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writingthingsisdifficult · 3 years

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Good intentions

Bucky Barnes x reader

Had to divide the story into four parts, and I’m working as fast as I can to finish the rest.

Please don’t hesitate to tell me what you think :) Especially if you like it.

Everybody's alive.

When Natasha catches your reaction to seeing a soaking wet Bucky coming in from the rain, your life becomes unbearable. Nat considers herself a decent matchmaker, but what happens when both her subjects are resisting her attempts?

***

Part 1: Matchmaker

Word count: 4412

It had been raining for weeks. Racing streaks down the glass. Soft drumming against the umbrella. Big, fat drops of water splashing against the pavement, sending shivers through my body whenever they hit my skin. Two in rapid succession on my neck – don't know how, though, my coat collar was pulled up as high as it could go, and my umbrella was larger than average. Then one straight into my ear, which made me squeak in disgust. This had to be an omen.

I shook my umbrella before stepping through the door. No need to be a savage, though from the look of it, I was the only one who cared. A quick nod good morning to Nesta in the reception while making a mental note to call down the cleaning crew. The state of the floor was appalling. Mud and dirt and water – apparently not everyone remembered to wipe their feet before entering the building. And umbrellas all along the wall, dripping on the tiles, creating puddles so large a toddler would happily jump in them.

A long sigh escaped. Time for a stern talk with Nesta again. This was supposed to be a good first impression, not an impression of someone's mudroom. My stomach twisted, this was just the latest in a long string of minor complaints. If she didn't improve soon, I would have to make a note in her file and I hated being strict. Still, it was a part of my job, just like running errands before eight in the morning and longing for the coffee I left in my office. I didn't have to like it.

The elevator pinged. “Hey, Y/N.” Natasha walked out with a smile on her face. Her hair was red again, like flames cascading over her shoulders. Damn, that woman really could carry any hair colour. I nodded and smiled back. “Good morning, Agent Romanov. You're in early. What can I do for you? Love your hair, by the way."

"Thanks. I was wondering if you could help me with something."

I shook off my coat and adjusted the bag on my shoulder. "Of course. What do you need? Let me just –""

The door blew open, banging into the doorstopper before closing behind a sopping wet figure and an umbrella that definitely had seen better days. "Good morning, Y/N. Hey, Nat. Have you seen Clint?" Bucky shook himself, sending a glittering spray of water everywhere.

"No, but check the roof."

The air was knocked straight out of me. I couldn't stop the tiny squeak that tumbled over my lips. The way his hair stuck to his face did things to me, not to mention how the water glistened on his metal arm. I hadn't felt heat on my face like that since I was seventeen and spilled juice all over my shirt in front of my neighbour Todd.

Swallowing the rest of the rude noises hovering in my throat, I forced a smile and nodded to the elevator. "Saw him by the coffee machine on the third floor earlier, Sargent Barnes." My voice was breathier that usual, and I cursed the weather for calling me out like that, while simultaneously praying to any deities listening that nobody noticed.

"Thanks." He marched to the elevator with a pace that would divide a crowd of people without a word.

Natasha looked between Bucky and me, a devilish smile spreading on her face. Once he was out of earshot, she bumped me with her elbow. “So, Bucky, huh?”

The heat crept up my ears and settled in my temples. Surely I was no more than two seconds from combusting? “What? I don’t… no, I mean –" I drew a big breath and steeled my face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now, what was it you needed my help with?”

Her eyes locked on mine. "Never mind that… You're a terrible liar."

A good point. I let out a small wheeze and scrunched my eyes shut. "Fine! Yes, Sargent Barnes is a tall drink of water. Is that what you want me to say? Well, yeah, okay. Maybe I do have a thing for him." The defeat was inevitable. Already my intestines were squirming. Nothing good could come from this.

Natasha looked like it was Christmas and her birthday all at once. "I knew it!"

I shrugged, ignoring the rising chill in my chest. How to best deescalate this before it got out of hand? "Well, you are a superspy after all. But please, PLEASE, don't say anything to him. I like my job. Besides, he's a fucking superhero. I'm just… me."

"Just you?" She shook her head lightly and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I mean, come on! Look at me!" Holding my arms out, I swayed from side to side. I never liked to draw attention to my body, but apparently she needed the extra visual.

Natasha arched her eyebrow. "I am looking."

She was good, but I couldn't to give up that easily. "Yes, and then you clearly see that I'm ordinary. People like him don't fall for people like me. He's too perfect for that."

"Perf… perfect?" She snorted. "Y/N, Bucky's a mess. He's basically a cucumber with anxiety. Damn, you really have it bad if –"

"I know he has issues. You all do. I'm the one booking everybody's therapy sessions, remember? I'm not talking about his trauma. I'm talking about the fact that he's sweet as a marshmallow and his smile could power a small European country if Stark only found a way to harness its brilliance –"

"And the fact that he's got those broad shoulders and could probably lift and throw a bus if he wanted…"

"And that," I nodded, rubbing the back of my neck to stop that annoying heat from spreading even more. That was a delicious picture, alright. "But I'm nothing special."

"Y/N, sweetie, what are you talking about? You know everything, who's supposed to be where, what we're doing, when we come and go – that's practically a superpower right there. Don't downplay yourself."

The laughter came out dry and humourless. She had to be kidding. Being organised and good at puzzles wasn't exactly rocket science. And besides, I didn't even have a good memory. Without my trusty calendar and phone I'd be running around like Hei-Hei.

"Appreciate your confidence in me, but I don't think so, Nat," I countered and repeated: "Please don't tell him."

She sighed. "I won't."

I tilted my head and put on my best mom-voice. "Promise me."

Her shoulders slumped forward, and she lifted her hand in the air. "I promise I will never tell James Buchanan Barnes about your crush." There was a small pause. "Partypooper!"

"Who's a partypooper?"

I yelped and spun around, looking into Tony's smiling face. "Oh my god, Tony, I mean, Mr Stark." Why did he have to be so stealthy? A big, flashy guy like him ought to be required to announce his arrival with trumpets and drums. Through my galloping heartbeats I noted the glasses were new though, and wondered what kind of new tech they really were. They suited him.

He smirked. “Not the first time a lady has said that to me. But you didn’t answer my question.”

Exhaling, I closed my eyes, just barely resisting the urge to pinch my nose – or maybe kick him in the shin as a diversion. This was going to hell with the express train. “No one. No one's a partypooper.”

“Really?” He turned to Natasha. “Nat?”

I shook my head vigorously, bringing forth all malice I had to my eyes, which I have been told is substantial.

"Y/N has a crush and –"

"Ooh, is it me?" He winked and wiggled his eyebrows.

That made me laugh. "What? Oh, god no." Then I immediately felt bad for my reaction.

"Okay, a little bit insulted, but whatever…"

"She won't let me tell Bucky that she's in love with him," Natasha continued as if she had never been interrupted.

Tony gasped, a look of absolute delight in his eyes.

It was as if the ground disappeared beneath me. A rush of adrenaline almost knocked me off my feet. "Natasha! You promised."

She shrugged and pointed at Tony. "I promised not to tell Bucky. Last I checked, that is not him."

This time I did pinch the bridge of my nose and exhaled deeply, then groaned silently. “Nat!” Even I could hear the desperation in my voice. “Sargent Barnes is a friend. Well, uh, a colleague. Of sorts. I do not -“

“So you didn’t just squeak and burst into flames when he came through that door, huh?” She pointed to the glass door with a grin on her face.

Yeah, this was definitely a torture-the-handler day. Though Natasha was right about my crush, of course, and I wasn't even sure it was just a crush anymore; it had lasted for far too long to be called a crush, I had to keep a professional relationship with all of them.

Truth be told I had had a crush on Bucky since the day we were introduced, but I remembered the exact moment I had fallen in love: it was a chilly spring evening about a year ago. The team had decided to go out to eat, Wanda had discovered a new restaurant downtown, and the food supposedly was to die for. I couldn’t remember what I ate, or if I even liked it, but I remembered the knitted cardigan Bucky wore, the one with the colourful pattern on it. It looked really soft, and I found myself longing to touch it. That wasn’t the moment, though. The exact moment that made me go “Oh shit!” was when I cracked some stupid dad joke, and Bucky unleashed his full laughter on me. Who knew that "Singing in the shower is fun until you get soap in your mouth. Then it's a soap opera," would be my doom? But the sound had stunned me, made me lose my voice for several minutes. If someone had opened my skull at that moment, the only thing they would have found was an empty space and a dial tone - my brain frantically trying to reconnect with my body. If I concentrated I could still hear the ringing in my ears.

I avoided him for a week afterwards - well, tried and failed; my work meant contact with the entire Avengers team at all times - but the mental distance hurt too much to keep up with it. Since then, I allowed the realisation to wash over me, causing me both joy and suffering. And I thought I hid it well. Not well enough, apparently, since Natasha sniffed it out. I resisted the urge to close my eyes and sigh again. However, I couldn’t stop my intestines from curling into a tight ball. She had brought Tony into this after all.

Tony’s eyes shone. It had been a long time since any drama unfurled in the compound. He was practically starved, and this… This was delicious.

Looking between them, I knew this wouldn't end well. "You know what? I'm gonna go set up the briefing. Room 705. Thirty minutes. Don't be late." Fishing the phone out of my pocket, I sent a group text to everyone with time and location. In afterthought the wording in the text might have been a tad too harsh, threatening bodily harm if they were late, but the start of the day warranted some sort of reaction leaking from my brain. I locked eyes with Natasha. "Not. A. Word!"

She nodded, but the grin never left her face.

Tony watched me frantically push the elevator button, and I caught him whispering, not knowing I could still hear him. Or maybe he didn't care. "So what's your plan?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you have a plan? You're the resident match-maker here, aren't you?"

Nastasha let out a small laugh. "Do you know why she refuses to do anything about it?"

Tony nodded. “Because she’s professional and a bit afraid for what the people at the top are going to say?”

“No. Well, probably that too, but she thinks Bucky is way out of her league. Something about him being a superhero.” She snorted.

“What?” Tony let out a barking laugh. “Why? Bucky’s like the most timid ex-assassin you can find. I mean, he’s basically a cup of soft serve covered in salt and liquorice."

“I know. We gotta get them together. So, uh, are you in?”

“Uh, yeah! What’s your plan?”

The room finally sealed itself around me and I heard nothing else than the back of my head banging against the mirror wall and F.R.I.D.A.Y. cheerfully announcing what floor I was going to.

Half an hour later I had to step out for a bit to fetch a new cable to the projector, and when I got back, almost everyone were seated. My chest hollowed when I spotted Tony and Natasha sitting together, looking very conspiring indeed.

The urge to either run from the room or break them up rose in my throat, but instead I pulled up a chair next to Sam and focused on my breathing. He was one of the most calming people on the team, and I shamelessly used him as a shield.

Other than the small scare in the beginning, the morning briefing went without hitch. Agent Hill presented the upcoming missions, and I marked my calendar accordingly. Apparently SHIELD had detected a new terrorist group forming in northern Europe, and needed eyes.

Natasha was a given, she could go undetected for longer periods of time, and could take care of herself if necessary. Of course, Clint would come with her. They were an amazing team together, and he would probably go anyway, even if he was assigned to another task. It was better just to let him.

Steve and Sam would step in if it came to that, but would have to keep under the radar until they were needed. Bucky would travel to Europe with the others, but I knew he would set off alone the minute they touched ground in Stockholm. He worked best alone, or so he claimed, and anyway it would be an advantage to spread out. Still, I made a note on my pad to make sure he had everything he needed, and then some. Who knew where his road might lead him.

Bruce and Tony would work together to develop a better algorithm for the surveillance. So far, the terrorist group had evaded SHIELD's best efforts to pin them down. I was actually surprised to learn they didn't even know their name, which made me suspect something big was coming.

The rest of the team was assigned to other, smaller missions, scattered across the States. That way they could easily be reassigned if the situation escalated in Europe.

During the meeting, I kept an extra eye on Natasha and Tony. They sat next to each other, and though I thought I saw them passing notes a couple of times, I didn't want to bring any attention to it. The rest of the group looked oblivious. A sigh of relief escaped me, and Natasha looked up. She nodded imperceptibly towards Bucky, who sat with a bored look on his face and a discarded towel by his feet.

I narrowed my eyes and shook my head, trying my best to stop my ears from buzzing. Suddenly aware of every molecule in the air and trying desperately to ignore the intense weight, I focused all my attention back on Agent Hill’s presentation. Still, Bucky’s presence lingered in the back of my head, and together with the imminent threat from Natasha and Tony, I felt like I was sitting on explosives.

When Maria finally closed her laptop and turned to Director Fury, everybody got up, chatting as if the meeting had been a regular parent-teacher meeting and not a brief on a possible terrorist organisation on the rise.

“Can you believe that people will do things like this?” an agent asked as we all filed out of the room.

“Well, faith is a strong persuader,” I replied with a shrug. “Some are willing to go far for what they believe in.”

“Yeah, but they’re wrong,” the agent continued.

“They’d probably say the same about us,” Sam said, and I nodded.

“There are always two sides to the coin. If not more.”

“But -“

“And then it’s up to us to figure out what to do. We have to look at the big picture. Not everyone is capable of that.” Sam tilted his head with a look of disappointment in his eyes.

The agent huffed and hurried off with a look on his face that either said that he was constipated, or that being schooled by a member of the Avengers was too much for a Wednesday morning.

“Not sure he saw the big picture, Sam.” I shook my head and smiled.

“Don’t think he could. Better hope he doesn’t get promoted soon.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. He’ll be on desk duty for years still. And I guess you have a little desk duty yourself right now?”

“Well, actually… I was hoping you could do me a favour.”

Uh-oh. That sounded ominous. “Of course. What can I do, what do you need?” My voice rose to mimic the retail job I had before I got lucky enough to join SHIELD's training and ultimately land my dream job.

Sam grimaced. "I gotta go to Louisiana. Just a short trip, couple of days maybe."

"Shit, don't think Director Fury would be too happy about that right now, not to mention the rest of upstairs. You're supposed to be on silent duty until you leave for Sweden."

"Yeah, I know that, it's just… Cass and AJ has been asking me to come visit. And Sarah's getting sick of their nagging. Also, I sorta promised on the phone yesterday. Didn't know there would be a world crisis today."

Smiling softly, I hid the urge to smack my face into the wall. This was going to take a lot of explaining and string-pulling. He was supposed to go no-contact for the duration of the mission, but I hated disappointing the boys. And Sarah was a good woman. She didn't deserve being let down, even though it technically wasn't Sam's fault this time.

"Sam, you're such a softie," I said after some consideration. "Go. I'll figure something out. Just be back before the weekend, okay? And –"

"Yeah yeah, and I'll come in at once if the situation escalates before we're scheduled to head out."

I gave him a crooked smile to disguise the trouble he had just handed me. "Sure. But I was gonna say bring back some of that pecan pie. I've been dreaming about that since last summer."

Sam let out a loud laugh and kissed the top of my head, melting my nervous soul to a gooey puddle. "You're the best. Thanks."

"Fly safe."

"I always do."

"Really now?"

"Oh so that's how it is, huh?"

"That's how it is. Say 'hi' to Sarah for me."

With a short wave, he took off down the corridor, leaving me quietly screaming and already doing the mental gymnastics to find a solution.

***

Departure time was in two days. Everyone was on edge, trying their best to prepare for any eventualities, both inconceivable and expected. After a short meeting with the departure crew to share the last pieces of intel, I felt empty and tired. Missions always affected me more than they should. These people were my friends; if anything were to happen to them, my world would collapse.

Apparently I wasn't the only one feeling a bit drained. No one was in a hurry to leave, and the conversation was hushed and weary.

"You know what we need?" Tony said loudly, slicing through the silence and winking to Natasha. He thought I wouldn't notice, but I did, and the suspicion grew in my chest. What now?

"Pizza!" they said in unison. "We should gather everyone, before we all go."

Tony nudged my arm. "My treat. What do you say?"

Narrowing my eyes, I tilted my head. "…sure."

"Oh, don't be like that. We all need good pizza. Especially today, what with all this rain. Hey, F.R.I.D.A.Y., you know that pizza bakery up the street, the one with the chicken one. Order pizza for everyone. Remember the one with pear, brie, and white sauce. Have it delivered to the lounge."

That did it for me. If he ordered my favourite, I'd be damn sure to eat my part. "When?"

"Uh…" He looked at his watch. "Noon. I'll send out a ping. Don't worry about it."

"Thanks. I do have a ton of things to do to make sure you guys don't die on this trip." I tried to keep it light, but now that the thought had settled in my mind, I had to fight off the tears. It was a miracle I managed to keep the tremble from my voice.

An hour later I tripped over the doorstep to the lounge, surprised to see it was empty except for Tony and Natasha and a huge stack of pizzas. "Where is everybody?" The door clicked behind me, sealing the silence in.

Natasha shrugged. "Late?"

At that moment the door opened again and Bucky sauntered in with a mischievous smile on his face. "Gimme the pizza and nobody gets hurt."

"Jeez, Buck. Remember your manners. There are ladies present." Tony grinned, but opened the top box and helped himself to a slice.

Bucky snickered and rolled his eyes. "Sorry, Y/N," he said with an over-the-top flourish. "I hope you can forgive my insolence." He gestured towards the pizzas. "Ladies first."

My heart did a somersault, but I managed to keep it cool on the outside. "Insolence forgiven," I replied, swallowing a hiccough that lodged itself in my throat, before taking a plate and sifting through the boxes until I found the right one. Loading my plate, I sat down, sinking into the soft cushions. Only thing missing now was some candles and a drink, and I'd be set for the day.

Natasha gave Tony a pointed look. Two minutes later he picked up his phone and half jogged out the door. That was odd. Tony never jogged.

I looked between Natasha and the door, the pizza forgotten halfway between the plate and my mouth. She looked anywhere but at me, but was saved from a confrontation by her phone ringing. "Gotta take this," she muttered. "Can't prepare enough for the trip." She smiled apologetically and left the room. That was a lie, of course. She had full control; all intel was already read and destroyed. And if something new had come up, I would have been notified too.

Suddenly the plate felt heavy in my hand. Maybe it was naïve, but I had expected Natasha and Tony to respect my wishes; after all I had made it absolutely clear that they should leave it, hadn't I? Their amusement and entertainment wasn't worth being an inconvenience to Bucky.

"What's going on?" Bucky asked when the door clicked behind Natasha.

"I… I don't know," I lied haltingly.

Bucky shrugged. "Oh well. Might as well catch up on some paperwork before the flight too. See you later." With one slice between his teeth and another in his hand, he left the room with a friendly wave.

"Sure. See you." I spoke to his back; the glass door had already closed behind him. The lump in my throat grew. Even though Tony had ordered my favourite pizza, I no longer had any appetite. My mouth was dry, and it was a struggle to swallow. In a fit of frustration, I kicked the table, smacking my toe in the process. The pizza slice slid from the plate and landed on my thigh. "Fuck!"

"Ooh, pizza!"

I spun in my seat. Steve had just arrived, and that made me feel a little bit better at least. He was always a laugh.

"Where is everybody?" He looked around and spotted my moping figure, holding an equally sad slice of pizza. "You okay?"

"I guess," I replied, trying to smile and failing miserably. "Everybody else left. The mission, yeah?"

"Right. I thought everything was planned and okayed."

I couldn't bring myself to fill him in on the situation. If he didn't already know, it was nice to have someone neutral by my side. "Yeah, I don't know."

Their scheme was becoming clear; making Bucky spend time with me alone. But it was a failure. Even he thought it was awkward, and he obviously didn't want to be alone with me. Not that I blamed him. If I was him, I'd do the same.

I glanced at my watch. 12.30. Just then Sam, Bruce, Wanda, and Vision spilled into the room, heading towards the pizza like a herd of hungry goats. Slowly my appetite returned too, and half an hour later the blow to my heart was a painful memory pushed to the back of my mind by excellent pizza and wonderful friends.

Later that day I ran into Tony on the way to the garage. He tried to slip past me, but had to stop when I blocked the door, arms crossed over my chest and puffing myself up as much as I could. "Seriously, Tony! What did you expect to happen, huh? That I'd just throw myself in his arms because we were alone? Because newsflash: I've got both self-control and decency. Do you really think I've never been alone with him before?"

At least he had the decency to look thoroughly chastised, and he mumbled something inaudible I thought maybe sounded like an apology.

No way he was getting away with a tiny one. "What was that? I couldn't quite hear you."

"It was Nat's idea," he said, trying a smirk that didn't work at all.

"I very much doubt that," I replied, dragging a hand over my eyes. "Do I have to call Pepper? I didn't think so," I added when he shook his head. "Do better! Now excuse me. I have a lot of work to do to ensure you actually don't die on this mission." With a final, exaggerated frown, I turned and marched out of the room, ignoring the samba in my chest.

Part 2: Eel infested waters

#bucky barnes x reader #marvel fanfic #good intentions #bucky barnes #marvel #mcu

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drxwsyni · 4 years

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Red Filter︱Yandere Villain!Deku x f!Reader

Synopsis: Cameras can be made so small nowadays. Perfect for a villain’s viewing pleasure, looking upon the star of the show―you.

Anonymous asked “Can I request Yandere Deku (villain or not you decide) where he's bugged his darling's home and is watching them shower/have a bath?”

a/n: I made this a 2 in 1 submission for the @bnhabookclub’s Celebrating Deku event, as well as the Hero Camp Bingo event!

Bingo Masterlist

Prompts:

Celebrating Deku - villain AU

Hero Camp Bingo - caught masterbating

Warnings: smut, non-consensual recording, mentions of knives and blood, yan. themes

3.1k words

Deku didn’t need the knife―a thin butterfly model that was skillfully twirling between his fingers. Flipping back and forth, back and forth. It was a passtime of sorts, a distraction, rather than his go to weapon while on the job.

But for others, the blade was sometimes more threatening than the force of his quirk. So in a way, it did have its uses.

Dried blood was a nuisance though, clinging to the reflective metal and taking away from the entrancing glint as it caught the light. He reached for a handkerchief laying haphazardly on the large mahogany desk in front of him. Halfway through the motion, Deku paused.

The show was about to begin.

An artificial glow emitted from the laptop screen atop the desk, lighting up the features of his face. A live feed played on the screen.

There you were, looking absolutely stunning even clad in your retail work uniform. What he wouldn’t give to take his knife and rip the material from your body, exposing what he was so patiently waiting to see.

But such patience would always be rewarded, a fact he was very familiar with.

Deku’s eyes stayed focused on the display, tracking your motions with intent. He knew every single action you would take, right down to the last detail. You padded into the bathroom, making him shift the feed so the microscopic camera in there was full screened.

Expectedly, you began your routine, and he mentally checked off each task as you moved.

You took off your watch, unclasping any jewelry and placing it on the counter. A makeup wipe was pulled from a sealed package, and you gently removed the product from your face.

Deku’s gaze was practically glossed over as he took in the sight of you. He mumbled to himself, “Should be...skincare next?”

A bottle of facial cleanser was taken from the shelf next to you. Meticulously, you washed off any lingering residue from the makeup remover, and the dirt that had settled into your pores throughout the day. Next was the application of various creams and moisturizers. Deku knew each and every product you used off by heart, and the order in which you went through them every night.

Face thoroughly tended to, the next step in your routine was to be completed. But you gave pause, eyebrows furrowing slightly.

Deku smiled at the change in attitude from you, “...And you left your robe in the bedroom this morning. Always the forgetful one.”

You pushed aside the towels hanging off the back of the washroom door, to no avail.

Once again, he used the concealed cameras throughout your apartment to follow you into the bedroom. And there was your robe, which you swiftly grabbed off the back of a chair and returned to your previous position. Now slinging the soft covering over a free hook, you settled onto the edge of the bathtub.

The feed continued to grant Deku access to all of your time spent healing from a long day. Like watching the same movie over and over again, but never failing to entertain him greatly.

You put the plug into the drain at the base of the tub, turning the knobs and letting hot water begin to flood the bottom of it. Still sitting on the edge, you began to wait for the water to rise to that consistent high amount that he’d observed plenty of times before.

But of course, he ran into a brief problem.

Phone out, you were tapping away at the screen. From where the camera was angled, Deku was unable to see exactly what you were doing.

It was a good thing he always made sure to have a plan B, all the way through Z.

A desktop monitor was powered up with the click of a button. Deku pulled up a few windows, a look of satisfaction forming across his face. An additional display showed the active screen of your phone, which he’d also taken the time to bug.

You’d opened the social media page of one of your friends.

Deku’s jaw tightened.

The guy was the arrogant type―techie and too confident in his sub-par abilities. He hated him, but you loved him. In a friendship sense, he hoped.

He was invited over to help you install a security system in your apartment a few months ago. You caught on to the few items that had unceremoniously gone missing. Not that Deku was trying to keep his actions entirely unbeknownst to you.

Really, he simply couldn’t help himself. You just looked so adorable with that worried little face of yours.

And so Deku could forgive you for putting up those useless defences. But naturally, he couldn’t forgive this ‘friend’ who helped you set them up.

His grip on the butterfly knife tightened.

The bath was filled to a standard you deemed acceptable. You reached across to stop the stream, taking a stand when the water stopped falling.

Now for the main act.

With tiredly sluggish motions, you began stripping out of your work uniform. First your top, then jeans. Your hands gripped the clasp at the back of your bra, undoing it and dropping the undergarment onto the pile of discarded clothing on the floor below you. And slowly, you shimmied out of your panties, letting them pool at your feet before stepping out of those completely as well.

Deku’s heart clenched slightly at the exhausted expression on your face. He would be more than happy to help you relax if he was there.

You stretched your arms a bit, then grabbed an elastic to pin your hair atop your head. The action gave Deku a mouth watering view of all your curves that were clearly on display. So plush and grabbable―his hands itched at the thought of holding you in place.

He continued watching with bated breath as you finally stepped into the steaming water. A look of pure euphoria enveloped your face as you sunk into it, submerging your body as a breathy sigh escaped your lips.

As the tensions slowly left your being, Deku leant back into the leather chair he was seated in. His eyes trailed up and down your bare form, the feeling of his pants tightening at the delectable sight not going unnoticed. A sheen of water clung to your skin, highlighting your figure in all the right places.

This was by far his favorite part of the day. If he could afford the time when he wasn’t ruthlessly hunting down heroes who were so foolish enough to get in his way, loyally accompanied by his lackeys, he would gratefully pull up a live feed and bask in the view you unknowingly gave him. It was therapeutic―watching you unwind having similarly soothing effects on him.

And so he paid close attention as your hands travelled delicately over your body, lathering the lush skin up in soap. You paused a few times, using the slipperiness the product provided to massage certain tense muscles. Those in your biceps, kneading the soft flesh of your thighs, working the tension out of your calves.

Deku thought to himself―did you know he was watching? Putting on such an entrancing show like that, how could he not grow a little antsy at the sight of you?

You were just so perfect for him. The way you spoke, your personality, your figure. You shouldn’t have to take care of yourself with no help. He had servants who could do that for you, or even better, Deku could tend to your aches and pains personally. And there were more ways than just your methods of massaging to get you to relax, how he would love to show you.

Maybe if you were just a little more observant, you’d find the already impressive presence he had in your life. If you did, the two of you would finally be able to move onto the fun part.

Deku’s wandering thoughts halt as you place the bar of soap down, slowly washing the residual suds off your body.

You leant against the wall of the porcelain tub, sighing deeply and throwing your head back.

Well, this was new.

The look on your face, it seemed...irritated.

Your expression was relatively blank, but the pursed lips and light drumming of your finger on the edge of the tub gave you away.

And what could be going on in that mind of yours now?

Coming out of this brief meditative state, your eyes shot open. Deku followed where they landed.

The showerhead.

It was fixed next to the handles of the main tap, and your gaze remained on it―conflicted and contemplative. And then you moved.

A smirk crept across Deku’s face.

Your hands reached for the showerhead, pulling it from its situated spot. You turned the handles, changing the water flow so it went through the device in your hand rather than the main spout. Moving back, you leaned once again against the tub. Fingers fiddled with the controls, the stream setting shifting to a force that was steady and direct, but gentle enough that he assumed was the right amount so as not to make you too sensitive.

He could make you feel better than a showerhead. No―he would.

You dipped the device below the water, parting your legs to accommodate for its size. The flow came into contact with your needy core, and it sent your face scrunching up at the sensation.

He ate up the sight of you getting yourself off, resting his head against a hand propped up on the arm of his chair. It was a satisfying feeling―knowing how naive you were to his onlooking, and seeing you so intimately. Unfortunately, the rippling of the water distorted his view. With your hips bucking and the stream of water interrupting the once stillness of the surface, Deku grew mildly annoyed.

So of course, he noted that soon enough he would need to make up for the occurrence. And he would take his sweet, sweet time with you, to make sure nothing could hide you from his view.

You writhed against the flow of the showerhead, angling it back and forth over your clit. Sometimes you’d let it drop just a little lower, before growing impatient and returning to the previous ministrations. The forcefulness against your sensitive bud had your nerves firing off with hot sensations. Deku could tell you were getting close―the way you squirmed in the water growing more intense.

Desperately, your hips rutted against the impactful force. And yet, when you did slump back down, it wasn’t because you finally found release.

You huffed in frustration, teetering on the brink of orgasm, yet failing to push yourself over. A crease formed between your brows as your eyes shut tightly closed.

Aw, the poor thing, Deku thought amusedly to himself.

The villain chuckled slightly in a somewhat sadistic manner at your semi-pout, his head tilting as he continued to observe you unable to seek release. Your helpless need to cum had his cock throbbing, but he held himself back from tending to his own needs. After all, there’d be more than enough time to take care of not just his own pent up desires, but that of yours as well―after he tied up a few loose ends, of course.

Still unsatisfied, you upped the intensity of the showerhead’s stream.

You threw your head back in a silent scream, taking the sheer intensity as it came. Your chest was heaving, legs shaking as the heat pooling in your stomach grew. In a final effort, your hand dipped underneath the surface of the warm water. Two fingers spread apart your folds, exposing the most sensitive part of your heat. The sounds of your quiet whimpers spilled out of the laptop’s speakers, it sounding like music to his ears.

And then the hand flew over your mouth as you finally convulsed in while hot pleasure, riding out the waves of your orgasm. Even then, Deku could still hear the moan that escaped your lips as you succumbed to the pressure hitting your cunt.

He noted your attempts to stifle the noise. Cute, trying to keep your neighbours from hearing. That’s fine, he’s the only one who should know what you’re doing anyways.

Deku didn’t even realize the thin and nearly unnoticeable layer of sweat that’d developed against his forehead, disregarding it as he watched you come down from your high and weakly returning the showerhead to its stand.

That must’ve done the trick, you finally looking completely and utterly blissed out as you slumped back into the cooling water. Your eyes fluttered shut, and for a moment he feared that you would fall asleep amongst the sheer exhaustion your orgasm put you through. It would only mean he would have to pay you a visit, pushing your inevitable meeting with him to a closer date.

Deku began to grow fond of that thought, until the shrill noise of a text message notification rang from your phone.

Your head lifted, seeing that the device was laying on the counter, completely out of reach. You sighed in defeat, being unable to leave the message unread. The drain was unplugged, and the sound of the water escaping the tub came through the speakers of Deku’s laptop.

With lazily slow movements, you clambered out of the bathtub. He observed your legs still shaking, making you look like a fawn ready to collapse under its own weight. A small bubble of frustration grew inside of him as you pulled on the robe, obstructing his vision from your tantalizing body.

Your still dampened hands grasped your phone, unlocking it and peering at whatever notification had come through.

And so he acted similarly, pulling up the feed that your bugged device was showing him on the monitor. The messaging app was opened to that same worthless guy you chose to associate with for some ungodly reason, and who you’d questionably regarded on social media before bathing.

The text was short, but not sweet.

> you up?

It was late in the night, your work shift forcing you to change your sleep schedule to accommodate the routine. Deku would never make you conform to such an unhealthy lifestyle. Your little friend didn’t seem to care about you the way he did, only making his anger directed at the man grow. He leant forward, awaiting your response.

The feed showed you typing away, a few seconds later sending a disappointing response.

< Yeah, why?

Deku scoffed at how fast the guy replied, the debasing answer only making him seem even more pathetic in his mind.

> come over, i need u

The villain anticipated your reaction. You paced a few times in the small bathroom, stopping with a pensive face to grip the edge of the counter top. Taking a few moments to decide your next move, you laid the phone down atop the marbled surface.

Deku was excruciatingly aware of even the most minute changes in your behaviour. So he couldn’t help but pick up on the way your thighs pressed together, or how you chewed on your lower lip anxiously. The smirk that was plastered on his face for so long fell.

You picked up the phone.

He watched you type.

< On my way.

You didn’t hit send though, instead letting your finger linger over the button that would seal your fate. Judging by your actions, Deku could tell you were unsure of what to do.

If you couldn’t decide for yourself, he would do it for you.

With a few clicks on his monitor’s keyboard, Deku erased the man’s contact from your phone from where he sat, deleting the conversation you were having with him as well.

The amused look returned to his face, seeing your confused reaction. Realistically, it would’ve been safer for the both of you if he remained patient in his ways. Sooner or later, he would get you to come to him. Yet, the notion of these questionable connections you held didn’t really sit right with him.

Even if he got rid of the guy, which he would, there would be others. There are others, Deku has seen the way people look at you. Ways that warranted the most painful punishment he could inflict on them.

And so he resolved―he was done waiting. It was time for you to get to know him.

Deku picked up a burner phone, starting a conversation with your contact. His ring clad fingers danced across the small keyboard, sending the message with a triumphant feeling forming inside of him.

It was something he knew would get a good reaction out of you.

> Did that showerhead feel good?

He laughed a bit at the way your expression dropped, gaze falling upon the unknown ID showing up on the screen of your phone. You physically froze in place, and for a moment he felt a little bad for scaring you.

That concern quickly dissipated though, finding your fearful look absolutely adorable.

His phone buzzed in his hand.

< Who is this?

He shook his head at your questioning. All in due time, sweetheart.

> You look so cute, all scared and shaking like that.

He paused for a moment before sending another text.

> Why don’t you make that face for me in person?

You stumbled back, knees colliding with the tub and forcing you to sit back on the edge. Through the live feed, Deku could see the not so subtle way your hands trembled as you gripped the phone.

His own device went off, and more than once.

< What does that mean?

Deku gave no response.

< Please answer me.

You sure are cute when you plead like that.

< ...Who the hell are you?!

A devilish grin stretched across Deku’s face. With a press of a button on the desktop, one of his lackeys was entering his office. The man stood at attention, awaiting orders from his leader.

He spoke in an almost lazy tone, like the importance of the situation didn’t really mean all that much to him. When in reality, it meant the world to him―you meant the world to him. “Post half a dozen men outside her apartment complex. You know what to do if she tries for the cops.”

“Yes, sir. Anything else?”

Deku remained focused on you, still terrifyingly expecting a response that you’d never receive. At least not through text. He regarded the lackey without looking up, “I’m heading out for a bit. Just gotta take care of something. Don’t call me unless there’s an emergency.”

“Of course, good luck.” With that the underling exited the way he entered, letting the large and heavy wooden doors close with a thud behind him.

A final fleeting glance was spared to regard you over the live feed. He soaked up the way you still had your eyes trained on the screen. Your attention was all for him, and nobody else. Just the way it should be.

Nimble fingers shut the laptop closed. Amongst all the detailed information Deku had memorized about you, he engrained the documented history of your phone’s second most recent contact that was displayed on the monitor as well. He turned that off too, sucking in a deep breath of air, and exhaling with purpose.

He flipped the butterfly knife closed, calmly pocketing the weapon.

#yandere bnha #bnhabookclub #yandere midoriya izuku #yandere deku #yandere my hero academia #yandere izuku #yandere mha #yandere writing #yanderecore #yandere x you #yandere #tw non consensual recording #tw knives #tw blood

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queen-ofsunflowers · 3 years

Text

DadWorth AU: Part 4 (Trials & Tribulations)

Unlike the previous parts, this is mostly just shenanigans since Kay and Miles at this point are starting to work on bettering their relationship after their reunion in Farewell, My Turnabout. So it’s fun and kind of angsty times because Phoenix still falls off a bridge. Miles is present for most of the cases, excluding Stolen, but his appearances mostly take place in the background.

< Part 3 | Part 5 >

Turnabout Memories

Kay’s junior year at Themis starts and the students are given a chance to look into previous cases for a project that they have to do. Kay decides to do the one that inspired her to be an attorney. Or at least, for her to start following Mia’s career. Which if anyone remembers from part 1, was the State v. Wright 2014.

At the time of the case happening, Kay didn’t recognize the defendant’s name. But now... Now she knows who it is. So she goes directly to Phoenix to get an explanation. In front of just about everybody.

Today is Embarrass Phoenix Wright Day.

If you’re wondering, Kay is absolutely stunned by the fact that Phoenix ate the necklace. She knew it happened, but it’s only now hitting her that the defendant who swallowed the bottle and the amazing attorney who so far has been the only one to beat Miles and her semi-mentor figure are the same person.

The Stolen Turnabout

With Miles out of the country, Kay (and maybe the boys klavier and sebastian too, I’m not sure) is dragged down to Lordly Tailor by Maya, and that’s where things go from there. She’s kind of surprised that it was the urn that got stolen, picking up pretty quickly that it wasn’t worth that much in the first place. (Though this might be due to her involvement in 2-2, so she knows that it has been broken before.)

Kay stands with Phoenix on the matter of whether or not Ron actually stole the urn. According to her, the guy “couldn’t even pickpocket a blind man”. Pearl kicks her in the shin before running out of the detention center. Maya and Kay have gotten pretty close to each other because of the events of Farewell, since they were kidnapped and that’s some strong bonding there. So, Maya’s hurt by both of them believing in Ron’s innocence, but with Kay’s involvement, she quickly starts to think that they might be right sooner rather than later. Still, since it hurts, Kay takes Maya’s place temporarily on the first day of investigating.

Things that happen here are Kay starting to steal stuff herself. For example, she swipes the blackmail letter on the first visit to the DeLite’s apartment. (”kay, we’re defense attorneys. we don’t steal.” “but you take evidence all the time. how is that not the same thing?” “...moving on--”.)

Kay can’t stand Atmey, especially when he starts rambling on the way he does. She both states that Gumshoe’s a better detective than he is (some of that being bias, but still) and calls him out when he claims that Miles has called Godot the best prosecutor in the country. Miles doesn’t even know who he is. Phoenix finds her interactions with him slightly hilarious (it’s a sixteen year old girl tearing an eccentric a-hole a new one, after all.)

Kay’s able to stand co-counsel for the entirety of this trial due to it taking place completely on a weekend. Which means she also gets to meet Godot. He’s... To her, he’s flat out weird. He’s Cyclops with a caffeine addiction. And he’s not able to avoid her snark either.

She gets really happy when they get the Not Guilty verdict on the first day, and her relationship with the Feys gets patched up, too. And then all that goes down the drain when Ron is arrested for murder. More investigation is needed.

When it’s revealed that Ron is actually Mask ☆ DeMasque, Kay feels kind of bad over the remark she made the day before since most of those thefts were kind of impressive to her after she read about them. That’s about as much as what happens during the investigation. She really gets into the whole phantom thief stuff, much to Phoenix’s dismay.

When it comes time for the trial, Kay feels so much satisfaction in catching Atmey. She hates him so much. She doesn’t, however, like the fact that Godot keeps throwing coffee at the defense team.

I should note that Kay thinks that Godot’s voice sounds familiar, but she can’t place why at this time. It’s been YEARS since the events of Beginnings, and they didn’t even interact. Kay just watched the trial and heard him speak. So, that whole mystery is still under wraps for now.

Recipe for the Turnabout

Kay, Klavier and Sebastian are at Wright & Co. when Gumshoe bursts through the door, scaring the crap out of the three of them and Maya in the process. She, much like Phoenix, is confused as heck as to what he’s talking about when he tells them about the phony trial. She can also vouch for what happened and the fake Phoenix. (I have plans for what happened there, i just need to watch/play the game there myself...) So everyone is confused, and this warrants some footwork.

Phoenix Wright ends up being followed by a group of teenagers during his investigation. This has been going on for a while. He’s accepted it. It’s part of his life now.

When it comes to Tres Bien, Maya’s not the only one who gets roped into working there. Through misunderstandings, Kay gets pulled in as well. The guys kind of just run off, leaving the girls in their unfortunate situation for now.

Phoenix is stuck with the boys for the time being, which leads to some pretty fun and interesting interactions, including their reactions to meeting Tigre for the first time. Sebastian’s just confused because Tigre is taller, older and the only thing about Phoenix that he shares is their hair style. Klavier verbally voices this, just going off on how the hell anyone could mistake the two. (and loses his shit at the cardboard badge. from a distance, yeah, but seriously?!)

When they eventually come back to the restaurant, being the stupid teenage boys that they are, Klavier and Sebastian find the situation Kay is in hilarious. Klavier takes a picture of Kay in the Tres Bien outfit because “everyone needs to see this”. (Everyone mostly being Ema, whose in Europe.) Kay tackles him to try and get him to delete the photo, but he doesn’t. It becomes Kay’s contact picture in his phone.

whether or not kay continues to work here after the case is still up in the air. her and miles’ financial situation is pretty good, but kay’s also the independent type, so i feel like she’d want to save her own money for things instead of having to ask for it.

It’s lucky that at this point the girls are saved from their forced jobs, and Phoenix brings them down to the park, where things go as they do in canon with Maya channeling Mia to get information out of Kudo. Phoenix just kind of pushes Kay behind him while Mia does her thing, because if Miles ever found out he let Kay do something like that, he would never forgive him. It does lead, however, to this interaction here:

“and what have we learned today?” “take what you got and exploit the men who think with their di--” “okay! let’s get back to the investigation, shall we?!” “...klavier, why are you looking down at your chest?” “huh? just thinking.”

listen, klavier doesn’t button up his shirt all the way for a reason, and this is why.

Kay gets a bit ticked off that the prosecutor is Godot again (something that the guys predict because she complained about her hair smelling like coffee for days after being in the splash zone of the last trial). Fortunately, she doesn’t have to be here since the trial primarily covers school days. However, the Themis Trio does help out with the investigation when they’re free, taking a look at Blue Screens while Phoenix and Maya handle Tres Bien. They regroup when its time to head to Tender Lender.

Things go pretty much the same from there until the end with the confrontation with Tigre at Tres Bien. There’s another change here since Tigre and Armstrong are outnumbered. Phoenix still gets punched, but its not Tigre who grabs the medical papers. It’s Sebastian in a moment of panic. This basically leads to them playing keep-away with the papers as they try to get out with them and get away from Tigre. It doesn’t work out, though, because eventually as the papers are returned to Phoenix and the gang goes to flee, Tigre grabs and pulls an off-guard Kay back. It’s an exchange -- the papers for the girl. (think that one situation in ablaze but without the threat of getting shot.)

But that’s not what happens because like in canon, Gumshoe comes to the rescue. And he is more pissed off than before because that’s his pseudo-niece. Phoenix and the kids run out of there as soon as they can. Later that night, Miles asks about the bruises on Kay’s arm from where Tigre had grabbed her. She’s not sure what to say.

Miles gets involved in the background of this case due to Kay’s injury, helping out Gumshoe when it comes to getting the bottle analyzed (and getting assault added to the list of crimes Tigre is charged with.) Both him and Kay are pleased when Tigre gets arrested.

Turnabout Beginnings

We already covered this case in Part 1. Kay was in the audience watching. Primarily, this is mostly skipped aside from Kay mentioning it to Phoenix very earlier on. I’m talking like... last part early during Reunion. Thinking about that while in the hospital sparks his interest in taking a look at it via Mia’s case files.

Bridge to the Turnabout

With Miles out of the country, Kay is free to kind of do whatever. Because she’s friends with Maya, Pearl drags her up to Hazakura, partially against Kay’s will because its cold and she hates the cold.

She faintly recognizes Iris because as said before, she sat in on Beginnings. She knows what Dahlia looks like. However, because it was so long ago for her, she doesn’t quite remember why. She does play into Larry’s whole artist thing, but refuses to call him Laurice. (”okay... good for you, larry.” “laurice!” “i’m not calling you that.”)

As for Elise, the most that Kay knows about her is that she’s an author. Though, unlike Maya, she does take note of how similar she looks to the painting of Misty, as well as Maya and Mia. (maya must’ve noticed some similarities herself, but why she didn’t say anything is a mystery to me.)

Kay’s starting to think that this trip might not be so bad... until everything goes to shit when she’s woken up by a scream. As a result, both she and Phoenix head out to the courtyard and discover Elise’s body. Unlike Phoenix, however, Kay has her phone on her. She’s not able to tell him this, though, because Phoenix is already running to the bridge. She gives chase, trying to catch up.

Things go on as normal. The bridge is on fire, they meet up with Larry. And Phoenix runs across the bridge. He falls. Kay screams.

Kay and Larry both find and pull Phoenix out of the river. Larry calls the police while Kay is trying to calm herself down and keep Phoenix from possibly dying. The only person she can think of to call is Miles. So yes, in this version of the story, Kay handles the phone call to Edgeworth, so things are a bit more well explained on that end. Not entirely, because Kay’s freaking the fuck out, but a bit better.

The police arrive, Iris is arrested and Phoenix is taken to the hospital with Kay riding in the ambulance as well (after some heavy persuasion.) She’s at the hospital all night, and is there when Miles arrives. He’s relieved that she’s alright, especially after the phone call he received from her last night. It’s pure luck that Phoenix survived the fall with minimal injury and a cold. Kay calls him stupid in at least seven different ways when they’re finally let into his room.

Kay is still freaked out over everything that happened the night before, so she sticks by her dad’s side. She’s there to straighten out Larry at the detention center and explain the magatama in a bit more detail than a fever-hazy Phoenix since she’s seen him use it multiple times before. Alon

Basically, Kay is the Maya to Miles’s Phoenix here. Miles doesn’t want her to be on the case with him, but she does so anyway. She claims it’s because she’s the defense attorney in training and she knows more about it than he does since she was there, too. During the investigation, Kay finds out about Pearl and Maya being on the other side of the bridge and gets worried as heck for their safety.

She’s also the one who handles getting Franziska to prosecute. Kay lies and says that Phoenix had a pretty big case on his hands that still needed a prosecutor, and Franziska took the bait. Needless to say, Fran’s a bit ticked off when she discovers the truth.

But the best part about this is father-daughter standing at the bench together. It is a lot of fun banter between them and Franziska, too. And Kay gets another Larry-Induced headache when he testifies on the stand. Though, due to what happened with Goodbyes, she trusts him to some extent and his trying to figure out what the heck actually happened.

When the trial gets out and Phoenix is back in the saddle, Kay calls him stupid again for investigating while sick. She works in tandem with both him and Miles for this part of the case. Yeah, she’s part of the investigation team.

She’s relieved when they finally find Pearl on the other side of the bridge (Kay gets a small hug from Pearls, have that visual.) She, like everyone else, is confused about why Godot is there. Unlike the others, however, Kay is incredibly close to fighting a man about twice her age when he starts going after Phoenix for his involvement in Mia’s death.

When the earthquake hits, the first thing Kay’s mind goes to is her dad. She races to find Miles first before anything else. She’s lived with him since she was ten years old. She knows about his fear of earthquakes.

After discovering the locks on the door, Kay does follow Miles out to the garden. He does get a hug from her, since she’s not sure what else to do at the time. Compared to last year, it shows that they’re doing a lot better. She’s also there when Phoenix comes by and manages to figure out the Hawthorne connection pretty quickly. She leaks the information to Phoenix, despite Miles’s protests. (”i’m not a prosecutor, so i don’t have to keep my mouth shut.”)

When it comes to the trial the next day, Kay’s in the gallery with everyone else since Phoenix claims that he has to do this alone (another thing that Kay calls him stupid for.) She’s on the edge of her seat the entire time -- watching as Phoenix unmasks and stands before the spirit of the woman who tried to kill him. And after exercising her from Maya’s body, Kay claims that she’s no longer phased by anything weird that happens in court.

Though, she is surprised when Phoenix accuses Godot of the crime. She doesn’t like the guy as much as the next person -- he’s a huge jerk -- but what? As the mystery begins to unravel, she starts to see how he got there, she’s kind of awestruck. She never expected Phoenix to come into his own like this. In the end, though, Godot confesses and things go pretty much the same way as they do in canon.

After all is said and done, Kay promises that she’ll become a defense attorney as great as both Mia Fey and the amazing Phoenix Wright. Phoenix will deny that this ever happened, but he did start to tear up a little upon hearing that. He becomes her mentor after the events of this case. It’ll become an important factor in Kay’s decisions later on that year... right around April.

And that’s it for the trilogy! There are some more parts that I want to add on, such as the ripples all this has created in the later games -- the investigation games especially.

#ace attorney #ace attorney au #dadworth au #kay faraday #phoenix wright #klavier gavin #sebastian debeste #maya fey #godot #diego armando #larry butz #miles edgeworth #franziska von karma #mia fey #furio tigre #luke atmey #ron delite #dahlia hawthorne #kay edgeworth au

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strayen-fx · 4 years

Text

Doubtless

》 Lee Minho x Reader

》 Angst, Fluffy end

》 Pangs of jealousy could still hit an established relationship, or where Minho is a choreographer and Y/N can't help but feel jealous because of a certain idol Minho is teaching.

》 Wordcount: 2.5k

》 Warnings: mention of overwork, insecurity

》 a/n: I'm back, hi! hihi

°°°

Being in a relationship with Minho hasn't been the easiest thing, but for you, it has been the bestest decision you have ever made.

You were college sweethearts, both of you meeting at an audition for the school's official dance group. After graduating, Minho decided to join a famous dance studio as one of its choreographers while you chose to focus on your professional field.

Adulting didn't come easy, as the two of you were bombarded with busy schedules for almost every week on end. It hasn't been the easiest thing, but after some time, the both of you have learned to adjust and manage your time. You have also decided to move in together, because 1.) you wanted to spend as much of your free time with each other as possible, and 2.) let's be honest, rent is expensive af.

Despite that, it was still difficult for you to spend quality time together because of Minho's hectic and jam-packed sched. Even in weekends, he would be busy coming up with dance moves for the kpop groups assigned to him. Hence, you usually make up to this by visiting him in the studio and bringing him your homecooked meals. You would bring a portion for you as well so you could eat with him. This is something that he adored so much, it eventually became a regular routine for weekends.

That Saturday was no exception. Wearing your favorite casual clothes plus Minho's purple hoodie, you drove to the dance studio with packed lunch for the both of you. You greeted the other dancers you met in the building, and there you met Momo, another buddy in your college dance group.

"Y/nnieeee!!!" Momo said, approaching you into a tight hug. "I've missed you!"

You returned the hug and giggled. "We only met like last week though?"

"That is forever ago. You should just work with us here so I could always hang out with you," Momo complained.

"Once I get fired in my current job, I'll be sure to send you my resume."

"Should I use my connections to get you fired, then?"

You talked with Momo for a while, until she remembered that she left her students unsupervised and she was only supposed to get some water.

"Minho is in Studio E," Momo said. "He's assigned to teach a rookie girl group, my forte, while I'm assigned to a dorky and loud boy group. Where's justice in that?" She sighed deeply. "Anyway. I'll get going. Let's grab coffee some time!"

You waved and watched as Momo begrudgingly trudged towards Studio A. You laughed a bit to yourself before heading to the opposite direction.

When you peered through the door of Studio E, you noticed at least six ladies sitting on the floor, talking and fanning themselves. You knocked twice before opening the door. Few of the girls looked up and bowed awkwardly. They probably thought you were just a staff bringing Minho some food.

The man in question, however, failed to notice you. He was busy giving a one-on-one lesson to another girl, them being the only ones standing. It probably shouldn't have irked you so much, seeing that Minho is a choreographer and it is, indeed, his job to teach idols their choreography. However, being a dancer yourself and watching them there for a solid minute, you know that the girl was just goofing around and pretending not to understand the moves. She even laughed and slapped Minho's chest jokingly as if they were close friends. You couldn't see your boyfriend's reaction from where you stood, but what you witnessed was enough to dampen your mood.

You fake-coughed, causing Minho to finally notice you. His eyes lit up, and that was almost enough to rebrighten your mood. Almost, for you could still see the girl he was teaching earlier, with her eyebrows shot up like she was annoyed for the interference.

Minho jogged to where you stood and you gave him a quick peck on the lips. This took him by surprise--you weren't usually the type of person to show skinship when there are strangers around. This made Minho smile, though, thinking that you just missed him too much.

"Lunch break, everyone," Minho told the girls. He then took your hand and led you out of the room towards the staff's pantry.

When you got there, Minho excitedly opened the lunch you prepared, asking you about your day as he did so. You tried to act normal--afterall, you have no reason to be jealous, right? Plus, this is Minho you're talking about. You've known each other for years, he's not gonna dump you for an idol he just met.

Right?

"Baby?"

Your head shot up, realizing that Minho was talking to you. "Yeah?"

He chuckled. "What's wrong? Stunned by my visuals yet again?"

You rolled your eyes, used to his teasing antics. "Just tired, I guess. Eat your meal before it gets cold."

His gaze softened. He reached for your hand, squeezing it a bit. "I told you, you could take some rest during weekends. You don't have to force yourself to drive all the way here to bring me lunch. You took overtime last night, I'm sure you've been busy in the office."

You smiled at him, reaching out to squish his cheeks. "And I told you, bringing you lunch would never be tiring for me if it means that I could spend time with this lovely face."

Minho grinned. "I'm irresistible, I know."

You playfully pinched his cheek. "Just eat, you handsome creature."

You watch Minho as he ate, admiring how he looked food-deprived by the way he gobbled his meal. For the nth time in your long relationship, you wondered how you got so lucky to have someone like him. At the same time, you wondered how long you would be this lucky--wondered how long you would be able to watch him up close like this. You wondered: did you really deserve him? And what will happen if he realizes that, no, he doesn't want you after all?

"Uhh.. Min?"

"Ggnnmm?" he grumbled in a mouthful of food.

You stifled your laughter, finding the moment too cute to be destroyed by your depressing thoughts. "Have I ever told you that you look like a cat when you eat like that?"

°°°

It has been days since you visited Minho's studio. He was still teaching the girls you saw last weekend, due to the fact that "the choreo was too complicated" and a certain someone named Ahra was "finding certain parts difficult and needed to be trained personally by a professional choreographer." So of course, Minho can't say no. You visited once during the week, dropping off a change of clothes Minho forgot to bring, and you saw the girl again laughing and talking with Minho comfortably. Minho didn't seem annoyed. If anything, you felt like he was enjoying her company.

It was Friday when Minho came home and told you that he had to come with the girls to Gwangju where they would hold the music fest the following week.

"But why, though?" you asked Minho, genuinely confused. "You are a choreographer, not a manager."

"I know," Minho said. He looked tired, and part of you was feeling bad for questioning him like this. But you just can't help yourself--not after seeing that Ahra's body language towards your boyfriend. "But baby, their company pleaded for me to come with them to guide the group. They're rookies. They need as much help as they can."

A part of you understood. You wanted this relationship to be rational and matured. You promised to understand each other's line of work. So you just nodded, trying your best not to show your sadness... disappointment? Jealousy? All of the above?

°°°

Weekend came. You told Minho you were going to hangout with Momo for lunch. It was one reason, but the other main reason was that you didn't want to see Ahra flirting with your man right in front of you.

Momo chose a Japanese restaurant for your weekend hangout, saying she missed the dishes she had back home. Right after you've placed your order, your friend made a show of placing her elbows on the table with her chin on her fingers, looking straight into your eyes. "Now spill the tea."

You chuckled. "What?"

"While I know that you value our friendship more than most of everything else, I know that you won't ditch Minho for a simple lunch opportunity. Now spill."

"Uhh... maybe I'm making time with you because you're gonna be away for three days in Gwangju?"

"Oh, that music fest? I'm not coming with them though," she said, casually sipping water. "I have whipped my group into magnificent perfection, they don't need me to tag along. Plus, what would I do there? Chaperone their asses on the bus? Teach them the choreo while they're sightseeing? Please."

You sighed. Yeah, it doesn't make sense for an outsourced choreographer to tag along an idol group. They have their own trainors. And the trip was for three days to allow the idols some time for broadcasted sightseeing. They won't have time for heavy dance practices.

"But Minho is coming with the group assigned to him," you mentioned.

Momo almost choked on her mineral water. "What? Why? And why haven't I heard of this?"

Oh.

You shrugged. "Maybe my boyfriend is onto something--someone--else."

Momo's gaze softened. "Y/n..."

"I mean, the way that Ahra flirted with him? I wouldn't be surprised."

"C'mon y/nnie, do you really think Min would cheat on you? After, what, your five-year relationship?"

"When faced with a beautiful idol, why not?" Your eyes were starting to get watery. You weren't much of an emotional person, but right at that moment, you just wanted to bawl your eyes out. "I mean, Ahra is beautiful, right? You've seen her. Tall, flawless, gorgeous. And talented, too. I've searched about her group, and turns out she's the main vocal." You pointed at yourself. "And what do we have here?"

"YA! Don't you ever look down on yourself like that!" Momo said, slapping the table. "Have you forgotten that you're the main dancer of our dance group? That you were scouted by the leading agencies and you turned them all down? That if you decided not to focus on your academics, you would have been one of the leading dancers in the whole country? Y/N!"

"But--"

"I'M NOT YET DONE. And even without considering those, do you really think Minho is only looking at a person's outward appearance? Do you really think that, y/n?"

"No..." you whispered. "Momo, I understand now, please tone your voice down a little."

Momo discreetly looked around and noticed a few people staring. She sighed, composed herself, and spoke in a calmer voice, "Do you remember when Minho courted you? He was so shy, he can't even look you in the eyes without turning beet red. Literally the entire dance group had to help him express his feelings for you."

You smiled at the memory, remembering a slightly younger Minho flushing red while holding out a bunch of flowers.

"And even months prior to that. He was so dense, his hyungs in the group literally had to smack his head for him to realize that he likes you, even when the entire campus could already notice his heart-shaped eyes whenever he's with you." Momo sighed. "My point is, do you really think a guy like Minho could cheat on you?"

You reminisced about all those years you have been together. Minho is a sweet, understanding person. He sees beauty in everything around him. He sees beauty in you even when you yourself couldn't see it. He was there through the happy and ugly times, and he never once let go of your hand. He has been patient with you through everything. He is the best man you have ever met.

Momo sighed again for the umpteenth time that day. "The biggest flaw on him though is that he's way, waaaay too dense. Remember that one time before you got together, a girl was obviously making a move on him and he didn't even know until the girl walked out calling him a jerk."

You laughed at that. "He's flirty at times but he's too numb when he's on the receiving end."

The two of you laughed at that.

°°°

Later that day, Momo texted you. She checked in with the studio staff and apparently, Minho tagging along to the music fest was a special request by the higher ups of the girls' agencies, and it was a sort of rushed request. You thanked her for the information, mentally punching yourself for ever doubting Minho like that.

The following day was Minho's trip to Gwangju. You couldn't drive him to the station due to an urgent meeting, so you just gave him a hasty farewell kiss on the lips while he was preparing his breakfast. He just smiled up at you without saying a word. That small gesture made your heart clench, feeling guilty for doubting him and not spending time with him the day prior. You made a mental note to welcome him properly upon his return.

But for now, you have to survive those three incoming days alone in your apartment.

The whole day, you couldn't concentrate at work. You kept on worrying if Minho had arrived safely in his destination, if he had eaten enough, if he was warm and hydrated enough. When you asked him all these through text, he only replied with a short "don't worry too much 💝" You didn't know what to feel about it. He certainly felt that something was off, you thought. He was probably mad at me.

When you got home, a plastic of takeout on one hand and a heavy burden on your chest, you were prepared to be welcomed by the saddening darkness and silence of the night. But instead, what welcomed you was a candle-lit dining table filled with all your favorite food, complete with wine plus smooth music.

Minho stepped out from your shared room, a bouquet of roses in hand, smiling shyly while scratching his neck.

"This isn't really my thing..." he whispered.

Meanwhile you stood there, frozen in place, your jaw slack. "W-why... Min... but you're supposed to be...?"

Minho laughed. "I asked Felix to take my place. He gladly accepted." He walked closer to you, handing you the roses. "Did you really think I wouldn't notice if my one and only jealous baby has been acting weirdly?"

Your eyes widened. You dropped your gaze to the floor, embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" Minho stepped closer, caging you in a hug. "I'm the one who should be sorry for making you feel like that. I should never allow you to feel like you're lacking in any way. I should never give you a reason to doubt my love for you."

"But there was no reason. I was just reaching when I assumed you--"

"Sshh." Minho tightened the hug and kissed the top of your head. The two of you stayed like that for a while, swaying gently with the soft music.

"I love you, y/n. Longer than forever, I'm yours."

"I love you, too, Minho. I will love you longer than forever."

°°°

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therenlover · 4 years

Text

It’s Always Been You (Part Three of Till Forever Falls Apart, A Peter Maximoff/Reader Series)

Synopsis: After a month of adapting to his new universe, Peter Maximoff can confidently say that he likes his new life more than his old one. Sure, he misses home sometimes, but he’s been far too busy flirting with his new roommate to spend time crying over the things he’s lost. Everything is smooth sailing until a strange journal in his roommate’s study leaves him with more questions than he knows what to do with. Now he’s on a mission to discover who he’s really living with before she has the chance to turn against him.

Tags: Angst, Secrets, Exposition, Pre-Relationship, Predestination/Soulmates, Post-Wandavision

Rating: T

Warnings: Mild Language, Brief Mentions of Torture/Past Trauma, Minor Character Death

Word Count: 8600~

This has been crossposted as a two-chapter fic on my AO3 under the same name

------

A/N: For this fic series, the events of Endgame take place in Late September/Early October, so Wandavision takes place in late October. Also, Thor is about 3500 and Loki is about 3000. This has no bearing on their appearance or stories, it’s just older than they are in MCU cannon.

Peter couldn’t tell when exactly the mirage started falling apart.

It hadn’t come down all at once but instead dissolved in slow waves that culminated into a disastrous reveal when the pieces stopped fitting together. Part of him wished he could go back to living the lie when every day was filled with the sweet rose-tint of ignorance. Unfortunately, there was no way back to the way things were before, only a long road forward.

Not everything had been bad. In fact, most of the first month was quite the contrary.

After his disastrous run-in with the Sorcerer Supreme, a man he now knew as Stephen Strange, Y/N had taken him on a tour of the city, pointing out all of the places he should avoid at all costs. The list wasn’t particularly long, but once he knew where to stay away from he felt fully comfortable to roam the city at his own leisure. That opened up a whole new window of opportunities for Peter to have fun.

The city itself wasn’t as scummy as it had been when Peter was living there at X-Mansion. He still vividly remembered the last time he and Jubilee had taken a trip into the city, watching the prostitutes roaming around Times Square as they passed through on the way to some deli Kurt had recommended to her. Now, everything felt slightly safer and much more staged for tourists. Besides that, though, much to Peter’s surprise, there were very few changes. Of course, there were the massive new skyscrapers run by what he had gathered to be either the rich good guys or the rich bad guys (he hadn’t quite been able to figure out which when Y/N had explained it to him) but if he just pretended they weren’t there, this new New York could pass for his old New York pretty easily.

Strangely, Peter found he enjoyed living in this universe’s New York more than he’d enjoyed living back at the X-Mansion. He had freedom now. Freedom to roam the city with no curfew, freedom to get food from the kitchen at all hours of the day, freedom to spend as much time as he wanted lazing around the house playing Space Invaders in his room… life in the brownstone was paradise. Every moment was crafted to meet his exact needs. Flawless. Picture perfect in every way... Too perfect.

If Peter was forced to pinpoint where things started to go wrong, it would be the first time he noticed how Y/N’s whole universe seemed to bend at his whims.

He hated to say that Y/N was the epicenter of the problem. In fact, she was what, in all honesty, gave Peter the most happiness in his day-to-day life. Sure it was nice to spend time alone in his room binging twinkies to keep his blood sugar up, but that seemed pathetic when he compared it to Y/N knocking softly on his door and offering a plate of whatever delicious meal she had come up with at the time. Some days she would lure him out of whatever project he had taken on to show him new movies he had missed in the time jump between universes. On other days, when Peter was feeling cooped up in the house, she would take him to Central Park for cheap hotdogs so they could spend the afternoon watching the seals (which had been Peter’s guilty pleasure as a local ever since he moved into X-Mansion). No matter what, Y/N offered Peter exactly what he didn’t know he needed at every turn looking damn good as she did it.

Now that was a whole different bag of worms that Peter didn’t like to look into too deeply. Y/N was just… stunning. Everything about her seemed to call to him, a perfect siren’s song luring him closer every time he saw her. She never failed to make Peter laugh. She also took time out of her day to help him learn new things, like how DVDs worked, with all the empathy in the world. Even though she was beautiful to look at and wonderful in every way, Peter found himself attracted to the smallest things about her more than anything else. Her smile, her cooking, the way she danced to her record player when she thought he wasn’t around.

Peter had trouble putting the feeling into words. He could only imagine it was the first stages of love.

The real kicker was that she liked him! Liked him in a way he had never been liked before. It was as if, in her eyes, he could do no wrong. She laughed at his jokes and pulled him closer when he gravitated to her side and came home with little gifts she found during the day that he always found he loved. Peter’s flaws weren’t chided but instead embraced. He always felt cared for at her side.

There were some imperfect things about Y/N, though.

They weren’t large, not at first, but as time passed the small fissures in her facade grew into gaping cracks. They served as the stems from which all of his current problems grew. The biggest original fissure was just how jumpy she was.

99% of the time Y/N was cool and confident. Peter thought she wouldn’t be out of place working as a lawyer or politician. That should have been the first flag in and of itself, but that didn’t matter. What did matter is that the other 1% of the time, which seemed to be triggered randomly by things Peter said or did, she was like a deer in headlights. She would freeze, panic, and only return to normalcy several minutes after Peter either dropped the subject or clarified whatever he said. Once Peter caught on to how strange that was, other odd things about Y/N began to show through in day-to-day life.

Things like knowing facts about Peter that she shouldn’t know.

The first time she brought him home his favorite candy he assumed she had just guessed correctly, but then she brought him a VHS of his favorite movie. And bought his favorite foods when she went out shopping that Peter was sure she hadn’t bought before. And took him to a fancy Manhattan leather store to buy a very obviously custom-made silver leather jacket that she just so happened to see in the window.

He would always thank her profusely, just glad to get things he enjoyed, and remark on how odd it was for her to know him so well after such a small about of time. Y/N would just smile and chalk it up to intuition. Intuition could only count for so much.

Y/N did other, smaller strange things as well, but Peter couldn’t say he noticed them much until after he confronted her. He simply assumed she only ate at certain restaurants because she was a picky eater, and avoided cars because she wanted to save the environment. She could have just been an average person who just so happened to use gilded silverware and have a spectacular, museum-quality collection of odd, assorted antiques sitting around her perfectly-furnished, historical brownstone that she was able to comfortably live in while working a relatively low paying job…

Peter had never been known for his smarts, but looking back, even he was disappointed that he hadn’t seen the signs sooner. Love is blind and it also blinds. His eyes only opened when he found the journal.

The illusion fell apart on a Wednesday afternoon.

It was cool, with the crisp late-autumn breeze leaving a slight chill present throughout the day. The sky had turned grey, not from rain yet, just from the general gloom of the season. Peter didn’t mind. He was looking forward to the first big thunderstorm in his new home.

Y/N had left for work in the morning with a spring in her step and a smile on her lips. On her way out the door, they had flirted a little more than usual, and as a result, Peter had been thinking about her for the rest of the day. He was too busy thinking about the way she had ruffled his hair while she passed him on the couch to do anything of value with his time but much too bored to stand still. His compromise? Snooping.

There was a little study on the first floor that served as a workspace and library for the household. It wasn’t off limit’s by any means, but it was the last place left that Peter hadn’t explored since moving in (besides Y/N’s room, of course). Something, whether it was boredom or suspicion pushed Peter to go inside and explore. He promised himself it would only be for a minute.

Once he stepped inside, his plans changed.

The moment he walked past the door’s threshold it was like a wave of warmth had washed over him. Every bit of the autumn chill that had made its way into the old bones of the rest of the house was seemingly absent from the library. Peter quirked up an eyebrow. Slowly, he stepped back out of the room.

Instantly the chill was present again.

He stepped forward. Warm.

Backward. Cold.

Warm.

Cold.

Warm.

Cold.

To an onlooker he would have seemed crazed, speeding in and out of the doorway with his powers trying to find a logical explanation for the phenomenon. To Peter, though, it was like he had finally cracked the code. This was proof… okay, so a room being warm didn’t prove anything, Peter didn’t even know what it would be proof of, but something about it satisfied the constant anxiety that had been pooling in his stomach in the weeks since he had moved in. From that moment on he was fixated on finding out what was so special about the library and what it had to do with him.

Once he had steeled his emotions, he finally re-entered the room for the final time, letting himself acclimate to the comforting heat that seemed to radiate from everywhere inside while taking a look around.

At first glance, it was just a nicely decorated office. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined 3 of the 4 walls, with the remaining wall opposite the door left free to make room for a small, mahogany roll top desk that sat proudly in the center of the room on the matching wood flooring. There was some decoration on the far wall, though. Above the desk, spanning the entire length of the wall were 5 large portraits of men. They seemed to loom over the room, their eyes boring holes into whoever entered, but something about them seemed more melancholy than threatening.

“Creepy,” Peter whispered to himself as he took another step into the room, gazing up at the paintings, "really fucking creepy,"

The first portrait seemed to be the oldest of the group by far, with the paint piled on thick as if the artist had to correct themselves multiple times over while they worked. It featured a Greek or Roman soldier, dressed in shining gold armor while they bared a wolflike girn and held up a jug of wine towards the painter. It wasn’t period accurate- Peter was pretty sure a typical canvas wouldn't have held up since the greek days, and that realism didn’t really exist in paintings back then -but there was a life in the soldier’s eye that made him wonder what circumstances had inspired the subject to pose as he did.

The next three portraits, in comparison, were a bit bland. They were all pretty formal and seemed to have been done around the same time. All three frames held their own well-dressed dandy with small differences separating them. The first man had a little Gomez Addams pencil mustache, the next wore a military uniform and a sly smile, and the last was dressed in an ill-fitting suit while looking about 5 minutes from death. There could have been more differences, but Peter brushed over them quickly in favor of the final painting.

Portrait number five was, very obviously, the newest of the collection, featuring a modern man, probably 18 or 19, posing goofily on a chair Peter recognized as Y/N’s preferred sitting chair in the living room. Surprisingly, that wasn’t what caught his eye. Peter found himself gaping at the man’s face.

It was almost like looking through a funhouse mirror. Peter saw echoes of himself in the subject; the silver-blonde hair, the cheeky smirk on his face, the skid marks on the bottom of his worn sneakers. Hell, if it weren’t for the light five o’clock shadow dusting the man’s jaw Peter probably would have mistaken it for himself.

Something about the painting was both hypnotizing and sickening. Its pull was so strong that Peter only noticed he was getting closer when he knocked into the desk, sending a pile of papers falling to his feet. As he gathered them he could feel the eyes of the men above him on his back, urging him to look closer, dragging him into their strange gravitational field. Peter probably would have been more worried about the paintings before he saw the papers, though.

There, written in Y/N’s handwriting with brilliant red ink on the first page of a small, leather-bound journal, was one word: Magneto.

Peter’s heart stopped.

Nobody, especially in a whole other universe, should know about his father except him. It was a secret he was sure he hadn’t mentioned even when the FBI had interrogated him. Hell, Raven had taken the secret to her grave even despite her complicated relationship with Erik.

A deep pit of rage began to burn in Peter’s stomach. Who was Y/N? How the hell did she find out who Magneto even was? Worst of all, why didn’t she mention it to him?

Without even thinking about what he was doing Peter opened the journal to the next page and began reading. He was going to find out what Y/N was hiding if it was the last thing he ever did.

October 4th, 2023,

I returned from purgatory today. “The Snap” has been reversed and Thanos has been defeated, thankfully with little cost. If that was death, I hope I never have to face it again. Tony is still weak, as am I, but both of us will live to see another day thanks to my gifts. I hope Howard knows I fulfilled my promise and protected his son.

While I was in the in-between, the grey place between worlds, I saw Magneto again. He seemed strangely at peace with himself. Hopefully, this means there will be no trouble with him in the future.

Once we hold a proper funeral for the lost the real work begins. Tonight, though, I am glad to be alive.

His father’s name appeared, but the rest of the entry was confusing. Peter kept reading.

October 7th, 2023,

We held the funeral today. I still despise Thor with everything within myself, but he and I held a small memorial for his brother once Clint had been properly buried and eulogized. He offered a poor apology for the hostile takeover of my home, but I accepted nonetheless. It’s what Loki would have wanted. Besides, his bastard father is already dead and his home has been destroyed, so Asgard’s power over Alfheim is nonexistent. Perhaps now that things here have calmed down I’ll visit my mother and father again...

I tried talking to Wanda but she refuses to speak to me. She doesn’t understand that even though I foresaw Vision’s passing, I couldn’t stop it. The same goes for her brother. If I were her, I would hate me too. I’ll try calling her again later this week once she can properly mourn. Until then, all I can do is wait.

Peter’s stomach dropped.

He had to reach out and steady himself on the desk to keep from wobbling when he was reminded of his time in the Hex. His memories of the time were misty, clouded around the edges as he was puppeteered through a charade, but the pain, both mental and physical, was still sharp even a month later. If he pretended it had never happened life was easy but when he accepted the week or so he spent in Westview it took his mind to a dark place. Unfortunately, there was now no way to both ignore his time in Westview and pull the wool out from in front of his eyes.

He trudged forward, stomach in knots, praying that Y/N hadn’t been involved.

October 9th, 2023,

Steve almost destroyed our timeline this morning.

He had originally been assigned to return the stones to their respective places in the past, but thankfully I saw his bullshit plan before he was able to put it into action. It took both Sam and James to restrain him, but Natasha returned the stones and was able to come back to the present before he could escape. He’s still mourning Peggy and has decided to hang up the shield for the moment while he figures himself out, but James is there for him as he has always been. I am jealous in the best of ways.

Wanda still hasn’t taken any of my calls, but Stark insisted I shouldn’t worry.

I will return home today for the first time since I was revived. It scares me. My visions always get clearer when I’m there. I’m afraid that somewhere in the past five years something terrible could have happened that I never even knew about. I suppose the only way of knowing is to wait and see. Hopefully, I will be able to shelf my powers for a couple of decades soon. Seeing and preventing the future is tiring.

October 22nd, 2023,

Pietro visited me in a dream today.

He was dead, bleeding through his clothes as I held him and wept, and yet he was there sitting next to me too. I apologized like I always do. This time, though, he forgave me.

I don’t fully understand what the dream was supposed to signify but he rested his head on my shoulder just like old times and told me he knew. I asked what he was talking about and he said he knew he was going to die when he did, and that it wasn’t my fault.

I turned to ask him why he was telling me that and he was gone. I held his body until I woke up.

Nothing is clear to me yet, but something has changed. There’s been a shift in the energy of the world. Maybe Pietro was trying to warn me… or maybe things are finally falling into place. I can only wait.

October 25th, 2023,

Wanda has a whole town hostage.

She’s wielding chaos magic.

Pietro was an omen

This is all my fault.

Peter clutched his chest as he fought for air. His head was spinning

Y/N could see the future. When taking that and whatever light-based magic she used at the museum into consideration, Peter had no clue what she was capable of. Hell, she might have even more power hiding up her sleeve.

Worse than that, she knew his real name. She had never called him Pietro, not once, and yet she wrote about him like she knew him. The thought crossed his mind that perhaps she was writing about this universe’s Pietro, but he shut it down quickly. She would have told him if she knew something about his counterpart. Right? Right? He pocketed the idea. Y/N could be capable of anything.

Underestimating her could prove deadly.

There was one last journal entry, boldly written in the same red as the others but scrawled much messier as if it had been done in a hurry. Peter had to force himself to focus on the words as he shook from a healthy mix of fear and rage.

November 1st, 2023,

Jimmy called me today. Peter is here.

Well, not here yet, but he’s here. He called to ask if I could take in a superpowered individual who he had in witness protection. The moment the words reached me I could see them walking in, Jimmy and Peter. My Peter. I accepted, of course. Only 5 hours left to go until they arrive. Surprisingly, journaling is doing little to calm my nerves.

I shouldn’t be this afraid. I know the outcome. I’ve been preparing to meet him for almost 3000 years now. Still, I can’t help but think the next 5 hours will be the longest of my whole existence.

His room is already set up, as it has been for a long time, but I should dust before he gets here so it doesn’t look like I was waiting for him. If I know anything, I know that Peter cannot know about what I am or what he means to me. This burden shall be mine to bear alone.

Is it selfish to hope that he never goes home? Even if it is, I deserve to be a little bit selfish.

Four and a half hours left. Just a little more time until he’s home and safe. I’ll be counting every second.

The journal fell from Peter’s hands with a dull thud.

At that moment, the front door opened.

“Hey, Peter! I’m home, and I brought dinner,” Y/N’s voice was bright as she stepped past the threshold, “where are you?”

“The study,” he called back, “we need to talk,”

Peter could almost hear Y/N’s breath hitching in the other room. Then, silence. All of the warmth that had flowed so abundantly from every nook and cranny of the study moments before seemed to drain away, leaving the room lifeless and cold. All the while the eyes of the painted men watched on like sentinels above the world of man.

A minute passed, maybe two, but soon enough Y/N had appeared in the doorway, eyes cast down to the floor where the journal had fallen from Peter’s grasp. She smiled sadly. “I’m guessing you found my journal,”

He didn’t give her the indulgence of a verbal reply.

“How much did you read?” She whispered, walking past Peter and sitting down on the small, rolling office chair that rested in front of the desk.

“All of it,” he muttered back.

Peter had never been one for confrontation. It was in the nature of his power to want to run from things, and run from them fast. He ran from his bullies, he ran from his father, he ran from his universe… this time, though, there was nowhere to run to.

Strangely, he found that even if there were, he wouldn’t want to run from this.

Y/N slowly wrapped her arms around herself, gripping the soft knit of her sweater sleeves. “I assume you have questions… I’ll answer whatever you want me to. Once you know the truth, we can decide where to go from there,”

Peter couldn’t help himself from blurting out his first thought.

“What the hell are you?”

A small laugh escaped from her lips. It was an awkward thing, loud and crass against the quiet words that had been exchanged moments before.

“What am I,” Y/N chuckled. Slowly, she lowered her head into her hands. “Peter, I’ve been asking myself the same question for a long, long time,” She scrubbed at her eyes with her fingers. It was like she was trying to forget something terrible that she’d seen, her hands desperately finding purchase against her eyelids as she laughed at nothing.

Peter gulped. “Are you…. are you not human?”

Y/N gave him a scathing look that told him his question was a stupid one.

“Well, if you’re not human, where did you come from? Are you an alien?”

Humorless laughter continued to ring out against the cold walls.

“Are you going to let me answer your original question first, or are you going to keep speculating?” She sighed, lifting her gaze to meet him. Exhaustion danced across her face, like all of the life had been drained from her in the short time she had spent speaking to him after she got home.

He stopped himself from questioning her further for the moment in favor of deciphering the sad look in her eyes. It wasn’t hard to believe that he had been mesmerized enough by her beauty to ignore all of the suspicious things she did. In all honesty, he still was.

“I wasn’t born,” Y/N started, hugging herself tighter, “but I didn’t spontaneously appear one day either. I was created. My mother and father are… well, to put it plainly, fae royalty. They were the first fairies, high elves who had evolved to become conduits for life energy, but they were lonely. They wanted a child of their own, an heir who would be powerful enough to protect the realm from invaders, so they found the largest source of energy available: the embodiment of the sun, Lugh.”

Her leg began to bounce, her foot tapping ceaselessly against the wooden floorboards. Peter didn’t quite notice, though, too enraptured in her story to notice much of anything else.

“They combined their life forces with Lugh’s light and created a child with capabilities beyond anything the nine realms had seen up until that point. It stored massive amounts of magical energy within its soul and accomplished all of the typical fae magical feats with no problem, but it was also connected to all the life around it. Elves who met the heiress said that they felt calm in its presence, and felt compelled to give her whatever she desired when they looked into her eyes. They named the child Puck. That child was me,”

“So you’re a fairy?” Peter asked.

“Fairy, fae, elf, freak of nature…” Her voice trailed off into nothingness as she closed her eyes, “I’ve never quite fit into any of the labels I was supposed to,”

“But why do you look so…”

“Human?” Y/N’s voice quivered, “Yeah, after living here so long keeping my human face on is second nature,”

Peter couldn’t tell if he should be terrified, enraged, or intrigued.

As gently as he could manage, he padded over to Y/N on her chair and cupped her small, soft cheek in his hand. She leaned into the touch without a second thought, squeezing her eyes shut and letting a few tears fall from her eyes. His voice was soft as he perched down at her level.

“Show me?”

Y/N gave him a short nod before pulling her face away. Both of them winced minutely at the loss of contact. Slowly, though, the glamour around Y/N’s face melted away. Once it was gone, she was finally herself.

Her ears were pointed, sloping in a soft horizontal line through the strands of her hair. Her eyes were different, too. The pupil was larger, more doll-like, but not by very much. The largest difference was, admittedly, the scars.

Y/N was mostly covered, bundled up in her sweater to fight against the cold, but her hands were littered with scars of all shapes and sizes. Most were old, pale divots in her flesh, but there were a few new ones too, trailing pink and red in angry lines across the meat of her calloused palms. The scars didn’t seem to stop at her hands. Specifically, the largest and most wicked of all the scars was a thick gash that ran all the way down from the top of her cheekbone to the base of her neck. The skin looked as if it had been eviscerated, torn completely through, but somehow it had healed up relatively well.

When Peter met Y/N’s gaze, her face was full of shame.

“Isn’t it atrocious?” she muttered, revealing little, sharp incisors hidden beneath her full upper lip, “You can’t blame me for wanting to hide this from you, Peter, not after seeing me like this. This isn’t the kind of face someone wants to wake up next to in the morning,”

Peter had a hard time finding the right thing to say in response.

He was still angry, and rightfully so. Y/N had been keeping the truth about what she was away from him and still had many more secrets up her sleeve about how they were connected. If he wanted to get the truth out of her he couldn’t get away with going soft so early in the game.

That being said, he still felt for her. His heart ached as she hid the scar on her cheek with her hand. She had been so kind, so outgoing, but now she was a shrinking violet doing her best to disappear from his view.

Peter’s gut said to push forward, but his heart urged him to take her face in his hands and kiss her until the pain went away. In the end, he followed his gut.

“I don’t care about what you look like,” he said, standing up and moving to lean on the doorframe, “I care about answers,”

“Of course you do,” With a heaving breath, Y/N’s face morphed back into its human form, “everybody always does,”

Suddenly, a book flew off the shelf to Peter’s right and landed directly in Y/N’s outstretched hand. “How-” he gaped.

“A retrieval spell,” she muttered, “Now where was I…”

She searched through the pages for a moment before landing on an illustration and turning it out towards Peter. It looked ancient, hand done with some sort of brown ink and captioned in a language he couldn’t begin to understand. The illustration itself was easier to decipher. It featured a child in a crown holding up a sword in front of what looked to be an army.

“Because I was created instead of born I was able to skip all the messy parts of childhood, but that meant I had to skip all the fun ones. From the day I was born my parents had me trained to take the throne. I learned combat, diplomacy, etiquette… my parents weren’t equipped for fighting against the Asgardians who always seemed to be eyeing our land, but they were determined to make sure I was. I was a machine of rote motions until I saw you for the first time,”

Peter froze. “Me?”

Y/N cracked a smile. “Who else? I was less than 100 years old then, still a child at heart, and one night when I fell asleep I dreamed of a silver-haired man who looked nothing like any of the elves I knew in a strange room filled with mysterious artifacts. It was like seeing the world through brand new eyes. My gift was so magical back then, so new, a source of joy. I kept seeing you wherever I went, flashes of your life behind my eyes during the day and full prophetic dreams at night… things didn’t stay that pleasant for long, though,”

Her eyes began to well up with tears.

Peter considered reaching out to comfort her, but his confusion held him back. She blinked the tears away before she continued.

“I started seeing terrible things happening to you. I saw experiments, broken limbs… even death. They wouldn’t stop. No matter how much I tried to turn them off they just wouldn’t stop,” her voice trembled and her shoulders shook as she spoke. “That’s when my parents sent me away. They claimed I couldn’t let the citizens see their future leader as someone weak, so I was taken into isolation until I learned how to control what I saw. It took me almost 350 years of silent study and meditation but I was able to master my foresight. I didn’t just see you anymore, I could see anyone’s future if I put my mind to it, and I could control when I had my visions. They only let me out to fight in the war against the Asgardians, who had taken the chance to attack,”

“So you’re telling me that thousands of years before I was even born you just… saw me in the future?” Peter’s voice wavered. Y/N shrugged and turned the book back towards herself, searching through the pages once again.

“Yes and no. It’s hard to explain,”

“Well try!” his voice came out in a sudden shout. Y/N flinched. “I just want to know what the hell is going on here! Because, the way I’m seeing it right now, I got kidnapped out of my home because someone decided I was predestined to play house with an elf instead of staying with my friends and family,”

He regretted his tone the second he stopped shouting.

Y/N, despite her reaction, seemed almost unphased. In fact, she seemed to be shaking less than she had been before.

“Y/N… I’m sorry-”

“Don’t,” she said sharply, “don’t apologize. Not to me. This whole mess is my fault,”

Peter went to open his mouth again, to find something to say, but found himself speechless. He was speechless a lot around Y/N. She turned the book around again.

This time the illustration seemed to be of a woman on a throne. There was red ink on the page too, not just brownish-black like the last one. It was splattered across the woman and at her feet.

“I fought Asgardians for 50 years on the front lines, killing a great many of them in the process. Even Thor, their golden boy with his stupid magical hammer, was no match for me. I saw every move they made before they ever made it, so once I diminished enough of their troops they pulled out of Alfheim and returned home with their tails between their legs. When I returned home I was revered as a great hero and it was like I had never failed my parents in the first place. Their precious progeny was home victorious and prepared to reap the rewards. My teenage rebellion kicked in, though, so instead of taking back my place in the palace I demanded my parents let me go to earth as my reward for winning them their war.”

“Is that how you got your scars?” Peter asked.

Y/N sighed, closing the book and returning it to the shelf with a wave of her hand. “Yes.” Slowly, she raised her hand and touched her cheek where her scar would have been. “Some came later, but the worst of them are from the final battle. I only let my concentration slip for a second, but that was enough time for Thor to summon lightning with that damned hammer of his and get a good hit in,”

“I’m gonna be honest, your whole backstory sounds pretty shitty,”

She barked out another laugh as Peter allowed himself to smile. “If you think that was shitty, the next 2,500 years of history won’t be pleasant to listen to,”

“Don’t think I’m not still mad at you,” Peter said, but it was an empty threat. Sure, the rage he had initially felt was still there, but what had been at a boil when Y/N came home was now just a low simmer.

She offered him a soft smile back. “I wouldn’t dare. Now, that’s enough about my past. If there’s anything else you want to ask, now's the time,”

Peter busied himself with cracking his knuckles. “I still don’t really get what’s so special about me to you. Like, yeah you saw some bad stuff happen to me when you were a kid, but it’s been a really long time since then. What makes me so special?”

The smile fell from Y/N’s face.

“That’s… well that’s a good question, Peter,” She wrung her hands, standing to take a step towards him, “I don’t think I’ll be able to say it… can I show you instead?”

He quirked his head to the side. “What?”

“Can I show you?” Y/N gently tapped her forehead, “with my power?”

A soft ‘ah’ escaped Peter’s lips before he stepped forward, bridging the gap between them. “Do what you need to do,” He didn’t say he trusted her, but he didn’t need to. It went without saying.

She reached out a hand and touched Peter’s forehead without another word. Then, the wave hit him.

Seeing Y/N’s mind was like the first time he had ever run at full speed, an endless barrage of emotions and images blurring as he rushed towards a focal point. It felt like an eternity before the motion stopped, but once it did he found himself looking out at a rolling sea with the weight of an arm around his shoulders. In a trance, he turned his head to look at whoever was there.

“I suppose this is it for us, my dearest Lady Puck?” The man asked, running his free hand through his long black hair. His tone was light yet thoughtful. Peter easily recognized him from the first portrait on the wall.

Without any effort, a response poured from Peter’s… no, Y/N’s lips. “Y/N, Loki. My new name is Y/N,”

“Ah, yes. Remind me again why you’re renouncing your godliness and going to live among the common rabble?” The man’s words were suddenly mocking, “Oh right, you have to assimilate to prepare for your darling Peter,”

“Don’t say it like that,” The Y/N of the past pulled her knees to her chest.

Loki nodded. “Forgive me. I’m just taking this a little harder than I should be. Who would have thought that I would fall in love with my mortal enemy?” He paused, “Will our paths cross again,”

Y/N shook her head no. “You will return to Asgard and remain there for as long as I can see. I think this is where we diverge,”

Peter watched from his position of backseat driver as Loki leaned close to Y/N. “Well, all good things must come to a close at some point,” He stroked her scar, smiling softly, “but don’t think that I’ll let you go to just anyone. I know this Peter is just a puny mortal, so expect me to come back and find you once he appears. Consider me your own personal Mjolnir! I will determine if he’s worthy of your heart,”

Giggles escaped from Y/N’s lips. “Loki! Don’t you dare,”

“You couldn’t stop me if you tried, darling,” He growled back, before capturing Y/N’s lips in a kiss. When he pulled away, he smiled his sharp-toothed grin. “Fly free, Lady Puck. I’ll see you again,”

A deep, foreign ache in Peter’s heart told him that he never did. Then, Loki was gone, blurred into the flood of memories and feelings in Y/N’s mind. The second time was easier than the first, but he still felt an acute nausea as he was thrown into another memory. This time he seemed to be much closer to the present.

Y/N was sketching something on a canvas, penciling in soft, rounded lines as the man with the pencil mustache lounged on a nearby chair, tie crooked.

“So tell me about this Peter,” he asked, taking a long puff from a cigar.

“Well, everyone, where I’m from, says he must be my soulmate. He’s witty, and fast, and has this phenomenal shock of silver hair,”

Peter, despite what he’d just seen in Y/N’s memories, was still shocked at her words. Soulmates?

“But you’ve never met him, so how do you know?” He asked, “Look, sweet cheeks, I’m not one to judge, but how do you know he’s even real?”

Y/N scowled, letting her pencil slip and adding an unwanted line to her sketch. “Howard, have I ever been wrong before?”

“Well no, but-”

“Exactly,” Y/N abandoned the sketch in favor of walking over and sitting at the foot of Howard’s chair. “Besides, even if he isn’t real, I know enough about him that he might as well be,”

“Whatever you say, sweet thing,” He chuckled, offering her his cigar. She accepted it thankfully.

“Anyways, it’s like I can feel him getting closer and closer,” Peter could just feel Y/N’s grin as she spoke, cheeks flushed, “I just can’t wait to finally meet him.”

“I’m guessing that means you’ll have to give up helping me with my little projects,”

Y/N took a long puff, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke. “Not exactly. We still have time left, Howard. Besides, I don’t do much to help, I can’t even touch any of your materials,”

Howard snorted. “I still can’t believe you’re allergic to silver and iron of all things. I didn’t even know that was possible,”

“You’re just mad it means you have to buy me expensive jewelry instead of the cheap shit you’ve bought for other women,”

“You know me too well,”

They both laughed and Y/N handed Howard back his cigar.

In the blink of an eye, Peter was transported again. It was almost like riding a bike after a long time, where the deeper he delved the more comfortable he felt. This time, instead of nausea, there was a strange warmth in his chest.

Y/N stood at the edge of a crowded dance hall as the men from the 3rd and 4th portrait approached, drinks in hand. Peter was beginning to see a pattern.

“A sidecar for the pretty lady,” the bigger of the men joked while leading the group to a small table.

Y/N accepted the glass gladly, taking a long drink. “Thank you, James”

The small one sat across from her and took a long drink of his beer.

“You too, Steve,” she amended, earning a smile.

“Now doll,” James leaned in close, his forearms braced against the table, “Steve and I wanted to thank you for the little favor you did us last week. Didn’t we, Steve?”

Steve nodded quickly. “You really are a knockout gal’ Y/N. You didn’t have to, but you did, and we couldn’t be more grateful,”

Y/N shrugged. “It was nothing. Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me,”

“We never doubted that-”

James jumped in. “We just wanted you to know we were thinking about you, and Steve brought up that it would be nice to return the favor. I was thinking maybe we could help find you a beau, anybody you want, and by anybody, we mean anybody, not limited to conventional partners”

Y/N’s face began to flush as she started laughing, offering each of the men one of her hands. “James, Steve, I love you both to death and I would never want to make you feel like I felt anything else, but no. No way,”

The two men joined her in her laughter, but Steve stopped a little quicker than the other two did, looking down at his hands. “We just noticed that you don’t get out much. You’re beautiful Y/N, really beautiful, and it’s not fair that you have to be alone,”

“Oh, Steve” She gave his hand a squeeze, “you’re incredibly sweet, but my heart already belongs to someone. He…” Y/N’s voice trailed off, the ambient noise in the bar suddenly deafening. Peter could hear his own name, whispered gently from the depths of her mind.

James gave her a look of pity. “Oh, doll… did you lose him overseas? Is that why?”

Y/N was shocked but quickly covered for herself. “Yes, how did you know?”

“You’ve just got that faraway widow’s look in your eye,” James responded.

“Sorry for your loss,” Steve added quickly.

Y/N looked down and noticed her glass was empty. She stood suddenly. “It’s alright boys, it’s alright. Now, which of you is gonna do me the honor of joining me for the next song?”

Peter was pulled from the memory gently the moment James shot her a wolflike grin, drifting through the collage of colors and feelings for a moment before he heard his name, whispered from within the darkness.

There was a strong pull towards the light, dragging him out of Y/N’s mind, but something was calling for him to go deeper, delve further to find… well, he didn’t know yet. In a split-second decision, he threw himself towards the voice only to find himself strapped to some kind of chair, screaming.

No, Y/N was screaming. It was an atrocious, wet sound, and Peter could taste the metallic tang of blood on her tongue. He felt no pain physically, but he could feel the memory of pain, the phantom sensation of torturous, searing agony burning through her veins. Her screaming cut off suddenly, and Peter was once again pulled from the memory and into another.

“Prinţesă?” A man asked, and Peter looked up to find his doppelganger from the final portrait looking down at Y/N. He looked worse for wear, with dirt and dust coating his face and hair. Around them, the sounds of shooting and crumbling buildings rang out in the streets. Y/N was gripping his sleeve like a lifeline. “What are you doing?”

“Please, Pietro, don’t go,” fat tears ran down Y/N’s cheeks and Peter felt a pit of dread drop into his stomach. “You can’t go,”

“I will be right back for you,” Pietro reassured her, “and then once Ultron is defeated we will return to Stark’s compound with Wanda. Things will be good from now on. No more Hydra, no more sneaking around, just you and me and the whole world waiting to be explored,”

Y/N gripped his sleeve tighter. “You don’t understand! You can’t go. I can’t lose you like this. Not now. Not after I've only just found you after all this time!"

Pietro laughed softly. With a grimey hand, he wiped the wetness from Y/N’s face. “Draga mea, you do not have to worry about me. I am faster than those stupid machines.” Suddenly, a child’s wails filled the air. Pietro looked around, searching for the source, but Y/N didn’t budge, almost as if she expected it. “You need to let me go, I need to go help that child,”

Y/N shook her head no. “We need to go, Pietro, we need to get out of here. I can fly us off before it hits and then we can run and never look back. Please, come with me Pietro, before it’s too late,”

He yanked his arm away from Y/N’s grip, puzzled. “And leave these innocents to die?”

She nodded furiously, sobbing silently as she held herself. “Are their lives really so important that you’d throw yours away?”

Pietro backed away from Y/N slowly, disgust spreading on his face. “Yes,” he spat, “and I thought you agreed,” Then, he paused, “We will talk about this later. I am disappointed in you Y/N,” ...and then he was gone before she even had the chance to say goodbye.

The gunshots that followed were the loudest of all.

Then, Y/N was running through the streets, searching frantically for any sign of Pietro. When she found him, he was already getting cold.

"PIETRO!"

Her wail was deafening as she fell to the ground, scooping his body into her arms and hugging it to her chest.

“I can fix you, don’t worry Pietro,” she babbled, spit running from her mouth as she tried to push life energy from herself into him, “Don’t leave me alone now, not after all this time. I can’t lose you like this. Just hold on a little bit longer,”

No matter how much energy she poured into Pietro’s body, it just drained right back out. That didn’t stop her from trying, though. Somewhere in the distance, Peter could hear someone wailing his name, but he held onto the memory, gazing down at his dead doppelganger’s empty eyes.

Y/N’s babbling didn’t stop, even as the ground beneath her began falling down. She ran her fingers through Pietro’s messy hair and held him closer to her chest.

“It’s okay Pietro, you’re safe now. Nothing can hurt you anymore. Le ni meleth, Pietro. Everything will be okay now. I’ll be with you soon, nin melda. Wait for me. I am so sorry,” As an impact destroyed the street around them, Y/N pressed a soft kiss to Pietro’s forehead, and Peter was thrown forcibly from her mind.

“Peter!” Y/N wailed, hands shaking as she pressed a scarred palm to his forehead and pushed his sweat-soaked hair away. “Peter you have to wake up now, you have to wake up!”

He shot up, heaving in a breath that soothed his burning lungs. It was a shock to be back in his own body. Slowly, Peter realized he wasn’t standing anymore. Instead, his head had been resting on Y/N’s lap while he splayed out on the cold wood floor.

As he reacclimated to his body, Y/N wrapped her arms around herself and sobbed.

Once he had enough air in his lungs, Peter only had one question; “What the hell just happened?”

Y/N cried louder, rocking back and forth. “You died! I messed up and you died! It’s all my fault, all of this is all my fault,”

Peter pulled himself up into a sitting position. “Y/N,” he said firmly, “You need to calm down and tell me what just happened,”

She shook her head no, clawing at her hair as she dribbled onto the floor.

In a moment of weakness, which was probably warranted, Peter broke. “Y/N!” he shouted, “Get it together! What. Happened.”

Y/N stilled, eyes dead. “I was trying to pull you out of my memories,” she mumbled, still trembling, “but for some reason, I couldn’t get you to let go. I kept trying and trying but it wouldn’t work. Then you just… collapsed and your heart stopped. I was trying to heal you, but I had to keep the connection between us going while I did so you wouldn’t get lost in my memories and- and-” her words devolved into quiet sobs as Peter slouched against the wall, lifting his hand and finding that his cheeks were wet too.

He wanted to comfort her. To tell her it was okay, that he was okay. To make sure she knew he wasn’t angry anymore, that he understood… that he loved her too. Somehow, though, he couldn’t find the words. All he could do was stare forward and cry as the vision of Pietro’s dead body danced behind his eyelids.

When Y/N finally quieted, she stood silently. “What did you see,” she whispered.

“Pietro,” Peter wheezed back.

Y/N nodded, wiping her face.

“I’m so sorry, Peter. You were never supposed to see that.” She walked towards the door, opening it up and pausing in the doorway. “Jimmy’s number is next to the rotary phone in the den and my bank card will be on the side table in the mudroom. I… goodbye, Peter. I’ll let myself out,"

Peter turned, reaching a hand out to try to stop her from leaving, but she was already gone, so he just let himself go limp, crying for a man he never met but knew better than he ever wanted to.

-----

Elvish/Sindarin Translation:

Le Ni Meleth: I love you

Nin Melda: My dearest

a/n: Thank you so much for reading!!! The word count really got away from me, but at least now all of the exposition is out of the way! Expect the next part to be out either today or tomorrow.

Please don’t post my work to other sites, thanks! <3

#peter maximoff #peter maximoff x reader #evan peters #evan peters x reader #quicksilver #fanfic #x-men fanfiction #ralph bohner

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wordynerdygurl · 4 years

Text

Skin Deep ~ Part 1

Author’s Note: Hello, hello, hello! I hope everyone’s staying healthy and Six Feet Away from everyone else! Remember, kiddies, wearing a mask keeps all of us safe! With that out of the way, I hope you all like this new series! The idea has been percolating for awhile and I’m happy to share part one with you here. As you all know, I typically write for Loki and while he will be making a major appearance in this ditty, it won’t be until Part 2. Come along for the ride, won’t you?? You know that I love all of you, all the likes, comments, reblogs, and consideration... so thank you all so much! Asks are open, so message me if you have an idea! Or, asked to be tagged in future stories! Always, thanks to @sammy-jo1977, beta reader and friend, for encouraging me during this one!

Pairing: Loki X Reader, Steve Rogers X Reader, Natasha & Reader friendship Summary: Loki’s leaving two years ago changed you in ways that Natasha and Steve can’t abide. Encouraged to find love again, in the arms of Steve Rogers, seems like a great idea. But what happens when Loki comes to claim what he’s promised? Warnings: Angst, Lost Love, Eventual SMUT

Part 1

Plopping down to the planed floor with a soft “Ooph”, you immediately reached for your water bottle. Oh sweet, icy cold condensation rolling off, taunting you with the allure of complete hydration. With a swipe of your sweat covered brow, you flipped open the cap, panting, “Why do we do this?”

“Because we ate all of Tony’s gourmet donuts.”

“That was weeks ago… and all your fault, I might add!”

Natasha eased herself down to your level, not looking as winded or wiped as you did, “God, they were delicious.”

“He special orders those, ya know? Calls the bakery weeks ahead to make sure they bring enough of those… what are they? Eclairs?” “Cream horns. Loves those things.” Natasha, grunting, as she pulled her ballet slipper free. Turning to your friend, laughing tiredly, “So do I!” Resting your head on the wall behind you, “Thanks for coming with me. I know you get your workouts in with the team, but I just can’t imagine running around in that gym…”, you trailed off, unsaid words hanging in the air.

Natasha didn’t respond beyond a nod, adding, “It’s fun! And I don’t have to hear Steve’s whining over you the whole time.” “As if, Nat.” “I’m serious.” Natasha stretched like a cat before rising, “He likes you almost as much as you like Tony’s donuts.” Chuckling, you took the hand she offered, pulling you up to standing. You moved through the locker room, still out of breath, trailing Natasha until she stopped in front of units 14 and 16. Throwing you a towel, drying her own dampened skin, “Donuts aren’t Loki. You know that right?” Snorting around the bottle at your lips, sputtering, “Jesus, Nat! Yes. Yes. I am very well aware of the fact that Loki is not donuts… or donuts are not him. Or whatever the hell you are trying to say to me. I know, Ok?” “It’s just…” She busied herself digging through her bag, not looking at you, trying to keep her voice light. Edged with unspent anger, gruffer than you liked to hear yourself, “Yea?” “You’re... snippy. How long has it been now?” Tossing the question over her shoulder casually like it was no more than her sweat soaked towel. Standing now on overworked legs, “You know how long it’s been Nat.” Pulling your locker open with a jerk, a hard sigh ripping from your throat, the flash of hurt undeniable. Shutting her own firmly, “... when do you move on, then?” “When? Better question: How? How do I? He asked me to wait, Natasha. I told him I would.” “It’s been two years.” “One year, ten months, three weeks and 5 days.” Correcting your friend didn’t make you feel better. Leveling you with her cool stare, that secretive partial smile pulling at her lips, Natasha lowered herself onto the bench. Your back rested against the cool mesh metal and damn it if the liquid heat of tears weren’t forming in your eyes. Slinking over to you, Natasha wrapped her arms around your shoulders, her diminutive strength holding you close despite your clammy skin. “You deserve happiness. Even Loki would understand that.” Pausing, Natasha zipped up her bag, nudging you to follow. “Besides, you need to get laid.” Snatching up your own gym gear, “Nat! I do not.” Grumbling, you followed her towards the locker room doors, zipping up your hoodie before pushing out into the street. “Trust me. You do.” Stopping at the corner, you grabbed your friend’s hand. “He’s a God. It’s not that easy to just replace him… in my life. Or… in the bedroom, ya know?” Holding up two fingers, like a VE day salute, Natasha wiggled them in your face. Her meaning was clear. It had been two years. Too damn long. “Ok. Ok. Fine. Let’s say, you’re right. I do need to move on. What does that even look like?” Stepping through the Tower’s automatic doors, whispering your fear out loud made you feel guilty, as if you had already betrayed your promise somehow. Punching in the passcode and selecting your floor number from the elevator, Natasha focused straight ahead, answering, “You’re surrounded by super heroes.” “So? They’re co-workers. Well, technically, they’re my boss’ husband’s co-workers.” “Come on. When Loki was… around, you all hung out together. And, since he’s been gone, I know at least one of them has been keeping a close eye on you.” Interest piqued, “Really? Who?” Chuckling at your eagerness, “Steve.” “Oh.” You flexed your neck, looking at the lights above you, not entirely surprised by Nat’s admission. He might have thought his actions were stealthy, but the Captain had made his interest pretty clear, always pulling out your chair, asking about your day, and in general showing up wherever you happened to be. “You should give him a chance. And you know as well as I do-”

Cut off by the ping of the opening doors, she took a step back, letting Steve Rogers into the lift. “Ladies.” “Captain.” Nat nodded. “Captain Rogers.” Everything Natasha has been saying flooded your mind. How Steve was into you, asking about you, thinking of you. Suddenly you were acutely aware of how you looked. Short hair tucked into a cloth headband, sweat soaked strands stuck to your neck. Your sweatshirt hanging off one shoulder, the thick strap of your sports bra exposed in all it’s fluorescent green glory. Did you smell? Oh god. Sliding to the back of the car, you cowered, hoping that Captain America would ignore you completely. No dice. “How was the class?” “Good. This one-” pointing at you, Natasha continued, “-is quite the leaper!” Hot blood flooded your face, painting your neck, as you flushed under the praise. Facing you now, Steve licked over his bottom lip, “Is that so?” Had you ever noticed just how sharp his jaw actually was? Or the way his shirt sleeves, rolled up to the elbows, made his arms look so strong? Your heart thudded dully in your ears, crowding out Steve’s voice as you imagined, just for a second, being alone with him in the lift. “What?” Asking dully, stunned by the force of your long ignored need, you hadn’t heard his follow up question. Lowering his head, softly chuckling, “I asked if you two were having lunch? Could I join you?” “I’m in a meeting… Fury is in town.” Rolling her eyes, Natasha stepped out on her floor, “See you later!” You just knew she was going to grill about all this at some point, but now you were trapped in a metal box with one of those sexy superheroes she’d told you to move on with. Doors closing with a metallic hiss, Steve smiled at you sweetly, “About lunch?” “Um… well, I’d need to shower. Change…” Talking with your hands, betraying your nervous energy, you struggled with an excuse as to why you couldn’t join with the Captain. “I can wait. Want to meet up on the patio… say, forty five minutes?” Looking so hope filled, you found yourself smiling broadly at the blonde Adonis, now holding open the doors, waiting for your reply. “Sure. Forty five minutes.”

It took an hour. You hadn’t meant to, but by the time you’d cleaned up, thrown on a skirt and tucked in your tee shirt, slapped on a bit of mascara and tied your sneakers, it had been sixty minutes. Even though you were jumpy and jittery, since Loki left, this was the closest thing to a date you’d been on. Stepping out onto the patio, squinting into the noonday sun, you spotted the golden boy easy enough. Sitting comfortably, a brown paper bag on the table, Steve looked completely at ease waiting for your grand entrance. Shifting, he glanced your way, freezing at the sight of you. Gaining his feet slowly, Steve watched your approach, “Hi…” There was a tone of appreciation in his voice that made your skin tingle. “Hello, Captain.” God, even the sound of your voice was sexy. Steve found himself stuttering, flustered, by the overwhelming sweetness of you. Clapping his hands against his leg, “Um… please, call me Steve, ok?” “Yes, ok. Steve.” A long minute passed where you looked at Steve and he looked back at you. He was just so glad to have you all to himself, uninterrupted, that looking at you took his breath away. It also erased his manners for a heartbeat, “Please, sit down. I, uh… I had some sandwiches made.” Tucking a lock of short hair behind your ear, you grinned, “Is this… is this a picnic? For me?” Squinting a bit, shrugging his shoulders with a laugh, “Maybe?” “Maybe is ok with me.” Reflecting that tentative tone, part curious, part cautious, you reached for the bag. “I’m starving!” Sipping from your glass bottle Coke, you looked over the Avenger before you. So wholesome, so clean cut. Nothing like the dark and devious God of Mischief who’d stolen your heart and then abandoned it so long ago. Munching on your sandwiches, delicious and fresh, your nervousness ebbed away. Basic first date stuff flowed between the pair of you, movies you loved and why, favorite colors and school subjects. Hobbies came next, and you found yourself surprised when Steve shyly admitted, “Drawing. I love to draw. Before I was… um… when I was just Steve, I could sketch myself into another world. It was freeing.” “That’s how I feel about music.” Talking to Steve felt nice. And you knew that was a cliche adjective, but nice was so easy. It’s how you found yourself talking about your first live concert, Heart, when you were eight and how it made you love rock music as a kid. “Heart… sounds familiar.” He was cute as mused over the placing the name, wiping the Dorito dust off his fingers. Excitedly you recited songs that meant so much to you, “Barracuda? Magic Man?” “Magic Man… I think I know that one.” Unable to stop yourself, singing into the now drained Coke bottle turned microphone, “Try to understand, try, try, try to understand! He’s a Magic Man, mama… He’s got magic hands!” Clapping at your performance, Steve smiled at you, warm and even. “Magic Men? Magic hands, huh?” And suddenly, Loki was there, front and center in your thoughts. The scent of worn leather and dark liquor filled your nose, phantoms from memory, come to torment you. An image of Loki and those wickedly smart hands, coaxing you onto your back as his silver tongue devoured your sopping center already overdue for his attention, was as real now as when you had lived it. He had magic hands. He’d proven that to you over and over again. Tears rose to your eyes, clouding your vision, as everything that was sweet about the afternoon turned sour. “Um… I’m sorry Steve. I need to… uh… I have to go.” Stumbling to your sneakered feet, you quickly cleared the table, unable to look at the super soldier as you made a fast escape. “I lost someone I loved too.” His words made you stop in your tracks, his tone darker than you’d ever hear before. In four long strides, Steve caught up with you, just as your hand gripped the door’s handle.

Unable to turn, afraid to face him, sobbing softly, “I know Steve… but this is different.” “Yea… I know. I know it is.” Hearing his voice, just as raw, just as ragged as your own, made it easier to give in. Putting the door to your back, looking at Steve through wet lashes, frustration in his baritone, “I just… damn.”

Lifting his blue eyes to yours, begging for the words that would somehow make all of this normal, “Would you ever… could you ever…?” Your mouth started moving, swayed by the earnestness of his sentiment, “Maybe. It’s the best I can do, Steve.” “Maybe is ok with me.”

Wavering now, your smile faltering as tears threaten to fall, “Thanks.” If he answered, you didn’t hear it. Rushing inside with a fist in your mouth, hoping to block the lovesick cry that ripped from you, practically running down the hallway to your place. Not wanting anyone to see you so broken, so torn, after all this time, you needed to escape. Safely in your apartment, all alone, collapsing on the bed, you couldn’t stop your mind from replaying the afternoon. From the gentle banter and kind hearted ‘get to know you’ vibes of your lunch with Steve, when you had opened up to the idea of a new love, a new start. To how easy it was to let Loki creep into your thoughts, a riptide pulling you back into the shadows of your feelings for his dark desire. Guilty bile burned your throat at the idea that you might be betraying your absent love… letting him down, somehow. Hitting the pillow behind you, weeping openly now, you thought about the last time Loki had come to you. His words, his actions, all showing a deep affection for you. Even if Loki had never said the actual word, he had shown you time and again that he did truly love you. “Pet. We must speak.” Sex drunk and sapped, you curled over the lithe chested God in your bed, “Sounds serious…” Sitting up, Loki forced you to move, his profile sharp in the dim light of early dawn. “I’ve been called to Jotunheim.” Leaning back on your elbows, “Ok… Jotunheim. Why?” His broad back to you, Loki’s head dipped forward, resting on his folded legs. “I… I am the rightful heir to their throne. They need a ruler and-” turning to face you, “-it is me. There is talk of war. If there’s any chance to avoid it, I must be there. I have to go.” Leaning your cheek into his shoulder, you sighed, “You have to go. I understand that.” “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.” Nosing under his arm, smooshing against Loki’s ribs, “Hmm… you’ve been away before. I always manage, somehow… and...” Looking down at you through his dusky lashes, a secretive smile on those tasty lips, “And?” “You always come back to me.” “I do… I have. Will you…” Pausing, Loki twined his fingers with yours, testing the weight of your hand, “That is… wait for me?” Pressing a small kiss to his sweet mouth, “Always, babe. I’ll be right here.”

“Promise me. Promise that you’ll wait for me.” Panic flashed over him, causing Loki to tug you closer, crushing you against his chest, his mouth conquering yours thoroughly. “I promise, Loki. Promise me that you’ll be careful.” Solemnly nodding, “Yes. I promise, pet.” Satisfied, smoothing his hair off his forehead, “I love you. You know that.” Soothing the shaken prince, your words calmed him and Loki found a fragile peace in the parting of your lips. Lowering you against the cotton sheets, taking what was promised to him once more, Loki lingered over your tender body, committing every dip and dimple to memory. Your arms clung to his, hooked under his bulging biceps, fingers wrapping over the back of his shoulders. There was only you and Loki in the deepening dark of dawn. His slow and steady rhythm forcing your knees to the side, opened wide for him. Your body, always eager, now overflowing with want, welcomed Loki again and again. How softly he hummed, “Pet… my pet… wait for me. Wait for me.” And your own responsive reply, “Yes, Loki. Yes. Always.” Teeth nipped at your neck, biting hard, marking you. In that shared moment of giving and receiving of pain, your body surrendered to Loki’s masculine invasion, even as you conquered his desire. Shivering in his arms, sleep pulling you away from your lover, “Loki… I’ll wait forever.” When you woke up, still dressed from your lunch date with Steve, your pillow was soaked through. You hadn’t cried over Loki in months, let alone in your sleep. Talking it over with Natasha later you whispered, “It was like I relived our last night together. I could feel him, Nat. Smell him. Loki was there.” “No. He hasn’t been on Earth in two years.” Shaking her head in disbelief at your close to insane theory, Natasha was quick to correct you. “Well, it felt real. And you know why this happened?” “If you’re going to say it’s because of Steve, don’t.” Ignoring Natasha, whispering conspiratorially, lest your imagined Loki overhear you, “It’s because of Steve. Somehow, Loki knows.” “We don’t even know if Loki is alive. So, him knowing that you’ve gone on one… almost date with Steve, that’s just…” Words escaped her, but a hand gesture that questioned your mental status finished her thought. Sitting back in your chair, eyeing your friend cooly, “It’s not crazy, Nat. And neither am I.” “I didn’t say you were.” “You implied it.” Mimicking her hand motion, miffed, you started typing on your phone. Why couldn’t she get it? Loki wasn’t like Steve. He wasn’t like any other man. Loki knew things, felt things, even across space and time.

After multiple failed attempts to engage you, all met with your stony silence, “I’m sorry, ok. I just… I just really don’t believe that Loki is haunting you from outer space.” Snapping open her iced tea Natasha took a long sip, “Besides, I want to know what happened with Steve.” Still concentrating on your phone, “It was fine.” “Fine? That’s it? You were on the patio for a long time.” She was teasing you now, but damn it, Natasha didn’t have to be so dismissive. “So? It was nice.” Eyes still locked on your device, you knew it was killing her, but you wanted Natasha to validate your Loki theory before you gave her any details about your date. Sighing, Natasha picked at her salad greens, “Ok. Ok. Loki is watching you from afar and he’s probably ghosting you, so you have every right to be worried.” Beaming widely, having won the battle of wills, “Thank you!” “Now, please, please, will you tell me about you and Steve?” Shifting in your seat, “He was sweet. It was all going well… until…” “Until?” “Until... Loki.” you shrugged. “Ugh." Sighing with unchecked disgust, Natasha tossed her fork down, fixing you with a hard stare. “It… it’s hard ok? I mean, I’m trying to be… open to Steve, to the idea of Steve. And, he really is so kind.” You couldn’t help blushing just a bit. He had been so awfully understanding, so real in a way that Loki had never been, that you felt a bit bad about bailing on him. Listening, Natasha could see that you were working on opening up to the super soldier, so she let you off the hook saying, “I know… I know. I’m just really pulling for you two!” Placing your hand over hers, you squeezed, “I know you are. I just… I’m not sure that I’m ready.” Natasha's face softened and she bobbed her head. Munching on her veggies, “Listen. At some point you have to get back to being yourself. I miss you. The old you. We all do.” This was news to you. “You all miss the old me? I haven’t changed.” “But you have. Look at you. Today you’re wearing grey. Yesterday, grey. The day before, black.” Pulling at your simple, comfortable, sweater, “Your point?” “You had pink hair when I met you. Remember?” Folding her arms on the table, leaning into you, Natasha was begging for you to challenge her assessment. Of course you remembered. You had dyed it yourself, but that was a different time, a different you. Coolly answering, “Well, I wasn’t Pepper’s PA then, was I?” “No… but you were still working here. Tony hired you for your ballsy attitude. Truthfully, I think that’s why Loki fell so hard for you too.” Stopping to gauge your reaction, Natasha smiled tightly, “You were so…” “Full of life.” Rich and warm, you recognized his voice without turning around. Steve swung into the free chair at your table, interrupting your conversation, gaze pointed your way. “Exactly!” Agreeing, Natasha clapped the super soldier on the back before refocusing her attention on you. “Wow.” The recently quelled anger crept back into your tone as you sassed, “Well, I guess I didn’t realize that I had become a shadow of my former self. Excuse me, Captain. Natasha. Wouldn't want to bum you out.” Unable to hide the hurt in your voice, you rose smoothly, swiftly breaking for the exit. “Wait! Will you please, just hold up a minute.” Barely jogging to your side, Steve caught up with you a little too quickly for your liking. Still raw, you bit into your bottom lip, glaring at him defiantly, “Yes Captain.” “Don’t do that, doll. Please?” “I’m not your doll.” but you did stop, turning on him, an angry glare in your clear eyes. “Fine. You’re not. I just thought…” trailing off, Steve, always unable to say exactly what you needed to hear went silent now. “You thought? What? That all of the sudden you and Nat would convince me that I don’t love Loki? That I’m a fool for waiting for him? That he’s clearly not coming back? What exactly were you thinking Steve?” fury spun out from you like smokey swirls, threatening to burn the boy down. Steve kept his cool even though you saw his jaw tighten, “No. Not that. I thought… I thought, maybe…” Running a rough hand through his blonde hair, “I thought I had a chance.” “I told you maybe, Steve. Maybe. Maybe I could…” Dropping your hands in defeat, damp eyes pleading with him silently, “There’s more to this story than you know.” “That might be true. Maybe there is some element here that I’m missing. But I know this,” closing in on you, your rump bumping into the wall behind you, “If you were mine, I would never leave you.” Impossibly near, you could smell the minty holdover of toothpaste on his breath, the clinging scent of his aftershave overwhelming your senses. Watching, waiting, Steve cupped your cheek. His touch was so soft you thought you might have imagined it. Tracing your jaw, Steve’s caress continued, those smart fingers tilting your chin up. Parting your lips, your feet moved independently of your head and heart, bringing you closer to the heat of his chest. You didn’t want to want Steve. You weren’t ready to let go of Loki, even after all this time… and yet… Steve was here. With a wide, hot hand wrapping around your waist, drawing your hips snugly against his own. Closing your eyes, feeling your way over flexing arms, you settled your flying fingers on around his ribs. Always a man of action, dipping his full mouth yours, Steve’s kiss was spun sugar light. Offering sweetness and sunshine, you rose up on your toes, meeting him more than halfway. Oh, the feeling of a strong man under your hands. Someone real, not dream or memory, but warm and solid and here. Licking over the seam of Steve’s lips, spurring him on, you sighed when his tongue tentatively tasted your own.

Cradling your face in his impossibly large hands, your need swelled at the grounding support Steve offered, eagerly matching his intensity. As he pulled away, your feminine flavor on his lips, a light of lust shone in his bright eyes. Swallowing hard, “I… I hope that was alright.” Breathless and boneless, “It was more than alright, Steve.” Twisting a lock of your hair, his knuckles brushing over your blush soaked cheekbone, “I have wanted to do that for a long time, you know?” Suddenly shy, you lowered your gaze, “I know. Sorry...” Lifting your chin once more, Steve huskily whispered, “Don’t apologize, doll. Not to me. Not to anyone.” The next morning, at your desk typing away, you weren’t really expecting America’s fiercest fighter to find you. Yet there was Steve, a checkered button up shirt stretched dangerously over his wide chest, sleeves turned up so that the enhanced veins of his wrists were on display. “Hey doll.” “Hey yourself!” Again that flustered feeling washed over you. Steve was hovering right at the edge of your space, too far away, but still shockingly close. “Captain! Great to see you! Tony’s on his way up, but maybe you’d like to wait in my office?” Pepper blew in, graceful and glowing, immediately commanding the attention of their guest. “Sure. I’ll be right there.” But he didn’t budge. In fact, Steve settled himself on the corner of your desk, crossing those impossibly muscled arms, looking you over keenly. Sitting up straighter, swiveling your chair his way, “Is there something I can do for you, Captain Rogers?” That sent one of his golden eyebrows skyward, a playful grin lighting up his face. Steve leaned into you, “A few things, actually. But let’s start with dinner. Tonight, no excuses.” Pulling himself up to his full height, imposing but impossibly charming, “Not too fancy, ok?”

Breathlessly, “Yes. Ok. Yes.”

Swinging back to your computer screen, your chair stopped, forced to stillness by Steve’s heavy hand. “Oh, and doll?” Those lips of his found yours, providing enough pressure to part your own, taking you by surprise at so public a display of affection. But how could you resist when Steve curled you close? He tasted like autumn sunshine, all warm honey and cinnamon sugar, making you melt into his kiss, oblivious to the world around you. “Steve? Oh, Captain, My Captain! Please, stop harassing the help! That’s an HR nightmare waiting to happen!” Tony chided playfully as he approached. Sighing, Steve straightened, his hand lingering on your shoulder. “Tonight. I can’t wait.”

Beaming, you bit your bottom lip, Steve’s taste still on your tongue. “See you then.” Natasha watched you, pacing nervously, worrying a hole in the rug of your apartment. “He’ll be here. Relax.” “I’m not worried about him not showing up. I’m terrified that he will.” Sitting on the edge of your couch, fiddling with the hem of your skirt, “I should cancel. This… this is all happening really fast.” “Fast?” Scoffing, Natasha sashayed into your kitchen, pulling a wine glass from the cabinets she knew so well. “I wouldn’t call your first date in two years fast. If anything, you’re moving at a snail’s pace.” Giggling at her silliness, “A snail’s pace, huh?” Handing you the overfilled goblet, laughing herself, “Yea. Or, like maybe a tortoise?” You sipped cautiously, more to keep your shirt stain free than out of worry about overindulgence, “Slow and steady wins the race, Nat.” “Then what exactly are you racing towards?” It was Natasha's innate ability to turn a question back on you that made her one of your closest friends. Somehow a calming glass of pinot was part of an existential debate on your future. What were you after? “Um… I guess, I want to feel…” words failed you. Feel. Loki had taken all of those ideals with him when he left. If you were completely honest, you weren’t sure what love looked like without the impish, mischievous man at your side. Perching on the arm of your couch, brushing over your search for the right words, “Listen. I know that you’re still… torn. But, give Steve a shot. He’s been alone too long. Just like you.” A firm knock distracted you both. “Well… how do I look?” Smoothing out your skirt, you twirled for your friend, eager to be complimented. “Great! Really great! Have so much fun tonight!” Hugging her quickly, you whispered, “I will… try. I will try. And,” stepping back to look at your thoughtful friend, “Thanks.” Another knock, steady and even as the man on the other side of the door, “No problem! Now get out there, Steve’s waiting.” Nodding once more, you almost danced to the entryway, Natasha peeking into the hall just to make sure that you didn’t falter at the last minute. She felt a small pang of guilt as you opened the door on Steve, standing there with a small bouquet of flowers, hope written across his fine features. Natasha had read the last communique from SHIELD, Fury had made sure of that. What it said, that Loki was alive, and his return to Earth was almost assured, had been running through her mind ever since. All the more reason to get you out of his clutches and into Steve’s while she still could. Just the thought that Loki might come back to claim what was his, meant that there was no way you would have taken her advice, no chance that you’d have accepted Steve’s dinner invitation. Even with his smooth skills, the super soldier knew precious little about wooing women, something Nat chalked up to years under the ice. Unlike Loki, who was as clever and quick as they come. So, Natasha was the matchmaker, the one who hatched this whole scheme. It wasn’t a role she relished but it did require the skill set she had perfected over the years. Watching, waiting, setting a baited trap, springing it at the right time.

And Natasha had executed her part to perfection as evidenced by the adorable look on your face after Steve’s impromptu kiss following your tantrum the other day. Or how he’d visited your office and made your knees weak in front of everyone, including Tony. It was all anyone could talk about. To be honest, Natasha didn’t think Steve had it in him, and yet, you were walking out the door with him, off to a night of fun and romance. “Um… Nat? Could you?” Handing over the small bundle of blossoms, Natasha took them, a satisfied smile on her face. This was going to work, she could feel it. You were already halfway gone from the looks of things and Steve had been yours since the first time he’d met you. If Loki spent another month, or, fingers crossed longer, off world, Jotunheim, Vanaheim, hell, the Forest Moon of Endor, you’d be hooked on Steve and safe from that Trickster and his shifting plans. Questioning herself, Natasha wondered, not for the first time, if she was doing the right thing. The noble thing. The plain truth was she couldn’t watch you break again, not after last time. Steve wouldn’t cause that kind of hurt, he just wasn’t built that way, and that’s why she’d pulled your collective strings. Moving your pieces into play, always in your best interest, always to help, that’s what Nat told herself.

But always, deep down, she was a company girl and it was Fury who wanted to keep tight tabs on you. Without knowing the whys of Nat's scheme, he had been happy to learn about Steve's growing interest in the girl who once tamed Loki. His reasoning, as he explained to the Black Widow, was two fold.

First, knowing Steve was with you to keep you safe and under surveillance in the event that Loki contacted you was a good thing. No need to search for you while you were necking with the Captain. Second, if Loki came back needing a reminder on why he should behave, you were there as incentive… or bait, depending on the severity of the situation.

Sighing, Natasha gulped down your unfinished wine, wondering if her plan would be enough to keep you safe. Why couldn't Loki stay gone? Maybe he had moved on, just like you, and he would stay away.

Fat chance of that happening with you in play. Loki would be back. That would happen. As she placed Steve’s floral arrangement into your vase, Natasha hoped that it would be later, much later, than her reading suggested.

~ Part 2 Coming Soon!~ My Beauties: @just-random-obsessions @brokenthelovely @vodka-and-some-sass @lots-of-loki @jamielea81 @thefallenbibliophilequote @lokislittlecorner @iamverity @crystalizedcaramel @rorybutnotgilmore @jessiejunebug @alexakeyloveloki @ahintofkiwistrawberry @shxdowofdarkness @nonsensicalobsessions @mizfit2 @procrastinatinglikeabitch @thenatallie @wolfsmom1 @unadulteratedwizardlove @sammy-jo1977

#loki x reader #steve rogers x reader #loki x you #steve rogers x you #loki smut #steve rogers smut #mcu smut #marvel smut

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eastofthemoon · 3 years

Text

A Paladin in the Fire Nation

Chapter 1 Chapter 2

Rating: PG

Series: Voltron Legendary Defender/Avatar the Last Airbender

Summary: After the fight with Zarkon, Shiro accidentally gets tossed into another reality where humans have the ability to bend the elements. His best shot at returning home is with someone called the Avatar, while he waits he might as well take on the job of being the Firelord’s bodyguard.

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

Shiro had been fearful Jee or Ling would question him further, and he wouldn’t have easy answers for either of them. Thankfully once he was safely back in his cell and his cuffs were removed, Jee instructed Ling to guard him and said nothing else.

The two sat in silence which suited Shiro just fine. It gave him time to think about his situation.

It was possible this was just a planet that had never encountered Voltron or the Galra but they looked like humans, and the guard had even said they were when Shiro asked.

But this place isn’t Earth, he thought. Wish the rest of the team were here.

His fists tightened. Was everyone alright? Did they survive the fight or did Zarkon capture them all and they were-

A gentle growl rumbled through his mind.

Shiro froze. “Black?”

Ling glanced up. “What?”

Shiro choked and waved a hand. “Oh, uh nothing.”

Ling raised an eyebrow, but gave a shrug.

Shiro leaned back and took a deep breath. Black?

Black purred. The voice wasn’t as strong as she normally was, but the fact remained she was still with him.

Okay, so I’m assuming something happened during the fight with Zarkon and I got transported to this place by accident?

The Black Lion purred again.

Is the team alright? Are they safe?

Another confirmed purr came and Shiro breathed just a bit easier.

Alright, so I’m going to assume I’m not on Earth, am I on a different planet?

He felt a growl this time. Then images of the astral plane along with words of ‘different’ and ‘reality’.

Shiro froze. I’m in another reality?b

The Black Lion purred again.

Shiro took a deep breath as he ran a hand through his hair. That was a lot to take in.

Don’t suppose you can send me back?

The Black Lion growled and this time the words ‘too far’ echoed through his head.

“Figures,” Shiro muttered as he crossed his arms. So he was stuck here until he could find some way to get home. His eyes narrowed at the cell bars.

They were just made out of iron. Shiro could break out of this place easily, but he still didn’t know the layout of it. Besides, he had no idea what this reality was like.

I better just lay low until I can figure out what this place is like, Shiro thought as he drummed his fingers against his knee. Not sure how I’m going to do that though unless I get the Firelord to trust me.

Suddenly, he heard a door open. Shiro quietly watched Ling leave, heard mummering and came back with a tray of food.

“Lunch,” she decreed as she took out two bowls for herself and slipped the tray under the cell for Shiro.

Curious, Shiro pulled the tray closer to him. He wasn’t sure what kind of food this place would have.

Let’s see, looks like a kind of soup and-

Shiro blinked. Slowly, he picked up the second bowl and stared amazed at the contents. “Is that rice?”

Ling raised an eyebrow with her own bowl of soup in her hands. “Um, yes, last I checked.”

Shiro took the chopsticks and carefully picked up a mouthful of rice. He almost moaned in pleasure. Shiro had never been a picky eater, but it had been almost two years now since he’d had rice. Hunk would probably be crying if he was here.

Shiro swallowed, only to realize Ling stared at him in puzzlement.

“You..know that rice is overcooked?” she said. “And I’m fairly certain a day old.”

“I...haven’t had rice in a long time,” Shiro said slowly and forced a smile.

He couldn’t exactly explain he hadn’t had rice since he got captured in space.

Ling raised a wary eyebrow as she sat and reached for her bowl of soup.

“You are weird,” Ling replied but then shrugged as she ate more of her meal, “but I’ll take guarding you over having to watch Ozai.” She cringed. “That man gives me the creeps.”

Shiro had no idea who this Ozai was, but kept quiet as he ate another mouth.

Ling sipped her soup, but then coughed. “Arrg, really, they forgot to heat it up again,” she grumbled as she held the bowl over her right hand. “If your soup is cold, I would be willing to warm it up for you.”

“Um, thanks,” Shiro began, “but I don’t-”

A flame ignited in her hand. Shiro froze as the chopsticks slipped from his hand. Ling smiled as she held the bowl over the clearly burning fire in the palm of her hand. Once steam started to rise, the fire went out and she sipped.

“Much better,” she commented and suddenly noticed Shiro staring at her. “What?”

“How..how did you do that?” Shiro said as he pointed.

Ling blinked. “Do..what?”

“Hold a fire in your hand and not have it burn you?” Shiro asked, stunned.

Did these people have some kind of magical ability here?

Ling tilted her head. “Um..I was just bending.”

Shiro continued to blink in puzzlement.

“Fire bending,” Ling continued as she sent down her soup and waved around her arms. “You know bending.”

“I..I really don’t,” Shiro continued. “Is that some kind of spell?”

Ling’s jaw dropped as if Shiro had just said he’d never seen the sky. “What, no! Great Agni, how do you not know what bending is?!”

“For any truth that everyone knows a thousand people learn it everyday.”

Upon hearing the new voice, Ling sprang to her feet and bowed.

“Prince Iroh, forgive me,” she said as she bowed. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

Shiro frowned as the voice approached and saw it was the older man that had sat alongside Zuko earlier from the meeting.

He gave a reassuring smile as he waved at Ling. “Nothing to forgive,” he laughed. “My old bones are not creaky just yet.”

The man then turned to Shiro as he tucked his hands into his long sleeves. “We were not properly introduced,” he greeted. “I am Prince Iroh.”

“Uh..Hello,” Shiro said slowly as he stood and tried to give a bow like Ling had.

If he was stuck in this place, he had to try to stay on good terms with these people. Although, why was this man here?

Iroh nodded and then frowned upon seeing Shiro’s food tray and looked to Ling. “Is that his lunch?”

“It’s what the chef gave me to bring him,” Ling replied with a shrug.

Iroh stroked his beard. “The quality of the food seemed to have degraded since my time in prison.”

Shiro raised an eyebrow. Did he just say prison?

“I will have to have a word with the kitchen later,” Iroh continued as he returned his gaze to Shiro. “It is just as well then that I extend my invention to you.”

Shiro narrowed his eyes. “Invention?”

“To join me for lunch in my chambers,” Iroh said smiling.

Shiro raised and lowered his hand, unsure how to respond. He had wondered if perhaps this was a local custom he wasn’t aware of, but judging by Ling’s equally shocked reaction it likely wasn’t the norm.

“Your chambers?” Ling said. “Sir, the Firelord made it quite clear the intruder was to remain in his cell.”

“I am aware,” Iroh said as he patted her shoulder, “although, I do believe it is not a realistic request.”

“What do you mean?” Ling asked.

Iroh pointed to Shiro. “I mean, I am quite certain this young man could break out of his cell whenever he wished but is only reframing from doing so in order to be customary to us.”

Ling’s eyes widened and glanced into the cell. Shiro rubbed the back of his neck as he gave a sheepish shrug.

“He’s..not wrong,” he said as he held up his cybernetic hand.

“Ah,” Ling replied slowly but then regained composure. “But Firelord Zuko-”

“I will handle him and take full responsibility,” Iroh said with a smile. “Now, can you please release Mister Shirogane?”

Ling looked hesitant and sighed. “Alright, but only if I’m allowed to escort you and him to your room.”

“That would be acceptable,” Iroh said with a smile as he stepped aside.

Shiro watched bewildered as his cell door was opened. He glanced at Iroh and his body tensed as he left. There was no way he was doing this on a lark. The man had to have some ulterior motive.

Ling went to the wall to fetch the handcuffs, but Iroh stopped her.

“There is no need for that,” Iroh insisted.

“But, Prince Iroh,” Ling began but quieted when Iroh shot her a look and pulled back her hand from the wall.

Iroh’s smile brightened as he tucked his hands behind his back. “This way please. I already informed the guards on route to avoid confusion.”

That made Shiro feel a bit more at ease. He’d rather not have the guards jumping at him for ‘escaping’ his cell. However, he still kept vigilant as he followed Iroh and Ling stayed close.

They walked in silence for several minutes until they reached what Shiro could only assume was the destination.

“Thank you, Ling,” Iroh said as he entered. “You may return to your post.”

Ling looked reluctant. “But shouldn’t I stand guard?”

Iroh gave her a smile. “I believe it would be better if you are at the cell in case the Firelord comes, and do not worry there are guards down the hall if I require assistance.”

Ling frowned, but sighed as she gave a bow. “Yes, Sir.” She glared at Shiro and pointed at her eye then his own. “Don’t try anything funny.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Shiro replied as he watched her go.

He debated if now would be a good time to try to escape, but he still didn’t know the layout of the place. Would he get that far?

“If you wish to escape that is fine,” Iroh commented, “but you might as well fill your stomach first.”

Shiro jumped slightly, but quickly regained his composure. No, it wouldn’t do much to escape now. Besides, talking to Iroh might be his best chance at learning more of where exactly he was.

The Black Lion growled in encouragement as Shiro entered.

Iroh’s quarters were certainly larger than Shiro’s cell. There were some furniture items, some states and artwork on the wall. There were maps, but Shiro didn’t recognize any of them. A low table with food and bowls sat in the centre of the room.

Before Shiro could speak Iroh suddenly shoved some articles of clothing into his arms.

“Here, these seem more fitting and comfortable than the robes you were given earlier,” Iroh said and pointed to a folding screen. “Change behind there.”

“Uh, thanks,” Shiro said as he went to where Iroh directed.

Shiro removed the robes but decided to keep on his paladin undergarments for added protection as he slipped on the sleeveless shirt. It was bright red with yellow along the collar and edges. The pants were simple black with a red sash to tie around his waist.

Once he was finished, Shiro stepped out and saw Iroh was sitting at the table. He smiled in approval.

“Ah good,” he said as he reached for empty cups. “I wasn’t sure if they would fit.” He held up a teapot. “How about a fresh cup of tea? It goes well with the komodo chicken.”

“Before that,” Shiro said as he sat across from Iroh, “how about you tell me the reason I’m here.”

Iroh shrugged as he poured a cup. “To have lunch of course.”

Shiro raised an eyebrow. “I’m not familiar with your culture, but I have a hard time believing inviting a stranger to lunch is a tradition here.”

Iroh laughed. “No, not really,” Iroh said as he set down his cup and poured another. “I merely thought this might be a more comfortable setting for asking questions.”

So he’s doing his own interrogation, Shiro thought. That explains a few things.

Iroh held out Shiro’s cup to him, but saw he didn’t move his hand.

“I’m fine, thank you,” Shiro said.

Iroh gave a laugh. “If you are worried I slipped something into the tea, I promise you I didn’t. To ruin tea in such a way would be a disgrace.” He set the cup in front of Shiro before reaching for his own and taking a sip. “Ah, that warms the old spirit.

Shiro frowned and eyed the cup. He should be suspicious, but something told Shiro the old man was being honest.

Gingerly, Shiro picked up the cup and took a sip. He froze as the flavor hit his tongue and old childhood memories struck him. He knew this taste!

“Is this jasmine?” Shiro asked, stunned. This place may be an alternative reality, but Shiro never expected to see so many familiar things from Earth.

Iroh beamed. “Why yes,” he said and laughed. “It is my favorite blend. Fellow tea lover are you?”

“Not really,” Shiro replied as he stared into the cup. “My grandfather drank it all the time when I was a kid.”

There were times Shiro swore his grandfather had tea water instead of blood in his body.

“Oh, a man after my own heart then,” Iroh said as he picked up his chopsticks. “He must have great taste.”

Shiro gave a bittersweet smile. “Yeah, he did.”

Iroh’s smile softened understanding the use of past tense and took a piece of komodo chicken. “Do you have chopsticks where you are from?”

“Yes,” Shiro said as he picked up his set and tried to ignore his stomach growls and gathered his own chicken. “I haven’t used them for awhile though.”

Iroh laughed. “Then it is a good time to practice.”

They then ate and Shiro had to admit the komodo chicken was delicious. It didn’t taste quite like chicken from his reality, but there was an earthiness to it that was intriguing. He felt guilty the other paladins weren’t here to enjoy it, especially Hunk.

I hope they’re alright, Shiro thought as the Black Lion responded with a comforting purr to the thought.

They ate in silence. Shiro assumed Iroh was trying to be polite, but became puzzled when half the food was gone, Iroh set down his chopstick and patted his stomach.

“Nothing like a good meal,” Iroh said as he reached for his tea. “Would you not agree?”

“Yes,” Shiro replied slowly. “It was delicious, thank you.”

Iroh smiled. “Then perhaps I should send us some dessert? I believe there are some tea cakes in the kitchen.”

Shiro frowned as he lowered his own chopsticks. “Um..perhaps we better get to the reason why I’m here.”

Iroh frowned, but then gave a nod. “Yes, of course.” He set down his cup and tucked his hands into his sleeves. “What would you like to know?”

Shiro blinked. “What?”

“I said what would you like to know?” Iroh repeated gently.

Shiro tilted his head. “Like to-” He pointed to himself. “Excuse me, Prince Iroh, I’m confused. You said I was here for an interrogation.”

Iroh shook his head. “No, I said it was to ask questions.” He gestured to Shiro. “And I meant for you to ask me.”

“For me to ask?” Shiro asked.

Iroh nodded as he stroked his beard. “I assumed there would be less confusion if you understood how this world works before the firelord started to question you again.”

Shiro froze and slowly his eyes widened at his meaning. “You..you know?,” he said slowly.

“That you are from another world?” Iroh asked and nodded. “Yes.”

“But how?” Shiro asked.

Iroh’s eyes hardened. “There had been theories in the past that the Spirit World is a gateway to other worlds or even universes very different from ours.” He reached out for his teacup. “Having my own experience with the Spirit World, it’s a theory I fully believe and it explains much of your behaviour and the odd armour we found you wearing.”

Shiro’s eyes narrowed. “So, you’ve never heard of Voltron?”

Iroh shook his head. “No, but let’s set that aside for the moment.” He gave a small smile. “And please call me ‘Iroh’. I do not care much for formalities these days if I don’t need to.”

Shiro’s shoulders relaxed. “In that case, I prefer being called ‘Shiro’.”

“Very well, Shiro,” Iroh said as he poured more tea into his and Shiro’s cups. “So, to ask again, what would you like to ask first?”

Shiro took the cup, took a sip as he thought and then leaned over the table. “Please explain to me what bending is?”

Iroh gave a smile as he began to answer.

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

Sokka reached for the last piece of komodo chicken until Toph’s hand took it.

“Hey,” Sokka cried as he watched Toph gulp it down. “I had dibs on that.”

“Really?” Toph said as she swallowed. “I never saw it!”

Sokka glared as she grinned at her own joke before he grumbled.

She snorted as she leaned back. “Besides, you got my tart at breakfast.”

“Because you stole my snack the night before!”

“That doesn’t count! That seal jerky was way too dry!”

“That’s how you know it’s done right!”

A clearing of a throat forced both of them to stop and turned their attention to see Zuko standing in the doorway.

“I have to say, it’s a relief to see the saviors of the world to have grown up into such mature adults,” Zuko said with his arms crossed and he sat down next to Sokka.

Sokka pouted. “You jest but food is a very important discussion and- Toph if you steal my dumpling I swear!”

Zuko sighed as he resisted slapping his hand to his forehead. There were times he had wondered how these guys were some of his best friends? He glanced around and frowned.

“Katara isn’t here?”

“She had to stop by Jang Hui first,” Toph explained. “She wanted to check and see how the river restoration project there was doing.”

“Oh,” Zuko replied softly. “That makes sense.”

Katara was always very passionate about ensuring the small villages of the both Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation got the assistance they needed. It was one of the reasons Zuko had managed to be popular among his lower class subjects and he couldn’t deny Katara held a huge hand in that.

“She’ll be here tomorrow morning,” Sokka replied as he frowned. “So, is everything okay? Your letter just said to get here as soon as possible.”

Zuko sighed as he tucked his hands into his sleeves. “It’s complicated, it might be better to wait until Katara is here so I can just explain it once-”

“We can just repeat things for Sugarqueen,” Toph replied as she sat up and narrowed her eyes. “What’s going on?”

Zuko rubbed his neck. “Intruders have been sneaking into the palace.”

Sokka raised an eyebrow. “What kind of intruders?”

“Not entirely certain but possibly assassins,” Zuko asked but quickly raised a hand, “and before you ask I’m not the target. They haven’t come after me.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Sokka muttered.

Toph tilted her head. “Then who has been the target?”

Zuko cringed. “It’s Ozai.”

Silence fell upon the room, until Toph flopped back on the floor. “Oh, is that all? I say let them.”

Sokka coughed. “Uh Toph, this is Zuko’s dad we’re talking about here.”

"Who is also the bonehead who burnt off half of Zuko's face. And also tried to burn, what was it," she snapped her fingers, "right, the entire world. I don't have any sympathy for the guy."

“Nor do I,” Zuko replied, “but I can’t sit back and let him be killed in cold blood-”

“Whoa, whoa, let’s backtrack a bit,” Sokka said as he patted Zuko’s shoulder. “When did this start?”

“A couple of months ago,” Zuko replied as Toph sat back up. “The guards located some trespassers, but they escaped. We thought they were simply thieves, but they reappeared a few weeks later.”

“And did you arrest them?” Sokka asked.

“We tried, but they got away again,” Zuko replied as he reached into his pocket and brought up a rolled up parchment. “However, one of them dropped this and it’s a map leading straight to where Ozai is being held.”

Sokka took the map and his eyes narrowed as he rolled it out. “Is it possible they were trying to free him?”

“I had wondered as well,” Zuko replied, “but the intruders were Earth Kingdom, one was even an Earth bender.”

Sokka grasped his chin. “Okay, yeah, can’t see why anyone from the Earth Kingdom would want Ozai free, but it’s not impossible.”

“If you ask me,” Toph said as she leaned forward, “the best way to find out is to let them get near Ozai. They either kill him, or they break him out and then you kill him.” She clapped her hands. “Problem solved!”

Zuko buried his face into his hands. “Toph, I can’t let them kill Ozai.”

“I still have yet to hear a decent reason why?”

“Because he is still a Fire Nation citizen,” Zuko retorted. “Prisoner or not, if I let another nation come in and kill him there’s going to be outrage.” His eyes hardened. “Some would even argue it as an excuse to go to war with the Earth Kingdom again.”

Toph paused and growled. “Alright, fine that’s a good reason.”

Zuko’s shoulders slumped. “Granted, I’m not surprised it’s come to this.”

“What do you mean?”

Zuko shut his eyes. “The other nations have been ‘requesting’ I fully punish my father.”

“But he is punished?” Sokka replied. “He’s in a cell and got his fire bending taken away by Aang.”

“To them it’s not good enough,” Zuko said.

Sokka blinked and then chewed his bottom lip. “You mean execution?”

“The diplomats here aren’t that direct,” Zuko said, “but it’s clear that’s their meaning.”

“Why are they only bringing it up now though?” Sokka said as he reached for his drink. “The war has been over for 3 years.”

“I’m guessing cause it’s been 3 years,” Toph replied, “and they figure things are settled enough for you to do something.”

Zuko nodded.

Sokka drummed his drink as he took a side way glance. “Um...have you..well consider…-”

“I can’t kill him either Sokka,” Zuko said as he stared at the ground.

Sokka sighed. “Look, I get he’s your dad-”

“It’s not just that,” Zuko replied. “Aang didn’t want him to die, remember? He’s the Avatar. How would it look if I go against what the Avatar decreed.”

Toph shut hugged her knees. “Yeah, I can see Twinkletoes not being happy with that, even if it is Ozai.”

The room went quiet for a moment, until Sokka cleared his throat and set down his drink. “Let’s put that heavy stuff aside for a moment.” He looked at Zuko. “These potential assassins, do you know anything else about them?”

Zuko’s smile brightened. “As it so happens we caught one this morning....we think.”

“You think?” Toph replied.

“He looks different from the other intruders,” Zuko continued. “He wore this weird white armour and even has a metal arm.”

“Um..if he looks different how do you know he’s connected to the others?” Sokka asked.

“We found him unconscious in the royal garden,” Zuko replied.

“That only raises more questions,” Sokka replied dryly.

Zuko shook his head. “He claims his name is Takashi Shirogane and that he is a ‘Paladin of Voltron’.”

Both Toph and Sokka gave him baffle looks.

“What the spirits is a Paladin?” Toph asked.

“No idea,” Zuko replied with a shrug.

“And where is this Voltron?” Sokka asked.

Zuko’s frown tightened. “I don’t know and I’ve looked on every Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom map I have.” He had even questioned the map maker of it, but she had never heard of the place either.

“But that’s not the weirdest thing about him,” Zuko continued as he rose.

“How is not knowing where the guy came from not the weirdest thing?” Toph asked.

“I think it’s better if I just showed you,” Zuko said as he tucked his hands into his robes.

He led down the hall, and unlocked the room where the stranger’s armor was currently spread out on the table.

Sokka raised an intrigued eyebrow as he approached and lifted up the helmet.

“Whoa, okay I’m starting to see what you mean?” Sokka asked.

“Details?” Toph grumbled.

“It’s all white with black markings,” Zuko said as he brought her hand over to touch it. “I’ve had my best engineers examine it, but they’ve never seen armour built like this before.”

None of them could even guess what nation it was from. Some had been eager to take the whole apart to better understand it, but Zuko denied the request for the time being. At least not until they had a better idea who Shirogane truly was.

Toph was silent as her eyes widened and drew back her hand. “Okay, what is this armour made out of?”

Zuko raised an eyebrow. “I would assume metal..isn’t?”

Toph grasped her chin. “Kind of, it feels a bit like metal except it doesn’t feel like there’s anything for me to grab onto. There aren’t any impurities in it.”

“The style is also weird,” Sokka said as he examined the helmet. “It doesn’t look like Earth Kingdom or Fire Nation.” He tilted his head. “At best...maybe it’s Water Tribe?”

“A Water Tribe assassin?” Zuko asked.

Sokka held it up. “It’s white, so maybe it’s for blending in the snow for sneak attacks?”

Zuko gave him a dry look. “And so he decided to wear it to the Fire Nation where it never snows?”

“I didn’t say he was a smart assassin,” Sokka continued and frowned. “Although, if I’m honest this stuff really doesn’t have a ‘here to kill’ vibe to it.”

“That’s what Uncle said too,” Zuko commented.

It was durable, but no hidden compartments for weapons. Not even a pocket for a dagger to hide. It’s as if the person wanted to clearly display they come bearing no weapons.

“So, this intruder was wearing this?” Toph confirmed.

“And unconscious,” Zuko confirmed. “He claims he means no harm, but what was he doing in the palace then? It makes no sense.”

“Well, why don’t we ask the guy,” Sokka replied as he set the helmet back on the table. “Where is he?”

“In the dungeon,” Zuko said as he turned. “I tried to ask him questions already, but I didn’t get much.”

“Well, you got the ever pervasive Sokka in your corner now,” Sokka said as he placed an arm around Zuko’s shoulder.

“And if that doesn’t work,” Toph said as she punched a fist into her palm, “just let me have a crack at him.”

“I rather his bones remain unbroken,” Zuko added dryly.

“I wouldn’t break them,” Toph said with a shrug, “well not intentionally.”

Zuko shook his head, knowing Toph was joking..well, mostly joking as he led them to the dungeon.

Ling was at the cell and stood straight as soon as she spotted them. “My lord, I did not realize you were coming-”

“At ease,” Zuko said as he raised a hand and looked into the cell. “I just merely wish to question-”

He trailed off as he stared into the clearly empty cell.

“Uh...is this the right place?” Sokka asked.

Zuko took a deep breath and shut his eyes to calm himself. He knew Ling, and she wouldn’t just stand there guarding an empty cell for no reason.

“Ling, where is the intruder?” Zuko asked.

Ling sweated. “I take it you have not been informed yet?”

“Informed of what?” Zuko asked, trying to be careful to keep his temper under check.

Ling rubbed her neck. “That your uncle insisted on inviting the intruder to lunch?”

“HE WHAT?!” Zuko cried.

“Huh,” Toph said as she crossed her arms. “I had wondered why Iroh didn’t join us.”

“Think they got extra komodo chicken?” Sokka asked.

Zuko ignored the comments as he stepped up to Ling. “Where are they?”

“In Prince Iroh’s chambers,” Ling answered.

“And you left them alone?”

“I argued I should remain, but Lord Iroh insisted,” Ling replied.

Zuko groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Of course he did.”

“Forgive me, my lord,” Ling said with a bow. “I should have-”

Zuko raised a hand. “It’s not your fault for following orders,” he said. “You did nothing wrong.”

Ling nodded. “Do you wish me to escort you?”

“No, thank you,” Zuko growled as he stomped away. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to have a talk with my uncle about safety.”

“Before or after you murder him,” Toph snarked as she followed.

“I’m debating,” Zuko muttered darkly.

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

This world was ‘unique’ as Shiro quickly discovered. Apparently, in this world some people had the ability to control the literal elements, and they had just ended a hundred year war. Shiro was quiet as Iroh gave him what he could only assume was a quick summary of the events.

“So, the Avatar is the only person that can control all four elements,” Shiro replied.

Iroh nodded. “Yes, Avatar Aang, who is currently the only remaining air bender from the war.”

“And the current Firelord, Zuko, helped him overthrow the previous Firelord who was his father,” Shiro repeated.

“Again, correct,” Iroh said as he grimaced. “You will have to forgive his behaviour earlier, we have been having a bit of a ‘tricky’ time with intruders lately. With your sudden appearance, it seemed to be a logical conclusion you were one of them.”

“No, I understand,” Shiro muttered as he stared into his cup. “I can imagine it wasn’t easy having to rule a nation at such a young age.”

Not to mention trying to make amends for a century-long war, Shiro thought. Willing to bet not everyone was happy with him ending the war.

“With that said,” Iroh continued as he sipped his tea, “I believe Aang would be the best person to assist you in returning home.”

Shiro frowned. “How so?”

“Earlier, when I mentioned the Spirit World? The Avatar is a natural bridge between our human world and theirs,” Iroh continued.

Shiro’s eyes widened slightly but then they narrowed. “I can understand your reasoning, but I’ve never crossed through a spirit world.”

“Are you certain?” Iroh said as lowered his cup. “All worlds have a special place where spirits dwell.” He stroked his beard. “Although, I imagine it looks very different and perhaps goes by a different name.”

Shiro shut his eyes in thought. “I can’t really think of a place-”

The Black Lion growled in his mind and an image of an endless sea of stars appeared in his head.

Shiro froze. Oh, right.

“You thought of a place?” Iroh asked.

“Maybe,” Shiro muttered as he rubbed his neck. “It might be a bit hard to explain-” “UNCLE!”

Shiro jumped, but noticed Iroh remained as still as a tree.

“Ah,” he said as he lifted his cup and sipped. “I believe that would be my nephew.”

“Nephew?” Shiro asked, but was swiftly cut off by the stomping of incoming feet. He whirled around in time to see a furious Zuko storming into the room.

His hair wasn’t as neatly as tied up as he had during the questioning and his robes were much simpler. Shiro noticed a boy in blue robes and a short girl wearing green entered.

The pair kept their distance as the Firelord locked his furious gaze upon Shiro. He looked ready to yell, but forced himself to take a deep breath.

“What are you doing in my uncle’s chambers?” he asked in a brisk tone.

Shiro blinked and then suddenly Iroh’s earlier words dawned on him. He pointed at the angry young man and turned to Iroh. “The firelord is your nephew?!”

“Why yes of course,” Iroh began but then paused as he stroked his beard. “Oh dear, did I never mention that?”

“Someone better answer me,” Zuko sharply cut in, refusing to be ignored.

“He is here because I invited him to share a meal with me,” Iroh stated calmly and shook his head. Shiro recalled his own grandfather doing inappropriate behaviour. “On that note, you are being very rude to our guest.”

Zuko choked as he kneeled next to his uncle. “Our guest?! UNCLE, HE IS AN INTRUDER!”

“Who has currently done nothing to earn such hostility,” Iroh corrected.

“Do you realize how much danger you put yourself in?!”

Iroh laughed. “I appreciate the concern but we both know I am quite capable of defending myself.”

“That is not the issue here!”

Iroh frowned. “Did you forget to eat? You are always more grumpy when you have an empty stomach.”

Zuko’s eye twitched as the two began to bicker and Shiro wondered if they had both forgotten he was present.

However, the other two people clearly hadn’t as the boy approached and sat next to Shiro.

“Hey, name’s Sokka,” the boy greeted, “and this is Toph.”

“Yo,” the girl waved.

“Um, hi?” Shiro said slowly.

Sokka pointed to the arguing uncle and nephew. “So, they’ll be at that for a bit, and I have a question.” He then pointed to Shiro’s cybernetic arm. “Who made that, and is it possible for me to get one?”

“That’s more than one question,” Shiro replied, “and unless you want to have an arm cut off I wouldn’t recommend it.”

Sokka gave a frown, but then sighed. “Yeah, I guess.”

“What are you talking about?” Toph growled as she pointed to her eyes. “Blind, remember?”

“The metal arm Zuko mentioned,” Sokka said. “It’s right next to you.”

“Got it,” Toph said and before Shiro could stop her, she placed her hand on his cybernetic arm.

Suddenly her eyes widened as she whipped her head around. “What the great spirits is this thing made out of?!”

“I just said metal-” Sokka continued.

“It’s not any metal I’ve felt,” Toph snapped and she drew back her hand and stared into it. “It’s weirder than the armour. It almost feels like a meteorite but-”

“How about we change the subject,” Shiro said gently.

Even if he wanted to answer her question, he barely knew what kind of metal his arm was made out of anyway.

Toph gave a pout, but was cut off as Zuko growled.

“Enough,” Zuko snapped and pointed to Shiro, “Shirogane’s going back to the dungeon.”

“His name is Shiro and he will do no such thing,” Iroh said calmly and grinned. “Especially when he was just about to grant me a fascinating conversation on what his world is like.”

Dead silence fell into the room as Shiro felt all the eyes slowly turn to Iroh.

“I’m sorry, what?” Sokka asked.

“Our friend here is from a world, a whole universe in fact,” Iroh continued.

Zuko took a deep breath. “Uncle, if this is a joke it is not one of your better ones.”

“It’s not a joke,” Shiro said slowly as he turned to him.

“Ookay,” Sokka replied as he raised an eyebrow and a hand, “and you are in our world because?”

Shiro sighed. “That’s where things get complicated.”

#atla #vld #voltron #vld gen #takashi shirogane #a paladin in the fire nation #my writing

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the-blind-assassin-12 · 4 years

Text

See You in New York (part four)

A/N: WOAH ARE WE ALL CURRENTLY IN THE SAME HALLUCINATION OR DID I ACTUALLY UPDATE THIS STORY?! The first might seem more feasible, actually, but strangely enough its the latter. I’m sorry this story went on such a long hiatus and I am very happy to have it back on track...sort of...Anyway. In case you forgot because it’s been eleventy five years, you and Logan are on the ferry on your way to show him the sights from Liberty Island. Oh, yeah...and you have some news to share with him before that part of your day is up. How will he take it?

Word Count: 5,710

*parts 1-3 and the intro to this series Services No Longer Required are available on my masterlist under the Logan Delos tab*

Slow down, Delos. A few months ago, the warning would have come from you, reminding him not to get too drunk or too handsy, not to cause a scene. He would have rolled his eyes and groaned, displaying his distaste for censoring his behavior. But for once in his life, the warning came from himself. For once, Logan refrained from flinging himself headlong into the abyss of whatever new vice had taken hold, tried instead to take his time. For once, Logan resolved to take one step at a time, to be in every moment instead of skipping several steps ahead of himself. It’s worth it, she’s… He turned towards you. She’s different. I’m different because of her. With your hand on his thigh and your shoulder leaning into his, you anchored him in that resolve. He pushed away thoughts of pushing you up against the railing of the ferry and kissing you so indecently that even New Yorkers would stare. There’ll be time for that later, he told himself as you tucked a piece of hair behind your ear before smiling up at him. Plenty of time.

As the ferry cut through the gray blue water of the Hudson leaving white caps in its wake, you promised him the most amazing view of the city skyline. “It’s a good day for this, Logan. The sky is clear, so you’ll be able to see everything.”

He smiled, nodding. But even if the sky was full of clouds, even if rain fell in sheets to force the two of you to take cover, even if the wind whipped the water into choppy waves, it would still be a good day for him because he was spending it with you. The sun reflecting off the rippling surface made the whole river seem to sparkle and shine. It made the chipped paint and weathered, dated appearance of the ferry feel fresh and new, and Logan couldn’t help but compare himself to the old boat. I bet it’s seen some rocky waters, too. He shifted his eyes to the side, looking down at you from behind his sunglasses as his thumb moved slowly over the skin of your far shoulder. No more rocky waves for me.

There was still a lot about him and his past that you didn’t know, but the things that he had shared with you hadn’t scared you off, and he had no intention of repeating old mistakes or falling back into bad habits. He knew his limitations and he knew how to keep himself in check. In truth, Logan had been doing just fine before he met you. Finding stability on his own and regaining the control he’d lost over his company had defied nearly everyone’s expectations of him, and while when he was younger he found the lack of confidence from others to be discouraging, he almost welcomed the chance to prove people wrong now. He didn’t need anyone to quantify his happiness or to keep him in line. Getting this chance to have you in his life would simply give him the opportunity to share that happiness with someone else, someone who did believe in him, who saw him and didn’t flinch at the truth.

But that doesn’t mean I have to rush it. This is… He inhaled a deep breath through his nose as he felt you give a light squeeze on his thigh, calling his attention to the way that the sunlight was hitting the glass panes that made up the flame at the top of Lady Liberty’s torch. He glanced up at where you were pointing, the golden yellow beams refracting to make it look like real fire. But he was quickly drawn back down to you, to the way that that same light was igniting your eyes. To him it was just as stunning as the glass. Letting out the breath he’d held in his chest, he continued stroking his fingertips absently down over your bicep, slipping his pinky beneath the strap of your dress. We have time.

When Logan first realized that he had developed feelings for you, he tried to push them away. He was in the middle of recovering his public image from scandalous, albeit false, accusations regarding his behavior with female employees and coworkers, and so he knew that starting something with the very woman who had been brought in to clean up that mess was that last thing that he should be doing. For weeks he ignored the fact that every time you passed his office and flashed a smile or a polite wave, it made his pulse quicken. He shook off the fact that your laugh as the two of you ate lunch together was becoming one of his favorite sounds, even as he’d find himself storing up things to say to you in hopes that he’d get to hear it. He overlooked all of the signs that he was falling for the one person who was supposed to be off limits. And it didn’t work. Grinning to himself, he recalled the way it felt to bet high and go all in with you at the end of your contract, taking a chance and asking you to take one on him. Best way I’ve ever closed out a contract.

But even though things had ended almost exactly as he’d wanted them to, he’d felt rushed for time. He’d known that he had exactly one chance to show you that he was interested, and needing to wait for that one chance until the very last day of your contract had only made it feel more desperate and dire. But now there’s no expiration date, no last day. He felt a warmth in his chest that had nothing to do with the sunlight or the statue’s torch and everything to do with your hand on his leg and the chance you’d given him. Now we can...it can be normal. I can take my time.

Having to wait the two weeks between dropping you off at LAX and seeing you again at LGA had been tough. Logan was used to instant gratification. When there was something he wanted or needed he didn’t wait, he found a way to have it now. In some aspects of his life it had served him well. In business, it made him a harsh negotiator, and in his personal life it gave him a sense of accomplishment to be able to provide for himself at such a high level. It also meant that he dove head first into pools he would have noticed were too shallow had he only been more careful. It was, he knew, a trait that made him more prone than others to fall victim to addiction, and it was something he worked to balance within himself daily. Normally, a two week delay between the moment that he knew he wanted you and the moment that he actually got to have you would have been a deal breaker. Even if he’d looked past the waiting, the fact that this was about as long distance a relationship as two Americans could possibly have would have doomed it from the get go. Different time zones? All those miles? So many closer, more convenient options? Normally, none of this would have made any sense to him.

But with you, it simply did. Everything with you had been different from the very start. You’d taken the time to get to know him, the real him, not the Logan Delos in the papers, not the one in the boardroom or the ballroom or the bedroom. Him. You knew useless things about him, like which condiments he used on what food items, or that he only used yellow highlighters on paperwork. But you also noticed little details that pointed to parts of him that he wasn’t used to sharing. Like how you could tell from how he undid the top two buttons of his shirt whether or not he was stressed or just trying to get comfortable. If it was the former, he’d slowly trail his pointer finger horizontally under his chin. There wasn’t a scar there because the blade had just barely broken the skin, but when he was stuck on something or upset with an outcome, it was as though he could still feel the cold steel of the knife William had threatened him with in the desert. You’d only seen him do it once or twice when you’d made the correlation between the negligible motion and what he was thinking and feeling, and it took him completely by surprise. No one would notice that. Juliet doesn’t even know that, and she knows everything.

You didn’t even know the whole story of what had happened on that trip to the park, but you picked up on one of the residual phantoms from it that Logan still carried. I’ll tell her. I’ll… she needs to know. All of it. The ferry began to turn towards the slips at the end of the dock on Liberty Island, and you pulled away from him to sit up straight, gathering your bag and making sure you had all of your belongings. But not… it doesn’t have to be all at once. He let his hand slide down your arm before unwinding it from around your shoulders, bringing it up to comb through his hair. It’s not a rush. I can...we can take things slow. You turned back to him then as you slung your bag over your shoulder, and he had to hold back a throaty groan at the way your lips pressed together before spreading into a grin, cheeks disappearing under the lenses of your glasses. Damn. He was thrilled to be out with you, carefree and relaxed. But I can’t wait to get her back to that hotel room tonight.

“What’s that look for, Delos?” You let your smile curve up one side of your face until it was a smirk.

Oh you know exactly what it’s for. Logan pulled his sunglasses off and folded the arms to hang them from the neckline of his tee. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, buzzkill.” He shrugged, trying and failing to keep from giving himself away, laughing as you playfully smacked his arm.

The boat lurched as the captain maneuvered it further to completely dock, and Logan took advantage of the shift and the way it drew your attention elsewhere to wrap his arms around you again, crushing you close and swallowing your laughter with a kiss. Sucking your bottom lip between his teeth, he bit down with gentle pressure as your fingers curled in the material of his shirt. You hummed as he pulled away, and the sound was almost enough to launch him into another, more involved kiss. Slow down, damnit. He brought one hand up to your ear, eyes focused on the earring you wore and the way his sudden attack had caused it to flip around.

“What are you-” you sucked in a breath as he used his thumb and pointer finger to fix the earring, your eyes falling closed as his touch ran down the side of your neck.

“There.” He smiled as you blinked up at him, enjoying knowing that he’d just put that look on your face, and that there wasn’t any other face he wanted to see that look on but yours. Damn. Standing, he reached for your hand and pulled you to your feet as well, deciding that if he didn’t get up that second, he wasn’t sure if he could justify moving from that bench on that ferry with you. “C’mon, you promised me some views.”

You laced your fingers tightly through his and squeezed. “And I always deliver on my promises.” You paused long enough to wink and he was sure you heard the groan in the back of his throat as he wondered what other types of promises you’d make to him. “Let’s go.” Good idea.

Logan let you lead the way off of the ferry and onto the island, following a crowd of tourists towards the base of the enormous green statue. Shit, it’s a lot bigger in person than you think it is… He felt his eyes widen in genuine appreciation for the massive structure in front of him. People built that. He gave a minute shake of his head, staring at one large sandaled foot where it stood planted on the multi-storied pedestal you were leading him towards.

“Speechless already, Logan?” You tugged on the hand that you held and he tore his amazed expression away from the statue and looked down at you. “Wait until you see it from the top.” With that, you changed direction and started leading him towards a different entrance.

“Where are we-” He looked back over his shoulder at the line forming in front of the main entrance.

“That’s the general admission entrance,” you explained, a hint of mischief coloring your voice that excited him. “But I pulled some strings and called in a favor I had with a friend of mine who...well really he’s a friend of Cynthia’s, but,” you sighed through a smile, reaching up to remove your sunglasses as you stepped into the shade. “Long story short? We’re not waiting in any lines.”

You shoved your sunglasses into your purse and dug around for your phone, pulling it out and scrolling through your email to find the digital passes you’d been sent that would get you inside and up to the top without having to share the experience with dozens of strangers. You showed it to the guard at the door you’d lead Logan to, and he nodded, saying something into the walkie he had clipped to his shoulder as he opened the door for the two of you. “Wait right inside, Byron will be right down, he knows you’re coming. You two enjoy your visit,” he said as you both stepped inside.

You both thanked the man as he pulled the door shut again, and Logan’s surprise only grew as he turned to you. “I thought you said you were showin’ me the real New York.” He cocked his head in the direction of the long lines out front. “Doesn’t that mean-”

“No,” you cut him off holding up one finger and waving it before you pressed it to the middle of his chest to pull a chuckle from him. “First of all, real New Yorkers don’t come here because it’s always full of field trips and family vacations and there are plenty of other places in the city to take pictures. But,” you pulled the finger away from his chest and waved it once more. “If we have to partake in the touristy side of the city, we do it in style. I’m doing this for you here, Delos, not, oh!”

“I know.” He’d pulled you quickly to his side then, lips landing near your temple. I know you are, and I… no one’s ever done anything like this for me before. “Thank you.”

“Logan, you’re…” your voice came out as a strained whisper before you cleared your throat. “You’re welcome.”

The elevator at the end of the small hallway dinged as the doors slid open before he could say anything else, a man in a uniform similar to the one the guard was wearing emerging from the car. He gave you a bright smile and greeted you by name. You introduced the man to Logan, explaining that you’d met him a handful of times through Cynthia, who had known Byron since their college days.

“Thanks again for doing this for us, Byron, I really do appreciate it.” You followed the man as he headed back towards the elevator he’d come from.

He laughed. “Of course, it’s not every day a woman like Cynthia comes calling for a favor, and once I heard that it was for you, darling?” Byron flashed a large, good-natured grin. “I was happy to do it.”

“What exactly is goin’ on?” Logan couldn’t help but ask the question as he stepped into the elevator with you and Byron. I thought I knew what today was gonna be like but… this… He glanced over at you to catch your smile widening.

“She didn’t tell you?” Byron’s eyebrows flew up on his forehead as he pointed to you, and Logan shook his head no. The other man laughed, the sound hearty and genuine. “Oh then you’re in for a surprise, Mr. Delos.”

Logan was about to press the issue further when you spoke. “Just hang in there a few more seconds, Logan. You said you trusted me to surprise you, right?” I sure do. He nodded, and without missing a beat you reached up to fix a strand of hair that had fallen over his eyes. “Okay, so trust me.”

He heard Byron’s muffled laugh as the man tried to cover it up with his hand but his eyes were focused on you. Damn. The way she… “Okay,” he nodded.

“Okay,” Bryon pointed to the lights above the door, the top floor lighting up just as a soft ding sounded. “Here we are. I’ll be just outside here, you’ve got about twenty minutes between tours so,” the elevator door opened to show a small vestibule area, and a set of doors with a small sign over the top that read just one word: crown. “Enjoy.”

You thanked him again and pulled Logan towards the door, but he paused, pointing up to the sign, one side of his smile pulling his cheek further up his face than the other. “The crown? That mean we’re-”

“No one gets to come up here alone, Logan.” You grinned, your smile changing your voice to make it lighter. “Well, no one but us.”

Us. The small word sent a big rush through him and he inhaled through his nose as he let you pull him the rest of the way through the doors and into the observation deck of the crown level. He was overwhelmed by the combination of big things and small gestures, special moments and mundane ones all mixed together. And it’s not even...it’s just noon and we’re…

But his thoughts were completely scattered as he took in the sight before him, mouth dropping open and a breath slipping out. Damn. The inside of the Statue of Liberty’s crown was far less glamorous than the outside, exposed steel beams and grated flooring making the small room feel more like a construction zone than a monument, but it was the arched window panes and the light coming through them that caught and held Logan’s attention. Beyond the glass he could see the river the two of you had just crossed, glittering between the island and the city, and he felt himself drawn towards the view, glancing back once at you before stepping up to the windows. “This is…” He leaned his hand against a beam and looked out.

“Yeah,” you stepped up next to him, ducking under the arm he had propped against the beam, looking out the window and leaning into him slightly. With a sigh you continued. “It’s pretty beautiful, isn’t it?” Something in the sigh made him snap his attention down to you, but you’d already moved on to the next set of windows before he could bring it up. What was that? “I’m gonna,” you waved your phone and rolled your eyes. “I’m gonna play tourist and take some pictures. You should look out over there,” you pointed to a particular window. “The view facing that direction is-”

“Alright,” he decided to let it go, figuring that you’d tell him if anything was wrong. What could be wrong, anyway? We’re… this is… she’s amazing.

He watched you turn back towards the window you’d been walking to, eyes drawn to the way that the skirt of your dress twirled around your knees, and it was difficult to peel them off of you and train his vision back on the skyline and the reason that you’d brought him here. She’s the real reason, though. He felt another warm rush pulse through his chest as he let himself get lost in the view and the woman who had lead him to it.

After a few minutes had passed, Logan straightened up and took a step back from the window. He turned towards where you stood, still gazing out on the far side of the curved platform. The view that had just stolen his breath, of the sun reflecting in diamonds off of the river and the shrunken city on the other side, had been one of the most impressive things he’d ever seen. And that’s saying a lot. Logan had had no shortage of unique, once in a lifetime experiences- things most people, including you, could only dream of. But this is different. This wasn’t new or cutting edge or high tech. Yet it was something that he hadn’t even thought to dream of- precisely because of what it wasn’t. He could only see half of your face as you continued to soak up your city from above, but he could tell that you were smiling from the slight rise of your cheek. I never would have done this if it weren’t for her. “Hey,” he added your name, loving the way it rolled off his tongue, and you turned, sunlight streaming in from behind you.

“Hi,” you answered, darkening the screen on your phone and stepping over to where Logan stood.

“You get some good pictures?” He pointed to the phone you held, but his eyes hadn’t left your face. You nodded. “Good. C’mere.” He reached for you and took the phone from your hand, explaining himself before you had a chance to ask what he was doing. “Need one more.” At that he brought up the camera app and held the phone out in front of the two of you, pulling you close enough to kiss but refraining and snapping the picture in the seconds before his lips met yours. That’s gonna be a good one. He hadn’t checked it but he didn’t need to, and he slipped your phone into your purse where it hung from your shoulder without even breaking the kiss. When he finally did pull away, you hummed and placed both hands on his chest to steady yourself. “Ya know,” he leaned in to run the tip of his nose over yours before pressing his lips against your cheek. “I think I’m really startin’ to like New York.”

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

Shit. You stiffened in his arms and you knew that he felt it, even if he continued to let his hands roam over your waist and shoulder, and his lips claimed every inch of skin between your mouth and your ear. You sucked in a breath as he walked you back slowly until your back touched the cool glass of one of the window panes. The sensation of the glass and his hands on your body was almost too much, but you couldn’t let it eclipse what he’d just said. Or what I have to tell him.

“Oh?” You managed the one word question between kisses, letting your hands travel up over the plane of his chest to his shoulders. He responded by humming an Mmhmm against your skin, making you shudder. “And…” your breath hitched as you clutched his shirt. “And what makes you say that?”

“The company,” he answered, moving one hand from the small of your back to the front of your body, letting it climb up the side of your ribcage. “I can see myself comin’ back to visit,” he nipped at the earring he’d fixed earlier before speaking around it. “Often.”

Shit.

Before you could say anything else, he surprised you by continuing to alternate between speaking and dragging his teeth over your skin. “I like that I get to come see you.”

“Logan…” You knew you couldn’t let the moment go on without telling him about your move, but you weren’t sure that he heard you. You could barely hear yourself from the way that he was leaving you breathless.

“Leavin’s gonna fuckin’ suck,” he pressed his nose into your hair and inhaled before changing positions to give the same attention to the other side of your neck and your other ear. “But,” he ran his teeth over the outer shell of your ear and you hissed. “It’ll mean I have somethin’ to look forward to, comin’ back here. And it means I’ll have to be patient. And you know what that means-”

It was time to earn your nickname.

“Logan, I...I have to tell you something.” You groaned as his thumb found the triangle of exposed skin at the top of your abdomen, his lips roaming the slope of your shoulder before he took the strap of your dress between his teeth. But if you keep doing that I…

“Yeah?” He released the fabric from his mouth and the hand he had on your hip came up to the base of your skull, the thumb of his other hand still pressing lightly into your flesh. Your grip on his shirt tightened as he walked you back another step. “Go ahead’n tell me then.” You could feel him smiling as he said it, lips pressing to the top of your shoulder again as you felt the cool glass behind you.

Closing your eyes, you tried to quiet the thundering beats of your heart but they only seemed to echo in the empty observation deck. But between his touch and the diminishing space between your body and his you could feel yourself losing that battle, and it was only a matter of time before his chest was pressed to yours, only a matter of time until he could feel it for himself. You let out a sigh as your head tilted to the left, and you felt yourself give up. Can’t… not when he’s…

“Thought you hadta tell me somethin’.” His beard brushed your cheek as his warm breath tickled your ear. “ What is it?”

“You’re not-” Your words were cut short as he leaned his hips forward, pinning you in place. Shit.

“M’not what?” He kissed the skin behind your ear and for a moment you thought about abandoning the confession entirely. But I have to… He needs to know and…

“You’re not gonna like it, Logan.” Your voice was thin, barely a whisper as you opened your eyes.

He pulled away then but didn't take his hands from you, palms relaxing but maintaining contact. “Hey,” his dark eyes found yours and locked on, softening. “What is it? You’re...worryin’ me a little here.”

“I’m sorry, I,” you shook your head and let out a breath. “I don’t… you don’t have to worry, I just… Look.” You sighed and brought both of your hands up to your head, combing your nails back over your scalp as Logan dropped his hands from your body. “I know why you like this… why you like New York, and why you like that I live here and not…”

He spoke your name and tilted his head. “What are you...what do you-”

“I know you, Logan.” I do. “I know that you like the distance because it means we can’t… that you can’t rush into something, or that we won’t burn out and spend too much time together too soon or-”

“Kinda blew that one before he had a shot though, didn’t we? Spent every day together for six months.” He brought one hand up to your face to tilt it back up to his, and you saw questions swimming in his eyes. “So what is it?”

“Logan, I’m…” Just say it for fuck’s sake. “Remember when I told you that Cynthia had me on a new project?”

“Yeah, of course.” His eyebrows came together as creases formed in his forehead and small crinkles gathered in the corners of his eyes. “But…”

“She promoted me, Logan. She wants me to run a new office and I’ll have to relocate.” Why are you drawing this out? Just say it.

“Oh,” He let his expression relax. “That’s... that’s great! Congratulations! Don’t...I can still...it doesn’t have to be New York, you know. I’ll come see you anywhere.” He narrowed his eyes and let a small smile seep into them. “I have a ton of miles, I can use ‘em whenever.” I’m sure you do. “So,” he leaned in and kissed you quickly. “Where are you off to? Miami? Is Cyn finally goin’ International?” His expression changed to one of excitement. “London?”

“Los Angeles.” You answered, closing your eyes and feeling his hands drop from your body again. Yeah, that’s what I… “She needs me to run the West Coast office, Logan, she…”

“L.A.? You’re…” his eyes widened. “You’re movin’ to California?” You nodded, eyes still closed as he took a step back. “When?”

Blowing out a breath you opened your eyes to see him staring at you. “Soon. Next month. But it doesn’t have to-” It doesn’t have to change anything.

“You didn’t wanna tell me?” His expression was a mixture of serious and confused, and you wanted desperately to make him understand everything.

“What? No, of course I wanted to tell you, I just… I know that…” Your heart pounded in your chest. This isn’t… I ruined it. The day, the trip, all of it, it’s-

“You thought I...wouldn’t want to hear it?” He shifted his weight and leaned his shoulder into the steel beam to your left. “Thought I’d get…”

“I thought you’d think it was too soon for me to… even though it isn’t- I’m moving because of my job, not because of…” you gestured at the space between your bodies. “Not because of this, I...this is still...we just...I wouldn’t try to rush anything like that, Logan, it’s just...bad timing.”

“Bad timing?” He blew out a small breath that was almost a laugh, and then he shocked you further by stepping close again, both hands finding their way back to your waist. “You think it’s bad timing that the woman of my damn dreams is movin’ to my city, and I only have’ta wait a month?” He searched your eyes with his as a smile curved his lips.

What?

You were sure that Logan would have reacted differently, and you wanted to make sure that he wasn’t holding anything back. Even though I know he always… “You’re not...worried? That it’s…”

He leaned in then to quiet you with a brief kiss, his fingers squeezing into your waist as your hands came back to his shoulders. “No.” He kissed you again. “I’m not worried, ‘cause I know you’re not gonna… I know you’re not movin’ because you’re tryin’ to…” he laughed then and brought his left hand up to wiggle his empty ring finger. “Look. I get it. It’s a business move, out of your control. I did like the fact that you bein’ here meant that I’d have to… take things slower than normal but... “ He gave a small shake of his head. “I don’t see why we can’t…”

“Logan,” you nodded enthusiastically. “We can. We can take it as slow as...we don’t have to spend every day together just because…”

He laughed again and pressed another kiss to your lips. “No, we don’t, that’s right, killjoy.” You rolled your eyes, his lips still against yours so that you could feel his breath on your face. Damn, this wasn’t what I expected but… you laughed. But none of this was expected. “Plus, you’re gonna have your plate full, runnin’ a brand new office. I bet you won’t even have time for me for weeks.”

“See? You won’t have to see me any more than if I was still living he- oh! Logan!”

He pulled you into him then, winding his arms around you to speak into your ear. “You think I’ll get sick of seein’ you?” He didn’t wait for you to respond before he answered his own question. “Not gonna happen.”

Relief flooded your system then as he tightened his hold on you just to let it go. That’s one half of the news down. Now I just have to tell him who my new client is. You knew that part was easier said than done, and though he’d reacted far more favorably than you could have imagined to the news of your move, that luck simply wouldn’t extend to his feelings towards learning that you were to become very involved with his sister’s ex-husband. But… later. That’s I’ll tell him later, not...it’s too much all at once. I’ll…

As though he hadn’t just confessed to being...excited? Happy? About your impending move and what it meant for your brand new relationship, as though he hadn’t put your mind and heart at ease all at once, he blinked twice and smiled. “You hungry? Think I saw a sign for a cafe downstairs? They had pizza and-”

Despite the way that your emotions had just gone on a wild ride, you had to laugh. “No way I’m letting your first experience with New York pizza be from a glorified, overpriced snack bar, Logan. You deserve far better than that.” You rose on your toes to kiss the tip of his nose and you traced your fingertips over the line of his beard where it met his cheek. “C’mon,” you grabbed for his hand just as Byron poked his head back inside to let you know that your time in the crown was up. “There’s a hot dog cart down on the island. That’s how real New Yorkers do lunch.”

He chuckled and let you pull him back towards the elevator where Byron was waiting to see you both out. “Sounds delicious, Ms. West Coast Office,” he whispered into your ear and you thought you heard a sense of pride as he teased you with your new title. “After you.”

Standing in line at a hot, metal cart, waiting for a vendor to pass you a hotdog with Logan Delos, you couldn’t help but wonder…

Could it really be this easy?

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General Tags: @something-tofightfor @suchatinyinfinity @malionnes @thesumofmychoices @gollyderek @pheedraws @beautifuldesastre @alraedesigns @dearmarii @fific7 @traeumerinwitzhelden @obscurilicious @luminex3 @bisexual-space-slut @vetseras

Logan Delos Tags: @valkblue @belladonnarey @ymariejp @drinix @jigsawlover10 @getlostinyourparadise @nananananananananananabatman @qhostboyyy @ofgeneticperfection @delosdoll @blackbirddaredevil23

#see you in new york #SYiNY #see you in new york part four #logan delos #logan delos x reader #logan delos x you #logan delos westworld #logan delos fanfiction #FINALLY !#this has been eleventy five years in the making #but i needed to post this part before thanksgiving #you'll see #anywho new york logan is a hoot enjoy him

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seijch · 4 years

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tsukishima kei | dooms•day

tsukishima kei + gender neutral!reader

genre. romance, angst, bits of fluff

word count. 1.9k

recommended listening. matt maltese - as the world caves in

synopsis. how would you spend the next twenty-four hours, knowing that they would be your last?

12:00 AM | 23:59:59

The clock strikes midnight.

You exchange a glance with Tsukishima.

This is the beginning of the end, it says. Are you ready? it asks.

The meteor is en route to Earth. The planet has less than twenty-four hours left to live.

You haven’t been able to sleep much these days, and Tsukishima can’t blame you. Instead, you stay up together, a movie you’ve seen countless times playing in the background. “Can we watch something else? I don’t know how keen I am on making this one of the last movies I ever see,” he drawls.

Your relationship has always required mastery of reading between the lines, peering through the hairline cracks in words and actions for their true meaning. You called him out on it, once.

(“You’re like a nut,” you’d blurted, legs draped over his lap as you scrolled through your timeline.

There had been a beat of silence before he deadpanned, “What.” When you glanced up from your phone, he had been giving you a look.

Looks, in your relationship, are quite commonplace. Tsukki’s full of them: hard looks that express his exasperation, split seconds of pure adoration he thinks you don’t notice, and even capital-L Looks that lead to sweaty bodies against smooth bedsheets.

That night, his look had been one of muted curiosity. “You know,” you pressed on, sitting up to close the distance between you, “like how squirrels break open nuts to get to the good stuff.” To prove your point, you had knocked on his skull and stifled a laugh at his grimace.

“You’re calling me a nut?” His mouth was set into a hard line. “You could’ve just as easily called me an oyster, say I’m a pearl or some sappy shit like that.”

“First of all, no,” you frowned, having switched to carding your fingers through his hair. “When have we ever been into sappy shit? Besides, I think it’s funnier to call you a nut. So I will.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever hated anyone more in my life,” he said, leaning into your touch regardless.

“Uh huh. You keep telling yourself that.” You had taken the victory that night, planted a chaste kiss to his lips as your prize.)

You know he doesn’t mind the movie; in fact, you think he enjoys it. You don’t know how to tell him that a numb feeling’s set in, ghosting over your fingertips. You don’t know how to tell him that the two things keeping you steady are his arms around you and the movie (which, really, isn’t even that good) playing.

So you don’t. The way he holds you tighter than ever tells you everything you need to know.

3:16 AM | 20:44:15

“I take it we’re not sleeping tonight?” Tsukishima asks, long fingers wrapped around a mug of hot chocolate.

You blow on your own mug before responding. “What’s the point? We’ll be asleep soon enough.” Forever, you don’t add.

“Fair enough.”

The first sip is sweet in all the right ways. You cherish the little joy, the small victory, while you can.

5:49 AM | 18:11:57

The sun rises on the last day you’ll ever see. You and Tsukishima watch it crawl up the high-rise buildings around you, darkness giving way to dawn. You’ve never understood the appeal of chasing after sunrise and sunset, but you start to wish you hadn’t taken something so constant for granted.

Tsukishima’s fingers graze yours as they hang from the railing of your apartment’s balcony. His fingers toy with yours, intertwined without your palms touching. He does this often, and you’re sure you can map out the callouses of his fingers, each line of his palm by touch alone.

It’s as the sky bleeds from orange to pale blue that it hits.

Your eyes sting with incoming tears at the finality. You won’t finish college. You won’t get to live your dreams, move into a proper house. You won’t get to see Tsukki, your Tsukki at the end of the altar, waiting for you to join him.

“I love you,” you choke out, voice strained. It’s the only thing you can think to say at a time like this. “I mean it. I always mean it, but—” You try to stress your words, make it absolutely clear that you’ve never meant anything like you mean this. “I mean it. I love you, Kei.” You retract your hand from his, needing both to wipe away your tears.

When you turn to look at him, he’s crying too.

1:57 PM | 10:03:17

You’ve just gotten off the phone with your family, the first and last people you called when the news of the world’s end got out. When was the last time you saw them? Saw your friends? The time you have left isn’t enough to see them one last time.

Your fist trembles as you press it against your lips, eyes sore but stinging with tears kept at bay.

Despite this, the sun shines cheerily outside. It’s a beautiful day, everything washed in afternoon light. You figure this is better than spending your last day with the sky painted dreary gray.

Tsukishima comes up behind you, arms rubbing circles into your upper arms. “I just got off the phone with Akiteru.”

“How is he?”

“With our mom.” You know he wishes he could be there too, wants for it like nothing else. You can only dream to grant his eleventh-hour request.

“I’m sorry.”

“Me too.” And then, “Let’s get out of here.” You turn to face him, surprise clear as day. (You suppose that if anything can drive a homebody outside, it’s the end of the world.) “I figure you don’t wanna die in our shitty apartment.” His hold on your arms drops, instead taking his hands in yours. “Let’s go somewhere.”

“Where?”

“Anywhere.”

You scan the apartment one last time. (There really seems to be a lot of lasts today, but you figure it can’t be helped.) This was your home for months, despite the leaky faucet and chipped wallpaper.

Every corner oozes with memories, more than enough to make your heart feel as though it’s fit to burst. Tsukishima’s thumb caresses the back of your hand. That’s right. Your other home, the one you can’t afford to lose now, is right in front of you.

You get dressed.

7:25 PM | 4:35:18

The sun sets on the last day you’ll ever see. You think that you like sunsets a bit more than sunrises; less waking up early (or staying up late), a view that gives you more than enough bang for your buck. You watch the way orange seeps through the sky in reverse, dusk giving way to the dark of night, head resting on Tsukishima’s shoulder.

It’s quiet. You’ve parked somewhere secluded, hidden from prying eyes. With less than four hours before certain death, you get nostalgic for how far you’ve come since your time at Karasuno.

“Thank you,” you say, breaking the silence. “I’m glad you were such a smarmy bastard in high school.” He chuckles, the sound a pleasant rumble that singlehandedly warms you from the inside out.

“I’m glad you liked to think you could top my scores,” he replies.

(It had taken you two years to finally, finally beat his exam scores. Having no reason to talk to Tsukishima after that, you disappeared from each other’s lives. It had taken you a month to piece together the reason you felt so strangely empty without his signature smirk to rile you up.

“You like me,” you’d said, sitting backwards in the desk in front of him as he ate lunch. You didn’t phrase it as a question; why would you, when you knew the answer?

“You got what you wanted already, didn’t you? Why are you still here?” You were a thorn in Tsukishima’s side, as he’d repeated time and time again (both in private and to your face). Even still, he had to admit that the past month without you had been...boring. (He also had to endure Yamaguchi’s endless questions about you, drilling your absence into his head even further.)

“Do you want me to be nice, or do you want me to be honest?”

“Just spit it out. I don’t have all day.”

“Unfortunately,” you’d prefaced this with a long-suffering sigh, “I feel the same way. You might be an emotionally constipated asshole, but what I’m saying is…” Your fingers drummed on his desk, invading his space. “Let’s go on a date.”

Shaking himself from his stunned silence, he’d replied, “Sure.” In the moment, it had sounded nonchalant, but you had a feeling his hands were getting clammy.

Truth be told, you had it on good authority (Yamaguchi, who’d gotten sick and tired of bearing witness to almost three years of you two dancing around your feelings) that he felt the same you did. It was Yamaguchi’s words that gave you the confidence to confront Tsukishima at all.

“I’ll see you on Saturday, then. This better not be boring, Tsukishima,” you teased, snatching his chopsticks to steal a bit of his meal. “After all, you’re with me now. If you’re going to take me out, it better be in style.”

You had the audacity to throw a wink at him before walking back to your classroom. You get an eye roll in response, but take great pleasure in the way he had gone red to the tips of his ears, knowing that you’ve won.)

9:31 PM | 2:29:20

“I love you.”

“I know.” Silence. “I love you too.”

“I know.”

11:59 PM | 0:00:59

It’s bright, like a fallen star, all white-hot and angry. You think it’s beautiful in its own way, gawk at it with your mouth hanging open. “Here it is,” he whispers, squeezing your hand so tight it almost hurts. “The end.”

You cup his cheek, turn his head to look at you. You try to steel yourself. Inhale. Exhale. (Your breath comes out shaky, but neither of you acknowledge it.) “I guess this is goodbye.” You were supposed to sound strong, but your voice comes out small, weak, broken.

And for once, he is the first to cry.

“Not yet.” His voice cracks. “It’s not goodbye yet.” He wipes your tears (when did you start crying?) away, touch so fragile you think he’s sure you’d shatter. Maybe you will.

“It doesn’t have to be goodbye,” you offer. It’s hollow; neither of you have been under the delusion that this was anything but. “It can be a see you later.”

Tsukishima just shakes his head, wearing a broken smile of his own. And then he’s kissing you with such fervor that you swear you’ve never been kissed before, not like this. The way he sucks your bottom lip between his, pulls you flush against him, makes you dizzy. This is my goodbye, he says with more than words.

11:59 PM | 0:00:01

Your relationship has always required mastery of reading between the lines, peering through the hairline cracks in words and actions for their true meaning.

But now, both of you are straightforward as can be, stripped down to your bare selves. The meteor sets fire to the inhibitions and walls both of you created, and the flames lick at your skin as your tears—or his—dampen your cheeks.

If you’re going to take me out, do it in style, you’d said to him, once.

So he does.

#tsukishima x reader #tsukishima imagine #tsukishima scenario #tsukishima reader insert #tsukishima angst #tsukishima fluff #(can i call it that LMAO)#kei tsukishima #tsukishima kei #haikyuu scenario #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu imagine #haikyuu reader insert #haikyuu fic #HOOO boy the concept of this fic took my brain hostage and wouldnt stop until id finished writing #the first draft of this was absolutely nasty but the finished product isnt actually so bad? i think i kinda like it #i decided to split the 11:59 segment into two right before posting as i read it for the last time before it got sent out to the world #and tsukki might seem a little ooc bc im still finding my footing characterization wise #but weve seen him be passionate about things and raise his voice tho its rare #and i think that the situation calls for a bit more passion from him so i gave it to him at the end #i was going to expand the kiss but i think that wouldve been too much of a tone shift #anyway if youve read this far into my tags i hope you have a good day :-)#i also have no idea if meteor is the right term for it -- i think (and hope) it is but Who Is To Say

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giorno-plays-piano · 4 years

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The Pretender Next Door Part 2 Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader Warning: Swearing. Summary: Lying is despicable, but nothing beats the humiliation of pretending you have a lovely boyfriend when, in fact, you have none. Could your handsome neighbor help you, though? Words: 2138. Part 1 _____________________________________ It went better you thought it would. Your colleagues were mostly friendly and open, your work environment seemed both interesting and challenging enough, and living in the new apartment was comfortable and pretty peaceful. Well, that man from the 5th floor was singing songs from Bridget Jones Diary on Friday mornings really loudly, but you were an early bird, so you didn’t care, truly. You hadn’t seen Steve much, though it was more an advantage rather than not. He wasn’t bringing any girls into his apartment, and it really bothered you. Worse, he wasn’t bringing any boys either. Your last hope was that Steve belonged to some kind of swingers club or something and had orgies in a different place.

Swingers club? Damn, girl. This man was making you crazy.

You did your best to forget about that perfection of a man living next door. You needed to build your life from scratch in this mad city of New York, and having relationships now was not on your list. In fact, it had never been.

One busy month had already passed when you got a chance to talk to Steve again. You were stepping inside the elevator, tired after work. Next week you were organizing a big holiday party for employees, and things were going more and more stressful with each day. It turned out that way more people had allergies they didn’t state previously, most of them new employees like you, and you had to adjust the menu; then that band your VP of Marketing wanted to have suddenly asked more money than you discussed before, and…

Well, event planning was always like that. Why complaining now when you spend all those years in college and then decided to move to NY? It was predictable. What was unpredictable was you lying to your married colleagues that you had a boyfriend. Why on Earth did you say that? Yes, it was a bit embarrassing to be the only woman who wasn’t in a relationship, but did you ultimately have to lie about it? It was so stupid and childish. Surely, there were more than one single woman in New York.

Anyway, you had a bottle of white wine and Netflix movies waiting for you at home. You would deal with everything else later, including your imaginary boyfriend.

“Wait, please!”

You snapped out of your thoughts and immediately pressed a button to leave the doors open, and the next second Steve almost flew inside the elevator. Oh, was he just in front of you and you hadn’t seen him again? Seriously, you needed to put yourself together.

“Hello.” You smiled a bit shyly and pressed another button to get the elevator moving.

He looked as handsome as always in his dark blue jacket and… oh God, he could wear nothing at all and still looked like a prince. No clothes at all would be far more preferable…

“Hello.” His glowing smile made it hard to keep your eyes off his face.

Nonono, just stop staring and keep your eyes down. You had enough things on your plate already, there was no place left for a giant sun named Steve Rogers who would indeed burn you to ashes the same second you decide to come closer.

“So, are we going the same floor?” He suddenly asked. Wait, did he forget you literally lived next door?

“Um, yes.”

Steve scratched the back of his head; for a few seconds he seemed lost in thought. You decided to drop it. Maybe he had a bad memory or something.

“Oh, I get it, you probably visiting my new neighbor.” He just grinned through those perfectly white teeth.

What? Did he already forget he spent at least half an hour in your hallway repairing your bookshelf? Just how bad was his memory if he didn’t recognize your face, for God’s sake? Well, anyway, if you wanted him to have a flaw, you had to be happy he got one. Better than being a secret swinger, wasn’t it?

“Actually, I am your new neighbor.” You let out an awkward laugh and stared at your pretty kitten heels shoes you bought before leaving Key West. Why were you upset? You just thought about not getting into relationship with anyone. Besides, you doubted you had a chance to date Steve Rogers even if New York’s female population would be five times smaller its actual size.

Lost in your thoughts again, you missed his immediate change of expression, his face completely red with embarrassment and shame.

“God, I’m an idiot with a fish’s memory span.” He groaned and looked somewhere up, shutting his eyes for a few seconds. “I’m so sorry! I mean, of course I remember you, Y/N, it just, ugh, you know… you just look a bit different and… Jesus Christ, I’m gonna say something stupid again, aren’t I?.. Just, ugh, sorry.”

With the guilt all over his pretty face he reminded you of a puppy who ate someone’s shoe, and you chuckled. It wasn’t as bad as you though, he still remembered your name. It was true you were different comparing to the day he met you – you were wearing way more makeup, including bright lipstick, to look older for your colleagues who were in their 40s and 50s. You also had a nice New Look black dress, and your hair were curled. Although you did not expect to look so different to others, maybe Steve simply didn’t take a closer look at your face that time?

And you could still take it as his flaw. Not bad enough, but still something!

“Don’t worry, you only saw me two times in your life.” You laughed it off and stepped out of the elevator once the doors were open. “Now if you see here a grumpy old woman with Ikea bags please remember the way I looked today.”

Steve followed you into a narrow corridor and burst out laughing, his face slowly losing its funny redness. You suspected he still felt kind of guilty, but he tried to keep it cool when you bid him goodbye and entered your apartment.

Thinking of any other possible flaws he might have, you took off your shoes and threw you bag on the comfy grey sofa in the middle of the room. You were finally home. Now you could change into your favorite blue pyjamas and fluffy slippers, take off your makeup and have some good time watching your favorite romcoms. Although you didn’t have anything for dinner, you could easily order something like a nice pizza or lasagna from that family-owned pizzeria around the corner.

The next hour you spent in a tub, washing away your worries. One was still there though: what were you supposed to do with your imaginary boyfriend? Your biggest issue was that your colleagues asked you to bring him to the party. Of course, they thought it was a nice gesture since they often brought their own husbands and boyfriends, but now they just made your life way more difficult. Even if you could say your boyfriend got sick or something at the day of the event, what then? Thankfully, no one demanded to see your photos yet, but they could. And they might ask you to bring him to dinners they had altogether sometimes, and God knows what else.

You were stupid enough to make up some super romantic story about a perfect guy any girl would like to date. It was embarrassing to think of it now, but you definitely got affected by the marriage stories of your colleagues who spent the whole lunch hour talking about their lovely husbands. Your problem was you tried to fit in too much.

Well, you probably had to come up with something about breaking up once you moved to NY. Funny, because your “boyfriend” was living here and waiting for you for a year to come over and transform your long-distance relationships into something bigger. Hell, you even said you might marry him. Why were you so careless? Why did your colleagues’ opinions matter so much?

You sighed, putting on an old black hoodie. You were hopeless.

Then you heard the doorbell rang and frowned. You were not expecting anyone since you didn’t order your pizza yet.

You hurried to the door in your slippers and put your hair into a ponytail on the way. It was around 8 pm. Who could it be? Did someone just mistake your apartment for someone’s else? You knew your aunt wasn’t coming without telling you first, and no one else knew where you moved to.

But you opened the door, and you found glowing Steve there with a plate in his hands. You were so stunned you just kept standing there until you heard him snicker. Wait, what? Steve? Did he need to borrow anything? Why was he here?

“H-hi Steve. Please, come in.” You stepped back awkwardly to let him go inside and saw him smiling even wider once he spotted your fluffy blue slippers. Could it get even more humiliating than that?

“Hi there. I’ve actually come to apologize properly for the… well, you know.” He almost looked like he was blushing a bit. “And I brought you a lemon pie. Although I baked it myself, I swear it’s not poisonous!”

Great, your absolutely perfect blue-eyed neighbor with blond hair and a winning smile was so nice he brought you a homemade pie. Girl, you were losing it. Maybe he was a serial killer instead of a swinger? It would make sense, indeed. Maybe it wasn’t wise touching this pie? Damn, you hoped he tried to kill you instead of just being nice, because Steve was clearly out of this world.

“I mean… not like baked it the way my mother did… more like googling an easy recipe online and putting everything I found into an instant pot…”

You were ready to slap yourself when you saw Steve fidgeting nervously in the hallway. You had to keep your lovely neighbor out of your mind.

“Thank you so much.” Taking the plate from his huge warm hands you felt your body temperature rising. “But you didn’t have to do that. There’s nothing to be sorry about!”

“No, I was being stupid and…”

“Well, whatever. Just come here and share this pie with me so I can check if it’s poisonous or not.” You tried your best to make a joke out of it and laughed, nodding towards the kitchen. “I can make either tea or coffee. What would you prefer? Um, if you’d like to stay, of course.”

“Only if you don’t mind the guy who couldn’t recognise his own neighbor.”

You spent the next hour chatting about anything and everything. Even though you had never been talkative with people you barely knew, Steve had seemed so trustworthy and friendly you were not able to stop. He talked a lot too, telling you more about himself, claiming he was “just a kid from Brooklyn.” He didn’t finish his university degree because of some financial issues and was now working in an auto repair shop. He still wanted to return to engineering, though, but the only jobs he was offered were some unpaid internships and things like that. And he also played guitar. And he had just finished renovating his own apartment.

The only flaw you found was his issue with keeping the rooms clean as he was overly impressed with your place and how tidy it was. Well, it was something.

Then you had somehow told him about your work, new company, colleagues, the event, and… and that imaginary boyfriend of yours. When you realized you complained about your silly lies, it was already late. Steve was biting his lips not to laugh. Oh, great. Now he was thinking how pitiful you were, pretending to have someone in order to gain some respect from your new coworkers. What kind of girl would say these things to a man like him? You were clearly out of your mind. The only good thing about it was that Steve would probably walk out of your apartment and never come back again.

“Please don’t think I’m laughing at you. It’s… a bit funny, I mean, that you think there’s nothing you could do with your issue.” He grinned at you, almost pouting like a little baby. “Think of it, you just need to ask some guy you know to pretend he’s your boyfriend. Ask him to come with you to this holiday event, and then some time later you can say you broke up with him.”

For a minute you fell silent, staring at the guy in front of you with wide eyes.

“Wait, but I don’t know anyone here. I can’t merely go to anyone on the street and ask him to do this for me, right?”

“Well, for starters, you know me.”

#steve rogers x reader #steve rogers #steve x reader #romcom au #captain america

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bexterbex · 5 years

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A Soul to Mend His Own | Ch. 8

Warning, if it hasn’t been obvious in the movies there is Nazi symbolism within the First Order. I will expand on this much more throughout the story. If this is something that bothers you, please just exit the story. The author does not condone any Nazi ideals, this is just for fictional uses only.

A Kylo Ren x Modern! Reader in a soulmate au with some canon divergence. —————————————SLOWBURN————————————–He is already the Supreme leader, searching the universe to find you, his Empress. Your name on his wrist has been the only constant in his life, while you have doubts about his existence and his acceptance of you. He isn’t in the database and why did the name Kylo Ren cover Ben Solo?

Originally posted on my Ao3 Crystallclover (If you can’t find it here)

Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7a | 7b

I really enjoy everyone's feedback. It makes my day to know you all are enjoying this story so far. There is still a lot planned for the future. I said this is slow-burn, it is don't worry. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Chapter 8: An Unexpected Meeting

Summary: You were in shock, you covered your mouth to try and stop the sobs that were starting. You wrapped your arms around yourself, trying to ground yourself hoping this all wasn’t some stupid dream.

_______________________________________________________________________

“Captain Moden Canady, just on time. The Supreme Leader will be pleased,” said the man you now know to be Allegiant General Armitage Hux.

Captain Canady saluted at the general. “The pleasure was all mine sir. She has read through the first three enlightenment pamphlets and has watched ‘The Empire: The Jedi Question and the Galactic Lie.’”

“Good. Unfortunately, the Supreme Leader is in a meeting with the President at the moment, but I will take her from here. I will be sure that the Supreme Leader knows that you have personally escorted her from your registration post,” and with that, the general motioned for you to follow him into the White House.

“The Supreme Leader won’t be long. In fact, he was initially disappointed that he would not be present for your arrival, but this will give me time to make sure everything is perfect for your meeting. I was most excited to learn that I would be seeing you before he would be. It gives me time to examine if the rumors are true,” You arrived into a large parlor room this one being in all red. The general stopped in the middle of the room and turned to face you, “Show me your wrist.”

This startled you for a moment but complied showing him the names of your matches. He took the glove off his right hand and brushed his fingers over the names, it made you shiver.

“It is true. I am glad I got the chance to see it before he does,” said the general almost mesmerized by the simple black letters. “Please sit, he will not be pleased if he finds out that you have been standing this whole time. Are you in need of any food or drink while we wait?”

Still processing all that the general said you move to sit down almost weightlessly. “If I could have a glass of water,” you asked still in a daze.

The general snapped his fingers and a junior officer, whom you didn’t even notice before quickly left the room and returned with a tray that held a pitcher of water and three cups. She poured you a glass, you took a sip and thanked her.

She addressed the general, “Sir, the conference room seemed to be finishing up. I believe the Supreme Leader will be here shortly.”

The general nodded and thanked her. He lightly paced around the room with his hands behind his back in deep thought.

You were in the room maybe two minutes before you could hear lots of movement outside the room.

You were sitting with you back to the door. You notice the general physically tense before bowing slightly and saying, “Supreme Leader.”

You jumped slightly before turning to face the man in question. You set the water on a table next to you and then stood lightly clasping your hands in front of you nervously quickly looking at him before shifting your gaze to the floor. You stood in silence not knowing what to do.

He slightly to a few steps towards you. Without speaking he reached out and gently took your forearm in his hand bringing it towards himself turning it so he could read your wrist. He let go of your forearm but you kept it in place. He moved to remove his glove, you could now see his large human hand with equally large fingers caress the name on your wrist. You felt as though your knees were about to give out. He placed his left hand on your bicep to steady you before helping you to sit down.

He knelt down in front of you while now holding your hand in his with the palm facing up so he could still read the name, “I wish to be left alone.” The modulated voice was much clearer than it had been on tv.

Hux and the other officer quickly left the room, you heard the door shut. He looked up at you. For a moment you looked into his mask where his eye should be wondering why this was happening. He looked at your face, almost studying you as you did him. He let go of your hand before reaching under his helmet. You heard a hiss then a click before he removed it setting it to the side and taking your hand again.

You saw his face for the first time. He had beautiful long and thick wavy black hair. His face was long, his eyes were and dark, his skin was littered with beauty marks. He had a long jagged scar that started on his forehead above his inner right eye that continued down his cheek before disappearing into his collar. His nose was larger and angular as was his jawline. But his lips were full and were wonderfully pink compared to his almost pale skin. He was breathtakingly beautiful, and such a contrast compared to the helmet that he wore. He was the first to speak.

“I have been searching for such a long time, and yet the words that I have dreamt over and over escape me,” his voice was rich, deep and calm. He glanced back down at your wrist.

You were stunned, still having no idea what this all meant.

He glanced back up at you saying, “for many years, your name has been the only constant in my life. My only hope. My only light in the darkness.”

Suddenly it clicked. Was he your match? Was the Supreme Leader your match? Was this strikingly beautiful man in front of you your match? Surely he couldn’t be matched to you. You are a nobody, especially compared to someone the likes of him. There has to be a mistake, surely the fates wouldn’t taunt you like this.

“My name,” it came out as barely a whisper, barely above a breath. You were trembling.

“Yes. Your name. Y/N. That is your name isn’t it,” he asked almost in disbelief that you could ask such a thing.

“Yes,” you say sitting back in disbelief.

He lets go of your hand and you feel your heart starting to break. He slightly rolled up his sleeve revealing his wrist. He shows it to you. On it is your name in black letters. You move your hand to his wrist, ghosting your fingertips over your name. This time he is the one who gasps and shivers slightly. You believe him.

“I have been searching the galaxy for you, planet after planet. Ever since I joined the First Order. Hoping and praying to the Force that you would still want me,” he said sounding heartbroken.

“Still want me?”

“I am a broken man, a monster. What do I need to do to convince you to stay with me?” He was now pleading to you.

“Convince you to stay? Why would you need to do that? I am a nobody, you’re the Supreme Leader of the First Order. You should want someone else, someone who could help you,” you say this in again in disbelief and start to form tears in your eyes as this was all too much for you to handle.

“Why would I need anyone else when the Force has given you to me, the only gift I could want?” His voice was broken.

You were in shock, you covered your mouth to try and stop the sobs that were starting. You wrapped your arms around yourself, trying to ground yourself hoping this all wasn’t some stupid dream. You felt a pair of arms snake around you before you were pulled into his chest. His head resting on yours, a hand rubbing your back trying to calm you down. He started to rock you both back and forth, you could hear him failing to hold back his own tears. You both stayed like that for what felt like hours.

“Will you stay with me,” he asked into your hair.

“Yes,” you answered this time a bit more than a whisper.

You pulled apart. With one arm still around you, he took your cheek into his hand. He brushed the hair from your face and the tears from your eyes. You looked into his eyes, breath steadying. He reached around you and grabbed the glass from the table handing it to you, implying to you that you should drink. You finish the glass and he takes it from you and sets it back onto the table. He helps you to stand. He caresses your cheek with the back of his hand before tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear.

You heard a knock on the door.

“Yes, Hux?” Ren asked after clearing his throat.

You heard the door open and the general in question poked his head in, “My lord, you should eat. I don’t believe she has had anything to eat either since before her registration this morning.” With that, you glanced at your watch. Somehow time completely slipped away from you and it was now 2 o’clock. The last time you ate was before 5:30. You glanced at Ren and sheepishly nodded. He turned back to Hux and responded, “Have something prepared for us and brought here.”

“Of course sir,” responded the general before once again shutting the door.

He glanced at you almost shyly before bending down and picking up his helmet almost fiddling with it.

“We will return to the ship tonight and you can choose if you want to come back down tomorrow,” he said with his eyes still on the helmet.

“So, it is safe to assume that you won’t execute me,” you asked vocalizing one of your fears from the shuttle.

He looked up quickly startled at your question, “Of course not I could never. If there was ever a choice I would surely choose myself to die before you.”

There was another knock on the door. Ren put his helmet on again before saying, “Come in.” Three junior officers came in with carts and trays that were filled with a variety of meats, cheeses, pastries, fruit, and other food, much more food than you two could ever eat. On one of the carts, it had a small foldable table that two of the officers took off and set up between you. They laid a table cloth and set out plates and silverware. You and Ren took a seat. They brought many of the foods closer to you, like a spread. They gave you both water and white wine before asking, “Will that be all Supreme Leader?”

“Yes, that is all.” And with that, they all left and shut the door again. Ren removed his helmet and glanced at you before gesturing for you to dig in. You picked the foods that look most appetizing to you and put them on your plate as did he.

After taking a few bites you worked up the courage to ask. “what am I to call you?”

Ren looked up at you from his plate, “You may call me whatever you like. The only thing I ask is that when we address the public that you call me Supreme Leader.”

You nodded and thought for a moment. You thought back to what Captain Canady had said to you and pushed its back into your mind for another time. “May I call you Kylo?”

“Of course,” he responded to you with a small smile that reached his eyes, which now almost had a sparkle.

You returned the smile and went back to your food.

“Now I think it's is my turn to ask you something.” He said and you looked up at him in response. “What is your favorite flower?”

This was a rather odd question, you thought for a moment before responding, “My favorite flower is _______.”

He sat back, finished with his food, with a glass of wine in his hand very pleased. You smiled at him and quickly finished yours. You both sat back in your chairs with wine in your hands just casually studying each other.

Again there was another knock on the door and the general stuck his head in. “I know you are busy Supreme Leader, but your next meeting starts in 5 minutes.” And with that, he shut the door. Now looking highly annoyed he finished the wine in one gulp before sanding and grabbing his helmet. “I’m sorry Y/N, but this is where we have to depart for now. I’ll make sure Hux will take you where ever you want to go.” And with that, his helmet was on and he was out the door.

#kylo ren x reader #kylo ren imagine #kylo x reader #kylo x you #ben solo #ben solo x reader #armitage hux #captain moden canady #star wars #first order #star wars imagine #Star wars soulmate au #sw first order imagine #a soul to mend his own #kylo ren

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sparklingchan · 4 years

Text

Stray Kids AU

Stray Kids soulmate AU

Prompt : The name of your soulmate appears on your body only after that person falls in love with you.

A/N: this was sooooo fun to write but it turned out rather long but please the whole thing,I swear it'll be worth every minute🥺

Warnings : None.

1. Bang Chan

You met him for the first time when you went to the movies one evening,alone ,trying to take your mind off the upcoming exams.

He was seated to your left,his mind completely focused on the movie . He wore a black tshirt with a black jacket and a pair of baggy pants but you couldn't help but notice how attractive he looked even in the dark.

You also subtly noticed the bandaids around his fingers and the reddened knuckles and the tired and exhausted look on his face ,which you were very familiar with because it is the same expression you see when you look into the mirror.

"Are you like a boxer or something?" You weren't the kind to go around talking to random strangers at movies but this time your curiosity got the better of you.

He looked at you ,confused ,but answered anyway. "No. I'm a musician "

"Then what's with the bruised hands?"

He looks down at his hands and laughs,shaking his head. "Let's just say I overwork myself a little too much sometimes". Fair enough.

"I'm y/n by the way " you offer your hand and he takes it,smiling from ear to ear. "I'm Chan"

You notice his lack of snacks and a cold drink and you couldn't help but offer your extra large bucket of popcorn ,which previously you were sure you could finish on your own but now, not so anymore.

He thanks you,dipping his hands in and grabbing a fistful of popcorn,a small but very noticeable blush tinting his cheeks.

That night,he offers to walk you home and you couldn't say no. You stood at your doorstep,smiling to yourself as he turns around and walks back home.

The moment he is out of your sight,you feel a sudden pain in your left forearm.

Rolling your sleeves up till your elbow,you are stunned to see "Bang Chan" cleanly written there.

2. Lee Minho

You hated Lee Minho from the bottom of your heart. He went to the same dance studio as you and ever since you guys had a minor argument about something regarding a particular step,he's felt like nothing but a nuisance.

He knew that you disliked him so he made sure to bother you even more. Sometimes he'd make fun of your frizzy hair and sometimes he'd simply grab your phone out of nowhere and run. He even ate your food without any permission.

But one day ,your dance teacher paired you two up together for a couple contemporary dance competition.

You were so close to strangling Minho everytime he looked at you with that smirk on his face as you guys practiced day and night. But you also couldn't help but acknowledge how perfect his every movement was.

It was the day before your competition when Minho fell in the bathroom and fractured his leg,forcing your duo to back out from the competition.

You honestly weren't a bit angry or sad about it since it was a small internal competition but you knew he was upset with himself so you went to visit him at his dorm.

"I'm sorry, y/n " he had said. That's the saddest you've ever seen him look and to be very honest, you hated it.

"Shut up ,idiot. It's not a big deal " you gave him the donuts you bought earlier as he looks up at you ,smiling brightly.

When you were about to leave, he asked you if you could drop by often. His eyes looked at everywhere but you.

"Why?" You giggled. He looked down shyly. "I realized you're not that bad to hang out with "

You laughed, pressing a small kiss on his cheek. "I'll come by often"

When you reached home,you felt a strong sting at your forearm.

And on observing closely at the burning area,you see "Lee Minho" written in big,bold letters.

3. Seo Changbin

You hated your job ,you really did but everything changed when your new colleague, Changbin, arrived. He was the funniest,nicest and most talented mam you'd ever met.

A few weeks into the friendship,he had already made you listen to the songs he composed. His smile when you complimented him was something to die for.

And Whenever you felt down ,he would make some silly jokes and he'd instantly brighten up your mood.

And you didn't want to deny it,you had developed a crush on him.

It was a rainy afternoon in your office when you saw Changbin walk inside your executive director's cabin. You knew that it could never mean something good.

When he came out of the office,almost half an hour later,his eyes looking down at the floor and his ears red ,you knew he had gotten a nice scolding from your shitty boss.

You knew because a few months ago you'd been in the the same position too.

But instead of coming back to his seat,you saw him walk out of the office. Mindlessly,you followed him into the terrace .

"He's a stupid asshole,don't fret yourself about it" you wrapped your arm around his. He sighed, ruffling his hair with the other hand.

"I'm going to punch that man one day " he gritted his teeth. You were so used to him being a smily ,funny man ,you were scared when you saw him this angry.

"He's not worth your attention,I'm telling you " . He only replied by shrugging.

You two decided to have dinner together that night.

"I hope there's a next time to this" he had said,shyly, His smile doing wonders to your heart. As his car disappeared around the corner,you felt your heart swell with a warm feeling.

The next morning,you woke up with a stinging pain in your forearm and when you checked it out,your heart skipped a beat on seeing 'Seo Changbin ' written there.

4. Hwang Hyunjin

You'd never seen a man as beautiful and amazing as Hyunjin. Although he probably never noticed you,you noticed him. All the girls in your college did and you were no exception to that.

You were more than excited when your teacher told you that you two were supposed to do a project together.

Initially, you were expecting him to be a brat ,given his popularity among women ( and men OFC) but he turned out to be a warm person,making you feel guilty for thinking that way about him in the first place.

He helped you all he could ,and you also realised at that time that he was not just a handsome face ,he was pretty smart too.

After working hours on the project at your house,you two would sometimes just spend time talking to each other. It wasn't even forced; you guys just clicked naturally.

On the day the project finished, you decided to bake cookies for him and even packed some for him to take home. "This is a thank you gift"

His whole face lit up as he took the jar of cookies from you. "I should be the one thanking you "

Before he left,he gives you tight hug and then a kiss on your forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow "

While you prepared dinner that evening,you felt a weird sting on your forearm,as if a bug bit you. Putting down the spoon,you checked out your forearm for any signs of a bug bite.

Your cheeks turned red when you saw that it wasn't a bug bite. "Hwang Hyunjin " was printed onto your skin in a clean and neat handwriting.

5. Han Jisung

You were the new producer intern at JYP entertainment and although unfamiliar to most people,you felt quite comfortable at home. You first met Han Jisung when he popped his head through your studio door,mistaking your studio for some else's.

His cheeks turned red with embarrassment, as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry. I thought this room was Mike's."

You smiled shyly. "Its alright. Don't apologize please." He then slowly stepped into the studio,his hands behind his back.

"Are you new here ? Haven't seen you before " You nodded in response . He thrusted his hand towards you,his lips curving up into a smile.

"I'm Jisung. I am a trainee here" he said. "Nice to meet you ,Jisung. I'm y/n,a new intern producer"

You then proceeded to tell him that you have in fact heard about him and his team ,3racha,from other producers. He giggled,clearly embarrassed. "Yeah. I do compose a little, here and there "

Needless to say,over time you guys had developed an unbreakable bond not only through music but also the similar way that you two click with each other. It's as if you both had found a safe haven in each other.

A few months later,he told you that he wanted to show you a song he was working on. And excited, you quickly agreed to it.

For someone who was only a few months older than you,his music style was way more mature than yours. The way every beat,every chord ,every lyric sticks out beautifully, you couldn't help but clap as the song ended.

"That was amazing,Jisung. You're gonna put all us producers out of work!" You had teased.

He gave you his signature smile and shook his head . "You guys are going to be big one day, I can feel it " you told him.

He stopped for a second and stared at you ,his fingers fumbling with his laptop. "But you'll still be here right? Even if we do get big one day,you'll still be there with me right?"

You smiled ,as he took your hand in his. "Yes. I'll be there "

As soon as Jisung left the studio after a few minutes,you suddenly felt as if your arm was on fire. Alarmed ,you decided to check the area .

"Han Jisung" was written on your forearm.

6. Felix Lee

You loved swimming more than anything in the world and you were so good at it,people at your school saw you as their swimming champion.

But it all changed when Lee Felix joined your school. He was an amazing swimmer and as much as it hurt your ego to admit it,Felix was better than you .

You couldn't help but feel jealous and even though he was in the same swimming team as you ,you never bothered to acknowledge him. He did try to befriend you but your ego was too big to pay heed to him.

On his birthday, when he invited you to his house for a party,you couldn't say no to those pleading eyes. You told yourself you went out of pity but that's not entirely true.

The party wasn't half as bad as you had thought and by the time the party died down,you also realized you were being too harsh on Felix. His sunshine like smile and cheerful personality worked magic on you.

He offered to walk you home since you insisted on walking back home alone . You agreed because your houses weren't very far apart.

"Do you hate me or something?" He caught you off guard as you find the right words to answer him.

You shook your head ." I don't hate you,Felix. I guess...I was just envious"

He chuckled. " you shouldn't be" and you nodded. He was right, you shouldn't be jealous and right now,in this moment you realise how ridiculous those feelings were.

You stopped at your gate and looked up at him,smiling ,and then gave him a quick hug

But before he could say anything you ran into your house.

The moment you close the door behind you,your forearm starts hurting really bad. And when you check it out to see what's causing it ,you see the name 'Lee Felix ' written on your skin.

7. Kim Seungmin

Kim Seungmin was that one cute boy from your school who dropped by at the library you work at every day.

He always greeted you with the brightest smile on earth and often chatted with you before he left the library. You had gotten used to his positive energy.

But one evening he came in,his eyes tired and mouth pressed in a small smile. He didn't even greet you ,which broke your heart a little.

He sat on the farthest corner of the library, a book open in front of him but his eyes and mind were elsewhere . You approached him.

"What's wrong?" He looked at you with tear filled eyes. "I didn't do well in my maths paper "

You softly patted his back. " hey,it's okay . Everyone knows you're good at maths and plus it was just an internal assessment. It won't hamper your finals "

"But that's the thing,y/n. I'm not good at maths. I am fairly good at the other subjects but I suck at maths,big time "

You looked at his sorry face and realised how much his grades mattered to him unlike you who didn't give too much thought to it . "I'm good at maths. If you want ,I could tutor you "

His face broke into a smile as he placed his hand on yours.

"You would?" You nodded as his smile turned even bigger.

You walked back to the reception after Seungmin calmed down,having discussed the timings for his math tutions and making him promise you free ice cream for the rest of your life in return for your favour.

You suddenly felt a sting on your forearm and on inspecting your forearm ,you saw the name 'Kim Seungmin' written in big letters as your stomach did a backflip in anticipation of what is to come.

8. Yang Jeongin

Jeongin and you had been best friends since childhood. Your parents were friends too so naturally you grew up to be closer than anyone.

But as you both entered teenage, you started seeing him as more than just a friend . So you distanced yourself from him. Over time ,he stopped trying to earn you back and you two grew apart.

It was the last year of high school and everyone was busy preparing for the Winter Ball. You weren't going(obviously),not just because you had no date but also because you didn't want to see Jeongin with someone else.

The morning of the ball arrived and your friends had given up on trying to convince you to go with them.

You were sitting on your sofa while eating breakfast when the doorbell rang.

"I heard that you weren't coming to the ball,y/n " Jeongin looked at you with sad eyes.

You looked at your feet,embarrassed . "Yes."

He sighed,walking into your house. "Why, y/n?"

You told him that you didn't have a date but he refused to believe that to be the only reason. He grabbed your shoulders,looking into your eyes. You heart was beating so fast you were sure you might pass out any minute.

"You like me,don't you? Isn't that the reason why you stopped hanging out with me? Please tell me its true" Your forearm started hurting badly at that moment but you ignored it,there were more important things to do than worry about a sore arm .

"Yes " you didn't want to lie to him anymore . You were tired of being afraid and playing safe all the time . For once,maybe bravery might be a better option.

He smiled from ear to ear ,wrapping you in his arms and snuggling his face in the crook of your neck. "I do too ,you dumbo. "

While your heart leaped with happiness ,the pain in your arm increased so you quickly checked the area whilst still in his embrace.

'Yang Jeongin ' was written on your skin and you knew what it meant. You knew that he was the one for you.

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floral-and-fine · 4 years

Text

Endless Orange Part 2

Fred Weasley x fem reader

PART 1

Summary: Feeling lonely, fate leads Fred to a coffee shop.

A/n: Thanks @luna-xial for all the help.

“Morning George!” Fred greeted as he burst through the front door slightly out of breath and rushed up the stairs in the shop.

“You’re late,” George tutted, “might have to dock your pay, Weasley.”

Fred laughed, “Promise it won’t happen again, Mr. Weasley, sir.”

The shop was already bustling, groups of first years wandering around with their arms full of merchandise, girls giggling over the pygmy puffs and love potions, employees scurrying about.

“So what happened?” George questioned, it wasn’t like Fred to be late, ever.

“Nothing,” Fred shrugged, trying his best to act nonchalant. “Just had to stop at Gringotts on my way here.”

“What for?”

“Had breakfast with a goblin,” Fred joked. “What do you mean what for?”

“Well typically when you need money, you usually just take it from the register,” George reasoned.

Fred went quiet, his brother had a valid point after all. Gritting his teeth, Fred mentally kicked himself, for not thinking this through. Of course, George, being equally as clever, could tell something was up with him and most likely wasn’t going to drop the subject any time soon.

“Well?” George pressed. “It can’t be that bad?

Fred sighed, “I’ve got a date tonight.”

For the past few nights Fred continued visiting y/n at the coffee shop, she had been generous so far and treated him to free coffee and pastries with each visit.

But tonight, they had a real date and there was no way in hell he was showing up broke for that. So this morning he made a stop at Gringotts to acquire some muggle money.

George smiled, “that’s great! I was beginning to worry about you, all work and no play was making you like Percy, Fred.”

“Please, George, if I ever start acting like Percy, have the decency to put me out of misery!”

Both brothers chuckled, as they finally started working.

“Oi George! I’ve got a few ideas I want to run past you,” Fred beamed, turning to his brother. “What do you think of an ordinary-looking cushion, but when someone sits on it they break wind, and I mean literal wind, like a massive gust that could send a small child flying through the air!”

“That’s brilliant!” George exclaimed, “We could even offer a variety of scents! How did you come up with it?”

Fred chuckled, “you know how these things work, inspiration just strikes out of nowhere.”

As the day progressed, Fred began feeling antsy, he tried keeping himself busy working on a new display for his and George’s latest creation, but his mind kept wandering back to y/n.

In just a few short hours, he’d be sitting across from her, having a nice dinner. Maybe they could take a walk and find a nice place to sit. For a brief moment, he pictured cupping her cheek and kissing her, his stomach fluttered at the prospect.

“Fred,” George called out, suddenly snapping Fred out of his daydream. “You alright? You’ve been staring at the shelf for like 5 solid minutes.”

“I’m fine,” Fred grunted, getting back to work.

George smiled smugly. “Oh I see,” he hummed. “Fantasizing about a certain someone are we?”

Fred’s ears started turning red because of George’s teasing. “I-I wasn’t.”

George clapped his hand on his brother’s shoulder, “Why don’t you leave a little early, hm? Get your date some flowers or something.”

Fred opened his mouth to object but was immediately interrupted.

“Don’t argue,” George wagged his finger. “You let me leave early all the time.”

…

Fred appeared in front of y/n’s door a few minutes early. In his hand was the largest bouquet of flowers or at least a close second. He had insisted at the shop that his date needed a few of every flower they had in stock.

He had to admit when they handed him a bouquet the size of a small bush with flowers of practically every color and type, that maybe it was a bad idea... but still it could pay off.

Biting his lip, Fred knocked on her door and took a step back holding the flowers out in front of him.

The bewildered expression on y/n’s face as she answered the door convinced Fred that he had made the right choice.

“Fred?” She gasped, barely able to see his face past all the flowers.

“These are for you,” he said, handing her the bouquet.

“They’re… beautiful, there’s so many of them,” y/n commented as she looked at the massive bundle. Did she even have a vase big enough? “I’m gonna put these in some water.”

Fred tucked his hands in his pockets, he thought about following her inside but decided against it.

When she returned, Fred was finally able to get a good look at her. She was stunning, although she’s always looked lovely to him, even when she was working.

“You look incredible by the way,” Fred said, leaning forward to kiss her cheek.

“Thank you,” she muttered, giving him a quick peck in return. “You look incredible too.”

He was wearing another one of his suits that she found so interesting. This one was brown with olive green accents.

“Shall we?” Fred asked, offering his arm to y/n.

She nodded entwining her arm around his, “so where are we headed?”

“Well…” Fred muttered, tapping his index finger against his chin. “I was thinking we’d take a chance and find an interesting place nearby.”

“Alright,” y/n laughed lightly. “Sounds like a plan.”

As they started idly walking along, Y/n looked up at Fred who had the biggest smile on his face. She couldn’t quite figure out why, but every time she was with him, his good mood just seemed infectious.

They must have looked like quite the pair, walking arm in arm as if they had all the time in the world. All the cars and other people around just seemed like a blur.

Occasionally, Fred’s head would turn to admire a window display that piqued his interest. It was so fascinating watching muggles go about their day, hailing cabs, drinking coffee as they briskly walked past. Each time he noticed anyone staring at him and y/n, he’d smile and wave.

He felt as though he was walking on air. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had been so excited on a date.

Fred abruptly stopped.

“What is it?” Y/n asked, tilting her head.

“Something smells fantastic,” he answered, inhaling deeply.

Whipping her around, y/n spotted a quaint little pub. “My guess it’s coming from there,” she said pointing it out to Fred.

Squeezing her hand tightly, Fred practically sprinted towards it, dragging her behind him.

Inside it was relatively crowded, a large group of people were gathered by the bar focused on the football game playing on the tele.

“Seat yourselves,” the bartender shouted at them.

Finding an empty table in the back, Fred pulled a chair out for y/n. “This place looks fun,” he commented, his eyes full of wonder as he took the seat beside her.

The waitress soon came by with menus and took their drink order.

Suddenly, loud cheers erupted from the bar, catching Fred’s attention.

“Are you a football fan?” Y/n asked.

“No,” he answered, still fixated on the screen as he tried to figure out the objective of the game and who this particular crowd was cheering for. “But I like being loud and competitive, so I could be.”

He watched as the players kicked the ball to each other, their footwork was quite impressive as they manipulated the ball across the field. A player from the opposing team with incredible speed snatched the ball and made a goal.

With impeccable timing, Fred shouted at the TV, “Rubbish!” His energy imitating those who were also booing, however, he seemed much more entertained and pleased by it all, rather than upset.

Y/n found herself wanting to join in on all the rowdiness as well. Gently, laying her hand over Fred’s, she focused on the game as well.

Moments later, their waitress served their food, and they chatted a bit as they ate, still paying attention to what was happening with the game.

Things started getting exciting as the scores between the teams were timed, Fred and y/n both jumped to their feet cheering as their team scored.

Without thinking, Fred wrapped an arm around y/n’s shoulders and pressed a kiss to her lips. She blinked in surprise, the kiss was short-lived and ending before she had a chance to respond.

“Y/n did you see that!” He shouted sitting back down. “That play was bloody brilliant.” He wondered if something similar could be accomplished in a quidditch game.

When the waitress dropped off the tab, Fred took out his wallet, figuring a couple of the largest notes he was given this morning ought to cover it. “Keep the change.”

The waitress hurriedly accepted, with a gracious thank you.

Y/n slightly gaped over the fact that he just gave their waitress an unexpectedly large tip, but quickly shut her mouth and decided not to question him over it.

He did seem like the generous type or at least the spontaneous type. In fact, he was absolutely unlike anyone she had ever met, carefree, charming, witty, confident, a little ridiculous but she loved that too. She gulped, realizing how much she already adored him.

Leaving the pub, y/n raised her arms above her head and sighed. It had gotten rather stuffy inside so she welcomed the cool refreshing night air.

“We should go to a game sometime,” Fred suggested thoughtfully. “We’ll do it right, with jerseys and face paint, the works.”

“That would be great!” Y/n nodded eagerly. “We’ll even buy some of those giant foam fingers, and get into a scuffle with another couple.”

He laughed, “I can't wait.”

For a moment, he pictured taking y/n to a quidditch game, getting the chance to watch her face light up as the teams flew in on broomsticks. But first, he’d have to tell her the truth, and he was far from ready for that.

Quietly, they started making their way back to y/n’s flat, but at the pace of a snail. Neither of them were quite ready for this date to end. As they got closer to her home, Y/n wracked her brain for an excuse to make the date last just a little longer.

“Dessert!” She shouted suddenly. “We should get ice cream! I know a place close by.”

Fred perked up at the suggestion, “lead the way.”

#fred weasley #fred weasley fanfic #fred weasley fanfiction #fred weasley x reader #female reader #reader insert #harry potter fanfic #harry potter fanfiction #fred weasley imagine

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a-forgotten-spirit · 4 years

Text

Love Isn’t An Illusion (5)

Pairing: Todoroki x Bakugou, Todoroki x Reader x Bakugou, VERY SLOW BUILD

Summary: Studying, exams and lead up to the practical exam

Words: +-6600

Warnings: Anxiety, stress, overthinking, feelings of pressure, over working, unhealthy habits, over studying, not eating, not sleeping, getting thinner, (aggressive) caring Bakugou, Monoma, angy boom boom boy, fear of failure, swearing

Tagged: @kittycatspervertedheart @lemorrite @gwendlynn @marleps @thicctati2 @saitamastamaticsoup @succulent-momma @aurorahoneybuns @imjusttireddudes @misconceptualised @ochabby @katsukisuwus @gayverlinq @star-witchs-blog @fallbb123

A/N: I wrote this for the fans. I do not own My Hero academia or the characters, I don’t own most of the plot for this story, I had watched the show and re-written the dialogue and plot as if the reader was the main character. Everything is centred around the reader. Please comment, makes me happy. Ask if you wish to be tagged. I’m thinking of making a patreon for exclusive fanfics and commissions, comment/ask/message your thoughts.

Masterlist

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

_______________________________________________________________

Chapter 5 Y/N P.O.V

Once Aizawa left the room Kaminari and Mina were yelling within seconds “It’s true we haven’t had much free time” Tokoyami but in. I’ve had heaps of free time, you just cut out sleep and boom like 9 hours of studying ready for you. I had come first in the midterms so I couldn’t fall behind now.

“As someone who ranked in the top ten I'm not that concerned” Mineta smiled spinning in his chair. It was quite often my brain ignored that he was athletic and semi-decently smart. Though his personality ranked quite low in the class so overall he wasn’t doing exceptionally well.

“What you’re tenth in the midterms” both Kaminari and Mina yelled out in unison. They were the bottom two, I couldn’t imagine the stress of that. I can’t deal with being first not to mention being last. I think I was going to faint, just thinking about it sent shivers down my spine.

“Ashido, Kaminari. We still have time to study and we’ll all get to go to the training camp together” he had ranked fifth I had completely forgotten about the camp far too focused on not failing I must have excused that from my memory. I was glad Midoriya brought it up, now I was forced to converse with my parents at a later date. “Right” he questioned with a smile, hands clenched and happy.

“Yes, as class rep, I have hopes we will make UA proud” Iida was in third place in the class. How was he holding it together, I wanted to ask him for his secrets. To give me guidance. I needed the help, I needed to train. I had so little time.

“It’s pretty hard to fail if you just pay attention in class, isn’t it” Todoroki’s voice was so bland and he spoke, his words were true. Like there was no way I could fail, right, right? I could feel my heart beating so quickly. Todoroki had ranked sixth in the class, how was he being so calm. I was stressing beyond belief.

“Why you gotta cut me down like that” Kaminari was holding his chest, kneeling on the floor. I nodded, I felt the same. Everyone in the top ten seemed to calm and here I was in first place having a small crisis. I thought I had gotten over my nerves but not at least not for my education.

“Hey don’t worry you two, I can catch you up to speed on certain topics if you want” Yaoyorozu was so nice, maybe I would ask if I too could join. She ranked second, I needed to ask her as well as how she wasn’t stressing. Was it the fact she wasn’t number one? Was it something else? Did she not care? Anyone give me an answer. I had study sessions but they slowly died down with the class. I was collapsing and I needed support. Mina and Kaminari took her up on the offer. “I’m afraid I won’t be any help when it comes to the practical though” she sulked, an aura radiating off her from the corner of the room as she sat down in her chair.

“I’ve been studying but can you help me out too, I’m having some trouble understanding quadratic functions,” Jirou asked holding up her book. I too had struggled with them, a whole night of rewriting them, listening to a youtube video about them and then reading about them had solved that issue. Jirou ranked eighth in the class.

“Tutor me please, classical Japanese is killing me” Sero had his hands above his hand in a ‘praying’ formation, he ranked eighteenth. Classical Japanese was a lot of work but again some videos and all-nighter. I think I had got it to a T, though what if I had missed something… My lord what if I had missed something.

Ojiro walked over his shoulders slouched and hand in the air like he was volunteering “Is their room for one more, I’m falling behind a little” at least he was honest. Ojiro ranked ninth so he was still in the top ten but I could see his stress. I was listening in from my desk as my hands shook.

They all asked in unison for help and Yoayarozu looked stunned for a moment, her hands coming to her lips as her eyes sparkled “This is wonderful” she shouted, her seat moving back as she jumped up, hands in the air happily. How could she be happy at a time like this? “Yes let’s do it, ok we can hold a study session at my residence over the weekend” she smiled hands clasped together.

“Seriously, I can’t wait to see your fancy digs” Mina smiled as she bounced over. Yaoyarozu looked so happy, a blush forming along her cheeks, hands fisted near her face. Her smile was beautiful, she was beautiful. How could she be smart and pretty?

“I must call mother and ask to set up the great hall, it’ll be the perfect spot” Did she just say great hall, she was joking right. She didn’t have that kinda space just laying around. “What kind of tea does everyone like, I'll make sure we are stocked” everyone looked about as shocked as I was, sure I knew she was rich but this was just wow. She continued to go on about what her family drank and that if it wasn’t to your liking she would buy some. Such a good host and we were still at school.

“Sounds like I should be studying with her” Kirishima smiled at the group forming at the back of the room, he was ranked sixteenth. I couldn’t blame him, she seemed so confident and wise. How was she so happy, how was she able to make time for other people when she too had to study. Sure I could do it a few weeks ago but right now? A week before the exam, how was she doing it?

“Think I don’t know enough, maybe I should beat the lessons into your skull” Bakugou growled out, he ranked fourth. He was another I forgot was smart. He was always so loud and angry but he did care dearly for his education and becoming the best so it made sense why he was like that. Bakugou looked so angry teeth grit and eyes wide, was he mad that Kirishima even suggested going with someone else.

“I'm counting on it,” Kirishima smiled and nodded happily to the seething Bakugou. I don’t often see Kirishima without a smile, he was always so happy. Give me tips, please. I was on the verge of passing out, whether it be from stress, sleep deprivation or the four cups of coffee wearing off I wasn’t sure. “God I wish I was Y/N. Not a care in the world” Kirishima sighed and I watched as everyone turned their attention to me shaking at my desk.

“Yeah I know right” Sero agreed his head down, I heard a few more agree. Lord if only they knew how fast my heart was beating at the thought. “I don’t know how you can even get 100%” there was so much pressure, my head was spinning as I felt faint.

My hand rose, shaking as I shook my head “I am very stressed” I stuttered and everyone stopped turning to my shaking figure as I went to stand and my legs wobbled. “I think I’m about to have a heart attack,” I said calmly and sighed out unevenly.

“What, why, you’re so smart. Our study sessions were like you were a teacher. I don’t know how you find the time” Mina jumped to my desk as I stood up straight, my hands coming to rub my cheeks the end of my sleeves dragging along my skin.

“Yeah, you are incredibly smart” Kaminari agreed. “I could never come first” he sighed and everyone slowly walked over. I was rubbing my face still, slowly and shakily. They all thought I was so smart, I had so much pressure. “How do you have time?” he asked.

“I don’t sleep” I looked up, my eyes baggy and black. I might as well have been a walking corpse. “I studied over 300 hours for the last test. I can’t even imagine the time I’ve put into this one” I shivered and saw wide eyes and feared looks. “Am I allowed to the study sessions as well?” I asked slowly.

“I think you need some sleep” Yaoyarozu spoke and came to rub my back calmly. I could fall asleep to this, I could fall asleep standing I was so tired. “But if you want to come you are more than welcome” she smiled nodding. “I’ll make you some nice calming tea”

I grabbed her hands bowing my head “Thank you” I whispered and looked up seeing her happy face smiling, she was pretty “If I could marry you, I would” I whispered and she flushed as I heard some laughter. “I’m not joking, the idea of studying with calming tea is marriage material and no one can tell me otherwise” I bowed again. She blushed more and bowed back.

Then came lunch, we all walked to the lunchroom and sat down. We all sat at one big table and when I sat down I brought out my notes books and pens. This was half an hour I got to study, the lords are truly smiling upon me. As I began to write I could feel eyes on me.

“Are you not eating?” Mina asked slowly pointing down to my book “You can take a half an hour break to eat Y/N” I looked down to my book, I was hungry. When had I eaten last? I wasn’t sure yesterday, maybe. The day before. I was far too stressed and busy to eat.

“Well it’s an extra half an hour” I answered and saw the looks I was getting. “I have to do my best you know” I clicked the lid of my pen to the bottom of it and began to write again.

“When was the last time you ate,” Bakugou asked and I turned, we were sitting next to each other. He had asked me last time as well. He took a lot of care for his body, his athleticism was proof of that. Why was everyone so worried for me?

“Um,” I paused and tried to think about it “I had some rice, Saturday” I questioned and shook my head “I’m fine though, really” I smiled but even that was using energy my body didn’t have.

“Are you kidding?” Kirishima asked and I looked down shaking my head “I could never” he whispered and looked over my body. I too looked down, was I getting smaller? I pulled on my UA jumper and then flattened it to my body. There was a lot of excess fabric but I liked my jumpers bigger.

I saw a bowl placed in front of me as books were moved out of the way “Eat” Bakugou demanded and I looked down to the bowl of rice with soup and noodles, odd but it looked good. I shook my head and smiled about talking when I was handed some chopsticks. “I said to eat” he growled.

My stomach growled loudly, I hadn’t noticed just how hungry I was “Thank you” I whispered and placed my hands together in a thank you for the food. Picking up the bowel I began to eat and saw him eating something else he had brought. A few mouthfuls and I placed it down. “Thank you again” I went to grab my book but my hand was stopped.

“Eat it all” he ordered and moved the bowl back “You look dead” he added and took another bite of his food. I touched my face, did I look that bad. The noodles had a nice spice to it and were about to shake my head once more when I was glared at. Giving up I continued to eat until a loud banging was heard.

“Oh sorry, your head is so big that it’s hard to miss” it was the preppy boy from 1-B, the one who was a real jerk ward. I lowered Bakugous’ bowl and watched how this would play out. He was rude and had a grudge against 1-A. Maybe he hadn’t gotten in or maybe he just didn’t like us.

“You’re the kid from class 1-B. Um. Monomo right?” Midoriya asked rubbing the back of his head with wide eyes. Had he hit him, from the sound I thought it was the table, it was quite loud? Why was he talking to our class again? “That hurt” Midoriya yelled as he continued to rub the tender area at the back of his head.

“You guys stumbled across the Hero Killer” Now I was more interested in the conversation, the whole table was. “Just like in the sports festival, class 1-A isn’t happy unless they are the centre of attention but you know you aren’t in the spotlight because people think you’re good heroes, right?” even his voice was annoying. Did he only come here to make fun of us, was that it? “It’s just that you keep getting into so much trouble. Here’s food for thought someday the rest of us might get caught up in your mess and then we will all become victims as well” his smile was wide and menacing. He did have it out for us. “What kind of horrible villain will you bring down upon us?” he continued.

“Are you done?” I asked my eyes slowly looking over to him, too slowly to not be creepy. He seemed to sense it too. “I’m not in the mood to deal with your insecurities right now” I continued and he looked offended. Wait, did I say that out loud?

“Excuse me” his eyes widened and he huffed turning his eyes towards my own, trying to explode my head, or maybe he was constipated. I rose and eyebrow in confusion as some of my fellow class chuckled. “Say that aga-” he was cut off.

I watched as the redhead walked up, slapping him upside the head within a second he was on the floor holding the spot, now he knows how Midoriya felt. “That’s not funny Monoma, you heard what happened to Iida, chill out”

“Kendo” Iida called out his hand up about to respond again. She seemed to be everywhere the little rascal blonde went. I was about two seconds away from sticking him in an endless cube for twenty minutes.

“I apologise for him. I’m pretty sure there’s a hole where his heart should be'' she began, he should apologise for himself. Though when I looked down I should see him dangling in her grasp, did she knock him out? “So I was listening about what’s going to be on the big final practical. I heard it’s going to be combat against robots like the entrance exam” everyone straightened up now far more intrigued with the new information “One of my friends who is a few grades up filled me in. You know, cheating but oh well” I could beat them, right. I got in on recommendation so I didn’t know but I fought them in the festival and they seemed pretty easy.

Midoriya began to mumble to himself as I picked the food back up and looked down to my notes, the book was closed seconds later. Bakugous’ hand retreating as he pointed to the food in my bowl. I continued to eat, he did care about people in strange ways but still cared nonetheless.

“What kind of idiot are you Kendo” so the preppy boy was awake again. My eyes rolled by themselves this time. “You just gave away our whole strategic advantage” he whispered angrily his head rising, eyes wide as his smile. Was he ok? “This was our chance to finally pull ahead of that class full of idiots” another slap to the back of the head and he was out, being pulled out by Kendo who was calling him an idiot. A true saviour to class 1-A. Before lunch ended I made sure to give Bakugou his bowl and chopsticks back, thanking him again and asking if I could come to his study session. He agreed, a shrug but still agreed.

After lunch, everyone was talking about how the practical would be easy. It was only the exam they were now worried about. I was still stressing about every second but that was my problem. “It shouldn’t matter whether it’s robots or actual people, why are you morons so excited” the question was directed to Kaminari and Mina, they were offended by what he said but their words died down when he began to shout “Shut up” he got angry so quickly, I don’t know how he did it. “You need to learn how to control your quirk, you got it” I had to admit he had a point, they did need better control and out of everyone in the class, I think he was in the top for harnessing his quirk. “Hey Deku” his voice growled, this was the most I had heard him talk in a while. “I wanna know what’s going on with your power. I saw the way you’re using it now and I want you to know it’s seriously pissing me off” his eyes were narrowed and hands in his pockets. The training exercise, just like how he moved, had he been bottling this up for a few weeks? “I won’t have another half-ass fight, like the festival, we will be getting individual scores in the upcoming finals. New rankings” his teeth grit and his hand rose quickly pointing to the scared looking male “So we will all know exactly where we are standing. I’ll show you how much better I am and Todoroki, I’ll kill you too” with that he walked from the room, the door slamming shut.

My hands came to my cheeks once more “Am I not seen as a threat” I whispered and saw a few faces at my stress. “Oh my, does he not see me as a threat” I whispered “I was the one who beat him” I added and sighed “Although not through physical strength” Bakugou didn’t see me as a threat. I fell into my seat, my head on the desk. “Oh no,” I sighed my forehead against the wood.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen him that worked up,” Kirishima told the class then walked over and I felt a hand on my back “I’m sure he sees you as a threat, the other two are just” he paused and I rose my head slowly “people he doesn’t like” my head came crashing back to the table.

When the weekend rolled around, a group of us met at Yaoyarozus’ place, it was massive. Sure, I knew my house was big but this was something else entirely. We stood in awe, I had managed to get some sleep the night prior, regretted it in the morning but I had a bit more energy for the day ahead which I didn’t regret.

“I knew her family had cash but I didn’t know she was this rich” Kaminari voiced all our thoughts, we all nodded in unison. It looked like her house went on for acres, and I didn’t doubt it did.

Moving forward to press the bell a voice came through and the gates were open. All six of us walked to her house, large and beautiful. I didn’t understand the need for space but I could appreciate it. We were moved into the ‘great hall’ and we all sat down. Jirou, Kaminari and Sero on one side and Mina, Ojiro and I on the other books ready and awaiting our host.

It was strange seeing the others in normal clothing and I looked down seeing the baggy jumper, black ripped jeans and boots I wore on my days off. Though the boots I had to imagine, taking off our shoes before entering the house. I wouldn’t want dirt in here either.

“I could not feel any more out of place right now” Ojiro voiced and I nodded and Sero agreed verbally. It was a beautiful house and well taken care of. I couldn’t believe this is what Yaoyarozu came home to every day.

She walked in pushing a tray of tea, she was wearing a red shirt and white shorts. Even though they were ‘normal’ clothes she still looked proper in every way. She was so nice to let us over to study, honestly a gift to my week. Hours of studying went by and I got ahold of everything, I needed to do more. I was given calming tea as I shook and stressed.

“Marry me” I turned my eyes wide and hopeful. Yaoyarozu was a goddess in the body of a human. She had laughed and continued with the lesson. Over the weekend I met with that group of a day and Bakugou and Kirishima at night. A little over twelve hours of study with other people a day and then my study at home.

“How are your notes so neat?” Kirishima asked leaning over to look at my notes in the booth, having met in a cafe. I looked down, my notes were mostly colour coded for different things, having many pens and highlighters.

“I have a fear of failure” I stated and he nodded. I helped the two organise by colour coded and it seemed to help Kirishima get the hang of a few things “Look, cover, write, check” I wrote down on a posted note for him, sticking the paper to his book neatly. “The motto I live by, or just keep doing it until it’s engraved in your brain for eternity” I smiled and Bakugou nodded in agreement.

“So manly” he nodded and started my technique, this went on for a few hours until we parted ways and I let him borrow one of the study books I was done with having memorized it. He looked about ready to cry “I owe you my life” he bowed and I laughed.

Going home, eating something and then back up to my room to continue studying. Every day this week I had worked on my quirk. Expanding my area, how long I could do it for, how many things I could create, size, density. Everything had to be perfect. I worked night and day to be the best. I was going to stay in the top spot. I could do this. I hoped, begged.

The weekend went quickly but the night before the exam I slept more hours then I did the whole week, waking up I felt ‘refreshed’ and ready. I practically sprinted to school my head high and my mind ready. I had an illusion of the answers beside me, to make sure I didn’t forget anything. Answers I had studied and worked my ass off. The first exam was long and I powered through the answers, seeming to know every single one. I didn’t stop writing for the entire time, I was proud of myself.

The third day was finally over, I felt my heartbeat again “Alright pencils down, the last person of each row bring the answers to me” My page was collected and I felt a weight off my shoulders. I was breathing again, was oxygen always this good?

Yaoyarozu was then bombarded with Kaminari and Mina thanking her, I said it but I wouldn’t bet she could hear me over them. They had answered every question which was good to hear. They gave it a go. Later that day Kirishima had asked why I thanked Yaoyorozu and then the class was surprised to know I went to both sessions with the groups and then studied more at home.

The practical was still to come, I looked down at my hands. Was I ready? I had trained so hard every day, was I ready for this? I shook my head then nodded, yes, I was. I had gone up against villains, murders, Nomus and won. I can beat a few robots… There were no robots.

We were all in our hero costumes standing in front of the teachers. I was shitting bricks, to say the least. “Now then, let’s begin the last test, remember it’s possible to fail this final. If you want to go camping, don’t make any stupid mistakes” Aizawa warned. I was petrified, were all the teachers going to watch us?

“Why are all the teachers here?” Jirou questioned, good now I didn’t have to talk, a small sigh left my lips in relief. I thought it would only be Aizawa, maybe All Might if we were lucky not all of them.

“I expect many of you have gathered information and believe you have some idea of what you’ll be faced with today” I froze, we weren’t fighting robots were we? Of course, it would change for our year, why wouldn’t it?

“We’ll be fighting those big metal robots” Kaminari shouted leaning back as if to allow as much sound from his body as possible… he most likely did do that. His hands were out and Mina joined in happily smiling.

I watched as Aizawa’s scarf ruffled then Principal Nezu popped out “This year's test has been changed for various reasons” he smiled, I felt my heart sink. I was right, I was too right. Why was I right, why couldn’t we just fight the robots? “The test now has a new focus” he lowered himself with Aizawa's’ scarf and the help of No.13 “It’ll be hero work of course but also teamwork and combat against actual people. So what does that mean for you, your students will be in pairs and your opponents will be one of our esteemed UA teachers. Isn’t that fabulous” I was going to throw up. My hands were shaking as I put my hand over my mouth to try and get myself together.

“Additionally your partners and opponents have already been chosen” I was mad at that. If I lost because of my partner I was not going to be impressed. “They were determined under my discretion based on various factors including fighting style, grades and interpersonal relationships” this wasn’t going to end well. I was so sure, I was going to win but the idea of having to not only watch myself but someone else was a lot of work. “First Yaoyorozu and Todoroki are a team” he smiled pulling his scarf up “Against me. Then we have Midoriya paired with Bakugou” they turned to each other and I could feel the tension circle our group. “And their opponent is”

A loud bang and there was All Might in all his glory suited up and ready to fight “I am here” his fist was out and my heart fluttered in fear. I was so glad I wasn’t them. It was good to know I wasn’t going to be fighting the top hero and a little insulting knowing I was the first by grades and in the festival. I tried not to take it personally… I took it personally. “To fight” first Bakugou and now the teachers. “You’re going to have to work together boys, if you want to win” his smile only grew with a chuckle.

Teachers P.O.V (third person)

The teachers began to talk about the exam, explaining why it needed to be changed and how. Some teachers were against the idea but the topic of the league of villains attacking once more quickly changed their minds, why wouldn’t it? The heroes in training need to be ready if anything ever happens. Hero Killer Stain may be gone, but for how long, how long until someone takes his place? Everyone was now on the same page about the students fighting the teachers.

“Right, now let’s talk about the teams” Aizawa held a pile of papers in his hand, looking down at the first team “First, Todoroki, he’s doing quite well generally speaking but relies too much on brute force. Yaoyorozu is an all-rounder but lacks the ability to make spur of the moment decisions and apply them. Therefore I’ll erase their quirks and take advantage of their weaknesses” with the simple explanation all the teachers had agreed happily. It was fair, one liked to take control while the other feared to make decisions by erasing their quirks they would have to work together. “Next for Midoriya and Bakugou I’m leaving them to you All Might,” said male looked confused a little taken back by the conclusion of his pair. “In this case, I didn’t pair the two based on ability or classwork, I went with relationships. I know you’ve got a soft spot for Midoriya, please ensure that they learn something” Aizawa pointed out and.

“I will do my best” All Might nod in affirmative. It would be hard for the number one Hero, he did have a soft spot for the green-headed successor but he also had a soft spot for the explosive teen who loved to cause damage. He was nervous but would do what he needed.

“The next group is Anyama and Uraraka, I picked this pair based on relationships as well. I have never seen them talk and in the hero world you will need to pair with random heroes, they need to learn to pair with whoever” Aizawa explained then looked to No. 13 “I have paired them with you, both their quirks will be easy to fend off with your own and they will need to think outside the box”

“I see” No 13 pondered then nodded “I look forward to facing them, I hope they can work well together” she concluded with the other teachers agreeing. As she was given the papers to learn more about them and how their quirks worked.

“Forwarding on, Ashido and Kaminari this pair is based purely on grades. They are the lowest in class but seem to work well together. They both need work on their quirks so this is why I'm pairing them with Nezu. They need to think outside the box and quickly as well as together” Aizawas’ eyes turned to Neku who was smiling and quite happy to take the pages of the two students' information.

“Very good thinking” Nezu nodded his eyes growing narrowed and smirking “I am quite excited to face these two in the exam” everyone knew Nezus’ past and his slight dislike for the human race.

“Moving onto Tsu and Tokoyami both strong quirks but both are long-distance fighters, preferring to stay back. Relying heavily on their quirks. So Ectoplasm” Aizawa’s eyes moved to the Pro who nodded indicating he was listening. “Your clones will provide close combat as well as distance. They need to work on thinking quickly as well and not relying on their quirks”

“Understood” his creepy voice spoke out into the room, a man of few words as many knew him. The pages were handed over easily and his eyes began to scan the information. Sure all the teachers had taught them but any extra information was useful.

“The next pair is based purely on fighting style and speed, Ojiro and Iida. They work well in teams and can talk to anyone, they rely on speed and technique. This is why I'm pairing them with Power Loader because they will have to move faster, think as one and make sure they watch what is going on around them all at once” another explanation down.

“This will be interesting” Power Loaded nodded and Aizawa knew he had a smile on his face even though this headgear was stopping most from seeing. Aizawa had spent a lot of thought and time working on these pairs.

“Kirishima and Sato are with Cementoss, I paired them on strength and they have close grades as well as their quirks are both short term. Both friendly and enjoy working in teams. Let’s see how they fare against Cementoss who can change the location outlook in a matter of seconds” Aizawa smirked to the fellow Pro who thought for a moment and then nodded.

“I wouldn’t hurt them as much as the other students if I go for a hit and they need to work on speed and agility. A very good pairing Eraserhead” Cementoss nodded and took the papers. He too began to look through the information provided, he had taught them and only saw Kirishima at the festival using his quirk.

“Koda and Jirou are with Mic as they both rely on sound to use their quirk, it’ll be hard to use sound when someone is yelling over the top of them” this pair was easy to see the potential for a fight. “Koji will be required to talk more and build teamwork, Jirou will be tasked with helping him”

“Yo yo that sounds awesome Eraserhead. Perfect pair for me indeed” the loud hero smiled and nodded bobbing to music that wasn’t playing as he grabbed the papers and put them down in front of him with ease.

“Shoji and Toru will be placed with Snipe. Their quirks are stealth-based and with someone shooting at them it will be hard to stay quiet and move in silence” Aizawa conducted putting the two pages together and hitting them against the table to make them even before handing them over to the hero who only nodded.

“That leaves just me” Midnight smiled and placed her head atop her hands, her smile turning into a smirk “With Mineta and Sero am I correct,” she asked licking her lips.

“Correct. I put them with you as Mineta can get” he paused shaking his head “Distracted while Sero is mostly speeding. Both with different fighting styles and outlooks on being a hero plus I found out they both look up to you” Aizawa answered with ease handing over the last pair of pages.

“I do look forward to breaking them” licking her lips again she nodded and sighed out. Placing the pages down “Are we done? So soon” she questioned, that was a short meeting but if the pairs were decided it was to be expected.

“No, there is one more student” Aizawa sighed and everyone was paying full attention “Y/N” he breathed out and everyone nodded. “Her quirk can be used in any situation and against any quirk, plus they can become physical. She could simply put an illusion of herself and no one would know the difference” he looked down to the paper seeing her face in the picture “I don’t know what to do” he answered honestly “She was first in the festival and first grade-wise, I heard the other students. She hadn’t slept in days to study for the test” the teachers all nodded.

“Her quirk is a problem, she could easily get past any of us” Cementoss nodded adding his input into the conversation. Everyone sat in silence as Aizawa looked down to the paper with all her details. She was a perfect student for UA.

“She athletic as well” everyone turned to Snipe, the teacher who had taken her as a sidekick for a week. “She beat me in hand to hand” that stopped the teachers. “Her quirk works on thinking, she showed me something that” he paused and shook his head and licking his lips behind his mask “She had a conversation with me while also talking to a coworker at the same time. Her mind was doing two different things simultaneously while also keeping up the illusion”

Midnight shook her head “That takes extreme power, in the festival her illusion looked so real. I believed it” She added nodding her head, a hand coming to her chin to think. Cementoss agreed.

“She doesn’t rely purely on her quirk but also does. No matter who she went against, if it was a formal and acknowledged physical fight, if someone managed to beat her, I would be quite impressed” Snipe nodded as the other teachers agreed. Snipe was the only one who knew of her ‘weakness’ but he would never tell and even if he did it wouldn’t matter she knew everyone here.

“I have an idea” Principal Nezu spoke up thoughtfully and all the teachers were open ears for the suggestion “What if we all went against her at once. It would prove she’s been working on her quirk, how many things she can create at one given moment. How quickly she can think and act” it was a good idea but the idea of it was unfair. “It may seem unfair to the child but we don’t have another option” all the teachers agreed, though some not looking as determined as others. “Though she has one rule” why would she have a rule and no one else, her test was already quite unfair. “She must show at least one teacher her true self during the exercise, she needs a challenge” the teachers felt bad but it was for her good. They had to test her as hard as they could. Even if she took down two maybe three teachers they would be impressed.

“Then it’s decided, Y/N goes against all of us, at once”

Y/N P.O.V

Once all the names were called out with their pairs I looked around and was confused. I was guessing they put a group of three, had they forgotten about me? Was I not seen as a threat that much that they just excluded me? “Um” I put my hand up and the class stopped talking turning to me. “I wasn’t paired,” I said slowly smiling as I did, an awkward smile and I could see the confusion of my peers.

“You’re a special case Y/N” Aizawa looked me dead in the eyes and I nodded slowly, my eyebrows drawn in confusion as I waited for an answer pursing my lips. “You will be fighting” I nodded and smiled, OK, so I wasn’t getting kicked out or something.

“OK” I nodded slowly and looked around “Am I joining a pair or something” I looked around and saw pleading faces for me to join groups. I had to be joining a group, there was no other way to complete the test or was someone going to have to do it twice, would I do it alone?

“You will be competing alone” Aizawa added carefully and I felt my hands shake slightly, I could beat them. I nodded still confused. All the teachers were taken. What weren’t they telling me?

“Am I getting a teacher brought in or something or is a teacher doubling up?” I asked looking over everyone before landing back on Aizawa for the answer. Everyone was silent as the teachers waited for the answer and my peers listened in.

“You are very strong” Aizawa began, this didn’t sound good. Bakugou and Midoriya already had All Might who was the top hero. Was I going to be fighting Endeavor or something, Best Jeaniest maybe? I felt my heart begin to race “After some talk and decision making we decided that you” he paused and then looked straight at me with a smirk “Will be fighting us all at once” I felt my eyes grow wide and gasps were heard behind me as my heart sank.

I was going to be fighting them all… at once. Alone. Someone catch me. ________________________________________________________________

Chapter 6

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