n, mad laughing, interrupts her.

“Is that a no?” She asks.

Y/n just can’t stop laughing as her friend keeps taking suppositions. After some tries, she calms down and finally stops the friend’s trying.

“He asked me if I could have breakfast with me, and added to bring Grace too” She laughs again “you are so cute when you get excited for me” 

“Oh god, I’m so stupid” Lucy laughs too.

After laughing together for another moment Y/n stops.

“Oh shit, I haven’t answered him yet!” She says before laughing out loud once again.

[daybreak-academy-fanfic]

Daybreak Academy: Chapter 39

Everything’s Perfect

Summary: In which the play is held back a week, and Ephemer once more admits more than he means to in front of Anora. Word Count: 1,448 First | Previous | Next ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆

The tension in the auditorium could almost be cut with a knife. Everyone shifted slightly in their seats, as if they all expected to be called out for some atrocious act that they had been a part of. In a way, it might not have been far from the truth.

Anora had come alone, not truly bothering to find the rest of her study group to sit with them. Everything felt so weird and so wrong. She decided to take a seat toward the back, hoping for a spot near the aisle for sort of assurance that she could leave whenever she wanted to. Turns out she and Ephemer had the same line of thought- she found him sitting in the very last row, right next to the aisle. He didn't even acknowledge her at first before she started to carefully shimmy her way around him to sit on the other side of him.

The two gave each other a brief glance before turning their attention to the stage. Like at the last assembly, the five headmasters took their places on stage. It was in a dim thought that Anroa realized they were in the exact same position too. Ira was in the middle, with Aced to his left and Invi on his right. Gula stood at the end next to Invi, while Ava stood at the other end next to Aced. Because of this, Anora had thought that Ira was going to lead the assembly again, but it was Gula who stepped forward.

“Many of you know why we are assembled here today.” he started. His voice was cold, reprimanding. It made a lot of kids hide further into their seats. “I'm sure you were also all aware that the school wide play was originally scheduled for June sixth. However, it had come to our attention far too late that not everyone who volunteered to help had shown up. This mistake nearly cost the life of a single student who had, up until that point, done everything in her department alone. The student in question will recover and will be returning to classes within the next week. As for those who did not help when they said they could...”

Gula's gaze was sharp as he looked at the students. It was a fury unlike anything Anora had seen before- it could almost rival the anger Aced was said to have.

“Those slacking students have been severely reprimanded. They will now be working for the role they had volunteered for, and they will do everything in their power to do what one student had accomplished over the past several weeks.” Gula turned to look at a particular row of students with enough contempt to kill. Anora wondered if that was where the slackers were told to sit. “Of course,” Gula went on, addressing the rest of the students again, “This change is not without its incidents as well. To give those slackers some mild leeway, we have decided to push back to school play to June thirteenth- exactly a week from its original debut.”

At this announcement, the auditorium filled into an even deeper, more tense, silence.

Ephemer did not look well at all; his face paler than a sheet, his breathing slow but heavy, and he was gripping the seat's armrests for dear life. Anora looked at him for a moment before placing a gentle hand on his. The boy jumped, turning to Anora with concern. Making a decision, Anora took Ephemer's hand and -without caring who saw them- she led the two of them out of the auditorium. She carefully guided them to the dressing rooms, finding the one Ephemer was using, and brought them both inside. When Anora finally let go of his hand, Ephemer absentmindedly went to the dressing room chair and sat down. Anora, meanwhile, was looking around the dressing room for the pack of plastic water bottles.

She gave a little sound of happy discovery before pulling one of the water bottles out. The girl then went to her friend and offered the bottle to him. For a moment, Ephemer just stared at it. He looked up at her, meeting her encouraging gaze, before slowly taking the bottle from her. But he didn't open it. Instead, Ephemer rolled the bottle in his hands, his eyes focusing on the ground.

Anora remained a respectful distance away from him. She sat on an extra stool as she carefully paid attention to his body language. She was no expert on the subject, mind you, but she did her best to understand regardless. What she was coming to understand caused a small pang of jealousy in her heart.

“You really care for her...” she murmured, not meaning to have said it out loud.

“You don't even know the half of it.” he softly admitted. “I met Skuld at First Year student orientation. Hers, not mine. I still had another year to go. But I snuck in to watch the ceremony because I was that excited about starting the next year. She was the only one to notice that I probably wasn't meant to be there. She called me out for it. She threatened to tell the headmasters or a teacher that I was trespassing on private property. You should have seen the look on her face when I told her I was Ava's son. I still laugh just thinking about it.”

He reclined a bit as he closed his eyes, obviously trying to remember the happier time.

“She was my first friend outside of Ava, and Gula, and the rest of them. We got to know each other really well that first year. She helped me with schoolwork, and kept her from getting swamped in it.”

Ephemer then held the water bottle tighter. The plastic from the bottle crunched under his grip.

“For awhile, I… I thought I had fallen in love her. So last year, I insisted that we start dating.” He gave a small, bitter half smile to himself before adding, “And three months later, I told her I wasn't interested anymore.”

Anora gave him a small look, burying her hands in her lap. In a still voice, she asked, “Why?”

For this, the boy found he didn't have an answer.

“I guess…” he tried to say, “I guess I was just so happy that I could click with someone outside the headmasters, that I just… I just didn't want her to leave. She made me happy. I made her happy. But we were just friends- romantic stuff just never happened between us.”

Something in the boy seemed to click, and he looked at Anora with wide, horrified eyes. “Now I'm doing the same to you.” Letting out a low groan, Ephemer hid his face in his hands. “I'm a shitty friend,” he murmured under his breath. After a while he looked back up at Anora.

“It's not your birthday, is it?”

At the girl's confused expression and curious tilt of her head, Ephemer explained.

“With all the… fun we've had over the past few days, I wanted to make sure it wasn't someone's birthday. Because, A- I never like forgetting people's birthdays. And B- going through… what happened to Skuld, it would be a bad present. No one deserves a surprise like that.”

Admittedly, Anora was still confused. Ephemer let out an exasperated sigh.

“Just tell me the day.” he insisted. “Please.”

“The twenty-fifth.”

“Of June?”

“May.”

Ephemer's face fell, but this time it was from disappointment. Anora found herself amused for a moment- the Ephemer she had come to know came shining back in that moment.

“I missed it.” he pouted. “Next year I'll take you some place special.”

Anora gave him a light smile as she said, “I'd like that.”

Ephemer look at her and couldn't resist the urge to smile back at her. It was a short lived one at best.

“I… I'm skipping out on classes today.” he admitted, despite not needing to. “And practice. Ava's already told all my teachers about it. Sorry.”

Anora shook her head- meaning for him to not take it personally. But that was the thing; it was personal, and now he was facing the consequences. His face was ambiguous at best as he then told her;

“You didn't have to come to every rehearsal, you know. I would have understood.”

His friend lulled her head a bit in thought. In a small voice she admitted, “I know.”

“So why did you?”

“Because I like you.” she replied, almost instantly. But after a short pause she added, “Because we're friends.”

“Friends...” the boy repeated. He gave a bitter snort at the idea. “Just friends...”

[soybeantree]

fugue

pairing: kim seokjin x reader  genre/warning:  fluff. word count:  description: “ultimately, we're all actors: i'm putting on a costume, so we're playing pretend.” a/n: this is part 2 of a series based on the outfits of bts’ ‘boy with luv’ dance practice. it’s been years since we put out the first one...can this even be counted as a series then?

The gate creaks open, and you sigh with relief when it stays on its hinges. Your brother promised to come over and fix the gate, but as police chief and a new dad his schedule is a bit full. "Be careful with the gate." You advise your guest as he enters. His gaze drifts over the yard and house, and you fidget with your keys as you examine everything through his eyes. The sun has bleached the walls, leaving the house a shadow of its former self. However, the windows glisten in the afternoon light, and the yard is freshly raked, the bushes neatly trimmed. A stone path leads from the gate to the patio of mismatched furniture. It's no palace, but it is home. "I've made up my brother's old room for you." You say as you start up the path. His footsteps sound behind you. "Your brother doesn't mind?" His voice is a whisper, a surprise for a man of his height and breadth. "My brother hasn't lived here in years." You throw a smile over your shoulder. "Besides, he's the one who suggested you stay here." "Your brother is the police chief?"

You nod as you attempt to unlock the front door. The key always sticks. Your brother said he would also look at that. The bolt finally slides back, and you usher the man in, closing the door behind you. "I'm sure you'll want to shower and change. My brother says you've been in those clothes since they found you." He glances down at his clothes then to you. His eyes are saucers, and he looks completely lost. "But I don't have anything else to wear." With a grin, you hold out the bag you've been carrying. "I went and picked up some things for you. The clothes aren't as nice as what you have on, but they're clean." He takes the bag, opening it to examine the contents. "My clothes are nice?" His attention shifts back to you. While he's dressed simply in jeans, a t-shirt, and a jacket, there is nothing simple about the clothes. Designer brands are not your forte, but you know when something is designer. His entire outfit probably costs more than you make in a month. "It's a good thing." You assure him. "It means you're probably rich, and it's easier to be found if you're rich." His expression shifts from lost to pained. You brother said that happens whenever he tries to remember. "The bathroom is straight down this hallway. My brother's room is the door on the left. You'll find towels and soap on the  bed. Once you're finished you can come to the kitchen." You point to the door on your right. "I should have dinner ready by then." He pauses a moment in the living room, taking in the walls and furnishings. Most of the furniture is older than you. Plastic wrap kept it in perfect condition while your parents were alive. Unable to stand sticking to your couch, you have since removed it, though a few years passed before you could. The TV is new, a birthday present from your brother. Pictures cover the walls, hiding the outdated wallpaper. They document your life from birth to now. Some cause you to cringe, but you leave them. "This is-was my parents' home." You offer as explanation. "They left it to my brother and I when they passed. My brother already had a house, so it became mine." His gaze shift to you as you speak. He clings to your every word, causing the words dry up on your tongue. You want to say something deep and insightful that will help him navigate through this now unfamiliar world, but nothing comes. "Bring your clothes with you when you’re done. I can throw them in the wash. Unless you want to have them dry cleaned." His brows furrow. "They're nice. The washer might ruin them." You explain. He picks at his shirt. "I don't mind washing it. You're already doing so much for me." His smile is soft and tugs at your heart. He bobs his head and walks back to the bathroom. You enter the kitchen. When your brother called asking for help with an amnesiac who needed a place to stay, you had laughed. Your town doesn't even have a McDonalds. There's no way something as crazy as an amnesiac showing up at the police station would happen, but when you arrived, SJ was sitting on a bench, staring at the wall. Bewildered and begrimed though he was, he appeared as a prince fallen from a fairy tale. His name isn't SJ. Your brother explained as he provided all the information they had gathered about the town's new arrival. The only identifying information on him was a handkerchief with the initials KSJ, so the station had taken to calling him SJ. He would only be with you for a few days, your brother had assured. You agreed to host him. How could you not? He was a lost puppy with big brown eyes. Dinner is ready when SJ comes in. He looks more human in the thrift store clothes you bought. His wet hair hangs over his eyes and a small smile tugs on his lips. He hands you his clothes and you direct him to eat. The shower and food ease the man out of his confusion and sorrow. He asks you questions about your brother and family and the small town where you have lived all your life. Talking about yourself is awkward at first, but the more you talk, the more you realize you have to say. By nights end, you both are laughing until your bellies ache. —— As the days pass, you discover SJ acts more the Cinderella than the prince. He loves to cook and clean and excels at both. He can fix anything, and he has too much energy to stay cooped up in your house. When he brought out the tooth brush with the intention of cleaning the grout in the kitchen, you dragged him to the town center. They were always needing volunteers. The old ladies at the town center fell in love with him instantly. Everyday, he comes to help with the center's activities. He will even run errands for the old ladies. Mrs. Park has already promised him a sweater. When he's not at the City Center, he goes to the library to read the national newspapers. So far, none have mentioned a missing person matching his description. Your brother has had similar success. Despite the lack of progress SJ remains positive. The shadowy man you met that first day was washed away in the shower. —— "I think bingo went well." You tease as you tuck gift cards into your wallet. SJ continues to pout, his lower lip puffing up to completely cover the top. Chuckling, you return your wallet to your purse and slip your arm under his. "We can add sore loser to the list of your traits." "I'm not a sore loser." He protests, pulling his arm from yours. "Mrs. Lim swapped my bingo card with hers, so she could win." He faces you fully, his face bright with indignation. "Her name was written on all of her cards." Soft and sweet, you offer the words as a salve. "She wrote it after she swapped them." He rejects the offer. Shaking your head, you continue down the sidewalk to the house. SJ splutters behind you but quickly catches up with you. "We should report her." "To who?" "Your brother." "The police chief has better things to worry about than a potential bingo board thief." "Not potential. She is." Your response dies on your lips as you round the corner onto your street. A black Rolls Royce sits parked in front of your house. SJ comes to a halt beside you. As you glance at him, you wait for recognition, but he wears the wild-eyed, bewildered expression from his early days with you. Slipping your fingers through his, you lead him forward. The car door opens at your approach, and a man from whose hair time has leached the color steps out. He bows to you both, a wistful smile pushing up the wrinkles on his cheeks. "Master Seokjin." His gravely voice gives the meaning behind the initials. SJ's grip tightens around your fingers, and you place your free hand on your entwined fingers. "Do you recognize him?" He shakes his head. "I'm sorry. Could you please tell us your name and how you know SJ?" The man glances between you two. His gaze settles on SJ. "My family has served Master Seokjin's for over a hundred years. You may call me-" "Pang." SJ finishes for him. The man smiles, and while SJ may not return the gesture, a light appears in his eyes. "We should go inside." You whisper. Releasing SJ's hand, you head to the gate which opens without protest. The two men follow behind you up the path and to the house. The key unlocks the door on the first try. You hold it wide for them to walk through. They stand awkwardly in the living room until you instruct them to sit. While you go to prepare tea, they begin to talk. Pang initiates the conversation. You strain your ears, but the kitchen door muffles the words. Tea finished, you fill two mugs and reenter the living room. SJ beams at you as he accepts the mug. You mirror his expression and squeeze his shoulder with your now free hand before handing the second mug to Pang. Even though curiosity and some unnamed emotion burns through your veins, you return to the kitchen and your own cup of tea. As the hours head to midnight, you nod off at the table. A hand on your shoulder rouses you from your half-sleep. Glancing over your shoulder, you find SJ. "Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep. Is Pang going to stay the night? I can make up the spare room." "He's staying at a hotel in the next town over. I'm going with him. My memory is coming back bit by bit, and there's a lot I have to take care of." You nod, the only response you can find. A darkness settles on your shoulders, weighing them down, but you force them back and with a smile give SJ your blessing. He found the answers he's been searching for. You won't keep him from them. —— SJ-Seokjin, as you constantly remind yourself, has yet to return. He sent a text telling you he was well and would be meeting up with is family. Who his family is or where they are, he failed to mention, and you kept yourself from prying. Life refuses to return to normal. Everyone asks after Seokjin, and you have to force a smile and give the same answer a thousand times. The old ladies at the community center bemoan his absence, and the sweater Mrs. Park finished sits in a bag on your couch. Every time you open the gate or unlock the door, his memory surfaces. As you sit and eat your hastily made dinner, you stare at the empty chair across from you. Before he crashed into your life, the silence in the house had gone unnoticed. Now, it is deafening. Coming home after work, you round the corner onto your street and nearly trip over your feet as you come to a stop. A black Rolls Royce idles in front of your house. Tears prick at the back of your eyes, and your legs itch to race forward so you can wrap your arms around the one whom you know is inside. You force your feet to move forward one step at a time. As you draw closer, the back door opens, and Seokjin emerges. In place of the thrift store clothes which made up his wardrobe, he wears what you guess is designer. The cut and style are simple, but the fabric is rich, and the clothes tailored to his form. Standing beside his carriage, he is the prince returned to his fairy tale. When you are feet from him, he closes the car door and steps towards the gate. You halt, drawing his attention to you before he can open it. "If you've come for your clothes, I can get them and bring them out to you. There's no need for you to come in." His brow lowers as his face twists into the expression he wore during the beginning of your acquaintance. "My clothes?" "I also have the sweater from Mrs. Park. They're both in a bag by the door." Your voice waivers, but you force yourself to continue. "It won't take more than a minute to grab it, and then you can be on your way." "What are you doing?" His tone snaps your attention to him. He wears an expression you've never witnessed before, and it makes your stomach twist. "You really think I'm here for my clothes? After everything, you think I'd come back take my clothes and disappear?" Your lips move soundlessly. "Wh-wh-what was I supposed to expect?" You splutter out. "You've been gone for weeks, and all I got from you was one text. I know you were busy remembering everything, but still one text. I thought-" The words burn in your chest and force tears from your eyes. "I thought you had remembered who you were and realized you're too good for this tiny town and-and," you take a shaky breath, "and too good for me." The thought has gone round and round in your head since he left until it became the only possibility. Watching Seokjin crumble, you want to reverse time and swallow your words. But, they have pierced him. The wound growing larger. "You should-" Before you can continue, his arms wrap around you, and he pulls you into the warmth and safety of his embrace. “I’m sorry.” He whispers into your hair. “I shouldn’t have left the way I did. Not after everything you and everyone here did for me.” He pulls back, his arms dropping so that his hands brush against yours. The touch sends tingles racing up your arms. You cross them in hopes of dampening the sensation. After a quick cough to clear his throat, Seokjin continues. “I would never think that way about this town and especially not you. I owe you my life.” “That’s a little extreme.” You mumble, your eyes fixed on the cracks in the sidewalk. Seokjin chuckles, a sound whose absence had left an ache in your heart. Its return sends heat flooding to your cheeks, and a finger beneath your chin raises your head, allowing Seokjin to see your embarrassment. His eyes lock on yours. “It’s not extreme. Very few people would open their home to a stranger, especially one with no memory. Without you, they would have taken me to a psych ward, and I would have been miserable.” A shudder shakes his shoulder. A chuckle slips out unbidden. You duck your head before you catch his responding smile. Your emotions are running rampant and that sight would only make things worse. Ever persistent, Seokjin crouches low and cranes his neck until his eyes are level with yours once more. You swat at him as a laugh bubbles out. “Why are you always so ridiculous? I’m glad to know that really is part of your personality.” “As it turns out, I’m a very steadfast person. The way I acted with you is the way I’ve acted my whole life. SJ and Seokjin are the same person.” “Good to know.” You say as you raise your head. “Do you forgive me then?” He pulls his puppy eyes, pulling up his bottom lip until it quivers. With a groan, you shake your head. “Of course.” He laughs, wrapping you in another hug as he bounces up and down. “Excellent.” He says as he steps back and grabs your hand. “Because I have so much to tell you.” Walking forward, he leads you through the gate. “And what was that you were saying about Mrs. Park’s sweater.”

[jadeender]

Switching Sides

It had been nearly two months Maverick and Curse had been traversing the dark world together. In that time they hadn't come across another dark, not ones like them at least. Being the dark world constantly was mentally draining, the monsters of the land haunted and he had become all to familiar with the feeling of Curse pulling him down into the shadows to hide as a dragon, demon, or some other distorted creature flew over head.

They had only fought a few time, Maverick took advantage of those moments and began to get more comfortable with the dragon’s fang, the sword had been made for him literally and metaphorically as he took to the blade instantly, though he had a suspicion it had to do with retaining muscle memory from Four.

All those times hiding in the shadows had been a good teacher, Curse thought him how to pull himself into the shadows in just a way that they were neither in the dark world or the Light world. Now Maverick was fully capable of doing it himself and even pulling Curse in with him without the other dark helping him at all.

Despite that early exhaustion and worry he was rejuvenated, the dark world was ultimately where he had come from and something felt, right, about the way it strengthened him the longer he stayed.

Over the months he and Curse had investigated the few towns they had come across. The twins were situated where they would have been in the light world but they were few and far between, because the dark and light world's aren't exact replicas. There was a space beyond and a space between where no influence from the light world could be seen.

But in the town's the few shadowlings who knew anything had all told them the same thing, go west. They didn't know what lay west but it had all the shadowlings worried, and the only thing that speaks in the dark world is power, whoever or whatever was causing the thing to the west is powerful.

As Maverick and Curse journeyed the kept to no seen path and often didn't speak.

"When we get to whatever the shadowlings are worried about what are you going to do?" Curse asked. "This is your mission after all."

"I'm going to check it out, anything this big has to be related to a true dark and if it is Callous I can tell the lights what to be ready for." Maverick confirmed. He came on the mission not just to help them but to prove himself, he was done hiding. If the true darks wanted to test him he'd be ready to fight back.

"What about the mirror? That was our original goal after all." Curse questioned. "Or have you forgotten."

"I haven't forgotten at all, we haven't gotten anything from the town's. And we know nothing about what Callous cares about and where he'd hide it. He may even still be wearing it! He's too prideful to think it could be stolen easily. If we find him and see the mirror we'll know, if not we'll come up with a new plan." Maverick said rubbing one of the dragon like scales in his shoulder, a thinking habit he'd picked up, really he'd always fiddled with something while he thought.

With that matter settled they walked along in silence as they continued west, after a little while however Maverick began to feel something, almost like a little buzzing at the edge of his senses. Something was nearby, and something powerful. Powerful enough to leave a trace.

He looked up slightly at Curse who met him with a similar look, whatever was causing this was strong enough for them to affected then it had to be whatever they were looking for. They began to move faster on the verge of a full sprint, subtly Maverick shifted the shadows below feet so they propelled him forward allowing him to pass Curse and go forward.

From a distance he saw the area where the shriveled forest they had been traveling through for the months stopped so he quickly slowed down and stopped at the edge. Below was a valley filled with a silver lake, and at the edge of the lake was a massive construction project. In size it rivaled any of the finest castles in Hyrule but it was not sleek and beautiful white marble. It had been built out of a jagged black stone. It was more like a fortress, but it wasn’t even finished. Hundreds possibly thousands of shadowlings bustled around carrying in materials and working on construction.

“I… I didn’t know shadowlings were capable of this.” Curse said his usual confidence faltering.

“Minions are capable of anything when they have a good master.” Maverick answered. A vision of the armies of monsters he had once lead popped into his head. Though incompetent they always served a purpose when given the correct… persuasion. “And I’m sure we both know who that master is.”

“This could be conqueror’s doing, he’s prideful enough to want an entire empire in his own image.” Curse considered as they stared down at the fortress. “But I doubt he’s competent enough to coordinate so many shadowlings.”

“I’m going to scout it out. Come if you want or stay here.” Maverick said as he prepared to shadow travel across the lake. 

“How are you going to get in there? They’ll know you’re different the minute you step foot over there.” Curse questioned.

“Not when I’m disguised as one of them.” 

____________________________________________________________________________

A short demonstration and convincing later Curse and Maverick entered the castle disguised as shadowlings. While he couldn’t shape shift Maverick had learned how to spin shadows around himself in such a way that he could appear as someone else. He had used it to impersonate Four before. Doing the same for Curse was somewhat draining but we knew he could last long enough to let them scout the fortress.

As they entered the fortress the front foyer was obviously the throne room but it had a sense of force to it, large gothic arches formed the ceiling and from them jutted razor sharp crystal chandeliers. Banners with the symbols of two crossed knives fell from the ceiling, confirming this was in fact Callous’s fortress. The walls were dark and daunted, and the walls were lined with armed shadowlings, each of them bearing a spear and shield. The sentinels stood still and focused.

“How is he controlling so many of them?” Maverick wondered allowed to Curse as they shuffled across the cold black floor following the flow of the construction.

“I don't know, I’ve never seen Callous use his powers, and have never been able to find any record of what they could be.” Curse whispered back as they crossed into the next room, this one an armory. Weapons of all types and origins hung there, enough to outfit an army or two. 

They continued to move beyond in and up through the castle passing room after room, rooms full of monster sized cages, more weapons, and even several lavish lounges likely for Callous himself. 

“He’s planning something big that's for sure.” Maverick whispered. “He has enough here to launch an invasion of the light world and dark world, and win. I don't even want to think about what monsters he intends to catch for those cages.”

“You could always ask me.” Mavericks eyes rose to find Callous coming down the hall. The true darks red eyes glinted as though they were glowing from within, his normal outfit had been switched for one of slightly higher quality, without rips or tears. “That disguise is quite ingenious, anyone weaker than me would have been completely fooled, but alas a true darks eyes will always see through this kind of illusion.”

Callous put out a hand and the shadows creating the illusion ripped themselves of Maverick and Curse, immediately he drew Dragon’s Fang as Curse reached for his sword.

“Ah so its two little erembour come to find out what I’m up to. Being the light’s lap dogs. And even little Shadow.” Callous sauntered forward and eyed Maverick slowly taking in his new outfit. 

“It’s not Shadow anymore, I’m Maverick now.” He refuted standing his ground though a cruel smile grew on Callous’s face.

“Maverick huh? You even took on the name I gave you. You’re remarkable for an erembour, none of the others would have thought to disguise themselves to sneak into my fortress. I see a cunning side in you, and a remarkable control of the shadows. You could do great things if only you had a full darks powers.” Callous remarked walking slowly away. “But you’ll never get the chance, I’ll have my shadowlings escort you out.”

Callous turned back waving a hand. Maverick thought quickly, he hadn’t seen Callous’s mirror on him so most likely it was hidden, and it was probably hidden here. He had to do something, and in the back of his mind and image arose of a tactic he could use. It was time to pull a Vio.

“No wait.” Maverick called out. “I didn’t come here to spy for the lights. I couldn’t be happier to be gone from them. I’m done hiding behind Four I want to learn how to use my powers to grow stronger.”

Swallowing a fair amount of pride he knelt down. “I came because I want you to teach me.”

____________________________________________________________________________

Curse looked back and forth completely stunned, in the time he and Maverick had traveled together he’d never seen Maverick act like this. As far as anyone knew Maverick and Four where closer than any of them, possibly even than himself and Ravio.

Mavericks plea caught Callous’s interest as he turned around and walked up to the kneeling dark. 

“Groveling is a good start, but why would I ever teach you? I’m under no delusions that you’ve completely given up your light loving ways and truly want to assist me.” Callous questioned Maverick standing directly over him. But Maverick was unmoved and spoke again.

“Of course you require proof of my loyalty.” Maverick stood forcing Callous back slightly and turned to look at Curse. “This one volunteered to be my guide when I ‘agreed’ to spy for the lights. And I think I’ll send him back with a very important message, though it’ll take him awhile to get there as dust.”

As Curse processed Mavericks words he attempted to doge Maverick’s strike but a sword coated in shadow sliced directly through his heart.

“Tell the lights I’m done. I’m just joining the winning side.” The look on Maverick’s face was truly cruel. “I learned it best from my own light after all.”

With that Maverick pulled the sword up and out of his body and Curse faded into black dust.