#it's like they were waiting for someone to come along and utterly wreck them and they probably were

[halyorke-vampiredisaster]

.

[archiveikemen]

『 Villain's Night 』 Story Event: Chapter 1

Jude Jazza

This is a fan-made translation solely for entertainment purposes with no guaranteed perfection. I do not own any of the original content. Please support CYBIRD by buying their stories and playing their games. Reblogs appreciated.

❥･• Warnings and FAQ

Costumed Young Man: You’re so cold… didn't you hear me say trick or treat?

Kate: … I’m waiting for someone.

Costumed Young Man: If you don't want a treat, then I’ll have to play a trick on you.

(H-He’s creepy…)

Jude told Ellis to buy some things, and so we went to the bustling town where some Halloween festivities were happening.

While waiting outside a store for Ellis, I was pestered by a young man wearing a costume.

(I’ll be separated from Ellis if I leave this spot…)

(Then it’ll defeat the whole purpose of me coming along to help carry the shopping bags… how do I shake this person off me?)

Costumed Young Man: Hey, are you ignoring me?

Kate: ? Let go of me…!

The young man grabbed my wrist, yelling and glaring at me. At that moment—

???: You're awful and choosing the men you throw yourself at.

Costumed Young Man: What?

(... This voice.)

Someone pulled me backwards by my shoulder, and I turned around to see Jude standing there.

Jude: You feeling (sexually) frustrated?

Kate: No…! This person has been pestering me and refuses to leave me alone, that’s all.

Jude: Oh?

Costumed Young Man: Eep!

A brief glance from Jude was enough to make the young man sense danger, and he fled with a cowardly cry.

Kate: … Thank you for saving me.

Jude: You were standing there defenselessly like an idiot.

Jude: As a former postwoman, you should know that there would be such fools going around being festive on Halloween.

I turned my gaze toward the lively streets of London, and Jude took his hand off my shoulder.

The spot he touched felt cold, my eyes instinctively followed his hand as he pulled away.

He was fundamentally an unfeeling and sadistic man, but he would sometimes do something like that, and they never fail to make me nearly lose my composure.

Jude: It honestly baffles me that you’ve lived this long unscathed.

Kate: … I would've bit him and escaped if I had to.

Jude: Oh really? What bravery.

Jude: However… I saved you this time, so you owe me one.

Kate: !? I’ll repay you right now, I’ll do it immediately!

(I have to propose a suitable compensation before he demands something utterly outrageous!)

(What would be good… confectionery? Nope, bad idea. He might label me as “one of those fools going around being festive about Halloween” and flat out reject them.)

(Hmm…. let me think…)

Jude: Seeing as you're wrecking that pea brain of yours, I’ll tell you what I want as compensation.

Kate: Huh…!?

Jude: Don’t roam around aimlessly tonight, be obedient and stay in your own room at the castle.

Jude: I’ll let you off if you can promise me to do that.

Kate: … You’re fine with just that?

Jude: You want something more extreme?

Kate: NO! Okay, I promise.

Ellis: I kept you waiting, Kate. Sorry, I took quite a while because the shop was crowded…

Ellis: Jude? Are you done with work already?

Jude: I wouldn't be standing here if I wasn't.

(He went to work today too, even though it's a holiday. He’s really always so busy…)

On top of having to complete missions as a member of Crown, he also had work at his trading company… I couldn't help but admire how he was capable of shouldering that heavy workload.

(He doesn't like his job… and he’s not a huge spender who splurges excessively on luxury.)

(I wonder what his reason for working this hard is…?)

…

In the end, Ellis only gave me the lightest bag out of everything he bought, and the three of us returned to Crown’s castle.

Victor: Happy Halloween! What do you think of the splendid decorations in the dining hall?

Alfons: What wonderful decorations! They make me want to ask, who put them up?

Victor: Yes, yes, I shall not keep it a secret. These were put up by yours truly!

Kate: Wow! As expected from Victor!

Ellis: *clap clap clap* 😐

Jude: …

Kate: Jude, could you please at least comment something…

Alfons dragged me into the dining hall the very moment I stepped foot into it, and I was amazed by the extravagant decorations.

Victor wore a satisfied grin, unbothered by the lacklustre reactions.

Victor: Hmm, Ellis and Kate’s kindness, Jude’s icy stare…

Victor: My cursed ones and fairytale writer are functioning normally today!

Victor: … But that’s only for while the sun is still up. I’ve already said this to Alfons.

Victor: Ellis and Jude should be careful tonight too.

Jude: I don't have the time to be chit chatting with a weirdo.

Jude dodged the topic and left.

Kate: … Is there something happening at night?

Alfons: Fufu, I guess we could call it a strange thing about curses.

Alfons: Once every few years, when there's a full moon on Halloween night, the “sinfulness” of people born with curses intensifies.

Victor: At the same time, the Nightblooms (actual name: Dutchman’s Pipe Cactus or Epiphyllum oxypetalum) in the palace will be in full bloom, thus this phenomenon is known as the “Night of The Nightblooms”. Based on what I know, the last time it happened was 20 years ago.

Kate: What do you mean by intensifying “sinfulness”...?

Alfons: Cursed people have certain traits, yes?

Alfons: For example, William’s traits are “self-righteousness” and “condemnation”. As for Jude’s… “ruthless”, “haughty”, and “vengeful”.

Alfons: I think it's not wrong to say that these traits will become stronger tonight.

Kate: Does that mean that Jude will become more ruthless, haughty, and vengeful than he already is now…?

Victor: That’s right. As for the cursed person, they find it harder to control themselves… something like that.

Victor: It’s a dangerous night for both the cursed person and the people around them.

(It’s dangerous even for the cursed person…)

Alfons: And despite knowing that, it looks like Jude has plans to go somewhere dangerous tonight.

Kate: Somewhere dangerous?

Alfons: Yeah. Roger told me about Jude’s plans for tonight.

Alfons: Have you heard of the illegal way of gambling called “Duel Gambling” which involves killing each other?

Kate: N-No…!

Alfons: There's word going around that the man who embezzled money from Jude’s trading company has been squandering the stolen money there.

Alfons: Sad to say that the little rascal has already died a rather nasty death.

Alfons: It seems that Jude wants to put the screw on that gambling establishment and take all of their money.

Alfons: It’s chilling to think about the possibility of bloody violence.

Kate: Going to such a place on a day like this makes it even more dangerous…

Alfons: Doesn't it? But that’s the perfect place for someone who loves money and the misfortune of others to be at, don't you think?

Alfons: He might get himself arrested or even killed if he goes too far, but… well, he’ll be alright.

(Wha… that won’t be good.)

Kate: He’s already working so hard at his job and completing missions for Crown… he doesn't seem to be in need of money.

Alfons: Could it be because of the “vengeful” trait his curse gives him?

Alfons: He will never be satisfied until he gets back what has been taken from him, and never forgive a broken promise until he's taken revenge.

Ellis: Also… Jude needs a lot of money and manpower to achieve his goal, I guess?

Kate: His goal…?

Ellis: He made a promise to someone in the past.

Kate: Is it something that can be done with money?

Ellis: It’s said that it is 99.9% impossible.

(What…?)

(For that 0.1% chance… he’s making himself this busy and even risking his life?)

Ellis: … Anyway, because Duel Gambling is illegal, the other party has to back down no matter what. He said that he’ll take back twice the amount of money he lost, and that tonight’s the best time.

Kate: Will you be going with him?

Ellis: I… I’ll be staying in my room tonight, I guess.

Ellis: Because I don’t know what will happen to me tonight… :)

Kate: … I-I see… you’re right.

Victor: … None of the cursed people in the castle can help tonight, Kate.

(So Jude might… die alone… in some unknown place…)

Alfons: You look worried about him. Why not go see for yourself what’s going on?

Kate: … I promised him that I’ll be good and stay in the castle tonight.

Alfons: Haha! As long as he doesn't catch you, it won't count as breaking the promise.

Kate: … Please don’t tempt me. A promise is a promise, and it should never be broken.

Alfons: Fufu, that’s too bad. I forgot how upright and serious you are.

Alfons: I’ll lend this to you in case you have a change of mind.

Alfons: You’ll only be allowed to enter that gambling den today if you’re dressed up.

Alfons whispered in my ear and handed some items to me — a pair of cat ears and a tail that looked very questionable.

Kate: … How do I put this tail on…?

Alfons: You can’t tell just by looking at its shape? This part goes inside you—

Kate: T-Take them back…!

Alfons: I’m not accepting returns ^-^

Alfons stuffed them into my pocket and left in a good mood.

I couldn't bring myself to touch those items, so I left them untouched in my pocket.

(I- I’ll get rid of them when I’m changing my clothes…)

(I want to keep the promise I made to Jude.)

(But…)

As much as I knew that I was being unnecessarily worried, I couldn't help being curious about what happens on “Night of The Nightblooms”.

…

I walked to the palace garden.

(This is the garden where the Nightblooms are. They’re still buds at the moment…)

(When they bloom together… it must be a very beautiful sight.)

Unmistakably — beautiful enough to drive people insane.

???: My… is that a little robin lost in a garden full of Nightblooms?

Kate: William…

William: Have the flowers driven you mad yet?

Kate: No… I just learnt about the Night of The Nightblooms a while ago — I got curious about them.

William: — The troubled look on your face tells me that what you're feeling is more than pure curiosity.

Kate: I promised Jude this morning that I’ll stay in my room at the castle tonight. But…

Kate: I think he’s deliberately trying to keep me out of harm’s way, because he knows about Night of The Nightblooms.

Kate: The promise was supposed to be a means for me to repay what I owe him, and yet I’m being protected by him again…

Kate: I feel like I’m not doing anything to repay him at all.

William: … Fufufu. You’re a sincere little robin. By the way, Kate.

Kate: Yes…?

William: Trick or Treat?

Kate: !? Sorry, I don't have anything with me right now.

William: I know. I only said that to justify my act of mischief.

Kate: Huh…?

William: Perhaps because the sun is setting — I’m feeling slightly more selfish than usual.

William: “Tonight, do as your desires tell you to”

Kate: …!?

William: This is the place Jude went to. You can go look for him if you’d like.

My hand moved on its own to receive the memo William held out, like a magnet being attracted to metal.

Kate: W-Whoa… William, this is…!?

On top of that, my feet seemed to have also gained a mind of their own and carried me towards the garden’s exit.

(I… Am I headed towards where Jude is!?)

William: Go ahead, Kate.

William: — I hope you have the most sinful Halloween you’ve ever experienced in your lifetime.

[wonderlandleighleigh]

"Runaway bride" Midgelenny?

Midge's champagne colored wedding dress floofs out around her as she sits alone at the train station, her suitcase by her side. She can't tell whether she's relieved or nauseous as she waits for her train out of the Hamptons.

She's supposed to be marrying Gordon right now. Literally, this very moment, she is supposed to be standing under a chuppah, with Gordon and a rabbi and a priest and all of their friends and family.

Almost.

Almost all of them.

She sighs and slips the engagement ring off her finger, gazing at it sadly. How many more relationships is she going to run scared from?

"Every one that isn't the right one," she mutters to herself and slips the ring into her handbag for safe-keeping, to be given back to Gordon at a later date.

Midge closes her eyes and takes a breath, trying to calm her nerves. She knows this was the right choice. She know marrying Gordon would have been fine, but did she really want fine? Did she wan another marriage with someone who didn't really love her? Who had mistress (Gordon definitely did) and who expected that she would also have a boyfriend on the side?

That conversation had been a doozy, and the night before the wedding, too. Learning that Gordon's expectations had been so different from her own. That 'this is what everyone in show business is like. Do you think your precious Lenny Bruce is any different?'

Lenny.

She misses Lenny.

He's been in California for an entire year. He sent her a postcard once. 'The weather is here. Wish you weren't so fucking beautiful. Tell Abe I say hi.'

And she'd called him to tell him about the wedding. To ask him to come.

"We'll see," he'd said, his voice tense. "I'll try, Midge."

But he hadn't been there.

And she wonders if that was the last straw. Looking in on the guests and realizing he was nowhere to be found.

Not that she needs his approval to get married. Or do anything. It's just...

He's played her barometer for a long time. Practically since their friendship started, showing her a path forward, and if he's tepid on her marrying Gordon than maybe...

Maybe it's all wrong.

Coupled with that conversation with Gordon about "other partners" the night before and...

Well, here she is.

She's tried so hard not to miss Lenny. So hard to convince herself that Gordon was the one, and he's just - not. He's not. There is a 'one' already but he only wants to be friends, and-

"That is some traveling outfit," a familiar voice tells her.

Midge doesn't open her eyes. "For fuck's sake, Lenny."

He shifts on his feet - she can hear him do it. "I guess you're not having a very good day."

"Nope."

"Ran away from the wedding?" he asks gently as he takes a seat next to her, trying not to sit on her dress and failing.

"Yep."

"Why?"

"Because he has a girl in Brooklyn," Midge explains. "And he expects me to find my own...girl in Brooklyn."

"Don't tease."

"You know what I mean."

He pauses for a moment. "Yeah."

Midge finally opens her eyes and looks at him. Lenny looks tired. A little thin, but not entirely unhealthy. "What the hell are you doing here?"

He sighs heavily and shrugs, looking a little ashamed. "I maybe...felt bad about...about not coming to your wedding. And then on the plane I got to thinking about-" he pauses.

"Were you going to object at my wedding?" she asks, stunned.

"Gordon's a louse."

"Lenny."

"He is!"

"You can't keep doing this," she scolds. "You can't - tell me you want to be friends and then turn around and do things that are entirely romance-driven. That's not friend behavior."

"Oh, I'm deeply aware," he huffs. "But you're all I think about these days, along with writing deadlines, so..."

"I thought you were seeing someone," Midge says softly.

He shrugs. "It ended. A little while ago. And I just...miss...you. I miss you. And I'm a wreck. Staring down four months at a workhouse and struggling with the drugs, and maybe it's utterly selfish of me to come to you like this but I had five hours on a plane and then another hour on the train to think about the idea that maybe you and I could be...something again. And if I'm fooling myself then I'm fooling myself. Fine. I'll go back to California and we can go back to being whatever the hell it is we've been to each other these last handful of years, but-"

"Lenny," she says softly.

"What?" he asks, gazing at her with more vulnerability than she's ever seen.

"You know what the worst part about Gordon Ford is?"

"Aside from the cheating and wanting you to cheat right back?" Lenny asks. "Which - I've been in that situation. It's not sustainable."

"Well," Midge huffs. "Aside from all of that, the worst part about Gordon is that he's not you."

He stares at her in surprise.

"And If we're confessing feelings here, I'm just tired of denying that that's what's-"

She doesn't get to finish her sentence, before he's kissing her, cupping her face and pulling her close, and Midge is lost in the feeling of this man, and this moment.

"Your dress is awful," he whispers against her lips.

Midge groans and slumps back. "I told them champagne is an awful color and no one wanted to listen to me," she grumbles

Lenny chuckles softly, and holds her hand tightly.

[jarofstyles]

"If you let me in, I’m ready to give you what I couldn’t before"

Oh some angst we are 👀👀

warning: implied cheating (in a sense?) angst angst angst

If you enjoy this, check out our Patreon!!

_____

“If y’let me in, I’m ready to give you what I couldn’t before.”

He wrung his hands as he stood in front of her door. His stomach a mess of anxiety, sweat on his brow, he had realized just how badly he fucked up when her face barely moved. Stoic. This wasn’t his Y/N.

It had started off as simply fuck buddies. Friends with benefits. And it progressed through the months. They did things that friends with benefits shouldn’t. Snuggles and kisses and sweet nothing. Picnics and movie dates and private fluff that really had her believing that they were more than just random fucks.

Harry had wanted to have his cake and eat it too. When Y/N had opened up his phone to some sexting going on back and forth between Harry and some sorority girl, she felt her heart shatter. Seeing him talk about it wanting to taste someone else and wanting to see how tight she was, making plans to see her the day Y/N was going out of town… it had utterly wrecked her.

When confronted, Harry panicked. They had never claimed exclusivity but everything had hinted at it. His idea was that when she was away, he could play a bit and come back to have the soft snuggles and hot sex with her. There was nothing wrong with tasting a few more things, right? I didn’t matter that his stomach didn’t felt right doing it.

His mates had been on his back about the fact he wasn’t dating her and also not taking advantage of being in college. They’d gotten to his head, and he was set up with Stacey and she was good looking, decent enough. She was willing and eager and They’d texted back and forth, Harry not thinking twice about leaving his phone in the bed with Y/N as he went to the bathroom.

When she opened his phone with the few dings it had, she felt like she could throw up.

S: I can’t wait until you come over. I haven’t been fucked in agesssss.

S: honestly? I’ve had my eye on you for a while.

S: I got a set I think you may like. You said you liked red, right? ;)

Attached was a photo of a toned body in a red lace outfit, nipples able to be seen and a bare bottom with a hand covering her cunt.

S: if you can find some time to come sooner… I’ll be waiting. Xxxx

Y/N felt like she couldn’t breathe. Hand shaking slightly as she stood up, grabbing her clothes and hastily putting them on. She was so fucking stupid. So dumb. Harry was like everyone else. And it was her fault for letting this go on as much as it did.

Harry’s brows furrowed as he walked out of the bathroom to see her hastily getting dressed, tears streaming down her face. His heart broke, hating seeing her any type of upset. It was instinct, rushing to grab her and pull her into his body.

“Baby… wha’s happened? What’s the mat-“ he was interrupted by a shove, loosing his balance and falling on to the bed.

“What’s the matter? I’m…. Please, don’t touch me.” She said quietly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to shove you. But this… it isn’t going to work anymore Harry. I obviously was thinking it was more than this was, and that’s my fault. You stated your opinions and wants and I was fine with that at the time-“ her voice cracked, and Harry’s stomach dropped. What was she talking about? She couldn’t know….

“Your texts. You’ve got a lovely girl named Stacey who has a nice set for you to see when y’go over on the day I leave to go back home for a day.” The bitterness was tasted even on Harry’s tongue, his throat feeling thick as he stood up. She wasn’t supposed to see those.

Shit. Shit. Why did he feel like this, like he had cheated when they weren’t anything? Why did he feel like he wanted to get sick and cry?

“We-we arent exclusive! We aren’t and y’said that was fine, we arent.” He sputtered out, making it worse. Her face dropped and her eyes hit the ground, the silence broken by a sniffle.

“Yeah. We aren’t, I guess. I dunno… when it’s a few months in and you do all those… dates, and y’introduce me to your mum and sister And have me come out every night and call me your girl… it all seemed like more. Everyone keeps askin’ me how long we’ve been dating and I suppose I’m an idiot for saying a few months when…. I jumped the gun and believed that everything you said… that I’m the most beautiful girl and youre so lucky to have me, that I’m the best you’ve ever had…. It’s easy to believe it when you must have so much practice saying it.” She laughed bitterly, throwing her shoes on her feet, throwing Harry’s shirt off and pulling on her own.

It felt like he got punched in the stomach. Realizing how badly he had fucked up, bur his ego wasn’t allowing him to admit it. The technicalities saved him, Didnt they?

“I don’t know what you want me to say.” He said though the tears burned behind his eyes. He refused to show how it was effecting him. Instead of being hit, shoved again, yelled at, she just nodded, shocking him.

“Yeah. I don’t know… I thought… was living in a fantasy land. You were giving me what I wanted but it’s obvious now that you were playing a game. You can’t actually give me what I want. I wanted to be with you.” She pushed the hair out of her face, Harry helplessly sitting on the bed as she gathered her things. The panic was setting in but he didn’t dare make a noise about how the makeup wipes being thrown into her bag tore him apart. She was leaving, leaving.

“We don’t have to- we don’t hav’ta stop, Y/N. Why?” He knew he sounded stupid when her head snapped to him, irritation covering her face.

“I know that my pussy is apparently too good and you continued this whole charade to keep it, but you can’t give me what I want. I want a boyfriend. I want someone to love me and give me those forehead kisses and say those beautiful things you said to me and mean them. You can’t give me that, can you?” The last piece of hope had shattered when he stayed silent, the silence staying around until she slammed the door shut and walked out of his life.

It hasn’t been too long since then, and he knew immediately that he was fucked up. His texts and called remained ignored and unopened. Her friends had told him to fuck off, and he understood. Mitch had smacked him upside the head and he couldn’t stomach the looks Sarah and Evie had given him when they’d found out why Y/N wasn’t tagging along anymore.

So that’s how he ended up outside her apartment door, knocking and speaking through the door. “Please. I’m a fucking idiot, Y/N … I’m an arrogant son of a bitch and I didn’t want to back down but please let me in. I meant ever bring I said to you before then. I haven’t fucked anyone else since you. Please let me in.” His voice broke, resting his head against the cool wood. “Let me give you what you want.”

His breathing caught as he heard the click of the lock.

[tnystrk-exe]

Estocolmo 2

Hannibal x Reader

Masterpost

First Chapter

Warnings: 18+ Oral M receiving, daddy kink, someone walks in

Word count: 5.7k

Chapter Two

The light streaming in through the window woke you up. You curled up in the soft silk sheets, listening to Hannibal’s hums coming from the bathroom. Deciding there wasn’t much more to do than doze, you did just that, taking your time to enjoy your Monday morning. His bed was much softer than the hand me down one you kept at home. You really could lay here forever.

It wasn’t until the bed dipped that you opened your eyes. He was all ready dressed and groomed to the nines. The navy sweater and grey trousers seemed as homey as the man allowed himself to be.

“Hello, handsome,” you greeted.

“Good morning, darling.” Hannibal cupped your face gently, smiling when you leaned into his touch. “It’s marvelous to see you so relaxed, it’s not a sight I get to see often. You’re divine.”

“Devine,” you scoffed in disbelief, “I haven’t had a glimpse of it yet, but I’m sure I look nothing less than a wreck.”

Hannibal’s thumb stroked your jaw, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips. “When it’s my fault you look so utterly debauched, I can’t lie and say my pride doesn’t play a factor.”

“There it is,” you couldn’t help rolling your eyes as you dropped a kiss to his hand, “Always taking pride in everything you do. However, much to your dismay, I’m going to have to destroy your masterpiece. A shower does sound perfect right now.”

“Of course, I took the liberty of running a bath for you.”

“Sweet man,” you smiled fondly at him.

Bringing you closer he pressed a gentle kiss to your lips. As always, he left you wanting more. This time though, you didn’t chase after him. The night of fun was done. All that was left was the goodbye to wrap up the event completely. Some part of you wanted to push that time back.

You hummed lightly, “You enjoy making it hard to not miss you.”

“All the sweeter when we reunite.”

“Sure, whatever you say.”

He tapped your cheek playfully, “Take your bath. I’ll have breakfast ready by the time you’re done.”

Getting out of bed, you stretched. Hannibal’s fingertips ghosted along your spine. “From the looks of it, you’d be happier to help.”

“Simply admiring… You truly are a thing of beauty.” he squeezed your hip before taking his hands away, “I’ll leave some of my things for you to wear on the bed.”

Walking into the bathroom, you were taken by the soft scent of nearly familiar perfumes you’d wear, his cologne lingered ever so slightly. A perfect mix of the two. Looking in the mirror, you surveyed the wreckage. Runny mascara, smudged over lipstick, and rather large hickies scattered across your body did make you look like the definition of debauched. The neck didn’t have as much damage, but covering the few there would still be a pain. So much for keeping things hidden from others. Grabbing the pack of makeup wipes on the counter, you started cleaning up knowing you’d find it to be too much of a chore after the bath.

It was welcoming when you finally got into the still warm bath. Hot water made you relax further as your body let go of the last bit of tension it held. The products seemed to match the ones you usually used, if not make yours seem like cheap dupes. Your lip quirked at that realization, the gentleman seemed to have had ulterior motives after all.

You took your time washing up, deciding time to relax was sparse so you may as well take advantage of the small time frame you did have. A soft knock at the door pulled you back to the present. “Afraid I drowned?” You asked teasingly as the door opened.

Hannibal offered a quiet chuckle as he walked over and perched on the side of the tub, “Asleep more like.”

You didn’t bother hiding yourself. He’d probably be able to draw you from memory by now if you were being honest. “I do have a question.”

“What is it, darling?”

You gestured to the soaps, “Did you have any plans in particular for our night?”

“Not exactly. The night ended perfectly- you wouldn’t mind me saying-” Hannibal tapped your chin affectionately when you smiled, “but there wasn’t anything other than pure intentions when I purchased them. The scent reminded me of you and I thought if you drank too much or there was a storm, those kinds of things, it would be good to have something for you to use. Sending you out into possible dangers was never something left to chance. You’d be safer with me.”

“Ever the good host,” you said, taking his word for it, “Thank you for thinking of me, Hannibal.”

“Always.” Hannibal rolled up his sleeves, moving to sit behind you. “Lean back for me.”

You turned to look at him questioningly, “What are you doing?”

“I find it very important to take care of my partners just as much after. You didn’t give me much of a chance last night. While I’m here, I may as well make myself useful.”

Allowing him to turn you forward again before he grabbed the shampoo and conditioner. You sighed heavily as he massaged the shampoo in, his fingers working magic. “You took care of me,” you argued, “Asked me what I wanted and gave it to me. I didn’t want anything else.”

“It’s just as much for me as it is for you,” he stated, running some water through your hair, “I like to make sure nothing was too much or that you’re not telling me if it was.”

“I’m as good as I’ve been in a long time. Really. If I hadn’t wanted something to happen I would have stopped you. Though, if I had known things would have ended like this I would have stopped by when we had more time. Testing before winter break would have been all that much easier.”

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t be of service earlier,” he mused. “A difficult time that must have been for my sweet girl. Poor thing.”

The urge to sink into the water was strong as you felt the smallest bit of pride at the endearment paired with an equally small bout of jealousy that you shared it with his other partners. It was snuffed out quickly. Perhaps you’d entertain this for a while, but it wouldn’t last. He liked a life that was above and usually too stiff compared to your own. The pair of you weren’t meant to work long term and that was fine. A simple passing thing between friends was the most this would be.

-

Things went back to business as usual after that night. There weren't any intense feelings or need for Hannibal. There wouldn’t be any time to entertain the idea even if they had popped up. Not with this insane work piled on top of you and the final test you needed to study up on. The most you had seen him was in passing or when he’d drop off a meal every so often. Though you wouldn’t lie and say your mind hadn’t found itself wandering every so often.

There was nothing you could do about that, so instead you took shifts, grading work then studying. Rinse and repeating the cycle as long as you could handle it. Your head was pounding before you knew it, but all of this needed to be done. A little bit longer, you reminded yourself as you took a couple headache pills.

The buzzing of your phone vibrating on the desk startled you. “Hi, dad,” you sighed, stuck with this particular pain.

“Hey, pretty girl, how have you been?”

Pretty girl, you scoffed inwardly. You had to give him credit- at least he was pretending to be interested this time. That was rare. “Nothing much. Work. School. The usual. It’s been heavy lately.”

“Yeah, of course, things get like that. So listen, your mom and I are running real low late-“

“I already told you I wasn’t any good for money. I’m barely making ends meet as it is… I already sent you the last $600 I could,” you rested your head in your hands, “I’m sorry.”

“Well, what the fuck do we send you to that school for,” he shouted, “It’s a waste of time. You’re not gonna make anything of yourself. All you do is waste fucking time. Everything we do for you and you just take it all for granted. What type of selfish bitch of a kid doesn’t try to help out her parents?”

“Yeah, dad, I take everything for granted. Putting myself through school should have been a breeze. Juggling school and two jobs? Simple fucking shit right? You should know, right? Wait… you couldn’t even raise your kid could you?” You snapped the stress getting to you. “Why the hell do you always do this to me?”

No response. He hung up. The truth of the matter seemingly too much for him. No. That was too much credit. He knew you wouldn’t send him anything. Try again some other time. Sighing you set the phone down. Your throat felt like it was closing and your head was pounding. A couple tears fell, soon followed by a quiet sob. You didn’t want anyone to see, but the stress was getting to you. Try as you might, you weren’t made of stone.

You hadn’t noticed when Hannibal had walked in for a usual evening check up. “Darling girl,” his accented voice was laced with worry as he walked toward you, “What’s wrong?” Hannibal crouched near your chair as he wiped away your tears.

“Everything went to my head. It’s nothing. I’m okay,” you swallowed thickly, as you attempted to stop the crying and sniffling, not meeting his eye just yet.

Hannibal grabbed your chin gently, forcing you to look at him. “Nothing more?”

“Nope,” you shook your head, giving him a slight smile, “Just school and a headache. Thank you for checking on me. I appreciate it.”

He looked you over, not believing you but unwilling in prodding you further. “It seems a break is in order.”

“I can’t, Hannibal,” You gestured to the papers and books around the desk, “The sooner I’m done with all this the better. I just want to go home.”

Hannibal started to pick up your things, he wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer this time. “We’ll go to my office, you’ll eat, I’ll grade the work and ask you questions. Follow me.” Before you can get a word in, he turned heel, leaving you to quickly scramble behind him.

The office had the same comforting feel his home did. Though you weren’t sure many besides you felt comfort in his presence. Hannibal Lecter was by all means an intimidating man, even when you did feel like you were close to him. Closer now, you corrected thinking about the fading bruises under your shirt and the sweater he had let you borrow that you had yet to return. Still there was something about his presence that invoked a feeling of calm in you, even with that spike of something questionable. He seemed to always have all the answers and knew exactly what to do with any situation.

“Here,” Hannibal placed a Tupperware and drink on your side of the desk, “You really shouldn’t be spreading yourself so thin, love. It isn’t good for such a delicate thing.”

“I’m hardly delicate.” You grabbed the food giving him a grateful smile. “I’ve got it all handled. It’s just finals and everything stacked up. The future. I stumbled a bit, is all.”

Hannibal sat on his side and started shuffling through your papers. “Nonetheless, I wish you didn’t strain yourself so much.”

“Not all our days can be a nice weekend together,” you pecked at the salad, as much as you wanted to grab some papers off the stack you knew he would never allow it, “Life is still as frustrating as ever.”

“What did they say?” Hannibal asked, nipping the problem at the bud. If you wouldn’t start the conversation he would.

You sighed, “Something along the lines of ‘waste of time’ and ‘selfish bitch’ really wasn't the worst thing he's ever said. I was just already at my endpoint. I’m pretty sure if I dropped my pen I would have had a similar reaction.”

“Being at your end doesn’t justify mistreatment.”

“I know,” you shrugged, “but I don’t have it in me to argue anymore. Deaf ears and all that. What’s the point?”

“The point is making it known that you won’t tolerate that behavior.”

“I’m just tired and disappointed. A part of me is considering just going into the world on my own. The only family that really cares has passed on, what’s the point of hoping my parents would ever consider changing.” You coughed lightly, clearing your throat. This was too much of a therapy session for your taste. “I’ve already made it up in my head that I’m going to wait a year before getting back in school. You know, save any penny I can. These past four years even with aid and scholarship money has been hell. I’m going to be 24 and there’s still just so much to do.”

“I can’t say I envy you,” Hannibal shook his head, “The uncertainty in those years is unmatched.”

“It’s hard to imagine you uncertain of anything. You seem to always know exactly what to do.”

Hannibal scoffed lightly, “Only because time has granted me certain wisdoms. When I was younger I was lucky enough to appeal to someone with my artistic talent and stories of my past. Though I’d like to think it was the former that earned me my scholarship. I may not have had the exact struggles you did, but we’ve all been through situations we needed to push past. It comes in time. Once you get there, you’ll go through life with grace.”

“Well, I don’t have any reservations about using my past. Would you be my mentor?” You joked, for the most part.

“A five year forward request,” he mused, “Are you certain you’d enjoy me that much as a mentor?”

“Someone is gonna have to teach me the ropes,” you shrugged, “We’re more than comfortable with each other and I already know how pleasurable time with you can be, why not learn a couple of things from your infinite wisdom?”

His lip quirked, “Glad to know your thoughts are nothing less than wholesome.”

“Only the purest.”

You ate your dinner as he asked questions. It was a bit unfair, probably, you knew he had helped form the test. Then again, you knew your boss and it was more than likely all of Hannibal’s work. So this little run was sure to be a preview of what to expect. Still, the questions he asked were far from simple, despite how much you studied. Sometimes a raised brow would tell you, you needed to think again. Other times you’d get a soft praise thrown your way that would immediately make you think of when he was against you.

“A few more for me, darling girl. You’re doing so well.”

Your face heated up as you remembered the exact moment he said something nearly identical.

Hannibal looked at you over a paper, a smirk playing on his lips, “You’re looking a bit distracted, are you alright?”

“You know what you did, jerk.”

“Do I?” He laughed.

You shook your head, “You’re unbelievable.”

Hannibal continued grading, rattling off questions off the top of his head. You mind however, wandered. Answering his questions absentmindedly, more preoccupied with memories than the matter at hand. The way his hands felt. His breath against your chest as he chased his high. The gentleness the morning after as he helped you into his clothes, giving you a last kiss before breakfast. A lingering regret at not getting to thank him back properly. He would be the perfect distraction now that you thought of it.

“I won’t help you if you prefer to daydream.”

“I wouldn’t be daydreaming if you didn’t decide to help me in the first place.”

“Touché.”

“Think I’m all done studying. I’m tired of it,” you sighed, stretching, “I want to do something else.”

Hannibal looked at you, brow raised. “What’s that sweet girl?”

You shook off some nerves. As much as the two of you had already done, he was still an intimidating man. His eyes followed as you stood and walked around the desk. Hannibal brought your hand up to his lips. You trailed it along his jaw, feeling the rough stubble that just started coming in, buying yourself some time to steady yourself. A raised brow questioned what you’d do next, but otherwise he leaned into your touch.

“I wanted to thank you for everything. For how good you are to me.”

“I don’t expect anything in return,” he assured.

“Yeah, I know,” you sunk to your knees in front of him, tracing your fingertips up and down his thigh slowly, looking up at him, “but I want to take care of you too.”

He toyed with a strand of your hair, looking almost bored as he leaned back in his chair. “That isn’t necessary, little one, I enjoyed watching you.” Still there was a glint of something in his eye that told you he was interested, merely teasing with the show he just wanted something more from you.

You bit your lip, pondering at what he had deemed missing. The title. A thing that had slipped past your lips embarrassingly but one he had used with stupor throughout the night. Hands settling on his knees, you pushed them apart so you could settle there more comfortably. A pout, “Please, daddy, I’ve wanted to since we met.”

“Always an eager plaything,” he sighed checking the clock on the wall, “I suppose daddy can make some time for his girl.”

That was enough for you to start undoing his belt. Despite the bored act, his half hard cock betrayed him and told you exactly how much he had been interested. You palmed him through his boxers, he didn’t give you the pleasure of hearing anything from him, but that’s alright you didn’t mind earning it. Once you were satisfied with how hard he was, you pulled him out of the boxers. Leaning back on your knees you took it in, unsure if you could fit the length of it in completely.

Hannibal took in your hesitation. Using a finger he tilted your head up to look at him in the eye. “We don’t have to do anything if you aren’t okay with it now. A change of mind is more than alright.”

“No. It’s not that I want to,” you licked your lips, as if to prove how okay you were you wrapped your hand around him, thumb tracing a prominent vein, “I was just wondering if it would fit all the way in.”

He let out an amused huff, shaking his head, “I’m sure you’ll try your best, ridiculous girl.”

Leaning in you pressed a kiss to the head. Just a little more time to work up the courage. You kissed along the shaft, mapping out every vein. Your tongue traced its way back up, catching a taste of precome that had beaded on the head. An encouraging hand threaded itself in your hair, never pushing for more than you were willing to give.

A knock at the door, interrupts the scene.

“A moment,” Hannibal calls out to the person. “Get under the desk,” he said as he started to hide away any evidence that he was with anyone. Your appearance wasn’t completely ruined, not to his taste at least, but the messed up lipstick and slightly ruined hair wouldn’t take much mental work for someone to come to the correct conclusion.

Taking his instruction you got under the desk as he fixed his own appearance, suit jacket over his arm to hide himself. Walking over to the door, “Mr. Henderson,” he greeted, pleasantly, “Please, come in.”

“Hannibal, sorry about stopping by so late,” you heard the door close as the two walked over.

“Nonsense. If anything, the company is welcomed.” Hannibal took his seat, pulling his chair in close, to make sure you were hidden away.

“I was actually going to see if I could convince you to stay.”

Mischief sparked as you grew bored with their droning conversation. Thankfully he had decided to get rid of his belt fully. It didn’t take much to free him again. He spread his legs, attempting to give you the most space possible under the cramped desk. You pumped him in your hand, getting him back to how you had him. The other hand tugged softly at his balls. You wouldn’t be able to put him in your mouth properly with this angle. Instead you satisfied yourself with sucking on the sides of his cock.

“The students adore you,” the other man countered whatever Hannibal had said, “Honestly your classes are killing Jacob’s with every exam.”

“I take great pride in my students. They are an extension of myself. How well they do is a direct reflection of my skill as a teacher,” he sighed, “I have a couple of people in mind that could fill my roll, I’ll ask people to see who’s interested.”

“Still Jacob’s is slacking too much, I may take away his student aid privileges. I see her around here more often than I ever see him.”

You gave a particularly hard suck to a seemingly sensitive spot as his hips had stuttered ever so slightly. No evidence of any misconduct came from his voice as he said, “Oh her? She is a very good girl. Motivated. Never complains about a thing.”

You felt Hannibal throb against your mouth. Taking a break you leaned your head on Hannibal’s thigh, as fun as it would to mess with him more, you knew he took great pride in his social image. Besides, you had wanted Hannibal’s full attention anyway. His hand came down to your hair, subtly showing that he was still paying attention to you to the best of his abilities.

They talked a while longer, before Henderson finally left. Hannibal had pulled out a stack of papers, motioning like he was going to work on grading, and politely asked him to lock the door as he left. When it was clear he pushed his chair away from the desk. You made your way out smiling at him.

“Someone seems very happy with themselves.”

“You enjoyed it.”

“But did you ask permission?” Hannibal asked as worked himself lazily.

You faltered slightly under his gaze, “Well...no.”

“And do you think you deserve any type of reward for that stunt?”

“...I hope so.”

“I’ll forgive it,” he decided, “only because you’re so eager and we never set ground rules. But now it’s on my terms.”

“Yes, sir,” you nodded obediently, not wanting to receive one of Hannibal's punishments just yet.

Hannibal used your hair to pull you closer. You stumbled on your knees catching yourself on his thighs. “Since you were so unsure if you could fit in daddy earlier, after that little stunt, I’m sure you’re feeling better now. Aren’t you?”

The hand in your hair pushed you down. You closed your mouth around the tip. Hannibal groaned quietly, letting you work your way down. Bobbing your head you took more of him deeper every time, but those last two inches were proving difficult. Gripping your hair, he pulled you off of him.

His breath was coming in quick pants, brushing your hair away from your face. “Do you need help, darling?”

“I can’t fit it daddy.” It came out in a breathless whine.

“Yes, you can. Be a good little mouth and let me do the work.”

Again he pushed you onto his cock. This time he took control. His hand kept you in place as he thrusted his hips up. Without the hesitation you had, he fit himself in quickly. Grinding into your mouth he let you choke around it for a while before pulling you up for air.

“See?” He choked out as he used you again, “Fucking perfect mouth… Daddy’s good girl… taking care of me like she asked.”

His grunted praises and moans were enough to excuse the tear prickling your eyes. Over and over he used your mouth to it’s extent. Seeming to enjoy it most when you did choke on him. Hannibal stopped before he came. Pulling you up off the floor and onto his lap. Wiping away the stray tears that had fallen.

“You’re too good for me.” He kissed your cheek.

“You haven’t finished.” You caught your breath as you curled into his chest. His cologne comforted you. The increasingly familiar scent carved a special place in you.

“I’ll finish later,” he promised, dropping another kiss onto your head, “At the moment, I want to make sure you’re alright. I got carried away.”

“I’m not porcelain, Hannibal,” you intertwined your fingers with his, “I like it when you’re in charge… It gives me a chance to not think of anything.”

“Even so these situations require a lot of trust from your partner.”

You shrugged, as you decided to be honest, “At the moment you seem to be the only person I trust. Besides, you wouldn’t hurt me.”

“Let’s hope I don’t disappoint you.”

“I can’t see you ever doing that.”

That night Hannibal had taken you home. You received the same treatment you had received the first night you stayed at his house. Mostly you thought it was an apology of some sort for treating you roughly in his office. By some good grace both of you had classes later in the day, allowing you to enjoy the softer side of Hannibal in the morning again.

A new sweater of his joined the one that resides on your futon. You hadn’t thought twice about packing them away when you emptied your apartment out.

-

Life in New York was eventful to say the least. Different but fun. It had been six months since you had graduated. Your friend from high school shared an even shabbier apartment together. You made a couple friends. Picked up jobs at a bar and a bookstore.

“You’re not any fun,” Alex complained as she adjusted her makeup, “You never want to go out with me.”

“I’m tired,” you complained. “Anyway, why would I want to go to a bar when I work at one?”

“To wreak hell on someone that’s stuck in your usual gig.”

“Have fun with the guys.”

She attempted to pull you off the couch a couple more times to no avail. In truth you were happy to have a moment of peace. All honesty she was the driving force in you actually living your life and not just working the entire time. You really did love her for all of that and the experiences you had. However there were times for breaks to be had from everything. And tonight was one of them.

You showered, got dressed in a sweater and shorts, heated up some leftovers. Throwing on a bad 80’s horror flick, you spent your night in splendor. A break was rare and you were gonna use your relaxation time to its extent. Sleep overtook you sometime in the night, only to be woken up by the annoying shrill sound of your phone.

“Al, baby, I love you so damn much, but if you’re gonna bitch at me about not going out tonight. I just might be tempted to murder you,” you muttered sleepily, “I could get away with it.”

“Sweet girl, is that any way to speak to your friends?” A voice you hadn’t heard in a while asked, disappointment clear in his tone.

“Hannibal,” you said lamely, slightly ashamed that that was the first thing he heard from you in months. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting you. It’s… It’s been a while.”

“It has been,” he agreed, “In fact, I called to ask if you would like to come to a dinner party.”

You looked at the clock, noting just how late it had been. “You called at two in the morning to ask me to a dinner party?”

“I’ve been busy and you didn’t leave an address for an invitation. It was… spur of the moment.”

“I missed you too,” you sighed, deciding to be the one to voice it, “Yeah, I’d love to go over.”

“Are you planning on staying with me?”

You sighed dramatically, “Suppose I can give a lonely old man some company. What, you couldn’t find anyone as entertaining as me in Baltimore?”

“I’ve got specific tastes.”

“Is that right?”

Alex walked in, the last part of the conversation hitting her ears and the alcohol in her system making her louder. “Is that the daddy? Does he know he’s ruined men for you? Ugh, can you get him over here to loosen you up? I’d appreciate it that so much.”

“I never said ruined, I just sa-“ you realized Hannibal was still on the phone, “Just please, go take a shower, I’ll make you anything you want to eat if you promise to stay quiet.”

Surprisingly she complied, only saying egg sandwich with cheese and bacon in response.

“Ruined?”

“Couldn’t let that skate by?”

“You’re the one talking about me.”

You coughed. “I don’t know. I guess I’ve got specific taste too. Just something happened with someone and I don’t know, I couldn’t get into it that same way. Like with you. They needed me to tell them exactly how… It was just awkward. It wasn’t satisfying. They were nice though.”

“You compare my experience to their experience inexperience,” he deduced. “You enjoy knowing I’ve got everything under control.”

You tried to shake away the blush. “So it seems we’re stuck in similar positions.”

“We are.”

“Hannibal,” you heard someone call out, “When were you thinking of joining us? We didn’t bother you so much you had to leave us that long.”

He asked him for a moment.

“Seems like someone wants your attention,” you commented.

“Does it bother you?”

“Not at all. Just friends having fun right? It would be hypocritical considering I just told you of my night with someone else. As long as it’s nothing serious with whoever that was, we’re fine.”

“They’re nothing. Someone’s too loud nephew. In fact I think he’s rather rude. You know I can’t stand people like that.”

“You’ll survive. Get home safe.”

“I’ll send you the directions in a moment. Have a goodnight little one.”

“‘Night daddy,” the long unused term of endearment fell from your lips easily.

“‘Night daddy,” Alex sighed dreamily from the bathroom door, “God, is the dick really that good? How could it be?”

You hung up the phone. “Can you please not do that next time? He’s really particular about things.”

She raised her hands up in defense. “Whoa, there. He can handle a little joke at his expense when he’s already been down your throat. Now where’s my sandwich?”

“I’m serious Al.” You sighed when you got up from the couch to get to work on your promise. “He makes me feel like I need to be all proper.”

“You’re fine, doll. A dime if I’ve ever seen one. I’m not gonna ruin this for you, if he randomly decided to call you this late,” she took a seat on the counter, taking the water you handed her gratefully, “Do you want that to be a long term thing?”

“Nah,” you threw the bread into the toaster, “I couldn’t live his life. Sure, I like him and I do think he’s fun to hang around. But it just feels like something that will simmer down eventually. We’ll probably meet up a couple more times and it’ll be done. It’s not like we do anything more than end up in bed and sweet talk.”

“I’m telling you, we’d be set if you asked him to be your sugar daddy. Please ask him to take care of you and be his call girl.”

“How about you?” You asked, changing the topic, “Any pretty girls?”

“This one chick at work,” she shook her head, “Fucking goddess of a woman, LN, I’m telling you. I got it bad. She’s got me waiting for her with her coffee orders in the morning like some kind of obedient little puppy.”

“You know her coffee order.”

“Exactly!”

“How’s the commitment issues?”

“I’m gonna have to fucking work through them. Unlike someone, I think I wanna try out the long term thing.”

“Hey!” You cracked the eggs into the oil, “I’m just not up for it right now.”

“Work him out of your system. We’re supposed to be having fun this year.”

You sighed, “I’m trying.”

“I’m telling you we find you a decent lay. You won’t need to be fucking around with that guy.” Your phone chimed. Alex grabbed it off the counter. “The devil works fast doesn’t he? Address and day of the party. You’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like. Says he’ll buy you a cute little number.”

“No, tell him I got it.”

“Thank you, daddy. I’ll make it worth your wild. Wink. Send.”

“You’re the worst.”

“I still think he’s ugly,” she shrugged, tossing your phone over, “May as well get a cute dress out of sleeping with him.”

“He’s not ugly. I’ve seen the people you’ve brought home,” You scoffed, handing over the plate.

“Reggie is a fun time! Fuck I miss Reggie.”

“Work chick,” you reminded her.

“Right right.” She argued before taking a bite of the sandwich. “Fine, we’ve both had our questionable older partner moments. Nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I’m not.”

“Still never called her mommy and that’s a win in my books.”

“I should have never told you that,” you laughed, “I fucking hate you man.”

She pinched your cheek affectionately, “You had your chance to get rid of me. The return policy ran out. You’re stuck. Congratulations.”

“How long until you expire?”

Alex pretended to count it through. “We’re looking at at least 50 years more, if we’re lucky.”

You hummed, “Are you accounting for possible sickness or accidents?”

“I’m immortal for 50 years in between. No arguments at this time please.”

Next Chapter

Tag list: @charc0al-grey

[gladly-be-the-good]

Danny Phantom Ducktales Crossover Part 3

The next time Scrooge saw the youngsters, their parents were trying to sneak into his Manor.

He quickly called Duckworth to his office and warned him to steer clear. Lena wasn't supposed to visit today, so the pesky ghost gutters wouldn't be anything Beakly couldn't handle. She had been informed of their intentions and would no doubt expel them more quickly than she would normal intruders. That went to show how much she liked Lena and tolerated Duckworth, since intruder removal was already remarkably efficient.

Lena hadn't planned on visiting Webby today, but Violet had a Woodchuck thing and Lena knew from past experience that if she was left alone for too long things tended to get… dangerous. So Webby was getting a surprise girl's day. She was going to love it. The way her best friend’s eyes lit up when she saw Lena, never failed to brighten even the teen’s darker moods.

She took one look at the people in front of her first home and pulled out her phone. Two adults were creeping up the tall hill toward McDuck Manor, having somehow gotten past the gates. Duckworth usually took care of people if they started to trample through the gardens. Brutally.

She kept her expression casual as she texted Mrs Beakly and walked over to the two teens who waited as far from their parents as possible. The boy was close to her age, maybe just fourteen. The older girl was shaking her head and constantly looking around them.

"We are going to be so arrested." She muttered anxiously.

"Nah. First time offenders are fed to the shark." Lena said casually. The boy almost smiled, even as his sister jumped in surprise.

"Any shark that could successfully eat all of my dad would immediately die."

"Your dad is absurdly tall. What is he, seven and half feet tall?"

"Two feet of that is fudge. That's what'd kill the shark. Diabetes." Lena hummed in amusement and said,

"Magic shark. I like your style though. What's your name kid?"

"Danny, and I bet I'm older than you."

"I doubt it. I'm fourteen. Almost fifteen."

"Ha. I turn fifteen this weekend."

"I'm Jazz, the only member of this family that has never willingly tried to break and enter." Lena hummed.

“Future president?”

“Not with a criminal record I won’t be.” She was such a Huey.

“People try to sneak in here all the time. I used to sneak in here all the time. Only a few have actually been arrested.”

“That’s…good? Oh! You must be Lena!” Jazz’s eyes lit up. “I’ve heard so much about you! I was actually wondering if you had a minute to talk-” Lena felt all her walls slam right back up. People didn’t want to talk to her. Not about anything good. Not unless they were family.

“Don’t tell me you came all the way here just to talk to me?” Because you’d be lying.

Her eyes were hard and her posture defensive.

Jazz felt the already vibrating anxiety in her chest, exasperated by her parents breaking the law and breaking into someone’s house, someone Jazz needed on her side, starting to match the tempo of a hummingbird’s heartbeat. Desperate, utterly desperate, she tried to explain. To pull Lena back out of the box she saw Danny close himself into all the time.

“No! It’s not like that! Our parents are ghost hunters and they have wanted to come out here since the portal opened. We just got dragged along-” Lena scowled.

Seriously?

Ghost hunters?

Duckworth was in that house. She was in that house. Sure, Lena was more than happy to wreck any supernatural threat to her family, but some of those supernatural threats were her family!

“Yeah you’re definitely going to want to get out of here. Beakley will not go easy.”

The ginger girl looked ready to protest or…cry? But her brother shook his head.

“Leave it Jazz. It’s not worth it. It won’t change anything anyway.”

A familiar accent rang down the slope and Lena felt herself relax. When had she started to think of Bentena Beakley as someone who’d keep her safe?

“You will leave this property immediately! Should you return, and I strongly advise you against returning, you will be thrown into prison without hesitation. Mr. McDuck has elected to ignore my advice that you already be dealt with so severely.” The adults, who honestly looked more like pouting, sulking, kids, were followed closely by a red-faced housekeeper.

“But this whole place radiates paranormal energy! You could all be in very serious danger!”

“And this would be the perfect chance to try out the Fenton Spector Shredder!”

“We are well equipped to handle danger and we already have a shredder. I’ll thank you to leave quietly before Mr. McDuck is given the ‘perfect chance’ to try out any number of security traps.”

In all the time Lena had been alive, so like, a year, she had never seen the housekeeper falter. But when she saw Lena, she faltered. It was easily missed, a footstep out of cadence, a shadow of worry hiding in her eyes. Beakley was… scared for her?

“Lena, what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be with the Saberwings today.” The fear wasn’t quite well enough hidden and Danny and Jazz’s mother whipped out a scanner of some sort. No sooner did Lena see it than a red light started blinking and two voices shouted in tandem,

“Ghost!” Just as the hunter’s reached for their weapons- (how had Beakley not taken their weapons?) -and Beakley reached to break their bones- (maybe she was just having a bad day and was looking for an excuse to break some bones) -a head of bright orange hair blocked her from view. Their daughter stood in the line of fire and they still didn't lower their guns.

Danny started talking quickly, eyes darting to her occasionally with concern and something like hope?

“You said this whole place registers as ghostly. Lena lives here, so it makes sense that she registers too, right?” They were protecting her. The ghost hunter’s kids… were protecting her. From their family. But maybe they weren’t family. Maybe it was like her and Aunt- like her and Magica.

You must be Lena

I’ve heard so much about you

I was actually wondering if you had a minute to talk-

We just got dragged along-

The only member of our family who has never willingly tried to break and enter-

-never willingly-

“That’s a wonderful observation Danny. Why can’t you apply yourself like this to your school work?” His mother’s praise and reprimand reminded Lena so much of the things Magica used to say. She felt sick.

The excuse he’d given for her, it carried the same desperate denial that Lenas' always had, when Magica confronted her about Webby. Her mouth was dry and her stomach was churning.

Danny sounded pained when he responded.

“Just, not as fun as ghost hunting, I guess.” Lena’s heart pounded in her chest.

“He’s a chip off the old block! Come on, son, I’ll show you how the shredder works!” Jazz quickly interjected,

“Wouldn’t it be best to do that in a controlled environment? Where there are no external factors like dust or sudden weather changes or, I don’t know, police officers?” She smiled tightly. Their Dad lit up.

“Good thinking Jazzy! I know just the place! To the Fenton-mobile!” Jack bounded toward the gate, dragging Jazz behind him like an excited, reckless kid with an old toy.

Maddy put her hands on her hip and frowned at Danny.

“I know what you were trying to do just now young man.” She started walking to the gate and Danny followed and Beakley followed and Lena followed, although she couldn’t figure out why she would want to see anymore of this flaming, familiar, trainwreck.

Danny missed a beat.

“You do?” Beakley reached for something at her waste subtly. Lena was right next to her, practically pushed into her side, and she still couldn’t tell what the weapon might be. Maybe it was invisible. Weirder things had happened. Like Lena letting Beakley walk so close to her. Like Beakley choosing to walk so close to her. Both of them liked their own space.

No personal bubbles, ghost hunters, strangers standing up for her, trauma that she hadn’t had to deal with in a record month coming back to haunt her….Yeah. Weird day.

“You might be able to distract your father with ghost hunting but we will be discussing your school work later.”

“Right, of course.” Danny’s relief changed to muffled annoyance. “Of course.” They reached the main gates, still warped from Launchpad’s last crash. So that’s how they got in.

Jazz was shifting nervously from foot to foot.

“Hi. Sorry about, all of this. I hope, I mean I’d like, could we start over?” Lena could feel Beakley bristling, but that was just because she didn’t know yet. She didn’t see what Lena could see.

The almost fifteen year old offered a half-hearted, mock solute and said,

“Madam president. I look forward to your candidacy. I’m gonna have to vote against you if my best friend’s brother runs at the same time, though.” If she could vote. And was in the country. And paid attention to boring political stuff like that.

Despite Lena’s lackadaisical attitude, or maybe because of it, Jazz looked relieved.

“Naturally. I’d vote for my brother too.” Danny’s tired expression twisted into disgust.

“Ew, no. If I ever run for public office, assume I’ve been overshadowed, cloned, or replaced by a shape-shifting alien.” Lena snorted but noted his terminology. Overshadowed. Maybe it was a ghost hunter’s kid thing, but that wasn’t a word most people knew.

She gently probed the waters as Jazz started to climb into the mobile home and Maddy offered Beakley a curt good-bye.

“Yeah, getting possessed is the worst.” Her mouth tasted like tar how could a shadow taste like anything- oh yeah it was because Magica wasn’t actually a shadow she was a shadow and she had been all along-

Danny’s eyes widened. He checked to see if his parents were listening before he breathed,

“Yeah. It really, really is.”

“I’d never do that to somebody. Ya know. If I could.” Danny ducked his head.

“If that was something I could do, I might have. If I didn’t know what I was doing or what it felt like or was desperate.”

He couldn’t raise his head. He had found another Halfa and they were going to hate him. He was so good at that. “But I think, if I had, I’d hate myself for it.”

“I’d forgive you.” Lena’s response was automatic. She hadn’t even really thought it through. But in the face of his stunned expression, Lena realized that, yes. She wouldn’t be able to be angry at Danny for anything he’d done in the past. It was like looking in a mirror. Only this time, no trace of Magica was anywhere in sight.

Maddy stalked back over to Danny and said,

“Let’s go. It’s clear that we’re not welcome here.”

“Okay, sure. I was just telling Lena about Inviso-bill. I thought she might have heard about him since he was on some local Amity park blogs and, ya know, the internet gets things all over the place.”

Maddy’s eyes brightened, a sickening similarity to the way her daughter’s eyes lit up. She hadn’t caught the message.

Look up Amity park’s Inviso-bill.

“Oh? That’s wonderful Danny! The more people who know about the danger ghosts pose to the public the better.” How could he live like this? Lena folded her arms and shifted her weight.

“Yeah, I’m vaguely interested. What ghost calls themselves Inviso-bill, though?” Danny blushed furiously.

“Nobody knows that that’s his name!”

“That’s true.” Maddy added, eager to educate the poor Ignorant living part time under Scrooge McDuck’s roof. “There is a lot of information about him that can’t be trusted. Some people in Amity think he’s a hero, if you can believe that.” She laughed and it was like nails on a chalkboard. She tipped her head back the same way as- The goggles over her eyes made them look red just like-

“Okay Mom, we should really head out.”

“Here’s our business card, just call the second number if you have any questions or see anything here that might be specter related.” Maddy handed over the card but made the mistake of putting her hand on Lena’s shoulder.

Most days, Lena was fine. She was surrounded by her friends, her family, and the phantom weight of slim fingers made of darkness faded into the recesses of her mind. Most days, reminders of Magica were few and far between and when they did show up they were dealt with because now Lena knew that bottling it up wouldn’t help any. Now Lena knew she could lean on people sometimes without them shying away and leaving her to fall. Today was no longer one of those days.

She jerked away from the touch and turned around and walked as quickly as she could without running back through the gates and up the hill. Beakley was shouting below her. Then, purposefully heavy footsteps followed a respectful distance behind her.

Eventually, Lena stopped, just shy of the main house.

“I’m fine.” She insisted, voice carefully light but not all together steady. “I am. Just, they’re just memories.” She gripped her friendship bracelets and repeated. “I’m fine.”

“I know.”

The accented voice was soft and coming from her height. She turned around and hugged Beakley, who was on her knees, ready to catch her.

Lena cried and sputtered,

“This is, this is just because I promised Webby, that I’d hug you someday. That’s all!”

“I made a similar promise about a week after she met you.”

“She’s the best.”

“She is.”

After a moment, or a minute or five or ten, who knew? Lena pulled away and swiped at her eyes.

“He’s like me.” She sniffed.

“I gathered as much.”

“Of course you did.” Lena folded her arms and hated how much like a hug it was. She should be past needing hugs. Right? “We won’t just, we’re going to help him, right?”

“Of course we are.” Beakley confirmed. Lena nodded, but sensed some reservation in the former super spy’s tone.

“We’re going to save him, right?” There was a moment of hesitation before her answer.

“Of course we are.” Lena nodded and finished heading into the house. She waved off Duckworth's aloof but worried glances and Scrooge’s fury and awkward attempts at comfort. She just wanted to be alone until Webby got home. She didn’t want to ask anymore questions that would result in promises that everything would be okay for Danny. That nothing would stop them from saving him from his so called family, even risk to their own. She didn’t want them to have to say any of that.

Because they’d be lying.

[deathonyourtongue]

Tease

Summary: There’s seldom a good reason to interrupt a workout. But you’ve got a plan... Pairing: Henry Cavill x Reader Word Count: 1.9K Warnings: Pure, unadulterated SMMMMMMMMUUUTTTTTTT.  A/N: We’ve all been wrecked by the tree trunks, the ham hocks, the thighs of glory. I just...Yeah, I had to. Sorry not sorry. Also, @fuckoffbard​? This one’s for you, boo! 

You’re not sure what wakes you first; the music coming from the back garden, or Kal’s cold, wet, nose nudging under your chin. Either way, you crack open an eyelid and look around. It’s early enough that the sun is barely peeking over the horizon and you can feel the chill outside without even having to see the light coating of frost on the hedges. 

Sitting up, you reach for your robe, the black floral silk slipping against your skin as you pad over to the window, wondering what Henry’s up to. Kal follows and within moments has his nose plastered against the window, panting happily at seeing his owner outside. Scratching the top of his head absently, you watch Henry do agility drills, happy to see his hamstring not causing any more issues. 

A grunt from Kal reminds you he’s probably hungry and with a pout down at the big ball of fur, you tie your robe and head to the kitchen to fill his bowl. Keeping your eyes on Henry is easy, as the windows that face the back of the property all have their curtains open, allowing a full view of his workout. It’s hard not to stare as he moves, each muscle a fine-tuned piece of machinery, working as one to make him faster and stronger with each workout. 

When he switches from running back and forth across the garden, to running side to side however, it’s all you can do not to drop Kal’s bowl and imitate your furry friend by pressing your nose to the glass. Henry’s always had nice thighs, but as of late, he’s dialed up his work on them; the sight of him laterally shuffling from one side of the garden to the other only amplifies the definition and size of his muscles there, and it only takes seconds before you feel a visceral reaction to what’s just beyond the window. 

With Kal preoccupied, you wander over to the back door, your lower lip caught between your teeth as an impish idea comes to mind. As Henry shuffles back towards the side of the house you’re on, you let your robe slip open, revealing a slice of your side and one of your breasts. You keep your eyes on a bird at the top of the hedge, wanting the whole thing to look accidental. 

It takes everything in you not to laugh when Henry comes to a skidding halt, nearly falling over in his haste to stop. When you’re certain his eyes are on you and only you, you take a seat at the kitchen table, the bench seat perfect for what you have in mind. 

Letting the robe fall open completely, you lean back and spread your legs. Henry’s body language goes slack and still, his eyes laser-focused on you as he moves closer, one step at a time. Your hands sweep your body slowly, spending some time on your breasts before slipping over your stomach and down your own thighs. 

There’s no missing the tenting in his shorts as your fingers move to your mouth before heading further south. Henry’s nearly got his own face pressed to the glass as your fingers slip through your folds, making your own arousal plainly visible as you tease not only Henry, but yourself as well. A soft gasp leaves your lips as you dip your fingers inside, your need growing as you watch Henry’s hips and thighs tense. Mouth slack, it’s easy to see just how much you’re turning him on. You work yourself to the edge then quickly back off, letting the robe fall off your shoulders completely when you get to your feet. The silk trails behind you as you make your way to the master bath, secure in the knowledge that everything is going according to plan.

The sound of the shower is the only hint you give Henry and you have to cover your mouth as you hear a commotion fit for a bull in a china shop seconds after you’ve made yourself comfortable; Henry’s made it inside and is definitely on a mission. 

“You absolute tease!” He growls as he careens into the bathroom, shirt half off and shorts at his knees. You bite your lip to keep from giggling as he struggles out of his sweaty clothes, Henry’s beaming smile making it clear he doesn’t mind his workout being interrupted for the right reasons. Opening the door to the shower, you gesture towards the built-in marble bench, one eyebrow raised in invitation. 

“Says the man wearing short shorts, letting the whole world see those tree trunks you call legs. Sit,” you joke, smiling as you watch him finally rid himself of the last sock before moving under the spray. Though you’ve made yourself plain, you don’t mind waiting as he lets the warm water wash over his well-worked muscles. Your hands slide up his back, eliciting a groan of enjoyment from Henry as he sags a bit under your touch. 

“Sit,” you repeat, kissing between his shoulder blades before gently nudging him in the direction of the bench. He sits with an ear-to-ear smile and an elated sigh, his arms opening almost immediately. Leaning in, you let him envelope you for a deep kiss, keeping your hips a teasing distance away from the part of him you know must be aching for relief. 

“Wha-”

“Shh. Close your eyes. No peeking,” you chirp, pressing kisses down Henry’s abs as you get to your knees. Smoothing your hair back with the water cascading over both of you, you can’t keep the grin off your face if you try. As your hands slide up his rock-solid quads, your lips find the more tender skin of Henry’s inner thigh. 

A breathless laugh escapes Henry as he feels your touch, but the momentary contraction of his muscles immediately releases as you continue to kiss your way slowly up his thigh. Looking up, you’re glad to see he’s not cheating and trying to steal a look; it makes what comes next all the more fun. 

Immediately after kissing the juncture where his thigh meets his hip, you let your tongue drag up the underside of his length, getting the jump you were hoping for. Smiling, you rub his quads with firm pressure, waiting until you feel the muscles go lax once more before continuing on your devious path. As your hands sail up his sides, you finally do what you’ve been wanting to since seeing him out in the garden; in quick succession, you leave a series of nips along his inner thigh.

Henry jolts like someone touched him with a live wire, his hips canting towards the ceiling of their own volition. 

“Biggest tease in the world!” He exhales, blindly trying to find the top of your head even as you move it out of the path of his hand. Smiling, your lips find the oh-so-sensitive spot at the base of his thick length, sucking gently until you feel his breathing pick up sharply. 

Not giving him time to think, you stroke him firmly root to tip as you move back to his inner thigh, biting just a little harder the second time around, your own excitement growing when he lets out a long, low moan, his voice going a touch hoarse at the end. 

“Tell me what you want, babe. Do you want….my mouth? Or would you rather…?” You let the choice linger as you continue tormenting him, your smile unshakable as Henry begins to squirm, his hips thrusting gently through your hand, the desperation for release growing with every stroke you complete.

Henry murmurs his reply, his voice barely audible over the spray of the shower. You continue your ministrations, laving your tongue over the places you’ve nibbled and sucked, wondering if the evidence of your teasing will show come evening; it would certainly be an interesting place for hickies. 

“What was that? I couldn’t quite--OOP!” 

Henry makes his answer abundantly clear as he picks you up off the floor with ease, setting you down in his lap, his blue eyes intense as he locks his gaze with yours. This time, you have no time to react as you’re lifted even higher, Henry’s strong arms holding you exactly where he wants you. Your mouth drops open in shock as you feel his tongue snake inside you, his eyes never leaving yours as he makes sure you’re ready. When he feels you begin to grind, he slowly sets you back down, the movement as controlled as it is effortless for him. You make sure to grind against his cock in retaliation for his surprise feast. 

“WOMAN!” He growls, Henry smirking victoriously as he lifts you once more, this time ensuring he gets a reaction as he takes up every last bit of room you have to offer.

You sink down to the hilt, your eyes rolling back at the delicious sensation of being so utterly filled. The indulgence only lasts a moment however, as Henry sets a demanding pace, bucking up hard enough to bounce you an inch or two off his lap with every thrust.

“Oh my god! Holy shit!” You squeak, holding onto his broad shoulders as you move with him, finding the primal rhythm the two of have had since the very first time.

“Ohh, now who’s getting teased?” Henry jokes, his eyebrows raised in mischief as he purposely slows down, bringing you flush against his chest with one hand while the other guides your hips as it cups your ass.

His lips find yours for a modicum of comfort as he continues the torturous pace, making sure you feel every inch coming and going. You mewl against his mouth, wordlessly begging for sweet release. 

“Want to come, my love?” He asks teasingly between kisses, Henry’s lips moving south until they find your breasts, his hips ever so slowly increasing the pace once more, driving you wild. You can’t help but nod feverishly, moaning softly each time his cock hits that perfect spot inside, making you see stars. 

The hand at your back finds your hair, Henry gathering it in his palm and pulling gently, exposing your neck to his own nips and kisses as he makes sure you grind down each time you find your seat on his thighs. Panting, you feel as though your heart might explode at any moment, but before you can even vocalize how good Henry’s making you feel, the pace switches back to blistering and you’re left to hold on for the ride as Henry’s hands find your shoulders for leverage.

“Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, oh FUUUCCK!!” You scream. The friction, combined with the angle, makes the world come off its axis and every thought empty from your mind as you explode around Henry’s massive length. 

“Fuck, sweetheart,” he hisses, bouncing you just a little more before pulling you flush once again, his body stiff as he begins to spill inside you. 

Completely wrecked, you can only cling to his biceps as your own orgasm continues to wreak havoc, spurned on by the feeling of Henry filling you to the brim. 

You’re not sure which one of you turns off the shower, but looking at your fingers, you can’t help but crack a dazed smile, seeing each one more pruned than the one before it. You dread getting off Henry’s lap, but before you can even muster the coordination to move, you’re encased in his arms again, Henry standing and padding out of the shower, still fully sheathed inside you. 

“Did I tell you I had the day off, love? Actions have consequences, and, well...We’ve only just begun.” 

You can’t stop yourself from reaching down and smacking Henry’s ass with a still-wet hand, knowing full well your teasing will be matched...again and again and again.

[aminiatureworld]

Time and Chance

Characters: Albedo, Childe, Diluc, gn!reader

Word Count: 4,028

Warnings: Swearing

Premise: Confessions are tricky things. Sometimes it takes week, maybe months, maybe years of building up courage for one to happen. And sometimes life throws the oddest wrenches in our paths.

In which the reader confesses.

Author’s Note: I may or may not have decided to go full sappy this week, but I didn’t want to overwhelm you guys with my overbearing angst. Also I thought it was cute. Originally I wasn’t sure if I wanted the reader to be the one doing the confessing or whether it should be the character. I decided upon the reader on a whim essentially, with the idea that I could do the character later. We’ll see! The title today is reference to one of my favorite novels, written by Sharon Kay Penman. If anyone likes historical fiction I’d highly recommend it.

Today’s characters are Albedo, Childe, and Diluc. Tomorrow will be Kaeya, Xiao, and Zhongli. And maybe Keqing.

Like I said in my past post Happy Valentine’s Day! Although this time it’s Valentine’s Day proper.

Albedo

In your defense, who wouldn’t fall in love with Albedo?

The mysterious alchemist of Monstadt; sharp as a tack, insatiably curious, and blessed with an ethereal sort of beauty on top of it. Who wouldn’t fall in love with such a person?

And that was the problem. You’d sort of taken it for granted that everyone loved Albedo, and in that assumption you’d found a particularly distasteful discovery. That if everyone loved Albedo then you were hardly going to be the only one asking after his time. And, following that line of thought, you figured it’d be incredibly rude – not to mention supremely irritating for Albedo – for you to confess your feelings.

And it wasn’t as if you two were the closest in the world. Although you wouldn’t say you were total strangers either. You instead drifted in that odd in between; more than acquaintances, not quite friends. Or at least that’s how you interpreted it. Albedo didn’t seem to be the person with inclinations towards friendship in general, a not altogether untrue or wild assumption, so you remained content where you were, happy with the conversations you had, with the times he’d trust you with a piece of equipment or would explain to you in detail what he was working on. I mean, surely that was enough?

Absolutely not. Even in your state of perpetual irritation and fretting over your feelings, you knew that simply ignoring them was a ridiculous solution. When did that ever go well? Miscommunication was the relationship killer, no matter what type, and what could be more of a misunderstanding than this? You didn’t even know what he thought of you for Seven’s sake!

So you’d resolved yourself to telling him. Even if he’d be irritated surely he’d appreciate your honesty. And even if he didn’t you needed to tell him, for yourself if not for him.

It was with this in mind that you approached him one afternoon as he was working outside.

“Um, Albedo?” Your voice had taken on a slightly weak tone, as if you didn’t have enough air all of a sudden. It sounded weird, and you kind of wished you didn’t have to hear it. But that was par for the course when dealing something like this, although it didn’t make it any easier.

“Oh, sorry I didn’t notice you there.” Albedo turned around to look at you. You noticed that he’d swapped his regular tools for a paint set and an easel. Glancing at the painting you were struck by how he’d somehow managed to depict Cider Lake so accurately with so few brushstrokes. Never did you think about how the slight ripples that appeared in it could look a bit like circles. It was altogether impressive, and for a moment you forgot what you were doing, or perhaps you’d pushed it out of your mind.

“Was there something you wanted to ask?” Albedo’s voice pulled you out of your artistic musings. Evidently you weren’t going to be able to get out of it now. Come hell or high water, you were going to tell him.

“Well, so… you see, I… I really love you and your work!” The words came tumbling out, dropping like stones in the suddenly charged atmosphere. Almost immediately your nerves were replaced with a distinct sinking sense. “Uhm, rather. I mean –” you tried to begin again, but your voice had suddenly turned quite small, and you found yourself unable to continue.

“I’m glad to hear it.” Albedo’s voice was calm but not unkind, for a moment you felt your face grow warm. Was this actually going to happen? It’d be impressive considering how you’d botched it. “I’m so glad to hear there’s someone else interested in my work. I find that unfortunately a great many people take the world around them for granted. That you do not is commendable.”

You found you weren’t really sure what to say; admittedly the only thing going through your mind at the time was something along the lines of Holy shit. Holy shit I fucking blew it.

Okay, so maybe that was an absolute train wreck. Still, you’d gotten that far, and at this point you felt like it’d be harder to stop and deal with the memory of your botched pseudo-confession than to try again. So you steeled your courage and after a week or so you found yourself ready.

This time you tried for as he arrived at work. Originally you were going to wait for afterwards, but you found the anticipation was tearing you apart, and so decided for before. The anticipation, combined with your slight exhaustion, was nearly unbearable; and a not so small part of you kept telling yourself that this was a terrible idea, but you were too far gone.

“Fancy meeting you here at this time.” There was certainly surprise in Albedo’s voice, but he was smiling, and didn’t seem to mind at all when you stammered out that you wanted to ask him about something. He simply nodded, before unlocking his lab and gesturing for you to go in first.

You loved Albedo’s lab. Various pieces of equipment gleamed in the early morning light, everything properly labeled and put away; a stark contrast to the clutter of Albedo’s desk, filled with papers and the odd sample. The whole room was surprisingly nice in general, floors made of wood, painted over with a type of resin as to keep it from being properly damaged, multiple windows keeping the space surprisingly airy, and the smell of various herbs filling the air, though not so much as to be overpowering. You’d once mentioned to Albedo that the space seemed much to homey to be a proper lab. He’d merely laughed, replying that all homes should be comfortable, no matter how out of the ordinary.

Now you used said comfort and familiarity to ground yourself. This time you’d do it. This time for sure.

“So, um about my question?”

“Yes?” Albedo replied, dropping a few things on his desk. You took a breath, steadying yourself before pushing on ahead.

“Well… you know when I told you I liked you and your work?”

“Of course. I was very happy to hear it.” Albedo’s tone remained opaque, you had no idea how your words were registering.

“Well, you see, I wasn’t being completely clear. What I meant was more… well… well I like you, more than your work.” Seeing the look of confusion on his face you sped up slightly. “Not that I don’t like your work of course! It’s just, it’s just…” you were foundering again, feeling stupidly embarrassed. Becoming more and more frustrated with yourself you shook your head. “What I mean is I like you. Personally. And I like you a lot, more than just as acquaintances or as maybe friends. And I know that this is kind of out of the blue and kind of intrusive, and I’m sure there are a lot of people who like you. But I just wanted to tell you because, well I don’t know, just because.”

You took a deep breath, feeling as if you’d said altogether too many words. Glancing towards Albedo you saw a look of slight shock on his face. A feeling of dread was creeping up on you. Maybe it would’ve been better to say nothing.

“Well, I’m certainly flattered,” Albedo began, all your hopes beginning to sink. Urging yourself not to look away your nevertheless started picking at your fingernails, praying that at least the rejection would be over soon. “though I’m not really sure what you see in me. I’m hardly the ideal sort of person. And there certainly don’t seem to be many people who like me.” Albedo paused then; staring at him you found yourself in slight disbelief, sure that the sudden blush painting his cheeks was a figment of your imagination. “That being said, I cannot say that I don’t reciprocate your feelings. In truth I feel quite foolish now, only for assuming you were uninterested and refusing to try my hand at my own confession.”

“Really?” You didn’t mean for the tone of your voice to come out as so utterly disbelieving, but you couldn’t help yourself. Slightly light-headed you took a step forward, closing the space between you and the suddenly bashful alchemist in front of you. “You like me too?”

“Yes.” Albedo nodded slightly. “And, well, since you like me as well, might we…”

“Might we?”

“Might you do me the honor of becoming my partner?”

You found yourself giggling hysterically, half from the sudden release of nerves half from how ludicrous the situation had turned out to be. Seeing Albedo, looking for the first time uncertain and nervous, you stopped. Your face burst into a smile and you nodded.

“This is quite dramatic. But of course, of course I will.”

“I’m glad. But, might I say something?”

“Yes?”

“I wish you’d told me after work. If only because I’ll never be able to concentrate now.”

 Childe

If you had to describe your crush on Childe in one word it would be: idiotic. If you had to describe it in a sentence it’d be; incredibly irritating but also impossible to ignore.

You liked Childe, you liked him a lot. And you couldn’t blame yourself. Childe was the ideal sort of partner; charismatic, athletic, with eyes that could make your heart skip a beat and hair that was asking for you to run your hands through it. Childe was attentive too, full of words that would make anyone swoon a bit, and always ready to listen, agreeing with you on every point and reacting just as you wished.

But that was the problem. Childe was a façade, his personality had been honed to be as sharp and as deadly as a knife. Of course he was understanding and charismatic and a perfect person to hold a conversation with, what else could one expect of a member of the Fatui?

At first you’d desperately tried to ignore your feelings, as if they were somehow embarrassing. You felt vaguely guilty for carrying a flame for Childe, as if you’d managed to fall into a trap you’d seen a ways away. It was an unpleasant feeling to be sure, and you tried to bury it as much as possible, sure it’d go away.

But it didn’t go away, instead your feelings somehow seemed to become more and more stubborn, as if insisting on leading you down the path that many fools who interacted with the Fatui had fallen down before. Childe was at the forefront of your mind.

You noticed when he passed by you, shooting you a blinding smile which always turned into a self-confident sort of smirk, no doubt a result of your inevitable blush. You noticed the way he always seemed to ask after your interests, but never failed to avoid more personal topics that might make you uncomfortable. You noticed how he laughed at your odd half-jokes and the way that his hand brushed your once, causing you to withdraw your own as if burned, stammering out a “nothing” when he asked what was wrong.

But still you refused to tell him. Surely that was what he wanted, another person who could be called upon to give information to the Fatui, or perhaps assist in their dirty work. That wouldn’t be you, that would never be you.

It was snowing on your way home, blocking out the normal sounds and casting the world in an eerie sort of beauty. You wished that it wasn’t so late, cursing yourself for once more forgetting how early the sun set. It didn’t help that it was blindingly cold, and that you were dressed for weather that was at least ten degrees warmer. Hurrying along you were thinking about the meal that you were going to have, unaware of the slick patch of ice lying in front of you.

“Whoah, be careful!” You were yanked out of your thoughts with alarm. Glancing around you quickened your pace, shoes slipping immediately on the ice. However instead of a hard fall on the street you found a pair of arms wrapped under yours. Glancing up you found your face only centimeters away from Childe’s.

“Sorry for causing that.” Childe’s voice was clear as a bell, marking the contrast between the two of you in your mind. Lifting you up he chuckled slightly. “I should’ve realized that a random voice yelling at you would be alarming. Nothing bruised I hope?”

“N-no.” You managed, face burning. You’d never gotten this close to Childe before, not really, and the experience was going straight to your head, as if you’d suddenly gotten very, very drunk. Shaking your head you shifted your glanced towards the ground. “Thank you.” You managed, although your voice was soft enough to be inaudible. You were still trying to process what was happening. One question kept replaying itself in your mind, why had he called out, why had he noticed you?

“I’m glad!” Childe’s voice was a beautiful thing, and you found you couldn’t really think when listening to it. “I was a bit worried I wasn’t in time.”

“Yeah…” you replied. Suddenly the situation dawned on you completely, and you found yourself looking at him with no little suspicion. “Why do you pay so much attention to me?” You blurted out.

“What do you mean?” The expression on Childe’s face was one of perfect confusion, but you could tell that he’d been somehow caught. The tone of his voice was suddenly muddied, as if you were hearing his uncertainty for the first time. This gave you courage to press forward.

“I mean it. Why, why do I always see you? I mean, why do you even pay attention to me? I’m not the kind of person to forget who you are, the fact that you’re a member of the Fatui. I won’t be roped into your schemes, no matter how much I like you.” Shit. That last part was supposed to be only in your head. For a moment you weren’t sure if you hadn’t actually hit your head somehow.

Childe looked frozen, his expression blank, filled with disbelief as well as… bashfulness? If that’s what it was it certainly didn’t fit the normal vision of Childe, still you found yourself somehow compelled by it. This was a part of the real Childe.

“I… didn’t realize you’d notice. Now I feel found out!” He chuckled again, but this time it was distinctly nervous, and he turned to the side slightly. Suddenly he paused, and his eyes snapped towards yours. “Wait, rewind. You like me?”

“…Yeah.” I mean what were you supposed to say?

“I can’t believe this.” The widest grin spread across Childe’s face, and he started bouncing on his toes slightly, it was very cute you could give him that.

“You’re ignoring the rest of my words. Personal feelings or not I still hate the Fatui, and I still don’t know why you’d target me anyways.”

“It’s cause I like you, can’t you tell?” Childe’s words rammed into you, utterly unexpected; seeing you shake your head he once more closed the space between you two. “No, I mean it. I like you. I just can’t believe that you like me back.” He let out another huff of laughter. “I can’t believe I’m this lucky, I’ve never been this lucky. Well, I’m sorry that I came off like I was some Fatui creep, I promise my occupation doesn’t include systematic wooing of civilians.”

“How can I trust you?” You were trying to stand your ground, but in reality you’d already fallen. The situation was too much, and what little resistance you’d managed to hold on in the past weeks was tearing to shreds before your own eyes.

“Because I wouldn’t lie about this.” Childe was suddenly still, his expression deadly serious. “I promise I wouldn’t lie about something like this. The fact is I like you, I like you a lot. I know my job is… unconventional to say the least; I also know that it’s entirely fair if you don’t want to associate with me because of it. But at least trust in my feelings being real, okay?”

What could you do? You nodded, a short “I trust you” falling from your lips. The feeling of happiness was surprisingly sedate, mixed with nerves, yet also somehow filled with contentment. It felt so good, it felt so good just to let go and accept what had happened. You liked Childe, you liked him so much, and he like you too. What more was there to say?

“May I ask you something?” Childe asked, voice slightly husky. Your faces were once more barely apart, and you found that you could stay like this for ages and ages.

“Yes?”

“May I hold your hand?”

You let out a laugh, smiling brightly as you slid your hand into his.

 Diluc

You weren’t even sure how this one happened.

It wasn’t that Diluc wasn’t the perfect kind of guy, I mean if he wasn’t you probably wouldn’t be falling madly into one sided love with him. It was just that you two didn’t actually have much of a chance to interact with one another, what with him being the manager and part time bartender of a surprisingly vast winery, and with you being an adventurer and someone not likely to get plastered any time soon.

But the few times that you had interacted with him, usually something to do with guarding the alcohol he was exporting, had been enough to cement an intense infatuation in your mind. There was just something about him; whether it was his voice, his polite yet intense form of speech; his mannerisms, always perfectly on time with what he needed, something which helped you and the Guild immensely; or his general charm, okay look he had great hair; you’d simply gone mad for him.

And mad indeed you were. Though you weren’t about to become a stalker – besides being incredibly creepy on principle since when did that land a person in anything but jail – you’d taken to trying to find out a least a little more about him. Because if you were going to be infatuated with someone it should at least be for more than his organizational skills and the fact his hair would look great in a high ponytail.

And what you’d found out only built upon your crush. The fact that he found the Knights of Favonius lacking, though perhaps a bit unconventional, was ultimately reasonable, or at least justifiable. You liked also that he refrained from drinking, and not just because the idea of ending the night sick in the bathroom was something that haunted you a bit. The more you learned the more you wished that you were in a situation where your feelings could be reciprocated, or at least where you could become friends of some degree. Really you just wanted him to notice your existence, sure he could pick you out in the endless sea of adventurers.

So you planned on introducing yourself at some point, at least as his almost designated wine protector. The only problem was when. Diluc seemed to be busier and busier these days, and when he was around he seemed muted, as if he was carrying something. You couldn’t bring yourself to add to his burden your own baggage. So you said nothing, and as your crush grew so did your dejection.

It was a lovely summer evening and, seeing as your apartment had becoming stifling in the daytime, you’d taken a walk, snaking through the streets of Monstadt before exiting via the back gate, glad to see there were no guards around. Walking down towards the banks of the lake you slipped off your shoes and dipped your feet into the water. Letting out a sigh you sat down and tilted your head back, enjoying the slightly breeze on your face, trying to take your mind off of the past months of agony. The world faded into background noise, and you found yourself in a state of pseudo peace, glad to have it, if only for a moment.

“Watch out!” A familiar voice broke through your reverie. Turning your head towards the source of your disruption you saw a masked figure as well as a cryo abyss mage. The mage, having correctly decided you were going to be easier to deal with than the actively armed person, suddenly appeared right in front of you. Acting on instinct you pushed your hand in front of you, letting electricity bloom from your fingertips.

As the abyss mage lay stunned your felt an arm wrap around your waist, dragging you a ways away. “Wait here.” The person carrying you said, before running back to fight. Finally getting a good look at your savior it was all you could do not to gasp. Despite being the cold hard truth you still found it hard to believe, and for a second you wondered if you hadn’t passed out somewhere and were having a particularly fantastic dream.

Finally the fighting was over, lifting yourself up you jogged over to the man who could only be the Darknight Hero.

“Master Diluc?” The words flew out of your mouth.

“Just Diluc please.” Diluc shook his head. “Forgive me for being a bit rough. Cryo abyss mages and electro users rarely work well together.”

“It’s perfectly fine!” You replied eagerly. “Really, thank you!”

Diluc offered a smile in reply, one that immediately made your heart seize up. Suddenly you remembered who the person in front of you was. Seized at first with something akin to embarrassment you also came to a sudden realization. This might be the only chance.

“Diluc?”

“Yes?”

“Well, can I say something?”

“Of course you may.” Diluc relaxed his stance, leaning slightly forward. Your face was burning, you really weren’t expecting something like this to happen, but it was now or never.

“I realize this will be quite sudden, but I… I like you.” You felt the urge to add on something, some explanation or apology, but unfortunately, or perhaps thankfully, you found you couldn’t say anything more. Running your fingers through your hair you lowered your head slightly, not wanting to see the expression on his face.

“Can I say something?” Diluc’s voice was gentle, and you couldn’t help but look up at him. Though you wouldn’t say his stance had changed very much, he somehow seemed more relaxed, something you weren’t expecting.

“Of course! I realize what I said must really be a shock, I’m really sorry.” You let out a pathetic sort of laugh.

“Don’t be sorry. I realize what I’m about to say must be equally as shocking. But, the fact of the matter is I like you as well.”

“I didn’t realize you knew I existed!” You replied, still not ready to drop your defense mechanisms. Diluc stared at you, a perplexed expression on his face.

“I’m quite surprised by that, I thought that my request for you to be the guild member in charge of the Winery would’ve been an indicator. Forgive me, I didn’t realize that you were unaware.”

“I thought that was a decision by the Guild to make things easier.” You admitted. “Although I guess I just didn’t want to admit that you might be aware of my existence.”

“Why?”

“Because that would’ve been scary! I mean, what if you didn’t like me, not in that way, just… in general.”

“Well I like you a lot.” Diluc’s voice was soft and warm.

“I like you two.” You replied, voice barely above a whisper.

As he escorted you back to your home the two of you spoke about a myriad of things, some important and some quite mundane. You found that having your feeling reciprocated had truly opened up something in you. Suddenly everything seemed so much realer, made manifest by Diluc’s presence. You couldn’t believe it really. What had failed with months of planning had succeeded in a matter of moments.

And all because of an unsuspecting abyss mage.

[separatist-apologist]

Aaaaand part 6 ideas - I think the timing works out and Starfall is coming. Lucien says he can’t come (a calculated lie), but Elain sends down the bond that she went to that shop along the sidra to wear under her dress. They manage to secure a private balcony. Smut ensues.

You know, I thought about doing a serial where like, Elain accidentally accepts the bond and her and Lucien hate fuck for a while before they get to know each other, but I guess we're doing this instead.

Time has no meaning in this ficlet, do not ask me about the timeline or seasons, they change based on a whim and my needs so anyway WELCOME TO COLD WEATHER AGAIN (I think? I'm unsure when Starfall actually is? And honestly, it doesn't matter).

This is, as per usual, NSFW, 18+ and unedited beyond me just glancing at it to make sure there were no red squiggles in word.

--

--

He hadn’t meant to be gone for so long. Spring had fallen to shit and what was supposed to be a two-week stay had morphed into months of trying to convince Tamlin to eat, to legislate, and enforce his border all while Tamlin used him as his personal punching bag. Lucien was exhausted and irritated when Feyre’s invitation for Starfall dropped in his lap.

No I don’t want to go to a party, he thought privately, quickly scrawling back a much politer response. What he wanted was a week of uninterrupted alone time with his mate in which he did every filthy thing he’d been fantasizing about while she begged him for more. Lucien could still taste her in his mouth, could still smell her in the air. She was a brand on his skin, a ghost trailing him everywhere he went. He wondered about her constantly. Was she thinking about him? Did she miss him? Want to see him?

Lucien hoped openly declining an opportunity to see Elain might spur her into reaching out to him in their game and admitting she not only wanted him, but she needed him, too. He was playing aloof, like always but she was just silent. He couldn’t pretend that didn’t disappoint him.

Feyre sent back her disappointment two days later and let the invitation open if he changed his mind. She swore up and down Cassian wanted to chat with him and perhaps the General did. Their friendship was an odd one but comforting and a little familiar. Of all of Rhysand’s inner circle, Lucien liked Cassian best.

He was walking to the stables to patrol Tamlin’s border when a vision slithered down the bond. Elain, standing in front of a mirror, wearing a gown that seemed to be made of pure starlight. Silver and low cut, with capped sleeves and a skin colored lining made it seem as though she only wore the glittering diamonds and nothing else. His mouth went dry at the sight. Had she meant to send it?

Yes. A note followed the image, appearing in the air before him.

Starfall?

That was all she’d written. She might have written pages and pages, for the effect that one word had. Lucien tugged his response back, a resounding yes, absolutely, if I have to crawl I will— and turned abruptly to let Tamlin know he was officially retiring from Spring, and to write if he needed any more assistance.

Back in Velaris, Lucien paid an obscenely large amount of money to secure one of the last private balconies in Velaris. It was far from where Rhysand and his ilk would watch, but still very much out in the open. The edge of the balcony, cut from smooth, gray stone, was thick enough he could hoist Elain up and fuck her brainless if he wanted to.

Lucien very, very much did.

The day before Starfall, Lucien sent Elain only the address and nothing else. There would be no polite teasing, no stolen glances. They would be together…maybe even talk and get to know each other outside of just kissing and touching. The thought of hearing her speak excited him more than anything else, though seeing her stripped of her dress was a very close second.

He dressed in a jacket of silver and trimmed in white to match the fitted white pants he’d worn. He’d neatly combed his hair and tied it off his face after debating for too long whether he ought to leave it down or not. He slipped on clean, black boots that hugged his calves, slipped a knife inside his boot just in case, and forewent wearing any other weaponry.

He’d just made it to the balcony he’d rented when the glass, double doors that led from the building they and others were borrowing, opened, and Elain stepped out. Lucien made no show of dropping to his knee, one hand pressed against his chest, jaw hanging open. He’d lost all rational ability to speak or stand when Elain, his goddess, stepped onto the balcony, a vision in silver stars.

Her cheeks darkened with what he hoped was pleasure, though she made a big show of rolling her eyes. “You’re dramatic,” she accused as he staggered back to his feet.

“Absurd. You’re beautiful,” he replied, caressing those same, heated cheeks. He suddenly couldn’t stand the thought of marring one inch of her body and wondered if perhaps they’d just have a nice, romantic evening with nothing else between them.

She walked to the balcony, illuminated beneath floating fae lights. Lucien stood beside her, resting one of his hands over her own, unable to resist. She smiled faintly at the touch and pressed her shoulder against his.

“I missed you,” she told him without looking up, her eyes still firmly focused on the city below. His heart pounded in his chest at the admission.

“Not half as much as I missed you,” he promised, squeezing her hand. A smile bloomed fully on her face, lighting her up like the sun across the sea and Lucien thought he was ruined entirely for anyone else, regardless of what happened between them.

She turned, suddenly, her sweet smile morphing into something wicked. His body instantly tightened as anticipating thrilled up his spine. What was she thinking? She ran her hands up his chest, dragging her eyes up with them until they were firmly focused on his lips. She didn’t need to ask him to kiss her. He’d happily spend the rest of his life attached at the mouth if she wanted.

That first, sweeping kiss wrecked all Lucien’s promises to himself. She tasted like citrus coated in honey and somehow like sunshine. He was frantic, unable to get enough and all at once, desperate for more. His tongue caressed her own, licking in time with the hips he was grinding into her beautiful gown.

Elain broke the kiss with a gasp, her fingers yanking on the laces of his pants. “Before everything starts,” she said, making quick work of them. He began hiking up her dress but Elain swatted his hands away.

“The first time you have me will be private,” she informed him, her brown eyes glittering with promise. “And somewhere nice.”

He started to ask what her plan was, then, but Elain dropped to her knees and Lucien’s head immediately emptied. The last remaining shred of rationality snarled at the sight of her kneeling when he thought it ought to have been him while the animal that typical slumbered in his chest roared with appreciation at the sight of his mate eye level with his cock.

“I borrowed one of Nesta’s dirtier books,” Elain informed him, her breath curling along the skin of his hard, twitching cock. “I don’t suppose this requires any amount of skill.”

Lucien took a shallow breath as her hand cupped the base of him. She ran her tongue up the broad side of his shaft and he reached for the railing behind him in an effort to keep himself steady.

She hummed softly to herself, pumping him once. She could have done only that and nothing else and he’d have come quickly, undone at just the sight of her. She glanced up at him, her lips moistened, her eyes mischievous.

“Will you beg, Lucien?” She asked.

“Would you like me to?” He choked in response. She smiled, lowered her mouth, and sucked just the tip of his erection into her mouth. Lucien concentrated all his effort on remaining utterly still despite his body’s urge to thrust into her mouth and fuck her throat. It was her first time, he reminded himself. He didn’t need to scare her.

“Yes,” she replied, withdrawing her pretty little lips to lick his head like a piece of candy. Lucien groaned loudly.

“Elain, please—”

His words choked into another groan of need as she took as much of him as she could into her mouth, her cheeks hollowed and her hand making up the difference. Her mouth was hot and wet and utterly intoxicating in its softness. Lucien was desperate and somehow building hotly towards release despite how little time and effort she’d put into the act of sucking him.

She hummed again, the noise vibrating along his skin and settling in his tightening sac. Saliva from her mouth pooled around her hand, making it easier for her glide up and down the length of him as she licked and sucked.

First time? His mind demanded, unable to believe she hadn’t done this before. Had it been so long since someone took him in their mouth that he’d forgotten? Was the act made better when it was his mate who sucked?

Shut the fuck up, the animal in his chest demanded of his wild, out of control thoughts. Lucien’s hips jerked a little as he built higher, fire racing through his blood.

“Elain,” he gasped, unsure what else to say. She quickened her pace and Lucien hung by a thread just long enough to offer a warning. “I’m going to come, Elain—”

She didn’t pull away, didn’t withdraw and a moment later Lucien exploded into a million pieces, yelling so loud he was sure Feyre heard him, wherever she was. He pumped hot into her mouth and Elain, the angel, took all of it without moving her mouth. She waited until he relaxed to withdraw, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

“You,” he gasped, pulling her to her feet so he could kiss her. “Next, you next—”

A shooting star streaked through the sky and Elain twisted in his arms, her swollen, red lips parted with delight. Lucien quickly pulled up his pants and retied them, swallowing against the aftershock of his release.

“Another day,” she replied, letting him pull her against him, her back resting against his chest, his arms wrapped around her. He kissed the top of her head, aware of what she’d done.

She’d put him in a situation that forced him to see her again.

Did she not know Lucien wanted to see her all the time?

She wiggled a little, sighing sweetly, content in his arms.

He’d show her what he meant.

[the-widow-sisters]

You Will Always Be Mine

Summary: When Antonia Dreykov shows up at Natasha and Yelena's doorstep wanting to talk to Natasha, she is welcomed with open arms. However, Yelena is slightly less enthusiastic when Antonia ends up staying for a week and starts taking all of Natasha's free time.

Word Count: 4089

  “Hey, what do you want to do today?” Natasha called loudly from her bedroom, changing into some comfortable clothes since she had just gone on a run and gotten her previous outfit somewhat sweaty.

  Yelena was currently fishing through the kitchen cabinets, trying to find something good to stuff her face with.

  “I don’t know! We could go train at the cool kids’ clubhouse! You’ve been saying that you’d teach me some of your special moves,” Yelena suggested loudly, laughing a bit as she eagerly awaited Natasha’s response to her jab. She could feel Natasha’s eyeroll even though they were not even in the same room, and she

  “It’s the Avengers tower!” Natasha loudly called in reply. Yelena smirked, starting to reply with something sarcastic. However, she was interrupted by a knock at the door.

   Yelena quieted, wondering who was there at the door and silently worrying a bit that it might be someone unsavory. It was always a possibility that one had to consider when having the history they had. Yelena quietly approached the door, readying herself for a potential fight as she reached for the doorknob.

  She swiftly opened the door, fully prepared to attack if the person on the other side was hostile.

  But to her surprise, when she opened the door, the last person in the world that she would expect was standing there looking at her. It was none other than Antonia Dreykov, her body stiff as she stood there like a statue.

  “Antonia. What are you doing here?” Yelena questioned, extremely confused as she looked at the young woman. Antonia lifted her chin just a bit with practiced confidence, and Yelena could easily see the worry and slight fear in her eyes.

  She could hear Natasha coming into the room, no doubt wondering why Yelena had not responded. Yelena glanced back at her, noticing that she had already changed into a different set of clothes. Natasha’s eyes widened a bit as she realized precisely who Yelena was talking to.

  “Antonia?” Natasha suddenly spoke up, and she moved in next to Yelena staring at the woman with shock. Yelena quickly spotted how Antonia immediately looked at Natasha, focusing her attentions and her eyes solely on the older woman.

  “Is something wrong?” Natasha finally asked, and Yelena shifted her gaze between the two of them.

  “No, nothing is wrong,” Antonia answered simply after a moment of hesitation, her words calm but her gaze communicating anything but. “I’m not here on any business.”

  Natasha’s features softened despite the fact that concern was still quite prevalent within her features. Yelena was quite curious as to what exactly had prompted Antonia’s visit if it was not business of some sort.

  “Here, come in,” Natasha invited, stepping aside and Yelena followed suit, standing nearby the redhead as she stared at Antonia with confusion and slight interest.

  Antonia stiffly crossed the threshold, not wanting to meet their eyes at first. She paused in front of the pair, and she finally looked up at Natasha.

  “Shostakov and Vostokoff said I was free to leave, and I… I had hoped to speak with you,” Antonia bravely spoke up, keeping her light-colored eyes focused on Natasha. Yelena felt her heart ache a bit for the other girl, knowing that she had it much worse than any of the rest of them simply because of her especially close relationship with Dreykov.

  Natasha apparently felt the same way, and she gently reached out to the girl. Antonia stiffened instinctively, looking as if she might attack just from the pure fear that someone was going to hurt her. Antonia’s gaze slight shifted to Yelena, seemingly trying to gauge a proper response based on how Yelena seemed to react to the entire thing. Yelena just looked at her reassuringly, knowing Natasha would not ever do anything to injure the girl and wanting to make Antonia understand this fact about the redhead.

  Natasha carefully made contact with Antonia’s shoulder, her hand soft with care and concern. Antonia froze stock still, and Natasha ran her hand up to gently rest her hand on the side of Antonia’s neck, just stroking the skin there with her thumb.

  As soon as she did that, Antonia almost looked as if she might cry from the sheer tenderness of the whole thing.

  “We’ll talk about anything you want to,” Natasha assured her, and Antonia swiftly scrambled to try to pull the walls back up that she always was forced to keep throughout the entirety of her life. However, she still looked positively wrecked, and when Natasha removed her hand, Antonia’s body slightly chased the touch.

  Yelena felt a small tug of something odd inside of her, but she immediately wrote it off as pity for her fellow widow.

  “If it is not too much trouble,” Antonia very tentatively began, her voice firm but at the same time, so utterly and terribly vulnerable. Natasha nodded easily and encouragingly, her head lowered a bit so she could peer into Antonia’s face from where the younger girl had bowed her head somewhat from her timidity and uncertainty.

  “I would like to speak with you alone,” Antonia quietly admitted, and she froze a bit, her gaze growing slightly steely as she no doubt tried to prepare herself for potential rejection.

  “Sure. Whatever you need,” Natasha agreed quickly, nothing but kindness in her features, and Antonia loosened up a bit, her posture significantly less rigid.

  Yelena could not deny the slight shock and offense that came over her at the fact that Antonia did not want her there, especially since Yelena had been through the exact same things as she and Natasha. But Yelena made sure it did not show up on her face or in her body language. She glanced between the two slightly before nodding, her gaze lingering on Natasha.

  “I’ll leave you two to it,” Yelena spoke, and Natasha glanced gratefully in her direction for just a short moment before redirecting her focus on the girl before her and starting to head somewhere more comfortable to speak with her.

  Yelena watched them for a moment before heading off in the opposite direction, for some reason finding herself feeling something that she had never exactly experienced before.

  However, she pushed the emotion away, looking forward to when she and Natasha would have some time together and she could perhaps subtly pry some information from Natasha about her conversation with Antonia.

    ………………………………………………………………………………………………………

       But that emotion came quickly flooding back in when she discovered that Antonia would be staying with the two of them for a week or so. Natasha had seemed excited for her stay, and Yelena could easily read the guilt that the redhead was carrying.

  Yelena tried to tell herself that it was only that sense of obligation that was fueling Natasha’s desire to spend time with Antonia, but this tactic was not doing much to reassure her when Natasha kept focusing so much on the brunette.

  It started growing frustratingly obvious that she was never going to spend any time alone with Natasha except for at bedtime, and they could not talk for nearly as long as Yelena would like because they had to go to bed at a normal time because Natasha insisted on making Antonia comfortable since Antonia got up early. It was no doubt a habit from her time in the Red Room, and despite the fact that Natasha was not an extremely early riser, she wanted to do anything she could to accommodate the guest.

  Natasha and Antonia went everywhere together, Antonia following Natasha like a desperate little puppy that was hoping for its next scrap of attention and mostly ignoring anyone and everyone else that was around. It made Yelena very thankful that she definitely never looked like that when she was with her sister.

  Now, the three of them were out for a run. Natasha always ran in the mornings, and Yelena had decided to come along since she had been waking up early with Natasha every morning because of Antonia. She was really hoping that she was going to finally get some time with just her sister, but of course, Antonia asked what they were doing, and Natasha extended the invitation to join them.

  And of course, Antonia took her up on it. Much to Yelena’s chagrin.

  Yelena had actually tried to talk to Antonia several times during the course of their time together this week, and Antonia would always reply awkwardly and follow it up with something to include Natasha in the conversation as well. It was painfully and frustratingly clear that Antonia was downright obsessed with Natasha and obviously saw her as some sort of invincible hero since she saved her from Dreykov.

  It annoyed Yelena to no end, and it contributed to her current sour mood.

  However, her mood did not last long, because once they had almost reached home, Yelena spotted her favorite convenience store with her favorite icy slushies.

  “Hey, wait!” Yelena slowed as they approached the front of the store, and Natasha and Antonia paused in front of her, turning to face the blonde. Antonia looked prepped to take on some sort of threat and Natasha had a weariness in her eyes that indicated that she knew precisely what Yelena was about to say.

  “Let’s get a slushie,” Yelena suggested, jabbing a thumb in the direction of the store, and Natasha groaned as Antonia loosened up, the confused look still persisting on her face.

  “Seriously, Yelena? They’re so gross,” Natasha unhappily expressed, and Yelena just smirked widely, glad to have Natasha’s attention on her alone.

  “They’re good! Besides, it’s not for you. It’s for me,” Yelena informed her as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, and Natasha just looked at her for a long moment, debating it heavily. She finally sighed and gave in, offering Yelena a slight smile before instead looking at Antonia.

  “You want to try one?” Natasha offered, and Antonia just blinked, looking terribly unsure of herself as she stared at Natasha with something akin to worry in her eyes.

  “What is it?” Antonia uncertainly questioned.

  “An ice-filled flavor experience,” Yelena quickly answered, her eyes solely on Natasha, and Natasha flashed her a playfully exasperated look before returning her attentions to Antonia.

  “They come in several different flavors. They’re just ice with liquid that tastes like different things. There’s cherry, grape, blueberry, and—”

  “Pineapple,” Yelena happily finished, her eyes sparkling as she grinned widely at her older sister.

  “I guess I would like to try it if that’s alright,” Antonia somewhat meekly spoke, her gaze conveying her slight nervousness. Natasha just smiled at her reassuringly, slowly reaching out a hand to place on her back and guide her in the door with her after Yelena.

  Once Yelena looked back at them and spotted the scene, she felt a bit of irrational irritation starting to rise in her. It confused her, but she wasted no time in simply choosing to ignore the feeling.

   ………………………………………………………………………………………………………

       However, it was when the three of them had went to the Avengers tower and Yelena passed by the gym that the blonde fully realized precisely which emotion that she was experiencing.

  Once she caught the smallest glimpse of Natasha’s red hair in the room, Yelena wasted no time starting to head in. She even had a gleefully wicked smirk on her face, aiming to say something snarky and hopefully earn her sister’s attentions at least a little.

  However, when she first crossed the threshold, she stopped, staring at the scene unfolding.

  Antonia and Natasha were in there together sparring, but that was not the especially unusual and heart-destroying part.

  Natasha was showing Antonia some of her rarely used and almost secret yet most advanced fighting moves that she had promised to teach Yelena at some point soon.

  Yelena’s honey-green eyes were locked on the pair as a rage started to flare up deep inside of her. She could feel her skin prickling and her entire person starting to grow hot. Her current leather jacket that she had stolen from Natasha’s closet felt entirely too stifling.

  It was finally more than she could take, and she stepped forward, fury and pain fueling her every movement.

  “What are you doing?” she asked simply, making her presence known, and both of the girls in the ring paused in their sparring.

  “Just teaching Antonia some moves,” Natasha responded carefreely, and Yelena did not miss how Natasha’s eyes softened as she looked at Antonia. Yelena somehow found herself even more incensed simply from the expression. That expression was for Yelena. It always was. And it did not belong to Antonia.

  “Ah,” Yelena replied shortly, nodding curtly. She looked down at the ground, crossing her arms. She could feel their eyes on her, and after a moment, she shifted her gaze back up to meet Natasha’s light greens.

  “I couldn’t help but notice… Don’t those moves just happen to be the ones that you agreed to teach me?” Yelena asked as her anger finally started to take precedence in her voice, her head tilted just a little as she waited for an answer.

  Antonia looked terribly uncomfortable as she stiffened, her eyes moving awkwardly between the two sisters. Natasha straightened a little, looking somewhat surprised.

  “Yeah… I was teaching Antonia so she could help me teach you,” Natasha spoke, and unfortunately, Yelena knew that the older woman was being as genuine as could be with her words. She read no deceit in her tone or in the way that she looked at Yelena. However, it still enraged Yelena because this was supposed to be something that she was going to do with Natasha and Natasha alone. It was supposed to be something they spent time together doing.

  “Oh, okay… I see,” Yelena nodded a mocking grin on her face, full of fake understanding as she barely kept the anger under the surface. Antonia had moved to the opposite side of the ring, and she was looking down at her fingers, trying desperately to avoid looking at Yelena and Natasha.

  “I guess Antonia is easier to teach than me since she has that photographic memory. And it’d be such a pain to have to teach me alone, right?” Yelena snapped, feeling the tears prickling at her eyes. She knew she was going to have to get out of there quick if she did not want to break down and embarrass herself.

  Natasha’s entire person seemed to deflate considerably as she just stared at Yelena with that same haunted, guilty look that she had done so well getting rid of as she and Yelena spent more time together.

  “Yelena,” Natasha softly spoke, and Yelena shook her head, spinning on her heel and heading toward the door. She needed out, and she could not hold her tears if Natasha was standing there and staring at her like that.

  “No,” Yelena simply replied, negating any of Natasha’s words with the simple force of her chosen response.

  She could hear Natasha calling after her, but she just ignored the older woman, heading out the door and trying to keep the tears contained within her as she stomped away.

    ………………………………………………………………………………………………………

     Yelena had retreated into Natasha’s room, and although she knew that she would cross paths with the redhead at some point, she did not exactly have her own room there at the tower despite the fact that it was offered to her. She had turned it down since that was not the place where her and Natasha usually lived anyway, and whenever they were at the tower, she could just sleep in Natasha’s room. After all, she always ended up in Natasha’s bed when they were at home.

  However, at this point, she was beginning to regret making that choice. Every one of her senses was flooded with something that was innately Natasha and while it would ordinarily be comforting, it was exceedingly frustrating at this point.

  All she could focus on was how infuriated and hurt she was about Natasha choosing to pass up their special time together in favor of including Antonia who had only been here for less than a week.

  Yelena had felt jealousy before, but she had never felt it surrounding a person. She had always understood the feeling of jealousy of a person, but never a jealousy closely resembling a possessiveness over a person.

  This was extremely new to her, and it almost surprised her with how much she just wanted to shove and fight Antonia when she truly did not hate Antonia at all. She also had an overwhelmingly huge urge to grab onto her sister and just sit on her or something to make her stay with her instead of spending so much time with another widow.

  Perhaps that was what bothered Yelena most. Antonia was so similar to Yelena in terms of shared experience and backstory. It almost made Yelena afraid that Antonia could easily replace her in Natasha’s eyes and heart.

  She kept trying to tell herself that it was not true and that could never really happen, but it nevertheless was a thought that continued to plague her and was growing even more insistent after catching Natasha and Antonia practicing the moves together.

  Yelena froze a little on the bed as she heard quiet footsteps approaching the door. She felt her anger and injury flaring up even more since she knew precisely who it was. She chewed the inside of her cheek, avoiding looking at the door altogether as she silently seethed.

  “Yelena?” Natasha quietly questioned, and Yelena just kept her back to her.

  “I don’t want to see you right now,” Yelena answered simply, and after a pregnant pause, she heard the door shut. However, she knew that Natasha had not left the room. She could practically feel her despite the fact that there were no sounds announcing her continued presence.

  After a long moment, Natasha stepped further into the room, and Yelena felt the mattress move a little as Natasha rested on it.

  “I’m sorry, Rooskaya. I didn’t know that I was hurting you,” Natasha apologized, and Yelena felt the prickles of anger coming back over her again.

  “I thought I said I didn’t want to see you? That counts not wanting to talk to you, too,” Yelena pointed out, clenching her teeth and knowing that Natasha was not going to give up despite Yelena’s best efforts.

  “I know, but we need to talk. You haven’t been yourself since Antonia got here,” Natasha acknowledged, and Yelena growled under her breath.

  “What gave you that idea?” Yelena questioned, the snark evident in her voice as she challenged Natasha and tried to get a rise from her. Natasha did not react to her words, instead sighing.

  “I didn’t mean to ignore you, Yelena,” Natasha sincerely spoke, and Yelena scoffed with irritation.

  “But you did. You only ever pay attention to Antonia, and I can’t even spend two seconds with you without her butting into our conversation,” Yelena explained, her words losing some of their venom and moving toward a more irritated tone.

  “She’s been talking to only you and keeps taking up all of your time,” Yelena told Natasha, and she found that somehow, she was losing a bit of her gusto and anger in this entire endeavor. She gritted her teeth as her next point came to her.

  “And worst of all, she follows you around like she’s a puppy,” Yelena spat the last word, angry as the mental image returned to her. Natasha was quiet for a long moment, and Yelena wondered why she was not responding. However, she soon felt the bed shaking just a little, and Yelena risked a glance over her shoulder to look at the redhead.

  To her surprise, Natasha was just laughing at her. Yelena furrowed her brow, irritated and confused at the same time, not understanding the source of her sister’s mirth. However, she definitely knew that it had something to do with Yelena.

  “What is so funny?” Yelena asked, her voice almost venomous as she dared her sister to admit that she was laughing at her. Natasha shook her head, pulling herself together as she just kept a small grin on her face.

  “Nothing… It’s just that… You do the exact same thing,” Natasha told her, her eyes glowing as she gazed at Yelena. Yelena just glared at the redhead.

  “I do not.”

  “Yeah, you do.”

  “I don’t follow you everywhere and look at you like you’re some kind of angel,” Yelena replied, and Natasha shrugged a little.

  “Clint wouldn’t agree with you about the last part since he’s said that you look at me like that, but even I can see that you follow me around a lot,” Natasha admitted, her smile soft as she looked at Yelena. Yelena just huffed in aggravation, not as angry as she had been but still not pleased at all with her older sister. She hesitantly turned so that she was laying on her side and facing Natasha.

  “Don’t worry, sweet girl… I love every moment you choose to spend with me. It’s a gift, and I know I don’t deserve it,” Natasha expressed, her every word in that tone of painful, guilt-ridden honesty and reverence. Yelena felt her heart tug toward her sister, her anger starting to shift into just hurt and the need to be held in Natasha’s arms.

  “I only was going to teach Antonia first because I knew that if someone else learned the moves, then it would help you learn. More than one person’s perspective is sometimes helpful when teaching things,��� Natasha explained softly, her light green eyes apologetically gazing into Yelena’s.

  “I wanted to learn it with just me and you,” Yelena told her, and she could not help but feel childish as she uttered the words. She looked away from Natasha, focusing her gaze on the bed where they were lying.

  “And I’m going to teach you. Without Antonia there, okay?” Natasha assured, her voice gentle, and Yelena raised her gaze back up to meet Natasha’s eyes again.

  “I don’t hate Antonia,” Yelena admitted quietly, trying to ensure that Natasha understood the situation better. She did not want Natasha to think that she despised Antonia. Yelena actually liked Antonia. She just did not like how Antonia focused all of her attention on Natasha and took Natasha away from her.

  “I never thought you did.”

  “I don’t want… Ya ne khochu, chtoby ona menya zamenila,”1 Yelena explained, shifting to a language more comfortable to her to allow such a tender confession. Natasha hesitantly reached her arm out to the blonde, aiming to touch her face. However, at this point, Yelena was ready for her sister to give her affection. She was not angry anymore, and Yelena moved in closer, avoiding the hand coming for her face in favor of getting near enough to the redhead to press her forehead and nose against Natasha’s.

  “You will never be replaced. You will always be my sister,” Natasha murmured to her with the softest of tones, and Yelena let out a breath of relief, feeling a wave of warmth and happiness wash over her at Natasha’s claiming of her. It made her feel so much better about the whole thing.

  “You know, my biggest problem with Antonia is that you are my sister. Not hers. Vse moye,”2 Yelena told her, possessiveness slipping into her voice a bit more than she had intended. However, Natasha seemed just as pleased with the words as Yelena had been with Natasha’s admissions. Natasha just moved her face up a bit, kissing the tip of Yelena’s nose gently before pressing their noses together.

  “I’m always yours,” Natasha assured her, her light greens boring holes in Yelena’s honey-green pools.

  Yelena smiled, closing her eyes as she just comfortably enjoyed Natasha’s touch as she ran her hand along Yelena’s side lovingly. They were quiet for a long moment, silently enjoying each other’s company when Yelena suddenly felt some guilt creeping upon her from how she no doubt made Antonia feel.

  “Was Antonia upset?” Yelena asked, her words simple but her tone conveying her concern and guilt.

  “She felt bad at first, but I explained it to her. She’s okay,” Natasha assured Yelena, and she settled back against Natasha, fully allowing herself to relax.

  Several moments passed before Yelena chuckled a little and grinned, a thought coming to her.

  “Speaking of Antonia… Did you teach her how to pose?”

[autumnsart22]

You Promised pt. 3

Hey guys! Here’s part 3... sorry for the cliffhanger lol. As always TRIGGER WARNING for this entire series: rape, violence, murder. 

Art by @ijessbest​ on twitter :) This is a scene in this chapter, you’ll know it when you read it 

I slammed my cup on my counter, glaring at Shigaraki and Kurogiri. “I want to come!” 

Shigaraki rolled his eyes. “I already told you, we need you to stay here, look after the base, and make sure no one fucks anything up. We won’t be gone for that long anyway.” 

“But we might be recruiting someone! And I’m bored.” 

Kurogiri had been constantly on the look out for potential members, which had led to the recruitment of seven new villains. I liked Twice, Mr. Compress, and Mustard, but Spinner, Muscular, and Magne annoyed me. Moonfish was just disgusting. 

Hopefully the two new villains Shigaraki was meeting with would be people I got along with, and were powerful enough to help us defeat the heroes. 

 “If I think they’re good enough to join the League, I’ll bring them back here and you’ll make the final decision.” 

I pouted, still upset. “You’ll have all the fun.”

Shigaraki sighed. “I’ll get you an ice cream on my way back.”

I gasped. “Really? Ok, fine, but you better hurry up.”

I sighed as Shigaraki and Kurogiri disappeared into the shifting shadows, leaving me alone in the bar. My eyes trailed to the utterly massive pile of dishes stacked in the sink and spilling over onto the counter. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any member of the League who was neat in any way, and we all were more likely to turn a blind eye to the disgusting state of the base instead of actually taking the time to clean it. 

I groaned. While Shigaraki and Kurogiri would be having fun recruiting new villains, I was stuck on chore duty. Ugh. 

The one good thing was that the TV in the corner actually connected to a really good speaker system, when it wasn’t hosting Mr. Master Evil within it’s screen. After ten minutes of messing around, I finally got my phone’s Spotify to connect. 

Doing the dishes transformed into a sudsy dance party, with me screaming into dirty spoons and spatulas, pretending I was on Got Talent Global in front of millions of people as I scrubbed the hundreds of dishes. 

Shigaraki POV: 

Dabi and Himiko Toga both ended up agreeing to come back to the League of Villains base with me. I didn’t particularly like either of them, but they were powerful, and they would clearly be a good addition to our team. Dabi’s arrogance and steadfast loyalty to Stain’s ideology pissed me off, and Toga was clearly insane, but if Y/n thought they could help us, I would let them join.

 Kurogiri opened up a portal back to the League, stopping along the way so I could pick up a pint of Americone Dream ice cream for Y/n, before we all headed back to the bar. 

As I led the way inside, I began to hear the sound of pounding music echoing from the bar. What the hell was she doing? 

I shoved open the door, and my mouth dropped open. Y/n stood on top of the counter, holding a spatula in her hand as she sang into it. I recognized the song as “Line Without a Hook” by Ricky Montgomory, because she had played it at least a hundred times during meetings and while she did chores. It was her favorite song. (3:20 in lmaoo if you want to listen). 

“Uh…” I heard Dabi’s low voice behind me as he stared at Y/n, eyes wide. I didn’t like the weird look of infatuation on his face. 

“Oh baby I am a wreck when I’m without you, I need here to stay!” Y/n screamed, walking along the counter as if on stage. 

I walked over to her, waiting for her to notice us standing a few feet away. I cleared my throat, trying not to laugh out loud. 

She gasped as she turned and saw me a few feet away, losing her balance on the counter and almost falling and cracking her head open. Luckily, she was nimble and managed to land on her feet like a cat, spatula still in hand. She fumbled with her phone, clicking pause on her music and abruptly sending the room in silence. 

“Ha... well this is embarrassing,” she said, wiping off her hands and throwing the spatula back into the sink. “Um, it’s nice to meet you?” 

She smiled a bit awkwardly at the newcomers. 

“Hey gorgeous, nice to see you again,” Dabi spoke from behind me, stepping forward with his eyes intent on Y/n’s face. 

My eyes narrowed as her face blanched. Did they know each other? 

“Oh, you again,” she muttered, glaring. She noticed my stare and gave a dismissive wave. “Uh, we used to work together. I don’t really know him.”

Dabi opened his mouth, but stopped as she glared at him. “Yeah, that’s right. Distant acquaintances. I don’t even think I caught your name,” he directed the last bit at Y/n, leaning forward with a secret smile on his face. 

She crossed her arms, looking annoyed. “I’m Y/n. And you are?” 

“Dabi. My hands are doing better, by the way.” He held up his hands, which were completely wrapped in bandages. 

Y/n snorted, and I looked between them again, suddenly wanting to rip Y/n’s shirt from my hands and turn him into a pile of dust. Why was he looking at her like that? 

Toga took the opportunity to bounce forward, her eyes wide and bright. “Hi! I’m Toga! Can we be friendsssss?” 

Y/n glanced at her, eyebrows raised. “Are you interested in practice-fighting with me?”

Toga looked slightly taken aback by the direct question, but then nodded gleefully. “If I get to use my knives!”

“Great. Then we can be friends.” 

“Can we draw blood?” Toga and Y/n began to discuss sparring and quirks, and I turned my gaze back to Dabi. He was still staring at Y/n, his eyes hungry. 

“Stay away from her,” I growled so only he could hear. 

The burned villain tilted his head, glaring at me. “Why?”

My eyes flashed. “She’s mine.” 

Y/n POV:

Toga danced out of reach of my long dagger, her lips pulled in a wide grin as she counterattacked. I dodged, managing to avoid getting nicked and sending her into a blood frenzy. The first time it had happened, she had freaked me out so much that I ended up accidentally seriously injuring her arm. But after a month of having her as part of the League, I had come to love having another female around. 

Toga was an excellent fighter, extremely light on her feet and fast with her knives. It was great to have a partner to spar with, as well as someone to simply talk to and gossip with. Over the course of a few weeks, we had become pretty close friends. She introduced me to spa days, where we painted each other's nails and forced everyone on the League of Villains to do face masks. There was a lot of grumbling, but Shigaraki eventually let me tie his hair back and apply the green moisturizing cream mask to his face. The rest of the League followed in suit, and we ended up just listening to music (Line Without a Hook at least three times) and eating snacks. 

Obviously, we didn’t just mess around. Now that we had a solid team, Shigaraki was working harder than ever to get a plan into action. Toga and I regularly went on spy missions to watch and collect information on different top heroes, compiling everything into different profiles of strengths and weaknesses, including the best way to take them down. 

Shigaraki often stayed up into the night talking to his Master through the TV, discussing who knows what. After the initial introduction, I never spoke to the powerful villain again, and I never found out who he was to Shigaraki. 

Over time, the League became like my family. They got on my nerves more often than not, but we understood each other. We all had goals, whether it be revenge, money, power, or simply chaos, but we worked together to make those goals possible. I didn’t trust them, but I wasn’t constantly glancing over my shoulder waiting to be stabbed in the back either. It was a step up. 

Dabi was the one who flustered me the most. He knew exactly what to say to get under my skin, always succeeding in making me blush or punch him in the stomach. Or both. 

I had covered for him the night he had joined the League, knowing that if I told Shigaraki the truth, he never would have been allowed to join. I hadn’t wanted him to join, but we needed powerful villains on our side, and I knew first hand that Dabi was a formidable opponent. After that, the scarred villain seemed to think we were friends. 

Frustratingly enough, he was an excellent sparring partner, and I always found myself practicing with him or Shigaraki when Toga wasn’t available. He loved to taunt me, making me trip up when I got angry. We started keeping a tally of our fights, neither satisfied in ever losing, but it always seemed that we were on equal footing. 

He was also the biggest fuckboy I had ever met. He constantly made lewd comments about what I was wearing, or complimented me with a huge, smug smirk on his face. Every time that I put on music to do chores, he always came in and spun me around, forcing me into dancing with him. 

Shigaraki hated him, and the tension between them was always palpable. I didn’t know exactly what was going on between them, and every time I tried to speak to either of them about it, they would shut me down. At least Shigaraki hadn’t disintegrated him. 

      ~~~~~~

“Let’s watch a movie!!!” Toga sang. Most of the League sat together in the bar, lazily on their phones or talking. I had been complaining to Toga about how bored I was for at least fifteen minutes, wanting to go train or go out to a club. I didn’t expect her to start pestering everyone in the League to go watch a movie, insisting that it would be a bonding experience for the team and it would be a break from constantly planning. 

Unfortunately, Toga only managed to convince Twice, Mr. Compress, and Mustard, and everyone else scoffed at the idea. 

“Y/n, c’monnn, it’ll be fun!” 

I took in her pleading face, her lip stuck out in a pout, and I sighed. “Ugh. What movie?” 

“I don’t know! We’d all have to come to an agreement on one!” I groaned. “Fine, but you have to promise to train with me every day for the next week.” 

“Done!” “Y/n’s watching?” Dabi asked, glancing up from his phone. “I guess I’ll join.” 

Shigaraki’s eyes darkened, and even Toga looked annoyed. “Really Dabi? You don’t need to be so callous towards the rest of us.”

“What are we watching?” Shigaraki stood up, looking at Toga. 

“You’re joining now too?” She asked, and he nodded. My friend looked at me, an irked expression on her face and I giggled. 

It ended up taking us over an hour to pick a movie, finally settling on an old thriller. I hated scary movies, but I had been outvoted by everyone else. We set it up in the living room, and I got squeezed between Shigaraki and Dabi on the couch, both of them practically shoving each other to get to their position. I just rolled my eyes; their competitiveness was getting annoying. 

The movie started, and almost immediately I was hiding my eyes.

Dabi glanced at me sideways. “You literally kill people for a living. How is this scary?” 

I glared at him. 

He grinned, stretching an arm around my shoulders. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”

Shigaraki gave him a death glare. “If you don’t remove your arm, I will disintegrate it.” 

Twice yelled, “Shut up!” 

Dabi moved his arm, and they finally quieted, allowing the movie to continue. It followed a crazy person who when on a murder streak, filled with jump scares and psychologically twisted schemes. 

“Jesus christ!” I gasped at the fiftieth jump scare, grabbing Shigaraki’s arm and hiding my face in his shoulder. 

“Ugh, this movie is terrible. He could’ve just stabbed her to begin with. Why’d he go through all the trouble of setting up this whole trap?” Shigaraki sounded annoyed. 

I laughed against his shirt. “That’s the entire plot of the movie.” “Well it’s stupid.” 

“Cut the murderer some slack, he’s trying his best.” 

“I could do better,” he scoffed. 

“I’m sure you could.”

The rest of the room told us to shut the hell up, but I couldn’t watch anymore. “I’m going to grab a snack.”

The bar was empty as I rummaged around for some pretzels, so I easily heard Shigaraki’s soft footsteps joining me.

I glanced up at him, noticing that he looked a bit put out as he headed over to where a stack of papers waited. “Are you ok?” 

“Yes, but I can’t watch the movie anymore. I shouldn’t be wasting time when I have to plan the attack of the heroes.”

“Huh? But we have tomorrow. Why not just relax for a night?”

“I can’t--”

“Shiggy, you need to chill.”

“I swear to god, if you ever call me that again, I’ll disintegrate you.” 

“Fine Shig, the party pooper.” He looked murderous, and I laughed. “We’re stronger now that we have more members of the League, and everyone’s ready to follow your lead. That doesn’t mean you have to constantly be working though. We will beat the heroes and create a new world, so whether you do paperwork now or tomorrow, it doesn’t matter.” 

He crossed his arms, face sceptical. “Why do you say that?” 

I shrugged, turning away. “I guess because I trust you.”  He blinked, and I stacked a few bowls into my arms. “Now let’s go finish the movie.” 

~~~~~

The entire League of Villains sat around the massive meeting table, Shigaraki to my left and Toga to my right. After weeks of scouting, we finally had somewhat of a plan put together. Shigaraki had learned the location of UA’s Quirk Training Camp, and we decided that we were going to invade it. The main goal was to capture the student Katsuki Bakugou, but there were also a few students on the hit list to kill if possible. Izuku Midoriya was on that list. 

Every time I thought of that little shit, my hands balled into fists and I wanted to throw my knife at the nearest living thing. Perfect little Izuku, All Might’s prodigy, taken under the great hero’s wing to be molded into a perfect savior. 

I would kill him. 

The plan decided that Dabi, Toga, Twice, Spinner, Mr. Compress, Magne, Muscular, Mustard, Moonfish, a Nomu, and I would be part of the Vanguard Action Squad, and we would work together to take out as many of the heroes and students as possible. 

Shigaraki hadn’t wanted me to go at first, but after I had given him the most murderous glare ever, he had backed down. Just because I was quirkless didn’t mean I was defenseless. I refused to be the weak link. 

The training camp was starting in two weeks, which meant we still had a little bit of time to prepare. This meant spying. We had gathered a shit ton of information on the professional heroes, but still knew virtually nothing about the student’s themselves, besides their quirks.

Which was how Shigaraki, Toga, Dabi, and I ended up sitting on the rooftops across the street from the downtown city mall. Shigaraki sat one building over, Toga next to him, while Dabi and I crouched to the left. My eyes narrowed as we watched the majority of class 1A moving across the street towards the door, talking and laughing. Thinking they were safe. 

Another group of League members was currently watching class 1B, and hopefully we would be able to compile all the information later. Unfortunately, Todoroki and Bakugou, two of class 1A’s top students and also two of our targets, had decided against going on the shopping trip to the mall. It was a setback, but the Sports Festival had given us a good sense of what they could do anyway. 

I saw a flash of dark green hair in the crowd, and my fingers twitched. “They have no idea that I’m going to slaughter them all,” I muttered, a small smile pulling at my mouth. 

“Wow, so sadistic,” Dabi said, tapping me on the nose. 

I glared. “You’re one to talk.” 

“I’m only sadistic in bed,” he smirked. 

I choked, trying to cover it with a cough, but Dabi laughed in my face.

“It’s time to go,” I snarled, standing and pulling out my knives. “If you screw this up, I’m going to kill you.”

“I love it when you threaten me.” 

I ignored him, taking a running jump off of the three story roof. Shigaraki had gotten us all new equipment based on our quirk, or in my case, skill set. I had received a set of priceless daggers that could cut through almost anything without dulling. The material was impossibly rare, and I had pestered Shigaraki for days about where he got it, but he refused to tell me. 

I couldn’t help but admire them as they cut easily into the hardwood of the building’s wall, allowing me to leap from one wall of the alley to the next before getting close to the ground where I could duck and roll. 

“Show off,” Toga cried as she hit the ground next to me. Shigaraki and Dabi joined a few seconds later. 

“We’ll split up to follow them,” Shigaraki hissed. “Y/n and I will go together, and Toga and Dabi. Just watch each other’s back and make sure we don’t get caught.” 

We all nodded, understanding the severity of the situation. If the police caught on to what we were doing, or that we were up to something at all, it would put all the heroes on guard. For right now, they had no idea we were going to invade the camp, but that could change with one slipup. 

“Alright let’s go.” We walked casually from the alley, moving into the crowd to blend. Dabi was extremely identifiable due to his burns, so he wore a black facemask, sunglasses, a high collared shirt, and a beanie crushing his black hair into submission. At first glance, there was nothing off about him. Toga wore a sundress, sandals, and a sunhat, makeup easing her crazy look into simple excitement. I had forced myself to wear shorts and a crop top, my hair pulled into a high bun and glasses resting on my nose. The outfit made it impossible to hide as many knives on my body, but I still had three strapped to my thighs and side. Shigaraki had flat out refused to dress in jeans and a white t-shirt, instead settling on a black sweatshirt with the hood pulled up over his hair. At least he had forgone the hand mask. 

We entered the mall, moving at a leisurely pace to avoid suspicion. Toga and Dabi had disappeared, off to watch their own targets. 

Class 1A split off to go to different stores, but Shigaraki and I sat on a bench side by side, watching Izuku Midoriya and another girl, Ochaco Uraraka talk. My eyes narrowed as the girl blushed furiously, avoiding his eyes. Did she seriously…

I leaned closer to Shigaraki. “The girl has a crush on Midoriya.” 

He blinked at me in surprise. “How do you know?”

“Just the way she’s blushing, avoiding his eyes but always looking back to him...her eyes say run, but her body is staying. It’s obvious.”

I suddenly realized that Shigaraki’s face was literally two inches from mine, and my entire face went hot as I leaned away. “Uh, yeah.” 

Shigaraki licked his dry lips slowly, eyes still on my face. “We can probably use that as a weakness.” 

I nodded, glancing away. Wait, fuck, I had given away all the telltale signs. Hopefully he didn’t notice. 

Uraraka said something else, before turning and practically running away, leaving Midoriya standing alone.

“I’ll follow the girl, see if I can pick up anything. If not, I’ll come back.” Shigaraki nodded, and I stood up, heading off to follow Uraraka. I had to resist the urge to stab little Deku right in the chest as I moved past him; he had no idea how close he was to death. 

I followed the girl for about an hour, attempting to pick up on her habits and how she would react in a fight. It was hard to compare browsing dresses to facing a well trained villain though, and after a little while I grew frustrated. 

I slid from Forever 21, sauntering down the crowded walkway back in the direction of where I had last seen Shigaraki. Hopefully he was still there. 

A few things happened at once: I finally spotted the familiar flash of Shigaraki’s blue hair leaning against a pillar, watching Deku as he sat on his phone. At the same moment, the hulking figure of a medium class villain, probably categorized because of its muscle over it’s brain, emerged from the shadows behind the pillar. 

I realized that this creature was probably here just to kill as many people in the mall as possible, and cause as much chaos and damage before getting caught. Which meant that it wasn’t paying attention to it’s targets. 

I lunged forward. “SHIGARAKI!!” I screamed, desperately trying to warn him. 

His eyes found my face, the warning in my eyes, and he threw himself to the side at the last second. The huge monster’s fist smashing through the pillar Shigaraki was leaning against only seconds before, causing the entire structure to collapse. 

I heard a low groan from behind me, I realized too late that the monster who was attacking the mall wasn’t alone. All my focus had been on Shigaraki, and I hadn’t realized that another person was shifting into a massive creature right behind me. I only had time to throw myself to the left as hard as I could as the giant villain swept his fist in my direction. I managed to avoid a direct punch, but he still hit me in the side, the force of it sending me flying across the space where I hit the opposite pillar. 

I felt something crack, and I slumped to the ground in a heap. My entire body crumpled in on itself, and I wasn’t able to move a single inch. I thought I heard screaming, but it might have just been myself. This wasn’t good--even in my delirious state, I knew that I had never experienced injuries to this extent. 

What a pathetic way to die, I thought as everything went white. 

Chapter 4

Chapter 2

[wannabemobwife]

Guns, Glamour and Goodfellas - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Sinking Friendships

Dad!Mob!Tom x Mom!Mob!Reader

-Pairings: Tom Holland x Reader, Rosie Holland x Henry Osterfield

-Warnings: Language, Blood, Car accident, hospital scenes/talk, small talk of religion (sorry it just felt right for the story), angst, fighting, typos

-Words: 5.6K

Author note: Sorry for the shit writing, it was so hard to write the car accident. Tried to make it as medically accurate as possible. Most knowledge derived from Grey’s Anatomy/WebMD. Sorry this chapter is long. Feel free to leave comments or message me directly your feelings while reading the chapter. Every message I've received is so sweet thank you all.

*Anytime 3 dots/ellipses (…) its a sob/breath and a moment of reflection during dialogue.

Chapter 8: Sinking Friendships

Words: 5.6K

Sirens, flashing lights and screams were the only thing Henry remembered. It all happened so fast. One minute Henry and Rosie were laughing together getting lost in each other’s eyes and the next they were both unconscious awaiting their death.

There was no time for Henry to react in anyway. No swerves or movements were made to prevent the impact. A maroon truck had collided Roise’s side, jolting her entire body. Her door was dented beyond belief.

From the forceful impact caused their car skid on the pavement, wearing the paint job away, and crash into the street pole. Henry’s entire body screamed out in pain, his injuries weren’t as bad as Rosie’s though.

“Rosie? Rosie! Rosie!!” Henry called out, desperately wanting to hear her lovely voice. Panic and heartbreak ensued when he saw blood dripping down the side of her head.

Rosie wasn’t moving. How could she be full of life one minute and the next, not? Henry reached over and placed two fingers below her jaw searching for a pulse. He felt he was able to breathe once her felt her few and far between heartbeats, it was faint but it was still there.

“Darling, wake up. Rosie, wake up! Open your eyes for me.”

Henry could feel himself fading by the moment. He used his last breaths to tell the girl he loved he was sorry. Her life was hanging by a thread and in that moment Henry was utterly useless. Praying that she would wake and he would get to hold her again, as everything faded to black.

It had to be about 15 minutes. 15 minutes for an ambulance to arrive. 15 minutes that Henry and Rosie had been unconscious for. 15 minutes of complete stillness, as everyone outside the vehicle panicked. The witness had called 911 multiple times and the other driver was unconscious at his wheel.

After those brutal and possible life ending minutes, help finally arrived. They pulled Henry from the wreck, putting him on a gurney.

“Sir, can you hear me?” called out the paramedic. “Yes. My girlfriend, help her please,” Henry was pleading for his life. How could he be so careless, it was only an accident? “Sir, just lay back. Let us take care of you,” the paramedic uttered, putting her hand on his shoulder to hold him down.

“No. I need to make sure she is okay.”

“Sir, you need to restrain yourself. The other paramedics have got her.”

“ROSIE! Just please let me know if she is okay,” screamed Henry.

“Sedate him please. I’ll go check on the girl,” said the paramedic. Henry faded into a deep sleep a moment later.

“Hey, how’s the girl? Her boyfriend won’t stop asking,” asked the paramedic to the one attending to Rosie. “Unresponsive. She has head trauma and a pulse, thank god,” he murmured. Henry was sent along with Rosie to Kingston Memorial hospital. The hospital was 20 mins away, so much can happen in that time.

Everyone else was sleeping soundly within the walls of the Holland Manor. It started to become a common theme that phone calls in the middle of the night usually meant someone was hurt. This time it was Harrison calling.

“Haz? It’s so late why are you calling?” You asked, jolting awake.

“There’s been an accident and Tom didn’t answer when I called. It’s Rosie and Henry. It sounded bad, Y/N.”

“Oh my god. I’ll see you there,” you responded, barely forming the words as tears started to fall.

“TOM WAKE UP!” you screamed, shaking him awake.

“What?… I’m up. I’m up.”

“There’s been accident.” No more words were said, they just hopped in the car and drove as fast as possible. Tom knuckles grew white clutching around the steering wheel. He couldn’t even begin to fathom a world with his Rosie in it. Harrison was already there, pacing in the waiting room.

“Haz. Where is she?” you said, tears begging to fall.

“I don’t know they won’t tell me anything because I’m not family,” Harrison answered.

“Fuck that, you are our family. How’s Henry?” Tom exclaimed.

“He’s ok. Just a minor concussion and dislocated shoulder, he’s in there right now. They are putting his shoulder back in its socket. He was really lucky but, I am worried about Rosie.” Haz said, just as a doctor dressed in surgical scrubs approached them.

“Are you here for Rosie Holland?” asked the doctor, Tom just nodded in response.

“Mr. and Mrs. Holland, I presume,” continued the doctor

“Yes, that’s us,” Tom replied, clasping your hand in his. He tried to put on a brave face for his wife. You couldn’t both be a mess.

“Ok, Rosie is still in surgery. With extensive injuries like hers we like to keep the family updated as much as possible. Your daughter was the nearest point of impact. She came in with a puncture wound to the abdomen, a severe concussion, massive internal bleeding, many cuts caused by broken glass and severe trauma to her head.”

“Will she be okay?” you asked, accidentally interrupting the doctor.

“Let him finish darling,” Tom said, his grip on her hand tightening.

“It is still too early to know. I have to get back.”

“Alright Doctor, thank you,” Tom acknowledged. You just fell into Tom’s arms, letting all the tears you were holding back fall. You broke into a fit of sobs in his embrace.

“Tom, I don’t want to lose her. I can’t lose her. She’s our baby,” you whimpered, your tears staining his t-shirt

“Shh, darling. She’ll pull through. Remember she is just like her strong mother.”Tom whispered, rubbing a soothing hand over your back.

“Have you gotten in touch with Parker?” Asked Tom as he continued to comfort you.

“No, I’ve been trying. Leaving message after message… Why fuck isn’t he picking up?” yelled Haz. Just then, Henry had walked up, sporting a cloth sling His heart nearly broke as he saw you crying your eyes out buried in Tom’s arms.

“No. No, no, no. Don’t tell me she didn’t make it.” Henry cried as his knees started to buckle at the thought of losing Rosie.

“Henry no, she’s still in surgery. Hey, come here.” Harrison said trying to calm down his son.

“Henry, what the happened?” Tom asked, scared for his daughters life.

“What were you doing with Rosie anyway? It’s late.” Tom questioned again after Henry stood silent, growing louder.

“Hey, Tom. Back off,” Harrison said, standing in front of Tom.

“No. I want to know the reason why my daughter is in there fighting for her god damm life.” Tom screamed. Henry was like a deer caught in headlights. He couldn’t lie his way out of this one. His eyes just shifted between Tom, you and his dad.

“A truck hit Rosie’s side when I was driving, I’m sorry, it was an accident.” Henry cried, barely able to get the words out.

“Son, we know it was an accident. It wasn’t your fault,” Harrison said, comforting Henry.

“Where? Where were you guys?” Tom pestered on.

“Umm, we were on our way back from… from a date. We are dating.” Henry muttered, his eyes glued to the floor.

“What? Y/N did you know about this?” Tom asked, ready to throw hands.

“Yes, Tom,” you murmured, avoiding Tom’s disappointed glare.

“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?” Tom screeched.

“And for you. Who the fuck said you could date my daughter?” Tom bellowed, pointing his finger at the poor boy.

“I did kind of give them permission by keeping their secret. In your own time frame though you were supposed to ask Tom,” you muttered, bouncing between Henry and Tom.

“Wait. For how long? For how fucking long?” Tom cursed.

“2 months.” Henry whispered.

“2 months. 2 fucking months. You were lying to me?” Tom screamed, he was livid at you.

“I don’t want you dating her,” Tom growled with an unchanging expression.

“I’m sorry, sir. What?” Henry asked, dumbfounded by Tom’s response.

“Tom, what?” Haz faltered.

“Tom don’t do this, he is a good kid,” you begged.

“Break up with my daughter or there will be hell to pay,” Tom declared and with that he walked away.

“Tom, you can’t do that to them,” you yelled after Tom.

“Really Y/N watch me” Tom said, ignoring his family. His heart had been broken too many times tonight. First when he heard about the accident, another when he had learned of Rosie’s injuries and another when he found out that you had been lying to him. His mind needed to be on one person right now, Rosie.

Tom managed to cool off, but immediately changed the subject anytime you would start to apologize. He didn’t have the energy to focus or listen, all he cared about was Rosie. Parker had showed up 10 mins later, he was off doing god knows what.

“Where the fuck have you been?” Tom yelled, as he saw Parker come through the sliding doors.

“Sorry. I just got your message. Is she okay?” Parker explained.

“We don’t know she is still in surgery,” you whispered, trying to hold back tears.

“What I went out for a bit and shut my phone off. What’s the big deal?” Parker asked.

“The big deal is that I didn’t know where you were. I couldn’t get in touch you. Rosie was in a car accident and I couldn’t call you,” screamed Tom, still angry from the conversation that just perspired

“And Henry?” Parker question, ignoring Tom’s scolding.

“He’s ok. Haz is with him right now, they went to get some coffee,” you informed him.

“Are you okay, mom?” Parker asked, remembering the conversation they had the night before.

“I’ve been better. Just glad you are here,” you said, bringing him into a warm embrace. As they all stood together as a family, Rosie’s doctor came to update them.

“She is out of surgery and stable. Her heart did stop and we were able to resuscitate her, she’s in the ICU now…”

“Can we see her?” Tom asked, interrupting the doctor. A huge weight had just been lifted off his shoulders, his baby girl was going to be okay.

“Yes, but you need to know something. Her brain started to swell in surgery so we had to put her in a medically induced coma to bring down the swelling. We don’t know when she will wake up or if she will at all,” explained the doctor.

All the Hollands stood like statues, unable to process the news. You felt as though you had been punched in the stomach, you wouldn’t be able to handle losing your baby girl.

Minutes, hours and days had melded together. It had been 6 days since the accident and Rosie was still the same, laying unconscious in a hospital bed hooked up to various machines. All of you stayed at the hospital expect for Harrison and Henry. Harrison was running the mob for Tom, for the time being.

You refused to leave her side, spending every waking and sleeping hour right beside her. Seeing your daughter like this was killing you. You weren’t getting any sleep and your hair started thinning.

Rosie looked pale and lifeless, the only thing guaranteeing she was alive was the incessant heart monitor. Her bruises had started to heal, changing from a vibrant purple to an opaque yellow. Everyone prayed she would wake up.

Henry tried to visit everyday but Tom wouldn’t allow it. He was still furious his daughter was dating him and everyone else knew about it except him. Tom’s heart ached for Rosie to wake up and be his funny, sassy, brave girl once again. Tom, however couldn’t stand how the waiting was making you feel.

“Darling. Wake up!” Tom whispered, gently shaking you.

“What? Did something happen? Is Rosie ok?” You exasperated, jolting out of your sleep and trying to catch your breath.

“No, she’s fine. It has just been a while since you had gone home and cleaned up. It might do you some good, baby,” Tom pleaded.

“Tom, I can’t leave her,” you whispered.

“Y/N, it’s ok. Let me take you home and Parker will be here in case anything were to happen,” Tom explained.

You were hesitant at first but eventually agreed, it had been awhile since you had showered or had a decent meal. Living off of the same sweatshirt and hospital cafeteria snacks for the past couple days. All your energy had been put into watching Rosie.

While Tom took you home, Parker was tasked with watching his sister. As kids they were both active and had gotten hurt, only most ever being a broken bone, never a life or death situation. Not only was Rosie Parker’s sister, but she was his twin.

His built in best friend. There had never been a time where he didn’t know her, maybe the first 5 mins of his life, but Rosie soon followed. Sure they fought and argued like all siblings do, but they couldn’t imagine their life without each other. He needed her sarcastic comments and infectious laughter to brighten his day. He needed her warm, slightly awkward hugs and her bitchy attitude once in a while. Parker didn’t know what he’d do without her.

“Rosie, I don’t know if you can hear me but mom is a mess, dad has barely said to word and everyone just needs you to wake up. I need you to wake up…. We all do, especially Henry,” Parker whispered.

“God, he secretly loves you. He hasn’t had the balls to tell you yet, but if that it is what you need to wake up, then do it….Let that be it…. That he loves you, Rosie…. He loves you.”

“I know what it is like to lose someone you love. Charlotte didn’t have a choice, but you do. You can fight and come back to us…. Come back to Henry. He needs you. He calls me every night asking if you had woken up yet. Dad banned him from visiting the hospital. Really fucked that one up didn’t you Roo…. You should’ve told him about you and Henry, but that’s beside the point…. The point is let today or tomorrow or next week be the day I tell him you did…. Just promise me you will wake up ok. I know I don’t say it often but I love you.” Parker got everything he needed to say off his chest. Tears had managed to escape from his eyes as he held her hand. Henry was standing in the doorway, when Parker poured his heart out.

“Hey mate. Mind if I have a minute with my girl?” Henry spoke.

“Not at all. Perfect timing, my parents just left,” Parker said, getting up from his crouched position.

“Yeah, I know. I was parked in the parking lot, waiting for them to leave.”

“How much of that did you hear?”

“Oh, none. None what so ever.”

“So practically all of it?” Parker said in response.

“Yeah,” Henry just nodded along.

“I’ll leave you guys alone,” Parker said as left the room.

Now it was just Henry and Rosie.

Tom had forbidden Henry from seeing her, he hasn’t even gotten to hold her hand. Henry tried to hold back tears as he saw the girl he loved looking half-dead. Her skin had lost its color and her necklace, the one he had given her, was stained with blood sitting in a bag on her bedside.

“Hey Roo. I’ve missed you…. Life hasn’t been the same these past few days. I’ve missed all your good night and good morning texts and your smile.” Henry started.

“Everyone wants you to wake up. They need you to wake up. Can you just open your eyes and flash that smile for me? I need it and I need you…. Rosie,… here it goes,… I love you. I couldn’t stand the thought of you never knowing I love you. So there it is, I love you.”

“I love everything about you…. Your eyes, your laugh, even that weird snort you do. I love you and that has to be enough. It has to be enough for you to wake up and come back to me…. Don’t just do it for me, do it for Parker and your dad and your mom. They have all been losing their minds without you.”

“Rosie, please baby. I love you and that has to be enough,” Henry concluded as tears streaked his face. He moved to press a chaste kiss to her forehead when all of a sudden machines starting going off and beeping left and right.

“Rosie? Rosie stay with me!” Henry didn’t know what was happening. All he knew as that she was still alive and prayed to god he wouldn’t hear her flatlining.

Rosie’s body started to jerk and shake, involuntary. The room filled with nurses and doctors, rolling Rosie on to her side. Her muscles spasming everywhere.

“Sir, you need to leave,” said the nurse, prying Henry away from Rosie.

“No, please let me stay with her,” Henry cried, refusing to avert his eyes from Rosie.

“You need to leave. Let us help her.”

Henry stood crying, peering through the glass doors at the love his life slipping before his very eyes. Her seizure only lasted about 8 minutes but, minutes bleed to hours as tears refused to stop.

“Henry? What happened?” Parker said, running up to Henry crouched on the floor with his knees to his chest and head buried.

“I don’t know. They forced me to leave. Her body started shaking violently, I don’t know what happened,” Henry sniffled, titling his head up. His eyes were beet red and his face was riddled with tears. Parker just stood there dumbfounded. He only left for 10 minutes to get some water. How could so much go wrong in that time.

“Young man, are your parents here,” asked the doctor as everyone came out of Rosie’s room.

“No, they went home to grab some things. Why?… Is she dead?” Parker questioning, pulling at the roots of his hair.

“No, she’s alive, but we can’t share any further information till they get here,” explained the doctor. Parker just nodded in response and Henry was able to breath again, exhaling the breath he was unaware he was holding.

Parker was about to make the call he dreaded. This was the entire reason you refused to leave, in case anything were to happen.

“Parker, what’s up. Is Rosie okay?” Tom said as he answered the Parker’s call.

“Dad, no, you need to get to the hospital. Something happened with Rosie but, they won’t tell me anything,” Parker said, his voice wavering.

“Oh my god, I’ll be right there,” Tom said, hanging up the phone. He had been refusing the chance to break down, he felt as though he had to be strong for everyone else.

“Y/N! Y/N!!” Tom screamed through the house. The one time Tom tries to do something good everything gets screwed up.

“Tom, what?” You exclaimed, startled by his screams

“Something happened with Rosie,” Tom said, a fews tears dripped down his face.

“What? No. No, no, no. I wasn’t there. I’m her mom and I wasn’t there. Why the fuck did you make me leave?” You cried, feeling like a terrible mother. You never should’ve left.

“I’m sorry. Be mad at me later, let’s just go,” Tom said, grabbing his car keys.

Tom’s reckless driving was not the problem at the moment, you just need to be there for Rosie. At the hospital, Tom barely parked properly before they were running through the halls. He came upon Parker in the waiting room, looking disheveled as fuck. His eyes were puffy eyes and hair stood up, he could tell his son was tugging on it in frustration.

Tom needed something to take his mind off Rosie. He needed to punch something or beat someone up or even just take his angry out with words.

“Parker, what happened? Is she okay?” You said, scared for Rosie’s life.

“I don’t know. No one has come out of her room,” Parker explained and you just nodded in response, trying not to cry again.

“Parker, what the fuck is Henry doing in here?” Tom demanded.

“Umm,” Parker mumbled.

“I’m sorry sir, I needed to see her,” Henry said profusely, apologizing

“I don’t care what fuck you needed to do. You are the reason she is dying. You were the one driving,” Tom screamed.

“Tom it was an accident,” you said, trying to reassure yourself in the process.

“Y/N I don’t understand how you can take his side when he almost killed our baby girl.”

“Like, I said it was an accident!” you explained.

“Nurse! Nurse!” Tom yelled.

“Yes, sir. Do you need the doctor?” asked the nurse, worried someone was bleeding.

“No. I want to know who the fuck let this boy in here.” Tom thundered.

“I don’t know sir, I’m so sorry. This won’t happen again,” she explained.

“Tom he can stay. If he is telling the truth about loving Rosie this concerns him as much as it concern us,” you said. This must be killing Henry like it was to you.

“No, he fucking can’t. Now get out, before I have you escorted out of here in a body bag,” Tom threatened.

“Alright, I’ll go. Just please, tell me if she wakes up,” Henry pleaded, slowly walking away. He wasn’t going to go home, he couldn’t. He couldn’t leave, not when Rosie was still in that state.

They all saw the doctor come out of the room and quickly cornered him. A grim expression draped across his face created uneasiness in everyone.

“I’m Y/N Holland, I’m her mother. What happened? I just left for twenty minutes,” you asked, tears streaming down your face as you barged in the room.

“We put her on a ventilator, the seizure was caused by lack of oxygen to her brain,” the doctor said.

“I’m sorry, what? She had a seizure?” Tom said, trying to put the puzzle pieces together.

“Yes. Her brain function has remained unchanged for several days now. In my expert opinion, her outlook isn’t very good. I would prepare yourselves. We can keep her comfortable if you would like or we can arrange her to be moved to a facility where she will possibly heal in the future,” explained the doctor.

“What are you saying? She’s brain dead?” asked Parker chiming in.

“It’s too still early to give a definitive diagnosis, but most likely, yes. I’m sorry for your loss.” The doctor said, exiting the room. You wanted to die right in that moment. A piece of you died the second those words slipped out, you were inconsolable.

“Y/N. Baby, come here,” Tom whispered. Trying to reach out for you, his broken wife.

“Don’t fucking touch me. I should’ve never let you convince me to leave,” you cried.

The guilt was enormous for everything. You were the one who let Rosie and Henry date, without that they would have never been driving together. Never gotten in the accident, you couldn’t help but feel responsible.

It was always the same feeling, you felt walking into Rosie’s hospital room. The feeling of drowning or being burned alive. It’s indescribable. A feeling felt by those who lose their children. You put them on this earth and for them to leave it before you was wrong.

“Rosie, I’m so sorry I left baby. I’m here now and I’m never leaving,” you said, combing your hand through her brown locks.

“But its okay if you need to. It’s okay. I’ll be alright, we all will be…. You can let go…. I love you so much sweetheart, don’t every forget how much mommy loves you…. You can rest now,” you said, moving to Rosie’s side to take her hand in yours. Seeing Rosie like this was tearing you apart from the seems.

It wasn’t long before all tears had put you to sleep. Tom had covered you up with a blanket. You talked to Rosie as though she could hear you. Maybe she could, maybe not but, you definitely wished she could. Tom hadn’t had the chance to break down like you. You needed him to be the strong one, but he was human too.

“Rosie, it’s dad. Everyone besides me has gotten the chance to talk to you, so here it goes,” Tom started.

“I know your mother said that is was ok to leave, but it is not. You hear me. Don’t you dare leave…. Rosie, darling you need to fight. Fight whatever it is that will bring you back to us. You are so much stronger than you lead on baby.”

“I love you so much, please come back to us…. I don’t know if your mother can take losing you. Also that boy you secretly hid from me. Once you wake up you are grounded. I don’t know why you fell for that scruffy looking kid but he needs you, baby. We all do,” Tom concluded. There was no easy fix to this problem. He couldn’t go out and torture somebody or beat them til they broke. Not even money could fix this. He felt completely and utterly useless.Tom reached out to the only thing that could help his daughter, God.

“Hey, god above, I don’t really have a name for you. You are just the one who watches over people, you could be from any religion. I don’t know,” Tom said, clasping his hand together as he spoke to the heavens above.

“I know we don’t talk often and I’m sorry for that and I’m sorry for the despicable acts I’ve committed but I need you help…. My daughter needs your help. She was in a car accident and she hasn’t woken up yet. She’s so young, she has her entire life ahead of her and I want her to experience it all…. I’d really like to walk her down the aisle someday. Can you just bring her back to me? That’s all I ask, just bring her back.”

“Thank you. Shit, I’m believe I’m supposed to say amen and I’m sorry for cursing a second ago. Just remember what we talked about, do this for her not me. God knows I don’t deserve it,” Tom said, ending his plea to the god or gods above.

Tom couldn’t of imagined better timing, with his speech, Rosie’s fingers started to twitch in his hand.

“Y/N wake up?” Tom yelled.

“What, I’m up. Is she ok?” You asked, confused by his outburst.

“Better than ok, her hand moved,” Tom explained.

“Oh my god, really? Parker go get the doctor,” you said, moving towards Rosie.

“Rosie?” Tom said as she started to stir.

“Rosie, baby. I’m here” you said, holding her hand. Rosie eyes fluttered open as she choked on the intubation tube, which gave her oxygen.

“Shh, you’re ok. You were in a car accident with Henry. You’re ok,” you said, softly. The look on Rosie’s face broke your heart. She looked so confused and overwhelmed all you wanted to do was hold her and never let go. Yes, she was a teenager but she will always be your baby girl.

Parker quickly brought the doctor in and he conducted a neurological exam. He removed the tube down her throat, allowing her to breath normally.

“Rosie, you’re awake. Don’t try to talk, it will feel weird for a while. I can get you something for the pain. I’m going to have you do a few tests. Blink once for yes and twice for no, ok?” The doctor explained. Rosie followed his instructions and blinked once. You and Tom were holding each other, praying Rosie didn’t have any brain damage.

“Follow the light for me please. Good. Squeeze my hand. Good grip… These are all amazing signs. Everything looks good. No neurological deficits, but I still would like to get an MRI for her. In the meantime, just rest. It’s going to feel weird as your brain has basically been sleeping for a week,” the doctor concluded, leaving everyone alone to rejoice.

“Mom?” Rosie said, her voice extremely hoarse.

“Yeah, honey. Take it easy,” you said. Words couldn’t describe how you were feeling, you got your daughter back.

“Where’s Henry?” Rosie croaked out.

“He’s ok Rosie, I believe he is outside. Would you like to see him?” You asked, much to Tom’s dismay. Rosie just nodded in response, trying to make everything seem less hazy.

“Rosie,” Henry said with a biggest smile on his face. Nothing could bring this boy down from cloud 9, she was ok. The love of his life was ok.

“Hi,” she said with a half-smile. That’s all she could must her up with her energy.

“Thank god you’re okay. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Henry said, kissing her forehead.

“We will give you two a minute,” you said, pulling Tom and Parker out of the room. Tom was giving you a bunch of harsh glares, he knew what you were doing. However, he too ecstatic that Rosie was awake to be mad at Henry.

“Are you okay? How do you feel?” Henry asked concerned.

“I’m okay. Henry, I have to tell you something,” Rosie responded.

“I love you…. Walking up in the hospital bed just made me realize who cares if it’s too soon or if you don’t feel the same way, I just had to tell you. I love you,” Rosie declared. This was his chance, break her heart and walk away, she didn’t deserve to be here in a hospital bed. Tom was right, Henry knew what he had to do.

“Rosie, I think we should break up,” Henry said, already feeling like he made the biggest mistake of his life.

“What, why? Did I do something wrong? I thought we were happy. Just yesterday you said you were falling in love me. What the fuck happened?” Rosie faltered, confused by everything.

“Rosie, it’s just not working,” Henry exclaimed with the lamest excuse.

“Fine. Leave,” she said, trying to not let tears fall.

“Roo, we can still be friends.”

“Don’t fucking say that to me. You don’t get to call me that anymore,” Rosie screamed.

“Rosie, I’m sorry,” Henry tried to say something else but was cut off.

“Just get the fuck out. I’m serious, FUCKING LEAVE!!” she thundered as he left. Henry felt like literal shit and an asshole and a fucking idiot all at once. He had just broken the heart of the girl he loves. It was never supposed to happen this way.

“Henry? What’s wrong?” You asked as you saw Henry storm through the halls.

“Are you happy Tom? I did it,” Henry barked.

“Glad she’s awake. Y/N you should go in there, she needs you,” Henry exclaimed, before leaving for good this time.

“Tom, we need to talk about Rosie and Henry,” you said, furious at Tom and his decision to break them up.

“He’s gonna fucking break her heart and I won’t allow it,” Tom yelled.

“You can’t keep them apart and you already did that,” you said sternly, you couldn’t believe the nerve on your husband.

“Y/N end of fucking discussion. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. We don’t keep secrets from each other. For fucks sake, how fucking stupid are you? Letting our daughter whore around with that kid, just like you did,” he vociferated.

“Whore around like I did? Really? Why don’t you look in the fucking mirror?” You screamed, zero fucks were given.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Tom barked.

“I know about you and Jazz.”

“What?”

“You went to a hotel and met her there. Tell me I’m wrong,” you interjected. Tom was too furious to explain his actions, he let you believe he cheated on you.

“Your silence answers my question,” you remarked, wanting to break down inside.

“Tom, just so you know you're sleeping on the couch tonight,” you said. You had your answer now. How could Tom do that to you. I didn’t matter in that moment all that mattered was consoling your daughter who Tom broke.

“Real fucking mature Y/N,” Tom yelled, as you walked away.

“Rosie?” You asked, knocking on her door.

“Mom… he broke up with me,” Rosie said as tears fell.

“Oh, baby. I’m so sorry.”

“I don’t know what I did wrong…. I swear to god if he met some other chick while I was in a coma.”

“No, nothing like that,” you said, trying to comfort your daughter. There is nothing like a first heartbreak.

“There has to be a reason. One minute I was in love with a boy who loved me back and now, I’m not.”

“Shh, it's okay,” you said, rubbing you hand down Rosie’s back as you pulled her into your arms. How could Henry actually do that to her and flee the scene like a coward. Parker managed to chase him down in the parking lot.

“What the fuck Henry?” Parker called after him

“I did it because I love her,” Henry exclaimed, continuing to walk away.

“Bullshit,” Parker yelled as he punched Henry square in the jaw.

“Owww.”

“I said, I’d fucking hurt you if you broke her heart.”

“Yeah, I know. It was still a shitty threat, but I deserved that.”

“I don’t understand what happened Henry. One minute you tell me you love her the next you don’t…. I don’t know if I will ever understand but you can’t come by the house for awhile,” Parker pleaded, wanting to know the truth.

“Alright. Just tell her I’m sorry mate.” Henry concluded, feeling like literal shit and an asshole and a fucking idiot all at once. He had just broken the heart of the girl he loves. It was never supposed to happen this way.

Author note: I'm sorry for all those who love Rosie and Henry. Don't be afraid to call me a bitch for breaking your heart, my brother did when he read it. Also Tom is a literal asshole in this chapter.

I really can't wait for you guys to read the next ones, even if you don't ask for it. I will post hints for the next chapter with emojis because it's fun.

Guns, Glamour, Goodfellas Masterlist

Taglist: @thenoddingbunny-blog @adriannauni @dummiesshort @bi-lmg @allthisfortommy

[kinktae]

bitchin’ || pt. 9 (M)

↳ PART OF MY REWIND SERIES

The 80s were a time of choices. Which perm was right for you? What color neon would you wear next? None of these choices, however, were more questionable than a certain deal you made with Jeon Jungkook.

pairing: fratboy!jungkook x reader

word count: 4.7k

genre: 1980s au, eventual smut, e2l

warnings: fanservice. that's it. that’s the tweet.

A/N: This fic was inspired by To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. Thank you to @junqkook for letting me use her likeness!

01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

PART NINE

"Okay, just sign your name here, and she'll come to get you when she's ready." The cheery girl at the front desk told you.

You offered her a polite smile, walking over to the sit in the waiting room.

You always disliked these chairs. We were willing to bet money that these chairs have sat in this very room since your university first opened, worn out, uncomfortable, and outdated. Sure, maybe you had been in a bit of a sour mood lately – what with your fake ex-boyfriend dirty dicking you and all – but as you sat there, metal rod poking your spin, you couldn't help but frown.

As you sat there contemplating your school's renovation budget, you hardly noticed the sound of another student walking in and over to the front desk, your stomach churning as you put a face to those loose curls.

"Hey, stranger! What are you doing here?" Kiri's white teeth blinded you, walking over to you once her business with the receptionist was done.

You could feel one of your eyebrows twitch in irritation, swallowing down your scoff as she sat next to you.

"Trying to schedule my class next semester." You responded uninterestedly, contemplating whether or not the suspension from decking Kiri in the face would be worth it.

"Oh, just picking up a termination form. One of our newbies wants to pull out of Kappa Alpha Tau."

Shocker...

"Hey, so sorry to hear things with Jungkook and you didn't work out, by the way." Kiri flashed you a sympathetic look.

An audible breath left your lips, disbelief no doubt visible on your every feature. Did Kiri seriously think you didn't know it was her who home wrecked? Or was she just that much of a raging bitch?

"If you ever need someone to, like, talk to, just know that I'm here. I totally know what you're going through."

Your hands found themselves curling into tight balls in an attempt to keep your hands from shaking. Kiri looked as cool as a cucumber in front of you, perfectly composed, not a single hair out of place.

Then it hit you.

Of course. It all made perfect sense now.

From the moment she came up to you at your event offering her condolences, she had been trying to drive you off from Jungkook. She was planting seeds of doubt about their break up and his character. Manipulation and intimidation were her cards, and she played them well.

Fine. If the rules were being bent, you might as well disregard them altogether. You relaxed your hands.

"Oh, no worries. It's all good, I mean, it's not like we were actually dating." You shrugged.

Rule #2: No one can know the truth.

"What?" Kiri blinked, her smile faltering for just a moment.

You edged closer to her, cocking your head in mock surprise.

"Oh... did you not know that? That our entire relationship was contractual?"

"What are you talking about?" Her full brows furrowing.

You let out a sigh, "Yeah, so, basically, Jungkook would get his frat to fund my event if I helped make you jealous so that you'd come crawling back to him."

The polite mask that Kiri had plastered on finally cracked, her next words clipped and curt.

"What the hell is your damage, Y/N? Do you think I'm some sort of idiot how'd fall for that?"

"Good grief, did Jungkook not tell you? Weird, I feel like that's something he'd need to tell his girlfriend." You puffed out your bottom lip in mock sympathy.

Whatever resolve Kiri had built up crumbled at the way you held her stare, a note of honesty in your voice that she couldn't shake.

"I'm..." She cleared her throat, turning her nose up. "We're not actually back together yet."

"No? Really? Hmm..."

The call of your name crossed the room, and the two of you turned to look at the receptionist, ushering you over with the news that your counselor was ready for you.

You turned to Kiri with a smile, "Guess he didn't want you back as so much as he just wanted back in your pants."

Kiri looked utterly stunned, eyes wide as you stood from your seat, for once, without a clue as to what to say.

"See ya around, Kiri. Let's do lunch sometime. Oh and, happy holidays!" You fluttered your fingers at her, slipping away from her with a smugness you couldn't be assed to hide.

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

"Wait... he called you?!" Taehyung laughed, eyes wide.

Yara nodded, scouring through the shelves, a specific book in mind. Belinda Carlisle was playing softly overhead and Yara found herself humming along.

As the holidays rolled around and everyone found themselves back in their hometowns, Yara was surprised to find Jungkook's frat brother browsing through the jam aisle in her local supermarket. As luck would have it, Jungkook's genetically blessed frat brother was from her hometown, the two somehow never crossing paths until now.

What started as a polite catchup over coffee, quickly turned into an everyday thing, the two of them realizing they had more in common than friend drama.

"He did!" Yara enthused. "He left a voicemail apologizing and rambled about how he wanted Y/N's address so he could go apologize, blah, blah, blah."

"That idiot." Taehyung rolled his eyes. He watched as she let out a noise of excitement, looking over her shoulder to announce that she had found the book she was in search of. He grinned in response.

"Anyway, I didn't call back. Because that's exactly how she wants to spend Christmas morning, with that jockstrap knocking at her door, right?"

Taehyung snorted, bringing the straw of his drink to his mouth.

"Miriam is gonna have your head on a stick Lord of the Flies style if she catches you with that drink in her library." Yara warned, to which Taehyung dismissed with a wave of a hand.

Yara was a funny girl; he was pleasantly surprised to bump into her during winter break. He could tell something was off when they first ran into each other, so he invited her out to grab some coffee. It was over a warm cup of coffee – with the most absurd amount of sugar he had ever seen – that she finally shared with him all that had been weighing on her mind lately.

Sure there was the Jungkook and Y/N stuff. Yara was beyond homicidal. Taehyung was grateful for winter break as he was positive she would have rung out Jungkook's neck had she seen him after what had happened. Taehyung himself was astounded to find out what exactly was true nature of the two's relationship, curtesy of Yara, of course. Even if it was fake, however, he knew Jungkook enough to know that the happiness he gave off once Y/N entered his life wasn't.

But more than that, the petite girl was worried about a boy, an irritating one who Taehyung happened to be frat brothers with. Eunwoo had approached her immediately after Kiri left him, spewing some excuse about only dating Kiri because he couldn't get Yara out of his mind.

It was bullshit if you asked Taehyung. But he hadn't the heart to tell Yara that, especially with the way she looked so torn up about it – unsure of how to respond to Eunwoo. He wasn't entirely sure what their relationship was like, but he figured it must have meant enough to her to have her feeling this conflicted.

So he did his best to cheer her up, inviting her for lunch and driving her to their local library, which he had come to find out was her favorite place growing up. They spent many afternoons sprawled out on the couches in the now abandoned children's section of the library... or at least until the crabby librarian yelled at them to leave.

If Taehyung was honest, he didn't care much for literature – he was a math guy – but the way Yara would shove a book into his chest with wide eyes and an 'if you don't read this and tell me your thoughts on it, I'll literally die,' seemed reason enough to keep showing up day after day.

"Have you talked to her about Eunwoo, yet?"

Yara flinched at the blond man's words.

"Why don't we ever talk about normal people stuff? Like the weather, or what sports team played last night."

"Yara..."

"Oooh!" She exclaimed suddenly, "I know, let's talk about President Reagan. Did you hear his speech about tearing down the wall in Germany? Crazy stuff–"

"Dude, why are you so scared to tell her about Eunwoo? You told me." Taehyung interrupted, quirking up a brow. Yara held his eyes for a moment before sighing.

"I just don't want to bring it up to Y/N, you know? She has enough going on..."

"So? She's your best friend. She'll want to help."

"Exactly! She's going to want to comfort me and make me feel better – which will just make me feel worse." Yara groaned, leaning back against the bookshelf.

"I'm... not following." The frat boy admitted.

Surely girls aren't usually this hard to understand.

"Look, I know you'd only known me for a little while, but let me pencil you in. I have a reputation, okay? Yara doesn't get hung up on some dumb boy." Yara wagged her finger at him.

"Does Yara usually talk about herself in the third person?" Taehyung chuckled.

"Yara," she continued, paying the boy no mind, "is an independent woman who likes one night stands and sex without strings. She doesn't like clingy boys getting into her head and confusing her."

Taehyung nodded, "So basically, Yara is scared of catching feelings."

"Shh! Don't tell Yara about what Yara doesn't want to hear." She turned her nose up at him, pushing herself back off the stand to march away from him. Taehyung reached for her arm without hesitation, stopping her departure with a sigh.

"Look, I don't mean to be on your ass about this, but clearly, you feel something for this kid. Otherwise, you wouldn't be spending all your time pining over him."

Taehyung immediately wished he could take back those words as an offended look fell across the petite girl's face, her hands falling onto her hips, clearly displeased.

"Pining? You think I'm pining over Eunwoo?"

Taehyung shifted uncomfortably, unsure how to navigate this situation. As much as he liked Yara, she did spark a healthy dose of fear into him.

"Well... I mean... you're spending your whole break with me just because I can give you a ride to the library so you can read sad romance novels and cry."

"First of all," Yara began, "I happen to enjoy your company. You're a good listener and, frankly, very nice to look at."

Surprise fell over Taehyung, "Nice to look at?"

"Oh, don't act like you don't know." She waved him off, "Secondly, I've never cried. I've let out a sniffle at most."

"Fine, so you're not pining over him. Just get back together with him." He responded.

"I can't."

Taehyung frowned, "Then turn him down."

"I can't do that either." She frowned right back.

"Dude."

"I'm scared, okay!" She whined, thumping a foot against the library's carpeted floor.

"Of what? What's holding you back from going back to Eunwoo?"

"...He told me he loves me."

"And?"

"And I don't even know what that means!" Yara threw her hands up in exasperation, the sleeve of her swear falling down her forearms. "I don't know how to love him back or be a good girlfriend – which I know is what he wants from me."

"Yara, I hope you don't feel like you don't owe Eunwoo anything. Because you don't." Taehyung grew serious, which only caused the torn girl to pout.

"I know, I just... I mean, I don't hate him. But it's scary. Whenever I'm dating someone, I get all up in my head like... Am I supposed to be this someone's person? Possibly forever? What the fuck!"

"No, I get it. It's a lot of pressure." He shrugged powerlessly.

"Exactly! I don't want to have to try and love someone. I want to do it. Like... not to sound like a sappy idiot but sometimes I think about all those stories I read," she gestured towards the books beside her, "about feeling a spark when you kiss your person and just... I dunno. Would be fucking nice, instead of this complicated bullshit."

Yara was far from a hopeless romantic. As much as she loved to read about romance, she had an innate urge to flee the moment the word love came around. Still, she could appreciate the idea of it.

"So then forget about that stuff. Forget about labels and expectations. Just be with whoever you want to be with. Have fun, worry about the heavy shit later."

Taehyung had a very soothing effect whenever he spoke. His tone was low and lovely, and despite the way Yara's head was still running a mile a minute, she appreciated the boy's docile nature. Certainly made her feel a whole lot less anxious.

"I want to. That's how this whole thing with Eunwoo started, ya know?" She admitted, crossing her arms over her chest. "But all men are the same. They say they're fine with keeping it casual, but they always end up falling for me, which, duh, understandable..."

The blond boy let out an airy snicker, a direct challenge to Yara's words.

"Something funny, Tae?" She pressed.

"C'mon, that's not true." He rolled his eyes breezily.

"Oh, yeah? Tell that to my four ex-partners who are all still in love with me."

"Maybe you just haven't met the one. You know... your knight-in-no-strings-attached-armor."

"I'm telling you, no such guy exists." Yara emphasized with a poke into Taehyung chest.

He grabbed the jabby finger reflexively, his long fingers wrapping around the small digit, setting his drink on the nearest shelf.

"Yara."

"Seriously, I've done my research! You're looking at a hot commodity, buddy. I may be a raging homebody, but I am very efficient—"

Suddenly, the petite was trapped against the bookshelf with Taehyung hovering over her, a large hand on either side of her head.

"Please stop talking."

Yara's cheeks flushed in surprise as she met the handsome boy's warm eyes, growing even hotter as he leaned over and pressed his mouth against hers.

He smelled distinctly of vanilla, and it sent her stomach fluttering, reeling in the way he gripped her waist, pulling him into her. She would've lost herself in the feeling of his soft lips moving against hers if it weren't for a cough ringing out from somewhere in the library.

Yara broke the kiss short, ears red as she brought her hands to wrap around her torso defensively, trying her hardest to ignore the way her heart was pounding against her chest as if trying to escape.

"You kissed me!" She scoffed, trying her hardest to seem unaffected. Taehyung shrugged.

"You kissed me back."

Oh god, this was bad. She felt all light and giddy tucked away in this corner of the library, the gorgeous tall man still close in proximity, looking at her through a smirk.

"Yes, well... I'm a very go with the flow kind of gal." She defended, brows furrowed adorably.

"Relax, Yara."

"Well, what the hell was that precisely?! Do you just make out with all your library buddies? Is there some sort of library buddy étiquette I'm not aware of?"

"I kissed you because I wanted to. Kissing is fun." He shrugged. "Some guys just want that, you know."

Son of a bitch.

"You got balls, Goldilocks. Understood. Message received, loud and clear." Yara acknowledged through narrowed eyes.

"Happy I could help, bookworm."

A corner of her mouth turned upwards, admittedly amused.

"Just so we're on the same page... you're not in love with me? You just smooched me for fun?" She looked at him skeptically.

"Sorry you had to find out this way." Taehyung joked, earning him an eye roll.

"And you don't have some ex-lover you need to make jealous?"

At those words, the frat boy laughed heartily, head shaking a firm no.

"Wicked."

Yara hopped onto the balls of her feet, hoping to catch the blond's kiss once more when her mouth met the hardcover of a book instead. She sank back down with an annoyed huff; Taehyung had pulled a book from the nearest self in reach, holding it up between them to pause the eager girl's ministrations.

Poking his head out from behind the book cheekily, he flashed her a lopsided grin.

"Easy there, tiger. What about Eunwoo?"

Yara held his eyes for a moment, wondering how she hadn't noticed what a pretty brown they were until now. She let out an appreciative hum.

"What about him?" She raised an eyebrow, a mischievous smirk on her lips that had Taehyung leaning back over to meet it with one of his own.

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

"Thanks for agreeing to meet with me." You greeted him with a cautious smile as he slipped into the chair across from you.

You were nervous, to say the least, watching the tall man shift in his seat, trying to grow comfortable despite the uncomfortable circumstances.

"This place is disorienting." Erik scanned the mall cafeteria before flashing you a charming smile. "Thought you'd get tired of waiting and head back home. I apologize for my tardiness."

"No worries. I still don't know my way around at the mall, and I've been home for weeks." You grinned back.

A pleasant beat of silence passed between the two ex-lovers, each taking a moment to consider the other. Erik looked a lot older than he did in high school; he had on a brand new pair of glasses that suited him far better than the ones you remembered did. His hair was combed and styled smartly so that they would stay out of his eyes. A stark contrast from the long-haired boy you had come to know these past few months.

Dammit. Your eyes fell onto the red table between you two, cheeks growing warm as you realized your thoughts had drifted back to Jungkook, even with your ex-fiance sitting across from you.

Erik's voice rang out, "I'll be honest. I wasn't expecting you to call me."

"I wasn't expecting me to either." You confessed, your hands intertwining on the tabletop.

Really, you didn't have much reason to be nervous. I mean, it was Erik. Despite the end of your relationship, there was no bad blood between you two. It wasn't the first time seeing him since the breakup either... maybe it was why you had called him that had you so on edge.

You weren't sure exactly what you wanted from Erik. Company? A distraction? Maybe what you were asking of him was unfair, but as he placed a hand over yours reassuringly, you found the wall you had set up crumbling down.

"I can help you, but you need to talk to me, Y/N. If I could read minds, I would be a much richer man." His brown eyes rolled dramatically.

You chuckled. Same dry wit you remembered.

"I met someone."

"Is that what you wanted to tell me? Y/N, you're allowed to date other people. I understand your hesitation, but really, it is time you moved on–"

You let out a scoff, yanking your hand away from the now laughing man. You flashed him a feigned look of irritation, silently grateful for the change of pace in conversation, finding it much easier to talk when things weren't so tense.

"God, you are still just as full of yourself as I remembered." You teased.

Erik shrugged, "Not to sound like a cocky asshole, but is it not warranted?"

You let that question run through your mind. You suppose if anyone had reason to have a big head, it would be Erik. Intelligent, handsome, hard-working– everything a mother would want their daughter to have.

"It is. You've always been perfect..." You mused, a hint of sadness in your tone that Erik picked up quickly.

And all at once, his entire demeanor changed, a serious expression settling behind those frames of his.

"Tell me about him." He instructed calmly.

And so you did— the beginning, the end, and all the beautiful bits in between. You told him about a boy that challenged you in ways you never imagined– a boy who made you feel like the sun. You spoke of every stupid conversation you once thought of as meaningless but now weighed heavily on your heart and mind.

You were mad at him, of course. There was a reason you had been ignoring his calls and ordered Yara to keep him in the dark of your whereabouts, after all. But the more you talked about him, the more you lit up. Erik noticed it too. How could he not? It was that very way you spoke with an uncontainable passion that made him fall in love with you in the first place.

He watched with utmost concentration for the vocal inflections of your words, the slight movement of your brows that always seemed to speak your mind before you did.

It was clear to him that this boy wasn't just a boy. He could hear in the choice of words you used, words that were static and void of variables. But there were certain words you seemed to dance around he realized as you came to the end of the story... words that were evident to all but you.

"So... Analysis?" You breathed out, chest deflating as you took in Erik's frown.

"Above all... did you find out if he used protection? I don't want to presume anything about... was her name Kiri?" Erik paused, continuing once you nodded back at him, "but your health should be your number one concern."

"I had a friend of his ask him on my behalf. He says he used protection... I went ahead and got tested anyway, though, and I'm all good thankfully." You told him.

Whether or not Jungkook had passed along some sort of STI was heavy on your mind the next morning after you kicked him out. Thankfully, Taehyung was more than happy to get the answer you need but were still too damn pissed off to seek out yourself.

"Good." Erik sunk back into his seat, a hand coming up to run through his hair as he considered his next words. You suppose you were grateful to be able to talk to Erik like this still. Sure, he was blunt and sometimes stared at you like you were some case-study, but he didn't bat an eye of judgment at the news of the contract, for which you were grateful. He had known you for too long to find it peculiar that you'd pretend to be someone's girlfriend in exchange for furthering and fulfilling your passion project.

If anything, that was precisely in line with your character. He liked to think he instilled some of those traits into you.

"Well, frankly, I am sorry to hear this happened to you. You're a great girl; you deserve better than that."

Your neck warmed at Erik's words, slightly taken aback.

"Oh, um... thanks, that means a lot coming from you." You expressed your gratitude shyly.

Erik nodded back at you, "Seriously. It was very shitty of him to string you along for so long and for sleeping with Kiri despite knowing how you felt."

"Oh."

"Oh?" He frowned, not expecting your response.

You shifted in your seat uncomfortably, pausing to watch a woman with a stroller walk past your table.

"Well..." you cleared your throat, "I'm not actually sure that he knows that I, um, like him... like that."

God, this was mortifying. The first time you had admitted you liked Jungkook and it was to your ex-fiancé? Sometimes you swear you were the protagonist in a mediocre rom-com film and no one was telling you.

Erik paused, "I see. And does he know now?"

"...No."

"I see." He sat up, fingers tapping against the table in interest. He quirked up a brow at you. "Perhaps it wasn't just him who was dishonest."

You scrunched your nose at him, not liking what you were hearing. It wasn't anything that hadn't already kept you up, tossing and turning in bed at 2 AM, of course. You had a feeling this was where this conversation would lead to. Erik, as genius as he was, was fairly predictable in this sense. Rational, dependable... nothing like the spontaneous boy you had fallen for.

"So? Even if he knew, what would that change? He slept with her..." You grumbled stubbornly.

"And maybe he wouldn't have if he had known."

You crossed your arms, "You don't know that."

"You're right. I don't. I don't even know the guy. But you do." He continued, offering you a suggestive look.

Huh. Did you think that would have stopped Jungkook? And even so, would that fact alone be enough to get you to forgive him?

"I... I don't know." Was your conclusion, pulling a hum from Erik.

"Guess the only way to know would be to discuss it with the meathead himself."

"I just... I don't want to get my heart broken again. I, quite literally, didn't sign up for this." You placed your face into your hands, hating how rational Erik had to be.

"My guess? He didn't either. It seems as if you both got more than you bargained for." He shrugged.

"He's definitely not at all what I was expecting..." You trailed off glumly.

When you first met Jungkook, he was obnoxious, cocksure, and grotesquely unbothered. You swore you had never hated anyone more on the first meet. But as you came to know him, you found in him a lot of what you wished you found in yourself. Approachable, flexible, spontaneous...

You just wished it all didn't have to hurt so bad.

"You and I are a lot alike, you know." Erik spoke up once he noticed you fall silent. " And I only realized this recently, but I think that was our downfall. When I asked you to marry me, what I was asking of you... Well, it was unfair. Because I know I would never accept that if I were in your shoes."

Your head shot up at his words, hands quick to wave at him dismissively. Asking him to meet you here was not to discuss what had gone wrong in your relationship, and you didn't want him to think that it was.

"Erik, that's okay you don't have to—"

"No, no, what I mean is... we made perfect sense together and it didn't work out in the end. This meathead of yours is nothing like you and maybe it's for the better. You said it yourself that he makes you feel important and formidable." He pressed on.

"Are you trying to imply the notion of opposites attract? Because I personally believe that's a myth and that we're drawn to those similar to us—"

"Puzzle pieces."

"Wha— Huh?" You blinked, blind-sighted by the calm man's sudden words.

Suddenly, Erik readjusted in his seat, leaning in close as he nodded his head.

"Think of life as one big puzzle, and everyone you meet is shaped differently, right? Yet somehow... they fit. We find those that complete us. And they're not necessarily opposites but—"

"But different pieces in the puzzle." You sighed, understanding the metaphor.

You raised a brow at the intellectual man, "That was uncharacteristically poetic of you. I thought you were a man of science... since when do you rely on literary devices to get your point across?"

Erik let out a dramatic sigh, fingertips pressed to the rip of his glasses, leaning back into his seat as if showing his greatness.

"I'm a growing man, Y/N. Science helps you understand the mind and the body, but as far as the heart goes... there's only so much it can tell us." He tutted wisely with a wag of his pointer finger.

"Wow. I dig this character development. I quite like this new you."

"Wanna get married now?" He deadpanned suddenly, a laugh ripping out of you at his unexpected words.

Erik grinned at the familiar sound, also finding the humor within his joke. He was pleased to see that if anything, he could at least momentarily take your mind off of your heart's turmoil.

"Ask me again in another three years." You rolled your eyes, grinning wide, to which Erik threatened that if Jungkook didn't by then, then he just might.

[laceymorganwrites]

The light behind your eyes

Word count: 2,665

Pairing: Nacht x reader

Warnings: MAJOR MANGA SPOILERS; READ AT UR OWN RISK, swearing, mentioned violence and death, this is sad, man....

A/N: I swear I wanted this to be fluffy....and yes, title´s a MCR song

Taglist (friendly reminder to send me an ask or dm if you want to be added, that goes for any of my fandoms^^): @nintendousimp @adrasteiaxandromedaa @serowotonin

Nacht never thought he´d envy his brother. Not in the least. They were both so irritatingly different and he thought he hated him for that.

But there was so much more to hate than just that.

Morgen got along with everyone, he was the perfect son, the perfect knight, the perfect husband.

All Nacht could ever do was watch.

Watch him make you laugh, watch him take your hand, watch him take you away.

He wasn´t jealous, he didn´t have time for a relationship anyway.

Still, he couldn´t help himself.

Falling in love with you was the easiest and most dangerous thing he ever did, it hit him like the biggest amount of mana he ever felt and there was nothing he could do to make it stop.

No matter how hard he tried.

And he did.

He couldn´t love you, it wasn´t right… it wasn´t fair.

So he tried to distract himself, to think of anything else but you, his delinquent nature only helped a little bit with that.

He loved you from afar since that was all he could do. Nacht never made any moves on you, why would he?

You were with his brother and he made you happier than he ever could. It was good this way, it was supposed to be like this.

After all Morgen was the shining star of the family, of the capital. He was the pride of the gray deer.

He was strong, always had a smile on his face, he helped people and enchanted them with his warmth and kindness.

Nacht wasn´t anything like that.

No, he was the complete opposite, he was a disaster. Like a storm that wrecked chaos all throughout the capital, leaving people whispering about him.

Him and Yami were the two people the townsfolk feared the most, they always were up to something and it never was good.

They were good friends and Yami did well in distracting Nacht from his heartbreak he never was ready to admit.

Nacht first met you when him and Yami were thinking about more fun ways to use their magic. This time they were quite interested in stealing and running away from the magic knights.

Your food stand was just another one of their victims, but instead of scolding them like everyone else you just laughed with them.

You weren´t mad at him for sneaking past you like that, for using his magic to steal some items, no, instead you complimented him for it, saying how clever it was.

Nacht didn´t know what to say, for the first time in his life he was speechless.

Even Yami teased him about it, but he didn´t care. There were no witty remarks or lame attacks from him. He was so lost in your presence, he just wanted to consume all of it. You made him feel things that were so new and exciting to him, he never wanted to leave you.

“Oh, (Y/N), Morgen wants to talk to you. He´s waiting at your usual spot” Yami informed you and you nodded.

With those words everything came crashing down for him.

So that was why.

It made sense that if you knew his brother you´d also recognize him. That was why you weren´t mad.

And your name sounded so familiar, Morgen talked a lot about you, someone from his squad he admired.

It seemed like he got everything he wanted then.

It left Nacht feeling utterly dumb and empty.

Your usual spot… so it was true.

Nacht had only speculated that you two were together but now he knew it was true.

And what a dashing couple you were, perfect really. He had no right to interfere or even think about you that way. He never had and yet he did.

Morgen was everything he wasn´t. He was the one everyone loved, the one who got everything Nacht ever wanted.

Of course you wouldn´t care about him, especially not in that way. You just were nice to him because you knew his brother.

If you didn´t you´d just pretend as if he wasn´t there and then talk behind his back about what an abomination he was.

Like everyone else did.

Little did he know that you weren´t anything like that.

You knew Morgen from the magic knight exam and immediately made friends.

Morgen was a nice guy but he had his own issues as well. He never got along with his family, which is why he took the exam: to make them proud.

To show them that he could be someone like that. Someone to admire.

He just wanted to be like Nacht.

You were the one he confined in when it came to those things, he told you how he envied the nobles in your ranks who complained about getting married. He´d give anything for something like that to be considered a problem.

He talked a lot about his brother, making you incredibly curious. You wanted to meet him some day.

And so he invited you over for dinner with his family.

Though that wasn´t the first time you saw him.

No, in fact you saw Nacht every day. He was always on the market where you had your stand, with his friend causing all sorts of chaos.

He was quite something and you couldn´t help but smile every time you saw him.

He never really noticed you until that day though, or so you thought.

You were excited to be able to talk to him and sad that it only lasted a little while.

Because of your meeting with Nacht you were in high spirits when you talked to Morgen that day.

You two always trained together and would walk to the headquarters together.

It was nice having a friend like this, it seemed like it would last forever.

You told him that you met his brother and he was happy about that. Tonight would be the dinner as well so you would properly get to know each other.

When you arrived you could already tell that his parents didn´t like Morgen very much. Sure, they tried, but it was all pretend.

They were nice to you.

And you were so happy to be able to talk to Nacht, though he seemed distant.

Therefore you decided to start the conversation with him, asking him about his magic, that seemed to be the perfect topic.

His eyes glistened in excitement as he talked about his training, of course he left out any details but just being able to talk about this to someone who cared that wasn´t his parents, it was amazing.

You understood him, told him he was strong and admired him.

It was everything he ever wanted and so he asked about your magic, about your family and life.

The whole night went by so quickly, you felt like you talked about everything but at the same time you just wanted to talk so much more.

You noticed the way his eyes sparked with excitement and how gentle he would look at you at times, though maybe that was just your imagination.

You really hoped that wasn´t the case though, you wanted him to look at you that way all the time.

The same way you looked at him, full of adoration.

Morgen felt conflicted, of course he was happy that you got along with his brother but at the same time he hated how jealousy clouded his mind.

He was scared that Nacht would take you away from him, scared of all those things his parents were hiding from him.

It hurt him so much, he told you, about the secrets everyone was keeping from him, making him feel so frail, small and weak.

Sometimes his mind wandered too much, as it did now.

All he ever did was bother you with his problems and concerns, you were kind enough to show him everything when he was recruited to the squad and yet he used you like that.

He felt awful.

You deserved better, the best actually. And that was his brother.

Morgen never had any romantic feelings towards you, he just felt so guilty for stealing your time and wanting you all to himself, he didn´t want anyone else confining in you, he wanted it to be your secret, something only you two shared.

He just wanted to feel special and wanted even if it was only for a moment.

If only he had never invited you for dinner…

No, that wasn´t fair and he knew it. Of course he wanted to invite you, he knew that Nacht loved you even if he wasn´t ready to admit that for some reason he didn´t know.

All he wanted was you and his brother to be happy, and yes, be happy himself.

He wanted a happy family, to be accepted the way he was, he didn´t want to cause any more trouble than he already had.

His relationship to his brother wasn´t how it used to be and he hated how he seemed to be the cause for it.

Couldn´t he ever do something right?

The training and the missions without you were the only times he was able to have a clear mind, without any worries.

That´s why he engaged in them so much, to distract himself from his thoughts. Why did he even have them? He loved both of you and didn´t want to come in between your romantic love.

Maybe he just wanted you two to be together so that you finally gained the happiness you both denied each other.

He always found that stupid, why would one deny happiness to oneself? But then again, he did the very same thing.

But for him it was because he was raised that way, he wasn´t anything special, at least not to his family. So he tried to make up for being a failure for his family with being useful to the kingdom.

And it worked, so long as he had something to distract himself from.

Everyone needed a distraction.

Nacht needed a distraction from his feelings, not only for you but also for his brother. He couldn´t bear even thinking about hating him. Hatred was also what he felt for his parents, though that realization came too late for him.

At first he felt so loved when they showed him the chamber, told him he was the pride of the family. Finally he felt accepted, something he had longed for all his life.

However they weren´t accepting him, they were praising his magic and wanted him to continue the cursed family legacy, something so dark and forbidden it made even the trees shudder.

Knowing that both of their sons didn´t matter to them made Nacht angry, what did they ever do to be unloved? What else were they supposed to do to get the attention they never got as children?

Maybe they were more similar than Nacht had thought in the beginning.

It brought a sad smile to his face, however he was determined.

Determined to fix things, he knew what he wanted: you by his side and his brother not to hate him.

However his plan backfired and he let himself be taken over by his emotions, by his rage and frustration.

When he went to the secret chamber with his parents like every day, he lost control, the forbidden magic was too much for him and he really thought that this would be his end.

“Nacht! Take my hand, we need to get out of here!” Morgen called out for him, he just got back from a mission when he heard the explosion.

“No...it´s too late for me, just let me die” Nacht replied, desperation in his eyes.

“Are you crazy? You´re coming with us” you appeared behind his brother, out of breath from running with him. Yami was there too.

What was everyone doing here? Everyone he cared about. His dear brother, friend and… love.

Nacht had given up, on everything, but you three reaching your hands out for him, to save him? The mere thought that there was still salvation for him made him cry.

He took his brother´s hand and let himself be pulled from the rubble.

You three let the house burn and sat down on your usual spot, the hill where you had a good view of the capital.

The sun was already setting, it looked beautiful and more peaceful than it actually was.

Nacht still had the blood of his parents in his face, after noticing you took a piece of cloth and quietly wiped it off.

“Why did you save me? I´m a murderer… and a psychopath” he quietly said, chuckling darkly at the realization.

“You´re pretty weird but I wouldn´t go as far as calling you a psychopath” Yami thought out loud.

“What you did wasn´t wrong, Nacht” Morgen placed his hand on his brother´s shoulder.

“Not wrong? I murdered our parents in cold blood!” he exclaimed, staring at them in disbelief.

How could you all forgive him just like that?

“I didn´t even felt anything during it! Not a single thing, not regret, not sadness or anger. And I still don´t. I don´t regret it, I don´t feel anything. That´s not normal!” he cried out.

“I guess that makes us all psychopaths then” you stated, no judgment in your voice.

Nacht turned his head to face you, a puzzled look on his face.

“Your parents were shitty people, nobody is going to miss them. And we´re not going to judge you for something that was out of your control. We´re just glad that you´re still here with us, you suffered so much… and we didn´t realize it sooner” you said, your tone so warm… so familiar. He couldn´t help but feel calm whenever you spoke.

“To be fair I also just realized… I used to love them, I thought they loved me too. But that wasn´t true. They only used me” he said sadly, letting his head hang low, his hair falling in his face.

You exchanged some looks with the others and they stood up.

“Nacht, you´re going to join us in the gray deer, you´re too talented to just waste away. We won´t let that happen. We´ll keep looking out for each other. Always” Morgen announced and Yami also patted Nacht´s shoulder before they both left for the headquarters.

“Who´d even want a guy like me? You make it sound so easy… as if I can just join…” he shook his head, sighing.

“You still have a place in this world. The world needs you. You´ll fit in perfectly, we´re going to work as a team, we´re going to be unstoppable. Trust me, you´re going to like it there. And you´ll also see that we´re not as perfect as you think we are and that it´s okay that way, more than okay” you told him to which he finally looked up again.

You looked so beautiful, the sunlight only highlighted your magnificence, he couldn´t believe he was alone with you in such a setting, if only the circumstances were different.

He sighed, if he didn´t do it now, he´d never… he didn´t have much else to lose anyway.

“Can I do something stupid?” he quietly asked, averting his eyes yet again, his hands fiddling.

“Not if I do it first” you grinned and hugged him tightly.

“I´m not going to let you die or get hurt. I´ll always protect you. Because… I… want a guy like you, not anyone else, just you. I´m in love with you” you said quietly, but loud enough for him to hear.

You felt his body tremble against you as he started laughing, hugging you back even more.

“I… I think I´m dreaming!” he laughed and pulled away, smiling at you widely, his eyes full of adoration. Just like yours.

You took his hand into yours and he rested his head on your shoulder as you both watched the last rays of sunshine disappear.

[decks-writing-blog]

Mute Buddies

This is a Dead Cells and Hollow Knight Crossover fic.

All the crossover art, especially the two pieces I drew, got me thinking about Ghost and Beheaded interacting and how they would be friends. And then I started thinking about ways they might've met and this fic is a result of those thoughts.

Also, because this is pre-game for Ghost they don't go by 'Ghost' since they're dubbed that by Hornet. They don't actually have a name at all in this fic because I wasn't sure what they would think of themself as.

~

By the time they spotted the island it was almost too late despite how close it was. Their sailboat, not ever meant to be out in the open ocean for so long, wasn’t faring well in the seemingly ceaseless storm. It had been battered and tossed around by the waves and wind until it had sprung a leak. And while dealing with that might’ve been easy under different circumstances the flood of rain pouring down complicated things quite a bit. Their one single bucket, despite being almost half their size was barely enough to bail out the water fast enough to keep the boat afloat. It was a losing battle though, they were only one little bug after all. So the island was a blessed sight indeed. All they had to do was get the boat to it, easier said than done of course but there was hope now at least and they had a goal.

As they drew closer it became ever more apparent that their vessel wasn’t the only one to suffer in these waters. Seems it was actually pretty common if the wrecked ships littering the bay were anything to go by. Only intermittently visible between flashes of lighting and waves pulling back to reveal bits and pieces of them, how many there were was impossible to guess. Not that it mattered beyond steering the sailboat through as safely as possible.

It was tough work; they couldn’t bail and hold the rudder at the same time and thus just had to hope that the boat would be able to reach shore before it sunk. Luckily there seemed to be a current pulling them towards the island. And the water filling the bottom of the boat now served to weigh it down, stopping the waves from pushing it around as much; another blessing even if initially it hadn’t been.

And thus after only a few minor collisions, the hull was grinding up onto the rocky shore with a scraping sound that couldn’t mean good things. Hopefully it wasn’t as bad as it sounded. Not that they actually cared a whole lot right now regardless because they were on land. No getting tossed around helplessly in the ocean for them today.

Putting one hand on the boat’s railing, they vaulted over the edge and onto firm land for the first time in fartoo long. The world seemed to sway and rock around them as if they were still aboard the boat and being pushed around by waves. They’d been stuck on it for a very, very long time indeed. Far longer than they’d thought would be the case. Word around the port town they’d acquired it at was that there was nothing out here, just lots and lots of ocean before the edge of the world. They’d wanted to see that supposed edge of the world but instead they’d found this island. Given how sick and tired they’d grown of sitting in the boat with nothing to see or do, that was perfectly fine. The edge of the world probably wasn’t all that exciting anyway, certainly not worth such a voyage to get to it.

Now even with the rain still pouring down on them they could’ve easily just laid down and fallen asleep right then and there. But it wouldn’t be wise and… They turned back towards their vessel. Its sail was old and tattered, held to the mast with a fraying rope that doubtless wouldn’t last much longer and its creaky hull had a minimum of at least one hole in it. Overall, in even worse shape than they’d acquired it in. But it should be repairable, right? And thus they grabbed hold of its edge and pulled it up further up onto the rocky shore. The thought of getting back onto it and heading out into the ocean once more was thoroughly unpleasant but there was no way they’d want to stay forever on this island so preserving their most likely way off was a must. As soon as it was well out of even the highest waves’ reach, they turned away. Leaving it there, they went in search of a place to rest.

The shore was wide and rocky. Off to one side was a large building, visible in between flashes of lightning. Closer by was a large cliff face. It wasn’t sheer though. There were many holes of various sized cut into its face and further up what look like whole caves. It didn’t take them long to find a little nook not too high up that would serve as a good enough hiding spot. They wouldn’t be completely hidden within it, anyone really looking would probably be able to spot them. Not ideal but they were too tired to search for something better. And it would get them out of the rain and that’s what mattered most right now. Though how much did that really matter when their cloak was so thoroughly soaked through already?

They pulled themself up into it and curled up, pressing back against the rear wall. … They ought to be more wary and should probably patrol the area for potential danger before letting themself rest. It would be the smart thing to do but… they were far too tired to bother, especially since they’d already laid down. It’d probably be fine though, few bugs would care to be out in such weather regardless.

***

Beheaded started for the beached sailboat as soon as they spotted it shortly after reaching the bottom of the Undying Shore’s cliff. While the island seemed to be in constant flux – something to do with the time loop probably – rare was the day something that different popped up.

Off to the side and just out of the ocean’s reach, getting to it was easy. After a quick glance around to ensure no monsters were around, they leaned in to examine it.

A small sailboat, nothing all that exciting really other than the fact that despite its visibly battered state it was still the most intact vessel they’d seen anywhere on the island. Left out in the rain without a tarp its hull overflowed with rainwater. Barely seaworthy for sure. Where had it come from though? Had someone dragged it out here thinking to escape the island in it? … No. Even as small as it was, there was no way anyone carried it out here, down the cliff, over the rocky terrain and past all the blood thirsty monsters even if they had had help. And given the way its bow was pointed away from the ocean – if even Beheaded knew what the front of a boat looked like then surely anyone experienced enough with traversing the sea to even consider risking such a voyage would’ve pointed the boat towards the water – it seemed to have come from the ocean. Hmmm… curious.

Well, most often where there was one interesting thing to examine there were more. So, turning away for now, Beheaded set to looking for other clues.

It didn’t take long to determined that there wasn’t much of anything within the sailboat’s immediate vicinity so they expanded their search along the shore a bit. Still nothing but the usual bit of boat rubble that occasionally made its way to shore before being pulled back into the sea. Quite lame but… still just the sailboat alone was an interesting find. So oh well, they had monsters to get back to killing. Perhaps they’d find something more about the boat and its occupant later.

They paused halfway in their turn back towards the way they’d being going before. There was something in one of the cliffside’s crevices. Tucked up deep inside only a small flap of dark fabric was visible poking out and flapping in the wind. Ever wary of all the different hidey holes those dang exploding bats liked to nest in, Beheaded crept closer for a better look.

It wasn’t a bat, exploding or otherwise – thank all that was still good in this world – but instead a… creature? No, a doll. Its head looked like it might’ve been made of porcelain and was clearly hollow. Or at least, whatever was inside was tucked in far enough that it couldn’t be seen through its large eye-like holes from this angle. And it had to be a trick of the light, or lack thereof, but underneath a tattered blue-gray cloak was the darkest black material Beheaded had ever seen. So yeah, no way was it a living creature but instead a large weird doll. It wasn’t even breathing.

They put a hand into the crevice to poke it. The instant their finger made contact with its body through its cloak, it moved. Its head snapped to look directly at them with its empty eyes.

Beheaded sprang back, scrambling to draw their dagger. They fumbled and almost dropped it but had a firm grasp on it by the time the creature had finished sliding out of the crevice silent grace. It had a weapon drawn now too. Pointed at Beheaded and vaguely swordlike it was visibly dull, nicked and scratched, showing signs of frequent and hard use. Given that, the fact that it was dull meant little; Beheaded was no stranger to being utterly destroyed by unsharpened blades. Same with small things; the fact that it was only half their size if one was counting its horns didn’t mean it wasn’t dangerous and couldn’t ‘kill’ them in an instant.

Despite all that it didn’t attack immediately, implying that whatever it was, it wasn’t animated by the Malaise. It would’ve attacked mindlessly and without hesitation otherwise. That didn’t mean it was friendly though even if it seemed to be waiting for them to make the first move. Which they weren’t going to do against something they’d never seen before; they’d made that mistake far too many times already and their pride still bore the resulting scars. So for once they were going to be patient and let it make the dumb impulsive move for them to take advantage of. The perfect plan!

Except it wasn’t moving, not even to breathe. Which was just plain creepy. Despite that it was kind of cute even if its eyes did look like big gaping black holes in its face. Assuming that was its face, could be a helmet. …. Beheaded was starting to get reallybored of this waiting for it to attack first thing.

They relaxed their battle-ready pose, though they didn’t sheath their dagger and remained alert as they took a step closer. It lowered its weapon but otherwise didn’t move, only titling its head a little further to keep looking at them as they stepped right up in front of it. Still didn’t attack though so they sheathed their dagger and crouched down in front of it, remaining poised to leap back in an instant if need be. This was similar to how they’d befriended Mushroom Boi though so it’d probably be fine.

But unlike Mushroom Boi when they reached out a hand to poke it on the top of its indeed quite hard head, it didn’t make a sound. Instead it lifted its own little pitch black hand to poke back, first their hand and then forearm and then, stepping closer further up their arm. Its hand was cold and somehow seemingly without texture or so little texture Beheaded couldn’t feel it through the rain. A very odd being indeed but seemingly not dangerous for now even as it stepped close enough to allow it to lift its hand up and put it into the magic fog that took the place of where the Beheaded’s head would’ve been if their body still had one. No one had ever done that to them before so it was hard to say if the resulting cold and unpleasant tingly sensation it created was just what it felt like to be touched in that way or specifically because of the strange being.

Regardless they quickly pulled away, straightening. The being didn’t seem to mind though. It continued staring up at them with its large expressionless eyes. It didn’t have a mouth and still didn’t look like it was breathing but there was what felt like intelligence in its… no, their gaze. … Or perhaps Beheaded was just so lonely they wanted to read this creature as another being similar to themself in that they both lacked a voice and ability to communicate via facial expressions like every other sapient creature Beheaded knew. So this was either a neat find or a depressing wakeup call about how lonely they’d become. … They were going to believe the former until given reason to do otherwise.

They stepped to the side to point back towards the battered sailboat. Then, looking back down at their horned being, they pointed at them before lifting their arms in as shrug, making it a question. Had they come on the boat?

The being looked over and then back up at Beheaded before nodding. Just a single small nod but still undoubtedly a confirmation that not only were they from the boat but also that they intelligent. That also meant they were from off the island!

Beheaded hadn’t ever stopped to consider what might be beyond the seas surrounding this place but if they had they certainly wouldn’t have ever thought something or someone from out there would ever end up here. Oh, the things they would’ve asked if either of them were capable of speech.

Though this was probably bad for the being, huh? With the whole Malaise being such a prevalent thing. If they weren’t already infected then they would probably be soon. … Unless they were immune like Collector and some of the others seemed to be and Beheaded for sure was. That wasn’t super likely though, was it? So… what an unlucky fellow to end up on this island of all places. But, alas, there was nothing that could be done about it now.

The being turned their gaze away to glance around. They looked up at the cliff for a bit and then over at the Mausoleum before looking back up at the Beheaded again. Only for a few seconds though before with a slight shrug in started in the direction of the Mausoleum.

Well, with no way to talk to each other and nothing else to do, they might as well move on. And since Beheaded had already been heading in that direction anyway, they followed. They could hang out with their new mute buddy for a while. Even if said buddy was unfortunately not likely to last long on the island.

[boowanie]

pairing: jeonghan x bestfriend!reader

genre: angst and fluff

wc: 1.4k

summery: falling in love with your best friend was never a good idea.

eri’s note: again, can yoon jeonghan please stop bias wrecking me. i promise i’ll start writing for the other members soon, i’m just in the middle of a very hectic schedule at uni 🥺 also, i barely proofread this since i wrote this last night (2am) but i hope you beans enjoy it nonetheless 💘

with one last huff, you managed to squeeze your belongings in the back of your trunk while some of your pillows and duvet rested inside your car with jeonghan’s stuff thrown somewhere in the mix. this is going to be one hell of a move, you thought. however, you were excited to finally move out of your old apartment that was situated a little further away from your university compared to the new apartment that you were going to share with your bestfriend, jeonghan.

you smiled as jeonghan skipped out of your old apartment building, waving a piece of paper in his hand. “you nearly forgot chick n mix’s menu in your kitchen yn! you know we won’t be able to survive college without their chicken,” he whined, pulling at your sleeve. you waved him off and threw him your keys.

“and what do you expect me to do with this,” he asked, twirling the keyring with his pointer finger. you jutted out your lower lip, silently begging him to drive instead of you since you had been awake since four in the morning organising and placing your belongings into boxes.

jeonghan smiled as you grabbed his hand, the look on your face instantly melted his heart causing him to push you towards the passenger seat while he then walked towards the driver’s seat. he heard you faintly let out a “yay” before you opened the door and sat down. the drive to your new apartment was filled with silence and your occasional snores. you tried your best to stay awake to entertain jeonghan but as he waited for the light to turn green, you ended up dozing off with your hand holding his right hand.

“you sleepyhead,” was the last thing you heard as you dozed off for the first time that afternoon.

—

it was your second month living with jeonghan when you started seeing your bestfriend in a different light. his smiles that used to have no affect on you no longer remained the same. instead, his smiles made your heart skip a few beats and his usual flirting that you used to play along with had your stomach doing flips in every possible direction. but you were scared, you were damn scared of the thought of falling for your bestfriend of ten years when all he saw in you was someone he could trust and rely on, a friend.

thus, you tried your best to suppress your feelings, you tried your utmost best to ignore the jealousy that sometimes sparked in you whenever he brought random girls home after a night out with your friends. it didn’t help the fact that you could faintly hear them from your bedroom since the walls were somewhat thin.

you really really hated your blossoming feelings.

—

after the fifth month of living with jeonghan, you finally confirmed that you were inlove with him. it was an autumn’s night when he came home distressed and you knew he wasn’t having a good day when he ignored you when you greeted him like you usually did. you heard his door close with a bang and the heavy thud of a fist colliding with what you assumed was the wall.

you waited for ten minutes to pass until you entered his room. the first thing you noticed was the closed curtains which stopped any source of light from entering his room. the second thing you saw was his figure underneath his duvet. you studied him for a little bit, and you saw the way his figure was shaking from all the anger, you assumed.

you padded your way slowly towards him, careful not to make a noise. as you grew closer to him, you heard the faint sniffles that was coming from him and it broke your heart. without any hesitation, you lifted his duvet from his figure and situated yourself beside him. he didn’t complain nor did he move an inch which was a good sign. after a few moments of debating with yourself, you enclosed your arm around him and pulled jeonghan closer to you which caused him to face you. jeonghan stared at you for a moment until he broke down in tears, burying his face into your chest while you tried to soothe him with faint words.

an hour passed by when he finally calmed down and slept. you still had your arm around him but he adjusted his head on the pillow because he soaked your tshirt with his tears. you promised not to tease him about it which brought a smile to his face. jeonghan pecked your forehead before he drifted off to sleep. you watched him until his breathing steadied and that’s when you knew how screwed you were.

you watched your life flash before you and you realised how you have always been inlove with yoon jeonghan.

—

after seven months of living with jeonghan, you finally reached your limit.

when the girl he took home the night before walked out of your apartment door, you burst. the words that spewed from your mouth shocked him. it shocked him to the point where he couldn’t move from where was standing topless near his bedroom door.

“i’m fucking inlove with you, yoon jeonghan and i can’t stand another day seeing you with someone else because it’s breaking my heart and it’s ruining me piece by piece,” you yelled, your heart dropping to your stomach as you watched his eyes widen at your confession. you smacked a hand over your mouth, freezing as you realised the words you uttered.

“shit,” you mumbled, picking up your phone from the coffee table and running out of your shared apartment in a flash. yoon jeonghan continued to stand like a statue by his bedroom door, watching as your figure disappeared out of the apartment.

—

“you know you can’t ignore him for the rest of your life,” seungkwan and joshua said in unison. you muffled out an answer that none of them could hear.

“what?”

“i said,” you raised your head to look at the two, “i said i can always try.”

joshua rolled his eyes while seungkwan clicked his tongue at your words. you knew they were right because sooner or later, you were bound to go home. you couldn’t keep lounging around their apartment for the rest of the week and the clothes they were letting you borrow were getting out of hand.

“i texted him last night,” you muttered, which caught their attention. joshua and seungkwan leaned towards you in anticipation. “but all he said was he was sorry,” you sighed.

“sorry for what?” joshua asked, gripping seungkwan’s thigh.

“sorry because he doesn’t see me the way i see him, i guess which is fine. i didn’t expect him to return my feelings anyway,” you mumbled. joshua released seungkwan’s thigh from his grip and stood up. he walked towards the kitchen and grabbed his phone.

“jeonghan’s a dumbass and we all know it,” he said through his clenched teeth.

“what do you mean?” you asked, your body leaning into seungkwan’s arms as he tried to comfort you in his embrace. joshua furiously typed on his phone while you and seungkwan awaited for his reply.

“yoon jeonghan is completely and utterly inlove with you but your dumbass of a bestfriend is afraid that he’ll ruin the friendship that you guys built over the past ten years,” he started.

“why can’t he just let himself be happy? especially when it’s you that he’s inlove with!”

—

after joshua’s outburst, you were totally confused but you knew you had to talk to jeonghan. you bid joshua and seungkwan farewell after they dropped you home and with a nervous heart, you trudged your way into your apartment.

once jeonghan heard the door open, he threw the book he was reading for a class onto the coffee table and instantly ran towards you. you weren’t expecting him to be so eager for you to come home and it caught you off guard when he pulled you in for a hug; a hug that lasted for a long time until your legs were aching for some comfort.

“my legs are about to give out hannie, can we please sit down,” you mumbled against his chest. he tightened his grip around you as you spoke to him.

“i’m inlove with you-” he cleared his throat.

“i’m inlove with everything about you yn, and im sorry it took me years and joshua’s long text to realise how deeply inlove i am with you.” he cried. your breath got caught in your throat as he continued to detail the things he loved about you, your habits that made his heart swoon and lastly, the moments he realised when he fell for you.

“b-but why did you say sorry?”

“i meant i was sorry because i didn’t realise that you liked me back,” he pulled away and looked down at you, “or love me back?”

“love. it’s definitely love.”