#like I say I do like the reckless idiots quite well

[liliacamethyst]

Webs of Fate - Miguel O'Hara (Part II)

Sequel to Web of Secrets

Miguel O'Hara x SpiderSun Reader

words: 5.2K

warnings: secret pregnancy trope, swearing, angst, heartbreak, grumpy/sunshine, smut, time jumps, not really comic accurate (canon events), semi public piv, 18+

Part I Part II Part III Part IV

You are all back at the Spider-Verse Headquarters and the atmosphere is tense. Everyone is still high on adrenaline from the mission. You’re nursing a deep gash on your arm but your spirit is far from broken.

Miguel, however, seems to be on the verge of an explosion.

“WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT OUT THERE SPIDER SUN?” he bursts out, his voice echoing through the HQ.

You're taken aback. “What do you mean?”

“That reckless behavior! You could have been killed!” he roars. “Why didn’t you retreat when you were injured?!”

“Because there were lives at stake! I can handle myself, Miguel!” you shout back.

“You think this is a game?! You think being part of this team is just for kicks?” Miguel’s face is red, his voice strained.

“Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare question my dedication!” you yell, your own anger now matching his.

The team is watching, shifting uncomfortably. Gwen looks at Jess, who shakes her head. The room is thick with tension.

Alright, if you are being honest with yourself, your recent actions in the field could definitely be classified as reckless. Perhaps even bordering on idiotic - not that you’d ever confess that in front of Miguel. You didn’t know where your mind went. Wait, no, scratch that. You knew precisely where your thoughts were, every mission since you discovered your pregnancy has been like this; your spider senses dulled, focus scattered to the wind, and reflexes that would’ve made a sloth proud.

And then there was this mission – your first one in quite a while alongside Miguel. He was bound to notice.

So you were fighting an Electro variant from an alternate universe, alongside Jess, Gwen, Ben and Miguel. The electric villain was throwing bolts of energy left and right and everyone was giving their all. You noticed a civilian trapped under some debris. You made a beeline for them, not thinking about anything else.

As you lifted the debris, an energy bolt flew straight for you. Usually, your Spider-Senses would have alerted you but not today. It hit you square in the back and sent you flying.

You hit a wall but ignored the pain as you scrambled back to your feet. A sharp ache spread across your arm but you gritted your teeth and kept fighting.

Miguel yelled, “What the hell are you doing?! Fall back!”

But you didn’t, you kept pushing forward.

He landed next to you, his eyes filled with anger and something else, maybe a hint of worry. He grabbed your waist to pull you back. But as another energy bolt was coming your way, you shoved him out of the path, taking the hit for the second time. So yeah, you could say that this mission wasn't exactly the shining star in your superhero career.

“ESTÚPIDA! So damn stupid. I won’t fucking watch someone throw their life away recklessly!” Miguel was now yelling loudly in oyur face for everyone in the HQ to hear.

“Oh, please. What’s it to you? Since when do you care, Miguel?!” you shout back, finally having enough of his insufferable attitude. “All this time, you’ve treated me like I’m dispensable. Like I don't matter! Well, guess what? I can fight, I can make decisions, and I don’t need you to approve them!”

“Don’t!” Miguel's voice cracks, and for a brief second, there’s a look of hurt on his face that surprises you. But his rage quickly replaces it. “I cannot do this anymore with you, ¿me entiendes?” he yells.

The room falls silent. Everyone’s gazes dart between you and Miguel. You can feel Gwen’s worried eyes on you, and Ben Riley. looks like he wants to intervene, but this moment is too charged.

You take a deep breath, tears welling up. “I can't do this anymore either,” you whisper.

“What?” Miguel's voice is barely audible.

“I can't keep fighting for a team where I’m not respected or trusted. Where you treat me constantly like a liability, like I am worth nothing to you,” you say, your voice steadier now.

“You don’t know what you are saying,” Miguel says, his tone slightly softening.

You turn around, your eyes welling up once again and open a portal to your universe. “I do, I quit” you say, your voice breaking.

You reach into your pocket and pull out your transdimensional gizmo, the small device that every Spider-person uses to travel across the multiverse. It's an intricate piece of technology, a blend of science and magic that fits in the palm of your hand.

You toss the device on the table in front of Miguel. It skids across the surface before coming to a stop right in front of him. He looks from the gizmo to you, his expression unreadable.

"Take it. We don’t need it anymore." You say defiantly, meeting his gaze.

Everyone knows the implication of you returning the gizmo. Without it, you're effectively stranded in your universe, unable to return to the society. This isn't a decision made lightly, it's a point of no return.

As you step through the portal, you glance back one last time. You see Miguel’s face, contorted in pain, but he doesn’t move, he doesn’t speak and he doesn't stop you.

Your heart is breaking, but you can’t stay here. Not when it’s this painful.

You turn away and head toward the portal room, with one hand lightly grazing your tummy. Gwen calls your name, but you don’t stop.

In the dim light of the room, the world seems to fade away as you lie there with Miguel on top of you. You are under him, breathless, your fingers running through his hair. His body pins you down in a tender, electrifying way, and you can feel the rhythm of his heart beating against yours.

His fangs graze the curve of your neck lightly, eliciting a shiver that runs through you. In response, he nuzzles into you, his breath warm against your skin.

"Ever think about what we're doing?" he asks in a whisper that vibrates against your neck.

"Constantly," you respond, your fingers tracing the curve of his broad shoulders, "but I don’t regret it, not a moment.”

He lifts his head, his red orbs searching yours. “Neither do I,” he says, his voice barely more than a whisper. His hand reaches up to trace the contour of your face.

"You know," you whisper, your hands continuing caressing his back, "I always wondered what it was like in your universe, in your time."

He shifts a little, propping himself up on one elbow as he looks down at you. His eyes, usually as unreadable, now seem to crack open; emotions swirl within them like stars.

"It was great, you know," his voice is gentle, each word enveloping you. "No, more than that – it was perfect," he corrects himself. His eyes never leave yours as he continues, "I had my Gabriella. Ah, you would have adored her." His voice softens to a mere whisper as if speaking her name too loudly might shatter the memory. "She was this incredible burst of life just like you. My own little sunshine. I didn’t know my heart could hold so much until she came into my life."

"The way she would throw her head back and laugh, it was like music. Her tiny hands – so soft and gentle. I remember how one of them always found mine, and the world felt... right." He continued, "I was never alone, never empty." He swallows hard, as if trying to keep the flood of emotions from washing over him.

You cup his cheek gently, smiling up at him. "You don't have to be alone, you know?"

He lets out a dry chuckle. “Sometimes it feels like there's no other option. It’s my fate."

“What scares you the most, Miguel?” you suddenly ask, your voice barely above a whisper.

He hesitates. “To lose myself… to forget what it means to care for someone,” he finally confesses.

“You won’t,” you assure him, your thumb stroking his cheek. “Not if you don’t let yourself.”

“¿y tú?” His voice is husky. “What’s your biggest fear?”

“To be forgotten,” you whisper.

He lowers himself and presses his forehead against yours. “Imposible,” he breathes. “You’re the sun. No one forgets the sun.”  He pulls you closer, pressing a soft kiss to your lips, his arms tighten around you, pulling you closer until the world outside disappears.

Suddenly, his wrist console beeps, yanking him back to the present. "O’Hara, are you okay?" Lyla's voice echoes in the room, breaking the silence. He blinks, his gaze focusing on the holographic screen displaying the mission details in front of him. "Yeah, Lyla," he responds, his voice a bit hoarse. "Just remembered something," he murmurs, and refocuses on the screen before him.

Amidst the sea of codes and numbers, Miguel finds himself struggling to focus. His thoughts still are consumed by you, and a heavy realization crashes down upon him like a tidal wave - he’s lost you forever.

He always knew that this was how it was meant to be. This was the only logical conclusion, the inevitable outcome that he had tried so hard to deny. He was aware of the potential repercussions, the cosmic imbalance that could be brought about by your intertwining fates. 

Lyla had warned him multiple times, cautioned him against letting you close. But how could he have possibly resisted you? You, who shone brighter than the sun, who captured the hearts of everyone around with your aura and your kind soul. Your beauty was unparalleled, and your laughter had the power to fill a room, casting away shadows. He was a moth drawn to your flame, hopelessly captivated from the very first day he met you.

 But you were never meant to be his story, not the path his life was meant to tread. You belonged to another world, another universe.

"You're thinking about her, aren't you?" Lyla breaks the silence with her smooth, computerized voice. “No,” he interrupts her sharply, his voice a little too forceful.

But Lyla isn't easily deterred. "You know it was dangerous from the beginning, Miguel," Lyla continues. "Engaging with her like that...it could have caused irreparable damage to the multiverse."

"I know," he replies curtly.

Unyielding, Lyla continues, "This was never supposed to be a canon event. Her universe is not meant to mix with yours. It's fortunate that she left when she did. The damage could've been—"

“I KNOW!” Miguel suddenly erupts, his voice thundering through the room. He screams, his frustration boiling over, "¡Ya lo sé, Lyla! ¡Basta ya!" ("I already know, Lyla! Enough already!") With a loud grunt, he sweeps his arm across his desk, sending his keyboard, mug, and various other items crashing to the ground.

There is a deafening silence as Miguel breathes heavily, his chest heaving. His eyes are wide, his face is flushed and his fangs are bared. He never loses control, not like this.

Lyla, for once, remains silent.

3 months later…

Back in Nea Yorkey, Earth 586 , you are perched on the rooftop, absentmindedly rubbing your stomach. Time has passed since you left Nueva York and Miguel, but your feelings for him are still a tangled mess. Damn these pesky pregnancy hormones.

 For once, it’s pretty calm out there. No honking horns in traffic jams or the usual buzz of people everywhere. It’s like the city hit the pause button and honestly, it’s kind of nice. The streetlights are like tiny fairy lights all over, and the tall buildings around you feel like they’re keeping you company.

The cool breeze brushes against your face, and you can't help but be lost in your thoughts. Thoughts of him. The relentless flood of emotions is almost too much to handle.

The flashback hits you hard, placing you right back in Miguel's office late one evening. Your legs were wrapped around his waist, your backside planted firmly on his desk amidst strewn cables and metallic pieces and half-empty coffee mugs.

"Miguel, someone will catch us," you had warned, your breath hitching as he nipped at your skin, his hands deftly moving to undo your skintight suit. His hair was a little longer then, the ends tickling your forehead as he kissed you.

He had just chuckled, the sound deep and throaty, making your heart flutter. "They know better than to disturb me," he'd responded confidently, his lips trailing fiery kisses along your jawline.

Usually, Miguel was cautious about showing any sign of affection when others might be around, even if 'around' meant anywhere in the sprawling headquarters of the Spider Society. Yet, that night, he seemed to throw caution to the wind.

In his enclosed office, late into the evening, he let his guard down - a rarity. His lips were insistent against your skin, his touch setting you alight. You remember how the soft glow of the desk lamp had caught in his eyes, making them appear even more mesmerizing.

As he was holding your ass up steady and pounding into you, in a pace and fervor you never experienced before, you hear his communicator ring vibrating. You instinctively attempt to pull away, assuming he would answer the call, but he holds you tighter, his lips never leaving your skin.

His free hand pulls up a holographic screen,which flickered to life above the desk, revealing a slightly pixelated image of Jess. You panic for a moment, worried that she might see you in this intimate moment with Miguel, but he just shook his head slightly, reassuring you that she can't. He must have filtered the video feed on his end.

“Yes, Jess?” Miguel’s voice was steady, but his breath ghosted your neck in short spurts. He continued with his action, his thrusts a little slower but deep, nevertheless. You clamp your teeth down onto Miguel's shoulder in a desperate attempt to stifle the moans escaping your throat, your senses overwhelmed by the intensity of the moment. You can barely contain yourself. Miguel's soft, amused chuckle vibrate through you as he wraps his arms around you protectively. Asshole.

“We’ve got an anomaly on Earth-4067, seems like a temporal rift,” Jess's voice came through the hologram.

“Have you tried the Q-particle stabilizer?” Miguel asks, his voice so casual it's almost disarming. His eyes meet yours, a playful glint in them.

“Yeah, but it didn’t work. The rift is actually growing,” Jess responds, the worry in her voice increasing. “What do you think we should do?”

“Alright, I want you to reconfigure the dimensional frequency to match the rift. Then patch the satellite feed through the Alchemax algorithm, reverse the temporal frequency by 4.7 hertz and use the resonance pulse to stabilize the rift,” Miguel articulates with authority as he continues to pick up his pace. You’re close to the edge, with the euphoria threatening to make you cry out. The sheer pleasure is now tinged with a faint edge of pain, and a wave of panic crashes over you. The thought of Jess possibly hearing you is nerve-wracking, and you’re now fighting to suppress your screams.

Your breathing becomes erratic as you whisper in a hoarse, needy voice, “Miguel, ‘m close."

"I know, mami. Come for me," he whispers back, his voice filled with a playful mischief that seems to defy the gravity of the situation. His hot breath against your ear sends shivers down your spine and the wave of pleasure crushes down on you.

“Miguel, are you sure about this? I mean, if something goes wrong…” Jess hesitates.

“I’m sure, Jess.” Thrust. “Do.” Another hard thrust. “it.” Miguel’s voice turns forceful.

“Okay, I trust you. But... are you alright? You sound kinda breathless,” Jess's suspicion returns.

“Oh, just...uh...running some diagnostics. It’s a bit stuffy in here,” Miguel replies with a smirk on his face, his fingers now gently brushing against your bare heated skin.

The rooftop is silent again, and you're still rubbing your belly, where the life you and Miguel created is growing. A bittersweet tear rolls down your cheek as you wish, not for the first time, that things could have been different.

You don’t know how long you are sitting there, taking in the city scene. But it was getting dark, when a familiar figure swings onto the rooftop. It's Gwen, carrying a small package in her hand. “Gwen? What brings you to Nea Yorkey?”

She walks up to you with a soft smile, "Do I need a reason to visit my favourite Spider-Ma? I've got something for you."

You raise an eyebrow as she hands you the package. As you unwrap it, you find a tiny Spider-Man hat, similar to the one Mayday usually wears. And to your surprise, there’s a tiny anarchy pin, attached to it.

"From the group," she says softly. She adds, pointing at the pin, "This bit here, that’s from Hobie." Of course it is.

You’re moved to tears as you hug the hat close. It's a simple gift, yet it means so much. You feel a lump in your throat, and Gwen steps forward, wrapping you in a warm, comforting hug.

"I...I miss all of you so much," you manage to whisper, your voice choked with emotion.

"We miss you too," Gwen replies, her voice equally soft.

You pull back, wiping your eyes. Gwen tries to lighten the mood, "So, any guesses on the gender? I bet it’s a boy."

You shrug, a small smile tugging at your lips, "I don't care what it's going to be. I just want them to be healthy."

Gwen grins, "Just remember, if it is a boy and he turns out to be a handful, you owe me a soda."

You both sit on the edge of the rooftop in a comfortable silence, legs swinging over the city, the conversation turns more serious.

"So," you venture, "how are things back at the Spider Society?"

Gwen’s expression turns contemplative. "It's been... strange since you left," she admits.

"Strange how?" you prod.

"Well, you know how Miguel was always a little on the, uh, grumpy side?" she says, making a grimace.

"You mean being a brooding fortress of doom and gloom?" you quip, and Gwen chuckles.

"Yeah, that. Well, he's gotten worse since you left. Like, way worse," Gwen's face turns somber as she continues. "He’s even more closed off than before. His temper’s shorter, he barely communicates, and he's been pushing everyone away. Miguel’s basically got everyone on lockdown. No unauthorized visits between universes. There’s this... I don’t know... this cloud hanging over him, you know?”

Your heart tightens as you take in her words. You had no idea that your departure had such an impact on him, or anyone for that matter.

“He doesn’t talk about it, but I think he misses you,” Gwen adds, looking directly into your eyes.

You are torn. Part of you wants to be angry at Miguel for how things went down, but another part aches for him.

Gwen nudges you. "Maybe he needs his sunshine back," she says with a gentle smile.

You sit in silence for a moment, the weight of Gwen’s words sinking in. “Don’t be silly. I was never his sunshine.”

4 months later…

Beneath the pale glow of hospital lights, pain and joy mingle in the delivery room. The grip you have on the sheets gets tighter as you push to usher your baby into the world. Your hair is sticking to your forehead, your breath comes in heaving gasps, exhaustion painting dark circles under your eyes.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to you, a portal flickers to life outside your window, and Gwen, Peter B., and Hobie emerge.

“Make way! The party has arrived!” Peter B. exclaims loudly.

“I don’t believe in parties.” Hobie says as he struts in, clad in his Spider suit with a leather jacket over it, pins and patches proudly displayed.

Gwen knocks at your door. The midwife, busy with you in the labor, answers.

“Uh, who are you?” the midwife asks, slightly agitated.

“We’re friends of hers,” Peter gestures towards you, “is it a good time?”

You hear their voices, but you cant muster up a response all you can do is scream and push.

“Blimey, I didn’t think it’d be like somethin’ outta Alien! You alright there, love?” Hobie’s eyes go wide, as he enters the room.

You can't help but laugh through the pain, "Oh, just peachy, thanks for asking."

Gwen steps forward, immediately grabbing your hand, her voice soothing, “Hey, you’re doing great. Is there anything we can do?”

“You could get Hobie out of here,” you jest, rolling your eyes, but your smile betrays your appreciation. Another loud scream follows.

“You got this, luv!” Hobie shouts. “Just imagine the bloody contractions as guitar riffs! You’re about to release the raddest album in history!”

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, you hear the cries of your newborn baby.

“Congratulations, it's a boy!” the nurse announces, handing the baby to to you.

You can’t help but laugh. Gwen steps closer to the bed and takes a peek at the baby. Her eyes light up. “Told you, it’s a boy. He’s absolutely beautiful,” she whispers.

Hobie chimes in. “Alright, let’s get a proper look at the little bloke!” He leans in, and his face softens. "Oh, look at 'im!" Hobie exclaims in his thick British accent, peering at him. "Little blighter's a spitting image of 'is mum, ain't he?” No. You see it then, the dark eyes with a hint of red glow echo the intensity of his father's gaze, the dark chocolate hair and the sun kissed complexion. He looked undeniably just like Miguel. You cant help yourself but fall immediately in love with your and Miguel’s little boy.

As they prepare to leave, Gwen, Peter B., and Hobie each take turns holding Gabriel and whispering well-wishes to him. 

“I can’t thank you guys enough for being here,” you say, wiping away a tear.

Peter’s mask is off and he’s beaming. "We couldn't miss this for the multiverse!"

Gwen follows suit, "Yeah! Plus, Hobie wouldn't let us hear the end of it if we didn’t."

“We’re family,” Peter says firmly. “Across universes and timelines. We’re always here for each other.”

With that, the trio put on their masks and with another whoosh, they're gone.

1 year later...

One year has passed like a whirlwind. You've established a balance in your life. By day, you are a doting mother, and your world revolves around a little ball of energy named Gabriel. His laugh is the music that fuels your day, and his tiny hands holding yours make everything seem alright.

At night, though, you become someone else. Clad in a white suit adorned with golden sun patterns, you swing through the skyscrapers of Nea Yorkey as the Sun Spider. Your heart swells with pride, knowing that you’re keeping the streets and your little boy safe.

Your neighbor, Melissa, sometimes babysits Gabriel. She is a cheerful, quirky 19-year-old neighbor who dreams of becoming an Instagram influencer. You trust her (her career choice not so much) and, most importantly, Gabriel adores her.

Up until today, you believed that he hadn't inherited any powers. However, today was the first time he climbed up a wall and spun a web, without the aid of a web-slinger. It was the first time you witnessed him display such powers, and naturally, you were impressed. However, you also realized that being a mom would now involve dealing with a whole new set of challenges and responsibilities, making everyday life more exhausting than before. But you are up for the challenge;

Meanwhile, in the Spider Society’s HQ in Nueva York, Lyla’s holographic screen blinks red as she detects an anomaly in Earth 586 - your universe. She reports it to Miguel, who is still his grumpy self, seemingly even more irritable with each day passing.

“There’s a presence in Earth 586 that does not belong,” Lyla reports in her emotionless tone.

Miguel, sitting at his desk, sighs deeply. “Assemble the team. Pavitr, Lego Spider-Man, and... let’s bring in the newbie, Miles.”

Minutes later, the trio is briefed about the anomaly – a two-year-old child. They are to extract the child and bring it back.

Back in your universe, you're facing off against a notorious villain – The Shocker, who is on a rampage downtown. His high-frequency shock waves shake the very foundations of the buildings around you.

“Not tonight, Shocker,” you quip as you dodge a blast. “I’ve got a bedtime story to read!”

You're agile and sharp, but you can’t wait to get back home to Gabriel.

In your apartment, Melissa is on the couch, engrossed in her phone. She doesn't notice Pavitr slyly slipping into Gabriel's room. He can’t help but feel conflicted, seeing the innocent child asleep.

“This is the target?” Pavitr speaks in a hushed tone into his communicator. His voice is laced with doubt.

“Yes, proceed,” responds Miguel firmly.

Pavitr gently picks up Gabriel, cradling him in his arms. “Sorry, little guy,” he whispers and slips out.

Outside, they gather near the portal. Miles, who is visibly excited to be on his first mission, can sense the tension among the group.

“That was… too easy,” Pavitr murmurs, still holding the sleeping child.

Through the swirling portal, they make their way back to Nueva York.

Meanwhile, you web up The Shocker and leave him hanging for the police.

Back in the Spider Society's HQ in Nueva York, the team stands in a specialized containment room with the toddler still peacefully sleeping nestled in a makeshift bed of spider-web, completely oblivious to the attention he's attracting. One by one, members of the Spider Society trickle into the room, drawn by curiosity and concern.

Miles, who is new to the Spider Society, looks at the child with confusion. "I don't get it, what's so dangerous about a kid?" he asks.

Pavitr looks conflicted, “We have to determine where he came from and why he is considered an anomaly.”

Lego Spider-Man remains silent, trying to analyze the situation. He finally speaks up. "We should be cautious. Just because it's a child doesn't mean it's not potentially hazardous to the multiverse."

Miguel enters the room, his face cold and emotionless. He glances at the sleeping child, then at his team. “It doesn’t matter what it is. Anomalies threaten the balance of the multiverse. Every anomaly has to be returned to its home universe. That’s the rule.” he says sternly.

"But he's not an anomaly, boss," Jess adds, gazing fondly at the child. "He's a little boy."

Miguel’s gaze is unwavering, ignoring Jess. “Lyla? Whats the status?” 

Lyla's holographic form flickers into the room. "This entity possesses unknown powers," she declares, her voice ringing out with clinical detachment. "And according to my scans, it doesn't belong to any known universe. Therefore, it cannot be returned. It must be... eliminated."

Miles' eyes widen. “Wait, you mean…?” he can’t bring himself to finish the sentence.

Pavitr steps forward, his fists clenched. “We can’t just... There must be another way.”

Back in your universe, you swing closer to your apartment, but your spider-sense starts are tingling with a ferocity you’ve never experienced before. Your heart races, and you quicken your pace. Bursting through the window, you find Melissa still sitting on the couch, scrolling through her phone.

"Where is he? Where’s Gabriel?!" you shout, panic straining your voice.

Melissa's eyes go wide as she looks up from her phone. "What? He's in his room, sleeping," she says, but her voice falters when she sees the terror on your face.

You rush into Gabriel's room and find the crib empty. Your knees buckle, and a guttural scream escapes your lips. The room spins as you run back to the living room, grabbing Melissa by the shoulders.

"Did anyone come in? Did you see anything?!" you practically scream at her.

“I... I didn’t see anyone. I swear!” Melissa's voice shakes.

Your heart feels like it's tearing apart. You look around the room, desperate for any clue. You need to find your son, and something deep within you tells you that the Spider Society is where you need to go. You have to find a way to travel through the multiverse without a gizmo and the time is ticking. You have to find your son.

Back in the HQ in the midst of the tension-filled room, Gwen stands up, "Miguel, you can't be serious," she pleads, disbelief resonating in her voice. "We can't just... kill a baby.”

Miguel's eyes narrow. "Sometimes tough decisions have to be made for the greater good.”

Just then, little Gabriel wakes up. His big eyes wander curiously around the room, and he starts to make happy babbling sounds. Unfazed by his surroundings, he looks at each of the Spider-People with fascination.

As Peter B. is about to reach down to pick Gabriel up, the toddler crawls quickly over to Miguel. His little face lights up with the purest of smiles and he reaches his tiny arms towards Miguel as if trying to give him a hug.

The room seems to collectively hold its breath. Even Miguel seems taken aback.

Pavitr can't help it, “He seems to have taken a liking to you, boss.”

Gwen smiles, her eyes watering up. “See? Even this innocent soul can sense there’s still good in you.”

Tiny fingers grip at the fabric of Miguel's suit, baby Gabriel coos and giggles as he clambers up the towering figure. Planting tiny baby kisses on any part of Miguel he can reach, the toddler's joyous laughter rings in the silent room. "Vete, Vete." Miguel mutters. And despite Miguel's cold exterior, Gabriel is unphased, drawn to him as though an invisible bond exists between them.

Miguel looks frustrated and uncomfortable with the baby's affection. He awkwardly picks Gabriel up at arm’s length. But the little one is relentless, trying to cuddle into Miguel’s chest.

Annoyed, Miguel places Gabriel into a containment field made of energy beams, to keep him in place. The baby, though restrained, is still reaching out to Miguel with his tiny hands, cooing.

The room goes quiet again, and Gwen speaks, her voice soft.

“Look at him, Miguel. Please. You can’t tell me that this doesn’t affect you in any way.”

Miguel's face is tense, his jaw clenched. His eyes dart between Gwen and Gabriel. All eyes are directed towards Miguel. The room feels like it’s waiting for something to shatter.

“We do what needs to be done, no exceptions.”

Part III "Web of Shadow and Light"

a/n: Honestly, I can't begin to express how much your support and kind messages mean to me. I literally started crying when I saw how much love this story received. It means the world to me. Truly, thank you. I'd love to hear your thoughts, and if someone could give me a heads-up on whether the tag list functioned properly, that would be great. Also, apologies for any inconsistencies or logical errors regarding the multiverse or canon theory. I watched the movie but I'm not 100% sure of that's how it works.

Once again, I really do appreciate each and everyone of you. Please, don’t forget to take good care of yourselves and stay hydrated! ILYSM

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[yerimbrit]

10 hour flight : p. hanni

synopsis: you bump into a girl more than once at the airport. you learn that she's on the same flight as you, and to top it off, sits right next to you on the plane.

# pairing ! trainee!hanni pham x art student!reader

# tags ! fem!reader, slowburn...?, strangers to lovers, fluff, hanni's debuting soon, reader did some... insane shit in her past, but tbh she's not all that insane herself i swear, she's just reckless, hanni's afraid of flying, reader is '04, reader is a loser unfortunately

# wordcount ! 16k

# warnings ! lots of mentions of injuries/scars

today was probably one of the biggest days of your life.

you had just graduated from high school in australia in may about 2 months ago, getting into SNU's college of fine arts. you intended to pursue your passion in painting. ever since you were a baby, you've loved to have a hand in art — always scribbling colorful images on everything you could touch, from big pieces of scrap paper to the walls of the living room.

from a young age, you have won a significant amount of trophies and medals for your paintings entered in art competitions. your parents were highly supportive of your hobby, pouring months worth of paychecks into your art lessons and academy tuition fees.

although you were quite grateful, you thought they could be overbearing sometimes. that's why you chose to attend a school far away; to have a breath of fresh air, away from your overprotective mother and father. you could never relax and let loose like you wanted if they were worrying over every little move you made.

for example, the time your parents had left you alone in the house for the first time because they were going to a friend's wedding. they made an extensive list of things to do and not do, and of course, you used the 'not do' side as a checklist.

in your defense, you hadn't planned to have so many people over, just your friend group. but your friend chaeyoung knew a girl that knew another girl that knew a guy, and suddenly your house was hosting a massive party for the entire student-body. it was an honest mistake on your part, vowing to never host a party like that ever again, and sticking to stunts that you could do yourself for some healthy adrenaline.

obviously your parents weren't pleased when they returned, seeing the aftermath of the events taken place the day prior. you were given a big scolding, but you didn't let that stop you from attempting to wreak havoc the next time they were out.

now, family gatherings weren't your favorite. you couldn't get away with anything so long as someone older was watching you. they thought you were a demon. an artistic prodigy demon. they didn't understand how someone like you could be so good at something that was supposed to be so peaceful. you think you've matured enough though; it's been years since you've actually done something bad.

a few of your relatives stayed in seoul after your parents left for melbourne, including your idiot cousin hyein and her parents. it was decided that you were going to live with them, since you've already stayed there on previous visits.

speaking of hyein, it had been a while since you've seen her, last being christmas, which was a disaster. did you say it's been years since your last incident? well, you lied.

all the adults were out for something that you don't remember anything about, and you, being the troublemaker that you were, had convinced the younger girl to help you hang yourself from the ceiling right above the tree. your reasoning was that you'd "wanted to be the star for the night," and sweet little hyein agreed because why wouldn't she agree to her cool older cousin?

(you don't know where hyein got the harness and rope, or how hyein managed to wrap the rope around the beam on the ceiling that extended past the second floor, but the younger lee's eyes practically sparkled at the thought of accompanying you in one of your schemes, so you decided to ignore it.

hyein buckled the harness, tightening it as you squirmed against the restraints. she flashed a mischievous grin at you.

"ready?"

"i was born ready.")

both of you failed to realize that the rope you were using was extremely frayed at the ends and had definitely gone through years of wear-and-tear. it ended up snapping, and in the process, dropped you onto the christmas tree that had just been decorated that morning.

your relatives came home to you and hyein on the floor, wide-eyed, with wounds littering your face and arms from falling onto the tree.

needless to say, you and your little cousin were never allowed alone without supervision again.

on another note, you finally arrived at the airport!

your dad went around the car to open the trunk and started taking your luggage out. shortly after, you and your mom got out of the car and went to join your dad in getting your things.

"so, SNU huh? you're going too far, kid!" your dad chuckled, extending his hand for a handshake.

you gripped his hand firmly, feeling the roughness of his palm, and moving your hands up and down once.

you grinned. "i'll be back before you know it, dad."

you were about to let go until your dad brought you into a tight hug, leaving a kiss on top of your head.

"i know... it's just, we'll miss our star girl, you know?" he patted your back. "it'll be hard for this old man without his little girl around all the time."

you stared amusedly. "even though i always cause trouble when you're not looking?"

your dad let out a hearty laugh and ruffled your hair, much to your chagrin. you took this moment in, absorbing as much of it as you can so you could remember every detail. there were more wrinkles in his skin, and there were visible bags under his eyes. even though he's aged physically, you could tell in his laugh that he was still the same old dad that you've adored since you were little. (he was always the more spoiling parent between him and your mom.)

he stepped back, allowing your mother to rush in for a passionate embrace. you slowly felt your sweater getting damp as your mom sniffled into your shoulder.

"be sure to call when you land, okay? and eat on the flight, it's a long way there. also, the plane is cold so use that blanket i put in your backpack, and-"

you gave your mom a squeeze and briefly pulled away.

"i got it, mom. you told me all of this last night, remember? i even checked everything you said off before we left this morning so i wouldn't forget, so don't worry about me."

she managed a small smile and brought you back into the hug.

"let us know when you've arrived at hyein and her parent's house. and tell them we said hi and to take care of you."

you gleamed. "of course."

after making sure you had everything you needed, you gestured to your parents for a big group hug.

"i love you guys."

"ditto." your mom slapped your dad's shoulder, and you all laughed.

once you made it to the security checkpoint, you waved your parents one final goodbye, before the start of a long journey ahead.

"excuse me," you mumbled, narrowly avoiding bumping into others in the bustling crowd of the airport. there was a lot of people going back home after vacation, or going back to school or work after visiting home.

heaving a sigh of relief after making through the crowd, you took a moment to look around the area, a plethora of shops and restaurants standing before you. in doing so, you failed to realize you were still in public with thousands of people walking around you, and bumping shoulders with a girl.

"ah!" "ow!"

you widened your eyes as you turned to look at the person you just walked into, swiftly picking her bag up from the ground and handing it to her.

"oh my god, i'm so sorry. i wasn't paying attention," you said, bowing out of habit. the girl giggled. 'oh my god. she has the cutest laugh ever,' you thought to yourself, before looking up to see her face. 'oh my god. she's the cutest girl i've ever seen.'

"it's okay. at least we didn't fall over, right? are you hurt?"

snapping out of your daze (you were staring, and she definitely noticed, you think), you shook your head.

"no, i- i'm okay. are you?"

"mhm, i'm fine! don't worry about me."

you tried to muster out any words relating to asking the girl out, but when you opened your mouth she was already waving to you and turning around.

you cursed to yourself, frowning. "damn it, y/n. you can do all sorts of stupid stuff but you still can't even talk to a girl?"

for as long as you could remember, you've always been unlucky with the girls you talked to. for example, the girl you met at a music festival, who you went on a few dates with. she stopped talking to you after hearing about all the risky things you've done. or the girl who you were paired up with in your advanced painting class, who you almost dated. she cut things off with you because you were too much of a "genius" in art. you still thought that was an asshole move, because what does that even mean?

shaking your head, you forced yourself to stop thinking about your love life in ruins and instead started strolling around the spacious corridors of the airport. you made a mental note to buy something for hyein upon seeing the variety of gift shops lined up next to each other.

you sipped on your steaming cup of coffee, mindlessly scrolling on your phone to pass the time. your croissant laid half-eaten on the plate. the chatters of the people around you became white noise as you fell into the cycle of liking a post and scrolling down to the next one. if you zoned out enough, you could make out some of the conversations around you. you sighed.

'i miss mom and dad already...'

a bag being placed on the table interrupted your inner monologue before it could even start. startled, you looked up to see a girl. 'oh, a very pretty girl. wait, isn't this the girl from earlier?' you blink. 'shit! it's the girl from earlier!'

"excuse me, but could i take this seat?" she glanced around, then met your eyes. "there's, well. not exactly anywhere else to sit, ahaha..."

opening and closing your mouth, you wordlessly moved some of your things so she could set her cup down. she smiled at you, eyes crinkling up into slight crescents, and you think you've met the love of your life, judging by the way your heart thudded in your chest after seeing the human embodiment of an angel.

she took a sip of her drink. "thanks."

the atmosphere became suffocatingly awkward, and you nervously tried to redirect your gaze to anything but the pretty girl sitting in front of you. your attempts failed, unfortunately, because apparently trying not to look at someone is a lost cause, and your mind automatically filled with the brief memory of the stranger's laugh, smile, and face. giving up, you let your eyes find their way back to her face, surprised to see that she was already looking at you. you coughed.

"so," you started, "whEre-" 'what the hell. leave it up to me to have a voice crack while starting a conversation.' she giggled, and you bit your lip trying not to scream.

fiddling with the hem of your shirt, you cleared your throat and started again. "ahem. i um, meant to say... where, where are you headed to?"

she hummed, taking another sip of her drink. "korea. i'm... hoping to make music there. where are you going?"

you nodded. "music, huh... that sounds really cool," a look of realization dawned on your face, and your eyes widened. "wait, did you say korea?"

a questioning look appears on the girl's face, and she nodded. "yeah, korea. why?"

"i'm going to korea too! i got accepted to SNU's college of fine arts. i paint and stuff."

her mouth formed an "o" shape and she gave you an impressed look.

"that's impressive! it must've been stressful for you."

you grinned, taking a small bite of your almost-forgotten croissant. "it was. i almost lost hope, refreshing my email page over and over at night," you said, shaking your head. "by the way, what's your name?"

the girl looked startled, clearly not expecting the sudden question. the flash of surprise only lasted briefly, however, and she hastily cleared her throat to reply.

"hanni," she smiles, "hanni pham. what's yours?"

"y/n. lee y/n."

"well, y/n... it was really nice meeting you. maybe i'll see you in korea. you could design one of my album covers, haha."

you gulped, trying to ignore the burning heat rushing to your cheeks at the way your name rolled off her tongue. "oh! yeah. it was great talking with you, hanni. and if we do meet again... i'll do my best with the design."

she took her finished cup of whatever she ordered, and her bag, and waved to you with that angelic smile of hers as she walked away with her suitcase.

"nævis, calling-" as if right on cue, your phone's ringtone went off, the beat drop of aespa's next level playing at an extremely loud and embarrassing volume. you sheepishly mouthed sorry to the people around you, who were staring because of the noise, and picked up the call.

you cleared your throat, lowering your voice. "hello?"

the excited voice of hyein rang out into your ear, "unnie! y/n unnie!"

you winced and moved the phone speaker slightly further away from your ear.

"hi, hyein. what's up?"

you heard some shuffling around, and what seemed to be like your aunt's voice scolding hyein for yelling.

"hello y/n, sorry about hyein, she's really excited to have you here soon."

you subconsciously smiled at the thought of your little cousin counting down the days until your arrival. "don't worry about it, auntie. did you need something?"

there was some whining from hyein in the background, and your aunt sternly called her name, effectively shutting her up. "nothing, nothing. just wanted to check in with you. you're at the airport now, yes?"

you nodded, even though she couldn't see you. "yeah, i am. i got some coffee at a cafe and i'm about to head to the gate. by the way, did you guys want anything for the last time in a while? the chocolates at the gift shops are always good, i know you and uncle like them."

there's a thud, and you blinked at the silence that followed. you waited, checking your phone to see if the call was still connected, and raising an eyebrow when hyein's voice finally crackled out into the microphone.

"haah... haaaah... finally..."

"hyein?"

"i want a kangaroo keychain! the cute plush ones!" you once again pulled the phone speaker away from your ear when she yelled again.

'aren't those really expensive?' you thought, slightly grimacing at the thought of your soon-to-be empty wallet. 'oh well.'

you laughed as you pressed the phone to your ear to speak again. "okay, okay. anything else?"

"get two. i wanna match with you, unnie!" by now your wallet was really crying. 'the things i do for you, hyein.'

"alright... well, i have to get to the gate now. i'll see you later? say bye to auntie for me," you told hyein, finishing your pastry and cleaning up your table before getting up from your seat.

"okay! bye unnie!" and the call dropped. you sighed, shaking your head while smiling, and started making your way towards your gate.

(you held the small keychains in your hand. they were the size of your palm, and you turned it around to check the price tag.

"holy shit, 15 dollars for this tiny thing?!"

"it's for hyein, she wants to match. it's for hyein, it's for hyein, it's for hyein...")

"hanni?"

"y/n?"

well, that was sooner than you thought. as soon as you made it to the seating area, you spotted a familiar face: the pretty girl named hanni that you bumped into earlier. before, you couldn't start a conversation with her without stuttering and stammering, but the feeling of your lighter wallet must've left you more easygoing after mourning your diminished funds on the way to the gate. (you were at least glad you could make hyein happy.)

she gestured to the seat next to her, her bag occupying it moments prior. grateful, you thanked her, and moved to sit, setting your suitcase in front of you. just as you started to relax, hanni gently tapped your shoulder, nearly making you jump.

"fancy seeing you here?" she said, her grin accompanied by a lighthearted tone.

you breathed a sigh of relief. her lopsided smile sent waves of comfort through you, allowing you to ease into the moment.

"yeah, what are the chances? we're on the same flight," you remarked, a small grin settling on your face as well—hanni's smile was very contagious when you weren't distracted by her beauty, you noted.

hanni nodded, grin widening. "seems like the universe has its plans. maybe it's fate?" she quipped.

"haha, maybe."

a moment of silence passed, and you both burst into a fit of giggles.

you never believed in fate, despite your friends talking your ear off about it. whenever they asked for your input, you brushed it off as a silly superstition. comes with messing around doing stunts all the time, you supposed. after all, you were unpredictable, and so was the world. the thought of your future being predetermined made you shudder.

wanting to continue the conversation, you racked your brain for anything she told you earlier. what was it she was doing... ah, music!

you cleared your throat, bringing hanni out of a daze. she turned her attention to you, eyebrows raised.

"you're doing music, right?" she nodded, "yeah, i've already signed with a company and all."

"really? which company?"

she hummed thoughtfully, and pursed her lips. "sorry, i'm not allowed to tell."

"ah, that's okay," you said, scratching your neck. "do you play an instrument? or do you sing?"

"i do both, actually!" she said with a smile, her voice warming. "but i'm focusing on singing. what about you? you do art, right?"

you perked up at the mention of art. "yes, i do, i love painting," you said, eyes brightening.

"actually, there was this time where i tried to smash my head through the canvas for a project- hey, don't laugh, let me finish! i tried to make it so that the end product would be my face, with action lines outside the rip marks, but the canvas broke in half, and i ended up with a ton of scratches on my face..."

the two of you continued to chatter away, the conversation flowing effortlessly between you. your surroundings became a blur as you lost yourselves in the moment, unaware of anything happening outside of your bubble of conversation.

you suddenly remembered that you were waiting for a flight, and frowned. "hey, don't you think it's been a while since they've said anything? it's close to boarding ti-"

the calm voice of a flight attendant interrupted your question.

"attention all passengers going from melbourne to incheon: there's been some technical difficulties, and we are disappointed to inform you that your flight will be delayed. departure time will be pushed back by approximately one hour. thank you."

as murmurs spread through the gate and disappointed voices filled the air, you felt a sense of frustration wash over you. fishing your phone out of your pocket, you quickly sent a text to your aunt about the delay, your irritation evident in your furrowed brow.

hanni puffed out her cheeks in frustration. "ugh, unlucky."

you nodded in agreement, a sigh escaping your lips. "yeah, it's frustrating. now we're gonna be there even later in the night," you replied, your gaze shifting from your phone to meet hanni's disappointed eyes.

"i guess there's nothing we can do about it now."

"yeah, i guess so."

hanni always thought she led an honest life, steering out of trouble and focusing on her passion for music. she made sure to feed the dogs, keep up with her studies, help her mom cook, and get along with her younger sister. she had a lot of friends, and she was in a dance cover group with some of them too. she played the ukulele, guitar, and piano, and she sang as well.

then she auditioned for hybe, and passed. her family was proud of her, and she left to korea for training shortly after. she missed home a lot. like waking up to milly and mia's excited barks for breakfast, or bickering with her sister in the car on the way home from shopping, or having family bonding time during dinner.

love was the last thing on her mind when she started training. sure, she's had some crushes here and there, but she's never pursued any of them. that was all there was to it; just a silly crush. when she became a trainee, any thoughts of crushes in hanni's mind were pushed aside for dancing and singing lessons, as well as korean classes.

but after your fateful encounter (or, well, encounters) at the airport, hanni thought she could forget about coming back to training for at least one day.

from the moment she saw you, hanni pham was dazzled. when you bumped into her, you immediately apologized, and even picked up her bag for her. when you finally looked at her, and she could see your face, hanni almost screamed. you were so, so, beautiful. and she had to make her leave before she actually screamed.

then hanni saw you again at a random airport cafe, and everything clicked. lady luck must've finally looked on her side this time, because there were clearly open tables all around you, but you still let her sit with you. with that, she let the conversation flow between the two of you.

by the end of your second encounter, hanni must've thought her luck ran out by now and left with an open offer, knowing you would never see her again after she left.

and then you finally reunited at the gate. well, if hanni thought her luck ran out at the cafe, then it had definitely run out now. there was absolutely no way she could get any luckier than being on the same flight as you.

was it bad she's started to develop a crush on you?

there was a thump next to her, and hanni felt an added weight fall on her shoulder. she turned to see if you dropped something, but it seemed that your head dropped on her shoulder, having fallen asleep. your head. on her shoulder. you fell asleep on her shoulder.

hanni's face was bright red at the realization. you fell asleep! on her shoulder! her body immediately tensed, instinctively trying to get you off, but gave up after you only shifted closer to her. and well, she didn't want to interrupt your sleep, since you seemed exhausted just moments ago.

she couldn't help but think your sleeping face was beautiful too.

"attention all passengers going from melbourne to incheon: apologies for the wait. boarding will begin in 15 minutes. thank you."

the announcement jolted you awake, and you sleepily rubbed your eyes and lifted your head from where you were leaning it on, stretching your neck to hear a few satisfying cracks.

"did you sleep well? you just suddenly passed out; i was worried," a soft voice asked.

you tried to blink out more of the sleep out of your eyes and focus on the voice next to you, finally seeing hanni's concerned expression.

clearing your throat, which was hoarse from your nap, you offered her a sheepish smile. "yeah, i slept well. i was so anxious last night that i went to sleep really late, that's probably why. sorry about that."

hanni nodded. "no worries! going away from home is scary, i agree."

you tried to reach for your phone, only to look down and see hanni's jacket draped over you. 'huh?' you thought. 'wait, come to think of it, what was i sleeping on?'

you shot a glance over to hanni, who tilted her head. you squinted your eyes, trying to connect the dots. then, it hit you like a pile of bricks: you fell asleep on hanni's shoulder. your cheeks dusted pink in embarrassment, and you cringed at even the thought of it.

'god, that's embarrassing!' you thought, feeling a sense of mortification burning in your chest. 'she even used her jacket as a blanket for me, and she asked if i was okay when i woke up...'

"oh my god, i'm so sorry!" you blurted out, the words tumbling out of you in a rush. "i really didn't mean to fall asleep on you, i mean i didn't even realize i was falling asleep, but-"

hanni giggled, the pleasant sound resounding through your ears.

"it's okay, y/n. i don't mind."

'ah... it's almost like an angel got sent down from earth.'

despite you intruding on her personal space, hanni was still so kind and considerate to you, even though you only met each other a couple hours ago. a heavy blush overtook your face.

"here's your jacket back, at least," you offered, a mixture of gratitude and embarrassment showing in your tone.

she shook her head, waving her hands. "oh no, you can keep it on. you must be cold in only that sweater."

you opened your mouth to protest, but ended up just smiling.

was it too soon to say you liked her?

the flight attendant walked up and down the aisle, checking for everyone's seatbelts. you and hanni sat comfortably towards the front of the plane, flashing friendly smiles at each other.

you and hanni sitting next to each other? what? wait, let's rewind. how did you find yourself sitting next to hanni, the girl of your dreams who you were talking to at the gate, and at the cafe, and outside of the security checkpoint?

well, the two of you were in the same boarding group. and taking a look at your tickets, you were actually seated right next to each other.

funny how fate plays out, huh.

it seemed like hanni was thinking the same thing, because she started giggling, nudging your shoulder.

"it's funny how fate plays out, huh?"

"absolutely," you replied with a grin, matching hanni's playful tone. "seems like fate has quite the sense of humor, doesn't it?"

hanni giggled again, her laughter echoing softly in the aisle.

"definitely," she agreed, a hint of amusement sparkling in her eyes. "who knew our paths would cross like this? and especially so many times in a day?"

as the flight attendants made their final rounds, you relaxed in your seat and turned to observe hanni, who was looking out the window. her gaze wandered, from the people on the ground crew to other planes preparing for takeoff. you noticed her shiver, and quickly took her jacket off from your shoulders and draped it over both of your laps.

surprised, she looked over to you with raised eyebrows, then smiling at you, mouthing a 'thanks'. she turned her attention back to the window.

you directed your gaze to your lap, leaning back in your seat. your seatbelt kept you from slouching back. you felt your phone vibrate in your pocket, and you unlocked it to see a text from hyein.

from: mom's favorite child (🐣) UNNIE!!!!!! 😚😚 what do u want for dinner moms asking also did u get the keychains 😈

you laughed to yourself, typing in your response. you purposely waited between each message sent, to tease her; hyein always hated when you did that.

to: mom's favorite child (🐣) hi hyein 🤓 i want kimchi jjigae!! also [attachment: 1 image] yes i did

you almost drooled at the thought of your aunt's kimchi-jjigae. the first time you had it, you were hooked. no matter how many times your mom tried to recreate her sister's cooking, it never hit the same as when you'd stay at hyein's house for the holidays and wake up to the smell of your favorite dish in the morning.

from: mom's favorite child (🐣) got it o7 (replied to [attachment: 1 image]) ↪ AHH THEYRE SO CUTE OMGOMG (replied to "hi hyein 🤓") ↪ who are you calling a nerd.

giggling to yourself, you decided to leave hyein on read, swiping out of her contact after reacting to her text confirming your request with a heart.

the jets of the plane fired up, starting to taxi down the runway, and you pocketed your phone and joined hanni in looking out the window.

"have you flown here before?" she asked, keeping her gaze outside.

you hummed, thinking back to your very eventful past visits to your aunt's place for vacation.

"yeah. i have family here, that's where i'm staying for college." you said. "i've gone over a bunch of times for the holidays."

the girl next to you stayed quiet, still staring outside. the plane started to tilt up, and you could see hanni bite her lip. as the aircraft gained elevation, going higher and higher, her eyes grew shut and her face scrunched up.

then her hand flew to yours, clasping yours with an almost crushing grip, eliciting a slight wince from you.

"hanni...?"

her eyes remained tightly shut as she stuttered out a response. "so-sorry! i'm a bit... afraid. of- of planes."

you felt the plane make a sharp tilt to the right, and the left, and hanni's grip only intensified.

"no matter how many times, i- i fly... it doesn't seem to get any better... i'm sorry," she mumbled. if you weren't craning your head to listen, you wouldn't have caught half of what she was saying, considering she was trying to focus on containing her fear.

her hold on you loosened, almost as if she was ashamed, but you only responded by firmly squeezing her hand back. if she's scared, then you should comfort her, right? it's only the right thing to do.

the action caused her to whip her head towards you, her gaze darting between your hand tightly grasping hers and your face. this went on for a few seconds, your concern for the girl growing as the moment stretched on. you watched her closely, noticing the furrow in her brow and the tension in her soft features.

when she finally stopped at your face, you offered her a comforting smile. she blinked a few times, widening her eyes, and reciprocating the gesture.

the plane started to stabilize in the air, letting hanni's anxiety simmer down while you rubbed soothing circles into her palm. it seemed to help, since her shoulders visibly relaxed as she took deep breaths, flashing a grateful smile to you. despite the plane now flying steadily, you never let go of her hand, continuing to offer a sense of solace in case the girl's anxiety spiked.

after around 10 minutes (you didn't really know, your watch was in your bag and you still hadn't let go of hanni's hand) a flight attendant started making her first round down the aisle for drinks and biscuits. as she reached your row, her cheeks raised up in a cooing smile, her gaze clearly lingering on you and hanni's now-intertwined hands.

"aren't you two just the cutest couple," she remarked, her smile widening.

hanni's cheeks flushed, and she quickly shook her head, stammering, "oh, no, i'm, we're not-"

before she could deny the attendant's assumptions, though, you swiftly interjected, flashing a grateful smile to the attendant. "thank you. we'll have a cup of water," you glanced at hanni, thinking for a moment, "and some hot tea."

the attendant gladly poured your refreshments, sending you a "hwaiting!" gesture before moving on to the next row.

"i'm so sorry," you turned to hanni, releasing her hand. a wave of disappointment hit you at the loss of hanni's warmth. she seemed to share the feeling, although you didn't notice.

"it's fine. it would've been embarrassing for all three of us, anyway."

"yeah..."

the two of you turned away from each other, blushes overtaking your features.

'the thought of dating her doesn't seem so bad.'

it had been about an hour and a half since takeoff. you texted some of your friends, who checked in on you frequently, asking things like 'are you dead' or 'did the plane crash yet', to which you replied 'not yet sadly' or something similar. you were doodling random cats in your notes app in between texts.

to your left, hanni had pulled out a book, seeming invested in the pages filled with words of plot. she was almost at the end, you noticed—there were only a few pages left.

a few more minutes passed, and the girl closed the book with a content sigh. after tucking the book safely into her carry-on bag, she peeked around her, her eyes landing on you, scanning your features.

"hey, how'd you get this scar on your cheek?"

you felt a poke on your upper cheekbone, hanni's finger pressing lightly on the tender patch of skin. you brought your hand up to your face to touch the already fading scar, and tried to remember which incident it was from.

"i think it's from when i jumped out one of the school windows," you answered, turning to look at hanni.

"oh," she replied, then raised her eyebrow. "wait, what? you jumped out the window?"

you scratched your neck, feeling embarrassed. 'she's definitely gonna be scared away after i tell her,' you thought ruefully. glancing over to hanni, you quickly realized you weren't going to get away with not telling her the backstory of the scar.

you sighed. "it's not that interesting, i mean..."

the girl beside you watched with expectant eyes, eagerly awaiting your next words. you pondered, wondering if you should really tell her.

"i set off some firecrackers on the school roof, and they found out it was me not even five minutes later," you explained, "i sped down the stairs and hid in some cleaning closet. but they somehow knew i was in there, so i had to jump out the window and run home before they caught me."

a few beats of silence followed, your self consciousness catching up to you as the tip of your ears flushed bright red. when you sneaked a glance to your left, you saw hanni's mouth agape.

"wow," she blinked. "that's insane."

"i know."

you rubbed your elbow, fidgeting with the fabric of your sleeve. 'she's definitely weirded out. see, y/n, this is why girls never-'

"but you're okay, right?"

'huh?' you thought to yourself, then facing hanni. she had a worried smile on her face, head tilted to the side. your cheeks burned. you couldn't win against pretty girls.

"oh. yeah, i am. i just landed in a bush, and a branch scratched me."

she nodded, scanning your features. aside from the one on your cheek, there were a few other minor scars on your face, from similar events, although those were more hidden. there were a lot of them around your body too, from burn marks to scratches and cuts.

"what's this one from, then?" she pointed under your ear, where a small scar from a healed cut laid.

"this one? it's kind of recent. i was trying to make an outline of myself with throwing darts, but my friend had terrible aim. it grazed my neck."

hanni winced, cringing as she imagined how that felt for you. "yikes."

she thought for a moment, a memory resurfacing at the mention of darts.

"that reminds me, there was a time me and my friends were playing darts, but we all kept missing the board," she smiled, reminiscing on the past moment. "we hit everything in the house but the dartboard."

you smiled as well, finding humor in the similarities between you and hanni's experiences. well, except for the fact that your friend was supposed to miss you, the target.

"what did your parents say?" you asked, genuinely curious. your parents usually restricted your actions, like not letting you go out after school or supervising your purchases, but ultimately let you off the hook in the end. you thanked them for that mentally, albeit feeling a tad guilty for being spoiled.

she tapped her chin. "they just scolded us and told us not to do it again. and we had to clean up our mess—there were a bunch of darts on the ground, and things that fell because of the darts."

you laughed, finding her memory relatable. there were countless times you were made to clean up your messes, although you didn't exactly learn from your "mistakes." (you considered them "happy accidents," as bob ross said. alas, your peers, relatives, and teachers alike, disagreed.)

"how did your parents react to your injuries?" hanni questioned, her expression softening.

"well..."

you and hanni started getting to know each other better, warm and lively conversation filling the air. you learned that she was raised in melbourne, and that both of her parents were vietnamese. she had two dogs and a younger sister, and she played a variety of instruments.

you told her about some other incidents, to which she was amused by, and touched lightly on the awards you've received for your paintings.

topics shifted constantly, the two of you seeming not to run out of things to talk about. with debates on something as trivial as which juice flavor was better, more memories from your childhood came flooding back, the two of you sharing your experiences and bonding over them.

'this is nice,' you thought, a glimmer of hope rising. 'maybe, things will go well this time.'

from: 🆕👖 (soon) meanjee 🐻 hanni are you on the plane? kitty kang 😾 did you bring the tim tams dani ☀ omg did you get tim tams for us 🥺🥺 you yes dw i also made a friend meanjee 🐻 who dont lie 🤣😂 you excuse me her names y/n shes an artist guys shes so cute 😭 we kept bumping into each other and guess what kitty kang 😾 you tripped over yourself? dani ☀ you asked her out!? you (replied to kitty kang 😾: you tripped...) ↪ do you want the tim tams or not kitty kang. (replied to dani ☀: you asked her...) ↪ NO we just met but i was TRYING to say that we bumped into each other accidentally like 3 times and we're on the same flight and sit next to each other dani ☀ it's destiny!! meanjee 🐻 i never thought i'd see the day hanni having luck in girls 💀 you WOW im js gna ignore that. remember my fear of flying? she held my hand the whole time bc she saw i was scared :(( shes js so AUGH :] i think she likes me too kitty kang 😾 she has more game than you im glad she could comfort you though dani ☀ AWW that's so cute you two are so cute i wanna meet her! you maybe if things go well with her hyeinie THE BEST MAKN😎E hiii whats going on (replied to you: excuse me her names...) ↪ wait did u say y/n?? you yeah why? hyeinie THE BEST MAKN😎E um actually its nothing i have to help mom with cooking bye unnies!! you ???

hanni stared at your hand, which was holding out an earbud, in confusion. she tilted her head.

"ah, sorry. do you want to listen to something with me? you can choose the song," you smiled, showing your phone screen which displayed the spotify search menu. (you made sure that it stayed on the search bar and not showing one of your many embarrassing playlist names.)

her eyebrows raised, a flicker of curiosity in her eyes as she processed your words. you swallowed nervously, about to retract your hand until she took the earbud from your hold, her hands brushing against yours briefly.

"sure," she agreed, then reaching for the device from your other, outstretched palm. "do you like daniel caesar?"

your bangs fell over your face as you nodded eagerly, blocking your vision. you moved to tuck your hair behind your ear, though hanni beat you to it, her cold hands contrasting with your now-burning-red ears.

hanni cleared her throat with a quiet cough, breaking into a smile shortly after. the two of you listened to the melody of the song that was being played into your shared earbuds, hanni occasionally humming along.

"and i'd love to make you mine," she softly sang, her gentle voice filling your ears. she sounded like cotton candy, so sweet, like honey drizzled over warm toast on a sunny afternoon. each word that she sang sent you into bliss, arrows of cupid piercing your heart. 'maybe,' you thought, 'just maybe. i'll ask her out on a date by the end of this flight.'

the last few seconds of the song faded out and started playing whatever was recommended by your spotify (which was a wave to earth song) but you couldn't pay attention as you found yourself replaying hanni's singing in your head.

noticing your furrowed eyebrows and your dazed look, hanni nudged your shoulder. "sorry, was i too loud? i tend to sing along sometimes; it's always been a habit of mine."

you widened your eyes, shaking your head no. "no, you're fine! i think your singing is quite nice, actually. you have," you blushed, "a very pretty voice."

her cheeks lifted into a closed smile, sending a flutter through your chest. you took a few deep breaths, trying to calm your thumping heart. at least you didn't panic at everything she did, unlike the past 10? 20? times she did so much as smile.

"thank you," she giggled, leaning her head on yours. deep breaths were not going to help in your situation, since it seemed to get even worse for your heart every time. instead, you focused on the song playing in your ear, and the rise and fall of hanni's chest. it wasn't too long after the next song started when you started hearing small snores next to you.

'ah,' you thought. 'she must've been tired.'

moving her head to sit more comfortably on your shoulder, you brushed her bangs out of her face, unconsciously smiling at how peaceful she looked asleep. you adjusted the jacket that was laid over both of your laps to cover more of her legs instead of yours, slightly shivering as you instantly felt the cold from the cabin aircon replacing the warmth from hanni’s fleece jacket.

‘oh, well.’

you rested your head on top of hers, sarah kang’s once in a moon quietly playing into your shared earbuds, and you let yourself slowly drift off to join hanni in dreamland.

"mmph..."

you groaned as you rubbed your eyes sleepily. your neck was stiff, your shoulder was sore, and you had 12 different cramps in your legs from your uncomfortable position in the airplane seat.

hanni shifted on your shoulder, and you panicked, thinking you might've woken her up from your stretching. thankfully, her soft snores continued after a few moments.

you sighed in relief. you would've felt insanely guilty if you ended up waking her.

stretching your shoulders back, (though still careful not to wake the sleeping girl leaning on you) you reached into your backpack under the seat in front of you, and pulled out your sketchbook.

the thing itself was around a year old. over that year, you'd nearly filled it to the brim with dozens of drawings, including ones you drew on buses, trains, at parks, in history class, on your bed, everywhere. similarly, you kept a sketchbook for each year prior to the one currently in your hand. it was almost time to retire this one; you only had about 3 pages left.

taking a small pen out from your wallet, you pressed the fine tip to the smooth beige paper, soon letting your arm move freely across the page, sketching things you could see around you—the overhead aircon, someone's paper cup of water from the recent beverage round sitting on their tray table, and...

you looked to hanni, then back to your sketchbook. you'd subconsciously started drawing hanni while looking around your surroundings (or, lack thereof). although it was quite difficult to get a decent look of her features as a whole, you managed to sketch out the way her bangs framed her face, the curve of her eyelashes, and her mouth slightly ajar.

the people around you must've thought you were crazy watching you try to lean forward to look at hanni, while also trying to keep your movements minimal as to not wake her. but that was okay. people back home already saw you as crazy when you did anything, especially after the wheelie incident, which you didn't want to think about.

after finishing the initial sketch, your hand appeared to have a mind of its own, because it moved to the next page over and started doodling more of hanni. you squinted your eyes, trying to remember what she looked like when she bumped into you, when she sat across from you at the cafe, and when she was sipping from the cup of tea you called for her a few hours ago.

the page was filled with hanni's face in the blink of an eye. you didn't know how it happened, but it would be really embarrassing if said girl woke up and saw this right now.

"mmm..."

...why didn't anything go your way?

you flipped back to the page full of doodles of the cabin before she could see anything, covering the page with your sleeve. you tensed your shoulders in nervousness, quietly clearing your throat.

"sleep well, hanni?"

hanni's lips upturned into a sleepy smile (you screamed a little mentally at her cuteness) and she nodded, giving you a thumbs up.

"thanks for letting me use you as a pillow," she said, rubbing your numb shoulder.

you laughed to yourself, mostly because you couldn't feel your shoulder as hanni touched it. "it's no problem. i wasn't going to let you have neck cramps from leaning on the wall."

she nodded again, stretching out her muscles and letting out a big yawn. her eyes shifted back towards you and down at your lap, where you placed your sketchbook.

"what's that?"

a bead of cold sweat rolled down your forehead, and you gulped. what if she was creeped out at your drawings of her? then, your mind wandered to the moments you shared just earlier, and you thought, 'there's no way hanni would act like that.'

you shyly uncovered the page, passing the book to the girl, watching intently as she pored over the details that you'd meticulously drawn. her mouth gaped in astonishment, in awe of your ability to capture the scene around you.

she turned her head towards you, eyes sparkling. "this is amazing, y/n!"

you bashfully scratched your neck, giving her a sheepish smile.

"it's nothing, really," you tried to say, but her attention was already on the next page.

"this is... me?"

crap.

"um, yeah. it is. there's not much to see from our seats, so i ended up drawing mostly you," you tried to defend, hoping she wouldn't take your actions badly. "you're also, very," you cleared your throat, blushing, "pretty. very... pretty, yeah."

she grinned, cheeks dusted pink, and trailed her hand down the page, tracing over the soft features—her features—that you'd effortlessly drawn as she slept.

"can i keep it?" she asked, looking into your eyes for approval.

shrinking back from the unexpected eye contact, you gulped and nodded. you were thinking about giving it to her anyway.

"yes. i'd love to give it to you, as something to remember me by, haha."

after you finished your sentence, you gently grabbed the sketchbook from hanni's already offering hands, and left your signature on it. the ripping sound of the book hummed as you removed the page from the confines of the spiral spine, handing it to your seatmate.

her grin grew wider as she accepted the paper. "thank you so much, seriously. this is so cool!"

"it's no problem," you laughed, tipping your invisible hat to her.

the flight intercom beeped.

"hello, this is your pilot speaking. we have arrived in incheon, local time is 10:42 pm. please make sure your seatbelt is secured and your seat trays and window blinds are up, and also unplug any devices you may have. enjoy your stay in korea and have a good night."

hanni, who just tucked your drawing into her bag, looked over to you with surprised eyes. "it's the end already? i swear we've just been here for like, 3 hours."

you were shocked too, your eyebrows raised. "i know, right? but i guess we did spend a lot of it sleeping."

"yeah, you're right," she giggled.

you took a deep breath, not knowing what to say. "it was, um... really nice getting to know you. i know it was weird seeing each other so much in a day by chance," you said, "and uh, if you'd like, we could, um, go out on a date sometime?"

a scarlet blush overtook your face, and you think the people behind and in front of you must've heard you say that because you heard a gasp or two from your surroundings.

hanni's face was terribly red as well, and it made you feel a little better knowing you weren't having one-sided feelings.

"o-okay. deal."

the rest of the time spent after that was a blur to you, and it took you until you sat down on hyein's living room couch that you forgot to give hanni your number.

holy shit, y/n. you asked a girl out on a date. and after spending basically the whole day together, you forgot to exchange contact info with her? this was on a whole new level of sick and twisted, even for you.

"we're home!" a gruff voice called, followed by the sound of the heavy door closing, and the sound of excited footsteps followed, rushing in your direction.

a minute later, you got tackled by a very hyper hyein.

"unnie! unnie, you're here!"

her hold on you was incredibly tight. you don't think you could squeeze out even if you wanted to. nonetheless, you returned the embrace, patting her on the back and nuzzling your nose into her messy hair.

"hey, hyeinie. i missed you," you murmured, moving your hand up to card through her dark brown locks.

your younger cousin's eyes sparkled, and she broke out into a huge grin. you felt yourself being squeezed even tighter, before you coughed and wheezed out, "can't- breathe."

your uncle gently separated hyein from you, and you stood up so you could bow and give him a hug.

"welcome back, y/n!" he laughed, giving you a rough slap on the back which made you stumble a little.

your uncle was a warmhearted man, much like your father, even though they weren't blood-related. you didn't exactly know what he worked as, but he was always dressed to the nines whenever he went out, regardless of the occasion.

"i'm glad to be back. i'll be staying for a while, too," you added.

turning and smiling at hyein, you ruffled her hair, making her stand up and do it back to you. thankfully, you dodged in time. wait, did you shrink? or...

"hyein, you got taller again!" you exclaimed. last christmas, she was at about your height; a little above average, a solid 5'6. but looking at her now, she was probably around 5'7, almost as tall as her dad.

the younger girl blinked, staring wide-eyed at you. she slid her hand from the top of her head to the empty space above yours. being honest, the difference wasn't all that much, but your brow twitched at having to even slightly flicker your eyes up to make eye contact.

"did i?"

this was starting to irk you. you knew that hyein just realized this was something she could hold against you, and that was the last thing you wanted to happen.

defeatedly, you sighed.

"dinner is ready!" your aunt called from the kitchen. your eyes lit up as the scent of your favorite kimchi-jjigae wafted through the air. bless your aunt's soul.

you slowly turned to your cousin, a glint in your eye.

"last one there is a rotten egg."

and then, chaos.

"y/n, you haven't been here in a while. now that you're here to stay, would you like to do anything in korea?"

you adjusted the bandaid on your knee, and hissed as hyein pressed on the bruise just below it. of course, you hurt yourself while trying to race the younger lee to the dining room.

snapping your eyes to your aunt, who was setting the pot of stew in the middle of the dining table, you tried to think of something you've never had a chance to do. but you've been to korea countless times before, and you'd always gotten to do something new. it'd been around a year since you last came, since your relatives came to you for christmas 7 months ago.

"i guess... just walking around like a local? going to a café, walking around the city. and..." you bit your lip, struggling to remember the name of the theme park that was so famous.

"oh!" you snapped your fingers, "lotte world!"

hyein's hand twitched. one glance at her, and you could see that she was practically buzzing with excitement. she looked as if she was about to bounce off the walls like a pinball. you pinched her arm, causing her to yelp.

"lotte world! that sounds fun," your uncle commented, "i wish i could join. work's been busy lately."

your aunt laughed, "me too! but y/n," she shot you a stern look, "don't go causing trouble for people. i don't want to see you on the news for the wrong reasons."

'that's very encouraging and totally non-threatening!' you shivered. still, her words only tempted you. knowing you, it wouldn't be long into the school year before you were a known figure on campus.

portions of the stew were distributed to everyone's bowl, and you licked your lips. you didn't have anything on the plane, since you'd slept through most of it and missed the in-flight meal.

"thank you for the food," you said, before bringing a spoonful of the stew to your lips.

with that single bite, you think you've ascended to heaven and above. you wolfed down the rest of the food, eating like you hadn't eaten in a week (which you felt like you didn't) and before you knew it, you'd finished your dinner. seeing this, hyein also tried to finish her food quickly, but was stopped by your aunt.

taking a few swigs of water, you looked to your aunt, who watched you in bewilderment. "auntie, that was so good. seriously, that was soooo good. can i have seconds?"

everyone at the table broke out into a fit of laughter.

"of course, y/n."

as dinner went on, and you caught up with hyein and her parents, everyone had finished their serving, and you, your third serving. you tried to help your aunt with the dishes, but she just shooed you away to you and hyein's shared room.

despite already having been in the bedroom to drop off your luggage, you let your cousin lead you to it. it was very spacious, having enough room to hold a sizable tv that you could watch netflix on from the bed, and enough room to walk around comfortably. hyein's desk was messy, as always. it was filled with school papers, colored pencils and highlighters, and a book you got her the last time you visited.

speaking of the bed, it had been replaced by a very charming bunk bed, complete with fluffy white comforters and a surprisingly stable ladder. you already claimed the bottom bunk as yours, your phone laying on the plush pillow.

"tada!" hyein presented to you, doing jazz hands towards the bed. "i know you've already seen it, but try laying in it! it's pretty comfy for a bunk bed."

following her suggestion, you went ahead and sat yourself on the bed, immediately sighing in content. moving your phone so you could lay down, you swung your legs over the bedframe so you could soak in the comforting feeling of the bed. the mattress was fairly soft, perfect for your strange sleeping positions. you flashed an upraised thumb to hyein, who grinned triumphantly.

she puffed up her cheeks. "see?"

"i do see, hyeinie," you said, reaching for your backpack, "before i forget..."

the younger lee gasped at the sight of the matching kangeroo plush keychains, even though she'd already seen them over text. one was purple, her favorite color, and the other, blue. attached to their hands were small magnets, which would allow them to connect together.

she squealed, holding the purple one to her chest. "they're so cute! i love it, thank you y/n-unnie."

you were, once again, brought into a soul-crushing hug. 'at least hyein is happy.'

10 minutes later and you and hyein were now wrapped up in a fiery race of mario kart. you had successfully hooked up your switch to the tv just a bit ago, and of course you had to compete with her in your shared favorite game. it was a tradition for the two of you to play through at least two rounds of the grand prix mode, usually playing for the special cup for one of the rounds.

a hand covered your field of vision, and you batted it away, groaning at your little cousin. "stop, i was winning!"

she cheekily stuck out her tongue, swiftly overtaking you in the race. you cursed whoever picked the mushroom cup (you did) because the piranha plants in sweet sweet canyon were beating your ass, and your rank just kept dropping after hyein rudely interrupted your groove with her hand.

"ahhh..." you sighed as a bot passed you on the second lap. setting the cpu level at the maximum was a mistake. hastily, you collected the power up block, your eyes lighting up seeing the formidable blue shell on the dice roll. spotting the shortcut, you performed a sharp-angled drift that you were only able to do after years of perfecting the technique, and expertly boosted yourself to catch yourself up to 4th place.

it appeared that hyein was too focused on smoothly driving through the track, so she didn't notice your newly-acquired trump card. you smirked. 'she won't see it coming,' you mischievously thought.

it was now the third lap. you were saving the shell for right before the finish line, and you were currently in a solid 3rd place, with hyein in 1st and a bot in front of you.

the younger lee glanced at your side of the screen and widened her eyes. 'did she just now notice i had the blue shell?'

"unnie! you can't! i'm so close to winning!" she shouted. the finish line was nearly in sight. the bot slipped on a banana peel and your smile only widened as you watched the flailing animation while passing by. hyein tried kicking you to distract you, but it was no use. you had already thrown the power up that would help you win the race.

"checkmate," you smugly said as you patted hyein's back. the girl was watching the finish screen in despair, gripping her controller tightly in annoyance.

she slowly turned to you, a menacingly determined look on her face. "i'll win the next one. it's thwomp ruins, you suck at thwomp ruins."

damn it. she was right.

hyein ended up winning the next race, as she declared. you always had trouble avoiding the obstacles on the track, much to your dismay. with that win, she also won the cup, because she also won the first two races. you blamed it on the jetlag.

(when you awoke, you felt a heavy weight on your chest. you blinked, barely making out the image of hyein laying on you, softly snoring. you checked your phone. 5:12 am. well, whatever. it was too early to think about anything. gently combing your fingers through her hair, you fell back asleep.)

“y/n?”

the door to your shared bedroom creaked open, and you shoved the covers over your face. 

“y/n, it’s 11:30, wake up,” the voice called.

slowly, you peeked from under the comforter that was very much doing its job at keeping you comfortable, to see your aunt standing in the doorway with a ladle. reluctantly, you climbed out of bed.

"morning, auntie," you mumbled as you rubbed your eyes, making your way to the bedroom door.

she stepped aside to let you exit the room. "good morning, sleepyhead."

you spent a few minutes to brush your teeth and wash your face in the bathroom before coming out to the living room. the house was eerily quiet without the presence of your uncle and hyein.

...wait, where's hyein?

looking around suspiciously, you still found no trace of the younger girl in the house. she was gone when you woke up, too. where could she have gone? it was summer break, and hyein was barely entering high school.

coughing, you asked your aunt, "um, where's hyein gone?"

"oh, she's at the company. she has practice today, didn't she tell you?"

"what practice?"

"...dance practice? vocal lessons? she's debuting this month, remember?"

debut... dance... vocal... that rings a bell...

'wait, what the fuck? is hyein a kpop idol?'

your heart beat faster at the revelation. hyein? your cute little cousin who you swore had just graduated from elementary school two years ago? you knew she took dance lessons, and her other activities that came to a halt last year, but... debut? she was still a kid! and it sounded like this debut was serious, the real next step in her career.

your emotions were all jumbled up upon thinking more on the matter. why didn't she tell you?

"y/n? hey, how about you eat now," she placed a bowl in front of you, "and maybe later you can talk to hyein about it. don't worry until then."

"easier said than done," you replied, digging into the rice with your spoon. but she was right. you could talk to hyein later; you still had to unpack your bags.

breakfast tasted dry and bland, even though you were sure your aunt cooked it with perfection and love in mind. there were just too many thoughts in your mind.

putting your finished bowl in the sink and washing it, you shuffled back into you and hyein's room, intending to tidy up the space and also set your things down. this was where you'd be living for the next four or more years, after all.

this bedroom brought back memories. what used to be a guest room that five-year-old you would sleep in during the holidays, was now turned into your dear little cousin's haven of comfort. from the moment she was born, you've adored her—it was like having a little sibling, since you were an only child. the guest room was more lively, more full of energy with hyein there.

as she grew up, there were times where she, of course, kicked you out of the room, because it was 'too embarrassing' to have her older cousin sleep in the same room with her. although you always woke up in the middle of that night to see a hyein-shaped lump on top of you. it was endearing, really, to see, to know that the girl loved you as much as you did her.

you traced your finger along the edges of the old closet in the corner of the room. there was a barely noticeable dent on the side, from when you were playing a game of operation and accidentally threw the tweezers too hard in a fit of rage.

a piece of duct tape you'd painted white that was stuck onto it for a good week, because that was the best that a 14-year-old and a 9-year-old could think of. your mom and auntie still got mad, though.

you got to cleaning and unpacking, patiently waiting for time to pass so hyein could come home and you could talk.

dinner came and went, and you were now sitting on the bed, waiting for your cousin who was washing up in the bathroom.

"hey unnie... why are you just sitting there?"

you wordlessly patted the space next to you, your silence being an indicator that what you wanted to talk about was serious.

"why didn't you tell me you were a trainee?"

"..."

"hyein?"

she stared at her lap, guilty. "i..." she choked out, "every time you came, i was just having so much fun. and i didn't know when to tell you because i thought you would make fun of me, or something. i don't know."

hyein sniffled, and looked at you with tears streaming down her cheeks. you sighed and wiped them away with your thumb. she continued.

"and this training, i know you think it's a lot for me and it is, but my members, they make it so much fun. and i'm so close to achieving my dreams, y/n-unnie! july 22nd. that's in 20 days, i'm gonna be a real idol. topping the charts, i just, urgh-"

you brought her into a hug, rubbing her back as she sobbed into your shoulder.

"...i support you. i'm not judging you, i was just worried about you," you planted a kiss on her forehead.

"you're my baby cousin, of course i wanna protect you from the nasty entertainment industry. but... if this is what you want to do, then i'll cheer you on from debut to retirement."

she sniffled. "that's in like, a gazillion years, you're gonna be dead by then."

"shush," you pulled her back into your embrace, "let's just go to sleep."

at 6 am, you woke up with hyein sleeping soundly on your chest, again. this time, you carefully slid out of bed, brushing your teeth in the bathroom, and then sauntering over to the kitchen where your aunt was already awake and cooking breakfast.

"up so early?"

you groaned. mornings were never for you, especially since you always stayed up to paint during your spurts of inspiration.

"i talked to hyein." a pause. your aunt took a minute to wash her hands, and turned around to face you.

"and?"

"i told her i support her. and we fell asleep talking about which member of bts was the best. and now my eyes are super swollen 'cause we had a crying session right before that."

in the background, you could faintly hear the sound of rushing water. hyein must be awake.

"morning..." the younger girl walked in, rubbing her eyes.

you smiled. "good morning, hyeinie."

"woah, you're awake... you're usually passed out at this time."

"are you disappointed?"

"settle down, kids. breakfast's ready."

you ate in silence, occasionally asking for a napkin, or asking how each other's sleep went, and hyein went in to go get dressed for the day.

the sound of the garage door opening resounded throughout the house; uncle must be back from running errands.

"that's me," your cousin said. you adjusted the cap on her head.

"you're sleeping on the bottom bunk tonight, just so you know. i don't want you falling off in the morning, while i'm 'passed out'."

she slipped on her shoes, grinning widely at you. then, she set off with a skip in her step. you shook your head at the sight, giggling.

a few hours later, around noon, your aunt came into your room holding a wrapped... lunch? it looked like the ones you would get from your own mother for field trips, a boxed lunch wrapped with a cloth with a cute design on it. you paused in the middle of your painting of the view from your window. it was time to take a break, anyway.

"what's this?" you took it from her. the cloth concealed the smell pretty well, so you couldn't tell what was in it.

your aunt crossed her arms. "hyein's lunch."

okay... that's weird. why would she come in and give you hyein's lunch? wasn't she supposed to- oh. "you want me to bring it to her, don't you."

she only nodded, leaving the room right after.

hybe entertainment was a big building. like, a seriously big building. it was also weirdly pleasing to look at, but you thought that way with how the city looked in general with all those big buildings with their fully windowed walls.

hyein's manager was supposed to come get you at the lobby. it felt awkward waiting there, since it was so prim and proper compared to any other place you'd been to. you felt out of place. you were just a trainee's cousin, not some important figure in the industry. hell, you weren't even in the industry!

from: mom's favorite child (🐣) why'd mom tell me to send my manager down? are you here? to: mom's favorite child (🐣) yeah from: mom's favorite child (🐣) why???

you chose not to answer that. 'did she really forget her lunch?'

after around five minutes (and after receiving some curious looks from staff members) the manager led you to a dance(?) practice room, nodding and opening the door for you.

"unnie!" you were immediately crushed by the tall girl. you think the cramp in your spine was fixed by her intense embrace.

she gave you an excited look. "why're you here?"

you held up the box, dangling it in front of her eyes. "you forgot your lunch."

she took it from you with a straight face, but then changed the topic without saying anything else. what the...

"meet my members!" hyein stepped aside, revealing four girls who looked almost as confused as you were.

but they were all very pretty, you noted. especially that girl on the right, with the bangs. and those pretty eyes. and ah...

'oh my fucking god.'

"y/n!?"

"h-hanni!?"

you stood there in shock. out of all the places you could meet again, it was at your cousin's workplace? and, it turned out that they even worked together?

you were pulled into the practice room, and now you were sitting on a metal folding chair, in an icebreaker circle that took you back to middle school. it all happened in a blur, one second you were staring at hanni and the other you were forced into a chair by hyein. everyone else looked slightly uncomfortable as well.

"this is y/n, my older cousin!" she introduced you to the other girls. then, she pointed to them one by one.

"this is haerin-unnie." the cat-eyed girl nodded at you.

"minji-unnie." she waved, offering you a tight lipped smile.

"dani... danielle-unnie." she also waved, though with much more energy and a wider smile. cute.

"and this is hanni-unnie, but i suppose you two are acquainted already."

you ignored how hyein's posture became stiffer and how she suddenly started talking in a formal tone, like what she did when she was starting to plot something.

nonetheless, you bowed in your seat and waved. "i'm lee y/n... incoming first year at seoul national university. i'm looking to major in painting."

there was a brief period of silence, and you awkwardly traced the bruise you got two days ago through the hole in your jeans.

danielle(?) started clapping, the other members (including hyein) following suit.

"can we see some of your works?" she excitedly asked. you, once again, found it hard to resist a pretty girl.

"yeah, for sure!" fishing your phone out of your pocket, you pulled up the album titled 'finished paintings' and chose a landscape painting of the blue mountains which you did on a short vacation to newcastle in march. you used the pictures your dad took on his professional camera as reference, and it ended up being one of your best projects in your portfolio.

you tilted your phone horizontally so they could see the full piece, chest swelling with pride when their faces lit up with wonder.

"it's beautiful," minji commented, her eyes trailing from your phone screen to you. you blushed at the sudden eye contact.

danielle loudly gasped, shaking hanni back and forth. "oh my gosh, it's the blue mountains!"

another aussie?

"yeah, went there during a trip to newcastle," you replied in english. the girl's eyes seemed to light up even more, if that was possible. her smile became so blinding that you felt you had to shield your eyes.

"newcastle!" she pointed to herself, "that's where i'm from!"

"really? it's so pretty there, especially by the beaches," you said. "i wish i could go back and paint the views."

your stomach growled. right... you hadn't eaten since way earlier in the morning. you scratched your neck in embarrassment when haerin and hyein started giggling.

"have you girls had lunch yet?"

at seeing their heads shake 'no', you stood up and stretched your arms back. "wanna go eat something? it's my treat," you suggested. "i think i saw a tonkatsu restaurant on the way here."

the cat eyed girl, haerin, made a sound akin to the squeak of a cat (ironically) and tugged on minji's sleeve. she whispered in the girl's ear, and minji turned to look at danielle and hanni for approval.

"fine with us," she affirmed, sending you a gummy smile. "i'll tell our manager."

hyein poked your shoulder. "what about my lunch?"

"uh... we can watch something tonight and you can eat it then, i guess. i won't tell your mom?"

"deal!"

[hybe -> new area unlocked: tonkatsu restaurant]

the seating arrangement went as follows: haerin, hyein, and danielle on one side of the booth, and minji, you, and hanni on the other side. you mentally braced yourself for kicks from hyein, but your heart also sped up at being next to hanni again.

the group made their orders, you prepared to empty your wallet, and were now engaging in conversation with danielle and hanni. next to you, hyein, minji, and haerin were having a separate conversation—something about sparklers and filming.

"so, danielle," you started, folding a napkin into an unlimited amount of halves. she interrupted you before you could continue, smiling, "you can just call me dani! i find being called my full name a bit... you know."

you nodded in understanding. "dani, so you're australian too? must be nice to have a fellow aussie in your group," you nudged the girl sitting on your right. she nudged you back, but her hand made its way to yours under the table. you tried your best not to freak out.

"yep! speaking of which," danielle pointed between you and the 'fellow aussie'. "how do you two know each other? there was that whole thing when we first saw you and everything."

by now, the other three girls have tuned into your conversation. it seemed that they too, were curious.

the vietnamese was the first to explain. "we met at the airport, after i visited my family. we bumped into each other like, three times before finding out we also sat next to each other on the same flight."

minji raised an eyebrow, "wait, this is the y/n you were talking about?"

hanni looked to the side and tucked her hand behind her ear. she was talking about you?

you gave her hand a squeeze, causing her to look down at your now-intertwined fingers. when did that happen?

across the table, hyein eyed you suspiciously.

thankfully, the food came and you enjoyed your lunch, which sufficiently tamed your prior hunger that led up to this situation. you recounted more of you and hanni's first meeting, but the more you talked the more it felt like you were introducing yourself as her girlfriend.

"wow, is that why you left me on read?"

you snorted. "no, i just wanted to annoy you."

hyein kicked you under the table. you made a mental note to check your foot for another bruise later.

"to be honest," you said to the group after you finished your last bite, directing everyone's attention to yourself. "i didn't think i'd end up spending the afternoon with soon-to-be idols."

next to you, minji laughed. it tickled your brain, the way her deep voice was so sooth and calming.

"i don't think anyone here expected to spend the afternoon dining with our youngest's relative."

you laughed along with her, dabbing at your mouth with a napkin. "but i mean, we'll probably be seeing each other often. i'd love to get to know all of you."

the girls made noises of agreement, either nodding or approving verbally, and soon everyone was done eating. you paid the bill (rest in peace, wallet) and when you came back from the counter, hanni, danielle, and haerin are gone.

"they went to use the restroom," minji informed. you made an 'ahh' expression and gave an 'ok' gesture, and made to sit down to wait for the three. hyein stared at you and minji.

"i think you're really cool, y/n."

you almost did a spit-take with your glass of water. that caught you way off guard. what are you supposed to that?

"...and i was just wondering, could i get your number?"

you blinked. minji blinked. and out of the corner of your eye, you could see that hyein also blinked.

but... who would turn down an offer from a(nother) pretty girl? not you.

so obviously you punched in your digits onto the girl's phone, saving yourself as 'y/n 🎨' and by the time you were done, the rest of the group had returned to the table.

when you and the girls arrived at the company, minji left with a wink toward your direction, danielle and hyein hugged you goodbye, and haerin waved at you. only hanni was left, but both of you were reluctant to go.

"i hung the sketches up in my dorm room."

your eyes slightly widened. "really? i'm glad you like them. it's embarrassing, but you're sort of turning into my muse."

you coughed as to hide your scorching blush. hanni giggled, her cheeks also tinted red.

danielle called for her from the entrance, and you both looked to the building.

"i should go."

"yeah... oh, here." you handed her a torn piece of napkin paper with your number written on it. "my number, 'cause my dumb ass forgot to give it to you earlier."

she pocketed it and sent you an eye smile, before waving and turning around to catch up with her group members.

score!

one week later and you and minji became quick friends. she was funny, very dry but very funny. and you were too shy to text hanni much despite your show of confidence when you gave her your number.

you also hung out with the oldest member a lot. just the other day, you went to the mall with her and got frozen yogurt, and since the day you met her you've been texting every night. though not as much as you did with minji, of course you hung out with the other girls too, like when you visited the company a second and third time. (coincidentally, it was because hyein had forgotten her lunch, again)

you actually just got back from visiting minji at the dorm. it was your first time there, and you mostly just stayed in her room after being given a tour. (you ignored the disappointment in your heart after finding out hanni had a schedule, and wasn't at home)

hyein already had some of her things moved to her dorm room, but she was allowed a few more days at home until she had to stay there long-term. but lately, you've been noticing her staring at you. it often happened when you were texting or hanging out with minji. you would just see the younger girl stand in the corner of the room, 'distracted' with her phone as soon as you turned to look at her.

you were resting on your bed when the door burst open. startled, you sat bolt upright and turned your attention to whoever rudely interrupted your peaceful hour of doom-scrolling.

"unnie, do you like minji-unnie?"

"what the fu-" you stopped yourself. auntie would scold you if you slipped up in front of her kid. "no! what!?"

"oh." she sat herself next to you on the bed. "but you talk to her all the time. it's like you don't even like hanni-unnie anymore!"

it took you a second to process the younger girl's words until you exploded into a blushing mess. "how- how did you know i like hanni?"

"it's way too obvious," she shrugged.

hyein left the room, leaving you confused, until she came back in with a rolling whiteboard. where did she even get that?

you watched as she wrote on the board with a pink marker. 'operation... confess... to...' wow. you didn't like where this was going. at all. why should you confess? shouldn't she be focused on debuting? you wouldn't want to be a distraction to her. and you're pretty sure she didn't like you like that.

hyein put a bullet point under the heading, the marker squeaking as the ink dried within a second.

you frowned. "i don't think i should confess, hyein. you can put the board away."

she looked disheartened for a moment, but shook it off and faced you. "i'm like, 95% sure she likes you back. she doesn't shut up about you when she's alone in her room. i don't think she knows that we can hear her talking to herself."

choosing to keep quiet, you laid back into bed and covered your face with a pillow. that was a matter to think about later, and it was hard to stop hyein once she'd started.

"let's see... hey, pay attention; this is for everyone's sake!" the pillow was snatched from your hands. you groaned and sat up. guess it wouldn't hurt to at least hear her out. "you should do something to catch her attention."

you scoffed. "like what?"

she finished drawing two stickfigures (you and hanni, presumably) holding hands with an obnoxious amount of hearts surrounding them, and rested her hand on her hip. "you could... mysteriously take her away after one of her schedules?"

"absolutely not! that's kidnapping."

she crossed the prompt off the list. "take her on a romantic tour around the city with a rented double decker bus?"

"i don't have money for that..."

"you don't have to pay for a driver, can't you drive?" hyein pouted.

you sighed. "what's the point of renting it for her then? also, hasn't she been here long enough to know the city? plus, i don't have a korean driver's license yet."

another prompt was crossed off the list, and you waited patiently as hyein thought of another idea.

"you know, the other day..." you blinked, and now she was in front of you. 'oh god.'

a wide grin spread on her face, and you paled. "i saw some window cleaners the other day. they looked like spiderman."

"hyein..."

"and like, that's so cool! you could do that. we could get a harness from that store down the street..."

"hyein, please."

"and a rope from there, too."

"but-"

"don't you want to catch her eye?"

it was tempting. it'd been so long (christmas) since you've done something fun (insane) and hyein knew just how to push your buttons.

...damn this kid.

from: hany/n supporters mom's favorite child (🐣) added you, haerin, and mj to the group. mom's favorite child (🐣) heyy 😍 you what is this 🙁 mj ^ haerin ^ mom's favorite child (🐣) planning for hany/n to succeed also dani unnie isnt here bc she cant keep a secret mj oh finally mom's favorite child (🐣) updates will be here 😈

over the next few days, you'd been spending more time at the newjeans dorm, discussing the "plan" in depth with minji, haerin, and hyein. whenever danielle and, you smiled, hanni, dropped by, you always just changed the topic and let them join the circle, leaving the discussion to be finished in the groupchat or the next day.

but hanni's schedules had slowed down, and she was at home more often. on the other hand, it was haerin and hyein's turn to be busy, leading to you and minji hanging out on your own.

it was clear that you and the taller girl had grown way closer since your first encounter, to the point that you could joke around with her with no repercussions or shame. this year's sketchbook was a gift from minji, and the first few pages were drawings of her as a show of courtesy from you.

minji was slowly becoming your best friend since moving to korea long-term. back in australia, you didn't have a best friend, just some people that would tolerate and get along with you. but you could really connect with the stupidly tall girl that reminded you of a bear.

naturally, neither you nor minji didn't think that hanni would pay any mind to your blooming friendship.

according to minji three days later, you were wrong.

"this is giving me deja vu," you grinned at hyein, who was currently fastening the straps of your climbing harness bought from the sports shop close to hyein's home.

she rolled her eyes, tapping your helmet. this time, there would (hopefully) be no injuries. or splinters... you hated splinters.

"i'm gonna go back to them, i'll let you know where we are so you can drop down with your," she gestured to the piece of cardstock which you decorated last night, "poster."

the ropes were checked for secureness for a seventh time, and you were assisted with being lowered down the side of the building before hyein descended the stairs and to the elevator which would take her to the second floor.

[||] hanni

"what's up with you and y/n?" hanni questioned minji. it's not like she was jealous, or anything. not of how minji got close to you faster than she did, and hanni was the one to spend a whole day with you, alone, with no interruptions before they even found out you were connected. not of how she could hear the two of you laughing away at night, sometimes even including hyein and haerin in your little hanging out sessions. not of how you flashed minji, not her, minji, your signature smile which made her heart go ten times faster, because she had gifted you with a new sketchbook to replace last year's.

okay, maybe she was jealous. just a little bit.

but it didn't help how you called her 'mj' so naturally, like you'd known her for years before. or how you always snuck off or changed the topic whenever hanni appeared, acting like you were talking about something else even though she knew you weren't.

"huh?" the taller girl stopped in front of the window at the end of one of the second floor corridors. hanni tutted, "it's like you're... you're dating! or something."

minji froze, mouth agape. that wasn't a good sign. but then she started laughing like a crazy woman, making hanni even more frustrated.

"we're not dating. i don't like anyone," she paused, a shit-eating grin slowly overtaking her face. hanni scowled. "what, were you jealous i'd steal away your c-r-u-s-h?"

she dodged hanni's punch to the shoulder, still laughing at the absurdity that was her friend's thoughts.

"but you guys are so close. and hang out all the time," hanni emphasized, making wild gestures in the air with her hands.

that would be a fair point. but to minji, letting her win would be the end of the world.

"that's because-"

"hey guys!" the sounds of three sets of footsteps became louder upon approaching the pair.

"hey, hyein. hey, haerin, danielle." minji greeted, turning to the window as if she were looking for something. haerin and hyein joined her from behind. 'what the fuck?'

"what are you guys doing?" danielle asked, trying to tiptoe to see over their shoulders. unfortunately, she couldn't get past the obstacles that were freakishly tall giants named lee hyein and kim minji.

sighing, she stepped back to face the vietnamese girl, with a pout. "oh yeah, what were you talking about? we watched you try to punch minji earlier."

"it wouldn't hurt to ask for a third opinion," she mused. "do you think there's something between y/n and minji?"

danielle's eyes nearly bulged out of her head. "y/n and minji?"

"i mean... they do spend a lot of time together. but i don't think... she—minji i mean—likes y/n like that. actually, it also seems like y/n's got a different vibe to her when she's with minji, but it's not a romantic feeling-y one, you know?"

drats.

"there she is!" hyein shouted, pointing at something that hanni couldn't see from where she was.

haerin quietly dragged her by the hand to join them in looking at the thing hyein was pointing at and- was that you!?

hanging from a rope that did not look like it supported your weight, there you were, in all your glory, outside of the window holding a sign that hanni had to squint to read.

"what the heck," she pressed her hands into the glass. "why is she outside of the window? also, is that rope even secure? and," she was nudged by minji.

"read the sign, bro."

she grumbled but squinted more to make out the words on the paper. there were flowers painted onto it, with two stickfigures holding hands, and the letters written in bold...

"han, let me take U on a d8 <3" with two comically large exclamation marks following after. han? as in, her? hanni? hanni pham who you met two weeks ago? on a date? a date!

hanni was about to shout her answer until she realized you literally couldn't hear her, because there was a window separating you two, and the rope snapped.

the rope snapped! you just fell down the side of the building! what the hell!

next thing she knew she was running out the lobby and on her way to the hospital while the ambulance carried hyein and your unconscious body.

white walls. blinding lights. faint smell of disinfectant. it had been a while since the last time you landed in the hospital.

except you don't recall the absence of a cartoonish hygiene poster that was always visible immediately when you woke up. or the presence of another girl resting her head on the side of your bed topped with plain white sheets.

on the other side of the door, you could just barely hear two people conversing in korean.

that's right, you were in korea, not melbourne. and you'd fallen from the building after the rope holding you up had snapped.

you knew you were the definition of "fucked around and found out" but... holy shit, your body hurts like hell. looking down, you could see that your right leg was in a cast, and you were unable to move your upper body, feeling immense pain whenever you tried. to add on, there were many, many, bruises along your arms and from what you could see, your other, non-broken leg.

normally, your mother would barge in at this time, scolding you for doing something stupid again. but it wasn't "normally" today. a warm, wet sensation, a tear, rolled down your cheek. maybe it was the pain that finally triggered it, but it was the first time you cried since leaving your home for college.

"fuck," you murmured, lifting up your arm that wasn't occupied to wipe away the waterfall of tears that threatened to burst. in doing so, the girl holding onto your hand shifted. she scrunched her nose, wiping the sleep away from her eyes, and you could finally see her face. hanni. why was she here?

she stopped and stared at you for a moment before her eyes widened. "you're awake! you're- hold on, i'm- here's some water."

hanni helped you sit up, your upper body burning in pain, and you gulped the liquid down in seconds, gratefully handing the glass back to her.

"are you feeling okay?"

that was a good question. "i feel like shit."

she burst out in laughter, and you tried to as well, but ended up groaning in pain. damned body. you felt soothing rubs on your back from hanni, and you shot her an endearing smile. her actions made you feel all warm inside. like a cozy campfire on a cold, dark night.

"be careful," hanni chided, "you broke two of your ribs. and if you didn't know already, your leg too." that explained the extreme pain when you laughed.

you fell into a silence, getting lost in the girl's eyes before she coughed, blushing. "careful, can't have you falling before the first date."

breaking out into a dopey grin, you squeezed her hand. "i'm afraid i've already fallen."

"well then you better hurry up and get better so you can take me out on that date you promised, before you ended up here."

date? promised? the... the... what was it... you searched the depths of your sluggish mind, which was really hard considering you woke up five minutes ago.

sign. the... sign? oh, she saw it! the sign that you and hyein had stayed up making yesterday, to ask hanni out. it was a last minute thing, since you kept putting it off and forgot about it before last night.

a pair of lips pressed onto your cheek, but left as fast as they came. you snapped your head to hanni, touching the affected area with your palm.

without thinking, you surged forward and crashed your lips together, melting into a (not so) perfect kiss, but it sure felt perfect to you. hanni kissed back with even more fervor, hands tangled in your hair and leg moving in a slight crawl in an attempt to get closer to you without hurting you.

you pulled away, stupid smiles on both of your faces.

"you have no idea how long i've been wanting to do that," you said, sneaking in another peck on her lips.

"you have no idea how long i've been wanting to kiss you." she said, tucking a stray strand of hair behind your ear.

an idea popped up in your head after spotting your sketchbook on the table next to your hospital bed. you'd been wanting to paint her properly since the first time you drew her on the plane. "han, let me paint you. please? after i get discharged, whenever that is."

she blushed, blinking at you without saying a word. then, she pulled you into a short, but sweet kiss, and pulled away to plant a small kiss on top of your intertwined hands. you recalled minji saying something about hanni's strong distaste for kisses, but her behavior at the moment was contradicting minji's words.

"you'll have much more time to paint me, wherever, whenever you want."

you giggled, giving a squeeze to her hand. "does this mean i get sneak peeks of songs?"

"no."

"aw..."

"...maybe a little. just a little bit, because i like you so much."

you pumped your fist, whispering a "yes!" before she captured your lips in another passionate kiss.

"i like you a lot, too. more than painting. wait..."

"y/n!"

you, lee y/n, were a girl who could not get a girlfriend no matter what you tried. but on that fateful day, the day you met hanni, you only had the stars and fate to thank for letting you meet the love of your life.

10 hours, in the sky, let hanni pham wiggle her way into your life. and you had to say, it was a change for the better.

a/n : i'm finally done... THIS was hell to write let me tell you omg it's been in my drafts since early january GOODBYEE but now i can focus on all my other stuff so....... chaewon next! LOL (and also lovergirl pt. 2 i didn't forget i swear) thank you so much for reading 10 hour flight, sorry it's so long it wasn't supposed to be 😭 ily guys

[rizzanon]

childhood friend! Shinichiro Sano

part 1 | part 2 (here)

childhood friend! Shinichiro who matures quite significantly by the end of highschool, no longer asking out girls at school anymore much to your surprise

"Woah, look at you."

"Hm??"

"It's been months since you last asked out some random girl. What happened to the women obsessed Shinichiro I know?"

"Shut up, it was just a phase. Besides, you made me open my eyes in a way."

"How so?"

"I guess... I'm just waiting to ask the right person out now."

childhood friend! Shinichiro who invites you to witness the disbandment of the first generation of Black Dragons, despite you not being associated with his gang at all

"Why do you even want me to go? The people I know are only just going to be Takeomi, Waka and Benkei."

"Because I want you to be there. Is there any better reason other than that?"

"I suppose not..."

"And maybe it's also the fact that I need someone to watch over Manjiro haha..."

"I knew it."

childhood friend! Shinichiro who gets upset frustrated when you chose to ride with Takeomi instead of him on the day of the final gathering (he couldn't complain about it to you though, you made a fair point)

"Hey come on! Why are you going to ride with him? Takeomi's a worse rider than me y'know."

T- "Fuck off Shin. You don't worry about me stealing your girl from ya'."

"But you are a reckless rider-"

"Come on Shin, you can't expect me, you and Manjiro to be able to sit in one bike, can you? One of us is surely gonna fall off. I'll be fine with Take-chan, okay?"

"Fine..." (He was not fine with it)

childhood friend! Shinichiro who you make fun of when he comes over to you after the disbandment of the first generation of Black Dragons bawling his eyes out (you were prepared for this outcome)

"Glad to know you're still the same crybaby Shin I know."

M- "Haha! I'm gonna tell Emma you're such a crybaby."

"Cut it out you two! This—sniffs—is a special moment...!"

"You're lucky I brought tissues to wipe your tears away."

"I can't believe you know me that well."

childhood friend! Shinichiro who gets used to you coming over to the Sano household unnanounced whenever you pleased, not that anyone minded, since they all loved your presence

"Emma, be a dear and wake up Shin? Smack him if you have to."

E- "Okay!!"

"Woah, woah, there's no need to smack any—yawn—one. And why are you here?"

"Emma wanted me to teach her a new recipe to make for breakfast. So here I am!"

"And you decided to come over this early??"

"It's 7am Shin. Besides, don't act like you don't like seeing my pretty face the first thing in the morning~"

"Shut up." (Spoiler, he does)

childhood friend! Shinichiro whom you never grow apart from even after highschool, and you both started going on different paths, him opening up a motor bike shop while you started going to college and applied for a part time job as a cashier near the vicinity

"Wait, the shop you're working at is the one down the street, right? Just a few blocks away from my shop?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Great, looks like I can go say hi to you whenever I want."

"Don't you dare do something stupid to get me fired, Shin."

"No promises, ma'am."

childhood friend! Shinichiro who after miserably failing 5 times asks you for your help to bake a cake for Emma's birthday

"And what is this supposed to be?"

"Clearly, it's supposed to be Ariel, y'know, the princess mermaid??"

"That's your best attempt at making an ariel themed cake?? Now I know why you were begging for me to come over when you called me."

"I blame it on Manjiro for ruining the frosting."

M- "Hey! It was you who ruined it."

"So not true."

"I think the both of you should just shut up and help clean up this mess first."

childhood friend! Shinichiro who's gotten used to his siblings asking him where you were whenever you weren't seen with him and getting teased about it

E- "Neh, Shin-nii, where's [name]?"

"Probably stuck in another class, why do you ask?"

E- "I miss her."

M- "Idiot, we already saw her this morning."

E- "Hey! Don't act like you don't want her to come and play with us too!"

"Seriously you two, sometimes I wonder if I'm your older sibling at this point, with how much you ask for her."

M- "Shinchiro, we all know you love her as much as we do, maybe even more~"

"Shut your mouth Manjiro 💢"

childhood friend! Shinichiro who always shows up to your workplace when your shift is almost going to be over, always claiming that he was hungry and wanted to buy something, when in reality, he's there to send you home

"So..."

"And what the hell could you possibly want from this humble store, Shin?"

"Woah, woah! Can't a customer walk around the store to see what they want to get?"

"The last time you were here you knocked down a stack of cans on display, the manager almost reduced my paycheck because of that."

"In my defence, I didn't see the stack of cans."

"Suree you didn't."

"Hey, come on now! You know I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize your job.. on purpose at least...."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. Now, would you be so kind to get me a pack of cigarettes, y'know, for a very dear friend of yours?"

"The only think you'll be getting from me is a pack of gum, rotten breath."

"Rude... now come on, when does this shift of yours end anyways? Let's get dinner on the way back."

childhood friend! Shinichiro who becomes your gossip and vent buddy whenever he sends you home after your shift, with him hanging onto every word you say, and hating on whoever you hate even if he doesn't know who the hell they are

"Argh, goddamnit, won't she just give me a break already?"

"Who? Wait—no, let me guess. Is it that girl from your econs class? What's her name again? Ka—Ka something..."

"Kazumi. Wow, didn't think you'd actually remember, well somewhat remember at least."

"With how much you complain about her, who wouldn't? But let me guess what she did to aggravate you this time."

"Go on. No guarantee that there'll be a prize for that though."

"She ditched a group project discussion again? Or she claims she's too busy to complete her part of the project when in reality she's going on parties and all that?"

"Mix of both actually, so congrats! No prize for you though."

"Aww. And here I thought you'll reward me for being a good friend."

"Argh, I should ask Takeomi or Benkei to intimidate her into actually taking this group project seriously or something..."

"Why ask them when you have your number one ride or die partner next to you to do so?"

"What'll you do? Intimidate her with the 20 rejections you've gotten? Pfft, she might even make that 20 become 21 before you intimidate her."

"I thought we swore to never talk about that ever again 💢"

childhood friend! Shinichiro who's grateful to you for bringing him his lunch to his shop whenever he leaves it at home and enjoys groans whenever you nag to him about the importance of not skipping any meals

"Guess some things will never change, huh?"

"Huh? Oh, is that my lunch?"

"No, no, it's my supper."

"Ha. Ha. Very funny [name]."

"I deserve more credit for making sure you don't skip your meals."

"Is that so? Would you like me to get on my knees and thank you? I can certainly do that."

"You and your cheesy lines... when will you learn to remember to bring your own lunch to work? You're pulling off the same shit you did back when we were in highschool."

"Maybe I just like your meals better than mine..."

"...??!... That... That still isn't an excuse for you to not bring along something to eat, dumbass. What would you do if I decide not to check in on you, hm?"

"Probably starve to dea-"

-smacks his head-

"Oww??? Alright, alright, sorry I guess, 'mom'. I won't purposely skip my meals ever again..."

"Good... next time, just... ask if you want me to cook extra for you."

childhood friend! Shinichiro who notes how you start to stand one arm's length away from him whenever you're with him, and when he asks you about it, becomes visibly distraught to hear you say he reeks of cigarette smoke

"Hey... why're you standing so far away from me? Don't tell me you came over to my shop just to see me work from a distance now.."

"You just stink, that's all."

"What??!? I definitely don't stink. I took a shower this morning, and I'm not covered in grease or anything..!!"

"It's that smokey smell that's always lingering around you. Y'know, because you like to smoke every now and then.."

"Huhh?!? What're you saying!!"

"Don't tell me you don't reek of cigarettes Shin. It's blatantly obvious, I can probably even smell you from a mile away like this."

"WHAT?!? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THIS EARLIER???"

"Because I didn't want you to make you self-conscious, stupid! Besides, it's not like I can force you to stop smoking or anything.."

childhood friend! Shinichiro who slowly stops smoking as much as he used to, especially around you so that you wouldn't be disturbed by his smell and stay close to him

"Huh?"

"What is it?"

"Eh... it's nothing important."

"Oh come on, you clearly have something to say. Cat got your tongue or something? Taken aback by my good looks?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say. You just... smell different, that's all."

"Is smell all you care about? What are you, a dog?"

"Fuck you."

"Yes please."

"Wha-?!?!"

"I'm joking." (He wasn't really)

"And I probably smell good because I put on this new cologne I got."

"Pfft, to mask off the fact that you're a smoke addict?"

"Hey! Might I inform you that I haven't picked up a cigarette for the past two weeks now."

"Really? Wow, I'm surprised. What made you stop?"

"You. Well, more precisely, you avoiding to get close to me because I stink."

"...?!?" (You were speechless and flustered)

childhood friend! Shinichiro who gets jealous upset when his friends flirt with you right in front of his face, not knowing that they're doing this to get him riled up enough and grow balls to finally confess to you

T: "Say, [name], you got a boyfriend or anything?"

"..?!?! Wha- Why're you asking her that-"

T: "What? Can't a man be curious? Besides, no boyfriend would be pleased if their girlfriend is hanging out with her 'guy' friend and his siblings 24/7."

"Very funny Take-chan. If that's your logic, then I believe you already have your answer."

B: "That's suprising. I was sure a pretty girl like you would have many guys chasing for you."

"...! I'm flattered, Keizo-kun. But I doubt that's the case, haha."

"Oi, you guys, stop bugging her like this..."

T: "Ya'know, I'm pretty sure most girls like strong guys, right? Shin's pretty weak to stay by your side."

"Oi-"

T: "But, he makes it up with his charm and caring side, so I guess you have it good [name]."

W: "Well, that's Shin-chan for ya, so you don't have to worry about him not treating you right, [name]. But if he doesn't, you cant count on us to beat him up for you."

"I.... wow, okay...?"

"?!? Oi, you guys!!? Now you're scaring me!!"

childhood friend! Shinichiro who confronts you one day, telling you all about how his friends and family keep on teasing him about how you and him should date and how he also really liked the idea of that

"Hahaha! Really? Manjiro did that?? I can't believe I missed that!"

"It's painful y'know! Can't believe he's only 12 years old and pulling off roundhouse kicks like that. And to my face too!"

"Well, what'd you do this time?"

"Wha-?!? I can't believe you're so quick to take his side. Both you and Emma."

"What can I say? Both him and Emma are my favourite Sanos after all."

"Gasp After all these years, you're choosing them over me?!? I'm disappointed, [name]. I thought you knew better 😔"

"Cry about it then."

"Mean..."

"But he must have a reason for doing that to you though, right?"

"I mean... it's kind of stupid, really."

"Oh? Do tell whatever the reason for the 'invincible Mikey' to roundhouse kick you. And for Emma to take his side on the matter."

"Ah... they're just mad that I apparently haven't made you my girlfriend yet."

"Huh??"

"I know, stupid, isn't it? They both have been bugging me about this for years now, claiming that they 'want you to be their actual sister'. What's worse is that gramps has the same sentiment as them too."

"Seriously? Sano-sensei as well?"

"Yup. He says he doesn't mind having you as his "granddaughter-in-law" and that you're the only person I ever truly listen to. Bullshit by the way."

"Is it it really though?"

"That's not the point. Hell, even the guys are teasing me for not making it official with you yet. Bugging me about it whenever we hangout, saying that if I don't act soon, they'll steal you away from me."

"I-.... wow... I guess that explains what happened the last time we hung out."

"Yeah, sorry if their words bothered you."

"No, no it's fine. But I'm just wondering... what do you think about all this?"

"Huh?"

"Like.... with everyone bugging you, and well me about this, what are your thoughts on us dating?"

"...?!?... I guess.... I don't mind that..."

"Really? I'm glad then."

"Huh? What do you mean."

"I guess I don't mind us dating as well."

".....Wait..., so are you saying I can be your boyfriend?!?! Really?!?"

"Yes! I'm saying you can be my boyfriend, and I can be your girlfriend, idiot."

"I'm actually so happy right now I could literally kiss you."

"Then do it, Shin. Who's gonna stop you?"

a/n: i love him so much oml, thinking about writing longer fics about some of these scenarios

m.list

[jojissalsa]

Dangerous Game (part one)

you get a new job as a federal agent for the F.O.S, and now you're stuck dealing with the reckless D.S.O agent, Leon Kennedy.

Warnings: dom/older!Leon, sub!reader, slight age gap (reader is in late 20s, up to y'all), dirty thoughts, masturbation (f and m). this one is fairly tame. kinda.

WC: 2.8k

an: hey y'all!! i'm hoping to make this into a 3 parter, felt like my idea is a lil too big for just one fic, that's why this one is probably a tad more tame compared my previous stuff. as per usual, critique, reposts and requests are welcome! enjoy <3 (minors do not interact, go touch grass.)

Working for the Field Operations Support is fairly easy, you got a nice seat at the front desk as the receptionist, you’ve worked there for a good couple of years. Nothing crazy ever happened, and everyone respected you pretty well. Especially Hunnigan. Well, Ingrid to you, Hunnigan to your coworkers. You always respected her the most, always envious of her job. You initially applied for her job, but you could take being a receptionist. You could live vicariously through her, since she seemed to like you the most in and outside of work. Hunnigan was always so sweet, giving you a pleasant smile and a morning chat whenever she’d come in for work, bringing you lunch as you two got closer. That also opened the door to lots of girl talk, mainly about how stressful the job was sometimes. Hunnigan loved her job, truly, but it came with heavy challenges. A very heavy one would be Leon Kennedy, a D.S.O agent she’s worked with for a majority of her career.

You’ve heard some of the horror stories from her about the bioweapons, insidious cults and rich white guys that try to carry on Umbrella’s work but fail miserably every time. This time seemed a bit different though, more final for her. “Honestly, the guy is an idiot sometimes. Likable, but an idiot.” You snicker at how nice she’s being for how pissed she looks, angrily sipping her coffee from the breakroom. “I think you mean he’s a lovable dumbass, but I guess that works too.” You chuckle softly, stirring sugar into your own fresh cup of coffee. “Hey, I’m serious this time. I mean, come on, I’m getting older.” Hunnigan watches as you sit down across from her, a worried expression starting to take over your features. “You really think it’s time to call it quits?” “Maybe not quitting just yet, just maybe looking over a different agent. Spots are starting to open up y’know.” Your eyebrows shoot up at that, trying to hide your excitement as you look down to sip your coffee. “Well, maybe I can take your spot? I’m pretty confident, and I’ve done all the training.” She shares your new found excitement, reaching out to put her hand over yours. “I’ll pull some strings, okay? I think we both need a change of scenery.” Her sweet smile never fails to spread to you, you can trust her. She’s been your best friend, if you’re being honest, and you’re sure she shares the same sentiment.

It didn’t take long for those strings to be pulled, and soon you were standing in front of the President and a few other important men in nice suits, watching as you shake hands and smile awkwardly. Finally, you get a briefing on the infamous federal agent you would be helping. Leon Scott Kennedy. He’s got a good reputation with everyone in the room, saying that while he may have an “eccentric” personality, he’s a hard working man, compliments all coming from the President. You heard about it from Hunnigan and a few other agents that he saved his daughter from a deathly cult, and brought it all down in the same day. You could tell from his file that he clearly worked a lot, even if he didn’t get this job on his own violation. Sucks that he was forced into his life, but it’s good that he’s making it work. Seems like a good looking guy too, at least from the small picture of him clipped to the folder.

And now you’re waiting for that good looking guy to walk into your new office, setting down a few knick-knacks you had on your previous desk. You turn your head to the sound of someone walking in, your eyes widening as they set on the man who seemed to be searching for someone. Good looking was an understatement of the century. The way his blazer fits just right on his biceps, his light brown hair and piercing gaze that just speaks "brooding loner", if you weren't at work you'd have fallen to your knees the second he made eye contact with you. You try to reel in your awe as he walks up to you, dusting off your clothes to make you look put together. "So you're my new babysitter? Y/n, right? I'm Leon Kennedy." Just the sound of his voice is enough to give you goosebumps, but your name from his lips is like a drug that gets you hooked instantly. And just like that, something flips in your brain, you are so not gonna be professional, how can you? How can anyone handle themselves around this man? You shake his hand as he extends it for you, and the feel of his rough hand from hard work sends so many dirty thoughts through your mind, like how good it would feel with his fingers on your neck, or his palm pressed against your tit, or how thick his fingers would feel inside you- chill out, play it cool.

"It's great to finally meet you, Mr. Kennedy, everyone has told me a lot about you.." You make sure to say it in a sultry tone to make it obvious how much you think he's attractive, and he sure as hell catches it. "Good things, I hope." He chuckles, giving you a sly smirk. Oh he knows. Fuck. "Oh don't worry, it's been all good things, promise. Though, I have heard that you made Hunnigan’s job a lot harder." You tease, looking him up and down and matching his sly smirk. Two can play that game. "Sure, but I get the job done, no?" The way he says it is so damn sexy you're sure he's doing what you're doing. "I'm sure you get a lot of things done with that attitude, Mr. Kennedy." You act like you're being sarcastic as you cross your arms under your chest, but you know how he could make you cum with the brush of his arm. "Only one way to find out, right?" That one makes your eyebrows raise, your smile widening as you blush slightly. "Is that an invitation?" You drop your voice slightly, leaning against the wall. The curve of your body sends a shockwave of arousal through him, and his eyes narrow on your figure. "If that's what you think I meant then by all means." He's so damn smug and it just makes you wanna sit on his face to shut him up.

"Is there anything you wanna ask me? About myself, the job?" You try to sound professional and not desperate, but you feel like it's helpless when you're looking up at him and he's so obviously checking you out, his eyes taking note of every curve on your body. Like he’s studying it for later. "I think I have a pretty good idea from Hunnigan and the President, is there anything you wanna ask me?" His question makes your eyes light up, but you don't wanna immediately ask him on a date. Classy, that's who you are to your core. "I can ask you anything I want?" "Anything." You smile smugly, lowering your hand to take his, clearly inspecting his ring finger as you bring it closer to you. "Do you have a girl? I don't see a ring on your finger." You say it in an innocent yet flirty tone that he so obviously gets turned on from, considering how he chuckles lightly as he shakes his head before taking his hand away. "So observant. I guess that comes with the job, huh? No, I'm single." Always such a tease, I guess neither of you can help that though. "Really? I have a hard time believing that." You have a faux surprised look on your face, all in the name of trying to get him to blush. You're getting close, you can feel it. "Is it? I'm an old man, what can I say." That one gets you shifting your thighs, biting your lip as you think of just how much older. What kind of experience comes with that age? "Old man, hmm? You ever thought of being with someone younger?" You step a little closer, just barely invading his personal space. "Haven't met anybody that can keep up." He says it so nonchalant, but fuck if it doesn't light a fire that spreads throughout your body. God, it's so hard not to say you could totally keep up, doesn't matter how long he'd want it. "Keep up, hmm? What, does this job give you a lot of stamina or something?" Your question makes him smile at you confidently, and it gets you oh so excited. "Well, I meant that most women don't like that I'm constantly busy, but if you wanna be dirty minded about it, be my guest." He totally stumps you, and it just makes you giggle and rest your hand on his arm, letting out a lil “my bad” before letting it slip away. You're slick, cause you honestly just touched his arm to feel how firm it was, and oh my god. Like diamonds, kind of hard. You can't imagine how fucking good it’d feel wrapped around your neck- there you go again. Snap out of it.

“You're pretty funny, you know that? I’m gonna have fun talking to you. For work, of course.” He let out a soft laugh at your flattery, loving how you tried to soften the thirstiness of your words with a joke. It's cute, you're really trying to say he's not hot. “Trust me, Hunnigan got very tired of my jokes.” You scoff, cause honestly, who could get tired of this guy? “Sorry, but she doesn't know what she's talking about, clearly you're an A class comedian.” You make it sound a little sarcastic, but he doesn't seem offended in the slightest. He loves a challenge. “Yeah? Aren't you a sweetheart? You love to flatter.” Your eyes widen a bit, resisting the urge to squeal and fan your hot face like a rabid fangirl, simply looking away to try and take a moment away from his hungry gaze. “I mean, it's hard not to, Mr. Kennedy..” You sheepishly give him that win, you’ll take it since he called you sweetheart, and in that teasing, cocky fucking tone of all things. If Cupid was real, you’d probably have a million arrows in your back right now. He parts his lips to reply, but gets cut off by his phone ringing, taking it out of his pocket to see the President calling. “Shit, I gotta take this.” He sighs, clearly wanting to keep talking to you instead. “It’s just Leon by the way, no need for formalities.” You get a smug smile again before he starts to walk back to the door of your office, walking with him to let him leave so you could wave him goodbye. “I’ll see you around, okay?” You nod, your smirk not leaving as he waits for you to say goodbye. “I’ll see you around, Mr. Kennedy~” You and your teasing, it's gonna throw him into cardiac arrest. He shares your smugness before begrudgingly answering his phone, looking back to see you waving bye at him with your dainty little hand. Like you knew he didn't wanna end the conversation.

He couldn't stop thinking about you all damn day after your little exchange, could barely focus on his briefing or look anyone in the eye. Even when he got home, knowing he had to wake up supremely early for work, he couldn't get you off his mind. You weren’t like every corporate drone the D.S.O hires, nothing like Hunnigan either. Bless the woman, but he would finally have someone to laugh at his shitty dad jokes. No wonder you got the job. You were drop dead gorgeous to him, not daring to come close to any Victoria Secret model. The way you giggle when you're nervous, how you sneak touches or how forward you are. God, it took every fiber in his body to not grab you and fuck you in a storage closet. Or against the wall? He just towers over you, he could fold you like a lawn chair and you’d take every inch. Fuck, how did his cock get in his hand? Who cares, honestly. He’s too busy spitting in his hand, too worked up to get anything better to help him jerk off. He groans, thinking of how good your soft, delicate fingers you used to wave at him would feel wrapped around his dick, whispering in his ear in that sexy voice you have. He feels chills down his spine when he remembers the way you teased him, how you didn't even say his name. Cause you didn't wanna give it to him yet, that satisfaction. Jesus, you're gonna kill him before any bioweapon does if you keep that shit up. His hand gets faster as his thoughts keep speeding forward, thinking about how good you’d sound saying his name. Not Mr. Kennedy, Leon. He has to hear it, has to hear you scream it when you cum on his cock. He needs to know how pretty you’d look when you cum, clinging to his arms, maybe even digging your nails into his back as your legs lock around his waist. So fucking hot as you beg to have him fill you up. He cums in his hand, spilling out of his palm and down his happy trail. He lets out a heavy sigh, catching his breath as he comes down from his high. He's not even close to feeling satisfied, even as he gets up to go shower again. He needs you, and he knows you feel the same. Hard part is gonna be getting you, without all the stress of what your coworkers would say.

You honestly don't stray too far from how he felt that night either. The second you closed the door to your office, you sat down and processed everything. It was a lot, seeing a man that fucking fine and not being able to drop to your knees and take his cock in your mouth. You were close to sprinting to a bathroom and taking care of the issue, maybe even slipping a hand between your legs and just testing the waters. Literally. He made you so wet, and you could feel it your entire shift, even as you walked to your car. You could only imagine how wet you’d get if he actually did anything. If he talked dirty? Him telling you to cum would make you do it on the spot, no question. Fuck, if he touched you? You’d be screaming like a damn pornstar, waking up the whole building when he slides his cock inside you. It's all you can think about when you get home, not caring to take a shower when you do. You just plop down on your bed and practically tear your clothes off, desperate for relief. Maybe that’ll save your career, fucking yourself thinking about him. So you do, pulling your nightstand drawer open the second you’re naked, taking out ol’ reliable. You can't count on your hands how many times this vibrator was there for you, it was way more reliable than your parents or therapist. Or you could be addicted to cumming, that too. But who wouldn't be? It's not your concern, especially if it's because of Leon. You wanna hear him say the most degrading, defiling, depraved shit in the world but still praise you for it, praise you for putting out so easily cause you're such a good girl. If fucking him with no hesitation makes you a slut, then you wear that badge proudly. That title feels even better when you start moaning his name, your toy hitting that sweet spot which makes you move your hand faster, needing to cum so damn bad. It feels so dirty in the best way possible, thinking of how firm his thighs would feel under your hands as you grip them tighter every time he shoves his cock further down your throat. You can’t imagine how fucking hot it’d be to hear him order you to grind your wet cunt on his boot, holding your hair so hard that you can’t help but push your nose against his pelvis, making your clit nudge against his boot again. Hearing that cocky son of a bitch tell you to cum would be like the devil coaxing you to join him down in hell, too sinful to imagine without having the real thing. It doesn't stop you from cumming on your toy, whining as your legs shake, turning it off as you heave out breaths. You’re fine if you think about him every night, it's good material for your shower thoughts. You’re more excited for his upcoming mission, making you all giddy as you get ready for bed. You're gonna be insufferable. Lucky Leon~

[pedgito]

heyyy, idk if you're still taking requests but I haven't been able to get this thought out of my mind for like a week:

"fuck me like you want me"

"but I do want you"

"...wait, what?"

a friends w benefits to lovers w eddie?? reader catches feelings for him after a little while & is going to call it quits on the situation they have going until eddie confesses his feelings in the middle of what she thought was going to be their last time? idk if the concept is good but like I said I can't get it out of my head & i hope you'd be willing to write it. Ur an amazing writer <333 hope you're doing well lovely

author’s note: i actually really loved this idea!! writing has been a little tough for me lately, just with focusing but i really tried to do something short but sweet with this and i hope you enjoy!

cw: 18+ (minors dni), fwb to lovers, confessions, angst/fluff, protected sex, just lots of feelings, if i missed anything lmk!

word count: 1.3k

You wouldn’t even let Eddie pull you past the threshold of his room, adamant on where you stood by the front door, telling him this would be quick. And he’s got that look on his, always smiling at you like he wanted to say more, but he was being polite, listening to whatever you had to tell him.

It was a blindside, honestly. Eddie couldn’t remember the last time he’s remained this oblivious, missing the signs, the obvious distance you were trying to create, how quickly things went from good to bad, the awkward stage in between where you didn’t want things to stop, but you weren’t sure how troublesome things would become if they progressed.

So, you call it quits.

“We can’t do this anymore.”

Your voice doesn’t waver, no hesitance in your tone despite how horrible it felt saying aloud.

“What?”

Eddie doesn’t want to believe it himself, face contorting into a mix of amusement and confusion, grinning like an idiot. It was the same dopey smile he always had, never anything less than.

“This, we can’t.” Your finger wags between the both of you, “The sex—I can’t.”

“Are you—are you disgusted or something?” Eddie asks, his smile faltering, “Does this mean we have to stop being friends too?”

Eddie hates himself for feeling upset over it, doing his best to mask whatever hurt was radiating throughout him. The problem was, unfortunately, that Eddie had dived into this with feelings pre-established. He was reckless and agreed and threw himself into a mess he couldn’t escape—not that he wanted to, but it had never been just sex for him.

He’s never had friendship like this; he’s had friends, but the levels at which you and Eddie understood each other, it was hard to recreate.

And you loved Eddie, that much was true. But, you couldn’t stand the idea of the feelings not being reciprocated, cutting things short before they transformed into something you couldn’t snuff out.

It was preemptive—and maybe you were jumping the gun, but you didn’t have any other choice.

“We agreed on no feelings, right?” You ask to clarify, his face softening at the inclination—everything that was unclear shifting into place.

Feelings. Stupid fucking feelings.

“Yeah, but—“ Eddie starts to defend.

“I mean, we probably should’ve expected it, right?” You ask with a weak smile, “One of us was bound to catch feelings—“

The only thing Eddie can focus on is losing you.

In his mind he knows—you’d never really leave. And you had feelings, feelings for…him? For the sex? But, he can see the look in your eyes, the hesitancy you feel to move toward him, within his reach.

Eddie can’t take it, saying what you both were feeling.

“Is it selfish of me to ask for one last time?” Eddie asks, “Before things go back to how they were?”

How they were—when things were normal, if you could call it that.

You find yourself nodding before you can stop it.

And for a moment, everything else is forgotten.

Eddie kisses you like he always had, full and attentive, teeth dragging against your lip and his touches all consuming, traveling amongst your body with no real path, touching you, trying to remember you—but when he finally breaches your entrance after a few minutes of shaky hands struggling to open the condom wrapper, the head of his cock pressing inside you finally, everything’s different.

Eddie doesn’t realize how much of a mistake it was until this moment, your eyes connecting with him intensely, face contorted in an expression of confusion as you examined the frown on his face, wondering why he looked so perplexed.

“At least fuck me like you want me, Eddie.” You plead softly, his thrust slow and languid.

He’s not trying to hide from you, but he's definitely not here with you, in the moment.

He forces a smile and buries his face into your neck, pressing warm, soft kisses into your skin in hopes that you’ll change the subject, his hands adjusting your legs around his hips as he moves against you, more forceful than before.

“Hey, hey—“ You urge, pulling his face away from your neck until his wide eyes are on you again for a brief moment before his eyes travel to your chest, your thumbs rubbing at his temples, “what’s going on with you?”

Anywhere but your eyes. He couldn’t keep himself together with you looking at him like that.

“Nothing.” He persists.

You shake your head, breathing your nose in frustration despite how hurriedly Eddie was moving inside of you, grunting softly under his breath.

“You wanted this,” You remind him, “you can’t even look at me right now—Eddie—“

He collapses slightly, forehead resting on the pillow behind your head as he squeezes at your thigh, shifting his hips at angle that has you both gasping momentarily, your hands shifting to his shoulders for purchase, the dullness of your nails sinking into his skin.

“I do—“ Eddie mumbles into your skin, muffling the rest of what he says, only feeling the vibrations of it against you.

“Eddie, I can’t hear you.” You plead, brushing his hair behind his ear, rubbing tenderly at the shell.

Sex had always been slow, intimate—despite the obvious stipulations to your deal and maybe that was the problem.

The sex was fun at first, easy—and it stayed that way, but it ventured into more, always needing to touch and feel and connect, whether it be your lips or your eyes, it wasn’t just sex to either of you, and Eddie couldn’t handle it anymore.

He couldn’t do this, but he couldn’t not have you—even if it meant he risked embarrassing himself.

“I do want you.” He confesses, head lifted slightly so you could hear him more clearly, his gaze still avoiding yours. “I don’t just want this.”

“Wait,” You laugh short, annoyed, “what?”

“I always have,” He continues, “It’s never—it’s never been just this for me, I know it was stupid of me to agree and drag you along but—“

You shove his shoulder lightly, stopping his movements momentarily. He’s looking at you know, hair askew and his eyebrows furrowed in surprise, “What the hell?”

“You let me embarrass myself like that?” You say seethingly, though the anger doesn’t reach your face—you can’t be upset with him, not with your current situation.

Or ever, really. It was to hard to stay mad at Eddie.

“I come here and tell you I have feelings and you’ve felt that way the entire time?”

Eddie’s at a loss and maybe it’s the arousal running through his brain but he can’t help laughing, a soft chuckle as he falls against you, his chest against your own as his fists dig into the mattress.

“I’m sorry.” He says endearingly, “You know I’m not good with feelings, or talking, or words—“

You sigh heavily, palms coming up to cover your eyes.

Eddie smiles slightly, using his nose to nudge your hands away from your face, leaving kisses as he finally breaches.

Against your nose, “Sorry,” down to your chin, “so sorry,” before pressing a deep kiss to your lips, tongue slipping inside and causing you to sigh out into his mouth, “really, really fuckin’ sorry, okay?”

Your fingers dig into his hair, pulling him away until you can see his face, scowl deep set into your features but still soft around the edges.

“I’m here mourning and you’re harboring secrets like that?”

Eddie hangs his head in shame, leaning down briefly to press a kiss against your collarbone.

“Apology accepted?” He asks hopefully.

“No, absolutely not.” You reply stubbornly.

Eddie snorts out a ridiculous chuf of a laugh, “Fair.”

“We’re finishing this,” You tell him, making your point by squeezing your legs tighter around his hips, forcing him to groan pathetically, “and then I’ll think about forgiving you.”

Eddie nods obediently, eyes squeezed shut for a moment as his languid thrusts become more pointed and precise, his warm palm settling in your knees to spread you apart to his liking.

“Let’s see how much I can make it up to you then, yeah?”

He snaps his hips once, harshly, forcing a broken whine from your lips. You nod fervently, mouth hung open and any previous anger forgotten for the moment.

“I’ll show you just how sorry I am.”

Please consider a reblog if you enjoyed this fic! It’s makes a huge difference. ♡

[beanghostprincess]

there's just something so inherently poetic and romantic about zoro's devotion to luffy during all of wano that makes me go completely insane.

he sees luffy for the first time in like a week, which might not seem much but for them, who are used to feeling each other's presence all the time and did not have a good experience with being separated, it's torture to not be together. so of course they go all happy, kicking their feet and blushing when they reunite. then his captain is like "hey, this is tama. tama is our friend now" and zoro takes it extremely seriously and protects that random kid he has no connection to because luffy says so and, well, because she's just a kid and everything, but still i think zoro instantly accepting to adopt tama is really cute.

zoro acts like luffy's enabler during this arc, because his captain might do the most impulsive and reckless shit, and the dude will support him to death. even when he's just competing against kid and law to see who's stronger (or the dumbest), luffy is the most serious he's ever been here. of course, zoro has some moments of "okay, gotta stop this idiot" but it turns out zoro is fucking stupid too, and getting into a fight in the middle of a party while you look for your captain is just,,, so them.

and all of this is just silly moments that make you think "oh, okay, zoro is whipped, yes. we already knew that". but then he pulls the most romantic and poetic things we've ever witnessed in anime history and honestly, i fucking lose it every time he does things like this.

drake goes to them and asks if he can be on their side (btw dude could have just told luffy he knew koby somehow but okay) and zoro instantly goes 'protective first mate' mode and says "haha no the fuck you're not. disloyal people are the worst and you'll always be like that. once you betray someone there's no going back" which is something i love about zoro because, even if from his perspective drake was actually a member of kaido's crew and they're supposed to be the bad guys, zoro respects loyalty so fucking much that he doesn't care whose side are you on as long as you have your priorities and beliefs on the right place. i find that beautiful, especially knowing what comes next.

zoro is gifted a sword that theoretically could cut hell, to then being then perceived as the king of hell for the same reason, and then actually going to the battlefield and referring to it as hell itself because they're fighting to death against two emperors and saying "if you're sending our captain to hell, you'll have to take me with him" because he would quite literally go to hell for luffy. and then the guy goes and tells law "hey, this is going to hurt like a bitch and i might probably die. if that happens, you know, just take care of the rest because luffy trusts you too" and he goes and awakens his conqueror's haki without even meaning to and not even giving a single fuck when kaido tells him because his only ambition and will at the moment is protecting luffy and fighting for him. that, and also the countless times he saves luffy without hesitation during this fight, which are too much to remember but i swear every time he gets in between one of kaido's attacks and luffy, my heart does a backflip and i die. and also, the gentleness in which zoro treats luffy when he can't fight. the way he protects him when luffy puts all of his undying trust on zoro. they make me go wild.

the fact that luffy is constantly saying in this fight (and always, of course) that he's going to be the pirate king and showing it clearly with all of his parallelisms to roger, and then zoro pulling things that make him quite obviously the king of hell, just makes the whole "captain and first mate" thing seem so little for what they actually are. because we have 3 different couples of this kind in this story, and nobody compares to these two, because they're not just a captain and his first mate, they're literally kings. and i haven't watched more (i'm on episode 1030 if you're curious, uta time!) but i'm so excited to see how this develops. especially knowing the religious undertones behind whatever the fuck gear fifth is supposed to be (except for a lil cute and powerful af looney tune).

[astronomical-bagel]

I wanna hear you talk about chilchuck the most that sure is a guy ever

YAY I GET TO TALK ABOUT MY GUY THANK YOU BELOVED MUTUAL KYSOOT 

(Warning for lots of spoilers from chapter 30 of the manga (right after the red dragon))

Anyways fun fact! The thing that made chilchuck my favorite character was actually when he was trying to convince senshi to lie to the Laios and Marcille in order to get them to turn back and give up on finding falin. I made a whole post about it too, i LOVE cowards. I was reading in my car waiting my twin to get off work and i was screaming my head off the whole time because it was such a good revelation about his character.

And it’s not that i love scared guys (i do, absolutely, but chilchuck doesnt apply here), and its not that i love disloyal people (i also do, but once again, not the point), its the whole character arc where it goes:

1. Once he reaches a limit for how much danger he is willing to be in he will break any moral code of his to keep himself safe. He will lie, he will abandon his friends, whatever, so long as he makes it out alive. 

2. But THEN, he realizes that his want for safety isn’t just for himself, this time. He realizes that he wants his friends to survive as well. (and that he has gotten way more attached than what was in his job description)

(look how fond he is!!!! Look how fond he is!!!!!! Im banging my head on the wall AWUGHH!!!!)

So 3. He is forced to go against his own nature of secrecy and being reserved and has to tell the team outright that he doesn’t want them to die.there is just something sooo *vague waving of hands* about a guy who absolutely hates talking about his feelings being forced to do so auughhhh. And he did it to convince Laios to not be reckless and get himself killed!!!!

That entire chapter had such a good journey through chilchuck’s emotional state. From him beign 100% ready to trick them in order to turn around (even contemplating breaking marcille’s staff!), then reminiscing on the fun or brave moments that theyd just had, then remembering that he was mad at them for being idiots and doubling down on his decision. When talking to that orc woman (Leed), he was trying to convince himself that his actions were justified, not just her. 

And I also quite like the moment when Leed realizes that Chilchuck isn’t angry at the others for putting him in danger, but for putting themselves in danger. Chilchuck didn’t realize this himself yet! Him saying that he wished the others would give up, even when he was removed from the equation, makes Leed realize that he is unselfishly wanting them to turn back so that they would be safe.

And when she points this out, Chilchuck is absolutely gobsmacked and barely even talks for the rest of the trip because he’s too busy thinking over this revelation. Love a guy who keeps to himself being forced to reconcile with the fact that he has actual friends he cares about now. Look at him!! Hes so shocked he doesn't even know what do to with himself !!! I love him!!!

And also, another part i really liked abt this chapter is when chilchuck is trying to convince Laios to go back and he’s like “LISTEN i know you are absolutely terrified for your sister but I have THREE PEOPLE TO WORRY ABOUT AND IM NOT USED TO THAT IM GOING TO VOMIT” its just so silly and endearing to me because he really isn’t used to caring about so many people at once – he’s a reserved guy who has been living alone for multiple years! – and its just so important to me because he’s been forced to acknowledge that he cares about his team so hes like “if you guys put yourself in mORE danger im going to scream and cry and throw up SO YOU BETTER TURN BACK NOW PLEEEAASEE”

Anyways, chapter 30 was so well done and was an absolutely fascinating insight into his character and I was instantly obsessed. There’s a lot of other reasons why I like Chilchuck, but this chapter is the definitive reason why he’s my favorite. (I also just like seeing a guy when he’s terrified, sue me.)

[wandixx]

Ghost of fries and Hero of cookies part 4

All work words count: 14 643

Words in this part: 2999

Summary of whole work: Duke wasn't expecting to wake up from his quick rooftop nap to some meta kid with fries. He also wasn't expecting kid to stay

Or

Danny asked Dani to stay safe while she was in Gotham. Where would she be safer than under the wing of local hero? And he looked like he needed bad day combo anyway

This part summary: Dani haven't considered how hard it can be to save people from house fire

Beta read by @audhumla-sailor though English is second language for both of us, so proceed with this in mind. I also know all of the charaters through fics alone, so probably ooc. Stay catious if it's something you don't like

First part, Previous part

Trigger warnings: house fire, panic attacks, temporary character death (am I over dramatic to say this if background child character's heart stops for a long moment and Dani hears it?) slight dissociation (tell me if I missed something, I'll fix it)

Dani proved to be useful addition to Duke’s patrol routine even though she couldn’t always join him, had very little actual training and was a certified mess most of the time. It was nice to banter with her in the free time, she did help when needed and her enhanced hearing was great in finding trouble he would otherwise overlook. She also often brought snacks (he did too, because girl had no idea what was healthy and in the love of god, if he didn’t try to get her in better habits). 

“Fire on seven. Some people are stuck inside,” Dani blurted out and flew faster than baseline person should be able to withstand. Duke run and grappled after orange blur she became. It was less than perfect that she couldn’t tell more specifically where things were going down, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t train. 

They rarely intervened with fires, unlike Gotham’s police and CPS, firefighters here worked pretty great. Dani knew this, so her going there in the first place meant something was up.

On a fly he grabbed his gas mask. It was made to withstand Scarecrow and Joker when they released their toxins and not smoke so it should do its job. He hoped that Dani would stop before entering so he could give her spare mask and well, coordinate. But she didn’t, of course. What did he expect from kid who body tackled Joker’s goon without second thought about idk, four other goons with guns being in the same room! He only saw end of her cape in between flames when he swung to the right street. Duke made sure his mask was secure when he stopped on a nearest save rooftop to assess the situation. Fire was too big to be put out with personal means like fire extinguishers so all they could do was to evacuate. 

“Hoopoe, you reckless idiot, don’t die in here,” he muttered, sure she would hear him before grappling inside too.

***

About five seconds after entering building, Dani decided that she didn’t like fires. It probably came from her time in Amity but she was far more comfortable when she could beat the root of the problem into submission. Also, it was surprisingly loud, like need-to-cover-her-ears-for-a-hot-moment type of loud. Not louder than a rogue attack, it would be really hard to beat that level of noise but fire was worse in some way. It was somewhat similar to nails on a blackboard. Not in a sound per se but in a vibe she got from it. How she couldn’t tune it out like she usually did.

She straightened herself and dove ahead to the nearest person she heard. Smoke rendered her eyes nearly absolutely useless. Though she saw, heard and felt enough to find safe routes. Of course she could go intangible and in theory wouldn’t be affected by anything from physical realm but even when intangible fire kept burning for some reason and she would prefer to stay raw to being crispy. Rescued people should stay unfried too.

She didn’t quite remember first few rescues, just that it went smoothly, she took a leaf from Danny’s book, throwing some puns and references she didn’t quite knew but from context thought they would fit. Then once outside, she kept telling them to wait for paramedics and went back inside. She was more and more on edge for some reason.

She was really glad she didn’t need to breathe as much.

Middle-aged man grabbed her arm and shook her violently, asking to save his children.

“Fourth floor, fifth window to the left. Please save them!” man cried. Dani felt kinda like snapping but took deep breath to stop herself from it. Signal would be disappointed if she yelled at panicking civilian. She could kinda relate to the man anyway. She was probably also panicking.

“I’ll save them, I promise,” she said instead, phasing out of his grip.

She heard them, little boy weakly whispering to his sister that everything would be alright as soon as the heroes would get to them. His voice was hoarse, choked, interrupted by shallow breaths while the girl sobbed. Dani darted their way. Fire unit and medics were finally getting closer.

Girl yelled when caped hero appeared in room full of smoke. They both were sitting, older boy slightly swaying.

“It’s okay, I’m here to get you out to your dad,” she soothed, grabbing them both into a hug like carry. She barely jumped away from under the crushed lamp that fell where they were half a second before. Girl yelped.

“It’s okay, I got you, it’s okay,” she muttered, hoisting kids into more comfortable position. She flew nearest way out of the rom, looking for a clear spot on an outer wall. Her stomach dropped and core spasmed when she realized that boy stopped breathing, going limp in her arms. She was panicking throughout whole of this fire rescuing mess but only then she became frantic.

Maybe it was because of the smoke that kept cluging in her throat. She didn’t need to breathe as often but now she felt like she was suffocating and was suddenly all too aware of each bit of air she managed to swallow in her lungs.

She almost dropped when they finally got out. It took less than a second for her to fly to the kids’ father. She put girl down a little to hastily before gently laying boy n the pavement. Adult was beginning to hyperventilate and honestly Dani wasn’t too far behind him. She wished Signal was there. He would know what to do. Dani only had been on one first-aid course and she spent the better part of it on reviewing memes.

She had to remember something!

Breaths! She had to make absolutely sure if he was breathing!

She remembered practicing this one, so she did as instructed, counting to fifteen instedad of ten for a good measure. Then to twenty just to be safe. She knew she was counting too fast anyway.

Boy wasn’t breathing.

He wasn’t breathing!

She wished her ears were deceiving her but there was no heartbeat too!

What was she supposed to do now?!

Oh, right, she remembered chest compression thing from movies. She could do it.

Someone yanked her back, so hard she almost hit her head.

“You’re doing it wrong. I’m nurse, I’ll do it,” young woman declared, already kneeling were Dani was mere seconds ago, unzipped boy’s hoodie and got to work. Only then halfa realized that they got circled by small crowd of people rescued from building. Two of them were calming boy’s family down. She would use some comforting too.

She scrambled to her feet, racing out the crowd. Nobody even glanced her way.

She turned around and flew back inside the burning building.

Why did it feel like running away?

*

First ambulance arrived three rescues after the boy. Dani was so relieved she had to stop for a moment because her knees buckled and flight betrayed her for a hot second. She heard only four other people inside and Signal. They would finish soon enough.

Good.

Her head was spinning slightly.

“Congratulations, you are being rescued, please do not resist” she announced with forced confidence, appearing next to the man who probably was in a gang. Thankfully he didn’t fight her. When she was back in Central City one of the Flashes told her to make sure that people know she was trying to help them especially if they seemed like the type to choose fight over other crisis responses. This man certainly did. He almost punched her anyway.

Next was boy who was far too little to be left alone. She gave him her cape. She assumed he could use the comfort it gave her. There was a reason she choose comfiest blanket to this role.

She heard Signal making his way to the last victim but for some reason it was slow going. She flew up there after the last reassuring words to the boy.

She learned why Signal got stuck about three seconds after appearing on the right floor. It was a literal epicenter or whatever it was called. The root of the problem. The literal Hell on earth. Dani stopped for a moment, downed by the coughing fit and tears making her sight absolutely useless.

Signal was talking to someone. Asking them to calm down. She wasn’t sure. Dani forced herself to stand up and go see what was happening. She was probably swaying a little.

There was young woman in the middle of the fire. There was no scent of burning skin or hair so Dani assumed there were some powers involved. Thankfully most likely she wasn't a ghost. Dani wasn’t in the right headspace to fight a ghost and as cool and competent as Signal was, he couldn’t fight ghosts either.

Woman was visibly terrified. She kept screaming, begging Signal to go away because she was too dangerous to be so close. Hero tried to talk her down. She yelled that it was all her fault and she shouldn’t be saved.

Oh.

Woman had to just learn about her ability and lost control over it. Go big or go home, right? She didn’t exactly have home anymore so…

Dani barely kept herself from hysterical laughter.

Ghost fights were so, so much easier, she just had to beat the cause of the problem into submission and trap it in the thermos. No persuade it into stopping.

It was all too hot, too loud, too suffocating.

Dani could barely think.

Creaking of the ceiling boomed through her brain, somehow getting over the overwhelming cackle of fire that made her just want to hide in the corner and cry, even ignoring absolute onslaught to her other senses.

Ceiling was going to fall down and crush all of them.

Dani could barely think, so she didn’t.

She forgot to turn intangible when she crushed through window, meta woman held tightly in her arms. Thank Ancients she was durable enough to not break her head for that. Signal could handle himself. Hopefully.

Dani gasped on fresh air. She felt lightheaded, barely cognizant from instinctual relief to be out. She was free falling, her body limp, eyes half-closed, wind rushing in her ears and on her face. It was paralyzing but not in a bad way.

It felt good.

It felt like freedom.

It felt like something she could do for the rest of eternity.

It felt-

“HOOPOE!” panicked yell cut through her haze.

Right.

She was plummeting to the ground. She held someone. They would die when they crushed.

She should stop falling.

Could she do it? 

She had to.

She dropped off the blue haired woman with the nearest medic squad and ran. Or flew. She wasn’t quite sure. Her brain still didn’t feel right. But she knew she had to leave.

Next thing she knew was the pain from practically collapsing on a wall and dumpster she hid behind. From what, she had no idea. She had no idea about anything.

So she did only thing she still could.

Dani cried.

***

Duke was getting frantic in his search for Dani after that room collapsed. He knew she made it out, he saw her falling head first to the ground. He was trying to catch her but he knew he couldn’t do it on time. And then she caught herself, left Abigail with medics and flew away in a blur. And Duke couldn’t go right after her because some cop had questions. Duke did his best to wrap it up quickly but still by the time he could look Hoopoe was nowhere to be seen. He was straining his eyes trying to see any sign of her but other than the boy with her cape as a blanket there was nothing. He was tempted to ask Babs for help.

Scratch that, he didn’t have time to do this on his own. Pride and this stupid bet be damned. He turned on his comm, not bothering to go off the main channel.

“Oracle, I need you to search for white-haired preteen girl dressed in white and black. Somewhere near Rossaire street. Probably there will be no clear footage”

“Need help in search?” Steph chimed in gently “Spoiler can be there five minutes flat”

Duke considered it for a moment. Steph knew how Dani looked (as much as anyone who saw her only in photos could know how she looked) and wanted to meet girl anyway. She could be useful help. On the other hand, she mentioned before she had some important stuff. And he wasn’t sure how Dani would react to someone unknown finding her in this state. Last thing he wanted was scaring girl even more. He searched road for Dani’s past light, again.

“No, don’t worry. She just got a little overwhelmed”

“Alright, good luck with finding your kid then”

“She is not my kid!”

“Signal who-” Bruce grunted but got interrupted by Babs.

“Turn right, she entered blind zone but I can lead you there”

“Thanks O”

“No invisibility?” Steph mused.

“Thank God for that,” Duke answered, while grappling to the left. He shoot forward as fast as he could ”Or maybe not. She has to be quite out of it”

“Left again”

“Signal, who are you looking for?” Bruce asked again.

“Next alley to the right. It’s the last place I can see her”

“Thanks O.”

“Signal-”

“Later B.”

Duke landed in the alley, turning his comm off. He knew that sooner rather than later he would have to explain himself and would probably get endless teasing but it wasn’t important at the time. He searched again for past light. He run after glimpses. He stopped when he heard sniffle from behind a dumpster. He slowed down, approaching loudly. It wouldn’t do any good to scare her.

“Hoopoe?”

Her breath hitched. Duke sat down next to her far enough to not invide her personal space but close enough to make her feel not alone.

Her face was black from ashes and smoke other than where her mask was and cleaner tracks her tears were making.

Her mask was laying on a ground (clearly forcefully thorn off which ouch), cape obviously nowhere in sight. When she calmed down, he would ask what happened with it. It would probably be a good distraction. But not now.

“Hey kid. Can you try breathing a little slower for me?”

She mumbled something, inaudible between loud wheezing.

“I know it’s hard but I’m sure you can do it. Who if not you?”

Girl visibly tried, shifting around as if she tried to find some much needed comfort. Clearly, the lack of pressure her cape was giving her wasn’t helping.

“How about you try putting hand on my chest and matching my breathing? It often helps”

She moved her hand and he led it to his chest. Dani shuddered.

Slowly, telegraphing his movements Duke extended his arm and put it across Dani’s shoulders. Girl leaned into it with choked sobs.

“I know it was scary,” he muttered as she shook silently “You did so well, Dani”

Girl let out quiet, high-pitched whine that didn’t sound quite human, trapping him in the hug much stronger than child her age should manage. He rubbed her back gently.

They sat in silence, as girl relaxed a bit.

“I officially despise fires. Just not my vibes, y'know,” was the first thing she managed to say. Duke smiled, still trying to comfort her. He knew far too well what she was trying to do. He let her. Every hero needed to retreat to humor every once in a while. Majority of his family and associated vigilantes did it constantly.

“Right here with you”

She looked at him, searching for something on what little she could see on his face.

“You see more, don’t you?” she asked but didn’t wait for an answer “It was too much even with normal eyes. How can you be so calm?”

“I have normal ears and after fifth or tenth time it loses its charm”

“Yeah, okay,” she wheezed out “I didn’t expect the fire to be so loud. And smoke was a bit much in terms of texture and smell and everything”

“I would give you a mask if you waited, you know?”

He felt more than saw how she shrugged. It seemed like she wasn’t exactly listening to him anymore.

“But since you didn’t, we should get you looked up by some professional. You breathed in some nasty stuff”

Dani didn’t respond. Then she sprung up with gasp, a little out of his grasp, not standing but sitting straighter. She grinned, wide, eased thing gracing her lips as fresh tears began to create new paths on her dirty cheeks. She let out a choked laugh, more sign of relief or release of tension than actual happiness. It sounded rougher than usual, probably because of smoke and ashes aggravating her throat.

He wanted to ask what was up but it felt like the wrong time for it.

“He is breathing again” Dani cheered gently, as if unsure before repeating loudly, letting herself believe “THE BOY IS BREATHING AGAIN!”

Girl was shaking again, no bothering with drying tears this time.

Duke could guess what happened. He didn’t want to think about it too hard.

“It’s great to hear”

“Yup!” she grinned between fat tears.

They sat in silence as Dani gradually calmed down again. He knew she didn’t feel all that well yet, she couldn’t but she was probably calm enough to not break down in the middle of the BatBurger.

“I think this day counts as quite bad one,” girl said, wheezing a bit. Duke smiled, knowing where this was going. He ruffled her hair.

“Yeah, I think so too”

None of them said anything for a long moment.

“You’re up for a ‘bad day combo’ Gotham style, Hoopoe?”

“Yup” she smiled.

********

Apartment building: *is on fire*

Dani: It can't be that bad

Narrator voice: It was in fact, much worse

Kid, whose heart stopped thankfully didn't have too many issues tied to it and nothing life treatening long term. Every person who was in the building during fire left relatively unscathed. This fic is supposed to be mostly fluff I'm not killing anyone

Kid who got Dani's cape-blanket refused to phisically let go of it for solid two weeks. Later it still had to be in his sight. Understandable since his life went of the rails and did it hard. Kids ripe age of seven shouldn't be home alone. Especially not for whole day...

Dani: *still clearly shaken* Does your bad day combo include fries?

Duke, on his way to The "I had mental breakdown and need calories" Waffle Foodtrack: No, but we can change it!

Underpayed BatBurger employee: ...

Duke&Dani looking like they've just returned from war:...

Underpayed BatBurger employee: ...

Duke&Dani:...

Underpayed BatBurger employee: *deciding they don't have enough mental energy to care* Welcome to the BatBurger, can I take your bat-order?

Duke: One kids meal, please

Employee at The "I just had mental breakdown and need calories" Waffle Foodtrack, used to seeing Bats crying: *sees Hoopoe munching on her fries but in a sad way* Ah, babiest one got christened by fire already?

Employee: *takes out notebook to note down crazy combo this kid will come up with**they have every Gotham vigilante in here*

Dani: I haven't had a waffle ever before so maybe nuttella and whipped cream? I don't know, sweet?

Employee, offended: Let me surprise you.

It was great waffle, sweet enough to give sugar rush quite big group of preschoolers. It had marshmallows, sprinkles, whipped cream, jellybeans, whatever else this person on the mission found and could mix. Dani absolutely loved and devoured it.

I finally didn't forget to add read more!!!

I really want to draw Dani and Duke togheter but I can't find any pose references that satisfied me. Do you have any good ones? Can be chibi though preferably not

Next part

[fictionfixations]

signature spells and the person

(referencing this list because i cant remember them all)

spoilers for all books. and glorious masquerade

(note that some characters i dont know well at all. which you can kind of tell with me being super unsure. there's this person in the reblogs who elaborated on bits i wasn't quite correct on or didnt have an idea on so go read it!)

signature spells embodying the person sort of? Riddle - collar. restriction. limitations.

Deuce - not taking hits lying down. striking back. (a reckless idiot like that)

Cater - hm.. putting on an act for everyone? people pleaser? so its like. all of those little 'acts' and 'personas' he puts on are sort of 'him' in a sense. but its also not him at the same time. (like how the clones arent actually him because they're just a creation of his magic. but they are him in a way, too right?)

trey - sneaky sneaky guy who notices a lot more than you'd think. presents himself as one way but he's complicated

Leona - sand. like all his hard work turning to sand, or basically nothing.

Jack - wolves work in packs, right? he wants to work in a pack. (even though he says he doesn't). they're strong, but they do better together. ..probably. idk.

Ruggie - treating all people 'equally' (in the sense that he'd mess with them all. unless they were a serious trouble to deal with) also sucks up to people........ (and probably laughing at them behind their back for being such a 'fool' haha get it. because fool's parade..--) maybe? Idk.

Azul - exchanging his old self for an asshole basically (because he must've been a nicer guy as a bby. but then ppl were mean to him and now he's very bitter.)

Jade - acting like the more calmer and reasonable of the twins, even though he can be just like floyd, if a bit more dangerous considering he can get under your skin, get you trust him, that he just wants to 'help you'. and you tell him all your secrets. and then it 'shocks your heart' when he reveals his true colors. (like bruh. his halloween groovification message was literally, "Oooh, I love it when you flee in terror. It makes me want to chase you!")

Floyd - i don't know. uhhh. in his lab coat(?) vignette there's this moment where a guy bumps into him, is like 'hEY WHO DO YOU--' and then realizes its floyd and backs off. basically the guy who intimidates them to make them weaker, ig? terrorizing them. 'binding the heart' in fear. i mean he'll still hurt them ofc, but the point is is that he's the scary one, jade's the 'calm' one, thats his image to people. i dont know him nearly well enough to really get it.

Kalim - wishing for everyone to be happy. to dance and sing and forget about all the troubles. throwing parties and feasts to cheer them up (and granting them relief when needed). although it doesn't always end well and his attempts can end up 'useless', like how oasis maker is 'useless' when people already have easy access to water. but at other points desperately needed.

Jamil - turning him into the 'master' and the other the 'servant'

Vil - planting 'curses' in plain sight. masking it. disguising it. acting. like putting on makeup to change something. maybe. possibly. (this is weak) maybe a false reassurance. a mask.

Epel - accepting who he is (that he's short and seen as 'cute'. and so using it to his advantage.) like, seeming 'soft and dainty' but actually a guy who can beat someone up. like, 'you'll just go to sleep..' (and then the crimson part of slumber with a negative meaning. the poison apple. something that looks innocent but is actually harmful.) and then you never wake up again because you were TRICKED HAHAHA /hj

Rook - will literally do anything for what his fixations are. in which his fixations are 'beauty', which is a very vague category and include literally everything. also very very creepy and stalker-ish in the process.

Idia - honestly idfk. uh. 'responsibility'. burdens. control. it literally just represents a part of his job? idfk. its such a big part of him (also his family had the same UM so like..) that its just. who he is.

Malleus - there was this quote he said about how 'when you nap, even 500 years could pass without you noticing'. so it could be something like how time moves by so fast like that

guh.. it was "Give in to slumber, and a thousand years will pass in the blink of an eye."

Silver - I don't know him that well... i mean like there's references to him having parallels with like. i think.. aurora?? the girl who maleficent cursed. i think. dreams and wishes. i don't know i havent even seen him use it yet LMFAO (ive only finished part 2 of book 7..) maybe like. things not seeming real..? idk man. a desire to see people, to stay by their side, but can't, so instead it'll be in a dream. so either it isn't real, a mere fantasy, or, shrug. like. yknow the remember me song in coco? it's like 'and everytime you hear a guitar you'll remember and think about me' (i cant remember the exact lyrics)

Sebek - admires malleus. a lot. malleus has control over lightning or something. so sebek in turn becomes that 'lightning' that he can control, as his guard and stuff like that. 'i will be his sword', maybe.

lilia - he reflects a lot about the past imo. overly aware of things and the passing of time. at least in my opinion. how things can pass by so easily. so he takes little bits and pieces to cherish for the rest of his life, and to think back on. a trip back down memory lane, as they say.

Rollo - literally gets set on fire like his brother..?? that thing forever haunting him that its such a big part of him at this point (hating magic and hating what happened.) and him hating himself making himself see him as part of the reason why his brother died, and therefore making him literally the thing that killed him sort of?

[anitalenia]

━━━ 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 ₓ˚. ୭

pairing: Ben Miller x fem!reader

synopsis: Ben Miller was a reckless man at times, always taking on more than he could chew just to prove himself more than he already has. After he got shot on a simple recon mission, and didn’t even acknowledge the possible consequence of his actions, you were sent into a tizzy. It wasn’t until you were taking a relaxing bath in the lake did Ben come to you to reconcile, taking you in the water to prove to you he’d never leave.

content includes: unprotected sex, sex in water, lake sex, dirty talk, pet names like baby, pretty girl, honey, sweetheart, some angst at the beginning and middle, aftercare-ish, make up sex, near death experiences, reader oblivious to the dangers of a random lake, fingering, titty play, nipple sucking + biting, p cumming in v, overstimulation

warnings: sexual content 18+, bad words and cussing, mentions of guns, bullets, gunshot wounds, and blood. a little inner turmoil too but who doesn’t love that.

authors note: honestly, I love me some Benny fr 😫 also, probably made this a lot more dramatic than it needed to be but oh well.

LINKS ੈ♡˳·˖✶ 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 | 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆 | 𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 | 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒔

⤷ BY THE LAKESIDE, continue reading

BENNY’S HEADY STARE BURNED INTO you from across the fire, heavy with guilt and glittering with the orange flame of mild annoyance. His strong jaw was clenched, dirt smeared on his cheeks and clothes, his hands in tight fists inside his hoodie pockets. He was angry with you for being angry with him, angry that you were making him feel guilty for what reason? He didn’t know, and that made him all the more irritated.

You could feel it, his blue eyes boring into your skin and washing over you like hot oil; it made your flesh prickle. You refused to acknowledge him though, sat next to Pope as the both of you leaned back on a tree stump. Your body ached but your heart was shattered, and you could do nothing but stare into the orange flames with a tense frown, your eyebrows furrowed and lips tight together as the heat warmed your nose and cheeks. The group of five was silent, basking in their own aches and pains, almost scared to say anything and break the tense silence that had comfortably settled over them like a weighted blanket.

It was quiet besides the sounds of a crackling fire and the buzzing of crickets; the occasional ruffle of the trees when a soft breeze would dance through them. Nothing really needed to be said between each other, at least not until the next day. Everyone was still recovering from recon gone terribly wrong; still tense and jumpy at every little sound that sparked around them. This was true, but you were oblivious to the real reason why no one wanted to speak quite yet, for it was clear that the tension brewing between you and your beloved had everyone on high alert, sharing uneasy glances between each other and fiddling with leaves and knifes to distract themselves from it.

The fire hissed out smoke and ash like it was regurgitating the effects of your own anger back at you; right in the middle of you and Benny as you couldn’t sit next to him like nothing was the matter. You stared into the flames intently, absentminded and irritated. The memory of earlier that day kept replaying in your mind like some shitty movie; and you were forced to sit there, a front row seat to the unraveling of your own sanity.

Benny, being cocky like he could be, walking out onto an open road with guards standing right at the gates, thinking his own mortality was just a mere suggestion, that he could just survive a flurry of bullets aimed at his head like his life was limitless. Thankfully, all he had gotten was a bullet in the forearm before Will was gunning the guards down to save his idiotic younger brother. You were thankful he was alright, that some mystical force orchestrating your lives had not cut all his strings just yet, that they let him spend just a little more time with you. But… you couldn’t even begin to describe the pain and panic in your chest when you saw Benny fall down to the gravel, like you had just been shot your self.

You saw the way the dark red pigment of his blood poured into the gravel like his very life force was swimming away from him, the way his face twisted in pain and the way he crumbled to the ground. It was like your whole existence and being had been frozen in time, your body going numb and your mind going blank as your whole life flashed before it like a taunting joke. Your heart stopped beating and your mouth went dry as all you could do was watch from your position in the tree line, your ear piece buzzing with four panicked voices at once like muddled chatter.

It was the worst feeling you had ever experienced, and ever since you couldn’t get rid of that sick feeling in your stomach that made goosebumps rise on your arms, or swallow away the dryness in the back of your throat.

Even then, even if you could’ve recovered from the incident, Benny himself couldn’t admit that what he did was wrong, especially not to you. He didn’t even acknowledge the fact that he could’ve died, left you all alone with nothing but the ghost of his memory. After he had patched up his arm, he bounced right back like nothing had gone wrong in the first place. He didn’t reassure you, hug and kiss you and make all your worries go away like he was supposed to. You weren’t sure he remembered you were even there, camouflaged in the brush way up in the trees, unable to leave your post and possibly ruin the mission even further. You were forced to wallow in your own terror, unable to speak and unable to breath, scope shaky from your trembling hands.

And then, and then, the boys found themselves laughing about it just a little while after, on the trek back to the campsite, once Ben was better and too riled up with adrenaline and excitement to consider your feelings. It was almost like they were mocking your worry from where you lingered behind them; you knew they weren’t but you couldn’t see it any other way. You didn’t find it funny, you didn’t even understand how Benny could just brush it off like he didn’t just almost ruin both your lives forever. How could he be smiling like he didn’t just stomp on your soul and rub it in the dirt? How could he be laughing like his own arrogance and stupidity was the funniest thing in the world?

You had been distant ever since, sitting in this one spot and avoiding anyone who tried to talk to you. Benny had even tried to, sensing your bad mood and wanting to fix it. But his concern had come far too late, and you didn’t feel like entertaining him and his ego. So you brushed him off just as he did you, giving him a curt just leave me alone that had his skin going cold like someone had poured a bucket of water over his head. The boys could sense your vexation as well, and even they weren’t sure what had soured your mood so much but they knew better than to pry. They gave you your space, even set your sleeping bag out for you when you isolated yourself at the bonfire with that steely frown on your face.

That had been four hours ago, in the orange glow of the sunset when even the sun couldn’t stand Benny’s indifference any longer. Now, it was late at night, stars twinkling in the dark sky and the full moon staring down at them, witness to your depression. The group was surrounded in darkness and trees only illuminated by the soft glow of the fire, tense and tired as their muscles melted down and their guards softened, sleep weighing down on their heavy eyelids. Gnats buzzed around the fire light and even buzzed past your ears, but you weren’t tired, just frozen.

Benny Miller had been in a confused slump over that time, gradually getting more and more frustrated the longer you refused to talk to him, or fuck, even look at him. There was nothing worse in this world to him than your sorrow, and usually he was the one coddling you and kissing your tears away, rocking you in his arms and protecting you from anything that could’ve hurt you. Shit, even when you were mad at him at least you acknowledged him, screamed at him, called him an inconsiderate asshole and anything else you’d say just to hurt him. But this, this he had never seen.

You weren’t yelling, staring at him with bloodshot eyes and red cheeks, rocking in his strong arms or crying on his shoulder. You were just there, a couple feet in front of him that felt like miles away, thinking about something that had you stressing yourself out and had you pissed off at him along with it. It was the not knowing that irritated him the most; you weren’t talking to him about it to try and fix it, just soaking in it like a hot bath until you were drowning in the idea of it, whatever it was. You weren’t letting him save you, comfort you, hold you and make it all better like you usually do. You were just a cruel statue, and he couldn’t stand it, racking his brain for what he could’ve possibly done in the span of five hours to have you hate him completely… and there was nothing. He had absolutely no clue, and it made him want to punch the ground and take his anger out on something.

But all he could do was stare and hope it bothered you enough to look at him, maybe even tell him to stop. But you were too enraptured in your own mind to give him the time of day, and it made him feel sad and angry and sick to his stomach that you were this mad at him. He felt guilt and regret bubbling in his gut for something he wasn’t sure he even did, and he wanted so badly to vomit out all the apologies and sorry’s you wanted to hear, anything to have you be with him again and make all these bad feelings disappear. But he had a sneaky suspicion that all of his inner turmoil was just some spiteful part of your punishment for him, a consequence you intended from the start.

His mind was just circling and circling, jumping from conclusion to conclusion, replaying the days events over and over and over like he’d find a missing clue to his crime the longer he searched. But it was nothing… nothing, nothing, nothing, and he couldn’t fucking stand it.

You could see the dark outline of Benny’s legs peeking through the flames, and you found yourself staring at his calf’s before you could stop yourself. You forced your eyes to not look further up despite wanting to, knowing it was best. You did love Benny, you loved him a lot, so much so that even if you were mad at him you still subconsciously yearned for him; it was a deeper part of your mind reserved solely for Ben Miller that had been programmed to love every bad part of him ever since you met him. It was sending shocks throughout your body and pulses in your brain, wanted so badly to look at his face, run your hands through his blonde hair and kiss his chapped lips. It made your skin feel cold without his arms around you, your lips tingle at the memory of connecting with his. And it was that love for him that always made you break so much sooner than you wanted to.

But not this time. This wasn’t one of your normal arguments when Benny would forget to text you, forget what you needed from the store, or eat all the food in the fridge without asking. This was life or death and he had just tiptoed his way into the latter, and you weren’t going to break this time, cry and hug and say you’re sorry. You needed space, you needed to think and try and gather some strength back so you could talk to Benny in the morning. You weren’t going to let this slip, let him off the hook like he didn’t almost die and then forget to tell you about it.

You were going to be strong and you were going to let him suffer just as you have suffered.

You turned your head to Pope who was sitting next to you, his legs outstretched in front him and his hands in his lap, fiddling with a stick like it was the most perplex thing in the world. He had some blood stained on his green cargo pants and gray t-shirt, and you couldn’t believe you didn’t notice it before. You swallowed at the sight of it, an anxious feeling sparking up in your chest like a flare until you managed to look up at Pope’s face instead.

“Hey, Pope?” You mumbled quietly, not wanting to speak too loud and scare away the calm.

Pope was almost startled by the sound of your gentle voice, lost in his own head as he thought over battle strategy as always. He turned to you, curious with what you had to say since you hadn’t spoken in quite some time.

He hummed in response, a soft look lurking in the shadow of his brown eyes as he looked at you, not wanting to set you off any further.

“You guys can go ahead and sleep, y’know. I’m gonna go down by the lake and try to wash all this dirt off me. I look a mess.” You gestured down to the dirt matted on your clothes with a small smile, trying to joke with him so he knew you weren’t angry with him or the other guys.

You had seen the lake when you had set up camp the day before, walking around the perimeter as a safety precaution. Right now it seemed like the perfect escape, away from Benny, away from the light, and away from the temptation. You could feel your resolve crumbling, the pull in your gut was taut like a rope wrapped around both your waists, begging you to get up and plop yourself in Benny’s lap like you always would. He was pulling you closer and closer with every long minute that dragged by whether he knew it or not, and you knew the longer you stayed around Benny the quicker it would fall, and you’d be right back in his arms like you were the who did something wrong. You couldn’t let that happen, you just couldn’t. If Benny wanted to talk to you he would have to come up to you, apologize to you for being the stupidest man on the planet and almost giving you a heart attack.

Until then, you just needed some alone time.

Pope nodded his head, eyes flickering around your face and the way you half-assed a smile. He could see the frazzled look in your eyes though, and despite not wanting anyone to drift off from the group he could see the faint desperation on your face; he knew you needed some space.

“Okay, that sounds good. Take a knife or something with you, just in case. And if something happens—“

“I know. I’ll scream as loud as I can like I’m not a trained military soldier with skills of her own.” You interrupted with a playful roll of your eyes, already pushing off the ground and standing up on your own two feet. You felt your limbs pop from being locked in for four hours straight; the stretch felt good on your sore thighs and arms. Everyone looked at you as you stood, disturbed by the noise. Even Frank, whose eyes had been closed under the rim of his cap, in a soft sleep against a tree, looked up at you, moving his hat out of the way.

Benny couldn’t help the hope that piqued in his heart, thinking this was finally the moment he was waiting for. He stared up at you, his eyes running over your frizzy hair, noting the dirt on your hands and neck but still an Angel bathed in the golden light to him. He was expecting a confrontation at least, or even a look cast his way that he would knew what it meant. But nothing, you just walked towards the tree line like he was nothing but a ghost in the forest, haunting the camp fire with his lamentation.

“Where do you think you’re goin’, young lady?” Frank asked in a playful stern tone, making you crack a small smile at him.

You turned your back to look at him, “I’m going for a swim. Don’t wait up.”

You turned back around and stepped over Pope’s legs, the sight of blood in your peripheral, heading in the direction of the lake with twigs and leaves crunching under your boots.

“Ay, be careful, hermana.” Frank pointed at you in warning, but you just waved a hand in the air in acknowledgment before putting them in your jacket pockets, walking further into the night and staring at the ground as you went, the frown back just as quick as it left.

Benny sank down once more, staring after you like a lost little puppy with some bite behind his bark. He grind his teeth with a small scoff at your behavior, looking away from your back as it disappeared into the darkness, away from the light and away from his eyesight. His chest felt sore like it had just been stomped on, taking heavy breaths to calm himself down as he settled back against a tree, taking a hand out of his pocket and adjusting his hat on his head like a comforting reflex.

Will shared a look with the other two, smacking a knife against his palm from where his elbows rest on his arched knees. They all wanted to say something but knew it was in their best interest not to, especially when it came to butting into Benny’s relationships like they knew better or something. At least, that’s how Benny always took it.

Will shared a knowing look with Pope and Frank, who got the message.

“We’re gonna head off to bed, alright guys? Don’t stay up too late. Remember we have to be up before Gomez if we want things going smoothly this time.” Pope, always the levelheaded leader, gave Benny and Will a pointed look once he got off the dirt, putting his hands in his pants pockets. His dark hair was dusty with dirt, blood from Bennys wound dried on his shirt and pants.

Benny just nodded his head once, not listening to a word.

Frank got off the ground as well, glancing at Benny sympathetically as he adjusted his cap on his head just as Benny did.

“That means no more shootouts, eh?” Frank grinned, making a jab at Benny as he slapped Pope on the shoulder with a light shove. Benny saw as he walked past Pope and to the direction of the sleeping bags just a few feet away, annoyed with the sound of laughter because all he wanted to do was sulk in his misery.

Pope chuckled at that, turning back to the pair of brothers.

“Besides that, it was good work today. We got a lot on shit on Gomez and tomorrow’s gonna be the day we get his ass. For real this time.”

“Yeah… I wouldn’t get your hopes up, Santi.” Will exhaled, looking up at Pope with a tired expression, bags under his eyes and blonde hair a ruffled mess. He slapped the blade against his palm once more, feeling pessimistic from the mishap that happened earlier today and not having much confidence in Popes plans for tomorrow. Shit never went according to plan with them, should’ve learned that from the last time.

Pope just nodded at that with an understanding expression, knowing that was a conversation best left unopened. He looked back up at Will, “Get some sleep. The both of you.”

He turned with a lingering look to Will, then glanced at Benny before fully turning around. He started towards the sleeping bags where Frank was already passed out with his hat over his eyes, giving Will and Ben the space they needed to have whatever discussion they needed to have, always unable to show vulnerability around anyone but themselves.

A few beats of silence passed besides the crackling of the dimming fire, Benny anticipating whatever advice Will obviously had for him. He wasn’t clueless, knew Pope and Frank only left so him and Will could have some sort of heart to heart and so that Will could share his perspicacious advice and wisdom. Honestly, Ben wasn’t even sure he wanted to hear it. There was no advice for a man who didn’t even know to use it, especially one it would hold no real value to. Besides, Benny really didn’t want hear his brothers advice on relationships.

Benny glanced at his brother, who just stared into the fire with a dull gaze.

“So what? Gonna give me some relationship advice now? You’re a little late, bud.” Benny grumbled with that southern accent of his you loved so much, the flames flickering in the cool warmth of his eyes as he leaned back against the bumpy tree trunk with a heavy sigh.

Will cracked a small smile at that, shaking his head as he looked to his left at his stone faced brother.

“Nah, man. Nothin’ I say is gonna make it any better.” Will mumbled, turning his head to look at the empty darkness in the trees where you had disappeared into, licking his chapped lips.

“But whatever you did, bro, she’s pissed. You gotta handle that.” Will exhaled, looking back at the side of Ben’s face where sweat had beaded alongside his hairline.

Benny side eyed his brother as Will patted his shoulder encouragingly, getting up with a tired grunt and putting the knife in his pocket.

Benny looked up at him, his skin hot from the fire and his heart beating steadily in his ears. He gave a stubborn shrug of his shoulder in response, an ache shooting down his left arm at the movement.

“She can be pissed all she want. I ain’t runnin’ after her every time there’s a stick up her ass.” Benny said stubbornly; but even he knew that was bullshit. Benny would follow you anywhere and has, for reasons less than this. He just couldn’t help but think you were being completely unreasonable about the whole situation; expecting him to chase you down like a dog, kneel at your feet and beg for your royal pardon and make him atone for his sins. But it pissed him off even more because he would, if that’s what it took to hear your voice again, to be able to look into your eyes again and feel your hands on his. He’d kiss your shoes and lick the dirt off of them in that’s what it took, beg for your hand and never stop spewing apologies. All you had to do was ask.

But no, you just treated him like he was the worst person you’d ever met, avoided him like he was a parasite leaching off your love and he couldn’t fucking stand it. He was more than that, you were more than that. Your anger chipped away at his pride like a brick hammer second by second, and he hated that sick feeling twisting in his gut that made him feel lightheaded.

And Will knew it just as much Benny did, which is why he couldn’t help but smirk knowingly at that, looking back at his brother with a cocky little smile that rubbed Ben the wrong way.

“Yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night.”

Ben stared at his brothers back as he walked away into the shadow, Will’s words lingering in his head because he knew his brother, especially him, wouldn’t believe Benny’s bull shit if he handed it to him.

Benny rolled his tongue on the inside of his cheek and clenched his jaw, looking back down at the fire as his neck tensed with irritation. He didn’t want to be the one to reconcile things, too stubborn and prideful and ignorant to his own error. He was still pissed at you for reasons unknown, one part of him frustrated with your silence but the other part aching to reach out to you despite his own bull-headedness. He hoped you’d appear from the tree line and curl up next to him with an apology on your lips, wrap your arms around him and lay your head on his shoulder and fix his broken world. But no, he knew that wouldn’t happen from his spot glued to the dirty ground, alone by the camp fire spitting out ash like it was yelling at him.

He knew what he had to do, just wished he hadn’t.

The lake was beautiful, bathed in the silver light of the moon with the stars reflecting in the black water like a kaleidoscope of gems. They stared back up at you, twinkling in your eyes and you couldn’t help but be in awe of it.

It was a large clearing inside the valley of a mountain, hidden away like it’s beauty was almost too much for Mother Earth to find. You couldn’t see how far back it went, only the black tree line that blurred with the edge of the water quite a ways away from the shoreline you stood at. The water was calm and still, so different from your racing heart and shaky hands. It was cooler here, cooler in the dark as the gentle breeze swept through your cheeks and tingled your neck.

The air smelt of lavender and dirt, earthy and natural, and you inhaled a big breath through your nose as the scent calmed you. Purple flowers littered the shoreline, tall and vibrant with stones hidden along the outskirts. You could hear the buzz of crickets in the tall grass, see the bright yellow dots floating along the air like the fireflies were beckoning you into the water.

It had been beautiful when you discovered it a day prior, when the sun was shining down on the blue water and the trees reflected in the horizon, birds dancing in the sky. But, here, now, nightfall was a whole different experience entirely. You felt like you had been pulled straight into movie with the way a light sheet of mist covered the ground and overlapped your boots, cascading along the surface of the lake.

You sighed happily, a smile making its way onto your face as you realized this was exactly what you had needed. The stress in your body began to fade as your skin thrummed, eager to finally go in the water and feel it’s soothing waves wash over you, wash over your mind and clear the muddled thoughts of Ben Miller from the crevices of your brain. He haunted your thoughts too often, had burrowed himself inside your heart and mind like a virus.

Your skin felt itchy and hot from the humidity of the forest as you quietly walked to the edge of the water, not even a soft wave crashing into your boots as you stared down at your murky reflection through the mist, the croak of frog sounding from somewhere around you.

Your hair was frizzy, tied back in a loose bun that morning that had fallen apart during the day, dirt and sweat smeared across your cheeks and neck and your lips cracked and dry. Your eyes were dull and your lips were pulled into a frown, a faint scratch on your collarbone from when a branch had nipped you. You were only joking when you said it, but you looked a mess.

You frowned even harder at that, disappointed with your appearance and how manic you looked, all because of a person who had all this power over you without even knowing.

You took a step back at the thought, not seeing the point in wasting anymore time as you managed to find a seat on a rock and slip off your combat boots. Your body was sore for some reason, and upon taking off your socks and standing up to take off your thick black pants, you noticed the faint yellow color of bruises dusted along your thighs and knees. You knew they had to have been from you being stationed on a tree top for hours, staring out your scope with it pointed right at Gomez, just in case he did anything you didn’t like; having to stay perfectly still.

Gomez, yet another crime boss in the middle of a lawless jungle terrorizing innocent people. You and your team had been tracking him for a while, even had one failed bust way back when. But tomorrow, tomorrow you were going to finally take him down after a long three day reconnaissance mission. But now, now you were here, standing in front of this beautiful lake with your clothes in a pile next to you. You didn’t have the time to think about tomorrow because then you couldn’t focus on the now.

The soft wind felt so good on your bare skin, running through your hair you had let down and caressing your flesh with a gentle hand. For the first time that day you felt content, bathed in the glow of the moonlight as it shined down on your naked form, littered with dirt and cuts and sweat.

You tried hard to push Benny into the back of your mind as you took gentle steps towards the water, leaving your negative thoughts in the dirt. As you reached the shoreline, skin dotted with goosebumps, you tentatively dipping your foot in as a chill swept through your skin at the cold sensation. The cold against the hotness of your skin felt like a much needed smack to your nervous system.

You took a calming breath, ignoring the sting of the cold water as you walked further into the black lagoon, your legs and thighs and hips being enveloped by the mist and welcomed in by the still waters, until you were waist deep and your toes were digging into the gray sand underneath the water. A shiver prickled your sweaty skin as a tickling sensation ran up your spine.

You felt weightless, floating in air as your muscles relaxed like melting candle wax, the water swishing around your arms in soft waves as you softly moved them around you, feeling the lightness slip through your fingers. You closed your eyes, basking in the coolness of the water as a peaceful silence buzzed in your ears. The breeze ran through you and chilled you to the bone, but the cold felt nice against your buzzing skin, gave you something to think about other than Benny.

You walked a little further in until the tops of your breasts were floating in the water, the anxiety you had melting away as you dipped your head back in the water, letting the droplets slide down your forehead as you lifted your head back up. You couldn’t help another shiver as the water poured down your back and shoulders, trickling back into the lake. You felt cleaner already, could almost feel the sweat and dirt on your skin evaporating as the memory of that day washed away into the lake.

However, as you stared at the water around you, you couldn’t help the longing that pulled at your heart at the thought of sharing this experience with the one person you wanted so badly; have his strong arms wrapped around as you splashed in the water, stare at the moon nestled between two mountain peaks with your head on his shoulder and love swelling in your chests.

You could feel yourself frowning again at the thought, your eyes beginning to blur with tears as your emotions finally overwhelmed you. The thought of him dying, actually leaving you alone, ash in a vase… it had your stomach in knots as hot tears starting running down your cheeks.

You brought a hand out of the water and wiped away the tears falling, the droplets splattering into the water with the action. You couldn’t help but feel silly for crying over something that didn’t happen, but you couldn’t even fathom the thought of Benny dying, and all the stress from that day had finally dawned on you in the moment you had no more distractions from it. Your chest burned and your nose was starting to become sniffly, lips trembling as you brought a hand to your mouth to muffle the sob that shook your shoulders.

You closed your eyes and tried to take a calming breath, eyelashes wet against your cheeks as you felt tears slipping down your neck. You loved him so much, put his life higher than yours and cherished him more than he knew. But he was so fucking reckless, always trying to one-up Will or prove himself to his friends like he needed to prove to them he belonged. Even in those underground fights of his you’d always be anxious when he’d come back home with a broken nose or busted lip, standing on the sidelines and flinching every time he got knocked down. His pain brought you pain, and you just wished he’d realize that, take precautions, just be fucking careful.

You sniffled some more as your tears died down, hugging yourself as you opened your eyes again and stared at the moon, praying to whoever was up there they could watch over your boy, please please please let him be okay.

You felt the water moving behind you all of sudden, your body stiffening in high alert as the small waves smacked into your back. You turned your head ever so slightly, listening for anything.

Then, you heard the deep breath of someone a couple feet behind you, exhaustive and oh so familiar. Your chest almost burst, stomach falling at the realization of who it was.

“Can you look at me, please?”

Your eyes widened at the soft voice of Ben Miller behind you, gentle like he was trying not to scare away a baby deer, but still scratchy from his deep voice and accent. You couldn’t believe he had followed you out here, cornered you in the water like you were one of his boxing mates, leaving you no where to go but to him.

Your eyes flickered around the water like the waves held the answers you seek, hoping they’d pull you under the surface and bury you in the ground until you were hidden from his sight completely.

You sniffled as quietly as you could, subtly wiping away the last of your tears to gain your composure back, thankful the lake made it look like water cascading down your cheeks. You didn’t want Ben to know you’d been crying, knowing it would only make him feel bad and make him less prone to take you seriously.

You angled your head so he could hear you clearly, but you didn’t dare turn around even if your heart beat faster at hearing his so close behind.

“Please just go away, Benny. I don’t wanna talk to you right now.” You said quietly into the air, knowing your voice would crack if you spoke any louder. The buzzing of crickets chirped around you, the light fog slowly moving past your shoulders. You could feel your eyes stinging again at the presence of him, your arms wrapped around your chest to comfort yourself as another breeze had your skin prickling. You tried hard not to cry, a lump in your throat that you couldn’t swallow away.

Benny clenched his jaw at that, not wanting to lose his temper with you as the sweet sound of your voice he’d barely heard all day washed over him and made his skin tingle. He was only a few feet from you, staring into your wet hair despite wanting to come closer, not wanting you to run away from him like you did the last time he approached you. The water was cold, up to his stomach from the height difference between you, but if this is what it was going to take to get your attention.

His heart fluttered for you, yearned to wrap around you, his stomach in knots at the sound of your scratchy voice. He knew that voice, knew it all too well and knew you better than you thought. His hands itched to bring you into his chest, wrap his arms around you and shield you from the cold, surround you in his love and concern and finally let himself breath again. His lungs felt muffled, like water was clogging his chest and filling in the space there.

He clenched his hand, itching to touch you.

“Will you just stop that shit, already? Why are you crying?” Benny had to stop himself from scoffing at that; fuck no he wasn’t going to leave. He took a small step forward, furrowing his brows at you as the cool air chilled his bare skin.

You clenched your jaw, feeling that tense feeling in your bones as you suddenly felt too overwhelmed at the situation. You planned for this conversation in the morning, not right now in the middle of the night, in the middle of a lake, in the middle of no where.

“I wasn’t crying.” You sniffled again, tone firmer, but even you heard the crack in your voice that couldn’t convince anybody that that was the truth. You stared at the water, the weightless, joyous feeling you experienced earlier replaced with a dull sorrow… it made the water feel bland and the buzz under your skin turn to fuel for your annoyance. But… you couldn’t help but feel a little satisfaction at the fact Benny had actually managed to approach you. Usually, you were the one having to initiate things, so this was a surprising reprieve.

Benny knew that was an obvious lie, fist clenched as the urge to walk up to you had his arms twitching.

“Come on, don’t lie to me. Can you just turn around, please? I’m fucking begging you here…” Benny sounded borderline desperate, still keeping his voice low as he stared at you in desperation, heart jumping when he saw the slightest movement from you. He really couldn’t fucking stand this, teetering on the edge of confusion and unfamiliarity. He didn’t know what to say, what to do, how to make you feel better. He felt useless and horrible, just standing there while you obviously cried.

You swallowed thickly, eyes closing in consideration of his plea as another tear managed to fall down your cheek. Benny always knew how to get to you, he really did. It pained you to hear him be so distraught, that your body instinctively tired to turn around and run to him, kiss his cheek and meld into his chest like a vine growing from a root.

You opened your eyes, bright from the moon, then tentatively turned around in the water with your arms crossed over your chest. He couldn’t really see anything anyways. The sound of the water swishing around you sounded dreamy, if only it wasn’t given during the situation.

Benny’s eyes were stuck to you, frantically running over all the skin he could see to make sure you were alright. Your hair was slick down your back, water falling from your shoulders and cascading down the smoothness of your skin. You’re eyes were pink and veiny, cheeks puffy and lips a darker red. He frowned at the idea of you crying, almost reaching out to you but catching himself.

He sighed heavily, “oh, honey…”

You gazed up at him, eyes running over his bare chest, chiseled with muscle and the occasional scar, then to his strong jaw and greasy blonde hair messily slicked back on his head. Your eyes had lingered on the white bandage wrapped his left forearm from the where bullet had shattered his skin there, and you felt your stomach jump and legs go weak. Benjamin looked at you like you were fragile glass, eyes dark and worrying, brows furrowed and lips downturned. The moonlight shined down on him like he was a diamond, bright and tantalizing, and you hated how gorgeous he looked when you were still a little pissed at him.

At the sound of his pitiful voice you felt your eyes burn again, lips frowning as you tried hard not to cry at the very sight of him and that stupid wound, another wave of sadness crashing through you as your chest swelled up and your eyes went blurry. You missed him, had missed his touch, missed his voice, missed his slicked back hair. You couldn’t imagine feeling like this for the rest of your life, which was almost a very real reality.

It was almost like a dam had broke within you as your emotions crashed through you once again, your hand flying to your mouth as a sob wracked through your body and tears rushed down your cheeks.

Benny felt his own flood of emotions as he quickly went towards you, water splashing around you both as he scooped you into his arms and held you tight against him, one hand on the back of your head and the other on your back. He felt your tears run down his chest as you wrapped your arms around his waist and burrowed your head into his heart, the warmth of him comforting the entirety of you. You held onto him tight as he murmured words of comfort into your hair, hand rubbing the expanse of your back soothingly.

“Shh, sweetheart, shh. It’s okay, baby. Just breathe for me…” His deep voice rumbled against you, a low and comforting thrum that managed to calm your hiccuping breaths, the sound of his beating heart and the vibration of his voice against you like medicine for your soul.

You took slow deep breaths in, adjusting your head so your cheek laid on his chest and you could feel the cool breeze on your warm face. Your eyes were still closed, sore from crying as you sniffled some more. You tightened your hold around Benny, unable to stop yourself from acting out on the giddy feelings he gave you, like his bear hugs alone made flowers blossom in your chest and made your lungs feel like they would burst into daisies.

Benny squeezed you back despite the sharp ache in his arm, laying his chin on your head as he felt your breaths stop shuddering, whispering the occasional shh as he resumed rubbing the skin on your back like he was petting velvet. He felt sick to his stomach that you were in so much distress, heart beating quickly as worry kept pumping out of every artery.

He didn’t want to confront you yet; not even giving a damn to if you were in this much pain about it. He just held you and you let him, feeling refreshed and warm and like you were coming back home after a long vacation from it.

The water trickled around you melodically, and the sound of it felt nice against your pounding ears. A few beats of comforting silence passed as bugs chirped and wind whistled before you found your voice again.

“Please don’t die…”

Benny heard your scratchy voice croak out something tiredly, your breath hitting his tan skin. He furrowed his eyebrows, looking down at you.

“What’chu say, baby?” He asked, feeling yourself curl into him tighter than you were before, snuggling your head into his chest. He let you, arms still tight around you.

You sniffled some more, opening your eyes and staring out at the water as words just left your mouth before you could think.

“Earlier today… you got shot. You could’ve died and you didn’t even care and what was I supposed to do—“

Benny could feel your shoulders start to shake again, feeling more confused than ever as he interrupted your oncoming sobs, shhing you and rubbing your back some more just as you liked.

“Hey, it’s okay, honey. It’s alright now, shhh.” He had a confused look on his face as he thought about your words; thinking about earlier when he got shot, thinking about how you started acting funny after that, thinking about how much of a god damn idiot he was for not realizing it before. He clenched his jaw and shook his head at himself, holding you tighter against him like you’d fall out from under him if he didn’t. He was so fucking stupid, his chest wringing in pain at the thought of what he had done.

“Fuck, I’m so sorry, baby… you know that ain’t never gonna happen.” He mumbled, voice thick with remorse.

You cried softly a little while longer, until your throat ached and your eyes swelled. You took a hand and shakily wiped away your snot and tears, almost humiliated with yourself that this interaction had gone exactly like you didn’t want it to.

You found yourself calming down again though, really this time, as you picked your head up from under Benny and took your arms out from around him. Your bare breasts were smushed up against him, but this wasn’t a situation where either one of you needed to acknowledge it, far worse things lingering on both your minds.

Benny let you separate from him, his arms dropping down to your waist as he stared down at you curiously. He felt terrible for what had happened, knowing now why you acted the way you did. At times, Benny forgets his life is just as meaningful to other people like it was to him, forgets that he has someone who cares for his well-being and someone who loves him fully. He wasn’t used to being the priority all the time, hence he always carried this reckless attitude with him because if he died, at least it was only him who would. He didn’t even think about seeing if you were okay after it happened, assuming he was okay and that meant you were too. He felt like he had just crushed the world in his hands on behalf of your pain, genuine guilt swirling in his tummy as his sad eyes ran over your tear-ridden face.

You sniffled some more as you leaned back to look at him, your eyes flickering to his arm at the bandage he wasn’t supposed to get wet. You felt lighter again after crying it all out, like the blanket had been pulled off you and you were ready to get out of bed. You knew he felt guilty, seeing it dawn on his eyes as he looked you, felt in his hands glued to your waist like the water was going to carry you away.

You took your hands out of the water and brought them up to cradle Benny’s face, the water sliding down his neck and chest and making his skin shudder from the coolness of it.

“You were stupid. You could’ve died, thank god you didn’t but what if you had? I would be alone, you would’ve left me alone. I can’t be without you. You can’t ever die on me, Benjamin, I mean it.” Your voice was soft with urgency, staring into his eyes and making him look down at you as you spoke. He could hear the pain behind every word and closed his eyes to calm himself down, wanting to hug you again and soak up all your pain for himself if he held you tight enough. He hung onto your every word, taking a small step closer to you as the consequence of what’d he done stared into his face.

“You have to be more careful, even if you think you don’t have to be. You have to be careful for yourself, for me, for us, for the guys. You have no idea how scary it was seeing you fall to the ground like that and not being able to run over and make sure you were okay. I felt like… I felt like the whole world had just caved in on me and-and… just don’t ever do that shit again, okay?” You gently squeezed his cheeks for emphasis, your voice raw from all the crying you’d done. You looked deep into his eyes, flickering between the two, before you felt his hands come out of the water and cradle your face, his hands much bigger on your cheeks that they covered your jaw.

He brought himself to you, your hands slipping down to his chest as he looked down at you with a somber expression.

“Hey, hey, you listen to me. I will never leave you, woman. I’ll always come back to you, when have I never? Don’t you know after 2 years that you got me already? I couldn’t die if I wanted, you fucking own me. If I died and left that behind I’d be the stupidest motherfucker I’ve ever met.” His accent bled into your skin like sweet honey, thick with emotion but still trying to make you smile for him. You could hear the earnestness in his soft tone as he stared down at you with those fierce blue eyes of his, bright and dark and full of love.

You felt relief at his words, melting against him with tired limbs. You were glad you had gotten that off your chest, feeling reassured. Benny got even closer to you, his head just above yours that you had to look up at him to see him.

“I’m sorry, baby. You know that, right? I love you. Man, I love you so fucking much…” He rasped out, gently squeezing your cheeks underneath his warm palms as he spoke, his hot breath hitting your nose as you felt your heart flutter like a petal in the breeze; happy and weightless, bound by nothing but love and direction.

You felt another tear fall down your cheek, a small smile stretching across your pink lips as you picked your hands up and wrapped them around Benny’s neck, bringing him down until his forehead touched yours. You couldn’t describe the happiness you felt at that, his big hands sliding down your wet skin to wrap around your waist again, pressing you against his naked body with ease.

“I love you, too. I’m sorry for being such a bitch.” You laughed gently, the sound twinkling in Benny’s ears as a smile cracked on his own lips.

He had his eyes closed against you, nose bumping yours as the feel of your warmth surrounded him. He could feel a familiar spark stirring in his belly as you breathed against him, bare chest against his and your arms around his neck.

“I love you…” He murmured huskily, giving your nose a small peck, then your cheek, until his head was resting in the crook of your neck, rocking you against him slowly as the pair of you stood in the lake in a romantic embrace.

You couldn’t help but smile widely at that, wrapping your arms around his neck tighter until you were so close to him neither one of you could tell where his heart started and yours ended, interlocked as one.

It was silent for a while besides the sounds of nature and trees around you, the water still once more as neither one of you wanted to move away, content in each others arms, skin on skin and heart to heart as your face was laid on his broad shoulder, eyes closed as you pet the nape of his neck.

Feeling him against you after so long without him felt bizarre and needed, your nerves on high alert as your skin purred. You felt happy again after a long day of not feeling anything, and you couldn’t be more grateful that Benny was here with you, in your arms and holding you like you did him. Of course, there was always that possibility that one day he wouldn’t be, but for now you were satisfied with what you had, happy with the outcome of the now as you stroked the back of his neck and latched onto him. The combination of his breath against your cold neck and his fingertips doodling on the small of your back had your body tingling pleasurably, both of you sensing the heavy shift in the air.

You squeezed Benny a little harder, breasts pressing into him as your lips brushed against his neck, his hands digging into your flesh as he inhaled heavily. You felt electricity spark in the air as the two of started to get antsy, hands itching to explore more of each others skin and feel the energy thrive under your fingertips.

His hands squeezed your hips under the water as you slowly moved your hand down to his shoulder, igniting a trail of goosebumps that sent a pleasurable spark straight down to Benny’s cock. He swallowed thickly, breathing heavier against you in soft pants.

You both could feel the excited thrumming of your hearts in your chests, hands eager to touch as they moved from your hips to your waist, from his neck to his shoulders. The air felt hot and humid as you breathed each others air, skin buzzing and tingling with unforeseen desire.

Benny gulped, licking his lips as he wrapped his arms around you, lifting you out off the water slightly as he pressed his lips into your ear. You inhaled sharply at the sensation, burrowing your cheek into his as he spoke, your breath just has heavy his as it brushed past his ear.

“You want it?” He breathed against you hot and heavy, the feel of his semi-hard cock rocking into your hip as your pussy tightened around nothing, slick with want underneath the water and begging to be filled by him already.

Your hands explored his chest and arms hungrily, nodding your head with a simple, “mm-hmm.” Unable to speak words as the thought of his hard body against yours had your mind fogging with salacious need.

He clenched his jaw at that, sliding his arms down your body until they slipped under the water, gripping your thighs and easily wrapping them around his narrow waist. You tightened your legs around him, a hand coming up to clench onto his hair as he brought a hand up to lay flat against your stomach. The water splashed around you at the motion, but Benny didn’t care about the cold droplets splashing onto his warm skin as he brought his lips to your ear again.

You bit your lip, eyes closed in ecstasy from his skin on yours alone, your bare pussy rubbing up against his happy trail just beneath his belly button, his cock running up against your inner thigh, taunting your wet hole like it knew it belonged there. You could feel yourself clenching around nothing, your thighs tense as your clit throbbed almost painfully, sending distress signals to the rest of your sensitive body.

“You want my cock inside you, baby? Hmm?” He rubbed his nose on your neck, hand sliding up your stomach until it was grabbing your right tit, pushing it and massaging it like it was cookie dough in his big hand. He always loved playing with your tits, mesmerized by the softness of it.

You gasped softly at the sensation, your body highly sensitive as your lower regions basically ached for him, your clit pulsing as it rubbed against his stomach with every little movement. You instinctively took your hand out from around his neck, your hand sliding to cover his much bigger one that molded your right breast, encouraging him to squeeze it harder as pleasure jolted through your stomach at the sting of it.

Benny loved the weight of your breast in his hand, picking his head up and looking at your face right next to his. You had your eyes closed and lips parted slightly, gripping onto him like he was your lifeline. He felt hot and needy, feeling your pussy lips rub right above his thick cock, your legs tight around him as you clenched around nothing, craving him just as much as he craved you.

“Feel good, sweetheart?” He rasped out with that fucking accent of his, eyes heavy with want as he breathed hotly against your cheek, watching for every little movement of pleasure that crossed your face and enjoying being the cause of it. You let out another small whimper, and he felt it run through his skin like a current. He always got off on the pleasure he gave you, and the fact that he was barely doing anything to you yet just showed how needy you were for him, just as he was for you.

You dumbly nodded your head, lost in the feeling of him as you held on tightly to the back of his hand, almost guiding the motion of it as he rubbed your breast in circles.

“Hold on a sec…” He muttered huskily, putting his hand back down to hold your thigh against him. You could’ve pouted at the loss of him, stuck in a daze already, feeling the water swish around you as he turned his body around with you attached to it, walking forward until you felt a hard, cold sensation dig into the expanse of your back.

Your eyes opened groggily as you breathed heavily, tightening your thighs around Ben’s waist and pushing his cock harder against you in desperation.

You could only assume he had leveraged you between himself and one of the rocks along the water, feeling the wet cold of it poking into your skin and making you shiver. Your arms ran over his broad chest, water sliding down his skin and back into its origin as you leaned back against the rock to look at him fully, staring up at him with those pretty eyes that were practically begging him to do something to you.

He was big and tall, all muscle and man as he looked down at you with hungry blue eyes and a heaving chest, cast in the moons shadow as water softly dropped from the ends of his blonde hair onto his shoulders. The silver mist circled around you both as the wind whistled between you, the trees rustling above you. He was so handsome and pretty, so everything and most definitely all yours. You could feel another jolt of excitement shoot through your nerves like a wildfire at the sight of him, tracing your fingertips against his warm skin.

Benny looked down at your provocative eyes, dark with lust as your thighs pushed him further into you like a magnet to its match, his hands going above your head and trapping you between his forearms as he braced himself on the rock and leaned down towards you, smelling grass and lavender on your skin.

Your hands slid up to his shoulders as you were shroud in the darkness of his shadow, his head covering the view of the moon as he leaned down towards you with a predatory gaze.

“You love me?” He said against your lips when your eyes began to close at the erotica of it all, eager to feel his lips on you, his tongue on yours, his thick cock buried deep inside you. Your pussy couldn’t help but want the same thing, throbbing almost sufferingly in longing for the stretch of him. You almost whined against him at the feeling, frustrated and desperate to feel something, your impatience always such a nuisance.

“You know I do, Benny…” You whispered back as he stared down at your mouth when you spoke, your hands gliding up to his shoulders as he licked his lips.

He felt satisfaction tingle down his spine at the want in your voice, cracked and needy just as he liked it. Your hands gripped at him as your thighs squeezed around his hips, trying to push him harder against you. He brought a hand down from the rock, wrapping it around your jaw and forcing you to look up at him.

You didn’t fight it, enjoying his dominance a little more than you’d admit, feeling any fight you might’ve had in you dwindle into nothing as you looked up at him with slanted eyes and parted lips, bewitching him even further as he glanced down at your parted mouth.

“You my girl?” He hummed against you, his hooded eyes looking over your face as he made you look at him, fingers digging into your cheeks. His voice was low and gravelly with a dash of a southerners charm, making your pussy pulse fervently for something, anything. Benny’s accent always had this hold over you, especially when he sounded like that. Your skin crawled with arousal, nodding your head once more to appease him as the need to satisfy him overcame your need for words.

He smirked at that, taking a step closer to you as he finally leaned down and pressed his lips against yours, adjusting your head for you and turning it upwards towards him. You couldn’t help but moan into his mouth as your eyes closed, your hands flying up to his hair and pulling at the golden strands. You could feel your heart pounding in your chest, knowing his was too.

He groaned hotly into your mouth at the sharp sting in his head. sucking your tongue between his lips as you let out another whimper. He took his hand off from your jaw and slid it down your body, his rough hand grazing over your perked nipple and making you jolt against him. You felt him smile a little at that, his hand continuing down but making sure to feel every pore and inch of your skin as it did.

You found yourself following his lips when he would move a little too far back for your liking, your hands pushing his head down into yours as you breathed in his air, his mouth hot and wet against yours as your tongue played with his, not caring for decorum as you moaned against him once more. The kiss was messy and hot, all swollen lips and tongue like they’d been separated for a millennia, reacquainting with one an other as a small trail of spit slid down your chin. Benny and you both liked it that way, aroused by the depravity of it all.

He slid his hand under the water, his knuckles grazing your inner thigh as his fingers eagerly found the space between your thighs, your lips slick and smooth as he pushed two of his fingers through until they were enveloped in the warm slick of you, moving in and out of your hole as you stuttered against his lips with a shaky gasp. He wished he could hear that familiar squelch he would if you were on his bed, legs spread and soaking his sheets.

For now, this would have to do as the water smacked around his moving arm, your head thrown back against the hardness of the rock from the much needed intrusion as you cried into the air louder than necessary. Your nails scratched down to his shoulders, toes curling behind his back as your body arched up into him. Your body felt weightless and heavy all at once, stuck between a rock and a hard place as you gasped for air, the drawl of his long fingers inside of your most sensitive place sending pleasurable sparks throughout your body.

Benny didn’t stop to stare at you like he usually would, too pent up and horny that he just kept moving his lips down to your wet neck when you separated form him, tasting salt as he licked the droplets off your skin. He wanted no space between the two of you, wanted you against him and wanted to taste your skin, gone far too long without that luxury. As he fucked his fingers into you, knowing you could really only fit two, he felt your soft walls clamp around his knuckles as he stroked every ridge he felt with his fingertips, memorizing each one he counted as he sucked into your skin.

“Oh, fuck… Benny…” You whined as he took his other hand and gripped your breast, licking down your collarbone and arching down, putting your hard nipple into his warm mouth and licking it with his tongue. One hand was on the rock as the other was in his hair again, holding his head against your tit as he sucked on it, his eyes closed as he massaged the piece of skin where his mouth didn’t reach. He moaned against it, loving the taste of you against him, his teeth nibbling into your areola as you gasped at the sting of it.

His fingers stayed as deep as they could go inside of you, never quite pulling out before Benny would thrust them back in, pushing into your upper wall and pressing down on that one spot that had your limbs stiffening and your eyes welling up with tears. You felt so good, feeling your whole body light up like a firefly from the pleasure he gave you, ringing through your body and pulsing at your core. It almost hurt feeling so good, the small groans Ben let out as he sucked on your nipple doing nothing but making it worse for you.

You couldn’t stop the moans that rang out from your mouth, shrill and never ending because of the overstimulation of pleasure Benny was giving you, from your sore nipple his hot tongue played with to your throbbing pussy gradually reaching its climax. It was a wonderful combination you hadn’t expected to ruin you so quickly. But there you were, whining like a bitch as your hands clutched his hair, eliciting another deep groan from Benny that had your whole right side shaking with painful elation.

You felt his rough fingers slide in and out of you, coaxing you to cum as your toes curled behind his back and your eyes blurred with tears. Your pelvis felt so tight, bunched up in a knot the longer Benny stroked your insides like he was writing a message on your walls only he would know.

“Ohhh, Benny… feels so good, please, please, please… aghhhh…” You gasped out as your stomach tightened even more, his fingers moving quicker inside you in response to your high pitched pleas. He could feel his own pleasure from you stirring his cock even harder, the sound of your moans and breathy gasps making his spine tingle and his balls tighten. He just wished he had you in his bed, where he could see your cream ring around his fingers and cock as they slammed into your gaping hole over and over and over until you begged him to slow down.

He picked his head back up from your bruised nipple, bringing his lips to your ear in a hot whisper, “Come on, baby, cum for me. Cum on my fingers, pretty girl, come on…”

Just as soon as he said that you felt that knot in your stomach snap like a cord, your mouth flying open in a silent scream as your eyes closed, thighs tensing as wetness gushed out of your hole and all over his hand, blending into the water around you.

You breathed heavily from the throbbing in your lower half, your muscles melting against Benny like warm syrup. He kissed your cheek softly, lovingly, giving you a minute to calm down from your high as he gently pulled his fingers out from you and brought his hand to your side, massaging the skin there. He cuddled his head into your neck, his chest against yours as a nice breeze blew around you; it felt refreshing against your hot skin as your vagina throbbed and your thighs trembled in the after shock of your orgasm.

You loosely wrapped your arms around Ben as you breathed heavily, your heart pounding in your ears. You enjoyed having him against you, comforted by his closeness instead of overwhelmed by it, holding him close as you caught your breath. Your cheeks were hot and your thighs tense still, but you could still feel Benny’s hard dick poking into you under the water, and you wished so badly to see it like you had many times before, see the pink head swollen with need as precum beaded out of the tip, then you’d lick it up as it drizzled down to his heavy balls. You felt another wave of arousal quickly stir in your tummy again at the imagery, tightening your hold on him.

“You okay, honey? You ready for me now?” He spoke softly into your ear, caressing your sides as he waited for your consent. He was so painfully hard; seeing you get so riled up was always all he needed.

Your throat was dry as you swallowed, thighs tightening around him to beckon him forward. He didn’t fight it, falling right into you and clenching his jaw at the feeling of your pussy rubbing up against the base of his strong cock.

“Just fuck me already…” You mewled, wet and clenching all over again at the muscle memory of how good he felt inside you.

Benny didn’t even answer, reaching down and grabbing himself from under the water. He was hot and heavy in his hand, guiding himself to your entrance and pushing past the stickiness of your folds. He clenched his jaw and groaned at the feeling of his tip prodding at your tight entrance, eager to push in and slam into your warmth, give you both what you’ve been yearning for.

You gripped his shoulders as you felt his thickness push into you, a sharp cry ringing out at the stretch of him. Benny bit into your neck, muscles flexing as he picked his arm back up from the water once he was inside you, moaning quietly at the feel of your tight wet walls squeezing around him.

“Fuck…” He groaned into your skin, pulling back out despite your walls squeezing him in, then sliding back inside as an attempt to loosen you up a little more for him.

“Oh my god…” You breathed out wistfully, tremors of indescribable pleasure coursing through you at the feel of his cock moving inside of you, back and forth inside of your tight hole that cried for him. You stared into the sky absentmindedly, unable to breath as he rocked a little harder inside you, one hand next to your head to stabilize himself against the rock and the other gripping your forearm as he hid his head inside your neck, panting against you.

He soon developed a rhythm, the water smacking into your skin as his hips went back and forth, his cock bullying it’s way inside your dripping cunt as he mumbled obscenities into your ear. He was lost in his own pleasure, slamming into your soaked pussy as his balls slapped against your ass.

“Fuck, baby. I’d never leave you… could never leave this good pussy…” He grunted into your ear, his lips brushing against it as you basically sobbed from the intensity of his girth slamming in and out of your hungry pussy. Your arms clutched around him as you jolted against the rock from the force of his hips slamming into you, moans cracked from every movement that had your lungs shaking.

You moaned and cried, shrill and unashamed into the night as he fucked you, fucked you against a rock with his grunts and groans hot against your skin. You felt so beyond good and filled, your pussy clenching around him like it wanted to keep him inside your forever, which you know you did. He was so big, so long, his balls slapping into your ass and that vein that ran along the underside of his cock rubbing against your walls.

Your tits bounced against him as he pushed into you, angling his hips to hit that spot inside of you that had you keening for him.

“Fuck, Benny… you feel so good, baby…” You whined in his ear as he brought his hands down and gripped your thighs, pushing you hard against the rock so he could really pound into you, the waves smacking in between your stomachs.

“Yeah? My cock feel that good, baby?” He teased, biting the skin of your neck as you let out a sharp whine, throwing your head back at a particularly hard thrust that had your thighs tensing and toes curling in on themselves. You almost went cross-eyed, staring into the stars as you felt your orgasm approaching once more, your skin buzzing and your throat so so dry as you gasped for breath. All you could do was breath in Benny’s scent and air, and it intoxicated you, made you clench around him harder.

“Yessss, It feels… feels so good…” You babbled as he pressed your thighs up a little higher, feeling his balls tightening the more you clenched around the length of him. His skin felt hot, cut up from your nails as you scratched at him, blonde hair a ruffled mess. He still couldn’t quite grasp the situation, how quickly things seemed to have unfolded between you. He was just glad it was over, but the sharp pain in his arm was a dull reminder of his truth; that he had fucked up but now he was making up for it. He really couldn’t even think, moaning into your neck as pleasure sparked down his spine like fireworks, his stomach tightening as he knew he only had a short while left before he’d bust inside you.

“I’m gonna-gonna cum inside that pussy, baby. You want that don’t you? Yeah, fuck, I know you fucking do…” He grunted into your ear, pulling all the way out until the tip of him was at the edge of your entrance, then slamming back in until he was buried to the hilt. You almost screamed at that, moaning so loud you swore birds flew from a tree in the distance. You were always able to take all of him, from his tip down to the base until he was balls deep inside your sweet pussy he loved so much. There was no fucking way he was ever going to leave this pussy, not today, not tomorrow, not until someone tore him away if they even could.

“Yes, yes, I want it, please, please, please…” You pleaded desperately, knowing it wasn’t long before you’d cum all over him once again. He groaned against you, big hands digging into the plush of your thighs as he quickened his pace, brows furrowed as he concentrated on getting you both to the place you needed so badly to be.

Then, with no warning, you suddenly felt the dam in your tummy break as your orgasm flooded around Benny’s cock from where he was nestled deep inside you, releasing a long moan as your back arched into his and your sore nipple rubbed against his skin. You panted, feeling spent and completely overstimulated as your thighs twitched and body slumped against him.

He came with a hot groan a short moment after, encouraged by the tightness your pussy gave him as you creamed around his length for the second time that night. His cum shot up into you and it made you hiss at the tingle it gave your sensitive legs.

He fell limp against you, breathing hard as he rested his sweaty head on your shoulder, the water lukewarm against your pruned skin as you held him against you, petting his hair as your thighs dropped down lower on his waist. You both could feel exhaustion taking over, but at the same time you both needed to just feel each other once again.

A few peaceful moments passed after your orgasms while the pair of you caught your breaths, racing hearts dying down to a calming thrum as the cold evening air cooled down your hot skin. Your thighs felt sore and achey, back probably bruised from the sharp corners of the rock you’d rubbed against. The space between your legs still throbbed, and when Benny slowly slipped out of you you couldn’t help but feel empty from the lack of him, frowning at the uncomfortable feeling running through your core that missed the feel of him.

You could hear the buzzing of flies and the chirp of crickets ring through the air, the moon bright and daunting in the sky as you stared up at it. You gently smiled as Benny gave your neck a tender kiss, stroking his back as he settled his hands on your waist once more.

You held onto him tight as he cleared his throat, his eyes heavy and his body satisfied and spent. His arm ached like a motherfucker, a thin patch of pink peeking through the soaked bandage but he didn’t care. If anything, every time he would look at the scar there he would always think about this moment, how beautiful you looked in the moonlight, remember your moans and the way you felt around him, remember that there was someone out there who really loved him like he deserved. He was grateful for you, loved you more than you knew. He couldn’t believe that you ever thought different.

You sighed blissfully, gently reminding Benny that the two of you needed to head back, not wanting him to feel rushed. He just nodded, but didn’t let go of you, still hugging you to him like you were the ghost of someone he once loved. You didn’t complain, just hugged him back because you needed this just as much as he did, needed to feel his heart beat against yours and feel his breath wash over your shoulder. You smiled at that, closing your eyes and resting your head against his shoulder as he did you, feeling content as another cool breeze wrapped around your molded forms.

You shivered against him, but he just held you tighter, his heart swarming with his love for you as he vowed to never worry you like that again.

thanks for reading! likes and reblogs are greatly appreciated. and always remember that you’re loved and important <3

[carooosa]

Bound by You: Love is Power, Love is Weakness

Part 1: Exposure (rewrite)

Word count: 1.5k Rating: Explicit Pairing: Ascended Astarion x AFAB Resist Durge/Reader Warnings: 18+, exhibitionism, ear play, violence against an NPC AO3 link: Exposure

Summary: Astarion can exert his control/power as he maintains composure while fucking you, and while he may not be as strict with his council when doing so, the harshness behind his actions is still there. But when you torture him by making him moan in front of everyone who is beneath him? Not only will it show him weak, but it’ll show his weakness.

It’s another boring day as a consort while you sit on your lover’s bare lap, slowly rolling your hips into him. Ever since the ascension, Astarion has refused to let you out of his sight for too long, always wanting to have some part of him touching you. It upset you, at first, having to sit in on all of the dreadful conferences and dull discussions. But as always, Astarion made sure that it was worth your time.

He’s droning on about some inaccuracies in recent reports he’s received and his fingers dig into your hips as the proprietor of the counting-house stumbles out an excuse. You can’t help but giggle when you picture the proprietor trembling as he tries to talk his way out of this mess. You remember his name being quite the joke as well, something like Sparkleboard or Glimmerbrook.

“Rakath Glitterbeard,” Astarion barks at the dwarf before berating him for his inadequacies. He shoots you a mischievous glance, confirming that he too is bored with this meeting, so much so that his mind had wandered into your own.

Of course the poor sod’s name was something ridiculous. If he was going to have a name as awful as that, he should just change it to Goldcoin or something similar. At least then it’d have relevance to his job.

Astarion pinches your hips in an attempt to stifle any laughter that may come out, and you yelp in surprise. You look at your lover and notice the slightest crinkle in the corner of his eyes. The ramblings from Rakath stop, and Astarion’s head snaps towards him. “Have you run out with excuses already, Glitterbeard? Or have you simply come to your senses and decide to own up to your shortcomings?” Astarion says with a growl.

You turn your head as well, excited to see what’s about to unfold. The dwarf readjusts his collar before clearing his throat, and the idiot decides to speak up against your Lord.

With the arrogance of a little kid, he says, “No, Lord Astarion, I just noticed that you seem to be preoccupied and thought I would wait until you regain focus.”

Astarion scoffs and you feel him grab onto your ass with one hand as he stands up and kicks back the chair he was sitting on. With his other hand, he pushes off all the paperwork that lay strewn about the desk. He sets you on the edge of the table before pushing you down so that your back is against the hardwood. He stares directly at that insufferable banker as he begins to thrust into you – hard.

“What was that about losing focus?” Astarion says with a crazed look in his eyes.

Rakath’s face turns bright red as he tries to stammer out a response, but it’s no use, as Astarion has already made up his mind.

“Silence. Pick up those documents and put them back on the table – in their correct order. After that, you will redo all of this week’s reports, as well as the last 4 month’s as well.” Astarion is interrupted by a noise of disapproval, his frustration reaching its highest point today. “I said silence. Perhaps you’ve forgotten how that tongue of yours works, shall I cut it out and show you?”

Rakath drops to the floor and begins frantically gathering the papers, all the while Astarion continues to slam into you with reckless abandon as he addresses the rest of the meeting attendees. 

“Do I need to remind everyone that you’re in the presence of the Vampire Ascendant? I am more powerful than you could possibly comprehend, yet you wager your lowly lives just to make some ridiculous point. I could replace you with the snap of my fingers and no one would even care. I keep you around because I couldn’t be damned to get rid of you – however, give me enough of a reason and I’ll put the dungeon to use.”

You weren’t sure exactly how or when it started, but whenever Astarion would get annoyed or pissed off during a meeting he would yank you closer and begin to fuck you, right there, in front of everyone. Somehow he was able to maintain composure as he catered to your needy whines, asserting his dominance over the room while he dominated you. He always took care of you, and one day, you got the brilliant idea to care for him in return.

You’re once again sat on your lover’s lap with his cock buried deep inside you. His nose is deep in a document, a contract with an architect from Neverwinter, and his shoulders are tensed. You delicately reach your hands behind his shoulders to start massaging the knots. He doesn’t acknowledge you save for a quick twitch in his ears, so you push harder, hoping to alleviate some of the stress the Vampire Lord must feel. Moving up to his neck, you meticulously knead every knot you find, humming a soft melody as each point of tension slowly comes undone. When you finish giving him a massage, one of your hands slightly brushes against his ear, causing a shutter to ripple through Astarion.

You quickly look at his face and notice his lips part, a silent moan leaving them. Interesting, you think to yourself, and you slowly reach out to stroke his ear.

You watch as Astarion gasps, eyes fluttering closed in contentment, the contract falling from his hands. He desperately tries to regain control by focusing on his breath. You caress the helix of his ear and his breathing hitches before a pleased sigh escapes his mouth and he leans into your touch. His hands move to your back to stabilize you as he begins to roll his hips, ever so slightly fucking you.

He looks so beautiful like this, you think to yourself. Astarion’s eyes are hooded when he opens them again, and if your heart was still beating, you’re positive it would’ve skipped a beat.

You can tell from his posture that he’s about to move your hand away, and the mind-link connection you share confirms that. The Vampire Ascendant has an image to upkeep, and he can’t show any vulnerability outside of the bed chambers. He starts to shift in his seat when suddenly, you take his ear lobe in your mouth. He mindlessly bucks his hips forward and grasps the armrests of his chair, splintering the wood. You nibble on the lobe, pressing and flicking your tongue against the soft skin.

He can vaguely see in his peripherals the guests from Neverwinter glance at each other and shift in their seats. One of them clears their throat and Astarion tries again to regain his poise but all he can think about is your lips on his ear. You roll your hips and gingerly reach out to his other ear, pinching and rubbing the tip. A quiet moan starts in the back of Astarion’s throat as you coo at him, telling him that he’s such a good lord, so strong, incredibly smart, your love. All the meeting attendants can do is watch as the Vampire Ascendant comes undone beneath your touch.

Astarion is panting as you whisper sweet nothings in between giving attention to his ears. You bite down on the flesh in your mouth – harsh enough to draw blood – and moan from the sweet ichor that flows into your body. The nobility that would usually cower at the mention of the vampire lord’s name now sit watching, unable to do anything in fear of retaliation. One of the younger nobles, the son of the architect, begins to slowly stroke his fingers against his strained trousers.

Within seconds, Astarion barks an order.

“Stop.”

You pause, concerned that you may have gone too far. Before you can ask if you did something wrong, you’re sat alone on the chair while Astarion is on his feet and holding the young man by his throat. He raises the boy above his head and dangles him above the table, his claws piercing into his flesh. The architect starts to get out of his seat but a nearby guest stops him.

“You fucking degenerate. How dare you please yourself while looking at my consort,” Astarion bellows.

The boy is unable to respond as blood fills his throat, causing him to suffocate. Astarion slowly closes his grip around his neck, watching as the architect’s son struggles to pull his nails out. The boy stops thrashing, the life drained from his eyes as his body goes limp.

Astarion continues to hold the corpse in the air as he addresses his room. “Leave. Now. And if so much as a word of today’s events is whispered outside of this room,” he pauses, throwing the body onto the table where the group congregates, “I will personally hunt each and every one of you.”

A few days later, a rumor silently spreads across Baldur’s Gate. Astarion, the unforgiving and merciless Vampire Ascendant, has a weakness. While many laugh and make jokes about how the powerful tyrant gets turned on with the touch of his ears, a resistance group takes note of his true weakness, and their key to his demise: you.

Part 2 Here

[bas-writes]

In Fruit There Is Truth

Character: Sabo Reader: female (cis) CW: explicit NSFW content, second-hand embarrassment, porn with some plot, Devil Fruit shenanigans, mutual crush, love confession, glove kink, handjob, vaginal fingering & sex, spanking, biting, fingers in mouth, unprotected sex, dirty talk - lots of it (this boy has quite filthy mouth on him hehe) Word Count: 3981 Summary: No one was ready for this edition of Sabo's reckless idiocy. And especially not you, once confronted with the sudden outburst of unrestrained naughty honesty, caused by a very unfortunate meeting with a certain Devil Fruit. A/N: horribly late due to circumstances but better late than never: my entry for @onepiece-blorboexchange written for lovely @secretsnailor <3 wishing you all the best in the new year, hope this little gift was worth the wait :3 your prompts & choice of characters were so.good. that I struggled more choosing something than writing what I in the end chose lmao I wish I had time to write all 4 fics I figured out from them :c

Soldiers of your rank aren’t called directly to the supreme leader…well, usually. ‘Cause the orders you’ve received were definitive and clear: Dragon awaits you in the command headquarters, right now, preferably literally, drop everything and teleport, if you can—or at least spit your lungs out when running. Almost choking on the last piece of breakfast you managed to snatch before the call had ended, you indeed speed through the corridors, bumping into people on your way, lavishing elbow hits and chaotic apologies. You don’t even take time to catch your breath once you make it to the door—you just burst inside as you are, wheezing, hair and clothes messy, bent in half with stitches in both sides.

The view you find has…nothing to do with what you’ve expected.

The supreme leader is red. More: he’s beetroot red and looking so impossibly stupid you don’t recognize him at first. His eyes shoot at you for a split second and immediately wander far over you—something you would expect from a teenage boy in front of his first crush, not from a middle-aged serious man. Reflexively, you glance down, maybe a button or two has opened as you were running… But your ladies are hidden and cozy, there’s nothing inappropriate enough to embarrass anyone yet, a man of Dragon’s caliber. Even more confused, you run your gaze through the room, but besides you two there’s only Sabo, weirdly scrunched in his chair, face suspiciously blank, and twirling thumbs over his lap. In other circumstances your heart would beat faster—as it always does in the presence of this man, the leader of your unit, a good friend and, as for last few months, a raging crush—but now you try to catch his eyes only for any crumb of explanation.

He only stares at the opposite wall, dead inside.

“We have…” Dragon clears his throat, his eyes even more dead. “A delicate problem.”

If you were stressed before, now your anxiety levels have broken through the ceiling and are on a good way to reach the escape velocity.

Your mind is rushing through all you have done as lately, cold sweat running down your spine, even if a moment earlier the fine shirt you wore seemed thick like a woolen sweater. What on earth has happened to earn you a direct scolding from the supreme leader?

“Not you,” Dragon sighs. Your thoughts must have been written all over your face. “That idiot.”

He nods towards Sabo and cringes. You follow the move, your gaze finally meeting Sabo’s, you see his wide-famous cheeky grin blooming despite sheer panic in his eyes, and…

“Your tits look absolutely delicious when you’re heavy breathing like this.” He says, his face growing dead pale.

What the fuck?

Pain and shame in his eyes, Sabo opens mouth again, but Dragon smashes open hand on his lips—whatever was aimed for your ears, has turned into incoherent, muffled babbling.

“I’ll keep this short before he makes it even more awkward,” Dragon says through gritted teeth as he puts all might into not looking at you. “He made a hero out of himself and got right into a Devil Fruit attack. We don’t know what exactly it was, but apparently, he can’t lie anymore, and the more he tries to hide something, the more it spills out of this stupid mouth of his.”

Your lips form into a soundless oh, no words feel suitable for this…bizarre situation.

“It may last a few hours, might go for weeks as well. All we know is that you’re the only person able to make him shut up because, quoting, around you all he can think of is—”

He cuts, face not red anymore but purple, and makes a vague gesture towards your neckline. You clutch hands over it, suddenly feeling very, very naked and lewd, even if all you’re wearing is your casual outfit, now sweaty and messy on top of that.

Sabo mumbles something into Dragon’s palm. Dragon presses his mouth harder.

“Please.” His voice is soaked with desperation. “I beg you. Do something. Not—” He coughs into fist— “literally what he says. I’m sorry he’s making you feel uncomfortable. But he’s going to reveal every.single.operation.plan. if we let him run free. You have my permission to mistreat him however you feel it’s right, just don’t shoot him…to death, you may even tie him—”

Sabo’s eyes flick from panicked to very interested.

“—Please, don’t tie him. Anyway. Just keep him away from anything that could make his brain cells click in a dangerous direction.”

No one, even Dragon himself, would blame you, if you said no. The whole mess is awkward and hysterical beyond your understanding, every trembling nerve of yours screams at you to run and hide—not because of fear, just embarrassment burns you alive. Who could possibly face…all of that, right in front of their boss? Who’d bolt from there even more gladly than you? This is ridiculous!

But there’s also that…curiosity. This little devil whispering your own naughty ideas right into the sphere of your mind willing to listen. Such an unambiguous opportunity doesn’t appear easily, even if the costs already burn you from inside—in a way, so far at least, having nothing to do with desire. No more silly games of cats and mice. No more cautious flirting between missions, sneaky stares and testing touches. No more moral dilemmas, and thorough plans, weighing pros and cons, and learning the subtleties of his language. No more second-guessing: oh, how tempting it is to pull on his tongue before the power—whatever it is—runs out, and Sabo can return to his cheeky, flirty, hard to read self.

You still have a lot of hesitations—but at least you’re sure the object of your longing and fantasies returns your interest enough to rail you once. And who knows what else…

“Yes, sir.” You click your heels. 

Dragon is so relieved he’s aged down twenty years just exhaling.

***

Easier said—and thought—than done.

You have been dreaming about this moment, Sabo sprawled on top of your bed is a common image from your fantasies, keeping you awake and heated just right during your sweet private time. But seeing it with your own eyes, additionally sprinkled with a kicked puppy look on his face, has you spiraling into so many directions at once you can just sit on a chair like a good girl, legs clenched close, and so tense you feel you might explode if only you move a little.

Overly confident, reckless, cocky Sabo often drives you insane. But this Sabo, who seems out of place, is even worse.

“Well, if it isn’t awkward,” he sighs, falling back into your pillows and rolling sleeves up. He has already loosened some buttons but hasn’t taken the gloves off. The view, naturally, has your insides churning with need—and your legs clenching even closer.

When the symptoms of weird power didn’t ease through a few hours—horribly embarrassing and filled with Sabo throwing dirty and cheesy thoughts and compliments as casually as if he talked about the weather—you’ve decided to share your room with him until he’s back to his usual self. He’s been banned from leaving, your comrades brought his clothes and utensils, as well as dinner for you two. Luckily, you have a rare luxury of your own bathroom—if you had to walk him to the toilet to keep him away from spilling every tea he ever tasted, you would surely implode.

Being spared of embarrassment—and shock, once you’ve got used to his…dirty antics—has opened a new door, pushing your own thoughts into one and only direction. As if Sabo’s single-tracked perverted brain rubbed on you with its all might. On one hand, you really…don’t mind it. There’s nothing new about wanting him, except his very real presence. There’s nothing new about your interest being reciprocated either, there’s always been chemistry between the two of you, some touches and trial tastes already happened… No promises were made, and no mile steps were done, but you’ve assigned your chances are pretty high.

But on the other—

“Believe me or not—weeell, now you’re kinda forced to believe it anyway—but this is not how I wanted it to go.” Sabo stutters, by sheer luck wording what’s swirling in your mind. “I should have at least started with something…slightly more platonic than drooling over your tits.”

You can’t help some laughter, “At least we have skipped the small talk. I ain’t mad, you know?”

No lies on your side as well. How could you be angry at this kicked ball of awkwardness? That’s, somehow, succeeding in stirring your interest in a quite…heated way?

He whines your name with a roll of eyes, then sits up, leaning towards you over comfortably spread legs. “Heeey, and here I’m doing my best to not come over as an idiot who thinks with his dick.”

“You don’t?”

A crack in his expression tells you words slip past his intent again, “I do. Who wouldn’t around you? One look at your boobs and my thoughts dance only about tearing your shirt open and— Arghhh, do you see where I’m getting with that?”

You nod with understanding. You’ve been seeing the past few last hours.

With a sigh of surrender, Sabo hides face in hands, gloved fingers threading through his fluffy golden locks, “Alright. My mouth is useless now. Hey, can you pass me my jacket?”

“You’re not planning on bolting, right?” You watch him with a suspicious smirk as you throw him his iconic coat.

“Oh, hush your pretty lips, mistress. I got something for ya.”

It takes him three tries to pull the right thing out of a pocket. With a triumphant “ha!” he shows you a frail package, something wrapped in brown paper, teared on the side and awkwardly pulled together with a cord.

“Impossibly expensive gift I’ve stolen from a shop for rich pigs,” he announces proudly—and for the first time today you’re not sure whether he’s having a slip of tongue again or is it his honest and planned take. “C’mon, don’t be shy.”

Under the ugly wrapping there's a surprising gem—fine, light and slick in touch. Delicate leather feels against your skin like fluffy down; you weigh it on the palm of your hand, so gently as it could fall apart at the slightest move. He flexed with his choice, that smug bastard, not only finding something practical, but also elegant, matching your taste in fashion and even suiting your skin tone.

Of course, someone dressing as good as Sabo knows what a good pair of gloves is.

“Even if you stole it—” Words don’t want to come out of you as smoothly as you want. “Sabo, I— I can’t accept it just like that.”

“Naaah, you can.” He snatches them out of your hands, already pulls on your wrist and forces you into a glove. The hold of his nimble yet insanely strong fingers is like an electric shock—every single time and especially now, under the weight of the spiral of horny confessions, proximity and his irresistible charm. Breath hitches in your chest, a flicker barely palpable yet reflected in his eyes, darkening with longing as they glance shamelessly into your cleavage.

Sabo is gentler with the other glove, be it your lack of resistance or the switch of atmosphere. You feel like a diamond adorned with the softest velvet under the ministrations of his fingers. His hands are huge, from so close, in comparison to yours, even bigger than you estimated. He cradles your gloved palms with ease, strong thumbs rubbing soft circles on their backs. You saw what he’s capable of, crushing bones like wafers and tearing stone like paper—but there’s no fear in you, just a sudden, uncontrollable urge to be touched more, carnally, truthfully to his sincere claims.

You’re not sure whether the gloves are that warm—or is it your own body heat skyrocketing under his touch.

“That was supposed to go with dinner or at least coffee.” An awkward blush ghosts on his cheeks, but his voice is already lowering in tone and volume, leaning into sensual whisper faster than your breathing grows. “With a letter and everything. But I’m just a horny idiot, and I want to fuck you as bad as I want to scream how much I love you.”

A loud thudding of your heart almost drowns his words. You’ve started to hold your breath as he was speaking, lack of oxygen growing prominent, but you still don’t dare to inhale. As if a draft of fresh air would destroy the moment. As if he would dissolve if you dared to breathe. 

“Please, don’t look at me like this,” he chuckles low, his pupils dilating as he leans to even your height. “You’re looking like a little, confused prey, and it’s awakening things in me I was not aware I have.”

Finally, you take a breath, shaking and lust-infused. “Goddammit, Sabo. You’re the most bold and charming horny bastard I have ever met.”

“I’m a man of many talents.” He grins. “And many desires. The things I wanna—”

“Well—” You quickly cut into another spree of horny confessions. “You love me. Seems I love you too. You said enough to push my imagination where it should go. And gave me pretty gloves. If you can’t stop yourself from adding more…we can as well just put your ideas into good use.”

A gloved hand rests on your chin, gently tilts it up.

“I love the way you do the math.”

***

“Mnhhh, your hands feel so good.”

He’s twitching between your fingers, heavy against your palm. His own hands secure you from behind, a handful of your curves in each, his gloves deliciously rough. Seated in his lap, in nothing but panties and open shirt, you pump him to your desire, not rushing anywhere, just lavishing yourself with his enthusiasm, with the weight of his gaze skimming from one love mark to another. 

You’re adorned with them, especially your breasts. He hasn’t left them alone since you abandoned your bra, barely peeling away to get a better look at your flushed face. He smirks, his eyes gleaming at you with lust and cockiness, as if testing how far you’ll push the both of you before you cave and let him take the lead.

“I wanna cum all over them. All over you. I wanna see you whole covered in my cum, your breasts, your face, everywhere.”

The Fruit hasn’t eased its power even for a second. Sabo lets words flow, they spill freely, ridiculous, dirty, moist and heavy with lust. You got used to this forced boldness, but you haven’t heard this timbre ever before, ghosting together with his breath over your sweaty skin. Like in trance, you squeeze him between your hands, your new gloves stained with precum and saliva. Exclusive leather, the highest quality, ruined with a whim of your bodies; he looks and feels excellent, so right, hard and burning-hot. On the verge of bursting under your fingers.

With a low groan, Sabo throws his head back, a rowdy, impish smirk flashes at you as he bucks between your palms, “You look so fucking good. So needy. C’mere.”

He tosses you up so easily, your weight meaningless for his insanely strong hands. Barely giving you time to grab his shoulders for balance he dives between your legs, gloved fingers harsh between your sensitive folds. But discomfort lasts only as much, the skill and sheer power take any unpleasant sensation away, immense pleasure quickly taking over your body and mind. For a split moment you wonder how many he treated before you to be this good, but he doesn’t leave you a second to delve into this thought.

“So wet for me,” he coos, his eyes growing even darked at the lewd, sloshing sounds, his fingers sliding into you with ease. “So fast? How badly do you want it?”

He guides you closer, hungry lips skim along your neck before they settle over your ear, words murmured between wet kisses and nibbles, “You want my cock, don’t you? Do you think you can take it? You’re so tight around my fingers…”

He scissors them, stretches you with stubborn precision, testing every inch of your slick walls for your reactions. Never before did you suspect fingers can feel that good, so strong and meticulous, as if he had control over every single nerve in them individually. You start clawing at his shoulders, delicate leather barely a barrier between him and your nails. The familiar feeling of pressure in your abdomen hurtles you towards the blessed snap, arches your back and hips for more. Sabo smirks against your ear, bites its shell as he curls fingers to reach a spot he’s been looking for.

And gods, if he didn’t have a good guess.

“I wanna hear you more.” He groans as you mewl helplessly, rutting hips against his hands to squeeze more of his fingers. “Tell me. Do you want to ride my cock? Do you want to cum on it?”

You would agree for anything to get more of him. Enthusiastically, you plead and beg, as if the Devil Fruit still keeping him in power started affecting you too. 

“Your cries are so sexy,” Sabo rasps, his hand clenching on your hip so hard you whine, not sure yourself if with pain or ecstasy. “Fuck, I want to push you on your knees, make you beg more for it. But you wouldn’t like it, hm, babe? You just want to get fucked, don’t you? You wanna cry on my cock?”

“Fuck, yes!” In desperation you thread through his locks and pull, his sharp hiss vibrating down your spine. “Sabo, please! I want more!”

“Oh, you will get more.”

So fast you barely notice the move he pulls fingers out of you, stable now grasp on your ass guides you to his cock and press down. Sharp inhale squeezes his name in your throat, he pushes deeper and deeper, in merciless chase to please your whims. He’s thick, filling you up so perfectly, as if you were made to take his cock and his cock only. In no time he doesn’t have to put any pressure, you bob on his length with hunger, no care for anything but chasing the need burning your insides.

“My oh my, you whine so loud someone will hear you.” He licks your juices off his glove, then presses a thumb to your lips, your taste still lingering on leather. “I should have choked you with my cock. But fingers will do, won’t they?”

No thought, just immediate response: you open for him before he words his order. His fingers muffle your cries just a little, if only riling you up even more as you eagerly suck and gnaw, your saliva dripping down your chin and his hand. 

His eyes become almost black as he watches you with wicked interest, letting you use him to get off—but still being the one in control, your selfishness being nothing but fulfilling his wish. He’s so frustratingly calm, all the last crumbles of prior embarrassment gone and replaced by confident, cocky smirk you know way too well. He knows he has you in his net, wrapped around his pinkie at this moment, the Devil Fruit affecting him only on his behalf.

“Ain’t ya a pretty, desperate, little thing?” Out of sudden, he slaps your ass, the echo louder than your surprised gagging as you bobbed your head forwards, taking his fingers much deeper. “Just look at you, so tight on my cock, so good for me…”

The next ones have you howling in pleasure, your hips immediately picking up a fast and steady rhythm. He reads your limits almost at the first try, soon adjusts, and strikes with such precision you squirm in immense pleasure. His other hand leaves your mouth, lets you sing for him as he reaches for your breast, kneading and pulling to his desire, fingers tracing the marks his lips and teeth left.

“Will you cum for me?” He grazes your nipple with a thumb. “Will you cry my name as you come?”

His hips, rather still until now, buck up, meet your rhythm half-way, force it to stutter and break, leaving you helpless against his whims. You lean against him, your legs giving up with the switch of the mood—but he doesn’t let your head bounce off the edge and die out. The thrusts into you freely, with perfect precision recreating the angle you chose and hurtling you towards you high so fast you lose yourself in sensation, your vision, hearing even, going blank.

“Fuuuck, sucking me in…” Holding you close, Sabo waits for your return, his words filthy, but hands surprisingly gentle, stroking your back in slow, calming moves. ”You wanna milk me for all I have, huh?”

“May—” You manage to choke out before you’re in motion again, suddenly in the air, swirling with his cock still buried in you. The bed whines under the weight of two bodies as he presses you, not so gently, into the mattress, your legs hooked up, the strain in your thighs almost unbearable.

At least, for once, he doesn’t have anything to say.

He gives you only a few seconds before pounding you back into haze. Seconds filled with his intense gaze, eyes full of lustful darkness, wet locks plastered to sweaty forehead, cheeks flushed with exertion and desire. Leather sinks into your skin, he spreads you open—and takes everything, no thoughts, no remorse, just stream of pleasure, tide sucking you in with such power you can’t think anymore.

In chaos of pleasure and sensation you feel his teeth again, clenching desperately on your throat. He groans something, no words, feral growl rather, maybe an attempt to shut what the Devil Fruit tries to drag out of him. If he could, he would tear you, that’s as much as you can be sure as you drown in another orgasm, marked with teeth and jaw as strong as his fingers.

And hell, you would let him.

Sabo chokes out a word—your name? —another desperate, overstimulated high of yours finally dragging him with you. At the last moment he pulls out of you and comes all over your stomach, soon slumping on your, your legs falling helplessly by his sides. 

A hot, sweaty and sticky mass—of both of you. 

“Did I…hurt you?” He eventually rasps out, concerned, gently tracing an especially nasty bite mark. “Shit, sorry… This must have hurt like bitch…”

You shake your head and show him a thumb up. You’re still unable to talk, but you don’t want him to bother himself with such details. You want to bask in bliss, aftercare and all the consequences can wait.

Sabo rolls on side with a satisfied groan, takes the gloves off and pulls you close, his fingers soon tracing aimless lines on your back. 

“It’s…the first time I touch you,” he muses with a little chuckle. “Bare hands, I mean. Wait. I wanna do this again. Without gloves.”

“Have mercy…” The offer sounds tempting, but the mere thought of straining your exhausted body more is already painful. “Can you at least wait until my legs stop shaking?”

“Sure. We can’t get out of here anyway. I don’t think I’ll shut up about how good you felt on my cock.”

He peels your remaining clothes away, leaving the gloves for the end. He inspects them from close, equally proud and perverted grin beaming from his face. “But as soon as I can get out, I’m getting you a new pair of those.”

[nanaosaki3940]

Some Keisuke Baji Facts (Not headcanons)...

I got into the Tokyo Revengers fandom right after watching the 1st season of the anime and from there I started reading the manga until I got caught up with it. Now, I'm up-to-date with everything related to Tokrev, even the spin-off manga as well...

Now, I have an issue with how people interpret Baji's character and how they portray him in fanfics or headcanon posts. I know you can have your own headcanons, but there's also a thing called facts or being canonically accurate. Most people interpret Baji as:

Keisuke Baji is an idiot, a literal moron.

Keisuke Baji is reckless, restless, always causing havoc, always seeking fun and adventure; in short, an energetic thrill seeker/troublemaker.

Well, that's far from what people think about Baji...

Baji's NOT an idiot

You can't call Baji an idiot just because he isn't academically smart or doesn't get passing grades in school. Sure, he's stupid when it comes to his studies, but other than that, he's really smart and highly intellectual in every other aspect. Moreover, Chifuyu's the one who's a moron here. In many fanfics and headcanon posts, I saw people writing about how dumb Baji is and how smart Chifuyu is and then talking about how Chifuyu guides/helps Baji to understand things or solve problems. And I'm like huh?!?! Have you not read the spin-off manga yet??? (Btw, the spin-off manga is CANON since it's been made under Ken Wakui sensei's supervision and he's heavily involved with the project...)

The whole manga is about what a big dumbass Chifuyu is and how smart, intellectual, and level-headed Baji is. Heck, Chifuyu's so stupid that this is what Baji has to say about him -

So, yeah...

CHIFUYU is the moron here, NOT Baji.

Also...

Baji's NOT an adrenaline junkie

I'm not gonna share pictures for that as proof. Instead, I'll just add the links to the sites where you can read the spin-off manga. I'll say it again - Baji's NOT some reckless, restless dude who loves causing havoc/chaos any time and every time he feels like it (unlike Hanma, Smiley, or anyone batshit crazy we know from this series). Throughout the story, Baji is shown to be quite mature and sensible as a person and also as a leader. He's more responsible, wiser, and more rational than everyone around him. Sure he gets very energetic and excited when fighting other delinquents, but other than that, he's just a simple guy going on with his everyday life. I understand why people think of him like that since this is literally what wiki tells us -

But he's more than just that...

Instead in the spin-off, Baji is portrayed as a calm, collected, and composed individual in each and every scene he appears, while Chifuyu and Ryusei are the ones shown to be more chaotic in nature who love getting into trouble at every opportunity they get. Also, Baji doesn't speak too much and always observes things around him quietly from the sideline, meaning unlike others, he's pretty observant. He's never once shown to be causing problems for others, but rather, he's the one solving the issues that others cause around him, meaning he's a dependable and attentive person (just like Draken). Not only is he calm and composed, but he also immediately figures out any situation in front of him and then confidently gives orders to the others; just reading the spin-off manga will make you realize how effective Baji is as a leader/1st division captain. And, in that episode (season 1, episode 14) where Mikey tells Takemichi that Baji punches people for no apparent reason, yeah, there's actually a reason why Baji does that and such a thing happened only ONCE in his lifetime (Go read chapter 9 of the spin-off manga and you'll also understand why Baji did that). Also, this is Mikey we're talking about; do you really think he'll give us the correct info? He just dropped that info without any context, and no wonder why Takemichi went like "WTF?" after hearing that about Baji... Anyway, Baji's more like Draken in a way, so to speak, and that's why he and Draken get along really well.

No wonder Baji's spending his birthday afternoon with Draken instead of spending it with Mikey or Chifuyu...

So, in short, Baji is:

Not some rowdy, adrenaline junkie like Hanma or Smiley.

An attentive, compassionate, and dependable leader.

Confident while giving out his orders.

A calm, composed, and observant individual.

Very smart and highly intellectual.

Cautious and doesn't cause trouble to others.

Actually one of the most mature ones in the group besides Draken and Mitsuya.

Baji loves fun and adventure from time to time, sure, but he's NOT an idiotic troublemaker.

Links to the spin-off manga -

[silentwillowwhisperer]

Alright I need to write something 'bout Lance because I haven't yet, and that is not ok. (Though it still has Keith in it... oops.)

This is one of my favorite headcannons.

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

When people are sad, Lance uses pet names.

Like full-on lovey nicknames.

A few weeks ago he found Hunk sitting in the corner of the kitchen with his head hidden in his knees. That absolutely COULD NOT stand.

"Aw baby, what's wrong? Do you need a hug, love?" he said, and immediately got crushed in Hunk's arms. (Cuz they're wholesome beans)

And it's not just him. He once accidentally yelled, "You good Darling?" from across the room to Shiro when he was thrown into a wall during training. Yeah, that took some explaining. (But it was kind of worth it to see the flaming blush across Shiro's cheeks.)

Anyway, the planet they are currently orbiting is a lot like Earth, and the homesickness is getting to everyone.

But Lance is still shocked when he hears soft sniffling coming from Keith's room. Keith of all people. Mr. Lone Wolf™!

He quickly puts in the door code that he knows for completely not-stalkerish reasons.

Keith looks up at him from his bed with teary eyes. He rubbed at them aggressively when he sees Lance.

"What are you doing here Lance? Does Allura need us?" His voice cracks terribly.

"Cariño! Are you okay? Never mind don't answer that, you're obviously not."

Without warning, Lance wraps his strong arms around Keith. His heart swells with adoration when Keith buries his head in Lance's shoulder. Of course, being the oblivious idiot he is, he does not notice Keith's flaming blush.

He gives in to the urge to touch Keith's hair and ends up rhythmically gliding his hand through it. They stay like that for a couple hours. (Keith may or may not have fallen asleep, and who was Lance to disturb him?)

They both silently agree to pretend the whole thing never happened.

A few months later and they are now on a diplomacy mission. The planet they are on is home to the Kragzots. They are giant neon-pink glow worms with faces. Lance has to do breathing exercises to keep his laughter from bursting out.

Their host, an alien named Vav'eol, is a... how can Lance say this nicely? He's a turd. Not literally of course, but he on everybody's nerves right now. Even Hunk has a grimace on his face whenever the pig-colored alien speaks.

Keith of course is absolutely shaking with anger.

1 hour into the stifling meeting and Vav'eol decides to comment on Shiro's arm. "Well I'm grateful and all that for you lot being here, but I'm not sure if you're trustworthy seeing as that one was reckless enough to lose an arm. How do you even manage to do that?" he scrutinizes.

Shiro opens his mouth to respond, but before he can the screeching of a chair interrupts him. They all turn to see Keith stand ramrod straight with fury etched into his face.

"Say that again you dirt-eating piggish son of a BI-"

He is interrupted (quite rudely) by warm arms wrapped around him.

"Come on babe, we're supposed to be peaceful right now. Calm down, hun."

Keith relaxes slightly, but still breathes heavily into Lance's neck.

"...Are they dating?" Vav'eol interrupts.

"I wish," both Shiro and Pidge sigh at the same time.

The hugging boys turn red as tomatoes.

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

Ew. Dialogue. That was painful. But the vision had to be fulfilled.

[ruinaimagines]

what do you think it would take for Heathcliff to warm up to somebody? because right now I feel like he'd scare a lot of people off with how brash and violent he is, but it'd be interesting if someone managed to befriend him.

I love him. And yes, I am alive! I am still crawling on. somehow.

Heathcliff Warming up to Someone Headcanons:

It is true that his outwardly brash nature is what a lot of people are initially met with, especially if they happen to be of some authoritative stance, but that’s mainly because of his own preconceived judgements. He’s a rather reasonable and good man otherwise.. Just a bit quick to jump to opinions.

If he doesn’t feel as though you are demanding respect from anyone then you have quite a decent chance of getting along. Talk to him as though he’s an actual person and you’ll find he’s pretty cooperative unless what you’re telling him to do is something he deems as outrageous.

Even though I lovingly call him an idiot, he’s quite the opposite. Heathcliff is a very apt man. We’ve seen this during Canto II with how he diverts the attention of the casino guards. He’s just a bit impulsive in some cases in the same sense that Don is. If he sees something he considers to be wrong, insulting, or similar he is quick to action if no one else is. He’s very good with short-term solutions but doesn’t immediately consider the implications for the long term. That’s Faust’s job. He’s clever and witty.

His recklessness also stems from the fact that death isn’t actually a problem for him (poor Dante), so not much is stopping him from speaking his mind. Unless the situation is really dire he has no desire to shut his mouth. Will still mutter under his breath.

He would immediately get along a lot better with you if you share any kind of similar passions in disrupting the system, calling people out, and overall being very blunt on the blatant ignorance and audacity some people have. While not to say the other sinners don’t agree, they just typically don’t really comment on it either. To have someone else that he can rant with and be brutally honest with? Ohhh that is just going to fuel the flames.

Would find you funny as hell if you insult the smug, sleazy workers of the city you happen to run into. Even better if it’s directly in their faces. Will back you up even if you don’t know each other much at this point because it’s entertaining. 

I believe that you have a pretty solid chance of getting along even if you don’t immediately call out someone to their face so long as he overhears you complaining about it later. Not all people have the confidence he does, and sometimes it’s easier for you to let it be in the moment as long as it’s not too treacherous or there’s quips here and there.

The most crucial part in befriending him is first and foremost about establishing a sense of likemindedness. If he doesn’t see you as an agreeable person, then chances are he won’t think well of you either. You don’t have to be as loud about it as he is but even stating something along the lines of ‘That is wrong and it needs to be acknowledged and not smoothed over’ after the fact works for him.

I think that it would be a lot more difficult for him to see eye to eye with someone who so compliantly follows along with orders and seems indifferent to the cruelty and justice around them. There needs to be some kind- any kind of proof that you have humanity and aren’t willing to stay complicit with continuing what is seen as morally wrong by him.

He’s a very passionate guy which can be a little difficult to navigate because he can very easily get lost to more aggressive feuds or grudges, in these situations he’s a bit unreachable in that he is very unlikely to hear others out. When it calms down though his opinion may alter slightly especially the longer he knows a person. Still sticks very close to his own truth nonetheless.

With this it becomes easier to talk to him because there’s no longer that  preconceived notion he holds over you, whatever it may be. You might find him even gravitating more near you or valuing your opinions a little higher than the others. When Faust is droning on he tends to tune her out, but whatever you’re saying he’s more encouraged to listen in on. There isn’t much of a difference in the moment, but you’ll notice that he’s completely forgotten what Faust has advised whereas he brings up a note that you mentioned instead.

Don’t expect the bickering to go anywhere. Friend or not, there will still be snide remarks here and there, though if you’re on good terms with him they’re meant in a more playful snarky way as opposed to a genuine complaint. Best be quick witted yourself.

You’re one of the few who can get away with insulting him without paying the typical price of being smacked over the head unconscious with his bat! Something that has happened an unnecessary amount of times with the other sinners much to the displeasure of Dante. Don’t expect to be completely devoid of being pushed around though. I imagine him to be the type of person to slam his hands around your shoulder with such force that it will completely knock the wind out of you for a joke.

Heathcliff is sort of hard to reach emotionally, even if you two get along very well. It can be kind of difficult to delve deeper into his own problems no matter how good on terms you are with him. He’s approachable in the way that his inferiority complex makes it extremely unlikely for him to ever mention his own shortcomings or communicate his distress in a way other than anger. Heathcliff does not want to have someone pity him, and above all he doesn’t want to be seen as weak.

It’s very hard to navigate, there’s hardly a right answer of how to go about it because it’s something that’s so emotionally fuelled that your best case scenario is just trying to listen and be more casual about it if something ever did get brought up. It’s a sore spot, don’t be surprised or feel bad if he snaps at you because he feels like you’re trying to be his therapist, it’s a spur of the moment thing and he’d feel bad afterwards. He just wants to be seen as a person.

Try to pry very little, what small trace amounts you get from him of his own personal experiences is something you’ll just have to take. Heathcliff might seem to be in particularly pissy and broody moods from time to time, whether from a bad interaction or something deeper, you can ask him what happens but if he says to drop it then it's recommended you do.

I feel like he isn’t ready to unpack everything, he finds it unneeded and a hindrance to get all sappy and focus on how he feels. That said I don’t know if there ever would be a proper time… aside from his canto.

You become his complaining buddy. He will trash talk either the others or some unpleasant person you’ve met while at work. It’s honestly fascinating some of the most obscure and abhorrent insults he can construct, beat only by Ryoshu of course. Her’s is just vulgar.

He is so biased it’s not even subtle. Heathcliff might seem a bit unapproachable at first but you’ll quickly come to realize that if you offer a sort of loyalty then he will return it. Might make fun of you for getting into a tricky situation, but he will do everything he can to pull you out of it and I think that’s what makes him such a good companion.

[robinofinashiro]

"And if you go, I wanna go with you and if you die, I wanna die with you"

characters/fandom: feitan portor / hunter x hunter

request status/note: closed / ugh feitan you piece of shit i missed you lol lonely day by system of a down is such a good song for feitan imo

pronouns: she-her

you sharpened your knives, not bothering to look at chrollo who was lecturing you as machi helped patch you up. this wasn't the first time you had gotten such a lecture from your leader about being so reckless during missions but it was in your nature. you always managed to save your comrade in time even if it came at a price and this time it was your physical well being that was at stake.

you noticed that feitan was about to get stabbed and possibly not make it out of the fight without dying and you figured that his importance to the troupe was bigger than yours. you weren't the spiders #2 and you weren't the biggest person physically so if your life was taken, it wouldn't have been such a blow to the troupe. or at least that's what you thought.

chrollo had been grilling you for at least an hour for your reckless actions and you figured that maybe you were a bit more important than you thought, to chrollo at least. you continued to roll your eyes like a teenager getting screamed at by their parent but you hadn't said anything back. all you did was sit there and flinch every time machi had poked you with a needle.

"okay, you've been screaming at me for at least sixty minutes," you huffed as machi bandaged your last scar, "what has you so upset? this isn't the first time i've done this and the last three times you didn't bitch this hard."

chrollo had given the rest of the spiders a look to leave the room. they understood and walked out as you were left sitting on the chair with chrollo standing in front of you.

"i wasn't going to say this in front of those idiots but if feitan had lost you at the cost of his life, he would have had my head on a spiked pole for letting it happen," you nodded in agreement but didn't stop him from continuing the story, "you know more than anyone that feitan hates talking about his feelings but you know how important you are to him and if he found out that you died because of him, the troupe would have irreversible damage to it."

you stayed quite as chrollo ran his hands through his hair.

"and where do you think he's at right now?" he asked. you shrugged, really not knowing where he went after the fight, "he's murdering the group of people that tried to kill you or rather him but you get the point."

"how do you know all of this? i doubt he would've told you this to your face so spit it out."

chrollo laughed as he sat on the other chair next to yours, "it's not hard to read peoples minds; even feitan's is pretty easy to read, you just have to take the social cues when they're in front of you."

-

the entire troupe were on a mission and this time it took place inside of a club. you were dressed in the most uncomfortable club attire you could find and heels that made you want to chop your feet off. it was all too much for you but you knew that it would all be worth it for the money that all of you were promised.

you were sitting down on one of the bar chairs, chugging down a beer as you looked around at your surroundings. there had been a man, not one you were familiar with, staring at you for a while and although he wasn't bad to look at, you kept wondering why he was continuously staring at you.

"hey doll, first time i've ever seen you here," he finally said approaching you. you gave him a look of confusion, "uh yeah, that's because it's my first time here," you replied looking at your drink with annoyance.

"figures, i would have gotten with you a long time ago if i had seen you here before."

just as you were about to leave, you were handed a note from shalnark who was dressed up as a waiter. you quickly opened it up realizing that it was chrollo's handwriting.

"that's the man we need to execute, keep him close."

your eyes widened, not realizing that you had the bait in your hands. you gave him a sweet smile, before turning your attention to chrollo and shooting him a wink that silently meant that you'd have him in a secluded room for his death in no time.

"so, what plans would you have for me if you would have had a me a long time ago?" you asked, sliding on top of his lap and giving him the most fakest sweet smile you could muster, "how about i show you?" he asked now running his hand across your lap. you wanted to cringe but you knew that this was the perfect moment to cut the mission short and go home with the money.

you nodded as you turned over to chrollo and signaled him to follow you. chrollo could tell that feitan was fuming. it was hard to try and read what was going on through his head a lot of the time but this time it was fairly easy. he was fuming with jealousy and it showed. he knew that feitan had a thing for you but who didn't? you were cute and knew how to handle a battle on your own so what wasn't to like?

"come on, she'll need our help with him," he knew that you wouldn't but it was to try and give feitan some peace of mind. they followed your quietly into the room and as you pushed the man on the chair, you turned on the light and smirked, "but it looks like it'll be us giving you the show instead."

chrollo appeared behind you as the man's eyes widened at the spiders leader and their second captain. you smiled as you retrieved your own blade from it's cover and swung it in the air, "it's always so crazy to me that men will literally fuck anything they can get their hands on so i guess that has to be the first thing that goes, right?" you stated aligning the blade to his wrist.

feitan chuckled at your sadistic ways. he knew he must've been rubbing off on you but eventually you stepped back and gave the two men their rounds as you grabbed the wads and you meant wads of cash he had hidden on him. you stuffed them into your clutch that was hidden under your clothes and walked out as you were told to let the man die in the room. the police would find him in the morning, right?

the music was playing way too loud for anyone to hear him screaming so you went back onto the dance floor, happy that your mission was a success and you'd be off for at least a couple days now. you were whispered the success to your troupe members as they high fived each other in happiness.

you went back to the bar for another drink as feitan joined you.

"take shower at home," you gave him a questioning look, "man touched you so you have his germs now."

you giggled, taking a drink from the beer as he stayed my your side for the entire night. he wouldn't dare let another man touch you especially not in the way that the deceased man was.

-

you nodded in agreement. you knew what chrollo was saying was true but you knew never in a million years would feitan admit to it. in your own weird way, you kind of liked the relationship you and feitan had. it wasn't a solid relationship, not yet at least, but you knew within time, it'd get there. you just had to wait for feitan to get comfortable first.

it took two seconds before the door slammed open, a very angry looking feitan barging in screaming at you in his native language as chrollo excused himself.

you on the other hand sat on the chair, smirking at his antics. you knew this was his way of showing you his stressed out emotions of almost losing you but in his own feitan way. you would wait all day if it meant hearing him scream at you about the way he cared about you. you just had to remember to thank chrollo for opening your eyes about feitans feelings towards you.