#something that ends a little nicer than my last fic lol

[whore-era]

never meant to be

☁︎ ellie x fem!reader ☁︎ summary: in which you and ellie go through the heartbreaking realization that love is never fair. ☁︎ warnings/themes: cheating (ellie cheats on current gf with you), dina is your sister, heartbreak/forbidden love, not a happy ending, familial issues | fingering/thighriding (r!recieving), use of strap, fem anatomy ☁︎ a/n: hi. don't hate me lol. sometimes i write stories like this to feel a little something. also it's 2:30 am and i have to be in class by 7:00am so this is not proofread lol. there will be NO part two. ☁︎ word count: 9,800 words aka my longest fic yet

for as long as you could remember, you were always in dina's shadow.

despite you being the youngest daughter, dina was your parent's pride and joy. she was the smartest and prettiest daughter, who never failed to win the family's attention.

dina was the 'perfect' daughter in your parent's eyes. she followed in mom's footsteps and won prom queen 3 years in a row and was crowned 1st place as miss wyoming since she was 14 in the annual pageant every year. last year, she got accepted to yale university with the intention of going to law school and becoming a criminal lawyer just like father.

your parents were set on having two extremely intelligent daughters who attended ivy league colleges and strived for an above-average career like an award-winning surgeon or a ground-breaking research scientist.

but that wasn't you. at all.

from a young age, you were always attracted to art — such as sculptures, paintings, murals, and various types of music. you had a keen eye for things more abstract, which always set you apart from your own family.

sure, math and science were subjects that came easily to you, and you had no difficulty with keeping straight A's at school, but you always knew you wanted to do something different than what was set for you.

despite being the black sheep of the family, you did find yourself envying dina. she had the bigger room, nicer clothes, a car, and always got money whenever she asked mom and dad for it. it was hard not to be jealous.

especially since she started bringing ellie williams around.

dina met ellie during her freshman year at yale, and the two hit it off. they officially became a couple this summer, and with the approval of our parents, ellie followed dina back home and agreed to stay the entire summer with her and the family.

from the first moment you met ellie, you were smitten.

it was the first week of summer, and you were relishing in all the much-needed vacation time, knowing by the time summer was over, you would be on your way to los angeles for college.

you were relaxing in bed with your copy of 'pride & prejudice', reading it for probably the 70th time. from your bedroom, you can hear a car pulling up in the driveway followed by your mother's loud voice yelling "welcome home!!", and then slamming car doors. getting up from your comfortable position, you drew the linen curtains to the side and took a peek out your window, down at the driveway.

from above, you could see mother taking dina in her arms, giving her a hug and placing a kiss on her forehead.

your eyes drift to father, and to the girl he was shaking hands with.

she was unlike anyone you've ever seen. her short brunette hair was cut short, hanging right at her neck in the style of a mullet. her slender arms revealed one tattoo on her right forearm that was visible underneath the folded flannel layered over a plain white t-shirt.

she held this charming aura about her, evident by how your father let out a hearty laugh as he gently nudged her on the shoulder. this woman must've been impressive because it was a rarity to see your father laugh, let alone when first meeting someone.

as dina grabbed the girl's hand to drag her inside the house, her eyes flickered up toward you, lingering on you for a little too long.

-

"so, ellie, tell us. what are you studying at yale?" your father's deep voice resonated throughout the dinner table.

"ugh, daaaad, please. no more interrogating my girlfriend," dina groaned out, "you're gonna scare her away, and we've only been together a month!"

"i was just asking a question, sweetie. no need to fret," your dad interjected as he took another bite of chicken.

ellie cleared her throat before putting her fork down, "uh, i'm actually in a computer science program— i'm in the works of developing my own software."

father's eyes widened, "wow! how impressive! what kind of software is it?"

"it's actually a type of software used by government agencies to store highly classified government documents, sir," ellie added, "it keeps unverified users locked out of the servers so they don't access the documents unless they recognize the IP address, and the software reports any unknown addresses back towards us to be monitored for criminal activity."

your ears would usually tune out the boring conversations held at the dinner table, but you couldn't help but be completely absorbed in everything ellie was saying and it only left you wanting to know more.

"how exciting! glad dina found someone who's doing something significant with their life," your father complimented, "unlike our youngest."

"such a shame. you graduated top of the class this year, yet you want to attend art school." your father's eyes bore into the side of your face as you pretended not to notice his words, distracting yourself by poking at the cold piece of broccoli on the expensive china plate.

"art school is cool too," ellie complimented, "what are you majoring in?"

you picked your head up, surprised by ellie's sudden interest in your studies. you were used to everyone else asking about dina and talking about dina and would compare you to dina. it was exhausting.

"um— fine arts. i'm also minoring in graphic design," you managed to squeak out, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear.

"and what are you planning to do with that, young lady?" your dad prodded in his signature stern voice, "you're 18 years old, almost 19, you have to start thinking about your future seriously."

you take the glass of water, and take a sip from it, suppressing that urge to cry from his words, "okay, father."

your mother places a hand on your dad's shoulder, attempting to calm him down, "honey, not at the dinner table."

he doesn't say anything else, and continues eating his dinner, whereas you lost your appetite a long time ago, and are no longer feeling in the mood to be around your family for another second.

the fork falls from your hands, creating a clinging sound against the ceramic dish. "may i be excused?" you tremble, ignoring the burning gaze from the brunette's eyes. you couldn't put into words the humiliation you felt at this moment, and you couldn't bear to look at dina's mocking smirk or at ellie's pitiful stare.

"okay, sweetie. goodnight." your mother murmured. you got up from the chair, and scurried out of the dining room, wanting nothing more but to curl up under your covers and lay in dark silence.

as you ascend up the stairs, you can hear dina continuing the conversation as if nothing ever happened, laughter and jokes ensuing in your absence.

-

the past two weeks with ellie in the house was an adjustment you had to get used to.

there have been a few occasions where you'd forget to lock the bathroom door, and bam, ellie barges in. luckily, she was a gentlewoman and always covered her eyes even though you were fully clothed. but it was extremely awkward, to say the least.

one morning, you thought the house was empty and took the opportunity to blast your favorite pussycat dolls song and belt out the chorus while shaking your hips around in the living room, only to find ellie looking down at you from the top of the stairs with an amused expression on her face.

needless to say, you put an end to your one-woman concerts and kept them in the privacy of your bedroom.

it was currently 2:45am, and you just wrapped up a painting you started this morning. the house was still and silent, and no one else but you were awake during this time of night.

feeling the gurgle and rumble of your belly, you take off your headphones and tiptoe down the stairs. with your socked feet pitter-pattering on the cold tile of the kitchen, you opened the door to the fridge and scanned the shelves for a tasty late-night snack.

"hmmm...." you hummed, "strawberries and cream might do the trick." you pulled out the bowl of strawberries and a tub of cool whip, and sat down on the tile, opening the lid, and dipping the berry in the creamy topping.

you were about 5 berries deep before you heard a voice clearing their throat, causing you to jump in your spot.

"isn't it a little too late to be eating dessert?" ellie queries. she was in a grey hoodie and plain grey sweatpants with half of her hair tied up. it was evident she probably just woke up, and a part of you felt a little guilty that you possibly were the reason for that.

unable to speak with a mouthful of fruit, you slowly shake your head left and right, eliciting a chuckle from the brunette.

"alright, no judgment here." ellie puts her hands up, "can i join you?"

swallowing the lump of red fruit down your throat, you respond, "sorry, yeah. of course," you hold up the bowl of berries, "want some?"

the girl crouches down and sits next to you on the floor, grabbing a strawberry and dipping it in the cool whip, then taking it all in one bite.

she chews momentarily before shaking her head in satisfaction, "not bad, not bad. never tried this combination before."

"really? i've had this snack for years, ever since i was a little girl," you smile, "it was my dad's favorite snack growing up..."

your voice trailed off as you reminisced about the earlier years when life was easier and you didn't have the pressure of worrying about college or career aspirations. all you and dina worried about was grilled cheeses and finding your bratz doll's missing feet.

ellie spoke again, "were you close with your dad growing up?"

you bit your lip, the sweet taste of strawberry and whipped cream present upon the skin, "yeah. we were," you laughed dryly, "we used to watch those cheesy law and order SVU shows all the time."

"yeah?"

"mhm," you hummed, "they were always entertaining to me. he thought that it'd eventually influence me to become a lawyer like him. he always said that we'd become the dynamic duo or whatever and that we'd kick ass in court."

ellie sat intently, watching you, listening to you as you told her this memory. from the moment she first met you when she got here, she knew you were quite the opposite of dina. dina was type A. she was occasionally uptight, a bit boring, and not really fit for ellie. ellie was chill and was a 'go by the flow' person, which was one thing dina hated about her. don't get her wrong, ellie liked dina, and she liked how dina was funny and smart, but she didn't really see them lasting long-term.

it was shitty. it was shitty how ellie didn't see herself being with dina for that long, and it was worse that ellie didn't have the guts to tell her.

but, for her own selfish reasons, ellie didn't want to tell dina, not yet anyways. she gravitated toward you and often found herself staring at you for a little too long during meals at the table and thinking about what you were doing in the next room over while dina was cuddled up in her arms.

ellie knew this was a bad idea. she could not get attached to her girlfriend's sister. it was nothing but a recipe for disaster.

but ellie was only human. she couldn't help her ever growing curiosity.

"you didn't want to be a lawyer?" ellie asked.

you shook your head, "hell, no. looks stressful and boringgggg," you sang out.

ellie laughed, "yeah, can't disagree with you there. dina tells me it involves lots of reading."

"yea, i'm good." you giggle, "what about you? have you always known that you wanted to work with computers 'n stuff?"

"i guess. i was always a 'nerd' and all that bullshit. loved watching sci-fi movies and shows and i'm also a huge gamer so—" ellie began, "i can't imagine myself not doing anything else other than techie shit."

you nod, putting another cream-covered berry in your mouth, "that makes sense. at least you're passionate about what you do."

"yeah, i guess," ellie snacks on another strawberry, "how 'bout you? you're an artist?"

you cover your mouth to muffle a laugh, "i wouldn't call myself an artist. but i do love painting. it's all i ever want to do."

"then it wouldn't be too much if i could ask to see some of your art."

your eyes widen, and you nearly choke on the fruity snack. "what?" your voice almost comes out sounding shocked.

"yeah, i mean, i'd love to see some of your stuff," ellie looked toward you with a sly smile.

"um, no," you laugh, "my parents haven't even seen some of my work."

you were hesitant to show anyone any of your artwork, and only allowing your best pieces to be kept in the security of your personal portfolio, only to be viewed by colleges for applications and such.

"aww, c'mon. i wanna see."

you huff, "maybe."

ellie smirked, "i'll take what i can get," she continues, "besides, think of me as....an art critic."

you let out a giggle, "oh yeah?"

the night progresses and you and ellie get lost in conversation, talking until 4am about life and whatnot. ellie was an easygoing person to talk to. she never seemed to judge you for any of your own opinions, and it felt like she was actually interested in what you had to say. it felt like you've known her for years, even though it's only been a matter of weeks.

you could already see the rays of orange peeking up from the navy, blue sky. it was already early morning.

"we should probably head back upstairs," you suggest, nodding your head towards the window, "the sun's gonna rise....and dina'll wake up soon."

it was like clockwork. dina woke up every morning at 6:30 am, never earlier nor later. you definitely did not want her to catch you and ellie here, alone and together.

for a moment, ellie forgot that she was here with dina. it was fucking terrible and she felt guilty, but she really liked spending the night talking with you and she knew she needed to do it again.

"uh— no, yeah, of course," ellie stood up first, holding out a hand to help you up next.

you took her warm hand in yours and hoisted yourself up until you were stable on your feet.

"thanks," you murmur.

"yeah, no problem."

ellie didn't pull her hand away, and neither did you. it was like your hands were two pieces of a puzzle, fitting perfectly in the spaces of each other's fingers.

realizing what was happening, you quickly pulled your hand away from hers, "uh—"

"fuck, sorry," ellie stammered, "i'm getting— um— awfully tired."

good excuse, ellie thought to herself.

"it's fine, no worries. let's head upstairs," you lead the way up toward the stairs with ellie alongside you. you stop in front of your bedroom door and ellie stops in front of dina's, her hand lingering on the doorknob.

"yeah?"

"um— just wanted to say goodnight, ellie." you smile at her, and she returns the favor.

"goodnight." ellie whispers, and you both head inside.

with dina still fast asleep, ellie crawls into bed next to her. she pulls the blanket close to her body, and turning away from her sleeping girlfriend, a small smile makes its way across her face as her mind drifts to you and how you were just a few feet away, a wall being the only thing separating you both.

and as you crawl into the comfort of your own bed, you couldn't help the wide smile that curls upon your lips as you thought about ellie, and how badly you wanted to talk to her again, ignoring the fact that she was probably laid up against your sister's body, holding her close.

it was an unfortunate thing — the slow formation of the connection between two people who were right for each other but were bound by the fate of knowing deep inside the chance of them being together was just not a possibility.

-

ellie could not get herself to fall asleep. she's been here for weeks, yet found herself tossing or turning in bed, never sleeping soundly for more than 3 hours at a time.

it happened again tonight. she fell asleep at 11:00pm, and here she was, wide awake at 3:00am.

she never knew how dina could do it— how she could make her body sleep at the same time, and stay asleep until morning.

ellie blamed it on the idea that her body wasn't adjusted to being at dina's house with her family. she thought that spending her summer vacation with dina's family would be fun and that it would be a good getaway from all the stress at school.

but ellie fucking hated your dad. from the first night she met him, she hated how he talked down to you. he was an asshole. it was obvious to ellie that he favored dina, and she knew it was only because she was following the same career path he was on. ellie didn't agree with how he felt about you at all, and desperately wished she could say something to him, but she thought it'd be best to not interfere...for now.

sighing, ellie took the covers off and quietly walked towards the door, slowly opening it and gently closing it.

she didn't know what the hell compelled her to walk over to your bedroom door, but before she had any time to even consider her actions, her fist planted three soft knocks on the surface.

ellie thought you must've been fast asleep by now, but a small part of her hoped that you would still be awake.

you swung your bedroom door open, unsure who would be knocking on your door at this hour, but was relieved to see it was ellie, "oh, hey."

ellie's eyes trailed up and down your body, taking you in and letting her eyes rake over the way your sleep shirt hangs loosely off your shoulder and how your cotton shorts stop mid-thigh.

she had to force her eyes back up on your face, and she was beating herself up for even letting her look at you that way, like a piece of meat.

"uh- er- sorry, i was just—" ellie stuttered, "i couldn't sleep."

you nod slowly, and step aside to let her inside your room.

god, this was such a bad idea.

after letting her inside, you close the door and lock it. walking back over towards your bed, you plop down on the mattress as ellie awkwardly stands in the middle of your room.

"you can sit down, you know," you giggle, and ellie shrugs and chooses to sit on your swiveling desk chair.

silence fills the air for a moment before ellie speaks up first.

"were you busy?"

you shake your head, "nope, was just reading a book."

"ahh, okay," ellie was silent for a moment before speaking again, "sorry again, for uh— bothering you."

"you didn't bother me," you laugh, "i'm usually up around this time anyways, jus' doing whatever."

ellie nods and turns the chair to face your desk where she sees your black leather sketchbook. her fingers open the book to a random page, and it was a sketch of a cat napping on a window sill in incredible detail.

the sound of pages flipping caught your attention, and you immediately jump to your feet as the realization hits you.

"hey! my sketchbook!" your hands quickly try to snatch the book from her hands, but ellie was faster, and got up and held the black book up and out of your reach. to your loss, ellie had the advantage of being a couple inches taller than you were, which made it extremely difficult for you to get to your book.

"these are amazing! let me just look through them a little bit longer—" ellie says, flipping through the pages of all the sketches you made, "holy shit— is that— is that me?"

your eyes grow wider, and you could feel the sweat seeping out of your pores, "give that back!"

you jump and try to grab the book, but ellie has this annoying smirk on her face as she holds the book high above her head, knowing you wouldn't be able to grab ahold of it due to your shorter stature.

"ugh, seriously?" you whine, flushing red in embarrassment, feeling like she just read an extremely personal section of your diary. in a way, your sketchbook was your diary.

"let me take a picture of my sketch and i'll give it back to you, deal?" ellie attempted to negotiate with you, but you narrowed your eyes at her, really not wanting her to have any evidence of your sketch at all. but she doesn't seem like the type to take no for an answer.

luckily, you were quite the trickster yourself. it's a youngest child thing.

you huff, "fine."

ellie smiles with pride, and as she lowers her arm to put the sketchbook down, you act fast and seize the book. but before you succeed, ellie snatches it back, and suddenly she's falling back onto your bed. you fail to steady yourself, following suit and landing on top of her, your forehead thumping against hers.

"ouch."

both of your eyes meet, and for a second, everything stands still. you and ellie don't move, afraid that whatever happens next, it'll end up with you both in a compromising situation.

"i— uh—" you sputter, "sorry." you quickly scramble up to your feet, getting off of her, and standing back to create some distance.

the absence of your body made ellie feel cold, but she pushed that feeling to the side and stood on her own two feet, handing you your sketchbook.

"thanks," you take the book from her hands and stuff it in the top left drawer of your dresser, where it usually is anyways.

"you know, those were really good," ellie mutters, scratching the back of her neck, "especially the one of me."

heat rises to your face once again, "it was from the day i saw you in the driveway— when you first got here with dina."

she nods, "i can tell, 's really good though. i swear."

you blush, "thanks," you think of something quick to change the subject, wanting to stray away from your sketch of her, still reeling in the embarrassment of her finding out.

"wanna watch the office?"

4:58am

you know what? imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, so i thank you.

"god, i love dwight so much, dude," ellie laughs, throwing a chip in her mouth as she watches jim's character pull out the bobblehead and place it on his desk.

identity theft is not a joke, jim! millions of families suffer every year!

michael!

oh that's funny— michael!

you let out a sleepy giggle, cuddling your pillow. you and ellie had been on your bed with the show playing on your laptop for an hour already, while she munched away on a bag of chips you had in your room.

ellie turned her head to check on you, and she could tell by your heavy eyelids that you were about to knock out in any second, "you sleepy?"

"mhm," you manage to hum out.

she smiles, in awe at your cute, sleepy state.

"go 'head and sleep. i'll finish up this episode and let myself out when it's over," ellie murmurs. she unfolds the blanket that was sitting at the edge of your bed and places it over your body.

"you sure?" you ask, nearly half asleep.

"mhm. i'll be gone by the time you wake up." but you knew you didn't want ellie to be gone when you woke up and ellie didn't want to go either.

as the show continues to run, you close your eyes and fall into slumber.

you weren't sure what woke you up, but you did. you hear the sound of 'the office' theme song playing, causing you to stir slightly, but you were surprised by the pressure present around your waist.

you sit up a bit, and you see ellie fast asleep, with her arm wrapped tightly around your waist, spooning you.

you look at the clock next to your bed and read the time: 6:23 am.

the air is sucked out from your lungs. dina is gonna be up soon.

"ellie! wake up!" you whisper quite loudly in her ear, shaking her awake. she doesn't wake up, and just groans, pulling you back to hold you again.

ignoring the butterflies going rampant in your belly, you attempt to wake her up again, "ellie! please, wake up," you shake her arm, "dina's gonna wake up in any minute."

ellie's green eyes open, and for a moment she's glad it's your face she sees when she wakes up, until the realization dawns on her.

"shit, shit, shit," ellie curses, getting off your bed and standing up, "i have to go."

and she exits your bedroom, leaving you alone in your bed only with the memory of waking up in her arms.

as ellie slowly and quietly enters dina's bedroom, she's relieved by the sight of dina's body still fast asleep. she gets back in bed and turns away from her, trying to calm her fast heart rate down.

on cue, dina's alarm clock goes off at 6:30 am sharp. ellie can feel dina turning and shutting off her alarm clock, and then she scootches closer and wraps her arms around ellie's body, planting a kiss on her cheek.

"morning, babe," dina whispers, and ellie shuts her eyes, pretending she's still asleep.

ellie lets out a mumbled 'morning' sounding groan and nestles her face into the pillow. she feels dina get up from bed and head into the bathroom to begin her morning routine, leaving ellie alone, wishing she had you wrapped up in her arms instead.

-

two days had gone by and you barely talked to ellie, sharing nothing but longing glances and brushes of fingers when you handed her a plate during meal times.

you didn't purposely intend to avoid ellie, but your mother had filled your agenda with errands for your 19th birthday party this weekend. you had to go talk to the caterers, talk to the florist, get fitted for a dress, buy new shoes, send out invitations— it was all so tedious and tiring, but you didn't want to make your mother upset by disappointing her.

the contractors were currently setting up the house with decorations and such for the party, and ellie was outside in the backyard with father, helping the rest of the workers set up a stage and other things needed.

you hated hot days, especially ones like these, where the air was scorching and dry. but you couldn't complain today, ellie was in a tight, white tank top showing off her muscular biceps and arms. you couldn't help but stare a little longer, trailing your eyes over the beads of sweat that would roll down her neck.

thank god for hot days like this one.

"honey, will you please do me a favor and bring out this tray of refreshments to everyone outside please?" your mother handed you a tray of cold drinks and fresh fruit.

"of course," you smooth out your sundress and take the tray from her hands, walking out of the kitchen and through the open doors leading to the backyard patio.

you walk over toward where they were working and set down the tray, "here are some cold drinks everyone."

your father and the workers mutter a quick thank you and take the offerings, sipping on the chilled drinks and talking amongst themselves.

however, what ellie needed wasn't a cold refreshment or a fruity snack. in fact, the only thing she could think of that would help ellie in this heat right now was you.

she couldn't tear her eyes away from the way your tits looked, the way the fabric hugged the soft, pillowy flesh. she definitely couldn't look away when you walked back towards the house, only wishing she can run her hands over the smooth skin of your thighs, grabbing on your ass.

the way you made ellie sweat was incomparable to the sun's radiating heat.

"excuse me, i'm gonna use the bathroom," ellie muttered, making her way back inside the house.

as you neared the kitchen, you overhear your mother's conversation with dina.

"yeah, we'll be leaving a little early. i have stuff to do back on campus," dina's voice remarks.

"oh, that's too bad. i really like having you both here," your mother pouts, "when are you and ellie leaving?"

"the day after the party," dina replies, "it'll give us time to rest and pack up."

your heart sank in your chest. ellie was leaving? and so soon?

you ran back inside the house, jogging up the stairs, not wanting dina or your mother to see the tears watering in your eyes.

"sweetie? you okay?" your mother yells out from the kitchen.

"uh, yeah! just need to get something from my room!"

you make a bee-line to the bathroom and shut the door behind you, looking at your reflection in the mirror, and letting yourself break down in tears.

something like this was bound to happen. you knew ellie wouldn't stay here forever, and you would be leaving for college. but why did this hurt so bad?

you hear the bathroom door open, and you quickly wipe your eyes.

"e-ellie?"

the brunette was surprised to see you in the bathroom at first, knowing you did have a habit of leaving the door unlocked sometimes, but that all went away and concern washed over her as she noticed your tear-filled eyes and red, stuffy nose.

"hey, hey, hey," she whispers as she takes a few steps toward you, "what's wrong?"

you blink a couple times, a tear falling down your cheek. you hesitated to answer her question.

"you know you can tell me anything, right?" ellie coos, her hands soothingly rubbing up and down your arms.

you nod, and bite your lip, thinking of how to word your response correctly, "d-dina said you both were leaving after my b-birthday."

ellie softens and an evident look of disappointment appears on her face, "yeah, we are."

you wipe your nose, looking up at her with glossy eyes, "it feels like you just got here and— and—" you sniffle, "you're leaving already."

ellie's heart soars understanding that you were upset because she was leaving. "i know and i'm sorry," she snakes her arms around your waist, pulling you close to her, "i wish i met you sooner."

ellie wished she met you first, she would actually have a chance at giving you both a shot without the guilt of betraying dina.

you bury your face into her shirt, the scent of her perfume wafting in your nostrils. god, there was just so much to do and so little time.

you pull your head back to get a good look at her face, to memorize her features, and sear them into your brain.

your eyes fell to her lips, and before you could even form a single thought, you leaned forward and pressed your lips against hers.

ellie instinctively pulled you closer by your waist, kissing back, moving her lips slowly with yours.

you slowly try to pull away from her lips, but she brings you back in for more, her grip on your waist never releasing.

"ellie," you breathe out, but it comes out sounding more like a moan, "w-we can't," you whine, "d-dina's here."

fuck. she stops, and pulls away from your lips, leaning her forehead against yours for a brief moment.

ellie plants a small kiss on your forehead, before letting you go and exiting the bathroom, leaving you alone once again.

-

"happy birthday, dear," the lady greets, leaning to give you a kiss on your cheekbone, "19 is such a fun age, don't take advantage of it, alright, hun?"

"sure," you hum, smiling back as the lady retreats back to the party, getting lost in the sea of people.

you had no idea who she was. actually, you didn't know a lot of the people here. a bunch of them were your father's associates from the law firm, some of your mom's book club members, and dina's friends from high school.

it was your birthday party, but your parents never turned down the idea of hosting a celebration if it was an excuse to mingle and network.

you head upstairs toward the balcony and step outside to the cool, summer night, leaning against the railing. you took a deep breath in, briefly closing your eyes in an attempt to gather your thoughts and clear your head.

"not enjoying the party?"

the sound of the voice causes you to spin in your spot, and you're met with ellie standing at the doorway. she was dressed in a white, collared dress shirt that was slightly unbuttoned at the top, with black slacks. her hair was down, in her signature mullet. you could tell she'd been drinking, as her eyes appeared dazed and she seemed more relaxed.

"uh— it was getting hot and stuffy in there," you tore your eyes away from her, "i just needed some air."

ellie sauntered over, standing next to you and placing her arms against the rail. her eyes raked over your body, drinking in how absolutely gorgeous you looked in your dress.

"you look beautiful tonight."

heat rose to your cheeks, and luckily the blush you wore today camouflaged the deepening crimson fading on your cheeks, "thanks."

"you always look beautiful, but you know, it's your birthday tonight and i had to remind you."

it was possible that ellie's words just fell from her lips because she was slightly inebriated, but it was true. ellie thought you were the most beautiful thing this earth could offer. you were the closest thing to heaven on earth.

but ellie couldn't have you, and without you, she was in her own personal hell.

you cleared your throat, attempting to wave off the tension in the air, "are you enjoying the party?"

she shrugged, "yeah, it's okay. i mean— dina's been introducing me to all your dad's friends and shit, trying to show me off like some kind of fuckin' trophy or something." she lets out a harsh laugh, "have you met my girlfriend ellie? she's a computer science engineer at yale! she's already done work for google and apple! isn't that so cool?"

ellie mocks dina's voice, and you can tell she has this slight bitterness to her. but you couldn't blame her for how she felt, dina only cared about the superficial things.

"oh...i'm sorry," you turn your head to face the view, "she's always been like that. trying to compete with everyone else and prove that she's better."

"yeah, i fucking hate that."

silence falls between you two again, and the elephant in the room couldn't be more obvious. it's been two days since the kiss in the bathroom occurred, and neither of you had even acknowledged it since then.

ellie would occasionally find herself thinking about the way your lips molded onto hers, and how she'd risk her relationship with dina just to experience it one more time. hell, she'd break up with dina.

it was hard for you to think about ellie without having the guilt bubble in your belly. you couldn't get ellie out of your head at all, and frequently spent those late nights fantasizing what it'd be like to be in dina's position, as ellie's girlfriend.

but, those feelings of shame always came to the surface and you tried to suppress them, pushing them into the dark corners of your mind, but as the day's progressed, it got harder and harder to do.

even being next to ellie made your body feel like it was on fire, and the urge to kiss her again was coming full throttle. you had to leave before you did something you both would regret.

"umm, i'll see you down there," you quickly sputter out before turning your heel to leave, but you felt ellie's hand grip your arm, stopping you.

"wait."

you force yourself to look at ellie, and your eyes connect with hers. your heart rate picked up, and suddenly the oxygen left your lungs. it was insane how one person could make you feel like this— like you could die if you were to let go.

"i—" ellie was about to let her heart speak for herself, and she was going to tell you everything. she was going to put her heart on the line and risk everything, for you."

"ellie! elllieee! where are yo— oh! there you are!" dina appeared at the doorway, a wide smile on her face as she finally found ellie. "where were you? i have to introduce you to this guy who works for this video game company! come on!"

before ellie can say anything, dina grabs her arm and drags ellie away.

the party happened and ended. you blew out your candles and cut the cake, and soon enough all the people left by midnight. dina was fast asleep on the couch in the living room downstairs, as the expensive, bubbly champagne had officially defeated your older sister.

your parents were asleep. dina was asleep. the only two people awake in the house was you and ellie, a deadly combination.

ellie was in the next room, intoxicated, and thinking about what her next moves were. she was leaving tomorrow and she knew that soon enough that you would be leaving for los angeles too, for college.

the thought of you possibly meeting someone new during college made her skin burn. ellie wanted to be that person for you, to be the one who made you laugh, to be the one who you called at the end of the day to tell her all about what happened in class, to be the one who gave you butterflies and made your heart flip.

fuck it, ellie thought, and the next thing she knew she was walking to your room and knocking on your door.

you swung the door open, and ellie swore she could've died and gone right to heaven. you were still in your birthday dress, but your hair was down, and you just looked like the most beautiful thing she'd seen in a long time. it was impossible that you were a real person.

"....ellie?" you spoke softly, and the sound of your voice knocked her out of her thoughts.

"huh? yeah— uh— fuck. sorry," ellie stammered, "can— can i come in?"

"sure."

you could smell the mixture of whiskey and her sandalwood perfume radiating off her body, and it was an addicting combination. you just wanted to bury your face in her neck and sniff her, as creepy as that did sound.

you sit down on the edge of your bed, crossing your legs, and ellie leans against your wall, with her hands stuffed in the pockets of her black slacks. she was still in her outfit, but the top of the buttons of her shirt were opened much wider, revealing a bit of skin.

silence falls in the room, and there was tension in the room. the room was beginning to feel humid and hot, and a small bead of sweat rolled down your temple.

ellie's eyes raked over you in your little dress, and how the dress bunches up just enough for her to get a peek of the sweet skin of your inner thighs, a paradise she's been dreaming of.

she wasn't sure if it was the little bit of alcohol still left in her system, but she could feel that familiar heat bubble in her core, making her feel even hotter.

"so, i was thinking, and i realized that i didn't say 'happy birthday' to you," ellie spoke softly, "i didn't even get you a gift."

your eyes widen, and you let out a small laugh, "it's fine, don't worry about it."

"nah, you've been so good to me, and— i mean— the least i could do is buy you something or take you out for dinner when me and dina come back for winter break."

your smile falters. when me and dina come back. the words echo throughout your head. me and dina. come back.

shaking your head, you try your best to respond without choking up, "i-it's okay..."

"what? don't be ridiculous-"

you cut her off, "it's f-fine, ellie," you breathe out, "i'm gonna head to bed now."

a pang hits ellie in the chest, and a look of hurt washes over her. "w-what? but i-"

you couldn't contain the jealousy that simmered in your belly, and it was partly due to the specialty cocktails you had tonight. you just had to have a midori sour.

"you and dina have to leave early tomorrow," you spat, with venom dripping off every word. it was enough to be noticed by ellie, and she received your message.

ellie doesn't say anything and her mind whirls in search of the words she wants to say.

after a few seemingly long minutes, she speaks up, "i think i'm gonna break up with dina."

your head snaps in her direction, your expression in utter disbelief, "what?"

ellie nods, "yeah."

"but, why?" you ask, "dina loves you and my family loves you—"

"dina is not who i want to be with."

you freeze, and your heart skips a beat.

"who do you want to be with?" you had an idea of who, but you played dumb, eager to hear her say the words.

"you."

time stops, and suddenly, everything feels like it's frozen in time, and the only two things that were present were you and ellie. for a moment, you let yourself imagine how things would be if she did break up with dina and went with you instead. of course, you would be over the moon being ellie's girlfriend, but at what cost?

dina would surely hate you if she already didn't and she'd make your life a living hell. and your parents? your dad would think you were a bigger disappointment, especially for ruining his perfect daughter's relationship.

you and ellie would face ultimate backlash, and wouldn't be on the receiving end of support from those close to you.

it pained you to think about it, but you had to be realistic.

"ellie......" you whispered, your voice coming out slightly strained, "i don't think we could be together."

ellie shakes her head, "we can. i'll break up with dina and— and— we'll have a long distance relationship and we'll come back—"

"and we'll be here? together? in front of dina and my parents?" you cut her off, hurt evident in your voice.

her demeanor faltered, and she was quiet for a moment. ellie understood your point of view, and how it'd be difficult to continue a relationship with her ex-girlfriend's sister.

"just stay with her."

ellie sighed, "no, even if we can't be together, there's no way i'm going to stay with her. no fucking way."

"but—"

"no. i don't want to be with her," ellie comes closer to where you were, causing you to stand on your feet and back up, "everyone is talking about how everyone else would feel. what about me? i can't fucking stand not being with you. you think i enjoy thinking about you while i lay with dina? do you even understand how hard it is for me to just look at you? do you know what you do to me?"

you feel the cool surface of the wall press on your skin as you were backed up against the wall. she had you cornered and you couldn't do anything about it, and a small part of you enjoyed this.

ellie's voice is low and raspy, "do you have any idea how much i think about you? having you as mine? thinking about the things i would do to you?"

you swallow hard, and you shake your head left to right, "ellie, you're just d-drunk."

she shakes her again, "i'm not. i'm one hundred percent sober."

"you're talking nonsense—" you try to convince her, but deep down inside, this was you trying to convince yourself.

"why can't you just face the fact that i want you?"

"because you're dating my sister!" the tone of your voice shocks the brunette.

"i can't— i can't have these feelings for you," you breathe out, "you're with dina."

ellie closes her eyes at the mention of her name, and again, silence fills the space.

"then let's forget about her, okay? for one night, i just want to forget about her," ellie whispers, "all i wanna focus on is you."

you search her face, and you bite your lip, actually contemplating the idea.

as you and ellie make eye contact, it was then you realize how close she was to you, you can nearly taste her lips if you leaned in further enough.

and in a swift move, ellie presses her lips against yours, pushing you against the wall. her hands cup your cheeks, kissing you with a sense of urgency and passion.

she takes control, and pushes her tongue in between your lips, roaming around in your mouth, eliciting a mewl from the back of your throat.

ellie's hands move to the back of your neck, and wrapped up in each other's lips, you both continue your way over to your bed, falling onto the mattress.

you pull away for a brief moment to flip her over, straddling her and sitting on her thighs.

ellie bunches your dress around your hips, fully exposing your thighs for her enjoyment. her cold hands send a shudder up your spine as they make their way to your thighs, "so fucking gorgeous."

ellie whispers, and she reconnects her lips against yours, and you couldn't help but grind your core against her, eager for friction as you feel a pool of wetness gather in your panties.

you let out a small whimper against her lips, and ellie grows more greedy, and slides her tongue inside your mouth again. the burning heat forming in your core begins to be harder to control, and you couldn't help but grind your pussy harder against her again.

the brunette smiles against your lips, and she takes hold of your hips, guiding you and placing you securely on her right thigh, "there, baby. grind that pretty fuckin' pussy on my thigh."

desperate for more, you place your arms around her neck for security and begin rubbing your panty-covered pussy against her pants, the fabric providing some friction on your swollen clit.

you couldn't suppress the soft whimpers that leave your lips, and ellie presses her lips against yours, drinking in every single moan that reverberates through your throat. she has you right where she wants you, wet and desperate for her.

"ellie.." your parted lips whine, "want more."

your pleas come out sounding as pathetic moans, and she smirks at the sight of you, eager for more.

"yeah? you want more, baby?" you nod frantically.

the brunette flips you over, takes you off her thigh and lays you on your back. using her knee to part your thighs, her fingers slowly trail down your inner thighs, and she uses her index finger to slide your panties to the side, sliding her finger down the wet slit of your pussy.

"shit," she curses, "so wet for me."

your hips buck up, craving more and more of her touch against your sensitive cunt, "ellie, please."

smirking, ellie pulls down your panties, the damp fabric pooling at your ankles, and she uses two fingers to spread your lips, the wet skin creating a slick-sounding echo throughout the room.

she uses one finger to rub your soaked, swollen clit, drenching her finger with your wetness.

"hmmph," you whimper, gripping her arm tight. ellie takes your lips in hers, muffling your pleading moans with her mouth as her fingers rub agonizing slow circles on your pussy.

she briefly pulls away from your lips, breathing heavily, "god, you're so beautiful when you moan."

ellie continues the circles against your clit, and you grab her wrist, stopping her, "e-ellie, please, i-i want more.."

the brunette pauses and thinks for a moment, "alright, baby, give me a second and wait here."

ellie places a kiss on your forehead, pulling her fingers out of you and quickly hurrying out of your bedroom. seconds later, you hear your door open and you see her come back in with a black strap and a harness.

"do you use that with—"

ellie cuts you off, "no. this one's new."

she takes off her shirt, and her black pants, leaving her in a plain black sports bra and plaid red boxers. she quickly hooks the harness around her hips and attaches the strap.

coming back on the bed, ellie looks at you with soft eyes, "is this okay with you?"

you nod, "yes, it's perfect."

she smiles, and she leans in to kiss you again, this time the kiss being much gentler than the previous one before. her hands make their way down your hips, and taking the hem of your dress in her hands, she slips it off of you.

pulling away, she takes the chance to gaze at your body. there was nothing but absolute adoration in those pools of green.

"you're beautiful, have i told you that?"

"only a couple times," you reply shyly, and ellie smiles, kissing your cheek.

her hands gently part your thighs, and she lines her cock up at your entrance. "we'll start off slow, yeah? you let me know if anything hurts, and i'll stop, baby."

looking up at her with glossy eyes, you nod. ellie takes the base of her strap and slowly slides it inside of your pussy, slowly filling you up.

"oh my god." was all you could muster.

"fuck," ellie curses, "you're so fuckin' wet for me, sweet girl."

filling you up almost completely, she grabs your waist and begins thrusting her hips, the strap easily sliding in and out of your wet pussy.

your eyes roll to the back of your head and you grab onto her arm, your grip tightening around her limb with each striking thrust.

the sound of clapping skin and wet slick fill the room, along with a combination of your soft whimpers and ellie's groans.

"keep your eyes on me, babe, wanna see those pretty eyes as i fuck you," ellie groans out, tilting your chin to look up at her.

how can something so wrong feel so right? she had your legs spread apart, with her strap buried deep inside you as dina slept soundly just downstairs.

it was hard to feel guilty when she was hitting every sweet spot inside you.

ellie leaned her forehead against yours, her thrusts never losing rhythm as you coat the black silicone in your white, cream.

as her strap slides in and out of your pussy, that familiar knot begins to form in your belly, and you feel almost as if you're nearing the edge.

"god, ellie— i think i'm about to cum," you stammer out, feeling your pussy tighten around her cock. ellie's eyes never stray away from yours, wanting to make sure you kept your eyes on her.

"yeah? come on, pretty girl, cum on my cock," she coaxes you, and her words cause that feeling of euphoria to wash over you, as you tip over the edge and writhe beneath her.

"ellie," you cry out, "i-i l-love you, fuck." you whimper out, as your pussy clenches around her, the black plastic strap squelching as your juices drip all over it.

"i love you, baby," ellie groans out, as she does one last thrust inside you, falling over in exhaustion onto the bed.

moments later, ellie gets up and takes the strap off. she cleans you up with a clean, wet rag, and climbs into your bed, the both of you still without clothes.

she drapes the blanket over your bodies, and she pulls you close to her.

"you okay?" she asks.

"mhm, i'm more than okay," you hum.

a comfortable silence falls, and you speak up again.

"i just wish you didn't have to leave tomorrow," you whisper, a stray tear falling down your cheek.

ellie kisses the top of your forehead, and rubs your back soothingly, "me neither, baby."

and you and ellie both fall asleep in each other's arms, just for this one night.

-

you really didn't want to have to see dina and ellie off.

it was sad enough that the girl you were in love with was dating your sister, but for her to go to university almost halfway across the country was something close to heartbreak.

luckily, ellie woke up early and got ready and packed up her things before dina woke up. but unfortunately, you woke up alone.

and for the rest of the morning, you stayed cooped up in your bedroom, not wanting to endure the sorrow of seeing ellie leave.

but she had to.

from your upstairs window, you watched as your father and ellie both began loading up the car with suitcases and other bags.

you didn't even want to say goodbye to her, knowing that the minute you saw her face, you'd burst into tears.

so, you just decided you wouldn't say anything to her at all. it was easier that way and it made a cleaner cut.

you hear a knock on your door, and your mother's head peeks out in your bedroom.

"hey honey," she coos, "come downstairs and say goodbye to ellie and dina."

you sigh and turn your head away from the door, "no, thanks. they'll be good without me."

you hear your mother sigh, and she shuffles into your room, closing the door behind you and sitting next to you on the bed.

"don't you wanna say goodbye to your sister, before she leaves?"

you shrug, "dee will be fine without my goodbye."

and for a moment, your mother is silent.

"well," she begins, "don't you want to say goodbye to ellie?"

you were stumped and you didn't reply.

"after all those late night conversations and such, i think ellie would want you to say goodbye."

your eyes widen in surprise, and you turn to look at your mother. "hold on, you know about that?"

she scoffs, "i may be your mom, but i'm not stupid." she laughs, "i can see things from a mile away, and my motherly intuition is telling me that...you like ellie."

you sigh and tear your eyes away from your mother, feeling ashamed, "i know, and i'm a terrible sister for that."

your mom soothingly rubs your back, "no, that makes you human. you can't help who you get feelings for, hun."

she tucks a piece of hair behind your ear and smiles at you, "ellie is an amazing girl, and i'm glad she realizes how wonderful you are."

tears fill your eyes, and you completely break down. your mom looks at you with sympathy, her heart cracking seeing her daughter experience heartbreak, "i love her, mom."

you let out these muffled sobs, and your mom takes you in her arms, comforting you as you cry.

as soon as you come back, she wipes your tears, and takes hold of your hands, "listen to me, sweetie," she coos, "if you love her, let her go, and if she comes back, she was always yours. but if she doesn't, it was never meant to be."

you laugh a little bit, "ugh, mom, that was corny."

"it is, but it's also true," she says, "which is why i think you need to say goodbye to ellie. life will take you in two different paths, and you'll regret it if you don't say anything."

absorbing her words, you nod and wipe your face with the sleeve of your sweatshirt. you get up from your spot, and hurry outside, nearly sprinting to the driveway, seeing dina already in the passenger seat and ellie about to get in the driver's side.

"wait!" you call out, and ellie's head snaps in your direction, a wide smile curling on her face.

first, you jog over to dina, "bye, dee. have fun at yale and stay safe."

you kept your words short and sweet.

"thanks, kid. go crazy in LA, okay?"

smiling, you nod at her and make your way over to the driver's side of the car, where ellie was standing and waiting.

you stand in front of her and you take a deep breath, before wrapping your arms around her neck and pulling her in for a tight hug.

you take this opportunity to whisper in her ear, only for her to hear, "maybe in the off chance we see each other again, and things are right, we can give us a shot."

"you better stay true to your words, pretty girl, because i plan on seeing you again," you can hear the smile in her voice as her arms wrap around your waist.

before anyone notices the prolonged hug, you pull away from her and stand next to your mom and dad, where you all wave goodbye to them as they pull away and disappear into the road.

maybe in another life, in another time, in another dimension, you and ellie were together.

you would have this big house overlooking the hills, and you'd have this amazing studio with huge windows to paint whatever you wanted and ellie would have her own office, dealing with her own ordeals. you would have a dog running around with a grumpy cat trailing along with them. you and ellie would always end the day with dinner together, and by the end of the night, you would be curled up in her arms and life would be perfect.

but this wasn't another life. for now, you and ellie were just two souls who are merely passing by each other in this lifetime. from strangers to friends, friends into lovers, and strangers again.

♡♡♡♡♡♡

[spookyscarydemonbabe]

I- Intimacy

A/N- Yay!! my fics are back 🥰 lol i missed doing these so much c: i’m not sure if i love the ending on this one but when do i ever like my own endings 😂

Genre- Fluff, Smut

Warnings- Reader has female anatomy, alcohol, unprotected p in v sex (BE SAFE), body worship, oral sex (f receiving)

Tag List- @thatsthewaythechrissycrumbles @munsonology @esme-viridian @gvf23

(tag list is always open, let me know if you’d like to be added)

Word Count- 5.7k

Eddie quickly ran over to your side of the van, slowly opening the door for you and reaching his hand out to help you step down into the parking lot.

Your anniversary had come along so much quicker than you were anticipating, you didn’t think a year would go by so quickly.

The memories you’ve made together, all the wonderful days spent with each other and the magical nights you were wrapped in each other’s arms. He was an amazing boyfriend, which was shocking to you at first given his reputation, but once you really had gotten to know his true self instead of listening to the rumors that had been going around you knew they were wrong about him.

He made it his duty to always make you feel loved and appreciated every single day he was with you. Breakfasts in bed, bringing you home a little treat if he had to stop at the gas station on his way home from work, giving flowers and little presents whenever he saw something that reminded him of you, complimenting you each and every single day. He adored you, and he needed you to know how much you meant to him.

Your anniversary was something different for him though.

He had never had a relationship last this long, especially one long enough where you knew his friends and Wayne and all the little freshies of Hellfire, and for your anniversary he wanted to kick the romance into high gear.

He wanted to show you off to everyone that he could.

There was a fancier restaurant just outside of town and he made your reservations well over a month in advance to make sure you were able to go. He asked Wayne if he could borrow some of his nicer clothes, did his hair a bit, he even bought himself a new cologne to use.

Not to mention all the little surprises he had planned for you both that night.

You had already known about dinner, Eddie had even hand picked your outfit and bought you a stunning black dress to wear. You loved how much effort he had put into this night and though it wasn’t about how much money he spent or how fancy the restaurant he took you to was, it was about the two of you being with one another and being able to show each other how much you loved one another.

Dinner was nice, intimate, you had talked with one another the whole night and had really been able to have a wonderful meal with a delicious dessert that you shared afterwards.

Though he had given you little presents here and there throughout the day, he made sure to save the best for last.

As soon as dinner was finished, he began his drive home but he made what you assumed to be a wrong turn a few streets down.

“Eddie, the park is a few streets down isn’t it?”

“It is.” He said with a smile.

“Ok, so where are we going?” You asked him with a giggle.

“Somewhere special.” He shrugged, “I just hope you like it.”

The drive wasn’t too long, and the road he had taken wound through the forest to a secluded area and once you saw the front gates you were in awe.

It was a gorgeous little bed and breakfast, the road leading up to it was full of flower bushes and the hotel itself seemed exactly like the type of place Eddie would love. Dark, romantic, old fashioned, and with a few more years it would look like the perfect place for a haunted house.

He helped you down from the van as he parked next to the building and he held out his arm for you to take as he led you up the steps to the door.

He let down his arm and opened the door for you and when you saw the inside of the place it was even more gorgeous than you imagined.

It looked like an old mansion, the walls covered with art and intricate mirrors, sconces covering the walls instead of lamps, vases of dark flowers on each table you saw. The entire place was beautiful and you were so happy Eddie found a place that suited you both so well.

He stepped in after you and went up to the front desk, checking yourselves in as you looked all around the foyer of the hotel.

He reached out for your hand once more and you were guided up to your room by the woman from behind the desk, giving you each a key to the room before leaving you two with a smile.

“I hope you like it, i paid a little extra to amp up the romance a bit.”

You giggled a bit as Eddie put his key into the lock,

“Eddie, what are you talking abou-“ You stopped in your tracks when you saw how beautifully the room was set up for you.

Candles were lit all over, giving it a gorgeous golden glow against the black and burgundy shades of the room. Bright red rose petals had been left all along the floor and leading up to the bed. A bottle of red wine had been sitting on the nightstand with two glasses next to it for the both of you to share. The room itself was amazing, like nothing you had ever seen before.

Dark, intimate, almost vampiric in a way with all the deep dark shades that had been covering the room. The walls had a beautifully patterned burgundy wallpaper, the furniture had been entirely black and the curtains and trim on the wall had matched, the bedsheets and pillows had been different shades of deep red and black and it was shocking to know that a place that would feel so warm and comforting had been this close to home.

Eddie leaned in close to you,

“They called this one the ‘Vampire Room’. Pretty fitting don’t you think?”

“Eddie… I don’t know what to say…”

He smiled and took a step in front of you, carefully taking your hands into his and leading you slowly into the room, leaning into your ear to whisper to you once more,

“Just say that you love me.”

Your lips curled into a smile and you let go of his hands, bringing them up to his face to gently hold his cheeks as you looked into his eyes for a moment before kissing him sweetly,

“I love you more than you’ll ever know.”

You entered the room with him and he shut the door behind you, letting you walk around the room to take in everything you saw before you.

He had watched you with a smile as he undid the front buttons on the suit jacket he had on,

“When you’re all done looking at the room angel, i already had them unpack some things i brought earlier, there’s a cute little outfit waiting for you to change into in the bathroom.”

You gasped excitedly, rushing back over to Eddie,

“Really? You got me another present?”

“Of course i did! I think it’s going to look perfect on you too,” Eddie wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you in close, kissing your forehead before slowly turning you around, reaching up to the top of your dress and undoing the zipper for you, placing a kiss onto your shoulder, “I picked it out just for you.”

You smiled and turned back to him, giving him a quick kiss before slowly moving into the bathroom, quietly shutting the door behind you.

Eddie waited patiently, letting you take your time changing into the outfit he had picked out for you, and he smiled just thinking about how you would look once that door opened up again.

He figured now was a better time than ever to get himself ready, loosening his tie and pulling off his jacket, tossing them both onto the chair next to the bed.

Tonight he wanted everything to be absolutely perfect, and it was all for you.

He got himself undressed, the rest of his clothes going onto the chair as he walked slowly over to the bathroom door, knocking on it gently a few times,

“Take all the time you need pretty girl. We’ve got all weekend here.”

“Just another minute!” You called back out to him.

He smiled and walked over to the record player, flipping through the small collection of vinyls that were nearby, deciding on one that seemed dark but still romantic. Perfect for the kind of night he wanted to have with you.

Once the record started he walked back over to the other side of the bed, reaching for the bottle of wine and uncorking it, grabbing the two glasses in his other hand but stopping in his tracks once he heard the bathroom door open once more.

There you stood in a gorgeous blood red nightgown. It was silk, and the way the fabric shined in the candlelight showed off your body in all the perfect ways. All Eddie could do was stand there and stare.

“See something you like handsome?” You said with a giggle.

“You know i do. Come here.” He set the bottle and glasses back onto the nightstand and held his arms out for you, holding you by the waist and looking at you up and down before taking one of your hands into his and twirling you,

“God, you’re beautiful.”

“Oh shush, now you’re just being sweet.”

“I’m always gonna be sweet to the woman i love.” He leaned down and gave you a sweet kiss as he held you close, your arms going around his neck as he started to slowly sway to the music.

He rested his forehead onto yours as you moved your bodies to the record.

You held each other close and really took in this moment.

It was so romantic and intimate, and you were happy to be able to spend such an amazing night with the man you loved and adored, and with all the effort he had been putting into tonight really showed you how much he loved and adored you too.

He held your hands softly in his and slowly guided you towards the bed, keeping his eyes on yours the entire time.

His eyes to you seemed different than normal. They were still gorgeous to look so deeply into, their warmth always guiding you to them, but this time they seemed clouded over with not just lust but love.

As Eddie sat on the bed next to you he reached over and grabbed the bottle of wine from the nightstand,

“Should we?”

“Only if you’re up for it,” You said with a smile, “just promise me you won’t get like you did on New Years, Mr. ‘I can drink this whole bottle of champagne all by myself’.”

He laughed as he popped open the bottle, reaching over and pouring it into the two glasses, handing you one before pouring one for himself,

“You know i wouldn’t do that on a night like tonight. New Years was different, you’re supposed to act like a drunk idiot,” He set the bottle back onto the nightstand before moving himself back over to you, holding his glass out for you to clink it with yours, which you did gladly before each taking a sip, “tonight isn’t about that. It’s about you, and me, and our love for each other.”

You smiled and reached your hand out, gently holding his cheek as you guided him closer to you to softly kiss him,

“And i love you very much Eddie Munson.”

“I love you (y/n), and i want to be able to show you that i do.”

You smiled with one another for a moment, really taking in your surroundings and yet it still wasn’t fully hitting you how desperate Eddie was making himself for you.

He had only dreamed of a moment like this, a gorgeous hotel room with the love of his life who was dressed up in the sexy nightgown that he had picked out just for her only to rip it off later in the night. He so badly wanted to make love to you it was hurting but he promised you and he promised himself that tonight was different. You could have sex any time you wanted but Eddie wanted to make sweet romantic love to you like he never had before and he’d be damned if he let himself ruin that.

He watched your lips as they moved to the rim of the wine glass in your hand, taking one more sip and carefully sticking your tongue out to clean up the deep red stains that were beginning on your lips. You giggled seeing his stare,

“What are you looking at?”

Eddie slowly took the glass from your hand and carefully set them both down onto the nightstand,

“Lay with me?”

You smiled and nodded, moving yourself onto the bed and fixing up your nightgown as Eddie laid himself behind you, his body pressed up against yours as his arms went around you to keep you held tightly to him as he moved a few strands of hair away from your neck.

His breath tickled as he slowly kissed your neck, taking one of your hands into his as his lips trailed down. You giggled as he held your hand, feeling his lips make their way over your shoulder and down your arm before placing one last kiss onto the back of your hand, slowly bringing it up to his face and holding it against his cheek,

“God, i love you so much…”

You smiled and laid back on the bed, your head resting against the soft pillows as Eddie moved himself next to you, holding himself up with one arm against the bed as his other arm held your cheek.

You looked at one another for a moment, just taking in the scene that surrounded you.

The beautiful room, the pretty music playing in the background, the soft bedsheets beneath your bodies as you lay with one another. There had been romantic nights at home, Eddie always had a plan for when he wanted to turn up the romance but this was something entirely different. He had spent so much time and effort into planning and just the thought of it brought tears to your eyes.

Eddie saw a tear slip down your cheek and gently wiped it away with his thumb,

“Angel, what’s wrong?”

You sniffled and curled your lips into a smile, looking up into his eyes and placing your hand over his as it rested on your cheek,

“I love you. I know i’ve said it a million other times tonight and i figure it’s not going to be that last time i say it tonight either, but this took so much effort into planning and i can’t imagine how hard it was for you to not tell me about this.”

A quiet laugh escaped his lips,

“With how awful i am at keeping secrets, i’m surprised i didn’t tell you sooner.”

You smiled with him and reached your hand up to wipe away another stray tear, feeling his lips gently press to your forehead as he held you into him, feeling his warmth start to envelop you as his arms were wrapped around you,

“We deserved this. You deserved this (y/n).”

Your arms wrapped around his waist and you laid there for a moment in each other’s arms.

It was perfect, everything was perfect.

His hands slowly caressed your body, moving over your arms and the curve of your waist, making sure he was able to touch every inch of you that he could reach before pulling you tightly against him once more, smiling before moving his hand up into your hair and pulling you into a kiss.

His lips stayed on yours and you squeaked in surprise as his strong arms quickly pulled you on top of him, his hands moving your legs to straddle him and placing them on the back of your thighs, his thumbs stroking the soft flesh. You placed your hands onto his chest and slowly pulled away, smiling down at him as you cupped his cheek.

Your attention was pulled away from him as you heard the music stop from the record player,

“Do you want me to put another one on?”

“Nope.” Eddie carefully sat up and moved you off of his lap, getting up off the bed and giving you one last kiss as you kneeled at the edge, “You’re not doing a damn thing tonight sweetheart. I love you, and I want to be able to take care of absolutely everything.”

You smiled and watched as he flipped through the little collection of records once more, picking out another and replacing the records on the player. It was another collection of dark, romantic, melodic songs and he slowly made his way back over to you on the bed.

He leaned down and gave you a quick kiss, moving his fingers down to play with the hem of the skimpy nightgown, slowly lifting it up over your figure.

“This looks gorgeous on you pretty girl, but i think it’ll look even better on the floor,” You giggled as he helped pull the nightgown over your head, dropping it onto the floor as his hands caressed your body once more, “and i think you look much better with nothing on at all…”

He could see the blush on your cheeks and smiled, knowing how flustered you got whenever he felt the need to worship your naked body before him. It was something he adored doing to you, showing you just how beautiful he thought every bit of you was, kissing his way all along your skin and on each and every one of your ‘imperfections’.

Every scar, every stretch mark, every blemish and freckle that made you insecure was completely forgotten about the moment his lips grazed over them.

His hands carefully held your hips as he sat himself on the edge of the bed before you, fully taking in the sight before him. Though you were wearing the cutest little black lace panties, all he wanted was to see them torn in half, but he was being a gentleman tonight.

Sweet and gentle kisses were placed all over your skin, making you giggle each time they found a new spot to explore. Your hips, your stomach, your shoulders, your thighs, not a single place was left untouched. He wanted you to memorize the feeling of his soft lips pressed to your body.

Your hands found their way into his hair, carefully brushing it back from his face to watch the way his eyes slowly shut each time he kissed you. Your fingertips were massaging his scalp, earning a few long and relaxed groans from him. He loved it when you played with his hair.

There was nothing that could ruin tonight.

Eddie slowly trailed his way back up, his lips moving slowly up your shoulder and across your collarbone. Once they found their way to your neck there was no stopping him.

You gently tilted your head back to give him more room, his hair tickling over your chest as he placed sweet and gentle kisses everywhere his lips could reach.

Eddie couldn’t help himself.

His hands moved their way under your ass, quickly pulling you up further onto the bed as he climbed on top of you, spreading your legs apart for him to rest between them. He gently guided your thigh upwards, hooking your leg around his waist as he laid against you, and with one smooth motion he was grinding into you. Just the feeling of having him so close to you made your head tilt back in ecstasy, a soft moan escaping your lips as he found the sweet spot on your collar bone once more.

His hands slowly moved upwards on your body, trailing up your arms and interlocking his fingers with yours as he held your hands above your head. Not restraining, not forcing, just holding them so lovingly in his as he continued grinding into you. All he wanted was to hear those sweet moans leaving your lips for as long as he could.

“Baby, i know that we wanted tonight to be nice and slow, but you make it so fucking hard…” Eddie groaned into your ear between kisses, “I love you. I want you. I need you…”

His grasp lightened on your wrists and you watched as he stood at the end of the bed, carefully placing his fingers into the waistband of his boxers, waiting until you had a good view of him before pulling them down his thighs.

He stepped out of them as they landed at the floor and grabbed your ankles, quickly pulling you all the way towards him, your legs hanging off the end of the bed as he leaned himself over you. He smiled down at his work, seeing the glow of lust masking your entire body beneath him, your chest heaving, just waiting for him to make his next move. He gently hooked his fingers into the little elastic sides of your thong and pulled it slowly down your legs, moving your ankles up onto the edge of the bed to leave you fully exposed for him.

“Aww, pretty girl, you’re not nearly as wet as you usually are when we’re being dirty.” He chuckles to himself and knelt down at the end of the bed, gently grasping your thighs and placing them onto his shoulders, “Don’t worry baby, i’ll get you nice and wet for me…”

Your head tilted back, a stuttering moan escaping your lips as his tongue licked a long, slow, wet stripe through your folds. It was agonizing how slow this euphoria was, and Eddie knew that too. By now he’d be completely lost in himself, licking and sucking on your clit like a man starved, but he wanted to savor every little bit of you that he could. Your love, your taste, those sweet little moans that you couldn’t help but mewl out every time you felt his lips go back in for more.

It was like he was trying to make this the most painful moment you’ve ever had to endure, but you never wanted it to stop.

His own moans weren’t helping, vibrating a chill that you could feel from the tips of your toes to the very top of your scalp.

Your toes curled the moment you felt his fingers start to tease you. He slowly inserted the tips of his middle and ring fingers, his other hand slowly caressing your thigh as he looked up to you,

“Watch me pretty girl…” He placed a few kisses along your inner thighs as he looked up to you, watching the way your face contorted each time he went back in for more.

You did your best to watch as he devoured you, his deep brown eyes looking up at you with nothing but love and adoration. You could barely keep your eyes open, the pleasure he was bringing you ran chills all through your veins, and though he wanted this to be all about you the only thing you could focus on was him.

His soft curls tickling over your thighs, your fingers delicately massaging his scalp only made him want to hold this out for as long as he could. The adorable way the yellow light shone off of his eyes, making them shift from their normal deep brown to an almost golden hue. Each time he opened his eyes to look up at you, you could’ve sworn you saw them sparkle. His calloused hands being so gentle with you, caressing your body in all the perfect ways, his rough hands were such a perfect contrast to your soft skin.

With one last deep shaky breath, you jerked your head up to look down to him,

“Stop!” You shouted out.

Without hesitation, his lips were lifted away from your core, and he looked up to you with worry, thinking he had done something wrong,

“What? Is everything ok baby? Did i do something?”

You smiled down to him and moved your hand to hold his cheek, giggling at the sheen of your wetness still over his lips,

“No baby, i promise, you didn’t do anything wrong,” You lowered your body down to him, planting a soft kiss to his lips, you could taste yourself as you licked over your lips, “i’m ready…”

He slowly smiled up to you, giving you another quick kiss before leaning over into one of the bags that had been brought up, long forgotten in the corner with the others. You knew exactly what he was reaching for, but like Eddie said, tonight had to be different.

“Wait…” You reached out and grabbed his wrist, grabbing his attention once more and slightly pulling him back into you, “i want to try it without one…”

He moved himself to kneel at the edge of the bed, tenderly holding your hands in his as he looked up into your eyes,

“You’re sure that’s what you want (y/n)? You’re not doing it because i want to, right?”

“Eddie, i love you.” You let go of one of his hands and gently held his cheek, “I want this. I know that we’ve talked about it a lot, and we’ve both been a little iffy about it, but i’m alright if we don’t use a condom this time. Besides, we’ve taken lots of precautions in the past! I’m sure if we make sure to be a little extra careful, everything will be fine. I’m alright with not using one tonight, but the final decision is all yours.”

He thought it over for a moment.

Sure, you’d talked plenty of times about not using condoms in the past, but it was just a fantasy you had talked over. He was terrified of something going wrong and causing something to shift in your relationship if the proper precautions weren’t in place, but actually being given the option is a lot different than just talking it over. He was scared. He wanted to, but he couldn’t help the little voice in the back of his head telling him that if something went wrong it would be his fault. But you were right.

Each and every time you slept together there had been close to a million precautions in place. You used condoms, if you weren’t certain about the outcome you took tests, you were on your own form of birth control, and you always made sure that if something did happen you were prepared for it.

He knew he wasn’t ready for a child, and neither were you, but he knew you would be safe.

He looked back up to you, his heart beating faster than he had ever felt it before, and took a deep breath,

“I promise i’ll be careful…”

You smiled softly to one another as he began to crawl over you, your legs moving to either side of his waist as his elbows were at either side of your head.

You laid there for a moment with one another, admiring the way your bodies felt so natural being tangled together. He reached his hand down and guided himself closer to your entrance, stopping just before he pushed in, looking up into your eyes just one last time,

“You’re sure this is what you want?”

You nodded and wrapped your arms around his shoulders,

“I’m sure Eddie… i’m sure.”

You felt the familiar pressure between your legs, the quick burn that came with the first push soon washed away as he moved slowly, further and further into you.

You let out a long shaky breath as you felt him slide through you and you could hear the strained moans leaving his lips. He wanted to just pound into you, you just knew it, but he was being so patient and so gentle. This wasn’t what you were used to from Eddie, but you were starting to love it.

He lay still for a moment, feeling the way your body was wrapped around his in every way possible. Your arms were wrapped around his shoulders, your legs were wrapped around his waist, and your tight pussy wrapping around his cock so perfectly he didn’t know if he wanted to start thrusting or just enjoy the moment.

It was only when he heard you whisper so quietly into his ear that he had forgotten his surroundings. The bed and breakfast, the dark themed bedroom, the silk sheets beneath your bodies.

“Eddie…” His name melted off of your tongue like the sweetest candy you’ve ever tasted. Nothing could compare to this moment.

He rolled his hips back and gently pushed back in, starting at a slow and steady pace for the two of you to get your bodies adjusted. His head dipped into the crook of your neck and you could feel his warm breath against your skin, his lips peppering gentle kisses all along your collarbone as he felt your body start to move with his.

By this point you both would’ve already lost yourselves in pleasure, covering each others bodies in hickeys and bruises, your ankles would be at Eddie’s shoulders as he pounded into you. But there was something about this type of sex that really made you two feel closer. Connected.

Eddie had made love to you in the past, but never like this. It made you want him so much more than you already did.

“(y/n)…” Eddie groaned out, you smiled yo yourself just hearing how hard he was holding back from whimpering your name, “Please… can i go faster?…” He lifted himself up, his hands on either side of your head as he looked down into your eyes, pleading for you to let him take full control like he was so used to.

His hair was already a mess, you could see the gentle shine on his forehead from the few drops of sweat starting to roll down his temples, his cheeks were bright red. Poor baby had been holding himself back for so long. All for you.

Your arms draped around his neck and you nodded up to him before whispering out,

“Yes Eddie, please… faster…”

Without even a second warning, the sheets were gripped in his hands as he picked up his pace, the only sounds in the room were a combination of your moans and the sound of your thighs slapping against one another’s. The record that had been playing was long stopped, forgotten about as you couldn’t focus on anything else in that room except for each other.

You could feel the slow buildup of heat in your core, a familiar sensation that let you know you were getting closer and closer to your release. You prayed that Eddie wouldn’t hold it out any longer.

“Close…” You whined, “so close…”

You didn’t need to say another word before Eddie moved himself above you, grabbing your legs and holding them steady at your sides, his hands cupping the backs of your knees to keep you spread wide open for him. He knew exactly what to do to you. He had your body memorized like the back of his hand.

Your head was tilted all the way back, your eyes clenched shut and your body had been covered by a layer of sweat. All you could feel was the rush of pure adrenaline through your veins, the heat in your core was burning, and Eddie smiled down at you as he felt your walls start to clench around him,

“Gonna cum baby?” He asked you with a smirk on his lips, his hips never stopping their rhythm.

You couldn’t even both with a response, both you and him could tell that it was only a matter of seconds.

“Come on pretty girl, cum for me… I know you want to baby, don’t hold back…”

His voice was able to guide you through it, and with one final deep thrust your back arched and your toes curled as you let out a moan that you didn’t think you were ever capable of. Eddie would’ve called it ‘pornographic’.

He smiled as he looked down between your bodies and saw the little patch of wetness beneath you on the bed, and he smiled even bigger knowing it was his doing. He didn’t stop his rhythm, and he knew that his climax was coming soon after yours,

“Baby… I’m getting close…” He tilted his head back and groaned, his thrusts started to get sloppy, losing his pace, “where do you want it?”

“Whenever you want Eddie, just be careful.” You said with a smile as his head went back down, watching himself as he slowly pulled out, your legs being gently placed at his sides.

One of his hands went directly to your thigh, gripping the soft flesh as his other hand moved to his cock, pumping fast to get himself to that final peak.

It only took a few moments before you felt his hand nearly clawing into your skin, his tired eyes opening and watching as his hips jerked, long ropes of his cum painting your stomach as his hand slowly came to a halt.

He nearly collapsed on the bed next to you, his chest heaving, face red, hair a mess with his bangs stuck to the sweat rolling down his forehead. He looked like a god.

His head turned slightly, his eyes slowly opening once more, and you could see the exhaustion in them,

“Good?” He asked you between each breath, a worried look in his eye. Though he had gone to near insane lengths to make tonight so romantic and special, he still thought it wasn’t good enough for you.

You groaned as you adjusted yourself on the bed, doing your best not to spread your mess any further on the sheets,

“It was great Eddie.” You slowly caught your breath as you lay with one another.

As much as you loved to snuggle afterwards, when the sex was filthy you needed to get cleaned up first, “But do you think we can get up as soon as we’re feeling alright?” You looked down at your body. Sticky, sweaty, your stomach still frosted with his cum, “I feel dirty…”

Eddie chuckled and reached his hand over to your head, tilting it closer towards him and pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead,

“My dirty girl…”

if you’d like to see the actual NSFW alphabet, or read the other fics in this series, you can find them here on my masterlist 🥰

[satans-helper]

Smother the Flame in Your Heart - Part XXIV

Read previous parts here or read on Ao3 // Playlist

Pairing: Danny Wagner x Sam Kiszka

Word Count: ~4700

Warnings: a little angst, some mild sexual content

Well, my friends, we've made it to the last chapter. I never know when I'm going to end a fic, I just feel it out, and once the idea for this chapter kept rolling through my mind and growing, the definitive conclusion just seemed so right. I can't believe we've been following these two (three if you include Jake lol) since October! I love writing series so much and this is my first complete Danny x Sam series <3 I do have thoughts about reviving Gold Isn't Everything, if any of you remember my cowboy AU slash series...anyway, thank you all for reading and commenting and supporting! Vampire Danny x Juice Box Sam forever <3

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Things were tense despite both of their best efforts. Danny remained on edge–it made him flighty and uncomfortable, and his stress rubbed off on Sam like a rash. Sam had been trying to make Danny feel better–feel more assured and safe. Nothing he tried was working. 

One silver lining was, Sam had been looking for an excuse to get away anyway, and Danny’s ongoing anxiety about being “caught” in Detroit motivated him to make a plan. Originally, it was just going to be the two of them camping–pitching a tent, hiking, tending a fire, cooking and drinking out in the woods was always something Sam looked forward to once nicer weather rolled around, and it would be the first time he got to do it with Danny. But of course, once the twins caught word of his plan they latched onto it and invited themselves. Sam had tried to protest but it was Danny who actually agreed that they should join. Sam wanted to protest that too, but ultimately decided that if his vampire boyfriend needed all of the distractions, so be it. He’d deal with it. Just as long as they had separate tents.

They went up north, where the groves of pine trees and fir trees became so thick and full that the dense green of them seemed endless; birch trees also surrounded their campsite, which was hardly anything more than a choppy section of grass and a crude fire pit in the middle. There was barely enough room for the two tents but they made it work–just enough, anyway. At least there was a creek flowing behind the site–that would help with some noise cancellation, Sam thought, because the entire drive he’d been thinking about how badly he wanted Danny to fuck him in their tent. Well, before the twins integrated themselves, he wanted to fuck Danny right on the dirt in front of the fire pit. A forcibly quiet handjob in their tent wasn’t as alluring, but he’d have to take whatever he could get.

He was a little nervous about all of it, he had to admit to himself. A little day trip to Detroit with walls of art to keep them mentally occupied was one thing–a camping trip where all of them were so together was another, and Sam’s thoughts kept drifting to Jake. He had no concerns about where he stood with Danny–he was confident that he really was Danny’s one and only–but he still had concerns about where Danny stood in Jake’s mind. They hadn’t really talked about it. Sam had just decided he no longer cared. But he did. Just a little. 

He certainly cared enough to intercept when Jake proposed a hike with just him and Danny, intending to leave Sam and Josh behind. No way was Sam ready for that to happen so, despite actually wanting to hang back at camp, strip down and explore the creek rather than a trail, he turned it into a whole group thing.

Josh led the way, a dislodged tree branch that he’d found not long into their journey fashioned as a walking stick. It was a hot afternoon and Sam could already see the sheen of sweat on the back of his brother’s neck, beads dripping down behind his ears. Sam was sweating too, even more so because he kept having to swat mosquitoes away. Jake, on the other hand, looked perfectly at ease each time Sam looked back at him trailing behind and it was pissing him off. 

He also kept trying to walk in step with Danny, but Danny and Sam were walking together and there wasn’t much room leftover on the trail. So it was easy enough to keep Jake away from the two of them then, like Sam was keeping those mosquitoes at bay, but after the four of them ascended up a slightly rocky hill, the trail widened. Jake shuffled up to meet Danny’s side faster than Sam could even realize, too busy trying to catch his breath.

Whatever. It’s not like anything was going to happen as long as he was there, Sam decided, and it’s not like anything would happen anytime, anywhere regardless. Still, it was so annoying to have Jake fumble his way into their space and into their conversation. Eventually, he took Danny over entirely; Sam paused to wait up for Josh, who had fallen behind once he’d stopped to tie one of his boots, and scoffed.

“What?” Josh asked, and his unnecessary cluelessness only annoyed Sam more.

“Look!” Sam hissed quietly, gesturing at Danny and Jake hiking along, moving further up the trail without a care in the world.

Josh did look, then sighed as he laid a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “Ah. Well, let’s move it along, Samuel. God forbid those two get out of your sight for even a single second.”

“I just want one day without an issue,” Sam said, keeping his voice hushed to a level the other two wouldn’t hear, though the birds and insects in addition to Danny and Jake’s own conversation were already doing a fine job of that. “I spent months trying to get Danny to be exclusive with me in that way. Then Jake decides he wants to bang my boyfriend–great!” Sam huffed as he tripped a bit over a root. “Now Danny’s all paranoid because of what happened at the museum. We planned this trip to get away from it all for a bit but you two just had to ruin that too.”

“Danny invited us,” Josh said, so matter-of-factly that it almost sounded smug to Sam, but before he could verbally retaliate, his brother went on: “I think you need to just take a step back and remind yourself that Jake and Danny are friends–as a matter of fact, we’re all friends–and if you can’t trust your boyfriend, you’ve got bigger problems.”

“It’s never been about me not trusting Danny–”

“I think it is,” Josh interrupted, catching Sam’s eye as they trudged onward, the heat graciously calmed for a moment by a cool, languid breeze. “Because you can’t chill out about it, and Jake hasn’t done a thing that you haven’t let him do.”

Sam clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth. He wanted to argue, but maybe Josh was right. All this time, his focus had been entirely on Jake and how he didn’t trust his brother, but what was really stopping Sam from not trusting Danny just a little bit? Sam had, as he’d reiterated to Josh, had to deal with Danny being intimate with other people for months. Not sex, not while they were together, Sam knew that, but it didn’t matter how little Danny had done with those people–he’d done something with each of them. Even the mere thought of Danny flashing his flirtatious, seductive eyes at someone else filled Sam with envy and rage.

Danny wasn’t really thinking much of Jake being by his side during the hike. He was just happy to have all the extra company–Sam was amazing, of course, and he had no opposition to a camping trip with just the two of them. But when the twins expressed their interest, he’d invited them along without even thinking. Jake was a calming presence and offered a lot of intrigue–he shared things about literature and music that Danny didn’t know. He always felt like he learned something new from their conversations. And Josh was funny, vibrant and refreshing to be around because he was the only one totally unbothered, or Danny guessed perhaps just uninterested, in the vampire aspect of his life. Josh knew about it but didn’t care one way or the other–Danny had never encountered that before. In his experience, people were either terrified at the realization or they were entranced, like Sam and Jake.

He intrinsically knew that Sam didn’t just like him because he was a vampire, but sometimes Danny’s brain itched at him to think about that anyway. Because really, what would have brought them together and made them stay together if he hadn’t been such a wild fascination for Sam? When the twins had told Danny that Sam had never really had a best friend before, certainly not a boyfriend, that had soothed his soul a bit–but Sam had had girlfriends. Quite a few, apparently, whereas most of Danny’s experience had been short-lived and stale or, later on, only because he needed to eat. 

“You really don’t mind that we’re here?” Jake asked, steering Danny away from his increasing doubt. “Josh and I?”

“Not at all.” Danny flinched as a deer fly tried to assault his neck–he swatted it away and looked ahead at the next hill they had to climb, even more steep and rockier than the last one. “I like that it’s all of us here. I haven’t gone camping in a really long time. It’s nice to be with a group.”

“Your family doesn’t go?”

“They do. I just haven’t gone with them the last few times.”

“Oh.”

Jake sounded so dejected on his behalf that Danny felt compelled to say, “I should go with them next time. Now that I’ll be getting some confidence in my camping skills back.”

“You should,” Jake agreed, panting a little as they began to ascend the new hill. 

Danny had to focus on his own breathing–the incline was sharper than what he was accustomed to from the flatness of the rest of the state, and the rocks of varied sizes and sharpness made it imperative to watch only the way his feet were moving and where to step next. 

He was listening to Jake begin to say something about what they might cook for dinner when the sentence was interrupted by a grunt and a sudden low, dense thud–Danny looked to his side and Jake was no longer standing there. He was down on the ground, with one knee cocked, the whole leg a little twisted, and both of his hands flat against the rocks, like he just face-planted into the hill.

“Damn!” Josh called out from behind as Danny snapped into action. He crouched down beside Jake, who was slowly turning over to sit up.

“Jesus, Jake,” Sam said, and soon enough both of Jake’s brothers had circled him and Danny.

Jake’s knee was skinned and gouged. He groaned as he inspected the wound, attempting to use his hands before seemingly noticing for the first time that his palms were bleeding too. “This is what I get for wearing shorts.”

The breeze carried the scent of Jake’s blood straight into Danny’s nostrils as he crouched beside him. He realized how incredibly rare it was that he ever just got to smell blood like that, from an external circumstance and not one of his own making, and as the scent filled his nose, he could imagine the taste that he had once experienced. It made his mouth water.

“Can you walk?” Josh asked, making Danny also realize that he’d just been staring and doing nothing at all helpful.

“I think so,” Jake said, trying to get up without putting his scraped hands back on the rocks for leverage. Danny finally had a purpose then–he hooked an arm around Jake’s shoulders and aided him into a standing position, trying to ignore the scent of that blood. A shocking amount of it, really.

“We should go back,” Danny suggested, looking down at Jake’s wrecked knee again. “I brought a first-aid kit. Figured I’d need it for Sam though, honestly.”

If there was something in that kit to vanquish the jealousy Sam was feeling, perhaps he would find some use in it as well. He knew it was silly to be jealous of Danny merely helping his injured brother get up after what was sort of a pathetic and decently hilarious fall, but he still felt it. In his eyes, Danny’s hand lingered too long on Jake’s shoulder as did his gaze, even worse when Sam noticed where that gaze was lingering the most–on all the blood. 

“You guys could finish the hike if you wanted,” Danny suggested, making too-late eye contact with his boyfriend, then Josh. “Jake and I can go back and get him all sterilized and patched up.”

“No,” Sam said quickly–too quick and too sharp, he realized based on everyone’s expressions. He squared his shoulders with his hands wrapped around the straps of his backpack. “We’ll all go back.”

Back at camp, Jake sat on the bench of the picnic table next to the fire pit. Danny was on his knees in the dirt in front of him, gently wiping Jake’s knee with a damp paper towel while Jake cleaned up his own hands.

“I could do this all myself, you know,” Jake said, and Danny looked up just in time to see Jake glance over at a scowling Sam. 

“I don’t mind,” Danny told him after he tried to give Sam a reassuring look that didn’t appear to work. “I can finally put this kit to use. I’ve had most of the stuff for years but, like I said, I stopped going camping for a while there. Thankfully, I haven’t had to clean up any injuries at home lately either.” He went for the hydrogen peroxide next–Jake only winced silently as Danny dabbed that over his wound, then came the Neosporin. 

“Only because your saliva has healing powers,” Jake said softly and with a little smile. 

Danny chuckled. “Yeah. Fucking weird, right?” With the blood cleaned up from all of Jake’s little injuries, he felt some relief. Glancing over to his boyfriend again, however, he could see that Sam was still pissed. It was time to do even more damage control. 

“Are you still worried about the girl you ran into?”

Danny sighed and handed the Neosporin to Jake to use on his poor hands. “Not as much. I figure that nothing’s going to happen–it’s just been eating away at me.” Jake smiled again. “No pun intended,” Danny said with a small laugh. “I still wish I wasn’t this sometimes but there’s nothing I can do about it. As long as Sam is with me, no one else ever has to get hurt again.”

“May I remind you that you were very gentle with me, Danny. I didn’t get hurt. Sam never got hurt either.”

Danny patted Jake’s uninjured leg before he stood up. “I know. But you and Sam are the only ones who have ever wanted it. It terrifies everyone else.”

Jake shook his head, smiling, and kept his focus on his hands. “I get it, man–objectively. But you gotta remember there’s absolutely nothing terrifying about you.” Once he twisted the cap back onto the tube and put it aside, he looked up at Danny. “You’re a sweetheart through and through and Sam’s lucky to have you.”

Danny sighed again and crumpled the damp paper towels in his hands. “Thanks, Jake. Of course, he’s fucking pissed at me now.”

“Why? ‘Cause you played doctor for five minutes?” Jake looked over at Sam again, who had at least busied himself with collecting kindling, though he was obviously staying close enough to keep an eye on the two of them. Jake turned back to Danny and said, “You’ll smooth things over with him just fine. He’s a total sap for you.”

But Sam gave Danny the cold shoulder the rest of the afternoon and through the evening, so distant and frigid that Danny was lost as to how to approach him. The strange, tense quiet from him made the entire evening disconcerting–it seemed like Danny wasn’t alone in not being able to relax. Even the twins were rigid with their brother’s steady, silent anger, and Danny felt guilty knowing that if Sam was mad at one of his brothers, they would have hashed it out quickly and easily and they wouldn’t all be sitting around the fire awkwardly, like they were all just waiting to go to bed to escape.

When the twins announced they were going to settle in for the night, although it was still fairly early, Danny was still unsure of his next move. All he knew was that he needed to make things better before the morning, otherwise the whole trip would be a wash, and that wasn’t even the whole of it. So he stayed sitting next to Sam at the fire, wanting to touch him, wanting to offer all the right words, but Sam wouldn’t even look at him. 

Danny was looking up at the stars, going through the roster of nice, sweet things to say in his head as the twins tucked themselves into their tent. The flames crackled while there were also soft sounds of fabric being rustled and hushed voices; he tried to just focus on the glittering canvas above his head. Maybe he’d see a shooting star and he could wish to somehow be a normal person again.

“Why’d you have to do that?”

Sam hadn’t spoken in so long, the sound of his voice startled Danny. He brought his focus back to his boyfriend, although Sam was still looking into the fire and not at him. “Which thing?” Danny asked. “I feel like I’ve done a lot today to make you upset.”

Sam finally looked at him–or really, glared at him. “Jake could have taken care of himself. You did that on purpose.” 

Danny looked over at the twins’ tent, then motioned for Sam to lower his voice. “I chose to help him, yeah, but I didn’t do that to hurt you, Sam. I was being–”

“What?” Sam snapped, still at full volume. “A good friend?”

Danny stood up and grabbed Sam’s arm, hauling him out of the chair. “Let’s go for a walk. We’ll both feel better after you can freely yell at me without them hearing.” He was surprised when Sam didn’t fight out of his grasp and make more of a scene right there in their campsite–Danny was able to steer him out of it and onto the road, walking with only the starlight and moonlight to aid their steps. The deep darkness of the trees around them would have been a little spooky if Sam’s fury wasn’t the most frightening thing in the world.

“You know I’d do the same for you,” Danny said, which prompted Sam to thrash his arm out of his hold. 

“That’s the problem!” Sam hissed, stopping in his tracks. “You shouldn’t do the same. That should be for only me. You should let my brothers deal with their shit on their own.” Sam turned away before Danny could read his face. “I’m supposed to be the only one.”

Danny reached a hand out but dropped it after a second of letting it linger in the air, inched away from Sam’s shoulder. “You are the only one, Sammy. How many times do I need to say it?”

“It’s not just about saying it. You need to show me too.”

Danny sighed, defeated. “I show you all the time. Don’t you see it?”

“I see when you have little secret conversations with Jake. I saw the way you looked at his gross, bloody knee. I see how easily you laugh with Josh. I see everything, Daniel.”

Really, Danny just wanted to make Sam see how petulant and ridiculous he was being, because truly, none of that meant anything to him. Danny saved the most intimate conversations for just Sam; he looked at Sam like he was made of the most precious diamonds and gold; and no one ever made him laugh like Sam did. 

But what Danny actually said, the words so instinctive and raw, shocked even himself: “Sometimes I think you like feeling this way, Sam. All jealous and wound up. Sometimes I feel like you only like me because there’s one special, fucked up thing about me that ignites all those feelings to begin with.”

Sam whipped around, his eyes blazing even in the dark. “You think I only like you because you’re a vampire? How the fuck could you think that after all this time?”

“I know it’s not accurate. But sometimes it just feels that way. Just like what you think–you have to know I don’t like Jake or Josh in the same way I like you. Because I love you. But your wacky brain keeps telling you that there’s something more there.” Danny made a real move again by pulling Sam into himself, his arms wrapped around his waist tight enough to where Sam wouldn’t be able to wriggle free even if he tried. “Feelings aren’t always reality. There’s nothing there for anyone else. Not a single fucking thing, Sam. All I’ve got, it’s all for you.” 

Sam’s face softened, and Danny was surprised at how quickly, all things considered, his hard feelings were being extinguished. “I know. I know that.”

Danny smiled and tapped Sam’s temple. “Then what’s going on up here all the time, baby?”

“Bullshit. Nonsense,” Sam replied with a scoff, becoming putty in Danny’s arms. “I don’t like feeling jealous. It’s exhausting. Jake just–he makes me feel crazy. I’m afraid that he still wants you and that he’ll always still want you and I fucked up by letting that thing happen.”

“I don’t think he does. That thing you did made him see reality,” Danny told him. He was sure that the bulk of his allure had drained away on Jake’s end–he looked at Danny differently now. The mostly-hidden longing was gone from his gaze, and the covert flirting that Danny had missed before was absent. Jake was a friend, and there were no more secrets as far as he was concerned. Only perhaps the scraps of lingering heartbreak that Jake would inevitably heal from. “But if you’re so worried, talk to him about it.” 

Sam looked away, scowling. “Maybe tomorrow. You and Josh can go for a hike or something and let me talk to him.” He sighed and brought his gaze back to Danny. “I’ll admit it’s been a little while since our last heart-to-heart and we probably need to like, regroup or whatever.”

Danny smoothed one hand across Sam’s lower back. “That’s a good idea. But you actually trust me with Josh?”

“Oh, come on. We all know Josh doesn’t care.”

Danny laughed. “Oh–ouch!”

Sam wiggled in his hold. “No, not like that! He doesn’t care that you’re a vampire. There’s no hard-on for you to chomp into him and suck his blood.”

“I know, I know. Okay. Good.” Danny embraced Sam in a complete hug, resting his chin on his shoulder and smelling the smoke in his hair and the sweet blood that was running beneath his skin. “Are we good? I want us to have a fun trip, but more than that, I want you to really, totally, finally understand how much I love you and only you.”

Sam pulled back and clasped the sides of Danny’s face. With such close proximity and the faint, ghostly light from the moon, he could make out more than enough to remind him of how perplexing and bewitching Danny’s beauty was. He couldn’t really blame anyone else for wanting his boyfriend–Sam just had to keep reminding himself of how lucky he was that Danny continued to choose him. 

“I understand, Daniel,” Sam told him, inching one thumb past Danny’s lip. Danny tried to latch on, but Sam ran it over one fang instead. “Now let me show you how I love all of you. Not just this.” 

In the depths of the forest, within a small clearing beneath the waxing moon, Danny and Sam fumbled on top of their own shed clothing, hands exploring warm, bare skin. As Danny tried to match the pace and intensity of Sam’s kisses, he was rolled over onto his back with Sam straddling his hips hard, wasting no time to hump and grind in the silent and chilly night air. 

Sam did show Danny how much he loved all of him, from the top of his head where long fingers raked through his curls to the arches of his feet that tingled with anticipation as Sam’s hands gripped his ankles and stroked up his legs. Every part of him was caressed, kissed and licked–utterly ravished, totally loved. And Danny returned that same devotion once he managed to get Sam under him, his hair fanned out in the grass, the curve of his smile lit up by the moon, the soft sighs and keening moans from both of them turning into a song in the night.

“That was hot,” Sam proclaimed once they were standing again and getting dressed. He felt totally better–how silly he’d been, he thought while he watched Danny pull his shirt back over his head, how needlessly venomous. He was ready to stir that fire at camp back to full flame and sip a strong drink beneath the stars.

“Just us and the coyotes,” Danny remarked, peering out into the trees. He looked back at Sam, moving in closer. “But seriously–was this sufficient?”

Sam chuckled and grabbed a handful of Danny’s hair to tug. “Fuck yeah, it was sufficient, Daniel. I know I’m…a lot sometimes. I know jealousy isn’t an attractive quality.” He let Danny’s curls go and sighed. “But you just rile me up so goddamn much.”

Danny smiled. “I like that. I like that I do that. There’s just nothing to be jealous of–you gotta relax.” He took Sam’s hand. “Isn’t that what we’re here for?”

“You need to relax, too. There’s no one hunting you down. And even if someone were, I’d rip their head off before they got anywhere near you.”

“You would. You totally would, Sammy.”

Sam held Danny’s tight while they walked back to camp. If there were monsters out there in the black forest, he’d fight them off; whatever monstrous people existed in the world, he really wouldn’t let them get close to Danny, ever. Real monsters, Sam thought to himself while squeezing Danny’s hand, were the people who lived without a care in the world for what they did and what and who they hurt. Danny wasn’t like that at all–never was, never would be. One day, Sam would get his beloved vampire boyfriend to fully understand that, just as Danny had made him fully understand that Sam was the only person on earth for him. And Sam didn’t feel deserving–Danny was too good for him. Too pure, had too much integrity, too kind, too reasonable–Sam was a fire roaring wild and wicked, unable to be tamed. 

Or so he thought. Because in the great expanse of the woods and beneath the infinite expanse of the night sky, Sam realized that Danny had tamed him. Not because he wanted to or because he tried, but just because he was the balance Sam needed. They went together so fluidly that they were meant to be together. Sam had known that from day one. 

A lantern was still on inside the twins’ tent when Sam and Danny returned; Danny looked at Sam and asked, “Should we get them out?”

“Let’s do it,” Sam concurred, stepping over to the fire. It was still hanging on, the embers bright enough to stroke back to life. “Let’s get this party fucking started. Finally.”

Before he went to the tent, Danny went to him and planted a fierce kiss on his lips while his hands gripped his hips, sinking his teeth into Sam’s full bottom lip–just enough for Sam to whimper and a little blood to soak Danny’s tongue.

“I just wanted a little taste,” Danny told him when he pulled back, licking his lips while he wiped the blood away from Sam’s with his thumb. “Something to get me through the night.”

Sam giggled. “I like it when you’re naughty.” He reached around and smacked Danny’s ass, which made him yelp in surprise. “But you know I can be even more naughty.”

Danny laughed. “It’s not a competition.”

Sam squeezed the muscle and flesh in his hand–all his, every part of Danny. “Everything is a competition, Daniel.” 

---

Tagging:

@mackalah @sparrowofrhiannon @starbuggie @lightsofthe-living-gvf @sanguinebats @gvfrry @clairesjointshurt @bizzielisteningtogreta @milojames16 @brokebellsgvf @streamsofstardust @heckingfrick @wetkleenex-gvf

If you’d like to be tagged in any of my fics, you can go here or DM me :)

[ailurostheendless]

And why have I not seen Ye Jin Woo from Life series X Go Seung Tak from Ghost Doctor crossover shipping??????????? Like look at the material!!!!

This pictures itself looks like this situation:

Jinwoo: *heart eyes which actually looks like cold staring eyes*

Seungtak: *He must really hate me, he has not taken his eyes off me for hours now since I've come to this function*

No Seung Tak he's just very down bad for you please end his misery by going on a date with him (then also get married)

Since no one has I will drop a prompt. Anyone can use the idea (credit me a little and also tag me because I want to read !!!!) Summary of prompt is -

Seung Tak is surprised the usual cool stoic doctor who he thought hated him is actually staring at him? Did he do something to anger him again? No Seung Tak you don't know but the only thing you are only guilty of is stealing his heart lol but you won't know until Jin Woo actually directly tries to communicate. The man has a big ass crush on you please pity him.

This is could be the best romcom/misunderstandings/miscommunication/angsty/slow burn/touching beautiful hospital LOVE STORY fic and NONE SEEMS TO HAVE WRITTEN A FIC ABOUT IT *SOBS*

Okay I'll also make a short-ish story so if someone gets interested and wants to use this for them let me know !!!

Story starts -

Ye Jin Woo the usually calm serious doctor is down bad for our Seung Tak. Though he did not realize it at first he thought the reason why he always looked at him was because he wanted Seung Tak to be serious but whenever he saw him around it was with people charming them with his money and bright and very cute personality. He shook his head always trying to shake away thoughts of him being cute. Why does he keep thinking that ? (Why indeed everyone lol)

He assumes the reason why he was annoyed was because Seung Tak distracts others a lot (especially him but he won't admit it) then so he chalked that as wanting Seung Tak to take things more seriously. So seeing him so that often one day Jin Woo lectured him when things didn't go the way it does (especially for our Seungtak though he was tryin), though he scolded more harder than necessary making Jin Woo feel really bad later for doing that though he didn't understand why.

Since then Seung Tak either kept his distance from him or replied to him quite dully as if to make himself look serious. It saddened our Jin Woo.

So one day he attempted to break the ice feeling whatever he's feeling right now will go away if he started being more nicer to Seung Tak though he didn't know how to do so. He tried a couple of time which was really awkward. He also almost always has his eyes on him whenever he's around. So one day seeing Seung Tak seemingly talking to himself or the air??? He grew concerned and patted him spooking him making him fall down, Jin Woo attempted to catch him and keep balance but fell on top of Seung Tak (LET ME HAVE MY CHEESEY MOMENT OKAY? IT'S PERFECT FOR THEM)

His heart was beating so wildly not because he fell but because of what he saw when he opened his eyes.

That's when it clicked for him when he opened his eyes seeing Seung Tak eyes closed like he was waiting for pain but Jin Woo had balanced himself and quickly had put his hand on either side of Seung Tak's head. He stared at him. For the first time so close, his soft fluffy hair which he always longed to touch looked so soft. His cheeks which seems to be begging to be squished looked so tempting to poke. His fragrance which smelled so good and almost like home. His thin lips which looked so kissable- AH Now it clicked Jin Woo what this was all about. And at last he Seung Tak opened his eyes and his big beautiful eyes widened and like a rabbit he looked indeed. Like he wanted to jump and run away seeing his cheeks dusted in a delightful shade of pink everywhere.

Seung Tak tried speaking but cutely stuttered to talk. Attempting to subtly and not rudely tell him to get off but for some reason Jin Woo felt like teasing him asking him what he meant but he didn't because of the shock of realisation. And oh that's strange Seung Tak always brings out such different sides of him outside he even never knew he had.

But Jin Woo then finally realizing in what position they were in shocked himself got off and dragged Seung Tak apologizing. Seung Tak at first squeaked when Jin Woo easily dragged him up, easily manhandling him turning even redder but also apologized and in an awkward way ran away. This made Jin Woo smile softly which is a rare thing for anyone to manage to get out of him and Seung Tak just did that even without trying.

Now that's Ye Jin Woo has realized his feelings he realizes Seung Tak has started ti being color in his usually dull life and liven it up and that's all because of the figure dashing away from him which he fully intends to chase after.

THE END

[ofmdee]

foof. typing this out on tumblr because it feels easier to collect my thoughts here rather than twitter, lmfao, but MAN my creative well is bone dry rn, i feel like i have zero energy and motivation to work on projects and i just. it's driving me crazy lmfao, and in the back of my mind i know i'm burnt out and need a break, but it's so hard to take a break, because like, i don't have much else going on in my life rn, or ever, like fandom has always been a huge, important part of my life and i don't rly know what to do or who i am if im not obsessed over SOMETHING lmfao. my gf said last night something like, i guess it's hard to take a break when it's related to a hyperfixation/special interest and like!! yeah!! it's rly hard to untangle all of that!

but. idk. i don't feel happy rn with a lot of things irl and online, and i know i need to rest and do nothing and let the well fill up again but that also scares me? so i am just going to try to ease up on myself a little bit, try to go more than a day without feeling compelled to post something new just because i'm afraid ppl will leave or forget me or something if i don't constantly pump out Content. and i know i did this to myself, lmfao, i rly don't know how to do things in moderation and this is a constant cycle of going too hard and then abruptly losing all interest

my gf sent me this last night and even the first paragraph got me!!! like, that's ME!!!

i am in the reluctant admission stage rn lmfao.

i am not going to say i am completely going to stop creating during this time, because that would be a lie, but i am rly going to try and chill tf out, stop worrying about getting fics done in time for mermay, and just kinda try to recharge. and i don't wanna say this is a firm break or whatever because when i inevitably fail at taking a break, i will end up beating up on myself, so im just gonna say i am gonna try to be like...... idk, creative Lite or something for a little bit.

im still gonna be around every day lmfao, but probably for less time than usual. i'm still gonna reblog/retweet things, and i'll probably have some original stuff as well, but i am not gonna keep holding myself to the impossible standard of having something new every day. and i know no one else expects that of me!!! but i have somehow put that expectation on myself. i can use this time to share some old favorites again instead!!

i just started a new game+ in coral island, so ive got that going for me, lmfao, and it's getting nicer outside finally and i rly truly need to touch grass more often!! idk why i always feel like i need a huge explanation for what i do, and it probably wont even be super noticeable to most ppl lol, but!! idk. sometimes i just need to work things out this way.

so, i am releasing myself of the burden of having some fics done for mermay, and posting daily, and feeling like i have to make tangible progress on creative projects on the regular. or, that is my goal, at any rate. i think i'll just focus on gifs/still shots for mermay, my fics will be ready when they are ready 😤 but even if i don't do that much, it's okay!!! mermaids are good any time of the year imho.

i just need to get to a point where i actually Enjoy the process of creating again, because it feels like a chore rn and i hate that :((((

idk, anyway if u read all this thank u, thank u for following me and liking what i do, here is an old gif for ur troubles

[hollywoodsargeant]

I've just finished reading the last chapter of Boyish, and I loved it!!!

They're so stupid but so cute. Also, I really dislike Logan's gf, his ex was so much nicer, I'm gonna be so happy when they break up, lol

Btw the entire fic is amazing, and your writing is so good, I literally read from chapter I think 3 to chapter 9 today ( it took me nearly the whole day, but it was 100% worth it)

I'm so excited for next chapter!!

(Also, do you have a plan for when they finally realise they're idiots or do you not know when it's gonna happen and you're just going with the vibes?)

Sorry for the really long annoying message but I loved boyish a lot :')

thank you!! they are very stupid. i'm glad that's the general conensus on this fic. that they are a pair of Idiots. it's in the cards

and i will agree grace was much nicer than mia </3 but she will kick around a little longer. then. i think. no i won't be specific. bc i'm evil har har but i have plans in my brain. OH DIDN'T I. hm. actually have something to think about i'll come back to that

and thank you you are so sweet <3 methinks sometimes i forget how long the fic really is even if it took me like. three hours to proofread last night before i posted. and i still found an error this morning lmao if there's any more they slipped by me... but fr ao3 enhancements is telling me if i started reading from the beginning now i could finish by 10 pm (it's like 5) god help us all

and i do have a plan! i don't have anything written down because i am a loser who doesn't outline fics but i have. i have it figured out. and in general i have many scenes/moments planned for the rest of the fic but a lot of it definitely does come as i go. like w chapter 10 i know of two or three things that need to happen but the rest. idk yet we'll see!

but as for the ending. Yes. evil laughter. :)

[dietraumerei]

Weekly Writing and Reading Update

I was going to be lazy and skip this week, but then I made a very good but rather complex dinner AND dropped a giant chicken thigh into a pan of sauce so my kitchen is currently Dijon-flavored so I am...simply not, lol.

Also I took my new SUP out for the first time on Saturday night and bc I was too wobbly to stand I knelt the whole time and my thighs are...unhappy. So.

Writing

unnamed pain kink fic: i am SO CLOSE to the end, I might just focus on this for awhile to just, like...finish something.

Swords and Ploughshares; Signs and Sigils next chapter is (roughly) plotted and well underway getting written!

Reading

Good lord, I whipped through a lot this past week. I Who Have Never Known Men: this story fucked me UP. A brilliant and dire and wonderful bit of SF, the translation is beautiful, it gave me nightmares, I loved it. What a fabulous, nihilistic story.

Looking for America on the New Jersey Turnpike I don't know that this is good, but I enjoyed the absolute hell out of it. It's loving and tender towards NJ itself, while acknowledging that driving on the Turnpike inevitably results in soul death. The last part tries a little future prediction, and as it was written in the 80's, it's both hilariously off and eerily prescient. I think in hindsight I like it much more than when I was reading it. (The authorial voices are very present and boy are they annoying.)

Knowing the Trees: Discover the Forest from Seed to Snag I'm not sure if I should even include this, because it started reading from start to finish, and then quickly became a bathroom book, and was much nicer to read. The author's voice is...grating...but if you're only reading a little bit at a time, it's wonderful. (It's absolutely written as a bathroom book, with little 'articles' that take 2-3 minutes to read.) I learned a bit at least!

Endless Night I read this because it was featured on one of my favorite podcasts, Backlisted. It's an actual good late Christie book, and very unlike her usual style; no detective, for one. It's a great thriller, though I wound up not really loving it all that much, which feels unfair. It's a fabulous experiment and not bad, but I didn't like the ending. Not least because it employs a twist Christie has used before, and she did it much better the first time, I think. I suspect this is a good book, I'm just in a bad mood about it.

[sp4c3-0ddity]

Another Vampire Romance

Summary:

The path through the forest isn't the shortcut Katie hoped it would be, and the "haunting" isn't mere superstition after all.

Word count:  5425 (one-shot, complete)

A/N:

i swear this is a serious fic. don’t be misled by the title it’s still April Fool’s where i live. in any case, i never did think i’d ever write a vampire fic...

as always, i must thank @rueitae for beta reading so quickly

uh warnings for blood/injury and some suggestive themes - you know, the usual vampire fiction stuff. and i hope you enjoy!!

Edit:  @artemisarya did fan art of a scene and it’s so good ;_; 

Read below or here on ao3:

The forest wasn’t truly haunted as far as Katie could tell. Why should it be? She saw none of the restless spirits of a thousand soldiers, no ghosts that wandered the trees where they died lost, no demons lurking in the dark beyond the footpath, waiting for a single misstep to seize the soul of an innocent passerby.

No vampires crouching, a stalking predator lying in wait to take her by surprise.

But it was getting darker, shadows growing longer and sunlight barely penetrating the thick interlacing branches overhead, and according to Katie’s map she was still leagues away from the nearest village at the edge of the forest.

Maybe she should’ve taken the long, more populated route…but then she would’ve risked arriving for the start of her term late.

If only her family could spare her sooner - but if that was possible, she could’ve afforded to hire a wagon.

Brown leaves crunched underfoot as Katie trekked, the sound deafening in the stillness of the forest by evening. Even all the birds, so vibrant despite perching unseen in the trees, fell silent over an hour ago.

Suddenly Katie wondered if their silence was down to the time…or location.

A breeze stirred the branches, setting them rustling, and she clutched her cloak a little tighter around herself, shivering. She’d been walking with few breaks for the whole day, and her limbs and fuzzy mind longed to stop for longer than it took to rest her aching feet and relieve herself. But Katie needed to press on to the next village to avoid spending the night in the forest…although soon it would be too dark to read her map.

A low growl broke the stillness.

Katie froze, her eyes wide and a shiver traveling up her spine. Lions didn’t venture so far north…but did bears growl like that?

I’m being followed, she realized with dawning horror. She forced her feet to shift, muscles poised to flee at the first sign of a threat, as she tried to remember what, exactly, one did to avoid being mauled by a bear.

But what if whatever followed her wasn’t a bear but something worse?

“Evening, milady.”

Katie shrieked, arms flailing in a pitiful effort to defend herself as she jumped away from the…mild male voice. She opened her eyes - when did she close them? - and met the blue-eyed gaze of a boy that looked close to her age.

He didn’t look surprised at her reaction, only bemused judging by his slight smile and a thin, raised eyebrow. “I apologize,” he said, oddly formal as he rested a hand over his heart. “I forget how easy it is to sneak up on a human.” He spoke with the slightest accent that Katie couldn’t place, his skin too dark - like he spent hours in the sun - to name him local…and his clothes - a fine navy coat over the tight trousers that noblemen wore - worn by a journey, wrinkled with a few odd stains.

But he carried no bag, no water skin, no obvious weapon at his belt.

Curious, especially this deep in the forest.

He looked more than just disheveled too, his clothes torn in places, and his dark skin mottled darker with bruises on his jaw and under his eye.

What…hurt him?

(And would it treat her the same?)

Katie cleared her throat in a pitiful attempt to compose herself; the mystery of the man’s sudden and strange appearance helped - she never really could resist a mystery. And his words… “Are you implying that you aren’t human?” she wondered with a laugh.

It sounded forced to her ears. How could he not be human? Yet her heart pounded in her ears, almost too loud in the eerie stillness of the forest - haunted, Katie remembered.

Well, perhaps there were more to those claims than mere superstition.

The man’s eyes - a shocking and almost inhuman shade of the vividest blue - widened before he laughed, hands slipping into his coat pockets as he tossed his head back, exposing the narrow column of his throat. “It’s been too long since I spent time with the more ignorant members of your kind,” he admitted as if it was the most casual confession in the world, “but since you know…” He rubbed the back of his neck, gaze darting around, looking almost awkward. “Can you spare me a drink? I’d never ask a stranger, but I’m getting desperate, and you’re the first human I’ve met since I came here.”

Katie stared at him, growing more bewildered with every word that escaped his lips. Numbly she reached for the water skin dangling from her tote and held it out to him. “Uh…sure, you can have a drink,” she told him. “According to my map, there’s a stream not far from here, so I can refill—”

The man cut her off when he took the water skin. He went so far as to uncap it and sniff its contents - water, as if there was any doubt - before handing it back to her. “That’s…not what I meant,” he said with an oddly apologetic smile.

“Then what do you mean?” Katie asked…although she already knew the answer.

She stumbled back a step, nearly tripping over an arching tree root that extended over the footpath, with her heart leaping into her throat. Her fingers found the silver cross dangling from her neck - a gift from her mother in happier times.

Stories of the thousand soldiers ordered by a despotic liege lord to march through this very forest only to disappear without a trace flashed through her mind, of travelers warned to journey the long way around, of playing children lost and never found.

“Vampire,” she hissed, glaring at the man…though her heart raced faster than any warhorse, urging her to flee.

The man - the vampire - glanced down, at her hand gripping the cross. “That won’t protect you from me,” he warned, “anymore than it will from the ones of my kind that make this forest their home. Besides”—he smirked very slightly—”I’m a Christian too, milady.” He leaned towards her, like a predator crouching for the pounce - and she was the prey. “I swear it won’t hurt.”

Katie took another step back, looking him up and down. He was a whole head taller than her, lean with long legs, so if she ran for it doubtless he would catch her.

And as exhausted and achy as she felt after days of walking on foot, she couldn’t outlast him.

But the blood rushing past her ears, filling her with a panicky energy, urged her to try anyway.

So Katie turned and ran, air whistling past her as she wove around tree trunks. Her feet thudded against the ground, each step sending a shock reverberating through her body. She swung her arms to keep her balance as she nearly stumbled over roots, and the sound of her breathing and pounding heart filled her ears.

She didn’t halt till she tripped at the crest of a hill. Her knees buckled beneath her, and she fell to the ground with a gasp, her body rolling down too fast so all she could do to protect herself was tuck her elbows close to her sides and keep her mouth closed against swallowing any dirt.

She slowed to a stop at the base of the hill, panting and gasping for air, leaves and twigs stuck to her cloak and in her hair, tears in her baggy trousers where rocks and sticks caught in the fabric.

Tears - of pain, of panic and distress - pooled at the corners of her eyes while the world overhead spun, branches and leaves blurring dark green and gray. Her skin stung and smarted everywhere, the scraped palms of her hands worst of all, but when she touched her aching temple, viscous red blood stained her fingertips.

Katie rolled onto her side, clutching her throbbing head and trying to keep her surroundings from spinning too far out of her control. She sat upright and reached for her tote at her back to rifle inside for her rolled up parchment map.

She drew it by hand based on her father’s old atlas; his library was the only thing she and her mother agreed to keep intact from their old estate, refusing to sell even a single tome, and she made sure to put it to good use.

She unrolled the map and slowly stood, head fuzzy as the ground tilted beneath her, but she kept her balance by leaning against a nearby tree trunk. She inhaled as steadily as she could, squinting at the map and trying to orient herself.

But it was too dark, the light of the full moon barely enough to make out any lines of ink on the parchment, much less what they symbolized.

So much for escaping the forest by dark.

Katie slid down the tree with a sigh, her chest tight and shoulders rigid. What if the vampire found her, injured and weak? She could barely keep her eyes open now that the energy of flight faded…

“Look at that, Zethrid,” a high, simpering voice intruded. “Can you believe it? I’ve never seen prey that did all the work for us.”

Katie blinked slowly, forcing her eyelids open despite the sleep trying to weigh them down, and stared up at three unfamiliar faces.

Their eyes, luminous in the moonlit darkness, glinted wickedly.

“It took all the fun out of the hunt, Ezor,” the largest figure complained with a snarl. Her nostrils flared, gaze falling to Katie’s forehead. “Such a waste of clean blood too…”

“She’s still worthwhile,” the third, shortest figure said, her voice cooler and more detached than the others. She crouched in front of Katie, fingers gently clutching her chin and tilting her head to the side to examine the cut on her temple. Her brow furrowed, nose twitching, and she mumbled, “But there’s something in her scent…”

“She’s barely a snack, Acxa,” the big one - Zethrid, Katie guessed despite her sluggish mind - whined. “And she’s already injured, so there’s no sport in this.”

“Lotor won’t care about that,” said Acxa.

“Of course not,” the first speaker, tall and willowy, agreed while she picked at her fingernail. “He only wants intruders to know whose territory this is.”

“And her injuries make that an easier task than usual,” Acxa pointed out with a nod.

Zethrid rolled her eyes but grunted, while Ezor grinned nastily. “She’s so small she’s not even worth sharing.”

Katie swallowed, heart constricting with a newfound fear. Perhaps she should’ve taken her chances with the vampire that asked for permission.

But she curled one hand into a fist, her other closing around the hilt of her knife. She wouldn’t be able to run, not in her state, but she refused to let them drink her dry without a fight.

Acxa gripped her arm, wrenching her upright, but Katie swung her knife at her face with a scowl. The vampire dodged easily, her other hand closing around her flailing wrist and gripping so tight and wrenching her arm so sharply that Katie yelped in pain.

The knife slipped from her fingers.

Katie blinked burning, frustrated tears from her eyes. Was it really…was that really how easily the smallest of them could overpower her?

But no, she couldn’t give up now; her mother still needed her, she had that coveted place she fought for at a renowned college, she had to survive this and—

Zethrid lifted her effortlessly, but Katie thrashed, kicking her feet. Her boot collided with Ezor’s chest, but she didn’t even step backwards, just laughed and patronizingly patted her cheek.

“Is this enough of a fight for you, Zethrid?” she asked her burly companion.

Zethrid scowled. “She wouldn’t be able to crush a spider under her heel,” she grumbled. She hefted Katie over her shoulder, carrying her like a pathetic sack of potatoes with her legs dangling uselessly against her chest.

But Katie still fought, bellowing with all the air she could pull into her lungs. She tried punching Zethrid’s back, though the effort made the ground lurch all over again, and even twisting around to grab a fistful of her hair.

But it was useless, she started to realize. A sob burst out of her, her heart dropping into her stomach alongside a heavy knot of dread.

If she was barely a “snack”, why didn’t they just finish her now?

Ezor walked behind them, laughing and smirking in obvious mockery while she and Zethrid chatted, oblivious to - or reveling in - Katie’s fear. Only Acxa, who led the way deeper into the trees, further away from the footpath, traveled in silence.

Until a low and feral growl forced them to a halt.

“Back off!” the first vampire she ever met hissed. “I saw her first!”

Katie lifted her head, a weird flush creeping into her skin despite the rapid, frightened pounding of her heart. Her breath caught in her throat when her gaze fell on him, his body wound tight with his arms rigid at his sides, a livid scowl twisting his lips, and his eyes a blazing blue no one could mistake as human.

He looked just as threatening as the three vampires carting her away.

They turned to face him, and Katie lost her view. “You again?” Acxa said, though she sounded more weary than annoyed. “I thought we warned you off Lotor’s territory.”

“Can’t you see, Acxa?” Ezor sneered. “He’s lost his pet and wants it back.”

Katie glared at the ground and spat, “I’m not his—”

“I did,” the man agreed so quickly Katie forced her jaws shut despite the irritation filling her. “She’s smart for a human but gets lost so easily, and obviously she doesn’t understand the finer points of our politics when I warned her that she was trespassing on Lotor’s territory.”

Anger made her blood hot, but Katie wasn’t so thoughtless she’d dare to contradict him now. He was trying to free her, to talk her out of a situation she - and likely he, outnumbered three to one - couldn’t fight their way out of, but—

He probably just wanted her blood for himself.

Well, she preferred the vampire that might listen to reason to the three carrying her off to be devoured.

(Never mind that animalistic growl that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end…)

Katie held her breath, her heart pounding while she waited for them to deliberate, the silence thick with an awful tension, until at last Acxa said, “Do you swear to leave our territory by dawn?”

“Only if you return her to me,” he said, tone firm.

She didn’t reply immediately, so Zethrid said, “Wait, you wouldn’t—”

“Give her to him,” Acxa pronounced. “I can smell him on her, so he’s not lying.”

His scent? He didn’t even touch her earlier!

“What?” Ezor said, for once incredulous rather than mocking. “But if Lotor finds out we let a human - even another vampire’s pet - go free, then—”

“He won’t find out,” Acxa promised, “and if he does, I’ll take the blame.”

“See that you do,” Zethrid said with a hint of menace in her voice. But she dropped Katie unceremoniously to the ground. “I told you she wasn’t worth it…”

Katie curled in on herself with a pained hiss, her shoulder aching where it collided with the ground. Her head throbbed behind her eyes, so violently she barely heard the other three vampires’ retreating footsteps - but they moved so silently there might not have been anything to hear at all.

Nothing but the other lone vampire sighing as he slumped against a tree trunk.

Katie forced herself upright, crawling towards him and intent on telling him exactly what she thought of being called his “pet”, but any anger she felt evaporated when she spotted his eyes pinched shut, one hand clutching at his throat while the other bunched in the fabric of his trousers.

“A-are you…all right?” Katie wondered. Her hand hovered over his shoulder, unsure.

He didn’t look half as worthy of fear - half so dangerous - as he had a moment ago.

He shook his head, one eye cracking open. “Just so…thirsty,” he said, his voice hoarse. His gaze snapped to her forehead, and he extended his hand towards it before he seemed to think better of it. “You’re bleeding, milady.”

Katie’s eyes widened as she touched her temple, hair and skin sticky with blood; she forgot about the cut on her head. It almost hurt to raise an eyebrow, but somehow she managed it and asked tartly, “Is it enough blood for you?”

To her surprise he snorted, a smile flickering across his lips, but his piercing blue eyes were hazy when they fell on her face. “You wouldn’t happen to want to change your mind, would you?”

Something in Katie - perhaps compassion, the sort she usually reserved only for her family - stirred, along with a growing curiosity. What was it like, allowing a vampire to drink from her blood? “I…never did say no, did I?”

He shrugged. “If you say yes now, I won’t hold it against you, milady.”

“Why do you call me that?” Katie said, frowning. “And why did you…save me from them? I’m not your”—her lip curled—”pet.”

The vampire tilted his head back, letting it fall against the tree trunk, and admitted, “I know you’re not, but that was the only way to get them to let you go.” He sighed and offered her a real smile, the sort that filled her with an unfamiliar warmth. “And I don’t know what else to call you, but I’d like to know your name before I take anything from you.”

Katie bit her lip, fingers wringing the frayed edge of her dirty cloak. “Won’t it…turn me into one of your kind?”

“No,” he said quickly - almost too quickly. All traces of amusement vanished from his face, something dark and bitter replacing them when he added, “It takes more than that to turn a human.”

Katie shivered - did she imagine the cool wind touching her skin? - and released a breath. “Then…stop calling me ‘milady’,” she said. “I’m not one.”

Not anymore.

“You can call me Pidge,” she told him, leaning towards him while balancing on the balls of her feet. “And you…?”

“Lance,” he said, his grin returning as if it never left. He touched her elbow - mumbling an apology when she flinched in surprise - and jerked his head…asking permission.

Her heart raced anew. She licked her lips, wary all over again under his intense gaze; was she really considering this…letting Lance…do…well, she wasn’t even sure what it was she was thinking of letting him do besides drink her blood like a humanoid mosquito.

(And she could only try so hard to justify her intellectual curiosity.)

“It won’t hurt,” he promised her, “but you’ll have to relax.” His fingers traveled down her arms, goosebumps rising over her skin where he brushed it through a tear in her sleeve. He tugged her towards him though she already drifted in, his gaze holding her captive.

“I don’t…believe that,” she confessed, her mouth dry (soon enough she’d need a drink too).

“Y-you can still say no,” Lance said, though she sensed his reluctance.

Katie shook her head. “I-I give you permission,” she murmured, and pinched her eyes shut.

But her eyelids fluttered open again when Lance gently cupped her jaw and tilted her head to the side. Her breath caught in her lungs as he leaned in, and for one tense moment she thought he would kiss her.

Instead his cold lips met the sweat-sticky skin of her neck, sending a shiver down her spine, but she felt no hint of a breath warming her flesh.

A gasp escaped her when he sucked at the spot over her pulse, underneath her jaw, and finally something sharp punctured her skin.

A light pinch was all the pain Katie felt, all other discomfort overpowered by every other sensation flooding her senses:  her knees digging into the hard ground until Lance pulled her halfway onto his lap, his fingers digging into her hips over her belt, his soft lips on her skin, the chill of the evening cooling her too-warm flesh, the heat rushing to her face, the odd, sucking sound of a mouth drawing out her blood.

Her head spinning with a wave of dizziness if she so much as opened her eyes, his attention more intoxicating than any stolen wine.

Katie wrapped her hands around his muscular upper arms, tugging him a little closer - though she wasn’t sure if it was to steady herself or if she liked the feeling of his lithe body pressed against hers. She and Lance…they were strangers, yet she melted into him, seeking all he’d give to her of him, of his chilly touch traveling up her back and his strengthening arms surrounding her.

She’d never felt so close to - so safe with - anyone, much less a man.

(But he wasn’t really a man, was he?)

Another pinch - another gasp passing through her lips - indicated Lance finished. He lifted his head, his large hand falling to her shoulder and his thumb rubbing a few drops of blood and saliva from where they slid down her throat.

Katie stared up at him, heedless that it only made her dizzier. His eyes deepened to a richer blue, and now that she saw him…sated, the frenetic energy she hadn’t noticed before was gone.

He looked calm, relaxed…almost fond when he smiled at her.

He licked his thumb clean of her blood - why did that make heat pool in the depths of her abdomen? - before he cupped her cheeks with both hands. “How do you feel, Pidge?” he asked.

It was just a silly nickname, but the sound of it on his tongue pushed a giddy smile onto her face.

Oh, God, was this stupid infatuation a consequence of letting him feed on her?

It was too hard to think, her thoughts circling each other, and she could barely string two words together as she tried to say, “F-f—good, I…think.” She giggled, her hand resting against the side of his face. “Your eyes…pretty.”

Lance grinned…until it morphed into a frown and a little wrinkle formed on his forehead. “I think I fed too long…”

Katie nodded, but that simple motion only made her head spin and mind fog worse. Her eyelids fluttered, an irresistible sleep tugging at her, and she mumbled, “D-damn you, L-Lance…” She slumped forward, forehead falling against his chest, and stopped fighting.

Vampire or not, his arms weren’t a terrible bed…

***

Katie woke feeling sluggish like she slept too long in a too comfortable bed. She smacked her lips, blinking away the last cobwebs of dreams, and rolled onto her side.

She didn’t find her familiar bedside table, no book she stayed up too late reading, no clock mounted on the wall telling her she was late for the day’s first class.

Katie bolted upright, heart pounding as it all rushed back to her:  the forest, the chase, the vampires that captured her, Lance…

Had he brought her here?

She lay back down, breathing deeply in an effort to calm herself before sitting up and throwing the thick blankets aside. She found the window more by sense of touch in the dark room, and when she peeked through the curtains…it was still dark.

Katie frowned, pressing her nose to the cold glass. Smudges of lamplight illuminated a street, and she looked to be on the second floor. Were any of the villages at the border of the forest large enough for an inn?

(And who paid for her room?)

With the little light streaming in through the window, Katie assessed her surroundings: small bedroom just a little larger than her dormitory, her cloak draped over the back of a chair in the corner with her tote on the seat, a bandage wrapped around her head when she raised a hand to touch it…

Beyond the door to her room, floorboards and a wooden staircase creaked under the weight of feet, two different voices speaking too low for her to distinguish their words. But a door shut not far from hers, and Katie finally mustered the courage to emerge from her room and into the narrow, shadowed hallway.

Katie took the stairs as silently as she could. Her whole body tensed the closer to the ground she stepped, wary after the ordeal in the forest. She half-expected someone to jump out of a shadow, demanding her blood or her death (or both), but she made it to a small common room filled with simple wooden furniture - two tables and a few benches to go with them - without being assailed.

A relieved breath escaped her when her eyes caught on a familiar figure sitting on a stool beside a hearth of dimming coals.

She almost feared she imagined the vampire - Lance - and letting him feed from her; his teeth - his fangs? - left not a single trace on her skin, so all she had was a memory.

And him, glancing up at the sound of her footsteps and smiling so broadly he flashed white teeth.

(His canines did look pointier than a human’s ought to…)

They were alone in the common room, so Katie guessed it was quite late. She sat in a stool across from him, her hands clasped tightly in her lap, and asked, “Why aren’t you asleep?”

It wasn’t…exactly what she wanted to - or should - say to him, but it was a start.

Lance raised an eyebrow, looking just a little amused. “I don’t need sleep,” he told her.

Heat filled Katie’s cheeks; she averted her eyes and mumbled, “I…knew that.” She cleared her throat, suddenly uncomfortable under his scrutiny. “And…thank you for bringing me here.” She glanced towards him, and when his eyes widened she held her hands up and amended, “At least, I think it was you, but if it wasn’t—”

“It was,” he said quickly, as if to spare her further embarrassment, “but you don’t have to thank me since you let me feed.”

“Well, I guess it was the least you could do since you made me pass out,” she grumbled, crossing her arms. She leaned towards the hearth, hoping to soak in what little warmth in it was left.

“I’m sorry about that,” he said, sounding sincere. “Your blood was the best I’ve tasted in a while.”

For some reason, that compliment (for lack of a better word) made heat crawl up her skin and a smile she resisted pushed at her lips. But she couldn’t help grumbling, “I wish you’d at least asked me before bringing me to an inn. I can’t afford to pay for a room even for one night.”

“I took care of it,” Lance said.

Katie glanced sharply up at him, scowling. “What? You shouldn’t have!” She shot to her feet, probably more annoyed than the situation called for. “You’re nearly a perfect stranger to me—”

But was he, after she let him…touch her like that?

“—and I refuse to be indebted—”

“Were you really planning on spending the night in the forest?” Lance cut her off. He scowled very slightly, his shoulders tensing and hands curling into fists in his lap; even his eyes - still that rich blue - glinted dangerously in the firelight.

Katie’s jaw snapped shut, chagrined. But irritation still gripped her, despite the anxiety churning her gut at the reminder of the vampires they ran afoul of, so she turned her back to him.

“Why do you care what I do?” she retorted. “You had your snack.”

When she dared to glance over her shoulder, he flinched. “Pidge…” His stool scraped against the wooden floor as he stood and approached, footsteps eerily silent. “Not all…of my kind are like them.”

She only glared at the floor through the irritated tears in her eyes, her chest tightening with something like shame. He’d already rescued her; did she have to cry in front of him too?

“Maybe you need a little more rest,” Lance suggested.

Katie shook her head and wiped her eyes, inhaling shakily before turning to face him. “I-I’m sorry,” she said. “You’ve been kind to me, even if it was out of obligation, so I thank you.”

(Her mother would be proud of her for remembering her genteel manners.)

She met his worried gaze and smiled, feeling a little steadier, and said, “You look better too. Your eyes…they change color?”

Lance blinked, looking bewildered by her rapid change in attitude, but laughed. “When I’m at my strongest, they look like this.” Then he smirked and added, “Before you fell into my arms, you said they were pretty.”

The way he said fell into my arms filled Katie with a pleasant heat…and a profound irritation. But she bit back the worst of it and smiled. “Don’t let that compliment get to your head,” she said. “I don’t pay them often for a reason.”

“What reason?” Lance wondered, a teasing tilt to his lips.

“I’m not easily impressed.” Though…she had to admit, at least to herself, that Lance disguising his weakness long enough to stand up to those other three impressed her.

“Then I’ll have to find ways to impress you.”

Katie frowned, surprised. “Why?”

“You’re traveling to Altea, aren’t you?”

Her spine stiffened, wariness hitting her all over again. “How did you—”

“You dropped your map in the forest,” Lance said. He reached into his coat - it looked a little less unkempt, as if he had time to care for it while she slept - and pulled out a scroll:  her map, specked with dirt stains and slightly wrinkled but otherwise intact.

Katie snatched it away and leveled him with a glare. “Are you going to follow me now and ask for a snack every time you’re thirsty?”

“Of course not,” Lance said, “but I do have a proposition for you.” He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly very much the boy he resembled. “I’m traveling to Altea too, so maybe we can���journey together.”

“You want a reliable food source, you mean?” Katie crossed her arms and wondered, “What makes you think I’d agree to that a second time?”

But she would, she realized; even just thinking about it warmed her skin and made her heart pound and breath short, made her wonder if she could learn anything - about herself, about him - from experiencing it again.

Lance sighed - odd for someone that didn’t have to breathe - and rubbed his face. “That’s not—I suppose it would be nice but—that’s not what’s important!” He stuffed his hands in his coat pockets, throwing his head back and staring at the ceiling. “It’s not safe traveling alone, even for my kind, Pidge.”

And after the events of today - or was it the day before? - Katie believed it.

Her eyes narrowed. “Can you even travel by day?” she asked, still unsure if she could trust him whether he rescued her from hostile vampires or not.

Lance chuckled and replied, “So long as I wear a hat.”

“I can’t afford to hire a wagon, so I’ll be moving very slowly. Are you all right with that?”

“Whatever you want,” he agreed, nodding, “but it’ll be safer if we leave soon.” He grimaced, shoulders hunching in something like defeat. “I promised I’d be gone by dawn, and I don’t want Lotor’s minions paying this village a visit just to check on me.”

“I don’t…know.” God, how tempting Lance’s offer was…for who knew what she could learn about vampires from him?

Lance’s fingers, gentle yet cold, wrapped around her wrist, urging her to meet his eyes. “I swear I’ll keep you safe, Pidge.”

Katie bit her lip, considering. Safety…was that feeling with him some part of a vampire’s spell to lure her under, an all too willing victim in his ruse? She wore her brother’s old, over-sized clothes to avoid looking too much like a vulnerable girl, and yet…well, threats still found whomever they wished.

So Katie agreed to travel with a dangerous man she knew next to nothing about…because she felt more secure with him than she did alone.

It was scarcely the strangest thing that ever befell her.

[kaitsawamura]

would you like to stay forever?

SUMMARY⎮   Sparring with Pro Hero Kirishima Eijiro in his private gym at his home doesn't seem like a bad idea if you don't count the fact that you really, really like him.

STATS⎮ minors do not interact, 18+ ⎮  Rating: M (for mature)  ⎮  WC: 5525  ⎮   Pairing: Pro Hero Kirishima Eijiro x Fem!Reader  ⎮   Tags: Aged Up Character(s), Friends to Lovers, Sparring, Smut, Fluff, Age/Experience Gap (if you really squint)  ⎮  AO3

NOTES⎮  Thanks to @spacelabrathor​ for listening to me scream about this and to @some-kindofgnome​ for fueling my Kiri fever dreams.  Yes, that title is based on a Mulan quote. This whole fic was based on THIS POST and Kirishima seemed like the perfect character for this pwp.  Hope y'all enjoy!  (Also please for the love of God, click on the banner to see in HD if you’re on mobile, it looks so much better lol)

It was Saturday and even though you’re on your way to becoming a Pro Hero, you can think of several things you’d rather be doing with your one day off than going to Kirishima Eijiro’s house to spar.  But here you are pulling into his driveway, going over combat moves in your head as if your life depended on it.  They weren’t really serving their purpose which was to distract yourself.  Kiri had offered up his personal gym, encouraged you to stop by with one hand in his pocket and the other rubbing the back of his neck as if he was nervous.  

A couple of his friends had already taken him up on the offer.  You were the only one he’d offered who hadn’t come over yet.  He had texted you a couple of weeks later saying he was starting to take it personally…  and then immediately texted with a laughing emoji just to clarify he was only giving you a hard time.  It brings a smile to your face now as you remember it.  Yesterday he had also clarified it would just be the two of you if you were self-conscious sparring in front of other people.  You’d have the whole place to yourselves.  Like that should mean something.  Which it did.  It does , you realize with butterflies growing in your stomach.  Kiri doesn’t need to know that though.

The two of you had been toeing around something since you had been hired at Fatgum’s Agency a year ago.  Neither of you had made a move.  Kirishima, the Red Riot, was a big Pro Hero and while you took pride in your quirk, it didn’t hold a coin to some of the others you’d come in contact with.  It had surprised you when Toyomitsu had brought you on.  But he had mumbled something about “liking your spunk” and that he thought a teleportation quirk would be a useful one to add to his agency.  The first day you had shown up, Kiri had immediately caught your eye.  Not for the obvious reasons.  Obvious reasons being the fact that he was climbing the Pro Hero charts or the fact that he had a dynamically interesting quirk or that at twenty-five he was already built like a brickhouse. 

Those were all valid reasons, yes, but what had pulled you in was his smile and his genuine interest in you outside of your quirk.  But he was just like that you had quickly discovered.  He knew everyone’s coffee order and what they liked for lunch.  He knew when to push and when to back off.  He knew when to talk and when to listen , knew when he still had a lesson to learn.  The kids flocked to him.  Even now you’re still entirely convinced that’s actually his quirk, getting people to like him.  It’s not a difficult thing to do though.

Your brain stutters back to the present when a text notification pings from your cell phone as you sit in Kiri’s driveway, picking at non-existent lint on your gym shorts.  The cute ones you’re still convincing yourself were your only clean pair and that’s the only reason you wore them.

KIRI : i saw u pull up, u gonna come in or what 😂

Had he been waiting for you to get there?  You tapped out a quick response, one that hid the little flip in your stomach at the thought: creeper, you were watching for me lmao

Response bubbles immediately flash on your phone screen but you’re angling out of your car and shutting the door before he can reply.

Somehow, this house fits Kiri perfectly.  It isn’t big.  You had seen pictures of other top-ranking Pros’ houses.  Enji Todoroki’s house, for example, was fucking ridiculous.  But even without a massive floor plan, Kiri’s house is nicer than any you’d been in for some time.  Clean, straight lines and lots of windows.  In fact, you can see straight through the floor-to-ceiling windows out to his backyard when you reach the front door.  Is that a pool ?  Kiri had tons of fun showing pictures at the agency; it was a well-deserved investment for his already multiple years of service as a Pro.  The pictures hadn’t done the place justice though.

Kiri comes to the door, throwing it wide open with a huge grin that shows off his sharp teeth.  You ignore the way your mouth goes dry as he drags you in, babbling on like an excited little kid at you actually coming.

“I really thought you were gonna back out!  I mean, that would have been fine, of course.  I just can’t see the point of having the whole place to myself all the time.”  He’s irresistibly cute, walking around showing you the living room and the kitchen and pointing out to the backyard where, yes, there is indeed a pool.  “You can come over any time and use that too if you want!”  You thank him, warmth pooling in your stomach at how incredibly nice he is.

“Uh, we should probably get in the gym.  I have… stuff to do later,” you finish lamely.  You don’t have anything to do later but very quickly you’re realizing how far out of your depth you are here.  The familiar beginnings of the head over heels fall is washing over you in steady waves.  But you’re coworkers and the thought of coming to work every day and having to see his adorable face and not doing anything about it is almost making you nauseous.

“Oh, yeah, it’s just down the hallway,” he rumbles, leading the way and you follow trying and failing miserably to calm the nerves flashing through your veins.  You’re here alone with Kiri , the man you’ve been crushing on since you’d started working with him a year ago.  And now your stupid brain isn’t just thinking about what it would feel like to run your tongue along his teeth or how his hands would feel between your legs.  No, your stupid brain is thinking about what Kiri looks like when he first opens his eyes in the morning.

Your one-track mind is not getting any help, especially when Kiri walks through the doorway of the gym addition and immediately proceeds to pull his shirt up and over his shoulders and tosses it to the side.  Shit.  His back muscles ripple with the movement and when he turns to face you, it’s heart-wrenchingly obvious that he has no idea the effect he’s having on you.  He has to know .  Doesn’t he?  From your end, it seems wildly obvious that someone as good-looking as him should know .  

You glance around, eternally grateful for the fact that the gym is also attractive.  Floor to ceiling windows span two of the walls here as well and there’s a large set of French doors leading out to the yard.  You find yourself actually in awe when you get a better look at the landscaping.  It’s so green .  There’s a small patch of lawn but the rest is just artfully arranged native flora and fauna.  Violets, tulips.  Huge hosta plants.  And cherry trees heavy with their signature sakura blossoms.  

“Kiri, it’s beautiful!”  He comes to stand beside you, looking out the French doors as well.

“You like it?  I guess it is pretty nice, huh?”  You glance up at him, your chest expanding on a lurch looking at his smile.  You’d never noticed before but he has a light dusting of freckles across his nose.

“Yeah, really nice.”  You look out again, letting the silence grow until it feels like the most comfortable thing in the world.  After what seems like an eternity Kiri clears his throat, rocking back on the balls of his feet.  “What are you thinking for today?”  The question leaves your lips and you’re immediately regretting it; your stomach flips again when Kiri looks at you like you’re prey.

“Close combat, hand-to-hand combat.  You did mention a while ago you wanted to strengthen that, right?”  You throw your head back, rolling your eyes, and groan.  The two of you make your way to the center of the mat.

“Yeah, I mean, I’d be scared to take me on too,” Kiri says, large hands on even larger hips.   He isn’t as tall as some of the other heroes at six foot three inches but he’s wide , thick.  You know for a fact you couldn’t wrap your arms around his waist and have your hands meet.  He’s wearing the biggest shit-eating grin you’ve ever seen.  The sharpened points of his canines are out and on prominent display.   Famous last words you think as a snarl erupts on your face.

“I’m not scared , Kiri.  I just don’t want to wear you out .  You’re a Pro Hero.  You’re on the job a lot more than I am.  Plus, you’re getting kind of old.  Is that a little gray I see coming in?”  Kiri bares his teeth even more but it’s not lost on you that he quickly reaches up to rake his fingers through his hair.  There isn’t any gray, obviously , but the thought has Red Riot distracted.  Distracted enough that when you plant your feet and your fist connects with his face, your knuckles hit skin and not the reinforced rock of his quirk.

“ Shit.”  Kiri takes a step back, reaching up to cradle his jaw.  His tongue swipes out to lick at the blood on his bottom lip.  His vermillion eyes find yours and if you didn’t work with him on a regular basis, you would have felt fear at this moment.  You know he wouldn’t hurt you but even now, a thrill races through your veins like electricity.  He looks as if he’s going to devour you.  You take your own step back, readying your quirk, reaching out to it as your fists hold their position in front of your body.  A dark chuckle spills from his chest as Kiri calls on his own quirk.

Now it was your turn to be distracted; you had always been fascinated by Kiri’s quirk, the way his body looked when it hardened up.  The ripples of muscle still visible under the toughened skin.  The divots and ridges and how they mapped their way across his shoulders and chest and abdomen.  You knew how it felt to the touch in fake combat.  The Fatgum heroes all took pride in maintaining a healthy routine; sparring was a common workout that was previously done at a local public gym.  You wonder absently what it would feel like to touch him slow and at the moment.  When you could give extra attention with extra time. 

Kiri closes the space between the two of you at the moment your mind strays and you barely are able to teleport out of the way to avoid him crashing into you.  You try to take a swipe at him as you materialize from in front of him to behind but this time he’s ready for you and he’s using his quirk.  Instead of moving out of the way, he plants his feet and allows your punch to hit.  Pain radiates up through your fingers and wrist.  It always irritated you that you had to prepare yourself to strike Kiri when he was using his quirk.  Otherwise, you’d be in for a whole lot of hurt every time you landed a punch.

Teleportation is a pretty handy quirk.  It gives you a pretty good advantage the more you work on your close combat skills.  The trick with Kiri was to keep going at him until he ran out of energy.  You hadn’t gotten to that point yet; your quirk had its limits as well.  You were only two years out of UA, Kiri was out by seven.  His strength was already fairly unmatched; sparring with him was always good practice.  You relish the thought of the day you can win a sparring session without tapping out.  It surges through you like pure energy.  

You teleport to stand in front of him again, shifting your weight into your hips and up through your right hook.  This time your fist connects with Kiri’s side and he lets out a small grunt.  Your fingers don’t hurt so bad this time and by the time Kiri is retaliating, you jump back a few feet.  He hmms, a sound that reverberates from his chest.

“That’s all well and good but how do you expect to do anything if you jump that far away?”  He lunges forward at a running start, leaping at the last second, sending his gloved fist into your stomach.  You were fast, but still not always fast enough.  You double over, the air rushing from your lungs and your pre-workout protein smoothie threatening to exit back the way it went in.  Sweat is already beading on your brow and sliding under your tank top.  You take a few breaths through your nose when an idea pops into your head; you stay bent over.  “Hey, I didn’t hit you that hard.  You good?”  

Kiri comes to stand in front of you, leaving him vulnerable.  He can’t see your smirk until it’s too late.  You wail on him, using some of the basic combos he’s taught you before today.  Satisfaction rolls through you when he actually takes a step back.  But then he puts his arms up in front of him, clenching his abdomen and bending inward to protect his core.  He drops just a fraction and before you realize what’s happening, he’s swiping his leg out to push through yours.  You watch in slow motion as you see his laughing face then the ceiling of the gym as you flip and land on your back.

If you thought you were out of breath before…  “Fuuu-.”  It’s a wheeze that feels like it’s ripping your chest open.  You’re seeing stars.  Kiri stands over you, hands on his hips again.  You stare at his face; the hero has his hair pulled back into a bun.  You snort, rolling your eyes.  Why does he still look so fucking good?  The sweat has caused some of the pieces falling out of his hair tie to curl.  His hair has curl to it?  You’ve never noticed before, considering he always gels it into spikes.  You like the curl.  “Are you--are you gonna help me up, or what?”  It was still painful to talk.

Kiri tilts his head to the side, just slightly, and crosses his arms.  “I’m thinking not.  Last time I let down my guard you got those good combos in.”  You stare in stunned silence, sitting up so you’re supported by your elbows.  Kiri shifts slightly and if you didn’t know better, you’d say he’s backing up to… get a better view.   

“Is that any way to treat your student,  Red Riot?”  You know you get under his skin when he clicks his tongue against his teeth and holds out a hand with a begrudging eye roll.  He pulls you up with ease, quickly enough that you almost lose your balance, swaying into his space.  You look up, eyes moving back and forth between his.  

He draws in a breath and drags his bottom lip between his teeth.  “First of all,” he says as he places his hands on your upper arms, “I’m not your teacher.  I’m not that much older than you.  Secondly,” he mutters as he tucks a stray lock of hair behind your ear, “our relationship isn’t that formal is it?”  He’s so fucking close.  This is getting dangerous.  Dangerous because Kiri is within kissing distance.  Dangerous because this gentle side of him is making you lose more breath than falling on your ass.  Dangerous because the thought of Kiri taking you on the floor right now is almost too much to bear.  

So you fall back on what you’re here to do.  Fight.  You flash him a wicked smile before rallying your quirk and teleporting a few feet away.  His hand is still raised in mid-air and when his head whips to look in your direction, his crimson eyes are narrowed and his nostrils are flared.  He laughs and rolls his neck, dancing on his toes.

“Okay.  I see.  I’m not gonna go easy on you, you know?”  You snort and put your fists up in front of you again.

“As if you were going easy on me before, Kiri.  Bring it on.”  He smiles, the sharp points of his teeth enough to make your thoughts swerve again before you bring them under control.  “Bring it on,” you whisper more to yourself as you brace for the fight.

Two hours later, you feel the strain in your muscles.  Your quirk is running low on reserves and you know you won’t be able to use it much more.  Kiri looks like he hasn’t wasted a breath but you can see he’s getting tired in the way his feet don’t move as sharply.  And if the length of time he’s using his quirk is any indication to his state of mind, you know the two of you will be calling it a day soon.  But you’re also both stubborn.  And you’re dying to get one more good move in on him.

The cockiness the two of you had at the beginning of the sparring session hasn’t gone away but has burned hot into determination.  No more smiles, only clear-headed concentration.  The two of you are an arm's length from each other, throwing various punches and switching quickly between using your quirks and not.  You’re breathing hard, sweat gathering at your brow as you throw another right hook that Kiri easily blocks.

“Get out of your head.  You can be too predictable sometimes.”  He doesn’t mean for it to come across as rude but the words strike a match to a guttering fire.  You bare your own teeth at Kiri even though they aren’t sharp and probably don’t look nearly as threatening but it helps you feel powerful nonetheless.  You drop without a second thought, lowering to your palms and sweeping your leg out in front of you in a wide arc.  A grin spreads across your face when your calf meets Kiri’s ankle.  He’s too physically dense for this move to work if he had seen it coming.  But he doesn’t.  And his solid 220 pounds of muscle falls hard.  

You allow yourself the satisfaction of the moment for only a split second; Kiri’s recovery time is much shorter than yours so it isn’t long before he’s scrambling forward.  He goes straight for your wrists to subdue you but with a smirk, you realize in his haste he’s put himself in the perfect position for you to possibly gain the upper hand.  You scoot up away from him just enough to drag his arm forward and swing your legs around his neck.  Then you elevate your hips and lock your core.

It’s over from there as you squeeze with every last ounce of strength left in your body.  It doesn’t take long for him to tap out.  You release as soon as you feel his loose hand tap your arm; he collapses over you and you’re too tired to move away or push him off.  Now his breathing is rough and you feel a surge of pride.  You reach up and place your hand on his head where his bun has come undone; he’s so heavy but it doesn’t feel bad.  In fact, the feel of Kirishima resting his head and upper chest on your stomach is feeling nothing short of good .  He’s still between your legs and suddenly the air is crackling with a new kind of energy when you gently comb your fingers through his hair.

He rises up, his hands on either side of you.  His hips rest between your legs; the mingled heat radiating from both of you is almost more than you can take but there is no way you’re going to move anywhere.  He leans forward, so close you can see the flecks of burnt orange in his eyes.  If you moved forward just a little, you could close that space between you.  He leans down more, his mouth right next to the shell of your ear.

“Maybe not always predictable.  You did good today.  Probably some of the best fighting I’ve seen from you so far.  Keep it up.”  He grunts, a shift of his hips allowing the curve of his cock to brush against your clothed sex through his gym shorts.  He stiffens in what you think might be embarrassment.  “Shit, sorry, let me just, uh--”  The stuttering mess he becomes right before your eyes makes something lurch in your chest; you reach for his face without thinking.

“Kiri,” you whisper, rolling your own hips against his.  His cheeks are burning a shade of red almost as vibrant as his hair.  You bring up your other hand, holding his face between them and bringing him down to settle over you once more.  Your lips meet his; he seems to war with himself for just a moment.  A suspended second in time.  But then he gives in, slipping his tongue against yours in a delicious sliding vision of what’s coming.

He reaches between you to slip his hand under your tank top; his hand is big and nearly encompasses your side.  But it’s warm and gentle.  Gentle.  Who would have guessed that Red Riot could be so fucking gentle?  But he is and when his hand moves lower to slide below the hem of your shorts, you give yourself to him with no reservations.  His middle finger passes through the mess of your sex; a hissed breath rattles through his chest as your back arches on a ragged groan.

“ Shit.  You’re so wet .”  He slides his finger back and forth, gathering your slick on the thick digit.  He takes his hand away and you mewl.  “Can I?”  He asks breathlessly as he hooks his hands on the hem of your shorts.  You nod, eyes half-lidded.  He pulls them down along with your underwear and the way he looks at you, at what’s between your legs, you don’t even have the wherewithal to feel self-conscious.  Adoration.  It’s the only word you can think of and it makes you wonder if you’d made a mistake waiting so long.

He’s on his knees when he takes your legs and drapes them on either side of his hips; this time he doesn’t hesitate in slipping his finger into your cunt.  You nearly see stars just from that and if one finger is any indication, you’re in for it.  Slowly, he adds another, his hand pumping into you in a steady rhythm.  You’re grabbing for the ground, grabbing for him as a strangled noise pushes from your throat.  He reaches out with his other hand to splay it across your sternum and it’s the only thing anchoring you as he adds the third finger before scooting down to put his mouth on your clit.

“ Kiri,” you keen, shoving your hips into his touch, frantically scrabbling for his wrist that’s on your chest just to have something to hold on to.  He’s done this before, he’s had to.  He’s too good.  Too fucking good.  Already there’s coiling in your gut as incomprehensible words tumble from your mouth.  “Shit.  Shit.  Kiri I’m--I’m gonna--”  He rumbles approvingly against your clit; the vibrations send you closer and closer to the edge and when it crests, your back arches near pain as you cry out, your voice echoing in the gym.  It’s deep, roaring through all of your limbs but  Kiri keeps going, fingers still pumping, tongue still swirling around your sensitive nub.

Another orgasm breaks over you sharp and quick and the overstimulation has your legs quaking as your arousal gushes over Kiri’s hand and tongue.  But then he’s moving again, and you’re blearily aware that he’s shoving his own shorts and boxers past his hips to free his cock.  You stare as it bounces back to sit near the planes of his stomach; it’s already leaking steadily with precum.  Kiri looks back at you and when your eyes meet, you dart your tongue out between your lips to wet them.  Another time, maybe.  

Kiri leans forward to lift you up and the closer you get you can barely see any red in his eyes; his pupils are blown, his nostrils flared as he lifts you like you weigh nothing .  He could snap you like a twig.  But he won’t.  You know without a doubt this is the safest you’ve ever felt, even as he lowers you slowly over his cock and it does feel like you’re being split .

“ Fuuuck…”  You wrap your legs around him, your mouth dropped open, your hands gripping his shoulders.  You try not to dig your nails in but it’s almost impossible with how you’re being filled.  You knew Kiri was big but this was almost too much.  His forehead drops to yours as he pants.  But he’s not moving, won’t move until you tell him to.  It makes your heart ache and your cunt floods, drunk on the affection thrumming through your veins.  You roll your hips experimentally and the friction is bliss.  “Oh fuck, ohfuck.”  You move again, pushing yourself up and back down, listening to the hitch in his breathing.  “ Kiri, please, ” you whisper.  Those words… they’re enough.

Kirishima grips you by the hips, his fingers splayed and digging into the flesh; it’ll leave bruises and the knowledge cracks through you like electricity.  Let him leave marks.  Let him leave them everywhere.  He’s moving you up and down his cock, grunting, mumbling.  “Tell me, Kiri, tell me.”  His eyes meet yours again and his own mouth drops open.

“Fuck, you’re so good.  S’ tight.  Jesus, I-- ” Kiri moves his hands from your hips to support you as he lays you down on the floor of the gym.  The idea should be questionable but it’s not, it’s fucking not and you can’t concentrate on any other thoughts when Kiri grabs your wrists and pins them gently above your head with one hand while the other comes back to your hip.  He thrusts into you at a brutal pace but… it feels like home and you think in that moment as your cunt begins to seize around his cock that you would give up forever to continue touching him.

“Yes, Kiri, yes.  Right there, right--shit yesyes yes. ”  He pistons up, the veins of his cock rubbing just right and when he releases the grip on your hands, they’re moving to wrap around him on instinct.  He’s planting kisses along your jaw, mouthing up to your lips and back down to graze his teeth over your pulse point.  “Do it, fuckin’ do it, let them know ‘m yours, ” you slur and when he bites down you crash over the edge on a groan that’s really more of a scream.  Everything goes black but you're cradling him to you as his movements become more erratic.  The snapping of his hips is getting sloppier by the second and a steady growl punches from his lungs with each breath.  “Cum, Kirishima, cum inside me.”

He’s never heard those words before and it lights a fire in his veins.  His head is buzzing and then he can’t hear anything as his cock releases and he’s spurting searing hot ropes of cum into your cunt.  He goes until you’ve milked every last drop from him and he’d be lying if he said his world didn't suddenly feel whole.  Finally, his body settles and his chest drops to yours.  Everything slowly bleeds back into focus and somehow, everything seems more colorful than it did moments before.  You’re still clinging to him.

“Kiri.  Kiri, babe, I can’t breathe,” you say and he slowly rises, taking in your blissed-out expression.  Your eyes can barely stay open, your cheeks are flushed.  He backs up to see his handiwork on display, hyper-focused on the trail of the mingling cum dripping from the mess of your sex.  But you’re smiling.  Lazy and tired, completely at ease.  “Wanna take a shower?”  When you nod he doesn’t hesitate in standing to kick his underwear and shorts the rest of the way off his legs and then he’s grabbing you, scooping you into his arms and against his chest.  He pads out of the gym and across the hall to his bathroom where he deposits you on your feet, only after he’s sure you can stand and only long enough to turn the shower head-on.

He puts his hand under the water, waiting for it to get warm.  Steam billows from behind the glass door when he’s turning back to you to remove your tank top and your sports bra.  Thank god you chose the front-closure one today; you didn’t think either one of you wanted to struggle to get one up over your head right now.  When your breasts spill out of the high-impact fabric, you notice with tender amusement that his cock is half-hard again.  His eyes go dark again and he leans in for a kiss.  But it's slow and sweet. 

"You're so fuckin' beautiful," he whispers.  He ignores his arousal, ushering you into the stream of water.  Your care is the only thing that matters to him right now.  The heat slides across your body, and when Kirishima steps up behind you and begins soaping up your shoulders, it feels like heaven .

You take turns washing each other until you’re both blissed out in a different kind of way and the only thing either one of you can think about is sleep.  But the afterglow is fading and doubt is creeping in.  When you step out of the water, you stand awkwardly as Kiri hands you a towel.  “You okay?”  He’s actually concerned and you can’t put your finger on why you’re so fucking grateful for it.

“Yea, just tired.  I should, uh, probably get going.”  Kiri freezes and you think you’ve said something wrong, already crossed a line.  Your brain is like a broken record as the stomach-curdling image of having to see him at the agency flashes across your eyes in vivid detail.  But then he’s stepping into your space and pulling you in for a hug.  A hug.

“Don’t go,” he whispers into the crown of your head and it has you smiling like an idiot against his chest.  His skin smells clean and warm with a hint of spice.  You bury your face further in as you nod against him.  Then he’s leading you to his room, to the king-sized bed.  He peels back the comforter and the white sheets and pulls you in beside him.  Your back is against him and he hooks his foot around your ankles, bringing you even closer.  

He doesn’t say anything more, just lets out a huge sigh as he wraps his arm around you.  The last thing you notice before your eyes flutter shut is how your heartbeats are thumping at the same steady rhythm.  

Late afternoon sunlight slants in Kirishima’s bedroom window, creating interesting patterns across his blanket.  It’s pushed towards the end of the bed, your legs intertwined and tangled in the sheets.  He’s still dozing, his breathing not quite that of someone sleeping but not of a person fully awake.  You reach out to cup his cheek, stroke above his eyebrows, caress his lips with your thumb.  A contented sigh leaves his chest as he grabs your hand and kisses your wrist.  His eyes are open now and he watches you.  You smile at him, snuggling closer, not wanting the moment to end.

“Hey,” he says quietly, suddenly serious.  “I just want you to know, I don’t do this all the time.  I mean, I’ve been with other people before but I don’t…  I don’t really hook up .”  Things start clicking into place as you realize what he’s trying to get across.  He just fucked you stupid in his personal gym and somehow he looks bashful.  And because you love it, you’re not going to help him along.  You just watch, biting your lip to keep from giggling.  “I just.  I guess what I’m trying to say is I like you.  I’ve liked you for a long time.  And normally I would have wined and dined you first but...  Well.  Here we are.  Would you like to stay for dinner?”

That’s the last straw; your laughter comes bubbling out of you and Kiri is leaning back to look at you with a quizzical expression on his face.  “Is something funny?”  That just makes you laugh a little harder but the confused look he’s wearing has you leaning in to press your lips against his.

“I’ve liked you from the first day I met you, Kiri.  I’ll one-up your offer and tell you that I might like to stay forever.”  A grin rips across his face and your heart blooms with warmth and affection.  The world seems full of possibilities but none of them matter except for the possibility laying right in front of you.

[harrysgoldenline]

can you pls write an angst where y/n went to her and harry's house that they bought or something like that in Italy to try to move on and go on with her life after harry broke up with her but then she never expected that harry will be there as well with his new gf.... you can end it whatever you like!! thank you

Word Count: 1.6K

Warnings: idk, sad I guess? also not proof read oops sorry lol

When In Italy

It has been three months since you’ve last seen or spoken to Harry. A very abrupt change after being together for four years, with constant talk of marriage and starting a family, the break up was something either of you really expected. It started as a break of sorts, eventually turning into a complete break up after only a couple weeks in a somewhat mutual way. With Harry's career taking off in so many different ways, with acting, the new tour and more, his life had changed completely and has left him very little time for anything else.

It went from daily phone and FaceTime calls, constant text messages and flowers being delivered to nothing.

“You really think that’s a good idea?” Your best friend asked you, concern plastered all over her face, “that won’t bring up too much?”

She had been sitting with you as you finished packing up your suitcase, trying her best to give you her support as you were going to be going on a spur of the moment trip to Italy and staying at the home of you and Harry, needing the much needed getaway and disconnecting completely. Seeing different things online about him all the time didn’t make it any easier and no matter how hard you tried to avoid it, he always found his way to pop up.

“I just need a break, everything here is a reminder to.” You sigh, “I just want a change of scenery. I think it’ll be good for me.”

“I hope so…” she frowned, looking up at you with a sad smile, “please don’t just sit there in the house all alone. Go out, meet some local Italian men!”

“I’m definitely not ready for that.” You say, forcing a laugh as you close your suitcase, zipping it up and placing it on the floor by your door, “but I will really try, I promise. I will call you if I need you and you can come out?”

“Hell yeah I can.” She laughs, standing up and giving you a hug, “and you’re really going right now?”

You bite your bottom lip as your eyes fill up with tears, nodding quickly as you look at her and she quickly pulled you in a tight hug.

“You can do this.”

***

You pulled your suitcase through the front door, waving goodbye to the driver as you turned around to close the door behind you as they left you alone in the house that has so many memories inside. You pause at the door, taking a couple deep breaths as you look around and try and keep your mind at bay before walking to the guest bedroom, deciding the main bedroom was too much and the guest bedroom was already way nicer than your apartment.

After taking the time to unpack, knowing you would stay awhile, you put away your things into the various drawers and closet in the room. You keep out a swimsuit and change into it quickly, sliding a simple dress overtop before walking out onto the balcony attached to the bedroom, taking in the smell of the ocean and beautiful view, memories overwhelming your senses.

“Well don’t you look absolutely stunning.” You can practically hear him say all over again, reliving the memory as if it was actually happening, “ ‘m the luckiest man in the world.”

You remember him coming up behind you, arms tight around your waist as his head rested on your shoulder, soft kisses being pressed along your shoulder as you leaned back into him, a large smile covering both of your faces before you leaned your head back, connecting your lips before he pulled back.

“I can’t decide…” He had whispered, connecting your lips again.

“Decide what?” You had giggled, turning around to face him, arms resting around his shoulders as his came around your waist.

“If I want to get married here or have our honeymoon here.”

You shuddered slightly as the memory came back, letting out a deep breath before packing a beach bag quickly and leaving the house just as fast, taking a walk down to the private beach and settling yourself in a lounge chair. Applying your sunscreen you could almost convince yourself it was him applying it on you like he always would do, large hands massaging it into your skin.

You push the thought away as you grab your phone, playing music softly to try and distract your mind. Your fingers hovered over your different social media apps, wanting desperately to just give it a quick click, wondering if you could get any update on where he could be from his fans, posts always finding their way on your feed. Instead, you hold it down, deleting all of the various apps and throwing your phone down on your bag, grabbing your book and letting the music play, opening to the first page to try and escape into the new world.

***

After a few hours been spent peacefully on the beach, you decided to head back to the house to take a nice bubblebath and order yourself some dinner, deciding that you would go to town the next morning in order to cook some of your own meals. The walk back to the house was more enjoyable this time and you began to feel a sense of hope as you approached the house, your heart not clenching in as much pain as it originally had done when you first pulled up to the house earlier that day.

Using your keys, you unlocked the back door, locking it behind you again as soon as you got inside, making your way to the bathroom right away and letting the water fill up the bathtub, pouring in some of the fancy bubblebath that you remember buying once from your favorite boutique in town, making a mental note to stop there again tomorrow.

Discarding your clothes, you hung them up, deciding you could use it once more as a cover up after not even going into the water, and you honestly didn’t even have the energy to even think about doing laundry right now, even simply showering was too much most days so you were happy to submerge yourself simply into the warm water, eyes fluttering closed as it embraced you with it’s comfort.

You began preparing yourself a mental list of things you could do tomorrow, forcing yourself to get out of the house and keep yourself occupied after locking yourself away in your apartment the past few months, planning on taking baby steps but knowing that even starting will be more like a push off a cliff.

Pulling yourself out of the bath once finishing cleansing your body, deciding to save washing your hair for the next day, you pulled yourself out of the bath, honestly just wanting to curl up into bed and go to sleep but knowing you needed to force yourself to eat something. So, you dry off, applying some matching lotion to your body, which made you feel a sense of pride of yourself as you made small steps to take care of yourself again, thanking the air of Italy as self motivation and threw on the robe that you swear was the softest one in the world.

A sudden sound coming from the house made you jump, a hand coming over your chest to try and calm your racing heart as your mind tried to think of all of the possibilities of who could be there, or maybe it was coming outside? Or honestly at this point you thought it could be your imagination as the memories that have been flashing into your mind have been so vivid it felt like it was actually happening. Your feet softly padded on the wood flooring, making your way to what you thought was the site of the sound, feeling bile rise in your throat at the sight before you.

It was Harry there, with one of the most beautiful women you had ever seen in your life, laughing together.

You weren’t sure if they saw you, both of their hair wet as towels wrapped around them and it seemed like they had just got back from the beach, making you think that you must have just missed each other as you swapped positions. You slowly walk backwards, thinking of running out the back towards the beach and calling a car, leaving all of your clothes there.

You could see slightly into the master bedroom, seeing their suitcases sprawled and things laid on the couch as they chatted together, knowing they must have arrived when you were down at the beach, your presence unknown as all of your things sat seemingly hidden in the guest room which you were now desperately trying to go and hide in, but after it being too log since you been here, you accidentally ran into the wall, a photo that was hanging there crashing to the floor, glass shattering.

Two heads quickly snapped their way towards you, both pairs of eyes meeting yours as gasps left both of their lips, Harry’s face going pale as he saw you. You opened your mouth to speak, but with this being your first time seeing your partner since the breakup, no words were able to come out.

Spinning on your heel your ran back into the guest bedroom, pulling the suitcase out of the closet and messily shoving all of your clothes into it, tears stinging your eyes and unable to hold them in as they silently spilling on you cheeks, more coming as you heard the familiar steps coming your way, feeling the presence behind you and hearing the door shut softly behind you.

“Y/N?”

—————————————————————————

Part 2 anyone???

ALSO PLEASE READ THIS!!

I was wondering what people would think about me doing personalized little blurbs/imagines for people who donate to my tip jar? you could give me your name, prompt, pronouns, etc and i will write it just for you!! :) i’m trying to write more and it’s hard bc i’m a broke college student who needs to work but if people who WANT a personalized little fic with bucky or harry or something with their own name and such maybe I could do something like that? of course I will still be doing all normal requests and such but this way it’s kinda like a one time patreon for people who want to do something like that? idk please comment/send me a message/ask and let me know what you think!!!! let’s talk!

[thelazyhermits]

I finally got around to reading that Obey Me fic that had been recommended to me a while back, which y’all can find here if you’re interested. I had honestly completely forgotten about it for over a year cause I like to wait for fics to be a little longer before I start them and at the time there were just like two chapters. Now, there are 32 lol

Anyway, for those of y’all who like Obey Me and found family, you definitely should check it out since it really is a fun fic. I really love the OC insert and how well everyone is written. Also, the chapters are pretty long like how a lot of mine turn out so my readers should feel right at home 😂

Even though I haven’t really been into Obey Me as of late and am way behind with the story, I found myself wanting to read the fic regardless, and I’m glad I did cause nothing beats high quality found family fluff 💕 Plus, it helps that it only covers season 1 which is the only season I’ve finished lol

However, there is one downside to reading it. Now, I can’t stop thinking of Fortune in Obey Me. I just can’t stop myself from creating TABF AUs 😂

Gonna put the rest under the cut. 

Rather than the version we’ve talked about in the past where TABF Fortune gets hit by a Quirk that sends her to the OM verse, I’ve been thinking of an entirely separate AU where Fortune ends up in the place of the MC during the events of season 1.

She’d have a background similar to what she has in JWTN, ergo she lives with her negligent/abusive cousins but like a half year or maybe even a full year before her 18th birthday she gets summoned to the Devildom to be a part of the transfer program. The only difference from JWTN I’d make is I think I’d be nice enough to make her old enough to remember her parents before she loses them, so she’s like 7 when it happens.

So, basically, her mindset/disposition would be a lot like it was at the start of JWTN, which admittedly wouldn’t be a very good thing in an environment like the Devildom lol 

However, I feel like she could handle herself better than one might expect since, in her eyes, no one’s more terrifying than Mumei, so she wouldn’t be as afraid of the demons as a normal human would be.

Hell, I’d say she’d take a liking to them just thanks to Diavolo alone cause he has such a good smile and is nicer to her during that first meeting than any human has ever been to her since her parents died.

All in all, considering what the last ten years were like, I think Fortune would be fine in the Devildom. There’d be some fear at first, but more than anything, she’d just be relieved to be far from Mumei’s reach once she fully realizes that he can’t harm her there.

I feel like Fortune would do a good job at helping the brothers out, considering, as an anon once previously pointed out, she does have some qualities in common with the MC like being nosy and very kind. And I honestly just think she’d get along well with the brothers, just some more than others since I think she’d become really good friends with Beel, considering how much he loves food and how much she enjoys seeing people enjoying her cooking.

The only thing is I don’t really like the idea of completely following the OM season 1 script for this AU. I just kinda wanna do something more original like say have Belphegor’s situation be different.

That’s mostly cause, while Fortune is nosy, I think she’s too obedient to disobey Lucifer’s orders to stay away from the attic. Sure, she’d wanna help if she thought someone was in trouble, but I just feel like things wouldn’t turn out like in canon cause Fortune would be so desperate to avoid doing anything that might get her sent back to the human world. Yes, she has a kind heart, but she’s also absolutely terrified of going back to the human world and finding out what Mumei will do to her as punishment for disappearing.

Plus, I just thought Lucifer’s idea was a bad one anyway cause locking Belphegor in the attic only made him more pissed. It did nothing to solve the problem at hand lol

That’s why I like the idea of Belphegor’s punishment being a lot different than canon. Like, instead of Lucifer taking things into his own hands to protect his brother, Diavolo gets involved before that can happen by coming up with a solution that will provide Belphegor a means of atoning and also hopefully help him get past his hatred of humans.

What I had in mind was basically Belphegor gets taken away from the House of Lamentation and put in a deep sleep. The only way he’ll wake up from that magic-induced slumber is when his heart changes for the better.

As far as how that happens, Diavolo sets things up so that Fortune & Belphegor are able to communicate when she’s dreaming via a magical artifact that is put in her room ahead of time, which will connect to the one that’s with Belphegor.

Diavolo’s line of thinking is that Belphegor needs a human’s help but in a situation where he can bring no harm to said human which is how this plan came about since Belphegor can’t do anything to Fortune while they’re in dreamland. 

So, basically, the Belphegor plotline would consist of a lot of forced dream playdates that he grudgingly starts to hate less and less as time goes by lol It would obviously take a while, but I think, if given enough time, that he’d end up in a better headspace.

Sure, he’d be pissed about the situation to a certain degree, even though a part of him can’t deny that getting to take a possibly year long nap isn’t really a bad idea to him lol But considering how Fortune is, I think she’d be able to help him out, especially when he sees just how much she adores Beel and hears how well she gets along with him. After all, anyone who loves Beel that much shouldn’t be someone he hates enough to wanna kill lol

As far as what the brothers all think about this, only Lucifer knows the whole story, which he decides to keep a secret, figuring Beel and the others might riot if they find out what happened to Belphegor. Plus, he doesn’t want to risk them possibly influencing Diavolo’s test which Diavolo said that can only involve Fortune & Belphegor. This would actually be Fortune’s big assignment during her year stay rather than a bunch of other separate tasks like Diavolo had originally planned before things went off the rail with Belphegor. 

So, like in canon, the other five brothers just think that Belphegor got sent to the human world for the transfer program. They have no idea that he’s actually in Diavolo’s castle fast asleep.

That’s about the only thing that’s the same, though, so as a result, there would be a lot of other changes, like Fortune not needing to get the TSL record or her needing to find out more info about Belphegor since that would be provided to her by Diavolo/Lucifer, but honestly, I can’t say I mind this since I just like the idea of going off script since I’d hate to risk rehashing canon events or copying other brilliant fic renditions of the season 1 plot.

As far as the pacts are concerned, I honestly still see them happening, just not cause Fortune asked for them or needed them. It’d be cause these guys are eventually like, “Someone needs to watch out for her and protect her cause she’s a literal walking trouble magnet.” lol

And for the record, Fortune’s relationships would be entirely platonic cause, as you all well know, found family is my jam. Plus, these guys are just so much older than Fortune, who either technically starts off as a minor or possibly remains a minor for the whole year, so I’d rather just give her a lot of protective demon big brothers than a harem haha

[m-aster-of-spinjitzu]

the hues of an empty sky

Missing memories, or having two of them for one moment - not quite the same, but if there's one thing Jay's leant over the last few weeks, it's that literally nothing makes sense anymore.

Or, some Skybound aftermath, Zane actually expressing emotions about his memory switch being turned off for all those years, and what was supposed to be a 'they tell everyone about the erased timeline' fic, but it turned into a 'two characters who barely interact on screen talk at like one am in the morning, and don't actually tell the other what exactly they're alluding to the whole time' fic that I wrote at like one am- 

Also yeah, I realized too late that they split up to look for Wu after s7, we’re just gonna pretend that they waited a few days or something, idk anymore tbh, lol.

(I also didn't have time to edit - so please tell me where the typos are? 😂💛)

Word count: 4539

Prompt: crying, from @ninjago-bingo 's warm board.

Trigger warnings: the main character has a panic attack, and squeezes their fingernails into their hands once or twice but I think that's it.

*facepalms* also, guys, i’m so stupid - i literally just realized that this freaking CHANGES TENSE HALFWAY OHMYGOSH I-  i don’t think it’s super noticeable, but ugh, apologies to anyone who actually thought my writing was good lol-

---

It's cold.

Bitterly, freezing cold.

The biting chill of the air is a bit strange for this time of year, but, heck, that's nowhere near the craziest thing that's ever happened to him - not by a long shot.

He sighs, squinting at the stars dotted liberally against the black canvas of the sky.

Cole had once joked that one of them might be the remains of their golden weapons, after they'd hurled the burning mass into the sky - in another alternate timeline; one that only existed in the memories of a certain few.

Gosh - that seemed like such a long time ago.

Wouldn't it be nice to go back to that time, when he'd still thought that their powers were the coolest thing ever - instead of despising them for all the responsibility and sacrifice that came with them? When one of his biggest worries was whether the girl he had a crush on liked him back - not wondering if his friends would survive the night?

"I did not expect to find you awake at this hour, Jay."

Reflexivity, he jumps back, his mind twisting his friend's gentle voice into the- the djin's triumphant, accented one.

You're supposed to be a ninja. What good are you if your friends can still sneak up on you?

"Geez, warn a guy before you sneak up on him! I almost fell off the Bounty!"

"My apologies. I was... surprised to find you awake at this hour," Zane answers. "What are you doing?" "Couldn't sleep. It's too cold," he confesses, not entirely a lie. Ninjago wasn't 'that' far from the Sea of Sand, but he'd grown up in a much warmer area - unfortunately resulting in his practically nonexistent tolerance to the cold. That never failed to stop Kai from teasing him about it, though. He doesn't mention the pressing weight on his chest, almost tangible - or how it constantly makes him feel. Like he's being dragged through the darkness of an empty sky, spikes of fear making everything so freaking terrifying- "You?"

"I have been analyzing my memories of Pixal, in the hope that it may lead me to her whereabouts. However, all my efforts have proved... unsuccessful," Zane answers wearily, shifting his gaze to the sky.

Oh- oh. They'd all be so caught up in the chaos of the last few weeks - hey, it's not like any of them had asked the universe to permanently be out to get them! - that they'd forgotten Pixal was still offline.

"Hey, I'm sure that she's still there somewhere," he says, earnestly. "After all - she wouldn't be your girlfriend if she didn't pull a vanishing act every now and again, eh?"

The question is punctuated with a laugh, but he doesn't say that he's a little worried about her too. They hadn't talked much, but-

I can't see one of my best friends find out that his girlfriend is dead, a quiet voice at the back of his mind points out. Well - been there, done that, wouldn't recommend, he thinks bitterly. Emotional breakdowns and frequent nightmares apply. Anxiety attacks are half off, too!

It's quiet for a few minutes, neither of them seeing a need to break the silence. The wind blows softly through the sails above them; gray wisps of cloud revealing a pale sliver of moonlight that paints the sky in its glow.

It should be a peaceful night: beautiful, calm, no one trying to kill them or destroy their city - for a change.

His hands won't stop shaking.

It should be a peaceful night, but, as usual, the world is too freaking unfair for that-

He hasn't even slept for a full night in weeks! Well, not since- since-

Don't think about it! That's only going to make it worse, duh-

"Are you alright, Jay?"

"Yeah- I- I'm good, thanks," he says quickly, ignoring the way his breathing keeps speeding up. FSM, not this-

Not for the first time, the world suddenly becomes too loud - too much. Every little thing, from trying to breathe properly or even walk- feels insurmountable, because, gosh, oh gosh, it's going to come crashing down if he even moves-

The memory starts off the same as it always does.

Rubble strewn over the temple grounds, his friends literally reduced to nothing more than statues. A shot that hit the mark perfectly, but perfectly shattered his world in the process.

A poison-splattered dress, a terrifying realization.

Her well-aimed joke, but one that never fails to sting every time. Gosh, why hadn't they just allowed her to join their team in the first place? Maybe they could've prevented this- this- whole situation, if they hadn't been so freaking egotistical-

And, again, he's overwhelmed by the sheer sense of helplessness, all his power and training and skills completely useless to one of the people he cared most about. FSM, if only I hadn't used my first w-request so carelessly! If only I'd been able to escape- or, or if only I'd been able to assemble the team faster! If only-

Despite being in what must've been unimaginable pain, she offers a strained smile - a sweet gesture that, ironically, feels like she's poisoning him, because- because FSM, this is all so wrong, it wasn't supposed to end like this-

He watches with horror as her eyes dull and she stills in his arms.

She's gone, FSM, she's gone and it's all my fault-

"Jay?" a voice asks, concern evident in their tone. Distantly, he registers that he's having a breakdown in front of one of his best friends - one of the things he'd been trying really hard to avoid.

Dang it.

"I-" he tries to say, but, great, he's breathing too fast to even get the stupid words out.

"Breathe in for four seconds," Zane says, softly.

Four seconds? Time has no meaning right now, narrowed down to, like - falling down a chasm, terrified of what's at the bottom, except the fear's all around, this- this... foreboding thing of his mind that keeps yelling that he needs to run, or fight, but he can't, can't-

Right. Four seconds.

You're okay, you're fine, no one's trying to hurt you or your friends. She's not dead.

But what if- what if they're being dragged out of this ship right now? What if it was all a dream, and she's dead anyway, because all of us were too stupid to come up with another plan, and none of us could even do anything when she-

After a little while, when he could breathe a little easier, and the fear didn't feel like it was slamming into him from every possible direction, he slowly opened his eyes. Shakily, he wiped a tear from his face - as if that would wipe away all the weeks that had, theoretically, never even freaking happened.

The sky comes back into focus - pinpricks of light against pitch black. 

How was he going to come up with some sorta explanation without... well, explaining everything?

Great.

My nerves are frayed, and I have to lie to a walking lie detector - what could possibly go wrong?

"Are you alright?" Zane asks, his brows creased in concern.

"Heh heh, yeah. Probably just too many video games," he replies quickly, laughter a bit strained.

"You were muttering to yourself," his friend replies quietly. Ugh, trust the way-too-observant-nindroid to call him out on the remains of his facade. "If you do not mind me asking, what was 'all your fault'? I am sure that it was probably a misunderstanding."

You're the one who misunderstands everything, he thinks wearily, ignoring the part of him that yearns to tell someone else about... well, everything that's happened because of that stupid teapot. He's not one to keep secrets by nature, and it's been taking a bigger toll of him than he'd thought it would. Is this how Nya felt when she was still the Samurai? "It's- it's nothing, probably just nonsense."

"Are you sure? You seem... quite worried about something."

Dang it, were his hands still shaking? He presses his fingernails into his palms, squeezing his eyes shut for a second.

He's talking to one of his best friends, FSM. Weren't friends able to tell each other anything?

"Do you think it's easier to forget? Better?"

He didn't even realize he'd asked a question until Zane's eyes widened in surprise.

A forest coated in snow, ice crystals dangling from the tree branches above their heads. Plenty of screaming - way too much, he reflects, couldn't they have been a bit nicer? It must've been pretty jarring to learn that you weren't human, or that your father had erased years of your life from your mind - in that weird underground treehouse. Those crazy tree monsters - and the realization that they all had much more power than they'd thought.

"N- nevermind," he stutters, fleetingly thinking of kicking the deck. "That's way too personal, you don't have to answer it-"

"I do not mind," Zane says, a bit sadly.

Oh.

Heck, his friend was way too nice.

They gaze up at the stars for a few minutes, not really seeing them - one drowning under the weight of too many secrets, the other, too many memories.

It's quiet - too quiet.

Ugh, he thinks, sighing, that sounds like something a low-budget horror movie would start with, cringey sound effects to match.

But the silence is a painful reminder of the days he'd spent tossing and turning in a cramped cell - nothing but his worries and the bruises on his leg from that stupid ball and chain keeping him awake.

He's been trying hard - maybe too hard - to avoid being alone, avoid being in a situation where they've gotta be quiet ever since then, because, dang it, his memories always seem to fill the silence, and they're always far more terrifying than they should be-

It's easier, in a way, to be mocked for his stupid jokes than it is to relive a single moment from those nightmarish few weeks.

Almost reflexively, he grasps for something to fill the quiet.

"Heh, this is a bit awkward. It's okay if you wanna leave-"

"I do not mind," Zane echoes, walking a bit closer. "It is not as if I need to sleep. But... I do not quite know what to think of your question."

There comes the answer - or a semblance of one at least, and it's the last thing he'd been expecting.

"You don't know?" he blurts out before he can even think of trying to filter the thought. Way to treat your friend who's been nothing but kind to you, Jay. "But you're- you're a nindroid! You know everything-"

"Pixal," his friend mutters softly, sighing, and the hurt, the fear, laced through the word makes something in his heart practically twist. He knows all too well what it feels like to be in that situation - even if, technically, it had never happened.

Then- "I wish that were true. But I suppose that my emotions make certain situations much more complicated than... than they need to be. Thus I cannot give my perspective on this - or, at least, without sounding quite conflicted."

"You know that you're allowed to be conflicted, right? Even the coolest Nindroids don't know everything."

"...Yes, I suppose so."

Jay frowns at the almost subconscious hesitation, eyebrows creasing in concern.

"Seriously," he starts earnestly. They're both leaning on one of the railings just above the deck now. "Just 'cause you're a nindroid doesn't mean that you've gotta chase some kind of perfection that doesn't even exist."

He doesn't miss how Zane's eyes widen in shock, their bright blue hue glowing a little brighter - and heck, if that doesn't hurt even more than the earlier realization.

"Besides - it's not like none of us haven't made mistakes before. Hate to go all Wu on ya, but they help us learn or some stupid thing like that. Even if the mistake is trying not to make 'em, you know?"

"Thank you," Zane replies, a tired smile on his face. "Even the most advanced tech is susceptible to error, I suppose."

They've all made lots of mistakes, heaven forbid if one of them is still agonizing over messing up over the crazy situations the universe constantly put them in. It's not like they were told they'd have to face more ancient evil armies than they could count, were they?

Maybe it's time to stop focusing on events that never even happened, and pay more attention to your friends. What's the point of being part of this team if you're always scared or selfish?

"Shut up," he mumbles, rubbing his temples. What's the point of fighting if your own brain is gonna fight you whenever it gets a chance? A few seconds later, he schools his face back into his default anxious grin. "Great, cause I- I- could use your advice on something." "Alright," comes the quiet reply, his friend seemingly lost in thought.

"What if you wanted to tell someone something, but you couldn't?"

His breathing starts to speed up again, but he grips the deck until his fingers are practically bruised, stark white against his tanned skin. Not this time-

"Is this what you were referring to earlier? An event that you blamed yourself for?" Zane asks, eyes flitting between the floor and the sky.

Dang it, way too observant as usual. He masks his surprise with a laugh, but the conversation definitely isn't going as planned and, oh gosh oh gosh, what if-

No, there's no way that any of them would even believe that. Besides - no one can remember stuff that they've forgotten, especially if magic's at play.

"Yeah, kinda," and he's surprised by how steady his voice sounds. It's not easy to even think about that- event, talking about it is a whole different thing. A much more difficult thing, but also - a bit, a little bit, easier. "I-" "Apologies for interrupting," his friend interjects. "I suppose that I have not been entirely honest with you." What?

"A few days ago, I discovered a number of deleted memory files buried deep within my code."

Just like that, his whole world tilts out from underneath him.

It takes every ounce of his strength to keep himself from falling into the abyss again.

Wait, what?

Has he really known for all this time? It's been weeks! Surely he would've said something? It can't be, it never even-

The rational part of his mind points out that he can remember every day of those few weeks. Well, he was the one to make the wish - magical logic is kinda stupid, but maybe that's why he had to remember it or something?

Well then, a small voice interjects, why was Nya cursed to remember everything too?

Of course, even the stupid magical logic doesn't even make sense to the one who caused this whole mess in the first place.

"They were almost entirely corrupted - scrambled in a way that I am not familiar with. However, I did realize that certain files bore dates that have not even occurred yet. I dismissed it as a problem with my code, however..."

Breathe, calm down, it's not like he was able to process them or anything-

We agreed that no one was supposed to know! What if they end up blaming us for keeping it a secret this long, or, or-

"I mean, they could've been-" he starts, but the way in which he's nervously twisting his fingers is a pretty clear indication that he's lying, dang it.

"So when you mentioned that you were unable to tell someone something - did you mean that it was because they had quite literally forgotten about it?"

Great. Fantastic. Of course the literal robot has pieced it together by now-

He squeezes his eyes shut for a minute, hoping that if he ignores the problem, maybe it'll go away.

Okay, fine, maybe he's trying to figure out a way to fix this whole mess. Doesn't mean that he's any closer to coming up with a solution, though.

"Er, yeah," he whispers, shoulders slumped, eyes still firmly shut. Because gosh, he doesn't want to - can't, can't - see the realization dawn that, yeah, he's lied to people he's known for years and years, even though they've all seen way too many times that secrets bring nothing but trouble-

"Well, then - I would say that you don't have to tell them," Zane replies, surprisingly... earnestly? That, or he's either too freaked out to understand the tone properly. Could be either.

He opens his eyes, hesitantly.

And it comes as a bit of a shock to find nothing but concern reflected in his friend's.

The almost persistent weight on his chest feels a little lighter now, like the sky isn't as quite so empty.

Well, it still kinda is. But that doesn't hold as much weight as he'd thought it did - not if one of his friends is willing to look past that; past the heaviness of holding up all those memories with nothing his single star, flickering in and out of the darkness, to try and light the unforgiving darkness of the sky.

"Why?" Jay asks, so quietly he can barely hear it himself. "Don't I owe it to them? Do you?"

"No. Definitely not," comes the reply, so full of conviction that he almost stumbles back. Why-

"My father..."

Oh- oh.

"thought it was better to spare me the pain of mourning him than for me to know who I was," Zane confesses, hesitantly. "Not that I disagree, necessarily. I just..."

He trails off, clutching the railing so hard that the wood almost snaps beneath his titanium fingers.

It takes Jay a little while to realize why - why exactly his friend, who has access to a wealth of knowledge and information, is grasping for an answer. Because- because, well, even if someone does something in your best interests - sometimes the choice isn't always up to them. Or maybe it is, but it was... difficult, to say the least, to let go of the fact that his parents had never told him the truth sooner. Not that he blames them, necessarily - it's not like they knew that his father would pass on before he'd even get the chance to meet him - but... it's confusing, and difficult, not to know why you were left at a junkyard as soon as you were born. Maybe if he'd known that sooner, he could've asked the one person who might've had answers - although it's not like hoping for the past to change will actually change it.

They don't even know that you know, a small voice at the back of his mind points out, and suddenly everything makes a lot more sense-

"You wanted a choice," he breathes, eyes widening. A choice - like one that he'd never been given, one that he stills struggles not to hold against two people who've always had his best interests at heart. Even if they did have the right to withhold that one thing, after all they've done for him - the 'what if's' still echo in his mind far more often than he'd like. "There's nothing wrong with that, even if it feels that way. I kinda get where you're coming from, dude, and it's... super confusing, but I'd be pretty mad if my memories were tampered with like that."

So would anyone, he realizes, heart sinking. Oh, great. Not helping-

"I- I suppose so?" Zane answers, but it sounds more like a question than a reply. "However, in the same vein, it would be unwise for you to give away your choice whilst you still have one." "But don't I owe it to everyone? You just said it, it's horrible to alter people's memories and I- I-" "Did we forget... whatever it was for a good reason? "I- I mean, I guess, but..." "Then you do not owe it to us to relive something that we do not even remember." The words should be a relief - and they kinda are. But some part of him really does want to explain the crazy alternate timeline, and everything that happened in it. It's just... really, really freaking difficult.

"What if- what if I wanted to, though?" Jay asks hysterically, running his hands through his hair in a frenzied sort of way. "And I still couldn't? I just, I-"

He cuts himself off with a bout of forced laughter.

Zane takes a moment to reply, the bright blue light in his eyes flickering - a small tell that he was thinking so deeply, his processors were literally sparking up a bit.

"You queried earlier if it was easier, or better, to forget. And while all situations are different, I suppose it is... well, subjective. What do you think?" Zane asks, softly.

Derailing the conversation a bit, but his friend's obviously smart enough to be leading up to something.

Sure, he'll go along with it.

"I mean, there are some things I'd rather forget, you know? I guess we all know what that feels like," Jay replies, the statement with oddly sad air to it. They're still kids, after all, and it gets a bit exhausting pretending that their superhero lives were all fun and games - when they'd just given him enough grey hair to last then lifetimes, and enough nightmares to keep him from ever getting the normal amount of sleep his mum always prattled on about.

Sleep, heh heh. Practically a foreign concept, now.

"And I know that stuff that happens, like shapes us or something - and Master Wu would probably go off on a whole ramble about why we learn from our mistakes or whatever," he laughs nervously, resisting the urge to just fall headfirst onto the deck of the stupid ship instead of continuing the conversation," and how 'our scars only make us stronger', crap like that, but I just-"

"I'm just really... tired of this," he confesses warily, shoulders slumped. "W- I remember so many horrible things, and I-" he breaks off, laughing bitterly. His voice takes on a sort of brittle quality, way too high pitched, "and I can't even talk about them, dude. If that's not the most pathetic thing ever, I dunno what is."

"It does not-"

"Don't say it," Jay mutters, rubbing his temples. "I know, I know, my feelings aren't pathetic, they're always valid, whatever, spare me the lecture-"

"That is not what I was going to say," Zane replies gently. "It just seems that you have answered your own question."

"Gee, which one?"

"I do not know how much helpful assistance I can provide in this situation, but it is understandable to wish certain events had never occurred. However, seeing as we cannot change the past, it seems unwise to dwell on said events if you can avoid it."

Jay stiffens, clamping a shaky hand over his mouth. Something seems to press down even harder on his chest, a heavy sort of weight that causes his breathing to speed up again. Don't say it don't say it there's no reason to warn them this time-

"If you would like to tell any of us about something, of course you are welcome to. It does not to be the whole story, after all. Just make sure that it is the decision you choose, not one you choose because of what you think how it will affect others," Zane finishes quietly, ducking his head as if he's embarrassed.

The stars are still white-hot, burning away some million miles above them.

"Thanks," he says, and puts his hand softly on Zane's shoulder. "I mean, I know - that all makes sense, I guess. It's just- I-"

"You want to?"

"Yeah," Jay starts, sighing, "I do. It's just- it's not just my choice. And I'm pretty much dying already right now, so, as fantastic as making it all worse sounds, hard pass."

Oops, maybe he shouldn't have said that last bit. They'd agreed not to tell anyone about it - even this conversation was cutting it way too close. It wasn't impossible for them to put everything together - they were a pretty smart group, after all, even without their resident inventor and engineer - and Jay didn't really know what he'd think if they did. Fearful? Relieved? Angry?

"That does... not sound great? Dying certainly does not seem-"

"It's called sarcasm, Zane."

"Oh- yes. My memory now accesses the fact that people often speak in that manner. It does seem a bit counterproductive, though. Why not just say what you mean?"

"Shut it, you have no clue how integral to my life it is," Jay replies with a halfhearted grin.

A few seconds later, he remembers something his friend had mentioned earlier, and the grin disappears.

"You know that you can talk to us if you're not happy, right?" he asks, earnestly. Sure, it's not like he could always do that, considering, well, a stupid djin and even stupider magic, but it's not like he needs to. It's- well- he'll be okay, probably. Maybe. Kinda.

Zane's eyes blink on and off again, blue fading in and out. "I... I suppose that I was not quite aware of that."

Okay, they've screwed up way too many times, but this... this is pretty bad. Dang it, how long does it take for them to throw self-preservation instincts at their friend before he freaking- picks them up or something?

"However, will it not hurt those who have experienced the same unfortunate events?"

Dude, not the best question to ask someone wondering the exact same thing-

"It's been... uh, nice, kind of, talking to you. So- I don't think so, and I'm pretty sure someone would say so if it did. Besides, don't we talk about our adventures all the time? It'd probably be better if we... uh, well- heh heh, nothing."

"If we talked about the less than positive elements of them? Perhaps, but I still-"

Maybe it's the fact Zane has always tried to be there for him, or maybe he's too sleep deprived to care anymore, but this is a way too familiar situation and-

Well, not ignoring the issue would be a start.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we're family, Zane. We care about each other. And, gosh, that means that we care about you too. Memories are stupid and annoying sometimes, but we have to make good ones too, right? To block out the bad ones a bit, I guess? Kinda, at least."

They both look away from the stars now, grappling for something else to say.

In the end, they leave it be with a hug and a fondly exasperated warning about sleeping, if you happen to need it.

After all, they're family. They don't have to be perfect, or tell each other everything - even if it does take them a long time to realize that, and an even longer time remembering it.

---

The next time Jay startles awake from a nightmare, the sky is still empty - painfully so, like an ache that simmers beneath the surface even when it's not able to be seen.

The hue, though, is a little lighter.

Just a little - the all-encompassing darkness of it is now a navy sort of blue, his star shining a little bit brighter.

It's still not sunrise, not even close - but he'll take it. AN: the ‘sky’ mentioned at the start and end is a stupid metaphor that i somehow ended up liking too much to trash, it’s ‘empty’ because he hasn’t told anyone about the timeline, and Nya’s not included because they never had a chance to tell each other everything significant or even talked about it or processed it on screen. so yeah! if you read this,,, not great thing, can i send you a hug or good vibes or smth? tyy🥺

[echoeternally]

Hi there! I have a bit of a strange request for you, if that's okay. I'm currently in the process of planning/writing a longer Star Fox fic that prominently features Panther, and by extension, the FoxPanth ship, and I was wondering if you could give any pointers on writing Panther and/or him and Fox together?

This isn't strange at all! I'm even delighted, like, someone asking me about a pairing that I originally thought almost no one else would enjoy, and so they can write it too? It's like a dream, my gosh!

Give me one more second, like, I'm so amazed that this happened with my rare pair for Fox/Panther. FOXPAN! Of all pairs, I'm thrilled!

Ok, ok! Let's see what advice I can scrounge up for you.

A lot of people are under the impression that Panther is a pretty clear cut character in one regard or the other, but he actually offers a lot of flexibility to write about. That's probably why I gravitate to using him so often for Star Fox content.

Writing him playing off of Fox has a surprisingly enjoyable kind of chemistry, but it depends on what you go for with them. Coming to me means that you're in for the shipping, so, that I can help with!

Kind of prefacing that a bit because I know this is going under a cut, which I'm adding in here. More below, of course! Also, it's going to be a lot longer than you're expecting, so...I'm hoping that helps!

...

~Panther's Background~

Ok, I'll start with Panther as a character, since understanding how you want to portray him is the first part to nail down right.

People kind of mistake Panther to be a flat villain and a basically a pervy flirt, nothing more needed to build his character. It's easy to write him off as such, given how little canon support the games give.

There are some very, very crucial elements that he's given with his appearances, however, and they tend to be overlooked.

First and foremost, a lot of folks like to lump Panther in as "just another Star Wolf crony," which is fair if you don't focus on him.

However! What's critical that too many people ignore is that, in Panther's debut appearance, that's a brand new Star Wolf too. With the story for Star Fox: Assault being what it was, Panther is part of the Star Wolf team that no longer operates as mere mercenaries for the main villain and the obvious rival team, but he's part of a team that becomes allies to Fox and friends by the endgame.

Anyone can take that any way they want, but Panther is basically part of the lightest and kindest, perhaps even the most fleshed out version of Star Wolf. So, people that gleefully like pairing Fox off with Wolf because he has those "hey pup" lines? They should very well like the roster from Assault, because that's the installment that gave the most credibility to Wolf even being capable of defecting.

There's a lot of ways that it could be explained, but notably, Panther is the new big member on the main roster. Sure, they could fill a seat with anyone, but look at who they chose: this lighthearted goofball that enjoys playing with his rivals as much as he does causing trouble. A far cry from the likes of Leon, Pigma, and Andrew, who were on the more ruthless side of Star Wolf.

Many like Panther to be along that side too, and depending on how you want to characterize him, that could work out.

My personal preference, however, is that Panther is part of the catalysts that helps Wolf defect from being fully evil.

He's less interested in hurting civilians and being some kind of hotshot assassin. There's no hard support that Panther's criminal record involves heavy war crimes and murder, and canon biographies about him state him to be an elusive criminal that troubled Cornerian army officials.

Rather, Panther is entertained by causing mischief and enjoys playing around. He's cunning, but in ways to further his goals and those of his allies, not to play as a pawn in another's schemes.

I like to create the background that Wolf and Leon got low and desperate when searching for new recruits, and after meeting up with Panther, they adopt similar traits from him, easing up on their rougher traits in favor of getting their work done.

Basically, I favor the idea that Panther helped make Wolf better. (Which is totally a fun basis for Wolf/Panther, something that I've wanted to write for a few years too, lol.)

~Characterizing Panther~

It really depends on what you're doing with writing him, because you can make him a criminal even still and have that work nicely. However, I tend to give him ways out of being locked into a shadier background, focusing on his lighter traits, and making him more of a "gentleman thief" type of character foremost.

(For reference, I made him that kind of a thief in my fanfic, "Your Thieving Heart," because I really enjoy the idea that Panther's a cat burglar, as opposed to...well, whatever other people prefer.)

If you're focusing on an action or adventure story, I'd recommend using his craftier traits to help him stand out. Panther likes to play head games, because he'll tease and taunt his opponents, baffling them silly until they're clueless to his true motives.

He's also a skillful shot; in Star Fox: Command, Panther is the only playable character that does not use a Lock system for his Wolfen, which means that he makes a single shot that pierces most opponents. And in Assault, he makes a good support to both Star Wolf, and later on, Star Fox, so he can coordinate well in dogfights and combat too.

A story that's geared less to fighting, such as a drama or a comedy, would focus more on Panther's playful traits. Obviously his flirting, which I'll get to in a moment, but also, tweak the way that his playful and cunning manifests.

His teasing can be used to hide other facets of his character (maybe he's actually hurting and lonely deep down) or otherwise his goals (maybe he wants to get flowers for a partner and jokes about missing a meeting to do so).

His smarts can be used to show a more analytic or thoughtful side to him; while Panther isn't the type that would be the smartest in the room, he's absolutely underestimated by everyone, and can get away with a lot of surprises as a result.

Character flaws are pretty simple. Panther can be arrogant, so he can go a little too far touting his prowess and skill, as well as take his joking a little overboard without realizing when to back down. Since he is a criminal, he definitely has a less than luster past, which can hold him back, depending on how you want to write his criminal history. Also, I tend to think of him as a type that comes across charismatic and social, but in reality wants something quieter.

That last bit has support from a profile description in Command, which states that while Panther proclaims himself to be a "ladies' cat," he actually is known to fall "totally and completely in love" with his partner.

So, where people tend to limit him to being confident and flirty, that's the short and simple version to Panther. The deeper way to flesh his character out is to make him a hopeless romantic type, who craves and wants to find someone special to help fulfill his life.

Because a large portion of Panther's character gets limited to flirting with Krystal in his two major appearances, he's not given time to really show off the depths of his feelings. (I think Command tried, but that story got botched in a few too many places.)

He's not a misogynistic type, if I remember correctly, because he doesn't make any crude comments to berate or belittle Krystal's character, but rather, makes strong efforts to prime up his character instead, doing his best to come across as enticing and viable to her as possible.

Panther is super desperate and longing for love, and he's not above trying whatever methods he can to get there.

~Shipping With...Fox!~

So, how does Fox come into play on that? It's pretty easy, since Fox is also a flexible character as virtue of being the main player controlled character for the franchise. In other words, you can project a lot onto Fox in manners however you might like.

There are specific traits to Fox that remain part of his core character, however. He's obviously a strong leader, leading the legendary Star Fox team. If we go by Star Fox 64's ending, he's pretty humble, given that he turns down joining military ranks (presumably greater glory) to keep his life in a freer style with his contract work. (This gets played up as the series goes along, though Fox was actually pretty cocky in Star Fox 64, and somewhat so in Star Fox: Adventures as well.)

Given how his personality matures by the time of Star Fox: Assault and whatever went on with Star Fox: Command, Fox is something of a type that does abide by rules and doing the greater good type of work, but still retains some of his "off the books" or "go it alone" type of work.

So, since he's a hero that dances close to more lawful work, though still manages to find ways to slide around for what his objectives desire, that does make him a mostly "no nonsense" type, though on the friendlier and nicer side, of course. Fox can be portrayed as pretty orderly, in other words, and doesn't favor causing more trouble than he can handle, even if he's not above it.

Does that sound like something of an inverse to Panther, who tends to get into trouble and be mischievous? I should hope so!

Because they have foiled personalities from one another, that gives Fox and Panther elements of "opposites attract," since Panther can be silly and troublesome, while Fox tries to be serious and respectful. Panther has a shadier history with the Cornerian Army and his past is riddled with mystery and lack of depth. Fox, meanwhile, has staunchly strong and heroic ties with the Cornerian Army, who rely and count on his efforts to help them out. Additionally, he has a fair amount of his background explored as well, especially so compared to the enigma that is Panther.

Going by how flustered Fox gets in Star Fox: Adventures, Assault, and Command, he's also a bit sloppier in the romance department. He's seen as a stammering type, and shier around those that show interest in him, namely how Krystal does in the former two installments. He ends up being too protective of her in the last game included for that group, and kicks her from the team thinking that it was the safer option, when it really did nothing to stop her.

Those that ship Fox with Falco can also write him in angles to being oblivious to love, since Falco tends to be a bit harsh with Fox, which many like to write as him being guarded with his true feelings. So, combined with the information above, Fox is something of a romantic novice or rather inept at it.

Panther, whether he's actually good at romance or just likes to think he is, still comes across as an opposite to Fox on that level too. Whereas Fox falters and hesitates in romantic matters, Panther boldly strides forward to do his best in a quest for love.

There are some tricks to helping Fox and Panther work even better than just playing off of their foil traits however.

For starters: Both can be portrayed as very lonely souls.

Fox is a character that lost his parents at a young age, with his mother being out of the picture in every game installment, and his father dead before he's even 18. That's rough stuff, at least in my book. So, I'd consider that Fox has some isolated sides to his character that not everyone knows about, and that he has a side that grieves for his loved ones, and a side that longs to find a way to be loved and cherished in some manner once more.

Huh, does that sound familiar again? Someone that desperately wants to find love to fill a void in his life?

Oh wait, that's literally part of Panther's core too!

See, both Fox and Panther are seekers of love. While Fox may not be as forward with his intentions, he cares deeply for his team, his allies, and his planet, if not the entire Lylat galaxy. While Panther may not have such grand showings for compassion, he'd be the type that would be impressed, if not charmed, by someone so compassionate and caring.

If you take the idea that Panther helped make Wolf and Leon better, then it's likely that he also has a good deal of compassion in him too, seeing the best in people that the rest of Corneria and Lylat write off as the worst out there. Finding the light in the darkness is a kind of hopeful trait that Fox would absolutely be drawn to, since he can struggle to do the same.

Of course, both Panther and Fox are also skilled pilots, so, they have at least that much in common. Fox's skills are something that have outright impressed Panther in canon, and he compliments Fox a few times in both Star Fox: Assault and Star Fox: Command, commending Fox as his personal rival. It's not hard at all to shift that from mere respect to a deeper admiration.

Both are also very loyal and willing to see their goals through to the end. Fox proves this repeatedly in the games, but Panther shows such qualities in his appearances too, sticking by Wolf's side in spite of the challenges they face, and committing to his goals until they either are toppled enough to stop him, or until they are fully realized in a capacity that satisfies Panther well enough.

Typically, I like to mix things between "opposites attract" and "like attracts likes," to balance them out. Both Fox and Panther want to not be lonely and fall in love, to share their lives with someone. They're both also types that would be lonely in a crowd, though none are likely to suspect so, since they both come across confident and social enough to prove otherwise. Fox may find Panther's slippery side somewhat alluring, since he follows a freedom that Fox may sometimes wish he had from his more uptight and legacied life. Panther, meanwhile, might find Fox's loyalty and noble traits very endearing, because that means he'd firmly stand beside anyone that he committed himself to, something that Panther absolutely wants.

Naturally, you can play around with how you might like to portray them, based on the choices you'd make with your story, but those are some elements that I noticed and liked to help build it up.

While a lot of it is fairly made up with loose ties to canon, that's kind of the point to many fanfics. And even still, there is enough canon support to characterize Panther and Fox in a way that could make them a harmonized duo, to the point of romantic involvement.

Phew! Even I didn't realize how much I'd have to write about them until I actually put it all down, lol.

I do hope that you find this helpful. If you want any more information with building the pairing up for writing, please let me know! I'd love to increase the support that FoxPan gets out there, haha!

Thank you for asking too! This was a lot of fun to write out.

[plant-flwrs]

Can I request a ilvermorny transfer x one of the twins? I think it'll be cool if she wore roller skates to school (charmed by yours truly) since it's the 90s and she's cool but super sweet and caring - maybe when they invite her over to the burrow for the summer or their birthday she can give them a pair? Thanks ily!!!

roller skates // fred weasley 

masterlist!

a/n: ok i always feel bad when my fics take so long to set up and theres barely any like actual romance and i am trying to work on it. i think its hard for me to go into a fic where a relationship is already established, so i like writing them coming together and the immersion of it. but i hate reading fics where it takes forever to get to the good parts so just know that i will be trying to work on that flaw in my writing! thanks so much for reading! (i made the reader from florida just because my mind blanked on any other places that don’t have snow lol, but it’s not really relevant in any other situations so ignore it if u please) also just realizing all of my summaries sound scary and ominous also just realizing how i say way too much in these author notes im so sorry bye

summary: The American transfer student draws attention to herself with her accent, but Fred is drawn to something else about her.

(10.4k hehe sorry :D)

-----

Looking around at the students bustling past you, the only word you could think of was “proper”.

Looking down at your muggle clothes, loose and mismatched, your hair resting naturally, the only word you could think to describe yourself with was “improper”.

A boy with a permanent scowl and striking blond hair glanced your way, and the taller adults behind him followed his eye line. The three of them looked you up and down and their mouths all distorted into nasty grimaces. You felt your father’s comforting hand clasp over your shoulder, trying to help you remember everything he had said to you before arriving at King Cross Station.

“They aren’t that different from us,” he repeated, and you could tell he was doubting himself as he glanced at the uptight children and their matching parents.

He guided you forwards, and you pushed your large cart in front of you, navigating through the crowd. It started to separate around you, and even more odd glances were thrown your way. You supposed you should have felt a little insecure- you looked quite out of place- but the feeling could not overwhelm the excitement you felt. You had read all about Hogwarts, its history, its architecture, and you even picked up a few books about muggle London.

You were stood in your father's embrace, about to board. Your things were stored away, and you heard the train roaring louder and louder. You glanced around, the fathers in their dress shirts and ties, mothers in long skirts and blouses. Their children wore sweaters and jeans, or suit jackets and dress pants.

Something caught your eyes, though; a few feet away there was a large family, mingling in embraces. They all had flaming red hair, and their clothes looked like yours. In fact, your clothes resembled the oldest woman’s clothes, mismatched and colorful. Her eyes watered, and she smoothed down the hair on a fidgeting boy.

“Ronald, hold still!” she shouted at him, and he reluctantly allowed his mother to soothe his red hair down into a part on the side.

Once the woman had moved onto another child, Ronald roughed his hair back to the mess it was before. The woman now clutched a smaller boy, who looked like he was Ronald’s age, by the shoulders. She moved a hand to soothe his unruly hair off his forehead. Your eyes widened when you saw the lightning bolt on his forehead.

The books you had bought about the English Wizarding World did not neglect to mention the boy who lived. Elbowing your father, you both cast glances at the family. Your father nodded his head, looking impressed at the sight of Harry Potter.

“Thanks again Mrs. Weasley,” Harry said, and it sounded like he had said it millions of times before.

Mrs. Weasley waved off the two boys, who went to gather a girl with large bushy hair.

“Come on ‘Mione! We’ve got to get a good compartment,” Ronald said impatiently, tugging the girl's arm onto the train.

Mrs. Weasley was left with four other children. One of them looked like all the other proper British people you had seen at the station, a permanent sneer on his face. He shook his head stiffly at his mother and shook his father’s hand. You thought it was quite odd, and two identical boys standing with the family couldn’t contain their laughter.

“Yes,” one of them started, doubling over in a bow, “good day, mother,” he said pompously, imitating his brother.

“May you have a wonderful few months,” the other started, moving to shake his father’s hand as his brother had moments ago, “I’ll be looking for your owl,” he said, sounding incredibly posh.

The younger girl, with the same fiery hair, began to giggle, earning a scowl from the eldest brother as he boarded the train.

The girl pulled her mother in for a hug, and then her father, and waved to them fervently as she followed after her brother.

“You boys, stay out of trouble!” Mrs. Weasley said to the remaining twins, waving a finger at them.

“We always do, mum,” one said, and it was obvious by his tone that they didn’t often stay out of trouble.

They waved to their parents at the same time, stepping onto the train with a certain enthusiasm.

You averted your gaze, looking anywhere but at the family you had been staring at. You looked up at your father, hugging him one last time. When you pulled back, you heard his name being called.

“Mr. Y/n?” the voice called out, approaching the two of you.

It was Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and Mr. Weasley already had his hand stuck out to your father.

“I’m Arthur Weasley, I’ve been the one to hire you at the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office at the Ministry. This is my wife, Molly. Funny to meet you here,” he said politely, looking at you and your father in a nicer way than any other wizard had during your time at the station. His eyes didn’t wander down to your brightly colored shoes, or your patterned pants, and he didn’t even cast a second glance at your oversized, offensively colored sweater. You beamed at him.

“Oh! Yes, it’s great to meet you,” your father said, shaking his hand. He squeezed your shoulder, jostling you a bit, “This is my daughter, Y/n.”

“Oh, would you hear that accent, Arthur!” Molly gasped, smiling as if she was astonished. Your father chuckled at her reaction. You supposed it would happen to you a lot at Hogwarts.

They both smiled at you, and Arthur offered you his hand to shake. You held your hand out, but the sleeve of your sweater swallowed the limb. You shook the extra clothing away, and Molly chuckled. Finally shaking his hand, you held it out to Molly. She bypassed your hand and began to roll up the sleeves of your sweater.

“Thank you,” you said, and she nodded, accomplished, at you.

“Better get her going,” your father said, and the Weasleys nodded at you.

“Have a good term, dear,” Molly said to you, patting your shoulders the way she had done to Harry.

“Thank you,” you repeated, moving past them and heading onto the train.

You waved one last time at your father, and the door closed behind you.

You wandered down the isles, looking for an empty place to sit. You pretended to look like you knew where you were going, hoping fewer people would stare at you if you did. Your plan didn’t work, and you caught the eyes of almost everyone you passed.

You had made it to the end of the train, and your eyes peered into the last cabin. It was empty except for a girl and a boy. They seemed friendly enough, so you slid open the door.

“Mind if I sit with you guys?” you asked, and the boy looked at you quizzically when he heard your voice.

“Not at all,” the girl said.

She had strikingly blonde hair and gray eyes that poured deeply into you. She had a faint smile on her lips, and her head was cocked to the side.

“I’m Luna Lovegood,” she said, and her voice was light and airy, “This is Neville Longbottom.”

The boy shifted in his seat, casting a shy glance at you. He raised a shaky hand and gave you a curt wave.

You smiled widely at the two of them, glad you seemed to have picked the right place to sit.

The train ride went fast enough. Luna asked you all sorts of questions about America, and you asked her all sorts of questions about England. When Neville warmed up to you, he asked some questions about Ilvermorny. They asked what house you had been in there, and you told him you were a Thunderbird, the soul of the witch.

“Where do you reckon she’ll be sorted into here?” Neville asked Luna. You leaned forwards, curious for the answer.

“Oh, I don’t know,” she said, peering into a magazine she had balanced into her lap, “but if I’m lucky, it’ll be Ravenclaw.”

“Which one is Ravenclaw?” you asked, trying to remember what you had read.

“The wise and witty,” Luna said, moving her robes to show the crest on it. It was blue with a bird over it.

“A raven, clever,” you said, looking closer at Neville’s red-trimmed robes.

“You’d think,” he said, “but it’s an eagle. I’m a Gryffindor, we’re meant to be brave but,” he trailed off, and Luna placed a comforting hand on his arm.

“Oh, stop it, Neville,” she said gently, her gaze back onto you, “there's Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.”

You nodded, recalling what little you read.

“My dad said he figured I would be a Hufflepuff. The Ministry told him he was a Ravenclaw, he had to do the silly sorting hat and everything,” you said, and Neville smiled at you.

“Hufflepuff? They’re quite nice, I suppose,” he said, sounding disappointed that you weren’t in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw.

“Well, we won’t know for sure,” Luna said, closing her magazine, “until-” but the train’s brakes began to screech.

Her smiled widened, and you looked down at your robes you had changed into. Maybe now people would be less inclined to stare, you thought.

You were right, but only briefly. Once you had gotten to the Great Hall, you were shuffled in with the first years. Your face burned a slight red the whole time, your larger and older stature standing out amongst the sea of younger students. Your name was called, and you heard a faint whooping coming from the table of red.

You glanced at it, seeing Neville lowering a cheering fist from the air. He looked around nervously, and you saw one of the Weasley twins glancing at his quizzically. You smiled at Neville’s support and sat in the stool.

An old and tattered hat was lowered onto your head, and suddenly it began speaking in your ear.

“Hm, very interesting. You’re not from here, that’s obvious,” it spoke quickly, echoing in your skull, “but I think the choice is simple. I’d say,”

Suddenly the voice left your skull and boomed into the room, for everyone to hear.

“Hufflepuff!”

Cheers from a table full of yellow sounded off, some raising from their seats and clapping for you. You beamed, moving off the stool and skipping cheerfully towards the table. You walked down the aisle between the red and yellow, and Neville’s hand stuck out at you.

“Congratulations!” he said excitedly, holding his hand up for a high five.

You hit his hand, and he waved you off.

A girl with a yellow tie and dark hair waved you over. She inched over, giving you room to sit with her.

“I’m Sarah, happy to have you in Hufflepuff!” she beamed, and you didn’t think you would ever get used to the British accents.

“It’s nice to meet you,” you watched her eyes widen at the sound of your voice, “I’m Y/n.”

“You’re American! You must have come from that American school, what’s it called, Ilmorny?” she asked, ducking her head and whispering as the sorting continued.

“Ilvemorny,” you corrected her, still smiling.

Sarah asked you a lot of the same questions Neville and Luna had asked, but you didn’t mind answering them. She had even offered to give you a tour of the school tomorrow, with the promise that you would choose the bed next to her’s in the dorm.

Sarah had lived up to her promise. You walked with your head permanently tilted upwards, admiring the greatness of the castle. Sarah ate with you at every meal and even insisted on walking you to your classes until you knew the way on your own. She had been so nice to you, and when Luna told you about the upcoming Hogsmeade trip, you knew you had to ask her to go with you.

The two of you walked through the snow, wrapped up in matching yellow and black scarves. She had linked her arm with yours and pulled along to all her favorite shops.

The two of you ducked into The Three Broomsticks, sick of the ice sticking to your face.

You saw a red scarf and a blue scarf sitting at a table, and when you saw the flow of blonde hair peeking from the blue one, you knew who it was. You pulled Sarah over to Luna and Neville, and Neville told you to pull up two chairs. You introduced Sarah to Luna and Neville.

“We’re just waiting for Harry, Ron, and Hermione to meet us,” Neville said, smiling cheerfully.

“Oh, should we go?” you asked, offering to free up your chair.

“No, no, stay,” Luna urged you, pulling your arm back down, “I’ll introduce you.”

This was how you were going to meet Harry Potter, you thought, huddled up at a small table, drinking a foamy beverage that left a little white mustache on your upper lip.

Harry was just like every other kid, and he was with the people you had seen at the station that day.

“What did you say your last name was?” Ron asked, leaning over the table so you could hear him.

“Y/l/n,” you said.

“Does your dad work for the Ministry?” he asked, and you nodded, “Our dads work together!” he said, elbowing Harry.

“Her dad is the bloke my dad was raving about all summer, the guy from America,” Ron said to Harry, and Harry nodded at you.

“What a coincidence,” you said, dipping your head to take another sip of the drink Sarah had ordered you.

You all fell into a natural conversation, and Hermione asked to switch seats with Sarah at one point. Sarah had no protests, filing easily into the seat next to Harry, glancing at him dreamily.

“Will you tell me about America? I’ve been to other parts of Europe for holidays, but never America. What’s it like? How different are the wizards?" Hermione sounded off questions like she had them rehearsed, but you were happy to answer them.

You and she were in a fit of laughter after she had told you about her parents’ reaction to her letter. Your eyes were shut, brimming with tears, as Hermione recounted her mother’s jumping up and down.

You were so involved with your conversation with Hermione, you hadn’t noticed Ron’s brothers come into the restaurant.

“Hello, Ickle Ronniekins,” one of them teased, messing a hand through Ron’s overgrown hair, “when are you gettin’ a hair cut?”

“Mum’s gonna cut it all off the second you get home,” the other said, pulling a chair in between Luna and Ron. The other pulled a chair in between Harry and Sarah, and you didn’t miss Sarah’s annoyed sigh at the interruption.

You and Hermione were recovering from your laughter, clutching your stomachs and breathing heavily.

“What’s so funny ladies?” one of them said, shoving Ron aside so he could rest his elbows on the table.

“Just telling Y/n about how my parents reacted to my letter from Hogwarts,” Hermione sighed, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.

“You’re the famous Y/n?”

“The American?”

Ron elbowed each of his brothers in their sides, frowning at them.

“That’s me,” you answered cheerfully, smiling at them, “Are you Ron’s brothers?”

“More like,” one of them started.

“Best friends,” the other finished.

“He really would be nowhere if it weren’t for us,” they said at the same time.

A smile slid across your face; it was easy to smile around your new friends, you found.

Hogwarts was better than you could have ever hoped. You wrote to your father nearly every week, recounting the amazing things you had done with Sarah, Luna, Neville, Harry, Hermione, and Ron. The seven of you were becoming inseparable.

Luna’s blue tie dangled over your face as you lay on her lap, she was trying this odd head charm she had read about in the Quibbler. Your head rested in between her legs, back on the ground. Her skinny fingers were pressed to your temple, and they hesitantly pressed into your skin.

“Is that right?” she asked, consulting the cartoon pictures that moved on the Quibbler laying next to her.

“I don’t reckon, it doesn’t feel like anything’s happening,” you said, sitting up and rubbing where Luna’s fingers had been.

“Neville,” Luna said, motioning him over. His face grew white as she pulled him into him, moving to where you had been. Luna’s fingers pressed against Neville’s head, and his eyes fluttered closed. Luna began to hum to herself, and Neville smiled.

You crawled over to sit by Ron under the tree. Sarah was talking to Harry, her eyes dazed over as he gently brushed off a leaf that had fallen on her shoulder. Hermione was near, her head resting on her bag, laying on her back with his legs crossed. She was deep into a muggle book you recognized, and you couldn’t blame her for not wanting to put it down.

“Hi, Ron,” you snapped him out of his thoughts, ending his obvious staring at Hermione, “enjoying the weather?”

“Yeah, it’s just about my favorite time of year,” he said, twisting a blade of grass in his fingers.

The snow had melted, winter break had ended. Ron was able to shed his mother's heavy knitted sweaters and wear some of his more comfortable shirts.

“I quite liked the winter,” you said, your head leaning against the tree, “it was my first time seeing snow.”

“Are you serious? Why didn’t you tell us that?” Ron asked, seeming bewildered.

“Don’t know,” you shrugged, smiling at him.

“Hermione! Oi, Hermione! Y/n had never seen snow before she came here,” Ron said, calling out to Hermione.

“I know, she’s from Florida,” Hermione said, uninterested, head still buried in her book.

“Florida? Why didn’t I know that?” Ron asked, feeling out of the loop.

“Don’t know,” you repeated, shrugging again.

“Because you don’t ask, Ron,” Hermione said, sounding unpleased with Ron’s loud volume.

You stifled a laugh, but Ron looked at you, feeling guilty.

“Hermione’s right, I guess,” Ron said, casting a sad glance at you.

“It’s alight, Ron, I won’t hold it against you,” you reassured, and Ron perked up a little.

“Tell me one thing no one else here knows about you,” Ron said urgently. To this, Hermione closed her book and lay it on her chest, interested in what you were going to say.

You thought about it. You didn’t have anything to hide from your friends, but you felt yourself blanking on even the littlest fact about yourself. You tried to think of any special abilities you had, besides being a wizard, or any life events that were significant. The only thing you thought of was the hesitance you had when packing your trunk for school, debating on whether or not to bring your roller skates with you. Ilvermorny had allowed them, and you skated to nearly all your classes. The school's cold granite floors were just begging to be skated across, you had thought, and it was ten times faster than walking.

You thought about your skates, you missed them more than you thought you would. The white boots with slick, black wheels and rainbow laces were one of your most prized possessions. You wondered now, again, if you would have gotten in trouble for bringing your roller skates to school.

“Oh, alright, I’ve thought of something,” you began, and Hermione sat up a little, resting on her elbows.

“I really like to roller skate,” you said proudly.

“Roller skate?” Hermione and Ron repeated at the same time. Ron sounded confused, but Hermione sounded entertained.

“Yeah.”

“Like from the 80′s?” Hermione asked, still sounding entertained.

“They’re making a comeback,” you defended.

“What’s roller skate?” Ron asked, looking between you and Hermione.

“It’s like shoes with wheels on them,” Hermione said, used to having to explain muggle inventions her friend, “You tie them up and you skate around.”

“What do you do that for? Do they go really fast?” Ron asked.

“They can,” you said, “but it’s really just for fun. I used to take them with me to Ilvermorny and go to my classes on them, but I didn't know if Hogwarts allowed them.”

“Why wouldn’t they?” Ron asked, “Are they dangerous?”

“They're not dangerous, I suppose you could fall on them, but it’s not as bad as that Quidditch game you guys play,” you explained, “I just didn’t know if Hogwarts allowed those kinds of muggle things.”

Ron and Hermione nodded, and Hermione looked to be in deep thought.

“I’m sure they would,” she said, returning back to her book.

“What do you reckon they’re doing down there?” Fred asked, looming over George’s shoulder as he held the Marauder’s Map in his hands.

“Do you think Ron’s finally gonna get a girlfriend?” George teased, looking at you and Ron sitting together under the tree.

Fred sneered at his brother. Ever since he had told George he thought you were cute, it seemed George wanted to push his buttons any way he could. He would make jokes about you and Ron flirting, and for some reason it made his blood boil. He hadn’t even spoken to you on more instances than he could count on a hand, but he was enticed by you.

Your eyes were always moving, and they were always wide with excitement. He thought you were beautiful, you were always wearing your muggle clothes when you didn’t have to wear your uniform. You dressed kind of like his mum, he realized one day, but in a cooler way. That’s the word, cool, he thought you were cool. You fit in easily with Ron’s friends, you could talk about anything, and you were always so sweet.

“Where are they going now?” George wondered out loud, watching the names on the map begin to move.

You got up and dusted off your pants, feeling the baggy jean material under your fingers. You helped Ron up, offering him a hand and pulling him off the ground. You, Ron, and Hermione trailed after Harry and Sarah, who trailed after Neville and Luna. You had all been feeling a bit warm outside, so you decided to go to the Gryffindor common room for the rest of the afternoon. You and Sarah were always excited to go to the Gryffindor common room, feeling it was a nice change from yours in the basement.

Fred’s eyes watched as you, Ron, and Hermione walked together towards the Gryffindor common room. He suddenly felt nervous, even though he was up in his dorm with George. He stood, and looked at himself in the mirror. He pulled down at the bottom of his shirt, tugging uncomfortably at the way it clung to his arms. He hadn’t been dressed to impress, and he usually didn’t, but at the sight of your name getting closer to his on the map, he ignored George’s torments and changed into nicer pants and a more flattering shirt.

Harry stepped passed Neville, who had forgotten the password, and held open the portrait for everyone as they stepped through. You, Sarah, Luna, and Hermione occupied the biggest couch in front of the fire, and Neville and Ron took the armchairs on either side of you. Harry sat on the floor in between Ron’s chair and where Sarah had sunk into the corner of the couch.

Sarah beamed at you, taking notice of the small action, and you wiggled your eyebrows back at her. She blushed and leaned over the side of the couch, resting her chin in her hand and starting a conversation with Harry.

Hermione pulled her book from her bag again, reading the pages eagerly. You and Luna sat shoulder to shoulder as Luna began to tell you about her plans for the summer.

“I think I’ll try to learn French,” she said, toying with some sunglasses she pulled from her pocket.

“You’re going to learn French?” you repeated, a smile pulling up your lips.

“I think so, might also help my dad with his plums,” Luna said, turning to you as she slipped on the sunglasses. They overcame her face, entirely oversized and wonderful. They were bright green and had purple lenses that were reflective. You could see your wide and amused smile in them.

“Your father grows plums?” you inquired, always enjoying conversation with Luna.

“Yes, they’re Dirigible Plums.”

“What are those?”

Luna pulled her hair back and showed you a pair of earrings she wore. They looked like little orange balloons, but leaves hung from them.

“Oh, those are very pretty, Luna,” you said, admiring them.

“My dad says they make you wiser,” she explained, “so he grows them in his garden.”

“And you wear them as earrings,” you said, smiling at her.

“Yes,” she nodded and gave you a crooked grin.

“What are your plans for the summer?” Luna asked.

“Oh, I don’t know. My father will be working, so I’ll probably be home all day,” you said, feeling a little lonely already, “I’ll have my roller skates though.”

Luna looked at you, confused, but you were more talking to Ron anyways, who you noticed was listening to your conversation.

“You should come to the Burrow this summer! Everyone does, even for just for a week,” Ron said, standing and moving over to sit on the coffee table in front of you.

“That sounds cool, I’d love to,” you said, grinning at Ron.

You looked around you and felt so lucky, lucky to have found such kind and accepting people at your new school.

Pacing upstairs, Fred smoothed down his hair before ruffling it again and then smoothing it. He knew you were downstairs, and he knew he wanted to talk to you, but you just made him so nervous. He never gets nervous.

George sat with his elbows on his knees, eyebrows raised, watching his brother obviously losing his mind.

“Just go down and talk to her,” he said, a little afraid his brother might explode, “you’re gonna wear a hole in the ground.”

Fred stopped where he stood, near the door. He sighed heavily and nodded.

“Yeah,” he said, swallowing hard, “I’ll just go talk to her.”

Fred recalled the day he had formally met you at the Three Broomsticks. He was smooth, able to mask the way your curious gaze had made his stomach flutter. He couldn’t very well go down there and make a fool of himself, could he?

“Oi Fred!” he heard Lee call from where he stood near Harry, which was also near you, “Come over here a minute.”

Fred sauntered over, forcing himself not to stare at you.

Hermione had put down her book, and Luna had left to go to her own common room to do some homework. You and Hermione sat cross-legged facing each other, playing a muggle card game.

“Yeah?” he asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets and leaning against the banister of the fireplace.

Harry and Lee sat at two wooden chairs near the fireplace, only a few feet away from the couch you were on. This angle allowed him to watch you as your head threw back in laughter as Hermione scowled at her losing the game. His eyes easily flickered back to Lee, who pulled him into the conversation he and Harry were having about Quidditch.

Ginny walked through the portrait hole, returning from some Quidditch training she had been doing. Ginny was taking Quidditch very seriously this year and had taken to exercising on the pitch with Angelina every weekend.

“Ginny!” Ron called out to her, putting down the newspaper he was reading. He waved her over with a hurried hand.

“What?” she said, plopping down on the empty space next to Hermione, “What game are you guys playing?”

You looked up from the deck of cards you had begun to shuffle as Hermione told her.

“Ginny,” Ron said again, pulling his sister’s attention back to him.

“Hm?” she said, and it was very obvious she was tired from her day's activities.

“Have you asked anyone over for the summer yet?” Ron asked, and his eyes flicked to you, “I just invited Y/n, so I don’t want it getting too crowded.”

Ginny looked over to you, her gaze becoming analytical. You raised a hand to wave and cast her a kind smile, and she returned it.

“I don’t have anything planned, it should be fine,” Ginny turned away from Ron and back towards you and Hermione, “When are you lot coming? At the same time?”

You looked towards Hermione, not knowing the answer.

“Oh, I didn’t have any specific ideas yet, Ron’s just asked me. Still have to write to my dad,” you said, and Hermione nodded.

“Yeah, I’m sure it’ll be the usual time for me, though,” Hermione said, and Ginny smiled.

“What’s the usual time?” you asked, beginning to deal the cards to you and Hermione.

“A few weeks before school starts, Mrs. Weasley takes us all to Diagon Alley for our school things,” Hermione said, speaking fondly of the memory.

“Should I ask my dad to come then, when Hermione does?” you looked towards Ron, “Unless I should come at a different time,” you said, not trying to intrude.

“That would be perfect! Harry comes ‘round that time too, so we’ll all see each other,” Ron said.

He looked over at Harry, and upon seeing his brother, he called Fred over the way he had done to Ginny.

“Fred, have you invited anyone home for summer yet?”

Fred’s gaze immediately went to you, and he found you looking at him too.

“Yeah,” he said, pushing himself off the wall and over to Ron.

“Who?” Ron said, curious because his brothers usually didn’t have people over to the Burrow during holidays.

“George,” he said, smirking.

“Git,” Ron mumbled under his breath.

“Why do you ask, Ickle Ronniekins?”

“I just wanted to make sure it wouldn’t get too crowded when Hermione, Harry, and Y/n come ‘round,” Ron said, squirming as Fred forced himself into Ron’s seat that was only big enough for one of them.

Fred’s cool demeanor dropped for a moment, his eyes widening. He quickly recovered, wrapping an arm around Ron.

“How considerate of you,” he said, giving his brother an unwanted side hug.

Ron got up from his seat, leaving Fred to sit by himself. He watched you with unblinking eyes as you listened to Ginny talk about her time with Angelina on the pitch.

Looking down at your packed to the brim suitcase, you glance to the corner of your room. Your pristine roller skates sat there, one on their side. They looked sad and forgotten, but you knew that wasn’t true. Ever since you had gotten home from Hogwarts, you had taken to skating around ‘muggle’ London. You had also just gotten used to saying ‘muggle’.

Your father left early and got home late, and part of you was jealous that he got to see a Weasley every day and you didn’t. To ease your envy, you took to your skates.

You weren’t sure if you should pack them with you for Ron’s house. You were leaving when your father got home for work, the two of you setting off just before dark. You shoved a sweater deeper into your bag, making room for the skates.

Your father was to eat dinner with the Weasleys, sleep on the couch, and set off with Mr. Weasley for work in the morning. No point in two trips, they figured.

You were traveling by Flu powder, and your father went first. He heaved your bag into the fireplace with him and erupted in green flames. You carried a backpack on your shoulder, filled with little things that couldn’t fit in your suitcase.

Fred was more nervous and excited than he had ever felt in his whole life. He was determined to chat you up this summer, at least do something to make sure you knew he existed. He had been pacing in he and George’s shared room, but George pulled him down to the kitchen and made him drink some tea, hoping to calm him down.

You twisted your fingers, looking nervously into the fireplace. You were extremely excited to spend the remaining weeks of your summer with the Weasleys, but a small part of you was scared. You were nervous that Ron’s parents wouldn’t like you as much as they did at the train station. You were nervous that Ron, and his siblings, would get sick of having you around. You were nervous that you would become a burden.

You had been writing with Hermione, and she ensured you of how kind the Weasleys were. She told you that you had nothing to worry about, and you felt a little relieved.

You had visited Sarah a couple of times during the summer. She lived fairly close, close enough for you to take muggle transportation. Her family was welcoming and all had wide eyes at your accent. Thinking of their kindness, you felt confident enough to finally step into the fireplace.

Green flames surrounded you, and within seconds, you were stood in a different fireplace. It was a little shorter, and you were glad you had hunched over a little. Mr. Weasley and your father were shaking hands off to the side, over by a large couch. Mrs. Weasley was looking into the fireplace and waving you out. Ron was trudging your suitcase upstairs already, and Hermione and Ginny stood by Mrs. Weasley smiling widely. You noticed Fred and George sat at a large wooden table near the kitchen both drinking some tea and eating.

You took a step from the fireplace, making sure to wipe off any ash that may have stained your clothes, and allowed Mrs. Weasley to pull you into a hug.

“Oh, so good to see you again, dear!” she said, rocking you back and forth in the suffocating hug.

You didn’t care if you couldn’t breathe, you decided at that moment that Molly Weasley gave the absolute best hugs. She released you, patting your shoulders and running a loving hand through your hair, tucking it behind your ear. You beamed at her, and she smiled back at you.

When she moved away, Hermione quickly replaced her. Hermione’s arms pulled you close, wrapping around your backpack.

“I missed you!” she said, smiling at you.

“I missed you too!” you said, nearly ‘awing’ at everyone’s kindness.

Ginny hugged you too, and when you stepped away, Ron had come back downstairs. You hugged him, and then Harry, and finally you were left to be able to breathe your own air.

The house around you was adorable. It was better than you could have ever imagined. Magic was everywhere, and everything just felt like home.

“You’ll be staying with me and Ginny,” Hermione said to you from her spot next to you at the table.

“Perfect,” you replied, the same awestruck smile plastered on your face since you had arrived.

Fred looked at you from across the table. He felt like his dinner was moving in his stomach, and his hands were sweating. He’d nearly dropped his fork three times. He breathed deep, and when the conversation lulled, he took his chance.

“How has your summer been, Y/n?” he asked, and you looked up from your plate to him.

He nearly died, your happy eyes looking at him.

“Great!” you said, wiping your hands on your napkin in your lap, “I’m glad to finally be here.”

He smiled back at you, and it took him a moment to realize he’d been staring for a little too long, and that you had asked him a question.

“My summer? Oh, my summer’s been good too,” he replied, nodding.

You looked to George, who was next to him and raised your eyebrows, inviting his answer.

“It’s been good,” he said casually, and then an evil grin spread across his face, “but I think Fred’s just about worn my ear off talking about you.”

Fred coughed, choking on his mashed potatoes. His face went red, and he looked at his twin with an anger George had never seen before. Fred quickly looked back at you, as if to gauge your reaction. Your head was tilted down, but a shy smile was on your face and a blush crept on your cheeks.

Fred’s anger subsided at the sight of it, but when George kicked him from under the table, he was reminded.

“What is wrong with you?” Fred asked, nearly yelling at his brother in the privacy of their own room.

“I gave you a push,” George answered, not looking up from the Zonko’s catalog in his hands.

Fred simmered, coming to the realization that George was right. He fell onto his bed, thinking back to the pink on your cheeks and the bashful curl of your lips.

He didn’t know how he was meant to sleep, painfully aware of the fact that you were asleep just a room away.

“Did you hear what George said to Y/n at dinner?” Hermione asked, pulling Ginny into the argument you were having once she got out of the shower.

Ginny shook her head, removing the towel from her hair, “No, what’d he say?”

You rolled your eyes at Hermione as she divulged into every little detail of what George had said.

“And Fred could not stop staring!” she finished, and you let out an exaggerated breath.

“He was not staring!”

“Yes, he was,” Ginny said cheekily, sitting down on her bed.

“Ginny!” you said, giving up hope of having her on your side.

“He totally fancies you,” Hermione said.

Your face twisted for two reasons: the word ‘fancies’, and the fact that she thought Fred Weasley might fancy you.

“He does not!”

Ginny sat on her bed, listening to you and Hermione go back and forth. She knew Fred fancied you, he had since they had been at school. She saw his longing looks, the way he looked at you first after he told a joke, and the pure admiration he had in his eyes any time he looked at you. It especially convinced her when Fred had been talking about you all summer. She came to a decision.

“He does,” she said, watching Hermione’s face change into the proud one she wore when she answered a question right in class. Your mouth hung open.

“What?” Hermione’s gaze turned towards you, and she smiled widely. You liked to think it was her infectious smile that made your mouth turn up, and not the idea of Fred liking you.

“He has been talking about you all summer, I’m surprised Ron didn’t tell you earlier,” Ginny said, bringing the towel to her hair again to catch some dripping water.

“He probably hasn’t even noticed,” Hermione said, the tone of annoyance dripping off her tongue.

Ginny flashed her a sympathetic look, but Hermione ignored it, continuing.

“Do you like him?” she pried, and the whole room felt like it was frozen.

They both looked at you expectantly, waiting for your answer.

You didn’t know. Fred was handsome, and funny, and clever, but you hardly knew him. You knew he was mischievous, and that he tormented Ron, but other than that you might as well have been strangers. You could not deny, however, that he was attractive.

“I don’t know,” you said, honestly.

“You don’t know?” Ginny repeated, confused.

“Yeah, I mean, I barely know him,” you answered, the obvious energy in the room shifting to something of deep thought.

“Do you fancy him, though?” Hermione asked, her eyebrows raised.

“I think he’s cute, yeah, but how can he fancy me? We’ve barely spoken to each other. Are you sure Ginny?” you asked again, still doubtful.

“I’m sure he’s noticed the little things more than you think he would, Fred can be pretty considerate when he wants to be,” Ginny said, and you breathed out loudly. You flopped on your back, the mound of blankets around you and Hermione soothing your landing.

“See? I wouldn’t know that!” you said.

You knew it was a little silly, to focus on something like this. You had an older, attractive, popular boy head over heels for you, but you were harping on the fact that you didn’t know whether or not he was considerate.

“You’re being ridiculous,” Hermione said harshly, “I mean it’s not like you’re forced to marry him. You go on dates with people to get to know them, after all.”

You were nearly offended by Hermione’s tone, but you figured she was just getting irritated on the subject of crushes.

“I know, ‘Mione, I’m just confused by it,” you reassured her.

“Well, test the waters tomorrow,” Ginny said suggestively, wiggling her eyebrows.

You cringed away from her, and swells of giggles were coming from Ginny’s room nearly all night.

The three of you slept late into the morning. The Burrow’s eventful noises were nothing compared to the sounds of muggle London, so you slept peacefully. It wasn’t until something began tapping on Ginny’s window, did the three of you wake up.

“What the-?” Ginny started but soon fell silent at the sound of a loud crashing noise. Shards of glass scattered around the room and Hermione was lucky that she had rolled away from the window in her sleep. You put your hand up, flinching at the noise, and when you dropped it, the warm summer air flooded into the room.

A small golden snitch was soaring around the room, averting every swipe of Ginny’s hands, and ducking behind her dresser.

Ginny slipped on some shoes, and carefully navigated through the glass. She leaned cautiously out of the window, and that's when the screaming started.

“Harry! Are you mental?! What on Earth-” her screams divulged into threats and insults, and you looked over her shoulder, watching Harry hover many feet away on his broom, his face looking quite guilty.

You found your shoes and moved over to the window. You then realized that Fred and George were hovering closer to Ginny’s window, silencing the snickers and amazed faces they wore. At the sight of Fred, your eyes widened, and his eyes met yours. He smiled kindly at you, and before you knew what you were doing, you ducked behind the window, crouching by Ginny’s feet.

You heard George’s laughter, and Ginny’s ramblings stilled.

“What are you doing on the floor?” she asked you, lowering herself to crouch with you.

“I don’t know,” you answered, whispering. Your cheeks were red and your eyes were wide. Ginny’s threatening look turned into a smile.

She began to giggle, and soon enough, Fred and George hovered just above the window, peering into Ginny’s room.

“What are you girls doing down there?” George asked, resting a hand on the part of the windowsill with no glass on it, peering into the room.

Ginny looked at you, her smile wide. You looked around and began to pick up large shards of glass.

“Cleaning up the glass,” you said casually, although you could still feel the distinct burn of blush on your cheeks.

You could only safely pick up two large shards of glass without cutting your hands, so you raised yourself from the ground, meeting Fred and George’s eyes. Ginny followed you, crossing her arms and smirking.

The boys wore their practice robes, their names and numbers on the backs. They both had discarded goggles hanging from their necks, and their hair was wild. You looked between the both of them, swallowing thickly.

“Could you keep it down?” Ginny finally said, trying to ease the situation, “We’re trying to sleep.”

George removed a hand from his broom and glanced at his watch, “It’s nearly 12 in the afternoon,” he said sarcastically.

“Really? Well, we need our beauty sleep,” Ginny said, and you noticed she nearly reached out to close the window.

George rolled his eyes and zipped away on his broom, leaving Fred.

“I’m gonna go get a broom, clean this up,” Ginny said, huffing as she navigated her way back through the glass on the floor.

You and Fred were left there, staring at anything but each other. Fred moved slightly up and down on his broom as he hovered. He finally cleared his throat and looked at you.

“Sleep well?” he asked, eyebrows raised.

You nodded and smiled, rocking back and forth on your feet, “You?”

He nodded too and looked away quickly.

“Oh, I think George, is calling me,” he said, and it was obvious George was not calling him. He flew away on his broom, and you closed your eyes, letting out a restrained breath.

You groaned and threw yourself on Ginny’s bed. Hermione rolled over, a large and entertained grin on her face. You covered your face with a pillow and ignored Ginny and Hermione’s imitations of the incident while they swept up the glass.

Mrs. Weasley was furious to see Ginny’s window. She had come in later in the day, a basket full of laundry on her hip.

“Hello girls,” she said pleasantly, “Do you have- what the bloody hell is that?”

Ginny’s eyes widened at the sound of her mother’s deep and serious tone.

“Mum! It wasn’t us,” Ginny leaped from her bed and ran to her dresser, she quickly caught the snitch from where it had been hiding behind her dresser, “It came through the window this morning when the boys were playing.”

Mrs. Weasley looked at you and Hermione, and you both nodded your heads furiously. She huffed out a breath and pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers.

Finally looking up, she set the laundry down and stood in Ginny’s doorway.

“BOYS!” she shouted, and you heard the sudden halting of George and Fred’s laughter, and Harry and Ron’s footsteps upstairs silenced.

The sound of four hesitant feet walking to Ginny’s room was the last thing you heard before Mrs. Weasley’s screams burst your eardrums.

The Burrow was crowded now that the boys had been banned from leaving the house. They had only briefly been allowed out of the house to de-gnome the garden, but Mrs. Weasley stood at the door, making sure they had absolutely no fun.

Your suitcase lay open in Ginny’s room, the three of you dressed and having absolutely no ideas as to what to do. You had all already ran through your spending money going to Diagon Alley on your first days there, and without the boys offering some entertainment, the three of you were idle.

Ginny paced, looking through her own things with interest. She twisted her broom in her hands, offering the idea of Quidditch, but Hermione wasn’t interested. Ginny was scanning her room, and her eyes fell on your bag. A pair of white shoes with wheels on them lay tucked away in the bag. She walked over to them and pulled them out hesitantly.

“What the bloody hell are those?” George said from the doorway.

The three of you girls turned, looking to the door. The four boys crowded in the hall, all peering into the room with interest. It seemed they were bored too.

“Are those the roll skates?” Ron asked, mispronouncing the word and shoving past George and taking the roller skate from Ginny.

“Yeah,” you said, your eyes flicking up over the top of your magazine.

The rest of the boys filed into the tiny room, nearly all of them shoulder to shoulder. Hermione rose from her spot next to you, picking up the other one from your bag.

“I remember seeing commercials for these things when I was a kid,” Hermione said, spinning the wheel in her hand.

“Commercials? What are you on about?” Ron said, and Harry caught your baffled look and smiled.

“What are they?” Fred asked, taking Hermione’s seat next to you on Ginny’s bed.

You lowered your magazine and looked at him, only to find him already looking at you. He gave you a crooked smile and nodded in greeting. You successfully fought a blush and smiled back at him.

“They’re roller skates. They’re like shoes with wheels,” you explained, taking the skate from Ron.

You rolled up your jeans a little and slipped on the skate. Fred watched your delicate fingers lacing up the shoe, noticing the way your hair fell into your face as you looked down at them.

Hermione handed you the other one, and you did the same to the other foot. You stood easily from the bed and nearly lost your balance. It was lucky that Fred’s strong shoulder was there for your hand to clasp onto, or else your feet would have slipped from under you.

You looked down at your hand still on Fred’s shoulder, even though you were standing fine. He slipped your hand off but kept it in his hand. You then became aware that you were just holding hands at this point. He stood with you and turned to face you. He pulled your other hand into his, and pushed you away from him, smiling widely as you rolled easily on the hardwood floors.

Everyone knew then that they had found their entertainment for the day.

The sound of joyful laughter flooded your ears as Fred pulled you around the limited space in Ginny’s room. Your hands fit together perfectly, and he walked backward as he pulled you, keeping his smiling eyes on you the whole time. Soon he was pulling you into the hallway, and everyone trailed after. You felt Ginny’s small hands pushing your back, and you began to gain speed. Fred hadn’t caught up, and you were coming closer and closer to him. You looked down but didn’t want to put your toes down to brake, in fear of scuffing up the floor. So, you let yourself fall into Fred’s arms.

The two of you stayed upright, but his long arms were wrapped around your waist. Your hands fell to his chest, and his chin pressed against his neck as he looked down at you. His hair fell into his eyes, and yours fell gracefully in its natural place. You smiled, and he smiled, and soon you erupted into giggles at the silence behind you. George catcalled, and you stuffed your giggles into Fred’s chest, tucking your head under his chin. You felt him take a sharp inhale, and his arms became a little tighter around you.

When Mr. Weasley got home, he was accosted by his children.

“Dad!” They said in unison, all waiting for him by the door.

He jumped at the sight of them all, then began taking off his coat.

“Look at these!” Ginny said, pointing to your feet.

You did a little spin, careful not to make any marks on the floor. Fred watched you spin elegantly, your arms coming out a little like a ballerina.

“Remarkable!” Mr. Wealsey cried, moving to look at them.

Questions came from his mouth faster then you could answer them, and you slid the wheels against the floor under the table while you ate dinner.

“We had an idea, Dad,” Fred said, looking at you proudly.

“Yeah, think you’ll like it,” George added, glancing at you with a smirk and then looking back at his dad.

“We need you to conjure some sort of track outside,” Ron finished, talking with his mouth full.

“A track! That’s brilliant!” Mr. Weasley exclaimed, missing the worried look from his wife.

“It was Y/n’s idea, she’s brilliant,” Fred said, looking across the table at you.

You giggled as George made a gagging noise.

“With what? Stone?” Mrs. Weasley inquired, placing a hand on her hip.

“Oh no, they’re usually made of wood or asphalt,” you explained, “they have a whole building of them in the muggle world. People rent the skates and pay to skate on a big rink.”

Mr. Weasley's eyes widened with excitement, and Mrs. Weasley’s worry tamed.

“Let’s do it tonight.”

The eight of you walked to a clearing on the side of the house. It was where the boys usually played Quidditch, but it hadn’t been in use for days. Mrs. Weasley hadn’t stopped the boys from helping with the track, and you were grateful.

“Hold it higher, Ron!” Mr. Weasley called out, and Ron raised his father's wand with a bright orb of light coming from it.

The track was nearly done. It was huge, a large hoop secured to the ground. There was an enchanted orb of light in the center of the circle, and it illuminated the entire rink.

Your friends watched you blaze around the track, your hair whipping around behind your face, the sides of your cardigan flapping in the wind. You heard loud cheers when you successfully began skating backward.

The rest of your trip to The Burrow was spent out there. The boys were lifted from their punishments, and the rink became the one place you all went to when you woke up, and the last place you were before bed. Soon enough, though, your father appeared in the fireplace with your school trunk by his side. He quickly took back the bag you had been keeping at the Weasley's, and you went through your trunk one last time, making sure you had everything.

This year, walking through the train station, you were still stared at. But you didn’t care because an entire family surrounding you, and they all looked like you.

Your father gave you a lasting embrace before Fred followed you onto the train. He had waited for you, watching as you hugged your dad. He waved to your father, and his hand grazed your lower back as he walked behind you. The two of you found the compartment that had to be the most crowded of the lot.

Lee, Luna, Neville, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Sarah, George, and now you and Fred, packed into a compartment, the entire room filled with busy conversation the entire ride.

It was weird to be in the Hufflepuff common room, your bedroom devoid of Ginny’s huffs as she rolled over to get comfortable, or Hermione’s anxious mumbles she said in her sleep. You pulled your blankets off of you, your legs feeling sore from the constant skating you had been doing for weeks.

Speaking of, you had made the decision to bring your skates to Hogwarts. You slipped them on, tightening the rainbow laces. You pointed your wand at the wheels and cast a silencing charm, so the turn of the wheels would be silent.

You carefully climbed the stairs from the Hufflepuff basement and looked both ways before you skated towards your destination.

Fred had been sitting under his covers, looking over the map as he usually did before he snuck to the kitchens. Out of habit, he looked at the Hufflepuff common room for your familiar name. He was shocked to see you across the castle, in a long-abandoned classroom. He suddenly lost his appetite and slid into some slippers.

He rested his forearm in the crook of the door, leaning against it. He watched you illuminated by the candles lit on the wall. You easily glided between the desks, twisting and turning, spinning, and navigating between them. His eyes followed you, your body moving naturally. He watched the sway of your hips as your wait transferred from foot to foot, the skates rolling against the smooth stone. You moved to the open space in the room, skating backward, your back to him. You turned just a few feet in front of him, and when you saw Fred, your surprise ran through your body. Your feet faltered and you bumped into a desk, making a loud crash.

He jumped from his spot in the doorway, closing the door behind him. He moved to you in two long strides, crouching to reach you on the floor.

“Are you alright?”

“You scared the shit out of me, Fred!” you said, smiling up at him.

“Couldn’t help it, I had to come see you,” he said smoothly, bringing the map from his back pocket.

“What? How did you know I was here?”

He unfolded a piece of paper and held it out to you. You took it in your hands and realized what it was. Before you could look at it for long, Fred took it back, a worried expression on his face.

“Filch is coming, he must have heard the noise,” Fred folded the map and put it back in his pocket.

Suddenly, his hands were on your waist, and he was guiding you to your feet. He looked around the room and saw the door to the supply closet.

With a wave of his wand, the flames of the candles were extinguished and he was pulling your gliding figure to the closet. The door closed just in time, and Filch burst in. You and Fred were pressed together, his hands still on your waist. You opened your mouth to ask him about the map, and one of his hands covered your mouth. He felt your soft lips, and his eyes locked onto yours. You heard Filch’s heavy feet stomping around the room and the screech of the desk against the floor.

Your mind was occupied by the lack of space between you, your back pressed to the door, and Fred’s warm hand on your face. He looked deeply at you, and his face was inches from yours.

You thought back to the day Ginny told you about how Fred felt, and you realized that you no longer had any hesitations about Fred. Standing this close to him, his leg slid between yours, his chest against yours, you felt what he felt. You fancied Fred.

Fred felt your lips curl into a smile beneath his hand. It was dark, so he couldn’t see your face, but he wished more than anything that he could. He heard the door close, and Filch was gone, but neither of you moved. Fred’s hand retracted from your mouth, moving to your neck. His fingers slipped under your hair, and his thumb rested in your jaw.

“Why did you come here?” you whispered.

“I like to watch you skate,” he answered, his voice devoid of any laughter.

“You’ve watched me skate for weeks,” you said quickly, inching your face closer to his, craning your neck to look up at him.

“I like to watch you,” he said without thinking, “I like you.”

You closed the space between you two. His lips were slow, and so were yours. You arched your back against the door, anything to get closer to him. His face was warm, and yours was cold. His lips pressed hard against yours, and the kiss held everything he had felt since he talked to you in the Three Broomsticks. It was all the nights he had ranted to George about you, all the times he had mentioned what little time it was until you’d finally be at The Burrow, all the times he looked at the map just to see your name, all the times his stomach had flipped just at the thought of you.

You pulled away, breathless, and he lowered his head to rest on your shoulder. His breathing was heavy, and your eyes had fluttered closed. He reached for his wand and said “Lumos,” just so he could see your pretty face and swollen lips.

He walked you back to the basement, and you shared another slow kiss. He had almost followed you down the stairs, watching you leave with your skates hanging from around your neck.

The next morning in the courtyard, Ginny was the first to notice.

“What happened?” she said, skeptical of your dazed face and the constant flush you had from just being near Fred.

He sat a few feet away in his own world, avoiding George and Lee’s conversation about the upcoming Hogsmeade trip.

You smiled at Ginny, and she furrowed her brows at you. You were about to tell her, but Ron fell with a thud onto the ground next to you.

“It’s been three bloody weeks and Snape’s already assigned 100 pages of reading,” Ron groaned, pulling a heavy textbook from under his arm. Hermione and Harry trailed behind him, sitting with much more grace than Ron had.

Hermione also noticed your at peace look and looked at you analytically.

You were finally able to tell them in the hall, during an extended period between classes.

“He kissed me last night,” you said with a blush.

“I told you!”

“Finally!”

You hushed them, a bashful smile coming to your lips. Fred passed the three of you, his eyes locked on yours as he walked. Over his shoulder, he sent you a flirty wink. You felt weak at the knees and was glad that you were leaning against a wall.

“Maybe he’ll ask you to Hogsmeade,” Hermione said, tugging you off the wall and in the opposite way Fred was walking. You looked over your shoulder to see him walking backward, watching you walk away.

“Knowing Fred, he’ll probably pull some elaborate prank or get fireworks to spell your name out,” Ginny said, watching you look at her brother.

Fred did something like that, the two of you in the courtyard, laying in the grass. He had pulled you from dinner just after you were dismissed, and he led you to the courtyard. You both stared at the sky, and he looked at you. You met his gaze and then he pointed at the sky.

In huge, shining, red words read “Y/n, Hogsmeade this weekend?”.

You smiled at him and nodded. His hand snaked to cup your cheek still laying down. He pulled you towards him, and you moved to look down at him, propped up on your elbow. His lips met yours, and the sound of more bursting fireworks flooded the air around you.

It was nearly Christmas now. You and Fred have been dating for a few weeks, and he invited you back to the Burrow for the holidays.

You accepted, and you trudged your heavy bag into the fireplace. It was filled with gifts for the Weasley’s, and you were feeling quite confident about it.

Ron, Harry, and Hermione stayed at school for the holidays, leaving you, George, Fred, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley sat in front of a fire on Christmas eve.

You had called your father on your flip phone he had given you as an early Christmas present. He was coming over tomorrow for Christmas morning, and you felt incredibly content.

Coming back to the couch, tucking your phone into your pocket, you slipped back under Fred’s arm, curling into his side. Mr. Wealsey had already had a go at the device, and he just watched amazed at it fitting into your pocket so easily.

The next morning you were woken up by the sound of your father’s booming voice downstairs. You sat up, stretching, and looked over to Ginny’s bed. It was empty, the covers were thrown aside. You slipped on a large cardigan, pulling it around your cold arms and going downstairs.

You were met with what felt like a dream. All the Weasley’s sat around the table, eating a huge Christmas breakfast and drinking tea. They each wore matching sweaters with their initials on them, and your father was standing with Mr. Weasley by the couch.

“Happy Christmas!” they all beamed at you.

Ginny tugged you over to the couch, sitting on one side of you while Fred sat on the other. Your father stood behind you on the couch, and a pile of presents were stacked in the room. You had brought your presents for the Weasley’s down last night, and you saw them on the ground.

Wrapping paper was everywhere, and the sound of happiness flooded the room. It finally came time for everyone to open what you had gotten them, and Fred went first. He tore away the red paper and held the plain box in his hands. He shook it, holding it up to his ear and smiling at you.

“Careful!” you told him, and he tore away the tape holding the box shut.

Inside, a brand new pair of garnet roller skates. He gasped, his large hands holding a skate up.

“Oh, my-” Mrs. Weasley said, already thinking of the awful thing he and George could do with those.

“It’s amazing!” he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around you.

You returned the hug, and whispered in his ear, “Merry Christmas, Fred.”

Soon, all the Weasley’s were holding different colored skates, even Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

[black-rose-writings]

I read Ruin and Rising because I’m bored

And I also hate myself

Like with the last book, I have a vague idea of the plot and stuff from tumblr and fanfics. I will also be refering to Darkling as Sasha for most of this.

I am still Darklina trash and don’t particularly like Mal.

On a different note, I’ve finally moved for college, but the internet here is trash, so I’ll probably have a lot more reading time now, since most games I play are online and will crash without internet.

Before

Cool story. Let’s hope Alina stays a badass.

Who am I joking, I know how this ends.

Chapter 1

So far so good. I hate the Apparat, per usual. Alina’s there basically dying and that bitch can’t wait to see her do so.

Cult leader to the core this one. He probably hates that his figurehead is alive and also not brainwashed.

Cult leader doesn’t like swearing. How surprising.

My boy David is completely right. What kind of irresponsible dingus keeps centuries old books in a fucking wet-ass cave? (Or a tree for that matter *cough cough* The Last Jedi *cough, cough*).

Genya is fun to be around.

Oh, shit, let’s go.

Chapter 2

Jesus Christ, Alina, Zoya isn’t that bad.

This is one hell of a shitshow.

I live for this version of Alina. Badass. Scary. I want more of this Alina.

Chapter 3

Out of all the random little details from crappy smut fics, I did not expect Oncat to be from the books, lol.

Mal actually has a supernatural tracking ability. Like, literally, they put a bug into the pouch with gunpowder so he could make the shot. I guess this was kinda said before, but never this directly, right?

Alina’s merzost-skyping Sasha now, yay.

Alina is horny for Sasha boy. Yay.

Alina canonically has a praise kink. Nice.

I hate LB with all of my heart at this very moment. How dare she bait us Darklina people like this? How DARE she? (Shipbaiting is the worst, seriously.)

Yes, yes, yes. These two lines. That’s what their relationship is all about. They’re each others foils, the yin to the other’s yang and... ugh. I am Darklina trash to the core and this hurts.

Darklina: You have a terrible taste in men.

Alina: I liked you once.

My boy Sasha walked into that one.

Chapter 4

Alina is a Queen. And we love her.

David, my beloved, my spirit animal.

It’s surprising they can read it at all, given it’s been centuries. Have you ever tried reading medieval manuscripts?

Honestly, with a father that crazy, it’s no wonder Baghra’s a bitch. And I’ve seen it said somewhere that the books imply Ilya’s experiments are what caused Baghra to be a shadow summoner and you know what? I can see how you’d make that connection.

Why is there so few Tidemakers in the books? Waterbenders are useful. I want more waterbenders.

Alina picking up some habits from Baghra I see.

Ah, yes, we love an educated giant.

I’m starting to think Harshaw is a bit nuts.

Shut up, Hershey. Or at least share the weed with the class. I’m not here for this “He’s mean to you because he likes you”. I might believe that in like, elementary school, but yall are (more or less) adults. Jesus.

Well, that was a bombshell of a twist.

Chapter 5

Oh boy, we’ve got some trauma bonding for out merry band of misfits. Yay.

Adrik has a crush on Zoya. And she hates it, lol. Cut the kid some slack, he’s like 15 or something.

That reminds me, I have a four-leaf clover pressed in books from close to year and a half ago. Time flies.

They’re really diving into the Mal has supernatural powers, huh?

Ghosts, let’s go.

Alina “I’m so happy to be outside I start to shine like a fucking fairy” Starkov and Mal is entranced. He’s definitelly nicer now. I’m not forgiving him for all the shit he’s pulled before and for using the silent treatment way too much, but hey, at least he’s improving.

I am not a Zoyalina person, but like... gay? Please? Rivals to grudging allies to friends to lovers, 300k slowburn? Sounds more fun than whatever Mala dn Alina have going on, lol.

(I’m starting to realize I’m not as much a Darklina person as I am anti-Malina person, lol. Like, literally everyone has a more interesting dynamic with Alina than tracker boy over there. Malina is at best boring AF and at worst toxic, codependent and emotionally abusive, while also being boring AF at the same time. It has literally nothing going for it except God herself liking it).

I can see why Nadia is gay in the show. The book version of her definitelly has a crush on Tamar. Homegirl likes a woman, who can murder her with the flick of her wrist and honestly? Same.

Alina has some big “coming out of lockdown after a year” energy atm.

The cat is one of the most realistic characters in this thing, lol.

And since Tamar is also heavily queercoded, our lovely ladies make off into the night, flirting. Or maybe not. Let me dream, though.

At least Blade Boy is aware that his tattoo is stupid. To quote someone ranting about him on tumblr: He’s embracing his identity as a tool.

Oh, boy, this will be fun.

Evil soldier is horny for Mal. Saints, is there a woman in this book who isn’t horny for Blade Boy?

And here comes Niki to save the day.

Chapter 6

Niki saved the day.

Fiberglass? And David being David. Genya being in love with her nerd of a boyfriend.

Jesus Christ, this one crazy kid has moved the technology in this universe a whole century on his own. So, when is David going to propose to him?

Baghra hasn’t changed much I see.

Baghra’s about to drop some truthbombs, but no, we have to be rudely interupted because Genya’s rapist is throwing a fit.

Chapter 7

How does Mal sound? Is she gonna say the Blade boy sounds like her dad? I mean, I know voices are partially genetic, but it has been tens of generations between them, probably.

So, we’re finally taking Genya’s trauma seriously after all this time? Good. Better late than never, I guess.

I wish that regicide was already finished and I’m pretty sure that Genya does, too. Stop defending the fucking king, narrative.

David’s a nerd in all things I see.

Someone please just kill the king already. And the queen, too, for good measure.

Now that’s a romance.

Infodumping and listening to said infodumps is a legitimate love language, Alina. Let them nerd out over poisons.

Wait, has Alina never directly killed anyone before? I thought she did... hmmm.

And just like that, it should have been over. Ugh.

Somehow, Baghra is a better teacher now than she was before. She half feels like a completely different character.

Nevermind, she’s back at it.

Chapter 8

Holy shit, Nadia and Tamar are canon. They have canon gays here.

So, which one of them is gonna die?

Chapter 9

We arrive at that scene. The one, where they should have fucked.

Jeez, girl, get a hold of yourself. Life is short, fuck a villain.

In other news, Genya and David definitelly fucked.

Chapter 10

Poor David. He just wanted to know.

Damn... I never realized just how young Baghra was, when she killed her sister.

I’ve already made a post about this, but it really does strike me like Baghra has already decided to end her life at this point in the book.

Why is that whole “but what if we’re related” thing even in there?

Chapter 11

We love a suprise attack.

When did Sasha boy learn that trick?

Baghra really just did that. Oh boy.

Chapter 12

No, don’t kill the kid... ugh.

Emotiona support cat. She should be friends with Milo.

Porrige for brains. Oof.

So Nadia was the one, who got bees set on her in the book. Cool.

That’s a good question. Why was it never brought up to Alina, that other Grisha get blocks, too?

David already thinking of steampunk prosthetic for Adrik is honestly kinda sweet.

Chapter 13

Back home... kinda.

Is that really... you really care about Mal bonking the Grisha school mean girl over a year ago? Okay.

Chapter 14

Angst! Yay!

And more angst.

Chapter 15

Sasha really went “My mom killed herself to save you? Well, I’ll kill the closest thing to parents you have.”

Chapter 16

Nikolai’s alive. Kinda.

And these two have such a sibling energy, I can’t.

And then they fuck. Ew.

Chapter 17

Wait, wait wait... so Alina isn’t even the one to destroy the Fold?

Okay. That’s... weird.

Holy shit. That was...

So, Aleksander is dead. Mal isn’t. Someone else destroyed the Fold for Alina and now she has no powers.

Okay.

That’s a weird-ass ending.

Chapter 18

The gays survived, so that’s nice.

Genya made good on her promise of making Alina a ginger, lol.

After

What emotion is this supposed to give me? Cause all I feel is kinda sad.

[lovelyirony]

the much anticipated second part for the amnesia-related fic. 

A wedding ring. 

This doesn’t mean that he and Tony are married except that he hasn’t seen Tony with a wedding ring and he hasn’t mentioned a wife and he doesn’t sound like he has a wife and if Rhodey-if Jim had a wife, then wouldn’t he know about her? Wouldn’t they have met by now? He may not know Tony yet, but he doesn’t think that he would be that cruel. 

“Colonel Rhodes-” 

“Friday, don’t,” Jim says, swatting at the air. “What-why did you hide that from me?” 

“Sir believed it would be best,” Friday answers, tone almost quieter. “He...wasn’t sure that you would understand.” 

“I don’t understand,” he says. “Why would I marry him of all people? He’s not exactly my type.” 

“Since I am a learning program, I cannot say for sure. Humans do a lot of illogical things.” 

He’s trying to wrap his head around it and avoid Tony at the same time. 

Friday won’t let him see any wedding pictures, not until he remembers more. 

- 

Even though he’s been (mostly) successful at avoiding Tony for about a week and a half, the man is still so nice. 

He’s still operating under the assumption that Jim has no idea that they’re married, and he does stuff like leave out a cup of coffee and offer breakfast up or ask if he wants pizza for dinner.

Jim reads too much into it. 

And he doesn’t know why, because it’s not like anything has really changed, except for the fact that Tony won’t call him Rhodey. 

Jim gave him permission to, saw how much it killed him with every correction and every reminder. Told him “you can call me Rhodey, if you want.” 

And he doesn’t. 

Tony never does. 

He still almost says it, but Jim is quicker on the tongue, and he doesn’t make a move to try to push any memories at all. 

(Even though he remembers how happy Tony was to hear that memory about grocery shopping and Dum-E’s code source.) 

He does want to remember. He wants to remember why he apparently married Tony and was genuine about it, why Pepper and him are best friends and never were anything more, why he’s...why he’s so different from what he wanted. 

-

Tony knows that Jim’s acting differently. He’s not sure why. He’s not sure he wants to know why, because that might complicate everything. 

And he doesn’t want another thing to be wrong. Everyone’s walking on eggshells around him except for the one damn person that probably should be, but Rhodey’s never been good at following rules. (But he’s good at fooling people.) 

Pepper talks to Tony a lot. Asks him how he’s doing, if there’s anything she can do. 

Repair someone’s memory is a little bit outside of her area of expertise. 

“It’ll be okay,” she says, putting her tiny hand over his. “Things will work out.” 

They both know that in Tony’s life, luck has never been quite what it seems. Or existent at all, at times. 

-

Ironically, it’s their anniversary of the wedding when Jim remembers something else. It actually comes in the form of looking in the fridge and not finding his apples. 

“Quit leaving honey-crisp off of the list just because you don’t like them you asshole,” he calls to Tony. 

Tony almost yelps. 

“Out of everything in your life and that’s what you remember? Your stupidly sweet apples?” 

“Are you gonna get them?” 

“Why don’t you come with me?” Tony asks, “just so that you can get your apples and maybe get out of the house for once.” 

“Hmph. Fine,” Jim answers. “Where’s my coat?” 

“Uh...” Tony trails off, trying to find the words. “Third peg on the...right, I think?” 

“You’ve known me for years, and you don’t know where my coat is?” 

Rhodey is always the one to hang up his coat, and then put his arms out for Tony’s. 

“To be fair, I am important and fancy and a big deal,” Tony scoffs. “Come on, go get your coat and then I’m going to show you what horrible things you buy from the store.” 

“It’s not that bad. And what, you don’t like good apples?” 

“As sour as can be, sourpatch. As sour as can be.” 

-

Grocery shopping with Tony is...interesting. He didn’t think it would take so long. 

“This is why you don’t usually come,” Tony teases him. “I take so long and you end up sitting in the car and cursing at Pepper or Happy about how much time I spend dedicated to snack-judging.” 

“And I put up with that?” 

“You do,” Tony says, grabbing the cart. “Because you love me and you deal with a lot worse from me.” 

“Like what?” 

“Best not to talk about it,” Tony says. “We’re in public after all, honey.” 

“Ugh, boo,” Rhodey teases. “Give me the list. I bet I can speed-run this.” 

“How? Technically, you don’t think you’ve ever been to this store before!” Tony exclaims with a gigantic, shit-eating grin. 

“Way to rub it in you bastard,” he says with a laugh. “Now come on, I wanna see what kind of salad you think we’re gonna get.” 

“Not you thinking you’re going to be eating junk food,” Tony sighs. 

“I lost my memory!” 

“That would’ve worked, like, two weeks ago. Now I know better.” 

Grocery shopping is...fun. They make fun of foods and different products, and Tony shows him which things he might like. 

“I like...I like fruit salad?” 

“Yes, yes you do Rhodey-dear,” Tony says. “Your favorite thing in the world for fruit.” 

“Seems suspicious.” 

“You’ll have to try it again, then.” 

Rhodey watches him as they’re shopping. He’s easy to be around, honestly. He has that sort of energy that makes you feel like he’s just happy to be in that moment. 

Tony also has very questionable taste in everything. 

“Quinoa?” 

“What? You’ve eaten it before! It’s not your least favorite thing that I’ve cooked?” 

“How is it not? Is it because I’m old?” 

“No, not because you’re old,” Tony scowls. “When you’d come back from the service, you’d eat literally anything I put in front of you. I once gave you a block of cheese and you just sat there. Eating it.” 

“There’s no way I did that.” 

“You did! Ask Pepper, she has a picture of it!” 

He goes back to quiet after that, remembering the picture. 

-

Jim isn’t even sure he wants to bring it up. He’s not even sure if he could love Tony again, and somehow that thought makes his head hurt. 

He knows that apparently, he fell in love once. 

So he needs answers. 

-

Jim had talked to his parents, but he hadn’t really had an opportunity to talk about anything important. Try as he had to get more information out of them, they weren’t giving much up, except for parts about his military achievements and funny stories that he’s written to them about. 

When he gets back home and he sees Mama, she knows. 

“Come here baby,” she says, putting him into her arms. “Let me answer your questions.” 

“Why him?” 

Mama laughs, grinning up at him from her place on the couch. 

“You reacted like this when you first started rooming together, too. I was worried that I’d be involved in a court case for attempted murder!” 

“And you weren’t?” 

“No,” Mama answers. “Instead, I get no phone call from you for three weeks, until the day before your holiday break started, and you told me that you were bringing who you used to call ‘the biggest nuisance since fruit flies’ home to Thanksgiving.” 

“Why did I...why did I bring him?” 

“I didn’t get that answered until he fell asleep,” she says. “I’m making you some coffee, alright dear?” 

“Okay, so long as I get an answer.” 

“So impatient,” she mutters as she makes her way to the kitchen, Jim following. 

He watches how easily his mom pours the coffee, and remembers in a brief flash that Tony always would bring the fancy, flavored creamer to the holiday events. 

“Oh come on,” Tony said. “You have gotten too used to my kindness, and there’s no reason to stop being kind. Besides, remember last year when you nearly cried because I bought creamer from the store? Yeah, not having a repeat of that.” 

“And would that be so bad?” he teased Tony, wrapping an arm around his waist, and-

He blinks. 

That was...that was definitely a new kind of memory. 

“James, are you alright?” His mother is looking at him, and maybe she knows, maybe she doesn’t know that he just remembered something. He’s honestly not sure. 

“Uh, yeah. Fine. I’m good.” 

Mama looks across the room, smiling. 

“He was a timid little thing when he got here. Fixed up the washing machine when it broke, just in time. Nearly wore a suit to dinner, said you didn’t tell him what kind of ‘casual’ we were going for...” 

He snorts as he slowly remembers that one. 

“What do you mean you didn’t mean a suit?!” Tony had wailed, gripping Rhodey’s shirt. “You said I had to dress nice!” 

“I meant literally anything but your Black Sabbath shirt!” 

“Why would I have worn my Black Sabbath shirt? Your mom would probably think I was a Satanist!” 

They both look at each other for a moment, and Rhodey’s the first one to break and laugh. 

“Listen you idiot, it won’t be so bad. We can just ditch the coat, ditch the tie, and you’ll be...okay. A bit nicer than most of us, but hey. That’s what I get for not telling you that suits are weird.” 

“Suits are not weird, you’re just uneducated in what is sophisticated,” Tony says, turning his nose up as Rhodey rolls his eyes. 

“Oh yeah, sure, because knowing which one is the dessert spoon is going to help me save people abroad. My bad.” 

Tony looks back at him, and his heart skips a beat. It does. Really, it does. 

It almost feels like someone’s reading back to him what he already knows at this point. 

His mom squeezes his hand, smiling. 

“You remember at least some of it, don’t you?” 

“Well...uh, yeah? I-I do.” 

“Does Tony know that you know that you’re...married?” 

“No,” Rhodey says. “I know some, but not enough.” 

“Give him a chance,” she says. “And get back home, I’m sure he’s missing you.” 

Rhodey embraces his mother, and prepares for the drive home. 

- 

Being missed is a weird concept to deal with. 

He also did not exactly think of that. So he’s currently driving back and checked his phone to seven missed calls from Tony, three from Pepper, and one text from Happy that simply reads “lol ur dead hahaha good luckkkkk” 

Well shit. 

Tony, understandably is pissed and scared and a tad upset. 

Not a tad. 

“Where were you?” He says as soon as Rhodey appears back in the kitchen. Tony’s hands wander close, and he almost leans in. 

Almost. 

“I was visiting my parents,” he responds. “Sorry, forgot to text.” 

“Please remember next time, your-well, Tony’s annoying when you leave,” Pepper says. 

(Okay Rhodey doesn’t know how they got away with this for so long, it’s really, really obvious that they’ve been covering it up.) 

“I will,” Rhodey says. “Did I miss anything?” 

“I’ve elected that we’re going to cook tonight,” Tony declares. “I am absolutely sick to death of takeout, and I’m pretty sure that with your lack of knowledge on recipes now, I have you beat in the kitchen.” 

“I can still read recipes, you dumbass. Besides, I just remembered your stupid ‘bake’ hack for your stupid casserole dish, so...” 

“Out of everything, and that’s the thing you remember today?!” 

“Well, I also remembered that apparently you wore a suit to my house for Thanksgiving!” 

Tony stops. 

“What else you remember from that, or was it just that?” 

He doesn’t want to say anything in front of Pepper, doesn’t want to say anything just yet. 

“I remember that you were weird about your suit!” 

Tony deflates a bit, but still smiles. 

God, he looks gorgeous. 

Rhodey blinks. Shakes his head out of the thought.

“So. What are we cooking?” 

- 

Tony and cooking is a very interesting concept because it shouldn’t work. 

He never stops moving, can lose interest quickly, and Rhodey would think that he could burn water. 

But he doesn’t. Tony hums along to music, and he tells him all about his favorite songs and why. 

It’s not any rock music, any heavy metal. 

“I don’t listen to that all the time,” Tony says. “You always think I do!” 

“Oh right, because someone who personally has Angus Young’s number just casually isn’t someone who listens to the band all the time, sure,” Rhodey says sarcastically. 

Tony grins, and it’s probably the best damned thing he’s seen all day. 

His heart zings at the realization that Tony smiling is what makes him smile now, what makes him want to stay and learn so much more about how they came to be, what they’ve done together. 

-

Dinner is fun. Tony tells him all about college and what they used to do, and what Rhodey had done. 

Memories are coming back easier. 

“You totally emailed the professor really petty responses!” Tony cries, laughing. 

“It wasn’t that petty,” Rhodey said, huffing. “He was an asshole anyway, he hated whenever we would come late because we wanted coffee, and your order was too complicated!” 

“It wasn’t that complicated!” 

“Oh I’m sorry, them having it written down behind the register for when you come in?” 

“Oh, like they didn’t have a description of you.” 

“Yeah, as your long-suffering companion,” Rhodey teases. 

“You’ve always been,” Tony says. “Because you’re the best.” 

Rhodey stops stirring the pot for a moment. 

“Rhodey? What is it?” 

“I...” 

Tony stands there, grinning. He’s nervously fidgeting, and it’s his move to say the vows. 

“You know, I wasn’t ever sure you’d be up to marrying someone like me,” Tony confesses. “Especially since I almost burned down our dorm room one time.” 

“Wasn’t just one time,” Rhodey teases. “But carry on.” 

“You loser,” Tony says. “Even now, interrupting my heartfelt moment.” 

There’s a ripple of laughter from the small crowd that’s gathered. Rhodey smiles at him, feels tears prick up around his eyes. 

“But I knew that I loved you ever since you would always buy my favorite ramen even though you hated it, and you were the one to get the pizza when I was sad. I knew I wanted the chance of seeing you every day, coming home to you at the end of the day. You’re home, Rhodey. You’re it. No one else could ever possibly hold a candle compared to you.” 

Rhodey startles, looking at Tony. 

“I...I remember. I remember!” 

“Remember what?” Tony asks cautiously. 

(He can’t be let down. Not again.) 

“You smashed cake in my face at our wedding!” Rhodey yells. “And we got married! We got married! Where the fuck is my ring?” 

Tony laughs, scooping Rhodey into a hug. 

“I can’t believe you remember.” 

“Well I was bound to at some point,” Rhodey says. “I can be smart, doofus.” 

“Don’t call me ‘doofus’ during an emotional outburst you absolute nimrod!” 

“I’ll call my husband whatever I want,” he teases, “although I still wanna know where my ring is.” 

“Come with me and get it,” Tony says. “I hid them in my room, just in case.” 

It’s all coming back, the steps they take, the way that Tony supports him as he moves slower. 

Iron Man, for one. War Machine the next. The dates they went on, the proposal. 

The rings are simple. They’re also not wedding rings. 

The class rings. 

Rhodey remembers getting them, remembers getting his initials and Tony’s on the inside, remembers how Tony made some “adjustments” after they received them. 

“You know that you got me,” Tony had told him. 

It slides on, and it feels right. Feels like something was missing. 

He looks up at Tony, smiling. 

“Show me the pictures, Tony.” 

- 

Pepper walks in to find Rhodey absolutely terrorizing Tony about the decor choices from the reception. 

“So I agreed with red and gold? I had no problem with it?” 

“Well, I did do some major convincing, so...” 

“What does that mean?!” 

"You’ll remember later and be sad,” Pepper says. “Or happy. But please don’t tell me if you remember it.” 

“You loved the color scheme,” Tony says. “Because you love me!” 

“Now I am doubting,” Rhodey declares. “I loved you enough to have those colors?” 

“You lost a bet, Boss,” Friday interjects. “That’s why there were those themes.” 

“Friday,” Tony whines. “Why snitch on your creator like this?” 

“I am not programmed to have loyalty, Sir.” 

Rhodey laughs, taking Tony’s hand in his. 

“Well, I guess I’ll still love you. Even if our wedding theme was weird.” 

“It wasn’t that weird!” 

-

It takes about another month before all of the memories are all back to normal, and in that time Rhodey learns (and relearns) a couple of things: 

1.) The best feeling in the world is waking up to Tony, who sleeps very lightly and also wacked Rhodey in the face a total of ten times. (That’s not a new thing, he remembers.) 

2.) He special-orders peppermint-flavored coffee creamer. 

3.) Tony was lying when he said that Rhodey’s new favorite movie was The Goonies. 

(He mostly forgave him for that one.)