#my guess is that scoops was the last in an exhaustive list of places to apply. that's why dustin's so happy for him to FINALLY get the job

[piastrinorris]

i've been thinking a lot about how steve talks about his role at scoops with robin vs with dustin

[dzpenumbra]

1/20/23

Thoughts are swimming tonight. Tough to figure out where to start with today.

I'm exhausted. In every way possible. I didn't get a full night sleep. My left eye has been twitching for like 3 days now, likely a combo of sleep deprivation and stress. It's annoying, but, you know... self-compassion. God, I can hear how tired I am in the way I'm typing. Ugh.

I got up, got kitty food, did yoga which was very difficult but very rewarding. Difficult not just physically but... capability-wise. I was struggling with a concept, where to put my gaze, which was part of the exercise today. And I couldn't really conceptualize it as concretely as I wanted, and wrestled with that a few times until I realized how silly that was, and that it really doesn't have to be perfect, it's the idea that counts, it's the process. It was very rewarding to let go and just let it be, but very odd to do yoga with my eyes open so much, it's usually a very eyes-closed thing for me.

I got my shower in and actually got my shit packed and headed out to the Habitat for Humanity store thing. I was looking for a boat-load of furniture, I wrote a list on the back of my hand like I used to in highschool/college. Bookcase, Futon, TV Table ~ 4', Workbench + chair, Plant Tables - 12" x 21" tall. I left the place with 3 picture frames and a $10 side table that's too big for the plant shelf area. I was very frustrated. The place was pretty damn big, and they didn't have a single bookshelf or small table. I guess they all got scooped up. I was grateful I didn't leave empty-handed, and went to the grocery store. I had a blast at the grocery store. It was just cruising and browsing, dancing my way through the isles like an idiot. I had a good time. And I decided last-minute to get an orchid. I had been planning on doing that for almost a month now, and I postponed it in favor of going to a nursery across the river from me. Now? Now I said fuck it. And it has a nice little home over by my router.

It's my first flower plant... ever. And it will probably be pretty short-lived. But, who knows? I will try my best to give it the love and care it deserves. We'll see how it all turns out.

I got home, moved everything inside, sat in my chair, cuddled my cat a bit, put the milk and eggs in the fridge... put on a livestream to have in the background... and then my mom called.

What ensued was me immediately sharing my stress and frustration with not being able to find the tables I want, which of course... was taken personally as aggression towards her... somehow... and I got the shit beat out of me for it. After about an hour and a half of that, I managed to explain the situation, give some grounding tips, explain how panic and anxiety work a bit better, share what I had covered in my journal yesterday about like... being Now, and all that. And it stuck. For a few minutes. Until the tables came back up again. And she got mad again. And then my car got brought into the conversation too. By the time that wave ended, it was like 9:30 and I hadn't even unpacked my groceries, I was just taking this verbal assault and trying to dismantle this bomb the entire time, my groceries were just sitting in bags on the floor. I kept at it, faithfully. Stupidly, honestly. I don't really feel that way, but in hindsight it feels foolish. In the moment it feels like "just endure a little more and she'll wake up." We barely managed to get over that hump... and then... wave 3. And this one was... savage. There was a tone of... almost playfulness this time. Like "oh ho, I see what you're up to..." And the low blows came out. Using points of bonding against me as weapons. Using trusted information I disclosed in moments of honesty as a way to try to discredit me. Weaponizing my own mental health against me. Shit like that. It got dirty.

I saw the red flags. For 4 fucking hours I saw the red flags. And I stayed. To try to help. To endure the onslaught until the eye of the storm, so I can teach what I have learned. I'm just. Trying. To. Be. A. Good. Guy. I'm just trying to be Good, like Capital G Good. Saintly. Turn the other cheek. Christ-like. And I am so fucking conflicted on this.

Like, my self-appointed therapy homework is to walk away when shit gets bad. And I just go right back into, "I can 'fix' this." But not like... "I can fix this myself", but like... "I have the info and resources to educate on how they can fix this problem they are clearly struggling with, I just need to endure until a moment of peace, then I can assist." So how the fuck can I revise this? How can I do this in a way that I'm not just an emotional and verbal punching bag for people?

Let's try this one. How about I keep my sentiment. "I have the info and resources to educate, to help them learn what's going on and techniques they can use to manage their struggles in these moments." Then we trim out the "I just need to endure until a moment of peace". Instead, I communicate, "I would like to help, but I'm not going to be able to continue with the conversation as heated as it is. For my own mental health, I'm going to have to go for now. If you want to calmly discuss what you're going through, I can offer my experience and perspective." That would work much better. It's just dependent on them calling back for resolution. And you know what? I did 4 hours of enduring Tartarus and still got hung up on. So... fuck resolution. Resolution ain't on me.

So... here's my question to myself. Why did I stay? What did I need? Duh. Support. Help. Company. Companionship. Social interaction. This whole thing stemmed from me just trying to get literally anyone to help me track down furniture for my apartment that 1) isn't from a chain retailer, and 2) is made of real materials, not cheap particle board and shit, and 3) I ideally don't have to make from scratch myself, because I have too many projects already. I don't mind assembling stuff, but ideally not having to like... saw planks of wood and shit. Sorry, I've just got enough arts/crafts stuff going on. That's it. That's why I stayed. To get someone to help me shop for cheap tables to put plants on on Etsy and get them mailed to my address. That's it. Sad as fuck, right? You know what's worse? At the end of it all, with all the damage done, I didn't even get that.

I feel like a starving beggar, and these people come in and dangle a sandwich in front of me and beat the shit out of me until I "earn" it or something. Then don't even give it to me! Like... I have literally walked coals barefoot and it was absolute child's play compared to the hell that I go through to just have... normal friend interactions... with family. It's fucked up. And I deserve better.

So yeah. That blew. And went on until like 10:30. So check this out. As I got hung up on, I started cooking dinner. And kept my headphones in. And put on Devin Townsend's Lightwork album and danced and cooked in my kitchen. Sorry, downstairs neighbor, if the footsteps were loud. I tried to be quiet. But man, that was the correct way to mitigate that damage. Just get fucking lost in good-ass music and feast down on homemade tex-mex food. Here. Pop some headphones on and join me. This is my new fav, I really want to cover it soon.

Lots of snow tonight. Fingers crossed for skating tomorrow, it's been way too long! Breathe deep, seek peace. <3

[frattsparty]

My Heart Needed You Part 16

An: I’m dumb and posted 17 before this so two in one night ✌️

Warning: language, we’re all sad and struggling.

Tag list: @bellisperennis0 @withmyteeth @lexondeck @redpoodlern @nessamc @chibsytelford @thegirlwhowritesfics

The drive was long and by the time you got in it was late afternoon, Venus had you go straight to her house. When you puked into the driveway you let out a small sigh of relief as noticing that Tigs bike isn’t here. Quickly you unbuckle and all but jog to the door, and before you could knock Venus swings it open and pulls you into her arms. Your whole body begins to shake. “Shh baby, it’s okay, you’re safe here.” She’s rubbing your back trying to calm you.

You stay in her embrace a little longer before pulling away, she immediately goes to wipe your tears away, “What happened Hailey Girl?” Using the sweet nickname that only Tig called you. “Oh my gosh, baby, your arms are bruised. Who did this?”

“He found out what happened, it was a huge blow up,” your tears start again.

“He was mad at the truth?” Venus looked shocked.

You shook your head, “No, we all got detained by this fed who I knew because of SAMCRO. I ruined a case he had that would have brought down the club, the IRA and the cartel, he’s held a grudge ever since apparently.” Taking a deep breath, “He had documents made up saying I got an abortion and then had pictures of me and Jose…” you couldn’t hold the sob in any longer.

She held you tightly moving so the two of you were sitting on the couch. Your body was exhausted, the lack of sleep, the drive, the crying, you couldn’t keep it together any longer.

“I’m just so tired of carrying this, of feeling shame and guilt.” You sobbed.

“I know baby, and you don’t have to feel like that,” she’s gently running her hand through your hair. “You did nothing wrong, you were hurt, don’t ever feel like you are the problem.”

Once you’ve calmed down you gave her a full rundown of what happened, keeping your eyes focused on your hands to get through it.

“Hailey, my sweet girl, look at me,” she places her hands on the side of your face pulling you up to look at her. “Baby, you haven’t done anything wrong, he’s beating himself up for not being there, for thinking the worst of you, and for how he treated you today. But you have not done anything wrong.”

You nod your head wanting to believe her. “The things he said,” sniffling you clear your throat. “That hurt more than any beating I could get, for him to say that about me.”

“I know, and I’m not going to tell you what to do, but I do think the two of you need to have a serious talk.” She grabs your hands, “You have gotten to let one burden off of your heart, don’t carry another.”

“That’s not all,” you whisper, scared to even say this next part out loud. Giving you a reassuring nod Venus takes your hand seeing that you are struggling. “I..I’m pregnant.”

“What? Hailey,” she moves, wrapping you in a big hug, “How do you feel about it?”

“Well I was honestly happy about it when I found out two days ago, I didn’t tell him yet because I wanted to tell him in person.” Letting out a shaky breath, “now I don’t know.” Sniffling, you wipe the stray tear with your sleeve, “I just don’t know what to do anymore.”

The two of you talk for hours, for most of it she sits back and listens, but she provides sound advice. Encouraging you to take a few days to get yourself in order and talk to Nestor, but she also said he needs to come to me. Begging for your forgiveness, because a lady shouldn’t beg a man to be in her life.

That night Venus decided to have the guys over for dinner, she could tell you needed to be surrounded by your people. The two of you were working in the kitchen and you couldn’t help to think about all the dinners you had helped Gemma with.

“I think we are done, Hailey, so we’re all ready for the boys.” She’s wiping her hands clean and takes the final plate to the table. Just as she sets it down the door opens and the loud voices of your favorite men enter the houses

You can’t help the huge smile on your face as they walk in and the pure shock on their faces when they see you.

“Hailey Girl!” Tig is the first to squeeze you tightly. Then Happy, always quiet but holding you too tight, not that you’ll complain to him.

Chibs comes up, and you can see the worry in his eyes. He’s always good at reading people, especially you, “Hey darlin’, you okay?” He’s giving you a tight squeeze, all you can do is nod knowing if you speak you might crumble in his arms.

“It’s not like you to show up unannounced and not come to Scoops, you sure you’re alright?”

Giving him a weak smile, “Yeah, I’m okay.”

“Alright everyone let's eat!” Venus announces saving you from this conversation.

Once dinner is done Tig and Happy go in the kitchen to clean up, Venus runs a tight ship here forcing the boys to help.

“Come for a walk with me, Hailey.” You look up and Chibs has his hand out to pull you off the couch.

The two of you walk along the neighborhood, it’s quiet and peaceful - and thankfully cooler than Santo Padre!

“So what happened? I can see the marks on your arms, your eyes are swollen and red, you've clearly been crying.” He scoots closer to you giving you a light nudge.

“I was engaged before I came here, he was deployed and when he was away I was assaulted by a family friend…” sniffling you wrap your arms around yourself. “I got pregnant, he beat me until I lost the baby, then threatened me that if I said anything he would kill my family. So I ran.”

Protectively Chibs wraps his arm around you and you continue. “I never told Nestor what happened, but when I came home we tried reconnecting. He found out what happened, but the story he was given was a lie. He was angry and he didn’t hold back obviously.”

“I told him the truth and he tried to apologize and I was so angry, hurt, sad that I left and ended up here.”

“Oh my girl, I’m so sorry,” he pulls you tightly to his side.

“I should have just told him the truth from the start but I was so scared, Chibs.”

“Don’t blame yourself, you were trying to protect everyone and yourself. I’m sure deep down he knows that, he’s just hurting and he probably hates himself right now.”

You nod, silence falls as the two of you continue your walk back to the house. Before going in he grabs your hand and pulls you to sit on the step. Pulling out a cigarette from his kutte.

“Hailey, you aren’t my child, but I love you like my own, and I hate seeing you hurting like this. Jackie wanted you to find happiness, that's why I supported you leaving.”

“I know, and honestly, I have been so happy.” Your voice broke as tears made their way down your cheeks. You pulled your legs up and wrapped your arms around your knees, chin resting on them.

“You still love him after last night?” He asks as you stare into the night sky.

“With everything I have, Chibs.” You turn so you can see him, “I’ve loved him my whole life, I’ve been planning my life with him since I was 15. I can’t imagine it with anyone else.”

“Has he ever been violent with you before like that?” His voice is full of concern.

“He never even raised his voice at me until after I left, he wanted to know why I left and I refused to tell him. He’s never laid a hand on me ever, nor would he under normal circumstances I know that for a fact.” And you did, you knew that Nestor would never hurt you.

“Can you forgive him for last night? Because Hailey, you may love him but if you hold on to this anger that you feel you’ll never give him a fair chance to be better.”

“I don’t know, Chibs, what he said was hurtful..” you trail off lost in your head, truly you can’t imagine a life without him but you aren’t sure if you can let those words go either.

“Have you thought about how hurtful it was in that moment for him to see that and think one thing, and then have an even bigger bomb dropped. One that I assume hurt deeply for him because he loves you and didn’t protect you?”

Letting out a large sigh you turn to look at him, “no.”

“Hailey, if I would be given those photos that would be my first reaction. And then to find out my love was assaulted and attacked, I would crumble. I would never feel worthy of you again.”

A single tear trails down your face, “I love him so much, and I’m hurting right now, but some of the hurt is thinking that I won’t have him in my life.”

“You need to give yourself some grace, get a good night's sleep tonight, let your body rest. But you do need to talk to him, but you make him earn you.” He squeezes your hand and let’s silence fall.

After a few minutes you speak up, “Do you think anyone will think less of me if they know the truth about Jose? Or if they know I will go back to Nes after what he did?”

“Who gives a fuck what anyone thinks.” Moving he gets in front of you and kneels so you’re eye level “No matter what your past is, you are smart, the smartest person I know, you’re loyal, determined, drop dead gorgeous.” Giggling, you give him a nudge. “That’s who you are, that’s Hailey Teller. The girl who will fight tooth and nail for her family, for those she loves. You aren’t what Jose did to you. As far as Nestor is concerned, from what you’ve told me I know you still love him, and if I had to guess he loves you. What you decide to do is for you and your future, I’ll support you either way. Fuck anyone who makes you feel bad.”

“I don’t want to see you in a relationship where you aren’t loved and cherished, Hailey. But you look like someone who just lost everything.” He pauses taking your hands.

“If you love him and you can forgive him for this, then you be with him. You be with someone who makes you happy, makes you feel safe, someone who makes you feel complete. Someone you can depend on to love and support you through all of life.”

“You’re pretty smart for a motorcycle enthusiast, Chibs.” His laugh fills the porch and causes you to giggle.

“I am more than that, love.” He pats your knee and moves to sit next to you again.

“You are so much more than that, I love you, Filip. Thank you for being the dad I’ve needed these past 6 years.”

“I love you too kid, more than you’ll ever know.” Wrapping his arm around you he pulls you to lean on his shoulder. “You can always depend on me, I’ll be in your corner. Always.”

***

That night as you lay awake in bed your phone went off, illuminating the dark room. It was a text from Miguel.

Miguel: I’m so sorry, Hailey. If I would have known I would have helped you...I’m sorry I let you down…Nestor was ready to come storming to Charming tonight but I made him stay. I’m only going to be able to keep him from you for so long though.

You: Thank you. I want to see and talk to him, but I just don’t know if I’m ready.

Miguel: I know I’m asking a lot of you but I need to have a meeting with the MC and Adalita, and I can’t do it without you.

Leaving him on read, you put your phone down, trying to decide if you want to go back. But being around Nestor will be so hard and seeing Devante again knowing everyone knows makes you nervous.

Me: Miguel, I don’t know if I can come back…but I’m willing to meet with Nestor. But he has to come here where I feel safe and then I’ll decide.

Miguel: Thank you!

Letting out a deep breath you roll over and try to sleep again, however, sleep avoided you, instead you laid there staring at the ceiling willing your body to rest. Tossing and turning most of the night only getting short stints of sleep, none of the peaceful.

As the sun comes up you are startled awake by loud voices. You silently shuffled to the door and opened it slightly and we’re shocked to hear Nestor and Venus going head-to-head.

***

Nestor’s POV

“She said she’s willing to talk to you so she can decide if she wants to come back.” Miguel looks up at you from his phone. “Don’t fuck this up, Nestor, she’s not taking you back right away but at least get her back home to us.”

“Did she say anything else?” The fear you’re feeling, the worry of never getting her back, it’s all consuming, but the regret you have for what you said, for not protecting her, that will be with you for the rest of your life. “I can’t lose her again, Mikey,” your voice broke. “I can’t live without her.”

“I know brother, I know, we’ll get her back here and then you’ve gotta be the you she knows you are the one who loves her more than life itself.” Giving your shoulder a supportive squeeze, he moves to leave the office. “Bring our girl home.”

***

The drive to Charming was long with just your thoughts running wild, what if she refuses to come back with you? You couldn’t survive the loss of her again, it would kill you.

Turning on to the street you tracked her to you spot her car in one of the driveways. Deciding to take a second to catch your breath and get your thoughts in order you park two houses down.

“Don't screw this up Nestor, you need her, don’t be stupid.” You mumbled to yourself.

As ready for this as you’ll ever be you get out of your car, adjusting your shirt and taking one more breath before walking towards the door. Unsure of what was going to greet you on the other side.

You quickly knock, and shove your hands in your pockets, the nerves were mourning.

“You must be the man that hurt my Hailey Girl.” The woman standing in front of you is clearly a force to be reckoned with, and your nerves are multiplying. Before you could react she pulled her hand back and stepped you clear across the face. “I’m sure you’re here to talk to her, beg at her feet for forgiveness, but before I let you see her we’re gonna have a chat ourselves.”

“Who the fuck are you?” You're trying to keep your cool, but who does she think she is.

“I’m asking questions here, but I’m Venus, Hailey and my husband are extremely close as she is with all of the SAMCRO men. She’s like my daughter here, I love her like one and I’ll defend her like one.” She crosses her arms over her chest.

“For a man who swears he loves her, you have a shitty way of showing it. That girl has been through more than you even know, she stayed away from her parents so she didn’t have to cross your path, kept silent about what happened so you wouldn’t get yourself killed. And how do you treat here? You scream at her, push her around, disrespect her, you did that!”

“I know, and I regret it all.” You intersect, but Venus isn’t done with you yet.

“And you should! She suffered at the hands of two men, and then was abandoned and hated by the man she loved. You should feel bad and I hope you're hurting right now because she is. And you deserve to hurt. You sure as hell don’t deserve that girl in there.”

“Look, I know what I’ve done, I'm not trying to deny anything. Let me talk to her.” Pushing back on the attack she’s aimed at you.

“Do you know what you’ve done? Do you understand the magnitude of all of this?” It’s like she is staring right through you and trying to break down your walls.

“Just let me talk to her!” Your anger is boiling.

“Didn’t want to talk to her when she was trying to tell you the truth did you? She was begging you to listen and all you did was berate her.” She scoffs, “And yet, she still loves you. Her heart is breaking at the thought of not having you in her life.” Pushing past you she closes the door and sits at the little table on her porch. “Sit down.”

“I know you love her, I can see it and I could feel it when she told us about you when we all got together for the birthday party.” Her face has softened towards you, but you knew she wasn’t done with you. “She deserves the world, and I think you know that and from what she told me the younger you was ready to give it.”

Smirking you nod your head, “She deserves the world and more, without her…I don’t know if I would have even made it through high school. She was one of the only people in my corner and I didn’t realize until she left how much she did for me.”

“If you could go back and talk to that version of you what would you tell him?” Her question is genuine.

“I would tell him to appreciate everything she did, appreciate who she was and to talk to her about my plans, don’t block her out. Value her like she deserved.”

She lets out a sigh, “Do you still love her? Like truly love her? Want to be with her, have a family with her, wake up next to her each morning?”

“I love her more than anything, I can’t imagine my life without her in it.” A tear slips out, but you don’t even try to stop it, not now. “I felt so incomplete without her, then getting her back, it was like I could breathe again. I’ve only ever envisioned my future with her, with our babies, I won’t be able to live without her.” Your tears keep coming, the brokenness is all consuming. “I’m just so sorry that I made her feel so unloved, I know I don’t deserve her but I love her with everything I have.”

Grabbing your hand, Venus speaks again, softer and more loving than before. “Then you need to say all of this to her baby, because she’s hurting, feels so unlovable, but she still loves you with her whole heart.”

“I’ll go see if she wants to come down,” making her way to the door she turns to you, “If you hurt her again, these SAMCRO men will kill you, especially Chibs. He loves her with every fiber of himself. So I suggest you only go through with this if you’re all in and willing to work to get her back.”

A few minutes passed and you were feeling like she may not come down to see you, but before you got lost in those thoughts the door opened. She looks so small, sad, broken, and the guilt bubbles up even more.

“Hey,” her voice was so quiet you could barely hear her, she’s avoiding eye contact. Her usual confidence is gone, in its place was a girl so unsure of herself. A sight you’ve never seen with her.

“Hey, Hails.” Standing, you signal for her to sit down with you, “I was hoping we could talk.”

“Honestly, Nestor I don’t really want to talk right now, I have…a lot of feelings and thoughts that I can’t…” you can see her thinking of the right words, “that I can’t express right now. I know Miguel needs me and I want to go home, but I’m afraid to go back.” She whispers that last part, causing you to furrow your eyebrows.

“Why are you afraid to be there? Nobody will hurt you there.” You reach for her fiddling hands trying to calm her nervous tick, but she quickly pulls her hands away from you. “Are you afraid of me?”

She shakes her head, “Not you, or Miguel.”

“Then who, Hails?” You are racking your brain trying to think of who she could be scared of, and then it hits you. “Devante?”

Her eyes met yours for the first time since she came out, and she simply nodded her head. Not saying a word.

“Did he hurt you too?”

“He got me to Mexico, told me that Jose needed me, had one of the guys get me, watched Jose do what he did…” a stray tear rolls down her face and she sucks in a ragged breath clearly trying to hold the emotion in. “He put me in a room that night and the next morning brought me to him again, let him…you know again and took the pictures. He threatened me that if I told anyone he would kill them, you, my parents, anyone.”

“What?” Your anger is boiling and you are doing everything you can to keep it in check.

“I was so afraid, Nestor, I told Niko and begged him not to say anything. I wanted to tell you but I knew if you knew or my dad, that you would end up dead and I couldn’t live with that.” Her hands were shaking and sobs wracked her body. Moving quickly you wrap her in a hug, she’s so tense and you don’t feel her relax like she usually would in your arms.

“I won’t let him near you, Hailey. I swear to you, I’ll protect you.” Pulling away so you can look at her, “I’m going to call Miguel, if you really don’t want to come back I understand and I’ll make him understand.”

She looks up at you, “Do you promise that I won’t be left alone with him? Or have to see him?”

“I will be with you, or Miguel, I won’t let him near you alone, I promise you.”

Nodding, “I’ll go back.” She whispers and you aren't sure if she is just saying that to please you and Miguel, or if she really feels safe going back.

Taking a hold of her chin you pull her face up to look at you. “Hails, only come back if you feel safe, don't do this to make us happy.”

“I am trusting you to not let him near me.” She sounds more confident, “If I feel uncomfortable I’ll go to my parents.”

“Do you promise to tell me if you’re uncomfortable or don’t feel safe so I can help you?” You look at her seriously, ensuring she knows you aren’t joking.

She simply nods.

“I’m going to call Miguel then, let him know what’s going on, and you can get your things together.” You told her as you began dialing Miguel’s number.

“Well I didn’t really get the chance to bring anything with me so I just have my purse and car, so when you’re ready I guess I am too.” Shrugging, she goes inside.

You can’t help feeling guilty for that too, knowing she had a bag packed and you ripped it from her. All you can think is how you have to do better for her.

You're lost in thought and don’t even realize Miguel has answered your call, “Nestor!”

“Mikey, we’ve got a problem.” You let out a large sigh, “Devante knew everything that happened, he is the one who made her come to Mexico, who took the photos, he threatened her.”

The line was silent, you know that means Miguel is planning, “Does she want to come back?”

“I don’t think I would say she wants to, but she’s going to. I promised she wouldn’t be around him alone, and we would be there.” Trying to reign in your emotions, “She’s so broken, Miguel.”

“Bring her home, we’ll take care of her, and him. If she’s not comfortable here, take her to your house. You’re in charge of her protection.”

“Got it, we’ll get on the road once she’s ready.”

Waiting on the porch you turn quickly when the door opens, but instead of Hailey it’s Venus, “she’ll be out in a second, don’t worry. I just wanted a few minutes with you.”

“When you take her back there you better take care of her, don’t you let anything happen to our girl. Because these men love her like their own. If she’s hurt again, it will kill all of us. You have to protect her, and if you’re going to love her give her the love she actually deserves.” She ends her speech wiping a tear from her cheek.

“I will, I promise.”

[messrmoonyy]

35 for sylki on that touching list. Please

Ah, another prompt I tell myself I’ll keep short then go off on a tangent for that is you squintttt you’ll see the prompt lmao. Anywho. Enjoy my sweet anon.

I’m gonna start posting these requests to my AO3 too if you prefer to read there!

Prompt from this list

Prompt: kissing their bruises and scars

Pairing: Loki Laufeyson x Sylvie Laufeydottir

Warnings: mentions of injury, mild language

Check my masterlist for all my other writing, requests are always open for prompts from lists or not!

Finding Sylvie again had been just as difficult as Loki had imagined. She’d spent her entire life hiding from people and only letting them find her when she needed them for something. And amongst the madness of new timelines popping up by the second…. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. But Loki had been determined. In fact it had been his one and only point of negotiation when Stephen Strange had caught up to him, agreeing to work with him and fix the mess… only if they could locate Sylvie first.

He wasn’t sure she’d even want to see him. She’d cast him through a time door after all. But he believed he understood her reasons, her motives. She had spent her entire life looking for the man behind the mask, the person in charge of the TVA, the reason she’d been plucked out of Asgard all those years ago. And she’d finally found him. There was no way she was going to simply walk away from that. So he kept looking for her, determined to find her and hoping his thoughts were correct.

Though she didn’t seem to want to be found. Every trail they found ran cold, but there was always a little something that made Loki know she’d been there. So maybe, just maybe, she was waiting for him after all. Leaving him clues but needing to keep moving. Situations on some timelines were getting rough and he found his fear peak everytime he found a trace of her, wondering if she was hurt. She had survived in apocalypses, he knew she could take care of herself. But this was something else.

Loki felt himself almost waiting for Stephen to tell him they weren’t going to look any longer, that clearly she had fled and wasn’t planning on coming back. But he held up his end of the bargain and Loki helped him regain order on some of the timelines they came across, looking for Sylvie in the process.

Though as time went on and Loki lost track of the amount of timelines they had crossed, he could feel his hope beginning to slip. Only still going forward on pure stubbornness alone. Stubbornness to not want to lose someone he loved again. He’d lost everyone he loved up until this point. Frigga was dead. Thor believed him to be dead. Mobius didn’t even know who he was anymore. He had no friends. No family. Just her. Just Sylvie. His Sylvie. So he would remain stubborn and keep searching for her.

And stubbornness clearly payed out.

“ as far as I can tell there’s no Kang variant here. We should be safe for now. But don’t get too comfortable “ Loki looked around the planet they had arrived on. He got the strangest sense of de Ja vu as he looked at the small village in front of him “ this planet seems peaceful enough but nothings usually peaceful for long anymore “

“ where are we may I ask? “

“ planet called… Lamentis-1. It’s completely wiped from existence in a few hundred years time. That’s probably why Kang had no use for it and left it alone “ Loki wanted to laugh to himself, of all the planets. All the timelines. They had to end up there.

“ she won’t be here “ he was still balancing on the knifes edge of wondering if whether or not she hated him or not. And if she did, she wouldn’t go back to Lamentis. The place their connection was established. The place he felt that shift in his chest by the lake. Had she felt that too? Had her heart dropped deep into the pit of her stomach as she sat there holding his hand, looking at him as if he were put on the earth solely for her? had she felt that too?

Or had he simply over reacted about the entire thing, his purely desperate need for affection simply clawing it’s way out in the fear of his impending demise?

“ well we’re here. So. Let’s look around I’m not wasting my time “ Loki gave a nod and followed him through the village. He remembered passing through there with her, but it had been deserted before. The neon sign he had ‘foolishly’ suggested she tried to charge the tempad with, was glowing brightly by the side of the road. It made his head hurt and he turned away, suddenly feeling too bright for his eyes, instead looking at the people that didn’t know their planet would be nonexistent in a few hundred years. At least those on it now would be long dead by then.

“ why did you think she wouldn’t be here? “ Stephen asked as he dodged a man carrying a large stack of boxes of some exotic looking fruit. Loki hesitated for a moment and shoved his hands into his pockets.

“ I er- we. We have been here before. Myself and Sylvie “ Stephen glanced over at him as if silently probing for more information “ when I first met her… we escaped the TVA and I accidentally brought us here. Right on the day the aforementioned ‘wiping from existence’ happened to be in full swing. We were very nearly wiped out with it “ if he thought hard enough he could remember every moment of that day. Right down to the smell of the ash that filled his nose, the feel of the soft seats on the train, Sylvies fingers on his neck in her attempt to enchant him.

He shook his head slightly to free himself from the thoughts.

“ our… ‘ connection’ was first established here. It created a rapid branch on the timeline. The TVA showed up right before a chunk of rock could take us down “ Stephen hummed slightly in understanding and then came to a stop.

“ then you might have an idea of where she would go if she were here? “ the lake. His head told him immediately though he knew it was stupid. She might still hate him, why would she go back to such a place? But… he guessed it was worth a try.

After telling Stephen his hunch they stepped through one of his portals, much more simple than the previous trek he and Sylvie had made across the planet.

He stepped out of the glowing ring, coming to an immediate halt. Partially because the lake looked a lot more beautiful when it wasn’t being destroyed by parts of a planet. But mainly because there was a woman stood there at the edge of the water. He knew it was her simply by her hair and the same black leather outfit she’d had when he last saw her. Even if it was a little more ragged looking now.

“ Sylvie “ he practically gasped her name, shock and relief washing over him at the thought he’d finally found her. The woman froze stiff for a moment before turning around quickly, arm outstretched with a sword pointed towards him. Her face was bruised, her lip split in one corner, blood dried around her nose and a gash through her eyebrow. She looked a mess quite frankly.

But it was her. It was her. Sylvie. No mistaking. Even under the purple of her bruises. He’d not forget a face like hers, he’d been dreaming of it for.. how long had it even been since he’d last seen her? He wasn’t sure.

“ Sylvie “ he tried again, more confident and strong than before “ I’m not going to hurt you. It’s okay “ her eyes were wild, filled with confusion and fear and she didn’t drop her sword “ Sylvie “

“ How do you know my name? “ her voice was the same, If a little hoarse. Exhausted. How long had it been since she’d slept properly? Drank? Ate? He wanted to scoop her into his arms and take her back to the sanctum sanctorum, protect her from what ever had caused her harm.

“ you told me it yourself. Right here on this planet, granted it was a few hundred years ahead of now. It’s me, truly “ he racked his brains for a few moments to think of some way to prove it to her then remembered what was in his pocket. He carried it around with him everywhere just in case he finally found her. His TVA tie. She’d only ever known him in his increasingly grubby TVA uniform. So he assumed it was a good place to jog her memory of him.

He raised his hands in a surrender, the tie in his hand, before taking a few more steps closer.

“ close enough “ she grumbled when he was close enough to be only a few centimetres from the end of her outstretched sword.

“ alright. I understand “ he lowered his hand slowly and draped the tie over her sword. She took a sharp in take of breath at the sight of it, holding it in her hand and looking as if she might cry “ I’ve been looking for you. For a long. Long time “

“ why “

“ because I- “ he cut himself off with a short sigh, deciding now was not the time for him to be making deep proclamations of his love for her. Not when she had a sword pointed at him “ I wanted to make sure you were okay “ he opted for instead.

“ I sent you away “ she said, her eyes darting up to meet his. Clearly she didn’t believe him.

“ to the TVA. A place you believed me to me safe, back to my friend “ he wasn’t sure if he was totally believing that himself as he said it, more so using it as a way to see if that was truly what she’d done. Or if she had just pushed him across space and time to get him out of her way. Kissed him as a mere distraction.

“ but you’re not safe. You’re here “ he nodded again and chanced another tentative step towards her.

“ things are a little… complicated. But we have a safe place. So just come with me, you’ll be safe now Sylvie. Stephen- “ he nodded backwards to where he was still stood observing the two of them “ - is helping us fix our mess “

“ our? “ she croaked, her eyes welling up. It was breaking his heart to look at her in such a distraught manner.

“ yes. Our “ she dropped her sword then and fell into his arms, clutching at him as if he were a lifeline. And he guessed, from the looks of her, he probably was. He held her back just as tightly, trying his best to voice to her that she was safe now. She was home now.

“ we should get back “ Stephens voice attempted to break their moment but Loki refused to let her out of his grasp. He placed a kiss to the top of her head and then shuffled around her slightly so that his arm was tightly around her back, never letting any points of contact drop. To his mild surprise she let him help her walk through the portal, leaning into him slightly and trying and failing to hide a limp in her leg. He’d almost expected her to bark her orders that she could very much walk on her own. But she didn’t.

If fact she was quite quiet after that. Not speaking a word as Loki explained where they were now and that it was safe, talking to her like one would talk to a scared child. He felt as if that was what she’d needed. He didn’t expect she’d had much comfort in her life and he was more than happy to offer it to her now. She didn’t protest when he suggested they get her cleaned up, or when they did just that and she fumbled with the buckles of her leathers and he silently went over to help her. She looked even smaller and afraid without her armour, just the torn undershirt and her trousers.

She was still uncharacteristically quiet as he went to work cleaning her wounds. Sitting her down on the edge of his bed and wiping away the dust and debris of wherever it was she had been. She was Asgardian after all and had her own magic flowing through her veins, so most of her smaller wounds had already began to heal themselves. Though he found a few that were a little worse and silently patched her up.

“ I’m sorry “ she said as Loki finished up, so quietly he wasn’t even sure he’d heard her correctly at first “ I’m so. So sorry Loki “ he looked up at her to see her eyes already on him, tears spilling down her cheeks. Loki reached out for her, his hand cusping her cheek, his thumb brushing away the tears.

“ what happened to you “ was all he said, still shocked by how much weaker she seemed. So vulnerable. So afraid “ Darling, tell me “ the name fell past his lips before he could stop it, but she simply leaned into his touch more at the name. She was simply as starved for affection as himself.

“ a lot “ she said with a sniffle, closing her eyes and letting out a shaky sigh “ a whole lot of shit” Loki waited for her to continue, getting her to open up wasn’t a particularly easy thing he’d learnt. So he wasn’t about to try and push and break what he’d seemed to be building on now with her “ after I killed him. I thought. I thought I’d feel brilliant. I’d have some magical awakening and feel like I’d finally accomplished what I had to. Some relief. And I did. For the briefest second then I just…. Nothing. Just pure regret and remorse, hit me so hard I felt sick with it “

Her hand came up over his in her cheek, pulling it down into her lap and holding it tightly. He’d noticed she had thing for holding his hand. He wasn’t exactly against it himself, he wanted to contact as much as she did. Needed the contact as much as she did. If he focussed enough he could sense the magic thrumming below her fingertips, he’d always been able to sense magic. But it felt stronger with her.

“ I ran then “ she continued after a few more moments of silence “ only thing I’m good at. I wanted to look for you. Kinda missed having you being a total arse by my side “ he smiled at that, knowing she had missed him too. It hadn’t just been him pining for her after all “ but the timelines…. It’s mental out there now. People trying to take over and growing more powerful everyday…. Plenty of you out there you know. Right evil bastards some of them “

“ they did this to you? “ he questioned. She shrugged. That was a yes then.

“ some of them. Not all as smart as you’d think. Ran rings round them “ she looked up at him then instead of their intertwined hands “ I didn’t think you’d want to find me again… or if you did you’d just want to kill me. Get me back for what I did “

“ I could never. You had your reasons. I understand “ she seemed to hesitate for a moment before her free hand reached up, her fingers gently grazing over his cheek and his jaw.

“ I missed you, you know “ she said softly “ you absolute arse “ he chuckled slightly and his smile grew when one tugged at her own lips.

He couldnt help but think how beautiful she looked, even with the bruises and scrapes littering her skin.

“ you’re staring “ she commented quietly, her fingers creeping closer towards the nape of his neck and toying with the curls of his hair.

“ I am “

“ narcissist “ she teased, clearly returning back to herself again. He preferred it.

“ maybe “ just looking at her was making his chest tighten. He wondered if his past self would have been quite annoyed at him turning to mush about a woman, found the whole thing funny. But he found that he didn’t even care now. Because hisself that lived on the sacred timeline had a different purpose. A different glorious purpose. But his? It was her

“ what are you thinking about? “ she asked quietly and he struggled to find the words to tell her. He’d never been the best at voicing his emotions. Especially something like this.

“ I- Sylvie- “ he cut himself off with a frustrated sigh and she raised an eyebrow at him before pressing gently to the back of his neck, the faint prickle of magic on his skin. He looked at her and understand what she was asking. And for the first time he didn’t block her as she dipped into his mind, let down the walls he used to keep her out and let her swim around through his thoughts. She closed her eyes, focussing on the clearly difficult task of scrambling around inside of his mind. He tried to keep his mind as clear as possible, the one and only simple thought of I love you floating around on the top. And a minute or so later her eyes snapped open again.

She looked at him as if trying to figure out if he was joking or not. There was a moment of silence between them before her fingers at the back of his neck applied pressure again, this time tugging him into her just as suddenly as she had done the first time. All that time ago back in the Citadel.

He’d wanted to be the one to kiss her the second time though he wasn’t complaining. But when she began to pull away he pulled her right back in again, revelling in the way she almost melted against him. She was still tugging at his hair in a way that was almost painful, but it was all very… Sylvie. So he didn’t even mind. His hands were cautious on her, in the way they always had been. Always careful not to touch her unless she wanted him to.

He pulled back from her lips slowly, trying to savour every last millisecond. Then found his lips moving to brush over the purple bruises that were littered across her face, the cut that sliced her brow, following the landscape of injury over her pale features and down her neck. He finished with a lingering kiss to a fresh scar on her shoulder, having touched every mark of hurt and hatred he could see with love. Every angry moment replaced with a tender one, shifting slightly then so his forehead rest against her shoulder.

She turned her head to the side, nuzzling her nose into his hair, her hand sliding up to cusp the back of his neck again and hold him in place. Neither of them spoke for a few moments longer, not really needing to. Just holding each other, being thankful to finally be back by the others side.

He lifted his head after a few minutes pressing his forehead to hers instead, his thumb brushing across her tear stained cheek.

“ I promise you, with all my heart, that I won’t let anyone hurt you again “

[carnationcreation]

Can you do a Jonathan Byers one-shot where the female reader is a Hawkins Lab experiment who has super speed and was known as Seven and escaped the lab with Eleven and they were adopted by Hopper and she started dating Jonathan and during the fight with the mind flayer she tires herself out and faints and he goes into cute concerned boyfriend mode?

TITLE: New Life (Jonathan Byers x Hopper!reader)

✌🏻Masterlist 

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Request: yes!

Prompt/summary: Reader is an escaped experiment from Hawkins lab, after being adopted by Hopper with her sister El they struggle to adjust to the outside world. 

Word Count: 1,155

Warnings:  none

Authors note: I was listening to Dumb by KOPPS and Branded by NateWantsToBattle, really sets the vibe of most of the scenes

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(Y/h/c) = Your hair color

(Y/f/b)= your favorite band

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 She knew the blood dripping off her feet would attract the hounds.

At this point it didn’t matter if she wanted to give up, she’d be dead either way. The hounds would tear her apart. If they were going to catch her they’ll have to keep up.

Her powers only worked if she had enough energy. After a full night of running, both super sonically and regularly, she was exhausted. The clothes she had escaped with were torn and she had bruises on her body from the times she fell over branches and rocks sticking out of the ground. She knew she would have to find food soon, but she didn’t have any idea of how to get it.

The growl in her stomach went away for just a little bit, then it came back with a painful vengeance. Her days at the lab consisted of being locked in her room or being put into the tank. What little she could remember about her life before was stripped away in a matter of months and the more she thought about it the more her head hurt and she came up empty. 

Her vision was going in and out. Her feet felt like lead and she knew she wouldn’t be able to run much longer.

Maybe, she thought, if I just lay down here. I’ll be dead before they find me.

It was an optimistic thought. What she didn’t expect was to feel someone gently picking her up. Her body sunk into him. She couldn’t have been more than 13 years old but she had a number lower than 11...

Hopper turned her wrist over and saw the tattoo on the girls small wrist. A tiny 07 was drawn there, surely she had to have been there before El.

By the time he had gotten back to the cabin El knew he had her and was bringing her home. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next few months were terrifying for the girl. She couldn’t speak much, just like El when she was first found. After days of trying to feed her and get her to talk it wasn’t until El presented her own tattoo that the girl seemed to relax. The only time she would eat was when El was in the room, the only time she would sleep was when they were both in bed.

Her powers were a struggle. She had to learn she couldn’t use them around other people. And people. The girl had spent her entire life locked away, only seeing other humans if she was useful enough. So being introduced to knew people was terrifying. They soon found out she was probably around 16-17 when they took her in for a check up with a private doctor. Hopper pulled some strings so it was no questions asked, and an adoption paper was formed a few days later.

She found some comfort in Nancy, who took the girl under her wing buying her clothes and teaching her how to keep her hair in order. The (y/c/h) was finally starting to grow out from the horrible buzz cut she had when she was found. 

Then she met Jonathan.

At first he thought she hated him, because whenever he was around she would cling to the people she deemed safe. Nancy assured him she would warm up to him eventually, but there was still a voice in his head that said she wouldn’t. 

She grew close to Will after he gave her a drawing he had made for her. He carefully explained that it was her in the game that they play. He drew her as an Elf, one with the power of speed, he drew her with long wavy hair that was styled half up half down and a glorious crown on top of her head. She kept the drawing in her bedroom and looked at it before going to bed. Jonathan wouldn’t lie, he was jealous his brother bonded with her before he did. And besides, Will was a few years younger. But still he waited patiently to see how you would react to him.

Slowly you started warming up to him. After a while you started to look curiously at the camera he always carried with him.

”It’s a camera,” he said handing it to her, “Look, place your finger right there, and press it.”

the girl jumped as the flash went off. Jonathan grabbed the picture that popped out of the top of it and shook it a few times. The girl watched in wonder as the picture of Jonathan slowly appeared on the film. She pointed excitedly to it.

”Yes you did a good job!” he smiled. She couldn’t help but smile back.

As time went on Joyce invited the two girls over to their house more often. (Y/n), as Hopper had named her on the fake birth certificate, would wander in to Jonathan’s room to look at the pictures that were scattered on the walls. 

”Have you ever listened to music?” Jonathan asked her one day.

She shook her head and looked at the small cassette he had in his hands. He popped it into the radio and she stared with furrowed eyebrows at the machine. 

“Not much into rock huh? I guess we can find something you’ll like.”

Slowly, the two grew a friendship. Jonathan made it his personal mission to find out what kind of music (Y/n) would like best and also adjusting to her new life. They eventually landed on (y/f/b), and whenever he knew (Y/n) was coming over he’d have a tape ready for her to listen to. Will would join in occasionally on their music sessions.

They both soon learned how starved (Y/n) was of physical touch. Growing up as an experiment didn’t leave much room for hugs or gentle touches. She’d let Will lay in her lap whenever he wanted and hugs were always exchanged when they saw each other. The first time Jonathan tried to brush her hair out of her face with his hand he saw he flinch, his heart fell and thoughts of what might’ve happened to her to cause that raced through his mind. Soon enough he could reach for her hand without her pulling away. Soon enough she started reaching for his too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jonathan did his best to keep the girl away from Star Court. (Y/n) had stayed home most of that summer. With all the fireworks going off and all the people milling around she didn’t feel safe enough to go out. It wasn’t until the rest of the kids came to the cabin to give El the chance to find the Mind Flayer that she learned about what all the experiments at the lab where truly for.

Billy had found them.

They were trapped inside the mall after everyone split up to complete the mission. Mike frantically spoke into the walkie-talkie trying to get in contact with the Scoops Troop. Eleven moved the car as the mind flayer made its way into the mall, everyone ran to hide. They could hear Dustin finally talking over the walkie-talkie.

The mind flayer stalked around the food court. From her place behind the car (Y/n) could hear it making its way over. El and (Y/n) made eye contact, they both nodded and El’s group ran for cover in the Gap store. The mind flayer heard movement and went to turn and (Y/n) ran and threw a knife, hitting it in the leg to distract it, but by the time it turned around she was gone. (Y/n) ran over to the group and picked El up, they ran to a back hallway trying to get the injured El to safety.

 Billy stalked his way down the hall to the four.

“Billy please, your name is Billy Hargrove you live at-” Max cried before hitting her and knocking her against the wall. Mike stood between him and the girls but it was no use. Before they could even properly react he knocked both Mike and (Y/n) out and took El with him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jonathan found them back there, he woke them up finally and they raced back out to the food court to execute Plan B. 

(Y/n) ran back and forth at the first floor, sing rope to tie up the Mind Flayers legs as the others threw fireworks in it’s face to distract it. Soon enough they fan out. With Dustin yelling frantically to close the gate. We all ran for cover and watched in shock as Billy stood up. He faced the Mind Flayer, and when it shot it’s nasty tongue out Billy blocked it from hitting El. Arm after arm reached out and impaled the boy. Max screamed. (Y/n) saw her chance and used the last of her strength to run down and grab El, Mike, and Max to bring them to safety. Finally a big explosion went off from below and everything went dark. 

When (Y/n) woke everything was dark. All the lights had went out and the fire department was loading her up onto a stretcher. Jonathan ran up beside her and got onto the ambulance with her.

“Jonathan?” she said meekly.

“I’m right here (Y/n), I’m right here.”

“Where’s El?”

Jonathan paused, “She’s with my mom. She’s safe just injured.”

“Hopper?”

Jonathan didn’t respond. Tears formed in (Y/n)’s eyes as she began to sob. 

“(Y/n) I promise you we’ll keep you safe. You’re going to be fine.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was 3 months after the battle of Star Court. Joyce had adopted both El and (Y/n), who still hadn’t fully recovered from the loss of the person who has showed them so much love. (Y/n) had grown closer and closer to Jonathan. Clinging to him after she got out of the hospital. The Byers had finally decided to move. (Y/n) laughed at Max and Lucas’ terrible rendition of The Never Ending Story. She watched as El tried to use her powers once again on the stuffed Koala in the closet. 

“Don’t hurt yourself El,” (Y/n) yelled from the living room. 

Jonathan walked in from outside with Nancy and sat down beside the girl on the couch.

“Hey. How are you feeling?” he said. He kissed her temple as he wrapped his arm around her.

“Scared,” (Y/n) said.

“Scred? Of moving?”

(Y/n) stared at the floor, “Yeah...”

“We’re going to be okay, we’ll have a fresh start. No one will know where you came from other than Hawkins. They’ll just know you as (Y/n), the girl that’s really fast and has the prettiest smile.”

Their powers were gone. It was hard to adjust to at first. Both (Y/n) and El felt so empty inside, but they knew it was for the best. Maybe they could lead a normal life. (Y/n) slowly became more comfortable with the affection between her and Jonathan. And he began to introduce her to people as his girlfriend. What little (Y/n) knew about relationships all pointed to the fact that she cared about Jonathan. Not in the way that she cares for Will or El, but a different kind of care. She didn’t mind being called his girlfriend. 

She heard El’s sobs from the bedroom and left Jonathan’s embrace to make sure she was okay. After reading Hopper’s letter they both sat on the floor sobbing until Joyce told them it was time to go.

Boxes were loaded in to the U Haul and hugs were exchanged among the kids. (Y/n) looked back on the house from the front seat of the car, watching as her friends waved from their spot on their bikes. She smiled through her tears and waved until she couldn’t see them anymore. 

“Babe?” Jonathan said.

She turned to look at him.

“This is going to be our new life, away from any monsters in Hawkins. We’ll be back for Thanksgiving, I promise.”

She smiled and buckled in to her seat. She reached for Jonathan’s hand and he pulled it up to his lips to place a gentle kiss on her knuckles. Her heart swelled at the small gesture, before turning to stare at the road ahead.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

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[aethelflaedladyofmercia]

Fluff prompt #38? "Are you alright?" "I will be."

Well, this one certainly went in an unexpected direction! The quote winds up a bit altered, but I think it fits the spirit of the thing.

I’m working off this prompt list - send me an ask or @ me with your request!

--

The Bentley rolled to a stop in front of the bookshop just as the all-clear signaled the end of the night’s bombing. They hadn’t been in any danger during the drive; exhausted as he was, Crowley still had the strength to make sure of that. Probably.

Crowley only had to keep it together for another minute, maybe two. His feet ached from the burns, stinging like a sunburn as high as his knees, flaring every time he shifted his feet on the pedals. But he’d made it this far. He was fine, and he could continue to be fine until Aziraphale was in the shop.

He pressed his lips together, kept his hands on the wheel, and resisted the urge to fidget.

“Well,” Aziraphale said, still clutching his bag of books as if it was a life raft. “That was certainly a thrilling experience.” He frowned tartly at the dashboard, making his true feelings for the Bentley abundantly clear.

“Nh. Got you home, didn’t it?” Crowley glared out the window at the shop, shifting his feet between the pedals as inconspicuously as possible.

“Yes, and the fact that we’re still in one piece is clearly the most incredible miracle of the night.”

“You really haven’t changed, have you?”

“I should think not. I am an angel, and the nature of my being is incorruptible, eternal, and unaffected by the comings and goings of mortal beings—”

“Meaning you’re just as much a smug bastard as ever.”

Well. That hadn’t taken long to fall apart.

Really, the entire evening had been one disaster after another. His intelligence had revealed a team of Nazi spies was meeting with a contact at an old townhouse in Soho, so Crowley had settled in to wait it out. He had his fingers in everything these days, from British Counterintelligence to street gangs, and the opportunities for a bit of chaos during the Blitz were never ending.

Then he’d received word that the drop had been changed. And that the contact was a certain local and well-established bookseller. Meaning that the idiot being duped by the Nazis was his idiot. He’d barely been updated on the new location in time, and of course Aziraphale had picked a church, of all the places in the city, a church to meet his bloody spies, and Crowley had to charge in, no plan, no preparation, and now he hurt and Aziraphale seemed determined to make this as miserable as he possibly could, and really was it any surprise after the last time—

Crowley didn’t want to part angry, not again, but his feet hurt and he didn’t know how to stop himself.

In the silence, Aziraphale shifted in his seat, looking at the door but not opening it. “I…Crowley, I am…very glad…that you were there tonight.”

“Don’t thank me,” Crowley blurted, mostly out of habit. “Just. Be safe. Be smart.” One quick glance to the side, then glaring at the windscreen again. “And stay away from Nazis, it can’t be that hard.”

“No, I suppose it isn’t. I just thought…ah, well.” He opened the door, but didn’t try to leave.

“So,” Crowley started.

“So,” Aziraphale agreed.

Deep breath. “Guess I’ll see you next century—”

But at the same moment, from Aziraphale, “Do you want to come in?”

More than anything.

Aziraphale still didn’t face him, and his stiff shoulders gave no hint of his emotions, but Crowley wasn’t going to let this – whatever this was – pass him by.

“I mean…I could…I can…” His hand fumbled for the door latch, popping it open, almost leaping out onto the pavement before the invitation could be withdrawn. In his urgency, he entirely forgot about the pain in his feet.

Until he put his weight on them.

“AAAH!” With a strangled gasp, Crowley collapsed like felled tree.

“Crowley!” Aziraphale was beside him, impossibly quickly, hands fluttering over his face and chest. “Oh, my word. What – what happened? What’s wrong? Oh, Lord, is it—”

“Calm down, Angel.” His voice still sounded tight, but there wasn’t much Crowley could do about that. “Told you. Hallowed ground.” With some effort, he managed to sit up, one hand braced on the floor of the Bentley.

“I thought – you said – ‘being on the beach in bare feet’ – this isn’t—!”

“S’nothing.” Crowley eyed the distance to the driver’s seat. He could probably get himself in, but it wouldn’t be dignified. Well. Any and all dignity had long since gone out the window. “Just need to…”

He pulled his legs in and tried to stand – the pain hit him halfway up – and with another cry of “NrrrrrrAAAH!” he toppled over, slamming his head against the street.

“Oh, oh, Crowley!” His eyes blinked open, and behind the flashing supernovae that filled his vision loomed Aziraphale’s concerned face. “My dear fellow, are you alright?”

“Told you. S’nothing.” He’d need another minute or two before trying to sit up. “Be fine in the morning.”

“Yes, I’ll see to that.” Before Crowley could ask what that even meant, Aziraphale scooped him up, one arm under his knees, the other across his back, cradling him like a child.

“What? Angel – stop – you – Ngk!”

“Would you rather lay in the street all night?” He nudged the Bentley door shut with his foot. “Let’s get you inside.”

“But—”

“Hush.” He held Crowley a little closer, the demon’s head against his shoulder, and started walking. “Do hold on to my neck if you need balance, and try to relax.”

There was no chance of relaxing, not when his entire body was pressed into the warm curve of Aziraphale’s stomach, not when his vision was filled with that soft face, jaw hardened in determination. Especially not once he realized he could feel the angel’s heartbeat, steady and calm. His own was racing erratically, and every nerve in his body was raw, on edge.

As Aziraphale stepped past the Bentley into the street proper, Crowley’s heels taped lightly against his side, and sharp pain shot up to his knees. Crowley flinched, just slightly, but immediately Aziraphale stopped to shift his arms, making sure Crowley’s legs wouldn’t swing as much.

“Better?”

“Nh. Yuh.” Not knowing what else to do, Crowley slipped his arm across Aziraphale’s shoulders. He wasn’t sure it was any more comfortable, but he liked it.

Only when they reached the steps to the shop did Crowley realize something was missing. “Your books!”

“Still in that horrid vehicle.”

“But…” Aziraphale loved his books. Especially the prophecy books. He’d carried some of them around the world for the better part of a millennium. Crowley knew that, it was why he’d made sure to protect them from the bomb blast.

But, counter to all logic, Aziraphale just shook his head, as if they didn’t matter at all. “They’ll keep for an hour or two.” He nudged the door with his shoulder. “I have more important matters to attend to first.”

And he stepped across the threshold into the brightly lit shop.

--

It hadn’t changed. Eighty years since his last visit, and everything was still the same.

Oh, there were a few more tacky figurines and baroque sculptures scattered around; the books were piled even taller, suggesting Aziraphale had acquired far more than he’d sold in that time, and cloth bindings seemed to be giving way to leather again. The lights were electric now, but the gas fixtures clearly hadn’t been replaced, merely altered. The shelves, the columns, the furniture – everything was just as Crowley remembered.

He sat on the sofa now, feet soaking in a basin of hot water. Aziraphale knelt beside it, carefully applying angelic healing a little at a time. Crowley’s body couldn’t take much more holy energy without breaking.

His feet were much worse than he’d thought. Bright pink and deep red in patches, covered with angry swollen blisters that started between his toes and wrapped back around his ankles. When he’d rolled up his trouser legs, he’d found smaller burn patches all up his shins, as if the hallowed ground had somehow splashed him almost to his knees.

“Does this usually happen when a demon walks onto hallowed ground?” Aziraphale ran a dampened cloth across Crowley’s leg, gently wiping away a burn.

“Dunno, I’m the only one stupid enough to try it.”

“Crowley,” he murmured, somewhere between warning and exasperation.

“Sssss.” He slumped a little further on the sofa, wiggling his aching toes. “I’ve seen a few demons get close to holy ground or objects. Burns and blisters, yeah, that’s normal. But I’ve never seen it this bad.” Aziraphale’s fingers ran down his ankle, setting off more sparks of pain. “Mmmmph. Should heal though. Almost everything heals eventually.”

Demonic self-healing took time, of course, and hurt all the while.

“They’re coming along,” Aziraphale commented, gently lifting Crowley’s left foot out of the water. His hand on the back of the ankle was as gentle as possible, but still made Crowley squirm.

“Nnnnnnnrk. Why did you have to meet them in a bloody church?”

“I…” Aziraphale carefully brushed the cloth across Crowley’s foot. It tingled – not entirely pleasantly – but the skin left behind was less burned, and the blisters a little smaller. “I’m not really sure.”

“C’mon, Angel.” Crowley shifted again, fingers curling into the sofa cushion. “I know you changed the spot at the last minute. And don’t tell me that was their idea.”

“No…” For a long moment, Aziraphale didn’t say anything further, just continued to wash Crowley’s foot with slow, gentle motions. When he’d cleared the left foot as much as he could, he lowered it back into the water and started on the right. “I just…I was so flattered. To be asked to help. To trap spies and book thieves! To…be part of a team.” The cloth slowed to a stop. “I just…I suppose some part of me hoped that Heaven would look down and, and see…”

You wanted them to be proud of you. Not that he could say it. Aziraphale’s feelings towards his superiors were as complicated as ever.

“Well.” Aziraphale started into his task again, perhaps a bit too briskly. “Good thing no one did look, considering how it all turned out.”

“Angel…” Crowley pushed himself up a little, to better watch the white curly head bent over his feet. “Are you alright?”

“What? Don’t – that’s absurd – you’re the one who’s – why wouldn’t I be—?”

“You trusted her. That woman. And she pointed a gun to your head.”

“Oh.” Aziraphale quickly lowered Crowley’s foot into the water, but not fast enough for him to miss how the angel’s fingers trembled. He gripped the sides of the basin. “Do you…do you think me very foolish? To fall for…such an obvious trick?”

“Not at all.” But Aziraphale didn’t look up, didn’t move from his spot. “This…isn’t the first time it’s happened, is it?”

He shook his head. “Never this bad, but…I always throw my lot in with the worst sort of people, don’t I? Or if I do find decent types, I just – just drive them away. I never learn my lesson. Good lord, there must be something wrong with me.”

“Of course there isn’t.” Crowley wished Aziraphale would meet his eyes.

“And it was so obvious! If I’d just stopped to think for five minutes…”

“You can’t blame yourself for humans being—”

“Why? Am I so desperate for approval, I just – just throw my lot in with whoever comes by? Why do I keep—”

“Because you’re lonely!”

Crowley hadn’t meant to say it, never mind with such feeling. He wanted to take it back, but Aziraphale’s head jerked up, finally met his eyes – oh, yes. He could see how right he was.

Eighty years, with no one but humans for company. Crowley could remember how awful that was. How much worse, when you knew there was another way? When you understood what you were missing?

“Angel…I’m…” The word stuck in his throat. “I’m sorry. I should have come back sooner, instead of just…just sleeping it off.”

“And I could have gone to you,” Aziraphale said softly. “I wanted to, you know. So many times, I just…”

Crouched beside the basin, Aziraphale slid his arm around Crowley’s legs, leaned forward to rest his head against the demon’s knees. Crowley laid his hand on the angel’s head, fingers burrowing into soft, feathery curls.

They didn’t say anything. There was nothing to say, not with words at least.

After a time, Aziraphale whispered, “Do you think – is it – are we…alright?”

Crowley stroked his hair one more time. “We will be.”

[merinnan]

Starting to work on my prompt fill list! Bet you thought I’d forgotten this one, @lacommunarde! This one’s for your prompt “Did you get any sleep last night?”

--

It started, as most things did, with a tomb, some traps, and Wu Xie. And Wu Xie triggering said traps in said tomb.

In his defence, he didn’t mean to set off the trap. He didn’t even know it was there – none of them did. Not even Xiaoge, with his apparent sixth sense for tomb traps, or Liu Sang, with his hearing, had realised that there was a second trap on top of the one that they had identified until it was too late, and Wu Xie was staggering back, choking on a cloud of fine white powder, right onto the trapdoor mechanism that Xiaoge had just warned them about.

He was aware, through his watering eyes and burning lungs and the godawful sound of stone grinding against stone, that the white cloud was expanding as more powder sprayed out into the room from the open-mouthed statue that he’d been examining and had made the mistake of touching in precisely the wrong spot. He could hear Pangzi coughing, could see Liu Sang jumping back, pulling his shirt over his nose and mouth. As the floor gave way beneath him, Wu Xie could see Xiaoge darting forward into the cloud, hand extended, dark eyes fixed on him as they widened in alarm.

He was sure, just before he hit the freezing cold water, just before his vision went dark and his awareness went blank, that he felt a firm, familiar hand around his arm, and heard a panicked “Ouxiang!” from somewhere above them.

*

The first thing that Wu Xie became aware of was a thundering headache right behind his closed eyes, beating in time with his pulse. Thump, thump, thump. Pain, pain, pain. He tried squeezing his eyes shut even harder, but it didn’t help at all.

The second thing he became aware of was the truly foul taste in his mouth, what tasted like a mix of vomit and something sickeningly floral sweet. When he tried to wet his mouth and swallow away the taste, he became aware of the third thing, which was that his throat was parched dry and felt like it had been scoured.

Between these three things, it took him several moments to become aware of some additional facts – that he was sitting on something hard, probably rocky ground, judging from what felt like stones digging into his leg through the slightly damp probably-a-sleeping-bag that he was wrapped in. he was propped up against what he thought was a rocky wall against his back, and to his side he was leaning against something big, fleshy, and warm. Pangzi, his brain helpfully provided, aided in its identification by a loud and familiar snore.

Also, that he was stripped down to his underwear inside sleeping bag, there was something both sweet and foul-smelling nearby, barely masked by the scent of strong coffee, and he could hear a fire crackling somewhere in front of him.

“I know you’re awake.” The voice was familiar, cranky, and so very tired, but, most importantly to Wu Xie right now, it set his headache to throbbing even more. He groaned, trying to get his eyes further shut, before giving up and cautiously cracking first one eye open, then the other.

He was, as he expected, met by Liu Sang’s judgemental gaze. Or it would have been judgemental, had those pretty eyes not been slightly dull and surrounded by the darkest circles Wu Xie had ever seen, ones that couldn’t even be hidden by the large, sturdy glasses that Liu Sang wore on tomb expeditions. The younger man looked pale and slightly haggard, and even more exhausted than Wu Xie felt. Wu Xie blinked at him, then groaned again, trying to sit up properly and look around.

They were in… to be honest, calling it a ‘cave’ would be generous. Large crack in the side of a larger cavern would be more accurate.  He was, as he thought, wrapped in his sleeping back and propped up against Pangzi, with both of them propped up against the very back wall, their packs on Pangzi’s other side, and not much more room back here than that. In front of him, the crack widened a little, enough for Liu Sang and Xiaoge, both shirtless, to be sitting side by side in front of a camp stove, where a bubbling pot produced the blessed smell of coffee, and Wu Xie managed to free his hands from the sleeping bag enough to make some slightly pathetic grabby hands at it before he realised that Xiaoge’s hand was bandaged, and that the entrance to the crack was entirely walled off by a line of fire.

“Xiaoge? You got hurt?” Wu Xie asked, his voice a little raspy both from unconsciousness and from how dry and sore it was. Xiaoge looked up at him, eyes scanning him, before eventually shaking his head. “But…” Wu Xie waved at the bandaged hand.

“Shibie,” Xiaoge said, his voice soft enough that Wu Xie could barely hear it above the fire, and the sound of water in the cavern outside.

“Shibie?” Wu Xie looked around again, this time noticing blood smeared on walls, noticing spent flares tossed beyond the line of fire. “They’re gone now?”

“Finally,” Liu Sang said, and Wu Xie noticed how the usual snap and fire was so subdued, so tired. “Ouxiang drove the rest of them away when he woke up.”

“What do you mean, ‘when he woke up’? What happened?” Wu Xie frowned, blinking himself more awake, and noticing more details about the place. He could see his clothes - all of their clothes, actually, spread out on the ground close to the fire, evidently drying out. And one patch of ground that had everything well clear of it, dark with water and some discarded water bottles next to it, and… lumps. And that was where the awful smell was coming from. He wrinkled his nose, looking back at Liu Sang and Xiaoge.

“You all got poisoned,” Liu Sang said flatly, then gave a huge yawn before glaring at Wu Xie as if he was personally responsible, but still reached out to scoop out a cup of the strong-smelling coffee and shove it into Wu Xie’s hands.

“The white powder,” Wu Xie guessed, taking a sip and almost gagging. That was… that was a lot stronger than he generally had his coffee. He took one look at Liu Sang’s glare, sharp enough to cut glass even through the obvious exhaustion, and meekly took another sip. “Wait. All?”

“All,” Liu Sang confirmed.

“Even Xiaoge?”

“Even Ouxiang.” Beyond Liu Sang, Xiaoge just nodded with an ever-so-slight shrug.

“But…” Wu Xie let go of the cup with one hand to wave around at where they were, at the blood, the fire, the packs, and at what was clearly a patch of vomit that someone had attempted to wash away.

“Ouxiang managed to drag you out of the water and in here,” Liu Sang said, before breaking off in another yawn and scooping out another cup of the coffee. Wu Xie was secretly gratified to see the face that Liu Sang pulled upon sipping it was similar to his own, before Liu Sang just went ahead and downed a full half of the cup anyway. “I dragged Pangzi here, and I am billing the both of you for how much my back hurts now,” he added. “When I said I heard shibie, ouxiang cut his hand,” and here that trademark glare was turned on Xiaoge, who just shrugged again, and Wu Xie felt himself sympathising with the both of them for different reasons, “and smeared his blood on the walls before he passed out. But I suppose it worked,” Liu Sang conceded, “since no shibie tried to get in that way. There was enough dried plant matter and some old washed up wood here that I was able to set up the fire to keep them from coming in that way most of the time. The flares worked for the rest.”

Wu Xie looked at the fire again, and the spent flares, silently counting them. Unless he missed his guess, that was almost every flare they’d brought with them, and Liu Sang must have had to go through everyone’s packs for them. Then he glanced at the smelly patch, down at himself, then at their clothes.

“You all spent half the night throwing up,” Liu Sang grumbled, catching the glances. “It was disgusting. I’m a specialist, not a nursemaid. It’s a miracle none of you choked.” He gulped down the rest of his coffee, then scooped out another cup. “I think the smell of it is partly what kept attracting the shibie, too.” He drained half the second cup, not even pulling a face this time. “Once you finally stopped, I got you all out of your clothes, wrapped you up, and sat you up so you wouldn’t choke on the coughing fits that came next.”

“Oh.” Wu Xie wrapped both hands around his cup again, staring at Liu Sang, and trying to find the right words to what he’d just heard. That Liu Sang, by himself, had nursed them through poisoning and vomiting while having to contend with shibie. He looked again at how pale Liu Sang was, noting how he was swaying where he sat, and shaking a little from the amount of coffee he was downing.

“How long were we out?” he finally asked, and Liu Sang shrugged before glancing at his watch.

“You? About ten hours. Ouxiang woke up a couple of hours ago and drove the rest of the shibie away, again in a completely unsanitary manner.” He glared at Xiaoge again. “And you can’t even use the excuse that you’re less affected by germs and drugs and such, ouxiang, because you were affected by the poison just like Wu Xie and Pangzi were.”

Xiaoge gave one of his barely-there smiles, and just patted Liu Sang on the shoulder. Wu Xie was about to smile at the sight, before he realised something.

“Liu Sang,” he said. “Did you get any sleep last night?”

The eyeroll that that question netted him was truly epic.

“What do you think?” Liu Sang said. “Between the three of you trying to choke on your own vomit, then on your own breathing, and shibie not leaving us the fuck alone, when do you think the only conscious person should have slept?”

Wu Xie caught Xiaoge’s eye over Liu Sang’s shoulder, and the man nodded slightly. They were clearly going to be here a little while yet, since Pangzi was still asleep, and this little place had been made as safe as possible through the efforts of both Xiaoge and Liu Sang. Liu Sang, who had only saved all three of them, and was clearly not going to look after himself.

He reached forward, taking the now empty cup from Liu Sang’s hands, then wrapped the man in a hug and pulled him close to him, ignoring the squawk and weak flailing to get away.

“What are you doing?!” Liu Sang demanded, and Wu Xie aggressively cuddled him closer while Xiaoge picked up the sleeping bag laying across his lap and tucked it around Liu Sang instead. “Ouxiang?!”

“Thank you,” Wu Xie told him. “I don’t know what we would have done without you. But you’re clearly exhausted, so sleep now, okay?”

Liu Sang blinked up at him through his glasses, opened his mouth to say something, and whatever it was was cut off by another huge yawn.

 “We’ve got you,” Wu Xie told him, reaching up to take his glasses off and pass them to Xiaoge, then gently pat the still-damp hair. “You took care of us, so we’ll take care of you now. We can figure out how to get out of here once you’ve rested.”

“But…” Liu Sang mumbled through another yawn, then startled slightly when Xiaoge tucked the sleeping bag around a little tighter and patted his shoulder.

“Sleep,” Xiaoge told him. Liu Sang blinked at him, then at Wu Xie, still gently patting his hair.

“Just for a little bit,” he finally conceded, and closed his eyes. Wu Xie silently counted to one, two, three, and then Liu Sang was asleep, exhaustion winning out over stubbornness. Wu Xie smiled down at him, then at Xiaoge, and leaned back to rest some more.

They weren’t going anywhere until they were all rested and recovered, after all.

[cheeriecherry]

Space Between [Aizawa Shouta x F!Reader x Yamada Hizashi] [1/9]

EraserMic x Reader

Part 1/8

Warnings: None, like 2 swears

You stare out the window of the plane, past your own reflection. In the darkness below, you can see the runway lights approaching fast, bright beacons in the shadow of night. You can hardly believe you’re about to land back in Japan.

It’s been years since you’ve set foot in the country, two and a half, to be specific, and to say you’re nervous is an understatement. You wonder if they’ll be there, your old friends, waiting for you. You’d called them earlier in the week, only ever reaching their voicemails, but you’d left them messages saying when you’d arrive…and that you’d explain everything.

When you left so long ago, it had been without a word. One day you were living your life, the next you were being shipped off to the United States, to work undercover. You hadn’t been allowed to tell anyone where you were going, or for how long. You’d just…left.

You hoped that they’d both be there. God, did you hope.

Not that they owed you anything, but the logical side of your mind told you they’d be likely to give you the benefit of the doubt, and hear what you had to say. At least, Hizashi probably would.

You’d known the blond since you were small children, having lived in the same neighborhood and gone to the same elementary school. You hadn’t met Shouta until years later, when you started high school.

The two of you hadn’t hit it off immediately. In fact. you’d found him to be aloof beyond measure, uninterested, and stubborn…but Hizashi really seemed to like him. So you’d made a point to try and get along, and it had eventually proved fruitful.

He had been difficult to get to know, but once you learned a little more about each other you’d found you had a lot in common. He was funny, in his own way, kind, and cared deeply about others, even if he didn’t show it on the surface.

And Hizashi seemed pretty pleased that you two had finally made nice with one another.

Your thoughts drift further along as you think more about the friends you left behind, the shaky beginnings of friendship, the stressful mayhem of your budding hero careers. You smile to yourself, recalling the shitty one bedroom apartment the three of you had crammed into in your early twenties, none of you being able to afford much more.

It had been nonstop work, back then. Double shifts for weeks in a row, extra patrols, second (and third) jobs on the side, all to earn enough cash to make your own way in the world. You’d been so grateful to have them back then. They made the hassle of it all worthwhile.

You’d come to the conclusion pretty early on that your feelings for them weren’t totally platonic, but you’d never had the desire to act on it. You were comfortable with where your life had been, and maybe fear had held you back, but you hadn’t wanted to risk messing anything up.

Besides, the two of them always seemed to pay more attention to each other than to you.

“Pardon me, Miss.”

You snap out of your thoughts when a gentle hand rests on your shoulder. You look up at the smiling flight attendant with wide eyes, electricity buzzing through your body where she touched you.

She lets you know the plane has landed and that the rest of the passengers have exited the deck (a quick glance around proves this), and that if you need help carrying anything to let her know. You thank her quietly, apologize for holding everyone up, and make your way into the airport.

—-

You squint as you walk into the building, which -even at such a late hour- is busy with people. The fluorescent lights almost burn your eyes, and the din around you is loud enough that you almost miss the sound of your name being called.

Thankfully, you manage to hear the quick footsteps behind you, before you’re scooped up like a doll and squished in a hug.

“Y/N! We missed you!”

You squirm a little in Hizashi’s arms, trying to regain your balance, but he only spins you in a circle and hugs you harder. You find yourself smiling, despite your earlier unease. He was here. He’d heard you. He’d come for you.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see Shouta meandering towards you, hands shoved in his pockets and donning his usual expression. You smile at him, too, and offer him a hug after you’re finally set down.

He’s softer and significantly more calm about it, but his grip on you is tight and warm. You sigh and lean into him, resisting the urge to stay like that for longer than necessary.

“I have a lot of explaining to do, huh?” you say, keeping your tone light. A fresh wave of guilt washes over you when you remember everything that’s happened, and everything you did. They were here now, but you could only guess what they were thinking and feeling; disappointment, shock, anger…

The three of you wander over to the baggage claim area, and stand in a small huddle while you wait for your things.

“Your voicemail said you were undercover,” Hizashi says, and you nod.

“Yeah, for two and a half years.” Shouta grumbles, low enough that you almost miss it. You fiddle with the sleeves of your shirt, avoiding their gazes.

“I’m sorry,” your voice is small, “Truly. If I could have told you about anything, I would have. The commission estimated the mission would only last a couple weeks, but…”

“Two and a half years.”

You droop. “It was supposed to be a small takedown, for some small-time ringleader in the states. Get in, get out, don’t get caught.”

Shouta watches a luggage bag pass by, carefully disinterested. “So what went wrong?”

You shrug. “Local lowlife ended up being part of an international smuggling ring. We could have taken the guy out, but then we would’ve lost the only source we had to something bigger. So we stayed, and we spied, and we put a lot of people in prison.”

Hizashi pulls a bag off the conveyor. “And you got yourself on someone’s shit list.”

“Oh, without a doubt,” you laugh, but neither of them do.

You reach for the handle of your bag, but Hizashi swings it away before you even get close. You roll your eyes and complain, but let him carry it anyways, the three of you lulling into silence on the way out.

Only when you’re outside do either of them speak again.

“You kept saying ‘we’, back there,” Shouta says, and Hizashi tacks on, “Did you have a partner?”

You’re quiet for a moment, pensive. Sad. Guilty.

“Yeah,” you try to keep your voice even, “I did.”

My fault.

You shake the thought away and pretend to miss the glance that the two of them share with each other, walking a few steps ahead of them. It’s obvious that it’s not something you’re willing to talk about right now, even if you weren’t exhausted from the flight and lack of sleep.

You reach the car before them, recognizing the old vehicle as the one Hizashi owned before you’d left.

“We’re glad you’re back, in any case,” he says, unlocking the side door for you to slip in. “It hasn’t been the same without you around.”

You smile at that, but you’re certain it doesn’t reach your eyes. Your mind is elsewhere, now, lost in old thoughts. 

Shouta slides into the front passenger seat, peering back at you in the mirror. “We’ll be home soon. Try not to fall asleep back there, you know you get motion sick.”

You snort, but you can feel your eyelids falling. “I won’t fall asleep, I’m stronger than-” You break off into a yawn. “…Maybe not. Just drop me off at a hotel, okay? I don’t mind staying there for a while-”

“You’re kidding, right?” Hizashi plops into the driver’s seat, and starts the car. “You seriously think we’d just toss you out like that? No ma’am, you can crash on our couch!”

“It’s gonna be a couple weeks until I can find a place,” you explain, tiredness beginning to seep into your voice, “and I really don’t wanna take up space-”

Shouta reaches back without looking and pinches your leg. “Your money is better spent on new living arrangements,” he says, and you swat at him, “Don’t blow it on some shit hotel when you have people who want to house you.”

You grumble a little, but relent, knowing he’s right.

“So, you two are still living together, huh?” you ask, trying to change the conversation to something more comfortable. “I would’ve sworn you guys would have enough saved up to get your own places by now.”

“We’re engaged, so it makes sense.”

Your eyebrows shoot up at this, surprise evident in your expression. Engaged? Your stomach does little flips, and for a moment you’re not sure if they’re good or bad. On one hand, you’re glad they’re happy and together. On the other hand…seeing them after so long has definitely begun to resurface some old feelings.

You smile, masking the sadness. “I really missed a lot, huh? I didn’t even know you guys liked each other.”

Hizashi grins in the rear view mirror. “Some things came to light after you…left. We admitted some feelings, tried a few things out, and the rest is history.”

Your stomach sinks, all the butterflies you’d had instantly dying. “I’m glad you guys had each other. I’m…I’m sorry.”

Shouta reaches back again, but you manage to dodge his pinching attack this time. You slap at each other for a couple seconds, before you’re scolded for roughhousing in the car.

“You don’t need to keep apologizing,” he says, “we get why you had to leave, now. Besides, you’re back. We can pick up where we all left off.”

Where you left off, huh? Where you’d left off, you’d been overworked and pining hard for two of the dumbest smart people you’d ever known. Were you doomed to that fate again?

Still, you tell them, “That sounds perfect.”

[unmanageable-day]

Come to me

PART 26.5 - next

masterlist / previous chapter: 26

Summary. After what happened in a relationship in the past, you found it difficult to trust someone with the gentleman image. ‘Gentleman’ seems like merely a concept and it was probably impossible for someone to be a genuine one. Now that you’re stuck with the number one gentleman at campus for a group project, how would you cope with the one and only Joshua Hong?

Genre. College!au, non-idol!au / friends to lover

Pairing. Joshua x y/n x S.Coups

wc / warning. 1k / prolly grammatical error, and nothing more, i guess? (does mentioning shua’s nickname of the holy jisoos count?? if anyone feels disturbed about it, please do let me know!)

TAGLIST.  @samemagicpoint @unravellyn @nonuuu @seventeeneration @skylions-den @wooziverse @infinitemoods @haoraecane @sunflowergyeomie @flower0930 @riashushu​ — [ send ask or dm if you’re interested to be added in the list! 🖤 ]

a/n: i’ve decided to cut this written part into two chapters. hope you still enjoy it, any comments are warmly welcomed! i have this rough draft ready looong time before those smau parts but it took me a while to rewrite it, so it is kinda tricky to connect all the dots hehe

You set the living room as if you were going on a picnic. Instead of a rug or carpet, you used a yoga mat covered with an old scarf—resulting in Joshua quietly laughed at this sudden creativity. The pizza box was wide opened between you and him. Yet what you two had in your hands were two scoops of ice cream. Joshua was the one suggesting to have this salty-sweet-salty-sweet eating pattern.

"Okay. Let's start with... why does everyone call you a gentleman? Oh, I think I've also heard about the holy Jisoos," you trailed off, stirring the ice cream on your cup.

Joshua chuckled. "I honestly have no idea. Some kids made that up. I mean, I do consider myself as a gentle person but I won't even call myself a gentleman."

You nodded slowly, a spoonful of ice cream went into your mouth.

"And, please, stop with the holy Jisoos. If I find out who started that, I think I will commit a murder," he said, rolling his eyes in annoyance. No one really had ever said this particular nickname right into his face, but still, it was the one he most despises of.

Unconsciously you watched his expression quite eagerly. It was probably the first rime you caught him making that face. Even he still kept his smile intact and never showed it if he was exhausted during overtime—unlike you who looked like a mess when it was past 9 PM in the office. And it was fascinating to hear him wanting to murder someone. Basically the word murder and his by-default smiley face simply didn't match.

He made eye contact and you were flustered. "Come on, ask me more questions," said him, looking as eager as you.

"Are you always this nice to people? I mean, not even a bad intention once a while?" That was the best filtered words you can arrange. The truth is, you wanted to ask 'are you sure you're not being fake with all that kindness?' but now that you think about it, it sounds very rude.

"I do plot some things. Well, not to random people, but to my friends." He shrugged, but his voice started to sound more excited. After the last bite of his ice cream, he took a slice of pizza. "Do you remember the first time we met?"

Your eyes got widened at that question. How can you not? You squinted your eyes, looking guilty. "You mean how I made you come late to your first class?"

"What? That was you?"

"... yeah?"

He paused. Tilting his head, he looked at you with puzzled expression. He surely remembered his first day of uni and the accident of coming late and getting scolded by one of the most legendary lecturer in campus because of somebody. Apparently he was too shocked to remember who it was.

“I know, I ran away when you went in to Prof. Lee’s class,” you shyly confessed, covering your face with your hands. “And our second meeting was not great either,” you mumbled.

“Was it coffee accident?”

You nodded.

He smiled wide to himself. Looking at you fondly, he continued, “I thought that was our first meeting. But knowing the truth of our first meeting, it was quite fascinating.”

“I know it’s probably too late, but I’m sorry about getting scolded by Prof. Lee and for ruining your white shirt.” You bowed down.

Still smiling, Joshua shook his head, suggesting to never mind it. “Anyway, about that white shirt..” A mischievous grin grew wider. "That’s not my shirt. It's Jeonghan's. Just a few days before my first day going to school, he dropped some ragu sauce on my shirt he wore. I was already plotting something, that was why I wore his clothes, but you unexpectedly did it for me. So..." He made a face, which strangely reminded you of Johnny’s ‘not my problem’ face.

"Wait, what?" You squinted in disbelief. "But you looked mad though?"

"I did?" The bambi eyes widened at your accusation. "Rather than mad, I think I was more shocked. I mean who wouldn't, right?"

Eventually, you two laughed it off. You were glad you cleared at least one unsettled matter with this guy.

"I'll confess one more thing. You can judge me as you please," he spoke rather excitedly and you just nodded. "You know, I often got anonymous love letters in my locker."

"People are still doing that like in Japanese comic?" you commented, holding your laugh.

"I know right. But that's not the point. Those letters, I never read them. Either I just leave it in my locker, or I just throw them away. Or sometimes Seokmin would read it for me, and still they ended up in the trash."

A dramatic gasp left your lips. "Oh my gosh, those poor girls.. Maybe they're just shy, you know? You should give them a chance." Instantly you realized what you said just changed the mood.

“Why don’t you give me a chance?” he calmly retorted.

You chewed your lips, unable to answer him right away.

"Y/N, I'm shy too, but since we were assigned for group project, I encourage myself to talk to you instead of sending anonymous letter." He tried to break the ice.

"Like you, Y/N, they only see me as someone with that too good to be true image. If they really mean it, why not approach me personally? You see, I had bad relationships too. There are many people who only like the way I look, the way I behave. How I don't really voice out, how I never show them if I'm angry, how I always say "it's okay" when things start going bad and "I'm sorry" even when the fault is not mine. They thought I'm 24/7 an angel who is never upset."

A small part of your heart just melted to finally see another side of Joshua Hong. You simply could feel the honesty. It was nice to see the ‘humane’ side of him, to see his emotion as he shared a bit about himself. Now you felt bad for having bad prejudice about him.

"There is one thing I’ve been wondering. Why me?" you asked carefully after observing him catching his breath.

"I don't know." He shrugged. "It's just interesting to see you. It looks like there are so many sides of you."

You looked at him, confused.

“When you're with me, do you notice you're very quiet? But when you're with Johnny, you turn into someone else and you express yourself easily. When you're with Mingyu, Seokmin, and Soonyoung, you change again. You play along with them, you get their jokes, overall it's like you're a child again playing with your friends. Then Wonwoo, you used to have that sheepish smile when you talk to him. And when you're with Seungcheol...” Joshua paused, clearing his throat and looked away. “It's clear how you're comfortable with him, you talk freely with him, as if he's an old friend. And the way you smile at him.. how could I not envy him?”

You attentively listened to him while trying to digest everything. You were quite flustered that he paid that much attention to you.

"So I thought, there must be something wrong with me. I was insecure of myself. 'What is it that Seungcheol does better than me?', 'Why the quiet Wonwoo can be close with you while I can't?', 'Am I good enough to be with you?', 'Am I a trust worthy person to you?'. I was always doubting myself whenever I tried to make a move. Especially since Seungcheol butts in."

The pizza was long forgotten as you were drowning in his thoughts.

"If there is one thing I'm lacking, it's confidence. I don't want people to know about that. Also, I'm not really into telling others how I feel, not even to Jeonghan. I tend to bottle up everything instead of expressing my feelings. Then I would overthink, I would be overly sensitive about things. In the end, I wouldn't actually do anything about it. I'm a coward, Y/N." His hands were fiddling with the spoon on his empty cup.

"Y/N, do you like Seungcheol?" he asked suddenly, making you flinched in your seat.

"Honestly it's hard to not to.." you said guiltily. It was such a mystery to you too why you felt guilty. It wasn’t like you and Joshua were something in the first place.

[themetaphorgirl]

This isn't in the list of prompts, but I was wondering what a good situation would involve "you're okay" with CM?

I just needed some to write something cuddly and nice. I hope you like it!!

----------

Alex flipped through her notes and frowned as a paper airplane sailed over her head. “Derek, give it back!” Penelope shrieked.

“Derek, you heard her, give it back,” she said absently as she compared the notes with her copy of Jane Eyre. It was pouring rain outside, destroying everything they had planned for Saturday, and everyone was bored out of their minds, leaving Penelope to break out every craft supply she owned. Hotch was at an RA meeting and David and James were off campus, so she and Emily had been left to keep an eye on the common room and make sure the younger kids didn’t blow anything up. Not that Emily was much help.

“Gimme the red sharpie,” Emily said. She took the paper airplane and drew along the wings. “It won’t fly right if it doesn’t look good.”

“Oh, wait, let me get my glitter!” 

“No, Penelope, no glitter. You remember what happened last time,” Alex said. She shifted around in the armchair to look at Emily. “You could help keep order, you know?”

Emily was lying on her stomach on the floor, busily coloring. “What do you mean?” she said. “Nothing’s broken yet.”

“Yet,” Alex mumbled under her breath, surveying the chaos. Paper and markers spread across the floor; JJ was reading a book but Derek, Penelope, and Spencer were surrounded by half-folded planes. 

“Here, kid, like this,” Derek said, reaching over to help Spencer.

“No!” Spencer said. “I can do it myself! I know how to do it!”

“I’m just trying to help, pretty boy, calm down.”

“I don’t need help!” Spencer said. The notebook paper caught in Derek’s hand and tore. JJ looked up over the pages of her book. “You ripped it!” 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Derek said. “Here, we can make another one.”

Spencer clutched the the rest of the rest of the paper plane in his tight grip. “You ripped it!” he said again, his voice rising. He was pale but his cheeks were getting a little flushed, and his eyes were rimmed in dark circles. “I could have done it by myself!”

Emily pushed herself up to sit crosslegged. “Hey, hey, slow down, champ,” she said. “Don’t get cranky, it’s just a stupid airplane. You can make another one.”

“He shouldn’t have touched it!” 

“Spencer, it’s okay, sweetie,” Penelope soothed. She held up another piece of paper. “See, we can-”

“No!” Spencer yelped.

Alex set her notes aside. She had an idea of what was really bothering the youngest of their group. “Hey, Spencer,” she said. He whipped around to face her, the paper crumpling in his fist. “Can you come help me with this? I could use another pair of eyes.”

“Fine,” he huffed, throwing the paper down on the floor. 

She shifted her books around to make room on the oversized armchair. “Come sit with me,” she said. She caught Emily’s eye, and thankfully, Emily understood.

“Hey, who else wants to go on a coffee run?” she said, getting up off the floor and brushing off her pants. “Let’s go. My treat. Come on, you too, blondie.” JJ set down her book with a sigh, but followed Emily and the other kids out of the room. 

“Get us something too,” Alex called.

“Yeah, yeah, I know, already on it.”

Spencer climbed onto the armchair next to Alex. “What are you working on?” he asked.

She tucked her arm around him and held the book so he could see it. “Jane Eyre,” she said. “I’m analyzing the scene where she meets Mr. Rochester for the first time.”

He rubbed his eyes. “Oh, yeah, that’s important,” he said. “It really shifts the action of the narrative.”

“It does,” she said. “Here, I’ll read some of it, and you tell me what you think, okay?”

“Okay,” he said, shifting around until he was almost sitting on her lap.

She held the book open so he could see it. “The ground was hard, the air was still, my road was lonely,” she read aloud. “I walked fast till I got warm, and then I walked slowly to enjoy and analyse the species of pleasure brooding for me in the hour and situation.”

The older kids had discussed Spencer’s relentless insomnia often- Hotch was at his wit’s end trying to figure out how to get him to actually sleep at night. Spencer survived on naps, usually in strange place at inopportune times. And Spencer fought back when they tried to talk to him about it and insisted he wasn’t a baby, he didn’t need them to tell him what to do.

“On the hill-top above me sat the rising moon; pale yet as a cloud, but brightening momentarily, she looked over Hay, which, half lost in trees, sent up a blue smoke from its few chimneys,” she read, keeping her voice soft and warm. Spencer leaned closer to her and his head dropped to her shoulder. “it was yet a mile distant, but in the absolute hush I could hear plainly its thin murmurs of life.” 

They could always tell when he was exhausted, but they had to make him think that sleeping was his idea or he wouldn’t do it. As of yet, this was the only thing that seemed to work, and she was the only one who could pull it off.

“The din was on the causeway: a horse was coming; the windings of the lane yet hid it, but it approached,” she read. Spencer had crawled into her lap by then, his eyes struggling to stay open, and she rested her chin on the top of his head. “I was just leaving the stile; yet, as the path was narrow, I sat still to let it go by.”

She read until she was sure he was asleep, his breath catching in little snores and warm against her neck. Carefully she turned the page to the part she was actually supposed to be studying. 

After a while he started to shift, mumbling something unintelligible. She set her book down and wrapped her arms around him. “You’re okay,” she said softly. “You’re okay, go back to sleep.”

He mumbled something that almost sounded coherent, but he started to settle back down, burrowing against her. She tried to pick her book back up, but she couldn’t quite wrestle it back, so she gave up and let Spencer sleep.

After a while Hotch peeked into the common room. “Hey,” he whispered. “He asleep?”

“Out like a light,” she whispered back.

Hotch walked over to her, sidestepping the craft explosion on the floor. “I saw everybody else getting coffee, they told me he was about to freak out and you were trying to get him to take a nap,” he said. 

“Yeah, he was being a real brat for a while there, but I’m guessing he didn’t sleep at all last night,” she said.

“Not a bit,” Hotch said grimly. “Here, let me take him.” 

Alex kept her hand under Spencer’s neck as Hotch scooped him up; her arms had started to prickle and fall asleep under his weight. “You need a hand?” she asked.

Thankfully Spencer stayed asleep in Hotch’s arms, his cheek pressing into his shoulder. “No, I’ve got him,” Hotch said. “I’ll be right back.”

She stretched out her arms and went back to her homework. The others came back not long after that, but Penelope and Derek cleaned up art supplies and JJ turned on the common room TV. Emily handed Alex her chai latte.

“Thanks for reading my mind,” Alex said.

“Oh, believe me, it was pretty obvious,” Emily said. “He was either going to spontaneously combust or fall over asleep. And besides, I wanted coffee.” Alex laughed. “Is he doing okay?”

“I think so, but I have a feeling we’ll need to come up with a new trick to get him to sleep,” Alex said. “It’s only a matter of time before he figures out what we’re doing.”

[ryqoshay]

OTP Ask Meme (Impatient Edition) NicoMaki

Yeah, I know the point of these things is to wait for followers to Ask questions from the list, but reading though this one got me thinking too much. And, as the title implies, I got impatient and wanted to answer them all. Right away.

Anyway, credit to @lonelypond​ for this version coming across my dash. Reblog that version if you want to do this thing correctly.

Also, just because I’ve already answered these here, I’ve expanded on some for various reasons and left others short if I believe the reasons are obvious. So if you still want to do the whole interactive thing, you can still ask for clarification or whatever.

And finally, there will be spoilers ahead for How to Handle a Nico, both scenes I’ve written and posted, as well as some that remain in my Notes and WIP Warehouse. I’ll try to remember to link to the chapters mentioned.

1. Who wakes up first?

Nico, so she can make breakfast for her Maki.

2. Who wants to stay in bed just a little longer?

Maki. Usually because she studies or works later and/or longer hours. She is also not above pulling Nico back into bed when she comes to wake her.

3. Who takes longer getting ready?

Usually Nico.

4. When they can’t sleep, what do they do?

Maki’s libido can pretty much always be counted on to at least exhaust Nico, if not both of them.

5. Who falls asleep while watching a movie?

Depends on who had a rough day or week at work/school, though Maki may get bored and either watch Nico or fall asleep during overly sappy romance movies.

6. Who falls asleep last, watching the other with a small affectionate smile?

Either, depending on the stresses of the prior day.

7. Who comes up with the cheesy pick-up lines?

Nico intentionally. Maki unintentionally.

8. Who gets extremely competitive playing Mario Kart?

They both are, though in different ways. This is depicted in Consolation Prize.

9. Who accidentally pushes a door instead of pulling?

Maki, especially if she is in an unfamiliar place.

10. Who sets the other’s ringtone to something loud and obnoxious behind their back?

Both, though Maki only in retaliation for whatever teasing Nico may have done.

11. Who rearranges the bookshelf/DVD shelf in alphabetical order?

Nico likes a proper presentation of her idol merch. Maki is too busy with other stuff to care about special organization.

12. Who does the hands-over-the-eyes “Guess Who” thing?

Nico.

13. Who points out a dog when they see one?

Either.

14. Who’s prone to road rage?

Maki, especially when she is trying to get to the hospital when called in at some odd hour, or trying to get home after a stressful day.

15. Who’s prone to wearing socks indoor (or to sleep)?

Nico gets cold easier. Warm socks help.

16. Who reminds the other to put on sunscreen before going to the beach (or pool)?

Nico, partly out of habit from doing it with her siblings and partly as an excuse to offer to help Maki put it on. Depicted in Sunscreen.

17. Who carries all the important documents while traveling?

Nico.

18. Who gets the window seat?

Nico. Maki traveled enough with her parents and is happy to let her girlfriend see the sights instead.

19. Who puts their cold hands/feet on the other?

Nico intentionally. Maki unintentionally, usually.

20. What do they argue about the most?

I don’t believe anyone has been brave enough to track the data for this.

21. Who’s clumsier?

Maki, especially in the kitchen. Nico has her moments though.

22. Who texts more often?

Nico. With heavy emoji use. (I need to depict this more in HtHaN somehow)

23. Who is better with kids?

Nico. She was the primary caregiver for her siblings for many years after all.

24. Who’s the better cook?

Nico. See above.

25. Who mistakes salt for sugar?

Maki. Even after Nico labeled the containers.

26. Who puts the fork in the microwave?

Maki.

27. Who cooks at 2 in the morning?

Nico. Maki isn’t allowed to cook without Nico’s supervision. However, this would be a rare occasion as Nico typically will prepare something ahead of when Maki is arriving home this late and leave it for her to reheat.

28. Who lets the microwave play the loud beeping sound at 1 a.m.?

Maki, when she’s reheating whatever Nico made for her after arriving home late.

29. Who licks the spoon when they’re baking brownies?

Both.

30. Who likes doing the dishes?

Nico, though it would be more appropriate to say she doesn’t dislike it.

31. Who has bigger cravings? What are they?

Nico loves her sweets. Maki loves her Nico.

32. Who remembers what the other one always orders at a restaurant?

Nico is highly attentive to Maki’s preferences in food. Knowing what Maki likes in restaurants lets her know what she can make at home. And food is definitely one of the best ways to Maki’s heart.

33. How do they eat ice cream? What’s their favorite flavors?

Nico likes sundaes with lots of sugary toppings. She also likes trying new flavors and will often get multiple scoops of different flavors. Maki is fine with a single scoop cone.

34. Do they go on dates? What are they like?

As often as their schedules allow. Maki likes quite dates like walks in a park or museum or sitting up on a hillside for stargazing. Nico likes shopping for outfits and idol merch, going to movies and bustling amusement parks. But both love watching the other enjoy their hobbies so they’re willing to go along with the other’s interests as well.

35. What do they smell when they smell Amortentia?

Nico smells her father’s aftershave, strawberries, and stewing tomatoes. Maki smells Nico’s special tomato curry, Nico’s shampoo, and the cinnamon sugar of the snickerdoodle cookies the Nishikino baker made for her to leave out for Santa.

Yes, two of Maki’s are directly related to Nico. What can I say? She’s addicted.

36. Which one is the secret snuggler?

Maki. The more tired or drunk she is, the clingier she gets.

37. Which one offers their jacket to the other when they complain they feel cold?

Maki. Nico gets cold easier, so Maki is usually the one to offer her jacket.

38. Who reaches for the other one’s hand while driving?

Yes.

39. Who leaves little notes in the other one’s lunch?

Nico, because she is the only one who makes lunch for them both; Maki isn’t the type to do such a thing even if she were allowed to cook more. (Bonus: What does it say?) Usually the messages are simple affirmations of love, but she is not above getting snarky if the two had an argument recently.

40. Who is the most affectionate?

Nico in public. Maki in private.

41. Who is the big spoon/little spoon?

Usually, Maki is the big spoon as she is quite fond of hugging her Nico like a teddy bear, though Nico will sometimes jetpack.

42. What is their favorite feature of their partner?

Maki loves Nico’s smile, particularly her genuine, unforced, non-idol persona smile. Nico loves Maki’s voice, specifically her singing voice.

43. What is the first thing that changes when they realize they have feelings for the other?

Nico starts teasing Maki more, no longer to “put the spoiled rich girl in her place” but rather to see more of the adorable reactions. Maki actively tries to deny her feelings, even to, or perhaps especially to herself, falling back on established habits of insisting that she doesn’t have time to date, all the while quietly continuing to seek more time with Nico.

44. What are their nicknames for each other?

Both exclusively use -chan with the other.

45. Who worries the most? Over what?

Early on, both are worried about losing the other for different reasons. Nico is afraid that should a scandal occur that ruins her idol career, Maki may blame herself and leave. Maki fears that a busy schedule of studying in medical school followed by long hours at the hospital may turn away someone like Nico, whose attention seeking seems infinite. Later, as they settle into their relationship, their concerns turn to more stereotypical adult fears; traffic or transit accidents, sever illnesses, etc.

46. Who initiates kisses?

Nico in public. Maki in private.

47. Who says I love you first? How did it happen?

Nico, by accident, as depicted in Spoken.

48. Who tells their friends/family about their relationship first?

Technically Maki in both cases, though with their friends, Nico was active in the chatroom, and with their mothers, Maki only beat Nico by maybe half an hour or so. These instances are depicted in Reconstructed Reunion and Telling Mama.

49. What do they do when they’re away from each other?

Both have busy schedules, even as early as the years immediately following high school, so spending time away from each other is quite commonplace. This still did not stop Maki from going through a bout of depression during Nico’s first tour as a professional idol, as depicted in Homesick and Homecoming. From then on, Maki starts a tradition of visiting Nico during longer tours so as to break up their time away a bit.

50. Who gets overwhelmed by small acts of kindness?

Nico, as the more romantic of the two. This isn’t to say Maki doesn’t value sentiment, she just has other ways of expressing it than being overwhelmed.

[skylarmoon71]

E2 Harrison Wells x Reader Oneshot

"I-I love you Harry, that's why I was so worried!"

Your statement made the tall man halt. His blue eyes were watching you with shock. As time went by, you could see a number of different emotions flash over his face. Finally looking at you must have seemed like too much, he just lowered his eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I can't return those feelings."

Was it possible to hear the breaking of a heart.

"I'm sorry."

It hurt, more than you thought possible. But you didn't let it show.

"H-Hey it's fine. I'm sorry I just dumped this on you. That was totally not cool." Letting out a laugh you turned your back.

"Just be careful the next time you're out being a hero. " 

Just like that you were walking out of STAR Labs. Every step felt like a stab to your heart. As you rounded the corner you pressed a hand to your lips, sobbing softly. You prayed that he didn't come after you, because if he'd seen you so broken, you were sure it would have just made you feel that more pathetic.

~~~~

~One Month Later~

"Barry hurry there are still a few people in the building!"

Caitlin's panicked yell at the other side of the com earned a grunt from the speedster who was already rushing people from the third floor.

"Where's (Y/N)!" He was fast, but there were over a thousand people in the building. Even at his speed, he'd have a hard time getting them all out safely. Cisco already secured a floor, vibing as much as he could.

Harry was at the bottom, doing the same.

"Right here." you called. Barry sighed, and you stomped, clapping your hands together. A mass amount of wind flew right through the entire floor. The people who were still there stopped, staring in awe as the fire seemed to vanish completely. It wasn't long before you could hear applause from the civilians. You grinned, placing your hand on your hips.

"Just on time." Barry said, giving you a fist bump.

"From the cheers I'm hearing in the background I'll take it that everything is fine." Caitlin asked.

"Come on of course it is, I'm here after all. " you respond.

"It always is."

~~~

"Phew, after the day you had, you guys deserve a break." Caitlin stated.

Protecting Central City was never an easy task. Not only did you save an insurance company full of workers from being barbequed, right after you got back there was a new meta causing rampage in the streets. A multiplying psycho wasn't the easiest to subdue. Shortly after that, Cisco blew a fuse in the cortex fighting with Harry. So you spent the better part of your evening making sure the rest of STAR Labs didn't go up in smoke. 

Safe to say you were completely and utterly exhausted.

"Maybe we can take tomorrow off. I'm sure Wally and Jesse can handle one night without us."

"I second that!" Cisco chimed in. "Club night!!"

You had a feeling Cisco would say that. The guy was a party animal. When the occasion arose.

"I'm in." You said, leaning against the chair.

"Barry and I down." Iris beamed.

"Harry do you want to-"

"Please Harry would never come to a club." you interrupted. It was nice of Caitlin to offer, but the guy had a stick up his ass. It's not like you were still bitter or anything. Not at all. Pshh.

"I'm in." you were surprised he even agreed. You just huffed under your breath. Grabbing your mask, you stood. "I'm heading out, guess I'll see you all tomorrow night." You didn't stick around for them to reply, and as you left, Harry's eyes followed you.

There was so much he regretted in his life, but rejecting you, it was high on his list. He was a coward. All those days that he confided you, that you confided in him. When he first got to Earth one, everyone was weary of him, and you were the one who challenged him the most.

Cisco coming in a close second. But as time progressed, he started to view the team differently. They were no longer just a means for him to save his daughter, they quickly and unknowingly became a part of his family. One he always thought he didn't need, or deserved.

Little by little he got closer to you. At the beginning it was out of curiosity of your abilities. He was a scientist, so generally metas intrigued him. He liked picking parts of their DNA and trying to figure out how it came about.

Slowly, you were less of a project, and more of a friend. Someone he could depend on. It wasn't long after that he realized, the feelings he was gaining for you, it certainly wasn't just friendship. There was something more. And every time you looked at him after busting a criminal, or helping Barry on his misadventures, the harder it was becoming for him to deny how he felt.

When he got into the little scuffle, the first person he wanted to rant to was you. And that's what he'd intended to do that day. But the moment you saw him you started a rant of your own of his recklessness. Which brought on a screaming match and your unplanned confession. It rocked him entirely. All along he thought it was completely one sided.

That's when he knew it, he couldn't accept your love, not at all because one, he was a middle aged man with an inability to keep anything remotely good stable in his life. And two, he was at least twenty years older than you. You were a vibrant, cheerful, beautiful woman. If he attempted to venture past friendship, he would ultimately screw it up. And if he couldn't come and see that confident, cocky smile on your face every morning, then it wasn't worth taking the risk.

Although now, what he feared had come through. By doing what he thought was right, he ruined it.

"Wonderful." He thought aggravated.

~Saturday Night~

As you stepped into the club that night, you tucked a strand of hair behind your ear self consciously. You weren't exactly the party girl type. The booming music and sweaty bodies jamming next to each other did nothing to calm you. Your eyes were drifting over the tables, searching for your squad. You smiled when you caught Iris waving crazily from a corner. Everyone looked up when you pushed through the sea of possibly plastered individuals on the dance floor.

"Hey guys!" your hand tightened on your purse when you saw the way Harry's eyes ran over you form. You were wearing a simple red dress with thin straps. It hugged every curve on your body, and displayed just enough cleavage to draw attention. Barry whistled. 

"Wow, I don't think I've ever seen you in a dress (Y/N). You look amazing." you blushed. 

"Thanks Barry." Iris nudge you with her elbow grinning. 

"Did you come to steal my man tonight." she said playfully.

"A girl can try right." you laughed. She smiled, giving you a side hug, whispering in your ear.

"Try to have fun tonight okay." when she pulled back you nodded. "I will." Iris knew about your little predicament. She was the one you went crying to when it all went down.

"Where is Cisco and Caitlin, did they bail on us!" Barry pointed in the crowd, and you weren't even shocked. Of course they were on the dance floor. Cisco was at it again with his very, exotic movements.

"Are those moves even legal." you spoke titling your head to the side.

"Not on this earth, or any other." Harry retorted. You flashed him a small smile, which he returned.

"Well, Barry and I are going to dance."

"We are?" she took his hand pulling him along.

"I guess we are." he called.

It was cute, watching the way Barry was awkwardly moved, especially since Iris was pretty good.

"Barry was right, you look stunning tonight (Y/N)." Harry's words had you turning to him. You wanted to say thanks, maybe throw a compliment his way. Because it didn't matter what he wore. To you he always looked good. But, you stopped yourself. Turning your back to him.

"I'm going to dance." you said, leaving your purse on the table. As you left you made sure to put an extra sass in your step, swaying your hips. You wanted him to know what he was missing out on. What he couldn't have because apparently he was too good for anyone. As you got there, you just started moving with the mass of people. 

Tonight was about having fun, not focusing on Harry. He'd taken up too much of your mind already, and you refused to give him anymore. So you just let yourself go, moving in time with the music. Pretty soon you were jamming with Caitlin and Cisco to the rhythm of the song blaring on the speakers. You didn't glance in Harry's direction, not even once.

Iris drifted closer, giving your hip a little bump and you giggled. You needed this.

The night carried on, at some point the girls started getting drinks. Caitlin was the first to tap out, reluctantly going home with Cisco. For sure she would have a blazing headache tomorrow. Barry was unfortunately the only one unable to get drunk. You sort of felt sorry for him.

That didn't stop you from indulging though. You and Iris were on your third drink. You sat at the bar, about to chug another. Iris stepped away, almost falling when she took the last shot. Barry caught her, and she giggled when he scooped her up into his arms.

"Whooo! So glad I got the big old flash to protect me." she was tracing her finger across his chin, biting her lip seductively and you almost spat out your drink in laughter at the way Barry chuckled nervously. "I think that's our signal to go." You waved to him, obviously not seeing the look he gave Harry. It was a secret exchange. 

"Take care of her." 

Harry just gave a nod at the speedster, and you squint, confused.

"A-Are you guys telepathic now." your words were becoming a bit slurred. Whatever you were drinking was pretty strong. "Maybe you should call it a day too (Y/N)." you frown, annoyed that he had the audacity to tell you what to do.

"I'll head home w-when I feel like it." you let out a small hiccup through the statement.

"I think she's old enough to make her own decisions. " Another voice interjected. You turned, not expecting the very attractive man standing behind you. "Not as hot as Harry though." the minute it entered your mind, you banished it. "How about I show you some real fun, beautiful" You knew it was stupid, you didn't know this guy and you were already wasted. "Sure." you stood, taking his outstretched hand. Harry grabbed your wrist before you could even take a step.

"She's taken." you stumbled at the tug, crashing into Harry. He held you up, glaring at the man that was now sizing him up.

"Please old man, there's no way she's going for a grandpa, right sweetheart." you were angry with Harry, who was now pushing you behind his back protectively. "Back off. " he warned. The guy didn't take the warning, because he fired a punch, and Harry ducked, socking the male in his jaw. The poor guy crashed to the ground, unconscious. Your eyes widened. "Woah.." Harry just K.O the guy like it was nothing. You probably shouldn't have been so excited by that.

Unlucky for you, the stunt caused a ruckus. It wasn't too long before both you and Harry were being shown out of the club by a bouncer. Harry didn't resist, he just took your hand, guiding you away.

"Don't come back." the rough tone of the man's voice and the harsh slamming of the door was all that was heard for the longest moment. "Leave it to Harrison *hic* freaking Wells to get us kicked out of a night club!" The one night that was supposed to  be just fun and drinks, and he messed that up for you too.

Typical.

"Are you serious! That man obviously wanted to show you more than a few dance moves. And you were about to go with him."

"What if I wanted it, did you even think about that!!" it wasn't the best idea for the both of you to be screaming in the street, but what else could you do.

"You're drunk, you don't know what you're saying. I'm getting you home. " he turned his back to you, pulling out his phone to call an uber.

"DON'T TURN YOUR BACK ON ME!" Your yell doubled with the immense rise in wind pressure gained his attention. The gust that whizzed by nearly knocked him off his feet. Harry gave a soft grunt, dropping to his knees to ground himself. You stopped when you saw he was struggling to keep his footing. The trees behind were bustling aggressively, and you took two deep breaths to calm down. When you did, the wind dissipated.

"I-I'm sorry." you were pissed at him, but it was unfair to use your powers like that.

He rose to his feet slowly, painfully so. And you felt guilty. You gripped at the edge of your dress.

"I-I-" Harry pitched forward, pulling you into his arms. Every fiber in your body just stilled.

"I'm the one who should be sorry. " Now you sort of wanted to punch him in the gut. It wasn't fair for him to do this. He knew how you felt. Why was he always tugging and pulling you in so many directions. One minute he acted like he cared, then the next he was acting like his usual douchey self.

"I hate you.." you whimpered in his arms. Your body sagged, melting into him.

You would never be able to get over him, he had way too much power over you. And it scared you. He scared you.

~~~~

You smacked your lips, grimacing in distaste.

"Ugh. I should have stopped after the third one." You were a lot better at holding your liquor than Caitlin, but that didn't mean it didn't affect you. Turning, your brows knitted together.

"Where am I?" finally opening your eyes, you scanned the area. "Please tell me I didn't get drunk and boned some random dude at the bar!" you said in horror.

"Don't worry, I made sure that didn't happen. " Harry's voice made you scream. He just looked at you blankly.

"Really?"

"Don't do that! I thought you were a serial killer!"

"And your idea was to scream your way free? Genius." You really didn't need his sass this early in the morning.

"You're lucky I'm hungover otherwise I'd blow you away."

"It's a good thing you're hung over then."

Cheeky bastard." Deciding that you didn't want to spend the rest of your morning going back and forth with him, you inched out of the bed. You were more than a little relieved that you were in your apartment, and not some stranger's. "How did I even get back?" you couldn't recall, but Harry must have had something to do with it. Harry took your hand when you tried to get up.

"Here." he balanced your weight, which you accepted. "I'm assuming you want a shower and some fresh clothes. "

"Wow Harry, sometime I'm certain you can read minds." The sarcasm in your words was evident. He just ignored it, directing you to the bathroom.

When you got there you opened the door, stepping in.

"I'll be in the kitchen, take your time." Harry was being strangely helpful today. You didn't think too much of it.

"Yeah whatever." you slammed the door shut, and Harry sighed, heading to start a fresh pot of coffee.

~~~~

Walking into the kitchen you sniffed, sighing at the smell of bacon and coffee. "Oh yes!" you ran over to the fresh pot, pouring yourself a cup. Pulling the cup to your lips you hummed in satisfaction. "Just what I needed. " Harry smiled, placing a plate of bacon and toast in front of you on the table. You sat, taking it with a small thank you.

"So are we going to talk about last night." Harry's question was something you expected.

"There isn't anything to talk about, I got drunk, it happens. "

"You know that's not what I mean (Y/N)."

Dropping the fork in your hand, you stood. "Suddenly I don't have an appetite. " Now wasn't the best time to lose your temper, but he was really testing you. What exactly did he want. He made it perfectly clear how he felt. So why did he insist on pushing. On and on.

"If you don't need anything else, you can see yourself out. " Harry slammed his hand on the table, probably to intimidate you, or maybe quell his own anger. You didn't care what the reason was. It didn't do much.

"You could have gotten hurt! Do you understand that!"

"Please, if he tried anything I could have easily taken him."

"In your state that would have been near impossible!"

"I don't know why you're getting so angry. We went out to have fun, that's what I was trying to do. A stupid one night stand isn't a big deal."

"That's not what you want (Y/N)."

"And how the hell would you know! Are you in my head. Why do you even care! Was it the fact that I was actually getting attention from someone that surprises you. News flash Harry I'm not completely undesirable to other guys!"

"What are you..."

"Oh don't give me that stunned look. Be straight with me, that has to be it. You aren't attracted to me, and I get it. Honestly if I were a multimillionaire I would probably think the same. You're just way too good for me." The spite behind your words were obvious.

"Is that what you really think."

"What am I supposed to think Harry. You're the one who rejected me. I poured my heart out and you just stepped all over it. Then the minute someone shows the slightest interest in me you get all protective. WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT FROM ME! Because you choose to be miserable I should too!" At some point you started screaming.

Harry stood there, guilt clear on his face. You could have beat the shit out of him at that moment, because after all of that he still managed to make you feel sorry for him. When he moved closer, you felt your body freeze. You weren't sure why, but the look in his eyes changed, and now you were a bit scared of what he was going to do. There was a glint in his sapphire orbs.

"H-Harr-" His lips crashed into you with urgency, and you swallowed the gasp that nearly left. His hand gripped the back of your head softly, keeping you in place. Your hands balled against his chest, trying to shove him off, but his hold was firm. He pulled you, deeper and deeper in, his lips diving after yours as if it were the last thing he'd ever do. 

You whimpered softly, relenting. Letting go and giving into the disaster that is Harrison Wells. He backed you up on the counter, hooking his hands around your thighs and hoisting you off the ground. When your butt landed on the cold marble you sighed, slipping your fingers into his dark hair. You tugged and pulled trying to urge out a sound. And you succeeded, because he gave a guttural moan, trying to get as close as he could. Your legs hooked around his waist, keeping your bodies mashed together.

"This is wrong." you repeat that. Because it didn't make sense. Why would he reject you, then kiss you. What was his game. Did he just like toying with you. If that was the case you would surely make him pay.

Harry pulled back panting. In a quick move he took off his glasses, and before you could get a question in his lips were back on yours. You wanted to stop, if nothing but for a proper explanation. Or any explanation honestly. This time when you shoved his chest, he moved back. He was now standing a safe distance away, and you jumped down from the counter, pressing your hand to your lips. You stayed with your back to the counter, watching him wearily. Because you knew if he tried to kiss you again you wouldn't have the willpower to stop him.

"(Y/N) I-" you flicked your wrist, and the wind that came hurtling in his direction knocked him right off his feet. He flew backwards, skating on the ground and hitting the wall. It wasn't enough to actually injure him, just get your point across. The grunt of pain he let out brought a  little satisfaction. "I-I deserved that." he grunted, placing a hand on his knees, lifting himself up. When he was upright, you kept your hand raised, indicating that whatever he had to say to defend his actions had better be good.

"I was wrong."

"NO SHIT SHERLOCK!"

"I should have given you a chance I just...you don't understand (Y/N). I've done things that-"

"Oh don't give me that bullshit! You know I don't care about all of that. How long have we been friends, Harry. Ever member of this team has done shit, myself included. You really think I care. You're not the same man you were. You're different, better. You're just too stupid to see it. You think just because you made a few mistakes that it's alright to constantly punish yourself. And that's where you're so selfish because you don't just punish yourself you punish everyone that cares about you. "

Harry looked a bit defeated.

"You keep proving to me just how useless I am. " His head lowered.

"It's not just the issue of my past mistakes (Y/N). There are so many more variables present. "

"Like what." you challenged.

"Well..our age for one is the most glaring. "

You blanked. "Are you telling me this whole thing was because...you thought you're too old for me?"

"Well when you put it that way it sounds ridiculous. "

Wait..so did that mean, he actually does care about you...

"Harry...did you reject me because..because I'm younger.."

He wouldn't meet your eyes. "You have to understand that..I'm almost sixty. Our age gap, it isn't small. I've already done all that I've ever wanted in life. You still have time to pursue that, to pursue someone more suited for you. "

This entire time you thought he just wasn't into you. But hell, he was crazy about you. He was just a bit insecure about the age difference.

"For someone so smart, you're incredibly stupid." his head lifted, ready to inform of his intelligence most likely. You paced, grabbing the collar of his shirt and slamming him on the wall. Harry's eyes widened in surprise, and when you raised onto your toes to initiate a kiss, he didn't fight back. Your hands were desperate on his body, slipping under the dark shirt easily. When your fingers brushed his skin, he hummed. You traced his toned torso, memorizing every curve and dip.

"You're mine Harrison Wells."

There was no way you were going to back down now. Knowing that he returned your feelings, it was all you needed. You could handle the rest. No matter how stubborn he was.

[imnotwolverine]

The marriage pact - A new pact

Henry Cavill x OC Alice - multi-chapter

< Part 3 | Part 4 A new pact | Part 5 >

Disclaimer: some strong language

Author’s note: Is it getting hot in here, or is it just me? Enjoy another tooth achingly sweet fluff chapter my dear readers ❤️

Word count: 1.557

(Link to my Masterlist)

[ Alice.in.writing.land ]

Dear readers,

I’m pleased to inform you that I have passed the princess approval test. Teeth were brushed, laughter was about and she even made friends with a furry companion the size of an adult bear. All and all it was a lovely, sunny Sunday and I can’t wait to bring her along on my adventures of today, which will include.. sheep herding!

Now you may wonder why a news reporter would go sheep herding, but did you know that Jersey used to have its own, very unique Jersey sheep? Through some unfortunate neglect and misunderstanding these sheep went extinct and now their four or six-horned heads no longer graze about. But! As per usual, we humans found out a century or so later, that these sheep and their many horns were a blessing to keep the nature on the island healthy, and thus they were re-introduced. Albeit this time in the shape of a fewer horned, more human friendly Manx Loaghtan herd, whom we’ll be meeting today.

I cannot wait to see if my fellow Alice has a knack for befriending other furry creatures as well, so keep your horns and fingers crossed - we’re going on an adventure!

Ali

The jeep tumbled and shook as it drove over the bumpy country road, the habited world slowly coming back into view. A welcome view too, because we had a fun, but also truly exhausting day. Little Alice had drifted into a slumber, her small body leaning heavily into my chest as she clambered onto a pair of fresh wool socks she had received as her gift.

I could only imagine what she’d be dreaming of right now. Probably, it involved lots of chasing of and cuddling with sheep. I yawned and watched with blinking eyes as Maddie and Frank’s house finally came into view, the afternoon late when we finally arrived.

‘Thanks Jonny.’ I smiled at the friendly bearded man behind the steering wheel.

‘Sure thing Ali. It was fun having you two…’ He hesitated, seeing the toddler as she was still far away in dreamland. ‘..You know what. Let me help you out with that.’ He winked, quickly swinging open his door and moving to the other side of the jeep. I sighed a quiet thanks as he pulled open the door, effortlessly scooping up the small girl from my arms.

‘Up you go! Hello little Alice. Looks like you’re home!’ He cheered, putting the sleep muddled toddler on her legs. I slipped out of my seat and thanked him again, my arms swiftly lifting Alice back on my hip before she’d fall right asleep on the sidewalk.

‘Well have a good one! Looking forward to the article.’ Jonny said, brushing some of the toddler’s hair out of her face. A sweet gesture.

‘I’ll make sure to send you a copy. Good night Jonny.’ I waved him off and turned around, my eyes catching some movement a little distance away, at the opposite side of the street.

And not just any movement. It was a dumbstruck, frozen-in-place, Henry, his large blue eyes blinking at me. He was clearly confused, his eyes briefly slipping away from me to look at the truck as it drove off into the distance.

‘Hey!’ I waved, a bit unsure of what to do. I could only figure what he was thinking right now; a man, a kid?! That’s not really quite the image you had sketched the other day. Biting my bottom lip I quickly crossed the street, walking up to him, tired toddler snugly held onto my chest.

Henry remained quiet as his eyes now moved to the girl in my arms, her bright blue eyes giving him a studious glare.

‘Hey..’ I repeated, trying to grasp his attention, my smile a tad awkward as I pulled up the toddler a bit higher on my hip - she sure was getting heavy!

‘Hi.’ He swallowed, quickly hiding something behind his back.

‘You probably wonder what the heck is going on.’ I bit my lip, looking down at Alice, his response a mere nod of the head. ‘..Maddie, my friend, had to rush to the mainland to help out her mom, so I offered to help out and watch over her little princess.’

Alice looked up at me, her eyes sparkling with passion. ‘I’m no princess!’ She muttered. ‘I’m a sheep herder!’

Henry’s pensive face broke into a tender smile, watching the little girl as she snuggled back into my chest. ‘I see.’ He let out a quiet sigh. ‘Sorry..I didn’t mean to..bother you..I was just..-’

‘In the neighbourhood?’ I laughed, nodding at the house. ‘Come inside. I need to put this sheep herder down before I break my back.’

—

‘Alright. The sheep herding princess is..asleep!’ I cheered, plopping down on the couch next to Henry, our bellies filled with food and the evening young.

‘Good. I eh..wanted to show you something by the way...Here.’ Henry said, offering me a piece of paper, our fingertips touching as I took it from him, my nose immediately scrunching up when I noticed what it was.

The pact.

‘Oh. My. Word.’ I started laughing aloud, studying the hand drafted “contract”, both our names and signatures neatly placed at the bottom. ‘How old is this even?’ I gasped. ‘Pff..well..we were what..thirteen? Something like that? I just started senior school.’ ‘Dearness me. Oh, I actually saw your mom yesterday and she was being particularly vague; “You would never guess what Henry asked of me yesterday” she said, and then she added that you’d probably wish to show it yourself… Very..very mysterious.’

‘Well, I’m a mysterious man.’ Henry winked at me, reaching out for his glass of red wine and finishing the last sip.  

‘Hardly.’ I retorted, smiling. I watched him for a moment as he sat back in the soft couch, his large frame sporting a tight and comfy cable knit sweater. He looked so huggable. Ugh! What a teddybear of a man he was.

He raised a careful eyebrow, testing me. ‘Well, dear Ali, do indulge me.’  

‘You work crazy hard and live a crazy A-lister lifestyle. But all you really want..’ I pointed at the contract. ‘..is rainbow coloured dreams. And..’ I pointed at his finished glass of red wine, shrugging.  ‘..perhaps another glass of red wine.’

Our eyes met, our lips curled into masks of friendshiply banter, but the underlying tone clear. We had been sweethearts before. Many times actually, our paths having crossed in every stage throughout our lives. Sometimes just being tight knit friends. Sometimes more. Could we do it again?

‘I didn’t bring a rainbow coloured pen this time, though.’ Henry said, gesturing me to look at a paper that was hidden beneath the initial contract. I furrowed my brow and turned over the paper, finding a new contract.

A..a real marriage contract.

I blinked, studying the document, then looked over at Henry, my face stricken with confusion.

He smiled sweetly, reaching out his fingertips to caress my hand, the pads of his fingers callus and warm. ‘I know your previous lovers had some..commitment issues. So.’ He shrugged casually. ‘I just thought it better to show you I’m not one of them.’

‘Wh..’ My voice croaked, my throat suddenly very dry and my heart buzzing like a humming bird. ‘W-what?’

HOLY SHIT, HOLY SHIT, HOLY SHIT!!

‘Well, we pinky swore, remember?’ He chuckled. ‘And..of course I’ll let you off if you do not want to give me a shot. But..’ He sighed, smiling. ‘..it sure is funny how we keep running back into one another, right?’

I finally managed to get some of my breath back, the contracts now lowered on my lap, my eyes studying him, face serious.

‘Really? Is this a joke Henry? Tell me this is a joke.’

‘Do I look like I’m joking?’ He asked, looking indeed quite..serious. I swallowed and put the papers on the table, right in between our wine glasses, the air so very thick in my lungs.

‘Hmm..’ I licked my lips, curious and slightly unsure eyes looking back at Henry. ‘I don’t really believe in fairytales Hen.’ I shook my head, my mind reeling. 

‘You don’t have to. I’m being real Ali. I am.’

‘A contract doesn’t suddenly make a relationship work, Hen. You should know that better than anyone.’ I shook my head, wanting all of this to make sense. Why me? Why now? Why here? Why, why, why?!

‘I’m not asking you to sign it. I’m just showing you the commitment you seek. I want it Ali, I do.’

My heart was near jumping out of my chest as his words floated through the quiet living room, an open fire crackling somewhere in the background. I blinked again, still quite dumbstruck.

This was going way too fast. When I had said that the clock was ticking I didn’t mean; come make babies with me right this instant. Right? Right?! The past few years our only contact had been through over seas phone calls and Whatsapp messages. Heck. We hadn’t even kissed since we reacquainted two days ago and sleeping together? I think we hadn’t done that in..what? Ten years? 

My eyes moved over him, his body folded into the corner of the couch, large chest leaning forward, eyes hopeful. He was obviously trying to keep a friendly distance, though the wish to move closer was clear. Move closer to..to…You sighed, eyes now moving towards his lips. Those sweet, full cupid bowed lips.

‘You better kiss me real good, Cavill.’ You whispered, looking back up into his eyes.

It was an invitation he didn’t need to be given twice.

--

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[oyesmendes]

twenty four hours

a/n: ashton makes me very soft and very in love. a party and ice cream.

pairings: ashton irwin x oc 

Ashton knew he shouldn’t be at this party. The copious amount of alcohol lining the bar, women willing to throw themselves at him at no cost and the loud music booming over his head. He shouldn’t be here, especially not after a  break up. But his brothers insisted that he stop moping around at home playing old records and they brought him to this party. Heck, he didn’t even know who’s party this was. It was all a blur of people intoxicated and high, laughing at the stupid little things. He had a mock-tail in his hand, as he stood awkwardly in the middle of what was once the living room watching his friends chug beers and take one too many shots. His eyes were scanning the room, looking for some form of escape - a door, a person, just something he could run to. Then he saw it - the balcony door. It was slightly ajar and the outside looked empty through the tinted glass. He excused himself from his friends, whispering in Luke’s ear to make sure they didn’t leave without him. It was followed by a long whine and a “where are you goinggggggg” but Ashton couldn’t be bothered, he was headed straight for his escape. He pushed the sliding door open carefully, just enough so his body could slip out into the balcony but not wide enough for the drunkards to notice where he had gone. The cool air brushed his face softly and he finally felt like he could breathe.

“I guess party’s aren’t for you either?” The voice made Ashton jump, the mock-tail in his hand swooshing and splashing over the edge of the glass. He shook the wetness from his hand, looking up to see a girl leaning against the railings.

“Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you” She chuckled, handing a napkin to him to clean it off. He thanked her, before wiping the sticky liquid off his skin. He joined her to lean against the glass railing, overlooking the LA skyline.

“My friends made me come to this party, thought I was staying in too much” He told her as he set the now half empty class on the planters next to him. She nodded, taking a sip of the whiskey in her hands.

“I guess that makes two of us” She turned towards him, “This is supposed to be my party, but I’m out here drinking whiskey on the balcony, alone. My friends are probably drowning in disappointment”

Ashton laughed at her response, a first real laugh in three weeks. A smile was stuck on his face as he watched her - dark hair to her shoulders, black dress clinging onto her body and hugging her curves in all the right ways, and a pair of sparkly heels. She wasn’t perfect but he had to admit that she looked beautiful.

“Are you checking me out?” Ashton’s eyes went wide at her comment, words struggling to leave his mouth. She smiled and shook her head, downing the rest of her drink before placing the glass next to his.

“I’m kidding dude, chill” She reached her hand out and Ashton shook it, “Skylar Montez, you can call me Sky”

“Ashton Irwin”

“I know”

“You knew?”

“Having girls throwing themselves at you the entire night is not something that goes unnoticed, Mr Irwin” He chuckled, glancing back into the room to see a couple of girls surrounding his friends.

“And your 6 foot height along with a mop of red hair gave you away the moment you walked through those doors” Another laugh. He was starting to enjoy her company. They stood there in a comfortable silence, arms brushing against each other as they looked out at the scenery again. He closed his eyes after a couple of seconds, letting the cool breeze touch his face. His cheeks turned a soft shade of pink, and his hair was a mess of curls falling on his face. He felt someone grab his bicep, squeezing it slightly. His eyes opened to see her looking at him.

“I know this may sound crazy as fuck given I just met you five minutes ago, but do you want to bail? I know a place.”

“Uh-” Ashton’s eyes flickered to his drunk friends and back to her. She followed his eyes to the three boys, taking shot after shots of tequila.

“I could have someone drive them home, or they could just pass out here. It’s my house anyway.” Ashton smiled, deciding to say fuck it all tonight. He agreed and they slipped back into party, pushing themselves through the mass of people. Skylar stopped at one of the guys standing by the bar, looking too serious to be at this party. She whispered something in his ear before pointing to Ashton’s friends and the guy nodded before his eyes flicked over to Ashton. He felt the cold stare of the all-too-serious guy before he was being pulled away by Skylar. She changed her heels for a pair of white sneakers, grabbing her coat, purse and keys before they bolted out the door. The streets were quiet as they walked down the slope to the main road, she turned down a couple of small alleyways before they arrived in front of a bright neon sign - ICE CREAM: TWENTY FOUR HOURS. The smile on Ashton’s face couldn’t be any bigger when Skylar looked over at him. The bell rang loudly as he pushed the door open for her and they were met with the slightly warm air of the 80’s inspired ice cream shop. She was running straight to the counter like a small child and Ashton was following behind her. There wasn’t anyone behind the register, until she began ringing the bell by the counter non-stop. A boy, no older than Ashton stuck his head out from the back room, a smirk forming on his face when his eyes met with Skylar’s.

“Montez!”

“Russo!” She shouted back while they did a high-five over the counter. He wiped his hands down and began to take a huge empty cup and an ice cream scoop.

“The usual?” She nodded, eyes eagerly looking at the array of ice cream flavours under the glass. The guy then acknowledged Ashton’s presence, gesturing to the spread in front of him.

“How about you, brother?” Ashton’s eyes scanned the spread as they both stared at him. He pointed to the cream coloured tub with flecks of brown and dark purple - Rum and Raisin. If he wasn’t going to drink, he was going to at least have some in his ice cream. The guy nodded, scooping a huge amount into a tub and sticking a small wooden spoon on the top. He then scooped an array of flavours for Skylar’s cup, her’s definitely looking like a rainbow madness. Ashton rushed to the register before Skylar could and placed twenty dollars on the table. Skylar tried to push him out of his place but to no avail, the 6 foot giant was not budging. He pulled both their tubs of ice cream down from the counter and handed Skylar her tub.

“You can pay next time” She shook her head and rolled her eyes, stuffing the ice cream into her mouth. They sat in a tiny booth, Ashton’s legs barely being able to fit into the seats. His legs were stretched out under the table, carefully avoiding Skylar’s as they talked about everything under the sun. Ashton found out Skylar was the daughter of the owner of a multi-billion dollar company, hence the body guards watching over the party at her place. He found out that she was also a music producer, and when he searched her pseudonym on google, the longest list of songs (mostly hits) were all produced under her name. She told him about her break up, her hiatus from producing and how her friends convinced her to let them throw a party at her place. He told her about his break up, how they’d just got back from a world tour and they were planning on making another album already. She promised to help with the new album which made Ashton jump for joy inside. 

They emptied out the ice cream in their tubs and Russo brought them hot teas while they talked. Ashton’s legs were now resting against hers under the table, they were both tired and high from the sugar in their system, and the sky was starting to lose its darkness.

“We should probably head back” She suggested when the sun started to peak through the windows of the shop. He agreed, helping her out of the booth and throwing their soggy, empty tubs away. She bid goodbye to Russo, him winking at Ashton when he opened the door for her. Their arms brushed each other as they walked back in silence, the exhaustion slowly creeping up their skin. Skylar felt her skin tingle when it came into contact with Ashton’s, and before she knew it, he intertwined his fingers with hers. She looked up at Ashton, who had a small smile on his face when he realised she didn’t let go of his hand or push him away.

“Is this okay?” He asked, rubbing small circles with his thumb. He didn’t want to get this wrong, especially not after what they’ve both been through.She nodded, leaning into him as they walked back to her home. The streets leading up to her house were now empty, the cars that were once there now gone except Ashton’s. They walked toward her house that now looked bigger in the daylight - two stories with a large garden, a couple of cars lining the garage. She was still leaning into him as they walked through the doors, one of the large serious men he met last night approaching her and leaning down to talk into her ear. She pushed him back slightly, smiling softly as her eyes flicked to Ashton, then back to him.

“It’s okay, you can say what you want to say” The guy nodded, clearing his throat, “Your friends are passed out on the couch, I didn’t get to send them home. Emily and Michaela left with some guys and the cleaners have cleaned up” Skylar thanked the older man and pulled Ashton along with her to the living room. Luke, Michael and Calum were all asleep on the couch, a blanket draped over them as they snored. Ashton shook his head at the sight, wanting to apologise but she was already tugging at his hand.

“Let your friends sleep it off for a couple more hours, and you can do the same” She smirked as she pulled him into her room, flopping on the bed immediately. He landed next to her with a loud ‘oof’ and she was snuggling up into his arms. He brought her closer, her hair tickling his nose as she hid her face in his chest. Skylar was out within seconds, soft snores escaping her lips. She was completely relaxed in his arms as was he, and he kissed the top of her head, strawberry scented shampoo filling his nose. 

Maybe this party wasn’t that bad after all 

[jjuzoir]

Could I get some first kiss headcanons with Summer troupe? They're my faves and I absolutely adore each of them!

Request:

A/N: i get you anon,, they’re so cute;; summer group filled with softies

——🌻——

Summer Troupe First Kiss HC!

Tenma:

- You two were hanging out at the park near the dorms!

- It was a sunny summer day, summer break had just started and the sun seemed brighter than ever in the clear blue sky.

- Tenma had bought you two some ice cream and now you laid on the soft, watered grass protected from the sun under a big tree.

- “Can’t believe you didn’t want vanilla, [Name]- you can’t go wrong with vanilla,” Tenma rolled his eyes at you while shoving a big scoop of ice cream into his mouth.

- “And I can't believe you chose vanilla when they had like, I don’t know, a thousand different flavors?!” You snorted, “Vanilla is for the basic bitches, Sumeragi.”

- “H-Hey! It might be basic but it tastes good.”

- “Oh, really? Then let me taste it,” you prop yourself up in one arm and look up at him.

- He smirked slightly before picking his plastic spoon- one fittingly orange- and scooping out a big chunk of vanilla before nodding along with your plans.

- “Fine but give me your spoon,” he rolls his eyes as he shoves another spoonful into his mouth but a small drip had fallen from the corner of his lips to his chin.

- Then, you attack; you go kiss him smack straight in the lips aiming at the melted sweet.

- You pull away before nodding in agreement; the vanilla ice cream really was as good as he said.

- The kiss tasted of cold, ice cream and sweet vanilla plus the hint of lip balm added a sweeter feeling of lemons to the mix.

- And that’s how you had your first kiss with Tenma, who in the end, turned so red everyone around you two though he had a heat stroke.

——🌻——

Yuki:

- You were helping him with the costumes for the newest Winter troupe costumes late at night.

- Sakyo and Izumi were making rounds at his room to make sure you didn’t do anything stupid but it was already 11PM on a Sunday night and you both had school early tomorrow so que whining from you and scolding from Yuki.

- “Can’t we put it on hold, Yuki? We’ve got school tomorrow, we can’t skip or-“

- “Stop complaining and sew those buttons,” Yuki rolled his eyes at you before redirecting his focus on the sewing machine in front of him.

- “B-But it’s so late! You have to be kidding me,” you rub your eyes tiredly, “W-What about that skin-shit you’re always complaining about?!”

- “We need to have these done by Tuesday, [Name], we can’t stop now.”

- “Yes we can, instead of working now and possibly screwing up why don’t we just finish it up in the morning!”

- “Because.”

- “You can’t just say because!”

- “Less complaining, more sewing.”

- You huff annoyed before continuing sewing the buttons on Hisoka’s blazer, fucking Yuki and his need to get things done fast!

- “What if,” you mutter under your breath, “I give you something in return for my sleep?”

- “Gah, stop-“ Yuki blinks slowly as your words settle in, “What could you possibly give me that would make me wanna stop now?”

- You stand up, leaving the materials- especially the needles- in place before skipping behind Yuki’s chair and hugging him from behind.

- “A hug-?!” He goes to mock your choice before being cut off by your lips giving him a quick peck.

- “No, a kiss!”

- “A KISS?!”

- Congratulations! You’ve managed to corrupt Yuki to the point of shortwiring, he’s now malfunctioning :(

- His lips were soft, he tasted of coffee- probably from the 3 cups he had drowned that evening….

- You felt him attempt to kiss you back but before anything could happen you pulled away smirking.

- He’s now red in the face, a red as bright as the fabric he was using as he tried not to squeal in shock.

- “So, can we please bring Muku in and go to sleep?”

- “... Fine but you tell anyone about it- Ack!”

- You shut him up with another kiss on the lips, but this time- you could feel him kiss you back properly.

——🌻——

Muku:

- It was during one of your anime marathons!

- One of just favorite series had finally gotten its long awaited anime adaptation, and through a rough month of no-spoilers you two had finally gotten together to binge watch it all.

- It was another romance anime, one of the millions that Muku had read throughout his short life- but you had to admit that even if it was kind of cheesy it still somehow made your heart race.

- By the end of the penultimate episode it was already 2 in the morning on a Friday night and sleep was crawling unforgivably into your brain.

- “Muku… how many episodes… left?”

- He yawned before looking at the list, “I think… one?”

- “Already?!” You gasp shocked before sitting up, okay- you can do it! 25 minutes, no ads- you could do it, right! Right?... Oh no… you’re falling asleep!

- You pinch yourself awake, come on!!! It was getting good!! The protagonists were finally kissing after being apart for years!!!

- Muku was your struggle against sleep and laughed to himself before covering his mouth in fear of hurting your feelings.

- Just then, he remembered a scene you two had previously watched… episode 17, where the boy kissed the girl awake after she had fallen asleep in the library… could he do so too?

- A pink rivaling that of his hair crept into his cheeks- what if you hated it though? What if he smelled bad? Or if he was a bad kisser??

- He was too caught up in his mental-torture session he didn’t realize you sneaking up on him and kissing his lips.

- He felt your lips touch his and his eyes opened wide, you had done it!! Did this mean you liked him- wait, did you like it?? He liked it but that doesn’t mean you did too-

- “A-Ah! [Name],” he shrieked as the blush deepened, he touched his lips- he could still feel yours in them.

- At least now he didn’t have to worry about messing up, “Thank you, hehe.”

——🌻——

Misumi:

- You were helping him on one of his triangle hunts when you two had your first kiss.

- He had insisted you two go to the park nearby since, and I quote, “Had heard the crows talk about triangular treasure!”

- So, 2 hours into the hunt and you were exhausted from attempting to keep up with Misumi and his treasure hunt.

- “Oh my… it’s too hot for this, Misumi,” you rest your body on the ground.

- “Nope! We’re not leaving until we find the Super Rare Ultra Triangle Treasure!”

- You sigh tiredly and close your eyes before waving the blue haired boy off , “Give me 5 minutes.”

- “Okay but I am not gonna share the treasure with you,” he jokes before practically disappearing from the air.

- You turn around in the soft grass, it felt so nice against your skin- you wondered if you could find some water or something cold.

- You opened your eyes only to find a small cart stationed near the edge of the park; a shaved ice cart!

- You practically jump in line and count your money, you’d order two and bribe Misumi into coming home by asking it to be triangle shaped!

- And by the time Misumi came to drag you back to the hunt you had two shaved ice cream in your boyfriend’s favorite shape!

- “You found the treasure!!”

- He jumps you with a hug and takes the cone into his hands and takes the biggest bite ever.

- “And what’s my reward, Misumi-kun?”

- “Reward… reward, what could [Name] want for finding the ultra rare super triangle?”

- You smile at his scrunched up face, he looked so cute concentrating like that you could help yourself from kissing him.

- He’s shocked at first, he quickly smiles into your lips before kissing you back.

- “I’m fine with that.”

- “Hahaha, me too~”

——🌻——

Kazunari:

- You two were shopping for supplies to help Kazu for his next assignment, some weird yarn or whatever art students needed, when you found a photobooth.

- “Yah, let’s get some dope pics!”

- “I’m not feeling too well, Kazunari,” you shyly deny him but he doesn’t listen- or maybe he just doesn’t care- because he’s soon shoving you into the seat before you can hear his reply.

- “It’s just for you and me, ain’t no one gonna see ‘em,” he smirked before inserting some coins, “Let’s see, how should we pose for the first one, eh?”

- “Maybe a heart? I-I don’t know, I’m not good with- Ah!”

- Before you can finish your thought when you hear the countdown starting, you quickly rest your arms next to Kazunari forming a big heart; an eye-smile follows and boom! First picture done!

- “Kay, next! Maybe some peace signs?”

- “Oh- uh, sure? It’s starting,” you quickly pose and you feel Kazunari’s arms circle your waist and boom!

- “Second pic’s done,” Kazunari smiles, “But I can't think of what to do for the last two- oh, it’s starting, any ideas-!!”

- You panic and simply kiss him on the lips, that’s a good picture… right?

- By the time you hear the camera click Kazu pulls away blushing a deep red, how the turned tables have oh.

- Before any of you two can think of another pose a photo is taken where your boyfriend’s blushing red and you’re smirking up at him in victory.

- “Guess I came up with the best picture idea, ha!”

[friendlylocalwhumper]

six and a half hours

It’s a long, slow process, Lux being broken down. Emory’s seen all the different stages of it. He’s seen the beginning, when discomfort builds up until Lux starts to get overwhelmed, grows restless. He’s seen loud, messy sobs wracking Lux’s body as he reeled in the aftermath of being hurt, his mind lost in a mess of grief and horror and shame. Over enough years with Lux he’s seen it all.

Now, though, he’s being forced to see it all at once, in order, the whole process. They’re at the point, now, where Lux is taking quick shaky breaths, pinned between hands and the table, a knife pressing into his abdomen. Lux is making soft panicky sounds. Those are the sounds he makes when he’s been pushed past his limits, when he’s in so much pain that he can’t process it all. When he’s scared, when he knows there’s no way out, and he’s going to scream soon.

Not the yell that comes with sudden pain - no, he’s already let out a few of those. The kind of screaming that’s coming is the kind that makes Emory want to crawl into a small dark space and hide from the world. It’s a sound that hurts his heart, makes everything feel hopeless and pointless because that’s how Lux feels. It’s such a raw sound, so rich in distress. Emory’s skin crawls in horrified anticipation.

There’s blood on the floor, dripping from the edges of the table. Not a crazy amount, not spilling and splashing, just falling in fat drops to plop into little puddles below. Dried blood cracks along Lux’s side from the first cuts hours ago. There’s so much blood on his chest, pooling at his navel, that the man with the knife has to take a cloth and wipe it away to see where to push the knife in next.

There’s a diagram on a laminated piece of paper at Lux’s side. A diagram of a body, and lines drawn along it. Smaller diagrams along the side and in the corners that go into more detail about how to cut, what to do once incisions are made.

He’s experimenting on warlocks. Lux shuddered when they were told that, when he was first being strapped down - said something about a lab, and an angel, and that he couldn’t do this again.

There are still things Lux hasn’t told Emory, ways he’s been hurt, but that sounds like a big thing to keep secret.

There’s a clock on the wall in stopwatch mode. The seconds flick by, milliseconds running tirelessly, as they pass into the fifth hour. The pleading stopped before the first hour was up.

The thing is, Emory can tell Lux has accepted this. He was being hurt in the mindfucker’s cellar for a year - and thinking on that for any longer than in passing yields some awful realizations. Like that if Lux was chained up long enough for his shoulders to be as bad as they are now, then he must have been kept chained up even when he was asleep, not even able to lie down. And how he perks up, scarcely breathing, when a door opens or someone approaches unexpectedly, as if an echo of when he must have waited all day only for the cellar door to open, his torturer finally in the mood to hurt him again.

So he was in that place for a year, being hurt at someone else’s whims, in their house, on their time. That probably means every day, every day for a year, he had to lie pinned or sit restrained or hang from chains, withstanding whatever was done to him. His mind must have gone places, his thoughts must have been on a short loop of pain, half a thought interrupted by a flinch, pain again.

The sixth hour comes. It’s terrible, but Emory is bored. Still horrified, still devastated and angry and worried, but bored. His arms are getting sore from the ziptie keeping his wrists together behind his back, and his legs are numb from staying kneeling. He’d stretch if his ankles weren’t tied together too, and a tie looped between his wrists and ankles to keep him sitting like he is. His knees hurt, and his neck is stiff.

Lux is lethargic, nearly passing out here and there only for his expression to crumple and a whine to escape him as the knife is pressed in harshly to startle him back into awareness. There’s no screaming, and no more pleading. Emory is probably the worst person in the world for this, but he almost wants it to be over more for his own sake than for Lux’s. Almost.

He shouldn’t need the reminder. He shouldn’t be bored, shouldn’t be mentally listing all the ways in which he himself is having a less than comfortable time. But a shuddering gasp comes out of Lux, new enough to catch Em’s attention, and then there’s that scream. The one that makes Emory want to curl up and hide. It took - he glances at the clock, blanches - took six and a half hours to get that scream out of Lux. Just enough pain, enough time spent pinned and struggling to cope, enough exhaustion and overstimulation in the form of being sliced into.

The pleading has returned, too. Screams and choked-out sobs and no, no, no no please, s-s-stop I can’t, please no more I can’t I can’t, ple-e-ease sto-op!

Emory shudders. The knife trails up to Lux’s throat, the point tapped against the underside of his chin. “I can make you quiet for good, you know,” Says the man with hands drenched in blood, and Lux keens, the begging dying out again. His limit, his hard limit, has been reached. There’s something like madness in those teary blue eyes. Deep, desperate need for it to end, and the conviction to do something about it.

A faint glow comes to Lux’s palm, out of the torturer’s line of sight. Emory stares in shock. If Lux hasn’t used his magic by now, it’s because it’s not safe to, there’s something Emory doesn’t know that’s kept him docile. And besides, Lux’s instinct when pushed past his limits isn’t to fight, it’s to break, to show he’s broken, to crumble and obey.

And yet the magic works, grows brighter in his hand as the knife drags along his skin again, opening maybe the last scar left healed closed on his whole front. The knife presses in again, somehow not tearing open anything inside that’ll kill Lux in the next few hours - bloody fingerprints smudge the diagrams as the man keeps true to their guidance - and then the knife is out, its bloody tip pressed lightly to Lux’s cheek, the man above him letting out a sigh.

“I’ve learned all I could without causing damage that’ll kill you. Guess it’s time to let you and your man go.”

The magic flickers out in an instant. “Le-et… let us go?” Voice small and rough from hours of tension and pain noises, Lux watches with wide eyes as the man unlocks each restraint.

“Yes. I’ve learned all I could. Followed my template here, didn’t find anything much. Hmm, maybe I should stitch you up, this is a lot of blood.” A hand presses to Lux’s sternum to discourage the warlock’s attempt to push himself up.

“Nnh, I, m-most of it’s dried, I can - do it m’self, please let, let us go n-now.”

Wrists and ankles free, all Lux has to do to get out is convince the uncertain man above him. It must be his eyes that do it, big and sad. He didn’t fight very hard, didn’t lose his mind screaming or anything. He’s as good a victim as a sick fuck could hope for.

The hand leaves Lux’s chest to slip around under him and help him up. Two hands grip onto his shoulders to keep him from swaying so hard he topples to the floor. Lux is released to stumble across the room to Emory; the man follows to crouch beside Em and cut open the zip ties.

And then it’s done. Dizzy, Lux clings to Emory, eyes empty with a kind of shock at being allowed to go. Blood sizzles and pops as the man pours something onto it from a bottle, sponges and a mop bucket getting pulled out to clean up. Emory has to stop walking, face twisted up, to let the pins-and-needles feeling that comes after resting his weight on numb legs. Poor Lux, pale and barely keeping himself conscious, holds a trembling hand over the area of his stomach with the most concentrated stab wounds.

“I’m sorry,” Gasps Emory as they start walking again before the pins-and-needles sensation is completely gone. He knows he’s wasting time, being selfish. He got bored while Lux was being tortured. “I’m sorry, Curls. Let me carry you.”

Each step Lux takes is punctuated by a soft whimper. He shouldn’t be up on his feet, shouldn’t - this is so fucked up, all of this - he’s been brushed off, sent to stumble away from where he was strapped down and cut into for six and a half hours. What the hell is that?

With all the blood, all the times that knife dipped into Lux’s body, Emory is so glad that the man had diagrams and patience and a plan to let them go. There’s no way Lux would be alive otherwise.

The warlock doesn’t protest the idea of being picked up. Maybe he’s on the verge of fainting; he seems to be drifting, now that he doesn’t have to focus to make sure he’ll get out of there alive. Emory scoops him up as smoothly as he can, cringing at the raw keen it draws out of his boyfriend.

“I’ve got you, it’s okay. Hurts to get picked up but now you don’t have to walk, isn’t that… better?” Emory’s words falter as he looks down to see Lux pass out, eyelids fluttering shut, breaths slowing, head flopping back. Lux’s whole front, chest and stomach, is an awful thing to see. Seeing it up close, Emory wonders how someone could stay awake for six hours while that was being done to them. That’s like, a quarter of a whole day. He walks, rolling his steps, starting to worry worse now that Lux is unconscious. Lux shouldn’t have to wake up, feel the pain of the stab wounds, and work up the courage to heal himself. No, Emory’s going to get ahold of a healer and let Lux wake up to a friend watching over him, fixing the damage, taking away the pain. After - he can’t even wrap his mind around it - after six hours of a knife pressing into him over and over again, Lux deserves to be taken care of.