#if you saw me post this before SORRY i had to fix a typo

[fluttershiesworld]

[ID: text reading,

“broken sonnet

you're 19 years old, and every day

you get out of bed

and brush your teeth

and eat breakfast

and don't want to kill yourself

feels like a miracle.

you want to be a martyr: a new age jean d'arc,

a beautiful symbol of some kind of change,

at least then you could mean something

in death. but you know dying would make you

nothing more than dead.

you want to bleed light but instead

bleed only the same ordinary red.” end ID]

broken sonnet, sunny valentine

[halfelven]

love random not even logged in readers just dropping their 'constructive criticism' on your 100k+ story that you're putting online entirely for free. this is just a rant btw

"You obviously have a great talent and I think you should work on honing it some. As much as I’ve enjoyed the story, there are a few things that stand out that you might consider looking at. I feel like the story isn’t sure what it wants to be at times; is it character driven or plot driven? It doesn’t flow smoothly because sometimes we have these wonderful character vignettes, like Illumi and Kalluto on a road trip or Kite/Leorio/Gon/Killua in an apartment where plot doesn’t really feel important, followed by what feels like heavily plot driven beats, like Kalluto and the spiders. In addition, it contributes to confusion because sometimes we see established characterization turned on its head. Especially the weird way everyone all of a sudden just sort of was OK with Kalluto being a spider and then working with Illumi when they just went to all that trouble to escape him? It all kind of feels forced and not natural. You know?

Anyway, I’ll definitely keep reading and look forward to seeing what happens."

first: love you trying to sound legitimate with your "in addition" like this is some kind of writer's workshop. second: in what way would I, the writer, think that an incomplete part of my story in which the reader does not yet know most of the main motivations (they are only hinted at so far) feels forced and not natural when I know what's happening, where it is going (and where I haven't had other readers comment with confusion about that part)

and moving on. don't do this. also like i said this is a wip in and no, no one is cool with Kalluto being a spider and no they're not cool working with Illumi, really. it was already established that some of them /have/ been working with Illumi before this~ he's someone that they know. like have you never been in a seriously dangerous situation that you just have to get through before you get back to what you want?*** also at this point Chrollo's real motive hasn't been entirely revealed.

Killua keeps changing his mind about what he's doing because he's a scared kid whose self-hatred is destroying him from the inside out. the POV is so tight that I have to keep dropping reminders that what is stated in the narrative is often not true! Illumi's POV, for example, keeps showing Killua as really loving him and being happy he's around but struggling with a desire for freedom, while with Killua's POV he's terrified of Illumi most of the time. like how is that not obviously a distorted POV where you can't trust the narrator?

"where plot doesn’t really feel important, followed by what feels like heavily plot driven beats"

this part is especially irritating because it's like yeah that's how I want to write it? this isn't a published novel. I don't have to commit to making sure every scene is important to the plot. I can spend time writing a full scene about someone drinking a glass of water and then 13 chapters in a row that are for moving the plot forward. I didn't even tag it as a novel... I did tag it for unreliable narration and I keep getting annoyed that people keep ignoring that.

"I feel like the story isn’t sure what it wants to be at times; is it character driven or plot driven?"

it's both??? it's neither??? it's a fanfic??? why do I keep getting comments lately where people are expecting me to adhere to like fucking publishing standards. this keeps up and I will write a chapter which is entirely about a minor character drinking a glass of water. watch me. I'll write one about phinks drinking a glass of water and you'll like it*

"Overall, the story is good and presented a compelling alternative to CA. Look, each fan has their own opinion on CA and I know I didn’t like it. I think it was a product of what Togashi was going through as he began to experience health issues and then finding himself right back where he said he wasn’t going to be mentally after he ended his earlier manga. We can never know for sure, but it certainly had a “watch it all burn vibe” to it near the end. I honestly believe he wanted it to end with the finality of Gon’s suicide as a capstone statement, but was probably convinced to go a different route, which kinda of left a jarring feel in the narrative and culminated in a rather unsatisfying end to Gon and Killua’s journey. Despite that, I am very reluctant to read fics where the events of CA are erased or grossly modified and honestly yours is really the first long AU/alternate timeline I’ve enjoyed"

okay first of all, I love the CA arc. but I had to split a point off where Kite was going to survive. why do you have to leave this whole paragraph about how you think Togashi was or wasn't going to go with the CA on my fanfic? I didn't even write this as 'oh look at my alternative to CA bc I hated CA' I don't really look forward to hearing comments about how random people didn't like so and so aspect of the story that I'm basing my story off of. I've never written fanfic for a story that I didn't like (except for some things that I don't have published I wrote at a request for friends for a fandom they were into that I wasn't really) and yeah I've wanted to 'fix' aspects (like tolkien's treatment of women for example) but I am not looking for your 'this is what I hated about the source material' comments on my stories

tired of getting comments with little 'oh I didn't like your style at first but now I do' or 'here's how to fix your story!' unsolicited advice from people who aren't better writers than me (I don't even want it from people who would be better writers than me on stuff I'm just doing for fun and for free)

when did stuff like this become normal? at least don't be a coward and be not logged in so you can't even get a response notification. like girl they aren't cool with it! why do you think everyone is on guard standing around like they're in a fucking hostage situation? how do you see such wildly different interpretations from different character's POVs and think it's not intentional? what part about Kite watching Killua like a fucking hawk makes you think he's going to let Illumi take him after this?

like if you've never had to smile and pretend to be cool with your abuser (pretend to love them) or someone who was threatening you to keep someone else safe then good for you! it fucking sucks! also don't know how to explain to you what a child who is growing up in an extremely isolated abusive situation goes through (though I keep writing about it in this story you should catch on...) but it's a million back and forths with emotion and feelings--especially if their abuser does (to in some way or to some degree) love them. and it is often blaming themselves. I'm not letting my years of studying human psychology and child development go to waste here**

is this story perfect? no but I'm not gonna hire an editor for a fanfic. and everyone's interpretations of characters will be different. especially with child characters who are going through huge changes in the world around them and their personal lives. part of the appeal of fanfiction is 'who would they become if this happened instead?' *sorry I keep writing about starving and not having clean drinking water but I will never stop because that's what I grew up with and it's hell. also phinks drinking water would be compelling since I assume he'd have harder access to clean drinking water

**hunter x hunter is also one of the only stories I have encountered with characters who have backgrounds as fucked up as mine and Togashi's interest in human psychology really stands out.

***like good for you but that was most of my life and you sometimes just have to shut up and get through it. and no I will not put my notes in the right order bc I'm not being paid enough****

****I'm being paid nothing

[maikissed]

post euro Jude Bellingham story part 2 yall got me so hyped up I had to write a part two to it, ah and I like it, hope you guys like it too! warnings: well, just a bit of sexy times and as always, sorry for typos

He didn’t remember the last time he experienced morning’s silence and stillness. What he could remember is how every morning started when he was a boy. His mother waking him up, layers of sheets between his legs, gentle morning air hitting his senses and birds chirping outside the windows, slow eye blinks. He woke up on his own today and he could hear the birds. When was the last time he heard birds chirping? And when was the last time he slept so well?

A gentle movement on his side and he remembered he wasn’t alone. When he turned to his right his eyes met with the sight of her face, few strands of hair falling down her cheek and nose. Soft sounds of breathing, her chest rising and falling peacefully. The view astounded him for a second, stupefied even. Suddenly something so obvious showed it’s way to the surface. Suddenly he remembered it was all he wanted this whole time.

He fixed her hair, pulling them away from her face so it wouldn’t bother her. She stirred a little, her lips ajar, she sighed and he could hear his name leaving her lips. For a second he though she woke up, but then some more incoherent words followed and he realised she was still asleep. She dreamed of him, and he wondered if she could see him in her dreams the way he saw her in his.

The clock on his phone showed it was 7am. Twelve hours of sleep was quite a lot, but he felt much better. He considered waking her up, because he knew she suffered the worst migraines when she slept more than nine hours, yet she seemed to be in way too deep slumber. He chose not to.

Quietly he headed to take a shower and then went downstairs in a need of water.

“Morning, did you sleep well?” his mother’s voice startled him at first and he stopped in his tracks in the direction of the water jug.

A mysterious smile on her face as she looked at him, some papers in her hands, some more laid out on the counter in front of her.

“Morning. Yes I did” he nodded, observant and focused on his mother’s expression.

“Is she awake?” her attention back on the document in her hold.

“No”

“I guess you were both in need of a good rest”

“Why are you smiling like that?” he could not let that slip.

“Like what?” her face jerked back up to look at him.

“It’s that look and that smile that says that you know something I don’t”

She chuckled. A few seconds of silence.

“Do you need privacy?” she asked all of a sudden.

“Sorry?”

That smile back up on her face.

“Your dad and Jobe are on the training. I can make you both some breakfast or I can leave” her voice gentle when she started collecting the papers and putting it into a tidy stack.

“What are you insinuating?” his eyes narrowed when she walked up to him.

“You always make the right choices, darling. Time to make this one as well, it’s been too long” she pecked his cheek lovingly before disappearing into the hall.

-

You blinked a few times as your eyes begun to accustom to the very bright surroundings. You were in your clothes, in a big bed, not very familiar at first. Your head felt slightly heavy, you could tell your face was a bit swollen. What time was it? You turned your head in an instinct and moaned hiding your face in your hands.

“Were you watching me sleep, Bellingham?”

He chuckled in response.

“You know, you developed a new sleeping face. Never seen this one” you could feel him move closer to you.

“You’re a creep!” you whined still covering yourself.

“Couldn’t help myself. It’s cute”

You took a peak through your fingers to look at him. Gentle smile on his face, he looked healthier. And his torso was bare. Right.

“What time is it?”

“Eight”

“In the morning?!” you sat up and regretted it in an instant as dizziness hit you, your eyes filled with many black spots.

You turned to look back at him, head supported on his hand as he laid down.

“Yes, you slept for thirteen hours. You won’t die”

You suddenly started to feel giddy. What a lovely morning sight.

“You’re indecent” you acknowledged with an assertive look on your face “Put some shirt on”

“Does it bother you?” he laughed changing his position to lay back down, his hands behind his head.

“Are you flexing your muscles for me?” you jested, fighting the smirk that tried to sneak up to your lips.

“I can tell you’re absolutely enjoying it”

After his words your gaze trailed lower, down his stomach and you turned your head abruptly.

“That’s it, I’m leaving this bed. I’m in desperate need of a shower”

“Don’t go yet” he called after you as you begun to search for your bag “You can use mine. Let’s eat breakfast together”

You smiled at the proposition, feeling morose at the thought of parting with your friend so soon. So you agreed.

-

“You have some jam on your chin, clumsy” you frowned at his comment, his big eyes glowing with amusement as he watched you trying to wipe it off.

“Not there” he tutted, using his thumb to do the job for you.

This simple act, this gentle touch warmed your heart ever so greatly, you could feel your cheeks heating up and you quickly looked down at the remains of your food, so he would not notice them redden. Moment like this made a fast turn towards a more melancholic feeling, because you’ve missed him terribly every single day. Both of you chose so different directions in your lives, you could not do much about the fact that you were falling apart. And you were grown ups now, facing serious obstacles that would not allow you to constantly act so openly and freely like right now. You wondered if he had someone. This element often changed, so you found it difficult to keep track.

You stood up grabbing your plates and mugs to wash them.

“Is everything okay, y/n?” he called after you and you shuddered, trying to focus on the task.

“Yes, why?” your voice stable.

“You seem down” without turning his way you could tell he followed you, his voice much closer.

You will not bring up this subject. You will let things be.

But you stood stiff, a mug in your hand and you didn’t move in the slightest, paralyzed by analysing everything in your head so thoroughly. Taking a breath you placed the mug in the sink and put your palms on the counter in front of you. You heart was too heavy to remain silent on the matter. And that kiss from last night that filled you with undying happiness at first, now started playing with your stability.

He came up to you, his palms resting on top of yours, playing with your fingers. He was close, you could not feel his body but you felt the warmness of it.

“I don’t know where to put you in my mind and heart, Jude” you whispered, staring at the windows in front of you, but the view was blurred.

He placed his head on your shoulder, much closer now, you could feel his chest pressed against your shoulder blades. You closed your eyes.

“I wanted to kidnap you when you decided to leave to Japan” a soft whisper in your ear “I wanted to lock you up in my house to make it impossible for you to leave. It’s selfish but I still think of it to this day. Every time we see each other, I want to tie you up and keep you with me” one of his hands reached up to gather your hair, moving it away from your neck and face. You bent your head to the side and let him “How is that fair, it’s the life you dreamed about, doing what you love and here I was, also determined to reach my goals but so selfish I wanted to crush yours” he murmured into your skin, his lips now lower, under your ear “I started to plan and analyse a lot in my head, started thinking: what can I provide for you that would made you stay with me?” soft words breathed against your skin, you shivered wondering if he considered to kiss you next. You wanted him to and anticipated, your skin warm and body desperate. You were so desperate for his touch, other men could never surpass it.

But he reached for your hands to hold it up, wrapping both of your arms around you. He hugged you from behind, you nestled into him.

“Took me some time but I have come to the conclusion that we don’t have to part with our own lives to share them” the sentence made you open your eyes, you turned your head to look up at him. His gaze soft and tender, a smirk slowly appearing on his face, probably at the sight of your big round eyes “Would you like for us to share them, share all of it, no exceptions?”

You frowned, turning in his arms to face him. A race of thoughts rumbling in your brain. No lie to it - it scared you a bit.

“But it’s such a big distance…”

His hands reached for your face to hold it up for him, the expression on his face calm but determined. You admired him, admired the man he became.

“At some point there will be no distance, we have all the time in the world” he smiled reassuringly and you focused on the feeling of his fingers grazing your skin “And I will retire around 40” he added with a shrug of his shoulders, making you chuckle “But before that, your programme in Tokio is in for about three more years if I remember well, I will respect it if you decide to stay but if not, you can join me” the honesty and plea visible in his eyes made your heart melt, the sensation almost reaching your eyes but you blinked keeping your vision clear. You wanted to keep looking at him, drinking the sight of him, he was so beautiful.

Lost for words you nodded, took a breath and nestled your cheek into his hand. You heart lighter, your head quieter.

“I want that very much” you whispered “But let’s take it slow, okay?” you asked while his thumb slid down your throat, caressing the skin there, his face close to yours.

He nodded in response, his lips ajar, lids heavier as he leaned into you. You could tell he was as desperate as you’ve been all this time. He closed the final distance between you and the kiss was gentle, freeing, considerate. You let him lead you, your senses drinking only him, his touch and his closeness.

“I kissed you last night” he murmured against your lips before connecting you again.

“Yes” you breathed pulling away but he was quick to kiss you back.

The contact heating up, his movements speeding up, turning more determined. It excited you to the point of breakage, your hands grasping at him more certainly, your lips matching the intensity. You wanted to take it slow, take gentle steps to not ruin it all on the start. But you were losing the common sense. His hands slowly travelled down your body, resting on your hips, after a second he added more strength to his grasp, unconsciously you pressed into him and your whole body answered with an electric shock. Placing your hand on his chest you pushed him gently away from you. He blinked slowly, his eyes wild and dark, his breathing rapid. Your legs weak at the sight. You didn’t have enough strength to say no to him. He just have to say a word. But he smirked, took a few steps back and with a big breath rested down on the chair standing near the kitchen island.

“You look so sexy in my clothes” he murmured eyeing you down and you snorted under your breath, remembering that you were clad in his shorts and t-shirt, way too big for you.

You considered your look ridiculous.

“But I really want to take them off right now”

His loose posture, long legs, broad shoulders, fiery gaze in those bed eyes and his words made you tremble where you stood. You wanted to ravish him, jump on him and ride him right here and right now, sat on this chair. Your hands on his shoulders, nails dug into the skin there, his big hands on your ass, guiding you with a rhythm he preferred, you screaming out as he filled you. Breath hitched in your throat and you shifted from one foot to the other because there was an unyielding pressure torturing you, making every part of your body pulsing with desire.

“Slow” you breathed, reminding yourself, warning him, and he smiled cheekily, a spark in his eyes.

He was dangerous.

“I can fuck you slow”

“Jude” you warned again.

Why you wanted to keep on fighting it? You’ve already lost.

Taking a step you tried to run from him but to no avail, he reached for you and easily pulled you into his lap making you straddle him. You squeaked in surprise.

“What if someone walks in?!” you panicked.

“We’re alone” after pulling you closer to him.

“What if they come back?” your voice sharp, despite the fact that all your insides shook with arousement.

“They won’t” he kept looking at you intensively.

You rolled your eyes at his ignorance, you were truly worried sick someone might catch you in such position.

“Rude. I’m going to make your eyes roll while I have my way with you”

You mouth opened in shock, he was so straightforward, you did not expect it. You let out a little laugh.

“What makes you think you will be that good?” and almost immediately regretted that question.

His hips shot up to put more pressure to where you were connected and you gasped when your body instantly reacted at the friction. Your hands grasping his shoulders. Your cheeks quickly heating up.

“You’re already almost there, aren’t you?” his voice much deeper now.

You fumed at his perkiness because you wanted to prove him different, wanted to dominate him as much, but you had to admit that the way he toyed with you was exciting. If he keeps his game, he’ll surely ruin you.

“Are you?” you taunted, rolling your hips back and forward, making you both feel the power of this sensation.

He groaned, his hold on your hips strong and you breathed repeating the motion. Oh, for the love of God, he looked divine with his heavy lids closing on it’s own, his full lips apart, focused on your movements. You leaned into him, his head resting on the back of the chair, facing the ceiling, your hands outstretched behind him. You kissed him, ferociously, using your tongue and he jerked under you, his hands wandering over your back and nape.

“Oh, you are” you purred quietly with a victorious smile when you pulled back, his lips searching for yours.

His head still thrown back when he chuckled breathlessly, making you bite your lip at the sexiness of it. Your head dizzy at the sound of his throaty laugh. If you don’t stop now, there will be a mess.

“I have to reconsider the idea of tying you down so you won’t run away. Because I am going to have you today and I don’t think it will be enough for me” he declared pressing you hard onto him, the sharp pull making you whine.

[heyyypuddin]

Withering Petal (Armando x OC) Bad Boys Chapter 1

Following the events of taking down James McGrath Armando manages to find a sanctuary With a lonely woman. But after leaving, he comes back a year later to finish what he started.

AN: Heyy puddin, this is my first time ever writing a fan fic or any story but after seeing that man on screen, I HAD to write something. Feel free to let me know your thoughts…. Nicely please 🥰

Chapter 1

In the dark of the night, there was only the noise of bugs chirping and heavy pants from the man in all black, looking as if he had come out of war with new blood and dried blood over his body. Sweat was gleaming all over his body, causing his dark, curly hair to stick to his forehead.

The man was heaving and holding one of the stab wounds on his side that was slowly bleeding out into the makeshift shirt wrap. He knew if he didn't get help soon, there was a high possibility that he would die, but he knew that wasn't something he was going to allow himself, not when he came so far. He continued limping through the back road, hoping he could get somewhere soon to rest or at least somewhere to supply himself with a first aid kit to fix himself up.

He soon found that hope when, up ahead, he saw a clear path of what looked like a huge front lawn. Walking faster, he got to the clearing until he saw it was a two-story modern home on an acre of land with no other houses in sight.

A feeling of relief flew through, but so did a big wave of dizziness that hit him. Gasping now, he leans on to the tree to try and catch his breath, feeling his body ache and become heavier. He looked back at the house and saw there were lights on and a shadow moving.

"Someone's home," he thought. He stood back up to his full height, using the tree as support, holding back a groan that wanted to escape in the quiet night, and started forward to the house. In the back of his head, he knew this was a stupid idea. Who knew if this person would even help him or if they would call the cops on him considering he's still in Miami, where he's a wanted fugitive? With these thoughts in mind, he made up his mind to just sneak into the house when the person appears to be going to bed rather than just knocking on the front door.

The closer he got to the house, the more the blackness started to overcome his eyes. He was finally about to reach the side of the house when bright white monitor lights shined on him, forcing him to cover his eyes, and not even a minute later he heard a door slam and saw a shadow coming from around the corner of the house. Before he could do anything, he felt his body shut down on him, and the last thing he saw was the barrel of a shotgun aimed at him by a dark figure and a silky whisper coming from it.

"What the hell?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And there we have it chapter 1. Yayyy! I hope you enjoy it, I’m already working on chapter 3. If you notice any typos I’m so sorry I’m trying to work on just posting this fic because I know I’ll get scared and doubt myself and will never post anything if I keep reading over and over

[kaitosannnn]

To friends, fans the GazettE, fans vkei and the GazettE team

There is an event that

One person secretly downloaded the video I edited and posted without asking permission on the 16th. last April

It was a day when everyone mourned the passing of an artist that everyone, the GazettE fan, loved so much

That person downloaded my clip and posted it on Tiktok He didn't give permission and didn't credit my name at all

I looked at his Tiktok account for a week, So I went to comment on his post. I thought he would credit me in the comments of his post, but no, He deleted all my comments to him yesterday

So I posted the story, But in the story post I used the wrong terminology and I apologize

Moments after I posted the story, he DMed me using his personal Instagram account content according to the video [I'll summarize it for you]

♤ He asked if I was a videographer [ I made a typo in the content of my story post. I apologize I'm just the owner of this edited video ]

♤ He says I don't respect the artists who have passed away [ I posted a video I edited in tribute to an artist who had passed away, If people follow me, they probably saw that I posted you think I don't grieve over the passing of my beloved artist? I do too and people who edit videos like me Is it so wrong to put cute songs in edited videos? Didn't you read what Ruki-san said about Reita-san? "I'm sure he would rather hear you guys saying, "That guy was awesome!" than seeing you sad" Because of this sentence so I have the energy to edit the video for everyone's pleasure and recommended the song, So what do you do it for? ]

♤ He tried to get my video editing template to remove my name from the video [ You can't remove my name from the video I edited like this, you disrespect me Editing videos is not easy,So you came to steal intellectual property like this, do you think you did it right? and in the other videos you posted, did you ask for permission or credit? If everyone watches this video, you will see that he asks this question so often and he rarely answers my questions ]

♤ The last message he sent me [ He used rude words towards me and he tried to teach me before he sent me his last message he tried to label me as the wrong person you can view the messages in the chat and who is at fault? Everyone should know]

I won't be rude, as everyone who follows me should already know, but with people like this, I wouldn't try to be rude and other people in the past have given credit under every one of his comments or posts but that person didn't

In the message I sent him I just ask that he give credit under his comment or delete and repost and give me credit It's not just claiming to be on video

♡ Finally, to anyone who wants to download my edited video or someone else's, please ask for permission first and credit the name of the owner

I would like to ask for the opinion of everyone who has watched this video and all the messages in the caption, How do I fix this situation? I thank you so much And sorry for wasting your time

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[thompsborn]

hello @ the anon whose birthday was yesterday: i’m very sorry i didn’t get hb chapter 16 done, i tried but things came up that made it so i wasn’t able to make a lot of progress on it, BUT i hope you had an incredible birthday and i will probably wish you a happy birthday in the authors note on the chapter when i do eventually post it! however, i promised that if i didn’t get the chapter done then i would post some snippets from it for you!! it’s a day late now, but here they are!!

firstly, i’m gonna tell you the chapter song!!

medicine by havelin

the chapter title:

when i first saw you i was pitiful

and the chapter lyrics:

“i hope you know

you pulled me up when i was down

you showed me love when i knew hopelessness

breathing slowly, softer sounds”

and now, a few snippets! (these are unedited as of now, so any typos and grammar errors should be fixed when the chapter is actually posted lol)

-

The song changes—BomBom transitions into Talking to Myself by Watsky.

Peter lets out a slow, shaky breath as the music washes over him, the introductory instrumental quickly giving way to the lyric heavy majority. On the next swing, he flings himself to the side, off of the street and above a nearby apartment building. Letting himself drop to the roof, he rolls onto his feet and gives himself a moment to look around for security cameras. Once he’s sure that it’s clear, he pulls his mask up—not all the way off, but just enough to hook it over the bridge of his nose, allowing the crisp late-winter air to ease the sudden ache in his lungs.

These songs mean a lot to him, even if he still struggles to understand them. Harley is pretty straightforward in a lot of ways, tends to wear his heart on his sleeve and make his cards known, but Peter’s started to realize the fact that maybe that isn’t entirely true. Harley definitely seems like an open book, but Peter had absolutely zero indication of the fact that he knew Tony, too. Thinking back on it, Tony had mentioned another kid every once in a while. Not very often, always making it clear that it was someone he knew but someone who didn’t want to be talked about, but even then, not once had Peter considered the fact that the kid Tony mentioned could have been Harley. His friend. His crush. A very fundamental part of who he is now.

Basically, Peter thought he could guess with Harley, thought he knew more than enough to be able to decipher Harley’s brain and understand the way he thinks—but then Harley gave him the burned CD. Despite it being over a month since Peter received it, he still doesn’t fully understand. Each song has a meaning, right? Harley made that clear in his note. Either the song made him think of Peter in some way, or he thought Peter would like the song, or both.

Peter is a puzzle solver. He’s a quick thinker with the brain of a chemist, a scientist, an engineer. He likes to look at inconclusive data and figure out a conclusion for it. But this? These songs?

…but as time advanced, the lovely days were covered up from view by an advancing melancholy haze that hovered near the dew…

Peter has yet to decipher them.

-

His fingers twitch at his sides and he spins around, pulling his mask back over his nose and mouth before promptly launching himself off the roof. He feels antsy. Restless. Thoughtless swinging is a good way to distract that feeling and give his brain the ability to stay on track. “What’s up?”

“Nothing, really,” Harley replies, the concern from before falling away. “I got bored. Harry and Gwen are at some study group for one of their classes and I was trying to do this essay, but it’s… I mean, it’s boring. Really easy, you know? Kinda hard to focus on ‘cause the topic is super simple and not at all interesting. I know I wasn’t gonna stop by today, but I was—I mean. I…” Here, Harley trails off, sounding uncertain of his words.

Peter launches himself over an intersection. Below him, a few cars honk as he flies over them. He waves but remains focused on the call, listening as Harley sucks in a sharp breath, lets it out slowly, almost… nervous? Anxious? Afraid? Peter frowns, parts his lips to ask—

“I was just wondering if you’d maybe wanna hang out,” Harley blurts, a bit rushed and breathy. Peter’s frown deepens, confused. “Just, like—like, a normal hang out.”

“As opposed to…?”

Harley huffs, something that’s kind of a laugh but also not his normal laugh. “No investigation stuff,” he supplies. “No Spidey stuff. No school stuff. Just… us. Hanging out. Together.” Then, almost as an afterthought, he adds, “Maybe a movie and some snacks…?”

-

(“It’s stupid,” Peter said when it was his turn, hands clasped around his cup of coffee and eyes flittering around their booth to avoid direct eye contact. “It’s kind of embarrassing, actually.”

Gwen quirked her brows. “Well, now you have to tell us. Is it Boss Baby?”

“50 First Dates?” Harry ventured. “Bring It On?”

An offended gasp ripped its way out of Gwen’s throat as she whipped around to face Harry sitting across from her. “Hey! Bring It On is a classic, okay? Don’t you dare—“

“Okay, lesbian,” Harry interrupted, rolling his eyes. Gwen parted her lips again, but slowly closed them with a glare after a moment. Peter snorted and shook his head.

“No, it’s, like—it’s not the movie that’s embarrassing, I guess? It’s more… the reason why.”

Harley was sitting across from him, head cocked slightly to the side as he peered at Peter curiously. “Mine’s The Pursuit Of Happyness,” he offered. It wasn’t his turn—he wasn’t supposed to go until after Peter—but still he spoke up, explaining, “It’s kind of fucked up, I think, but it’s, like… I mean, my dad left before I was ten, right? And I don’t really give a shit anymore—it’s basically been a decade, I’m over it for the most part, but…” He trailed off, averting his eyes away from Peter despite Peter looking back at him with surprise.

Harley has mentioned his dad a few times since they met, but only vaguely, here and there. Every time has been apathetic and deadpan, done as soon as it began, but this…

“I just—I guess I like stories where there’s a good dad, you know?” Harley shrugged, lopsided as he shrunk back in his seat a little bit. “Maybe it doesn’t make sense, but I like to see proof that there are good ones out there. Just because mine sucked doesn’t mean all of them do.”

Silence hung over their booth for a long moment. Harry looked understanding as he knocked his shoulder against Harley’s, sharing a small smile that Harley looks hesitant to return, while Gwen looked on with something a bit sad but a bit warm on her face, like she was upset about Harley having this struggle but she was glad that Harley was sharing. Peter kept his gaze on Harley, refused to move it away, waiting until Harley eventually looked back up and their eyes met across the table. Only then did Peter speak.

“Homeward Bound,” he said, gaze steady on Harley. He saw the way Harley’s brows twitched together, the way he seemed to think for a moment, before his eyes went a little bit wide, apparently realizing exactly what movie Peter was talking about. “The one with the animals.”

The booth was silent again. Harley stared back at him.

Peter found that it wasn’t as hard as he thought it would be to explain, “It was one of May’s favorites. She was a nurse for a long time, you know? Wasn’t until after we came back from those five years that she decided to change it up. Before that, she worked in an emergency room. Sometimes in the ICU, when she was needed. She saw… a lot of things.”

He heard Harry shift in his seat. Felt Gwen’s eyes on him. He didn’t look away from Harley, didn’t even want to blink, and Harley continued to look right back. Gave a small nod, barely there, hard to see—but Peter saw it and felt the encouragement coming from that small action.

“She didn’t tell me about it,” Peter continued. “Some stuff, here and there, when I got older, but for the most part she kept it to herself, but I could tell when it had been a rough day. She’d come home looking like she aged ten years. And after a really rough day, she—I mean, she wouldn’t say it, but I could tell that she just needed a chance to get the emotions out, and she’d pick a movie or a show that has a happy ending but gets pretty sad along the way. Homeward Bound was one of her go-to picks. It’s a good movie, you know? Always made her cry but had her smiling at the end. I’d always watch it with her. It became one of my favorites.”

There’s more to it than that. Peter faltered, unsure if he wanted to keep going, but something in Harley’s eyes was shining and he felt some unexpected courage bubble up in his chest.

He still hesitated, but ultimately added, “It also… I think about May when I watch it, you know? Because I always watched it with her, but it also…” He trailed off, pondered his wording for a minute, before stating, “There were reasons it got to me, too. It’s emotional in a lot of ways and May always had a soft spot for animal movies, which I think is why she always picked it, but for me, it… it was kind of nice to see a family come together like that. I didn’t have that, you know? I don’t really remember my parents. I barely remember Ben. Looking back on it, I only really remember having May, and I love her, and I’m so grateful that I had her, but it was—”

Just lay it out. It’s just me and you.

I’m right here. We’re okay. It’s just me and you.

It’s just me and you, okay?

Pulling in a shaky breath, Peter said, “It was just me and her. I wouldn’t trade that for the world, but there were times growing up where I would think about what it could have been like if I had been raised by my parents, if Ben never died. Kind of like what you said, Harley, about wanting to see proof that there are good dads out there, right? That kind of logic. I want…”

Harley looked sad. He looked heavy. He looked like he wanted to go back in time and save Peter’s parents himself. Like he wanted to use Tony’s tech to prevent Ben from dying.

“I want to have that reassurance that not everyone ends up like me,” Peter finally said.

With that, he looked away—down at the table, at his cup of coffee. He went quiet and waited until the others picked up conversation, apparently realizing that he was done talking for the time being. Even then, he didn’t look up. Not until he felt something hit his foot, and then he glanced at Harley, who was still looking at him with something horribly sad and overwhelmingly fond in his eyes. Harley hooked their ankles together under the table. Smiled.

Peter slowly, slowly, slowly smiled back.)

-

happy birthday anon!!!

[with-love-from-hell]

Vermillion Skies

{part Twenty-Four}

Fandom: Obey me!

Genre: angst, hurt/comfort

Pairing: Mc x Lucifer (pre-established relationship)

Written for F!MC

Music Accompaniment

WC: ~6.3k

TRIGGER WARNING FOR ALL PARTS: graphic depictions of sexual assault / rape, gore, and violence.

CW: Mentions of ch. 23′s NSFW content & suggestive language, graphic depictions of physical violence, blood, gore, body horror, possessiveness, second-hand embarrassment, swearing, jealousy, romantic rivalry, mild gaslighting/manipulation, verbal altercation, restraining, accusations of sexuak assault, depictions associated with past rape and sexual violence, alcohol use / intoxication

>> Though I have a Masters Degree in Psychology, I am not your therapist. If you have experienced any form of sexual abuse, assault, or harassment and are in need of help, please utilize the RAINN sexual assault hotline or online chat service, or find additional help using the NSVRC website. <<

Just a reminder, that the Q&A will be going live before the finale! I am still accepting questions related to it for the next few days. Also, the depiction of Michael in here is just how I headcanon he looks- if there’s any official art you can disregard my descriptions. Expect the finale to be out sometime next week! (Also enjoy another inconsistent release haha). Also there's lots of typos in this one that I've tried to fix but tumblr is being a butt so sorry for that!

You can find any future parts by searching the tag #vermillion skies on my blog! I have added it to all parts!

Read part 23 here

Read the Q&A post for parts 1-9 here!

Read the Q&A post for parts 10-15 here!

Read the Q&A post for parts 15-24 here!

Lucifer breathed deeply, watching contently as your body rises and falls on top of him as the air cycled through his lungs. Your head was placed just above his heart, and your hands rested delicately on his hips as you slept. You seemed so peaceful in this moment, with such a delicate smile plastered on your lips. He had been laying with you post coitus for over an hour, though sleep had taken over you quickly. At first, Lucifer was worried that you expelled too much energy during your lovemaking, rendering you fatigued...but as he watched you sleep, he saw no signs of exhaustion like he had in the recent weeks. 

A smile crept across his lips as he continued running his hands through your hair. Your words of adoration for him continuously ran through his head, causing him to feel warm and bubbly all over. The feeling of your bodies touching in such a vulnerable way, a sign that you trusted him so wholly- was intoxicating. If he could, he would bask in the afterglow forever with you, but he knew that the others would probably come looking for you shortly if he didn’t give them an explanation for your sudden absence. 

He carefully maneuvered your body off of his, being extra cautious not to wake you. He laid your head down on the pillow, lingering his fingers on your cheek for a moment. He brushed over the outline of your jaw before placing a gentle kiss on your temple, whispering words of love in your ear. After a fleeting moment where he contently observed the beauty encompassed by your nude form and the evidence of your intimacy, he tucked you in under the silken duvet. 

 While he thought you’d maybe like to return to the party, a decent bit of sleep could do you some good. Besides, you had spent so long mingling, you were probably tired of putting on a face for the acquaintances in attendance, and having to be overly formal with everyone. Lucifer crept quietly about the room, cleaning himself off as best he could before dressing back in his suit. He tried desperately to make it seem like nothing had taken place, mostly so Asmodeus wouldn’t be able to chastise him for what you’d both been up to- but also because he didn’t want any accusing stares from anyone else...namely Simeon. 

Lucifer had been eyeing the Angel all night, seeing him watch you both while he thought neither of you were paying attention. Something about the way he was looking at you made his chest burn with anger- as if he was undressing you with his eyes. And after what Satan had told him about Simeon’s behavior toward you when Lucifer was absent, he was convinced the Angel was seeking an opportunity to do something...what though, he wasn’t quite sure. 

He sighed fighting a mixture of jealousy and fear within his heart as he fixed his hair in the mirror. He knew Simeon liked you...Well, anyone with eyes could see that- except you apparently...And why wouldn’t he? You were wonderful. If Lucifer and his other brothers had fallen for you, it made sense to him whenever anyone else did too. But given the way Simeon was acting, it was as if your love hadn’t been procured by the first born at all, and that infuriated him. And while he didn’t blame you for entertaining it- given you clearly didn’t know of Simeon’s motives- it still caused a fire to burn inside him. The small hand kisses, the hugs that lasted a little too long, and the tender looks given to you should be reserved for him, and him alone. 

Lucifer sighed, shaking the thoughts from his head. There was no need for jealousy. You loved him; you chose him...and he needed to remember that. After a few deep breaths, he was calm again- thinking of your gentle touch and the way you looked at him- and only him- amongst a see of demons fighting for your attention. The anger reducing techniques he had been using were truly paying off in managing his emotions, and he had you to thank for that. 

After fixing himself to the point where he figured he’d be inconspicuous, Lucifer quietly made his way out of the room, being extra careful not to wake you. He paused in the hall, feeling a lingering density in the air that he couldn’t quite place. Something about it felt very unsettling. Lucifer stole a glance back at you, whispering a protection spell over the room before closing the door silently and making his way down the spiral staircase. 

The dense discomfort only grew stronger as he finally reached the bottom of the stairs. While there was still music coming from the ballroom, he was shocked to not hear any distinct chatter amongst the guests like when he left, with the exception of  what sounded like distant arguing. As he turned and entered the room, he was greeted with all of the guests circled around a small group of individuals near the bar. He could see Diavolo, Solomon, and Luke seemingly cornering another individual, but he couldn’t quite see who it was. 

Lucifer cocked his head curiously as he watched Luke run off toward the kitchen, tears streaming down his cheeks. He began approaching as Mammon stormed over to the group, pushing Solomon out of the way and seemingly yelling at the other individual who he had seemingly knocked to the ground.

“Oi! What the hell is your problem? That boy’s been nothin but good to ya, and ya treat him like that? Get ahold of yourself!” 

Lucifer sighed and rolled his eyes upon hearing Mammon yelling, creating an even bigger scene as the guests began to murmur amongst themselves. He was annoyed that anyone would choose to start problems on such an important day- one with so many observants. 

“Bold words comin’ from an unlovable fool.” 

Lucifer’s nose twitched in anger. Who in their right mind would dare say such a thing to his brother? As he got closer, he could see Simeon collapsed on the ground, a smirk playing on his lips as Mammon struggled to maintain composure. Lucifer felt his heart leap into his throat, realizing the angel was the source of the problem.

“Ya really think you will win over Mc like this? She’d probably spit on ya if she saw how you were treatin’ her family.”

As Simeon scrambled to his feet and pushed Mammon hard, Lucifer’s eyes widened. Lucifer felt intense anger at the fact Simeon thought to lay a single finger on any member of his family after what happened to you. His blood boiled as Mammon stumbled backwards with the force the angel came at him with. 

“Keep her name out your mouth, scumbag!”

Lucifer narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists, having experienced quite enough of this nonsense. He had sufficient information now to realize Simeon was the cause of the halt in the celebration, and he was furious that only being gone for an hour and a half had caused such problems. Though, he was simultaneously glad you weren’t here to bear witness to a fight amongst those you cared so deeply about. After all, this was supposed to be about you, and celebrating your recovery- not anything else. He pushed through the crowd as Beelzebub tried to separate the two from each other, though the rage brewing between them could be felt for miles. 

“I think that’s quite enough!” Lucifer’s deep voice reverberated through the ballroom with an intensity that nearly made the walls quake. The remaining few patrons standing by and gawking were now scrambling to exit his path.

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

You awoke to find Lucifer had left you alone, but this time you weren’t concerned. You stretched, reaching your arms up toward the canopy of the bed before flopping them back down. You felt well rested- the first time in weeks that you could truly say that. Figuring Lucifer had just gone back down to the party, you decide to get up and run yourself a bath. As you make your way to the bathroom, you feel the ground tremble below you. At first you weren’t sure if you were hallucinating, and shrugged it off. But after a second, more violent tremor in the ground, you grew worried about what was happening. 

You quickly throw on your underwear and tie one of the silk thigh-length robes around your torso before making your way down the spiral stairs. You begin to feel your heart race as you approach the ballroom, hearing intense thrashing and the sounds of yelling. Before you could enter though, you hear a knocking sound against the window next to you. 

You jump, frightened by the sound initially, but then you make out what appears to be...Mammon. You open push open the part of the window meant to let breezes into the hall, helping Mammon wriggle through. As you yank him through the remaining way, you lose your balance and he topples over you, pinning you to the ground. 

He immediately scans you for injuries before pulling you up into his arms, taking you the opposite way of the ballroom without saying a word. His expression looks panicked, and you could see twigs and leaves sticking out of various places in his hair and clothes. 

“Mammon! Hey!” You squeal. “Stop- let me down!” 

Mammon pauses, looking at you with a puzzled expression. You furrow your brow back at him, indicating you were confused. He sighs, shaking his head before pressing onward. 

“Hey- I-” You yell pushing on his chest in an attempt to get out of his arms, but he only clutches you tighter and increases his speed. You sigh, residing yourself to using your pact. “Put me down, now!” 

Mammon suddenly halts, hissing as his arms shakily release you so you are put on your feet. He stares at you, bewildered that you would do such a thing despite what was happening in the ballroom. “Mc, have ya lost your mind?!” 

You blink a few times before throwing your hands up in exasperation. “Mammon, what the hell are you talking about? What’s going on?!” 

Suddenly, Mammon realizes you had no knowledge of what was transpiring behind him. Before he could speak, you hear an intense scream, followed by the sounds of furniture crashing. Your heart leaps to your throat as you glance between Mammon and the end of the hall behind him. 

“What...what’s going on?” Your voice was quieter and more panicked. The scream had sounded like Simeon, but you couldn't be sure. You begin to speed walk back toward the ballroom, but are yanked back by the arm roughly. 

“Ow! What the- Mammon!” You snap, your eyes meeting his with intense concern behind them, though you are taken aback by the terrified expression held on Mammon’s face. “Please...tell me what’s going on.” 

Mammon opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. You sigh, pulling yourself out of his grasp and running toward the ballroom. Based on his reaction, and the plethora of unsettling sounds you had heard, you expected the worst. What you didn’t expect to see though, was Lucifer being strangled by Simeon- or, who you assumed to be Simeon...he looked much different than before you left the party. His wings were nearly all bone and membrane, the feathers only remaining in inconsistent splotches along either wing. Antlers curled back around his head, and his usually well-kept fingernails were now jagged claws. He had sharp fangs, similar to that of a demons. 

You shouted to him, catching the attention of everyone in the room, who were almost not convinced you were there. You ran to Simeon, trying to pull his arms away from Lucifer’s neck- only to be faced with a deep, guttural growl. Suddenly, you were thrown through the air, finally put to rest by a pillar. Your head slammed against the marble hard, causing your vision to turn white for a moment and your ears began to ring. You weren’t sure how long you were dazed for, but when you could see again, you met stare of the gaunt-looking Angel- who you now realized was an angel no more. 

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

Simeon felt his nose twitch up in disgust as Lucifer angrily approached him and Mammon. The anger he had been feeling toward...well...everyone, was steadily rising in his chest as the first borne glanced briefly at him with vexation worn transparently on his face. Simeon scoffed at him, earning a raised eyebrow as he made the decision to speak his mind- a decision that Diavolo knew he would come to regret. 

“Oh, well if it isn’t Mr. High n’ Mighty himself.” Simeon spat, abandoning Mammon and instead posturing toward the eldest brother. “So nice of you to finally join us after defiling Mc’s body for your own venereal needs.” 

Lucifer stopped dead in his tracks, his lips parted in an expression of shock as he snapped his attention toward Simeon. A slew of shocked gasps rang out amongst the crowd, including from the Demon Lord himself. 

Simeon snickered, seeing his words clearly had an impact as Lucifer stared blankly at him. He had the upper hand now, and he wasn’t about to give it up. He had been dying to have an instance of power over the eldest brother; the individual who had dictated every single one of his movements as your care was navigated...and he had enough of it. 

“What? You don’t like me pointin’ out the fact that you violated her? Frankly, I think e’ryone deserves to know that’s what you did.” Simeon crossed his arms, tilting his head at the eldest in a way that indicated he wouldn’t be letting him out from under his thumb any time soon. 

Lucifer snarled, letting his fangs show to the angel as a warning. He tried to regain his composure despite the fact that the guests were audibly discussing the fact that he had made love to you- but their perceptions were that he had done something to you, rather than with you. “You have no right sharing information on our private affairs.”

Simeon laughed loudly, overexaggerating the action by leaning forward and slapping his thigh. “Seriously? You think that’s a viable thing to say after what the other demon did to her? You could have been forcing her tado unspeakable things, how would we have known? I was doin’ your family a service to check on her wellbeing.” 

The murmurs amongst the crowd got louder, the other demons beginning to question Lucifer’s display of “care” for you as a way to keep you caged in a relationship with him. He felt the rage building within him at the words being exchanged behind his back, fighting the urge to wring Simeon’s neck for suggesting he would have even so much as thought about doing something against your will. Lucifer stayed silent, clenching his jaw as he stared Simeon down. He tried to conjure pleasant images of you; to breathe deeply like he practiced. the last thing he wanted was an all-out brawl at the party in your honor. 

Simeon shook his head, a frown returning to his features as he got right in Lucifer’s face. “You think you have so much control, but I know better. I’ve seen you lose it. You’ve scared her with your anger and you let it take over for the stupidest reasons...and I know how you nearly killed your own brother, let alone two of the other exchange students as a result of all of your instability-” 

Color drained from Lucifer’s face as Simeon continued, jabbing a finger into the center of his chest and snarling at him. “Besides, how do you expect us to believe you wouldn’t hurt her? Need I remind you of the time you almost killed her yourself? The fact that she even thought about dating someone like you after that fact is-” 

“Shut your fucking mouth.” Lucifer hissed, throwing Simeon’s hand off of his chest. He took a few steps toward him, causing Simeon to be backed completely against the bar. His breathing was ragged and his fists were clenched to the point were blood was drawn from his nails digging into palms. His body shook with rage as he fought back his demon form, which threatened to burst at any second. The murmurs behind him swirled around his head, hearing the uncertainty among the partygoers of his treatment towards you and his family, hearing them ponder if he really did just assault you tonight and discussing the newly-discovered facts that had been laid out by Simeon- namely that he had attempted to kill you in the past. 

Simeon smirked back at Lucifer, knowing any display of anger would only go in his favor. Maybe ruining Lucifer’s reputation would be enough to satiate the burning pain in his heart. His next words were spoken with intent, trying to hurt Lucifer emotionally as best he could. “After all you’ve put her through, and pressuring her stay in a place where she’s in constant danger of everyone around her- including yourself- you still think you deserve her.” 

Lucifer felt tears sting the back of his eyes but he pushed them down, turning away from Simeon to face the crowd who anxiously awaited his response. He knew he didn’t deserve you, deep down. After all he had put you through, how terribly he treated you during your first few months in Devildom- he sometimes wondered himself if you chose him out of fear of what he would do if you said no. But it was nights like tonight- when you pulled him away from something just to spend time with him- that he was reminded your decision was a conscious one. Lucifer closed his eyes and took a deep breath, doing his best to stop his voice from shaking as he basked in the warmth the thoughts of you brought him. “You’re right.” 

Simeon’s smirk fell, not expecting an agreement to be his response. He fully expected the Avatar of pride to somehow justify his actions, or explain them away, or even to become violent and prove his point...and yet he didn’t combat anything that Simeon said. Simeon felt his blood begin to boil at the fact that Lucifer’s anger seemed to just...disappear. 

“I don’t deserve her at all-” Lucifer tilted his head back toward Simeon, his eyes glossy and a small smile on his lips. “and yet she chose me anyway. Despite everything I’ve done, and over the plethora of other suitors who would beg for even a spare second of her time...She chose me.” 

 Simeon began to shake, rage building in his chest. He clenched the bar, his knuckles whitening as the first born began walking out of the ballroom. Lucifer found arguing with the drunken angel was useless, so he would just return to you and relax for the rest of the night, figuring the others could deal with a mess for once instead of him. But for Simeon, Lucifer’s nonchalant response to his attempts at hurting him only made him more angry. 

Time seemed to slow down as Simeon felt his temples burn again, the migraine from before split his head. Unbeknownst to him, small horns began pushing their way through the skin on his cranium. They were only protruding out of his skull about an inch or two, but were noticeable none the less. but blood gushed from the wounds they created, leaking down his forehead and clouding his vision in a vermillion haze. He screamed through the pain, causing the guests to begin panicking. 

Simeon’s wings unfurled from his back violently, along with a large amount of blood that splattered the patrons as they extended. Pieces of membrane and  skin hung off the radial bone and dripped from the fresh wound in his back where the wings sprouted. While they were shaped the same, something looked...wrong about them. While many of the wings remained primarily white, they looked as if they had been splattered with tar and blood. Many spaces of his wings were missing large patches of feathers, and the moist bone, muscles, and tendon were exposed under the ruptured membrane that was supposed to be covering them. Thick black feathers swirled around him as he shuddered with rage. Simeon’s nails elongated, twisting his fingers in unnatural ways as they turned into claws. He fell to his knees and as his back arched forward, the muscles spasming beneath his shuddering wings as he wailed. Fangs began extending out from his teeth, blood caking his mouth as they pushed outward from his gums. Each shriek resulted in splatters of blood joining the piles of half-black feathers on the floor. His eyes sharpened, the blue irises shuddering as his pupils turned reptilian and his sclera turned red from the blood rushing everywhere in his body. 

Luke ran into the room from the kitchen, Barbatos and little Ds in tow. Before Barbatos could shield him from the sight of his fallen brother, the small angel let out a hair-raising scream at the sight Simeon’s transformation. The rest of the crowd spouted out gasps and shrieks in horror upon seeing what appeared to be the angel’s demon form finally slipping loose. None of them had ever seen an Angel fall in front of their eyes before, many retreating outside the castle for fear of what the former angel was going to do. They assumed that if he was as volatile as the rest of the brothers, and as strong, the castle may be reduced to shambles. Others remained frozen, unsure what to do for the former angel now or how to respond.

Lucifer whipped around as he heard Luke scream, turning just in time to lock eyes with Simeon before he charged forward. Simeon displayed a speed that Lucifer had never observed from him, even during the celestial war. Lucifer managed to dart out his path as his own demon form manifested, but just in time. He lost his footing and fell into a set of tables and chairs, wine glasses and plates being shattering underneath him. Simeon skidded on the floor after missing his target, but quickly regained stability and lurched forward once again, this time plowing into Lucifer as he tried to rise to his feet.

Lucifer hissed and scrunched his eyes shut as his head slammed into the marble floor, feeling trickles of blood seep down his neck. Upon opening them, he was met with Simeon’s distorted face nearly inches away from his own. The blood from his ever-growing antlers plopped down onto Lucifer’s cheek as Simeon’s chest heaved. Lucifer blinked, trying to comprehend how Simeon had been so corrupted to the point of falling

Snapping out of their daze, The other 6 brothers ran to Lucifer’s aid. Mammon pulled back on Simeon’s wings, causing him to screech. The newly forming wings were sensitive, the pulling caused the membrane to fling off the radialie bones and splatter all over the tables as Simeon thrashed. The force of the wings beating made Mammon quickly lose his grip, and the large bone of the left wing slammed right into his chest, sending him sailing out one of the stained glass windows. Before the others could even come within 3 feet of of the fallen angel, he incoherently babbled an incantation and a shockwave rippled through the room, sending the others flying backwards, crashing into various objects. The other guests continued to flee, fear evident in their movements as they scattered toward any potential exit. 

Lucifer used his brother’s distractions as an opportunity to push Simeon off of him. He didn’t want to fight him, but Simeon was clearly more powerful now than he’d ever been...and if it came down to protecting You, Diavolo, or his other brothers, Lucifer wouldn’t hesitate to completely immobilize him. 

The two locked eyes for a moment before charging at one another, Meeting each other in a vice grip as black feathers whipped around the room. They each threw a few punches and attempted to slash at the other, but each defended or dodged the blows. They finally threw each other apart, circling the dance floor as they waited for the other to make a move.

They were stalemated at this moment, and Lucifer was frankly shocked that Simeon’s power matched his own after just falling. Lucifer knew the demon transformation process was agonizing, and took a long time to complete. He wasn’t sure how he was able to maintain such strength through the pain- but reasoned it could be the numbing effects of the alcohol. An aura of wrath, envy, and pride, and a feeling Lucifer recognized, but couldn’t quite place radiated around the former angel. He tried to reason that Simeon would likely embody one of his brothers sins after falling, but the combination of 3 plus the unknown component to the aura confused him. Regardless, the sight of Simeon in front of him was truly terrifying, and little would usually scare the eldest brother of sin. He found his mind wandering to if you were safe up in the spire.

Lucifer barely managed to brace himself as Simeon charged at him once more into him. He felt his claws dig into his forearm as Lucifer shielded his face from the attack. His shoulder strained and threaten to dislocate as Simeon pushed back on his arm. 

Luke continued wailing relentlessly into Barbatos’ side, the butler using one arm to protect the small angel and the other to hold back Diavolo from putting himself in danger. While Lucifer was clearly not using his full strength, it worried the prince that Simeon seemed to be so powerful. The other brothers were also taken aback by Simeon’s strength, and realized that they weren’t sure if even their combined powers would be enough to stop him. Pulses of energy discharged off of Simeon’s body, causing anyone who came near him to try to aid the eldest to be launched backwards. They were truly helpless, watching the struggle from afar and dodging debris from the fight. 

Lucifer wasn’t sure what Simeon’s intentions were, but right now- based on the look in his eyes- he assumed the former angel wanted to kill him. Finally residing himself to his fate, he released his full power. Lucifer’s eyes sharpened as he gripped Simeon and threw him off. Deep cuts were left in his forearm from Simeon’s jagged and unkempt claws, blood oozing out and dripping onto the floor. Lucifer shed his frock coat to offer a better range of movement, and carefully maneuvered toward Simeon, who was already on his feet. 

Simeon moved quickly, his movements almost too fast for Lucifer to process. The sound of the collision of Simeon’s fist upper cutting Lucifer’s jaw made the remaining audience shudder. Lucifer groaned as he fell to the floor, feeling his jaw click back in place as he rubbed it. He narrowed his eyes as Simeon attempted to roundhouse kick him, but his leg was caught by the eldest easily and he was thrown to the floor, giving Lucifer a moment to collect himself. 

Lucifer wasn't sure how lucid Simeon was until he heard him laugh. The former angel easily picked himself back up off the floor as he approached Lucifer once more. Simeon began speaking to him as the two circled each other once more, his voice oddly distorted from the blood sill leaking from his gums.  

“All this time, I admired her from afar. If I realized how low her standards were, I would have swooped in and took her hand from under you ages ago.” he spat blood as he talked, his teeth shimmering red under the high lights in the castle. 

Lucifer’s eye twitched in annoyance. “What makes you so sure she would reciprocate those emotions?” 

Simeon growled rushing at Lucifer in anger. In one fell swoop, Lucifer kicked Simeon's leg out from under him, grabbing him by the neck and flipping him onto his back before he hit the ground. 

"You know what? I don't think you really care why Mc chose me." Lucifer sneered. "I think you're just hurt that she chose someone else over you."

Simeon hissed, his nose twitching as he wriggled under Lucifer's hold.

"And you know what? I don't really think she'd be all that fond of you seeing your weird possessive behavior." He continued, pressing harder on his neck. "If she knew you were listening in on our intimacy tonight, I think she'd be disgusted with your behavior.” 

Simeon swallowed hard, before wheezing his retort. "I only did it for her safety."

"Did you? Because if you were really concerned I was hurting her you would have tried to interrupt. But instead you just sat behind the door and listened." Simeon's face flushed, and he looked away as Lucifer spoke. "You know what I think? I think your obsession with her has driven you to depravity."

Simeon snapped his gaze back at Lucifer and snarled, finding the strength to kick him off. He scrambled to his feet, needing an outlet for his rage. He threw a table clear across the ballroom, his chest heaving with the force of his anger.

Lucifer rose to his feet, clutching his back where shards of glass from the various broke wine glasses had crashed to the floor. The stinging pain caused him to hiss, blood stained his dress shirt, the stain growing with each attempt at movement. "You think I haven't seen the way you look at her? I wouldn’t be surprised if you were eavesdropping to try to get yourself off."

Simeon roared and charged forward, only to run straight into another set of tables as Lucifer quickly ducked out of the way.

"You really take advantage of the fact that she's oblivious to your advances." He scoffed, shaking his head. "If she knew the things you’ve done...the way you’ve treated the ones she cares about...she'd shut you down immediately."

Simeon howled in anger and lunged toward Lucifer again, this time managing to make contact as he slammed him against the wall. His chest heaved as the anger flooded out of every pore in his body. His wings continuing to loose feathers until they were nothing but a bones and membrane. He slammed Lucifer's head back again...and again...squeezing his neck in between blows as he stared into his eyes. Someone yelled in the distance, but he ignored it, squeezing Lucifer’s neck tighter until he was barely able to gasp for air. It wasn't until two gentle hands pulled back on him that he turned his rage-filled attention away from the first born.

He withdrew one arm from Lucifer and swung it backwards, knocking whoever had tried to stop him backwards at least ten feet. The yelp that resounded from their throat made Simeon’s heart jump into his throat. He whipped around, dropping Lucifer to the floor in a panic. You had hit a pillar as you were thrown across the room, the marble cracking underneath the force you hit it with. Your head spun, blood trickling down your forehead as you tried to pick yourself shakily up off the ground. Satan and Beelzebub were immediately at your side, assessing the injury as Simeon stayed frozen in horror at what he had done. When you finally caught his gaze, he saw the intense fear in your eyes as you looked at him. 

He tried to take a few steps toward you, but was grabbed by the scruff of the neck and wrestled to the floor, a boney knee digging into his back. He whimpered, the physical pain he felt from the transition starting to finally hit him. At first, he figured Lucifer was the one subduing him, but he watched as the eldest staggered past him, collapsing on the ground next to you. He took your face gently in his hands, checking you for signs of a concussion- seemingly ignoring the fact that his own hair was dampened with his own blood. Simeon watched as Lucifer pulled you into his chest and shielded you with his wings, his eyes showing an intense fury as he glared at Simeon. 

Simeon squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before turning his head to the broken glass on the floor next to him. He gasped when he saw his reflection in the crystal, seeing long antler-like horns curling out of his head and extending backwards. He could also see the fangs coated in blood, and his reptilian-like eyes gawking back at him from the reflection. His face looked gaunt, and his tattered suit and nearly featherless wings matched that aesthetic. He felt tears begin to well up in his eyes as he snapped his panicked gaze toward Lucifer, finally realizing what had become of him.

A familiar set of legs appeared in front of him, blocking his line of sight. The white and gold boots were caked in a mixture of blood, scraps of food, membrane, and feathers. As Simeon looked up to meet the eyes of his superior, he knew that he would finally be facing judgement for his corruption. 

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

“Are you alright, Darling?” Lucifer cooed as he helped you to your feet. His wings continued to block your vision of what was happening, though you could hear an unfamiliar angry voice chastising Simeon as he pleaded for Mercy. Your vision spun slightly and you stumbled a bit, finding it difficult to stay on your feat as a result of the blow to the head. 

He sighed, doing his best to try to stabilize you. He stole another glance back toward Simeon, still feeling rage at the fact that he dared to lay a hand on you, but also feeling a strange sense of pity for the newly fallen Angel. Something about the way he looked gave Lucifer a pit in his stomach, again feeling an aura that he couldn’t quite place. For now though, he didn’t care. He just wanted to ensure your safety. 

You glance over to the royals and Luke, who stood next to the unfamiliar man. He was about as tall as Diavolo, wearing a mostly white and gold military-looking uniform. He had straw-like blonde hair that came down to his shoulders, some of it tied back in a loose pony tail. He had three sets of white puffy wings and a shimmering halo over his head, so you could reasonably assume he was an angel. When he turned his head briefly to look toward you, you noticed he was wearing thin glasses. His irises were dark brown, and a glint of resentment could be seen flashing in them as he glared at you. Lucifer held you tighter to his chest, shielding you away once more with his wings. 

You looked up to him, seeing his nose shuddering as he tried to hold back a snarl. Clearly he knew the man, and your only assumption at this point in time was that he was the famed Michael you had heard so much about, but you were only driving off of context clues from those around you. 

Another individual who you assumed to be an angel had Simeon pinned to the floor. He glared at you as you passed him by, but Lucifer quickly hurried you along so you didn’t have time to observe much of him. He himself had a pair of white wings, but his uniform was much more barren in nature, and consisted of hues of green, black, and blue. His greyish bangs shielded most of his eyes, but you could catch a glimpse of the dark blue irises before you rounded the corner to return to the bedchamber. 

The walk up the stairs was mostly silent. Lucifer lifted you to the best of his abilities, given he was also injured, but you could tell he was near collapsing when you reached the top of the stairs. You tried to ask him questions about the other angels you saw, but Lucifer only hushed you, noting that you would discuss the matters later. He appeared to be unhappy with you, and you felt anxiety rising at the idea that you somehow did something wrong. 

Once you finally reached the bedroom, he collapsed on the bed, pulling you down with him. Lucifer breathed deeply, a wheeze passing by his lips as he exhaled as a result of the injury to his throat. you traced your fingers along his neck, feeling an ache in your heart at the way Simeon had ruthlessly tried to kill him.

Lucifer clutched your hand, bringing it to a rest over his heart. You stared into each others eyes for a moment, until you felt tears slowly begin to trail down your cheeks. You pressed your throbbing head to Lucifer’s chest, weeping quietly as he held you. He whispered words of reassurance, reminding you that things would be okay...but you couldn’t help the helpless feeling in your chest when you thought about the fate of the angel you once called a friend. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FINALE

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[justkending]

Everest. Chapter 9.

Series Summary: She was done and retired. After Thanos and after the battle of a lifetime, she had called it quits and had distanced herself from the Avenger lifestyle. But word finds her that someone from her past is in danger. What the journey entails was never one she wanted to face nor one she saw becoming her reality again. The rollercoaster that comes with fighting evil odds arrives on her doorstep not leaving much room for a no…

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Word Count: 5600+

A/N: I’m so sorry about this being late! My wifi went out the other day and I’m just now getting to posting since then. In saying that, I briefed through this chapter once, so please don’t pay mind to any typos! I’m going to fix them asap. Besides that, ENJOY and as always, let me know what you think!!!!! xoxooxo

Chapter 9:

A week had gone by. A week where Bucky felt like he was completely and utterly out of his realm.

He wanted to lend a hand, but Nat had turned into a mama bear about Y/N's recovery. She turned down missions, kept her guard up for who visited her, and only gave short and bullet-pointed notes on how she was progressing. Which led Bucky to believe it was going as well as they had expected.

There had been a few occasions Nat had allowed Sam in after he pestered her to give him permission, and Bucky and Steve had asked him how she was; he said she wasn't responsive and still hadn't healed herself.

Bucky had managed to peek around the corner the last time the doctor visited, eavesdropping as he hid and overheared the rundown of her recuperation.

"She'll be fine. Right now, it's more about the grieving process than anything else. Her genetics and mutations help her heal faster than most, even without the intention of doing it herself, so a lot of the injuries are weeks ahead in the healing process than most. She should be back to normal minus a little soreness by the end of the week."

"Thanks, Doc. It's greatly appreciated," Nat nodded before he walked away. He watched Nat take a deep breath and somehow plaster a gentle smile on before going back into the room.

He wanted to help. He wanted to fix it all. He did. But the kind of help she needed at the moment was not the same as the typical help of going and punching a guy for stealing government information.

It's not like grief was anything new to him. Hell, he grieved a lot, given his past. He grieved the life he could have had, the innocents he harmed, the families he affected, the choices he could have made... The list went on. But helping someone else navigate grief when you're still trying to solve the impossible equation yourself, seems impossible.

The only thing Nat had really let him help with, given the multiple times he had offered, was to take care of Ryker.

Y/N was never in the mood to leave her room, and her poor companion hated to leave her, but he still needed fresh air himself and bathroom breaks regularly.

Bucky seemed to be the only person whom he'd let peel away from his spot by her side. He made sure he still got exercise, food, and water, bathroom breaks early in the morning, late at night, and a few times during the day when Nat would lure him out of the room. They had bonded actually pretty well, and Ryker had formed a close bond with Bucky.

Currently, Nat was changing her sheets and forcing Y/N to at least sit on the balcony as she straightened things, so Bucky and his new furry friend were lounging in the living room. Bucky had put a movie on for background noise, and Ryker was lying against his side on the couch while they waited for the all-clear to come back.

The rottweiler had been sad and mopey the past week, so when he perked up and stared at the living room doorway, Bucky sat up at the change in manner.

"What is it, boy?" Bucky asked, looking in the same direction, then back at the dog whose nose started to twitch. "Ryker?" The dog jumped up, barked, and ran straight toward the kitchen without warning.

Bucky was quick to his feet, shouting the dog's name, hoping neither of them would have to be in defense mode. In wearing socks, he slid past the kitchen threshold and caught himself before turning into the room where Ryker was jumping up on someone.

"Ryker!" he shouted, rushing to aid the person before seeing who it was.

"It's ok," a giggle came out from the redhead. "I missed you too, buddy." She cooed at the giddy pet.

"Wanda?" Bucky quirked his head to the side.

She turned, showing her face. She had slightly bent down, accommodating the dog jumping up and down before he finally settled to nuzzling her knees with his nose and making happy noises at her.

"Hey, Barnes," she grinned softly. "Long time no see."

He let out a small chuckle and walked over to her, giving her a bear hug, which she returned.

"How are you, kid?" he chuckled with his head resting on top of hers.

"I'm good. We're good," she corrected with a small laugh.

Vision came into view with a few bags in hand, and Bucky smiled at the other friend as Wanda pulled away to help him. Even though Vision refused, Bucky ended up taking one of the suitcases instead.

"How long has it been?" he smiled, shaking Vision's hand and a pat on the back as they exchanged the luggage.

After the whole Accords signing, Bucky and Wanda became close after joining Steve's side of things. Unfortunately, they didn't get to know each other much after Wanda went into hiding and Bucky went to Wakanda. But after the snap and the final battle, healing and handling the aftermath of what they sacrificed, they had much to bond over.

"Wait," Bucky analyzed their attire and began putting the pieces together. "Who told you?" He said knowingly.

"Nat," Wanda answered with her own understanding look and pursed lips. "We had plans to come in the next month or so for a normal visit, but given the situation, I," she paused, looking back at Vis. "We wanted to help."

Bucky nodded, knowing what she meant.

"How, um, how is Captain Lavelle?" Vision stepped in, wrapping an arm around Wanda's shoulder. All the extra suitcases had been sat to the side as they talked.

It was the first time he had heard anyone call her Captain, and he wondered why no one had used the title before. Had she denounced it at some point?

"I wish I could say," Bucky scratched the back of his neck as he looked down where Ryker had positioned himself next to Wanda, effectively getting small head scratches from her. "Nat's been running a tight ship and hasn't let anyone in for the most part. I've been helping out with Ryker where I can, but that's as far as I've been given reign in," he nodded to the dog.

Wanda hummed as she bobbed her head, looking at the pet leaning on her side before going back to Bucky. "Nat updated me somewhat. From what she's said, I'm likely going to have to go about this in a different manner." Her tone showed what Bucky knew well enough to be tough love. "You never knew her before you all visited her house?" Nat had filled them in on everything, apparently.

He shook his head no. "It's a new..." How did he word this? Bond? Relationship? "Friendship. Unfortunately, it's all been through mission-based things, but I'd like to think we've gotten to know each other enough to call it that."

Wanda smiled at that. "Well, thank you for being there for her." She seemed to pick up on their connection just by looking at him but decided to discuss it another time.

"Are you guys staying in your old room?" Bucky turned the conversation away from him.

"Uh, yeah. I'm going to go put my bags up and then-"

"I've got it, darling. You go and check on Captain Lavelle," Vis interrupted her. "I'm going to check in with Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner."

"It's just Y/N, Vis. We've been over this," she chuckled, nodding before patting her significant other's shoulder and beginning to walk to the hallway.

"Yes. Right," Vis nodded with a grin, showing he'd likely still not change the formality.

She rolled her eyes, reading his mind, and patted her leg for Ryker to follow her.

______________________

In Y/N's room, Nat was cleaning mindlessly in an already spotless space, likely from nonstop dusting, reorganizing, and getting to the laundry stacked up from the mission to today.

She had lit a candle and sat in the center of the coffee table. The balcony door was open, letting in fresh air, but Y/N had grimaced when Nat tried to open all her other windows, so most everywhere else up was low-lit.

It was exactly like Bruce had said when they had first set out to bring her back home."...When she feels something, she feels it intensely, to say the least."

Energy was her thing. With her powers, the con of being so intuned with the vibrations surrounding her resulted in major dips and jumps in energy levels. Y/N had happened to be in an excessively shallow dip that she couldn't and didn't want to climb out of.

The sound of a soft knock made its way through the thick door of her room. Nat turned quickly towards it, and when she looked at Y/N to gauge any reaction, she found her unmoved from where she was spaced out, lying on her side, staring at the same antique painting hung on the opposite wall.

She sighed, put down the latest chore she'd given herself, and moved for the door.

"Hey," a soft welcome followed, and Nat smiled at the friendly face before they shared a hug.

Ryker, who had been attached to Wanda's side, knowing her destination, had rushed in at the open door and went straight to the bedside of Y/N.

"I'm glad you guys made it in. I hoped she would have sensed you and at least budged at your presence, but nothing..." Nat held on to her as they both looked back at the bed where the hollow body still lay unmoved and unbothered, even as Ryker nudged her hand limp on the edge.

"I'm going to take that as little to no progress today, still?" Wanda asked as she broke apart, Nat crossed her arms, and Wanda adjusted her jacket.

"More than yesterday," Nat answered, shutting the door softly but not making a move to Y/N's side yet as they debriefed. "I got her to drink three glasses of water so far today. And I haven't needed to remind her about bathroom breaks. She's been getting up on her own."

Wanda looked towards her friend, who seemed a simple vessel for a lost soul. She could barely see her behind the blankets she had cocooned herself into. From what she could see, unwashed and unmaintained Y/H/C hair paired with a pale face and remnants of bandages still delicately hiding her injuries peaked through the fort, barricading herself from the world.

Nat saw the pain grow in the redhead's eyes and attempted to distract her from the inevitable. "How are you and Vis? How was the flight back?"

It had been over four months of not seeing each other. Their first meeting had been spoiled by yet another unlawful death in their lives.

"Um, it was good," Wanda smiled softly. "We're good. I have a whole book's worth of things to talk about and update you on, but I'll save it for when we have time." She looked at Nat, who shared a sorry look.

"I'm sorry that-"

"Nat. You and I both know apologies for other people's actions are not something we do in our line of work," she cut her off, seeing a slight gleam of pride in her fellow teammate's eyes. A perspective the spy had taught her. "It sucks, but neither of us is the ones that need to be sharing condolences."

"You're right," Nat nodded, smiling simply before looking back at their friend, who now had Ryker lying across her feet and resting his head on the lump that was her calves. "I do hate that your coming back wasn't on better terms. Are you just as upset to be stepping in these halls as Y/N was when we dragged her back here?"

"I doubt I can reach the level of rage she likely had coming here, but I can't lie in saying it's a little hard being back," Wanda shrugged, and Nat nudged her shoulder.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll kick Tony's ass if he even gets a thought in that brain of his about asking a favor of you," Nat threw her arm over Wanda's shoulder and pulled her into a side hug. "Your only mission is to help me nourish this stubborn, hard-headed pain in my ass back to health," she lifted her head toward the bed.

Wanda shifted her head back and forth, hoping her plan to kick Y/N back into gear would actually work. Seeing her in this state didn't give her much hope, even after being warned that she was this vanquished.

"She's been asking about you," Nat whispered solemnly.

"Hm?" Wanda turned at hearing this for the first time. "You said she hasn't said more than ten words in the last week."

"Yeah, and at least eight of those words were about you."

A silent discussion was had between their eyes and facial expressions before Wanda moved toward the bed.

The closer she got to her energy, the more in Y/N's head she saw. The more her feelings and energy projected since she wasn't shielding them any longer.

Misery, anguish, grief, no sense of hope. All of those feelings multiplied by a million. Feelings that any average person's heart would have broken and shattered with no point of return. Death would have fallen on a human with that much pain.

Wanda closed her eyes for a second and centered herself before ever so gently sitting on the edge where Y/N was still staring off at the young ladies sitting in a garden in a vintage oil painting that she and Wanda had found at a thrift store years ago. Ryker moved to lay down behind her, acting like a body pillow as he comforted his human.

Without saying anything, she laid a quiet hand on the blanket that surrounded her. It took a moment, but Y/N turned her head just enough to see what made the movement. With a late reaction, her eyebrows furrowed before realization hit her.

In a groggy and soft voice, she asked, "Mirage?"

It was all she said, but Wanda knew her question of asking if she was real. The corner of Wanda's lip lifted, although no happiness accompanied it.

"Real," she replied.

No longer than ten seconds, Y/N's lips started to take the form of a pout, and her chin began to quiver. A tear started to form, and before it slipped, Wanda was already encasing her in a hug, folding over her body as Y/N began to shake and sob.

"I know. I know..." Wanda hummed, holding her friend tight and not letting her go as Y/N became unraveled, and every emotion and numbed reaction had broken through the dam and released with full force. "I'm so sorry."

Nat was still standing at the entrance with a sad look. She decided to give them a moment alone and grabbed the laundry she had piled together before quietly leaving the room.

A long stretch of silence passed, with Y/N sobbing in Wanda's arms and the auburn-headed friend crying with her. The two took the time to let their grief out together, and with understanding from another person who was close to Marley, it felt like the thousand-pound weight she felt she had been carrying alone was slowly starting to lift.

Forty-five minutes had passed when Y/N finally looked up at Wanda. Eyes swollen, nose running, hair disheveled, and clothes askew on her body. "I tried so hard. She wouldn't listen. She wouldn't let me-." she sucked in a ridged breath.

"I know. I know you did," Wanda nodded, grabbing a tissue and handing it to her while still keeping an anchoring touch on her arm. "She knew that too."

Y/N let out a bitter laugh and sniffled, using the tissue and disposing of it in the trashcan Nat had placed against her bedside. "We just got her back. Why did she fight me? She knew I could handle it. She knew we'd figure it out if she just let me..." Y/N shook her head in anger and then disappointment, unable to finish the thought she had repeated in her mind since the moment the building was nothing more than cinders.

"Sounds like someone else I know," Wanda shrugged, looking at Y/N with unphased eyes. Y/N gave her an unamused look before falling back into her bed, curling back into herself. "Hey." Wanda grabbed her hand, pulling her stubborn attention back to her. "You did what you could, putting in a 110% effort. You found her in less than a week compared to the months it took Fury and Stark to get anything on this whole case."

Y/N returned her comment with a frustrated shake of her head. "And what good is that if she still didn't get out. Again..." The last word said like a knife to the heart, and Wanda felt the ache as if Y/N had channeled her pain to her. A shock was sent through Y/N's body, and she jumped at it, giving Wanda a glare.

"Jesus, Wands-" she gripped her wrist from the shock.

"I know you're hurt, and I'm not asking you to stand up and get over it like it's been a decade to heal, but you need to realize what's already done can't be altered. Take your own practices you've taught me and use them as the tool they are." Wanda stated sternly. "Since when has thinking of all the things we could have done in our lifetime done anything but hurt us?"

"I want to hurt right now," Y/N mumbled with a stagnant look in her eye, avoiding eye contact where she knew Wanda would scorn her. Another shock hit her. "Ow! Stop it!"

"You are causing yourself pain outside of grief," Wanda said.

Y/N didn't reply to the statement she knew was accurate but instead pouted, turning her body away from Wanda. When no reprimand followed, she looked up to see a knowing look on her friend's face. "Stop looking in my head."

"When someone dies, they don't want you to spend every waking moment of the rest of your life thinking of all the things you could have done to prevent it. Your focus on the horrors in their last moments is an insult to what beauty they've created for their life. The beauties that made their life worth living shouldn't be hiding in the shadows or put in the back of the closet while their death takes the front stage. What honor is that?" Wanda's words, or rather Y/N's words of wisdom she had recycled, had made the hit she intended. Y/N stiffened just enough for her to notice. "Do you remember that mission we went on just a few years before the blip? The one where you got distracted trying to help Sam, and someone got a lucky jump on you? I thought I was going to lose you right there in the middle of a field in Taiwan."

"I told you I was going to be fine," Y/N sighed, annoyed by the story she loved to tell, reminding Y/N of moments when she was more stubborn than she cared to realize.

"Yes, and Stark has one of the most humble personalities in the galaxy..." It was now Wanda's turn to laugh bitterly, and Y/N summoned enough energy to roll her eyes. "Someone stabbed you all the way through your sternum with a katana, Y/N. I don't give a rat's ass how impressive your healing powers can be; you were far from fine."

"Well..."

"They twisted it so bad I could hear the tear of your skin from across the way before they pulled it out and slashed you in the side for extra measures," Wanda spoke up. "And we both know that you can only heal yourself when you have the energy to do so. So, despite people thinking you are practically immortal, you and I both know that was one of the closest times you had to being your last moment on earth."

"Yet it wasn't." Y/N's bitterness was becoming clear to Wanda. And a feeling of regret hit her. Regret that she hadn't let that cut be the end of it all. And end to the pain that would always trail her as long as she outlived those she loved.

"I understand it's not the same," Wanda assured, showing she knew where Y/N's mind had wandered. "I know you're tired of the war on your heart."

"Using the word tired is the same as calling Anthony humble," Y/N turned her eyes to her finally, and Wanda took in the dark circles that were pools of darkness below her Y/E/C eyes. Her joke was not paired with any kind of humor.

"Then I say again. What honor are you giving Marely by sitting and harboring the pain of her last moments instead of the love you gave her by taking her in?" Wanda replied. "If you were to have died, and I went about the rest of my life thinking only of the things I could have done to prevent what happened to you, even if it wasn't fully under my control, how would you feel?"

"I don't know. I'd be dead," Y/N said morbidly. When Wanda didn't react but instead held a bitch face, Y/N finally relented and shifted in her spot, bringing her knees closer to her. "You know how I'd feel."

"Say it."

"Why?"

"Jesus, do I need to give you some privacy to get the stick out of your ass before you answer the question?"

A shiver of amusement at Wanda's retort filled the space before dissolving.

"I'd say you know better than that," she finally replied, sending a bitch face back, hating how reasonable her friend was being when the last thing she wanted was to be reasonable.

Wanda smiled, knowing she had the rational side of her to finally come out, but that was just one step out of the multiple steps they needed to take to get her back to health.

"Now reverse the situation. If I know Marley, which I do, I know for a fact she would want you to accept her choice and move on. I'm not saying in the next twenty-four hours, or even a year, you have to be happy-go-lucky and unbothered by it all, but you need to accept that she made a choice. A choice I'm sure she would make again if the offer were to present itself. You and I both know Marley's heart and know her reasonings were her own to make and stand by." Wanda stood up and went to the edge of the bed. "Now it's time for you to make your choice. Even if you can't make it, consider what Marley would have asked for... Please." She offered her hand.

Y/N shifted her gaze to the hand that had pulled her out of all forms of trouble and helped her from so many pits she couldn't fathom escaping in the moments.

And eventually, she nodded.

"Can I take a shower first?"

"I'd actually prefer you'd take a shower," Wanda teased. "When was the last time you did? Before the mission?"

"Haha. You're a riot," Y/N took the hand and slowly left the fortress she had made for herself.

"Maybe a nice sugar scrub would be a good idea while you're in there, too," Wanda smiled as she helped Y/N out of bed. A shock went through her arm, and Wanda wasn't the creator this time. "Hey!"

"What? Don't like the taste of your own medicine there, Doc?" Y/N chuckled, standing up with a sigh. The stretch that followed seemed to hurt her as she cringed and staggered to the wall.

"Feeling like you've been hit by a bus?"

"More like hit with the impact of a city-decimating level bomb going off forty feet behind me, but close."

"Doesn't help you haven't eaten or moved from that bed in a week," Wanda furrowed her eyebrows, and Y/N avoided the shameful look she knew Wanda was casting on her. "Hmm, mmm," she hummed, seeing the childish shunning she didn't want to be a part of. "Nat filled me in on what her taking care of an unrelenting mountain has looked like. You're the worst kind of patient there is."

"Shut up. I'm fine," Y/N waved her off, moving toward the bathroom door.

Ryker let out a bark that if it was English, she was sure he would be agreeing with Wanda.

"What he said," Wanda shouted to her back.

A nice middle finger was thrown behind her as Y/N shut the bathroom door.

_______________________________

"Nothing, still?" Steve asked as he helped Bucky set the table.

Bucky had taken it upon himself in the hours of silence from all his other teammates to make dinner for everyone. He wasn't sure if Wanda had eaten since they arrived, and he knew Nat hadn't been looking out for herself as much while tending to Y/N. Then there was the patient herself, who hadn't eaten nearly anything in a week from what he gathered.

Steve had made it home from a mission he and Sam had left on earlier the day before. After hearing that Wanda was back, he decided to shift all missions to other agents and go back to staying in the compound for a bit.

Seeing Bucky finishing up the meal upon arriving, he offered to help set up once he unpacked. Sam was doing the same but had to finish up his debrief first.

"I haven't seen more than a glimpse of her when I drop Ryker back off to her room. And even then, I just saw a lot of blankets in a bundle on the bed. Couldn't even tell you if she was under it or not," Bucky responded.

"Any news from Nat since Wanda's been back?"

"Wands been here for 5 hours, closing in on 6. From what I can tell, Nat's giving them space and finally taking the time to take care of herself. Well, at least I made her take time for herself. She was about to start a second load of laundry and was doing research on something Tony's dredged up until I finally convinced her to take a nap. Not sure she's had any form of rest that didn't involve Y/N's couch in this last week."

Bucky placed a basket of bread fresh from the oven on the counter, and Steve followed with a cloth over it to keep them warm.

"Good. Knowing her, she wouldn't do it on her own. I'm glad you redirected her," Steve nodded, moving on to his next task as they caught up.

"I'm not sure how much redirecting it was but begging with her," Bucky shrugged, stirring the soup that was finished and waiting to be served. "I finished her chores so that when she inevitably comes back to them, she can't use them as an excuse."

"Which brings me to ask, have you been taking care of yourself?" Steve stopped in his motions and turned to his friend.

"I'm fine. Remember? All healed up and just been helping with Ryker where I can," Bucky answered.

"Glad to know physically, you're well. But you know that's not what I mean."

Bucky stopped in his action and turned to Steve, who was giving him a brotherly, I'll beat you up if you answer this wrong. And there is a wrong answer- look.

"I'm worried and anxious for her. There's no hiding that, but helping with Ryker has helped me feel a bit better. Even if it's not much in my eyes, Nat's assured me it's helping more than I realize." He sighed. "I don't really know what to do on this side of the equation. I know time is really all that can pass for this to be cleared up, so until then... I'm doing what I can, and I'm being patient."

Steve weighed whether or not his answer fit in the correct box he had created or not, but after a moment, he decided it passed and gave him a head nod in approval.

"You, on the other hand..." Bucky hummed before grabbing the ladle and pouring some of the soup into a bowl.

"What about me?" Steve countered, watching him carefully.

"Oh, so we're playing it dumb then, huh?" he shot back.

"I'm fine."

"Sounds a lot like my kind of. I'm fine."

"You saying your last 'I'm fine' wasn't a real one?"

"No, I'm saying I know the difference between a real one and a fake one."

"It's real, smart-ass," Steve jumped ahead of Bucky, grabbing for the bowls he had moved for, and took them down from the cabinet himself. "I needed to get my head on another playing field since I couldn't do anything here to help Y/N. At least Nat gave you a job. I was just pacing back and forth until I got updates."

"That's why you're taking on the extra missions?"

"I've been taking on Nat's duties in the missions. I knew she'd want to stay here and help Y/N, and let's be real, she's the better option outside of Wanda being here now. One less thing for her to worry about."

"Who's saying you aren't playing a role, then, huh?" Bucky raised an eyebrow at his friend as Steve handed him a bowl to fill, and Steve rolled his eyes.

"Touche."

"We're getting good at this pep-talk thing," Bucky joked.

"I've always been good at it."

"And I haven't?"

"I still get into shit I shouldn't."

"Oh, yes. I forget. That's a pep talk problem and not your dense head."

The two playfully pushed each other and murmured names at one another before the sound of another person joining them cut them off.

"Hey!" Steve placed the bowl he had managed to keep full amongst the brotherly squabble on the counter before moving toward the red-haired old friend. "Long time no see... Or talk, for that matter."

"Hey, Stevie," Wanda chuckled in his embrace. She didn't give away her knowledge if she had seen or heard what the two had been doing before. "It's good to see you."

They stayed in an embrace for a moment and only had about a minute of talking before Bucky noticed the figure coming in from behind Wanda.

He froze in his actions and straightened quickly but didn't take any further movement like the simplicity of a step would scare her off. Steve noticed her shortly after that.

"I convinced her to get some food in her," Wanda smiled, nodding her over. "Which it smells like you have something cooking already."

Y/N walked over to Wanda's side, and Steve could tell there was a hint of healing that had happened. She still wasn't a hundred percent. No. Far from that. But compared to the empty vessel she was as of last week, she looked... Alive somewhat.

Her cuts and bruises faded for the most part, but they still changed colors as if they had a few more stages to go in the process before they were completely gone.

Her hair lay slightly damp but uncovered by one of her everyday intricate scarf updos. She looked more human than they'd seen her in a while. Her power, which usually created the slightest glow around her to prove the energy she could bend at will, was too dull to see. She may be out of bed, but it was just step one in the recovery process; they had to remind themselves of.

Bucky's enhanced senses picked up on faint scents of florals and a hit of pear. As if the wet hair wasn't enough to hint, Wanda had gotten her to shower and wash off some of the disparity that had swallowed her whole the previous week.

"It smells nice," Y/N spoke up. Both the super soldiers were surprised by her vocals, considering word had been she had gone mute since the mission.

"Bucky made it," Steve replied, a smile growing on his lips at the progression he could see. "It's a wild rice soup. Want me to make you a bowl? We have bread on the table, too."

"Thanks, Barnes," Wanda smiled, helping herself and squeezing his shoulder as she passed him to grab a drink from the fridge.

Y/N nodded, and Steve ladeled a decent portion into a bowl as Bucky moved to grab a set of spoons out of a drawer. Wanda and Steve moved to the table as they moved for the butter already laid out for the bread, and Y/N stopped as Bucky handed her a water bottle before they moved over themselves.

A wave of thankfulness and admiration that she felt toward him shocked his own system when their fingers brushed as he passed the drink on.

"I'm sorry I've been MIA, but I've been wanting to say..." She froze like she was ashamed of her reaction over this week and hated how her downfall had affected those around her.

"It's all ok, Y/N. I'm more than happy to help in any and all ways that I can," he assured her with a small smile. "Anything at all."

"Thank you," she returned the smile, and their touch lingered a moment longer. TAGS:

Everest Tags: (if I missed you in tags, comment on this chapter to let me know:)

@ginger-swag-rapunzel​​ @annazierden​​

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[itrytowritesometimes]

“Calling your husband by his last name tiktok prank” with Todoroki and Bakugou

Warnings: fluff, implied smut, typos, my silly grammatical mistakes?

Pro-hero Todoroki and Bakugou, Aged-up characters

TODOROKI

- okay so, you decided to pull a tiktok prank on Shouto because a) you’re bored and b) your husband always have slightly different than normal reactions to completely normal things

- you really liked the “calling your husband by his last name prank” so much and decided to try that one.

- it’s a completely normal day and you were picking Shouto up from his hero agency after a long day of work. You were waiting in the car and you saw him approaching

- you already set your phone inconspicuously somewhere on your car’s dashboard so Shouto can’t see or sense because hiding something from a pro-hero can really be a pain in the ass

- as soon as Shouto sat down, the first thing he did is plant a sweet kiss on your forehead and you melted like a popsicle on a summer afternoon right then and there. Uwu you love him so much.

- you start out casual so not to raise any suspicion, “hey, how was your day? “ Shouto shrugged “it was as usually tiring and boring. I hate paperwork. Do you wanna have dinner somewhere out tonight?”

- and he gave you the best opening

- “sure, Todoroki-kun”

- cue Shouto “I am confusion” Todoroki. Jpeg

- you still used honorific because come on you’re not a heathen

- but as soon as Shouto heard his last name came out of your mouth, he froze. He slowly turned his head toward you and stared at you with the most adorable puppy eyes that you’ve ever seen

- come on don’t do this to him. He’s babie.

- but you didn’t waver even a little bit and still keeps driving while nonchalantly looking anywhere but him

- “What did I do? Are you mad at me? “ You almost gave up there. Almost because aww the first thought that came into his mind was that he might’ve done something wrong. Please protect this baby

- “No, why would you think that? “ You still trying hard to maintain your composure

- “you called me Todoroki ”

- “isn’t that your name? “

- “but I’m “ Baby”. You call me “ Baby “ Or “Sho” Or “Shouchan”. I’m baby!” He said that with the cutest expression on his face with his brows furrowed and his mouth slightly open like he cannot believe this is actually happening and you finally burst into laughter confusing him even more

- “aww baby, it’s a prank. I’m sorry” You finally end his torture by showing him your hidden phone and kissing his pout off

- but Shouto is still confuse and you can’t stop laughing

- when you posted the video on social media platform it went viral real quick. In short, people fell in love with your husband even more, with their comments ranging from “aww omg ajahhahwh he’s so cute. Put him in a bubblewrap” To “where did you buy him? I want one just like him”

  BAKUGOU

- now you must be out of your mind for trying something like this on Bakugou but you’re kinda famous on tiktok because you post a lot videos of your husband just being his usual grumpy grandpa self and surprisingly people love your handsome gremlin

- so you’ve never actually done any prank related video on him before. You just record him doing completely normal things like shouting at the air conditioner while fixing it because “the motherfucker always had to breakdown during the peak of the fucking summer” Or him angrily cooking for you because “You don’t fucking eat anything healthy and all that stupid junk food is gonna kill you one day, shitty woman”

- ah! You love your husband so much.

- so you had to be clever about it and you approached him while he was cooking because Bakugou is somewhat calm when he’s cooking. Somewhat being the keyword

- you sat down on one of the bar stool, slightly leaning on the kitchen counter while folding your hand so that you can pull off holding your phone casually so that it doesn’t come out as like you’re recording or something

- Bakugou was busy trying to cook some healthy recipe he saw on YouTube with his back to you, only in his black tank top that does nothing to hide his perfect body and grey sweatpants hanging low, you almost gave up on the plan and got in the mood of doing something else totally if you know what I mean *wink wink*

- but no! You’re a dedicated content creator and your perverted mind can wait for a while

- “whatcha making? “

- “avocado omelette”

- you grimaced on just the thought of that. Bakugou and Bakugou’s obsession with deadly healthy recipes but you gotta keep playing your part

- “make one for me too, okay Bakugou? Thanks”

- “tch. Of course! You don’t have to ask-“ It took him a second to realise what you just said as he was too preoccupied with his cooking but oh boy when he finally realised what you just called him

- Bakugou switched off the stove and turned around crossing his arms on his muscular chest and giving you one of his infamous murderous glares that are usually reserved for villians or sometimes Midoriya/Todoroki

- “What the fuck did you just call me, dumbass? “

- “k-kacchan? “

- “no, don’t try to play coy with me now. What the fuck did you call me before? “ He came forward putting his arms on the counter and closing in on you with his murderous glare intact. If you were a villian, you’d be dead by now

- “ I said Bakugou. Isn’t that kinda your name? “

- “so that’s how it is now, huh? Okay” He nodded his head like he came on to some big realisation confusing you to no end

- but before you can even tell him that it’s just a prank, you were being hauled off on very broad and muscular shoulder of your husband

- “I’ll teach you how to call your HUSBAND, you shitty woman.” With that Bakugou slapped your ass and took off to the bedroom leaving your phone dead on the kitchen floor

- as being a slight nsfw, you ended up posting the video with slight editing, trimming the video after the point your phone is dropped as to not share your intimate life with everyone and as usual your followers and internet loved your grumpy husband

[teklarn]

𝔂𝓸𝓾'𝓻𝓮 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓶𝔂 𝓫𝓸𝔂𝓯𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓭 - 𝓴. 𝓫𝓪𝓴𝓾𝓰𝓸𝓾 (𝓅𝓉. 𝟥)

character(s): katsuki bakugou x gn!reader (x eijirou kirishima) 

a/n: ok but like ty for all the notes on my last post??? i get so excited whenever there’s a new notification. ALSO, the best time for me to accept requests is from now to sept. 5! i’m currently on summer break, so i will have plenty of time to write from now until then. 

𝕣𝕖𝕓𝕝𝕠𝕘𝕤 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕘𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕝𝕪 𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕚𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕕!!

summary: bakugou x gn!reader. they have feelings for one another but have no idea how to express them, however y/n has someone pining for their attention. 

genre: angst

warnings: mutual pining, cursing, aged-up to third years, bit of a love triangle, romantic tension, one-sided pining, i gave the reader a quirk, kirishima gets jealous EHWJEH

word count: 2031

lol wow things are finally beginning to pick up heehee

please excuse any typos! i edit to the best of my abilities, but it’s easy to miss lost of things 

part 1, part 2 , part 4 

- - - 

you dabbed bakugou’s nose. he winced as you tapped it. “sorry,” you breathed out, switching the tissue in your hand for a clean wipe. 

“i’m fine, dumbass.” 

“then why’d you ask for my help?” you teased, wiping at the blood on his upper lip. 

his cheeks dusted with red, eyes averting to the side. you smiled softly, victorious in his silence. 

nighttime was settling in nicely, the sun bleeding orange into the clouds. 

“look back at me,” you said. gently, you took his bruised jaw in your fingers, adjusting his head so he was facing you. you brushed your fingers along his swelling cheekbone. purple blossomed beneath bakugou’s pale skin. “kirishima was pretty rough out there, huh?’ 

“i’m proud of the guy.” 

you smiled, tilting your head. “you? proud of someone? really?” 

he chuckled. “knock it off, dumbass.” a grin spread across his face, however it was gone when the pain hit. he winced, trying to ignore the sting his smile brought with it. 

you let out a laugh. “just relax, bakugou.” you resumed dabbing away at the excess blood on his face. there were flecks of dirt scattered over his forehead. 

he caught your wrist in one of his soft, large hands. 

your smile faded, and you swallowed, pushing down the rising emotions fluttering into your chest. “yes?” you responded to the silent question his eyes were asking. 

his grip on your wrist loosened, and he let go, letting his arm fall back to his side. 

“everything okay?” 

he didn’t break eye contact as he grunted a reply. “mhm.” 

“alright. i’ll be right back, okay?” 

“‘kay,” he said. 

you stood with a groan, knees sore from all the training you’d been doing lately. you gently shut the bathroom door behind you and rinsed the bits of dirt off the towel, scrubbing away any imperfections stuck between the fibers of the fabric. 

your cheeks were boiling with heat as the ghost of his touch on your wrist lingered. what was that? did he mean to tell you something? 

you wrung out the newly washed cloth and returned to your seat across from bakugou. 

bakugou’s eyes flickered as you began scrubbing the dirk from his forehead. 

“ah,” he gasped out. 

“you’ve gotta stop wincing, bakugou,” you teased. “you’re making me think i’m doing something wrong.” 

“you’ve gotta stop being so rough, y/n.” he took your wrists and pried them away from his face. 

you set the towel down on the table, letting it rest on a paper towel so the excess water could drain out. 

“well, i think the issue is that you haven’t let me set your nose properly.” 

bakugou squinted, unsure. “alright.” he spread his legs, leaning forwards to make your job easier. “do as you wish, y/n.” his voice dropped, eyelids lowering seductively. 

the heat returned to your cheeks, flushing out your confidence from before. instead of replying with an equally snarky comment, you took his face in your hands. “this is going to hurt.” 

“not so much if it’s you.” 

you scoffed. “are you flirting with me, katsuki bakugou?” 

his lips quirked up—just a tiny bit. “stop dreaming, y/n.” 

you ignored the comment and traced your fingers over the bridge of his nose. “on three?” 

he nodded. 

“one—” you cracked the bone into place. 

“ah, shit!” bakugou recoiled back, covering his nose with his hands. “damn brat.” 

“it would have hurt more if you knew it was coming.” you shrugged innocently. 

“at least i would have been prepared.” 

“whatever you say.” you gestured for him to come back to his previous position, and bakugou did as instructed, hands dropping from his face as your hands came back around to cup his cheeks. 

being recovery girl’s grandchild had its benefits. for example, an easy way to get into yuuei off of recommendations. while your quirk wasn’t usually one people would associate with fighting, it came with unexpected pros with how it developed. 

you’d earned the ability not only to heal but to ruin as well. using your quirk, honing it properly, you could twist someone inside out with ease, however, healing was something you were more skilled with. 

a green glow was being emitted from your palms, white orbs flowing into the air and landing on bakugou’s skin. you could tell, under his skin, the bone was fixing itself, beginning to reshape into the flat bridge. 

bakugou sniffed. 

“hold still,” you said. 

“does your healing always make your patients itchy?” 

“it’s just your body healing. stop moving.” the green light receded into your palms. 

you met bakugou’s eyes as you pulled your hands away. you were leaning closer than necessary, out of your seat, knees slightly bent. you could tell his hands were shaking just a bit as they trailed down your arms, starting from your fingertips which were still hovering around his face. 

his hands found their way to your waist. bakugou tugged you closer. barely an inch closer, but it felt like the two of you were inseparable at the moment. 

“y/n?” 

you jumped, and bakugou’s hands fell back to the sides of the seat he was in. you swallowed as kirishima popped up at the doorway. 

you wiped your palms on your shirt, nodding for kirishima to enter. “yes?” 

the redhead walked in warily, hands up and pace slow. “i hope i’m not...interrupting anything. am i?” 

you shook your head. “not at all. we were, um. we were just finishing up.” you picked up the cloth intended for wiping bakugou’s face. “do you think you could finish up by yourself?” 

he took the cloth from your hands. “yeah, sure.” he pushed himself up and was out of your room, waving his thanks. “i’ll pay you back so i don’t owe your ass, got it, y/n?” 

“Alright.” 

bakugou shut the door behind him, leaving you and kirishima alone. 

“so, what was that about?” 

your eyes flew wide. “what was what?” 

“don’t act oblivious, y/n. you two looked at each other like you hung the moon in the sky.” 

you bit your lip, hiding the smile that was brought about upon reminiscing about the recent seen. “it wasn’t anything, kirishima. don’t worry about it.”

“i’m worrying. you know bakugou.” 

“that’s something you’d say about someone with dating experience, and a bad reputation regarding it. bakugou is—” 

“just like every other guy out there? it’s the twenty-first century. there are not many decent people left out here. do you really think he’s any different?” 

“well,” you said, shaking your head, “personally, i see he’s changed.” 

“two years isn’t going to erase all the past shit he’s done.” 

“there’s a thing called forgiveness.” you quirked an eyebrow at him, tilting your head down as you began cleaning up. “plus, it wasn’t necessarily his fault. we can both agree that hero society created toxic standards for all aspiring pros.” 

kirishima clenched his fists. “he’s bad for you.” 

you tossed out a few wipes into the garbage. “sorry?” 

“he’s...not good for you.” 

“i appreciate you thinking nobody is good enough for me, but at the end of the day-” 

unknowingly, kirishima was hardening his fingertips. his nails punctured the soft skin of his palms. “i don’t mean he’s not good enough for you, but that’s another truth, too. he’s just not good for you.” 

you turned, smiling brightly. “and since when did you know what was good for me?” you laughed, eyes closed. “why are you trying to dictate my decisions-” 

when you opened your eyes, you found kirishima standing closer, brows furrowed angrily.

your expression lowered into something angry. “what’s the matter?” 

“i just...i can’t.” 

“can’t what?” 

kirishima was one to be slow to anger. he always had been. you can’t recall a time you saw him angry or pissed except for when bakugou had been kidnapped by the league of villains. 

“kirishima,” you scoffed, “are you genuinely pissed over this? what? is this because i got mad at you because i scolded you for breaking bakugou’s nose? if anything, i don’t think i was wrong for-” 

“that’s not it. that...that isn’t it, y/n.” he stepped towards you. kirishima closed the gap between you both, pressing your back against the wall, trapping you there between his arms. “that isn’t it at all, y/n.” 

you swallowed. “then what is it, kirishima?” his eyes met yours, serious and stern. 

your chest tingled. 

he brought his fingers to your chin, angling your face with ease to get a better look at you. “call me eijirou.” 

“what?” 

“just once. please.” 

“why-” 

“once.”

“...what is it, eijirou?” 

the pause felt like an eternity. “it’s you, y/n.” 

“it’s...me? what about me? did i do something wrong?” 

he chuckled softly, but there was no humor in his longing smile as he stared down. “you’re so oblivious.” 

you could hear his heart beating, getting faster with every sentence he pushed out. 

“you’re so clueless, y/n. it’s kind of pissing me off.” 

“what am i doing to piss you off?” you snapped. 

he tongued the inside of his cheek. “like i said.” he flashed you an award-winning grin. “clueless.” kirishima pushed himself off the wall and left the room, the door shutting hard, but not slamming shut. 

you were left breathless, the hint of his cologne still lingering in the space before you. 

you’d avoided kirishima and bakugou for the rest of the night. 

- 

what kirishima had wanted to say was nothing like what he said, but he knew everything would come out all wrong if he’d try to say anything. 

his mind would have jumbled all his words, and he’d look like a crazy, insane lover. 

bakugou wasn’t bad for you. not at all. you two were perfect for each other. you both had thick skin for silly rebuttals towards one another. you brought out the fun side of the blonde, and he worked you to your best. 

kirishima was just your best friend. he hated to be the one who had fallen with nothing to soften the blow that was surely coming soon. 

his ears burned nearly as red as his hair. a shudder passed down his back, the feeling of your jaw pressed between his thumb and index finger still imprinted there. 

“i can’t fucking stand to see you around him.” 

kirishima made his way to the common room, finding bakugou looking for snacks there. kirishima scoffed as his friend emerged with an apple in hand. 

it was not like he hated bakugou. not at all. he didn’t think that pining for the same girl would ruin their friendship. he was just angry that you chose him. 

kirishima respected your decisions. he wouldn’t ever try to get in the way of anything if you and bakugou made that kind of decision. he just wanted to be near you. 

perhaps he should leave the situation alone. leave you alone and just forget about how his feelings were nagging at him every day. 

he should forget how you were the first thing on his mind every morning, and the thing he thought about when he fell asleep. 

you were everywhere. should he forget that too? 

- 

bakugou tossed his apple into the air. he clapped his friend on the back, taking a bite out. “go to sleep, idiot.” 

“don’t call me that.” 

bakugou turned, startled that kirishima wasn’t taking bakugou’s shit today. “you good?” 

“i’m fine, but i’m not an idiot.” 

bakugou’s body tightened. “alright.” 

the pair stood awkwardly for a moment before kirishima sucked in a sudden breath. “what is y/n to you?” he asked. 

bakugou raised an eyebrow. “what?” 

“they’re obviously something to you.” 

“listen, they were just helping me out. didn’t think you’d get offended from them fixing my broken ass nose.” 

“that’s not what i mean. i walked in on you two, and you were about to—” 

“i wasn’t going to do jackshit.” bakugou tossed his apple away, too angry to eat anything anymore. 

“yes. don’t lie to me.” 

“i’m not lying. where is all of this coming from?” 

kirishima huffed out a frustrated breath. he shouldered past bakugou. kirishima uttered words he hated himself for saying. “leave me alone.”

- - -

tag(s): if u want to be tagged in any continued fic of mine, pls let me know! i don’t have a taglist, but please @ me and ask to be on the taglist! thank u <33 

@heizenka 

@insomniac-nerd-posts-things

[satans-left-asscheeky]

I might need a follow up to Self Destructively Selfless Vampire Sole and Hancock honestly his response got me shook

Thanks for the ask! I know now reading this back you wanted an after the fact comfort type of drabble, but I must've misread it my first time around so I made a whole drabble about before, leading up to and after a vampire sole feeding on Hancock thats super angsty... Sorry. If you want me to write a follow up- follow up post just let me know. 🤷🤷🤷

To keep things as simple as possible (and also because I'm complete ass at dialog) I have Hancock's dialog in red and Soles dialog in blue. Also this is my first attempt at writing anything like this so if it's not perfect, or completely sucks that's why (I know the pacing is weird lmao. Hopefullyill get better at that as time goes on). Please excuse the shitty grammar too I tried my best to fix all the typos I could find, but I'm sure there's still more I didn't catch so bare with me.

Also everything under the cut is entirely SFW as in not 18+ explicit, but

TW: Slight drug use, talk of death, slight self inflicted violence, distorted thinking and over all dark themes.

Him and Sole had been running another damn settlement errand for Preston when he noticed them looking a little unwell. They had been going all day without a single break and it was now the middle of the fucking night. He'd assumed it was the walking without stop for a whole week, or the exhaustion that made them look so sickly, and if it wasn't that then it was the infrequent food and water breaks that caused their cheeks to look especially hollow and their color to turn an ashy shade of grey. Come to think of it the last time he'd seen someone look that sickly was when his pa took him and his jack ass brother out fishing... he'd laughed at Mcdonough then, as he was spilling his lunch into the water, but they weren't his jack ass brother, they were Sole. He knew now that he saw them as a whole hell of a lot more than a friend... well he could admit it now at least. Truth be told he'd been enamored with them ever since they had walked into goodneighbor. Truth be told he'd been looking for any excuse he could find to take off with them, and when they straight up asked him to tag along with them, it was almost enough to make John believe in fate again. Almost. They still kept him at arms length, like they were scared to let him close. He didn't really blame them, he knew what he looked like, but still it cut deep in ways he didn't think he could hurt anymore.

He'd continued to walk beside them offering them a few chems to pass the time and help with their sudden illnes. His whole face would light up a little upon their acceptance, as he reached into his pocket for some med-x. Not his usual fix, but with the way they looked he figured they could use some and who was Hancock if not accommodating. They'd promptly roll up their sleeves for him to inject them casually falling into the same song and dance they'd been doing for months now. He liked how they never asked him for chems, but they never shyed away from the either. Most people only got close to him to get their fix, and he could tell that for them it was just an added perk of bringing him along. After peircing their pretty smooth skin in the ivory moonlight he'd kiss just under the spot he stabbed previously. Duality ya know?

"Always such a gentleman" they teased.

"You don't know the half" he winked suggestively. which made them roll their eyes hard and turn on their heels. He'd pull the jet container from his pocket and take a deep drag watching the way the moonlight hit their hair and made their eyes twinkle. Even in the darkness they seemed to have this sparkle about them... okay so maybe he had it bad, but they didn't have to know that. Not yet anyway.

The night sky twinkled above them. The stars and moon were the only thing illuminating their path. The rest of the hour was filled with the comfortable silence of the night as they moved closer to the spot Preston marked on their map. That's what he loved about sole he never had to force conversation because the silence was never awkward. Yet he also never had to stay silent because they were the easiest person to talk to in the commonwealth. He thinks thats why he fell for them... Because of how comfortable they made him feel. Sure he'd had plenty of hot and heavy relationships where his partner had him always on his toes, always waiting for the thrill of what came next, but with sole it was different. Sole made him feel safe, possibly for the first time in his life... and thats what scared him. Because he's not sure what he'd do to keep that safety. To keep them. He'd become addicted to them worse than any chem and the withdrawal would break him. He knew that, but like usual the high came before the low, and besides that'll be future him's mess to clean. For now he was gonna live in the moment and relish every damn second.

These thoughts continued to plague his thoughts as they moved closer to the settlement, costal cottage Preston had called it, he noticed Sole looking more and more weary. He again brushed it off, because if something was wrong they'd tell him right? Maybe it was just the jet playing tricks on him again. They're probably just tired or something, right?

As more time elapsed and they approached costal cottage Hancock immediately knew something was wrong with sole. Very wrong. Their breath was labored and they now had one hand wrapped around their torso and were struggling to walk straight. How could he have let it get this bad? He didn't know exactly what was going on, but one way or another it was his fault for not realizing how bad it was earlier. It was his fault for being to caught up in his own head to pull it out of his ass for a second and realize what was going on. He looked around the open terrain in an attempt to find shelter, thought the darkness really wasn't helping... he could just barely make out a completely destroyed house farthest from them, but thankfully nearest was a decent looking shed. Perfect. He wrapped his arms around their waist and silently began pulling them towards it. Dammit, he hated himself for letting it get to this point, but there would be plenty of time to beat himself up about it once he got to the bottom of it.

As he made his way over to the shed sole in his arms he heard the sound that could only be mirelukrks popping up out of the ground. Dammit this day really couldn't get any worse. Instead he opted to pick sole up beneath the legs and rush them bridal style into the shed. Quickly diving into their waistband he retrieved the small pistol they kept there and placed into their limp hands. Shit they looked really bad. This was the worse damn time for this...

"I'll be right back if anything happens yell okay?" he said standing and turning on his heels quickly dashing back outside

"Hey! You crabby fucks come and get me!" he yelled violently into the darkness leading the lurks away from the shed. He could hear their legs hitting the ground, and their claws preemptively snapping at him more than he could see them. He ran as fast as he could, shotgun already in hand, he begun taking his aim. He shot at them one by one making sure the each got a taste of how pissed he was. Truth be told he probably did need something to shoot just then...

once they were dealt with he ran back over to Sole's limp figure frantically. He dropped to his knees and began assessing the damage. There were no visible wounds somehow. How could that even be possible? The way they fell to the ground... they were clearly severely ill... which meant it was probably something more underlying and serious. Shit.

"Hancock...." He jumped at the sound of their voice. Got it was good to hear them, but damn did they sound weak.

"It's okay sole, it's gonna be okay. let's get outta here..." He began to position his hands under their legs preparing to carry them bridal style yet again to get them out of here and to help.

"No!" they grabbed his arm once again rendering him stunned "We can't john"

"You're hurt we need help! Hold still."

"John stop! Listen to me!" They yelled causing him to stop his attempt to pick them up.

"John... I've been meaning to tell you... I really have it's just... the timing was never right and-" he sat silently waiting for them to finish confused as to what they could even possible be about to tell him

"I-I'm.... Im a vampire..." They finished softy. Well he definitely wasn't expecting that. Their face was unreadable and their overall tone was very emotionless and empty sounding. Anger boiled into his brain. Seriously they were fucking with him at a time like this?

"Are you kidding me? Im a funny guy, but nows not the time for jokes sole!" How could they be joking when they were in such pain!? he was scared and they were trying to prank him? Seriously? What was their problem? He looked a way for a second trying to gain composure of himself.

"John...." They grabbed his face on either side forcing him to make eye contact "I'm not joking...." the sincerity in their voice and eyes caught him off guard... christ they really weren't joking... but how? Nevermind that he could ask all the questions he wanted once they were okay.

"Listen sunshine you're still not exactly tellin me what's wrong here..." He can't believe he's actually buying this bullshit! if this turns out to be an elaborate prank he's gonna be so pissed

"I- I haven't fed in a while... like a long while... I'd been avoiding it- I don't like hurting people, and now I'm sick like really sick... and I'm not sure how long I've got... and I-" He kept waiting for them to say they were kidding or gave any indication that they were making this all up, but when no such sign ever came the dark reality of it began to settle in. They were sick. Dying even. His Sole. Hurt. But all they needed was blood right? He could give them that. He'd happily give them that

"So that's all you need? Blood? Well shit sunshine, you should've just said something" He said already rolling up his sleeve

"No!" They screamed pushing him backwards not enough to make him fall, but enough to make him loose his balance "I don't want to hurt you." They said their voice sounding small and defeated.

"I'll be alright sunshine, I've had plenty worse. Trust me" he said regaining his balance and opting to lean against the wall and sit beside them this time.

"You don't understand!!!" They said tears swelling in their eyes as their lips began to quiver

"Then help me to..."

"I could drain you Hancock! I could hurt you!" they wailed the tears that had been threatening to spill earlier finally cascading down their face. they turned away frantically trying to wipe their tears

"But you won't." he said resting his hand on their damp chin bringing their eyes to his again

"No I won't do it Hancock! I won't hurt you. I'd rather die than hurt you!" They said again pushing him away. The previous anger came back to Hancock rapidly, composure failing miserably. Like hell he was gonna sit here on his ass and watch them die! Fat chance. Not after diamond city. Not again, never again. He was thinking of someway to gently say that when they tried to get up and fell hard against the old wall. That's what set him over the edge

"Let me fucking help you sole! Let me make this better! I can't sit here and watch you die is that what you'd have me do huh?" Their head whipped around their features clearly displaying their shock. The shock only lasted for a second however because then their nostrils flared in anger.

"What do you want me to do!? Hurt you!? I'd rather fukcing die Hancock and if that makes you hate me at least that's something you get to live with!" Usually he loved their fire, hell it was what drew him to them in the first place, but right now, while it was directed at him all he could see was red.

"Don't you dare act like you're doing me a favor in hurtin' yourself! I told you what not being able to save the ghouls in diamond city did to me, and I didn't even know half of them! What do you think losing you is gonna do huh? Do you think I'll just be able to move on? I seriously thought you knew me better than that...." Hancock was seldom a screamer when he argues, but his words carried more than a little bite in them. He'd be shaking from head to toe with anger. He was so pissed that they were wasting time arguing when they could be fine in a matter of seconds. He doesn't get how they don't understand that they are way more important to him then he could ever be to himself! He'd had enough of this opting to take the quicker more painless route he took his knife out from around his waist and brought it to his wrist. Not like he enjoyed the pain, but for sole? He'd do anything to make sure they were okay.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Sole screeched in horror as the crimson fluid already began leaking from the wound. That's when he realized how fucked up the whole ordeal probably looked right now..Yeah it hurt, but he hadn't be thinking about the pain... kinda like how he wasn't gonna think about how messed up this was right now. He just can't think about that right now its already been done. On an impulse on a whim even....but again not thinking about that...Just like how he wasn't gonna think about how far away from any real doctors they were, or how if something went wrong he was essentially screwed. Nope all he could allow himself to think of was sole. They'd be okay. That's all that matters.

"Making sure you stay alive" he said shoving his wounded wrist into their face. At first they resisted fighting his arm away, but finally they gave in and he felt them bite down against his forearm. God that hurt. In that moment he knew that weren't joking about the whole vampire thing because God those fangs hurt....Yeah this wasn't the best idea he's ever had. He'll admit it... but hey love makes you do crazy things.....He began to feel dizzy.. his head felt way to fuzzy right now too and the already dark sky was going even blacker at the edges. He was fighting to stay conscious... fighting to stay with sole... to make sure they were alright. After what felt like an eternity he felt their fangs leave his skin and met their teary eyes.

"That's it sole.... I'm-...I'm Glad you finally came to your senses.... I'm not sure what I would've done if you hadn't...."

The last sentence was barely a whisper on his scared lips... as the lure of sleep washed over him. Truth be told he knew what he would've done with out them, that's what scared him. He makes a lot of jokes about going feral, or being a monster, but he fears what would've happened if he spiraled into that darkness. Although truth be told he only ever truly was a monster to himself, but cognitive thoughts and logic rarely make there way into the deep fears that inhabitant his inner psyche.

When he eventually did wake up he was in an entirely unfamiliar bed. His body protested as he tried to sit up so instead he flopped back down unceremoniously onto the lumpy mattress beneath him. He rubbed his eyes a few times desperately trying to take in his surroundings. If he was dead he definitely wasn't in any sort of heaven or paradise.... surprising absolutely no one, he knows. The smell of wet ghoul hit his nose. God there really is no smell quite as pungent. That's when he realized where he was, he recognized this lumpy mattress it was the one he had help sole drag in here a few weeks prior. He was at the Slog! it was then he caught a glimpse of Soles body sitting in a chair near his bed reading some book. So they were here. more importantly they were safe. Good.

"Hey there sunshine.... ya miss me?" he called out effectively startling them into dropping their book.

"John! I'm so glad your okay!" They rushed to his side and grabbed one of his hands.

"So you wanna tell me what the hell happened back there?" he said wasting no time to cut to the chace

"I-" they started avoiding eye contact and slouching in on themselves as they promptly released his hand bring it instead to the space on their nose right between their eyes and pinching gently theor brows furrowed "I really had been meaning to tell you John... I swear. It's just I... I didn't know how you would take it... and I.... I was scared you would hate me... and then it all just happened so fast, and god I'm so sorry! I never meant to hurt you John, but I understand if you think it's better if we go our separate ways" John's heart leaped out of his chest at the last words. Their expression was uncharacteristicly somber and that scared him. Were they really gonna leave him!? He didn't want them to! Especially not over some silly little mistake

"Separate ways!? Over a flesh wound? Don't flatter yourself sunshine I've had worse." They shook their head clearly exasperated with the topic. Tears of what John assumed to be frustration rolling down their cheeks

"John you're not understanding... I Hurt you. I could have killed you. I barely didn't.... I can't risk losing you. Not like that." Oh. That's what it is... they're also scared to lose him. Was it for the same reason he was, He wondered? Nows definitely not the time he corrected his stupid love drunk brain.

"People die every day out here... I shouldn't have to tell you that, and besides I knew you wouldn't hurt me... I told you that didn't I?" They met his gaze. Their hurt eyes continued streaming tears down their pretty face as they shook their head yet again. This time more assertively than before.

"John I don't deserve this. I don't deserve you being okay with this! I'm a monster! I have to hurt people just to survive. I-... I have nothing to offer you. You'd be better off acting like we never met." The finished turning their face away from his as they tried desperately to wipe their tears

"But we did Sole, and I wouldn't have any it other way. Everything I do is dangerous, hell I took a damn drug just because I couldn't stand looking at myself! You're not gonna hurt me sunshine okay? Not any worse then I've hirt myself... what about blood bags have you tried those?" He asked frantically trying to make some headway in this seemingly pointless argument...and to avoid the topic of his own self destructive behaviors because by god now was not the time for a lecture. He loved them, but sometimes they could be so stubborn it was like arguing with a brick wall

"Their expensive John... and rare.. I can't rely on something that I may or may not be able to scrounge out of an old medical cellar."

"That's what you got me for. I'll order a shipment for goodneighbor as soon as we get back. Listen you hauled my ass back here when you could've just dipped and left me there to rot. You did that because you're a good person sole."

"I really wish I could belive that... you should rest... we'll talk more later" they said picking up his hand again and holding it against their cheek.

"Then stick around... I'll just have to teach ya how great you really are sunshine" he said motioning to the other side of the bed. They slowly crawled in beside him and nuzzled their tear soaked eyes into the side of his arm. He instead decided to throw the arm around them and kiss the top of their forehead surprisingly innocently for himself with his scared lips. They stayed like that for a while just basking in eachothers presence until Hancock finally drifted off to sleep again with them in his arms. Things were hardly perfect, or even really fixed between them but it was a start and that's more than Hancock had ever dreamed of having.

[rekrappeter]

find yourself somewhere, somehow

pairing: fred weasley x fem!reader, slight cedric diggory x fem!reader

summary: you and fred are madly in love with one another, but have never expressed your feelings to each other. every one else knows though. what if that one secret ends up ruining the friendship you both have been trying to save?

warnings: mutual pining, inaccurate Harry Potter timeline, swearing, typos

notes: some of this was requested, some not. this is my 3rd time trying to post it, please give it some love, I actually quite like it <3

“I think I’m going to ask Angelina to the Yule Ball,” your lips macked together at your best friend’s words, letting them fall on deaf ears as you narrowed your eyes at the words on the page in front of you. You could feel that the twins’ gazes were on you, and you tried to suppress any form of annoyance or jealousy passing across your face.  A heartbeat passed before Fred Weasley spoke up again, “Did you hear what I said?” 

You looked up at the red-haired boy sitting in front of you, your attention being pulled away from your study notes that you were carefully highlighting. “You were talking to me?” you asked, feigning confusion. 

Fred gave you a puzzled look, his brows creasing together, “Who else would I be talking to?” he said, his voice lowering as Snape strutted by the table you were sat at. You all turned your attention to your parchment quickly, letting him pass before Fred tapped the top of your book to get you to continue the conversation.

“George,” you deadpanned, your eyes flickering to his twin. 

“I heard about this all night long,” George said, distaste evident in his voice and he rolled his eyes swiftly. You stiffened a giggle, watching Fred knock his shoulder with his, his own amusement evident in his smirk. 

“So, what do you think?” Fred beamed, a twinkle in his eye. 

“I-” you paused, glancing down the table at Angelina who was laughing quietly at something her friend said. There was no doubt she was beautiful, no doubt that she was good enough for your best friend and you would be ecstatic for Fred if she did accept his offer. You would be, really, if it wasn’t for the massive crush that you harbored for him since you were twelve years old. You remembered the moment it happened; he was trying to teach you how to play quidditch outside of The Burrow during the winter holidays and something went horribly wrong when you were two meters off the floor - you lost your nerve and tumbled off the broom, but Fred was there underneath it to soften your blow. You remembered staring into his eyes deeply, your mouth parting in shock at the sudden wave of feelings that welcomed you when you were so close to him. He ended up dislocating his elbow that day, but he never blamed you for it. 

You felt someone nudge your hand, bringing your gaze from Angelina back to Fred. You plastered on a fake cheerful grin, nodding your head excitedly, “Go for it, you will be great together.” 

Fred was waiting for your blessing, and within minutes of you edging him on, he had secured a date to the ball happening in two weeks’ time. For the remainder of the study hall, you had to listen to Fred gush about Angelina and you had to do everything in your power not to groan and lose your cool. You avoided eye contact with George, knowing that he’d give you an unimpressed look. He knew how you felt about his twin, despite you never truly admitting it to him. You’d brush off his question and change the subject, but it wasn’t hard to see the admiration you had for him. 

“Do you have a date yet?” George questioned, looking down at you. You were walking through the castle on the way to the great hall, the twins on either side of you. He hadn’t heard you talk about going with anyone or thinking of asking anyone. In truth, you had hoped that both you and Fred would be dateless the day of the ball and ultimately end up going together - but that plan was ruined. 

You pursed your lips, keeping your stare forward as you shook your head. “No, I don’t.” 

Fred draped his arm around your shoulder, you stumbled slightly at the heavyweight. “Imagine we have dates, and you don’t, who would have thought?” You knew that he was only teasing and sometimes he never uses his brain before he speaks, but that didn’t lessen the irritation that exploded inside of you. 

“Shut up,” you snapped, your retort falling in between his rambles of how surprised he was that you didn’t have a date. You pushed yourself away from him and stormed off in the direction of the common room, not feeling hungry anymore. Fred gawked at your figure rushing off, glancing at George to ask what was wrong with you. 

“You’re an idiot, that’s what’s wrong with her,” George sighed, shaking his head at his twin. He walked into the Great Hall, Fred trailing behind slowly. “Where are you going?” George turned to face him, placing a hand on his chest. 

“To-”

“Don’t be stupid, you upset her so go fix it,” Fred sighed, knowing that he was right. He twisted on his heels and walked the familiar way to the Gryffindor dorms. Exasperating the password, he jumped through the entrance and spotted you sitting down on one of the love-seats. The common room was empty as expected, the light from the fire gleaming across your face. When you looked up at him, he saw the tears streaming down your face just before you wiped them away quickly. He hated the fact that he made you cry, but sometimes he just couldn’t control how he rambled on. He never thought about how his words affected you because often you would join in on his jokes but he didn’t know that this would be a sensitive subject for you.

“What do you want?” you mumbled into the sleeve of your jumper, bringing your legs up to cuddle into your front. Fred sat down beside you, wrapping his arms around you. He ignored the pain in his chest when you pushed him away from you, shuffling down the couch slightly. 

“y/n,” Fred whined, “I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t think it was a big deal.”

“The fact that I don’t have a date to a once in a lifetime event? Yeah, it’s not a big deal, Fred.” 

“You still have plenty of time to find one,” he said, “It’s not for another two weeks.”

“I don’t want to be someone’s last resort,” you cried, the emotions getting the better of you, “I wanted someone to be excited to go with me.” You looked up at your best friend, your vision slightly blurry from the tears forming and he looked like a lost puppy staring back at you. Fred was never one to be good with comforting you when you got upset, it was usually George who was the twin you’d go to for problems. Fred was great as a distraction, he’d bring you out and do something fun with you. This was new territory for him. 

Fred wrapped his arms around you again, and this time you let him. He sighed in relief letting his head fall on top of yours. “I’ll take you, I’ll forget about Angelina.” 

You laughed, rolling your eyes with an effort, “That’s not what I want, Fred.” 

“You don’t want to go with me?” He said, a teasing taunt in his tone. 

Placing your hands on his chest and pushing yourself up to look at him, you ignored the way his eyes followed your hand and trailed up to your face. His lips parted slightly, and he felt the sudden urge to close the gap between your lips but he refrained himself from doing so. Fred wasn’t the most observant person out there, but he knew that kissing you wouldn’t help the situation. “You know I would love to go with you but you asked someone else first,” you tried to play it off as teasing, but the sorrow was evident. Fred sighed, nodding his head, and the long strands dangled over his eyes. Giggling, you brushed them away with your fingers, letting your touch linger. “You need to cut all this.” 

“You don’t like it?” Fred pouted, his bottom lip jutting out. 

Your eyes scanned his face, the soft look in his own orbs making you wonder if you ever felt the same way about you that you did him. Considering that you’ve been friends for years without anything happening, you came to the conclusion that it was just a one-sided thing. You were the pathetic one head over heels in love with your best friend. “Your hair looks good anyway.” 

“Whoever asks you to the ball will be one lucky bitch,” Fred gleamed, jumping up from the couch and pulling you up with him, “I’m starving!”

The next few days passed with little memory of the conversation between you and Fred. Everything went back to normal; the trio that consisted of yourself, Fred and George returned back to being impractical jokers and the comments about not having a date to the Yule Ball became nearly nonexistent. With the Ball drawing in quickly, you tried your best to hide the panic that was looming inside you. It wasn’t a big deal to show up alone, if that’s what it would have to result in but it would be nice to be able to dance with someone while your best friends are dancing with their dates. You started to write up a list of potential candidates but from a discussion in Charms with a Ravenclaw, everyone that you thought you could ask already had a date. 

It was like everyone knew that you didn’t have a date to the biggest event to ever happen at Hogwarts. It was the sympathy looks from first-year witches, and snarky chuckles from sixth-year Slytherins that had their dates since the ball was announced. With a simple roll of your eyes, you smile regardless of what they think of you. If it resulted in you having to dance alone or in a group, you didn’t care. The Yule Ball was merely two days away and with a dress picked out, you couldn’t even think about the effort of having to change the colour to match some random guy’s bowtie. 

You had excused yourself from the Gryffindor common room where your friends were gathered around to go to the Owlery to send the letters that were piling up in your bedside drawer. “Do you want me to go with you?” Fred hollered as you were dunking out the entrance. 

“No, I’ll only be quick.” You called back, and started the short journey. A feverish chill had settled across the castle, people were on edge with the unknown of what the Triwizard Tournament could bring, and yet the bubbling murmur of excitement for the ball still settled over the fear and apprehension. You jumped up the steps, leaping two at a time but what you didn’t expect was the top step to be covered in ice. The moment your foot landed on the step, you knew you were done for. A squeal passed your lips and you were on route of tumbling backwards down the stairs, just as a hand grasped your wrists and pulled you up. Your breathing was heavy, ragged, as your life flashed before your eyes. 

“Woah there,” A deep voice interrupted the memory of when you were five years old. You opened your eyes and met the stare of Cedric Diggory, his grey eyes wide. His pink lips curled into a smile of relief, and he helped you steady yourself. “That would have been devastating.” 

You shook your head in shock, your eyes falling down the long stairs that you were almost laying at the bottom off, surely acquiring some broken bones on the way. “Th-thank you, Cedric,” you smiled at your saviour, before glancing down at how his fingers were still wrapped around your wrist. 

“Oh, sorry,” he mumbled, pulling back and taking a step away from you. “H-how are you? I haven’t seen you since-”

“The World Cup,” you finished, nodding your head at the memory, “I never thought Hogwarts was that big until this year, it’s filled with students now,” you mentioned, taking into consideration the extra students that were welcomed to Hogwarts at the start of the year, “I’ve seen you of course, you’re the big celebrity this year.” 

A light blush danced across his cheeks and you weren’t sure if it was the wind or your words having the effect on him. “I wouldn’t call myself a celebrity,” he chuckled, running his fingers through his brown hair. 

“You were really great in the first task, I did go looking for you but you were in hospital because…” you trailed off sentence, watching Cedric grimace at the memory of getting burnt by the dragon during the very first task. You slowly started to walk around Cedric to the entrance of the owlery, “I have letters to post, so I better get going… but best of luck for -”

“Do you have a date for the Ball?” Cedric blurted out, the cool composure that you were so used to seeing him dawn on gone. He let out a shaky breath, the cold air creating a cloud in front of him. 

You chuckled slightly, “Haven’t you heard? I’m the only sixth year that is completely undateable.”

“Well, not the only sixth year,” Cedric blushed again, he gulped, making his Adam's apple bobble slightly. 

“I thought you were going with Cho,” your brows creased in confusion. You remembered the conversation with Hermione and Ginny from nights ago when you were quickly brainstorming the last single men in sixth year that could potentially ask you out but Cedric was linked with Cho Chang, much to your dismay. 

“I was…” Cedric sighed, “But she called it off last night, s-she wasn’t comfortable going with me as a champion and have all eyes on her.” 

“Oh, I’m sorry about that.” 

“Would you be my date?” 

“Me?” you gawked, looking around for the twins to pawn this off as some sort of joke but your red-haired friends were nowhere in sight. 

Cedric nodded, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. “I would have asked you sooner, but I kind of thought you’d be going with Fred and when I heard that he asked Angelina, I was a bit confused.” 

“Myself and Fred are just friends,” you smiled, “B-but I’d love to go with you, Cedric. It’d be a shame for both of us to go alone when we can go together.”

You returned to the Gryffindor common room with a large smile on your face. Your friends were still lingering around the fire, trying to get the warmth into them after having Quidditch practice after their classes. Fred stretched over the couch, looking over it with hooded eyes, he must have been sleeping. “What took you so long?” 

You swatted his legs off the empty cushion beside him, and took a seat before his legs draped over your lap and you sighed in content. “Bumped into someone, guess who has a date to the ball?” you teased, a smirk tugging at the side of your lips. That gained the attention of Harry and Hermione who were studying, Hermione’s ears perking in excitement. 

“Who?” 

“You’ll see,” you teased, giggling at the yells of protest. You glanced over at Fred, who was unnervingly quiet. “You okay?” you mumbled, placing your hands on his legs and pulling at his leg hairs playfully. 

Fred didn’t answer straight away, his eyes scanning your face before he nodded, “Who is it?” 

“You’ll see,” you repeated, chewing on your bottom lip. 

“You’re not even going to tell me, your best friend?” 

“Nope,” you popped, a yawn passing your lips. You ignored Fred’s dramatic pout, moving his legs off your lap to lay down on the couch beside him. It was normal for you to do this, but something about doing it now made you tense. You couldn’t pinpoint it but when his hand rested on your hip to make sure you didn’t fall off the edge, you felt dizzy and lightheaded. You closed your eyes tightly, but when you breathed in, all you could smell was Fred’s aftershave. It wasn’t strong but it was enough to make you woo. 

Fred watched you softly, how your features became relaxed the moment he placed his hand on your hip and he wondered if he was being foolish not making you his. He constantly ignored his brothers pestering, even Percy had confronted him one christmas. “Are you excited now?” He breathed out, watching your eyes flutter open. 

“I was always excited, but now I know I won’t be left alone when you’re off dancing with your date,” you replied. It came out more snappy than you expected and judging from the taken back look in Fred’s eyes, you knew he took it in the way you didn’t want it to be taken. 

“Look, I did offer to take you-” Fred pressed but you shook your head, dropping your forehead onto his chest. 

“Can we not get into this? It doesn’t matter anymore, we’re friends, Fred. You shouldn’t feel obliged to take me to dances, we’re not kids anymore.” Fred’s face dropped into the crease of your hair, breathing in the scent of your shampoo and he nodded shortly. You both lingered in each other’s body, ignoring the gaze from your friends. George looked at Ron, giving him a pointed look and Ron shrugged his shoulders in return. It was obvious you were both so in love with each other, and neither of them knew why you were delaying the inevitable. 

Fred’s eyes scanned the crowd that were gathered in the Great Hall, that was overly decorated in white fairy lights and drapes that turned the bland gold room into a beautiful, magical event. Despite the gorgeous angel standing next to him, a wide smile on Angelina’s face, he couldn’t stop himself from looking at you but you were nowhere in sight. The worry started to settle over him, his overalls becoming slightly sweaty. “Is that y/n?” Angelina’s voice tore through his thoughts, his eyes following to where she was pointing. 

His mouth fell open at the sight of you, a wide smile on your face as your arms linked with Cedric Diggory’s, who was leading you to the dancefloor. His eyes scanned your body, his breathing hitched at how beautiful you looked. He knew Ginny said you were stunning in your dress but he didn’t believe how gorgeous you were until he saw you himself. 

“Wow, she’s beautiful,” Angelina whispered, eyes flickering between Fred’s face and your figure. 

“Yeah, she is,” Fred breathed out, his grip tightening on her waist. 

“Why didn’t you ask her?” Fred’s attention fell from his best friend to his date, confusion sweeping across his face and Angelina rolled her eyes. “Fred, everyone knows that you’re in love with her.” 

“Wh-what?” he sputtered out, but he didn’t argue any further. He knew by the pointed look that his date gave him that he wouldn’t be able to charm his way out of this situation. His shoulders deflated and his eyes flickered to your smiling face, his stomach churning at the sight of Cedric’s hand resting on your lower back as he spun you around elegantly. 

Angelina stepped towards the dancefloor, following the lead of everyone else, and started to lead Fred in the moves before he took over. His red hair was brushed around his face, and his pout grew with each second passing. “It’s not too late to tell her how you feel.” 

“That’s the thing, Ang, it is.” 

“Fred, don’t be so naive. She’s in love with you too, it’s so bloody obvious,” Angelina chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief. Fred spun her around to the beat of the music, lifting her off the floor like he’s practiced it so many times. Fred was trying to come up with some sort of joke to maneuver the conversation topic from you but his mind was blank - actually, the only thing that filled his mind was you. The way you laughed so loud, the way your eyes twinkled underneath the torches, how you’d devour a cheese burger in half a second, how you were always so keen to participate in their jokes but always the first to flee the scene in fear of getting caught. “I don’t know if I should be offended or-” 

“I’m sorry,” Fred cut her off, feeling slightly guilty for using her as a decoy. “Let’s enjoy tonight.” He announced, taking one more look at you for the night, just missing the longing gaze that you were sending his way. There was no one else you’d rather be dancing with than him, despite the Hufflepuff prefect making you feel extra special tonight, his attention solely on you. It just wasn’t the attention you yearned for. 

The days following the Yule Ball were a mixture of madness and chaos. They blended into one as you were whisked away to the Burrow for Christmas break with your second family, only minutes after seeing your own family for the first time since the start of the new school year. You always knew how hectic this time of year got but you never minded it much, you always enjoyed being surrounded by the Weasleys and the smell of Molly’s homemade double chocolate chip cookies made it all worthwhile. Except this year was slightly different. 

It was always Fred that picked you up from your front porch, but this year it was George. You always shared a room with the twins while you stayed in The Burrow, but this year you were lodging with Hermione and Ginny. Fred was always the first person to run down the stairs and take the seat next to you in the morning for breakfast, but this year the seat was always the last one vacant. It wasn’t only you that noticed this either, Ginny and Harry had been whispering about it all day long, Ron and George pondered what could be going on between the two of you, and it was Hermione that confronted you about the odd behaviour. But you only had one answer, ‘I haven’t a bloody clue what is going on’. 

After the vaguest of conversations with Hermione, you trotted up to the twins’ room knowing that George was outside helping Arthur with the chickens he wanted to invest in. Fred was nowhere to be seen, the best bet would be his bedroom. You knocked quietly on the door, peeking your head through the open gap and seeing Fred laying on his stomach in the single bed. The image was laughable, his long legs dangling from the edge of the bed and the quilt a thousand different colours kicked to the floor. His arms were tucked underneath his pillow and his face was pointed away from you. 

“Freddie?” you whispered, trying to get his attention. Fred’s eyes squeezed tightly at your voice and he tried desperately to calm his breathing. Maybe if you thought he was asleep, you’d leave him alone. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to speak to you, it was more so the fear of blabbering out how he truly  felt about you and the prospect of ruining years of friendship. He heard his bedroom door click shut after seconds of silence, and he was just about to twist towards it when he heard your sock clad feet shuffle through the room. “Freddie?” you asked again, but he didn’t budge.

You sighed and chewed on your bottom lip nervously, you didn’t want to wake him up. He wasn’t the friendliest person after being bothered while sleeping, but your heart ached for feeling his warmth again. You unconsciously found yourself laying on the smallest bit of bed that was available to you, your arm wrapping around his torso to hold yourself up. His back was to your chest, and he shuffled slightly to let you get comfortable but you didn’t pay much mind to it. You nudge your face into his t-shirt, letting his scent take over all your senses and you place a soft kiss on the material. “I miss you,” you whispered into the silence. 

Fred was staring blankly at the wall, his heart hammering against his chest as your fingers grasped his t-shirt with all their might. He reached for your hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing it softly. Your breath hitched in your throat but you didn’t say anything. You just lay there next to him in peace and quiet, your uneven breaths mixing with his. 

“y/n, this letter is for you,” Ron called from across the table, holding an off-white envelope. You looked up from the bacon and scrambled eggs on your plate in shock, you never got letters sent for you to The Burrow. Your parents would usually call to check up on you and all of your close friends were gathered around the table. 

“Who’s it from?” Fred wondered as he occupied his usual seat next to you. The previous night where you fell asleep next to him brought everything back to somewhat normal. He was finally acknowledging you in the mornings and spending his time with you. You shrugged, tearing the letter open and your eyes widened at the signature written so beautifully at the bottom. “Cedric Diggory,” Fred scoffed, a roll of his eyes gaining the attention of his brothers around him. 

“Cedric Diggory wrote to you?” Ginny gleamed, her eyes widening in delight as a contrast to Fred's displeased look. 

“What did he say?” Hermione asked. You were about to stand up from the table, and excuse yourself but from the peering eyes of your friends, you knew you wouldn’t get far without their curiosity minds following you. 

“Just read it aloud,” Harry cheered, and he frowned quickly when Hermione shot him a look to be quiet. But Ron soon joined in and it was like a dominios effect, you sighed and gave in, clearing your voice to read the letter for the first time. 

“Dear y/n,” you started, interrupted already by Fred’s sigh of annoyance, “I had tried to contact you at your family home but they have directed all my calls to Weasleys’ household. I have tried several times to get in touch with you but seem to be having trouble - I have left messages. I hope this doesn’t come across as desperate or obnoxious but I would thoroughly enjoy it if you were to accompany me to Hogsmede this weekend. I look forward to hearing from you..” you paused, before whispering the last part, “yours, Cedric Diggory.” 

There was a deafening silence as you finished the last syllable, the words blurring in front of you on the parchment as you tried to make sense of the letter. Of course you had a great time at the ball with Cedric, but you never had any intention of getting romantically involved with him. Not when your heart was obviously set on someone else. Your mind was brought back to the kitchen of the Weasleys’ when the girls in front of you gasped out loud, squealing as they grasped for the letter to reread it. The boys lost interest the moment you started to speak, except for Fred, who fell back in the chair and began finishing his breakfast. 

“What is your secret?” Ginny gawked. “Cedric Diggory wants to go on a date with you!” 

“I-It’s not a date,” you mumbled, sitting back down. The tension between you and Fred was back, the hour of normality that you were blessed with vanished. “It’s not a date,” you repeated, but your words were aimed at Fred, who creased his eyebrows in confusion. 

“It sounds like a date to me and a bloody good one at that,” he flashed you a smile, but you could see beneath it. Something was different between the two of you, like the aura has shifted and you’ve become one. It didn’t make sense but the way Fred was feeling, you could feel it too. How his heart was hammering and his stomach was infested with annoying butterflies. It’s how you felt when you looked at him. 

“We have plans for the weekend,” you reminded him. 

“Cancel them, it’s okay.” 

“No, Fred, it’s a tradition. I can’t just cancel them.” 

Fred sighed, tidying up his plate and standing up from the table. You followed his lead and left the group to analyse the letter, you went to call him but he swiftly turned around. Your chest hit his, his taller figure hovering over you. “I’ll make it easier for you, I’ll cancel them. There, you’re free this weekend.”

“What are you even talking about?” you sighed, frustration getting the better of you. “I never said I wanted to go out with him.”

“Why wouldn’t you not? He’s Cedric freakin’ Diggory!” There was no room for arguing, no matter what you threw at him, he’d have a comeback so you just sighed and gave in. Waving the white flag of surrender for the day and it wasn’t even ten in the morning. 

There was a lake not two miles from The Burrow, it was hidden beyond trees taller than churches and you’d have never found it if it weren’t for the adventurous boys that you grew up with. You were supposed to be nestled in the corner of a tavern with the Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain, sharing a warm butterbeer and having that first date jitters but instead you found yourself looking over the frozen lake. It was always frozen at this time of the year. You had a large black coat on, fake fur decorating the hood as you breathed out and created your own night time clouds of air. You had your skates by your feet, too cold to change into them.

Every year on the last night before returning back to Hogwarts, it was a tradition with you and Fred to ice-skate across the lake. It was the one time that you were guaranteed to feel free and relieve any stress that has been building up on your shoulders. But it didn’t feel the same alone and you couldn’t bring yourself to put your skates on. You fell back against the grass that was decorated in white snow from the downpour earlier that day, letting out a strangled scream that you’ve been holding in. 

“Bloody hell, what was that?” A grin erupted on your face and you sat up, looking over your shoulder to see Fred standing there in a brown tattered coat, his skates dangling from his fingers. He had a yellow bobble hat on his head, his hair tucked beneath it. 

“You showed,” you smiled, kicking your shoes off and pulling your skates on with great difficulty. Fred followed your lead, sitting down next to you. 

“Of course I did.” 

You sighed, strapping the laces, “I wasn’t sure if you would, you’re acting really strange lately.” 

Fred gave you a sympathetic glance, a small smile tugging on his lips as he watched you stand up and stretch your gloved hand out to help him up. He took it, using his strength to lift himself up so you didn’t have to use a muscle. You slowly made your way to the iced surface, letting Fred test it out and he skated away in circles. “Freddie,” you called back, pouting slightly. 

A raspy laugh left his lips as he shook his head in disbelief and came back to you, letting you grasp onto his arm as you took your first steps onto the ice. “You do know you can skate, right?” Fred asked.

“I just need your help for the first five minutes, you know that,” you chuckled. You both skated around the nature-created rink, silence settling between you. The moon overlooked the two of you skating around, hand in hand - the perfect pair in a state of ignorance. Fred let go of your hand, skating in front of you and you couldn’t help but laugh as he showed off his skills. His lanky legs are quite talented at twisting around one another. Fred looked up at you, your smile beaming at him and that’s when he lost his balance, tripping over his own feet and tumbling to the ice. Your eyes widened but you were going to quick to stop and you fell over his limbs, your chin banging off the ice. 

“Fuck, are you okay, y/n?” Fred scrambled over to you, his hand cupping your chin and seeing the blood seeping from the cut. His worry was cut short when you erupted into a fit of unstoppable giggles, ignoring the pain that soared through your face. The image of Fred’s face falling flat on his ass will forever be sketched into your mind now. “Shut up,” Fred huffed, his hand dropping from your face. 

You crawled over to him, wrapping your arms around his shoulders as you tried everything in your power to stop from giggling but you couldn’t. It got to the point that your laughter became so contagious that Fred’s chest began rumbling with his own laughter. You sat in the middle of the ice rink, asses soaked and cuts on your face as you laughed for what felt like hours. 

“I missed this,” you announced in a heavy sigh, your stomach hurting from laughing so much. 

“I’m sorry for acting like an idiot the last few weeks,” Fred said. 

“What was the story with that?” you asked, reaching to fix the hat that was crooked on his head. His hands wrapped around your wrist, his gloves fingers maneuvering to hold your hands close. Your eyes connected with his, your breath hitching at the sight of his brown orbs telling you everything before he spoke a word. “Fred..”

Fred sighed, dropping your hands and scrambling to stand up. You followed his movements, skating to where your shoes and belongings were left. His broad shoulders were slouched as he got off his skates and you weren’t sure if he was going to walk away again. “Fred, please don’t shut me out again.” 

“I-I-” Fred mumbled, his eyes screwing shut before fluttering open again, “Why didn’t you go out with Cedric tonight?” 

The question took you off guard, confusion evident in your expression. “I told you already, we had plans! We do this every year!” 

“You cancelled plans with a future boyfriend for me?” Fred asked, trying to clarify the situation. 

“What are you talking about, Fred? We’re best friends, I’d always choose you over-” 

“Is that all we’ll ever be?” The words made you dizzy, the question heavy with every emotion you’ve ever felt for Fred. You looked up at him, your socks getting soaked as you stood there in shock, your shoes forgotten about. “That… That question came out more forced than I wanted it to, but I just need to know, will we ever be more?” 

“That’s not for me to decide…” you whispered, seeing his expression falter, “You’ve never- you’ve never told me how you felt about me.” 

“I thought I made it obvious.”

You scoffed, shaking your head, “By taking someone else to the Ball? Or by encouraging me to go on a date? Or when we were thirteen and you told George that you only seen me as a sister-”

“Okay, they weren’t my finest moments, I’ll admit that..” Fred wanted to slap himself for being so stupid and naive, “But do you feel the same way that I feel about you?”

“If you think that I’m the most amazing person in the world, that you can’t live without me, and that you’re sick of spending every moment with me and not being able to kiss me… then yes, I feel the same..” you breathed out the words, your chest beating rapidly. When Fred processed the words, a large grin filled with relief washed over his face. He took a step closer to you, and you took it on yourself to close the gap between your bodies. He dipped his head and connected his lips to yours, his hands placing themselves respectfully on your waist as you wrapped around his shoulders. The kiss wouldn’t have been deemed the most magical - your teeth hitting off one another and your tongues sloppy mixing together, but when he pulled away and laughed, your heart deemed it to be the most magical moment in your life. 

[chasingpj]

𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐝-𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝

"Ehm, is this like a seven-minutes-in-heaven thing?”

pairing: percy jackson x child of hecate!reader

words: 5,236

warnings: none? pls let me know if i missed anything

timeline: post sea of monsters

if you want to be tagged every time I update this story click here

a/n: hi hi! i hope you guys like this chapter. i fell in a little bit of a rut about my writing so I've been holding off on posting but I think I'm pretty satisfied with how this came out. i'm so fried after editing this so if i happened to miss any typos, sorry, i tried haha.

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Part Seven

The heat and dimness from the cabin surround you like a warm hug making it challenging to stay awake. Your eyelids droop against your wishes to study, fatigue messing with your vision as it blurs the letters on the page you were trying to read. As you find yourself mindlessly reading words, you decide to give in, and soon you’re settled in an in-between state of consciousness.

Suddenly, you’re standing at the entryway of the kitchen in your home, the first thing you notice is the scent of your favorite meal as it fills your nostrils, and you smile sleepily as your father looks at you. He’s hovering over the stove, right hand stirring something in a saucepan, and he smiles widely at you.

“Stella, you’re home!” He announces as he pushes his round glasses up the bridge of his nose, “Go, sit! Dinner is almost ready.”

You smile at the nickname your father has called you since you were a child. He said that the first time you cried in his arms, your little body illuminated like a supernova, and since then, he’s called you Stella, the Latin word for star. You make your way past the kitchen island on your left, noticing the history channel playing on the small TV in the corner of the counter like always. A sense of nostalgia hits you in your core, and you sigh, feeling safe. As much as you loved the camp, homesickness was unavoidable.

You settle yourself at the black round table in the back of the kitchen, chin resting on your palm as you look outside of the window beside you. The small garden of herbs and flowers you have in the backyard is as you remember. Every summer, your father cultivates herbs and flowers in dedication to your mother. He uses most of the herbs for spells, and at the end of the summer, he would make a bouquet out of the brightest flowers in the garden and rest them on your mother’s alter.

The reminder of your mother made your stomach feel heavy, and you quickly push the thoughts of her away. You weren’t in the mood to deal with them, especially not in a dream like this. The thumping of Atticus’s footsteps coming down the stairs catches your attention, and soon your brother appears in the doorway with his usual wide smile.

“Hey! I thought you were making my favorite tonight.” His shoulders slump, and he playfully narrows his eyes at you. You shrug,

“What can I say? Must suck not being the favorite,” you joke, and Atticus gasps dramatically. The sound of your father’s laughter fills the room as he tilts his head back.

“I love you guys equally! That’s not nice to say,” he says as he points the spatula at you as he squints. You snort as Atticus joins you at the table,

“Yeah, Y/n, that’s not nice,” he repeats, poking his tongue out at you, and you return the action. You and your brother have a short competition of who can stick out their tongue harder as your father puts the food on the table. At the sight of your favorite meal, you let Atticus win, turning to put a portion on your plate.

Amidst your dinner conversation with your father and your brother, the deep growl rumbling in Ambrose’s chest makes its way into your dream. A soft hum leaves your lips, your neck relaxing against your will, and your head jolts forward as your cheek slips off your palm. You blink a few times, groaning since you’ve lost your dream.

“Ambrose, shush.” Your chin returns onto your hand, and you submit to your fatigue once again. The image of a ravenous bunny, cartoonishly stomping its way through a candy cane forest, filled your mind, projected on your eyelids like a movie in a theater. It’s too ridiculous to give much thought, and you were too busy relishing in the soothing feeling of sleep.

All of a sudden, Ambrose bursts into a series of short high pitched barks, jolting you awake. Your eyelids fly open, and you turn in your chair. Ambrose stands up tall, his fur contouring to his muscles as they flex. His ears are perched up; his focus fixed on the back wall. Whatever he was looking at, he didn’t dare to approach.

"What? What is it?"

The bunk beds obstructed your view, but you are sure you are alone. Everyone was out and about doing their normal camp activities; if anyone had entered the cabin, you would have heard them.

You groan in your hands as they rub your face to shake off the remaining fatigue, growing annoyed at Ambrose’s persistent barking that nips harshly at your eardrums.

“Ambros-”

A bitter breeze fills the room, and your breath gets caught in your throat at the feeling. Your arms wrap around your frame, failing to prevent goosebumps from forming on your arms. It was impossible. Today’s weather report called for a hot, humid day like it’s been all summer. As the hair at the back of your neck stands straight, and you have an idea of what’s happening, but you hoped you were wrong.

Ambrose abruptly ends his barking with a distressing whine. His ears sag low on the sides of his head as he retreats, his large body shrinking in fear. With cautious steps, you approach him in the middle of the cabin. The thumping of your pulse is loud in your ears, and for the first time in a while, a familiar pang strikes you in your gut. You’re being watched.

Despite his fear, Ambrose guards you finding the courage to stand tall and confident after cowering a few seconds ago. You let out a shaky breath, and warily, you finally catch sight of what has his attention.

A tall, dark figure stands still at the end of the room. The light that bleeds through the thin curtains behind it wasn’t enough to expose its face but instead illuminates the swirling black vapor that made up this human form.

From your years of experience, you learned how to deal with these kinds of things. Ghosts gravitated towards you like a moth to a lit flame. Most of the time, the spirits are harmless, looking for some company, and were eager to ask for favors you often couldn’t fulfill. Other times, they were more malevolent entities, existing to feed off your fears, and had the reputation of being stubborn guests.

From the way, the room turned impossibly cold in the middle of a sweltering summer afternoon and the heaviness in your gut, the shadow in front of you was definitely the latter.

"Who are you? How did you get here?" Your voice booms through the silence. "Why are you here-"

The cabin door slams open, the shadow dispersing the moment the sunlight bleeds through the room. You jump, gasping as your whole body turns around. The two figures at the doorway are dark, the sudden beams of light blinding you for a moment before you manage to recognize Connor and Travis.

“Why is it so damn dark in here? And cold? Jeez, Y/n, open the curtains at least,” Travis nags with a smirk on his lips.

“I don’t need light to see.” You groan, turning your face away, the sun shining right at you as Travis begins ripping open the curtains. “And I hate when the sun gets in my eyes,” you complain, stepping aside where sunlight doesn’t reach. Though you saw the shadow disperse, you glance at the back of the room, double-checking that what you saw was gone.

"You know... “

Your focus returns to the two boys standing side by side a few feet away from you. Both of them sporting the mischievous smirk that all the Hermes kids had when they’re about to stir up trouble. Connor only uttered two words, but it was clear they were up to something, and you were about to be involved.

"You've been locked up in here, in the dark, alone, for a while now. It's been like a week and a half since the incident, and we know you’re still a little down,” he trails off, swaying on his feet.

"... yeah?"

"And we think we have the perfect way to cheer you up!" Connor gives you a toothy grin, and as confident as he looked, you don’t quite believe him.

"And that is?"

"I think it's time we execute our bunny prank on the Ares cabin!"

You press your lips together in a thin line; head cocked to the side. "That's supposed to cheer me up?"

"Yeah!"

"How is putting my life in danger going to cheer me up?" Your gaze switches between the two as they exchange looks with each other.

“Um…” Connor says, lost for words.

"It'll be fun. We promise!" Travis insists, waving your comment off. He moves to sit in your chair, leaning back as he props his legs on your desk. "So, have you thought about how we're going to do this?"

You sigh softly, not bothering to protest. If you denied participating, Connor would be quick to remind you what’s at stake.

"I have," you admit. After your last interaction with Clarisse, the prank did come to mind.

The Stoll brother’s faces grew almost as bright as the sun outside. Connor takes a seat on the bed closest to you, leaned in with his elbows on his knees, "Tell us the details then,” he urges.

"Okay, so I found a shape-shifting potion in my spellbook. It's pretty simple. I have all the ingredients except for one. The only thing I need is the hair of a rabbit. Get that for me, and I'll make it." Connor and Travis nod eagerly, and you can already see the gears turning in their heads as they formulate a plan to catch a bunny.

"If you can get it to me in a few hours, we can sneak into their cabin while they're practicing in the arena. Then I can pour a few drops of the potion into their water cooler. The potion is potent; you only need a few drops for it to work."

"Sounds like a solid plan. They'll be thirsty after practicing, and boom, they’re all cute little bunnies,” Travis says, legs unmounting from your desk, and he hops onto his feet.

"So hurry and get me rabbit hair!”

A small, almost manic laugh comes from Connor’s lips, "This is gonna be epic!"

"Should we ask the nymphs for help?" Travis ponders out loud as he makes his way out of the dorm.

"Wait! We should get scissors! Do you have scissors?” Connor asks you, and you giggle. You grab a pair of scissors from your desk drawer, and Connor quickly swipes them from your hands the moment you present them to him.

"Thanks, Y/n!” Swiftly, he turns on his heels, trailing behind Travis.

"Be careful, please! Don't hurt the bunny!"

"We won't! The worse we'll do is give it a bald spot; they’ll be fine!" Travis shouts.

After the slamming of the front door and the ragged footsteps of Connor and Travis’s departure, your smile falters as the silence regresses. The figure you had seen comes to mind, and you frown, Ambrose whining as he sits close to your legs.

"That was weird, wasn't it?" You lean down, affectionately scratching the backs of his ears as Ambrose licks your wrists. The sight of his drooping eyes told you enough to know that this wasn’t the last time you’ll be seeing whatever that was.

"C'mon, let's not worry about that now. We have to make that potion." An uneasy grumble comes from Ambrose's chest as he nuzzles his snout in your hand.

"I know, I know," you whisper before standing up.

☆’.･.･:★:･.･.’☆

"Shh, they’re coming,” Travis announces in a whisper, silencing you and Connor’s conversation. The distanced chattering and footsteps of the Ares campers become louder as Clarisse pushes open the front door. The three of you duck lower in your place as they scatter to their beds, beginning to take off their armor. Travis slowly rises from his crouching position, peaking enough to see the inside. He gives you and Connor a nod, a silent okay to peek yourselves. Cautiously, you come up, watching the group now crowding around the water dispenser, playfully telling each other to hurry up.

Connor lightly pats your shoulder with excitement, and you scrunch your face, anticipation swirling in your stomach as one by one, they begin taking sips from their water bottles. Your jaw drops as Mark forms a snout, his hands flying up to his face.

"W-what?" He sputters, moving closer to his reflection in the mirror. "What is-"

The rest of his words became soft squeals, his whole body shrinking and shifting into a stark white bunny in the blink of an eye.

“Um? Did that just-?”

“How did-”

“You have bunny ears!” Ellis shouts, pointing at Clarisse while she formed a pair of her own. Clarisse didn’t have time to comment as Ellis joins her half-brother. One by one, they began shrinking, and small shrieks fill the room.

"What are you guys doing?" The three of you practically jump out of your skin, heads snapping in the direction of the voice.

Percy’s eyes are wide and curious, furrowing his eyebrows at the chaos breaking out in the Ares cabin. You open your mouth to say something but stop yourself, not wanting to blow your cover.

“It must have been the water!”

“When I see the Stoll Brother’s I’m going to-” Squeal.

Travis’s face was a tint of pink from holding in his laughter. He doesn’t respond, simply waving at Percy to come and see for himself. You and Percy exchange a smile before turning back to the window.

His chance at seeing the pool of white bunnies went down the drain; the four of you met with an angry Clarisse instead. To your dismay, she didn't completely transform. Her normally brown eyes are now crimson and her mouth transformed into a whiskered snout. White bunny ears peek through her brown hair, making it look like she was wearing one of those bunny ear headbands they sell at the pharmacy around Easter time. You’d be laughing as much as the Stoll Brothers if Clarisse’s stare wasn’t fixed on you and only you. You give her a nervous smile as you step away carefully, and the moment Clarisse moves to jump out the window, the four of you bolted.

“She’s gonna kill us!” You exclaim; Travis and Connor burst into laughter, hands over their stomach as they run beside you.

“Split up! She can’t kill all of us!” Travis suggests, already making a beeline into the forest with Connor.

“Yeah, cause she’s gonna go after me!”

“We’ll weave you a nice shroud!”

“WOW, THANKS!”

The cackles of the two made you roll your eyes, and you make a mental note never to help them with a prank ever again. You grunt as Percy grabs onto your wrist, and you stumble for a second until you catch up to his pace.

“You can’t run from me forever!” Clarisse shouts, running close behind. She was right, you couldn’t avoid her forever, but you just needed her to calm down. "When I catch you, I'm tying your necks like shoelaces!"

You cringe at the threat as you and Percy burst through the swinging doors of the Arts and Craft center, weaving your way through the campers.

“Sorry!” You shout over their groans as you’re pulled into one of the hallways. Seeing the closets along the walls of the hallway gave you an idea. You bite your lip, focusing on the door leading to the outside. Reaching your hand out, you flick your fingers forward, causing the door to burst open fast enough for it to lock in place.

The moment you approach the last door in the hallway, you grab the knob. A grunt leaves Percy’s lips as you drag him in the closet with you. He loses his footing from the change of direction, spinning hastily toward you, and the both of you stagger into the closet. You yelp, the weight of Percy’s body sending your back right against the wall, and the knob comes out of grip right as it slams closed.

Percy grunts, his hands push against the wall beside your frame, promptly lifting himself away from you.“Sor-”

“Shh.” Your index finger rests your lips as you look at the door. Your shoulders tense up, afraid that Clarisse had heard the slam. Soon, Clarrise’s pounding footsteps rise like a crescendo and, to your relief, gradually fades as she runs right out of the building. A shaky sigh leaves your lips before glancing at Percy, who’s directly in front of you. You smile sheepishly, foot moving to step back only to be met with the wall.

Percy’s heart beats loud in his chest, and he was hoping that you couldn’t hear it. He tried to step back as well, but Percy’s foot was met with the shelves behind him to his dismay. He scans your face in the dim lighting for a few seconds. Suddenly, he’s reminded of how he stumbled on top of you, making him too embarrassed to look at you any longer. His focus falters to the shelves beside him, forcing himself to find interest in the tubs of paint stacked on them.

“It’s your fault,” you accuse after some silence. Shock flashes across Percy’s face,

“Huh?”

“Because you were so nosey, you blew our cover.” You reach over, and you poke his shoulder. Percy’s peers down at where you poked him as if he was offended.

“At least I ran with you. Travis and Connor left you for dead!”

“Great friends, they are, huh?” You ask, your voice laced with playful sarcasm.

Percy laughs, "I think you've taken the trophy of being the most hated by Clarisse," he jokes.

"I don't think I can one-up you. You literally fought her dad and won," you point out. "I think if we split up, she'd definitely come after me. Imagine the last thing you see when you die is Clarisse looking like… that. "

Percy laughs and you laugh, too, feeling comfortable with making light of the situation now that you were out of harm's way.

"How did that even happen!?”

"I don't know!” You sigh, bummed that Clarisse had managed to be the only person who stayed human. “Maybe she didn’t drink enough water?”

“Wow, the only person you needed to transform into a bunny just didn’t,” Percy says as he crosses his arms over his chest, leaning against the shelves.

“Pretty much.”

“You have amazing luck, Y/n,” he says sarcastically.

“Whatever,” you mumble, eye faltering to the shelves beside you. Percy’s laughter fills the small space, making it hard to prevent the smile from creeping on your lips. The sound of footsteps interrupts you as you open your mouth to say something else and it brings Percy’s laughter to an end. Your shoulders are practically up to your ears as you look into Percy’s wide eyes before he mouths, “we’re dead.” If it is Clarisse, you guys are cornered, and you prepare to shadow travel even if it meant you might pass out, especially if you bring him with you.

You furrow your eyebrows as you hear two familiar voices, and soon the door opens, revealing you both to Beckendorf and Silena. There is a moment of silence, Silena blinking at the both of you, her head tilted slightly to the side as she observes the tension. Beckendorf’s right eyebrow raises, glancing between you and Percy’s face.

"Ehm, is this like a seven-minutes-in-heaven thing?" Your face gets hot, and you exchange a look with Percy, noticing the tips of his ears are bright red.

"No, we were hiding from Clarisse,” he stutters out, gaze snapping to the two, and you nod quickly,

"Because I turned her into a bunny and-"

"She didn't transform all the way-"

"It's okay. Charles and I would sneak around at first, too," Silena interrupts, her lips curled up in a satisfied smile.

"We were just talking!" You and Percy say in unison. The more defensive you got, the more suspicious you both came off. From the way Beckendorf and Silena smiled at each other, you knew they weren’t buying it.

Beckendorf shrugs, and he steps forward, reaching between the two of you to grab the box of beads from the shelf. He hums, “It’s clear we interrupted something. I just needed this. You guys can carry on,” he teases, amused at how embarrassed the both of you are.

“But- we-” you stutter, unable to finish your sentence, Beckendorf shutting the door, and Silena makes a sound between a giggle and a squeal as they walk away.

Percy clears his throat, interrupting the short silence that fell between the two of you, “Um, should we…?” His voice falters, not finishing his sentence, but you already knew what he was going to ask.

“Yeah,” you agree awkwardly, opening the closet. “Let’s go,” you mumble, stepping out with Percy close behind you.

"Where should we go now?" Percy asks, opening the door to the outside for you, and you smile, finding it sweet. You thank him shortly, and you shrug,

"I'm not sure, but I don't think Clarisse has calmed down yet…" you trail off, catching sight of a fuming Clarisse standing beside Chiron a few meters away. “Dammit.”

☆’.･.･:★:･.･.’☆

You shift on your feet, standing in Chiron’s office alongside Travis, Connor, and Percy. Clarisse’s crimson eyes are still narrowed at you as Chiron sighs, backing into his wheelchair before his backside disappears, allowing him to sit fully into it.

"I understand you guys are just having fun. However, I believe the Ares Cabin deserves a little break from the pranks, don't you think?" He asks as he looks at Connor and Travis.

You fiddle with your fingers, your shoulders slumped along with Connor and Travis’s shoulders. Travis nods, and he hums as if he considers it for a moment.

“We could prank the Apollo Cabin instead?" Connor suggests, and Chiron opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. You press your lips together in an attempt to refrain from smiling, discovering that Percy was doing the same. You became more amused at his face turning a little pink as he holds in his laughter, and you quickly look at your hands to recollect yourself.

“I’d prefer you tone down the pranking altogether,” Chiron clarifies. Connor frowns, and he nods slowly,

“Oh. Yeah, we could do that, I guess,” he mumbles, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. Chiron nods, shifting his gaze to you,

“Y/n, what did you used to transform them into rabbits?” You hum softly,

“It’s a shape-shifting potion from my spellbook,” you explain.

“How long will it take for them to transform back?” You look up for a second, trying to remember your notes. While recalling the day you went through Ernest’s potions book to jot the recipe in your Book of Shadows, you realize how many forms of the potion there were depending on the transformation length. Ernest had mentioned in passing something about reading his notes carefully. It wasn’t until now did you realize that the potion you had made was not the short-term one.

“About … 24 hours,” you admit, and Connor snorts beside you.

“What!?” Clarisse snaps, her fists clenching on her side. “You mean, they’re going to be like that until tomorrow afternoon?”

“Yes, that’s what 24 hours means,” you snap back; her presence was enough to annoy you. Clarisse’s glare burns into your face, and she moves to take a step, about to charge at you.

“Clarisse, please! They will be punished accordingly,” Chiron reassures her, making her halt in her place, and she groans, her arms crossing over her chest as she waits for Chiron’s verdict.

"Well, I was going to assign you four to clean the Pegasus stables, but now that it has come to my attention that the potion lasts 24 hours, your punishment is to feed and clean up after them while they’re under the spell."

“Ew, I’d rather clean the stables,” Connor mutters, and you furrow your eyebrows,

“But wouldn’t the pegasus stables be more work?” You ask, hoping to get him to change your punishment. The last thing you wanted to do was be surrounded by a bunch of angry bunnies. Sure they were small, but you did not doubt in your mind that you were going to be attacked by them.

“They are a big group; I think it is fair that Clarisse gets assistance in taking care of them,” He says calmly, his fingers intertwined as they rest on the desk in front of him. “Feed them before you go off to dinner, accommodate their sleeping arrangements and clean up after them before morning check-ins,” he decides. You sigh softly. At this point, as long as Clarisse wasn’t on the hunt to kill you, you were okay with it.

As Chiron dismisses you, you catch the satisfied smile Clarisse was sporting, and you felt your anger swirling in your chest. You grunt as you turn on your heels, Travis and Connor behind you as Percy walks by your side. You sigh, lazily trotting off the steps of the big house,

“This...”

“Sucks,” Percy finishes your sentence, and you nod, the both of you frowning.

☆’.･.･:★:･.･.’☆

“Stop biting me!” You complain, nudging off the crowd of bunnies from your arm. Percy laughs, seated on the floor beside you as he helps you make a nest of blankets big enough for the bunnies.

“They hate you,” he comments, amused. His smirk falls flat, and he hisses as one of them gets a good bite on his finger. “Ow!” He squints at the bunny before picking it up. It was your turn to laugh, and you watch curiously as he walks to one of the dressers and plopping it on top. “I don’t know who you are, but you’re in time-out,” he grumbles.

“Wait, that’s actually really smart!” You look down at the bunnies around you. “They can’t jump from that high!” As you reach for the closest bunny, they run out of your reach, squealing, and soon they were huddled under a bed.

Percy smiles as they disperse, “well, now they’ll leave us alone,” he says as he sits beside you to continue piling the extra blankets you found. “You should have let me play that rock-paper-scissors game with them,” Percy mentions.

The two of you were stuck making a makeshift bed for the Ares campers since Travis and Connor had to round up their cabin for curfew. Well, one of them could have done it, but they insisted that it was a two-person job. You said it was unfair if they skipped out and they offered to settle who will go with an intense rock-paper-scissors game; best of three. You had accepted the challenge and lost miserably.

"I should have known there was no point in trying with their luck."

"Yeah, you walked right into that."

You side-eye him, "anyways, you would have lost.”

“How are you so sure?”

"Because, you just would have," you say shortly, and you smile as he turns to you.

“Well, considering how lucky you've been all day," he says sarcastically, and you squint at him. "I would have had a better chance,” he gloats.

“You’ve been real sassy today,” you mumble, and he laughs. “It’s fine. There’s not that much to do anyway.” Carefully, you roll the sides of the blankets into a nest shape after Percy finishes piling them. You rise on your feet, “It’d sleep there if I were a bunny. What do you think?”

“I would too. It seems comfortable,” Percy smiles as he stands up.

"Are you losers done?" Clarisse walks into the cabin with bowls of water for her siblings, and you roll your eyes as she puts them on the ground.

"Yeah, is it to their liking?" You ask with fake politeness, straining a smile. Clarisse observes the bundle of blankets as her siblings get in to try it out. She furrows her eyebrows, listening attentively to the various squeals. She had inherited most of the bunny traits, and though she didn’t transform completely, she could understand what they were saying.

“Eh, it’s good enough,” she concludes after hearing all the complaints of her siblings. “I’m sick of seeing your faces; get out.” She didn’t have to tell you twice, and you don’t waste any time as you turn on your heels. You were sick of seeing her face too.

Walking down the steps of the Ares Cabin, Percy follows beside you. A slight hum comes from his lips, and you look over,

“I was wondering when you’d come back to sword fighting,” he mentions, and you nod, recalling that you had agreed to attend classes after sparing with him a couple of weeks ago. “Your brother has been coming more often; he’s gotten a lot better.”

“That’s why my body has been aching so much,” you mutter more to yourself. For the past week, you thought you were staining your body in your sleep.

“Huh?”

“Long story,” you wave your hand, and you think about his question.

If you were completely honest, you weren’t as depressed about what had happened anymore. After you talked with Percy, you had finally come to terms with many of the thoughts that were tormenting you. However, you still stayed locked up in the Hermes Cabin because in the past week or so, you’ve gotten so much studying done. You wanted to stay in and read, and you were planning on milking your excused absences for as long as you could. But now, you considered that maybe you should return to your normal activities. Connor and Travis were becoming more worried, so were Atticus and Lou Ellen.

“I could join tomorrow,” you say hesitantly, your heart fluttering as Percy’s face brightens up. “Are you that excited to beat me up?” You joke, and Percy laughs, shaking his head.

“No! It’s just… it’s weird not seeing you around.” He admits shyly as he looks away. The cool summer breeze blows on your warm cheeks, and you swallow,

“I’ll go tomorrow,” you confirm, sounding more sure of yourself this time. Once you approach the steps of the Hermes cabin, you turn to him. “Good night, Perce.”

The sides of Percy’s eyes crinkle as he nods, “Good night,” he says as he slowly backs away. “And try to wake up on time, yeah? I’m not feeding the Ares cabin alone tomorrow,” he teases. You did have a habit of being the last person to arrive at breakfast. He must have noticed.

“Yeah, yeah. Worry about yourself, waterboy.” You smile, hearing him scoff. Opening the door to the Hermes cabin, you look back at him one more time. You take in the wide grin on his face, and he nods,

“Got it. I’ll remember that when you’re being chased by Clarisse again.” Your mouth drops open, eyes glinting at his banter.

“You better go before the harpies eat you!” You shoo him away as he laughs, then with a short salute of his two fingers, he walks off to his cabin.

masterlist taglist: @xxyrr @nct127bee @mochabreezeee @minamisulemisa @yanfeisluvr @-thatgirloverthere- @sanovr @passionswift @nanskidoodle @Slytherclaw-kitten @zhethugisa

[kuroosmikasavolleyball]

It’s Always Oikawa

summary: you never believed in true love because during your long, 19 years of life, you’ve only ever experienced it through books and movies. But at a Valentine’s Day party in your second year of college, you come across a familiar face who just so happens to be single..and you’ve had the hots for him before. will you finally find love amongst the Cupid chaos?

genre: college au, fluff, suggestive

warnings: none

pairing: iwaizumi x f!reader

a/n: this is the last part! thank you to everyone who had read this series and has been patient with my updates :/ ‘till next time! (I’m still posting a final closing chapter though ;) )

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taglist closed!

The morning gave Iwaizumi a harsh reminder of his commitment. He had to tell Y/N how he felt and there was no other way to fix whatever had been broken.

For now, though, he changed into gym clothes and packed a sling bag, then headed to the gate he and Y/N had used when she gave him a tour of the college. The time since then had passed quicker than Iwaizumi thought and more things he would care to admit had gotten complicated.

Ever since he had a mini reunion with the people from his high school experience, he had the best times of his life. But it was scary to think how close he had gotten with Y/N, so easily too. The man was whipped before he knew it and messed up the relationship. He didn’t even know what he did, if he did something. The walk to the gate ruffled his hair and the smell of mowed grass reached his nose, and he saw a figure sitting on a bench near the gate.

He walked closer and tilted his head, slightly recognizing the features of the person until he realized it was Y/N, who seemed to be in distress.

“Y/N?” He spoke in confusion.

You lifted your head in shock and stood up.

“Hi.”

“What are you doing here?”

“W-waiting for you.” That enough made Iwaizumi’s heart clench. “I need to talk to you, Hajime, I made a mistake. I-”

Scared of the sudden confrontation, Iwaizumi cut you off. “Wait, before you say anything. Oikawa talked to me last night and it made me realize…something.”

“What was it?”

He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I did, but the last thing I wanted was for you to break ties between us. I thought this was going well, you know. I was scared I was moving too fast but you always seemed like you were fine with it, and it made me remember the camp in high school. I would’ve… I should’ve said something back then but I knew it was hopeless. But now, it doesn’t seem like it. So I have to tell you, I really like you.”

He rambled and your eyes widened progressively.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. It was a stupid thing with a text and I misunderstood, and the whole thing was just stupid. I was stupid. I should’ve talked to you but I got in my own head and avoided you. It’s all my fault, I swear it’s wasn’t you. I like you too. A lot.”

He grasped your hands and smiled. “Mind telling me what you were saying about a text?”

You laughed. “I think the others made a group chat about us and I misread a text Oikawa sent, or something like that. I’ve been overthinking this whole situation over a typo.”

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“I know right! Why didn’t you ask me about it at the party?”

“Oikawa dragged me away and gave me a whole pep talk about my feelings.”

“It’s always Oikawa, isn’t it?”

“Damn right.”

That Evening

The door opened to show Iwaizumi and Y/N hand in hand, holding plastic bags filled with Thai food.

“Look who decided to show up! Wait, Y/N? Did you two make up?”

Oikawa’s wide eyed were enough to make you laugh.

“Before you freak out, ‘Kawa, we did. No thanks to you.”

He gasped and claimed, “I have been the one person trying to get you two together and you’re not giving me any credit?!”

You sat down on the couch and waved to Bokuto and Akaashi, who were sharing a blanket, and then explained the text typo situation, to which Oikawa scratched his neck sheepishly and turned to the food instead.

The night turned into one of fun and watching Studio Ghibli movies. Iwaizumi clasped your hand underneath the comforter and pulled you quietly to go to the kitchen counter. The others’ eyes were still glued to the TV screen and Iwaizumi started to move his head closer to yours.

“Hajime! What are you doing!” You whisper-shouted.

He giggled and pressed his lips to yours, mumbling about how he couldn’t go another minute without your kisses. You swayed gently as heat rushed to your cheeks and butterflies erupted in your stomach.

It felt good. So good that you didn’t realize Oikawa had turned his head around and was now glaring at you.

“Iwa-chan! Y/N-chan! Get a room!”

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taglist: @xybi @kwiwin @perqabeth @bakugouswh0r3 @silver-liner @mzstics @magpiemissy @lilith412426 @keikotaro @hajiiwaizumi @bangtanhits @shookykookie30 @sabrinakishi @love-nishinoya-yu @hallothankmas @pothodicted @urfavecendol @koutsukki @trashy-simp @kousbaby @galacticskys @hello-c-horse @putmeinyourdeathnote @rintarovibes

[mrsmaybank]

Honey - Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader

Summary: Spencer and the reader were very much in love during Reid’s brief stint in Pasadena. When he has to see her again on a case, he is super nervous. 

a/n: first section is inspired by such great heights 

C/W: Swearing

PASADENA - 2002 

A note from the love of your life is a lovely way to wake up. 

------

When you can understand everything but yourself, finding somebody who does is like seeing a comet; disappointingly rare. My shaky hands can only be stilled by the smile of my most incandescent--in every connotation--creature, and that is you. The universe always seems to know what it is doing even if humanity does not. The stars align and move in patterns we as it’s audience do not fully understand. I think we have watched the stars so much the universe has aligned us as a favor to our poor, overestimated souls. I am so grateful!  Tolstoy noted that "We are asleep until we fall in love!” And I thank you for waking me up.

However I thought it best the favor not be returned this particular morning. You were up late last night, and looked too cute to disrupt. Do not kill me, I am getting coffee. 

I love you and do not leave the bed.  

-Spencer

------

Only Spencer Reid would write that on a sticky note, and only for you would he do so. 

You heard the rattling of keys and a door being opened and shut as Spencer made his way back to your bedroom. The smile you saw on his face was the start of a story that ended on the upturn of your lips, revealing the two protagonists in a mad frenzy of love. As soon as he reached you, your lips pressed to his in a desperation to be impossibly closer. 

“Hi.” he said. 

I am thinking it's a sign

That the freckles in our eyes

Are mirror images

And when we kiss they're perfectly aligned

“Hey love.” you tucked a loose brown hair back behind his ear for a closer look at the face you adored. “Please get back in bed.” 

He sighed but crawled in next to you, big nimble hands making their way across your torso to diminish the space in between you two. You nuzzled into his chest. 

“Your note was beautiful.” you whispered into his ear.

A big, goofy grin spread along his face.

“I meant every word.” his voice so sweet, it sounded dipped in honey. 

Honey is incredibly sticky. 

-----

There had to have been a world where it all worked out. 

In this world, my things never got old, and the ice cubes in my coffee never melted. I could listen to that song over and over again without draining the life out of it and I could like my hair style for more than three months. 

Spencer had read to me the greatest works of the world. Words of the greatest thinkers, authors, and minds. He had an appreciation for them greater than those of the average passerby and I adored that, because so did I. Truly, our similarities are what connected us. Our minds were correlated perfectly when it came to subjectivity. 

In accordance to human nature however, certain matters were never agreed upon. In particular, we argued about the future. The canyon of discrepancy so vast it tore us and our love in two. I didn’t think that was possible.

I wanted to write the book and watch the film as I lived my life and he and his arrogant over-practically thought that impossible. He thought himself an oneirocritic, but my dreams were not looking for critiques. 

Like I said, Spencer read to me the greatest works of the world. And years would pass and the heartbreak and sorrow would fade, but I would always find it ironic how the last thing I ever heard in that honey soaked voice was a work of Confucius.  “Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.”

Spencer chose to go to Washington. He took his heart and a piece of mine with him.

-----

BAU JET - 2011

Seaver must’ve noticed my flinch when the sound of her name resonated through the jet. I’d never liked going to California, but this...this had never happened.  “That name mean something to you Reid?” She smiled, “You look kind of horrified.” 

I ran my hands through my hair in a futile attempt to ground myself. “No. I just...I used to know her.” 

In between the fine lines of love and hate, fell a blurry midsection where feelings came before logic and screams and whispers sounded the same. She ruled over this midsection of chaotic emotional fury. 

Morgan spoke, and I quickly realized I might be falling into a conversation I really did not want to be having. “How the hell d’you know her pretty boy?” 

There was no point in lying on a plane completely occupied by profilers. My best option was to clumsily dodge any direct questions about just how well I knew her.

“I’m from the West coast.” 

“So are over 50 million people. You mean to tell me you know all of them?” he laughed.

“The exact estimation is actually 53,492,270. And no, I’m not saying I know all of them, Morgan. I lived in Pasadena for a year after I graduated from Caltech.”

“Okay?” Morgan questioned my previous statements relevancy. 

“She went to USC. We were in the same social circle.” 

Morgan laughed again, “You had a social circle?” 

Emily, next to us, was presumably combing through her file.

“You, ultimate three doctorate dorky dork, were in the same circle as a film major?” she asked. “

What the hell is ‘doctorate dorky dork’ supposed to mean?

“She double majored actually. Film and political science.”

Emily double checked the file, “And Reid’s right. Per usual.” 

“Reid and Prentiss, Y/L/N has agreed to talk to us in her home. She lives in the Hills. When we land, you guys go talk to her.” Hotch stated. 

“Why?” I said before I could stop myself. The team sat in confused silence in reaction to my bluntness, but Hotch, like always, was not having it. 

“Because we have a serial killer that is reenacting the murders in her movie, Reid.” his tone was stern and swift, with a patronizing sarcasm I supposed I deserved. 

“Sorry,” I got out, “I guess I just meant..why me?” 

“Well, you know her don’t you?” Rossi asked. 

I was not ready to divulge the personal details between me and this girl to my entire team, so I just pursed my lips and nodded. 

“Right. Sorry.” 

----

Life is not a spectacle or a feast; it is a predicament. George Santayana. I was in the biggest fucking predicament I’d ever encountered in my life. 

Nothing could slow the incessant, double time pounding in my chest. I was showing symptoms of the beginning of a heart attack. Hopefully I would die and never have to face this.

Fuck, don’t think that.

Have the seats in these cars always been this uncomfortable? God, is California always this hot?

I looked at Emily for half a second, and instantly recognized that keeping quiet from her was proving to be dysfunctional. I could feel her eyes burning into my brain with every profiling skill she knew.

“What are you not saying Reid?” 

I sighed. “Do I have to tell you?” 

“Yeah. Unless you want me to just find out on my own. It’ll be a lot less delicate.” 

Here goes nothing. 

“I dated her. For two years. I was very much in love with her. It ended....abruptly. I haven’t spoken to her since, and now, nine years later, I am on my way to her house. I might have a heart attack.” 

Emily's eyes widened, “Shit..” She laughed a little, “Reunited at last?.” 

I answered with a glare. Hard no.

“Fine, sorry.” She said, masking a giggle with a cough.

I shifted in my seat and I could practically see the gears in Emily’s profiler cerebrum spin. She knew exactly the question to ask. “Is it nerves?”  

I nodded my head, “I was a very different person back then.” 

“Nothing like time and the bureau can change somebody.” she said. “But, hey..”She smiled again and my eyes widened when I realized what I’d revealed. “I asked you if you were nervous. I didn’t-” 

“Emily..” I started. 

“Are you nervous she won’t like you now? Do you still like her?” her mouth hung open, “Oh my god Reid!” 

I shook my head, “No, I don’t still like her! I don’t even know her anymore! I just..I’d never loved somebody the way I loved her.” 

Emily had figured me out at the same time I had. “And you still haven’t.” 

Fuck.

“Correct.” 

The car pulled into her driveway, and conversations from all those years ago started to replay in my head. 

“When we get a house, can we paint our front door bright blue?” 

“I want a lemon tree in the front yard.” 

“Windows. Huge windows. It’s a must.” 

All these things I’d promised her in our future home she’d gotten for herself. Good. 

Fontaine said “Sadness flies away on the wings of time”, but the pain I felt from the loss of her was as prominent as ever. 

Here goes nothing. 

---

Thank you for reading!

a/n2 :  this is completely unedited so if its sucks dick i am sorry :/ i just wanted to post it lol

A/n 3: the typos oh my fuck. I wanna Kick myself for letting this cute fic  be up in that state for so long. Anyway, fixed! :) 

[madam-agony]

The Exaggeration of Problematic Ships

WARNING: Mention of Abuse, Death Threats

Hello! In this post, I will explain my point of view on this whole thing about “problematic ships”.

The reason why I decided to discuss about this kind of subject is because I’m completely tired of seeing people throwing hate and bullying other people over something so harmless.

By the way, excuse me if there will be any grammar mistakes.

First of all, I will explain what “problematic ship”, “pro ship” and what “anti” means

“Problematic ship” means a ship between two or more fictional characters, regardless if they’re abusive, age-gapped, blood-related, or just considered wrong in general. (examples of proships: Sebastian x Ciel, Hisoka x Gon, Endeavor x Todoroki, Bakugo x Deku, Illumi x Killua, etc)

“Pro ship” means to believe it’s completely fine for people to ship whatever they want, even if it’s a problematic ship.

“Anti" means to be against pro shippers.

Now, I will explain why being a pro shipper is completely normal and deserve respect just like all of us.

Never compare fiction with reality. It’s dumb and makes no sense when you compare these two different things in a case like this.

A problematic ship would be bad in real life because it does harm someone. Though, in fiction, nobody gets hurt.

We can do whatever the hell we want in fictional world and no one can tell us what to do, and that’s the beauty of it. We can do whatever we want without caring about anyone else. Telling someone to stop fantasizing about something just because you find it wrong is pointless and dumb

Fiction doesn’t affect reality. At least, not in the way to be considered as dangerous. It’s silly to blame a video game for a person’s actions, the game has no fault. An adult is completely aware of what they are doing, so they should know that any action they take has consequences they must consider. If it’s a child or a minor, then it’s the parents’ fault for not checking up on them and not taking enough care of them.

I understand that it may trigger you and may be a sensitive topic, but it’s not our problem. I don’t want to sound rude, but it’s honestly not our problem. We can create, post, and discuss about whatever we want as long as it’s not harming anyone directly. If it makes you uncomfortable, just block us. It is not up to us to create content that you find enjoyable or at least decent. It’s our posts, our accounts, our lives. We don’t hurt you on purpose.

Don’t say “but it teaches children to behave badly because they saw in a fanfiction it’s okay to be abusive or be fondled by adults!” just no. As I said, the parents should be more responsible with their children and check up on them whenever possible (not as in “spying your child every time you’ve got the opportunity” but you get my point). Also, if you really need to believe that everything displayed in fanfictions is normal/healthy, then you should get proper education.

I am myself a pro shipper, and while I’m not that hardcore of a fan, I still had previous experiences with angry and frustrated antis.

I know it will make me seem like I’m complaining or anything, but this will be an easier way I can guarantee you that people like these exist, since it was in my own experience.

I once wrote a fanfiction that implied pro shipping. I did put warnings in the description and before the story began, but I see that it was useless because people prefer to get triggered and shocked than read the description and pay attention to the warning so they can insult the living shit out of me later on. The next day, I woke up with 20+ hate comments and death threats in the comments.

All of them were horrible, it made me feel like shit and made me wonder why people are like that. Luckily, after a hour or two, I calmed down and realized that I shouldn’t stress on people like these so much. I should take this bad experience and make it something good to teach other people, something that I can give to other people so they can learn from my experience. I was stronger than before. (as cringe as it sounds lol)

At that moment, I realized that people like that barely even care about the real “issue” here. They only see it as a chance to bully someone without looking bad in front of other people. They are so sucked up in their own mind that they think what they’re doing is right.

People like that are the worst. Their morality is corrupted.

Because, their morals is like: it’s not okay to write things like that, but it’s okay to send death threats and bully them”

Don’t get me wrong, it’s completely fine to dislike a ship! I dislike some ships too, but that doesn’t give me the right to go and jump on them like a wild animal.

Not all antis are mean, but most of them are like that. It’s okay to not like something, but don’t make a mess out of it.

Now here are a few examples of frustrated and crazy antis.

Hell, they are so annoying when they put heart emojis at the end of their comment so they can make themselves look quirky and cool. Disgusting, that’s all I have to say about this kind of people.

If you really believe someone is doing something wrong, approach them in a gentle manner and talk respectfully towards them.

I’m sorry if I sounded rude in this post, and remember that you should look in other perspectives too, not in only yours. Even if someone does something wrong (but pro shipping is not the case), then explain to them what they’re doing wrong, not fuck them up.

Thank you for taking your time to read this.

If you have any questions, just comment on this post or message me privately.

(Yes, I edited this post because I have mistaken the difference between “problematic ship” and “pro ship” and fixed a few typos. Don’t worry, my points in this post are still the same and I fully mean them.”