#i was so scatterbrained earlier but this snapped me into focus

[fluffydice]

I'm bored so I'm bothering you. Do you have any Saiki K psykickers headcannons you feel like sharing? It's ok if not 🥰

What have you done,,,

I don't have any specific headcanons, but I can talk a bit about their dynamics because I've thought (and written) about it more (and we'll inevitably get headcanons mixed in!)

The Pyskickers are interesting characters all on their own, but when you put them together, you get a mess that really shouldn't work as well as it does. Which is. The same for most ND friend groups asdfghjkl

A big thing that's important to me about them is that they have to be able to work without Saiki. Maybe not be functional, competent humans—especially because, like all of Saiki's friends, the more they group up the more braincells they lose—but they need to work as a friend group. Saiki, unlike with his other friend group, doesn't always feel the need to babysit the Psykickers. Toritsuka, maybe, but he's in a weird spot since he joined so early. Saiki and him were the only ones for a while, so he's kinda an in-between. But for the most part, Aiura and Akechi are usually actively helping Saiki with something. Toritsuka, too, even if 7/10 he's being threatened and/or bribed, 2/10 he's trying to help but failing—him succeeding that 1/10 already puts him in a separate category than most of Saiki's friends.

I went on a tangent there; point being, Saiki isn't constantly mother-henning and helicopter-ing them. Ergo, Saiki can't be the only reason they stick together. I don't want Saiki to be the only reason they stick together in my writing, mainly because I do like reinforcing the fact that not everything is about him—even if it's subtle. Things happen around him that Saiki is not always privy to, and this includes his fellow and honorary psychics' dynamics.

Akechi and Aiura are easy for me. Funnily enough, despite likely having the best relationship, even including Saiki, I have little to say about them. It's likely because they lack a lot of the complexity the others have: they're just really fucking cool with each other, and get along swimmingly. Honestly, when I write them, it's often with at least a hint of a romantic undertone. They're comfortable with each other physically and emotionally. Akechi trusts Aiura's judgement on when he should keep it short out of necessity, not because he's being annoying. Aiura thinks Akechi is wicked as hell, and also trusts his value judgements on people and situations.

From a literary standpoint, Aiura as a character tends to get in over her head and overly emotionally-invested in things—Akechi can provide a good counterbalance to ensure things can remain on track in the story, as well as help avoid any potential mini-conflicts that might arise from characters clashing due to simple communication incompatibility.

Speaking of communication incompatibility, Toritsuka and Aiura are full of it. Despite them seemingly being the most similar on the surface-level, their motivations, intentions, and moralities conflict. A lot. Take this scene I wrote of them, for example:

“Of course they were mad! You can’t just act like you don’t have emotions whenever you feel like it. Or, if you do, you can’t get depressed when they start treating you like it.” “If you don’t shut up,” Aiura hissed, grabbing a fistful of his sleeve. Toritsuka yanked his arm away to no avail, then settled for glaring at her. “I’m gonna—"

Here, we have Toritsuka actually making a good point about something; it's his wording that muddles it up. Aiura is quick to defend against him because she's protective of her loved ones, and is also aware that their beliefs differ sharply. Neither are quite in the wrong here; or, neither of them are any more right than the other. Aiura is right to assume the worst because that's typically what Toritsuka shows. Toritsuka is right to point things out about the situation. These are the mini-conflicts that Akechi smooths over by being essentially a bridge between their ways of communicating:

“Wait, Mikoto,” Akechi piped up. His fingers were in front of his mouth, his thumb cupping his chin, in a classic sign of thinking. “The wording was harsh, admittedly, but Reita is, in fact, not wrong.”

At the end of the day, though, they are friends. Aiura might be a tiny bit more willing to admit it, but both her and Toritsuka do care about each other. When they work together, big things happen. They just need a bit of oil to help smooth things along between them. Most of their dynamic, however, comes from their utility in stores:

From a literary standpoint, Toritsuka helps balance out Aiura's optimism to a reasonable point. Saiki's cynicism is often a big contributor to conflicts in my stories—he's unreliable, both in dialogue and in narration. Toritsuka is a milder version of that cynicism (albeit rough around the edges). Aiura can't always be right about the way of things, but Akechi is too prone to taking the middle ground; essentially, pointing out all the benefits to her way of thinking while also providing the downsides. Sometimes, though, it's necessary to just have someone completely shut it down, and fast. That's where Toritsuka comes in.

Also, Toritsuka and Aiura often act as the representation of the doubts and hopes of Saiki, respectively. They're essentially foils to each other, which is helpful when your main character is a hot-and-cold tempered little bitch. A sort of good-cop bad-cop for him, if you will. By having them verbally duke it out, it helps guide the reader a bit about what's true about Saiki's view and what's distorted by his way of thinking. Chances are, if they manage to agree, it's a lesson he's going to have to learn.

And finally, Akechi and Toritsuka. Though they're comfortable with each other to an extent, they lack the romantic undertones I put in for Akechi and Aiura. Akechi makes Toritsuka uncomfortable: it's hard to argue with him, for one, and he often calls out Toritsuka in a way that's hard to hide from. Akechi is the most successfully mentor-like to Toritsuka out of the rest of them—Aiura is too automatically competitive and Saiki can smother. There's also the fact that Toritsuka can sometimes trigger his trauma in certain ways, so Saiki tends to lash out. Akechi, however, is patient and steady. Anything Toritsuka says rolls off of him like water. Akechi is hard to catch off guard with words or actions, and deep down, Toritsuka really does need stability and an unwavering personality to help him grow as a person. I think Toritsuka is fascinating to Akechi as well, as I don't think Akechi is a naturally sexual being. He's not averse, but the kind of brain-rotted attraction and horniness that Toritsuka often exhibits can teach Akechi a lot about other people. The biggest thing that Toritsuka offers Akechi is a better understanding of other people. His down-to-earth nature can help Akechi connect his practical knowledge about psychoanalysis and anthropology to actual people.

From a literary standpoint, Akechi acts as a milder reign for Toritsuka. Aiura may be right to disagree with him, but sometimes a defter explanation is needed than Aiura's often emotion-driven responses. This is where Akechi comes in, especially because Toritsuka's language and laziness can make it seem as though he's not to be trusted as a rational view. He is, and Akechi helps uncover that.

Also, Toritsuka can sometimes act as the audiences natural reaction to Akechi's tangents. Akechi obviously likes to ramble, but Aiura won't interrupt him and Saiki won't confront people. Toritsuka cuts through a lot of that easily and naturally, which helps keep them both in character while still allowing the story to move on.

Overall, it's kind of easy to see what utility I get out of these characters. Akechi is an intermediary who bridges gaps of understanding, both between characters and the audience and the happenings of the story. Aiura is the outgoing one, the one to get things started. She provides a force against Saiki's heavily biased world-view and acts as a moral compass for her group. Toritsuka helps cut through a lot of bullshit and acts as healthy dosage of reality these personalities need to keep their heads on straight.

Plus, I think they're in an unofficial QPR. So.

[licuadora-nasir]

Hello ! Do you write for queer reader ? If so, may you please write a Lance x Male reader, where they were long time best friends before (TO) Lance loves reader but as the last dragon he thinks it’s his duty to continue the legacy so never aknowledges his feelings wich leads him to be quite depressed, until Erika-I-stick-my-nose-everywhere find out somehow and build a plan with others to confront both about it ?

Thank you !

Hey there! Thank u for your ask, I loved the prompt! And I'm sorry for the delay, my relative is still hospitalized but he's better😊.

Also, of course I write queer, I'm part of the community and even though Eldarya doesn't have queer options regarding the MC I think it's interesting to treat other possibilities.

This one's structure was a bit different from the one I normally use. My amazing beta @rina-nanashiro and I have come to the conclusion that would be better to use the first person singular and the omniscient narrator to correctly portrait each character thoughts.

For this one, let's say that the plot is settled not long before Lance becomes the chief of the obsidian guard and Erika arrived 4 years earlier.

Also, whether the MC is human, faerie or faelian is up to you. I didn't dwell on any physical descriptions or mention his race.

To conclude, my ask box is closing soon. So if¡ anyone wants to request something, you have a couple of days to think about it.

Lance and a male MC have problems confessing their feelings and Erika meddles in under the cut

I carefully settled the dumbbells in the fresh grass, brushing away the light film of sweat, which covered my forehead, with the back of my hand.

Almost every day was a sunny one in the City of Eel. I have been told once that the shield surrounding the Head Quarters repelled rain and other natural phenomena, and I was delighted to enjoy the warm sunbeams, though as the day drew on, training in hot weather wasn't very pleasant.

A group of females crossed the gardens and threw a glance toward my bare, glimmering chest, sweat sliding down my pectorals and abs. One of them blushed while the other winked at me. The flustered one dragged her friend away while she couldn't help her giggling.

I was used to the attention. Such things would usually happen whether I was training shirtless and why not saying it, showing off a bit.

But those females’ attention... wasn't the one I was longing for.

As if my thinking was some kind of magnet, the object of my thoughts suddenly appeared in the Central Pavilion. I gulped and clumsily tried to fix my hair, using the fingers to comb the lost strands while Lance was engrossed in a conversation with Erika, laughing by his side.

"Hey, you" The girl gave me a sincere smile while Lance grabbed the nearest towel and threw it at my sweaty face not before smiling too. Jerk.

"Thank you, Lance.” I rolled my eyes seeking to restraint the smile of my own.

"Why are you training at this hour? It's too hot," asked Erika.

"The correct question would be why you are training and showing off at this hour." The dragon winked at me not before running his eyes over my bare chest.

I gulped for a second time and focused on the dumbbells on the ground, ignoring the warmth that settled in my chest and threatened to go down to my inner thigh. Yeah, it was indeed hot there.

"Well, it may be too hot for you both, but I enjoy the warmth." And while Erika simply didn't favour it, Lance was naturally more comfortable in cooler places. Disadvantages of being an ice dragon, I supposed. When the man opened up to the guardian and revealed his true nature, I was speechless.

It was a well-kept secret that not many knew and that such a closed-up person as Lance decided to give me that reliance meant the world for me. He didn't only trust me but wanted to show himself as he was. As the powerful and endangered being that he was. Keeping that secret all their lives made the twins wary of everyone, afraid of their reactions. But what I saw didn't frighten me. It made me want to know Lance more and unravel the person that hid behind that dense layer of steel and smugness.

"Oh come on, just admit it! You want to get tanned since summer is close!" Well, maybe that was another reason why I was training at this hour, but there was no way Erika was get away with it, so I hurled my towel, full of sweat, into my friend's face which made her grimace in disgust and Lance chortle.

"By the way, where's Valkyon? I need someone to back me up since apparently, you two have decided to bully me today." Valkyon had told Erika about his new nature as well. Before starting to hang out with the brothers, I didn't know much about the woman apart from her faelian condition, but we quickly befriended each other after spending time with the twins and meeting in several missions.

"He's been assigned to organize the armour's stock, so don't expect to hear from him in the next two hours," replied the brother.

Suddenly, a female elf popped next to us, most likely an acquaintance of the dragon. Her pink stare found Lance's, and she smiled sweetly at him as she spoke up

"The Obsidian Chief would like to meet with you. He's looking forward to discussing your promotion if you don't have any relevant matters at hand right now.”

"Yes, of course, just give me a moment." Lance turned to face me. "I came by to ask you if you're available after lunch. I've found some cool techniques in one of the books I'm reading and I thought you might be interested in learning them."

My chest tightened at the words, and after taking a deep breath I answered.

"Of course, I would love to." Lance parted from us undertaking to meet us at lunch with the rest. Normally, we would have lunch with Valkyon, Ezarel and Nevra, and sometimes Miiko, Yhkar and even Kero would join.

I sighed thinking about my last training with the Obsidian-Chief-to-be.

Lance was situated behind me, a firm hand holding my hip while the other grabbed my arm in a defensive position.

"You are doing it wrong. If anyone sees you with a posture like that one they'll mistake you for a novice lost on the battlefield. Let me teach you how to do it.”

I was painfully aware of my friend's figure pressed against my back. The warmth was sinking into my body, and I tried to think about pure things instead of embarrassing himself, but it was so difficult to focus on something else when his breath skimmed my ear and my butt was pressed against his-

"Hey."

"HEY."

"SNAP OUT OF IT, SCATTERBRAINED!" Erika brought me back from my memories with a hard slap to my head.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT, VIOLENT MAD WOMAN?!" Geez, Erika could be really aggressive at times.

"I want to know what's going on with you" The young woman was directly looking at me with a clear stare. The kind of stare that made her violet eyes shine brighter. "And before you answer 'I don't know what you're talking about Erika, I'm perfectly fine' please, don't take me for a fool."

"I don't think you're a fool."

"I know something is going on with Lance. Every time he turns his back, you stare at him with that painful-but-loving look on your face and you sigh like he has taken your breath with him."

"I think you're a busybody."

"Come on, talk to me." I attempted to go away, but she grabbed my wrist. "I'm your friend. You know you can trust me."

"There's nothing to talk about. And nothing is going on with Lance either."

"Is it because you're both males? You know no one would-"

"It's not that!" I broke free from her grasp and finally addressed her. "I don't give a fuck if someone came insulting me or spitting shit on me or whatever. It just... It's Lance, we aren't talking about anyone." The problem wasn’t just that we were both males. It was far more complicated than that.

"And that means...?"

"It means he's a dragon. It means that apart from Valkyon, his race is extinct. He's born in a different league, and he shouldn't be with a male. He shouldn't be with me." I lost count of the times I wished Lance had been born as a female, or me, for that matter.

"You don't even know what he wants."

"I know what he deserves."

(But Erika didn't agree with him. Lance deserved someone that cared about him and not some random female that could give him offspring. And the guardian loved him. Deeply. She knew the second he met him he had a crush on Lance, and she could bet the dragon noticed as well. Come on, even Valkyon was aware of the guardian's feelings for his brother.

The one who didn't seem to realize Lance attempts to hit on him was the guardian. He was so dyed-in-the-wool that he didn't even consider the possibility that Lance could be interested in him as well. But she couldn't blame him: Lance himself was a mess of feelings.

The guardian wasn't wrong: Lance truly thought it was his duty to continue the legacy of his race, but he was conflicted between what he thought he had to do and what he desired, what meant taking one step towards his friend just to take two back. They were more and more miserable as each day passed and Erika couldn't stand seeing her loved ones like that.

What if they couldn't have offspring? Should they sacrifice their happiness just because they couldn't have kids? They love each other. They cared about each other. That should be enough.

But there was no use trying to convince them otherwise, so she did what she knew best: stick her nose into someone else's problems.

She conceived a plan to confront them: In three days, she would go on a mission. But at the last minute, she would remember that she had to deliver an urgent letter to Lance that he had to read immediately and she could ask the guardian to deliver it.

That way, when Lance opened the letter in front of the guardian, instead of coming across with an important document, he would find a text that said something of the sort "Actually, this whole thing was an excuse. I wanted to confess my feelings for you even if I didn't know how."

Yes, he would definitely kill her, but she wasn't going to sit in silence and watch how his possibilities of going out with Lance were decreasing each day, right? There were a lot of girls going after the twins, therefore if the guardian didn't hurry... Another one would do it.)

One morning, after I had accompanied Erika to the boat to wish her good luck in her mission and say goodbye, she let out an astonished gasp. "Oh no! I can't believe I forgot! Please, can you take this to Lance? It's something urgent, so tell him to open it the moment you give it to him!"

"I... Yes of course, do you know where he might be?"

After being told that at this hour he would probably be on the edge of the forest, I wasted no time and hurried up. Erika was a competent girl, but it wasn't a surprise that she sometimes forgot things like that. She could be hardworking and a mess with legs, but that made her more adorable.

I spotted the two brothers taking a stroll and conversating about something probably irrelevant since Valkyon seemed to be mocking his big brother. They were inseparable. Wherever Lance or Valkyon went, the other would tag along. It was truly heartwarming seeing how much they cared for and loved each other.

"Lance! Erika forgot to give you this." Both dragons instantaneously turned their heads to look at me, eyes clear and ready to listen to whatever I had to say. It was kind of funny to watch how seriously they take their roles. "She said that it was important and you should open it immediately."

When Lance opened the envelope, Valkyon took a step closer to his brother but after reading the first words, he squeezed his twin's shoulder and departed not saying a word.

When we were finally alone, Lance looked up to face me and muttered. "You finally came to talk about your feelings for me?"

Those eyes were clear as ice, and even though there was no trace of mockery, a heavyweight settled in my stomach. My...feelings for him? What the hell he was talking about?

I didn’t even say anything. I just gave the envelope that I had been tasked with and that was been all. At the sight of my confused mien, the dragon tended me to the letter.

I slowly took it, not leaving his eyes for a moment, and when he read I... My hands ripped it apart and tossed it somewhere in the woods without caring where it landed and hissed. "This was that busybody's doing!”

‘I wanted to discuss my feelings with you,’ she wrote.

I couldn't believe Erika had done that. It wasn't her affair and she had no right to meddle in someone else's business. How would she feel if I did that to her?

“Just... Look I'm sorry I can no-" The blood under my face was boiling, my whole body was boiling in shame and panic. I couldn't face him right now, I had to get the hell out of there.

I didn’t make it far before Lance gave me a firm grip on my wrist and said "Please, let's talk. This was my fault. I should have talked to you earlier, explain myself to you before anyone stuck their nose into this."

"What are we going to talk about, Lance?" I confronted him praying this new growing determination would not abandon me. "Do you want to talk about how you can't be with a male? How we are not meant to each other?"

"You know that's not true."

"Isn’t it?" I frowned and let a sad chuckle slip my lips. What a bastard. "You can't be with me, Lance. You deserve and want someone who can give you a family, that will bring you children, and I can't do that."

The dragon didn't so much talk. He couldn't say the proper words because I wasn't mistaken.

"There you have it." My voice cracked at the first word and I could have sworn something broke inside him as well seeing the gaze he gave me. "You may want me, but I'm not enough for you." Tears ran freely down my face like raindrops of a cold, cloudy day in winter. "Find a good mate, Lance. You have many admirers, so I don't think you'll have much trouble."

Lance couldn't stand it. He had never been a coward and that wouldn't be the first day he would start being one. He gently brought his hands to each side of his friend's arms and held him there. Firm but gently, he gripped him making sure he wouldn't go anywhere until he finished what the guardian deserved to hear.

"Look at me, please." Those eyes that were always full of love were hurt and sorrowful. He took a deep breath and let out his thoughts.

"I do not want you, I love you. You can not imagine how much I care about you and what your presence in my life means to me." His hands were slightly shaking. "You are right. I think that as a dragon, I must continue our legacy, but I have been unfair to you. I couldn't make up my mind, and I have hurt you."

The guardian started sobbing and one of the dragon's hands met his face to wipe his tears.

"You know, I've talked about this with Valkyon several times and I've realised my brother is right. I dese- We deserve to be happy. Together. Whether I can or cannot have offspring doesn't matter, it shouldn't be a duty and I shouldn't force that on you."

The guardian sobbed harder and embraced his beloved, feeling his hand on the head, the other arm gently stroking his back. Lance couldn't restrain a few silent tears of his own at the sight of the male whom he loved him as much as was loved by.

They will make it work, Lance could assure.

Do you have any requests? Feel free to stop by my ask box! But first, please read this.

[takerfoxx]

The Owl House, Season 2, Episode 2, "Escaping Expulsion," First Impressions!

Best girl is BACK!

Okay, I've made no secret that my primary reason for checking this show out was the massive crossover fandom between it and She-Ra and PMMM, primarily due to Catradora and MadoHomu parallels with Lumity. Plus, the show itself looked fun and interesting, so I decided to give it a roll.

And no surprise, the Lumity thing has been my favorite part, and Amity has been my favorite character. And I just loved how the writers knew well ahead of time what a massive ship this was going to be so they just decided to fast forward past the rivalry bit and start building their friendship and establishing Amity's crush almost from the word GO. Which isn't to say it's felt rushed or anything; there has been a clear progression of Amity's feelings toward Luz and it does feel natural. I'm just saying they clearly know which side of their bread the butter's on and things have a LOT more forward momentum than your standard rivals-to-MAYBE-lovers, and the mutual attraction is 100% canon and was always intended to be. It helps that it's written by an actual queer woman who made no secret that Luz is bisexual and Amity is gay, so good on her.

Unfortunately, Amity has been AWOL for quite a while. Ever since the sports episode, in fact, owing in-series to her broken leg, but it's really because the focus needed to be elsewhere. Still, I'm really glad that she's back.

Anyway, here we finally meet Amity's oft-discussed but never fully revealed parents, giving them some much-needed characterization! And as it turns out, while our earlier impression of them being a bunch of Northwest-esque upper-class snobs was not incorrect, there's more to it than that.

See, Amity's family runs Blight Industries, a security firm that specializes in abominations custom-made for defense. Amity's mom is the CEO and promoter, and is definitely the controlling one. To again compare to Gravity Falls, she's what you get if you combine Mr. Northwest's classism and manipulative control over his family with Gideon's carny showmanship. And she has natural green hair. Meanwhile, her dad is the one who actually makes the abominations, is a bit of a scatterbrain prone to chasing after shiny things, and looks just so tired and fed up with his wife's antics and yet is just resigned to putting up with them. Also, he naturally has brown hair.

And as for Amity, she is a natural brunette but dyes her hair green. SYMBOLISM!

Anyway, Amity is usually the showgirl for her parents presentations, but lately her heart just hasn't been in it, owing mainly to her caring more about her friends. And when this leads to her botching a presentation, Mommy Mearest decides to confront the problem by throwing her societal weight around and getting Luz, Gus, and Willow expelled!

Anyway, plotwise things progress as one might expect: Luz agrees to take Amity's place as the showgirl for the Blights' abomination presentation, which puts her in mortal peril because Mommy Mearest is an asshole. Amity finally stands up to her family to protect her. Luz and Amity con the Blights' guests into thinking that the abomination actually kills them to get them to just order the damn things, because apparently child murder, including the presenters own DAUGHTER, makes for a great sales pitch! Daddy Dearest finally snaps and makes Mommy Mearest ease up on the trying to kill her daughter's friends thing because a bargain is a bargain. Luz, Willow, and Gus are un-expelled, and the Blights...well, we'll get to that later.

As for the b-plot, as predicted, as the resident glyph master, Luz now has to teach the Clawthorne sisters how to use magic without actually having direct access to magic! And surprise, surprise, they have completely different aims in doing so. Eda wants to dick around, experiment, and see how far she could push glyphs into going, while Lilith is really getting into the whole dutiful student role and wants to learn things from the ground up. This strikes me as funny, since it wasn't too long ago that it was Eda telling Luz to learn things from the ground up and not try to rush, but now that the shoe's on the other foot that all goes out the window. And it all goes horribly wrong, but of course the sisters reach a compromise, as it's Lilith's ground-up work that lets her understand glyphs' natures enough to figure out a way to make Eda's more creative ideas work. And they also discuss finding other glyphs than the four already known, probably setting things up for a future episode.

Okay, character stuff! AGAIN bringing things back to the Northwests, Mommy Mearest's way of controlling Amity really brings to mind Mr. Northwest's bell, and is very creepy. Not as creepy, as it's more fantasy-based and wacky, and Amity is already rebelling by the time Mommy Mearest was introduced, but the parallels are striking and probably intentional. We also have more of a reason for her being as controlling as she is, as her family's business kinda depends on it. Not a justication of course, but it's nice to have it rooted in more realistic motivations than just her being a snobby asshole. I do know that Amity's Weasley-twins older siblings don't get the same treatment as her. Maybe it's because they're natural green-hairs so they're more favored?

Anyway, Amity crushing on Luz is already established and has been so for some time. But now it's starting to be reciprocated, as Luz moves into the italicized Oh stage of their relationship. And it! Is! Adorable!!! Part of me wants Amity to run away to the Owl House and just live there from now on, in part to get her away from a toxic environment, but also because it means more Lumity cuteness, because I'm a sucker for that sort of thing.

And damn, good on Amity for crushing that crystal. Be interesting to see how this power play between her and Mommy Mearest continues. Nice to see that the twins have her back, even if they still love messing with her.

Also, I really like how the sisterly relationship between Eda and Lilith is shaping up. Now that they've buried the hatchet, it feels like their adolescent dynamic is resurfacing, because that's how it was when things were last good between them and they never learned how to be siblings as adults, so the constant competing, roasts, refusal to ask for help, and overall pride plays a major factor. We also get to see more of Lilith's goofy side, which is really endearing, and I love how she and Hooty are besties now.

And I legit cheered when the Golden Guard showed up to appropriate all of the Blights' abominations. He's got to set some kind of record for becoming a fan favorite so quickly after his debut in the second season. It also shows that the whole Emperor thing will play more closely than it did in the first season, which is very welcome, and also that he wants none of his subjects building their own forces, so THAT'S interesting.

Moving things back, Principal Bump was genuinely broken up about his favorite mischief makers getting kicked out. Aw, he really does care!

And congrats on the puberty, Gus.

[im-whatchamccallit]

Risking It//Mark Tuan (Got7)

Part 2|Masterlist|Rules

Request: YAY I’M SO EXCITED THAT YOU’RE BACK!! I hope you’ve been well (: I’ve missed you and your writing! May I request a college boyfriend Mark Tuan story! You can write it about whatever you want I just love the idea of Mark as a college boyfriend he gives me those vibes. Please make it fluffy and smutty if you’re feeling adventurous ;) Hahaha thank you so much! Have a wonderful day 😁😁😁

Pairing: Mark Tuan x Reader

Genre: College! AU, fluff but mostly smut (sorry, the hoe in me took over)

Warnings: sexual content (oral sex, fingering, mentions of overstimulation), kinda poorly written because I’m scatterbrained and couldn’t find a perfect concept lol

Words: 3.9k

You bit your bottom lip as you tried to focus on what your professor was saying, writing notes from the words she spoke in fear it’d be on a future pop quiz, but you couldn’t focus with the pair of eyes boring into you. You were trying to ignore Mark but he refused to look away, wanting you to look at him as he sat by idly at your teacher’s desk.

You weren’t sure what to expect when Mark was announced as the TA for your class, but you didn’t expect him to be, well, himself. You figured he’d try to be professional and fair, giving everyone equal amounts of attention and help whenever necessary, instead he’d always find his way to you, cracking jokes and even flirting. You were doing extremely well in this course, not needing the extra help which upset him a bit, so during times when he couldn’t talk to you up close, or text you in case your teacher saw, he’d stare, hoping to have a silent conversation with you to ease his clingy nature. But you weren’t catching on, his lips threatening to form a pout as he looked away.

“Mark.” His head snapped upwards as your professor called him, his body standing as he waited for her instructions.

“Can you hand out the graded test please? They’re on the corner of my desk.” He nodded, mentally cheering as he prepared himself to speak to you for the first time today.

Despite your professor speaking, you tuned her out, watching Mark anxiously as he went to each person, congratulating those that did well and telling others they can retake the test another day to salvage their grades. You were nervous. You weren’t as confident in this test as you were others and the idea of getting anything less than a 100 made you want to cry. You couldn’t even find ease in the way Mark was approaching you, the smile on his face might be because you did well or because he just wanted your attention, your mind screaming for it to be the former.

Mark gently handed you the booklet like test, your eyes immediately landing on the 98 that sat on the top of the front page, the pressured feeling in your chest not leaving even as an audible sigh left your lips while his hand rested on your head, causing your eyes to meet his.

“Good job.” You couldn’t help but give a small smile, finally giving him what he’s been wanting to see all day.

“Professor Ahn,” One girl, Yeeun, spoke up, everyone’s attention falling to her as she stood.

“Considering your TA is the one who graded the test, and is also (Y/n)’s boyfriend, don’t you think there’s a bit of bias on his part?”

The way she looked over at the both of you as if she had won some battle didn’t sit right with you, your eyes narrowing into a glare while Mark only smirked, continuing passing out the test as your professor sighed heavily.

“Ms. Shin, Mr. Tuan made me aware of his relationship with Ms. (Y/L/N) the day he arrived, which is why I personally grade all her test myself. In other words, the score (Y/n) received is not only valid but the only one to reach over 90% in this class, so I suggest you focus on your own grades instead of worrying about those two.” Mark wanted to laugh at the way she sat down in such a defeated state, scowling at the 73 on the paper as if it were a nuisance.

Professor Ahn repeated Mark’s words, reminding everyone that retakes would happen for the next two days during her free periods and after school before officially dismissing everyone, your body moving a bit slower than everyone else so you were left behind, Professor Ahn heading into her personal office just behind her desk while you approached Mark, his face in a cute pout.

“You didn’t look at me today.”

“I was nervous.” You responded, reaching to cup his face before bringing him into a soft kiss, pulling away before he could take it any further.

“What’s your next class?” He asked, reaching for your hand to lead you out of the room.

“I’m actually done for the day. And, I know you’re free too, so I figured we could just hang out.” The look you gave was hinting to something that could only spell trouble, yet he was hoping it was exactly what he was thinking, his lips forming a smirk as he stepped closer to you.

“Alright, and just where are we heading exactly?”

“I’ll give you a hint; we’ll be at my place, in my room, on a desk.” He didn’t waste a second dragging you down the busy halls, that hint more than clear for him to understand.

Yet he didn’t understand. Well, it was more like you tricked him.

By ‘on a desk’, he was hoping for something with you laid out beneath him with a lot less clothing involved and more x-rated touching. Instead, you were still in the baby pink high waist skirt and white sweater you wore for class earlier, the once seemingly normal and innocent outfit driving him crazy now, the only touching he received were pokes to the temple of his head whenever he read a question from your graded test unenthusiastically, obviously bummed by how the situation turned out. To think not scoring a perfect 100 would bother you so much that you’d make him study with you until you were ready to retake the test.

“Come on, the faster we do this, the faster I can learn what I got wrong.”

“(Y/n), you don’t need to retake the test. You have the highest score of your class, professor Ahn said so.”

“Yeah but what if someone retakes it and does better than me?”

Mark sighed, knowing how stubborn you were when it came to your grades, but he didn’t like the competitive side of you that came with it. He admired your persistence, but watching you drive yourself crazy over something so miniscule was heartbreaking, like when your calculus 3 teacher refused to let you retake his quiz and you couldn’t do anything but cry for days because that was your hardest class and you knew you could do better. But how could he force you out of a habit that he admittedly fell in love with? It was a complete contradiction.

“(Y/n),” you shifted your gaze from the notes and test in front of you to look at him.

“What are three cyanobacterial species?” Your eyes wandered from him, so many words crossed your mind, trying to find the right answers to the sudden question.

“Nostoc commune, nostoc punctiforme, and nodularia spumigena… I think.” You said slowly, watching Mark pull the packet open and flip to the third page, showing you the exact question he asked, an ‘X’ right next to your answer.

“The reason you didn’t get a perfect score is because you missed this one question. You didn’t get it right because you’re always freaking out. But now that you know the answer, and know that you always panic at the idea of not doing well; do you think it’s wise to retake the test and aim for a 100, only to possibly freak out again and end up with the same score or worse?”

You wanted to argue with his logic but it was reasonable, and he was right. You were freaking out for nothing and were honestly surprised you hadn’t dropped dead from all the stress you had, wanting to laugh at how ridiculous you’d been. Mark noticed you staring off into space, probably still scolding yourself like you always do. He didn’t mean to kill your confidence, but what else could he do to make you snap out of your “no mistakes allowed” tunnel vision?

“Baby,” He called, your eyes finding him once more, noticing his arms open and waiting for you to settle into his lap, which you did without hesitation, his hands cupping your face so you couldn’t look away.

“I know you’re smart, and that you could get a perfect score if you tried harder, but you can’t always push yourself like this. It’s okay to not be the best and, sometimes, you’ll learn there are people out there that are the best of the best and you can’t compare.” He said, your lips curling upwards as you released a giggle.

“That was such a backhand compliment.” His laughter mixed with your own, hands easing from your face into your hair.

“Yeah, I could’ve worded that better, but you need to relax. Stressing yourself out won’t make you perfect. Okay?”

You rolled your eyes, feeling a little disparaged but knowing he meant well, truly worried for you and rightfully so. You were a hard ass, you knew that and just couldn’t help it. Maybe that’s why you loved Mark, he was responsible yet relaxed. He had it all figured out and, even when he didn’t, he was nonchalant until he did. It was one of the traits you wish you could take from him and have for yourself.

“Okay, then show me what I should do to relax.” You said, a smirk similar to the one you gave earlier on your lips, his finger darting out to poke you in the center of your forehead, a stern look on his face.

“I should just leave and make you take a nap for tricking me into studying with you. But I have manners, so get on the bed.”

You eagerly climbed out of his lap and followed his orders, removing your top on your way there, not wanting to waste any more time. As you watched him approach you with his eyes taking you in hungrily, you couldn’t help but think of the position you were in.

He’d be busy for the next two days helping students from Professor Ahn’s four classes retake their test. Her other three classes held 60 or so students, a little over double the amount of your class, and the likelihood of everyone from the other classes failing was damn near impossible, but her course was hard so it’s a good possibility almost half the class would want a retake, and thinking of potential students from your own class doing the same, that’d mean Mark and Professor Ahn would have roughly 110 test to grade by the end of the two days. Even if they split the grading load in half, Mark would be busy days later helping her while simultaneously maintaining his own grades, meaning the two day period you thought nothing of would really be four to five days of barely being together, so you were going to bask in this moment.

“(Y/n/n),” Mark called, gaining your attention.

Your eyes darted towards him and noticed he was between your legs, face close to your heat that was now exposed as he tossed your panties away not too long ago, your skirt bunched around your waist as he patiently waited for you to answer, hoping you weren’t uncomfortable and suddenly having second thoughts.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, sorry. I just realized it’ll be a few days before we can be like this again.” You admitted, unconsciously placing your hand in his hair and stroking it softly. It was still pretty soft despite bleaching and dying it so many times.

“Think about it this way,” He started, placing a small kiss to your inner thigh, your teeth sinking into your bottom lip as you tried to resist the urge to close them, his lips ticking your skin as he continued moving closer to your core.

“Everything I do today is a precursor for the next time I come over.”

You wanted to make a snide remark to keep your banter going, but the way his lips finally connected with your folds made your head spin, any thoughts you had were gone as the foreign yet very familiar and dearly missed pleasure hit you. You can’t remember the last time Mark went down on you, your schedules leaving the both of you available for only quickies in unoccupied classrooms just to make it to your next class on time. But taking the time to go slow and actually savor the pleasure was making the experience a million times better, any memory you had of his tongue being buried within you was replaced with this moment, his tongue taking it’s time to taste you as if you were the best meal in the world.

“Mark,” You breathed out, his head moving back just slightly so his tongue was visible, your eyes locked on the way he teasingly flicked it around your opening while staring straight at you, expertly dragging the pink muscle up to your clit before covering it completely with his lips sucking harshly so that you cried out.

He knew exactly what he was doing and what buttons to push, taking two fingers and rubbing them along your slit to lubricate them before easily sliding them inside, your body nearly jumping away at the feeling. He felt you contract around him, surprised that you might already be so close considering he just started, but that only encouraged him more, his mind running with the thoughts of exactly how long he could make this last and how cute you’d be once you were completely spent from him actions.

You were gripping onto Mark’s hair desperately as your other hand held onto your pillow for dear life, your back arching at the familiar motions of his fingers, simultaneously thrusting into you while drumming against your g-spot, sending small waves of gratification through you. Those little jolts were enough to distract you from Mark moving up your body, kissing from your belly button to your bra cladded breast, his free hand slipping beneath it easily to toy with your nipples, already so hard despite the fact he had only begun stimulating them.

You struggled to crack your eyes open, looking at the man above you as a breathy whine interrupted your seemingly endless moans. His eyes were concentrating on each contorted muscle of your face before finding your eyes, smiling softly at you as if he wasn’t pinching and rubbing at your breast while using his fingers to scissor your pussy. Any words you wanted to say came out almost like squeaks, your hands speaking for you as they moved to his chest, slowly trailing down until they reached the slowly growing, but clearly there, bulge in his black jeans.

He watched in amusement as you impatiently undid his pants, tapping his thumb on your clit to watch you freeze momentarily in an attempt to regain your composure. He was like a sadist but the humane kind. Mark couldn’t help the groan he let out once your hand slipped into his boxers, wasting no time stroking his member at the same pace his fingers moved into you, his eyes squeezing shut as his face dipped into your neck, teeth sinking into your shoulder to control himself from going any further. The juices you let out were making such lewd sounds, and the harder his thumb rubbed against the sensitive nerves just above your entrance, the more your hips rolled into his hands and your walls tightened around him, actual words finally leaving you as you let out a soft ‘please’. It was all becoming too much for him, but he didn’t want to give in just yet.

“Mark,” You called out to him again, his head finally lifting to look at your face. Even though your eyes could barely stay open, your lips trembling as you whimpered pathetically and your breathing labored, you looked amazing.

“What’s wrong?” He asked gently, slowly bringing his fingers to a stop to allow you to speak, the bubble of pleasure you felt fading away.

“I want more. Please.” You continued to pump his cock from inside his briefs, the urge to fuck himself into your hand hard to ignore as your thumb played with the beads of precum leaking from his tip, your hand working faster knowing he was so close to giving you what you wanted.

Instead, he reached between your bodies to grab your wrist, reluctantly pulling it away from his throbbing and needy member and bringing it up to examine it, precum visibly sticking to your thumb and palm.

“I’ll give you everything you want, but you have to be patient.” He warned you, reaching for the hand resting on his chest to bring them above your head, holding them in place so that he could get back to his main objective.

You wanted to scream as he began to move his fingers again, not starting off slow like he usually would but going knuckles deep, his thumb now finding a good pace on your clit as well. It was clear he was trying to get you off first. It wasn’t uncommon for him to let you get your release before him, but this felt different, weird even. He was rough but precise, your g-spot being hit no matter how deep and fast his appendages plunged into you. And the pressure on your clit wasn’t helping either, only making the strange feeling increase.

Your back arched as you moaned loudly, unsure if your roommate was even home but you couldn’t care less about that now, your legs kicking against the bed as if you wanted to escape the way his hand was fucking you but so curious where this feeling was leading and just how good it’d feel. Mark’s cock twitched at the sight of you, every time your hips lifted from the bed he’d see a wet spot forming from the juices dripping from your cunt and his hand, making it obvious that you came already but he wanted to see you orgasm, knowing you were close as you incoherently cried out, begging for him as your thighs clenched together in an attempt to slow him down even though you didn’t want him to stop.

“Look at me.” He said in a soft voice yet stern enough to remind you it was a demand.

You shyly faced him, vision hazy as you focused on his features. You felt his hand leave your wrist before creeping down to comb through your hair, easing to the back of your head and pulling you into him, bringing your lips to his to capture every sound you made. If it wasn’t the way his hand continued to assault your core as it convulsed violently, or the way his teeth nipped at your bottom lip in the middle of your heated make out session, or even the way he pulled away to speak filthy words to you to encourage your release, the thin line of self-control and submission you were walking was gone, your body falling fast and hard into the latter.

Mark’s fingers dug into your scalp to hold you in place, a few moans escaping his throat as you clenched around his digits, pleasured cries falling into his mouth as you no longer focused on your kiss. Your lower half jerked almost painfully, his fingers slowly moving into you to draw out your release, his face pulling away as he felt a bead of your orgasm rolling down his fingers and palm and onto his wrist, the once small wet spot now a puddle beneath your body, your fluids leaving the room and sheets a distinctly sweet smell.

You shut your eyes in relief as Mark finally pulled his hand away, trying to catch your breath as he moved from the bed. You could feel the stickiness on you, your thighs closing to keep the cool air from hitting your sensitive core, the sound of your skin pulling from the sheets making you cringe. No wonder it felt so weird, you squirted for the first time ever and, now, your mattress was ruined. You were contemplating if you should just rest now in your own filthy release or properly clean everything, not having time to form an answer as Mark climbed above you, instantly connecting his lips to the shell of your ear and your neck. You turned to look at him, noticing his pants and boxers were off, his rock hard dick on display between your bodies.

“W-wait, I don’t think I can do that again.” You admitted, your face hot at the thought of being overstimulated, Mark’s gaze meeting yours. His eyes were so dark and clouded, your core unwillingly pulsating again with arousal despite your words.

“If you need me to stop, I’ll stop. I did promise to give you whatever you want earlier.”

The room fell silent as he waited for your answer, your eyes looking away in embarrassment as you opened your legs for him, cursing yourself for being so needy despite what happened only a few seconds ago. Mark smirked and placed a gentle kiss to your cheek, easing his body forward until he was poking at your entrance, preparing to thrust into you but not before he spoke in a definite tone.

“I’m going to make sure you’re too tired to think about the retest and, if I even see you going to take it, we’ll do this all over again.”

And it was a promise. You knew Mark never bluffed, especially when it came to sexual rewards and punishments, so you could do nothing but take those words to heart. Although the next day, after dragging your sore body from the soaked bed you both were too exhausted to flip, and getting ready as normal, you crept your way towards Professor Ahn’s class.

It was her second free period of the day and currently Mark’s accounting class, meaning there would be fewer students there for the retest and he would be out of sight and out of mind. You slowly crept into her classroom, looking to the twelve or so students working silently, Professor Ahn nowhere to be found.

You knew she’d never leave a class unsupervised during a test, so she was most likely watching from her office to see who would or wouldn’t cheat. She was clever that way so it only made sense.

You eagerly headed to the door, knocking gently before hearing an uninterested ‘enter’.

“Sorry for disturbing you Professor Ahn, but I was hoping I could do the retest to-“ You froze.

Professor Ahn and Mark’s eyes left the test and answer sheets around them to stare at you. During her first free period, over sixty students came, leaving your professor overwhelmed at how much grading she’d have to do if she waited until the last minute, her first instinct was to call her TA in for help which he easily accepted, knowing that missing one class wouldn’t hurt him. So the two sat in the once comfortable silence, grading roughly thirty test each. You thought you had it all figured out but didn’t plan for a random setback like this, and neither did Mark, his eyes boring into yours despite you trying to avoid his gaze.

“You were planning to do the retest, (Y/n)?” Professor Ahn spoke up, dropping her red pen and searching for a clean copy of the test from the folder next to her, your eyes widening as you frantically shook your head.

“No! No, it was nothing. I’m sorry for stopping by like this.” You said, preparing to leave but the call of your name from an eerily calm source made you stop, an inaudible whimper leaving you as you turned back to your boyfriend, a seemingly sweet but truly sinister smile on his lips.

“I’ll see you tonight, okay?”

You were fucked, pun intended.

[razorblade180]

Twin Snowflakes pt16:Royal Court

Flynt:Well look who it is!? Wasn’t expecting to be sent back to the past like this.

Veronica:Nice to see you too Mr. Smooth Criminal.

Flynt:I see your mom gave you her wittiness too.

Veronica:Hardly. If you hear me crack a pun then check to see if I have the flu or something.

Flynt:I meant Blake.

Veronica:Oh…not, not sure how I should take that.

Flynt:Don’t think about it too much. So you’re here to help set everything up? Well we sure don’t mind all the extra hands; more helpers mean more time for everyone to rest. Unless you’re a crazy person who doesn’t know how to rest.

Nick:Gee I didn’t realize Atlas became Shade. Always picking on me for the little things.

Flynt:All in good fun. Well Veronica, glad to have you. I won’t lie to you and say our school holds the most welcoming environment despite their reasons for being here, so don’t hesitate to come get me if anything serious happens.

Veronica:Thanks for the offer but I know how to handle myself and a few close minded simpletons.

Flynt:Somehow I have no doubt about that.

He grabbed a pin that said committee on his desk and put it on her shirt. Veronica bowed slightly before taking her leave. It was always interesting for Nick seeing the girl be so polite. The way she could flip between her manners with anyone so fast was always something she was good at. He once saw her go from shaking a man’s hand to punching them in the face in the blink of an eye.

Flynt:Is your sister here today?

Nick:I’ll hunt her down if she isn’t, why?

Flynt:Only asking. I know I tell you to let others handle their own workload but I advise you to keep an eye on Veronica just in case.

Nick:Trust me, Veronica might have a temper but she typically thinks things through; the school won’t get a bad-

Flynt:I don’t care about this place’s reputations, or my position for that matter. Your friend just looks like she’s nearing the end of her rope.

Nick:Really? What gives you that vibe?

Flynt:When you partner up with a cat faunus, you learn a thing or two. As far as tails go, it usually isn't good when they’re wrapped around the waist and all tense; almost like she’s hugging or bracing herself.

Nick:When does Neon do it.

Flynt:When she’s being defensive. Keep in mind I could be entirely wrong in Veronica’s case though. Just something to be aware of.

Nick:Hmm interesting. Thanks for the heads up.

Nicholas gave his principal a wave before heading out, his words taken to heart. ‘Maybe Yang was right to worry?’ He chewed on his bottom lip as he slowly caught up to the girl. ‘Right or wrong, getting her to eat couldn’t hurt.’

Nick:You know I think breakfast is still being served. I’m pretty hungry after looking for you and I bet running on rooftops made you peckish. Wanna grab a bite really quick? The school’s chicken bisc-

Veronica:Not interested, sorry. I would rather find where I’ll be working.

Nick: ‘Too direct’ Lunch isn’t for awhile. Working on an empty stomach-

Veronica stopped and opened her bag. Nick looked in it and saw several fruits and what was probably protein bars. He’d be impressed if prior knowledge didn’t make this seem like a yellow flag at best.

Veronica zipped back up her bag and continued walking, now a little faster. Her focus was derailed by Nick grabbing her wrist and making her jolt, spooking both of them. He didn’t comment on it and started guiding her down a different hallway.

Nick:You’re walking as if you know where to go. For future reference, wooden doors are regular classes and school stuff. Metal doors are combat related. You’ll work in the student council room; the creative arts hallway is to the right of it. They have plenty of time between classes for you to get whatever you need.

Veronica:Alright, easy enough to remember.

Nick:Fill free to explore the school if you want but don’t interrupt any classes and a lunch monitor will probably get on you if you go in there during different blocks.Summer has lunch at noon.

Veronica:And why would that matter to me?

Nick:So you don’t bump into her on accident, or if you need her for whatever reason. Do not, and I repeat, do not give her a hard time. She already hates school enough.

Veronica:Relax, I’ll play nice. Don’t expect me to sit with her at lunch or anything. That lunch room is probably loud as hell.

Nick:Summer eats on the roof, or the nurses office. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen her at a lunch table. Then again, I don’t spend a lot of time there either.

For some reason that was interesting to learn. Veronica was sure those two would have taken the time to eat with each other or be around peers; even if it was for show. Nick seemed like he’d use lunch for studying so she guessed it wasn’t that surprising. ‘Knowing Summer she would go there if you did.’ Veronica thought.

They finally reached the committee room. Nick grabbed the door knob but didn’t get the chance to twist it before it already swung open with Eliza on the other side.

Eliza:I swear if this boiler room doesn’t get its shit togeth-

Nick:....Uh, hey. Busy morning?

Eliza:You would know if you got here early like the president this school believes you to be!

Nick:One, I’m usually here thirty minutes prior so don’t come at me. Two, a hello would be nice. Finally, the boiler room messing up again?

Eliza:One, hello. Two, I’m here an hour early, three, yes it’s taking too long to warm certain things if at all. Finally, where’s the person who knows how to fix it?

Nick:Haven’t seen Valerie and you definitely know I haven’t seen Winchester, that’s your headache.

Eliza:Ugh, I guess I’ll cheat and warm it up myself.

Nick:Don’t blow us up…

Eliza:Shut up, unlike you I’m cautious. Might’ve come in handy against that Paladin.

Nick:Like you would’ve said yes if I asked.

Eliza:Who knows? If you got on your knees I might’ve said yes instantly. Guess we’ll never know; why aren’t you in home room ?

Nick:Last time I checked, you want to be kept in the loop from now on. We have another person helping starting today.

Eliza directed her attention to Veronica and looked her up and down before looking at Nick annoyed.

Nick:Problem?

Eliza:Yeah, I would’ve called a short meeting if I had known earlier. Being kept in the loop doesn’t mean telling me something last second.

Veronica:This was a last second decision. Lucky me because I hate meetings. I’m-

Eliza:I know who you are Veronica Belladonna; I’ve read about you quite a bit actually. Quite a shame your work doesn’t have much to show for it.

Veronica:I could say the same thing about your tournament rankings. Third place gets such a tiny font in the papers.

Eliza:Hmph, kitty has claws alright. Looking forward to seeing what you contribute. Nick looks confident in you so I’m sure it’ll be fruitful. There’s a list of things that need to be done inside the room already. Don’t hesitate to make my life easier.

Eliza shot Nick a cold look as she walked out slowly. Nick couldn’t help but notice the girls slightly sluggish movements.

Veronica:I don’t like her.

Nick:You don’t like most people so what’s new? Eliza is a hard ass but she’s a good person. Definitely reliable, so don’t piss her off. She’s already gunning for me at the tournament and I don’t need anger behind her hits.

Veronica:This list of people I have to be chummy with is getting too long for my taste.

Nick:Vee, I’ve only named three people. Three good people at that. Well...two and a half. Anyways I gotta get to class so you’re on your own for now.

Veronica:Have fun with that. Don’t be surprised if I’m running this entire place by the end of the day.

Nick:That would mean dethroning me, a tall order.

Veronica:Who says we can’t rule together? You know, as king and queen?

A blush spread across his face before he heard Veronica chuckle, only making him redder. Nick turned away in embarrassment and headed to class. It never took much to get him flustered. Veronica felt a little bad; it was something his classmates probably didn’t know.

‘Try all you want Nick,I won’t let you keep your cool.’ Veronica thought, still chuckling to herself. She would’ve continued to do so if the bell didn’t snap her out of it and hurt her ears. “That’s gonna take some getting used to.

Vee went ahead inside the student council room. It was surprisingly spacious and barren. Mostly tables lined around it and a giant blackboard filled with words. Papers were spread around the desks. ‘Wow, disorganized much?’ She took a deep whiff of all the different scents in the room, recognizing a few.

Her eyes scanned the desks. ‘Nick, Valerie, Eliza, even Summer, and several more.’ One paper caught her nose in particular. ‘It wouldn’t be unusual for all the members to have held the list. So...this one?’ She picked up a thin stack that was stapled together. Bingo, the nose always knows.

Venue, light arrangement, stage size, schedule events, all of it was laid out in detail; even down to the estimated budget. One page was a map of the layout which really helped? But something was off. All of this might’ve been planned out it seemed...conceptual. Scatterbrained even. Like all the thoughts were together but going in different directions at the same time.

‘The room isn’t the only thing disorganized it looks like. This list is like a buffet when it should be a potluck. Divide the work, make sure there’s no repeats or clashing themes. If the fights are the main course…’ Veronica took a seat and grabbed a pencil along with fresh paper. ‘Then let’s make sure to give the people plenty of complimenting sides and palate cleanser.’

xxxx

“That's all you can do! Talk about slow!” Valerie shouted with gusto, her hands juggling her tomahawks in the middle of the arena ring.

“Shut up!” Cried her sword wielding opponent. They charged forward with their sword at the ready.

Valerie made no attempt to stop her juggling. Her eyes pierced right into her foe’s as they prepared for a thrust. Valerie shook her head in disappointment. “Sloppy”

The words reached the student and a dark blue glow washed over them. Suddenly their muscles felt heavy, air felt stingy, and their balance was off. The steel sword tipped too far forward and made them stumble, their body stopping at the perfect distance to receive a powerful roundhouse kick to the face that sent them flying out of the ring.

A buzzer rang right after and Valerie finally let her weapons hit the ground as she walked to the edge to see Harriet helping the dazed student.

Valerie:Their jaw okay?

Harriet:If you have to ask then that means you knew you were being too rough. You get a B- Valerie. Please remember restraint. Your semblance and strength can really hurt someone.

Valerie:Sorry…

Harriet:Don’t be sorry, be careful.

That was a line Valerie was familiar with. She watched Harriet help the student to their feet and guided them to the changing room before turning to the rest of the class.

Harriet:Well then, I say that’s enough for practical fights. Unless we have any volunteers, Summer?

Summer: Y-Yes!? I mean no! No, I’m fine. Training is all...covered and stuff.

Harriet:Fine then. Okay everyone knows the drill. Five laps around the track and then you are free from my charming voice. *claps hands* hop to it!

A collective groan came from the class before they started walking to the door. Summer waited for others to be ahead of her like usual and waited for Valerie to catch up.

Valerie:Enjoy the show?

Summer:Eh, felt like a rerun of most of your matches.

Valerie:What can I say? Being this good means I’m always a safe bet princess.

Summer:You won’t be if you call me that again.

Valerie:Ooo feisty today.

Harriet:You’re one to talk. *folds arms* Valerie, thirteen laps for you.

Valerie:What!? But I hate cardio!

Harriet:Good, I’m sure whatever aggression you have will burnout; Summer you have seven. A warning for all your absences.

Summer:Fair, but literally the day after? We’re still sore.

Harriet:Physically or mentally? Just kidding, I know it’s both. Now go before I add more laps.

Summer and Valerie:Yes ma’am…*runs off*

Harriet:Teenagers…

Valerie:Man this sucks! So I hit a little harder than I meant to, so what?

Summer:You’re gonna run out of breath before you start your laps.

Valerie:Maybe then I won’t overlap you.

Summer:Please, you’d need time dilation to do that with your speed. I’ll call you if I need to move some furniture, you lumberjack.

Valerie:Ouch, feisty. Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?

Summer:No, but obviously you did. Seeing you in my bus seat this morning was pretty unexpected.

Valerie:Too sore to swallow. I figured-

Summer:That you wanted distance from Nick?

A pit in Valerie’s stomach dropped like a weight. She looked towards Summer to see neutral eyes examine her in great detail. She wondered what exactly it was that Summer was looking at. Color, sweat, hidden guilt, or fear?

Summer:Did you tell him about the bus? Actually, not fair, I don’t wanna know that. What I should be asking is...no, not that either. Sorry, I probably sound like I’m spouting craziness. What I’m getting at is I’m upset too, about my performance during the exam.

Valerie:You tr-

Summer:I swear if you say I tried my best then I’ll scream.

Valerie:....Sorry. You’re wrong though, about me being upset. Frankly I don’t know exactly what I’m feeling. Anxious, embarrassed maybe? I just know I don’t really want to deal with Nick right now. Nothing personal, honestly.

Summer:No offense but it’s entirely personal. I’m not gonna blame you for wanting alone time. Nick and his overwhelming nature is...overwhelming. Always butting in, worrying about everyone but himself and-

Valerie:Being absolutely sweet? It’s all out of kindness; which I don’t necessarily know if it makes it better. I think it does anyways.

Her eyes seemed to drift off thinking about it. He really was always there for anything. Good or bad, Valerie would see the idiot next to her. It was genuinely comforting, and scary. Scary for reasons that for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out.

She was thankful when Summer touched her arm and dispelled the mix of conflicting emotions. Val shook her head and cleared her throat.

Valerie:Enough about Nick! Let’s talk about something more progressive, like how to delete a video the entire school has seen.

Summer:No amount of money or power will erase it. Eliza really screwed us on this one.

Valerie:Wait, what!?

Summer:She’s the one who recorded the quality video. Not out of malice or anything but-

Valerie:I’m gonna fight her…

Summer:Ignoring me? That’s cool too.

Valerie:Oh I heard you, still pissed!

Summer:What happened to not being pissed?

Valerie:Okay, so I’m a little pissed. Ugh! Of all people. I hope she makes it far in the tournament. I don’t think I can take any more nosy people.

Summer:(Should I mention Veronica?)

Valerie:*cracking knuckles* I’m fired up now!

Summer:(Nope) Cool, start running then. Think of it as a head start.

Valerie:Fine, but if I finish my laps before you then I think that’s worth some sort of prize. Let’s say...a movie, just the two of us?

Summer:Hmmm, no deal. I sort of have this thing where I don’t go on dates with my brother’s crushes.

Valerie:We don’t have to call it a date. It would be two friends hanging out like buds.

Summer:.....

Valerie:Yeah, I didn’t believe myself either. Come on, what’s wrong with one simple date?

Summer:Nothing, if it were simple. One of these days you’ll figure it out.

Valerie:Figure what out?

Summer:Finish your laps first and I might tell you, if you beat me that is.

Valerie:You’re on!

Summer makes no effort to start running as Valerie takes off with renewed determination. No doubt it will carry her for at least three laps. Win or lose, Summer planned to keep her mouth shut. There were certain things that should be learned in time, instead of told outright. She had faith in Valerie.

Either way it would take time, almost like a cheesy romance novel. Slow burns never interested Summer. There was always a person who crossed a line. Good thing Nick and Valerie were way too smart to do anything that would endanger their friendship, right?

xxxx

Time seemed to be moving at a snail's pace today. At least it was for Veronica anyways. There was a small stack of paper near her now. Each one filled with edits that reorganized all the organized chaos from the council. ‘I hate to admit it, but this Eliza check really puts in work. They all do in some way; Valerie might look dense and lazy but I shouldn’t be surprised that she can handle work. Can’t say much for her creativity though. Still, Nick seems to stand above it all. Just like him to try without showing it. Tiny notes that build upon the others.’

Veronica grabbed the next sheet of paper and kept her pace. This was far easier than designing clothes. It was almost therapeutic in a way. The only thing that was distracting her from her growing agitation. Snacks, all gone. Hunger? So intense that it hurt everywhere. Bones, eyes, nerves, all of it. She wasn’t used to this pain, and she doubted she ever would be.

Calmly she felt her stomach grumble against her nails; which threatened to sharpen. It wouldn’t surprise her if her eyes looked more cat like right now. A wiser Veronica would’ve binged at a buffet before visiting Atlas. She could usually go longer without caving; maybe it was the boat ride? Veronica knew for a fact any instinctual push could potentially set her off. Too late for regrets. No way would she let people see her go feral. Not when they were already talking…

“Did you see that girl with Nick today? Haven’t seen her before.” Said someone in the hall. “You think that girl is rich or something? A girl said in a classroom. “Ha! How rich could a faunus get!?”

The chatter kept coming from every direction.

“That girl is pretty smoking.”

“Jungle fever much?”

“You know what they say about faunus girls.”

“Probably a charity project.”

“Never seen ears and a tail at once.”

“I think she’s ugly honestly”

“Pretty, for a faunus.”

“I think she’s a halfbreed.”

“Freak….”

Her pencil snapped. She basically shattered it to gain some sort of control, ignoring the splinters yet accepting the pain in full force as she kept her fist clenched tight. Veronica wished folding her ears down could be enough, that if she covered them tight she could finally get some quiet; that would be wishful thinking. Tactics like those never worked.

‘Different place, same people. So do what you were told Veronica.’ She told herself. A deep breath in, then out. Letting her eyes close and focus on the only thing that mattered. Herself. Her thoughts and opinions; long flowing hair, sun tanned skin, ears, tail, blood…

All little things that made her up she thought were just fine; not perfect, but not flawed either. They were simply her and that was glorious. As long as she believed that, as long as the people who mattered believed it, then who gives a fuck about what’s said outside?

“Hey princess, come to grace us with your presence?” Veronica heard, from what could possibly be the fakest happy voice in existence. accompanied by the frailest one she’s heard all her life.

xxxx

Summer:Ple-please le-leave-ah!

An arm brushes pass her head and slams into a locker directly behind her. Summer clenches her belongings close to her chest and stares up into the taller girl's brown eyes. Dark brown hair and brown skin really made her stand our. No doubt a cheerleader or head of a club. Combat school or not, beauty was the law of the land to an extent.

A small crowd started forming around them in curiosity because of the noise.

Jordan:What, Princess? Am I not worth your time? I just wanna catch up.

Summer:You’re...causing a scene.

Jordan:That a problem? Don’t you like all that attention and limelight; the personal benefits that somehow let you float above it all?

The girl put her fingers through Summer’s hair. Her eyes drilling into the girl with obvious hostile intent.

Jordan:You know, I’m getting really sick and tired of being overshadowed by someone who never lifts a finger. I miss a day and there’s hell to pay. You miss weeks before and yet your grades stay the same. What, got that fine brother of yours bending over backwards?

Summer:What? No I-

Jordan:I was really hoping you’d get what was coming to you yesterday but of course not. I will say it is hilarious letting people see how frail and useless you are. Maybe if you spent more time eating a sandwich instead of trying to do something with that useless voice of yours…

That insult hit a special spot.

Jordan:Then maybe you wouldn’t be such a lightweight. At least you finally know how to dress yourself. A blow to the head must’ve knocked some sense into you. Doesn’t change the fact you still have all those hideous scars. I bet your fans would love to see-

It was sudden, almost instantaneous. The girl had gone from trash talking one minute, then to holding her wrist right after a loud smack from another hand had invaded Summer and Jordan’s delightful conversation. Summer hadn’t even realized Veronica was watching, let alone standing next to her currently.

Murmurs started to grow louder as the students stared at this unfamiliar faunus that stood confidently, hands on her hips and a look that could kill. Veronica paid no attention to them or Summer for that matter. Instead she had her attention on the bully. A thin red whelp on the girl’s wrist made Veronica silently say “shit” to herself. Her nails must’ve grazed the skin; a genuine mistake.

She was already questioning why she showed up here in the first place. A fight was the last thing she needed or attention. So why intervene? Why prevent Summer from turning on the water works? Easy answer, basic people pissed her off

Veronica:Ever heard of personal space? I thought all Atlesians knew basic etiquette but apparently not.

Jordan:Umm who the hell are you supposed to be?

Veronica:It’s not polite to ask others their name without introducing yourself either, but I guess anyone would want to know the name of a person that threatens them. Then again, a school like this would be diligent in political topics.

Summer:You think the majority of kids here pay attention to the news or the bad part of history?

Veronica:I guess this is what passes for elite around here. How disappointing.

Jordan:Listen, apparently you don’t know things work around here new girl but I’m-

Veronica:Completely irrelevant to me, an afterthought when this is all over. I don’t know how popular you might be or who you might know. Keeping shooting your mouth off and this headache of mine isn’t going to go away. Find something more productive to do than play bully.

Jordan:Ha, so that’s what this is about!? Didn’t realize that good for nothing princess had any friends besides that idiot sports jockey.

Veronica:Please, I wouldn’t be this child’s friend even if she paid me. Her crying hurts my ears almost as much as your prissy voice.

‘Oooos’ came from the crowd of people. It didn’t matter what school you went to, kids craved this kind of back talk. Summer wasn’t sure how things suddenly got so hostile, but that jab at her irritated her.

Summer:Yeah well why would I ever want a friend like you?

Veronica:Crippling loneliness.

Summer:Oh, so I would have to be desperate? That sounds about right.

Veronica:Go jump in front of another robot arm or something, the big kids are talking. Or I’m talking, this chick is pouting.

Jordan:I will not be talked to like this! Not by some...some…

Veronica:Say it, call me anything that has to do with being a faunus and see how far it gets you.

Jordan:A flea bag like you doesn’t scare me you bitch.

Summer:Hey! D-

Jordan:Excuse you, why are you even talking still, or even here!? Do us all a favor and fucking disappear like the nothing you are. I mean honestly, why the hell are you even alive?

The crowd went absolutely silent, all eyes went on Summer. Her heartbeat felt like it nearly stopped entirely. Feeling small was something she was used to. Jordan hadn’t said anything Summer didn’t think of before and yet right now, in this moment, Summer felt like she had been shot right in the heart.

Why? Why couldn’t she say anything back? What made all these eyes so terrifying? The eyes that no doubt saw her on stage before where they didn’t mean a thing. The eyes that most likely laughed when they saw that stupid video. Summer could feel herself choking up and bit her lip.

‘Something, do something damnit! Anything is better than nothing!’ Her chest felt like fire and Jordan smiled as she knew what would happen next, only making Summer angrier. ‘Do anything but cry! Just-’

Her screaming thoughts were suddenly halted by the sting of Veronica flicking her arm. Her face showed severe annoyance at Summer.

Veronica:So what, you can fight with me all day but do nothing here? Could it be...you think I’m somehow beneath her!? The hell is up with that?

Jordan:The fact that you don’t realize that proves just how delusional-

Summer:Please, you’re way more insufferable Veronica. Jordan might as well be an ant with how basic she is- *covers mouth*

More “oooos” came from people chattering. That might’ve been the first time her classmates heard her say anything so...so rude. Jordan grit her teeth and clenched her first, definitely uncharted territory for Summer.

It might’ve been a good idea to leave, hell, maybe even apologize just to prevent further trouble, but the look Veronica gave her made it clear that wasn’t a choice. Not only wasn’t it smug, it pissed Summer off a little. Like hell she’d back down now!

Summer:I mean just look at her, all looks with no substance.

Veronica:I bet this bitch thinks she’s so smart. At least compared to you.

Summer:Hell no! I can sleep through half a test and still be ahead of her with her with how bad her grades are.

Veronica:Oh so she’s trying to get by on her looks? How pathetic.

Summer:Looks she bought too, or I should say her parents bought.

Jordan:Says who!?

Summer:You think no one would notice last year when you came back from spring break with a new nose? Or were you thinking everyone would focus on the boob job? Puberty doesn’t do all that in two weeks so you either found the gods, a ton of surgeons, or a godlike surgeon.

Jordan:*red* Like you’re one to talk about looks. Upset no amount of money could remove those hideous-

Veronica:So you admit to the surgery?

Jordan:Shut up bimbo!

Veronica:That sounds like hater talk.

Summer:Yeah at least Veronica is a natural beauty. I might wear a smidge of concealer but that’s nothing compared to you. Boring...

Veronica:You hate to see it, basic. Do you even fight? I don’t think I’ve ever read the name Jordan on any scoreboards. If pretty is your only trick then get a new one.

Jordan:Like someone like you is any better! Fighting or otherwise I bet I could-

“Lose.” A voice came from around the corner. Everyone turned their head to see Valerie still in her P.E. uniform and a little sweaty.

Her eyes focused on Veronica and immediately she was happy that running made her too tired to fight. That didn’t curve her attitude however, but it looked like that there was more than one annoying problem in this hallway.

Valerie:You’d lose Jordan. To me, to Summer, and most definitely Veronica Belladonna.

Veronica:Way to ruin my fun. I barely meet people stupid enough to be so racist to my face. It’s usually when they think I can’t hear them.

Multiple faces in the crowd looked a little uncomfortable after that statement.

Summer:Finish your laps finally?

Valerie:Hardy har. So, care to explain why not one but two insufferable bitches are causing a scene.

Veronica: “That bitch” you could at least calm me that instead of comparing me to that loser. Also shouldn’t you be showering, or home? You smell like the entire football team.

Valerie:Shouldn’t you be oceans away!? Why-

Veronica:*points to pin* Apparently the great kingdom of Atlas can’t organize events without spreading themselves too thin. I’m catching your slack. Nick is very grateful about it.

That sure ticked Valerie off. Maybe she wasn’t as tired as she thought. Veronica’s face was looking pretty punchable right now.

Valerie:Well good on you, being his little errand girl must make you feel like a winner huh?

Veronica:Keep talking shit and people won’t have to wait for a tournament to see you knocked on your ass.

Jordan:Umm-

“Shut up!” All three said sternly. Clearly Jordan had become nothing more than an afterthought. The crowd didn’t care who fought. Action was all that mattered.

Valerie wasn’t afraid to step up until her and Veronica were centimeters apart. Veronica showed no fear despite being the shorter girl. Giving into the impulse would be so easy right now. So...gratifying. Like an apex humbling what they saw as a beta. Veronica clenched her fist.

“HEY!” Another voice shouted, cutting through all the hostility of the hallway. The crowd split in half to show Eliza. Everyone could see embers and sparks twinkle around the girl, a clear sign she was ready to break up this altercation.

Eliza:Get.To.Class….or do you want to learn the difference between lightning dust and the real deal?

The crowd didn’t need to be told twice and scattered, even Jordan left. Valerie was given a dirty look that made her step away from Veronica while Summer found the nerve to the wall between Eliza and the other two.

Summer:Sorry! Things got out of hand because of me. I-

Eliza:I highly doubt that. Even if it’s true, our Vice President should learn how to keep the peace. And I expect a guest at our school to not cause any agitation in this already aggressive hornets nest.

Valerie:Pfft, she might as well be a baseball bat.

Veronica:I’ll swing a baseball bat upside your-

Eliza:Do you really want to keep arguing in front of me!? I swear if you three weren’t-ugh! Val, hit the showers. Summer if you aren’t going to lunch then I suggest you go over the numbers we need for the tournament.

Summer:I did that already.

Eliza:Yeah well I just went to our room and our guest has been reworking things so I would like our treasure to double check her work. It’s your money after all.

Summer:Alr-

Veronica:Ahem! aren’t you forgetting something?

Summer:...Right, I’ll get on that Eliza. Right after I get lunch, with milk.

Eliza:Ummm okay? As for you Ms. Belladonna… I’ll overlook this but remember Nick will be held somewhat accountable for everything you do. Good and bad, understand?

Veronica:..Crystal. And can you not call me that?

Eliza:As you wish. Now if you excuse me, I have practice to attend to.

As quickly as she showed up, Eliza left and took Valerie with her. Veronica let out a deep breath before turning to see Summer still standing around and looking right at her. All she could manage to do was give an awkward nod before heading to lunch. Obviously she wanted to say something but for some reason decided against it. A wise decision.

Veronica looked at the cuts in her own hands from clenching her fists to tight, her heart still pounding. Man, she really wanted a burger right now. Anything to sink her teeth in.

Part 15

[i4z-0892-il]

Monster House 4

Summary: Posing as Newlyweds Sam and Y/n set out to investigate what’s killing the visitors of a secluded Inn, and attempt to keep their working relationship professional.

Pairing: Sam x Reader

Word count: 4561

Warnings: NSFW, 18+ Only, suggestive themes, language

A/N:  TROPES. HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY MY LOVES!!!

Buy Sam’s Scent Here from @scentsfromthebunker (And damn does it smell goooooood)

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Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4

Removing the holster and your gun from your thigh you reluctantly handed it back to Sam who tucked the small arsenal he brought into his backpack. The Inn was less than a quarter mile away, and you’d made it back to the main path, there was no point staying strapped.The venture was frustrating in that it had turned up virtually nothing. Maybe you should have decided to try to follow the guy you’d heard. He couldn’t have gone far when you left the cabin. But it was getting dark, and you’d rather shoot yourself in the foot than stay in those woods after nightfall. The wilderness felt the same as the woods from your childhood, and you’d learned your lesson then.  You weren’t taking chances now. Not when you were basically flying blind. No amount of money could have kept you out there.

Sam backed up your play to regroup, try again tomorrow when you had all day to traipse around the woods. Though it was quite possible the only reason he backed you up on the choice was because you were most definitely a little freaked. A little more freaked than usual on hunts. Thinking about it he’d only ever seen you downright skittish a handful of times. It was always in the woods. Previously he made it out to be a fear of Wendigo’s which was more than justified, now he wasn’t as convinced.

However the closer you got to the Inn the less thrilled you were to be back and out of the cold. The ping-pong of not wanting to be inside the Inn that was creepy, and filled with weirdly flirtatious staff where you were expected to participate in some dumb fucking class, but also not wanting to stay in the living, breathing, threatening woods was simply frustrating. Much like earlier at check-in Sam found himself practically pushing you through the door again. Usually you didn’t have this problem, you were a hunter, you were supposed to be brave and fearless and not a giant ball of knotted up anxiousness. But you just couldn’t shake it, whatever it was. There was a looming shadow that was screaming at you from the back of your mind to stay alert. Your instincts were telling you run, run very far away and not to come back.

Once Sam had successfully shoved you inside you allowed yourself to relax a little. It was nice and warm, there was a fire going in the massive fireplace in the parlor making everything cozy and less intimidating. Not to mention the fact that a certain Raven-Haired Aphrodite wasn’t fawning all over Sam, and giving you the stink-eye. It wasn’t as if you didn’t know that you had very little room with which to marinate in your distaste. And if Sam wanted to go for that petite little thing- well who the fuck could blame him? Hell, you kinda wanted to. If you weren’t so threatened and envious of her you might! But that was simply not going to happen, you couldn’t help it. Ugh! The way she was looking at him like she could just eat him alive made you want to puke.  That coupled with the fact that she didn’t acknowledge your presence in the slightest, and when she did- if looks could kill you’d have been dead as a doornail. Sorry, is his wife getting in the way of your unabashed advances, Esmeralda? Fake wife. But she didn’t know that!

It was a thin little line you were walking, and you could only imagine that the longer time you spent at the Inn where Esmeralda had the opportunity to cling to Sam the harder it would be to walk that line. You were not a jealous, possessive woman, and Sam being the grown, free man he was had every right to do as he pleased, and you’d just have to deal with it. Buuuuttttt, you were also playing Mrs. to his Mr. which granted you a little room to push back, and claim your territory. But how much is too much? Letting him in on the fact that you really were seething with disdain for her and for not so unbiased reasons was simply out of the question. This was just another job, and you’d have to just keep reminding yourself of that. The circumstances of your relationship- friendship- working professional partnership had not, and would not change. So just get it out of your head already.

Chattering from the parlor caught your attention, as Sam passed you by to head up to the room. When he realized you weren’t following him he turned on heel. You were focused on making out the noise coming from the other room, and rather than interrupt you he took the moment to take you in. He’d met many beautiful women in the past, but you were simply stunning. All he wanted to do when he was around you was drink in your image, and watch your every move. No one would call you dainty, or elegant, you were uncoordinated and clumsy half of the time. But then there would be those moments that he couldn’t get enough of.  Where it was just the little things about you that were the source of the fluttering in his chest. The graceful bend of your wrist as you turned the pages of a book, and how soft your skin was even though it should have been calloused and hardened like his. The way you never seemed to be able to sit in a chair the right way, legs tucked under you or slung over the arm allowing him to appreciate the long length of them. Or when loose strands of soft hair would hang in your face begging him to push it behind your ear. How your lips curled into that playful smile that made him weak in the knees. Moreso when you’d get so caught up in your hysterics that an unflattering snort would choke you, making you lose it even more. And the crinkle at the corners of your eyes when you smiled. Your eyes, so intense and mischievous, sparkling like jewels in the light. Even the way you’d chew on your fingernails, or tap them on any surface when you were nervous, left him in awe. He could watch you move, just do any random thing, for all time and it wouldn’t be long enough.

Clearing his throat he brought your attention back to him. “You coming?”

“Yeah.” You answered aloof, turning your head back to the parlor, not quite ready to move yet. “Yeah, I’ll be up in a minute. You go, I’ll catch up.”

There wasn’t much opportunity for him to answer, your focus had shifted again. For as scatterbrained as you could be you also possessed an unparalleled ability to hyperfocus when you wanted to. Guessing this was one of those times he continued up the stairs to the room, leaving you to investigate whatever had captured your attention so hard.

Stopping at the entrance to the parlor you stayed out of sight behind the wall, you couldn’t make out what they were saying, but you were hoping if you listened intently enough you could pick up your Mystery Voice from the cabin. Two men were in there but neither of them sounded like your person of interest. And they were talking about the best year for scotch, which was something you couldn’t believe was an actual topic of conversation. A sudden tap on your shoulder jolted you back to your surroundings where you jumped with a surprised yelp. Snapping your head to the source and clutching at your chest, wide eyes landed on Derek.

“You almost gave me a heart attack!” An exaggerated sigh followed by an exasperated laugh passed your lips. He laughed with you, his hands in the air allowing you to catch your breath.

“I’m sorry Mrs. Wesson, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Don’t worry about it. Nothing like a good scare to let you know you’re alive.” You quipped. He gave you a kind smile, his eyes searching your face as if you were the most rare creature he’d ever laid eyes on, like he would scare you away if he moved too quickly. Not that you minded being ogled occasionally, but he was not being at all subtle about the eyefucking he was giving you.

“Were you waiting for Mr. Wesson?”

“No, he went up to the room to freshen up I think. We just got back from a hike, and I’m sure I could use a shower myself.” You answered with a short laugh, looking for an escape route.

“I understand. Have you been given a tour of the grounds yet?”

“Uuuhhh no, but I saw the layout online when we were deciding on where to go”

“I see, well I can assure you, the pictures online hardly do this place justice. Allow me the pleasure of showing you around?” He asked with another kind smile, misty green eyes practically begging you to just say yes. Damn, he really was handsome, and that tailored burgundy suit looked mighty fine on him too. Now you might should have declined his offer, but there was an opportunity there. He’d show you around, get the lay of the land, and you could ask him about the odd going’s-on about the Inn he helped to run.

So you put on a sweet, playful smile and agreed. “You know, I would love a tour.”

Elated he held out an elbow for you to take, like a tried and true gentleman, and you obliged by wrapping your fingers around a surprisingly firm bicep. Careful Y/n, you are supposed to be married. Derek escorted you room to open room giving a brief history of the place. None of the details were of much interest, but he talked with so much passion that you would have felt terrible about interrupting him to ask about the dead bodies being found.

The final room at the Inn was the ballroom. The place had a fucking ballroom. Of course it did. You probably shouldn’t have expected otherwise given the fact that this place was old and built by some filthy rich family. Even still you found yourself in awe, the ornate carvings in the wood, and crystal chandeliers was enough to make you speechless. The building was unsettling enough but damn if it was not impressive. And impressed you were, gold filigree inlay, and immaculate paintings in the panels of the curved ceiling, left you breathless. It was truly beautiful. You weren’t aware that your mouth had fallen into an ‘o’ until Derek spoke up and pulled you out of your enchanted trance.

“A sight to behold, I know. Mr. Wellington truly spared no expense. He used to throw very lavish parties for only the most elite of the elite, or if you were very beautiful. The Gala he threw for his Wedding Anniversary to his wife was the event of the season.” Derek said, turning his eyes to you as he finished his sentence.

“I’m sure it was quite the party.” Dropping your hand from his arm you stepped into the room that was much bigger than you could have anticipated to look around. Each eye catching detail more precise and intricate than the last.

“It was, people would come from all over the country, if they were invited. It was a very exclusive and highly revered event. We carry on the tradition still today.”

“Really? You host a massive party for the 1%?” You asked, your tone a little flatter than you had intended, but it pulled a chuckle from him.

“Yes and no. It’s no longer a gathering of only the most prestigious of people, but it is still a very large event. Though I can’t lie and say that some very high-profile people attend every year. You will be there won’t you?” He implored, and you snorted.

“Well, Derek, I’m flattered. But my invitation must have gotten lost in the mail.”

“Au contraire, no invitation necessary, and it’s on Thursday.” He stated matter-of-factly. You smiled with an understanding, albeit defeated, nod. Of course it was Thursday, this Thursday. It couldn’t have been any other Thursday through the year. Nope. Had to be the most inconvenient timing. Just your luck.

“Ah, so that’s what the Dancing night on the itinerary meant. I’m not much of a dancer, sadly.”

“Oh I don’t believe that at all Mrs. Wesson. I’d be happy to teach you a few steps.”

“Y/n, please. Mrs. Wesson is just a little too formal for my tastes.” You suggested, in truth you just weren’t sure you’d be able to answer to another name as seamlessly as Dean or Sam could. They were pro’s at the whole fake identity thing, and while you certainly weren’t stranger to it yourself, the ‘Mrs.’ part sent you for a loop. It just sounded strange.

“Y/n, what a lovely name. I must warn you, since I seem to have caught you by surprise- it is a formal event. Black tie.” He said before taking your hand and placing it in the crook of his arm continuing the tour through the back and out to the gardens.

Fuck. Black tie? That was going to be a problem, you were going to have to put your hopes into solving the case before then, because there was no way you were cramming yourself in some cocktail dress and high heels. That simply was not going to do. Although the idea of Sam in a tux was not in the slightest off-putting. But then you’d be expected to do Gala things like dancing and mingling and smiling. And none of that sounded like something you’d willingly involve yourself in.  

The fresh floral aroma hit you like a wall the second you stepped into the gardens. Every single plant and topiary was meticulously cared for and it showed. There were flowers you’d never even seen before, big and bright and colorful. A beautiful stone pathway led around the garden to the center where a massive fountain was, filled with Koi fish and lily pads. Large, detailed marble statues were placed strategically about the area, giving the whole place a whimsical and enchanted feel.

“Wow. Mr. Wellington sure liked his plants too, huh?”

“He did, or more Mrs. Wellington did, so he had this constructed for her.” He pointed up to a large set of windows at the center of the Inn. “That was their room there, and he wanted her to be able to wake up to the sight of something beautiful every morning.”

“Well isn’t that just adorable. Giant Anniversary party, a garden dedicated to her, she must have been pretty special.”

“That she was. He loved her deeply. When she died he was so heartbroken he fell into despair and died not long after her. Quite tragic. They watched all five of their children succumb to the plague, before it claimed Mrs. Wellington.” Derek explained.

“Bummer.” You replied. Sam was the empathetic one, you not so much. Not that it wasn’t a sad story, but they were all sad stories. “And Mr. Wellington, he died of the plague too, I read.”

“No. He died of a broken heart.” Derek answered turning icy green eyes to you. It took much effort to control your face, because you could have laughed.

Died of a broken heart. Not that it was unheard of, and you knew full well that it was an actual thing. But it didn’t make it any less silly to think of. Maybe it was just you being callous, or maybe it was because you’d never been in love so you couldn’t imagine what losing someone like that would have felt like. Well, maybe that wasn’t entirely true, but there was no way you’d let yourself admit it, let alone actually feel it.

Having unpacked the weapons he brought on your little hiking trip back in their designated spot Sam was getting a little antsy in the room by himself. Mostly he was just wondering what was taking you so long. Not that he should have been concerned, you were a big girl who knew how to take care of herself. There were many times where you had to split up on a hunt, gathering intel, breaking into evidence lockers and so on, this shouldn’t have been any different. It wasn’t. He just had to reaffirm that point in his head. This was no different than any other hunt you’d been on with him in the past. The cover was the only thing that had changed, and he most certainly wasn’t actually married to you, so he couldn’t have possibly missed your presence.

Pressing an arm against the frame of the window he peered outside, looking down at the sprawling gardens below where he caught sight of you immediately. You were cupping a peach colored rose in your hands, taking a moment to get lost in its fragrance. Watching you pulled a smile to his lips, maybe that’s what you’d have been in another life. A botanist, you had a green thumb based on the little windowsill garden you had growing in your room at the bunker. It was tiny, just a couple of herbs, but they were growing well, and he was impressed. Dean was thrilled because he had fresh spices to cook with. The moment he had to take you in was ruined almost as quickly as it had come when Derek stepped around you offering a plucked Lily.

Biting into his lip he turned away from the window making himself busy his mind on anything else. Literally anything other than the guy who was so obviously interested in his wife. Fake wife. Friend. Business Partner. Frustrated, he ran fingers through his hair and opted to take a shower rather than dwell on the fact that what he wanted from you wasn’t an option on the table. Even if you were in the slightest bit interested in kicking things up a notch there was no justifiable reason why he should. Romance never seemed to work out for him, and the inevitability of failure with you was too high a price to pay. He’d rather have you in his life just as you were than not at all. Either things would go south, or you’d wind up dead. And neither option he could live with.

Settling on that little nugget of fact was harder to digest than maybe it should have been. The heart wants what the heart wants, but he was too logical to cave into that desire. Choosing instead to pine away in silence. Though once alone in the shower with his thoughts the only thing he could think of was you. The length of your body pressed so firmly to his as he had you positioned in that tiny, little crawl-space. The feel of your breasts, warm and soft against his chest through the thin fabric of your barely-there t-shirt. And the arousing friction of your ass unintentionally grinding into his crotch.

An irritated sigh passed his lips as he turned eyes up to the ceiling. Why? Why couldn’t he just will you to the back of his head? Because of how you were perched on his lap, straddling his hip bones like he’d imagined countless times before, grinding, and rocking, and bouncing at that perfect rhythmic pace until you came undone- Baseball. Chess. The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. The average flying velocity of a Swallow. African or European? The capital of Georgia is Atlanta. The capital of Virginia is Richmond. And so on.

The sun was starting to set over the horizon of the Mountains, painting the sky in watercolors of peach and amber and ruby fading into a dark blue at the opposite end of the world. That stupid fucking class was going to be happening soon, and you still needed to get a shower to wash off the grime you’d collected on your hike. No doubts you were pretty ripe, if nothing else you were coated in a fine layer of a billion years worth of dust and dirt. It was time to make your graceful exit.

“So, Derek this little tour has been lovely, and particularly informative. But I should really go shower and get ready for the class tonight. And I’m sure Mr. Wesson is worried that I’ve been gone so long.” You excused yourself with a smile.

“Of course, I didn’t mean to keep you so long. Enjoy your evening, Y/n.” He replied as you backed away giving him a wave of your hand before disappearing inside.

Slipping into the room you kicked your boots carelessly into the corner of the room where the rest of your belongings were and stripped out of the army green jacket you were wearing. Rifling through the drawers of the dresser you pulled out another pair of jeans a clean shirt to wear. This was going to blow. Cooking class. You scoffed thinking about it, this was most assuredly going to end in disaster. Either you were going to light something on fire that should not be on fire, or whatever you managed to make was not going to be edible in the slightest.

The door to the bathroom creaked open and you stood ready for your turn, but Sam stepping out bare save for the towel slung low at his hips and dripping wet made your heart all but stop beating. Little beads of water rolled down the long graceful lines of his throat into his chest hair, and down the length of his stomach to his navel where the thin trail of dark hair led your eyes to the towel covering parts you were most curious about. A whimper caught in the back of your throat as blood rushed to your cheeks. Who gave him the right?

“Hey, find out anything interesting?” He asked, as if he wasn’t standing in front of you mostly naked. As if he wasn’t the most distracting thing you’d ever seen in your life. The only other time you could recall being so flustered you forgot how to word was after a workout, entire body glistening with sweat. You’d never wanted to lick the sweat off of someone’s throat before, so that was a first for you.

“Uh-huh…” You murmured, more than anything in the entire world you wanted to yank that towel away. And you could, all you had to do was just reach out, and grab it.

“Uh-huh? Plan on sharing with the class?” Sam suggested. You’d been staring just a little too long. Blinking back to reality you twisted up your face in apathetic sarcasm.

“Maybe once you put some clothes on.” You scoffed, as you grabbed your things and walked to the bathroom for an ice cold shower. Sam only watched you move about. The shift in your demeanor leaving him vexed, and a little offended. Convincing yourself that you were unbothered by him just standing there, all golden and firm, and damp, begging you to run your fingertips over miles of rolling, taut muscle. Jesus, get a hold of yourself, Y/n. Denial was your only saving grace, and you’d put your faith in the fact that you could just deny everything. That look you were giving him? It��s nothing, you couldn’t care less how naked he was. Why are you blushing? It’s hot in the room! Why are you so flustered? Because!

The water from the shower was ice cold and made you nearly jump out of your skin, but the shock certainly helped to sweep away the filthy thoughts about Sam that were on near constant replay. Honestly, it was just getting to be a tad ridiculous. You didn’t have this problem any other day of the week. Then again any other day of the week you had Dean ever present as a buffer, and a pretty solid cock block.

Every time you got close, like the night you and Sam drank an entire handle of bourbon. There was something in the texts you had in your lap that was just a little too unfamiliar for you to translate, so he leaned over your shoulders to help. Sam’s massive frame enveloping yours and drowning you in the rich smell of him, and the heat that practically vibrated off his body. The sharp line of his jaw tempting you like the mirage of an oasis in a vast desert. It would have taken nothing for you to trace your lips along the column of his throat, and with as much liquid courage as you’d imbibed it was just a matter of time. When he turned those hazel eyes to you, like sunflowers against an overcast sky, all bets were off, and you were ready to take the chance. He didn’t pull away as you leaned in, as if he had been waiting as long as you had.

Then Dean practically kicked in the heavy metal door at the top of the staircase, drunk and belting out lyrics to Walk This Way by Aerosmith. You and Sam separated like repelling magnets, the moment was washed away like it never happened.

Every. Single. Time. It was like he had an uncanny radar for when the two of you inched just a little too close together and he’d pop out of the bushes and absolutely obliterate the mood. More often than not you would be grateful for it. It helped keep things as they should be. Platonic, and professional. No reason to let a drunken mistake change anything.

The difference was that Dean wasn’t around to be neutral zone, and you didn’t have a separate room to retreat to when Sam’s presence was a little too intoxicating. You weren’t even through the first day yet, and already your willpower was faltering.

With a heaving sigh you tightened the towel around your chest and sifted through your clothes only to find your panties not where they should have been. Poking your head out the door you turned eyes to the floor where you might have dropped them.

“Looking for these?” Sam asked, seated at a table in front of one of the windows, your black lacy panties hanging from his fingers. Your whole face burned redhot, as you slipped out of the bathroom and walked over to snatch them from his hand. If he could capture that look on your face on video he’d replay it forever. A sly grin creased the dimple in his cheek as you took back your undergarment and hid away back in the bathroom without so much as a word. The thought to keep your panties had crossed his mind, especially since they were not quite what he had expected. These were sexy and though he had no doubts that no matter your choice of underwear it would be rousing, these were deliberately so. And he wanted you to know that he’d seen them, and held that satiny material in his hands. On the chance that you were wearing them to  appeal to your handsome, newfound friend, Sam wanted you to think of him instead. There was plenty of opportunity for him to pocket them later, after you’d worn them.

Tags-

@heyitscam99

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@alexwinchester23

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@saxxxology

[green-eyeddragonfanfiction]

1940′s Magic

Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier x Nurse!Reader Summary: Bucky takes a hit out in the field and reverts to his suave, lady-killing 1940′s self. As the RN for the team, it’s your job to run the preliminary scans to try and discover what happened. Warnings: None Word Count: ~2,459 A/N: One Shot! IW didn’t happen. We’re ignoring the canon. *plugs fingers in ears* lalalalalala everything is fine lalalalala In case it’s not horribly apparent, I don’t have a medical degree. This is 90% bullshit and 100% fluff. Don’t worry about the math there. I checked it myself.

Masterlist

“Incoming quinjet, Nurse (Y/L/N).”

You glanced up from your small mountain of paperwork, eyes fixed at a random point in the wall. “Wounded, FRI?” you asked the AI, fingers frozen in the middle of writing a sentence.

“That is correct, Nurse (Y/L/N). Your presence will be needed in the medical bay as soon as the plane lands,” FRIDAY informed you in her Irish brogue.

“Got it, FRI. Any details?” you asked, already a whirlwind of activity as you prepped for dealing with any wounded Avengers. They rarely received any injuries that needed more than a few stitches and, because FRIDAY was paging you first, it seemed this time would be no different.

“Captain Rogers received a wound to his arm and Sergeant Barnes has suffered head trauma.”

You frowned up at the ceiling and tried to calm your heart which had sped up at the mention of Bucky. “Head trauma? Shouldn’t we bring Cho in for that?” you asked, already walking briskly towards the med bay. The walk from your small office to the high-tech medical rooms in the Avengers base was thankfully a short one.

“According to Captain Rogers and Agent Romanoff the trauma was not acute enough to warrant bringing in Doctor Cho.”

You rolled your eyes. “I don’t trust those two’s opinions on medical matters. They’re both too stubborn for their own good. I know Steve’s tried to hide a gunshot wound from me more than once and Natasha will try to hide her limp when she’s hurt. Buncha idiots, the lot of ‘em,” you bitched lovingly.

“Yeah, you should try workin’ with ‘em in the field.”

You turned around and smiled widely at Sam. “Hey there, handsome,” you said, winking playfully. “Mission go alright minus Bucky catching fists with his face and Steve doing stupid stuff that gets him hurt?”

Sam nodded, wide toothy smile showing off his adorable gap. “Yeah, we got it done. They’ll be in in a minute. Nat’s makin’ sure Steve can get Bucky here in one piece.”

You frowned, not liking the way he said that. “Why, what’s wrong? Is it the head wound? Should I get Helen?” you asked, trying to keep your calm professional(-ish) attitude even though the thought of Bucky being really hurt sent your mind into overdrive.

Sam threw his hands up helplessly. “Nah, I ain’t dealin’ with this one. I couldn’t explain it if I tried.” Without any further ado he walked past you and towards the elevators.

You had less than a minute to wonder at his words before Steve, Natasha, and Bucky trundled through the double doors, Bucky draped between the two blonds.

You rushed to open the door to the nearest exam room and Natasha gave you a distracted nod of appreciation before she and Steve hauled Bucky bodily into the room.

It was only once you were in the tiny confined space with him that you realized he was talking. A lot.

“That plane was crazy, Stevie! They finally gave us something that doesn’t feel like it’s made out of paper. We’ll blow Hydra’s sorry ass to dust.”

Steve looked even more lost and confused than usual, staring at Bucky helplessly. “Yeah... yeah, Buck...” he murmured quietly.

Bucky frowned and whacked the back of Steve’s chest with the back of his hand. “What’s got you so down in the dumps, punk? There’s a pretty dame in the room and she hasn’t run screamin’ from you yet,” he said playfully

Natasha threw up her hands in annoyed surrender. “I can’t deal with him like this. This is your problem, (Y/N). Rogers.”

And just like that she was sweeping out of the room, leaving you and Steve a gaping mess in her wake.

You turned your hard stare at the blond wall of a man. “Steve.”

He flinched and turned his guilty face on you, looking cowed for such a strong-willed man.

“What happened?” you grit out, staring hard at him. This behavior was so supremely un-Bucky-like that you would have thought it was a different person if it weren’t the fact that it was undoubtedly Bucky sitting in your exam room just then, vibranium arm and all.

Before he could say anything, though, Bucky’s slightly unfocused gaze shifted to you and he broke out into the largest grin you’d ever seen on the ex-Soviet assassin’s face.

“Hey there, Sugar. You rationed?” he asked, all tooth, swagger, and sparkling blue eyes.

You gaped at him for a moment, heart thunderous in your chest. You turned to glare at Steve. “Explain!” you demanded, pointing helpfully to Bucky’s still grinning form.

Steve winced and self-consciously shoved his bangs from his face. “Well, he kinda got hit with something when we were out in the field. It was an energy blast of some sort. No wounds or anything we could see, but he...”

“C’mon, Doll. Don’t be like that. Stevie’s stuck on some dame, but I’ll take you out dancin’ any night if you’d let me,” he said smoothly, voice as dark as sin. Steve just gestured to him with a single, defeated arm.

You felt heat flood your cheeks, embarrassed that even his outdated pickup lines were working on you. It was truly unfair how attractive this man was.

“Alright, fine, whatever Steve. I’ll run some tests on him and see if I can’t pinpoint what the issue is. If I can’t figure it out in the next hour, though, we’re calling Helen, Wanda or Shuri. No buts.”

Steve heaved out a sigh and nodded. “Yeah, that’s fair. Thanks, (Y/N).”

You glared good-naturedly at him. “That’s Nurse (Y/N) to you, Captain Rogers. Now get out of my room so I can treat my patient.” You turned back to Bucky only to freeze at the flirty look on his face. “On second thought, Steve...” you murmured, suddenly feeling very much like a rabbit cornered by a fox (it shouldn’t have excited you as much as it did).

“Nah, Stevie can go. I’m nothin’ if not a gentleman,” he said, easily reading your discomfort. “I won’t do nothin’ you don’t ask me to do,” he said with a wink and smirk.

You could hear Steve sigh behind you. “You’ll be fine with him. Bucky may have gone out with half the girls in Brooklyn when we were younger, but he was always a gentleman ahead of his time.”

You both ignored Bucky’s offended correction of, “Half the girls in New York.”

You felt your shoulders droop a fraction. “If you say so...” you murmured, turning your attention back to Bucky as Steve made a hasty retreat out of the room.

You looked back to Bucky, trepidation lining your features as you studied the anomaly before you. It was Bucky, but it wasn’t. You were used to the cold, quiet assassin who never spoke more than a polite “hello” to you.

“You know, I really should be the one starin’.”

His voice snapped you out of your confused daze and you shook your head in an attempt to focus, frown wrinkling your brow. “Sorry?”

Bucky just smiled his thousand watt smile. “Y’know, cause you’re the prettiest thing I ever saw.”

You felt heat rush all the way up your neck to your ears. “Yes, well, I need to run some tests, Sergeant Barnes, so if-”

“Bucky,” he said, oozing that confidence you only ever saw from him on the battlefield.

“What?” you asked, once again thrown off balance by this new (old?) Bucky.

“Call me Bucky. What’s your name? I heard Steve call you (Y/N) earlier,” he said mischievously.

You nodded quickly. “Yes, that’s (Y/N)- I mean me- I mean-” you took a deep breath. “Yes, my name’s (Y/N),” you said quickly, embarrassment approaching critical mass.

“That’s such a pretty name,” Bucky said with such sincerity that your heart nearly melted.

You fiddled uselessly with your clipboards and scrounged up what was left of your dignity. “Yes, well, Ser- Bucky. If you’ll just follow me, and we can get these tests underway so you can get out of here as soon as possible.”

Bucky just smiled sweetly as he stood and focused his gaze on you. “Well, hopefully not too soon.”

You tsked loudly at the pile of readouts. Every test you could think to give Bucky and still, nothing. No sign as to what was wrong. His brain scans looked exactly like they always did.

“Somethin’ wrong, Doll?” the man himself asked, eyeing you coyly from on top of the exam bed.

You heaved out a huge sigh and hung your head in defeat. “I can’t figure it out, Bucky. I’ve tried everything I can with the equipment we have- and we have a lot of equipment- but I can’t find a reason for why you’re-” you gestured vaguely to his entire body, not quite knowing how to phrase what you were trying to say.

Bucky raised an eyebrow and the corner of his mouth quirked upward playfully. “Why I’m... so devilishly handsome?” he asked waggling his eyebrows at you.

You groaned and buried your face in your hands. “You are, but that’s not what I mean! God, we’re going to have to go to Doctor Cho’s office first, then see Wanda if Cho can’t help. I want to avoid having to go all the way to Wakanda if I can help it and-” You froze when a cold hand placed itself gently on your arm and quickly looked up, surprised to find Bucky standing directly in front of you, taking up most of your view.

“You think I’m handsome?” he murmured, eyes searching yours questioningly.

Your eyes widened when you realized what you said in the middle of your scatterbrained rambling and sputtered, eventually getting out something resembling a “yes” although it was nothing more than a tiny squeak of a noise.

Bucky smiled down at you, but it wasn’t the thousand watt smile you’d been looking at for the last hour. It was quieter, more subdued, more Bucky. He looked almost penitent a moment later, ducking his head and glancing up at you through his eyelashes. “I’m sorry. I shoulda dropped the act earlier. The effects of that blast wore off pretty soon after we touched down here, but...” he glanced away nervously and went to remove his hand from your arm, but you wrapped your fingers around the metal digits before he could get very far.

“But?” you prompted breathlessly, curiosity overtaking the sense of self preservation you usually had around Bucky. You liked him, of course. You liked him a lot.

But you learned early on that he didn’t like you, so you kept your distance and hoped your feelings would vanish.

They hadn’t.

Bucky looked like a trapped animal but he held his ground resolutely, blue eyes burning with determination. “But it was easy to talk to you when I was like that... and I didn’t want to stop,” he admitted quietly.

Well, whatever you’d been expecting, it wasn’t that. “So... you’ve been yourself for almost an hour now?” you asked, eyes narrowed and assessing.

His eyes flicked away guiltily for a split second before returning to you. The only answer you got was a stiff nod.

“And you were flirting with me that whole time?”

Another nod.

“Why?” you breathed, heart threatening to beat out of your chest.

Bucky shifted nervously, dragging his lip between his teeth and looking anywhere but you while he gathered his courage.

Finally, he set his jaw and looked at you and you felt your breath catch in your throat. “Because I like you. And I normally can’t work up the courage to talk to you, so I wanted to enjoy it while it lasted.” As soon as he was done speaking, his gaze dropped to the ground and didn’t lift back up again.

Your breath left you in an almighty whoosh that nearly had you seeing stars.

Bucky... liked you? He was... shy?

Oh god, you were a fool. A big, dumb idiot of the highest proportions.

“I like you too, Bucky,” you said, tentative smile creeping across your face.

Bucky’s gaze snapped up to yours, disbelief etched in every feature. “What?” he asked, fingers tightening imperceptibly against yours.

You smiled widely at him and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “I like you, too. I have for a long time, but I thought you didn’t like me at all, so...” You shrugged helplessly.

Bucky’s hopeful smile sent butterflies aflutter in your stomach and you couldn’t help the giddy smile on your face. “Really?”

“Really, really,” you confirmed, nearly giggling at how unfairly adorable he was.

“Hey, Doll?” he whispered, closing the distance between the two of you until he was close enough that his breath fanned your face.

“Yeah, Bucky?” you breathed back, heart hammering in your chest.

“Can I kiss you?” he asked, eyes darting to your lips. That sinful tongue of his had the audacity to sneak out across his lips and you nearly swooned at the sight.

“Thought you’d never ask, Buck.”

And just like that his lips were on yours. The entire world fell away until there was only Bucky and how he felt pressed up against you. You dropped his hand and immediately your arms went around his neck, your fingers buried in his long brown hair. His arms slipped around your waist, pulling you flush to his chest. The contrasting temperatures gave you pleasant chills all over. A slight tug to his hair made him gasp and you smiled against his lips.

Eventually, though, you had to break apart for air, both of you smiling like the couple of dopes you were and you stared happily at each other.

“Hey, Bucky?”

“Yeah, Doll?”

“Two things,” you said, giving him the hardest stare you could muster at the moment (it must not have been much because Bucky didn’t look the least bit nervous).

“And those are?” he asked, eyes roaming your face up and down seriously as though he was trying to memorize every single detail.

“I can’t be your nurse anymore. Conflicting interests and all that.”

Bucky looked a little sad, but nodded. It was a worthy sacrifice in his books. “And the other thing?”

You tried to glare at him but it failed by and large and you ended up looking a bit like a pouty child. “I’m so mad that you made me run all those tests on you! I was driving myself insane trying to figure it out!” you grumped, head falling heavily against his right shoulder.

He let out a low, rumbling chuckle that had you thinking very, very indecent thoughts. “I’ll make it up to you, promise.”

You peeked up at him, smile dancing on your lips. “I’ll hold you to that, Bucky.” 

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[lapzoli]

history repeats itself III

chapter summary: Bridgette is sweet, roommates don’t always get along, and not all memories are pleasant.

note: I implied this in earlier chapters, but I feel I should state it now: everyone is aged up here to be 17/18. Not the kiddie ages they are on the show, okay? ^_^

note: this is the room i based the hotel rooms off of

Prev.

ao3

Bridgette was pretty, he had noticed.

Their chaperone, after introducing herself, had launched into a general overview of how the day would go; get to the hotel, settle in, all that. Adrien couldn’t help but tune her out for a bit.

She looked young, probably only a few years older than them, and had long dark hair with bright blue eyes that seemed familiar to him. She was an animated speaker, often waving her hands and smiling vibrantly at the teenagers.

“Alright, now~” Bridgette clapped her hands, just to get the attention of anyone who might have zoned out. “Before I take attendance - have to make sure I didn’t lose any munchkins, right? - I have to ask...where is Miss Bourgeois?”

Chloe stepped forward, giving her chaperone a skeptical look. This is what her father sent? (Not that Andre Bourgeois had anything to do with the trip besides the expenses, not that Chloe knew.)

“That would be me,” she remarked.

Bridgette lit up. “Your father was so generous to pay for the expenses of this trip, so thank you. Living in a luxury hotel for the next two weeks is certainly better than staying in the apartment above my mom’s tea shop,” she said, giggling.

Chloe preened at the praise, adjusting the sunglasses on top of her head while her classmates rolled their eyes.

“Alright, now I do attendance,” continued Bridgette, pulling out her phone. “I’m sure many of you are eager to settle into your rooms and explore, so we’ll make this quick.”

She stopped and leaned in closer to the screen.

“Am I reading this right?” She murmured before she laughed airily. “Who thought this would be a good idea?”

“Um...Miss Bridgette?” Mylene spoke up. “Is everything okay?”

Bridgette looked up, blinking. “Oh. Oh, yes, everything is fine. My bad! Well, I already know about your roommate situation-” several of them shifted awkwardly, “-so that’s not the issue here, nope. But I just recieved an email from the hotel telling me that some rooms had to be changed.”

“So what does that mean? Our roommates change?” Max asked curiously.

“Please?” Alix muttered.

“No, that stays the same; nice try,” said Bridgette, smiling in amusement. “No, well, apparently the hotel had a computer bug that mixed up the type of rooms for your class. And because the hotel is booked for the museum's anniversary ball, well...” She bit her lip, still giving them an amused look, before she continued, “Some of you may have to share a bed.”

While her words made nearly all the teenagers freeze, it shook a certain someone out of her shock.

“B-Bridgette?” Marinette choked out, mouth still agape as she kept her eyes trained on their chaperone.

The chaperone in question blinked, her smile growing even more amused.

“Yes, Marinette?” She said calmly. “Is something wrong?”

“Wha-You?” The young designer sputtered helplessly.

“Wait, girl, you know her, Bridgette?” Alya asked, one of the few unaffected by the room situation. “How?” The question made her classmates blink in surprise, relieved to have something else to focus on for the moment.

Bridgette giggled. “You don’t see the resemblance?”

Marinette relaxed her shoulder, sighing despite the small smile on her lips. The shock seemed to pass, finally, at least.

“Bridgette is my cousin,” she explained, and the others looked between the two girls. “Our moms are sisters.”

Adrien snapped his fingers. “That’s why she seemed so familiar! You two have the same color eyes. Wow, Marinette, you really look alike.”

“I’m right here,” reminded Bridgette, raising an eyebrow. Her features softened as she looked at her baby cousin. “You’ve gotten so big,” she cooed.

Marinette flushed, instinctively reeling back when her cousin reached out to squeeze her cheeks.

Bridgette laughed and pulled her phone back out.

“Okay, okay. Now I’ll really do attendance and we can go. You guys will seriously love seeing the city when we take the shuttle; it’ll be fun!”

.

She pressed the tickets to her lips, staring up at him with bright eyes.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go?” She asked, her voice laced with hope despite the disappointment she felt. But really, what had she expected? She knew better by now.

“I’m certain I don’t want to go,” he said, his voice filled with exasperation. Perhaps the only emotion she could get out of him. “Will you move now? I’d really like to get going.”

She held out one of the tickets.

“At least take one, please?”

He stared down at the flimsy paper for a moment before his eyes flickered upwards to meet hers. A tired sigh left his lips as he took the ticket between his fingers, as if it would poison him on contact.

“You do realize I’ll just be throwing this way, right?”

She shrugged, clearly pleased now that he had taken the ticket. Seeing her reaction, he rolled his eyes and turned to walk away from her.

“It’ll be fun!” She called, waving at his retreating back. “I hope you go!”

He didn’t.

.

Bridgette grinned at the group, holding her arms out as they stood in front of Chatelle, perhaps one of the nicer hotels in the area.

“Welcome, welcome,” she exclaimed. “This is where we’ll be staying.”

“You too?” Marinette asked. “Don’t you live closeby?”

Her cousin nodded. “Yeah, just over the river.” She pointed beyond their heads. “Over by Kennington Road; my mom has her tea shop there, and we live above it. But it’s more convenient to stay here with you, plus it’s paid for. I have to go back and get my stuff though.”

Bridgette clicked her tongue. “Maybe should have brought that with me; oh, well. Come on, let’s go get you checked in.”

She led them inside, the lavish interior immediately making some of the teenagers gape.

“So the hotel has free Wi-Fi - and breakfast too - and there’s also a super cute cafe here, and I’ve heard such wonderful things about the lounge up on the roof,” she remarked. “There’s lots has things for you to explore during your free time, like a fitness center, a lounge, and private dining.The Tower is a five minute walk from here, and the Bridge. Mm, and if we ever want to travel further in the city, the tube is really close too.”

“Tube?” Sabrina asked curiously.

“Mm, dìtiě...no...the subway,” explained Bridgette. “Sorry; Chinese girl translating London speak to Parisians when English is her second language and French barely her third. You’ll have to be patient with me.”

“I think it’s impressive,” said Adrien, giving her a kind smile. “I take Mandarin lessons, but I’m nowhere near fluent. Three languages would be hard to fit, I think.”

Bridgette hummed. “Well, I doubt that; my uncle told my mom and me all about how you helped him when he visited Paris. Thank you, by the way. Marinette is so lucky to have a friend like you.”

Adrien grinned at that, pleased at being referred to as Marinette’s friend, while the girl in question flushed.

Chloe huffed.

“Can we check in already?” She said snarkily. She turned to Sabrina to mutter, “Our chaperone is a little scatterbrained, don’t you think? Must run in the family.”

Marinette’s nostrils flared and she turned to give the blonde a piece of her mind, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

Bridgette smiled kindly at Chloe as she stepped away from her cousin.

“There’s no rush,” she said. “You seem stressed, Miss Bourgeois; maybe this trip will help you relax. There’s a spa here too, so I’m sure that will help; they’re known for working miracles.”

She leaned over and tapped Marinette’s nose, an amused smile on her face.

“You and I will have to catch up soon, and work on that spitfire of yours,” she said. “Let me go check everyone in, alright? Make sure you’re with your roommate - and, uh, be prepared in case there are not two beds?”

Bridgette gave them an awkward ‘what are you going to do’ smile before she went over to the reception desk.

The receptionist, a thin older man with pointed glasses, looked her over, seemingly unimpressed by her flower-printed dress and plastic leather purse adorned with colorful buttons. In fact, he looked ready to press the button under the desk for security.

“May I...help you?” He said, his voice clipped.

Bridgette smiled sweetly. “I’m here to check in; should be reserved under the name Bourgeois? My name is Bridgette - ah, Bridgette Cheng.”

Instantly, the man perked up and adjusted his glasses.

“Ah, yes! The Bourgeois reservation, of course; yes, yes…” He typed something into the computer. “Yes, says nine rooms reserved - and I apologize, on behalf of the hotel, for the mixup with the rooms.”

Bridgette waved her hand dismissively.

“A trivial issue,” she assured.

“Yes, let me just get the keys for you,” said the receptionist, going to the shelves behind him to look for the right ones. “Ah, I only have one card for your room, Miss Cheng; the other occupant insisted only one was needed.”

“Other-?”

Bridgette jumped when she heard a loud commotion behind her, and both she and the receptionist looked over to see Alix sitting in the fountain, bright blue eyes cutting harshly into Lila, who was arguing with her.

The receptionist clicked his tongue disapprovingly before he remembered who those kids were, and more specifically what name they were under.

Bridgette smiled apologetically at him.

“Teenagers, right?” She remarked, collecting the room keys. “Thank you!”

With that, she hurried back over to the group.

“Now, what happened?” Bridgette asked, sighing a bit as she and Max helped the skater out of the fountain.

Alix scowled.

“Lila tripped me!” She said, glaring daggers at the girl in question.

“You tripped over my suitcase,” corrected Lila, rolling her eyes. “And you wouldn’t have if you hadn’t been skating all over the place - in such an elegant establishment too. It’s not my fault.”

“Why you-”

“Okay, well, it’s nothing to start fussing about,” interrupted Bridgette, wanting to avoid a fight in the lobby. “I have your room keys, so let’s go and get you settled in, okay?”

She pulled up the list on her phone again, making sure to give the right keys to everyone. And then kept an eye on them to make sure no one swapped keys.

Two hormone-ridden teenagers in one room...what could wrong?

.

“I AM THE BOX MAN AND I WILL BOX THIS CITY!”

He clicked his tongue. “He’s been saying that for hours.”

“Well, he’s gloating,” she corrected, grimacing after a moment. “Um...do you mind if I move my leg a little? I’m getting cramped…”

“I’d rather you didn’t,” he said, staring up at the top of the wooden crate. That’s right. The Box Man trapped them. In a crate. Wonderful. “I’m cramped as well, but I can stand still. I suggest you do the same.”

She puffed out her cheeks, glaring at him with the little light that leaked through the crate’s cracks.

“Normally, I find your pessimistic attitude-”

“Being realistic isn’t the same as being pessimist.”

She sighed.

“Normally, I find your realistic attitude adorable, but now it’s just annoying. And I’m cramped. So I’m moving my leg, since it’s obvious Chat Noir isn’t coming to save us soon.”

“Ladybug, you mean.”

She shook her head. “No, Chat Noir. He’s a hero too.”

Sighing, she shifted her body if only to get circulation going again, and she froze.

“Oh.” Now she understood why he didn’t want her to move. “Um…”

“You’re loud; scream for help and someone will come get us out.”

“Right...right, of course. Good idea.”

They agreed not to speak about that day.

.

“Wicked,” said Juleka as she and Rose entered the hotel room.

“Wow, look at that view!” Rose gushed, dropping her suitcase and rushing to the windows. She pressed her face to the glass. “Wow, look at that, Juleka! We can see the London Bridge from here! It’s so pretty.”

“Not as pretty as you,” crooned Juleka, coming up behind her and kissing her cheek. “And I guess our room was one of those affected; look, only one bed.”

Rose giggled, turning around in her arms.

“How unfortunate,” she remarked, pressing her forehead against hers. “I get cold easily, you know. I’ll have to stay close to you for warmth.”

“Unfortunate,” echoed Juleka, grinning before she kissed her girlfriend.

.

“There are two beds,” stated Ivan, his voice full of relief. “No...offense, Max.”

Max shook his head, pushing up his glasses.

“None taken; the probability of us being affected by the room mix-up was extremely low...but so was Marinette beating me in a video game when we were fifteen,” he remarked. “At least statistics worked in our favor this time around.”

“Right…” Ivan set down his bag. “You want the bed by the window?”

“No, sun always glints off my glasses,” said Max. “You can take it. Care to unpack?”

“Sure.” The heavy metal enthusiast opened up his things and held up his music player. “You, uh, mind...if I…?”

“Please wear your headphones.”

“Thanks.”

.

“I am not sharing a bed with you,” snapped Alix. “The bed is mine.”

“Well, it’s not like I want to share a bed with you either,” remarked Kim, crossing his arms. “And no way you’re getting the bed; I mean, come on. You’re small enough to sleep on the couch.”

Alix scoffed, rolling her eyes in disbelief.

“Wow, how gentlemanly of you.” She threw her suitcase on the bed. “It’s officially mine now.”

“What? You’re joking, shortstack,” said Kim. “You probably take up less than a quarter of the bed; it makes sense that I get it.”

“Well, I’m not moving,” she told him as she threw herself onto the bed. “And I’d like to see you-okay, holy shit. Kim, this thing is ridiculously gentle. Not like prissy soft but like...I feel all my muscles just relaxing.”

“What, really? Move over.”  Kim dropped his stuff by the door as he rolled onto the bed, careful not to squish his roommate. “Damn. I would have killed for a bed like this when I broke my leg two years ago. I feel totally relaxed.”

“Right?” Alix wriggled around on the bed, digging her back into the mattress. “My dad’s taken the family to some nice hotels, but this...wow. Not bad. Not bad at all.”

Kim closed his eyes, grunting in agreement.

“We take turns on the couch?”

“Sounds good. Wanna arm wrestle for the first night?”

“You’re on, Pinky.”

.

Sabrina fidgeted with the pin on her sweater, a bit unsure of what to do without Chloe around. Mylene, likewise, seemed uncertain on how to talk to the other girl.

“Um...do you want the bed by the window?” She asked, looking to the redhead. “I don’t mind really.”

“Are you sure?” Sabrina asked before she shook her head. “No, no; you take that one. I’m a restless sleeper and I like taking baths in the middle of the night - it’s calming, you know, and my dad thinks it’s because my mom used to take a lot of midnight baths when she was pregnant with me so I probably get it from her, and it’s weird - so it’s better if I’m closer to the one by the bathroom.”

“Oh...alright.” Mylene looked around the room, fiddling with one of her braids. “Um...should we...unpack?”

“Sounds good.” Sabrina pulled out her phone. “First, I need to check with Chloe. Make sure she’s okay.”

She sat down on her bed, typing away, and Mylene sighed as she nodded her head.

“Right…”

.

“A bit smaller than I’m used to, but it wouldn’t be fair to the others, I suppose, if only I got the luxury room,” said Chloe as she sauntered into the room, surveying it. “The closet is just big enough for my shoes, and the dresser should be able to fit the rest of my things.”

She smiled, flinging open the curtains to let the sun in. Yes, she could work with this.

“Um...what about my stuff?” Nathanael asked, standing in the doorway with his duffel bag at his feet.

Right. She also had to work with that part of her situation too.

“You can use the space under the bed,” said Chloe, shrugging. “There’s a pullup couch, I’m sure, so you can sleep there.”

“Chloe.” He spoke her name slowly, dragging the vowels out. “There are two beds. And there are two of us. Obviously I’m sleeping in one. Why do you need two beds?”

Chloe blinked.

“I need to set the week’s outfits out somewhere,” she said. “You wouldn’t understand.”

Nathanael nodded, seemingly amused, before he picked up his bag and tossed it on the bed by the window. She gaped at him, appalled he would just throw his lame, ratty bag onto a luxurious bed like that.

“I want to sketch the city,” he said. “And it’s better I have the bed by the window so I can see that more easily. Unless you want to be in one of my pathetic’ sketches, which you would be if I had to sit on the other bed over there.”

He cocked an eyebrow at her, and she scrambled to form a coherent sentence. Where was the shy, fumbling artist from years ago?

“It would be an honor for you if I ever did that!” Chloe hissed. She glared at him for a moment before she huffed and went to go lay out her cosmetics in the bathroom.

After a minute she called out, “You need a haircut!” before she slammed the bathroom door shut.

.

“Miss Rossi, I understand who your parents are,” began the manager, “I unfortunately cannot upgrade your room however. As I am sure your chaperone has told you, our hotel is booked due to the museum's anniversary and we simply cannot move you at the expense of another customer.”

“That’s a shame. My parents would be disappointed to know their only daughter is being mistreated in such a wonderful city,” said Lila. “I’m sure I can call them and have me stay in another hotel, one more, well, hospitable. They won’t stand for this; I personally know Ladybug and Chat Noir, you know, and they would be outraged at this injustice.”

“Then I will make sure to tell Mayor Bourgeois and your chaperones to exclude you from the trip’s itinerary,” replied the manager coolly. “Your parents called in beforehand to warn us that you would attempt something like this.”

He smiled at her, as fake and transparent as her lies.

“Is there anything else I can help you with, Miss Ross?”

Lila shifted her weight.

“It’s Rossi. And no.”

.

“Aw, cool. We get two beds,” said Nino, grinning as they entered their room. “Sweet view too, look, babe.”

“I see.” Alya tossed their stuff onto the closest bed. “Do you think we’ll actually meet Ladybug and Chat Noir? I mean, the ones from then? Here? London’s heroes.”

Nino shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. But at least we’ll get to see their history That’ll be an exclusive scoop for your blog,” he said, taking her hand and flopping on the empty bed, bringing her down with him.

She squealed, laughing.

“What are you doing?” She asked, rolling onto her side.

Nino kissed her nose.

“Appreciating being able to be on vacation with my amazing girlfriend,” he said, a dopey smile on his face.

Alya giggled. “Sap.” She kissed him quickly. “I’m excited to be here with you too, babe. But remember Madame Bustier to be responsible.”

“She told that to the girl who runs head first into akuma battles?” Nino laughed, rolling over so he was on top of her, his hat falling off to the side. “She should have known.”

Alya grinned up at him, pulling him down for another kiss.

.

“I’m sorry about dropping my stuff on your foot…” Marinette grimaced as he bent down and rubbed his foot through his shoe.

“It’s fine,” assured Adrien, flashing her a smile. “Accidents happen. Do you have the room key? I think this is ours.”

He gestured at the door and Marinette nodded, reaching into her pocket to get the key out. Sliding it through the lock, she pushed open the door.

“Oh…”

��What?” Adrien followed her inside and blinked when he saw the immediate problem. “Oh.”

Alya was going to get a kick out of this.

“One bed.” Marinette bit her lip. “Bridgette did say there was a mixup with the hotel’s computer; busy holiday, things happen.”

“Yeah, of course.” Adrien looked around the room awkwardly. “You can take the bed; I’ll take the couch.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said immediately. “Two weeks on the couch? You’ll get a stiff back, and your father will kill me.”

“His favorite summer intern? I think not,” remarked Adrien, giving her a small smile. “Well, we have an hour to settle in so we have time to argue about why I’m sleeping on the couch. Honey.”

Marinette looked at him sharply. “What?”

He flushed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Honey...like, um, a married couple on a sitcom? Like, you’re sleeping on the couch tonight, honey? Darling? Sweetheart?”

The blond awkwardly gestured to the bathroom when she continued to gape at him.

“I’m going to take a shower,” he managed to say before he ducked into the safety of the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

Marinette was still gaping at him when he came out a moment later, having forgotten his bag, and disappeared again. Several seconds later, she heard the water run and she shook her head, awkwardly making her way to the windows.

Tikki flew out of her coat pocket, having deemed it safe to come out.

“Oh, Marinette, it won’t be that bad,” she said, her sweet tone doing very little to reassure her charge. “You and Adrien are friends; it may be a little awkward at first, but you’ll get through.”

The designer sighed, nuzzling the kwami lovingly.

“Yeah, you’re right. I just hope Hawkmoth avoids any trouble.” She clicked her tongue. “It just stinks that both Chat and I had to leave the city at the same time.”

“Well...maybe Hawkmoth will wait until the anniversary? You remember that first day. He’s big on presentation,” said Tikki. “I’m glad you’re worried, but this is also a nice chance to spend time with your friends - and your family.”

“Right...right.” Marinette nodded. “It’s been years since I’ve seen Bridgette; this will be a good time. Speaking of which, I hope she’s settled in okay…”

.

Bridgette eyed her key card as she stood outside her room, not sure if she wanted to go in or not.

“Ah, I only have one card for your room, Miss Cheng; the other occupant insisted only one was needed.”

On the way back from her mom’s, Bridgette remembered the receptionist’s words. She looked over every email she had received from the school and museum, and none of them mentioned her having a roommate.

But, well, it was a minor problem. Odd, but no problem.

With that in mind, Bridgette slid her key into the scanner and pushed the door open. The first thing she saw was a green plaid suitcase sitting open on a bed, clothes still folded neatly inside. Okay, her roommate was neat. That was good. And there was no sign of said roommate, so she must be in the bathroom, if the running water was any indication.

She put her luggage by the floor of the other bed, taking the time to admire the room. It was beautiful, just like the pictures on the website. She opened the curtains and smiled at the view; sure, she had lived in this city for more than half her life, but she never quite got used to its beauty.

Bridgette sat at the desk chair, texting her mother she got to the hotel alright, when the water stopped and the door creaked open.

She shot out of the chair immediately, fumbling to put her phone in pocket, and smiled as she said, “Hey, sorry to just come in, but you know, I needed to unpack and stuff, and since we’re both chaperones for this trip - at least, I assume so since the hotel wouldn’t book me with a stranger for no reason - I thought it’d be-”

Bridgette looked up, freezing when she saw the other room’s occupant, who was staring at her with those gray-blue eyes she could never forget. Her phone, halfway into her jean pocket, fell to the carpet with a soft thud.

“Bridgette?” He muttered, blinking in disbelief.

She swallowed.

“Felix.”

[matthewkane-blog1]

Chapter 1

A/N: This story was derived from a fanfic I wrote a long time ago (which no one will ever find if I have a say in it). I will attempt to actually finish this story and not leave it hanging. Also, any art in this story is NOT mine. I mostly got it by googling concept art. All the credit goes to the artists. Enjoy. ———————————————- Zarvion, The Wicker’s Forest, 19:34 PM

-Mefira-

‘Why did I think this would be a good idea?’ She lamented as she ran, narrowly dodging yet another projectile. Sparing a quick glance behind her, she could see an entire squadron of stone golems preparing a new round, ripping chunks of rock out of the ground and taking aim. Gathering up a fireball in her own hands, she quickly chucked it at one of the things, relishing in the sound of the small explosion upon impact.

Getting ready to dodge again, she was a bit taken aback at feeling a strong gust of wind and seeing the new volley fly back towards the attackers. Moments after, Xenos popped up on her left, giving her a jaunty salute and a cheeky grin. The girl just rolled her eyes at him, before angrily stating: “Could you please save the flirting for when we’re not in mortal danger?”

The male just gave a short laugh, before deflecting another volley. Mefira could already see the ship up ahead.

They were so close.

Looking backwards once more, she froze up when she saw a dark form practically oozing out of the ground behind the golems, taking the appearance of a young woman, dressed in flowing black garments, and with no visible legs, seemingly just floating in mid air.

A pair of empty purple eyes seemed to pierce her soul, the creature giving her a distorted grin that chilled the girl to her very core.

“LOOK OUT!” She heard Xenos shout. Glancing upwards, she saw an immense boulder flying straight towards her.

2 months earlier…

Fancy meeting you here

Alnoa, Sector 14, 14:50 AM

-Mefira-

“And if you listen closely, you can hear the engine sputtering; an obvious sign that there is a problem with the fuel line.”

Their mechanics teacher, droned on, causing Mefira to inwardly groan. How long was this going to take? Glancing at the clock, she saw that they only had about 10 minutes left before class ended. Why did the last minutes always seem the longest?

“Miss Bael!” Mrs. Treol snapped “would you care to repeat what I just explained to the rest of the class?” Great… The girl thought. Couldn’t leave me alone for ten more minutes, could you? She wracked her brains trying to remember whatever boring tidbit the woman at the desk had oh so generously bestowed upon them.

“Umm… The engine…has to… Like… Sputter in a certain way for it to work properly?” Judging from the giggles coming from several other students, and Mrs. Treol’s annoyed glare, she had definitely screwed up.

“Wrong, Miss Bael. Maybe you will be able to remember today’s lesson if you have a nice, quiet environment to study in. Like detention. For a smart girl like you, I’m sure it won’t take more than four hours.” the woman spoke, a malicious glint in her eye.

Mefira barely held herself from screaming in frustration. This was the third time this week. Her parents weren’t going be happy. But then again, they hardly were with anything she did these days.

Was it really her fault if she couldn’t concentrate on all the technological stuff they learned day in and day out at school? As the old hag went on about next week’s assignment, Mefira tiredly laid her head on her desk, wondering again how this was her life.

Mefira made her way to the appointed classroom, mentally preparing herself for a few hours of pure boredom. Opening the door, she could instantly see that the usual culprits were already there. There were only a few students who regularly wound up in detention, and it seemed that they were all in their regular places today.

“Have they read you your rights?” Zera Amel asked, giving a sardonic grin. Mefira took a couple of seconds to study her appearance. Long, straight, hazel hair, with the ever present purple strand tucked behind her right ear. Her eyes, bearing the same color as her streak, were dull with boredom, but still held a glimmer of mischief.

Mefira had always wanted to have purple eyes, instead of the light pink color she was sporting. But, like her mother said, pink was the color any true lady should display.

Talking a moment to analyze Zera’s clothes, she could see the girl had her her trademark ripped jeans on, along with her black hoodie and combat boots, giving her the look of someone you would usually find threatening people at knifepoint in a dark alley. 'Which for all intents and purposes she probably is’ Mefira thought to herself.

Seeing her dainty form, however, made a lot of people underestimate her. Not to mention several guys at school that used to follow her around. 'Used to’ being the key words here. Zera had made it brutally clear she wasn’t interested in dating.

“Let me guess; the toilet paper incident this morning was your doing?” Mefira asked, carding a hand through her own wavy golden locks. Zera was notorious for her pranks that usually got out of hand. “You know me so well.” she responded, her grin turning smug and self satisfied.

At the desk behind Zera sat Magnus Neryl, who usually wound up in detention for doodling sketches of plants and animals during class instead of paying attention. The teachers always confiscated his holopads, but he had plenty of spares. Already he was hard at work drawing an image of a firefly flower, and writing down some of its characteristics.

Hunched over his desk, he looked rather ridiculous with his body mass dwarfing the small table and chair. He had the appearance of a jock, with a built physique. This was usually accentuated by a tight shirt and equally form fitting pants. Dark hair framed his handsome face, and intense forest green eyes were filled with concentration on the drawing.

Still, the effect was lost when you actually got to know him. He was rather scatterbrained, losing focus on anything not related to biology or medicine.

And as far as Mefira knew, he was a total klutz in anything from sports to day to day activities. She lost count of how many times he’d tripped when one of his shoelaces got untied.

And finally, there was Xenos Nuran. The person most likely to take up the career path of a cat burglar.

He usually got detention for sneaking around everywhere he wasn’t supposed to. From the teacher’s lounge -where he stole the subject for a final and distributed it to the whole class-, to the principal’s office, where he actually took a picture with the man sleeping, then posted it on the Extranet.

He had slightly curly platinum blonde hair, with gray eyes, and a lean build, sporting black pants along with a white T-shirt that hugged his body quite nicely, and a pair of comfortable sandals, that helped him walk quietly on multiple occasions.

“And here I was wondering how photos of the girl’s locker room ended up online.” she muttered, only receiving a crooked grin and a wink in return. “At least I didn’t post any photos of you, princess. I gotta have some class.” he defended good-naturedly.

Despite all their flaws and downright creepy behavior, Mefira could honestly say that these were her only actual friends, who didn’t think of her as a dumb blonde, who doesn’t know how an engine works. Spending up to ten hours a week with someone in a room really created bonds, apparently.

As she sat down, she noticed the robot standing in front of the holoboard, set to automatically activate when detention would start.

“Wait, didn’t you wreck two of these things already?” She asked, confused. It was incredible how Zera could destroy something, and then make it look like a complete accident.

“Yeah, but they got a new and 'improved’ version. One that’s apparently impervious to 'random malfunctions’.” Xenos answered.

“By now, 'malfunction’ is pretty much codename for 'we know you tampered with it but we have no proof’.” Magnus absently commented, not looking up from his drawing.

“You’d think they would just place a teacher here instead.” Mefira mumbled.

“Please!” Zera huffed a laugh “No sane person would hold out being in a room with all of us for this long.” “True” she conceded.

As the bell rang, the robot powered up, fixing them with a blank gaze.

“Greetings, juvenile delinquents. I am disciplinary automaton version 3. You may refer to me as DA-V3, or Dave. Please take your seats, and keep quiet. Detention will end in: 3 hours, 59 minutes, and 40 seconds.”

“Well, looks like it’s gonna be a fun couple of hours…” Xenos growled under his breath.