#my comforter is already covered in cat hair but i don't care she's my cat again :3

[introvert-celeste]

On a lighter note, here's some recent pictures of my kitty girls being sleepy and precious 💕

[chuuyrr]

HII! How are you?

I wanted to request (If I can) so may I request a scarlet witch reader who gets these cute little hello kitty stickers from gojo so she then goes to the ADA and starts putting stickers on Dazai’s face and bandages as well as Chuuya’s hats and his face as well?

(Is this too long? I’m sorry!)

scarlet witch! baby fushiguro! reader putting stickers on them

bungo stray dogs x reader

masterlist of the series

╰➤ CW(s): fluff/comfort, possible bsd spoilers

╰➤ PAIRING(s): bungo stray dogs x child! reader (platonic) featuring dazai, chuuya, and the armed detective agency

╰➤ SYNOPSIS: in which you put hello kitty stickers on them

before you read: hi, in case you're new, you're megumi's younger half-sibling, and while you don't have cursed energy, you do have scarlet witch's powers and abilities! aside from that, as a special scarlet witch variant, you also have the ability to travel across the multiverse. how chaotic! furthermore, like your half-brother megumi, you are being cared for by gojo satoru, who also serves as your adoptive father. for more info, please see the masterlist.

aside from stuffies and sweets like mochi, another item you particularly adored was stickers. your adoptive father, gojo satoru, would buy you cute hello kitty stickers.

you liked placing those stickers on your notebooks, bedroom walls, and closet, as well as people's faces and arms; you basically put them anywhere and everywhere!

and your beloved family-figures in the world of gifted detectives and mafias weren't an exception

now being in the bsd universe, i doubt they have things like hello kitty, so when you bring those cute little hello kitty stickers of yours with you, they are quite in awe

"dazai-nii! dazai-nii!"

when dazai osamu heard your little voice and the pitter patter of your sneakers, he knew you'd come to see him and everyone. as he turned to see you running up to him after greeting everyone else in the detective agency, dazai extended his arms to you.

"well, well. if it isn't my sweet little bella! hello!" exclaimed dazai as he lifted you up, sat you on his lap, and gave you a soft head pat then he realized you had something with you today, "oh, what is that, [name]-chan?"

"hello kitty!" you happily told dazai with a giggle, showing him the packet of cute little hello stickers you got from your universe's papa gojo.

"hello kitty?" dazai asked, evidently unfamiliar, tilting his head and looking down at you and your stickers, "oh, how cute! stickers... of a cat?"

"mhm, that's right! hello kitty is her name," you explained to dazai with a smile, "daddy bought them for me because hello kitty is my favorite and also because i like stickers!"

"ah, i see. well, that's very nice of your papa, [name]-chan!" dazai chuckled softly, continuing to touch your head before ruffling your hair, already liking of your interests.

you were already giggling as you opened the packet of your cute little hello kitty stickers and started peeling them, with fazai helping you out because your small fingers were having difficulty peeling most of them.

"dazai, how many times do i have to tell you to do your repor—?!"

a very angry kunikida was carrying a stack of paper with atsushi trailing behind him when he found you sitting on dazai's lap, giggling joyfully while dazai sat there on his seat, his face and bandages covered with the cute little hello kitty stickers you brought.

the detective agency members had to take a second look at dazai when atsushi shouted out in surprise, "DAZAI-SAN?!"

"goodness, dazai. what happened to you?" yosano chuckled softly.

"well, [name]-chan happened to be," dazai chuckled softly, drawing you deeper into his hug and ruffling your hair before questioning, "is it... that many? just how many stickers did you put on me, [name]-chan?"

as you gazed up at him, you couldn't stop yourself from giggling, "i don't know, but a lot,"

"i'm pretty sure that's way more than a lot, [name]-chan," atsushi said, looking at the number of hello kitty stickers on dazai's face and bandages.

"say, what's the stickers for, [name]-chan?" dazai asked, his fingers now pinching your cheek but his other arm still holding you as you sat on his lap, "why my face and... my arms?"

"because i like putting hello kitty everywhere and anywhere," you stated with a proud smile now as you folded your arms, "but also because i think dazai-nii could use some hello kitty stickers, but also because i think hello kitty would look nice on your arms!"

"is that so, [name]-chan?" dazai's gaze softened as he peered down at you, his hand now gently cupping your cheek with his thumb stroking it, "you think hello kitty looks nice on me?"

it was as if you drew stars on his scars.

"mhm!" you nodded with a hum to dazai before turning to face the other members of the armed detective agency, a mischievous smile building on your face as you proceeded to take out additional hello kitty stickers, "now, who else?"

and just like that, everyone at the armed detective agency had their hello kitty stickers covered up, including fukuzawa himself and his sword.

apart from dazai's desk, you even put hello kitty stickers on ranpo's hat, yosano's big ass dagger, and kyouka's blade.

kunikida refused to let you put stickers on his notebook, so you cried, and everyone became enraged, even fukuzawa was. so as a compromise, he allowed two pages of his notebook to be filled with your treasured hello kitty stickers, which made you stop crying and happy again.

moving on from the armed detective agency, there was the port mafia, but you only loved one member there, a wine-loving executive who rivaled dazai's love for you, and he, like them, was a victim of your cute and precious hello kitty stickers.

chuuya was absolutely baffled.

he was in an executive meeting, and even mori ougai was there, when knocks rounded at the door, and there you were, running inside all happy and giddy like the sweet little child you were as you ran up to chuuya, not even caring that you had just entered a room full of wanted criminals from an underground organization.

before ace, one of the crappy executives of the mafia, could say anything, koyo had shut him up, as had mori, who really didn't mind your presence at all given your familiarity with his subordinates and being elise's friend and playmate, but he also knows about your special ability, your chaos magic, and he knows to himself that keeping a good relationship with you would be important for later schemes.

"c-chibi, what are you doing here? how did you even get here?!" yelled chuuya, who lost his composure the instant you approached him and held to his pant leg.

"i made the guards stick to the ceiling!" you exclaimed as if it was no big at all, to which everyone was perplexed, as you giggled.

mori had to stand up along with koyo to check outside and actually saw their subordinates sticking to the ceiling, glowing red with their faces and suits covered in hello kitty stickers.

"my goodness.. that child is a force to be reckoned with.." koyo chuckled softly.

"agreed, that child really is," mori sighed and smiled before turning to face chuuya, who was now picking you up in his arms as you clung to him, already apologizing for your presence.

mori called off the executives meeting early that day because of you, and chuuya still had paperwork, so he couldn't really offer you that much attention as you sat on his lap. he worked on his reports in his office, occasionally giving you a head pat and a tiny hum while you started peeling the stickers you got with you.

when chuuya finished his papers, he let out a groan and leaned back in his seat, now looking down at you as you giggled even more as he drew you to his chest.

"oi, what's so funny, chibi?" chuuya lifted a brow at you, a smile pulling on the corner of his lips before his gaze fell upon the plastic packet of hello kitty stickers you were holding, only now realizing why you were giggling and looking at him so fondly.

"you put stickers on my face, didn't you?" chuuya said, sweat dropping as you broke out laughing and nodded your head.

"tch, such a cute rascal you are," chuuya sighed, shaking his head at you, before bringing out a mirror from his desk drawer.

chuuya's face immediately turned red as he let out a short gasp and rolled out his r's in a scream of embarrassment when he noticed that not only was his face covered in your lovely hello kitty stickers, but you had also decorated his precious hat with them.

"c-chibi!" he exclaimed, looking at you with shock, disbelief, and other emotions mixed in.

"do you like it? i made you all look pretty with hello kitty! and your hat too!" you cried out happily to him, your face bright and delighted.

chuuya was about to get angry, but seeing you giggling and so happy when you put stickers on his hat was just too much for him. you were too precious for him to get mad, and despite his demeanor as a mafioso, he always had a soft spot for children, even way back then as the king of the sheep in his teenage years.

chuuya sighed in defeat as he smiled and patted your head before pulling you closer for a hug, "yes, i do. thanks for the stickers kiddo.."

to make matters worse, a knock rang at his door, and his colleagues came inside to fetch his reports for him, only to find chuuya's face and hat covered in hello kitty stickers. he immediately returned to his charisma and demeanor as a port mafia executive, or tried to.

"d-do not speak a word of this! just get the fucking papers and leave my goddamn office at once!" chuuya yelled at his subordinates, who instantly froze and nodded vigorously at his words, too afraid to laugh or even utter a single thing while you giggled naively in his arms.

[ author's notes ! hi there <3 thank you so much for requesting this. sorry if it took a while to be done but this was really cute to write. also, i'm doing okay !! i'm currently working on a kitsune! dazai ai bot and i also have our graduation ball and ceremony coming up this week, which is why i'm busy-ish, but mostly it's because of character ai ... ]

[ join my taglist, perhaps ? @anonymousewrites @magpiemissy @anqelically @96jnie @lovesick-fairy @soleelia @irethepotato @nianre @xingqiusliegee @lenasvoid @bloobewy @achlysyo @youdidntseemehere21 ]

[hotdilfs11]

People We Met In Supermarkets pt 1- Damon x Reader

part 2 part 3

✩Jade had some past secrets she's been keeping away from the Salvatores especially Damon. Ever since she met them she only told bits and pieces about herself, and it's so bad that they don't even know that Jades older than them. What secrets are she keeping and will it come out? Who or what is hiding?

✩parings:Girl name Jade x Damon

warnings:mention of stabbing/being casted away

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

As the sun slowly caresses the curtains, a new day appears. I was under the soft, cozy covers, taking in the beautiful, luminating sunshine as it softly touched my icy, cold skin. I started to stretch my limbs gently, trying to shake off the remnants of sleep. I lifted myself up, slowly resting my arms on the cotton-white sheet. I looked over to my left to see someone on their back sleeping with no shirt on, and then I realized I was in Damon's bed. His back was toned and firm. He had porcelain-soft skin and raven-colored hair. The color of his hair was deep and intense. It looked very soft and rich the longer I looked at it. I started getting butterflies the longer I observed him. He looked so relaxed and peaceful as the sun bounced gracefully off his face. The gentle rhythm of his breath fell up and down as the sound of his heart beating calmed me. Damon and I aren’t dating; however, he is very flirty with me, and he treats me differently compared to everyone else. When I talk about him to Bonnie or Stefan, they look at me like I’m the crazy one because of how he acts around them, but I never saw that side of him. Damon is nice, loving, tenderhearted, and just an amazing guy for me in general. He reminded me of someone I used to know, but way better. Anyway, the reason I’m waking up beside him is because the night before, he asked me to come in here to talk and hang out. However, we both fell asleep beside each other at the dead of night.

While I was admiring Damon's handsome, sexy, and stunning features, I started to notice a devious smirk start to form on the corner of his mouth. 

“Will you stop staring at me? It's a bit creepy,” he says in a flirtatious yet sleepy voice. My lips curled upward, creating a soft, looming smile across my face as I heard those words spill out of his mouth. My stomach started to turn, and a subtle ruby tint started to form on my cheeks because hearing his voice in the morning is like hearing a sweet, comforting lullaby.

“Whatever are you talking about, Mr. Salvatore?” I say it with a charming yet witty, harsh British accent.

As those words came out of my mouth, his eyes started to flutter open, revealing his arctic blue cat-like eyes glaring at me. "Mmmhh," he mumbled.

I gave him a quick smirk as I jolted out of bed, touching the unheated, bitter floor of the Salvatore house. I stood up in a swift motion and started stretching my arms as a loud grunt escaped from my mouth. I was wearing a jet black tank top and navy blue soft pajama pants. I got out of bed and started walking towards the door. However, I felt a strong pair of eyes scan my body, and as I was turning around, Damon was already behind me, towering over me with a serious face.

“Isn't it too early for vamp powers?” I crossed my arms while I made eye contact with him.

He squinted his eyes at me, looking me up and down. “Where are you going?”

I rolled my eyes and let out a strong exhale. “School Damon gotta live a normal life once in a while."

"You’re one hundred and something years old and immortal, you can take a break and help me with this ritual stuff."

I turned my back on Damon and opened the door to his room, walking right out of it. “Didn’t I tell you I didn’t care about any of this?" I walked into my room and started to look through my dressers, trying to

find an outfit for today, however, I heard Damon's footsteps enter my room. He learned on the doorway and crossed his legs as well as his arms.

“But hear me out; you know nothing about this yet, and maybe you can be useful since..." He said it hesitantly.

I looked at him with an irritated look. “Since I’m a witch, you mean?” I crossed my arms and glared at him.

“I mean… Maybe just a little." Damon said. He was trying to be funny, but I wasn’t amused.

I peered away from him, “No Damon” I sternly said.

He held up his hands. "Fine, FINE, have it your way, little blue Jay, but I still have little Bennent.”  he teasingly stated.

I turned my head towards him and said, "Mmhh... Now let me get dressed and put on a shirt, please. No one wants to see that,” I said,turning away from him in a swift motion.

“I’m not sure about that,” he says in a cocky, playful tone.

“Leave Damon” 

Damon left, and I started getting ready for school. I’ve been through this numerous times, and it never gets old. I love living a normal life because, like all of us vampires, we were forced into this life because I know I was. When I was nineteen, I got jumped by a group of men, but one of them decided to brutally stab me. The vampires I was with at the time found me, brought me home, and gave me a life-changing decision. I either die on a table in front of my whole family or become a vampire and get cast away from my coven. I was scared of death and picked the only option. However, if I could go back on it, I would, but then again, there is something good about becoming a vampire, especially this kind of vampire. I’m a heretic, meaning I’m a vampire and a witch at the same time, meaning twice the manpower, but I still miss my family. There aren't that many Bennents anymore. The Bennents I know are Bonnie, Grams, and me. Ever since the mid-eighties, I haven't seen many Bennents, honestly. I’m just grateful for the rest of us.

Anyway, I walked downstairs and into the Salvatore living room, seeing Stefan reading and drinking coffee like an old, seventy-year-old man. I walked down the little steps and went behind the couch.

I say with a smile on my face, “Mornin’ Stefan!”

He looked behind him while I kissed him on the forehead as a greeting. I walked around the couch, plopping down on the firm cushion right next to him. He turned his head towards me in a swift motion as a soft, warm smirk started to stretch across his face.

"Hey, Jade,” he says quietly.

“Are you and Elena going to school today?” I curiously asked.

"Uh, no, today there's too much going on that we need to figure out; maybe you shouldn’t go either,” he said, concerned.

“Stefan I don’t know anything about whatever happened, and I don’t want to know."I demanded 

He started paying attention to his book again. "Yeah, I heard that whole speech upstairs."

I stood up quickly. "See, this is exactly why I don’t like nosey vampires.”

He closed his book and looked up at me. "Well, we would like your help and input on this, Jade. I know you don’t like to know about these things, but this is frustrating in a way."I heard footsteps approaching. “This is exactly what I said, but did she listen to me? No, she did not."

I sighed and thought about it for a second. "Fine, fine. Just tell me because I know you guys never fucking give up; however, only tell me what youre confused on.”

Damon smirked harshly. "Ok, Blue Jay. I’ll tell you what we are stuck on.”

I plopped back on the couch as Damon entered the living room. "Look, Elena stabbed this weird vampire in the heart with a stake, and he did die, but then he came back to life. This girl, Rose, said he’s one of the “originals,” he air-quoted.

I started to harshly frown at those words. I really hope it isn’t who I think it is.

"However, we don’t know if she's telling the truth or not."

I cut him off mid-sentence and anxiously said, "Yes, she’s right...I… I have to go.

The Salvatores frowned at me as I quickly ran out of the room.

[writteninlunarlight-years]

Hello! I hope you are well? May I ask for a BG3 and Hogwarts legacy matchup, please? 😊

Gender: Female

Pronouns: She/Her

Sexuality: I’ve always been drawn to men, but I do find myself attracted to women sometimes, so I guess i could be Bi-curious?

Appearance: I’m 1,59 cm tall (short?), chubby, blonde and quite pale with grey-blueish eyes. My hair is shoulder lenght and I wear glasses! I dress mostly comfortable, but I do enjoy wearing dresses and skirts. I only wear make up, when I feel like it (which means mascara, because I can’t do makeup…haha).

MBTI &/or Engram: INxJ, Type 6

Personality: I’m introverted and a little shy. I’m anxious, but have been told that I’m calm personified. I feel awkward a lot of the time. I try my hardest to be polite and kind. I do get annoyed easily, but try not to show it. I’m not easy to get close to. I observe, before I act. I enjoy joking around with my friends, which contains playfully teasing and flirting. My sense if humor can be dry and sometimes dark, but also silly. It’s all over the place.

Likes (at least like three things): I love cats, having time for myself, playing video games (who would have thought?), Horror Movies (Morbid things in general isnterest me) reading, scented candles, soft blankets

Dislikes (at least three things): Forced social interactions, people, not being able to sleep, being late and unorganized, spiders

Extra fun fact: Despite me disliking people, I work in the medical fiend. I quite enjoy my work.

BG3 EXTRA-

Race: Human

Class: Monk

D&D alignment: Lawful neutral

Please excuse any mistakes, English is not my first language! Thank you in advance, and I hope you have a nice day!❤️

~~~~~ MATCHUPS ~~~~~

BG3

Shadowheart

~~~~~ HEADCANONS ~~~~~

Shadowheart respects privacy, especially yours. She is already a very private person, so it's okay if you don't open up to her right away.

Once you two open up to one another, it's all over. You two are only ever flirting and chatting.

Shadowheart is queen at getting you to blush with her slightly raunchy jabs.

She gives off candle-girl vibes because of the occult stuff she's involved in and because she loves the smells.

She loves to spend time with you privately, away from others; she feels like too many prying eyes ruin the moment.

She will learn how to help you sleep better so you never tire.

She will teach you some cool healing spells so you can always care for yourself and others.

~~~~~ BLURB ~~~~~

You were sitting in Shadowheart's tent, eyes closed, listening to her prayer. Though her Goddess seemed a bit extreme, you felt it was respectful to be calm and quiet during her prayers. As Shadowheart finished her routine, you opened your eyes to observe her gentle features. She was always the most graceful in these moments. Usually, she was a vicious warrior on the field, but in the privacy of her tent, she looked like an angel. Once done, Shadowheart blew out her offering candle and turned to look at you, "Alright, my love, everything is done. Should we head down to the spring nearby and freshen up? Or would you prefer to read for a while?"

You heavily considered both options before choosing the latter; there was still too much warm sun out for you to get cleaned up right this second. As you two chose your material and headed to a small opening nearby camp, you tripped, grabbing Shadowhearts hand to brace yourself. She usually didn't like PDA out in front of your companions as this could symbolize weakness, but she immediately dropped everything to help you. Standing there in shock as she assessed you, you noticed everyone in camp watching. A red blush covered your face. It's not like your relationship was a secret, but you two rarely showed worry or concern in front of others.

After Shadowheart had given the all-clear, you two finished your walk to the clearing. Sighing now that the feeling of all eyes on you had faded, you turned to your partner, "Thank you, but why were you okay with doing all of that?" Shadowheart laughed gently before speaking, "Everyone knows that we are together, plus that elf has been getting some ideas recently from what I have heard, and I needed to stake my claim." You stared at her in shock before laughing gently and kissing her cheek. You two spent the rest of the afternoon reading before cleaning off and heading to bed.

~~~~~ EXTRA ~~~~~

(You two sat around a book Shadowheart used as a kid to learn healing magic. She was trying hard to teach you the basics of healing to help you understand the more advanced spells)

Y/N: So, do I do this? (You move your hands in a pattern)

Shadowheart: It's more like this (She replicates the pattern perfectly)

Y/N: All it looks like is you moving them in a fast circle. Why can't I just keep potions on me?

Shadowheart: Because knowing to heal in battle is far superior to those disgusting potions now once more.

Y/N: I already know how to do essential healing, though; why can't we move on to the more advanced stuff. ( You flipped the pages and imitated the hand placements. A bright spark erupted from your hand and smacked Gale in the forehead)

Shadowheart: (laughing) That's why, but good job conjuring a minor firebolt.

HOGWARTS LEGACY

Ominis Gaunt

~~~~~ HEADCANONS ~~~~~

Ominis doesn't easily trust people, so he was put off by you at first.

Once he opens up, you two act like a married couple.

The flirtations are enough to make Sebastion blush.

Ominis likes using your arm to guide him more than his wand.

He also likes to trick you into getting close to him so he can tell you something, only to whisper something naughty in your ear.

He is afraid to ask you to let him touch your face, not because he doesn't want to but because he knows how intense that can feel.

He gives you his jumpers when it is cold outside.

He really enjoys it when you help him bully Sebastion.

~~~~~ BLURB ~~~~~

It had been a long day studying; with all the running around and filling out your field guide, you were practically pooped for the time being. In the undercroft, lying on a couch, you heard the door open above. It was probably Sebastion since it was just after his Transfiguration class that you kept your eyes closed and rested. The silence in the room was eery and not typical for the boisterous man. Glassy eyes hover above you as you open an eye to peek up. You giggled and reached out to pat Ominis's head. Pulling back in fright, Ominis quickly caught up with himself.

"My love, you scared me. I thought you were sleeping," You laughed gently, putting his hair back in place. "I was resting. I am exhausted from all the running around today, but I was far from sleep. I still have some things I need to get done." Ominis smiled impishly. You already knew what was coming, "Am I on that list of things you need to do?" You smirked, moving closer to him, ready to complete this battle. "I don't know, Ominis. Can you handle all of this?" gently, you caressed his arm, watching him shudder. Ominis smiled in return and carrressed your face, "I think I can do more than handle my love." As you two moved in to kiss, you heard an obnoxious gaging sound.

"God, could you two get a room that's disgusting." You laughed as Ominis turned to face his best friend. " Sebastion, I am afraid you are the blind one then, friend; as you can see, we were, in fact, in a room alone till you showed up." Laughing harder, looking at Sebastions face, you stood up, helping Ominis as well. "You know Sebastion, if you could just land a girlfriend, you wouldn't be so bothered." Ominis laughed into his sleeve before pulling you into a side hug and kissing your cheek. "She is just bloody brilliant."

~~~~~ EXTRA ~~~~~

(You had spent all day with Sebastion setting up the perfect surprise for Ominis. Since his birthday fell just before the break, you would celebrate it as a group this year.)

Y/N: You know Sebastion, if you didn't stomp like an oger, he wouldn't know where we were.

Sebastion: Oh, please. For a blind man, Ominis knows everything all the time, and I am surprised we have gotten this far without him catching on.

(You two enter the Underdark 15 minutes before you asked Ominis to meet)

Y/N: Still, you are loud; everything you do is what will give us away.

Sebastion: Sure, I will. Definitely not you, with your horrible lying skills.

(As you two turn on the light, you both yell in unison, dropping the gifts in your hands)

Ominis: (Wearing a party hat) Why hello, you two, I have been waiting.

[hils79]

Hils Watches Fairyland Lovers - Ep 21

That is a lot of booze! He'll die if he drinks all that I don't care if he's immortal

This dude had the patience of a saint. Gets woken up in the middle of the night by Bai Qi pacing around his bedroom, then goes out in the middle of the night to buy more booze because nothing they have is the right kind

Oh, yeah, I forgot he's a lightweight who passes out after one drink. He's had two sips of beer and he's drunk already.

Well. He fell in love with a girl who looks just like his first love from hundreds of years ago. By falling in love he's slowly releasing the repressed, dark side of himself that he keeps hallucinating. Oh, yeah, and the evil version of himself wants to kill the woman he loves. Or he did until he saw she looks like their first love. I don't even know what he wants to do now. Does that about cover it?

You just described him as a 'lifelong bachelor'. He's either ace or gay. Either way I think falling in love with a woman is not an option.

I still don't really know how she fits in all this. Bai Qi has seen her memories and confirmed she's human, and she has a dad who clearly knows her. Is the a reincarnation of Bai Qi's first love? She seems to be able do to things only she could do. I'm confused.

Okay, while the assistant dude needs OT for all Bai Qi's nonsense I'm not sure letting him roam around outside drunk by himself is the solution. Now he's just passed out in the street.

Once again a character sleeping with all the lights on. Also, that pillow does not look comfortable

That generally means 'I've had a really stupid idea'

I'm sorry to say I still don't really care about their romance much at all. Yang Jian and Xiao Xiao are more interesting to me.

Bai Qi: Pretends to be an asshole and breaks up with Lin Xia to keep her safe Hei Qi: LOL this is hilarious

Oh my god what is that on his feet?

I love that Lin Xia's dad has basically adopted Yang Jian at this point.

And I love that Yang Jian is slowly starting to dress more like a regular person

That is definitely not a PlayStation

I love these two basically being protective dad and brother

OH MY GOD THEY'RE CAT SLIPPERS! Wait, are those the slippers he wore in SCI? Shit, where are my SCI screenshots from when I livetweeted it?

Ah, no, the SCI slippers are totally different but also cat slippers

Wait, what?

Oh my god he has a leather jacket now. Not sure what's going on with his hair though

Ooh I want a seating area in the middle of a pond like this

[itsuki-minamy]

"K - RETURN OF KINGS" (Novel)

CHAPTER 2: SILVER CHOICE

* List of Chapters

Translation: Naru-kun Raws: Ridia

He swept every corner of every room.

He didn't leave a single hair behind, which was impossible given the nature of that house. Still, with that kind of feeling, Kuro cleaned up carefully. He cleaned everything from the kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom to the toilet.

A safe house that would hide them, even for a short time. He wanted to return the favor.

The ten or so cats that were the original owners of the house gathered in a corner of the room and looked at Kuro with sleepy eyes.

The reason they didn't bother with him cleaning up was probably because they wanted to sleep, not because they understood Kuro's feelings.

After finishing all the preparations, Kuro called to the corner of the room. "Neko. It's time to go."

"Hmmm~..."

Neko who was dozing with the cats slowly raised her neck. The resentful look hadn't changed since he decided to leave there.

He knew how she felt. It turned out to be an unexpectedly comfortable hiding place. The cats seemed to have become good friends, and Kuro had no trouble taking care of them.

Still, there was a division in things.

"We have to go."

Kuro's repeated words contained a soft resonance. Neko blinked many times. Each time, Kuro saw the resentment turn to sadness.

"...See you."

Her friends responded by purring as she silently stroked the cat's hand. Standing up, the two of them opened the front door of the safe house together.

And, the man who was standing there, his eyes sparkled unexpectedly when he saw Kuro.

"Oh, are you leaving yet?"

Kuro didn't know the strangely dressed man's name. He only recognized him as an "informant". He was the one who prepared a safe house for the two who had to hide after being attacked by "Jungle".

"Oh. It was for a short time, but they took care of us."

"It doesn't matter. It's not just for you."

It was that informant who told him that the bounty that had been placed on Kuro in "Jungle" had been withdrawn due to a failed mission. For him, who originally buys and sells information, "Jungle" seems to be a kind of business rival. The fact that he helped Kuro and his friend was also based on the principle that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend".

"Even if the reward was withdrawn, it was yesterday. It's still not certain. I think it's safer to stay here for a while longer, but..."

The concerned look wasn't just for show. It was only a couple of days, but Kuro had guessed that this informant was so kind-hearted that you wouldn't believe he was from the underworld.

That's why he shouldn't depend on him forever.

"I appreciate the offer, but it's already been decided by me and Neko."

"Oh, yes! It's not bad here, but wagahai is going home after all!"

Neko who was clinging to Kuro's back said that as if she was covering fire. The informant shrugged in astonishment and ushered the two in.

"Oh. If you go that far, I won't stop you anymore. Chasing people who leave is not my hobby."

"Sorry. Someday I will definitely return the favor."

"Don't do that. I didn't mean to help you with that intent."

Kuro bowed deeply to the informant, who stuck his tongue out at him and started walking. Judging from the fact that Neko also bowed, it seemed that she also felt indebted to the informant.

The moment they passed each other, the informant let out a single word.

"...Now that I think about it, I forgot there was a message."

Kuro stopped and looked at the informant curiously.

"Message? From who?"

"The "Blue King". He asks you to visit him."

"......"

Kuro's eyes were wide. Neko didn't seem to quite understand the meaning, and she compared Kuro and the informant with a dumbfounded expression.

The informant said, taking the initiative.

"I didn't tell you. They figured it out on their own. Be careful where you are; if you have even a little skill with information, you'll figure it out in no time."

"...Mmm."

At those words, Kuro let out a growl from deep in his throat.

++++++++++

Kuro stopped and looked towards the building.

It was a solid brick building. The surrounding area was surrounded by iron fences, giving the atmosphere of a prison or a fortress.

Family Registration Division, Tokyo Legal Affairs Bureau, Fourth Division, "Scepter 4", headquarters. This is the base of operations of the Blue Clan who governs the "order".

Kuro took a deep breath.

It seems that the pretext under which Munakata called Kuro and Neko to his base of operations was only for the purpose of questioning the situation. That informant commented that the fact that it was a "request" rather than an "order" showed that "Scepter" 4 was not hostile.

Still, he can't let his guard down. He will not drink or eat, but this is the dependent territory of another clan. He needed a certain amount of spirit to get on board alone.

(Shiro.)

While thinking, Kuro tied up his own hair.

(Until you return, I will do what I can. As a member of the Silver Clan, Yatogami Kuro.)

He closed his eyes in silence and offered his vows to the man who is his teacher and friend.

After that, Kuro slowly took a step forward.

He approached a soldier in blue who was waiting inside the gate. It was a familiar face. If he wasn't mistaken, it was Benzai. A member of the "Special Forces", the elite force of "Scepter 4".

"Captain Munakata is waiting for you in the office."

After saying that, Benzai moved his gaze from him to explore.

"Hmm? Hey, where did the other one go?"

"It seems Neko didn't want to come. That's because, as the name suggests, she's a selfish alley cat."

"Oh..."

He worried whether or not that argument would be accepted by the person who governed the law somehow, but Benzai didn't seem to care much. After muttering in astonishment, he turned on his heel and entered the garrison. Kuro looked back at the building and then started walking with Benzai.

For some reason, there was a tea room attached to the office.

"Welcome. Kuro Yatogami-kun."

The "Blue King", Reisi Munakata, sat on the seat of the guest of honor and greeted Kuro with a smile. The posture of sitting upright with a straight back was like a model for a precision machine. A steaming teapot was placed in front of him.

After standing still for a while, Kuro finally asked a question.

"What is this?"

"It's the tea ceremony. Do you know it?"

Kuro responded sullenly.

"I know. Am I asking why is this thing here?"

"Since a strange Clan member is visiting us, we have to show some courtesy. It also means apologizing for being rude a year ago."

At those words, Kuro's face clouded slightly.

Exactly one year ago, Kuro, Neko, and Shiro were surrounded by "Scepter 4". To let the other two escape, he challenged Munakata on his own and was utterly defeated.

Of course, the opponent was the "King". He didn't challenge him thinking he could win. However, the humiliation of being treated like twisting a baby's hand and being stepped on with overwhelming force was still deeply etched in Kuro's heart.

"Are you saying that was 'disrespectful'?"

Hearing Kuro's dry voice, Munakata's eyes widened and he said, "Oh!"

"Should I demonstrate it in action? I don't mind rubbing my forehead on the mat here..."

"Is different."

Saying that, Kuro entered the tea room.

"I challenged you for what I believed in. You also defeated me for your fairness. That's all. It wasn't impolite."

He removed the scabbard from his waist and placed it on his left side. A position where you can always attack your opponent. Showing that he does not trust that person.

Seeing that, Munakata smiled slightly.

"I see. It was a slip of my tongue. Allow me to apologize for that rudeness."

Kuro looked at Munakata's smile without breaking his rigid expression.

"Then will you accept my tea again?"

"Yes."

Then the tea party started.

As a disciple of the former "Colorless King", Ichigen Miwa, Kuro knows all about the customs of literary and military arts. Even from Kuro's point of view, Munakata's tea ceremony was nothing short of splendid. He received the tea that was offered to him according to etiquette and slowly savored it.

As Munakata looked at that figure with a thoughtful look, he cut to the main topic.

"First of all, I would like to express my gratitude for helping to arrest the criminal. The other day you were involved in a bombing raid caused by "Jungle" and you disappeared..."

"Yes. We managed to escape just in time, but apparently we were attacked by the Green Clan. We hid for a while."

"It's a smart move."

Munakata said that with a half-smile. Kuro closed his eyes silently and asked.

"The reason why we are being watched is because we are members of the Silver Clan, right?"

Munakata smiled deeper and answered the question.

"It is true that the Green Clan is looking for the "Silver King". The only foothold for that is the Clansman who finally created the "Silver King" Adolf K. Weismann, who had been alone for more than half a century."

Munakata pushed a ladle at Kuro and said.

"Kuro Yatogami-kun. You and that Strain girl. You'll inevitably get marked."

Kuro looked down and muttered.

"What exactly is the Green Clan?"

Munakata narrowed his eyes in response to that question.

"It's a strange clan. Even among the clansmen, almost none of them have met the "Green King"."

"I heard that it is a special clan connected through the Internet, but it is too strange that a clan member has never met their "King"..."

"I agree. Calling them clan members may be the first mistake."

Munakata slowly got up and walked over to his desk. Running his finger over the desktop, he performed some operation, and a hologram appeared in the air.

"The "Green King", Hisui Nagare uses a social networking service called "Jungle" to secure his pawns."

Kuro stood next to Munakata and looked at the image.

A geometric pattern slowly unfolded against the background of the earth's rotation. The pattern eventually formed a large tree. A gigantic network that covers the stars, that is...

"Is that the "Jungle" site?"

"Yes. Users who have no knowledge of the existence of clans or supernatural powers and who simply log into "Jungle" as an SNS are referred to as "E-Rank", taking the last letter of "Jungle". They are the lowest rank, and by participating and completing quests, they accumulate points and increase their rank."

"In other words, the psychic crimes that are causing trouble in the city right now..."

Munakata nodded and continued as if he was giving a lecture.

"The mission of earning those points is like making an online game come true. Using the points, you have accumulated in this way, you can increase your rank, and if you go up a rank, then follow the G-Rank, and you will be granted temporary supernatural power."

"Tentative start..."

"If you fail a mission, the points you've accumulated up to that point will be deducted, and in some cases, you'll lose your ability. There's nothing we can do about the suspects who have been cut off from "Jungle" and turned into people common, and we have no choice but to hand them over to the police."

Kuro muttered into his mouth that the lizard's tail was being cut off.

The clansman he defeated in the alley must have been one of them. A pitiful man who regrets losing all of his supernatural powers and becoming a mere human. The appearance of being thrown down the upper steps of "Jungle" was a far cry from the appearance of the clansman Kuro knew. There must be a strong sense of camaraderie not only in "Homura", but even in "Scepter 4", which is based on vertical division, but he didn't feel such a bond in "Jungle".

Kuro narrowed his eyes and asked Munakata.

"But... is there any member of the clan who is officially empowered?"

In Kuro's mind, Munakata said as if he could see through the image of a man.

"The highest ranking Ranker. A handful of executives must have met the "Green King" Nagaru Hisui and received power directly. One of them is the person you are currently imagining. It is Mishakuji Yukari."

Mishakuji Yukari. It is the name of a traitor who was once Kuro's older brother and who turned his sword against his master, Ichigen Miwa.

Now that man belongs to "Jungle". He seems that he is in a position that can be said to be the right hand of the "Green King". He doesn't know the details, nor does he want to know. All he knows is that Mishakuji Yukari is Yatogami's enemy, and that his swordsmanship is far superior to Yatogami's.

"Have you had any contact with Mishakuji Yukari since then?"

"No."

Kuro clenched his fists. Will he be able to defeat him the next time they meet? Giving an answer to that question. He felt a helpless frustration with himself.

Munakata asked again.

"What about the "Silver King"?"

"I haven't seen him in a long time...!"

The reason he raised his voice was because he didn't want to hear the obvious. After all, it was Kuro and Neko who were looking forward to the return of the "Silver King" more than anyone.

However, Munakata's attitude did not have the color of mockery. With a serious expression, he asked another question.

"Did the "Silver King" say something about the "Slate"?"

Kuro's eyes widened in surprise and then answered.

"No. Ever since he regained his memories as the "Silver King", we've only been together for a short time. I didn't have time to talk about it."

"...Is that so."

"What happened to the "Slate"?"

At Kuro's question, Munakata suddenly looked away.

"No. However, now that the "Golden King" is gone, I am in charge of managing the "Slate". I just wanted to know if there was any information left behind by the leading person, the 'Silver King' regarding the "Slate"."

Kuro looked at Munakata.

He was hiding something. The current "Blue King" is the kind of man who always hides his motives, hides his hand, and builds detailed plans and behind-the-scenes calculations that no one knows about. Ever since their meeting a year ago, Kuro had always had that perception.

However, Munakata was somewhat different.

He didn't think to confirm the identity of the discomfort. Munakata has circumstances of Munakata. There's no reason anyone other than "Scepter 4" should intervene.

"Sorry I couldn't provide any useful information, but if that's all then I'm sorry."

Kuro bowed deeply and began to head towards the exit.

"Kuro Yatogami-kun."

Behind him, Munakata yelled.

"The Silver Clan had no dependent territories."

"And with that?"

"In this situation, it would be a shame not to have a base of operations as a clan. If you don't mind..."

Saying so, Munakata, the "Blue King" extended his hand towards Kuro.

"The members of "Scepter 4" will protect you. I give you the authority to stay in the camp and I promise to protect you in case of an emergency."

"......"

It would probably be a good option.

The current Silver Clan is not established as a clan. It has no dependent territory that should have been a safe zone for clan members, it only has two members, and the most important "King" is missing. Kuro and Neko would be in a refugee-like situation from the perspective of other clans. Protecting them may be the responsibility of "Scepter 4", who claims to be "order".

If he accepts this proposal, he will not be targeted by "Jungle". There will be no more hiding and being forced to flee.

But...

"Thank you for your offer, but I reject it."

At that answer, Munakata gave a slight smile.

"Oh, how boring."

He only took a step forward.

"I don't think you and I have a bad relationship."

Two steps, three steps, four steps, five steps, six steps. Munakata was slowly approaching, and Kuro stepped back as if he was being drawn in by some unusually intimidating feeling. His back touched the door, and Kuro unconsciously felt "cornered".

Averting his eyes from Munakata's gaze as if he was looking at himself, Kuro said:

"Ah, it's not a compatibility issue..."

After saying that, Munakata took a deep breath and took a step back.

"Are you saying you don't want to owe other clans?"

"......"

His previous me probably would have.

When he was working to fulfill Ichigen Miwa's will, he wouldn't have even responded to calls from other clans. At that time, he was fine, because the "Black Dog", which was only true to the words of his late master, was nothing more than a device that lived alone and accomplished the mission by himself.

But now...

"No. It's not just me."

Munakata widened his eyes slightly surprised by Kuro, who responded with a smile.

++++++++++

Fushimi Saruhiko stopped his work as he heard footsteps behind him.

Due to the mass arrest of more than 20 members of the "Jungle" clan the other day, "Scepter 4" suddenly perked up. Among them were mid-level N-Rank users, and it was a great harvest to be able to requisition all of their PDAs.

PDA analysis and Clansman questioning. The information obtained from both sides can be a stepping stone to the upper echelons of "Jungle", which has been shrouded in mystery until now. Not only for the intelligence department of "Scepter 4", but also for Fushimi himself, it's a job worth immersing himself in.

That was why he wanted to ignore the footsteps behind him.

The heavy footsteps stopped right next to Fushimi.

"Fushimi-kun, do you have a minute?"

Fushimi looked at Munakata while inwardly clicking his tongue.

"Has the interview with Yatogami Kuro finished?"

"Yes. He's probably going through exit procedures at the gate right now."

After a pause, Munakata, as if nothing had happened...

"Fushimi-kun, please follow him."

"Eh?"

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. (Are you asking me to follow him right now? Are you kidding?)

As if he heard that voice, Munakata looked at Fushimi and smiled softly.

"The Green Clan may contact him again. Stay tuned."

It was an unmistakable "order." As a member of "Scepter 4", the King's orders cannot be ignored. At least, this time, Fushimi responded by clicking his tongue in reality.

"I understand."

Instant job change. Benzai and Enomoto are the people from the Special Task Force who are capable of handling such important information. Facing Fushimi, who started writing an email requesting them to take over, Munakata spoke in a serious tone.

"Please inform Awashima-kun as necessary."

Saying that, he turned on his heel and tried to leave the briefing room.

Pausing to compose an email, Fushimi glanced over his shoulder at Munakata. He shot a bored look and a voice behind him.

"Where will you be, Captain?"

Munakata's response was direct.

"In the Mihashira Tower."

(Forcing people to work and pilgrimage to the Golden Clan.), Fushimi thought sarcastically.

"Again? Lately, you've been spending a lot more time with the 'Slate' than in the headquarters."

Munakata did not look back. He didn't even bother to reply. Fushimi clicked his tongue again at the sound of footsteps.

++++++++++

Kuro was found at the main gate of the garrison.

Originally, he is a cat who seems to have run free. He's sure he'll come back when he's hungry, and normally he would have left him alone, but for some reason he worried that he wasn't even at lunch. Before he boiled the soba noodles, he walked around the place, thinking that if he didn't find it, he would eat it first.

A young man was kneeling down and caressing Kuro. Zenjo called out to Kuro, who comfortably rubbed his head against the youth's palm.

"Kuro."

The young man turned around. As he looked at Zenjo in bewilderment.

"What?"

"Oh, no, I called the cat..."

"Oh."

The young man nodded approvingly.

"Is he called Kuro because he's a black cat? Excuse me."

He picked up Kuro's body and handed it over to Zenjo.

Zenjo accepted it with one hand. Most people who see the one-armed giant Zenjo for the first time express surprise at him, but the young man didn't show even the slightest hint of that. After bowing politely, he turned on his heel and left.

His demeanor and the sword at his waist couldn't be that of an ordinary person. As he guessed that it was probably a famous clan member, he heard a voice behind him.

"Zenjo-san."

When he turned around, there was a woman standing there. Seri Awashima. A talented woman who serves as the deputy commander of "Scepter 4".

"Do you have some time?"

Her dignified voice had a strength that made it impossible to tell if she had or not. Zenjo blinked a few times and apologized to Kuro, who was purring into his palm.

"I'm sorry, but please have lunch first."

Lunch consisted of a heaping bowl of red bean paste.

After being ushered into the reception room, when Awashima asked, "Did you finish your food?"

One by one in front of Zenjo and Awashima, a mountain of black bean paste was piled up. It seemed like a joke, but Awashima's expression was serious and there was no sign that it was a joke.

She reached out her hand, took the red bean paste directly and brought it to her mouth. After that, Zenjo asked Awashima.

"Subcommander, what kind of business brings you here?"

Looking directly at Zenjo, Awashima opened her mouth.

"Today, I would like to hear from you as an individual, not as a deputy commander. For the previous "Blue King", Habari Jin's right-hand man, Gouki Zenjo."

Once again, the hand that was reaching out for the anko stopped in midair. Zenjo slowly shook his head with a half-hearted smile.

"I don't think he can say anything useful."

"You are the only person Captain Munakata wanted to bring back from the previous "Blue King" Habari Jin clan."

"I'm just an employee who works in the reference room."

He did not want to be humble. The past is the past. No matter what Munakata plans, no matter what Awashima sees, he was no longer a demon.

Despite Zenjo's casual attitude, Awashima's expression did not change and she opened her mouth.

"The Kagutsu incident occurred 14 years ago, when the Sword of Damocles of the former "Red King" fell. Zenjo-san, your left arm was also lost at that time."

Zenjo's eyebrows twitched.

The Kagutsu incident.

Caused by the "Kings", it was a form of end. It was the name of the detestable ending that engulfed and devoured several "Kings", a city, hundreds of thousands of lives, and Zenjo's left arm.

The past is the past. That's how it is.

However, there is certainly a past that should not be inadvertently entered.

"I heard that without you, the change in Japan's topography would have been more fatal. If things had turned out worse, the Japanese archipelago might have split..."

And Awashima was about to step into the past with some intention.

"Affected by the turbulence of Genji Kagutsu's Weismann deviation, the "Red King" at that time, your "King", Jin Habari, was also in danger of dropping his Sword of Damocles. But the worst was averted. Because..."

For a moment, Awashima hesitantly lowered her gaze.

However, the words that followed were inevitable to fulfill her purpose. Looking at Zenjo again as if she had made up her mind, Awashima spoke clearly.

"Because before that, Zenjo-san, you brought down your own "King"."

The previous "Blue King" Habari Jin.

Even now, 14 years later, just thinking of that name still made his missing left arm tremble. His own master. His own righteousness. His own "King". The fact that he cut him with his own sword will never go away.

Zenjo only responded briefly.

"Yes."

"...I know it's an insensitive question. But please tell me. What was the old "Blue King" like before the Sword of Damocles fell?"

Awashima's expression was tinged with despair. Maybe that was the point, what she really wanted to hear.

Looking at her calmly, Zenjo opened his mouth.

"You're worried about the Captain, aren't you?"

Awashima took a deep breath. Zenjo continued.

"The Captain's "Sword of Damocles" has a scratch on it. It seems there are other members who have noticed it as well. How is the Captain?"

"Usually, there are no changes. However, ever since he was put in charge of Mihashira Tower, he has spent more and more time with the "Slate". Every time, I feel that something is slowly changing..."

"Is that so."

Awashima clenched her fist tightly on her knees and said thoughtfully.

"I'm terrified. I was wondering if the reason the Captain called Zenjo-san to "Scepter 4" was for him to do the same job as before one day..."

"That's my job?"

"Eh?"

Unable to comprehend the meaning, Awashima raised her voice and looked at Zenjo. Zenjo didn't care and he got up from his chair.

"Reisi Munakata's right hand is you, not me."

"......!"

Awashima's eyes widened.

"Thank you for the food. I had sweets for the first time in a long time. It was delicious."

Pulling back his tied sleeves, Zenjo brushed past Awashima and left the reception room. After closing the door, suddenly, there were words that crossed his mind.

"Fate, huh?"

Everything has a role. A great providence that transcends the will of a small human being. Munakata said that this was what caused Zenjo's 'arm' to move and cut his 'King' at that moment.

Maybe that's right. Because none other than Habari had said the same thing. What he trusted is not Zenjo's head or his words, but his "arms". The "Blue King" who was looking at things from a great height might have seen the same thing.

That's what Zenjo thought.

He wondered if he and Seri Awashima had a destiny.

Is the same fate awaiting that man named Reisi Munakata?

There is no other answer than the "King". The past is the past, and the present is the present. Those who live in the current "Scepter 4" will have their own future.

While he was thinking about such things, Zenjo slowly walked towards the reference room.

++++++++++

"Hmm...!"

Poking the red marble into her blue eye, Neko was looking for "him".

However, what she could see through it all was the red-stained bar of the HOMRA bar and the red clansmen staring at her in amazement. Neko raised her arms in an explosion of frustration and irritation.

"Not good after all! I can't see Shiro!"

"Did you really see the figure of the "Silver King"?"

Kusanagi, standing on the other side of the bar counter, called out to her. Neko barked as if she bought a fight that had been sold.

"I saw Shiro! When I looked at the marble, Shiro was there and he was fine!"

"Because I put my strength into that marble so you can connect with the person you want to find the most."

Anna, who was sitting next to Neko, said that in a soft voice.

This fall, Neko and Anna had a strange connection. It all started when Kuro and Neko, who were passing by, rescued Anna and Kamamoto from being attacked by the Green Clan. After that, even after Anna woke up as the "Red King", "Homura" did not forget her kindness and was kind to her.

Of course, she did not forget that "Homura" chased them in the past, but Anna was different. She's cute, kind, and gives her tasty things. Neko and Anna had become good friends.

"Well, if Anna says so, I will."

Kusanagi shrugged slightly. Neko looked back at the marble and muttered sadly.

"But I saw Shiro, and that was the only time... Hey, Anna, show me one more time!"

Anna smiled at Neko who snuggled up to her, but shook her head.

"You won't always be able to see him. But I'm sure he's connected. Your loved ones may be watching you."

"Oh, really?!"

Encouraged by those words, Neko looked back at the marble.

"Shiro! Shiro! Are you looking?"

"By the way, why are you standing here like it's natural? You're from another clan!"

Yata angered his shoulders and made such an accusation. Neko pouted and walked away from her,

"Because the glasses boss said he wanted us to go with him."

"So, you ran away and made this place your haven. Well, if you're in our dependent territory, even the blues won't be able to get their hands on you."

Kamamoto's words irritated Yata even more. He held out his arms intimidatingly,

"Don't be using HOMRA conveniently!"

Neko shook her head like a baby.

"I hate the glasses boss! I hate the other glasses guy too! I don't want to go to the blue hide!"

"Hey, you!"

"What happened to the Black Dog?"

Kamamoto changed the subject. Neko blinked and shrugged.

"I don't know..."

"You do not know?"

"I'm not worried about Kurosuke! Even if we get separated, we can meet again and again!"

When she put her head in Anna's lap, she stroked her head silently. If Neko was a real cat, she would have been purring. Anna's knees were so warm and soft and comfortable.

"An interrogation, huh? Looks like the blue guys are falling behind the green guys' moves."

"It's a good feeling, isn't it? There are many people who have green breath among the common people, and I don't know where the clansmen are."

"Those who live a normal life while playing with PDAs are connected to the vegetation. It's hard to do."

Kusanagi and the others were having some difficult conversations, while Neko absently sat on Anna's lap and listened.

Countermeasures and strategies, Neko didn't have such troublesome thoughts. However, those people with green masks were only perceived as "disgusting guys" who chased after Neko and Kuro. There was only one thing she could do with the "bad guys": ignore them and run. At least that's what Neko has always done.

But, now that she thought about it, those people don't seem to do that.

"They're not targeting Anna again, right?"

Kusanagi responded with a wry smile to Yata's words.

"Anna is now the "Red Queen", they won't want to mess with her."

"Even if they come, I'll be fine."

Looking at the hand that was caressing Neko, Anna muttered under her breath.

"The red inherited from Mikoto. With my red, I can fight. I won't lose."

Resting her head on Anna's lap, Neko stared at the gesture.

These people, "Homura", are trying to fight. They are trying to stand up. to protect your precious things.

"...Anna, are you okay?"

When she said that, Anna's kind eyes looked at Neko. Neko half sat down and communicated her feelings with gestures.

"Kurosuke said that the power of red was destined for destruction, but... Anna, won't you explode with the power of the king?"

Neko doesn't know much about the former "Red King". Still, she could feel his terrifying presence on her skin even from a distance. She recalled that she had the impression that he was so scary that she wanted to run away from a distance, but that it was somehow sad.

Neko doesn't think Anna is scary. But somewhere there was the sadness of the previous king. Neko doesn't know what will happen to Anna, who is trying to face the battle as a "King". Not knowing, she couldn't help but worry about it.

A person who has become "King" may suddenly disappear one day.

Just like the previous "Red King" did.

Like Shiro.

Suddenly, Anna got up from the couch. With just a smile in response to the restless Neko, she headed towards the wall.

There were many photographs there. They were all happy, cheerful, shoulder to shoulder and laughing. A fragment of memories now long gone, with little familiarity to Neko.

However, the figure of Anna gazing at them eloquently told her how precious those memories were.

"I'm not as strong as Mikoto. But I have a feeling that I'll be fine."

Saying that, Anna slowly turned around.

"I got this power to protect myself. There's Izumo, Misaki, Rikio, and everyone else."

Some important people. Also the people next to her, and…

"Tatara and Mikoto are here too."

Those who have already disappeared are still alive in Anna's heart.

"That's why I'm fine. This beautiful red is my friend."

Holding her chest, Anna said that.

Seeing Anna like this, "Homura" responded in the manner of them.

Some tried to hide their pain from her by looking away from her, while others nodded feverishly.

Among them, Yata was the only one who stepped forward and declared.

"I'm going to protect Anna too! No, I know that Anna is stronger than me currently, but…"

Yata scratched his head impatiently.

"Until now, I've always thought that Mikoto-san was amazing and didn't understand anything... I may not understand much even now, but I'm still the kind of person Anna can rely on. I'll be the kind of man Anna can lean on!"

"Yata-san...!"

Kamamoto looked at Yata with a hint of emotion as he sobbed.

Kusanagi and Anna had small smiles on their lips.

Neko got a little happy and jumped on her feet.

"Anna, you're going to be fine! That's good!"

The anxiety she had felt before disappeared. She is sure that Anna will be fine. Because there are so many people who care about her and who she cares about them. Even if they have to fight the green ones, they will surely be able to work together and beat them.

"When Shiro returns, I'll bring him! Shiro has been king for a long time, so he is the king's senpai!"

"Yes. I want to talk to him."

Saying that, Neko and Anna laughed together, and then Yata intervened.

"Hey, it's not easy to get along with other "Kings"."

Puzzled, Neko asked Yata.

"Why?"

"Eh?"

"Why can't we just get along?"

"...No, I don't know why... but that's how it was..."

To Yata, who was muttering, Neko seemed to be saying something obvious.

"It's better to get along!"

"Neko is right."

At Anna's sudden comment, Yata blurted out the words "Oh, oh..." and scratched his cheek awkwardly. Neko puffed out her chest in triumph.

At that moment, Kusanagi came over with a tray.

"Ok. If you don't fight, you can still eat this."

Neko's eyes sparkled. What Kusanagi brought were hot pancakes with brightly colored fruits, sweet and fragrant vanilla ice cream, lattice-shaped chocolate and raspberry sauce.

"Wow! It's a snack! It's a snack~!"

Neko's eyes sparkled as she jumped onto the plate on the table. But...

"Kusanagi-san, me too!"

"Me too!"

"Nyaa?!"

Similarly, Yata and Kamamoto rushed to the plate. Neko cringed and cornered the plate to protect herself and Anna's party.

"You can take it yourselves."

"Ahhh!"

When Kusanagi said that with a shocked face, the two of them turned around and ran to the kitchen. Neko released her guard and turned to the pancake with a big smile.

"Hm~! Delicious!"

As she munched on the fluffy pancake, Neko suddenly remembered something that happened once. She said to Anna as gesticulated.

"You know, Kurosuke made this for me the other day too! While I'm talking, I'd like to put black honey on the pancakes. Kurosuke's story is long, so it's annoying, but what Kurosuke does is delicious!"

"That's a big deal. Black honey, huh. I might be able to do it. But still..."

Kusanagi gave Neko a smirk.

"Neko-chan also likes "Kurosuke"."

Neko's eyes widened as if the tip of her nose had been turned upside down.

If they ask if she likes him or hates him, well, he likes him. Kuro is fussy, annoying, and sometimes grumpy, but he's a nice guy nonetheless. He seriously thinks about Shiro and Neko, and he tries to protect them with his own body. Those days that the three of them went through were undoubtedly precious memories for Neko.

So Neko replied:

"I like Shiro better, and I like Kurosuke as much as I like fish?"

"Neko."

"Nyah?"

"You can come here with Kuro."

"Meow?"

Neko repeatedly blinked her round eyes. Today is a day when people say things she didn't expect, though Neko never lived to anticipate anything.

"You can stay here until Yashiro returns. It's safer here."

Neko looked around her.

As if to confirm Anna's words, both Kusanagi and Yata, who had returned from the kitchen, nodded slightly. Neko who had been chased by them and fought alongside them knows how strong they are. With "Homura" protecting her, even if the greens attack her again, she will be able to sleep peacefully.

But...

"Is there any dependent territory that you guys have? Ah, after becoming a member of the clan, the "Silver King" disappeared."

At Yata's casual words, Neko lowered her shoulders. She really didn't understand what "dependent territory" meant, but it was true that Shiro was not there. That's why they were being targeted by the greens.

"...Misaki."

Anna looked at Yata with sharp eyes. Perhaps finally realizing his own slip of the tongue, Yata hastened to explain.

"Ah... well, sorry..."

Neko kept her face down and shook her head.

"Alright."

"Ah, sorry! It's ok, as Anna says, if you stay here..."

"That's wrong!"

Neko looked up and smiled. Anna gave her a curious look.

Certainly, just as Yata said, Shiro was not there. There is nothing that can guarantee the safety of Kuro and Neko, and it is true that if they were chased by the Green Clan like the other day, they would have no choice but to run away.

Still, Neko was not alone.

Right next to her, was Kuro. He's not there right now, but she's sure that Shiro will come back. It is different from the days when she was alone, shivering with cold and loneliness.

Instead of giving up, Neko made a clear statement with hope burning in her heart.

"Because Wagahai has...!"

++++++++++

"Kurosuke!"

As he was crossing the bridge towards Gakuenjima, someone called out to him from behind.

When he turned around, Neko was jumping up and running towards him. Kuro asked Neko that she had reached him with an exasperated face.

"Where have you been?"

"I didn't want to go to the glasses boss, so I hid in Anna's place!"

It was really forceful. It seems that she doesn't feel sorry for pushing the troubles onto Kuro and quickly hides. However, that kind of thing about Neko is nothing new, so he didn't even feel like complaining now.

"Geez..."

"Hehe!"

Neko hugged Kuro who was sighing. A big smile appeared on Neko's face, as if something good had happened.

"What?"

Neko extended a red marble in front of Kuro. They gave it to her when she helped Anna Kushina that time.

It seems that it was endowed with the ability to perceive, and mirrored Shiro and Kuro, whom Neko cherishes the most.

How much the two were saved by that appearance. They didn't know where he was, no, they didn't even know if he was alive.

"This marble doesn't always reflect Shiro, but it's definitely connected to Shiro. Shiro might as well be watching you."

Looking at the happy Neko, Kuro also laughed.

"Oh, really?"

"Ok. So let's go home!"

Neko laughed as if she was convinced of something.

Seeing that, there was a scene that appeared in Kuro's mind.

Those were the words that Reisi Munakata said to him in the "Scepter 4" headquarters at that time.

"I offer you the protection of "Scepter 4"."

He thought that Munakata's offer was to their advantage. At least they wouldn't be attacked by the Green Clans. They could walk without worrying about their backs, and there would be no need to stay awake.

"Thank you for your offer, but I reject it."

Still, what Kuro said was…

"Even if I don't have any territory, I have a place to return to."

There was a reason for that.

Neko also remembered in the same way. At the HOMRA bar, Anna invited her to stay there.

"You should stay here until Yashiro returns."

Anna's words were kind, soft and full of warmth. If she had nodded her head, she surely would have lived a peaceful life. Surrounded by kind people, she should have been able to live in peace without being afraid of anything.

The Neko from a while ago would have done it without hesitation. Because it was everything Neko wanted.

However, Neko shook her head.

"Alright."

Anna's warm knees felt so good.

Those green guys are pretty scary though.

But still...

"Because Wagahai has a home to return to!"

Kuro and Neko were unaware of each other's situation. There was no way of knowing what kind of conversation each of them had with the "King" they met.

Still, the two of them crossed the bridge as if it were a matter of course. Because they know that it is the place to which they must return. As they squinted at the blurry sunset, they believed that somewhere, surely, their "King" was also looking towards that sunset.

Kuro and Neko walked away to go back to their own home.

[1-sasha-stuff-1]

Chapter 11: Complicated Emotions of In Another World

PLEASE READ BEFORE READING THE ACTUAL CHAPTER!!!

A/n:

How about we all pretend that I wasn't gone for 5 weeks, yea? Anyways, hope you enjoy the chapter! :D

Warning!!!: I'm just going to put it out there, this chapter will contain the topic child neglection, if you are uncomfortable with that, please just skip over it and read the Summary for that part at the beginning before the story actually starts. 

If you are ever experiencing any neglection or know of someone who is being neglected by their parents, please talk to someone! You're not alone and you don't have to be alone! You are loved, and if you don't believe that, just know that I care about each and all your being! 

Now that you have been warned, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Key:

f/d/b - favorite dog breed

fur/c - fur color

d/n - dog name

| | | | |

SUMMARY:

Summary: 

The person who interrupted Y/n thoughts was Aizawa and he talks with her as she vents out on how her parents aren't spending enough time and she has a sense of felling that she's starting to lose everyone again. Aizawa comforts her and offers his cell phone number so that she can talk to him if needed and walks her home.

END OF SUMMARY

| | | | | |  

“That’s some strong language for someone like you, kid.”

Hearing that mocking and cold voice, I spun around, ready to face whoever seemed to have been taunting me, but there was no one there. Turning around and scanning the area around me, it was deserted. Where was that voice coming from?

“Up here, kid.”

Looking up, I saw a man hanging from a lamppost. His long black hair covered his face as he wore a black outfit and a scarf that was wrapped around his neck. A pair of yellow goggles rested on his forehead and his eyes glowed red as he stared at me. 

Aizawa Shota, otherwise known as Eraser Head. 

As I met his red eyes with my e/c ones, I shivered as a cold wave of fear washed over me. He gave me a piercing gaze that made me feel like he could see right through me. I never thought that meeting Aizawa would be this intimidating, not only was he a teacher at U.A. but he was also a pro hero, and not to mention his quirk. His quirk seemed to be even more scary in person.

“Oh, um, hey. What’s up?” I asked, trying to sound calm so as not to let my inner fangirl out.

He jumped down from the lamppost, landing on the ground like a cat; gracefully in a way that made sense but didn’t at the same time. 

He then got up and started to walk towards me with his hand on his scarf, ready to use it and his quirk if necessary.

“Shouldn’t you be home by now? It’s late and your parents might be worried.” He said in a low voice, his eyes scanning me for any signs of a potential threat. 

I tried to act casual, but I couldn’t help but feel small under his gaze. 

“I’m pretty sure my parents won’t care.” I said, feeling a surge of guilt and anger towards my parents. Well, mostly my mom. 

The older man seemed to have noticed the tone in my voice, or the hurt in my eyes, because he then let his guard down slightly. He now stood in front of me, about three and a half feet away from me, waiting for me to continue.

Sighing, I continued with my little rant on the situation.

“Well, lately my parents have been away longer for work and stuff and so I guess they're just stressed and stuff. But I usually just give them space and stuff, you know? Although today I just wanted to say something and when my mom answered she seemed pretty bothered that I had called her, especially during one of her meetings. After she said she was in a meeting and all, I just kind of told her it wasn't important, and she got even more annoyed than she already was and just hung up on me. But like, it’s not my fault that they have their own shitty issues, right? Like, how was I supposed to know if she was busy with dad doing some stupid meeting?”

My voice rose as I clenched my fists, my eyes burning with rage. I ranted on and on about my mom and how she was starting to ignore me as well as my dad, even as I felt the sting in my eyes, warning me that tears were on the verge of spilling over and onto my face. 

“I swear to god they don’t even care about me, they’re too busy with their own goddamn lives, careers, and problems to even spend a few minutes with their own and only daughter. Like, they don’t even come home as often anymore! It’s like they’re trying to just shut me out and tune in on their own shit….”

Tears ran down my face as I looked away from his gaze, feeling ashamed of myself. 

I didn’t want him to see me cry, it made me feel weak. 

The moon cast a pale light over the empty street, the only sound was the distant hum of traffic. 

All of a sudden, arms wrapped around me, and a hand patted my back. Apparently, when I was lost in my thoughts, Aizawa had moved to give me a hug. 

“I know it might be hard on you, but it’s also hard on your parents. I’m pretty sure they're trying their best to be there for you, just give them some time, kid. It’ll work out.” He said softly.

“And if it doesn't?”

He stayed quiet for a moment or two until he sighed and separated from the hug, pulling out his phone once he stood straight again, and held out towards you. Confused, you looked at him, the phone in his hand, him, the phone, and back at him, head tilting as it always did for whenever you were confused. He sighed (for what felt like the millionth time) and explained. 

“If it doesn’t work out or if your parents aren’t home or anything, then I guess you can just vent it out on me about it.”

A small smile came onto your face, now that you have stopped crying. You pull out your phone and you both exchange numbers. Giving his phone back and vice versa, a silence fell upon the two of you, until you broke it with just two words.

“Thank you”

A faint smile was present on the man’s face as he stared at the younger female, placing a hand on top of her head and patting it.

“No problem kid.”

| | | | The next day | | | |  

The young h/c girl was walking on her way towards school, headphones in at a volume that drowned out the world around her. 

She was still thinking about the moment with Aizawa last night. He had decided to walk her home after he comforted her. (I mean, who would just let a kid in that mental state walk home at night alone?) During that time, they had a nice conversation. Well, she was the one asking the questions and talking, while he just walked alongside her and answered the questions she had and listened to her talk. 

“Y/n!”

She turned around, pulling out her headphones and putting them away as she saw Midoriya jogging up to her from behind. She hadn’t told him about the encounter with Aizawa yet, although she was thinking of not telling him just yet. But Midoriya had talked to her over the phone about the sludge villain attack, mainly because she had called him and started to ask him if he was alright and stuff. (And she was hoping that he would tell her about meeting All Might afterwards, but sadly, those details were kept away and unsaid by him). 

He had told her that apparently, after the sludge villain tried to attack the two of them underneath the bridge and she lost consciousness, All Might had taken her to a nearby hospital to get her checked out. But Midoriya had clung onto his leg, which caused that landing moment on that one building, and how he had asked All Might if he could become a hero and bla, bla, bla.

The said boy was panting slightly as he caught up with her and started to walk by her side. They continued their way towards school. 

“A-Are you doing better, Y/n? I was really worried that you wouldn’t wake up….” He said, his voice full of concern.

“I’m fine, Izuku! I think it would take a lot more to knock me out of commission for good!” She said, trying to sound cheerful.

“That's good! W-wait! I didn’t mean that it was good for you to get knocked out again, but I just meant that it was good that you woke up and-” He stammered, realizing how his words could be misunderstood.

She grabbed onto his hand, cutting him off and smiled at him. He looked at her with a knowing blush on his face. 

“Izuku, it’s fine, don’t worry about it! Now come on, we don’t wanna be late, do we?” She said, changing the subject.

The two teenagers ran along the sidewalk towards school, hand in hand. 

Y/n smiled as she kept talking about what she was going to do to train for the upcoming UA exams, while Midoriya listened in, occasionally giving his own input.

| | | |

A few months later - 3 months left until UA Entrance Exams

| | | |

Walking down the sidewalk of Musutafu, you wore a f/c beanie, along with some parachute pants and your Eraserhead hoodie on top of your plain white shirt. You felt the rhythm of the music in your ears, blocking out the noise of the city. The sound of panting from a certain four-legged animal could also be heard as you held onto its leash. 

It had been a few months since everything had happened, and as you expected, Midoriya hung out with you less due to training with All Might. But of course he never said that, he had just said that he was either busy with homework, chores at home, or some other random reason. 

And of course, he also apologized a million times, but you always told him it was alright. Besides, you had your own problems to deal with alongside training; your parents. 

As expected, your parents for the past few months have been busy with work and such. So your daily schedule ended up being that you would wake up home alone or with your parents just about to leave, go to school, come back home without anyone there, do your thing, and go to sleep. And it had just repeated itself over the course of the last few months. Your parents must have felt guilty or something because a few weeks later, they got you a dog. 

The dog was a male f/d/b with a fur/c coat with a lighter shade underneath and on its stomach and part of his legs. You decided his name would be d/n. 

Feeling the wind in your hair, you looked down at d/n and smiled, d/n seeming to notice your stare and turning his head slightly to face you. 

“You know, you're probably the best thing that’s happened to me so far. Well, other than meeting Aizawa.” You said, remembering the night he had walked you home and comforted you.

D/n seemed to have barked in agreement, his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

As they both faced forward once more, your furry friend wagged his tail as you kept a small faint smile on your face, enjoying the peaceful moment and feeling grateful for your loyal companion. 

That peaceful moment was ruined when all of a sudden, d/n ran and managed to pull the leash out of your hand, barking as he was on the run towards whatever had caught his attention.  

At first you just stood there, frozen in shock, and then the realization hit you.

“H-hey! D/n, get back here, boy!” You shouted, chasing after him, hoping he wouldn't get into trouble.

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"I'll adjust your schedule so that it will work out perfectly for where you're at right now, young Midoriya. Don't worry, this old man will get the job done in no time!"

"You're not old, All Might!"

All Might was seen on his motorized scooter (I really don't know what it's called, lol) as Midoriya was now jogging beside him, carrying a tire on his shoulder. 

"I still can't believe that the exam is only three months away though...."

"Time flies, and so you gotta make the most of it."

There was a comfortable silence that fell between the mentor and student until a distant yell was heard from a certain h/c girl. All Might seemed to notice it but thought nothing of it. 

"I'm getting too old for this."

The younger boy, wanting to ask All Might for his opinion on something involving the h/c female, said:

"Hey, All Might, I wanted to ask you about-"

Before the boy could finish asking his question, a dog came in front of the two males - who had stopped - and went straight towards Midoriya and jumped on top of him. The poor boy shrieked in terror and fell onto the ground, letting go of the tire in the process. 

Turning the corner, the e/c girl came into view and went up to d/n and grabbed a hold of his leash and pulled him off of Midoriya, who was now slightly shaking. Looking down at her dog, she hadn't noticed who she had bumped into, due to being occupied as she bent down to check the dog's leash and if it was connected properly to the collar. 

"I'm so sorry, I was so sure that his leash was connected properly to his collar. Are you alright?"

Standing back up and looking up, she noticed that one; it was Midoriya who had been "attacked" by her fluffy friend, and two; All Might was standing right next to him, of course in his weak form but still. 

"Y-y/n?"

Midoriya stood back up as he stared at the girl in front of him. The girl returned his stare as her eyes widened slightly. 

"Izuku! I'm so sorry that d/n did that, he doesn't usually do that."

"I-it's alright, Y/n!"

Turning your head from the boy - who had a slight blush on his face - you faced the older man slightly beside him and behind him at the same time. 

Smiling, you greeted him.

"It's nice to meet you, sir! My name is L/n Y/n, it's a pleasure meeting you."

"It's nice to meet you as well, young L/n. I've heard quite a bit about you from young Midoriya over there."

"A-All Mi-"

Midoriya slapped his hand over his mouth before he could continue, noticing his mistake. All Might became slightly tense as they both looked at you, wondering if you had noticed his mistake. 

Of course you knew their mistake, but you pretended that you didn't know and looked at All Might once more. 

"That does sound like Izuku! Always one to talk, huh?"

The two males mentally let out a breath of relief, glad that the female "hadn't" noticed Midoriya's mistake. The said boy laughed slightly at the Y/n statement.  

"Y-yeah, ha ha. W-Wait, Y/n! How's your injury, is it getting any better?"

"Oh, yes, actually. I kinda opened it up again by accident and so I had to get a few more stitches a few weeks ago, but I should be good by the time the exams for UA start."

"Young Midoriya did also mention you had gotten injured, an accident?"

Y/n looked at All Might's eyes as she nodded. 

"Yeah, it was an accident from a villain a couple of months ago, but I'll be fine."

They had talked a few more minutes until Y/n said her goodbyes. 

"Sorry to cut this short, but I have to start heading home now. It was great meeting you, sir! And I'll see you around, Izuku!"

All Might nodded as Midoriya stuttered out a 'yeah', and with that, the young girl walked away with her four-legged friend towards home. 

Once she was out of sight and hearing range, All Might looked down at Midoriya who had picked up the tire once again. 

"Are you sure she's doing alright? You did say that her injury was on her left side, correct?"

"Yeah, it was on her left side, and yeah! I'm pretty sure she's holding up fine. Like I said, she has some medication to help her with the pain and stuff." Midoriya said, trying to sound confident, even though you haven’t been telling him much about the injury over the course of months. Was he being too distant?

"Alright then, if you say so. Now, let's get going! We still need to finish up this part of training!" All Might said he gestured for Midoriya to follow him, carrying the tire on his shoulder.

With that, the mentor and student were off again, speeding through the streets of Musutafu. It was a peaceful silence, although All Might had some things on his mind. But one thought kept coming back to his mind.

"Why do I feel like I've seen her somewhere else before? She seems a lot like her." 

He thought, remembering the e/c girl who had bumped into them earlier. She had a familiar spark in her eyes, a similar determination in her voice, and a striking resemblance to someone he had once loved and looked up to.

A faint but noticeable smile came across the yellow-haired man's face, both sad and happy at the same time. He felt a pang of nostalgia, but also a glimmer of hope. 

| | | | | | A/n: 

We met Aizawa, and y'all got to have a father daughter like moment, :D.  We also got to meet All Might; I'm pretty sure you guys know why he recognizes us.  Next chapter is the chapter that I'm hoping will be the entrance exam. Again, I'm sorry for not posting sooner, but this week is finals week and I have a test tomorrow, did I study? Yes. Am I still scared regardless? Also, yes. Will I pass? I have no idea! At this point, it's just a mindset of "as long as I pass" (I have a B in that class). 

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, until next time! Have a good rest of your day!

[blossominghunnie]

5

Minnie's POV

After a long and tiring ride, we finally arrived at our destination.

“This is prettier than I imagined.” Lina spoke while looking out of the window.

“It is, it looks better than in the pictures.” I agreed.

“It says here that we're 20 minutes away from the airbnb.” Eric informed us, as he looked on the google maps that was on his phone.

“Cool.”

We rented a house big enough for the 14 of us, it was way cheaper than staying at a hotel.

We continued our way while listening to Monsters by All Time Low, one of my favorite songs. I was leaning against the window, admiring the view. It was a very colorful and cute town, with a few cars and pedestrians. Perfect for a chill and fun trip, I couldn't wait to explore the place.

Without realizing my eyes started to close, I guess I was tired of driving since I did it for a few hours before my boyfriend switched with me.

✱*.:｡✧*

I felt someone gently shaking me, which made me open my eyes slowly.

“Morning, sweetie.” Eric cutely smiled.

“Hi.” I replied with a small smile. Then I rubbed my eyes and yawned, I was so exhausted.

Before I was able to get up from my seat, someone lifted and carried me in their arms.

“What are you doing?” I giggled.

“Just taking care of my girl.” I blushed. “You know I can walk, right?” I talked still smiling.

“Obviously, but you're so sleepy you'll barely walk properly.” He pointed out.

“Okay, true but still.” I yawned once again and leaned against his chest. “I'll let you carry me just cause I feel too tired to argue.”

“Thank you for the honor, Mins.”

“You're welcome, honey.”

We laughed together and started moving towards the house. Our friends were waiting for us in the living room.

“Finally, what took you guys so long?” Maddie sighed, sounding annoyed.

“I wasn't able to wake Mins up, she's a heavy sleeper.” Eric answered while taking a sit on the couch next to Dottie and Jeno, me on his lap.

“That's true, one day at a sleepover I had to spray her with water cause she didn't wake up.” Josie commented, making all of our friends laugh.

I just glared and stuck my tongue out playfully at her. “Still can’t believe you did that, I’m not a cat.”

“Okay people, there's seven rooms so there's gonna be 2 people per room.” Mae informed us.

“We already know that Jeno and Dottie are sharing, as well as Minnie and Eric.” Blake said.

“Jaeden and I can share a room too, we've done it before when we've had sleepovers.”

“Okay! We can be roomies if you want.” Mae looked at Maddie.

“Sure.” She shrugged.

“Evan will share with me.” Louis said, not surprising us that much, since we all knew he had a crush on her. Minus the girl, of course.

“Noooo, please save me.” The blonde pleaded. “He's going to tease me and won't let me sleep.”

“I promise I won't.” She gave him a look. “Okayyyy, not that much.”

She pointed at him threateningly. “I warn you that I'll make your life miserable if I don't get my beauty sleep.”

“Okay, okay.” He lifted his arms up in defense.

“That leaves Braeden and Kai, Blake and Josie.

“We'll share.” Josie talked, looking at the black haired, who nodded.

“Looks like B and Kai will be roomies.”

“Okay.”

I feel like they could be good friends, they're similar.

“We'll unpack tomorrow, let's go to sleep.” My older sister spoke.

“Okay, Mom Mae.”

“Night!” We all said in unison and parted our ways.

The blonde haired carried me again bridal style. We arrived at our room and he placed me gently on the bed.

Eric searched for his pijama on his luggage and went to the bathroom that was inside the room, while I got comfortable under the covers and closed my eyes.

“Aren't you gonna change?” My boyfriend asked as he lay down next to me.

“Nop, I'm too tired and lazy.” I giggled.

“Okay. Sleep well, sweetie.”

“You too, honey.”

I put my head on his chest as he wrapped his arm around my waist. And just like that I fell asleep, not knowing what was waiting for us.

Synopsis: In which a group of friends decide to go on a trip together and end up being stuck in a terrifying adventure.

Note: Kinda short and uneventful but here's ch. 5!

04 ≈⌲ 06

Masterlist

[wonderfuldeath]

.o| Thirteenth Day. |o.

OC x Dimitrescu Daughter

Warnings : Winter, Fluff, Love, Holiday Vacation

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

[13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22]

[23] [24]

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Cold, her hands shove into the pockets of her Scottish coat of black and green, falling on her hips, the young woman was cold. Her nose stuck in her big wool scarf, she looks around. A garden that seemed to date from the last century, covered with the white snow that had fallen the day before. It was terribly cold, in America's side. And she wonders if she will survive her vacation or simply turn into an icy eskimo. Jumping on the spot to warm up, she knocks against the door again several times, going around the domain of her eyes again, wondering if she was not mistaken. And her nose frowns, she had put all her savings into her vacation, because she needed them. So she couldn't find anywhere else to live.

"- Please excuse me. Madam wanted to be sure that your stay goes smoothly. ”

A jump, as the young woman turns to the newcomer. An old curved woman who still smells of apple pie and floral fragrance. A head movement, as she pulls her big suitcase to follow the woman inside where it is much warmer. In reality she had found the address on the internet, it was not too expensive, a little lost in the middle of the countryside. And from what she had seen when she got off the bus, there was not much network. A guest house lost in the middle of nowhere who had the same head as in the photos. It was in the old days, while smelling modern. The house staff were dressed in the traditional clothes of another era and she feels a little shift.

"- Remind me of your first name already...

- Meïshi. I am Meïshi Smith.

- Little Meïshi... Room fourteen. ”

The old lady looks at her from top to bottom, before smiling curved, before telling her to leave her suitcase here, someone would bring it so that she doesn't climb the floors with her luggage. We handed her an old key before showing her the way and she thanks the woman, climbing the steps covered with a soft red carpet under the shoes, looking forward to discovering the room. It wasn't surprising that there are not many customers. It was not a destination known to all, and if a friend did not know the place she would never have known the existence of this village. Once she arrives at her room, she allows herself to get more comfortable, removing her coat that hides her black jacket, to put it on a hanger in the large cabinet dating from the eighteenth century. Everything was pretty, the four-poster bed huge, the bedroom leading directly to a private bathroom, a bay window showing the garden. A real fireplace that brings heat to her room, she couldn't ask for better to spend the Christmas holidays.

"- Madam made me carry your luggage. ”

An almost inaudible thank you, and the young woman disappears. Then leaving Meïshi to breathe a deep sigh. Before falling on the mattress really too pleasant, taking care not to put her shoes against clean sheets. Two weeks here, life back in the city seemed very gloomy to her.

"- So, your feeling?

- A castle my cat! The place is huge. Maybe I'll get lost. ”

A laugh answers on the other side of the thread, and she looks at her reflection. Her flamboyant red hair was tied in a wet mat that would most certainly make her curls the next day. The bath, the meal, everything was incredible and she still wondered why she had never come to spend her holidays here. It was huge as a place and just one day was not enough to make her see half of the house. Everyone was very careful with her, and Meïshi felt like a real princess. Their loyalty program was intense. And it almost made her regret not having more money to come and live here.

"- Well then it will change your mind during the holidays.

- Hoping for life yes.

- Don't hope too much anyway, Umbrella needs its communication manager.

- Ask them to raise my salary then, I would only come back if I get ten percent more.

- Only ten? I'm going to plead for twenty. ”

Laughing again, before she rests her phone, quickly looking at the hour, realizing that she had almost spent an hour and a half in the bathroom. And her heart misses several beats when she finally goes out, looking at the young woman in front of her. Beautiful with her blond hair, her eyes resting on the dresser, pretending to speak telepathically with her, and Meïshi scrapes her throat to make her understand that she was there again. Her two balls seem to pierce her while a strange smile adorns her lips a little paler than normal, making her gently waver, strangely shy all of a sudden.

"- Can I help you?

- Mother asked me to come and see if you didn't need anything.

- Not at the moment. Thank you.

- Perfect. If you need, just go down to the reception. Or.. From there we're three doors away. My room is always open for creatures like you. ”

A strange shiver takes her in the spine, while the pretty blonde was approaching a little faster than she could have seen. Her perfume, less light than the current one, a mixture of cherry and fir remains to float in the air for a long time. Meïshi realizing what had just happened, only when the door closes. Her eyes blink several times, while the strangely pleasant but fresh sensation of her lips against her cheek continues even when she lies under the thick blankets.

"- Miss Smith?

- Huumm?

- Sorry to bother you but breakfast will soon no longer be served. ”

It was nice, the hand passing through her braid defeated. She complains, rubs her head against her fingers accepting to cuddle her hair, a place where she had always been sensitive. Already as a child she could die so that they could touch her head in this way. Lost in the limbo of fatigue, she lets herself be totally done, humant the smell of raspberry and spice that is offered to her nostrils. She had always loved raspberry too, it was her favorite smell with lavender. Slowly her eyes open up, his body eager to know who smelled so good and had such soft fingers. The young woman was kneeling next to the bed, and if she haven't hair of the color of the crows, she could have taken it for the one of the day before. However, she has a less terrifying smile, and a new complaint comes when the treacherous hand withdraws, making her regret having opening her eyes.

"- What time is it?

- A little more than nine and a half hours. ”

A nod of the head was not very precise, but it suits her. Softly she throws the blanket keeping her body warm as she gets out of bed to go to the bathroom under the laughing gaze of the brunette who tells her she will wait for her outside. She had always looked like a three-year-old girl when she woke up, she needed a lot of time to manage to wake up well, but she was hungry. So she prefers to hurry to prepare before going out. And the brunette really seemed to have waited for him, to accompany her to the dining room.

"- Your desires are orders, tell us what you want to eat and will serve you.

- Really? Anything? Anything?

- Anything. Anything.

- I would die for pancakes with Banana/Kiwi ice cream. ”

For a long minute, the brunette looks at her, trying to understand what the young woman is saying before signaling to her to wait and Meïshi just smiled, trying not to laugh, looking around. It was good inside, and outside the snow didn't seem to stop falling. When her order arrives with a small porcelain coffee maker and a cup, she can only smile and kindly thank the waitress, enjoying her breakfast for once in peace. And it's almost half past ten when she leaves her table, looking for one of the two girls in the morning, realizing that neither of them had yet given her first name.

"- Do you need anything?

- I.. In fact, I would have liked that.. One of the girls gives me things, you know, places to visit. ”

The lady at the reception seems surprised by the question, and she apologizes for taking her short. The lady smiles at her, before explaining to her good places to visit for her stay. And Meïshi can only thank her a little disappointed anyway, but she decides to spend the day outside, to fully enjoy the place and her holidays. Enough for the two weeks in a beating of eyelashes. A kind of strange game was spreading throughout the stay with the girls. And now she felt almost sad to close her suitcase. Outside the snow was still as pretty but had stopped falling.

"- We hope to see you again soon, Miss. Madames' daughters will be very sad about your departure.

- Hum, by the way. If you see one of the two, you can.. Give her this? They can call me whenever they want.

- I would send them the message. ”

A smile, as Meïshi pulls her suitcase to reach the exit. Sure of the place where she was going to spend her next vacation.

[bonny-kookoo]

Jimin: Bat-Luck (2)

In which police officer Park Jimin is tasked with looking after you until there's a home ready for you.

Tags/Warnings: black flying fox!Jimin, Black Cat! Reader, stigmatization, mentions of physical and mental therapy, this is my emotional support Jimin now, and trust me he will be yours too, mentions of past abuse (starvation, physical punishments, degradation, mild case of stockholm-syndrome, hoarding, neglect)

Additional Chapter Warnings: bad flashbacks, comfort, jimin is a sweetheart

<- Previous | Next ->

Jimin has noticed by now that he's kind of stuck with you now.

After a good checkup at the hospital they decided it's best for you to stay with someone you trust- Jimin in this case, who happily agreed to look after you for the time being. Theres a bandage covering your left forearm- keeping the scratches underneath clean and protected from any dirt. You're also wearing a new, proper collar- for now with the police logo on it to signal that you're currently under government protection. It's a lot better than the grimy old thing they've found at your former 'home'.

"say, sweetheart?" Jimin gains your attention as you sit in the small room provided for questioning of witnesses- a way more friendly and less threatening environment than the interrogation rooms. "back at your home- was it always you hybrids and your owner?" he asks, and you shake your head, while he brushes out the knots of your tail- the action strange to you, as you've never had someone do that for you.

"I lived with an old man before." you admit quietly. "he was nice- but he got too old to take care of me." you tell him. "that's how I met lady J." you explain, and he nods. Based on the testimonies of the other hybrids, they all called her simply 'Lady J' and nothing else. "when I came with her, the others were already there. We fought a lot." you admit, and Jimin nods.

"when did.. The house become so cluttered?" he wonders, and you shrug as you watch him work so gently and carefully, trying not to pull on the hairs too much, even at the knotted parts.

"I dunno." you mumble. "it was always like that, I think." you say, and he hums a reply, making sure just to go one step at a time with you. "When can I go home?" you ask him, and he stops in his motions just for a split second, before he continues.

"we're gonna get you into a new home soon darling, don't worry." he reassures.

"But Lady J will get mad if we're not home." you worry, holding his wrist still now. "I don't wanna go on the balcony again." you quietly voice your fears, and jimin puts the brush down before he pets your ears- hands moving to hold your face tenderly. He can only imagine the horrors you must've faced.

"She can't and won't hurt you anymore. I promise." he tells you with urgency. "I told you I'll protect you, right?" he asks, ans you nod. "see? And I stand by my word." he reassures.

"so you'll be my owner now?" you ask, and he chuckles a bit. Hybrids don't technically need owners anymore- they can file for independence just kite he himself did years back when starting his police training. But for someone like you, that concept must be more than terrifying- at least Yoongi had explained it that way.

'Victims like her can't just be tossed out into freedom, just like you can't give a starving person all the food they want. They need a slow recovery, steady progress, and a stable environment to heal. ' the cat hybrid and doctor had told him after evaluating your state of mind for the records. 'Give her time, and security. She's unable to make decisions for now, so maybe start by giving her choices first. Limit the options she has, and then expand as you make positive progress.' the cat had explained. 'there's no one I'd rather trust her with than you. You'll do just fine.'

And Jimin hopes, very strongly, that Yoongi is right about that.

He wants to do more than just fine.

[gracefulsunflower]

CONTRARY - FINN SHELBY X READER; PART 20

PUBLISHED: 11/06/2022

!!FIRST PART HERE!!

Part 1

MASTERLIST

THIRD PERSON'S POV

You woke up in the comfort of your vardo, looking up at the star covered roof, and hissed, feeling your head pound. You were grateful Finn slept in your bed, because it made you cover all of the windows for his comfort.

You had stayed the night at your family's camp, not wanting to stay around the family that made Finn believe that his brother was dead, not for longer than you needed.

It was unnecessary and cruel to him, and to you. You actually took a liking to Arthur, and that's saying something. You didn't like very many people, but Arthur, with his crude jokes and claps on the shoulder and always making someone move out of their seat so you, the wife of his kid brother, could sit down, had weaselled his way into your heart.

You'd have to admit that you also admired him for stepping up, and becoming a father figure to the younger Shelby siblings after their actual father had left them.

To your surprise, Finn begged to come with you, even after you asked him to stay so he could be with Arthur when Arthur woke up. Finn said that he'd just wake up early and take the car back to Tommy's. You ended up giving in, and letting him come, telling him you'd both take your wagon back to Tommy's in the morning, as Tommy had agreed to let your family camp there, as long as there was no conflict between yours and the Lee family.

You sat up and fumbled around for the canteen you had filled with water last night, finding it just above the cat and dog. Tuck and Finn Junior had gotten along well, which was another thing you were grateful for. You had a lot to be grateful for these days.

You uncapped the canteen, putting it to your lips and taking big gulps of the water inside, then closing it and laying back down, not feeling up to moving yet.

Finn shifted beside you and groaned, bringing a hand up to massage his temples. You wordlessly handed him the canteen, and he leaned up, then took a drink like you had just done, but managed to spill some, the drops rolling down his chest.

If you had looked a little longer than necessary at the droplets and the trails that they left along his sharp jawline and broad chest, maybe Finn was too hungover to notice. Or maybe he didn't care.

A knock in a particular pattern sounded upon the door of the vardo. You recognised the knock as Saoirse's. You looked at Finn, raising your eyebrows, and he nodded.

"Come in," You called out, and the door creaked open.

Footsteps padded along the floor, then the curtain separating your bed from the rest of the caravan was pulled back. Finn helped your little sister clamber up and over him, to go snuggle into your side. You jolted as her cold feet touched your legs.

"Hungry," She said simply, and you sat up, grabbing the biscuits that you stored in a blue tin on a shelf above your window, and sat them next to her.

"I don't want to eat your biscuits," Saoirse whined — she knew you loved them.

"I love you, I want you to eat well. Have these while I go cook," You commanded your sister, rubbing her messy hair.

"Is that why you cook for us all sometimes? Cause you love us?" Saoirse asked as she attempted to pry the lid off of the biscuits.

Finn wordlessly leaned over and did it for her.

"Yes," You replied truthfully, then prodded Saoirse's side.

"Thank you, Finn." Saoirse said, then bit into a biscuit as she sat up.

"It's alright," Finn replied, leaning out of the curtain and  scrabbling around, then produced a throw blanket, wrapping it around Saoirse.

"We gonna warm up the stew from last night?" Finn asked you, knowing it would still be out on the fire in the big cast iron camp oven.

"Yes — I'll grab the ferrets, there's rabbit holes around here, as you'd already know." You said, your lips turning up at the sides.

Finn groaned at the memory of him stepping in a hole last night, "It's not funny, I could've done my ankle!"

"Poor bitty baby," You pouted, then felt your own stomach grumble.

"You can take Daisy and Duke, they're under here," Saoirse offered, and you wiped the crumbs from the corners of her mouth, thanking her.

"I'll grab Daisy and Duke," Finn announced, sliding out of bed and standing up, waiting for a bit until he felt steady on his feet.

He loved those basset hounds. He pulled on his clothes, then his boots. You clambered out of bed, stretched, then put your own clothes on.

If Finn stared at you a bit too hard as you stretched, your nightgown clinging to your curves perfectly as you did so, maybe you were too hungover to notice. Or maybe you didn't care.

"You want to come with us or you want to stay here in the warm?" Finn asked your sister as you brushed your hair and pulled it back into a plait.

"Stay here in the warm." Saoirse decided, shooing Finn Junior away as the cat tried to eat a biscuit she was holding in her hand.

Finn handed her the water filled canteen and moved Tuck up next to her, where he promptly laid down and went back to sleep. You watched as he made your little sister comfortable, straightening up the blankets so she, and the dog, and the cat, was fully covered.

Even in the cold of your caravan, you felt a warmth spread through your chest as Finn asked your little sister if she needed anything more. After watching your sister shake her head, Finn pinched her toes through the blankets, making her squeal and roll around, messing up the perfect pile that Finn had just painstakingly crafted. You gasped, and, to your surprise, instead of getting mad, Finn just grinned down at her, chuckling as he pinned the curtains back.

You stood up and dusted yourself off, shaking your head to rid yourself of your last thought. Finn wasn't the type to get mad at little kids for being kids, you knew that. Kind. That's what he was. You were sure you'd never be able to say it to his face. You weren't very good with words.

"You're not to move from here while we're gone, until someone comes and gets you," You told your younger sister sternly as you and Finn exited your vardo.

She said something in reply, muffled by the biscuits, and you shut the door.

"Not allowed to move?" Finn asked as you headed over to Bonnie's vardo.

Bonnie owned the ferrets that you and your family hunted with, winning them in his very first scrap in a fairground.

"Dad used to scare us with stories of children stolen from fairgrounds because they left their caravans — children turned into pickpockets and whores. I still get scared, even when we're only camping with family." You admitted, and a shiver went up Finn's spine as you knocked on the door of your brother's vardo.

He had been told the stories too, by Aunt Poll and Uncle Charlie, then Arthur, to stay away from certain streets as the sun went down, because that's where kids from Watery Lane went missing. Maybe you two weren't as different as he thought.

•••

Saoirse danced happily around the fire as you finished skinning the last rabbit you had caught. Finn had ended up going back to get Saoirse as you two were the only two adults awake.

"Can you go and light the fires under the tubs?" You asked your husband, lighting the fire under the stew then starting another to cook the rabbits on.

Finn shifted his weight from foot to foot, "I forgot my lighter."

"Just use sticks," Saoirse supplied, now picking a bur out of Finn Junior's fur.

"I don't know how," Finn admitted, cheeks red.

You looked up at him, then stood up, telling your sister to watch the stew and the rabbits and warning her to not play in the fire or you would stew her dogs next.

"Cruel," Finn mused as you led him to the washtubs.

"It works," You muttered, then knelt down, a pile of kindling already under each of the two tubs.

Finn had fetched the water whilst you had skinned the rabbits, thankfully. He also put the curtains up around the tubs, for privacy.

"I'll show you how to light a fire with sticks, come here," You mumbled, grabbing Finn's hand and leading him to sit down next to you.

You demonstrated it for him, then watched as he attempted to do it under another. He sighed when his stick broke, and you silently produced another from your pocket.

"Try again," You encouraged, and Finn could hear the motherly lilt to your voice.

He tried it again, and he did it. You quietly cheered and clapped for him, mindful of everyone still sleeping. According to your watch, gifted to you by Bonnie with the winnings from his very first professional boxing match, it was only seven am.

Saoirse must have woken up early. You wondered who she slept with, because Ezzie wasn't home, probably with Isiah, Bonnie stayed at Tommy's, bedding one of the maids, and your Father followed Polly Gray home. Maybe one of your extended family looked after her.

"Sersh, who did you sleep with?" You asked your sister after you and Finn had trotted back over to the fire.

Finn rotated the rabbits on the spit. You'd probably end up eating it for lunch, on the road.

"I slept with Daisy and Duke in Dad's vardo." Your sister answered, making you look at Finn, who looked surprised as you, then at your younger sister, "What?"

"No one else had any room for me and Oscar has the flu so I couldn't sleep with him and Aunt Molly!" Saoirse defended, and you exhaled through your nose, and nodded.

Usually, she slept with you in your vardo, not wanting to sleep in Aberama's vardo now that she was 'bigger', but you supposed that she wouldn't want to sleep next to Finn.

"We would've had room for you," You insisted, and Finn agreed, making Saoirse look at him in surprise.

"The next time I'm here and there's no other place to sleep except for (Y/N)'s caravan, you come tell us. I'll sleep on the couch, and you can sleep with your sister, yeah?" Finn explained, and Saoirse gave a quiet 'yeah' in reply, bouncing on her heels.

You felt the warm feeling in your chest again as Saoirse sat down next to Finn, talking to him and asking him about his life as a non-traveller.

Finn was pleased too, that he was getting through to your sister. The last thing he wanted was another child like him, scrabbling around for a place to sleep that they didn't really want to sleep in. Scrabbling around to sleep in places that wasn't with their family, where little children belonged. Yes, your extended family was still family, but it wasn't the same. Finn knew it from the bottom of his heart, and was confident that you did too.

•••

After travelling back to Tommy's house in your vardo, Finn, your sister, your dog, and your cat sat in the seat of your wagon with you, you had one of your moments, ignoring Finn once more. That's how he ended up at the house, sat at Arthur's feet, sucking on a bottle of whiskey, while you were with your family down at the river setting up camp.

"Lady troubles?" Arthur asked gruffly, nudging Finn with his boot.

He always did know Finn the best.

"Yeah," Finn mumbled as Polly went and sat herself back in the chair across from Arthur's, her tea now made.

"Tell old Arthur what's happening. Maybe I can help," Arthur offered, and Finn sighed, taking a big swig of his whiskey then wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"(Y/N)'s cross, but I don't know what for, because she doesn't tell me!" Finn complained, throwing the hand that wasn't wrapped around the neck of the whiskey bottle up in annoyance.

"Do you ask her what's wrong?" Arthur prodded, and Finn suddenly felt stupid.

"No — But she's fine one minute then funny the next!" Finn added, "I don't know why she does it, and she always pushes me away from her and I don't like it. We're never going to get on well if this keeps on happening, honest."

"Well, next time you should ask her if she's mad at you or not," Polly said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Does she get violent with you?"

"She doesn't throw anything at me, but she does throw things around." Finn answered — He was confident that you wouldn't actually hurt him, you weren't that ill-natured.

"Well stay with her, son, how are you going to get it across that you like her otherwise?" Arthur questioned, making Finn roll his eyes.

"I do stay with her, I'm with her most of the day!" Finn exclaimed, and it was Polly's turn to roll her eyes.

"That's not when it counts. A fool could do that. You're not a fool, you're a Shelby. You stay with her when she's cross until she feels better or until she tells you to get your freckled face away from her, are we clear?" Polly instructed the boy, who swallowed and nodded.

"Good lad," Arthur quipped, clapping Finn's shoulder.

Finn leant into Arthur's hand.

"You remember your wedding?" Polly prompted.

Finn grimaced. How couldn't he? Polly asked some fucking stupid questions sometimes.

"You remember how her mother cornered her in that bathroom, Finn? What if she did that day in and day out to that poor girl, telling her she's unlovable and that's why she pushes you away?" Polly asked, taking a sip of her tea.

Finn didn't question her know all tone. If Polly said it like that, it was a fact.

He then thought for a few moments. It did make sense. But you should know that you weren't unlovable. Everyone loved you. You were even starting to grow on Finn.

"She'll know that you're not like Marian. She knows it in her heart, just like I know that I'm not in the tunnels anymore. But, like I do, she might get funny sometimes." Arthur said knowingly, making Finn think and nod at the pair's words.

He wouldn't leave you next time. Leaving was a horrible act, one that he didn't want to do to you anymore.

He stood up, leaning on Arthur's leg as he did so, and pulled on his coat, making his way to the door with the intention of going to you and staying with you if you wished it.

§§§

You guysss I'm sorry for the long wait lol — I've been really really busy

Thank you all for the likes on this series, for the new followers, and for the reviews that you guys give me!

Also I am once again begging for a beta reader lol if you're interested in becoming my beta reader for new chapters of Contrary please let me know!! I can send them to you via email (I have all of my work on a Google Doc), discord, screenshots through social media, whatever works lol

Love y'all ❤️

- Sunflower x

NEXT PART

Part 21

[boldlyvoid]

Amoreena | chapter one

summary: Heaven is a real place and it's located exactly 14.6 miles away from the FBI, Quantico Headquarters. Off behind a small park, under a fantastical willow tree surrounded by wildflowers, in every colour young minds can imagine.

Don't forget, heaven also comes with angels.

Warnings: fluff, hurt/comfort, depressed spencer, reader has a daughter, falling in love, strangers to lovers

word count: 3,147

Read on Ao3

There’s this small, tiny part, of Spencer that wants to run away.

He’s always felt like he’s never truly been home, a never-ending and long yearning, a homesickness for a place he didn't even know, eating him alive day by day. It made him want to drop everything and buy a cottage in the woods, to fill it with books and coffee and never see another person again.

It got worse after prison and after his mom asked to go back into a care facility, it hurt the most when Penelope left the FBI and things with Max fizzled out. Then he was really, truly alone again. His apartment felt cold and uninviting, the BAU felt like a chore, using his brain for anything other than taking care of himself was extremely hard.

He needed a break.

So when he walked out of work and straight to his favourite park for an escape, he wasn’t surprised that he didn’t stop walking. Going further and further down the trail, following the dirt path towards a pond, covered by a beautiful willow tree and surrounded by pink, purple, yellow and white flowers. The contrast of the green grass with the colourful flowers, the blue sky and the light green willow tree reflection dancing on the surface of the pond. It was like he walked into Eden, taking a seat by the tree and picking a book from his satchel.

For the rest of the week, it’s his own little sanctuary, escaping desk work and home cases as fast as he could. Even then it wasn't enough and he started going every afternoon, he’d sneak out for an hour and just relax. Reading his book, feeling the breeze on his face, the sound of ducks and frogs competing with the crickets for loudest being in the area. Eventually bringing his bike on the subway to work so he could get there faster.

It was beautiful.

Almost as beautiful as what he walked in on when he arrived Saturday afternoon. Parking his bike by the tree, looking at them carefully as he took his satchel off his shoulders and placed it by the trunk. Craning his neck so he could look at who it was, seeing the purest display of human affection known to man.

A mother and her daughter were having a picnic, dressed up like Miss Honey and Matilda as they had lemonade and snacks, spread out on a blanket as the mother handed her a sandwich wrapped in checkered red wax paper.

Spencer was in awe, sitting on the other side of the pond by a second tree, pretending to read when really he was glancing at them. Their laugher filling the field, bouncing around the trees and filling his chest with warmth.

It reminded him of all the afternoons with his own mother. His head in her lap, the sound of her voice as she shared worlds wisdom with him. He missed childhood, freedom, hope. The will to continue…

When the little girl finally notices that they’re not alone in this little world she’s creating, he sees her tug on her moms shirt, asking her a question before cheering. She picks something out of the basket and comes running towards Spencer.

“Excuse me, sir?” Her sweet little voice asks. “Are you an archeologist or a palaeontologist?”

It makes him laugh slightly, a large smile erupting on his face as he pushes his glasses up and puts the book down. “No sorry, I’m not, what made you think I was?”

“You have a satchel and glasses like Milo from Atlantis, but you have a dinosaur on your tie, you look like you work at a museum,” she rambled all her thoughts out, much like he did as a child.

“I’m actually an FBI agent,” he whispered.

“Wow,” she whispered back in amazement, “are you like a knight? Do you save princesses?”

“I do," he nodded enthusiastically, "do you know any in need?”

“Her,” she pointed. “I’m Lady Amoreena, the Princess over there says I was a gift to the kingdom but that she’ll never need a prince or king to take care of us, but I think a knight would work!”

He laughed lightly, seeing her mom shake her head as she overheard it, covering her face with her hand, she looked embarrassed.

“It’s nice to meet you, Lady Amoreena,” he put his hand out to shake her’s as soft as possible, noticing the cookie in her hand. “My name is Dr. Spencer Reid,” he added softly.

“Would you like a cookie?”

He smiled as she placed it in his hand, “thank you.”

“Do you like Matilda?”

“It’s one of my favourite books,” he smiles.

“Do you want to have some lemonade and read with us?” Her face lit up, turning back to where her mother was watching from the pond.

“It’s okay, thank you for offering,” not wanting to intrude on their moment.

“We need a voice for Matilda’s father, please?” She begged, overly sweet and incredibly convincing.

“Alright, but I’m warning you if I upstage the princess with my awesome voices, it’s not my fault,” he smiled as he stood up, grabbing his things and starting to follow her over to the blanket.

She took his hand and tugged him along the edge of the pond, dragging him right to were her mother was sitting on the ground.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized softly as he sat down. “She’s very persistent about making new friends. We don’t see many people on this side of the park.”

“It’s fine, honestly, I’m Dr. Spencer Reid, by the way,” he introduced himself. “I work with the FBI, normally I’d advice women and their children to avoid strange men they don’t know when they’re alone in the woods like this.”

She laughed slightly, “Y/N Y/L/N, I’m the head librarian at the DC library, and you don’t seem that strange.”

“Neither did Bundy,” he tried to joke, knowing she got it and trusted him when she bit back a smile, eyes twinkling at him in the sunlight.

“My name is Amoreena, like the Elton John song,” her daughter cut in, noticing how they were staring at each other and trying to get the attention instead.

“It’s a beautiful song, no wonder you love it here,” Spencer smiled at her, “do you come here often?”

She nodded, a blush flowing through her freckled cheeks, “have you ever read Tuck Everlasting? The pond here can make you young forever,” her whisper was the cutest thing. She was so full of life, personality and joy.

“I have, you’re right this feels a lot like the field from the book, what other books do you like?”

“I love books,” she lays back against the blanket ever so dramatically. “Matilda, Anne of Green Gables, Beauty and the Beast, I love every story that ends with true love and happiness, and cats.”

He couldn’t help but laugh at her explanation, knowing that feeling all too well. “I have read almost every book ever, more than the entire DC library probably."

“We dress up every week for what ever book we are reading, next week is Peter Pan if you’d like to join us? We’re here every Saturday at 11,” Y/N offered.

“You haven’t even heard me read Matilda from memory and you’re already asking me to come back?” Spencer smirked as their faces lit up.

“No way, prove it!” Amoreena shouted, shoving him lightly to encourage him to start.

“The Reader of Books,” he began, seeing the pages in his mind as he repeated the words. “It's a funny thing about mothers and fathers. Even when their own child is the most disgusting little blister you could ever imagine, they still think that he or she is wonderful.”

“Okay so you know the beginning,” Y/N teased, opening the book to a random page, “what's on page 32?”

"My name is Jennifer Honey," Miss Honey said. "How do you do, Mrs. Wormwood." Mrs. Wormwood glared at her and said, "What's the trouble then?" Nobody invited Miss Honey to sit down so she chose a chair and sat down anyway. "This", she said, "was your daughter's first day at school." "We know that," Mrs Wormwood said, ratty about missing her programme. "Is that all you came to tell us?" Miss Honey stared hard into the other woman's wet grey eyes, and she allowed the silence to hang in the air until Mrs. Wormwood became uncomfortable. "Do you wish me to explain why I came?" she said.

Amoreena thought it was the coolest thing ever, reading the page and jumping up and down when he was correct, “how did you do that?”

“I can remember every word I’ve ever read, I have a pretty interesting brain,” he explained it as overdramatic as he could, knowing she would find it magical.

“You’re so cool!” She swooned, dropping back against the blanket just as dramatically.

Y/N was all smiles, running her fingers through Amoreena’s hair and giggling slightly at the sight of her silly child. “Spencer, would you like to do the honours today?”

She handed him the book, knowing he didn’t need it. He gently opened it, starting on the first page and starting to read it the way his mother would. Bringing out voices, hand gestures, all the bells and whistles.

They were in the field together until the sun started to set, casting a purple and orange glow over the pond. Amoreena was resting in Y/N’s arms, legs extended over Spencer’s lap as they sat close. It was the most perfect Saturday he has had in a long time. Probably the best day of his life, actually.

“Matilda leapt into Miss Honey's arms and hugged her, and Miss Honey hugged her back, and then the mother and father and brother were inside the car and the car was pulling away with the tyres screaming. The brother gave a wave through the rear window, but the other two didn't even look back. Miss Honey was still hugging the tiny girl in her arms and neither of them said a word as they stood there watching the big black car tearing round the corner at the end of the road and disappearing for ever into the distance. The end.”

He closed the book softly, setting it down on the blanket and looking at them softly, “am I still invited next week?”

“Absolutely,” Y/N smiled, “I’m dressing as Tinker Bell, Amoreena will be Peter Pan, and you can be anyone else of your choosing.”

“I’ll keep it a surprise until next week,” Spencer smiled right back.

Amoreena crawled out of Y/N’s lap and leapt into Spencer’s arms, hugging him tightly in her small arms. “That was the best story ever, thank you!”

Everything in the world felt right then, hugging her back while he smiled at her mother. Y/N had a hand over her heart as she swooned, watching her daughter bond with the man who just happened to wander into their picnic.

“Can I get your number?” Y/N asked softly, “you know, so we can arrange outfits and stories as the week's pass.” She shrugged, licking her lips slightly as she blushed.

“Of course, I’m not on duty for the rest of the month, so if you wanted to go to a museum or anything, I’m free? Since I look so much like I should work there,” he teased Amoreena.

“I’m sure lovey would like that?” Y/N leaned over Amoreena’s shoulder, holding her around her waist and tickling her softly.

Lovey

It was a nickname that made perfect sense in his mind. Amoreena, the keyword being Amore, to love. She was very loveable, incredibly vibrant and full of innocence, a life that was full of possibilities, wonderful like her mother.

“We’re going to the Smithsonian tomorrow to see the Dino’s,” Amoreena’s face lit up. “Do you know anything about them?”

“Surprisingly enough, while I’m not a paleontologist, I know a lot about dinosaurs, and I might have some connections there to see the rare ones,” he exaggerated his voice again, watching her get so excited she started to run around with her arms in the air.

“You don’t have to if you’re busy,” she says softly when Amoreena is far enough away, picking flowers as she ran around.

“I’d love to, actually, thank you,” he whispers towards Y/N. “I haven’t been having the greatest week.”

“Is it okay for me to ask what you do?” She asked, just as softly as Amoreena kept running around the field.

“I’m a profiler, I consult on intense cases.”

“The strange man comment makes more sense now,” she smiled. “we’re looking for a literary historian at the library right now, I’m sure remembering every word in every book would get you hired, you know if you wanted to switch careers for something easier on your soul?”

“I have been thinking of leaving, in all honesty, I’ve actually been having more of a rough 15 years,” he tries to laugh but he just feels frustrated. “It’s been really hard.”

“For everything you see, you’re still a very sweet man, not many people would sit down and occupy his time with an autistic 7-year-old,” she complimented him with a smile, sharing something personal in a way that would fit right into the conversation and not make a big deal. “We really did enjoy your company today.”

He handed her a business card from his pocket, feeling a bit overwhelmed and emotional as he handed it to her, “I've had a wonderful time. I'm also autistic, I know what it's like to want to share the world while no one wants to listen, thank you for letting me join you. Let me know what time you’re going to the museum tomorrow and I will be there.”

Y/N’s face lit up once more, reading the card over before sliding it into her bag. “Do you want a PB&J or a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch tomorrow?”

“PB&J is a great museum lunch,” he bit his lip so he’d stop smiling, it was beginning to feel embarrassing with how much he liked her already. Not used to random kindness from smart and beautiful women.

Amoreena came running back then, handing Spencer a handful of flowers upon her arrival. “For you, Sir Knight,” she bowed as he took them.

“I bid you a good day, my fair ladies,” Spencer plaid along, standing to curtsy back.

“We’ll see you tomorrow then?” Y/N asked from the blanket as Amoreena dove into her arms.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Spencer smiled one last time.

“Bye Spencer!!” Amoreena cheered as he waved, walking back down the path towards the main park entrance.

With his satchel draped over his shoulder, he pushed his sleeves up as he walked towards his bike, overwhelmed by the feeling of joy still swirling in his blood. Peddling his way down the path with a smile on his face, excited to get home and plan for the Smithsonian tomorrow, he was an excellent tour guide.

And he did actually have some connections.

Calling the museum curator, an old friend from years ago who owed him a favour. Asking if there was any way he could show his friend and her kid around the un-displayed dinosaurs and fossils, of course she said yes. People seemed to do anything for Dr. Reid of the FBI.

He thought about her job offer then as he hung up, reaching the train station finally and making his way back to his sad apartment. It would be nice to change things up for a bit, it’s not like he couldn’t go back to the FBI in 20 years like Rossi did.

15 years in the field and a metric fuck ton of trauma later, he was officially fed up. Opening his computer the second he got home, writing his 2 weeks notice to be forwarded to Mateo Cruz.

—

He woke up with excitement, for the first time in years.

Well, at first he was happy, then he thought about it too long. Despair creeping in, it was truly sad to think that he’s been sad for so long, desperately needing the happiness Y/N and Amoreena brought to his life.

Like when he spent time around Henry or Hank, there was something so rewarding about witnessing a child see something for the first time. Explaining the world to them, seeing their eyes widen as they enjoyed the world around them.

It was the best thing someone could do, spending the day living with the happiness of a child.

Y/N had texted him right as he woke up, the chime of a new message actually making him smile instead of panic.

Y/N: hey smartie pants, we’re thinking 11 am today. Can we meet you out front?”

Spencer: sure! You should start preparing to hear me ramble all day long. Also my I suggest bringing proper shoes for lots of walking and a backpack for the things Amoreena will get to bring home!

Y/N: oh you weren’t kidding about those connections huh?

Spencer: nope!

Y/N: well, can’t wait to see what you have in store for us! (And to hear your voice all day ♥︎)

It made his heart swell, he could swear it grew three sizes as it pushed against his ribs. Trying to break free from him and run to her, he hadn’t felt this strongly about another person in a very long time.

It wasn’t lust, it wasn’t greed, it wasn’t desperation. He didn’t just want to sleep with her or use her to fill his time, she wasn’t just another friend to occupy his days and talk to when he had to, she was special. She was interesting, she was kind, she was beautiful, she reminded him of his own mother in a strange way that made him fear Fraud was right.

He found a comfort in her that felt a little like home, like all his running led him to her. She was the end of the finish line, the cold glass of water, the euphoric pride of a job well done. She was everything good wrapped up in a beautiful bow and he was gone.

Feeling like he did when he met Ethan, Derek, or Elle for the first time, even Maeve when they were just talking on the phone, that butterfly feeling that excited him to try something new.

Y/N made him believe in possibilities again.

It felt nice to look ahead, to dream and wish of the future and not see death and destruction. Instead, dreaming of them running through the fields, flowers dancing everywhere as they hear Amoreena’s laughter. It’s how life is supposed to be.

[boop-le-snoot]

main masterlist ☀️ taglist & faq

hot wheels | natasha romanoff x reader

explicit, 5,2k words, f/f. meet-ugly but still very much wholesome. we love a girlboss. natasha catches some random woman keying her brand new car but decides to be the better person for once and hear the woman out. turns out, being the better person can even get one laid! warnings: singular use of the d-slur, references to an abusive ex, lesbian sex.

[no y/n, no "you", nickname only, no reader description - race/age/body type neutral, she/her pronouns]

Natasha gave the tall, lanky boy an unimpressed look as she side-stepped the arguing couple to avoid colliding with the annoyed, teary-eyed woman the boy was groveling to. It was nearing rush hour and there was shopping to be done before the heavy NYC traffic could steer her already busy schedule down into an unmanageable chaos.

"But, Foxy, you know I didn't mean it! I love you, more than anything!"

The items on the spy's list were checked off methodically, item after item landing in the cart with a quiet thud as the redhead maneuvered through the isles with tactical precision. The usual afternoon crowd began to fill the store, taking up the so-needed breathing space; Natasha's shopping trip wasn't a moment of leisure and with her neverending to-do list full, she hurried to the self-check-out register, flying through the motions mindlessly.

Scan, place, beep, boop, pay, load up the bags, make way to the car, load up and pedal to the metal.

Scratch that. No, scratch - Natasha's eyes bulged as she neared her shiny, brand new Charger, seeing the obvious defects even from a mile away: the paint, previously cherry red and gleaming in the sun, ruined by a series of thin, gray lines, standing out unpleasantly on the otherwise pristine vehicle.

And the culprit, who's tuft of hair peeked over the hood of the car on the other side of the Charger, almost fully hidden between her car and the large Chevrolet in the next parking spot over.

Natasha's fingers clenched around the handle of the cart as she fought the urge to reach for her knife safely holstered under her leather jacket. "Excuse me?" Tone quiet and deadly, the spy prepared herself to fight or at least slightly shake up the hooligan.

The figure froze, vaguely familiar clothing and a puffy, tear-stained face slowly rising from behind Natasha's car. "In my defense, he deserves it," the girl - Foxy - the one that was arguing in front of the store earlier, declared through a stream of angry tears. "Call the cops if you want, I don't care." It was unclear if the girl recognised her, the Black Widow, as she made no move to run for the hills, just pathetically sniffled, pocketing the keys she used to scratch Natasha's car.

"That's my car," The spy responded flatly, a great deal of amusement crawling into her face as Foxy's eyes bulged, jaw fell slack, horror plain and evident overshadowing the waterworks. Natasha quickly pieced two and two together but patiently waited for the initial shock to subside before popping a question. "A word of advice, if I may?"

Foxy nodded, dumbfounded, frantically scrambling for the contents of her pockets, searching for something with the agility of a panicking cat, more than half of the contents spilling out onto the ground.

Natasha unlocked the car, popping the trunk and loading in her bags as she raised her voice to be heard over the noise of a busy parking lot. "Don't mess with the paint, the insurance will cover it. Slash three tires - not four - or take a swing at the front bumper and the headlights," the trunk slid shut with a quiet click as the spy inspected the damages close-up. Her Charger looked like it was attacked by a pack of aggressive, feral cats with nails of steel. "And always check the number plates before committing acts of vandalism to make sure you're enacting revenge on the right person." The last part was said with a smirk.

As the spy stepped closer to Foxy, she noted the excessive puffiness of her cheeks and the shaking fingers that held a checkbook and a pen. The woman looked torn between terrified and apologetic, worrying her lip between her teeth. "I'm so, so sorry. Todd just got his new car, it's identical to yours and I didn't get the chance to memorize the number plate yet," the offending man's name was said with a pitiful growl. "How much?" She weakly motioned to the ruined bodywork.

"What'd he do?" Natasha didn't resist her curiousity, leaning against the driver's side door and sizing up the other woman. She was pretty, well-dressed and reasonably wealthy on the first sight. "Yeah, he looked like a Todd," The quip slipped from the redhead's lips as she remembered the man from earlier. Foxy looked way too good to be wasting her time on someone who looked like an adolescent that hadn't outgrown his skater boy phase.

Foxy chuckled shyly at Natasha's remark, smoothing a hand over her face. "Lord, where do I even begin..." The sigh was loud and long. "He lived in my apartment rent-free, made me give up my cat by lying about his allergies, went through nine low-wage jobs in two years, did nothing but play video games in his free time and developed a pot addiction, thus spending all his money on it," she began steadily but her tone grew in pitch with every added offence as Natasha's eyebrows climbed higher and higher. "My last straw was when he took out a loan he couldn't pay off to buy his brand new cool car," the words were spat out with venom. "I threw him out last Saturday. He's been following me around all the time," Foxy continued, growing dark in the face. "And then I found out he had been cheating on me for I don't know how long. I just... I just lost it," she finished pathetically, all but crumbling into a pile of human misery.

Natasha's face had frozen into mute disbelief somewhere around the first half of the story, repulsion and astonishment mixing into a flurry of quiet rage on the random woman's behalf. Menfolk were bizarre animals, and as much as the spy felt herself annoyed by her roommates at the tower, she couldn't help but feel relieved that the men surrounding her were far from douchebags of the casual variety. This Todd, however, was no amateur, and had done Foxy really, really dirty.

The redhead made up her mind rather quickly. "That's a lot to unpack," she carefully studied the micro-expressions on the other woman's face. "I have a couple of nice bottles of wine at my place and nobody to share them with. Care for a glass?"

Foxy's eyes widened once more. "I don't- I don't want to take up your time, I mean, I'm sure you've got more important shit to do, like save the world and y'know..." The stammering was followed by a shy look to the side.

So, Foxy had recognised her. And she didn't go running the other way like most people that encountered her in disadvantageous situations did. "I actually don't, I was just getting my shopping done for a lack of better things to do," Natasha lied seamlessly, motioning to the other side of the car. "Hop in." Mission reports and Barton's pizza date could wait.

The woman made quick way around, buckling into the seat in seconds, right before Natasha peeled off from the parking lot towards the Avengers tower at breathtaking speeds. The car was a gift from Tony - one of the rare things he managed to get right - and an absolute pleasure to drive.

"What's your name?" The redhead asked, juggling the steering and her smartphone effortlessly.

The woman rattled of her first and last name on between attempts to fix her runny make-up and wipe the dried snot and tears off her face. "Foxy is a nickname my gramps gave me, said I used to excessively play with fox pelts in the attic when I was a kid," the woman added with a snort, totally oblivious to Natasha's eyebrow raise as the spy read the information on her in-between overtaking slower cars.

Good student, good family life, stable income and good career growth in a prospective sector. What did Foxy even find in a guy like Todd? The most important information, however, was also most pleasing. No ties to any kind of intelligence gathering organizations.

As Natasha parked and popped the trunk once more, the other woman offered a hand with her shopping bags. Friday acknowledged the newcomer, startling her, causing Natasha to roll her eyes and mention, loudly, that if Tony decided to pay them a surprise visit, he may end up castrated or shot on sight, much to Foxy's bashful snickering.

Once the shopping was put away and the wine opened, the spy let herself curl up on the couch opposite the woman who studied her Spartan style apartment with curios eyes. The lack of knick knacks must've been a surprise for her: Natasha's apartment looked bare compared to what she'd seen in other's people's homes but the desire to make the environment more cozy had never been strong enough to actually act upon it. She wasn't used to staying in a place for very long.

"Do you still want to get back at the bastard?" The redhead asked once the first bottle was coming to an end. The alcohol was sitting low, pleasantly warm in their bellies and the food that they'd ordered in the middle of a casual chit-chat lulled them into a state of comfortable stupor.

"I want to gouge his eyes out and wear them as a battle trophy," Foxy was slightly slurring her words, much more affected by the wine than the stoic, experienced agent. "But I guess I can settle for petty crime or arson."

"I'm sensing you didn't tell me the whole list of grievances," true to her words, the spy felt as it there was a possibility quite a few things were being left unsaid.

Foxy sighed once again, placing the empty glass on the table and using her palm to prop her flushed face against it, blankly staring off into the far end of the room. "I came out as bisexual last year and he was giving me so much shit for it. Todd kept pushing for a threesome and when I refused, started accusing me of cheating during our fights, called me a whore a couple of times," the more she spoke, the higher Natasha's anger levels rose.

Not only was a Todd a dick, he was an abusive one. Truly, the grand prize of Asshat Lottery. "I have an idea or three," the spy twirled the remaining red liquid in her glass before downing it. "But it'll have to stay between us two."

"I'm listening," Foxy turned to meet Natasha's face, eyes considerably more alert than seconds before.

A few days past their amicable wine-and-revenge get-together, Natasha's doorbell rang as if she wasn't already had been made aware by Friday that a visitor was coming up to see her. Boxes of hair bleach and dye laid stacked on the living room table, surrounded by jewelry and assorted accessories. A pitcher of fresh sangria topped the ensemble, two clean glasses placed neatly on the tray next to it.

"Hi, Nat," Foxy's smile was a mile wide - a far cry from the sniffling sad sack of a woman the spy had first met. The nickname flowed freely from the woman's lips, as calm as Natasha's own answering grin and greeting. "I gots the stuff," waving her purse about, the woman kicked off her shoes by the door, approaching Natasha with the same smile that seemed to be more effective at lightening up the room than Tony's expensive designer lamps.

As Natasha's plan achieved a solid state, the two women had quickly come to a realization that Natasha was far too recognizable with her signature red hair and over a flurry of text messages, the decision to switch to a warm caramel blonde was made unanimously. Foxy had rebuked any and all Natasha's attempts to affirm she'd be able to do it herself and the spy gave into the other's chiding, relenting to have her hair dyed by a person who at least had a possibility of seeing the back of her head without having to perform acrobatic tricks.

Foxy was an easygoing, non-problematic person. She was fun to have around, quiet but witty, with intelligent eyes and a realistic view on the world. It was something Natasha valued, alongside the lack of probing questions regarding her past or her job - her insides clenched uncomfortably at the thought of having to lie about those things, or even worse, having to admit to the wrongdoings in her past, however Foxy carefully steered away from topics that were sensitive and never gave Natasha as much as a side-eye if the spy appeared to lack some minor detail that normal women her age all seemed to be aware of.

The curiosity had her ready to burst. Nat's natural defense mechanisms were quite confused, not sure what to make of the woman who almost too friendly to be true, but the kindness in her eyes and the sometimes shy, awestruck looks she gave Natasha when she thought the redhead wasn't looking made up for it in spades.

"What do you think?" The noise of the hair dryer finally ceased, Foxy's voice echoing in Natasha's luxuriously large bathroom.

The newly-blonde spy studied her reflection with a tilt to her head. The ombre was a nice touch - her own hair was naturally darker than the caramel and honey blonde she had chosen, so the almost-brown shading at her roots took much away from the contrast between her lighter hair and darker brows. It was just another disguise for the spy, but somehow, this one felt more like home than any of the previous faces she had worn.

"I like it, you were right about the ombre," Natasha voiced her thoughts, eyes sliding over to the smiling woman behind her, feeling the corners of her mouth begin to creep upwards in involuntary response.

"You looked good with red hair, don't misunderstand me," Foxy briefly raised her hands. "But you have a light complexion and lighter colors do wonders for bringing out the youthfulness. Even if we don't have much joy these days, a good hair color is an opportunity to showcase the bit," she briefly touched her own hair in an exaggerated attempt at driving her point home.

The fun part was done, the time came to execute the revenge. It wasn't exactly anything special; rather, the plan was quite simple - let Todd make a fool out of himself in front of his friends and perhaps (a slightly, teensy possibility) get himself arrested. The two women took their time to get dolled up, not too much - but rather, adding just that little bit to themselves to easily attract moderate amounts of attention from men.

The bar was busy, noisy and full of people when the two women stepped through the door. Natasha's eyes scanned the room out of habit, easily spotting the tall, lanky Todd in the far end of the bar, laughing and boozing with equally pathetic-looking man-children. The urge to gag was almost irresistible.

The spy let herself to be led to the bar by Foxy who looked mildly uncomfortable. Natasha was sure that if she was to touch the other woman's face, it would be flaming under the circumstances. "Try to relax a little, I won't bite," with a quip to her companion, Nat ordered them a vodka cranberry each, sitting down with her back to the men. "Tell me when he notices us and starts moving this way."

Foxy nodded minutely, clutching her drink for dear life and taking generous sips to calm herself down and relax like the spy had requested. They talked about everything and nothing in between, Natasha's hand on Foxy's knee crawling closer to her hip as minutes passed by without interruption. Loud noises of men playing darts and drunkenly cheering reached the womens earshot every now and then, causing Foxy to throw increasingly infuriated glances towards her ex-boyfriend and the Black Widow's current victim of choice.

Sitting opposite the perfectly composed, smiling woman, it was clear as day she was, indeed, best of the best. Despite knowing Foxy for only a few days, Natasha managed to pull off a very convincing girlfriend: her body language was nothing short of absolutely besotted and the googly eyes the spy was making had Foxy constantly remind herself that it was only for show. There was no way this gorgeous, incredible human would be interested in someone as plain and ordinary as herself.

"Heads up," Foxy's smile suddenly grew a mile wide as she stared directly at Natasha, eyes alight with fury at the scene about to unfold. Natasha's reply was to briefly tighten the grasp on the other's leg in silent support.

"Hey, baby," Todd was drunk enough for the stench of his breath to reach both women. "Oh, I see you're with a friend," his attempt at flirting only made Natasha scrunch up her face like a cat that accidentally smelled a lemon.

"Leave me alone," Foxy stated firmly, knowing the phrase wouldn't do anything to deter her overzealous ex, but this time - she counted on it.

"It's okay, I can share," the slurred words had a couple of people nearby raise their eyebrows at the audacity.

"I'm not interested," Foxy snapped. "In fact, there is absolutely nothing your freeloading, cheating ass can bring to my table."

The woman radiated satisfaction as gasps sounded out around them; Todd was a regular at this bar and most people there knew him in one way or another. The moment of joy, however, was brief.

"Listen, bitch, you have no business talking to me like that," full of drunken bravado, the man spat angrily, taking unsteady steps closer to Foxy. "What you need is a decent man that can handle your outbursts, not some dyke..." before he could even utter another offensive syllable, Natasha had his wildly gesturing arm twisted painfully behind his back, easily forcing the inebriated man to his knees.

"Wanna try that again, champ?" Sarcasm flowed freely from the spy's lips as the patrons in the bar gasped. The civilian clothing and the new hair color might have been an effective short-term disguise but once the crowd had seen her neat little party trick and had taken a good look at her face, nobody was doubting her identity. "Call the cops, will you?" She addressed the shocked bartender who immediately scrambled to obey.

"I didn't do anything!" Todd cried out, eyes drunkenly darting between the Black Widow's quiet rage and Foxy's grim stone face.

"Huh, that's weird. Because I clearly heard and saw an attempted hate crime," Natasha's voice attained a sardonic tint. "And I have a bar full of witnesses," the spy shrugged, letting go of his arm but keeping a boot firmly planted on his back to prevent him from escaping. "I hope you have a lawyer."

Foxy snorted, reaching for her unfinished second drink. "Tough luck."

Out of the corner of her eye, she spied Todd's friends inching closer to the exit door second by second, as if they could stand a chance against a professionally trained secret agent. Luckily for them, Natasha wasn't interested in the remainder of Todd's gang of losers and merely raised an eyebrow when the other men reached the door, a tiny smirk appearing when his pleading eyes didn't cause any reaction in his friends, the spineless worms, hopping out of the door without as much as a goodbye to the man laying face-down on the dirty floor.

As soon as the police arrived, awestruck by one of the NYC's most famous superheroes just casually standing in a bar, they eagerly collected the inebriated offender, briskly escorting Todd to the squad car. The bartender and several other patrons confirmed Natasha's words that an attempted hate crime had taken place. Cops were in and out in less than fifteen minutes and the otherwise-pleasant hole-in-the-wall bar returned to its usual evening bustle.

"Celebratory shots?" Natasha laughed as Foxy exhaled, deep and slow, once her racing heart calmed down.

"My treat," the other woman motioned for the bartender and soon, a line of colorful glasses appeared in front of the women. Each downed a glass easily, slamming it back on the table. "Man, this is everything I never knew I needed," Foxy confessed with a shy smile. "Thanks, Nat. You're the best."

The spy responded with a satisfied smile, picking up another glass and holding it out for a toast. "To revenge well-deserved," the glass clicked, alcohol slid easily down their throats. "So, what now?"

Foxy's eyes shone in the bright lights of the bar, relieved and tipsy. The small empty glass twirled easily between her fingers. "Dunno," the shrug came and went. "Maybe go on vacation. To Florida."

Natasha let out a belly laugh, downing her last shot without as much as a stutter in her movements, Foxy's eyes lingering on the stray drops of alcohol running from the spy's plump lips. "A vacation with the crackheads? Romantic," the quip was received with an eyeroll from the other woman.

"Spoilsport," Foxy, too, finished her booze and placed the money and a hefty tip on the bar, tapping twice to get the bartender's attention. "I meant more like - lay on the beach, sip mimosas, look at sexy people in swimsuits..."

"Florida is for old people," Natasha objected, pulling her leather jacket back on and leading them both outside. The evening air was crisp, bringing a clearer head and re-arranging the thoughts back into a more sensible state.

Foxy easily picked up her pace to match Natasha's precise strides leading them in the direction of the former's building. The warm buzz of vodka coupled with the fresh air and her desire for retribution well-fed, Foxy settled into a comfortable silence next to the spy. They reached the building quickly, their pace brisk and distractions lacking.

"Care for a nightcap?" She didn't know what prompted her to blurt out the words; as soon as the words registered in her brain, they were already out and Foxy's face heated, fingers fumbling for the keys in her pocket, Natasha's touch still warm and lingering on the side of her leg.

The spy seemed amused, studying Foxy's nervous habits with a crooked smirk. "Sure," she agreed amicably, following the woman into the apartment building, not missing both the rigidity of her back and the added spring to her step.

A moderately sized, well-decorated apartment revealed itself behind the open door, scarcely illuminated by the NYC lights coming in from a glass wall in the living room, reflecting the vast living space furnished with a large couch.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Natasha turned around, stepping into the other woman's personal space with the grace of a predator. Two shining eyes stared back at her in the darkness, framed by fluttering lashes. Foxy's bottom lip disappeared behind her teeth, skin gleaming with perspiration.

The recently-turned blonde spy wasted no time caging the other woman between her body and the door, chests almost touching. The air around them was charged, Foxy's heart thudding loudly in her chest as she gulped. Natasha studied her expression, "You want this?" she whispered against her lips, sharing the oxygen between them.

"Ye-yeah," a short nod and a gasp later, the women were devouring each other, grasping at their hands and shoulders like they were drowning. Hot and wet and sharp from the booze, the kisses were as graceless as their fingers haste in removing each other's top layers of clothing.

The sharp corner of the living room archway dug painfully into Foxy's back, bringing an additional sense of awareness: this was real. This was happening. Natasha's blonde locks flowed through Foxy's fingers, soft and silky, a contrast to the teeth pulling on her lip in impatient hunger. Foxy grunted in response, parting from the other woman to send her t-shirt flying somewhere in the direction of the kitchen.

"Bedroom," mere minutes in and she already sounded utterly and throughly ruined.

"Couch," Natasha was equally feverish to get to the good parts. Her belt was unbuckled and the nice button-up she'd worn hung open, a plain white bra iriscendent on her alabaster skin.

Letting herself be led to the couch, Foxy could barely take her eyes off the woman in front of her, making sure she wasn't ogling Natasha outright yet secretly hoping to be caught anyway. The blonde was like a porcelain doll, unreal, firm and soft at the same time.

The moment Foxy gracelessly landed on the couch, Natasha was all up in her space, straddling the other woman with the grace of a savage cat; lips once more attached to her flesh, Natasha left a trail of hot, wet marks starting at the jawline and ending at the cups of Foxy's bra.

Not knowing what to do with her hands, Foxy grasped Natasha's hips, unable to hold back a moan heavy with lust as the spy ground down with her hips. It was exhilarating to see the other woman affected by their heavy make-out session; nothing short of absolutely smitten to see Natasha pull back, panting and disheveled, to shed her shirt and her bra.

Unable to resist the urge, Foxy's hands reached out to cup the spy's round breasts, tugging her closer to pop a rosy nipple into her mouth. Natasha shivered, arching into the caress, holding onto the other woman's hair and tugging it in the direction only she knew.

Natasha wasn't loud, she wasn't wild; her moans were more like muted gasps but her body spoke for her louder than any words: the grinding was getting more impatient, Natasha's hold grew stronger. As Foxy fumbled for the button of Nat's pants, she felt the soft, delicate lace underneath. Natasha had come prepared.

"Hold on," the spy mumbled, hopping off Foxy's lap to quickly push her pants and panties down her legs with practiced ease. The other woman followed suit, leaving herself to be bare besides her underwear, the attempt to remove them intercepted by Natasha. "Let me," quiet words tickled the skin of her throat where Nat had immediately attached her mouth.

Foxy scrambled to intake the oxygen she needed, letting herself feel the hot glide fully, having lost herself in pleasure, missing the exact moment Nat's fingertips breached the waistband of her panties. Soft and nimble, so different to a man's roughened skin, the sensation was as strange as it was sweet. The urge to arch and rock her hips against the nearest surface intensified and Foxy could only keen, quiet and high, causing Natasha to chuckle to herself.

"Enjoying yourself, sweet girl?" The miniscule trace of coyness seeped into the blonde's voice. The engorged, puffy, moist flesh of Foxy's lower lips parted eagerly to Natasha's experimental dip.

"Yeah, yes," the woman slid down, spreading her legs in invitation. "Please, touch me," begging to be filled in all the empty spaces, Foxy threw her head to rest against the back of the couch, watching Nat through unfocused eyes.

"Oh, I will," the spy purred, sliding lower to put her face next to Foxy's dripping cunt. The spy's fingers glistened with arousal and she popped them into her mouth, licking them clean before doing the same to her lover's swollen folds. The response was instantaneous and loud, Foxy shook under Natasha's expert teasing. "Stay still," she ordered quietly, patting Foxy's belly.

Molten, honeyed waves of bliss overtook common sense and awareness, tiny sparks shooting up Foxy's cunt every time Natasha suckled at her clit. The spy read her body like an open book, following the movements of her hips with her mouth, always a step ahead and slightly south. Foxy's peak was imminent, approaching rapidly, as Natasha's sweet merciless assault wrung every single drop of the thick, precious liquid out of her cunt.

It only seemed to gush more, the woman pushing her cunt into Natasha's face as the latter doubled down on her efforts to bring her to ecstasy.

The waves began deep in the pit of Foxy's stomach, making her legs tremble, her toes curl and the flutters of her cunt increase in speed and intensity. Silky soft and typhoon wet, her orgasm crashed her mind into million pieces and Nat dutifully extracted everything until the last drop with the skillful touch of her tongue and fingers.

"Tash," Foxy moaned. Her legs quivered at the slightest touch to her oversensitive cunt.

"Mhm," was the blonde's reply, contented humming getting closer and closer until the womens lips met once more in a fierce, passionate kiss.

Foxy's hands immediately sought purchase on Natasha's hips, searching for the spots that would make the spy's body song in the same way she'd done to Foxy; seemingly much more reserved, quiet but happy sighs broke past Nat's lips in response to gentle hands stroking where she was most sensitive.

"I've got a vibe in my bedroom," clarity finally broke through the orgasm haze, Foxy's brain slowly coming back to reality.

"No, I want your fingers," Natasha's reply was assertive as she moved her hips in tandem with Foxy's hand, dripping the sweetness of her around all over.

The urge to pop the fingers into her mouth was strong, so Foxy did just that, moaning at the tangy taste, Natasha's breath quietly stuttering at the sight in front of her.

"I want to eat you out," the words barely had left Foxy's mouth as Natasha flipped them so she was the one laying on the couch, spread-eagled and open for the other woman's eager mouth to explore. Wet, sloppy and so, so tender, Foxy let herself taste the arousal of her lover.

"Yeah," so soft, one could easily miss it, the approval didn't get lost in the headrush nonetheless. With grace, Foxy sought the spots that would force Natasha to break her silence with slow, broad motions until the blonde had no choice but to arch her hips into the sensations, chasing her pleasure, losing the aura of restraint she'd so carefully cultivated.

No time for self-control. The temperatures were climbing steadily with every single movement, both lost in their imperfect shared rhythm, the soft of Foxy's tongue and fingers like finest silks on Natasha's eager cunt. Two fingers slipped in without resistance, immediately seeking out the soft, spongy spot that made the blonde's toes curl and mouth open in a silent scream.

Foxy's free hand groped around for Natasha's ass hastily, bringing her hips closer to her mouth, tongue never ceasing its assault on the blonde's clit as her body grew more rigid, fingertips going white with the force she was gripping the comforter.

"Gospodi bozhe," came the mumble, the only warning before Natasha's powerful thighs locked Foxy in place as the blonde rode out her orgasm, violently shivering, dousing the other woman's face in her sweet release. Dutifully, Foxy stroked the silk of Natasha's skin everywhere she could reach, her hot breath on the blonde's pussy easing her back to Earth through the aftershocks.

Natasha's eyes opened, feeling her lover's look of adoration, and she cracked a reluctant but genuine smile. There was something about Foxy that was just so-

Natasha taglist (open, see fic hat for info; crossed out nicknames are the ones I couldn't tag, please update your info):

@mikariell95 @letsby @sleep-i-ness @toomanyrobins @persephonehemingway @bluecrazedandbeautiful @slothspaghettiwrites @xoxabs88xox @marvelsbanner @sapphicnoodle69

[spidey-sophie]

Curiosity Bit the Cat | Tom Holland One-Shot

Pairing: Tom Holland x Female Reader

Warnings: meet cute, fluffy smut, public bathroom sex, hand kink (shocking), fingering (f receiving), sex with a 'stranger'

Summary: On the biggest Halloween party of the year you meet a mystery guy dressed as Spider-Man. You haven’t even seen his face, but somehow you just can’t get enough of him.

Word Count: 5.8k

Notes: Okay, so first of all, thank you everyone for your kind words after reading the teaser! Also, I can’t ever thank enough to my wonderful editors @worldoftom and @hypnotized-so-mesmerized ! Thank you for staying up all night, listening to me talking about it for daysss and making this fic as amazing as it is! Also, thank you to my lovely twin @rebekkah4766 for brainstorming with me and jumping in whenever I needed her to!

It was your favorite holiday of the year. Halloween.

As a kid, you would look forward to it all year, excited to go trick or treating, collect loads of candy, and eat it with your friends. Now, you loved the holiday for a different reason. You still looked forward to Halloween months in advance, but not for trick or treating. Halloween gave you the chance to don a mask and transform. There’s something about those masks and the anonymity that they provide. Wearing a mask always set you free.

“Are you coming, Daenerys Targaryen?” your best friend called out from outside of the car, her voice pulling you out of your thoughts. She wasn’t completely wrong, you did reuse your old Daenerys blonde wig tonight, styling it differently to get your character’s famous platinum blonde hair just right.

“How many times have I told you, I’m Black Cat tonight!” you said, finally climbing out of the car.  As soon as you did, you started regretting your decision. Your leather costume was too tight. It did hug your figure in all the right places, but it was so uncomfortable to move with it on. The white fur around your wrists and neck wasn’t helping either.

“Oh yeah, I forgot how much of a nerd you are,” she said as she took your hand and started tugging you towards the entrance.

“Wait a second,” you said, pulling you and your friend to a stop to unzip the front piece of your costume. You had debated whether you should rock the famous Black Cat décolleté, and at the last moment you decided to go for it.

“Well, now we’re talking, come on!”

The loud beats and bass vibrations took over your senses as you entered the club, looking around in awe at the lights and decor. The place was crowded, full of people in various costumes, all of them wearing masks. You could barely recognize the rest of your friend group as they spotted you and waved you over.

“How did you manage to get us into this club?” you leaned over to ask your friend. This wasn’t a place you’d usually go out to. It was too luxurious for your taste. And for your wallet.

“I know a guy, who knows a guy, who knows a guy… don’t question it, enjoy it while you can!” Your friend said, gesturing afterwards that she was going to the distant table your friends were at. You nodded, deciding to push through the crowd to the bar to get you both some drinks first. 

There was one thing you needed to be able to fully let loose in the crowd - alcohol. You  made your way towards the bar and, after a while of squeezing your way through the crowd, you finally managed to get to the bartender. As soon as you finished ordering your drink, you heard someone laugh right next to you. 

Intrigued and liking the way the laugh sounded, you turned around. It was immediately clear why this mystery person had laughed.

There, right next to you, was a guy dressed as Spider-Man. You couldn’t help but smile at the coincidence.

“Never thought I’d see you here, Cat,” you heard an appealing, smooth voice coming from under the mask. 

“Back at ya, Spider. Thought you could only ever be spotted over the city's skyline.” You didn’t know exactly why, but you decided to play his game.

"Well, I heard a rumor a certain thief might be here and had to check it out."

You started to reply but lost your train of thought when the crowd jostled him closer to you, letting you see him better in the dim light. He was wearing a red and black version of the famous Spider-Man suit, with the mask fully covering his face. There was no skin in sight, but nearly every muscle of his was noticeable through the tight suit. Your eyes landed on his broad shoulders, and you couldn’t help but continue checking him out. Sure, you couldn’t see his face, but you could see plenty of his body and, for the moment, that was enough.

“Wow, after all these years, you’re still thirsty for me, Cat?” His voice startled you from your observations. 

“Don’t flatter yourself, Spider.” You looked back up and turned around to face the bartender who just came back with your drinks. "I was just passing the time."

“You two have the best couples costume I’ve seen so far,” the bartender said as he gave you two shots for you and your new friend.

“Thank you, but I don’t like to be associated with spiders,” you said, and could almost hear the guy next to you smiling at your quip. Just as you grabbed your drinks and started walking away from him, you felt his hand on yours, lightly squeezing it.

“Will I see you around?” he asked, almost whispering into your ear.

“Maybe. If you use your spidey senses to find me.” You winked at him and finally left to join your friends.

The rest of the night went by pretty quickly. You spent most of it either dancing with your friends or meeting some new people, but none of them caught your attention like the mystery Spider-Man did. You couldn’t explain it, but there was something about him that attracted you. You felt stupid that you hadn’t even see his face yet, but there you were, searching for him in the crowd while drinking and dancing. Yet he was nowhere to be seen. You didn’t mention your mystery man to your friends. The only thing you knew about him was that, judging by his accent, he was probably American, but that clue wasn’t enough for you to find him.

You eventually gave up on looking for him and focused on the night. With your friend’s hand in yours, you strutted towards the dance floor. The music was so loud, it was almost throbbing inside your body. Letting yourself sink into the feeling,  you started moving  to the rhythm. You could feel many eyes gazing at you, following your every move closely. But, you felt indifferent to their attention. Hand in hand, you were dancing with your friend, spinning each other around and having a blast dancing together to your favorite songs. She was there for a little bit, but then her hand left yours and she gestured to the bar, and you nodded, continuing to dance on your own. You couldn’t remember the last time you had felt this good, this free. You stayed dancing alone on the dance floor, most of your friends too drunk to join you or had already hooked up with someone, but you didn’t care. You just wanted to have fun. 

A few songs had passed when you felt someone only a few inches behind you. Curious to see if it was one of your friends or someone else, you started turning your head back but paused when you heard a familiar voice.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” 

His soft voice sent shivers down your spine. You couldn’t believe you were so drawn to someone’s voice. Though you’d just met him a few hours ago, you’d missed hearing it. You smiled and finally turned your whole body to face him.

“What happened to those spidey senses of yours?” you said, stepping closer as his hands moved to rest on your elbows. You look down at his suggestion of proximity and surprisingly didn't feel uncomfortable with it. It felt… nice.

“Turns out they don’t mix well with alcohol," he said, "or maybe you were too skilled for them tonight. Where were you hiding?” The music was too loud so he had to be close to you in order for you to hear him. 

“See that Harley Quinn who keeps frantically waving at us? She’s at my table.”

“Oh, I see. I was at the complete opposite side of the club.” 

“You know, I almost approached the wrong Spider-Man,” you told him with a slight giggle, putting your hands around his neck as he drew you closer by the waist. The last thing you had wanted was for him to know you were looking for him, but somehow the alcohol made your mouth work faster than your brain. “There’s too many of you guys now anyways, I can’t keep track anymore.”

“Which one is your favourite?” he asked you.

“Oh, Miles. Definitely.” 

“Well, he’s one lucky guy then, to be your favourite,” he said, running his hands up and down your lower back. Your skin felt like it buzzed with prickles wherever he touched you, hands still resting on the back of his neck. Since you couldn’t see him, you tried to focus on other things apart from his face and eyes, such as his voice. It sounded very comforting to you, almost like you’d heard it somewhere before.

"But you come a close second, Parker," you said with a grin and a partial wink. He chuckled and shook his head. 

"You know," he said, moving one hand close to yours and starting to intertwine his fingers with yours. "You have quite an irresistible smile."

Transfixed by his flirt, you let him hold you like that, relaxing into him. And there you were, face to face. One of your hands was still on his neck, while he brought the other one to his chest, still holding on tightly. Even with his gloves on, you could feel how warm his hand was against your cold one.

“You do, too… I mean, not that I’ve seen… I meant the sound of it.” The embarrassment tingling through your body was unbearable, so you moved your hand from his neck to wipe a phantom drop of sweat from your brow. You felt stupid, but in a good way. In a way you haven’t felt ever since talking to your first childhood crush.

He laughed yet again. "Don't worry, kitten, I know what you meant."

Before you knew it, you were quickly wrapped around him from the warmth of his words.

You danced quietly for a bit, both of you moving your bodies out of sync with the music but in tune with each other. You’d become used to the silence between the two of you when he finally said, “I really enjoyed spending time with you tonight.”

“And I liked talking to you,” you replied, gently caressing the back of his neck with your nails. 

“Maybe we can talk better if we go outside. If you want to?” he asked when the dance floor got too crowded, and the music got even louder. As close as you were, you could barely hear each other now.

“Yeah, that’d be nice. I just need to stop by the restroom first.”

“I’ll go with you.” He took your hand in his and led the way. That little gesture made your heart beat faster. However, once you were in front of the bathrooms, you saw the familiar long line you were hoping wouldn't be there.

“I can’t believe I’ll have to wait ages to pee,” you groaned.

“Wait, you can use this one, there’s no one else inside.” You saw him opening the door of the men's bathroom and gesturing to you with his hands to come inside.

“Are you sure it’s okay that we’re both here?” you asked him once you walked in.

“No, but we’ll see,” he laughed, and so did you.

You were done fairly quickly, but he seemed to still be in one of the stalls. You decided to sit on the sink counter, waiting for him to come out of the toilet. You looked around. The counter was fairly big, there were four sinks with a big mirror. On your left were urinals, the stalls on your right.

“How did you get out of that suit?” you asked, to kill some time while you were waiting for him.

“I have a zip at the back, darling.” You loved the way he used pet names for you, it made you smile and caught you off guard. “But I’m going to need your help to zip it back,” he said as he got out. His gloves were off, so now you could see his hands. They seemed soft and a bit bony. The thing that drew your attention the most were his fingers. They were really long, with a few veins popping on them. You watched him washing his hands and caught yourself imagining how those fingers would feel on your body.

“Can you even see in that thing? Can you breathe?” Once you realized you were staring way too much at his hands, you tried to change the subject.

“I can, and sadly not so much. Could you zip me up please?” You loved the way his fingers clenched the towel while he was drying them.

He got near you, right between your legs, facing the opposite direction. You saw a fair portion of his freckled skin through both sides of the zipper as it fell open till about half of his back. As you zipped him up, you could feel your heart pounding and your hands growing clammy with sweat. Especially when you looked up and caught sight of his curly brown hair peeking under his mask.

“All done,” you said nervously.

"Thanks," he said as he turned around to face you. You lifted your head and looked at him. Your eyes flicked over his face, trying to distinguish his facial features, but his mask hid them very well. You lingered on his nose jutting out through the spandex before taking in the details of his white lenses. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn't see his eyes, though you could almost feel him studying you just as intently. Neither of you said a word, but the silence didn’t feel stifling at all. In fact, you couldn't help but smile at how calm you felt just sitting in front of him like you were.

"I thought cats had vertical pupils." His voice sounded lower than before. Sultrier.

"Don’t spiders have eight eyes? It's unfair that I can't see yours to find out."

"Well, they hold too many secrets, kitten." You smiled at his remark. He lifted his hand and put it on your arm. It felt like his touch was emitting fire on your already warm body. Your fingers were trailing from your thighs to your knees, searching for distraction but you wanted to put them back on his body so much that they were almost aching. 

"Your lips are fully human tho," he said while he traced little circles with his thumb on your forearm. "Can I kiss them?"

You noded shyly. You started removing  his mask, but just as you pulled it over his nose, he caught you by the wrists. He placed your fingers near his lips and kissed them.

“Look, I, um, I’ll need you to trust me right now. This is gonna sound odd, but do you mind if I keep my mask on? If it makes you uncomfortable in any way, we can stop. Say the word and we'll stop, alright?” he told you, and you nodded. You couldn’t explain why, but this idea excited you.

You took a closer look at the bottom half of his face. Well, as much as you could since the lights in the bathroom were too dim and red. They complimented his mask. Your heartbeat quickened, it felt like it was about to come out of your chest. You hoped he couldn’t feel it since he was so close to you. 

His jawline was the first thing you noticed. As you gently traced the strong path with your finger, you noticed his lips curving into a devilishly hot smirk. That’s when you decided that your best response  would be to kiss him.

You lightly brushed your lips on his. Excited but also a bit surprised that you had the courage to kiss him first. Just when you thought about parting your lips from his and apologizing for kissing him, you felt his hands on the small of your back, bringing you closer to him.

His tongue flicked at your lips and you finally parted them, letting out a small moan as you let him in. His hands tightened around your waist as he kept pulling you closer than you already were, like he never wanted to let you go. Instinctively you lifted your legs up and around his waist. The heat of his skin was seeping through the material of both of your costumes.

And he was kissing you so good. Somehow, it seemed like this mystery man knew just the way you liked being kissed, hard and slow. Your hands were on his neck, touching the only parts of his skin that were exposed for you. His skin was soft, and you could feel the way his neck muscles tensed while he was kissing you. Your hands started roaming his body, not breaking the kiss.

Just below his abs, you could trace the outline of his erection in his suit, and he kept pressing it into you. Soon he started slowly and lightly jerking his hips to meet yours, which was enough to make your whole body twitch, desperate for more. His hands had gone around to your ass, caressing it before squeezing it hard. You were desperately yearning for his touch that even though his action took you by surprise, you moaned into his mouth.

The kiss got hungrier than before. He nibbled on your bottom lip and after a while, started moving back slowly. You moaned once his lips were away from yours. In the heat of the moment, both of you forgot to breathe. He moved from your lips to your neck, his breath was hot and it sent shivers down your spine all the way down to your toes.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you since the moment I saw you.” He growled into your neck. His voice sounded even more familiar to you now, but you couldn’t focus on it, your mind turning hazy from the pressure of his lips. Just when you were about to ask him if you'd ever met, you heard someone coming into the bathroom.

You jerked away from each other, quickly reminded that you were still on the counter, at a public place. He pulled you by the hand, guiding you until you were both crammed into a bathroom stall.

His body was pressed flush into yours even though there was enough room in there. He was so close to you that you could feel him breathe. You focused on the way his muscles were tensing, on the way he smelled and on his paced breathing. Looking up, you kept your eyes on his plumped lips. They were puffy from all the kissing. You could hear the sink run as the person that came into the bathroom washed their hands and felt relief that soon you’d both be alone and wouldn't need to keep quiet anymore.

Once you heard the person leave, he captured your lips with his yet again, kissing you like you had all the time in the world, his tongue exploring your mouth like both of you could stay there forever.

Your hands went up to your mask and you tried to remove it, but he held them. “I still have mine on, it’s only fair if you keep yours on, too.”

You removed your hands from his and slid them down his arms instead.

“And, y’know, you look hotter with it on, too,” he added, his mouth shaping into a smirk.

It was captivating, but you wanted it gone, so you kept moving your hands until they reached his growing bulge. His skin tight costume couldn’t hide how excited he was. You started moving up and down, feeling him growing even more. You needed to use both of your hands to cup him completely, caressing and stroking him through the fabric. He thrust into your hands, grinding on them while he kissed every exposed piece of skin on your face and neck. His fingers worked his way to your back where he found the zip to your own costume. He pulled back from your neck.

“Is this okay?” he asked you as if he hadn't started to unzip you already. As soon as you nodded, he pulled the zip down to your bottom and started pulling it down your body. He squatted in front of you and peeled it slowly off your legs, leaving you in a lacy black underwear. He put your costume on top of the little countertop behind the toilet while still on his knees in front of you. Your underwear was soaking wet and you knew he could see it, feeling the brush of his finger on your clit. He gently kissed your clit through the fabric. You were yearning so much for him it was almost painful. To hell with him for choosing this moment to tease you.

He got up and slid his hand behind your back to unclasp your bra. You were overwhelmed but you wanted to see his body too. Just when he was about to start kissing your neck, you pushed him off of you and reached for the zip on his back. You knew very well where it was from having helped him before, so your fingers found the pull tab easily.

You started pulling his costume off his shoulders, feverishly tugging it down the rest of his body. The first thing you saw was his collar bones, you started moving down his abdomen. He was wearing white Calvin Klein boxers, which was nice and made you send him a cheeky look, but you wanted them gone anyway. You knelt in front of him, tugging every piece of clothing down to his ankles. Looking up, all he had left was the mask over the top of his head.

You ran your hands over his exposed abs, your nails lightly dragging over his smooth skin. He quivered and flexed, and led you to kiss  the mole right above his belly button. Just as you were about to start kissing his cock, he put his fingers on the nape of your neck and pulled you back up.

“If you do that now, I’m not going to last long,” he said in an accent that sounded different than before. It had an English touch to it, more pronounced.

Once you were standing, he bent down and pulled your hard nipple into his mouth, gently stroking the other one with his left hand. You moaned, digging your fingers into his back.

“I need you,” you panted.

“Oh do you now,” he growled into your collar bone, moving slowly back to your neck. He started sucking on your skin very hard while moving his right hand down into your soaked panties.

“Do you have a condom?” you asked him, struggling to catch your breath. His hand stopped right at the hem of your underwear.

“No… but wait a second.” He pulled away and slowly opened the bathroom stall door. You took a quick look, too. There it was, attached to the wall, one of those vending machines with condoms and toothbrushes, but both of you were naked and someone could come in any second.

"I got this," he said, pulling his boxers back up in a hurry, attempting to pull up his suit too, but ultimately leaving it half hurled around his knees. When he sneaked out of the stall, you peeked through the opened doors and saw him trying to walk as fast as he could. It was nearly comical, but you contained your chuckles for the sake of the moment.

Soon after, he was on his way back to you, sporting a grin, but the bathroom door opened and you could hear at least two guys chatting animatedly on their way in.

You cussed to yourself, but he was less smooth. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," he mouthed repeatedly, audibly too, until you were able to reach out and pull him back in by an arm. Just in time because you could still hear a boyish 'woaaaah' coming from outside even before the door was locked.

"Get it Spidey!" a voice said, and immediately you both started laughing and shushing each other at the same time. You almost didn't want to because his laugh was  the cutest sound you'd heard in a while. 

“Sorr…” you started, but he put his finger over your lips to silence you. Still there was no way to stop your wide smiles, even though you had pretty much been walked in on.

You moved your eyes to his chest in an effort to stop smiling, and noticed him breathing heavily. Unsure if he was struggling to hold back more laughter or high on the adrenaline, you decided to give him something else to focus on. His finger was still on your lips which made it easy to part them and start sucking on it, keeping your eyes focused on his face. His smile instantly faded, his mouth hanging open while he sucked in a sharp inhale.

Satisfied at his reaction and wanting more, you used your hands to maneuver his middle finger into your mouth as well, grabbing his wrist to suck on both fingers hard. You could see his lips dancing around the word 'fuck' and glanced into the white eye-shaped lenses, daring him to stare back at you from behind the mask. It felt weird yet captivating to not be able to see into his eyes.

As soon as the restroom door banged closed again, he removed his fingers from your mouth and you let out a small whiny moan. His hand snaked into your underwear, its motion heightened by the kisses he littered on your neck, all the way down to your breasts. He pinned you to the wall with his shoulders, sucking on the soft skin right under your collar bones. You moaned softly under his ear as he slowly worked his way around your pussy and clit, cupping it with his fingers, rubbing it with his whole palm.

He slowly put one finger inside of you while his lips were all over your neck and breasts. Once his finger was fully inside of you, you started moaning a bit louder. He had to kiss you to keep you quiet. His tongue was teasing your lips, waiting for you to let him in. At the same time as his tongue entered your mouth, he put his other finger inside of you and started curling them. The kiss was urgent and sloppy, like your whole life depended on it.

The tension in your lower abdomen started building up. Whether it was the adrenaline rush from the risky location, the fact that he was so mysterious that he wouldn't even let you look him in the eye, or simply his skilled fingers and mouth, you didn’t know. But the truth was that you hadn’t been this wet in a while. You weren’t even kissing him now, just breathing into his mouth. Your hands were around his neck and you could feel the ends of his hair within reach of your fingers. Your lips left his and you started moaning into his neck, feeling him shiver from the warmth of your breath. 

Your lower back was still pressed against the cold bathroom wall, thrusting hard into his fingers as you started clenching around them. You started mouthing his shoulder to control your moans and to keep yourself from slipping down.

“I’m so close,” you whispered into his shoulder, kissing and biting into it while your hips bucked hard onto his fingers. He was working you up with his middle and ring fingers, his palm on your clit providing you with more stimuli. They were curling inside of you, hitting just the right spot. You could feel the pure pleasure building inside of you and let out a loud moan when it finally approached.

This time he didn’t try to shut you up, smirking instead as you came down from your high. Your hands instinctively went to his throbbing cock, the need to erase that smirk from his face overcoming your exhaustion You pulled the foreskin over his head and started jerking him off, watching as his lips parted and let out a soft moan. You smeared the precum of his tip and brought your fingers back to your mouth, humming around the taste.

“Turn around,” he told you and you knew exactly what to do. Turning around, you put your hands on the bathroom door and leant against it. You heard  him ripping off a condom with his teeth while he rubbed  your clit with one hand. 

He teased your entrance with his cock, spreading your wetness all over him. He pushed  inside of you slowly, making both of you moan. You gasped when his hands reached and squeezed your hips. They were all over you, moving from your hips to your ass cheeks and then finally to your stomach, leaving goosebumps behind in their wake

One of his hands finally slipped back onto your swollen clit. He started rubbing circles around it, while  pushing into you  with only his tip. 

“Are you close?”

His words were distracting, but when you tried to answer, he filled you up completely and your mind went blank. Your only response was a loud moan, you didn’t even care if there was anyone outside of your stall who could hear you.

You felt your arms beginning to ache, shaking a bit from the effort of keeping yourself in position while he pounded into you.  

“Can you please hold me?” you whispered through your moans, and he did with a hum. He moved his  hand from your ass to your stomach, holding you tight, pressed onto him. His breathing intensified, matching yours.

“Fuck, I’m gonna come,” you finally said as you felt your body melting into his.

“I got you, I got you,” he moaned breathily, not stopping his movements. He fucked you until it was too much for the both of you. You came when his hand found your nipple, the pleasure it caused setting you ablaze. Then you felt him tremble behind you, hips erratic from chasing his high. Your hands were shaking and his hands on your body were the only things keeping you from falling. Even after he was finished, he couldn’t stop grunting while rocking his hips slowly back and forth, still not ready to pull out and to stop this magnificent feeling for both of you.

When he finally pulled out, you needed a few moments to collect yourself. You struggled  to stand still, bracing yourself with one arm on the door. Once you turned around, he grabbed the sides of your face and kissed you hard.

“Fucking hell, this was something else,” he said while his hands were still on your face and his head was resting on yours. You stayed like that for a few moments, and you could feel his hot breath all over your face. When he moved away from you, he got rid of the condom while you took some toilet paper to clean yourself up. A smile bloomed on your face while you took your suit and started dressing up. You couldn’t believe what you had just done, but it felt so good. Your eyes went straight to him and to the way his muscles shifted while he was dressing himself. He turned around for you to zip him back up. You left a little kiss on his back and you could feel him smiling.

“Thank you, kitten,” he said, sounding more American again, using his Peter Parker voice.

“You’re welcome, Spider.”

But as he moved to help you, it hit you that a few moments ago his voice sounded a bit different and his accent definitely had an English lilt. “Can I ask you something?” you asked him while he zipped your suit up.

“Sure. But let’s get out of here first.” You turned around and he pressed his lips lightly into yours while your heart was pounding furiously. The kiss was gentle and sweet, you never wanted this to end.

But it had to. He broke the kiss but moved his hand up to your cheek. His thumb was caressing your lips, almost like he wanted to savor this moment. He smiled before he put his mask back on. You took one last look at the bottom half of his face. And maybe you were out of it, maybe the leftover alcohol was playing tricks on your mind, but you were now almost completely sure from where you recognized his voice and his smile. You needed to ask him. He couldn’t be who you thought he was.

Luckily, the bathroom was empty so you had no trouble getting out of it. Just like when you first came in here, he was holding your hand and leading the way. As you got out of the bathroom, you were blinded by the lights and startled by the loud music. It was hard to believe that you had been in the same building this entire time, the bathroom seemed like it was its own bubble. You stood there with him for a few moments, as you both tried to figure out the best way to get away from the crowd when someone dressed as Batman appeared in front of you.

“Tom, mate, we’ve been looking everywhere for you. We’re outside, ready to leave.” You felt your heart sink into your stomach. No. It couldn’t be.

“Right, mate, I’ll be there in a second,” he answered him in that same accent he had while he was having sex with you.

“I’ll use my spidey senses to find you,” he whispered in your ear. His American accent was back on. You didn’t know anyone who could switch accents  this effortlessly except for the person you thought he was. You were too shocked to respond to him. You just stood there watching him with your eyebrows slightly raised while he showed you a peace sign and left.

Once he was gone, you mechanically walked towards the table your friends had been at. Yet, as you tried to find them, only one thought was on your mind. And you still couldn’t believe it. 

Did you just have sex with Tom Holland?

taglist: @duskholland @perspectiveparker @whattheheckparker @thefallenbibliophilequote

[angellesword]

YOUR EYES TELL | JJK (03)

Summary: You live in a world where people see in black and white. The solution to finally see the colors? It's simple. You need to meet your soulmate and look at him in the eyes, but what if the person bound to you is already contented with the monochromatic world? What if...Jeongguk, your soulmate, is already in love with someone else?

Alternatively;

"A future without you is a world without color."

Genre: soulmate au, e2l, slow burn, angst, fluff, roommate au

Pairing: Artist!Jungkook x Lawyer!Reader

Word Count: 2.4k

SERIES: CHAPTER 2 | CHAPTER 4

Note: OC is a lawyer but the author knows nothing about law except the three law subjects she took last semester. errors. ah. there will always be errors here bc english isn’t my first language. anyway!!! enjoy!

Jimin wasn't lying when he said you were a mess. This was evident to Jeongguk the second he stepped inside your apartment.

Pile of cardboard boxes and papers were cluttered all over the floor, causing him to feel uneasy. The faint colors visible in his eyes didn't help to calm his nerves. It was as if he suddenly became hypersensitive to his surroundings.

He assumed that your house wasn't really that untidy, but as stated, the colors made it seem like it was untidier.

"Hi there, buddy." Jeongguk forced a smile at the cat glaring at him. He remembered Jimin telling him that your cat was a bitch. The fury pet was making this strange, scary sound. Jeongguk suddenly wished you were here to stop the cat from attacking him.

He wasn't expecting you to lock yourself inside your room the moment you realized that he was your soulmate.

He was so startled by your reaction that his first instinct was to run after you. The thing was, your cat was blocking your bedroom door—stopping him from intruding your personal space. It was obvious that the little animal didn't like the fact that Jeongguk invited himself inside your home.

Jeongguk didn't know why you were hiding from him. In your defense, you were embarrassed. What were you supposed to say to your soulmate? How were you going to explain to him that the reason why you looked like a mess was because of your demanding job?

Being a civil lawyer was exhausting. One second you're negotiating settlement with the other side's attorney, then you would just find yourself filing motions in court and of course, there were many instances where you're standing before the jury and judge to present a case.

Expertise wasn't the only thing necessary in law. You also needed a great amount of empathy so that you could understand your clients. You cared for them a lot; this was why it was such a big deal for you whenever they choose to omit facts.

You hated it when your clients were being dishonest, you didn't need them to be innocent. You only wanted them to tell you the absolute truth so that you could properly defend them. It wasn't like your job was easy. The fact that most people living in your world see in black and white was already a pain in the ass. Earlier this day, you had a client who was suing a businessperson for selling fake whitening products. She claimed that she spent a whopping two thousand dollars to get that fair skin tone. Sadly, it didn't work.

The opposing side asked your client this: how can you say that the products don’t work when you can’t even see colors?

You were shocked to learn this. Your client was subject to a color test for eyes. She said she could see colors when in fact, she couldn't. Actually, the only reason why the vendor sold your client the whitening products was because she also lied to the seller. The latter's rule was that she wouldn't allow people who see in black and white to purchase her products. This was so she could protect her business' image from fraudster like your client.

Things like this often happened in court. The one you encountered were usually easier to resolve, unlike what criminal lawyers face. This, however, didn't mean your job should be taken lightly.

What happened in court today actually took a toll on you. Your boss humiliated you in front of your colleagues, saying that he couldn't believe an experienced lawyer like you would make such rookie mistake. This made you feel like a loser that's why you decided to go home early to rest. You knew you couldn't work when your heart was this heavy.

You ran yourself a bath the moment you reached your apartment. Jimin was bombarding your phone with text messages to remind you that Jeongguk, a friend of his, was going to drop at your place later today since he was interested to be your roommate.

You simply replied 'Yes, I haven't forgotten. Stop pestering me,' to your best friend. Truthfully, Jimin hadn't shut up about this guy named Jeongguk since last week. He kept telling you that he was the perfect replacement for Seulgi, your former roommate.

You just shrugged it off. Honestly, you didn't care if Jeongguk was the perfect roommate or not. At this point, you would take anyone in. You seriously needed someone who could help you with the household chores.

The warm water grazing your skin made you feel sleepy. Before you knew it, you're off to dreamland; however, your little slumber was disrupted by loud knocks coming from your front door.

"Shit!" Your eyes went wide upon realizing that your supposed to be new roommate was already at the door. As if to confirm the horror, your phone rang.

Jimin was calling.

"Where the hell are you? Jeongguk is in front of your door!"

"I know. I'm so sorry! I fell asleep." You got out of the tub, hurriedly putting on your bathrobe.

"Talk to you later!" You ended the voice call, rushing towards the door. Unfortunately, you slipped on the wet floor.

You whined in pain. Luck was truly not on your side today, but instead of getting annoyed, you simply stood up and went your way to the door.

"I'm sorry, I was in the shower. I swear I heard you the first time you knocked, but I was panicking so I slipped down the floor and I..." You were already blabbering right after opening the door. You hadn't seen your future roommate's face because it was easier to lie without looking at someone in the eyes.

You didn't know why you told him you heard his first knock, when in reality, you didn't. You guessed you just hated disappointing people. What happened with your boss today was something you couldn't let to be repeated again. You couldn't bear to irritate another person.

You kept yourself busy as you reasoned out. You ran your hand through your wet hair, eyes widening when you saw your fingers covered in soap suds.

"Oh, my God!" You were panicking again. This time, you finally looked at Jeongguk to see his reaction.

It was like the world stopped.

No. You did not see colors instantly. What you felt was something strange—mystical perhaps. It was just like how they described it in books and movies.

You thought people were exaggerating about what they claimed they felt when they met their soulmates.

Apparently, they were not.

You know the feeling of finally seeing the rainbow after the strong storm? It was like that. Except this was way better. Your young self was probably rejoicing now. Being able to meet and look in your soulmate's eyes was dazzling.

The colors were becoming visible now, it was faint—this was in contrast to the embarrassment you were feeling.

You suddenly became very self-conscious with what you looked like. You were wrong. Your young self wasn't that happy because she wasn't expecting to meet her soulmate like this.

You were aware that you looked awful. The bags under your bloodshot eyes were probably so deep. The soap suds in your hair made you appear ridiculous. The most horrifying of all? You were wearing a bathrobe designed with the face of your favorite cartoon character.

"Uh—"

You ran away, locking yourself in your room before Jeongguk could finish what he was about to say.

Your heart was beating so fast as you stared in the mirror. The disgust you felt intensified. God. You looked horrible. You mentally cursed the brand of the mascara you were wearing. So much for claiming to be smudge proof! Curse yourself too because this wouldn't happen in the first place if you only refrained from crying over your boss' mean words, but it seemed like you never learned. You just scolded yourself from crying easily, but here you were, tears were painting your cheeks once again.

"No..." Your lips quivered. You were stronger than this. You weren't going to ruin your chance with your soulmate.

Determined, you quickly changed into a sage dress. Your hands were trembling because of your new found excitement. You loved colors ever since you were a kid. The fact that you couldn't see them didn't stop you from learning its meaning. You studied good color combination before. You were aware how to aesthetically match the hues. For instance, you knew that you would look ridiculous if you wore a neon green shirt and bright pink jeans. You were always careful in choosing what to wear, so now that you could finally see colors without referring to your color palette generator, you were beyond happy.

When you looked decent enough, you decided to finally face your soulmate. The first thing you saw as you opened your bedroom door was Jeongguk sitting on your couch—this was a very shocking scene. No. You weren't surprised because he was casually plopped down on your sofa, what you didn't expect was to see Miri, your bitch of a cat, to be so comfortable on Jeongguk's lap. Your pet looked at peace; the usual hiss she was making was replaced by a silent purring. Her bambi eyes mirrored your soulmate's same big, doe eyes.

You cleared your throat to get Jeongguk's attention.

"I let myself in, I hope you don't mind." You couldn't decipher what he was feeling. Jeongguk's voice was soft, but there was no hint of emotion there. His expression was also unreadable.

Jeongguk tore his gaze away from you when he realized that you were staring. As if this wasn't already awkward for him, you went on to say something that made him more uncomfortable.

"I've been waiting so long to meet you! Are you going to move in with me now?" You plopped down beside Jeongguk, squeezing your body between him and the arm of your sofa. Miri hissed since she was astounded by your sudden action. Actually, Jeongguk was surprised too. Your couch was pretty spacious; he didn't understand why you had to press yourself beside him.

Jeongguk also didn't know why you sounded so hopeful. The sparks in your eyes caused him to scowl; however, this didn't stop you from speaking your hopeless thoughts.

"We could do a lot of things together! I had planned everything since I was young!" You giggled. You didn't know why you were so comfortable telling him things. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that you two were soulmates.

However Jeongguk was confused with your weird idea of wanting to do all of this romantic stuff with him. The uneasiness he felt couldn't be contained anymore when you abruptly talked about dating—as in dating him.

"Whoa, whoa..." He cut you off, arching his brow and moving away from you. "Slow down, will you? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh." You blushed, immediately realizing that you had gone too far. "I'm sorry I got carried away. I was just excited to meet you." You couldn't help but beam at him.

Jeongguk continued to raise his brow at you.

"Why? Are you really that desperate to find a roommate?"

It was your turn to raise a brow at him.

"N-No, I just..." You breathed in, unsure of what to say. "I'm just happy to finally meet my soulmate."

"Soulmate?"

You flinched because of the bitterness in his voice. His innocent eyes turned dark, he was glaring at you. Miri was startled once more. She jumped on your lap because she was getting scared of Jeongguk.

"I'm sorry to break it to you, but I don't believe in soulmates." The word 'soulmate' sounded so rough coming from him, making you flinch again.

Many people had told you that you were good at gauging the feelings of other people, this was why your heart skipped a beat when you saw pain and anger crossed Jeongguk's feature. It was as if he was betrayed by someone.

"It's the most absurd thing I've heard in my entire life. Only stupid people believe in soulmates. I mean—" Jeongguk sucked in a breath. He was so annoyed that he didn't even know how to express his thoughts without breaking apart. "It's limiting the possibilities for people. Why am I required to fall in love with someone I barely know? Why should I leave the person I truly love just because a person meant to be the love of my life," he paused, quoting the words love of my life in the air. "Helped me see colors? It's like forcing me to do something I don't—no, I can't do. It's such a burden. Love can't be bought. I refuse to be with people just because they helped me."

There was silence after Jeongguk's long speech of the reasons why he didn't—or as what he claimed—couldn't love you.

Jeongguk wetted his bottom lip. The silence was making him hate himself. He hated himself because he saw the tears forming in your eyes, an obvious sign that you were hurt because of what he said. But most importantly, he hated you.

It was unlikely of him to hate someone he just met—or to simply hate anyone at all, but everything about you was making him mad as hell.

He hated your hopeful eyes, he hated your beliefs, he hated that you were the person hindering him from being with Red.

He knew it was unfair to blame you since Red chose to leave on her own, but he still couldn't help himself because the idea of soulmate was what urged her to leave.

You were Jeongguk's soulmate and for him, it meant nothing. So with a furrowed brow, he stared hard at you as he said this:

"I'm making you choose right now. Either accept me as Jeongguk, your tenant or Jeongguk, your soulmate. But just so you know, I will never stay with you if you treat me like a soulmate."

His word stung, though you were aware that the only way to make him stay was to choose the former option. At least this way, you got to be with your soulmate.

The colors you see were starting to fade away and it was okay...

[sorryimananti-romantic]

Mist | Choi San | Chapter 2

Pairing: Choi San x OC (Seohyun)

Genre: supernatural (ghost), romance, high school

Trigger Warnings: paranormal, death mentions, violence

Words: 7.2k

Disclaimer: I do not own anything except my original character and the story. I do not own any gifs or pictures used.

Full story on Wattpad (don’t spoil here if you read there too)

chapter directory

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A few paranormally uneventful days passed. Seohyun hadn't exactly opened up to the group of boys that she was now able to call friends, but she was slowly getting there. It was hard not to smile when one of them cracked a silly joke, and harder not to laugh when they had a battle of wits.

She was slowly getting used to her new school. She was past the stage of being a new kid and the students in her class had stopped giving her those looks. She was unnoticed, and she loved it.

Today, like every other morning, Seohyun got ready for school, tying her hair in a half ponytail, peeking out of the window to check if she should wear her glasses or cap today. She had to hide her eyes somehow, they always betrayed her. She didn't want anyone to think she liked to stare into the space. But then she shrugged and tossed her glasses in the bag, wearing her cap as she went to the kitchen.

Her mother was a very busy woman and she liked to spend almost all her day in her office. She was rarely home even if she had a day off anyway. So Seohyun just made herself some coffee, munching on some cookies as she waited for the coffee to become cool enough to drink.

"I still don't get why you let the housemaid go," Jiwoo popped out of nowhere and twirled around the kitchen.

"Well, I didn't entirely let her 'go'. She still comes by on the weekends, you already know that."

"But still! What's wrong with having food everyday?" Jiwoo pushed her dark red hair back as she tsk-ed at Seohyun.

"For one, I wanted to learn to cook, and the food she made was always too much for just me. I always had to throw it out or give it to someone before it went bad. Mom's never home to eat anyway."

"I actually hate your mom, no offence," Jiwoo looked at her and Seohyun shook her head, "I mean, what kind of a mother is she?"

"A woman married to her work with an abnormal child, I kind of understand why she's like this," Seohyun muttered.

"Nah, you're not abnormal. You're gifted. And you don't appreciate it enough."

"No offence, unnie, but ghosts are the company I'd rather not have," Seohyun rinsed her cup and placed it on the rack, taking her school bag and locking the door.

"What's wrong with me?" Jiwoo asked.

"You're one of the better ones, but only because you had temporary amnesia before you died and you still don't know who exactly you are and why you're a ghost!" Seohyun snorted at the weirdness of all this.

"You think I'd ever be able to recall? Or just be stuck with you forever?" Jiwoo asked.

"I'd rather you try to move around and find out who you are instead of making me look like I talk to myself."

"Ah, you pain me, child. It's all because you have new friends now and don't care about me anymore. Right, catto?"

The black cat, which Seohyun hadn't noticed earlier, meowed in response.

"And, here comes the pretty one," Jiwoo grinned and Seohyun looked in her direction to find San coming their way.

"Pretty one? Seriously?" Seohyun shook her head.

"I mean, they're all pretty, but I like this kid more-"

"Hey," San gave her a smile as he meowed to the cat, who gladly jumped in San's arm when he put them forward.

"This little-" Seohyun stopped, and San laughed. "She never comes when I ask!"

"She likes me more, it seems," San rubbed her forehead and she purred, and they walked in comfortable silence to school the rest of the way.

They almost reached the gates of the school but something Seohyun saw from the corner of her eye made her stop in her tracks.

It was a ghost, yet it was something else. It wasn't someone who had died recently for sure. The man, the ghost if you could call it that, was bitter.

"You okay?" San asked, looking in the direction Seohyun was looking in. To him, it seemed she was looking at a wall.

"Yeah, I-I'm okay. Why don't you go ahead? I'll be right back. I should take her too," Seohyun picked the cat from San's hand, "We don't want her roaming around the school and getting scared, do we now?"

San raised a suspicious brow at her, but nodded as he reluctantly went in.

The man tried approaching Seohyun first, but she motioned him to follow her and went to the backside of the school, where surely there would be very few people walking by at this time.

"State your business," Seohyun said, and the man actually looked taken aback, if his eyes could display some emotion.

Truth be told, Seohyun was always scared dealing with men ghosts and older ghosts in general. Since ghosts could touch her, they were as much of a threat to her as humans. And these old ghosts, the ones with skin that looked grey, almost as if the ghost had started decomposing too, were usually not in their right mind.

"I have waited decades to find the mediator," the man's eyes gleamed rather wickedly.

"Mediator?" Seohyun asked. A rather fancy term for someone who could see the dead. "And why did you have to wait decades?"

"Let's say the mediator supposed to sort my death out met with rather... unfortunate circumstances," the man cleared his throat but his voice was still hoarse as he said, "You have to come with me."

"Well, if you waited decades, can you wait a few more hours? I have school, and please do NOT disturb me during my class," Seohyun made sure her tone was polite as she said this, but the man grunted. Before he could try anything, she muttered an awkward bye and walked swiftly to the gates, letting the cat go. She didn't realize she'd been holding the cat for comfort.

San, who had just witnessed Seohyun talking to thin air from the other side of the road, sighed loudly as he walked slowly to the gates.

San hadn't meant to follow her, but he turned around after a few steps of walking to the building, hoping to offer to come along with her, but when he saw her stop in the middle of the road and look as if she was actually talking to someone, he paused. He knew he shouldn't, but he watched her. And he did not know what to make of it.

Was Seohyun crazy? Didn't look like it. If she was, she did a damn good job at hiding it. When San finally reached class, he saw Seohyun chatting with Jongho. Perfectly normal. Or was she?

San said nothing as he sat in his spot, but he felt her tap his shoulder. He turned around and she asked, "I thought you went to class, where were you roaming around?"

San stared at her light brown orbs, coming out of the trance when she blinked. "I just wanted to walk around a bit."

He saw her frown but then she nodded and went back to chatting with Jongho. San turned back in his seat, and throughout the classes, he kept wondering if that was the reason why she covered her face or eyes.

When school ended, Seohyun said she had to go somewhere and said bye. San made an excuse too and started to follow her. He was going to see for himself, what she was gonna do.

San knew it was impolite to do this. And he knew if she found out, she'd really be angry with him, maybe never talk to him again. This was supposed to be her secret for sure. She would probably never tell any one of them. He wasn't even sure what it was.

Seohyun led him to an abandoned warehouse, and he heard her say, "Why bring me here?"

She paused for a few second, looking around as if for help, and San ducked quickly behind the boxes before she could see her. He couldn't hear her now, but he did get bits about how it was creepy of 'him' to bring her to this place without warning her, and he didn't miss how she kept looking behind her, as if she was waiting for someone to appear or just didn't want to keep doing this.

Who was this 'him'? Her imaginary friend? A ghost? San shook his head, and got on his feet when he noticed her go inside the warehouse.

San crept up behind them, and couldn't believe what he saw.

The locked door somehow unlocked, somehow the chains fell and the door magically opened wide in front of her, without Seohyun having even moved a finger.

What was happening?

Seohyun was asked to come in the warehouse and she couldn't ignore the roaring of her gut that told her something was going to go really, really wrong. She had such a strong feeling some years ago too, and she had barely gotten away from her life then.

All her nerves screamed at her to run, anywhere, just not go in. Where was Jiwoo when she needed her? Seohyun was kind of furious how she was never there for her.

Seohyun watched the old man walk in, looking around, and before she entered, she turned her head once hoping she would see Jiwoo-

Instead, she felt her heart sink as she saw none other than San, attempting to hide as their eyes met.

"Come in now, don't keep me waiting," the man grumbled, and Seohyun shouted an okay to him before she looked at San, hoping to warn him with her eyes as she put a finger to her mouth, telling him not to make a sound and motioning him to stay where he was.

Seohyun went inside, her heart slamming against her chest. This wasn't supposed to happen. San must think she's crazy or worse. Her mind made a mental list of how many ways this could go wrong.

"I used to think mediators ran in the family. But the one who was supposed to help me, he did not have any offspring. I spent so many years in ignorance, not knowing that it was completely random. Just like god picking up a needle in the haystack."

"Cut to the chase. What do you want with me and why bring me here?"

"I have forgotten why I died. And I want to move on. But I can't because I don't remember why I am still here. Someone told me there were various other ways to move on... Let's say I had to try."

As soon as Seohyun saw the growing smirk on the man, she knew it was time to run the hell away. But several bottles came flying at her, and she barely dodged them as they crashed on the wall next to her.

"You don't have to do this! It's wrong! I help dead people move on, there must be a way other than stupid violence-"

But the man waved another hand and now the boxes came flying at her. She was grabbed by the arm and pulled against someone, and she sighed in both relief and horror as she saw it was San.

"Are you stupid! You'll get hurt!" She yelled at him. He just took her hand and ran towards the shelves, hoping to hide from whatever it was that sent flying objects in the air. He almost dragged her until he was sure he was quite away from whatever it was.

"What the hell is happening?" San asked through his teeth.

"Why did you even follow me? Are you stupid?"

"Who is it?" San's grip on her wrist tightened as his eyes searched around.

"It's a ghost, San. Do you believe me?" Seohyun asked, waiting for a snide remark.

"From what I've seen? Sure," San muttered, and Seohyun wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic.

"He's near. Let's move," Seohyun said, and this time, she grabbed San's hand as she led him through the various shelves that lined the warehouse, glad they weren't empty.

A blast shocked them, making them jump in the air as they realized the shelves were collapsing one by one.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Seohyun ran, San matching her pace and she ran her eyes around, finally finding a place to hide. It was a narrow passage between huge containers. Seohyun looked at her options. The man was blocking the entrance so now they could just hide and pray for help or... die. If that's the worst that was to come.

Seohyun dragged San with her to the narrow passage, both of them barely fitting in the small dark place. Now they were side to side but San's body was still half out, so Seohyun pulled him closer, until he was almost in front of him. Since the passage was so narrow and short, there wasn't much gap between them.

San was a bundle of nerves and all, his heart beating wildly. "What's going on-"

"Shh," Seohyun whispered, putting a hand on his mouth to shut him up, "I'll explain everything later, I promise."

San nodded, taking off her hand from his mouth but not leaving it. Seohyun was too busy concentrating on where the man was to notice it. He saw her wince, and she looked at San with apologetic eyes.

"If something happens to us, I'm sorry, San. I'll do my best to save you. The man-the ghost is after me. I don't know why," Seohyun sighed, and San squeezed her hand assuringly.

"I'm with you. Nothing will happen," he whispered, thinking he must sound stupid to say that. But it must have given her some sort of assurance. She put her head on San's chest, sighing again.

The two of them heard the sounds of things getting destroyed alright, Seohyun hearing the man as well, and Seohyun almost cried in relief as she heard Jiwoo whisper her name.

"I can teleport you, but what about him-"

"Either we both go, or we both stay," Seohyun said firmly. She wasn't going to leave him alone.

"Go where?" San asked. Seohyun told him her friend was here and she could help.

Jiwoo looked at Seohyun and a slow grin appeared on her face. "There is something I could try..."

"What?" Seohyun narrowed her eyes at Jiwoo.

"What if I teleport you, but you're still holding San? Would he come with us?"

"I don't know, unnie..." Seohyun trailed, but an idea stuck to her. "It's the same as when I have something with me right? A bag, a cap, something. But that's objects. What about actual humans?"

"Remember when we accidentally teleported our cat once? It was holding on to you and you had forgotten. What if this works?"

Seohyun bit her lip. It was worth a try. "If it doesn't work, promise me we'll come back to San right then."

"But your body can't handle too many teleportations-"

"Promise me," Seohyun insisted, and Jiwoo rolled her eyes as she nodded. "Hurry up, he's closer."

"San, listen to me carefully," Seohyun said. "You know what teleportation is, right?"

San wanted to ask her if now was really the time, but he said yes- from the movies, and she continued, "I'm gonna attempt to teleport you along with me. My friend is gonna do that. You have to trust me."

"No way," San muttered, sighing deeply.

"Yes, you were stupid and brave enough to follow me, so yes, we are teleporting. I've done it before, but I've never teleported someone... normal with me, so this might not work. So if I disappear, and you're here all alone, I promise you, San, that I'll be back within a minute, okay?"

"How am I supposed to make sense of all you're saying?" San's eyes were helpless.

"Just... trust me. I won't leave you alone. I promise. Now, I have to, er, hold you, so she can teleport us. Gotta make sure I take you with me..."

Seohyun heard Jiwoo snicker, and she passed her a death glare. San, tempted to roll his eyes, held her hands.

"I'm afraid I'll have to hold you tighter. You see, when we teleport, we tend to lose what we're not holding tightly..."

"Oh..." San left her hands, and Seohyun muttered 'here goes nothing' as she wrapped her arms around San's waist, surprised that it was so small.

"Hold me tightly, and no matter what, do not let me go, you understand?"

"Yes ma'am," San said as he bent down to place his chin on her shoulder and bring her closer. "This okay?"

"Yes," Seohyun realized she was holding her breath, so she said, "Take a deep breath, San."

San did so, and Jiwoo smirked a little, watching two scared children hug each other. She came forward, holding Seohyun only, and did her magic.

San felt his stomach twist and turn, saw a million colourful stars, almost got nauseous but his only comfort was Seohyun so he held her tighter and shut his eyes. He didn't open them again until he landed on hard ground, his back aching with the impact.

He opened his eyes and saw... nothing.

He wasn't sure if he was blind or not, but he looked down and saw Seohyun half on top of him, attempting to get up, and he realized he had his vision all right.

"Where the hell," Seohyun got up, "are we?"

"I guess your body could only attempt a half trip," Jiwoo said, and San instantly turned at the voice, making eye contact with the red haired girl.

"That's the ghost friend that teleported us?" San asked Seohyun.

"You can see her!?" Seohyun asked, and San looked at Jiwoo.

"I wasn't supposed to see her, was I?" He raised his brow, and Seohyun looked at Jiwoo.

"Hey, kid, nice to officially meet you," Jiwoo said, holding out a hand to him so he could stand up. San tried to take it, but his hand passed through Jiwoo's hand, and he gasped.

"I guess you can only see then," Seohyun bit her lip as she looked around. "Is this where ghosts come when they... move on?"

"That's where I come when I'm not on planet Earth," Jiwoo said, "It's like another plane, you could say, another dimension overlapping ours, except this one is for ghosts."

"What now? Should we try again?" Seohyun asked, coughing a bit.

"You should take a breather first. Your body can't handle it," Jiwoo nodded at her and Seohyun sat down on the ground, putting her head over her knees as she brought them closer, shivering a little. Jiwoo was right, something was happening to her. Like a cold coming to her.

"Is she okay?" San asked Jiwoo, and she shrugged. San ran his fingers through his hair as he looked around, finding no source of light that illuminated the area around them.

So Seohyun wasn't crazy. Somehow, though it made no sense, she could see ghosts, she could touch them. San looked at Jiwoo and opened his mouth to ask something, but then thought against it. Now was not the time.

"I know you have a lot of questions," Jiwoo commented, "Let's try to get out of here first before we have the talk."

"Has she... ever brought someone here?" San asked.

"This is the first time she came here too," Jiwoo said, "Usually when a ghost teleports her, it's quick and efficient. Much like you see in movies or books."

"We should get out of this place quick. I don't want him to come find us here," Seohyun said, getting up.

"Are you sure you're okay? Can you make it back?" Jiwoo asked.

"I have to," Seohyun said.

Jiwoo nodded, and Seohyun looked at San for permission. San came forward and they both held each other tight as Jiwoo attempted to teleport them again.

This time, they landed on soft grass, but the impact with which they did sent them rolling a bit. San's breath was knocked out of him and he coughed loudly, gasping for breath. As soon as he recovered, he looked for Seohyun-

Seohyun was bent rather awkwardly, and it looked like she wasn't moving. San and Jiwoo both rushed to her, straightening her body. Jiwoo checked if she was breathing.

"She is breathing. She must have collapsed from being tired, don't worry, it's happened before too," Jiwoo assured him.

San sighed, looking up at the sky, wondering what he had gotten himself into. He looked around, finding the place familiar.

"Is this... the park near our school?" San asked Jiwoo.

"Yes, I tried to teleport us as close to Seohyun's home as possible, but looks like we could only make it till here."

"What if someone had seen us appear out of thin air?"

Jiwoo laughed. "They'd probably run for their lives. You'd be aliens."

San smiled a little at that. That's exactly what he would have thought if he had seen Seohyun.

"So are you... Seohyun's friend?" San finally asked.

"You could say that. I'm older than her so she always calls me unnie, but I keep telling her to call me Jiwoo."

"Then I'll call you noona," San smiled, making Jiwoo grin.

"She helps ghosts move on. When someone dies and they have unfinished business that they just can't leave behind, they sometimes choose to become ghosts until they get done with that. Seohyun helps them do that."

"That must be hard..." San wondered if it was always as bad as this time.

"It is, but what happened today is not a common occurrence. The man she saw today, he's been dead for a good while and has forgotten his purpose here. I once heard the other ghosts talk about him too. Ghosts like that, you have to avoid them. They're bitter, and usually mean Seohyun harm."

"So now... I can see you, does that mean I'll be able to see other ghosts too?"

"You'll find out soon," Jiwoo said.

Seohyun woke up with a gasp, her eyes wide. Jiwoo helped her sit up, and Seohyun muttered 'water'. San quickly opened Seohyun's bag and fished out her bottle, which she drank hungrily from, some water spilling down her chin as well.

"Slow down, kid," Jiwoo patted her back. Seohyun emptied the whole bottle, wiping her chin, then felt something run down her nose.

"Nosebleed. Do you have tissues?" Jiwoo asked and Seohyun shrugged, looking upwards and holding her nose. Jiwoo searched through her bag but San took out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Seohyun.

"Does this usually happen?" San asked.

"No... it's the first time," Jiwoo admitted. Seohyun nodded too. "When we accidentally teleported the cat with her, she became dehydrated, but that was it."

Seohyun wiped her nose, looking at Jiwoo and she gave her a thumbs up.

"I shouldn't have followed you..." San shook his head, "It's because of me that-"

"You shouldn't have, but I'm kind of glad you did. Jiwoo is unreliable as a ghost friend and who knows what would have happened to me if you were not there? I could have died," Seohyun said nonchalantly.

"HEY!" Jiwoo smacked her arm but Seohyun ignored her.

"But look at you-" San was cut by Seohyun putting her hand up and saying, "I need food, and I mean NOW."

A few minutes later, they were watching Seohyun hungrily gulp down noodles and fried chicken. San had stopped eating midway just to watch her eat with a speed he hadn't ever seen before.

"Are you sure you're even chewing?" He asked, and Seohyun glared at him.

"The food is not going anywhere, Seohyun, slow down," Jiwoo laughed, "seeing you eat like this is making me wish I could eat too."

"Okay, mom," Seohyun said, finally slowing down. They ate the rest of the food silently, then Seohyun decided she'd like some coffee. They decided to walk her home as she sipped on her coffee and answered San's questions.

"Have you ever told anyone?" San asked first.

"Never. My mom only knows because she's, well, my mom and it's weird when a little kid sees stuff nobody else does."

"And what has she done about this?" San wasn't sure if he should have asked this.

Seohyun sighed, "She tried to 'help' me, but then she decided avoiding me was the best way. So now she's married to her work."

"And your dad?"

"He's never been here in the first place."

"Oh..." San faltered, but saw Seohyun shrug. "You can ask me anything, San. You deserve an explanation. Don't hesitate."

"Why can you see ghosts?"

"I don't know that either," Seohyun smiled as she looked at the sky. "Born this way?"

"Would you have ever told us?" San asked. Seohyun stopped walking at that, and faced him.

"To be honest, I've never made friends, San, because of this reason. That someone would find out. They'd never believe me, they'd think I'm crazy. So I don't know if I would have told you guys, ever," Seohyun paused, "But you found out, and you witnessed everything. What do you think?"

San scratched his neck. "I think you're right. I don't think any of us would have believed you. We'd have dismissed it as a joke. But now that I did see everything... It's different now. I hope you understand that."

"You sure you don't want to, I don't know, ever talk to me and all?"

San smiled. "You think I'd abandon my friend just like that?"

Seohyun couldn't help but stare at San, his sharp eyes that grew warmer every time he smiled, how they slightly curved.

"I want you to know that if it was anyone of us, and they had seen what I had seen, they would have never abandoned you. We don't take our friendships lightly."

"That's... good to hear," Seohyun finally smiled. "Do you think they'd believe us if we tell them?"

"They'd need some convincing, but yes, they would. Do you want to tell them?"

"Not yet," Seohyun said, "When the time is right."

San nodded, and squeezed her hand. "If you're ever in danger, you tell me, okay? If you need anyone, or anything, you tell me, got it? You don't have to face this alone anymore."

Seohyun almost cried right there, but she held it back, squeezing his hand back and nodding. They walked a few minutes until she finally reached home.

"Thank you, San. For everything." Seohyun smiled at him, and this time it was a true smile. San was actually taken aback. It felt like she had truly smiled for the first time, unfiltered.

"Anytime," San managed to say, and watched her go in. He took a deep breath, trying to shake off the image of Seohyun smiling, but found himself smiling too.

Meanwhile, Seohyun collapsed as soon as she entered, and she allowed herself to cry, both happy and sad tears, happy that someone finally understood her, and sad that it hadn't happen earlier. Jiwoo sat down with her, silently rubbing her back.

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

Seohyun almost slept in the next day, only woken up for school when Jiwoo threw her off the bed for 'sleeping like a sloth'. She couldn't exactly blame her. Seohyun had been so tired that after crying her heart out, she'd only had the energy to change before she collapsed on her bed and slept without moving an inch.

"My whole body hurts like I did some major workout," Seohyun mumbled as she tried running towards school, but gave up. She'd just walk.

"I don't recall you having such after effects after a teleportation," Jiwoo wondered.

"When it's just me, I'm only drained a bit. Like running. But even when I took the cat accidentally, my head hurt a lot. This time it was a whole human."

"Maybe because they aren't meant to be there," Jiwoo shrugged, meowing at the cat who appeared out of nowhere as usual. "Sometimes I think you might have transferred this teleportation thing to your cat too."

"Except 'I' can't teleport. You ghosts can," Seohyun corrected. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't tried teleporting herself home from school. How cool would that have been?

Jiwoo picked the cat and quickly passed it to Seohyun so no one would witness a flying cat. Seohyun draped her over her shoulder so Jiwoo could play with her. As they were walking, they saw San standing in a corner. He waved, then joined them.

"Hi noona," he said, and Jiwoo tried poking San but her hand went through him.

"I guess you can still only see," Jiwoo shook her head, continuing to pet the cat.

"You can touch the cat? And she sees you?" San asked, curiously watching them.

"Ever since we accidentally teleported her, I can touch her. But I'm pretty sure she could see me before too. All cats can, I think."

"Interesting..."

"Were you... waiting for us or something?" Seohyun finally asked.

"I was. I couldn't sleep last night, truth be told. I kept thinking about what happened. In fact, I'm surprised I didn't freak out..."

"I'm more surprised about that," Seohyun admitted.

"Meanwhile Seohyun here slept as soon as she reached home and I had to wake her up for school too," Jiwoo flipped her hair dramatically. Seohyun scoffed at that.

"You must be very tired... Are you okay?" San asked.

Seohyun nodded, and before she could say something they heard someone calling their names. It was Wooyoung and Yeosang. They joined them, Wooyoung putting his arm over San's shoulder as he said, "You're early today. You usually come in last minute."

"I woke up early today," San said casually, his eyes darting towards Seohyun unconsciously. Yeosang noticed that, trying to stop the smile creeping on his mouth as he looked between Seohyun and San. Seohyun gave him a warning glare, one she made sure was strong enough.

As they waited for class to start, Seohyun was resting her head on the desk. She couldn't quite believe the fact that someone now knew who she was, and was not disgusted or freaked out by her. She couldn't stop wondering what the future would be like, what if this group of boys would really get her to warm up to them, and how they would react if they found out.

San turned around in his seat, a frown growing on his face as he noticed how tired she looked. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Just very, very tired," Seohyun sighed, lifting her head.

"What if the ghost-man comes here?" San asked.

"Oh. I'd totally forgotten about him..." Seohyun bit her lip, "Well, he knows better not to make a scene in front of people, so chances are he won't."

"Chances? That ghost was dangerous!" San hissed, "What if he does come here?"

"Jiwoo must be out on watch. She'd warn me." Seohyun said, and San looked a little relieved at that. "It's not like the ghost can hurt you, so don't worry."

San rolled his eyes. "I'm worried about you, stupid."

"Oh," Seohyun paused. "You don't have to. I'll be fine."

San tsk-ed at her, turning back in his seat. Seohyun stared at the back of his head. Yunho dragged his seat towards Seohyun as he said, "You both are getting along rather well."

"Well," Seohyun slumped back in her seat, "he keeps talking."

Yunho laughed at that, "He's been thinking of names for your cat too."

"I won't approve if I don't like it. He knows that, right?"

"I'll give a good name, don't worry," San turned back in his seat, having overheard the conversation.

"I don't have much expectations from you, to be honest," Seohyun said casually, tucking her hair behind her ear, "I think Jongho there could give a much better name. He looks like he actually uses his brain."

Yunho and San looked at each other and giggled at that. Her observation was true. Jongho was infamously known as the 'only braincell' of the group. Yunho told her that, which actually made her smile.

"See? I know how to spot the smart ones."

"Who do you think is the most dumb one out of us?" San asked, attempting to make puppy eyes so she won't pick him. Seohyun looked at each one of them slowly, then said, "I haven't talked to you all much, but Wooyoung looks like he doesn't really like to use his brain."

The pair of them laughed so loud at that, catching the rest of the boys' attention as Seohyun tried to shut them up. But they were in tears, slapping their thighs as they laughed.

"Can the both of you stop? San you're second dumbest, just so you know."

That just made them laugh harder. The boys slowly came to them, muttering how they wanted to know what was 'so funny that they were howling'.

"She thinks the smartest one of us is Jongho, and the dumbest is Wooyoung," Yunho finally explained.

Wooyoung was laughing at first until he realized and yelled "HEY!" Jongho giggled, looking satisfied.

"Your brain processing is just a bit slow, that's all. No offence," Seohyun muttered.

"I mean, she's not wrong..." Hongjoong made an impressed face.

"Where do I stand?" Mingi asked, "I'm the second smartest right?"

"From below, yes," Seohyun said, making them all laugh. They all insisted that she rank them, and then they'd tell her if she was right about this.

"I don't actually think you're dumb, okay? This is just a joke, don't take it seriously-"

"I know, we all know," Wooyoung assured her, smiling warmly, "carry on."

"...Okay," Seohyun hesitated a bit then started, "Hongjoong is smartest obviously but Jongho is quite smart too? He seems more mature. Then Yeosang or Seonghwa, San somewhere in the middle depending on how awake he is, not sure about Yunho, but Mingi and Wooyoung... well they're pretty close. Because they don't like using their brains..."

"Most of it is accurate," Hongjoong agreed, "Yunho is more lucky than smart."

"Ah.. must be nice to be god's favourite," Seohyun scoffed. "But hey, I like Mingi and Wooyoung. They make you all laugh. That's more important."

Mingi and Wooyoung clapped at that, finally approving.

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

It was finally after school, when San insisted on accompanying her to her home so she would get there 'safe', that they encountered the old ghost right outside her house.

"Get behind me" San protectively pushed Seohyun behind her.

"I appreciate the gesture, San, but this won't work. Use your brain."

"Oh... Right," San scratched his head and Jiwoo, who had also been with them the entire time, stepped forward.

"We can talk this out like civil human beings and ghosts. Then you can decide if you really want to kill Seohyun."

"NOONA!" San shouted in disbelief but she dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

"Very touching, all this, but I agree, we can have a normal conversation," the old man said.

"How long have you been a ghost exactly?"

"So long that I have forgotten my purpose, girl," the ghost snickered. "I heard from some older ghosts that killing the mediator by our own hands would make us move on."

Seohyun saw San and Jiwoo both tense. "And you thought you'd check?"

The old man nodded. "The mediator before you... Some other ghost killed him. It was some sort of revenge. He was supposed to help me."

"I could help some other way, because killing me doesn't really sound like a solution to me... Like, think about it. It doesn't make sense."

"Are you sure you aren't saying that because you don't want to die yet?" The old man smirked.

"Oh please," Seohyun faked swagger, "If I had an option, I'd kill me too." San shook his head at her.

"Very well. I'll hear you out."

Seohyun explained that she knew an old shaman who helped ghosts with no purpose to move on. It took some convincing and death threats to Seohyun, but she finally made him realize that it might be his one and only option now, and that he should just 'stop being a pain and move the hell on'.

"If it turns out to be a scam, I promise I'll come for you, whether it helps me move on or not."

"Please do," Seohyun replied nonchalantly. The ghost signaled to Jiwoo and they disappeared.

San turned to see that Seohyun was now leaning against the wall, wiping sweat from her forehead as she sighed in relief. "Nice acting."

Seohyun looked at him once before drinking from her water bottle. She had noticed the disapproval in his voice. She stared at him when she was done, and he stared back for a good few seconds before he finally sighed loudly.

"How can you be so... stupid at times like these?"

"How was that stupid? I talked to him and poured sense into him. And it worked. I don't see the problem."

"Does your life mean nothing to you?" San asked.

"San, chill, it was just acting-"

"Those ghosts can touch you!" San was louder this time, making Seohyun flinch a little, "They can hurt you like any other human, hell, they can hurt you in worse ways than that! How can you be so relaxed when gambling with your life?!"

Seohyun watched as San ran a hand through his hair frustratingly, clearly holding himself back. His whole body was tense, his jaw was set and he was not having any of it.

"Are you done?" Seohyun asked, making sure it came out soft. San shook his head.

"I've been seeing ghosts my entire life. My mom took me to all sorts of people for help. You think I don't know how dangerous it is? I learned from the worst. And I'm old enough and experienced enough to know how to handle rogue ghosts like these. Trust me on that."

"I know you are, Seohyun," San admitted, "I just hate it when you talk about your life like it means nothing. Like you'd have no problem if something happened."

"Let's just say I haven't had something I'd like to live for yet," Seohyun said.

San locked eyes with her. "I'll make it change now."

"What?"

"There's so much to life. I know you haven't had the best life, but you have people you can rely on now. And I'll make sure you'll have something to live for."

"What do you live for?" Seohyun asked, curious.

San smiled. "My parents, my grandparents, my friends. And myself."

"Doesn't it... get too much? Living for all of them... must be hard. And boring."

"What's hard and boring is when I had nothing to live for," San said, "When life became repetitive, and I didn't really love anyone, including myself. But now... I have something to look forward to. And no matter if it gets hard, I'll have people to lean on. So ask yourself this, Seohyun. Is it hard living like me or is it hard living like you?"

San knew his words had crossed her, so he locked eyes with her for a second longer before he waved and left for home, leaving Seohyun wondering if she really had wasted all her life repelling people, and if it really had been a wise decision.

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