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ihavethedreamies · 5 months

Text

Happy Birthday | Seonghwa

Park Seonghwa - ATEEZ

Rating: M (18+) MDNI

Word Count: ~5.6k

Pairing: Seonghwa x AFAB!Reader

Genre: Reader-Insert, Fluff, Smut, Super Cute, Super Sweet

!!This is smut…if that much isn't clear you should probably leave now!! MDNI!

Warnings: She/Her Pronouns used, Kissing, Oral (F! Receiving), Fingering, Handjob, Unprotected Sex (Don't!)

Author's Note: This a story requested by/written for my friend @sadfragilegirl! I don't normally write this level of fluffy romance, but I tried really hard! It’s a little early for her actual birthday, but she didn't mind~

I have the setting as Switzerland as if the reader and Seonghwa live in Korea, so sorry if you already live in Switzerland or something…

I am cross-posting this on Archive. Please reblog! If you know anyone that would like this or future fics but they aren't on here my name and icon are exactly the same on the other site. Happy reading!

"What's this?" You looked from the envelope to him skeptically. He said it was a surprise, but you were expecting him to place a box or even a bag in your hands when you closed your eyes. When the paper hit your palms instead, your eyes flew open, looking at him with question.

"Just open it, love." Seonghwa huffed with amusement, adjusting his position on the couch so he was facing you more. It wasn't like a card, it was a normal white envelope, like from when you would get a bill in the mail. It was only stuck at the middle of the flap, so you easily tore it open. Staring at him to gage his reaction, you reached in, your fingers feeling two slips of paper inside. Pulling them out, you flipped them over, still watching him. Your eyes left his to read the words on the slips and your mouth fell open.

"Your passport is still valid, right?" He smiled wide at your reaction.

"Switzerland?!" You looked rapidly between his gift and his face.

"That's where you talk about all the time…" Seonghwa leaned forward a bit to get a better view of your face. He wanted you to be excited, but was worried you would start crying, but you seemed okay.

"But…why?"

"Your birthday?" He said it like it was obvious. You looked back to the tickets, checking over the date, noticing it would be the day before your birthday, in about two weeks.

"Is this early enough notice for you to get off work?" He was a little worried he should have done it sooner, but he needed to make sure all his paperwork was in order as well. Luckily since it was only going to be about four or so days, you both didn't need a visa.

"Yes, its early enough- Park Seonghwa!" Your demeanor had shifted drastically, and he recoiled a bit.

"Why would you do something so elaborate for my birthday?" Your brow furrowed and he calmed, exhaling in slight exasperation.

"Why wouldn't I? You're going to be a quarter of a century." Your boyfriend smiled playfully, and you sneered back just as playfully. Clicking your tongue, you looked back at the tickets.

"I was able to rent a town house unit instead of a hotel room, it thought it would make it homier…" He pulled out his phone so he could show you the booking. It was more of a bed and breakfast type deal, but it would be just the two of you. You had to rip your gaze away from the plane tickets to look at the listing he showed you. It was perfect, warm, and cozy. There was a small living room and a small kitchen and dining area, with the bedroom and a bathroom upstairs. Small, but still bigger than a hotel room.

"Seonghwa…" You drifted off, and he looked over your face again, and he noticed your eyes had gotten glossy, and you swallowed hard.

"Please don’t cry, love." He huffed, hand going to your cheek so he could brush the stray tear off your cheek with his thumb.

"But it's so freaking sweet." You sniffed and he chuckled, resting his cheek on the crown of your head when you slumped into him, head on his shoulder.

The next two weeks were a blur, your job was willing to let you get off for that short time, you hardly ever took time off, let alone for yourself. Your coworkers were a bit disappointed that you wouldn’t be there so they could use your birthday as an excuse to go out to drink. Seonghwa helped you make sure all of the technical parts were handled, like your paperwork for your passport and other such things. What you hadn't noticed at first was that the tickets were for business class. Not quite top-tier first class, but way better than economy, especially for a nearly twelve hour flight. Your flight was set to take off at about two in the afternoon and so you would arrive in Switzerland for 7 pm their time. You two had even been preparing as much as possible for the jet lag you were going to experience, but it was a bit hard since you both still had to work. The flight was long, but it was quite fun, and it was fancy. You had never flown so far internationally, let alone in such a comfortable way. The meal was ten times better than what plane food you normally got to eat, and it was even better because Seonghwa was with you the whole time. You already thought he was the best boyfriend anyone had ever had, but this really was the icing on the cake…

"Cake, for breakfast?" You grumbled groggily, looking at the dessert he had set on the nightstand. By the time you had gotten all settled into your lodging, it was nearly ten at night, so you had fallen asleep quickly. The clock next to the cake read 11:42, so theoretically, it would be cake for lunch.

"We're not going to eat it now, but I wanted you to blow out the candle first." You still hadn't crawled out far enough from your blanket cocoon to look at him, only seeing his hands stick the blue '25' candle into the top of the dessert. The icing was white and had yellow and purple flowers piped around for decoration. Seonghwa chuckled as he helped you sit up, the plush duvet falling to your lap as you rubbed your eyes. When your eyes focused back, you could read the top of the cake, "Happy Birthday, Love." He smiled, reading the top of the cake for you. He brushed an errant strand of hair out of your face, tucking it behind your ear, then left a soft kiss on your forehead. Yawning and stretching, you turned in the bed as he lit the candle with a match, then he carefully sat on the bed with you, holding the cake steadily.

"Make a wish." He was so freaking pretty, let alone when he would smile. How'd you get so lucky? You wondered that often. You finally noticed that he had a headband on that had a small fake crown attached to it, a plastic tiara lying next to him on the bed. You smiled, looking to the small flame and closed your eyes, 'let me be able to be with him forever,' then you blew out the candle. You clapped to yourself softly as he put the birthday cake back down, then grabbed the gold piece of plastic, and let it slip onto your head, the little combs on the ends securing it with your hair. When his hands came away, you adjusted it slightly, and before you could thank him, he had something else he was handing you. Not only that, there was two more boxes on the floor along with the gift bag he was handing you.

"What the…Seonghwa!" You scolded half-heartedly. He had already flew you to a whole other country, rented a beautiful place to stay and got you a very yummy looking cake.

"Just open it." He let you take the bag, sitting on the bed before you at a better angle. He was in a white cardigan sweater; the low neck showed his collarbone off as it stretched over his shoulders. He didn't have anything on underneath and the wide swatch of skin that was revealed made you want to lean forward and kiss away the smooth perfection. Forcing your attention back to the gift, you removed the tissue paper and reached in to grab the actual gift. It was a small wooden box, beautifully stained dark with gold painted cherry blossoms dotting the wood. It was already beautiful, but when you lifted the lid at the hinges, a soft melody began to play, one very familiar to you. Seonghwa noticed tears welling in your eyes again, but he just let it be, there was no point trying to get you to stop crying at that point. The little ballerina that had rose off her perch in the music box spun smoothly along with the melody, her little dress was a soft purple, her hair up in a bun, the same color as your own.

"Seonghwa…" You were nearly out of breath, it was gorgeous.

"Where did you find this?" You ran your finger over the deep purple inside, watching her spin in her dance, it was a different exterior, but almost identical otherwise to one you had as a child. The song was even the same, and you had lost the box when you moved in the fifth grade, heartbroken that you would never see it again.

"There's a store I found that had European antiques. I was just looking in the window and I saw this through the window. When I heard the song, I grabbed it, since I knew it was your favorite." He explained, leaning down to grab one of the boxes. You reluctantly closed the music box, setting it gently to the side, letting him place the box on your lap.

"These are more for today…" He grabbed the other box as well as you untied the ribbon and opened the bigger, flat box. Inside was a dress made from a delicate, pale yellow material. It was decorated with purple flowers, resembling the cake sitting on the bedside table. There was also a pair of white sandals, decorated with yellow flowers.

"Oh, it's so pretty!" You smiled at the dress, fingers running over the purple collar of the dress. Yes, it was a present, but it was going to be hard to beat the music box. The next item he handed to you was wrapped. He scolded you for being delicate with the wrapping paper, but none the less let you slowly open it, trying not to tear the white shining paper too bad. Inside was a box of luxury bath supplies. It had a bath bomb, salts, bubble bath and a small pillow to put on the edge of the tub for your head.

"Why don’t you take a bath and then we can get a later lunch?" Seonghwa helped you get the tape off of the plastic box so you could open it. You hummed as the delicate fruity scents hit your nose and you nearly jumped out of bed, eager to get in the tub. He chuckled as you shuffled quickly into the bathroom, and he smiled even wider at your excited gasp.

"You already drew the water!" He heard a small splash, "Its just right!" You peaked your head out of the door and smiled.

"Thank you, Seonghwa!"

"Of course, love." He let you take your bath and got ready for everything else he had planned. You plopped the round ball into the water, watching it fizz and turn the water a warm reddish-pink. You sprinkled some of the salts in as well, letting them dissolve before quickly shedding your sleepwear and sinking in. The tub was nice a big, perfect for relaxing.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" You reached over the edge, grabbing the small pillow and using the suction cups to attach it on the edge. Sighing, you relaxed into the nice hot water, the pleasant aroma and salts soothing you as well. The plane ride, while much better in business class, still had left you a bit sore and the bath was just what you needed. After you were done, you fixed your hair, put on some light makeup, and put on the dress. Looking yourself over in the tall standing mirror near the dresser of the bedroom, you smiled at your reflection. It fit perfectly, of course, and it was incredibly comfortable. Grabbing a small bag to use as a purse, you grabbed the sandals as well and met Seonghwa downstairs in the small living room at the front of your lodging.

"Does it look good?" you asked as you came in, drawing his attention away from his phone to you. He gaped for a second, then smiled warmly, "You look absolutely gorgeous, love." Like he had any room to talk. As you went to leave, he kneeled down in front of you, helping you get the sandals on, then led you out with your hand in his. The weather was perfect, fluffy white clouds floating in the deep blue sky. People milled up and down the cobblestone street and you joined them.

"The restaurant for lunch is just on the next street." He told you, and you made your way down the sidewalk and around the corner to get to a more business-centered street.

It was a lovely little bistro-type establishment and you even got a free dessert because of your birthday. Since you didn't have to drive anywhere, you both enjoyed a glass of champagne and you honestly ate more than you should have.

"Why don’t we walk and look at the shops?" Seonghwa motioned down the street after paying the bill, not letting you even look at the receipt. There were several little businesses, many of them were obviously getting most of their business from tourists. You had to be really careful with what you looked at, or how long, or if you would make a comment on something. Seonghwa tried to buy everything you were even slightly interested in, so you had to hold your tongue a bit. At the end of the street was a small courtyard with a fountain in the center, some street vendors and performers set up for the many passerby. By the time you reached the fountain you had acquired a silver charm bracelet, a pocket mirror with a celestial design on the back, a set of three glass figurines of your favorite animal, and a pair of flats with a pretty floral design. Those were just the nice gifts, you also had several different confections, a bag of marbles made to look like dragon's eggs, a wooden flute, a much nicer though still fake tiara, and earrings made to look like macarons.

"I really don't need all of this, Seonghwa." You huffed, taking a seat at the edge of the fountain. He had been carrying the bags, not even letting you hold the bag of chocolate covered pretzels.

"Yes, you do." Your boyfriend tried to hide his smile, trying to maintain his false seriousness. As you had walked down the road, you had also taken several pictures at several places where that was the intended goal. Many of them were selfies of the two of you, or simply of you standing by various things. There was a giant taxidermy bear, with a huge teddy bear next to it and you even put on a headband with bear ears on it for the picture, but didn't let Seonghwa buy it. A statue of some local historical figure, a model of the largest fish ever caught in the area, and several pictures of you holding miniature instruments were among the photos. Together you would take a picture in front of the shops you bought stuff from, for reference, and at seemingly random times, when he would wrap his arm around your shoulders and make you look at his phone. There were several times when you would be near a group of girls and you could tell they were staring at your boyfriend and whispering, but you didn't know the language they were speaking. Your eyes flitted over to his exposed upper chest. You at first were incredibly pleased with him wearing such a flattering top, but you wondered if maybe you wanted to be the only one able to see him like that. So, you had gotten a matching set of small capes made to look like those worn by monarchs. It covered him enough, but still wouldn't make him too hot in the midday sun.

"Can you keep going or do we need to head back?"

"I'm fine looking at more shops, but I need you to promise and not buy me something unless I explicitly ask you to." You pointed your finger in his face, making sure he was looking at you.

"Okay, I promise." He sounded a bit put off, but he smiled right away, reaching up to adjust your cape. With your tiara, you looked and felt a bit childish, but it was your birthday, dammit! You were going to do what you wished. The day continued in bliss, and most of what Seonghwa bought you after was food, except for a medium-sized stuffed wolf and a nice pair of sunglasses since the clouds had all but left and the bright light was hurting your eyes. As you sat on the grass at the edge of the waterway running through the middle of town, you took the glasses off and set them over the snout of the stuffed wolf. The spot was near the edge of town, and on the other side of the water was a field that, when in season, would be filled with flowers. However, that time of year, there weren’t any in bloom. The sun was creeping closer and closer to the horizon, a beautiful array of colors painting the sky.

"This place is gorgeous." You sighed in bliss, leaning back, propping yourself up with your hands on the ground behind you.

"That's why I picked it." Seonghwa hummed, digging through one of the many bags, looking for something. A few stores back, he had come out with a canvas, zipped bag, and would not for any reason let you look inside. He had added a few things over the following hours, and you were growing incredibly curious. But…you supposed you could be patient. As you watched the sun sink to just peak over the distant horizon, he made a noise of realization and hurriedly began to pack stuff up.

"Seonghwa?"

"Let's head back, I have-" He halted, then shook his head, helping you stand up from the ground, "Let's get back." You were growing even more curious as you walked back to your rented lodging. The restaurant right across the way was finally open, seemingly only for dinner, and it seemed Seonghwa had made a reservation. While the bistro offered food you were at least somewhat familiar with, you had not tried anything even similar to the menu. Your boyfriend told you to ignore the prices and order anything that looked good, so you could try everything. Luckily, you had no idea what the conversion rate of the currency was, so you could reliably ignore the cost.

"Do you mind sitting and waiting for a little bit?" he asked, gathering up the bags after he paid the bill.

"Uh, okay?" Your place was literally right across the street, so you didn't mind.

"I'll message you when you can come!" he called as he left the establishment and you watched him jog across and enter the place.

"Huh…" You knew he was planning another surprise but had no clue what it was. You were able to finish your drink before you got the text, your phone buzzing with his specific notification sound. Since the meal had been paid, you simply got up and left the restaurant, heading across the street and entering the lodging yourself. Only the lamp was on in the living room, but you were able to see there were several items on the coffee table that were not there when you left. This intrigued you, so you headed straight in, not noticing the flower petals littering the floor of the hall leading further in and toward the stairs. Stopping by the table, you saw there was a bouquet of yellow and purple flowers in a vase, two candles on each side, another box wrapped in a ribbon, with an envelope on top. You smiled at the sight, still a little blown away by the effort your boyfriend had put into celebrating your birthday. Leaning down, you grabbed the envelope first, pulling the card out that lay inside.

Please put this on, love, and come up.

He had written in his smooth handwriting, and you carefully set the note down, reaching for the box then. Pulling the ribbon loose, you looked inside and found another item he had bought you to wear. This time it was a soft, lacey babydoll lingerie set in a delicate purple shade. In the corner of the box was a small glass bottle designed to look like a diamond, the scent of the perfume was heavenly. There was a thin satin robe to match, and your face flushed a bit at the sight. You had never been confident enough to buy something like that to wear before. However, seeing what he had bought gave you an extreme confidence boost, and it made you feel beautiful and sexy as you put it on in the restroom on the first floor. After you got the set carefully on, you sprayed the perfume in all the right places. Looking over yourself the best you could in the mirror, you draped the robe on over the lingerie, and prepared to join your boyfriend. You were honestly a bit nervous. It wasn't that you had never had sex with Seonghwa, because you definitely had, but this was different. He had you wrapped up like you were a gift for him; you felt incredibly wanted and special. Even more so than usual. It was as you entered the hallway that you finally saw the purple petals decorating the hardwood floor and led up the stairs. You were careful when going up, not wanting to damage the petals too much, nor slip and ruin the evening. Taking a deep breath to steady your excitement and nerves, you put your hand on the nob, and opened the door. There were candles set up around the room, the low, soft light casting across your boyfriend, who was sitting on the bed, a single flower twirling in his grasp. His face was a bit bashful, probably because he had changed into thin, flowy black pants, and a matching black button up…but it was undone, hanging open, fully revealing the smooth skin his sweater earlier gave a sneak peak of. When his eyes landed on you as well, his nerves faded, seeing you wrapped up in the robe and lingerie he had picked out. Even though it was your birthday, you were a gift to him, the elegant scent of the perfume wafted gently toward him as you moved closer, letting the door fall closed. He stood to meet you, both of your faces slightly flushed. You took the flower from him and he tucked a lock of your hair behind your ear, then tipped your head up by his hand on your chin so your eyes could meet his.

"You look beautiful, (Y/N)." You hummed when he leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of your mouth and you had to fiddle yours fingers together to hold back from just running your hands over his bare torso.

"Have you had a good birthday, love?"

"Of course, Seonghwa." You whined a bit at the end, wanting his soft kisses over your cheek to go back to your lips.

"Would you like a bit of dessert?" he asked, leading you toward the bed. You still hadn't eaten the cake he put in the fridge that morning, but that wasn't what he meant. He had a display plate on the bed with several different cuts of fruit and you smiled. You actually preferred fruit or something fruity and sweet for a dessert even over a pastry. You sat delicately on the bed and moved up further at his prompting as he joined you, placing the platter in between you two. As he held up a strawberry to your lips, he mimicked the bite you took, smirking a bit as you chewed. A bit of the sweet juice ran over your bottom lip, so he leaned forward, running his tongue over the trail, then finally captured your lips in a kiss. You whimpered in relief, and eagerly let his tongue then enter your mouth so he could taste the strawberry on your own tongue. After you ate each piece of fruit, he would lick the remains off your mouth and tongue. When he gave you the second cherry, he took one of the stems and challenged to see if you could tie it in a knot together. Well, you couldn't, but maybe because you were both too focused on the kiss than tying the stem. The kiss that followed the gentle flavor of banana was the final step, he set the platter to the side, deepening the kiss further and leading you to remove the soft purple robe you had on over the lingerie. He exhaled in awe, the nearly sheer fabric encompassing your breasts was lined with soft lace, the lower part of the babydoll was truly sheer and laid over your ribs, ending with the same lace as the top. The panties were barely such, but added a sweet and delicate detail. He inhaled deeply as his nose rank over the column of your throat, enjoying the aroma of the perfume. Seonghwa's soft kisses quickly grew harder, his tongue running over your skin. You whimpered when his teeth sank into the crook of your neck slightly. It morphed into a full moan when he sucked hard, and you know it left a mark. He continued this pattern, each new bruise setting your skin ablaze further. After what had to be the tenth or eleventh love bite, he pulled away, sitting back to admire his handiwork. Your face was flushed all the way down to your chest and the tips of your ears, your core already clenching around nothing. Seonghwa brought his fingers to your pussy, rubbing at your folds through your panties, the thin material not able to hide how wet you already were.

"Already so wet, love." He hummed, mouth back near your neck, his voice rumbling in your ear. Trying to ignore his fingers at your core, your hands came up and shakily tugged at his shirt, trying to get it off. He chuckled, helping you with the process, and before he could lean back over you, you sat up yourself. Your boyfriend rose an eyebrow in curiosity, then smirked when your lips met his neck in return. It was your birthday, and if you wanted to mark him back, he was going to let you. You couldn't use the same amount of force he had, and you were nervous to even just nibble his skin. After about three smaller marks, your lips found his again, and he rested back onto the bed, pulling you into his lap. You took your chance and found the waist band of his pants, the thin material not hiding his arousal much. As you pulled his cock out, your small hand wrapped around him, lips going back to his. Since you were distracted by the kiss, his own hand found your core, fingers having sneaked into your panties. You whimpered when he ran two fingers through your dripping folds, trying to maintain focus of your own task. Your other hand joined the first to cover him better, and he buried a long finger inside. He smirked when your walls clenched around the digit, pumping it a bit before easily adding a second. Your whine spurred him on, his own mind a bit foggy with your soft little hands wrapped around him. Seonghwa spread his fingers, pressing against your tight walls, getting you ready for him.

"Hold on, love." He stopped your own pumping fingers, removing his and leading you to lie back down. You nearly yelped in protest when he climbed off the bed, but you watched him remove the rest of his garments, then he lightly grabbed your ankle, and pulled you down to the edge of the bed. He tried not to laugh at your squeak at this, instead falling to his knees on the floor, making his face level with your pussy. Fully removing your panties, you mewled at his warm breath on your core, then gasped when his tongue ran through your folds.

"S-Seonghwa!"

"You're doing so good for me, love." He mumbled, then buried his tongue inside you, thumb going to your clit. Seonghwa could tell by your twitching hips and little whimpers you were already close. His tongue left your core, then ran up to flick at your clit and your orgasm hit you suddenly.

"Ah!" Your little whines rose and fell with the waves of your climax, leaving your quivering at the end.

"Such a good job." Seonghwa kissed your inner thigh, rising back off the floor, easily wrapping his arms around you, and getting you back further up the bed. Lying there, recovering, he unwrapped you like a present, slipping the lingerie fully off, leaving you bare before him. As he adjusted your legs, spreading them and leading you to wrap them around his waist, he kissed you. You whined louder, feeling the head of his cock rubbing through your folds. He could feel the vibrations of your moans as he slowly sank inside, slowly, inch by inch till he was inside to the hilt. Your boyfriend let you get accustomed to the stretch, kissing over your face lightly, telling you how wonderful you were.

"Move, please." Your voice was soft, fingers flying to his hair when he gave a slow shallow thrust. He built his pace steadily, you yelped when he was allowed a new angle after hiking your leg up higher, knee over his elbow.

"So good, love. You're so pretty, and cute…" His words were littered with little pants, your gummy walls hugged his cock so good. When he leaned back over to kiss you again, your leg over his arm shifted as well, allowing his cock to hit a whole new angle.

"S-Seonghwa!" You keened, feeling your next orgasm rising. He left the kiss, barely, lips still slightly touching, and his own thrusts were growing uneven.

"Hold on, love, let's do it together." He coached and you nodded, then he gave two more thrusts, even harder than the previous ones. Your high-pitched, quivering moan harmonized with his low groan, the heat of his release warmed your core and up into your tummy. As you both caught your breath, he wrapped his arms around you, sitting up with you, leaving you in his lap again, half-hard cock still inside. You hadn't noticed that he grabbed something else from the night stand, still in the haze of your release.

"I have one more present, love." He pressed his cheek to your hair when you had slumped forward to rest on his shoulder.

"Hm?" You let him help you sit up better, holding you at the waist so you didn't ragdoll back to the bed.

"I know you've never wanted this to be a big, fancy thing…" He presented the small box to you, and your heart beat increased, so much so he could feel it through his cock still in you.

"Hwa?" you breathed out, hand resting on his shoulder as he used his thumb to flick the box open. Inside was a thin silver ring, a small diamond resting in the middle, two small rubies resting next to the center gem.

"(Y/N), you're the love of my life, and I can't think of ever letting you go. Will you be my wife?" He knew you were already crying, without even having to look at your face. With hitching sobs, you nodded, not able to get words out, resting fully on his shoulder.

"Hm?"

"Yes." you whispered and he kissed the crown of your head, letting you rest on him so he could better use his hands. He slipped the ring on your finger, the size perfect of course, and you looked at it with teary eyes.

"I love you, (Y/N)."

"I love you too, Seonghwa…" You were trying to control your crying, but it was hard. He had done so much for you, giving you the best birthday ever, and now he gave you your final present, which was by far the best one. When you sat up better, admiring the ring, his kiss pulled your attention away, and you clenched around his cock, hard again. He rolled forward again, your back hitting the bed, and he smiled when your now-ringed hand cupped his cheek. Something about seeing you with that ring on, knowing you would be his forever, really got to him. Seonghwa sat up more, this time slinging both of your legs over his elbows, the new angle brought a gasp out of you and when he began, he was immediately rougher than before. His hips snapped hard, and you yelped as he started, this time much more passionate then before. You were glad you were so well prepared from earlier, because this time he wasn't holding back, channeling everything he was feeling into each move.

"Oh, my god…" You gasped, a particularly hard thrust hitting just the right spot. Seonghwa led you to wrap your legs around his waist, propping himself up further to maintain the angle, slightly pressing you into the bed. His hands found yours, fingers linking through yours, pinning them to the bed above your head. He kissed you again, this time more tongue than anything, and you squeaked with each thrust. You could feel his emotion through every point of contact, and you marveled that he was going to be yours forever. He didn't pull back from the kiss, but his hips stuttered, both of you nearly there. At his final pump, you both fell over the edge, even more heat filled you, to the point it dripped out of you where his body met yours. Finally leaving the kiss so you could both catch your breath, Seonghwa pressed his forehead to yours.

"Happy birthday, love."

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eyeheartboobiez · 9 months

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-> 𝗃𝖺𝗌𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗈𝖽𝖽 𝗑 𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀𝖾𝗋!𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋

-> 𝗌𝗈𝖼𝗂𝖺𝗅 𝗆𝖾𝖽𝗂𝖺 𝖺𝗎!

-> 𝖺/𝗇: 𝗈𝗄𝖺𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗂𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖫𝖠𝖲𝖳 𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾 𝗂𝗆𝗆𝖺 𝗎𝗌𝖾 𝗏𝗂𝗇𝗇𝗂𝖾 𝗁𝖺𝖼𝗄𝖾𝗋 𝖺𝗌 𝖺 𝗃𝖺𝗌𝗈𝗇 𝖿𝖺𝖼𝖾 𝖼𝗅𝖺𝗂𝗆 𝗂 𝗌𝗐𝖾𝖺𝗋😭

Jason Todd and ex girlfriend, Artemis Grace, spotted outside a club together just hours ago! May this old flame be finding its spark again? (8/20/2022 3:14 AM PT)

For months now, people have been buzzing after Gotham elite Jason Todd and singer Y/N Y/LN hinted at being in a relationship. Ever since this past March when they were initially spotted together, fans have done nothing short of obsessing over the two.

Artemis Grace, former girlfriend of Jason, had gotten into some hot water recently when insiders claimed that the singer had something to do with leaking Y/N’s unreleased track, Fantasize.

As mentioned in former articles, TMZ investigators came to the conclusion that Artemis was involved in publishing the song as a way of “getting her lick back”. Time logs show that the dubbed “rival” singer entered the same studio as Y/N not too long after she left for the night.

Many people online have been more than vocal about their love for the song, despite the fact that it was released without the artist’s consent.

While Artemis has yet issue a statement regarding the accusations, she seems to have plenty of time to be out partying with her ex.

Fast forward to last night, when just hours ago, Jason and Artemis were seen leaving a nightclub together and looking very close for comfort. Onlookers were not only shocked, but absolutely gagged when they saw the two hugging each other goodbye.

With their late night rendezvous breaking headlines, some fans are starting to question if Jason may have also played a part in helping Artemis, or if they ever really broke up at all!

The exes, who were romantically involved for almost two years, have a long history of being toxic towards each other. Their on-again-off-again relationship was notorious for its dysfunctionality, making it hard to keep up most of the time.

It wasn't until late last year when both Jason and Artemis officially called it quits by posting an announcement on their respective Instagram accounts (although many were skeptical to believe it).

Despite the initial shock of the situation, it begs the question: Where does Y/N stand in all of this?

Fans of the singer songwriter were quick to come to her support, majority of whom expressing their clear disappointment in Jason.

“I was really betting on these two,” says Twitter user @y/n’scoochiehairs. “I feel like a child of divorce…”. The fan account, while only just a few months old, grew exponentially due to their constant posts about the alleged couple.

Many sentiments like this have been circulating the internet once the pictures from last night began to surface. Y/N is notorious for putting her emotions into her songs, so at least we know she’ll be releasing new music soon, right?

— replies —

user1: oh she really aint playing...

user2: COOK HIM GOOD SIS!!

user3: girl this is a whole bar put this energy into a song or sumn😭

user4: sooo what im hearing is that ur single🤔

⤷ user5: ntm on my wife now..

user6: this next album bouta be BIBLICAL

user7: genuinely hope youre doing okay🥺🫶

user8: ily queen🩷

people you may know!

liked by b_zarro and 613,189 others

@artemisofmighdall: last night was a dream✨

View all 25,846 comments

user1: first you mess with her music then you mess with her man.. if bold was a person…

user2: the hell is she smiling so damn big for?? ain’t shit funny😐

user3: girl you betta PRAY i don’t catch you in these streets…

user4: “last night was a dream” yeah and you in for a rude awakening cuz wth💀

user5: these comments killing me😭

user6: you already going to hell for being a ginger now you just making it worse for yourself🤦‍♀️

— creator has turned off comments—

end notes: is jason involved or is he just being framed👀 lmk what you think!!

336 notes · View notes

genshinluvr · 2 years

Text

Another Small Problem

Pairings: Various Genshin Men x Isekai'd!Reader

Summary: After the first incident of your boyfriends turning into children (except for Zhongli and the newly added men to the harem), the men find themselves having to deal with another small problem that relates to the previous issue. You turning into a child.

Note: This is part 2 of "A Small Problem." Sorry it took me a while to make another part for "A Small Problem," I had a lot of things to do, and I didn't really get to plan the story out until way after the first part had been posted. My finals week is officially finished, and I have no idea how I did! I'm actually pretty scared because idk how I did, and I really hope that I did well 😭 anyway! I am officially on my winter break! >:D until I have to deal with the worst schedule for my winter quarter 🥹 Anyway, I don't post anywhere else but on Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and on AO3 (Aaliah_exo).

Warnings: None that I know of 🤔 Pierro is kind of mean to Itto and Itto got sad after it 🥺

Word Count: 11.4k

Read part one of Another Small Problem here: [A Small Problem]

You’re at the Harbingers’ estate, in Dottore’s lab, assisting him with one of his experiments with Albedo and Tighnari at your side. The three men are scattered around the blue-green-lit laboratory, scribbling down notes onto a sheet of paper and the other instructing what to add to the mixture. You stand to the side and let your eyes wander around the fascinating lab. You’ve been inside a few laboratories before but have yet to see a laboratory like Dottore’s lab at the Harbingers’ estate. The contrast between Albedo and Dottore’s lab is fascinating, and here you four are, inside Dottore’s lab, assisting Dottore with an experiment.

“Here, drink this,” Dottore says, handing you a glass vial that contains a turquoise-colored liquid inside of it. You reluctantly grab the glass vial from Dottore’s hands and lift it up to your face, your eyebrows knitted together with skepticism.

You clear your throat. “What’s this supposed to be?” You ask, holding the glass tube beneath your nose to get a whiff of it. The liquid is unscented, but you’re worried about what it’ll taste like. Dottore looks over at Albedo, who takes his goggles off and lets them hang around his neck.

“I recall you wanted us to make an elixir that will help you focus on your studies. Therefore Dottore, Tighnari, and I have come up with this potion for you to drink that should make it easier for you to concentrate,” Albedo says.

You nod your head slowly and bring the glass tube up to your eyes to examine the liquid inside of it. You swirl the turquoise liquid in the vial and clear your throat quietly. “This better be flavorless because I just ate some delicious Liyuen dish, and I do not want it to come back up my throat,” you mutter.

“It shouldn’t taste like anything, really. There’s a faint taste of mint and maybe a little bit of henna berry,” Tighnari says, peeking his head from between Albedo and Dottore’s shoulders.

You continue to stare at the glass vial in your grasp, debating if you should take the elixir or use it whenever you’re studying. “Do I need to drink it now? Can’t I drink it whenever I’m studying?” You ask.

“We don’t know how long it’ll take for the elixir to kick in, so you might as well take it now,” Dottore says, crossing his arms behind his back as he, Tighnari, and Albedo waits for you to drink the experiment.

You nod your head before downing the liquid. You make a face and shiver when the elixir slithers down your throat. You hand the test tube back to Dottore and stare at the three men in front of you. “Now what?” You ask, rubbing your stomach when you feel your stomach heats up and tingle.

“Now we wait!” Tighnari says.

Albedo looks over at you. “Again, we do not know how long it’ll take for the potion to kick in, so we might have to wait a while for the effects to show,” Albedo says.

You look over at the clock on Dottore’s desk and notice that it’s almost ten in the evening. You stretch your arms in the air and clear your throat when you feel a burp coming up. “It’s getting late. I think we should stop the experiment for today. Hopefully, we’ll get our results by tomorrow morning,” you said.

You, Albedo, and Tighnari leave the Harbingers’ mansion, bidding the four Harbingers goodbyes before walking back to your estate. When the three of you walk into the estate, the rest of the men are already asleep in their bedrooms. The light in the living room was your, Albedo, and Tighnari’s source of light. You each bid each other goodnights before departing ways and walking to your bedrooms. You quickly change into your pajamas and brush your teeth, your eyelids beginning to feel heavy with each passing minute. You rinse your mouth, brush your hair and walk out of your bathroom, turning the lights off behind you. You collapse onto your bed and roll yourself into a burrito with your blanket and close your eyes, slowly drifting to sleep.

Morning soon rolls by, and every person in the abode starts to wake up from their slumber one by one slowly. Diluc is in the kitchen brewing his coffee, leaning up against the counter while reading the Teyvat newspaper, his hair pulled up in a high ponytail. Zhongli enters the kitchen, dressed for the day; he fills the kettle with water and places it on the stove.

“Man, I slept like a baby last night!” Childe says, entering the kitchen with a bright smile on his face.

Diluc rolls his eyes. “Must be nice not to have to sleep in a bedroom that is close to someone that does snores in their sleep,” Diluc mutters, looking over at Itto, who stops in his tracks and gives the men a sheepish smile.

“Listen, if there’s a way for me to control it, I would! But guess what? I can’t control my snoring, okay?” Itto retorts, giving Diluc a dramatic pout with his arms over his chest.

Thoma walks into the kitchen and scratches his head, still tired from his sleep. Thoma yawns and walks to the refrigerator to pull a few ingredients out and places them on the counter beside the stove, waiting for Zhongli to make his cup of tea.

“Has anyone seen [Y/N] today? I know they got back from the Harbingers’ estate late last night with Albedo and Tighnari, but both Albedo and Tighnari are awake,” Thoma says, opening the cupboard to pull out a pan, whisk, and spatula.

The kettle begins to whistle; Zhongli grabs the handle of the tea kettle and pours the hot water into the teacup, waiting for the tea to steep. “It is the weekend. I’m assuming that [Y/N] has decided to take a day off from their studies to get extra sleep,” Zhongli murmurs, turning the stove off and placing the tea kettle off to the side.

“If that’s the case, then that’s good to hear. [Y/N] needs to get more sleep considering they’ve been staying up late to study for school,” Diluc murmurs, pouring his coffee into his mug and blowing on the coffee, taking a small sip from it. Before any of the men could say anything else, a loud crash coming from upstairs startled the men, making them jump.

“What was that crash?” Childe asks.

They trade looks before rushing out of the kitchen and heading towards where the loud crash came from. There stands Tighnari and Albedo, looking down at something, appalled. The glass tubes that once held a turquoise-colored liquid are now broken and shattered on the ground in front of Tighnari and Albedo.

“What happened?” Cyno asks, walking out of his bedroom, his hair messy from his sleep.

Al Haitham and Kaveh look at the ground of shattered glass. “You’re going to need to clean that up before any of us steps on broken glass,” Al Haitham says, pinching the bridge of his nose and letting out a slow sigh through his nose. Tighnari and Albedo didn’t say a word. Instead, they continue to stare at the small bookcase on the second floor.

Kaveh cocks an eyebrow at Albedo and Tighnari. “What are you guys staring at?” Kaveh asks.

A tiny sneeze fills the silence. “Bless you,” Venti says, looking for the source where the sneeze came from.

“Thank you,” answered back a small voice.

Dainsleif grabs onto the back of Childe’s shirt and pulls him to whisper into his ears. “Is that a voice of a child?” Dainsleif asks, looking at Childe from the corner of his eyes. Childe slowly nods his head without answering Dainsleif’s question, his eyebrows narrowing as he stares at the small bookcase with scrutiny.

Xiao slowly steps out from behind the men and approaches the bookcase; his jade spear materializes in his hands, and his grip tightens around the base of his polearm. “Reveal yourself this instant,” Xiao orders, glaring at the bookcase.

“Xiao, I don’t think we should be pointing weapons at anyone. Especially a child,” Baizhu warns, holding his arm out in front of Xiao. Xiao looks conflicted for a moment before hesitantly letting his polearm disappear in thin air. Baizhu walks towards the bookcase and kneels, peeking behind the bookcase.

“Who’s behind the bookcase? The suspense is killing me!” Aether says loudly.

Heizou smacks Aether upside of his head and glares at Aether, shushing the blond man by pressing his index finger on his lips. “Keep your voice down, Aether! [Y/N]’s still sleeping, remember?” Heizou whispers loudly.

“Should we go check up on [Y/N]?” Gorou asks, his eyes wide with concern.

Kazuha shakes his head. “I don’t think we need to check up on them….” Kazuha trails off, not taking his eyes off where Baizhu is kneeling. Gorou gives Kazuha a questioning look, only for Kazuha to nod his head toward Baizhu’s direction. Gorou looks over at Baizhu; Baizhu stands up and turns around, holding a small child in his arms. The small child is wearing a t-shirt that is way too big for them; the child is staring back at the men with wide eyes that are filled with tears.

“Who’s baby is that? Last time I checked, none of us got [Y/N] pregnant,” Scaramouche says, scratching the back of his neck while staring at the child nervously.

Baizhu bounces the small child in his arms, a small smile on his face. “Everyone, this is [Y/N],” Baizhu says.

Thoma clears his throat and turns to the men. “It looks like we may or may not have another small problem on our hands,” Thoma says, laughing nervously.

“That’s [Y/N]!?” Aether exclaims, his eyes widening with shock, pointing his index finger at your tiny form. You cling to Baizhu before burying your face into Baizhu’s neck, tears wetting his neck. Baizhu chuckles and pats your back as you whimper into his neck.

Heizou laughs nervously, turning to look at Tighnari and Albedo. “Care to explain how [Y/N] turned into a child?” Heizou asks, propping both of his hands on his hips while waiting for either man to give him an answer.

“Great! First, we turned into children, and now it’s [Y/N]’s turn to turn into a child,” Kaeya says, running his hands through his hair while examining your small trembling body.

Ayato tilts his head to the side; a smile appears on his face. “So this is what [Y/N] looked like when they were a child,” Ayato mused; he crossed his arms over his chest as he watched you cling to Baizhu for dear life. You’re just too cute!

Childe walks up to you and Baizhu, squatting slightly in front of you. He gently pokes you to grab your attention. You peek from Baizhu’s shoulders and lock gazes with Childe. Childe gives you a smile and gently brushes your tears away.

“There’s no need to cry, [Y/N]. I know you’re scared and confused, and that’s okay! But the most important thing right now is to make sure you’re aware that you’re not who you originally were,” Childe coos. You blink away your tears and nod your head slowly, clinging to Baizhu tightly.

“I think the most important thing is to make sure that [Y/N]’s okay,” Xiao says, glaring at the ginger-haired Harbinger.

Venti giggles lightly and pats Xiao’s head. “I don’t think you should be making a scary face right now, Xiao. You’ll scare little [Y/N],” Venti coos, trotting over to you and rubbing the top of your head gently, trying his best not to scare you.

“From what I can tell, [Y/N] is very well aware that they’re not in their original form. Being aged backward scared them, and they didn’t know what to do. Isn’t that right, [Y/N]?” Baizhu looks down at you, continuing to rub your back.

You nod your head shyly, loosening your grip around Baizhu’s shirt and flinching when Changsheng hisses softly and gets close to your face. You and Changshang stare at each other for a moment before you turn to look around helplessly, trying to find an escape route to get away from Changsheng. Even though you know that Changsheng isn’t going to harm you, your mind, which is now reduced to a child’s mind, sees the complete opposite.

Gorou frowns, and his ears flatten on his head. “Aw, it seems like [Y/N]’s afraid of Changsheng,” Gorou says softly.

Baizhu slowly places you down on the ground, and you stand there awkwardly. You make eye contact with Scaramouche before slowly making your way over to Scaramouche. Once you’re halfway across the room, you sprint towards Scaramouche, hoping to escape from Changsheng. Scaramouche kneels and opens his arms out wide; you run into his arms and cling to him, face burying into his chest. Scaramouche wraps his arms around your torso and stands up, fixing your bedhead.

Itto stares at Scaramouche with his mouth agape. “Wow, I didn’t know that this little fella is fond of children,” Itto says.

“Looks can be deceiving,” Kazuha whispers to Itto, who nods his head in agreement.

“Why don’t we all go downstairs and get ready for breakfast now that everyone is awake? Albedo and Tighnari can pay the Harbingers’ a visit after breakfast to discuss the situation with [Y/N],” Zhongli says.

Everyone begins to slowly trickle to the dining room one by one while Scaramouche stays back with you still in his arms. Scaramouche looks down at you; you’re looking up at him with those wide eyes of yours, making him blush.

“Have you brushed your teeth yet?” Scaramouche asks.

You shake your head in response. Scaramouche sighs softly and walks to your bedroom with you clinging to him tightly. You’re not much of a talker, are you? Scaramouche helps you brush your teeth and makes sure to brush the knots out of your hair. As for clothing, Scaramouche isn’t so sure about that considering all of your clothes are way too big for your current size, so you’ll have to parade around the estate in an oversized shirt for now.

Scaramouche hears your stomach growl; your face pinches up with discomfort, your tiny arms hugging your stomach. Scaramouche carries you out of your bedroom and down the stairs to the dining room, where everyone is waiting for the both of you.

“Ah, so this was the issue you two were talking about,” Pantalone says, eyeing your tiny body with mirth. Scaramouche glares at Pantalone and sits at the furthest part of the table, and sits down with you on his lap, looking around to see if there’s any temporary seat for you. What Scaramouche can recall is that last time, you mentioned to Zhongli about getting a high chair for those who turned into children, but you never got one because you assumed that the situation wouldn’t happen again; unfortunately, you were wrong.

“I’m sure [Y/N] can still sit in their seat with a little assistance,” Dainsleif says.

Kaeya tilts his head to the side and looks at Dainsleif quizzically. “Oh? And what would that assistance be, Dainsleif?” Kaeya asks, taking a bite out of his pancakes.

“We can make a temporary high chair for them by stacking their textbooks on the chair and letting them sit on it,” Cyno says, getting up from his seat and walking over to where your backpack is lying and pulling out five textbooks that are the same width of cinderblocks. Cyno places the textbooks down on the empty seat where you usually sit and adjusts it close to the table.

Scaramouche gets up from his chair and walks over to the empty chair that is occupied with your Akademiya textbooks. Cyno moves the chair back and lets Scaramouche place you down on the makeshift high chair, making sure that there’s no way for you to fall out of the seat. Cyno pushes your chair close to the table and pats the top of your head awkwardly. Usually, he would kiss the top of your head, but since your mindset has been reduced to a child’s mind, Cyno and the rest of the men are going to tip-toe around you.

“You three need to find the solution to the issue as soon as possible,” Pierro states, looking over at Dottore, Tighnari, and Albedo with a stern look on his face.

Ayato huffs. “I’m sure they’ll find the solution in no time. After all, the last time this had happened, the effects only lasted twenty-four hours,” Ayato says, poking his breakfast with a fork.

“It better be within twenty-four hours because [Y/N] has a final presentation to do at the Akademiya,” Kaveh says, scooping up the scrambled eggs into his spoon and taking a bite out of it.

“Do you know the date of when [Y/N] will need to present?” Capitano asks.

Al Haitham nods his head. “I remember [Y/N] telling Kaveh and me that their presentation is on the seventh,” Al Haitham says, looking over at you.

You reach for the fork and lift it to your face, staring at it with amazement, your mouth agape and eyes wide. Thoma walks over to your table and begins to slice the huge pancake into bite sizes, making it easier for you to eat without having to use a knife with those tiny hands of yours.

“And what day is it today, exactly?” Pantalone asks, looking around the estate for a calendar.

Pierro replies, “Today is the currently the fifth. Their presentation is in two days, and they need to change back to their original size before their presentation.”

“Do you three think you can do that? Make the concoction and reverse the effects of the elixir that [Y/N] had ingested that landed them in this situation?” Capitano asks, looking over at Dottore, Albedo, and Tighnari.

Albedo nods his head. “If we get started on the experiment as soon as possible after breakfast to make the concoction to reverse the effects of the elixir that [Y/N] has taken, then we should have it ready by either tonight or early tomorrow morning,” Albedo says, stroking his chin.

“That is if we have the ingredients and plenty of time to make the concoction. The main issue is that we do not know how long it’ll take for the concoction’s effects to start kicking in to reverse what has been done to [Y/N],” Tighnari says.

Dottore crosses his arms over his chest. “Another issue that we’ll need to figure out is how long [Y/N] has been a child,” Dottore mutters.

“Let’s figure everything out once we’re done with breakfast,” Thoma says slowly, bringing his fork up to his lips and taking a bite of the slice of pancake.

While everyone is eating their breakfast, you’re struggling to eat your breakfast because of how clumsy you are. Due to you being a child around the age of three years old, your motor skills are lacking and clumsy, causing you to knock over a glass cup of water, spilling it all over the table. Silence falls over the table; everyone looks over at you with wide eyes, unsure of how you’d react. You end up mistaking their silence and reaction as a bad thing, so tears begin to flood your eyes, your bottom lips start to tremble, and you begin to let out small sniffles.

“No, no, no! Don’t cry! It’s okay!” Childe reassures you, quickly getting up from his seat and cleaning the spilled water off the table with a cloth napkin.

You begin to hiccup as you cover your face and wipe your tears messily. “‘M sorry,” you hiccup.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. There’s nothing to cry about,” Ayato coos, leaning towards you and wiping your tears away with his thumbs.

“I made an oopsie,” You whine, kicking your little legs with a deep frown on your face.

Itto gives you a sympathetic look. “It was an accident, onikabuto booboo bear. You didn’t do it on purpose,” Itto says softly, gently rubbing your back.

Aether clutches Heizou’s arms and bends over, clutching his chest with his other hand. “[Y/N] called it an oopsie. I’m going to cry; my heart can’t take this much cuteness,” Aether grunts.

“Just when I thought [Y/N] couldn’t get any cuter, they continue to prove me wrong,” Heizou says, pressing his hands to his chest with a pout on his face, trying to refrain himself from throwing himself at you and squeezing you in his arms.

Cyno strokes his chin while analyzing your pouting face. “This makes me wonder if their vocabulary changes as well,” Cyno murmurs to himself.

Kaveh looks over at Cyno. “Did you not hear [Y/N] call the accidental spill and ‘oopsie’?” Kaveh asks, propping his hands on his hips.

You cross your arms over your chest and let your fork clink on the ceramic plate loudly. You have an evident pout on your face, your cheeks stained with tears, your eyes bloodshot red from the crying you’ve done.

“How about I feed you, hmm? You won’t have to worry about making an oopsie,” Scaramouche says softly, kneeling beside your chair.

Al Haitham’s eyes widen. “Oh? How sweet of you, Scaramouche,” Al Haitham crosses his arms over his chest with a small amused smile on his face. Scaramouche shoots a quick glare over in Al Haitham’s direction before turning back to look at you for a response.

You nod your head and throw yourself at Scaramouche. Scaramouche laughs softly and pats your head, placing you back down on your makeshift high chair. While Scaramouche was feeding you, Diluc couldn’t help but notice how your hair would get in the way whenever you were eating. Diluc finishes his breakfast before excusing himself to go to the kitchen to wash his plate.

“At least [Y/N] isn’t a picky eater. Children that are picky eaters are nightmares,” Kaeya says, watching you chew on your pancakes, your cheeks puffed up while Scaramouche and Zhongli gently tell you not to stuff too much food in your mouth or else you’d choke. You nod your head while slowly chewing on your pancakes, making sure not to rush or else you’d choke on the pancakes. Just when Scaramouche is going to feed you another slice of pancake, you shake your head and stare at the small piece of pancake on the fork.

“Oh? Are you full?” Baizhu asks.

You nod your head in response and place your hand over your tummy. “‘M full. No more pancakes,” you said softly.

“That’s okay! We’re happy that you ate breakfast today,” Gorou says, smiling at you happily. You look over at Gorou, and your eyes immediately light up at the sight of his ears. You point your dainty fingers in Gorou’s direction, slowly looking over at Zhongli and Scaramouche.

“It looks like [Y/N] is curious about Gorou’s ears,” Venti whispers, nudging Gorou lightly as he walks behind the general.

“Careful now; children like to pull on things they can get their hands on,” Pierro says, cracking a smile as he watches you get off your seat with the help of Zhongli and Scaramouche.

You pout at Pierro and cross your arms over your chest. “I won’t pull, I promise,” you said.

You waddle over to where Gorou is kneeling and stand on your tippy toes, reaching up for Gorou’s ears as he bows his head forward. Your tiny hands brush against Gorou’s ears before you let out a soft gasp. Gorou looks up at you through his lashes, a small smile on his face as he watches your eyes grow wide with awe.

“So soft,” You said, rubbing your fingers against the furs on Gorou’s ears.

After petting Gorou’s ears for some time, you finally release Gorou’s ears and look at the men blankly. Gorou gets off the ground and ruffles your hair affectionately, a shy smile on his face. Once Diluc returns to the dining room from the kitchen, Diluc stops in front of you and kneels in front of you, gazing at you with the softest smile.

Diluc brushes your hair away from your face. “Do you want me to put your hair up to make sure your hair won’t make you feel itchy?” You look at Diluc and then grab at your hair, feeling it tickle against your flesh.

You nod your head shyly at the redhead. “Yes, please,” you said politely.

Diluc smiles and stands back up, holding his hand out for you to take. You grab Diluc’s hand and let him guide you out of the dining area of the estate. Once you and Diluc are out of earshot, the men begin talking amongst each other.

“[Y/N] is a cute kid,” Pantalone says softly, finishing up his breakfast with a smile on his face.

“They’re….” Capitano trails off, unsure of how to finish his sentence, “they’re an anxious child, I notice,” Capitano murmurs, his eyes trailing over to where you and Diluc had exited.

“Do we know much about their childhood? Perhaps they’re not an anxious child when they were in their world,” Dainsleif says slowly.

Zhongli sighs and shrugs his shoulders. “Other than them having separation anxiety when they were a child, [Y/N] has never mentioned anything about their childhood,” Zhongli replies.

Xiao crosses his arms. “They probably didn’t mention it for a reason. They’ll tell us more about their childhood when they’re comfortable with it. Let’s not push them to talk about their past,” Xiao states.

The men nod their heads in agreement. The silence was soon occupied with the sounds of tiny footsteps running through the hallways on the second floor, small panting and giggles echo the estate.

“[Y/N], be careful. Don’t run down the stairs, or else you’ll fall,” everyone in the living room hears Diluc say.

“Sorry,” you reply meekly.

Diluc holds his hand out for you to take. You grab his hand and let Diluc guide you down the stairs of the estate. Once you reach the last step of the stairs, you release Diluc’s hand and hop down to the ground. You look at the men with a big smile, bouncing on the balls of your feet.

You reach up to your hair and lightly touch it. “‘Luc tied my hair,” you said softly with a bashful smile on your face.

Childe walks up to you and squats in front of you, smiling at you. “Aren’t you a cutie?” Childe coos, caressing your face in his hands and lightly pinching your cheeks affectionately. You feel your face heat up before you cover your entire face with your tiny hands and run back to Diluc, hiding behind his legs and peeking out from behind Diluc, looking at Childe shyly.

Pantalone chuckles. “It looks like the little one has a crush,” Pantalone coos, giving you a teasing smile.

You feel your face heat up, and you grumble under your breath, clutching onto Diluc’s pants before burying your face into the back of his thighs. Diluc reaches behind and places his hand on the back of your head, lightly stroking your hair. Childe stands back up and chuckles, running his hands through his ginger hair. He looks like a prince.

Kaeya crosses his arms over his chest. “Usually, I would say that the ponytail on top of [Y/N]’s head makes them look like a radish, but they look cute with it,” Kaeya says cooly, smirking at his brother.

Kazuha laughs. “Usually? Are you implying that you would call them a radish whenever their hair is pulled up in a ponytail?” Kazuha asks. Kaeya smiles and nods his head.

Ayato nods his head. “He calls [Y/N] a radish all the time, especially when he’s teasing them,” Ayato says. You step out from behind Diluc and stick your tongue out at Kaeya, who chuckles at your childish response.

“Now that we’re all done eating let's do something to keep [Y/N] occupied while Tighnari, Dottore, and Albedo make a concoction that’ll turn them back to themselves,” Gorou says.

Al Haitham raises his eyebrows at Gorou. “And do you know how to keep a child occupied?” Al Haitham asks, looking over at you, who is slowly trailing over to the giant fish tank in the estate, staring up at the fishes in awe.

“We’ll figure something out,” Heizou says, walking over to where you’re standing and gazing at the fishes with you.

Heizou squats beside you and points at the moonfin swimming around the fish tank. You gasp softly, staring at the beautiful fish with wonder. A thought pops up in Aether’s head. He turns to Itto and taps him on the shoulder to grab his attention.

“You’re good with kids, aren’t you?” Aether asks.

Scaramouche makes a face and points at Itto. “That oaf? Great with kids?” Scaramouche asks, letting out a scoff of disbelief and humor.

“Didn’t he make a kid cry after beating them in beetle fighting and taking their candies as a reward?” Thoma asks, the corners of his lips curving up. Itto gasps loudly and begins to sputter out excuses, his cheeks and the tips of his ears turning almost as red as his horns. Itto scoffs to himself as he props his hands on his hips, his nose sticks in the air as he lets out a loud huff of breath.

“Hey, hey, hey! I did not make them cry! They were being sore losers and cried because I beat them fair and square in the beetle fight!” Itto says defensively.

You walk up to Itto and stare up at him, reaching both of your hands up and making grabby motions. Itto’s heart melts at the sight of your big eyes staring up at him, wanting him to pick you up and carry you in his arms. Itto squats down and grabs you by your waist, lifting you and placing you on his shoulders so you can sit on them. You hold onto Itto’s long hair and begin tugging at it, making Itto wince and whine softly.

Pierro chuckles. “See? What did I say?” Pierro asks, raising an eyebrow at Itto with a faint smirk on his face.

Itto reaches up and slips both of his index fingers into your hair to get you to release his hair. You end up replacing his hair with his fingers, squeezing them as tightly as your tiny hands can. Itto looks at the other men and smiles in relief when the tugging at his hair ceases.

“Let’s get started on making the concoction. The earlier we work on it, the faster we’ll be finished with the elixir, and [Y/N] should be back to normal by tomorrow,” Albedo says, turning to look at Dottore and Tighnari.

Dottore sighs wistfully and looks over at you; you’re occupied with tugging on Itto’s fingers, not paying attention to what’s going on around you. “It’s a shame that I won’t be able to spend time with [Y/N] while they’re in this form,” Dottore says, his head hanging low.

Tighnari rolls his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest. “Oh, don’t be dramatic, Dottore. It would take some time for the concoction to affect [Y/N]. I’m sure you’ll have a few hours with them before they’re back to normal,” Tighnari says.

As the three men are about to leave the main estate, Venti pats you on the shoulders to grab your attention. “Don’t you want to say bye to the three men before they leave?” Venti asks.

You look over at the door and wave at Albedo, Tighnari, and Dottore. “Bye,” you said softly, getting back to playing with Itto’s fingers, poking at his black nails. The three men bid you goodbye before exiting the mansion and heading over to the Harbingers’ estate.

“So, how are we going to keep [Y/N] occupied again?” Baizhu asks.

Cyno smirks and crosses his arms over his chest. “I have a few ideas in mind,” Cyno says.

Everyone sits in the living room, scattered on the ground, sofa, couch, and loveseat. You sit across from Cyno, sitting on Itto’s lap. In front of you and Cyno are cards; three in front of you and three in front of Cyno.

“Why in the world are we teaching a three-year-old how to play TCG?” Kaveh asks, pinching the bridge of his nose before letting out an irritated sigh.

Zhongli looks at the cards in confusion. “Don’t you think this will confuse [Y/N]? They’re a child; I don’t think they’ll understand how to play this game even if you try to teach them,” said Zhongli, lifting the character cards up to his face and inspecting them closely.

“Perhaps Itto is playing for [Y/N]. Children get bored of things easily, so it seems like Itto will be the one to play against Cyno in this game,” Dainsleif speaks up.

Xiao sighs and rests his head on the couch cushion, closing his eyes. “I have a bad feeling that this isn’t going to end well,” Xiao mutters.

Xiao ends up being correct because Cyno beat you and Itto in the TCG game. Itto demands a rematch so many times but continues to lose. Itto stands up suddenly, causing you to tumble off of his lap and onto the floor. Itto points his index finger at the general mahamatra, his eyebrows furrowing, and his mouth pulls into a scowl.

“Instead of us having a rematch in this rigged card game, I challenge you in a beetle fight! My onikabuto versus your scarabs!” Itto proclaims.

Kaeya walks up to Itto and places his hand on the oni’s shoulders. “Wait a minute, Itto. Don’t people call you Arataki “The Ultimate TCG Champion” Itto?” Kaeya asks, raising his eyebrows.

“What are you up to, Kaeya?” Diluc asks, narrowing his eyes at his adoptive brother, approaching the duo with his arms over his torso.

“Saving him from humiliation, I hope,” Dainsleif mutters under his breath. Zhongli presses his lips into thin lines to prevent himself from smiling at Dainsleif’s comment.

You whine softly and get up from the ground, tossing the TCG cards on the table. “I’m bored! This game is confusing,” You said softly, crossing your arms over your chest. Everyone around you was too busy bickering with each other to notice your small tantrum. “I’m going to sleep,” you grumble to yourself, walking to the nearest room away from the living room.

The closest room you stumble across is the library; it’s quiet, and the temperature is cool enough for you to fall asleep without any problems. You walk to the furthest part of the library and sit on the couch, pulling the blanket from the corner of the couch and tossing it over yourself. As much as you want to continue to be with the tall men, you’re tired, and TCG bores you to death. You sprawl out on the couch and close your eyes, curling up into a ball, feeling your eyelids growing heavier and heavier as you let your body relax on the sofa. Maybe a little nap will wake you up from the nightmare you’re currently experiencing.

Back in the living room, everyone was still bickering with each other, slightly shoving the person they were arguing with. The first person to notice your disappearance was Kaveh after scanning the room to find your tiny head amongst the big heads in the room. Kaveh suddenly stands up from where he’s sitting, grabbing the others' attention. Everyone falls silent and looks at Kaveh quizzically while the blond man looks around the room almost frantically.

“Where’s [Y/N]?” Kaveh asks.

Childe’s eyes widen, and he suddenly gets up from his seat. “Oh shit, did we lose [Y/N]?” Childe asks, running his hands through his ginger hair, his blue eyes wide with fear and worry.

“How did we lose them already? It’s been a few minutes!” Heizou says as he searches the living room for any sight of your radish-looking hairstyle, according to Kaeya, not his words.

Capitano sighs and covers his face (mask?) with his hand, shaking his head. There’s no way these men will be decent fathers and babysitters if they can barely watch over one child. Capitano gets up from the sofa without saying a single word and begins to look for you himself while the other men are distracted with trying to figure out how you managed to wander off without their knowledge.

There was no way you’d wander into the kitchen and dining room because if you were to do so, everyone would’ve been able to see you. So, the kitchen and dining room are out of the question. The next room Capitano decides to investigate is the library, the room where you’re usually at the most other than your bedroom. Capitano peeks his head into the library and slowly walks into the quiet room, surveying his surroundings. So far, Capitano doesn’t see any signs of you being in the library. The more he steps into the room and walks around, the more he hears quiet breathing coming from somewhere inside the library of the estate. Capitano ends up coming across your little study corner, notebooks and books stacked upon each other, a trash bin next to the desk filled with paper balls and scrap paper. Capitano stops in his tracks when he comes across the small sofa that is tucked at the farthest part of the library.

You crack your eyes open when you hear the sound of quiet footsteps walking around the library. You sit up on the couch and rub your eyes with your fist. You look up and make eye contact with the masked man.

“Now, why did you wander off in here, little one?” Capitano asks, squatting down in front of you, gazing at you curiously from behind his mask.

You rub your eyes and yawn. “I’m tired, and everyone was arguing, so I went here to take a nap,” you said, patting the couch with your hand.

Capitano sighs and watches you take your hair out from the ponytail, letting your tresses fall and frame your face. You rub your head and plop back down on the couch, sprawled over the sofa with the blanket draping over you. Capitano lifts his hand up and lightly scratches your head, making you snuggle up against the palm of his hand.

“We should head back to the living room. Everyone is worried sick about you,” Capitano states, looking at the entrance of the library.

You grumble and sit up on the couch. “Okay,” you mumble, hopping off the couch.

Capitano stands up and holds his hand out for you to take. You grab his hand and let him guide you out of the library. As the two of you got closer to the library, the voices grew louder and louder with each step you took. You stand close to Capitano when the two of you arrive at the living room where everyone else was at (aside from Dottore, Tighnari, and Albedo).

Aether sighs in relief when he sees you enter the room with Capitano at your side. Aether hops off the couch and rushes over to your side, pulling you in his arms and hugging you tightly, his cheek resting on top of your head.

“Oh, thank the archons that you’re okay,” Aether says, pressing a kiss on your head.

Thoma walks up to you and Aether, squatting to your eye level, and gazes at you worriedly. “Where did you go?” Thoma asks, brushing your hair away from your face.

“I went to the library to take a nap,” you said softly, resting your chin on Aether’s shoulders. “I was tired and wanted to find a place to nap,” you add.

Ayato sighs and shakes his head, rubbing his throbbing temples with his thumb and index finger. “Sweetheart, if you wanted to take a nap, you could have at least told one of us instead of wandering off on your own. You made us worried,” Ayato says sternly, causing you to flinch and shrink in Aether’s arms.

Ayato’s eyes widen slightly before softening; he mutters a soft apology before running his hands through his light blue hair. Scaramouche walks over to you and takes you from Aether’s arms, holding you in his arms.

“Lord Ayato doesn’t mean to sound harsh, [Y/N]. Like everyone else in the room, Lord Ayato is just as worried for your safety as we all are, and you wandering off on your own scared us,” Scaramouche says, rubbing your soft cheeks lightly with the pad of his thumb.

You frown and bury your face into Scaramouche’s chest. “‘M sorry,” you said softly, holding onto Scaramouche’s shirt tightly.

“Hey, cheer up, [Y/N]! We’re not mad at you! If you want to take a nap, we could all take naps in the entertainment room,” Venti says, popping up from behind Scaramouche, startling the both of you.

You hum softly and begin playing with the item hanging from Scaramouche’s neck in a daze. “I don’t know if I want to take a nap anymore,” you said softly, resting your head on his shoulder.

Cyno crosses his arms over his chest. “Then what do you want to do, [Y/N]?” Cyno asks, looking at you closely.

You feel your cheeks heat up under his gaze, and you bury your face into Scaramouche’s neck for a brief second, slowly peeking from his shoulders and looking at the men around you shyly. Now that you have come out of your easily distracted thoughts, you notice that you’re surrounded by handsome men who tower over you. Tall, attractive men with nice hair and perfect smile are protective over you and would lose their minds if you were to disappear for a few minutes.

You shake yourself out of your thoughts and clear your throat. “I need to potty,” you stated, squirming out from Scaramouche’s arms.

Scaramouche squats down to put you down on the ground. You look around the room and walk to the nearest person and tug on their pants. “Can you take me to the nearest bathroom?” You ask, looking up at Kaveh, who stares down at you.

Kaveh opens his mouth to say something but stops himself when Al Haitham and Xiao give Kaveh a look. Kaveh nods his head and reaches for your hand, guiding you to the nearest bathroom on the first floor of the estate.

“Remember not to leave them alone in the bathroom. They could fall into the toilet if they are not careful enough,” Baizhu calls from afar.

The men all collectively chuckle when they hear a faint grumble from Kaveh from afar as he walks to the closest bathroom with you in tow. You push the bathroom door open, and Kaveh turns on the bathroom lights. You quickly walk over to the toilet while Kaveh closes the bathroom door behind you two.

“Turn around and no peeking,” you said, shimmying out of your underwear (which you noticed had shrunk with you as well) and climbing onto the toilet.

Kaveh shakes his head and continues to let his back face your direction while he stares at the bathroom door in front of him. After a few minutes of peeing, you wipe yourself, hop off the toilet, pull up your underwear, and flush the toilet. You tap Kaveh’s calf. Kaveh turns around and looks down at you.

“Can you lift me up to the sink so I can wash my hands?” You ask politely, staring up at the blond man with your large doe-like eyes.

Kaveh nods his head and lifts you up to the sink, helping you wash your hands while imagining what you and his child might look like if you two were to have one together. Definitely a mini abyss mage with blond tufts of hair like their father. Kaveh reaches over to the hand towel and gives it to you, slowly putting you down on the ground.

You wipe your hands on the fluffy hand towel and hand it back to Kaveh. Kaveh hangs the hand towel on the towel rack before unlocking the bathroom door and opening it for you. Both you and Kaveh walk out the door, and you sprint over to Scaramouche’s side, tackling his legs and snuggling up against him.

Al Haitham lets out an amused huff of breath, trying to mask his jealousy. “It looks like [Y/N] has favorites,” Al Haitham says, crossing his arms over his chest as he watches Scaramouche lift you in his arms. You snuggle up against the indigo-haired man and rest your head on Scaramouche’s shoulders, playing with the little accessory hanging from his shirt.

“Oh? Is someone perhaps jealous that [Y/N] might have favorites?” Pantalone asks, looking over at the gray-haired man with a teasing smile on his face. Al Haitham rolls his eyes and looks away from Pantalone.

You look up at everyone before shyly saying, “I don’t have favorites. I like all of you,” you said softly, continuing to play with the accessory on Scaramouche’s neck. You squirm around in Scaramouche’s hands; Scaramouche puts you on the ground and watches you walk over to Al Haitham.

You look up at Al Haitham, and he looks down at you; you hold your arms up and make grabby motions. Al Haitham bends down to pick you up and carry you in his arms. You snuggle up against Al Haitham and lay your head on his broad shoulders, playing with the fabric of his tight-fitted shirt.

“So, will today be a leisure day?” Gorou asks, walking over to the couch before sitting on the armrest, crossing his arms over his chest.

Kazuha looks over at you, you seem distracted by the fabric of Al Haitham’s shirt, but Kazuha can tell that you’re close to drifting off to sleep. “That is up to [Y/N] and whether they want to do something or not,” answered Kazuha.

“I don’t know what I want to do,” you mumble, wrapping your arms around Al Haitham’s neck. An idea suddenly pops up in your mind, making you jolt up in Al Haitham’s arms.

“Oh? It looks like an idea has popped up in your head,” Zhongli says.

“Can we go outside of the abode?” You ask, squirming around in Al Haitham’s arms like a worm. Al Haitham sighs and puts you down on the ground.

Xiao looks at you suspiciously. “That depends on what you want to do outside of the abode,” Xiao says slowly, raising his eyebrows at you.

You smile at Xiao innocently, swaying left to right with your hands crossed behind your back. Xiao knows you way too well to know what you’re up to, whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing. Before everyone knows it, they’re close to Dawn Winery, near the body of water where cryo slimes like to roam around.

“Tighnari, Albedo, Dottore, aren’t you three supposed to be working on a concoction to turn [Y/N] back to their normal selves?” Pierro asks, gazing at the three men that are analyzing the mistflower together.

Dottore nods his head. “Of course, we are, Pierro! One of the key ingredients to reverse [Y/N]’s situation is a mistflower,” Dottore says, stroking his chin as he gazes at a particular mistflower that is slightly larger than the ones that surround it.

“This mistflower is strangely bigger than the others,” Tighnari murmurs, looking over at Thoma and gesturing for him to come over. Thoma walks over to where Tighnari, Albedo, and Dottore are standing.

Thoma has both of his hands propped up on his hips. “What can I do for the three of you?” Thoma asks, smiling at the three men politely.

The sounds of your squeals and cheers echos the area as you’re sitting on Itto’s shoulders, holding onto his hair tightly while the oni runs around, chasing a cryo slime with his claymore out.

“Oi! Be careful, you oaf! If you fall, then [Y/N] is going to fall and get injured!” Scaramouche screams from a distance. If people were to look closely, they’d be able to see a giant tick mark on Scaramouche’s forehead as he glares at the loud oni from a distance.

“Pfft! Relax, Scaramouche! I won’t drop [Y/N] and let them get injured! You can trust me!” Itto screams back at Scaramouche, stopping in his tracks and wiping the bead of sweat from his forehead.

You nod your head and cling to Itto’s head, resting your chin on Itto’s head. “I’ll be okay! Don’t worry!” You said hollered back, patting Itto’s head with a smile on your face. Scaramouche sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, trying to remain calm.

Childe pats Scaramouche’s shoulders with a small smile on his face. “It’ll be okay, Scaramouche. Even though I’m just as worried as you are, you can trust Itto on this one,” Childe says.

Itto got back to what he was doing, chasing cryo slimes around with you on his shoulders. Usually, it would be the slimes that attack people unprovoked, but this time, it’s Itto that’s the one that is attacking cryo slimes unprovoked. Itto is mainly doing this because you insisted on chasing cryo slimes around, and Itto didn’t want you to get hurt, so he volunteered to be the chaser while you’re the spectator on his shoulders.

Albedo looks away from Thoma and looks back down at the mistflower in front of him, Thoma, Dottore, and Tighnari. “Can you attack this mistflower?” Albedo asks, pointing at the larger mistflower. “We need the mistflower’s corolla for the concoction,” Albedo says, standing up and backing away from the mistflower. Thoma nods his head and does what Albedo has instructed him to do.

“Great! Now that we got the mistflower, we can finish up the concoction and have [Y/N] drink the elixir to reverse the—” Tighnari gets cut off by the sounds of screaming.

“Watch out!” Aether screams.

The large cryo slime lunges at you and Itto, knocking Itto off his feet and you off of Itto’s shoulders. You fly in the air and plunge into the lukewarm water. Itto groans and rubs his head with Kazuha, Gorou, Venti, and Aether checking up on him to see if he is okay. The other men ran to the edge of the water, panicking over who was going to fish you out of the water while you were flailing around in the water.

You know how to swim, but the longer you flail around in the water, trying to stay afloat, the more exhausted you become. When you plunge into the waters, you accidentally suck in a mouthful of water and breathe in a noseful of water. Your eyes are stinging, your nose hurts, and so does your throat. You cough up water, tears blurring your vision from the water, and you feel sick from the amount of water you’ve accidentally swallowed.

While flailing around in the water, you failed to notice Capitano jumping into the water and swimming in your direction. Capitano pulls you into his arms before swimming back to shore with you in his arms. You cling onto Capitano tightly and bury your face into his neck, feeling shame and embarrassment slowly creep their way up your chest.

“You’re okay, [Y/N]. You’re safe,” Capitano murmurs into your ears, rubbing your back as he walks over to where the men are standing.

You whimper softly and continue to keep your face burrowed into his neck, shaking from the cool breeze that is blowing on your damp body. The men immediately hound you and Capitano, shooting questions in your direction, asking you if you’re okay. You nod your head, refusing to look at the men, fearing that they’ll be disappointed in you (and Itto) for being reckless while messing with cryo slimes.

“Itto, you should’ve been careful!” Pierro says sternly, glaring at the oni, who winces at the volume of Pierro’s voice.

Kaeya glares at Pierro. “He was being careful! No need to raise your voice at him!”

Pantalone sighs and shakes his head. “Even though Itto was being careful, both Itto and [Y/N] were messing with a large cryo slime, thus getting both of them hurt,” Pantalone says.

You peek from Capitano’s neck and immediately look over at Itto, who looks very upset and guilty. You kick and squirm around; Capitano places you on the ground and watches you run over to Itto, latching yourself onto his leg and comforting the tall oni.

You pat Itto’s leg to grab his attention. Itto looks down at you; the way he stares down at you reminds you of a kicked puppy. Your lips quivered, and you immediately buried your face into his thighs, gripping his pants tightly. “Stop being mean to Itto,” you whine loudly into Itto’s legs, letting out a series of sniffles.

“[Y/N],” Diluc says softly.

You shake your head, tears continuing to roll down your cheeks, dampening Itto’s pant leg. You peek at the men with a small glare on your face, cheeks wet with ears and eyes bloodshot red. “You guys are mean to Itto! I don’t like mean people,” you said, swatting away Diluc’s hands when he tried to reach for you.

Childe makes a face and points at Pantalone and Pierro. “Technically, it was the old man over there and Baizhu’s Fatui twin that was being mean to Itto, not us!” Childe says, continuing to point an accusing finger at Pantalone and Pierro.

“Oh,” you mumble, wiping your tears away. You turn to look at Pierro and Pantalone, glaring at Pantalone and Pierro, mainly Pierro, because of the expression he has on his face. “Apologize to Itto!” You demand, crossing your arms over your chest while standing in front of Itto like a lion cub trying to protect its parent from a predator.

Dottore smirks and nods his head. “Yes, Pierro! Apologize to the oni!” Dottore crosses his arms over his chest, entertained by what has unfolded in front of him.

You glare up at Pierro; tiny hands clenched into fists, your small face pinched up with anger, your nose scrunching up. How you see yourself, you see yourself as intimidating, but to the others, you look like an angry kitten ready to throw a hissy fit. It’s adorable, and they just want to pinch your cheeks, but they know if they were to try to, you would most likely bite their fingers off.

Pierro sighs in defeat. “Itto, I’m sorry for yelling at you,” Pierro says, crossing his arms over his chest.

You turn to look up at Itto and tug lightly on his pants. “Do you accept his apology?” You ask.

Itto hums for a second and sighs, reluctantly nodding his head. You give Itto another hug and bury your face into his leg. As much as Itto didn’t want to accept Pierro’s half-ass apology, Itto knew that he had to accept Pierro’s apology or else you’ll cause an even bigger scene.

Dainsleif shakes his head and crosses his arms in front of him. “Let’s head back to the abode. You need to take a bath and change into something clean and dry,” Dainsleif says.

You blink up at Dainsleif. “But I don’t have other clothes that will fit me,” you said softly.

“Aw man, you’re right about that,” Heizou sighs, his head drooping.

Ayato approaches you and squats in front of you, brushing your damp hair away from your face with a soft smile on his face. “It’s okay, [Y/N]. We’ll figure something out,” Ayato says.

Once you all arrived back to the abode, Dottore, Tighnari, and Albedo went straight to Dottore’s lab with the mistflower. You were unfortunately dragged to your bathroom that is connected to your bedroom for bath time. Xiao and Gorou turned the faucet on in the bathtub and plugged the drain.

“You’ll be getting a bubble bath!” Gorou says, turning to look at you with a big smile on his face.

Xiao sighs and takes his gloves off, feeling the faucet water to make sure the water isn’t too hot or too cold. “Just don’t splash and make a mess,” Xiao says, not taking his eyes off the bathtub.

“I promise,” You said softly.

While waiting for the bathtub to be filled halfway, you, Xiao, and Gorou hear a knock at the bathroom door. Gorou gets up from the ground and walks to the bathroom door, opening it to reveal Zhongli with clothes in his hands.

“Childe and Pantalone went out to buy you temporary clothes to wear,” Zhongli says, stepping into the bathroom.

Gorou looks over at you, who stares at the clothing in Zhongli’s hands cluelessly. “What if I wake up the next day and the clothes don’t fit anymore?” You ask.

Zhongli smiles and pats your head. “They’re temporary clothes for a reason, sweetheart. We don’t want you to trip and fall while wearing a much larger shirt,” Zhongli replies.

“Oh, I see…. Okie dokie then,” You said, grabbing the clothes from Zhongli’s hands and putting them on the lid of the toilet.

Xiao shuts the water off and hands the bottle of soap over to Gorou, who pours the liquid into the water and begins mixing it. You stare at the water as bubbles start to form. Once Gorou is finished mixing the water and the soap, Gorou turns to you and takes his hands out of the water, wiping his hand and arms on the towel.

“Your bubble bath is now ready! Take your clothes off and get into the bathtub,” Gorou pats your head before nudging both Xiao and Zhongli to follow him out of the bathroom to give you some privacy.

You take your clothes off and get into the bathtub, letting the bubbles cover you from the neck down. “I’m done,” you said, reaching for the shampoo bottle and squeezing the shampoo into your hands, scrubbing your hair.

Kazuha peeks his head into the bathroom and gives you a small smile. “They want to give you some privacy. Do you think you can handle bathing alone without any assistance?” Kazuha asks.

You nod your head. “Yes, I am an independent small person,” you said, continuing to scrub the shampoo into your hair. “Oh, wait, how do I rinse my hair? Do I…” you trail off and dunk your head into the bubbly waters before popping out from the waters.

You wipe the water and soap away from your eyes and look at the door, only to see an appalled Venti. “Let’s not drown ourselves to rinse our hair now!” Venti laughs nervously.

“If you need assistance with rinsing your hair, you could simply just say so,” Baizhu sighs from outside of the bathroom.

You reach for the conditioner and squirt it into the palm of your hands. “I know, but it feels awkward having people in the bathroom while I take a bath,” you mumble, massaging the conditioner into your scalp and hair.

“It’s okay. It doesn’t really affect us at all. Plus, this can train us to be parents,” Kaveh comments from behind the door.

You scrunch your face up. “I feel sorry for whoever is going to be your child,” you said. You hear Kaveh gasps in disbelief at your comment. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to say it out loud,” you said sheepishly.

Kaveh turns to look at Al Haitham. “When [Y/N] returns to their normal size, I’m going to fight them,” Kaveh deadpans.

Al Haitham rolls his eyes and leans against the door frame of the bathroom. “If you fight them, then be prepared for me to kick your ass,” Al Haitham states, narrowing his eyes at the blond man in front of him.

“Why not just have a battle with them in TCG when they return to their normal self?” Cyno asks, rolling his eyes.

You dunk your head back into the water and scrub the conditioner out of your hair. What your three-year-old mind didn’t comprehend was that it was making your hair even soapier with the bubble bath liquid in the bathtub. When you finished “rinsing” your hair and unplugged the drain of the bathtub, you got out of the bathtub and wrapped the towel around your body, waddling to your temporary clothes to change into them.

You open the door and walk out of the bathroom after putting on your clothes. Childe stops you and stares down at you, his hand stroking his chin with one eyebrow raised. “Your hair is still soapy,” Childe comments, reaching for your brush to brush out the knots in your hair.

“You dunk your head into the bathtub, didn’t you?” Diluc asks.

You nod your head.

“We can’t blame them for it. I think a bubble bath is more suitable after we wash their hair,” Aether says, propping his hands on his hips.

“Well, at least they’re cleaned now!” Itto says, patting your damp head with a smile on his face.

Gorou hums and touches your wet hair. “We still need to wash the remaining soap and shampoo out of their hair and dry them,” Gorou says, wiping the soap residue off his hands with the towel in your hand.

“Back to the bathroom, we go!” Heizou announces. He picks you up by your waist and carries you back inside your bathroom to rinse your hair in the sink.

After rinsing, drying, and brushing your hair, you sit at the dining table for dinner (lunch was skipped because you all spent lunchtime at the lake near Dawn Winery, which ended up in a disaster), waiting for food to be made. Dottore, Tighnari, and Albedo walk into the dining room with a cup that contains the concoction in Albedo’s hands.

“We have completed the concoction that should reverse the elixir that [Y/N] drank yesterday,” Albedo says, walking over to you and handing the cup over to you.

“Drink slowly now. We don’t want you to choke on the concoction,” Tighnari says.

You grab the cup and take huge gulps of the concoction. You nearly gagged when the liquid touched your tongue, but you held back the gag and continued to drink the rest of the potion. It tastes like slime condensate (don’t ask) mixed with lizard tail (again, don’t ask) and mint. Once you have finished the concoction, you hand the cup back to Albedo and clutch your stomach with your face pinching up.

“Oh, dear. Is the concoction making you feel nauseous?” Dottore asks.

You nod your head and rest your chin on the table. “I feel like I’m going to puke,” you whine, kicking your legs back and forth.

“Please don’t throw up,” Venti pleads, kneeling beside you.

You sit back in your seat and sigh, resting your head on the back of the chair and closing your eyes, waiting for nausea to pass by. Dinner was the same as breakfast— instead of you feeding yourself, it was one of the men that spoon-fed you. The first time it was Scaramouche; this time, it’s Kazuha that is feeding you dinner because of your poor motor skills and clumsiness.

“You ate the entire thing! I’m so proud of you!” Kazuha coos, pinching your cheeks gently with a sweet smile on his face.

You feel your face heat up and burrow your face into Kazuha’s arms, shying away from that gentle smile of his. You can’t tell if you’re blushing or if it was the concoction that was making your face heat up, like how it made your stomach hot after ingesting the liquid. Kazuha chuckles softly and ruffles your hair affectionately before kissing the top of your head, thus causing your face to feel even hotter than it already is.

Dinner soon comes to an end, and you find yourself lying in your bed, surrounded by your body pillow and stuffed animals that the men have gathered for you when they see something you like. You lay down and snuggle up against your body pillow, looking over at the door and around your room.

The men bid you goodnight about fifteen minutes ago, and you’re not able to sleep. You couldn’t tell if it was because of the number of thoughts running through your mind or if it was because the shadow at the corner of your bedroom looked like a boogeyman, ready to snatch you up. You whine softly and kick your blankets off your body before running out of your bedroom, running to the closest bedroom you can reach. Actually, you didn’t run to the nearest bedroom you could reach; you ran to the ex-archon’s bedroom because of the stories he told you about his prime time as an archon earlier today. Surely a man as strong as Zhongli can protect you from the monsters lurking in the darkness of your bedroom.

You burst into Zhongli’s bedroom, grabbing the man’s attention. He was sitting in the corner of his room, reading a book.

“Oh? Do you need something?” Zhongli asks, closing his book and getting up from the seat, walking over to you.

You nod your head shyly. “Can I pretty please sleep in here? My room is too dark, and I don’t like being alone in the dark,” you said softly, slowly walking further into Zhongli’s bedroom. Zhongli smiles and nods his head, motioning for you to enter. You scramble towards Zhongli’s bed and climb on the bed by standing on the wooden bed frame and burrow yourself into Zhongli’s pillows and blankets while Zhongli closes his bedroom door.

“Are you going to go to sleep too?” You ask as Zhongli approaches you and tucks you into his bed, pressing a kiss on your forehead.

“I will go to bed in a few minutes. You can go ahead and sleep now,” Zhongli says.

You stare up at Zhongli. “But I can’t sleep without snuggling up to something,” you said softly.

Zhongli chuckles and presses another kiss on your head. “Alright, give me a minute,” Zhongli says.

Zhongli walks over to the book that he had placed down and puts it back on the shelf. Zhongli walks over to his bed, gets under the covers, and turns the lights off. Once the lights are off, you realize that Zhongli’s bedroom is even darker than your room. You squeak and latch yourself onto Zhongli’s arms, burying your face into Zhongli’s chest.

“It’ll be alright, [Y/N]. You’re safe with me,” Zhongli whispers, wrapping his arms around you and letting you lay your head on his chest, stroking your hair gently. “I won’t let anyone or anything harm you. I promise,” Zhongli murmurs, kissing the crown of your head.

You close your eyes and slowly drift off to sleep, continuing to grip Zhongli’s night shirt as you fall asleep. The very next day, the men didn’t see you in your room. It nearly sent them into panic mode until they crashed into Zhongli’s room, only to see you back to your normal self, sleeping beside Zhongli. Topless.

“You pervert!” Scaramouche screams, grabbing the nearest object on the ground, and chucks it at Zhongli’s head.

Before the book can meet Zhongli’s head, he puts up a shield, and the book bounces off and lands on the ground. You hold the blanket up to your chest and rub your eyes, groggy from your sleep.

“Relax, I went in here last night because I was scared of sleeping alone in the dark,” you said, looking around Zhongli’s room. “Can someone hand me a shirt or a coat for me? I am not leaving this bed without something covering me,” You said.

Childe quickly rushes over to you and tosses his jacket over your face. You grumble and slip the jacket on, and zip up the jacket. You slowly get out of Zhongli’s bed and sigh in relief when you notice that your underwear has at least grown with you as well, unlike the torn shirt on Zhongli’s bed. You grab the shirt and quickly peck Zhongli’s cheeks before rushing out of your room to change into something that actually fits you.

Kaveh looks over at Zhongli and shoots him a glare. “You lucky fucker,” Kaveh grumbles.

Zhongli quirks up an eyebrow at Kaveh before the others slowly trickle out of his room. Zhongli runs his hands through his hair and sighs. “What an interesting way to wake up,” Zhongli mutters, getting out of his bed to get ready for the day.

Note: Since Scaramouche's banner is out, I will be changing his outfit in the story and he will still be electro, but he'll be special and have two visions in the newer fics ✨ I hope all of you Scaramouche wanters have Scaramouche himself :> I got him on my first ten pulls along with Faruzan ^^ He's level 90, but I'm still working on getting him decent artifacts because farming for artifacts is not fun at all 💀 I also prefarmed some terrorshroom and dendro cube drops for Al Haitham, only to find out that he uses a completely different material that'll be released in 3.4 🥹 pain. Anyway! For those who are new here or are returning readers, I ONLY post on my Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and my AO3 (Aaliah_exo)! Nowhere else except Tumblr and AO3!

Taglist for "Various Genshin Men x Isekai'd!Reader" and my overall taglist: @xxkatsusjinsux, @huboi, @crazyrichdaughter, @sucker-for-angst-and-fluff, @patata52, @honeybedo, @thedivinepriestress, @pencil-of-ashes, @samarill, @bakuhve, @yukima, @chaosinanutshell, @emperatris-rinaka, @neilify, @ksjjkthpjm, @jaisithebird, @mouchie, @emerald-smile, @jixlem, @the-blob-fish, @jiminscarmex, @bananazzzen, @thelost-in-time, @kryloxen, @ayolk, @tomansimp, @lordbugs, @c-camellias, @chihawari, @lilliansstuff, @zhongloml, @sweethcnvy, @wolf-chan2134, @simp4-fictional-men, @dai-tsukki-desu, @trash-queen-af, @tamayakii, @stellaris999, @hispasian-otaku, @stygianoir, @crispynutduck (if you have not been tagged, it's because you have your settings turned off for people to tag you in posts)

Read more of my works on my Masterlist | Maybe support me by tipping me on Ko-Fi or by reblogging my fanfics! ^^ I will also be posting exclusive fanfics on Ko-Fi as well very soon (hopefully!) and will be accepting commissions through Ko-Fi!

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petriwriting · 3 months

Text

Vero Amore - Theodore Nott X Reader (Part 4)

Summary: Theodore is on trial for being associated with voldemort due to his father and family history, His odds arent looking so good. Luckily for him you are called to the stand to testify on his behalf, and you just might be the key to his innocence.

Fluff, established previous relationship, Exbf!Theo, Older!Theo and others. Post hogwarts.

Previous part here

The prosecution had painted Theodore as a greedy criminal, despite his previously spotless record. It was all about the chatter, and breaking away from the path his father had paved for him would have proven to be difficult. You were ushered back to your seat, away from the center of the courtroom. a mixture of skeptical and sympathetic faces passed you by, if these people wanted a love story, they got one. there was not a single ounce of dishonesty in either you or Theodore, or any of his witnesses'.

During closing arguments, Your escort gave an impassioned plea about Theodore's outstanding character and the complete lack of real evidence against him. The prosecution tried its best to poke holes, but their arguments rang hollow after everything. and it was now in the hands of the jury, you hoped and prayed they would be forgiving. After just an hour of deliberation, the jury returned with a verdict of not guilty on all charges and accounts. You finally let out the breath that felt like you had been holding for months. His life and reputation had been salvaged, he was no longer tied to his past. and he would not have to be sent away to suffer for his fathers wrongdoings. you were overjoyed, elated to be able to see him one day do all of the things he always dreamt of. Once the court was dismissed, you scurried over to Theodore to embrace him, he picked you up into the embrace, holding you closely with a huge breath of relief and fresh air. Blaise appeared, he had been sitting quietly somewhere in the courtroom, though you hadn't noticed. "I told you it wouldn't be so bad." he assured Theodore with a stern pat on the back. Theodore was practically in tears, happiness. "I'm so shocked," Theodore says, the courtroom is now being emptied. you are all being ushered to leave.

As the three of you continue forward into the lobby, Theodore lets out a heavy sigh. He says your name, gently. "I'm so happy you are here," he begins. "Thank you, so much. I am indebted to you." he says. You smile softly. "You don't have to thank me," you say. "I'm glad I could be here." you say.

After a sentimental moment between the two of you, Blaise is quick to leave. "I do have to get work now, but I'll leave you two to have a more proper reunion." he says. "It was great to see you again," you say politely. Blaise was never super close to you, although you were cordial since he was friends with theo. "Thanks, for everything. We'll celebrate at my place later, yeah?" he says, Blaise nods, and then is off.

"I don't suppose you have plans after this?" Theodore asks you as you both walk, exiting the ministry building spilling onto the busy street. "No, actually, my calendar is clear for the day." you explain. "Would you like to come to my place? we can catch up- I'd just like to properly thank you for being there today." he says, his hands reaching for his pockets. "That sounds really nice actually." you agree.

Before too long you are at Theo's small flat. It's messy and lived in. "Sorry it's a mess." he says. "But it's home." for someone that grew up a pureblood slytherin who was well off financially, it was quite modest. "It's fine. I don't mind it." you say, sitting at the kitchen island. Theo is standing on the other side. "Would you like a drink?" he offers. "sure" you say. Although you are both happy that he is now a free man, there is still a slight tension from spending so many years apart after school. you are both attempting to make up for the lost years. Theo offers you a glass with some tea, your favorite kind. He's incredibly thoughtful. "What happened to your father?" you ask, after some contemplation. "After the war, he realized he would be prosecuted. He attempted to flee to America, but he was caught and he passed shortly after." Theo says.

"I'm sorry to hear that." you say. "It's alright, I don't miss him. but he's the only family I ever had." he says sadly. "That isn't true," you retort. "You have draco, pansy, and blaise." you thought. "and me." you say softly. Theodore gives a grateful smile. there's a special exchange between you. His mother passed away when he was young and his father was awful... "The past few years have been rough," he sighs, running his fingers through his hair. "with the trial dragging on for so long, and with everyone busy moving on with their lives I always felt like I was stuck back in time... It's been really lonely." he says. "Sometimes I think back," you begin. "and I remember all the things we did, all the fun we had. Laughter, Tears, all of it. I'm sad it's gone now, but I'm grateful that it happened. Those are my best memories." you admit. "Seeing us in those memories kind of changed me." Theodore admits, biting his lip slightly. there is uncertainty. "What do you mean?" you question."I just meant that," he begins, but he back tracks, his hands resting on the counter behind him as he leaned back, his arms stiff. "I've been really lonely and part of that has to do with missing you." he exclaims. "For a long time I absolutely hated myself for leaving you there like that without an explanation, knowing that I ruined one of the best things I've ever had in my life. For a while I couldn't get out of bed, It was so heavy. But I asked you here today so that I could just let you know I'm sorry for that." His head is low, he's ashamed of himself. "Theodore, you don't have to apologize for that." He shook his head. "I do when I've thought about it almost everyday for years." he manages to say softly. "We all did things we aren't proud of, there was a war happening," you say. "That doesn't matter, but I am sorry," he says.

You shift in your seat, taking a sip of your tea and placing the cup on the counter. you swing your feet over the edge, and you are now standing in front of Theodore. "I know that you had to do that," you comfort. "You had no other choice to survive. and that's okay." you comfort the man in front of you. "And by the way, I thought about you too. a lot. an embarrassing amount. But I wanted you to grow, even if that meant leaving me to do so." you say. Theodore is speechless, he feels like the same teenager he was all those years ago, scared to say anything. so he didn't, he pulled himself forward to place a gentle kiss on your lips.

#reader insert #my writing #x reader #hp x reader #hp #slytherin x reader #theodore nott x reader #theodore nott x y/n #theodore nott

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kkolg · 2 months

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Hi there! I recently was recommend your Abyss animatic on YouTube and was like… whoa…. WHAT IS THIS I NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS AU‼️I’ve been scrolling through your tumbler for several days just soaking in everything about The New Dawn and I was curios what’s happening in this world. are they in an apocalypse of some sort? Either I didn’t scroll far enough on your Tumbler to know more or you just haven’t revealed yet 💀 . Don’t spill anything you don’t want to, I am here for it all.

Trust me you are NOT ALONE 😭😭, I probably should’ve mentioned that I’m super bad at writing down my thoughts when it comes to storytelling in general BUT IM HERE TO CLEAR THINGS UP NOW I SWEAR‼️‼️ The New Dawn AU summary will be under the cut as it might be a bit long lol ANYWAYS THANKS FOR BEING SO INTERESTED IN THE STORY THAT YOU ASKED AND I APOLOGIZE FOR ALL THE CONFUSION 🙏🧎‍♀️also disclaimer because I’m writing this before the season finale some things may change to be in further line with the show which is another reason I didn’t write out the story before BUT ANYWAYS ENJOY‼️‼️

So basically after the events of the show N and Uzi defeat the solver with the power of friendship (also V’s back idk) and they go back to outpost 3 and are like “YIPEEEE WEVE FINALLY DEFEATED THE ABSOLUTE SOLVER WITH THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP ALSO DO I HEAR A SONG COMING ON???” And then they all start dancing and Uzi is essentially the new leader of the colony (if you couldn’t tell this part of the story is not that important but you can interpret what I said here as fully cannon in the au if you want lol)

Not too long after that N is like “hey can we try to like reform the disassembly drones and let them into the colony?” And Uzis like “wait that’s an amazing idea” and then they make out but that’s not important- so they go out and start telling all the disassemblys they can find that the solver is gone and can’t spread anymore and that living with the workers is actually pretty lit. A good lot of them are like “woah I didn’t know you were chill like that” and most of them go to live in outpost 3, a few of them are skeptical and still wanna eat workers so not all of the disassembly are chill but most of them are.

While doing this they come across a disassembly drone named A and he’s like “sure I’ll join” and he does…..but he’s not a very cool guy- I plan to make a comic about this so I’m gonna be vague and just say turns out he’s insane and N basically exiled him from the colony.

Fast forward like a month from that incident and Kim is created, finally, and the Doorman’s live happily ever af- WRONG turns out A ganged up with all of the other mean disassembly drones and try’s to just OBLITERATE the colony during a raid and whoopdeedo Thad dies but I’ll make a comic about that later so I won’t get too detailed. OH YEAH KIM IS ALSO ABSOLUTELY TRAUMATIZED SO THATS GREAT-

Fast forward a few years and now we’re in the current time of where most of my comics/drawings take place. Kim is older and looks in the forbidden trauma closet that N and Uzi said never to look in but rebellious child I guess, and he finds stuff about the solver. Getting curious he pulls an Uzi to leave the colony and try to find out what the fuck this thing is and OH NO X JUMPSCARE, again another thing I’ll probably make a comic about but they fight, X says that a certain guy she knows might know about the solver thingy, they become buddies, C-1 is also there- weird visions start to make Kim have a robot seizures, and that’s kinda where we’re at rn

I hope this cleared up a lot of questions you guys may have had and I’ll be adding a link to this post on my pinned in case you ever need to refer back to this‼️‼️

anyways byeeeeeee

#k’s rants #ask #murder drones #md au #md oc #the new dawn au #oc: kimber #md au lore #uzi doorman #serial designation n #nuzi fankid

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vqrtualheartss · 3 months

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Without Barriers — e42!Miles x Fem!Black!Reader

ᴅ☆ᴇ'ꜱ ꜱᴀʏ|

Hi chatt, unuh miss me? 🙂.

Anywho, part 3 of this thing

I been inactive but I swrr it's just school, I been inactive n shit but I still love writing and adore Spider-verse (I'm still hyper fixated. Helpp.)

Also looks like I have part 4&5 to give after I properly proofread, bye lovess

These past few weeks in Earth 42 have been quite eventful to say the least. Not to mention you breaking the promise to yourself that you'll never fall in love with Miles Morales ever again. I mean, it was inevitable really. Who wouldn't fall in love if someone looked at them like that?

Leading up to school Miles got everything in order for you.

Your hair? Who knew your man was a cosmetologist cause he did you right by that electric blue dye

Clothes? Bought and paid in fulll

He made sure you had common knowledge of everything. Places, people, lingo, social norms even drama, he went as far as teaching you basic fighting techniques.

"I know it may hurt tesoro, but you need to learn. I'm not gonna be there every time to save you."

One thing that had you on ice though was when he brought in fake identification with your new credentials that did not look fake at all. Truly, you didn't want to question it, but your face said what your mouth didn't. Now you looked at the papers then at Miles, back and forth, back and forth.

"I know you have questions, just ask" He spoke up, breaking the unneeded awkward silence when he did.

"I didn't even say anything to you" I retorted

"Good"

That came off with more sass than it should've, from both of you at that.

I hate his attitude at times. "Miles, sit down."

He sat himself where he did before, bracing himself deeper into the chair. "My eyes are up here by the way. "

He laughed when I hissed. Yuh bright bad. Slowly the playful air in the room dissipated, a more serious feel emerging. Miles cleared his throat, he was nervous, okayy. I still kicked my feet while being on the bed, waiting patiently for him to start.

"(y/n)" his leg started to bounce involuntarily

My eyes shifted to him, they already were but this time I looked into his eyes. Lord knows I was not the one for eye contact, so I hid the other half of my face with a pillow. Because, I was ready to giggle, and I don't think it was the time for that.

"You, and I know about how I feel about keeping secrets from each other"

My eyebrows furrowed, but it was true though. Miles told me everything he could remember , his allergies, favorites, dislikes, pet peeves. Even the most personal shit like how the house we shared was a piece of land paid in full by his father before he passed— one for him and another for his mamá. Like I said, everything.

And I never judged him for any of it, no reason to, but right now, I am not familiar or comfortable with this tone. I nodded for him to continue, visibly skeptical of what was to come next.

"And I've been giving you the half-assed truth about what I do. My uncle and I, we work fo- with this man. Kingpin, and the shit we do isn't necessarily good either. I fight, steal, hurt people, a bunch of stuff"

Knowing Miles he would've went on with the list trying to "be transparent" . Drawing an inference he stopped noticing my widened eyes , I wasn't shocked at him. No, it was the insane ass plot twist. In the other dimension it was just Aaron and Kingpin, yikes. Miles gave me my look, my look when I'm signaling for questions or something to make a situation less awkward.

"You kill people? "

He nodded

"Often?"

"They must've sent the feds on my ass"

I wasn't pissed, I swear, but the hitched lip and narrowed eyes inflicted a response from him. He relaxed his shoulders , but he still looked perplexed.

"Never have, almost broke the streak after-" I put up a hand in front of him, stopping whatever he was going say next. I do not care about what you do inside that suit, whatever you want handsome.

I stared blankly, randomly looking over at him when I heard his breathing heavy.

"You're not scared of me right?" He stammered a bit, aw

"Do you plan on hurting me?"

"I know you're not stupid" Just cause yah man nuh mean seh yuh fi wicked

I watch him rest his elbows to the edge of his thighs, I copied his hand placements from before, head in palms, a W over my lower features.

He sighed.

"No, never, nunca baby"

"Then there's your answer: no, never, nunca" Nah call yuh baby too much cause yahv mi siddung like yam inna basket.

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

Then came the time when your results for Brooklyn Visions were to arrive. Given that they decided to send the letter a mere two days before school opened was criminal. Already anxious, it didn't help that it was one of those days where Miles was absent for almost all 24hrs.

Your stomach flipped on end, contemplating what to do if you didn't get in, what to tell Miles— you couldn't just stay here doing nothing for the whole day, waste style that. The what if's had you on edge, not wanting to open the letter, so—... you didn't.

Waking up from an afternoon nap, you felt disoriented with no remembrance of earlier. Somewhat aware of the time difference of then till now you went downstairs looking for Miles and instead went for the letter. Although a delayed reaction you shrieked at the words in bold : You're Accepted!. The lingering decibels drew Miles down frantically observing that he didn't even take off his left gauntlet. Seeming as though you were safe, he went up after a while then came back down— to shower presumably, he hated having you near him after he's gone out.

"I got in!"

-------- (Skipped a few lines cause I'm lazy)

"Miles, stop kissing my face, you're gonna bring out my cheeks"

Any average person would've, but not Miles— he wasn't average.

"(y/n), can you leave me alone to give my esposa affection in peace?"

" 'Esposa', yeah right" I scoffed, rightful title

“I don't know what's going on in that pretty little head of yours but dios mio, sure isn't working right.”

Removing the arm from around my body, he took his phone from his pocket and placed it blatantly on the armrest of the couch. Securing his hands on my hips he moved me to the kitchen island then on top of the counter. I stayed put like a porcelain doll in showcase— not that I hated getting treated by him the way he did. Elevating himself on his palms he rubbed the sides of our faces together then pushed himself into my neck.

“Miles, are you a dog?”

“Whatever you want me to be”

Laying down on the counter, his head was adjacent to my thigh. Wrapping an arm around the width he dragged me closer, diminishing any little space left between his head and my body. Placing kisses along the length, I tangled a hand into his hair, massaging and drawing patterns into his scalp. After some time my neck and back started to hurt, constantly I began to rub them and groan. Miles noticed from the glances he took every now and then. He mumbled something into my thigh.

“I'm sorry, I didn't hear you”

“Can we stay a bit longer—... please”

I passed him a re-assuring smile. Bringing himself back down he brought a hand of mine with him, toying with it and doing whatever. When I felt it lay flat on his face I assumed he had fallen asleep. Still, my body ached but I didn't want to leave him here by himself.

What could I do without him?

Shit.

After (what I thought were) three quiet yawns later Miles woke up, somewhat. I figured he wasn't fully conscious but enough to piece together the fact that I hadn't left even though I was still hurting. Sitting up, he flexed his wrists, arms, and other limbs, gathering strength before taking me off the counter and placing me on his bed. Instead of the usual hug as our sleeping position, he put a hand on my nape and lower back, kneading away more pain than I were aware of.

"Why didn't you leave?" I wonder

"I would've been bored alone"

"C'mon, you'd be sleeping"

I physically can't nor do I want to sleep without you.

Shaking my head, I held onto his shirt, initiating some type of contact before his hands were free. I looked up at him, completely in disbelief that once again, once more I fell in love with Miles Gonzalo Morales. And he's going to be my doom, I know it

Miless p.o.v

One, I don't think she realizes she said that out loud, and two, you know that feeling when your organs get flushed out and replaced with butterflies? That's basically how I felt. And believe me, half of the time I don't know what to say to her, whatever I say, I just do. She's perfect, mine to ruin, but I don't want to do that, I don't want to hurt her.

She's attached to me— deeply. While that may not be a bad thing, it isn't good either. I've studied (y/n) for a while within us being together, she's the 'i love you so that means I'd die for you' type but I can't let that happen. If anyone's sacrificing themself for the other its me— I wasn't raised otherwise, she hasn't taught me to love otherwise. Crucify me after for leaving my beautiful tesoro on the earth by herself, id deserve it. And I definitely think I'm the only one deserving of her.

Props to the jackass that fumbled, forever grateful to you.

Before I could answer, her hand fell flat against my chest, the warmth of it tugging me into sleep with her.

---------------------------------------------––----------------------------------------------

Waking up, I saw a blue sky instead of the black abyss I was accustomed to . This became a regular thing since I started sleeping with her— physically, not y'know, she says she's not ready for that. Often, I had to push back meetings and missions with my uncle because of it.

Shit, speaking of that, today I intend to ask my uncle for at least 2 months of off jobs, and I know he'll come through, hopefully. School re-opens tomorrow, and while it's my first time back, it'll be her first time ever. I can't nor do I want to miss this for her.

Getting up, (y/n) gripped tightly onto my shirt forcing me to stay down. They were just her reflexes coming into play, but I still complied, waiting until she was comfortable to get up. From what happened I do not want to wake this girl up again. She placed her head onto my leg, be it any other day I would've stayed until she woke up, but if I wanted those months off I'd need to get my phone somewhere in the kitchen.

------------------------------------------(6:37pm)------------------------------------------

With minimal back and forth, Uncle Aaron and I settled on 3months no jobs (he'd cover) with me coming in every Saturday 9-10, am to pm to keep overview on plan Burn Brooklyn. I promise it isn't what it sounds like.

Handing me my bag, he went behind his mini- bar and poured out something— Bailey's probably. Man is addicted to that shit. I understand though, kinda. What a time when he let me go through his cabinets after a fight with (y/n), I was a mess. She called me a hot mess.

Draping an arm around my neck, he noticed that unlike times before, instead of slanting downwards his arm tilted up.

"You're growing up, and fast Miles" Using the strength from his arm he turned us around to face the windows. Sunrises never intrigued me, but the sunsets were something else. He took a small swig at the cup before continuing.

"You're finding love, making it out, doing your best" I noticed hand movements from him at the corner of my eye. Uncle Aaron was crying. Uncle Aaron is crying.

"If I found a piece more of myself in you I'd say that you were just like me when I fell for yo—" He cleared his throat, stopping himself.

"You're not just doing this for us are you, she's involved isn't she"

I wasn't going to lie to Uncle Aaron over a question, I didn't even give him a answer to what he already knows. Despite the constant liquor intake he produced a smooth laugh, his hand repeatedly patting my bag.

"I like her a lot Uncle Aaron"

"Like is a feeble word for what you two have, we're happy to see you like this"

"we?"

"Rio and I"

So it's everybody in our business? Cool

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

I'd prefer above all things walking beside my love to go home like we usually do, but unfortunately he had to call out of school. Typical, atleast he trusts me enough to walk home by myself, and with what I've learned from him I'm sure to be alright.

"Hand in your pocket hermosa, the watch looks shiny and that's what they like out here"

"Walk only where I showed you, if not the safest area but it's safer"

And he's referring to roads nearby Aaron's house so he's always here and there if I need him. It's ironic that a "criminal" makes the city safer for me and not some superficial superhero.

Sudden thuds draw me back to reality, what the hell? I recognize that thing, it's what I came through— a portal.

Fada God.

Action resumes on the road adjacent to me, an escapee of some sort and someone running after them.

My heart and pace speeds up as I stare through my peripheral at the hero of the encounter. Those where they can peep from buildings, street corners and alleyways at the commotion. It's something no one has ever seen, except for a comics con nerd. I'm not one, but I know exactly who that person is— the figure and combat style is just too familiar.

Fada. God. Not today. Abeg. Please.

"Is that Spiderman? And not just any Spiderman… Is that thee fucking Miles Morales?"

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

Still re-wrote everything cause life didn't end when Tumblr decided to delete it 🙂.

It's kinda short, but work with it until I can update more tmrw on it 🙂.

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gotham-ruaidh · 4 months

Text

Little Bit Better Than I Used To Be

Catch up: Chapter 1 (Starry Eyes) || Chapter 2 (Save Our Souls) || Chapter 3 (Dancing On Glass)|| Chapter 4 (Merry-Go-Round)|| Backstage (1) || Backstage (2) || Chapter 5 (Danger)|| Backstage (3) || Chapter 6A (Love Walked In) || Chapter 6B (Without You) || Backstage (4) || Chapter 7 (Stick To Your Guns) || Chapter 8 (Time For Change) || Backstage (5) || Chapter 9 (Take Me To The Top) || Backstage (6) || Chapter 10 (Home Sweet Home) || Backstage (7) || Chapter 11a (Nightrain) || Chapter 11b (Nothing Else Matters) || Chapter 12a (Handle With Care) || Chapter 12b (I’m So Tired of Being Lonely) || Chapter 13a (Angel) || Chapter 13b (She’s My Addiction) || Chapter 13c (Patience) || Chapter 14a (Where Do We Go Now?) || Chapter 14b (Where Do We Go Now?) || Chapter 14c (Where Do We Go Now?) || Chapter 15a (Dreams) || Chapter 15b (I Sing A Song of Love) || Chapter 15c (You Can Do This If You Try) || Chapter 16 (Let That Feeling Grab You Deep Inside || Chapter 17A: Never Tear Us Apart || Chapter 17B: It’s Tough To Be Somebody, And It’s Hard Not To Fall Apart || Chapter 17C: I’m Wishing, Lord, That I Was Stoned || Chapter 18: Turn The Page || Chapter 19A: When You’re Alone, Do You Let Go? || Chapter 19B: Heading For A Spin || Chapter 20A: I Don’t Need Nothing When I’m By Your Side || Chapter 20B: I’m Walkin’ Down This Rocky Road || Chapter 20C: You're The Only One Who Gets Through To Me || Chapter 20D: Together We Can Make It A Dream ||| Also posted at AO3

Chapter 20E: My Main Objective Is To Get You To Turn Your Mind Around

You are in my system Got me right down to the wire You are in my system Help my equilibrium You are in my system…

-- “You Are In My System,” Robert Palmer (1983) [click here to listen]

North Carolina || February 1989

Raymond scribbled on a fresh sheet in his notebook. Absently running his hand through his hair. Clearly thinking.

“All right,” he said, after a while. “Before I walk you through my plan – I need to ask you something. Both of you.”

“Anything,” Claire replied instantly.

“I need you to commit to this. To therapy. To getting better and stronger, as individuals and as a couple.”

“Of course,” Jamie breathed.

“Yes,” Claire echoed.

Raymond tilted his head, just a bit. “What I am going to ask of you will be a significant commitment of time and energy and effort. Obviously we’ll need to modify things to account for travel, but you need to agree to prioritize this.”

“Yes, I agree.” Jamie reached across the table for Raymond’s notebook. He flipped to an empty page, wrote I commit to Raymond’s plan, signed his name and wrote the date. He pulled back to let Claire sign her pledge and name as well.

“You don’t know what you’re agreeing to yet,” Raymond said quietly.

Jamie met his skeptical gaze. “It doesn’t matter. You’re here for a reason. I – we – want your help. So whatever you recommend, I will commit to doing.”

“Me too,” Claire added, pushing the notebook back across the table.

Raymond cleared his throat. “Well then. On typical days I’d like to have three sessions. Half an hour with each of you individually, and then an hour with both of you together. With the individual sessions taking place before our group session.”

“We can definitely do that.” Claire gripped Jamie’s hand on top of the table. “What do you think?”

Jamie nodded. “Yes. We will make it work. This is important. And you’ll of course be available if we need more time?”

“Definitely. To the extent you want time with me, I will make myself available. Nobody else – not your bandmates, Colum, not anyone on the crew – will be a client. I will quite literally be on call for you, 24/7. Jamie, if you start to have a panic attack, I don’t care what time it is or where we are, if you’re comfortable with me being there then I want to be there to help you.”

“And to support Claire,” Jamie added. “I won’t put all of that burden on her. It’s not fair to her.”

Claire squeezed her husband’s hand.

Raymond pivoted to face Claire across the table. “And Claire – I’m here for you in equal measure. I know you’re still adjusting to your sobriety. And I doubt you’ve worked through all of the trauma associated with your ex-husband.”

Claire swallowed. Jamie pulled her a little closer.

“So – if it ever feels too much, and especially if you start feeling like you’re losing a sense of yourself, when you’re so far away from home, and so out of your element…I want you to come to me. I want you to talk it through with me. And when you’re ready, we can talk with Jamie about it.”

She nodded, grateful.

“This goes without saying, but I’ll need you to continue to be as honest and open with me as possible. Our therapy isn’t going to work, otherwise. I’ve had clients in the past who struggled to be honest, and it ended up undermining their recovery. Especially the addicts.”

Claire poured a fresh glass of water for Raymond. He drank it all at once. Clearly choosing his next words very carefully.

“I will never judge you for anything you do or say – about your past or present selves. But the more you share, the more I can help you. And nothing you say to me will ever make its way to anyone else. Not Colum, not Ian and Angus, certainly not the crew. Definitely not the press. I’m bound by my professional code of ethics. And of course I’d never put you in that position.”

“Thank you,” Jamie breathed. “I want so hard for the most important things in my life to stay private.”

“But,” Raymond added, “If something comes up in one of our individual sessions that I think would benefit being discussed in our group session, I hope you’ll give me your permission to raise it. You’re already very open with each other, which makes my job easier. But I’m sure that both of you have things you haven’t told the other person about. So, I want you to know that if I bring up something one of you told me, in the presence of the other person, it’s purely because I want to get to the heart of a topic. To prompt a fruitful discussion.”

“I’m all right with that. I want to get better.” Jamie looked at Claire. Raised their joined hands to his lips, for a kiss. “I want us to get better, and stronger.”

“All the more reason to be honest with each other, and with me. Because as my favorite medical school professor told us – honesty has room for secrets, but not for lies. Do you agree?”

Jamie and Claire nodded.

Raymond smiled kindly. “I am so glad to have this opportunity to help and support you, at such this pivotal moment in your lives.”

Jamie laughed. “Don’t thank us yet. See how you feel in August, when you’ve been on the road for four months and you’re in bumfuck nowhere in Scandinavia and the blackout curtains won’t work in the hotel so that you can sleep.”

Raymond flipped to a new sheet in his notebook, smiling. “I’m going to recommend you do something, Jamie. Earlier we were talking about how it’s good to get a little separation sometimes.”

Jamie nodded, curious.

“I’m suggesting that you go out to L.A. in two and a half weeks, but on your own, with Claire staying here. She may fly out, let’s say, the final week. Or maybe not at all. What would you think about that?”

Jamie pursed his lips. Jaw clenching.

“I know why you’re suggesting it, Raymond. But…”

Raymond let the moment stretch. Watching, with Claire, Jamie process his thoughts.

“I want to say, no, I’ll never agree to that. I can’t go that long without having Claire with me.” He dropped Claire’s hand and crossed his arms.

“Why?”

“Besides the fact that I’ll miss her every second we’re apart? Because when I’m on the road, and doing industry stuff, and playing gigs, I know I’m going to see the things that I’m addicted to.”

“And you’re afraid that you’ll slide right back into that life, if you’re by yourself?”

Jamie heaved a deep breath. Raymond watched Claire hold herself back from giving her husband even the gentlest, most reassuring touch.

“Do you think he’d do that, Claire?”

She shook her head. “No way.”

Jamie huffed skeptically. “You have too much faith in me.”

“You should have more faith in yourself!” She stood, hands on her hips. “You’re so much stronger than you give yourself credit for, Jamie. Why don’t you see that?”

He covered his face with his hands, breathing deeply. “I know what I can do, Claire, when I lose control.”

“So do I, Jamie. But I know what you can do when you keep control. I know what you can say no to. Do you not remember that party in New York? It was hard, so fucking hard, but even though people were drinking all around us, and that model was doing coke two feet away from you,you were fine!”

Raymond kept his voice steady. “Do you really believe that at the drop of a hat, you’d forget your vows to Claire, Jamie? That you’d forget your commitment to sobriety?”

He nodded.

“But that’s never happened.” Claire lay a calm hand on Jamie’s shoulder, squeezing. “And just because I won’t be right next to you, or in the hotel room waiting for you, doesn’t mean that you will forget your promises.”

She rubbed his shoulder, so gentle.

“And, Jamie – to be honest, I could use the time here. To get to know the people at the clinic a bit better, get to know what kind of support they need. Obviously I won’t be around when we’re in Europe, and maybe not even after that if I come home pregnant. But I want them to get to know me, and I want to get to know them. And the best way I can do that is by spending time there, on my own. I can’t do that if I’m in L.A.”

Jamie pulled back to look up at his wife. She smiled down at him, pushing his hair out of his eyes.

Raymond gave them a moment before speaking. “When I suggested you go to L.A. alone, Jamie, you mentioned how you would feel, but you didn’t mention how you thought Claire would feel. Does what she wants not matter to you?”

“Of course it matters to me.” Jamie sounded a bit hurt.

“But you didn’t use those words to say that,” Raymond replied. “And you didn’t ask her what she thought about my idea. Claire does have a life beyond being your wife. She’s trying to find her footing. And she needs more space to do that. Has she ever told you that?”

Jamie looked directly at his wife. “Not like that,” he said softly. “Am I being too selfish?”

“You can be, sometimes.” Claire took a deep breath. “I know we’re both still healing, and figuring out how we live our lives together when everything is so complicated. This life we have together – it’s so wonderful, but it’s also so overwhelming. I want a family with you, Jamie – but I also want my career back. I know it won’t look like it did before, and I don’t want it to. And not right this instant, maybe not for a few more years. We have time to talk about it and figure that out.” She smiled at him. “That’s why I’m so glad that Raymond is here. Because he’ll give us the space to talk about these things.”

“Creating that space helps. So does re-framing a situation.” Raymond shifted in his chair. “Consider this: instead of feeling loss that you’re not together when Jamie is in L.A., or being afraid of what the world is like without the other…think of it as, two or so weeks of building new memories to eventually share. Two weeks of anticipation, to the buildup to being back together.”

“I like that,” Jamie said quietly. “And I see what you’re doing, Raymond. Turning something that could be negative, into something positive.”

“He’s not wrong, Jamie.”

Jamie sighed. “I know, Claire. I need time for me, and you need time for you. But I’ll still call you every day. Probably annoy the hell out of you.”

She laughed. “Of course you will. I want you to.” She turned to Raymond. “Can we start our sessions with you while he’s in L.A.?”

“Of course. We can do it all over the phone. But we can start tomorrow, if you like.”

Claire turned back to her husband. “Raymond asked us to be honest, Jamie. So when you speak with him, be honest. And when we have our session together, be honest. This is why we need his help. If you feel like you’re cracking, you need to fucking tell us. Do you understand?”

Jamie nodded. “I love you,” he rasped.

“I love you,” she laughed. “It’s just a few weeks, Jamie. Then we’ll be in Europe. You’ll get sick of me.”

He laughed, and it transformed his face. “Not possible.” He turned to look at Raymond. “I think you’ve got your work cut out for you, Doc.”

Raymond closed his notebook. “Well, you two will certainly keep things interesting.”

#outlander #outlander fanfic #jamie and claire #little bit better than i used to be

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sunflowersandsapphires · 1 year

Text

Why you gotta tempt my trouble?

Of Oak and Ivy, Chapter 1

Series Masterlist Next Chapter

pairing: Matt Murdock x fem!reader

summary: In college, Matt Murdock had two best friends, Foggy Nelson and you. However, life had no intention of letting you graduate with him. When he reconnects with you in adulthood, he is troubled to see the hand God has dealt you and vows to use every tool at his disposal to save you from damnation.

warnings: swearing, sickly sweet fluff, get ready for some pining y'all.

a/n: Here's the first chapter of the college fic! The next one won't be posted until I've written a few more (which might be a while because I'm trying to make them longer and I'm only one chapter ahead at the moment.) Please let me know if you like it and want to see more or be added to the taglist!

w/c: 5.3k

Digging the heels of your hands into your eyes, you resisted the urge to bang your head on the counter you sat at in an attempt to reboot the organ. This passage made no damn sense and you had mere days to understand it and conform to its ideals in order to do well in the class that it was assigned to. Biting your lip, you flipped back a few pages to start the chapter over for the third time when the sound of someone clearing their throat nearly startled you out of your seat.

“Oh my gosh, I am so sorry, I didn’t see you!” Saving your place in the worn book, you looked up to find a young man standing before you. He was handsome, with fluffy, inky locks and a charming smile on his lips.

“That’s alright, I, uh, can’t quite fault you there.” He smiled sideways at you, gesturing to the opaque rectangular frames on his nose. Your mouth formed an “O” shape before you tripped over your response.

“I want to laugh but that feels wrong. Is it more rude to laugh or not laugh? Oh god, forget I said that, I—“

The boy in front of you chuckled. “It’s quite alright, and it was meant to be a joke.”

“Right, well, sorry again. How can I help you?” You clasped your hands, tilting your head as you waited for his response.

“I was wondering if you had braille copies of any of these textbooks?” As he posed the question, the handsome boy passed you a list of the textbooks he was looking for.

Looking over the document, you pursed your lips. “That is a fantastic question that we will have to answer together. I wish I knew off the top of my head, but today's only my third day on the job.” You cringed, wishing your manager was here.

“I imagine it’s not a common question, so I won’t hold it against you.” There was that charming smile again. Your insides felt like they were slowly melting under his grin.

“That’s, um, very kind of you.” You stammered out, feeling heat flood your cheeks.

“Matt.” He broke in. “Matt Murdock. And you are..?”

Offering your name, you dutifully turned back to the index, scanning the pages for any clue as to where braille copies would be stocked.

“That’s a pretty name, it suits you.” Your fingers halted in their dance across the page, your eyes flitting back to the gorgeous customer.

“As much as I appreciate that, turning up the charm won’t change the fact that it might take a minute for me to find these.” Your eyes narrowed as you became skeptical of his intentions.

“Take your time. It’ll give me more time to get to know you.” The flirty grin never faltered on Matt’s face.

“Oh you’re trouble.” You shook your head, thumbing through the pages of the file before you. “I’m starting to think I should search on my own.”

Matt just laughed, leaning forward on his white cane and grinning at you. “Where should we start?”

“I have a couple ideas.”

You and Matt searched far and wide for accessible copies of the textbooks he needed. While they—thankfully—did exist, they were scattered throughout the store haphazardly, not in either location the index had suggested. The lack of care and attention the volumes had gotten was making you progressively more irritated. There was absolutely no reason these books should’ve been treated with such disrespect, even if they weren’t commonly asked for.

After finding all but one book on his list, it was barely past store closing. Locking the door with a huff, you clocked out before joining Matt where he was seated on the ground by the first shelf.

“I hate to say this, but I think we might need to order you a new copy.” You remarked with a frown, scuffing your shoe along the faded carpet on the bookstore’s floor.

Matt, whose pleasant personality hadn’t dimmed despite the lackluster findings, simply chuckled, knocking his shoulder into yours.

“Well, we gave it the old college try, so to speak.” He waggled his eyebrows at you above his dark glasses.

You groaned, but couldn’t help the soft chuckle that escaped your throat. Despite your intense introversion and social awkwardness, Matt put you at ease.

“Sorry, my roommate is rubbing off on me.” He gave an exaggerated grimace.

“Is he a law student too?”

“Yep. Foggy Nelson. The three of us might actually have some classes together.” Matt’s face lit up with the idea. You’d confessed during your hunt that you had already purchased your own copies of many of the books on his list. Given that you were both first year law students, it made sense that you’d be in classes with one another, but you felt a weight lift off your chest nonetheless.

“Honestly, that makes me feel so much better. I’m incredibly nervous.” You confessed, focusing on a fraying patch of carpet underneath your sneaker.

“I’m sure you’ll do great.” Matt leaned against you, focusing on you in a way that made your chest flutter.

“See you say that not knowing how long it’s taking me to get through the first reading assignment for Legal Methods.” You dropped your head into your hands, remembering the cursed passage from earlier.

“Foggy mentioned something about that book. It’s…outdated?”

“That’s an understatement. The first chapter is about a famous eugenics case, Buck v Bell, and I might be reading it wrong but it seems like the author is suggesting that we don’t have ableism that resembles that of the case in current day? I was getting so frustrated reading it that I honestly couldn’t tell if it was confusing or just a stupid argument.” You explained.

“It’s in the McKinnon book, right? If you want, we could read it together and try to figure it out? Unless you have somewhere else to get to…” Matt Murdock, the charming, unswayable man you’d met a few hours ago blushed at the question, making you grin.

“I would love to hear your opinion on the text, Mr. Murdock. We can start an unofficial study group.”

“I like the sound of that. Let’s crack open this shit show.” Matt let you pull him off the ground and over to your work station where he opened his own copy of the text and began to read.

A few hours and more than a few boxes of takeout later, you and Matt were still working your way through the chapter, though you’d both decided with certainty that the text was more angering than confusing.

“If the professor is as ableist as this author, I’ll never be able to pass this class.” You grumbled, shoving the hellish book away from you. “There’s no way I can pretend that eugenic ideals have disappeared, even for a better grade.”

“Seriously. I’m hoping it’s supposed to make us mad so we can argue about it? Though I seriously doubt everyone will be on our side, unfortunately.” Matt scowled.

“Well, at least we have each other, right?” The man in front of you perked up with that comment, but you hurriedly corrected yourself. “And your roommate, of course.”

Deflating slightly, Matt scratched the back of his neck. “Speaking of, I should probably get back so he doesn’t send out a search party. I’ll see you in class?”

“See you then, trouble maker.” You murmured, smiling softly at him.

“Have a good night, sweetheart. Get home safe.”

“You too.”

A few days later, your evening with the sweet law student had fallen to the back of your mind as nerves about your first semester of classes set in. Fidgeting with your outfit in the mirror, you inhaled a shaky breath.

“Stop worrying, you’ll be fine!” The voice of your roommate, Jen, rang out across your shared loft making your brow furrow.

“Easy for you to say! You’ve done this before.” You groused, still examining your reflection. Jen was an old friend of yours who had lived down the street from you growing up. The two of you had been practically inseparable since elementary school, despite the fact that she was two years older than you.

“Jen’s right, you know.” Oscar, Jen’s long-term boyfriend and your unofficial second roommate, squeezed your shoulder on his way to the kitchen. “Everyone is going to be nervous, so they won’t have time to judge you.”

“Yah, yah. I appreciate the votes of confidence but, unfortunately, my anxiety and I have to hit the road. I would rather not be late.”

“Have fun!” Oscar called as you grabbed your bag.

“You’re gonna kill it!” Shouted Jen as you exited the apartment.

You shook your head, hoping they were right, and set off for your first ever Columbia Law class.

The trek across campus was pretty and the walk helped you calm your racing thoughts. The walkways were littered with other first year students who looked more clueless than you—including a blond boy with a kind face who was staring quizzically at a kiosk in front of him that was plastered with event flyers.

He muttered to himself for a moment before reaching to the side of the kiosk obscured from your view and tugging on the arm of someone beside him. “Ok dude, according to this map we should be heading…” He paused, squinting at the paper he was reading before dramatically pointing left. “West!”

“That’s East.” You chuckled, walking over to inspect the map for yourself. As you neared the misguided fellow, your eyes widened as you recognized his friend. “Matt?”

Laughing brightly and greeting you, Matt tugged free of the other man’s grip and strode over to you. “Are you following me?” He narrowed his eyes at you but his tone remained playful.

Shoving him, you scoffed. “You wish, Murdock. I was going to warn your friend here that the upperclassmen usually put up fake maps as a prank on the first day of classes.”

“Thank god we have someone to warn us of their cruelty, or we’d be dead meat!” The blond spun around and bowed in front of you. “Franklin Nelson, at your service m’lady. You can call me Foggy”

You giggled, introducing yourself. “It’s such a shitty prank. Thankfully, I have roommates who are in their third year and they showed me around weeks ago. Where are you headed?”

“Greene Hall.” Matt informed you.

“Oh, that’s where I’m headed too! Civil Procedure? With Professor McGuiness?”

“The very same! We’re damn lucky to have run into you.” Foggy sighed, shaking his head.

“It’s this way, and we aren’t too far. We’ll probably get there early.”

“That’s good because this one,” Foggy stuck a thumb at Matt, “Has this idea that we need to sit in the front if we don’t want to fail. I’d be perfectly fine sitting in the last row and never being called on once!”

“Studies show that sitting in one of the first few rows increases retention!” Matt elbowed his roommate who just snorted.

“Retention schmention. I say we sit by the cutest people in the class and have them tutor us when we inevitably fail.” Foggy winked at you and you laughed.

Matt squeezed your arm, leaning closer to you. “I think that can be arranged regardless.”

Heat rose in your cheeks as his flirtatious grin made a reappearance. “Oh shut up, trouble maker, or I’ll sit in the very last row just to spite you.”

“We wouldn’t want that.” Matt held out an arm, “Mind walking me to class, sweetheart?”

Rolling your eyes, you turned to Foggy. “How do you put up with him? You’re a Saint, truly.” But you took Matt’s arm anyway, ensuring that you were keeping a steady pace and avoiding anything he might trip over.

The walk to your first law class was, eventful, to say the least. Matt and Foggy were clearly soulmates of a sort, with their nonstop bantering and the way they balanced each other out. Foggy was a ray of sunshine, while Matt was more comfortable in the shadows, so to speak. The blond was all loud declarations and bright smiles, while Matt was more low toned flirting and quiet observations. They were both incredibly intelligent, overly sarcastic, and had a flair for the dramatic. You were ecstatic to have stumbled into their lives.

Matt had successfully cajoled the both of you into sitting with him in the second row, a compromise which Foggy considered a huge win. As students filed in, you subconsciously fiddled with your shirt, suddenly feeling incredibly insecure about your presence in this classroom. A gentle hand grabbed your wrist, making you jump.

“Relax,” Matt whispered. “You look fine, trust me.”

“How do you know?” You murmured nervously.

“Those boys a few rows behind us are staring.” Matt’s smile remained, but his voice held a tension you couldn’t quite place. “And the TA is trying very hard not to.”

“How on earth can you tell that?” You raised an eyebrow at him, incredulous.

“Matt is seriously like some sort of super powered being. He has the greatest intuition of anyone I’ve ever met. Best to trust him about these things.” Foggy nodded solemnly, clearly trying not to burst out laughing.

You simply rolled your eyes, pulling your notebook from your bag. Opening it to the correct page, you stifled a giggle as Foggy leaned over Matt’s lap to whisper-yell at you.

“Why do you already have notes written? Matt, why does she already have notes written?”

“I like to come prepared. I took notes on the first few chapters of the book.”

“But we didn’t even have an assignment for this class!”

“Yah, but I was bored at work and I thought I’d get a head start.” You just shrugged but Foggy glared at you, shaking a finger in your face.

“You’re gonna make the rest of us look like slackers! You, missy, have some apologizing to do.”

“For doing my due diligence?” You laughed.

“Yes! For being too proactive. I think you owe us a tutoring session or two.” Foggy crossed his arms with a huff.

“You have no idea if I even know what I’m doing, these notes could be gibberish!” You chuckled, shaking your head.

“Nope, it’s good material. I can tell. You owe us. Doesn’t she, Matt?” Foggy elbowed his roommate who smirked.

“I think he might be right, sweetheart. What would you say to being the leader of our study group.” Matt tilted his head, focusing on you.

“Do I have a choice?” You sighed.

“No!” Foggy exclaimed at the same time Matt responded, “Not really.”

“Then I accept, but I want my objection noted.”

“It’s all in the record, don’t worry.” Foggy waved a hand, turning his attention back to the front of the room as the Professor walked to the front.

The rest of the week went similarly, as you had three of four classes at the same time as Matt and Foggy. They made great company, so you could hardly complain, but it was the first meeting of your “unofficial official study group” (as Foggy had dubbed it) and you were quite nervous.

You were fairly confident that you knew what you were talking about, but the idea of being the backbone for two other grades besides your own was quite stressful. Not to mention the jittery feeling you got every time your brain reminded you that you’d been in Matt’s room with him for an extended period of time. You chided yourself, Matt—though he was incredibly flirty—was one of the best friends you’d ever had, and you’d be damned before you jeopardized that because you were touch-starved and more than a little thirsty.

Taking a deep breath to keep your antsy libido in check, which was getting increasingly difficult given the fact that you were sitting atop Matt’s bed practically cuddled against him, you turned your focus to the space in front of you for a moment of redirection.

The room was small, a standard dorm room with two long skinny bed frames that held stiff foam mattresses, two identical desks with chipped paint and lumpy rolling chairs, and a bolted-shut window. Although the room was dim and cramped, the view was gorgeous, overlooking a rectangular patch of grass framed with lush green trees and the distant Manhattan skyline, bright with yellow lights against the black of the atmosphere.

Shifting your focus to the inside of the room, you smiled at the dichotomy on full display. While it was clear both boys had cleaned in preparation for your visit, Foggy’s side of the room was haphazardly straightened, with loose socks peeking out from underneath the bed and a handful of stray candy wrappers still visible atop his desk. Matt’s half of the space was meticulously organized, complete with braille labels. It was clear that everything had its place.

A shoulder nudged yours and you choked on a breath in your haste to turn towards the presence beside you. Matt smirked, but a small crease was present between his brows. “You ok? You stopped reading…”

“Yup!” You squeaked, clearing your throat and trying again. “Yes, sorry. Got distracted by your view.” Which was mostly true...

“Is it nice? Foggy’s never told me.” Matt grins sideways at you, furrow on his smooth skin fading.

“It’s…stunning. There’s a lot of green up front, with the lawn and plants and whatnot, but the red brick buildings contrast beautifully. And behind campus you can see the rest of the city, like we’re in an urban valley almost. It’s not like anything I’ve ever seen.”

“It sounds pretty. You should describe more sights for me, sweetheart. You’re good at it.”

Heat ran up your face at the compliment, pulsing in your cheeks and the tips of your ears. Turning from the window, you found your chest settling calmly as you studied Matt’s face. You’d never been this close to him and it was startling how easily his innocuous expression stirred up emotions in you.

He had the slightest shadow of stubble gracing his sharp jawline. As you ran your eyes along his face, you found yourself lingering on the beautiful hazel eyes, nearly blocked by his dark glasses. The blank, honey-bronze orbs held more emotion than you’d ever seen in someone’s expression. In the small time you’d known Matt, you found yourself constantly moved by his passion—for his city, for justice, for Foggy, even for you.

“So can we get back to the precedent of Buck v. Bell or are you just gonna stare lovingly at Matt all night?” Foggy smiled sweetly at you but the glint in his eyes made it clear he was annoyed.

“I wasn’t—I mean I—“ You sputtered, scootching farther away from Matt in an effort to conceal your obvious crush.

“Whatever. It’s late and I’d like to finish soon. Precedent?” Foggy prompted, pointing to his textbook.

“Well, the main point is that disabled and institutionalized individuals were no longer considered to have the same rights as other people.” Matt huffed, thumbing through his textured pages.

“Right. And the opinion implies that losing rights through due process opens you up to losing rights in the future without another trial.” You added, squinting at a particular paragraph for clarity.

“Which sucks, but checks out for 1927.” Foggy frowned.

“If I’m interpreting the important parts correctly, this case is meant to highlight an important consequence of precedent, which is that one decision can impact the judicial system for decades, even over important things like due process.” You explained, turning to Matt. “Is that what you got from this?”

“That’s about what I interpreted, yah.” Matt nodded, giving Foggy a sly grin. “That enough of an explanation for ya, Nelson? Or do we need to break it down point by point.”

“Shut up, Murdock.” Foggy grumbled. “I’d be better with this if I wasn’t dog-tired.”

“You’re doing great, Foggy. Don’t listen to him. All we have left to do this week is read for Torts and then we are home free.” You smiled sympathetically.

“Ugh!” Foggy flopped down onto his pillows, covering his face with his hands.

“Not to be a pain, but I don’t have this text…” Matt shifted uncomfortably, biting his lip.

“That’s alright, I can read mine aloud. If that’s ok with you, Foggy?” You looked to the half-asleep law student for confirmation who nodded tiredly.

“If it allows me to close my eyes, I’d be more than happy to listen.”

Matt chuckled, before tilting his head towards you. “Can I come closer? To make sure I don’t miss anything?” You could’ve sworn you saw Foggy roll his eyes, but you blinked and he remained still as a corpse against his pillows.

“Of course, Matt. Here.” Shuffling closer to him, you lay the textbook across both of your laps, trying incredibly hard to not focus on how warm he was. “This ok?”

Matt nodded, mouth parted slightly and your eyes followed his tongue as it darted out to wet his lips. For a moment, all you heard was static and the soft puffs of Matt’s breath. Coming back into your body, you shook your head to clear out the lovestruck cobwebs.

“Ok, um, Introduction to American Civil Law: Chapter 1, Liability and Negligence…”

To tell the honest truth, Matt hadn’t taken in a word you’d spoken since you passed the introductory paragraph. Legal jargon washed over him like the water of a warm bath, spoken by a soothing dulcet voice and punctuated by the steady thump of your kind heart. Your thigh was resting against his and he could feel the tension in your neck as you desperately kept it mere inches from its desired landing place on his shoulder. Your soft t-shirt brushed over his arm with each expanse of your chest as you inhaled, rubbing more of your sweet lavender and vanilla scent over his skin.

As you continued to be blissfully unaware of his lack of attention, or rather his abundance of attention, his body was fighting an internal battle to not sweep you into his arms and bury his face in your neck.

Leaving St. Agnes had been a culture shock for the ages, but Matt was beginning to love it. The orphanage had been an overwhelmingly lonely place, which Matt attributed to his tendency to pick fights and his disability causing him to stand out. Meeting his new roommate had been nerve wracking, but Foggy was as easy to like as the first ray of sunshine in the spring, despite his grumpiness when he was exhausted. Sure he was messy and his snoring had kept Matt awake for hours, but he had a massive heart. Though he and Foggy had very different lifestyles, the other man fit perfectly into his life, as did you. Matt was more than aware of his tendency to form quick attachments, but his feelings toward you were an entirely different beast.

The night he’d met you in the bookstore, an invitation to go on a date with him had been teetering on the edge of his tongue for hours. Flirting came naturally to him, one of the many reasons he didn’t get along with the other boys of Clinton Church, but given his less than standard childhood, he’d never had the opportunity to start a relationship. Every minute he spent with you made it more obvious that you deserved to be loved, not aimlessly thrown into a date or two, and Matt wasn’t sure he would be able to provide that. At least not now.

An ear-splitting snore sounded from the other side of the room, abruptly ending his daydream. Your arm left its place at his side as you stifled a laugh. “Guess I was more boring than I thought.”

“Trust me, it’s not because of you. That man could fall asleep to the sound of a fire alarm if he tried hard enough.” Matt smirked, humor not quite reaching his eyes as his brain mourned the loss of your touch. Feeling you shift tensely next to him, he pondered for a moment. “If you’re worried about waking him, we could go somewhere else?”

“Where would we go at 2 in the morning on a Thursday?” You groaned, desperately aching to be done with school work for the week but simultaneously more than willing to spend all night with Matt.

“I know a place. But we will probably want this blanket.” Matt grinned at you as your confusion peaked, but you threw the blanket over your shoulder and took his hand nonetheless.

How your friend had discovered that the roof of Butler Library remained accessible after hours via a secluded maintenance stairwell, you’d never know—but you couldn’t help but thank the heavens for granting you this slice of paradise.

The cement that compromised the roof was cold, a symptom of being deprived of the sun for hours now, but you and Matt lay huddled together on his bedspread, lounging in a pocket of warmth your closeness had created. You were practically snuggling, which was not helping soothe the part of your brain that was rabidly attracted to him, sharing your highs and lows from the week.

As the two of you giggled about an incident with a pigeon that had decided to attend Civil Procedure, you found your eyes tracing over the moonlit form of the beautiful man before you, who seemed to notice your staring as his lips quirked up. “So, tell me, sweetheart, how’s a girl like you end up in a place like this?”

With an exaggerated groan, you shoved him playfully. “You and your damn lines, Murdock.”

With a chuckle, Matt’s expression turned from something entirely playful into one of genuine interest. “Seriously, what brought you to Columbia?” Feeling your heart pound under his blank gaze, you blew out a breath.

“That is a long, sad story that I’m sure you don’t really—“

“If you don’t want to tell me, I totally get it. But I’d like to know more about you.” Matt’s answer was honest and lacking his perpetually flirty edge that kept you at a safe distance, which sent a burst of heat to your stomach that you weren’t expecting.

“Oh, well...” Sighing deeply, you considered your options. You’d had a hard time making friends in the past, and had a tendency to over share (or so you’d been told), but Matt had asked for the real answer. That meant he really wanted it, right?

Steeling yourself for the impending rejection, you confessed. “I’m originally from Connecticut. Small little town called Bridgewater, about an hour from New Haven. It’s just me and my mom, really. My dad lives in godknowswhere, Virginia with my two siblings and his girlfriend. He’s…kinda the worst, so we don’t talk much. My mom though, she’s amazing. I owe everything to her.”

Matt smiled at you, nodding encouragingly when you hesitated.

“Um, yah, so long story short, she was diagnosed with cancer when I was a kid. My dad has sort of always been a jackass but her prognosis…I don’t know, it was the last straw for him. I don’t remember much but they started arguing about money and then, he took everything. I didn’t realize it at the time, my mom is the nicest person on the planet and she would never blame my dad for her misfortune, but we lost our house, she lost her job, her assets, two of her kids—though they didn’t fight to stay like I did. The longer I lived, the more curious I became about everything and when I did some digging in high school, I found out my dad had claimed everything in the divorce. He and his attorney had argued that my mom was abusive and financially exploiting him and the judge gave him anything he asked for. I decided I wanted to be a lawyer so I could stop others from going through what my mom and I have.”

The story poured out of you, relieving a pressure you’d been carrying for as long as you remembered. Matt simply listened intently, emotions passing over his face in small flashes as you described your past. Realizing all of the bullshit you’d just dumped on him, you cringed.

“I’m sorry, that was a lot, I just…” Matt’s brow furrowed and his hand shot out to cup your elbow.

“No! No, I’m just so sorry that happened. Your dad sounds like a piece of work.” He gave a disgusted grimace and you giggled.

“He is. My mom still loves him though, bless her heart. We spend Christmas with him every year like he didn’t ruin her life.” The laugh that you have held no humor. “Anyway, that’s my backstory. What about you, trouble maker?” You leaned into the loose hold Matt kept on your arm, eager to learn more about him.

“Well, I’m from New York. Hell’s Kitchen, born and raised just like Foggy. I, uh, I never knew my mom. Was close with my dad, though. He was a boxer, taught me a lot about fighting, persistence.” Matt’s face fell slightly as he paused. Intertwining your fingers with his, your smile softened.

“He sounds like a good man.”

Matt nodded. “Yah, he uh, he was. He died when I was 9.”

Eyes widening, a hasty apology spilled out of you. “Oh Matt, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize—“ A squeeze of your hand stopped you in your tracks.

“It’s ok. I do miss him, though. After he died, I was taken in by an orphanage, raised by nuns. This is, really the first time I’ve lived without feeling like I’m being watched.” Matt chuckled awkwardly, removing his fingers from yours to push up his glasses. “Law interested me for a reason similar to yours, I suppose. My dad, uh, he was murdered. Organized crime hit. I tried to get someone, anyone really, to bring the group to justice and I…failed. Made me realize the justice system needs more devoted participants, I guess.” Taking his hand back into yours, you ran a thumb over his knuckles, allowing him to collect his thoughts before continuing the conversation.

“So you’re interested in criminal law then?” Your heart flipped happily as Matt’s starlit face lit up again.

“Honestly, I’m interested in most of it. But the more I learn about the world, the more I realize how important criminal defense is. My dad’s murder inspired this journey, but what I do with the degree, it’ll be in his memory. I’m starting to think that defense would be the best way to honor him.”

How on Earth did you manage to find the sweetest boy on campus? “That’s…beautiful Matt. Really. He must be so proud of you already.”

Matt’s lips twitched but he seemed unsure. “Maybe he should wait to see if I actually get this degree. Torts is already shaking up to be a nightmare.”

“Ugh, that’s for damn sure.” You laughed breathily, shivering as a breeze pierced your thin shirt.

Face twisting with concern, Matt ran his hand over your arm. “Are you cold? Sorry, I didn’t think it would get this chilly out.”

“Oh, it’s ok! I’m not that cold.” You assured him, relishing in the soft brushes of his calloused fingertips over your arm.

Raising a brow at you, Matt pulled off the crew neck he was wearing, handing it to you. “Humor me.”

Rolling your eyes at his demanding tone, you slipped the garment over your head. The worn gray sweatshirt was soft and comfortably warm with Matt’s body heat. It was such a pleasant relief from the frigid cement that you had to bite back a groan. Breathing in the earthy, clean scent that always followed Matt, you sighed in relief.

“Thank you.”

“Anytime, sweetheart.” Matt grinned.

The night didn’t go on for too much longer after you spilled your guts to your new friend. At his insistence, you called Oscar and Jen to come pick you up rather than walking home.

You fell asleep easily that night and, while it would be easy to blame the late hour, the fabric of Matt’s sweatshirt wrapped around you may have had something to do with it.

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