#i might be able to snag a short nap before work

[anna-scribbles]

h-how do you ever finish any of your work? genuine question because you seem to be productive despite your agreste syndrome and I need to learn your ways. but also how do you ever finish any of your work

unclear. last night i stayed up and finished a report worth 25% of my grade at about 5am, arrived on time for my 9am lecture, and spent about half of it zoned out while thinking about seventeen year old emilie agreste. and i was one of the most active participants in the class discussion

[minteyeddevil]

First of all i love your blog!

I would really like to know how the brothers + the other bois would react to an MC who's a Drag Queen (no matter if they're male, female or non-binary) and going to on of their show's

(Thank you so much, I appreciate you liking my work! :D Ah, I remember the first drag show I went to was so much fun, so I hope you don't mind if I write from how I have seen them where I live! Please let me know if it doesn't come out your liking though! I will also go ahead and write MC as gender neutral!)

---

Lucifer:

Considering his many trips to the Human Realm, he is aware of what drag is, and is actually curious as to how they got into it

Genuinely wants to know about their first time dressing up and going to perform, how everything went for them

How they got their drag name and every little detail he can get out of them

Will help them practice for their performances, either dancing with them or play music for them to sing along to

Watches intently as they get ready and even helps them pick out their outfit for their performance

Always in the front row of their shows and makes sure they see him there, smirking at them

The first one by their side when they come off the stage, and keeps away the unsavory people from them

Mammon:

He’s going to ask a lot of questions, but mainly because he is curious as to why they chose to do drag

Like his older brother, wants to know every detail about it, and will listen intently to them explain it all

Takes them shopping with him so he can get them amazing outfits to wear on stage

(And even some that they can be matching with; he wants to show up to their performance and let people know that they belong to him, and they have his full support all the way around)

He loves watching them display their talents, be it singing, dancing, or even juggling; he is proud and beaming as the audience cheers for MC

Of course he is very possessive, so when they come off stage and walk up to his side, he guards them from people trying to get too close

But of course let’s them interact with their fans; they just need to keep hold of his hand while doing so lol

Leviathan:

Genuinely loves their costumes and get-ups, even helps them design some based on cosplays

If they allow him to do so of course; his anime obsession tends to come out a lot in his ideas, so sometimes they need to get him to slow down lol

Best seamstress for them ever, and whenever they have a snag in their dress or a tear in their leggings, he is the first they go to to fix it

Will always be backstage to help them get ready for their show; make quick adjustments as needed, help set their wig properly, adjust a strap here and there

He tends to stay at the side of the stage and watch their performance from there, just admiring how well they are doing for their audience

Will get blushy and flustered if they do an outfit change on stage, tearing away their dress to reveal a corset and tight mini skirt set beneath

He was fully aware it was there, but it still caused his brain to short circuit seeing them dance around in it, and them giving him a side ways glance plus a small wink sure didn’t help his situation at all

Satan:

Being the ever curious demon, he will also ask MC questions on their history with drag, and also go into reading as much about it as he can in his free time

There is nothing subtle with Satan; he needs to know every little thing he can about something in order to understand it fully

He might even start asking MC questions on drag’s history, mainly to have conversation with them and see how much they know as well

(Not in the sense to make them feel dumb or anything; he just wants to be able to relate on the topic with them!)

Always there for every one of their shows, and is definitely their biggest supporter

He helps them practice their songs and helps them learn new dance routines as well

Asmodeus:

He is all over the idea of MC being a drag queen, considering he has done a few shows himself in drag

(Pry that from my cold, dead hands; Asmo is a major queen in the Devildom, and now MC is right along side him)

He helps them prepare their wigs and make up, helps them dress up and ties their corset, makes sure they look radiant before stepping on stage

Front row and center, cheering them on as they belt out their song and claps for them as they dance along on stage

Will make sure all his friends vote for them to be the Top Drag Queen, even if he is running against them; he just wants them to shine!

Will make sure all his brothers support them and be there for their performances as well

MC better be prepared for a million photo shoots with him, because he wants them to be as popular as he is in the Devildom!

Beelzebub:

Does going to a show mean there will be food there?

Forgive the demon, he always thinks with his stomach; of course he will be there to watch MC perform

He touches everything they wear, feeling the sequins on their dress and how soft the hair of their wig feels, the pearls around their neck, the large beads of their bracelets

Might try to bite on something they wear if it reminds him of food, lol

Has a stack of plates at his table while he waits for their performance to begin, and actually stops eating to pay full attention to them sing and dance

He definitely didn’t expect their flowing dress to suddenly become a skin tight one as they pulled the frills off, and he feels a warmth grow in his cheeks

Shyly offers them some of his food when they saunter up to his table and sit with him after their show is over

Belphegor:

He has a bad habit of coming off indifferent to things, and this is no exception when MC mentions enjoying drag

They figured he didn’t care; but soon find him in their room every time they are preparing for their performance that night

He lazily splays out on their bed and gives his (unsolicited) advice on what they should wear, giving a ‘nah’ or ‘yea’ when they hold something up for him to judge

They roll their eyes at him as they put on the chosen dress, prep their wig and begin doing their make up

To their surprise, he offers to help, and actually does a damn good job at styling the look they were going for (Thank Asmo and Levi for their many forced tips on their younger brothers lol)

He finds a booth to laze in, as close to the stage as possible, and actually stays awake through out their songs, smirking to himself at how amazing they look under the spot light

When they are finished, he will pull them into his booth and huddle around them, telling them how amazing they are, while snuggling into them for a nap

Diavolo:

He would question every single thing MC does when getting ready; why this dress? Why this shade of lipstick? Is this wig specific for this performance?

He wants to know EVERYTHING. And he is determined to get answers out of them, lol

Will ask them to do performances at the Castle, and will invite others over to see them do so

Of course he will attend their shows at their usual venue; expect him to be there with bells on, right in the front row

Might cheer a little too loudly for them, but he is doing his best to be supportive and show MC how important they are to him

He’s waiting for them backstage with flowers to congratulate them on a show well done, beaming from ear to ear

He over-does things but please understand he means well and just absolutely adores MC, wants only to make them feel special and happy

Barbatos:

He learns about MC being in to drag through Diavolo, who brings up their shows during tea

They invite both the Lord and Barbatos to come watch, which he must admit, he is looking forward to

Ever the loyal butler, he is placed next to Lord Diavolo’s table, surveying their surroundings intently, until the show begins

MC is on stage, full in a flowing gown with a magnificent wig and radiant make up, belting out their song

The butler is fascinated by them, and listens intently to their song, cheering loudly for them when it comes to an end

They bow, introduce themselves by their drag name, and flow into another song, the audience hooting and hollering for them as the stride along

When their show is over, Barbatos is quick to arrive at their side, giving them praise openly, and asking if it would be alright with them if he were to come to more of their performances in the future

Simeon:

He’d be lying if he said it didn’t surprise him to be told MC was into drag

But he becomes their number 1 supporter, and wants only for them to be happy and comfortable in what they enjoy

He openly admires how bold MC is with their outfit choices, and admires how brave they are to perform in front of others

He never misses a show, though sometimes gets easily flustered if they have a drastic clothing change in the middle of it; he will never get used to seeing MC tear away their clothing to reveal something more enticing underneath

Waits for them backstage when their set is coming to a close, and will stay by their side until they are ready to head home

Solomon:

He is fully aware of what drag is, and is excited to see what they do in their drag persona

Enjoys watching them change, apply their make up and adjust their wig; sometimes offers to help them if he isn’t too busy just staring

He and Asmo tend to go to their shows together, cheering the loudest for them once they step on stage

Will sit there with a smirk on his face as they dance and sing, Asmo teasing him for staring so intently

Walks up to them as they are surrounded by people, smoothly stepping through to get their attention and drag them away to be with him

Refers to them as their drag name when in the club, but teases them about it when either at school or out and about together

[davidfarland]

When You Get Writer’s Block

I was listening to Orson Scott Card speak to a group of new writers today, and he said something that I’ve mentioned before. He said, “When you get writer’s block, if you will go back in your story to what you wrote the day before and check your work very carefully, you’ll find that you wrote something that your subconscious mind recognizes as being utter baloney, a lie. So you have to find out where you went astray, and start writing from that point forward.” I really think that this needs to be expanded upon, for those who feel stuck.

Let me put it this way. We have two brains, separated by a small bundle of nerves. Each of those brains, it has been shown, is capable of thinking independently. For example, in one case, a scientist was asked verbally (so that his left brain, which is where logic and speech is handled) understood, “Do you believe in God?” The man answered, “No, I’m an atheist.” But then the researchers wrote the question in printed words, so that it was processed by the right brain. He answered, “Yes.” Thus, the two halves of the brain were not in agreement.

In similar cases, a person who votes for a Republican candidate with his right hand might find himself voting for the Democratic candidate if he pulls the lever with his left hand. Dr. Roger Sperry, an expert on left-brain/right-brain phenomena, for example, once had a patient who reached out to hug his wife with his left hand, and found himself slapping her in the face with is right. This is sometimes called the “Dr. Strangelove phenomenon.”

In order for you to trust and believe in your own work, both hemispheres of your brain need to be in agreement

So I find that very often, when I get “blocked” on writing, I can look back in my work and find that at some place, I feel as if I’ve gone far astray. Most of the time, it happens because I feel that I’ve gone off in a wrong direction. Perhaps the protagonist will say something that he doesn’t really believe, or he will commit to a plan of action that feels false, one that is at odds with his motivation.

I recall when I was a new writer hearing a piece of advice from one of my idols who said, “Every author needs a solid-gold crap detector.” At the time, I didn’t understand what he meant. I do know. That crap detector is a subconscious mind that screams “stop” when you’ve made a mistake.

I really believe that the secret key to productivity is the ability to recognize quickly when you’re going astray in a story, and to be able to analyze instantly how to remedy the problem.

We make these mistakes, by the way, when we are suffering from “brain fatigue.” When you’re awake, it’s because the analytical hemisphere of your brain is alert and awake. If you are functioning properly, drawing upon both hemispheres, you tend to write well and quickly. The two halves of your brain can work in concert. But sometimes—particularly at midday—the creative part of your mind will take a nap. (During traditional “siesta times” in Latin America.) When that happens, the analytical mind may keep composing, writing utter crap, and the creative mind will be quite upset with the ways that the story twists out of control when it wakes up.

The Dramatica Method

It is no accident that in some literary theories, such as with the dramatica method of writing (www.dramatica.com), the central goal of writing a story is to create a tale that takes analytical arguments and emotional arguments and then fuse them to the point that they reach agreement. In short, when we write, we tell stories primarily to make sense of the world. We may not be writing for other people so much as we are writing for ourselves, as a form of therapy.

Usually, I find that I get blocked because I really don’t know quite yet what my right path of action is. In other words, perhaps I haven’t thought about the novel enough yet so that I know what the right course is. Or maybe I haven’t given much thought to a particular character’s motivations or goals. So I have to educate myself on the background of the character. I need to try to “make sense” out of chaos.

This leads to the weakness that I often saw with traditional writing courses. In college I took writing classes where I felt that we often worked a great deal on our prose—on writing beautiful sentences. We didn’t spend enough time thinking about how to create honest and believable characters, or how to write astonishing plots, or how to create intriguing worlds.

I think that a lot of writers who go through writing programs feel the same. They may say, “I feel really comfortable now writing gorgeous sentences.” Yet every story is so much more than a string of beautiful sentences.

Writing a story requires you to understand how the world works, how characters think, how their emotions drive them to do surprising things, and so on. In other words, as a writer, you have to be more than a stylist. You need to learn to become a master of storytelling.

To be fair, writing beautifully requires so much thought and education that you really can’t get a sound education in a single college writing class.

Every story brings new and surprising problems

Each is like a puzzle—one of a kind—that you as a writer must solve. So you learn some of the elements of storytelling. You might have to spend weeks or months studying villains, or how to create a likeable protagonist, or how to build toward a climax in your plot.

Thus, learning to write well requires you master one story at a time, and no matter how much you know, you may find that on a certain tale, you hit a snag. Most of the time, that “snag” isn’t a sentence that I don’t know how to write, but some plot point that has gone astray. After all, if you’re a writer, you’ve been talking for years. You probably have vast experience figuring out how to say exactly what you mean. So it is the little intricate twists and turns where you get blocked.

Don’t become alarmed when it happens. Just sit down and figure out what it is that you don’t know. Do a bit of thinking about the topic. Research your answer, and in a bit you’ll get excited when you feel that you’re moving in the right direction.

Happy writing!

[p-artsypants]

I’ll Handle This (5)

In Which There is an Akuma

Ao3 | FF.net

Plagg was laying on the bed when he returned. “Oh good, you’re back. I was kind of worried about you—“ 

“There’s an Akuma!” Adrien interrupted. 

Plagg’s eyes lit up. “An Akuma, you say? How interesting...” 

“Yeah yeah, just do the thing that sucks me in the ring!” 

“I’ll warn you ahead of time, when I’m in your body like this, the suit becomes factory default. Oh, and you’ll be able to see and hear everything I do.” 

“Great. This whole ‘Invasion of the Bodysnatchers’ episode is getting better and better.” 

“Adrien, Claws out!” 

That was an odd sensation. Now Adrien knew what Taffy felt like. He felt his whole body grow long and thin, before spiraling smaller and smaller. There was every color in the rainbow, flashing in a nauseous wave, and then, he was looking through his eyes again. 

“Ha!” Said Plagg with a little satisfaction. “Feels good to be on the other side.” He walked over to the mirror, where Adrien could finally see what ‘factory default’ meant. 

He looked like a ninja. Not like a Naruto ninja, but like a real Sengoku period, 15th century ninja. An all black, cloth ensemble, with foot wraps and a thick belt. Instead of claws on his fingertips, there were long blades attached to the back of his hand, almost like wolverine. Instead of a mask around his eyes, he wore one over the lower half of his face, and only left his eyes exposed. But his eyes looked different enough. The sclera was a toxic green instead of white, and his pupils were slit. Thick black eyeliner traced the eyes and framed them, making the color pop. His hair was a complete disaster and stood up in every direction. 

Finally, the ears. They were real, genuine cat ears. Complete with fur. 

“Not too shabby, if I say so. Though, the first guys that wore this had black hair, which made the ears less jarring. But I can’t complain. We mustn’t leave our lady waiting!” 

Plagg threw open the window and leapt into the city. 

He rushed over the rooftops, doing impossible feats of parkour and agility. It actually made Adrien dizzy. 

“Oh, one other thing I forgot to mention,” Plagg said aloud. “You know how when you’re in the suit, you can be body slammed into a building and be okay afterwards?” 

Yeah? 

“Well...you’re going to feel all that pain instead. That’s why I’m always so wiped after a fight.” 

What?!

Plagg glanced at his baton, the screen looking more like parchment than the usual LED screen, and found where Ladybug was. 

A hop skip and a jump, he landed next to her. “What are we up against?” 

She didn’t look at him, eyes glued to the akuma. “Stretchy guy. Like Mr. Fantastic. Can’t figure out what ticked him off, but he’s able to reach anything and even shape shift. Might be difficult to fight.” Then she finally looked at him and her eyes bulged. “Chat? What’s with your suit?” 

“Plagg’s having a hard time right now, so I’m factory default.” 

“O...Kay...are you going to be okay fighting like that?” 

“It feels fine, my Lady. Nothing to worry about. In fact, do you mind if I take the lead on this one? Give you a little break?” 

She chuckled. “You know I could always use a break.” 

“Great! We need to lead him over to the construction site over at Notre Dame, where all the scaffolding are.” 

She smiled at him. “I think I know what you’re planning, Kitty. Lead the way.” 

He dropped the bottom part of his mask, and wolf whistled quickly, before Ladybug could place his face. “Hey stretch!” He shouted. “You up for a little race?” 

“Ladybug and Chat Noir! You’ll give me your Miraculous as soon as I reach you!” 

“Good luck with that!” And he vaulted backwards on to the street and darted towards Notre Dame. 

Plagg was fast. Faster than Chat Noir normally was, and Ladybug was surprised at how hard it was to keep up with him. 

“H-Hey Chat! Don’t leave me behind!” 

He only stopped a second to scoop her up into his arms before running off again. Her added weight didn’t even slow him down. 

“Sorry, Bug. The Akuma has long legs, so he’s faster than usual. I can’t slow down, so hang on!” 

She did, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. 

Adrien was going to kill Plagg if he didn’t die from ecstasy first. He could feel Ladybug pressed tightly against him, and he loved every bouncing second of it. 

Soon they reached the construction site, with the Akuma hot on their tail. 

“Split up,” Plagg commanded and Ladybug gave a firm nod, following right along with him. 

While Adrien was basically on autopilot, he noted that this fight felt a lot like being on the jungle gym when he was a kid. He swung on the bars, twisting up levels onto the scaffolding, the akuma chasing after with each turn. 

Except, the akuma was long, and he was starting to get tangled in all the bars. 

“Oh no!” Ladybug feigned a cry. “I’m stuck! He might be able to get my Miraculous!” 

“You’re mine!” Called the akuma, twisting around a pole and darting for her. As he was about to snag her, she dropped and spun on her bent knees away. 

“Whoops, not so stuck after all!”

“I’m going to—“ The akuma reached out their arm, stretching and stretching to grab at her ears. But he never reached her. He was out of length, and hopelessly tangled in the mass of wood and metal. “No! No!” He wriggled, trying to untie himself, but Plagg had already found the akumatized item in the akuma’s back pocket. A roll of measuring tape. 

“Akuma, coming in hot!” He called, as he smashed the tape. 

The black butterfly emerged, and Ladybug caught it and purified it easily. “Bye bye little butterfly!” 

One cure later, the relative damage done to the scaffoldings was repaired, and the akuma victim, a short man, was returned to ground level. 

“Wow! We didn’t even have to use our powers today! Great work, kitty!” She praised as he raised her fist.

He bumped her back with a grin. “Thank you, Bug. Hope you didn’t mind me taking charge. I just figured with you being the guardian and all, having some shared responsibility would really help you out.” 

She exhaled with a breath, her shoulders relaxing. “Ugh, you have no idea. When that akuma alert went off, I was already dreading it. It’s been a long day.” 

Plagg frowned. “A long day?” Even after their shopping spree and awesome lunch? “Do you need to talk about it?”

She ground her toes on the roof of the church. “Are you busy? Plagg said you were doing something…” 

“Oh, I was napping. I have all the time in the world for you, Ladybug.” 

“Want to get some ice cream, then?”

“Only if you let me pay.” 

She dramatically put a hand to her forehead, “oh, if you must!” 

Plagg chuckled with her, and then took off running.

“Hey! I never said it was a race!” She called back. 

“You never said it wasn’t either!” He shouted back.

When she finally located Andre’s ice cream cart, he was already sitting and waiting with her order. “Your ice cream, my lady?”

“You’re so fast! Have you just been holding out on me all this time?!” She huffed, taking the cone from him. 

He shrugged. “Oh, I have a couple of tricks up my sleeves.” 

They enjoyed their ice cream in comfortable silence for a while, before Ladybug asked, “hey, you’re a boy, right?”

“Last I checked.” 

She shook her head at her dumb question. “Right. Um…I have a friend. Guy friend.” 

Plagg crossed his legs. “OoooOOoooo is it him?”

Ladybug blushed. “Yes.” 

“Tell me everything.”

Inside his head, Adrien started to panic. This could only end badly for them!

“Well today…he was acting really weird. Usually, he’s really nice and reserved and polite…I know he can be silly and rambunctious, but…today, he was larger than life. He took us out for an expensive lunch, and then shopping for clothes that would make his dad angry. I think it’s a rebellious streak, but my gal friend said his money has gone to his head…” She scuffed her foot on the floor. “I’m just worried. I don’t want him to change…but I don’t want him to fake being someone he’s not just to make others happy. I guess I’m just confused. What do you think?” 

Plagg finished his cone in one gulp, hiding his face right after. “I think it’s just puberty.” 

She did not think that was amusing. “Yeah right.” 

“Has handsome rich boy ever shown signs of materialistic superiority?”

“No, he wears the same clothes all the time, and never flaunts the things he owns—“ 

“Then I think your gal pal is off base. It probably is rebellion. Just…be a safe place for him, and I’m sure it’ll end up okay.” 

“A safe place? What do you mean?” 

“I’m not sure what this dude is rebelling for. You’d probably know. Is his family…strict?”

“Very.” 

“And controlling?”

“Extremely.” 

“Okay, so if I was in his shoes, I’d want a friend that was trustworthy for me to confide in. Rebelling is liberating and exciting, but also extremely scary, because it’s risky. He needs to have someone to have his back in case things go south.” He massaged her shoulder. “And it would be best if that friend was soft and smelled nice.”

Ladybug smacked his shoulder. “When did you get so wise?”

“I hide a lot of wisdom under my ‘dumbass’ veneer.”

Ladybug cackled loudly, making Plagg smile and Adrien swoon.  

“You can be a dumbass sometimes,” Ladybug admitted. “But you’re my dumbass.” 

“Aww, thanks bug!” He grinned. “So, handsome rich boy is all that’s on your mind? I know identity clues have to be avoided and all, but I like knowing stuff that’s going on in your life. And I think I can manage another golden nugget of advice as well, if needed.” 

Ladybug frowned, obviously something else cropping up in her mind. “Actually…there’s something I haven’t told you that I probably should have.” 

“I’m all ears. I literally have four of them.” He twitched his cat ears.

She reached up and rubbed them, an affectionate look on her face as she felt the fur under her fingertips. “Not too long ago, I was expelled from school.” 

“Ladybug is a bad student in her civilian life?” He joked.

“No! I’m not!” She damn-near cried. “Sorry, I just…ugh. I was framed. There’s this girl in my class that…she lies with every breath. I know she has a crush on my crush, but she’s lying and manipulating to get her way to him. She works with him now too.” 

Plagg knew there was certainly more to the story than that, but he had to play dumb as Chat Noir. “Lying is bad and all, but it’s not really your problem, is it? She’ll get caught in her web eventually.”

“Argh, that’s what Ad—my boy said too. Take the high road. And it made sense, for what he knew about her at the time…but what he didn’t know was that she threatened me. Threatened to take all my friends and him away, just because I told her to stop lying.”

This was a shock to both kwami and holder. “She threatened you?” 

“Yeah. And she went through with it. She got me expelled. Apparently, according to my boy, he sort of convinced her to double lie to get me un-expelled. She’s been quiet ever since, which has been a few weeks, but…she keeps staring at me. It’s unnerving.” 

“I suppose it would be, with her track record.” 

“I didn’t want you to find out about this, but I have to tell you. She’s almost gotten me akumatized, twice.” 

Plagg slapped a hand over his mouth with a gasp. 

Lila was a nuisance for Adrien, but she was a problem for Marinette. No, an imminent threat. This changed his attack strategy…though it started to look like Adrien’s three problems were weaved together. The whole situation was a little more delicate than he had considered at first. 

“I’ve beaten both akumas off, but I worry about the future. I’m trying to come up with a contingency plan, but for right now it’s just ‘don’t get upset’.” 

“I’ll try to come up with a plan too. Maybe next time, you could hand your earrings off to Tikki for a little while, if things start to get dicey. She can bring them to me, since she knows who I am.” 

Ladybug gnawed at her lip. “Tikki’s been my greatest ally in fighting them off. If she’s not there…” 

Plagg rested a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “Bug, you’re the practical one here. What happens when you don’t give Tikki your earrings, and you don’t fight it off? When you’re so consumed with pain you don’t even see the Akuma coming? What then?” 

She shook her head. “You’re so right, I hate it.” She sighed. “That happened the last time too…I was only spared because Hawkmoth suddenly stopped his attack. That was the day I got expelled.”

“And I’ll follow the plan too. I haven’t gotten akumatized or anything, but it might only be a matter of time.”  

“Yeah…” It was awful to think about. Having to fight her partner was not something that Marinette wanted to do. But this loose plan was better than no plan. “Hey, it’s getting pretty late. I have a project I have to finish up.” 

“Oh, of course, go on home.” Plagg insisted. 

“Thanks for the Ice Cream, and for lending an ear. You’re the best, Kitty.” 

Plagg smiled at her, though she couldn’t see through his mask. His eyes crinkled in mirth. “I try.” 

“Tell Plagg I still have that cheese danish if he wants it. Night, Chat.” 

“Night, Bug.” 

And she swung off into the distance. 

Plagg took out his baton and made his own way home. He knew Adrien didn’t really want to be transformed any longer than he had to be. 

He landed inside the mansion, and called, “Claws in.” 

Adrien came flying out of the ring, and Plagg caught him carefully in his hands. “How you feeling, kiddo?”

“Like I got hit by a truck,” said Adrien, weakly. “You didn’t even use my power, why am I so tired?” 

“How much cheese did you eat today?”

“None.” Adrien scrunched up his nose. “Come to think of it, I didn’t eat anything today.” 

“That would certainly do it.” Plagg said, with a sigh. He took out a wheel of camembert and took out a wedge for Adrien, holding it in front of his face. 

Normally, Adrien couldn’t stand the smell. It was putrid and foul and moldy…but this…this was on a different level. Curse Plagg’s disgusting body! He sat up and helped himself to a nibble of cheese. A nibble turned into a bite, and a bite turned into a full inhale, almost taking off his fingers. 

“Better?” 

Adrien sighed as his energy started to return. “Remind never to complain about your eating habits.” 

Plagg grinned. “Oh it's a deal!” 

Adrien’s phone rang, and Plagg reached to answer. 

“Who is it?” Asked Adrien. 

“It’s Marineeeeeeetteeeee~!” Plagg sang, and connected the call, putting it on speaker for Adrien to hear. 

“Hey Pooh Bear.” 

“H-hey uh, Tigger? No no that was dumb. Sorry, hi Adrien.” 

Plagg and Adrien shared a look of fondness. She was just too cute sometimes. 

“Whats up?” Pried Plagg. 

“Uh, not-not much! I just finished your second shirt! I can do more tomorrow, but for now…” 

“I’ve got an outfit picked out for tomorrow, don’t worry. And you’ll love it.” 

“Will I really? Or will it turn me into a pillar of salt?”

“Have a little faith in me, Mari.”

“I—of course. Did you just call me Mari?”

“Yeah, I thought it was about time I gave you a nickname. Is that okay? Or are you okay with Pooh Bear?”

Marinette’s giggle was adorable, as it was filled with thinly veiled embarrassment. “Call me whatever you like! I don’t mind!” 

“Great! What’s my nickname?”

“I don’t know? Do you want one?”

“Only from you, Pooh Bear!” He sang. 

“Um…I’ll have to think about it. I think I’ve heard Lila and Chloe both call you ‘Adri’, so I’ll try to come up with something else.” 

“I appreciate that.” Plagg said, as Adrien smiled fondly at the phone. It sure was considerate of her to think about that.

“And Adrien?” Her tone conveyed so much. So much more than Adrien could understand. But it brought a warmth to his face. 

“Yes?”

“I’m here for you. You know that, right? Whatever you need. An ear, a h-h-hug. Whatever. I…I care about you.” 

Adrien wiped a paw under his eyes, fully prepared for tears to take him. 

“I care about you too,” Plagg said, not faking the genuine appreciation in his voice. “I appreciate everything you do for me.”

“I-…” She trailed off, and Adrien wondered if she was going to say something else. But instead, she just exhaled and said. “It’s getting kind of late. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Of course, Pooh Bear!” 

She laughed. “Thanks Adrien, goodnight.” 

“Goodnight.” And he ended the call. 

“She took your advice.” Adrien noted.

“She took Chat Noir’s advice. She trusts him after all.” 

Adrien sat on the desk, still feeling a storm brewing inside of him. He was still upset about Plagg’s behavior with his father…but he was starting to come around. Marinette never called him, and her conversations with him were never so easy. Was this actually working?

“Adrien,” Plagg started, scratching between his ears. “I’m sorry for hurting you. If there was a way to humble your father without hurting you in the process, I’d do it…but right now…”

“I understand, Plagg.” Adrien said with a hopeful smile. “It sucks but…that Chloe-tantrum you threw was really funny.”

Plagg beamed at him. 

“And,” Adrien added. “After hearing the whole truth about Lila, I’m fully on board with whatever you want to do to her.”

“Fully?”

“Absolutely. This bitch needs to go.”

The mansion was nearly silent in the night, so Plagg’s evil cackle echoed and echoed, sending goosebumps down the neighbor’s spines.

[maryellencarter]

You know, I've been pretty much monofannish for like four years now, and before that I had like five years of not writing, and mostly Yuletides before that. I'm a *lot* more experienced writer than I was four years ago, let alone nine, but it's really interesting how that experience isn't adding up in a straight line.

What I'm trying to say is... for instance, you take writing porn. My partner and I have like three years of experience writing porn together. It doesn't always come out publishable, but when we're stuck on all our plotty pieces, we can consistently knock out something short in the PWP or fluff departments, because we basically write RP style (with my beta reader side making sure the POVs work afterwards) and banter is easy.

Or, well, we have been able to. Right now, new fandom, single digits, we've got two published short things (one PWP, one fluff), three abandoned PWP things, one PWP that's on the verge of stalling out if I can't get my head together, one getting-together fic that's waiting on my partner to come up with Plot... literally the thing that's ticking along the best is the plotty non-shippy piece where we're not even bantering right now. That *never* happens.

(Not to say that the plotty thing is easy either. I get a few hundred words out and I need to take a nap, because I'm functionally building and playing a video game level in my head at the same time right now. But I don't keep hitting the emotional blocks and what feels like dishonest characterization that keep snagging me in the shipfics.)

I think a big part of it might be that I'm not super confident of anybody's orientation yet in Lupin III. Like, when it came to my previous viewpoint character, Wes, I was *always* writing him as aromantic pansexual for the past few years, and his relationships with the rest of his polycule were well enough defined that we could pretty much juggle the characters around as needed and know what we meant.

Here, I'm like... there's so much canon I haven't gotten through yet, and I hate just basing things on fanon, I had to do that way back in Stargate and Doctor Who and I didn't enjoy it one bit. And there are a bunch of possible interpretations, like Jigen is either gay or bisexual and either he and Lupin are fucking or he's pining and super jealous of Fujiko, or they're fucking but he's *still* super jealous of Fujiko because he feels like the fallback... and that doesn't even get into sexual vs romantic attraction (Jigen feels weirdly non-SAM to me, which is incredibly disconcerting because I didn't think I had it in me to process non-split-model attraction), let alone any of the other characters, let alone gender shit like who-all is trans or nonbinary or do we just write them all genderfucky like our previous characters...

(I do like the idea of trans!Fujiko. I'm struggling a lot more than expected with trans!Jigen, because we just don't have the sort of prosthetics in an Earthside fandom that I'm used to being able to headcanon in Star Wars and Mass Effect, and I'm accidentally setting off my dysphoria. Genderfluid Lupin makes total sense to me but I haven't actually done anything with that yet. As for Goemon, I don't even know. We know he gets all blushy about the concept of liking girls, that's about it. I could see him as nonbinary and asexual or gray-ace, but given that he's the one out of the main cast who's aggressively Japanese-coded, part of me worries that I'm doing that one racist desexualization thing.)

[jack-is-lost]

PATCHES & PINS (CH 2)

A/N: This story revolves around a transgender, female to male, original character. LGBTQ+ topics are a given within this story. Gender and body dysphoria will come up as well since he is not out to his family — only close friends. If you dislike such a story premise please understand you do not have to interact with it at all. Leaving hate comments will be removed. Of course, constructive feedback is always welcomed.   Pairing: Eventually Marko x OTMC Story is still in progress and updates will be slow Eventually it will be posted on A03 once I’m a few chapters in

Chapter one | Currently on Chapter two | Chapter 3 coming soon.

Chapter two

“Stayed up late again, didn’t you?” Jay groaned into the couch cushions as Tyler braced his weight on the back of it to peer down at his gremlin of a sister. “With a sleep schedule like this, you might be able to snag an overnight job at the store.”

Tyler received another mumbling mess for a response, but he knew the telltale answer. It was always the same; ‘Don’t wanna’ or ‘No time’.

“C’mon, Jay,” he shook the couch, the motion of it getting her to roll over at least and look up at him. “You know it’s a good idea. You’ll be turning eighteen soon, and you have no job history under your belt.” 

“Ty…” Jay sighed out, searching for strength. “I know that, of course. It’s just—”

“—No, no, none of the ifs, ands, and buts, Jay.” He cut his sister off, arms crossing. Sometimes it was like Tyler was trying to be the father figure. Not that they were missing one by any means. “It is the summer. A good time to work a temporary job, at least.” Jay sat up and ran fingers through unruly hair, trying to calm it down. “Fine, I’ll walk around a bit and put applications in, okay?” Anything to get you off my ass, Jay added silently. “Head over to the market.” Came the simple reply, but a smile was there nonetheless. They both knew the store was always looking for overnight stockers. It was the job Tyler worked at for the longest time before getting a spot at the town's mechanic shop. “Will do. Now, let me lay here in peace, please, or make a pot of coffee.” Tyler rolled his eyes dramatically but didn’t say anything snide. Instead, he headed for the kitchen to wash the pot out and start a new batch. Their parents wouldn’t be home for a few more hours, both working afternoon shifts, and Jay could lay about till then. “Oh, by the way,” Tyler called out from the kitchen. “I changed the laundry over to the dryer while you were napping.” Jay peered over the couch at the words and into the adjacent room, staring at his back with big eyes. “And you might want to hide your newly bought jeans from mom.” Oh, yeah, he definitely saw the giant tear in the knee. Jay slid down into the cushions face first, groaning once more. 

Shit. . . . “Edgar!” he hollered out while stepping into the comic shop from the cooling night air. A rustling noise, a sound of a box hitting the ground, greeted Jay before a head popped up over the counter. “What’s the deal, man,” Edgar grumbled out before ducking back down. Obviously startled by the sudden outburst and now irritated at picking up inventory from the floor. “The deal?” Jay stopped at the counter, plopping his bag there to unzip it. “You left my ass at the cemetery, and—” he pulled out the jeans, “— my pants tore because of you.” Edgar stood up straight to look at the clothing, quickly noticing a nice long gash in the overall pristine trousers. “I wasn’t wearing them so how is it my fault?”

“Don’t,” Jay glared and was ready to explain the reasoning when Alan walked out from the back. He looked equally exhausted. “I’ll fix them.” He spoke up while coming to a stop next to his brother. “Why? It adds character.” “Shut up, Ed.” Alan grabbed the clothing and slung it over his shoulder. It was clear to him that Jay was avoiding trouble. They looked new, and Alan knew how much their parents were strikingly different. If any of their clothes tore, it was no problem — hardly even noticed by their stoned-out mom and dad. Jay’s parents, however, that was another story. “Thanks, man.” “Wear something more worn out next time,” Edgar muttered while bending down to pick up the box to continue his work. “Next time?” Jay followed the brother along the counter, stepping up behind Edgar as he walked into an aisle. “I’m not doing a ‘next time’.” 

One time was enough. “Look,” the boy turned to face him, a scowl already present, but when wasn't it? “You made it out with no trouble, right? Didn’t get caught, right?” Jay eyed him, not sure where this was going. “...Yeah?” “Then why stop? You need the practice to become a proper hunter.” “Ed—” “—Edgar.” Jay rolled his head along his shoulders, “Point is," he breathed out. "I never wanted to be a hunter.” This made Edgar’s brows lift with speculation. “Then why read so much about monster-bashing?”

“I…” Jay started then shoved his hands into his jacket, turning away, “Forget it. I’ll be back tomorrow to grab my jeans.” He needed a break from these two. Jay headed outside of the establishment, almost scrapping shoulders with a customer while storming out, but he didn't care. It was hard for Jay to explain his mere interest in folklore. It wasn’t to go on make-believe hunting sprees, not at all. Supernatural shit didn’t even exist — it was all made up for entertainment, nothing else. Blindly Jay walked down the boardwalk, heading out toward the shopping district further into town. His gaze was more on the ground or sky than straight ahead of him, asking any deities up there to give him some internal strength. He really needed it. Jay hated job hunting, avoided it even. It was just another group of people calling him female pronouns and using his full name — where legal paperwork spoke volumes over him. And the uniforms — they would no doubt show off what little curves Jay constantly made a point to hide, and he hated it. A bump against his shoulder went unaddressed. Jay could care less and didn’t even look back to apologize. It wasn’t until the person spoke up that he even gave pause. “What?” Jay asked while turning around, catching the sight of a genuine smile. “I said, ‘you look better with no mud’.” It was the guy from the cemetery. ( Marko’s POV )

“Thanks?” the voice was soft, if not a little uneasy. Marko shrugged, “No problem. Where were you headin’?” “Oh,” Marko watched the other turn back toward their previous destination. Off in the distance, the shopping district lit up the night sky. If one squinted, they could even see the big, bold neon sign for the market. “Was about to, um,” Marko lifted his brow while waiting. “Put in an application?” “You don’t seem so sure about that?” He asked while holding back a smirk. “Because I’m not?” Again it was said like a question. “Let me guess,” Marko chuckled. “You’d prefer not to work? What are you, a party animal or something?” That received a good laugh. “Fuck, no. Do I look like a frat boy to you?” Marko took the question like an invitation and openly swept his gaze over the one standing before him. Short hair with the sides faded, a hoodie beneath a jacket — how many layers does one need during summer nights — faded jeans, and sneakers. “Ah, nope.” He popped the ‘P’ sound after a second of staring. “I’d say you look more like a guy who…” he hummed in thought, really trying to find the right words. “—Like someone who’d probably fall asleep at a movie theater?” Marko feigned shock, a hand grabbing at his chest. “You’re kiddin’ me, right?” “Nope,” this time he popped the ‘P’ sound. “With all that loud sound effects and shit?” Marko received a nod without hesitation. “Okay,” he drew out the sound, ”How ‘bout horror movies? You cannot tell me you’d sleep through all that noise?” Boring romance movies and dry comedy was one thing, but slasher flicks was another — surely. It took a moment to reply, and Marko watched as the other’s face scrunched up in thought. The answer came in the form of a shrug, “Can’t say I’ve tried that, exactly.” Without a second thought, Marko grabbed the teen’s wrist — like he did last night, and headed in an entirely new direction. “Whoa— whoa, where’s the rush, my dude?” “Child’s Play just came out, and I am taking your ass to the movies.” “You are what?” The voice behind him laughed. “I don’t even know your name, and you’re taking me on a date?” Marko looked over his shoulder with a wicked smirk. “The names Marko.”

( Jay’s POV ) Jay stared at the back of his head while being guided toward The Sash Mill Cinema. Was this normal? Everything felt natural around this guy, and it left Jay feeling a little baffled. Marko didn’t even bat an eye at the lame joke. He didn’t think I was serious about it, did he?  He stood beside the other while Marko paid for tickets. He didn’t even comment about it when the other ordered a large bucket of popcorn and two fat sodas. It wasn’t until they plopped down inside the semi-lit room, waiting for the movie even to start, when Marko spoke up again. He looked completely at home, too, with boots resting upon the seat in front of him. “So, do I get the courtesy of your name too?” “Oh, uh, it’s Jay.” His gaze fell to the popcorn in his lap, where Marko had placed it once sitting down. “I could have pitched in some, y’know?” “Don’t worry about it, man. Besides,” he reached for a handful of popcorn, a boot resituating to lean across the other. “How could I expect a jobless teen to pay for something?” The words didn’t have any heat to them, but Jay still gave a side-eye-glare. “I had some cash on me.” “Then you get to pay for dinner afterwards.” The comeback was quick. Does he even think before speaking, Jay wondered. “If that’s the plan then I hope you dig pizza.” “Pizza’s good, yeah.” Marko agreed as the room around them dimmed, the movie starting. “Shh — don’t want to piss off paid customers.” he snickered. Jay looked around the theater and noticed a handful of people here and there. It wasn’t overly crowded, which was surprising for a Saturday, but still full enough. With that in mind, Jay didn’t make any comments as the screen lit up and began playing, fingers blindly grabbing some popcorn.  It wasn’t even three minutes into the film when Marko chuckled under his breath. Jay glanced at him then back at the screen, trying to figure out how getting shot in the chest was meant to be funny. He didn’t have to wonder long as Marko leaned closer to him, voice quiet. “You’d think he would have ducked after shooting. He did it multiple times before that. And the blood, what did he do? Stick his hand into paint?” Marko leaned away again to sip his soda. Jay smiled a little. He guessed it could be kind of funny when thinking outside of the movie. “Did he just blow up the entire shop by chanting?” “Holy shit, he did!” “Shhh!” A couple a few seats behind them grumbled. Marko simply flipped them off without even looking.  And that’s how the whole film went. Marko, trying to keep his laughter to a minimum as a toy doll went on a murdering spree and Jay, almost choking on popcorn from it all. Not once did he feel bored enough to pass out. . . . As they walked out of the theater, Jay bumped against Marko’s shoulder, glad that their height wasn’t much different. Being short always bugged Jay since most men seemed tall, bulky. It was another image he couldn’t be or attain. The motion of being bumped was answered with an arm draped across Jay’s shoulder. “You didn’t fall asleep even once. I’d say that is a point for me, zero for you.” Marko smirked as they shuffled together near the closest pizza establishment, a little family-owned gig near the theater. “Are we keeping points here, really?” Jay smiled back. “Remind me next time.” Marko chuckled lightly as his hand slid down to give a slap to Jay’s back before dropping altogether. “Oh, next time you say?” he pulled open the door wide enough a family of four could have walked through. “You think you’re lucky enough to get a second date?” Jay rolled his eyes as he stepped inside the shop, the smell of breadsticks and pizza hitting his senses like a brick wall. “Still on about the whole date comment, aren't you?” “I don’t see why not,” he simply said while stopping at the cashier, “Or you saying I’m not hot enough to date?” Again his words held no real malice to them, just a light inquisitive tone. Jay eyed him for a moment before the girl behind the counter spoke up, drawing him to make a decision. At the mention of the buffet being half off, Marko boastfully announced his opinion before already hitting the line of food. It left little room to argue, and Jay paid for the price, pocketing the remaining bills in his back pocket. He grabbed the cups offered by her as she popped her gum. “How’d you snag a hottie like him, gal?” her hand propped up her chin as she leaned against the counter, gaze not even on Jay as she asked. Who, at the pronoun, bit the inside of his cheek. He couldn’t tell if her words were honest wonderment or layered with less positivity than her brightly colored wristbands. “None of your business.” “Sheesh, snobby much?” She rolled her eyes nice and slow before turning her attention to the staff working in the backroom.  Jay didn’t see a reason to correct her. Not for implying his gender or calling him a snob. It didn’t matter much, anyway. Family, teachers — they all used them. It was an uphill battle that Jay stalled by sitting at the bottom. The Frog brothers were different, and Sam figured it out without any help by tagging along with them. It was a safe little corner for Jay to be in, even if a little crazy. He walked the buffet, grabbing a slice of pepperoni and some garlic sticks, even after Marko grabbed a booth — plate stacked. Jay gradually took his time to pace through the small selection as his eyes wandered over to the curly-haired boy. Not once did he ever mention female nouns the entire night. He, overall, treated Jay like any other dude. Did he know any different? Jay sat down and laughed as Marko bluntly commented on his plate. Apparently, pepperoni was too plain, and Jay needed to live a little and try it with olives. He watched Marko stuff his face and lick salt off fingers, nonplussed by the display of eating, and he couldn’t help but think this guy just didn’t care — didn’t care about Jay’s appearance or title in life. Something that often weighed him down. It was a relief, in a sense — to not care. “C’mon, Jay, seriously try it.”

The pizza drooped in front of his face, and Jay reluctantly leaned forward for a bite. “Fuck—” he wiped at his mouth instantly. “— that is WAY too much jalapeno, man.” Marko laughed at the expression across the teen’s face. “Nah,” he breathed out. “Your tongue is just a fuckin’ wuss, is all.” Jay gulped down his soda before wiping at his mouth again. “Are you sure it isn’t your tongue that has long since left the planet?” What did they do to that pizza? Let it marinate in jalapeno juice? “I can guarantee you that my palate is top-notch.” “Sure, sure.” “Hey,” the girl from before stood by their booth, hand on hip. “We’re closing up in twenty-minutes.” “What time is it?” Jay asked as he looked outside the nearest window, noting that the parking lot was practically empty. Was it that late already? “Almost ten,” she simply stated before openly checking out Marko, gaze fanning over his open black coat that showed a white tank. Not surprisingly, Marko gave her an equal amount of attention with his gaze. Jay stood up, “Think we should head out.” he grabbed the last breadstick and headed for the exit, stepping out into the cooling air. It took another minute before Marko emerged with a cheeky smile, a folded paper between his fingers. “Got her digits, huh?” “Easily,” Marko slid it into his coat pocket. “Must be my charm.” Jay stepped off in the direction of his street. The walk home was going to take a good thirty-minutes, but he didn’t mind. All the walking around kept him in shape. And so what if Marko nabbed the girl’s number. It wasn’t like they were on a serious date — just two guys having a good time, and jealousy was not about to ruin the good mood. “Where are we heading next?” Marko asked while easily getting in step next to Jay. “The boardwalk stays open later during summer hours. I’m sure we can snag a few spots on some rides before they shut down.” Jay kept walking away from the boardwalk, hands in his coat. “I’m heading home.” “Already?” Marko placed a hand on the other's shoulder, causing them both to pause. “The night’s still young.” “My parents will start to worry if I am not back by eleven.” “But you were out roaming the graveyard way past midnight yesterday?” Jay cut his gaze away, fingers fiddling with the seam inside his pocket where a string had come loose months ago. “I snuck out last night to help some friends, is all.” It would be hard to explain everything, wouldn’t it? The valid reason he was out there among tombstones. Even if Jay explained it, what would stop Marko from instantly labeling him off as a weirdo? “Besides,” Jay spoke up before Marko could ask for further details. “Why were you even out there? Are you a grave robber or something?” He didn’t know anything about this guy, not really.

Marko must have noticed the way Jay’s tone had shifted, and the uneasy tension was back. He placed his hands up in the way of surrender, pale fingers a stark difference to the gloves covering everything else. “No grave robbing by my hands, promise.” They stared at one another for a second before Marko’s hands dropped, his voice filling in the thick silence around them. “If you don’t want to elaborate, I get it — all’s good, but let me at least walk you home.” Jay shook his head without even considering the notion. “Just hit me up later or something. I’d rather walk home alone.” “Okay, okay.” Marko stepped away, hands in his own coat and looking relaxed. It seemed like nothing could sour his mood despite how their night was ending. “I’ll chat with you later, Jay.” “Yeah, see ya’.” And Jay turned  around without looking back, bag slung over one shoulder and drawing his hood up. So what if their night ended off on an odd note, and Jay didn’t apply for any jobs? His sneakers scrapped along the cracked pavement, thoughts turning inside his head like a storm. For the most part Jay enjoyed the night. It went from shitty to fun, and that’s what really counts, right? “Tyler is going to be pissed at me.”

[delldarling]

lies & gardeners | merrick

chasing truth | chapter one male faerie x gender/body neutral reader 7525 words sfw | navigating human emotions = tricky, dangit chapter index? or the prologue?

⊱ ────── .⋅ 🜁 ⋅. ────── ⊰

By virtue of being within the human realm, Merrick knew that none of this would be simple. By Fae standards, and by human too, Garrick’s description is a fairly common one. He’ll find neither hide nor hair of the gardener if he goes around, asking after a fellow with brown hair and tan skin. Even with all the changes humans have made to their society with technology.

Frustration has been steadily welling since the previous day, and his first foray into a human shopping mall.

“It’s why you were chosen,” he mutters to himself, perched in the rafters of a park gazebo as he re-packs his bag. The wallet he’d pinched, weathered brown and full of bills, is shoved in roughly. The soft shirt Kiera had chosen to give him is tucked away more carefully, having been replaced by a human-made shirt in green. The shade is particularly nice, at least, but the material itches slightly, rough against the wings trapped under his skin. He’s highly tempted to find another market and purchase something sleeveless, but… The shopkeeper’s reaction was a deciding factor in covering up.

Plenty of humans might have pictures dotting their skin - he’d seen more than his share during his time in the mall - but had sported wings like Merrick. The shopkeeper had touched him, and asked after his artist and the conversation had lasted far longer than he would have liked. They’d finally come away under the impression that he was the original designer, but a tattoo artist had done the work, which was perfectly fine with him. All Merrick wanted to do was stop talking.

Merrick sighs, confused and tired, and leans back against the curving roof, ignoring the spiders hiding poorly above his head. His cap, at least, is in fashion. The color and the quality haven’t set him apart any, though at some point he supposes he will have to get another. If he’s here that long. He scowls and closes his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. A nap is in order. 

If only the children running around the park would stop shrieking. Merrick rolls a shoulder, breathing out slowly, and then a shuffling noise echoes from underneath him. Little feet scuffing the stone. He grinds his teeth and ignores the noise, hoping the child will vacate the area without any prompting. 

“If you fall asleep there, you might fall. For real,” the child says authoritatively, having had enough of waiting. Merrick is still and silent, hoping that the child will take the hint and leave, but the tap, tap of little feet turning in a circle below continues. 

“I won’t fall,” Merrick mutters, knowing, even as he does, that he should have kept his mouth shut. Engaging with the child will only encourage them.

“I fell off of my bed,” the child proclaims, as if they’ve reached the pinnacle of worldly experience. “Haven’t you ever done that?”

“Why do humans do this?” Merrick asks instead, sitting up straight and nearly cracking his skull against a wooden beam. He stops himself just short of it and turns his gaze upon the child - a girl, he thinks - who can’t be more than 7 or 8 summers. She looks thoroughly unimpressed with his scowl, or the way he’s precariously leaning over the rafter. “Every-” The tang of a lie stops him from saying every human, and he has to amend the statement quickly, before the child can interrupt. “Many of the humans I’ve met over the past day cannot seem to stop themselves from questioning.” Merrick throws the strap of his bag over his shoulder, adjusting until he can lean an elbow on either knee as he speaks, feet dangling over empty space. “Who is your tattoo artist? How did you get up here? Are you looking for a good time?” 

The child blinks up at him, still unmoved by his plight, her small mouth curled into a frown. “I think you’ve been talking to weird people,” she finally says, turning on her heels when someone shouts. She leaves, taking her haughty attitude with her, but the words stick with him. 

His own almost-lie sticks with him. The elderly man, the shopkeeper, some of those people hawking their wares outside unmoving carts- all of them had peppered him with questions he couldn’t answer. They’d wanted to draw him back into conversation, had wanted to touch if given even the slightest opportunity. And then there was you.

You hadn’t asked invasive questions that he’d little hope of answering correctly. He doesn’t know that he recalls your exact wording, but you’d been impressed by his speed, and your eyes- 

Merrick snorts. He’s work to do, or at least a nap to take, and here he is, wondering about a human who had just a bit more manners than any of the others he’s met. “Ridiculous,” he says aloud, and rearranges himself against the gazebo wall once more. It’ll be dark again in a few hours, and he can start searching for the glamour Garrick has likely smothered himself with. Until then, he’s going to catch a few measly hours of sleep.

He should be done with this whole mess in a few weeks time, and then he’ll be back in the halls of the King, lauded as a hero. Perhaps Roran will have started to move on, and Kiera will cease giving him those judging looks. He’ll have his choice of work, and he can hardly wait to see where those jobs will take him. Yes. As soon as he’s back... 

But even after that night, even after the next and the one after, Merrick is no closer to finding the gardener. The city is sprawling and there are too many humans for him to fly through the skies - and on the third night, one of their city guards - a policeman - comes and tells him that the homeless aren’t allowed to sleep in the park. He could have glamoured himself, could have hidden.. Though that likely would have tipped off Garrick, if he was anywhere close. He leaves after the fellow suggests a cheap motel, shelling out two bills, and decides that he might as well listen. There’s little reason not to seek out a bed, even a human made one, if he’s going to be here much longer. 

The motel isn’t much better than the gazebo, Merrick finds, but it is one of the central points in the city. He’s able to pick up a more extensive, modernized map in a corner market, which makes some of his work easier, but then- Then the days slowly fade into weeks and he switches between motels as he picks up the barest hints of glamour. Every time he lays his head on the less than comfortable pillows, he’s sure that tomorrow will be the day he ends this. That he’ll track down Garrick, knock him out and drag him back to Court. But he can’t ignore the thoughts clamoring for attention in the back of his mind for much longer. He.. Can’t help but wonder if the gardener is even in the city any longer. He worries that he might be inadvertently tracking the wrong faerie, never mind that he hasn’t seen any others but common pixies. He falls asleep, telling himself that he can worry about it the next day. 

Merrick wakes as evening falls. 

His room is empty, as are those near-by. Or near enough. He can hear a few humans having a hushed argument through one of the walls, a bottle sloshing with liquid and clinking against a table as they pass it back and forth. Automobiles on the street, going much too fast. He doesn’t know that he’ll ever get used to the noise or the movement of them all. He used to assume that humans were called Quick Ones because of their limited lifespans, but it isn’t just that.

Humans are restless. Even in sleep, they move about or speak, and they never seem to keep steady hours either. Merrick doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to catch more than an hour or two of rest with the constant noise of them all.

Still, it’s been a month, and he can sleep through it now, at least for a while. Not always well - but after tonight, he’s fairly sure he’s going to sleep like the dead.

Merrick fumbles for the small pay-as-you-go phone he’d picked up a week back. It’s full of iron and man-made metals - but it isn’t near as heavy as the high-end devices humans are so fond of. It still makes his limbs ache to carry it close to his skin, but he supposes he can’t write off human inventions entirely.

It’s a useful piece of equipment, though Merrick only needs it to check the time, having thrown the motel clock in a drawer after the first night here. 

“Seven,” he mutters, pushing himself off of the mattress. Likely he could have found a better place than this. He’s seen the high end hotels with glittering balustrades and carefully cultivated flora, but he’d taken the time and the trouble to track Garrick down to somewhere close to this neighborhood. He hadn’t wanted to be further than a few streets away, just in case Garrick had attempted to make a run for it, or in case he’d been wrong and found a different Fae altogether.

He’s fairly sure he’s right though.

The level of glamour the near-by Fae is using is affecting the environment. The neighborhood isn’t a particularly kind one. It’s full of cheap housing and dirty establishments, but greenery has sprung up in recent months - evidence of one of the Queen of Land’s people.

And then, just yesterday, by some blessed miracle, Merrick had heard a small group of humans mention “- and I’m meeting up with Garrick- Gar,” they’d corrected, phone pressed close to their face, “and maybe some of his friends, tomorrow at 8 at the bar.” 

There are two bars in this crumbling section of the city, just a few doors down from each other. If Merrick snags a high vantage point across the street, he’ll be able to watch them both.

He’d best get ready, if he wants more than a few moments to settle. 

Other than his bag, still packed full of nearly all his things, there’s nothing Merrick wants to take. He uses the shower because the water is pleasant enough, and cleanliness is nothing to sneer at, but he doubts he’s going to do more than watch tonight. Though if he sees Garrick with his own eyes, if he’s managed to identify him correctly? It will take the edge of worry off of his shoulders. Merrick pulls on the shirt Kiera gave him, just to have a reprieve from mildly itchy human material, and covers it with a grey hooded sweatshirt he’d taken off of a clothes line. He still jams the red cap back over his ears though, unwilling to find a replacement for the item when anything else will likely be sub-par. 

He locks up behind himself, praying he won’t have to return - though he knows it’s a far-flung hope, and trudges toward Vine Street, bag slung over his shoulder. Early evening has settled over the city, yellowing streetlights starting to flicker on. Some of the sourness of the streets is dampened by the lack of sunshine, but the exhaust of passing cars still makes his nose wrinkle.

It’s busy, when he gets there. There isn’t quite a line to either establishment, though people flock into the places in steady groups of twos and threes. He eyes the building across the street - some kind of factory, once upon a time, and decides it looks empty enough to risk it. 

Merrick might not be able to wear his wings out for all the humans to gawk at, but he’s still a Fae with wings. He’s used to navigating heights, and half the building is lined with a rickety set of stairs anyway. Fire Escape is labeled clearly along one creaking stair, but Merrick hops right over it, taking the steps a few at a time. It doesn’t quite reach the roof, but when he finally comes to a stop at the top, breath carefully measured, he can see hand and footholds in the old brick.

He climbs, and heaves himself onto the roof with nary a scratch. He then finds himself a good vantage point and settles down to wait, crossing his arms and resting them on the building ledge. 

The people heading into Corner Pocket look a bit more jovial than the crowd mulling around the doors of Harvey’s, so he thinks he’ll have a better chance watching that one. It’s boring work though, the waiting, and for the first time Merrick thinks he might actually miss Roran. At least a partner would fill the silence. 

Truth be told, Merrick isn’t quite sure what to expect. He’s looking for fawn colored hair and skin weathered by sunshine - but there are a fair few of those about. He supposes, if he truly had to think about it, he would assume that Garrick looks a bit sickly. He’s been hiding from his Court for half a year at least, and between the month Merrick has spent searching, and the time the Land Guard spent hounding him, he should be weary.

However, when Merrick spots him, he can’t quite believe his eyes. Garrick might technically be in hiding, but he’s living. He’s tall, at least as tall as Merrick, though after a moment he grudgingly admits that the Fae might be taller. He has short brown hair and a much stronger physique than Merrick had been expecting- and he’s smiling. It’s almost enough to induce a bit of jealousy in him. Here he’d been expecting a knob kneed gardener with clammy hands, and yet Garrick might as well be in the Land Guard.

He seems fond of the humans, laughing with them, leaning into their casual touches and ruffling ones hair. With a start, Merrick realizes he recognizes one of them, and he leans over the edge of the building to try and get a better look. 

It’s… It’s you. The one whose phone he’d nearly broke, the one who’d smiled at him, pleasant and quiet, and- Merrick wrinkles his nose and straightens his posture. He’s being utterly ridiculous, letting nerves get to him. It’s been plenty long enough, and he’s going to have to go down there anyway. You shouldn’t remember him, not when he’d made a hasty get-away and spoken so little.

To be safe though, he decides to stay out of your line of sight as well.

He climbs back down the building side and moves slowly down the stairs, watching closely for any eyes that might catch his movement. The humans are oblivious though, and he makes it down without upset, sliding into the tail edge of a rather large group just outside the doors.

Merrick gets into the bar easy enough - he does have to use a bit of glamour to charm the bouncer into seeing proper ID, but it barely counts, and- Garrick doesn’t seem to be particularly sensitive to its use. He doesn’t up and run, or shout. He’s still sitting at a table when Merrick waltzes in, and he’s surrounded by the same group of chattering humans, all of them laughing over something.

Merrick hurries to the counter, sliding easily into the line of patrons crowding the area, and turns towards the bartender. He should order something, make his being there look normal. His shoulder jostles someone standing too close though, and when he makes room, trying to mutter something unobtrusive and calming, the human interrupts him with a delighted noise.

With his heart in his throat, and his every thought flying from his brain, Merrick turns to meet your gaze head on.

“It’s you!” You declare, eyes roving over his face. That same genial smile, the one that had stuck in the back of his unwilling head, curls your mouth. “Mr. Glad-I-hurt-My-Pride! Never thought I’d see you again.”

And I thought you wouldn’t recognize me, Merrick thinks, panic taking hold of his heart. He hopes that you can’t see the shock or any kind of disappointment in his features. Though.. Truth be told, he isn’t sure what exactly it is that he’s feeling. Nerves are making his stomach twist, and his palms heat, but-

“Pride?” He asks, hoping he sounds like he doesn’t know you. He takes a step back from you, and then his neck grows warm when you close the distance he attempts to make. He nearly stumbles into another patron behind him, half expecting you to reach out, to touch him - though he isn’t sure why that has his nerves singing with hope. It turns out that you’re only moving closer to the bar, but it feels intimate now, when you lean in towards him to converse, to be heard over the crowd of customers. 

“I said something about my pride being hurt,” you tell him with a shrug, and then motion for him to speak when the bartender asks for an order. “Him first,” you insist. “I’m ordering a round for friends, and it’ll take me a minute.”

Merrick orders the first thing that looks appetizing, some kind of blackberry cider that the bartender claims is good. He licks nervously at his lips as a thought occurs to him. You know Garrick. Enough to share his table, to order drinks - he can use this. Use… you. 

“-and then you said good in this really serious voice and stomped away,” you tell him, as soon as the bartender takes his currency and darts over to a register. You arch an eyebrow when he frowns, though you don’t sound accusatory.

“Good as in you weren’t physically injured,” he clarifies, happily accepting the pint the bartender returns with and turning to survey the room. Garrick is still sitting at his table, though now one of the humans is whispering something in his ear and he looks- He looks fond. That human too, is one he could use to get in close to Garrick. Surely using them would be better? 

Friendship is one thing, but physical attraction can be a vastly powerful tool. Merrick glances back at you, mulling over the pros and cons.

“That’s a relief,” you murmur, flashing a smile his way before you order for your table, eyebrows drawn together in concentration. It’s almost irritating that he isn’t irritated. He still doesn’t find anything about you grating. He should - you’re a human, just making casual conversation - but you haven’t asked him prying questions or tried to interrupt him. 

“Is it?” He asks, unthinking as he takes a sip of his drink. His eyes dart to your hands, fingertips tapping awkwardly against the bar. You look… Nervous. 

“Is it a relief to me that you weren’t being rude?” You laugh, ceasing your fidgeting. “Yeah. I don’t think relief would fit very well if I found out you were trying to be an ass. Besides, you did something nice, saving my phone from the pavement - I wanted to think well of you.”

He shouldn’t care at all, but he can’t help the small smirk that pulls at the corner of his lips. The sound of your voice, the way your mouth is shaped when you laugh? He likes it. He opens his mouth- only to snap it shut when the bartender returns with a pitcher and a stack of glasses. 

“Interested in helping me out one more time?” You ask, glancing at him from beneath lowered lashes, and there’s a tone to your words that he believes might be flirting. He could help you out, but even if Garrick hadn’t noticed his glamour use at the door, standing right in front of him might very well tip him off. Might, he thinks to himself, irritated with the vagueness of his thought. It will tip him off.

“I’ll follow,” he says before he can think more on it. His mouth is dry and his heartbeat is starting to thunder in his ears. Better to get this whole thing over with and get back to Faerie. Merrick steadfastly ignores the realization that it would mean the end of any flirtatious hints between you, and takes the stack of glasses you hand him. It’s a useless thought. He’s not here to charm humans, he’s here to do what his King bade him. He leans back to avoid the brush of your elbow, waiting for you to precede him, and then turns towards the table you’re sharing with Garrick. 

Garrick isn’t there. 

Adrenaline crashes into his bloodstream at lightning speed, and it takes everything within Merrick not to drop the glasses to the floor, let them break and scatter in a fountain of glass shards and start searching. He stays on your heels, searching each visible corner of the room, but he doesn’t see him anywhere. Had he truly been so distracted by a few moments of flirting?

You set the pitcher down with a hmm, glancing at the two - two - empty spots across the table. 

“So Gar and-”

“Yep,” one of your companions, a red headed man, interrupts you, grinning slyly. “But I see you made a handsome friend over at the bar! Care to introduce us?”

“Next time, I’m getting the drinks,” one of them murmurs.  

You grin, accepting the glasses that Merrick hands you, but before you can ask for his name, or say another word, he’s backing away. 

“Pardon me,” he says, trying not to look you in the face. He fails, eyes raking quickly over your startled expression a single time, just- just so he’ll remember your face. Just so he’ll recognize you again, if he needs to use you. To get to Garrick. “Enjoy your evening,” he tacks on at the last second, feeling slightly ridiculous, but mostly angry. He’d taken one look at you, taken one sip of fizzing cider and lost focus, and now Garrick is gone. Merrick slides through the crowd, using glamour heavily to slip unnoticed between talking friends and dancing couples, and heads straight for the bathroom. He doubts the gardener took his companion there, not if he wants either of them to live, but he has to check.

Both of them, frustratingly, turn up empty of Fae. Merrick upends his glass of cider in one of the cracked sinks, glaring at his reflection. There’s a heavy flare of glamour, like pressure building and bursting at the front that suddenly catches his attention- but it’s fading already. 

He follows it anyway, sifting through the people making their way toward the bathroom and then milling about the bar until he’s made note of every face throughout the building.

Merrick finds himself back out on the street, shoulders trembling with tension, wondering how he’d gotten it so wrong. Garrick must have noted his use of glamour the moment he’d done it, and simply kept his calm until he realized Merrick was distracted. He should have known better, should have kept his boring seat on the factory building and waited. He would have been able to follow Garrick back to his home, or at least make a note of where his companion lived.

He’s going to have to throw caution to the wind, then, and head into the skies. He’ll have to risk Garrick feeling the glamour, because the chance of a human snapping a picture of a Fae launching himself off of a roof is far too great. He heads back to the factory roof, breathless now when he reaches the top, and stares down angrily over the edge. Merrick has been yearning to stretch his wings, but the wait doesn’t quite feel worth it when he’s lost track of the damn gardener. 

He strips off his shirt and his cap, uncaring of the cool breeze and shoves them into his bag. It almost aches, the feeling of his wings slipping free of his skin, but he doesn’t have time for more than a quick rub of the muscles he can reach, before he needs to be flying. He won’t be able to catch him - not without diving upon Garrick like some great bird of prey - but he hopes he’ll see him. At least then, this won’t have been one big waste of his time. 

Merrick rolls his shoulders, steps up to the building edge, and jumps. His wings aren’t exactly made for slow, sweeping circles through the air. The four of them are strong, but thin, veined with a shade that Roran has always claimed reminds him of copper. They buzz, fluttering fast enough that they’re nothing more than a blur. He’s always done best with short, sharp distances, and it’s still been a short length of time. Surely he has more than a fair chance of finding some human-loving gardener? 

He zips over the street, eyes keen on the people below, and starts his search. 

Four hours later, he has to trudge back into his motel room, too tired to keep up a cloak of glamour, or to even lay his wings back into his skin. One of the inebriated humans he’d heard earlier is sitting on the steps, staring at him with bleary eyes and a red nose. 

“Tho- thought absinthe brought on visions of fairies?” The man asks, glancing down at his paper wrapped bottle in surprise. 

“Weariness, too,” Merrick mutters, blinking heavily as he nearly stumbles on the last step. He’s three doors down the walk - he can make it. He’s not sure, but he thinks the drunkard whispers some kind of expletive. It’s the last coherent thought Merrick has before his motel door is shutting behind him and he’s flopping straight onto the bed. Darkness rolls over him like the tide, and he willingly gives in.

He wakes to housekeeping tapping nervously at his door and just barely gets up in time to catch it. He waves away their apologies, pressing his hands firmly against the placard underneath the peep hole to close the door fully - and then drops to his knees, wings sagging against the ground. The carpet is rough, and even though he’s relished having them out, Merrick slaps a hand to each shoulder, hiding his wings in his skin once more. 

Perhaps, if Merrick weren’t stubborn, he would send word back to the King of Air. He could have used a bit of help - but the thought of Roran showing up on his doorstep flat out halts the thought. He needs more information, because what the Queen of Land had given them was sorely lacking. The traitor’s chosen name? Had been correct. As had the vague description. Faun brown hair, eyes near the same shade, and skin, weathered tan by the sunshine. His hands and ears had held a green tint - glamoured from the human eye - so he was from the Land Court. 

But he knew how to blend in with humans, had made friends of them. He was living, and living well among them, and he knew how to lose someone attempting to track him. He’d vanished at the first sign of trouble.

“Or he really was passing time with his companion and they distracted him from me,” Merrick grumbles, lips pulled into a frown as he stumbles over to the rickety table in the corner. The chair creaks as he flops into it, pulling close the map of the city and the small pad of paper provided by the motel.  

Merrick supposes that Garrick could have been human born - maybe his human parent had been spirited to his Court and had passed on their knowledge as he grew? Maybe human parentage did have something to do with being able to lie. Still. He’s tempted to swear something crass to prove that Garrick isn’t simply a gardener. Other than that single flare of glamour, Garrick had left little to no trace of himself behind, and even someone with Merrick’s talents would be hard pressed to do that. Roran couldn’t have done it so smoothly.

The only thing Merrick had been able to find out with any certainty is that Garrick is fond of the group of humans he’d gone to Corner Pocket with. He’d checked back into the bar after he’d canvassed the area and found nothing. They’d been gone as well, safe from being followed or questioned. He’d asked after the group from one of the workers, but he’d been run nearly dry by then, dizzy on his feet. The worker had only given him a strange look and urged him to call his friends after he’d grabbed a few hours of sleep. Of course, asking the worker in the back alley while they took their smoke break… Had possibly been ill advised. He hadn’t wanted to risk glamour, and he couldn’t head inside the bar without a shirt on. They’d likely assumed he was as inebriated as the two men staying in the room next to his at the motel. It could have been worse.

Though he can’t say he’s not convinced that Garrick didn’t double back after he’d left and gotten his human companions to vacate the area.

Perhaps- no. 

For the breadth of a second, he wonders if Garrick has roped the humans into this, but it’s highly unlikely. With such a large group of them, at least one would have spilled his secret. No. They’d been too at ease, and he doesn’t believe that you would have li- It simply doesn’t matter. None of the humans could have known enough about Garrick’s true nature to fool him.

A very small part, that he studiously ignores, is pleased by the thought. Being distracted by honest flattery is one thing, but being lied to is quite another.

He wonders how often Garrick has dealt with human lies, and whether it galls him or not, tasting the sourness upon the air. 

Merrick scowls, fingers tracing idle paths on the now creased and worn map. He doesn’t even know if those born to the Land Court possess the same drawbacks when it comes to attempting to lie.  

Besides, it’s entirely possible that Garrick will decide to run again. Even though he’s done his best to make a home for himself here, and seems to be fond of the local populace, he’s run twice already. Once from the Queen of Land - the place he was raised, and once when the land Guard found him. Both times he’d run far enough that it had cost quite a bit of time to track him down again. And yet... he might decide that a random citizen of the Air stumbling upon him is nothing to worry about. 

He might not be able to find Garrick at the bar for some time, but he imagines one or two of the humans will return. They’d been charmed by his appearance, at least, so he doubts it will take over much to befriend one of them. And if, by chance, Garrick comes to assume that Merrick is a fellow runaway?

He might just be willing to speak to him. 

Corner Pocket soon becomes Merrick’s most regular haunt, and his least favorite place in the human realm. 

The drinks make it bearable, at least some of the time. The vast amount to choose from means he’s not bored, but enjoying a glass of anything by his lonesome is… Not very entertaining. And most of the attention he draws? Merrick does not want in the first place. He’s offended at least three different humans there in the week following his decision to befriend one of Garrick’s companions. One woman he refuses flat out, which leaves her petulant and loud. One of her friends apologizes on her behalf, rolling their eyes as they tow her out the door. One man seems to be desperately looking for a debate partner on human sports teams, and another says he simply doesn’t like the look of Merrick.

“There’s a couple colleges here,” one of the bartenders shares with him after the last man is quickly ushered out, having decided to upend his barstool and his drink. “We have regulars, but there’s always someone obnoxious popping in. If you’re going to be in here frequently, look out for those ones.” The truth of it is staggering, and Merrick quickly becomes used to picking out the humans who show up too far into their cups.

He’s tempted to give the endeavor up - to go back to searching for flares of glamour or seeking out spots that have shown an uptick in greenery growth. He has no desire to spend his afternoons or evenings in this place, repeatedly being approached by pushy humans. Even if getting to Garrick via his companions is a good strategy, he doesn’t have to needlessly suffer time with others. 

But then, you walk back into the bar one evening.

Unthinking, he hides, moving to a seat out of your view that still lets him hear your conversation with the friend you’ve brought with you. He thinks he might recognize the fellow as well - his patched jacket and red hair seem familiar anyhow. 

“-still think it’s silly,” your friend complains, tapping a knuckle against the bar as he glances at the daily specials. Merrick leans back a little farther in his chair, drinking the sight of you in. “This is the closest and cheapest place to meet, and now we’re going to that dance club? Since when do we all dance?”

“I think it was Em’s idea,” you say with a shrug, smiling and ordering something for yourself. Your friend grimaces, looking only mildly more pleasant when he orders his own drink. 

“I think she’s trying to make the moves on Garfield,” your friend adds, a huff of a laugh escaping him. 

“No. Red, come on, is that really his full name? I thought it was something like.. Garrett. Or Gary. And Em is going to have a serious time of it, he really only has eyes for-”

“Everyone knows,” Red says with a gruff sigh. “And honestly, I don’t know. I just thought I’d try it out on him and see if it stuck.”

“You really want to saddle him with the name Garfield? What if it is his name and he’s ashamed or something?” You ask before you thank the bartender. You wait until your friend has his glass in hand before you both raise them in some kind of silent toast and drink. 

Red wipes the beer foam from his mouth and shrugs. “Then he’ll say something and I’ll let it go. We better hurry up here though, Em will blow her top if we end up being more than a minute late.”

It’s all too easy to glamour himself and shadow the two of you to the dance club. Merrick keeps well back, wrinkling his nose when the thumping music is loud enough for him to hear outside the heavy doors. The two of you don’t even blink, flashing IDs at the door and trading a look that has you both laughing. Merrick follows and drops the glamour as soon as he’s in the door. He doesn’t want to leave half his attention on holding it, or risk walking up to Garrick like a glowing beacon.

Despite the discomfort of the loud noise and the press of the bodies, a stillness comes over him when he does finally spot Garrick sitting at a low table. He looks well fed and completely at ease, staring at a young woman who is talking a mile a minute - though Merrick isn’t sure if Garrick is actually listening to her, or just looking past her. He perks up when he sees you and your friend Red though, waving the two of you over in obvious relief. 

“Just you two?” You ask, eyebrows raising when Garrick gets to his feet to greet you with an embrace. You return it kindly enough, but it doesn’t appear to be something that happens frequently. Em doesn’t look quite as happy to have you both there, and Red looks startled when he, too, receives a sudden hug from the tall Land Fae. The three of you take your seats, though Red waves away the drink list when Em offers it to him, grimacing when he sees the prices. Garrick’s hand closes around a half-full glass and he too, looks as if the selection isn’t exactly to his liking.

“Everyone else was busy,” Em says brightly, though the way her eyes dart around tells Merrick that she’s lying. Garrick winces at the lie too, glancing off into the crowd of dancing people.

“What a shame,” Red mutters, scowling at the press of people, just quiet enough that Merrick is fairly sure Em doesn’t catch it. “So did you just have a real hankering for the club scene or-”

“It’s you again!” Your voice pipes up and then Merrick realizes: he’s drifted too close, the crowd of human dancers had parted to let him through. You’re smiling at him again, eyes tracing over his hair and his mouth, and you’re inviting and lovely- and Garrick’s face has gone completely and utterly blank. 

“Yeah,” Merrick chokes out, taking another unsteady step towards you when you lift your hand in a slightly shy wave. He can’t get distracted. He can’t, he knows this, but he forces himself to look away from Garrick anyway. The last thing either of them wants is to start a fight amidst the humans, right? He can approach if he sticks to manners. 

“I remember you too,” Em perks up, arching an eyebrow. “The runaway. Was it too soon to meet the friends last time?” 

“Ignore her,” you urge him, trying to scoot further into the booth to make room for him. “She’s like a sour patch kid,” you tease. The words make no sense to Merrick, but a little of the tightness in Em’s face seems to even out, and she smiles at you, shifting aside so everyone can fit in the booth.

“Join us!” You suggest. “Unless you’re busy. I’m not trying to force our company on you.” You shrug, glancing away, as if you’re regretting your sudden outburst.

“O-of course,” Merrick hastens to say, and wants to kick himself, twice over. He should be claiming some kind of important business with Garrick, he should be trying to complete the task he’s been given by his King and all he wants to do is agree to whatever you say. He takes another step closer, mouth opening- and then there’s a clatter and Red is cursing something awful and Em is squealing, trying to stand in the booth without knocking over the table. 

“Seriously?” Red barks, pushing to his feet and trying to grab at any napkins on the table. Garrick’s drink is empty, having been poured almost directly all over Red’s pale trousers. Though there’s a small splatter across Em’s pale shirt as well. “Shit aim, man, look at this!” Red snaps, gesturing at his damp lap.

“Will that stain?” Garrick asks, and he looks guilty, cheeks gone ruddy from embarrassment. “Is there anything I can-”

“He’s crashing on my couch,” you rush to say, getting out of the booth. “It’s not too far, come on, you can grab the clothes you left and shove these in my washer.” You meet Merrick’s eyes and give him a slightly sad smile. “Nice to see you again. One of these days, I’ll actually get the chance to-” You jump when Em latches onto your arm.

“Please let me use your washer too, the dye in that drink-” Em starts, nearly pushing you over as she starts to walk you and Red towards the entrance.  

The three of you rush off, apparently having forgotten Garrick- and that’s when Merrick notices the glamour. It’s been washed over the two of them like a shadowy bubble, separating them from the surrounding humans, dulling the noise if not exactly canceling it. 

“If you’re here for me,” Garrick says, sounding weary as he rights his fallen glass, “then come after me. Leave them out of this. They’ve done absolutely nothing to you.” He gets to his feet slowly, lips curled into a frown, broad shoulders slouched. There’s still a bit of space left between them, and he’s staring at Merrick like he’s reached the end of a very frayed tether. 

For a moment, Merrick believes this is going to be easy. Garrick is all but defeated, tired of running, ready to face the fate laid down for him by his Queen. Merrick unsheathes the small blade he has strapped to his wrist, palming it as quickly and quietly as possible. Garrick’s eyes track the sudden gleam of it in his hand, the sharp edge catching the flashing lights over the dance floor. 

“The Queen of Land isn’t pleased,” Merrick tells him, taking a step. Garrick doesn’t move. “The lies you’ve been spreading-”

Tension springs through Garrick’s limbs and Merrick has to throw himself back into the crowd of humans to avoid being tackled to the floor. The humans shriek, and Merrick curses - he’s cut his own hand, and knocked a few dancers down, but otherwise they’re all unhurt. Garrick though, is heading straight for the door, much quicker than Merrick would like.

“Really?” Merrick snaps out, exasperated, and then he’s streaking after Garrick, as fast as his feet will take him, glamouring himself as he goes. For someone so broad, for someone once tasked with doing nothing more than growing the Queen’s garden, Garrick runs like he was born to it. Merrick only just barely keeps up.

He decides though, watching the Fae dodge between humans and hurdle over one parked car, that he’s going to have a long conversation with Garrick before he does as he was tasked.

The chase carries them both through the city on feet too swift for humanity. The glamour is going to make both of them lag after a while, but for some reason Garrick still wants to keep his presence hidden from the humans, more than he wants to escape. Eventually though, Merrick gets tired of running. He strips off his shirt, freeing his aching wings and takes to the skies, just as he realizes that Garrick is heading for the park. 

It’s a race then, to try and stop him before he has a myriad of plants at his disposal - and it’s one that Merrick very narrowly misses out on winning. He uses the momentum of his flight to bounce off of a fence, brandishing his weapon in a swinging arch. Garrick dodges the swipe of his blade purely on luck, and then willow tree branches are snapping out at Merrick like whips. He slips his wings back into his skin, not wanting to get them hurt and falls to the ground, rolling across the grass at high speed, stopped only by a park bench to his back.

Merrick grunts with the impact and leaps to his feet, ready to fight, clutching the handle of his blade with a still-stinging palm, and halts. 

Garrick is standing on the other side of a slide, chest heaving as he attempts to get back his breath- but he’s not fighting. There’s ivy near at hand, Merrick notes, and he could make swift use of that, but instead he’s just staring, eyebrows drawn together, a frown just barely tugging at his mouth. The both of them stand there and stare, the moon rising slowly overhead. 

“The King of Air sent you?” Garrick finally asks, still fairly breathless, eyes darting to the ink lines of Merrick’s wings, wrapped around his biceps and trailing down over his shoulders and arms. 

“Are you a gardener?” Merrick asks, rather than answer. The answer to Garrick’s question is obvious anyway. Merrick possesses wings. The question he asks makes Garrick’s eyebrows arch. 

“Hardly,” he mutters. “I’ve never been a gardener,” he says at normal volume and his shoulders lose some of their tension, hands resting carefully at his sides. “Were you looking for one?”

Merrick scowls. The Queen of Land had given them incomplete information - or her guard had tracked down the wrong Fae. It’s hard to believe her guard could have been so utterly incompetent though. 

“Did you betray the Queen of Land?” He tries instead, straightening from his crouch of a fighting stance. The heat of the chase is beginning to leave him, and he’s regretting abandoning his shirt. 

Garrick doesn’t answer, just purses his lips, watching him, waiting for something else to happen, for another question, maybe. 

And then Merrick does something absolutely idiotic. He’s searching for common ground, searching for a way to get Garrick to continue speaking, even if it isn’t about something important. The only thing he can think of that he wants to ask, that has nothing to do with the Queen or betrayal - is about you. Heat rises along his neck and face, but before he can stop himself, he blurts out his question.

He asks Garrick for your name.

Garrick’s belly deep laughter echoes throughout the entire park.

⊱ ────── .⋅ 🜁 ⋅. ────── ⊰

...turn the page?

[ffxiv-ariavitali]

WHEN TRYING TO GET TO YOUR INBOX I HIT UNFOLLOW I'M SO SORRY, PLEASE UNDERSTAND IT WAS AN ACCIDENT ;-; Also I wanted to ask for some Beach date scenarios? ;u; Aymeric, Thancred, Hien? u///w///u

bahaha so that’s what happened! well HOW DARE YOU- jk no worries cutie, i gotchu c; some fluff after my unforgivable sin, coming riiiiight up!

❅ ❅ ❅

[Aymeric]

You couldn’t stop staring at him. Honestly. When the noblewomen in Ishgard would gossip about how the lord commander had to be Halone’s favorite sent to earth, they really weren’t kidding around. In fact, it was almost criminal for beauty to congregate all in one place, all in one person!

Aymeric wasn’t entirely used to the revealing swimwear; after all, he spent the majority of his life donned in full metal plating as per the standard Temple Knight armor prior to the azure regalia he wears as the lord commander. To reveal his skin, painted with scars alike, was a form of luxury (and torture) he never knew he would have.

However, he gets over himself very quick, for the wanderlust begins kicking in. After all, it’s not every day that you decide to take him to the sunny shores of Costa del Sol, using the connections you have with a certain wealthy Lalafell that often frequents the premises to ensure no one disturbs your vacation getaway. From collecting sea shells to building sandcastles, you do it all for the sake of the experience without the fear of propriety-drilling nobles judging him for his otherwise inappropriate appearance.

Of course, he wouldn’t have came without ensuring that you had something to eat. On your behest, he made sandwiches, brought a whole watermelon and- oh, the point of the watermelon isn’t to eat it first? Wait, you have to hit it with a stick first? Wait, what do you mean there’s a frozen treat called ‘ice cream’ that tastes like birch syrup?

“Can we partake in such desserts, mine love? Please?”

With the way he pleads with his eyes, you might as well melt where you stand.

[Thancred]

Thancred is used to the heat. After all, he was stationed in Ul’dah on behalf of the Scions when Minfilia was still around. However, him being accustomed to the warm climate isn’t going to stop him from spreading and massaging sun screen on your back, thank you very much. Of course, the act needs to be reciprocated, so he’ll scoot himself close in front of you so you’d be able to reach the hard-to-reach places on his back.

Of course, being accustomed to the heat, Thancred is also accustomed to minimizing the amount of cloth that he has on his person. He’ll go along with the shorts and sandals gig, but the point of the beach was to swim! He will go shirtless if it means he’ll be able to dive into the water faster, for Twelve’s sake!

Speaking of swimming, you are painfully aware that the man is able to swim like an eel (according to Lyse, that is) and has strong enough lungs that allow him to stay underwater for a solid ten to fifteen minutes if need be. He thrives in the water and is quick to pick you up either bridal style or straight up throw you over your shoulder as he dive bombs both of you into the cold tides.

“Thancred!” you scream his name as you’re falling.

Thancred releases a cheer just before submerging into water, along with a “too late!”

When he has tired from swimming, he will return to the shore with you to set up the umbrella and the beach chairs, one large enough for the both of you to lie on, and take a nap with you under the shade. After all the hard work that you two put in to saving the world on a regular basis, he reckons that you both deserve it.

[Hien]

You thought you would be the excited one to go on this beach-side trip. What a sweet summer child you were, thinking you would be the most energetic one between the two of you.

Hien isn’t used to revealing so much skin considering the rules of etiquette that was beat into his head when he was but a small child, but his free-flowing attitude allows him to get used to it rather quick. Once he is, his smile is wide as he takes in the vistas of various shores and coasts of the Ruby Sea, allowing himself to bask in the glory that is the bright sunlight on this beautiful day.

“What a fine day for an excursion, would you not agree?” he exclaims with a joyous smile, boyish and free from the stress of his responsibilities as lord of Doma.

The both of you realized just how excited you two were for your little outing. You have brought an array of games and equipment, ranging from hula hoops to volleyballs, from kites to soar on the high noon of the day to small sparklers to light up at the sign of the early stars. You had enough entertainment to last the entire day and then some if you were to continuously play without end, a blessing in disguise if you were to think positively.

Yet, no matter how much you two plan out your day, there would always be something that distracts you enough to throw you off course. Whether it was something glittering under the water near the coral reefs to challenging each other on who can climb a tree fast enough to snag the high-hanging fruits on top, there was enjoyment to be found in anything and everything.

[is0gild]

Ice Cream and Fire Oven Pizza - Chapter 30

Pairing: Elsa x Lea/Axel || Side Pairing: Riku x OC

Summary: Modern AU. She's an introvert ball of nerves who works at Ice Palace, a mall food court ice cream shop. He's the outgoing, sassy goofball who works at the Pizza Planet across the way. Hilarity, snark, and fluffy romcom hijinks ensue.

Word Count: 5,379

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

Credit for super friggin’ cute and super friggin’ amazing cover art goes to the super friggin’ talented ky-jane here on tumblr!

"Chorus?! That's bullshit! There must be some mistake, lemme see that thing," Lea snatched the paper off from where it'd been taped to one of the auditorium doors, causing it to rip a little as he did so.

Sighing, I stretched a hand out to try and retrieve the cast list from him, "Don't be silly, it's fine. It makes sense."

He yanked the sheet out of my reach, squinting at it with a perturbed frown before scoffing. "Makes sense my sweet ass. Where's Marluxia? Me and that cotton-candy-haired punk are gonna have words."

"You'll do no such thing," I finally managed to get my hands on the paper, prying it free of his fingers. Seeing it was now horribly wrinkled to boot, I grimaced and taped it back to the door, doing my best to smooth it back out. Then I slipped my hand into Lea's and started half leading, half dragging him back towards where he'd parked his car. "And it does make sense. They don't know me. They've never worked with me before. On top of that, I did choke a bit at the start of my audition. They can't trust a starring role to someone that's inexperienced and that they're unfamiliar with, not until I've shown them how I do in a background part as well as shown them that I'm capable and that they can rely on me."

"But you were the best one at the whole damn tryouts!" he huffed back. "What are those numskulls even thinking? I tell ya, if I were the director, it woulda been no contest. You'd be the leading lady like that," his fingers snapped.

"You're sweet and not at all biased," I rolled my eyes with a soft snort. "...honestly, I'm actually a bit relieved to be starting in chorus. I'd rather take it slow, ease myself back into theater and not take on too much responsibility right out the gate. It'll give me a chance to feel it out and see if this is something I really want to pursue. And if it is, I just have to put in the time, do the grunt work and by the next time they're putting on another production, maybe then they'll have enough confidence in me to give me a lead part."

Lea harrumphed. "They better. Otherwise I'm gonna kick Marluxia's stupid butt."

I hid a small grin behind my fingers, "He might not even be the one directing next time."

"Don't care. His ass will still be the one I kick outta pure spite."

A snerk escaped me, followed swiftly by a tiny, bubbling laugh. Lea glanced towards me, the corners of his eyes crinkling. As we came to a stop on the passenger side of his car, he tugged on my hand, pulling me up against him. He slipped one arm around my waist while his other came up to tuck some of my hair behind my ear as he ducked his head down, kissing me thoroughly.

Breath? Gone.

Knees? Jelly.

Brain? Mush.

As he pulled away and I struggled to remember how to take in oxygen again, I asked, "What was that for?"

"Just cuz I can," he winked, planting a light peck to my forehead. "You know this whole dating thing we're doing? Huge fan. Ten out of ten. Would recommend."

Face warming, I gave a derisive snort. "Sap."

"Yes, but I'm your sap," he nuzzled his nose to mine before releasing me to unlock my door and hold it open for me.

"Sap squared," I promoted him with a chuckle as I took my seat, reaching for the buckle. "Cliché sap squared."

"Too true. And you wouldn't have me any other way," he beamed before shutting the car door. My eyes followed him as he made his way around to the other side of the vehicle, one corner of my lips twitching up.

No. I suppose I wouldn't.

"Alright, next stop," Lea said as he plopped down into his own seat, retrieving his shades from where he kept them tucked in the sun visor and slipping them onto his nose. Thankfully, it was only his aviators. But I seriously doubted I'd seen the last of those ludicrous heart-glasses. "Lay that address on me, chica."

I fished the little piece of paper it was scrawled on out of my pocket and he tapped it into his phone as I read it off to him. Then the device began reciting directions in a bored monotone, his engine roared to life as he started the car and we sped off. We hadn't even been driving for a full minute before I heard a… peculiar noise coming from the back seat. I blinked, then glanced back over my shoulder. Had I imagined it? ...no, wait! There it was again! And it seemed to be coming from the floor behind my seat, where piled in a rumpled heap was…

"Um…" I quirked an eyebrow at Lea. "...your jacket seems to be barking…"

"Hm?" He was keeping his eyes on the road, but I didn't miss the hint of a smirk tugging at one side of his mouth. "Oh! Yeah, that. It does that from time to time. Needta train it to be better behaved."

My eyelids drooped. "...maybe you should feed it or take it for a walk."

"Nah, that'd only encourage it and then I'd never be able to get the damn thing to quit yapping," he snerked as he stopped at a red light. Then he was reaching behind me to shove his leather jacket aside, revealing a big box, its lid decorated with a frilly bow on top. He hoisted it up with a small grunt and deposited it into my lap. "Here. Was originally supposta be a Congratz-On-Landing-The-Lead present, but now it's more of a Congratz-On-Being-Glorified-Scenery present," Lea chuckled, scratching his cheek.

I lightly swatted at his shoulder. "There are no small parts, only small actors," I quoted with a shake of my head before directing my gaze back to the gift. I could feel it twitching and shifting slightly in my lap as it gave another couple of muffled barks.

Gee. What could it be? I really do wonder.

(Note the sarcasm.)

I was just glad to see several air holes poked into the lid. Come to think of it, Lea had been keeping his windows rolled down too. Sighing and smiling despite myself, I lifted the lid up. Sure enough, a puppy poked its head out to greet me, one that was a super white ball of pure fluff. The same one that's stolen my heart at the pet store when Lea and I had stopped by a while back. The one I'd dubbed Marshmallow. "Lea, no. I told you already that my complex doesn't allow pets." My chiding words were at odds however with my delighted chuckle as I picked the little guy up to hug close. "You shouldn't have gotten me a dog."

"I didn't," he said brightly as the light turned green and he stepped on the gas once more. "I got myself a dog."

I stared at him blankly as I felt the pup flicking its tongue along my chin. "...so wait. In essence, you got yourself a gift to celebrate me being glorified scenery in the play?"

"No, I got myself a gift to celebrate you getting the lead in the play. Not my fault you failed to live up to your half the bargain," he tsked before laughing as I gave his shoulder another smack, this one with more force behind it. Then as we shifted lanes, he flashed a smug grin, "'Sides, keeping the furball at my place gives ya an excuse to come visit me more often."

Petting the puppy's soft fur, I snorted, "Manipulative."

"Hey, what you call manipulative, I call incentive."

"You're right," I hummed as my fingers scritched behind Marshmallow's ear, a sly curve to my lips now. "You're definitely not enough of an incentive on your own for me to make the trip."

"Rude! You're lucky I think you're so cute," he reached over to pinch my cheek. I ignored him, holding the dog up in front of my face so we were nose-to-snoot. Marshmallow wagged his tail, licking the tip of my nose and I heard Lea grumble, "Oh sure. You he gives puppy kisses while all he ever gave me was tooth hugs."

"Tooth hugs?" I echoed, brow furrowing slightly.

"Lil furball's been tearing the shit outta my ankles nonstop," his face pinched sourly and I couldn't help a small laugh.

Once I'd sobered, I said, "I thought you said Saïx would murder you if you ever got a dog. How are you not dead?"

He flicked on his turn signal. "Oh trust me, it's not for lack of trying on his part, but bastard's gotta catch me first. The trick is to never stop moving when I'm home. Stay in one place too long and I'll get pulverized. Also got six different deadbolts locking my bedroom door now to keep him out, though I'm just waiting for him to get pissed enough to Kool-Aid Man his way through our shared wall."

"Hope I'm there to see that," I grinned, shifting to cradling the puppy in my arms in order to maximize belly rubbing efficiency. "Surprised the little guy managed to stay quiet for so long."

"Me too. Squirt was yipping up a storm the whole drive over when I was coming to pick you up. Was worried he was gonna ruin the surprise. But musta just wore himself out eventually and took a nap or something."

"Mm," I just hummed distractedly. "Also kind of shocked you were able to snag him. We saw him at the pet store, what… two weeks ago? Would have thought someone would've adopted him already in that time."

"Heh… well, I didn't exactly pick him up today..."

"Yesterday?" I glanced towards him and he gave a weak chuckle, shaking his head. "Then when?"

Lea scratched a finger behind his ear. "Er… same day we went to the roller rink?"

I blinked a couple times, then deadpanned, "...as in the same day we went to the pet store?"

"That'd be the one!" he nodded as he pulled up to a stop sign, his hand coming up to pluck at the short hairs at the nape of his neck. "After you left to go home, I went back. Ya just liked the lil mutt so much, I couldn't help myself. It was an impulse buy. Five seconds after I became a proud, new dog dad though, I felt like a total dumbass. But woulda felt like shit if I'd tried to give him back, so..." he shrugged, "I kept him."

My gaze returned to Marshmallow as my lips pursed to one side. He panted happily back up at me. "...I didn't see him that one time Saïx had me over for dinner. How'd you manage to hide him?"

"Stashed him away at Xion's for the night. Couldn't risk you finding him and realizing what a twitterpated bonehead I was," he snerked as the car propelled us forward once more.

I bit back a little grin. "But it's okay for me to find out now?"

"Well yeah, course! Since you're my girl and all now. Back before we were dating, me buying your dog was weird and possibly a lil creepy." He shot me a smirk, "But now it's just sweet and endearing!"

"If you say so," I murmured, only listening with half an ear as I smooshed and squished the pup's face.

His head turned slightly towards me and I could practically feel the slight narrowing of his eyes behind his aviators. "...crap, I'm gonna have to compete for your affections with that damn fleabag now, aren't I?"

I struggled to keep a straight face as my finger booped Marshmallow's cute little nose. "Is it really a competition if you've already lost?"

"Oh-ho, I see how it is," he snorted as he checked the rearview. "Well don't be too alarmed if next time ya see me, I'm down one dog and up one pair of a brand spanking new white, poofy earmuffs. The two things'll be totally unrelated. Pure coincidence."

I gave a tiny, amused huff and rolled my eyes. Then I leaned over to press a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you for the puppy. You're very sweet."

He ruffled his hair, "Shit, if it's always gonna make you this happy, I'll have to buy myself more gifts!" I made a noncommittal noise in my throat, all my focus diverted once more to playing with the dog. Lea gave a defeated sigh but smiled. Then he asked, "So… how's Anna been doing?"

I frowned slightly. "...okay. She's… better."

The altercation with Hans had been a few days ago now. By the time Anna had gotten through with him, he'd staggered out of my apartment with a limp and a black eye. I hadn't heard from him since, though part of me did wonder if he was just taking time to lick his wounds before coming back to further profess his supposed love for me. Guess it just depended how much of a hard time his parents would give him and how easily he'd break under the pressure.

As for Anna, once she'd spent all her rage on rearranging Hans' face and had nothing left, she'd proceeded to bawl her eyes out. She never took breakups this hard, but apparently she'd really thought Hans was it. The One. After such a rude awakening to the fact that he wasn't and having her heart shattered, I didn't blame her for having a bit of a breakdown. She'd ended up staying over and Rayne and I had turned it into a sort of a girls night to try and cheer her up. We'd binge streamed romcoms until 3 a.m. which honestly, with Anna wailing through every single one, I had no clue if they were making things better or worse. But she was the one who kept putting them on one after the other, so I'd just let her as I hadn't had the heart to deny her.

In the days since, it was obvious Anna was still down, even though she tried to hide it behind sunny smiles and loud laughs. Still, she seemed to be on the road to recovery.

"She's strong," I added softly after a brief lull, fingers absently toying with Marshmallow's paws. "She'll bounce back. Just needs a little more time, that's all."

Lea's phone suddenly gave a small ding, announcing that we had arrived and our destination could be found on the right. Luckily a spot had just opened up on the curb for him to turn the car into. I unbuckled my seatbelt as the engine shut down and opened my door, stepping out onto the sidewalk. My arms were still holding the puppy and I unfortunately had to concede that I probably shouldn't bring him inside. Spinning one-eighty, I set him back down inside the car and he immediately tried to hop out to follow me. My hands shot up to block him and he retaliated with sad eyes and a whimper.

Oh, this little con artist.

Laughing, I stroked his head soothingly, "Now now, Marshmallow, no need for all that… we'll only be gone for a few minutes, I promise."

"Awfully presumptuous of you, naming my new pupper," Lea teased as he appeared at my side now, a paper shopping bag that he'd retrieved from the back seat on his way out of the car now dangling by the handle from his fingers. Rubbing a curled knuckle over his chin as he glanced skyward, he smirked. "I was thinking something more along the lines of…" now he stretched a hand out, dragging his splayed fingers through the air as if the words themselves were magically materializing in front of our very eyes, "...Imperius, the White Death and Destroyer of Worlds."

I shot him a dull look. "...bit long to fit on a dog tag, don't you think?"

"Not if we use really teeny font!" his grin twitched wider and my eyelids just drooped in response. "Fine, fine, ya have a point. Hm… compromise? How 'bout... Marshmallow, Destroyer of Worlds?"

One corner of my lips turned up, "I can live with that." Giving the puppy one final scritch under the chin, I cooed, "Be back soon, Mr Worlds," before locking and closing the car door. As I turned to fully face Lea, it came to my attention that he was now scrutinizing me with a squint and a little frown. My eyebrows knit together. "...what?"

Without a word, he abruptly bent forward and friggin' licked the side of my neck.

With a small yelp, I squirmed and jumped back, hand flying up to clamp over the now damp skin as my cheeks threatened to spontaneously combust. Lea's face twisted in distaste as he spat and razzed his tongue, "Yeck, concealer. Thought so. Knew there was no possible way my masterpiece healed and faded that quickly."

Ah. He was talking about the Mother Hickey. I nodded with a sigh, "Yeah, Rayne helped me figure out how to cover it up."

Stepping closer, he hooked a finger under my chin to gently turn my head to one side so he could take a better look, muttering, "Hmph. Nice job, Raindrop. Matched your tone perfectly, never woulda even known it's there. But also… so not cool. I'm an arteest! A maestro deserves to have his pièce de résistance on display for all the world to see."

"Not when your canvas is my neck, maestro," I snorted, getting on tiptoe to plant a quick peck to his lips as I took the bag from him. Inside it was a powder blue sundress, a pair of ankle boots, and a phone book.

He gave a tiny pout, but it quickly melted into a grin as he took hold of my free hand, lacing our fingers together. "So… you ready for this?"

I spotted the little store we'd come here for and started walking towards it. "Ready as I'll ever be, I suppose."

"Ya sure the dude even wants all this junk back? It's more than a lil used now."

"Well, it's a used clothing store, so I'm sure it's fine," I shrugged.

Lea chuckled, "That old phone book is rumpled from water damage and is practically a rat's nest. No, scratch that cuz calling it that sullies the good name of rat's nests everywhere."

"It doesn't matter," I exhaled heavily. "I told the man I'd bring it all back and that's what I'm doing. If he won't take any of it, then I'm happy to pay him back for it all with interest." On that note, we stepped through the automated sliding doors beneath the big sign that read Wandering Oaken's Trading Post.

The store looked the same as the last time I'd been here. The cluttered racks, the secondhand clothing all but bursting out of every nook and cranny, the rustic decorations on the walls and hanging from the ceiling… all of it exactly the same. It honestly surprised me a little. I would've expected some changes since it felt like my last visit had been absolute ages ago. I had to remind myself that in reality, it'd hardly even been two months since.

I hoped the man (employee? proprietor?) who'd assisted me back then wasn't also exactly the same as I remembered him. All angry and stocky and big. I gulped, feeling my breathing turn shallow as I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. Surely, he wasn't still mad and wouldn't rip me limb from limb on sight, right? And surely, my memory had to be lying to me and exaggerating. No one, not even Lea, was that hulkingly ginormous… right?

"Hoo-hoo! Big summer blowout! Half off swim su-" the familiar voice immediately cut off as its owner, that same man I'd recalled, locked eyes with me from across the store. "You!"

Nope. He was exactly as terrifyingly ginormous as I remembered him.

Suddenly - and I don't quite know how exactly, because I didn't remember moving - I was hiding behind Lea.

Huh. Seemed like my latent surprise teleportation powers had activated to catch me unawares once again!

Taking a deep, steadying breath to settle my nerves and get a grip, I slowly creeped back out from behind him to respond to the man with a shaky smile and a tiny, "Me?"

He abruptly came charging at me and I swallowed a squeak, screwing my eyes shut.

This was it. The final countdown. The last roundup. I could already see the fabled white light. Was already watching my life flash before my eyes. Could hear an angelic choir singing somewhere. All but feel the-

Those giant tree trunks he had for arms unexpectedly wrapped themselves around me, crushing me to him in a spine-cracking hug that lifted me several feet off the ground and forced a surprised grunt out of me.

Um…?

"What is this?" I wheezed as I was swung to and fro like a ragdoll. "I don't understand what's happening."

Lea snerked, being absolutely zero help as he simply crossed his arms and watched the absolute epitome of bear hugs continue. "Apparently, this is how he deals with shoplifters. His own unique brand o' vigilante justice."

"Well it's cruel and unusual punishment!" I croaked out, kicking my feet and trying to wriggle free. "How do I make him stop?!"

Miraculously, he chose that second to release me of his own accord, shooting me a big smile that took up over half his face, "Oh thank you, deary! Thank you!"

...okay, not quite the greeting I'd been expecting.

Like, at all.

Both eyebrows shot up my forehead as my hand went to rub at my elbow, "You, uh… you remember me?"

"Of course, deary!" he nodded eagerly, tapping his fingertips together.

I squinted at him uncertainly. "...and you remember that I… stole from you?"

More enthusiastic nodding, "Ya, ya!"

...was I the only one totally bewildered right now?

My eyes darted over to exchange a brief glance with Lea, who just shrugged his shoulders.

Oh good, so it wasn't just me then.

Looking at the worker once more, I hesitated for a split second before awkwardly thrusting the bag out to him, heart thudding loudly in my ears as I began, "Well I… I brought it all back like I said I would… even the phone book! It's all still in decent shape… er, except for the phone book, that is. I can compensate you for that though and… and the dress and shoes too, of course! That is, if that's what you'd prefer... and I'll even pay inter-"

"Nonsense!" he gently pushed the bag back towards me. "Keep it all, it's yours. And your munny's no good here."

I stared at him blankly. "...I'm sorry, I'm confused."

The man beamed at me now, "Your dress, deary! The one you left behind in the fitting room and said I could have? I must say, that had to have been some costume party you came from! I sold that gown for enough munny to pay for all four of my sons' college tuitions! So I insist, keep those items! And please let me know if you see anything else in here that you'd like, ya?" A sudden low chime rang out overhead, signalling that another customer had walked into the shop. Gracing me with one final warm grin, he then plastered on his customer service face and walked past me, waggling his fingers in greeting, "Hoo-hoo! Big summer blowout!"

Frowning slightly, I watched him go before I heard Lea say in realization, "...you left your wedding dress here."

My fingers twisted and fidgeted with the bag handles. "Sort of… yeah."

He shook his head with a snort. "Shit, El, a gown like that made for your upscale, hoity-toity, blueblood wedding? You didn't shoplift, you way, way overpaid!"

Feeling heat creeping into my face, I gave a tiny scowl and huffed, "Well, it certainly felt like shoplifting, the way he was yelling and chasing after me when I ran out the store!"

"Babydoll, you just lost some serious street cred," he chuckled, pressing his lips to my temple. "Seriously though, just ditching it in some random fitting room? You coulda sold that thing for bookoo bucks and made this whole striking it out on your own thing way easier on yourself."

"You said the same thing about my car back at my parents' home. But just like with the Ferrari, that dress was bought and paid for with my parents' munny," I sighed, crossing my arms. "I don't want to accept so much as even a single cent from them if I don't have to… I don't want to feel like I owe them anything. And I just… I didn't know what else to do with the dress, really. I just wanted to be rid of the wretched thing."

He tsked, tapping a finger to my nose, "Oh you. Always gotta do things the hard way, huh? Silly." Reaching for my hand, he then started us meandering about the shop, idly perusing the racks and shelves as he went on, "If it'd been me, I wouldn't have thought twice 'bout pawning that dress for some quick cash. What's the big deal where the munny came from? All that really matters is how you spend it to give yourself a better, happier life. Turn bad into good, ya know? I- sweet!" he cried out abruptly, eyes lighting up as he happened upon a clump of feather boas draped across the corner of a chaotic, jam-packed shelf. Snagging one that was made of red feathers marked with black stripes, he wrapped it around his neck with a flourish before batting his eyelashes at me. "How do I look?"

I rubbed my fingers over my tiny smile. "Beautiful. Simply gorgeous."

"Damn skippy!" he chirped, now spotting a full length mirror nearby and moving to admire himself in it.

From insightful to kid playing dress-up in under two seconds flat. That had to be some kind of record.

Seeing that the employee had returned to his post behind the cash register, I walked over to him. "Hi again. How much for one-"

There was a sudden giggle at my ear that was distinctly Lea's, followed swiftly by a second feather boa being looped around my neck, this one comprised of blue feathers with white tips. With that, Lea zipped off once more, this time heading towards what looked to be the toy shelf.

I blinked in his wake, then shook my head with a soft hum of a laugh. "I'm sorry, how much for two feather boas?"

"Holy shit, this orca action figure comes with a tiny machine gun! And-" Lea gasped, running back now to excitedly show it to me, "-it also turns into a goddamn freaking robot!"

Patting him on the cheek, I turned back to the cashier with a sigh, "And the toy too."

"For you, deary?" he asked, still happily tapping his fingers together. "Free of charge!"

My head rocked back slightly. "What? No, but-"

"Oh hell yes! Thanks, big guy, and have a great day!" Lea cut me off, snatching up my hand and bolting out the store, forcing me to stumble after him as the cashier called out after us to do the same.

As we exited through the automated doors back out onto the sidewalk, I said, "Lea, wait!" I dug in my heels, bringing us both to a lurching stop. Then I frowned over my shoulder back towards the little shop. "I'm not comfortable with this. He's only giving us this stuff because of that stupid dress and I told you already-"

"Don't look at it as benefiting offa your folks munny," he grinned, taking the bag from me to tuck the toy and his boa inside with the other stuff. Then he set to work uncoiling mine from around my neck. "Instead, try this on for size: ya did a good thing with that dress. Maybe even the best possible thing ya coulda done with it. You donated it to the worthy cause of paying for the education of that dude's small army of kids. And if that's not enough for you, here's another way to look at it: ya traded in a wedding dress worth a sultan's ransom and all you got in return was a handful of cruddy, secondhand junk that altogether costs maybe twenty bucks max. On the divine cosmic scale of ethics, I think you can consider your conscience clear and your heart light as a feather."

Now fully freed from the feather boa, I released a tiny huff through my nose as I watched him slip it inside the bag too. "Well, when you put it that way…"

"It's settled then," he beamed, slinging an arm around my shoulders and guiding me back towards his car. "Now onto the next item on the list!"

My head tipped to one side. "There's more? But with this place checked off, I thought that was the whole list."

"Maybe your list, but we haven't even begun to scratch the surface of mine. And first up is immediately correcting one epic fail on my part."

"Oh?" I arched an eyebrow at him.

He nodded, "Mm-hm! For ya see, I've been grossly neglectful in my boyfriend duties. Can you actually believe I have yet to take you out on our first proper date since officially becoming a couple?"

A tiny smile fought its way onto my lips. "For shame. The absolute scandal."

"I know, right? People are already beginning to talk, my good name is being dragged through the mud," he puffed out an overdramatic breath, shaking his head.

I laughed. "Well then, what did you have in mind?"

As we came to a stop next to his car, he tapped the window glass where Marshmallow was pressing his paws up against the other side while barking his little head off. "For starters, how 'bout we take this lil fellah to a park somewhere for a few hours? Once he's all played out, we can drop him off back at my place. Make it real quick, in and out before Saïx wakes up and realizes he's been unknowingly volunteered for doggo-sitting duty." Setting the bag down on the roof the car, he then faced me, taking both my hands in his as he idly started toying with my fingers and murmured, "Then I was thinking I could take ya somewhere nice. Maybe Le Grand Bistrot? And after that…" he gave a lazy shrug, that dimple of his emerging, "well, guess we'll just see where the night takes us from there."

My eyes crinkled as I stared up the few inches that separated us. "Sounds perfect."

It'd been one wild and, at far too many points, absolutely absurd ride that had brought me here. And it was far from over for I still had a long road ahead of me. I'd yet to even determine what exactly I wanted the future to hold for me, and that was okay. I could hardly be expected to have the rest of my life already planned and mapped out after experiencing only a couple short months of freedom. Come now, that would be unrealistic.

But it didn't truly matter that nothing was really decided yet. What mattered was that I was the one who would get to decide, no one else. And for the moment, I was just deciding to focus on what was immediately before me. Today, I had a date with my boyfriend. Tomorrow would be a shift at my job in a mall ice cream shop. And the day after would bring the start of rehearsals for community theater. All in all, it was nothing grand, nothing fancy… but it made me happy. And for now, that was enough. More than enough. I could figure out the rest in my own time, and that sounded pretty good to me.

In fact, it sounded absolutely amazing.

THE END

…sorta?

Author's Note:  And thus we come full circle... it ends where it all began way back in chapter one... cheesy, I know XD Okay, I rarely finish stories and thus I don't have a lot of experiencing doing it, so factor that in however you will in judging this final chapter xD I know, it was stupidly, cavity-inducingly sweet and not a lot happened, but damnit it's my story and I'll end it how I want to! Oh, and the toy Lea found wasn't a reference to anything, it was just something stupid I found on the internet that I figured the goofball would go absolutely nuts over xD

So, you probably have questions about that "...sorta?" at the end there xD Well that, my friends, has to do with the good news I mentioned that I had for ya'll a couple chapters back! Although the big, main plot of the story is now complete, there will be *drum roll*... bonus chapters! Wooo! These are more like self-contained one-shots that generally have time passage between them anywhere from a few days to like a month with no real overarching plot connecting them, which is why I'm not considering them a part of the "main" story. However, I will still be just slapping them at the end of this story, keeping it all in one place as opposed to posting them as separate fanfics, just because I can! I do what I want, yo! These bonus chapters will cover various events (relationship and non-relationship alike) for our new happy couple - as well as some that are just for pure funsies due to random ideas popping into my head that I really wanted to write xD I just always write the "how they got together" story and have never written them as a couple, so I'm excited to finally have a good excuse to do that! Plus now I can share with you guys how things go from here - stuff like relationship milestones, fam drama, Elsa's further adventures in theater, and much more! If you guys have any ideas of your own for a one-shot you'd like to see, please let me know! I make no promises about actually writing it, BUT there's a very good chance I'll read your suggestion, the plot bunnies in my head will go wild and I'll have no choice but to write it anyway xD 

ANYWAY! I already have written and completed a few of these one-shots, so my once-a-week updates can continue for a little while longer! But fair warning - when (not if, WHEN) my updates catch up to as far as I've written, my once-a-week updates will be reduced to whenever-the-chapter-is-frigging-done updates xD

Whew! I think that's a wrap! Thank you so much for reading my lil story here, I super duper appreciate it! I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did writing it! And an extra BIG thank you to those of you who’ve liked, reblogged, and followed so far! Seeing those lil notifications pop up always brings the biggest, goofiest smile to my face!

See ya next week for the first bonus chapter, which is a silly, for funsies one-shot xD I'll give you a hint... helmets are involved! Ooooo, what could it be?! Stay tuned and find out!

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

[thatmultifandomhoe]

Hookup on an Airplane

Overview: You were finally achieving your dream of traveling the world, and first stop was South Korea. After a stressful morning and a long flight ahead, all you wanted to do was sleep on the plane, but when your seat mate offers you some help to take care of a certain problem, well, the flight suddenly becomes more fun than you expected.

Word Count: 7,505

Pairing: Hoseok and Reader

Genre/Rating: Traveling AU - Fluff - Humor - Smut galore - then back to fluff - Rated R

Warning: Oh fuck, okay, here we go. Sex in an airplane bathroom (please don’t test this theory out) hand fetish? Fingering (female receiving), Daddy kink, reading porn, dirty talk, implied Dom Hoseok and implied submissive reader (does that make sense?), hand job (male receiving), unprotected sex, cream pie, rough sex.

Master List

©thatmultifandomhoe 2019. Do not repost, translate, or use my stories without permission.

Author’s Note: So there’s actually a story about why I wrote this particular Fic. If you’ve been on my blog for a while, then y’all most likely know of my friendship with @worldwidebt7​. We have some wild interactions and enjoy torturing each other with gifs of our biases, and have no shame in starting Gif Wars.

There was one particular Gif of our mutual Bias Hoseok that circulated the internet - the one where he was walking out of the airport wearing only a denim jacket that was barely buttoned up and his shorts were hanging low. And my dear Ali - @worldwidebt7​ - among our mutual dying, said that if I were to write it, she would draw it.

The evidence as stated:

*Cue the evil laughter.* With that being said, if you’re interested, you can check out that conversation right here. If not, you can skip to the story.

Have fun!

Standing on your toes, you bit your bottom lip in concentration as you tried to shove your duffle bag into the overhead compartment. From the looks of it, the people sitting in your general area had no idea how to place bags and decided to simply toss them in and sit down. You on the other hand, were a Tetris addict and knew how to make any shape fit into any spot with room to spare, and it was driving you insane that you couldn’t rearrange the bags already in here without getting help.

You glanced over your shoulder to see that a line had built up as they waited for you to get out of their way, so taking a short break you moved into your seat, grateful that no one else in your aisle had shown up yet.

As the line of people filtered out to their seats, you took the moment to sigh, running a hand through your hair. This was supposed to be a fun get away vacation to travel, try new food and create memories, but so far yesterday and up until a few minutes ago, it had been nothing but chaos. A simple phone call with your best friend ended up in the two of you fighting, which resulted in you going to bed late so when you woke up this morning, you had to rush and push the speed limits to make it to the airport on time. Now you couldn’t even get your stupid duffle bag into the overhead compartment.

All you wanted right now was sit in your seat and drink a few of those small nip bottles that the air hostess offered.

“That’s my seat.”

Ripped from your thoughts, you were surprised to see a man standing in the aisle, a ticket in hand and a bag on his shoulder. A purple bucket hat covered his hair and his white mask was pulled underneath his chin, allowing him to speak clearly.

“Uh, sorry. I just need to get my bag up there,” you spoke, pointing up at the apartment.

He leaned his head back and smiled, offering a hand. “Oh, I can get it in there for you.”

A part of you wanted to tell him no, that you were perfectly capable of getting it in yourself, but you knew that if you tried again, you’d only be humiliating yourself. With how everyone else just threw theirs in, it was no use for you.

Handing over the bag, you smiled. “Thank you.”

“No problem.”

In seconds, he had your bag up in the compartment and after a quick glance around, shut the door to it.

You couldn’t believe it. “How?”

His eyebrows raised at you in surprise, hands still up on the compartment. “I’m sorry?”

“I spent forever trying to get it in there but it refused to fit,” you explained. “But you were able to do it like it was nothing.”

He stood there in the middle of the aisle, not entirely sure how to answer your question. Luckily, he didn’t have to come up with something on the spot.

“Excuse me,” an air hostess spoke, coming up to your row. She smiled but the corners of her eyes didn’t move. “We’ll be getting ready to take off soon so the two of you need to sit down.”

Apologizing, you turned your ticket back over to check the seating. “I’m in the window seat,” you told him, moving further into the row until you sat down.

He squinted at his own ticket and looked at the seat number on the outer aisle. “Looks like I’m in the middle. Hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.”

The nice stranger gave you a quick smile as he got in his own seat, slipping his bag on his lap before buckling up. “I’m Hoseok by the way.”

Figuring he had been kind enough to put your bag away for you and seemed like a decent person, you didn’t mind saying your name.

Conversation stopped then as the air hostess’s voice came over the speaker, going over the safety procedures and how to work the seatbelts. After only a few minutes your attention span was itching for something else to focus on, not able to pay attention to her monotone voice anymore.

Shifting in your seat, your noticed Hoseok glance at you out of the corner of your eye, but you played it off as simply trying to get comfortable. You were, but as you leaned back against the head rest, you found yourself stealing another peak at him, this time trying to not get caught.

It was obvious he was dressed for comfort. Sweat pants and a basic tank top, but his jacket with the white stars going down the sleeves seemed like a last-minute decision. Either this wasn’t his first time flying and he just wanted an easy trip, or he didn’t give a damn about airport appearances.

Since you were rushed this morning, comfort had been the only choice as you had thrown on a pair of old jean shorts and a tank top. It was also supposed to be hot when you landed in South Korea, so you weren’t risking death by heat stroke.

“Boring, isn’t it?” Hoseok softly whispered, leaning his head slightly closer to yours when he finally looked at you.

“Yeah,” you murmured, wetting your lips as you glanced at the front of the plane for a brief moment. When you looked back at Hoseok, the corner of his brown eyes crinkled up in amusement. This close up, you were able to make out the faint heart shape his lips made.

It was cute.

“At least we’re all the way back here,” he continued, shifting to the side and leaning closer to you momentarily as he pulled out his phone from his back pocket. “That way we’re not in her direct line of sight.”

“Thank god,” you joked, opening up your purse for the small book you had tossed in a few nights ago. “I don’t think she really knows what it means to smile either.”

He chuckled, shoulders shaking as he leaned back against the head rest, barely paying any attention to the flight attendant.

After locating the novel, you raised an eyebrow as you tried to look above the heads of the people sitting in front of you in a last-ditch attempt to pay attention, but you were unable to see clearly.

“She’s almost done,” Hoseok murmured, spotting you trying and adjusting in your seat out of the corner of his eye.

You lifted your hands off your legs as if to praise the holy gods hiding up above, making Hoseok laugh again. He was right though. By the time you settled back against the seat, the voice overhead came to stop, allowing various conversations to pick up once again.

Flicking through the pages, you noticed Hoseok slouching back in his seat, his chest rising before he deeply sighed. For some reason, the action caused the corner of your lip to curl up, amused by him.

“I hate to be that boring seat mate,” he spoke, capturing your attention again. “But I think I’m going to sleep since this is gonna be a long flight. Do you mind snagging me any of those snacks they come around with for when I wake up?”

“Not at all,” you reassured, his smile sending your heart racing.

It seemed like only minutes afterwards, once you were finally reading your book, Hoseok was out like a light. Now that you weren’t worried about getting caught, you took the chance to glance over your seat mate.

He was without a doubt, hot as hell. The tips of his hair reached his eyebrows, skin perfectly tan. Then there was the fact that he was actually nice, and funny. Jeez, he was batting for a hundred on your list.

Licking your lips, you turned back to your book, rereading the first sentence for the fourth time already. It felt like forever by the time you were reached the end of the first page, but as you continued, you couldn’t recall what you had already read.

Another glance at Hoseok had you inhaling a shaky breath. His arms were loosely crossed over his stomach, his fingers long and thin like a pianist were resting on the armrest. On its own, your mind conquered up other images, all possibilities of how he might use those fingers on you.

“Fucking hell,” you muttered, closing the book shut to lightly slap the cover against your forehead.

This was going to be a long ass flight.

True to your word though, each time the hostess came around with snacks, you acquired one not just for yourself, but also for Hoseok for whenever he woke up. It had gotten to the point that you had a small little pile and when she came around again, you didn’t dare ask for the mini packet of peanut butter crackers with the look she gave you.

It had been three hours since Hoseok fell asleep, but when he did wake up, he frowned as he glanced around, disorientated from the nap and as if he couldn’t remember where he was.

You waited a few moments for him to gather himself before holding up the snack sized M&Ms, giving them a little shake for extra effect.

“I have snacks,” you softly declared, not wanting to disrupt or annoy any of the other passengers.

Hoseok raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into a smile as you passed his stash over to him. “You are the best fucking person ever. Thank you.”

Shrugging, you took a sip of your water while he ripped into the food. “It’s no problem.”

“You’re still the best.”

That made you chuckle. “I just saved you some snacks, it’s not like I gave you a winning lottery ticket.”

“Anyone else would have just gotten themselves the food,” Hoseok pointed out, pausing to swallow before continuing. “And would have figured that since I was sleeping, I get to miss out. But it’s not my fault for being so tired. I blame my friends for that.”

The comment caught you off guard, making you wonder if he was going to go off on a rant. But despite not knowing the context, you were able to relate to a point. “What happened?”

He shook his head, leaning back in his seat but this time, turning so he was facing you. “One of my best friends, Yoongi, just got out of this relationship. He’s been with this guy Jungkook for years – who’s a great guy by the way, I mean it - but they broke up. I still don’t know why, but Yoongi called me drunk off his ass, and so I had to go find him and bring him back to another friends’ house where we tried to calm him down and get to sleep.”

You winced at the mention of a break up. Break ups were never any fun, and to have to help out a friend with one the night before a flight to another country, it was a miracle that Hoseok hadn’t slept longer than he had.

“I’m sorry,” you apologized.

Hoseok shrugged, focusing on the remaining M&Ms he dumped into his palm. “I’m just hoping they work it out.”

“How long were they together?”

“Four years.” Holding out his hand with the candy, he nodded for you to take some. Not wanting to be rude, you took the red ones as he continued.

“They’ve both had it rough but together, it’s like they were able to overcome their problems. They brought out the best in each other. Which is why we’re hoping that they get back together.”

Despite not knowing the troubled couple, you found yourself nodding in agreement. What you knew about love, was that it wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows like it was made out to be. The honeymoon stage wasn’t a permanent residence, but a minor travel spot on the way to the main destination.

“Enough about my friends,” Hoseok suddenly spoke, looking up at you. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

A smile grew on his face. “What got you buying a plane ticket to South Korea – and I’m assuming here – all by yourself? Didn’t want to share the adventure with anyone?”

This time, you were the one shrugging as you looked down, pushing the last two pieces of candy around in your palm. “It’s kinda dumb,” you warned, glancing at Hoseok.

He frowned, head tilting in interest. “Nothing’s dumb if it means something to you.”

His remark had you pausing. All your life you had been told to chase after your dreams, but to also be smart going about them. Sometimes it was better to simply walk than to run. So growing up, you always did what was expected and played things safely, that way one day, you would be able to go running like you wanted.

“When I was younger, I always wanted to go backpacking through Asia,” you explained, feeling the weight of his eyes as he focused on you. You couldn’t remember the last time someone gave you their attention like this.

“Back then though, I never realized how much time and money it would take to do that, so I always thought it would never happen. But then I realized, just because I couldn’t visit every single country in Asia at once, didn’t mean that I couldn’t visit a country or two once in a while.”

Again, you shrugged, sheepishly smiling when you noticed that Hoseok hadn’t looked away. When he didn’t say anything right away, you began to wonder if maybe you had said too much. Maybe you should have said that it was just a spur of the moment trip, anything to have kept it short and simple.

“See,” Hoseok gently spoke. “That’s not dumb. In fact, it’s pretty smart and admirable that you’re doing something you’ve always dreamed about. Not a lot of people follow their dreams anymore.”

Raising an eyebrow, you leaned back against your seat. “No offense, but that sounds like a line from Tangled.”

His lips curled into the sweetest smile then as he laughed, your own giggles joining in as the two of you ignored the pointed looks coming from the air hostess as she passed by.

“Hey, I could make a great Eugene Fitzherbert you know.”

“I don’t doubt that.”

Giggling again, you ran a hand through your hair, glancing at your phone that was in the other. With a quick tap it revealed the time, although that didn’t really matter because the flight itself still had over ten hours left. Before you were even able to stop and cover your mouth, a yawn suddenly escaped.

“Why don’t you take a nap?” Hoseok suggested. “We’re gonna be flying for a while, might as well catch all the sleep you can get.”

You hummed in agreement, already thinking it’d help to pass the time too. Hoseok chuckled, watching as you shifted in your seat to find a moderately comfortable position – although he knew that was absolutely impossible to do on an airplane.

It only took a matter of minutes. The combination of lack of sleep and nerves on flying solo to a foreign country where you knew no one, had eased while talking with Hoseok, allowing you to slip into an easy and more than welcomed nap, with dreams that involved your seatmate in ways that would have had you blushing had you been awake.

Blinking your eyes open, you squinted in the somewhat dark airplane. The lights above each seat where turned off with the exception of a few passengers up front, otherwise enveloping the rest of the plane in darkness.

A groan slipped through your lips as you sat up, back cracking from the awkward position you had shifted to while in dreamland. Pressing a hand against a specific sore spot, you glanced over at Hoseok, remembering your unusually vivid dreams.

His lips had been murmuring filth in your ear from behind, long fingers trailing down your stomach until they reached down to your core as his hips snapped at a merciless pace. You wondered if he groaned the same way as he did in your dreams, breathlessly but rough as he took you the way he wanted.

You wet your lips, shakily inhaling as you settled back against your seat, this time uncomfortable for a whole other reason. This was the last thing you need. Hell, you shouldn’t even be thinking about it in the first place. He was practically a stranger; someone you’ve only known for a handful of hours and the only reason for that was by sheer luck. If had decided to cancel your flight, you were certain that you wouldn’t have ever met him.

But the more you thought about it, the harder it was to not imagine it. Crossing your legs, you mentally cursed upon feeling the familiar wetness. Now you really were uncomfortable and aching for some relief.

Locating your phone, you chewed your bottom lip while opening up your blog feed, scrolling through it in an attempt to find something to hold you over. If not until you were able to check in to your hotel room, then to at least the end of the flight.

You mindlessly scrolled, passing pictures of nature and the occasional text post, stopping to read one that captured your attention for more than a few seconds. Nothing however, seemed to distract you from replaying your dreams, even finding yourself zoning out occasionally.

Since you weren’t paying attention, your thumb was still scrolling for you, and when you finally refocused on the screen, you sat up with a sudden jolt. Your eyes widened in shock as you stared at the image. The blog name was a familiar one, jogging enough recognition from your memory that you knew it wasn’t SFW at all, and the black and white gif that was being used at the top of the post only emphasized that.

A quick glance at Hoseok confirmed that he was once again sleeping, head back, eyes closed and earbuds firmly placed in his ears. You should have exited out and onto a different blog, but when you finally looked back at your phone, you automatically swallowed at the sight of a cock ramming into some woman.

It had been a while since you last had sex – only having yourself and a trusty vibrator to take care of the job – and after that dream, it didn’t take much to get you horny. Taking once last look at Hoseok to make sure he was still asleep; you dimmed the brightness to zero and began to read the erotica.

His fat cock slammed into her, sending her gasping as she gripped the blankets underneath her. He had slid in with ease, their previous playing had left her plenty wet enough. As he thrust, her clit rubbed against the blankets and she was moaning, delirious as his grip tightened on her hips.

“You like that baby?” he grunted, the sound of his pelvis slapping against her ass echoing in the bedroom. “You like it when I fuck you like this?”

She moaned instead, pushing onto her elbows so she was no longer lying flat on her stomach, but he was quick to put her back into that position and tugged on her hair.

“I told you not to move unless I said to,” he spoke, slowing his thrusts in response to her disobedience.

“I’m sorry Daddy,” she groaned, hoping to please him so he’d go faster again.

He grinned though and stopped thrusting, using his other hand to slap her ass, enjoying the way her body jumped at the contact and her moan when her clit was pressed harder against the blankets. “Sorry for what?”

“Sorry for being a bad girl,” she was quick to answer. “Sorry for not doing what you told me to do.”

"That’s better.” Releasing her hair, he grabbed her hips and without warning, tugged her further off the bed so this time only the middle of her stomach and up were actually on it, and harshly thrust into her, setting the pace faster than when he stopped. “But I’m not sure if you deserve to cum.”

She whined, no longer feeling the rubbing on her clit anymore. “Please Daddy. Please let me cum.”

He grunted from above her, slamming into her slick pussy as he reached a hand up to squeeze her nipple. A ripple of pleasure jolted through her and her walls squeezed around his cock. His was the only one that filled and fit her so perfectly. They had been at it for hours now and he already made her cum more times than she could count, but her body reacted to his touch and demanded another orgasm from him.

“Do you deserve to cum?”

“Yes Daddy, please. I’ve always been such a good girl.”

She was, he knew that, and so he wrapped an arm around her hips and reached down with his other one, vigorously rubbing her clit as he went harder and faster, feeling his balls tense up in his own orgasm.

“That’s some shitty porn,” a hushed voice whispered in your ear.

You jumped in your seat, fumbling to turn off the phone as you clutched your pounding chest, suddenly looking up.

Hoseok had raised an eyebrow, chuckling at your reaction. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to read over your shoulder, but I caught one line and couldn’t stop reading.”

You were still shocked. You had gotten caught by your hot seat mate while reading porn. But instead of that making you feel uncomfortable, it turned you on even more.

“It’s…it’s fine,” you murmured, wetting your lips as you forced yourself to look away from him.

He softly hummed in amusement, watching as you shifted in your seat. While you had been engrossed in your reading, he had taken the moment to look around. Everyone around them was sleeping, and the flight attendants were at the front of the plane.

Leaning forward, he brushed his lips against the outer curve of your ear, making sure they touched with every word. “You don’t seem to mind being horny on a plane.” He murmured. “In fact, you seem to be…unsatisfied.”

Any memory of how to breathe seemed to escape you then, leaving you like stone at the feel of his soft lips. He was right though. If anything, you wanted to sneak off to the bathroom and finish the job, but the gears in your mind shifted.

Finally taking a shaky breath, you softly smiled as you carefully placed your palm on the inside of his thigh. “Are you suggesting that you finger me?” You murmured back, feeling your heart race when his hand slowly crept up your own bare thigh, fingers teasing the skin when he reached the edge of your shorts.

“Actually, I was suggesting we fuck,” he answered back. Tilting his head, he kissed the back of your neck, fingers roaming over near the place you wanted them. “But like I said, that porn you were reading was shitty, and I’m betting that I can make you wetter than some half ass erotica.”

His tongue wet the skin he kissed and it took everything in you to not lean back in pleasure. If you did, he wouldn’t be able to kiss you. “How about both?” You breathed out.

Feeling his lips curl against your neck, his hand cupped your covered core. “Sounds like you’re my kind of woman.” He lifted his head to double check that no one was looking as you fixed the blanket to cover both your bodies.

The thought of what you were doing sent a thrill through you, and while Hoseok was shifting in his seat to get closer, you slipped a hand underneath the blanket and undid your shorts, tugging them down just enough to give him the room he needed.

When Hoseok slipped his hand back underneath the blanket, he was surprised to feel the soft lace of your underwear instead of the rough denim. He darkly chuckled as he circled your clit with his index finger, leaning his head against yours once again.

“Eager, are we?”

“Please,” you whispered, shifting your hips against his touch.

He kissed your temple. “Stay quiet baby, or else we’ll get caught.”

When you nodded, he rubbed his fingers over your covered center, teasing and working you up. His touch was like being electrocuted, pleasure coursing through your body and this was only a tasting. What you wanted was him inside you.

Sliding his fingers under the fabric, he nearly groaned upon feeling how wet you already were. “Scoot forward a little,” he murmured, all while rubbing your clit.

You pressed your lips together to keep quiet, but as you shifted like he asked, it took everything and then some to hold back the moan when he slid his middle finger inside. His soft groan echoed in your ear and for a moment you thought someone heard, but when you saw no one looking back at you, your body relaxed against the seat.

“Fuck, you’re so wet for me baby,” he murmured, pulling his fingers out only to push them back in. As much as he wanted to say fuck it and go to town on you, he had to be mindful that the two of you didn’t make too much noise as he easily slipped a second finger in.

You shakily sighed, moving your head to lean against his shoulder instead as he slowly pumped you. When his fingers were coated, he pulled them back to circle your clit, resulting in you gasping as you clutched his thigh.

Hoseok gasped himself, grounding his teeth so not to groan, because what you had grabbed, was not his thigh.

It took a second, but as you felt what you held, you realized that instead of going for his thigh, you had grabbed his crotch. Specifically, his dick.

The blanket covered Hoseok as well, so you slipped your own hand under his shorts and underwear, wrapping your fingers around his cock. He was hard and without the blanket, there was probably a noticeable tent.

“Oh shit,” he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut as his fingers briefly stilled. He hadn’t expected you to go ahead and do that, but he found himself lifting his hips every time your hand went down.

He was fairly thick, but what your mouth watering up was his length. You wouldn’t be surprised that if he was fully erect in these shorts and went without the underwear, he’d have a peeping tom. Testing the limits, you ran your thumb against his head – feeling a bead a pre-cum already coming out – and spread it across him.

His hips jerked, but he didn’t forget about you. Your legs were already shaking and he could hear you trying to catch your breath, so he figured it must have been a while since you’ve been with another person. The thought that you were letting him do this – on an airplane nonetheless – made him grin as he focused solely on making you cum.

“Oh god,” you whispered, feeling your insides twist in anticipation. “Fuck, Hoseok…” Knowing that you risked getting caught, you didn’t think twice about burying your face in his shoulder, biting down on his jacket while squeezing your eyes shut as your orgasm washed over you.

Even then he didn’t stop. Not when you bit him or as he felt your hips jerk as he pushed you past the breaking point. All it did was turn him on even more.

“See,” he murmured, slowly removing his hand from underneath the blanket without touching it. A quick glance around the room reassured that the two of you were still on the safe side. “I can make you wetter than damn erotica.”

You nodded in agreement, lifting your head off his shoulder just in time to watch him stick his fingers in his mouth – the very ones that had you seeing stars. He kept his eyes locked on yours as he sucked them clean, his dark eyes overfilling with lust until he popped them out.

Never in your entire life had you done something as risky as this. You weren’t one who didn’t know how to keep their hands off of their boyfriend while in public. But Hoseok wasn’t your boyfriend, and maybe that was why you found yourself leaning forward and kissing him, endorphins running wild as he reciprocated and shoved his tongue in to mingle with yours.

It was wet, messy, and everything you wanted.

“Gotta let go of my cock baby girl,” he murmured, breaking the kiss. “Or else I’m not gonna be able to fuck you senseless.”

He was breathing heavily but was still smiling, especially when your eyes widened in shock and you released him. How you managed to forget that went beyond you, but it wasn’t surprising when Hoseok started to speak again.

“Everyone’s still asleep, and those flight attendants are still up-front talking shit.” Looking over his shoulder, you followed his line of sight to see that the bathroom had the green sign on it. “You go in first and I’ll be there in a few. I’ll knock twice so you know it’s me. That is, if you still want me to fuck you right now.”

If you were still thinking with the rational side of your brain, you should have realized that this wasn’t the smartest thing to do. Hell, it wasn’t even the most sanitary place to have sex. But rationality had been thrown out the window the second you kept reading that blog. And if you were being honest, after feeling Hoseok’s dick in your own hand, you’d be a liar to say you didn’t want him to fuck you senseless. He had the jewels to do so.

“Don’t make me wait long.” Pulling your shorts back on, you ran a hand through your hair and took a deep breath. Like he had said, everyone else was still sleeping like rocks, and as you closed the door to the bathroom behind you, the area was empty.

When the door closed, you leaned your back against the wall, trying to figure out how it was going to work. The space was small and cramped, with just barely enough room for one person. The toilet had a lid covering it, so maybe he’d be able to sit…your thoughts were interrupted with a gentle knock at the door, and then a second one.

You quickly opened the door and Hoseok didn’t waste time to get in, closing and locking it behind him. Without the blanket covering him now, his erection was obvious in the shorts he wore.

Once he was in, all thinking went out the window as he hungrily kissed you, hands slipping your shirt and feeling your body up as you tangled your fingers in his hair. Now that the two of you weren’t out in the open, Hoseok softly moaned against your lips.

As abruptly as the kiss started, he pulled back while simultaneously undoing your shorts. “Even though I would love to fuck you like you deserve, we don’t have enough time.”

“How are we even…?” Your voice faded out as Hoseok chuckled.

He abandoned your shorts and gently taking you by the hips, turned so you were facing the wall, placing your hands up in front of you. “Oh. This makes sense.”

“Got any better ideas baby?” Hoseok asked, taking it upon himself to push your shorts down for you.

You bit your bottom lip as you looked over your shoulder, smiling at him when he met your gaze. He was dropping his own shorts, his dick fully erected as it slapped against his lower torso. In seconds he was going to be inside you. That thought alone not only had your arousal dripping down your thigh, but your mouth watering.

“I’m on the pill,” you said instead, propping your arms against the wall while pushing your lower half backwards for him.

For a second, Hoseok frowned in confusion, but the clarity of what you said appeared in his eyes with a low groan. Knowing that he was short on time, he pressed against you and pushed your panties to the side, sliding a finger through your lips and into you with ease. “You are dripping baby,” he murmured in your ear, lining up with your entrance. “By the time I’m done, this pussy is going to be a fucking mess.”

With that being said, he pushed into your entrance.

Gasping, you pressed your lips together and leaned your forehead against the wall, spreading your legs a little further apart for him. He didn’t hesitate to thrust his entire length inside you, making you feel fuller than you’ve been before when having sex. He leaned his head against yours, his heavy breathing loud in your ear.

“Fuck,” you whispered, wiggling your hips against him. “Fuck me Hoseok, we don’t have time.”

“A woman after my own heart,” he teased, but listened to you. His hands tightened on your hips and pulled out until only his head was still buried inside before thrusting back in, setting a harsh pace with short thrusts due to the lack of space.

A soft moan tried to escape your lips but you shifted your arm further up on the wall, allowing you to bite the skin. The movement not only muffled your sounds, but had made you bend forward a little bit more, allowing Hoseok to hit deeper.

“You like this?” He darkly murmured in your ear. “You like me fucking you on an airplane? Or are you just so cock hungry you’d let anyone finger and fuck you?”

Not wanting to speak, you shook your head in response and luckily, Hoseok was lenient considering the circumstance.

“Just me then? Well I’ll make sure that everyone knows whose pussy this belongs to. They’ll be able to smell the sex coming off of you.”

Closing your eyes, your legs began to tremble from the awkward position. His words were absolute filth, and it turned you on even more. You wanted him to do everything he said to you and more.

“Too bad we’re short on time,” he spoke. His cock was already tensing up and his thrusts were coming harder and faster, but he wanted you to cum once more. Releasing a hip, he slipped his hand back down the front of your panties and gathering some of your slick, he vigorously rubbed at your clit. “I’m gonna pump you full of my cum, and you’re going to keep it in for me baby girl.”

You jerked in his grip, chest heaving and tears leaking out of the corner of your eyes as he drew another orgasm from you. Unconsciously, your walls gripped around his cock and with the feeling of you cumming on him, Hoseok thrusted harshly once more and pressed his chest firmly against your back, releasing inside you.

The small room felt like a hundred degrees and as Hoseok held himself still inside you so not a single drop spilled out, it felt like you were coming down from a high. Knowing that this was the only chance you could do this with Hoseok, you wanted another hit despite that little fact.

Taking a deep breath, Hoseok pressed his forehead against the side of your head, gently kissing your cheek, a surprising action considering how he had been a few seconds ago. It didn’t go unnoticed that he was also rubbing your hips, like he was trying to make up for something.

“You okay?” He softly asked, lips brushing against yours in a faint kiss when you turned to look at him.

You nodded. In fact, you felt more than okay. You felt fucking fantastic.

The corner of your lips curved upwards as you closed the short distance between your mouths, kissing him again. This time slowly, savoring the way his lips moved with yours.

“We can kiss all you want out there,” he joked, pecking your lips once more. “But we need to get out of here undetected first.”

For the first time your mind wasn’t hazy with lust and desire. Now that the two of you were sexually satisfied – somewhat - it was easy to find humor in the situation. As you pushed off the wall, Hoseok carefully pulled out of you, sliding your underwear back in place.

“Not a single drop spilled,” he cooed, kissing your shoulder before tugging your shorts back up. When you were dressed, he maneuvered you so you were closer to the door. “You go first. I’ll be out in a few minutes baby.”

Waiting for him to turn back around, you unlocked the door and slid it shut once you were out. The short walk to your seat had you rolling your eyes in disbelief. It wasn’t all that surprising people were still asleep, but the flight attendants were still at the front of the plane, unaware that two of their passengers had just fucked in the bathroom.

However, you were smiling as you sat down, tapping the screen of your phone for the time. It was early in the morning, but there were still several hours until the plane landed. Pulling the blanket back over your body, you had just gotten comfortable when the seat next to you was no longer empty.

Turning to look at Hoseok, you were confused to see that his tank top was balled up in his hand and only wearing his jacket with two buttons fastened to keep it closed.

“What happened?”

His nose scrunched up as he took his plastic drink cup, pouring some of the contents on it. “While I was cleaning up,” he whispered, glancing up the aisle. “Some of it had gotten on my shirt. Are they still up there?”

“Yeah.”

Hoseok rolled his eyes. “God, you’d think they were the ones having sex.”

You jokingly jabbed him in the sides, making him laugh as he cupped your cheek to kiss you.

“I’ll be right back; I need to throw this shirt out.” He tilted it to admire the wine stains, smiling like a Cheshire cat. “It’s got soda stains on it.”

Without another word, he got up and made his way to the front, his face contorting into an embarrassed frown as he awkwardly waved his hand to get their attention. From the back of the plane, you were able to watch as the flight attendant who didn’t know how to smile took the shirt from Hoseok, pointing to something that you couldn’t exactly see. Most likely a small bin for trash, but it had him smiling. Even from this far back, you could hear his grateful thank you.

His lips were pressed together, eyes meeting yours for a brief moment only to look away when his shoulders jerked in an attempt to hold in his laughter. It wasn’t until you held the blanket up for him and the two of you got as close as possible that you erupted into quiet giggles.

“I’ve never enjoyed a flight more than this one,” Hoseok suddenly said, stretching an arm around you, allowing you to rest your head on his chest.

You hummed in agreement, softly smiling when his lips kissed your forehead. This was not at all how you thought the flight was going to go, but you were not complaining in the slightest. Especially when Hoseok’s cum was still stuffed inside you, a reminder that what happened was not a wet dream.

“So, what are your plans after we land?” He asked.

Confused, you tilted your head back to look up at him. The plans you had in mind had long since disappeared from your mind. It was like recalling smoke. “Um…honestly, I think I was just going to check in to my hotel,” you answered, slightly frowning in concentration. “Yeah, I don’t think I had anything planned for right after we landed. I have some ideas written down, but nothing solid yet. Why? What were you planning?”

He shrugged, taking a deep breath as he leaned his head back against the seat. “Same thing, find my hotel, find somewhere to eat dinner tonight.” He drummed his fingers against your side, chewing on the side of his cheek while lost in thought. Then he turned to look back down at you, a soft smile appearing on his face the longer he stared. “What if…we stayed together? In the same hotel, and room. I hear exploring a foreign country is a lot more fun with another person.”

The smooth repetition of his fingers against your skin relaxed you, a comfort you found yourself relishing in as you sighed. The thought had crossed your mind when you were first planning on this vacation, but you had dismissed it when the few friends you knew would have joined you said they couldn’t, and with no one else to ask, settled for traveling by yourself.

Now the idea seemed lonely and unappealing, especially with this wonderful man who held you in his arms.

Sweetly smiling, you stretched up and kissed him again, taking all the time you wanted. You felt his hands wrap around the small of your back as if to cradle you, a tilt of his head allowing the kiss to become something more, but not as intense as before. Lust and desire had been replaced with adoration and a tenderness that made you want to cry. The passion was still there, and you knew that if you said no, you’d be saying no to so much more than a vacation with Hoseok.

Life didn’t casually hand out men like Hoseok every day.

You squinted at the loud noise that filled the room, confused because you couldn’t remember falling asleep again. There was a chuckling coming from above you and as you slowly sat up and looked around, you noticed that Hoseok was gone.

“Right here baby.”

Turning in the direction of the voice, you smiled when you finally saw him. He was standing in the aisle, your duffle bag in the seat where he had been sitting. “The plane landed so I got your bag for you and threw out our trash.”

“Thank you,” you said, folding the blanket as you sat there. Your seats were at the very back of the plane so it would be awhile before you could leave. “Were you able to call the hotel?” Before falling asleep, you had given Hoseok the number and address for the hotel you were staying at so that he could call and inform the staff that there would be two people staying in the room now.

“Yup,” he cheerfully answered, taking the blanket you handed him and putting it in your duffle bag for you. “And I cancelled my stay at the hotel I was going to use. They weren’t exactly, pleased with my last-minute call.”

Chuckling, you stood and looked around one last time, double checking that you had everything, before going to Hoseok and wrapping your arms around his neck. “What did they want you to say?” You teased, gently kissing him as his hands found their home on your hips. “That you met someone on the plane and decided to follow her every move?”

He laughed as his fingers drew deep circles in your sides, kissing you once before leaning back to gaze at you, his eyes shining with happiness. “More like my seat mate turned out to be this beautiful woman who I ended up fucking on the plane, only to discover that leaving her after the flight sounded worse than death.”

He had lowered his voice and gave a knowing grin as he pressed his forehead against yours. “I mean it though. Leaving you after what we did, it felt so wrong. Plus, I want to spend as much time with you as I can.”

“Why’s that?” You softly asked, not knowing how a simple flight managed to turn into all this.

Hoseok’s eyes seemed to radiate sunshine as he gently kissed the tip of your nose. “Because I am guaranteed two weeks, in a foreign country, with someone who I believe is going to change my entire life.”

The fact that he felt the same way, had you wondering if maybe fate had played a hand in this meeting. Noticing that the plane was starting to thin out, you knew that the adventure was only going to start once the two of you left.

“If I’m going to change your entire life,” you whispered back, “then that means you’re going to be in it for a lot longer than two weeks.”

His lips curled up in amusement, determination flashing in his gaze as he handed you your bag. “I guess we’ll find out at the end of these two weeks then.”

[notyetneedcoffee]

Birthday Treat Part 3

Pairing: Stucky x Reader

Warning: NSFW, 18+, threesome smut

Bright sun pulled you from a deep slumber. You buried your face in the pillow, turning away from the rays. A wide expanse of flesh welcomed you as you finished the roll. Steve’s strong jaw, sporting two days of stubble nuzzled into your temple. His voice was thick with sleep. “Hey, Beautiful.”

“Hey.” Your arms snaked around him and you realize the two of you were alone. “Where did Bucky go?”

“You’ll see.” The smile was evident in his voice. “He’ll be back in a while.”

“Okay,” You stretched. Feeling a delightful soreness, and a pleasant relaxation, you smiled to yourself. Waking up with nothing to do and in the arms of one of your favorite people, made for a great birthday gift. “Thank you for this.”

His lips pressed to your forehead, feeling relax and lazy. Something not commonly achieved in his life, even briefly. “Buck is right. We’re the ones who should be thanking you.” He curled into you just a little bit more. “I really have been a selfish shit. I’m sorry.”

“What are you talking about?” Cuddling with Steve always felt so good. He just fit.  

“It’s always been about what I need, or what didn’t think I could give, or when it’s convenient for me. Looking back, I’ve been pretty awful.” Steve sighed. “I see how Bucky does things, just little things, throughout the day and I can tell how it makes you feel. When he gets you coffee, or double checks your gear, or just goes to you first to make sure you’re okay.”

“First off,” You found his hand, entwining your fingers with his. “All the time we’ve spent together has not just been about what you need. You’ve helped me through my fair share of crap too. And I’ve always accepted that you didn’t want to make our relationship known. I get that you have obligations. I understand that being the team leader makes it even more complicated. I knew what I was getting into.”

You sighed. “As for the stuff Bucky does, yes, the little things do make me feel better. I get to do those things for him too. I don’t have to keep things bottled up until no one is looking. It’s nice.” You bit your lip, unsure about admitting the rest. “It makes it hard to have to hold back with you. I want you to be able to have those little moments, too.”

“I know.” Steve sighed. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot. We’ll figure something out.”

Your stomach rumbled, making you giggle.

“Hungry?” Steve laughed.  

“Well, you guys helped me burn through a few calories.”  

“Stay here.” Steve got up and padded from the room, not bothering to cover himself.  

You happily watched that perfect ass walk across the cabin, leaning over the edge of the bed to keep him in your sight as long as possible. Once he was out of sight, you got up for a second. Fluffing up the pillows and straightened out the tangle of sheets and blankets, you finally crawled back on the bed.

Steve came back in with a tray and a smile. “This should hold us over until Buck gets back.”

Fruit, little scones, and ramekins of different jams and whipped cream. You snagged a strawberry and popped it in your mouth. He set the tray down on the bed, crawling up beside you. He watched you devour a couple of the scones and a piece of pineapple.  

You licked the juice off your fingers, “You’re not eating. Aren’t you hungry?”

The corner of Steve’s mouth tipped up. He dipped his finger in the raspberry jam and delicately spread it across your nipple. His eyes remained locked on yours as he leaned forward and licked your flesh clean. He smiled, licking his lips. “That’s good.”

Dipping his finger in the strawberry jam, he spread it across the other nipple. This time, you caught his hand. Bring it to your mouth, you sucked his finger clean. A satisfied rumble came from deep in his chest. He knelt above you and sucked at your breast, cleaned away all stickiness and bringing your nipple to a near painful peak.  

“Mmm,” He kissed your lips. “That was good too. I might have to sample those again.”

He nipped his way down your neck, and you ran you fingers down his chest and over his stomach. Steve sat back on his heels. Biting a strawberry in half, he slowly chewed while he dipped it in the whipped cream and used the fruit to paint the peaks of your breasts. He almost ate the rest of strawberry, pausing at his lips, he instead held it out for you to take.

You pulled it into your mouth, chewing and swallowing down the juicy sweet fruit. Steve watched your mouth, licking his own lips. He lowered his head, licking, sucking and nibbling your flesh. Your fingers combed through his hair and he worked his way lower.  

He spread your legs, mouth nibbling at the sensitive skin at the junction of your hip, fingers slipping through your wetness. He spread your lips, lapping at your opening. Your back arched. Steve sucked on your clit, rolling his tongue around the sensitive nub, pulling at it with tight lips. Sucking and humming, he buried his face between your legs with enthusiasm.

“Oh fuck, Steve.” You panted. The pleasant tension coiling in your core began to spread heat throughout your body. He slipped his fingers into your cunt, curling against the spot he knew so well. “Holy shit!”

Steve’s head came up, smiling at you, hand not stopping. His head cocked to one side for a moment, but before you could ask he sucked hard on your clit again. Your back arched, eyes locking shut. “Fuck!”

“You got started without me.” Bucky’s easy drawl made your eyes open. He walked over to the side of the bed, just out of your reach. He just stood there, smiling. “Make her come, Stevie. I want to watch.”

You actually felt Steve chuckle against your clit. It sent vibrations through your whole body. Your eyes locked with Bucky’s as Steve stole your breath away. You were so close. Wanting more, your pulled at your nipples, massaged your tits.  

Bucky’s eyes raked over you, from the fever in your eyes to where your toes curled over Steve’s back. He released himself from his jeans, stroking his heavy cock. Steve’s fingers took on a new pace and your orgasm hit your hard, without warning.

A strangled cry tore from your throat and flooded across Steve’s face and hand. He nipped his way up your body, plunging his cock deep inside you as his mouth claimed yours in a fevered kissed. Steve pumped into you hard and fast, bringing on a second orgasm almost immediately.

“Ah fuck!” Steve pulled away from you before he came. He sat up on the edge of the bed, pulling you with him. You straddled his lap. He rocked his hips, sliding his cock along your entrance. Bucky’s mouth rained hot wet kisses over your shoulder. One of your hands came up to tangle in his hair, the other held onto the back of Steve’s neck.  

“What do you want, Sweetheart?” Steve kissed your jaw.  

“Where do you want us, Doll?” Bucky’s voice dripped sinful promise.  

“I want you both.” You purred. Kissing Steve, all teeth and tongues, you breathed into his mouth. ��I want you in my cunt.” Turning your head, Bucky’s mouth crashed onto yours, demanding, almost violent. He bit your lower lip and you groaned. “Fuck my ass.”

Bucky dropped to his knees, pulling your hips further out onto Steve’s knees and spreading you wide. He buried his face in your cunt, lapping and sucking, making you shake. Steve’s fingers pulled at nipples as his teeth worked at your throat.  

As Bucky got up, Steve pulled you forward, impaling you on his cock. He laid back and thrust up into you. You ran your tongue over his chest. His fingers knotted in your hair. Bucky’s lubed fingers slid over your ass. Oh fuck. He was using his left hand. The metal of fingers, slicked with the lube felt even cooler than usual.  

He slipped his fingers inside you, preparing you. A hard smack came down over your ass, just before his cock pressed into your ass. You gasped, but he put his left hand around your throat.

“Fuck, yes.”

“Oh shit,” Bucky growled. “So fucking tight.”  

“Move, dammit.” Your fingers dug into Steve’s chest. “Fuck me.”

Steve’s hand on your hip tightened. He pounded into you deep. “You want this pretty little cunt fucked?”

“Yes!”

“And this gorgeous tight ass,” Bucky’s thrust in time with Steve. “You want it fucked?”

“Yes!”

It was overwhelming. So full. So much sensation. The heat. The smell of sex and Steve and Bucky. Every nerve felt on fire.  

“And what about this?” Bucky squeezed your throat a bit tighter, twisting your head back. You cunt clenched. Steve pinched you nipple hard. You began to shake.

“Oh, fuck!” Your voice was raw, deep. You knew what you wanted. “Give it, oh shit, to me. Ah, fuck, now! Fill me up!”

All your sense fried. So deep. So tight. Skin slapped on skin. Moans filled your ears. All the coiled tension snapped. You cried out. Pounding hard, until everyone collapsed. No one sure who came first.  

You breath still came in little pants, but Steve was laughing beneath you. Bucky lay face down on the bed beside you. Steve reached over and picked up a piece of pineapple. “Your hair is in the food.”

“Ah,” Bucky slowly stood up. “It’s okay. I need another shower anyway.” He lift you off of Steve and swept you up in his arms. “Come on, Doll. We’ll shower while Stevie cleans up his breakfast mess.”

“Hey!” Steve called out, but he didn’t move either. It was okay. He would clean up. He closed his eyes, after a short nap.  

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[cbyauthor]

Ch 6: At Your Side Clear Space For Me

Read Here on AO3!

The dirt from the pavilion stones had worked its way under Wei Wuxian's fingers. There wasn't much he could do about it, since he'd already clipped his nails so short the pink of his skin felt raw, and there was only so much scrubbing he could handle without his already chafed and blistered skin fell off.

That was just his lot in life for now, he supposed. Nothing wrong with being a labourer, but like any job, it carried a price.

That didn't make him any less conscious of the state of his hands as he knocked on Lan Zhan's door.

It was stupid. He'd done this every day for the past three days, and a few times before that, but this felt different, because before, he'd been working. Now, he had no reason to be here with his dirty hands, other than the fact that he wanted to see Lan Zhan.

And he didn't think he was imagining that Lan Zhan wanted him, too.

So when no one answered, he tried not to be disappointed. He just knocked again. And called out, just in case Lan Zhan's sensitive ears somehow hadn't heard.

I should go, he thought after knocking for a third time. There was no point in staying if Lan Zhan either wasn't home or wasn't answering.

But intuition was a powerful thing.

And it kept him standing outside Lan Zhan's door, the hair on the back of his neck standing up with the need to see and hear him, to know that he was alright.

"Wei Wuxian."

This time, Lan Xichen didn't make him jump, but he'd been just as silent as before.

"Hi."

"Are you delivering something?"

Wei Wuxian clasped his hands behind his back. "No. I just...No, I'm not."

"I see." Lan Xichen smiled as if he actually did. "The door is unlocked."

"Huh?" He looked to the lock, as if he could see the disengaged tumblers.

"You should go in. Today was...difficult. He needs someone, and I'm not always able to be that person."

Today? What happened today? An anniversary or something?

Maybe. Or maybe not. Grief was tricky, Wei Wuxian knew by experience. Sometimes there wasn't any one thing that pulled people back into the pit of despair. Just life, and living it while part of you was missing. It could have been anything from memories of Lan Zhan's mother, to running out of coffee.

"But I'm not…"  

Lan Xichen silenced him with a look. Not a cruel one, or quelling. Just penetrating , and he really couldn't think of a better word to use. Lan Xichen saw right through him, to the innermost parts of him, where Lan Zhan had worked his way in.

"You are," he said, tilting his head in the first catlike gesture Wei Wuxian had seen. "And I think you should go in."

Who was he to refuse, when that was what he desperately wanted to do anyway?

He gave Lan Xichen a nod and opened the door.

The apartment was different when the sun was setting outside. The cool blues, greys and whites were warmer, splashed with orange. The immaculate living room was suddenly alive with dust.

Wei Wuxian went right past it all to Lan Zhan's bedroom, where he'd never been.

The door wasn't quite closed, but neither was it open.

He knocked with the outer edge of his knuckle.

"Lan Zhan," he whispered. "Your brother sent me—oh. Oh, pet. What's the matter, hmm?"

Wei Wuxian had seen real cats before, even if he'd never owned one, and he knew what a cozy and comfortable nap looked like.

This was not that.

Lan Zhan was curled in a ball of white and grey in the centre of the tightly made bed, facing away from the door. His cat form wasn't plush or covered in fur to sink fingers deep into. Even with his limbs pulled in, it was obvious that he was sleek and long, just like how he was as a human. It was also obvious that every one of his bones was dragged down and wasted by misery.

Without thinking too much about it, Wei Wuxian toed off his shoes and climbed onto the wide bed. Lying on his side, he curled around the little puddle Lan Zhan made, leaving a few inches of space all around Lan Zhan's curved back.

At first, he didn't do anything, letting Lan Zhan get used to his presence, and hopefully breathe in a familiar smell that would settle him instead of making him feel like an intruder was soiling his space.

Then, when he spotted a single twitch of Lan Zhan's ear, he floated a hand over Lan Zhan's back and laid one long, broad stroke down the whole length. Under his palm, Lan Zhan's muscles convulsed in turn, but he didn't lift his head, so Wei Wuxian just kept doing it.

It was different from the tail petting of yesterday. That was companionship. This was comfort. So where that ended with the movie, and Wei Wuxian leaving, without escalating at all, this didn't.

It started with Lan Zhan moving his head. Suddenly, his long, pointed face was closer to Wei Wuxian's, slitted eyes still closed but somehow begging. Wei Wuxian's hand switched trajectories so he could gently scratch the silky soft fur between Lan Zhan's tall ears.

"You're okay," he murmured. "Everything will be okay, you'll see."

If he'd ever thought Lan Zhan was emotionless—he hadn't—Lan Zhan in cat form would have proved him wrong.

After a couple minutes of head-scratching, Lan Zhan started to bump his head up into Wei Wuxian's hand, demanding more. Wei Wuxian obliged as long as he could, but pretty soon after that Lan Zhan stood up and moved, uncurling enough that he could wipe the smooth side of his face against Wei Wuxian's jaw.

He purred. A deep rumble that jerked and jarred in waves, like he was unused to it.

Lan Zhan ended up curled right into Wei Wuxian's chest, chin propped on his arm as they cuddled. That same arm went a little numb from leaning on it, but the sound of that purr was worth it, and so was the gradual loosening of Lan Zhan's little body, until it was almost like he was sleeping, even though his eyes blinked slow and even.

It couldn't last, but it felt as if they'd made it last for as long as they both needed it.

(And Wei Wuxian would be the last to admit that he'd needed it, too, at least outside of his head.)

Lan Zhan's short fur still managed to be wrinkled as he stood up and hopped gracefully to the floor. Wei Wuxian watched him pad silently out of the room, then sat up, leaning his back against the headboard.

With someone else, he might have started wondering if he should leave, but not Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan would tell him if he needed to be alone, or Wei Wuxian would just know .

Instead, when Lan Zhan came back—dressed in soft pastel blue cotton pants and a loose white shirt, with his hair a little mussed, and not pulled up and away from his face like normal—he climbed up on the bed next to Wei Wuxian and radiated an energy that asked him to stay.

I will , he tried to say back, silently. As long as you want me to.

"Feeling better?" Wei Wuxian asked.

"I thought I was." Lan Zhan's Adam's apple bobbed roughly. "I thought—"

That he didn't need to run away anymore? That he wouldn't require comfort that he couldn't ask for as a human? Clearly not.

"It'll be okay," he said. "You've already come so far."

"I haven't. I still need it."

"Who cares?"

Lan Zhan's hands, laid flat on his thighs, tightened, dimpling the soft material of his pants. "I do. I've tried very hard, but I still feel so far from human sometimes."

"Of course you do. It was three years, you can't just shake it off like a bad dream. You're doing great, Lan Zhan, even if you took a step back. Give yourself a break."

There wasn't as much tension in Lan Zhan's body as there had been before, but he obviously wasn't in the state of mind to fully accept what Wei Wuxian was saying. He could relate. Wen Qing had been telling him he didn't owe the Jiangs anything since they were in high school, and he had yet to really get it.

So, if Lan Zhan couldn't internalize advice, then at least he could be soothed by something else.

Lan Zhan's hand left his leg and clawed into the hair next to his face, getting stuck in a tangle. Frustration bled into the muscles of his face even as he tried to yank his hand away, probably ashamed that even after acknowledging that he wasn't as far along into his full-time human journey, he still had the instinct to self-groom.

"Do you have a brush?" Wei Wuxian asked.

Lan Zhan nodded and pointed to the bedside drawer on Wei Wuxian's side with a hand that was still tense from keeping it away from his face and hair.

The brush was wide and made of wooden bristles. It felt heavy and expensive in Wei Wuxian's hand, but he tried not to be tentative with it, or with the thick front piece of Lan Zhan's hair that he gathered up in his fingers.

He set the brush to the wispy tips of his hair, then stopped. "Is this okay?"

The answer came right away. "Yes."

Somehow, even though he'd had his hands all over Lan Zhan's body just a few minutes ago, it was harder to touch him like this. The places he put his hands when he started to brush the tips of his hair were objectively less intimate, but it didn't feel that way.

It helped that this wasn't just intimacy for the sake of it. Lan Zhan had a need for a repetitive motion that left him cleaner or more put together at the end, so he put some real effort into it, untangling every snag until each piece was completely smooth.

Every once in a while, he'd ask Lan Zhan for some small accommodation. Turn a bit. Put your head down. Tilt it back. Every time, Lan Zhan obeyed without question, and his shoulders became less of a taut line.

"Turn to face me."

This time was no different.

When he settled himself in front of Wei Wuxian, Lan Zhan's lips were parted, and his eyelids lowered. He blinked at half-time. He looked...sated. Post-coital, almost, except without the sex hair. That was perfect, falling away from his face in thick, shiny sheets.

It made Wei Wuxian want to undo all his work right away.

He stroked the brush through the front parts a few cursory times, but there wasn't much left to do. No more excuses to touch him, unless he wanted to actually man up and do what he'd wanted to for days.

Bad fucking timing, he scolded himself. Lan Zhan might have looked like hot sin on a cracker, but he was dealing with some shit. Not the right moment to put the moves on.

Never would probably be a better time to try it on with his boss's brother.

"You'll be okay," he said again, setting the brush on top of the bedside table.

Lan Zhan nodded, then silence descended, but it wasn't a comfortable one, not like the ones they'd enjoyed before.

Wei Wuxian started to panic a little bit, even as he knew it was dumb. What had happened? Had Wei Wuxian done something to ruin the easy companionship they'd had? Maybe Lan Zhan had figured out that he wanted more, and wasn't—

"Sh."

It wasn't a soothing noise of comfort like any of the things Wei Wuxian had said in the heat of the moment when he'd been petting Lan Zhan. This was a command, and Wei Wuxian was powerless not to obey.

The silence was back—it had never really left—but it had a lot more intent this time. Lan Zhan was looking a lot less sleepy.

"Should I go?" Wei Wuxian whispered, his hands tightening on his knees with how much he did not want to do that.

"No." Leaning forward, Lan Zhan prowled the couple inches between them and captured Wei Wuxian's lips in a clumsy kiss.

It didn't stay clumsy for long.

Like everything that was coming back to Lan Zhan after three years, he picked it up incredibly fast. Wei Wuxian led them at first, slowing it all down so he could savour it.

But Lan Zhan was back to taking over soon, pushing it in every way, until Wei Wuxian was literally almost tipping off the bed.

"Wait," he said against those satiny lips, "Let me…"

"More," Lan Zhan said.

"Yes."

Getting their clothes off was a nightmare, mostly because neither of them wanted to separate for longer than a second. At least Lan Zhan's clothes didn't have any buttons or zips. Wei Wuxian's jeans were resisting, not helped by the fact that while he was struggling, Lan Zhan had picked up Wei Wuxian's shirt.

He held it to his face, still warm from his body, his eyes closing as he inhaled noisily.

"God," Wei Wuxian said, pushing off his jeans and underwear with a speed that hurt.

When he came back, it was his turn to push, until Lan Zhan was under him, laid out on the bed, miles and miles of skin that looked golden in the light from the fading sunset and against the white of his sheets.

Wei Wuxian wanted to look forever, but he was too eager to be intoxicated by sweet fruit and conifer trees.

He buried his face in the hair he'd just spent so long taming, pulling in a deep lungful of its scent before he turned his nose into Lan Zhan, behind his ear, down his neck...

Where he placed a sharp bite to the muscle that cushioned Lan Zhan's shoulder.

Lan Zhan let out a quick exhale, his eyes going wide, and he couldn't help but grin. And lean in to do it again.

Not just an exhale this time. A moan. Just small, but subsonic and heartfelt.

"Will you fuck me?" Wei Wuxian asked, throwing his leg over Lan Zhan's stomach, trying not to sit too heavily.

"Yes."

"Lube?" Before he could get an answer, he leaned down for a probing kiss. While their tongues were still exploring each other, Lan Zhan dug around in the nearest drawer until he found what he was looking for.

Wei Wuxian took the little bottle—green, with leaves on it, like it was all natural or some shit. Pretentious Lans—and uncapped it, squirting too much on his fingers. Some of it dripped onto Lan Zhan's chest, catching the light, and Wei Wuxian couldn't take his eyes off of that one shining drop as he spread the wetness where he needed it.

Lan Zhan's lungs were working double-time, a V of florid red blooming around his collarbone. He laid mostly still while Wei Wuxian prepared himself, except for the travelling palms that mapped every inch of his thighs.

He probably felt them tensing before Wei Wuxian lifted up, awkwardly shuffling into place. He definitely noticed when Wei Wuxian leaned forward, the hair that had fallen out of his ribbon trailing temptingly close to one small, seized-up nipple.

Not right now. Focus.

If getting himself ready with his fingers was awkward, then actually getting Lan Zhan's dick inside him was excruciating. He couldn't see, could only grasp and hope he got it right, fumble and blush, then finally, finally start sinking down.

His mouth fell open as he was filled, his legs already trembling even though they had the whole ride still to go.

"God," he said as he twitched his hips forward just a bit.

"Mm." Lan Zhan's eyes were wide and unblinking, bouncing around as he tried to watch every movement.

Wei Wuxian was too tired to really do it justice. If he hadn't been squatting over broken stones all day, walking back and forth from the pavilion to the wheelbarrow, he would've given Lan Zhan the ride of his life. He still tried, though.

Lifting up and dropping back down was too much work, so he just swivelled his hips, rocking them in a motion that hypnotised himself. His cock leaked on Lan Zhan's belly, untouched and happy to stay that way, to make this delicious, unsatisfactory bliss last.

He let his head fall back on one particularly clever jolt of his muscles, baring his throat and that was all it took for Lan Zhan to get tired of the dance.

Wei Wuxian shrieked a laugh as he was flipped over, but it turned into a moan when Lan Zhan nipped at his collarbone.

"Yeah," he said, "Mark me up." Hickies were so high school, but fuck if he didn't want them. All of them, on every inch of him.

Lan Zhan probably would've done it, too, but they were a little busy for that. Wrapped up in each other, they rocked from the powerful thrusts of Lan Zhan's hips. This was more like it. The animal drive for harder, faster , fulfilled by Lan Zhan who had the energy to go and fucking go.

Wei Wuxian was dying. Ascending. All that shit.

And for a full five minutes, he was sofuckingclose , but not quite there, and he couldn't ask for what he needed, not when his brain didn't want to work, and when this was Lan Zhan , who mattered too much.

So instead, he sank claws into Lan Zhan's back and pulled, and hoped that would—

Ah, it did.

Lan Zhan had been holding back. Incredibly, u nbelievably, he had more to give, and he gave it, until Wei Wuxian's back was arching, his hand going fast on his own cock between their bellies, making a mess and accepting everything Lan Zhan had to give him.

After, they breathed. The room smelled like them, like sex. Primal. But not savage or brutal, once the sweat started to dry.

Lan Zhan's arms came around him, bumping their foreheads together and keeping him close until they slept. That was all human.

[pilot-boi]

Five Injuries Hidden: Chapter One

A little look into the extents that Jaune would go for his team, his friends, his family. Did he maybe go a little too far at times? Maybe. Is it really necessary for him to get medical attention and actually heal his injuries? Probably. Will he ever stop gladly throwing himself on top of the wire to protect even one of them? Definitely not.

Maybe he should actually let them help him when he goes too far and gets hurt in their stead. But for that to happen, they’d have to know about the hits that he keeps taking for them, which they don’t and never will. And what they don’t know won’t kill them.

But… It might kill him if he isn’t careful.

((I keep forgetting Aura is a thing, so don’t mind me giving him injuries that he shouldn't really be able to get. Set vaguely between V5 and V6.))

Oscar

Jaune’s never had a baby brother before, so he can be forgiven for being just a little bit more protective than he really needs to be, right?

AO3 LINK

It was pouring

Not an innocent little sprinkle either, oh no. It was a torrential downpour.

The water kept getting in his hair and washing it down into his face. Who needs eyesight anyway? That wasn’t necessary, right?

And to think, he had been having such a nice day, too.

A wild shout snapped Jaune out of his thoughts, and he snapped up his sword to block the clumsy swipe of the Ursa’s paw, the resounding clang leaving a faint ringing in his ears. A grin made its way onto the  soaked knight’s face as he batted the offending limb away with his shield and slashed across with his blade to decapitate it.

Whipping his head around, Jaune quickly scanned the impromptu battle field for his friends. His family. A voice that sounded suspiciously like Yang’s joked in the back of his head about counting heads like a teacher on a field trip, but he paid it no mind.

Relief swept through him as he saw that they all had their battles well in hand. Yang and Nora even seemed to be making a game out of it, shouting out the number of kills to each, both trying to one up the other. Their partners were taking it more seriously, but Jaune could see Blake smiling in amusement and hear the laugh tinging Ren’s words.

Ruby and Weiss were dashing around each other, working like a perfectly oiled machine. Glyphs would appear for Ruby to run on, perfectly timed for her to take out a truly obscene amount of Grimm with one strike. As he watched, he even saw Oscar take out a Beowulf singlehanded.

Jaune couldn’t help the swell of pride in his chest.

Shaking his sopping wet out of his eyes -in vain, apparently, as it simply slid right back after he swept it away for the millionth time- a movement in the trees caught his eye by complete chance. Red glowing eyes and feathers flickered from branch to branch. 

Whipping his head around, Jaune zeroed in on a hidden Nevermore. It must have been drawn by the strife of the combat. With a screech it launched itself from the trees and reared back its wings to launch its feathers like throwing daggers.

Aiming directly at Oscar. Oscar, who still had trouble remembering to keep his Aura up. His brother. His baby brother.

Everything seemed to slow as his mind’s eye worked out just what he was seeing. He quietly pushed away the rage that bubbled up, and sought the cool planning mindset that had saved him and his friends time and again. Jaune would have time for anger later -because how dare that monster even think of laying a feather on Oscar Pine- because he had more immediate problems.

For one, and most immediately, that he would not be able to warn Oscar in time. No, the stupid bird was already locked and loaded onto Oscar, and by the time he warned him, there could be a feather a foot long skewered through his chest.

So, that brought his options down to only one. One acceptable solution. If that arrow was going to hit anyone, it was going to be him.

As he came to that conclusion, everything rushed back into full motion.

The Nevermore loosed its feathers like a hailstorm.

Oscar heard the noise and turned to see what was flying towards him.

Their friends yelled out in warning. Weiss threw up a wall a moment too late. Ruby jumped into a cloud of petals.

And Jaune slammed Oscar -his little brother, dammit stupid bird would pay for that- out of the way, his momentum carrying them both mostly out of the path of the barrage. Mostly.

Jaune was never so happy to have a soaking wet red sash tied around his middle than at that moment. It hid injuries quite well.

Hiding a grimace of pain as something just short of agony raced across his lower ribs, Jaune quickly checked over Oscar for injuries. His Aura flared up in his hands, liquid light pouring down into any possible imaginary injuries the boy could have. “Are you okay?! It didn’t get you, did it?”

Oscar shook himself out of his shocked stupor, blinking dazedly. “N-no. I’m fine. Thanks Jaune.”

Jaune breathed a sigh of relief, shoulders slumping, before they raised back up rigidly and his shield spiraled back out to cover them both. “Wait, what about the Nevermore?!”

Ren laid a calming hand on Jaune’s shoulder. “Not to worry. Ruby and Weiss are taking care of it. Are you alright, Jaune?”

A sharp sting lanced across his ribs. Couldn’t spare Aura for an injury he didn’t know the extent of. What if he needed to heal someone? “Yeah, sure, I’m fine! Do you think you could check over Oscar to make sure that it really missed him?”

Ren tilted his head to one side in confusion and crouched down beside them both. “I saw you using your Semblance, but it you’re sure-”

“Guys, I’m fine! Not even bruised anymore thanks to you,” Oscar reassured him.

“You got him to the ground before the others even took off after the rest of the Grimm,” Ren reminded Jaune, ignoring the knight’s skeptical expression. “You did well, Jaune.”

“My ‘good enough’ almost wasn’t good enough.” Jaune slumped tiredly, resisting the urge to sling his arm across his torso to cover the angry welt he could feel. “I’m just relieved I saw it in time.”

Oscar punched him lightly in the arm, and then shook out his fingers from punching his metal armor. Jaune didn’t even notice the hit, but he noticed the reprimand. “Come on, stop that. Please! You saved me, you made it. I’m right here, on the ground, safe and sound.”

“Yeah, what he said!” Ruby called as she waded through the semi-dense brush, the tell tale smoke of dead Grimm dripping and seeping off the scythe leaning on her shoulder.

Good. The thing was dead. Jaune tried not to feel so satisfied about that.

Nora bounced out from behind her and slung an arm across Jaune’s shoulders, unknowingly aggravating Jaune’s side. “C’mon fearless leader, cheer up! Everything turned out a-okay. Now, what do ya say we all finish up here and go get something to eat, huh?”

Jaune heartily agreed, and soon they were all back in Mistral proper. Qrow, slung across the couch with one arm covering his eyes, grumbled when their troop stomped inside covered in mud and shouting to each other. 

Excusing himself with the plea of exhaustion, Jaune snagged the first-aid kit from the kitchen and sequestered himself into his and Oscar’s shared room. And with a wince, he finally took in the extent of the damage.

The less said about the torturous removing of his armor and soaked through clothing, the better.

A long, angry red mark was gouged across his side, right under his rib cage, and a dark, grim looking bruise covered from just above the severe laceration all the way down to the top of his hip. 

He stared at it for several long seconds, debating whether to heal it or not. Who knows what they’d be doing over the next couple days. Could he afford to leave it? Or could he afford to siphon off precious Aura to heal himself, when he might need it for the others?

After far too long, he settled on cleaning it out first and figuring it out later.

Biting back the few curse words he knew, mostly from Yang, he quickly balled up the cleanest, least muddy piece of his shirt before biting down on it, effectively blocking any yelps that would be sure to somehow slip past the firm barrier he had paced against them.

Taking a deep breath in through his nose, his side protesting fiercely, and gathering up all his courage, Jaune tore open a sterile package and applied the large antiseptic patch found within.

The world whited out.

Suddenly, in some part of his brain that was untouched by overwhelming agony, he was very, very glad that he had taken the precautions to stop anyone from seeing or hearing him. Locking the door behind him had been an afterthought born from years of sibling life, but now he was so very glad that he took the second to do so.

After all, he couldn’t have someone walking in on him feeling like he was dying, now could he?

He used to like rainy days.

Somehow pulling himself back together out of the sheer force of will, he finished cleaning out the gash. He channeled a sliver of Aura into the injury and watched as it stitched himself up into a barely healed slash, still surrounded by bruising. Just enough to stop the bleeding.

Taking a moment to center himself, he spit his shirt out of his mouth and finished up by wrapping a loop of gauze around his middle and over the still extremely tender wound.

Finished. Now he could die in peace. Didn’t they say that death was eternal rest? Yeah. He could go for an eternal nap right about now.

Sadly, that wasn’t in the cards for Jaune at the moment. Briefly mourning the fact that he couldn’t stay seated on his bedroom floor with stray medical supplies strewn about forever, Jaune mentally shook himself off and begrudgingly started cleaning up any evidence of this little escapade. 

His dirty shirt got tossed right into the laundry, along with the bloody soaked and slightly-more-tattered sash. Hopefully nobody would notice the extra holes in the latter.

That done, and knowing that Oscar at the very least would undoubtedly be coming by soon, Jaune quickly pulled a new shirt over his head to hide the remaining evidence, i.e. his injury. 

It was quick for him, but really he walked slowly with shuffling steps, as his side strongly rebelled against the thought of doing anything fast other than sleeping. So he shucked off his soaking wet jeans, tossed them into the pile with his shirt and sash, tugged on a pair of sweatpants, and collapsed painfully into his bed.

No training tonight. Sorry, Pyrrha, but he didn’t think he’d manage to wake up to his alarm no matter how loud he set it. And setting it loud enough to wake the others was a no-go. Jaune felt so exhausted that he doubted even his nightmares would be enough to wake him.

Don’t get him wrong, Jaune didn’t regret what he did. He never would. You could scour his soul for eternity, and you would never find even a slightest shade of remorse for doing what he had done to save Oscar, the little brother he’d never had. 

This result was the optimal one. That’s what he did, he crunched the numbers. And the numbers would always come to this result, without question. Jaune would gladly relive this entire horrible, muddy, rainy day a million times if it meant that Oscar would come out of it uninjured. 

In fact, he would willingly do this for any of his friends, his family, the family he’d found and made and cobbled together. This family that was a little damaged and cracked, but that had dragged him out of the darkest time in his life without a second thought and without asking for anything in return. 

A debt that Jaune could never begin to repay. Not that he’d ever stop trying. He hadn’t been grateful enough when they’d been doing it, so he was doubly grateful for them sticking with it and not giving up on him like he’d so dearly wanted them to.

So he’d do anything for them. Anything at all. With absolutely no hesitation at all. If any of their lives were on the line, there were really no numbers to be crunched. This decision was a no-brainer.

Hands down, no questions asked.

[hazymultiverse]

Absolutely love your writing! Can I request #45 from smut prompts w/ Narancia?

This is one of my older requests, and I’m gonna say it now, apologies if a request ever takes a while, I kinda try and go in order, but if something catches my attention and I’m super inspired it gets done quicker. There’s also a few characters or prompts that I struggle w a bit more. Long story short, if it’s been a while, I got your message!! I’m just a bit slow between work and such.

—

“Come onnnn, get in the water.”

“No, I’m just fine out here.”

A day at the beach was always relaxing, in theory. In practice however, there were a lot more snags and hang ups than you expected.

Today’s, for instance, was your boyfriend begging you to get in the water with him.

“I’m fine with just resting right now, Nara,” You muttered lazily, face down in the warm beach towel. Abbacchio had been sitting with you before, but he left for a walk, and the others were currently splashing around in the waves, leaving the two of you over by the bags, “You can go on ahead, I’ll just nap.”

“But I wanna spend time with you!” He whined, “Come on, we can float and swim, and we’ll go out real deep but I won’t be scared, so you can hold onto me if you want.”

“You just want an excuse to cop a feel underwater.”

“Yeah,” He admitted, “But I do really wanna spend time with you.”

“We can, but I just really don’t feel like swimming right now.” You sighed, snuggling into the sand, “I’m too comfortable.”

He grumbled a bit for a moment, before beginning to ramble again, you admittedly were half asleep, and didn’t catch what he was saying until he was suddenly a lot closer.

“-That would be real fun, wouldn’t it babe?”

“Hm?”

“Ya know, havin sex out here.” His grin was wide, looking at you expectantly.

“N-Nara, we’re out in public, the others are here!”

“Psh, they’re all swimming, they’ll be out there for a while. C’mon, I could just pull your bikini bottoms to the side, no one will notice! It’ll be great.”

He was already climbing up closer to you, but thankfully you were able to get a bit of sense into him.

“Nara, you aren’t quiet, or subtle, they’re gonna see you from all the way out in the water.”

You know how... enthusiastic, your boyfriend could be, and have been told off by neighbors for it in the past. There’s no way in hell you were about to try anything in public with him, especially not with your friends and boss within earshot

“Ugh, you’re right.” You could hear the pout in his voice, and allowed yourself to relax, but tensed as you felt a hand prod between your legs. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t try something else~”

“Narancia,” You gasped, hips jerking into his hand, “What-?”

He laughed, you felt your bikini being pushed to the side, slit exposed first to the warm air, then to an exploring finger.

“Careful babe, gotta be quiet, or someone might see!”

[kusunogatari]

[ ObiRyū October | Day Twenty | Astronaut ] [ @abyssaldespair ] [ Uchiha Obito, Suigin Ryū, Hatake Kakashi, Nohara Rin ] [ Verse: Best Years of Your Life ]

[ Previous ] [ Next ]

“Happy birthday, Obito!”

“Wh-?” Stepping into the hallway, Obito immediately finds himself staggering back. A wild Ryū has decided to tackle him, arms around his neck as he wraps his own around her waist to help hold her up. “Uh...hi?”

Standing nearby, both Kakashi and Rin snicker. “Did you forget what day it is?” the latter asks. “We thought she was gonna explode waiting to say hello this morning!”

Ryū retreats as Obito sets her down, cheeks pink and expression sheepish. “I had a feeling you would have forgotten…”

Obito, also embarrassed, itches the back of his neck. “I might’ve remembered if I wasn’t running late this morning…”

“As you are every morning,” Kakashi replies, perking a brow as Obito balks.

“Oh leave him alone, Kakashi,” Ryū sighs. “At least for today of all days? Tease him any other time than today.”

“But today is the best time for -”

Rin, turning to him, gives him a look...and he quiets.

“I got you a present!” Ryū then offers, pulling a wrapped parcel from her backpack. “Do you want to open it now, or...wait until after class?”

“I can open it now!” Eyes eager at the sight of the gift, Obito grins wide as she hands it over. “You’re the best, you know that?”

“Wait until you see what it is,” his best friend teases, ignoring Rin as she elbows him.

“Don’t spoil it!”

“I’m not!”

Looking the wrapping over, Obito can’t help but notice that it seems rather like a game jacket...did she get him a video game…? He gives her a glance, only proceeding as she nods with an excited look of her own. With a few pulls of his fingers, he reveals the cover.

“No Man’s Sky…?”

“It’s a space game!” Ryū quickly blurts. “You get to play as an astronaut! It’s all randomly generated, and there’s over eighteen quintillion planets you can find and explore! And all the flora and fauna are generated, so you never see the same thing twice...it looks really, really cool! I know you like space stuff, so...I thought it was a good fit!”

Listening, Obito then looks to the jacket. A huge space game, huh? That sounds amazing! “Thanks, Ryū! I’ll have to play it as soon as I get home!”

“Just don’t put off your homework,” Rin chides with a knowing smile.

“I won’t, I won’t...hey, wanna come over and watch me play, Ryū?”

“Yeah! I’m really curious what it’ll be like! Apparently it had some issues at launch but it’s improved a lot since then. I wanna see all the cool animals and planets!”

Grinning ear to ear, Obito pulls her forward for a squeezing hug. “Thanks, Ryū...you didn’t have to get me anything.”

“I wanted to! Besides, what kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t?” She pokes his chest lightly. “And you got me something for my birthday. It’s only fair!”

That makes him chuckle. “Yeah, you’re right...I’ll have to have you try playing it too!”

“Well, I...I can try. I dunno if I’ll be any good at it. I mostly play simple games, eh heh.”

“I bet you’ll be great! We can -”

It’s then, however, that the bell rings for first period, and the four teens wilt.

“Welp...see you guys at lunch,” Kakashi offers, retracting the arm he’s had around Rin’s shoulders.”

“Don’t forget we’ve got a club meeting at lunch, Kakashi!” Rin then offers, and his shoulders wilt.

“Do I have to go…?”

“Yes, yes you do. Just grab your lunch and head to the club room. It won’t kill you.”

“...we don’t have anything today, do we?” Obito then asks, turning to Ryū.

“I don’t think so. Today’s Wednesday, so no play practice. And I haven’t heard anything else.”

Obito gives a small sigh of relief. That means he can get home at a good time to play his new game! “Okay, cool. See you at lunch, then.”

“Mhm!” For just a brief moment, Ryū lifts on her toes a bit to give him a quick press of her lips to his cheek. “Hopefully today goes fast, I wanna see your game!”

Under her touch, his face grows warm. “Y-yeah! It’s gonna be fun.”

With that, the four of them split up to head to their first classes.

And as they tend to do on a day with something else to look forward to...classes pass slowly. Obito finds himself zoning out for most of the morning, chin in his palm as he blinks owlishly at the teachers. It doesn’t help that he finds most if not all of his classes to be exceedingly boring. One of the few redeeming features of high school was an unexpected one, that being the drama club that takes place after classes.

Which is where he really got to know Ryū, and...well, the rest is history. They’ve been dating for over a year now, and he’s pretty sure it’s been the best year of his life so far, all things considered.

As his last morning class finally comes to a close, Obito wastes no time in making his way to the cafeteria to pick up some food and meet the others. Ryū beats him there, her classroom far closer.

“Hey!”

“Hey. Kakashi and Rin go through yet?”

“Yeah, they went to the club room already. So I guess it’s just us this time around.”

“Meh, that’s okay. Might be nice just the two of us for once, hm?”

That gets her to smile. “Yeah! There’s a free table near the back corner, maybe we’ll actually be able to hear each other and talk.”

He snorts. “In this chaos? Maybe.”

They snag the table, dragging the chairs side by side and starting to dig into their lunches. Typical idle chatter flows between them. The cafeteria is a hub of noise and distractions, but they do their best to block out the rest and make the best of their brief break before afternoon classes.

“Got much homework for today so far?”

“Just some reading for literature,” Ryū replies, taking another bite of salad. “That won’t take me too long. I might end up with something in geometry, but we’re in a pretty easy chapter right now. You?”

“So far nothing is due tomorrow, so I can put things off.”

Ryū gives him a look, but it’s clear she’s torn between chiding him about homework, but also getting a chance to watch him play. “Well...okay. Just be sure to give yourself enough time so you’re not crunching it the night before it’s due.”

“I know! I’m the master of time management. I can wait until just the right moment,” he replies with a grin.

“There’s also play practice tomorrow and Friday to account for, hm?”

He nods, mouth full.

“Okay...just making sure you remember.”

Obito’s eyes give a teasing roll. Sure, he can be a little scatterbrained, but it usually turns out fine. Ryū, ever the worrier, is practically his assistant with how much she drops little reminders for things. The first of the two plays they’re doing this year is at the end of the month, so it is crunch time for practice and making sure everything is ready. So missing any practice now won’t be a good idea.

But he knows his lines, and the prop crew he’s in is just about finished. He’s not worried.

All too soon however, lunch is over. The pair tidy up after themselves, parting yet again for afternoon classes. Just three more blocks, then they’ll be free for the afternoon.

As soon as they are, Obito flees his last classroom and makes a beeline for his locker. A day without homework! Well...he does have some, but it’s not due until Friday. Which means...he’ll work on it tomorrow!

“Ready to go?”

He glances over to see Ryū, backpack already on her shoulder. “Yeah, let’s go!”

Both of them walk to and from school every day, living close enough to it that the journey isn’t too bad. Even now in February, with a bit of snow on the ground, they make the trek on foot. Obito’s house is closer, which means their walk is pretty short this afternoon.

“Gran! I’m home!” he calls as they head in, stomping snow from their shoes outside and removing them once inside so they can dry.

“Have a good day today?” Sachiko calls back, making her way toward the front door.

“Yeah! Know what day it is?”

“Of course I do,” the old woman replies with a laugh as she enters the room. “I’ve had to wait all day to say happy birthday! I was going to get up early, but…”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. You need the sleep.” He hugs his grandmother tightly, having to lean down a fair bit to reach her.

“Well I haven’t gotten a cake made, but I’ll do that now. Hello Ryū, dear!”

“Hi missus Uchiha!”

“Ryū got me a new game for my birthday, so we’re gonna play it for a bit before homework, okay?”

“A game? For the computer?”

Both teens withhold smiles at the simplification. “Yeah! Just holler when you need help with dinner, okay?”

“Of course, of course. Will Ryū be staying?”

“I can if you’d like me to!” she chirps in reply.

“Certainly! You two have fun and I’ll work on that cake.” With that, Sachiko starts tottering into the kitchen.

Exchanging a look, the pair giggle before retreating to Obito’s room.

They sling their bags down, Obito working on getting the game installed. Ryū, wasting no time in getting comfy, lounges on his bed and starts some of her reading assignment in the meantime.

“Book any good?” he asks.

“Eh, it’s okay. Kinda boring, but...that’s how class books are, really. At least it’s not as bad as the last one...I almost didn’t finish it.”

“You? Not finish an assignment?”

“I know, right? It was just that bad. So this one’s looking better than that, at least.” She flips another page, lying on her back with one leg up over a bent knee. “How long until the game’s ready?”

“A little while.”

“You could start some homework while you wait.” Ryū glances to him, grinning.

“Or...I could not.”

“You heard Rin. She’s gonna scold you if you slack off!”

“What Rin doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” he counters.

“Maybe I’ll tattle on you.”

“Pffft, you better not. She’s got enough to worry about without nitpicking me about my grades.”

Ryū just sticks out her tongue before going back to reading.

At least, until Obito clambers up onto the bed next to her.

“...hi.”

“Hi.”

“Not gonna interrupt me, are you?” she questions, not looking from the page.

“Hm...no. Just figured it was less boring to wait this way.”

That makes her snort. “I guess that’s fair. Gonna nap?”

“Nah. I’ll just…” With a bit of wiggling, Obito sneaks arms around her, making her giggle once he finally finds a comfy spot.

“Your arm is gonna go numb.”

“I’ll live. It’s comfortable.”

She just gives an amused shake of her head, still reading.

A while later, Obito dozing, he jerks at the little jingle his console makes when the game finishes installing. “...oh! It’s done!”

“Already? That seemed pretty fast!”

He disentangles himself and sits down in his chair, looking things over. “Yeah, it’s good to go! Ready?”

Just finishing a chapter, Ryū marks her place before joining him in another chair. Excitement alights her face. “I can’t wait to see it!”

Selecting the game, Obito boots it up. An introductory sequence plays: he’s waking up on a planet, seemingly dazed...and alone. The temperature is dangerously low, and he’s already at risk of freezing to death.

“Oh! You’ve gotta find shelter! Where’s your ship?”

“I dunno!”

“Over there! There’s a cave! I bet it’ll protect you!”

Scrambling, Obito directs his character underground...and the temperature starts to stabilize. They both breathe a sigh of relief. “...okay...I need to figure out the controls and stuff.”

As Obito tinkers with commanding his character, Ryū watches quietly, trying to sneak peaks back outside whenever Obito wanders closer to the entrance of the cave. And then -! “Oh! Look! Look out there!”

“Heh?”

“There’s an animal!”

“Oh!” Creeping closer, Obito gives them a better look.

It has...four pairs of legs, and a little bitty head. But a dense pale-green fur covers its body, plodding along amongst alien-looking flora.

“It’s so funny looking!” Rocking back in her chair, Ryū laughs unabashedly. “Look at it’s head! It’s so tiny!”

Obito laughs right alongside her. “What even…?”

“What is it?”

“You’re asking me?”

“I think you can scan things? And you get money for it!”

“Uh…” He tries toggling some buttons.

“Maybe you can’t scan things yet. But oh my gosh...that thing is hilarious. Is there anything else?”

“I dunno, we’ll have to explore. But I don’t wanna freeze to death!”

Together, the two of them start stumbling along the beginnings of the game. Obito starts getting the hang of it, finding a scanner, a terrain editing tool, and his ship. And once they get far enough...he takes off and leaves the planet’s atmosphere, heading out into open space.

They both take a moment to marvel at it. “Whoa…!”

Opening his map, they find there are four planets in the system he’s in. A signal starts coming from one of them.

“So, uh...how many planets did you say there were again…?”

“Something like eighteen quintillion?”

“...uh...how many is that?”

“It’s two steps over a trillion. So...million, billion, trillion, quadrillion, quintillion.”

“Holy shit…”

“Yeah! And you can run into other people if you play online!”

“Maybe once I’m better at it. I don’t wanna look stupid…”

“You won’t!”

But before much more progress can be made, Sachiko calls for them. “Time for dinner!”

“...I thought we were going to help with dinner?” Ryū asks, brow perking.

“You know Gran, she conveniently forgets that part most of the time…”

They head back to the kitchen where Sachiko already has a cake made, and a meal ready to be eaten.

“We could have helped!” Ryū gently protests, only to have her concern waved away.

“I’ve made more dinners than you’ve eaten,” she counters with a twinkle in her eye. “I can manage a few more.”

Unable to retort, they sit and enjoy her hard work, Obito flushing pink as his grandmother insists on lighting all the candles. Ryū, grinning, films it all with her phone.

“...don’t show Kakashi.”

“I won’t, don’t worry.” Together, she and Sachiko sing him happy birthday, and then Obito blows every candle out with one breath.

Sachiko then serves them each a piece, Ryū insisting hers is too big only to be shushed.

There’s no telling Sachiko no.

By the time they finish the birthday meal, Ryū admits she’d best head home. “I need to finish my homework and get my chores done...but I’m glad you like your game so far! Maybe this weekend I can come see more?”

“Sure! Maybe by then I won’t suck at it.”

She just laughs. “...happy birthday, Obito. I hope it was a good one.”

“The best,” he replies, leaning in to give her a kiss. “Thanks for the game, and for coming over. See you tomorrow.”

“Bye!”

He watches her go, waving before heaving a contented sigh. It was a good day, all things considered.

Another year behind him...and another to go.

     kjfdghfdjhg this is a day late because...I ran out of time OTL Gonna try to at least start today’s tonight but I doubt I’ll finish. Just so fricken busy lately ;A;      ANYWAY, just...random modern fluff uwu NMS is actually really cool and people who hate on it are nerds who don’t know the whole story of what the developers had to go through, but...I won’t rant on that xD Ryū and Obito playin’ games and snuggin’ is just a Good Vibe.      But yeah, that’s all for this one! Time to try to speedrun 21 xD Thanks for reading!

[creativelyderangedme]

Breaking Point Chapter 3

Finding himself in Marinette’s care, Adrien tells her the truth. 

Want to read the rest of the story? AO3 is updated up to Chapter 7

Chapter 3: The Confession

It had been some time since Adrien had found himself in the comfort of Marinette’s bedroom. He couldn’t actually remember the last time he’d been over, or why, but he clearly recalled the warmth the Dupain-Cheng home had always brought to him.

There was always so much love here. You could feel it practically radiate from every surface. Like the place was somehow imbued with the kind of homeyness you'd only find on the Hallmark channel.

And it felt lived-in, compared to the nearly clinical cleanliness the Agreste mansion always seemed to have. Even his own bedroom felt more like a sterilized lab than a teen-aged boy’s living quarters.

Those who got a chance to see his room joked and swooned over all the things he had.

But none of that mattered to him. Those possessions meant nothing when he had no one to share them with. He’d gladly trade everything he had for a single night in a room like the one he was about to enter.

Climbing up through the trap door, he glanced around and smiled at how much it screamed Marinette. The bright pink walls, the half-finished designs cluttering the floor and the multitude of sketches still in progress and design aesthetics pinned to the walls around her desk. The room was, in a word; organized chaos. Okay, two words. Everything having a proper home in piles and stuffed in overflowing organizational bins and drawers. Things that could not fit or had no propper place found refuge on hooks or dangling from the support beam that stretched from floor to high-vaulted ceiling.

This was a place of creativity and unabashed pride and passion, and Adrien couldn’t help but allow himself a moment to breathe it in, noting the undercurrent of vanilla and sugar that always seemed to make up Marinette’s natural smell.

One of the perks of being the baker’s daughter, he supposed.

“This place smells like the inside of a sugar cookie,” a small voice complained, interrupting Adrien’s thoughts, quickly reminding him of the ever-present being resting in his pocket.

Plagg hadn’t said anything the entire morning, so he’d nearly forgotten he was in his shirt until then, “Some of us might actually prefer that over smelling like cheese all the time,” Adrien mumbled, keeping his voice low to keep from alerting Marinette to the extra presence she’d unknowingly invited into her home.

The little black kwami peaked out, looking around sleepily like he’d just woken from a long nap. Probably had, with how unusually quiet he'd been. “Too sweet for me,” He groaned, but the scenery change must have finally caught his attention as he turned a curious look on his chosen, “My, my, Casanova, finding yourself in a young lady’s bedroom in the middle of a school day?”

Okay, sure, to anyone who wasn’t in the know, this definitely looked bad. But it wasn’t like that. Not that it kept the heat from his face at the insinuations Plagg was making to the contrary. “Sh-shut-up Plagg. It’s not like - I-I didn’t know where else to go.” He sputtering, before meandering to the chaise, allowing himself to drop into its plush cushion and take in not only the room but his thoughts.

Because, again, he was reminded of the lingering question: why was this the place he'd run to in a moment of crisis? But he just didn't have the mental capacity to explore those thoughts in full right now.

Especially not under the watchful gaze of Plagg. No way in hell he’d give him any more ammunition to tease him with.

His shirt shifted slightly as the black cat Kwami released himself from the model's pocket and came flying up to hover in his face, and for a moment it almost looked like he was concerned as he took in the blonde’s features. “You know I’m only kidding, Adrien. Frankly, I’d hide from that liar too. Maybe even much more,” he muttered that last part, and Adrien would have missed it if the room wasn’t so quiet.

It brought a small grin to his face, despite the implications of such a statement, “Thanks Plagg, but I don’t think Ladybug would take too kindly to us using cataclysm on another living being.”

No matter how much said living being might deserve it.

And yes, the thought had occurred to him. Not that he’d ever admit it out loud.

“Offer’s still on the table.” There was a slight shift in his tone that honestly made Adrien believe he was serious.

A scary prospect.

But duly noted.

Adrien chuckled, rolling his eyes, trying not to linger on the idea too long lest he gives in to temptation, “Yeah, yeah. Make yourself scarce. Marinette will be back any second.”

Plagg hesitated only a moment, zooming up to head but him softly on the cheek in a rare show of affection before whizzing off somewhere Adrien hadn’t been able to track.

Despite his insistence otherwise, the Kwami of destruction had been rather soft on him the last couple of weeks. The teasing lacked its usual dig. He'd complain less when Adrien needed to transform - hell, he practically encouraged it. And regardless of Plagg's distaste for getting too emotional, he'd been rather talkative as of late. Coaxing Adrien into talking to him; even if Plagg could only handle 'talking' about that sort of thing for a short period of time. Honestly, his Kwami was probably keeping him saner than he'd given the creature credit for. Left to his own devices and thoughts, there was no telling where Adrien would be right now.

Mentally, the model made a note to himself to pick up some extra cheese for the little glutton. He just hoped the little ball of mischief would stay out of trouble while they were here.

It was quiet again, then. Leaving the blonde to look around the room once more and all the things and feelings it represented that he longed for on a constant basis. The ability to be messy and creative. To be able to stretch out and just be himself. Not having to worry about who would see or judge him or his Father’s business if he messed up or stepped out of line.

No strict rules or diet.

No fashion shows or photoshoots.

No handsy stalker admirers to ward off.

In the process of getting cozy, he found he’d snagged a small decorative pillow that he cradled close to his chest as that last thought hit him.

Everyone just assumed that because he was a model, it was fine to hang all over him. Like he was just another piece of his father’s fashion line someone could try on.

Like he wasn’t even a person.

And of course, he was a guy. What guy wouldn’t want every eligible lady fawning all over him, right? Wrong . Sure, over the years, he’d grown almost numb to it, but that didn’t mean it didn’t bother him. Just cause he was a guy didn’t mean he wanted everyone's hands on him all the time.

It felt like no part of him was sacred. He belonged to his father, and the masses, and more recently; Lila - and the memory of her trying to worm her way into his lap that morning had his stomach twisting uncomfortably.

"So..."

T he blonde startled as he realized his host had appeared while he was lost in thought, tray in hand with a number of croissants and a couple of glasses of juice, sitting it carefully between them on the chaise as she joined him. She didn't look right at him, preferring to stare at the floor as her eyes darted slightly, seemingly trying to find the right words.

Adrien squeezed the pillow he'd been holding a bit tighter, clearing his throat of a lump he hadn't realized had formed, "So..." he mimicked awkwardly, not quite able to look at her either, except in quick glances.

One said glance made him pause as he watched her wrestle with something internally before taking a deep breath and looking back at him with resolution. A kind of steely look that reminded him of a certain spotted heroine and the thought made him pink a bit.

"Adrien... you asked if you could hide here for a bit, and I want you to be able to work through whatever is bothering you. But..." she swallowed, having to reaffirm something in her own head before continuing.

"We're friends... right?" She asked suddenly, changing the direction of the conversation and making Adrien's brow shoot up questioningly. It was such a soft inquiry and he was suddenly frantic trying to recall if he'd given her any indication that she wasn't one of the most important people in his life.

Maybe he was right that he'd done more damage than good stepping up to Lila. Or not stepping up sooner. Those photoshoots and the attention Lila demanded of him didn't exactly make him out in the best light.

"Of course, Mari! Why would you even ask that? You're one of my best friends!"

That earned him wide bluebell eyes, softly accentuated by a rosy tint warming her cheeks before Marinette smiled at him again. The same smile she'd given before she'd shooed him up the stairs, "Then, as one of your best friends, I'm not going to just let you hide."

The confusion was more than evident on his face as Adrien regarded her now.

Did this mean she was going to make him leave?

She must have read his thoughts because she backtracked quickly, "W-what I mean is - over the last month... I've been really worried about you. I see the looks you give when you think no one is watching." That steely soft expression dissolved slightly as she bit her lip at that last part, "no offense... but you look like a caged animal some days."

He had to sputter a chuckle at that. She wasn't wrong.

And the fact that he moonlighted as a cat-themed superhero made it comical if not a bit ironic.

But it wasn't a moment after those first chuckles left him that he felt his vision blur on him and something slipping down his cheeks without his permission.

Tears? Seriously?

He was crying! Like a goddamn child.

"Sorry-" Adrien mumbled, quickly wiping away the offending moisture from his face.

Because of course, he'd choose now of all times to breakdown. In front of the one person who managed to see right through him and see him for what he was. The only person who seemed to look past the fake smiles and the carefully crafted emotions to the guy drowning beneath.

And of course, it would be the very same person he was trying so hard to protect.

At seeing those wayward tears, Marinette's soft features turned concerned, and she brought a tender hand up to wipe the remaining streaks from his skin, "Please don't apologize. You need to talk to someone, Adrien. Even if there wasn't a psycho maniac out there who can take advantage of your emotions, holding things in like this... it's not healthy.” She gave a wry smile that was anything if not a little self-deprecating, “Trust me on this."

God, how did she do that?

How could she be so right all the time?

How could she see right through him and cut straight to the point like that? Like he hadn't spent the last month trying to convince himself of that very same thing. Knowing he was a liability at best and a ticking time bomb at worst.

How was one person allowed to be so amazing?

They sat there a moment in silence, both staring. He stunned and captivated, she searching and careful.

"Do you trust me?"

He wanted to reply so badly. He wanted to confirm for her in the same resolve she seemed to radiate when she got that look of determination in her eyes, but could only find himself nodding in her presence.

"Then, talk to me.” She encouraged softly, tentatively. As if she were afraid the very notion was going to be taken as an insult on his person. She reached out, placing a hesitant hand on his as it perched on his own knee. “Nothing you say leaves this room. I promise. Not even to Nino and Alya. Not even to my parents."

His lips parted, his mouth dry as he was suddenly forced to come to a decision, all while trying to ignore the sudden warmth that blossomed under his skin where her hand met his.

He'd done all of this with the intention of making Lila leave Marinette alone.

Though, if he were being honest, he was also paying penance for his involvement. For basically having told Marinette to leave well enough alone until Lila walked herself into a corner she couldn't lie herself out of.

Was he really protecting her if he told her the truth?

Was it really a punishment?

And if he did tell her-

Adrien's heart plummeted to his stomach as he was bombarded with the what-ifs and worst-case scenarios.

How would she react? Would she hate him? Would she see it for what it was? His attempts to help her in the only way he knew how?

He found himself too afraid to speak. What if he messed this up too? What if by telling her the truth it only made things worse? Marinette was such a strong person. Would she hate that he'd imposed like this? Assuming she couldn't handle all of this on her own? Was that what he'd assumed?

Wouldn't it be better to just keep his mouth shut?

All of that fear came to a startling halt when Marinette wound her fingers with his and grasped them tightly like a lifeline. Gentle. Encouraging. Like she could sense his quick and violent spiral - and for all he knew, she could. She'd proven herself to be extremely observant in the last couple of minutes. Scary observant. Almost Ludybug level observant, which was an even scarier prospect.

Frankly, if she told him right then that she knew he was Chat Noir, he'd be less than surprised.

"I have... a confession..." he muttered before he could stop the words from falling from his mouth. And given his last train of thought, he mentally sorted which confession he meant.

You know, preferably not the one that meant he’d have to give up his miraculous.

Her expression never changed as she willed him to continue.

"The-the reason you were able to come back to school after being expelled. The reason Lila changed her story. I was the one who told her to do that." He chanced, watching her the entire time.

The shift was so subtle. Starting with a couple of fluttering blinks that cued her shock and surprise at this news, like maybe she hadn't heard him correctly and needed a moment to process what he'd said. Then she seemed more confused and concerned with every passing second in the silence that stretched after his confession.

"W-what?" She muttered finally, her voice softer than he'd heard all morning.

He swallowed hard. He'd come this far already. He couldn’t back out now even if he wanted to - and he definitely wanted to. "I told Lila to come up with something to prove your innocence. I made a deal with her so that you could come back."

With each word, there entered a bit of panic in Marinette's eyes and face as she suddenly brought a hand to her mouth.

Here it was. She was upset.

Of course she was upset.

He'd spoken up for her without asking what she wanted. Again. He'd stepped in her way, and now he was going to lose the only person who could see him.

And that knowledge ached painfully deep in his chest.

But that didn't matter right now. He'd take anything Marinette threw at him. It was the least he deserved.

"Adrien... why? Why would you do that?"

His mouth dried as he watched the glistening of tears well up in her bluebell eyes, trying to find the right words, "she was going to destroy you. I-I couldn't just stand by and let that happen. Not again."

He expected a lot of things to happen after that. A slap. A stern glare and talking to. Maybe even a swift banishment from her room before being permanently banned from the bakery for life for his assumptions and actions.

He hadn't expected for the girl who was oddly strong for her size to practically tackle him as she lunged across the chaise and wrapped her arms around him in a crushing hug.

His eyes blew wide at the sudden contact, taking a sharp breath through his nose and finding his mind fogging slightly and warmth flooding his chest and face as he was enveloped with her scent and a sense of... safety. That's the only thing he could call it. Safe.

It was nothing like what he felt when Chloe or Lila or any of his other fans touched him.

He shouldn't have enjoyed it as much as he did. But if this were his punishment, he'd gladly take it.

It was an oddly satisfying sensation that seeped through him; made him relax into her without much thought or effort. His eyes fluttering closed as any semblance of will melted like putty in the girl’s embrace. Tentatively, almost shyly, he wrapped his arms around her smaller frame. Enjoying the feeling of someone he cared for neatly tucked against him.

He’d always known Marinette gave some of the best hugs. But this - this was something else. Something meant only for him.

It was a feeling someone could get addicted to. This feeling of completeness.

So of course, it jarred him when it ended too soon and felt too cold when the girl squeaked before pushing herself back. Staring wide-eyed at him like he'd grown horns or something.

He was suddenly wondering if hugging her back had been a bad idea.

Maybe he’d overstepped his bounds.

Why was this whole situation so confusing?

He was opening his mouth to start apologizing when Marinette scrambled back to where she’d sat previously and began smacking her own cheeks, “Stupid! Stupid!”

No, not just the situation. Why were girls so confusing?

Confusing or not, if there was one thing Marinette Dupain-Cheng was not , it was stupid. And he wouldn't stand to hear her talk about herself that way. “Hey! Stop that!” He grabbed her wrists to keep her from smacking her cheeks again, “Why are you hitting yourself?”

“B-because… you came here looking for someone to help and I wanted to be there for you and then I just throw myself at you!” She groaned loudly, throwing her head back dramatically. Like this was the worst thing she could have possibly done.

And Adrien could only stare.

And then he had to purse his lips together tightly.

Because it was downright comical.

He wanted to laugh out loud in relief and elation.

After everything...  

He shook his head at the girl still in his grasp, “You don’t have to worry about that Mari!” He chuckled despite himself, unable to keep it back anymore. Because he couldn’t help but find her antics endearing in the best of ways; even when she assaulted herself. Though, he kept a gentle hold of her writs in case she decided to start slapping again. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ve always really enjoyed your hugs.”

She peeked at him from under her lashes and a pout on her lips as she slowly righted herself. Unsure of something. And for the life of him, he couldn’t make heads or tails of what could possibly be going through her mind to make her look at him like that. But he couldn't deny how adorable she made it look.

But he had another more pressing question on his mind.

“Not to embarrass you or anything, but why - why did you hug me? I thought you’d be angry.” He asked, finally releasing her wrists when he was sure her face was safe from their wrath.

“Angry?” She sputtered, then thinking for a moment she continued, “I mean… I might be a little angry, but not because you did it.” She paused after emphasizing the words, rolling her eyes at her own train of thought, her brain working just as quickly as the words forming on her lips, “Okay, yes, fine, maybe I am a little mad because you did. But mostly I’m just upset you did it alone . If you’d told me from the start, you wouldn’t have had to suffer that witch by yourself this last month. I could have been there to back you up.” She sighed, glancing back at him with a darker shade of pink splashing her cheeks, “But… I could never be angry at you, Adrien. Not for long, anyway. Not when you did it to protect me.”

He noted that she’d managed to sid-step his first question, not really answering him. But given the way her body seemed to buzz with anxiety, he left it alone. “Well, I’m glad for that, at least. The last thing I would ever want is for you to be mad at me,” he mumbled, finding more truth in those words than he expected as he rubbed the back of his neck in nervous habit. “As long as you’re not disappointed too. Because every teenager knows that’s much worse.”

There was a second before Marinette all but fell off the chaise in a fit of giggles that sounded like music and Adrien couldn’t help but chuckle with her.

“God, you’re such a dork!”

At least she wasn’t a ball of anxiety anymore. He liked being able to talk to her like this - openly, honestly, or at least as honest as possible given the number of secrets he had to keep. It made him hopeful that nothing would change between them. Or, at least, if things did change, they’d change for the better. It made him hopeful that they’d be able to grow closer as friends.

"You mean it though?" even with the joking, he couldn't help but try and confirm. He wanted no room for misinterpretation. "You're really not angry?

Marinette’s giggles slowly died and she was left side glancing him with a decisive nod from where she sat, “Of course, I mean it. Adrien, you're one of my best friends too. I wouldn't lie about something like that."

And it was like she'd given him his birthday and Christmas all on the same day.

He knew - or at least, he'd always hoped. But hearing it out loud like that was probably the best thing he'd experienced in a very long time. And it was not wasted on him how sad that was as a concept, but he'd address that another time.

Marinette giggled at what must have been the dopiest grin he'd ever given her, "But seriously. I just… I can’t believe you’d do something like that for me. I mean, it all makes sense now - why she’s been so attached to you the last couple weeks.”

Adrien blanched at the reminder, swapping grins for grimaces at Lila’s advances. She sure as hell wasn’t being subtle about it. He’d actually questioned whether the definition of ‘friends’ had changed without his knowledge as she’d taken the concept as an invitation to invade nearly every aspect of his life and personal space. But he shook that thought away. He’d put up with it for a reason. “I just couldn’t believe she actually got you expelled. And after I basically told you to leave it alone, I just couldn’t bear not doing something.”

Marinette’s eyes widened slightly before glancing away, a strange mixture of emotions entering her gaze, almost making her look... guilty, “A-actually… I-I have a confession too.”

A blonde brow rose curiously at her sudden shift, at the nervous tension that overwhelmed her posture again.

“I-I actually,” she cleared her throat, “That is to say, I feared she’d do something like that eventually. I just… hadn’t expected the lengths she’d go to.”

“What do you mean? Why would you assume she’d try something like that?”

The girl bit her lip nervously, watching him, gauging how much she wanted to share. He could see her mentally weighing her words before coming to a decision with a heavy relenting sigh.

“Adrien, Lila threatened me.”