#smooches his cheeks as i peer over his shoulder to see what hes cooking up

[baeshijima]

i am a week late in saying this but, even tho he is not my fav of the love interests, can we all just appreciate this official bday art of yuye for one sec…

dies

[munsnz]

Hii hope you're having a great week! If you feel like writing it i was thinking of a steve h x wheeler!reader, where they're having a dinner at the wheeler's and reader is nervous thinking it's going to be awkward and all but it actually goes pretty well.

LOVELY MESS — STEVE HARRINGTON

WARNINGS: anxiety, language??

PAIRING: Steve Harrington x GN! Wheeler! Reader

PSYCHOIE RADIO: What You Like — Wallows

L: Tysm for requesting anon!! This is actually something I’ve been wanting to write for a long ass time, and I’m so sorry this is a month late, I was In a rut for the third time this year, but finally, here it is!!

“Don’t worry, it’s going to be okay!” The kind-hearted guy, leaned towards you by the metal, old lockers, while you switched your books, shaking your head side to side, “Come on, whatever happened to Nance and I is over.”

Your eyes shifted to meet Steve Harrington’s, your 6-month boyfriend, who was also your younger sister’s ex boyfriend, Nancy Wheeler. Although she may have been younger, Nancy had it all, popularity, the smarts, and the looks, except you, the shadowed sister. Even your brother Mike Wheeler knew that Nance had outshined you, still being younger than you. That terribly tumbled apart as soon as Nancy confessed that she no longer loved Steve, telling him it was all bullshit, the words that hurt Steve those past nights.

You somehow got ahold of him, to get over the breakup as the two of you fought for the fate of the world along the group of kids, Mike’s friends, bringing you guys closer, leading up to confessing their feelings for one another.

“Steve I’d think it would be a bad idea.”

”How would it be a bad idea if we never tried it?” Steve cheekily grins, placing a warm kiss on your thin lips, smiling between them. You pushed his chest away with your hands, making him whine, “One more kiss come on! Or else we’ll have to go to the dinner!!”

You placed a notebook to block his wildly handsome face from kissing you again, giggling hysterically, “No, that’s my final answer.”

Steve had always been so fond about your family, the Wheelers, he knew Mike due to the previous events with the Mind Flayer and has met your mom when he was together with Nancy. But you still think it’d be awkward, you were going to bring your boyfriend, not your friend, nor Nancy’s boyfriend, but yours.

In denial, you always tried to not touch the subject, scared of it going wrong. As you saw Steve pout and cross his arms like a child, he mumbled, “I promised it’ll be ok, just let me go for once.”

”You already went to their house!” You squeaked as your palm hit his shoulder, slapping him playfully.

Steve raises his eyebrows, straightening his face while he sternly stares at you, “Yeah but I went as Nancy’s boyfriend, not yours right? So give me a shot honey.”

“I don’t know,” You started pacing along the hallway to get to class, knowing you were five minutes late, the weirdest thoughts flooding in. What if your parents don’t like the fact you’re with Steve? What if they prefer Nancy with him instead? What if-

Clearing his throat and whispering in your ear, Steve mumbled jokingly, “I know you’re overthinking Y/N.”

“Stop it!” You move a strand of hair from your face, clutching your books tighter, strolling away from him to the hallway of lockers, “What if it gets awkward? What if my parents don’t like the fact you’re with me!?”

”Can you at least think about it?” He shouts from afar, leaving his arms in the air, trying to get your attention while you tried your best to ignore him.

Soon enough, a teacher peeped their head out of the corresponding room towards the hallway for the source of disruption to find Steve’s tall figure continuing to get your attention, “Harrington! Off to class, you’re late!”

”Right! I’m sorry m’am,” Steve rapidly nods, zooming away to his Basketball period, where he knew for sure he’d get in trouble with the couch for being late. Still awaiting for his proposal to be answered with his loving mess, for a one of a kind dinner with your family, the Wheelers.

”Mike I swear to god you better not embarrass me!” You rush down the rug stairs, fixing your hair as you tucked it behind your ear, chasing your younger brother down. After Steve’s persuasion driving you nuts for that same day you both talked, you finally gave in to bring him over on a Thursday night under one condition, he wasn’t allowed to embarrass you or himself, just to keep things proper, and not awkward between your family.

As the days grew closer to the date of the dinner, the more anxious you got to the point you couldn’t bare to see Steve, keeping you and your thoughts to yourself for the past weeks. It was simple, a simple gathering with your family and boyfriend.

What could go wrong?

Everything and anything. From your parents making you look like a fool to be going out with your sister’s ex to Steve making a terrible impression on them although he’s met them already. You weren’t so logical, you were scared, not nervous but scared. What if this whole dinner would be an awkward disaster full of embarrassment and inconvenience?

But here you were, getting ready for the small event taking place in your home, chasing your brother to shut him up due to his witty comments. Now shoving your little sister Holly softly on the side to clear Mike’s path, he taunted, “Well I’m not the one kissing the pillow thinking it’s Steve! Mwah mwah!”

”Thats not true, Mike!”

You tried to reach to stop Mike from speeding through the kitchen but before you could make any other move, Mrs. Wheeler scolds at you two, “No running inside the house!”

”Sorry mom!” Both you and Mike loudly shout, slowing down your pace, suddenly catching up to Mike by dragging the collar of his blue striped polo.

As he squealed in pain and angst, you tackle him to the couch, tickling his sides on the soft brown cushion, “I got you! Now say it! Surrender!”

”Never!” His high-pitched giggled filled the cozy room, squirming under you, trying to free from your grip. Another wave of the tingles on his ribs were coming back, your fingers moving on his back.

You continued to make him laugh hysterically, lowering your voice to mimicking a villain both of you once watched on tv during a weekend night, “You must proclaim yourself as a liar! Or ye shall face the consequences!”

“I will not surrender-“

Instantly after the sharing of laughter being held by the siblings, you heard the rhythmic chime from the doorbell, Holly was making a fuss about her lack of apple juice in her sippy cup as Nancy tried to leave the porcelain plates on the clothed table in the dining room. You and Mike frantically got up from the couch after your mother was pulling you away apart, “Hey, he’s here!”

Shit.

You knew for a fact your loved one was here, an awful feel of unease aroused, making you tense unlike the past few moments before you heard the doorbell. Steve Harrington was here, at your door, for dinner with your family.

Gulping nervously, you hurried to get the door, but surprisingly Mrs. Wheeler got there before you could stand up from the comfortable couch, your heart pacing at an unstoppable speed, ruffling your top. Mrs. Wheeler opened the wooden door to find that same familiar, attractive face, both Mike and you peering on the side, roses in his hands.

”Mrs. Wheeler!” Steve kindly greets, handing her the bouquet of roses at the door, making her receive them with a soft grin.

“Hey there Steve- oh!” Mrs. Wheeler yelps when Mike harshly shoved you next to your mother, bumping shoulders with her, goofily grinning in front of him.

”Hi Steve,” You childly mimicked, but realizing the fool you made yourself look like, regretting your stupid action you made in front of your boyfriend.

As your mom signaled the brunette to walk inside the welcoming room, Steve lightly pecked your cheek, slightly bringing you closer to himself from the side as both of you solemnly walked inside the warm room. Watching the two of you, Mike made smooching and kissing noises behind you, kicking him in the shin, squeaks of pain coming out of your younger brother’s mouth in order for him to shut up.

And right as you saw Nancy slightly wave at him while walking off rapidly to find Holly for dinnertime, a sense of insecurity rushed in you. You leisurely shifted away from him, his eyes darting towards you knowing that something was up while Mrs. Wheeler rushed to the kitchen for the home cooked meal. Only 5 minutes in of the gathering and you were an anxious mess already, quietly panicking if anything else so terrible would happen, your fingers tapping the side of your thighs where they stood upon you.

“You know you can sit down right?” A gentle voice, your sister’s voice perked in the silence telling Steve. Nancy holding the little one in her arms, moved to sit Holly down as Mike lounged in the wooden chair almost staring you down jokingly to see your funny expressions.

Steve whips his head around, chuckling softly, pulling out a chair for you to sit in, “Yeah, this is why this is a dinner Nancy. You know, for sitting down and eating?”

A silence formed between the five of you, later on creating an awkward melody of chuckles being shared between Nancy and Steve, then turning away from each other, leaving this pit in your stomach at such uncomfortable state. Thoughts. Terrible thoughts rolled in meanwhile you sat which Steve offered to give you, Mike’s eyes widening while drinking the glass of milk being on the top of the table to try his best not to giggle.

Afterwards, Mrs. Wheeler interrupted the awfully weird silence with a fake, cheerful tone you knew wouldn’t be her usual self, carrying in the large plate with roasted chicken. She strictly ushered you and Nancy to bring in the rest of the side dishes from the kitchen out to the dining room as Mike and Steve chatted a little before your father strolled in to greet your boyfriend.

“Chill out Y/N,” Nancy places her thin hand on your left arm calmly, you turned your head around you understand what she was saying, “You seem tense, it’s okay.”

You scoffed at her comment jokingly, placing the bowl of greens onto the table when Nancy put the dish with fresh mashed potatoes as well. All of you took a seat, ready to feast, Steve clearing his throat to speak up, “Thank you so much Mrs. Wheeler for inviting me and for this wonderful dinner.”

“No problem Steve, ever since we met you with Nancy, you’ve been a great guy,” Your mother softly smiled, but changed her expressions once you shot your eyes towards her, “Anyways, enjoy the meal.”

Mumbles of thank yous and your welcomes being shared between one another, beginning to eat the delicious food for the evening. Shakily, you grabbed onto the silver fork, stabbing it into the chicken to eat it, the sound of plates moving around and cups being sipped, you decided to speak up, “Steve has been hanging out with Mike lately, they’re getting alone quite well.”

Your mother’s eyes widened, “Oh really? That seems like fun, having an older brother figure must be pretty cool knowing that Mike has grown up with a house full of girls right?”

Caught off guard from his meal, Mike hesitantly nodded while he falsely smiled, peering over to Steve for an agreement, “Yeah, Mike might be a little trouble with the rest of the boys, but he’s fun to be with at times.”

”A little trouble,” Your brother repeated jokingly under his breath, applying a mischievous look on his face, leaning back onto his chair, “I don’t think Y/N and Steve studying their human anatomy is-“

Before any reactions were being made from the regrettable comment your annoying brother made, Nancy slapped her hand across his mouth to shut up before he said anymore weird nonsense about you and your significant other. Steve worriedly glanced towards you with a beet red tinted face, almost wishing your mom hadn’t heard him while you stuffed your face trying to hide your expression.

“Michael what was that?” Mrs. Wheeler shot up a look towards your brother, laying her fork down with a confused face, “Human anatomy?”

In a stuttering mess, you tried to bring up some lame excuse to cover up along with Steve, you were sick to your core, knowing the stupidity that Mike claimed to be. It could be that your parents would say something terrible, you were flushed in multiple shades of red. You knew this dinner was even more terrible than expected, now your brother was making you and Steve look like a couple of fools, your hands sweating. Nancy chimed in to help between your idiotic stumbling, “It was this code name Mike used with the party and them.”

“Mmm yeah totally!” Steve wearily smiled, readjusting the hem of his red blouse he wore, watching you nod in response, a wave of relief washing inside you, “It’s the most oblivious things that are the most secretive, right Mike?”

Both you and Nancy darted a death glare towards the black-haired boy, who nodded rapidly under the threat of the siblings, “Yeah, Dustin was the one who made it up.”

”Kids these days,” Your father, Mr. Wheeler mumbles, slicing his part of the chicken in half with the butter knife as he shook his head.

Mrs. Wheeler humbly agreed, you mouthed a silent “thank you” towards Nancy’s direction, giving you a kind thumbs up later to kick Mike’s shin under the table, a quiet yelp escaping his lips for the second time. Later, feeling your hands gripping ever so tightly onto Steve’s large ones, being placed on your shaky leg.

Nancy brought up a conversation about an upcoming school event for the seniors at Hawkins High, Steve being able to catch up on the conversation. The mood was slightly calmer than it were before, things lessened up a bit as your harsh grip softened, feeling more balmy. Your boyfriend smiled, while looking off to your mom and dad who were intrigued by the conversation you were all having. Peace at last, worries washed away, it was okay.

Giggles and words were filled the large home, dessert was already handed out, Steve was on a roll to making your parents life along with your siblings, everything had merrily turned out great except the part where your mother talked about your embarrassing stories when you were little. This wasn’t so bad after all, Steve was definitely correct for once.

“Okay I have one more joke,” Your boyfriend sighed happily after the amount of laughter shared, your cheeks almost hurt from smiling too much. Steve set down his spoon then proceeded, “What did the grape say when they squished it?”

Everyone on the table shrugged, waiting for the hilarious response from him, Mike being close to burst into laughter before he said anything until Steve cleared his throat to answer, “Nothing, it just whined a little, get it?”

Once the joke was heard, your family surrounded the room with laughter, Mrs. Wheeler happily sighed after catching her breath, getting up to take the dessert plates back to the kitchen, picking one up at a time. Meanwhile your father and sister chuckled, you smiled like a freak towards Steve who was sitting next to you, holding your hand.

“See? I told you you shouldn’t have worried about his,” He whispers softly, giving you a light kiss, smiling as well, “You’re a lovely mess.”

You smacked his shoulder, earning a laugh from him, “I know I know, but at least I’m your lovely mess right?”

”Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” Both Nancy and Mike, your siblings chanted with cheeky smiles plastered on their face, being in front of you and overhearing your conversation. Steve leaned in and shut his eyes to peck your lips, suddenly you placed a napkin in front of you to avoid him, catching him off guard. Such small act brought your siblings to laugh at him, he shook his head playfully, sniggering along. Maybe this wasn’t so bad, this brought all of you together, it was okay, no, better than okay. I guess it was just Steve’s lovely mess.

tags — @samiyamuntaha @thepowerstoner @ughgclden

masterlist — request open

[leelysian]

Kiss Me More

genre: fluff, one shot, domestic au

word count: 1k

pairing: boyfriend!jeongin x gn!reader

context: your love language is touch, his isn’t but suddenly he’s gotten clingy. 

warnings: tooth rotting fluff, lots of kisses. I mean lots of kisses.

Forehead kisses, kisses on the cheek, neck kisses, kisses on the nose, a kiss on the hand. Just kisses in general, all the time. You love smooches, your love language is touch so it is complete euphoria to kiss and be kissed.

What confused you was that your normally aloof and slightly stoic boyfriend was giving you kisses at least ten times more than usual. Not that you were complaining, you were basking in the affection before he went back to normal but you hoped he’d stay like this forever. He’d be affectionate but in most cases you’d be the one to initiate it. You figured he probably didn’t like it so you rarely made the first move for fear of making him uncomfortable. You were happy with savouring every embrace that took place instead, because Jeongin’s hugs were simply the best- a soothing balm for your aching soul. Any form of affection was appreciated and accepted wholeheartedly because you loved Jeongin for all that he was.

It started in the morning, you were pleasantly woken up by feathery soft kisses along the length of your arm, all the way down to your fingertips and to the dancing sunbeams filtering through your curtains to caress your blanket covered body, further warming you up. Waking up next to Jeongin, watching the light rays play around on the angular planes of his face and his glittering fox-like eyes never failed to take your breath away. You spent a few minutes basking in the quietness of the early morning and Jeongin’s sudden touchy-feely behaviour, taking full advantage with some lazy, sleepy kisses.

It was an off day for the two of you, which was very rare but you still had some studying to do so after freshening up, you spent some extra time in the shower while Jeongin finished freshening up before you. When you walked into the kitchen, Jeongin handed you a mug of your favourite caffeinated beverage and a croissant with a kiss on the forehead.

A few hours into your assignment, he arrived with a bowl of cut up fruits, he took it upon himself to wrap his arms over your shoulders and pressed a kiss on the crown of your head. You grasped his forearms as you leaned your head back on the chair and received a peck on the lips followed by a dazzling smile which induced a smile of your own. “Thanks for the snacks, Innie.” you said. “No problem, are you done?” he asked as he rested his chin on your shoulder and peered into your laptop screen. “Almost, I think another two hours but we’ll see.” you replied. “Okay, hurry up and finish. I’m getting bored.” he demanded but in a whiny voice. This shocked you, he was never one to say such things but you quickly recovered, “Just a little bit more, baby and then I’ll be yours for the rest of the day.” He mumbled an “okay” before kissing your cheek and leaving. You spent a good five minutes contemplating whatever transpired earlier.

After you were done, it was in the afternoon but since it was going to become dark soon, you decided to cook a nice dinner because everyone knew how much Jeongin needed it since he was either on a diet or eating takeaway. As you were stirring the pot, a pair of limbs snaked around your waist and a weight settled on your shoulder, Jeongin was back-hugging you while placing his chin on your shoulder. “Smells good.” he says softly while his thumbs massaged your tummy over your shirt. “Mhm, I’m proud of this. Hopefully, it tastes as good as it looks.” you said with a smile. “Everything you cook always tastes amazing, don’t doubt yourself.” he reassured. “Thanks, Innie.” you said as you grasped his hand resting on your stomach, savouring the feeling of being held. You continued cooking, moving around the kitchen with your boyfriend either hovering over you or clinging to you but you didn’t complain- enjoying the attention.

He dished out two portions while he shooed you off to pick a movie to watch in the living room. He placed your drinks and food onto a tray and walked out into to see you sitting on the couch, legs covered with the blanket, movie on pause and when his eyes met yours, his heart fluttered. Simply looking at you filled his heart and soul with love and warmth. You gave him peace like no other. He settled on the couch and you two started eating, “This tastes amazing, thank you for cooking.” he exclaimed with a beaming smile. 

Nearing the last third of the movie, your bellies were full and the dishes were moved off to the side. With your legs tangled, Jeongin’s arms cocooning your body, your head was tucked under his chin as he occasionally drew shapes on your back with his fingertips. Under normal circumstances, the soothing touches and the cozy atmosphere would have lulled you to a peaceful slumber but your mind was restless. 

Finally, you decided you’d satisfy your curiousity and you softly called his name out to which he hummed in reply, signaling his attention was on you as he still watched the movie. For a few seconds you watched his neutral expression, the colourful flashes of the light from the television shading his beautiful face and you inwardly sighed wistfully. It was unfair how handsome he was. “Not that I mind but, you’ve been quite...affectionate today.” your sentence ended in a more questioning tone. He chuckled, “What do you mean? Am I not affectionate enough?” he teased. “Haha, very funny. I mean you are but not this much... it’s like your personality did a 180.” you said, pausing every now and then as you spoke, trying to find the right words to explain without hurting his feelings. “I dunno. I guess I was holding myself back for some reason and I just decided not to do that anymore. It feels nice.” he said as he shrugged. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that. I would hold myself back because I thought you’d feel uncomfortable and think I’m clingy.” you mused. He sat up a bit straighter at your words, “What? No! Of course not. Actually, I was kind of scared of that too.” You were shocked, what about your body language suggested that? “Definitely not. Why would you think that?” you asked. “I dunno, I guess it was just my mind overthinking." he shrugged and you shrugged back at him. "Maybe we should’ve talked about this, huh?” he mused and you agreed with a hum. “I was really happy and felt loved today, so thank you.” you said and kissed his jaw.

“Babe, if you want my attention just say that.” he teased, a playful smirk on his face. “Kiss me more then.” you said, staring at his lips. “Gladly.” he said before flipping to have you underneath him and you squealed with glee but he quickly shut you up as he swooped down to catch your smiling lips with his. 

[lubdubsworld]

Insatiable ( Jungkook x OC) Chapter 7

Pairing : Jeon Jungkook x OC

Rating 18+

Genre : Vampire Au!!!! , DILF! Jungkook ! Bodyguard AU! Babysitter OC!   Age difference!!!

Chapter 1   Chapter 2  Chapter 3    Chapter 4  Chapter 5   Chapter 6

Chapter 7

“I love this...” I whispered, arms wrapped around his neck, staring up into Jungkooks face as he rocked his hips against mine , hands stroking my hips gently as the hard length of him dragged inside me , almost gentle as he placed soft kisses on my brow. 

“What? “ he smiled. 

“You inside me... it feels.. i feel complete somehow..” 

He smiled sweetly, kissing the corner of my lips. 

“You’re so warm and wet and I think you’re perfect.” He breathed against my cheeks, pillow soft lips pressing smooches down my jaw and up to my lobe. 

“I liked ...tonight. “I said shyly and he grimaced.

“I may have gone a little overboard..” He said sheepishly, grunting as he thrust a little harder and I closed my eyes , savoring the feeling of him inside me. 

“But I liked it. Liked that I couldn’t even watch the fireworks because of ...well another kind of fireworks..” I laughed.

He grinned.

“ I aim to please.” 

“Good. Then why dont you hurry up and fuck me like you mean it.” I said with a wink and his eyes narrowed, flashing red.

“You never learn, do you angel?” 

I laughed as he pulled out and flipped me over, fingers sinking into hair, hand gripping my waist as he rove straight into me with a force that shook the bed. 

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

“On a scale of one to ten, how mad would your siblings be if you don’t go back to your bed tonight?” Jungkook whispered, burying his face in the slightly damp strands of my hair, breathing deeply before going back to running a small fluffy towel through the strands. 

I stared up at the ceiling , eyes at half mast because I was so sleepy, still pleasantly warm from the hot bath I’d just had . I was dressed in one of Jungkook’s big white t shirts , lying sideways on his bed with my head hanging over the edge because y hair was still wet. Jungkook being the perfect man that he was , was towel drying my wet locks for me. 

“Probably a twenty?” I grimaced. “ I need to be up early to go down to the kitchen. We’re taking the kids out to the park remember?” 

Jungkook groaned.

“Minae needs to be kept away from the sugar ... I am not going to piggy back her for two straight hours like yesterday.” He swore. 

i laughed, rolling over and smiling at him. 

“ She has a crush on you.” I grinned, waggling my eyebrows at him. 

He shook his head laughing. 

“I’m too old to be dealing with four year olds that have a crush on me., “He shuddered. I smiled, shaking my head because , Jungkook was the one who had begun helping out with the children and he was often the first to offer a piggyback ride to the kids. 

Being a single father, I knew he had experience with kids, of course. But still it was quite something watching him handle them with confident hands and a ridiculously kind disposition. And he didn’t shy away from  anything. Changing toddlers out of nappies, cleaning spit up off my office desk , even offering his nails for the smitten Minae to color with her markers.  

And it felt good to have him around, his presence somehow grounding me even during the most hectic of times. Story time with Mr. Jeon,  was fast becoming a thing, with Jungkook gathering all the younglings around him in a circle and regaling them with tales from his life ( a toned down, child friendly version of it of course ) while I set up the beds in the nap room, every afternoon. 

The kids slept for about an hour every afternoon and that was the time we ate our lunch, the workers heading off to the kitchen while Jungkook and I shared a meal cook sent up for us. The small stone bench on the yard was right outside the window of the nap room, and leaving the window open helped us keep an eye on the kids while we ate. 

Not too mention the effect it had on Joo Won. 

Although he spent most of his time with Somi and Jimin in the other cottage , learning his number work and language skills, he occasionally ran up to his father, eager to show off his work. Jungkook always dropped whatever he was doing to shower praises on his son and the boy thrived under the attention. 

The idea that I could do this with him for the rest of my life, was impossible to push out of  my head. 

But i wouldn’t bring it up. 

I would enjoy this , now while I had it and I would wait for him of course but I wasn’t going to play games with him. 

“I’m not meeting anyone else anymore.” I said quietly. 

He gave me a look. 

“anyone as in?..”

“Any vampires. potential suitors” I said with a shrug. “ I’m not going to. I’m going to tell my father I’m... not interested in it anymore.” 

Jungkook stopped his ministrations and gave me a guilty laden look.

“Sera, about tonight-”

“Don’t you dare apologize.” I glared at him. “ I loved it. I love you , as I’ve told you often enough and I also understand that you’re not there yet. and I can wait.”

Jungkook looked away.

“That’s not fair to you.” He said hoarsely.

“Maybe. But it’s still my choice. And My life. And if I choose to spend that life pining over you for the rest of eternity , that’s upto me.” I shrugged. 

He merely stared at me, lips turned down in a frown. 

“You’re too young to understand what you’re asking for Sera. You don’t realize how powerful you are. I’m not... I’m not good enough for you.” He shook his head. “ Far from it.” 

I rolled my eyes. 

“What does that even mean? You’re a vampire. There’s literally nothing that stops us from being together than your twisted belief that you aren’t good enough. Which is so baseless I could laugh. ”

Jungkook stared at me. 

“It’s not just about me. What about the kind of power you would have with the right vampire? not to mention the people in my life that  would want me fucking dead sera? You think everyone would just let it go? Me , a fucking nobody marrying the most adored girl in  our kind???  ” he laughed in disbelief. 

i frowned. 

“What do you mean ?”

Jungkook opened his mouth to elaborate but the door to his bedroom slammed open at that exact same moment and I jumped, terrified. Scrambling to my knees, I crawled back to the headboard just as Jungkook swore, moving to the door , bodychecking the figure that crashed through. 

“JEON FUCKING JUNGKOOK GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!!!!!” 

I felt my eyes widen in horror as my brother in law launched himself across the room, fingers closing right around Jungkook’s neck as he rammed into him, the two of them skidding across the floor and crashing into the ornate fireplace with a noise loud enough to wake the dead.

I stared, my brain unable to process what I was seeing. 

My sister appeared, eyes wild and panicked.

“Oh God... Sera I’m so sorry...he came to your room and saw you were gone...” she began but then stopped.  

Her eyes fell on the pandemonium in the corner and she yelped. 

“jIMIN!!!!” She screamed, rushing to the corner where the two vampires were locked together in a scuffle and the only thing I could think about was the fact that I was naked underneath his t shirt and if anyone else walked in-

“What is this ruckus?” The loud booming noise was familiar and terrifying and i squeaked, diving for the covers and crawling in as I stared horrified. The figure that appeared in the doorway was so imposing that all of us went still. Even Jungkook’s eyes widened as he took in the gargantuan man framed in the entryway. 

Hwang Jaebum was seven feet tall, 1800 years old and the scariest Vampire i had ever seen in my entire life. His skin was shriveled , his eyes permanently red and he stared at the two fighting vampires , now frozen and gawking at the towering vampire and he scrunched his nose in disgust before his red eyes flashed and landed on me. 

“There you are.” He said softly. “Sweet Seraphina.” 

The name, God.

 My uncle had named me and no one called me that but him. 

I swallowed, clutching the covers as sheer unadulterated terror coursed through my veins. I knew my uncle wouldn’t hurt me but still, power radiated off him in waves and I did not want to be on the receiving end of his displeasure. 

“Come here , child. Let me look at you.” 

I winced. 

Before I could react though, Jungkook was climbing on the bed, scrabbling to kneel right in front of me, arms stretched out to keep me from the vampire’s view. 

“Who the fuck are you?” He snarled and I gasped, stunned. God, Uncle Jae had killed people for less. 

I grabbed Jungkook quickly, pulling him back into my arms and away from the vampire who now looked suitably furious. 

“That’s my uncle. Shut up.” I hissed quickly. Jungkook didn’t show any sign of backing down, still crouched in front of me, muscles locked in a fighting stance and I clutched his shoulders, burying my face in his back. 

“Jungkook relax...” I begged but he merely grabbed my hand where it lay wrapped on his waist, squeezing gently. 

“It’s okay baby, I’m here.” He was still glaring at my uncle who peered over him to lock eyes with me. 

“Who is this? Why are you in his bed, Seraphina? “ My Uncles’ voice rumbled through the room, echoing off the rafters and Jimin and Somi scrambled to their feet. 

“Sire.... We didn’t know you were here already..” Jimin began, moving to stand in front of him but Jaebum ignored him, moving closer to the bed. 

“Who are you? Tell me now.” He snarled. 

I stared at the anger flashing in my uncle’s eyes  and I swallowed. 

“He is her intended, brother.” My father’s voice came from the doorway and i jumped a bit, staring over at the door. 

My father came floating in, face calm but eyes narrowed in annoyance as he stared at me. I found myself wilting under the glare. He was upset, Rightfully so. 

My uncle frowned, glancing at my father in disbelief. 

“She is betrothed?” He frowned. “ Why was I not informed of this?” 

My father gave him a reassuring smile.

“It is fairly new, this courtship. Jungkook and Sera are very fond of each other and they have my blessing.”

Next to me Jungkook had gone as pale as parchment. He moved up and away from me and my entire body went cold. 

I reached for his hand, flinching when he yanked it away.

Fuck.

Fuck. 

“I need to speak to the boy. What is your name boy?” My uncle growled at Jungkook. 

“Jeon Jungkook , sire.:”

He frowned.

“What clan are you from?” 

I flinched.

My father looked a little uncomfortable.

“Surely we can talk about this-”

“I was bitten , Sire.It’s just me and my son, now.” Jungkook’s voice was deep and steady and he stared right at my uncle. 

Uncle Jae’s eyes widened and then he stared at me.

“That is what you will settle for , Seraphina? A mongrel with tainted blood?” 

The sharp sound of hurt that came from Jungkook shattered my heart. 

But it was my father who growled, affronted. 

“That is enough. You are a guest , Jaebum and I will not have you insulting my daughter’s betrothed. Leave him be.”

My uncle laughed.

“It is not an insult. It is a fact...is it not, boy? Look at him... he knows his place. And it not by  her  side.” 

“Jungkook, don’t listen to him ...” i whispered feverishly , reaching for him again not letting him pull away and gripping his fingers hard. His fingers felt icy cold to the touch and there was no mistaking the sheer hurt radiating off his features. 

“Unless the girl is in trouble, I think you should sever the connection, Jaehyun.” My uncle snapped at my father . 

“We shall talk about this later. For now, I want you to remember your place, Jaebum. You have duties to attend to and my daughter’s choice is her own. I will not have you interfering in things that you aren’t responsible for.” My father’s voice was just as loud, radiated just as much authority and i had never loved him more. 

Jaebum scoffed once again before turning on his heel and leaving . I sagged in relief and Jungkook, got off the bed, moving away from me so quickly I felt like someone had stuck a knife in my gut. 

“Jimin and Somi, come. Jungkook , Sera. I want the two of you to come to my office after you fix yourself up.” My father said coldly. 

“Yes, Sir.” Jungkook bowed. 

“Yes,  father.” 

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

“Father....I...”

“You slept with him. “ My father said thoughtfully and I stared at my feet. There was no point denying it. 

“Has he agreed to court you?” He said sharply. 

I looked up at him, biting my lips.

“No.” I whispered.

My father’s eyes widened and he shot me a glare that could melt gold. 

“He fed from you during the act?” He demanded. I felt the phantom throb in my thighs at the memory. 

“Yes, father. “ I admitted.

“Then I must ask. Was it consensual?  Did you influence him in any way Seraphina.” 

My heart turned over, tears springing at the accusation. 

“No... No .. I didn’t.. he doesn’t know.. he doesn’t even know I can do that.” I whispered. 

“Could you have done it unconsciously? If Jungkook fed from you and you were near him you could have convinced him to do anything. He wouldn’t have been able to consent. You know this, Sera. I don’t understand how you could be so reckless. We are not monsters. We know our limits and we stick to them for fuck’s sake.” 

“He... we... I... It’s my fault. He didn’t.. He didn’t want to court me so I convinced him we could just...fool around. That was all it was. He loves his son father. He’s only here to give him a better life. I’m sorry.. I’m so sorry for being so selfish and ..Please just don’t send him away. I’ll never meet him again if that’s what you want but please....don’t send him away. .” I stared at my father, feeling the tears sting. 

My father’s gaze softened but he sighed, shaking his head as he held his arm out. I walked into his embrace, letting the tears fall as I clutched his robe. 

“You have not been selfish, dearest. . But, no matter who are, we cannot covet what we are never meant to have . Jungkook is not for you.” He whispered into my hair and I felt my insides clench in rebellion, every part of me screaming in protest at the phrase. 

No.. No... he was mine.. he had to be mine....

I was his and he was mine.

“ I’m going to offer him the position as head of the security team.” My father aid gently and I shuddered. 

“Father..”

“It will pay well. He will be working from the administrative building close to me. . There’s no reason for your paths to cross. Namjoon will take over as your bodyguard from tomorrow.” 

i nodded. 

“I want you to remember who you are. What you are capable of. I raised you to be kind and gentle but that does not change who you are, Sera. It doesn’t change what you are.” he said gently, eyes firm. 

I swallowed.

“You may leave.”

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

Jungkook stared at the whiskey decanter on the table. watching Sera’s father pour him a drink. His eyes focused on the golden liquid, the way it caught the light and danced with all the colors of autumn. 

“I’m going to ask you one thing. I want you to answer me, as truth fully as you would your own father.” 

Jungkook was a father, himself. He knew the anger and trepidation in the man’s gaze was real. He knew exactly what it felt like, that desperate clawing need to keep your child safe. To destroy anything that dare hurt them. 

“Do you love my daughter?” The man’s voice shook a little. 

“I cannot court her.” He whispered. “ I’m not... I can’t. “

“That is not what i asked .” The older man said gently. 

He shook his head.

“I don’t have the right to feel anything but respect for her, sir.” Jungkook said softly. 

The vampire shook his head laughing.

“Your eyes tell me all you refuse to say, Jungkook ah. You care deeply for her, do you not?  it is obvious in the tremble of your hand. it was obvious in the way you stood up to my brother, when surely everything in your blood must’ve screamed to back away from a Vampire of such a high ranking. ” 

Jungkook clenched his fists. 

Sera’s father went on. 

“I know you love her and honestly, If you didn’t.... you wouldn’t be alive right now.” 

Jungkook winced. 

“Yes , sir.” He croaked. 

“I will destroy entire continents for my daughter. You know this. “ He said quietly. 

Jungkook nodded. He believed the man . 

“Which is why I must ask. Who is after you?”

Jungkook’s eyes snapped up, eyes widening in surprise. 

“Sir...”

“I’m not the head of the largest clan in the country for nothing. You are protecting your son...but from what? A man of your reputation , choosing to stay inside an estate , helping out with infants and children.... it doesn’t make sense. So tell me. What are you hiding from? And how can I help?” 

Jungkook stared at his hands. 

“It’s Joowon’s grandfather. The man who’s daughter I killed.” 

Sera’s father stiffened. 

“Ahh... yes. Gong Tae Kwan. An old nemesis .” He shook his head, sighing. “ You’ve made a powerful enemy , Jungkook.”

Jungkook nodded.

“I know. I’m no match for him. And I know he’s  not going to stop until he kills me and my son.” 

“You’re right. He’s not going to stop. Now, what so you want to do? Hide out till he finally catches up or confront him like the warrior you are?” 

“i can’t do it. I need to be here for Joo Won.... It would be suicidal...”

“ Only if you’re alone. “

“Sir?”

“It would be suicidal , if you were to confront him alone.” 

“Are you saying that...”

“I’m going to be there with you. We are going to lure the bastard out , and we are going to end this once and for all.”

“Sir, i can’t ask you to...”

“You’re not asking me damn thing kid. I’m doing this for my daughter’s sake. And you are going to repay me by making her as happy as you possibly can.” He said sternly. 

Jungkook flushed

“Sir.. I’m sorry I...”

“When this ends, and it will....you will court her. You will court her, because unlike what you think, you do not get to decide whether you’re worthy of being my daughter’s consort. She does.” He gave him a smile, reaching out and clamping a hand on his shoulder. “  If she chooses you it means you’re worthy. And she has chosen you , Jeon Jungkook . Don’t be the idiot who walks away from the best thing to ever happen to him, son. ” 

Jungkook stared at him.

He took a deep breath. 

“Yes, father.” He said with a small smile. 

The older man laughed out loud. 

“Excellent. Now come, we have a murder to plot. “ 

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

Author’s Note : Well....now the plot picks up... :D :D feedback is always welcomed !! Come scream with me about how amazing Sera’s father is!!!!

@ladyartemesia        @veronawrites   @alpaca1612     @bonyg    @unseejuice21  @sppvjj     @ggukkieland     @tae-by-tae      @blr1004      @yoongichild    @stussyjeon  @jellybearo  @sumzysworld   @carolsummerlove

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@nikkiordonez12​

drop me a message if i missed you name for the tag list Thank you. 

[deathtrapnest]

Ghost At Sea

fandom: One Piece pairing: Sanji x Usopp word count: 1,138 notes: quick Halloween SanUso fic! 

summary: Sanji and Usopp share a spooky midnight ship's watch together and receive a strange visitor.

ALSO@A03

Sailors were a notoriously superstitious folk. Sometimes the ships cooks were the worst of the lot in that regard. Growing up Sanji had heard his fair share of ghost stories- of siren spirits who called sailors to watery deaths, haunted ships crewed by the damned, skeletons of the drowned who would reach up and tickle your feet if you swam too deep, and no place garnered more supernatural tales than The Grand Line.

But who could blame men at sea for making up stories? After all, midnight on a night’s watch on a ship at sea could be a spooky time. The sounds of the boat creaking, the wind whipping the sails, the moon casting an eerie glow on a darkened sea… was enough to send a shiver up anyone’s spine.

Maybe that was one reason why Usopp made Sanji keep him company when he got stuck with the midnight watch on the Sunny and there was a full moon out. Only one of the reasons because Usopp and Sanji liked to spend their night watches together for another reason as well.

The moon that night kept being obscured by clouds passing over it and it was a foggy night- mist creeping over the water and shrouding the sides of the deck. The weather had gotten brisk after sunset, coming out of the range of an autumn isle, but Usopp already had Sanji’s jacket draped around his shoulders, and Sanji’s arms pulled tight around him were warm and comforting. The tea Sanji had brought out for them had already stopped steaming but Usopp could barely feel the wind the way they were huddled together on the grass lawn of the ship with a shared blanket wrapped over them.

The red light at the end of Sanji’s lit cigarette guided Usopp to the approximate location of the cook’s mouth in the darkness so he could press kisses against it. Under the blanket it was hard to tell where Usopp’s body ended and Sanji’s began but they both knew the clothes were in the way- Usopp’s hand fumbled against Sanji’s belt buckle, Sanji deepened the kiss as he traced patterns with his fingers against Usopp’s collarbone before working the strap of his overalls off one shoulder. Their breath was warm and urgent between their mouths by the time Usopp had arranged himself mostly on Sanji’s lap and Sanji had his arms around his waist.

Usopp had finished undoing Sanji’s belt when he abruptly froze and looked around. Sanji made a little grunt of complaint, canting his hips up needily.

“Why’d you stop?” Sanji whined.

“Shhh! I thought…” Usopp’s voice came back as an urgent whisper. “I just felt for a second like… Like we were being watched…”

Sanji just offered him a very self-satisfied smirk. “Oh really? How kinky.”

Usopp smacked him lightly on the shoulder. “Shut up! I’m serious! What if there’s someone out here?!”

“Everyone else went to sleep.” Sanji said.

“No, I mean…” Usopp gulped loudly. “Not one of the crew… Don’t you ever get that feeling out on the sea at night..? That creepy feeling on the back of your neck? Like there’s someone or something… watching you?”

There was a scratch of sound as Sanji ignited a match, suddenly illuminating the space between them with the fire’s light. He held it up past Usopp’s scared face and peered out at the rest of the deck. The dim glow of the flame sent shadows dancing in every direction Sanji’s hand moved but no creature or crewmate was in sight.

“See? There’s nothing out there…” Sanji gave a menacing chuckle suddenly. “Well… Nothing living, that is…”

Usopp made a keening yelp and gripped Sanji’s arm. “Don’t joke around!”

Sanji laughed off his reaction and in a shake of his hand swiped the match’s light out, pitching them into darkness again.

“Relax.” Sanji reassured him, pulling him a little closer. “I’m here, aren’t I? If there’s a ghost I’d protect you.” He planted a smooch on Usopp’s cheek.

Even in the dark, Sanji didn’t have to see the sniper’s face to know he was blushing.

“Hey, I didn’t say I was scared.” Usopp huffed, pouting. “I once defeated a ghost princess and her army of spirits. If anything I should be the one protecting you.”

“Oh yeah? I feel much safer already.” Sanji chuckled. “Just curious- if you’re not scared, why are you still gripping me so tightly?”

“That’s just because… it’s cold tonight!” Usopp defended, nuzzling his face against Sanji’s neck.

Laughing, Sanji hauled him in for another kiss, longer and deeper this time and Usopp settled into Sanji’s comforting body heat, letting the cook trail his hands down his back and rest against his thighs. When they finally had to pull away for oxygen Sanji suggested, “It’s almost time for Brook’s shift to start. How about you go get the bed warmed up for me. I’m going to have a last smoke before going in.”

“Okay. But don’t get scared without me.” Usopp sing-songed, getting up and tugging the blanket around his shoulders as he left.

Sanji stood and walked to the edge of the deck, waiting until he heard the door close behind Usopp before getting his cigarettes out and lighting one. He took a leisurely first drag, not bothering to turn around and acknowledge the apparition in the corner of the deck that was watching him.

“So you’re still sticking around him, huh?” he finally said, blowing smoke out of the corner of his mouth. “Merry?”

Klabautermann were one of the legends that had been passed around the different ships’ kitchens Sanji had worked in as a child. Franky had told him once about a Klabautermann he’d seen on the Going Merry. But Sanji himself had never seen it, until the day he’d kissed Usopp for the first time. Then he’d begun to notice it- especially on full moon nights, sometimes just out of the corner of his eye, sometimes just as a feeling on his spine- an intuition that he wasn’t alone.

He finally turned to face the spirit, its’ form just barely distinct from the fog in the faint moonlight- a little sprite with a body outlined by mist and generating a dim glow on its own.

“Don’t worry. I’ll look after him.” Sanji said solemnly. “I promise.”

He couldn’t see if the swirl of fog that made up where the ghost’s head would be had much of a face but he felt that it smiled. And in the next exhale of smoke from Sanji’s cigarette, the Klabautermann disappeared, as if it had just been an illusion of the shadows or Sanji’s eyes playing tricks on him. Sanji shook his head, sighing and throwing the last remnants of his cigarette into the ocean before heading inside to join Usopp in bed.

End.

[sugoi-writes]

I love that you're into bnha now! May i request some kirishima with a female s/o that just adores his shorp teeth? Or just complimenting/ worshipping him in general bc god does he deserve the world 👏😭

This one is a little long winded too, but agh! I couldn’t help but set up a cute date! He is baby, and must be protected at all costs! Hope you enjoy, Anon!

Summary: Kirishima comes over for a cute stay-at-home date, and the both of you have a sweet toothed surprise! (~1.6 K words)

9 times out of 10, you expect the days spent with your boyfriend to orient around food. He would admit that he was a SUCKER for eating out hibachi style or having you cook for him! But while his favorites usually gravitated towards the savory/meatier things in life, he also had an adorable sweet tooth. So, when he recommended chocolate covered strawberries for the next date, you made sure to pick some up when you went grocery shopping.

You invited him over, as usual, as his place was a little on the smaller side. When you find your boyfriend at the front door, beaming with boba for the both of you, you couldn’t help but reach out and plant sweet kisses on his cheeks.

“Eiji~ You shouldn’t have!” you coo, appreciating the thoughtfulness as you welcome your boyfriend inside. He returns your kisses soon after, chuckling as you cling to him once more.

“Well, I figured a little spoiling was in order~ You rented that movie last week, so I wanted to surprise--” His gaze wandered to your kitchen island, where he spies chocolate (milk, dark, and white cocoa), skewers, and of course-- strawberries!

“H-Hey! Is that…?” Kirishima trails off, a crooked smile spreading across his face. You take your boba and nod enthusiastically, taking a sip before humming in approval.

“Well, I happened to take your suggestion to heart, and wanted to surprise you~”

As you grin up at him, Kirishima can’t help but bring a hand up to cradle a flushed cheek, shaking his head softly,” Gosh, why are you the best!” he sighed happily, looping an arm around you and squeezing you close. You could only laugh happily while Kirishima showered you with kisses and thank you’s.

Once your chuckle fit died down, Kirishima pinches your cheek sweetly,” Anyway~ while you finish up your boba, want me to help you set up? I mean-- if you wanna go ahead and make some of the strawberries nooooow?”

You smile up to Kirishima, nodding once more,” That’s the plan~ I got a couple of different kinds of chocolate too, so feel free to mix and match!” Your boyfriend smiles-- AGAIN, you’re the most thoughtful s/o ever!-- and gives you a quick smooch, before practically running over to your island.

As you two continue to sip on your drinks, you explain to him that it’ll be easiest to microwave the chocolate and dunk the strawberries on your skewers (lucky you that they had some pretty decent microwave-safe chocolate). You personally went for the milk chocolate instantly, and you’re surprised that Kirishima chose the white chocolate. And so, you had both chocolates ready while Kiri washed off and skewered the strawberries.

Your boyfriend is all too eager to start dunking the strawberries, even taking some of the chocolate to drizzle over top one of yours! While playing with drizzles, you ended up messing one of yours up, turning it into a smiley face. This sparks an idea, as you look to each other mischievously. You two ended up competing to see who could make the silliest design, and Kirishima easily won with his wonky rendition of Bakugou.

As you let the chocolate cool, you notice Kiri going for a plain strawberry, chomping on it enthusiastically. You smile to yourself, chuckling at the sight. He had a bit of chocolate smudged on his cheek, undoubtedly from a dunking mishap. But you also noticed your man’s teeth, as brilliant and sharp as ever as it tore through the strawberry. You mused to yourself that he never complained about toothaches or cavities, no doubt because of how much he cared for his smile.

Kiri noticed your gaze, cheeks flushing slightly as he instinctively touches his face,” Ahh, wait, do I have some chocolate on my face?”

You laugh, licking your finger and swiping at the bit that was actually there,” W-Well yes, but-- I was just… y’know.” You couldn’t help but blush yourself, looking up to meet his gaze.

Kirishima smiles knowingly, eyebrows raised,” Ohhh, it’s the teeth thing again, yeah~?” he teases, lips pulling into a sly smirk. You pretend to protest as an arm wraps around your shoulder, pulling you closer to him, until your hip-to-hip.

You nod, knowing there’s no point in hiding it,” Y-Yeah… They’re just-- I dunno. Adorable, if that’s not-- uhh--” You stammer over your words, while Kirishima starts to wiggle his brow at you.

“Adorable, huh~? Y’sure you don’t mean hot~?” he presses, making your face turn bright red. You playfully elbow him in the side. He feigns pain and a pout as you shake your head quickly.

“ N-No! I mean-- not that they aren’t nice, but-- agh! I was thinking of how PRETTY your smile was, jerk!” you stammer, laughing at your own embarrassment.

“Pretty?” Kirishima echoes, as you nod back at him nervously. Your boba is long gone, so there was no distraction for you to take advantage of.

“Y-Yeah! Like, insanely pretty! Maybe that’s weird of me to say, but… I’ve always thought you were adorable, knucklehead! More than the muscles and the swagger you have,” you continue, the both of you snorting at ‘swagger’. You shrug, sighing softly,” You just… I dunno. You’re so adorable when you’re happy, and I love seeing you smile so genuinely like this… you’re so cute it makes me want to buy you more sweets~”

Eijiro shares your flustered expression, hand going to scratch at the back of his neck while he chuckles.

” Y-Yeah? I kinda always thought I was too manly or tough looking… A lot of people still get scared off by my quirk and how rough I look,” he admits, and you notice him briefly touching his face, where a few new scars have sprung up from the past few brawls. Kirishima was definitely never above a good fight, but sometimes even he gets dinged up from scuffles with his peers or villains. You smile warmly, snuggling into Eijiro’s wide, welcoming chest. Kirishima only blushes harder, coming to circle your frame with his large arms.

“Well… I think your scars are cute too. I mean-- they all tell a story. And I love that you feel comfortable sharing those with me… like this one!” Your fingers gently brush by his right eye, landing on his cheek,” When you first found out about your quirk… or this one!”

You point to another scar, by the bridge of his nose,” You and Bakugo got into it, and he somehow got through! You were so impressed, but you still ended up with a stalemate!”

As you babble about more of his scars, on his face, hands, and chest, Kirishima can’t help but smile lovingly down at you, running his fingers through your hair. As you touch one of his scars by his collarbone, you pause, looking up to see Eijiro looking at you with pure adoration.

“You remembering what all of these are, and how important or insignificant they all are… that’s so amazing. That’s only part of the reason why I love you so much, you know that?” You blush back at him, as Kirishima finishes another strawberry, his hands landing on your hips.

“ These eyes… They remind me of how we first met, and how neither of us could look away,” he coos, his hand brushing against your cheek. His smile widens as he tucks a piece of hair behind your ear.

“Your hair? Absolutely fantastic to play with! It’s even cuter when I do this~” Eijiro teases, ruffling your hair and making you huffy. You seem to ease up as he kisses your cheeks, his hand cradling the small of your back as the other traces down your right arm. His hand grasps yours, pulling it to his lips for a chaste kiss.

“And these hands… the amount of things they’ve touched, held… saved… I wanna cherish them. As much as you’ve cherished me with them.” Kirishima pulls you flush against him in a warm hug, resting his chin on top of your head,” ‘you okay with that, babe~?”

You can’t help but smile sheepishly, covering your face as Kirishima kisses the top of your head,” A-As long as I get to cherish you, just the same!” You pull back to give him a sweet kiss, before grinning,” Agh, Eiji, that was so so sweet! I could eat you up!”

Kirishima laughs as you start assaulting his neck with kisses, squeezing your hips as he gently pulls you off. You see that knowing smile again, and stiffen when he gives you that look,” ...only if I get a lick in or two on you~”

Kirishima leans down and nibbles on the crook of your neck, making you squeak as you try to wiggle away. You end up taking a swipe of some semi-liquid chocolate and smear it across his cheek, distracting him enough for you to start tickling him. As you start to torment and love on one another, your laughter fills your kitchen. In this time, your dorky strawberries have had the perfect chance to fully cool. And this, you think, is the start of a perfect day, with one of the sweetest guys you have ever known.  

[dylan-o-yumm]

Perfect Timing (Part 2)

Nero/Reader/V 

Note: Sorry this took so damn long! I am very happy with this chapter though and I’m glad I took the extra time to edit it and work a few more scenes into it. Also I’m thinking I’m gonna do some requests before I get to writing the next chapter since I took so much time away. 

Word count: 6k

Warnings: Swearing… that’s about it. 

Part 1, Part 2 , Part 3

(Nero’s P.O.V)

Nero jogged lightly throughout the dark, abandoned train station, having left a trail of lifeless demon corpses in his wake and the smell of blood mixed with sulphur filled his nostrils. Yep, that was the stench of demons, all right. It was enough to make anyone gag, but Nero had grown used to it over the years, he remembered how you threw up the first time you smelt it. He never let you live that down, finding any chance to bring it up when eggs were being cooked and that same sulphuric stench wafted through the kitchen. It was safe to say you got turned off eggs after being introduced to the demon hunting life. 

Nero had fought more demons in the station than he thought was possible, his mind seeming distracted from the task at hand, even though, what could possibly be more important than taking down demons to get to Urizen? It was like he was being controlled, unaware of his movements and stuck in his own mind as he mindlessly swung his blade and shot his gun at countless hell spawns. He didn’t even seem to register that he was killing them quickly and easily as if he were the boot to an ant. 

Why couldn’t he focus? He usually liked to add flare and style into his combat, but he was just cutting and shooting like nothing mattered at all. However, It’s not like it mattered too much yet, he didn’t even have a scratch or cut on him, not at all in his time subconsciously pushing through the station did a demon come close enough to hurt him. However, it was bound to come back to bite him on the ass sooner or later. He would only be able to last so long before he got hit, and he just hoped to whatever god that it wasn’t going to be a deadly blow, since he couldn’t seem to keep his mind on track. 

One thing he noticed was that his mind was filled with images of you and the raven haired goth, though he couldn’t quite understand why. Maybe it was simply because he could faintly hear Griffons squawking and Shadow slicing through demon flesh, that it made him wonder how the two of you were holding up? He couldn’t quite pinpoint where you were, but you were definitely close enough that he could hear the demonic bird cursing excitedly in the distance. If he really wanted to, he could go find you and tag along, but there were too many demons to just leave them alive in the station. The threats had to be eliminated. 

It was no secret that Nero wasn’t used to being on his own, having to be more mindful of crowd control since you weren’t there to help take out the monsters along side him. Despite that however, he wasn’t having any problems with it so far, apart from not concentrating properly and feeling a little lonely since he didn’t have anyone to talk to or tell his stupid one liners to. Was that why he was so distracted? Because he was feeling lonely?  

That wouldn’t explain why was there a pit forming in his stomach, like he was going to vomit if he thought too hard about you being with the poet. Is that what this was? Was he unable to focus because he didn’t like that you were with V…? No, It must just have been because he had grown so used to having you be by his side while fighting demons over the years, not being there with him was uncomfortable and a little daunting…? And maybe he didn’t like that you left him on his own to go be with V…

Not only did you ditch him, but you went and joined Mr. Poetry? 

Was he worried about V hurting you or getting you into danger? No. However, Was V the source of his racing thoughts, and not you? Nero trusted that the poet wouldn’t somehow hurt you in any way, that much was clear otherwise he wouldn’t have let you go with him. Whether it be because Nero found you to be stronger and more capable to protect yourself or simply because V had done nothing but help out for the past month, leaving no reason for him to suddenly turn again them and betray them, there was no worry of you getting hurt. Even though Nero knew little about the mysterious man, he wasn’t given a reason not to trust him. 

Maybe if you were on your own, Nero would feel a little more comfortable, because you’d be able to focus on protecting yourself and not worry over keeping V out of harms way. If there was any reason for you being injured, it would be because you would pull a selfless stunt to save V, and Nero knew you well enough to know that. That had to be it, thats whats been eating at his mind. He knew V could be a little reckless sometimes and didn’t want you getting hurt in your efforts to save him. 

Nero nodded as he persuaded himself that, that were his obvious reason for being distracted. 

“Hey, lovebirds! Quit smoochin’ and get a move on!” Nero heard in the distance, much closer than he was hearing before. There was no doubt that that was Griffon, snapping his beak at you and V to hurry you up, but… Lovebirds? Smooching? You had casually mentioned on the last mission with Nero that you found V attractive, which made an uneasy feeling rise in the pit of Nero’s stomach for some odd reason. Were you really… making out with the poet? Spending your time locking lips when there was a demon to destroy, the end of Redgrave, if not the world, weighing on your shoulders? 

Nero frowned in thought, his heart hammering in his chest as he followed the sounds of Griffons wings flapping. Clearly you wouldn’t do such a thing at a time like this, right…? You and the goth were much closer in proximity to Nero than he had originally thought, seeming to just be up a floor where a broken escalator was blocked at the top by some debris and Qliphoth roots, maybe even some demon guck. 

Nero jogged up the unmoving stairs, boots clinking every time he landed on the grated metal, keeping his hands off of the railings since they looked like they were covered in muck, either from the demons or not. It’s a train station, plenty of people would have come through before the demons took over, hands having been god knows where before they were pressed all along the railing of the escalator. 

“You just want some attention for yourself, don’t you, Griffy?” That was your voice, teasing but soft as he heard quick footsteps, like you were moving faster than walking, possibly jogging. Griffon trilled and shook out his feathers, loud enough that Nero didn’t even have to see him to know his actions. However, when Nero reached the top of the escalator, hidden behind the roots and chucks of broken building, he peered through a small gap as he crouched down, seeing you jogging to catch up to the demonic bird. V was trailing slowly behind you, holding his cane instead of using it to walk with. He was smirking, cheeks a little flushed, but that could have been from running around and fighting demons… Or not?  

Nero looked back to you, watching as you met up with Griffon who was perched atop a somewhat clean looking ATM. Nero narrowed his eyes when he saw you reach out and scratch at the birds fluffy feathers on its chest, poking your tongue out teasingly when Griffon cooed in relaxation. Where you already so friendly with V’s pets? Only then, when he saw your tongue dart out, did Nero notice that your lips were already wet… 

People lick their lips. 

Nero closed his eyes for a moment, sighing deeply as he calmed himself down. He was grasping at straws, not usually being a very observant person, but this somehow turned him into Sherlock, noticing very small details that were almost nonexistent. Just because V was flushed, didn’t mean you kissed. Just because your lips were wet, didn’t mean you kissed. Just because griffon said you kissed… Didn’t mean you kissed? Why was this bothering him in the first place? If you liked V and V liked you, why wouldn’t he be happy for his best friend hooking up with her crush? 

Because V isn’t good enough for her. 

“We should make haste… Nero has most likely already made it out of here.” V’s voice caught Nero’s attention, especially when he heard his name. Opening his eyes and peering through the small gap, Nero watched as the poet sauntered over towards you, his hand delicately dragging along the small of your back. That small action made Nero want to rip the Qliphoth roots down and stomp over towards you to smack V upside the head. Why? He didn’t know. And what made it worse was when Nero saw you visibly shudder at his touch, he could practically see the goosebumps raising on your skin. 

“I’m sure we could have a little break…” You trailed off, possibly insinuating something. Was this you flirting? Nero frowned, wondering why you were being so weird around V when you were apparently smooching moments prior. Wouldn’t you be more straight forward and comfortable if you were already more than friends? Nero had seen you flirt with other guys before over the years, and this was nothing like it. Your tone was soft and innocent sounding, when you could very well be suggesting to stay behind for a make out session, but instead it seemed like you wanted to have some more time alone with him. 

You really liked V, didn’t you? Was this the real reason for you joining the poet and leaving Nero on his own? 

“Nero won’t mind if were a little late” Yes, I will, he thought to himself when he heard you speak. Nero figured he had heard enough, growing tired of you and V acting all weird and flirty around each other. Also the thought that he was spying on you had just crossed his mind and made him feel a little guilty, as much as he didn’t like the situation, he trusted you completely so there was no need to spy. However, If you were going to waste your time kissing up a storm with V when the demon who stole Nero’s arm was sitting on a throne, waiting all pretty to be defeated… then he wasn’t going to wait any longer, even if it meant taking on Urizen on his own. 

Nero stood up straight and instead of walking down the escalator, he pushed off the top step and jumped all the way down, landing on his feet and stumbling a little bit before steadying himself enough to jog off. He figured you wouldn’t be able to catch him watching you if he got away quick enough, and luckily he didn’t hear you question what the noise was, either because you didn’t hear him land his jump or because you just assumed it was a demon. Either way, he got away without getting caught. 

(Your P.O.V)

You and V had grown a lot closer in the short time you had been teamed up with him. When you weren’t busy fighting demons along side him, you fell into a nice, easy conversation as if you had been friends for years. The only difference was that you’d usually be telling him more about yourself, or trying to get him to open up. However, he seemed pretty adamant about keeping his mysterious aura and would give vague or poetic answers. In general though, he was an easy person to talk to and you very much enjoyed his company. You might be a little biased though, since his voice was very pleasant to listen to, and when he’d speak to you poetically, most of the time you had no idea what he meant, but he sounded so beautiful you didn’t care that you had no idea what he was saying. For all you knew, he could be insulting you. 

When in combat, you’d think with all three summons, plus you and V fighting on the battlefield, it would be a little ungraceful and clumsy, but surprisingly you managed to easily work around them and help out where you could. Even Griffon was warming up to you, joking along with you and playing games with you. Like the one where you’d keep count of how many demons each of you killed, trying to be the one with the highest number, but you ended up winning by a landslide since you learned the summons couldn’t actually kill anything, it had to be V who landed the final blow. So rules had to be changed a little. 

Even Shadow seemed to take a liking towards you too, much to your surprise. It would sit by your feet instead of V’s like an overgrown house cat, even sometimes nudging your hand as if it were asking for pats, which you happily agreed to do. It wasn’t as soft and warm as you imagined, its fur feeling like cold metal against your fingertips, though it was very smooth and satisfying to glide your hands through. Griffon was surprisingly the warm one, it was a shame his personality didn’t match. Always so teasing and mocking no matter how nice you are.

During navigating the smelly, demon filled station with V, you had asked him if his summons were more like him than he was letting on, somehow sharing the same thoughts and feelings, silently hoping that if both Shadow and Griffon liked you, then so did the poet. It was a curious thought, thinking that the three summons were not just tethered to V’s skin through the tattoo’s, but somehow occupying his mind too. When the three demons were kept away in the black ink, could they still communicate with V in his mind? 

V didn’t answer, which was no surprise to you. He sure liked to keep you guessing, like he wanted you to keep asking questions, only for him to never reveal the answer himself. Maybe he wanted you to work for it somehow? Possibly he wanted you to ask the right question instead of blindly saying what was on your mind? Or maybe he simply just didn’t want to answer your questions. Did that stop you from trying to get to know I’m better? Of course not. 

When you didn’t let down, changing the question to how he got his tattoo’s, V smirked. Once again he didn’t reply, leaving your questions unanswered, though he shared a look with Griffon who, in turn, shook out his feathers and flew on ahead, leaving you alone with the goth. Was that proof of them sharing the same thoughts? Did V tell the demonic bird to go forth while he himself stayed behind with you…? 

As soon as Griffon was out of sight, and Shadow was turned back into the ink on V’s pale skin, the poet came closer to you, nothing short of shy. You felt your breath hitch in your throat, your cheeks instantly heating up as he looked at you fondly through his long lashes, smirk still playing at his lips. You wanted to kiss that damn smirk off him since he always wore it with such confidence, it would be an honour to be the one to make him flustered. 

And just like that, the air around you changed, from once being lighthearted and friendly, to now suddenly holding a tension so heavy not even a knife could cut through it. V’s eyes on you were suffocating, drowning in the pools of his green iris’s while he slowly took step by step closer towards you. Your heart was beating erratically, nervous and excited to see what he was planing on doing. Your mind filled with hope, wishing he’d do what you wanted him to do to you.  

You took a step back, not out of fear or discomfort since the look in your eye told him to keep coming closer. For every step he took towards you, you took one back, a small smirk now playing on your lips at the thought of him chasing you. Your back braced against the wall, nowhere to go now, but you were okay with that as your eyes darted down to his plump lips that were quick to have you mesmerised. He was reciting a poem, though you couldn’t hear the soft words over your racing heart, and the almost intimidating sound of his cane tapping against the floor as he crept closer and closer.

He ended up standing so close that you could rub your nose against his if you looked up, but your eyes were focused on his slightly parted lips as he finished saying the poem you sadly missed. His hand that wasn’t holding his cane, slowly and softly came up to brush your hair out of your face, you swore you were dreaming. He was so beautiful and soft and kind, it was impossible to think a man like him even existed, but here he was, inches away from you and staring at you with curious eyes that fluttered down to your lips. 

You had known him for about a month, so this wasn’t sudden, was it? Not like that would stop you anyway, if he wanted you wholly and completely there on that mucky train station floor, you would be unable to say no. However, you knew you couldn’t waste too much time, there was still a demon king to knock off the throne to insure the safety of the world and sadly there just wasn’t much time for romance. The thought made you bite your lip, suddenly feeling a little guilty that you were here, ready to press your lips against V’s when there were high stakes at hand. 

Either way, it didn’t stop V from leaning in slowly, giving you every chance in the world to back out if you wanted to. Your breath was shaky as your hand inched forward blindly to rest atop his slender fingers holding his cane. His other hand was still caressing your cheek, slowly sliding to the back of your head to pull you in just a little closer… You could feel his warm breath fanning over your cheek and your eyes slowly closed as did his, tilting your head to the side ever so slightly and gripping his hand tighter in anticipation. You felt his bottom lip ever so gently graze against yours before Griffon just had to open his big, yapping beak. 

“Hey, lovebirds! Quit smoochin’ and get a move on!” 

So close… 

~*~

You’d be lying if you said the rest of the time spent in the station wasn’t awkward, both you and V sending each other longing glances when the other wasn’t looking, desperate to finish what Griffon so rudely interrupted. The only good thing about the bird was that he was easy to joke around with and made the awkward tension slowly dissipate, using his crude humour to distract you all from the kiss you and V almost shared. Oh, you so desperately wanted to kiss the poet. Even more so now that you had had a little taste… 

You were almost out of the train station, surprisingly having not run into Nero the entire time. You’d think that with the two to three hours you spent in the space, you’d end up running into him, but you never saw his face or heard him fighting. Hopefully he was just faster and made it out before you guys… or maybe you shouldn’t be hopefully about that, since you didn’t want him heading into the Qliphoth on his own. Maybe splitting up with him wasn’t the best idea. You hoped he was okay and staying out of harms way, you’d never forgive yourself if he was injured or trapped somewhere somehow. 

What made you feel even more worse was the fact that you only just started worrying about him. You were too caught up with V and his familiars that you… forgot about your best friend. Maybe it was because you knew, deep down, that Nero could handle almost anything on his own, that he’d be safe without you there to help him. But the fact that you didn’t see or hear him at all and only now you were worried about him, had you a little guilty. V had all his summons, why did you split up with Nero in the first place? At least if V got into trouble, Griffon could carry him to safety, but what about Nero? If he gets into trouble, he’s all alone, no one to help him. 

Nero isn’t helpless. He’s strong and stubborn and nothing will be able to take him down. You just needed to have more faith in him, not let your worries cloud your judgement. He’s a tough boy, he’ll manage, he always does… 

V seemed to notice your worries and let shadow out of the tattoo ink to come and walk along side you as a means to comfort you. Shadow’s paws patted along the steps beside you, making you smile softly and reach out to brush your fingers over it’s back gently while you hoped to whatever god that Nero was safe. Even V walked a little closer beside you, hand brushing against yours every so often which you weren’t sure was helping the awkwardness or not, but you greatly appreciated it. It definitely eased your mind a little, so you didn’t stop him. 

Suddenly being above ground, the harsh sunlight burns your eyes, having to blink rapidly to adjust to the light as you walk up the last few steps to outside. The large Qliphoth tree stares down at you intimidatingly in the distance, as if mocking you and taunting you, laughing at your attempts to make your way to it. Just the look of the demonic tree sends shivers down your spine and a odd taste to fill your mouth, which you swallow down and shake your head to rid the awful feelings it gives you. 

There are a bunch of different vehicles that litter an odd ramp, it looks like it was once just an ordinary hill or a road, but the Qliphoth roots had shifted the earth and torn off the grey bricks to show black demonic sludge underneath. The sludge had hardened to make its own odd looking road, but it definitely didn’t look pleasant to touch or look at. It lead down to what appears to be a theatre, abandoned and ruined from demons and roots. 

However your surroundings were the least of your problems at the moment, not even completely registering in your mind when you spot the familiar white hair of the young devil hunter who was cutting down the last of the pointy Qliphoth worms that were trying to stab him. Your chest instantly swells with happiness and relief, seeing him look exactly how you saw him last, maybe a little dirtier, but unscathed nonetheless, which you breathed a sigh of relief at. 

“Nero!” You shout in surprise, not hesitating to run over to him. You be mindful of Shadow so you don’t barrel into it when you rush past, your boots thunking obnoxiously in the quiet little area. Your eyes light up when Nero turns around, ignoring the fact that he looks at you with a blank expression, clearly not excited or surprised to see you there. He didn’t even say anything except ‘oof’ when you physically run into him and wrap your arms around his waist. You rest your cheek on his chest, feeling him awkwardly wrap one arm around you while he holds his sword with the other, slowly patting your back like he didn’t know what else to do. 

“I didn’t see or hear you at all down there, I got worried” You added breathlessly, squeezing him tighter before pulling away but keeping your hands on his waist absentmindedly, looking up at him with a happy smile. You notice how he isn’t smiling or making an effort to say anything, which makes you both a little nervous and worried. Nero very rarely gets like that, when he’s quiet, it usually means he’s trying not to let his anger out. 

All you get in response from him is a quiet hum, making you frown slightly. What could have possibly put him in this mood? Last time you saw him he was giving you a fist bump before the both of you had split up in the tunnel. Surely you hadn’t done something wrong, right? The last time he saw you everything was fine, the two of you were happy and joking around a little bit. Maybe something pissed him off inside the station for some reason? 

You go to ask him whats wrong, but the sound of V’s cane tapping as he walks up behind you and the obnoxious flapping of Griffons wings causes you to pull away from Nero completely, trying to meet the white haired males eyes but he seems adamant about avoiding looking at you. You look between the three males, smile now gone off your face and a concerned frown taking its place. 

V clears his throat, grabbing everyone’s attention as he stares down at the theatre, silently gesturing with his cane for us to head on down together instead of somehow splitting up once again, even though there is no way you could possibly find another rout to take from here. You wanted to pause time for a moment, just to check up on your friend, make sure he was okay. The last thing Nero needed was to feel upset or angry as he already had such a heavy weight on his shoulders with Dante being gone. You always admired how he’d somehow keep a smile on his face through tough times. 

Instead of waisting any more time talking and staring at each other, you decide it would be best to push on, being the leader and pushing past Nero and V to head down the gross looking, demonic staircase. Maybe V could talk to Nero if the devil hunter didn’t want to talk to you, and hopefully he would end up feeling better if you gave him the space to talk to the poet. The two seemed like decent friends from what you saw, and if Nero couldn’t talk to you, then maybe he’d settle for talking to another friend? 

The sound of Griffons wings flapping behind you, following you, doesn’t escape your ears. Instead of ignoring the bird, wanting to be angry at him for his little stunt back in the train station with you and V, you stick your arm out without looking back at him. The demonic bird’s talons dig into your skin when he perches himself atop your arm, but it’s not too painful for you to shake him off. There would end up being little tears on your sleeve from where he dug his claws in, but when you were a demon hunter, having shirts ripped and dirtied was the least of your problems. 

The two boys trail behind you, you expect to hear their hushed whispering as a means to not let you hear what they’re saying, letting Nero get off whatever’s on his chest. However, You don’t hear them conversing at all. All that reaches your ears is the slight rumble of Nero’s revved up Red Queen. You take one glance behind and see that Nero is walking slower than V, making an effort to not have to walk beside him. What on Earth is his problem today? You thought to yourself, frowning as you face forward. Is he mad at V or you? Surely not, neither of you did anything wrong from what you could think of. 

“Looks like lover boy’s jealous” Griffon caws in your ear, just quiet enough for only you to hear. He was looking back at the two boys and ruffles his feathers when you reach up to scratch at his chest. You look up at his odd eyes and tilt your head in confusion. 

“Why would V be jealous?” You ask, confusion lacing your voice. Jealous of what? That you hugged Nero? Got excited when you saw Nero? He knew you and the devil hunter were just friends, surely he wasn’t jealous. You chanced another glance behind you and narrowed your eyes at V, not noticing anything different in the way he was acting, though Griffon was connected to him, maybe he could feel V’s jealousy and was giving you a heads up? 

V’s eyes fluttered up and met yours, his neutral expression turning into a soft smile and warm eyes. No, he isn’t jealous… is he? What could the poet possibly be jealous about? The sound of Griffons chuckles fills your ears and you turn back to look at him before returning V’s smile. You frown at the birds over exaggerated laughter and shake your arm slightly, bringing his attention back to you. He ruffles his feathers before training his neck, lowering his head down to your ear. 

 “Wrong lover boy” He whispers in his annoyingly high toned voice. Your eyes widen. Nero? What on earth could Nero be jealous about? That might explain his mood, but there was no reason for him to feel such a thing, right? And was he jealous about something to do with you? You ask yourself a bunch of questions that end up getting interrupted by Griffons burst of laughter. Oh right, asshole bird is just messing with you, trying to make you think theres some weird… love triangle thing going on. 

Fucking asshole.

The demonic bird cranes his head back and cackles loudly, hurting your ears to the point that you shake your arm to throw him off you. His laughter doesn’t stop as he flies on ahead, wings unable to drown out his annoying cackles as he flaps his blue wings. He slowly calms down as he perches himself on a prop piece on the theatre stage, shaking out his feathers and looking back at you with mischief in his odd eyes. 

You jump up on the stage with him, and soon after V and Nero join you, standing on either side of you. The three of you take a step forward, not getting any further before a group of Angelo’s jump down and land in front of you, swords and shields at the ready for a battle. You haven’t fought them before but you had heard of Nero dealing with similar enemies back in Fortuna before you teamed up with him. It’s like they thought of themselves as angels but weren’t any less demonic than all the other enemies you had fought. 

Their heavy landing must have disrupted something within the stage, causing the entrance behind you to collapse, trapping you in an arena of sorts before the entire set began to slide down the muddy hill. The sudden shift and movement caused you to stumble on your feet, quickly grabbing your weapons as you steadied yourself. The sound of two blades being unsheathed was satisfying to your ears, holding both swords on each hand as you stared down your target. 

The fight felt like it lasted forever, and the nearing edge of the cliff made you all fight harder and faster, fearing you’d fall down to your death with the stage. You had taken down one Angelo on your own, surprised at how much stronger they were than regular demons, having to break their shields before you could land a good hit on them, Then you noticed Nero had taken out most of them already, probably used to their fighting tactics from his time in Fortuna. He seemed to be much harsher though, not bothering to taunt or mock the Angelo’s like he would normally do, you figured he had to be quite angry, taking all his rage out on the demonic angels which in the end worked out in your favour. 

The Angelo’s were all destroyed, their bodies disintegrating before your eyes. You took one glance upward and saw the edge of the cliff was closer than you thought. Before you could act, you felt strong arms wrap around your waist in a crushing grip before you were lifted up into the air, forced to watch as the stage zoomed past underneath you and over the edge of the cliff. It all happened so quick, being airborne for five-seconds, but you managed to see that V was being held up by Griffon beside you. 

You heard the bird grunting, finding V heavy since he had used so much power when fighting the Angelo’s. You couldn’t see Nero, so you assumed he had a hold of you, knowing you weren’t paying close enough attention on when to jump and he didn’t want you falling with the stage. You felt your heart in your throat and your stomach flipped, making you let out a yelp of both surprise and fear. You were sure your face was pale, the sudden movement after a particularly difficult battle had your head spinning.  

Nero landed on the ground first before slowly lowering you down on your feet, making sure you were okay to stand since you weren’t the biggest fan of heights. You stumbled a little before he steadied you by holding your shoulders, keeping you up right for a few seconds before he slowly let you go cautiously. When he realised you could stand without falling over, he lowered his hands and gave you a once over, just to double check with a concerned frown on his brow. He knew of your fear of heights and now that you were standing on the edge of a cliff, he didn’t want you fainting on him. 

“I’ve just remembered something… This town was attacked once before” V muses, snapping you out of your little daze of trying not to fall over. “I was here… I can still see it. In fact, I was playing right here.” You look towards the poet, seeing him crouched down with his hand atop a small, green bouncing horse. Did this used to be a playground? Not very safe on the edge of a cliff… The horse looked slightly burnt, its ears and mouth blackened from what you can only assume was a fire. There were no other playground equipment, either having fallen down the cliff or destroyed in some other way. 

“That was the house.” V points with his cane, to a seemingly half burnt down house that sits atop a hill in the distance.  His house? Did he used to live here? The thought of V as a child being in this place when it was seemingly destroyed almost broke your heart. You hoped it wasn’t demons who attacked but there wasn’t any other reason your mind could come up with. V stood up and stared at the house a little longer, seeming to remember what he had seen all those years back. 

“This is where we part ways… You go on ahead. I must seek the Devil Sword Sparda.” V states casually as he snaps himself out of his daze and walks around you and Nero, making a move to brush his hand along the small of your back. You shudder at the touch, like earlier in the station, wishing you could go back to that moment with the poet and not be interrupted this time. V tapped his cane as he planted himself firmly ahead of you both, facing away like he was about to head off without you. 

Just as that thought crossed your mind, Nero opened his mouth. 

“I think you should come with me” Nero bit, grabbing hold of your upper arm gently and pulling you closer towards him, preventing you from following the goth which made your eyes widen in shock. He was addressing you but his eyes were focused on V instead, almost glaring at the soft poet. You wanted him to stop looking at V like that, wondering if maybe V was the source of Nero’s foul attitude. 

Did Nero want you to be paired back up with him? Did he seriously hate going through the train station on his own? Was he somehow jealous or untrusting of V? That would make what Griffon said earlier make some sense. Nero was so… okay with you leaving him last time, why has he suddenly changed his opinion of you going along with V? You open your mouth to argue with the young devil hunter but V interrupts you. 

“I agree, you should head on with Nero. I need to see this through on my own…” His deep voice causes you to quickly look at him with a frown. Did he not want you, or like you any more? The soft smirk on his face as he turned to face you made you think he does secretly want you to go with him, but he can’t, not at the moment anyway. You knew this must have something to do with V’s childhood, something that’ll bring up a lot of memories, and you did understand that he wouldn’t want you there for that. But, he was going to the Devil Sword Sparda, and both you and he knew he wouldn’t be able to carry it on his own. You were no demon, so it would be almost impossible for you too, but you could always find ways to help him out where you could.

So, instead of lashing out and getting angry, you let your frown turn into a concerned pout.

“You sure?” You ask softly, wondering why Griffon had suddenly gone so quiet. However,

V simply smirked wider, turning his body completely to face you before he made his way over. He bought himself close to you with the click of his cane echoing his steps, planting himself in front of you. He reached a hand out to caress your cheek with his elegant fingers and you couldn’t help but lean into his touch with a blush and a soft smile. You forgot Nero was even there in the first place, witnessing a tender moment between you and the poet. 

V leans forward and you think he is going to whisper something in your ear, or maybe even kiss you like he missed out on doing earlier. But instead, his plump lips graze against your cheek, softly kissing your already tinted pink flesh. He let his lips linger for a moment, stroking your cheek with his thumb. You’re not sure how you knew, but it felt like he was promising to see you again, that he’d be safe. 

And with that, he turns away and begins walking down the dirt path, leaving you alone with a seemingly grumpy Nero. This should be fun…

Here’s part 3

Griffon ships you with Nero confirmed lol

Tags: @sakkajagga @dmcdrabbles @blueroseblaze @music-of-chaos

(Let me know if you’d like to be added/removed from tags)

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

with you [1/6]

Summary: Clementine pops the question.

Preview: 

Mitch frowns, holding up the ring, “Then, why the stupid ring? It doesn’t mean anything. Wearing this and saying you’re married doesn’t change anything, so why bother?”

“It means something to me, okay?” Clementine snaps. “I don’t care if it’s ‘not a thing’ anymore. Is it so wrong that maybe I want to try and give him something that most of us thought was long dead? That I want something like that?” She snatches the ring away from him. “Yesterday, AJ found a wedding photo that belonged to this walker couple, and Louis explained what it meant and I just… I haven’t been able to get it out of my head. I didn’t ask you to understand what I want to do. I asked you if you could adjust the ring for me.”

Mitch eyes her quietly. Then, he straightens up. “Fine,” he says, holding out his hand, “I’ll fix your fucking ring.”

Warnings:  There’s a little dirty talk but it’s just Mitch, no actual sexual content, just some good ‘ol smooching. Ruby’s a fucking sweetheart. Mitch is Clem’s tsundere best friend. Violet’s pretty angsty. Nightmares occur. This is long, sorry.

Author’s Note:  Hey so episode 3 has killed me and I’m coping by writing some overly gushy Clouis even though I should be finishing up the final part of my Aasim story but it’s fine. I got this asks months ago requesting some married!clouis where Louis proposes to Clem, but then I thought, “Know what’s even better?? Clementine proposing to Louis” because my boy needs some real love and I’m a ho for this concept. 

Also, Mitch is alive in this because fuck Lilly I miss my boy my fic my rules

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Read on AO3

---

It was back in the train station that the thought ever crossed her mind. Which is actually kind of strange to think about, Clementine realizes as she examines the small box in her hand.

She feels Louis shift beside her, turning over to sleep on his side facing her. She sits at the edge of the bed, peering over her shoulder at him. He’s quiet tonight with a calm face. He nuzzles closer into his pillow as his near silent sigh escapes his lips.

Clementine smiles to herself. She opens the box, setting the lid on her desk and pulls out two freshly polished rings. She lets the larger one fall down her pointer finger as she examines it, twisting it around until she finds the detail she’s looking for, and she smiles again.

Then, she turns to the sleeping boy beside her. One arm is tucked under his pillow while the other rests close to his chest. Clementine holds her breath as she carefully, gently pulls his hand closer to her. He doesn’t move or wake.

She easily slips the band onto his ring finger and lets out her breath.

It actually fits. Not too loose, not too tight, but snug enough that it’ll only come off with a little force. And it does. She slides the ring off and places it back in the box. Her heart beats loud in her chest and she recognizes the fluttering and tightening in her gut.

Tomorrow evening.

It’s so close.

And to think had AJ not rummaged through that walker’s pockets, she probably wouldn’t be holding this box in her hands.

---

Two Weeks Earlier...

A supply run to the train station was a spur of the moment thing when the three of them were out hunting. They’d only caught three full-grown rabbits when Louis mentioned that it wasn’t too far away. AJ had been all for the idea, and Clementine figured it wouldn’t be so awful to go back and collect anything they might’ve missed from their previous trip.  

Up ahead, but not too far, Louis is telling some crazy, exaggerated story that left AJ hanging onto every single word.

Clementine spots a walker from the corner of her eye lingering in the trees, it’s head twitching with interest at the sound of Louis’ laughter. It’s the first one they’ve spotted in the time they’ve traveled, likely due to James doing his part of their arrangement.

They’ve worked out a decent system; anywhere they plan to hunt or scavenge, they let James know in advance so he can gather and lead stray walkers away, making trips a lot easier and a lot quicker. In exchange, he’s welcome to come and stay in a room and eat with them whenever he wants. He didn’t often stay many nights in a row, but Clementine’s just glad to see him opening up with the others and making friends.

Clementine picks up a large rock and chucks it. The walker follows the noise.

The decrepit train station is empty. When they enter, there sat the dead couple, slumped over and still tied to their chairs. Everything looks the same as they left it last. They gather as much as they can, like leftover food and duct tape and a few bandages.

“Oh-ho!” Louis calls out from behind the counter. “Looks like I found your secret stash.”

Clem quirks a brow and leans over the counter to peer down at him. He flashes her a bright smile and waves a beaten up chocolate bar.

“Seriously?” When she tries to reach for it, he teasingly jerks it away.

“I don’t think so, darling,” he pockets the bar. “Gotta save stuff like that for a special occasion.”

“Special occasion,” she scoffs. “Like?”

“Like when it’s your birthday, or if it’s someone else’s birthday and you forgot to get them a present,” Louis then glances away, “or, y’know, for date night.”

“Date night, huh?” Clementine smirks.

“Woah...”

From behind her, Clementine hears AJ shuffling around the dead couple. He’s unfolding something small and gray curiously. Upon a closer look, Clementine can tell it’s a wallet, and from it, AJ pulls out a five-dollar bill to study it.

“Look at that,” Louis approaches the boy, “looks like dinner’s on AJ.”

“Huh?”

Louis takes the wallet and pulls out some credit cards. “By the looks of it, we’re getting a three-course meal.”

“With extra dessert,” Clementine smiles.

AJ looks between the two of them, clearly confused. “I don’t get it.”

“Money,” he explains. When he turns it around, something falls out and Louis pauses. “...Huh.”  He bends down to pick it up. He flips it around and a smile tugs at his lips.

“What is it?” AJ asked.

Louis motions to the couple. “It’s, uhm... their wedding photo.” He hands it over to AJ.

“Wedding photo?” AJ studies the picture. Clementine moves around them to look as well.

It’s jarring, the idea that the young couple are the same people as the decaying bodies in the chairs before them. They’re both so clean and happy with wide smiles.

The woman’s beautiful, Clementine thinks, with her hair pulled back into a bun of curls and her cheeks a pretty pink. Her dress is white with glittering details, and her diamond ring is visible on her hand resting against her husband's chest.

“They look...” AJ’s mouth twists as he searches for the right word.

“Happy?” Louis offers.

“Well, yeah, they’re smiling, but...” AJ looks at the dead bodies. “I don’t know. It’s weird. Why’re they dressed like that?”

Louis laughs. “Well, little dude, back before the walkers came, people used to get married. It was a pretty big deal, and when they did, they’d have a wedding. Think of it like a huge party with lots and lots of people to celebrate the couple getting married.”

“Okay, but,” AJ says, “but what does it mean? To be married?”

“Uh, well,” Louis scratches his neck, “it’s what people used to do to prove they really loved each other, I guess. It was, like, a big step to take to marry someone and call them your wife, or your husband.”

“And anyone can do it? Even me?” asks AJ. “I can get married?”

Clementine smiles, and says, “You’re a little young for that right now.”

AJ frowns and crosses his arms. “How old do I gotta be?”

“Well, there isn’t really a set age, I guess-”

“And I can marry who I want?”

“Yes, but,” Clementine shoots Louis, who’s completely amused by the conversation, a glance as if looking for help with an explanation, “it’s not really something people do anymore.”

“Why not? I mean, you just throw a party, right? And I can marry whoever I love? Like you, right?”

At that, Louis laughs. Clementine sighs. “Uh...”

“Well, little dude, marriage wasn’t for that kind of love,” Louis says, “it’s a bit more complicated than that.” He puts the picture back into the wallet and tucks it back into the dead man’s pocket. “These two didn’t love each other like you and Clem do. They got married because...” Louis’ smile almost turns sad, “they were in love, as a couple.”

“Oh...” AJ thinks, “oh, like, a kissing love.”

“A kissing love,” Louis agrees. He winks at Clementine, and her heart flutters.

“Like you and Clem?”

Blood rushes to Clementine’s cheeks as a loud, nervous laugh escapes Louis.

Before AJ can ask his next question, there’s a soft bang against the door. The conversation’s forgotten as they get low and carefully maneuver close to the door. AJ peeks out the window.

“Monster.”

Clementine nods. They all stand, relaxing a little. The door’s closed so one walker isn’t a threat.

Louis hauls a large bag over his shoulder. “Well, I think we’ve gotten all we can get,” he says, “should head back before dark.”

Clementine nods. “Right.”

But, she doesn’t move. She watches Louis and AJ leave, and hears the walker being dealt with. Clementine turns back to the couple, her eyes glancing down at the man’s rotten hand.

He still has his ring on.

“Clem?”

“...Coming.”

---

It stuck with her the rest of the day. From when they entered the gates of the school again and all throughout dinner.

Marriage wasn’t something she ever thought of. Sure, there had been that dumb “marry, ‘flip’, kill” question that seemed to come up during their card games, and sure, from all the groups she’d been in, some have had married couples.

Like Kenny and Katjaa.

Like Christa and Omid.

Like David and Kate.

...Like Rebecca and Alvin.

And before the walkers, her parents had been married. Happily married. She didn’t remember a lot about them, but there were things that stood out in her brain when she concentrated her thoughts.

Like how her father would always kiss her mother’s cheek before going to work and after coming home. It didn’t matter if she was cooking, or still in bed, or working on a project, or on the phone, he always kissed her, like it was some unspoken rule.

And how they laughed together. Her father had this deep, rumbling voice that practically shook the house when he laughed, and his laugh only made her mother laugh harder.

And the cute names they called each other. Honeybun. That’s what her father called her mother. Honeybun.

But, marriage wasn’t something that stuck in her brain, not something she actively thought about. However, seeing that wedding photo, the couple who died together tied to those chairs, and actually talking about it, hearing Louis talk about it... it stuck with her.

AJ had let the conversation go after Louis moved onto another topic. She knew that he was trying to avoid the obvious question on AJ’s mind.

“Like you and Clem?”

Like Louis and her...

“Yoo-hoo?”

A hand waves in front of her face. She blinks and turns to Louis. They’re on the outside couch sitting in front of a fire. His arm rests comfortably behind her.

He grins. “Where’d you go?”

“Nowhere.”

“You went somewhere.”

Clementine sighs. “Just thinking, I guess.”

“You got watch, Lou,” Ruby says, approaching them. “You and Aasim.”

“Aw, seriously?” Louis sighs before grinning. “Hey, wanna switch? I can take your morning shift and you can go with Aasim tonight?”

“Nope,” Ruby shook her head and points back at the tower. “Get goin.’“

Louis slouches, mumbling quietly, “I tried, my dude...” Clementine rolls her eyes and elbows him.

“Don’t keep him waiting.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Louis stands, reaching his arms high over his head to stretch out his body. He lets out a satisfied groan as his arms fall back to his sides. “I’ll be there in a second.”

Ruby nods and walks off.

His foot taps hers. “Guess I’ll see you tonight,” he says. Then, he leans forward. His fingers caress her jawline as he lightly pulls her towards him and places a soft kiss on her cheek. “I’ll try not to wake you.”

“Goodnight,” is all she can muster up to say.

“Goodnight, darling.” He leaves her with a smile.

And as she watches him walk away, it occurs to her with a single, strange thought.

I want to marry that boy.

---

Clementine tries to fall asleep, but she’s restless. She doesn’t know how long she’s laid there, but no position, no angle allows sleep to take her.

AJ snores quietly in his bed on the other side of the room. Louis still won’t be back for a few hours.

So, she gets up and leaves. As she’s quietly closing the door behind her, she hears footsteps. Instinctively, she turns to see who it is.

Violet keeps her eyes forward as she walks down the hall, not giving Clementine any acknowledgment.

It’d been awful between the two of them ever since the delta fight two years ago. She couldn’t even breathe in Violet’s direction without getting ‘fuck you’ eyes, and talking was completely out of question. Not that Clementine didn’t still try, but it seems that Violet’s determined to keep herself in the shadows of the school, only talking to Tenn and Louis, and on rare occasions Ruby, Omar, and Aasim.

Louis once tried to help them patch things up. It didn’t go over well.

What else could she do, though? Clementine can’t force their friendship back together. Not after everything.

Clementine tries to put it out of her mind as she moves down the opposite direction. Down by the entrance doors, she finds Ruby grimacing at something in her hands.

“Hi, Ruby,” she greets.

“Oh, hi, Clem,” Ruby smiles. “Thought you went off ‘ta bed?”

“Can’t sleep.”

Ruby nods understandingly. “Well, you wanna help me fix Willy’s shirt?” she holds up a dirty blue shirt with a tear along the side. “Got it caught again and didn’t bother stopin’ to untangle himself.”

“Of course.”

Clementine kept the shirt still and flattened out while Ruby went to work.

“Wish that runt would be more careful,” murmurs Ruby, “always tearing his clothes up. What’ll happen if he ruins all of ‘em? That boy’ll be in nothin’ but rags.”

“You could have him sew his own stuff.”

Ruby scoffs. “Yeah, right.”

Clementine watches her steady hand as she sews in a comfortable silence. Being around Ruby like this is peaceful. The two had gotten close over the years, and for that, she’s grateful. She adores Ruby.

Clementine glances around and decides to just go for it while it was just the two of them. ”Hey, Ruby, can I ask you a personal question?”

“Sure, hon,” Ruby smiles. “What’s on yer mind?”

“Uh, well...” Clementine starts. “Have you... ever liked someone?” Ruby stops her needlework and perks a brow. “Like, had a crush?”

The redness on Ruby’s cheeks brighten. “I-uh- what in the world are ya asking me that for?”

“Just curious if anyone ever caught your fancy,” Clementine replies. She didn’t think the question would actually make Ruby flustered.

Ruby pokes herself with the needle, hissing a cuss.

“Well,” she says, “hate ta disappoint you, but no.”

“Never?”

Ruby shakes her head. “Nu-uh.”

Clementine thinks back to Aasim and Louis’ constant teasing of the poor boy.

“You don’t like anyone here like that? Not even a little?”

Ruby hesitates. “No.” She finishes sewing up the shirt and holds it up in front of her. “Why the sudden question?” she asks.

“I don’t know,” Clementine answers honestly.

Ruby shifts her weight onto one foot and scratches at her arm. After an awkward silence. “Well... alright, can ya keep a secret?”

Clementine perks up. “Yes.”

Ruby shakes her head. “Don’t get excited. He, uh, he’s not real.”

“What?”

Ruby’s blush deepens. “Sometime, after all the adults left, I had a hard time sleepin’ at night. Ms. Martin was startin’ ta worry ‘bout me. She told me I should try readin’, and I remember tellin’ her how stupid that was. But...” Ruby sighs, “I still let her read ta me before bed one night. A love story called ‘The Woodsman.’ Well, kinda a love story. She read it so well and,” she grins, “I guess I kinda fell in love with Milo.”

Clementine smiles back. “And, why’s that?”

“Milo’s this handsome woodsman doin’ everythin’ he can to help support him and his family, right. He’s kind, like, genuine kind. And the way he describes and talks about Abigail just is enough ta melt your heart. Or make ya cry.”

“Do they end up together?” asks Clementine.

Ruby shakes her head. “No. Ya see, Abigail’s taken and forced ta live on top this big ‘ol mountain by this old, ugly witch as punishment fer Milo killin’ one of her wolves.” She runs her fingers over the fresh stitching in Willy’s shirt and sighs. “Milo tries and tries again ta climb the mountain and save her, but every time he gets a little bit closer, he slips and tumbles down.”

“Shit,” Clementine says.

“Everything he does, he does it fer her. To free her of that witch’s cruelty. And the crazy part’s that he doesn’t even know if she loves him back. He don’t care if she does or not, he keeps climbin’ anyway and it eventually kills him,” Ruby shakes her head. “Never makes it back to Abigail.”

“That’s...” Clementine frowns, “awful.”

“Can’t tell ya how many times that part’s made me cry,” Ruby laughs, “and it’s even worse ‘cause as he’s laying at the bottom dyin’ he still thinkin’ ‘bout how only he knows she’s up there and only he can save her and... he dies. He dies and becomes a star.”

“A star?”

“In the sky. High up there and he watches and protects her from the witch until eventually, Abigail dies, too.”

“And becomes a star, too, right?”

Ruby nods. “Right.” She wipes at her eyes with the back of her hand. “Guess I always liked the idea of someone lovin’ me that much, enough ta fall down a mountain over and over again just ta save me. It’s silly, ‘cause I know someone like that doesn’t exist, but… thinkin’ they do still helps me sleep at night.” She begins to fold up the shirt. “After we lost Ms. Martin, I went through some of her things and found the book. Can’t tell ya how many times I’ve read it.” Ruby gives her a sheepish grin. “Huh… never told that ta anyone before.”

“That’s...” Clementine reaches out and touches Ruby’s shoulder, “really sweet, actually.”

“Don’t tell anyone,” Ruby smirks. “Don’t want anyone ta think I’m too soft.”

Clementine laughs. “I promise.”

Ruby yawns then, and says, “Well, sorry I blabbered so much. Think it’s time I hit the hay. Thanks fer helpin’ me and... fer listenin.’”

“It sounds like a good read,” Clementine says.

“I’d let you borrow it if ya want.”

“I think I’d like that.”

Ruby beams at her, smile wide across her face. She gathers all her things and is just about to walk back to her room when Clementine stops her.

“Ruby?”

“Hm?”

“Can I tell you a secret?”

“Don’t hafta,” Ruby says. “Just ‘cause I shared, I mean.”

Clementine shakes her head. “I know.”

“Well, alright, then.”

Clementine hesitates, and in a whisper, she says, “I think I’m in love with Louis.”

Ruby laughs. “Oh, hon, that ain’t no secret,” she grins, “it’s all over yer face when yer together. His, too.”

“No, I mean...I’m in love with him.” Clementine meets Ruby’s eye. “If Louis were cursed by some witch and put on top of a mountain, I’d never stop climbing to get him back.”

Ruby’s grin falters as her eyes widen a bit with shock at the realization of Clementine’s words. “Oh...”

“Is that crazy?”

“No,” Ruby walks toward her, reaching down to grab her hands. “Not at all.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Ruby says firmly. “In fact, you should tell him that.”

“Yeah?” Clementine smirks. “’Hey, Louis, by the way, if you ever happen to get cursed and kidnapped by a witch I promise to save you.’”

That makes Ruby giggle. “Well, if any one of us were ta get cursed...” The two laugh together. Ruby lets go of her hands. “Serious, though? Tell him you love him. Ya never know in this world... don’t want any more regrets than we already got.”

“I know. Believe me, I know.”

---

Clementine’s still awake when Louis sneaks in. He tries his best to be quiet, tiptoeing around before slowly sliding into bed with her with a huff.

Clem lifts her head off the pillow. “Hey,” she whispers.

“Shit didn’t mean to wake you.”

“You didn’t,” she sighs. “Been in and out.”

Louis scoots closer to her so that her chin presses against his shoulder. He entwines their fingers and brings their hands to rest against his chest. He’s freezing from being outside.

“How was watch?” she asks.

“Same ‘ol, same ‘ol,” he replies. “Convinced Aasim to play go-fish with a twist ‘til he got mad,” he yawns, “and threatened to throw my deck away.”

Clementine smirks. “Sounds about right.” She gets comfortable, pressing her body against his side. He kisses the back of her hand. She sees his eyes fluttering shut as the day's exhaustion catches up with him.

“How’s your night?” he asks.

“Good, but better now.” She watches the corner of his mouth twitch into a grin.

Clementine watches their hands raise and fall with every breath he takes, and soon he’s fast asleep. His heartbeat is soft against her hand. She keeps herself awake a little while longer to make sure he remains peaceful. And he does.

As she runs her thumb over his, she wonders if the couple if the train station were holding hands when they died. She wonders what their last kiss was like, what their final words to each other were. She wonders if there were a lot of things left unspoken, things that wanted to be said, needed to be said.

She squeezes his hand and allows her eyes to rest.

---

In the morning, Clementine’s determined to find James.

She sneaks out, leaving Louis in bed. AJ’s already up, walking around on patrol. She makes sure to tell the others she’s going out to find James, making up an excuse, saying she’s worried that he hasn’t been back in a week.

AJ insists that he go with her, but Clem manages to convince him that she’ll just walk the perimeter since that’s usually where James sticks around. That calms him down, but he still mumbles about never going alone. So, Clementine takes Rosie with her. After all, Rosie could use the walk.

After she’s left, she wanders around to his usual spots close to the school, letting Rosie sniff around and chew up some sticks. She eventually finds him near his barn full of walkers.

When he sees her, he slips his mask off. “Clementine,” he greets softly. Rosie comes up to him and licks his hand. He softly pats her head. “Ah, Rosie.”

“James, you’re okay.”

“Yes,” he says. “You were worried?”

“Just haven’t seen you in a while. Wanted to check up on you.”

He smiles. “You’re very kind,” he says. He stands from the log he’s sitting on and says, “It’s been peaceful out here. And cool. Sleeping outdoors when it’s like this always makes me feel good.”

“I can see that. Just, don’t forget to check in with us, okay? Willy’s been asking about you.”

That makes James smile.

Clementine crosses her arms and takes a breath to steady her quick pulse. “Actually, there's another reason I wanted to find you.”

“Oh?” he asks. “What is it?”

“Well, uhm,” Clementine looks up at the barn. It’s faint, but she can hear them shuffling around and groaning inside. “Of the walkers you’ve found, do any of them happen to be wearing a ring?”

James cocks his head to the side. “That’s a strange question.”

“I know,” Clementine admits.

“What do you need a ring for?”

Clementine doesn’t reply. She tries to think of an excuse, to hide her true intentions, but her mind’s suddenly gone blank.

“Clementine?”

“I just... need a ring. Nothing fancy.”

James doesn’t push. He slips his mask on and as he walks over to the barn, he says, “I’ll look.”

He’s inside for a long time. Long enough that Clementine starts to get anxious. She wanders about, kicking at rocks and watching for stray walkers. She throws a stick for Rosie a few times.

Eventually, he does come out, and Clementine is right there, eager to see his findings.

James shakes his head. “Sorry.”

She gives a disappointed sigh.

She was hoping that she wouldn’t have to go back to the train station. It’s out of the way, and with only Rosie...

Actually...

“That’s okay,” she says. “Mind tagging along with me, then?”

“Where?”

“There’s a train station a little ways away,” she explains. “There’s a ring  there.”

He’s curious, but again, he doesn’t push. “Okay.”

They don’t speak much as they walk. Clementine’s a little glad, it gives her a moment to really think about what she’s doing.

It’s odd that she’s considering the “feelings” of the dead walkers left in the train station, but she keeps telling herself they’re dead, they don’t need their wedding rings anymore. If anything, they'd be glad their rings could be used again for their intended purpose, right?

Then again, the couple had made a request to be left alone, one that Clementine didn’t honor. Perhaps they wouldn’t be too thrilled with her stealing from them after all.

The area around the train station is clear, just like it was yesterday. Once inside, they approach the couple. Clementine bends down and slips the gold ring off the male walker’s finger, wiping it off on her jacket. She studies it, and something occurs to her.

What if it doesn’t fit?

She slips it onto her ring finger. It’s a little loose. When she looks at it, she realizes it might even be too small for Louis. His hands are bigger than hers and if it’s only a little loose on her...

She turns back to James. “Try this on.”

“Uhm, what?” He blinks down at her.

“Your hands are bigger. I just need to see if it’ll fit.”

James’ eyes dart between her and the ring. “Clementine... you- you’re not... uhm, asking...”

She stares at his suddenly terrified face and it hits her. “No! No, I’m not- no!”

“I-It’s just, um, Tennessee once told me-”

“I’m not proposing to you!” She exclaims that way louder than she probably should have. This causes Rosie to bark.

James visibly relaxes. “Oh,” he says, “then why do you need me to wear it?”

“Because I...” Clem lowers her head, weighing her options here. She decides that James is trustworthy and that the truth is the best answer. “Because you have bigger hands than me and... I need to see if this will fit Louis.”

The surprise is clear in his expression even though his face is covered by his mask.

“I see,” he says. “When did this happen?”

“Nothing’s ‘happened,’ really. Not yet.”

“He asked you...?”

“No,” Clem shakes her head. “He... actually has no idea about this.”

James smiles slightly. “Oh.”

“So,” Clementine’s face is warm when she offers him the ring. “Will you just try it on?”

James takes the ring, but when he tries to slip it on, it barely goes past the mid-knuckle. “Seems he has smaller hands than me,” he says, referring to the walker.

“Shit. It probably won’t fit Louis then, either.”

Well, there went her plan.

“Keep it anyway,” James hands it back to her, “in case you can’t find anything else. I’ll keep an eye out for any walkers I come across, see what I can collect.”

“Thank you.”

An awkward silence falls over them, so Clem decides to check the lady walker, only to find her ring missing.

“Well... I might need not any rings. After all, it’s the thought that counts, right?” she half-jokes.

“Giving up so quick is unlike you,” says James. “His hands aren’t mine. It might fit.”

“I guess.”

“At least keep it as a symbol of what you’re asking. It’ll mean a lot to him, regardless.”

Clementine runs a finger over the smooth band. It almost feels heavy, not physically, but with all the intentions behind it.

“Did you ever think about these things with Charlie?”

“...At one time, yes.” He says nothing more.

With the ring in her possession, Clementine leaves the couple behind once more.

She fumbles with the ring secured in her pocket. “Maybe there’s a way to change it? Stretch it, maybe?”

“I wouldn’t know,” James says. “Maybe ask Mitch. He has plenty of tools. Maybe he could help.”

Clementine hadn’t thought of that.

Their tool collection doubled after they took down the raiders and stole most of their supplies. Plenty of things used for building or repairing or breaking things down. Mitch and Willy were thrilled when they dragged it all back to the school. They kept most of it hidden away in the basement. Maybe they did have something that could help.

---

James comes back with her to the school. Once they’re through the gates, he takes off his mask and is nearly run into by Willy and AJ.

“James!”

“You’re back!”

“Good to see you’re not dead,” Mitch says, approaching and knocking James’ shoulder with his fist.

“Yes,” James replies awkwardly, rubbing at his arm where Mitch punched him.

Ruby comes over to greet them, too.

“James, you hungry? I can have Omar whip you up something.”

“No, thank you, I’m alright-”

Willy grabs a hold of his arm and drags James over to one of the tables. “C’mon! Look what I did to this crossbow!”

“It’s super cool!” AJ exclaims.

“Oh-okay!”

Clementine grins before turning to Mitch and Ruby.

“He stayin’ a while this time?” she asks.

“I don’t know,” replies Clementine. “Hopefully.”

“Louis was asking for you earlier,” Mitch says. “Something about tuning the piano or some shit.”

Clementine smiles. ‘Tuning the piano’ meant piano lessons. He’d been teaching her to play for a few months now, insisting she learns so they can do duets together. She isn’t great, but she’s improving.

Ruby giggles at the expression Clementine’s face. She snaps out of it and says, “Okay, I will go find him.”

Mitch rolls his eyes and walks away.

Before Clementine can call after him, Ruby says, “I left ‘The Woodsman’ in yer room fer ya.”

“Thanks,” she says. “Can’t wait to read it.”

“Enjoy tuning the piano,” Ruby smiles before walking off.

Clementine decides that Louis can wait a little longer. She spots Mitch over on the couch, sharpening his knife with some handheld tool.

“Hey,” she greets. He barely looks up from his work.

“What’s up?”

“I need your help with something.”

“Oh, do you?” he says flatly.

“Yes,” Clementine frowns. “In the basement.”

“Right now?”

“Right now.”

Mitch examines his freshly sharpened knife. “...Fine. I was going down there anyway.” He tucks his weapon away and moves over to the basement doors. Clementine follows close behind. Mitch yanks open the doors with a grunt, and as they go down the stairs, he asks, “What’ja need?”

They stop at one of the work desks. Clem pulls out the ring. “Is there anyway you can make this bigger?”

Mitch stares at the ring with a deadpan expression.

“Serious?”

“Is that a no?” Clementine asks.

Mitch snatches the ring out of her hand. “Make it bigger?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“That’s for me to know.”

He shoots her another look. He taps the ring on the desk a few times then examines it again. Then, he bites it.

“Look, if you can’t do anything, just say so,” Clementine says, annoyed.

Mitch quirks a brow at her. “Fine,” he leans against the counter, holding the ring up, “I’ll see what I can do… if you tell me what it’s for.”

Clementine’s insides tighten. She knows he won’t give in, as stubborn as he tends to be, and if she wants his help, she’d have to give in. Not point in fighting.

“Fine, fuck it,” she says. “You’re going to find out anyway, might as well tell you now.” She crosses her arms and leans against the table as well. “But, you gotta keep it to yourself, at least for right now. Got it?”

“Fine.”

“It’s for Louis.”

“Louis?”

“Yeah, I’m…” she closes her eyes and takes a breath, “I’m asking him to marry me.”

Wow, saying it out loud is… strange.

When Mitch doesn’t say anything, she looks up at him. His expression is almost funny.

“...Why?” he finally asks.

Clementine shrugs, saying, “Because I love him.”

“Gross.”

She elbows him.

“Wait, you’re asking him to marry you? You know that’s not even a thing anymore, right?” Mitch asks. “That shit doesn’t matter.”

“Maybe not to everyone, and, honestly, it didn’t matter to me either until now,” she explains. “And it’s not a big deal, I just… want to let him know how I feel and I need a ring to give to him.”

“So, what? You’re gonna have a wedding?”

“I-I don’t know,” she admits.”I haven’t thought that far ahead yet.”

Mitch’s brows furrow as he eyes her and Clementine can see the gears turning in his head. She figured he wouldn’t understand what she wants to do, or that he’d call her an idiot, or-

“Are you doing this so you two can fuck?” Mitch asks bluntly.

It feels like her heart stops in her chest as her eyes pop wide open. “Excuse me?”

“You don’t gotta be married to screw around. I’m not saying that you should or anything, though. These walls are fucking thin,” Mitch explains.

Clementine’s mouth moves but no words came out. She shakes her head. “No, that’s not- we’re not- just-”

“Y’know,” Mitch ignores her stuttering, “My grams used to tell us we’d go to Hell if we had sex before we were married and all kinds of stupid shit. Yet, here we are, literally living in hell, and I doubt it’s because some idiots fucked before someone ‘officially’ declared them married,” Mitch says.

“That’s not why I’m doing this!” Clementine manages. “That’s not even- It’s not your business, anyway!”

Mitch frowns, holding up the ring, “Then, why the stupid ring? It doesn’t mean anything. Wearing this and saying you’re married doesn’t change anything, so why bother?”

“It means something to me, okay?” Clementine snaps. “I don’t care if it’s ‘not a thing’ anymore. Is it so wrong that maybe I want to try and give him something that most of us thought was long dead? That I want something like that?” She snatches the ring away from him. “Yesterday, AJ found a wedding photo that belonged to this walker couple, and Louis explained what it meant and I just… I haven’t been able to get it out of my head. I didn’t ask you to understand what I want to do. I asked you if you could adjust the ring for me.”

Mitch eyes her quietly. Then, he straightens up. “Fine,” he says, holding out his hand, “I’ll fix your fucking ring.”

She hesitates but hands it back in his palm. Then, he searches around in one of the drawers and pulls out some string. “Gimme your hand,” he demands.

“Why?”

“Just do it.”

She does so, and he wraps the string around her ring finger. He pinches it and slides it off, then cuts it with his knife. He gives her the rest of the string. “Measure his finger and get back to me.”

“Uhm?”

“Do it when he’s asleep or something.”

Clementine watches as he starts darting around, pulling tools off shelves and digging around in drawers, muttering to himself. When he notices she’s still standing there, he says, “Don’t you gotta meet your husband-to-be?”

Shit, she almost forgot.

“Right, the piano,” she says.

Then, Mitch tenses. “Wait…” his face twists in disgust, “Oh, God, is ‘tuning the piano’ code for...?”

It takes her a second to get what he’s talking about.

“Mitch, I will stab you.”

“Yeah, yeah, I don’t wanna hear about it anyway,” he waves her off. “Go do your gross stuff.”

She leaves the basement flustered and ready to strangle Mitch. She takes a deep breath to calm herself and looks around for AJ. He’s still over sitting with James, Willy and Tenn. Determining he’s in good hands, she goes into the school.

---

A week passes before she's able to figure out how to measure Louis' finger.

She comes in after her night shift to see him and AJ still awake and reading a book together. She recognizes the cover as the one Ruby gave her.

"That was so cool!" AJ exclaims. "That wolf came outta nowhere and swish! Off goes its head!"

Louis laughs as AJ chops his hands through the air and jumps off the bed.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Clementine asks.

AJ freezes. "Oh, I couldn't sleep."

"I thought maybe a story would calm him down but it seems that backfired," Louis explains. He closes the book and sets it on the nightstand. This causes AJ to pout.

"C'mon, one more chapter?"

"Sorry, little dude, it's time to get some shut eye."

"But, I'm not tired!"

"We can read some more tomorrow night, okay?"

"Promise?" AJ holds out his pinky, expression serious. Louis hooks their pinkies together.

"Promise."

Then, AJ turns to Clementine. "I'm still not tired, though. Can I go check and see if Tenn's still awake? I'll go on patrol if he's not."

Clementine sighs. "Fine, just don't cause too much trouble."

"I won't!"

He grabs his box of crayons off his desk and hurries out the door.

Louis slips off his jacket and flops down onto their bed. "Now that the small child is gone, and we're alone..." he trails off. Clementine feels her pulse quicken at the suggestive look on his face, but then rolls her eyes when he pulls out his deck of cards from his pocket. “How about we play a game?”

“Another card game, hm?”

“Don’t sound so thrilled,” he laughs. He shuffles through his deck, flipping and rearranging them. She joins him on the bed, sitting across from him with her legs crossed. She reaches over and plucks the deck out of his hands.

“How about we mix it up?” She sets the cards on the table.

"What did you have in mind?” he asks.

She smirks. “Close your eyes.”

Louis raises a curious brow up at her. “Don’t think I’ve heard of that one.”

“Just do it,” she says.

“And what happens when I do?”

“You’ll have to close them and see.”

She can see his confidence starting to bend, but he rearranges his position on the bed to be more comfortable and clears his throat to try and hide it. Then, he closes his eyes.

“Keep them closed,” she says. “And no peeking.”

“A little peeking?”

“Nope,” she pinches his arm. “Peek and you lose.” She keeps an eye on his somewhat nervous face as she grabs his hand with the palm facing upwards.

“Uh, remind me,” he blurts out, “what-uh, what are the rules of this game, exactly?”

“You keep your eyes closed,” she says. She uses her pointer finger to trace an L on his palm. Almost immediately, he closes his fist and jerks it away. He covers up a laugh with a cough.

“What-!?”

“Eyes closed!” Clem presses her other hand over his eyes.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going to spell something out on your hand,” she explains, “and when I’m done you tell me what it is. And you can’t look or pull away.”

“Seriously?” he asks. “Do you have any idea how much that tickles?”

“Well, I didn’t think you were ticklish,” she teases.

“I’m not!” he objects.

She grabs his hand again. “I’ll give you an easy one to start, okay?”

She tries to move as little as possible to pull the string out of her pocket. She traces the L again. His fingers twitch and he grows tense with keeping the laughter bottled up inside him. She carefully spells the rest of his name as well as wraps the string lightly around his ring finger before quickly pulling it off.

“Don’t open them,” she says.

When she’s done, he pulls away again and rubs his hands together. He keeps his eyes closed.

“What did I spell?” she asks him. She ties the string at the measurement mark.

“Louis.”

“Are you sure?” she teases.

“I think I know how to spell my own name, thank you,” he says. “Even with whatever sneaky finger trick you’re trying to pull.”

“Well, I guess you win.”

“Can I open my eyes now?”

“No.”

“What? Isn’t it your turn?”

“Nope.”

“Darling, I’m starting to think this game’s a little rigged.”

Clementine takes a moment to glance over his face. His brows are knitted with concentration, and she can tell he’s biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. She pockets the sting and reaches for his hand again. She absently traces the lines along his palm. His hand twitches again.

“Okay, that’s not even a word,” he complains.

She brings his hand up and kisses his knuckles.

Then, she leans over and kisses his chin, then his cheek. His breath stops before coming out shaky. She kisses his jaw. She lets go of his hand and runs her fingers over the thin fabric of his shirt. They move to his collarbone and his neck. She presses her thumb lightly against his pulse point. It beats hard. His skin is warm.

He carefully grabs her waist.

She traces a heart over his chest.

He tightens his grip on her.

And she finally presses her lips to his with a satisfied sigh.

---

The world’s a blur when her eyes flutter open.

She feels relaxed, calm as she weaves in and out of dreamless sleep.  The body wrapped around her is warm, tight... and trembling? 

And suddenly, she’s cold and awake, and Louis is gasping for air.

Fear runs through her veins as she jolts up. Louis has his head tucked between his knees, shaking and trying to breathe. All that escapes his lungs are short puffs. Her hands are on him immediately, pulling him close even when he flinches away.

“No-” he whimpers.

“Louis,” she whispers, pushing his dreads away from his face, “it’s okay, it’s me.”

He shakes his head. “Shit-” he sobs. He cries are muffled by his arm but Clementine can see how red and wet his eyes are. “-I’m sorry-” she hears him cry, “-I’m sorry, I’m sorry-”

She holds him tight against her.

He’d been sleeping so calmly these past few weeks. But, even so, the nightmares always back. They always did for her, too. But, that’s where she and Louis differed. Clementine’s nightmares have become a natural, accepted part of her life. She knows there’s no escape from them.

But Louis… even now, two years later, he still dreams of that woman. Shit, Clementine couldn’t even remember her name or what she looked like, but she knew Louis did. Her name engraved itself into his brain the moment he heard Minerva’s distressed cry at seeing her fall over dead.

She’s tried telling him over and over again that what he did was self-defense, that if he hadn’t done what he did, that woman wouldn’t have hesitated to kill him. Fuck, that woman wouldn’t have hesitated to cut off his hand had AJ not attacked her. In her mind, Louis had no reason to feel so horrified, so ashamed.

“-I didn’t mean to-”

But he did feel those things and she wouldn’t ever ignore that. She wouldn’t ever belittle that.

So, she holds him and let him quietly weep until he physically can’t anymore.  She rubs his back and his arms to try and calm his shaking. She whispers comforting words into his ear and kisses his temple, his cheek. She wipes the cold sweat off his brow.

And when they wake up tomorrow morning, she doesn’t say anything.

She watches him move about the room, gathering up his boots and sitting on the bed. He laces them up and rests his elbows on his knees. She doesn’t need to see his face to tell he’s exhausted. 

“Clementine?” he whispers.

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

And like that, any doubts about what she wants are gone.

“I love you, too.”

[yeppeojiwrites]

beauty and a beat 7: after the storm//multigroup crossover

summary : you and byounggon have an interesting conversation in your kitchen while you make pancakes for him and the rest of his groupmates. 

parings : reader x byounggon (feat. cix)

word count : 2,802

warning : an allusion to self injury and a smooch

a/n : here’s a chapter that clearly shows me being on my byounggon bullshit

--

reminder:

plain text is english

bold text is korean

italicized bold text is korean with honorifics

--

A couple hours after falling asleep on your couch, you stood in your kitchen dancing to music that played softly from your laptop while cooking pancakes for yourself and your five guests.

You hummed along to Kali Uchi’s “Tyrant” and flipped the two pancakes over and sighed in relief when there was no splatter from the pancakes as they landed on the skillet.

“Well, mira, mira, míralo.” Kali sang.

“Míralo, míralo~” you responded.

“Papi está rico, papi está guapo.” Kali prompted again.

“Papi está guapo~” you responded for second time, doing what most choreographers would describe as a body roll that should be seen by the walls of your shower.

“The world's been asking us to lose control. All we ever do is French like Brigitte Bardot.” you sang with Kali as you closed your eyes and turned away from the stove.

“Brigitte Bardot!” you cheered as you opened your eyes.

You almost screamed when you saw Byounggon sitting on your kitchen counter looking back at you with an amused expression.

“What did all of that mean?” he asked in a raspy morning voice.

“Uh...stuff?” you responded. He hopped down from the counter to stand in front of you and slid his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants.

“I came in here to let you know that I used some of your mouthwash.” he informed you. “I hope that’s okay.”

“I don’t mind.” you said as you turned around to move the pancakes that were in the skillet onto the plate that held a growing pile of pancakes.

“It burned a little bit.” he said as he watched you pour two more spots of batter onto the skillet.

“You don’t normally use Listerine, huh?” you smiled.

“Not the blue one.” he laughed. He leaned closer to you and rested his head on your shoulder.

“Can I flip over one of the pancakes?” he asked.

“If you mess it up, you’re eating it.” you answer.

“That’s fair.” he agreed.

“Do you mind moving back a little bit so that my sweatshirt doesn’t catch on fire?” you ask him.

“Why not just roll up your sleeves?” Byounggon asked while giving you space to move back.

“I’d rather not say.” you said as you turned around and walked over to your counter and lifted yourself on top of it.

Byounggon moved in front of you and tried to search your eyes. He grabbed your hands.

“You know you can tell me anything, right?” he pleaded.

“Yeah, why would you-” you started before being hit with a wave of realization. “Oh.” you said while your eyes widened.

“Oh?” he repeated in a confused tone.

“It isn’t what you think it is.” you assured him. “Let’s flip the pancakes and then I’ll show you.”

“Okay?” he said in a confused tone.

“I’ll flip mine first and I’ll help you flip yours.” you informed him. He nodded and watched you flip your pancake.

“That can’t be too hard, right?” he asked.

“It looks easy because I’m a professional.” you joked. “I’ll stand behind you and help.” 

You moved behind him and placed your hands on his shoulders for stabilization as you stood on the tips of your toes to look over his shoulder to watch him flip the pancake.

You felt him stiffen and you laughed. Finally, a taste of his own medicine, you thought.

“Are you flustered, Byounggon?” you teased. He ignored you but his reddening ears gave him away.

He successfully flipped his pancake with only a little bit of splatter.

“That’s really good!” you cheered. “We can flip it in twenty seconds.”

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on with you afterwards?” he asked. You nodded and patted his cheek before moving the pancakes onto the pancake plate. You turned off the stove and walked back to where you sat on the kitchen counter.

“Before I came to South Korea, I talked to Chan about what I’m hiding.” you started while tugging at the sleeves of your sweatshirt. You avoided eye contact with Byounggon. “He told me that younger Korean people are more accepting of them compared to the older generation but that I should still be wary because they still hold a negative connotation in some areas.” He walked over to stand in front of you.

He placed his hand under your chin and lifted your head up so that you could look him in the eye.

“Byounggon...if you don’t want to be friends with me after I show you this, I understand.” you told him with a tight-lipped smile.

You lifted your left sleeve and Byounggon looked down at it before looking at you with a displeased expression.

“So you made me think that something was wrong because you have a tattoo?” he rubbed at his forehead.

“Yeah?” you answered.

“You’re so...I don’t know...” Byounggon sighed. “Frustrating? Cute? You had me worried over a tattoo!” he paced the kitchen.

“I thought you wouldn’t want to be my friend anymore.” you mumbled.

“You worry too much.” he said before shaking his head.

“I guess I do.” you agreed. You tried to hop down from the counter but Byounggon stopped you.

“What’s wrong?” you asked.

“Do you have any other tattoos?” he asked while tracing the stalks of lavender tattooed on your arm.

“I have two more.” you answered.

“Can I see them?”

You nodded and lightly brushed his arm off of your arm.

“Move back a little bit so I can show you.” you said before, playfully pushing his chest so that he moved back a couple of inches. You lifted your left leg to cross it over your right and lifted your pant leg so that it reached the middle of your shin.

The words ‘mind / matter’ (mind over matter) were tattooed in a small cursive font onto the skin right above the protruding bone on your right ankle.

“What does it mean?” the brunette asked as he ran his fingertips over the raised lettering.

“You have to use your mind to overcome real life problems.” you explained.

“That’s really powerful.”

“I thought so too.” you agreed.

“Where’s the other one?” he asked. You laughed slightly as you uncrossed your legs.

“That one...I don’t know if I can show you.” you sighed.

“Why not?” he pressed.

“It’s in a weird area.” you told him. He furrowed his eyebrows a little bit before nodding in understanding. You chewed the inside of your cheek while trying to figure our your next move.

“I have a proposition for you.” you started. Byounggon looked at you expectantly. “I’ll let you touch it.”

“You’ll let me touch it but I can’t see it?” he snorted.

“It’s too close to my chest for me to let you see it.” you responded. “So do you want to or not?”

“I want to.” the corners of his lips raised slightly.

You pulled him by his shoulders to stand between your open legs. You briefly slid your hand under your shirt to confirm the location of your tattoo.

“Lee Byounggon, if you hand slides up even a millimeter too far, I will smack you.” you warned him.

“What if I told you that I would be into that?” he whispered as he placed a hand on your hip.

“I’d strangle you instead.” you whispered back. He audibly exhaled through his nostrils and smiled just enough that his dimple showed.

He placed his free hand on your other hip. You could feel him wavering.

“Nervous?” you teased.

He ran his tongue over his lips before making eye contact with you.

“No.” he responded before sliding his right hand up the left side of your body.

You shivered slightly before clearing your throat and breaking eye contact.

“Nervous?” he teased you. You grabbed his hand and slid it up your left side so that it rested over your tattoo.

“No.”

He furrowed his eyebrows in concentration as he ran his fingertips over your tattoo.

“What is this?” he asked.

“It’s the first line of the chorus of ‘Eclipse,’ one of the first songs I made that was used by an artist.” you replied. He hummed in understanding as he traced the outline of the tattoo.

He moved his hands so that they rested on your waist under your shirt.

“Can I be honest?” he peered at you through the hair that hung over his eyes.

You moved his hair from out of his eyes.

“I don’t know how you’re able to see with-”

“I really like you.” he cut you off. “I really, really like you.”

“Byounggon.” you frowned. Your hands fell to rest on his shoulders. “You know we can’t.”

“We could but you don’t want to.” he replied.

“I’m not going to allow you to ruin your career just because you want to date me, Lee Byounggon. Your group’s future is too bright to be ruined by a foreigner.” you said.

“Don’t reduce yourself like that.” he frowned.

“That’s all I’ll be reduced to anyways. I might as well prepare you for it.” you retorted.

“Can you at least think about it?” he pleaded. The two of you sat in silence while staring at each other

“A year and a half.” you said suddenly.

“What does that mean?” he asked as he rubbed circles on your waist with his thumbs.

“Nothing official for the next year and a half.”

“Why not sooner?” he asked.

“The time frame will give you guys the opportunity to debut and have a few comebacks and it will give us a chance to see if we should actually label our relationship.”

“A year and three months.” he countered.

“A year and a half.” you responded.

“Six months.” he attempted to low-ball you.

“A year and a half.” you reiterated.

“Nine months.” he leaned in.

“A year and a half.” you leaned in as well.

“Ten months.” he leaned in closer.

“A year and nine months.” you countered while leaning in.

“Seven months.” his nose brushed against yours at this point.

“Two years.” your foreheads touched. “The lower you, go the higher I go.” you whispered.

He moved his hands down to your hips and pulled your body closer to his. Your legs automatically locked around his torso because of your reflexes.

His gaze dropped to your lips before meeting yours again.

“Can I kiss you?” he whispered.

You pulled away from him and avoided eye contact. “I’ve never kissed a boy before.” you mumbled.

“You’re so cute.” he laughed as he moved his hands to the skin on the outsides of your thigh.

“So I could potentially be your first kiss?” he asked.

“One of them.” you answered. He paused and you could feel him look at you with a confused expression.

“Don’t read between the lines. That’s a story for another time.” you explained.

“Can you at least look at me?” he asked. You reluctantly looked at the boy that stood in front of you.

“I promise I’ll be the best first kiss you’ve ever had.” he tried to appeal to you. “Will you let me?”

You nodded shyly. He pressed a kiss to your cheek.

“Is that it?” you joked.

“No, that was just to help you get used to my lips.” he smiled.

“You’re annoying.” you mumble.

“Not annoying enough for you to not want to kiss me.” he responded. He guided your arms to rest around his neck. He placed his hand on your waist and his other hand on your cheek.

You lifted your hand to move his hair out of his eyes for the second time. He smiled at you and you let your hand drop to touch his dimple.

“Don’t be nervous, okay?” he assured you. You nodded and he leaned in. He made pointed eye contact with you when your lips were just a breath apart to ask for your final approval. You nodded slightly and he pressed his lips against yours. You froze for a second before relaxing and closing your eyes.

After a second or two of kissing him, you moved your hand behind his neck to pull him closer to you. He laughed and you pinched his neck to shut him up. He pulled away from you a short time later and you chased his lips for a split second before catching yourself.

“I’m going to assume you liked it.” he said while tracing your nose from bridge to tip.

“I thought there was supposed to be more lip motion.” you said innocently.

“I thought you only wanted me to kiss you.” he retorted.

“Isn’t that a kiss though?” you asked.

“No, that’s making out.” he informed you. You nodded in understanding.

“Did you want to make out with me?” he smirked.

“I, uh...fuck it, yeah I did.” you said confidently.

“Do you want to now?” he asked.

“I don’t know how.” you answered.

“It seems that I’ll be your teacher for today.” he placed his hands on either side of your face and you placed yours on his neck.

“Just follow me. Tap my arm twice when you want to stop.”

“If you don’t kiss me right now I will literally fight you.” you glared at him.

“So needy.” he smiled before kissing you again.

He guided the two of you into a minute long make-out session, stopping only because you lightly bit his lip.

“We should stop here.” he said with red ears. “You’re getting too good.” 

“I have to finish making pancakes anyways.” you agreed. He moved back so that you could get down from the counter.

“Oh and Byounggon?” you asked.

“What?” he asked. You walked over to him and used his shoulders to steady yourself as you stood on the tips of your toes so that you would be able to whisper in his ear.

“A year and a half.” you reminded him before kissing his cheek.

--

You stood next to your front door and watched as the members of Cix left your apartment one by one.

“Thank you so much for letting us stay here for the night.” Yonghee smiled.

“Don’t worry about it.” you assured him. “Oh and remember our conversation...if you ever have any American cereal that you want to try, let me know so I can ask my mom to send it over here.”

He held out a fist for you to bump. “For sure.” he agreed before leaving.

“Thank you so much for making us breakfast.” Hyunsuk gave you a grateful smile. “I thought we would die of starvation if we stayed somewhere else for the night.”

“I always feed my friends.” you responded. “Have a good day, alright?”

He nodded before giving you a slight hug and leaving.

“What was it like having your Wanna One bias and one of your Treasure Box picks stay in your house?” Jinyoung teased you as Seunghun stood nearby.

“It was pretty quiet because you two were asleep for most of the time that you were here.” you retorted.

“Fair point.” Seunghun agreed.

“Will you come back and visit us?” Jinyoung asked.

“If your leader is fine with it, I will.” you answered.

Seunghun looked back at Byounggon who was tying his shoes.

“We’ll definitely see you again.” Seunghun laughed and pushed Jinyoung out of the door. “Let’s go Jinyoung.”

Byounggon strolled in front of you.

“Yonghee already said this but thank you for letting us stay here.” he said. “I really owe you one.”

“I already told you not to worry about it.” you groaned.

“I’ll feel bad if I don’t pay you back.” he said as he pulled you closer to him by your waist.

“Don’t do that, they’re probably out there listening.” you mumbled.

“Are you shy?” he leaned forward.

“Maybe.” you whispered.

“You were so confident a few hours ago, what happened?” he teased.

“You know what happened a few hours ago.” you avoided eye contact.

“Ooh~” you heard from the hallway before hearing “Shh! I’m trying to hear!”

You leaned your forehead against his shoulder shyly.

“This was a bad idea.” your voice was slightly muffled. He laughed and wrapped his arms around you in a tight hug.

“I’ll see you later, right?” he asked. You nodded. He pulled away from you and held onto your shoulders.

“I’ll text you when we get to the company building.” he said before pressing a kiss to your forehead. The boys in the hallway squealed at the action.

“You should probably go now.” you tried to push him out of the door.

“Fine, I’ll go.” he agreed and walked out into the hallway. The four other boys watched the two of you curiously.

“I’ll miss you~” he teased.

“I bet you will.” you laughed nervously before closing the door.

You heard some snorts followed by a few smacks from behind the door.

--

a/n:

okay i FINALLY got these two chapters posted,,,the next chapter is set a little bit farther in the future but still prior to when you’re probably reading it so uhh,, look forward to it!!

[skeletorific]

How would Papyrus' first kiss go 👀👀👀

Haley! You fool! You beautiful fool! You didn’t specify which! So of course! I! Must! Do! All! Of! Them!

UT!Papyrus: Unless you started dating him a long time after he hit the Surface, chances are your first kiss as a couple is going to be his first kiss ever. Well, excepting that one time, when he was a babybones and wanted to find out what it felt like, and, well, that rock was there, and how was he supposed to know that it was one of the talking-?!……Never mind. First kiss that counts. So he wants it to go perfectly.

Stage one: Ambience! The Great Papyrus never smooches without proper setting! He and Undyne spend the whole day setting up the house as the perfect date setting. The furniture is cleared for a table without a lovely lace tablecloth and the finest china from the human world! Chinet! (Don’t tell him. He got the wine glasses, at least). He then covers the carpet with so many rose petals you can’t see the carpet. Undyne wants to fill it with candles as well but after about twenty seconds of her wielding a lighter Papyrus decides maybe just one or two would be best. He’s going to miss that blanket…

Step Two: Food! Pasta of course, his and Undyne’s specialty. The kitchen is pretty much destroyed by the end of the day and they’ve made more spaghetti than any of you will eat in the next month but at least Sans had the fire extinguisher handy again! He also makes your favorite dessert. And then after tasting the result he buys you your favorite dessert. And of course, no date is complete without sparkling spider cider!

Step Three: Dress! He wears some truly dashing evening wear and provides you with an outfit. Dress or suit, its your choice, but either way both of you are dressed to the nines.

Now all that’s left to do is have the date and share in a passionate embrace at the end! Sans readily excuses himself to go crash with Grillby for the night and he paces in the living room for fifteen minutes until you knock on the door. He pulls it open, beaming wide-

Oh no.

“Hey!” You say, smiling up at him. “Sorry, I’m late. Traffic was a nightmare.”

Oh no, you look….you look too perfect! Of course you are always attractive, but now…..He’s starting to lose his nerve.

“AH….N-NO TROUBLE!” He says, stepping aside to allow you through and taking your coat, praying in the dim light you can’t see his faint blush. (Paps, that blush glows, good luck…)

You take a good luck around. “Wow, this is….” You hear piano music, too close for a recording and look to the side. Undyne, playing her best and softest pieces on the opposite side of the room. She gave you a toothy grin before focusing back on the piano. “Live music? Papyrus, this looks incredible….”

“UM….ONLY THE BEST FOR MY TOTALLY ROMANTIC DATE!” He said, managing a brave smile. “YEP! DEFINITELY JUST ANOTHER AVERAGE (AND STILL TOTALLY ROMANTIC) DATE WE ARE HAVING HERE TONIGHT!”

“…..Are you okay?” You say, tilting your head and peering at him. “You look a little flushed….”

“N-NOPE! JUST THE LIGHTING WE SHOULD EAT NOW BEFORE IT GETS COLD SO LET’S GO!”  He said this all very rapidly but before you could question him further he’d steered you to the table and had you sit down.

His cooking skills have definitely improved, this meal isn’t half bad (although you suspect that may partially be Undyne’s influence). You still manage a friendly conversation, but he seems very tense the entire time. Undyne keeps shooting him looks, like she’s waiting for him to do something.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” You say near the end of dessert.

“A-ABSOLUTELY FINE! WHY DO YOU ASK! SUCH A SILLY QUESTION! HOW IS IT TASTING!”

“It tastes fine, Papyrus, but you don’t look so good.” Before he can protest you get up and walk to the other side of the table and instinctively press a hand to his forehead. Does that even work for skeletons? “You look feverish, are you not feeling well?”

The flush seems to grow stronger and he averts his gaze. “UM….A TOUCH TOO MUCH SUN! ITS….ITS BONE BURN!”

……Bone burn? “Papyrus….” You shift your hand to cup his face and turn him gently, to look you in the eye. “Is something wrong?”

“I-….I-”

“Get on with it!” Undyne shouts from the piano, having long since stopped her playing to watch with growing frustration.

You raised an eyebrow and looked up. “Get on with-”

Bony phalanges suddenly cup your face and pull you so your lips crash with his teeth. His eyes are screwed shut and he’s kissing you with little technique but a lot of ferocity. You hum in surprise but slowly relax against him. But just as quick as it starts, it stops and he pulls away, looking horrified. “I…..I’M SO SORRY!” He said.

You blink, slightly dazed by the speed of it all. “Uh….”

“I….I WANTED IT TO BE SPECIAL, AND….AND I….” He groaned softly and slumped against the table, hiding his face in his folded arms.

You start to regain full consciousness and try not to chuckle, stroking the back of his skull. “Aw, Papyrus….”

“PLEASE DON’T HATE ME.” He said, voice muffled by his arms.

“I could never hate the Great Papyrus.” You lean down and pressed a soft kiss to the side of his skull. When he looks up in surprise you kiss him properly on the mouth. Its his turn to make a surprised noise, but you feel him ease into it. He broke off before getting to his feet and wrapping his arms around you, kissing you again. It’s not particularly skillful, but it’s warm, and tender, and sweet. Very Papyrus.

A sweet moment abruptly cut off by Undyne picking you both up in a body-crushing hug of excitement. Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of opportunities after tonight.

UF!Papyrus: NO KISSING UNTIL THE THIRD DATE!

Edge never does anything off-schedule if he can help it. In his more bitter moment Red has commented that he’s pretty sure his brother clocks in to take a piss. And if the dating manual says that the recommended time for a first kiss is the third date, then stardamn it that’s when you’re going to kiss.

No matter how much convincing you’re trying to do.

“Come on, just one little one on the cheek~?” You say in a wheedling tone. He’s checking his traps and looking increasingly annoyed the more you badger him, but you know him well enough by now to know its 9/10ths for show.

“FOR THE LAST TIME, NO.” He said, examining the ropes. This was a simple snare, but the rope loop meant to catch the ankle of unsuspecting prey was not in sight. Likely one of those idiot dogs had buried it. Fantastic. Now he was forced to dig it back up.

You knelt down next to him, grinning mischievously. “Just one little kiss ain’t gonna hurt, sweetie.”

“ISN’T, AND NO.” He corrected. “WE JUST HAD OUR SECOND DATE, BE PATIENT.” He managed to unearth it from underneath a foot of snow. He would have to have a talk with the Dog Guard.

“But you never have time for ‘official’ dates” You make air quotes with your fingers. Because you hang out with him nearly every day, but it only counts as a ‘date’ when it meets his standards for one.

“AS I SAID, BE PATIENT.” He checked the knots and state of the rope before deciding it wasn’t too rotted and carefully replaced it.

You rested your chin on his shoulder, carefully avoiding the spike. You grin tauntingly at him. “Scared, maybe?”

He stood up abruptly, clocking your chin with his shoulder. “I AM NOT SCARED, AND FURTHERMORE-AAAAGH!”

In his hurry to walk away he had ill-judged the distance of his steps and caught his foot in the very trap he’d been working on. And unfortunately for him, as he had just ensure, it was in perfect working condition. He now dangled from the tree branch, his head about on level with yours.

You cackled with laughter at the ridiculous image of him dangling, his scarf flopping in his face until it fell off his shoulders and into the snow. His face went red as he glared at you.

“SHUT UP AND GET ME DOWN IMMEDIATELY!”

You recovered from your laughing fit and bent to pick up the scarf from the ground. “Hmmm, I don’t know….” You smirked playfully, stepping closer. “Might just leave you here until Sans or one of the Dogs finds you….”

“DATEMATE, I SWEAR-”

“Of course…maybe in exchange for a kiss?”

“WHAT? NO!”

“Well then.” You carefully wrapped the scarf back around him and tucked it into his battlebody so it stayed in place. “Better hope someone comes along soon.” You gave his chest a quick pat and walked away.

“YOU….Y/N-!”

You grinned and kept walking. You weren’t actually planning on abandoning him, just maybe disappear behind the trees for a couple seconds before coming back to untie him.

“…..FINE.”

You stop in your tracks. You hadn’t actually expected him to agree….you pivot on your heel. “Seriously?”

He flushed more and muttered. “A SMALL ONE. CHEEK ONLY.”

“You sure you didn’t swap out with an imposter in the last two seconds?”

“GET OVER HERE, IDIOT.”

You chuckled and walked over, grinning from ear to ear. His cheekbones got redder and redder the closer you got. You turned your face and presented your cheek to be kissed a couple inches from his face.

“….CLOSE YOUR EYES.”

You roll your eyes and do so, but at the last second still snap your head around so your mouth meets his.

He makes a surprised noise but you latch your lips on him, determined to make this last as long as you can. And to your surprise….he doesn’t pull away. Mouth not responding to yours. You peeks between your eyelids and saw him, entire skull a bright crimson that rivals his scarf. His eyes are wide and based on what you can read from his upside down expression he’s fighting off surrender with blind fury. So you wait for him to pull away….and the moment never comes. You just stand there. Lips locked. For an ungodly amount of time. This was getting awkward.

Finally, you pulled away, your own face a little red. “Uh….alright. Getting you down now.”

He was in shock, but managed to regain his tongue as you were working on his knots. “I SAID! ON THE CHEEK!”

“Yeah, well, it was on the mouth.” You said, tugging and pulling with little progress. “Why are your knots so damn complicated…”

“I’M GOING TO-!”

“Kill me, I know.” You finally got it loose and he collapsed to the ground. You pulled him into a sitting position. “So let’s get to that, huh?” You moved to dart away, but he was faster and trapped you with an arm around your waist. Despite all your squirming his grip was iron.

“FACE THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR ACTIONS.” You opened your mouth to speak when his mouth met yours.

…..Surprisingly good for a guy who had no experience, as far as you know. He cupped your face and tilted your head back a little forcefully. You stared in shock for a moment before relaxing into it, gripping his scarf to steady yourself a bit. He was….this was…..

And suddenly he was gone, walking away. “THE NEXT TRAPS AREN’T GOING TO CHECK THEMSELVES.”

His smirk didn’t go away for the rest of the day. Until you kissed him just before heading home.

US!Papyrus: You were on the couch, squealing with laughter and trying to squirm away from the bony fingers wriggling in your sides to little avail.

In hindsight letting Stretch know you were ticklish had been an amateur mistake. Not like you could help it though. It had started out innocently enough. He had an arm around you and had squeezed your side, making you jump three feet in the air.

He cocked a browbone. “you okay there?”

“Uh…yeah.” You say, recovering and settling back into the comfortable hold. “Just a bit tick-….”

Oh no.

He didn’t do anything but there was that glint in his eyes that you knew meant you had just made a Grave Error. “huh. Interesting.” He turned back to the movie.

You had been on edge for the rest of the movie, as well as the entire next day. This was Papyrus. He definitely wouldn’t let a weakness like that just hang out in the open without exploiting it. Every time he reached out to touch you you braced yourself like it was a cattle prod. But nothing. Just solid touches, not even accidental tickling.

Maybe….maybe he had forgotten.

Oh, but you were a fool to believe that. After three days, when he had successfully lulled you into a false sense of security, he finally ambushed you, sneaking up behind you and shoving his cold and wiggly phalanges under your shirt. It didn’t take long before you were breathless from laughter but he didn’t stop, keeping up the assault on your stomach, thighs, arms, everywhere that made you helpless with giggling. Which as it turned out was basically everywhere.

“aw, hon, you’re so cute,” He cooed mockingly, spidering his hands up your thighs.

“SHUHAHAHAHT UUUP!” You say in between loud laughs and pants for air. He had your hands pinned with his magic, which was the only reason you hadn’t decked him in the face.

“whats that? can’t understand ya.” He was snickering. Oh, he was dead.

“PAAHAHAHAHAPS-!”

He suddenly leaned down and kissed you. It felt so soft and natural that at the moment you only thought about how good it felt. The smell of smoke from his hoodie and the faint tang of nicotine and honey on his tongue. The brief reprieve from the tickling didn’t hurt.

He pulled away, smiling through half lidded eyes…..when suddenly it hit both of you.

That was your first kiss.

“uh-”

Now, not that you weren’t in shock, but in his surprise the magic on your wrists had faded, and you were definitely not letting yourself get tickled again. You snatched a pillow and smacked him, intending to just push him off and accidentally knocking him to the ground. He groaned.Shit. You jumped down and rolled him onto his back. “I’m so sorry, are you-”He pulled you down to kiss him again.

You ended up staying on the ground for quite a long time….

SF!Papyrus: How did you get yourself into these situations?

After a long series of texts so badly spelled you could barely make out words you gave in and finally called Rus.

“aaaaay, sweet’art, ya called…” He slurred so loudly that you had to hold the phone a little away from your ear.

“Rus, you’re drunk.” Not a question, it was bleedingly obvious.

“i mean…..kinda….” He giggled a bit.

You pinched the bridge of your nose. “where are you right now.”

“Uhhhh….” You heard shifting. “hard ta say….alley, a think….”

“Can you just port home, Sans has been-”

“thaz a negative, cap’n” He snickered again. “tried. how i ended up in thisssalley in tha firs’ place. portin’s a liiiiiitle bit off ri’ now….”

“Oh my-…look, is there anyone with you?”

“nooooope!”

“alright, what building are you by, I’ll come get you.”

After a long while of convincing him to get off his ass and check he finally told you he was out by the local convenience store. It took even longer to convince him to just stay where he was and by the time you were in your car, you were tired, annoyed, and wondering why you were bother. Rus almost always made it home on his own anyways.

…..fine, maybe you liked him a bit. When he was sober. Which wasn’t terribly often on weekends, but still. He was good company, and you’d be lying if you said you weren’t at least a little attracted. On his own end he’d been pretty flirty but you were unable to gauge how much of that was interest and how much that was just his personality.

Either way, considering he’d puked in the back of your car last time, you had a feeling attraction was gonna be the last thing on your mind.

There he was, slumping against the wall, bottle in hand. His face lit up when he saw you. “aaay, sugar….” He slurred.

You hooked an arm around him and pulled him to his feet. “Come on, let’s-”

“woah, woah, wha’s the rush?” He shifted you so you were against the wall, him with his arms braced on either side of your head. “just got here….”

The romantic side of being kabedon-ed was somewhat lessened by the threat of him emptying his stomach onto your shoes. “Rus, get in the car, you need to-”“pretty sweet of ya….” He drawled. One of his hands started to toy with a strand of your hair. “comin out all this way to pick me up-”

You flushed. “Rus-”

“wonder if you taste as sweet as ya are~” He leaned in and pressed his mouth to yours, sending you into crash mode.

…..Okay you had to admit, Rus was a good kisser, but the old booze taste mixed with the smell of that alleyway dumpster was not helping set a mood. As gently as you could (and maybe a little reluctantly) you managed to pull off of him. After a little more back and forth you got him into the car.

You’d just managed to get him up to bed when he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you down with him.

“cute….cute human” He cooed, stroking your hair as his eyes bleared. “stay a bit…”

And with his grip you didnt have much choice. This was gonna be an awkward morning….

[p-artsypants]

I Do....I Guess? (4)

Moonflow

Ao3 | FF.net

In the morning, Tidus awoke with a yawn and a stretch. It only took him a moment to realize he was not alone in bed. 

He glanced to the side and noticed that Yuna had snuggled up to his back, spooning him. They should have been getting up and getting ready, but he decided to indulge a little. Slowly, carefully, he turned and wrapped an arm around her, so she was cuddled to his side instead. Then he rested, closing his eyes and letting the warmth of her seep into him. His wife. 

This was far from the first time he’d shared a bed with someone, but this felt more meaningful than the other times. Maybe it was their titles of husband and wife. Maybe it was the depth of his feelings he hadn’t quite figured out yet. 

Could you love someone after a week of knowing them? 

Yuna shifted slightly, taking a deep breath. She made a cute little whine in her throat and snuggled into his pectoral. 

Then her eyes shot open violently and she looked at him. 

“Hiya.” He smirked. 

She scrambled away from him. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t—I wouldn’t!” 

In her haste, her robe loosened, and a lot of skin was visible. 

Tidus got caught staring before she tugged it shut. 

“Don’t look at me!” 

“I’m not! I didn’t!” He totally did. “Yuna, it’s fine. I didn’t mind that you snuggled up next to me. It was cute.” 

She peered up at him, looking sheepish. “Really?” 

“Yes. I knew that could happen if we shared a bed. It’s fine. Please don’t worry about it.”

It took a lot of coaxing, but she eventually relaxed from her feral state and calmed down. 

He added, “if you want affection, or want to show me affection, go ahead. I really don’t mind.” 

She seemed to smile at that, before the smile pulled into a frown. “Oh. I appreciate it, and I’d say you could return the favor, but we mustn’t be public about our relationship.” 

“Why? Do you want it to be a secret?”

“No no, I just…it’s improper. We mustn’t let anyone think that I’m doing anything…sexual. Even if it’s a hug or a kiss. It looks impure.”

“Even if you’re married?” He asked, incredulously. 

“I know. It seems rather silly, doesn’t it?”

Once again, Tidus cursed his limited knowledge of the religion, and decided it was best to just let Yuna take the lead. Instead, he decided to change the subject. “We should get up and meet with the others.” 

“Of course! We need to be on our way! We have so far yet to go!” She scrambled out of bed, diving over him to get to the floor. “My clothes!” 

“They’re right there,” he pointed to a neat stack next to his own. “They took them to clean, remember?”

She breathed a sigh. “Right, of course. I’m sorry, I’m just…a little frazzled today.” 

“Why is that?” He asked as he took his stack of clothes and turned his back to change. 

“I’m not sure. A lot happened yesterday, and I’m a little embarrassed.” 

“About the wedding?” 

“Is that awful to say? It was my idea, but it happened so quickly, and I didn’t get to say anything to the others afterwards. I worry what they may think.”

“They love you, Yuna. They want to see you happy. As long as you’re happy with this marriage, I don’t see why they’ll give us a hard time.” 

She didn’t say anything, but the rustling of fabric told him she was still dressing. He glanced over, and saw she was trying to tie her obi. 

He stepped up behind her and took the strips of cloth from her hands and finished tying the bow. “You are happy with this, aren’t you? Please tell me if you’re not.” 

“I am happy! Just…overwhelmed.” She turned to face him. “I hope that doesn’t hurt you.” 

He just smiled at her. “I get it. You’re the least selfish person I know, and now you’re feeling guilty for doing something for yourself.” 

Her eyes widened. “Thats-that’s it exactly! How did you know!? I didn’t even think of it like that! But you’re completely right!” 

“What can I say? You’re easy to read.” 

“I am not!” 

“Are too!” 

“Hey!” Wakka shouted from the doorway. “If you two are done bickering, we’ve packed up camp and had breakfast already!” 

Tidus didn’t skip a beat. “You’re just jealous that we got to sleep in a real bed and bathe in warm water! While you cleaned up in the river and slept on rocks!”

Yuna rushed to the door, though. “Have you been waiting on us long? I’m so sorry!” 

The rest of the party was waiting in the main hall of the temple. Lulu approached and fretted over her. “There’s no rush. Here, let me fix your hair.” 

“First day of being married, and you let your wife be seen with bedhead?” Wakka ribbed. 

“Maybe I like messy hair!” Tidus shot back. 

“Is it that noticeable?” Yuna ran her fingers through her hair. 

Lulu smirked. “He probably didn’t notice because he’s so tired. Probably couldn’t sleep with all your snoring.” 

“What, is it ‘pick on Yuna’ day?!” She pouted. 

Auron chuckled. “You just make it too easy.” 

She whirled to look at Tidus, pout accentuated. “Aren’t you going to defend my honor?”

He gasped. “Of course, dear! She doesn’t snore that loud.”  

“That’s it!” She crossed her arms. “I’m going to Zanarkand on my own!” 

Her tiny tantrum was just too precious, and Tidus burst out laughing. He looked at the group around him and belatedly noticed that while they were smiling, their gazes were sad.

—

The road to Moonflow was lowly populated. Wounded soldiers were still dragging themselves to safety, or back home. There was talk of the Crusaders disbanding all together. 

When there was no one watching, Yuna very slowly reached out her hand to hold Tidus’s as they walked. But as soon as someone else appeared on the road, even if they were in the distance, she would let go. 

He understood why, of course, but that didn’t make it hurt less.

He wondered what it would be like if yesterday had just been a date. Would she still want to hold his hand? Logically, they were at a first date level of romance, besides sleeping in the same bed. 

Though some people back in Zanarkand did that on the first date, Tidus had a feeling that practice was not common nowadays. 

Once again, Yuna took his hand, rubbing her thumb against his knuckles. “Is this okay?” 

“Sure!” He turned his hand so their fingers were intertwined. “Now no one will be able to kidnap you!” 

“Oh! You’re right!” She beamed. After that, she didn’t pull away when someone else appeared on the road. 

Late midday, the party arrived at the river, the pyreflies floated just above the surface and gave the water an ethereal glow. 

“Wow! That’s beautiful!” Gushed Yuna. “Those are moon lilies right? They attract pyreflies!”

“It’s even more fantastic at night,” said Lulu. “The whole river looks like a sea of stars.” 

“Then we should hang around to see it!” Said Tidus. 

“No,” said Auron. “We shouldn’t dawdle. The Mi’ihen operation took up a lot of travel time. We’re not tourists here for sightseeing.” 

“Harsh, but fair.” Tidus shrugged.  

“I’ll go see to getting us tickets for the Shoopuf.” Auron stated, already starting to walk away. 

Kimahri went with him, likely wanting some peace and quiet. 

As soon as they had left, Wakka spoke, “So what happened last night? You two enjoy the ceremonial baths?” 

Yuna blushed, but Tidus answered for her. “It was really nice. My first proper bath since ending up here. The showers in Luca before the game were too quick and cold. You know?” 

“And then what happened?” Asked Lulu. They were both very obviously fishing for information. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” He cheeked. 

“Yes, we would.” 

“Well, Yuna is a very private person, so I don’t feel it’s necessary to divulge all the juicy details of our nightly rendezvous.”

“There shouldn’t be any juicy details!” Wakka protested. 

“Nothing happened.” Yuna confessed. “We shared a bed, but only because I really didn’t want him to have to sleep on the floor.” 

“And we smooched~” Tidus sang, leaning into her space. 

“Y-yes...we...we kissed.” She blushed. 

Tidus squeezed her shoulder. “Alright, I’ll stop teasing you, Yuna.”

Auron and Kimahri returned, with bedrolls and tents. 

“Well kiddos, you got your wish. The Shoopuf has a stomachache, so naturally, we camp. And then we have dibs on the first ferry in the morning.” 

“Yes!” Tidus and Yuna high fived. 

“Here,” Auron handed a tent to Wakka and Tidus. “A large tent for the men, a small tent for Lulu, and a small tent for the newlyweds. Do us a favor and set up a little ways away, okay?” 

Yuna covered her face, bashful. “We aren’t going to do anything!” 

“Sure.” He snorted. 

Lulu interjected, “you know, Sir Auron, I’m perfectly capable of setting up my own tent.” 

“I know, but someone has to haggle with the Hypello for dinner. You want to give Wakka that job?” 

“Hey! Sir—I can haggle!” 

“You know him too well, already.” Lulu smirked. 

“It’s not my fault for wanting to support people making an honest living!” 

“It’s not honest if everyone in Spira knows to overcharge you.” She turned her back and started to walk away before he could rebuttal. 

“Damn woman knows exactly how to push my buttons.” He muttered to himself. 

Without a word, Kimahri wandered off to get firewood, while the men got to work setting up the tents. 

“Is...can I help?” Asked Yuna, awkwardly. 

“Just relax Yuna,” Wakka answered. “Your husband has it under control.” 

“Actually,” Tidus clarified. “If you could snap these poles together, that would be a huge time saver.” 

“Don’t make her work!” 

“I want to help!” 

“Let the girl help!” 

About an hour later, camp was set up, dinner was acquired and cooked, and everyone sat around the fire while the sun creeped close to the edge of the sky. 

“Would we have slept in Guadosalam if we had made it across the Moonflow today?” 

“More than likely, yes.” Answered Lulu. “Though we would have arrived rather late. If I remember, it takes at least an hour to cross the river, if not longer. And the sun is starting to set already.” 

“What’s Guadosalam like?” Asked Tidus. 

“You’ll see it tomorrow,” said Wakka, shortly. 

“Ignore him,” Lulu smacked Wakka in the back of the head. “Guadosalam is the home of the Guado, ruled by Maester Seymour.” 

“Oh.” Said Tidus dully. “We’re going to that guy’s house? Barf.” 

“Maester Seymour is a holy man of Yevon! He is good and honorable. You shouldn’t talk bad about him!” Wakka reprimanded. 

“What do you dislike about him, anyway?” Asked Yuna, with no accusation in her tone. 

“He just rubs me the wrong way. He had this look on his face while looking at you, Yuna. Looked like he wanted you.” 

“Sounds like someone’s jealous.” Wakka laughed. 

“I’m not. I swear I’m not. How old is this dude anyway?” 

“I’m sure he wasn’t looking at Yuna with any sort of intent. He probably respects her as a summoner as well. You’d do well to reign in this distrust when we get to Guadosalam.” Lulu chastised. 

It felt like being chastised by his mother, something she didn’t do very often. It was enough to get him to stop arguing and sit in silence. 

“Kimahri does not like Maester Guado either,” Kimahri said, after a beat of silence. 

“Ha!” Cheered Tidus. “Kimahri, you’re my new favorite!” 

The slight lift in his jowls may have been the only indication that Kimahri was smiling.

After a while, Tidus asked, “hey, earlier, I saw the platform where the shoopuf was. Wasn’t that Machina? And the stadium in Luca…it confuses me. Why are those allowed?”

“Yevon tells us what kind of Machina are allowed. The Machina during operation Mi’ihen? Those are forbidden.”

“So…weapons.” 

“And the like.”

“They could start another war. And violence draws Sin in.” 

“A war? There was a war?” Asked Tidus. 

“About a thousand years ago, between Zanarkand and Bevelle. Bevelle had Machina, and Zanarkand had it’s summoners. Then Sin came, and swallowed Zanarkand, and just like that, the war was over.” 

“I used to live in Bevelle,” said Yuna, “up until my father defeated Sin. Then Kimahri and I went to Besaid. I remember the city being made out of a lot of ancient, untouched Machina. Like they couldn’t take it apart, but they didn’t want to use it. Some still worked. Lots of moving platforms. It’s very beautiful, and the seat of Yevon now.” 

“Ah.” Said Tidus. The name Bevelle sounded familiar, but he couldn’t place it. Had they played against them in Blitzball? But if Zanarkand was destroyed by Sin, and he was there when it happened, why didn’t he remember the war?

“Your Zanarkand,” Yuna pressed. “What was it like?”

He scratched the back of his head. “I don’t know...Wakka always gets testy when I bring it up.” 

“It’s because we should be helping him get his memory back, and not feeding into his toxin-fueled delusion!”

“Hey! Auron spent the last ten years in Zanarkand! He was there to tell me all of my mistakes after every game! Ask him!” 

“Bah! He’s just part of your delusion! I bet he was with you wherever you’re from, but it’s not Zanarkand!” 

Yuna, not dissuaded, asked the man. “What was Zanarkand like?” 

Auron was quiet for a moment, before saying, “I miss their coffee.” 

“What’s wrong with our coffee?” Lulu asked. 

“It’s bitter. Weak. All the same brand. No variety. In Zanarkand, you could get coffee in a hundred different ways, imported from all around Spira. They made it with Machina that served it hot, strong, and smooth.” He glanced at Tidus. “Like the Pizzeria kitty corner to your house.” 

“Old man Wayhem! Aww his pizza was the best! All of his food was good!” 

“What’s Pizza?” Asked Yuna. 

Tidus died a little inside. “It's...food. Imagine flatbread, with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, garlic...and whatever toppings you want. Sausage, pepperoni, green peppers...oh, I want pizza!” 

Auron gave him a look of pity. “You’ll be hard pressed to find people that make specialty cheeses. In a world where everyone is surviving day by day, a lot of artisanal foods are forgotten.” 

“Wait. They don’t have mozzarella?! It’s not that artisanal!”

“Someone may make a soft cheese. But I doubt anyone calls it that.” 

“I’m supposed to live in a world without pizza...when will this torture end?”  

Wakka scoffed. “Must be nice coming from a world where people don’t have to worry about dying suddenly.” 

“It was nice. Maybe you’ll get to enjoy it someday.” Tidus snarked back. 

Evening turned into dusk, and the pyreflies became active in their dance over the river. 

Auron suggested everyone get to bed since they had to wake up early. 

Tidus had set up their tent so the opening looked out over the river. So they both laid on their stomachs, and silently watched the show. 

“I know it’s a small thing, but I’m glad we got to stay and watch this.” Yuna commented. 

“Well, I would have brought you back anyway, after we defeated Sin. We’ll go on a proper honeymoon and tour all of Spira. We’ll do all the tourist things.” 

She smiled, but didn’t look at him. “Sounds like a lot of fun.” 

She fell silent, as the group often did when the ‘after’ part of Son was mentioned. Did they not think they could do it? Did they think they would perish? 

What did they know that they weren’t telling him? 

Hard pressed to find a new topic, he asked, “if you weren’t a summoner, what would you want to be?” 

“What?” 

“You know, if you never became a summoner. What else would you have been?” 

Yuna hummed and hawed, mulling it over, before stating, “well, I love to dance. And sing. I bet I could have been an entertainer. But there’s not a lot of them. Not much of an audience either. People don’t really have time for entertainment outside of Blitz.” 

“You guys don’t do half time shows?” 

“Half time is usually filled with prayers from Yevon, or a Maester will speak.” 

“Even in sports, hmm?” He drawled. 

“Is Yevon really that upsetting to you?” 

“No no. Look, I get it. I believe in the Fayth. I’ve seen the aeons, I believe that they really do hold the power to defeat Sin. However, as I’ve been here, a lot of things the temples do have been a little...hypocritical. Like allowing some Machina, when it benefits them. And something about Seymour and Kinoc’s attitude towards the crusaders and Al Bhed made me uncomfortable. They didn’t care.” 

“It’s not really a Maester’s job to care about people, it’s their job to make sure the rules are being upheld.” 

“So they’re the judge, jury, and executioner?” 

“It sounds really bad when you say it like that...” she lamented. 

“Sorry. I just want to make sure you believe in the temples on your own, and not because the Maesters are telling you to.” 

“My faith is my own. My father instilled me with truth, but I grew on my own. The Maesters, as honorable and wise as they are, are only men. I respect them greatly, but they are not who I pray to when I summon. Does that answer your question?” 

“I suppose so. I’m sorry, Yevon is really important to you. I’ve only been in Spira for a little over a week and I’m criticizing it? That’s not really fair.” 

“Yevon isn’t what’s important. Bringing peace and happiness to Spira, that’s what’s important.” 

“Oh. Yeah, I guess it is.” He pondered this for a moment. Yuna’s heart was big. She cared about everyone, he would say sometimes too much. “Wanting to be helpful and bring joy is really honorable, Yuna.” 

“Thank you.” 

“But...” 

“But?” 

“It’s okay to be selfish every once in a while, you know? You can’t help others when you’re suffering and unhappy. That’s...that’s kind of why I said yes to marrying you. I like you a lot, sure, but I saw you bending over backwards for the benefit of others. It’s admirable, but I’m going to stop you from destroying yourself.” 

She didn’t look at him, and she stayed completely silent as she stared out over the river. She seemed melancholy, though he didn’t know why. 

“Thank you.” She finally said. “I just wanted my journey to be filled with laughter. But it seems like you’re set on making me feel all kinds of emotions.” 

“Damn straight!” He chuckled. He joined her gaze out onto the water, which really looked like a galaxy, just like Lulu had said. A moving galaxy of tidal waves of color. The only thing that kept it from being peaceful was the eerie cry of the pyreflies as they danced. 

“Hey, we never had a first dance!” Tidus declared. 

“A what?” 

“You know, a first dance! When a couple dances together for the first time after they get married? Or do they not do that anymore?” 

“No no, we do. Just, not often. Usually only in a time of calm. Most weddings during the time of Sin are more like elopements. Like we had. So not a lot of partying.” 

“Well, let’s break the norm! When you did that sending in Kilika, and you danced on the water, is that a summoner thing only?” 

She gasped. “I know what you’re thinking! Take off your shoes and follow me!” 

Tidus shucked off his boots and followed Yuna to the shore. She already stood in the very shallows, on top of the water. “Do you know any water magic?” 

“I don’t know any black magic, only Haste. Are you telling me it’s only water magic? You’re not some miracle goddess that can walk on water?!” 

She giggled. “Sorry to burst your bubble.” She held her hands out for him, beckoning him to her. 

He took both hands, and then stepped out on the water, feeling it solid under his feet. “Wow, it feels like I’m standing on glass!” 

“Now,” Yuna said, as she pulled him out further onto the water. “I don’t know how to dance with a partner, only by myself. So you’ll have to help me.” 

“Will that break your concentration on the water?” 

“No, I’m a great multitasker.” She grinned. 

He pulled her close with an arm around her waist. “To be honest, I don’t know how to properly dance. But…” He moved her arms around his neck, and then started to sway with her. “It’s all about being close.” 

She blushed, but smiled nonetheless. “It’s nice.”

The pyreflies surrounded them, wrapping their glowing essence in a spiral around them. The shore was invisible in the dark, and all that existed was them on the mirrored water. 

“You just kind of rock, like this. And sway.” He started humming some nameless tune, just so they would have music. 

“You sing?” She asked, surprised. 

“Not in the slightest. I can carry a tune alright, but my talents went into Blitz and apparently sword fighting.” 

“I want to hear, let me be the judge. Song me a song from Zanarkand.” 

He thought about it for a moment, flipping through the songs he knew. Did he know the lyrics to any of them well enough? 

Ah. 

Yes. That one. He had gotten a 100% on that one at a drunk karaoke night. His rendition was apparently perfect. 

“I got one, but it’s not a slow dance song. So follow my lead, okay?” 

She looked curious, and a little bit apprehensive. “Okay?” 

He imitated a guitar strumming, and then started to sing as he led them in a trot over the water.

“When I wake up, well, I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who wakes up next to you.

When I go out, yeah, I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you.” 

He switched directions.

“If I get drunk, well, I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who gets drunk next to you

And if I haver, hey, I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who's havering to you.” 

The next part turned into gratuitous arm swinging and hip gyrating. Yuna watched for only a minute, before attempting the bizarre dance too. Of course, she made it look easy, and coordinated, and not like she was having a seizure.

“But I would walk five hundred miles, And I would walk five hundred more.

Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles to fall down at your door.”

He hooked an arm with her and they returned to a trot.

“When I'm working, yes, I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who's working hard for you.

And when the money comes in for the work I do, I'll pass almost every penny on to you.” 

He switched arms and changed direction.

“When I come home oh, I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who comes back home to you.

And if I grow old, well, I know I'm gonna be. I'm gonna be the man who's growing old with you.”

Though the song was so different from what was usually sung, Yuna couldn’t help but feel giddy. He had picked this song for a reason, and she hoped it had to do with the lyrics. 

Though he was singing it with a bizarre accent. Was the original singer not from Zanarkand?

Tidus grabbed Yuna’s hands and tugged on one side at a time, making her shimmy.  “But I would walk five hundred miles, And I would walk five hundred more.

Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles to fall down at your door.”

“Okay, this part is really important. I need you to repeat after me: Da lat da.” 

“Da lat da?” 

“Perfect! Now just repeat that when I get to it, okay?” 

“But what does it mean?” 

“It doesn’t mean anything! Are you ready? Let’s go! DA LAT DA!”

“Da lat da?” 

“DA LAT DA!

“Da lat da!” She said with more enthusiasm. 

“Da-da-da dun-diddle un-diddle un-diddle uh da-da...DA LAT DA!”

“DA LAT DA!” 

“HEY!” Wakka shouted from the shore. “If you’re going to rebel against bedtime, try to be quiet about it, ya?!” 

“It’s called ‘romance’, you killjoy! You should try it sometime!” Tidus shot back. 

Yuna started giggling, snorts being thrown in as she fought to breathe. “Wakka? Romantic? I don’t think he has it in him.” 

“Well, now that he’s effectively killed the mood, are you ready to go to bed?” 

“Hmm mmm.” She hummed, as she finished a yawn. 

He took her hand, but didn’t lead her back to shore. 

“Tidus?” 

“You can stop me, if you want.” He said, leaning closer. 

Her heart raced as she realized what he was doing. He was initiating a kiss! He wanted to kiss her, all on his own! 

But before they could touch, Lulu’s voice pierced the night. “BED! NOW!” 

Tidus scoffed, but pulled away. “A pair of killjoys. They’re perfect for each other.” 

Disappointed, but not disheartened, Yuna took his hand and walked back to their tent together. “Don’t say that too loudly near them. That will open a whole can of worms.” 

They returned to the tent, and got settled in for bed. 

“Tidus?” 

“Yes, dear?”

She smiled. “Would you hold my hand while we sleep? Since there are summoners going missing and all?” 

“Of course, Yuna.” He held out his hand, and allowed her to take it, before entwining their fingers. “No one is going to take you on my watch.” 

“Thank you.” 

—

He spoke too soon. 

In the morning, Tidus awoke with the sun on his face, and the ground rocking underneath him. Quite the difference from the tent he had fallen asleep in. 

Opening his eyes, he looked around to see the Moonflow. And more Moonflow. And nothing but the Moonflow. 

He was on a shoddy wooden raft, basically a couple pieces of wood nailed together, and floating in the middle of the wide, wide river. 

“Very funny, Wakka.” He growled. 

Luckily, his pranksters had placed his boots on the raft with him. And he still had his inventory. 

Now it was just a matter of finding the others. 

“Oi!” A voice beckoned from behind. 

It was Wakka and party, riding on a Shoopuf. 

“What’s the big idea, man?! This some kind of guardian initiation?!” 

“Whatcha talking about brodda? You’re the one who went missing! Is Yuna with you?” 

His heart sank. This was no prank! “Does she look like she’s with me?!” 

“Just swim over here and we’ll figure something out!” 

Taking a dip wasn’t really the first thing he wanted to do in the morning, but nevertheless, he dove from the raft into the chilly river. 

And saw what laid beneath the water. 

A city, ruins of Machina like he had seen sprinkled across Spira. But these were huge, clustered, and still rather preserved, despite being sunken. They had the same style of architecture that he had seen in his Zanarkand. 

And there was a Machina moving around, exploring the ruins. On the back of the thing was an air bubble. It was still far away, but he could swear there was a swath of blue, the same blue of Yuna’s skirt! 

So he swam. He used the speed of a star Blitzball player to get closer. 

Sure enough, he had found Yuna, and she looked to be asleep. Or unconscious, however undesired that outcome was. 

He took his sword from his inventory, and attacked, trying to cut her loose, or ruin whatever made the thing move. 

It responded by attacking back, shooting rockets and snapping heavy metal claws. 

Tidus dodged all of it, flipping and twirling in the water like an aquatic acrobat. 

Finally, he dealt the killing blow, and the air bubble popped, releasing Yuna. 

He didn’t stick around to see if the Machina was really done, just sheathed his sword, scooped Yuna up, and made a break for the surface. 

The Shoopuf was a good distance away by now, and the group on board were standing and looking over the edge, probably in vain to spot him. 

Keeping Yuna’s head above water, he kicked toward them. 

“H-hey!” He shouted. “Over here!” 

The Shoopuf turned, and started coming towards him, but Wakka had already jumped ship to help. 

“You found her?” Asked Wakka, as he got close. 

“Yeah, a Machina had her.” 

“Damn those sandblasted grease monkeys! What do they want with Yuna anyway? This can’t possibly have anything to do with Luca, can it? Or the operation?” 

They reached the Shoopuf, and it’s long snout wrapped around them and placed them in the carriage. Tidus immediately laid Yuna out on the ground. He placed a hand just in front of her mouth and nose.

“Shit! She’s not breathing!” He immediately got to work, starting chest compressions. 

“What do you mean, she’s not breathing?! Does she have a pulse?!” 

“She’s still warm. I think she was unconscious, and she might have inhaled water when I freed her from the machina.” He then plugged her nose, and breathed in her mouth.

He went back to chest compressions, and watched her face for any movement. 

Nothing, but her lips were turning blue. 

“Come on, Yuna. Don’t make me a widower already!” He sealed his mouth over hers again, and breathed. 

Then she rolled over violently to upheave water from her lungs, Tidus rubbing her shoulders in comfort. 

When her coughs subsided, she nearly collapsed, only to be caught up in a hug. “I gotcha.” 

She relaxed, exhausted, and in pain. “Thank you...” she whispered. 

“Drink a potion,” Lulu offered. “You took a real beating.” 

“How did you know how to do that?” Wakka asked. 

“CPR? It’s custom to be trained on it when you play Blitzball. Underwater sport and all...you guys don’t do that here?” 

“Nah man, you just got to hope you don’t drown.” 

Yuna just rested her head on his shoulder, despite the potion taking the pain away. 

Kimahri crouched in front of her. “What happened to Yuna?” 

“They took me early this morning, at dawn. They came into our tent and covered my mouth before I could scream. Then they rolled Tidus onto a raft, and pushed him out onto the river, before pricking me with a needle. Next thing I knew…I was here.” 

“I’m going to kill those sons of bitches!” Wakka shouted, passionately. 

“Hey Wakka, chill out, would ya? Yuna’s safe now, and we’ll continue to protect her.”

The Hypello driver called back. “Are we’s go to goes?” 

“Yes,” said Auron. “Please continue.”  

Everyone settled into their seats and, thankfully, the rest of the ride was uneventful, and dare I say, peaceful. 

“I’m sorry you had to rescue me,” Yuna confessed, sitting up straighter. “I should have been more on guard.” 

“Yuna, we were asleep,” he chuckled. “And in a tent, of all places. I can’t expect you to just stay awake all the time. If anything, it’s my fault for not doing anything sooner...though I’m usually a light sleeper and an early riser, so I don’t know why I didn’t wake up.” 

“They were being rough with you. My guess is that they drugged you first.” 

“Look, you have nothing to apologize for. I’m your guardian first and foremost. I’ll always protect you.” 

“Really?” 

“Absolutely.” 

“Hmm thank you.” 

They arrived on the West Bank, and proceeded onward towards Guadosalam. 

The walk was pleasant, all until they saw a figure laying on the dirt road. 

Tidus, Yuna, and Lulu rushed to check them out. 

“Hey! Are you alright?” 

The figure started moving before they reached them, slowly standing, staggering, before unzipping the wetsuit they were trapped in. 

A familiar face glared back at Tidus. 

“Hey! Rikku! Yuna, Lulu, this is Rikku, she saved me when I first came to Spira.” 

“And you repay me by cutting my oxygen line? Thanks a lot!” 

“Wait, that was you?” He pointed to the water. 

“In the machina? Yeah! What the heck were you doing in her tent?!” She pointed at Yuna. 

“Well, she’s my wife...” 

Rikku’s anger evaporated as she heard this. “You’re her—? So that means—!!” She excitedly jumped on her toes. 

At this point, the other men arrived. 

“Yo! Who’s this newbie?” Asked Wakka. 

“This is Rikku, she helped me when I first came to Spira. She’s an Al Bh—Bh—alright gal!” 

Lulu gave him a glance that said ‘nice save.’ 

“Oh hey, nice to meet you. A friend of Tidus’ is a friend of mine!” 

“Now, if you don’t mind, we need to talk.” Lulu said, steering Rikku and Yuna away. 

“Yeah! Girl talk!” Then after a minute, she grabbed Tidus and yanked him along. “And husband too!” 

The boys shrugged and let them go. 

“What I was going to say,” Rikku began, her giddiness returning. “Welcome to the family!!” 

“Family?” He asked. 

“Rikku is my cousin. Her father, Cid, is my mother’s brother.” 

“Oh that’s right. You said not to tell Wakka, because he hates Al Bhed.” Then he turned inquisitive. “Wait, if you are related, why would you kidnap her?” 

Rikku looked at him. “To stop her pilgrimage, duh. Why else would we?” 

“She’s definitely going to defeat Sin, though. Why would you try to sabotage that?” 

Rikku turned to Yuna, and gestured wildly at her. Yuna only shook her head. They proceeded to have a conversation with looks and hand motions only. 

Then Rikku turned back to Tidus and declared, “because it’s super duper dangerous! And we think there has to be another way!” 

“There isn’t.” Said Lulu. 

“Well, then I’m joining the party! I’m going to find a way to keep Yunie safe!” 

“You’ll have to clear it with Sir Auron,” Lulu urged. 

“As long as it’s okay with Yuna,” added Tidus. 

“It’s fine with me. We’ll just have to hide it from Wakka.” 

“Yay! I get to be a guardian!” Rikku cheered. 

“I’m almost jealous. I had to journey with you guys for like two weeks before I was made a guardian.” 

“You also got named Husband, so you can’t be jealous.” 

“Touché.”

[datawesomenessdoe-blog]

TFtCS: Solar Flares

   Annoyed footsteps slowly pound across the creaky, worn-down floor. The boots of an annoyed captain drop. Bump. Bump. Bump. The captain’s weary of her surroundings, eye and head gently swaying back and forth as she peers down through each individual passing corridor and doorway, teeth clenched behind closed lips. Jessie steps side of his leader, the man seemingly a tad worried about the state of his overseer.    “Look, Davy. I know you’re mad and stressed, but calm down a little, would ya?” The scruffled human looks up towards his technical superior, though, his gaze is not returned. Despite this, the agitated woman still bares voice.    “Jessie. You know I’m not the kinda’ person to be peeved very eas’ly, but there’s no way in’all the galaxy tha’she’ll be getting away with ignoring my orders, not now.” Davy’s low-key rampancy results in a grunt, along with her rightmost hand balling up.    The two soon approach the exit once more, near it being the descent to the spaceboat’s bowels. She tightly grasps at the outdated knob, squeezing and twisting her extremity around it, only to force the entrance open. Behind the formerly-closed gateway to Elo’s on-site lab say Melissa, half way up the steps with a shock of surprise, only for it to be buffed by Davy’s downlooking expression.    “He-he, oh l-look, the pirate’s finally ba-”    “Melissa.” The wizard takes a gulp after the deepened voice booms at her, an awkward snicker escaping as she tugged at her robe’s collar.    “Whatever excuse you’ve cooked up, serve it.” The captain’s tone lacked any sort of threat, but seeing Davy angered was quite the rarity, especially to this caliber.    “Davy!” Jessie shouts from behind his employer, grabbing her shoulder in the process. “Calm down! Jev is probably the most qualified to fly the ship anyways, not to mention that everything’s fine!”    The black-hatted woman lets out an audible sigh, index and thumb now rubbing against her forehead.    “...Look, things f’ me have been really stressful lately. A ghost of my past is running rampan’ through the galaxy with powers comparable to a literal god. Now there c’uld be another person with sim’lar… or by the Forerunner, even more power, not to mention that the ship’s engines almos’ went out. I jus’ feel so, well like I’ve got no contro-”    “Wait-what!? What do you mean 'another one'!?” Melissa gawks in awe before snapping back into reality. “I’ve got just the solution!” The captain’s eye open and her head lifts, mouth open in awe.    “W-what!? Show-us!” Melissa charges back down the stairs, her hand fanning back to call the two humans down below. Davy and Jessie rush across the stairwell, the first of them leaping past the final four and landing on both feet. The magician slides over to Elo’s computer and begins furiously typing, digging through the device’s files.    >Open: B-1.Observant: Records    As the two captains step over, the old monitor displays an array of hundreds, maybe even thousands of files, all of which appear in chronological order.    “I managed to crack open that Observant guy’s core and found these.” Melissa’s palm keep hold of the large set of keys despite her lack of typing.    “So you’re tellin’ me...” Davy’s focus is pulled up towards the large screen, eye hypnotized by the array of information. Jessie soon makes his own logical inference, though, Davy’s trance is left unsnapped.    “All Observant units in the Vanguard military had built-in recording software, they were spies after all; my best guess is that the Harbingers did the same.”    A beam of cheer crept onto the captain’s face, laughter leaving her open mouth shortly after. The joy continues, only at this point, Davy reaches over and gives her wizardly comrade a spine-snapping hug; her eyes squinted and raised as the laughter became all the louder, hope returning to the tall woman as both her and the magician spun around. Before releasing Melissa from the godly grasp, Davy uncontrollably plants a fat smooch along the side of her cheek.    “Melissa! Do you know what this means!?” As the smaller female’s released she rubs off the kissed spot with a sleeve.    “We have this guy’s life on record?”    “No! Well, yes, but we c’n find Nemesis!”    “Nemewho?” The purple-dressed female’s left eyebrow raises in confusion, but her question was quickly interrupted by a sudden static-filled shock of sound. Davy taps the pill-shaped communicator that’s made home in her ear.    “Miss Davy! Just what in the world is going on down there!? First everything around the station is literally blinding, now we’re hosting the galaxy’s biggest game of the floor is lava!    Jessie slowly walks over and takes a seat, chin in hand and head tilted down as he assesses his thoughts and theories.    “Guys, do you think this has anything to do with the fact that this is where Brother’s Armament was fractured?”    Jevvin and his punk-rock crewmate Saarah sit comfortably in the bridge, conversing as the dark-skinned man slowly drives them through the fields of metal towards the historical suite. Saarah’s obviously more relaxed than him, her right leg strewn over the chair’s arm.    “So then I told her-” The woman looked down and filed her nails, but was interrupted by a sudden burst of noise from one of the bridge’s external communications monitor.    “Davy! What in bloody blaze- Just who are you two?” Brother appeared along the sheet of message-carrying class, his armor lightly scuffed but nothing really noticeable. Both of the humans jumped out of surprise, their eyes widening at the abrupt introduction of such a high-tier figure.    “Oh! Brother, Sir! We uhh-” The man made attempt to be polite, but was interrupted.    “There’s no time for your unnecessary small talk! Look, we just picked up huge traits of Solar Polarity and it sure as hell wasn’t me! Now get me to Jones IMMEDIATELY!” He was distressed and panicked.    “Uh- Sorry Sir, Captain’s very busy at the moment. May we relay a message?” The godly figure grunted out of annoyance and gripped at his own eye.    “Dammit… Look, tell your captain that whatever your captain just found was ridiculous in scale; we could see it from across the galaxy, even with our very own eyes!”    Jevvin and Saarah both gazed with a sense of dread, the woman soon throwing open and running through the bridge’s door. Jev, on the other hand, forced the steering wheel forward, letting the ship carelessly bump into and push away at the hundreds of car-sized metal chunks instead of avoiding them. Saarah sprints towards the basement door, the rest of the crew oddly peering at her in confusion as she passes. The door slams open, letting the sounds of debate escape from the Homebound’s bowels.    “Captain!” The thin woman shouted into the open room.    “We need you in the bridge, NOW.”