#so the train came. the hour-long journey went. and when i reached the bus stop to transfer to the bus to get to work… the bus had just left

[deus-ex-mona]

my day in two pictures:

[kim-monsterlings]

Cathair - M Kelpie x F Human (Reader) // NSFW

The pictures do not belong to me. I only created the mood board. Do not repost my work anywhere.

Content: NSFW/Lemon; childhood friends, mentions of inflicted harm to reader (near drowning, scar on left upper arm), minor angst, allusions to death, growing fluff, hugging and intimate embraces, kissing, receiving oral, fading out/allusions to more NSFW - if there is anything else anyone would like added, let me know <3

Wordcount: 5292

Faebruary Summary: after abandoning your childhood home, the memory of your kelpie and your feelings for him draw you back

Notes: apologies for this being so delayed! I had some time off at the beginning of the year, but the lovely Cathair is finally here. I hope you love him! <3

Masterlist // Faebruary Masterlist

Gentle embraces left dark impressions on your back from grieving family; grieving in anticipation, as you travelled the miles to your hometown. Their farewells - certain they would be an eternal goodbye, rang as your only company the closer you came to your abandoned house near the valley.

 Crowded by the creeping tree line, it rested abandoned for years. Only faint memory beckoned you through brambles to the smallest clearing, a far way from the closest bus stop, that itself farther from the train station.

 Packing light hadn't eased the burden of returning, though you wouldn't stay long. The guise of wanting to pack up your old things would wane after several days, and if that hadn't yet exhausted you, the trial of rekindling what you remembered as more than friendship with the woodland kelpie would.

 If he hadn't drowned you by then.

 Somehow, your home still stood. Neglected and damaged but there all the same. Untouched without your needing to check: this land cursed by folk wasn't sought after. It had always been your family's, no matter how disputed by the creatures rarely emerging from their murky rivers.

 Yet you went in the hopes of finding the kelpie. Your sister's wishing for your wellbeing manifested in delicately crafted charms. Blair's wards were useless against the likes of man-eating creatures, and only somewhat effective against true fae. It hung all the same, like the silver bridle fell at your kelpie's throat across the clearing.

 It was only right for Cathair to guard his territory.

 Standing before you like a daydream, the dark horse pawed with gnarled hooves before your old home. Too far to see the unforgettable glow in his blackened eyes, the glinting moss tangled in a thick mane danced in the soft wind. The sense of unease at being so close to him twisted your navel, though not from fear like it once had; from pain at seeing him after so long, and now wanting to flee.

 With a deep dig at the damp earth, Cathair moved. Faint sunlight glinted along his flank, an eerie sheen forcing your stare down. Today, you wouldn't challenge him. Not so soon, with a low breath close enough to chill through to your bones.

 Jagged teeth snapped not far from your shoulder: a warning, and one you wouldn't heed. He passed with a scent so familiar you nearly reached out, desperate for the rush of warmth his thin frame could bring when curled around you.

 Instead, you settled for looking back when he left to the trees. "I missed you, Cathair."

 With the swish of his tail, the faint scar on your left arm ached. The light of the clearing vanished into the woods too, away from you and nearer the body of deep water a short walk away; close enough someone could run off unnoticed. How cold it was rushed back to you. The emptiness beneath the surface drove you into the untouched house, onto old floorboards creaking with every step.

 You had given yourself three days. Optimistic, Blair said. She gave you an hour, whispered onto your shoulder as she saw you off.

 If he came near enough to question why, after so long hiding, after years of silence from disappearing late in the night, your excuse would be the same you told your family, though nobody believed it. You wondered if he would cling to the lie and hope you left again.

 The same mess waited indoors, of scattered possessions too insignificant, left behind while the mark of a kelpie stung fresh on your arm, and his kin, your friend, chased you away as you ran.

 If he came closer again, you would tell him the truth. That Cathair's brutality in defending you as you nearly drowned hadn't forced you away, but his family had. It was the fault of his brother for seeking you out and dragging you down the banks into cold water. Cathair saved you.

 The fresh bedsheets almost smelled like him.

 Coming home brought a sleep long into the morning. Even as a lie, you still began sifting through old diaries, some with handwriting far harder to read than the delicate script from your family. This curled and looped inconsistently, signed by the little boy with dark hair, always your shadow in photographs pinned to the pages.

 The photos told the same stories of the friendship you remembered, while your sister preferred the safety of indoors until night, when the child with a smile wider and brighter than yours returned to the woods. They told of you both growing up, just out of reach of Cathair's family - before his brother came from the waters in his footsteps.

 By the time your back ached from leaning over faded pages, it was late afternoon. The groove deep outside the threshold hadn't been crossed. Even left untouched, the figure lurking in the forest darted closer. Out of view, but there.

 Here.

 The empty bag on your shoulder swung when you reached for your phone, unsurprised to find the call from Blair. You'd told her of your arrival, reassuring her - and everyone she would then turn to, that you hadn't yet been stolen by fae folk.

 Surviving the night was different, and her breath caught on the other end when you answered with, "I'm alive and unharmed. You can stop checking on me."

 "Never," she said, her small, light laugh rushing over you. "Is it still standing?"

 "Barely."

 The doorframe held beneath your shoulder. Blair replied, something quiet and nonsense. This was all padding until she could pester for more and as she fretted, you looked to the sheen of moss along the kelpie's mane, cautiously stepping from the trees.

 "Hello?"

 "Sorry. I'm here," you said, and your sister cleared her throat.

 Blair spoke softer, as though knowing where your focus drifted in the pause. "His necklace," she said and even through the trees, the slight reflection of the bridle glinted low on the kelpie's chest. "Have you broken him?"

 "He doesn't need breaking. He never has." Her sigh followed yours. Cathair held steady among the trees as you came to stand further from the door, and a part of you hoped he heard as you said, "I trust him."

 "You trust the kin of the kelpie who tried to drown you?"

 His ears twitching may have been coincidence before, but the rising of his head couldn't be. Your stare held. "With my life."

 There was little more to say to one another. They disapproved and you didn't care. The impasse was as old as you, so you promised to speak later - to reassure her that you were still alive with a promise you would be home soon, before shrugging your bag right and drawing in a breath.

 "Cathair?"

 Hooves stepped forth. Still not the form you wished for - not the sweet embrace, the lilting charm inherent in folk - but the dark horse revealing himself completely now still tripped your pulse.

 "Hi," you whispered, quiet, but he heard as well as he heard your call, his tail whipping. "Is it just you? Not... not your family?"

 His muzzle twisted. With the inherent threat, you had to swallow a laugh. It only lured you further from the safety of your home. This creature, this gentle kelpie responsible for saving your life, wouldn’t harm you, and still, the land hadn't disturbed your rest. A family of kelpies would've sought the first trespassing human out in a night, or less.

 Cathair's head fell low. Yes. Only him.

 Nothing betrayed the fate of his family, even as his ears continued twitching back. However they came to leave their land, whatever chased them or otherwise, it was well-deserved. Your deep scar ached as you reached to scratch it, drawing sharpened eyes before the shadows embraced enshrouded again.

 Branches parted for his wide form and created a path you followed. It veered down to the water, the path well-trodden - one you remembered clear enough, from only one journey down - but you turned away.

 Unfamiliar faces watched you walk through the town you once called home. The few you remembered, friends you thought of as family, like distant cousins, had followed yours in moving away from land plagued by folk, and you busied yourself in buying the supplies you needed for the rest of your stay, if not a little extra, too.

 You were home within the hour, bag weighed down by fresh food, a small first aid kit - as a precaution, and a heavy bundle of meat in your arms. If there hadn't been a curled horse before your home, the fresh scent would've enticed him from the water.

 "Did you miss me?" His head lifted, only enough to narrow at the bundle. The trembling energy tight in your stomach pulled you closer. "Did you think I'd leave so soon?"

 Cathair rose, though you held steady; you had to. Muscles locked as the creature with unnatural jaws crept closer, your throat tight. Hot breaths fanned across your face, the kelpie standing well over you. Like this, the allure of his bridle made your fingers twitch.

 If he were human, nothing would have stopped you from leaning into him.

 Instead, you lifted your chin. "Want an apple?"

 Dark ears twitched forward, a faint green to his coat enough for your fingers to curl against reaching for him. This close, even looking at his chain was a feat itself; any other kelpie would have reared back from the looming threat of subjugation. Extending your hand never made you fear an extra nip to your fingertips, but still, your breath caught. Only a slight lean closer and you would be near enough to snatch the bridle away, trapping him as he was now.

 You wanted him back, not trapped.

 One huff and the apple lifted from your palm, snatched by a jaw opening too far, flesh jagged like his teeth.

 "You're welcome," you teased. His tail twitched but he didn't move. When his head lowered, you couldn't help smiling. Cathair nudged his muzzle against your empty palm, nickering softly. "If you come back later, there may be spare meat for you."

 Reaching out had been ambitious. Cathair darted back before you could stroke his long mane and when he faded without turning, the constriction in your chest drew tighter.

 Banishing him from your thoughts wasn't so easy now you were no longer far from him. Out of sight perhaps, but only minutes from where you fretted over long-settled dust. It passed the time, to trace old etches into walls from hours playing with your sister, until it darkened enough outside that a faint glow from beyond the door beckoned you.

 That same glow haunted your nightmares after leaving, but soothed you again when you woke, finding comfort in the kelpie who had drawn you from the murky waters rather than sacrificing you to his kin.

 That need for comfort ached through you and it had been long enough after forcing yourself to eat something that you reached for a jacket. Not one breath from closing the door at your back, Cathair distanced himself. Water clung to his coat with a tangling of water reeds, knotted and thick. His tail swished at your approach but the unmistakable flaring of his nostrils brought you closer, beginning to smile.

 "Sit with me." Without looking to affirm what the coil in your stomach told you - that every scuffle of hooves was another further from you, the two wrapped bundles captivated him. "Please."

 Before you, he wouldn't eat. Not like this and not the meat remaining bundled in its wrapping. Cathair joined you, though. Remaining a fair distance and so far your fingertips tingled, forced into your lap and busied by reaching for your snack, in the hope he would join you not like this.

 Faced with a kelpie now, heat crept along your cheekbones. That Cathair came at all held you from retreating.

 "My sister says hi," you began, picking at one half of the sandwiches, the one intended for you. His ears flicked. "They all do."

 And it wasn’t a lie so much as a twisted truth. They missed being here, not necessarily him. Had the rush of hot air not been enough to signify his irritation, the short whinny was plenty. Best not to inform him of their predictions for your improbable journey home.

 You pushed the bundle to your back and inched closer. "Have you been alone all this time? Is your family... are they gone?" Head lifting, he nickered as he had that afternoon and even quieter than him, you whispered, "thank you." For saving me.

 Whatever laid at the bottom of his territory - whatever was left to, was none of your concern. The kelpie unsettled was, who only shivered worse at your nearing again.

 "I wanted to visit. Often. If you had chased me away again," your jaw locked against the words. "It would have broken me, Cathair. Did you miss me, too?"

 Not one twitch appeased you. Not one turn to his ears nor stretch of his torn muzzle eased the pang in your chest, thudding like a rib had cracked. The press of your fist into your stomach didn’t lessen it, either.

 The curl to your lips wasn't much a smile, reaching your cheeks but not your eyes. Every forced breath scratched your throat. "It's late. Don't you ignore me, okay?"

 He remained still while your muscles barely held beneath you. The bundle rested nearer him with every step towards the cabin.

 And with every breath taken further from him, the truth in Blair's pleas for you to stay throbbed in your temples. How could you know if Cathair had wanted you to return? If the same kelpie who ensured you left his land longed for you, too, then his snapping jaws wouldn't have mirrored the jaws of his kin when dragging your drowning body under the surface.

 If it was nothing more than a wilful fantasy, the soft groan at your back was a hallucination. Rougher pants and deeper grunts spurred your heart into a flurry. While he underwent a change so torturous you could only imagine, you clutched the doorframe with white knuckles for support.

 Without an audible footstep, heat pressed to your back. Hastened breaths nestled against your hair, lips pressing to your crown. It strained your senses when he whispered your name, with his arms creeping around your waist and drawing you to him, back from the door.

 Grooves to his palm tickled brushing to yours. Cathair slid his fingers down, and swayed when you softened to his chest. Turning as far as his shoulder, your kissed the pale skin, gently first, before returning the favour and stealing a breath of his scent.

 Kelpies hardly changed far from humans, and he had been so alone. The embrace eased your tremors to little more than a whisper at his chest. "Will you come inside?"

 He only hummed low, breathing, "no."

 So simple, yet one syllable broke you. He held you from turning completely, his fingertips stroking the backs of your hands. "Why not?"

 "No," he said. Large palms fell to run down your thighs and against your hips, binding you to him. Familiar muscle from his bare frame tensed and the press of a chain dug into your back. "Not alone with you."

 Before you asked again, his touch flitted against your upper arm. The tracing of your scar left you paralysed long after his return into the woods.

 No matter how far you dared venture along the same path he followed, no flitting shadow rose. No prints from hooves or bare feet led you to him but that scar ached how it never had before.

 The softest touch from a window left open along your arm cradled you in your sleep, tricking you into believing he finally came to you. Old nights of the window opening wide enough for a slender frame to sneak indoors came to mind and the wind mimicked his embrace, careful, and always cold.

 But he hadn't come inside. He wouldn't.

 Little remained to sort through. Meaningless and pointless now to complete, yet you wasted the day sifting through them. Some - sketchbooks, usually - settled with smeared prints, like someone had traced where you had before leaving. You ran over the jagged edges left from torn pages, matching the paper you had rushed to carry away; portraits of him, old messages passed in notebooks. More pages were missing, though.

 Maybe the faint scent lingering on old bedsheets hadn't been just wishful thoughts.

 Only for fresh air, you cracked the door open late that night. To find bright eyes fixated on you frightened you back, staggering against the frame, forgetting in that second who watched.

 He never faltered.

 Guilt gnawed at you the longer you stood in the doorway, but you wouldn't go further with his heavy tail swishing, no doubt his sharp teeth bared if you approached now, so late.

 "Cathair," you whispered, and his dark form moved with a trembling shudder. "I'll leave soon. Just... just come in, and sleep warm. I feel bad enough as it is." When fae folk made no move to come closer, you sighed and let the door close, calling, "goodnight."

 Collapsing onto the cushions in the dark living room was followed by chills creeping over you. With the land of a kelpie came an unease, a familiarity haunting every sight. Not every night could be so peaceful and you tossed restlessly, until the first rap of the door felt more like your thoughts taunting you than reality.

 For one, slow step indoors, your intended bed for the night hadn't been within his line of sight, but Cathair turned only to you. The door closed at his back and he crept closer, bare from the hips up - clad only in torn fabric hanging from his thighs, hardly covering him. Soft light cast a gentler glow on him now, along the dark hairs of his chest, the impression of bone ghosting his thin frame. You longed to touch him where you used to, along the curve of his collarbones, where you once toyed with his necklace without ever contemplating breaking him.

 Blair would tell you to snatch it from him, to bring him to his knees. You would have him, your Cathair, then, but he wouldn’t be the same - not trapped and enslaved.

 You couldn’t move. When he fell before you to his knees, a hand rising slowly, you relished in the familiar heat leaning over you. Moss-thickened hair framed sharp features, clinging to his pale flesh. Beneath that silken hair, thin slits to his neck flattened now on land. He touched your cheek with slow, deep breaths.

 Then he softened, fingertips running down your throat. "You are too comfortable around me."

 It was too late for an argument, any debate - and it would be a fight. You wouldn't stop until Cathair welcomed you like he used to, with his smile unnaturally wide and long arms curling you close, but now was too late, too dark in your moon-lit lounge.

 This may have been the first time Cathair came through the door in your presence. It was unheard of for a kelpie to pine after a human, but to follow through; to slip into your bed and kiss you, careful to hide his daggered teeth, only enticed his family. It made you a challenge.

 The cushion became your pillow after you kissed his palm and his touch fell back. With the room dark and your trust implicit, you closed your eyes. As hesitant as to your cheek, his fingertips fell down your waist.

 "There is room for two here," you whispered. "Room for two in the bed. In our-"

 His chest warmed beneath your cheek and with each careful stride nearer the bedroom once shared in secret, his heart beat harder under your temple. The weight of his bridle tucked near your crown, hanging heavy from his throat but you rested by his shoulder rather than risk hurting him.

 "I do miss you," you said quietly. Your hand stroked down the slope of his chest, hugging him closer. “I really do.”

 His breath warmed your cheek. "You're tired."

 "Tired of wishing you stayed."

 Cathair stiffened around you for the slightest moment. "I never left."

 The first bend to his knees came and you made to lean back, only for a rough grunt to choke in his throat. He held you close until the bedsheets made space before laying you back, lingering only to tuck back your hair.

 "Cathair-"

 "Goodnight."

 The lithe muscles to his back rippled at your fingers on his wrist. His arm to your lips made him swallow hard, the kiss softening just below his elbow, where the scar forever wounding your arm rested.

 "Will you stay? Stay on the sofa."

 He turned, a kiss returned to your palm, a hint of a small smile, before the bedroom door closed. The fleeting skim of teeth warmed your stomach in a rush of everything but fear.

 You woke at the front door closing.

 Blair, in the least, didn't approve. Your parents wouldn't be told of your late night visit, and you couldn't promise your sister it wouldn't happen again. Not as you tightened your coat around your chest and followed the path laid by hooves.

 Thick boots couldn't steady you over damp earth and fallen leaves. With every step from your home, the woods quieted. Bird songs softened until your steps alone rang in the air.

 That pool left you frozen, the creature within looking so much like another pale-bodied being that strength escaped you. Several years before, that cold water rushed into your lungs. How he could swim in it, live in it, reminded you of the nature of the man wading deeper.

 And still, you would give anything to be with him again.

 The figure waist-deep tilted his head. Thin hair floated with the murky water, rippling against the shadows of his lithe muscles.

 "When will you leave?"

 The invitation back indoors fell silent at your lips. Cathair held his palms where water ran, a glimmer from his chain against the surface. He strode deeper in your silence, up to his shoulders blades. Following him even into deserted waters, no matter your trust, couldn't happen today, and he crept to his throat.

 "You said you would leave me again. Soon. So," he murmured, head tipping back, moss clinging to his crown. "Go."

 Before he fell, before he returned to pretending you weren't here, you dug your feet deeper into the ground. "I'm here. You forced us out, too," you called, harsh and unsympathetic to the sudden locking of his muscles. "I wanted to be with you, Cathair. I want...” When your words trembled, the sting rose to blur your vision. "Send me away. I won't come back again."

 Halfway home, your foot fell from a loose stone. The soft whisper of your name on the wind beckoned you back, though you continued until you could collapse on a bed he used to lay beside you on, aching to call Blair, though her patronising would worsen your suffering. Either you drowned or returned miserable and all you wanted was the kelpie hiding from you.

 If he wouldn't come to you within the next days, you would be home in less than week. The fresh air walking to town spared you the time to torment yourself with thoughts of him, busy feigning passing smiles, hoping nobody would recognise you as the girl who nearly became a kelpie's prey; the girl who still wanted one.

 Before dark, you rested surrounded by disorganized possessions that ought to be burned, lest you turn to them again for comfort. Some things you posted home that day, old scraps and photos, but there was nothing more you could do to busy yourself.

 Nothing more to do than close your eyes against the trick of light nearing your home.

 Still, he knocked, as though you would refuse him. You didn't answer, either way.

 "Bags?" Hardly a step through the open bedroom door, he whispered and stilled. Careful touches flitted over the straps, following the abandoned pile of clothes for the journey home beside them. His body fell with all the grace of something other, cradling your loose scarf and bringing it to his face. When his eyes closed, your heart lurched.

 "You're forcing me away again."

 His shoulders hunched. The scarf muffled him before he clutched it in a tight fist, stroking the material. "This coming morning?"

 As you intended, he flinched when you said, "I have no reason to stay."

 Cathair came closer in the dim light, and you struggled to sit up faced with his sudden decision to cross the distance. He was bare, the pale of his body tinged, bar the necklace dangling down his chest. Your scarf fell now you were within his hold. When he reached out to you, his fingers were cold on your cheek, slender and running back to lift your head.

 "I wanted you to have my bridle." Breath left you on a sharp rush, and Cathair pressed himself closer. He cradled your face and when his seemingly empty eyes found yours, he held you there. They glistened. "Before you left, it was to be yours."

 The last time you had seen him, in the thick of night and holding back a cry, he hadn't spoken. You told yourself it must have been the same pain at being apart, that he would miss you just as much, then he never reached out, never replied to letters delivered here, so you fought to move on, too.

 But looking at him now, fallen onto his knees and offering servitude, your heart broke for him. Cathair curled his fingers at your waist and clutched the thin slip when you turned, and he bowed his head to lean against your thighs.

 "I don't blame you for that night," you said quietly. His shoulders rose with a sharp breath. His raven hair had the same shimmering to it as his body when you brushed back the thin strands, careful to avoid jostling him. "I trust you. I chose to befriend you, Cathair, and you saved me when your brother-"

 "You left."

 The scar on your arm throbbed with a phantom pain at the memory of sharp teeth catching at you. No human could dismount a kelpie, and Cathair swung to help, to fight off his brother, but dislodging you would leave you helpless again in a river of kelpies unable to swim with a wound so deep. Saving you from drowning first then protecting you, he had nothing to guilt himself for.

 Then you left.

 That same night he whinnied and rose from the riverbed as you ran. He followed not far behind, tail swishing fast until he turned and left you fleeing.

 Cathair hardly reacted when you touched the thin bridle, but he lifted his head, eyes round and shadowed. "It is yours. Take it."

 "I don't need the bridle to trust you. Unless you... unless you want to leave, to live out your life in that form, then I won't take it."

 "Why?"

 "I don't want to enslave you!"

 His thin lips rose in an eerie semblance of a smile. "Why do you trust me?"

 "Cathair," you whispered, and it was you reaching to frame his cold face, brushing your thumbs beneath his eyes. His lips turned to your wrist. "Why wouldn't I? I've loved you my whole life, and you've never once abused my trust. You've never once hurt me, tried to drown me or eat me-"

 His teeth nicked at your wrist, though he was fast to kiss the soft skin again, a warmth in his voice when he spoke. "I could."

 "You could. Do you want to?"

 His body rose, leaning on his knees with large hands gentle on your thighs, before pressing his lips to yours. Tenderly, without moving for a breath when you held still, desperately trying to hold yourself back from scaring him away.

 Cathair fell back with a soft thud. The brush of his hands upwards made you soften, but you mistook it for a way to hold you, not the question it was when his thumbs dipped and pressed your legs to part. He bowed low and brought his lips to your inner thigh, drawing in slow, steady breaths, before his lips softened on the thin fabric barring him from your body.

 "Do you trust me?"

 "With my life."

 "I want to taste you."

 With his touch guiding you, Cathair laid a warming hand to your stomach. He ushered you back, fingers tugging at your underwear until you were bare, your slip thrown away.

 He trembled and lifted your thighs up to his shoulders, breathing deep, and the first kiss was experimental. He watched you tighten, your legs coming to press at his head until he returned low, guiding his hot kisses down before letting his tongue slip against you, and you cried his name. As you gasped now, it came different to when you spoke to him in the woods, with such power he himself groaned, and when he tasted you again, ran his nose up to nudge against your flushed nerves.

 "You taste divine."

 Rougher breaths flushed against your bare heat, awakening the heat molten in your navel. Like he knew, Cathair looked up, holding your desperate stare before his lips came around your flushing clit. Your hips bucked and he sucked, drawing a rough cry from your throat.

 "That's it," he murmured. "Let me have you on my tongue."

 Too flustered, too lost in the gentle touches, his hand running up your stomach to run against your breast made you arch into him. Cathair's soft laugh made you keen, his fingers teasing your nipple and rolling it beneath his thumb. The other hand, though it slipped your attention, too, began to stroke low, and his middle finger curled itself to the knuckle. Each crook of it had your stomach flipping, and he eased another, stroking against your tight walls until you whimpered.

 "Please- I'm close-"

 "I know, love," he whispered, and his fingers pressed you wide for his thick tongue to dip up, to taste you there. Tension tangled heavy in your stomach and he curled his fingers once more, the cold touch of a chain against your thigh a stark difference to how hot his breaths were, lapping with fire. "Show me how much you love me," he murmured, and his lips caught your bud of nerves as you screamed his name and your vision blurred. His sharp teeth grazed where you were most sensitive before chasing your release, kissing up your thighs and still moving his fingers in a way that had you unable to breathe properly. Cathair settled back and with your eyes on him, brought his slick fingers to his mouth, groaning. "You taste like heaven."

 You fell back with a heavy head, and he came to lay by your side, soft lips to yours. The taste of you was thick on his tongue, and he laid over you with a hand smoothing back down your stomach. He held you close, his own body hot and pressing into yours.

 "I want to stay," you whispered, and reached to bring him impossibly closer. "I want to stay here and be with you again."

 Cathair's small smile warmed your heart. As you both curled back against the bed, the kelpie lost in touching your smooth skin, he took your lips again and promised, "I'll always stay with you."

[aikrus]

Far From Freezing

Fandom: Boku No Hero Academia, My Hero Academia Warnings: Fire, Cold Weather, Passing Out, Reference Nudity, Reference to Sex, fluff Words: 2k388 Requested By: Anon Summary: Winter’s here, not that this effects the doting girlfriend of the half hot half cold idol of class 1A

      The bus ride had always been Y/n’s least favorite part of any given day. Attending the most prestigious hero school was a dream come true- but it came with prices big and small. One of which was the half-hour commute from the L/n house to the building. Her parents were both long gone by five thirty in the morning- and, not wanting to wake up at dawn to be ready on time, Y/n settled for the six thirty bus ride to Musutafu. 

Had it just been the rocky streets which pestered her journey she’d be fine- cursed with headaches and vertigo, but fine. She could take the annoying passengers which surrounded her as well; they kept their distance, and headphones worked wonders nowadays. Y/n could suffer all of this- she could handle it all, except the cold. 

Born with a temperature dangerously below what the human body required, Y/n’s parents knew early on what quirk she would have. Absolute Zero- the ability to slow the kinetic energy of anything she touches. Having a naturally cold body temperature meant she was constantly in layers and searching for a heatsource in anything she touches. While it wasn’t a serious issue, it was a constant bother to the teen girl. 

So there she was, sitting alone in the back of a shaking bus, with a scowl on her face as the familiar ache in her fingers came back. Desperate for relief, Y/n ignored the self-inflicted pain and rubbed her covered hands together. This bus ride went on far too long.

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

“Stupid bus, stupid cold weather, stupid freaking shoes,” soft muttering fell from Y/n’s lips as she swapped her winter boots- which excellently trapped the heat from the heating pads her socks concealed- to the thin indoor shoes the school mandated. She took two steps away from her locker before deciding the ache already taking over her heels was far from worth it, and she swapped back to her large and fuzzy winter boots; dress code be damned. 

Y/n couldn’t help but glare softly at the other students of class 2-A. While she loved each and every one of them dearly, seeing her best friends happily chatting away the warm air in their chests left her with undying envy. It didn’t help the cold that freezes over her heart come winter either. Her classmates, who she typically hangs off of and adores, had a tendency to ignore her come november. 

They meant no harm, and Y/n’s pretty sure they do is subconsciencly. She slows the air around her, causing the temperature to cool- whether her classmates noticed or not they steered away from her. In addition to that, Y/n had a very different atmosphere in general come the holidays. Blame the ache in her bones, her abandonment issues, her parents who were always too busy to celebrate festivities, blame anything you’d like- but the only thing Y/n enjoyed about winter was the beautiful moments of solitude.

While she was normally very outgoing and attentive to others, Y/n took the frozen season as a time for herself. She cherished the heavy blankets and knitted sweaters- fuzzy socks and fireplaces, watching television with a mug of hot chocolate, ten layers of wool and heating pads while music for only her played. Y/n loved the rare alone time the snowy season provided, but the biter-sweetness of it all never seemed to fade. 

Can you really blame her for the blood-freezing glare she sent the class representative? Don’t get her wrong, Y/n follows the rules and get’s some of the best grades in the class. She was a threat to whoever opposed her, but she was very stubborn. Perhaps that was the only feature she inherited from her spit fire of a mother. 

So there she was, perched at her desk, arms folded, ignoring one of her friends. Iida glared directly back, lecturing her on the importance of following the dress code and how it’s their not only for aesthetic purposes but for their own good. Once she realized he couldn’t understand why she was wrapped in five layers in the heated room, Y/n stood from her seat and walked over to him. Noticing the shivers that coursed through his spine as she approached, Iida took a half-step back from her. She confidently placed her hand on his blazar covered shoulders.

“This is what I feel like right now,” she spoke- her voice a whisper which replicates a howl in the wind. Iida- now much colder than he once wan- nods and lets her off with a warning before returning to his seat, discreetly starting his engines in order to heat up once again.

She wishes for many things- but above everything she wished her hero-phobic parents would have allowed her to stay at the dorms. Anything would have been better than this. The cold from the metal walls still nipped at her skin an hour later, and Y/n was ready to tap out and go to the nurses office so she could lie atop a furnace to heat up once again. 

Sadly, Mr. Aizawa refused to allow that. Quirk training had officially started, and he considered this endurance practice for the aspiring female hero. While the other students worked on pushing their quirks to the limits and beyond, she did the same. Stripping of her wool layers down to her uniform- taking of her shoes and socks. 

Her quirk worked through thermal equilibrium, her body needs to be colder than the object she touches to slow the atoms in it. While she could slow her body at will, she lacked the ability to speed it up again. This is a bridge she couldn’t cross any time soon. So, instead, she was told to focus on slowing her body as much as she can. While her body is meant to withstand cold temperatures, the coldest she has ever gotten was negative one hundred and sixty degrees degrees before falling asleep. While that was a remarkable feat, she was sure she could go lower.

That’s how she got into her current predicate. With Aizawa’s encouragent, Y/n breathed slowly and steadily, attempting to reach or break her current record. The time she had gotten that cold was under extreme stress- a fire had started in the daycare her little brother attended. She and the teacher were the only ones there who weren’t children- and they hadn’t been informed of the newest quirk-manifestation. This child was the first in the school to gain their non-mutan quirk, and it had been a complete surprise. 

The child was playing with her brother and didn’t want Y/n to take him away- thus he accidentally sent flames in her way. While he wasn’t very strong, Y/n’s little brother had been born with their mothers quirk- Enhancer. He naturally multiplied the quirks strength of whoever he touched. When he tried to move his friends hands away from his sister- he greatly increased the heat of the flames. Y/n was quick to respond and she was left unscaved- with only a minor fear of children from that day forward. 

Now, she was determined to gain that kind of control again. The air in the building began to drop and Y/n relaxed her body. Once it had dropped ten degreed in a matter of seconds eyes looked over at both Todoroki and Y/n. When Shoto shook his head, showing he had made no ice, all eyes fell on the so called ‘Winter Hero’, Frostbite- as the tabloids happily referred to her as. 

Aizawa kept a trained eye on her figure, noticing the increase paleness of her skin. While she was typically much paler than the average person due to her resting body temperature of 75 degrees, a noticeable blue undertone started to form. 

As the room became colder and colder, all practicing stopped. The students shivered in the freezing room, as their body heat no longer kept the temperatures up. The one a-little-warmer-than-comfortable 90 degree room fell to fifty degrees and showed no sign of stopping as the girl kept her focus. As she continued she opened her eyes, becoming aware of the silence now surrounding her. She had become much stronger than last year. She scored very well on all quirk testing, but she could only get her body temp to around negative ninety degrees. Now, with all her practice, she reached that in no time. 

As he watched his other students begin to shutter at the sudden cold and rub their hands together for warmth, he wonders if he should stop Y/n for the day. Still, he needed to know her limit. This is what the day was for, to determine who needed extra supervision and would need immediate assistance in case of a vilain attack. He’d just have to deal with the consequences of his decision after she was done.

Still, despite how rigid her posture, despite the blue hues taking over her skin, despite the ice which froze in the air around her, she kept going. Colder and colder until breathing became difficult for the other students. The ground turned to frost, and the students became slower and slower until they too were stuck in place. Standing next to the thermostat, Aizawa watched as it rapidly declined. Once her eyelashes had frozen together Y/n’s annoyance only fed her need to grow stronger. 

So wrapped up in her own world, she finally snapped out of her inner monologue long enough to realize a hand was on her shoulder. Aizawa could only touch her for a moment before hissing in pain and withdrawing it. Even through her blazer the cold attacked him, and the skin on his hand had ripped and cracked. He shook his head at his own stupidity. Still, Y/n stopped lowering her body temperature. 

“You beat your record by one hundred and ten degrees, you can stop now.” Y/n couldn’t understand what her teacher was saying, but she knew he was talking to her. Swaying in place, Y/n only recognized a sudden heat before passing out.

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

Waking up in the infirmary was something Y/n had a love-hate relationship with. While she despised the idea of either losing control or being injured, the nurse always turned up the temperature unreasonably hot in her office whenever she was admitted. It always made Y/n feel a little special, knowing a faculty member would withstand an above one hundred degree room just for her comfort. It was nice. 

Still, the heat felt different than the other times she awoke in the medical bed. Shuffling closer to the warmth, Y/n finally opened her eyes to find a beautiful sight. Shoto was asleep next to her, wearing a baby blue turtleneck and looking angelic. It wasn’t rare for the two of them to cuddle with his fire side against her- he was well aware of the downside of Y/n’s quirk. He was a little cautious at first, but he soon linked her to the stray cats which followed him during winter. They would constantly sit against his leg once the cold air came back- finding comfort in something he was once scared of.

Now, he loved it. He adored that he could help his beautiful girlfriend. She had once told him that the only time she went extremely low in temperature she had entered a coma, and it took two weeks for the hospital to find someone with a fire quirk strong enough to comfort her. Now, he was there. 

Sure it was a little awkward, after all, she had been stripped by the nurse so he could send fire at his unconscious girlfriends body. It was more than a little questionable, and had not both parties and their parents consented to this being a solution (and this not being the only circumstances he’s seen Y/n naked in before), Shoto always felt guilty, like he was taking advantage of his sleeping girlfriend. While he never touched her, and her figure was obscured by the flames, he always covered his eyes. Yet, he still felt guilt chew away at him until she woke up. Until she reassured him she was fine with it, he felt like without her verbal consent he was destroying her trust in him- and it was an emotional wrecking ball every time. 

No matter how many time’s Y/n tried to help him understand her appreciation for him, Shoto always felt the desire to dote on her for at least a day afterwards. It was his own special was of saying “I’m sorry,” despite Y/n feeling like he was never in the wrong. 

Either way, Y/n wasn’t gong to complain- especially today. Watching him stir awake, Y/n moved slightly away- only for Shoto’s arm to wrap around her and pull Y/n back into his chest. 

“I’m sorry,” his lips rested against her hair while he spoke- eyes clenched tight as he tried to preserve the sweet atmosphere.

“Thank you,” Y/n responded, looking up to his face and kissing his noes. 

“I called your parents,” he explained, hugging her close and snaking his arms around her waist. 

“Yeah?” She smiled- already knowing how that conversation probably went. Her parents loved Shoto; the already treated him better than either of their biological children. They were hesitant at first, hateful on their worst days. While they generaly were distrustful of heros, the L/n’s were known to despise Endeavor.

That said, it took two visits to her house for Y/n’s parents to adore Shoto, their opinions of him completely switched when they learned of the mutual hatred the tree of them held towards his father. It was a cute family bonding moment, one Y/n can’t help but wish she caught on camera. Ever since then, Shoto was their favorite child. He was the one who they couldn’t say no to. 

“They said they’re okay with you spending the night in my dorm,”

“Of course they are,” Y/n linked her hands behind his neck and peppered kisses across his face, “they love you. If I get pregnant they know you’ll most likely propose, and that’s what they want more than anything else.”

He hummed in a light hearted response, nuzzling closer to her and kissing her quickly. “Are you still freezing, love?”

“Trust me,” she moved her lips against his again, losing herself in his heat in his scent, “I’m far from it.”

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

I hope you all liked this! The first day of December is coming to an end- only 24 days left till Christmas!

Check out the December Requesting Event! Some Days are Still Open, so Don’t Miss Out! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

[fanficshiddles]

Caught in his web, Chapter 38

Chloe bit her tongue and tried not to look at Loki on the journey to the private runway. He was looking far too handsome for her poor mind and body to cope with.

Loki always managed to look smart, even when he was dressed down. He was wearing a light blue shirt, top few buttons undone, with his sunglasses propped on top of his head all ready for when they got to Greece.

‘Did you remember your migraine tablets?’ Loki asked.

Chloe’s face dropped. ‘Shit!’ She panicked, she had forgotten to pack them.

Loki raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. ‘Good job I remembered just before we left then, isn’t it? They’re in my bag.’ He chuckled.

She relaxed and sighed. ‘Oh thank god! Thank you…’ She said sheepishly.

‘What would you do without me?’ He grinned.

‘I’d be lost without you.’ She said in a teasing tone, though she wasn’t sure what she would do without him actually…

But it still didn’t ease her slight anxiety about being completely alone on an island with him.

They arrived at the private runway and Chloe’s nerves returned when they got out of the car and started walking towards the jet.

‘Alright, doll? You look like you’re going to pass out on me.’ Loki took hold of her wrist and stopped her, he turned her towards him.

‘I’m… fine… Just haven’t flown before, a little nervous.’ She admitted.

Loki frowned and brushed her hair behind her shoulder, he placed his hand just below her collarbone. ‘You never told me. Maybe you should take one of your migraine tablets once we get on, just to be on the safe side. If you get a little stressed. Are you scared of heights?’

‘No, not really. I mean, I wouldn’t like to be on the edge of a tall building type of thing. But I don’t think I mind heights.’ She shrugged.

‘Come on then, I think you’ll enjoy it. You’re perfectly safe with me.’ Loki assured her and took her hand, giving her a squeeze, they continued on to the jet.

Chloe completely forgot all about her flying nerves when they got on the jet. She couldn’t believe how luxurious it was. Although, she really shouldn’t have been surprised. This was Loki, after all.

There was a couple of double beds through the back for longer flights. As well as a spacious bathroom. A bar up front and a small kitchen for cooking some basic meals. Of course, Loki had a stewardess who came along on all flights to do all that for him and his guests.

The seats were big leather chairs that reclined. And large TV’s opposite each one, with headphones. At the other side of the jet was a row of three tables with seats around them, to make it easier for eating at if decided.

‘Holy shit. This is… I don’t even know what to say!’ Chloe was in utter awe after looking around and sitting down on one of the chairs. ‘Can we just like, fly around for the entire weekend and live in here?’

Loki laughed and sat down next to her at the window side. ‘You’ll get to experience this plenty of times, on longer flights too. No worries there. Providing you enjoy it, that is. We haven’t even taken off yet.’

‘Surely it’s just like being on a bus or a train?’ She asked, getting comfortable.

‘During the flight, yes. It’s better. But take off and landing is not to everyone’s liking. Remember and take one of your pills.’ Loki reached up and pushed a button. Two seconds later, a stewardess came along.

‘What can I get for you, Sir?’ She asked politely with a smile.

‘A bottle of water, please.’

Chloe blinked in disbelief that Loki hired someone to get whatever they wanted while on the flight. When the stewardess returned with water for Chloe, Chloe looked at Loki with a smirk as she took one of her tablets.

‘What?’ He raised an eyebrow at her.

Chloe shrugged as she put the lid back on the bottle. ‘I’m just looking forward to seeing how you survive without having someone at your beck and call for longer than an hour.’ She grinned.

Loki laughed and reached out to slide his hand behind her neck, stroking over her skin softly. ‘Well, I have you to be at my beck and call.’ He winked at her and leaned in to kiss her.

‘I’m not your slave.’ Chloe said with a smile when he removed his lips from hers.

‘Oh, are you not? That’s such a shame… Here was me thinking you were my sex slave that I could pay in orgasms.’ Loki chuckled, his tongue poked out to wet his lips, highly distracting her.

Before Chloe could reply with something smart, the pilot announced they were about to start take off procedures.

‘Seatbelt on, doll.’ Loki said, doing his own.

The click of her seatbelt made her nerves flood back. This was it. She was about to experience flying for the first time ever… And she had no idea what to expect.

It was all ok as the jet made its way down the runway. Then it started to speed up… And her stomach started to feel funny. She was gripping the arm rests as if for her life and her knuckles were turning white.

Loki took her hand in his and rested it on her lap.

‘Thanks.’ She said, her voice a little shaky.

The jet finally took off, the feeling was so strange for Chloe. She squeezed Loki’s hand tightly, he thought at one point she was going to cut off his circulation.

As the jet started to level out once they were high enough, her grip started to ease. But she still didn’t want to let go quite yet. So Loki rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, making her skin tingle a little. As it always did now from his touch.

When it was safe for them to take off their seatbelts, Chloe was a bit unsure at first.

‘It’s alright, doll. I promise. If there’s any turbulence then we need to put them back on. But we can move around, do whatever you like.’ He assured her, taking his own seatbelt off.

Chloe took hers off, following his lead. Loki motioned to the window at his side, smiling when he saw her eyes widen as she leaned across him to take a look, leaning on his thigh for support.

‘Holy shit! We are so high up.’

‘Indeed.’ Loki chuckled, stroking her hair back out of her face. He enjoyed the way her face had lit up, now she was relaxing more and enjoying the view.

Chloe felt pretty comfortable being in the air. She had a feeling she could get used to it, very easily. Loki had the stewardess make them some lunch, which was delicious. There was a little turbulence at one point, but it didn’t last long and Chloe didn’t find it too bad.

Loki was just relieved it wasn’t really strong, which it could be sometimes.

They were about halfway through their flight, just watching a film together on the TV on front of them. Chloe was resting her head against his shoulder and had her arms wrapped around his arm. But then he started nuzzling into her hair, watching less and less of the film.

‘How would you like to join the mile-high club?’ Loki asked suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows when Chloe looked up at him. His eyes were full of pure mischief, making her stomach flutter.

‘Uhm… I… Maybe…’ She said, flustered.

Loki chuckled and leaned over, his arm slipped around her to keep her in place. He started kissing her, his tongue slipped into her mouth. While he took her breath away, he sneaked his free hand under her dress and slowly worked up her thigh, until he found his goal.

He reached inside her knickers and growled into her mouth, finding her slightly aroused already for him. He started teasing her gently, working her up nice and slow.

Chloe sighed into him, his fingers always felt amazing. She wasn’t sure what she preferred… them, his tongue or his cock. All so skilful in their own way.

She gripped onto his arm, not sure what else to hold onto. Her head fell back in a light moan as he circled her clit, slowly getting faster. Loki used the hand that was around her middle and brought it up to the back of her head, turning her into him so he could kiss her again.

But it was Loki’s turn to get a little surprise when she reached down and started to squeeze him through his trousers. He gasped into her mouth and chuckled.

‘Very eager to join the mile-high club I see.’ He smirked against her lips.

She just whimpered in response when Loki slowly inserted two fingers into her, making sure she was prepped for him. He kissed her deeply, his cock hardening under her touch. It was starting to get uncomfortable, still trapped.

‘Come on, doll. Hop on.’ He said in a rush as he leaned away, unbuckling his belt.

While he was getting himself sorted, Chloe quickly slid her knickers down and off. Leaving them on the floor on front of her chair.

Then as soon as Loki pulled his cock out, Chloe was clambering onto his lap straight away. Loki gripped her hips and helped to guide her down onto him, both of them moaned together as he filled her up. She sank right down and he held her still, letting them both adjust. But not for long.

Loki skimmed his hands up and down her back as she started moving on him, grinding back and fore, keeping him as deep as possible to hit all the good spots inside her.

‘Ohhh yes, doll. You always feel so delightful around my cock, so tight and warm. All mine.’ He growled deep, scratching down her back that made her arch forward and moan loudly.

She leaned forward to bury her face into his neck and wrapped her arms around him, clinging to him tightly as they both rocked back and fore.

Loki prayed to the Gods that there would be no turbulence until they were finished. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to let her go back to her own chair even if there was some.

Luckily there wasn’t any interruptions. Loki completed himself into her with a groan and dug his fingers into her sides, likely to leave bruises. But he always came so hard when he was buried inside her. Chloe was quick to follow, cumming just as hard.  

She went completely limp on his lap and didn’t want to move, at all. Loki trailed his fingers up and down her spine, enjoying the lovely little shiver he got out of her. He was still nestled nicely inside of her and he was quite happy keeping her there.

‘I can’t move.’ She whispered against his neck.

Loki chuckled. ‘No need to, darling. We have plenty of time before descending.’

[purelyfiction]

Title: The Return of A Royal

Summary: After discovering Mari's real identity and recognizing the truth behind the job, Din decides not to finish it. The two return to Nevarro to gather supplies and regroup on a plan. They arrive at nightfall, Mari still slightly drowsy from her medication. The following morning, they take their time getting ready to move on after supply gathering for their journey to Tatooine.

Word Count: 5,786 (yeah there’s a lot here :P )

TW: brief description of sexual assault, nudity, fun shower times ;) We have arrived to smut city, and ask that you make sure you have all of your belongings with you as you exit the bus. Please exit the bus in a orderly fashion and we thank you for riding with thxse-xdds (galaxybcund) tours.

Chapter 6 - Steam and Sunsets

There was something about e-bacta that really just... put everything back in place. Mari slowly sits up, rubbing her eyes slowly as she hears a coo from up the ladder. She slowly moves from the cot she's on, still rather shaky, a bit tired still. She rolls her wrist over to see her ancient communicator to look to the time. It's been about 7 hours since she fell asleep from the medication Mando had administered. A slight chill runs through her as she moves to climb up the ladder. She's about halfway up the ladder when she looks up to be greeted with a sheet of metal that was none too happy. To be fair, she can't see his expression and he never really looks happy. "What are you doing. You should be sleeping." He scolds, only to reach a hand out to her, helping her up the rest of the way. 

"I... woke up. I can't really sleep well.. normally, anyways." Her body seems to betray the words she speaks, as a prolonged yawn leaves her mouth. His hand slips from hers once she's standing upright, stepping aside to let her into the cockpit. Mari settles in one of the chairs, Din unmoving as he looks to her. He seems frozen as she looks to see Grogu in his seat, eyes trained on the ball in his hand. Mari looks to him slowly, moving at a snails pace it seems. Mando finally moves back to the captain's chair rather smoothly. 

"I can find something on Nevarro to help that. You'll need it to finish recovering." She's curled into a ball, leaning into the seat, seemingly half asleep still. 

"Mmmm whatever you think is best. Not gonna be the one to move your path." The former royal hums before he glances to her once again. 

"Aren't you cold?" He asks, Mari's eyebrows furrowing at him at the question. 

"I mean a little. Why do you ask?" She swears there's a snicker coming from the helm on his shoulders. Yet, he reaches up with gloved fingers, tugging the cloak from behind him and turning in his chair to drape the fabric over her. Mari takes it gingerly, pulling it closer to her, watching as her turns to face the dashboard once again. 

"You're not wearing any pants." 

Mari's eyes widen, a bright blush inevitably coming to her face. She must've kicked them off in her sleep. "Um, sorry. Habit?" She asks, more than giving a rational answer. A slight shrug comes from Din. 

"It's nothing I haven't already seen." He says it so cooly, as if there was nothing out of place about it. Despite it being the very real truth, Mari's blush seems to deepen. 

"Not fair. I'm not allowed to see you." Her head's clearly not in the best place, otherwise there would've been a much wittier response from the brunette. The male doesn't respond and she turns to look back to the stars moving passed them once again. Din recognizes the behavior, having seen it the day prior when they were traveling to the random planet to face her ex. He speaks up.

"What are you thinking about?" Mari nearly jumps when she hears his voice, even though it hasn't even been five minutes since they'd stopped speaking. 

"Er, I'm... not?" She puts a hand to her forehead briefly before looking at him, despite his helmet staying straight to the course ahead of him. "I- well it's not really my thoughts. I.. just am reading the energy around me." She suggests, not really sure how to explain it more than that. 

"Reading energy?" He sounds genuinely curious, so Mari moves to continue. 

"I- my father wasn't lying about the powers. I... just never trained them. He had convinced my mom that I was a weapon, and I would hurt the people around me or even myself. So, they limited how much I learned about it. They mainly told me that I should try to block it out as much as I could. That never really worked, as I always just felt things, heard brief things. Like snippets of ideas. As though I had a window into people's thoughts. They were never more than one or two words. I... It's how I knew Grogu's name." She admits, the small child's head popping up at his name. She gives him a small smile accompanied by a wave. This information causes Din to turn to her. 

"You can communicate with him?" He asks, rather surprised. She gives a small huff, amused at his reaction. 

"I didn't say that. I hear bits of his thoughts every now and then. One of the first things that came up at the cantina was 'Grogu, eat." She offers, the kid cooing at his name and food in the same sentence. "So, yes, and also no. If he's willing to share it, I might get it." Mari knows very little about the Force, or anything she might possibly be able to do, but knew this one well. "But, for example, I can't get anything from you. You're sealed rather tightly it seems." It might be a jab, or a taunt, either way, Din doesn't let it faze him very much. He gives a nod at her explanation, turning in his chair again. 

"I noticed you were doing it yesterday." He offers, Mari giggling at the memory. 

"He was babbling to himself. It was actual nonsense, nothing coherent." She smiles, looking at the child in question who looks to her. She looks at him, only to watch him offer the piece of metal in his hand. Take. She gives a nod, slowly starting to get up when Grogu makes a displeased noise. The two adults look to him, only for the Mandalorian to look at Mari. 

"Anything?" He asks, only for Mari to turn her head. 

"Take. He lifted the ball, and said 'take.' When I went to get up, he got upset." She explains, the other turning back to his task, seemingly not interested in what the two of them were up to. A thud comes from over his way, Mari seeing the ball roll on the floor. She sighs, moving to pick it up, but before she can, it's pulled back to green, tiny hands. Again. Take. She moves so her feet are now tucked under her, the cloak she was using now settled in her lap, hands resting on her knee caps. "Take." She whispers, looking to the ball in his hand. Her focus is not very strong, considering the room was moving a little still from the medication, but she does her best to put her energy to it. She's not sure when it happens, but in a blink, the very piece that had been in his hand, was now in hers. A content coo leaves Grogu, Mari a little shocked at what had occured. "Holy kriff." She mumbles, looking to the metal in her hand, only to tap the back of her hand to Mando's arm. "This some kid's toy with gears or something?" She asks, only for Din to move slowly and look at the piece and answering her. 

"No. It's the knob to that lever." He points out to the pipe in the dashboard with exposed threads. "He just... was attracted to it since I brought him on the ship." He speaks, taking it from her before handing it back to Grogu. 

"Just metal." She speaks. 

"Yes." 

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

It wasn't long before the three of them landed on their destination planet. They'd just been there a day prior, but with the realization that he was low on supplies, Din needed to restock before they could continue tracking down someone's whereabouts when they had no real clue where they were. So, as the sun sets on Nevarro they move to the familiar cantina that Mari had gotten a little overserved at. "I need to speak with someone about potential leads, or work I could do for credits to refuel on our next detour." He explains, leading the way. They walk at the Mandalorian's pace, halting at the booth. She'd felt off the minute they'd entered the building, she couldn't explain it. But, when her eyes fall to her companion's intel, her body tightens. 

"Mando, I'm.. gonna go to the refresher..." She speaks, the voice so low that Din doesn't acknowledge her. Karga stands at the sight of the woman, a smirk on his face. Her stomach seems to do a somersault when he does so. 

"Mando. I see you've brought company. Pleasure to see you again." He speaks in her direction, and her throat is as dry as the air outside. The man beside her looks to her. 

"You've met Karga?"" He asks, and the older man chuckles. 

"Oh yes. I had the pleasure to welcome her to the Guild." At his words, Mari's jaw clenches. 

"We both know that wasn't a welcome, Karga." Her teeth are tense, her fingers slowly closing into fists. Din hears the kid whimper, giving a sigh and looking to the two of them. 

"I've got to deal with this... I'll be fast." His words are for Mari, it's clear, yet Greef gives a nod to his cohort. Once the Mandalorian runs off to find whatever it is that Grogu is nodding off about, the dark male slowly approaches her. 

"I did you a favor when you landed here." He speaks, as though she owes him something. 

"Really?  I don't think that was a favor. I've had plenty of nightmares because of you."  She can remember the night far too vividly. Fresh off an Imperial ship and looking for work and shelter, only 19. She'd finished the job Karga had given her, and he offered her a room at his house. The rest of the night was something she tries desperately to forget. Karga is suddenly in her space, trying to be intimidating.

"If it weren't for me, I really doubt you would have made it to where you are now." He tries only for Mari to take two rather large steps back. 

"I don't agree with you. And unluckily for you I'm not a hopeless kid you can pin down in the middle of the night." She spits before one of her fisted hands comes to meet with his chin, the older of the two falling back and losing his balance before falling on his ass. Mari shakes out her hand, only to raise it when guards come to try to push her out of the building. "I was just leaving." 

Din's been gone maybe five minutes when he's returned with the kid, a small snack in his hands as he rests happily in his caretakers arms. Only to find his previous Guild agent with a cold compress to his cheek. "Where's the girl?" Karga gives a huff, shaking his head. 

"You mean the schutta who pulled this off?" He asks, before a grunt leaves him. "She ran off, the ungrateful shit." 

The man takes a step to his elder, a finger pointed. "She's the bounty. She's just as wanted by Gideon as the kid is." He's surprised though, as it's clear that Mari had hit him pretty hard. She had to have some reason. 

"Some princess she is. You watch your back, Mando. I don't trust her." Din pauses, looking to the familiar face before turning to the door of the cantina. He wouldn't lie, he'd partially forgotten her status, but... it seemed as though she had as well. Unimportant. He thinks to himself, looking around the market aisles to try to find the woman. Instead, he tries to find her footprint. After her attempted getaway the prior afternoon, he'd made sure to register her shoeprint in his systems. He'd done so prior to learning what he knew now about the job. And he's glad he has as he begins to follow the path she'd made away from the cantina, even further from the Razor Crest. He watches as they weave through the stands that stand empty, waiting for the next days business. He's still walking when he hears his name, turning to see Cara at her door. 

"What are you two doing back here? Didn't Elia give you the intel you needed?" She asks, leaning into the doorway, Mando turning to face her. 

"It's... Mari. She's running from her father. It turns out he'd exploited her to the Empire once before when he was in debt. She.. knew of a Jedi, it's Ahsoka. Which, we've already spoken with." He explains short handedly, Cara not really getting the full detail but nodding anyways. 

"Ok... what are you doing now then? Still looking?" 

"Yes. The kid still needs to train... and so does Mari." He offers, looking back to the path where her footprints begin to disappear to on the other edge of town behind a building. 

"Right... she's got the same powers as the kid does? Guess Gideon would want her too then..." She rationalizes, Din turning to face her again. 

"I suppose. For now she's with me." The brunette gives a snicker, gesturing to his empty side. 

"Sure looks like it. Run off again?" She teases, standing up right again. 

"I... She punched Karga. Left without a word." 

The Marshal is taken by surprise at her friend's words. "Right... he give you any explanation to that?"

"No. She better. Otherwise I doubt Karga will want anything to do with me again."

"Well, good luck. Let me know if you need anything." He gives a nod, about to turn before he looks back at her. "Actually..." 

Mari sits on the familiar rooftop, a haven she'd once had back when she briefly lived on the planet. It was maybe the only peaceful place she can recall from that period of her life. She'd sit like this, legs under her and watch the sun sink into mountains in the distance. She'd been on Nevarro a whole two weeks back then. Only before making her way to other planets, finding her freighter and starting back into bounty hunting after her... experience, with Karga. She'd found a female agent, one she trusted far more and had no problem after that. Mari sits, gaze far off when she feels the air around her seem to shift, and gives a small smirk. He'd found her. No surprise, he was one of the more esteemed bounty hunters in the Guild afterall. "Took you long enough." She retorts, the man unmoving. 

"You punched Karga? On what grounds?" He asks, slow to step forward, looking to the sunset she'd been watching. 

"He'd been my first agent. I was 19. I had just escaped from the Empire, landed on the nearest planet, looking for work and lodging. Karga was far too excited to help." She stands up, walking to his side, and then facing the sun again. "I did the job, he paid me, and led me to the accommodations for the night. Which happened to be at his personal residence. I was on the couch. It was the middle of the night, I was sore and exhausted from and unskilled criminal retrieval. I woke up to Karga's hands on my wrists, his knees pushing my hips into the cushions. He..." Mari has to take a deep breath, looking to her hands, still rubbing the sore knuckles from it's impact with Greef's jaw. "He tried to make me do some things I was unfamiliar with. He rubbed himself against me and -" 

Din's voice cuts through the air. "Stop. You don't need to keep going." His voice comes off low. She's heard it before, when he was upset with her for doing something. Though the energy isn't directed at her. She can feel it. She can feel Mando's emotion. 

That was new. It's a storm of anger, disgust, and an air of demerits to him. "I'll see that he apologizes." He mutters, a turn of his shoulders. "C'mon. We should get back to the ship." 

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

The energy that lingers as Mari and Grogu sit in the hull with take out meals from a local diner is heavy. The Mandalorian was unpacking some of the supplies that Cara had been so kind to gather for him, but he had been so quiet. Mari pulls the bowl from her mouth, watching him carefully. "Do you want some help?" She asks, feeling like she needed to be doing something. 

"I'm fine. Finish eating so we can leave." He retorts, pushing a stack of bacta kits into the cabinet. Thank Maker. She's so glad to see that he'd learned from experience, now prepared if something were to happen again. A slurp comes from the small creature beside her, and the two adults turn to look at him, Mari letting a small laugh leave her. Her bowl now empty, she stands and takes Grogu's when he's done. Setting the dishes in the small kitchenette sink, she takes another glance to the Mandalorian. 

"You seem off." She finally admits, Din not pausing as he picks up the bag off the floor to look at what remained. No words. He pulls out a stack of clothes, outreaching a hand towards her. 

"You told me you had no clothes. Cara had things she didn't wear anymore. There's a drawer on the other wall that's empty." He directs, Mari slowly taking them from the other, looking over the pile. She'd mentioned it briefly, figuring that she would just deal until they made it back to Mon Cala to retrieve her ship. Though, she's beyond excited to put on something that didn't feel like a dress on her. Not that she was ungrateful for Mando's kindness. He'd offered her clothes when she needed it, but this rung a little differently. He'd actively sought out a solution for her. Remembering she'd had an issue, and cared enough to make sure that she was well prepared for the next few days.  

"I- Thank you. Remind me to thank her the next time we see her." Her voice is soft, moving to the drawer he'd mentioned. A few tank tops, some longer shirts, a few t-shirts and long sleeves. The pants options were... different. Mari was one for thicker style pants with plenty of storage on them, these were mainly black, skin tight and held few pockets. This would be a change. Temporary, but a change nonetheless. Din's moved from his spot, putting the storage bag away, starting to heat up what looked like a ration from his supplies. "... Do you want me to go get you real food? I'm sure I can find something-" 

"It's fine, Mari." Food's not really been... enjoyable for him. It was sustenance, it fueled him like sleep did. Did their meals smell delicious? Absolutely. But by the time he's able to eat, it would've gone bad. Rations didn't go bad, even if they were cold. So he deals. She shrinks slightly, picking up Grogu and moving him to his small hammock in the sleeping chambers. She turns to look at him before speaking. "What... are sleeping arrangements looking like?" The Mandalorian looks back to her only to realize that there was his standard cot, and the medical one that Mari had slept on last night. The medical one wasn't meant for use over 8 hours, and she'd really pushed it's limits earlier that day. "You can sleep with the Kid. I'll figure something out." He explains. A slow nod leaves her as she moves to the refresher. After getting ready for sleep, she stays put for a little while longer, knowing that Grogu was most likely asleep, and that the ship's captain could get in a few bites. She's made sure enough time has passed before she steps out of the room, combing her hair with her fingers when she sees the pile of blankets and a pillow on the sheet of metal that made up the floor. She's quick to move and collect the group of fabric, starting to the ladder to the cockpit. A groan sounds from behind her, almost echoing. "What are you doing." 

"Making a bed for me. You're not sleeping on the floor, and I'm not taking your bed." She retorts, managing to get to the cockpit. She maneuvers the guest seats so that they face one another, pausing before ducking her head to the hull. "You got more pillows?" She quips, Din looking around before picking up two more from under the cot that he didn't use. He hands one up to her, Mari taking it before getting an idea. She lets both hands grip the ends before hitting the man in the back of his head when it was turned. The helmet turns, and she's suddenly worried she's overstepped. "I.." She retreats to the cockpit, starting to build her bed a little more, hearing armor rattle as he climbs up the ladder. She sighs, biting her tongue before standing upright. "That was immature and I shouldn't have -" Instead of a scolding tone and words telling her to go to bed, plush force comes to her shoulder, causing her to look behind her, seeing a pillow gripped between gloved hands. The two are both frozen, only until Mando gives a shrug. Mari's quick to grab another pillow sending her pillow flying through the air and hitting against him softly. Sure he's armored, but he's indulging her, and she's not going to miss out on that. Eventually, Mari surrenders, a right fit of laughs leaving her before she carefully takes the pillow from him. A smile on her face as she makes a bed between the two chairs, enough that it'll support her. Din seems skeptical though, looking at it is just making his back hurt. 

"Are you going to fit on that?" He asks, Mari looking up to him and then the bed. 

"Yeah, watch." She carefully maneuvers to the makeshift bed, pulling blankets over her, finding herself sliding off the chair slightly, but being caught by the pillows. "See?" She gives a smile only for Din to nod and turn to the ladder. As he maneuvers, he catches another glimpse of her bed setup, and can't stop the laugh that comes from him. 

"Goodnight, Mari. Good luck to your back." He slinks down the ladder and to the sleeping cot, turning off the lights of the hull with ease. 

"My back will be fine. Goodnight you two." She laughs in return before curling into her bed with caution. 

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

Mando was right. Mando was very right. Not only had she tossed and turned the entire night, then falling from the chair setup, her back was a mess. She didn't want to move from her position on the floor, because she was getting some sleep finally, only for the door to the cockpit to slide open, a deep modulated voice coming from above her. "I tried to warn you." 

"I'll live." She groans, sitting up and pushing hair out of her face. 

"The kid's still asleep. I'm going to go grab food. I'll be half an hour at most." He explains, looking at the woman's rough shape. Her hair was everywhere, and to no one's surprise, her pants are on the far side of the cockpit. He shakes his head before turning.  "I turned on the hot water. Give it a few minutes before trying to shower." He recommends before slinking down the rungs of the ladder, feet shaking the metal slightly before the hatch to the hull opens, and shuts. A yawn leaves her, letting her stand and try to stretch out. She was so beyond sore, and doesn't stop herself from flipping off the setup before grabbing her pants and moving to the hull. She grabs clean clothes, and moves to the refresher, turning the handle of the shower, a hand flattening against the stream of water to test the temperature. Mari moves to the sink, starting to brush her teeth as she waits for the water to warm up a little. By the time she's done, there's steam fogging up the mirror, giving her a visual cue that the shower is ready. She lets her shirt and underwear fall to the floor, stepping into the shower.

The water feels heavenly against sore muscles, and generally felt good after having been in generally dry and dusty climates the past few days. It seems to massage her skin in such a way that she sits and stands in the stream, warm streams running down her tresses of brown hair, over her shoulders. It's almost lulling her to sleep, closing her eyes and letting a soft hum leave her as she seems to sway slightly with her music she was making. Mari felt like she hadn't gotten an ounce of sleep, meanwhile Grogu was still sleeping. It really wasn't fair. She and Mando had to get up, get going and he reaped the benefits. But he's rather helpless compared to her. She's a grown adult and had responsibilities. Well, she had before she ran across this duo. Now... she's on the run. Avoiding any bounty hunter or any stormtrooper that might be after her - all for her father's sake. Her idea of her father's passing had been hopeless thinking, an idea she created to reassure herself to just live her life. 

She jumps as the ship starts to vibrate, hearing the door of the hull open again. Had it seriously been 30 minutes already?  She's grabbing the nearest soap container, starting to wash up before a knock comes to the door. "I- I'll be out in like ten minutes." Mari's features scrunch as she speaks, Mando's voice coming from the other side of the door. 

"How long have you been in there?" She bites her lip softly. 

"Since you left. I... think I fell asleep if I'm honest." The woman admits, a groan coming from the other side of the metal. 

"Mari, there's maybe an hour of water in the tank, I still need to shower." Well shit. She's trying to move faster, only to drop the bottle in her hand and cursing. It's quiet while she tries to make up for her wasted time, only for another knock on the door. "Open the door."

"What?" Her surprise is clear, but Din doesn't shift. 

"Open. The door." She's hesitating, only to open the small door to the shower, and then unlocking the refresher door, closing the shower door again. The lights are killed and she's enveloped in darkness, no sight to guide her. 

"Mando, I can't shower like this."

"Close your eyes." Suddenly, Mari is wide awake. The last time she'd heard that had been two nights ago at the Inn. She doesn't argue and lets her eyes close again. "They closed?" She gives a hum to him, listening as each piece of armor is removed and gently stacked on the floor. The shower door opens and she's about to move, only for a hand to fall to her waist. He pulls her in the right direction to ensure there's enough space for the both of them, as well as adequate water flow. 

"I still-"

"I'll help. Just stay still, we've got to be quick." His voice sounds so... calm, like this. It's not different, in any other way other than a cleaner sound. There's less resonance in his annunciations, and a far more... human tone. Hands reach past her to the soap on the ledge behind her, another hand on her waist to turn so her back is facing him. The sound of the cap of the container echoes against the metal, only for it to return to it's home. Large hands run soapy fingers through her hair, making sure to get each spot, but also moving delicately as to not tug on any knots that might linger. Fingertips start to massage into her scalp and Mari can't help but relax a little. Eyes still closed, hands holding herself as he slowly lathers her hair with careful movements. He makes sure to get the ends of the tresses before turning her to face him again. "Rinse." He offers before grabbing the same soap and starting to wash his own hair. By the time she's gotten all the soap out, including the knots, Din's swapped places with her to quickly rinse himself. Once he's done, an arm wraps around her waist, guiding her back under the water just as she starts to get cold. She realizes that just as he does so, he must be freezing. Despite it, another soap container opens and shuts before he directs her to the same position she was earlier, back to him. Warm hands, chilled slightly with body wash begin to glide across her skin, sending goosebumps up her back and down her arms. What should have been quick and clumsy hands to ensure they don't waste more hot water, find themselves moving slowly, embracing the slick conditions as Din's hands explore. He traces his thumb pads up her spine, slight pressure being applied to clearly tense muscles. "I warned you." He snickers when a groan leaves her lips as he hits a sore spot. She's afraid to admit that wasn't the only reason the noise had made an appearance. The muscles in her stomach tighten with each motion, hands moving to rest against the wall. Hands massage into shoulders, mimicking the same action before they peak at the tops of her shoulders, shifting to her chest. A soft gasp leaves her, feeling her walls faintly tighten at his touch.   Breasts are enveloped in suds, slight kneading motions capture the tissue, thumbs grazing her nipples slightly. Mari brings her bottom lip between her teeth again as his hands move down her sternum, taking a moment to appreciate her stomach, before moving to the outside of her thighs. They run two slow circles over her skin, before sliding to her ass. He pauses, gripping the muscle before his hands rest on her hips again, stepping closer as he does so. Fingertips coast along her sides, forcing her to press her thighs together as a new form of touch is introduced. 

His lips begin to press against her shoulder as water rinses the soap from her skin, slowly making a trail. A hand moves up to pull her hair from behind her neck, lips greeting the skin there. His hand moves under her arm, letting his own arm pull her to hug him softly chest completely tucked into her, accompanied by the brand new sensation of his groin against her ass. His hand holds her shoulder as his other rests on her hip, lips now by her ear. "I can stop. You just need to tell me." His lips return under her ear, following her hairline before Mari finally finds words. The past few minutes she'd been encased in his touch, not really minding whatsoever. 

"No, no. I-... it feels good on the sore stuff." She whispers in response, Din humming. 

"We've got about 20 minutes before this shower is frozen over." The words are mumbled against her shoulder as he presses yet another kiss to her skin. "Just tell me." A reminder, that if she needed to, that they could stop. The Inn had been different, he'd asked if she wanted to stop everything. This felt more like reassurances. Little pockets of affirmation that she had a say in what happened. 

With his thumb at her shoulder, he's running fingers in patterns while his other hand moves to gently push her legs apart, fingers running along her inner thighs, making her shift carefully. Soon, two rough pads slide past her lips, gathering whatever was there to aide in helping his skin flow against hers. A soft gasp from Mari lingers in the air as his fingers slowly begin to encircle her clit. He moves in time with the patterns on her shoulder, while his lips haven't once left her back. The water running over them helped keep their bodies warm - as if Din's actions weren't enough. He's being careful, listening closely to find the pattern of her breathing under the drowning sound of the shower hitting the harsh metal. He begins with circles on her shoulders, transitioning into small figure eights that make Mari move to let fingers wrap around his wrist, slightly labored breaths matching the rise and fall of her chest. "You're doing so good, princess." 

Oh. Oh, Maker. A pleased gasp, accompanied by softly chanted 'yes' begin to roll off Mari's tongue, his pace starting to pick up quicker. The water's slowly shifting from it's pleasant heat to a mulling warmth, a sign that their time was starting to escape them. Mari finds herself leaning forward as each lap of Din's fingers helps the growing tightness in her abdomen, fingers gripping his wrist tighter and tighter the closer and closer she gets. By now, she's trying her best to hold out as long as she can, a rasped comment leaving her. "I-I need you. Please."

"Alright, hang tight." He retreats his hand from her clit, moving to help align his ready member to her slit, rocking slightly to coat himself before lining up. "Ready, princess?" He hums, an impatient groan leaving Mari. 

"Mando, please. " At her confirmation, he slowly presses himself into her, filling her with ease. Mari's hands move to the shower wall once again, now balling into firm fists as her head hangs. Din's own hand returns back to her clit as he slowly begins thrusting, matching his pace of his hips with his fingers. He sets out on a steady pace, Mari's breaths being annunciated with each thrust, Mando's own grunts pairing with them neatly. He begins to move faster, holding onto her with one arm, the other hand still circling her clit as he rocks. She can feel her legs shaking a little, try her best to get out words. "Close, close - I -" He meets her statement with a hum, moving his fingers faster until she tightens around her, his arm moving from under her shoulder to around her waist as Mari seems to vibrate. He makes sure his fingers are still moving as she cums, and when she's almost done, he pulls from her and finishes himself off. She's leaning into the shower, forearms pressed against the metal, forehead leaning on it as well and catching her breath as Din quickly washes his body with the remaining lukewarm water. When he's done, he presses another kiss to the back of her neck before retrieving towels.

"Such a selfless princess." He compliments, wrapping her in a towel before stepping out of the shower and drying off. 

"Yeah. That's the word." 

[armysantiny]

Books and Glasses pt1 - PJS

- pairing; park jisung x fem!reader

- genres; student!au, fluff, friends to lovers

- word count; 3.47k

- an: This took way too long to complete. Actually it’s not really complete, because the scene I had for this hasn’t happened yet, so I’m going to put it in a part two.

The library was peaceful, and your favourite place to unwind after classes were over. Especially after you had to listen to a certain Mark Lee for an hour and a half. Reading in a reserved booth, you went over your notes for your next mid-semester exam, a coffee beside you on the table. That peace was cut by a familiar sing-song voice coming from the door to your booth

"Noona~ what are you doing?" That honey-like voice belonged to no other than Park Jisung; a darling first-year who you had agreed to tutor last semester, and who now had become more of a friend than just your student. Shifting over to the side to accompany the 18-year-old, you moved your books over.

"Jisung-ah, I'm studying~ I've got exams at the end of the month," You smiled, leaning over to readjust his slipping glasses, which had him frozen for a moment, watching you with a curious expression in his eyes. Gathering his composure, he scrunched his nose as you ruffled his brunette locks, giggling as he fixed his hair.

"Ah~! Study hard Noona! You'll do really well, I know it! You always do~" He cheered quietly, an optimistic hum in his voice. You were his only Noona in the third year, and he often stuck by your side when you had the free time to spend with him and his friends. Checking the time, you gasped under your breath, putting your books away and standing up, taking the younger male by the hand as you took him out of the library with you. You'd promised your dongsaeng that you'd both get desserts after school was over, but you'd all but forgotten entirely when your literature professor gave your class that all-important exam reminder.

"Noona, are we going to that dessert place you mentioned in the morning?" Jisung asked, a small skip in his step as he caught up with you.

"Yeah, I'm so sorry Jisungie - I almost completely forgot about it," you apologised, and before he could interject, you continued, "no, no, don't say anything. I promised, remember?" Your tone was insistent, determined and Jisung knew he wasn't going to be able to change your mind anytime soon. Making your way out of the building together, you checked your phone once more to make sure you remembered the directions correctly. It'd been a while since you'd been to the cafe on your own, work shifts getting in the way of any free time you used to have.

Reaching the cafe, Jisung's jaw dropped in amazement as he looked around; it looked just like it came out of a drama, those office love-stories you both watched at your house together. Watching the way he smiled, you couldn't help the smile that crept up on your own face either. Finding a quaint window seat, Jisung excitedly tugged on your arm, pulling you to sit with him. You wondered exactly how such a childlike innocence remained in such a cute person. He was adorable.

"Noona, are we really eating here? It's so pretty!"Jisung had never seen the cafe before, mainly because he went home in the other direction and he rarely had the time to explore the city after his extra-curricular activities. Dancing was his passion, and it was undeniable how good he was. He definitely loved being in the cafe, but there was something about being there with you which made it even better.

The menu was packed with desserts, that a single trip couldn't possibly begin to satisfy your curiosity. Having already chosen a latte tiramisu, you folded the menu and placed in front of you, only to realise that Jisung was having a hard time choosing what he wanted; there was just so much to choose from, and it all sounded so good. Pouting, he put the menu back down, he sighed, brushing a stray hair out of his face.

"우리 지성이~ can't choose?" Leaning over, you put your hand on him, drumming your fingers against his knuckles ever so slightly. Nodding, his gaze lingered on your hand before they met yours.

"Mhm! I'll just have the same as you!" He answered, figuring that whatever you wanted to order must be good. Sighing with a chuckle, you brought your hand back to your side and called a server who had just finished talking to another table. They walked over with a smile, notebook opened and pen in hand.

"Hello, what do I get you both?"

"Ah, yes - can we get two orders of the latte tiramisu and two caramel hot chocolates to please?" You asked, but tilted your head when you realised just who your server was.

"Bang Christopher-ssi, is that you?"

He paused when he heard your question, turning to look at you and eyes widening when he did recognise you. Quickly ripping out a piece of paper from the back of his notebook, he wrote down his number and handed it to you. As he walked to the kitchen to get yours and Jisung's orders, the younger male you had arrived with let out a short 'hm'.

"Noona, who was that guy?" He asked, a small pout on his lips that you didn't fail to notice.

"Oh, him? He's my high school sunbae," smirking, you chuckled, "Yah, Park Jisung. Do I sense jealousy in that  tone of yours?" You teased, fixing your hair. With a tiny nod, Jisung's lips pressed together into a more prominent pout, which only accentuated the Bambi-like gaze in his eyes. Adorable. Shaking your head with a smile, you told Jisung the numerous stories about your time in high school, and how Christopher was more of an older brother to you than anything else. An annoying, competitive brother who just had to prove he was better, but a brother nonetheless. The new information did help to calm Jisung's doubts, but there still was a possibility - not that he wanted to acknowledge it in any way.

As your desserts arrived, you both thanked Chris, immediately digging into the sweet treats. Time seemed to fly by, as you both enjoyed each other's company. There weren't many students there, and Jisung was glad he could focus on you instead of wondering whether he'd be spotted by those in his class. You didn't miss how his eyes shone under the lighting of the dessert parlour, little twinkles decorating his brown eyes. How pretty.

The journey back to the dorms was quiet, a peaceful undisturbed calm between the pair of you that neither Jisung nor yourself wanted to interrupt. Flicking through your playlist as you sat on the bus together, you found the song you were looking for and tapped the younger male's arm, handing him one of your earbuds. He stared at it for a moment before snapping out of his 'zone-out' and accepted the earbud. Lips curling into a smile, Jisung swayed his head lightly as he looked out of the window, humming gently to the tune of your music.

When the bus stopped closeby the dorms, you nudged Jisung's arm gently; he'd dozen off on the way. Blinking away the sleep, he got up and you both got off the bus, walking towards the dorm building, the two of you entered and parted ways, heading to your respective rooms.

"Look who's finally back~" Was the sing-song from the kitchen that greeted you as you walked into your shared dorm room. Kicking off your shoes, you took a seat on the sofa and pulled your laptop onto your lap, instantly picking up where you left off in your assignment.

"Yeah, yeah~ don't tell me you missed me, Wong Yukhei?" You teased, flipping your hair as you returned to working on your assignment, Excitable - well, more than you were - Yukhei jumped from behind the sofa and sat behind you. Eyes trained on the paper you were drafting up for your assignment, he hummed softly, watching your fingers type before he looked to you.

"I'll admit, I kinda missed you. Tell me what happened! Who were you with?  What did you do~?" You roommate of two years asked, taking the device away, saving the document and setting it back on the table despite your protests. You definitely were not getting any work done tonight. As you relayed the events of the day to Yukhei - who was watching with puppy-like curiosity - you found yourself smiling. And Yukhei definitely picked up on it.

"Hey~, what's that smile about huh? You don't happen to have a crush on your little first-year friend, do you?" Poking at your shoulder while he asked, Yukhei snickered while he watched you try to cover your blushing face. Not that it did all that much, your blush was still very much noticeable. It was cute though; the way you got flustered over Jisung.

"헐...so you do?"

"Ah - no I do not! Getting a hold of yourself, you denied - rather dramatically - that you had any romantic feelings for the 18-year-old. Jisung was, more of a younger brother than anything else. Though sometimes, it seemed like Jisung saw you as a woman he'd date, and not just his Noona. With a subtle smirk, Yukhei nodded, as though there was something he knew that he wasn't telling you. Or at least, something he wouldn't tell you without a fair bit of bribery involved.

"Sure~~ you don't-" Before you could react by hitting his arm for teasing you, Yukhei shot up, hands raised as he feigned innocence.

"Well, would you look at the time?! I'm gonna head to bed now, goodnight!"

"Wong Yukhei...I swear-"

When morning arrived the next day, you found yourself drenched in your own sweat, throat sore and scratchy as you coughed. You'd most likely contracted a cold while you were out the previous day. Shaking as you pulled yourself up and swung your legs over the side of the bed, your door cracked open and Yukhei peered his head through the door. With a little wave of his hand, he invited himself in, grabbing a chair and pulling it closer so he could sit near you. A sympathetic smile on his face, Yukhei put his hand to your forehead, testing your temperature against his own. There was no denying it; you had a fever.

"Gosh Y/N, your head's on fire. You sit here, and I'll make breakfast -" hand out to try and convince your concerned roommate otherwise, Yukhei shook his head and placed your hand back by your side, "- and no, you sit yourself down.  I am not letting my sick roommate get out of bed without eating. Alright?"

"Alright, alright. Just, don't make me a lot, yeah? I don't really have much of an appetite." Tilting his head to the side with an understanding nod, Yukhei ruffled your hair and left for the kitchen. Laying back down and grabbing your phone, you scrolled through your social media until your received a text from Mark; he wanted to know whether you'd still be available for your study meet-up in the library later. Typing out your reply, you declined; citing your illness as the reason why. It was reasonable; you didn't want to get him sick. Accepting that he'd have to study alone that Saturday morning, Mark kept himself busy until he reached the library, talking to you about his latest dating exploits. Midway through typing your reply, Yukhei walked through the door, tray in-hand.

"Did someone order breakfast service~?" Setting the tray (of savoury pancakes, an omelette wrap and peppermint tea) on your bedside drawer, Yukhei walked over to your side, sitting beside you and brushing your hair out of your face. Despite the pair of you being the same age, there were times when he treated you pretty much the same way your dad would. It was nice. Telling Mark over text that you were gonna go and eat, you put your phone to the side and pulled the tray onto your lap.

"I didn't know you could cook like this Wong Yukhei~, maybe I should get sick more often then?" You teased, which was met with a disapproving look from your roommate. "Alright, alright~ I get it. Thanks though. Don't you have your dance practice to get to?"

Yukhei and many of your other male friends were part of an off-campus dance team, and Saturday was the one day in the week where all 21 of them would dedicate themselves to practice. You knew that Mark, Yukhei, Jisung and his friends were part of the group, but you'd never met the others. Checking the time on his phone, Yukhei shrugged.

"Practice is 10-odd hours on Saturday. I can stay a couple of hours to look after you." Quickly texting his dance team's group chat, Yukhei put his phone away, pressed a fatherly kiss to your forehead and let you eat your breakfast, closing the door behind him.

Breakfast finished, an attempt at getting freshened up made, you exited your room and carried the empty dishes to the sink. Dragging yourself to your sofa, you let yourself collapse onto the sofa, a hand reaching for the remote. Watching a movie or two wouldn't hurt. Scrolling through Netflix, you were stuck on whether to watch 'Train to Busan' or catching up on some dramas you had yet to finish. You knew that either option was bound to make you shed tears at some point, but you didn't mind. A good cry was needed sometimes. Finally deciding that you were going to watch 'Train to Busan', your phone buzzed as you were just about to start the movie. It was Jisung; he'd just seen the group message from Yukhei and asked to see you after practice was over. Quickly starting up the film, you reached for your phone and replied; of course, he could come. Some company was always appreciated.

By sunset, you were home alone and watching your 10th movie of the day (or night, depending on who you asked). Sipping on the hot chocolate you had made for yourself during the last part of the previous movie, you took a deep breath and swallowed; yep, your throat was still sore. The door knocked as you put the mug down, and for a moment, you wondered about exactly who was at your door. Wasn't Yukhei's dance practice not over for at least another hour or so? Getting up to go answer the door, you opened it and airily laughed at the sight in front of you; Jisung stood there, hair messy from what looked like a shower, a bag of snacks and a cheerful grin on his face. Succumbing to the urge to ruffle his hair, you played with his bangs after you let him inside. As you both sat down, you put your arm over his shoulder - and unbeknownst to you, of course - Jisung's pulse started to r.

"And here I was thinking you weren't going to be coming for another hour. How come you left early?" You asked, lips curling into a soft smile. Avoiding direct eye-contact, Jisung focused his attention on the snacks in his lap, handing you one of the multiple bags.

" Oh um - my professor gave our class an essay to do, like, out of the blue. So...Jaemin hyung and I left earlier." You didn't doubt that he had been given extra work to do - your first-year professors would do the same - but it sounded more like Jisung was convincing himself rather than you. Convincing himself that he only came early because he had the time, and not because his heart would flutter when he spent time with you. Absolutely not.

Wishing him luck with his essay, you started up the film; a marvel film you had been meaning to rewatch for a while. Going to the kitchen to grab drinks, you returned to the sofa with two glasses and bottles of Sprite and Coke in hand. Attention focused on the movie and getting a snack every so often, Jisung was sure that you didn't see the way his gaze would linger on you. As much as he loved the movie that was on screen, he loved you more. So much more.

When Yukhei finally arrived back to the dorm that night, he kept his laugh as quiet as possible while a tired smile found its way onto his features. You and Jisung were more than fast asleep, his head on your shoulder and your head on his. Resisting the ever-growing urge to snap a picture (or many, many pictures - for blackmail purposes. What else?), Yukhei snuck into his room, grabbed a spare blanket and covered the sleeping duo in front of him. Cleaning up the table, turning off the television, your roommate made sure that the living room was clean before heading to his room to call it a night.

Sunday morning arrived, and Jisung was awoken by the buzz of his phone in his pocket. How it still had any battery life was beyond him. Rubbing at his eyes, he froze when it dawned on him that you'd both fallen asleep during your movie night and that you were resting your head against his. Lifting your head gently, the first-year - painstakingly slowly - stood up, moving your head so you were resting against the back of the sofa. Hesitating,  Jisung exhaled, gathered himself and pressed a feather-light kiss to your forehead. Yawning as he headed to the bathroom to freshen up, the 18-year-old caught how Yukhei watched him with an amused upturn in his brow. There were certainly a few questions he'd have to answer.

Sunday's meant breakfast as the local brunch cafe, and by the time you had woken up, both Jisung and Yukhei were talking amongst themselves. From the snippets of conversation you had heard, they were talking about their latest performance...and you. Deciding to go ask them after you changed and looked remotely ready, you joined the pair at the table, pouring yourself a glass of water from the jug.

"I kept you two waiting, huh?"

"Yes! My gosh Y/N, you sleep forever!" Yukhei answered, barely skipping a beat with his sassy remark. Luckily, you two were roommates as well as best friends, and murder happened to be a little illegal. Resorting to playfully elbowing his arm, you feigned innocence, brushing off his complaining with a shrug and a smile.

"You - you didn't make us wait too long Noona, we can go now~!" Jisung replied, a mixture of excitement and nerves hidden beneath his words.

The brunch cafe was warm and inviting that morning, and the three of you ate breakfast together, little said to each other as you all enjoyed your meals. You were definitely bringing Jisung with you to breakfast from now on.  While you had gone to the bathroom, Yukhei immediately turned to Jisung. The younger male looked up from his drink, eyes blinking like a deer in headlights.

"Jisung-ah~, do you like anyone?" Said male looked up from the coffee in his hands to his older friend, his eyes turning red by the second.

"Do, do I like anyone? Why so suddenly?"

"Oh, no reason," he sang, "just that you've been around Y/N a lot lately. Like - a lot, a lot. Wanna ask her out?" After Yukhei's rather straight-to-the-point question, Jisung was rubbing the back of his neck, nodding subtly while he cleared his throat. When you returned - after making a detour to buy a water bottle - to your seat, Yukhei looked to the younger male with a wink and smug grin, before obnoxiously clearing his throat a little too loud. Turning to him with a confused stare, he only shrugged.

"Well, I'd love to stay, but I've gotta run~!" Before you could reply, he grabbed his stuff and got out of his seat.

"Yah! Am I paying for you?!"

"I'll pay you back!" With that, he left the cafe and you sighed, shaking your head with an amused scoff. So help you everything holy, you'd refrain from going after him. Both breakfasts finished, you helped Jisung clear up the table, and only finally (at least, to Jisung) had you caught on to his nervous body language. Observing him for a few seconds, you took him by the hand and walked to the park, Jisung trailing behind by a couple of paces. Reaching the park, you sat down at a bench, Jisung following suit. Nothing was said for a moment; the air was awkward for the first time since you'd become friends.

The words were there, he could say them, but he also just couldn't. You'd most likely have to wring it out of him. "Jisung, there's something you want to tell me, isn't there?"

"There is something I want to say..."

[imagine-loki]

Caught in his web, Chapter 38

TITLE: Caught in his web CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 38 AUTHOR: fanficshiddles ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Loki is a crime lord, a very dangerous man in the city. He is owed money, but the man is unable to pay Loki back, so Loki takes his daughter as payment instead.  RATING: M

Chloe bit her tongue and tried not to look at Loki on the journey to the private runway. He was looking far too handsome for her poor mind and body to cope with.

Loki always managed to look smart, even when he was dressed down. He was wearing a light blue shirt, top few buttons undone, with his sunglasses propped on top of his head all ready for when they got to Greece.

‘Did you remember your migraine tablets?’ Loki asked.

Chloe’s face dropped. ‘Shit!’ She panicked, she had forgotten to pack them.

Loki raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. ‘Good job I remembered just before we left then, isn’t it? They’re in my bag.’ He chuckled.

She relaxed and sighed. ‘Oh thank god! Thank you…’ She said sheepishly.

‘What would you do without me?’ He grinned.

‘I’d be lost without you.’ She said in a teasing tone, though she wasn’t sure what she would do without him actually…

But it still didn’t ease her slight anxiety about being completely alone on an island with him.

They arrived at the private runway and Chloe’s nerves returned when they got out of the car and started walking towards the jet.

‘Alright, doll? You look like you’re going to pass out on me.’ Loki took hold of her wrist and stopped her, he turned her towards him.

‘I’m… fine… Just haven’t flown before, a little nervous.’ She admitted.

Loki frowned and brushed her hair behind her shoulder, he placed his hand just below her collarbone. ‘You never told me. Maybe you should take one of your migraine tablets once we get on, just to be on the safe side. If you get a little stressed. Are you scared of heights?’

‘No, not really. I mean, I wouldn’t like to be on the edge of a tall building type of thing. But I don’t think I mind heights.’ She shrugged.

‘Come on then, I think you’ll enjoy it. You’re perfectly safe with me.’ Loki assured her and took her hand, giving her a squeeze, they continued on to the jet.

Chloe completely forgot all about her flying nerves when they got on the jet. She couldn’t believe how luxurious it was. Although, she really shouldn’t have been surprised. This was Loki, after all.

There was a couple of double beds through the back for longer flights. As well as a spacious bathroom. A bar up front and a small kitchen for cooking some basic meals. Of course, Loki had a stewardess who came along on all flights to do all that for him and his guests.

The seats were big leather chairs that reclined. And large TV’s opposite each one, with headphones. At the other side of the jet was a row of three tables with seats around them, to make it easier for eating at if decided.

‘Holy shit. This is… I don’t even know what to say!’ Chloe was in utter awe after looking around and sitting down on one of the chairs. ‘Can we just like, fly around for the entire weekend and live in here?’

Loki laughed and sat down next to her at the window side. ‘You’ll get to experience this plenty of times, on longer flights too. No worries there. Providing you enjoy it, that is. We haven’t even taken off yet.’

‘Surely it’s just like being on a bus or a train?’ She asked, getting comfortable.

‘During the flight, yes. It’s better. But take off and landing is not to everyone’s liking. Remember and take one of your pills.’ Loki reached up and pushed a button. Two seconds later, a stewardess came along.

‘What can I get for you, Sir?’ She asked politely with a smile.

‘A bottle of water, please.’

Chloe blinked in disbelief that Loki hired someone to get whatever they wanted while on the flight. When the stewardess returned with water for Chloe, Chloe looked at Loki with a smirk as she took one of her tablets.

‘What?’ He raised an eyebrow at her.

Chloe shrugged as she put the lid back on the bottle. ‘I’m just looking forward to seeing how you survive without having someone at your beck and call for longer than an hour.’ She grinned.

Loki laughed and reached out to slide his hand behind her neck, stroking over her skin softly. ‘Well, I have you to be at my beck and call.’ He winked at her and leaned in to kiss her.

‘I’m not your slave.’ Chloe said with a smile when he removed his lips from hers.

‘Oh, are you not? That’s such a shame… Here was me thinking you were my sex slave that I could pay in orgasms.’ Loki chuckled, his tongue poked out to wet his lips, highly distracting her.

Before Chloe could reply with something smart, the pilot announced they were about to start take off procedures.

‘Seatbelt on, doll.’ Loki said, doing his own.

The click of her seatbelt made her nerves flood back. This was it. She was about to experience flying for the first time ever… And she had no idea what to expect. 

It was all ok as the jet made its way down the runway. Then it started to speed up… And her stomach started to feel funny. She was gripping the arm rests as if for her life and her knuckles were turning white.

Loki took her hand in his and rested it on her lap.

‘Thanks.’ She said, her voice a little shaky.

The jet finally took off, the feeling was so strange for Chloe. She squeezed Loki’s hand tightly, he thought at one point she was going to cut off his circulation.

As the jet started to level out once they were high enough, her grip started to ease. But she still didn’t want to let go quite yet. So Loki rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, making her skin tingle a little. As it always did now from his touch.

When it was safe for them to take off their seatbelts, Chloe was a bit unsure at first.

‘It’s alright, doll. I promise. If there’s any turbulence then we need to put them back on. But we can move around, do whatever you like.’ He assured her, taking his own seatbelt off.

Chloe took hers off, following his lead. Loki motioned to the window at his side, smiling when he saw her eyes widen as she leaned across him to take a look, leaning on his thigh for support.

‘Holy shit! We are so high up.’

‘Indeed.’ Loki chuckled, stroking her hair back out of her face. He enjoyed the way her face had lit up, now she was relaxing more and enjoying the view.

Chloe felt pretty comfortable being in the air. She had a feeling she could get used to it, very easily. Loki had the stewardess make them some lunch, which was delicious. There was a little turbulence at one point, but it didn’t last long and Chloe didn’t find it too bad.

Loki was just relieved it wasn’t really strong, which it could be sometimes.

They were about halfway through their flight, just watching a film together on the TV on front of them. Chloe was resting her head against his shoulder and had her arms wrapped around his arm. But then he started nuzzling into her hair, watching less and less of the film.

‘How would you like to join the mile-high club?’ Loki asked suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows when Chloe looked up at him. His eyes were full of pure mischief, making her stomach flutter.

‘Uhm… I… Maybe…’ She said, flustered.

Loki chuckled and leaned over, his arm slipped around her to keep her in place. He started kissing her, his tongue slipped into her mouth. While he took her breath away, he sneaked his free hand under her dress and slowly worked up her thigh, until he found his goal.

He reached inside her knickers and growled into her mouth, finding her slightly aroused already for him. He started teasing her gently, working her up nice and slow.

Chloe sighed into him, his fingers always felt amazing. She wasn’t sure what she preferred… them, his tongue or his cock. All so skilful in their own way.

She gripped onto his arm, not sure what else to hold onto. Her head fell back in a light moan as he circled her clit, slowly getting faster. Loki used the hand that was around her middle and brought it up to the back of her head, turning her into him so he could kiss her again.

But it was Loki’s turn to get a little surprise when she reached down and started to squeeze him through his trousers. He gasped into her mouth and chuckled.

‘Very eager to join the mile-high club I see.’ He smirked against her lips.

She just whimpered in response when Loki slowly inserted two fingers into her, making sure she was prepped for him. He kissed her deeply, his cock hardening under her touch. It was starting to get uncomfortable, still trapped.

‘Come on, doll. Hop on.’ He said in a rush as he leaned away, unbuckling his belt.

While he was getting himself sorted, Chloe quickly slid her knickers down and off. Leaving them on the floor on front of her chair.

Then as soon as Loki pulled his cock out, Chloe was clambering onto his lap straight away. Loki gripped her hips and helped to guide her down onto him, both of them moaned together as he filled her up. She sank right down and he held her still, letting them both adjust. But not for long.

Loki skimmed his hands up and down her back as she started moving on him, grinding back and fore, keeping him as deep as possible to hit all the good spots inside her.

‘Ohhh yes, doll. You always feel so delightful around my cock, so tight and warm. All mine.’ He growled deep, scratching down her back that made her arch forward and moan loudly.

She leaned forward to bury her face into his neck and wrapped her arms around him, clinging to him tightly as they both rocked back and fore.

Loki prayed to the Gods that there would be no turbulence until they were finished. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to let her go back to her own chair even if there was some.

Luckily there wasn’t any interruptions. Loki completed himself into her with a groan and dug his fingers into her sides, likely to leave bruises. But he always came so hard when he was buried inside her. Chloe was quick to follow, cumming just as hard.  

She went completely limp on his lap and didn’t want to move, at all. Loki trailed his fingers up and down her spine, enjoying the lovely little shiver he got out of her. He was still nestled nicely inside of her and he was quite happy keeping her there.

‘I can’t move.’ She whispered against his neck.

Loki chuckled. ‘No need to, darling. We have plenty of time before descending.’

[cutie1365]

A Kid from Queens Part 17

Pairing: Peter Parker x Stark!Reader

Info: CA: Civil War Era. Tony Stark enlists his daughter to find the web slinging spider in Queens.

Word count: 2.5k

Warnings: Language

A/N: Please let me know what you think! Enjoy!

Masterlist linked in my bio. Taglist in the reblog.

           - - - - - 🕷 - - - - -

Another restless night of tossing a turning, not knowing if you really slept or if time has passed, you found yourself reaching for your phone on the nightstand. Your eyes flitted to the time- 3:50 AM. You were about to groan and plop back onto the bed when your eyes journey down to another notification from an hour ago.

“Override 17A” it read, and right below it another one.

“Training Wheels Protocol Disabled”

“What the fuck?” You muttered out loud. 17A was Peter’s suit. Certainly your father wouldn’t have done this, which only left one explanation.

“He didn’t-” You stopped, almost in disbelief. Did he just hack your suit?

“F.R.I.D.A.Y. where the hell is he?” you asked angrily, sitting up in bed.

“It appears the tracker has been removed from the suit, boss.” The AI informed you.

You threw the covers off of yourself and jumped out of bed.

“He better be dead, because if not I’m gonna kill him.” You huffed, moving to your desk and pulling open your laptop.

“Can you get me the last location he pinged?” You began pulling up the reports you had on his suit, to see if you could get any more information on what he’d been doing. It showed you a map of him bouncing around Queens and occasionally into the city. There was one last dot 200 miles away.

“A hotel in D.C.” F.R.I. said.

“Why wasn’t I informed the suit left the city?” You asked.

“Mr. Hogan was informed.” She said.

“When?” You shut the computer, turning back towards the middle of the room waiting for an answer.

“4:00 PM yesterday.” She informed you.

“What the hell is he doing in D.C.?” You asked yourself, “Get me Happy on the line.”

You had a bad feeling about this, did Peter disable the tracker himself? If he did, it meant he was going to do something he didn’t want any of you knowing about, likely meaning it’s dangerous.

“Are you sure? It is four in the morning.” She asked for confirmation.

“Call him.” You instructed, standing to pace the room.

“Y/N, what’s going on?” Happy answered, his voice frantic. He knew you’d never call this early unless it was important.

“Where’s Peter?” You asked, the anger evident in your voice.

“The kid? He’s got a school trip in D.C? Why?” Happy asked, curiously.

“The suit’s tracker was disabled an hour ago, and some systems were changed without my authorization.” You tried to explain calmly.

“That’s not good.” Happy said, and you could almost feel his stress levels spike through the phone.

“Has he been giving you reports? Anything that could clue us into what he’s doing?” You asked, still pacing the room.

“He’s just been doing what he always does, helping old ladies, and bike thefts and muggings.” Happy shrugged.

“Shit. Ok, I’ll take care of it Hap.” You said, not wanting to stress Happy out even more.

You would have dug more to see if he knew anything, but in your pacings you figured a way into Peter’s suit. He may have disabled the tracker, but if the Training Wheels Protocols was deactivated that would mean his AI was now online. You should be able to enter through a backdoor in her system remotely.

After about half an hour you were able to get in, and although you wouldn’t be able to transmit anything you would be able to overhear any conversation between Peter and the AI. Hopefully that would tip you off to their location or what he’s planning.

“What is this place? Suit lady, where am I?” You heard Peter speaking, his voice transmitting through your computer.

“You’re in the most secure facility on the Eastern Seaboard. The Damage Control Deep Storage Vault.” His AI answered, casually.

“Son of a bitch.” You shook your head, jumping up and slamming your computer shut once more. Anger wasn’t the right word to describe what you’re feeling right now. Peter was meddling in something larger than himself, and he likely didn’t even know it. You didn’t want him to get killed.

Your dress pants were strewn over a chair in your room, they were closest so you grabbed them and a sweater and began to search for your keys. You knew the drive would take about 4 hours, it may be morning by then and you may miss him, but it was a chance you were willing to take. You couldn’t take the jet since it was upstate and you couldn’t get a pilot at this hour, with the Accords everyone was under such scrutiny that they couldn’t take you. If this had been years ago Steve or Clint would have gladly piloted last minute.

You did have one more option, but it was too risky. You hadn’t tested it enough, and certainly not for long distance flight stabilization. Plus your father would kill you if he found out you had made a suit prototype for yourself.

Once in the garage, you looked at the motorcycle next to your car. That could work... maybe shave an hour or two off of your trip by weaving in between cars and traffic. Though you’d almost certainly get pulled over and be slowed down even longer.

“Next time.” You glanced at the bike once more, as you climbed into the car and revved it up, praying you’d get there in time.

Once you were on the highway you put the car into autopilot, using your phone to connect to your remote desktop and back into his AI, to see if you could get any more clues as to what he was doing.

“Hey it’s like the glowy thing.” Peter spoke, excitement in his voice.

“That glowy thing is an explosive Chitauri energy core.” His AI, who you learned he named Karen, spoke very matter of factly.

“What!” You said out loud. “Peter Parker you’re so dead.” You groaned, flipping autopilot off, throwing your phone onto the seat next to you, and flooring it down the empty highway.

You were able to make the trip in three and a half hours, but you were too late. Peter was no longer at the facility. You had a worker let you into the deep storage vault, your name was practically on the door so authorization wasn’t an issue. You were thankful for grabbing nicer clothing though. You planned on looking for clues to where Peter ran off to, but you were distracted by a shipping container that had clearly been tampered with. This was something Peter couldn’t have done, nearly half of the items were missing. This had to have been the weapons dealings with the major.

You called in your FBI contacts to come investigate, and you were momentarily distracted and forgot about Peter, the whole reason you came here. You showed the agents the containers and the items missing, they must have been using the parts to make and sell weapons. They asked you questions about the protocols of this facility and shipments. When the venture between Stark Industries and the government was struck for this department, you’d read all the documents word for word, as your father was too bored to. Wasn’t really his area, paperwork. You answered their questions and discussed possible entries. A complete catalog of the other containers would have to be done and compared to the original records to see how much had been stolen, security would also have to be increased.

“Hang on.” Another agent to your right took a phone call that seemed important, “Where?” He said, concern evident in his voice. This caused everyone to look in his direction.

“Sir, we have an incident at the Washington Monument.” He turned to his boss saying.

“What kind of incident?” He asked, hands on his hips.

“Someone’s climbing it.” He said, in disbelief, the room went silent.

“Shit.” You muttered under your breath. That had to be Peter.

“Are we good here?” You turned to the agent who was your main contact and asked.

“Yeah, we’ll finish up here, see if we can get any prints.” He nodded, placing his hands on his hips as well, turning away from the rest of the group and dropping his voice slightly before continuing, “We’re getting intel on a possible rendezvous for a sale, we’ve got a guy posing as a buyer. We’ll let you know, we might need to use you as a distraction, but you’re free to go.”

You nodded, and tried to not look suspicious as you slowly rushed off to your car.

You drove as fast as you could, weaving in and out of traffic. As you got closer to the monument you saw D.C. Metro police helicopters circling. You hit the breaks as you saw fire trucks and ambulances surrounding the entrance. You put the car in park and stepped out, attempting to get a better view.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y. what happened here?” You asked nervously.

“I’m sensing radiation from a Chitauri energy core detonation.” She spoke plainly.

“What? How the hell?” You walked closer to the scene, they were beginning to put up police tape.

“It appeared to be from inside the elevator.” She said.

“Is everyone ok?” You asked slowly.

“No casualties reported. Students inside the elevator were saved before it collapsed.” You now stood at the police tape, with a full view of the monument.

“Peter saved them?” You asked quietly, you could see the broken window at the very top, that must have been how he got in. He saved his friends, you really couldn’t be mad at him for that.

“Where are they now?” You slipped the sunglasses from the top of your head over your eyes, getting a view inside the monument at the crumbling elevator that would have meant certain death for all occupants if it weren’t for Peter.

“Their bus has departed and is heading back to Midtown, parents have been informed and sent to meet them.” The AI informed you.

“Is Peter on the bus?” You asked, worried.

“Traffic cameras confirm Peter Parker is on board.” She confirmed, and you hung your head in relief. You took one more look around the scene through your tech glasses as two firefighters moved to stand next to you.

“Shit’s crazy, five more seconds and those kids wouldn’t have made it.” They spoke to each other, and you quickly turned and rushed back to your car to make the trip back upstate. You knew what you had to do.

- - - - - 🕷 - - - - -

It was dark when you finally arrived. You saw the bus with kids greeting their parents. They were milling about as a teacher was unloading luggage from the bus. You saw Peter leaning against the brick of the school building as May talked to other parents. Coming from around the corner behind him, you grabbed onto his arm and pulled him backwards, immediately wrapping your arms around him and pulling him into a hug.

He remained frozen for a second, before recognizing your signature scent and hugging you back. You pulled away quickly, keeping your hands on the side of his arms as you scolded him.

“What the hell were you thinking?” You scolded.

“I-” He tried.

“You hacked my suit! You turned off the tracker.” You seethed.

“I-”

“I don’t know how you got into Damage Control, you tampered with federal property and a federal investigation.” You waved your hand in anger.

“I-” he tried once more.

“God Peter, I was so scared,” You hugged him again, “Don’t do that to me again.”

“I’m sorry.” He finally said, as you pulled away and he could see the tears beginning to form in your eyes.

“I can’t do this.” you admitted.

“Do what?” Peter asked, furrowing his brow.

“It’s been killing me, trying to stay away from you. I just- I want to be with you, I don’t care what happens.” You shook your head, letting a stray tear fall down your cheek.

“What about your father?” He asked, as his thumb gently came up to wipe the tear away.

“He’ll understand. The plan worked, we just have to be more careful.” You grabbed his hand to reassure him.

“You just can’t be seen with Spider-Man.” He nodded.

“But I can be seen with Peter Parker.” You smiled.

“What about Harley?” He asked, causing you to let go of his hand in surprise of the question.

“Harley? What about him?” You asked, confused.

“I thought you two were-” Peter began.

“Oh no, no. He’s a friend. He knows dad, it’s a long story. We’re hiring him.” You chuckled slightly.

“Oh.” Peter nodded, feeling dumb for assuming.

“Jealousy isn't a good look on you.” You teased.

“I just.” He shrugged, smiling and giving up. He laughed at his own assumption.

“Happy Birthday by the way, I’m sorry I missed it.” You said, it had killed you not being able to send him a message on the day almost two weeks ago now.

“That’s ok.” He smiled, taking your hand once more.

“I may know how I can make it up to you.” You smirked.

“How’s that?” He asked, knowing what it might be. You leaned in to kiss him, as you felt him smile into the kiss. You’d both missed this. Something just felt right whenever you were together.

You smiled as you pulled away to look at him in the moonlight, you stared into his eyes like it was the first time.

“I have a gala next week, come with me?” You asked, with a hopeful smile.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Peter raised a brow with the tilt of his head.

“Lucky for you, it has a masquerade theme.” You smiled.

“Lucky me.” He smirked, moving his fingers through your hair to the back of your head to pull you into a kiss once more. The both of you were so lost in the moment that you didn’t see someone coming around the corner.

“Peter? Oh-” Aunt May stopped as her eyes landed on the two of you. You quickly pulled apart, you could feel your cheeks begin to blush in embarrassment.

“Oh- uh, hi Ms. Parker.” You stuttered, your finger brushing your lip slightly before holding your hands behind your back.

“Hi Y/N.” She smirked, looking to Peter. She had known that he liked you, but she never expected to find the two of you like this.

“I should- probably- uh.” You pointed towards your car, looking back between Peter and May, nodding and taking a step towards the car.

“Y/N.” May called.

“Yes.” You turned back around with a smile.

“Would you like to come over for dinner tomorrow?” She asked with a smile.

“Tomorrow?” You glanced at Peter, who’s eyes went wide in embarrassment, you smiled, “I’ll be there.” you nodded, you did owe him a raincheck.

As you turned and walked back towards the car you heard them whispering to each other, causing you to smile.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” May giggled to Peter.

“Shh... May.” Peter whined, causing her to giggle once more.

- - - - - 🕷 - - - - -

Taglist in the reblog, link in my masterlist in my bio to join it

[emotionally-imbruised]

Sink or Swim

In which Harry and Y/N work together as lifeguards.

A/N: here’s (a little late but) day 17 for my bby  @always-jackedup’s 25 days of summer. Make sure to go check out the pieces by all the other authors if you want some fun summer things to read. Also wow, this turned out longer than I was expecting; you all can blame Sarah.

Word Count: 15.8k

As much as she wanted this summer to be one for the record books, just like it had been in recent years, Y/N didn’t have too high of expectations. It sucked a lot, but finally after three years of being away, she was spending her first summer back home in California and to say she wasn’t all that excited about it at all, would have been an understatement.

Once she graduated high school, Y/N stayed in San Jose with her family for a year and a half. She didn’t go to university because frankly, she didn’t know what she wanted to do in life so instead, she worked her ass off while taking a few online classes to save up some money and go see the world. Which is precisely what she did.

She spent the last three years traveling through different countries, gaining new experiences, meeting the greatest people, eating the best food, and working wherever she could to keep doing so. It was an incredible experience, and she’d do it all again if she could, but it did make her feel very alone times, so at the beginning of the year, Y/N started longing for something more permanent. Somewhere she could stay that would allow her to decide what it was she wanted to do, whether that included school or not. After considering all of her options, she decided on heading back to California with plans of moving to LA at the beginning of September and embark on some new journeys in the land of opportunity... Even though the thought of doing that terrified her.

In preparation for her move, Y/N applied to various summer jobs as a way to save up more money until she was able to find a stable job in Los Angeles; and much to her surprise, a lot of those places were very interested in hiring her as a seasonal employee. Amongst those places expressing interest in her was Oceanside Resort and Spa on the outskirts of Bodega Bay. This fancy, membership-only resort that had been in the middle of hiring their summer staff, needed someone to fill one of the open lifeguard positions. The resort provided all training that was required, as well as staff accommodations for the entire summer (which was needed, seeing how far it was from home) and after considering all of her other options, was the one Y/N ultimately decided on. She did all her preliminary training in the weeks leading up to the beginning weeks of summer, and before she knew it, her family was dropping her off at the shuttle bus station in San Francisco to start her new adventure.

Despite its name, Oceanside was not actually located beside the ocean. Yes it was close, and the coast was only a few short minutes away, but Y/N found it somewhat ironic and couldn’t help but chuckle at the pictures of the resort printed in her welcome pamphlet; none of which included snaps of the Pacific. She knew it was stupid to be amused by such a little thing, but as she read the overly extra and dramatic explanation of how great this place was, her laughing increased and wouldn’t stop as she continued reading it over.

Maybe it was because of how she thought whoever decided to make Oceanside’s slogan “A Shell Of A Good Time” should never be allowed to make a slogan ever again, or maybe it was due to the lack of sleep she had the night before. But regardless, Y/N’s laughing didn’t subside and started gaining attention from others on the bus with her.

“Are you done?” A voice hissed from the seat in front of her, causing Y/N to snap her gaze up to be met with Aimee, her best friend from high school, staring back at her. The two of them had kept in touch for the years Y/N was away and decided to apply for jobs together. Lucky for them, Aimee was hired at Oceanside too but as a bartender at the poolside cabana rather than being a lifeguard like Y/N. The two of them applied to be roommates in the cabin that would act as their home for the summer, and as if their luck couldn’t have gotten any better already, they were approved for that too. “We’re not even there yet, and you’re already going to start annoying the shit out of our coworkers.”

“Sorry,” Y/N replied sheepishly, lowering herself into her seat more as her chuckles reduced to snickering. “Ok, but for real... have you read this thing?”

“Yes, I have,” Aimee stated as she reached over to snatch the pamphlet from her best friends grasp, turning back around so Y/N wouldn’t see the broad grin plastered on her face as well. “And yes I know it all sounds ridiculous but, a job is a job.”

“Got that right. And this place seems to have its perks, won’t be the worst job ever.”

Aimee just nodded before turning around to face Y/N again and tossing the now crumpled up pamphlet between the ugly blue patterned seats at her head. “Exactly, and we’ll be together. It’ll be a summer to remember.”

“I don’t know about that,” Y/N grumbled with a shrug, not paying any attention to the skeptical look Aimee was giving her as she tried to uncrumple the piece of paper on her lap. “I’m not here to have fun, you know? Sure if it happens, great, but I really need this job Aims… or LA just won’t be happening. I need to do good here and not mess it up.”

“I know,” Aimee responded and waited for her friend to make eye contact again. “But you can’t be having that mindset, ok? Obviously, work hard and everything, but also let yourself have fun, Y/N. We’re adults now and won’t have many more chances to do things like this. May as well make it count.”

There was no point in arguing against Aimee’s statement because Y/N knew she was right. Although her main focus of the summer was to make as much money as she could and save it, that thought alone made her fear about wasting away one of her favorite times of the year; which was the last thing she wanted to do. She thought about how maybe she could put herself out there a little bit and see what would happen, but for the time being, she decided on just biting down on her lip and nodding in agreement.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“I know I’m right, you don’t gotta tell me.”

“Oh, whatever,” Y/N scoffed as Aimee laughed and faced forward again, preparing to put her headphones on and just zone out for the remainder of the drive. However, before she had the chance to do that in peace, Y/N leaned forward and lowered her voice just so that only Aimee could hear. “Hey Aims, do you know what we’re going to have?”

“Don’t say it.”

“A shell of a good time,” Y/N blurted out, trying so hard to keep a straight face. The audible groan that left Aimee’s mouth was enough to feed on Y/N’s ego and caused her to fall into another laughing fit. This went on for a few minutes, and as she was starting to recollect herself, Y/N noticed how Aimee was now slinging her duffle bag over her shoulder and standing up, all while giving her a pointed glare. “Come on, it was funny.”

“Sick of you already,” she mumbled in response before moving to sit in the seats a few rows behind Y/N in silence and remaining there for the rest of the trip.

Once they arrived at Oceanside, Y/N and Aimee were given a quick, half-assed tour of the resort before being shown where they’d be living for the summer. There was no need for them to get an entire lay of the land just yet seeing as their first day of work was still a few days away, and both girls were rather thankful they’d have the weekend off before diving right in.

Y/N took this time to really let it all sink in and appreciate how she actually got to call this place home for the next two and a half months. There was no doubting that Oceanside was absolutely stunning and genuinely seemed liked its own little private oasis. It had a very serene atmosphere and didn’t seem to be lacking in anything whatsoever. However, Y/N knew it may take her a little while to get used to everything.

The resort was huge. When the bus made way up the long winding driveway that starts at Oceanside’s gated entrance, the first thing that could be seen was the clubhouse; the place Y/N figured she’d probably be spending most of her time while clocked in for work when she wasn’t at the pool. The large cream-colored building was sat on top of a hill and stood out amongst the greenery surrounding it. Y/N was told this place was what made every other part of the resort accessible, and was the first stop on hers and Aimee’s little tour.

Once inside the sliding doors of the clubhouse, they found themselves standing in the middle of the lobby; the area that acted as the place everyone needed to go to first regardless of who they were. It was where the resort guests would check-in for their stay as well as to book any extra classes/activities they wanted to do, spa services, tee time on the golf course, or to simply get any information they needed. It was also where all the staff would have any meetings after hours and go to punch in and out for each of their shifts, seeing as it was connected to basically everything. The spa and gym were to the left of the front desk, the dining room where all the guests would eat their meals was to the right and had the kitchen attached to it at the back. The kitchen itself was unnecessarily large and staffed many people, but its size made sense seeing as there were apparently a lot of guests that came here throughout the summer.

To the back of the kitchen was a door that led to another large room, one that none of the guests had access to. It was not as fancy as the rest of the clubhouse by any means and was actually kind of run down, but to Y/N, it had the most character. To put it simply, it was a mess hall for all of the staff working at the resort. There were two long wooden tables with benches that took up most of the space in the room, matching very well with the old, cracked wooden flooring and beams that crossed above on the high ceiling. Sat at the tables were her new co-workers talking, laughing, gossiping, and eating with one another. Many of them sent friendly smiles Y/N’s way, but the odd person eyed her and Aimee up a little bit -- clearly aware of how the newbies have arrived.

Once Y/N and Aimee made it through the mess hall, they exited through a side door that entered out onto a beautiful stone and marble courtyard. There was a large fountain in the middle of it with four flower gardens that take up each corner of the space. Nothing covered it from above which left it to be filled entirely with natural light and just gave Y/N the best feeling. It was her favorite spot by far.

Just past the courtyard was the pool, and it exceeded all expectations as well. It too was quite large, having a shallow section for kids and a deeper end for adults only. There was little potted plants and succulents around the entire area and no shortage of lounge chairs whatsoever. One of the first things Y/N noticed was how two lifeguards were monitoring the pool as opposed to only one. There was one sitting on the lifeguard stand that was positioned on top of the natural-looking stone waterfall on the other side of the pool, while the additional lifeguard patrolled on the same side she was standing; watching for any out of the ordinary behavior with a rescue buoy in hand. She was quick in noting how her shifts would more than likely be with someone else and that alone gave her some peace of mind. After scoping out the rest of the pool area, the two girls made way to the poolside bar where Aimee would be working and alas, their tour ended.

Upon arrival to Oceanside, the first person, Y/N and Aimee, met was Mr. Andrew Slack, the manager of the resort and well, their boss. He was kind enough and was the one to give them the tour, however, he came across as a very busy man, and just as he was finishing showing them around, he got a phone call and had to leave the girls to fend for themselves. Andrew briefly explained where they had to go to get to where the staff housing was located, before muttering a quick goodbye and heading back towards the clubhouse and answered the phone. After a moment of silently watching him go, Y/N and Aimee glanced at each other and shrugged before heading down the path he pointed out to them so they could finally put their bags down and get settled in.

“Are you sure we’re even going the right way?” Aimee groaned from a few feet behind Y/N as they came to a fork in the road, looking at the various paths they could venture down. They were maybe two minutes from the clubhouse, the sounds of people chatting and splashing around in the pool could still be heard, but she was exhausted.

“Not particularly,” Y/N responded, letting one of her duffle bags fall to the ground as she approached a tall wooden sign that listed various places they could get to and which path they’d need to take, one of them labeled staff cabins. She looked down the trail to her left, and sure enough, more laughter and chatter could be heard from what she assumed was others moving in as well. “This way, I think.“

The two girls walked down the path Y/N suggested, and soon enough, they came into a large clearing where fifteen different cabins resided. Five of the cottages were a bit smaller than the others, which only allowed two people to stay in them rather than the four that would remain in any of the others. According to one of the people on the bus there, only returning staff were able to apply for the two-person cabins, but both Y/N and Aimee were already aware that they’d be sharing a living space with two other girls, so that fact didn’t really phase them. Not every staff member needed accommodations because many were locals to the area, but nonetheless, Y/N was thankful that she did indeed have a place to stay.

Aimee inched ahead in search of their cabin and didn’t realize Y/N had fallen back a bit while she was taking in their surroundings. With a small smirk forming on her lips, Aimee decided to snap her best friend out of the little daze she was in. “Watch out for that root.”

“What root-,” Y/N started and snapped her gaze to Aimee, before staggering a bit as she took a step forward and tripped over a thick tree root that was sticking up from the ground. She quickly regained her balance and played it off as if nothing had happened, earning a loud chuckle from Aimee. “Ah, that root.”

“And they want you to be a lifeguard? Those poor people.”

Y/N just glared at her friend instead of responding as they continued forward in search of cabin 4.

It didn’t take long for them to reach their new summer home and just upon the sight of the slightly rundown looking cabin, Aimee was full-on sprinting up the steps in hopes she could claim the first bed. Y/N trudged after her, slowly making her way up the rickety wooden steps, but halting when a loud crack and some shouting sounded from behind her.

“Oi! Now, look what you’ve done.”

She raised her eyebrow skeptically at the sudden commotion before gradually spinning around on her heel to see what the hell was going on. On the other side of the trail, at the cabin directly across from hers, Y/N observed as two boys stood outside of their tiny lodge that was almost identical to her own. One of them had his back to her, and she couldn’t help but stare as his body rippled with laughter, letting her eyes roam more than she intended. He wore a pair of dark pants and a simple white t-shirt. Multiple tattoos littered his left arm, while his right arm almost seemed bare. She couldn’t see much else but noticed how he had a pair of black sunglasses on is head as a way to keep his mob of brown, shaggy, curls away from his face. There was no way of knowing how long she stood there gawking at the man, but as soon as the guy he was with spoke up, she was brought back to reality.

“You know, the least you could do is help me.”

It was then Y/N noticed that the other boy was standing with one foot stuck in the staircase. Somehow one of the wooden planks snapped and resulted in him falling through the step. Y/N immediately thought about all the first aid training she’d endured just to be ready for this job and found herself dropping all of her things on the porch before rushing down the stairs and over to the two men.

She didn’t waste any time in brushing past the guy in the white shirt to get to his friend, because truthfully, he could have gotten really hurt and the other guy was not being any help. “Hey, are you alright?”

“Oh, just dandy,” the guy stuck in the stairs muttered before placing a hand on the railing and using it to keep himself balanced as he stepped out from the broken wood and up onto the deck. “Thanks for your concern, though. Nice to know someone’s watching out for me when my so-called friend isn’t.”

“Oh, get off it,” the other man spoke up from behind Y/N again, sparking her interest with how the words came from his mouth in with a distinctly British accent. Slowly, she turned around to actually get a look at them, and when she did, she felt as if the air had been knocked right out of her chest.

As soon as she locked eye contact with the man, his familiar green eyes widened in surprise as they both gawked at each other in complete and utter shock. He recognized her too.

“You-.”

“I know you!” His voice boomed and caused a blush to immediately burn across her cheeks. “We went to high school together, yeah?”

The man in front of her was none other than Harry Styles. A kind British lad who was two grades ahead of Y/N, all through high school. They had some mutual friends, and Y/N was aware of how Harry had moved from a small town in Cheshire to San Jose during her freshman year. The two were never really that close, but they knew of each other and had met a few times in passing, which left Y/N to be more than surprised at the fact that he’d even recognize her.

“It’s Y/N, innit?”

“Uh yeah,” she replied and shook her head free of any lurking thoughts, fully aware of how he’s aged very nicely over the years. “It is. And you’re Harry, right?”

“The one and only.”

“Pretty sure there’s other Harry’s in the world, dumbass,” the other guy spoke up from behind her again, causing Y/N to chuckle.

“You’re not funny, mate,” Harry snapped before making eye contact with Y/N and letting out a huff. “That there is my irrelevant and incompetent roommate, Nick. Guess he’s m’friend and all too, but that’s just a minor detail.”

“The greatest detail actually, seeing as I’m the only one that’ll put up with you.”

“Ok, anyway,” Harry cut his friend off with a glare, a small smile forming on his lips as he watched Y/N giggling at their antics. “What brings you to Oceanside?”

“I needed a summer job,” Y/N explained with a shrug, looking between the two boys as they nodded in understanding. “I went away for a while and am now trying to make ends meet. What better way to do that than being a lifeguard at some fancy resort? Man, I feel like I’m in High School Musical 2 just being here.”

“It gives me more Dirty Dancing vibes, but I can see why’d you think that,” Harry responded with a warm smile, causing a swarm of butterflies to form in the pit of Y/N’s stomach.

“Yeah we’re basically living in a cliche summer romance movie, aren’t we?” Nick piped up before nodding towards Harry. “But hey, at least now you know who the new lifeguard is.”

“You’re a lifeguard too?” Y/N asked surprised, feeling caught off guard by just how small the world was seeming to be.

“Yeah, s’my what, third summer working here now? That sounds about right.”

“Oh, wow,” Y/N replied, making no attempt in masking her shock. “Must be an alright job.”

“Pays the bills at least,” he told her with a shrug. “It’s a good way to make money when you’re not in school for the summer, m’assuming that’s what you’re doing .”

“Kind of. I uh, I didn’t go to university once I graduated high school and traveled instead. Reality caught up with me eventually, and now I need to work so I can start figuring what I’m going to do with my life. I’m moving to LA in September, so hopefully, I’ll figure something out there.”

“Weird, so is Harry,” Nick added.

“Really?”

“I am,” Harry answered. “Got an internship with a record label there, gonna try to amount to something I guess.”

Y/N watched as his gaze fell from hers to the ground, where he awkwardly shifted his weight from one foot to another. He didn’t seem too confident talking about this specific subject, so Y/N took it as a hint to move on from it. “Well, I’m sure you’ll do great. Anyways, my roommate is probably wondering where I went, I uh, I’ll see you guys around. And maybe you should get someone to fix that step before someone actually does get hurt.”

The three of them laughed before Y/N slowly started backing away and headed towards her cabin. Nick waved her goodbye, but Harry didn’t say anything. It made her wonder if she had said something wrong, but regardless, she shook her head and made her way up the steps to gather her bags again and head inside; utterly oblivious to how Harry’s eyes didn’t leave her once as he watched her walk away.

The next four weeks went by rather quickly, and Y/N was already having much more fun than she had anticipated. In her short time working at Oceanside, she had already managed to develop quite a few friends from the people she’d met, and it made the whole experience better, just like Aimee had said. Her and Aimee both made fast friends with their two other roommates Dana and Maya, who were twin sisters but couldn’t be more different from one another. Dana worked as a waitress in the dining hall for the guests, while Maya worked out on the golf course providing beginner lessons to those who signed up for them. The two sisters butt heads a lot, so it was smart to not have them working together in Y/N’s opinion, but she really did enjoy spending time with both of them nonetheless.

Another person she clicked with really well, was Nick. When he wasn’t busy sassing Harry or organizing activities and events for the guests to do during their stay, Nick was Y/N’s go-to person (other than Aimee) for anything really. He was her helping hand when she needed it, and the best person to rant or gossip to when something had irked her. She was the same type of friend to him, and it didn’t take her long to realize he’d be one of the people she knew she’d miss the most come to the end of summer.

Every guest Y/N had encountered who stayed at the resort, was very kind, and treated her with respect. She was quick in figuring out who the regular families were, the ones that came to Oceanside every summer as their vacation and got the lowdown on how long each of them had been doing so from Mr. Slack (or Mr. Whack as Harry and Nick would call him behind his back.) Amongst those families was the Huntington family. Mr. Huntington, a successful business mogul, had brought his family to and donated a lot of money to this specific resort for about eight years now, or at least that was what Mrs. Huntington had told Y/N. They were a very reserved family, but actually very friendly. Mrs. Huntington was a regular to the Tuesday morning water workout classes Y/N would teach and was a joy to be around while her husband would poke fun of her from where he lounged on a chair nearby. They had a son, Tyler, who was assumedly Y/N’s age and had many friends from other families that stayed there as well. When he wasn’t with those friends, he was spending time with his family or striking up a conversation with Y/N when she had some downtime during her shifts.

Last, and certainly not least, the final and the arguably most significant relationship she had developed so far, was with Harry. The two of them had almost exact work schedules, which naturally led to them spending a lot of time together. He was the one to show her the ropes of lifeguarding in general, as well as what to do in certain situations and was always there to have her back if needed. When both working, Y/N usually sat on the lifeguard stand while Harry patrolled the edge of the pool. They’d tease each other from a distance, sticking their tongues out at each other when no one was looking, or mouthing the words “don’t slip” when they switched their spots so Y/N could teach some of her workout classes.

The first thing that really warmed them up to one another was actually on Y/N’s first day. She had cut through the kitchen to get to the lobby to punch in on time and almost ran directly into Harry. She hadn’t seen him since she moved in those few short days before, but the way he just stared at her and started chuckling struck something within her.

“Do you have a problem?” She asked and grew slightly aggravated when his laughing increased. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” he said firmly and tried to regain his composure, but failed miserably. “It’s just that I didn’t know management was going for matching uniforms this year.”

Y/N scowled at him before slowly glancing down at her outfit to see what he was talking about, only to become even more confused. Her uniform was simple enough, just a red full-piece bathing suit that had to be paired with white shorts and if she so decided, the white terry cloth sweater she was given with Oceanside’s emblem on it. She paired the outfit with the metal whistle she had to wear, some sunglasses to keep her hair out of her face, and a pair of black Adidas slides because there was no way she was walking around the pool without proper footwear.

To her, there was nothing wrong with the outfit, but once she was finished taking in her own appearance, Y/N moved her gaze to Harry and finally realized what he was going on about. He too was wearing a pair of red swim trunks, with a kind of tight looking white tank top that also had the emblem stitched into it as well. His outfit was almost identical to her own, but what got her the most was how he too had a pair of sunglasses pushing his mob of curls back and a matching pair of Adidas sandals. The two of them looked ridiculous standing side by side.

“Oh god,” Y/N groaned, which only caused Harry to burst out into laughter again. She was about to make another comment, but before she could, her phone started buzzing with the reminder that her shift started in five minutes. “Crap, we should go.”

“Lead the way,” Harry responded and dramatically bowed as a way to tell her to go first. She shook her head and proceeded, only making it a few steps before he spoke up again. “Hey Y/N?”

“Yeah?”

“Hate to break it to you, love, but I wear it better.”

Y/N scoffed and froze, turning to send him a glare but couldn’t help but laugh too as he just chuckled again and rushed forward to avoid her wrath. Their shifts together after that were just the same harmless and fun routine, and it really didn’t take Y/N long to realize just how much she enjoyed being around Harry, and that feeling only grew as the weeks went on.

One Friday afternoon, when Y/N and Harry were both finishing up their shift together by folding towels in the clubhouse laundry room so the lifeguards on the evening shift would have less to do, Harry decided to throw Y/N off guard with a question.

It was one he’d meant to ask her all week but couldn’t figure out how to bring it up in conversation. As he stood there watching her fold each towel with as much focus and precision as the last, he knew their shift was coming to an end soon and how he may not get to ask her if he didn’t do it right then. So, with a deep breath and a subtle clearing of his throat, he asked her.

“Are you going to the staff party tonight?”

“Hmm?” She replied, surprised, having to take a second to process the unexpected question. “Like the one that is thrown in the mess hall every weekend?”

“That’d be the one.”

“I uh, I don’t know,” she murmured and set down the last towel she had just finished folding. “Aimee, Dana, and Maya have been telling me I need to go to at least one. Apparently, they’re fun.”

“They are. S’nice hanging out with everyone in a non-work setting,” he explained, but avoided eye contact; suddenly feeling as if he might get turned down even though he has not built up enough courage to actually ask her out just yet. They’d become rather close, and there was this certain spark he felt whenever she was around, but again, was too chicken to actually do anything about.

“Are you going’?”

This time it was her question that caught him off guard because realistically he was expecting her to simply just say no. “Yeah I am, promised Nick I’d go with him.”

“Oh well if Nick is going then maybe I’ll consider it,” Y/N teased, unsure if this was his attempted way in saying he’d like her to go or not -- completely oblivious to just how bad he wanted her to be there with how well he masked it. He just chuckled in response as Y/N felt a sudden wave awkwardness consume the comfortable feeling she usually had whenever he was around. She glanced at the clock to see their shift had ended and decided to use that as an excuse to remove herself from the situation. “Looks like we’re done for the day. Maybe I’ll see you around this weekend?”

“Oh, yeah, see yeh Y/N.”

And with that, he watched her leave yet again.

After her conversation with Harry, it didn’t take much for Y/N’s roommates to convince her into going to the part, even going to the extent of her letting them pick out her outfit for the night. They decided on a simple black dress that Dana owned, one that just so happened to hug Y/N’s body in all the right places. The outfit was paired with a few of Aimee’s accessories while Maya styled her hair and if Y/N didn’t know any better, she’d assume those three were plotting something with how much effort they put into her appearance that night.

Once they were all dressed up, the four girls left the cabin and made way to the mess hall.

Y/N didn’t really know what to expect from this party, but upon stepping foot into the hall, she couldn’t help but let her eyes widen in surprise as she took in the scene around her. The two long wooden tables that regularly took up most of the space in the room were pushed against the walls and made a makeshift space that acted like a dancefloor. Couples danced together to the music playing, grinding and holding onto each other like a bunch of horny teenagers, while others exited from the kitchen with drinks in hand. It all looked like a scene from a movie, and Y/N had to shake her head at it all. Harry was right, this place really was much more like Dirty Dancing than High School Musical.

As if on cue, a familiar voice sounded from her right, and Y/N was soon faced to face with Nick. He wasted no time engulfing her in a tight hug before he moved on to greet the other girls. Y/N said hi to the people that had come over with Nick before moving her gaze to meet with an oh so familiar pair of stunning green eyes and smiling.

Harry had a wide grin on his face as he stepped towards her and pulled her into his chest for a quick hug as well. The gesture surprised Y/N, but she also found a sense of genuine warmth in his embrace before slowly moving away to look up at him again.

“You made it!” He exclaimed and just couldn’t stop smiling at the fact of her being there.

The way he grinned at Y/N made the butterflies in her stomach swarm, and she found herself having to break eye contact with him before her blush got too noticeable. She took that time to give him a once over and couldn’t keep herself from feeling some type of way. He was wearing a simple grey buttoned-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, shamelessly displaying his arm tattoos that just so happened to capture Y/N’s attention more than usual as the strobe lights danced across them. His hair was messy, but a good kind of messy Y/N decided; the entire look was just very, Harry and that thought alone made her smile.

“You look great by the way,” his voice snapped Y/N from her trance as looked around to see all of her friends have scattered and it was just her and Harry now.

“Thanks,” she continued to blush. “You look good too.”

A moment of awkward silence washed over them as neither really knew what else to say. Harry knew he could just end the conversation right there, but that wasn’t really something he wanted to do, so he began racking his brain for ideas on how to keep the conversation going. As if someone had heard him trying to think up something, the song that was playing changed and the upbeat intro of Right Back by Khalid started booming from the nearby speakers; causing him to grin all over again.

“Would you like to dance?”

“Me?” Y/N squeaked and glanced around because surely he wasn’t talking to her.

“Yes, you,” he chuckled. “I mean, I could ask Nick but who knows where he went off to.”

Y/N bit down on her bottom lip nervously, her heart fluttering at what felt like a million miles a second as she slowly nodded her head. “I’d like that.”

If it wasn’t for the few drinks she downed with her friends while getting ready for this thing, Y/N was sure she would not have been in this situation whatsoever. But alas, the alcohol gave her the liquid courage she needed to let Harry grab her hand and lead her out to the middle of the dancefloor. When they came to a small clearing, Harry dramatically spun around to face her again, causing her to laugh out loud as he dorkily pointed at her with finger guns. He had a goofy smirk plastered on his mouth as he started moving to the music and Y/N soon found herself swaying her hips to the beat too. She glanced at the people around her dancing very close to one another for this particular song and suddenly felt very out of place. They were entirely surrounded by couples.

As if sensing Y/N’s sudden discomfort at their setting, Harry mindlessly moved towards her until there were only a few inches between them. She looked up at him with wide eyes, but with him merely just being there, she didn’t feel as anxious. The two of them remained like that for a moment, lost in each other before Harry went to wrap his right arm around her waist; but stopped himself before he could.

“Uh, would you mind if I-?”

Y/N smiled at how he became so flustered, and simply could not find it in her to deny him. “You don’t have to ask.”

Harry didn’t know what to expect Y/N’s answer to be, but a massive wave of relief washed over him as he returned her smile and continued his movements. He snaked his arms around her waist just as the chorus started playing again and pulled her close, before shifting to rest his hands on her waist as they started moving to the music together.

Hesitantly, Y/N placed her hands on his chest before slowly moving them up to wrap around the back of his neck. Harry loved witnessing her gradually become more comfortable with what they were doing because with how much time he’d spent with her so far this summer, he knew this whole thing wasn’t exactly her scene. She seemed to actually be having fun, though. Throughout the song, she had already let him in more than she had over the last month, looking so content and at peace. It was at that moment Harry realized how he was going to do whatever he could in his power to make her feel that way as often as possible.

Y/N liked being this close to Harry more than she wanted to admit. There was something about him that drew her in and made her want to stay. Sure she considered him to be a friend and all already, but tonight felt different, a good different. She would never dance or act like this with just anybody, but with Harry, it felt natural.

Harry slowly leaned his forehead against Y/N’s as she started twisting the smalls curls at the nape of his neck and felt himself fall into a state of contentment as well. They danced with each other for the remainder of the song, along with the next two before Harry slowly started moving away.

A look of confusion washed over Y/N’s features, but it soon faded as Harry linked his hand with hers and started leading them away from the dancefloor. “Follow me.”

Y/N had no idea where he was taking her, but she didn’t question it either as she let him guide them towards the side door that led them out into the courtyard. There was no one else out there, which was a pleasant change from the crowded area they were just in.

As they walked hand in hand together, the two remained silent, and Y/N tried to keep her breathing steady as Harry gently rubbed his thumb over her knuckles and lead them towards the fountain. They started off talking about the night’s festivities along with not really knowing where all of their friends had gone off to, however, that casual conversation quickly turned deep when they started asking questions about each other, but in a very gradual, comfortable way that surprised both of them.

Y/N was the first to open up. She wasn’t really one to layout her entire life story just for someone to judge it and point out where things could have been changed, but with Harry, she didn’t feel that way once. He expressed genuine interest in what she was saying and soon enough, she was telling him everything. She explained why she thought she needed to leave California for a while after high school and her experiences abroad. With that, she talked about how she felt that time could significantly change people and as much as it sucks to admit, there’s nothing anyone can really do about it either. Her primary example being how Aimee is the only person she kept in contact with from high school because she had grown apart from everyone else. Y/N even went on to explain how she wasn’t able to form very close bonds with people she met during her travels, due to her fear of letting people in just enough so that she’s comfortable before leaving her high and dry.

Harry hung on to her every word, providing a comforting squeeze to her hand when she’d bring up things that were a bit tougher to talk about, and just nodding as she went on to let her know that he really did want to be there, listening to what she had to say. Once she was done, he could tell how relieved she was by simply being able to share all of that with someone she trusted enough to know the things that made her, her. Harry knew how much Y/N appreciated him for letting her vent, and in return, let him know that she would do the same for him if he ever wanted to, and so he did.

The two talked for hours, although it only seemed like mere minutes to them. Once Harry finished his back story of everything that had happened since he graduated high school, he expressed his want to return to England soon and that his money from this job was going to allow him to do so. He went off about how excited he was for his move to LA and his dreams of making it big in the music industry one day, but for now, Harry was rather content with where he was (specifically in that moment with Y/N).

As the night went on, it was Y/N that noticed the party had died down, seeing as no music could be heard anymore and that it was getting rather late. 

Y/N was fully aware of how neither she or Harry worked the next day but still felt a little anxious at the thought of her friends giving her an earful for not having a clue as to where she had gone or who she was with. Luckily for her, the conversation she was having with Harry was much more lighthearted than it was before and she didn’t feel as bad for interrupting it.

“Hey, H?” She spoke up, smiling inwardly to herself at the little nickname she’d mindlessly decided to call him. “I think everyone’s gone back to the cabins, think we should go too?”

There was no doubting that Harry didn’t want the night to end just yet and couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed at the thought itself. So, being the quick thinker he was, he glanced around at their surroundings and tried to think of a way to keep her around; a mischievous grin dancing on his lips when his gaze falls on the pool and an idea sprang to his mind. “We could do that, or we could do something completely different. Something fun.”

“Oh, well, what did you have in mind?”

“Something that I’m going to do regardless of if you join or not, even though I’d much prefer if you did,” he smirked and observed as her eyebrows started to furrow.

“Harry…”

A tiny, heartfelt laugh left Harry’s mouth at the small pout that was forming on her lips as she spoke. She had no idea what he was planning, and it made him that much more excited to mess with her a little bit. He watched as she bit down on her lip in anticipation, and waited for him to say something and after a moment of keeping her on her toes, he leaned forward to whisper lowly in her ear.

“I’m going to go swimming.”

With that, Harry stood up from his spot on the edge of the fountain and jogged his way over to the pool. As much as Harry wished he could see the look of disapproval, he knew Y/N would be looking at him with, he didn’t stop to glance back at her. Instead, he approached the pool gate and glanced around to make sure no security guards were out on patrol, before quietly lifting the latch to unlock it and slowly pushing it open.

Once inside the gate, he walked over to one of the poolside lounge chairs and set his phone and wallet on it before unashamedly starting to strip down to his boxers. Just as he tossed his shirt on the chair and moved to begin unbuttoning his pants, he heard the pool gate creak open again and was already smiling at what was about to come.

“Are you insane?” Y/N’s voice hissed as she followed after him scowling. “Harry, you’re going to get us in so much trouble.”

“Can’t get in trouble if we don’t get caught,” he shrugged as he stepped out of his pants and set them on the chair too. Goosebumps raised on his torso as the cold night air came in contact with his newly exposed skin, but he ignored it as he turned around to face Y/N again. He could tell she was cold by the way she had her arms tightly wrapped her body as a breeze wisped her hair around, and decided to use that factor to his advantage. “The pool is heated.”

“I know it’s heated, I work here too, you know.”

“I do,” he responded smugly and tilted his head to the side. “Well, are you coming in or are you too chicken?”

There was a glint in her eyes that he recognized to be the competitive streak in her coming out. He’s managed to see this side of her a handful of times while he was pressing her buttons at work and seeing her look back at him that way made him think that he may have her convinced, however, the glint faltered as she nervously looked around to see if anyone was nearby. “I don’t know H-.”

Harry could tell that deep down she wanted to join him, she really did. However, he also knew damn well that doing anything that could possibly jeopardize her job here cause Y/N a lot of anxiety. But maybe, just maybe, he’d be able to crack through that wall she keeps putting up that prevents her from doing something fun and reckless for once.

Slowly, Harry walked towards her with a mission. As soon as he was close enough to do so, he reached out and linked their hands together; giving that little bit of reassurance she wanted so badly.

“I’m not going to make you do it if you don’t want to love, but if for whatever reason something did happen, I’ll make sure nothing happens to you.” He paused and watched as her features slowly softened, her hand squeezing his a little tighter all at the same time. “Do you trust me?”

“You already know I do,” she whispered and earned herself a small smile from Harry as she let go of his hand and stepped towards the pool. This time it was Y/N’s turn to shamelessly strip down to her underwear with her back turned to Harry.

Harry was surprised by her sudden burst of confidence as she casually kicked her shoes off and pulled the dress she was wearing up over her head -- letting it fall to the ground in such a simple, yet unknowingly sexy way that had Harry growing more frustrated with each passing second.

Y/N kept her back to him, not wanting him to see just how badly she was blushing. Once she was left in only her mismatched grey/black cotton bra and undies, she stepped towards the edge of the pool and waited for Harry. She smiled to herself as soon as he was standing beside her again and pondered her movements for a minute before making the executive decision to try and push Harry into the pool.

However, her plan backfired, seeing as she did not account for just how buff Harry was and that the likelihood of him actually falling in was slim to none. To make matters worse, Y/N stumbled slightly when she tried pushing him to which Harry instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist so that she wouldn’t fall in instead. Once she was steady, Y/N finally looked up to Harry and internally groaned.

“You just tried to push me in!” He exclaimed dramatically.

“And stupid me thought it’d actually work,” Y/N grumbled as she tried to squirm out of Harry’s grasp. She almost broke free, but before she knew it, Harry was pulling her back against his chest and began tickling her at her sides. She burst into laughter as she began squirming even more and tried to push him away. “H-Harry, stop!”

“You’re wrong if you thought I was letting you get away with that. I’m hurt, Y/N.”

“You’ll get over it,” she replied in a huff as she continued trying to escape Harry’s hold. This continued for another minute as Harry slowly but surely moved them back towards the pool’s edge, and Y/N’s wriggling intensified. She knew what he was about to do and without thinking,  blurted out the first thing that came to mind to prevent him from doing so. “No, don’t! I can’t swim!”

Harry’s movements halted as soon as those words left her mouth, leaving Y/N to cover her mouth to stifle another laugh. She hadn’t considered how ridiculous her statement was until after she said it, and couldn’t help but laugh at how far from the truth it actually was. Harry didn’t move his hands from her waist, and although she really didn’t want to turn to face him, she eventually did and prepared for his reaction.

He stayed silent for a split second before narrowing her eyes and tightening his grip on her waist. “You’re so full of shit.”

Before she could respond again, Harry was lifting her up and jumping into the pool with her in his hold; finally putting the entire argument to rest. As soon as she was surrounded by water, Y/N swam away from Harry and used her feet to push off the bottom of the pool so that she could get back up to the surface and catch her breath.

Harry resurfaced shortly after and they both broke into another laughing fit. The two of them stayed there, treading water for a few minutes before Harry decided to splash Y/N out of nowhere, causing her to gasp dramatically.

She splashed him back but gave up the fight when he returned the gesture with a much larger wave that crashed right into her face. “Ok, I guess I deserved that.”

“Damn right you did,” he replied sassily and treaded and little closer to her. They watched each other for a minute before Harry started lowering the bottom half of his head into the water, just enough that only his eyes were still above the water. Y/N watched him curiously and couldn't help but roll her eyes when he exhaled deeply out of his mouth so that a series of bubbles would rise to the surface and pop around him as he kept eye contact with Y/N.

“God, you are such a child!” She squealed and started swimming away from the shallow end of the pool.

“You love it,” he before shaking his wet, matted curls and swimming after her.

The next half an hour or so is spent with Y/N and Harry goofing off together, and really just having the time of their lives. They had a race to see who could swim from one end of the pool to the other and back the fastest, to which Harry won only by a little bit. However, he soon lost his title when Y/N challenged him to see who could remain in and underwater handstand the longest without falling over or having to swim up for air.

Neither of them had a care in the world, but that quickly changed when the sound of jingling keys and heavy footsteps could be heard in the distance but were undoubtedly getting closer to the pool area. Y/N froze in place, and her face went white, the previous panic she had before of getting caught returning and causing her to be on the verge of hyperventilation.

“Harry, what do we do?!” She asked in a hushed tone, knowing that if they were to just jump out of the pool and make a run for it, they would most definitely get caught. “Y-y-you said-.”

“I know Y/N,” Harry hissed as he stood up and looked towards the courtyard, only to see the beam of a flashlight coming their way. “Ok, ok, I need you to do as I say and not argue with me, alright?”

Y/N nodded frantically but kept her mouth shut as she let Harry gently push her against the side of the pool. His hands never left her body, and to be honest, it’d stress her out even more if he weren’t there. Harry was keeping her calm. She observed as he intently watched the direction the noises of the person approaching came from, not being able to keep her eyes from the way the elegant butterfly and sparrows tattooed on his stomach and chest moved with each breath. Part of her wanted to reach out and trach along with the ink, but she knew now wasn’t the time and kept her hands to herself while she waited for Harry to tell her what to do next.

“Ok, when I say, I want you to go under the water as quietly as you can and swim behind the waterfall. Stay low when you come back up, I don’t think security will see you that way.” His plan was simple enough and actually seemed as though it could work, so with a silent nod, Y/N got in position and waited for him to give her the ok to go. “Alright…. Now.”

Y/N did as Harry said and quietly went back under the water. She kicked off the wall and smoothly glided under the water and didn’t come back up until she reached the wall she knew was behind the waterfall and beneath where her lifeguard chair was resting up top. Once she came up for air, she pressed her back against the wall to remain unseen and waited patiently for Harry.

Before Y/N could really start getting worried, she was able to make out Harry’s figure swimming beneath the waterfall just as she watched a flashlight beam over the part of the pool that she and Harry had only been. She unknowingly pressed her back harder to the wall and held her breath, keeping her eyes closed as she waited for someone to demand that they come out from the waterfall.

A few agonizing moments go by as Y/N prepared for the worst, but the worst never happens. She peeked one eye open just as Harry disappeared under the water again and swam back out into the regular part of the pool. A portion of her wanted to wait for his confirmation, but when it took him a bit longer than she was expecting for him to come back, she knew the coast must’ve been clear; so she followed after him.

Sure enough, when she resurfaced again, there was no security standing at the edge of the pool, waiting to give them shit; but instead, it was just Harry standing with his back to her, with his muscles tense. Cautiously, she approached him.

“We should get going,” he finally spoke up when there was no longer too much of a space between them. He turned around to face Y/N, but couldn’t seem to actually look at her. “Tha’ was closer than I’d like it to be, and we may not have time before he’s back.”

“H-.”

“And you probably don’t want anything to do with me after putting you in a stressful situation like that, this is all my fault,” he continued to ramble as she kept approaching him.

“Harry…”

“God, I swear I didn’t think anyone would actually come by but-.” This time it was Y/N who cut Harry off as she made one final step towards him and placed a hand behind his neck. She pulled him towards her at the same time she stood up onto her tippy toes and waited for the sparks she knew would go off once their lips came in contact with one another.

To say it felt like magic would have been an understatement because how it felt for Y/N and Harry to be at that moment, after spending such a great night together was simply indescribable. They both really liked the feeling of being there, together, making out, even though it was in the pool they both were lifeguards for, and soon found themselves getting lost in the kiss.

Harry quickly pulled her closer to him, wanting to have as little space between them as possible as his hands tangled into her hair so that the kiss could deepen. Y/N reacted by moaning slightly into his mouth and parting her lips more so that she could allow him more access.

They continued making out as Harry placed his hands under Y/N’s thighs so that she could wrap her legs around his waist. They kept going at it when Y/N’s back gently collided with the pool wall again, and she placed her hands on either side of his face just so that she could keep him near. The only thing that was going to make them break away from one another was going to be the need for air, and even that took a few minutes to happen, but eventually, it did.

The two of them slowly pulled away from each other, lips swollen, and panting for air as Y/N glanced up at Harry and smiled lightly. “You were putting words into my mouth.”

“Clearly I need to do that more often,” he chuckled before leaning down and catching her lips in another quick, yet sweet, kiss. Once he was done, he leaned back away from her again, his thumbs twiddling with the material of her underwear as they made no indication of wanting to move from one another. Eventually, it was Harry that broke the silence again. “Think we should get out here?”

“Not the worst idea I don't think,” Y/N responded with a nod.

The two of them untangled themselves from one another and climbed out of the pool before gathering their things and heading back to the cabins.

Y/N stayed with Harry that night and into the early morning of the next day. She woke up tangled in his bedsheets alone but had no need to worry seeing as she could hear him humming along to a tune from the shower in the washroom nearby. A loud yawn left her mouth as she stretched and squinted at the bright sunlight streaming in through the windows and finally took in her surroundings.

Harry’s cabin was smaller than Y/N’s but was much more spacious because it was only him and Nick that stayed there. And luckily for Y/N, Nick was nowhere to be found. She did, however, have this nagging thought of how he could literally burst through the door and see her so obviously trying to keep her naked body covered beneath the sheets at any given moment. There was not a single part of her that wanted to deal with that, so she sat up in the bed and looked out the window for any sign of him coming before booking it into the washroom so that she could join Harry in the shower.

The two of them spent the entire day together. It was ridiculously convenient that Nick, Aimee, Dana, and Maya all had work today because they were able to postpone any of their friends bugging them. Seeing as Y/N only had the outfit she wore last night, she gave Harry her key so that he could run over to her empty cabin and grab some fresh clothes. Much to her dismay, he came back with only a pair of terrycloth shorts that belonged to Maya and some clean underwear (but no bra).

“Harry, do you expect me to walk around topless all day?” Y/N asked and quirked an eyebrow at him. It was evident that he didn’t intentionally forget to grab her a top by the way his eyes widened slightly at her question, but with Harry being Harry, he played it off with ease.

“Well, I wouldn’t exactly be opposed to the idea…”

“Harry.”

“Kidding,” he groaned as he rolled off the bed again and made way to his dresser so that he could give her a shirt to wear. “But not really. Here.”

Y/N caught the shirt Harry tossed towards her with ease and quickly threw it on, knowing she’d gone without a top for long enough. After that, Harry climbed onto the bed again and stretched himself across the bed next to her. He was hesitant in doing so, but after getting stiff from leaning on his elbow for a few minutes, he laid down flat with his head resting softly on Y/N’s lap as she stayed sat up and leaned against the wall.

The two of them talked for hours on end, again. Not once getting bored of each other's company and loving hearing what they each had to say, Y/N started to think about how long it had been since she was this comfortable with someone. They talked about everything from their favorite foods, to their what genre of a story they liked best after Y/N had eyed up the stack of books that were on Harry’s bedside table. Harry started going off, and Y/N mindlessly pushed her hand through his curls as he reached over to grab one of them so that he could tell her some of his favorite lines in it.

As the late afternoon crept around, Harry proposed that they actually leave the cabin and go out to do something, to which Y/N agreed. So, they gathered up the laundry hamper they had tossed Harry’s dirty bedding into that morning and made way to the clubhouse to start washing them while they went off and did something else. As they made way to the laundry room, they had to come to a stop when someone started calling out after them. Sure enough, it was Aimee standing behind them with a bemused and knowing look. She didn’t give them a hard time though seeing as she was just finishing her break and needed to get back to work, but Y/N knew she would get an earful when she got home that night.

Once they loaded up one of the washing machines and convinced one of the older ladies working in the laundry room, folding up clean bedsheets for the guests, to put move their wash over to a dryer so that they wouldn’t have to come back as soon; they embarked on a little journey. After sending a quick text to Maya a quick text to make sure it was alright, Y/N led Harry to one of the many golf carts that weren’t being used to take on their own little excursion.

They drove around the resort’s perimeter, taking the whole place in as if they were the ones staying there rather than being employees. After they finished doing that, Y/N drove them back to the clubhouse and tried thinking of something else to do before Harry suggested they go on the hiking trails the resort had.

The two of them walked back down the path that led towards the cabins and took a different turn that led them down a winding trail and eventually to the base of a large hill. Other people were nearby putting the multiple trail options to good use, but Harry and Y/N couldn’t decide which one they wanted to go on. They settled on the longest trail, the one that took them up the hill to a supposed lookout spot that was there.

It took them roughly forty-five minutes to reach the top, mainly because Harry kept dramatically pausing, saying he needed a break although Y/N was totally aware of it being a facade so that she’d stay near him and not keep going too far ahead... but she didn’t mind as they continued going. 

Once they reached the end of the path, Y/N didn’t know what she was expecting to see, but she definitely wasn’t prepared to have her breath taken away

The top of the hill was a large clearing with the most incredible view. There was no one else up there so she didn’t waste any time walking around the entire area so she could take it all in. When she looked down the hill to the east, she had an incredible aerial view of the whole resort. The massive golf course seemed to go on forever, disappearing in the distance behind some trees and smaller hills, and everything else seemed so much smaller. She could see the entirety of the clubhouse letting her eyes move to the pool and then over to the trails behind it as well as all the big fancy lodges the resort guests rented out during their stay. Her gaze fell on the row of cabins, watching as her co-workers walked home after their shifts had come to an end; even seeing who she thought was Dana trudging her way up the steps of their shared cabin, and Nick making his way towards his and Harry’s.

Y/N then moved to look to the west, and that was when her jaw dropped open in awe. In the distance, she could see the coastline. Where the greenery from the trees ended, the deep blue of the Pacific Ocean started and seemed to go on forever; causing her to become quickly enraptured by its beauty. So this was why Oceanside was a fitting name.

“S’pretty, innit?” Harry’s voice asked from behind her. When she didn’t respond, he moved towards her so that they were standing side by side. It wasn’t his first time seeing the view, which Y/N knew, but what she didn’t realize was how with the way the sun was just beginning to set, everything stood out. The pink and purple sky surrounding them and the way the breeze wisped her hair around made it seem as though she was the center of the most beautiful painting. Harry couldn’t take his eyes off of her, not that he’d want to anyway, and wanted to this exact image engraved into his memory forever. “Y/N?”

“Hmm?” She asked and glanced over at him briefly before looking back to the ocean. “The view? Yes, it’s incredible.”

“Not just the view,” Harry whispered to himself as he watched her. Silence fell over them for a few minutes after that, and neither made a move to change that. However, as the sun kept getting lower in the sky, Harry knew that this moment couldn’t last forever. “Think we should head back down there, it’s going to be dark soon.”

“Oh, yeah, not a bad idea. The laundry is probably done by now too.”

It didn’t take them as long to get down the hill as it was going up, so soon enough they were back at the clubhouse gathering Harry’s bedding and heading back to the cabins to call it a night. 

On their way there, they heard laughter and chatter coming from people walking down a different path. Neither Harry or Y/N thought anything of it as they started down the trail towards the cabins until someone was calling after Y/N.

“Hey Y/N, wait up!”

Slowly, both Y/N and Harry turned around to see Tyler Huntington approaching them with one of his friends.

“Hi Tyler, how’s it going?” Y/N greeted as Harry remained silent; not noticing the way he glared at the other boy.

“Good,” Tyler responded. “Just finished up a round of golf. Didn’t see you at the pool today.”

“Yeah, Harry and I have this weekend off so you won’t see me around there tomorrow either.”

“I see,” he replied and moved his gaze to Harry, sending him somewhat of a dirty look. “Styles. Well anyways Y/N, seeing as you have the day off tomorrow, Chris here’s parents went to San Francisco for the weekend, so a bunch of us are going to party in his family’s lodge. You should come.”

His invitation surprised her a little bit because frankly not once had she given the impression that she wanted to hang out with Tyler or his obnoxious friends apart from being around them during her shift. There was a fine line between employee and guest’s relationships being professional, and she did not want to cross it, so she politely turned him down.

“Thank you for the offer, but no thanks. I’m actually so exhausted and am ready to call it a night.”

“I see,” Tyler responded disappointedly. “Maybe another time then?”

“Maybe,” Y/N responded with a small nod and looked up to Harry. “Well, I guess we’ll be going then, have a good night guys.”

“Night,” Tyler and Chris responded in unison.

Y/N and Harry turned and started walking towards the cabin’s again, and Tyler watched with gritted teeth as Harry wrapped an arm around Y/N’s waist and pulled her close. Feeling the jealousy within him reach an all-time high as she leaned into Harry’s touch as they continued walking and eventually disappeared out of sight.

The next couple of weeks or so went on like usual. Y/N and Harry spent most of it together at work as usual but also spent a lot of evenings together as well. While at work together, the two of them would go on as they usually would -- teasing each other and making snarky comments, but this time around, there was a lot more subtle flirting. They always kept it professional around guests, but when they had any time that was just the two of them, they were all over each other.

One evening, after Y/N and Harry finished their shift together, they helped the kitchen staff set up tables in the dining room for a fancy gala dinner that was being put on for the resort guests. They stuck out like sore thumbs working alongside the servers who were dressed in their fancy uniforms in preparation for the dinner, to which their co-workers teased them about, but expressed appreciation for the help nonetheless.

Once they were done helping wherever they could, Dana told them her, and the rest of the team should be alright and that Y/N and Harry should get out of there before the guests started showing up. As they were headed towards the lobby, Harry snuck up behind Y/N and covered his hand over her mouth so that no one would hear her. A muffled yelp left her mouth as Harry pulled her behind one of the large planters and pillar so that he could gently push her up against the wall; a seductive grin tugging at his lips as he did so.

“Been waiting to have you to myself all day,” Harry said as he moved his hand from her mouth and replaced it with his lips. Y/N moaned against his mouth and responded by pulling him even closer than he already was so that the kiss would deepen. They stood there making out for at least a solid two minutes before footsteps and voices could be heard coming towards them.

Y/N and Harry quickly broke away from each other and tried to straighten out their appearances before stepping out from behind the pillar, coming face to face with the Huntington family. Both Mr. and Mrs. Huntington greeted the pair happily while Tyler stayed quiet; silently fuming as he took in Y/N’s swollen lips and Harry’s disheveled curls.

“Aren’t you kids done for the day? Get out of here already,” Mr. Huntington teased as he patted Harry on the back.

“We are,” Harry told him. “Just thought we’d help with setting everything up for you guys. It looks great in there, I’m sure you’ll have lots of fun.”

“Anyways we should get going,” Y/N spoke up with a smile and looked to each member of the family, pausing when she locked eye contact with Mrs. Huntington. “They’ve got your favorite wine in there Carol, it should be a good night.”

“Oh, wonderful!” The older woman exclaimed and clapped her hands together, earning a groan from her husband. “You two have a good night as well, don’t get into too much trouble.”

“We won’t,” Y/N and Harry answered together before nodding goodbye and walking away from them. Both Mr. and Mrs. Huntington smiled and watched them go for a second before continuing on down the hallway, but Tyler stood there watching, no glaring at the two of them until they disappeared around the corner.

A few days later, when Y/N was in Harry’s cabin watching a movie with him and Nick, her phone buzzed with a new notification. She reached over to grab her phone, Harry shifting so that she’d have easier access to his bedside table, but not moving his arm from where it was wrapped lazily around her waist. As soon as she had the device, Y/N returned to her spot, nestled up against Harry and turned the screen on only to see she had an email from Mr. Slack. Assuming it was necessary, she unlocked her phone and opened the email; her eyebrows furrowing as she read through it.

“Everything alright?” Harry asked after a moment of seeing her just stare at the phone screen.

“Yeah, I guess,” she started. “It’s just that Mr. Slack changed my work schedule completely.”

“For next week?” Nick questioned and sat up, curiously from his bed across the room.

“No… for the rest of the summer.”

This caught Harry’s attention as his eyebrows furrowed in confusion as well. “Mind if I see?”

“Not at all,” Y/N responded and handed him the phone.

Harry took the device and scrolled through the entire email, noting the changes in her schedule. “Our shifts are completely opposite now.”

“Really? All of them?”

“Yeah, all of them,” he replied and handed the phone back. “We don’t have any more days off together.”

“So they’re splitting us up and pairing us with different lifeguards for the next three weeks?” Y/N questioned, and Harry nodded. “Why now all of a sudden?”

“Whack caught on to you two messing around with each other, huh?” Nick asked and wriggled his eyebrows.

“I don’t think it was him actually,” Harry shrugged in response. “Think it was the Huntington kid.”

“Tyler?” Y/N asked and leaned onto her elbow so she could get a better look at Harry as he nodded. “What makes you think that?”

“Oh come on, you can’t tell me you haven’t noticed how pissed he gets whenever he sees us together. He’s jealous Y/N. Probably pulled some strings with management so that he could attempt to move in on you before the end of summer.”

His tone became rather hostile, and Y/N quickly decided that she did not like it one bit and started moving away from him. “I have noticed actually, but it’s wrong to assume someone could be so malicious. We can’t prove that he actually did do that, maybe Slack just wanted to switch up the lifeguard rotation.”

“Three weeks before the summer ends? Y/N, do you hear yourself right now? All the hints and clues of Tyler wanting to mess with us are right in front of you, but you’re too damn gullible and naive to open your eyes and see!”

Harry’s outburst surprised Y/N, and she made no effort to hide it. “That was uncalled for, Harry.”

“But true,” he finished and looked away, not noticing the hurt that flashed through her eyes.

The next thing Y/N knew, she was scrambling to get out of Harry’s grasp to get as far away from him as she possibly could. “You know what? I’m just gonna go.”

“What, no, Y/N, I didn’t mean that rudely,” Harry pleaded as he stood up too, realizing that he’d really upset her.

“How did you mean to say that I’m too gullible and naive for my own good in a nice way, Harry?” She snapped and brought her hand up to her chest when she saw him reaching out for it. “I’m sorry that I tend to see the good in people and not make rash assumptions about them just because I feel like it! You know, I thought you weren’t one to do that too actually, but I guess I was wrong.”

Harry couldn’t find it in himself to say anything else because just seeing how much his words had hurt her, crippled him. During one of their many talks, she told him how growing up she was told that her niceness would get her in trouble one day, that she was too accepting of everyone and it really rubbed her the wrong way. Y/N viewed her kindness towards others as a weakness because of that, and although it was one of her traits that Harry admired most, he still managed to make her feel bad about it. To make her feel weak.

Y/N gave him a second to respond, and although she was greatly disappointed when he didn’t, she just swallowed her pride and walked towards the door. Muttering a quick goodbye to Nick, she swung the screen door open and walked out, letting it slam shut as she rushed down the stairs and over to her cabin before the tears started streaming down her face.

There was an invisible weight resting on Harry’s chest as he watched her go, feeling absolutely terrible as Nick walked up beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You just royally fucked up my friend.”

A week went by, but Y/N and Harry had yet to speak to one another. She was upset, which he knew, but fucked, he missed her. He just wanted the chance to apologize, but even then, that opportunity never came because they never actually saw each other. The only time he’d get to see her was in passing when one of their shifts came to an end, and the other was there to take over.

On the nights he knew he didn’t work the next day, Harry would stay up late reading on his front porch, coming to a stop only when he’d hear someone dragging their feet on the gravel and watched as they trudged their way past his cabin on route to their own. One of those nights, over a week since he and Y/N, had last spoken outside of work, he heard two sets of footsteps walking down the path, so he set the book down to see if it was anyone he knew. As soon as he looked up, her gaze fell onto Y/N, but she wasn’t alone.

She had just finished the night shift at the pool and was yawning and rubbing at her eyes as she nodded to what Tyler was going on about besides her, clearly uninterested. When Y/N and Tyler reached the space between her and Harry’s cabins, she looked at Harry tiredly and sent him the smallest smile. Y/N then turned to Tyler and thanked him for walking her home and turned him down again for hanging out before saying goodbye and going up to her cabin stairs. Just as she reached the door, she paused and looked over to Harry, nodding towards him. “Night, Harry.”

And with that, she was gone.

The days after that, Harry observed how Tyler followed Y/N around like a lost puppy and started to become annoyed because he’d still not gotten the chance to apologize. One night, as they were going into the last week and a half of summer, Harry decided he was done sulking and knew that he needed to talk to Y/N because he’d gotten to the point where he just felt empty without her.

He first went over to her cabin to see if she was there. Knocking on the door, he felt his heart rate increase with each passing second until the door swung open to reveal Aimee.

“Get off my porch,” she spat. Harry took a deep breath, feeling even more nervous than before because if looks could kill, he’d be dead by now.

“I-is Y/N home?” He stammered and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

She continued glaring at him, exhaling deeply through her nose to express just how much him being there made her fume. “You’re right fucked if you think I’m letting you talk to her after what you did.”

“Aimee I-.”

“You messed up Harry, massively.” Aimee finished for him. “Do you know how hard it is for that girl to open up? To feel such a significant bond with someone that she can genuinely be herself without fear of being judged for it. You somehow managed to crack through that wall. She let you in, and you threw it in her face. So, like I said before, get the fuck off my porch.”

“I know I messed up ok?” Harry argued before she could slam the door shut, his voice cracking slightly. “I know that I gained her trust, became someone she was comfortable with, and then fucked everything up. I know you think I’m a terrible human being because of what I said, and honestly, I can agree with you. What I said was uncalled for and completely unnecessary, and I know that I’d take it all back if I could. I was jealous, fuck, I was jealous of Tyler Huntington because he kept moving in on her and to be honest, I was afraid. Not because she ever seemed interested, but because I knew that he could give her the world if she let him and that I can’t. I’m a lifeguard for fuck's sake, not the son of some rich businessman. I don’t know where I’m going from here, or what LA will hold, but I’d really like for her to be there for it, and I hate myself for possibly messing that up.”

Once his rant came to an end, and he finally decided to look up again, he half expected for Aimee to just proceed with slamming the door in his face but was actually surprised to see that he’d gained an audience. Both Dana and Maya were now standing behind Aimee shaking their heads.

“God, boys, they really are stupid,” Maya groaned.

“Y/N doesn’t care about any of that you dingus,” Dana stated.

“Honestly though,” Aimee agreed, her features softening. “Glad you can see how good of thing you almost lost there, Harry, because as much as I want to say you don’t deserve to even associate with my best friend… You’re an alright dude. She’s on the night shift at the pool, you may be able to catch her before she finishes up and comes home for the night. Just don’t mess it up again.”

“I won’t, thank you,” Harry replied as he turned around and bolted down the stairs and started off in the direction of the pool. He checked the time on his phone and sped up a little more as he knew Y/N would be getting ready to leave soon.

Y/N finished gathering the last of the pool towels left by guests and put them in the hamper for housekeeping to deal with tomorrow. She hated the night shift. Although the pool closed at 10pm, she was alone from 8pm on, but the pool was always dead by then and the time would just drag. She knew her shift was almost over, so she wandered back to the lifeguard stand and grabbed her belongings so she could go punch out.

Before she could get too far though, the pool gate creaked open, and someone walked in. She turned around to tell the person that the pool had closed, but stopped herself when she saw Tyler standing there. “Oh, hey.”

“Hey,” he responded and walked towards her. “Was wondering if you wanted some company for the walk home again.”

“Thanks, that’s really sweet of you, but I’m meeting up with Nick so I’ll be fine,” she told him honestly.

“I see,” he replied and looked down to his feet. “Well, I know that you have the day off tomorrow. Maybe I want to do something… with me?”

Y/N could tell he was a little nervous asking her this, but there was something he said that she was not expecting to hear. “How did you know I had tomorrow off?”

“I uh, you told me, remember?” Tyler stammered, internally cursing himself.

“No, I didn’t,” Y/N trailed off. “So how did you actually know?”

“Ok, you caught me,” he tried to play it off. “I asked Mr. Slack to tell me because I really wanted to ask you out, seeing as you turned me down all summer.”

“I turned you down because I’m not interested, Tyler.”

As the conversation started going down, Harry was nearing the pool gate. He heard what Y/N had just said, but stopped so that he wouldn’t interfere.

Y/N watched Tyler, watched as his eyes snapped to hers once the words left her mouth, and saw them darken. Y/N held her ground, though. She didn’t falter or let him intimidate her regardless of how part of her wanted too because deep down, she already knew this was going to tie into what she and Harry had fought about.

“See that’s the thing I don’t get,” Tyler started, chuckling slightly. “Why wouldn’t you be interested? I’ve got money, looks, charm-.”

“Well, I wouldn’t go that far,” she cut him off, and Harry had to cover his mouth so that he didn’t laugh out loud.

“Right. Not like you’d notice it anyways with how busy you’ve been off fucking Styles every chance you got. Quite the slut move, Y/N.”

Harry was ready to throw hands at that point and was about to start going off, but Y/N beat him to it.

“You do not get to say that about me, or anyone for that matter,�� she fumed. “And frankly, it is not your concern, or anyone else’s who I sleep with, so I’ll sum this up real quick. I like Harry, he is a kind and decent being, something you wouldn’t know, and is someone I will gladly admit to falling for and will continue falling for because he is actually worth my time.”

“Whatever-.”

“Oh, I’m not done yet. Harry is someone who holds more character in his pinky finger than you do in your entire body, and is also someone who would never, in a million years, pay money to try and interfere with someone’s life.” Tyler fell silent at that. “I know you paid Slack to change my work schedule around.”

“I, well, I-.”

“You aren’t worth it,” she finished and had no intention of speaking another word to him. Tyler stood there shocked as she brushed past him and started walking towards the gate.

“I can have you fired, you know?” He finally spoke up, noticing that Harry was standing nearby. “Both of you.”

“No, you can’t,” Y/N laughed, sending a quick glance to Harry before turning back around. “Slack already told me he wants both me and Harry to come back next summer with a pay raise. I think he was saying something about how he didn’t want to get rid of the guest's two favorite lifeguards, including your parents. So maybe I’ll see you next summer, Tyler, but for now, fuck you.”

The man was left speechless and couldn’t find any other words to say as he watched her walk out the gate and towards Harry.

Once the gate shut behind her, Y/N turned to face Harry and tried so hard to not just lunge herself towards him. “Did you hear that?”

“I did,” Harry said, and Y/N started stepping towards him.

“All of it?”

“Yes, all of it.”

“Ok, good,” she answered just as she reached him and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him in so she could crush her lips against his. The kiss was sweet but turned hungry as each of them realized how much they’d been craving to be near one another again. However, it didn’t last long until Y/N was pulling away to look back up at Harry. “I missed you, H.”

“God, and I missed you,” he replied, softly pecking her lips once again. “And I am so so sorry, Y/N. I’m sorry for being such a prick, and I don’t expect you to forgive me any time soon, but-.”

“I already have,” Y/N told him and moved to wrap her arms around his waist in a hug. “Besides, Nick told me how sulky you were because I wasn’t talking to you.”

“Of course he did,” Harry groaned and pulled away from the hug. He leaned down to kiss her once again before leaning his forehead against hers. “Let’s go home.”

Y/N’s last week at Oceanside was spent packing, working her final shifts, and saying goodbye to all the friends she had made throughout the summer. On her last day there, she gave her cabin one final look over to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything and let out a sad sigh. Dana and Maya had left the day before, so it was just her in Aimee left. Once she was sure she had everything, she went outside to where Aimee and Nick were waiting, and the three of them started walking towards the clubhouse.

“You know you’re both going to have to Facetime me at least once a week, right?” Nick asked as they walked around to where the different buses were waiting to drive them home.

“I’d expect nothing less,” Y/N answered and let out a heavy breath once they reached their destination.

The three of them pulled each other into a group hug and muttered their teary goodbye’s. Eventually, Nick had to pull away so that he could board his bus and made sure to wave like crazy as it began pulling away.

“I can’t believe you’re going to LA already, I feel like I just got you back,” Aimee started as she loaded her luggage onto the bottom of the bus.

“I know,” Y/N told her as she helped with the large suitcase. “The summer flew by. Sorry that I'm sending you on the bus back to San Jose alone.”

“I’ll be fine, you’ll just have to make it up to me with drinks when I come to visit. Which will be very soon might I add.”

They both chuckled before slowly frowning, tears stinging at their eyes. In a split second, they were engulfing each other into a tight hug and trying not to cry.

“I’m going to miss you so much, Aims.”

“I’m going to miss you more,” Aimee replied and pulled away to wipe at the tears streaming down her face. “I’m so proud of you Y/N. You’re going out there and doing whatever it is you want to do, and I got to see you grow as a person so much this summer. God, I feel like a proud mom.”

“It’s because of you, you know,” Y/N responded as she reached up to wipe away some of her friend's tears. “If it weren’t for you sassing me, I would have been a hermit all summer. You gave me that extra push I didn’t know I needed.”

“Well, in that case, then I’m happy that I did.”

Y/N pulled her best friend in for another hug, staying like that until the bus driver called out for final boarding. “I guess that’s your cue to leave.”

“I guess it is,” Aimee sniffled as she moved from Y/N’s embrace and started walking to the bus. “You better call me the minute you get to LA.”

“You know I will,” Y/N answered with a smile.

Once Aimee was sat on the bus, the doors closed and she waved at Y/N as it drove away. Y/N didn’t leave her spot nor stop waving until the bus disappeared over the hill, and she let out another sigh. She then turned around and was met by her special someone standing there looking back at her with his goofy grin.

“Ready?” Harry asked as he lifted his right arm so that he could rest it on Y/N’s shoulders as they walked towards his car, waiting in the parking lot.

“More than ready,” Y/N answered before moving away from him so that she could climb into the passenger side; her luggage already packed in the trunk thanks to Harry going out of his way to put it there as she said goodbye to Aimee.

“Perfect.”

With one final glance around at the resort that had been their home for the last two and a half months, Y/N and Harry began their long drive to Los Angeles and their future, together.

[funkzpiel]

How To Care For Your Witcher: Cat Eyes

Hello, dearest reader. If you have found this then you, like I, must be in the habit of sharing your Path with a witcher. It is my pleasure to share with you what findings I have made during my journeys with my own witcher. May the knowledge gleaned from my struggles spare you in the coming days from the sheer stupidity you are about to experience. Because witchers, as masterfully trained and clever as they are, utterly lack any capacity for self-interest. They were trained to hunt, to kill – to be a perfect solitary predator. However, their training has one very distinct hole…

And so, I wrote this book.

When it comes to caring for one’s witcher, it must be first and foremost noted with the utmost urgency that witchers, the bloody fools that they are, do not communicate. That means many a one-sided conversation is ahead of you, dear reader, but furthermore, it means simply this: do not trust your witcher to tell you he is hurting.

He won’t.

-

Jaskier was no stranger to the very wide, very strange collection of potions and decoctions that witchers carried on them at any given time. Things that helped them hold their breath underwater past human comprehension or limitations. Tonics that made their blood poisonous to creatures that might bite them. Potions that helped them heal quickly and others that gave them energy or made them immune to noxious gases. Witchers were nothing if not highly prepared for nearly any situation.

But that did not mean they were infallible. And it did not mean that their potions and decoctions came without a price. Jaskier just wished he had known that before Geralt had driven himself to such a sorry state.

It had started off benignly enough. Geralt had taken two of his famous potions – although, like usual, he did not precisely narrate to Jaskier which ones. Squinting in the shade of the cave’s mouth despite the kindness of its shelter from the sun, he told Jaskier to stay put and disappeared inside the earth’s yawning maw, slipping away into the darkness. He was hunting a poisonous toad, based off the stories from the villagers. A thing roughly two and half stories tall, going off their tales – which meant it was likely only one story tall. But one story was more than enough toad-mass to crush a man. It was a toxic thing. It breathed dangerous green fumes and made a bed in noxious plants that were constantly releasing a steady spew of poisonous fog into the creature’s den. Jaskier assumed that one of the potions had been to combat that, of course, though he was still unsure of the other.

It also meant that Jaskier – all too human and unable to safely consume a witcher’s potions – really had no choice but to wait. Geralt had originally insisted he stay at the inn. But where was the adventure, the story, in that? What if Geralt forgot something! No, best to be there while it was still fresh in case Geralt forgot. For the story, of course. No ulterior motives at all.

Jaskier had paced the cave idly for two or so hours. He’d take a few steps into the darker stretch of the cave, listening as hard as he could, before pulling back again. He babbled anxious nonsense to Daisy and Roach, both who merely snuffled at him appeasingly. Over and over, until finally his witcher emerged covered in goo and dragging an oozing toad head behind him. Jaskier nearly rushed to him before stumbling to a halt at a brusque gesture from the pale haired man.

“Still noxious,” he said bluntly, “Wait.” Before dragging the head off in the direction of the river, face screwed up into an unpleasant twist, as far as witcher expressions go.

Jaskier was grateful, he supposed. The man certainly smelled noxiously, covered in guts and who knew what else. It was another hour before Geralt returned to him and the horses looking impressively cleaner for a man who had once returned to a bar slathered in creature guts from head to toe. It was… unlike him. He carried the head in a burlap bag now, the thing trailing the occasional clump of dirt or herbs or muddied ooze now and then. Geralt had explained it made the head safe to travel with for Roach and Daisy. Which meant for Jaskier too, of course, the emotionally constipated stick in the mud. But Geralt could have just as easily insisted Jaskier simply find his own way home, the road too dangerous to travel with Geralt and his poisonous toad head, so Jaskier took that for the olive branch of compassion that it was, even if it went unsaid.

He hadn’t noticed the way Geralt still squinted so obviously despite the overcast day or the way he kept his gaze distinctly downward away from the bright blue of the sky or the glare of the sun. He missed how large his pupils were, how they didn’t contract as they should – too high off the possibility of a new story and Geralt’s safe return.

Jaskier had blathered on as they begun their journey back to the village alderman, of course. He asked questions about the creature, about Geralt’s fight. What had the cave looked like? Had it been damp and sickly? Dark like the deepest paths to hell? Did it smell of sulfur or rich, wet earthiness? Geralt never answered, but then again Geralt rarely humored his questioning for finer details. He had offered up the basics though – in as few words as possible – poisonous toad, slick floors and moss everywhere. No bites, no dramatic wounds. Toad’s dead, nothing more to it.

It wasn’t until they were nearly halfway back to the village that Geralt began to show any true symptoms worth noticing. He was sweating, for starters, and pale as a sheet – and yet the day itself was brisk and pleasant. He kept snorting softly, like a dog trying to clear a scent from its nose, and occasionally he’d sneeze dryly – which just made the witcher wince something unpleasant. That was finally enough to make Jaskier comment and look closer.

“Geralt, are you feeling alright?” Jaskier asked.

Geralt had grunted, but the sound was soft by comparison to normal. As if Geralt was loath to make much more sound than a gruff whisper. Jaskier drew his horse to a stop beside Roach, their flanks brushing, and offered a hand to Roach’s long neck to steady her to a stop beside him as well. The fact that Geralt let him without so much as a word was more than a little worrisome. The witcher just furrowed his brow, mouth a taut line as he kept his eyes down on Roach’s neck.

“Geralt,” Jaskier said plainly, dipping his face to try and catch Geralt’s stubbornly averted eyes. “We’ve talked about this. Use your words, where does it hurt?”

It was a barb. A somewhat mean one at that, but Jaskier was scared, and unfortunately his silver tongue had a terrible way of getting ahead of him when he was scared. Geralt bared his teeth at him, a flinch caught sharp and tight in the muscles around his eyes and in the taut stretch of his cheeks.

“Jaskier,” Geralt warned, but his hands were shaking. He wasn’t leaving, wasn’t forcing Jaskier away. Which meant only one thing for a witcher as deadest on never admitting his weaknesses as Geralt: he couldn’t leave.

“Geralt, I can’t help if you don’t—”

“—I don’t need your help, I need you to move,” Geralt snapped, each word as vibrant as the bared fangs of a snarling wolf, cornered and agitated. Geralt turned to glare at him then, more out of habit than anything, and that was when Jaskier finally noticed the explosive width of Geralt’s pupils, the way they didn’t quite land on his face, but rather slightly over his shoulder. They left the thinnest ring of amber around them, flooding the man’s eyes with light, making him squint – and no doubt unable to see much of anything. He had been trusting Roach to stay on the path, then. And he had been trusting Jaskier to redirect her instinctively if she strayed. What with the time the two of them had spent together, Roach and Daisy had bonded in that way working animals sometimes did – keen to follow one another if there was no lead from their rider. He realized now that Geralt’s hands were largely on his pommel, reins loose in the tangle of his trembling fingers. He had been struggling to stay in his seat, deferring their journey’s navigation to Jaskier all this time, and the bard hadn’t noticed.

Witchers don’t get sick – not easily. But they weren’t immune to everything, and their mutations certainly left them susceptible to quite a number of things. The genetic enhancements that gave Geralt his gift for tracking – his keen sense of sight, smell and sound – also left him vulnerable to overstimulation. It rarely became a problem, but even witchers had their limits; even if they would rather die than admit it.

“Geralt, this is important,” Jaskier said softly, voice lower, and felt the twist in his stomach ease when that removed some of the tension from Geralt’s face. Whatever was going on, it was definitely tied to his senses. “Was it the toad that did that to your eyes? Or was it you?”

Was it one of your blasted toxic potions?

The question went unsaid. Geralt knew well enough Jaskier’s opinion on those potions. Amazed by the feats witchers could perform with them and yet constantly wary of the repercussions he knew Geralt would suffer in secret.

Geralt licked his lips – dry and cracked, another side effect of some of his potions, Jaskier had noticed over time. The bard reached for his canteen as smoothly as he could without jarring the other man. He unscrewed the top slowly, quietly, but not entirely, and gently pressed it into Geralt’s hands. The witcher appeared as grateful for the bottle as he was for the fact that Jaskier had left the littlest bit of it left for him to unscrew on his own; the smallest illusion of self-control. Jaskier watched the way he drank from the skin of water and realized with a feeling akin to a stone dropping in his stomach that all this time Geralt had been thirsty and had not been able to see enough to find his own canteen in his pack. He had likely quenched the worst of it while cleaning himself in the river, but he had never asked for help after. Not once. And Jaskier had missed the significance of the few times the witcher’s hands had subtly fumbled around his saddle, searching for it.

Eventually Geralt handed it back – still half full – before Jaskier urged him to keep it in his grasp with a soft, “It’s not a long ride, go ahead and finish it. I can refill it when we’re back in town.”

“Jaskier,” Geralt croaked, frowning. Geralt didn’t like taking from Jaskier. Something about the fact that humans were fragile. Limited. Whether it was food or water, the bard had quickly picked up on the root of Geralt’s reluctance with resources. Jaskier didn’t let him argue.

“I can take yours if I need any, Geralt. It’s fine.”

There was a pointed statement between those words; I know you had looked for it and didn’t ask for help. One Geralt caught easily enough, eyes darting away again, mouth drawn tight. Caught. Frustrated. Bristly and edgy, and the slightest bit embarrassed.

“Toad or potion, Geralt?” Jaskier repeated.

Geralt held up two fingers, unwilling to speak; second option then, it was a potion. It was hard to tell how much of his discomfort was due to the situation that left him so mute or sound sensitivity. Jaskier assumed a bit of both. Geralt was acting not unlike a man hung over, after all, and the bard had no end of experience with that. Unwillingness to open his eyes, a desperate yearning to be somewhere dark and quiet. Jaskier had no doubt that the witcher might have stayed in the blessed darkness of that cave if not for the noxious clouds and the guts and the fact that his potions that granted him immunity to gas did not last forever. And they certainly carried a hefty price to ingest more. Namely blood poisoning.

“Can you take something to…” Jaskier gestured vaguely before he remembered Geralt couldn’t see before continuing softly, “Clear the effects of whatever caused this?”

Geralt rubbed his thumbs into his eyes and shook his head. He did have something for that though. Jaskier had seen him take it before, particularly on grueling hunts that required three or four potions at a given time. If Geralt hadn’t taken it, that meant something had happened in the cave. The beast must have hit him somehow – into a wall or even just a glancing blow – that had damaged his reserves. No wonder.

The story was beginning to come together now, pieces slowly falling into place. Geralt had taken a potion for the gas, this Jaskier knew, but one other as well. Dark as the cave was, even Geralt’s mutated eyes could not compete with complete darkness. It must have been a potion to further dilate his eyes and although them to capture more light than humanly possible. It was a powerful potion and a useful one at that – but Jaskier knew from experience that the times Geralt had taken potions like that, they had lasted the entirety of his time in the caves and had always needed another potion to clear the effects upon exiting. It was an advanced potion, after all; one Geralt had mastered to perfection. It could last hours, even longer. A good thing, if you didn’t know how long you’d be exploring the dark recesses of the earth.

Terrible if you had to return to the light of day before the effects had worked their way out of your system.

“Fuck, Geralt, why didn’t you say something?” Jaskier breathed, giving Roach and Daisy room between them so he might slide down onto his feet as quickly as he could manage and search through his pack attached to Daisy’s saddle. Thank god they had begun to explore other pastimes when sharing each other’s company intimately recently. He found the satiny texture of the thing he had been looking for and pulled from his pack a long strip of fabric – long enough to bind a man’s eyes with. It was black as pitch, enchanted to absorb light rather than simply deflect it. What fun was tying a witcher to his bed if the man could see through a standard threadbare blindfold, after all? When he had bought the blasted thing, he had never guessed that his kinky purchase would become such a practical item toward the care of one’s witcher.

He remounted Daisy so he could reach Geralt easily and at first reached for the witcher’s face without warning the man – making him flinch back from the sudden sensation of hands near his face, muscles moving tightly to prevent himself from falling at the last moment. Jaskier stuttered out a broken breath and said softly, “Sorry. I’m going to blindfold you. It should help.”

Geralt’s lip curled at that, exposing one pearly incisor.

“You already can’t see,” Jaskier frowned, “How is this any different?”

You were already trusting me to lead the way.

He watched Geralt clench his jaw, almost thought he could hear the man’s teeth grinding – but ultimately the witcher agreed with a tight, short little nod.

“Alright, good. I’m going to put it on now,” Jaskier said, more so that he wouldn’t surprise the man into another dangerous flinch again than anything else. Geralt sat atop his horse, stock still, his back ramrod straight, like a wolf scenting the air – certain something was about to go wrong but unable to tell how or why. But he allowed Jaskier to ease the fabric around his eyes and when the bard murmured softly, “Look away so I can tie it properly,” he dutifully exposed the back of his neck and head to him. Jaskier was careful not to twist any of the witcher’s fine white hair into the knot – taking his time with placing it, adjusting his hair so it fell comfortably around it.

“Snug? Too tight? Too loose?” He asked, not really thinking the witcher would truly answer but asking nonetheless.

“M’fine,” Geralt said, and that was about what Jaskier knew he’d say regardless. Geralt could have a spear in his gut and he’d say he was fine. The idiot. But before Jaskier’s very eyes some of the tension eased from Geralt’s face. His shoulders were hunched, uncomfortable with his total blindness now, and he still looked very much like a wolf with its ears perked – but much of the pain had washed away from his face. Geralt let out the faintest breath of relief and Jaskier felt something pleased bloom in his own chest.

This was, after all, no small feat. Who else could say Geralt of Rivia had trusted them enough to allow himself to be blindfolded and led? Geralt didn’t speak with words. In many ways he was Jaskier’s polar opposite. And there was a time Jaskier feared the two of them would never find common ground; that the witcher would never warm to him, never speak with him.

But in moments like these, the witcher spoke volumes. Jaskier just hadn’t been listening before.

The bard was a nervous talker. He yearned to speak, to blather – anything to fill the painful silence. But with every blessed moment of quiet, a little more tension left Geralt’s face, and while Jaskier normally had no qualms with ruining the witcher’s very limited idea of a peaceful journey – now he couldn’t bear to do it. Geralt needed silence. So Jaskier bit his tongue. It allowed Geralt to see with his ears rather than his eyes. It was also less strenuous by far.

And if Geralt occasionally reached for the bard to assure himself Jaskier was still there? Well, Jaskier didn’t mention it this time, though it did put a small, fond, surprised smile on his face. He shifted his thigh closer when Geralt’s fingers couldn’t quite find him. Even brought Daisy to a closer pace beside Roach so they might brush more often, more organically. And since, to a degree, Geralt did not seem to enjoy his total silence, Jaskier would occasionally do something to make noise. A deeper breath, a soft scratch to his hairline, hum a very gentle, short tune. Anything to assure Geralt he had not disappeared.

For a moment Geralt had blessed peace. The water, the darkness and the quiet had done wonders to ease the man’s sweating and return some of the color lost from his complexion. But the closer they got to town, the more of that progress they lost. They weren’t even in sight of the place before Jaskier noticed the change in the witcher – pale again, fingers trembling lightly, tense and scowling. Jaskier drew Daisy to a stop and Roach obediently compiled as well, head tossing, searching for Geralt’s guidance in the reins.

“What’s wrong?” Geralt croaked, his body transforming from tight but moderate peace to alert in an instant, ears no doubt straining for any sign of trouble.

“We can’t go back to the village like this,” Jaskier said softly, eyes on Geralt; watching him plainly. “You’re already reacting to the sound of that place from here.”

Geralt scowled at that, but added, “And the smell,” and suddenly Jaskier realized he had not bathed purely because the fumes may still be toxic. It appeared his sensitivity to light had also affected and overstimulated his other senses terribly. Jaskier gestured to him and said, “Precisely my point. We can’t go back.”

“The notice—"

“—Can wait. It’s not as though another hunter is about to beat you to the kill, you have the head in hand. We’ll go as soon as whatever you swallowed wears off. In the meantime…” Jaskier trailed off, twisting in his seat to look around them. There had been an abandoned bandit camp along the way. He remembered discussing it with Geralt on the way there – theorizing why the men had left their tents and gear behind. A monster? A rival group of thieves? Geralt had taken one look at the place and said, “I’ve been here before,” and that was all there was to it.

It hadn’t been far from here.

He reached over the reins toward the corner of Roach’s mouth and gently urged her to follow as he guided Daisy into a tight u-turn.

“Jaskier,” Geralt groused, stock still in his saddle.

“We’ll make camp in the woods,” Jaskier said simply – and surprisingly, Geralt did not argue.

A part of Jaskier still fretted whether or not he was making the wisest decision. They could go to town, buy whatever ingredients Geralt was lacking to recreate the potion that would remove the effects of the Cat’s Eye from his system – but that was a plan that hinged on the town having a herbalist, said herbalist having the ingredients in stock, and Geralt being able to see to make the blasted thing. He didn’t exactly carry around recipes, well, at least not his go-to ones; not when Geralt knew them by heart. There would be recipes in his pack for untested potions, sure, but that’d likely prove to be wildly unhelpful now. And Jaskier was not about to try and make one himself, lest he kill Geralt (or himself) by sheer accident.

Returning to town had its advantages though, advantages that weighed heavily on the bard’s shoulders as they rode away, deeper into the woods. In town he could at least urge Geralt to rest in a bed, even if he couldn’t control the sound or the smell of the place. They could rest in peace for however long they needed without having to worry about a bandit group or a creature happening upon them in the wood when Geralt was vulnerable. Not that villages didn’t get attacked – they did – but it was less likely.

But the sound and smell of the place would worsen Geralt’s ailment. And no doubt the village alderman would want to speak with him the moment he rode into town. They’d have to store the head, negotiate coin – because villagers almost always tried to walk back on their agreed-on price after the deed was done. It ran the risk of getting them run out of town if negotiations soured, even if Jaskier was confident he could outsmart a village alderman into giving them their deserved coin.

That would just land them right back in the woods, likely closer to dark. Better to set up now, somewhere Geralt could process the remnants of his Cat Eye’s potion in peace, than to worsen their situation hoping for reprieve in the village. They found the bandit camp easily enough, tucked away a stone’s throw from the road and nestled in the security and privacy of a nook of trees and underbrush.

“Is there any reason why we shouldn’t stay in that old bandit camp, Geralt?” Jaskier asked gently, stopping their horses on the road where he could just see it through the foliage. If Geralt had ‘been here before’, he likely had ‘killed here before’.

“Corpses should be long gone,” Geralt said disinterestedly. As if that were the same as saying ‘everything will likely be freshly laundered and clean’. Jaskier wrinkled his nose, but it would have to be enough. It helped to see that Geralt was obviously keen to the idea of staying somewhere he had been before, somewhere he was somewhat familiar with. He knew it was somewhat hidden amidst the forest. Close enough to the road to flee if needed and for beasts to mostly avoid it, tucked away enough to be passed over by the untrained eye.

“Then that’s where we’ll stay.”

He let Geralt get down on his own, lingered near enough to help if needed but knew that ailing witchers needed assistance (as much as they might deny it) just as dearly as they needed some measure of independence. A man simply didn’t survive on his own for decades and walk away from that with a healthy perspective on accepting help. Geralt had been doing this alone for longer than he even knew Jaskier. He had survived decades of traveling alone. Sometimes it helped for the bard to remind himself of that.

Other times, it hurt to think that surely in those days the witcher must have suffered. He didn’t know to know how many times Geralt might have almost died in the woods alone. He avoided lingering on the thought too long, afraid that thinking about it would invite that fate into his life somehow.

Jaskier did a cursory check of the little encampment, just as he might do if he were traveling alone and making use of abandoned lodgings. Geralt was right, the corpses had long been dragged off. There was a patch of bald ground still ruddier than the rest – blood – but otherwise the place was remarkably clean, considering. No scent of death or decomposition. It must have been some time since Geralt came through.

There were two tents, both threadbare from the elements, but still more than nothing – though Jaskier hoped they wouldn’t be camp-bound long enough to need them. The remnants of a fire pit sat empty and unused between them. One of the bandits must have dragged a log between the tents to sit on, because it was there – convenient and idle. Jaskier nearly thought fate was being kind to them for once.

It took everything in him not to ask Geralt how he felt, how long he thought he might need before they could leave. It would help to plan ahead, but it would also serve to remind Geralt that here and now, he was the weak link in the party. It would drive him deeper into his stoicism. That helped no one.

Jaskier settled the horses, set them up with their feed harnesses, and watched all the while as Geralt blindly picked out a spot to kneel in the camp. The witcher went down to his knees gracefully, curled either hand into a fist to rest upon his thighs, and tilted his chin up – as though facing the sky despite the trees that blocked it.

Then he stayed that way, deathly still and silent, swayed only by the minute rocking of his heartbeat. If Jaskier had not seen it before, it might have frightened him. Meditation. Witchers could pass enormous amounts of time through sheer meditation alone. There was something strangely beautiful about it; the straight curve of Geralt’s back, the pristine nature of his posture. It reminded Jaskier of the women he once met in a teahouse in his travels, framed in expensive silks and fabrics that swallowed them in stunning ways, always moving around through the slightest motion of their feet beneath their kneeled legs. It took extensive self-control to maintain posture like that for long periods of time, even more so to fall into meditation that was both wholly consuming and yet utterly aware of one’s surroundings.

Geralt was waiting out the worst of the Cat Eye’s potion in the way he knew best now that he was free to do so – no longer bound to the road or to returning to the village. Jaskier could see in the lines of the man’s body how much it helped to fall into such a practiced exercise. His shoulders fell not so tightly around his neck anymore, and the taut muscles of his face had smoothed out. This was the best way for him to self-mitigate what stimuli he couldn’t control, the best way to filter it.

And once again Jaskier was struck by the fact that Geralt trusted him enough to fall into such a state of mind in his presence. That he trusted Jaskier to handle the horses, to mind the camp and watch his back while he focused himself of controlling as much of his recovery as he could.

It meant more dreaded silence for Jaskier. But sometimes love meant being quiet so one could better listen to their partner, their needs. Jaskier settled himself atop the log and contented himself in watching Geralt at peace. That had been the goal, after all. Peace.

At some point Jaskier must have dozed off, because when he woke Geralt was beside him, leaning back against the log, his thigh flush with the bard’s – warm and steely. His blindfold was gone, his pupils thin slits again. Dusk approached., casting the woods in a muted half-light. Jaskier’s mouth felt tacky from his nap and silently, Geralt passed him a canteen – the witcher’s canteen. Jaskier drank from it gratefully, then wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and asked, “Better?”

Geralt nodded.

“How long were you waiting for me to wake?” Jaskier asked, feeling a bit abashed for having fallen asleep somewhere along the way. But the woods had been so peaceful to listen to. Between the birdsong around them, the hush of the wind in the leaves and the reassuring rhythm of Geralt’s breathing, he had just… slipped away. Would explain why he was leaning back against the log now instead of on it. Must have shifted down at some point. Better that than falling over like a graceless lout.

The pleasant day was waning. A chill was beginning to creep into the air, and yet with Geralt beside him, Jaskier found himself to be comfortably warm. The man was like a furnace. Jaskier couldn’t help but press in a little closer.

“Not long,” Geralt said.

Jaskier didn’t bother to ask how long it had taken for Geralt to recover. That wasn’t what mattered. What mattered was that Jaskier had been able to make the right decisions that led to this: Geralt, peaceful and without pain. And that Geralt had trusted him enough to let him try. More and more Jaskier felt as though he were no mere tag along or convenient company. More and more, he felt he earned his keep.

He had never used to worry about such things. His life had been devoted to the pursuit of art, the telling of stories and merrymaking. He went where the wind blew him, drank with however caught his attention, loved fast and moved on just as quickly. This was new. Strange, even. To have responsibilities and like it. Yet here he was, thigh to thigh with a witcher. For once, he found himself in a place he’d rather be more so than a tavern singing. It felt important to be there in that moment.

They enjoyed the silence – sleepy and soft as the light faded from the wood. Neither seemed eager to go. Reluctantly, after a time, Jaskier said, “We should probably head back before it gets too dark.”

Geralt grunted and said, “No… I think we should stay. There’s something I’d like to show you.”

That was witcher speak for gratefulness, Jaskier had learned. They cared not for coin or trinkets, their only utility to purchase them food or board or sex. Witchers therefore didn’t give physical gifts (other than weapons, occasionally) and rarely spoke their gratitude. Instead, witchers appeared to give gifts through experiences rather than items. Memories. Shared time.

That night Geralt showed Jaskier the stars in a way the bard had never been quite so bold as to experience alone in the woods. Took him out to a field not far from their camp where they could hide in the tall meadow reeds and make childish beds in the blanket of their cover. They laid flat on their backs like boys, thigh to thigh and shoulder to shoulder, and quietly Geralt pointed out the constellations that Vesemir had taught him as a lad – similar and yet so different from the way it had been explained to him in Oxenfurt. Witchers had different purposes for the stars and different stories to go with them – and yet Jaskier found his love for knowledge suspended instead by an even greater discovery: Geralt loved to talk of lore, of the things that had been trained into his very bones. He quiet witcher who rarely spoke was detailing each star almost animatedly, explaining the monsters that correlated with them, how the stories came to be. The moment Jaskier realized it, recognized that spark in the witcher’s eyes for what it was, he saw in hindsight all the times Geralt had been eager to share his knowledge of lore or monsters and Jaskier just had not understood the significance of the act. This was Geralt’s life, his everything – and he was sharing it with Jaskier.

Geralt’s smile as he recalled Vesemir’s teachings, his gestures, the fire in his eyes, all of it made the stars look pale by comparison. A ‘thank you’ that Jaskier would not soon forget.

[doodlydoki]

#5 Honey, I Won~

Heya @three-space-kittens!! Sorry for the long wait, but I promised you it would be a long one😉 I hope you enjoy, because I sure did writing this 😂

Summary: Aizawa's wife, the #5 pro hero in Japan, is asked to run a training simulation with class 1-a. What the students didn't expect was for their teacher to show up with his daughter and a lovely surprise for YOU.

Words: 4500~

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The clicking of your heals echoed through the empty hallway. Lesson plans settled in your arms, together with some student files, as you made your way to the designated classroom. Your husbands classroom, class 1-A. When the principle reached out to you, asking if you were interested in guiding the young teenagers in their stealth skills, you were thrilled. This was the perfect opportunity to meet your lovers class and to help them grow skillswise. (Admittedly, spending more time with your love was also in the back of your mind when you accepted the principals request.)

You halted in front of the classroom door, hearing your tired husband explain to his students that they’ll have a special program for the day. Upon hearing his introduction of another pro teaching them for the day, you stepped in, head raised high as you greeted the to-be-heroes. 1-A was in an uproar, It’s the fifth ranked hero! They’re going to be trained by one of the top 5 heroes in Japan! No way!

“That’s Umbra, the shadow hero!!” Exclaimed a green haired teen enthusiastically, “She’s known to cloak herself with the shadows around her, making her invisible at night which gives her the best opportunities to land sneak attacks!! She can manipulate shadows for offence attacks and defence barriers and-”

“Shut up nerd, we know!”

Their homeroom teacher shushes them, giving you the chance to take over his class while he sits back and takes a break from these rowdy teenagers. “As you’ve already heard from your homeroom teacher, today’s lessons will be quite different from what you’re used to.” You started, taking your husband’s position at the classrooms front desk. “Your classes for today will consist of stealth training and support item checks and upgrades. By the end of the day, you will all be given an individual evaluation about your new learned skills and ability to avoid unnecessary casualties. Are there any questions?”

A green haired boy’s hand went up, “Yes? Midoriya, is it?” You recognized his messy green hair and studious nature from his student file. Which described the boy’s heroic nature and curious tendencies perfectly.

“Yes miss, I have a question, if you don’t mind me asking!” he said nervously.

You smiled kindly not wanting the boy to feel any sort of hesitance when asking you a question, or any student really. “Questions are never a problem. Ask away!”

That’s when Shouta’s phone went off (at the worst timing). He picked it up and looked at the screen. “I have to take this one, I’ll be right back.” He said, before he made his way towards the classroom door.

“Yeah, no problem.” You answered before you turned your attention back to midoriya again, signaling him to ask away.

That seemed to get his usual gears running, as he eagerly shot an array of questions your way “If this is a stealth exercise, then why would we need a support item check? You said we will get upgrades, are they general upgrades or stealth upgrades? How will we train our stealth skills? And how will you evaluate our ability to avoid casualties exactly?”

O Boy. A soft heated laugh echoed through the classroom, yours to be specific, “No worries, all your questions will be answered the moment we arrive at the allocated training facility.” You pressed the button of the remote that opened the case closet, containing their costumes “For now, you and your classmates can change into your hero costumes and meet me back here in 20 minutes.”

All 20 student happily rushed to get their costume case and went to the changing rooms to change, leaving you behind in an empty classroom. Not long after that, Shouta entered again, phone still in hand, signalling he just ended the call, “Hey I have to go home to grab a new set of clothes for (D/N).”

“Oh, did something happen?” You asked confusedly.

“Nothing much. A kid at kindergarten spilled his drink over her, it’s left quite a stain so now she wants dry clothes, they had no spare set left there.” He sighed, “And here I thought she wouldn’t worry about such thing at the age of three, figuring out it would dry on its own and just keep drawing… or something.”

You giggle at his remark, “Seems like she’s already turning into a little lady.”

“O god, I hoped we could just stay at the fingerpainting stage for another year.” He groaned annoyed.

You laughed at his remark, before tauntingly replying: “Did you already forget about last time she had a little too much fun with paint~?”

He groaned again, recalling last times event clearly in his head,  “Of course not, the walls were covered in pink and I had to paint it over.”

You grinned, “So, are you sure that’s any better?”

He sighed again wrapping his arms around your shoulders, mumbling his reply, “Nevermind.”

You giggled a bit as you planted a kiss on his cheek, before pulling away from his embrace. He expected to see a loving smile on your face, the one you normally wore when you two had a moment like this, but was instead met with a smirk gracing your lips.

Oh no…

“Just go home and get her majesty her clothes, dear.” You said teasingly, then you proceeded to kick your husband out of the classroom. “Don’t worry, Dear! I’ll take care of your other 20 kids.” You gave him a wink before you shut the classroom door. Laughing quietly to yourself as you can only imagine him having to struggle with your 3 year old daughter, who will most likely not let the men leave after his arrival.

Your daughter was a bit clingy when it came to her dad, she never misses out on a chance to either nap together, hug or play hero/villain with him. It’s quite adorable how she runs around the house, wearing your husband’s goggles and claiming to become a ‘Night’ hero just like her dad! And due to this favoritism, Shouta started claiming that she’ll have his quirk when she grows a bit older, to which you, of course, didn’t agree too, for your quirk can also be quite handy in the late hours. This started a small bet between the two of you. The loser will have to take the winner out on a date! Truely, there was nothing at stake for the loser, but Shouta is so dead set on the thought that she is gonna have his quirk, so in his case, it may still be quite a big loss.

You couldn’t stop a small chuckle from escaping your lips as you thought about the man pouting when it does turn out that she has your quirk.

“Why are you laughing miss, did something funny happen?” It was Ochako, ready in her hero suit with midoriya and Iida by her side.

“No, no nothing happened-” You shook your head and smiled,  “-just a funny thought that came to mind.” Then you looked at Iida’s costume, “Hey, that’s Ingenium’s design, Isn’t it?”

You noticed the boy's proud demeanor as he wears it, for it is basically a family heirloom, “Yes it is! As a proud son of the Iida family, I hope to join my family at our hero agency after my graduation here at UA-” but you didn’t miss the sad gloss over his eyes by the mention of his brother’s hero name. “and carry on my brothers legacy as the hero called ingenium.”

“That sounds wonderful, Iida! Your brother is very proud of you taking over his hero name, ya know? He told me so himself”

The boy seemed surprised, “You know my brother?”

You smiled softly at him hoping to help him ease his trouble,“Yes I do, we’ve went to UA together actually. Last time I spoke to him, I went to visit him in the hospital and he told me this, ‘To know my little brother will carry my hero name as an emblem, making sure the name ‘Ingenium’ doesn’t die and will continue where I left off, eases my worries. I know he’ll be a fine hero someday. All I can hope for now is that he will make the name ‘Ingenium’ his own, I really hope he does.’ Your brother has high hopes for you kid, but he’s already so proud of you. I’ve talked to a few other heroes as well and we all agreed that you show a true heroes virtue. I myself believe you’ll stand with the top, best heroes of your generation! So when the time comes, I hope I get the chance to work alongside you! What do you say, Ingenium, wanna team up someday?” You held out your hand to him, smiling as you hoped for the boy to agree with your proposal.

Your smile faltered as you saw the shocked look he wore, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. “O, I’m so sorry-” You say in a panic, “-are you okay, i’m really sorry if I-”

“-Thank you, miss.” Iida removed his glasses and wiped away the watery beads that had threatened to fall, “I’m glad you told me.” He put his glasses back on and looked at you, determination filled his gaze, “I’ll keep working hard to become worthy of the name Ingenium. When I join my family’s hero agency, it would be my honor to work alongside you.”

“Can’t wait till your graduation kid,” You placed a hand on his shoulder, sincerity filling your voice, “I wanna see up close how you turn out to be as a hero, although I can already suspect you’ll be on top of the chart.”

You withdrew your hand of his shoulder and turned your attention to all 20 students, who were all dressed up and ready to rumble. “Okay heroes, now that we’re all geared up, let’s make our way to the front of the school! A bus will take us to the training facility.”

The students followed you in excited spirits to the bus, still talking lively amongst themselves when they choose a seat for the short journey. Midoriya, Ururaka and Iida who were chatting when Kaminari came to sit beside them together with Ashido, “Hey Iida, what where you and miss Umbra talking about? You seemed upset for a moment.”

“Well...miss Umbra and I talked a bit about my brother, apparently they’ve known each other since their years together at UA.”

“Wow, it’s pretty cool they went to UA together! Right?” Ashido said, tuning in on the conversation. “But if that’s all you talked about, what is it that made you upset?”

“Well, that isn’t all we talked about,” He began, his hands gesturing away. “Apparently she and my brother talked a bit about me taking over his hero name and that he hopes I’ll be able to make his hero name my own. It’s not that I’m upset, I just got little emotional is all.”

Kirishima, who was sitting opposite of his five classmates, also joined in. “I can see how that strikes a nerve, bro. Are you okay?”

“I am perfectly fine, thank you. Miss Umbra told me she has talked to other heroes about my hero capabilities as well and that they all seem to see great potential in me.” Iida smiles a little as he explains, “It appears she wishes for us to team up some time after my graduation.”

“Wow dude, she asked you for a team-up herself? that’s amazing!” Kaminari exclaimed loudly.

“Yes, it is quite the honor. She has high expectation of me, I hope I can abide them.”

“Out of all of us, Iida, you abide rules and expectations the best.”

“No doubt about that!”

“Seriously, you haven’t even graduated and you’re already high in demand!”

You giggled a bit as your husbands class went on about Iida, they were so supportive of him and seemed all so close to each other in general.

“No wonder he like this class so much.”

You turned on your phone and texted the tired man:

You: Me and the kids are on our way to the USJ, any idea when you’ll be joining us?

You figured Shouta would be way too busy to reply when suddenly your phone started ringing, a picture of him napping with your daughter on the couch lit the screen. You smiled as you tapped the green button to answer the call. “Hey, why did you call me, everything okay?”

“(Y/N),” His low voice came from the speaker in a pleading tone, “Help me.”

You giggled as you already guessed your husbands predicament, “What’s the problem?” You could hear the man tell your daughter to take the phone and tell what the problem is before you were met with her high pitched voice.

“Hi, mommy!”

You laughed at her enthusiasm as she got to call you, “Hey sweetie! Is everything okay?”

“Yes, but daddy has to stay! Can daddy stay?”

Of course he called you, the poor man was incapable of saying no to your daughters pleading puppy eyes. “Sweetie, daddy has to go back to work.”

You heard her gasp, an idea popping into her head, before she asked excitedly, “Can I go to daddy’s work?”

“Hmm, could you give daddy back his phone? I’ll talk with him about it.” You heard some rustling and talking on the other side before you heard your tired husbands voice again, “You okay with that?”

“Wait…you’re actually considering taking her to UA?”

“She’s been asking for a while now, one time couldn’t hurt.” You were surprised that he would even agree to it. You two had made clear boundaries in the beginning of your relationship about PDA and who the few people were to actually know about your marriage due to safety concerns. Letting the students know will certainly result to wildfire gossip.

“Are you sure, Shouta? I don’t mind her coming along, but your students will know about her then. Are you not worried about gossip amongst the students?”

There seems to be a pause at his end of the line and your pretty sure he’s contemplating his decision. You hear some rustling and mumbling on his side again before you finally get a reply, “Don’t worry momma! I’ll tell them to keep ‘shh’. Is it okay if I go to daddy’s school then? He says it’s okay!”

You sign in defeat, there’s no reason to say no now. “If daddy says it’s okay, then i’m okay with it too.”

You hear your daughter squealing on the other side of the line, yelling to her dad that it’s okay. “Thank you mommy!! I’ll give daddy the phone, bye bye!”

Once you suspected he had the phone to his ear again, you spoke in a flat tone of voice, “Was it the puppy eyes?”

“It was the argument actually.”

“So convincing you couldn’t bring any counter-arguments in?”

“Exactly.”

You grinned at the fact that your husband was so stubborn, that even you couldn’t sway his mind when it came to work-related things with the most rational of arguments...and here he was, unable to say no to his 3 year old daughter when she puts the puppy eye wildcard on the table and with the silly argument of telling the students to keep it ‘shh’.

“Seems like her majesty got her knight to bring her a new dress, and on top of that, a magical ride to the USJ kingdom.”

“That was the second argument, I can’t refuse her majesty’s wishes.” You could hear the grin he’s wearing through the phone.

You chuckle at his statement,  “Dear, you should really learn how to say no to her.”

“I reserved that part for you.” He replied in a smug tone.

“Wha- no! Sho-”

“See? You’re saying it agai-”

“O HUSH, I’ll see you two soon.”

You were answered with some lighthearted laughter at the other side of the line and some rustling in the background. You could faintly hear your husband say: ‘Say goodbye to mommy’ before you heard him pass the phone one more time. “Bye bye mommy!”

“Bye bye sweetie, i’ll see you and daddy soon.” You heard your daughter say ‘okay’ before you heard Shouta take the phone again and end the call. You laughed a bit to yourself at the silly conversation. Your daughter knew exactly how to pull her stubborn father's heart-strings, maybe one day she’ll tell you how she’s doing it.

“Miss Umbra?!” You turned around in your seat to see the bubbly pink student wave your way.

You hoped you didn’t talk loud enough for the students to hear that they’ll have an unexpected visitor during their training. “Yes, Ashido?”

“Are we almost there yet?”

You sighed inwardly as you checked your phone for the time, before showing the bubbly teen a smile, “Just a few more minutes.”

And as promised, the bus stopped before the USJ not too many minutes later. All students stepped out and made their way inside, listening to Umbra as she made her announcement. “Today’s training will take place in the Ruins Zone. We’re going to act out a scenario in which the ‘bad guys’ will discuss their evil plans in a secret location, in this case these ruins. there will be three groups of ‘bad guys’. All groups will receive three different topics of secret information that they’ll have to discuss with their group members, make it seem real! The heroes will infiltrate the ruins and try to collect information, undetected, from one of the three criminal groups. The criminal groups will discuss later on, which group was listened in on. If they don’t know which group it was, and if the heroes collect enough information that was given by one group, then the heroes have succeeded this exercise.”

Asui's hand went up, “Miss, why would there be 3 groups, if we only need to collect information from one?”

Midoriya’s hand shot up as well, “I think I know! Is it because if there was only one group, then they know for sure they’d be listened into? In real life criminal groups are never sure if they are listened into or not so if they know for sure now then there wouldn’t be a good indication for the heroes their stealth skills.”

“Midoriya is completely right! Criminals are always on the lookout for eavesdropping heroes, but there is a difference in expecting a hero or detecting a hero to be there. Now that i’ve explained the exercise, let’s get on with the support items for the heroes.” You pulled two pads out of your utility belt. “These pads can be placed under your shoes. The underside of the pads are soft and sound absorbent, this way your footsteps will be damped so you can move faster and get closer to the enemy without making your presence known. With that being said, let’s form the groups! ” You gave the pads to Bakugou and Ashido. “For the first round, you two will be the heroes.”

Ashido squealed happily because she gets to test out the support item first, while bakugou claimed he’ll ace this test. Shouta told you once that they both have a ‘noticeable presence’, which is the opposite of what you’re supposed to have in a stealth based mission. You hope to see great results at the end of this training session, or at least improvement.

“Now for the criminal teams.” You pulled out three different sheets of paper. “Midoriya, Iida, Uraraka and Yaoyorozu will be team 1.” You waved them over and handed them a piece of paper.”

Topic: Drug dealing

Boss: Ando Kojiro

Drug: Cocaine

City base: Musutafu, Japan

Base: Abandoned Warehouse (edge of the city: South)

“This is the information you’ll need to convey into your conversation. Your team will get 20 minutes to think up a conversation and, if necessary, to research some information about drug-cartels. After 20 minutes please try to have given everyone a role and some dialogue. Try to put yourself in a drug-dealer’s shoes and to make it convincing! This exercise is a chance for you guys to step into a criminals mind and try to get a better understanding of how they operate, which is both informative and fun! If any of you have any questions then don’t hesitate to ask.”

The four of them started setting up a plan while you went to give out information to the other groups. The three groups were busy planning out their dialogue when you heard an excited voice call out for you. “Mommy!!” Shouta came walking towards you and the students, your daughter tucked into his arms and oversized yellow goggles covering her eyes as she waved enthusiastically your way.

“MOMMY!?” The whole class exclaimed as they stared at the little, black haired girl as she jumped out of their teachers arms and gave you a hug. Then she jumped up and down happily and pointed to the goggles “Look mommy, looook!!! I put daddy’s glasses on!”

“Wait, DADDY!?” The little girl obviously had their teachers goggles on, so does that mean..?

You laughed at her boisterous claims, “I can see that, sweetie! But aren’t they a little to big for you?”

“Yes, but if I grow SOOO big,” She stretched her arms as far as she could above her head, “then they aren’t anymore and then I can be a hero just like you and daddy!!” She ran over to her tired dad and hugged his legs, “Right, daddy?”

Shouta couldn’t suppress a smile as he ruffled his daughters hair, “I’m sure you’ll be an amazing hero, kiddo.” He crouched down and looked at you for a second before he looked back at your daughter again, smirking as he said, “Why won’t you show your mom our little secret?”

The little, raven haired girl turned around to you and showed you a mischievous smile as she made her way back to you, uncovering her eyes to reveal the white eye-pad that was hidden beneath the goggles. She peeled it off quickly to which her hair flew up and her eyes colored a bright yellow. “Mommy~”

AAAHHH…. dipshit

“Daddy won!!” She giggled as Shouta came to stand beside you.

“Hear that, Honey? I won.” He showed you his infamous grin as your daughter hopped around you two and squealed in delight that her dad won. After the two of them had their fun, Shouta took the eye-pad again and placed it back on her eye. Her hair went down again and her eyes turned back into their normal colour, the same eye colour she shares with you. It didn’t take long for the 20 students to introduce themselves to your daughter, very surprised to discover their homeroom teacher had a wife and a child.

You were watching your daughter run around the students, jumping into their arms and wanting to know everything about them. It was cute how she thought the lot of them were already heroes, cuter how she recognised Iida’s costume as ingenium’s and claimed that he was one of her favorite heroes, and the cutest that they all played hero and villain together as she pretended to be just like her dad, wrapping her fluffy scarf around the ‘villains’ to capture them. Shouta stood beside you, enjoying the sight of his students and his daughter getting along so well.

“Isn’t that the same dress she put on this morning?”

“I’ve discussed with her teacher that she would call me if she developed her quirk. Turns out she had mine, so we wanted to surprise you.”

You looked at him, eyebrow already raised, “Surprise me?...or to rub it in~”

He grinned, “Maybe both.” and pulled you in for a hug.

You chuckled, hugging him back. You booped his nose when you pulled back, returning his grin in the process, “Next kid will have my quirk.”

“How are you so sure we’ll have another kid?”

“Daddy!!!” Your daughter runs to her dad and crashes right into his legs, before she reaches her arms out, wanting to be picked up. Shouta chuckles and complies, picking up his cheerful kid. “What is it kiddo?”

“The heroes-” She pointed towards his students, “-said I could maybe be the number one hero if I try, but I was like no, because I can only be the number two hero.”

Shouta frowns, confused that his daughter wouldn’t dream at such an age of being the number one hero, “Why the number two hero? Why can’t you be the number one hero?”

“Because you and mommy are my number one heroes, so of course I can’t be number one, because you are.” She huffed, exclaiming it like it’s the most logical answer in the world.

Shouta looks shocked by your daughters answer, unable to give her any sort of reply.

You smirked as you whispered into his ear: “That’s why.”

He turns his head to look at you and blankly says, “We’ll come back to this conversation later.”

“As I expected~” You sing-songed happily, pretty sure it was your daughter’s sweetness that made his brain malfunction just a moment ago.

You smiled as you watched your husband make silly faces, successfully getting your daughter to giggle and pull at his face to get him to make silly faces herself.

If you two do come back to this conversation, you’re pretty sure he won’t say no to having another kid

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

Damn this is long!!! Sadly I can't put a keep reading in the middle, because my phone'll space 'm. Hope ya'll enjoyed!!

Have a good day buttercups~!! 💜💛💙💚

[trashfor-imagines]

If There’s Light There’s Hope | 2

Bakugou x Fem!Reader (BNHA)

Summary: U.A. High School was your dream. You wanted to save people. You never expected how wild your journey would be and you certainly never expected a hot headed boy to play as large of a role as he would. Warnings: Swearing

[1] | [2] | [3] | [4] | [5] | [6] | [7]

-

Despite improving your relationships with most of the class, you still found yourself sitting alone at the back of the bus, heading to who knows where for training camp. Putting in your headphones, you drowned out the loud noises of your classmates, Iida being the loudest out of them all. It was definitely the longest hour of your life before you all got out to stretch.

The next thing you knew, there was a landslide caused by one of the Pussycats and you were careening off the side of the cliff. Using your quirk, you did your best to soften the blow of hitting the ground. When the first giant monster appeared, you decided that Todoroki would be the best person to stick with incase the class got separated. The forest was pretty dark so your quirk wouldn’t be very strong unless you found a bright clearing. You were quick on your feet, keeping up with your classmates easily and staying on Todoroki’s heels. It was pure relief when you finally made it to camp. When Bakugou started yelling at Todoroki for what seemed like the thirtieth time that day,  you decided to remove yourself from the situation and get your things to go inside.

“What a hot head,” you made sure to comment loud enough for Bakugou to hear. You ignored him as he turned his attention to you, yelling at your departing form to come back and say it to his face.

Aizawa gave a few instructions before everyone was dismissed.

After dinner, you were one of the first to finish, quickly heading off to shower and enjoy the hot springs a bit before squeezing in some studying. Some of the girls joined you and Iida’s sudden yelling from over the wall interrupted your peace so you excused yourself for the evening.

The next morning, bright and early, you suited up in your school’s gym uniform. Aizawa gave a speech about how this training would help you get your provisional licenses. Tossing a ball you recognized over to Bakugou, Aizawa told him throw it.

He made some comments about how it was no problem and no one had better blink before throw as hard as he could, yelling “Go to hell!” He went from 705.2 meters to 709.6 meters and seemed to be shook to the core about his results.

“He’s not that impressive,” you muttered, arms crossed. When Aizawa had given you the quirk evaluation tests your second day of joining 1-A, it was just before lunchtime and the sun was high, meaning you had a lot of energy you could use to power your quirk; you hit 805 meters (1/2 American mile).

Your training for the day consisted of absorbing as much sunlight as possible and sending out explosions until you were out of collected energy. Aizawa had you wear a monitor to your arm so you could stop yourself from getting heat exhaustion or possibly even heat stroke. It happened to you once as a kid. It was New Years Eve and you were with kids from your neighborhood. You were showing off, got heat stroke, and had to be taken to the hospital. You remembered waking up the next day to your mother crying and swore you never wanted to make her cry again.

At one point during training you felt yourself beginning to sway and feeling quite dizzy. Heat exhaustion. Glancing over to Todoroki, you saw he had taken a short break from going hot and cold.

“Todo...Todoroki,” you spoke breathily as you carefully made your way over to him. Your face was flushed and it was obvious something was wrong with you. Gripping the edge of the metal barrel of water he was in, you gave him a faint smile. “Could you use your ice quirk on me? My body’s starting to over heat.”

The sudden cooling sensation of his hand on your cheek spread throughout your body, causing you to close your eyes in relief. You didn’t bother opening them when someone approached.

“Something wrong (Y/N)?”

“Nothing that Todoroki’s quirk can’t fix, Mr. Aizawa. I was starting to overheat,” you admitted. Opening your eyes slightly, you caught a glimpse of Bakugou staring at you. When he realized you noticed, he angrily cried out, going back to dipping his hands in water and setting off explosions.

What a weirdo.

Training came to an end a few hours later and it was dinner time; the Pussycats happily reminded you all to fend for yourselves and make curry. You assisted in lighting the fire stoves and cutting vegetables. Too many cooks in the kitchen wasn’t helpful so you went off to shower and rest your sore arms. You sort of wished you hadn’t left the cooking up to the others, silently agreeing with Kaminari and Kirishima that it tasted terrible.

The next day consisted of the same type of training and you were glad when it was over. You showered and changed into some high waisted leggings and a cute cropped top, an oversized windbreaker tied around your waist in case it got cold out, before heading outside to help with dinner. You were stuck cutting vegetables with Bakugou and Uraraka who at some point managed to set the hot head off.

“Stop getting so worked up, she didn’t mean anything by it,” you commented, keeping your cool. He turned his wrath on you, growling loudly but saying nothing. You could almost see and feel the steam coming out of his ears.

After dinner, you wandered around before finding yourself outside just before the 1-A vs 1-B competition. You were ready to have some fun, but after getting to know those Pussycats, you knew there’d be some sort of twist.

It was so quiet and different from living in the city; the stars were bright out here. It was perfect. Reaching out a hand toward the moon, you grasped at seemingly nothing. Your hand glowed as if you were holding a star before making a motion as if you were tossing something in the air. Several small explosions went off like fireworks in the sky, bringing a smile to your face. A sudden set of footsteps interrupted your moment.

Turning, it was a surprise for you to see Bakugou standing there, staring you down. You said nothing, returning his gaze, the last of your quirk display illuminating his face for a few brief moments. Soon enough you were both standing in darkness. What did he want?

“We’re starting to gather on the other side of the building,” he spoke flatly and looking completely disinterested.

Raising a brow you walked up to him. “What’s your problem? Do you hate me or something? You’ve been a jerk since the day I joined 1-A.”

He glared in response before looking away quickly. “Hate you? I don’t even care about you. Besides, you’re the one who said you were going to beat me.” You stuck your face closer to his, causing him to stumble back in surprise and yell at you, “What are you doing, psycho?! Who does that?!”

Paying his words no mind, you grabbed the front of his shirt to keep him from backing away. “Saying I’m going to beat you doesn’t mean I hate you and you were certainly rude to me before I even said it.” You let go of his shirt before continuing, “I just want a fair fight against you to prove I’m better. Being pushed out of bounds isn’t something that can happen in the real world. I refuse to believe I lost to you fairly at the sports festival.”

He stood there quietly, observing you. He wore the same expression that you saw during yesterday’s training when you asked Todoroki to cool you down. Whatever it was, something snapped him out of it and he grabbed your wrist, pulling you along for a few steps before letting go. “C’mon, they’re probably waiting on us by now.”

Following behind him, you wondered what his problem was. How could someone so young be such an old grump? 

The Pussycats explained the rules of the competition. It was basically a haunted house, but in the woods. At the mention of pairs, you suddenly felt uncomfortable. You were usually the last one left and Aizawa would either pair up with you or assign you to be a third wheel, both options equally embarrassing. Midoriya suddenly made a comment about how five of your classmates had extra lessons and some relief washed over you. Drawing your number you sighed, wishing you could just be alone instead. You were stuck with Midoriya and he seemed to be the most easily spooked - aside from Mineta that is. Well, at least it wasn’t Mineta.

You and Midoriya were one of the last few waiting to go when suddenly the game was interrupted by the League of Villains. Trying not to panic, you reminded yourself that 1-A fought them before. They could probably do it again, right? There wasn’t much of a strong light source. What to do? What to do?!

It took Iida tugging on your wrist for you to get moving. The other students though! You had to find them. Ripping your arm from his grasp, you dodged your classmates, running into the forest. You held your breath as best as you could, running into Yaoyarozu first who quickly threw a mask your way, yelling at you to return to camp. You couldn’t though. Not until you knew everyone was okay and all on their way back. Cutting through some trees, you emerged from the path right in front of Todoroki, who was carrying a 1-B student, and Bakugou.

“You guys are ok... You have to head back to camp,” you expressed.

“Don’t tell me what to do.” Bakugou managed to somehow stay stubborn as hell.

Todoroki shook his head. “I’m worried about the others still in the forest.”

“So am I. There are multiple villains fighting the Pussycats.”

“Lets stick together (Y/N). There’s no telling how many are out here,” Todoroki spoke calmly.

You glanced at Bakugou, noticing how he was covering his face with his hand. Worried, you took your mask off, offering it to him. “Here, Bakugou.”

He glared and shoved it back over your head. “Don’t be an idiot! I don’t need it.”

It didn’t take long for you guys to come across a villain. Seeing the figure in black hovering over an arm made you freeze up. As the villain turned around, you managed to move again, instinctively shifting closer to Bakugou. There was no way you were prepared for this with only a few gym classes under your belt. As you mentally panicked, trying to psyche yourself up for this encounter, you barely registered what happened next before Mandalay’s voice echoed through your head and Bakugou’s growl reached your ears as he argued with Todoroki who created a large ice formation to block all of you from the villain.

Suddenly, Shouji appeared with Midoriya on his back, yelling for everyone to get out of the way. Tokoyami’s Dark Shadow blazed through, attacking the villain and taking him out.

“I need some light, Todoroki! Please!” you suddenly called out. Instantly, fire appeared and you reached out, absorbing as much energy as possible from the light source, before punching forward with all you could, sending a series of bright explosions Dark Shadow’s way, weakening it.

Breathing, a bit labored from the adrenaline coursing through you, a hint of a smile managed to make its way to your face. Tokoyami was safe again; you all were, for now. After giving your classmate some brief comfort, the six of you formed a plan to keep Bakugou safe, obviously pissing him off. He growled out his hate for the situation.

“Just ignore him,” Todoroki muttered to you.

Glancing at the hot tempered boy, you couldn’t help but worry a little. As you all walked along, you slowly drifted closer to him. It wasn’t until your arms brushed that you realized you’d gotten so close. As you were about to apologize, you stumbled across Uraraka and Asui. The boys shared the plan with the two girls. 

“Well shouldn’t he be with you if you’re protecting him?” It wasn’t until Asui’s comment did any of you realize Bakugou was gone.

A voice from above made your blood run cold. It looked like the villain had captured Bakugou inside of a marble. Panic once again creeped its way up, faster than before. Todoroki’s hand on your arm brought some comfort. Bakugou had been right there. You touched only seconds ago. Now...

Todoroki stomped his foot, shooting a wave of ice at the villain who dodged.

“We merely want to show him there’s more than just being a hero. He should choose a path that more aligns with his core values after all,” the villain’s voice spoke clearly, very charismatic for the situation.

“It’s not just Bakugou; Tokoyami’s gone too!” Shouji exclaimed.

“Taking Tokoyami was a bit of improve on my part. If you had taken any longer to notice, I’d have taken her too,” he exclaimed happily, pointing right at you.

Paling, you felt your stomach turn at the declaration and it was like your senses had suddenly stopped working. What brought you out of your stupor was Todoroki running forward, attacking with another wave of ice.

“They’re going to take them; our friends!”

“They can’t!”

With that, the group ran after them. Catching up to Todoroki, you looked at him, hesitation clearly on your face. His voice was calm, “What is it, (Y/N)?”

“I feel like I’ll hold you all back. I can’t seem to stop freezing up,” you admitted.

“If we’re going to save our friends, we need you too.” It was a simple statement, but something about the way he said it seemed to shake some sense into you. You were reminded of his encouragement during your internships at Endeavor’s agency. Whenever you were stressed or worried about disappointing Endeavor, he always had something simple to say that made you feel better.

Midoriya quickly came up with a plan for a human slingshot. You clung onto Shouji’s back as you, Shouji, Midoriya, and Todoroki slung forward, smacking into the villain and landing directly in front of the villains with a loud crash. Slightly off balance, you stumbled a couple of steps, unsure if you could support yourself after that ride. Looking up, you locked eyes with icy blues.

Suddenly, hot blue flames flew at you and instinctively you dodged to the right, Todoroki beside you. With quick thinking, you absorbed as much energy from the blue flames as possible while Todoroki threw off the incoming villain in black with an ice attack. You threw in a few explosions, trying to manage the energy you had picked up. It was obvious this fight wasn’t going to be quick so you had to make it last.

“(Y/N), Midoriya, Todoroki, we’re done.” Shouji flashed you all two blue marbles in his hand. Quickly, the four of you took off, retreating, but a black shadow suddenly appeared, stopping you in your tracks.

“This guy was at the U.S.J.”

“The warp villain!”

Your brows furrowed with anxiety. Those descriptors did nothing for you to understand what was about to happen.

“We’re not leaving, not without the kid.” The man with icy blue eyes stated.

The other villain dismissed him, removing his mask. “If I’m flaunting something shiny, then there’s something else I don’t want you to see.”

On his tongue sat two marbles and you felt your heart seize. A sudden beam of light from the bushes brought you back to reality as the villain dropped the marbles, Shouji capturing one of them, while the other was snatched out of Todoroki’s reach. Bakugou appeared instantly, the villain’s hand around his neck. Midoriya ran forward and suddenly you felt yourself racing toward the boy as well.

“Bakugou, please!” you cried out, hand reaching forward.

“Deku... (Y/N)... Stay back.”

You were too late and he was gone. Collapsing beside Todoroki, you cried in frustration. Arms wrapped around you and you completely checked out. It wasn’t until later someone mentioned Todoroki had carried you back to camp. You mindlessly wrote a note on your hand to thank him later. Your mind had gone blank and for a while you weren’t sure if you had any thoughts. Occasionally a snippet would flash across your mind.

This is what 1-A’s been dealing with.

I was a burden the whole time.

Nothing I did even mattered.

Why am I even here?

They’re so strong.

I had no idea.

I’m weak.

Why?

Home was silent. Your parents were unsure of how to be there for you and didn’t try forcing you to talk. You had been added to the class’s group chat. There was some sort of a support system there. Most of the time, you just laid in bed and scrolled through the notifications, or listened silently to the news playing loudly from the living room. The attack was all that was being reported. Most of the time you found yourself staring at Bakugou’s picture for hours, no real thoughts running through your mind. Your best friend, Hitoshi, couldn’t even snap you out of it. You begged for him to use his quirk on you, to tell you to get over this brokenness you felt, and he bluntly refused.

“If you don’t overcome this on your own, what are you doing in the Hero Department anyway.”

At night you’d leave the house while your parents slept, heading to the 7-Eleven for a rice ball and a Plus Ultra Calpis. You’d walk around aimlessly for a few hours, taking in the city lights. So many people seemed unaffected by the recent events. It filled you with sorrow and anger.

It wasn’t until you received a text two days after the incident, separate from the group chat, did you finally get up and make yourself presentable. Locking your bedroom door, you snuck out through the window and headed into the city. Todoroki hadn’t seen you respond in the group chat about visiting Midoriya. He wanted to make sure you came and met you at the train station so you could go together.

At the hospital, you silently stood behind Todoroki, listening to everyone speak. It wasn’t until Todoroki mentioned Bakugou’s name did you utter a sound. A small sob. Leaning forward, you rested your forehead against Todoroki’s stiff back, shutting your eyes tightly to block out Ashido’s reprimand.

“...and since I failed, now he’s gone.”

“Alright then lets go get him.” You raised your head, looking to Kirishima. Did he really just say that? You didn’t need to hear more. You were in and decided to rest at home before meeting up again.

Todoroki picked you up at the same train station by your house at sunset. It was a short ride back to the hospital that night. Yaoyarozu and Midoriya came and - after giving you a speech and throwing a blow at Midoriya’s face - surprisingly Iida joined as well, acting as your Watchman Babysitter.

Taking the train, the six of you headed to Camino Ward. Just two hours to go until you reached Yokohama. The six of you ended up outside of a Donki Oote department store and managed to get disguises. Purchasing a cute little top and shorts set and a cloth face mask, you were the first one ready to go.

“Hey Yaoyarozu, couldn’t you have just made these things to save money?” Todoroki brought up. She quickly spiraled into a speech about saving the economy.

You and Kirishima had the same thought. She just wanted to go shopping.

Glancing up a the neon business signs, you took note of where you were headed. That was when the large screen that was usually used for announcements caught your eye. The news was playing and the story featured Eraserhead, Vlad King, and the principal as they issued a public apology. Shaking your head, you motioned to the group to keep going. You couldn’t let the media and the crowd distract you.

Upon arriving to the target location you observed the outside of the building, looking for cameras or any other devices that would alert the villains. It wasn’t until an incessant mutter finally broke through your thoughts did you look to see Midoriya, well, being Midoriya,

“You’ve probably never seen this before. This is peak Midoriya behavior,” Yaoyarozu explained. Uh...right.

After a few drunkards tried picking up Yaoyarozu, everyone slipped into the narrow alley between the buildings to try and get a peek inside, lifting Kirishima and Midoriya over the wall.

“T-There are Nomu!” Midoriya whispered just before a sudden powerful gust of wind blew, blowing you off your feet. Midoriya gave you a hand up.

Pro-Heros had shown up, meaning that we could go home according to Iida. A sudden powerful explosion froze you all in place behind the wall. You covered your eyes, terrified. It was only that familiar grumpy voice of Bakugou’s that brought you out of it. Next, it was like a pinprick feeling at the back of your neck. Snapping your eyes up to the skies, you caught a glimpse of All Might. The next thing you knew, there was a battle.

When Midoriya finally claimed to have a plan, you all listened carefully before setting it into motion. Sticking with Yaoyarozu and Todoroki, you moved when they did, quickly making off when Bakugou was safe. The three of you headed to the train station to meet up with the others, keeping your eyes on the large broadcast screens to watch All Might’s fight.

It was long and awful. All Might’s body looked deflated and destroyed. The sun was beginning to rise as cheers erupted throughout the crowd as All Might finally won, but it was clear to you that he was done. Now you had to make your way through the crowded streets and find the rest of your group.

Relief washed over you and tears sprung to your eyes when you saw him through the crowd. Balling your hands into fists, you did your best to restrain yourself before finally running at the hothead at full speed, throwing your arms around him. You buried your face into his neck, tears wetting his skin. He stood there, allowing you to hold onto him tightly. He made no move to return your embrace, but the fact he didn’t shove you away and blast your head off said enough.

“You idiot!”

[gaylotusthatexists]

rises the moon - part one

Pairings: currently no major ones, but eventually parental moxiety and intrulogical, possibly either royality or roceit but haven’t decided yet 

Summary: After running away from home, Virgil find the Forest, where he is appointed as the new Lord of Spring. 

Trigger Warnings: running away from home, implied bad family relations

Word Count: 1500

A/N: Hello! This was written for the songfic challenge hosted by @sanderssidesfanfiction (which you can find the rules for here), based on the song 'rises the moon' by Liana Flores. Please check out the song, it's so good, Liana deserves more love honestly. Anyway uhhh I'm gonna try to update this every Friday, so far I've written the first five chapters soooo we're good for at least a month. But either way I'm very excited about this :D Hope y'all enjoy~

next || ao3

days seem sometimes as if they’ll never end 

Virgil readjusted his backpack and walked down the road, the sun rising over the buildings. He was leaving and he wasn't coming back. He had packed his things and climbed out the window, not bothering to leave a note - he doubted the people back there would even care. He doubted that they'd even notice he was gone.

He turned the corner and continued to stalk the empty streets. It was too early for anyone to be up - too early for him to be up, really. The cold hair hit his cheeks, a hard wind attempting to blow him to the floor. He pulled up his hood and held it in place, fighting against the wind. 

God, it had been five minutes and Virgil already wanted to go home. He wanted to get back into bed, where he was safe and warm, where he could sleep his worries away. But that just meant his worries would return in the morning. No, the best thing to do was go. He knew he couldn't run away from his problems, but at the very least running away would give him a chance to think. A chance to work through his problems. 

His stomach growled. How long had it been? Fifteen minutes? An hour? He wasn't sure. He was still in the city, he thought, but he didn't recognise this place. He hadn't really been paying attention to where his feet were carrying him, as long as he was away from there . People were starting to emerge from buildings, go about their days, so he must have been out for a short while now. 

He had to eat soon, though. He hadn't had any breakfast before leaving - which was normal for him, he supposed, but he also didn't usually walk this much. He glanced around the street, looking for anywhere where he may be able to buy supplies. 

Christ, he hadn't even brought any proper supplies with him. He had packed a couple changes of clothes, a wash kit, and a couple personal possessions, but hadn't once considered to bring food with him. He hadn't even thought of a plan - he knew he wanted to run away, get out of town, but had no plan for where he was going to go, where he was going to stay. It wasn't as if he had any friends he could crash with, or enough money to buy a place of his own. 

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, checking inside. A couple twenty pound notes and a handful of change. Not exactly enough to book out a hotel room, or even catch a train out of here. But at least he had enough to buy a few supplies. 

There was a corner shop at the end of the street. Great. They'd have food, right? He ran over, entering the store and looking around the aisles, trying not to alarm the cashier. He grabbed a few bags of crisps, some cereal bars, and a few bottles of Coke, taking them to the till. 

"That'll be ten pounds," the cashier said. 

Virgil glanced down into his wallet and took out ten pounds in change, a mixture of two pound coins, pound coins, and fifty pence pieces. The cashier looked somewhat annoyed at that, but nevertheless took the change and let Virgil go. He stuffed the food into his backpack, leaving out a cereal bar to eat as he walked. 

And walked. And walked. 

This was getting boring now. It would've helped if he had some music, or something, but he'd left his phone at home, for fear that they may try to call him. He wasn't about to let that happen. Still, he did wish he at least had an MP3 player, or something. They went out of fashion years ago. 

The sun was high in the sky now. Not high enough. It couldn't have even been midday yet. How far away was he from home? It must have been a good few hours by now. He could walk a good few miles in the span of an hour, but this city seemed to go on forever. 

He had to figure out where he was planning on going. It wouldn't be wise to just wander the streets, in the plain view. He had to at least get out of the city. Maybe there'd be a bus or something he could catch. Yeah. Where was the bus station again? 

After a few more minutes of walking, he noticed a bus stop down the end of the street. Okay, that was good. He could catch a bus there, hopefully get back to the station, and then plan his next move from there. He walked up and stood at the bus stop, glancing around anxiously. 

An elderly woman glanced up at Virgil, looking a little concerned. "Are you alright, dearie?" 

Virgil shot her a smile. "Yup. I'm good." 

"Shouldn't you be in school?" she asked. 

"Nope. I'm, uh, homeschooled," he lied. 

She frowned. "Well then, you should be at home, shouldn't you?" 

Virgil internally groaned. It wasn't up to this woman to run his life. 

"What bus are you waiting for?" she asked, after realising that Virgil wasn't going to reply. 

Virgil blinked. "Uh, the... thirty-seven," he made up, hoping that she would just back off. 

She hummed. "I think you've got the wrong bus stop. The thirty-seven doesn't stop here." 

Virgil tapped his leg on the ground. "Actually, I think you're right. Sorry. I'll be off." He walked away, mostly because he couldn't be dealing with any strangers talking to him. 

Maybe catching a bus wouldn't have been such a good idea, anyway. He had no way of knowing where he would end up - knowing his luck, he'd end up back at home, which was the last thing he wanted. So, he elected to continue wandering the streets, searching for a way out the city. 

He glanced down one street, noticing a field at the end. Interesting. That meant he must be nearing the end of the city. He turned the corner and walked down the street, hopping over the fence and onto the field. Maybe if he could walk to the end of this field, he could find his way to the next city over. Maybe to a small village he could crash at for a couple days. It was a better plan than anything else he could come up with. 

He imagined that he was trespassing by walking across the field, but at this point didn't care. He just needed to get out. 

But he was getting tired. His legs were beginning to ache, and his back was beginning to hurt. Maybe a short break wouldn't do him any harm... 

He collapsed onto the ground, taking off his backpack and setting it in front of him. He took out a bottle and began to drink, emptying the bottle in a matter of seconds. Wow. He must have been thirsty. He opened up a packet of crisps as well and began to eat, feeling somewhat satisfied once he was done. 

Virgil laid down in the tall grass, letting it consume him. It must have been mid-afternoon by now, the sun casting an orange spell over the field. He breathed in and out as he stared up at the clear skies, half tempted to close his eyes... 

When his eyes opened again, the sun had set, and the stars shone bright against the night sky. Christ, how long had he been sleeping for? He hadn't even noticed that he had fallen asleep. 

He had to get back on the move, even if it was too dark to really see anything. He zipped his backpack back up and stood up, continuing his journey across the field. As he walked, fireflies emerged from the grass, creating a trail of light behind him. He smiled a little, allowing himself to get caught up in the beauty of it all. 

Glancing back, he noticed that the city behind him was long gone, not even a trace in his vision. Looking forward, he couldn't find any signs of further civilisation either. Still, he walked. He wasn't even tired anymore, despite the fact that he must have been walking for the rest of the night, as the sun began to rise again. 

Eventually, he came across a forest, a line of trees towering above him. He stopped, glancing inside. Leaves swirled around his feet, the wind pulling him closer. He tried to resist at first, but soon found himself standing in the forest, the leaves only picking up the pace. 

He looked down, noticing something else swirling around his feet as well - tiny lights, multicoloured dots, or something... something flying, dancing around in circles. Probably bugs, some sort of weird mutated firefly, or maybe... 

Nah, it wouldn't be a fairy, would it? 

...would it? 

This place was weird. Virgil wanted to leave, but his feet would not budge. 

Someone stepped out the shadows. 

[onewaigu]

Like Magic

Genre : predebut!au

Theme : mild fluff(?)

Pairing : Bang Chan X Reader (not really)

Description : all you knew was that every time you took the no. 4419 bus back home, he would always be there, cladded in all-black, sitting exactly two rows in front of you. that was, until he no longer rode the bus.

“Right on time”, you said to yourself as your eyes followed a boy, probably a few years older than you, boarding the same no. 4419 bus.

No, you weren't a creepy stalker. No, you were simply an observant person and for some apparent reason, this boy had always caught your eyes for as long as you had been taking this bus back home from school.

How could anyone not take notice of him? The boy practically stuck out like a sore thumb. He was always wearing black everything. Except for his chains.

“Bet his wardrobe looks like an empty void”, you chuckled at the thought.

He exuded a mysterious yet intriguing aura. Something that certainly pulled you in.

Like always, his stop was a stop before yours and the bus journey usually took about half an hour to get there. Any person would've taken the opportunity to steal a quick nap but, he wasn't any person.

He would usually take out his laptop or launchpad before slipping on headphones. With the noise from outside world muted, his fingers would begin to move meticulously and rhythmically to whatever beat he was making.

You for one, somehow had missed the memo since birth of being naturally talented in music. While your family played their respective instruments, the only music you had ever made naturally would be the sound of unpleasant snoring. Despite your lack of musical consciousness, you were always interested in music.

You admired how the back of his head stood still, concentrating hard to find the right pitches.

The little curls at the nape of his neck would slightly bounce whenever the bus hit a bump. Cute.

Sometimes when he seemed to be in his zone, the music he made could be heard. You were interested in his diverse taste in music genres. You wanted to know more. Who were his favourite artists? Did he upload any of the songs he made online? Was he planning on becoming an artist? So many questions but you felt that the chances of you actually having a conversation with him was little to none.

You sighed, letting your eyes close till you reached your stop.

The next day though, was a little bit different than ordinary.

No. 4419 bus was almost packed. The bus before had broken down so the passengers transferred buses. Luckily for you, you managed to catch a seat, with an empty one beside you.

You sat there in silence, taking in the view of the busy streets of Seoul through the bus window. The day was fairly cold as the year approached its end so the windows were slightly frosted.

The kid in you convinced yourself to draw little stick figures on them as a way to pass time. You were busy perfecting the stick figures' hair when you heard someone coughed beside you. You turned your head to the sound of it, only to be staring at a pair of beautiful dark brown eyes. Oh. It's him. It's the mysterious Beethoven. He was sitting next to you. Oh.

“Nice drawing you got there”, he smiled widely. At that moment, you saw them— chin dimples. He had adorable chin dimples. You swore your heart skipped a beat. You were a sucker for dimples and him having them was just perfect.

“Uh, it's n-nothing”

“It's just..water and..science?”, you mentally face-palmed at your own dumb reply. Way to go, Y/N.

“Well water scientist, my name's Chris”

There it was. He had an accent. A nice accent at that.

“Y/N”

Then came awkward silence. You weren't a social butterfly so that would explain why you were more of the observing type. However, the silence didn't last long cause Chris decided that he wanted to share some demos he made with you. He wanted an unbiased opinion on them hence you were the perfect candidate. You didn't mind at all. Truthfully, you couldn't believe that any of this was happening. Just the day before, you were wondering about his musical preferences. The next thing you knew, you were sharing an airpod with him, listening to one of his original works. How convenient.

After that day, you somehow became his unofficial critic on every single bus ride. Even though you were sometimes exhausted from school, you didn't show it in front of Chris. You didn't want to ruin the look he always had whenever he talked about his passion in music. His face would lit up like Christmas lights and you would always listen intently. Seeing him in his happy place warmed your heart. Maybe a little too much.

Days gone by and the both of you were still at it with the same routine. Only difference was, Chris seemed like he had something on his mind. It might not be something necessarily bad but you wanted to make sure he was okay. But every time you tried to poke something out of him, he would shrug it off.

“You worry too much, Y/N”, his shoulder nudged yours playfully.

You could only smile at his words. You hoped that whatever he's going through, he'd be okay eventually.

You weren't okay. You were worried. For the past few weeks, you didn't see Chris boarding the usual no. 4419 bus. The first week, you thought that maybe he was ill. The second week, you thought that maybe he felt like taking the train. The weeks after, you gave up thinking of possibilities.

You sighed.

What went wrong? The moments you spent with Chris were the best moments of your 19-year-old life, even if they were as long as a bus journey back home. Chris was talented, passionate, dorky, and endearing. He made you feel things that you weren't aware of. And now he's gone.

“Poof, like magic”, you scoffed.

Was it real or just a dream? Either way, you missed it.

[a/n]

i'm sorry if this story makes no sense > < basically Chan disappeared bcos the boys were preparing for their survival show :'(

(gif credits to yunhoed)

- i'm still not sure if i credited correctly so if i didn't, pls tell me so i can give proper credits

[therealrjlupin]

Muggle Camping

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18629890

“Fucks sake, Padfoot!” Remus had just about finished putting up the tent he and Sirius would be sleeping in when the large black dog barrelled into it during his attempt to distract the toddler from his fascination with the gas cooker.

“Fussayy Pa’fooo!” the toddler screeched, shaking the box of matches that his mother had only just put out of his reach a moment ago.

Lily belatedly clamped her hands over Harry’s ears and scowled. “Remus! As if I haven’t got enough on my plate with this ‘accidental’ magic, my child is now swearing before he’s 2.”

Sirius extricated himself from the pile of fabric and collapsed poles and jumped over to James, transforming into his human form mid-jump. He copied Lily’s action and sent Remus an incredulous look. “Yeah, Moony. Mind your language around Prongs’s delicate ears!”

Remus sighed and looked skywards, as if to beg for patience from whatever deity may reside there.

The two couples had decided to go on a camping holiday to get away from the stresses of the last few years. Sirius and James had been beyond excited to go on what they termed ‘a Muggle holiday’ and as such had insisted that they have no magic to help them. The novelty had lasted all of five minutes, after which Remus had banned Sirius from even touching the tent and Lily had told James in no uncertain terms that he was not to attempt to cook anything at all. He had nearly caused an explosion by playing with the Primus stove and now Harry was overly interested in the matches and Sirius had been given the task of keeping him occupied lest they all survive the war only to be blown up by a two-year-old with an abundance of accidental magic.

When they had first arrived, Sirius had suggested to the Potters that he and Remus could take Harry into the village for the afternoon, which would give Lily and James some much needed alone time. Harry had inherited his father’s talent for Trouble and needed to be watched like a hawk, leaving little time for his parents to enjoy each other’s company.

Sirius watched in amazement as Remus hoisted Harry onto his back and tied the wrap to secure him there. Lily was an expert with the thing and Remus could manage. Sirius and James, however, ended up in one giant knot every time they even attempted it.

Remus smirked at his boyfriend, loving the look of awe on his face. He handed Sirius the bag packed with all of the essentials required for a couple of hours with a child; nappies, wipes, spare clothes, snacks, a drink, and a towel. They waved goodbye to the Potters and started walking to the nearby bus stop to catch the hourly ride into the village.

Sirius was overly excited about traveling on a Muggle bus. He had been on the Knight bus, of course. As far as Muggle transport went, he had been in James and Lily's car a few times and had been assured that Muggle trains were very similar to the Hogwarts Express. His beloved motorbike could hardly be thought of as “Muggle transport”, given its ability to fly. He should probably tell Remus about that little modification, but he didn't want to provoke his boyfriend's (reasonable) anger. He estimated that he was in for a good ten minutes of being yelled at, followed by a half-hour lecture on why charming his bike to fly was a Very Stupid Idea Indeed. He was prepared for the rehashing of old admonishments (“What were you thinking?!” “You could end up in Azkaban and I'd only visit to say “told you so”!” “This is the stupidest fucking thing I've ever heard.” And his favourite, always said with such a defeated sigh, “Okay, well just don't get caught and Merlin's balls, don't do it again.”)

The small bus bumped along the road, causing Sirius to bounce up and down like an excited puppy, and stopped at the stone shelter. They climbed on, Remus paid the return fare, and Harry squealed with delight as one of his biggest dreams came true - traveling on a real bus. Remus unwrapped Harry and set him down by the window, taking the seat next to him. Sirius took the seat in front and turned to Remus looking confused.

“Where are the beds, Moony?” he asked, “And why is there only one level?” Remus had to remind himself to be patient, and that if he had only been on one bus in his life, he'd probably have the same questions. He sighed. “There are no beds because people only travel on buses for a short time. And there aren't many people who use this route so they only need a few seats. Besides, Muggle buses only have two decks at most otherwise they won't fit in tunnels or under bridges.”

Sirius seemed to accept this explanation (thank Merlin) and spent the rest of the short journey playing peek-a-boo with Harry.

When they arrived at the village, they alighted the bus and Remus wrapped Harry onto his back again. The three of them made their way along the main road and down to the lake where they spent a lovely half hour wandering the shore and entertaining Harry by throwing stones that Sirius had enchanted to skip for much further than any Muggle could skip them.

Once the toddler got bored and started pulling Remus's hair (“DOWN, Mooony!”), they went back into the village and found a quaint little tea shop that reminded Sirius of Madam Puddifoot's. He grinned, recalling the fawning girls he had taken there on dates before he announced to the common room on a drunk whim that he was Really Fucking Gay and only had eyes for Remus “Sex-on-Legs” Lupin. The werewolf had flushed scarlet but quickly forgot his embarrassment when Sirius made good on his proclamation and snogged his brains out in front of everyone. Peter and James had sensibly decided not to return to the dorm that night.

This tea shop, however, had none of the charmed decorations of its wizarding twin.

Remus removed Harry from his back and stretched, hearing the vertebrae click as he twisted. A short waitress of around 16 came over to take their order. Earl Grey for Remus, black coffee for Sirius, a fruit scone each, and (to Remus's horror) the largest ice-cream sundae they had for Harry. Sirius spoilt his godson rotten and Harry was always pleased with his treats.

Remus grumbled about how he was breaking his back to carry “his Highness” around yet Sirius got all of the credit. Sirius just winked and told Remus not to be such an old woman. If looks could kill, Sirius would be splayed on the floor now. Come to think of it, he most definitely wouldn't have survived long enough to actually make it to adulthood.

Their order arrived, and Harry immediately got whipped cream on his nose, in his hair, and on Remus's favourite jumper. The werewolf shot his boyfriend a withering glance, then, realising it wasn't worth the effort to say something, grabbed a handful of napkins and wiped his sleeve.

“Come on, Prongslet, let's get you cleaned up and let Uncle Moony have his tea before he gobbles us all up!” Sirius picked Harry up and sat him on the other side of the table, taking a long spoon and scooping ice cream into the child's mouth.

Remus huffed and started doctoring his tea until it was perfect, then spread his scone with cream then jam, something which hurt Sirius's sense of propriety in a way nothing else could. He smirked at his boyfriend and Sirius stuck his tongue out in a very grown up response.

When they had finished, and they had used up an entire packet of napkins to clean Harry, they made their way back to the bus stop, allowing Harry to walk in the hope that he'd be ready for a nap when they got back.

The bus ride went without any hitch, Remus was glad to say. Sirius could be extremely embarrassing around anything Muggle.

Harry was starting to droop as they approached the tents. They could see movement in the Potters’ tent but the area was eerily silent. So much for not using magic, though both Remus and Sirius were grateful for the silencing charms their friends had put up.

“Come on, sprog, come have a nap with Pads,” Sirius said to the toddler, and together they went into the other tent.

Remus sensed Sirius change into Padfoot, which always helped the boy to settle.

Animagus transformations. Silencing charms.

“Fuck it.” Remus said aloud and sat on one of the camping chairs, summoning his book and lighting a cigarette with a click of his fingers. His friends were absolutely hopeless.

Thanks for the prompt @ninshadow and for the beta reading @jennandblitz

[kaaaarl-blog1]

PRE TEST:

Multiple Choice:

1.) This is the highest point in the story, usually the most exciting.

a. Finale

b. Climax

c. Pinnacle

d. Beginning

2.) The problem in a short story that needs to be resolved is called:

a. Conflict

b. Drama

c. Climax

d. Tension

3.) If you read this sentence in a short story, "I will become a navy soldier and we can rise up from our hard situation of poverty and destitution." you would be able to know that the story was being told in _________ _________ point of view?

a. Third person

b. First person

c. Second person

d. None of the above

4.) What do you call the speaker or character who tells the story?

a. Protagonist

b. Teacher

c. Narrator

d. Biologist

5.) These are examples of elements of a short story EXCEPT:

a. Theme

b. Point of view

c. Fiction

d. Settings

Once, in a small rural town, there was a young boy who dreamt to be a soldier someday. Born in a family of farmers, the young boy aided in the land his family owns, often under the scorching heat of the sun. He witnesses his father digging the soil with sweat dripping on the forehead. On the other side, is his mother planting a lot of vegetables to sell on the market to garner money for food. Then one day, the younger boy imparted his dream of becoming a soldier to his parents. His mother responded with protest, because she is afraid and she thinks that the life span of a soldier is short. She does not want to lose her son. A soldier’s life is perilous, and that's why his mother is against his decision. But his father thought differently, and said to him, "Son, it's easier to handle a gun than to handle a shovel and digging soil". His father is happy for this path his son decided to take. He is always there to support and motivate his son, especially on his dreams. However, their family does not have a lot in financial terms. Because the money that they got from selling vegetables from their harvests in the market are just enough and sufficient for their daily needs. But the young boy is not giving up on his dreams. The young boy embarked in a journey of hardship and diligence for reaching his dream. He applied for a part time job to support and save money for his dream. Every morning, the young boy is at school, while in the evening he is on the biggest bar in their province for work.

A year passed, and the young boy graduated high school. He is blissful when he discovered that the qualifications to get a slot in Philippine navy is being a high school graduate. Thereafter, the boy set off to Manila and applied to take an entrance exam to enter the Philippine Navy. After a month of waiting, the Philippine navy released the list of entrance exam passers, and with utmost shock and gratefulness, the young boy and his father received the news of his qualifying. The young boy truly felt he was one big step closer to his aspirations. But his mother felt worried and even devastated. However, after passing all the exams like psychological exam (neuro), physical exam and IQ exam, he finally convinced his mother to support his dreams and not to worry about him. After preparing all he needed, the young boy feels ecstatic and hopeful about his journey as a soldier. His mother and father borrowed some money to buy what the boy needed for his training. They promised that the money they borrowed will be given back after the young boy finish the military training. This day is his last night for being a civilian person. He promised heartily to his parents that "I will become a navy soldier and we can rise up from our hard situation of poverty and destitution." That night became very emotional, because the following day, the young boy is leaving his family to go to training center held in Zambales and transform his life into military behavior.

The next day came, it is the day the life of the young boy would completely change from then on. It is the reception rites of the all qualified trainees on the Philippine Navy. The boy gave a tight and gratifying hugs and bid goodbye to his parents. Then, he went on his trip to Zambales. He travelled for few hours and with a feeling of both unbelief and excitement, arrived at the training area. That will be the start of all the hard works and sacrifices. He admitted that the training was not really easy and painless but he gave all his best efforts for his dreams. After the 6 months of training, the young boy graduated. His parents were so proud of him. Because after the many and seemingly uncountable months of training their son finally got his dream. Then, when he got the money that he earned from his hard work, he started building a simple house for his family. He also started to pay all the debts and borrowed money of his parents he used for his training. After imparting his care of his family in these months, he still had to be apart from his family for more training to become powerful, strong and ready for his missions as a soldier. He then go back to the training are for a month. Then one day, the young boy was given an opportunity to be off-duty, and without a single hesitation went back in their province where his family was living. His heart could not encompass the excitement to see his family again because of being apart for a long time. After successfully arriving on their home, he hastily ran towards his family and greeted them with very tight hugs and sweet kisses. He really missed his family and could not be any happier to see them again. The family told each others of the happenings in their lives after going inside their home. Then all of a sudden, the young boy was queried by his father about his experiences while he is on his training. “Tatay, I admit that the training was not easy of course because there were a lot of challenges, so many things that were new and I had to be used to. I need to be accustomed to wake up at 3:00 in the morning be completely ready, like cleaning and shining our respective shoes that will be used during the training. There were times that I feel disheartened of these difficult challenges, but both of you Tatay and Nanay are my inspirations to keep going, and I take account all my sacrifices in the training. Everyday us cadets are running 20 kilometers with a 15-kilogram backpack filled of rifles. We need to build our teamwork for us to be all successful”, he answered. “I really feel like my life has changed completely beyond what I imagined but I keep coming back to when I started this dream and how you both supported me.” And then they continued talking about a lot of things.

After a few months of staying and bonding with his family, the militaries of Mindanao called a backed up because of the terrorists named Abu Sayyaf. And the young boy was one of the navy designated to be deployed and go there. His family felt so nervous and fretful for his safety. His mother said “This is what I am always saying from the beginning. That being a soldier is not easy. They are always one foot on the grave because they can be die in just one click.” That statement made them realize why his mother was in much opposition on his dream in the first place. But he knew his responsibility, so with a brave front went to Mindanao to fight alongside his fellow soldiers, and for the love and protection of his country. He bequeathed hugs and kisses to his family before leaving. He travelled for few hours before touching down the Mindanao using a helicopter. The next day after arriving in Mindanao, the young boy called his family, reminded and reassuring them not to worry because he is fine and safe. However, the young boy was actually lying because he’s been struck with a bullet of a gun on his shoulder and he was resting and treated on a safe area.

After sacrificing for a month, the war fortunately ended, and all the soldiers could go back to their families. He was beyond happy that he was still alive after that grievous and deadly war. The young boy went home and his family was surprised when they saw him. They have him very tight and you can see in their eyes that they were very happy. They were still talking and bonding in the middle of the night. When the young boy and his mother was the only ones left awake, he said to his mother that “If I will die in a war, I want you drape a Philippines flag on me as I’ve known that I died for the country and for my fellow countrymen.” His mother felt so emotional on hearing his son’s words, and decided to be fervent and hopeful for her son as well. They hugged and felt the love of each other.

After a few days with his family, the young boy is going back to naval station at Fort Santiago. During his trip, his father called him and said that his mother had passed away. He felt shocked and broken when he heard the news from his father. He rushed to the bus driver and asked to stop the bus and drop him down. He rode a bus again to go back to their home, in hopes to see his mother for the last time. When he arrived to their home, he rushed to his mother and he hugged her very tight. His tears seemed to be boundless when he saw his lifeless mother lying in a bed. He cannot imagine that his mother will die that easy, remembering they were just talking to each other the last night before that happened.

While on his mother’s funeral, his father gave him a letter that his mother left before she passed away. It says that “I’m sorry son, but I lied to you, I did not want to give you problems and I don’t want you to get worried. I had a stage 5 cancer. I already knew and endured it for a long time. But, I didn’t tell you because I don’t want you to get worried. We don’t want you to get worried. Your father and I already knew from the start. I hope you understand, and don’t hold remorse to your father for not telling you the truth. I am the one who disagreed to reveal it to you. I love you always, my son, I love you both always.” The young boy’s body became numb and he cried and cried after reading the letter. He can’t imagine that his mother was already suffering and anguishing with cancer. After a week, he went back to their training area. His father is the only person left in their house. Even if he does not want to leave his father alone, he doesn’t have any choice but to continue fulfilling his dreams for himself and for his parents. He was just going home twice a month because of his service for the country.

One day, all the soldiers have been assigned and deployed to Mindanao because of the terrorists named Abu Sayyaf threatening the country once again. They were all assigned to create a letter for their families because they don’t know if they can still survive to the war. The young boy made a letter for his father that says, “Tatay, if I died during this war, please do not worry about me so much. I don’t want you to be sad. Please take care of yourself always. Please be strong for Nanay and for me. If I die on this war, I will be together with Nanay and I will tell her how good father you were to me when she left. I will tell her how am I proud to have you as my father. We will be angels who will take care and look after you as always. I love you so much Tatay.” Then, they took a rest in preparation for tomorrow. The next day, all the soldiers who have been deployed to Mindanao fought dauntlessly against Abu Sayyaf. Then suddenly, the young boy has been shot on his knee that made him fall on the ground. But fortuitously, his buddy/partner was there to help him to get up and send him to the medical station to get his wound treated. Then, his buddy went back to the war and continued their fight against the terrorists. Their fight doesn’t end that day.

After many days of resting, the young boy’s commander asked him if he still wanted and if he can still fight to the ground zero. For some soldiers that have been assigned there are dying, and they are not enough to handle and fight with the terrorists. “Sir, permission to go back to the ground zero sir”, the young boy answered. His commander had misgivings that he could and asked him again if he really could go back to the war. He assured his commander that he already can and he assured he really want to go there to help his fellow soldiers. Proving his persevering and brave demeanor, his commander allowed him to go back to ground zero.

The next 1200 hours, the young boy and his team dropped at the ground zero. They wrought to their respective positions to get ready for fight. After finishing some terrorists, they continue replacing their positions and kept exchanging bullets from the terrorists. Until they have been marooned in a two buildings. They were in the sandwiched in the middle of the two buildings because there were a lot of snipers that could easily strike them. On the next building where they were placed, a slightly tilted wall is the only shield that are covering them from the lethal bullets of the enemy. The young boy’s commander needs a gunner near the terrorists. So, the commander asked the young boy to move on the other wall that is near to the enemy or to the terrorists. The young boy made a small hole on the wall to place his sniper and prepared with tremendous concentration to shoot the terrorists they were fighting with. After shooting a lot, the young boy needed to reload his magazine because there were not enough bullets on it. While reloading his magazine, a terrorist saw him and with alacrity, shot him with a sniper. The young boy has been shot in his head. He fell down while he still holding his gun. His team felt so worried for him but they still continued to fight against the terrorists. The young boy was carried in a safe place and to take a rest because his wound was excruciatingly painful. After scary survival battle, the soldiers successfully ended the war. They are beyond happy and emotional, with a tinge of bitterness for all the soldiers that sacrifice. Because after of all the hard times fighting with the Abu Sayyaf, their sufferings finally ended. Then, they looked for the young boy who sacrificed himself to save his fellow soldiers. They saw him hiding and suffering on his wound in a safe place. So, they carried the young boy and brought him to the medical station. But, the medical team informed them that he needs to be brought at hospital because he is in critical condition. Using the ambulance, they brought him to the hospital. The young boy is already out of his consciousness which makes the situation even direr. After waiting a while, the doctor came out and announced that the young boy is in critical status and he is in a comatose. The soldiers that are in the hospital especially his commander felt so worried for the young boy.

Going back to the battlefield wherein the war happened, all the soldiers are gathering all the dead bodies of their fellow fallen soldiers. They called all the family of those to discreetly say the bad news, the unfortunate but heroic stories of these soldiers. Then, the young boy’s father was called by the Philippine navy. His father suddenly felt nervous because he has a presumption about the news that the caller was supposed to say. Nevertheless, he bravely asked the caller what happened. And the Philippine navy announced that his son has been shot on the head by a sniper while on the battle – that the young boy was in a critical stage and in a coma. His father still felt shocked but rushed to get his things and went to the hospital where his son was admitted. After arriving at the hospital, He scurried towards the ICU to see his son. The young boy’s father was so emotional when he saw his son with full of all kinds of apparatusin ICU. He held his son’s hand and he said, in hoping that he will hear him, that “Son, I am now here my son. Please be strong. Don’t leave me okay? We are going to fight this together. I love you always.” He took care of his son and he dutifully never left his son in the ICU. He is always talking his son even if he’s not answering, because his father knows that his son could hear him. One week after the young boy was surrendered to the hospital, his status was still the same in the first place. He is still in coma and still in critical status. But after a while, the condition of the young boy became worse. The doctors rushed to check him. His vital signs became lower, so it became indispensable that the doctor performed the CPR. They pumped the chest of the young boy repeatedly. But, it still became lower. Therefore, they used a defibrillator and applied it to the chest to allow an electric current to pass through the heart to reset the normal electric current. But, it doesn’t help to bring back the life of the young boy - he was declared dead at 11:32 am. His father can’t accept the truth that his son was dead. He cried out loud and keep awaking his son but to no avail. He hugged his son very tight for the last time. He was the only one left in their family. The nurses cleaned the dead body of the young boy and brought it to the morgue.

There were a lot of people and soldiers who came on his burial. All his fellow soldiers and team leaders came to give their compassionate condolences.After one week of burial, is the day when the young boy’s funeral. His father is still emotional and cannot let him go. While on the funeral, the commander came closer to the young boy’s father and gave a letter that his son created during the war. His father became more emotional and cried a lot. Then, the commander got the attention of all people and all the soldiers that are in the funeral because he was to give an award to the young boy. “I would like to have this opportunity to commemorate and give this award to Sergeant Christian Paquit who was bravest person we have. He is the one who sacrificed to go near the terrorist just to save his fellow soldiers. He is always ready to give and sacrifice his life for his fellow soldiers and for the love of his country. He was a real hero of the Philippine navy. That’s why we are very proud of him and to have him. And he really deserves this award for his sacrifices”, the commander said. They covered the casket of Sgt. Villanueva with a Philippine flag and brought it down the ground. His father bid goodbye to his son and cried because of the pain.

Sgt. Paquit was a person with a big dreams and dedication. A person who had a big dreams and love for his family. A person who will give everything for his family and to his fellow countrymen. A person who can’t be forgotten. Sgt. Christian Villanueva is a hero.

 

POST TEST:

Match the Column A to Column B.

Column A

1.) What does bequeathed means according to the story?

2.) What is the occupation of the Sgt. Paquit’s parents?

3.) Who are his inspirations?

4.) Remorse means:

5.) What was the cause of his mother’s death?

6.) Sgt. is the short term for:

7.) “Fervent” is also similar to:

8.) Where does the training happened?

9.) Did Sgt. Paquit succeed?

10.) Scorching means:

Column B

a.) deep regret or guilt for a wrong committed

b.) parents

c.) Zambales

d.) cancer

e.) farmers

f.) extremely happy: overjoyed

g.) leave something to a person or other beneficiary by a will.

h.) Sergeant

i.) Passionate

j.) heart attack

k.) Yes

l.) very hot

m.) No