#in extreme cases with no options left that they immediately fucking jumped into and were lucky I didn’t DIE so many times but fuck yeah

[emmyhem]

stormy fears & feelings (l.r.h)

a/n: hey everyone! here’s “stormy fears & feelings”, this is a nonfamous au with roommate!luke. (unedited as usual) this was really fun to write, i intended for it to be short and sweet but i ended up writing for longer than i had originally planned. anyway, i hope you enjoy and are having a great day/night/whatever. i appreciate any and all feedback, and as always my messages are always if you want to chat or anything :) thank youuuu - emmy <33

pairing: roommate!luke hemmings x fem!reader 

summary: a thunderstorm leaves you awake and scared, and going to your standoffish roommate, who you happen to have an extremely inconvenient crush on for comfort may be your only option to get a good night of sleep. 

warning(s): cursing, extremely minor injury, minor angst if you squint

word count: 5k

It really was an awful idea. In any other case it wouldn’t have even crossed your mind, but you had been on edge all week for no specific reason and thunderstorms had always spooked you. 

The storm had started unexpectedly. If you had known earlier you would have ran to the store to buy Nyquil before going to bed, but with it sneaking up on you, you were huddled under your blankets, eyes squeezed impossibly tight in hopes to drown out the loud crashes and blinding flares of light flooding your bedroom window. 

When the thought originally passed through your head it was more of an internal sarcastic remark than a possible solution. 

 I mean, you had been living with your roommate, Luke for over 4 months now, but you weren’t really friends. You would occasionally chat with him if you were both up and about around the apartment, which was pretty rare seeing as Luke seemed to avoid you for the most part. Hurrying out of a room when you entered, ending conversations quickly, and always being conveniently busy when you had attempted to make plans to get to know each other better. Your living arrangement had only come to be because you had heard through a friend he was looking for a roommate at the same time that you had happened to be on the lookout for a new place. Your relationship consisted mainly of half-hearted greetings and subtle avoidances of each other. So, going to him for comfort wasn’t a viable option to soothe your nerves. 

Even if you did, what would you expect him to do? 

Sit up with you? No, not when you knew he had to wake up early for work. 

Talk you down? He wouldn’t even know what to say in the first place, your typical conversations were made up of checking if there was still coffee, or deciding whose turn it was to do the dishes. 

Offer up a space in his bed? Absolutely not. That was the most unthinkable of them all. If it wasn’t for the fact that Luke had always seemed pretty adamant with his personal space, sometimes tensing up if you even sat too close to him on the couch. Your annoying and inconvenient crush that had started the day you moved in, just wouldn’t allow the two of you to be in such close quarters without your heart racing and your head dizzying.  

It was out of the question, end of discussion. 

With that being said it only took one more boom of thunder to have you shoot up from your bed and pad quietly into the hallway, with fuzzy sock clad feet and a large quilt wrapped tightly around your shoulders. 

You stared at his bedroom door hesitantly until the next strike, during which you knocked ever so lightly and muttered a soft,

 “Luke,”

After a minute and no reply you resorted to giving up on your plan and heading to the kitchen to drink a cup of tea, in hopes it may help. The idea was good enough, but you had failed to consider the noise that comes along with it. And as if the whistling of the kettle and clattering of the mugs wasn’t enough, the next roar of thunder sent you into a shock causing you to stub your toe on the corner of the cabinet and let out a pained yelp. You quickly slapped a hand over your mouth and sunk to the floor to assess the damage as you heard rustling and a door opening from the hall. 

Luke was in the kitchen in a matter of seconds, his long legs carrying him there within just a few steps. He hit a light switch, causing the kitchen to glow a dim yellow. 

“Y/n, you alright?” he grumbled, rubbing sleep from his eyes as he approached your crouched position on the floor. 

“Yea, yea I’m okay. Sorry, I woke you up.” you responded, mentally kicking yourself for causing such a disruption. 

“S’alright. What’s goin’ on? Why are you up?” he spoke, offering you a hand to pull yourself up. 

You accepted it, trying your hardest to ignore how warm it felt, and how easily it enveloped your own as you returned to your feet. 

“Uh, I just had a hankering for chamomile.” you lied. You really should’ve thought this through. Now that he was standing in front of you, admitting your fear of thunderstorms seemed daunting. You were an adult for chrissakes, an adult that was left shaking at the mere thought of a considerably common weather phenomenon.  

His eyebrows tugged in confusion as he glanced between you and the kettle. 

“Did you knock at my door a couple minutes ago?” he questioned as you watched the window over the sink nervously. 

Your eyebrows raised a bit at the inquiry.

“Thought I heard something, but then I figured I must’ve just imagined it. Y’know, woken myself up.” he continued. 

“Um, yep that was me.” you admitted, turning your back to him in hopes to hide your embarrassment. 

“So, was there a reason, or?” 

“Right, yea a reason.” you paused, searching for an excuse in your drowsy and distracted brain. “I wondered if you wanted a cup.” 

“In the middle of the night?” your subconscious deadpanned as your face scrunched in displeasure. 

You turned back around to face him, holding a mug out for him. 

Confusion and a glint of amusement was painted across his features as he spoke, 

“You wanted to know if I wanted a cup of tea,” he peeked at the clock behind you. “at 2:30 in the morning?” 

As you opened your mouth to defend your admittedly bad excuse another crash of thunder rumbled from the sky, causing your body to jump in fear and your hand to release its grip on the ceramic mug. Luke took a step back just in time as it shattered to pieces on the floor. 

You brought two shaky hands to your face and pressed yourself against the cabinet, cowering as far back as possible. 

“Hey, s’okay. It’s just thunder.” Luke said, placing a hand on your shoulder. 

You peeked out through your hands before dropping them from your face all together. 

Realization sparked on his face as your eyes met his. 

“Are you afraid of thunderstorms?” Despite his tone being soft, sweet even, you were sure he was making fun of you. 

“I-uh, no. No I’m not.” you rushed out, attempting to push past him and scurry into your bedroom. 

“Y/n, the glass.” he warned, his grip on your shoulder tightened, not allowing you to move. 

“Was that why you knocked earlier?” 

You nodded, hesitantly your eyes dropping to the floor. 

“I don’t know why, I just- thunderstorms have freaked me out since I was little and I normally would take something to help me fall asleep, but I didn’t have anything and...I shouldn’t even have tried to wake you up in the first place, there’s nothing you could do and we aren’t even friends or anything. Probably don’t even like me, I mean you can hardly even stand to be in the same room as me. Anyways I’ll be fine, lemme clean this up and then i’ll just head to my ro-” you rambled, not even pausing to take a breath. 

“You think I don’t like you?” he interrupted. 

Fuck. Was the scare so intense oxygen had been cut off from your brain? Why would you say all that? He didn’t need to know that you took notice of the fact that he avoided your company like the plague. 

Instead of responding you opted for grabbing the dustpan, the sooner the floor was clean the sooner you could get back to your room. Where you would sit awake in fear, by yourself for the rest of the night, no doubt replaying this embarrassing interaction over and over again. 

Luke stood seemingly frozen as you kneeled down beside him attempting to gather the broken shards, which was proving to be difficult with such shaky hands. 

With another bolt of lightening your hand shuddered and slipped from the brush, hitting a shard and slicing a thin cut on the pad of your pointer finger. 

“Shit” you hissed, dropping the dustpan to examine the tiny gash. 

Luke’s head snapped in your direction, eyes immediately filling with concern. 

“Ow” you whined quietly. 

He dropped down next to you and took the finger into his hands. 

“You should clean this out, I’ll finish this up.” he nodded to the remaining glass. 

“I can get it.” you protested. “You should get to bed, you have to work tomorrow.” you continued, making your way to the sink. 

“So do you.” he responded flatly, already finishing up cleaning as you looked around for a band aid. When you finally located the box of bandages Luke was behind you. 

“Lemme see.” he said, taking one from the box while he examined your finger. 

You watched his face intently as he carefully wrapped your cut with squinted eyes and a small pout. 

You had never seen Luke during the night. There was a certain softness to him that was completely foreign to you, one that made the thought of cuddling into him seem far too appealing for your liking. 

“I do like you, y/n.” he broke you out of your thoughts, uttering it so quietly you thought you may have imagined it. 

You nodded in acknowledgement, not knowing how to respond without further embarrassing yourself. 

“I’m sorry I made you think I didn’t” 

At this point he had finished bandaging you up which made the fact that he was still standing a mere inches apart from you with his hand wrapped around yours, all the more affecting. 

“M’sorry I even brought it up, I’m just tired cause of the storm, and apparently I lose a filter with no sleep.”

His hand lightly squeezed yours as you spoke, and the butterflies that erupted in your stomach as he did so told you it was time to go back to your room. You gingerly tugged your hand away, ignoring the way Luke’s expression faltered when you did. 

“I’m sorry again, about all of this. You should get some sleep.” 

“Will you be able to?”

“I’ll be fine, one night of lost sleep is hardly the end of the world.” you responded, taking a step towards the hallway. Luke caught your arm before you got far. 

“Yea, but you lose your filter when you're tired, you said it yourself.” A small grin grew on his face as he continued. “Can’t have you spilling all your secrets tomorrow.” 

Was he joking around with you? 

Before you could stop it, a pleased smile appeared on your face. This was new. You didn’t even know he had a sense of humor, he had never attempted to share it with you before. 

“I’m sure I can control myself.” you returned, attempting to go once more. Of course, his voice stopped your movements within a second. 

“Y/n, let me help. How can I help?” 

The plausible reasoning for his sudden generosity was that he was feeling guilty or maybe even embarrassed that you were under the impression he didn’t like you. But that didn’t stop your entire body to warm at the offer. 

“There’s really not much to do.” you started. “I think the only reason I knocked in the first place is because I’m used to having some company when I get scared. Big family, y’know there was never a shortage of beds I could crawl into.” 

“Company!” he repeated, eyes lit up. “I can do that. I have it on very good authority that I’m an excellent cuddler.” 

Your body froze at his words. He couldn’t be serious, right? There’s no way he had any interest in that, even if it was just for your sake. 

He must’ve noticed your tenseness at the proposition because before you got a chance to respond, a bright red blush overtook his cheeks and he squeaked out, 

“Or the floor, I could always take the floor. I mean company can be just my presence in the room, I guess. If you want.” 

“No. I mean-um, I could go for a cuddle.” you heart answered before your brain got the chance to interfere. 

He smiled at you warmly. 

“Alright then.” 

You had never been into Luke’s room before, I mean not really. Sometimes you would sit his laptop in there if he had left it out or lay a sweatshirt of his on the foot of the bed but you had never actually been inside. It was slightly messy, there was a pile of clean, unfolded laundry on a desk chair, and a few empty water bottles scattered around but for the most part it was clean. On his bed the blankets were strewn about from where he must’ve been sleeping earlier, a pile of pillows stacked high on the right side, and it could’ve just been how tired you were but you had never wanted to crawl into a bed more. 

“I like your room.” you whispered, as he spread the pillows out more evenly across the top of the mattress. 

“Why’re we whispering?” 

“It’s nighttime.” 

“Y/n, we’re the only people who live here and we’re both awake.” he teased, laughing while shaking his head. 

“Oh, right.”

He gestured a hand to the bed, “Ladies first.” 

Hesitantly you sat, your back pressed against the mound of pillows Luke had compiled for you, shortly after he took a seat next to you, leaving a few inches of space between your legs. You looked down to your lap, aware of how awkward of a position the two of you were in, neither knowing how to go about this. Luke spoke first, 

“Are you warm enough?” 

“Yea, thanks.” 

“Mhm,” he hummed in response. “Do you wanna watch something?” 

“M’pretty tired.” you replied. “We should probably just go to sleep.” 

“Yeah, right.” he nodded, watching you. 

It seemed he was waiting for you to get comfortable, like he didn’t want to push any boundaries that you weren’t ready to cross. 

Unsurely you scooted your body down in the bed till you were fully horizontal, took one more glance at Luke and then turned your back to him, pulling the duvet up over your shoulders. With his blanket pulled up just under your nose you subtly breathed in the pine and vanilla aroma that you recognized as his body wash. You’d never admit to it but occasionally you’d spend a little extra time in the shower inhaling the fresh scent. 

A dip in the mattress told you that Luke had laid down and within a few minutes you were sure he was sleeping again. You were feeling a bit more calm, trying your hardest to ignore every loud crash of thunder and instead focus on counting the seconds between each soft breath Luke exhaled. 

Just as a drowsy haze began to come over you, straining your eyelids and fogging up your brain a particularly alarming rumble broke the silence causing your body to jerk and your breath to catch. Luke grumbled quietly beside you and you could feel him rolling around. As you opened your mouth to apologize for waking him a warm hand slipped just under the hem of your shirt, rubbing soothing circles onto the bare skin of your hip. Your body tightened at the unexpected contact and you strained your neck to look at him over your shoulder. 

“Luke,”

“Go to sleep, m’right here.” he mumbled without even opening his eyes. 

You faced back around but placed a hand over his and removed it from your body. This must’ve worried Luke because he pushed himself up on his elbow, eyes blinking open as you turned to face him. 

“Was that not good? I’m sorry, I’ll keep my hands to myself.” he rambled through a defense. 

“No,” you shushed, pressing a hand to his chest to lightly push him back down. “s’good.” you assured while pulling his arm over your body as you tucked yourself into his chest. Your bodies were completely flush in this new position. “This is better.” you murmured, your nose bumping his chest as you made yourself comfortable. 

He hummed softly in agreement, his hand finding its way to your hair, cupping the back of your head. 

Sleep was sweeping over you fast like this, the sound of Luke’s heartbeat drowning out any daunting noise coming from outside. Not to mention that anytime your body so much as twitched Luke’s arms would tighten around you ever so slightly as if to assure he was still there with you. 

When the sun had risen you woke up to the sound of soft snores, and the feeling of tiny puffs of air on your forehead. As you tried to roll over and stretch your limbs you found your legs were tangled with someone else’s and your cheek was practically glued to the faded grey cotton that adorned your roommate’s chest. 

“Luke.” you called, using your hand to shake him awake.

“Shh” he whined, repositioning you both so your back was snug against his chest. 

“We have work.” you mumbled, trying to squirm out of his hold. It proved ineffective as he just tightened his arms around your stomach. 

He grumbled something incoherently that sounded an awful lot like “No, stay with me please. So warm.” but that couldn’t have been it. Right? 

Afraid he would dig himself further into this hole of sleepy deliriousness, you began to rouse him, prying yourself out of his arms and promising him a hot cup of coffee if he met you in the kitchen within ten minutes. 

You quickly washed your face, brushed your hair and teeth and made your way to the kitchen to fix two cups of coffee. Luke stumbled out of his bedroom just a few minutes later, his eyes squinted under the natural light flooding the windows and he seemed to almost glide across the tile until you and his coffee were in arm’s reach. 

“Good morning, sleeping beauty.” you greeted in a teasing tone, pushing the mug across the counter to him. 

He hummed and took two large sips before turning his attention fully to you. 

“G’morning, did you sleep okay?” 

“Yeah, I actually did.” you affirmed. “Thank you for everything last night, Luke.” you rested your hand over his on the countertop, squeezing it once lightly to express your gratitude. 

When you pulled it away Luke’s eyes lingered over where your hand had previously been before he dragged his gaze up to meet your eyes. 

He released a deep sigh before speaking, “Happy to help, I’m honestly glad the storm happened.” 

“Happy to see me scared shitless, are we Hemmings?” 

He laughed through a denial, leaning forward to press his forehead on your shoulder where your loose fitting shirt had slipped. 

Your posture straightened as your stomach tied itself in knots, each one tightening with every exhale that brushed your bare skin. 

“No, I’m just glad that we can finally y’know, be-” 

“Friends.” you cut off. Because that’s what you would be, you had to remind yourself. You wouldn’t have Luke’s bed to crawl into every night. You wouldn’t have his firm chest under your palms each morning, or his hands tangled in your hair. Especially not in the way you really wanted them. 

Luke pulled off of you like he had been electrically shocked. 

“Friends” he repeated, and if you weren’t so busy pitying yourself you may have heard the subtle lilt in his voice that caused the word to come out as more of a question than a statement. 

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air, and as the minutes passed this interaction was starting to feel more like the ones you typically had with Luke. 

“We should get ready for work, you have to go soon.” he spoke up, already walking away. 

“We should do something tonight.” you suggested. This is what you were afraid of, you had grown attached already. “Maybe watch something or, I don’t know.” Anything to be near you again. 

“I won’t be home.” he clipped, closing his bedroom door behind him. 

It really was an awful idea.

You hurried through your morning routine, carefully selecting any time you had to leave your bedroom to avoid bumping into Luke. What had gone wrong? Had the word friends spooked him? If that was the case, what would he have done if he found out what you really wanted to say? 

Either way you left feeling confused and rejected, so quickly you didn’t even realise you had forgotten your car keys until you were on the sidewalk outside your complex. 

“Shit.” you cursed, turning on your heel and storming back in the building. 

Once you had expertly made your way back inside the apartment and retrieved your keys, being as quiet as humanly possible to not alert Luke to the fact that you had re-entered, you were halfway out the door when the utterance of your name froze your movements. 

“She just left for work.” 

Luke must’ve been on the phone, but why was he talking about you? Curiosity got the best of you and you quietly shut the door with you on the inside, work could wait. 

“Because, Cal that’s not what she wants.” he sighed.

He was talking to Calum? The only friend you shared, and the connection through which you got a room here in the first place. 

“She wants to be my friend and I can’t do that. Not with her.” 

“Why not?” you whispered to yourself, taking a step further inside to hear him better. 

“No, it’s not better than nothing at all. I can’t be her friend ‘cause anytime she’s near me all I can think about is kissing her.” 

Your stomach dropped at his words and a small gasp escaped your mouth. All the dots began adding up in your head. The avoiding? Well he had just explained that, and honestly it was the best excuse you’d ever heard. His behavior last night? You had caught him with his guard down, he was forced to let you in. His sudden annoyance at the word friends this morning? You had shot him down and you hadn’t even realized it. You liked Luke, and he actually liked you back.

“Actually, avoiding does work.” he continued, breaking you from your thoughts. 

You could hear the mumble of Calum’s response but unfortunately couldn’t make out any of the words. 

“Last night was an exception, she was all cute and scared. There’s no way I could’ve turned her away. I’ll go right back to avoiding, and things’ll go back to normal. Suffer in silence, I’m telling you it works.” 

That’s not what you wanted, not at all. The creak of floorboards alerted you to Luke’s approaching and you hastily snuck out the front door, your mind running through possible solutions the whole way to your car. 

Luke hadn’t lied when he said he wouldn’t be home, which meant he was taking this whole avoiding thing seriously. It was 1:30 am and you were still up waiting for him, your seat at the dining room table was losing its appeal as your back cramped in pain. The original plan you had concocted in the hours you spent daydreaming about him at work was to wait up for him, lure him into a movie night and make a move while the two of you were cuddled up on the couch. You hadn’t planned for him to be out this late though, and in all honesty you were starting to worry. You hoped he was just crashing at a friend’s, you hoped he wasn’t alone, you really hoped he wasn’t with another girl. 

Discouraged, you moved your pity party into your bedroom, flopping onto your bed and groaning loudly into a pillow. You rolled onto your back, wasting time by counting the blades of the ceiling fan in each slow rotation. 

You were at 231 in your counting when you heard the front door open followed by the clambering of footsteps. You perked up and angled your ear towards the hall. 

“Please be alone. Please be alone. Please be alone.” you repeated quietly to yourself as the steps got closer. From the light protruding the crack under your bedroom door, you saw the shadow of a figure approach. You held your breath in anticipation of the knock you figured was coming. A few minutes passed, nothing came, and soon enough the shadow disappeared and Luke retreated to his bedroom. 

You stared out your window and for the first time in your life found yourself hoping for a storm. The sky was clear, hardly a cloud in sight, and the moonlight was warm and prominent. It would look so pretty on Luke’s face right now, all soft eyes and drowsy expressions. 

It seemed a shame to sleep by yourself, he was just across the hall, the promise of his warm embrace taunting you. 

You huffed in exasperation and jumped to your feet, “Here goes nothing.” 

You didn’t bother being quiet as you advanced to his door, leaving three heavy knocks on the worn oak. 

You could hear him shuffling inside and then the intimidating creak of the hinges, revealing him to you. 

“Are you okay?” he questioned sluggishly, his body slumping against the door frame.

“Can I sleep in here?” you asked instead of answering. No time to waste here. 

“Um, it’s not storming?” 

“I know. Can I?”

“Is there a reason?” he breathed, his heavy eyes drifting down your face to land unabashedly on your lips, which you were chewing in anxiousness.

“I have a crush on you.” you blurted, causing him to shoot up from his languid lean. 

“What?” 

“I have this big stupid crush on you. I have ever since I moved in but I thought you hated me because you always avoided me, but now I know that you like me too and I don’t see the point in us sleeping in separate beds anymore.” you continued, your eyes glued to a dip in the hardwood floor. 

“How did you ev-” 

“I heard you on the phone with Calum earlier.” you interrupted to explain, still refusing to meet his eyes. “I swear I wasn’t spying or anything, I forgot my keys.” 

Without saying a word Luke stepped to the side allowing you entrance. You shuffled past him but didn’t make it far before his hand caught your forearm and smoothly tugged you a mere inches from him. 

He spoke through heavy breaths, eyes flitting to your own as you faced him for the first time since your declaration. 

“You like me?” 

You could only nod, your brain completely fogged by the close proximity. 

His eyes fell from your eyes to your now bitten lips, “Can I?” he sighed as his hand found your chin, thumb brushing the skin timidly. 

“Y-yea” you agreed, leaning into his touch. 

He closed the gap between you with a gentle press of his lips, his hand slowly dragging up your arm leaving goosebumps in its wake until it was tangled in your hair. As you relaxed into his hold his movements became more fervent, his tongue begging for entrance which you allowed when your mouth fell open with a flustered sigh. 

Luke stumbled backward dragging you along with him until the back of his calves met the foot of the bed and he dropped to sit on the edge, you standing between his legs. You pulled apart to breath and he spoke raggedly, 

“My heart…” he trailed off catching his breath. 

“What?” you muttered. 

“Feel it.” he continued, taking your hand and pressing it to his heart which you could feel thumping rapidly through the warmth of his skin. 

You laid your forehead against the top of his head, moving both of your hands to your own chest. 

“Me too.”

He tugged on your sweatshirt until you were seated securely on his knee, his hands grasping at your waist. 

“You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to do that.” he drawled before he began alternating pecks, and light nibbles down your neck until he reached the spot he could feel your pulse thrumming from. He lets his lips rest there for a while and reveled in the fact that you were just as affected as him. He pulled away when you spoke up.

“Where were you tonight?”

“Moped around Calum’s place until he kicked me out, told me I needed to deal with my shit.” he answered, the hand he was resting on your upper thigh caressing the skin through your pajama pants.

“I heard you outside my door earlier.” you admitted leaning into his side. 

“I came home with every intention of telling you but I chickened out.”

“What would you have told me?” you wondered aloud. 

“That I like you, and that last night was amazing. That I don’t want to sleep without you again if I don’t have to.” 

Luke took notice of the fact that your eyelids were drooping as he talked and began to scoot you both back in the bed as he continued.

He watched in awe as you curled into his side. 

“Up for a breakfast date tomorrow, love?” he asked, pulling the blanket over you both. 

“Yes, please.” you agreed, laying your palm flat against the warmth radiating from his stomach. 

“So what should we do with your room?” Luke said drowsily, sleep beginning to creep up on him as well.

“What do you mean?” 

“Well, you won’t be needing it anymore since you’re moving in here.” he comments casually, pushing your hair out of your face with soft movements.

You laugh lightly but it’s drowned by the yawn that slips out when you respond. 

“In your dreams, Hemmings.” 

“If I’m lucky.” he replied, allowing his eyes to flutter shut. “Goodnight y/n.” 

“Night, Lu.” 

[cicos-macos]

Bo, Nita and Leon headcanons because I can't stop thinking about them

DISCLAIMER: This is my projection. I love and appreciate anyone saying "I have different headcanons" because they're valid. But you're in my mind now, so you better be respectful!

BO: - Bo just turned 30 as of right now, this very second. Happy birthday Bo! I refuse to believe he's older than that - Leon and Nita are his niece and nephew. His sister and her partner passed away when the kids were 9 (Leon) and 11 (Nita), and they were left in his custody - He's a "commitment for life" kind of a guy, which is why he never managed to keep a relationship going for longer than a few months. That, and people he used to be with weren't ready to immediately take care of 2 kids - He is both extremely romantic and extremely stoic. He'll be saying something like "your smile is like the sunlight, and I am a flower basking in your radiance" with the most serious face ever. It's funny as fuck - His sister used to be the breadwinner in the family and after her passing he was struggling hard to maintain a proper income - Because of that he taught himself plenty of skills, such as woodworking, mechanics etc - Adores being outside, especially barefoot. Being "one with nature" is extremely important to him - Never smoked in his life, but he drank a few times and hated the experience - Obsessed with eagles. He's got his iconic dad cap, shirts and jackets with eagles on them, even some bedsheet covers have eagles drawn. Even one "sexy" underwear with a big eagle in the front. He found it hilarious - Driven by his morals. If he doesn't agree with something, there is no force on this planet that will make him do it - Very very neat. There is no trash anywhere, every surface is clean and dishes washed right away - He's Lawful as fuck. He just got bills? He puts on a jacket and goes to pay them right away. He will wait for the green light no matter how long it takes. Trash is going INTO the bin and if you hurl it next to it, he will stop you and make you go back and throw it where it belongs, all the while telling you how disappointed he is - Very introverted. He would rather talk to a rock than people that (might) annoy him - As stoic and "cold" as he is, he's would be very affectionate and handsy with his partner - His favorite color is teal

LEON: - He's 13 now. He's just a little guy. Like "You wouldn't hit a birthday boy on his birthday" little guy. He's a troublemaker!!! - If there's no candy in the house he WILL go feral. - He used to pickpocket a lot, but Bo put a stop to it. As much as it would help out, it's wrong, and when Bo says "Don't." it's more than enough - He considered making his own gaming channel where he would scam and troll people, but once again Bo put a stop to it. Instead, he has a channel where he and Nita help take care of stray animals (Nita's idea) and the donations help out the family too - Kinda spoiled, honestly. People are afraid of Bo, and because of that they usually let Leon do whatever he wants to do, and if he gets in trouble he's calling for Nita - HATES having to cut his hair. It's like, one of the biggest "please no" from him, alongside having to take off his hood/hat and "no candy" punishments. He hates those the most - Spends most of his time indoors, usually in his room. He occasionally sends a cursed meme in the family group chat. Bo finds them funny - He and Sandy are best of friends; Sandy sometimes comes over for a sleepover wearing the exact same onesie as Leon, but instead of playing he actually falls asleep, while Leon plays games and jumps around - His room is, surprisingly, neat and tidy. No trash in sight - His favorite color is green

NITA: - She's 15 and ready for school to be over and done - Massive humanitarian. If there is a volunteering option for a good cause, she's taking it - Has a little speech problem where she needs a bit of time to form a sentence while saying it, so while she speaks there are a lot of pauses - Bo taught her how to fight, in case Leon gets into trouble - Her room is a MESS. A tornado flew inside of it and trashed the place from top to bottom - She loves homemade jewelry; mostly made out of wood (by Bo), or clay (by herself) - She's the "bruh" kind of a girl - Kids at school are kind of afraid of her - Her channel (and blog by extent) was made spontaneously when she recorded Leon's hoodie being absolutely destroyed by a cat, and it went viral - If she could, she would adopt every single animal she comes across of. Unfortunately the family's financial situation is barely suited for the three of them, much less a pet or 50 of them - Her favorite color is red

[zemodaddy]

Hey so i finally completed the first chapter of the zemo x reader fanfic. Make sure to read the authors note at the end and i hope you enjoy.!

Synopsis:

Y/n is an ex-avenger who, after the blip was forced to work for the US government. You trained to be an assassin/spy and your gifts of wielding flames made you invaluable. When you were assigned to follow Bucky you find him helping Helmut Zemo escape from his prison cell. What is he up to? Should you stop him?

Warnings: violence, lots of swearing, angst, fluff and in later chapters extreme acts of hatred towards John Walker :)

Shades of Him

They replaced him. They replaced him with a random guy and stuck Steve’s shield on him. You were staring at the TV in disbelief. You thought of Steve like a brother and he definitely wouldn’t have wanted this.

After the blip you had no job, the avengers pretty much all separated and that left you without anything to do, and that meant no income and no income meant no home or food. You couldn’t exactly find a normal job because most people were afraid of you. A trained assassin and spy who could wield flames wasn’t really considered normal. That left you with no choice but to accept the deal the US government offered you. Do their dirty work and you wont end up homeless.

Your newest mission was to track Bucky to make sure he followed the rules set upon him for his pardon. You are close to him, like you were close to Steve. Hiding the fact that you were following him everywhere he went was kind of hard but you managed. You had to manage.

So finding him and Sam visiting a German prison kind of surprised you. Had this got to do with his therapy? Surely not. They left around an hour later and from then nothing more suspicious happened. A quick google search and a deep dive into some public records showed that a high security prisoner resided at this prison. Not just anyone. Zemo.

Interesting you thought. Later that night you followed Bucky and Sam to an old garage. You waited outside for 5 minutes before entering, trying to keep to the shadows of the room. The two men seemed to be in the midst of a heated discussion. “You want Zemo to help us?” Sam looks exasperated. Bucky looks a bit apprehensive as he says “Look let me walk you through a hypothetical, can I do that?” He begins to explain an elaborate escape plan for Zemo. Your mind was wizzing with thoughts as you tried to figure out your next move. He really isn’t in the right headspace, same old Bucky, you roll your eyes. “What are you guys doing?” You step out of the darkness. The two seemed to jump out of their skin, clearly not expecting you to be there.

“Y/n? What are you doing here?” Bucky asks. They both looked so shocked by your sudden appearance that you had to suppress a laugh. “I was following you.” He doesn’t look happy. “YOU WERE FOLLOWING ME?” He raises his voice. You weren’t scared because you knew he loved you really. Keeping the same tone as him you shout back “YES AND YOU’RE HELPING A CRIMINAL” “I SAID HYPOTHETICALLY DIDN’T I”. Sam looks like he could start laughing any moment. You weren’t even sure if you should laugh or arrest them. Suddenly your phone buzzes. “Then please explain to me why I just got a message saying that ZEMO HAS ESCAPED FROM PRISON?” Sam looks mad now. “You’re kidding me Bucky” he says. “Look we don’t have any other leads, we were at a dead end.”

You knew that the two were looking for information on the new super soldiers serum. “He blew up the UN, he killed king T’Chaka!” Before Bucky could reply to Sams argument, the sound of a door shutting sounds through the garage and guess who walks in. Helmut fucking Zemo. Your hand flies immediately to the dagger on the side of your thigh. “Woah woah woah” Sam starts walking towards him as Bucky tries to hold him back. Too bad he didn’t see you slip past them and push Zemo against the wall with said dagger against his throat. “Your going back to prison” you pass him a sickly sweet smile. He looked surprised by you holding him against that wall but didn’t fight back. Not with the blade in your hand starting to heat up against his skin. “y/n let him go” Bucky looks frustrated.

“He can lead us closer to the serum, just let him breath for a second” Zemo did start to look a little breathless. Good, he should be scared of you. Reluctantly you let him go. He starts to talk “if I may”. At the same time the three of you go “NO”. He looked a little displeased by the response but didn’t have any other option but to oblige. “Apologies”. After further debating and a lot of disagreements you and Sam finally agree to trust Zemo.. for the time being anyways. “Alright Zemo, where do we start”

You mentally set a reminder to always have an eye on Zemo, how could you not with a guy like him. He seemed to be sending you anxious glances in return, which to be fair you did nearly choke him to death. He leads you to a large warehouse containing numerous cars of different ages, sizes and colours. Probably stolen you think. After grabbing a case full with clothes for zemo you all head to an airstrip. In the middle of which was a private jet. You look at it in awe. “So you were rich all this time?” Sam asks. “I’m a baron Sam, my family was royalty before your friends destroyed my country”. Shit. Those cars weren’t stolen then..

The mention of his country makes you think back to that battle against ultron. You were very tempted to leave the avengers after nearly wiping out the entirety of a population of a country. But they convinced you to stay, where else could you have gone anyway? You think a little longer about the aftermath, when you helped after the battle with the injured, and loved ones finding their dead. It was one of the saddest moment of your life, until the blip. No one else helped from the avengers, they didn’t even visit the memorial..

“Y/n you coming?” Sam was saying from the top of the stairs. Lost in thought you were stood in front of the plane. Maybe I should stop getting distracted you thought. Entering the jet the seats on the right were already occupied by Sam and Bucky, leaving the only other seat opposite Zemo free. Great. As a gentle reminder you check your dagger on your thigh, almost like a warning that if he tries anything he’ll know what’s coming. Zemo swallows looking where it would be and ask his butler person for a drink. Was that his butler or the pilot? Rich people problems you thought. The plane sets off and you look out of the window daydreaming a little.

The other three talk lightly until the mention of Buckys list, which ends in zemo being choked yet again. You smile a little, enjoying the mini acts of revenge for the people he’s hurt and killed. You feel a bit sleepy but then they start to discuss where you were going. “Do we want to live in a world full of people like the red skull” Zemo shakes his head lightly “that’s why we’re going to Madripoor”. Confused, Bucky explains the place’s history in the Indonesian archipelago. “It’s kept its lawless ways but we cannot go in as our selves” Zemo says. Uh oh that can’t be good.

You were right. Zemo had handed you a bag full of clothes and a pair of heels. You stared at yourself in the full length mirror that resided in the toilets. “You have got to be kidding me” you say aloud. Your were wearing a dark purple silky dress that reached only just halfway down your thigh. It exposed most of your arms, shoulders and a lot of your chest. Thankfully there was a black leather jacket in the bag too, however on the shoulders sat a blanket of fur, similarly to Zemos coat that he took from the warehouse. Your heels were also purple. You thank the lord you took the time to train in heels too because you never know when the situation arises when you happen to find yourself in those monstrous shoes.

“This” you point at yourself “is not happening”. “Ah my baroness has arrived” Zemo says, amusement glinting in his eyes. You glared at the word ‘baroness’. “Here put this on darling, to finish it off”. He holds what seems to be a lipstick in his hand. You already knew what shade it was before taking it from him. “Do you have some thing for purple or is that just me?” Sam and Bucky both laughed.

You had to admit, the dress didn’t look bad, in fact it looked expensive. To say you were uncomfortable was an understatement, not necessarily for what you were wearing, but for the hand now draped around your waist. Zemos hand. He said that no matter what, you couldn’t break character. Bucky was playing the role as the winter soldier; you felt bad for him, the memories this must bring up. You can’t even begin to imagine. Sam however, wore an extravagant and abstract red suit that kind of looked like a dress. It was funny to see his reaction to which he comments that he looked like a “pimp”.

A car pulls up beside you and you all pile in. Of course you were sat next to zemo in the back. After around five minutes you arrive in lowtown. A place where you could apparently find a gall called Selby. That hand snaked back around you as you intermingle with the crowded streets. The high density of the crowd forced you even closer to Zemos side leaving practically no space between you now. You could feel his warm body against yours, sending a shiver down your spine. He looks down on you. His eyes seem to be softer now than they were before and he gives you a quick kiss on the temple as if to reassure you that you’re safe. You tried to keep yourself from shaking him off of you but as you carried on walking, you got used to him a bit more. Sam and Bucky followed the two of you, both with grim faces.

Finally, you come to a bar, most people around you watching carefully as you all enter. Zemo orders the both of you a shot and Sam gets his usual. This turned out to be something containing whatever the barman cutout of a snake. The sight of it made your stomach drop, and to your astonishment, Sam actually drank it. He looked like he wanted to be sick but, no matter what he had to stay in character. Bucky gave a slight nod, he didn’t get a drink, not as the winter soldier.

You had let it be known of who you wanted to see and as you waited a man came up behind Zemo and you. He immediately guided you away from this man so he was in front of you and Zemo in front of the man. He knew you could hold your own, you had made that clear already, but he wanted to protect you. For the act of course. “You ain’t welcome here” the man stated, placing a hand roughly on zemos shoulder as he turned to face him. “I have no business with the powerbroker, but if he insists he can either talk to me” Zemo points at Bucky. His hand then slipped to yours, holding it tightly. “Or bring Selby for a chat”. The man looks displeased and walks away. You had many things you wanted to say to Zemo at this moment, but sticking to your character was more important. As he continued to grip your hand, other men started to menacingly prowl towards you all. Zemo gave Bucky the order to attack and so he did. A fight quickly broke out between them all but Bucky was far too strong for them all. This ended in Bucky holding one of the guys that remained standing against the bar table. Finally someone called to say selby was ready to see your group. This was going to be interesting.

Notes

Okay i left this on a little bit of a cliffhanger but the next chapter should be out in a day or so. This is my first fanfic i have published so I’m interested to see what everyone thinks. If there’s any spelling or grammar mistakes then umm you didn’t see anything. I hope you enjoyed!

@killsandthrills @aisling1985 @booklover2929 @arianalilyblack @your-pixels-are-showing @kenna-1904

[tsumusamu]

nice receive [miya atsumu x fem!reader]

genre: fluff and (once again, a sad attempt at) humor

word count: 3.8k

summary: eight months into your relationship, atsumu takes you to meet his family. things don't go as planned, but of course, everything ends up alright in the end anyway. alternatively, miya atsumu adores you and his family thinks it's easy to see why.

warnings: uhhh implied sexual content at the end but it is like barely there ok

commission for @ muppetz (it wont let me tag for some reason ugh) thank you so much for commissioning me!

a/n: this ended up being way longer than the word count requested but that’s no one’s fault but my own because i dont know when to shut the FUCK up anyways i hope this one shot is enjoyable lol

content under the cut!

You literally never thought that you would ever end up in this situation.

"C'mon babe, why the long face? Ya nervous or somethin'?"

"No." You purse your lips, huffily averting your gaze from your boyfriend's smirking face.

"Ya don't needa be like that." Atsumu drapes an arm across your shoulder, pecking your forehead as a sort of reassurance. "No one could ever hate this cute face, after all." He accentuates his words by squishing your cheeks, drawing out a yelp of protest from you.

"If you keep talking like this, you're gonna jinx it, you know." Your words come out softer and more hesitant than intended, and you startled even yourself at how utterly anxious you sound.

"Yer gonna be fine. Trust me, I wouldn’t take just any random girl to meet my folks, and they’re well aware of that." Atsumu ruffles your hair.

"I just... I hope they're not..." You pause for a moment, trying to find the right word. "...Disappointed?" You grimace when your boyfriend suddenly throws his head back in such voracious laughter, that you swear you saw a few hysterical tears.

"Are ya jokin'?" he all but wheezes. "Yer the libero for the national volleyball team, for God's sake. If anythin', I'd be the disappointment here."

"'Tsumu — " you start, but he interrupts you by pulling you in for a comforting hug.

"Don't worry yer pretty head anymore, got it?" he murmurs into your ear. "Yer wonderful, and I couldn't be luckier to have ya. My parents are gonna love ya. Honest."

A small smile tugs at your lips as you reach around his back to hug him back. "I hope so."

A year ago, if someone had told you that you would end up having Miya Atsumu introduce you to his family as his girlfriend, you would've laughed until your ass fell off and your stomach ached like no tomorrow.

You had been absolutely overjoyed when you were chosen for the women's national volleyball team, and you were so eager to start playing with your new teammates that you had decided to attend the national team's training camp without hesitation despite your recent knee injury at the time. However, you completely overlooked the fact that you would be working with the men's team as well, which would've been completely fine... if not for Miya Atsumu.

When you first met Atsumu, he was the cocky, annoying little shit of a setter for the Japanese men's national volleyball team, someone who you were stuck training with for the next two weeks.

You still remember the first words he ever spoke to you.

"The hell are ya doin' there, lil libero? If yer not gonna be able to save the easiest ones, then ya might as well sub out."

You also remember the first thought you had about him.

'Prick.'

And the first words you spoke to him.

"Can't you look at this — " You had gestured angrily to the knee brace supporting you. "And take a fucking hint, or what?"

He had sent some unapologetic, biting words right back at you and that marked the beginning of the time you have had the utmost pleasure of knowing Miya Atsumu. The two of you had bickered rather relentlessly (not too unlike literal children, despite the both of you being well into your twenties) throughout the rest of the camp, and by the end, for some unknown reason through some unknown method, he ended up with your number.

He started texting you constantly, and as much as you tried to convince your foolish self that he was just a nuisance, you found yourself responding to his messages like an idiot anyway. Throughout the next few months, you learned that Atsumu was far more than just his overly confident demeanor; he's genuinely kind-hearted, down-to-earth, and actually kinda hilarious. And eventually — neither of you quite knew how — the two of you were staring across a table at each other in a fancy restaurant as if daring the other to blink and lose an unspoken game, on a first date that neither of you thought would go as well as it did.

A little over eight months into your happy and committed relationship, Atsumu suggested that the two of you go to his hometown in Hyogo for a weekend to visit his family. You had immediately agreed with his idea, excited to meet his parents and twin brother in person, but now that he's leading you out of your shared hotel room to go do just that, your stomach's knotting uncomfortably.

Atsumu's been nothing but supportive and comforting ever since you started showing that you're nervous to meet his family. He was always happy to provide a never-ending flow of cheesy words and warm hugs, but you're genuinely afraid of embarrassing yourself. You want to impress his family and not have them see you as undeserving of their son, who you truly care for from the bottom of your heart. Atsumu is your first long-term boyfriend, and you would jump off your roof if you managed to mess anything up during the visit to his folks.

The taxi ride to Atsumu's childhood home doesn't do much to soothe your nerves either, with you fiddling with your fingers the entire way through while Atsumu makes small talk with the driver. As the cab pulls up to the address that your boyfriend had provided earlier, you instinctively clench your fists so hard that you think you might bleed.

A look of alarm crosses Atsumu's face as he notices that you're still just as anxious as you were when you left the hotel earlier. He thought that the ride to his parents' house would give you some time to cool down, but that had clearly not been the case. His eyebrows furrow in concern as he reaches over to grab one of your hands in his, giving you a comforting squeeze.

"Just breathe, darlin'." He runs his thumb over the shallow nail marks embedded in your skin. "If it means anything to ya, my mom's a huge fan of yers. For real. I didn't tell ya this before, but she's especially excited to meet ya. Keeps yappin' to me askin' how I pulled ya." You flush.

"R-Really?" you stammer, wide-eyed.

"Really. Who wouldn't be a fan yers?" Atsumu grins, pecking your nose. "See, ya got nothin' to be worried about. Just chill out and be yerself, 'kay?" You nod, some of the tension releasing from your shoulders as Atsumu leads you out of the cab, hand still clutching yours.

You're feeling a little better now, though your thoughts are still running through your head at the pace of a mile a minute as you watch Atsumu pay the taxi driver and thank him for the ride. Atsumu's mother is my fan? Your ears start to heat up. I hope I can somehow live up to her expectations of me…

“Ma! We’re here!” Atsumu shouts at the top of lungs approximately one second after simultaneously ringing the doorbell and obnoxiously pounding on the door.

“Comin’, comin’, ya brat!” A feminine, yet strong voice hollers in return. You freeze on the spot, your mind going blank once again. It’s happening. It’s finally happening.

The door aggressively swings open, revealing a middle-aged woman wearing a pink apron and carrying a wooden spatula in her hand. Her dark hair is pulled into a bun away from her face and her eyes, the same chocolate brown as Atsumu’s, are gleaming with annoyance. She briefly glares at Atsumu for his rowdy entrance before her gaze catches onto you, and her entire face lights up with excitement.

“(L/N) (Y/N)! It’s so nice to finally meet you!”

“M-Mrs. Miya,” you stammer out, trying your best to smile but you’re sure it looked more like a wince. “It’s good to m-meet you t-too.”

"Aw, hey now. What happened to my feisty girl? It's not like ya to be so lame.” Atsumu lays his forearm on your head, effectively using you as an armrest. You jerk away, scowling.

“Shut the hell up, asshat,” you snap without thinking. About half a second later, regret slams into your body like a truck. Oh, shit. I just called my boyfriend an asshat in front of his mother. You were about to run off into the streets in utter embarrassment if not for Mrs. Miya letting out a hearty laugh way too similar to her son’s and linking arms with you.

“No need to look so scared, dear. I don’t bite. And it’s good to see that yer willin’ to put this brat in his place.”

“Ma!” Atsumu whines, pouting petulantly.

“Yer really losin’ out with him though, y’know,” Mrs. Miya whispers to you as she leads you into the house by your arm. “I’ve got another son; Atsumu’s twin. Osamu’s quite well-behaved. If yer just likin’ the looks, he would be the better option.” You can tell she’s joking by the merry twinkle in her eyes, but instead of humoring her you end up shaking your head with a quiet chuckle.

“I think Atsumu’s perfectly good for me.” The two of you pause to watch Atsumu practically sprint into the kitchen, and a few moments later there’s an agitated yell as proof that he was on his way to annoy his brother. You smile. “He makes me really happy, Mrs. Miya. You raised him well.”

“Aren’t ya just the sweetest thing?” Mrs. Miya coos at you, pinching your left cheek. “And so pretty too. I swear ya could probably clobber my brat at volleyball as well. You and yer teammate… ah, Miss Amanai? The two of you always caught my eye while I watched yer matches. Make sure ya let her know.”

You blush a little and thank her, making a mental note to tell Kanoka that. She’d probably find it extremely amusing, especially since she was the one who had given Atsumu your number in the first place (which, as you had found out months later, was because he had practically groveled at her feet multiple times. Dumbass.)

“Come meet my husband, (Y/N).” Mrs. Miya leads you into the living room, where an older, balding man with rimmed glasses is quietly flipping through a book. He gives a start upon hearing your entrance, clearing his throat and sitting up straight.

“Ah, hello!” Mr. Miya greets you. “I’ve heard a lot about you! From both Atsumu and the missus.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Miya.” You nod once in a respectful manner.

“It’s about time that he settled down with a nice girl. Make sure ya keep him in line though, got it, missy?”

“Of course I w — “ you start, but Mrs. Miya is already dragging you towards the kitchen. You smile apologetically at Mr. Miya, and he just laughs and waves.

“Osamu’s makin’ dinner right now. He is such a hardworkin’ and dedicated boy. Both of them are, really,” she rambles. “But Osamu sure can cook a mean meal. He and his twin always used to fight over who’s the better cook. But I betcha Atsumu hasn’t touched the stove since he left for university years ago.”

You debate telling her that Atsumu had made quite a decent meal for the two of you just last week to celebrate your eight-month anniversary (which you hadn’t even known he remembered), but before you can formulate the right words in your head you’re suddenly shoved in the path of an unfamiliar man. Well, not really unfamiliar. He has the same face as the boyfriend who you see every day, after all.

Miya Osamu is (as expected) the literal carbon copy of Atsumu; same strong eyebrows, same hooded eyes, same angular jawline. The only thing that easily sets them apart is his black, ruffled mess of hair in stark contrast with your boyfriend’s bleached blonde.

Mrs. Miya pulls Atsumu away from the two of you, demanding that he help her with some mundane task, leaving you and Osamu by yourselves in the kitchen.

An easy smile graces his lips as he sticks out his hand. “Hey, I’m Osamu. Honored to finally meet the famous (L/N) (Y/N).” You smile back, gripping his hand firmly and shaking.

“And I’m honored to meet the famous ‘Samu.” At your words, Osamu bursts out laughing.

“Man, I don’t really let a lot of people call me that, y’know? But if yer gonna be part of the family, you could be an exception.”

“F-Family?” You pause, your sudden confidence dissipating as fast as it had come.

“Naw, no pressure. Just sayin’.” Osamu casually continues with his task of shaping onigiri. “I can tell he really likes ya.” You raise your eyebrows in curiosity without entirely meaning to. “I mean, we’re twins, it’s like a sixth sense. And also he never shuts up about ya when we text or call.”

“I hope you’re hearing all good things?” you quip jokingly.

“Oh, for sure. If I didn’t know who you were I’d think that he’s talkin’ about the reincarnation of a goddess with the way he talks.”

“Seriously?” You snort, and Osamu just laughs.

“So I’d like to ask ya the favor of continuin’ to take care of him. Guy’s just a huge ass baby. I can obviously see that yer good for him, though. He wouldn’t have stayed for so long if he wasn’t serious.”

The two of you briefly glance at Atsumu helping his mother set the table. They’re currently debating over whether Atsumu should go back to his natural hair color and “Stop makin’ yer hair look like fuckin’ straw!”

“He is a huge ass baby,” you start seriously, causing Osamu to smirk. “But he’s an honest and good person, so I’m not too bothered. I’ll take care of him, promise.”

“Thanks.” Osamu sighs, glancing rather fondly in his brother’s direction. “He’s an asshole, but at least he’s a redeemable asshole. I’m glad he’s finally got someone around to take care of him. Makes us all feel a little more relieved since he’s away from home.”

You suddenly feel warm inside.

Atsumu had been right; you truly didn’t have anything to be afraid of. The Miyas have been nothing but kind and welcoming so far, and they even seem to already have a positive opinion of you.

“Can ya help me carry these to the table?” Osamu holds out a plate of freshly-made onigiri.

“Ah, sure!” you accept hurriedly, taking the plate from him with careful hands. You take slow, calculated steps towards the dining room; the last thing you want is to accidentally drop any of the food.

Atsumu and his parents are already waiting in the dining room, and they all look up at you expectantly as you approach them with the onigiri plate in hand.

“Why, thank you, dear!” Mrs. Miya chirps. “Helpin’ Osamu out! How sweet of ya — “

She’s cut off as disaster strikes.

You trip on your last step to the table, causing a single onigiri to tumble off the plate and towards the floor. Your mouth drops open wide as you practically slam the plate down on the table and in practical slow-motion, watch the onigiri plummet down, down, down —

Then you dive.

You dive towards the floor, in the same manner as you do when you’re digging for a volleyball.

And you catch the rice ball in one hand, laying flat on your stomach. You have a moment of mental celebration; yes, you caught the onigiri! Then you realize that you look like a fucking idiot as you lay face down with one hand extended and clutching a rice ball like it’s your lifeline.

There’s a few seconds of agonizing silence.

You want the earth to swallow you whole.

There’s no way that you could ever show your face in front of Atsumu’s family or even Atsumu himself now; God you’ve never been more embarrassed in your life, and over an onigiri too —

“Nice receive!” Atsumu suddenly bellows, clapping his hands boisterously. “(L/N) does it again!”

His brother, who’s standing a few feet behind you with a platter of chicken skewers, pumps his free fist into the air and joins in with a “Hell yeah!”

Mr. Miya starts laughing the same loud Miya laugh that you’ve heard way too many times today, and his sons soon follow suit. Shame is still flooding your body, but now you’re realizing just how ridiculous the whole situation is and you resist the urge to smile at your own stupidity. As soon as Mrs. Miya recovers from her initial surprise, she comes to help you up, and you can tell that she’s doing her best not to laugh as well.

“Are ya okay, dear?” she briefly inspects you for any sign of injury.

“All good here, Mrs. Miya.” You smile, genuinely and comfortably, as Atsumu comes behind you to wrap his arms around you and peck your cheek, still chuckling with a small note of pride. “All good.”

-

“See?” Atsumu’s smug as hell as the two of you enter the hotel elevator on your way up to your room. Osamu had dropped you off so there would be no need for another cab. “I told ya that they’d fuckin’ love ya.”

“Why’re you rubbing in something like this?” You scoff, dodging when he tries to pull you into a crushing hug.

“Because I was right.” He smirks. You roll your eyes to heaven.

“Well, you can’t blame me for being nervous! I still can’t believe that none of them got upset at me for diving for a rice ball at the dinner table.” You groan, hiding your face in your hands.

“Nah, why the hell would they? It was cool. Yer cool, Miss National Team Libero.” He laughs, reaching for you again and this time you let him bring you close to him. “Besides, like I said before, who could ever resist yer pretty lil face?”

“You’re a hopeless asshole.” You sigh, and Atsumu of course just chuckles, his laughter vibrating against your ear as you press yourself into his chest.

“I’m yer hopeless asshole.” He pecks the top of your head. “C’mon, babe. It’s our floor.”

You hadn’t realized how tired you are until the two of you enter your hotel room and you see the large, inviting bed. You practically jump onto it, burying your face into a pillow. “Goodnight…” you mumble sleepily.

“Ya gotta go shower and brush yer teeth first, idiot.” A pillow smacks you in the side of the head, and you leap up with a cry of surprise. “Damn, don’t be so loud, sweetheart. It’s late, y’know. Don’t wanna get a noise complaint like last night.” You turn bright red at the reminder.

“Shut u-up,” you retort. “I told you that we shouldn’t have tried to do it on the balcony.”

“It was fun, though, y’know! An experience. And ya sounded like you were enjoyin’ it, anyway.” He chucks another pillow at you, and you yelp as it nails you in the face. “Now get yer cute ass over here, we’re gonna shower.”

“You can’t make me.” You stubbornly lay back down and close your eyes, and you had peace for all but ten seconds before Atsumu’s plucking you off the bed and settling you into his arms bridal-style. Your eyes shoot open in shock and you flail desperately. “Put me down!”

“No can do. I’m not sleepin’ next to yer stinky self tonight, darlin’.” Atsumu laughs as you scowl.

“The floor’s always open for you,” you snap.

“Aw, yer no fun.” He steals a kiss from you in the blink of an eye; the only evidence of there being contact at all is a tingling feeling on your lips. You feel your heart melt just a little more.

“Fine. After we shower, we go straight to bed. Got it?”

“ And brush our teeth. Yer mornin’ breath is bad enough.” He lets out quite an unpleasant squawk when you smack him lightly in the shoulder. “Alright, sorry, sorry.”

“Is this just your excuse to see me naked?” you tease him as he sets you down on the bathroom counter before immediately removing his shirt to reveal his muscled torso. He grins wolfishly at you and shrugs.

“And if it is?” Atsumu’s eyes are zeroed in on the small hickey he had left right below your collarbone last night, which is now visible thanks to the way your shirt had rumpled after he had practically manhandled you into the bathroom.

“Well, I won’t complain.” You follow his gaze down to your neck, before glancing back up to meet his eyes and raise an eyebrow at him. “If you’re going to make it worth my time.”

About an hour later, the two of you are lying in bed together, effectively tuckered out and finally ready to sleep. Atsumu’s strong arms are wrapped tightly around you like a protective cocoon as you snuggle your face against his chest. The slow, steady rhythm of his heartbeat rocks you towards dreamland, and all the worries from the past day are slipping away.

“Hey, ‘Tsumu,” you mumble against his chest. He grunts tiredly.

“Yeah, sweetheart?”

There’s a small silence.

“...Thanks,” you finally say after a beat.

“Huh? For what?” he quips.

“For being patient with me today, even though I was so nervous. And for taking me to meet your family.” You crane your head to look up at him, contentment adorning your features. “I had a good time. I hope they don’t hate the idea of me coming around again sometime.”

Atsumu smiles that familiar smile, the smile filled with affection that others rarely get to see. His eyes are almost half-mooned with joy, his lips are curved up in genuine adoration, and his cheeks are flushed with color. You saw this smile for the first time when he set an incredibly low ball at training camp, earning the awe of everyone in the room, including yourself. Never did you think that you would ever have this expression of pure love aimed at you, nor did you think it would fill you with so much happiness every time you had the blessing of seeing it. He says nothing for a while, suddenly resorting to trailing kisses all over your face. You let him, closing your eyes peacefully as he showers you with his love, ending with one final peck to your nose.

“I'm sure they'd like to have you around again.”

And if Atsumu continues playing his cards right, he thinks there might be a possibility that in the next five or so years, you could truly become part of the family with a glittering ring on your finger.

Only time will tell if that possibility will ever come to fruition, but as you tilt your head up to give him one last kiss on the lips and whisper those three words to him, he knows for sure that he wants to continue building towards that future with you.

“I love you too.” He lets his eyes fall shut as well, before resting his chin atop your head and savoring the warmth of your body against his.

Only time will tell.

-

tip jar + commission info

general taglist (italics for people i could not tag):  @aomineavenue @intheawks​ @deltahemm​ @bap-kingdom @shegoeshexing @brinnnx @crescentsteel​ @ dokidokisama @smellssharpies​ @dearhajime​ @plutoxxxworld​ @kritiiiii​ @ muppetz @ iscreamtea @rizzyrisso​ @makeitrainonsomehoes​ @maraudusk​ @kybabi​ @tsumue​ @thischickwritessometimes​ @angrylittleriri​

[darkacademicfrom2021]

The Dark Team (part 10)

<<Previous part Masterlist   Next part>>

(Taglist: @lucywrites02, @louieboo87, @the-departed-potato, @jesuswasnotawhiteman, @idontknow296 , @beksib, @spythoschei, @geekwritersworld , @whatafuckingdumbass, @mysticunicorn7)

Warnings: adorable jerks.

As the sun finally came up (for what it felt like an eternity, a night with seven nights inside of it), you rubbed your eyes and greeted your teammates, who somehow were both already up and having breakfast.

“I was wondering when would you join us”, said Loki, covering his mouth with the manners of a Prince while eating a piece of something. “Barnes made dessert for breakfast”, pointed out more amazed than reproachful.

“Desert?”, you laughed. “A cake?”.

“Yes”, said Loki, very sure of himself, and Bucky rolled his eyes and chuckled, correcting him.

“It’s a pancake, Loki. It’s a normal breakfast in Midgard”.

“Actually, probably just in this country”, you added. “What do you normally have in Asgard?”. As you chattered, you started getting ready and fixing your hair, stealing a piece of pancake from Bucky’s plate. “Wow, I didn’t know you could cook. It’s actually great”, you said, tasting a mouthful.

“Well, as in Midgard’s nordic areas, back home it’s often fruit and bread, or porridge with dried fruits” he recalled distracted, and immediately interrupted himself with “are we not supposed to alert the rest of this?”.

“About Buck knowing how to cook? Yeah, I’m impressed, we should tell everyone”.

“I guess we should’ve told them yesterday, instead of going to sleep”, said Bucky, ignoring you. “Only God knows where that supersoldier is now”.

“I don’t, actually”.

“I didn’t mean... nevermind”, he sighed. “I'm calling Stark and let’s hope we don’t get too yelled at”.

You recalled yesterday’s events. You had so many dreams, you could barely remember being awake at all. First, the bearded man’s nightmare. Then, something about… the compound? Then, you remembered distinctly, Loki speaking Old Norse begging Thor about something. You remembered the phonetic of the words, but they were all gibberish now. Then, a last dream, something about buying rotten apples and being forced to eat them by Thanos. Your imagination surely was active on the nights.

Loki seemed paler than usual as he stared at you, without even blinking.

“What?”, you snapped him out of your head.

“You dreamt with me?”, he muttered, getting up and cleaning his plate with a snap.

"I also dreamt with Thanos".

“Don’t get too attached, I’ll be back to Asgard soon”, he promised, or alerted. Intentions unclear.

“I’m not attached”, you protested. You thought he’d smirk or be the smug idiot he usually was. He didn’t. Instead, he looked unsettled; disturbed even. “I didn’t dream with you on purpose, it was probably because of yesterday’s thing”.

“What thing?”, peeped in Bucky. “Oh no, did you two fuck?”.

“I didn’t let them die, big deal. I was just saving myself the amount of annoyance it would be to have Stank on my neck all week long if your blood was sort of in my hands”.

“Sounds like a lot of deflecting emotions to me, buddy”, said Bucky, and you chuckled.

“He’s just embarrassed he saw himself cry in one of my dreams from last night”, you mocked. He got up and you didn’t get to see his face, but presumed it would hold something near a death threat.

“You two have an intense bonding experience and decide to concentrate on it with more insults? You know, this is why you’re single”, added Bucky.

“It wasn’t a bonding experience”, you said, cutting-glass sharpness in your gaze.

“I’m not single”, corrected Loki at the same time, with an equally whetted voice.

Both Bucky and you looked at him with plate-wide eyes, waiting for him to elaborate. He didn’t. Neither of you asked, but surely shared a fair amount of desire to gossip about it. Oh, how much you wished to be able to tell Bucky about Loki re-reading Hamlet to reminisce about his beloved. But there was a line you wouldn’t cross in there; you knew where to stop.

“Mr. Stark”, you called through the earbud, “you there, sir?”.

“Painfully”, he answered. You connected the earbud to your phone and held it on speaker, so the rest of the team could join. “Tell me more about what I’m gonna yell at you three about”.

As you walked him through (almost) every event in the past twenty four hours, you could feel how his hands traveled all the way up to his face, and had to hold in a few sighs of disgust and utter hate towards… Well, you weren’t sure towards what, exactly.

“Are we grounded, dad?”, spat Loki with sarcasm.

“Listen, Rock Of Ages, if I could, I’d have you in a prison cell still to this day. Don’t push any buttons”.

“Come on, it’s been, what, nine years since he last fucked up something in here?” you defended him, not quite sure why. Loki grew nervous as Tony laughed obnoxiously at him.

“Sure. He didn’t keep fucking things up in here after that”.

“I can assure you I didn’t. How Odin manages his deals with Midgard does not concern me”, explained Loki, and you frowned at the mention of that name. Of course, Loki Odinson. That was where that name resonated from. Besides the Mythology. Though you weren't sure until where those stories were true or not; in there, Loki wasn't even Thor's brother.

“Going back to your current screw up, what happened to the civilians you frightened in the process? I imagine they didn’t realize about the new supersoldiers”.

“They should be extremely blind or idiotic to not have noticed, since the soldier jumped out of nine floors and survived”, answered Loki, looked at you up and down, and kept going “so, no. They have probably slept on it”.

“Wait, what?”.

“What?”.

“Nine floors? Pretty sure Capsicle and Barnes wouldn’t survive that either”.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”, you asked, concerned.

“I’m afraid so. Loki and Bucks won’t cut it, especially when we don’t know the number of new super-supersoldiers out there. And you’re coming back to the compound, directing the mission from the distance”.

“Are you kidding? I’m fine here. I’m all levels of mean, you said it yourself”.

“You’re too young and inexperienced in combat for these kinds of things, and they have special genetic advantages in their bodies, you know, the serum”, explained Tony as you rolled your eyes. But you understood exactly what he meant, and in fact, you agreed. “Do you understand?”.

“Yes; supersoldiers and Gods only”.

“Good kid. Now, Teleporting Popsicle, would you mind taking there with you the rest?”.

With an overly dramatic sigh, Loki vanished behind a party of green lights and reappeared in a matter of seconds in the same spot, holding carelessly Thor and Steve’s arms. Thor, for obvious reasons, was unfazed by the trip. Rogers, on the other hand, seemed about to throw up. There wasn’t anything balance would help with when your cells are reconfigurated inside and out in a fraction of a second. How the hell did he do all of that? You knew it was magic, but it still wouldn’t stop you from being absolutely astonished by it.

Loki arranged his hair behind his ears and locked eyes with you, followed by his typical smugly smile and a “thank you”, as if you were praising him in your thoughts. Oh, wait.

“I didn’t say anything”, you retorted, hoping to maintain at least a drop of pride left.

“You thought I was impressive”. You were going to correct him but realized that absolutely astonished was even worse.

“And since when do you offer gratitude?”.

“In case you wonder, yes, they’ve been like this the whole mission. You’ll get used to it”, said Bucky to Steve and Thor.

They started arranging their things and got updated as thoroughly as they could. Meanwhile, you stood exactly where you were the following ten minutes, absorbed in your own thoughts. Once you snapped out of them, Loki was still staring at you, standing in the same place too.

“What?”.

“I hate to break it to you, but…”.

“What?”.

“I’m your best option”.

“You’re my what?”.

“Your best option”.

“You’re not giving much context”.

“You’re going back to the compound. I figured you’d think about the mission or something about it for the past ten minutes you were zoned out, but apparently you only have room to think about how terrified you’re of that quinjet”.

Your palms got sweaty and a shiver ran through your spine by the only thought of remembering how heights felt under your feet, and how a simple machine wouldn’t stop you from landing on water and drowning, or crushing against a building and being burned to the bones until all you become is dust and…

“Hello? You’re spiraling again”, he snapped you back. “It’ll be just a blink. You won’t even notice”.

“Uh-uh. No, I’m not doing that. I’m waiting for whatever Tony sends to come and get me”.

“You’ll feel terrible”, he said, and he was right. For a moment, you considered accepting his offer. “And I’m the best”. His humble offer.

“I’m sure you are, but it’s not my best option”.

He sighed.

“Will you allow me to teleport you or not?”.

“Heavens, no”.

“Alright, you little stubborn human mortal”.

“Long nickname, you better come up with a shorter one”.

“Like what?”.

“I don’t know, something that bothers you. I’m not the one supposed to make your insults towards me”.

“Let me think”, he said, looking around the room. His gaze landed on the still unwashed plate of Bucky’s breakfast. “Pancake”.

“Not... that’s not an insult”.

“Why? They’re too sugary. They rot your teeth”.

“Yeah, but it’s not derogatory”.

“Fucking pancake”.

“It doesn’t cut it”.

“But what’s wrong with my pancake?”.

“It’s actually a pet name. You know, like the ones we said when we were in...”, but apparently that was all a distraction (of course, he was the God of Lies, after all), and when you were already thinking about how to explain to him why he shouldn’t call you pancake, he stood in front of you and held you by both sides of the arms, surrounding you almost completely, holding you still.

And just as he said, a blink later you were in the compound, perfectly fine. Peter and Tony greeted you as he pulled out and you stood there in shock. So, you really just needed some stabilization to not die in the intricate process of teleportation. Just before stepping away from you, he leaned over your shoulder and his whisper made your ear ticklish, saying “you’re welcome” with a grin. You didn’t look at him.

You started to gather all your stuff; papers, maps, laptops, and getting ready for the planning of the following steps of the mission as fast as you could, until you realized Loki was still there, and Tony and Peter were waiting for you. For what, you weren’t sure.

“Aren’t you going?”, you asked Loki.

“No, I’m staying, apparently”.

“Why?”.

“That’s what Stark was thinking, I don’t know”.

“Hey, Elsa, don’t read my mind, would you?”, snapped Tony. He was about to explain himself, but you kept talking to Loki, cutting his words.

“What’s wrong with you that you read everyone’s thoughts all the time? You know how unethical that is? It’s invasive”.

“You say that because you think slow”.

“Untrue, I’m actually a very fast thinker”.

“How would you know? You’ve never read anyone’s minds so, how could you possibly…?”.

You stopped dead on your tracks, and didn’t listen to what he was saying. That phrase. That exact phrase you dreamt with. The darkness. It was the exact same voice of the darkness, you remembered. It wasn’t darkness, it was his voice. Were you just imagining things? Too suggestionated? Definitely. How could you dream with something you’ve never heard before?

“Sorry to interrupt, you two seem to be having a long, unnecessary and avoidant conversation that could be resumed in three tiny words, as you did all mission long” interfered Tony, sick of listening to you two. Loki was observing you as heedful as he could; your thoughts had caught his attention. You couldn’t read his face. “So, I’m gonna cut it shortly”.

“What?”, you went back to reality. You needed to actively ignore Loki’s gaze on you to actually pay any mind to Tony’s words.

“The rest of the team has another mission, and both Peter and you are technically still kids…” and as soon as you opened your mouth to argue, he shut it “no, don’t interrupt me. You know I’m right. So, I can’t leave you two alone for the entire week”.

“Oh”, you understood. Peter’s innocent eyes shone at the idea. Yours, not so much. “So, Loki is our babysitter”.

“Yes”, said Loki, while Tony answered “No” at the same time.

"What about Happy?", asked Peter.

“I think we can manage perfectly on our own. Besides, what makes you think he’s more responsible than me?”.

“He’s an adult”.

“He’s seventeen in human years, and fucked a horse”.

“Wow, someone has been stalking my mythology”.

“If you two quarrel too much, Peter will tell me and I’ll be back with Clint Barton in charge of you three. So you better behave. Alright, I’m leaving”.

“Wait! What are the rules?”, asked Peter. You grabbed your face and Loki muttered what a damn nerd.

“Eh, don’t burn down the compound, I don’t know, kid”, said Tony getting inside his bright red suit.

“The bar is on the floor. Let’s play macarena”, you whispered.

[frickenfaded]

--SFW--

This is my first headcanon ever. It's kind of a headcanon anyway.. This is how I think the Feral Boys would react to (f!) Reader getting mad over something stupid while she's on her period.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Dream

It was about midday and {Y/n} had to force herself to get out of bed to retrieve food. She decided she would get cereal and return straight to her blankets. Once in the quite kitchen, she reached up in a cabinet and grabbed a bowl, however she accidentally set it down way too hard and the brittle glass bowl shattered everywhere.

She was absolutely enraged. All she wanted was a bowl of cereal and *this* is what she gets? It didn't take long after to hear the thomping footsteps of her boyfriend coming down the stairs to see what the commotion was about. {Y/n} stood with her arms crossed, about to make a move for the broom. "Fucking damnit." She cursed, unbelievably mad at the smallest event.

Dream ended up beating {Y/n} to the broom, sweeping up the shards of glass that littered the tile. He was being extremely careful and thinking his words over before speaking. He knew she was in her period, and that meant she gets angered easily and doesn't like being clung onto by anyone during the week. However, he recognized that she still appreciates his presence.

He steps a little closer, giving a small forehead kiss to his girlfriend before resuming the cleaning. "Baby, if you want too, you can lay in my bed while I edit. I'll clean this up and bring you some cereal." He suggested. "How did you know I even wanted cereal?" She asked. "Because, that's normally what you crave." He answered. She thought for a moment before deciding to take him up on his offer. "Thank you, baby." She mutters before heading upstairs.

George

The relationship between {Y/n} and George was still fairly new, this being their third month together. Therefore, he still isn't exactly sure what his girlfriend needs during her special time of the month. However, he's sort of getting the idea. It's just a bit tricky for him to know for sure when she's going through it, because she doesn't tell a soul. She leaves them guessing, taking pride in it even.

But this time was a little different. She was laying down in bed, trying to read the book "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen, when the realization struck her that she was currently using her last (pad/tampon/other). She didn't want to leave her bed, much less her house. She angrily closed her book and slammed in down on the nightstand, thinking over her options in her mind.

George just happened to be passing by her door whenever she slammed her book. It startled him a little, but he entered her room nonetheless. Although she heard him come in, she refused to tear her focus away from her thoughts. George knew something was up a couple days ago. The possibility of her monthly happening was a thought, but he wasn't 100% sure.

"Is everything okay?" He asked, walking over to the edge of the bed before sitting down. "No." She immediately answers, crossing her arms over her chest. She still didn't really want to give in that easily, though. She still had her pride, despite her situation. "What happened?" He wondered. "Nothing." She replied, avoiding his careful gaze.

"C'mon, Love, we both know that isn't true." He says, softening his tone of voice. She almost instantly melts into his stare. She huffs out a breath, however desperate to keep her silence. He treads lightly, brushing a strand of messy hair from her face, whilst caressing her cheek in the meantime. She finally gives way, breaking through to him as if a dam just broke. "Fine." She states.

He smiles, knowing he won without asking the question that would set him up for failure. "I'm on my last (pad/tampon/other) and I don't want to leave the house." She explained. George breaks into a small fit of laughter. "Was it really something that simple? That's nothing compared to what I thought was wrong. But I can get you what you need, Love." He says, after narrowly avoiding a harsh glare. "Would you like anything else while I'm gone?" He wonders. "Hm.. Maybe some chocolate... Please." She answers. He nods before giving her a swift kiss.

Sapnap

Sapnap.. Is quite the special case, to say the least. He does n o t pick up on hints very well... Which leaves him very lost and confused when his girlfriend all of the sudden starts acting a lot different than normal and suddenly more distant with him. She didn't exactly mean too, it was just what happens during her period.

He was scared that he did something wrong because of this, but he couldn't come up with a reason why. Did he leave the toilet seat up? Maybe he accidentally ignored her? What if he forgot about something they were supposed to do? Dear God, did he forget their anniversary or her birthday or something? Despite what he thought he did, he wanted to try and "make things right."

He entered her bedroom as she watching a John Mulaney special on Netflix. He stood beside her bed. "Hey, could we play Pokémon together?" He asked. "No. I don't feel like it." She didn't mean to add the annoyed tone to her voice, but she did. She was just annoyed in general. "D-Did I do something wrong?" He asked, scared of her answer. It was then when she realized she was being short with him and distant.

She sighed, knowing she owed him an explanation now. "I'm sorry, Darling. I didn't mean to come across like that. I'm just... cramping really bad today, and I'm really really really craving some ice cream, but I don't want to get up either." She explains, rambling just a little bit. He blushes a little when he realizes what was going on, but he quickly retrieves some ice cream for the both of them, before joining her in bed and finishing the John Mulaney special together.

Karl

Manz is prepared. I'm talking, he's got a secret box in his closet filled with everything she may need, from pads, to tampons, to chocolates, to a heating pad, he has it all. He's so dedicated to making sure he does everything right that he has a period tracker app on his phone to know when she's about to start. Therefore, he knows when he needs to back up and give you some breathing room.

So one day, when his girlfriend got very upset just because her phone died, he knew exactly why. "Do you need absolutely anything? I brought you a chocolate bar." He says when he hears the ruckus from her room. She softens up almost immediately, always touched by the way he knows what to do and say.

"Thank you.. Could you plug my phone up, please?" She asks. He happily jumps on the simple task, despite her charger literally being right beside her. "And maybe... could we cuddle for a little while too?' She wonders. He smiles brightly. "Definitely." He agrees, before slipping in bed with her as they start to watch Hamilton for the third time.

Quackity

Quackity seems to think it's comedy gold whenever his girlfriend gets infuriated by the tiniest things. He was sitting on the couch, watching something on the T.V., while {Y/n} came out of her room for the first time since today. She came to get a snack herself, not wanting to bother her boyfriend much.

But what she failed to notice as she was walking through the Living Room, was the Thanos doll that Quackity completely forgot to pick up earlier. And of course, she stepped on the damned thing. She yelped, almost falling over thanks to the toy. In a fit of rage, she picked the doll up and stomped over to one of the open windows, throwing it as hard as she could into the outside world.

Quackity could not stop laughing from the moment she stepped on the plastic toy, now laughing harder than ever because of it. "Shut up! It's your stupid fucking fault the thing was left there anyway!" She cursed, clearly displeased. He didn't listen, of course. "I-I'm sorry." He said through his laughter. As much as she wanted to stay mad, his laughter was contagious.

She ended up bursting with laughter as well, their voices mixing like milk and honey in the atmosphere. {Y/n} joined Quackity on the couch, laying across his lap as he played with her hair, the two starting to talk about random topics. She always went through a few days on her period where she was just a little more clingy than the others, but Quackity just learned to accept that. He wouldn't say it exactly, but he did actually enjoy it.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

That's it for this one lovelies! As I mentioned, this is indeed my first headcanon ever and actual content post I've posted on Tumblr. Therefore, I hope it wasn't too shabby. I'll get the hang of things soon, but for now, if you'd like to read any other things I've posted, the list is short, because I am pretty new here, but this option is available to you though this link:

My Creations♡

I hope you enjoy your stay here! Requests are always open! ♡♡

[thegirlwhomoanedwolf]

Truth or dare

(Halloween party truth or dare)

*reader has plot of Elena

Damon x Reader

Warnings: 18+, slightly rough

It had been months...

months since (y/n) had been touched by a man. Her last intimate moment had been a gentle kiss with the person she swore she would never willingly touch. But things change and she would have never forgiven herself if she let Damon die without showing him how much she cared. She was prepared to grieve the man who had gotten under her skin, against her best efforts. She had realized a part of her would die with him.

Along with that part would be the guilt she carried. The way she would get excited when he would walk into a room. The sick feeling knowing she could easily have him if she just asked and how sometimes she fantasized about what he would do to her when she finally gave in. That didn’t compare to the worst of her crimes. There were times she had made sure Damon would hear her moans and cries as Stefan thrusted into her.

“Please harder,” she would beg her voice echoing throughout the boarding house. Always one to please Stefan did as he was asked. He didn’t care if Damon heard. He wanted him to know (y/n) was his and that he would never be able to experience the heaven that was being inside of her. If only he had known she screamed and begged hoping his brother was listening. Sometimes she even imagined Damon with flushed cheeks, his need for her burning through him like a fire he couldn’t put out. She would imagine him with his head thrown back and his eyes shut tightly as he stroked himself pretending he was the one responsible for her pleasure.

She would shriek “ Oh my god, please, I’m gonna cum,” when her fantasy had gotten her to her peak and even louder and raspier “ I want you to cum with me!” Her (y/e/c) eyes would slam shut as she thought of Damon stroking his cock faster and being pushed over the edge with her. Self hatred would wash over her afterwards knowing she betrayed Stefan but no one but her would ever know.

(Y/n) couldn’t help but feel some relief knowing the man she truly wanted could no longer plague her relationship or mind. Though as soon as her mirror image walked into his room with with a crimson colored bottle that was the cure, (y/n) felt more relived then she ever had in her life. That relief soon ended when Katherine happily announced that Stefan had given himself to Klaus to save his brother.

................................................

It was a cool fall day in Mystic falls. Four months after stefan left and made it clear he was not coming back. Damon Salvatore sat on his leather sofa reading from dust returned by ray Bradbury getting himself thoroughly into the fall spirit. His favorite time of year. The sound of the crackling fire place and smell of leaves falling outside was the perfect combination for relaxation.

“ Damon! Why aren’t you answering my calls I’ve been trying to reach you for hours?,” Carloline Forbes voice boomed, the door slamming shut behind her.

He looked at her pointedly “ Well maybe I put my phone on silent so I could have a relaxing day without someone needing my help for a mundane task any human could fufill.”

Caroline huffed, “ this is a big deal Damon, Tyler’s mom has the flu so now we don’t have a place for our yearly friend-o- ween party!”

Damon Laughed, “ friend-o-ween? That’s the best you guys could come up with?”

“ We made it up in middle school and it’s cute!,” she argued. “ please Damon no one else can have it at their house.”

He sighed “ fine.”

Caroline shrieked and jumped “yay! I’ll go get all the decorations!”

.................................................

What was supposed to be a relaxing day turned into hours of assisting Caroline in decorating the boarding house until it looked like something out of a movie. The lighting was dim. Orange and purple lights were strung throughout the house giving it a spooky yet enchanting glow. There were real pumpkins, fake pumpkins, spider webs, skeletons and other spooky decorations. It really was overkill but he did have to admit he enjoyed the finished result.

They stood finally finished Caroline grinning. “ This looks amazing. Oh! I forgot about the food! I’ll have Matt bring the snacks by before everyone else gets here. I have to start getting ready. I’m running behind! You better have a costume Damon!” She said so quickly it’d be hard to understand if he wasn’t supernatural. She left slamming the door behind her.

With an hour to go Damon walked upstairs deciding to take a shower before the party. He stripped his clothes and turned the shower on high heat enjoying the steam that filled up his large room. He decided he would just splash some fake blood on himself as a costume and his mind began to wander to (y/n) wondering what she might wear. He liked her sexy nurse costume but it probably had too many negative emotions attached to it after the last time she wore it. Damon felt guilty over what had happened but all he could think about right now was how badly he had wanted her that night. He could have thrown her in a school bus and fucked her for hours he had been so worked up from her anger towards him. His cock got hard at the thought and he moved his hand down his chiseled wet abs and gripped it.

He started to stroke it thinking of what he normally did, memories of (y/n) moaning and cumming. He should feel ashamed or grossed out by the fact it was because his brother was fucking her but he didn’t care. He could easily remember those sounds and pretend they were caused by him. He stroked himself even faster imagining the school bus fantasy. His arm supported him against the glass wall as the other twisted and began to stroke himself faster. He was so close he was going to

“Damon!,” Matt’s voice yelled from downstairs and Damon had never wanted to kill Matt more than in that moment. He lost the coiling feeling in his abdomen and shut the water off quickly. Pissed he quickly threw on pants and a white v neck.

Once downstairs he helped Matt set out all of the food besides the pizzas Caroline was ordering. If only he had showed up one minute later, Damon thought still extremely frustrated. He splattered some fake blood on his white shirt and face. Then put Caroline’s cheesy Halloween music on that she said he HAD to play.

The door opened and he got excited hoping it was (y/n) but to his disappointment blondie appeared with Tyler and witchy. Bonnie wore a black latex bodysuit with cat ears and Caroline was wearing a black lingerie nighty with animal ears as well. “ I see you decide to go as a slutty hamster,” he joked confused by her outfit.

“ I’m a mouse duh,” she said pointing to her ears the reference lost on him.

Bonnie looked at Tyler in his football jersey and Damon in “ blood” splattered . “ I see you two put in a lot of effort,” she joked.

“ if you want me to take it all off all you had to do was ask bon bon,” Damon joked back as she rolled her eyes.

Everyone moved to the kitchen snacking on chips and soda waiting for the pizza to arrive while Damon anxiously waited for (y/n) . The pizza delivery guy arrived before her much to his dismay and Caroline seeing the look on his face added “ It’ll be worth the wait Damon,” as she smiled. He ignored her not knowing what she meant and poured himself a bourbon as they all sat around eating pizza. When the door finally opened Jeremy came in first wearing a black hoodie as usual (y/n) following behind him.

Damon’s eyes bulged and he tried to stop another area from doing the same as he saw her costume. She was dressed like a playboy bunny and it was the least clothed he had ever seen her. Now he really was hating Matt because tonight was going to be torture until he could relieve himself.

.....................................................

A few hours later they all sat in a circle on the floor in front of the crackling fireplace, filled shot glasses in front of each of them as Caroline yelled. “ Okay never have I ever, so if you have take a shot! Also no lying.” “ I’ll go first! Never have I ever had a one night stand.” Damon and Tyler took a shot.

Bonnie went next, “ never have I ever kissed a girl.” Everyone took a shot besides Bonnie and learning this new fact about (y/n) was making it even harder on him. Especially since he was trying not to stare all night as is.

Tyler went next “ never have I ever slept with Damon Salvatore,” laughing as Caroline hit him and took a shot.

Matt went next following Tyler’s lead , “ never have I ever fantasized about Damon Salvatore.” Also looking at Caroline. She took a shot.

“ Wow I’m hurt Matt,” Damon joked and noticed out of the corner of his eye (y/n) taking a shot too. He thought he could explode right then. He clapped his hands getting everyone’s attention . “Alright this is dumb, lets do truth or dare, you know there’s nothing I won’t do.” He winked. Since it’s my turn I’ll go first he turned to (y/n) whose heartbeat immediately increased.

“ (y/n) ,” he said slowly. “ truth or dare?”

She figured he saw that she had taken a shot for fantasizing about him and knew he would probably ask about that so in this case dare was the safe option. “ dare.”

Damon smirked, “ I dare you to tell me what you fantasized about me doing.” Her face went red.

“ That’s not how it works Damon it has to be an actual dare,” Bonnie said trying to cock block him like usual.

“ Fine,” he looked at (y/n) who was still flushed “ Then I dare you to kiss Caroline.”

(Y/n) crawled over to Caroline on her hands and knees seductively. Her pink body suit showing off her ass with a cute little bunny tail on it. She sat in front of her moving her blonde curled hair behind her ear and passionately kissed her. Caroline wrapped her hands into (y/n)s hair as they moaned into each other mouths. They pulled away laughing and at this point all the men were slightly hard. (Y/n) crawled back to her spot next to Damon and glared at him. Worried what his dare would be after that so he picked truth.

She acted like she was thinking it over “ have you ever jerked off while thinking about me Damon?” She asked trying to embarrass him, making everyone but Caroline slightly uncomfortable. Only because she knew (y/n) and Damon just needed to bang it out already.

He kept eye contact, “ right before everyone got here I was thinking about you in your sexy little nurse costume. Oh by the way Matt thanks for interrupting right as I was about to cum.”

His answer was followed by a few ewww’s and Jeremy, Bonnie and Matt deciding it was time to go. Now it was Caroline’s turn and she was playing matchmaker “ (y/n) truth or dare,”

“ truth,” she responded nervous yet excited.

“ what is your naughtiest fantasy of Damon?”

(Y/n) froze debating on lying but new the supernaturals would easily be able to tell. Looking down ashamed she responded quietly, “ that he would jerk off while hearing stefan and I ... well you know.”

Damon couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t always stefan after all. Had she wanted him the entire time? Did this mean she was purposefully being loud? Was she always thinking about him when her and his baby bro did the deed?

Tyler interrupted his thoughts. “ Caroline truth or dare ?” He said quickly trying to move things away from (y/n) who was obviously embarrassed.

Caroline’s face lit up, “dare.”

“ I dare you to kiss me.” Caroline moved over to him getting into his lap kissing him their bodies pressing close together as Damon and (y/n) looked at each other awkwardly. Caroline let out a small moan and Damon coughed loudly trying to remind them they weren’t alone.

Feeling turned on from so many of the events that happened today and now knowing how long (y/n) had been wanting him physically Damon looked over to her yet again. “ truth or dare ?”

Her face was flushed from Tyler and Caroline’s show of affection and it reminded her how badly she needed intimacy. Damon was sexy all the time but now with his tousled hair and blood spattered shirt he looked rough and it was making her think about all the times he had gotten bloody to save her. How strong and rough he actually was. She wanted to be closer to him she hoped choosing dare would grant that wish. “Dare.”

He patted his lap “ come sit.” She crawled over to him and took a seat in his lap her back facing his chest and his arms wrapped around her tightly. She could feel the buldge underneath his Jeans and her core tightned feeling him pressed against her. He ran his nose along the inside of her neck and whispered “ your turn.”

She responded the need for him finally taking over. “ truth or dare Damon” she said in a husky tone her face turned towards him looking into his eyes, her need evident.

“ dare.”

“ kiss me,” she dared and without hesitation Damon pulled her face to his forcefully. They moaned into each other’s mouths and Damon wrapped an arm around her and the other in her hair after throwing her bunny ears off of her. Well aware of what was about to happen and in need of release themselves Caroline and Tyler snuck out unnoticed.

Damon pushed (y/n) unto her back hovering above her, their lips always connected. He pressed her body firmly into the floor grinding into her core enjoying as she bucked her hips up to meet his. He moved his mouth to her neck kissing it aggressively. “ I want you so fucking bad (y/n) ,” She trembled underneath him.

“ please Damon.” With that he sat back and ripped off her tiny pink body suit leaving her in a black bra and panty set. She sat up and kissed him pulling away to lift his shirt over his head. He picked her up easily sitting her on the leather couch closer to the lit fireplace. He stood in front of her and she fumbled slightly trying to get his pants off as quick as she could. Her eyes widened when she unzipped his black jeans and realized he was going commando and he was BIG. His large erection sprung out of his pants standing proudly in front of her face. He stepped out of his pants and was going to resume undressing (y/n) but that thought was forgotten about when she wrapped her hand around him and did and experimental tug.

She looked up at him her (y/e/c) eyes meeting his blue as she stuck her tongue out and slowly licked his tip a few times before wrapping her lips around him completely.

“ fuck (y/n) ,” he moaned as she went further down on him, bobbing her head up and down on his length. She began to use her hand stroking what couldn’t fit in her mouth. Damon wrapped his hand around her throat gently pushing her off of him knowing If she continued he wouldn’t last much longer. Using his grip on her throat he pushed her back into the couch and crawled untop of her kissing her passionately. His other hand reached being her back unclasping her bra and she gasped as the cool air hit the newly exposed skin. He began to kiss down her neck his fingers traveling to play with her over her soaked panties. “ so wet.” He moaned against her neck as she began to grind into his hand.

Damon moved lower sucking her nipple into his mouth gently nibbling on it as he slipped his hand underneath her underwear making direct contact with her clit. “Please Damon, I need you inside me,” she cried desperately wanting him more than she thought was humanly possible.

He lifted his head from her breast looking down at her. The need evident in her eyes and ripped her panties off of her. Hovering over top of her he grabbed his member and and ran it along her folds watching as her wetness coated him. Looking down at her biting her lip he asked , “ are you sure you want this?”

“ I’ll always want you Damon,” she replied the sincerity clear on her face. With that Damon slowly guided his head into her. He watched her face as she slightly winced and leaned down to kiss her softly. He moved back and slowly slid farther into her. He kissed the side of her face gently trying to remind himself she hadn’t had sex in months and stefan wasn’t as well endowed as he was. Her tightness was testing his will power but he didn’t want to hurt her.

“ are you doing okay?,” he asked moving his hand down to her clit softly rubbing her knowing it would help her adjust more easily.

She moaned her eyes shut tightly the feeling of him stretching her so far. “ yes,” she lifted her hips trying to show him she wanted more , “ I want all of you Damon.” With that he pulled almost all of her heat and thrusted back in completely connecting them.

“ yes!” She cried out feeling like they were made for each other. He pulled back again and thrust in slow and deep enjoying the look of pleasure on her face. He continued his slow thrusts rolling his hips into her filling her all the way. He sat back and watched as her folds gripped him tightly. The view bringing him closer to his release. Damon sped up his pace slightly pulling out mostly than thrusting back into her using more force than before. He could feel her pussy begin to tighten around him and moved to rest his forehead against hers.

“ I want you to come for me (y/n). ” He sped up his circles on her clit and thrust into her harder and harder his abs tensing trying to hold off his orgasm.

(Y/n) began to tremble underneath him, “ I’m close!” she exclaimed. Her legs began shaking uncontrollably the pleasure like nothing she had ever experienced before.

“ me too ,” he grunted on the edge “ I want you to come with me.” He thrust again softly whispering “ come on baby, come on my cock for me.” Feeling her walls start to pulse around him.

With that she cried “ yes! I’m cumming, Damon yes!”

“ Fuck (y/n) ,” he growled, her walls gripping him harder pulling his orgasm from him as he continued to move inside of her.

They lay there still connected the aftershocks traveling through their bodies. He kissed her before slowly pulling out and rolling off the couch onto the soft carpet in front of the fire place. He patted next to him. “ join me?”

She slowly moved beside him her muscles already sore from her incredible orgasm. He played with her hair as she asked him “ truth or dare?”

“ truth,” he responded not questioning her motive.

“ Do you love me Damon?”

“ I always have (y/n),” he paused “ do you love me?”

“ yes, I always will .” With that he brought her mouth to his sealing their love with that one special kiss.

[365days365movies]

February 19, 2021: The Phantom of the Opera (2004) (Part 1)

I love musicals.

Hands down, when talking cinematic adaptations of musicals, my favorite is Little Shop of Horrors. I’ve seen it MANY times, and will see it many, MANY more. And I’m not the only one. I mean, obviously, but in this case, I’m referring to my girlfriend. She’s chosen to represent herself with a GIF from her favorite musical, Hairspray. So, here she is:

Ravishing. Now, because it’s currently our anniversary, I let her pick today’s movie from my list. And so, she chose a musical that neither she nor I have seen: 2004′s The Phantom of the Opera. And some of you may now be saying, “What, this guy said he liked movie musicals, and he hasn’t seen TPotS? That’s like saying you haven’t seen Grease, or Singin’’ in the Rain, or, PFFT, West Side Story!”

...About that...

Yeah, yeah, I know! It’s insane, and I’m a hypocrite. I’ll be getting to the rest of those eventually, and one of them’ll be coming in the next couple of days, I promise. You can probably guess which one. Anyway, fact of the matter is that we’re gonna watch it tonight, and I’m looking forward to it. 

However, there’s another factor to this, and that’s the fact that this film...doesn’t have the best reputation amongst fans of the original musical. And, yeah, this should ideally be the Michael Crawford version, but the Butler version is the one I have access to, so we’re going for it. SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap (1/2)

Paris, 1919, back when the whole city was in black-and-white for a year. They lost the budget for color after World War I. Anyway, at an old opera house, an auction is taking place, and items found within the theater are for sale. One of these is a music box with a monkey on it, an item which sponsors a bidding war between an older woman, and an older man in a wheelchair. I’m sure we’ll find out who they are eventually.

Anyway, a broken chandelier is also up for option, and was involved in the mysterious disaster of the “Phantom of the Opera” fiasco. They turn it on with electric light, and as they raise it to the ceiling, the organist goes fuckin’ NUTS. The song’s so loud that it REVERSES TIME, and we’re now in color, in the year 1870 at the same opera house.

The theatre, managed by the soon-to-retire Monsieur Lefèvre (James Fleet), has just been purchased by Richard Firmin (Ciaran Hinds) and Gilles André (Simon Callow), who are there to observe. On stage, a rehearsal for the opera Hannibal is taking place, and the costume’s are already...like, a LOT, not gonna lie. The headliner for the show is soprano (and drama queen supreme) Carlotta Giudicelli (Minnie Driver), and is being funded by patron Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny (Patrick Wilson). 

The background dancers are instructed by Madame Giry (Miranda Richardson), and include her daughter, Meg (Jennifer Ellison), and her adopted daughter, Christine Daaé (Emmy Rossum). As the rehearsal takes place, an accident happens on stage, almost injuring Carlotta. Enraged, she leaves, and refuses to perform.

Meanwhile, Madame Giry finds a letter from the Phantom, who demands his normal monthly salary of 20,000 francs, as for Box 5 to be left open. While the new owners think that this is ridiculous, they also note that it’s pointless without a lead singer for their show. 

However, Christine is volunteered, and shows that she is indeed a talented singer. The show goes on, and Christine is a smash, much to Carlotta’s dismay. At this point, Raoul also discovers that this is his long lost childhood friend (and possibly long lost love) Christine, which she also noticed earlier.

But this is because of a mysterious teacher, who sings to her from the walls of the theatre. Meg comes in to congratulate her (through song), and asks who her tutor is. Meg responds...in song (”Angel of Music”).

Afterwards, Madame Giry also congratulates her, and tells her that the Phantom is pleased with her. Right after, Raoul also pays her a visit, and the two reconnect on shared memories of times in an attic in the summer. She tells Raoul that she is visited by an Angel of Music, and cannot go to the dinner that night with him. And the Phantom agrees, as he locks Christine in her room. YIKES. 

And as literally every person in the theatre except Christine leaves, the Phantom serenades her, angered by Raoul’s presence, and Christine’s potential dalliance with him (”Mirror”). And through the mirror, he takes her to a mysterious crypt beneath the theatre. And as they sing their strange duet in the form of the title song (”The Phantom of the Opera”)...I try to resist talking about Gerard Butler until later. And it’s hard. It’s SO hard, guys.

But, OK, he takes her away on a...sewer horse...how the FUCK did he get that horse down there? And wait, WAIT, does he put her on that horse to walk her, like, 20 feet to the gondola? Like...WHY DO YOU HAVE THE HORSE? That is...monumentally wasteful. Where do you keep the horse? Does he feed the horse? How much? How often? With what? Does the horse eat the sewer rats? Is there naturally growing sewer hay? Does the Phantom’s salary go towards buying food for the horse, or buying new horses when the original ones DIE OF STARVATION - WHAT THE FUCK IS WITH THIS HORSE?!?!? WHOMSTVE THE FUCK

And yes, I love this fuckin’ song (not the singers, but we’ll get there), but this is distracting me alongside the statues of naked men in the sewer, because...well, Joel Schumacher. What can I say, it’s kind of his aesthetic. Anyway, we get officially introduced to the Phantom of the Opera (Gerard Butler), a very handsome-looking man who likes wearing a half-mask.

I say handsome, because the Phantom in this movie, looks...fine. HE LOOKS OK. HE LOOKS LIKE A DUDE WEARING A MASK. What, did somebody throw a hot candle at his face once, and he freaked out over it and ran into the sewers forever...WITH A HORSE? NOT OVER THE HORSE SHIT.

Look, the Phantom is supposed to be HIDEOUSLY scarred. Famously, in one of the film adaptations of Phantom, actor Lon Chaney Jr. purposely distorted his own face using adhesive face in order to play the role of the hideously disfigured character. Now, other versions have just given him severe, and I mean SEVERE burn scars. But behind the mask, Butler looks...fine. HE LOOKS FINE GODDAMMIT. He looks like he’s wearing the mask because it looks edgy and shit.

But OK, what’s happening in the movie? Oh, right, more serenading (”Music of the Night”), with another song that I like quite a bit. This and the previous song were songs Id heard before, and that I’d already had on my playlist. They’re great, what can I say? Now is Butler doing it justice? Ehhhhhhh, we’ll talk about that in the Review.

During this song he kinda seduces her, or attempts to, and also shows her a wedding dress. She sees herself in it and IMMEDIATELY faints, Jesus!  Curtain falls on Christine while she’s in a bed, and we go back to her room, where Meg is looking for her. She finds the mirror, and is about to go back there, but her mother finds and stops her.

Meanwhile, stagehand Joseph Buquet (Kevin McNally) tells the chorus girls of the legend of the Phantom, and describes a physical description that doesn’t match him...even a little. We cut back to Christine, who wakes up in what my girlfriend refers to as a “bomb-ass HQ.” Which is fair, let’s be honest. Anyway, she heads over and tries to unmask her new masked lover (?).

He’s not the biggest fan of this, and he emos all over the screen (”Stranger Than You Dreamt It”). And then, as he puts his mask on, we suddenly (and I mean suddenly) jump to 1919, where the old woman, Madame Giry, bids farewell to...wait, that’s Raoul? HOW DOES HE LOOK SO MUCH OLDER THAN HER, WHAT???

Back in the past, inexplicably, the theatre owners and manager sing about the theatre and the Phantom’s demands ("Notes..."), and are soon joined by Raoul, who brings them a separate note, saying not to look for Christina any further. THEN, Carlotta joins them, delivering a letter of her own from the Phantom, warning her not to return to the theatre.

In his letters, he details how his theatre is to be run, threatening a disaster if Christine is not cast in the lead role, and if Carlotta is not cast in a silent role. However, the theatre owners and Carlotta refuse to obey, and Carlotta is cast in the role, as the owners try to appease her (”Prima Donna”).

That night, during a performance of Il Muto, Carlotta’s singing the lead role. Additionally, Box Five is full, and the Phantom is PISSED. So, like a Phantom do, it’s time for some good old fashioned petty revenge! He switches her throat spray, causing her to lose her voice on stage, and causing the audience to laugh when the show ends abruptly. They quickly and publicly recast the role, giving it to Christine instead. Well, mission accomplished by the Phantom! Guess we’re good without retribution. And then he hangs the stagehand.

Well...fuck, man. Realizing that the Phantom is EXTREMELY dangerous, Christine goes to save Raoul, who she...is in a relationship with now? Wait...wait, hold up, the fuck did I miss? I mean, yeah, he probably is gonna kill Raoul, but there is, like, NO lead-up to their connection before this point.

Anyway, as Christine explains that there is a Phantom when Raoul says he doesn’t exist...wait, WHAT? MOTHER FUCKER BUQUET JUST NOT MURDERED IN FRONT OF EVERYBODY WHAT IN THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN????? YOU LITERALLY HEARD THE...you know what? Break. BREAK. This is...this one’s tough.

See you in Part 2!

[fuckingthefictional]

sorry to bother but i have a request, could you write a peter parker! x reader, with the reader being the protégé or adopted daughter of the strange doctor? I searched a lot but I didn't find

Must be magic.

Peter Parker x Strange!Reader

Requested: Yes by @celenajulie

A/N: hope you enjoy this! I tried my best- and there will be a part 2 out soon, where Y/N introduces Peter to her dad, stay safe out there! Xx

Y/N never knew her birth parents, she had only been a mere few hours old when she had been left outside of a New York orphanage.

The owners took her in, fed her and let her grow. She was a generally happy baby.

Until one day, a few months later, Y/N took a turn for the worst. She was no longer that happy girl with the gummy smile, she wasn’t herself.

She slept more, she cried more, she vomited more despite eating less and she didn’t interact with the social workers at the house like she used to. She just wasn’t herself.

Soon they found out why. Y/N had a brain tumour, the doctors called it pineoblastoma.

It was rare, it was aggressive and it was killing the young infant- causing her to waste away.

There were several options, the majority of which were expensive and risky. The staff at the orphanage were considering placing Y/N into the care of a hospice.

After all, time was limited and their options were coming to dead ends. What else could they do? They needed a miracle, a doctor something magical if Y/N was to survive and thrive again.

-

Christine Palmer loved her job, she loved the idea of caring and helping those who needed her support.

It didn’t matter what age, gender, sexuality or race someone was- she tried 110% to help them to the best of her ability.

Some said that she cared too much, Christine opted towards the fact that compassion was key in the medical industry. And anyone who lacked it, wasn’t cut out for this line of work.

Compassion was what lead Christine to Y/N.

God- she could still remember the first time she’d met the tiny girl.

It had been in the early hours of the morning, the rain had been hammering down for hours and all had been relatively quiet in ER.

Christine remembered going to the vending machine in the waiting room on her break, in hopes to get a snack.

What she hadn’t expected was to become involved in a small dispute. There had been a small altercation that she had decided to step in between.

It seemed to of been between one of the ladies at the front desk and a tall, slender woman- who Christine had at first assumed to be a wife or parent of a patient.

It wasn’t until the young woman inquired why the argument had begun that she finally understood and jumped into action.

“It’s one of the children that I care for, Y/N- last month we were here and she was diagnosed with a brain tumour, we’ve been getting treatment but she’s taken a turn for the worse.”

It was almost immediately that Nurse Palmer jumped into action and called for support on her pager.

It took mere seconds for a doctor to come forward with the required equipment and a portable bassinet to wheel the baby away in.

But there was a nagging feeling in the back of Christine's head, she needed to call him. Just to be sure, to get support and a second opinion.

Without a second thought, she picked her phone from her scrub pocket and pressed the dial button, it rang for a second before a voice chimed through the other side.

“Christine it’s two in the morning.”

“You owe me that favour- come to the hospital now, I need support on a patient’s case.”

“I’m on my way.”

“Okay.” She paused, licking her lips. “And Stephen- thank you.”

-

It had been an ongoing gag between Stephen and Christine that he owed her a favour.

Ever since the incident in med school, Stephen vowed to give his friend one favour- whenever she needed it, whatever it was- he would be there.

That was why he was getting dressed into his scrubs at 2:30 in the morning (when his next shift didn’t start for another day) in order to help Christine with whatever it was she needed.

When Stephen arrived at the hospital he rushed to where Christine said to meet, Paediatric intensive care unit.

He strolled in, finding Christine sat on a chair next to a tiny infant, no less than a few months old, who was covered in fresh wires.

“She has pineoblastoma.” She explained softly, “You’re the only one I know who can operate and get positive results on this sort of thing.”

Stephen nodded, formulating a plan in his head as he read the baby’s case file.

The poor child had been through a lot in her first few months of life it seemed.

And the doctor didn’t know it yet - but he would soon become her proper family, and give her the life she deserved.

-

It was weird being the daughter of a master of the mystic realm. Like really weird. Nothing was ever ‘normal’ in her life.

Travelling to the grocery store? Her dad would simply use his sling ring.

Wouldn’t get out of bed? The cloak of levitation would drag her out if her dad willed it.

Wanted a slice of pizza? Sure- Wong would just conjure one up.

She lived in the New York Sanctum Sanctorum for crying out loud that didn’t exactly scream normal!

The only thing that may have been normal was her school life, Midtown school of science was perfect for Y/N.

She took after her father on that, she was smart and bright and loved to learn.

In fact, there had been many occasions growing up that she had been caught under the covers, flashlight in hand, reading her dad's old medical school textbooks.

But just because she was bright, didn’t mean that she made friends easily. Being smart often meant she was teased by her peers- it didn’t help that her last name was Strange either.

She had some friends on the debate team (MJ being one of them) and she talked to Peter and Ned too sometimes.

But half the time Y/N avoided it, after all, she’d rather not listen to her long term crush go on and on about how he loved the most popular girl in school.

It was painful- that stuff hurt. And every time she thought she’d taken a step forwards toward him he’d take three more back.

“Miss Strange?”

Y/N focused back in on the whiteboard, in front of which stood the extremely unimpressed bio teacher.

“Pardon?”

“The answer Miss Strange?” The teacher turned around, marker poised ready to write down her answer on the board for the class to see.

Thankfully MJ was up to date and mouthed the question number across the room. Looking down at the sheet in front of her she found the relevant question.

‘Name an example of a gene pool.’

“A population with a known proportion of A, B and O blood groups would be an example of a relevant gene pool.”

The teacher looked unimpressed at the fact that Y/N had been ‘listening’, “That is correct.” He cleared his throat, “Now before this lesson ends, I will be handing out these assignment sheets that are to be used for your upcoming projects- yes, you will be doing them with your lab partner. No-you cannot switch.”

Fuck that meant Peter was going to be Y/N’s partner. Double fuck. That meant spending time alone with him.

While Y/N pondered in her doom, the lunch bell rang and everyone moved around her as they packed up and left the classroom.

“Hey erm Y/N?”

The teenager’s head snapped up, only to come face to face with Peter.

“Peter!” She yelped, “Hi.”

The boy laughed breathily, “Hi, listen since we’re buddy’s on this project i was wondering when you were next free- Y’know to do the project?”

Y/N tucked some stray hairs behind her ears, “Oh I’m free whenever,” she ripped the corner of one of her pages off and scribbled down her number, “This is my number in case you need to call me.”

“Cool,” Peter rubbed the back of his neck nervously, “I should get going- it was nice talking.”

“Yeah of course,” she nodded happily, “I’ll see you later.”

Mere minutes later there was a beep coming from Y/N’s pocket, she fished around in her pocket in an attempt to find her phone.

‘Hey this is peter, are you free to make a start on the project afterschool?’

She typed a quick response back, ‘Sure, where were you thinking?’

‘The library is probably most convenient right?’

‘Okay cool, I’ll see you later.’

By the end of the day, Y/N found herself practically bouncing at the idea of spending time with Peter alone.

She’d managed to snag a table and the required textbooks that they’d need. But minutes turned into hours and there was no sight of the boy that Y/N was falling for.

He’d stood her up.

Or at least that’s what Y/N had initially thought. but as the clock struck half-past five, she was aware that it was time she made her way home.

Despite his no show, the bright girl was almost entirely finished with the first half of the project.

She was in the process of exiting the library’s doors when she heard the familiar laugh paired with a high pitched giggle.

“Seriously though- Thanks for helping me with Chem.” The female voice countered, “I’d be lost without you.”

Y/N was flat backed to the cool, red bricks that made up the library building. Listening in to what was being said.

“No problem Liz,” Peter laughed nervously, Y/N could almost imagine the awkward neck rub that he did whenever he laughed like that, “I really enjoyed it- I-I’m glad I could help.”

So it was Liz that Peter stood her up with. Ouch- that stung.

The sorcerer's daughter felt tears drip down her cheeks, she sniffled quietly and kicked off the wall brushing past Peter and Liz briskly.

But all she could hear was Peter’s voice calling behind her. Shouting desperately for her to stop and let him explain.

But she did what she knew best, she went home to her family.

-

The next few days fell victim to the onslaught of messages that Peter sent to Y/N via text.

Even the sounds of her phone buzzing were beginning to set Y/N on edge. Especially since she knew that the notification coming through would be from Peter, begging to let him ‘explain.’

But once more in true Strange fashion, Y/N worked and worked and worked. Until the bio project was finished- almost four weeks in advance.

The way she saw it was that If the work had been completed, then there was no real to hang out with Peter ever again.

He, however, didn’t seem to have the same idea. As 3 weeks later on Monday, Peter had resorted to cornering the girl in the school's supply closet.

He didn’t want to do it, but Y/N gave him no choice. Peter had to explain himself.

“Peter- what the hell?” Y/N yelped, she was beyond pissed at this point.

“You haven’t been returning my texts and calls,” he shrugged, “I need to explain myself.”

“Like hell you do.” She spat, “Look it doesn’t matter, I’ve finished the damn project- we don’t need to see each other again.”

Peter looked shocked and there was hurt in his eyes, “Y/N...”

“What do you want me to say, Peter? That I’m not hurt?” She pursed her lips to stop the tears from leaking, “You left me for hours in the library all while you were having fun with Liz- how is that fair?”

“Please don’t cry,” He whispered, pulling her into his body in an embrace, “I can’t stand it when you cry.”

“You left me alone Peter!” She fought against his embrace, “Like everyone in my life!”

Peter held Y/N against him, rubbing her back and shushing her. Trying anything to bring her calm.

“I got nervous.”

Y/N lifted her head, “What?”

“I got nervous- I’ve- I’ve liked you for forever y’know. I was outside the library for 10 minutes willing myself to go in.” He laughed softly, “But every time I saw you sat there- I just froze.”

The young girl looked up in shock, “But-But Liz?”

“I was about to get reprimanded for loitering, she got me out of the situation. I was going to call you but my phone died.”

Y/N didn’t realise how close together they were until their foreheads touched and their noses bumped.

It felt like her heart was about to beat out of her chest. It was ironic really because when they finally met in a kiss it felt like all time had stopped.

She could feel every touch on her cheeks, his hair and how it ran through her fingers, how minty he smelt. Everything stood still and for a few moments, you had everything you’d ever wanted in the palm of your hand.

What Y/N had failed to notice was the glowing golden portal that had appeared in the supply closet- even worse the thoroughly unimpressed man standing through it.

“Y/N Strange you are so dead!”

“Shit!”

[hyuniebaby]

Focus (10)

Pairings: Baekhyun x Y/N x Junmyeon

AU: College student! Baekhyun, Professor! Junmyeon AU, college!au

A/N: So I've rewritten the whole Part 10 because Tumblr decided to mess it up... I didn't have any back-up file so… I completely changed the whole part. 😅 Sorry for updating this late, I had to cool down from my frustration over Part 10 getting deleted. I hope you still enjoy this~

Taglist: @coffee-prince-kyungsoo​ @thighhighsanti​ @littleflowercrown13​

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11

Mr. Kim doesn’t know what came over him when he started walking towards Baekhyun as soon as he had a glimpse of him. He was even more surprised when the words, “Mr. Byun, if you have time, please come by my office later” left his mouth.

Mr. Kim was a very laid-back professor. He doesn’t mind what his students were up to as long as they were actually learning. He only ever intervenes when he notices that his students weren't doing well on his quizzes. But right now, that wasn’t the case when he finds himself talking to Baekhyun. Unprofessional as it may be, he wanted to know what’s happening between you and Baekhyun. Were you two in a relationship already? Was he wrong for taking a liking to you? Were you cheating on Baekhyun with him? Does Baekhyun know what happened between the two of you? There were so many questions he wanted to ask but he doesn’t know how to do so, especially not to Baekhyun. Baekhyun wasn’t his friend, you are. It would have been easier if it was you who he was standing in front of.

He should’ve just held back the words. He should’ve just waited until he saw you so he could talk to you instead. But he was very curious, he couldn’t think straight! He was slightly panicking inside for being so brazen but he kept the cool exterior.

Mr. Kim wasn’t expecting to see Baekhyun nod to him. “I’m actually free today.” Baekhyun says. Mr. Kim thought that he’d be able to get at least three hours to be able to think of a plan to subtly ask about the two of you. Now he had to think fast.

“Well then Mr. Byun, please follow me to my office.” He says.

He leads the younger male into his office. Baekhyun doesn’t seem to be as tense as him. When they arrive at his office, he motions Baekhyun to sit.

“So Mr. Byun I see that you’ve become distracted in class lately.” Mr. Kim starts to say. Quite frankly, it wasn’t what he really wanted to say, but he thought it would be weird he went directly to the point. He wasn’t sure how Baekhyun would react so he was being a little cautious.

Baekhyun shrugs nonchalantly. Wow, he doesn’t really seem to care, Mr. Kim thought. It was annoying for him to see a student act so indifferent. He was a professor after all and he deserves to be heard and respected.

“Mr. Kim, just get to the point, I know you don’t care about my performance in class,” Baekhyun says with a slight annoyance in his tone. Baekhyun was being rude and he knows it, but he was really not in the mood for beating around the bush. He wasn’t in the mood to talk to Mr. Kim at all. He was very much pissed to know that he was the person who dared touch you when he basically marked you as his.

Mr. Kim was taken aback with the tone Baekhyun used. He felt offended for the lack of respect. He gives the younger male a warning look, a sign that he shouldn’t test his patience. Baekhyun just stares at him, challenging him.

When Mr. Kim doesn’t respond, Baekhyun says, “I know about you and Y/N.”

Mr. Kim raises his brow. He knows you well enough that you’re only comfortable with telling these kinds of things to people who you truly trusted. The fact that Baekhyun knew meant that you’ve grown close to the younger male. Mr. Kim leans back to his chair and crosses his arms, “What about us?”

Baekhyun gives him an incredulous look. “You touched her and kissed her. God knows what else you’ve done!” He was so mad.

“Didn’t you do that to her too?” He says with a glare.

Baekhyun was caught off guard by Mr. Kim’s statement. Mr. Kim knew something happened between the two of you and he still touched you and kissed you! You were his and like he told you, he doesn’t like to share. He was furious at the older man. Right now all he wanted to do was to punch Mr. Kim in the face, but he refrains from doing so. He tries to compose himself and smirks, “Oh but we did more than that.”

Mr. Kim clenches his jaw in annoyance. Baekhyun tugs the collar of his shirt to reveal more of the hickeys you gave him. Mr. Kim’s eyes widened at the sight, he wasn’t able to notice the hickeys at first because he was too busy thinking of what to say to Baekhyun. The sight pisses of Mr. Kim. He scoffs,”Should I care? Even if you did have sex with her, I don’t think it counts so much. After all, she allowed me to touch her despite having slept with you.”

Baekhyun felt like he was slapped on the face. What Mr. Kim was true. He wasn’t anything to you aside from the man who you had slept with, twice. “As if you aren’t in the same disposition as me.” Baekhyun snaps.

“Oh but I’m not the same as you.” Mr. Kim smirks. “We’ve known each other for quite a while now. I was her friend even before I became her professor. Even her parents adore me. She won’t cut ties with me easily.”

Well shit.

“Just a tip, Baekhyun,” Mr. Kim says his name mockingly, “She almost never dates. You see, she prioritizes her studies over everything else. She gets easily distracted too, so she avoids distractions as much as possible. And if you’ve been observing her for the past few days, you’d know that you are a distraction. Maybe you should just step down and save yourself the trouble.”

To Baekhyun, giving up is never an option. Baekhyun is a gamer after all. The thing about gamers is that they’re very competitive and passionate. He naturally loves to win. This time it was you who he wants to win over.

The past few days of you avoiding him lead him to realize that he does feel something about you. And because of this realization, he’s not going to step down, even if it’s Mr. Kim who’s supposed to be his opponent. He hates losing. And he would definitely hate himself if he lost you.

Without a word, Baekhyun stands up and leaves Mr. Kim’s office. He’s furious. He has to find a way to make you his, before Mr. Kim actually makes a move.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

You enter the classroom with your head down low to hide your red face. Baekhyun was driving you crazy. When you looked up from the floor, you saw your friends were already seated by your usual place. All your friends were looking at you already.

Before you can even take your seat, Mina says, “So... I think it’s time to tell them what happened to you last week.”

You know immediately what she was thinking about when she raises her eyebrows up and down. “Do I really have to?” You whine.

Mina doesn’t answer you, she turns to the rest of your friends with a smile instead and she announces, “She met this extremely good looking guy!!!!”

“How good looking?” Joohyun asks, leaning forward.

“Like a god! He’s tall and handsome. A gentleman too.” Mina says dreamily.

You roll your eyes, “Mina, I think you’re exaggerating.”

“What’s his name? Maybe I can find him.” Joohyun says. You don’t doubt her abilities, she does have a lot of connections.

“Uh… I think you will definitely find him because you have so many friends.” You pause, thinking of whether or not to tell her. You eye her warily, but she looks so interested, you didn’t want to dampen her mood so you say, “His name is Sehun.”

“Sehun as in Oh Sehun? The one in Performing Arts?!” Joohyun exclaims.

You were shocked she knew him personally. You thought it would take at least a day for her to find out about him through her other friends. “You know him?”

“Yes,” she then lowers her voice and glances at some person in the front row, “he’s Jongin’s best friend.”

You snap your head towards Jongin, it was a good thing he was taking a nap so he doesn’t know about the commotion. “What the fuck?”

“So are you dating him?” Seulgi pipes in.

You slightly cringe, remembering how annoying he actually was when sober, “Of course not!”

“Whose shirt are you wearing then if it wasn’t from him?”

You were caught off guard by the question, momentarily forgetting that you’re actually wearing Baekhyun’s shirt. “This is Baekhyun’s shirt.” You press your mouth in a thin line

Your friends squealed. “Oh my god! Are you two dating now?” You didn’t know who asked because they reacted so loudly you had to cover your ears.

“No, no. Nothing like that. We -- uh, haven’t talked about it yet.”

Your friends’ eyes soften. “Well, you know we like him. For you. So don’t be too afraid to jump in Y/N. It’s been so long since you and Kyungsoo broke up, maybe you should give him a chance.” Mina says.

You frown, “It’s complicated,” you pause while thinking about Junmyeon, “I don’t even know if he likes me that way.”

Seulgi rolls her eyes, “It’s quite obvious he has a crush on you! When you were avoiding him, he always had this longing look when he saw you in the hallway. Not to mention --”

You cut her off before she could say anything else. You didn’t want to get your hopes up, “Besides, I have to study well, especially since I have to beat Jongin.”

Your friends laugh at your reasoning. They were aware you thought of Jongin as a competitor ever since he was dared to beat the top student in the class, who was unfortunately you. It was supposed to be for a quiz only, but when Jongin lost to you, he didn’t give up. So he challenged you to the next quiz which led to another and another. There was an unspoken agreement that this “game” would continue until the end of the semester, or at least if someone concedes. It came to a point where your classmates took bets on who’s going to score higher. Even your professors were aware of the game you both played, but they didn’t say anything about it seeing that somehow the rest of the class got motivated to study for the quizzes and examinations because of the competition. Then by the end of the semester, your classmates tallied your quizzes and examinations and well, Jongin scored higher than you by two points. TWO points! It frustrated you. But it was fun competing with him like that since you got more focused and driven. This time you weren’t going to lose to him. You weren’t going to let anything or anyone distract you.

[psycho-pass-saiko]

Wrote another sparring session 😚

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29362230

‘’Focus on your core, Kei!’’

Kei, grunted with frustration to the comment of Ginoza; as Arata kept on analyzing one of the SAD member’s sparring with Kei, pinching his chin without even blinking an eye. Kogami slowly approached to the short inspector, exhaling a smoke from his lips to air casually.

‘’So, what do you think about it?’’ he asked. Arata, startled with his sudden presence next to him, smiled subtly.

‘’Oh, hello Kogami-san.’’ Arata greeted him, only getting a small nod from his superior. ‘’About what exactly? And pardon me but isn’t here no-smoking area?’’

Kogami, not even giving a reaction to his implication, gestured the two men on tatami rink struggling, with a swing of his chin. ‘’About their fighting.’’

Well, struggling part is most on Kei, Arata thought as his friend was captured now by his opponent. ‘’They are strong, i guess?’’ said Arata. Kogami huffed, taking another smoke from his halfly burnt cigar. ‘’Thats for sure.’’

Kei, now caged in Sugo’s steel like arm-lock, one arm over his neck the other pulling it back with his inner elbow, he was unable to move. He was almost same height and had similar athletic frame with this SAD member but somehow he looked bigger than him, now being choked between his muscular arms and firm chest behind his back. Kei, swang his body from side to side, trying to escape from his hold. But Sugo on the other hand, was not planning on letting him go just yet.

With a frowned face, he asked. ‘’Are you going to surrender or faint, inspector?’’ intensifying his hold around the neck. They were both on ground, Kei gasping and struggling over Sugo’s body. Kei, huffed, already seeing colorful dots in his vision, clenched his fingers on Sugo’s forearms, still not giving up. Sugo, with a sigh, opened his legs to cover Kei’s and he arched his body. With sudden pain in his spine Kei made an ‘ach!’ sound but yet again, he desperatly kept on trying to escape.

‘’Release the kid, Sugo. You will give him a whiplash in the neck.’’ Said Ginoza, wiping his sweat with a towel sitting on a bench. With his word, Sugo immediately loosened up his hold on the inspector and gently threw him to his side. Kei, gasped for air, now on all his fours, massaged his throat with his left hand. After letting him go, Sugo rose on his feet, adjusting his gym clothes which was consist of a pair of dark green sweatpants and short-sleeved shirt. He slicked back his dark hair and offered his open hand to Kei afterwards.

‘’Sorry, inspector.’’

‘’No, no, it is okay.’’ Kei, now breathing normally grabbed his hand, stood up. He gulped down, damping his mouth. ‘’Please let us have a rematch.’’ Sugo silently nodded.

Kogami, snorted under his breath, remembering the time when he also asked the same thing to him. Before fainting. No one except Arata heard him in the gym of Foreign Affairs’ headquarters.

Division 1 inspectors were here for a case, which was committed by a foreigner visiting their country, but after they realised they had to wait for a few hours for the case files, they searched for something to spend time with. They decided to explore the big building. Ginoza was the one who called for them when they were just passing by the entrance of the gym. Inspectors saw the long haired agent in his navy blue/black track suit and white sleeveless top, revealing his well-shaped biceps. He smiled at them as they slowly walked towards him. After a small chit-chat of why they were here and what they were doing Ginoza invited them to their exercise routine as an option for their search of distraction. Arata wanted to refuse but as soon as Kei saw the spiky haired agent on the tatami rink inside the gym he agreed instantly and bowed respectfully. Seeing him, Arata had to accept the offer too, rather reluctantly. Then Ginoza lent them some spare gym clothes from the mislaid-goods and all three of them went back to the main saloon.

Their gym was massive. Bigger and wider than the one in MWPSB. There were more then twenty of treadmills, weight equipments, even an indoor pool next to the main gym saloon. Arata and Kei, both in black short sleeved shirts and gray shorts, followed Ginoza to the center of the gym. Kogami and Sugo was having a sparring, but it was obvious they weren't serious, only discussing some tactics since their moves were controlled and calm. Kogami was wearing a simple pair of black sleeveless top and sweatpants. Sugo in front of him, arms crossed to Kogami’s forearms, was with his dark green pair of gym clothes. When they reached to the boxing rink with a tatami floor, both grey and black eyes turned towards them. Inspectors and agents bowed each other after they introduced themselves to both part. Arata was not sure why Kei was glaring at the agent named Kogami, but he ignored thinking Kei had his reason. Besides Kogami didnt look bothered at all. In fact he lighted a cigaratte walking to the edge of the rink. He leaned on the corner pads.

‘’We met again, inspector.’’ he said nonchalantly. Kei nodded. ‘’Yes. I hope we can have a rematch Kogami-san.’’ Kogami with an irritated sigh waved his cigarette holding hand on the air while murmuring silently ‘yeah, yeah’. After a short warming-up, Inspectors stepped up to the link from the small stairs at right side of the rink.

First pairing was Ginoza and Sugo. Arata had to admit, they had a strange chemistry together. Sugo was using his Karate knowledge yet was cautiously avoided a hit by Ginoza’s left bionic arm. They chatted while fighting, almost laughing with the comments they made to each other’s moves. In the end it was a tie, close to Sugo’s victory. At least it was what Arata thought. They bowed to each other and Ginoza jumped down the rink, pointing Kei to take his place. Kei, nodded and entered the rink with confidence.

Well, at least he was sure he would win over Sugo. Yet was wronged once again.

‘’Your partner,’’ started Kogami, next to Arata once again, watching them discussing why he couldnt break Sugo’s arm-lock. Former military captain was patient with him as if teaching to a kid. ‘’he is so confident with himself. This weakens his ability to analyze his opponent. He had plenty chances to bring down Sugo but he went in with the idea of winning in his mind.’’

Arata raised an eyebrow. ‘’Isn’t this what leads one to victory, Kogami-san?’’

Kogami, shrugged. ‘’For tournaments, maybe. But this is real world, inspector. Your opponent goes for your vitals, to kill you. They wont stop just before stabbing your chest. Winning sometimes is not enough.’’ He took one last smoke from his cigar, stubbing out the cigaratte foot in his palm. ‘’He is well-trained but as i said before, he is cocky.’’

Arata grinned to honesty of this man and shrugged. ‘’He is the best partner.I dont care if he is cocky or not. I wouldn't change him to anyone else.’’

Kogami, gave him an amused side look. ‘’Its good to hear.’’ He turned his face to rink where Sugo and Kei were exitting. ‘’So, inspector’’ he beckoned to rink. ‘’what about a match?’’

Arata, knew he had no chance against him. The aura surrounding his body, his calm movements, uninterested expression. Everything screamed ‘’ dont come near or bear the consequences’’. But he accepted. What else could he do?

‘’Why not, Kogami-san.’’ He started to walk towards rink.

‘’Kogami-san, i hope you havent forgetten about our rematch.’’ Said Kei as Arata entered to the rink where Kogami was standing. Kogami, eyes closed sighed looking at the ceiling.

‘’For fucks sake... Okay, i get it, i get it. Wait for your turn.’’

Arata, inhaled calmly. Kei sure was stubborn but it seems Kogami was the one who wounded his pride, thats why he was so persuasive. Otherwise he couldn't remember a time where Kei was so stubborn about a basic rematch.

At least it wont take long Kei, he thought already adjusting his body to a defense position, legs open hands in fists.

Kogami, took one or a two steps backwards, changing his balance from one feet to another,hopping on his toes. Slowly he raised his arms to air as well. Arata, observed his position, planning on how to attack.

Well he was thinking for an attack when he saw a fist stopping just centimeters away from his nose. Arata exhaled with confusion, his breath grazed his solid fist. With shocked eyes he looked up and saw focused grey eyes locked on his honey colored ones.

‘’React fast, inspector. One more time.’’ Kogami drew back his fist and got back to his starting position. Arata shook his head to sides, tried to focus. He knew he was no match to this SAD agent but this didnt mean he should surrender easily. Arata mimicked Kogami’s hopping earlier. He inhaled. But before seeing the attack he felt it.

Kogami, yet again moved fast, aiming to kick his side torso. But his leg found no target as Arata with an extreme flexibility leaned back to a bridge, then he kicked his legs backwards to stand on them again. Kogami narrowed his eyes.

‘’Gymnastics?’’

‘’Profesionally.’’ answered Arata, calmly when he saw a small grin on his lips. But he said nothing as he moved forward to hold one of Arata’s wrist. Arata bent his knees, slided to right. However this was Kogami’s plan as well. He ducked almost near to floor on his left foot, he streched out his right leg and with a twist on his toes he low kicked Arata’s legs. Arata instictively jumped and avoided his dangerous blow. Landing on the tatami he jumped further away from him. Kogami slowly stood on his feet, turning to him. Arata with adrenaline running through his veins, decided to attack at least once. When Kogami dashed towards him Arata threw his right leg to front, turned two rounds on air before giving a kick to his face. Kogami, leaned back, barely avoiding his leg. He still felt the skin of his heel. Arata, landed on his feet, but unfortunately not fast enough. Kogami, found his balance in a flash, grabbed his arm and pulled it towards himself. When Arata’s body bumped into Kogami’s torso, he wrapped his right arm around Arata’s neck, still pulling his left hand to further in front of himself. Kogami’s left hand twisted his left palm to upwards. Arata gasped with pain spreading through his whole arm, bending from his waist to front, he punched continuesly on Kogami’s arm desperately trying to escape from his grip. From afar it looked like a brotherly fight.

‘’Dont be so harsh on my bosses, Kogami-san. I still need my paycheck, after all.’’

A sweet giggle echoed in the gym at the same time his hold over Arata’s neck losened up. Arata had a chance to rise his head and saw a petite figure coming towards the rink. It was no other than Statutory Enforcer, Tsunemori Akane.

Kogami, Arata still whining under his arm, looked towards to the owner of the voice. He knew the second he heard her voice, but seeing her in front of his eyes was still like dream-like event for him. His expression softened as he released Arata, putting his hands to his waist line. Kogami shrugged.

‘’It’s a must for a good training.’’ He grinned at Akane.

Arata, now standing straightly, rubbed his left wrist. First thing he realized was the sudden change in Kogami’s expression. His cool, uninterested look was nowhere to be seen. Instead, shining eyes and a caring gaze took their place. Oh, i see, thought Arata.

‘’Enforcer Tsunemori, have the case files been filled?’’ asked Kei, without thinking.

Arata, felt the sudden tension growing in the air of the gym as three agents got stiff in their places when they heard the title of the woman. Especially Kogami, his chin clenched.

‘’Tsunemori-san, sorry we didnt had the time to tell you where we were.’’ said Arata quickly, trying to soften air.

Akane smiled. This made the agents relax a bit. ‘’Oh dont worry about it. Thought you would be here.’’ she turned her face towards Kogami as she finished her sentence.

‘’Tsunemori,’’ Ginoza turned towards her on the bench he sat. He had a small smile on his lips. Continued as he leaned over placing his elbows on his knees. ‘’It has been a while.’’ Akane’s smiling face turned towards him, nodding.

‘’Indeed, Ginoza-san.’’ She looked left of the rink searching for someone. That was when Sugo stepped forward with a soft grin too. ‘’Hello, Tsunemori-san. Its so good to see you.’’

‘’Hello, Sugo-san. Feelings are mutual.’’ said Akane, slightly lowering her head to left side with a big smile that hiding her eyes.

‘’You looking good.’’ A compliment came from top of the rink. Kogami was now leaning on red ropes of the rink, arms crossed. She was wearing a dark smoke colored two-pieced suit, a pale blue shirt under her jacket. It was rare for her to wear trousers as she would often prefered skirts. But as time passed, like her, her fashion sense changed too. Akane took two steps forward.

‘’Thank you, Kogami-san, you look sharp as well.’’responded Akane, lifting her face to meet with his eyes after her eyes gazing over his muscular arms. Kogami leaned a bit more, his smirk getting more coy.

‘’Want to go for a round?’’

If arata wasnt seeing them in front of his eyes, he would definetely thought they were talking about some other exercise. Something about Kogami's voice gave him this impression. He nodded abruptly to silence Kei’s almost interruption. Blue eyed inspector got the message and closed his mouth, taking his place next to smiling Arata.

‘’Now, it's a time to be alive.’’ Grinned Ginoza. Kogami’s judgemental look found him.

‘’What now, ponytail?’’ he huffed.

Ginoza, not losing his smug face winked at Akane. ‘’Blow him a hit for me too, Tsunemori.’’

Akane snorted, quickly covering her mouth shyly. Sugo, approached to the bench where Ginoza was sitting. ‘’Pardon me, Kogami-san but, it will be fun to see your ass get kicked.’’

‘’Hey!’’ Kogami, held the ropes and stood straigth, his body half-way turned to right, faceing his team-mates. Ginoza and Sugo shrugged, not even trying to hide their smiles.

‘’Dont bully him, you two.’’ said the female enforcer but her voice was full of joy. She took another step to corner of the rink, already taking of her jacket. Kogami, rolled his eyes, turned on his heels to face with Akane once again. She was folding up her blue shirt’s sleeves when they reached just above her elbows she nodded herself with satisfaction. As she quietly took of her flat-heeled shoes, Kogami leaned on the red ropes and held a hand to her.

‘’Do you need any help-‘’ but before he could finish his words, Akane hold the closest rope to her, pulled herself back and with the help of the bounce she jumped on the rink easily. She bend over and entered inside of the rink between two ropes with a smile on her face. Kogami, still semi-leaning down, smirked.

‘’Of course you don't.’’ Kogami, bounced himself back from the ropes and turned to his back, finding Akane already in her defense position. She saw him tilting his head to side a bit.

Akane raised one of her eyebrows. ‘’Hmm?’’

Kogami, shrugged and bent his knees, elbows and fist rising to air. ‘’ Nothing. Grey looks good on you.’’

Akane, clearly blushing, huffed from her nose. ‘’You can’t win without distracting me, can you Kogami-san?’’

Kogami narrowed his eyes as his grin became sinful. ‘’Oh, I can.’’ And he attacked.

For the next five minutes, Arata almost swallowed his tongue with the shock. He knew she was strong. But not she-can-lift-up-an-adult-man-easily kind of strong. He didnt expect to see this scene.

At the beggining, Kogami attacked her as low as he can get. But with a one hand carthwheel on his shoulder, Akane dodged his attack, lending behind him. She was fast. Almost as fast as Kogami. As a result Arata felt like watching two tigers fighting in front of him. She punched mercilessly to his torso, knowing that he would dodge the attack. In fact, he did, only to threw a fist to her which she avoided swiftly turning on her heels. She then grabbed him from his waist-line reversely, lifted him up on air, turned with him before throwing him to ground. Kogami, with a short laugh, did a somersault to front.

‘’I am starting to think you love lifting me up, too much, Akane.’’ Said Kogami, kneeling down on his left knee, one hand on the ground supporting him. Arata, still eyes wide, tried to digest the fact that she threw the agent whereas Arata couldnt even see his punch until it was in front of his nose. Dont make Tsunemori-san mad, he noted in his mind.

‘’What can i say, its an addiction.’’ Akane made a joke before dashing to him. Kogami, pivoted on his knee and rose on his two feet. Just before turning to his right side, he thought of a sneaky move. Quickly wrapped his right arm over Akane’s waist and this time, he lifted her up to air. Akane yelped when she felt the ground under her feet disappear as Kogami’s other arm wrapped over her stomach as well.

‘’H-hey! Let me down Kogami-san!’’ she swang her legs on air, aiming to kick him. Kogami leaned back from his waist, raising up her body more.

‘’You were right. This is addictive.’’ He whispered to her ear, smelling her flowery perfume. Female enforcer turned into a rose petal. She felt his fingers moving around her sides. Akane gasped with panic.

Ginoza with an irritated sigh, face palmed himself. ‘’You two, take your foreplay to a room not on a rink.’’ Sugo laughed under his breath, agreeing with him.

Akane with a groan lifted up both of her legs and with a force she kicked them down. Kogami had to release his arms to prevent himself from falling over her. Akane now on her feet, turned to him.

‘’You know that i am ticklish! That was a dirty move, Kogami-san.’’ she sounded heart-broken however a smile was trying to appear on the tip of her lips. Arata and Kei, for the first time heard Kogami’s deep laugh.

‘’It is not my fault that you have a weakness.’’

Akane lifted her eyebrow. ‘’You too, have your own weaknesses, Kogami-san.’’

Kogami with his softest gaze, looked into her eyes, calmly. Hands inside of his pockets. He didn't even for a second looked away from her eyes. ‘’Yes, i have.’’

Everyone in the room knew what was the meaning of this look.

Arata felt like he was interruping a private moment just then. He mildly coughed, as Akane also woke up from her trance. She cleared her throat as well before tucking her side cuts behind her ears.

‘’Yes. Shall we go then, inspectors? We still have a case to solve.’’ She already started to walk towards the edge of the rink, Kogami following her. This time she let him to help her going down. Kogami, jumped over the red ropes to ground, turned to her. He reached up and gently covered her waist with both of his hand, lowered her down. Akane with his strong arms landed on the floor, she felt a tingling inside her stomach. For a brief second, they both stayed in that position, absorbing the warm sensation between them, eyes locked on to each other’s. Kogami pulled his hands back, when inspectors reached to side of the rink where they were. Akane took the jacket he held out to her with a small thanks, their fingers grazed. She lifted her face up to him. ‘’See you later Kogami-san.’’

Kogami, with a subtle smile, nodded. ‘’Don’t tire yourself so much.’’

Akane giggled, fixing her hair. ‘’Okay, mom.’’ Kogami, frowned to her comment but only flicked her shoulder kindly as a response. She turned to her left, facing the inspectors. ‘’Let’s go.’’

Even though she was an enforcer, neither Arata or Kei felt like disobeying her. Never. They both nodded in sync. ‘’Yes, ma’am!’’

[marshmallowprotection]

Kait Reacts To The AE 2/?

Hi! These reactions are written out every time a Chatroom opens and it’s done over the course of the day. So, you’re watching me react in real time as it is for me. So, Spoilers AHOY. Expect Another post like this at roughly 11PM, there is just too many chats to put it all in one post. So, hey, if you click this, you’re opening yourself to spoilers, you make the choice. 

I covered the events of the initial Visual Novel with V here. 

[0:00AM Visual Novel]

If you managed to hold your breath long enough, you could ask why V did what he did to you. He says he doesn’t want to involve us... or the others, only Saeran and that makes me hesitant. Given what I’ve already said... well, we all know as I’ve started to feel about what V’s doing. He’s willing to burn down in flames with Rika and let everyone hate him because he feels that he deserves it. We do get to wake up from the effects of the drugs laced in the smoke bomb that V brought to C&R. 

He’s surprised that we woke up. Saeran didn’t pass out because he’s so used to the drugs that are in the elixir. Rika was involved deeply in the process of the use of the drugs now, and I’m not surprised by that. V points it out himself that he borrowed his knowledge on the matter. Either way, Saeran is really worried for us and what catches me off-guard is how he says that Ray is weeping from within as he worries over our form, as we strain to wake up but the drugs are really keeping us down. Whatever is in that stuff is ridiculously powerful. 

The RFA is still knocked out. We’re the only one that woke up. He said that he was able to protect us and that’s a callback to what happened with V the first time that we had a problem on the first night of Ray’s Route. I sobbed about that because he thought that he wasn’t strong enough and he was able to stay awake in spite of the drugs. 

He’s been sleeping... the purple under his eyes is fading. He has to leave us for a moment to see the unit after ensuring that we’re okay. Sobs. 

[9:45AM Chat] 

Okay, I said this in the last one that I covered that I had the sinking theory that Rika was working with Saejoong and that it may be possible that they are tied together. I don’t know how to feel on this given V’s reaction here. I had a sinking feeling in my fucking gut. I kept telling myself last night that V was involved in a big scheme with Rika. I still don’t know what to think, and neither does Saeran as this is happening. 

He won’t tell us anything. He says Saeran needs to come alone. He says that he needs to do it now because in two days time, Saeyoung is going to be killed or worse. We don’t know. We ask him for proof to know that he’s not lying to us as hey, we can’t someone that just turned against us. I mean, I can see him being a martyr but you can’t in the game reality. It’s right to be wary. The messenger was hacked. 

V said he used those drugs to ensure that we didn’t wake up. Us getting up is a damn miracle. 

I don’t know who did it. I worried that it was Saeyoung being forced to do it by Rika or Saejoong. Then V drops this fucking bombshell on us: 

Saeyoung’s not dead but his life is on the line. We have to do something and our boy Saeran needs to think. He knows that this is a trap of some kind, and so do we, but he knows that V is... complicated. He wants to something but he needs to think it through. So, I’m not sure and I’m left with more thoughts then answers here. 

[11:23AM Chat + Visual Novel] 

Rika makes a grand appearance. I don’t know what to think. My prior thoughts about Saeyoung being used wasn’t entirely wrong but I will get to that in one lil’ moment because we need to talk about what just happened with Rika. V didn’t tell us he was with Rika, but we can infer that they’re together. 

They apparently made a deal with the Prime Minister for Saeyoung here for some reason. I don’t know what the deal is, they don’t talk about that at length. She comments that it’s impressive that we’re with Saeran even now, and then she huffs that everyone left her but V. V saw her and let her revel in her devil and that’s why we pointedly had Jumin state in the earlier visual novel that V’s eyes weren’t okay. 

So, Rika fucked up V’s eyes once again. I can’t recall them being messed on his route or in Another Story yet, but it’s been so long since I did V’s Route so forgive me on that one. Either way, he subjected himself to her anger and all of the punishment. I don’t have enough information to think about what could be going on with them from the chatroom. They were meant to knock out both of the twins and bring them together. But, that didn’t happen.

I have a lot of questions about the deal. 

That’s not the main theme of the chat here that we need to point out. The chat is called “Has she changed?” Nope. We’re not doing this with you, Rika. You can’t change overnight and I refuse to trust you or forgive you. I don’t want to deal with this nonsense again. I know that I need to play the middleman to get the good ending in this After Ending. That’s how you have to deal with V’s After End, so I’m following that theory even though I’m gritting my teeth. 

I don’t trust Rika. I don’t trust her and I never will. After seeing what V is doing and what I’m about to talk about, I have to say that she’s not changed. I don’t really care how she’s trying to talk about this. Even if she was trying to make things right again with the brothers, this isn’t the way to do it, and trying to knock out everyone and kidnap Saeran too isn’t how this works. This is clearly a trap, and no matter how you spin it. It doesn’t look good. 

Maybe I’ll kick myself in the ass later, but I have a lot of feelings about Rika and people do not change like this. Not this fast. Not someone who refused to change and did what Rika did. Anyways, let’s talk about the Visual Novel cause that revealed a lot of my personal theories that I haven’t shared coming to light. 

There’s another cut-away with Saeran as he comes back to check on us and we’re talking about what just happened. We both know that this has to be a trap but like I said, he’s thinking about what to do here. He wants to give a chance to see for sure, he can’t let something slip through his hands, even though we have to say that this is really... not okay. The messenger isn’t secure because of who hacked it. 

He’s working on making something that we can use to talk privately in the messenger about it. He can’t fight the hacker for good, he’s got the intelligence team doing a lot of work for him. He thinks that this is fated to be... dangerous and I don’t blame him.

And then we immediately jump into another scene with Saeyoung. He isn’t dead and thank God. But, he’s suffering and he might wish he were dead. But, I know him better than that. I’m not sure where this is taking place at first but we know that they’re in a secure location for sure. We’re given Saejoong here so we know that he’s involved. This man is called Boss, so I knew right away that he was the boss of the Intelligence Agency, if not one of the higher ups. They talk about this place being secure.... 

And that it can be blown up.... 

MOTHER FUCKER IT’S RIKA’S APARTMENT. 

The boss says that the woman they made a deal with wasn’t right in the head. I go, oh, Rika. This is talking about the deal. I expected to learn something about the deal here but you know we’re not getting it. Saeyoung tries to ask but he is not going to get it and neither are we. Either way, he knows that he’s fucked in this place but he’s staying calm. He’s warned to listen. Saeyoung just struggles to believe that he’s been double-crossed by the people he trusted. 

He says, “They were the last people I should have ever trusted.” And then he talks about how he made this place for Rika, how he knows as the creator that it’s going to be a mess. It’s impossible to beat. He beat it in his timeline but that took days. The Boss says, “Agent 707 Extreme is a masterpiece you and I have created, sir.” 

And then my stomach sank because this was one of my earliest theories and fears. That the agency and Saejoong were working together. It continues to go on and explains that Saejoong made deals with the agency often before he was even the Prime Minister and he continues to do so. He pays good money to get what he wants. He even goes on to say that this was planned. That Saeyoung was planned. 

That Saejoong made the environment and the cause for Saeyoung to become an agent in the first place. This goes back to how V even knew how to get him into the agency. Did someone approach V? What happened there? I need more answers on that. I always did. I’ve always thought about that and hated that I’d never gotten an answer. 

Both the Boss and Saejoong note that Saeyoung’s pretending to be calm and he’s thinking this through. Saeyoung tries to throw them off but we all know that everyone in that room knows fully well what’s really going on. It pains me to see him suffering like this. Vanderwood is nowhere to be seen, so, I don’t even know what to think about them. 

Hey, so I hate Saejoong Choi so fucking much.

They tell Saeyoung that he has to listen to them. He has two options. He can be killed and then Saeran can be killed. Or, he can hack the messenger and give them what they want to take over the public and make the RFA look back. I see the plan here and I don’t like it. Saeyoung knows he’s in a tight spot, he grits his teeth and begins telling them about what he’s been taught... and he winds up knocking himself out cold so he doesn’t have to do it. 

They need him, so it’s going to buy him some time. 

They know that. 

However, the Boss and Saejoong sigh because they expected it. Now they’re just waiting for Saeran. Saejoong says that Rika promised something so I don’t know how to fel about that. The Boss said he’s talked to V before... that doesn’t help his case. Saejoong’s deal with Rika was just with Rika... ah. They imply they have an informant, too...? Vanderwood? V? Who? We’re also mentioned as a problem since we didn’t pass out. 

The agency is phishing with wrongdoings about the RFA that aren’t true. We are so fucked right now. 

And this troubles me: 

[4:05PM Chat] 

Hi. How are you? I’ve been waiting for hours for this chat and now I’m having a goddamn crisis. 

Anyways, V comes into the chatroom and decides to tell us exactly what I was thinking about when he showed up in the first place. I wasn’t wrong. I knew that he was letting himself go down with Rika and he admits that he stays with her as it is a part of the grief over his mother. He won’t let her go because his mother left and his father did such awful things to that woman. He’s been hurt and very marked by that event in his life.

I knew that this was why he did it... but I think this is the first time that he’s saying it outright. Saeran and I both tell him that’s not okay but he won’t really listen to reason anymore. I’m sorry you’re trapped like this V, but this isn’t what you were supposed to learn from Saeran and the player. You were meant to know that you have a life. Don’t drown yourself for Rika.

He won’t leave her and that’s not how we deal with Toxic Relationships, Jihyun Kim. That being said, we get to talk about who stopped the investigation into Rika and even though we know he won’t say it outright, V made the deal with the Prime Minister to protect Rika from facing punishment. He thinks that she’s going to get better because of him going back to her, but that’s not how this works and he’s being rash. We can’t reason with him. 

It hurts to see, honestly. 

So, we know why V made a deal but we don’t know what Rika made a deal for if it was the same one or not. I have the feel that it isn’t. I know there’s a lot more going on here than we know. But, this confirms my fears. V, she cannot get away with what she did. She cannot. I know you love her but this isn’t okay. This love is twisted and harming you and will not help her in the way that you want and God, let me help him leave her or something in this DLC.

So, that’s what happens here. We learn about V and I’m angry at him and for him as someone who has lived through domestic abuse. But, hey, the good news is, I can flirt with Saeran as much as want: 

[5:57PM Chat]

This chatroom is a bombshell and so is the phone call that comes after it. It’s a one on one with RIka. I’m not enticed by that. I never am. I can’t stand her but I think it’s interesting to know what’s going on inside of her head. She says that she has changed and that she wants to be better, she wants to be like us, but that is something she has a long road to walk to. However, Rika is a true master manipulator and she knows how to talk really pretty and tell you what you want to hear and lead you off her path.

That’s why I never trust her or listen. I know what it’s like to live with someone like that I won’t listen to it. She tries to plant a lovely picture of someone who has seen the error of her ways to us. She says that she’s changing... being on the run has changed her. I don’t think Go-Gurt binges are going to change you, Rika, though, now I really want some Go-Gurt.

They’re in hiding, even though they made a deal with the Prime Minister. So, we know the deal they made is on pretty thin ice. She goes on to say that she is her devil... that she can control it. That she can change. To me, I don’t believe a word she’s saying. She’s trying to make us believe that she can change so Saeran will go and see them alone. 

I don’t like that. 

She even tries to end the chat by being nice and making sure that we remember to eat. Then, she calls you from V’s phone. She tries to play nice again, and she wants us to listen. She’s trying to get us to get Saeran to go. Alone. Again. It is a topic that comes up but we deflect it. She tries to change it about us, by asking us if we want to talk.. together about ourselves, instead of Saeran. Saeran was always the focus of our talks.

We talk about herbs. I pointedly asked if what the herbs were,  she said that they weren’t legal and implied that she’s got more things cooking. So, that’s not a good thing and you guys... I don’t know if you listened to the Ringtones, but they jested about “Green Life!” together, V and Rika, and I don’t like how that ties into this. 

She admits that she never feared anything she started. She’s admitting that she is aware of her crimes and knows what she was doing so anyone that wants to say that she isn’t should really check themselves at the door. Mental Illness is not an an excuse for any misdeeds, and if you lash out, then you have to take responsibility to learn and grow. 

Not making a fucking cult.  

We talk about relationships, too. Rika inquires how we view relationships. You are given a lot of options, but I went with my heart. I have a lot to say but I need you to read this out: 

That’s not the end. She compliments you and says: 

And, that my friends, is why I don’t trust Rika and I never will. I have a sinking feeling that she wants to use Saeran and Saeyoung as leverage to ensure her freedom. As in, at this point, I think she’s going to let them both be killed so she can be free. That’s my worst case scenario but that’s all I can think right now. 

[bbhyeoliskooks]

・●○ 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎 ○●・

According to Yeonjun, the two of you can only stay as friends with benefits. 

―●○◎◎○●――●○◎◎○●―

Pairing: Yeonjun x Reader (gender-neutral)

Genre: 3 cups of angst and two sprinkles of fluff !

Warnings: A bit of cursing, a BIT sexual (hickies and all?), passing out

Song: Stay

(Ooh, this one was fun and interesting to write !! Although, it kinda hurt a little bit, if I do say so for myself. Also, should I write Soobin’s pov? I think it would be quite interesting as I have just gained a few ideas.)

―●○◎◎○●――●○◎◎○●―

“Good morning, gorgeous~”

You were met to a comforting sight in the early dawn of Yeonjun delicately cupping your cheek. Once he noticed that you were awake, he sweetly placed a blissful kiss against your forehead while you relished in the feeling of your love seemingly being returned. You wanted to live in this moment forever, here in his arms just because this was the only way you would know his love was there. 

He, himself was irreplaceable... no other person made you feel like this in the last 10 years since meeting him. 

Like a pair, he was the flame while you were the candle. He was the Christmas mug, and you were the scorching hot chocolate. He was the heavy bricks while you were the strong rooftop. There were so many things that you could compare but in all of those examples, you needed him- easily more than he needed you. 

The other thing that you could complain about though, or in this relationship with him was the label.

Friends with benefits.

It was extremely cliche that you wanted to choke from how spot on it was. One had feelings for the other while one didn't, inevitably breaking their heart or admitting that they had the same problem. The only thing about it was that you were sure that he didn't... well, love you back.

It seemed that shutting your mouth was the best option in this mess. 

Effortlessly you could say to anyone who wondered that he was just your best friend. However there were so many things to keep in the dark. If you could name a few it would be hiding your tears whenever he left those passionate marks on your neck, letting his name roll out endlessly whenever he hit the right spot, and even telling you that he loves you while you incoherently mumbled in ecstasy that you felt the same way too...

He said that he loved you, that’s all you’ve wanted all this time! He loves you, so... why are you extremely greedy to reach for so much more?

The reason was simple.

It just... isn’t like that.

Sure he gifted you feelings that no other boy could give you, but this was only in a beneficial way.

He wanted sex, you wanted love.

There was a clear difference on so many levels that left your mental state shattered, not to mention the love you had built up for him. 

Every single week this happened, you had to take it, or else you reckoned that your friendship with Yeonjun would be irreparably destroyed.

Confusion drew over you each time when he acted like he was in love with you. That was the one time where the two of you were alone... and the first time he took you to heaven.

Perhaps you went wrong with hiding one day, being much too obvious in front of him. You figured out that he found out that you loved him and slowly took advantage of it, telling you things you wanted to hear whenever he wanted something. 

Maybe it was the way his eyes lit up whenever he saw you, which you simply thought he um- liked you, but it seemed that it obviously wasn’t the case. 

You shook off all of those negative thoughts, trying to focus on the good things that were coming at the moment. 

“Hey, can I ask you a question? It isn’t that bad, if you’re worried.”

Yeonjun let out a low hum in his chest to show that he was listening. He drew little yet gentle circles on your shoulder that had you swooning from inside. You closed your eyes to forbid yourself from melting into his touch, knowing that your thought process would be cut off if you sunk further down. 

You breathed in deeply. “W-will you eat breakfast with me today? I mean, I just figured that-” the sound of the fumbling sheets snapped you out of your little daze and you shot up, panic setting in your nerves again.

No, no! He can’t leave! Everything was so perfect!

He arose from his spot on the warm bed, unintentionally- or purposefully extracting out your heart in his warm hands. You jumped out as well, immediately interlocking your hands with his. 

“Wait, Yeonjun! You’re not going to stay?” 

Oh, wow...

I guess that hit a sensitive nerve. You watched as he stopped dead in his tracks right next to the door frame. It seemed that he did not want to face the courage to look at you in the eye this time.

“I told you this over and over again, Y/N. I can’t, okay? How many times do I have to repeat it for you?” His voice was disturbingly calm, causing your heart to squeeze distressingly in your chest. He isn’t being serious, no way in hell he’s being serious when he told you he loved you... that he loved you so damn much.

Tears gathered in your eyes, no strength left in your body to hide them. 

Silly you for actually thinking that he would actually stay, right? What a funny joke you so desperately wanted to laugh about.

You shuffled to turn on the other side where Yeonjun used to lay. Your fingertips grazed the hickies he had left on your neck. They stung a little bit but it didn’t amount to how much pain you were dealing with inside. What good would it do now if he kept marking you and calling you “his” if he didn’t even fucking love you?

You felt that the air in your lungs was constricted, barely managing to choke out a few, strained words.

“Y-yeah! I guess so... Goodbye, Jun.”

He didn’t say anything, only letting out a deep sigh of somewhat a relief. You realized then that you were holding onto his hand when he harshly pulled his hand away from you.

You stumbled back helplessly, desiring time- just time to say the things you needed to relinquish. His name kept tumbling out of your mouth, slowly gaining volume but still with all your might, he couldn't hear you. Couldn’t hear the desperation coated from your broken heart below, or how much you needed him to be with you.

Perhaps, he chose not to after you subtly asked him to stay with you, wrapped in your arms where the two of you could foolishly giggle in your bed all day. 

The words of your sore throat came undone, and you couldn’t stop yourself from saying the words which would haunt him forever.

“You said that you loved me last night, so why the fuck am I not good enough?!”

The door to your room slammed shut and you sunk into the burning covers once more, your tears trickling like waterfalls against your swollen cheeks. Your lips were sore from earlier, but you didn’t want to apply any ointment on it right now in fear that you would trip on your own two feet. The information was irrelevant, but he went rough on you for purposefully flirting with Soobin to make him jealous.

It seemed that there wasn’t any light or hope in your body that pined for his touch now, the one that reassured you that he would have the ability to love you like that. It would never happen, you needed to keep telling yourself. Sooner or later, you weren’t going to feel anything for him anymore. You just needed time.

This vessel of pleasure for Yeonjun was the only thing you had, you even knew without him telling you directly. Hell, you didn’t even think that he thought of you as his best friend anymore.

The anger and frustration were barely restrained in your chest, endless reverberating sobs filling the silent house for the first time.

Stupid you for thinking that his body would be enough to fill the empty void he made. Stupid you for kissing his tears away, only to be left alone when he chose not to do the same. Stupid you for always loving... him.

It was excruciating, especially because it was your fault for saying yes. He was  going to be eternally precious to you whether you liked it or not, but you knew that what you had wasn’t enough to make him stay. And yet, it it was just your body, then at least you had one thing to give up, draining you until you couldn’t keep going anymore.

Dark scribbles of pent up hate for yourself clouded your head, and the blinding light rushed towards you, black dots taking over your vision. 

You passed out on the floor, and nobody knew until Soobin checked up on you minutes later that day. 

Little did you know, Yeonjun listened to your desperate cries on the other side, his heart shattering from how much of a coward he was not to tell his best friend that he couldn't love you back no matter how much he tried. 

10 years of friendship and September 24, 2020 was the day your friendship crumbled apart. 

―●○◎◎○●――●○◎◎○●―

@unlocktxt , yes i tagged you 😚✌🏽 im proud of this one ~~

@petalskook , i tagged you too 😳 you’ve just been so sweet to me these days, so ive figured why not !?

——

Posted: 9/10/20- Added to Queue

Tags:

[marwritesgood]

Changes | S. Harrington

Pairing: Steve x Henderson!Reader

Timeframe: Season 3

Summary: When Dustin asks his sister to take him to Scoops Ahoy so he can see Steve, she knows it’s time to break the news to him.

masterlist

A/N: Send your requests in! I’m finishing Season 3 as we speak.

“Henderson! He’s back!”

When Dustin kept nagging me to drive him to Starcourt so he could see Steve for the first time since getting back from camp, I would have never anticipated the greeting they gave one another the minute Steve bursted through the doors.

“You got the job,” Dustin exclaimed, grinning happily. I knew he was disappointed about not reaching Suzie, and his friends not welcoming the way he wanted, so it was nice to see him happy again for a change.

“I got the job!” Steve laughed back, matching Dustin’s enthusiasm, something I had gotten mildly used to during our time together over the summer so far. 

After the two exchanged a complex, yet extremely dorky handshake, I sighed and leaned against the counter. Robin and I shared an amused glance, before turning our attention back to the two boys who were giggling, for having completed their elaborate handshake which ended with them pretending to vomit. Classic.

“How many children are you friends with?” Robin asked from behind the register. I tried my best to stifle the urge to laugh, but Steve’s inability to respond to her question sent me reeling.

“Okay, alright,” he droned, acting like he didn’t appreciate mine and Robin’s amusement, however, his unfazed grin suggested otherwise. “Henderson, you look like you’re in need of some ice cream, yeah? On the house.”

“Alright,” Dustin cheered. I didn’t think it would be possible for his mood to improve even more, but ice cream has that kind of effect on people. “I could go for a banana split boat.”

“You got it,” Steve answered, before turning to me with a smirk. “I think I might need an extra set of hands though, since Robin’s working the counter-”

“Oh jeez,” Robin sighed, knowing exactly where he was going with this.

“Y/n? Could you gimme some help?”

“Suuure,” I answered, in my artificially sweet tone. I hadn’t broken the news to Dustin yet, that Steve and I were dating, and he was making it really difficult to hide with all of his smirks and side glances. “Dusty, go save us a table and we’ll bring it out to you, yeah?”

“Okay,” he answered, too overcome with joy and excitement to take note of anything weird in our behaviour. Thank goodness.

After Dustin began walking towards the closest empty table he could find, Steve took my hand and gently pulled me along as he hastily made his way to the back room of Ships Ahoy, making sure my little brother wasn’t looking.

“You haven’t told him yet, have you?”

“I tried to,” I said, trying to reason with him. We had agreed that I would tell Dustin about our relationship as soon as he got home from camp, but with his friends surprising him and him getting disappointed when he couldn’t reach Suzie, it got increasingly difficult to bring up. “But then Mike and El bailed on him, and he couldn’t get Suzie to reply so Lucas and Max still don’t believe she’s real, and I didn’t want to overwhelm him.”

“Babe, slow down,” Steve said softly, placing both of his hands on my shoulders and breathing deeply, so that I could follow.

“He was just really bummed out,” I explained. “And he was super excited to see you, and I didn’t wanna change that.”

“Okay, I get it. We’ll just tell him now. Together... After we give him the ice cream, yeah?” I nodded after chuckling lightly. “But, I gotta ask... Was he... The only one excited to come see me again?”

He didn’t wait a second, to pull me closer to him, and snaking his arms around my lower back. As he leaned in towards me, staring intently at my lips, I placed my hand on his shoulders and kept him from getting any closer.

“What are you doing? He can probably see our silhouettes.”

“Aw, c’mon,” he whined, frowning as he reluctantly leaned back. He still kept his around me, and gently tightened his grasp. “I haven’t seen you all week. Can’t I have just one kiss before we break your little brother’s heart?”

“Well I’ll be damned. Do my ears deceive me?” I gasped dramatically, before linking my fingers together behind his neck. “Have I been transported to an alternate dimension, or is the Steve Harrington actually begging?”

“You know what you do to me,” he leaned close and whispered in my ear. It was needless to say that, even after years of dealing with his bullshit, and almost an entire month of dealing with his whining, he still knew just what to say to make my heart jump.

“Tell you what,” I began, before slowing pulling away from Steve, who reluctantly released his grasp. “You help me get through breaking the news to Dustin, and I’ll consider ‘accidentally’ making my way over to your place after I drop him off at home. Deal?”

I hold my hand out for him to shake, the way we always would when making deals. A tradition that dates back to our time together in middle school. But, instead of shaking my hand, Steve takes hold of it, lifts it up, and kisses the back of it. Before I can react, he quickly turns towards the ice cream tubs, and begins assembling the banana split boat.

“You’re such a dork,” I laughed, before helping him with the toppings. 

After we finished Dustin’s banana split, I held the door open for Steve so he could take it to the table where he sat. We had been in the back room for at least twenty minutes, but Dustin’s excitement remained unfazed. This both warmed my heart and brought me a strong feeling of unease. 

“Hey Y/n,” Robin called out to me, as I followed Steve towards the table. When I turned to face her, she held out a cone with two scoops of my favourite flavour of ice cream. “For you... You look like you need it.”

“Angel, Robin,” I muttered, before eagerly taking the ice cream from her hands. “You are an angel. A whole fucking guardian one.”

She tipped her hat off, making me chuckle, before I turned to see Steve sitting with Dustin. I walked over to their table, and sat on the left side , so that Dustin was inbetween Steve and I. They were in the middle of a conversation about Suzie, Dustin’s girlfriend. 

“No way,” Steve said, shaking his head at Dustin, who lifted a heaped spoonful of ice cream to his mouth. “Hotter than Phoebe Cates? No way.”

“What was that Steve?” I asked in annoyance, daring him to call another woman hot in front of me again. He quickly realised I was at the table too, and smiled cheekily at me. “Hm? Oh, nothing,” he answered.

“So do you really just get to eat as much of this as you want?” 

Dustin was an easily mesmerised kid, I knew that better than anyone. The prospect of free unlimited food, however, was something he will forever be blown away by.

“Yeah, I mean sure,” Steve shrugged. “It’s not really a good idea for me, though. You know, ‘cause I gotta keep in shape for...”

I raised my eyebrows, and Robin did too from her spot all the way from behind the register. Was this really how he wanted to tell my little brother we were dating? Steven quickly noticed my expression of concern, and kept himself from finishing the sentence with my name.

“... the ladies.”

“The ladies?” Dustin repeated, amused by Steve’s response.

“Yeah, the ladies, Steve?” I repeated, in a more aggressive tone, with eyebrows still raised and eyes widened. Steve found my expression entertaining, and smiled playfully in response

“Yeah. The ladies,” he affirmed. “One girl in particular, actually. She’s about Y/n’s height. Works with Miss Byers at Melvald’s. I think you know her?”

“She sounds like a real catch,” I exclaimed, whilst smiling proudly.

“Ehh,” Steve muttered, tilting his head from side to side. I pretended to be angry, and glared playfully at him. He returned the favour. “She’s alright. Never lets me kiss her, though. And her family members are a little weird.”

“Is that so?” I asked dramatically, crossing my arms in an exaggerated manner.

“Oh yeah,” he answered, a bit too quickly for my likings. “She has this little brother-”

Before we could keep playing the little act we found ourselves playing, Dustin cut in. Only then did we realise how confused the poor kid must have been, and how horrible of a job we were doing in easing him into the news. Perhaps the bandaid approach was our only option.

“What’s going on? Am I missing something?”

“We... We have to tell you something,” Steve explained, before nodding towards me. Once Dustin turned to face me, I took a deep breath before beginning. 

“Buddy,” I murmured, causing Dustin to immediately groan as though he were in excruciating pain. “What?”

“You only call me buddy when you tell me bad news,” he said, and just like that his expression was completely drained of all the joy and enthusiasm he was initially overflowed with after his reunion with Steve. “So, what is it this time? Are you moving away? Is Steve terminally ill? Did you two go on a date while I was away?”

I suppose for a kid who grew up playing DnD, we should have anticipated he would be great at figuring out what people are gonna do or say next. When Steve and I remained silent, Dustin’s jaw dropped.

“You guys went on a date while I was away?!”

“No,” Steve answered defensively, trying to get Dustin to calm down. “I’ve taken her out on at least 7 dates while you were away.”

I lifted my hand up to my face and sighed. Robin did the same, having been able to see and hear everything that was happening. 

“WHAT?!”

“Dusty, calm down,” I said softly, placing my hand on his shoulder, less in an attempt to soothe him and more as a precautionary measure in case he stood up to do something. 

“My sister, Steve?... Really? Of all the girls in this fucking town, you decide to go for my sister.”

“Hey,” I cried out in offence.

“Ugh, you know what I mean,” Dustin says, frustrated. “Why didn’t you guys tell me? Y/n, you sent me two whole letters while I was away... You didn’t think the fact that you and Steve were sucking faces is something important to note in?”

“I knew you’d react like this,” I explained calmly, trying to mellow down the mood of our conversation. 

“Because everything is changing,” he cried. I glanced over at Steve briefly, and he looked just as gutted as I was. After taking yet another deep breath, I wrapped my arm around Dustin’s shoulder.

“Look, Dusty, I get that a lot of things are changing,” I began. “But change doesn’t always have to be a bad thing.”

“Yeah,” Steve chimed in. “And just because Y/n and I are- I don’t wanna say sucking faces.”

“Yeah, please don’t,” I warned.

“Just because we’re going out, doesn’t mean anything else is gonna change too,” he explained. “Y/n’s still gonna be your sister, and I’ll still be here for you whenever you need. If anything, things are changing for the better.”

I had to hand it to him. Steve would make a great mom.

“I guess it is pretty cool that you guys are sucking faces.”

“-Again, I do not like that phrase,” I muttered, making both of them chuckle.

“And I s’pose if anyone’s gonna date my sister, I’m glad it’s you, Steve, and not someone like... Like that guy you were talking about before- Matt Lewinsky.”

“Right?! That guy is so lame. Spent all of last season on the bench.”

“Okay, moving on,” I said, as I rolled my eyes. I had heard enough of Steve’s complaints about Lewinsky to last a lifetime. I was not about to sit and listen to another one. “Are you okay now, Dust? Are we good?”

“Yeah,” he sighed, before reaching for the rest of his banana split. “Just... Don’t... do couple stuff in front of me. I’m cool with you two dating, but that doesn’t mean I’m not weirded out by it.”

“So, you’re saying it’d be weird for you if I did this?”

As Dustin leaned over to finish his banana split, Steve stood up as much as he could, and leaned towards me, pecking my lips quickly, but long enough for my little brother to squirm. I giggled, both amused by Steve’s antics and relieved that our relationship was out in the open now.

“I finally got my fucking kiss,” Steve stated proudly, completely unbothered by how very visibly bothered Dustin was. 

Deep down, we both knew the kid was happy that of all the teenagers falling in love this summer, his sister and the guy he looked up to did so with one another.

[captainillogical]

Distant Lands Ch.13

Stranded on a planet with toxic conditions and nothing but the clothes on your back, your only means of survival lies within the gem that got you here in the first place.

Spinel/Reader

collab with my lovely wife @firstofficertightpants​

You shout as you slide down with the moving soil as if anyone can even hear you, attempting to grab anything for purchase - but your hands can only grasp dirt. You cup your face as rocks and dirt fly all around you, much of it getting into your mouth.

Your heart and head are both pounding, and most of your body is stuck in soil right now as you try to not have a panic attack about your current situation. After nearly a minute with the dust settling, you realize that you've sunk nearly forty feet down into something - a single beam of light coming down on you from above.. you break out into a coughing fit as more particles get into your mouth. You try getting one arm out - it takes you nearly five minutes of wiggling your arm in the loose dirt to pry it free.

Next, you scrape away the rocks and dirt against your chest, moving as much as you can away from you with a single arm. Once your other arm is pried free, you work at the rest of the landslide around you as you manage to control your breathing. 

It takes you the better part of half an hour, but you're free. You look like a kid that decided to have too much fun at the park, after you look down at yourself. You feel itchy and gross, but you're proud of yourself for mainly staying calm and not freaking yourself out into another worse situation.

Okay.

You look around you - you can't see much of anything, as it's very dark around you aside from the light up above. You're underground, and you can really only see dirt. Are you in some sort of pocket? 

You think you might be able to climb up from where you've slid all the way down. You lift one of your legs up to gain purchase on the dirt that looks most steady, but as you step into it your foot just sinks down. You try hoisting yourself up in several areas, but the dirt just crumbles or slips out from your grasp. You can't get a decent hold on anything, it seems.

There are some tree roots sticking out of the dirt above you in a couple places. You think it seems decently manageable, trying for those. It takes you a couple tries, reaching for the lowest one. You think it might be possible to use these like some kind of rockwall, if you can get a grip on that first one, and use them to climb back up. You find that the only way for you to get up to the first one is to build a small pile of dirt up, but you do actually manage to grab it after a couple of enthusiastic jumps.

Once you have that root in hand, you pull on it hard twice to make sure it's stable enough, and sure enough it is. You pull yourself up tentatively, it's hard, but your time on this planet the last few weeks have toughened up your muscles. You're a little proud of yourself.

You manage to get yourself up a good six feet by the time you have to reach for another root, and you nearly slip. This wouldn't even be a problem if Spinel was with you. She could just.. stretch her arms and throw you up there. Fucking gems and their stupid weird abilities that you're definitely not jealous of. 

You find yourself annoyed that this shit seriously has to happen at the worst times. 

This would be even less of a problem if you had like.. not taken a shortcut. Because while you know where you are, Spinel does not. And you know you're far enough away from the regular path that she'd never hear you even if you screamed. You feel so fucking stupid for getting cocky out here. 

You sigh out loud through your teeth, and resign to pretending things are okay and that you're not always 2 steps from complete disaster. You reach out for the other root, grasping it firmly and cementing your left foot a bit higher on the wall. So good so far. Maybe at this rate, you'll get out and can meet back up with Spinel and pretend this little incident never happened. She'll wonder why you're covered in dirt, again.. but you don't need to divulge in specifics. She'll just admonish you for going off path.. and basically every single other bad decision you've made.

You get up a few more feet - it's fucking difficult, you're not going to lie. You haven't had to do much of any climbing on this planet so far, and you weren't expecting for it to strain so badly on your arms. You guess that the gravity has some to do with it, and the rest on this shitty soil. It smells pungent and moldy, and you're trying to not breathe much in as it's making your head spin the more you inhale. When you think you're about halfway up, you make the mistake of looking down. 

Instantly, you feel the room spinning, and you close your eyes to not cause any further nausea to build up. You grip the root in both hands, feet firmly planted in the soil in front of you, legs straining with all of your weight and tiredness. You're extremely proud of yourself for getting up this far by yourself, and in these circumstances to boot. 

You lift up your right foot to keep climbing up, but your shoe catches on a fairly large smooth rock, causing you to slip. You hold on to the tree root as hard as you can as you feel more dirt slip out from beneath your feet. In the several seconds it takes for all of this to happen, you look down again to see that you're basically suspended, and you have very little to work with now as you reach for any kind of purchase to grab onto. 

Your hand slips, suddenly, and you fall.

-

You don't remember passing out, but your entire fucking body hurts and you can't see shit. You can hear wind, and there's a steady pattern of water dripping onto your face.

You sit up slowly, as you start to regain memories of what just happened in the last day. You were out gathering sap with Spinel. You guys split up.. Your eyes start to adjust to the darkness around you. Oh, right. You fell. Looking up, you see that it's clearly night out. 

Okay, fuck. You were supposed to meet with Spinel. Your mind starts to reel a little, panic bubbling up in your gut.

Stay calm. It's not like it's impossible for her to find you. You think for a moment about shouting for her, and then realize that it would be utterly stupid. Who knows where she's at right now, and besides, it's raining. She wouldn't be able to hear you beyond thirty feet out there anyway! And you're in a hole in the ground!

Speaking of holes. You stand up - and immediately stumble and need to lean against the wall to support yourself. You're pretty fucking sure you sprained your ankle. 

Great.

You test your weight on it, and it fucking hurts, not gonna lie. You don't have much of a choice, though. You maneuver yourself to the darker, drier side of the hole - so that the rain isn't coming down on you directly. You sigh, cursing yourself. You wish Spinel was here.

You hate that she's who you're thinking of, instead of like, you don't know, Steven. The Crystal Gems. Lars. Wow, yeah your standards for companionship are completely skewed right now. 

You start to notice the walls next to you seem almost familiar in shape. All around you, and.. beyond, you realize. Relief, and a wave of dread hits you, much like running directly into a concrete barrier. How did you not realize before?

You didn't fall into a pocket. You hit a soft spot above one of the fucking tunnels and caused a landslide somehow, and caused half the tunnel to collapse. You have a clear path behind you - it was just hidden in murky darkness that you can now start to kind of see in.

You stand there for a few minutes, staring into the darkness and weighing your options. Option. You have just the one. 

You just.. really don't want to.

Your eyes adjust a bit more, and you think 'well, it's now or never,' to yourself. 

Slowly, you painfully limp down this tunnel by yourself as the rain starts to fade away behind you, and instead, the eerie softness of underground settles in. It’s taking quite a bit of effort from you to walk right now. Spinel’s going to absolutely rip into you for getting yourself into this mess, and for hurting yourself. You’re not looking forward to it at all. You’re pretty sure she’s beside herself with worry about you and is out right now looking for wherever you could be, and probably thinks you’re dead. Or worse.. that you left her.

Which.. you would never do to her now. She doesn’t deserve that. This is the longest you’ve been separated from her since meeting her, you think. You hope she’s not freaking out too bad over this, but based on her previous reactions to you momentarily disappearing, you kind of doubt it. 

You’re lost in thought a bit while you’re trying to ignore the pain in your foot, when you realize that you can sort of.. see in here. Your eyes adjust to some kind of.. glow along the walls? You stop in your tracks to examine the dirt at your eye level. It’s.. there’s a film on the dirt, now that you’re looking closer at it. It’s kind of sparkly? Which is utterly fucking strange. It must be old, because it doesn’t wipe off when you run your finger along it. You can see maybe eight to ten feet in front of you vaguely thanks to the luminescent cave slime. Nice. Looks like you really didn’t need a torch down here after all. Spinel would definitely be making fun of you for this.

You keep going at your extremely slow pace. You feel like ages have gone by, stumbling at this slow crawl, as you trail your hand along the wall in case you lose your balance. Walking this much on a sprained ankle is definitely going to make it so much worse in recovering, but it’s not as if you have a choice in this. Sometimes you hear the occasional drip echo in the one direction ahead of you, but you hear nothing else in the ambient of this tunnel. You have no idea how long this one is, but you hope to be near an exit soon. You’ve been walking basically in a straight line this entire time. Your muscles are aching terribly.

After a while longer, the air starts to smell a little.. funkier. You don’t really know how to describe it, other than it smells heavy and a bit musky. You’re pretty sure that’s just from the warm dirt all around you, though. As you keep walking, the air starts to feel a little different the further you go along. Your hand hits an abrupt end to the wall, and you squint out as you come to a stop to realize that you’ve come to a fork in your so-called road.

You look down each side it splits to - you can see barely anything. There’s nothing either way. You lick your finger and stick it out into the open to discern an air flow direction, but it seems mainly stagnant much to your frustration. You think you can try something else, and cup your hands around your mouth, making a loud noise to pan out in each direction.

You hear your voice echo out down both tunnel paths, and curse out loud to yourself. 

Fuck! You have no idea which direction is best to go in. You lean against the tunnel wall, sliding down to sit and rest your ankle. It’s in agony now, and you’re doing your best to ignore it as much as you can. You’ll get back up in a couple minutes when you figure out if left or right is your best course of action to not fuck your ankle further.

You pull your foot in closer to yourself and pull up your jeans to expose some of your skin. It’s extremely bruised and purpling around your joints, and you wince as you test your pain tolerance. It’s swollen. You consider maybe tearing your sleeve to make some kind of compression, but think better of it. It would be utterly pointless to tear up your only clothes for this. You lean your chin on your knee, feeling stupidly tired.

You know you shouldn’t, but you want to rest for a little while before you keep going. You have no idea how much longer of a walk you’ve got ahead of you, and everything hurts. It’ll just be for a bit.

You close your eyes.

-

You wake up laying on a dirt floor, and have a mini panic attack before realizing where you are.. and then you just get irritated and worried. You have no idea how long you were asleep, but you’re groggy as fuck now. Something is digging into your hip, so you sit up. Your ankle lights up in pain, and you slap a hand over your mouth as you howl out in agony. You almost forgot about that happening..

You feel what was digging into your side, and pull the tracker out of your pocket, as well as that blade from the Spire. You stare at the tracker for a minute, the little red light still visible to you. Weirdly enough, it still gives you hope. Even though you’re lost underground right now, on a strange and faraway alien planet.. you still have a tiny smidge of hope. 

You think it’s a little ironic that you’re not scared, when you have every right to be. No one knows where you are right now, and you’re injured. You don’t even know if any of these tunnels lead you back to the surface. You’re trying your best to lie to yourself to keep up the facade of calmness, and it’s kind of working.

Anyway.

You get up from your sitting position, and it takes you much longer than you’d like to admit. It hurts like a bitch to walk, like what the fuck are legs even useful for if they just hurt? You’ve decided to take a left, because fuck going right. That side of the tunnel just seemed cursed, anyway. You are so extremely grateful for the luminescent sparkly walls, because walking alone in here is kind of like.. your worst nightmare? Or was. 

You used to think getting kidnapped and held against your will and being generally helpless to your situation was your kind of worse-case-scenario, but now that you’ve actually gone through it.. Eh. You’d just laugh at yourself now. You’re pretty sure you’d also yell at yourself about some Stockholm shit considering you’ve kinda fallen for your captor, but that’s a discussion to completely disregard later.

You’re walking down this swampy tunnel, leg in complete misery, when you hear something. You stop in your tracks immediately to listen to it. 

It’s a.. scuffle. Like the sound of something solid hitting the dirt. 

Your heart rate picks up.

Is it.. one of the nocturnal creatures? You ball your fists to stop your hands from shaking. You can’t fight something down here, bare-handed, with your ankle like this. You feel your heart pounding in your chest, and you bite your lip to cause any kind of pain to focus on instead of the panic rising in your chest. WAIT. You have that blade in your pants! Very quietly and calmly, you place your hand on your jeans pocket, feeling the blade resting in the cloth underneath.

The movement stops, and so does your breathing. You slowly grab the blade out of your pocket, flipping it open as quietly as you can and point it at the sound.

You don’t know how long you’re standing there in utter silence. The entire time you’ve been standing still, you’ve seen no movement or sign that it could be a hostile animal. You wait there for several moments longer, and you hear nothing else. Maybe it could have been nothing?

You think you’re a bit paranoid, anyway. 

You take one, two steps forward, and hear movement up ahead. Something moves, slightly, and you freeze again in complete terror.

And then you see a different light in the shape of an upside down heart floating about ten feet in front of you. 

“SPINEL?!” You exclaim in relief, and you jolt to run to her - except your leg erupts in pain. You groan instead, grasping the wall beside you for leverage.

"Y/N!!!" She closes the gap between you two, face full of relief and bewilderment - she looks like she wants to hug you. "I've been looking for you everywhere, and I couldn't find you after we were supposed to meet up, I was so scared - I thought something must have taken you so I went down here to-"

"Spinel, breathe," You say, looking at her face - even in these circumstances, it makes you feel better. You have never been more glad to see her in your entire life. "I'm alive, and that's what matters."

"Do you even know how long I've been looking for you!? Nearly a day! And I've been so scared I was going to find you dead somewhere! How did you even get down here in the first place!? Why didn't you show up to our meeting place!!?" She pelts you with so much at once that you feel like she's about to keel over from worry.

"I didn't come down here on purpose, you know I never wanted to be here in the first place." You close your blade, putting it back into your pocket. Spinel makes a curious kind of face as if she's wondering if you'd have stabbed her. "I fell down here."

"You FELL down here!?" She gives you a perplexed look, eyebrows shooting into her hairline. "How did you manage to do that!?"

"I uh.." You cough into your hand, and pull your ankle up to your knee as you lean on the wall for support. "I took a shortcut along the path to get somewhere faster, and managed to step in an area where the soil collapsed into one of these tunnels. Did you know that they are connected? I've been unable to find my way out."

"Yeah it's how I got lost in here, looking for you." Her eyes drop down to your ankle, and concern blankets her face. "What the fuck is wrong with your foot?"

"I think I sprained it trying to climb my way out, regrettably. Shit fucking hurts." You wince, looking at the massively bruised skin around your ankle.

"Can you walk on it?" 

"Barely. I have to go slow." 

"Well, we gotta get you outta here so we can fix that, as much as I wanted to explore down here." She taps her gem, and pulls something long out of it to hand to you. It's a decently sturdy looking stick. "I knew this would come in handy sometime, you can use this to walk."

"You kept a fucking stick in your gem?" You look at her, perplexed, and slightly amused. "Why? What use would you have for this?"

"Uh.. I don't have to answer that. Also, would you rather me carry you? Because I can do that instead, if ya' want." She gives you a cheeky look. You imagine it for a second, and then push that thought out of your head immediately as you feel your face heat up against your will.

"No, this is fine. Thanks." You quickly say, snapping your mouth shut.

"Suit yourself. Just let me know if it's too much to deal with and I'll carry you." She replies, genuine consideration in her voice. "And.. Y/N.. I'm glad you're mostly unharmed. I was completely terrified that something really bad happened there, for a while." 

God, it's like she's actively trying to come for your heart now. You scream at yourself internally for having feelings show up at a time like this.

"Eh." You shrug casually, like you're not swallowing your feelings. "I think it'll take a lot more to kill me than that."

"Do all humans think they're invincible? Or is that just you?" She gives you a look. You feel like you're immune to her judgement at this point.

"Mm, both. You should see a crowd of drunk dudes at a football game riot."

"I'm not even going to pretend like I'm going to understand that. Anyway. We should move on."

"Yeah, yeah.." You groan, and move from your position leaning on the wall. "This place gives me the creeps, anyway."

"It ain't that bad, the luminous dirt walls make for decent light. And you were so worried about lighting in case something happened to me.. oh the irony." She says, tone tinged with mockery.

"Oh, shut up, will you." You roll your eyes, and she grins to herself like she just won an argument. You hate how much it makes you like her. Leaning on your stick, you take a step or two, and then look back to her. "Do you even know what direction we should be going?"

"Er, figured we'd go the way you came." She says, lifting up her hand to scratch at the side of her face sheepishly.

"Back my way is a collapsed tunnel. And I have a feeling if we went back to the fork in the path I passed earlier, it'd be counterproductive to getting out of here."

"Well, back my way the path splits in several directions, so we can try there?" 

"Spinel, did you seriously get lost down here?" You give her a slightly judgemental look.

"Look, I was more worried about you than anything. Also, I passed by multiple split paths on the way over here, you really can't expect me to remember which ways I've went." She replies, albeit a bit poutily.

"Fine, you get a pass. And I think going back your way will be best." 

"If ya' say so." She turns to head in the direction she came, and you follow her. "But if we get lost, I'm gonna blame you."

"Me!?" You scoff, doing your best to keep a steady pace without putting too much weight on your ankle. "We're already lost, you idiot! Besides, you came in here on your own volition, I literally fell in!"

"Well I wouldn't have had to come down here if I wasn't trying to find you!"

"Because I totally fell in here on purpose! God you're an ass, I can't believe I-" You cut yourself off in horror, and Spinel turns her face to look at you in confusion.

"You can't believe you what?" She slows her pace a little, walking right beside you.

"Nothing." You snap your mouth shut. Unbelievable. You really are a fucking disaster, aren't you? You literally just almost confessed your feelings, right then, like an idiot.

"No, what were you gonna say?" She asks again.

"Absolutely nothing. Drop it." You keep walking, making sure to avoid eye contact with her.

"You are impossibly irritating, Y/N." She scoffs, the soles of her feet making more noise than you stumbling around. "And you're hard to read. I can never quite tell where I'm standing with you."

"Good. It keeps you on your toes." You say, making fun of her a bit. 

You're glad she hasn't caught on to your feelings. You aren't entirely sure what you're going to do about them, yet, if you're honest with yourself. You're not going to do anything about your feelings for her. That's utterly ridiculous, actually. She doesn't even like you. And besides, a human and a gem? Oh, what would people think.. you shake your head from your current thought process, brain nearly short circuiting from even considering any of that.

You both walk slowly in the one direction, Spinel keeping pace with you as she occasionally babbles about nothing in particular. Your mind keeps wandering, worry and irritation plaguing your thoughts. Your foot keeps shooting intense waves of pain throughout your leg that you are finding it increasingly hard to ignore. 

“Why do the walls glow like that?” You tune back in to hear Spinel wonder out loud to herself.

“I.. don’t know, actually.” You answer, and she stops for a moment to stare a little more closely at the tunnel walls. “There’s nothing like this outside on the surface that we’ve seen.”

“It’s so sparkly, and there’s so many colors in here. I kinda like it.” She puts a finger to her lip in consideration, eyes squinting, and places another hand on the wall. She swipes her gloved hand along the dirt, and you see some dirt and sparkles flake off onto the floor. 

“That’s.. kind of weird, actually.” You stare at the wall where her hand had swiped, and the glow in that area has dissipated a bit. You walk up right next to her, and scrape a large amount of the dirt off the wall, sparkles and all. When the dust settles, you can clearly see that the area you messed with is dark, whatever film that was there before now gone. “Huh.” You say out loud.

“What? You can just scrape it off?” Spinel also pushes more dirt off, with the same result.

“What the fuck is this?" You ask out loud. "Is this some kind of paint?"

“Are you serious? You think someone painted this? How does that make any sense?" She stares at you in bewilderment.

“Well, it doesn't, but I don't see you answering any of these questions yourself.” You huff.

“You act like just because I’m a gem, I must know everything.” She says in mild irritation.

“Well, you’re certainly older and have more experience than I do.” You retort.

“Not of stuff like this.” She says, scraping off some of the dirt off the walls into the palm of her hand, examining the sparkles closely. After a couple of seconds she drops it to the ground, and shrugs. “I don't have a clue."

“How helpful.” You say, and turn to leave. You hobble forward, gritting your teeth in pain and curse at your foot inside your head.

It’s bothering you.

You feel like you’re close to discovering something, but you can’t exactly place everything together and it’s frustrating.

“Boy this sure goes on forever. I think we're close to the split I hit earlier, though." She says from beside you, and just after she barely finishes, you see an open area up ahead.

The path seems to branch off in several directions from here.

"Which way did you come from?" You look to her.

"Um." She scratches her head. "I'm pretty sure it was this one." She says as she lifts an arm to point at the path directly to the left of this one.

"You're.. pretty sure? Are you fucking kidding me, Spinel?" You place your hands on your hips, almost wanting to tear into her. You don't want to be lost down here forever.

"Seriously, I was going out of my mind with worry, okay. You could be nice to me for once." She rolls her eyes, looking down each path in front of you. There's five.

"I'll be nice when I'm dead. You'll have to pry niceness from my cold, dead fingers."

"One day, you're gonna regret saying that to me. And then you'll be like "oh Spinel, you're so funny and cool and a great friend." when you finally realize how much you've wronged me this entire time." 

"Fat fucking chance. In your dreams, care bear. Let's just take the right tunnel." You keep going, ignoring Spinel's protests behind you.

"Don't call me that! I don't even know what that is!" She sighs disdainfully, keeping pace with you. "And you can't just choose a direction like that. This needs to be a team effort."

You spin around to look at her. "Do you want to go down a different path?"

"Uh.." She looks behind her, considering her choices for a second. "Actually, this is fine."

"That's what I thought." You say smugly, and keep walking ahead. Your ankle is in agony, but you're sure you can manage the rest of the way on your own, you think.

"Brat." You hear her mutter behind you.

"Excuse me?" You clear your throat pointedly.

"Nothing." She answers curtly. You grin to yourself quietly. It's very amusing when you're clearly getting underneath her skin.

After a little while longer of walking you see something in the distance, on the ground.

“I think I see something.” You whisper and you stop, looking at the object fifteen feet ahead. You put an arm out to stop Spinel in her tracks. “Shhh.”

“Don’t shush me.” She retorts beside you, stopping where she stands.

You put a finger to your lips, and squint at whatever is on the ground ahead of you. It’s really dark, so you can’t make out much, so you take a step or two closer. It’s.. well it’s not moving. So it’s not a living organism, much to your relief.

“What is that?” She asks, completely ignoring your motion for her to be quiet.

“Nothing that would kill us, thankfully.” You say sarcastically. “Because if it was something that could, we’d be dead by now. You’re too loud.”

“You have no faith in me. I can take nearly anything.” She replies, and you ignore the look she’s giving you entirely to go examine what lays a couple feet ahead of you.

“Stop trying to convince me that you’re tough shit. I know what you’re like when your sleeping is interrupted. You’re whiny.” You reply to her, mockingly.

“I am not!” She exclaims, sounding completely offended. “Take it back!”

“Nah.” You walk closer to it, carefully, just in case. Once you’re standing in front of it, it takes you a second to realize what it is, because it’s incredibly mangled and bent in ways it was not supposed to.

“An injector..” You say out loud. The gears in your brain are starting to turn, a little.

“An injector? Down here?” She says as she walks up beside you, and just straight up kicks it on the side. Glass and steel crunching echoes out along the tunnel. “What the hell is it doing down here?” 

“Well..” You trail off, staring at the broken glass of the center of the chassis. There are.. marks gouged on it, along the edge, that are strange. Marks that make it seem like something organic brought this down here, and you feel a bit of dread settling at the pit of your stomach. “I have a feeling that something might’ve dragged it here.”

“What do you mean?” She asks. You point to what you’re staring at.

“I’m not sure what could do this to an injector, or why it would fuck it up like this, but it has to be something incredibly strong, considering this is far away from the kindergarten. Also, what could even bend it like this? This is pretty thick steel.” You lean in a bit further, trying to see if there are any other indicators of what could’ve possibly dealt this kind of damage. You’re not seeing much else.

“So ya’ think it’s some kinda animal?” She looks at you, her face contorted with confusion.

“I don’t know.” You answer. “But whatever it could’ve been, it should be long dead by now, right? I mean.. It’s been a couple thousand years since that incident.”

“Well, yeah. What could live that long besides gems?” She shrugs, staring at the broken injector. “We don’t have anything to worry about.”

“You’re.. probably right.” You say, almost reluctantly. Something in your gut tells you to not relax, though. Like you just can’t. “I just can’t shake this feeling.”

“Ya’ justtttt paranoid, Y/N.” She says, drawing out her words dramatically. She gives you a cheeky wink, and you roll your eyes. You ignore the butterflies it gives you, and you stand back up from your hovering position to keep walking.

Hobbling forward, you’re maybe walking with Spinel for a good five or so minutes when that pungent smell increases maybe tenfold, it hitting your nostrils much like walking into a cloud. You stop in your tracks to cough as it smells not great, nearly gagging for a moment.

“God, what the fuck is that smell?” You say out loud, waving the air around your face with your hand like it would somehow help dissipate it. “It’s fucking awful.”

You glance over to Spinel to see how she’s fairing, and you freeze momentarily. She’s got this glossed over look to her eyes, and she’s staring out into the tunnel as if she’s spacing out.

“Spinel? You okay?” You ask her. She turns her head slowly to look at you.

“Uh…” Is all she manages to say. Her pupils are blown, but nothing else seems to be wrong with her. She looks like she’s about to start drooling, actually. 

“Spinel?” You say to her, watching her apprehensively. What the fuck? You take another step closer to her, and reach out to grab her by the arm. Still no response. Okay. You shake her arm, and it’s like a dead weight. You smack her side a little, and it doesn’t even jostle her.

How the fuck is she so unresponsive? You’re starting to panic as you’ve never seen her act like this before, and you don’t really know what to do. 

“Spinel,” You say again, watching her face for any kind of response. “Spinel, if you don’t react in the next five seconds I’m gonna slap the shit out of you.” 

No response.

You lift your favored hand, and slap Spinel on the side of her face so hard that her head moves with the force of your hand, and you’re definitely gonna feel that on your palm for the next week. The sound echoes down the tunnel. Several seconds later, she moves her face back to level with yours, and relief floods you.

She breaks out into a seriously goofy kind of grin, and out of her mouth comes a-

“Heyyyyyyyyy.” As she looks at you stupidly.

"Uh." You answer, like a smart person, as your brain struggles to comprehend what’s going on. "Is your gem cracked?" Your eyes roam over her chest to her gem, seeing nothing wrong with it. 

"Whaddya' mean?" She asks almost innocently, her grin not even phased by your words.

"Are you serious right now!?" You are so, so confused. She blinks at you and you stare at her, in all of your body's screaming agony as she just stands there. “What’s wrong with you?!” You walk around her to see if there is anything physically wrong with her, poking and prodding at her to see how she reacts. She turns her head slowly to you, pupils trailing to yours.

"Whatcha doin', touchin' me all over and stuff? Are ya' flirting with me, Y/N?" She takes a look at herself as if she's also trying to find out what's wrong with her, grinning like a fool.

"I'm not," You stop in your tracks, brain malfunctioning. "Why do you think I'm flirting with you, right here and now, in this dark tunnel!? Are you high?!"

"Listennnnn," She places an outstretched hand upon your upper arm, bringing your attention to her face. "You are always so mad, but I can see flirting from liiike.. a hundred miles away."

“Are you-” You cut yourself off as you realize what’s happening. You’re not sure why you’re not affected, but Spinel surely is. “Spinel, come here.” You say as you grab her by the arm, and you drag her the opposite direction long enough to not smell that nasty pungent smell anymore.

After a minute or so, she looks at you a little more comprehensively.

“What..” She says in confusion at the entire situation.

“So, not sure what’s happening exactly, but you’re clearly reacting to something in the air.” You state, staring at her. She meets your eyes, but looks as if she doesn’t quite understand. “Spinel, it doesn’t affect me. It’s just affecting you for some reason."

“What do you mean, what’s affecting me? I don’t feel any different..” 

“Yeah, you wouldn’t. Except I know you, and you’re never like this.” You huff out, racking your brain on how to deal with this, but are unable to come up with anything sufficient.

“So what’s the problem? Can’t we just pass through it and be done?” 

“I mean, sure. That’s super easy for you to say." You retort.

"What do you even mean by that." She looks at you, confused.

"You were incredibly.. how do I say this.." You stop as you watch her eyebrows raise in apprehension. "Idiotic."

"What." Her face drops. "Can you stop being a jerk for five minutes?"

"I'm not trying to insult you right now, I'm serious. You were like a zombie." As soon as those words come out of your mouth, something ticks in your brain. "Wait a second, Spinel."

"What." She crosses her arms.

"Doesn't this seem kinda weird? Why would just YOU be affected by that smell? Considering I'm human, usually it'd be me if anything."

"Um.." She trails off, thinking for a moment. "You're actually right..”

“Do you remember anything that just happened a couple minutes ago?” You ask her.

“It’s mostly fuzzy, actually.” She states.

“Huh. Okay, it’s starting to make a little sense.”

“What is?” She raises her eyebrows in question.

“I think I know how all those gems went missing, now that I’m thinking about it.”

“You don’t think..” She trails off, considering what you have just said. “You think all those gems disappeared down here?”

“With how I just saw you act, it’s really the only thing that remotely makes sense.”

“So, what? The gems came into these tunnels, smelled weird shit and disappeared? We’ve walked a fair bit in here, and we haven’t seen any signs of gems here at all.” 

“Look, I haven’t figured it all out, I’m just saying. It makes sense, kind of.” You sigh, leaning on the stick Spinel gave you. 

“Okay, even if what you’re saying is true, that happened so long ago I doubt we’d find sufficient evidence of what actually went on.” She pinches the bridge of her nose. “Regardless.. What’s the plan here?”

“Our options are to either push through and see where that goes, or head back and go in a different direction.”

“Would you prefer to backtrack and possibly get more lost without finding where this goes?” She gives you a look.

“No,” You say, reluctantly. “I’m just a bit nervous about how much the air will affect you.”

“Eh, I’m not worried about it. I trust you to lead my idiotic self past whatever this is.” She gives you a kind of reassuring grin, but you’re still uneasy, and you don’t know why. Fear of the unknown, maybe?

“If I have to drag you the entire way, I will.” You say to her with a smirk, and turn to walk back to where you two were originally headed.

“I have a feeling this is going to be more painful for me, somehow.” You hear her say as she’s walking beside you.

“I doubt it.” 

The smell hits you again, and you push through it to keep on walking ahead. You hear Spinel’s footsteps start to lag behind you, and you turn to make sure she’s alright. She’s got that glazed over look again, face free from any kind of emotion. 

You don’t like it, but you don’t have much of a choice.

You grab her hand, and keep walking forward. Surprisingly, she keeps up with you, and it almost feels like you’re leading a child. You kind of feel like you should start talking out loud or whistle just to fill the quietness with something.

It’s actually only another hundred yards or so when you see through your straining eyes some kind of end to your tunnel. Or more like, some large.. room, or cavern. The closer you get to it, the slower and quieter you walk out of nervousness.

You stop right at the entrance to this room, and let your eyes adjust to the change in light as you take in everything that your eyes can see. It’s brighter in here, and the entire room is lit up in that weird, sparkly glow along the walls, floor, and even ceiling with piles of rocks and dirt in largely stacked pillars. This room is.. huge. You can’t see the end of it.

“Woooww..” Spinel says from beside you, and you go ahead and just put a palm over her mouth to stop her from talking. Something in your gut tells you that you need to be quiet.

Your gut is actually telling you to just turn around entirely and find another way out, but you’ve come this far, and goddammit do you want to be out of here. You feel like you’re extremely close.

Much to your.. dawning horror, you’re realizing that those pillars of rocks are actually.. Injectors.

What. Your brain is trying to process too much at once as your heart speeds up. Spinel tries to walk into the room by herself, and you pull her back to stand right next to you. You can’t deal with all of this alone, and curse the repugnant stench you still smell around you. It’s stronger now, actually..

There are so many injectors piled all around this room. Hundreds. This is clearly where basically all of them went. How they got in here, you do not know.

“Whoa, shiny..” Spinel rips her hand from yours, and walks over to the injector pile twenty feet in front of you, and you nearly screech in terror at her actions.

“Spinel!” You angrily whisper, getting over to her as fast as you can, grabbing for her hand again. “We need to get out of here, and fast. I have a feeling that we shouldn’t linger.”

She doesn’t answer you as you tug her hand, instead leaning into the broken injector on the bottom of the pile to inspect something. While she’s doing this, you’re looking at all the damaged injectors in this pile with increasing worry. Uh..

They all have similar marks like the one you saw back there, but you’re starting to realize that they all have something else in common. The middle of all of the chassis, where the diamond’s essence is, is torn into.

Spinel grabs onto one of the legs to move it, and before you can stop her, it shifts enough to slide down and causes a loud CRASH to echo out inside the room. It rings in your ears, and you forcefully pull Spinel up so she can't cause any further damage.

You're about to admonish her, when you hear something shift fifty or so yards away from you. It sounds a bit like large metal plates scraping against a surface. You feel vibrations in your feet.

Spinel looks at you, and the only thing you can feel is fear.

[glammackay]

Under a Blanket of Blue - 14/03/21

Synopsis: George and Alexa settle in on their first day in Finland. (Warning: a lot of cuteness) @alexadem​

Alexa: Was the idea of catching a flight to go on a spontaneous vacation with a guy she'd just met a bit of a crazy idea? The majority would vote yes, but honestly, this was the sort of stuff Alexa wanted her life to be made up of. She didn't like to waste any time on the couch, twiddling her thumbs and trying to imagine herself having fun when she could just go out and experience it. Besides, there were literally no red flags surrounding George - to the naked eye, he seemed like the most unproblematic person on the face of the planet, and any qualms she /may/ have had about any potential awkwardness diminished the moment she had spotted him at the airport. One of Alexa's most prominent traits was that she was outgoing, and loved meeting new people, so she had absolutely no issue with running towards the man and greeting him in a tight embrace, nor within anything that followed, not even when the taxi driver had turned out of the city centre and led them more out into the sticks, where that dreamy lodge George had booked was situated. In fact, that had only excited her more. The potential this accommodation and this week, as a whole, had, was enough to keep her smiling the entire journey there. "Well...fuck me" Alexa announced, snowflakes dusting her eyelashes as she looked up at the place they'd be calling home for the forseeable. "Shotgun the biggest bedroom". She shot a smirk over to the actor, crunching her way through the snow up the pathway and stomping out her boots once she'd made it undercover. "So, how does this work? Did they tell you they'd left the key somewhere, or something? I mean...this place /definitely/ has enough places to hide something-" no matter which way she looked, Alexa spotted a new thing to excite her - at the moment, it was the sheltered fire pit that she would definitely be insisting they light up one night.

George: This vacation was somewhat out of character for George. He’d spent time in remote locations with people he hardly knew before, but usually it was some kind of bonding experience with co-workers, not somebody he was coming to know as a friend, and especially not somebody so seemingly different to himself. Perhaps that was why he was so drawn to it all. Alexa was a lot more outgoing and forthright than he was, but when talking to her they just seemed to get along so well. She seemed to be doing a good job of bringing him out of his shell a little bit, whilst he was allowing her to just feel comfortable being herself around him. This was the recipe for a great friendship and travelling buddy, no matter how little time had passed since first speaking. He’d been trying to keep the details of the place under wraps, just so he could watch her reaction when the lodge came into view. “It’ll do us, huh?” he grinned, knowing full well the place could sleep thrice as many. “Yeah, I think the secret entrance to the crazy sex dungeon is ‘round the back,” he tried to say seriously, but almost immediately began laughing to himself, his cheeks flushing at the mere notion of him saying such a silly thing. He felt comfortable with at least saying these things aloud to Alexa, even if he didn’t commit to the bit. He could never commit to the bit. “No, umm, there’s a key box somewhere...” he started looking around the entrance way, before spotting what he was searching for. “There it is. Then we just enter the code and...” there it was, the keys in his hand. Front door, back door, sauna door, hut door - they were sorted. “Right, let’s get this thing open, because I’m freezing my tits off.”

Alexa: Raising both her eyebrows as she glanced back and forth between George and the lodge that looked like it could host the Weasley family, Alexa scoffed "ch'yeah, I think it'll do us. We're going to be living like kings and queens, MacKay, I'm /so/ glad I left you in charge of the planning". With her breath visible in the brisk air, the actress shifted from foot to fit in a lame bid to keep warm - maybe she hadn't planned her airport outfit as well as she'd thought she had, but the extent of how cold the country was had come as somewhat of a surprise, although, nothing compared to the shock she felt as George cracked a joke that could've come from her very own mouth. "Oh, oh, I get it. Is this where you bring all your girls so you can act up here, and then re-enter Great Britain as a saint again? Solid plan, I'm almost going to be disappointed if there's not a secret sex dungeon now". Of course, any disappointment would quickly be remedied by all the amenities that this place /did/ have, and once George had got the front door open, Alexa couldn't help but dump her suitcase right in the entrance way, like an eager child who just wanted to run around taking full advantage of everything. "Holy shiiiiiit, this place looks like it's fresh off of MTV's Cribs, you did good. I don't even know where to star-" cutting off short as she remembered her plea for the best room, Alexa side eyed George for a moment, wondering if he was on the same wavelength before dashing off upstairs to check out the bedrooms. She didn't even care what the others looked like really, the first one she laid her eyes on was more than cute enough, with it's slanted roof, cosy decor, and best of all - view out the window, where you could see nothing but miles of snow-topped trees and hills.

George: “Oh no... you’re onto me...” George laughed, stepping aside as he let Alexa make her way inside first, before he enthusiastically followed suit. The place looked even nicer than it had in the photos, and in the photos it looked pretty remarkable. It wasn’t huge, but with the big windows looking out onto the nearby frozen lake - at least that’s what it looked like to George - and the open landing on the floor above, it felt spacious enough. Once again, he keenly watched his company as she dashed around the place, very clearly enjoying herself far too much whilst exploring. It was like letting a child loose in a sweet shop, and he couldn’t get enough of it. He was a little slower at settling himself in - he took the time to shuffle their cases so they were out of the way and ready to go to their respective rooms, before making his way into the small kitchen in search of a kettle. Naturally, the most important thing of any holiday rental was whether or not they had a kettle, which thankfully they did. Once he filled it with some water and put it on, he finally went to see where Alexa had ended up. “So... I take it I did good with finding this place, then?” he smiled at her and sat himself down on her now designated bed. “What do you want to do first? Chill out and settle in or go straight for the hot tub? Or something else? I  think we've got another two hours of daylight.”

Alexa: Fingers dragging themselves over countertops as her eyes took in the room, Alexa immediately made her way over to the window where she allowed herself a moment to let it sink in that she was actually here. About to tick off what had been at the top of her bucketlist for as long as she could remember, and she was almost lost in a sentimental moment when George's voice came from behind her. "You did good," she assured him with a soft smile. "I almost can't believe I'm here, especially not so soon, I wasn't sure if you were just making friendly conversation when you said you were interested, so - thank you for coming with me". Plopping herself down on the edge of the bed, Alexa ran her hands over her knees as she weighed up the options. "Well, you know I'm dying to get in that tub, so why don't we grab something to drink, hop on in, then find somewhere to see the lights from when the sun starts going down? Or, if we're feeling too sluggish, we can always save the venturing further afield for tomorrow night, and just stay cosy tonight? I'm honestly good with either".

George: George’s smile spread from ear to ear at Alexa’s reassurance. He had a feeling he’d done a good job with the location, but her confirming it made him feel even more confident of it. “Hey, now, thank you for coming with me! You know... to my secret sex hideout, that I definitely bring all the ladies I’ve known for two weeks to...” he let out a laugh at his own joke again, this time not blushing quite so much. It seemed he was becoming even more comfortable with his jokes to her. “Yeah, I mean, we’ll probably get a good glimpse of the lights just from here, with the views we’ve got, especially with those big windows downstairs, so maybe we can enjoy them from there with some blankets and music,” he mused, throwing out whatever ideas he thought might sound inviting to his travel companion. He jumped to his feet and made his way to the door, before turning on his heels and pointing his fingers in her direction. “So hot tub first... and we’ll feel our way from there. I just put the kettle on, would you like a hot drink? Tea? Coffee? Hot chocolate? The owners seem to have stocked all the vitals.”

Alexa: Hair falling across her face as she shook her head with a laugh, Alexa swayed into George, enjoying the fact he was becoming more comfortable with making jokes of the sort. "At least now I know why you really don't have social media, it's a John Tucker Must Die situation, you don't want all your conquests tagging you and being able to find each other". The thought of being able to see the lights from just outside the lodge hadn't even occurred to her, she had assumed there were certain spots that you'd be able to see them from the best, but then she supposed that had been extremely naive - they were in the sky, after all. "At the fire pit?" She suggested hopefully, eyebrows raising. "Sounds perfect to me. And you know, considering we're being all adventurous - I think I'll go for a tea. I've honestly never had one that isn't iced, and I trust you're well trained in the art of tea making. I'll have it however you have it". Following George back downstairs, Alexa practically skipped towards her case to retrieve her bikini - a white, Louis Vuitton one, of course. Admittedly, she was a bit of a brand whore - before taking it into the nearest bathroom and changing into it. She re-emerged a few moments later wrapped in one of the robes that were provided and leant on the kitchen countertop, face in her hands. "Just came to see the master at work. This better be the best damn hot bev that I've ever tasted or I'll severely judge you brits and your obsession".

George: “Tea it is, then,” George nodded his head in agreement, pleased Alexa had made the right choice to him. “And the fire pit, we can definitely check out in a bit. I think it’s called a Lapplander hut or something like that? Don’t quote me on it, though. But it looks really cool,” he spoke, almost to himself as they both went downstairs, and then their separate ways to prepare themselves. He managed to find all the right ingredients for a basic, good cup of tea, and poured them all in to some snow themed mugs for them. He’d just finished removing the tea bags before Alexa joined him once more. He placed her mug in front of her, before looking up and smiling. “Give it a minute to cool down, or you’ll burn your tongue,” he said, before realising that it sounded like he was talking to a child. “Sorry, I suppose that’s common sense. But I’ve lost count the amount of times I’ve burnt my tongue because I’ve been too keen to have a sip.” He lifted his own drink up to his mouth and blew on it, before setting it down on the counter again. “Maybe I should quickly get changed into my trunks whilst I wait for it to cool down. I’ll be back in a minute,” and with that, he left to fetch his swimwear from his suitcase and get changed in the bathroom. He soon emerged sporting a clearly well worn pair of rainforest themed swim shorts - about the craziest his wardrobe got - and his respective robe, undone.

Alexa: "Nope, no, I needed that. I always dive into everything too soon, so your caution: hot bev warning was /very/ needed" Alexa smiled, drawing the mug closer to her yet behaving by not taking a sip. She was softly blowing on it when her eyes averted from the steam onto George's reappearance - noticing the body first, then the iconic shorts afterwards. Honestly, it was hard to pick which one to comment on first, though the fact he had tried to deny the existence of his abs was too impossible to ignore. "Ah, and there it is, that so-called dad bod that you seem to think you have. D'you know how frustrating it is for hot people to not think they're hot when everyone else around them can see it as clear as day?" Realising she had to have been staring, Alexa turned her attention back to the tea and finally had her first sip, though she had to admit she wasn't fully concentrating on the taste. "Sorry. Don't mean to check you out but...I totally do".

George: George went bright red at Alexa essentially calling him hot and commenting on his abs. Not that he minded, of course, but the blushing was instinctual whenever anybody complimented him in such a way - it was as subconscious to him as breathing. He wasn’t sure whether to cover up or let her keep looking, because he couldn’t help enjoying the attention. He opted to leave his robe open, and grabbed his cup of tea, which was now at the perfect drinking temperature, and took a sip. “It’s okay. You’d think I’d be used to it, with having to be on film sets where I’m walking around with people looking at me shirtless all day, but nope. It still bewilders me,” he shrugged, before smiling at her. “I’ll try not to stare as much when you disrobe,” he teased, winking at her. Once again, the confidence to say such a thing was only because of the company he was in - he was just letting whatever he thought she’d enjoy hearing flow out of his mouth, without a second thought.

Alexa: The blushing definitely didn't pass by unnoticed by Alexa,  it took everything in her not to tease him for it, and she was doing so well until he so confidently commented about her losing her robe, even with the wink, it was all too much to be able to resist. "Oh, is that so?" She set down her mug once more, fingers going to the knot on the robe to slowly untie it, eyes focused on George in a bid to catch him falter. "Do you promise? I'm actually real shy"- probably the biggest lie she'd ever told, one quick Google search and you could see she had absolutely no issue getting her body out, it wasn't arrogance, just a strong belief that you should love the body you were given, and shouldn't have to hide it. Letting the robe fall from her shoulders, Alexa knew damn well she'd just sacrificed a warm walk to the hot tub, but whatever, it was worth it. "Come on then" she spoke in an overly sweet tone, grabbing her tea with one hand, and his own hand in the other to lead him outside.

George: Not quite believing how he’d managed to get himself into such a situation, George was biting down on his bottom lip in an attempt to stop himself from smiling like an idiot, but it definitely wasn’t working. “You’re mad, you are,” he said, shaking his head as Alexa disrobed in front of him, his cheeks managing to redden even more than he thought possible. He wanted to be overly polite and not look, but he knew she wanted him to, so he glanced her up and down; his gaze lingered a little too long, until it was interrupted by her taking a hold of his hand. He snapped out of it, and instead tried focusing on just walking to the door that led out to the hot tub. Opening the door, they were hit by the bracing cold of the outdoors - a stark reminder that they were very close to the Arctic Circle, and the sun was setting soon. “Quick, get in, I’ll figure out all the buttons,” he said, offering his hand up to help her balance as she climbed in. Thankfully, it wasn’t complicated, so within seconds, the tub started bubbling.

Alexa: More than satisfied with the reaction she had got, Alexa was glad she was the one walking in front so George couldn't see the smile on her face...that was until the door actually opened, and she was immediately hit with the cold air like someone had bitch slapped her. Assuming George knew what he was talking about - he had one of those faces you could just trust - Alexa set her drink down in one of the holders and hopped into the tub with his help, which was admittedly warmer than the outside air, yet not at it's full potential, like it had been on some power saving mode. "This is fucking cold too, you...shithead!" She exclaimed with a laugh, splashing a little out the tub at him, figuring they probably should've turned it on fully a little before they intended to get in it. "But it's better than out there, for sure. It's gonna be /so/ nice". Submerging herself to the shoulders, Alexa used her arms to push herself backwards onto one of the corner seats and kicked up her feet a little, probably enjoying the novelty of a hot tub a little too much considering they were hardly needed in LA.

George: George grimaced at Alexa mentioning the tub was still cold. “Ah, yeah, shit. We were just a bit too keen, huh?” he spoke, taking a big swig of his tea, before placing his mug by the side of the hot tub. He watched her enjoying herself for a moment, a huge grin on his face as he did so. “You having fun in there?” he asked, raising his eyebrows at her, her answer very much evident without a word leaving her lips. After a few more moments, he figured it was time he joined in on the fun. He took off his robe, hanging it up nearby, and turned to face Alexa. “Fuck, it is a bit nippy out here, isn’t it?” he said, exaggerating the temperature even more by tensing all his muscles - the toning of them becoming even more apparent than before. And then he climbed into the hot tub, sitting opposite his company, so they both had a bit of space. “Oh, this is alright actually. It’s not putting the hot in hot tub, but it should warm up pretty quickly.”

Alexa: Unaware that her enjoyment was so apparent, Alexa grinned with a nod, feeling like a little child who'd just come on their first summer vacation away from school. Having never heard the term 'nippy' before, the actress immediately cast a glance down to her chest, figuring he must've meant she was showing actual nip, rather than referring to the cold, yet once she figured out he was just being British, she let out a laugh. "Fuck, you can't say things like that without giving me a quick Urban Dictionary style definition, that means something completely different where I come from..." Still, she hoped that wouldn't make him intentionally try to dial the slang or the accent down. That, mixed with the way he looked right now made her certain that George was the kind of guy who would get plenty of female attention without even realising it. One of the most eligible bachelors in any room, yet still one of the most modest. "Here - we should play a game. Like, a would you rather: culture edition. So like, you can say two of anything, one has to be American, one has to be English...whether it's food, movies, actors - whatever. And then you have to pick which one you'd rather eat, watch, sleep with - you know? Like, I could start with...Hugh Grant or George Clooney?".

George: “Oh, shit, sorry,” George shook his head, forgetting he was talking to an American who wouldn’t understand all his British colloquialisms, but he didn’t mind explaining them as he went. “It just means really cold - originates from... well, you can probably guess,” he trailed off, figuring he didn’t need to go into the etymology, too. He listened intently to Alexa as she described the game she wanted them to play. He rather liked the sound of it - their cultural differences had already been apparent the short time they had spent with one another so far, so why not combine it into a fun way to learn more about each other? “Ooh, I like this. Hmm, which would I rather eat... Hugh or George...” he pretended to look like he was thinking carefully, before laughing at his terrible joke. “Okay, I don’t know if it’s a terrible reason to discount somebody or not, but I don’t know if I could cosy up to George because we share the same name. That would just feel weird. Would you find that weird? It’d be like when Taylor Swift dated Taylor Lautner. Each to their own, but I couldn’t do that. So Hugh it is. He seems like a good laugh, anyway. What about you?”

Alexa: Well, at least she was on the right brainwave with thinking it had /something/ to do with nipples, maybe she wasn't being quite so stupid after all, though she wished she could rewind the clock a little and not check out her own tits. Thankfully, the water was already beginning to heat up a little more, and though her arms were still adorned with goosebumps, it was becoming more tolerable. "You are a literal dork" She should've known he'd have some smartass answer to her suggestion, though once he actually answered it properly, she nodded her head. "Good choice, good choice. I totally get what you mean, I even find it weird having to talk to my Amazon Alexa, like I'm going around the house talking in first person, makes me feel a little crazy". Reaching for her tea once more as she thought to herself, Alexa figured she should at least /pretend/ the question was difficult for her, when in reality Hugh Grant easily won for the accent alone. "I think I'd go for Hugh, too. I've had a thing for him since he played the prime minister in that christmas movie - which...I can totally imagine you in, by the way. I feel like you'd be that guy that goes to America because he can't pick up girls in England. In...the best way possible".

George: “If I ever need to ask you a question randomly now, I’m going to open with ‘hey Alexa’ and see how long it takes for you to get mad at me,” George teased, knowing full well he probably would do it once or twice at most. He fetched his mug and sat sipping at it as he listened to Alexa explaining the reason behind her choice, which he could definitely understand. “Yeah? You think I’m a Colin Frissell?” he asked, playfully raising an eyebrow at her. “I mean... when I’m in the States, I do find that people are fascinated by my accent and the way I pronounce certain words. I’m yet to have been invited back to an attractive stranger's place to stay the night, though. Well... no, that’s not wholly true. I’ve had a couple of propositions but not gone along with it, because it didn’t feel right,” he found himself rambling on, so he stopped himself with another sip of his tea, before placing it back where it was. He stretched his arms up, and shimmied his way further into the gently bubbling water, as he attempted to come up with his own ‘would you rather’ question.

Alexa: "I'm already mad at you for even thinking about it", Alexa teased setting the tea down once more and making herself more comfy in the water that was now hot enough to warm her completely. She didn't want to even think about having to get out anytime soon, especially not thanks to her need to tease and leave the robe discarded on the living room floor. Present her /hated/ past her. "Maybe a little, but as I've said, a much cuter version - which was why I was about to call you out on that bullshit. I don't believe for a second you haven't been hit on in bars, or anything like that. American girls can be...well, we're a lot. And I gotta say, I'm impressed you haven't just gone along with it for easy sex. I don't think I've ever really met a man who wouldn't when someone was offering it to them like that. Remind me again, who manufactured you?"

George: “It was Bill Gates himself,” George joked, trying to play it cool, despite his cheeks reddening - at this point he was surprised they weren’t just bright red the whole time. “I don’t know, it just feels too weird for me. I prefer getting to know somebody before we’re intimate. Like, I’ll make out with a stranger, sure, but sex is different. For me, at least,” he shrugged, realising his way of thinking probably wasn’t something Alexa was used to hearing. “It’s different for everybody, though, right? We all have certain things that we find difficult to share with someone until we know them better, and that’s just what it is for me,” he shuffled slightly in his seat, perhaps for the first time actually feeling slightly uncomfortable around Alexa, if only because he wasn’t used to opening up about such personal things so quickly, even if he was still doing it willingly.

Alexa: For probably the first time in her life, Alexa wasn't quite so quick to share her own views on sex as she knew all too well it was off putting for some guys. Usually, she'd be defensive about it, but there was no need to be, it wasn't as if George was judging her for having an opinion that was different to his, he was just sharing his own. Biting down on her lip as she nod her head to his 'different for everybody' statement, 'you can say that again' she thought to herself, though she wasn't about to make herself come across as some kind of harlot - despite it being true. "No, that makes total sense, I totally get why you'd prefer to refrain from it. Casual sex isn't all that great anyway in the grand scheme of things, 9 out of 10 times the guy won't be able to make you cu-" once again catching herself before getting too NSFW, Alexa turned her open mouth into a sheepish smile. "Sorry. We don't need to talk about orgasms, I guess that's just where my mind tends to wander when I'm still waiting for /someoneee/ to come up with a 'Would You Rather' question".

George: “Really?” George asked, a little surprised by Alexa's statistic. He knew that a lot of guys could be selfish in that respect, but not to that extent. He smiled a little at her attempting to censor herself, perhaps in order to make him feel more comfortable. He appreciated it, but he also didn’t want such a conversation to be completely off limits. “I don’t understand it when blokes don’t make an effort, in that department. Like, not even tried to figure out what their partner wants. I’ve always been the sort to ask a woman what they like and don’t like, sort of, as we go. I mean... god, this is gonna make me sound like a square to you, probably, but I usually ask a person if it’s okay to even kiss them, instead of just leaning in and hoping for the best. Well... I try to, and then I get kissed before I have the chance to ask,” he continued on the topic, even though she’d tried to brush it off slightly. He wasn’t necessarily avoiding coming up with a would you rather question for her, more that he was continuing to delay it whilst he thought of something good. And anyway, this conversation felt more interesting to him, for the time being.

Alexa: "Well Georgie, that just means that you have what most men lack...communicational skills. I don't think I've actually slept with a single man whose asked me what I've wanted. Most of them just kinda...grunt like cavemen and it's all pretty underwhelming. And I -" Okay, she was prepared for everything he had said thus far, but the fact he asked permission before kissing took her a few moments to wrap her head around, and she hoped he wouldn't take her silence as a bad sign, like she was inwardly mocking him or anything like that. The complete opposite, actually, she was more so wondering how it'd taken her 30 years of life to come across a man who asked for consent to kiss. Realising she hadn't said anything for a while, Alexa voiced the main thing that was swirling around in her mind, even though, for once she didn't feel like being outspoken, it was as if she couldn't help herself. "Well, just so you know, for...future reference or whatever, you wouldn't need to ask me. The answer's already yes".

George: George noticed the silence, but he had somewhat anticipated it. Whenever he told people this small detail about him, it seemed to take them by surprise. He took it as a good sign, more than anything else. He simply watched Alexa patiently, awaiting whatever response she may have. He expected a question or two maybe, or even just a comment about how rare it was. So her response managed to have the same effect and take him by surprise. He hadn’t been able to gauge how she felt about him, up until now. Sure, she’d complimented his appearance, but he didn’t know whether to take that as her genuinely being attracted to him, or simply a superficial thing. Not that he minded either way, but the truth was that he had had the thought of kissing her cross his mind... if only to be locked behind a door in his head for a later date, so he could just focus on getting to know her for the time being, and seeing what happens. “That’s... good to know. I’ll keep it in mind,” he said leaning in a little closer to her, as if to tease her that it had already very much been on his mind.

Alexa: Maybe, just maybe, throwing that into the mix already was a bad idea, but Alexa didn't know how to act if it wasn't bold and brazen, and it didn't seem to have put him off completely, so she allowed herself a breath, smiling at his response. "Just thought I'd save you some breath, you know, incase you were thinking about it". Of course, there was a very good chance that George continued to surprise her by being one of the only guys not interested - and that wasn't even being narcissistic, just that most guys were easy, and that meant a statement like that was actually usually followed by a kiss, so she was at a loss for words or any idea how to follow something like that up now. This never happened, the whole second guessing/feeling somewhat shy, and boy did she hate that it was happening now. For once, maybe she was the one blushing rather than George. Or maybe it was the heat from the steam. That had to have been it.

George: George continued with keeping his gaze on Alexa - he couldn’t help noticing a slight change in her demeanour. He was a little taken aback by it, as she probably was, too. He wasn’t entirely sure if it was because of what he had said or not, but he didn’t want to say anything about it. He’d hoped by now he had created a comfortable enough environment for her that she would tell him if she was bothered by anything he was saying or doing. When he finally looked away, and began glancing at their surroundings for the first time in what felt like a good few minutes, he realised that the sun was getting lower and lower in the sky. “Right now I’m thinking if we wanna see the lights tonight, we’d better start getting ourselves ready soon. Well, we don’t have to, because they should be at their brightest in a couple of hours, but I figured we could sort out some food beforehand so we can just sit and watch them for as long as we like after. How’s that sound?” he asked, his thought process managing to go past the realisation that he’d completely changed the topic of conversation without intending to.

Alexa: Alexa wasn't sure if the shift in her body was solely due to the hot tub or if her body temperature would've just knocked itself up a few notches regardless, but once George had broken the tension with reminding her what it was they were actually here for, it dawned on the actress that she clearly /was/ feeling some type of way about him. Not even in any deep way, it was far too soon for that, but maybe the attraction did hit a little closer to home than she previously thought. It wasn't so much, yeah people would find him attractive and much more of a...'/you/ are attracted to him, Alexa'. "Right, yeah, we should...definitely do that". Honestly, she couldn't get out of the tub quick enough now, eager to forget her entire thought process and focus on something else. Standing up, the drastic temperature change washed over her once more, so she wasted no time in heading back into the lodge. "Do you think we have time to go to a supermarket to get some ingredients, or are you thinking take out?"

George: George nodded at Alexa’s motion to start getting themselves ready. She seemed a little quick to get out of the water, but before she had a chance to get far, he, too, had gotten out and grabbed his robe that was hanging up nearby. “Here, take this,” he offered, placing the robe over her shoulders, figuring that would take the edge off until she got to her room and could warm up properly. “Well, actually, not to blow your freaking mind or anything, but I asked the owners if they could go to the shop to get a few things and drop them off before we arrived, so they’re already in the kitchen. At least to tick us over til tomorrow when we can make our own way out there,” he smiled at her once they had stepped inside. He tried to be cool but was noticeably tense from his body being exposed to the cold for even a brief time. “How about we get ourselves dried and changed, and have a look through the supplies when we’re warm and cozy?” he raised an expectant eyebrow at her, before walking over to grab his suitcase, ready to make his way to his bedroom.

Alexa: Clutching his robe around her, Alexa shot George an astounded look - not only was that a chivalrous act that she hadn't expected, but it seemed he had thought of everything while planning the entire thing. "Nope, consider my mind blown. That's some forward thinking brain you've got yourself there", embarrassingly enough, had it been the other way round and Alexa in charge of the organising, they definitely would've been raiding the cupboards to see if they could make a meal out of hot chocolate powder and eggs for the night. "Sure, you go hurry, you must be fucking freezing" she encouraged, retrieving her own case and taking it to the room where layers were the only thing on her mind. It didn't matter what the hell she looked like, as long as she could stay outside for as long as possible tonight, so once she'd taken her bikini off and dried herself she pulled on a matching set of loungewear ( with admittedly about three tops underneath ) and a pair of fluffy socks. The ends of her hair were wet, so she pulled it all into a high pony before grabbing a package out of her case and making her way back downstairs, hoping she'd miraculously managed to beat George back, though the odds were against her.

George: George was the kind of person who would practically over plan everything. Most of the time, it was a good thing, and it seemed to be for him so far on this trip, but he always had to remind himself to allow some freedom and leeway with his plans, especially if they included others. He grabbed a towel from the bathroom that was nice and warm, and began drying himself down with it, as he wandered into the downstairs bedroom, claiming it as his own. He made sure his top half was bone dry before he took his trunks off, and wrapped the towel around his waist whilst he hung up the trunks and began rummaging through his case for something warm and comfortable for him to wear for the evening. He settled on a pair of black sweatpants, a burnt orange jumper, and a t-shirt underneath, with socks that happened to match his jumper. He looked like he was about ready to join the Weasleys for Christmas, but he didn’t mind because he knew it’d do the job. Once he’d hung up his towel to dry, too, he ventured back to the open living space, surprisingly only beating Alexa to it by several seconds. “We meet again,” he teased, beaming at her, before making his way to the kitchen to see what they could start preparing for dinner.

Alexa: "Fuck me, hello to you too, Ron Weasley" Alexa teased, clearly on the same wavelength as it was undeniable that his sweater looked like it had been knitted especially for him. Following him through to the kitchen, before she'd even have a chance at checking out what he had ordered in, the actress placed the package down on the counter, beaming proudly up at George. "You didn't think I'd forget what yesterday was, did you?". Considering she hadn't known George for too long to know roughly what he already owned and what he didn't, she figured she'd make up a care package that would come in handy for the right now. A selection of ales as he'd said he liked them, a glass tankard with his full name engraved on it, ingredients for smores, a meditation set with candles and the likes in, and best of all - a game of twerk pong, which she figured would really help him finesse his twerking skills. "You don't have to open it right now, we can wait until whenever, but just so you know it's here, and that I didn't forget. So...happy birthday for yesterday".

George: George let out a small laugh at Alexa calling him a Weasley. “You read my mind,” he shook his head, almost in disbelief she was thinking the same thing about the jumper. He was even more in disbelief when she presented him with what he inferred was a gift. He figured she would remember it had been his birthday, but he wasn’t expecting more than maybe a card or one small gift, not a whole array of things. He bit his lip, trying to contain his huge smile, and managing to fail horribly once again. “Thank you so much,” he uttered, still trying to catch his breath from the shock. Before he could think of anything else to say, he practically blurted out “can I give you a hug?” Almost immediately, he realised asking permission was probably silly, since a few minutes ago she had said she would say yes to him asking to kiss her, and a hug was a few steps of intimacy down from that, so the answer would likely be yes, too. He didn’t give her much of a chance to reply, before he wrapped his arms around her. “You’re so sweet.”

Alexa: Alexa was glad that George left hardly anytime between asking and doing, as she couldn't help breaking out into a giggle, though he could probably /feel/ it regardless. "You really are something else, MacKay". Very quickly the giggle subsided into a satisfied smile, her cheek pressed into his chest thanks to the very present height difference. "You don't need to thank me, of course I was going to get you something. I wasn't just expecting you to put in all the hard work of the planning and then /not/ get you a birthday present". She pointed out, pulling back and glancing up at him with a playful eyebrow raised. "And don't tell anyone else I'm gross and capable of sweet things, okay? I got a rep to protect".

George: George’s smile kept growing when he felt the warmth of Alexa pressing against him. Noted, he thought, for if they found themselves having to keep extra warm whenever they ventured outside during the trip. He nodded acceptingly as she told him it was a fair bargain between them - him sorting out the vacation, and him getting a gift; he certainly couldn’t argue with it. “Well there goes my plans of telling everybody on social media,” he joked, the chance of which was extremely unlikely, since he didn’t use it at all. “If anybody asks about this trip, I’ll tell everyone you ignored me most of the time, I couldn’t even sit near you or been in the hot tub with you. Anything else you want me to mention? Just so I definitely don’t ruin that reputation you’ve got going on?” he asked, a playful eyebrow returned right back to her.

Alexa: Pursing her lips as she pretended to be deep in thought, Alexa wandered around the island in the kitchen, peeking into the cupboards nonchalantly. "Hmm, that you cooked for me every lunchtime and every evening. You don't have to, of course, I don't even know if I trust your cooking yet-" glancing back over her shoulder to convey that she was teasing, she soon resumed the nosing around before hopping up onto the counter herself, completely at a loss for what George had been planning to throw together. "But I want everyone to think you did, like you were catering to my every whim. And I'm a quesadilla at 4am kinda girl if I wake up hungry, too. So it must've been a real nightmare for you. Anyway, what are we whipping up tonight, chef?"

George: “Ugh, you’re just so demanding,” George playfully rolled his eyes, more than happy to go along with this facade, knowing full well that it wouldn’t actually come to life. “I can do that. I can even add that you made me walk to the supermarket in the snow by myself every day so you only had the freshest ingredients,” he nodded along, already enjoying this far too much. “Just tell me if I have to rein it in. Don’t want you looking too bad,” he smiled at Alexa, before beginning to look for the ingredients of the meal he had in mind for the evening. “Okay so... one of the dishes I’m best at is paella. Specifically chicken and chorizo paella. I don’t know if the owners managed to get every ingredient, but as long as we’ve got the basics, we can still make a delicious meal. Wait... did I ask you if you eat meat? I feel like I should’ve asked you that and accounted for it beforehand,” he pouted, suddenly looking a little concerned that he hadn’t taken everything into consideration.

Alexa: Clicking her fingers together, like George had just come up with the greatest plan ever, Alexa nodded. "Yes, that too. I like that. Meanwhile I was in the sauna, just waiting for you to come back from your treacherous journey". It was as if her stomach wanted to give away the fact paella was one of her favorites the way it rumbled in response to George even uttering it's name, but she wasn't going to say it loud, what are the chances he'd believe her rather than just thinking she was saying it to be polite? Besides, with the opportunity to tease him some more presenting itself to her, Alexa feigned an awkward look, shoulders slumping and eyes looking apologetically over at her counterpart. "I...I am a vegetarian, actually. And a celiac so I can't eat gluten. Plus I don't like any vegetables. And I'm allergic to /a lot/ of things, so really all I can eat is...potatoes". Letting that linger for a moment, she soon shook her head, a smile back on her face. "Nah, I'm totally fucking with you. Paella's amazing, and I'm sure yours is going to be one of the best ever". Though she did partake in the making of their dinner, she would give George most of the credit due to it being his version, and although she couldn't wait to dig in, she left it steaming on the side while she ran over to collect their coats, tossing George's over to him before jamming her feet into her boots haphazardly. "Come on, we gotta eat this outside. I've had paella on the beach before, but I've never had paella in the snow under the northern lights before".

George: George nodded his head, making a mental note of all these supposed demands from Alexa - he knew they’d have plenty of fun telling everybody about what happened on their trip and keeping an air of mystery about it. He sort of liked that idea. When she first said she was a vegetarian, George looked a little concerned, like all his meal ideas had flown out of the window very quickly because he’d been inconsiderate enough not to ask beforehand. And then as she continued, he began squinting at her suspiciously, before she admitted she was just messing with him. “Fuck me, you nearly had me for a moment there, I was about to trek out to the supermarket for real to get you something you could eat. So... thank god we’re not making that tale a reality just yet,” he sighed, shaking his head at her, pretending to act annoyed, despite the smile on his face. He was happy to do most of the cooking himself, but the help of Alexa was certainly welcomed - it was the first time in a while he’d prepared a meal with somebody that wasn’t a family member. He seemed a little surprised when she went to fetch their coats, rather than tuck in to their meal, but he picked up on what she wanted to do pretty quickly. “I’ll be honest, I doubt many people have had paella in the snow under the northern lights before - we’re about to be a part of a very exclusive club,” he smirked, before fetching his own boots and putting his coat on, readying himself to brace the cold.

 Alexa: "The mile high club will seem /so/ overrated once we join this one". Alexa stated, matter-of-factly before darting off once more to bundle up an armful of pillows and blankets. "D'you think you can carry both the dishes out for me?" She requested, barely able to keep the top cushion balanced as it wobbled precariously. Still, she managed to transport them all to the hut that provided just enough shelter from the bitter winds, but was completely open at the front so they still had a clear view of the sky. Which, she hadn't even glanced up at yet. She'd purposely kept her face practically buried in the blankets with one eye on the floor as she made her way over. She'd waited so long to see the northern lights in person, she'd be darned if she wasn't going to make it into some big reveal. With her back still to the entrance, Alexa dumped down the load she was carrying and jiggled on the spot excitedly. "Can you see them already?!" She asked George, on the off chance he wasn't doing the exact same thing as her.

George: “From what I hear, the mile high club isn’t even all that exclusive anymore,” George shrugged - despite not being a member of it, he knew plenty of people who were. He never really saw the appeal; he liked to feel comfortable and not like everybody on the plane knew exactly what he was doing, because that sort of thing rarely went unnoticed. “Of course, darling,” he nodded, taking both of their plates and walking carefully behind her to the hut, hoping very much he didn’t ruin such a big moment for her by spilling her paella all over the snow covered ground. Thankfully, he managed to set their plates down on the table in the middle of the hut with every drop still on them, and he looked up to see how Alexa was getting on. He had focused all his concentration on not spilling their food that he hadn’t dared look up at the sky at all, until she mentioned it. “Yeah, look,” he pointed up, “you can see the green just over the top of those trees. They should get brighter and cover more of the sky over the next couple of hours.”

Alexa: Without even realising that she had placed her hands over her eyes, Alexa turned so she was facing the right way, and parted them like a scared teenager watching a horror movie, though the moment she did and caught a glimpse of the green through the trees her arms dropped down to her sides and she did a little bounce of excitement. "Holy shit, that's so cool". Already it was unlike anything she'd ever seen, without it even being at it's full potential yet. Before they let the paella get too cold, Alexa got snuggled up on the wooden seat, holding up a corner of the blanket so George could sit down and she could drape it over their laps. Surprisingly, it didn't feel too cold to sit out in yet, though she knew that would change the longer they remained there without hot food in their belly. Which, her attention turned back to then, and she began to tuck in, giving George verbal affirmations for between the first few bites. "Jesus, that's good, too." and "I need to get you to cook for me more often".

George: George looked down at Alexa just as her eyes laid upon the lights, and the way her face lit up with pure joy made George grin like an idiot, knowing that he had had some part in making this experience happen for her. He had seen the northern lights a few years before, up in the far reaches of Scotland, but he knew they were in for an even more incredible experience tonight. His attention then focused back onto their food. He hadn’t even for most of the day, so by now he was famished. He grabbed his plate, and quickly settled down next to Alexa on the seat, and placed the blanket over his legs, before taking a big bite of food. He let out a small laugh when he heard Alexa’s intermittent comments about his cooking. “Paella is very much my piece de resistance when it comes to cooking. It probably won’t get any better than this,” he said, before taking another mouthful. “Well, no, I have made paella even better than this before, but this is definitely up there with the best I’ve made. Must have been my charming sous chef's help that made it so good.”

Alexa: No matter how charming he was being, Alexa knew nothing she had done in the kitchen had benefitted the taste, having been on mostly chopping duty which really anyone and their ten year old siblings could do, but she knew that was just the sort of person George was - modest and always looking to share the praise, that much was evident already. Soon enough, her plate was cleared, and Alexa set it to the side and brought her knees up, hugging them beneath the blanket while with every passing moment the lights grew brighter above them. If she were honest with herself, it had kind of been the perfect day, and who could've thought up a better ending than to be sat underneath something so epic? Feeling overcome with emotion in that moment - which admittedly, was very unusual for her - the actress let her head fall to the side until it came into contact with George's shoulder, and she smiled to herself as she took it all in. "So, what do you think? Was this worth missing mothers day for, or have you been pining over Mama MacKay's company the whole day?".

George: George was impressed by how quickly Alexa managed to clear her plate - he was a fast eater, but she still managed to beat him to it. Once he was done, he placed his plate above hers and settled back into his seat. He smiled when she decided to rest her head on his shoulder - he’d always seen this as something very intimate only people who felt really comfortable around him did, and considering how long they’d known one another, and this being their first time meeting properly, he felt pretty accomplished that she felt so comfortable so soon. He let out an almost inaudible laugh when she asked her question - somewhat surprised it was something on her mind, because it hadn’t crossed his since they’d arrived at the lodge. “I spoke to her yesterday about it, actually. That I felt a little bad that I’d planned this trip, forgetting I’d be missing Mother’s Day with her. But when I explained where I was going and why, she said that she’d probably have ditched me, too, if it meant seeing the northern lights in Finland. So... that definitely made me feel a lot better,” he smiled, leaning his head down to gently rest upon hers. “She always knows exactly what to say.”