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quazartranslates · 3 years

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Welcome to the Nightmare Game - CH137 (Extra)

**This is an edited machine translation. For more information, please [click here]**

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Chapter 137: Extra

Introduction to Extra: When a high school student idol girl encounters an exorcist of the Holy See who transferred to her school, the original scientific world seems to suddenly become unscientific...

Beautiful idol girl: A lovely and beautiful girl like me, of course, only likes handsome girls!

Handsome girl: Hmm!

Agent: Excuse me?

　　&&&

Note: This story is an AU (Alternative Universe) story, that is, a parallel universe, not a story within the same timeline as the main text. There is no Nightmare Game in this story. Everyone is living in modern times, including fantastic creatures such as supernatural ghosts, demons, and blood cults, but they are not widely known. The story involves the locations and characters from the Castle Cry copy, but it is different from the story in the text. Please refer to the text.

Genders are different, genders are different, and genders are different (important things are said three times). Because of gender differences and different experiences growing up, the characters are slightly different from the text.

Qi Leren entered the entertainment industry from an early age while attending high school, filming and singing, and was a famous idol and beautiful girl; Ning Zhou is the royal elder sister* mixed-race exorcist who transferred from abroad for some reason.

*{E/N: yujie, like the Japanese onee-sama character type}

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The sunshine outside the window was too good, and there wasn’t even a cloud in the blue sky.

Qi Leren looked out of the window with her cheeks propped up, a little absent-minded.

The teacher was giving a lecture on the podium and the students around her were all keeping their heads down and taking notes carefully. Qi Leren’s eyes quietly drifted to the black-haired and blue-eyed student by the window. She sat upright and looked at the teacher on the podium, looking serious and earnest.

Her blue eyes were really beautiful.

Qi Leren's thoughts suddenly returned to the day a month ago.

On that day, she’d flown back to X City overnight the previous night. It was already after midnight when she’d gotten home, so she’d unfortunately overslept the next day and rushed into the lecture building as the school bell rang. Although the school was tolerant of her frequent leave, Qi Leren didn't want to be treated specially because of her idol status, so she would try her best to observe the school rules.

The bell was drawing to a close, and she was still a corridor away from the classroom. Qi Leren ran at the speed of the 800-meter women's champion in the school sports meet. As she ran, she thought she might not be late this time. As a result, at the corner at the end of the corridor, she ran head-on into someone.

"Ow!" The bump was really strong. Qi Leren raised her head angrily, covering her nose, and glared at the person.

The blue-eyed girl who was hit: "...Sorry."

Who is this? I've never seen her before. Is she wearing fashion contact lenses? So tall and beautiful!

Qi Leren stared at the person and for a long time she apologized until the class teacher coughed: "I'm sorry, I ran into you, I'm sorry!"

The class teacher accompanying the blue-eyed girl smiled and said, "Xiao-Qi, what are you hurrying for?"

Qi Leren immediately wore a bitter expression: "...Sorry teacher, I'm late."

"It doesn't matter, you’re busy with your work, the teacher understands it, go back to the classroom quickly," the teacher in charge said, taking the two people with her to the classroom.

Qi Leren walked on the left side of the head teacher and slowed down after two steps. She secretly looked at the girl walking on the right side of the head teacher. She looked only ahead of her, and she could see that her facial features were more three-dimensional than the average person. With those sapphire eyes, Qi Leren boldly guessed that she should be mixed-race.

"Hey hey, I’m Qi Leren, what's your name? Why haven't I seen you before? Did you transfer to this school?" Qi Leren put on her trademark smile photogenic smile and smiled sweetly at her, and spoke without any of her idol baggage.

The blue-eyed girl gave her a look, turned her face quickly, and fell silent.

Qi Leren, who’d failed to strike up a conversation, froze for a second. What? Someone ignored her? This was not scientific!

Qi Leren debuted at the age of seven, playing the sister of the self-improving poor hero in a drama set in the Republic of China. Because the story required crying from beginning to end, crying deeply and emotionally, and because of her lovable role and outstanding acting skills, she played the clever and poor little girl vividly and immediately became the little daughter in the eyes of the aunties and became a national sweetheart.

Since then, Qi Leren, who was still a young girl, relied on her mother's contacts as an actress and her own outstanding acting skills - and probably also her well-proportioned face - and after ten years, her development route had been well planned by the management company. From the age of thirteen, she had changed from the role of poor and lovely sister and daughter to the route of a youth idol and beautiful girl, acting on one hand and singing on the other, busy enough that she needed 48 hours per day. If it wasn't for her mother's insistence that she should continue her studies and at least finish college, she probably wouldn't even have the chance to experience normal school life.

It can be imagined that the campus life of this popular idol, this beautiful girl, was full of stars, yet Qi Leren had never met anyone who was nice to her.

To paraphrase the lines of the hero of her recent idol drama: Very good, woman, you have successfully caught my attention!

"Ning Zhou is a new transfer student. She was in Italy before, and her Chinese isn’t very good. Xiao-Qi, you should help her more and let her integrate into the group as soon as possible," the teacher in charge said.

"Oh, no problem, leave it to me!" Qi Leren smartly saluted the class teacher, which attracted the class teacher's tight smile.

The girl named Ning Zhou unnaturally turned away from her gaze, staying silent as she looked at the distant scenery.

It had been a month, and she was still like this.

Qi Leren, who was pulled away from her memories, sighed softly and looked at Ning Zhou with increasingly melancholy eyes.

Ning Zhou was really beautiful and cold, and she exuded an aura of staying away from strangers. Qi Leren heard that her classmates would also talk about her privately, saying that she wasn’t easy to get along with, and the amount of time she normally took as leave was comparable to Qi Leren.

Hey, why was she so cold? She had spoken up many times explicitly and implicitly, but Ning Zhou always ended the conversation with a "hm" which made the idol girl frustrated. If it weren't for Ning Zhou's eyes that were clear of disgust, she would have almost thought Ning Zhou really hated her.

Qi Leren was resting on her arm and looking sideways at Ning Zhou. The side of her face seemed to be glowing in the warm sunshine. It was really beautiful...

Suddenly Ning Zhou turned to look up, and Qi Leren who was peeking was caught red-handed as their eyes collided in the air... What happened with ordinary people? Were they embarrassed and looked away? Qi Leren didn't. She kept her head pillowed on her arm and smiled generously at Ning Zhou, especially sweetly.

Ning Zhou quickly withdrew her sight, not looking out the window.

In the warm sunshine, her earlobe was red.

Qi Leren blinked and repeatedly confirmed that she was not mistaken.

So, in fact, Ning Zhou wasn’t cold but just shy? Qi Leren was stunned by this idea and screamed in her heart for a long time, Ning Zhou! Lovely! She's shy! Super cute!

Qi Leren's heart was filled with an unprecedented impulse. She should try harder to strike up a conversation with Ning Zhou and make good friends with her! The kind where she could bury herself in her breasts!

When the bell rang, Qi Leren immediately sat up straight, and the students around them stood up and walked around the classroom. Several nice classmates gathered around Qi Leren and chatted with her twitteringly.

"Qi Leren, I heard that you’re going to release a single again. Have you recorded it?"

"When will your new show be released?"

"Qi Leren, help me ask Su Ying for a signature! The news said that you’ll be acting in that show, right!"

"Are XX and XXX really in love? I think it’s all just a rumor!"

All kinds of questions surrounded Qi Leren, these curious baby girls racing against time to inquire about the entertainment industry. Qi Leren patiently answered them one by one, and some inconvenient words had to be vaguely taken out. Fortunately, the girls were just curious, not asking why. Compared with them, it was obvious that the students in other classes and even other grades outside the window gave her a headache. If she wanted to go out to the toilet now, she couldn't do it without two students because she would be overwhelmed by the crowd...

This was also the trouble of being a popular and beautiful idol girl.

Until after school in the afternoon, Qi Leren didn't find a chance to get closer to Ning Zhou. She walked too fast. Qi Leren didn't find a chance to leave school with her, so she had to instead leave the school with several girls. In the afternoon, the driver who was in charge of picking her up asked for leave. She thought about whether to take a taxi home or to walk home. After thinking about it, the school wasn’t far from home anyway. It was currently rush hour, so the road would be too blocked. It was better to walk.

So Qi Leren put on a mask and walked towards home with her school bags.

Since the beginning of primary school, Qi Leren had had only a handful of opportunities to go home by herself. She looked at the cars blocking the street from one end to the other and the motorbikes occupying the sidewalk, gave an annoyed tut, and turned her head and walked into the alley.

Through this alley, one could reach the neighbourhood her house was in. Qi Leren was happily humming the tune of her upcoming single that she would be shooting the music video for tomorrow...

At dusk, the orange-red light fell on the corner of the lane, which shrouded the scenery in a decadent golden splendor. A cold wind blew, and the coolness was a little unsettling. Qi Leren instinctively had a feeling of foreboding. She hesitantly stopped and looked around - the sunset’s sudden dimness was only caused by the shadow of a building, and everything seemed ordinary.

The exit was just ahead. With an uneasiness in her heart, Qi Leren strode forward.

There was a cold wind, and the wind mixed with the foul smell and decay. Qi Leren held her breath and took three steps in two strides, but the accident did not let her go. Just less than ten meters away from the corner, the golden sunset was suddenly swallowed up by a strange darkness, and Qileren stopped suddenly and looked ahead in amazement.

The residential buildings on both sides of the alley echoed with the shrill cries of crows, and the daylight around her suddenly darkened as if she had stepped into an instant night. Qi Leren looked back in panic, but the road that she had originally come from had been submerged in the darkness.

What was happening? Was this some strange joke?

Qi Leren panicked and took out her cellphone to make a call. As soon as she unlocked it, there was no signal at all!

Qi Lered was flustered, using her cellphone to illuminate ahead as she walked faster and faster, but no matter how far she went, there was no end to the road ahead. Only the light of the cellphone illuminated a small section of the concrete ahead, and there was a mottled blood on the ground...

There was a strange movement in the darkness ahead. Qi Leren stopped and looked toward it with bated breath. The flashlight lit up the darkness. In this faint light, there was a rickety and distorted shadow coming towards her, step by step, slowly and heavy, as if a cold corpse had been forcibly fished out of the morgue was posing strangely and stumbling forward.

It entered the range of the flashlight’s beam and Qi Leren breathed in a gasp - Was that alive? The limbs were stiff, the skin was gray, and the eyes were glowing red. It paused for a second, its head lowered, and the red eyes looked straight in Qi Leren’s direction.

The next moment, it opened its closed mouth, showing a whole row of sharp teeth, and growled at her!

Qi Leren gave a cry and ran away. She bet that hadn’t tried so hard when she’d ran 800 meters in the school sports meet, but even still the monster that had suddenly become agile got closer and closer as it chased her, and with a swoop forward it grabbed Qi Leren's calf.

"Ah-" Qi Leren fell to the ground, and the monster opened its mouth and bit her throat.

At this critical juncture, Qi Leren, who had closed her eyes tightly, heard a gunshot, but the expected pain did not come. She opened her eyes carefully. The monster holding her down was covered with frost and the cold seeped into her body. She shivered, struggling out of the monster's hold by rolling and crawling, brushing the dirt off her clothes while looking in all directions for the source of the gunshot.

The darkness around her was fading gradually and the sunset came back from the end of the world, spilling its afterglow on the earth.

And in the direction of the sunset, there was a tall and slender figure with a silver shotgun pistol in her hand, looking at her from a distance.

That figure...

Qi Leren suddenly opened her eyes wide and ran to her without thinking. The girl took a step back and seemed to want to leave, but Qi Leren had already cried her name: "Ning Zhou! Wait!"

Ning Zhou didn't go away after all. Instead, she was pulled by the arm by Qi Leren: "What happened just now? What was that monster?"

"...Low-level magic," Ning Zhou said, and went to the monster who had been shot dead by her gun. She bent over to check it and confirmed that it was dead. Then she took out a bottle of a liquid flashing with silver luster from her bag and dumped it on the body. The body instantly turned into black and dissipated in the air.

Qi Leren was still immersed in the absurdity of the thrilling adventure just now, and her mind was full of strange questions. However, when Ning Zhou was about to leave, she quickly caught up and held onto her: "Don't go, where did that monster come from? Why did it suddenly get dark just now? What’s the silver liquid in your bottle? Corpse water? Who the hell are you? Certainly not an ordinary person?"

Ning Zhou, whose arm was being clung to, looked at the curious girl with a depressed face. At that time, she didn't know what to do. She could tell her, of course, but it would hurt her, involving her in something she couldn’t escape from... What should she do?

"Oh, please talk to me, I'm scared to death, can you walk me back? My house is just a little way away, it’s very close! Just be good enough to walk me there." Seeing that Ningzhou seemed to be shaken, Qi Leren immediately switched to acting mode and watched Ning Zhou, trying to impress this mysterious transfer student with what are known as "puppy eyes".

"...Let's go," Ning Zhou gave in.

Qi Leren silently made a victory gesture in her heart and took Ning Zhou's arm happily and naturally - at that moment, she felt Ning Zhou stiffen: "Thank you for saving me, Ning Zhou, you’re so handsome! I upgrade you to my goddess!"

And then? Then she succeeded in seeing Ning Zhou's ears turn red again.

It's so lovely, Qi Leren chuckled in her heart.

On the way home, Qi Leren played the rare dead-end part of the idol beautiful girl and pulled a lot of information out of Ning Zhou's mouth, which was sparing in words and inaccurate in pronunciation. What had happened just now was she had walked into the Nightmare World at dusk, a projection of the real world that existed in hell. Whenever night fell its power would become strong, and occasionally someone would go into the Nightmare World and be attacked by monsters.

She also learned that Ning Zhou is not from Italy, but from the Vatican. The Vatican was not only responsible for religious beliefs as she had imagined. There was also a very complex and huge underground Holy See beneath the surface. Since the Middle Ages, they had fought with the dark forces. Exorcists were not simply characters in novels and movies, but really existed.

At this moment, the person whose arm she was holding was an exorcist of the Holy See.

It sounded really cool. It sounded cooler than an idol girl!

On the short walk home, Qi Leren's worldview had been scrubbed clean. Sadly, she still wanted to continue to be washed, but she had already returned to her doorstep. Still holding onto the girl: "Eat with me, my parents aren’t at home these days. I have no appetite when I eat alone, and I’ve lost a few pounds!"

Saying this, Qi Leren pinched her arm and looked at Ning Zhou pitifully.

Ning Zhou compromised again.

Qi Leren felt that she had found the trick to deal with Ning Zhou, she just had to play up this charm and act as the cute coquettish girl. Ning Zhou was shy and soft-hearted, and had no idea what to do with this kind of girl.

"Let me see what's in the refrigerator. When the auntie comes to clean the house in the morning, she leaves something for me to eat later. I just take it out and heat it up at night." Qi Leren opened the refrigerator and studied it for a while. She smiled back and reported the name of the dishes present. "...What would you like to eat?"

"Whatever."

"There’s no food called whatever! I’ll tell you what, shall I make you spaghetti and steak? I'm good at that! Okay, it's a deal! Go and do some homework and I'll cook." Qi Leren kicked Ning Zhou out of the kitchen, turned on the stereo, and played the songs off her last album, which were all youthful and relaxed and made people feel happy when they listened to them - although Qi Leren was not interested in her own songs at all. When she heard the melody, she would recall collapsing while singing and having to leave the recording studio to vomit, but out of some unspeakably subtle mood, she especially wanted to play it in front of Ning Zhou now.

This careful choice really caught Ning Zhou's attention. She picked up the album case that Qi Leren "inadvertently" put on the coffee table. The girl on the cover was wearing a sailor suit and full of energy, with her hair that was tied into a pair of ponytails floating up as she jumped. Her pitiable and lovely drooping eyes became glowing because of her happy smile.

Ning Zhou looked at it for a long time, but she didn't even notice that Qi Leren, who was busy in the kitchen, looked back at her frequently. She picked up the remote control and turned on the TV. The image of the song’s music video immediately appeared in front of her eyes. The girl wearing sportswear in the music video was participating in a sports meet and fell down as she ran, suffering from a cold sweat, but stood up stubbornly and limped to the end regardless of her bleeding knee.

That stubborn and tough look... Ning Zhou's heart was suddenly hit, and then she woke up. It was just a music video.

When she looked into the kitchen, she happened to collide with Qi Leren who was secretly peeking at her. Their eyes were separated by the transparent glass door. Caught red handed, Qi Leren covered her eyes with one hand. After a long time, she opened the glass door and blushed and as she said, "That music video was shot blindly! I didn't fall when I was running. Last year I won the 800-meter women's championship in the school sports meet!"

Of course, winning the championship was due to the fact that special sports students couldn't participate in the school sports meet.

At the sports meet, Qi Leren was photographed from beginning to end and made headlines with her win of the 800-meter championship, so when this music video came out, it was ridiculed in good faith - Le-mei, you won this 800-meter championship by beating the previous player, right?

Qi Leren really wanted to promote herself in front of Ning Zhou. It was naturally a bit depressing to be seen in the music video, and for Ning Zhou to take it so seriously...

Inexplicably ashamed and resentful Qi Leren pulled Ning Zhou away from watching the TV: "Give me a hand, you cook the spaghetti and I'll make the steak! If you don’t know how, I can teach you."

So one person's kitchen became two people’s, and the sunset outside the window stretched the shadows of the two people until they collided with each other unconsciously. When an elbow touched another person, the two people would stiffen and casually pretend it hadn’t happened.

The living room outside the kitchen echoed with the familiar melody, full of youth and love.

After dinner, Qi Leren invited Ning Zhou to work on homework together. Whenever she did homework, she always complained that she could earn money to support herself yet she still had to study hard and do homework. With how often she took leave, it wasn’t easy to stay in the middle ranking. The price was that she often had to study hard on the set with her textbooks, and she was so tired that she would never get up until she was hungry in the afternoon.

When doing homework, Qi Leren's mouth didn't stop. She talked to Ning Zhou who didn’t say a word. Ning Zhou said too little, and she was almost always chattering: "My mother has been very busy recently. She’s the busiest person in my family. It’s normal for her to fly to three cities in a day on press tours when a movie’s released. She acts so tired even at her age. I think she’ll struggle until she’s 80 years old. My dad’s fine, he isn’t too busy working at the university. I don’t see him very often, even though we’re his wife and daughter. When my mother’s resting, he is not busy. I really want to cover over his face." At some point, Qi Leren casually asked, "Where are your parents? Did they come to X City with you?"

Ning Zhou's writing hand kept moving as she said faintly, "They’ve passed away."

"Ah..." Qi Leren froze, "I'm sorry..."

Ning Zhou stopped writing and looked up at her: "It doesn't matter, it’s been a long time."

Her blue eyes were so calm, almost empty, as if talking about something irrelevant, but… why did she feel sad?

No, you haven't let it go at all, Qi Leren retorted in her heart. You’re obviously sad, but you don't want to admit it. Do you feel that you’re weak? It’s lovely that people have such strong emotions. They laugh when they’re happy, cry when they’re sad, and pursue bravely when they like someone. Because of these feelings, people are able to become real.

A bell came from somewhere far away. Qi Leren took a look at the time, strengthened her heart to keep Ning Zhou here, and pretended to learn the time casually as she said, "Ah, it's late, why do you have to leave? I am alone at home, and with what happened before... I’m a little scared." With that, Qi Leren blushed and asked, "Can you stay with me?"

In the face of such a person, such a request, Ning Zhou couldn't refuse. Receiving a positive answer, Qi Leren happily went to help her find a change of clothes: "I haven't worn these pajamas yet, the underwear is new, a toothbrush and towel are ready, and I put them in the bathroom on the second floor. I’ll go wash on the first floor."

Finished saying that, Qi Leren trotted down the stairs, brushed her teeth and washed her face quickly, and took a bath while humming. After washing, she looked at herself in front of the mirror for a while. After hesitating repeatedly, she picked up a bottle of girls’ perfume with a fresh scent from the washstand, sprayed it twice in the air, and then walked through the mist.

Qi Leren, who walked out of the bathroom, also sniffed her body nervously. It was light, and it wasn’t obvious after being mixed with shower gel. It should be... It should seem quite natural.

The fragrant Qi Leren walked to the piano in the living room, pressed it twice, then sat down and played the piano skillfully.

Ning Zhou, who had finished washing, came down the curved staircase. Qi Leren looked up at her and smiled as she said, "I'll sing you the song from my new single."

Ning Zhou nodded silently.

Qi Leren coughed twice: "This song ‘I like you’ is dedicated to the goddess Ning Zhou who is willing to accompany me through this frightening night. Your blue eyes are as beautiful as sapphires, I like them very much.

"Everything became incredible, I fell in love with you at first sight, and the world was instantly sweet. Your smile and your voice linger in my mind. My eyes only follow you in the crowd, and my first love suddenly comes... I want to take you out of your lonely world, I want to accompany you to see all the beautiful sights, and I am inseparable from you from now on... La la la la, just like you so much, la la la la, I like you."

In the brightly lit living room, the girl who played the piano and sang presented her a song with countless sweet smiles. When being watched by brown eyes, the heart always lost its rhythm, and the heat surging in her chest was so strange and difficult to control. She was afraid of this uncontrollable thing, but she just wanted to let it go.

As she finished playing, Qi Leren looked at her eagerly: "Is it good?"

Ning Zhou hard nodded her head.

So Qi Leren smiled: "I hoped you’d like it! When I have a new song next time, I’ll sing it to you again!"

Ning Zhou looked at her deeply, and her deep blue eyes seemed to become gentle under the light.

Qi Leren, who despite not having a teacher had learned how to pick up a hot chick, jumped with excitement and tried to calm down, saying, "It's late, let's go to sleep."

With this said, she took Ning Zhou to the bedroom: "My bed’s quite big, it’s no problem for two people to sleep in it. If you’re not used to it, we can each have a quilt."

Anyway, there was no such option as sleeping next door.

Ning Zhou was not used to it. Girls here went to the toilet in droves and walked in the street hand in hand. Kissing and touching were commonplace. When she first came, she thought the girls here were all gay, but later found out that this was a difference of national customs.

"My friends have told me about having sleepovers with their girlfriends, but I entered the entertainment industry too early and the agents are very strict, and I haven’t had any friends close enough to sleep with." Qi Leren seemed to be a little hesitant to look at Ning Zhou, and quickly tried to act cute to disguise it. "I’ll definitely have nightmares tonight..."

Ning Zhou compromised again, and she found herself frustrated that she was always easily persuaded in matters relating with Qi Leren, without any bottom line.

Qi Leren, successful in being allowed to share the same bed as the goddess, got under the quilt and snickered, so happy that she couldn't wait to roll a few times in bed. But in the face of the goddess, she had to be careful and reserved!

The dim bedside lamp lit up this square inch. Qi Leren got out from under the blanket and leaned against the pillow. She looked at Ning Zhou sideways and said with a smile, "Let's chat."

"..." They had agreed to go to bed since it was late. Ning Zhou felt unbearable condescension, but nodded her head.

Qi Leren was quite good at chatting. She couldn't help it, it was also the actor's professional quality to be eloquent. Otherwise, they would be tongue-tied when being interviewed by reporters and the other party will be embarrassed. When she was on talk shows, the atmosphere would be stagnant, and the lethality of the silence would be huge.

Seeing that the goddess agreed, Qi Leren chatted with her in a garrulous way, getting closer and closer, and in the end she had cocked her head and leaned on the other's shoulder to show her her photos.

"This photo was taken when I was seven years old. At that time, I cried and didn't want to go to school. My mother threatened to make me go to her film set with her if I didn't go to school. Every day, I had to crawl in the mud and hang from a wire. I cried and said that I would rather go to the shoot, so my mother took me to her film studio to teach me a lesson. At that time, she was filming a drama set in the Republic of China. It was scary watching them shoot a war scene. I was scared. I thought that the actor brother was really dead and started crying. The director of the studio next door had just come to chat with an old friend, looked at me crying pitifully, and said that the actress who was meant to play the little girl next door had broken her leg and couldn't come, and he discussed with my mother whether he could borrow me the show. At that time, I was so naive that I thought I really didn't have to go to school anymore if I did it, so I happily went away with the director and embarked on the road of no return. The worst thing is that I have to go to school while I’m shooting a show. If I don't do well on an exam, I have to ask my tutor to make up the missed lessons! It’s mad, there’s no humanity." Qi Leren chattered at Ning Zhou, talking about her mother and making angry gesticulations as she went on.

From the tip of her nose came the sweet smell of girls, mixed with shower gel and an unknown fragrance, which was pure and fresh and sweet. Ning Zhou, who was almost never so close to anyone, instinctively felt her body stiffen and repeatedly stressed to herself that she was harmless, that she needn’t be so on guard or have to fight back. On several occasions, her line of sight had habitually fallen on her slender neck, which was so soft that a gentle push would be enough to stop her from ever singing well again. It turned out that she was flawed, and she didn't have any precautions about showing them. This naive innocence made Ning Zhou anxious and subconsciously worried.

"...And you? What was it like when you were a child?" Qi Leren asked in a low voice, she was a little uneasy for fear that such a question would be too abrupt, but she couldn't help but want to know more about Ning Zhou.

That isn’t a happy memory, she doesn't want to know, Ning Zhou thought.

She didn't want to know of the endless bloody killings at the border between the Nightmare World and the human world, and what it was like to hunt demons alone at the border of hell since the age of thirteen, and she didn't want to know how painful it was when she ran out of food and fell into the demon forest and her intestines slipped out of an abdominal wound. Even when they were sitting side by side, the worlds they lived in were never the same.

She didn't want her to see the filth and darkness hidden behind the peaceful world.

Ning Zhou was silent for too long, and Qi Leren lowered his eyes in frustration and realized that her questions had troubled Ning Zhou: "I'm sorry... I'm too curious..."

"When I was thirteen years old, I went to the Vatican..." Ning Zhou interrupted her apology and said quietly, "I’ve never seen my father. After my mother died that year, I had no other relatives who could serve as guardians. Her friends followed her will and sent me to the Vatican, where a senior who respected her was my guardian.

"Living in the Vatican was very happy. I’ve learned a lot of things and I am determined to be an exorcist like my mother, fighting demons hidden in the dark. In recent years, the scope of the Nightmare World is expanding, and the number of demon attacks around the world is increasing... I was commissioned by a descendent of a German noble to investigate the history of his past relative who had lived in China with her family."

Ning Zhou saw Qi Leren looking eagerly at her and wanting to hear more, so she talked about some modified hunting demons. Qi Leren listened to her carefully. Ning Zhou said many words very carefully, with a little accent, but it sounded so lovely to Qi Leren. The more she listened, the more absorbed she became, and when she heard some thrilling thing she would gasp and hold Ning Zhou's hand nervously.

The girl's hand was small and soft, and the veins were clear. She found that Ning Zhou's hand was different from hers. She took her palm and looked left and right. She also curiously touched the thin veins that ran from her palm to her wrist, and touched Ning Zhou's left hand. There was a scar in the center that looked like a thorn, and she said with distress: "This must have been painful."

The palm of her hand felt crisp and numb, and Ning Zhou breathed slowly and withdrew her hand quietly: "It's time to sleep."

Qi Leren was a little regretful but she had to turn off the lights, depressed at the thought of having to shoot the music video tomorrow on her day off classes.

The room was dark and the balcony off the bedroom was open. The wind blew in from outside the screen window, together with the moonlight. Qi Leren lowered her breathing and listened carefully. She couldn't hear Ning Zhou's breathing at such a close distance. If it wasn't for the other person's temperature, she wouldn't even feel someone sleeping beside her.

The hand hidden under the quilt sneaked over and grabbed Ning Zhou's hand. She looked at her with her tilted face that was turned away from the moonlight. Her facial features were immersed in the darkness, yet her sapphire eyes were shining.

A smile appeared on Qi Leren’s moonlit face. She held Ning Zhou's hand, leaned over, and kissed her on the cheek: "Thank you for saving me today. Goodnight, Ning Zhou."

It was too close. When she had neared, Ning Zhou had almost turned over and stopped her, but the sweet smell of the girl puzzled her and she didn't move until her soft lips pressed to her cheek.

Qi Leren, who had kissed the goddess, lied back, and the quilt covered the lower half of her face, which also covered her hand clutching Ning Zhou’s.

Strange joy and pain haunted her at the same time. In such a complicated mood, she breathed another person's breath and gradually fell asleep.

The night was silent and long, but Qi Leren, who had always slept well, suddenly woke up. She hesitated, rubbed her eyes, and got out of bed to go to the toilet without realizing that she was the only one in the big bed.

When she walked to the bathroom, she looked at the mirror with a yawn. She looked sleepy in her reflection. Just when she was about to go out of the bathroom, she suddenly looked back with a start - the toothbrush cup on the washstand wasn’t hers!

The sleepiness was washed away at once and Qi Leren recalled, because the bathroom on the second floor had been lent to Ning Zhou, she had moved her things to the bathroom on the first floor, but... Where was Ning Zhou?!

Qi Leren ran out of the bathroom, shouting Ning Zhou's name and searching everywhere. There was no one in the bedroom, no one in the bathroom downstairs, no one in the living room, no one anywhere! A slipper fell off as she ran and Qi Leren suddenly thought of something, running to look at the shoe cabinet by the front door with one foot bare - Ning Zhou's shoes were gone.

She was gone?

Qi Leren sat down in front of the piano, angry and wronged. Why did Ning Zhou quietly leave in the middle of the night without saying a word? Why?

Maybe it was something urgent, Qi Leren thought sullenly, picked up the slippers she had dropped as she ran, and walked slowly back to her bedroom.

Once again back to the warm bed, Qi Leren sleeplessly rolled back and forth. When she was finished shooting the music video tomorrow, she would have to ask Ning Zhou.

Suddenly, an idea came to Qi Leren’s mind: Wait, was it because she snored and grinded her teeth when she slept, so Ning Zhou left because she couldn’t bear it?

Qi Leren held her face on both hands, like the frightened figure in "The Scream". After all that effort to convince the goddess to sleep in the same bed as her, she had made it unbearable for her to stay!

Qi Leren, who was on the verge of collapse, tearfully wanted to pick up her cellphone and turn on the camera. She wanted to record herself sleeping. How could a beautiful girl who was an idol sleep so badly? No, she refused!

With the cellphone set to record, Qi Leren lied back in bed, pulled the quilt up to cover half of her face, and the moonlight outside the balcony window was still clear. She still remembered that she had looked at Ning Zhou's face against the moonlight a few hours ago, and she was so curious about her, but when the tip of the iceberg of her past was uncovered, she couldn't help but feel distressed for her. She knew that the past Ning Zhou had told her of had been modified. She was not as relaxed and happy as she’d said. When she approached her, the stiff and cold alertness of her body could not deceive people.

Qi Leren didn't know what kind of experiences would make her develop these habits. Unlike her, this little princess who was brought up in the greenhouse from childhood and grew up like a star, Ning Zhou's wounds, cold eyes, and precise marksmanship... All the details implied that she is not a person of that world at all.

But so what? Couldn't different people be friends? She just liked Ningzhou, loved her dearly, and wanted to make her happy. She wanted to give her the most beautiful songs and show her all the bright, warm, and happy feelings. As long as she could get a little bit of happiness and a little bit of the world under the sun, she would feel it was worthwhile.

Since childhood, Qi Leren had received a lot of love. Now she wanted to give her love to Ning Zhou. She wanted her to feel that being loved was a very happy thing.

Thinking about this, sleepiness surged up again, and Qi Leren yawned and glanced at the moonlight on the balcony before closing his eyes.

When she was beginning to drift, Qi Leren felt that there seemed to be some movement by the bed. She opened her eyes in a daze and saw Ning Zhou lying down softly with her back to her.

"Where have you been?" Qi Leren murmured dreamily.

"...The bathroom."

Liar.

Qi Leren suddenly woke up, but she didn't open her mouth to confront her. Instead, she pretended to answer in a daze, stretched out her hand and continued to close her eyes. She could smell that the shower gel on Ning Zhou's body had changed, which wasn’t the smell of her family's shower gel.

Recalling the scene in which she had shot and killed the monster in the Nightmare World at dusk, Qi Leren knew her whereabouts well.

The fragrance couldn’t deceive her of the smell of iron and blood it masked.

Let's not expose her, Qi Leren thought. She took Ningzhou's hand and interlocked their fingers. Either way, this time she won't loosen her hand again.

When she was about to fall into a deep sleep again, Qi Leren felt vaguely as if someone had leaned over and said something to her, but she was too tired to fully register it before she lost consciousness.

Ning Zhou should have gotten up at dawn, but her hand was clasped tightly. As soon as she turned her face she could see Qi Leren sleeping soundly, with long eyelashes, red cheeks, and slightly open lips. What do you think is so lovely about me? Ning Zhou watched quietly for a long time, letting the sun rise higher and higher.

There was the sound of opening the door downstairs and someone came in. Ning Zhou, who had excellent five senses, frowned. These were a woman's footsteps. Was it Qi Leren's mother? Was it better for her to avoid them?

But Qi Leren also said that it was normal for girls here to sleep together...

The bedroom door was pushed open rudely and the woman with slender eyebrows and a good figure stood outside the open door and angrily knocked on it: "What time is it, is your cellphone not on, do you remember that you have to go shoot the music video today? Hurry and get up!"

Chen Baiqi, the agent who killed people in Qi Leren's family*, was about to rush in and pull her up. But when she looked at it from a distance, there were two people in the bed!

*{E/N: metaphorically, in case that wasn’t clear}　　

At this moment, Chen Baiqi, a senior agent, was about to collapse: Qi Leren! Do you still remember that you’re an idol acting as a role model for young and beautiful girls? Why is there a wild man! You can't fall in love before changing your image! How have you already developed to this step!

The "wild man" sat up from the bed and looked at Chen Baiqi coldly.

Oh, it's not a wild man. That's great... Like hell! Who is this woman!

With her hair a mess, Qi Leren yawned as she sat up in bed, looked back at Ning Zhou, and kissed her on the cheek naturally: "Good morning, Ning Zhou."

Chen Baiqi: "..."

"Oh, Chen-jie, this is my classmate. I’m a little scared of sleeping alone, so I let her accompany me," Qi Leren talked nonsense without a hint of shame.

"...Hehe." Chen Baiqi thought: Don't smile, your parents aren’t home half the time. How did you sleep before?

The girl named Ning Zhou nodded to her and went to wash up. Qi Leren took Chen Baiqi to the bathroom downstairs and explained the situation to her while brushing her teeth and washing her face. Paranormal, met yesterday, couldn't be spoken of. She had to say that there had been a small incident with a mugger as she had been walking home yesterday, and she was just saved by her classmate Ning Zhou. Since she was a little afraid, she had asked her to please stay for one night.

Chen Baiqi was skeptical but she couldn't say anything, so she let her quickly wash up so they could go to the studio.

Qi Leren remembered that her cellphone was recording her last night, and it should have automatically shut down when the battery had been depleted. No wonder Chen Baiqi came to her house in such a hurry to catch her in person.

After washing, Qi Leren, who had forgotten to eat breakfast, told Ning Zhou that there was food in the refrigerator. The auntie will come to clean up later and she could leave a note for her. She should just say what she wanted for the evening.

Ning Zhou had the illusion that she lived here.

After telling Qi Leren that she had something to go do, Qi Leren let out a "oh" in frustration and reluctantly followed Chen Baiqi to get in the car that would drive them to the shooting location.

Chen Baiqi inquired about Ning Zhou from beginning to end along the way, and Qi Leren said all the things that should be said, but didn't say a word that shouldn't be said. Chen Baiqi's intuition was that Ning Zhou wasn't so simple, but without evidence she couldn't rashly make Qi Leren stay away from her.

Finally, she sighed: "Your identity is unusual. You should be very careful when making friends. If you meet someone with ulterior motives who enters your room, secretly films you, eavesdrops on you, and reveals your privacy to the media, it will be a great blow to your image, especially as your current image is very sensitive to negative news."

Qi Leren knew that Chen Baiqi is good for her and obediently listened to her instructions.

"Although your last transformation was very successful and you got rid of the image of a little girl, this transformation is the key. If you can't jump out of the image of a young girl now, your journey will only get narrower and narrower. You’ll find that as you grow older you’ll be hired for fewer and fewer roles, and there are always young new faces to replace you. The audience doesn't want to see a 30-year-old actress playing a 17- or 18-year-old girl. Your mother's train of thought is very clear, she will take the time to find a drama for you where she can play mother and daughter with you - your mother also fights for you, she never promised to play such an age-exposing role before - this stunt can drive your popularity, if you play well, you’ll play the leading role in the next show, and when the small screen stands firm, it will develop like your mother to the big screen. The company is already discussing your new image and route. When you go to college it will begin, and then you won’t be as leisurely as you are now." Chen Baiqi couldn't help rubbing her temples when she thought of how busy she would be in the future.

"I’ll try my best, Chen-jie, thank you for taking so much trouble for me." Qi Leren cleverly said that although she was the one standing in front of the audience, there were countless people worried about her behind the scenes/ She had gone too far today and Chen Baiqi had helped her block trouble she didn’t know about.

It wasn’t easy to be an actress. Qi Leren looked at the passing scenery outside the window and sighed softly.

But it was no harder than being an exorcist. As Qi Leren thought again, she couldn't help smiling at the thought of Ning Zhou. They would have many opportunities to get along with each other in the future.

-----

Editor’s Notes: To be continued...? (don’t hold your breath)

Phew, this was a longer chapter than I remembered, but this completely caps off Nightmare Game part 1! I have one more little bonus of funny things from the mtl, which can be found [here] if you’re interested.

Thank you once again to everyone for reading and I’ll see you again in part 2! :)

-----

[<<< Previous Chapter | Table of Contents ]

#Welcome to the Nightmare Game #欢迎来到噩梦游戏

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vennilavee · 4 years

Text

to build a home - ch 3

from dusk till dawn

attack on titan masterlist

check out this story on ao3

Pairing: levi x reader (attack on titan)

Summary: a modern au where you and levi both work for the Survey Corps, a non-profit organization with a mission to help the youth of the Underground District.

Warnings: cursing, alcohol, harassment, smut- 18+!!!

Word Count: ~8800

A/N: there is smut, mentions of harassment (in a flashback) and kenny makes an appearance! ENJOY THIS IS 18+

***

“Why do I have to go?” You groan, rubbing your face, “Isn’t it Hange’s turn to go? Or Levi’s? Anyone but me? Can’t we all go together?”

“I don’t think all of us need to go for this one,” Erwin offers, “And it would be a good learning opportunity for the new hires. You can pick one or two of them to accompany you.”

“Lucky me,” You mutter, glancing at Levi. He’s looking at you with a small upturned smirk, clearly gloating at Erwin’s specific insistence that you go.

“These are all the rich people that you have the most experience with,” Erwin explains and you groan again, “They’re your favorite people, remember?”

You glare daggers at him when he grins at you.

“So now I have to babysit the rich guys and the new kids?” You say without any real heat in your voice.

“Careful. You’re starting to sound like Levi,” Erwin says, grin still plastered on his stupidly handsome face.

“God forbid,” You throw your hands up in the air, “We’re showing up in a limo and everything will be on the company card.”

“I expect nothing less,” Erwin confirms.

“Good, you know me so well.”

***

The door to Levi’s office is closed and locked, because you’re trying to convince him to come to the ball with you. Your eyes are dark and coy, lips only a breath away from his, and Levi could scoff. But he’s enjoying your groveling.

“You can hold your own with them,” Levi says, poking your forehead, “You know you can.”

“Of course I can,” You sigh, “Is it so much to ask for you to come with me just because I want you to?”

Your hands are flat on his chest and Levi tugs your wrists into his, rubbing circles. You already see the agreement on his face, in the turn of his lips.

“Not at all,” Levi promises, “I’ll tell Erwin I’ll be coming as your plus one.”

As if he could ever say no to you. As if he could ever say no to a night of being on your arm, both of you dressed to the nines. Even if that meant listening to rich men and women speak to you both in a way that annoys him to no end, in a way that makes your blood burn.

You both usually manage to make nights like this fun. He’s sure you have something up your sleeve. A memory of the first time Erwin had assigned you both to one of these donor’s galas resurfaces, maybe from ten years ago at this point-

Levi had barely paid you any mind, and you were quite annoyed with it all. You didn’t know why Erwin thought this was a good idea, pairing you up with him to tag team this gala.

You would probably have more success on your own anyway. Since you would be focused and your thoughts wouldn’t be filled with ire for the man who was accompanying you.

But just because he doesn’t pay you any mind doesn’t mean that he wasn’t a gentleman. He held doors for you and had even gotten you both a drink as soon as you had entered the ballroom.

There’s no way he could’ve known that you needed something to hold in settings like this to stave off your anxiety.

You had offered him a smile and a ‘thanks’, to which he had waved off. You had wanted to tell him that he looked nice, but refrained from doing so when he seemed to not even want to look at you.

What an ass. That’s okay, you’ll pretend like it doesn’t irk you. That one of your coworkers who you’ve worked with for as long as you’ve been part of the Survey Corps seems to not even want to breathe in the same general vicinity as you.

You had only just gotten his phone number, and you’ve worked with him for almost five years now.

With a scoff, you tell him that you’ll go and mingle with the crowd. You advise him to do the same and he has the gall to roll his eyes at you.

Fine. Two can play at that game.

He dislikes these events, but he knows how much it benefits the organization to get into the pockets of these rich types. Knowing that their money was benefiting something good for the Underground soothed their egos, after all. He gets frustrated when he sees these people talk about themselves like they're something to be worshipped for a simple donation. Maybe simple is the wrong word. But to Levi, spending the time with the kids meant just as much.

Considering that he was one of them.

But as Erwin often says- they need both to function. They need the resources and they need interest.

Levi hates this. Making small talk with people. Specifically, making small talk with people who don’t give a shit about him. Or you. Or anything outside of the walls of their unattainable realities. He decides to keep to himself and watch you plaster a sweet, unassuming smile that nearly makes his skin crawl. Because with that smile, you could convince anyone to do anything.

Him included. Probably.

You place calculating touches over the shoulders or forearm of whoever you’re talking to, bursting out in laughter at the perfect time, and Levi wonders when and how you got so good at this. When and how you got so good at schmoozing.

No wonder Erwin prefers that you come to these galas. You’ve got these fuckin’ losers eating out of the palm of your hand so effortlessly. It’s like clockwork- your dark eyes are wide and shining, smile easy and sweet, hands open and friendly.

These people will have nothing but good things to say about you at the end of the night. You had clearly done your homework- you knew who the big families in attendance were and you had their profiles nearly memorized as talking points.

That begs the question- why the fuck was Levi even there then?

You manage to excuse yourself, promising the people around you that you’d be back soon enough. Levi watches your smile fall as you roll your shoulders back. You’re exhausted, things like this clearly took its toll on you.

Levi has a glass of water ready for you.

“Thanks,” You mutter, unable to pull your muscles together for a smile.

“Think you need more than just a water to deal with these fuckers.”

“Tell me about it,” You sigh and then realize it’s the first full sentence he’s said to you all night, “Gonna go to the bar. You want somethin’?”

He shakes his head and you shrug, heading to the other side of the room. Levi watches you walk away and picks up on the tension building in your shoulders.

Your cheeks are beginning to hurt from all of the forced smiles, forced laughter, and forced conversations. You want to go home, but you have a duty to fulfill. After you order a drink, you find yourself in conversation with two women, asking you about what it was like to work in the Underground.

It’s one of the few genuine questions you’ve received, and yet you’re almost too drained to answer. One of the women leans in closer to you, nose only millimeters away from yours.

“You’re somethin’ else aren’t you? Survey Corps finest and all,” She muses, “Erwin only sends his best to these things.”

“Uh,” You reply, your head suddenly filled with air. You back away a step, but she’s somehow closer to you than before. Her fingers dance over your bare arm and you reflexively yank your arm closer to you but she pays no mind to your reluctance.

“His prettiest, too,” She says and you wish you would melt into the floor. Away from her. Away from this.

“Can’t you tell when you’re making someone uncomfortable?” A voice comes from your right and you can barely hear it over the slamming of your heart against your ribcage. It’s Levi and you breathe a sigh of relief.

“Or do you have a stick so far up your ass that you can’t tell what’s right in front of you?” Levi continues easily, ignoring your wide eyes and the woman’s flabbergasted look.

Levi stands next to you, nearly shielding you with his body.

“Do you even know who I am?” She says rudely, arms crossed across her chest. As if she hadn’t just touched you with those same fingers.

“No,” Levi says in his bored tone, “Don’t really care.”

“Levi, let’s go. It’s fine,” You whisper, trying to plead with him.

“You won’t get my money then-”

“We don’t fuckin’ want your shitty money,” Levi says coldly, already turning his back on them and you follow him. He’s walking fast and you have to call out to him to wait up for you at the coat check. Your head is spinning, a sure sign of a headache that will be coming.

“Which coat is yours?” Levi asks once you catch up.

“That one,” You point to the black peacoat that you want nothing more than to bury yourself in. You stay silent as you walk to the entrance, mindlessly scrolling on your phone and texting Erwin that you’ll be heading home.

“Tell me that was the first time,” Levi says, breaking the silence.

“Huh?” Comes your eloquent answer.

He raises an eyebrow expectantly.

“Oh. Uh… It happens sometimes,” You shrug, “Doesn’t really get too far. These rich types just like what they can’t have.”

Another beat of silence.

“I’m gonna kill Erwin,” He mutters.

“Why? He didn’t do anything.”

“It’s not worth it. Do you think it’s worth it?” Levi asks, more emotion in his voice than you’ve possibly ever heard before.

“Levi,” You murmur, “It’s fine. Just drop it.”

He looks like he wants to protest but he abides by your request. Levi can’t get your hesitance, your fearful eyes, your flinch out of his head. It reminds him too much of his mother, and he can’t get it out of his head.

Levi takes a cab home with you, telling the cab driver to stop at your apartment first then his. The ride is mostly silent, save for the cab driver’s small talk. Your hands are twisting in your lap as you look out of the window.

“Hey,” You murmur, “I’m glad we’re coworkers. Friends, even.”

“Tch,” Levi replies easily, “Don’t get any ideas.”

But you smile at him and Levi doesn’t look away. He has to make sure that the look that reminds him of his mother is gone.

***

Tonight’s gala is at the castle in Wall Sina. Coming here still puts a bad taste in your mouth, but it’s not so hard to manage as it was before. The decorations are more tasteful than they usually are, bronze and blue streamers and banners hanging throughout the large ballroom.

“How are we supposed to blend in here?” You hear Jean mutter under his breath.

“By getting that stick out of your ass and mingling,” Levi replies easily, shooting a sideways glance.

“It’s not so bad,” You muse, “It’s not so bad now . Just be yourself, Jean. These people love talking about themselves. Just charm them. From what I hear, you’re pretty good at that.”

Levi rolls his eyes at Jean’s surprised expression.

“C’mon, Jean. We can go talk to that noble family over there,” You suggest, looking expectantly at him.

“What about Ca-, I mean Levi?” Jean asks.

“Levi has his own list of people Erwin wants him to talk to,” You wink at him and Levi rolls his eyes.

“Meet you back here in an hour or so.”

***

A voice that you haven’t heard in years breaks your reverie, your heart sputtering as you turn around to face him. You try to face him as neutrally as you can, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he bothers you.

“Kenny,” You breathe, surprise morphing into irritation, “Why are you here?”

“What, I can’t check in on my favorite nephew and niece to be?” He smirks in that way that you know gets under Levi’s skin.

“He’s not- we’re not-” You sigh, cutting yourself off, “You shouldn’t be here. He doesn’t want to see you.”

“He’s playing hard to get, huh?” Kenny says, lips twitching and eyes trained on you. You feel exposed, as if he’s burning you from the inside out but you refuse to give him the satisfaction. His cool, grey eyes are unforgiving but you hold his gaze. He seems satisfied with his assessment of you and you pretend like your skin isn’t crawling.

You’ve never liked Kenny. Even if he wasn’t such a dick to Levi, you’re certain you wouldn’t like him.

“I said he doesn’t want to see you,” You repeat firmly. The longer he stands in front of you, the more disgusted you become.

“Aww, he doesn’t want to see his ol’ man?” Kenny pouts, “I’m sure I’ll run into him at some point. Give him my best will you?”

“Wait,” You call out, curiosity getting the best of you, “Why are you here? I haven’t seen you in, what, four years?”

“You miss me, sweetheart?” He grins wolfishly and you visibly recoil, “This whole thing. I’m one of the people they’re honoring.”

“Oh, really? This is for donors, for good, upstanding people of Wall Rose and Wall Sina who give money and resources to help us-”

“I’m hurt that you don’t see me as one of those good, upstanding people.”

“Kenny,” You scoff, “ Good and upstanding isn’t in your fuckin’ vocabulary.”

“Ouch,” Kenny says, “You kiss Levi with that mouth?”

You swear you’re about to lunge at him, hands ready to throttle his neck and wipe the stupid grin off of his face. But then you feel Levi’s presence before you see him and his hand brushes against yours. In an attempt to reassure you. He doesn’t look at you, only concentrating his gaze upon Kenny.

His uncle. Uncle Kenny.

“Oi, Levi. Lookin’ the same as ever,” Kenny drawls and you see red.

“Shut up,” You hiss, “Shut the fuck up -”

Levi quiets you with a look before turning back to Kenny. He’s quiet for a moment, as if he can’t believe that his Uncle Kenny is standing in front of him.

“You’re here because of the weapons business you have,” Levi says, voice perfectly even. Only you can catch the small inclination of fury beneath layers of iciness.

“You somehow wormed your way in with these people. Convinced them that you’re like them,” Levi continues with piercing eyes, “You’re not. You’re a weasel. A shitty little weasel with no place here. You’re nothing like them. At least they can sleep at night, but you? You don’t deserve to.”

Before Kenny can say anything, Levi’s turned his back on him and you walk side to side with him. Tension radiates off of him in waves as he stews in his quiet anger and you let out a soft sigh.

“Levi,” You murmur, “Come with me.”

You touch the inside of his wrist and he follows you to an empty room. Boxes upon boxes sit on the sides of the walls. The room is illuminated by drowning sunlight creeping in through a window. You lock the door behind you and take his hand, drawing circles in the inside of his wrist.

“Levi,” You whisper again, pulling him out of his thoughts. He says nothing in reply, only looking at you with that same piercing gaze. Iciness has chipped away from the corners of his eyes, and instead he just looks lost for a moment. It disappears as soon as it comes, but you’re sure it’s a look he wore often when he was a kid.

“I’ll tell Erwin we have to leave,” You say, “He’ll understand, Levi. It’s not worth it.”

His eyes flash at you but you stand your ground.

“Do you want to stay?” You ask, sensing his hesitancy, “We can leave, Levi. We can go home.”

Levi pulls you in without a word and presses his face into the crook of your neck. His breaths are heavy against your skin, trying to calm himself down with your woodsy scent. You run your fingers through his undercut and over the base of his neck, lightly scratching with your freshly done nails.

You just want him to feel safe and you know he doesn’t. Not when Kenny is around.

It’s a few minutes before Levi speaks again, and his voice is even but tight.

“I need to know why he’s here. And how.”

“Levi,” You say softly, cupping his cheek, “Does it matter?”

“Yes,” He says sharply, turning his icy gaze to you. Levi winces when he sees you pull your hand back in alarm. He reaches for your hand again, rubbing circles over your thumb.

“He raised me,” Levi says, “I need to know.”

You nod, eyes round with understanding. But you see a crack through his armor and you press your forehead to his, allowing his shaky breaths to fall onto you.

“Why is he here?” He whispers, eyes trained on yours. You hear the silent question- why is he here now? Why wasn’t he here before? Levi pulls you closer to him by your waist, hands firm and searching for comfort.

“I don’t know, Levi,” You murmur, “But I’ll kick his ass outta here, you know that. If he even looks at you the wrong way-”

Levi cuts you off with a kiss, pouring all of his frustrations, his anguish, his love for you and for life into you. Your startled gasp is muffled, fingers clawing at his shoulders.

“I know,” He whispers when he pulls away, “Saw you about to throttle him earlier. Who do you think you are?”

Levi’s offers you a crooked smile and you press a chaste kiss to his lips.

“Kenny Ackerman’s niece to be, apparently.”

“Is that what he said?” Levi says mildly. You hum and Levi pulls you closer for another stolen kiss. He breathes compliments into your skin with his lips and with featherlike touches of his fingers. You coax his nerves out of him, whispering honeyed promises with your tongue and your touch to his warmed skin.

“We should go,” Levi mutters, pulling away, taking in your heaving chest and swollen lips, “Before people notice that we’re gone.” He runs his thumb over your bottom lip and you nod reluctantly.

“Or we could stay here and make out for the rest of the night,” You protest feebly, already smoothing your dress out and taking his arm as he leads you out of the room.

“We have family business to attend to.”

***

You keep sneaking glances at Levi, unsure of what he’s thinking. You want to hold his hand and rub his back but refrain from doing so. Instead, you reach under the table and touch the palm of his hand to reassure him and before you can pull away, he holds on to your fingers. He’s rigid in his seat, face betraying no trace of emotion. But you know better.

Levi tenses up immediately when Kenny walks across the stage to receive his commendation for being such an esteemed donor. Kenny spots him immediately in the crowd, narrowing his eyes with a smug smirk.

Poor Jean. He probably has no idea what’s going on. A drop of guilt blooms in your chest. He’s supposed to be here to learn. You mentally promise to make it up to him.

Jean looks at you, then Levi, then the stage. He’s no fool- he can tell how tense the air has become. There’s a crease in Levi’s brow that he’s never seen before.

You’re certain you’ll all receive a scolding from Erwin, but at this point, you truly do not care.

***

“I’ll get the car keys from the valet,” Levi promises, “It’ll take a second.”

His thumb brushes your chin and you nod. He didn’t want to wait for valet to bring his car around, he wanted to get the hell out of there as soon as he could. Even if that meant going on a wild goose chase for his car within the parking lot.

“Wait,” You reach for him, “What about Jean? The least we can do is take him home.”

Levi groans and squeezes his eyes shut.

“Fine,” He sighs, “I’ll look for him inside. If I don’t find him in a minute, I’m leaving his ass here.”

You stifle a laugh but nod at him. He leaves you with his blazer when he sees goosebumps on your skin as well as another brush of his thumb against your chin. You admire him from behind, the way his navy colored waistcoat hugs him. As you’re tugging his blazer on and crossing your arms for warmth, you see Jean walking out of the entrance. You’re about to text Levi and tell him that you found Jean, but then you see Kenny following him outside and you swallow.

You thought you could make a getaway without running into Kenny once more. The number of times you’ve seen him tonight is already one too many. Dread fills you, leaving you rooted on the spot as he approaches you with his cool, unassuming smirk.

“You could knock someone dead with that look,” Kenny muses, “I suppose that’s one of the many reasons why my nephew is with you, huh?”

You say nothing as your cheeks flare.

“The silent treatment? That’s not very nice…”

He’s close enough to you that you can see the steel of his eyes. It’s the same steel in Levi’s eyes and you swallow your nerves once more to face him.

“Don’t talk to me about being nice, Kenny,” You scoff, “What do you want from me? What do you want from him?”

“Nothin’,” Kenny shrugs, “Can’t I just say hello to my family? See how everyone’s been?”

“No,” You say bluntly, “Leave us alone, Kenny.”

Jean is nowhere to be seen and you breathe a minuscule sign of relief. You don’t want him to listen to this.

You try to move away from him and get back inside the venue, but he grabs your shoulder. Your head snaps back in surprise and then irritation. Shrugging your shoulder out of his grip, you step closer to him. Close enough that he takes a step back.

“Don’t ever fuckin’ touch me again, Kenny,” You seethe, “You don’t need to worry about Levi beating your ass. I’ll break your wrist on my fuckin’ own.”

To your surprise, he laughs.

“She’d like you, you know. Kuchel,” Kenny laughs, sudden fondness in the lines of his eyes. He pokes your forehead, almost teasing and you ache for Levi. This was the man who raised him. And then left him when he was barely a teenager.

“Leave us alone, Kenny,” You murmur, taking a step back, “If he wants to see you, he will. But leave us alone until then.”

“He’s doing okay?” Kenny asks, and you see a familiar crack in his armor. It reminds you of Levi, when he lets his guard down and allows the perceived luxury of vulnerability.

“Yeah,” You reply, “He’s doing okay.”

“You’ll take care of him,” He says, his voice hard. Steel returns to his eyes, but you’re used to it.

“Always,” You reply without missing a beat. Your heart is out in the open on your sleeve, bleeding and beating for Levi. You wonder if Kenny can sense all of the things you want to say to him.

Kenny pokes your forehead once more, eyes lingering on your face. As if searching for a shred of doubt or reason for disbelief.

As if he has a right to.

***

Levi was about to give up on looking for Jean when he bursts into the entrance as if he’s seen a ghost. His eyes are wide and he sprints to Levi when he finally spots him across the room.

“Spit it out, Jean,” Levi says with a raised eyebrow.

“Some guy- There’s some guy out there,” Jean pants, “Looks kinda like you except smiles more. But in a scary way. Talking to her. Figured you should know before I intervened.”

It’s not fair for Levi to be annoyed that Jean left you, but he closes his eyes in irritation.

“And you left her there with him ?” Levi asks, walking long strides to get to you.

“All due respect, sir, but she can handle herself,” Jean says easily and Levi stops to give him a look.

“You questioning me, Kirstein?”

“Well, no, sir-”

“Shut up, Kirstein.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Go find my car, Kirstein. Pull up to the front when you do,” Levi says, tossing him his keys. Jean looks flabbergasted for a moment but sprints off to the parking lot.

Of course Levi knows you can handle yourself with Kenny. He just wishes you didn’t have to.

***

Defiance is written across your features, in the furrow of your eyebrows and the crossing of your arms.

He sees Kenny poke your forehead and he sees you wince. It’s an action that reminds him of when he was young, when Kenny would approve of something he did. He would always receive a poke to the forehead as a thank you, or as a job well done.

Seeing Kenny touch you, no matter how small or fleeting, sends him into a rage that he’s been struggling to contain all evening. Your dark eyes widen when Levi roughly clasps Kenny’s shoulder to pull him back and away from you.

He’s so close to the edge, about to fall off an invisible precipice and you both know it. Levi pulls his arm back behind him as his hand curls into a fist, just like the way Kenny taught him all those years ago, but before he can land a solid punch on Kenny’s sneering face. Something pulls him back.

“Levi,” You whisper, your arms tight around him, “Do you need this, Levi? Is this what you need?”

Smoke slowly lifts from his eyes as he focuses on your quiet breaths against him and your fingers tracing his chest. The sound of his blood flooding to his ears quiets with each breath of yours. Levi un-clenches his fist and instead, pushes Kenny away in the same breath. He looks at Kenny long and hard, his eyes calming from a raging, stormy sea. Your cheek is still pressed against his back, arms locked around his waist.

Levi offers him nothing more than a scoff and turns his back on him. You peel yourself from his back, giving him a small smile and dare to press a kiss to his cheek.

“Let’s go home, Levi,” You murmur.

“Kirstein’s getting the car,” Levi says and you can’t help but let out a laugh.

“Really? I’m surprised,” You muse, “You must trust him.”

“He wishes,” Levi scoffs.

Just as you’re about to comment that you would be surprised if he ends up finding it in this sea of cars, he honks at both of you.

Jean can tell that something has happened, from the tired look on your face and the tension in Levi’s shoulders. He hops out of the driver’s seat when Levi barks at him and you scold Levi for his tone.

“Thank you, Jean,” You murmur, “You’re a good man.”

You kiss his cheek lightly in gratitude and Jean feels his face heat up. He touches the spot you had kissed in wonder.

“Oi, Kirstein! If you don’t get in the car in the next five seconds, I’m leaving your ass here,” Levi threatens with a glare and you stifle a laugh behind your hand in the passenger seat.

The drive is quiet, save for music playing as background noise and your small talk with Jean. Jean notices you looking over to Levi every so often, gazing at him as if you’re looking for something.

“So,” Jean says, to try to lighten the tension, “Do you come to these often? Do you come together? ”

Levi looks like he’s about to say something scathing to Jean but you send him a sizzling glance that keeps him quiet.

“For the last nearly six years… If that’s often, then yes,” You reply, watching in amusement as Jean’s brown eyes widen in shock.

“Six years?!”

“Close your mouth, Jean. You look like a horse,” Levi says plainly and you roll your eyes.

Jean wonders if anyone at all will believe him when he tells them about this evening.

***

As soon as you kick your heels off of your aching feet while leaning against the front door of your apartment, Levi’s arms are around you. Inhaling you in deeply. You relax in his hold, leaning your head against his shoulder as his fingers trace over the delicate veins of your neck.

You can sense his need through the rough calluses of his hands.

Levi tilts your jaw towards his lips, eyeing you for a few moments. Your honeyed eyes are swirling, patient and waiting for him. Your lips are slightly parted and he can’t take it anymore- he can’t take how you still look at him like that. As if he’s pulled the stars from his bleeding heart. His blood has turned to fire, eyes molten and smoky as he pulls you in for a rough, searing kiss.

You turn in his hold, arms wrapping around his head as fingers slide through his inky hair. Levi gives you half a second to breathe before he’s pressing another kiss to your lips and swallowing any thread of a thought that you have. He doesn’t realize how tightly he’s gripping your hips and your soft sounds hardly register in his mind. He hears you say something, but ignores it, in favor of pushing his lips to your neck. Your sweet spot, the spot that makes your knees go weak. He pulls a small sound from your throat, barely aware of your nails scratching his chest from over his clothes.

Then he hears your voice again.

“Levi,” You say softly, barely above a whisper, “Are you okay?”

He ignores you, muffling your concern with the cool press of his mouth to yours. Your hands are firm against his chest this time, pushing him away lightly. Just a few breaths away. Not too far.

“Levi,” You press, “What do you need Levi?”

He can’t take the sweet sound of his name on your lips. The way it sounds like honey, dripping from your tongue and into the air. His eyes are uncharacteristically wild, tendrils of vivid affection swirling together.

“You,” He finally says raspily, “It’s always you.”

You give him a small smile with glowing cheeks, and he wants to drown in your adoration.

“C’mere, Levi.”

Your arms wrap around him tightly, tucking his face in your neck. You rub his back gently while your other hand runs through his hair the way he likes.

“Today was a long day,” You breathe into his ear, nipping his earlobe lightly. He hums into your neck, his breaths evening out. You pull his dress shirt out from the hold of his pants while still rubbing circles over his back.

“Did you see Jean’s face? Poor kid,” You laugh lightly, “Think he’ll come to one of these things again?”

Your honeyed voice anchors him, and he wants to sink into you.

“He’s a good kid,” You continue, “Like you. Like I know you were. Like I know you are. I know your heart. You gave it to me, remember?”

You snake your hand to his chest and lightly scratch at his left side.

“I need you, Levi,” You murmur, tipping his chin from the crook of your neck to meet his eyes, “Can you feel how much?”

You move his hand first to your chest, where he can feel your heart beating fast. Like a hummingbird. His gaze is sharp, eyes boring into yours and you don’t falter. You lift the skirt of your dress to your waist with one hand and take his hand, allowing him to brush his fingers against your panties.

Levi’s throat goes dry at your unwavering, hazy eyes and rubs you over your panties. He swallows when a soft sigh escapes your pretty lips.

“You gonna do somethin’ about it or what, Levi?” You drawl, a smirk tugging at your lips. He sees the plea in your eyes, your plea for him to come back to you.

His thumb circles your panties once more, avoiding where you need him the most. Your smirk crumbles into a pout quickly and you try to buck your hips into his hand to get him to touch you. You watch him rub circles over your panties, finally getting the friction you so crave. He noses your neck, pressing his searing lips to yours fiercely.

His eyes aren’t so wild anymore, but his touches are.

You fumble with the buttons of his waistcoat, fingers slipping with every touch of his lips to yours. You’re uncoordinated and clumsy, getting frustrated with yourself. How is he so good at doing things with his eyes closed?

Levi senses your frustration and lets out a breathy chuckle. His hand is still under your dress, lazily teasing you’ve and you finally open your eyes to unbutton his waistcoat and dress shirt with shaky fingers.

You’re suddenly taken back to a memory of the first time you had seen him. You were one of his firsts and he was far from yours. He wanted to do right by you, and it took time for him to learn what you liked and how to please you and make you sigh in that sweet, breathy way.

Levi pushes your panties to the side, thumb circling your bundle of nerves. You gasp in surprise at the sudden but welcome warmth.

You manage to pull his shirt off of his shoulders, leaving his chest bare in front of you. Hunger floods your senses, hunger for this man in front of you. For your man, who has given you his heart despite his heart being so heavy for so long.

You feel your panties being pushed down your legs when Levi crouches on the floor. His fingers squeeze your thighs and your calves lightly as he looks up at you. You step out of your panties as he tugs you by your hands.

“Come here,” Levi mumbles, pulling you into his lap.

Levi reaches behind you to search for the zipper of your dress with his fingers. He peels the dress off of you easily and you can’t say that he’s looking at you like you’re a goddess in his arms because he looks at you like this every day. All the time. But that’s what this look reminds you of. Before, when you were in your early stages of your relationship, it intimidated you. The depth of his devotion.

But now, it surrounds you and you welcome it.

Just before he sets your dress on the couch to keep it off of the floor, you stop him.

“Let me put it in the hamper,” You murmur, “We’ll forget about it and then I’ll wake up in the middle of the night because it’ll be bothering me.”

That’s one of the many reasons that his love for you runs deep. You can keep up with his need for cleanliness. Levi follows you into the bedroom with his shirt, waistcoat and your panties in his hands. And his eyes on the arch of your bare ass and the curve of your spine.

“Give me that,” You say, turning around to take his dress shirt and waistcoat. You place it in the special hamper, the one designated for dry cleaning.

Levi tosses your black panties into your hamper with an unassuming smirk and you can’t help but wonder how a simple action like that turns your stomach over in arousal. Levi pulls you towards him, littering your hips with fleeting touches before squeezing your ass firmly.

His lips are on yours in an instant, pulling you even closer into his chest. Your fingers spread over his scarred shoulder, fingernails pressing into his skin. You pull a groan from him and trail your fingers down his chest. Scratching where you see fit, scratching over the smattering of dark hair leading into his pants.

Levi snakes a hand in between you, fluttering over your chest. His fingers are replaced by his lips quickly, as your breath hitches with each bite of his lips to your skin. You can’t get enough of his mouth on you, or of the way the shadows fall over his broad shoulders and taut muscles. His other hand brushes against your heated center and your hips buck into his hands involuntarily.

You can taste his longing, hidden in the crevices of his lips, the roughness of his touch against you. The way he slots himself with you, molding into every curve of your body. You hear your own soft moans and calls of his name as his lips touch every part of your soul.

Without a word, he hooks his arms under your thighs and lifts you up. His lips are still on your skin, wherever he can reach. You lock your arms behind his head, tugging his hair back tight enough that it pulls him back. An audible groan escapes his throat when you pull at his hair.

Something you had discovered early on that he liked.

He stumbles for just a step before regaining his balance. You let out a breathy laugh into his neck before pressing a kiss there. Then behind his ear. Close to his collarbones. Along the expanse of his chest.

Levi gently drops you to the bed, drinking you in from above with wide eyes. The voracity in his darkened eyes nearly makes you look away but you hold his gaze. He surges forward, unable to fathom another moment of not touching you.

He grinds into you lazily, your bare center seeking more friction than the roughness of his pants.

“Levi,” You nearly whine, pulling at his belt buckle, “Take it off, Levi.”

“ You take it off,” He drawls, voice low. Your heart flutters and your throat goes dry.

You sit up, drawing your knees to your chest and pull him closer to you by his belt. Your movements are slow as you unbuckle his belt and toss it to the floor, and you yank his pants and boxer briefs down in one swift motion.

Levi can’t deny that the way your eyes always widen when you see him strokes his ego.

“Off, Levi,” You say softly and he tosses his pants into his hamper before ducking down to meet your lips- your chest- your navel.

Levi presses a hand to your center and you gasp, the pretty sound floating into the air and reverberating in his ears. He holds your hips steady with his forearm as he circles your clit with his thumb. He hoists your legs over his shoulders while gazing at you with that same tenacious look.

Lust and love mixes together to make your eyes a darkened brown.

You gasp his name breathily, back arching slightly with the first flick of his tongue against your center. He maintains his gaze, eyes piercing into yours and your toes curl at the added intensity. You struggle to keep your eyes open but Levi squeezes your hips every so often as a reminder. He squeezes your breasts, pinching and tweaking.

He pulls his hand away to rub your clit with his thumb as his tongue laps you up. Levi wasn’t always this good with his tongue and with his fingers. It took you both some time to get in sync with each other, in terms of what you both liked.

Time and patience, which you both had infinite amounts of for each other.

Stars are beginning to dot your eyelids, your hands bunching up in the sheets as urgent, broken whispers of his name float into the air. Just as your thighs begin to shake and your toes curl, he pulls his lips away from your aching, empty center and you could scream .

Levi does this often. He brings you to the edge, only to back away. Only to take you there once more. Like clockwork.

The smug smirk on his face makes you want to kiss him. So you do. You pull him into your arms, grinding into his hardened length and hungrily bite his bottom lip. Your stolen release burns in the back of your mind but you give it no attention. Levi groans in pain at your bite and you smile against the kiss, tasting yourself on his lips. You lock your legs around his waist, holding him in place and reach in between your bodies to stroke him in your hand. Levi bucks against your hand with a low moan.

“I want you, Levi,” You whisper into his ear, nipping at his earlobe. Warmth pools in his belly at that and he looks dazed for a moment before snapping out of it. Your lips are parted and swollen, brown skin glistening and warm, dark eyes wide and wanting.

“Fuck ,” Levi mutters, “I need to be inside you right now.”

You nod vehemently, parting your legs for him quickly. He looks to your dripping center and guides himself in one swift glide. Both of you groan in unison and Levi stills for a moment when you pull him in for a kiss. You run a hand through his hair, smiling when he groans as you clench around him.

“Don’t do that,” He says breathily, playfully biting at your shoulder.

“Why? You gonna cum or somethin’?” You tease, earning yourself a squeeze to your hips.

“Shut up.”

Before you can say anything back to him, he lifts himself up over you, arms around your head. His hair falls into his eyes, tickling your heated cheeks and he shallowly thrusts into you. It’s the sweetest burn, the way he fits in you.

Your eyes begin to water when his thrusts get deeper. You subconsciously tilt your head to the side, away from him and Levi kisses your neck. He nudges your jaw with his nose to pull your eyes to him. You crane your neck up to press a kiss to his lips but he pushes himself into you particularly roughly and you moan into his mouth.

Levi pulls you up into his lap, arms tight around your hips and you hum. His lithe fingers are everywhere- cupping your neck, holding your thighs steady on either side of his waist, your scalp.

You’re gasping his name as he pushes into you and murmurs soft notes of encouragement into your neck. He watches as he slides in and out of your wetness with darkened cheeks. Nails scrape his back and he winces for a second but pays it no mind. Your soft breaths and whines of his name against his neck are distracting enough.

Levi rubs your folds lazily as he thrusts up into you. All you see, hear and feel is him and you’re overwhelmed. You raise your head to meet his searing eyes with an arm hooked around his head and sloppily press your lips to his.

Heat pools your belly once more, and you can nearly see stars about to burst behind your eyelids once more. Levi can sense that you’re close, in the way your legs quiver around him and in the way you clench around him. He rubs your clit in tight circles, coaxing you to the edge. Where he’s right there to catch you.

“Good girl,” Levi whispers, and your eyes widen like they always do.

He holds you tightly when you cum with a soft gasp and shaky legs. You’re panting broken notes of his name into his skin. Levi peppers your face with kisses. He’s still inside you and you give him a devilish smile.

You push him down to the bed and dig your nails into his chest teasingly. He knows that look in your eyes all too well. You stretch your torso, your hands skimming your sides and brush your fingers over your clit to tease yourself. Levi groans and plants his hands firmly on your hips. Squeezing your ass and your thighs as he pleases.

“You feel so good, Levi,” You breathe, as if it’s a secret only for his ears. You start to rock against him, hips dragging across his heated skin. The friction from his skin sends a shudder up your spine and Levi slides his hands over your sides before squeezing you.

Levi loves the way your eyes shine with desire and an undercurrent of trust. He loves the way your brown skin glistens with a thin layer of sweat, the way you’re clawing at him for something to hold on to. Levi pulls you close to him, kissing up and down your chest.

You find a rhythm and ignore the way your thighs burn as you take all of him in. The only sounds in the four walls of the bedroom is the sound of your skin slapping on his and his shaky breaths. Levi is always so composed- seeing him come undone by your hands sends another pool of heat into your belly.

“Shit,” Levi groans, throwing his head back and tightening his grip on your thighs. His hooded eyes are trained on you, watching you bounce as your legs slowly begin to tire out. But you’re determined, he can see it in your face. He loves watching you like this- determination and desire mixing together. Levi rubs your clit with his thumb and you gasp, your legs beginning to shake once more. He wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you flat against him, thrusting into you.

You clench around him without meaning to and he moans breathlessly in your ear, feverishly pressing his lips to your throat to stave off his climax until yours. You can feel how close he is, in his sloppy thrusts, the way his legs jerk against yours and you breathe him permission for him to cum inside of you.

Levi gasps your name into your skin as he cums, his stomach tightening as you feel warmth inside of you and beginning to leak down your thighs. He’s about to pull out but you stop him with a tug of his wrist.

“Stay,” You mumble and he swallows. He’s sensitive, but he stays. He flips you over so you’re under him and rubs at your clit lazily while his lips find your salty skin. Your senses are deliciously overwhelmed as Levi engulfs you.

“Levi,” You nearly cry, water gathering in the corners of your eyes. You’re overwhelmed by the love you have for him, by the love you feel and see in his grey eyes. Your nails are piercing against his bicep but he hardly feels it. You’re so close , and he needs to feel you come apart under him.

Your grip is tight around his arms, lips parted as your back arches when you finally cum for the second time so far.

“Good girl,” Levi murmurs again, kissing your hairline, your heated cheeks and your chin.

You rub your foot up and down his calf with a small smile. You hold him close to you, enjoying his warmth as it lights you up from inside out.

“We should go shower,” You murmur, rubbing a hand over your face.

“Why? You thought we were done?”

“You’re right. How stupid of me,” You muse, earning yourself a pinch to your waist.

“You’ve said worse.”

***

Fatigue settles in your bones after the fourth, or was it fifth, orgasm of the night. Your eyes are heavy, both from the events of the day as well as the events of the night. You hear Levi panting next to you, exhausted as well.

But you can’t rest. Not yet.

“Levi,” You nudge his shoulder, “We have to shower.”

“Give me a minute,” He says hoarsely.

“Can’t believe you seduced me into sex before washing up after the gala. You’ve made me lose my marbles.”

“Me?” Levi says, flabbergasted.

You hum, closing your eyes for a few minutes. You feel Levi’s weight shift and he carries you to the bathroom on shaky legs. Once you’re under the warm water, you groan as it soothes your sore muscles. You feel heavy, but weightless at the same time. Levi holds you up with your back to his chest and washes you down with his shower gel quickly but effectively. It smells just like him and you inhale deeply.

You swear you could fall asleep like this, and Levi knows it. You’re beginning to yawn widely enough that your eyes water. But you open your eyes to take the gel from him and lather him down slowly, taking your time with the dips and crevices of his body.

You even manage to sneak a kiss onto his bruised lips in between.

Levi holds you under the spray of the water for a few moments, with your head over his shoulder and an arm around your waist. His heartbeat is even and steady, so close to lulling you back to sleep.

“Stay awake,” Levi says softly but firmly, “Still have to towel off.”

You give him a noncommittal answer but pull away from him and wait for him to give you your towel. His dark hair is slightly damp, cheeks flushed from the heat of the water and from you . You can’t help but run your fingers through his hair as he wraps a towel around his waist and around you. Your limbs feel pliable, and damn, you are so tired.

Levi holds the implicit, unwavering trust you have for him in the palm of his hands and carries it carefully but confidently. He moisturizes the both of you, knowing that you hate waking up to dry skin.

“Raise your arms,” Levi murmurs and slides a sleep shirt over your head. He pats your head when you look up at him with a sleepy smile and nearly closed eyes.

“C’mon, it’s bedtime for us,” Levi says, carrying you to bed and drawing the covers over both of you. He presses a kiss to your shoulder as a goodnight and wraps himself around you. His legs intertwine with yours, and he draws you close to him. You’re fast asleep in minutes, your hand loose around his.

***

It’s the middle of the night when you wake up to a cold bed. You rub sleepiness out of your eyes and stretch your muscles, feeling every inch of the delicious soreness. Especially in your legs.

A soft but unsurprised sigh leaves your lips when you see the empty bed and the faint glow of the lights in the living room.

Levi is sitting on the couch, scrolling his phone mindlessly. His eyes are tired but you can tell his mind is spinning.

You wordlessly take one of his favorite teacups from the kitchen cabinet and start making tea for him. It’s a teacup that you had bought for him, painted black with gold accents. It reminded you of him.

He lifts his head a little at the scent of his favorite tea.

You bring his teacup and the teapot in a tray to the coffee table and tuck your bare legs under yourself to sit a few inches next to him, unsure if he wants space. When he says nothing for a few minutes, you assume he wants to be alone and you press a kiss to his hair. To leave and go back into the bedroom.

But he tugs your hand gently and so you stay.

“Come back to bed, Levi,” You murmur softly, fingers in his dark strands of hair.

It’s 3:18 AM and Levi drinks his black tea in his overhanded manner, leaning into your touch.

“Can’t stop thinking,” Levi finally says, “About Kenny.”

You’re not surprised.

“He asked me if I would take care of you,” You muse. Tension immediately fills his shoulders but you press your fingers into his muscles to calm him down.

“He told me that your mother would like me.”

Levi cracks a small smile at that.

“I told him to leave us alone, unless you want to see him,” You reply, “Then I told him I’d break his wrist if he touched me again.”

Levi kisses your cheek.

“Do you? Do you want to see him?” You ask, pressing a finger to his cheek.

“I don’t know,” Levi says honestly.

“It’s okay if you do. You don’t need anyone’s permission or justification but your own if you do want to see him,” You say firmly.

“Come with me. If I decide that I want to,” Levi breathes.

“Of course,” You nod determinedly.

He presses his lips to your forehead before leaning his forehead on yours.

“He did this, too,” You murmur, poking his forehead, “Oddly affectionate for a man with asshole tendencies.”

Levi lets out a soft chuckle.

“I saw,” Levi says, “He used to do that when I was a kid.”

“I figured.”

You lean your head on his shoulder, tracing patterns over the scars on his chest. Sleep is threatening to overtake you with the steady hum of his heart against your ear.

“Let’s go to bed, honey.”

#levi x reader #levi ackerman x reader #aot imagine #snk imagine

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dkscribe88 · 4 years

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Tavronica Week Prompt 7: AU

And now, for my final entry for this year’s first annual Tavronica week. I decided to set it in modern times. They’re still on Thra and still Gelfling, but they’ve adopted a way of life similar to humans, including going to college and playing sports, such as ice hockey. Tavra is team captain, single, and focused on helping her team win the final game of a tournament against their rivals, lead by Tolyn. Onica is a Psychology student who recently became single and is dragged to the game by her best friend, Tae. Tavra always seemed like she would be a jock if she were real, and the only sport I really ever played was ice hockey, so I decided to write her playing it. I hope you like this last fic. It’s been a blast writing for this event, and I’m proud to say I met my challenge of 7 prompts for 7 days. Can’t wait to do it all again next year! So now, sit back and enjoy my final entry for this year. Beware, it’s the longest one yet.

The roar of the crowd was deafeningly loud throughout the halls of Ha’rar State University’s hockey stadium. Flooded with fans of both the home team, the Ha’rar State University Fighting Paladins, and visiting rivals, the Sami Thicket University Landstriders; the atmosphere was tense. It was the finals of a two-day tournament. Both top seeded teams played two games the day before, easily routing their opponents. Their head-to-head battle had always been assured, the latter two games merely a formality. Both teams stared daggers at each other whenever the Paladins locked eyes with a Landstrider. There’s bad blood between these rivals, the wound freshly opened after what had transpired a few hours before…

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Earlier in the day, the home team had arrived two hours before they were to hit the ice, hoping to do some warmup exercises in their locker room before suiting up, only to discover that the whole place had been destroyed. Bags had been dumped out, equipment strewn randomly throughout the room, and jerseys were being soaked by the showers. Their hockey sticks were no longer in the racks, and no one would have found them, had the team not experienced this sort of attack before. The Paladin’s team captain, defenseman Tavra just sighed before casting her gaze upwards, confirming that the sticks were indeed glued to ceiling.

“Sheesh, they could’ve at least come up with a more original way of wrecking our stuff. C’mon guys, cleanup positions. Ready? Go!” The team quickly got to work straightening things, accomplishing their tasks efficiently, having done so many times before. They kept a scraper and a bottle of nail polish remover taped under one of the benches for occasions such as this, which easily dissolved the super glue. It took a little longer to get everything back in order this time though, as the Landstriders had taken the time to remove the tape from their sticks before gluing them. It was a tedious task, retaping everything, but Tavra and her crew knew everything needed to be perfect, or they wouldn’t stand a chance. STU’s captain, Tolyn the Terrible, did his best to crush anyone that stood in his way, using any means necessary. The Landstriders led the league in both penalties and player ejections. They’d already given four different Gelfling concussions, ending the player’s seasons early, and in one case, ending it for good, the injury so severe it caused brain damage, forcing the player off the team and out of school altogether.

Forty minutes later, the locker room was back in usable condition. Tavra took her place in front of her team.

“Alright! Everyone get in line for warmups. First, we stretch, then after that 20 jumping jacks. When I say go. Ready? GO!”

-------

Meanwhile, at the campus dorm rooms…

“C’mon, Onica! It’ll be fun, I promise. The game is going to be great and there’s gonna be a sick afterparty, with lots of hot gelfs for us to hit on, so let’s go, please? You need a new girlfriend, or at least someone to take your mind off Effiny and I need to get my flirt on. It’ll be good for you to get out.” Tae had been trying to convince her friend to attend the game with her for the last few hours, not wanting to go by herself.

“But I’ve got that test coming up for my Developmental Psychology class and I haven’t even studied for it yet.” Tae rolled her eyes.

“You’ve never had to study for any of your Psych classes before. You know every bit of that material frontwards and backwards, sideways, diagonal and upside down. If that’s your best excuse my victory is assured.”

“But I won’t even be able to get into the afterparty. You have to know someone on the team to attend and I don’t, so I see no reason to go.” Tae refused to give up.

“That doesn’t matter! I told you, I know the goalie. Zili promised that if we showed up, she’d get us in. Zili’s a bit weird, which she claims is a common trait amongst goalies, but she’s also true to her word. Please, I don’t want to go alone.” Tae had been nice so far, but it was time to pull out her secret weapon. She kneeled down next to Onica’s chair, lower lip jutting out in a pout, eyes turned up in a begging fashion, glistening with small tears in their corners. Onica had to give her style points for being able to cry on demand. She tried to turn away, but there was no escaping the power of the fizzgig pout. Unable to fend off the adorably cute assault any further, Onica let out a groan.

“Ugghhh! Okay, fine! I’ll go. But you owe me. More than one.”

“Yes!” Tae jumped up, giving her roommate and best friend a hug. “Thank you so much, Oni! There’s this new guy on the team, Galen, and Zili’s promised to help me get a chance to talk to him. Oh, I can’t wait for you to see him, he’s so dreamy. He’s tall, and Sifa, like us, with some Spriton and Vapra mixed in. He’s got beautiful tanned skin and dark hair with little bits of silver here and there, ooh-hoo-hoo just the thought of him makes me quiver!” Onica gave her friend a look of disbelief and slight disgust.

“Sounds like a creep if you ask me.”

“No! No, he’s not, actually. Zili said he’s really kind and soft spoken most of the time. When he does talk, he’s so deep, and he’s got a great sense of humor, too.” Onica smiled at her then, reassured of Tae’s choice to pursue this guy.

“I can’t wait to meet him, then. I hope you find happiness this time Tae. I’d hate for you to be stuck with someone who doesn’t appreciate you.” Onica’s face turned slightly sullen, then. Tae put a hand on her shoulder.

“Are you talking about Effiny? Onica, that girl has serious issues with where her priorities lie. She didn’t know what she had, being with you. But soon, Onica, someone will come along who loves you for you, I’m sure of it. Who knows, maybe you’ll meet them tonight. So, come on. To the game!” Tae jumped into a pose, pointing dramatically towards the door. Onica gave a small laugh, before getting up and ready for the night’s activities.

The two young women made it to their seats as the two teams warmed up on the ice, each circling around their zone, while some fired pucks at the goalie, who easily blocked them all, giving Zili a confidence boost to start off with. Tavra was gliding along on her skate’s edges, keeping an eye on her own players, looking for signs that each was ready, and smirking when she found they were. She got in line to shoot then, firing right from the line in a slapshot, typical of her defensive position. She’d placed a spin on the puck, causing it to look as if it were warping in the air as it curved toward Zili’s glove side. Tavra nearly got it in, but at the last second, Zili’s eagle eyes tracked it and she caught it neatly in her mitt.

“Nice try, Captain! Maybe next time, yeah?” Zili teased her. Tavra smacked her stick against the goalie’s pads affectionately before gliding off to the back of the line, only to freeze as a sinister gaze met her own.

“Tolyn,” she whispered bitterly. The big jerk was Spriton, tall and strong, or in Tolyn’s case brutish. The sound of ice being carved sounded from behind her, letting Tavra know her two assistant captains had her back.

“That guy almost makes me ashamed to be Spriton.” Kylan muttered, glaring with all he had at the man, who only sneered back.

“Don’t let him get to you Kylan. I’ll make sure he doesn’t hurt you this time. I’d never hear the end of it from my brother if I did.”

“You’re damn right about that, Naia.” Another player had joined the assistant captains.

“Speak of the devil. Hey, Gurjin. You ready to rumble?” Naia asked her brother.

“Oh, you know it. Gotta get revenge for them breaking my poor Ky Guy’s arm.” Suddenly, the scoring siren went off, signaling the players to leave the ice as it’s resurfaced in preparation for the game’s start. The Paladin’s gathered once more into their locker room. Tavra, Kylan and Naia stood up front as everyone else kneeled, waiting to hear some inspiring words from their captain.

“Ok, we’ve got a tough game ahead of ourselves here, people. We know just as much as anyone else that the Landstriders don’t fight fair. Expect attacks from all sides and keep your guard up. Their goalie is weak on their stick side, so do your best to aim at the space between the arm and torso, as well as high on her right side. Stay away from that glove hand, it’s too good. Now raise your swords, gelfs…” Everyone’s sticks rose in the air. “Brave paladins of HSU, are you ready to defend yourselves, your honor, and your school?” The team let out their best roars of approval. “Are we ready to face the beasts in battle, skate blades sharpened, sticks taped?” Another roar resounded throughout the room. The coach signaled for the group to head out for introductions.

“Ok gelfs, charge!” The Paladins stormed out of the locker room, cheering wildly, though it was completely drowned out by the outrageously raucous crowd. The visiting team was just getting finished with their introduction.

“And, at center, the Landstrider’s leading scorer and captain of the team, number 66, Tolyn!” Loud boos overwhelmed any cheers there might have been for the Spriton center, causing him to shake his stick angrily at his many detractors.

“And now, the roster of our very own home team, the Ha’rar State University Fighting Paladins!” The crowd cheered loudly in response. “For the tertiary line, at left wing it’s number 86, Mira!” A thin Vapra girl quickly skated out on the ice, waving to her fans. “On right wing we’ve got number 18, Deet!” A Grottan girl and Rian’s girlfriend skated over to bump gloves with Mira. “And at center, number 8, the incomparable Rian!” The Stonewood skated out strong, charming all the ladies as he waved to the crowd. “For our secondary offensive line, we’ve got our newest player, number 45, Galen!” A Spriton, taller than both Kylan and Tolyn skated reservedly onto the ice. “Coming in on right wing like a thief in the night, it’s number 13, Periss!” The youngest of the team, a Dousan boy with a rakish attitude glided out, taking bows and throwing kisses as he went. “And, at center, number 7, Bold Gurjin!” The great oaf was light as a feather as he slid past his teammates, giving Kylan’s helmet an affectionate smack as he passed him. “And now for our secondary defenseman. On the right, give it up for number 3, Brea!” Tavra’s younger, bookish sister skated calmly into place, absorbing any information she could about her enemies. “And on the left, it’s number 69, ladies let out a cheer for Rek’yr!” The tattoo-faced man skated grandly into place, blowing kisses to his many lady followers, who screamed in response, one of them fainting.

“And now, everybody give it up for our starting roster. On left wing, we’ve got number 4, the mysterious and shadowy Amri!” Amri had already snuck into his place in line at this point. “On right wing, number 32, our ever-melodious Kylan!” The lanky Spriton skated calmly into place, doing his best not to be intimidated at the sight of Tolyn pretending to slash his throat, the universal bully sign for ‘you’re dead meat’. “And at center, number 17, it’s Fierce Naia!” Naia charged onto the ice, letting out a growling war cry as she bumped gloves with all her teammates, nearly knocking some of them over in her zeal. “And starting for the defense, we’ve got number 49, Ellis!” A Vapra senior a few years older than Tavra skated out. “And don’t forget his partner, your favorite player and mine, that devastating lavender tornado, the Tremendous Tavra!” The crowd got even louder somehow as Tavra regally entered the rink, smiling at her comrades and looking disdainfully over at her opponents. “And last, but certainly not least, that eccentric and crazy girl you know and love, the goalie, number 00, Zili!” Zili skated out powerfully in her heavy goalie pads, ready to protect and defend her net with all she had.

“Whoo! Yeaaayuhh, let’s do this!” Zili riled up the crowd even more, forcing the officials to wait several minutes until things died down to start. The Skarith Land’s flag was lowered down over the rink by wires, as the country’s national anthem played. Once it was over, the teams headed for their respective benches while the captains of each team came and shook hands. Tavra took her hand out of her glove, offering it to Tolyn, who merely scoffed at it and took off to his own bench. Tavra looked at Kylan and Naia.

“Well, you can’t say I didn’t try.” The three skated over to their team, who were being given a last-minute pep talk by Coach Madso.

“Alright, lads and lassies, get out there and follow the plan. Don’t let them goad you into penalties we can’t afford. Stay onside, and for Thra’s sake, protect each other. We don’t need anymore broken arms, right Kylan?”

“Y-Yes sir!”

“OK!” Tavra barked. “Sticks in!” Everyone gathered in a circle, sticks placed in the middle, pointed downward. “Paladins on three! One, two, three-”

“PALADINS!” With that, the other lines went to the bench and the starters to their places. The referee checked to make sure each goalie was ready, and the centers faced off. The puck is dropped, and the game begins!

-------

It’s late in the third period. Both teams are exhausted from holding each other to a standstill. Neither had scored so far, and the crowd was getting restless with tension. Back and forth across the ice they raced. Naia had the puck on a small breakaway, Kylan assisting her as they passed the flat black object between each other, desperate to keep it away from the Landstriders. Suddenly, Kylan got pinned to the boards as he tried to dig the puck out from the edge of the rink. The enemy player’s skate kept blocking his stick and he couldn’t twist his body the right way to get it. What Kylan didn’t see was that across the rink, Tolyn had locked onto him. He charged, barreling straight at the unwary Spriton. But just as he was about to slam the music major into the boards, something tripped him from behind. He landed flat on his face, sliding hard into the boards from his momentum. A whistle was sounded, stopping play.

“Number 17, Paladins, two minutes, tripping.” It didn’t matter that Naia had stopped Tolyn from breaking Kylan’s clavicle, she got stuck with the penalty. Now they were one gelf down, on a powerplay in the Landstrider’s favor, at the very end of the game. They only needed to last two minutes, but with Tolyn lurking out on the ice, it might as well have been two trine. Coach Madso called timeout, gathering his brave Paladins to his benchside.

“Alright my soldiers, this is what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna hold the line as best we can. I need Gurjin on right, Deet, you’re on center. Use any tricks you’ve got to be in front of that net. Tavra, Brea, you’re in at D. Tavra, you’ve got the fast slapshot. Everyone else, get the puck into the Landstrider zone, and then get it to Tavra. She and Deet will do the rest. Are we clear?” Everyone nodded. “Good. Paladins on three. One, two, three-”

“PALADINS!” The selected players went to their spots. Deet took the faceoff. When the puck dropped, Tolyn made to tackle the small Grottan to the ground, but when he aimed high, she went low, ducking beneath his arms and skating away with the puck. Gurjin plowed through his opponent, flanking Deet on the right. Tavra and Brea trailed behind, stopping just inside the Landstrider blue line. They skated circles in place, watching the puck bounce back and forth between Gurjin and Deet, trying to thwart their attackers and draw them away from the net so Tavra could get a clear shot. The clock began to wind down. The two-minute penalty passed and Naia quickly skated to the bench, where she was replaced by Amri, who drove hard into the occupied zone to help Gurjin and Deet. Deet passed to Gurjin, who was immediately dogged by Tolyn and his right wing, Lun. Pinned against the boards, all Gurjin could do was kick his leg, which he did, successfully knocking the puck along the boards and over to Amri, who slipped and slid around his attacker like a snake through wet grass. His ears perked as he heard Coach Madso cry out.

“Hey! Get it to Tavra! She’s open! Ten seconds left! Make the pass, Amri!” Amri whipped around, searching for his teammate. Tavra was in shotgun position, ready to take aim as soon as she’s given ammo. Amri flicked the puck over to her. She barely stopped it before pulling her stick back and firing it hard through the air and over the center of the ice. The goalie reached for it…It’s…It’s…CLANG! It’s deflected! But what’s this? SMACK!

The crowd waited with bated breath. Tavra stared forward, dropping to her knees.

Wee-Ooh! The scoring siren finally sounded. It’s good! Deet had indeed been waiting, and when the puck glanced off the post, she was right there with the rebound. Her teammates suddenly surrounded her, giving a group hug and patting her hard on the back, screaming they’d won. Tavra, still on her knees, looked upward, not trusting the scoreboard. It was 1-0 Home, and the clock had one tenth of a second left. The following faceoff was just a formality, as the clock ran out and the siren sounded once more, signaling the end of the game, and of the tournament. Trophies were handed out in a ceremony before everyone started to head home. But, just before the team left the ice, Gurjin shouted to the crowd:

“Victory party at Gyr Hall!” Cheers were heard as they departed to the locker room to shower and change before heading to the party. Tavra took her time cleaning up, in no rush for the festivities. All she wanted was to enjoy the energy rush she’d gotten from a game well-played. But, as team captain, she was obligated to go, at least, that’s what Naia and Gurjin said. Kylan gave her an out, but he was quickly overruled by Rian and Deet, so Tavra had no choice. She would socialize, whether she wanted to or not.

-------

“Tae, do we have to go to this thing? All that crowd noise gave me a headache.” It was Onica’s last-ditch effort to escape the party. Tae just rolled her eyes.

“You’re fine. Don’t be such a drama queen. Besides, Zili knows we’re here, we can’t just walk out on her. There she is, Zili! Over here, girl!” After meeting up with the goaltender, who was just as weird as Onica had heard, Zili escorted them over to Gyr Hall and the party held within. The voices of others were all that was heard within the crowded dorm hall. The music was still being set up, but Gurjin kept interfering to flirt with Kylan, who was in charge of tunes. Zili moved passed them, searching for the boy Tae wanted to meet with. Galen was finally spotted talking to Amri, joining them when Zili called him away.

“Alrighty. Galen, this is Tae. Tae, Galen. Ok, let’s see some love sparks fly. Go on, you two. Scoot!” The two walked off, Tae apologizing to Onica for leaving her there with her eyes. Onica sighed lightly, she knew this would happen. She opted to plop down on a vacant couch, people watching to pass the time. Twenty minutes went by, during which Onica grabbed herself a beer from a nearby cooler. She sipped the bitter liquid slowly, not desiring a buzz, but merely drinking it as something to do. Just as she’d talked herself into grabbing one more, there was shouting coming from the front street. Changing her mind on the drink, the redhead decided to see what was going on.

A tall Gelfling of Spriton descent stood in front of a group of students, some of which Onica recognized as being part of the Landstrider’s roster. They’d had their helmets off when receiving their second-place trophy.

I guess that means the one in front is Tolyn. Not the most attractive of team captains, is he…Onica thought, watching the scene unfold. More shouting was then heard coming from the dorm’s side entrance, before a group of Paladins emerged, a beautiful silver and lavender haired woman at their head. And that must be Tavra. What an attractive Silverling. Perhaps Tae was right. Maybe I should find someone else. Tavra stepped right up in Tolyn’s face, not backing down.

“This is a private engagement, my good Landstriders. Please leave, before things get ugly.” The cracking of knuckles reinforced her words, Naia’s fists providing the sound effect. Tolyn just gave a cocky grin.

“Aww…is the big, brave Paladin afraid one of us Landstriders are gonna hurt one of her friends again? By the way, Ky, how’s the arm?” Kylan grabbed his forearm, defensively pulling it to his chest.

“I-It’s fine.” Gurjin stepped in front of his boyfriend.

“Leave him be, Tolyn. You touch him, and I won’t stop at just your arm.” Kylan grabbed Gurjin before he did something foolish, attempting to calm him down. Tolyn just scoffed.

“Tch! You need to keep a better leash on your Drenchen mutt, Tavra. Kylan betrayed his own, so he’s fair game to us.”

“Oh, my Thra, he changed schools! There’s no betrayal in that. STU didn’t have a music program, so he switched. You can’t fault him for that.” Naia jumped in, standing next to her brother and further blocking Kylan from Tolyn’s wrath.

“I take back what I said,” Tolyn paused. “It looks like you’ve got two Drenchen dogs you need to teach discipline to. You really got your work cut out for you, don’t ya, Katavra.” Tavra flinched at the use of her full name. Only her mother called her that, and when it happened, it wasn’t going to be good. Tavra stared at Tolyn coldly.

“Just leave, Tolyn. You’ve had your fun. Enough is enough.” Tavra turned, attempting to end the incident, but Tolyn wasn’t of the mind to leave. Onica watched as he snuck up behind her back.

“Oh, no. H-Hey! Tavra, look out!” Onica’s warning came too little too late, as Tolyn turned Tavra by her shoulder, only to haul back and hit her right on the jaw with a sickening crack. The poor woman was knocked off her feet, saved from hitting the ground by Gurjin, as Naia charged forward with the rest of the team in retaliation. A fight broke out, the Paladins easily outwitting and out-brawling their opponents, only to chase after them as they tried to retreat. Gurjin had left Tavra with Onica, who had approached to see if she could help. The Drenchen charged into the melee, flinging Landstriders left and right. Brea came over to where her sister lay with a washcloth and ice, handing them to Onica before grabbing her phone to call campus police. The Sifa placed the ice gently to Tavra’s already swelling jaw. The dazed Silverling gazed up at her, a strange smile spread across her face.

“Hmm…I must be dead…” Onica looked at her oddly.

“What makes you say that?”

“I’ve got a beautiful, red-haired angel taking care of me. If this isn’t paradise, I don’t know what is.” Onica chuckled at the rather forward-speaking Vapra.

“Well, I’m afraid this isn’t paradise, but if you’d like, I can care for you a little while longer.” Tavra smiled at her, before suddenly pulling her in for a dazed and clumsy kiss. Onica pulled back, blushing wildly.

“I’d really like that. My name is Tavra. And what is the name of the gorgeous angel that’s caring for me, if you don’t mind my asking.” Onica blushed even further, beguiled by the Vapra girl’s charms.

“I’m-uh…I-I’m Onica.” Tavra took her hand, holding it up to her lips for a kiss nearly missing it because of her dizziness.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, my dear lady Onica. I hope we can get to know each other better, that is, once my jaw stops hurting so much. *Groan* Coach is going to be so mad at me if I can’t practice tomorrow.” Onica placed a gentle hand to the uninjured side of Tavra’s face.

“Lucky for you, my hobbies include learning traditional Sifa herbal Less side effects than regular medications. And I guarantee you’ll be up and skating by tomorrow. Now, let’s get you up and into bed.” Onica helped Tavra to her feet, the Vapra swinging an arm around the other girl’s shoulders.

“You’ve known me less than ten minutes, and already you’re trying to get me into bed. My, my, don’t you work fast.” Onica rolled her eyes, but still laughed quietly.

I think I’m beginning to like this girl. With that last, lingering thought, the two walked unsteadily into the dorm, and into a wonderful new relationship.

-DK

#tavronica week 2021 #tavra #onica #gurjin #naia #amri #kylan #tae #brea #periss #rek'yr #deet #rian #mira #gelfling OCs #ice hockey #college

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tightlaces · 3 years

Text

Fire Hazards: Chapter 1

Summary: Eren gets involved with a sketchy crowd, so Mikasa swoops in to save him, yet again. At least...that’s what she thinks she’s doing.

Genre: Modern grunge AU

Pairings: Mikasa/Annie, Mikasa/Eren

Chapter Warnings: None

Chapter Word Count: 1,140

As soon as Mikasa pushed the front door open, she knew they were in trouble.

The house had what appeared to be a small living room, with small but well-placed windows, a nice television, and a cozy, carpeted floor. However, the room was crammed full of mis-matched furniture (much of which did not seem to belong in a living room at all), decorations, and chip bags in varying states of emptiness. A small forest of houseplants all but blocked the television from view. What appeared to be a bathroom sink was stashed in the corner, unconnected to any water source.

Along the walls, cabinets and bookshelves were lined with liquor bottles and collectible figurines. With the stagnant summer heat, the smell of unwashed bodies, weed, and neglect hung in the air. A chalkboard balanced on the back of a couch read:

HOUSE RULES:

BE YOURSELF

DON’T BE BERTHOLDT

Mikasa sighed.

“Oh!” A tall man with a sensitive, thoughtful face was tending to the houseplants. Finally noticing Mikasa, he stood up, and extended a hand, which was covered in dirt. “Are you - “

“Where’s Eren.” Mikasa demanded, flatly. The man’s mouth hung slackly, and he pointed to the first room on the left.

Mikasa kicked the door open. Inside, Eren sprawled on a mattress, which lay directly on the floor with no bedframe or cushion. The moment he saw her, he cast his video game controller aside.

“Mikasa!” he cried, jumping up to embrace her. She gave him a strong squeeze back, feeling a rush of relief and gratitude to finally see him in person, to be able to wrap her arms around him and hold him tight.

They sat on the mattress together, catching up and exchanging light kisses. Mikasa bit back her reprimands and interrogatories about his schoolwork. For all her disappointment upon seeing the living room, she wasn’t surprised.

“It’s great to see you again,” Eren told her, filling Mikasa with a happy warmth. “I can’t wait to introduce you to everyone! Well, you met Reiner before.”

“Will you give me a tour?” Mikasa asked, smiling, knowing that Eren would be excited to show her around.

Eren showed her the bathroom, which, thankfully, was cleaner than the living room. However, the kitchen brought back the feeling of churning trepidation to Mikasa’s stomach. Several half-eaten food items were left out, some seeming fairly fresh and others...less so. A steady stream of ants marched from a hole in the wall, to a sticky spot near the trash can. The recycling bin was overflowing with beer bottles, with additional bottles stacked next to it.

“It’s good you’re recycling,” said Mikasa, searching for a positive note.

The countertops were covered with various items, including expected items like a microwave and toasters (but why did they have three toasters?), but also miscellany like a wrench, an unmarked glass vial, and a crumpled sweatshirt.

Eren caught Mikasa’s eye and laughed nervously. “It’s not usually like this,” he said. “Bertholdt just tried one of his crazy recipes. He gets really down if they don’t turn out.”

“I see,” said Mikasa doubtfully, scanning the countertops. “So,” she said, to change the subject. “Which are everyone’s rooms?”

Eren had told her about his housemates. Reiner, she’d met before. He was several years older than Eren and served as something of a mentor, helping Eren pursue his dream of starting his own business. If Mikasa remembered correctly, Eren and Reiner met at a student event about business leadership. Reiner seemed like a put-together, stand-up guy. His clothes were always perfectly ironed. Mikasa hadn’t imagined him living in a dump like this.

The other two, Mikasa had never met, though she had heard they were both friends of Reiner’s. Bertholdt and Annie.

“Reiner has the largest bedroom. Then, this is Bertholdt’s room,” announced Eren, gesturing at a corner of the living room that seemed to be a nest of blankets, pillows, and clothing. There was no discernable shape or orientation to it. “He pays reduced rent because, you know, no privacy.”

“Makes sense,” said Mikasa. “Does he take care of the plants?”

“Yep!” said Eren cheerily. “Oh, so you saw him earlier?”

“Just for a second,” confirmed Mikasa. “He seems nice.”

“He is very nice,” said Eren. “He really makes the house a home.” At that, Mikasa glanced around at the piles of clutter, nonsensical objects, and general state of uncleanliness.

“And this,” said Eren. “Is Annie’s room.” Annie’s door was closed and unmarked. Mikasa couldn’t tell if she was home or not. “Annie’s cool, but...it’s hard to get to know her,” whispered Eren.

A lot of things about Eren’s new house bothered Mikasa, but the fact that he was living with another woman was not one of them. In the five years they had been together, Eren was consistently loyal and mindful. Sure, he had some crushes, but they were innocent, a mix of attraction and admiration that Mikasa found almost endearing.

It was one of the many things that made Mikasa feel proud of their relationship. Unlike other couples, they were not jealous, and rarely had serious fights. She never doubted Eren’s loyalty. Things were straightforward.

That was what kept them together for so long, when others doubted whether a long-distance relationship would survive. Mikasa’s job in disaster relief took her all across the state, wherever and whenever emergencies struck, so she and Eren were unable to see each other regularly, or even to always know when they would next meet. But their love and trust was so consistent and reliable as to make up for the logistical uncertainties.

However, Eren was not quite so dedicated to everything else.

“Hey, Eren?” said Mikasa, as they walked to the grocery store for a few things. “Are you ready for school to start?”

“Oh, yeah!” said Eren. It sounded more like “I forgot” than “I’m ready”.

“It’s in a couple of weeks, right?” asked Mikasa, although she had already looked up Eren’s school calendar online.

“Yep!” said Eren cheerily. “Only one more semester! I’m gonna crush it!”

Eren was already a year late to graduate. He only had two classes left to finish, but he couldn’t seem to put it all together to pass. At first, it was understandable mistakes with class planning, a last-minute change in his major, and then one truly overwhelming semester playing catch-up. But now, Mikasa suspected that Eren was just too passionate about everything else in his life.

“Does that one professor still teach it?”

“Yeah, Professor Zoe,” said Eren. “I think we started getting along better last time.”

“What did they say to you? If you fuck around in my class again, I swear to God I’ll end you?”

“Yeah!” said Eren, laughing. “They’re so funny.”

Mikasa bit her lip to quell the worries swirling in her head, and bought Eren an oversized stock of pantry staples instead.

#fanfic #snk #attack on titan #aot #mikaanie #shingeki no kyojin #shingeki no kyoujin #mikasa akerman #annie leonhart #mikannie

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dettiot · 4 years

Text

Fic: Bench Trial

Title: Bench Trial Author: dettiot Rating: T

Summary: Padmé Amidala is one of the youngest judges ever appointed to the Washington, D.C. bench. Anakin Skywalker, a Marine veteran, is now a private investigator. They might not have ever met, if Padmé’s friend Satine and Anakin’s foster brother Ben weren’t a couple.

Notes: Written for Anidala Week 2020 for Day 4: Modern AU or Fusion/Alternate Fandom. I kinda adore modern Anidala AUs, and when I had the idea to include Anakin and Padmé in my Obitine lawyers AU, I took the opportunity and ran with it!

This is set in the future of Opposing Counsel, my Obi-Wan/Satine modern lawyers AU, so if you’d like to check it out, it’s available on Tumblr or AO3. Thanks for reading!

Bench trial: A trial without a jury, in which the judge serves as the fact-finder.

XXX

Padmé took her seat, setting her briefcase down by her chair and crossing her legs. As much as she supported anything to bring more women into the legal profession, and liked being able to socialize and interact with her coworkers, she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to stay awake during tonight’s seminar. Her workload as a judge was much more extreme than before, when she had been a defense attorney. It was like there weren’t enough hours in the day. And the only way to get through all her work was to cut back on her sleep.

A tall, imposing blonde woman sat in the chair beside Padmé, speaking softly on her cell phone. From the tone of her voice, it was someone she cared about. “Of course Anakin’s welcome to stay. We’ve got plenty of room and besides, it’s better when there’s someone around to remind you to eat and keep you from falling asleep on top of your legal pads.” She paused, listening, then laughed softly. “Me, too. I’ll see you at home. Bye.”

She hung up and looked at Padmé with a not-at-all-sheepish smile. “Men. So helpless without us.”

Chuckling softly, Padmé nodded. “I agree.” The blonde looked familiar to Padmé, but she still held her hand out. “Hi, I’m Padmé Amidala.”

“Satine Kryze,” the blonde said with a firm, no-nonsense handshake. “You’re the judge who was appointed recently, yes?”

“Just about a year ago,” Padmé confirmed. “I think I’ve seen you at other events . . .?”

“Yes!” Satine’s eyes lit up. “I was on the affirmative side in our Equal Rights Amendment debate.”

Padmé nodded as she remembered. “You were amazing. Of course, it’s hard for any woman to argue against the ERA, but I thought you supported your position in a very innovative way.”

“Thanks,” Satine said with a smile. “I had some help from the other side.”

Before Padmé could ask for more, the speaker was introduced and she leaned back in her chair, doing her best to push down her yawn. While the topic was interesting, it quickly became clear the speaker was not very talented at presenting her argument, and it was all Padmé could do not to nod off.

After a half hour, she felt a hard elbow in her side and jerked her head up, looking around. She saw Satine smirking a little and couldn’t help a small laugh.

“You want to get out of here?” Satine whispered.

She took in the glazed eyes of the other listeners and the bumbling words of the speaker, then looked back to Satine and nodded.

Without any shame, Satine rose to her feet and stepped past Padmé into the aisle. Scrambling a bit to grab her briefcase and follow Satine, it took her a few moments to catch up to the blonde.

Once they were out of the room, Satine said, “Normally, I’m more willing to give the benefit of the doubt, but I just couldn’t take any more of that speaker.”

“I know,” Padmé admitted with a smile. “Thank you for the rescue.”

“How about a drink?” Satine said. “My place is just a few blocks away, and my boyfriend has a weakness for very good Scotch and very crappy beer.” She grinned encouragingly at Padmé.

There were a dozen briefs in her briefcase, waiting for her to read them. Not to mention the stack of legal journals at home, besides the laundry she should have done last night and other chores.

But Satine’s smile was so welcoming and Padmé couldn’t deny she would like a break. So with a smile of her own, she nodded. “All right.”

“Excellent,” Satine said. “Let’s go. We can order some dinner, too. This way!”

Padmé walked with Satine, feeling a jaunty spring in her step. “Have you and your boyfriend been dating long?”

“About a year,” Satine said easily. “We dated in law school, but then we broke up rather acrimoniously and didn’t reconnect until after I moved to D.C.”

“How lucky that you could start over,” Padmé said, feeling a slight flutter of envy. Not that she had any boyfriends in her past that she’d want to date again, but it was nice to think that you could get a second chance at love.

Satine nodded. “It was hard to get here, but it was all worth it. You probably know of him--Ben Kenobi, from the prosecution office?”

“You’re dating a prosecutor?” Padmé asked with a blink. Because unless she missed her guess, Satine was a defense attorney.

“I know, I know,” Satine said, rolling her eyes. “I’m working on Ben, though. We’ve talked about opening our own law firm in a year or two, once we have enough capital.”

The rest of the walk passed quickly as Padmé and Satine exchanged information about local law firms and their client bases.

Soon, they arrived at a modest-looking brownstone on a side street off Dupont Circle. Satine climbed the steps and opened the front door, stepping inside. “Ben? Are you here?”

“Coming, my dear!” came a distinguished-sounding voice, and within a few moments, an auburn-haired man with a beard and a twinkle in his blue-gray eyes appeared in the hall.

“Hello, my love,” Satine said, smiling brightly at Ben before kissing him softly.

He was enthusiastic in his response and Padmé looked away, feeling her cheeks flush.

Satine smiled a bit apologetically at Padmé when Ben finished kissing her, while the man in question looked at Padmé and smiled. “Good evening.”

“Ben, this is Padmé Amidala. We snuck out of a very boring presentation, and I invited her over for a drink.”

“Welcome to our home, Padmé,” Ben said, shaking her hand. “I’m afraid neither Satine nor I are much in the way of cooking, but we do have a fully-stocked bar. What can I offer you?”

She couldn’t help but be charmed by Ben. With a smile, she said, “I would love a martini, if it’s not too much trouble. That should tide me over until we decide what we’re ordering for dinner.”

“Brilliant,” Satine said. “Make it two.” She kissed Ben’s cheek, then turned to Padmé. “The menus are in the kitchen.”

“Sounds good,” Padmé said, taking a step to follow Satine.

There was the sound of a door opening, and Ben said in exasperation, “Anakin, really?”

“You said Satine was out!” said another man--Anakin, Padmé supposed--as both she and Satine turned around.

And then Padmé’s eyes nearly fell out of her head.

Because she was not expecting to see a tall, handsome, practically naked and dripping wet man in Satine’s hallway.

XXX

He was going to kill Ben. It didn’t matter that he was his foster brother--his father in some ways--the man who had helped him get off drugs, the one who had changed his life.

No, he was going to kill Ben for letting him step out of the first-floor bathroom wearing just a towel, in front of Ben’s scarily intimidating girlfriend and a complete and total stranger.

A really hot complete and total stranger.

Anakin gripped his towel tighter with his flesh hand, feeling grateful his new prosthetic arm could stay on when he showered. He was already embarrassed enough, he didn’t want to deal with explaining why he was missing his right hand and forearm, too.

Especially with how the really hot complete and total stranger was staring at him.

Doing his best to smile, he said, “Hey, Satine. Sorry about this.”

“Oh, no, don’t apologize. This is incredibly entertaining,” Satine said, her arms folded across her chest and a wide smile on her face.

“Cool, I guess,” he said, glancing at the stranger again. She was beautiful: long brown hair put up in a twist, big brown eyes, and delicate features. Her whole face looked like something out of an old painting: expressive and regal. Like a queen.

“Anakin, perhaps you might go back in the bathroom and get dressed?” Ben suggested, his face impassive but his eyes dancing with amusement. “Then you can meet Padmé properly.”

Padmé. He’d never met anyone named that. Just like he’d never met anyone with his name. And . . . he was staring at her now. Anakin was sure his blush went halfway down his chest, but he wasn’t about to look down and see.

“Right, yeah--good idea,” Anakin said, stumbling a little. “See you in a bit.” He couldn’t help meeting Padmé’s eyes one more time before he turned and went back into the bathroom.

He leaned his ear against the door, trying to hear if they were saying anything--if Padmé was saying anything about him--but all he heard was footsteps. Blowing out a breath, Anakin took his towel and finished drying off quickly. He pulled on his jeans and a faded black t-shirt, then ran his hands through his hair, looking at himself in the mirror.

The same blue eyes with a scar cutting across his right eyebrow, straight nose and pronounced jawline greeted him. Anakin wasn’t vain and he didn’t worry too much about his looks, but in this moment, he wondered if maybe Padmé had liked what she had seen.

Acting like a damn fool was nothing new to Anakin Skywalker. Especially in front of an amazingly beautiful woman. Hopefully, he could go and talk to Padmé and make her forget just how big an idiot he had acted.

Anakin stepped out of the bathroom and heard voices coming from the kitchen. When he stepped into the kitchen, which was open to the dining and living rooms, he found Ben at center stage, making cocktails, flirting with Satine, and joking with Padmé. The sight of a smile on Padmé’s face, the sparkle in her eyes, made Anakin want to be the one making her look like that.

“Hey,” he said, giving everyone an embarrassed smile.

Satine gave him an evil grin. “Hi, Anakin.”

Rolling his eyes, he looked at Padmé and smiled, holding out his hand. “Hi. I’m Anakin Skywalker. I’m Ben’s foster brother.”

“Hello,” Padmé said, taking his hand and shaking it, her palm soft and cool against his. “Padmé Amidala. I met Satine at a lecture tonight, and she invited me over.”

He nodded and smiled at her. “Nice to meet you.”

Her small nod and smile, before turning to talk to Satine, made Anakin’s heart fall. He waited a moment to see if he could join their conversation, but since he was the only one in the room who wasn’t a lawyer, it quickly became clear that he couldn’t add much to a discussion of some weird old law.

With a sigh, he went over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. He took a long swallow as he tried to readjust his outlook. Sometimes an embarrassingly, sexually-charged meet-cute didn’t go anywhere.

“Okay there?” Ben asked quietly, mirroring Anakin’s lean against the countertop.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Anakin said with a sigh. “I just let myself get carried away, again.”

Ben gave him a sympathetic smile. “It’s one of your best qualities, Anakin: how you meet people and immediately connect with them. I envy you for that quality.”

It had to be some kind of witchcraft, how Ben could settle him down. Ever since they had first met, when Ben was serious and too mature at sixteen, and Anakin was a rambunctious and grieving nine-year-old, it had been like that. Although the death of his mother would always be the worst thing that had ever happened to him, having Ben drift out of his life was up there.

Anakin was grateful they had reconnected ten years ago. And he was glad that Ben had gotten back together with Satine, because he had never seen his foster brother so happy as he was now. He just . . . he wanted some of that happiness for himself.

“I just . . .” Anakin said softly, glancing over at Padmé. “She’s amazing, and I don’t even know her. So how much more amazing would she be if I did get to know her?”

Giving him a gentle pat on the shoulder, Ben smiled. “Let me see what I can do.”

“What? Ben, no--” Anakin hissed, but it was too late. Ben was already crossing over to stand in front of the counter where Padmé and Satine were sitting and talking quietly.

XXX

She knew Satine wanted to rib her about her reaction to Anakin. Even though Padmé has just met her, it’s blatantly obvious. But all it took was a look from Ben as they sat down, and Satine drew Padmé into conversation about other things.

But it was still pretty clear how amused Satine was by Padmé’s gawking.

Amusement was the last thing Padmé feels about her reaction to Ben’s foster brother. Because . . . she didn’t know she could react to a man like that. With an immediate, complete, and total surge of lust and desire and want.

Even as she kept up her end of the conversation with Satine and laughed at Ben’s jokes as he made their martinis, Padmé was trying to analyze just what happened in the hallway. Why the sight of Ben’s foster brother, dripping wet, wearing just a towel, was just so . . . inspiring.

Padmé crossed her legs and mentally stuck her tongue out at herself. Because there was an easy answer to why she’s feeling like this.

Anakin was incredibly, beautifully, hot.

Tall and lean? Check. Broad shoulders tapering to defined abs and a narrow waist? Check. Strong, athletic legs? Check.

And that was even before she got to his face. That jawline--those lips--and his eyes. Padmé always thought blue eyes were cold, remote. But Anakin’s were warm and intense and so alive.

It was his eyes, and the scar crossing by one of them, that kept him from being too pretty, too perfect. And she wondered what his story was.

Being in foster care must have made for a difficult childhood. But there was such warmth and affection between Ben and Anakin. So she wondered . . .

At that moment, Anakin stepped into the kitchen and Padmé almost groaned. How could he be just as hot in clothes? It was only a pair of jeans and an old t-shirt, but with bare feet and damp hair, he was gorgeous.

“Hey,” he said, smiling apologetically at all of them, but his eyes seemed to linger on Padmé.

Now that both of them were in the same room, Satine seemed even more excited to cause mischief. Anakin ignored her and held his hand out to Padmé, introducing himself.

When she touched his hand, she nearly sighed at how warm his skin was. How nice it felt. It was like sinking into a bubble bath at the end of a long day.

What was wrong with her?

She had to turn away and start talking to Satine to keep her composure. She could see, out of the corner of her eye, how Anakin deflated a bit before going to the other end of the kitchen.

“You know, Anakin’s single,” Satine said quietly. “And I tease him, since he’s Ben’s younger brother and he’s easy to tease, but he’s a good man.”

“I don’t have time for dating,” Padmé said emphatically, because it was the truth. She hadn’t even really had the time for the seminar tonight, but had told herself that it might be worthwhile down the line. This? Spending time with Satine, hanging out at her house? How could that be worthwhile?

A tiny voice inside her said, “Worth isn’t a value in friendship,” but Padmé tried to ignore the voice.

“And I thought that, too, when I moved here,” Satine said. “But then my sister got stationed at Quantico, and I buried the hatchet with Ben and started dating him. And I met Anakin, and his foster sister Ahsoka, and . . .” She shrugged her shoulders. “Sometimes, you meet people that make you rebalance your whole life so you can spend time with them.”

Padmé took a healthy swallow from her martini. “I know. But . . . I have a duty to the court, to justice. I want to be on the Supreme Court someday. And that means working as hard as I can to achieve that.”

“All right,” Satine said, smiling a bit sadly. “I like you, Padmé, and I don’t have a lot of friends here in D.C. So I hope this isn’t the only time we can do this. Because our jobs are hard and it’s nice to have some support.”

Although she doubted Satine was trying to make her feel guilty, Padmé looked away in regret. Because she liked Satine, too, and she definitely didn’t have friends in D.C. Her parents still lived in Connecticut, and while Padmé loved her sister and brother-in-law and nieces, getting out to Houston to visit them was nearly impossible.

Maybe . . . maybe she was looking at this in the wrong way. Maybe instead of the law seminars and professional organizations, she . . . just needed to make a friend. Someone who was also in the legal profession, so she understood the challenges, but more than that, Satine just seemed fun.

“You’re right,” Padmé said. “I . . . I’m sorry if I was rude. I didn’t mean to be. And I’d like us to be friends.”

Satine smiled brightly and lifted her glass. “Cheers to that!”

They clinked, Padmé smiling back, as they both finished their martinis.

“Ladies! I have an idea.”

“Oh?” Satine asked, smirking at her boyfriend.

Padmé grinned a little in embarrassment at the answering smirk Ben sent Satine, before he looked at her.

“Actually, I thought we could send Anakin and Padmé over to the Thai place to pick up some food for all of us,” Ben said. “They don’t deliver, but the food is simply amazing and well worth the walk.”

With Ben being shorter than Anakin, it was easy for Padmé to see Anakin’s flushed face and eyes that looked anywhere but at her. And . . . something twisted inside her, something soft and silent, that made her want to listen to her heart instead of her head.

“Sounds good to me,” Padmé said. “I love Thai food.”

Anakin’s head jerked up, his eyes immediately meeting hers. Then he smiled brightly. “Thai is awesome.”

Smiling back at him, Padmé hopped off her stool. “What do you guys want?” she asked, looking at Ben and Satine and nearly giggling at their matching confused looks.

“Chicken pad thai,” Ben said after a moment’s hesitation and a look at Satine.

“Tom kha soup with tofu and an order of basil fried rice for me,” Satine said, grinning at Padmé.

“All right,” Padmé said, grabbing her purse and turning to Anakin. “Ready?”

He nodded and smiled even wider. “Ready.”

XXX

As they stepped out of Ben and Satine’s place, heading towards the Thai place thanks to the GPS on Padmé’s phone, Anakin couldn’t help looking at Padmé.

Because . . . something had changed with her. She was smiling, looking at him . . . acting so much more open.

It made all his hopes roar back to life.

“So . . .” he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. “What do you do?”

“I’m a judge,” Padmé said, her voice even, looking at him with a slightly-raised eyebrow.

He had dated enough to know when a woman was giving him a test, but he wasn’t about to hold back his honest opinion.

“Wow,” he said, looking at her with even more respect. “That’s amazing.”

Padmé’s smile was so warm and dazzling, he felt a little dazed. “Thanks. I’m really happy in my job--the only bad thing is how much time it takes.”

“I know what you mean. Well, not exactly,” Anakin said, feeling a flicker of self-doubt. “I mean, my job isn’t a normal nine-to-five, so . . .”

“What do you do?” she asked, sounding interested.

“I’m a P.I.,” he said. “Ben helped me get into it after I got out of the Marines.”

Her head tilted and then she smiled. “I thought you seemed to have a military bearing to you.”

He wondered if that was why she had stared at him when they first met--she thought he stood like a soldier. And not because she was checking him out.

Giving his head a shake, Anakin tried to focus. “And now you’re friends with Satine. Because believe me, if she meets you and she likes you, she will adopt you. That’s how it was with me.”

Padmé let out a soft, beautiful laugh. “Yeah, I’m getting that. But . . . it’s nice. To have someone who knows themself and doesn’t have to spend hours deciding something.”

“It sounds like you speak from experience,” Anakin said, grinning at her.

Her answering grin made her look so fucking adorable, it was all he could do not to beep her nose or kiss her senseless.

“I just might,” she said, and Anakin made himself keep the conversation going as they walked towards the Thai place.

“I am not a thinker,” he said as he held open the door of the restaurant for her. “I just . . . do stuff. Whenever I get the idea.”

“Oh?” she asked, stepping under his arm. “That sounds scary. But also . . . freeing.”

Anakin shrugged and grinned as he followed her. “You should try it. Like . . . in this situation, would you spend fifteen minutes deliberating over what you’d get?” He gestured up towards the menu board.

“Not . . . not that long . . .” she said awkwardly.

Lifting an eyebrow, Anakin smirked at her. Padmé flushed a little, but then half-heartedly shoved at his shoulder.

“You want to be more impulsive? Just look at the board and order something,” Anakin suggested.

Padmé craned her head back and took in the menu, her lips pursing a little. Then she sighed. “I can’t . . . partly because everything looks good, but also because . . . what if I make the wrong choice?”

He nudged her shoulder with his own. “It’s Thai food, not a murder trial.”

Rolling her eyes at him, she said, “Okay, then let’s put the shoe on the other foot for you. Look at the board and order for me.”

Oh, she was . . . she was a little bit evil. Because . . . what if he made the wrong choice?

Ankin took a look at the menu board, then looked back at her, seeing how she had folded her arms over her chest. Her whole air was downright smug, and he felt himself rise to the challenge.

“Okay, it’s on. But, because I’m a nice guy: how spicy do you like your food?”

“Thank you for asking,” Padmé said with a grin. “Mild, please.”

With a nod, Anakin took in the board. After about a minute, he nodded and stepped up to the counter.

“What? You’ve decided?” Padmé said, sounding a bit panicked.

“Trust me,” he said, before smiling at the clerk. “Hi, we’d like a chicken pad thai, tom kha soup with tofu, an order of basil fried rice, pad prik king as hot as you’ll make it, and--” He paused and looked at Padmé. “Are you a vegetarian?”

She shook her head, looking up at him as she gnawed a little on her lower lip. Anakin grinned and turned back to the clerk. “And a chicken green curry, please. That’ll be to-go, thank you.”

The clerk nodded and put the order in, giving Anakin the total. He pulled out his wallet, then gently nudged away the outstretched twenty Padmé was offering him. “I’ve got this.”

“All right,” she said, putting away her money and watching him. He could feel her eyes on him, which made Anakin stand up a bit straighter. With that taken care of, they both stepped away from the counter, waiting for the food to be ready.

“You made that look so easy,” she said, gazing up at him.

Anakin shrugged. “I know what I like, but I also like to take a chance. What’s the worst that will happen? I’ll have to eat Ben’s bland old chicken pad thai? Oh, well.”

Padmé smiled a little, but she was still thinking things over. He could practically see the gears turning in her head. Which was incredibly attractive, honestly. He hadn’t ever dated women that were necessarily intellectual--they were smart, but Padmé was a whole different level. And as he watched her think, he wondered if she had any idea how beautiful she was.

“So . . . are you like that with everything? Just make a decision and go?”

“Most of the time, yeah,” Anakin said. “Because . . . I guess you could say I know, all too well, why you shouldn’t hold back. You never know when you’ll get another chance. I’m not gonna go skydiving or anything like that, but . . . life is meant to be lived. To be experienced. If you don’t do that--what’s the point?”

He felt his cheeks flush a little as he finished speaking. Not just for opening himself up like this, giving her the opportunity to ask more about his past--some details of which would make any woman hesitate to pursue him. But also, because of the look she was giving him. There was something going on inside her head . . .

She nodded slowly. “That makes sense. I--I really hope this works out.”

“What--” Anakin started to ask, before Padmé reached up, clearly going up on her toes with the height difference between them, and slid a hand into his hair. He gaped at her for a moment. But when she pulled his head towards her, Ankin was more than ready to meet her lips with his own.

And he found himself feeling very, very, very grateful that Padmé was using kissing him as a way to try out being impulsive.

End.

#anidalaweek2020 #anidala #obitine #anakin skywalker #padme amidala #obi-wan kenobi #satine kryze #star wars #opposing counsel

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zetalial · 5 years

Text

FMA fanfiction recs!

Hey, so in my recent fma survey, I asked people for FMA fanfiction! And they delivered, yay! Thank you. I decided to make them into a nice list for all to see.

You’re very sweet, Anon but I’m afraid it’s already too late. This ended up quite, quite long. And I’m amazed at how long some of these stories are - if you’re looking for stuff to read, hopefully this list will occupy you for a while, (especially if you check some of the author’s other works).

Most of these I have not read, but hey, they were recced so they’ve got to be good, right? Range of ships and stories from both canons. I’ve included the ships but haven’t included ratings so be warned that some of these may be explicit. (The author will probably indicate it themselves though.)

Full list under cut!

-Fullmetal’s Company by Roseveare | 18434 words | Gen, takes place pre-series. | Ed should have never flashed the silver pocketwatch in a warzone.

-A Wicked Game by Tierfal | 59921 words | RoyEd, Modern!AU | Roy has lucked into the all-expenses-paid vacation of his dreams – all he has to do is convince a bunch of happy couples that he's head-over-heels in love with Ed Elric. What could possibly go wrong?

-Be light from now on by Merel | 2363 words | GreedLing, Modern!AU | “Let’s go inside, sweetheart.” Cat café

-Number 28 by Sevlow | 63347 words | Gen, Parental RoyEd, divergence | As of today, Edward Elric had been missing for four months, two weeks, and five days. Warnings for angst, some gore, and Chimera!Ed.

-In the Gaslight by UnorthodoxCreativity |13542 words | RoyEd | Ed hates military parties. This is no surprise. But when a certain bastard of a colonel takes it into his head to make Ed's night a happier one, well. Ed's not complaining.

-Through the Gate by PreelikesWriting | 3 part series totalling 252736 words | Harry Potter crossover with BH Ed Pre-promised day covering books 5-7 of the HP books. Last part is still incomplete. | Edward is transported to the Wizarding world and must fight his way back home.

-Playing God by the Flamel Cult | 44445 words | Harry Potter crossover | I thought the dull aching was something other than my demise. As it turned out, I was sorely mistaken. Perhaps I should listen to Alphonse more; maybe then there wouldn't be another bloody tragedy that would, inevitably, end it all. For good.

-snipers solve 99% of all problems by silentwalrus | 134066 words | Harry Potter crossover, incomplete post-Promised day | Ed had thought, after the whole Promised Day, homunculus, entire country harvested for alchemical batteries thing, the batshit quotient of his life would have settled down some. He really ought to have topped out the meter with that one. But no. The bullshit is just getting started.“Are you fucking kidding me,” Ed demands. “The wizards?”

-Harry Potter and the Eastern Sage by LiteratureWork | 141609 words | Harry Potter Crossover Brotherhood incomplete | Nicholas Flamel was famous for creating the philosopher's stone, but like Lockhart's smile it was all a lie. Flamel stole a part of the stone and it took Edward 642 years to get it back along with the souls inside of it, one which was his brother. But after traveling to Hogwarts to retrieve it, Dumbledore has other plans for the ancient hero.

-Reversed by Autzulfrost | 162206 words | Harry Potter crossover post 03 anime | At the end of the first anime, Ed is sent back to London. But he's a kid again and through a twist of fate gets involved with the wizarding world. Will the alchemist help save wizarding Britain? Will he find a way to return to his home and true family?

-Stray Hayate by Famousfault | 3436 words| Harry Potter crossover | Hayate had no idea how he had ended up there, but he had no other choice but to accept the situation. Harry at the other hand is not quite as satisfied with it.

-Demon Alchemist by Metisket | Series, 88462 words | Brotherhood divergence covers whole series | Al died in the transmutation. In which Ed becomes Central's local vigilante, thereby becoming Maes's problem. Roy finds something poetic in this.

-No Crueler Punishment by Gomboc123 | 2504 words | Post-promised day humour | Instead of taking away Roy's vision, Truth decides to take something much more precious from Roy, and defaces him in the worst way possible.

-The Bond we Share by DiaHonkers | 23750 words | What if Brotherhood where Ed and Al share a body incomplete | The Fullmetal Alchemist was a weird person. He joined the military at only 12 years old. But the weirder thing about him was that he changed personalities in the blink of an eye. One moment he could be screaming his head off at you and the other he would be profusely apologizing. He would constantly talk to himself, and his commanding officer didn't bat an eye. But what they didn't know that it wasn't just one person. It was two.

-Another Journey by Isil'zha BLZ | 254486 words | Whole series rewrite. | The Elric brothers embark on another journey, but this time it's different than the ones they've been through before. A reimagining of the FMA story that combines elements from both anime to create what is (hopefully) the best of both worlds.

-A boy named Ed by BelloftheSea | 302732 words | Post-canon but Ed is young again without memories of his old life. Incomplete | Ed knew he was different. It wasn't just that he was smarter than the other kids or even that he had automail. No, it had more to do with the way people would occasionally look at him, like they were expecting somebody else. It was the way his mechanic cried the day she met him. It was the way his dad would sometimes slip – and call him Fullmetal.

-Nothing Gold by Rydia Highwind | 23230 words | EdLing Post-canon, AU ending | Ling has gained immortality. Ed has not.

-Unto the Shores of Acheron by LAXgirl | 99904 words | Gen, post 03 AU | Everyone thought Edward was dead. But when someone tries to resurrect him, no one's prepared to deal with the soulless look alike that's created instead, or its hurt and anger when his original half unexpectedly returns from the other side of the Gate.

-Nequitia Est Manus by Azei | 103304 words | Divergence story incomplete | Madame Christmas meets a blonde brat with a fondness for drinking all her whiskey and giving her more headaches than Roy ever did. AU in which Ed fakes his death at the end of episode 26 and uses it as a means to stop Father's plans from the sidelines.

-Beast of a Burden by Shoulderpads | 66416 words | Diverges Pre-canon, BH incomplete | Alternate universe where Ed and Al don't get the chance to try and bring their mom back before they're taken to the labs as subjects for chimera experimentation.

-The Colours of the World by MaiKusakabe | 114228 words | Harry Potter crossover Post Promised day, incomplete | When Roy Mustang went to retrieve his eyesight from Truth, he wasn’t expecting to end up doing a job in exchange. It couldn’t even be an easy job, of course, because Edward’s assessment of Truth was a pretty accurate one.

-Confirmation Bias by Cryogenia | 3327 words | RoyEd vague timeline. | (No summary)

-Phylactery by Shade40 | 250666 words | Post-Promised day AU, incomplete | Six years after the Promised Day, Selim is Homunculus and child. As he studies alchemy, Selim realizes it is possible to resurrect his family. The Homunculi deserve the same second chance that he was given, but while they struggle to embrace their newfound humanity, an unknown player comes with a deal that divides them. Post-FMAB with bits from 2003 series.

-Inhuman Beings by wllw | 3173 words | Mid BH, Pride + Kimblee centric | At the edges of his vision, the shadows followed him.

-The Twelve Days of Disaster by MEOW-I'm-A-Dog | 47932 words | A series of oneshots about Christmas that go from crack to full cocaine. Written on a whim, not to be taken seriously unless you want to. Characters: Breda, Ed, Al, Havoc, Fuery, Hawkeye, Falman, Mustang, Hughes and the occasional Armstrong

-At Gate’s Edge by Winds of Water | 455478 words | RoyEd 03 AU where human transmutation went awry and Ed is a ghost. Incomplete | Love's never easy as it is, but it's twice as hard when you're separated by life and death.

-Grand Arcanum by The-Immortal-Moon | 343781 words | Series AU and roleswap blending 03 and BH. Incomplete | Brothers Edward and Alphonse tragically lose their bodies in a failed attempt at human transmutation. Now, they partner with their childhood friend, Winry, and scour Amestris in search of the Philosopher’s Stone.

-Abandon All Hope, Ye who enter here by Anonymous | 17171 words | Dark! Au from end of 03. Ed being held by Dante. NonCon. | Everything went wrong. Al is gone, Dante has the Stone, and Ed is a prisoner to the fanciful whims of his new captor.

-Love Can Melt the Ice by Winryofresembool | 63640 words | EdWin Modern!Au | Edward Elric, a hockey player from Amestris, participates in his first ever Olympics. The only thing he's planning to get from there is a gold medal. However, when he accidentally bumps into a childhood friend, a talented figure skater Winry Rockbell, he learns there are things bigger than hockey.

-Our Embalmed hearts, our desolate kingdoms by spooky_bee | 155853 words | Neon Genesis Evangelion fusion with FMAB RoyAi | "He leans back, palms connecting with the concrete, and looks up over their city, their desolate kingdom. In the rain, Central City might as well be the ruins of Xerxes, empty and grey, and he and she may as well be the last two people on earth."Or, Love in the Time of Giant Robots

-Talking With Ghosts by em-witchwood | 2801 words | EdRiza, Post FMA 03 | Out of all of them, she was probably the only one that didn’t regret all the things she had never said to him, because she’d said all that she wanted.

-We That Are Young by Stoplight Delight | 277131 words | Pre-canon | It's a well-known fact that innocents make poor soldiers. Fortunately, Riza Hawkeye's childhood was not entirely innocent. She had to grow up fast... though she wasn't the only one. The early years of the Colonel and his First Lieutenant.

-Tempest by Bookwrm389 | 16810 words | Gen, vaguely mid-series Parental RoyEd | Ed is adamant that he doesn't need a father. And it's only when he's about to lose the closest thing he has to one that he understands how very wrong he is.

-Flames of Consequence by EnviousMonster | 67018 words | Gen, Envy lives AU post BH. Incomplete | Where Envy survives and is given a second chance to become something more than they were made to be. Will contain depictions of violence, emotional and mental duress, etc.

-Stock Market Crash by VIKAN | 29301 words | Gen, vaguely canon timeline | Stranded in the middle of the Eastern Desert, Roy Mustang must try to get himself and a concussed Edward across it safely before he completely loses his mind.

-Mendacium by ChaoticClueless | 15558 words | My Hero Academia crossover with BH Ed. Incomplete | Edward didn't want to help Truth. He didn't want to go to a different world to defeat yet another Father. He didn't want to become a vigilante there.He also wanted his brother back. The choice was obvious, even if Truth is a massive asshole.

-Reverti Ad Praeteritum by Batsutousai | 288908 words | EdRoy Timetravel story, BH | Unwillingly forced to serve as a human trial for a crazy alchemist experimenting with time travel, Edward Elric finds himself standing across from Truth in the moment it takes his leg from him. Armed with the knowledge of what's to come and burdened with guilt for the choices he'd made as an adult, Ed sets out to fix every mistake he ever made and save every life they ever lost, no matter what it takes.

-Best Kept Secret by MoonStarDutchess | 523815 words | RoyAi BH canon-compliant incomplete | What if Roy and Riza were secretly married through the entire series? This story tells you that.

-Ash Like Snow by Laora | 6723 words | Harry Potter Crossover | His sanity is crumbling away, but then, so is the entire wizarding world.

-Penance by Laora | 125965 words | Harry Potter Crossover around Promised Day | The Gate was opening; the black arms stretched toward him and Pride. Ed knew he had no say in the matter. He would be pulled to this parallel dimension, alternate universe—whatever it was—and Amestris would be left to die. Truth merely grinned.

-Jiǔ by agentcalliope | 3131 words | Roy-centric piece, RoyAi | the nine steps Roy Mustang takes towards acceptance

-Homefront by hlwim | 50895 words | BH AU, some RoyAi | Miss Riza's arrival in Resembool has the potential to ruin everything.

-Infernia by mitsys | 3899 words | Royai, Pacific Rim AU | Some stories aren't told in headlines or newspapers, but in the touch of hands and minds. They linger together in the Drift, lines melting together into the seams, and they don't mourn the lost letters. They've been writing their story long enough to do it without words.

-Wooden by tobu_ishi | 1928 words | Gen, Post 03 anime, Ed in other world | He never realized how useful automail could be until he was an entire world away from it, or what a pain simple daily tasks could become.

-Mirrorworld by Tramontana Keeper | 305134 words | EdHei, Pre-CoS AU | Ed managed to prove that he was truly from a different world, and Alfons finds himself captive in Ed's dream of opening the Gate.

-Fragile Worlds by The Prettiest Frog in the Pond | 5635 words | Gen, 03 anime AU | He'd been stuck in this place for months now, but no matter what he says, nothing changes. He's Edward Elric. He's been Edward Elric all his life. So why won't they believe him?

-One Foot in by Firewind | 7008 words | Gen, 03 anime AU | Envy shows Ed why it's unwise to break a deal with homunculi.

-The Circle by Elfpen | 3007 words | Gen, promised day | Edward Elric teaches alchemy at Central University. A particularly horrible student leads them down a path of dark discussion, which somehow, leads Edward back full circle.

-Ignis Fatuus by Mikkeneko | 5787 words | Gen. | Edward attempts to break apart a chimera made from an animal and a child.

-Abstention by Asidian | 11117 words | Vague timeline | An assignment to snow country under Colonel Mustang is bad enough for the damper it puts on the Elrics' search for the Stone, but downed supply lines lead to cut rations, and Ed discovers that he can't take the deprivation as well as he'd like to pretend.

-Never break the chain by haganenobeato | 4199 words | RoyAi BH, vague timeline | The nights were not kind to Riza Hawkeye. Sleep felt elusive following the failed operative to capture a homunculus after Gluttony swallowed the Colonel whole with Edward alongside him. Before she could gather her bearings and make sense of what was happening, Mustang’s men were transferred at different cardinal points in Amestris with herself at the center as Bradley’s assistant.As for him… he had been changed.

-Men and Angels by Laora | 56333 words | Timetravel AU | Trisha can't understand; she's terrified, but she has to stay calm. Her boys are gone, replaced by her sons from the future...and something, she knows, is terribly wrong.

-The Really Ridiculously Good Looking Summer Festival by VerboseWordsmith | 45594 words | Modern!Band!AU RoyEd | Quasi-indie newcomers, Fullmetal Alchemist, just hit number one with their second single on the Amestris Hot 100 Rock chart and they've been added to the lineup of this summer's Transmuted Tour.

-To Love is to Sacrifice by Konfessor2U | 6372 words | Edvy, BH | Edward is held captive as a human sacrifice and Envy is set to watch over him.

-Not in His Job Description by alightintheshadows | 1331 words | Gen, BH Post-promised day, Parental Roy | General Mustang receives visitor much too early on a Sunday morning, but he doesn't mind in the slightest.

-Aftermath by Asidian | 32148 words | Elricest, vaguely post-series | Not even a year after Al receives his new body, Ed requests a mission that will take him far from his brother's side. When things go terribly wrong, they must pick up the pieces together.

-Ignis Aurum Probat by writing_addict | 34827 words | How to train your dragon AU, FMAB, incomplete | Edward Elric is born early into the dead of winter, on an island twelve days North of Hopeless and a few degrees south of Freezing-To-Death. He comes into the world sickly and small--and endlessly defiant, burning with the kind of rage that can shake the foundations of the universe. The gods themselves hear that scream, that roar of fury and thunder promising to remake the world as they know it, and wonder. Fifteen years later, Ed brings down the Night Fury that's been plaguing his people for generations, stands over it with the perfect opportunity to make the kill...and spares it.

-Satellite by SpicyReyes | 103170 words | EdRoy, Timetravel, BH incomplete | A rogue alchemist, desperate to restore the alchemy of the famous Fullmetal Alchemist, pushes Truth into playing a new game - one that has Edward Elric waking up on the floor of his house where a transmuted abomination should have been, just in time to save his younger self and brother. He might have a chance to do everything again, now, though...He would never hold anything but bitterness for the title of 'dad,' but maybe an older brother could make things better.

-With Eyes Anew by Rider_of_Spades | 500 words | LustScar FMA 03 | "She’s not your second chance– she’s your first." On the implications of being in love with a Homunculus.

-Son of the Desert by ShanaStoryteller | 10445 words | Ishvalan!Ed AU, BH EdRoy | Every time Edward sees the circle on the back Mustang's hand, he wants to scream, wants to reach across the desk and shake him, wants to wrap his hands around the older man's throat and ask if it was worth it, if this desk and his rank is worth the screaming, crying, writhing, burning bodies of his people-

-Tears and Rain by BeautifulFiction_FMA | 196772 words | RoyEd FMA 03 vague timeline | When Ed stops an assassination attempt on Roy's life, he foils one of the opening moves in a massive military intrigue. Can he and Roy stay one step ahead of those who want them dead, or will they both lose the fight to survive?

-The Lost Language of Swans by Mirabella | 2258 words | Elricest, Wingfic Post-series | They smuggled Al out of Central and back to Rizembul, where they rented a small house with room for Ed's books and Al's wings.

-For the night has been unkind by CoolJellyBean25 | 159980 words | RoyEd PostBH AU, Incomplete | Even with the straitjacket off, Ed never feels like it's really gone.

-conflicted by the very air i breathe by writing_addict | 149707 words | some RoyAi, BH AU, incomplete | Edward Elric vanishes after what was supposed to be an ordinary mission. A year later, Roy Mustang gets a call that changes everything.

-World without Roy by Manalfedz | 41482 words | Gen, BH AU, incomplete | Wherein...Roy tries not to freak out in an alternate world where everything has gone horribly wrong.

-A sudden alchemy by LadyMerlin | 5388 words | RoyEd Modern!Au | The one in which Roy is a Knight in Shining Armour

-A Pyramid Scheme by PhantomRose96 | 1662 words | Gen, immediately Post!BH | “Why didn’t you run?” “Sorry?” “Why didn’t you run away, Fullmetal?”

-From Ashes by JordannaMorgan | 22864 words | Gen, canon-compliant set right after the human transmutation attempt. | Edward and Alphonse had a long journey to make before they ever left home.

-Babylon by BeautifulFiction_FMA | 261096 words | RoyEd, post FMA 03 AU | Two years after retrieving his brother's body from the Gate of Truth Edward Elric is still paying the price. Will his debt ever be repaid, or will it finally cost him everything?

-Havoc’s Foolproof Plan by 1stTimeCaller | 9187 words | vague timeline, some RoyAi shiptease. | Havoc's love life is constantly interrupted by his womanizing boss. So he decides to try it on with the one woman who is immune to Mustang's charm.

-The Ordeal of Being Known by budgeWrites | 20254 words | FMA 03 AU LustScar Lust and Scar both live, Incomplete | On conquering demons, remembering how to live, and coming home.

-Focus by Sevlow | 37665 words | Gen, vague timeline | Mustang, Edward, and all the other Alchemists of fair Amestris are starting to lose their grip on their own minds and bodies. The Amestrian military is in chaos as dozens of its higher-ranking officers start losing their minds to an unknown sickness.

#fma #fullmetal alchemist #fma 03 #fmab #fma 2003 #fma fanfiction #fanfiction #fanfic recs #wow there's a lot here #you guys recced so many!#thanks so much!#there's all sort of ships here #I've made a point to mark them out

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onlyonewoman · 7 years

Text

Girls (or: the battle of skirts and potatos)

Another lowbones ficlet from the modern AU Aces of Spades and Hearts/Down Foreverdark Woods Trail series with Billy and Ned as an asexual married couple, set around eighteen years later, when Billy’s and Ned’s adoptive daughter Roisin is in her late teens, starting with... potatos. *** ”Honestly, I’m not so into this.” ”Why? ’Cause they’re Americans? You’re such a snob.” ”Watch it. I have more reasons to hate the English than Americans.” Ned finished peeling the last potato and put the pot on the stow. Billy pouted and did his best puppy eyes. ”I’m so sorry for the way my country treated you, Mr. Manderly-Low. Please, accept my peace offering.” He picked up a bag of potatos from the shopping bag and in the next second, he was running for his life, laughing, with a trail of earthy potatos and a one-eyed Irishman after him. ”Hey, hey! Stop it, Ned!” ”Ye’re such a bag of dicks!” ”That’s our food you’re throwing!” ”Aye. Enjoying it?” Billy jumped into the living room and fetched his armed husband from the doorway, locking him in a tight hug. ”Surrender!” ”Never!” ”What the hell are you guys doing?” The two combattants turned around to their sixteen-year-old, standing with raised eyebrows and crossed arms in the hallway. Billy quickly let go of his husband and cleared his throat. ”Uhm… hi, pumpkin. How was football practise?” ”Good. Why are you running around with potatos?” ”Oh, you know your da… Loves potatos. Ouch!” Ned elbowed Billy and Roisin rolled her eyes. ”You’re so lame! It’s gonna be so embarressing when Lucy’s parents come over.” Ned rose his hands. ”I swear: no potato throwing, no Ireland vs. England jokes and no black metal. And no football.” Roisin kicked one of the potatos through the kitchen door. ”Actually, please talk about football, then at least her dad will be happy.” ”And her maw?” ”Sorry, da. No theatre or books. She’s a broker and leads aerobic classes.” ”Oh, for fucks sake…” Ned shook his head and Billy choked a laughter as he turned the heat down on the stove. ”Don’t worry, Rose, we’ll behave. Promise. Right, Ned?” ”I’ll behave. They’re not Christians, I hope?” ”Protestant fundamentalists. I think their ancestors fought against the Catholics on Ireland. They have necklaces made from the teeth of Irish babies. Really Catholic babies.” Roisin grinned and Ned patted her cheek. ”Very funny, pumpkin. Now go get yer clothes in the laundry before they mold. Dinner’s ready in ten.” ”What’s more than thrown potatos?” ”Plaice and carrots.” ”Thrown?” ”Laundry. Now.” ”Yes, da. Oh, can I go see Lucy after dinner?” Ned gave her a curious look. ”Didn’t ye just see her at school?” ”So? I can’t see my friends now?” Ned rolled his eyes. ”Just kidding, pumpking. As long as ye’re home by ten. School night, ye know.” Roisín gave her da a quick hug. ”Thanks, da!” Their daughter disappeared from the kitchen and Ned started with the carrots and seasoned the fish, still smiling to himself, shaking his head. Billy opened the door to let Gwin out in the garden and then he fetched his husband’s cardigan, draping it over him by the sink. Ned snorted. ”Didn’t even ask for it.” ”Lift your feet.” Wollen socks and Ned wanted to say he didn’t need them, but the autumn air was chilly and the door open for Gwin. Sometimes Ned thought his husband knew him far too well. Billy wrapped his arms around him and nuzzled his hair. ”You know, you’re so alike, you and Rose, I almost get jealous sometimes.” ”Come on, Billy… She fucking adores ye.” ”You think we should, you know, encourage her to be more… girly?” ”What?” Billy shrugged. ”Well, you know… Wear skirts and stuff, buy make-up…” ”Sweetheart, I hate to break this to ye, but yer daughter’s sixteen and if she by some mysterious reason doesn’t know what to wear, she wont ask us. She’ll ask…” ”John. I know, I know, it’s just that…” ”What? Ye want her to wear more pink so she’ll remember she’s a beaur?” ”Alright, I’m silly.” ”Aye, ye are. What are ye really worrying ’bout, muppet?” ”Uhm…” The sound of Roisin coming down from her room had Billy give Ned a quick kiss on the ear. ”We’ll talk later, hon.” To be honest, Billy wasn’t very keen on having a second dinner date with Roisin’s friends parents either. Not because they were American, but because Ned wasn’t very comfortable with new people. But since their daughters were hanging out regularly and Lucy’s mother had insisted on a dinner and it would’ve been rude not to make an invitation in return, Billy and Ned now had a dinner for eight planned this Saturday, including four parents and four kids. Ned was already on the brink of a migraine and Billy simply counted the days in silence. Ned gave Gwin and Betsy their food and put the dinner on the table while Billy lit some candles. The old kitchen with creaking planks, blue checkered curtains and plants Betsy always tried to chew on gave Ned a calm sense of happiness inside. He felt safe, lucky, just being in his own home with his husband and daughter, his dog and cat. And for being such a ”lame” da, Roisín certainly had a lot to talk to him about. His teenage daughter still had her moments of thinking both her parents were complete idiots, but mostly she talked worse than John, meaning she actually liked her stupid dads. Just like Ned, she wore a metal t-shirt – Cannibal Corpse – and she used Billy’s old Liverpool scarf to school. If that was being lame parents, Ned didn’t really mind. ”Da?” ”Yeah, sweetheart?” ”I need new trousers.” ”Uh-huh. Ye have yer allowance.” ”But these are on sale now… Just this weekend.” Roisín had her pleading eyes and Ned looked at Billy, who put his fork down. ”You have more trousers than me and your da combined, darling. How about a nice skirt?” ”Skirt? Really daddy?” ”Yeah, why not? You’re a sweet girl and you’d look cute in a skirt.” ”Oh, lord…” Ned groaned and shut his eyes, as his husband and daughter began one of their endless discussions about clothes. ”Would you rather have me dressed like a slut?” ”Hey, we don’t use that word unless we’re talking about actual people who’re self-confirmed sluts, like John and you know that, young lady.” ”Whatever! Da, say something!” ”Nah-uh, ye’re not pulling me into this, sweetie. I don’t care what ye’re wearing as long as ye’re dressing properly according to weather. Unless ye decide to wear fucking nazi stuff or I don’t know... heels that might give ye sprained ankles. Then and only then I’ll be worried.” Billy sighed. ”Thanks for the support, Ned.” ”I’m not gonna waste any time trying to convince her to buy some damn skirt she wont use.” ”Thank you, da.” ”But ye have a stuffed wardrobe and what’s so special about these trousers? What colour?” ”Uhm… black.” ”Sweetheart, ye have at least four pair of black trousers.” ”Three.” ”Four. I found yer supposed lost ones behind the laundry basket this morning.” ”Oh…” ”So how about ye wash’em before buying anymore clothes ye don’t need – with or without legs.” ”Uhm… Yeah, I can… have a look at them.” ”That sounds really good, pumpkin. More fish?” *** They’d been married for more than twenty years and Ned’s hair had stains of grey in it, Billy’s wrinkles around the eyes had become more significant and they were still in love. When they’d finished their dinner and Roisìn had left to see Lucy, they took Gwin out for a walk before landing by the fire, a movie on Ned’s laptop and some beer to have a nice evening to themselves. Gwin and Betsy joined them soon. Billy cardened his fingers through his husband’s hair and Ned took a sip of his beer. ”What were ye worrying ’bout, muppet?” ”Nothing, really. Guess I just want her to be my little girl a while longer…” ”Oh, hon… She’ll always be our little girl. She just doesn’t like skirts.” ”Can’t understand why.” ”And I can’t understand why ye’re so obsessed with her wearing’em, Billy. Can ye explain that to me, ’cause I really don’t get this.” ”It’s just… they look pretty on her.” ”And? Ye think she looks bad in trousers, or what?” ”No, of course not. I don’t know, Ned, I just… Damnit, she’s so independent. I don’t know what she needs me for any longer…” ”Whoa, whoa… Stop it right there. How many daddies do ye know who get to take their sixteen year old daughter to games in matching sweaters? Teenage daughters asking for concert tickets to music their da’s like? She’s still practising football in our garden with you before a game, Billy. What more do ye ask?” ”That she’d put on a skirt every once in a while? Is that too much to ask?” ”Aye, it is. Stop pouting and bring me another beer.” ”She has tons of trousers and…” ”Billy…” ”What?” ”Do ye love me?” ”I… Of course I love you.” ”Then stop talking about clothes and bring me another beer. Ye know all we have to do is to make John suggest her to wear something and she’ll consider it. Christ…” Billy fetched a couple of beers and pouted. Ned planted a quick kiss on his mouth grabbed a bottle, let Gwin climb up in the couch and looked at the watch. ”You want me to drive her home tonight?” ”No, I’ll do it.” ”Sure? Ye’re not tired?” ”Not really. And I should talk to Lucy’s mom.” ”Oh, honey… She wont be there.” ”Why wouldn’t… Oh… Right. Teens. You think they’re having boys over?” Ned laughed so hard he spilled some beer on poor Gwin, who looked highly offended. ”Oh, God… this is… Sweetheart…” ”What?” Billy looked completely clueless and Ned bursted from laughter, shaking his head. ”This is priceless, fucks sake, Billy…” Billy pouted. ”Yeah, go on and laugh at your apparently stupid husband, by all means…” ”Sorry, hon, but… When was the last time ye heard Roisín talk about bucks?” ”What do you mean?” ”Sweetheart, she’s having a big poster of Kim Stolz on her bedroom wall.” ”Who the hell’s that?” ”If I say Glee and The L Word, Tipping the Velvet and Casey fucking Stoney, does it ring any bell?” ”Casey Stoney? The football player?” ”With a wife.” ”With a... Oh… Wait what? You mean…?” ”Our daughter is probably a lesbian. Congratulations, hon. The risk of being an early grandfather is significantly decreased and the reason she’s worried about how lame we will be, is because she doesn’t want to look stupid in front of her beour.” ”My daughter’s a lesbian…?” ”Don’t tell me ye’re upset, ’cause that’s just hypocritical.” ”Upset?” Billy grinned and left the couch, leaving Ned to exchange exasperated looks with Gwin and Betsy and then came back with a small tray with two fine glasses and a bottle of really fancy wine. Ned groaned but Billy just kept smiling wide like he’d won the lottery and poured two glasses, handing one of them to his eye-rolling husband. ”Upset? I’m fucking overjoyed! To lesbian daughters!” ”And their gay fathers… I guess. Cheers, muppet.” ”We did a pretty good job, didn’t we?” ”Speaking as if we were done…Ye know John will be so upset.” “Why?” “Because for once, his famous gaydar isn’t working.” “You mean I’m not actually the last to know?” “No, ye’re not.” Billy’s grin turned almost malicious and he kissed his eye-rolling husband. “I love you.” “I love ye too. And we’re missing half of the movie, so shut up, muppet.” THE END

#lowbones #billy bones #ned low #black sails #fanfic #ficlet #modern au #fluff #daddies #teenage daughter #service dogs #asexual marriage #stupidity #potatos #gay gay gay #aces of spades and hearts #betsy the cat #i love these dorks #lesbians

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justsomewritingsandshit · 7 years

Text

Missed Anniversary

Steve Rogers x Reader, Steve Rogers x Bucky Barnes

Length: 1606 words

Warnings: cheating on established relationship, dickmove by steven, only a little of bucky, angsty asf, swearing, reader has gay dads, au af

Masterlist for this series

Your relationship with Steve began not too long after his ‘un-freezing’. It started out with you being assigned by SHIELD, a company whom you had no idea existed at said time, to help him assimilate back into society, or more to the point; into the modern world. You, Y/N Y/L, an accomplished student of history, specifically early twentieth century, had been hired to help Steve’s transition.

It worked well, enough for Steve to be able to go about his life casually (read: until he didn’t freak out at the iPhone).

He asked you out on a date not too long after the first Avengers situation. Almost immediately after he’d successfully gotten in contact with you, founding out you were safe in Wyoming, with your father and step-father, and far away from the havoc unleashed in New York.

Today was your two-year anniversary, and you felt like you were at the point where you wanted to move further with your relationship. He was your boyfriend, and you both had said ‘I love you’, now you were going to ask him to move in together. Steve already spent quite a bit of time at your place, why not make it a bit more?

At this exact moment, you were preparing a beautiful dish, one that your mother made plenty of times before her passing – her famous spinach and ricotta lasagne, with stuffed mushrooms and herbed vegies. It was hard, an arduous task due to your lack of cooking skills, but you wanted to make the best. You laid out your small dinner table, then put on the playlist you’d made, which was filled with Steve’s favourites tracks from the thirties and forties. Smiling, you wondered if you should crack open a bottle of wine for the meal. Despite Steve’s ability to not get intoxicated, he did occasionally enjoy a nice Merlot.

You plopped onto your sofa, listening to the soft crooning of Billy Holiday (a favourite of yours that you’d included on the playlist), and began to wait. Flickering through your Instagram, you noticed that it was ten past seven, and Steve should’ve already been here. You began to frown as you waited. When the clock passed eight, you stood up, knowing that he wasn’t coming.

He’d done this before, though. Steve wouldn’t come to organised events, and while he didn’t mean anything by it (he was usually suddenly called away on a mission, or to the Avengers facility to help), the occasions it happened left you saddened. Sometimes he managed to text you that he’d be late, or at least get word back to you about what was going on. Checking your phone, you noticed no notifications, on any messaging app, so you called him.

“Hello, Steve Rogers, I cannot reach my telephone right now, but feel free to contact me via text messages, or leave a voice message now-” The tone rang, and you sighed, before hanging up. If he was on a mission, he’d call you as soon as he was done.

You just wished it hadn’t been your anniversary that he’d had to miss.

“Good morning, Y/N, what can I help you with this morning?” Two days later, and no word from Steve meant you’d gone to find him at the Avengers tower/facility. At the moment, you were conversing with JARVIS, the artificial butler of said building.

“Hi JARVIS, just here to see Steve. Could you take me to his floor?” Unless accompanied by a member of the team, you weren’t allowed to go wandering the tower, which makes sense as you didn’t have any SHIELD clearance anymore, and you’d never had Stark Industries clearance either.

“Of course, Y/N. Would you care for a beverage to be taken to Mr Roger’s room for you?”

“No, thanks.”

The elevator let out a whoosh as you were hurtled up several stories of the building, on your way to the floor which Steve resided on. He hadn’t contacted you in since your anniversary, so you had begun to worry, but then you’d contacted the tower and JARVIS had confirmed he was there – apparently, he hadn’t left in several days. More concerned than angry, especially as he hadn’t replied to your concerned messages, you wandered down to his bedroom door. Once or twice before, when the two of you had first started dating, Steve wouldn’t contact you for days as he was remembering his past, and was hurting because of said memories. Timidly, you knocked on the door, not wanting to startle him, just in case he was having one of these moments.

“Y/N!” Steve opened the door quickly, and let out a surprised gasp at seeing you standing there. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, and he looked as if he’d just come back from a workout session – not unusual for him. After all, have you seen his abs?

Smiling, you moved to walk into the room, “Hey! I’ve missed you, I was worried that you weren’t doing okay…” Steve side-stepped, getting in your way and making you stumble, “Are you? Okay, I mean.” You squinted at him, noticing the way he seemed to be breathing quickly, like he’d just run a marathon. His pale cheeks were also red, making you wonder if you’d embarrassed him somehow. “Steve, babe, what’s going on? I’m getting worried.” You said it softly, placing you palm on his shoulder, genuinely beginning to freak out. Was he okay? Had something happened?

“Stevie, pal, what’s taking you so long? I found the other bottle of lube-” A very naked Bucky Barnes walked out of the adjoining bathroom, and your heart broke. He seemed to be startled seeing you in the doorway, and froze, but quickly ran back into the bathroom when he realised his own nakedness.

Tears began to gather in your eyes, and you felt heat in your face. Hurt, anger and despair began to take over your body, as you stepped back in shock.

“Y/N!” Steve reached out to steady you, but you slapped away his hands quickly, not wanting him to touch you. What you just witnessed was too obvious for you to brush it off. You were all too aware of what had occurred. “Please, let me explain!”

But you were deaf to his words, “You missed our anniversary, so here.” You choked out the words, before shoving the small bag, that you’d been happily clutching in your hand up till this point, at his chest. “Ignore the key to my apartment. It’s clear that you won’t be able to move in with me, now.” You walked away, wondering if it was possible for you to exit this building, sans your heart?

“Doll, please!” Steve stalked after you and tried to tug at your hand, desperately trying to get you to not walk away from him. You shook him off.

“Don’t… just don’t, Steve.”

Somehow, you’d made it to your apartment. You saw the cutesy pictures you had strung up, and the various items and knick-knacks that reminded you of Steve, and your relationship. Ten minutes later, you were stood at the base of your apartment building, a small bag in hand, now waiting for your taxi to pick you up.

“Y/N!” You heard Steve’s voice, his frightened voice entering your brain, but you forced yourself not to acknowledge it. “Please, wait!”

A yellow taxi pulled up at this exact moment, and you absentmindedly opened the door, right as Steve ran over to you.

“Doll… please listen.”

You shook yourself to life, “Listen to what, Steve? Honestly, I don’t think there’s a thing you could say to me right now, that I would want to hear.” Hurt tears welled up in your eyes, and deep down you took satisfaction in the fact he looked saddened by them. “I’m going to get in this taxi, go to my dads’, and when I return in two weeks, I want your stuff gone.” Whilst you hadn’t lived together, he kept a lot of things at yours, and honestly; you didn’t want the memorabilia that littered the place either. “After that, the only time I want to see you, is when you’re on TV.”

“Y/N, I- I didn’t mean for it to happen, please trust me-”

“Well I don’t. You lost my trust the minute you cheated on me, with Bucky of all people!” You were a bit loud, but the only person who was there to witness, was the taxi man who was already charging you, so you didn’t really care.

“Bucky, of all people?” The way he said it made you wish you were physically capable of hitting him, “Because he’s a man?”

“No, Steve,” You felt angry, even more than what you’d been feeling a moment ago, “Because you said that I didn’t have to worry about him, that I should accept that sometimes a man wants to ‘hang out’ with his best friend!” You placed quotation marks around the words, letting Steve know that you now suspected every instance he’d said them. “I guess I learnt my lesson, though, didn’t I?” You shoved your bag into the taxi, and you sat down in it. Opening the window, you shoved your face through it and shouted at him, “And if you ever suggest that I’m being homophobic (because I don’t like the fact you cheated on me) again, you can kiss my gay dad’s ass!”

The car drove off, and whilst you couldn’t mend your heart from the hurt, the look on his face as you drove away, was enough to get you to the airport and into the comforting arms of your gay dads’ back in Wyoming.

#steve rogers #steverogers #stucky #steve rogers x reader #steve x reader #avengers imagine #avengers #avengersimagine #steverogersimagine #steve rogers imagine #reader insert #angst #cheating #steve rogers x bucky barnes #marvel #marvel imagine #marvelimagine #chris evans

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seriouslyhooked · 7 years

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Wedded Bliss and Asterisks (A Modern CS AU) Part 20/?

Emma Swan is an enemy of love who just happens to be an up and coming wedding dress designer. She’s convinced that a fairytale kind of romance is nowhere in her future but when she meets Killian Jones, whose magazine is covering the opening of her new boutique, things change. Suddenly Emma finds herself drawing up new plans for her life, ones that seem to all be leading towards her own form of wedded bliss. Rated M.

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six,Part Seven.Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten, Part Eleven, Part Twelve, Part Thirteen, Part Fourteen, Part Fifteen, Part Sixteen,Part Seventeen, Part Eighteen, Part Nineteen. Also on FF Here.

A/N: Hey everyone! We are back with another chapter of Wedded Bliss and Asterisks, and though it is a shorter chapter than usual, I couldn’t pass up the chance to write it. It will be the last chapter before the wedding. It includes a glimpse into Emma’s bachelorette party festivities and then ends with a fluffy moment that has been in my head since I first started writing this fic. I hope you guys enjoy and let me know what you think!

“Emma are you sure you couldn’t wear it for just one minute?” Mary Margaret asked for what felt like the hundredth time. “I just want one single picture with you in the tiara. Just one, I promise.”

Emma couldn’t tell if she wanted to sigh or laugh in the face of her friend’s headstrong wish, but she sided with a simple smile and a shake of her head. Mary Margaret was a fantastic person and a wonderful friend, always there when the chips were down and Emma needed someone to lean on, but she had this knack for pushing when everyone else would let something go. It probably had to do with all that excess of hope her friend seemed to have, which had only compounded further since she’d found love again in her life.

“Mary Margaret, I love you and you know that, but I’ve already told you I don’t want to live in a world where there is photographic evidence out there of me in that tiara.”

In the face of Emma’s words her slightly intoxicated (and by slightly she meant very) friend huffed out some air in a barely controlled sense of frustration and Emma couldn’t help but laugh when she did. She muffled it of course, trying to keep her friend’s feelings in mind, but it was a pretty funny situation all things considered. In fact the whole day had been that way, as one would expect when the drinking had started with mimosas at ten and Emma’s friends had never slowed down anytime over the next twelve hours.

“Sometimes I don’t understand you, Emma. You would make a beautiful princess. You really really would.”

“No one is saying she wouldn’t,” Elsa said from her spot next to Emma in the booth, her icy blonde hair almost coming off as blue with the colored lights of the club around them. “But if Emma’s going to be a princess, maybe it shouldn’t be the princess of penis.”

“Who said anything about that?!” Mary Margaret asked completely astonished, and that was the moment when Emma had the confirmation she’d been wondering about for the last twenty minutes. Her friend had simply missed the fact that the whole gaudy crown was encrusted with bedazzled dicks, and that was just too classic. Now it was just a matter of waiting to see which of them would break it to Mary Margaret first.

“So you’re telling me you can’t see them?” Elsa asked, clearly as shocked and also amused as Emma was and Mary Margaret furrowed her brow, shaking her head as she looked at the plastic crown once again. Emma would at least give her friend the benefit of saying that they were somewhat subtle, but once you saw the clearly phallic shapes making up the whole plastic bobble, there was no going back.

“They are not…” Mary Margaret countered before her eyes grew wider and she went a little red, realization setting in. “Oh my God they are! Ruby! Why would you even buy this?”

Emma found it funny that Mary Margaret would even have to ask. After years and years of friendship, Emma had totally expected Ruby to pull stunts like this for any of their bachelorette parties because that was who she was. And Emma also couldn’t lie and say it wasn’t entertaining because it was. Even if it wasn’t exactly her cup of tea, Ruby’s hijinks had created a fair many memories for Emma to remember forever, and Emma was grateful for that even if she wasn’t about to play along in full.

“Oh please. Emma’s just lucky I didn’t have full reign on this party. I was serious about those strippers, honey, and if this was Vegas… well let’s just say there’s a reason they say sin stays in that city.”

“Thank God for small miracles,” Emma muttered, seriously glad that she’d gotten out of that whole fiasco since she vastly preferred the party she’d had instead.

After careful deliberation on the part of all of her friends, it was decided that the best way to celebrate Emma getting married was to merge two kinds of bachelorette parties. They’d started the day with something Emma had been more accepting of (but still slightly wary from) that she ended up needing desperately: a trip to the spa. To be blunt it had been a fantastic change of pace for her, and after the hectic nature of their summer season, it was lovely to take a step back from the frantic go-go-go of her life and just relax.

That being said, it wasn’t all quiet mood music and restful massages. There was also a substantial amount of drinking, a bevy of good food brought from every corner of the city (thanks to Ruby’s endless connections), and an almost never-ending swell of gossip and girl time. Because even if a typical spa day meant mostly silent solitude and individual pampering, that would never fly with Emma’s friends. Instead every item on the agenda had been undertaken together, and Emma had found herself laughing more than she could remember doing in a long time, never mind in a spa.

From there though, the easy going (if still heavily alcohol-sponsored) ‘treat yourself’ day turned into dinner at some hip new restaurant and then ambled to this, a throwback to their earlier years together in the city in the middle of a swanky new club with deafening music and tons of single people on the prowl. It was nice in some ways getting to dance the night away with her best friends and leave all her cares at the door, but it was also a slightly tired situation.

It hit Emma in the midst of all of this that she might very well be over the club scene (if she was ever actually a fan of it at all), and though none of her friends had admitted it, she thought she might not be alone in that. After all, the evening had been full of stolen glances from all of them at their phones (no doubt looking to touch base with their significant others) and funny, shared looks between the friends when they observed other people here. Maybe they’d all missed something, but it felt like a night out on the town wasn’t what it once was. Now everything was just a tiny bit sleazier, and a little less desirable as a result.

“Okay, can I just say thank God none of us are single anymore?” Elsa asked, perfectly mirroring Emma’s thoughts on the matter as she looked around the club. “I mean is it just me or have the pickings seriously dried up since we were last out like this?”

“Maybe,” Emma said noncommittally. “Or maybe you’re just so taken with your own fiancé no one else compares.”

The mention of her very recent engagement made Elsa flush a happy shade of pink, and inadvertently her gaze as well as everyone else’s went back to the ring that Liam had given her. It was a beautiful design, one that Elsa had sincerely loved and taken to immediately, but Emma also knew it wasn’t the first one Liam had considered. No, that monstrosity was ginormous, totally unrealistic for anyone never mind a baker, and had thankfully not been purchased thanks to some helpful interference from Killian.

“You might be on to something there,” Elsa admitted before breaking into a full on grin.

“You did make a good point though,” Mary Margaret stated cheerily, her eyes filled with the thoughts moving about in her head that Emma would just bet were romantic in nature and centered on one David Nolan (who Emma was entirely positive would be crafting a proposal of his own sometime very soon). “I would hate to go back to the way things were before. I mean obviously I loved having you guys…”

“But life’s just a little sweeter when you’ve got someone to love,” Ruby finished and the friends all agreed, largely ignoring that in their little bit of tipsiness they were all of them a touch sappier than they usually were.

For Emma especially though, the conversation with her friends just hit home something that she’d been grappling with all evening. She was truly and totally grateful to have such an amazing family and a bond with her friends that she would never let go of, but what she wanted more than a whole night wasted in a club she didn’t care about was to make the most of the time she was given. Emma had spent the whole day playing the role of bachelorette with the women she considered sisters. Couldn’t she maybe call it a night a little earlier than expected and salvage the rest of the evening into something more worth remembering? Emma thought so, and so she slipped her phone from her purse once more and shot a quick text to the man whose presence she was currently missing most.

E: How would you feel about cutting the night a bit shorter than our friends were thinking?

Emma honestly expected it to take a few minutes for Killian to respond at the very least since from what she’d heard Liam and the others had a pretty set plan of their own, but just as she was about to slip her phone back in her bag, she saw those tell tale dots pop up on her screen signaling he was responding already. The speed with which Killian was going to get back to her made Emma laugh to herself, but she checked to make sure none of her friends had noticed as she waited for Killian’s reply.

K: The sooner I have you back with me, the better in my book, Swan.

“Perfect,” Emma whispered to herself, but too late she realized the error of her ways.

“What was that, Ems?” Ruby asked from across the table and Emma looked back up, realizing she’d been caught and that all of her friends were looking at her with knowing smirks and a whole lot of amusement behind their eyes.

“Oh, nothing,” Emma said, trying to play it cool, but even if she knew her poker face was top notch, Emma was also aware that her friends were not buying it. She was caught, and now she had to find a way to spin her plan in a way that didn’t hurt any feelings or cause any problems.

“Okay fine you can go,” Ruby acquiesced, surprising Emma not just because she’d read Emma’s intentions so easily, but also because she was willingly letting Emma leave what her friend had once proclaimed would be ‘a never ending bonanza of single-womanhood.’

“Wait, what?” Emma asked and Mary Margaret jumped in, picking up for Ruby without missing a beat.

“We know you want to get back to Killian, Emma, and that’s good by us. To be honest we didn’t even think you’d make it this far.”

“I didn’t think any of us would,” Ruby admitted. “Hell I told Graham we’d meet up by ten, and look how that turned out. You outlasted that plan by hours.”

“So you guys have been waiting for me to make my escape this whole time?” Emma asked, biting back her laughter and luxuriating in the feeling that she wasn’t upsetting her friends in any way by calling it a night.

“Pretty much,” Elsa agreed with a smile.

“And no one’s going to feel like we didn’t do this whole bachelorette thing justice?” Emma clarified, casting her gaze primarily to Ruby who was the unspoken maestro of this whole thing to begin with.

“Nah. I figure there’s four of us, and with the way things are going we’ll be having a lot of these over the next year. Might as well save some of the dastardly deeds for the rest of us and not blow it all in one night.”

Emma totally agreed with the reasoning, and she also believed that Ruby was right and that there would be four weddings at the end of all of this. Emma was truly certain that all of her friends were with the men they were always meant to find, and marriage felt almost like a given in every single case. It was just nice to know that even if nothing had been explicitly said between Ruby and Graham, Ruby was still confident enough in her happy ending and in Mary Margaret’s as well to count them all as good as tied down.

“Well alright then,” Emma said, standing from the booth. “And I have to say this might just be the best bachelorette party I could have hoped for.”

Her friends all came to hug Emma, acknowledging that that had been their goal, and as the four of them stepped out into the night air Emma was filled with a heady rush of possibility and love. How she’d ever gotten this lucky in her life, she didn’t know, but as she hailed a cab and moved inside she thanked her lucky stars for her good fortune.

“Where to, miss?” The cabby asked her, and Emma was about to respond with her and Killian’s address when something on the TV screen in the chair before her caught her attention.

It was a flickering picture, nothing more than a passing ad that millions of people had likely seen and ignored before her in taxis across the city, but it inspired something in Emma, something she knew would grant her one of those lasting memories she’d been thinking of before. The next thing she knew she was telling the driver where to go and sending Killian a text of this new place for them to meet that she hoped he’d find as meaningful as she did. And in the meantime, she sat there, staring out at the city she called home as it passed by, smiling to herself and knowing that in this moment she was truly happy and that she was destined to remain so for a very long time.

………………..

From the second that Emma sent Killian that message about leaving the evening’s festivities, there was no doubt in his mind that he would find her. It didn’t matter that he and Liam and their friends were in the midst of a thoroughly planned out evening, or that he’d been having a surprisingly good time all things considered. At the end of the day, Killian would always prefer finding his Swan over anything else, and tonight was no different.

In fact, this evening’s element of secrecy was even more enticement for Killian to sneak away form everything to find Emma, for after proposing that they ditch their respective parties early, she’d sent him an address that Killian recognized but couldn’t quite place. Only when he’d hopped in the cab and told his driver where to go did he get confirmation about where Emma was hoping to meet him.

“You know, pal, you can just say the Empire State Building. No need to get fancy on me,” the cabby said with a typical New York attitude, but the gruffness went right over Killian’s head, and he found that he couldn’t help smiling the whole six block ride to their destination.

It was just too perfect an idea on Emma’s part, and the thought of meeting her there brought back a whole host of memories about their first date, which in some ways felt like it happened just yesterday and in others felt like a life time ago. It was strange to think that at one point things between Emma and Killian hadn’t been so certain, but recalling that night, Killian could still feel that flutter in his chest and that tingling of hope mixed with fear that Emma might not want this as much as he did. Now with the benefit of hindsight Killian knew that she had, but he’d purposefully pulled out all the stops that night to try and impress her, and in the end she had been the one to completely blow him away.

“You’re kidding me, right?” Emma had asked the moment that they approached the building on that fateful night so long ago, and for a second Killian had been a little taken aback. Here he was thinking this was a guaranteed success, but Emma looked so skeptical that for a moment he’d been worried. Somehow though he’d played it cool.

“I take it you’ve been before,” Killian acquiesced, but when he said that Emma ended up shaking her head before turning her gaze back to him and hitting him with a look that still had that edge of humor with a bit more depth and sincerity underneath.

“No actually I haven’t. It always seemed a little…”

“Romantic? Idyllic? Enshrined in the stuff of Hollywood dreams?”

Now that was of course meant to be a joke and his choice in phrasing was clearly hyperbolic, but he never imagined his jest would be rewarded the way it was. Emma genuinely laughed at Killian’s attempt at wit and when she did he felt his whole being flood with pride. In fact, the feeling was so sublime it couldn’t even be undercut by Emma’s responding jab, which likely would have taken down a less infatuated and already spell-bound man.

“I was going to say cheesy.”

Ouch, that one had hurt, but even as she said that, Killian could see that Emma wasn’t retreating from his idea. She was giving him the chance to prove himself and the merits of such an outing, and he was all about making the most of those opportunities when it came to his Swan...

“Hey, buddy, you just going to sit there all night or you gonna pay up and get a move on?”

Killian was jolted by the words from his driver, but even if the man lacked politeness, he wasn’t wrong to get Killian’s attention. Truth was Killian had no idea how long they’d been stalled at the entrance of the iconic building, and though he might have liked a slightly less jarring return to reality, he valued the push to go inside. After all, his whole reason for being here was to see Emma and to make new memories that might turn out even better than the old.

After paying the cabby and heading inside, Killian noted that there were far fewer people here this time of night than there had been when he and Emma came months ago. The journey up to tiptop of the building was easy, but as the elevator climbed up floor-by-floor, Killian found himself anxious to be there already. The anticipation was killing him, even though he and Emma had seen each other just this morning, and so when the door opened and he finally managed to step out into the cool night air at what felt like the top of the world, Killian felt a strong sense of relief. Now the only thing to do was find Emma and see what exactly it was she had in mind.

Whether it was instinct that guided him or merely a happenstance of fate, the search for Emma didn’t go on very long, for as soon as he’d stepped up onto the roof Killian saw Emma’s golden hair shining underneath one of the lamps at the far edge of the tower. She was looking down on the city, cutting quite the figure in the clothes she’d worn for the evening out with her friends, but as if she sensed him, Emma turned and when she did Killian could see the smile lighting up her face. The next thing he knew he was moving towards her and she was heading his way too, until she was finally in his grasp and stepping into his arms.

“Hey there stranger. Took you long enough to get here,” Emma said cheekily, her head tilting to the side as she looked up at him, beaming in a way that spoke to her total comfort with him in every way.

“Don’t I know it, love,” Killian agreed causing Emma to laugh and shake her head. Her arms, meanwhile, came to wrap around his neck, with her fingertips grazing in a slow, but measuredly enticing way that sent a surging sense of need through Killian. This woman who he was blessed enough to call his own was a bloody siren through and through, and yet somehow she didn’t seem to realize it, at least not fully.

“You know in the movies there’s usually a far longer separation between the guy and the girl before they get the happy ending. A year, a decade, … meanwhile we just had one day.”

“Well I have to rebuff your logic on two counts, Swan,” Killian said, causing Emma’s eyebrow to raise in question, even as her smirk turned up to one side. “First of all, we were never truly separated. I left my heart with you the whole time, and you left yours with me. So even if we weren’t together, we weren’t truly apart.”

Emma’s eyes lit up at that and she hummed out her agreement, running her fingers through his hair and moving her body slightly closer to his so she was truly flush against him. Meanwhile Killian was temporarily distracted by the way Emma wet her lips and darted her gaze to his in turn. Suddenly his line of thinking diverted from whatever other love stories the world had told before. All that mattered was Emma and the rest was inconsequential.

“That’s one point. You said you had two,” Emma teased before looking up at him again and urging him with those green eyes of hers to continue on.

“Aye love I do, and the second’s more important. You see, we’re not standing at the precipice of a happy ending.”

“We’re not?” Emma asked surprised but not moving away from him in any way.

“No. We’re only at the start of this journey, Swan. It’s more of a happy beginning than anything else.”

A beat passed between them and in that instant Killian watched as understanding dawned on Emma and his words sunk in. In that moment Killian could see just how much she wanted that to be true, and he swore to himself he’d show her just how right he was. They had fifty or sixty years to be together still, and Killian was going to see every up and every down with Emma at his side no matter what. They’d have the life they dreamed of and more, and they would both look back on this time when they were old and gray as still the start of their beautiful life together. Killian knew even then they’d be just as happy, but he wasn’t willing to speed up time for the sake of a happily ever after. Instead he chose to cherish every moment and cherish the woman who was making such a happy life possible for him at all.

“God that’s cheesy,” Emma said in the face of his words, but Killian could tell that they were well received when she pressed up to kiss him in the way he’d been dying for since catching her gaze minutes before.

At the moment of impact when the two of them melted into each other, all other thoughts faded away, leaving just the two of them and this perfect moment. Neither Emma nor Killian were the wiser of the people around them or the sight they made for up there in one of the most quintessentially romantic spots in the city, but it wouldn’t have mattered either way, because love would always come first for both of them, and this kiss was nothing if not a living, breathing representation of the feelings they both had for each other.

“It might be cheesy, love,” Killian said finally as he broke the kiss for just a moment. “But I know in my heart that you love it regardless.”

Emma’s laughter filled the space between them and Killian could almost taste it as he stole another kiss before she could reply. She was simply too gorgeous an enticement to deny himself any more, but he was heartened by her response when she was the one to pull away and get another word in.

“I love your cheesy lines almost as much as I love you, Killian Jones,” Emma promised as her forehead rested against his and she closed her eyes. Killian did the same, savoring this moment and feeling that blissful symphony coursing inside him that only Emma could create, and when he opened them once more Emma was smiling at him in such an honest way it filled his heart enough to burst.

“Nothing comes close to you, Emma. Nothing.”

“Good,” Emma whispered as she stole a final kiss and stepped back, taking his hand in hers and leading him from their spot here in the sky back home where they both belonged.

Post-Note: So as the final chapter before the wedding, I felt it fitting to have some funny friend moments, but also tie back to the first date. I loved writing so many months ago about Emma and Killian up on the Empire State Building, and where they were both just a touch more cynical then, I thought it would be nice to have them caving to a reunion moment of sorts in such an iconic place. Of course I tried not to change their characters too much, and there’s still that sly nod to how cliché a moment like that could be, but in the end the fluff had to win for me, and I hope you guys enjoyed! Thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you’re all having a good day wherever you may be!

#captain swan #captain swan au #captain swan fic #cs fic #cs ff #cs modern au #captain swan ff #cs au #cs fluff #cs mc #emma swan #killian jones #the meddling friends #wedded bliss and asterisks #wedded bliss au #wedded bliss 20 #ouat au #designer!emma #writer!killian

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bellakitse · 8 years

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all good things

Stormpilot week Day 1: Modern AU / Historical AU

“Heads up, your favorite customer just walked in.”

Finn looks up from where he’s setting up his station to look over at Rey his best friend and fellow bartender and then over at door where a group of pilots has just walked in, rowdy and in good spirits as always. There in the middle of his men stood the company commander Captain Poe Dameron and like usual there was a wide-open smile on the older man’s face. It’s a face Finn has been admiring from afar for months now, ever since Rey first got him this bartending job.

The place named ‘Kanata’ after it’s rather eccentric owner was nothing more than a dive bar that mostly served draft beer but it was also only a mile away from the air base so Finn and Rey could always count on Flyboys and girls to flock to the place on their down time.

“When are you finally going to move on that?”

Finn shoots Rey a look and she returns it, rolling her eyes when he ignores her. “What?” she questions her tone letting him know she was tired of his shit. “The guy doesn’t even have the body parts I like and I know he’s hot.”

Finn smirks at that comment, his smile growing when he sees her throw a smile at one of Poe’s pilots, a small and cute Asian woman who rumored had it was one of Poe’s best pilots. Pava finds Rey’s eyes on her and returns the smile as she starts to make her way toward them and the bar.

“Rey, why don’t you focus on flirting with Pava and stop worrying about my love life,” Finn says to her, even though he knows it’s just going to rile her up.

Rey narrows her eyes at him, the look on her face fierce and still just as intimidating as the first time he met her back in college, back when she studied martial arts and could handle a quarterstaff like a pro. “You would actually have to have a love life for me to worry about,” Rey shoots back with a sarcastic smile on her face. “And we both know that your longest relationship in a while has been with your right hand, Finn.”

Finn watches as she turns her back to him, going around the bar to greet Jessika, his jaw dropped at her bold comment.

“Damn, that was a sick burn,”

‘No’ He thinks, his eyes closing in dread and he can feel his cheeks, his neck, his whole being go hot in humiliation. He turns around slowly to find that in the time it took for Rey to lay him low Poe has made his way to his side of the bar and of course he’s somehow managed to look better than usual in his brown leather jacket over a simple black tee that looked tailor made for the made, his hair which Finn had dreams about sinking his fingers into those thick waves was artfully crafted and those beautiful brown eyes of his twinkled with humor and playfulness.

“You heard that,” Finn confirms even though he already knows given his rotten luck the answer.

“Yeah,” Poe answers with a sympathetic look that is belittled by the smirk on his face. “For such a tiny thing Rey packs a wallop and that’s just with her words, I’d hate to get into a fight with her.”

“She’d beat the crap out of all of us,” Finn agrees with a smile. “Which I kind of wish would happen now, cause then I would be knocked out and I wouldn’t know you heard what she said.”

Poe grins at him amused, but there is a gentleness in his expression. “Hey, now it’s not so bad.”

Finn rolls his eyes, picking up a wet glass to dry with his towel. “Right.”

Poe lets out a small huff that sounds like a laugh. “If it makes you feel better I’ve had the same relationship for a while now, only it’s my left hand, not the right one.”

Finn stares at Poe in awe, obviously, today was the day people decided that shocking him to death was the goal. “What do I say to that?” Finn asks baffled.

“You could say we could change that,” Poe smirks teasingly. “Give each other a helping hand.”

Finn tries to keep a serious face, but between Poe’s face and his words, he finds himself grinning despite himself. “That is a horrible line, do you even have any game?”

Poe chuckles at that in his easygoing way, calm and laid back as always. “None, people usually just take pity on me.”

“Yeah, sure,” Finn answers dryly as he fills a glass with Poe’s beer of choice. “The fact that you’re beautiful doesn’t contribute at all.”

Poe’s eyes light up at Finn’s compliment and Finn battles between being embarrassed and charmed by the man. “Don’t act like you don’t know that, I wasn’t flattering you I was just stating a fact.”

Poe smiles around the glass as he takes a sip of his beer. “I am flattered, though I also feel like I should feel offended?”

Finn shrugs and he leans on his elbows against the bar, feeling a thrill when Poe stares at his biceps for a moment. “Sorry, can’t help you there.”

Poe continues to look at him before he lifts his gaze to Finn’s, his eyes a shade darker and when he licks his lips Finn can’t help but follow the move with his eyes, even when he knows what game Poe is playing.

“What can you help me with?”

Finn takes a deep breath, hoping it will calm him, it doesn’t and his stomach clenches as Poe looks at him. The fact is that this moment -the way Poe is looking at him, an expression that surely mirrors his own- it’s all been a long time coming. From the moment, he met Poe he’s known what he wants from the older man and what the man wants from him. There has always been this sense of knowing where this is going to end up and frankly Finn is tired of denying himself what he wants so bad he can practically taste it.

“I don’t get off until 2,” Finn says instead of answering the previous question.

Poe smiles again, this time softer, no teasing. “I have nowhere to be.”

Finn gives him a small smile of his own, anticipation and excitement coursing through him. “Okay.”

“Okay.”

2 am comes faster than Finn expected, all the patrons including Poe’s pilots have already left for the night. The only ones that remain are Finn and Rey who are cleaning up and Poe and Pava who are waiting for them respectively.

“Okay you need to go,” Rey says taking the rag from Finn’s hand. “You have been cleaning the same spot forever, it’s shining, now go.”

“We still need to put the chairs up and sweep.”

“I can do that, Jessika will help,” Rey answers crossing her arms. “Now go, you have a beautiful man waiting for you, go.”

“But-“

“Finn,” Rey starts taking his hand in hers. “I love you but you are way too high strung, sex will help with that, go get laid.”

Finn lets out a huff of laughter at that, shaking his head at his best friend. “You are the most charming girl.”

Rey beams at him, ignoring his sarcasm. “Aren’t I. Now go.”

“Going,” Finn answers pulling his black leather jacket from under the bar. He starts to make his way over to where Poe and Jessika are seated.

“Ready?” Poe asks as he stands, slipping his hand into Finn’s calmly like he holds Finn’s hand every day. Finn looks down at their joined hands and bites his lip, he can’t deny it likes the feel of Poe’s slightly smaller but more callous hand against his. He notices the smirk Jessika is throwing their way and he blushes a bit in the knowledge that she is aware of what’s going on. Still, he nods at Poe and gets another smile in return. “Good, Pava make sure Rey gets home safe.”

“That’s the plan boss,” Jessika answers with a lazy salute. “Enjoy your night boys.”

Poe smirks. “That’s the plan.”

Jessika lets out a delighted laugh at that and Finn even hears Rey let out a snort. He rolls his eyes at the ridiculousness of all three and starts pulling Poe out the door.

“You’re hilarious,” Finn says as he and Poe step outside, the air nice and cool at this time of night.

“I try,” Poe answers leading him across the parking lot to where a lone motorcycle stands. Finn stares at it for a moment before letting out a dry laugh.

“Of course you have a motorcycle.”

Poe looks at his bike and then at him. “Is that okay?” he asks suddenly concerned. “They don’t freak you out, right? We can get a cab if they do.”

“No, they don’t freak me out,” Finn assures him. “It just more of your walking hotness thing.”

Poe licks his lips smiling, his eyes dancing as he pulls Finn to him. “See your words say it’s a compliment, but the tone and that disgruntle pout on your face say I’m being insulted just a bit.”

“It’s just gross,” Finn answers a grin playing on his own lips as he wraps his arms around Poe’s neck pulling him closer. “No one should be this hot, what gives you the right.”

“It’s a really good thing I have a healthy sense of self with you around,” Poe murmurs as he holds on to Finn’s hips.

“That’s just a nice way to say cocky,” Finn shoots back, pressing his lips against Poe’s before he can answer. For all the buildup, the kiss isn't frenzied like Finn always pictured, instead, Poe kisses him slow like he has all the time in the world, gentle like Finn is something to be cherished. When they part, Poe presses another soft kiss against the corner of his mouth.

“I knew that would be amazing since the first time I saw you,” Poe says against his skin and Finn gives a small nod in agreement.

“Take me back to your place Poe.”

Finn wakes up warm and sated, strong arms around wrapped around him and he can feel Poe’s warm breath against the back of his neck as the older man snuggle him like Finn is his personal teddy bear. The thought makes him smile as does the memories of the night before, of the two of them barely making it through the door of Poe’s apartment before articles of clothing went flying off, frantic hands touching any available skin, biting kisses as they stumbled their way to Poe’s bedroom, laughing into each other’s mouths as they tripped onto the bed. After that the laughter stopped, instead moans and sighs filled the room as each searched for touches and kisses that would provoke the sounds, by the time Finn pushed into Poe’s body he knew that he was addicted to every sound Poe made.

“Hmm,” Poe hums, brushing his lips against Finn’s neck causing him to shiver. “I can hear you thinking. Hopefully, they’re good things.”

Finn smiles, tilting his head back as Poe continues to kiss him. “I was thinking about you.” He feels Poe smile into his skin and he pulls away to turn around and face him, he’s greeted with a wide smile.

“Then I really hope it’s good things,” Poe reaches up, his fingertips tracing Finn’s brow. “Fuck, you’re pretty.”

“Shut up,” Finn jokes, feeling his cheeks warm.

“But you are,” Poe continues. “I still remember walking into Maz’s and seeing you for the first time behind the bar, I bumped into Snap and bounced off him, it took him, Pava and the rest of the squadron zero time to realize I had a crush on you.”

“Rey handed me a napkin and told me to stop drooling the first time I saw you,” Finn confesses, loving the way it makes Poe laugh.

“And yet it’s taken us forever to get here,” Poe says still smiling, the corners of his eyes crinkling.

Finn shrugs, suddenly feeling awkward, not sure how to express his previous doubts, his fears that Poe wouldn’t be interested in him or if he was, not long term, it’s a doubt that still lingers in the back of his head. How to explain that it’s not even anything Poe has done but more to do with Finn’s less than ideal childhood. In the end, it seems Finn doesn’t need to say anything and that Poe is more perceptive than Finn gives him credit for. Poe sits up on the bed and Finn follows suit, the covers around their laps.

“Serious conversation time,” Finn guesses, part ready, part nervous.

Poe smiles at him, tapping on Finn’s temple. “I can hear you thinking again and I think it’s time to get some things out of the way so we don’t drag anything else out forever, okay?”

Finn nods. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Poe repeats. “So first is that I’m attracted to you, that should be pretty obvious.”

“Well we are in your bed,” Finn teases, smirking when Poe shoots him a look.

“I also like you,” Poe continues. “In that ridiculous want to know everything about you and find all the ways I can to make you smile way.”

“Poe,” Finn says softly, leaning in quickly, kissing the man, morning breath be damned.

“Last night was amazing Finn,” Poe says when they break the kiss. “But I don’t sleep around, I want to hold your hand and go on dates with you, I want you to meet my dad especially since he’s tired of me talking about you without introducing you to him.”

Finn grins at that, taking Poe hand in his, shrugging when Poe looks down at them and then back up at him. “Might as well get started with that list of yours, something tells me there’s more to it.”

Poe smiles nodding. “I promise they are all good things.”

“I can do good things.”

#stormpilotweek2017 #stormpilot #finnpoe #poefinn #finn x poe #my writing

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