#that it puts me in severe and genuine distress when he just grabs me and tickles me

[nexus-nebulae]

had a dream that i punched someone who tickled me

[apt3]

Thinking of Mama Miya teaching her boys what love looks like, and despite the fierce and hardy nature of her personality in the everyday, she never once failed to show the twins that love is actually overwhelmingly, achingly soft.

If there was anything that genuinely mattered to them, then it mattered just as much to her.

Whether it was volleyball or a favorite tv show or a wiggly tooth or getting Aran the coolest birthday present — if it was the most important thing in the world to them, it was the most important thing in the world to her.

And she would say that. She would affirm the things that took hold of their little heads and little hearts and made their little eyes shine so, so brightly, without hesitation or skepticism.

She teaches them that love is built, and grown, and nurtured, even if it’s rough on the outer edges sometimes. There is always a tenderness at its core.

And when her boys become men - confident, brash, still generally rough on the outer edges, but tender at the core - the carry that legacy of love with them.

It catches Kiyoomi by surprise, actually. It sweeps him off his feet every time, but especially the first time — this sunwashed memory that nestles itself in his mind the moment it happens, never to be uprooted again.

It had been something silly - they’d been traveling for a tournament, two days into a seven day trip, when, due to some freak accident, half of Kiyoomi’s packed clothing ended up drenched in tea and in desperate need of a wash.

It was late already, after dinner, but Kiyoomi wanted to take care of the matter immediately. And Atsumu, who’d been rooming with him, instantly recognized the severity of the situation.

As a setter, taking care of his teammates sometimes means more than just offering the best tosses with all ten fingers.

Sometimes, it means divesting himself of the confident, brash exterior to offer a glimpse at that tender core.

So he did his best to calm Kiyoomi down, which meant looking up nearby stores that might still be open because Kiyoomi’d started panicking - “The one time I forget to pack any laundry items is the one time I need them!”

It meant listening attentively as Kiyoomi, eyes wide and distraught, explained that it had to be a specific brand, a specific type of detergent, for his specific skin sensitivities.

It meant being a calming, grounding presence, gently setting a hand atop Kiyoomi’s shoulder when the wing spiker had gripped Atsumu’s jacket in distress.

“Don’t worry, Omi. We’ll get this sorted.”

And they did.

It ended up being a situation that was resolved rather quickly and painlessly, all things considered, even when they realized Kiyoomi had forgotten his wallet back at the hotel.

Atsumu had felt, more than seen, the way the anxiety seemed to seep out of Kiyoomi as he stood next to the blond, waiting for him to finish paying at the register.

Similarly, he felt the unspoken gratitude when that same hand that had grabbed his jacket suddenly shyly tugged on his sleeve again.

As they exited the store and made their way back to the hotel for an evening of impromptu late-night laundry, Kiyoomi said, “You didn’t have to do all of this.”

And Atsumu, fluent in the secret hidden messages that Sakusa Kiyoomi is constantly transmitting to the world around him, had known what that actually meant.

/Thank you, but why would you go to these lengths? Why would you put up with the meltdown and go out of your way to not only soothe me, but stay with me, help me, expend the time, effort, money? I feel vulnerable and I’m not sure how to navigate this./

So he’d smiled and simply said, “In the moment, it was the most important thing in the world to ya. So it was the most important thing in the world to me, too.”

And maybe Kiyoomi still didn’t quite understand that first time - didn’t get the profundity of both the gesture and affection.

But it was a consistent thing, the way real love always is - something built, and grown, and nurtured.

And just as Atsumu had learned from his mother, Kiyoomi learned, by example, from him.

// end

[Haikyuu Headcanon Headquarters at Apt3]

[justanothersyscourse]

I am “privileged, self-absorbed, untrustworthy, and unsafe”, apparently

Vent and facts about the McLean video under the cut

tl;dr (long explanations below)

Imitative DID is not necessarily negative. It can be a positive self-exploration, or it can be a cash grab, or anything in-between.

The video was not only about imitative DID, but also to discuss the growth of overt presentations so clinicians don’t immediately jump to doubt when faced with these clients.

There was no direct fakeclaiming in the video, and none of the content creators were implied to have imitative DID. There was discussion of "red flag" behaviors, which can be taken as indirect fakeclaiming, but my thoughts on this severity of this in context of the presentation/conversation are complicated.

Each video shown displayed a single behaviour that, in combination with other behaviours, may indicate imitative DID-- He’s not talking about the person, he’s talking specifically about the behaviour.

The video was not meant for public viewing or those not bound by clinical confidentiality. If it had been, they would have done it differently, obviously.

In the first few seconds of the McLean video...

The presenter explains that he has a number of clients/patients that are confused by the systems that they’re seeing on TikTok.

Over the next several minutes he discusses his patients’ confusion and distress over the videos and different behaviours.

The entire presentation came about because of patients.

I was one of those patients.

(Not literally)

I subtly switched, I experienced intrusions more than anything, I felt shameful, I didn't want to be overt, the idea terrified us-- especially me

I was actually afraid of recovery, for a period, because I thought if we started to break down barriers and my alters fronted more, that I would be like the people on TikTok-- my alters coming out and making me look horrible online, I would lose my job, my family, my privacy when they all inevitably found out about my horrible secret.

I had spent my life trying to hide what was happening to me, and here were these people! Putting themselves in mortal danger by announcing that they were a system! THE HORROR! Finding online communities initially triggered a HUGE, negative reaction in us. It actually, genuinely terrified us to see people being so open and honest.

And on the flip side of that, I really started to doubt my working diagnosis. There was no way I had this disorder, if this was how other people presented. Clearly there had a been a huge mistake.

I can understand why the presentation was made.

You know who else was confused about systems on TikTok? My therapist.

The vast majority of people in therapy are my age and older. The people in the online communities are only just now entering the clinical world. It’s a shock not just to the patients, but to the doctors, too, to see this massive, POSITIVE shift around the disorder.

Now, the McLean video is a Grand Rounds video. That means it was by clinicians, for clinicians. Everyone who attended that presentation was bound by confidentiality. If they hadn’t been, absolutely there would have been censoring, at the minimum, if he even included videos at all.

Could he have still censored the videos? Yeah.

No one is saying what happened is a good thing.

Systems were hurt and harmed when the video was made available. They went about it in the wrong way.

That doesn’t make anyone who related to or supported the topics and ideas a bad or dangerous person.

And that’s because there was no direct fakeclaiming

Each video presented a single behaviour that, when combined with other behaviours, could be indicative of imitative DID. Each behaviour alone doesn’t mean anything, but the more financially motivated behaviours you see in a single individual, the more there’s a potential that it’s imitative.

It’s clear that he chose several creators over using only one so that he didn’t single anyone out. He chose popular creators, whose entire channel was dedicated to their disorder. People that had already chosen to make their faces public. He chose a wide variety of people-- different genders, ages, so he wasn’t targeting any single demographic.

Discussions of "red flags" will always be complicated and controversial, but they are still important conversations. I think using videos in this case was the wrong move, but I do believe it was not meant to be indirect fakeclaiming against the systems presented. They simply had a video that showed what he wanted to talk about, and he said that repeatedly.

We’re ignoring all the potential positives

Not only was this meant to teach clinicians about more overt presentations, it talked about endogenic systems and the positives of self-identification as a system. It talked about developing treatment options for endogenic systems that feel they need help, FFS.

"These people don’t need classic DID treatment, but they may still need treatment in general. They don’t have PTSD and they don’t have a DD, so you’re right, there’s a new community emerging who will need something, and it might be a combination of treatments that already exist, but it’s not for PTSD or DID.”

This video is proof of current clinical psychology actively researching current culture and adapting accordingly. It was fucking there to make sure both people who felt ostracized by popular overt presentation and those who relate to it got appropriate care and didn't get dismissed by clinicians who were used to the more shame-driven culture of previous years. It wasnt done perfectly. At all. But it's proof that psychology is an active, growing field that's attempting to listen to its patients. (And low-key, I wonder if it's the reason some of the anti-psychs are railing against it so much. )

There were good and bad things about the video. I agree with a lot of the points, but acknowledge and see the harm in not getting permission to use the videos and in not censoring them.

And apparently I’m just the worst person for saying that.

[albertbutyoucancallmebert]

@stuckinuniformdevelopment

(prev) Teddy had sat next to Bert and spent the battle taking notes whenever Bert was too focused on it to notice. For awhile it seemed as if Commander Peepers had it in the bag. He had learned forward and squinted in an attempt to identify that white powder Commander Peepers threw was. Did he add another decoy suggestion for if anyone asked what Teddy spilled during his “interrogation?” Or was this a legitimate strategy? Once he saw that it affected Bishop Percival and Commander Peepers equally he started to reach for his phone to send a text asking about it. But on second thought, he couldn’t miss such a historic event. Instead he leaned and squinted forward so far that he was literally on the edge of his seat. Just as he had solidly counted this as Commander Peepers’s victory/Bishop Percival’s delightfully public execution the tables abruptly turned. His rare bright smile quickly fell as the world seemed to chill around him. Was that a paralysis spell!? Did it only activate by touch? More importantly: If Commander Peepers couldn’t beat him then what chance did two mediocre ex-soldiers have!? When Commander Peepers’ protests made the spell’s true effect clear Teddy’s pen clattered against the floor and went on its way to the bottom row, never to be seen again. Contorted..? Was it some sort of hypnosis? …No, it couldn’t be. His mind was very present and under his complete control. Applied kinesis? Then why wait to get jumped before activating it? But what else would it be..? Now that it was clear that Teddy would glean nothing useful from watching Bishop Percival psychologically torture Commander Peepers (this was the worst time to realize that he genuinely cared his former parasocial nemesis’ wellbeing) he turned his attention to someone who cared far more than him. It had hit as hard as expected, leaving him at a loss of what to do. He hesitantly reached out to Bert several times as he calculated whether comforting physical touch would be beneficial or detrimental. But he never decided. When Bert took off Teddy lagged behind in the aisle, muttering “excuse me” to those in his way and nudging (more like jabbing for stubborn assholes) watchdogs out of his way. Teddy wanted to follow Bert down there. At least to protect him if necessary. Yet he was afraid of attracting attention from the Glornists after he’d subtly refused to (publicly) take a side. That and being seen following Bert wouldn’t help his current dubious status. All he could do was anxiously fiddle with his blaster as he prepared to draw it at a moment’s notice. His free hand clutched his heart as he struggled to focus on the blurry blobs on the field. Could he distinguish them if taking action was required? The other, of course, turned off safety and set power to full. Caution was replaced by urgency when the Glornists grabbed Bert. His feet had just reached the ground when Bert, thankfully, managed to flee. Teddy dashed– while staying in the shadow of the wall– as he ran to meet up with his distressed friend. Once they were close enough for the crowd to not completely drown him out he took a deep breath and put his all into shouting, “BERT! Did they hurt you!?”

Bert perked up at Teddy’s shout and looked around to spot him. Once he did, he made his way over to him and shook his head no. He pocketed the Commander’s blaster. 

He removed his glass to rub his eye and took a deep breath before finally speaking.

“...I think I need to take the day off. I’m going back to my room.”

Unless he was ever too injured to work or specifically instructed to, Bert never took days off. But there was just no way he’d be able to focus on anything today even if he tried.

[aetherarf]

Hi there!! Can i please request for something with childe, kaeya, diluc, xiao and zhongli where the reader is very shaken and they find out it's because the reader was harassed? Have a wonderful day! :)

Yep! Here it is!

I hope you have a wonderful day too!

[ i... don't like how it turned out but in the end i cant figure another way to do it. ]

[[ WARNING: HARASSMENT ]]

[[ Summary: You just wanted to go about your own business and not cause problems... But it seems not everyone respected that. Mostly unharmed, but a little worse for wear... You just wanted to hide for a little bit. What better place than in his arms?

Total Word Count: 2'485

Childe Word Count: 594

Kaeya Word Count: 377

Diluc Word Count: 621

Xiao Word Count: 422

Zhongli Word Count: 471 ]]

Childe

You, weakly, rubbed at your lower back, it still aching when you landed on the ground--hard--and how it was jabbed with a rock or... Something. It hurt, severely. You'd be alright, just... People being too rough, probably drunk or... Maybe high.

You half-limped, half-shuffled your way into the house, pulling off your coat and setting it on a hook, and kicking off your damned shoes. But, your moment of peace and quiet was quickly ruined by the sound of Childe's heavy footsteps, when he came running like an oversized pup.

He almost dove at you in a hug, but you flinched, "Don't!" You shouted... And he stopped, stunned, arms wide open for a hug, looking at you with fear. "I... I'm hurting a little, I just didn't want you to accidentally make it worse."

That calmed Childe, only a little. "Alright--can I still hug you, though? I'll be gentle." He reassured, sweetly, and you nodded. He simply hugged you close, pressing your body to his, and-

Your knees buckled, and you felt his arms tighten, groaning in pain at the sensation. Then, you realized you were being moved, and eventually sat down in a chair.

Your legs gave out, you only just realized.

"I... I'm sorry," you muttered, "I've... I'm really out of it. I'm okay, I promise."

Childe shook his head, "No, nono, you're not allowed to do that. Don't comfort me, something's wrong with you."

You stared for a moment... And sighed.

"I just got..." You thought, trying to figure out a way to word it that wouldn't make him run outside in a homicidal rage, "People made bad decisions, got a little handsy, and I got pushed around a bit... I'm just tired." You tried to convince him, but he got on one knee in front of you, to better look at your face as you sat.

"And do you know these people?" He asked, eyes wide but the rest of his face lacking any readable expression.

"No," you said, instantly, "Childe... Ajax, you're scaring me. You know I don't like it when you... Get like this."

Childe blinked once-twice, and his expression softened. "I'm sorry... I just-I don't like the idea of anyone hurting you... Even myself."

You cupped his jaw, sweetly, and smiled. "I know," you said, softly. "I know you don't. But I'm okay. We're okay. I'm just tired." You smiled a little wider, "I'll write down names next time, okay?" You half joked, "and my powerful warrior can go defend my pride and... Purity, I guess."

He chuckled, "Purity? I've defiled that already..." He only laughed for a few moments... And went quiet. "Do you need help getting to bed? I can order food, or if you want, I can get us some drinks... Or whatever you want." He insisted, still smiling happily.

"Can you just rub my back? I hit it hard when I fell..."

His eyes widened again, "Is-Is that why you fell, did you hit your spine-"

"No," you quickly reassured, "I fell because I'm exhausted."

He stared at you... Unsure.

"Alright. Let's get you to bed so I can rub your back how you like."

Which meant he was going to half help, half drag you to bed, get you undressed, lie you on your front until you dozed off, softly breathing from the relaxation

And he'd always end up waking you a tiny bit when he put you onto your side, a pillow between your knees, and a kiss on your cheek.

But you couldn't ever manage to be angry about it.

Kaeya

"I'm home!" Kaeya cheered--he had even gotten a bottle of wine to... well, he would say celebrate, but there wasn't anything to celebrate. Maybe just to enjoy the night, to make something from nothing.

But there was no reply... he figured it wasn't anything to worry about, maybe you were showering, or something... he set the bottle down on the table, resolving to come back to it a little later that night, getting off his coat, setting it on the chair... better to not risk ruining that, after all.

As he walked through the halls, looking around for you, wondering if you had gone out for something, he saw light from the bathroom, smiling--And he walked to see...

You were staring at the mirror, shaking like a leaf in the wind, eyes wide... but somehow empty of any emotion, of any life, as though you were just a statue.

He took a few steps over, "... Baby?" He asked, softly, and you jumped, eyes wide in horror--you were still wet, and a towel wrapped around you.

"Just me, just me..." He soothed, softly, and you took a deep breath...

"I'm sorry," you said, softly, "I've... just had a hard day."

Kaeya walked past you into the bathroom, grabbing a second towel to help dry you off, figuring you'd need such help, "Do you want to talk about it?"

For several long moments, you looked in the mirror, seeing Kaeya gently taking care of you, from fixing your hair to gently tucking up the towel covering you, as though he had not seen you completely naked several times before.

"We don't have to talk," he finally said, "I got wine, would that help?" He asked, a smile that bled concern.

"No," you admitted, genuinely, "I don't want to drink. I'm sorry."

He tsk'd his tongue gently, "Sorry this, sorry that, but what are you apologizing for?" He teased, gently, "You've had a rough day, and you're tired, and there's a few bruises on you... You did nothing but your best... and survive." He pressed a kiss to your cheek.

"How about we go cuddle and you can tell me if you want, and if not, I can read to you."

"... that sounds nice. Thank you, Kaeya."

"You're welcome, sweetness."

Diluc

Maybe you liked to abuse the fact that you got free wine just a little bit. Diluc would always give it to you, within reason, and it's not like you were using him only for free wine!

It was just a nice bonus.

But the loud, crass tavern was not. Another one of those nights when people got paid and decided to blow their newfound money on drink, and then look into their wallets confused the next day, wondering where it had all gone. Diluc didn't even need an explanation, silently wishing he could leave with you, as he gave you a glass to enjoy outside--less people went outside during these days, for whatever reason.

You leaned back in your seat, backrest lightly tapping against the stone wall behind you, tilting the glass to your lips as you sipped lightly, savoring the taste....

Ah, if only Charles could be working tonight. Right now, cuddling up to warm, snuggly Diluc was a lot more appealing than sitting alone with the wind threatening to pick up and to start cutting at your skin. Just one night, not even one full night, just a few more hours and you could both go home

"Hey tiny," You heard a voice say, and you looked over, seeing a man pull up a seat next to you--you could see why he would call you tiny, he himself was quite massive in size, "What's someone like you doing out alone in the cold?" He leaned over the table, setting one elbow on it as he propped his head up with one hand. No longer sitting back, you straightened your spine and set down your glass with more force than was necessary back onto the table.

"I apologize," you said, "But I'm not in the mood for talking."

"Well," he said, sitting up again, "Maybe I'm not either," he pushed himself to his feet, his hands on the table, and you were effectively trapped--he able to easily block your escape whether you went around either side of the table, or if you went under or above it.

Fingertips trembled around your glass of wine, and you had an idea, standing slowly, and you walked around one side of the table, slowly, and he closed in, smiling wide--

You cracked the glass across his face, it shattering and slicing open his cheek, he reeling for just a moment from the shock, and the pain, you dashing over to the door, tears in your eyes as you finally got over to the door, fumbling desperately for a second until it flung open, and you ran in.

Diluc all but jumped over the bar upon seeing your distress through the crowd, Kaeya shouting in surprise, but it went forgotten as he rushed over you, holding you close to him, the bar gone silent.

You, for a second, just sobbed into his chest, "I... Diluc, he's outside, he..."

It was deafening to hear your own voice with so many people surrounding. Diluc's eyes narrowed, glaring--for a moment, you wondered if he was angry at you, but still hold your wrist tight, he went out front, dragging you along.

When the two of you found yourself outside, there was no one, but spilled wine, shattered glass, and a little blood was evident. You looked at Diluc as he scanned the area... and he looked back to you.

"I'm sorry," he said, softly. "... Kaeya owes me. I'll tell him to staff the bar, and then we'll go home... did he...?"

You shook your head, "Just... scared me."

He nodded, "You know I won't judge you."

"... I know. Thank you."

"... Mn. This night's gone on long enough, lets go home and get it over with already."

Xiao

Tourist, many would call you, even if you came to the Wangshu Inn not to simply say you came, but to see someone you truly care for... and perhaps, from time to time, you focus on commissions instead, but this said someone is always worth it, with the few, loving touches he offer.

People got rowdy, and you could only panic when they grabbed you by the wrists, a big and powerful man. Only because several others were able to pry him off of you did you escape, majorly, unharmed. Your hands tingled, the grip too tight and too crushing, and you could tell they'd be bruised. It could've been worse, but...

All you wanted was to sit down and relax with his head on your lap, and surrounded by a comfortable silence.

You found your way to your usual room, and you sat down at a chair next to a table, lifting your hands and gently rubbing at your wrists... Maybe you should go purchase a salve before he got here? You didn't need to demand he appear immediately, you were alright with waiting, much to his dismay when you would have fallen asleep without him, he having to, stealthy, crawl into bed with you...

"... You're early."

You jumped, and Xiao stood there, spinning his spear in one hand, and then it disappeared into fragments of light, dismissed for the time being.

"Well, I missed you." You said, with a smile. He didn't smile--but that was normal. He walked over to you, and grabbed your hand, turning it so your wrist faced upwards, and he glared at the redness, the bruises already forming.

"What happened?" He asked, then grabbing for your other hand, doing the same and his scowl only increasing as he realized it was on both wrists.

"Just... a drunkard." You said, plainly, "People do stupid things when they drink."

He didn't seem pleased with that answer, "They hurt you." His hands trembled, but he was careful to not crush your hands, still holding them delicately.

"Everyone gets hurt," you tried to soothe his anger, "I'll be okay. I promise... I'm just... sore."

He sighed, "I'm going to get you something to put on that-" he tried to move, but you held onto his hands--tight enough that he couldn't easily pull them away.

"No, no..." You muttered, softly, "You never hold my hands. Stay? For a few minutes?"

He stared down at your hands... and held on a little tighter, taking a seat near you.

"... just a few minutes."

Zhongli

The door swung open, slamming against the nearby wall, and it creaked weakly as it tried to, slowly, swing back to it's closed position.

Zhongli jumped, his spear in hand, summoned by little more than instinct as he heard the noise, but there was no intruder, only you, as you ran and held him, sobbing into his chest.

Without any effort, his spear disappeared, and his arms wrapped around you, holding you close in a firm but still gentle hold.

"Love..." He whispered, softly, "What's wrong?"

For several long moments, you didn't say anything, and he just looked over you... Labored breathing, likely from running, or perhaps just distress.

He couldn't see any injuries, nor smell blood, even with his keen sense of smell, so perhaps you were... Fine?

... hm.

Eventually, your sobbing turned from cries to whimpers, and he managed to get you to sit down.

"Here," he set down some tissues, "The door is open. I'm going to go close it, get you some water, then... We can talk about it, okay?"

Through sniffles, you nodded, and he did as he said: The soft sound of the door clicking, running water, and then he came back, setting the glass down and lifting you effortlessly, setting you onto his lap before grabbing the glass and offering it to you once again.

"Did something do something to you?" He asked, voice low and smooth, as always, but softer than normal, as though he was afraid he could accidentally break you with his words.

Choked up, you slowly managed to explain it, all but being dragged into an alley, your head bashed against the stone ground, and you barely got away, so upset you couldn't think.

He was calm, but were you not present, he would be shredding some poor, poor vermin of Liyue to shreds.

Instead, he pressed a kiss atop your head, gently.

"I'm going to make sure there's no lasting damage, alright?" He knew the signs to look for, after all, "If there is, I will escort you to a healer... If not, would you like to go to sleep? You seem quite tired."

You nodded, and he made quick work. A bruise was forming on your scalp, oh, there'd be a bump, but a few more moments of examining your features, your eyes, and ensuring you were responding properly...

He held out a little bit of medicine, "Nothing that won't heal on its own, this can make it a bit more tolerable, my dear," he hummed, sweetly, and held out his arms for you, patiently waiting for you to jump into them so he could sweep you up and tuck you into bed...

Silently ruing that he couldn't protect you, but promising himself he'd work harder to ensure you wouldn't have to come home crying like this again.

[perfectly-imperfect82]

Suprise trip- Alex

(Y/N) POV

I had landed in Orlando this afternoon. I had decided to use my  free weekend to make a surprise trip to visit my girlfriend.

However she was busy tonight, so I decided that I would hang out with Ash and Ali tonight and surprise her in the morning.

I heard Ali gasp causing me to turn her way as we walked into the restaurant.

"Babe, whats wrong?" Ash asked looking at her wife with concern

I followed her gaze and I felt my heart stop. Alex was here with Servando.  From the way she was smiling and holding his hand over the table, I could tell this wasn't just friends meeting up for lunch.

"(Y/n)" Ali said looking at me to read my reaction, which broke from Alex and looking back at them with a lost expression

"I'll handle this" Ash said angrily as she went to head to Alex

"Wait!" I said grabbing her arm and stopping her

"Are you sure?" Ali asked

"Yeah, I have to do it. I'll be back" I said as they nodded as looked at me with sympathy

I took a deep breath before placing a fake friendly smile on my face before heading over to the table.

As I got closer I saw Alex's eyes widen as she moved her hand and just stared at me

"Alex and Servando, it's nice to see you guys" I said keeping the smile on my face as I hide how I really felt

"Hi, what are you doing here?" Servando asked with genuine curiosity. I mean how could he know the person he is on a date with is in a relationship if we were keeping it from the public, I guess I see why now I though bitterly.

"Had a free weekend, decided to come see some people and taken in the beach" I said as I glanced at Alex who was now avoiding eye contact

"Well I should get back to Ash and Ali. I wouldn't want to intruded any more on your date" I said with a smile as took more look at Alex who was looked like she was in distress at the situation before I quickly turned and walked away and out the place as I felt tears come to my eyes as I pulled my phone to text Alex.

Alex: in case it wasn't obvious, we're done

I felt a hand placed on my shoulder as I looked up to see Ali and Ash giving me looks of sympathy as Ali wiped my tears.

"I think tonight sounds like wine, ice cream, and movie night" she said as they lead me back to their place.

I couldn't be more grateful to have them with me at the moment.

——————————————————————-

It's been a few weeks since my trip to Orlando. Now we are meeting up for a national camp and it's going to be the first time I've seen since. She had texted me and called for the first week, but stop after I stopped responding. I haven't told anyone what happen, as far as anyone knows we just broke up. It was hard to convince Ali and Ash to keep what happen quiet, but I did. My club teammates in Portland have been supportive and have helped me get through everything, even with me not telling what happened. Just telling them that Alex and I broke up

We arrived at the hotel and to say I want nervous would be a lie. I know everyone is going to be asking questions and she will want to talk.

I was able to put away my things in my room I was sharing with Morgan before heading down conference to join the team.

As soon as Ali and Ash saw me they instantly brought me into hug

"I've missed you guys" I said releasing them before Ash dragged me to a seat next to her.

"So gonna tell us why you guys broke up. You both are upset by whatever it was" Kelley asked looking at me as I gave her a look of shock as Ali, Ash, and my Portland teammates glared at her

"She didn't say anything to you?" I Asked, thinking she would have at least told her best friend

"No and I would like to know why my best friend is upset" Kelley said now glaring at me while I just rolled my eyes

"Because we broke up, that's why. Now everyone needs to drop it and stop asking questions. What happened is between us, no one else's business." I said looking at them and I heard Ash mumble under breath "Your to nice to her" and Kelley glared at her and Ash glared back.

"Seriously you guys" I said just wanting to move past everything

"Okay, we will listen" Lindsey said answering for everyone as she wrapped an arm around me and gave her a thankful look. She has really been their for me since I've returned from Orlando.

That's when I heard the door open and everyone looked over and it was her. It was Alex.

As soon as our eyes made contact, I quickly turned away and I feel Lindsey give my shoulder a squeeze for a support.

What I was not expecting was for to come and stand right in front of me, making me feel uneasy.

"Can we please talk?" Alex said awkwardly standing in front of me, a look you do not see on her often

"No" Ash answered with glare as she wrapped an arm around me protectively causing several of our teammates to look at Ash in shock at the hostility coming from Ali and Ash as they both glared at Alex.

"Sure, might as well get this conversation over with" I said surprising everyone, including myself.

"Are you sure?" Ali asked and I gave her a small smile with a nod "I'll be okay" I said as I walked away with Alex. I needed closure so I could completely move on.

We headed to her hotel room, the walked was quite and tense.

I followed her into her room

"What do you want to talk about Alex?" I said with blank face as I lend against wall as she took a seat on the bed

I watched as she ran her hand through her hair before looking up at me with tears in her eyes

"I'm so sorry" she cried and it took everything in me to hold myself together. I was finally getting back to self, I don't need to go back to being the mess I was the first two weeks.

"Your sorry you got caught, not that you did it" I said with a straight face which seem to catch her off guard

"For how long? How long were you dating the both of us?" I asked as my voice wavered some, fearing the answer. Especially when she looked hesitant to answer

"4 months" she said and I just nodded my head as I turned to leave, how could I have not know for that long? How could she hurt me for that long?

"Please, it was a mistake. I don't love him, I love you!" She cried out causing to turn around as tears filled my eyes

"Want to know what my biggest mistake was? My biggest mistake wasn't falling in love with you.It was thinking you had fallen for me to"

"I am in love with you!" Alex said with a distress face as she moved towards me and I held up my hand to stop her

"You love me, like you love the rest of our friends. What you did, is not something you do to someone you are in love with. Some one you want to marry, have kids with, a future with" with said with a defeated face as a few tears fell. I quickly wiped them as I walked out of the room with Alex not stopping you this time.

[commonwealthoccurences]

Companions React: Sole Breaks Down

Request: “Could I ask for companions comforting a sole that’s usually an emotional rock, that they hadn’t seen this vulnerable ever? Like they come back from being away and just crumble into a sobbing mess. Pretty please?”

Note: *bangs spoon against pot* come get the hurt/comfort. CW: Mentions of unnamed characters deaths.

The setting:

Upon Preston’s request, Sole took off to a distant settlement to reorganize their resources, set up defenses, and bring them into the trade route. These excursions usually took about a week or two, so Sole could make sure they were fully stable before returning to Sanctuary to attend to their other duties. With this trip, however, they requested their companion stay in Sanctuary; they could handle this on their own, and the companion deserved a break.

Two weeks later, Sole returns, shoulders weighed down by their pack, ladened with goods the settlers had insisted they take with them. It had been a tough week, though that wasn’t really a new thing in Sole’s book, or anyone’s, really. Unfortunately, Sole hadn’t been able to predict the fact that some sort of disease would run through the tiny settlement while they were there, taking several of the members with it as it left.

They scrubbed at their skin in a nearby body of water every morning of those two weeks, rubbed raw and pink as a result of Sole’s quietly hysterical distress. They wanted no trace of settlement on them. There were elements of guilt in their relief to return home, but with returning home came the fact that they were safe enough to reflect on their weeks away from Sanctuary. There seemed to be no hiding from what had happened.

Sole got through the main street of Sanctuary well enough, sending nods to passing settlers, with a brief stop to drop off some of the food they had brought back with them with their local merchant; he would give it away to those that dropped in throughout the day. Once they made it down the road and to the entrance of their home, they felt the dam break. Their hands shook as they pulled the door open and moved inside, doing their best to ignore the tears that began to trickle down their face.

(*Gage’s scenario takes place upon their return to Nuka World’s Fizztop Grille)

Cait:

Cait was waiting just inside, having taken up residence in Sole’s living room with Dogmeat.

She went to make a joke about Sole being late, but when she looked up, she lost the words quite quickly

Sole’s shoulders were shaking, and it was quite obvious that they were trying to hide that they were crying, but it was impossible to not see

She practically tripped over herself to get to Sole, who was acting casual by rearranging the items in their back they had set on the floor

Her desire to comfort and protect Sole overrode her hesitance for physical affection and she found herself hugging Sole far too tightly than she should’ve

But it was partially panic on her end that caused her to grip them so tight

“Christ, what’s a matter?”

The only sound Sole made was a choking whimper and Cait gripped them even tighter

Curie:

She reads the distress in their stance the moment they cross the threshold into their home

Similarly to Cait, she gets up from where she’s sitting immediately, but stops short of Sole

“Oh, goodness. Are you alright?” She reaches out but doesn’t quite touch them, not wanting to intrude

Sole shakes their head, unable to disguise their very obvious distress

“Physical or emotional?”

Sole opens their mouth to say emotional and gets out about half the word before choking on their own breath and curling forward into themself

“Would you like a hug?” Her voice is quieter this time.

Sole nods and she brings them in for a soft hug, rubbing their back

Danse:

Danse is far more emotionally intelligent when it comes to other people’s feelings than people give him credit for

He’s seen it happen before; soldiers compartmentalize their emotions as much as they can, for years even, but everyone has a breaking point

And sometimes it’s over something one might consider small, like breaking a dish, or sometimes it’s loss that brings them to their knees, as it would anyone

Regardless, he’s known all along that one day Sole won’t be able to suppress their emotions anymore

When they come in crying and shaking, looking defeated, he’s unsurprised. Sad in an inevitably knowing sort of way

He gets up and walks over, taking their pack from their hands and helping them shed the heavy jacket that was weighing them down

He requests they sit and takes off their boots before going to get them a glass of water

He doesn’t say much, considering he doesn’t have much to say, but he’d much rather show how he cares via actions rather than words, anyway

Deacon:

He’s somewhat similar to Danse in the fact that he knows Sole’s going to need to break at some point, however it’s in less of a “I’ve seen this before” attitude and more in the fact that he can relate

But Sole has an easier time trusting than he does, so he knows their break is coming at some point, whereas he knows that there’s never going to be a point where he allows someone else to see what Sole is allowing him to witness

So when they stand there, defeated, looking over at him like a lost child, he simply opens his arms

He’s not one for hugs, but he makes exceptions, and it seems this is one of those situations that calls for an exception

When they sob into his shoulder, he pats them on the back and replies with a simple, “I know, Boss. I know.”

Gage:

Gage is chewing at a piece of dried Mirelurk, grimacing at the salty taste.

Sole makes their way across Fizztop Grille, dropping their pack carelessly next to one of the couches.

Similarly, they drop down next to Gage where he’s sitting overlooking the rest of Nuka World, not saying a word.

After a moment, punctuated by a very obvious sigh, Gage looks over at Sole. He chews contemplatively for a moment, “You and me both. Wanna talk about it?”

Sole shakes their head and Gage responds, “Cool.”

He pats them on the back, admittedly, awkwardly and a bit too harsh to be comforting, but it’s Gage

He’s doing his best

Haylen:

Haylen has Dogmeat in her lap chewing at a Radstag bone, her hand running mindlessly over his fur

She doesn’t jump up when Sole comes in, cautious at the idea of spooking them

“Sole,” She calls out, shifting to move her feet flat on the floor

When they don’t respond and instead sniffle, she’s motioning Dogmeat off her lap and stepping towards them

“Everything alright?”

Sole shakes their head and she presses her lips together in worry, “Anything I can help with?” another shake of Sole’s head

She brushes their hair away from their face with a soft, “Oh, Sole.” and brings them into a light side-hug

Hancock:

He really does like to think he keeps his cool easily, but he really doesn’t in this case

Sole’s crying and that’s not something he thought would ever happen

“Whoa, whoa. Talk to me, what’s going on, Sunshine?”

“Bad day.” Sole chokes out

He suppresses nervous laughter, knowing it can’t just be that, but lets it go and instead puts an arm around their shoulders to pull them in for a tight hug, snug and reassuring, with his other arm finding their waist

MacCready:

He’s alert immediately, thoughts jumping to them being hurt, and potentially fatally so

Considering he thinks its an emergency, he’s in front of them and examining them for injuries within seconds

Sole doesn’t protest for the longest time, but eventually they grab ahold of his wrists and shake their head

He stops for a moment and looks them over again before sighing; this is something he doesn’t know what to do about

“Sit. You’re going to collapse if you’re not careful.”

When they’re seated he helps them shrug off their coat and sits nearby, not pressuring, but available if they want to talk

Nick:

Nick’s view is similar to Danse’s, and he isn’t quite surprised when they come in crying

He sets the pen he was writing with down and shifts back in his chair, opening his arms for a hug if they want

When they cross the room he wraps them in a hug and rubs their lower back, trying his best with the awkward angle him sitting provides

“You need to take time for yourself.” He recommends, but other than that, he remains mostly silent

Piper:

The queen of panic, despite her best efforts

She’s used to tears because of her experiences with Nat, but not from Sole of all people

She does something similar to Mac, where she checks them over briefly, before she realizes this isn’t a physical injury that’s hurting them

She’s competing with Cait when it comes to tight hugs, wishing she could protect them from whatever’s bothering them so

A sympathy crier, she has to blink away her own tears

“Let it out, Blue. We can talk about it later, okay? Everything’s gonna be just fine. I swear.”

Preston:

Preston’s not sure how to handle things, considering how used to Sole being a rock he is

He knows it’s not quite right, considering he knows other people view him the same way, and it’s incredibly difficult being the one holding it together all the time, but he’s still genuinely surprised when he sees they’re crying

He knows what to do when he realizes what’s going on, though; exactly what he wishes he could request from someone else

He brings them into a hug and mumbles reassurances; that they don’t have to be the tough one all the time, that their emotions aren’t weakness, and that everything’s going to be okay

X6-88:

A fan of mutual silence, X6 helps them get comfortable and brings them into their room; he’s always viewed quarters as the safest place to be, both in the Institute and when Sole gave him his own quarters afterwards

He helps them into bed, making sure they’re comfortable, before asking if they have any small injuries they need addressed before settling in

If they say yes he cleans and dresses their wounds as gently as possible before settling into bed near them, a respectable distance away, but within reach if they need, and begins reading a book Sole left on their nightstand

He knows it’s hard to be alone when you’re being attacked by emotions, but they don’t seem to want to talk about what’s going through their head quite yet; instead, he rubs their back and encourages them to cry it out

[im-whatchamccallit]

Fixed On//ATEEZ (OT8)

Pairing: ATeez (OT8) x Fem!Reader (Non-romantic)

Genre: Slight angst, psychological if you’re paranoid enough, majority fluff

Warnings: Mentions of stalking

Word count: 3.4k

You told yourself it was the lack of sleep from the three days you spent studying for your finals catching up to you, that the shadows you saw in your peripheral and the faint footsteps you heard behind you as you drowsily ran errands were simply hallucinations. You told yourself it was all in your head, but how could you believe that now that you were aware of him?

You had simply gone out to grab groceries, just a seven minute walk from your apartment that wouldn’t take any more energy from your already exhausted body, just craving a home cooked meal before crashing for the next two days. But you could practically hear his breathing as he circled around you in the produce section, feel his eyes staring at the back of your head while you selected a pack of beef and, now, you could see him clear as day as you trailed down the empty streets. You were tempted to stay in the grocery store to stall him, praying he got bored and left, but you made the mistake of going at 9:30 at night, the cashiers urging you to go as they closed at 10. Not a problem, you could just head home, right? But you couldn’t, the looming fear he’d find out where you lived making you whimper in distress. To add insult to injury, you left your cell phone at home because you didn’t think your trip would take so long and most stores were closed now, the street lights and your two bodies the only signs of life in the silent night.

You’d been walking for almost twenty minutes now, passing by your apartment reluctantly with aching feet and a spinning head, your eyes brimmed with tears as you tried to push on in case he caught up to you and hoping your $15 beef hadn’t gone bad by now. You need a miracle, something to ease your anxiety and get you home and away from the unidentified man. And, in the midst of your unfortunate predicament, you saw it: a 7-Eleven.

Your body picked up speed as you rushed inside, the place bright and lively despite only you and the cashier being present and the radio playing softly in the background, the tightness in your chest disappearing with each passing second. You gasped softly at the sound of the door’s chime, your head darting to see the hooded figure from before stepping inside and making an abrupt turn to the candy aisle. What now?

You tried to stay natural, moving to the fridge to pick out a soda that you didn’t want, glancing over to see the man adjacent to you mindlessly picking up bags of chips only to put them down once again, looking in your direction every so often to make sure you haven’t moved. And you did, floating about the store with no destination and him still on your tail, the teenager behind the register not caring as the both of you played a game of hide and seek that left your safety up to fate.

It seemed like you were hopeless but, for some reason, you were starting to get luckier as the night progressed, the door chiming and the boisterous chatter of men filling the fairly spacious convenience store.

“Get anything you want, we’re charging it to Hwa’s card.”

“Like hell you are! Pay for yourselves!”

Laughter followed the bickering of two of the guys echoed off the walls before they spread out, some going in pairs to different sections and some on their own, but the one standing alone in front of a rack of limited edition snacks just so happened to catch your gaze first. He was tall, wearing a coat that looked cute on him but made his upper body appear to be broad and muscular underneath, his face blank and firm as if he’s never smiled a day in his life. He was scary, and perfect.

Yunho’s lips were threatening to form a pout as he struggled to choose. Would he rather have a snack form Japan or Indonesia tonight? Both looked so good but he couldn’t bring himself to choose.

“I’ll get both.” He said under his breath before grabbing both bags, gasping loudly as a pair of arms wrapped tightly around his waist.

“Oppa, I thought you had work tonight!” You squealed in a faux happy voice, smiling brightly up at the wide and horrified gaze the man gave you.

“W-what?”

“Some guy’s been following me for a while now. Please, just pretend you know me.” You said in a hushed tone, smile faltering as you glanced over to the fridge you once occupied, the eyes you had feared all night staring directly at you, a soft whine leaving you as you peered back at the strange man you latched yourself to, praying he saved you in any way he could.

You gasped as he wrapped his arms around your shoulders, pulling you until your head was flush against his chest, his once stoic face now adorned with a content smile.

“I texted you that I was free but you didn’t respond! I really wanted to see you tonight.” He said in a cute yet teasing tone, your head thrown back to see him smiling down at you, giving a subtle but clear wink to let you know he was on your side, your eyes stinging as you tried not to cry in the unknown male’s arms.

“How about we go grabs some snacks and head back to my apartment? I’ll pay.” He said with a gentle smile, your head nodding reluctantly.

You both made your way to the back of the store where his friends continued to joke and bicker, Yunho’s arm not leaving you for a second although his smile was gone now, eyes still puppy like yet hard.

Considering he was a fairly large guy, it was easy for the others to catch on to his presence but, upon turning to face their groupmate, they found themselves more focused on your meek appearance hiding safely under his arm. You could feel your face burning in both embarrassment and unease at the way they eyed you and the man.

“Who is this?” One asked, his hair a beautiful royal blue and eyes just as sweet as your large bodied savior’s, the way our eyes immediately diverted from his causing a few to laugh but the way you gasped in horror as your eyes locked with your almost hour long stalker, body trembling as you opted to look at the ground. You just wanted to go home.

“This is…. Princess! My girlfriend!” Yunho said, suddenly realizing neither of you knew each other’s names.

“If he’s holding you hostage, blink twice.” Another spoke, his eyes cat-like and face sculpted to reveal his dimples as he smiled playfully at you.

“Why’s it so hard to believe I can get a girlfriend? Bunny, go pick out something to eat. We’ll wait for you so we can pay.” Yunho said affectionately, giving a reassuring squeeze to your shoulder at the way your eyes widened in fear at him, his head nodding you onward as he silently told you he had a plan, eyes never leaving you as you cautiously moved to the glass casing filled with pastries.

“Seriously, Yunho, who is she?” Seonghwa asked, voice low as the other watched you closely. You were holding two plastic grocery bags filled with vegetables and meat, you were probably a university student based on your lazy but comfortable choice of clothing. Nothing about you seemed alarming, but your sudden introduction as Yunho’s girlfriend was enough to make them suspicious.

“Look at the guy in the hoodie. She said he followed her here.” He said in a hushed voice, the unknown man creepily moving close by you before closing in on a sealed pack of donuts but giving you a once-over now that he was close enough to get a better look at you.

You felt your jaw clench as to not cry out for help and set him off. He was only a few feet away from you now, able to grab and harm you just by extending his arm if you dared to alert anyone. That wasn’t a risk you wanted to take.

“Did he follow her car or something? Why would she stop here?” Wooyoung asked.

“Obviously she didn’t drive. She would’ve left her bags in her car if she did.” Yeosang responded, a few of their eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

“Wait, but the only grocery store nearby is almost ten minutes away.” Jongho chimed in.

“By car. If she walked, that would be almost 25 minutes.” Mingi concluded, their bodies running cold at the realization, taking in the severity of your situation.

You tried to seem casual, to make sure he was unaware of the sudden initiation of eight strangers planning to get you away from him as quickly as possible but, in the midst of your overthinking, you managed to wander off to the back of the store, eyes locked on the stands full of ramen in both impatient anxiousness and genuine wonder. There’s no doubt the beef you bought was no good at this point, and that constant walking you’d done really built up your appetite. You couldn’t let the boys pay for you, especially after offering their protection to keep you safe. But, you had your wallet on you, and you had to get in line with them anyways so they can pay for their snacks, so why not grab dinner for yourself while you were at it?

You mindlessly searched for the one you usually ate, even wondering if you should grab two in case you were hungry later while shifting to hold both bags of food in one hand, almost missing the set of eyes on you. Almost.

It felt like before when you were in the grocery store, body freezing as you listened closely but this time aware of the threating presence, only unaware of how close he was now. You slowly let your body rise, not wanting to let your guard down as you finally heard footsteps, the faint chatter of the boys snapping you from your daze as you tried to hurry back to them, yelping as you crashed into a warm body before you.

You held your breath, peering up cautiously before seeing a familiar and bright smile, his jaw slim but chiseled. He was the stranger’s friends, and he was cute. If you weren’t so worried about getting the hell back home safely, maybe you could’ve gotten a better look at each one to see if they were all this stunning.

“Uhm, P-Princess,” Seonghwa cringed at the pseudonym, not sure why Yunho couldn’t just ask for your actual name to begin with.

“We’re getting ready to pay. You got everything you need?”

You glanced at the bowl of instant ramen before nodding, Seonghwa eagerly taking it from your hands to leave it unoccupied, but that didn’t last long as he grasped it to guide you beside him, your sides practically touching. It was a bit confusing, it made you worried that your act would be found out by the mysterious guy following you. But Seonghwa was no idiot, his observation skills heightened since he was brought into your escape plan, trying hard to not send a glare to the creep standing in the place you were moments ago. If he hadn’t noticed him moving closer, who knows what would’ve happened to you.

“Hey, ready?” Yunho asked you softly, your head nodding once more as they began to hand their items to the still disinterested boy behind the register, your eyes examining their mannerisms.

You were a little wary about blindly asking for their help but, from the way they immediately took on the task to protect you by staying at your side, and even now as the short but equally as model-like blue-haired guy complained that he thought they were using ‘Seonghwa’s’ card, only to be met with teasing ‘Thank you, mom’ chants from the remainder which left him looking a bit disgruntled, you knew they were nothing to fear.

You moved forward as they trailed on to the side, setting down your ramen as Yunho kept his place next to you, moving to pull out his wallet but you immediately snatched your hand from Seonghwa’s wanting to give a quick apology but needing to pay before he had the chance to.

“Don’t worry, I can-“

‘It’s only a dollar, Princess, it’s fine.” Yunho said while handing cash to the man, a faint warmth creeping to your cheeks at how casually he used that newly established nickname.

You thanked the man as you grabbed onto yet another bag for the night, all of you eagerly leaving the store and into the parking lot, the suffocating atmosphere now dissipating into relief as you took in a breath of fresh air. That man didn’t follow you out, the ambience felt so light and fun with the group of men joking ahead of you as they walked to a van with a very bold ‘ATEEZ’ on the side, your jaw nearly hitting the ground.

You’ve heard of their group, their music everywhere yet never had the time or desire to actually look them up, which would explain why you didn’t recognize them immediately. Although, the cat-eyed one went viral not too long ago for his charismatic dancing and now, watching him and a tanned guy with a mole beneath his eye he pointed and referred to as ‘Woo’ laugh at something said by the blue haired man while the tall one, one that resembled a prince and fairy all in one, and one that looked scary until he showed a smile so sweet it managed to make him look more youthful, you realized they were all hot. And suddenly the intimidation you thought you were free from came rushing back to you.

“Hey,” The sudden voice pulled you from your thoughts, a yelp leaving you as you faced the first one you met, his smile falling a bit but recovering just as fast.

“Didn’t mean to scare you. Just need to know your address so we can take you home.” He held up his cellphone and a navigation system, your eyes wide as you looked between him and the bright phone screen. They could’ve honestly left you there once that man stopped pursuing you, yet they were still looking after you.

“Or I could call you a cab. We know you probably don’t want to be around a ton of strangers right now.”

“N-no! Thank you, so much, I’m just really thankful I found you guys.”

“Hey, it only cost us a dollar to help you, and I don’t think any of us would feel right just leaving you to protect yourself from that guy.” Yunho said gently.

His tone and eyes were telling you he was being sincere, not that you needed any more convincing to trust him or his friends. Not to mention he was right about you needing a ride home, reality kicking in that you still didn’t have your phone on you and, if your groceries weren’t completely wasted by now, you still had some time to save them.

With a small smile you took his phone from his hands, typing in your address and passing it back to him, your body turning to match his as you head towards the van, the faint sounds of the boys arguing over who would drive and all agreeing that none of them wanted to, leading to an intense game of rock-paper-scissors that Yunho gladly stayed out of, a small giggle threatening to erupt from your lips.

“By the way, you guys don’t feel like strangers. Especially with your group’s name plastered on the side of your car.” You joked, a simple ‘Ah’ leaving him as you stared at you with a smirk, almost a silent way to say he’s discovered your dirty secret.

“You know, at first I thought you were a fan or something and that’s why you came up to me. I didn’t think I’d be right.”

“Uh, actually, I don’t know anything about you guys. I didn’t know you were ‘ATEEZ’ until I saw, well, that.” You gestured back to the vehicle where the boys began to disperse and enter the car, but the loud and bitter comments of them not wanting ‘Mingi’ to drive filling the air followed by an authoritative ‘Do you wanna do it?!’ from the blue-head. Were they aware of how unintentionally funny they were?

“Well, in that case, I’m Yunho.” He smiled, a genuine one that made you breathe out in contentment.

“I’m (Y/n).”

Your introduction was brief, followed by a silence that was neither comfortable nor uncomfortable, lingering in the air as you both made it to the van, easing your way inside and finding a seat next to the blue-head and prince-faced boy, giving a small nod and smile that he shyly returned, the three boys behind you too preoccupied in their phones to acknowledge you and, suddenly, the silence gone as Yunho spoke up from his awkward position of setting up his phone to the dashboard, the faint voice of the navigation arising in the background.

“You should introduce yourselves to (Y/n)!”

“Her name’s (Y/n)?” The one in the driver’s seat asked as he started the engine, peering to you from the rear view mirror with bright eyes before putting the car into drive.

“My name is Mingi.”

“I’m Seonghwa.” The guy from the passenger seat said to you as he turned to wave.

“I’m Choi San.” Cat eyes said from behind you, giving a dimpled smile that you easily returned.

“I am Jongho, and this is Wooyoung.”

“Hey! I can introduce myself!” You jumped slightly at the boom of ‘Wooyoung’s’ voice, giving a bewildered look at how fast he went back to his calm and charismatic self.

“I’m Wooyoung.” He reached his hand out to you, which you slowly took as you tried to calm down the giggles bubbling inside of you.

“Yeosang.” The one beside you said meekly, not giving you eye contact as he scrolled through his social media.

“And my name’s Hongjoong!” The blue-haired guy said, giving an enthusiastic wave that was slowly swallowed by the oversized sweater he wore, your breath caught in your throat from how cute he was.

“It’s nice to meet you all and, thank you, so much, for helping me tonight.”

“It’s no problem, we just wanted to make sure you stayed safe.” Mingi stated. You would’ve thought his deep voice would be drowned out by the van’s engine but you heard him perfectly.

“But what made you think we weren’t the creeps? You’re probably in a car full of murders and you don’t even know it-“

“Shut the hell up, Wooyoung, you’re scaring her!” Seonghwa yelled from the front, a hand landing on top of your head to give a small ruffle, your eyes following it to Hongjoong who peered past Yeosang’s head to see you.

“Don’t worry, we’re all good guys.”

“He’s lying! He yells at us all the time!” Jongho whined with a pout, slowly letting it grow into a smirk as Hongjoong glared at him playfully.

“Because none of you listen!” Hongjoong snapped back, an amused laugh from San echoing through the vehicle.

“Oh no, dad’s mad.”

“I’m stuck with ungrateful kids, of course I’m mad!” You couldn’t help but laugh, their bickering growing by the second as the car ride progressed.

It was funny how quickly they forgot there was a stranger riding with them, having conversations that you couldn’t understand about an idol life that you had no part in, Yunho attempting to remind them of your presence to make you feel included, eventually leading you to discuss university life that they couldn’t quite understand and, as mundane as it seemed, was still a bit entertaining.

You could see the familiar street light with a poster for part-time employment at the nearby seafood shop taped to it, signaling you were approaching your apartment a lot sooner than you expected and, as relieved as you were to finally be home and to relax from the horrifying encounter you had, you didn’t want to leave.

These boys, as loud and strange as they were, were peaceful to be around and a comfort you didn’t know you needed. You weren’t really aware of ATEEZ, who they were or the music the produced, but you knew they were good people, and maybe this night was enough to keep your mind fixed on them.

[oneoftheprettynerds]

Just My Type: Dark!Steve x Reader (Mob AU)

Chapter 2 in the Lipstick and Crayons Series.

Chapter 1: Welcome to the Darkside

Main Masterlist

A/N: This chapter is 2K words more than the last chapter and I’ve second guessed every single line in this one. This story is getting a lot of traction guys and I’m equal parts happy and scared. Thank you for the nice comments, they do encourage me. Also I’m just ranting feel free to skip this note haha. Your support in any form: like, comment or reblog is appreciated greatly. Also you can dm if you want to be friends, God knows I need those. Hopefully, this chap was worth the wait. Also, I made a poster for this on the main masterlist so check that out, it might be foreshadowing dome plot.

Warning: Eventual Non-Con, Sickening Threats, Mob Themes, Violence, Death, Manipulation, a mild mental breakdown, Cheap Tricks later.

Genres + Characters: Mob AU, Single Parents AU, Steve Rogers x Reader.

Summary: Steve can't ever repay you for what you did. After meeting you, Steve believes his broken family is the missing piece in the puzzle of your own wrecked one. Indebting the crime lord to you has been the biggest mistake of your life, cause now you can't get rid of him, no matter what. Loyalty and favours go a long way in the mob.

Chapter 2: Just My Type

It had almost been a week since the incident and you had barely gotten a wink of sleep. When you drove back to your house that night, Steve surprisingly didn’t argue as you had expected. After that friend of his whispered something in his ears, you only assumed he was needed elsewhere and you couldn’t be more thankful for that. They escorted you to your car and Steve thanked you with a strained smile, words genuine but eyes calculating. You didn’t even wonder what went inside his head. You were thankful for the peace and quiet of your own car, content to just get out of the area and into your humble abode.

After you put the already asleep Grace to bed, you couldn’t bring yourself to get out of her room. You just sat on the floor beside the bed, hand intertwined with hers as you rested your head beside her tummy on the mattress.

Your adrenaline wore off and your limbs ached as your thoughts finally settled into place, the gravity of the catastrophe a few hours prior hitting you. Tears made their way down your cheeks as you realized that you both could have very well died tonight.

One bullet could have sealed each of your lives and you were basically defenseless had Steve not saved you against the creeping assaulter. You couldn’t commend yourself for even defending yourself against one attacker, the guilt of killing someone harboring in your tired head. Your quiet whimpers eventually wore you out, while Grace’s shallow breaths lulled you to sleep.

You didn’t manage to sleep for long though, every time your eyes closed, horrific images flashed in your mind. A blood curdling scream here, heaps of dead bodies there, with distant exploding sounds all around. You could see men clad in black holding guns to Grace’s head and whensoever you woke up, you just wondered how much more creative your mind could get, making these visuals so realistic.

When 8 AM rolled in, you didn’t wake Grace up even though it was Monday and you had work. You got up, changed into a long tee after a shower and called your office and then her daycare. You knew you would have a hard time going back to your normal life, to become trusting enough to leave her alone.

Your assumption about yourself was right. You took almost the entire week off, which your boss generously allowed you to after hearing your traumatic experience, which soon made the city news headlines. All your colleagues checked on you, almost once in the five day break you took, and sweetly enough offered to bring you anything you needed.

It was kind of them, but none of them could bring you what your heart genuinely craved: peace and assurance that you and Grace would be safe.

Even though Saturdays were off, you did go to work to see what you missed and where to start on again. You went in because you knew that the random spurt of resolution you got in the bathroom to collect your life, wouldn’t last.

To ease back into your normal life, you gathered your guts, called a babysitter and left home. You couldn’t bring yourself to leave Grace at the daycare just yet. One of your good friends offered to come in to the office and help you, even on the weekend and you were quite grateful to him.

When you both decided to take lunch in the nearby dining place, you both got to talking, the conversation obviously originating from ‘How have you been?’ and ‘Is Grace okay?’. You reminisced about how you used a photobooth to hide, grotesquely and uncomfortably chuckling when you remembered Sarah calling you her mom and how her dad saved you all.

You deliberately left the part where you killed someone and Steve shot someone too. You hadn’t come to terms with it yet and you stiffly restricted your mind whenever it tried to go down that lane.

He sensed how the conversation was becoming tense and distressing for you and briskly redirected the topic.

“I hope the dad was hot though?” He wiggled his eyes creepily and you snorted at his vulgarity, light for the first time in days.

“He was easy on the eyes; I will admit that.” You played along, recalling your girlfriends and how you used to ogle people.

“Don’t be a homewrecker though, I don’t support cheating.” He said nonchalantly, checking his phone as a notification bell rang off.

“He’s a widower.”

His eyes snapped up and met yours as his head tilted in confusion. “That’s a strange fact to know about someone you met for a few minutes.”

Steve’s even stranger comment about his dead wife popped in your mind and before you could stop yourself, you blurted that out as well.

“He even said and I quote, ‘She deserved what she got.’” He put his phone down, weirdly amused.

“Ooh Creepy! Do you think he is one of those husbands who kill their wives and bury them in the backyard? The podcasts always say that the psychopaths are visually handsome and charming. And his statement was quite vague and spooky.” He continued munching, and you felt that now Aiden was really paying attention unlike before.

“Steve did have a gun while searching for Sarah, come to think of it.” You drank your tea and awaited his response. What you did not expect was his eyes to widen and worry to cloud his features.

“Um Widower Steve with a toddler Sarah? At the place where The Vices attacked?” He mumbled, grabbing his phone and doing God knows what on it. Your eyebrows furrowed and before you could ask him what was up with his antics, he resumed.

“This is a long shot but I really hope your Steve didn’t look like this.” He positioned the phone in your vision, and you could already tell it was Steve by the sapphire blue of his eyes piercing through the screen into your soul. The picture was a month or two old, his hair was much longer when you met him than in the photo.

“This is him.” Your eyes met Aiden’s and worry visibly took over his features as his forehead creased and jaw tense.

He looked around the restaurant, finding it empty in the afternoon. He leaned and whispered, “This Steve of yours is dangerous.”

You interrupted Aiden, even though you already knew Steve was, the sight of his armed men still fresh in your head, and inquired, “Why do you say so?”

“It’s just like the fictional stories we hear from our parents, except here, in this city of ours, every myth holds true. There are really powerful men, untouchable by law, who reign the city silently and live luxuriously. Every shady, under the table deal you’ve heard of, transpires. Illegal trades, fraud schemes and bounty hunters are not fictional, they exist here. These men kill whatever hinders them and trust me, you don’t want to be the deer caught in their Jaguar’s headlights.”

Ice froze in your veins again, resembling the fear you felt that night but now because of your deemed ‘savior’. You convinced yourself that you had not wronged him in any way, instead had saved his daughter’s life.

“Are you in contact with him? If you are, distance yourself cleverly, don't block him immediately.”

“No, we just parted ways near my car, he thanked me for Sarah and was called away. It’s almost been a week and he hasn’t reached out if that’s what you mean. We didn’t exchange contacts and I don’t think I even told him my full name.” You explained yourself as if you were on the witness stand in court, trying to convince yourself more than Aiden.

“Pray that he doesn’t remember you more than that, if at all. I’m being totally honest here in telling you this, I’m genuinely worried for you and Grace. You are smart but he is powerful. He has unimaginable resources and if you become more than a speck of dust on his windshield, you are screwed. There is no exaggeration here.” You took his words to your heart and swore to be careful, if not for yourself then for Grace.

The rest of the day went by and you found yourself dwelling on and worrying about Aiden’s words. At least he put it out there as it was. Heeding his advice, you did google Steve on your phone, finally finding him in the topmost news headline when you added ‘Buck’ in the search bar as well.

‘With 38 lawsuits pending against businessman Steve Rogers, the filers have lost all hope in prosecuting him. All cases are being drawn out for indefinite periods of time by the Chief Justice Bruce……’

Aiden was right.

Businessmen was code for illegal mob heads. Cases being stretched on meant he was, in fact, invincible, at least to the common man’s fists.

You flickered through several titles, each one more surprising than the last. He was believed to be involved in the carnival attack, alleged for three hit and run cases that he didn’t lose but the witnesses swore they saw him driving and was also rumored to have brought in quintals of drugs just last week, but the packets just evaporated into thin air and there was no proof of their existence in the first place even on incessant searching.

Every crime of his made you shudder and you mentally thanked Aiden for pulling you out of your oblivion. Your mind raced and heart palpated and you cursed yourself for being so drastically unaware even after living here for almost four years. Technically speaking, Steve and you were even, him saving your life and you saving his daughter’s. No logical reason came to your mind for him contacting you ever.

You wished as Aiden said and assured yourself that your paths would never cross again, Steve not having reached out in a week, so hopefully never again.

That thought went out the window when you reached home to find a box awaiting you. Hannah, the babysitter you had called, informed you it came around 5 in the evening and was exclusively to be opened by you today.

Your mind raced as you paid the babysitter, your hands sweaty as you tried not to think about the gift and its sender. There was an apparently clear answer to who mailed it but you refused to accept that, courtesy of Aiden.

The box was of the height of Grace, it was black with red hearts painted across it; some red roses also sparingly adorned it. You opened the lid and found tons of red tissues and a multi-flower bouquet adorned with mostly red roses and a few purple and pink flowers.

Because of your frequent gardening in your backyard, you knew all the flowers’ meanings. To sum it all up, red flowers, especially roses were used for courting someone. Pink meant admiration, purple for beauty and you knew the ‘violet’ flowers were for loyalty.

As your nerves increased tenfold, you willed yourself to get it over with and empty out the box first, ignoring the little card in your bouquet, saving the ‘best’ for last. You find a mini bouquet inside but unlike yours, it had chocolates of every kind. You did read its card and cringed when it was for Grace, bothered not by the deed but by the doer.    

Further inside were some animal plushies, face masks, perfumes, scented body lotions and shampoos. Your head hurt thinking about the ‘single mother care package’ delivered to you by someone you refused to acknowledge.

As Grace sat in her playpen occupied, you dared to pick your card and read its message, your heart beating unrealistically fast for someone who refused to accept the cruciality of her situation.

~

I can’t thank you enough in this lifetime for saving my little princess. The gift of your help is more than anything money could ever buy for me. Please accept this invitation of mine for dinner tomorrow night, 7PM at La Bonne Nuit, as a symbol of my sincere gratitude for everything you’ve done. I’ll gets the kids covered and pick you up, you just be ready and look as amazing you always do.                                                                                           Sincerely,                                                                      Steve Rogers

                                                                                            ~

You stilled as you read it over and over again.

An invitation, your ass. Even in writing his authority portrayed, there was no question and hope for you coming, he just stated that you’d come. Looking pretty as always? You just met him once, in the middle of a calamity, covered in dirt and blood.

All the red roses and gifts screamed his romantic interest but you illusioned yourself into thinking they meant gratitude. You wouldn’t be able to digest it all otherwise.

Knowing what you knew now about Steve, you understood there was no denying the dinner tomorrow. You had to get out of his clutches and distance yourself, but as Aiden had so rightfully said, cleverly.

That night you laid in bed mulling over your next course of actions. You had called the gift shop to return the unwarranted presents you received but they said it was non refundable and anonymous to trace. You bitterly snorted in their face, they put a card with Steve’s name on it for heaven’s sake!

You didn’t flinch even when you realized you never gave Steve your address, neither for mailing stuff nor for picking you up. There was no number given to call him and thank or to call him and deny. The bastard had planned it all out, and you felt like you were driving in a one way lane, going deeper into the tunnel. Somewhere among your all-relentless fretting, you managed to finally sleep.

 When the doorbell rang, your eyebrows furrowed. It was just 6 PM and you weren’t expecting anybody else except for Steve. You had already begun getting ready, having developed a habit of keeping an extra margin of time now having a toddler. You still had to assemble Grace’s essential backpack, fill it with her meds and bottles.

While still putting on your diamond earring, you made your way to the door, unlocking it to find a redhead grinning at you. Before you could interact with her, a small body clung to your legs and you looked down to find the azure eyed kid that put you in this mess, Sarah, smiling up at you.

“Mama! You look pwetty!” She looked up in awe and now aware that she didn’t have a mother, you were even more so coerced into accepting this title rather than telling the kid that 'you are semi orphaned'.

“I’m Wanda, Sarah’s nanny. Mr. Rogers told me to pick her friend, Grace, up for the night?” So, this was what Steve meant. Bringing Sarah was proof enough of her legitimacy, but behind her you saw ‘Buck’ salute you from the driver’s seat of the black car. One of these days, you needed to learn his real name.

You invited Wanda inside and Sarah ran to Grace immediately, grabbing and whining while asking Grace to give her some popcorn she was munching on, her fist generously full.

In your open plan kitchen, you grabbed two plastic bowls, filled them with each with the tub of popcorn that sat in the microwave and handed each toddler one, fortunately quietening Sarah. Sarah obeyed Grace, in first thanking you, their ‘mama’ and then following her to her open playpen.

You faced Wanda again who sat on a barstool and kept on beaming. If your annoyance at her amusement showed, she sure didn’t let it falter the smile.

“Mr. Rogers told me you’d worry about your daughter, but I assure you she’d be in more than capable hands.” All you could focus on was how self-reassured she was. “I’ve served him for almost two years, the last family I served, I was there for 8 years and before them, I was employed for 3. I know the general bedtime and snacks, all I need from you is information about her allergies.”

You nodded and told her about Grace, her meds and what all you packed. When you got to know that her family owned the daycare Grace went to, you were finally somewhat convinced. After seeing them off, it was about fifteen minutes later, that the devil disguised in Prada showed up at your door.

You grabbed your purse and your keys. Wiping your sweaty palms on your dress, you opened the door. Steve stood there, a smirk lodging on his handsome face. His blue, three-piece suit perfectly paired with his cerulean eyes was impressive to say the least.

He was dressed to kill, and it appeared as if you were his first victim.

As your eyes took him in from top to bottom, his did the same lazily, taking their time, resting at certain places for longer period than others.

“You look stunning.”

You knew you did. You wore one of your more expensive dresses when you found out La Bonne Nuit to be one of the few seven-star hotels in the country. In hindsight, if you’d have dressed worse, maybe he’d have left you alone.

“Thank you.”

“Shall we?” He offered you his hand and you obliged with your palm in his. Your other hand pulled the doorknob while you stepped out, all alarms already set-in place. He waited while you locked and put the keys in and when you were done, with a soft kiss along your knuckles, he pulled you along.

The act surprised you, your stomach turning and your gut wrenching and you wondered if you’d be able to process the food after all, with your upset digestive system.

Like a proper gentleman, he opened the door for you and when you settled, he took his position at the driver’s seat. The silence was painful for you, your overthinking finally filling ideas in your head that you avoided contemplating about all day, focusing on Grace.

He was relaxed though; his humming was proof enough.

Mid way through, your thoughts were rudely interrupted when a hand housed itself on your knee. You glanced to find Steve’s palm slightly rubbing your knee. If it was meant to be assuring, you certainly didn’t feel like it.

You frowned and looked up to Steve who still had the arrogant smirk on his face, eyes straight ahead on the road, giving no indication of his inappropriate touching.

You wanted to swat his hand away but a brainwave dashed through your head and a disturbing thought made you halt, that whether he carried guns to restaurants as well, since carnivals were no big deal.

You ignored his hand and continued looking outside, pretending to ignore it as well as he did. Your scowl was a huge giveaway though.

You didn’t know that, but when your eyes found their way out, his finally rested on your face, the smirk growing even more.

Thankfully, apart from the incongruous touching, the dinner went okay-ish. The food and wine were impeccable, perfect even, the restaurant on the hotel’s top floors was so picturesque. You tried to savor your one-time experience there, knowing you’d no way be able to come back there.

Well, you tried to relish as much as you could while your mind still sat there, wary of the human in front of you. If you’d ignore your journey here, Steve was nothing short of a true gentleman, often making you wonder if you had imagined his hand on you.

This ‘friendly’ date you were having was probably one of the best you have had, he had left no expenses. He appeared to be interested in your work, about your childhood and about Grace’s but you swiftly avoided his questions about her father. He was growing a tad bit too comfortable for your liking and you still refused to entertain the idea that this was a ‘date’ date.

When you were finally onto dessert, the last course of your meal, your table was shadowed by the broad frame of a brunette and his date. He clapped Steve’s shoulder and Steve rose to hug him, you awkwardly smiled.

“It’s been far too long since you’ve been here, Cap. Why don’t you and your gorgeous date stop by my penthouse for a bit? We could finally go over the papers you sent me, in person?” He winked, they discussed something more and then went away, his date bowing and trailing after him as well.

Steve claimed his seat again, and finally told you about the interrupter. “That was my good friend, Tony Stark, always in a hurry. I’ll introduce you to him when we meet him later.”

“I think I’ll be heading home; you need not worry about my introduction, I hardly think we’ll ever run into each other again.” His eyes narrowed and you clarified, “Me and Mr. Stark, I meant.”

That’s good, don’t associate yourself with more of his kind.

“He was so kind in inviting you though, it would be rude to refuse.”

“It’s already late, Steve. And I’ve never left Grace alone for a night yet. What if she’s antsy? What if she is bothered? What if she feels unsafe? She's only used to very few people, and after last week, I-” You had started the sentence hoping to use Grace as an excuse but every word of yours succeeded in making you more apprehensive.

The carnival night flashed in your mind, along with the nightmares and you started panicking even more. Your hands clammy, your dessert spoon fell in your lap as sought your phone in your purse, hoping to call Wanda for an update. You felt like a terrible mother, who left her child with a stranger, only a week after she suffered trauma, just to go on a date with a mobster.

Steve reached across the table and grabbed your fidgety hands and as you wriggled to get your hands free, he softly called your name. Voice stern but vocals gentle. Your blurry eyes snapped to meet his while he guided you to breathe deeply, in and out.

His firm hold convinced you to listen to him, you’d never free yourself of them otherwise.

When you had calmed a bit, he withdrew his hands and fetched his phone. Your thoughts slowed down, and you wondered if anyone here was judging you. Your little scene, mercifully, went unnoticed by the other affluent people dining here.

Steve handed you his phone where four colored frames rested, the screen showing you Grace and Sarah cuddled in a frilly, pink four poster where Wanda sat too, her lips moving.

The feed was live and the screen muted, both the toddlers’ eyes fluttering close slowly, on the bridge of sleep.

You handed the phone back to Steve and drank your water while he rubbed circles on the back of one of your hands. You never freaked out like you did right now, always collected and never giving into anxiety. What had happened to you?

Well, In your defense, you had never experienced a disaster either.

“The kids are safe; I’m never putting either of them in harm’s way ever again.”

Your mind did catch the plural in his statement but you promised yourself you would not let it get that far and continued drinking your water, emptying the entire glass.

“The HD image you just saw was by cameras Tony recently developed. His technology is amazing, I’ll take you to his lab sometime.” You appreciated his attempt to redirect the topic but you also focused on how tech-savvy his friends were as well.

You hummed and agreed, trying to be ambiguous with your answer.

When you finished your dessert, you hoped he’d forget about his ‘friend’ Tony but to no avail.

“His penthouse is two floors above. He owns this hotel as well in case you didn’t notice.” He led you to the elevator as you recalled the Starks Group logo you saw earlier sometime.

Some AI named Jarvis opened the elevator doors for you in the living room of Tony’s penthouse. It was even more magnificent than the restaurant earlier, the place illuminated by several hues of different colours. Steve chuckled and strung you along, introducing you to a ginger-head named Pepper, who was Tony’s date earlier and went to search for his acquaintance.

She offered you wine but you politely declined, opting for water instead. She brought your glass to you from the extravagant kitchen and you both sat on the barstool there instead of the living room. Too anxious to say the wrong thing, you stayed quiet until her voice filled the deafening silence.

“So, Steve almost never brings dates around. You two serious?” She questioned, leaning towards you, waiting for some gossip, no doubt.

“Oh no! We aren’t dating. He just invited me for a friendly dinner. We merely met the other week.” You deliberately left out the part where there was bombing by crime families and attack on the common man.

“Honey, in the mob life, you don’t just introduce random people to the fam.”

Oh, she wasn’t being shy about the whole mob ordeal. It seemed weird to hear it from her, since you and Steve hadn’t used the word yet. Maybe he figured you already knew considering the circumstances you met in or how famous he was.

“We really aren’t romantically involved. This dinner was just a gesture of gratitude if I’m being truthful.”

She chuckled, as if you were a kid making stories and quizzed, “Gratitude for what?”

You trapped yourself into that one. You didn’t know how to answer her and your brain downright blanked. Surprisingly,, Steve came to your rescue and two voices interposed your conversation.

Steve called your name and as you turned to the men, he continued, “She’s the one who saved Sarah the other night. You know the story, Wilson probably got it printed.”

“Impressive, really. Hey, I’m Tony and I see you’ve already met Pepper, my fiancée.” He shook your hand and kissed your knuckles, much like Steve did earlier in the day. You bowed, smiled and mumbled a ‘nice to meet you as well’. They escorted you to the elevator and Tony continued.

“Well, it’s not everyday Steve brings brave and extraordinarily attractive women around. Welcome to the family, sweetie. She’s a keeper, Cap.” He winked while saying the last sentence and before you could correct him, Steve ushered you inside the elevator, bro-hugging him. As the doors closed, Pepper winked at you from behind Tony and a shudder ran through you.

Okay you had to make it clear, get on the same page.

As the elevator music filled the silence, you started, “Steve, look we aren’t-”, “I served in the army, that’s why Tony calls me Cap, short for captain.” And crudely got interrupted.

“I never wanted to get into the army, I thought people were fools to sacrifice the one life they got. But I went to make my mother’s dream a reality, I really loved her, you know? Sarah is named after her, my mother.”

His voice broke at the end and as much as you wanted to redirect onto your former topic, you couldn’t. This amiability of yours would be the death of you.

“She died alone in her bed; I was dispatched too far away to even make it back for her funeral.” He mumbled but you heard him clear as a sunny day, and he leaned back onto the wall for support while you awkwardly rubbed his shoulder to return the support he provided earlier during your mental breakdown.

He closed his eyes and gathered himself, taking deep breaths. As the elevator dinged, his eyes opened and he gave you a strained smile.  

The car ride to his mansion was painfully silent, his mind too sidetracked to focus on harassing you again. With all that you went through today, you almost forgot about that.

His mansion was enormous, twenty guards stood outside and even more patrolled the lawn. He took you inside his house, the interior even more detailed and scenic than Tony’s temporary residence.

You just concentrated on swiftly getting Grace and Uber-ing back. As Steve showed you earlier, Grace and Sarah hugged and slept and it was a meticulous task to untangle their limbs without waking either of them up andnd get Grace with her back-pack. You thanked Wanda on the way out, hoping to avoid Steve but somehow he stood outside before you, leaning on his sleek black car. He opened the door for you before you could refuse the ride. You settled with Grace in the backseat itself, trying to be smart.

He just summoned one of his guards to drive and sat alongside you in the back. You didn’t let the annoyance at his clinginess show though. You just focused on Grace who drooled over your shoulder.

Hopefully, there won’t be any point of exposure to him ever again, your circles didn’t match, both social and professional. Your Venn diagrams didn’t overlap anywhere. This should be reason enough to avoid meeting ever again.

He didn’t try anything even this ride around. You doubted it was hardly because of the toddler or because of the driver. He did as he pleased, if he wanted to he could very well grope you. Luckily, he wasn't in the mood.

When you reached your dwelling, you stepped out hastily, thanking him in a whisper. You fumbled to get your keys out, but since everything you held slowed you down, he caught up with you without even trying.

He took and held Grace’s bag while you drew the keys out, Grace still on your hip. He handed you the bag back, “So this is it, I guess?”

“Yeah, tonight was a total delight. Thanks for the dinner and everything, really.” You put up your best façade, hoping to convince him.

“It was, thanks to you. The company matters the most.”

You awkwardly chuckled and you sensed him leaning in, his eyes flickering shut. Your eyes closed as you turned your head to avoid him, so that his lips would peck your cheek.

They never came.

Your eyes opened to find his and he chuckled, leaning in once again swiftly, catching you off guard this time. He didn’t meet your lips though, he kissed the corner of your mouth, lips overlapping for a fraction of skin.

“In due time, baby.” He stepped back and strolled to his car leisurely, content in his own world.

You opened your door and slammed it shut, the peck feeling wrong on so many levels. It felt more sensual than a lover’s kiss, leaving room for intimacy and longing.

Your thoughts ran a hundred kilometers an hour, the most absurd but nauseatingly true being, this was a date and it was not your last encounter.

Steve smirked outside in his car, the dinner an absolute success in his opinion. Tonight just made him feel that you both were more than compatible for each other. You needing him during your mental breakdown, him relaxing under your shy touch, Tony’s approval, not that important though, and your anxiety for Grace was the best part, because he, more often than he’d like to admit, fussed about Sarah the same way, agonizing and fretting her well being.

A text lit up his black screen and his grin widened even more if possible.

‘The Stark cameras are up and working, Sir.’

[norcumii]

for the ask meme: Rex/Obi or pairing/characters of choice - Werewolf/vampire AU / Sick/injured / Stranded Due to Inclement Weather / Huddling for warmth

For this trope mashup meme.

This was CLEARLY influenced by seananmcguire's Newsflesh series, which was the last zombie related media I interacted with, and I regret NOTHING.

(Meanwhile, much worldbuilding was done by Dogmatix, who I was foolish enough to let near the plunnies again ^_^)

*****

The problem with zombies, Obi-Wan couldn’t help but muse, was that they stopped thinking. Oh, there was some low-level intelligence left in there, but it was mostly focused on consuming the living. Not tactics, for the most part, not unless the bastards were very fresh or in large enough groups, but that also meant that when some brilliant asshole declared “oh, the zombies wouldn’t/couldn’t ever do that,” no one consulted the zombies.

Thus, an early morning patrol in an area that “never saw more than one or two zombies” turned into a clusterfuck retreat. Though ‘patrol’ was rather a gross overstatement for just the two of them taking an idle walk because some days, Rex was too jittery for sleep and too damn self-sacrificing to admit that he missed early morning runs.

There was always enough fog coming in from the river that they should have been fine.

There also shouldn’t have been an entire pack of at least a dozen, dozen and a half zombies in the area. Where the fuckers had even come from was an unpleasant mystery.

“Rex?” Obi-Wan murmured into the man’s ear. “Are you with me?” he asked as if he couldn’t make out the glacially slow beat of his heart.

Rex groaned, head lolling to nestle further in the crook of Obi-Wan’s neck. He mumbled something that was probably a curse, which left Obi-Wan in the unenviable position of having to close his eyes and take his own steadying breath. Yes, on the one hand he did have an unfairly attractive boyfriend draped across his lap, straddling his hips and feeling like he was several seconds away from some serious necking.

On the other, they were also treed a good thirty feet above a pack of damned zombies, which had already tried seriously munching on Rex, and ‘necking’ could have serious consequences when one of them was an actual vampire.

Speaking of. Obi-Wan shifted in the cautious little jig in an attempt to nudge Rex more to the left. If he could just free up his arm enough, then he could move around while not tossing them off the tree stand or dislodging the thick emergency poncho that was the only thing keeping Rex from turning into a charred crisp. It was not sized for two, but there hadn’t been time to be more careful and drape it over just Rex instead of just plonking it down over the two of them.

“If you refuse to leave base again without your entire damned armor because of this, I’m going to be very put out,” Obi-Wan informed him, getting another incoherent unhappy noise. The armor was good at keeping the soldiers bite free – not that they needed to worry about the zombification business, but it still hurt them and fed the damn undead. It was also effective at keeping the soldiers touch starved and isolated in ways Obi-Wan had difficulty standing.

Another careful shift, and he could just barely dig out one of the small, squishy packs he kept in his jacket for emergencies.

Since his luck was shit, as soon as he pulled it free, the bastard caught on a loose thread, and with his claws he didn’t dare grab too hard for it, and down it tumbled. One of the zombies lunged, snapping at it, and blood exploded all across the remains of the bastard’s face.

Not being too intelligent, the rest of the pack turned on it immediately. Obi-Wan tried to tune out the disgusting carnage, being much more careful on his second attempt. He didn’t have many packets to spare. This one, he managed to juggle up in front of Rex’s face, jostling it a little. “Here. Drink,” he ordered, hoping that would be sufficient. He hated trying to insert the little sippy straws – Anakin had loved juice pouches back as a child, and they’d had similar fiendish straws. Anakin had learned how to insert the little bastards without a problem, but he always asked Obi-Wan to do it for him – because Obi-Wan had never quite managed to master the process, and Anakin was a damned brat.

Bad enough when it was juice.

One way or another, Rex was conscious enough to shift and bite down on the plastic packet. It was always a wonder to watch the soldiers’ regenerative powers at work. As the level of mostly artificial plasma lowered, color drained back into Rex’s face, the nasty burns along truly unfair cheekbones fading as muscle and skin reknit. He could smell the distressing blood-and-raw-meat stench fading, and only then did he start to relax.

When things had started to go to hell around the globe, the powers that be had huddled together around their failing infrastructure and went looking for fantastical solutions to unnatural problems. Obi-Wan could only imagine the levels of exhaustion and terror that had led someone to the conclusion that vampires might be immune to the infections that spread the zombie virus. The sheer potential of that going horribly wrong was at least one movie franchise long, if not several, yet somehow they’d dedicated enough science to make artificial vampires. Oh, technically it wasn’t vampirism, but ‘drank blood, super fast and strong, sunburn to death within minutes, resting vitals dropping down far enough to pass as dead’ was close enough for everyone but petty bureaucrats and pedantic assholes.

Even at the time, Obi-Wan had cynically noted how that meant both a short leash, and a strong vested interest in keeping as many people from going zombie as possible. He’d also noted the infuriating demographics of those who were selected for and survived the process of becoming vampires.

He tried not to think on that much nowadays, because the heightened blood pressure and carnage bothered Rex.

The packet slurped dry in a way that always raised Obi-Wan’s hackles, then Rex blinked up at him a few times in confusion. “You’re fuzzy,” Rex accused.

“That’s called a beard, dear,” Obi-Wan drawled in his most obnoxious tone, pretending he didn’t also have fur sprouting most places, nor the partial muzzle of a transformation enough to give him speed and jumping ability enough to get to one of the safe perches they’d set up weeks ago.

The Powers That Be might have created vampires, but they had also somehow missed the small but stubborn population of entirely naturally occurring werewolves (and affiliated were-creatures) around the world. Some, like Obi-Wan and his pack, were doing their damndest to both keep a low profile and help the poor bastards trying to protect the last of humanity.

Some, like Obi-Wan, might have become unwisely open to certain non-lycanthropes due to unfortunate feelings – not that Obi-Wan was ever about to complain about that.

Either his sarcastic tone or the guttural noises of thwarted zombies sank in, because Rex stiffened and glared down. “Fuck!” he hissed, thighs clenching in a way that Obi-Wan both very much did and very much did not appreciate. His eyes damn well crossed at the wiggle that followed – he could only guess that Rex was going for a weapon that he didn’t have.

“Stop that!” he snarled, letting the wolf out a little more. He needed the muscle and mass to keep Rex in place, longer paws digging into the tree trunk for a slightly more secure hold that was notgroping his idiot boyfriend.

His idiot boyfriend leveled a flat, unimpressed look at him. “Really?” Rex grumped. His eyes flicked down, then back up. “Right now?”

“So sorry, but some of us don’t need to ingest extra blood to get it up, and under less fraught circumstances this might be my idea of a good time.” He tried for a drawl, but it was much more strained than he meant. Oh well, it wasn’t like Rex didn’t know he could be ridiculous. And it really wasn’t intentional.

“Less fraught meaning less zombies?”

“And less daylight.” Obi-Wan didn’t mean for his tone to turn sharp, either, but it did even as he very carefully wrapped his arms tighter around Rex. He made certain not to disturb the poncho, but he, at least, wanted the reassurance. He still wasn’t over the terror of having to go mostly wolf to grab Rex from the pack he was trying to slow down, nor the horror of slinging him over a shoulder to go pelting through the trees. Madcap desperation to find a tree stand before a foggy dawn was not his idea of fun. “Your life is worth a hell of a lot more than an inconvenient hard on.”

Rex huffed a laugh, leaning in to rest his cheek against Obi-Wan’s. “Stop being charming.”

“I’m afraid that’s going to happen approximately never. So sorry.”

For a moment, it was just them – two idiots cuddled together, healthy and alive on a genuinely beautiful, bright Spring morning.

Then a terrible gurgling noise broke the moment, and Rex glanced down at the pack still mingling around the tree, groaning their displeasure at not remembering how to climb. “Was that a zombie?” he asked, as if he damn well didn’t know the truth.

“Shapeshifting burns calories,” Obi-Wan reminded him primly. “As does marathon sprints lugging around idiots like potato sacks.”

“That explains the bruises on my stomach,” he muttered, shifting about to rummage in one of Obi-Wan’s pockets. “Jerky?”

“Please.” All in all, now that matters were calmer, Obi-Wan almost hoped that a rescue would take its sweet time. This was almost nice – all things considered.

~end

[ves-is-writing-bnha-again]

Three's a Crowd

A/n: Did I just spend 10 hours straight, writing this? Yes. Is it currently 7am? Also yes. Do I care? Not really.

Warning(s): angst, hurt/comfort

Pairing(s): Hitoshi Shinsou x reader, Shouto Todoroki x reader

“Shinsou! Stop it! Let him go!” The teacher shouted, distressed by the sudden turn of events. Shinsou, only 4 years old and not fully understanding what’s happening, began to get upset, “What are you doing to him?!” She cried, shaking the boy in front of him, “I don’t know.” He said quietly, tears building up and rolling down his cheeks, “Well stop it!” The teacher said sternly and he only cried harder. The teachers assistant came over to see what was happening, “Looks like the kid’s eyes are fogged over. Might be a type of mind control.” He said calmly, not even acknowledging Shinsou crying behind him, “Well make him stop!” The teacher snapped and the assistant gave him a stern look, “Kid cut it out, let him go you could be hurting him.” He scolding Shinsou which made him cry even more, “I don’t know how!” He cried.

He felt arms wrap around him, and while he couldn’t see clearly due to the tears blurring his vision, he could make out a head of h/c hair and big e/c eyes looking at him. He immediately started to feel calm and next thing he knew, the boy in front of him shook his head and made a beeline for the teacher, hiding behind her.

For weeks, other kids avoided him. He heard his teachers talking about him in passing, apparently he had developed his quirk, but nobody knew due to it being a mental one. It wasn’t until he accidentally brainwashed the boy when trying to ask him if he wanted to play that anyone had realized it. After that, he was deemed too dangerous to be left alone with any of the others, under constant supervision. Not that it mattered seeing as the others didn’t seem to want to be near him anyway.

Except for one. One he came to know as Y/n.

They were so sweet to him. Unlike everyone else, they would approach him when told to find a buddy for arts and crafts, sit with him during snack time. Would even join him during nap time. When outside for recess, they would ask if he wanted to join them on the swings, or just sit and play with toys. The two of them became inseparable.

Teachers were worried he had brainwashed them and kept interfering, trying to separate the two, but that was quickly put to a stop when Y/n’s father told them off for trying to isolate a child after hearing about how Y/n was upset about not being allowed to play with Shinsou and witnessing first hand at drop off how the staff kept them from going near him. After that, Y/n was allowed to be near him, but it came with other classmates not wanting to be near them either, not that they cared.

The two remained best friends even once they reached middle school and the villain comments started. Y/n stuck with him every time a nasty comment was thrown his way, even tried to fight a few people, but Shinsou never let it get too far. He knew Y/n’s dream of being a hero, and didn’t want them to get in trouble and jeopardize it for him. He wanted to be a hero as well, and part of that is keeping those you care about safe, which included keeping your best friend from making a dumb mistake like fighting someone for making a passing comment.

However, that never stopped him from fighting a couple people. He didn’t care much for the villain comments. They hurt a bit yeah, but he ignored them when he could. He drew the line at people calling Y/n weak though. A hard line at that. Y/n had a healing quirk, good for physical injuries, but also emotional ones as well. Could heal a bone and a broken heart with a single hug or touch of the hand. It was how they calmed him down so quickly when they were younger. Any anger or sadness Shinsou felt was gone within seconds when they were around, but he was certain at this point that it wasn’t their quirk at play, that was just how he felt around them.

Running down the street, Shinsou was cursing himself. He woke up late and missed the train, having to wait for the next one in order to get to Y/n’s house in time. It was their birthday, and he had made plans with them to go out and get lunch together. It wasn’t just a special day for that reason. Today was the day he was going to ask them out as well. If the damn train would hurry up that is. Sitting in his seat, bag with their gift in one hand, phone in the other, he sent them a text, leg bouncing with anticipation. He knows they wouldn’t be mad at him, but damn he would feel bad if they got upset thinking he forgot.

The train arrived and he made a beeline inside to the closest seat, sitting down right as his phone buzzed. Checking it, he noticed it was a text from Y/n, letting him know that it was fine if he was late. Smiling at his phone he heard someone next to him chuckle. Looking to his right, he saw an older couple looking at him, “A grin like that must mean they’re pretty special hm?” The woman asked and he nodded, a faint blush appearing, “Very special.” He responded and they gave him a knowing look.

A little while later, he reached his stop and rushed off the train, booking it down the street, nearly running into several people before finally arriving at Y/n’s house. He knocked on the door and was greeted by their father, who grinned upon seeing Shinsou, still slightly out of breath, standing there, “Hey there, they’re up in their room” He said, letting Shinsou inside.

Thanking him, Shinsou made his way upstairs to their room, not bothering to knock when he came in. Y/n was sitting at their desk, looking at their phone only to turn and see him when they heard him come in.

“About time.” They said jokingly and he smiled, “Sorry, overslept.” He said sheepishly, hand reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. Y/n smiled back at him, “I’d rather you oversleep than not sleep at all.” They said, giving him that same look they always gave him when he didn’t sleep.

Remembering the gift, he held the bag out, “Happy birthday” He said, face turning a light pink when they grinned, “Aww, you didn’t have to get me anything, you know hanging out with you is enough for me.” They said, taking the bag, “I wanted to.” He said, “It’s not much I know, I only just recently started working at that cafe so I didn’t have much saved up but I saw it and thought of you so I-” He was cut off when they rushed towards him, hugging him tightly, “I love it.” They said, pulling away and admiring the small f/c teddy bear.

They went over to their bed, placing the bear by their pillow before grabbing their shoes and putting them on. Turning back to him, they grinned, “You ready?” They asked and he nodded, “After all that running I did, I’m starving.” He replied.

They grabbed his arm and tugged him out of their room, and downstairs, “Bye dad, we’ll be back in an hour or two!” They called before shutting the front door.

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

“Did you hear about the kid on the news that got attacked by that slime looking monster?” Y/n asked as they sat in the park, eating the food they got, “The blond one?” Shinsou asked and they nodded, “Yeah I heard, can you believe that one kid just went running in like that? Even most of the pros couldn’t handle it and he just jumped right in. He’s insane.” He said and they laughed, “Dad said he didn’t know whether the kid was very brave or very stupid.” They said, “Although I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up being in the hero course at UA. He seemed to have some potential from the looks of it with the way he just dived right in wanting to help the guy.” They added and he nodded.

“Speaking of UA, have you heard anything about which class you’d be in?” They asked and he nodded, “Got put in general studies.” He said bitterly, glaring at the ground, “Oh. Well, maybe they just put you there cause they ran out of room? Your quirk is amazing, there has to be some good reason.” They said, “You mean other than that they probably think it’s too much of a villainous quirk?” He grumbled.

They put a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, don’t say that. I’m sure you’ll find a way to be a hero, and a great one at that.” They said, giving him that same cheerful smile that always managed to make him feel better and melt him at the same time.

“What about you?” He asked, ignoring his racing heart, “You know what class you’re in?” Y/n looked hesitant for a moment and he looked at them, raising an eyebrow. They mumbled something he couldn’t quite hear, “What?” He asked and they looked at him, “I got into the hero course. 1-A to be specific.” They said, loud enough for him to hear.

He was silent for a while, “Toshi? I’m sorry.” They said and he looked at them, “Sorry for what? It’s good you got in. At least one of us made it.” He told them, giving them a genuine smile. He couldn’t be mad at you, this had been your dream for years, who was he to get mad at you for following it?

Y/n leaned forward and pulled him into a hug, arms wrapped around his neck as one of his wrapped around their waist, “Hey I’m always gonna support you even if I can’t be right by your side okay?” He said, though it was slightly muffled and they nodded, holding him for a few more seconds before moving back to look at him, “I know you would, I’d do the same for you.” They said.

Shinsou wasn’t really sure what came over him. He wanted his confession to be something memorable. He had a little speech that he practiced and everything, but all the words he had just disappeared in that moment and he couldn’t help himself. With the hand that wasn’t currently on their waist, he cupped their face and leaned in slightly, testing the waters to see how they would react. When they didn’t pull away, he closed the gap. Pressing a light kiss to their lips before pulling away slightly. He felt their hands on his face as they brought him back and kissed him again.

He felt a drop of water hit his face and he pulled away and looked up at the sky. There seemed to be more clouds than before and he felt another drop hit his nose, “We need to go, grab the stuff.” He said, quickly grabbing their things and standing, before helping them up as more rain started pouring.

Grabbing their hand, the two took off back to Y/n’s house which luckily was about five or so minutes away from the park. The rain was pouring and both of them were absolutely soaked by the time they arrived and reached the front door, laughing as they caught their breath, “I promise...I didn’t know it would rain.” He said and they smiled, “Yeah I figured.” They said before cupping his face and pressing a light, quick kiss to his lips before pulling away and taking out their key to unlock the door.

Stepping inside, Y/n’s father was sitting on the couch watching tv. He looked over at them, “You two seem a bit wet.” He joked as they took off their shoes. Y/n rolled their eyes, but smiled, “Can he stay until the rain stops?” They asked and he nodded, “I’ll drive him home later.” He said and the pair went upstairs to change, Shinsou having a set of clothes he left the last time he spent the night. Y/n tossed him a towel as they sat on the bed and picked up the bear, holding it to their chest as he dried his hair, “Let’s watch a movie.” They said, sitting with their back against the wall, and he agreed.

Half an hour into the movie, Y/n fell asleep, leaning against his shoulder. Shinsou didn’t quite get to ask them out how he wanted, but he liked how things turned out nonetheless.

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

Three months later, Y/n stood with Shinsou at the entrance of UA. They lightly squeezed his hand, nervous but excited, “You ready?” He asked and they hesitated, “I don’t like the fact that you won’t be there. I don’t know anyone in my class.” They said as they began walking to the doors, “You’ll be fine, we’ll see each other in the halls and during lunch, it’s not like we’ll be completely separated.” He said reassuring them.

Eventually, they reached Y/n’s classroom. Shinsou wrapped his arm around their waist and kissed their forehead, “Good luck.” He told them and they smiled, “You too.” They said as he walked away to his own class.

Stepping into the room, there were already a handful of students talking and getting to know each other. A taller guy with dark hair and glasses appeared to be lecturing a blond guy about something, what he was talking about they weren’t sure, but the blond looked smug. Wait! They knew him! He was the guy on the news! And the kid with the green hair behind him is the one that went running in!

Before Y/n could think anymore about it, someone approached them, she had short chin length brown hair, and big brown eyes, “Hey! I’m Uraraka! Are you excited for the first day?” She asked them and they nodded, “Oh absolutely! I’ve always dreamed about being here.” They said and she smiled, “Me too! This is so exciting! I can’t wait to have fun and make new friends!” She cheered. As more people came into the room, Uraraka gestured for Y/n to follow her, “Come sit with me! I feel like we’ll be good friends!” She said, heading back to her desk as they trailed after her. Sitting at the desk next to hers, and setting their bag next to them, they looked up to see a boy walk in. He had red and white hair split perfectly down the middle and different colored eyes with the right eye being grey, and the left one being a bright turquoise. He seemed to have a red scar around his left eye, that was a stark contrast to his fair skin.

“Who is that?” Uraraka whispered while pointing to the boy that just came in, seeing as the class was starting to quiet down and settle in their seats as the teacher arrived. Y/n shrugged, not knowing the answer, “No idea.” They replied.

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

It had been a month since school started. Y/n was still recovering from the USJ incident. Due to having their own healing quirk, they didn’t need to visit recovery girl, having healed themselves after being carried out due to breaking their right leg in several places after being hit and thrown back by the nomu. Kirishima being the one that carried them with Todoroki applying ice to keep any swelling down, as instructed by All Might.

The downside of Y/n’s healing quirk is that while they can heal any physical injuries, they’re still left extremely sore for a while afterwards, usually about the same period of time it would have taken to heal had they not used their quirk. Unfortunately that meant having to walk around with a crutch until it went away and they could walk without searing pain shooting up their leg with every step.

They were heading back from lunch, having spent it with Shinsou, when they found themselves struggling to get down the stairs without falling, each step down hurting more than the last. One step at a time and everything will be fine, they might be a bit late to class but Aizawa said he’d understand.

“Do you need some help?” A voice said causing them to jump slightly. They looked up to see Todoroki, “Oh it’s you.” They said, shooting him a quick smile, “No thanks, I’ll be fine.” They said, cursing internally about the amount of stairs there were, “Are you sure?” He asked again and they nodded.

“Why didn’t you take the elevator?” He asked them, and they sighed, “It’s locked and Principle Nezu wouldn’t give me a key. Said that since my leg isn’t actually broken anymore, I can get down the stairs just fine.” They told him and he frowned, watching them carefully take another step, “You’ll be late to class this way.” He said and they shrugged, “Aizawa said he would understand. You should get to class though, he may be understanding of my situation but he won’t be as forgiving for you, I don’t want you getting in trouble.” They said, but he didn’t leave.

“Let me help you.” He said, they paused and looked at him, “You don’t have to do that, I’ll be fine.” They said, not wanting him to be late to class cause of them, “No, but I want to. I don’t want you being late either.” He said, coming up the steps to where they were, “Okay.” They said, giving in. Aizawa may have been understanding, but they hated being late and having the feeling of everyone staring as they walked in.

Wrapping one arm around their waist and the other behind their knees, he scooped them up and carried them down the rest of the stairs as they held their crutch in one hand while the other arm wrapped around his shoulders. He didn’t put them down once they reached the bottom, however, and instead just continued on to class, only setting them down once they were outside the classroom.

“Thank you Todoroki, but you didn’t have to carry me all the way to class.” They said as they felt their face heat up slightly, “I didn’t want you struggling if I could do something about it.” He replied before opening the door and letting them walk in first. Thanking him again, they made their way to their seat where Uraraka watched them with a grin.

“Soo what were you and Todoroki doing together?” She asked as they sat down, “He was just helping me cause I was having trouble getting down the stairs.” They said and she hummed, “He’s helping you down the stairs now, but who knows what could happen in the future.” She said, a mischievous look in her eye. She’s been spending too much time with Mina.

The bell rang before they could respond and Aizawa came in with Midnight as Y/n started drawing in their notebook. After a few minutes, chatter filled the room, “Y/n did you hear?! There’s gonna be a sports festival!” Uraraka said, excited, as Mina sat down in the empty seat in front of them, Y/n hadn’t noticed people had gotten up to work together on assignments.

“Yeah! Isn’t this amazing? This is a great chance to show off our skills!” Mina cheered as Jirou joined the conversation, “Heard from Kaminari there’s gonna be pros watching, and if we do well they might let us intern at their agencies.” She said as they all got started on their assignment, “Are you serious?” Y/n asked and she nodded, “Definitely. Can you imagine? Interning at a pro hero’s agency? Pros like Fatgum, Best Jeanist, Endeavor..” She said, and Y/n frowned upon hearing the name Endeavor.

“You don’t like Endeavor Y/n?” Mina asked, they felt eyes burning into the side of their head as they shook their head, “How come? He seems kinda cool. I mean, he is number two hero for a reason.” Uraraka said and Y/n shrugged, “I just don’t like him. He seems like he’s only a hero for the fame and power aspect of it rather than genuinely wanting to help people. I mean, have you seen the man’s eyes? He looks like he’s judging everyone he comes into contact with, not friendly at all.” They said, and the others nodded, “That’s true, he does seem pretty cold a lot of the time.” Jirou stated. The intense feeling of being watched hadn’t wavered once and Y/n looked around to try and see where it was coming from and for a brief second they made eye contact with Todoroki before he looked away.

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

“Come on! You got this!” Y/n cheered with the crowd as they watched the sports festival from the stands. Unfortunately, their leg still wasn’t better by the time the festival came and they couldn’t participate, but they were having a blast watching. It was Shinsou and Midoriya’s time to fight, and Y/n was rooting for Shinsou, but they couldn’t deny Midoriya was doing really well.

The crowd was silent as they watched Midoriya simply turn around and start walking towards the white line. Shinsou was gonna make him walk out of bounds. They were sitting on the edge of their seat as it happened, Y/n sitting next to Todoroki as they watched in anticipation.

“Who are you rooting for in this one?” He asked them, “Shinsou, but Midoriya is doing better than I expected.” They replied as Midoriya seemed to be pausing.

Somehow, Midoriya managed to break free of Shinsou’s brainwashing, and covered his mouth to keep from speaking. He'd figured out how Shinsou’s quirk works.

Y/n watched as they started fighting before eventually Midoriya flipped him and threw him onto his back. They jumped and gasped as their hands covered their mouth as Shinsou laid there on the ground, out of bounds. The crowd cheered as he got up and Midoriya was announced the winner, “I gotta go, I’ll be back.” They told Todoroki before quickly grabbing their crutch and getting up, moving up the stairs as fast as possible.

Eventually, they managed to find Shinsou walking down the hall with his head down, “Toshi!” They called and he stopped and turned to face them. They stopped in front of him and cupped his face with their left hand, “Are you okay?” They asked while inspecting him, worried, “Hey hey, I’m alright, just a bit bruised up. You should go sit back down, I don’t want you walking around when you don’t need to be.” He said, grabbing their hand and holding it, “I’m gonna go see recovery girl, I’ll see you later alright?” He said, kissing the back of their hand, and they nodded, “Okay.” They said, and he walked away. They watched him leave, disappearing around the corner and they made their way back to their seat.

Todoroki wasn’t there when they came back and for a moment they wondered where he had gone, until Present Mic announced his name and they saw him up against Sero, “Poor Sero.” They said. He was a pretty good fighter, but he was no match against Todoroki considering how powerful he was. The match was over about as quick as it started, with Todoroki unleashing a blast of ice so powerful it overtook half the arena. The crowd was dead silent. Even midnight was half frozen which would have made Y/n laugh if they weren’t stunned.

Once most of the ice was melted, the festival continued on and eventually it was time for Todoroki and Midoriya’s fight. Y/n hoped that he didn’t freeze half the arena again, even if it was really cool.

Midoriya kept dodging his attacks as Todoroki shot blast after blast of ice. They seemed to be arguing about something, but Y/n wasn’t sure about what exactly. Finally, Midoriya managed to land a hit that left Todoroki doubled over, and they heard him shout “It’s yours! Your quirk not his!”

That seemed to have struck a chord with Todoroki as he paused, staring at Midoriya but seeming to be lost in thought. Next thing they knew, his left side erupted into flames, the fire reaching out several feet around him. The look on his face made him look insane, but there also seemed to be a hint of gratitude from what Y/n could tell.

They heard Endeavor call his name, yelling some nonsense Y/n couldn’t care enough about to pay attention to, more focused on the flames surrounding Todoroki as pillars of ice formed on his right side. Before they knew it, there was a bright flash as debris flew through the air, a large gust of wind blowing through as dust filled the arena, preventing anyone in the stands from seeing what’s happening. Y/n gripped the arm of their seat as they shielded their face from the dust and debris, before getting hit by a piece roughly the size of their hand, and after that. Nothing.

~~~~~~~~~~

Todoroki sat in Recovery girl’s office, next to where Y/n was laying in the bed. He felt responsible for what happened to them and wanted to apologize. The sports festival had ended an hour ago, with him coming in second place. His dad had tried to approach him after, but the moment Momo had said Y/n was in the infirmary after getting hit by a piece of debris, he ignored his dad and rushed to where they were.

He felt so guilty, knowing that the debris was technically caused by him. He heard movement coming from the bed and looked up to see Y/n looking around, squinting and blinking a few times before focusing on him.

“I’m sorry." He blurted before they could say anything, “I should have been careful and paid attention. I guess I forgot about my surroundings for a moment.” He said and they gave him a small smile, “It’s okay, I know you didn’t do it intentionally.” They reassured, “You still got hurt.” He said, but they waved it off, “I’ll be fine. Might miss a few days of class, but lucky for me, any head injuries tend to heal faster.” They said.

“Is the festival over?” They asked and he nodded, “Did you win?” They asked again, “No, I came in second. Bakugou won. You should have seen him though. They had to chain him up and everything because he was angry about how he won. They even had to put a metal mask thing over his mouth because he kept screaming and cursing.” He told them, and they laughed before flinching.

“Here.” He said, standing quickly, forming a small piece of ice in his hand and wrapping it in a washcloth placed on the table next to the bed before gently holding it against the area they got hit, “Thanks.” They said, smiling at him, and he couldn’t help but give the smallest smile back.

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

A few weeks had passed since the sports festival. Todoroki was still rather reserved, but he seemed more open with talking to Midoriya and Y/n, and along with them came talking to Iida and Uraraka.

They were all gathered at lunch, Y/n had wanted to be with Shinsou but he was out sick so they decided to spend it with Uraraka who happened to be sitting with the others. They were talking about the internships and who they might apply for when Y/n heard Endeavor being mentioned and frowned again.

“Y/n you don’t seem to like Endeavor much do you?” Midoriya asked and they shook their head, “Not really.” They said, continuing to eat their soba, “How come?” Momo asked, “He just seems...cocky? Really mean as well. Like that robbery that took place last week that he helped stop? He acted like he did all the work and the others were just there for aesthetics. I don’t know, I just really hate Endeavor and everything he has ever done.” They said, shrugging as they kept eating and Iida gasped, “How rude! You can’t speak of Todoroki’s father like that when he’s right there!” He said, gesturing to Todoroki who was sitting right across the table from them.

They choked a bit before looking at Todoroki, “He’s your dad?” They asked and he nodded, “Yeah.” He replied, and they nodded for a second, “Okay Endeavor has done one good thing.” They said and Todoroki’s face flushed a light pink, “I have two siblings.” He added, “Are they nice?” They asked and he shrugged, “Yeah I guess.” He replied, “Three good things then.” They said and Uraraka giggled as Todoroki’s face flushed a darker red.

Eventually the bell rang and they all headed back to class. For the rest of the day, Todoroki couldn’t stop thinking about what they said. They thought of him as something good? Him? He couldn’t help but feel warm and happy when they said that. Granted he’s felt like that around them for a while, but it increased tenfold when they said that.

“It’s pretty obvious Todoroki.” Midoriya said one night a month later while they were doing dishes after dinner in the new dorms. He looked at him for a second, “What’s obvious?” He asked as he dried the dish that was handed to him, “That you like Y/n. I mean, the way you look at them when they walk into the room? You look and act like they invented the stars.” Midoriya replied.

“And why are you saying this exactly?” Todoroki asked, ”You should tell them. From the looks of it, they like you too.” He replied, as he scrubbed one of the plates, “And how would I do that?” he asked again and Midoriya shrugged, “I don’t know. Maybe just tell them you like them? They don’t seem like the type to like grand gestures or anything so maybe just tell them in person before or after class?” He suggested and Todoroki nodded, “Tell them after class.” He said out loud to himself. Didn’t sound too hard, so why did he feel so nervous?

~~~~

Todoroki was making his way to class. He had slept in a bit later than he intended and now he’s only got a few minutes or so before class starts.

Rushing down the hall, he slowed down before he reached the corner so he didn’t potentially run into anyone, but as he got closer he heard talking. Was that Y/n? His heart raced just at the thought of potentially being able to tell them before class or at least just see them.

But he heard another voice as well, it sounded much deeper. Stopping at the corner and peeking around it, he felt his heart drop into his stomach.

There was Y/n, standing there and talking to a guy with wild purple hair, what was his name again? Shinsou? Yeah that was it.

Maybe they were friends? No, not with how close they were standing, and... and it looks like they’re holding hands. Maybe they were just really close friends? His mind was racing up until he witnessed a scene that left him feeling numb and his mind blank.

Shinsou leaned down and kissed them for a few seconds before pulling away and saying he had to go or he’d be late for class. Y/n went into the classroom as Shinsou walked away in the other direction. Todoroki turned and leaned against the wall.

Even though he felt numb, he could feel his heart shattering into millions of pieces as tears welled up in his eyes. Of course they were taken. How could they not be? Someone as brilliant, breathtaking, and kind as they were of course someone would snatch them up once given the chance.

Realizing class started in about a minute, Todoroki collected himself. Putting on a neutral face, he walked into class. He didn’t spare a glance at Y/n, not wanting to break down, and instead kept his head down slightly as he made his way to his desk.

‘From the looks of it, they like you too.’ Perhaps not.

~~~~~

Once classes ended, Todoroki packed his belongings and left the room immediately, not wanting to risk Y/n coming over to talk to him like they usually did. He practically ran back to the dorms in order to avoid anyone who might ask why he was acting strange.

Rushing into his room, he slammed the door shut and locked it. Dropping his bag onto the floor next to him, he leaned back against the door and slid down until he was sitting on the floor as tears streamed down his face. Choking back a sob, not wanting anyone to hear him, he buried his face in his hands. Stupid, stupid. How stupid he was to think he had a chance. He sat there for what felt like hours, but was actually about ten minutes, crying before forcing himself up off the floor and over to his bed where he sat and grabbed a pillow, burying his face in it to muffle his sobbing. How pathetic was he to be crying over someone who probably didn’t even think about him nearly as often as he thought about them?

It made sense to him now, thinking back on it. All the times they weren’t in the lunchroom, those days they couldn’t hang out with him after school because they already had plans, the way they rushed off after the fight during the sports festival. How could he not have seen it? Was he too distracted by the feeling of butterflies he got around them? That slightly dazed feeling he got whenever they smiled at him? The tingling he felt whenever they touched him? How naive he was to think they could love him when they already loved someone else, to think they could love him at all.

He wasn’t sure when he fell asleep, but he found himself waking up to someone knocking on his door. His eyes felt puffy and his face felt dry as he rubbed his eyes and sat up. Not once had he forgotten what happened. Part of him didn’t want to open the door because what if it was Y/n? At the same time, however, it could have been someone else. Looking at the time it was currently 6pm, around dinner, had he really slept for three hours?

Another knock sounded at the door, and he got out of bed. Dragging himself over to the door, he unlocked it and opened it abruptly, wanting to just figure out what the person wanted so he could go back to sleep.

Of course, of all the people it could have been, it was Y/n at his door.

“Hey dinner’s done are you- hey what’s wrong?” They asked, worried. He didn’t say anything and just stared at them blankly, “Shouto?” They questioned when he didn’t respond, but so many feelings were swirling around in him. His mind racing as he stared into those eyes he loved so much.

“Shouto-” “I love you.” He blurted and both of them froze. He slapped his hand over his mouth as he realized what he said. They stared at him with wide eyes, not saying a word.

He went to shut his door again, but they stopped him, “Wait.” They said, not letting him shut the door. He stopped, but didn’t look at them.

“Shouto please look at me.” They pleaded, and he did after a few seconds, “I love you too.” They said and he froze again, “You’re dating Shinsou.” He stated bluntly, removing his hand from his mouth, and they nodded, “Yeah, I know, and I talked to him about it this morning. I love both of you. Very much, and I can’t bear losing either of you. So I talked to him, and he said as long as you’re okay with it then I could be with you too. He said if I were to be with anyone else, he’d rather it be you anyway, he trusts you as much as I do.” They explained gently, stepping into his room cautiously before shutting the door.

He took a minute to process what they said. They love him? And want to be with him? He felt those butterflies again just thinking about it.

“Well? Would you be willing?” They asked, nervous. He looked at them for a brief second before nodding causing them to grin, “Come here.” They said, holding their arms out for a hug which he gladly fell into, pulling them as close to him as possible and hugging them tightly causing them to laugh as they peppered the side of his face with kisses.

“Can I kiss you?” He mumbled, his face buried in their shoulder, “Of course you can.” They said, and he pulled back slightly, cupping their face gently before pressing his lips to theirs. He felt his left side start to heat up and had to pull away much sooner than he would have liked to so he didn’t burn them which only made them laugh a bit before kissing his cheek.

“Come on, dinner’s been done for a while and Hitoshi always refuses to eat without me, we don’t want him getting too hungry or he gets rather dramatic.” They said and he smiled as they grabbed his hand and tugged him along out of the room.

Arriving downstairs, they both grab their food from the kitchen before joining the others. Shinsou looked over at them, “It’s about time, I thought I was gonna have to go up there and drag both of you down here.” He said with a lazy smirk, “Hush.” Y/n said, grabbing a pillow and smacking him with it before sitting down next to him, Todoroki sitting on their right. Shinsou eyed him for a second, “Did you tell him?” He asked and they smiled, “Perhaps.” They said, leaning into Todoroki’s side, “Finally.” Shinsou said, jokingly rolling his eyes causing Y/n to smack him with the pillow again.

“They’re so cute.” Mina said, watching the three of them, “Yeah...you owe me twenty bucks.” Jirou said, causing Mina to groan as Momo and Uraraka giggled.

[bedbellyandbeyond]

The Straw

(Story Post)

After a long day of work, the last thing Sydryn wanted to see was their refrigerator items strewn across the kitchen counters and floor while their sibling took a nap at the kitchen table. There were also several grocery bags among the catastrophe, heaped and overflowing with countless fluffy pink pastries. “What in the world is going on here?” Sydryn demanded, loud and stern enough to startle Seranan awake. “Sissy! What, oh…” Seranan sat up and looked around. “Oh, yes. I was just doing some reorganising… But then I got tired and took a nap, I guess.” “Reorganising my refrigerator? Full of my food?” Sydryn snarled. “Why in the world would you do this? Not to mention, you left the refrigerator door wide open!” “D'uh. How else would I access it during lengthy grocery reorganisation?” Seranan asked, propping up their head. “And I did it to fit in my groceries.” Sydryn picked up one of the shopping bags and held it open. “This is entirely roll cakes!” “Yes. Disgusting, I know. You can blame your little angel for introducing me. Now I have a wicked craving all the time,” Seranan groaned. “Don't blame Köbi for this! When did you even go out and get nine bags of these? You're not to leave the house!” Seranan rolled their eyes and tapped their phone on the table. “They have grocery delivery apps now. Join us in the 21st century, Sissy.” Sydryn fumed. “You of all dragons did not just tell me to modernise...” “Just because I'm a history hoarder does not mean I don't know how to use the internet,” Seranan huffed. Sydryn threw the grocery bag down and pointed to the hall. “Get out of my kitchen immediately!” Seranan rolled their eyes and got up, cradling their underbelly like it was such a struggle. “I bought them for you too, you know. The angel said they’re your favourite.” “Stop talking to Köbi!” Sydryn snarled.

“You should be happy we get along at all...” Seranan shrugged. “All your little pets typically piss me off.” “Köbi is not my pet, he is my employee,” Sydryn growled. “That kind of talk is exactly why I do not want you talking to him.” “Where is the little ‘employee’, anyway?” Seranan huffed. “He should be here to help clean up this mess...” “First of all, he is my assistant, not your maid. Second of all, I was going to ask you the same thing. I had to work late, so he should've been home over an hour ago.” Seranan shrugged. “I haven't seen him.” Sydryn sighed and stepped out into the hall. “Köbi?” they called up the stairs. Köbi poked his head out of the powder room just down the hall. “Yes?” “Ah. You are home. Seranan said they hadn't seen you.” “Huh?” Köbi walked over and looked into the kitchen. “You don't remember me coming in?” Seranan waved a hand. “How am I supposed to pay attention to what you’re doing all the time?” “But you asked for me the minute I got home. We had a whole conversation about where Syd buys their roll cakes,” Köbi reminded. “I thought that was yesterday.” “It was definitely today, because they would've been closed yesterday.” Seranan waved a hand. “Unimportant. Must have slipped my mind. Anyway, your employer's home. Shouldn't you have dinner prepared by now?” “You specifically asked me not to come into the kitchen since you would be occupying it during your delivery,” Köbi reminded. “Several times, I checked back to see if I could get dinner started, but you hissed me away." Seranan frowned and shrugged. Sydryn groaned and grabbed Seranan by the braid. “Clean up this mess immediately, or I will burn all of these desserts and you won't have any dinner tonight!” Seranan whined. “My tail! Sissy, that's so mean! You wouldn't starve a pregnant dragon, would you?” “Starve?” Sydryn motioned the plastic wrappers strewn across the kitchen table. “You've eaten twenty of these already!” “They hold absolutely no nutritional value, though...” “Then stop eating them!” “It's a craving! I can't help it!” Köbi waded through the sea of plastic grocery bags to get to the fridge. “I was going to make a roast, but I don’t really think there’s enough time, so how about…fettuccine?” “Absolutely not. I will vomit if I eat another beet coloured pink pasta noodle,” Seranan declared. Sydryn yanked their sibling’s hair again. “You’ll eat what you’re served.” They looked to Köbi, though. “I need meat.” “Okay… Uh, how about smoked meat sandwiches?” Köbi suggested. “Perfect. Thank you.” Seranan rolled their eyes. “Everything’s always smoked meat, pink pasta, rose tea, salmon, prawns, grapefruit…” With another swift yank, Sydryn spun their sibling around grabbed their wrist tightly. “Are you mocking my hoard?” Seranan snarled, scaling up under Sydryn’s grip. “…You’re hurting me, Sissy.” “Syd, let’s calm down…” Köbi said, reaching out to take the dragon’s arm. Sydryn flinched away. “Don’t! My sibling, whom I so graciously have been putting up and feeding while they escape prosecution for dracocide, seems to think they can have an opinion on how I run my house.” Seranan glared at Sydryn. “Colours are for children. Your hoard is stupid.” Sydryn’s eyes widened, a wild look of pure and concentrated wrath set ablaze inside them. “Syd! No!” A split second later, Köbi was between them, his hands up, his stance wide. Seranan was in shock, having been pushed back down into the kitchen chair, their sibling’s grip relinquished. Sydryn’s crazed look was gone, instead replaced with surprise and distress as they stared at the angel. Light dripped from his cheek as Köbi reached out and placed a hand on Sydryn’s shoulder. “Sleep.” “Köbi—” Before Sydryn could finish, they passed out, falling into the angel’s arms. Köbi grunted under the weight then sighed as they picked up the pregnant dragon bridal style. “You’re hurt,” Seranan finally emitted, slowly standing up. “They struck you.” “I’m fine. Just a little scratch.” Köbi wiped his cheek on his shoulder and the injury completely disappeared. “Better me than you.” “I would’ve been fine,” Seranan stated, straightening up. “Dragons can scar other dragons,” Köbi reminded. “And it’s Syd I’m concerned about. They’re strung out and emotional right now. If they really hurt you, I don’t think they could forgive themself.” Seranan frowned. “So, what are you going to do? They must be heavy…” “I’m going to put them to bed for now,” Köbi said, shaking his head. “But don’t worry about what I’m doing… If I were you, I’d consider cleaning things up around here a bit. Syd won’t stay asleep long. And I think after a long day, waking up to a meal made by family would just make my day. Wouldn’t you agree?” Seranan scrunched their nose. “…You can’t tell me what to do.” “I can’t. I can only make suggestions.” Köbi carried the slumbering dragon out to the hall. “I’ll come back in a minute to help.” The red dragon barely dignified that with a huff. Köbi just continued on, taking Syd up to their bedroom. As soon as they were tucked in, Sydryn began to wake up. “...Köbi.” They looked at the angel standing beside their bed. “Did I... Did I hurt you?” “No.” Köbi shook their head. “Must've been a bad dream.” “Angels shouldn't lie...” Sydryn sighed, rubbing their eyes. “I'm so sorry...” “No, I'm sorry for sleeping you without permission,” Köbi said. “I’m not supposed to touch you...” “You did what you had to,” Syd insisted. “It could have been bad... Is Seranan alright?” Köbi nodded. “Yeah. They're perfectly fine. Don't worry about them. Tell me about your day. What's got you so riled up?” Sydryn sighed and sat up. “Everything. I have patients who shouldn't be getting pregnant getting pregnant, almost getting pregnant, and I'm pregnant, and I also have to keep an eye on Gardi, even though he wants more responsibilities, and Ix and I are supposed to be collaborating on the celestial pregnancy research, but beyond that, they hardly say a word to me and I wonder if somehow I've upset them in some way... I don't know. I genuinely enjoy working with them, but not when they won't even look me in the eyes.” “Oh. Oh, um...” Köbi rubbed his neck. “Well, if you're worried about Ix, I think you should just talk to them about it. With Reid, from what I can tell, he's pretty much fully recovered. If you trusted him to manage your practice while you were away in the Fall, I think you can trust him now. And as for all the patients, maybe giving Reid more responsibilities would be a good thing. You really need a break. You're putting a lot of stress on yourself.” Sydryn shook their head. “I can't take a break. There's too much going on and even if I let Gardi have more responsibilities, he can't take all of them on.” Köbi tilted his head. “Well, right now, you really should just rest. When dinner's ready, I'll bring it up.” “No, I should probably come down and apologise to Seranan,” Sydryn decided. Köbi shook his head. “I don't think you're ready for that. Wait for them to come to you.” Syd sighed, laying their head down. “...Alright. Thank you, Köbi.” “Don't mention it.” Köbi made his way back down the kitchen where Seranan was now trying to stuff away their groceries into any empty cupboard space they could find. Kobi noticed some bread and meat had been pulled out and placed on the kitchen table as well. “Looks like you got started,” Köbi said delighted. “I’ll get the rest out, and—” “I don’t need your help, I am perfectly capable of constructing a few sandwiches…” Seranan growled. “Go about your business.” “Okay… I just wanted to add, um…” Köbi rubbed his neck. “I’m sorry I prioritised Syd in the situation when they lashed out. After what you’ve been through before, I can understand if this situation was…difficult for you.” Seranan’s eyes narrowed as they turned their gaze onto the angel in disgust. “If you’re trying to suggest that any of my experiences have left me weak with ‘emotional trauma’ or some kind of ‘victim complex’, you are sorely mistaken.” “Alright. Well, just so you know, you can always talk to me,” Köbi stated. “Actually, I’ve been explicitly told not to talk to you, and from this point on, I plan to follow along.” “Okay.” Köbi shrugged. “Well, I like pickles with my smoked meat sandwiches.” “I fail to see the one who asked!” Köbi chuckled before backing out. “Talk to you later, then.” “You will not!”

[wildernessuntothemselves]

Say It

Part 1/3 of the Companion Trilogy.

Genre: Smut

Word Count: 3k

Summary: Hendery has always been respectful of your autonomy, never forcing you into doing anything you didn’t want to do. You’ve never outright discussed stated why you’d always shy away from his touches when they got a little too intimate, and he didn’t ask you to. He would just smile and change the subject. It wasn’t until you instantly took to the newly assigned guard, Lucas, that Hendery started becoming pushy, all subtleness flying out the window.   

Warnings: femdom, pillow humping, degradation

It was a pleasant day. Hendery had suggested a walk in the gardens, and you’d happily agreed, wanting to feel the warm sun on your skin and breathe in the fresh air. It looked like it was going to be a good day, but you failed to anticipate a major hurdle in your plan, namely Lucas, one of Hendery’s bodyguards. He’d decided to join the two of you--for protection, he said-- but seeing that you were still safely inside the palace ground, you figured he just wanted the company.

You were good friends with Lucas, but Hendery did not like him very much. Which is weird considering he had initially taken to him so well. They had seemed like two peas in a pod in the beginning, bouncing off each others’ energy. Actually, it was the fact that Hendery seemed to like Lucas so much was why you immediately warmed up to him too, eager to get in on the fun the two were having, and Lucas welcomed your presence with open arms.

But it all changed when Hendery gradually began lashing out at Lucas for no reason, getting snarky and rude with him, always leaving him behind whenever he could, and complaining about the tiniest mistakes he made to his father in an apparent bid to get him fired. You’d tried asking him about his weird behaviour but he just denied having any malice towards Lucas and stated that he was simply just not a good bodyguard. You found that doubtful. Sure, Lucas can be a bit ditzy and airheaded sometimes but he is brave and he is strong and he is more than capable of doing this job. As for the budding friendship they once shared, it was long dead now.

The walk had turned pretty tense now that Lucas was here. Hendery held your hand tightly, all but marching along and dragging you behind him as if he’s trying to outpace Lucas. Which is pretty stupid considering the leg span that boy has, he could catch up to you in two strides if he wanted to. But Lucas could sense the static in the air and he stayed a few steps behind.

This wasn’t the relaxing walk you had in mind. Your legs were getting pretty tired from all this power walking and you so request that you stop at one of the gazebos to take a break, but under the shade, it was even more stifling as Hendery sat cross-armed and pouting.

“It’s so nice outside today.” Lucas comments, trying to make conversation and you’re about to agree, glad to have something to talk about when Hendery scoffs, interrupting you. “What a novel observation. Perhaps you’d like to share your thoughts about the latest news too.”

“Hendery…”

He looks at you sharply, silently forbidding you from coming to the other man’s defense. You’ll have none of his bullshit though, and you’re about to tell him just that when something jumped out of the shrubbery and landed on the seat next to Hendery. It took him exactly a fraction of a  second to scream and launch himself out of his seat.

“What? What?” Lucas jumped to his feet, immediately on guard. He’d seen the frog but he didn’t understand Hendery’s severe reaction to it.

“Hendery has a phobia of frogs.” You explain, wrapping an arm around the prince and patting his back soothingly.

Lucas looks between Hendery and the frog in confusion. "Really? I think they're kinda cute." He mumbles, not having a dig at Hendery but merely sharing his thoughts.

A smile breaks out on your face at that. “I actually think so too!” You gush, having never found someone who shares your fondness of them before, least of which Hendery.

Lucas returns your excited grin before he clears his throat and says to Hendery, “Don’t worry, man. I’ll get rid of it.”

“You don’t have to. I’m not really afraid of frogs at all.”

Your head snaps up to look at him, eyes narrowed in suspicion, unconvinced. “You’re fucking terrified of them. You once hopped onto a door handle to escape one.”

Hendery blushes, “That was so long ago.”

“It was last year.”

“Well, I’m not afraid of them anymore.” He proclaims loudly as if trying to convince himself. “In fact, I’ll get rid of it myself.”

“Hendery, you don’t have to do this…” You get nervous. You’ve seen multiple times how severely he can react to frogs and you don’t want him to traumatise himself just because his ego is hurt.

"Don't have to do what? Catch this little frog? Don’t be silly." He dismisses you, reaching out to grab it. But as his hand is almost touching it, it suddenly jumps away, startling him and he screams and falls back on his ass.

"Are you okay?" You ask with concern, you and Lucas rushing towards him at the same time. Lucas is faster than you, grabbing Hendery’s arm and pulling him back to his feet.

"Get your hands off me. I'm fine." Hendery snaps at Lucas, shoving him off.

"Woah, man, I'm just making sure you're okay.” Lucas raises his hands in the air in surrender and backs off. “You fell pretty hard."

"I'm fine." He huffs, and turns to you. “I want to go back inside.”

He doesn’t give you time to reply, stomping away, obviously expecting you to follow behind him. You sheepishly apologize to Lucas and excuse yourself to go after the prince.

___________________________

"What the fuck was that hendery? You were so rude to Lucas." You ask him as soon as you get back to his suite.

“Why do you care?” He asks way too forcefully, like it was an accusation. “He’s just the bodyguard."

"What does that mean?" You were so confused by that statement. It wasn't like Hendery to look down on others so why is he talking like this now.

"It means that you should be focusing on me, not him. You're my companion." He gets close to you, putting his hands on your waist and resting his forehead against yours. From the way he was looking at you, you finally realize what this really is about.

It was no secret that Hendery wanted you. He never said it outright but he wasn't exactly shy about his desire. And it suddenly clicks that he obviously wouldn’t be super thrilled with how close you seem to be getting with a man as attractive as Lucas.

You trail your hands up his chest slowly, feeling him shiver under you, before you wrap them around his neck. "Is that what you're pissy about? You're jealous of Lucas?"

He scoffs, "I don't need to be jealous of a bodyguard. You're mine." His hold on you tightens and he pulls you flush against his body, leaning down to close that gap between your lips but you quickly tug on the hair at the nape of his neck, holding his head back.

"So you think you own me?" You question lowly, tone biting.

He gulps, hesitating. "That's not what I meant."

"It is. That's why you're so bothered by Lucas.” You insist, one of your hands circling around to caress his face, brushing over his jaw and lips, and it instinctively makes him look down at your own lips as they move, “You can't stand the fact that another man could get his hands on what belongs to you."

He looks back up at you angrily, jaw clenching under your touch. "And so what if I am? I never once forced you into anything. So tell me why I’m getting rejected by you when other princes', who don't afford their companions half the freedom I give you, get to have them fully?"

“You’re so fucking entilted.” You scoff, your hand dropping down his body and palming the outline of his dick through his pants, making him moan softly and buck a little in your hand. "So you think that because you are nice to me, you deserve to stick your cock inside of me?"

He finds it hard to gather his thoughts with your hand massaging him through his pants. "No, I-I'd just--"

"Let's see it then." You interrupt him, pulling away.

"What--"

"Show me your cock, and I’ll decide if it’s worth it." You sneer, and he stands completely motionless, frozen in shock, as you slowly unbutton his pants and pull them down along with his boxers to the ground.  

His, very impressive, dick stands erect, glistening with precum right in front of your face, as you kneel down.

"Hmm, you have a really nice cock." You purr, your breath hitting his member, and it jerks in response. He whimpers softly as you open your mouth as if you'll take him in and you feel him tense up in anticipation. You hold his gaze for a beat, watching the dark desire clouding his irises as you stick your tongue ever so slightly out of your mouth... then you pull it back in and stand up, depriving him of what he thought he was gonna get.

You smile as he falls into your arm in distress, a quiet sob leaving him as his cock comes in contact with your floral dress. He buries his face in your neck, and his hips start rutting against your waist when your hands slide under his shirt to rub his belly just over where his cock rests.  

"Please." He pleads softly.

“Please?" You repeat, mocking, "Why are you begging when you already own me, master.”

"Don't--you know I didn't mean it like that."

You completely disregard what he said, your next words taking him off guard. "You're a virgin, aren't you?"

“Wh-what does that have to do with anything?” He pulls back, flustered.

“That’s not an answer.” You taunt, lips ghosting over his collarbone, your eyes not leaving his.

“I--I…” He gulps, hesitating. “....yeah.”

You chuckle darkly, "And how do you expect to know how to fuck me right if you’ve never done it before?"

His face flushes at your jab, and he sputters defensively, "That's your fault! You never let me touch you."

You shrug, "You could've fucked other girls. Why didn’t you?"

You were genuinely curious. Plenty of princes sleep with other women even if they are already sleeping with their companions. Yes, companions are usually the first to experiment with, but they’re not commonly the only sexual partner. So if you weren’t giving Hendery what he needed, he could’ve easily gotten it somewhere else.

“Why do I need to? You should've been taking care of me."

You narrow your eyes at him, not satisfied with his answer. “Tell me why.” You press on, gripping his chin in your hand and looking deeply into his eyes.

You can see the panic in his eyes, Hendery was never particularly good at hiding his feelings from you and you already had your suspicions. “Speak.”

“I--I just...want you.” He whispers.

“Only me?” You keep prodding.

He nods, his dark hair falling over his eyes, hiding them from you, but you already got what you wanted. Satisfied, you lean up to press a chaste kiss on his lips. He tries to follow your mouth when you pull back all too quickly, but you press a finger to his lips and grin. "Is that why I’d catch you humping my pillow sometimes?"

Hendery jerks back, mortified. “You saw that?”

“I did.” You close the distance between you again, threading your fingers through his silky hair.  "You always did it so roughly too, you must have been so needy. Poor baby."

“Don’t tease me.” He ducks his head into your shoulder, trying to hide from you, but you cup his face in your hands and press your nose to his.  "I wanna see it again."

He gapes at you, mouth opening and closing but no words forming.

"Come on, don’t be shy now. You wanted this and as far as I can tell, you haven't earned the right to fuck me yet. So why don’t you put on a little show for me, and I might just let you. I've always wanted to get a closer look at you making a mess of yourself.” You kiss him again, this time lingering more and letting him deepen it. His tongue prods against your lips and you open your mouth to take it in. He moans when his tongue meets yours, his hands gripping your hips and pushing you against him needily.

You let him get lost in the kiss for a while, working himself up, before you pull back. “You’ll do it for me, won’t you, baby?"

He quickly nods, too high off the kiss to question you. “Good boy.” You grin, pecking his nose then turning him around towards the bed.

You grab your pillow and position it in the center of the bed then you coax him onto the bed so he’s hovering over it on his hands and knees, his cock barely touching it. You take a seat behind him and drape your body over his back.

"Go on, baby.” You encourage him, using your hands to grab his hips and guide his cock against the pillow. He initially stays passive, letting you move his body, but as his cock rubs more and more against the pillow and you continue to encourage him with sweet words whispered in his ear, he starts moving on his own.

"You're doing so good, baby. Are you imaging that you're fucking me?"

He eagerly nods. “Yeah… will you let me?”

You pretend to contemplate for a moment. “I don’t know. Depends how good you are for me. Remember, you gotta earn it, master.”

He whines, “Stop calling me that.”

“But you are my master.” You laugh, “My good, handsome master who will do his best to please me, right?”

“Yes. I want to please you.” He croaks, hips stuttering.

“Are you close, baby?”

He moans in affirmation, bucking against the pillow more desperately.

“Stop.” You tap his ass lightly, but he just mumbles in confusion and continues.

“Hendery, stop.” You repeat sharply, your fingers digging into his sides, and he finally stops. You take the pillow out from under him and tell him to continue.

“But there is nothing to…” He trails off, voice small and breathless.

“Nothing to fuck? Hmm, how about you just hump the air for me then?” You laugh cruelly, pulling away from him so you can lie down beside him to watch. “Come on, you said you’ll be good for me.”

He’s too horny and desperate to please you to resist now so he complies, his hips pushing into empty air and the tip of his heavy dick barely brushing against the sheets below.

“That’s it. Good boy.” You watch in fascination as a tiny wet spot starts forming under him, and you reach out to lightly rub at his nipples, driving him even more wild.

“Please--” He groans, head looking forward and eyes scrunched up, not even able to look at you.

“Are you close already, just from humping the air?” You tsk, mocking him. “How do you expect to satisfy me then? Or are you only thinking about yourself again?”

He shakes his head, “I can make you feel good, I promise. I can be so good for you.” He avows, his hips dropping down to grind up against the mattress.

You frown and pinch his nipple that you were just carassing, causing his hips to jerk back up. “You expect me to believe that when you can’t even control yourself? Look at you, you’re gonna cum all over the sheets and I’m not even touching you.” You scoff, eyeing the trail of precum leaking from his tip onto the sheets below.

"Maybe I should just let someone who knows what they’re doing fuck me instead. Like Lucas.”

That riles him up and he snarls, pushing you onto your back and climbing on top of you. But once there, he doesn’t know what to do.

You laugh, “See? You’re hopeless.” Your hand inches down his body towards his dick. “I bet you’d cum as soon as I touch your pretty dick.”

He grabs your wrist, stopping you just before you can wrap your hand around him, and he stares down at you, eyes pleading.

“Come on, baby. Show me that you can handle me.”

You challenge, shaking his hand off and grabbing his cock. He groans, throwing his head back and biting down on his lip hard. He shudders above you as your thumb rubs over the head of his dick. “Please, stop…”

“Why, you’re not gonna cum, right?” You growl in his ear, moving your thumb faster over his slit, the precum leaking out making it so easy. "Don’t you wanna prove to me that you can fuck be as good as Lucas can? You think he would cum just from a little touching?”

“Shut up.” He growls, trying to hold himself back with all his might.

“What, am I making you angry, baby? You don’t like the thought of Lucas fucking me with his big, fat cock?” You drawl, your hand blurring over his cock as your other hand reaches up to tug on his nipple, practically forcing the orgasm out of him.You feel his cock jerk in your loose grip, and he cries out loudly as ropes of cum shoot out of his dick and land on your dress.

“So disappointing.” You lament, and he slumps over you, hiding his face in your chest and mumbling quietly, “I’m sorry.”

“You should be.”  You sneer and cup his chin to prop his head up and run your cum soaked thumb along his bottom lip. “But at least you know how to apologize. You may earn the right to fuck me yet.”

“Thank you.”

You smile, “Good boy.”

You push him on his back and climb over him, leaning down so your faces are inches apart. “And remember, You don’t own me, Hendery. I own you.”

He gulps.

“Isn't that right master.”

He doesn’t hesitate this time. “Yes.”

"Say it, Hendery."

"You own me. I'm yours"

____________________________

A/N: lol

[glitxhwayventeen]

Lonely Together

Jihoon: Chapter 1 (Perfect)

Characters: Jihoon x female reader

Genre/Warnings: multi-member au (different scenarios), werewolf au, fantasy, smut, angst, fluff, potential blood mentions, genocide, runaways, domestic violence, child abuse, abandonment, homelessness, hunger, violence. Any others will be put as warnings when future chapters are thought up/written.

Author’s Note: I recommend listening to Perfect by Ed Sheeran before reading this. That’s the song I thought of while writing this because it makes me feel some type of way you know?

Please remember that all of these chapters and the content within them are a work of fiction! They’re just for fun/entertainment!

Bold= Dialogue Italics= Thoughts

🥀 & ☁️

Lonely Together Master List

Chapter 1: Perfect

It had been so long since you’d been around so many people. It made you antsy. You didn’t understand a lot of what was going on in the house. The constant noise scared you. It had you on such an edge that you nearly screamed everytime one of them coughed.

To be fair, before you had met them, you’d honestly jump at footsteps. Because footsteps meant humans, and humans meant danger. Not to mention that you were still not used to being in your human form. You preferred to stay a wolf, you were stronger when you walked on all four legs, and you weren’t as noticeable.

Your human appearance was… striking to most people to say the least. Your bright eyes and darker skin with salt and pepper curly hair made everyone around you always stare at you. You understood it somewhat, you didn’t match everyone else’s looks in Korea. But that didn’t mean you liked people watching you all the time, you hated being the center of attention. So to say you were still adjusting to being around people after having lived alone for centuries was a bit of an understatement. It was all so new to you. You had a new feeling now too. You just weren’t sure what it was…

At first, you thought maybe it was hope. You hadn’t hoped in such a long time, it would bring tears to even the most hardened criminal’s eyes. But you weren’t that good at trusting that human part of you. So you decided to go off of what you knew. And, even though you hadn’t been there long, two weeks at the most you thought, you learned a lot of things about them. You knew all but one of the wolves had a mate. You knew that two of the alphas butted heads on how to lead the pack a lot and that one just watched from the side and did everything behind the scenes without causing too much distress to the others. You knew they all loved each other, no matter what they said or how much they fought. You also knew that, being around them made you feel more alone than you’ve felt in decades.

When you were younger, you didn’t mind being alone. It meant that you didn’t have to rely on anyone, it meant you only had to look out for yourself. And as you got older, it just felt… right. But being around this house full to the brim with people, you started to realize just how much you missed being part of a big family. They treated you like you were one of them. Which was weird to you… because they didn’t really know you. I mean sure they saved you from imminent death, but they didn’t know you from Adam.

The more you thought about your current situation, the weirder the feeling got. The closer you got to each one of them, the stronger the feeling got. And when you got close to one of the quiet ones in particular, you swore it felt like your heart was singing to you. It was something you weren’t sure you’d ever get used to, but it wasn’t something you necessarily hated either. Whatever the feeling was, you’d figure it out eventually or it would go away on its own… right?

Still, You got to eat first with the other mates, well the mates minus Soonyoung. He may have been Seungcheol’s mate but 1.) he was a wolf unlike the other mates and 2.) he was a male wolf so he ate just as much as the other boys did. So they didn’t think it fair that he get to eat with all of you. Or them…. Or-whatever. You didn’t know, you just knew they offered you and the other girls food first and, considering you used to have to hunt for your food or you didn’t get to eat, you were definitely NOT complaining. Soonyoung though, you learned, had a tendency to whine about any and everything that he didn’t like.

“Aww come on again! No fair! (Y/N)’s just as much of a wolf as I am! Why does SHE get to eat first when I don’t??” Soonyoung decided to voice aloud, grabbing his plate with both hands and semi-patiently waiting for his turn to grab food.

You didn’t mind of course. You did think he had a point. It didn’t seem fair to him. Either he should be eating with the other mates, or you should be eating with the other wolves. So you agreed.

“He’s got a point. I should be eating with the other wolves. I eat more than the other girls after all” you shrugged matter of factly to the lead alpha, who was also his mate, who was hunched over the stove making said breakfast.

The thing is, Seungcheol did understand the argument. And he personally saw merit to the concerns, whether it was because it was a genuine point or whether it was just from months of his mate complaining about it, he didn’t know. Still, he saw it’s reasonings and thought they could be sound.

BUUUT, he also knew that SOMEBODY would definitely NOT be happy if you had to wait and fight the boys for food. It seemed everyone, wolves and mates alike, but you understood that Jihoon had imprinted on you already. Maybe you just didn’t know much about it, or maybe you knew and just decided you didn’t want to know, either way, it wasn’t for him to decide or judge.

So, as he looked over to the table of boys who were ACTUALLY patiently waiting their turn to dig in, his eyes landed on Jihoon, who shook his head and narrowed his eyes at the older wolf in return. Of course you didn’t notice this action, you were always more in your own head than you were in conversations.

“Sucks to suck kids. I make the rules and I say you eat with the mates. End of story. Sorry love!” he declared, once again moving his eyes ever so slightly to Jihoon, who nodded his head slightly as he smiled triumphantly.

He was NOT about to let his newfound mate eat the other mates leftovers with the other wolves. No. That was absolutely NOT happening. He may not have “officially” expressed that you were his mate, but he’d be damned if he wasn’t gonna do everything in his power to make sure you were happy, healthy, and well fed.

“But-” you argued, trying to bring your point’s validity up to him again.

“But nothing (Y/N). Sure you eat more than the other girls. But you DEFINITELY don’t eat as much as the boys do. Even if you are a wolf. Besides you’re one of-” he trailed off just as someone around the room hit the table slightly and coughed. Everyone but you realized where he was going with that sentence, and Jihoon wasn’t ready to face that just yet.

“-One of our guests.” Seungcheol thought after a moment, clearly lying his ass off but hoping he did a good enough job that you didn’t notice. Luckily for him, you weren’t all that great at social cues. “Therefore you shall not be eating whatever’s left, you’ll get first dibs with the other girls.” He said as he sat one of the plates of remaining food left from what the mates couldn’t eat down on the table, kissing his pouting mates forehead in the process.

“Don’t worry about Soonyoung. He’s just a baby. He’ll get over it. You deserve to be eating with the mates.” Spoke the smallest boy of the pack with a smile that seemed to light up as bright as a bonfire whenever you looked him in the eyes. He was the one that had your heart singing whenever you were in the same room. His little declaration made your cheeks heat up.

“O-Okay, I guess. I still don’t think I’ve done anything to deserve the special treatment… but thank you” you resolved with a polite smile back, doing your best to hide the pink covering your face. His heart rate sped up to jackrabbit speed as his inner wolf seemed to beamed at your answer.

“No (Y/N). Thank YOU.” Hansol retorted with a shit eating grin on his face. What he wanted to say was “thanks for helping one of the assholes in the group become juuuuust a little less of an asshole by being his mate,” but obviously he couldn’t do that without getting his ass beat.

“Thank me? Thank me for what?” You questioned, genuinely curious as to what he was thanking you for. You hadn’t done anything to warrant a thank you… had you?

“Oh nothing. Don’t worry about it. You’ll find out… eventually” He let out, looking at Jihoon, earning a smack from the older wolf and a small growl. Though he whined for a second, Hansol still began to laugh at his actions.

“…Okaaaay…” you said, trying your best to forget the conversation as a whole so you could eat the remains of your pancakes. Man these guys are weird.

-

Jihoon wasn’t sure exactly what he should do. He knew he couldn’t deny his instincts forever. But he wasn’t so sure about this whole “mate” thing. I mean, who was he kidding, he got along better on his own. He survived on his own for his entire life, at the orphanage, at school, even in his pack. For the most part, he kept to himself. He was SEVERELY independent, and he liked it that way. People just always managed to bring attachments and strings. Even still, He couldn’t cut off his pack. I mean don’t get him wrong, he loved those idiots and would do anything for them, but fuck, if they didn’t have the dumbest ideas and get themselves into the stupidest shit sometimes.

He knew his survival instinct told him to just ignore the feelings he had for you and act like nothing happened to protect himself. It’s not like you had noticed anyways. But the wolf part of him loved the idea of having a mate. For the longest time, he had to sit around and watch his brothers find their mates and fall in deep love. He watched Seungcheol find Soonyoung first a few months after he had met him. Then Joshua found his mate, Mina, after a few weeks of knowing him. Even little Channie imprinted on his mate, Somi, after just two days of Jihoon being acquainted with him.

Before he knew it, it was just him left without one. They always seemed so… happy and he just… wasn’t. He didn’t mind of course. He was glad his brothers found happiness. But he soon came to realize how lonely being alone truly was. He’d see his pack and their mates do cute things and, his heart was struck with a dull pain that never seemed to lessen, and at the time he didn’t understand why that was. But when he saw you, he knew the whole time he was yearning for you. When he saw you, for once he didn’t completely loathe the idea of taking care of or protecting another person. Even if it meant becoming one of the “lovey people.” He saw you and, one bat of your beautiful eyelashes and he knew, he would gladly lay his life down for you. How could he not?

You were caring and kind, even if you didn’t like to show it. You held yourself high, even if you were small. You were little, but you were mighty. You were smart, yet funny. You hardly spoke, but when you did, it was always something memorable. You never seemed to hold your true self back. He already knew that you were Perfect for him, even if he’d hardly spoken to you. He just couldn’t help the sane part of him that was very weary of the whole situation.

As Jihoon debated his true feelings for you over his breakfast, the other wolves went and conversed with each other. They tried to speak to you too, but you never really had a lot to say. You preferred to listen, which they weren’t all that surprised at. Jihoon was the quiet, calm, smart wolf, so it’s no surprise that his mate was the same way. You’d both always seem to get lost in thought almost simultaneously. You’d both come back to Earth at the same time too, always with very similar excuses.

Though everytime your eyes met, you’d both look away, trying your best to hide the blushes that spread across both your cheeks. It was kind of cute and the pack loved that their brother wouldn’t have to be all alone any longer. He’d no longer have to just sit on the side lines while they all had the time of their lives. He now had you, even if you didn’t realize it yet. You could both be Lonely Together.

Another Author’s Note: I know this chapter is relatively short compared to the others I’ve written so far, but honestly, your girls tired as fuck. I work a full time job, go to school full time, and take care of a lot of my family’s household. Let’s just be lucky I can write at all. Plus, I wrote Wonwoo’s story earlier today too. So let’s just call it a success and I’ll write a better chapter for him next time!

(Updated 9/6)

[thebeautyoffanfics]

ah thank u!! i was wondering if you could write a amane yugi found family fic with a gn!reader if that makes sense :]

(platonic) amane yugi and gn!reader

a/n: of course!! I think it makes sense, so I do hope I do this right! It wasn’t really specified, so I just sorta,,, started writing, and kept found family in mind? So I really hope it’s alright- Thank you so much for requesting, I’m genuinely so sorry for the time this took, and I hope you enjoy!! :D

(YOOOO GUESS WHO HAS A COMPUTER AGAIN!!! I'm unstoppable, babyyyyy, and am determined to get the requests done as quickly as I can-!!)

warnings: none?

word count: 872 (the angsty bonus bit is 270)

Amane understood what it was like to be a bit… indifferent to your family? He couldn’t be sure whether your relationship with yours was any similar to his, unless you told him first, but he did know one thing. For the most part, you were more like his family than his blood family.

He loved his family, sure. He had a decent relationship with his family at one point. Unfortunately, that point felt like it was forever ago. It mainly started when his brother went missing, he thought, but… upon the return, Amane really began to wonder if his brother being gone was better. It was cruel, yes, but whatever creature was posing as his brother was more so. Between his distressed parents, and that strange look in “Tsukasa”’s eyes, Amane was certain he was beginning to much prefer you. No, it wasn’t beginning… from the moment the two of you became friends, he was able to find comfort in you. Amane could only hope he provided you a similar sense of comfort, but- judging based on how you came to him just as often as he did to you- he liked that he could assume so.

You smoothed your shirt down, glancing over at Amane. “You should have told me you were coming,” You muttered, walking over to him, and laying down. Your parents were away, and both you and Amane knew they’d be gone for a while. That’s one reason you were so comforted by him… even if your parents weren’t, Amane was always around.

“Should I have? It’s not like I usually do,” He responded lightheartedly, not taking his eyes off of the stars. So, you did the same. Your eyes traveled upwards, as you took a moment to admire the sky. Amane had told you many times to just look up- every night, if you take a moment to think about the stars, your worries feel a lot smaller. You feel a lot smaller.

“Hey, what’s that one?” You questioned after a moment, tossing your hand up and pointing at some random star. You were doing it on purpose- wanting some sort of reaction out of him. His knowledge on the stars seemed endless- it amazed you. Capturing your attention, as it would most younger siblings. Sitting and listening to someone who was like your older brother, letting him ramble as he pleased. Maybe it was boring at times, but Amane let you ramble about whatever you wanted, so you could do the same for him.

Moments passed, as Amane spilled every little fact he knew. Perhaps he didn’t know as much as a professional, but he still knew so much more than you did… It was cool. How did he know that much about a little burning ball in space? There were billions. For a split second, you wondered if anyone would care to know as much about you as Amane did the stars- but the thought was crushed by Amane adding something a bit off topic.

“Anyway… maybe we should go inside? Mom got dinner, so I brought you some. I wasn’t sure what you had in the house, and cooking’s a pain.”

That’s right… Amane cared.

“Ohhh, alrighty! Thanks, haha- honestly, I was probably gonna procrastinate cooking until the last minute, so I appreciate it.”

The two of you made your ways off of the roof, and inside your house. As if it was his home- and, by this point, it very well could have been- Amane walked into the kitchen, unpacking two little boxes. Put them both in the microwave, setting a time, then glancing over at you.

“You didn’t eat at home?” You questioned, not wanting him to feel pressured to explain, but wanting him to feel welcomed to share.

“Meh, at this point, I can’t tell whether or not mom really cares. She’s on-board with me visiting you so you don’t get lonely, and making sure you eat, and whatnot. Aside from that, I… I dunno, the house feels more weird than welcoming. You’re family enough, ehehe.”

“Hm, the only weird thing now is that laugh,” You joked, opening the microwave a second before it beeped. “Sorry though. I really do hope things get better. I’m sure they will!”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. You don’t need to apologize,” Amane ruffled your hair lightly, causing you to swat at his hand in annoyance, “Thanks though. Whatever has to happen is going to happen, I guess…? And what needs to happen now is dinner.”

You laughed at that comment, taking the box he offered you, and taking a seat at the coffee table in your living room.

Amane tossed you the remote, then sat next to you, letting you turn on a show the both of you found interesting. The only sound coming from either of you was the sound of eating, as the TV’s noise filled the room. Yes, these nights were your favorite. They were both of your favorites. When the two of you didn’t have a real family, you had each other… These simple things really were what made a family. Dinner and TV, a comfortable silence between the two of you, and both of you perfectly content with that.

BONUS LITTLE,, ANGSTY BIT. Anon didn’t request this, so don’t feel obligated to read it- I just felt like angst <3 feel free to consider this just… an alternate end. Amane doesn’t have to die in the main bit <3

WARNINGS: mention of death + suicide, vomit, pain-

“Amane… is dead?” You muttered, staring at the flowers sitting on his desk. The same flowers rested on his brothers’. Tsukasa had caused Amane distress… right now, you couldn’t help but focus on the death of your best friend.

“Did you not hear? Apparently, he killed Tsukasa, then,” Your classmate motioned crudely, dragging a finger across their neck to indicate his death, “offed himself.”

You were going to be sick. You were. You were sick- clumps of your breakfast splashing against the floor beneath yourself. This wasn’t right. It wasn’t right.

Unable to control your actions, you ran out of the room, practically collapsing outside of the school. You wanted to run away. Yet, there was no escaping it.

“It’s a lie,” You muttered, tears spilling down your face. “They’re lying.”

Your heart ached worse than you thought it ever could. Amane couldn’t kill anyone- Amane couldn’t be dead. You sobbed, fists balled up as you let out all of the grief that was rapidly building up.

Students looked your way, several rushing to grab teachers. Before the day could even start, it was over. Going home sooner than you expected to like, with words you never wanted to hear ingrained in your mind.

Upon your return, some time later- giving you barely enough time to learn what you could (though you still couldn’t process it), you heard mutters. Little whispers- rumors floating around.

“Have you heard the rumor…? Apparently, there’s a ghost in the girls’ bathroom on the third floor. It says, she’ll grant your wish- for a price, that is.”

[shingia]

Hello!!! I love ur fics sm 😭💖 This is weirdly specific and been plaguing my mind for days,,, Can I req an angsty fic where Atsumu broke up with the reader because he wants to chase his dreams and ultimately leaves but with the reader saying "I'll wait" . A few months later he seeks for the reader again and finds out the reader has terminal illness and is dying. You can decide if there's major character death or a miracle,,,, please and thank u so much!!

𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐨𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐨 - 𝐚𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐮 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

aw thank youuuu <33 and also WOW this request is in-tense, i modified the ‘terminal illness’ part a little bit for plot convenience, but i rly hope you’re gonna like it ! i am : stressed. also, i’m a sucker for happy endings (just ignore my last bokuto fic) so i couldn’t go full angst on that one 😅

quick storytime : my great grandpa died from heartbreak and i always thought it was a beautiful (yet very sad) way to die, so i guess that’s where i got my inspiration from <3

⤷  atsumu x gn!reader | angst | word count : 1.7K

warnings : hospital environment, heart condition, mild description of ‘illness’ and mentions of death (a little)

your first kiss with miya atsumu had been sloppy, dizzy, with a strong scent of rum and smudged lip balm all over your lips. but there was no doubt that it had been the best kiss of your entire lives…

…just like your last had been the worst. 

two months later, atsumu still couldn’t forget the salty taste of your lips that begged him not to leave. if he focused hard enough, he could even remember the feeling of your hands desperately clinging to his jacket in a last attempt at making him stay by your side.

but he didn’t, and as much as he hated himself for putting an end - even temporary - to what had been the most beautiful chapter of his life, he had never regretted his decision ; and he knew exactly why. you had promised to wait for him, and in pure egoism, he knew and hoped that you would. because no matter the distance, he was still madly in love with you.

which is why he did not understand why osamu was so outraged when he told him that he was finally ready to come back to you. but the younger twin knew things that his brother didn’t - he had seen you let yourself waste away, like nothing else mattered without the one you loved.

but more than that, atsumu did not know about the secret his brother promised to keep. he did not know that, two weeks ago, osamu had found you unconscious in your living room with an alarmingly slow heartbeat. the poor boy had not understood everything the doctors had told him - but whatever a cardiogenic shock was, he knew that it would have carried you off if without his intervention.

however, you had been categorical : atsumu shouldn’t not know about this, under any pretext. you refused to be a burden to the pursuit of his dreams for which he had already sacrificed so much for. but now that atsumu was back, something about this promise didn’t sit right with his brother. and so he decided to tell him everything.

« …most doctors thought about a standard heart attack » he told him after explaining the situation, on the lookout for any impulsive reaction from his brother. « … but one of them talked about something else. you might want to sit down ».

but atsumu couldn’t care less about his brother’s advice. actually, he didn’t care about anything else than you right now. it was already taking a lot of effort for him to stand there listening to samu instead of being on his way to the hospital - but he stayed. for an obscure reason that he didn’t really understand, he stayed.

« did you know that people can die of heartbreak ? » osamu asked, more serious than he had ever been in his whole life. 

the blonde twin felt like the ground had suddenly swallowed him whole - although his brother was trying his best not to sound too accusating, it was more than obvious that whatever situation you were in was because of him. and only him.

« no they can’t » he tried to protest, not even believing in his own words. panic was beginning to win him over - and in a matter of seconds, he lost all his composure « WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU NOT MOVING ? LET’S GO ! » he shouted, already opening the front door. at that moment, one question burned his lips, but he knew he would never have the guts to ask it out loud. 

‘did i kill them ?’

——

the steady beeps of all the machines around you were the only thing disrupting the deafening silence of your hospital room. you were sick of spending your days alone. but you had no right to complain, osamu had offered to come and see you after work every day, but you had politely refused. well, politely was a big word… your body was so exhausted that you had trouble articulating simple phrases, and therefore exclusively communicated through nods or hand gestures.

your phone had been confiscated and the doctors kept you away from the news - or at least from the negative news, because they knew that your heart might give out at the tiniest emotional distress.

which is why you were so surprised to hear a knock on your door at about 3pm, outside of the nurses’ shift hours. knowing that you were too weak to talk, osamu let himself in, slowly closing the door behind him before coming closer to your bed.

« how are you doing ? » he asked, resting his hands on the other end of the bed. you shrugged, pointing at the IV and all the monitoring surrounding you. as long as these machines were there, it was hard to feel better than just ok. « listen, um… someone is here for you. the doctors said i could bring him in, but i wanted your authorization first… » he started before clearing his throat. « atsumu is back. do you- are you ready to see him ? ».

ready was probably not an appropriated word. but after two months spent pretending that he was still laying next to you in bed every night, still texting you good morning every day, still sending you the dumbest memes at the most random times, it would have been a huge mistake to refuse osamu’s proposition.

and so he let him in. obviously, atsumu had orders from the doctors and his brother : don’t run, don’t move too fast, don’t speak too soon, don’t touch them without warning. but nobody had asked him not to cry. and how could his eyes stay dry when you looked so fragile and so vulnerable ?

osamu quietly left the room, leaving the two of you together not without apprehension. but if there was one thing he could trust his brother on, it was taking care of you. two months could not have gotten the better of four years of relationship.

but as much as he cared about you, atsumu had always been - and still was - pretty bad with words. and the first ones that left his mouth were a great example. « are you going to die ? » he asked in a shaky voice, brows knitted.

you would have given him an answer if you had one, but you didn’t. the doctors said that you had gone through the most painful part, but the risks of aggravations were still too important to let you go home. you were not 100% safe yet.

« i told you i’d wait » you spoke in a hoarse voice, the beep of your heart monitor getting a little bit faster.

the steps atsumu took towards you were slow, like he had been told, but just one glance at his eyes was enough to know that deep down, he was dying to feel your skin against his.

« i know you probably hate me right now. and for good reasons » he started as he sat on the chair next to your bed, still painfully avoiding any contact. « but there’s something i need to tell you, in case… in case… well, if something were to happen ».

his eyes lingered on your fingertips, blue and cold, and his whole body tensed at once. the thought that everything you were going through had been caused by his own selfishness was driving him crazy. but he had one last thing to keep himself grounded, and that thing was exactly what he was about to tell you.

« i love you. but i caused you so much trouble that i think there’s only one way to prove it… » he said, taking a deep breath before finally resting a timid hand on your arm. « i want to marry you. right now. i don’t fucking care if it’s not considered official, i just want you to know that leaving you was probably the biggest mistake i ever did. and that i’m not leaving ever again. so fuck it, let’s get married ! you almost died, life’s too short to plan a stupid ceremony ».

he stopped for a few seconds, panting from his teary monologue and paying attention to any beep or other sound that might indicate that he had made things worse for you. but it seemed like you were doing ok. how could you not be ? the love of your life had just proposed to you - sure, it wasn’t how you had imagined it, but wasn’t it even more beautiful like that ?

the tears that started rolling down your cheeks were undoubtedly tears of happiness and relief to know that, finally, your life was back to normal. atsumu was your normality, and for the first time in two months, you finally felt like you had a purpose. you had no idea if soulmates existed, but what you had with atsumu seemed more than close enough.

if someone had entered the room at that moment, it’d probably have taken them several minutes to understand what was going on. two young adults, crying yet smiling, one of them laying on a hospital bed looking like they had been through hell and back, and the other tearing off two pieces of his t-shirt and looking genuinely proud of himself -  nothing about this made sense.

« my apologies, it was the easiest way to make us rings » atsumu chuckled, eyes still blurry as grabbed your hand in his with infinite tenderness. slowly, he tied the piece of cloth around your ring finger, loosely enough so that the doctors would not consider it dangerous for your blood circulation.

« i’m keeping that until you’re getting out of here. by my side. » he affirmed, pointing at his own makeshift ring before looking right into your eyes, as serious as ever. « and i’m also keeping you. forever. consider this my wedding vows »

as much as he hated to phrase it like that, you could both die in peace now.

i spent so much time on medical sites to be as accurate as i could, i felt like meredith mf grey for a few hours

@toworuu @catwithangerissues