#thought it’d be neat to make the inside of his jacket red…

[sherbetyy]

i think it’s funny he has a tie of himself

[some-dr-writings]

SDR2 guys x intimidating looking but sweet S/O

Hajime Hinata:

·       You had been Hajime’s best friend for as long as he could remember. You were always so smart and the top in your class. Truthfully Hajime expected you to be invited to Hope’s Peak, but… you were always rambunctious. As smart as you were, you didn’t care for rules that existed outside ones of safety. You were labeled the school delinquent, getting into fights, breaking most rules for the sake of breaking them, doing whatever you could to get a reaction from others, all the while smiling and laughing away having the time of your life.

·       “Ah! Hajime! That’s amazing!” “Y/N!?” You scooped him into your arms, lifting off his feet, spinning around and around. “MY boy, going to HOPE’S PEAK ACADEMY! This is amazing!” Suddenly your spinning came to a stop, stomping a foot on the ground to do so. “Hajime. Hope’s Peak is far, so you’ll be moving right? If that’s the case, you better text me every day! Okay, you don’t have to if you don’t want too, but at least keep me informed of the big stuff like how your first day was or the school festival or at least the sports day! Or, OR! If you’d like, maybe I could move with you, somewhere close to the school and I’ll just get a job in the area so you could just talk to me in person! I would visit, but even by train it’s a two-day trip and I’d probably get board at some point and get kicked off, and there’s also studying for school or work or whatever I do.” A light pink dusted Hajime’s cheeks, feeling a bit flustered at how excited you were, still effortlessly him closely, high off the ground. He swore his heart began to race seeing your absolutely beaming smile which seemed to shine brighter than the sun to him.

·       When with his friends he’d speak of you often, not to the point of annoyance, just enough for them to know he clearly missed you. From how he described you, you seemed to be the sweetest, most wholesome person in existence despite being a bit rowdy. So when Kazuichi caught Hajime holding hands and appearing to be going on a date with a person covered in scars exposed by your unbuttoned shirt, haired dyed a bright blond, scary tattoos, spiked jacket and boots, even having a mask covering you face, nobody believed him till Hajime walked in on the conversation, saying that was you. After that they insisted on meeting you, wanting to know such a seemingly contrasting person existed, and when they did meet you, they gave Hajime their approval, even if he didn’t want or need it.

   Izuru Kamakura:

·       Many things Izuru found boring, but if he had to choose one thing he found more boring than anything else, it’d have to be the baseless rumors surrounding you, his partner, all because you had a scary face. It was so ridiculous he couldn’t even entertain the idea of you secretly being the heir of a yakuza gang or something so off the wall even he couldn’t recall. Whenever he heard such rumors as he walked down Hope’s Peak’s halls, he thought he may just fall asleep from how tiring it was, thinking about the mental gymnastics people had to go through to even come to such conclusions.

·       It was another day and again he heard of your imaginary exploits of having killed a man in cold blood for money or some such and instantly he just felt exhausted. He continued to walk till he stopped before a door and knocked. “Oh, hey Izu-baby. What brings you here?” “… I just found myself here.” You chuckled, simply opening the door, taking your boyfriend’s hand and leading him in.

·       You promptly plopped him into a seat, going off to get something, Izuru had the chance to examine the many brushes, hair products and hair accessories spread out on the counter. There were even several sticky notes on the edges of the large vanity mirror, neat writing noting some appointments you had. Seems like he had come in when you were cleaning between appointments. “I found a new brush and I think it should work well with your thick long hair.” You placed your a hand on one of the back rest corners of the chair, leaning a little over him, smiling as you held said brush before him. “Then test it.”

·       You giddily collected his hair, your touch occasionally grazing across his skin. Your hands though covered in cuts, slightly dyed from all your hair styling work, and probably tired from having worked for almost six hours straight according to the sticky notes, they still were ever so gentle, making sure to not get caught on or pull any knots. Then you began to brush, starting from the bottom and working your way up. “Izuru, you have a few split ends, and it’s been a while, mind if I give you a light trim while I have you here?” “You have an appointment in forty-three minuets.” “Hmm… Yeah, I can get this done in time.” Once you reached the top you gave his hair a few extra strokes from top to bottom, making sure you got everything. “Oh, I also found a new shampoo which can help your hair. It’s still so dull, but at this point it might be because of your diet since I can’t seem to find anything that can work for you. Have you been eating? Has the staff been testing you on talents again and not feeding you?” “No.” You were going to ponder for a moment, to try figuring out what your boyfriend’s problem could be when said boyfriend placed a hand on your cheek, lightly pulling you beside him. Closing his eyes, he leaned in and kissed you on the cheek. “You’re so exhausted you forgot we spoke of this very subject yesterday.” “Huh?” Your entire face flushed a bright red, still unused to Izuru’s sparce displays of affection. Then to your confusion he pulled you onto his lap. “I-Izu-baby?” “You are taking a nap.” For some reason in that moment of seeing you so flustered he recalled the rumors. The thought of you even harming a fly was laughable, you were the absolute sweetest, kindest, caring person he had ever met. Holding you close he simply leaned into you, thinking you could both use a nap together.

   Nagito Komaeda:

·       You made your own rumors. The ones about you secretly being an assassin, you started it. The one about how you once were an international thief, you did it. The one about you selling drugs, that one was actually an accident, you were just getting a friend their pain meds, but you spread about a few more stories like it not long after. Why purposefully spread rumors many would wonder… well… there were two reasons.

·       The first, you found most people annoying and simply didn’t want to deal with them, content with your small, very close friend group. It was the perfect way to get people to back off so you wouldn’t have to deal with them in their first place. You also found some fun in seeing people run from you from your presents alone, made you feel like some cartoon super villain which you found quite amusing.

·       The second reason… You had always told your boyfriend the first one, but to his confusion, you’d always avoid telling him the other reason. Nagito knew you’d had to have your reasons for not telling him, but… well you were his partner, of course he was going to worry a little even if it seemed you knew what you were doing.

·       But he could ignore it no longer when you took the blame for him. Nagito came up with a plan to blow up a building, forcing the exams to be delayed so his classmates could have more time to prepare for them… and you took for the blame for it, being expelled for a time, but not forever. You couldn’t even stay on your dorm on campus, winding up staying in some cheap hotel paid by the school.

·       “Why did you do it?” “Eh, Nagito?” “WHY! Why did you take the blame for me!? I was trying to get you more time so you could show off in glory, but now you’re stuck here. Why did you do it?” Nagito was always so calm and composed, likely from facing disaster after disaster caused by his bad luck, but he was actually troubled, he was upset, but not even at himself like he always did thinking himself trash, no, he was legitimately upset with you. “… Normally people greet their partner with a ‘hello’ or something.” The last thing you were expected to be greeted by your first morning exiled from school was your boyfriend in such a state. “I- No. Y/N, tell me, why?” “… I…” You couldn’t tear your eyes away from him, this new side you had never even thought existed, yet you also couldn’t bear to look at him either so instead you looked to his feet. “I don’t want to lie to you, but… I don’t want to tell you the truth either. But! What I can tell you, is that this is fine, I chose this, I wanted this. So, you don’t have to worry about me, this just means I have even more time to develop my talent.” You tried giving him a smile, but it just ended up strained seeing that didn’t placate him. W-why? He always saw everything ultimates did was amazing and respected even the worst of decisions, yet… he was mad, and sad, and so many other things you couldn’t pinpoint not being able to bring yourself to study his expression for long.

·       “No, this is not fine. What you did is not helping you. This is only a detriment. I-I-I, I just can’t understand! I can’t understand why. How did this turn out so wrong?” “… the other reason.” “Huh?” You spoke so quietly, it was but a whisper, Nagito had just barely caught it. “The other reason… It’s why I NEED a bad reputation, not just something I want for the fun of it.” You sighed, preparing for the inevitable Nagito calling himself trash and you trying to comfort him song and dance. “You’re such a volatile wild card. I never know what you’ll do next. Nagito, you literally tried to blow up a building with people inside, I know your luck probably would have saved them or something or you assumed the ultimates inside would save the day, but… that’s not healthy! You’ve been through so much and need help. I, I want to help you, but I just don’t know what to do. So… to me, the best I can do is try to protect you.” Even as his eyes widened, realizing what happened, you continued. “With a bad reputation, rumors of all sorts, both extreme and little, it can be expected that I can do anything without it being out of character. I can take on anyone’s bad actions and call it my own and all will believe it… Even if I can’t protect you from the insanity that is our life, the very least I can do is protect you from yourself, the consequences of your actions. I can’t get you to at last see yourself as decent, I can’t stop your luck from torturing you, this… this is all I can think of for what I could ever do for you… it’s the only kind of affection I can give without you saying or thinking you’re unworthy of it… though I guess I don’t even have that now, but… I don’t know, maybe this was-”

·       …

·       He hugged you. He didn’t know what to say. He took in everything you said, yet his mind was just blank. He had so much to say, yet he just could… All he could do was just nuzzle into you, one who was just so sweet and kind, and… he needed to better for you, Nagito at least new that for sure.

   Imposter:

·       Imposter wondered how they ever were lucky enough to find a partner like you. They never thought they’d find anyone who could get them to see themselves as a person even without the disguises, let alone a whole class at one point. Yes, they still disguised themselves, but when they were just with you they felt okay to not keep the make-up, wigs and costumes. They were just… whoever they were without being someone else. Their own identity was something they still struggled with but working on it with your helped.

·       Individuals who could stay true to themselves no matter what were people they respected highly, that was probably what got them to fall for you in the first place. No matter who avoided you, the children who cried from seeing your large, buff figure, no matter the sports nuts who insisted on you joining their team, you always were the shy Super High School Level Flower Shop Keep who loved exercising.

·       When they first met you, they were masquerading as Beyakuya Togami, not exactly the most sociable of personalities, so they thought they scared you away. When first meeting a person you didn’t speak much, instead you’d gift flowers and spoke through flower language. “Oh, well… there’s a lot you can say with flowers. I’ve just always liked them. I just like being outside, so I exercise a lot! But then I got toned, and already being on the bulkier side some people find me scary… Ah, but if I give the children flowers, they usually stop crying… unless a bee comes by, then they cry again.” Even though you were so soft spoken when you did speak, it was still rather intimidating. There was just so much power in it.

·       They rather enjoyed how you’d decorate them with your beloved plants, whether it be placing them behind their ear, in their hair, or in their breast pocket. They also adored each bouquet you gave. Very quickly their whole dorm room smelled of fast-food and a light floral perfume. They pressed and kept every last flower, preserving them all even the ones from when you first met.

·       You were so open and honest, even though you tried hiding it they knew when you had a crush on them- or well Beyakuya… They had no identity outside of whoever they were impersonating, but… the thought made their heart ache. So, when you came up to them with giant bouquet filled with tulips, purple roses, red roses, alstroemerias, and baby’s breath they could easily see even as you hid it behind your back, a bright blush on your cheeks, they knew what was happening, and rejected you before you could give them the flowers and confess. You hugged the bouquet close as they explained their situation, and even after, you still held out the flowers to them. “So, your identity is more complex than I knew, but all our time together still happened. And if you change identities, it’ll be like a change in color. Definitely different, even changing the meaning, but the base is still the same, you’ll still remember our time together even as someone else.” And since that moment, no matter what came, you never left them.

   Gundham Tanaka:

·       The moment Gundham met the Super High School Level Vet, Gundham fell head over heels for them. They were an intimidating, brutish, scarred from battles past, every last feature was terrifying, their features sharp, everything about them commanded the respect of all, even getting his Dark Devas to be weary of them at first sight.

·       Caring for animals was a tricky job, it often involved getting scratches and bites, but you also needed to be patient and kind. You needed to be respected but also not appear hostile. A balance you embodied, looking fierce, yet you were so gentle and sensitive to others around you.

·       The pair of you always spent time looking after his many animals, tending to any injuries or illnesses they possibly could have gotten.

·       You also tended to Gundham Tanaka himself, much to his flustered, blushing protest. “I have no such injures of which you speak!” “Tanaka, you can’t even hold a pencil you hand is hurting so bad. Please let me at least look at it.” He kept refusing till some students came by asking if he were alright, fearing the scary looking person who kept looming around him all day. “Pathetic! Of such a low level you can’t even decern one’s true nature!” Then he stomped off till finally he found you. “My Emperor!” “Hey Tana-” “I seek thy aid, for only one of your caliber could even remotely stand a chance of resisting my poisoned skin, let alone tent to the curse that plagues this mortal form!” You just silently stared at him for a moment before you started fussing over him, clutching his jacket since you wanted to hug him. “What happened!? Did it get worse!? Tell me EVERYTHING about how you feel! Do you think it’s infected!? How does it hurt!? Does it sting or burn, or what!?” Gundham himself began to panic, unsure as to how to calm and put you at ease, never before seeing you worried to the point of tears forming in the corners of your eyes! However, you did quickly settle down, getting serious tending to his wound…

·       And even as you did so, you avoided touching him. If you needed to apply ointment, you’d use a q-tip, you’d do anything you could to not touch him… Even you tending to him sent his heart racing, showing vulnerability, he was used to giving the care, not the other way around. He felt vulnerable in a way, he showed you he was hurting, but you were so gentle with him, so aware of him, even stopping and giving him a moment to pause and collect himself.

·       Someone so attentive and understanding… He groaned, embarrassed at how giddy, and excited, and nervous even the mere thought of you made him.

   Kazuichi Soda:

·       He was terrified of you at first, even going so far as to actively avoid you. But then he met you. The moment he did so he was so confused as to how he found you scary? After actually taking to you, he found you, looks and all so adorable! He’d gush to anyone and everyone about how kind and amazing and sweet you were. He’d defend you to the death if a person even made the smallest negative comment about you, much to your complete embarrassment.

·       After becoming your boyfriend Kazuichi would always hang around you, cooing over everything that was you, shattering any intimidating precents you had with the man hugging your arm, speaking in such a sickeningly sweet tone with sparkling eyes.

·       Feeling like the world was against you, Kazuichi spent all his time with you to make up for it. No matter how many times you told him he didn’t have to he insisted on giving you all the affection you so rightly deserve!

·       When you weren’t embarrassed by the man’s antics you’d be just as affectionate in return. As he tinkered on whatever you’d hug him from behind, sighing, and nuzzling into the nape of his neck, tickling him, distracting him from his work. He’d giggle, giddy out of his mind at having someone so sweet and adorable love him almost as much as he loved you!

·       If Kazuichi caught even one person giving you a funny look, he’d just hug and snuggle you with a pout, glaring at others.

·       “Kazu, you don’t have to defend me from everyone. I know I’m not exactly the most approachable looking.” “What!? No! You are gorgeous! Adorable! Beautiful! Don’t self-deprecate yourself!” “I’m not, I just… I know you’re affectionate, but you don’t have to be so protective, I appreciate it, but you don’t have to do this every time. I just want you to enjoy yourself not feel like you have to be my knight in shining armor or something.” “Well, I can’t enjoy myself if others are being jerks!” Kazuichi would never admit it to you, but he felt guilty. He knew what it was like to be bullied, for others to make comments. He also felt guilty for judging you so much before meeting you. he was once scared with a person he instantly fell in love with after finally talking to them. He just wanted to make up for that, he wanted to say he was sorry… And feeling you hug him, thank him for being your knight, he was reminded all over why he loved such a sweet person so much, and he was determined to give you all the love he could to make up from being so cruel before.

   Teruteru Hanamura: part 1

·       Teru had a rather interesting relationship with the new delivery person. You weren’t mean, but your whole aura was rather intimidating with your cold demeanor and with how muscular you were. Yet of all people, you were warm and kind to him. You merrily chat about your day, or about anything. You’d get a laugh out of his flirting, even try and miserably fail at flirting back, something Teru found endlessly endearing. Whatever made Teru special he honestly didn’t care, just enjoying your company so much.

·       After your hard work, well hard for most but for you it was just seemingly light stretches, Teru would cook a hearty meal for you to keep you going for the rest of the day! It was his favorite thing to do before opening the restaurant, just that single quiet moment of enjoying a meal with you.

·       Teru could find something attractive about anyone, but with you… well you were certainly attractive, a stallion, a ten out of ten to him, but he found he so quickly grew feelings for you. True a person’s personality or voice could be sexy but there was something different about it with you. But whatever it was, didn’t matter to him, all he knew was that he just wanted to spend more time with you, and whatever you did together didn’t matter to him, as long as you were together.

·       You sighed, taking another bite. “Is something the matter?” “I’m just going to miss this.” “What?” You didn’t even glance his way, simply continuing to enjoy your meal. “Yeah, I gotta move soon. I’ve actually stayed here much longer than I should, but… I just couldn’t resist sticking around longer ‘cause of you… again.” “Ah, well… that’s too bad. It’s been rather fun having you around.” “It’ll be alright. I know you’ll be fine without me. Actually, I’d like to ask you to make a promise to forget me.” “Forget you!? How in tarn- AH I- Ahem- How could I do that!?” You simply smiled and laughed, just as you did before. You placed a hand on his cheek, gently caressing him with your thumb. “You’re the only person I can call a friend. I know you can keep this promise, that’s just the kind of person you are. Sure, you’re a bit raunchy, but you truly are kind and care for others. You could never let me feel guilty about leaving you behind.” Teru was silent for a moment, just taking in what you said. “When will you be leaving?” “Uh… I should say tomorrow, but I’m thinking a week.” A week? Teru could work with that!

·       “Please go on a date with me!” “… Huh?” In complete bafflement you just let Teruteru take your hands into his, a determined glint in his eyes. “If you’ll be leaving I want to make the most of the time we have left!” “…oh… uh… o-okay, we could do that.”

·       And so, the week was filled with date after date, going all out with no inhibitions doing anything you could think of from watching a movie to sky diving. Wherever you went Teru always had a packed meal on hand for the pair of you to enjoy. It was honestly the best week of either of your lives. And all too quickly it had already passed you by.

·       Standing on the bridge in the park you stood side by side watching the sun rise. “Well, that’s it, I better get going. I really enjoyed this, just as always. Thank you.” “Now hold on a moment, you can’t go just yet!” He held out a small plastic container to you. “You need a good meal for the road! Don’t know where you’re going, but wherever it is, it’d be a downright shame if I left you hungry along the way!” You simply stared at him for a moment before the softest, most earnest of smiles he had ever seen creased your lips. So tenderly you took the container. “… Some things never change I suppose… At least I know you can still keep that promise.” Then without so much as explaining your strange words, you disappeared as if you never even were there. It was sad for Teru, yet something in him knew he’d see you again, and that thought let him go back to his everyday life as if you never appeared, yet after that life just seemed more lively to him, just like those later years back in Hope’s Peak, though as to why that time seemed livelier he couldn’t quite remember.

  Nekomaru Nidai:

·       Being a rather intimidating looking guy with a heart of gold, Nekomaru took to understanding your situation quickly. Both of you being athletic and getting rather larger builds it just kinda naturally happened.

·       Being the exceedingly kind individual you were others often took advantage of that. Even if you knew it was bad you couldn’t bring yourself to not help others in need for even the smallest of things. This was not something Nekomaru could stand, but finding you standing out in the rain for two days straight was the last straw and the man insisted on training you! You were a bit nervous at first not wanting to take up so much of your best friend’s time, but with some reassurances Nekomaru managed to warm you up, both literally and metaphorically to the training.

·       At some point the training turned into days out, going hiking up mountains, or jogging on beaches, swimming in lakes and doing crossfit, sometimes going out for walks in the night, exploring the city looking for things to do, perhaps some karaoke, some slow dancing by moon light, and yeah you two just ended up dating without meaning too.

·       The pair of you always came up with excuses like the slow dancing was training in balance, no you totally did not want to dance because it was a beautiful night and you could hear ballroom music not far in the distance, no that was totally not it, that’d be dumb… or so you kept telling yourself in these moments so you would not confess to the man fearing he really did only see these outings as training and nothing else.

·       That was till you overheard Nekomaru chatting with his classmates, one of them asking how his ‘date’ with you went and he spoke of your beautiful hike up the mountains, not even batting an eye at their wording. Did… did he not notice, or just not care? Did this mean he liked you too? Or did you mishear? Quickly getting frustrated with this line of thinking you decided to just settle this!

·       “There you are-” “I have something to tell you!” The man silently stood there, just waiting. Okay, this was it, and you took a deep breath. “I… I REALLY LIKE YOU!” “I REALLY LIKE YOU TOO! YOU ARE A CHERISHED FRIEND OF MINE!” “NO, I MEAN- I-I-I LOVE YOU, I THINK!? I DON’T KNOW!” “I LOVE YOU TOO, A LOT IN FACT!” “N-NOT AS MUCH AS I LOVE YOU!” “OH YEAH!?” “YES! SO MUCH!”

·       Screaming your feelings for one another was a very common occurrence in the relationship. Even if one of you simply caught sight of the other off in the distance you’d yell ‘I love you’s, which more often than not scared or startled the people around you hearing such loud, booming voices out of nowhere.

·       Life with Nekomaru could be a bit much at times, but it was well worth it for such an amazing guy.

   Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu:

·       You were perfect for him.

·       You didn’t have any reputation really, but wherever you went people knew not to mess with you. Your mere presents not much but if one got close, they could feel this unsettling air about you making them go away. You, being the Super High School Level Street Fighter knew how to defend yourself from most attackers so Fuyuhiko didn’t have to worry about your safety like he’d have to with most others like the majority of his old classmates like Hajime.

·       You were also the most kind and sweet person he had met. Behind closed doors you’d always have you arms open for Fuyuhiko. You’d hold him close, just let him listen to your steady heartbeat and make him feel so safe and secure. His favorite thing was to just cuddle with you.

·       He also liked you being by his side, it served a dual purpose. One: if somehow when meeting some rival gang his reputation didn’t precede him, you were enough to intimidate them at a glance, despite his own baby face. The second and much more important to him, just being with you. True you were well equipped to handle yourself, but you were still human can had come back home to him plenty of times with new scars not from your usual fights, so by your side he and Peko could protect you.

·       He also liked how you were with his subordinates. You were strict, showing no signs of weakness, more than willing to put them in their place should it be needed, yet that didn’t stop you from being kind. You’d do research for days on end trying to find the perfect birthday gift them. You’d train their kids by hand in all ways of fighting, but not for attacking but self-defense, their parents were in a dangerous job so your ‘day job’ of being a children’s fighting instructor helped to place their minds at ease a little.

·       If he could he’d go on for hours singing your praises. You were perfect for him in every single way without a single doubt.

[meigh-day]

Meet Cute (Tendou x F!Reader)

Title: Meet Cute

Pairing: Tendou x F!Reader

Warnings: Fluff!

Status: Complete

Word Count: 2.1k

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"I can do this..." You mumble to yourself, eyes focused on the single page menu in your hands. The words scrawled across the page wanted to seem familiar but only a couple managed to find their meaning while the rest just sat there taunting you. Maybe choosing to eat out was a bad idea. It had been only a couple of weeks since you'd uprooted your whole life and moved to beautiful Paris. Sure, your apartment wasn't the prettiest or the biggest and yea maybe not actually speaking a word of French prior to moving wasn't the brightest idea but you couldn't say you regretted the decision. Not yet anyway. A kind looking waitress approached your table, pen poised to take your order as she spoke to you. Her words came quick and left you staring up at her with an awkward smile while she stared at you, expectantly at first and then confused when you said nothing.

"Oh... uh... un moment..." Is all you finally manage to stammer out in your very limited French. She sighs a bit but nods and disappears back inside, leaving you to stare a bit longer at the menu as you worry your lip between your teeth. With a sigh you place the menu flat on the table. Resting your chin in your palm as you stare out at the bustling street before you. People wandered by, laughing with friends, arms full of shopping or flowers, hands intertwined as soft words passed between them. It seemed familiar in a way, watching others pass by on their way to or from some place. Yet, that familiarity only seemed to make you feel all the more alienated, amplifying that feeling of loneliness that was starting to creep up on you. You let out a soft hum of acknowledgement, your train of thought derailing immediately after as you realize someone was talking to you and you'd absentmindedly acknowledged them.

"Ah, sorry!" You sit up, turning your attention towards the source. An amused smile greets you as a pair of sharp red eyes catch your own. For a moment you sit stunned, mind stuck on one word: pretty. A short chuckle brings you back and you clear your throat as you try to think of something, anything to say to this stranger. "Uhm... Ah... P-pardonner monsieur." You offer up a stammered apology, though you aren't sure if you are sorry for not hearing what he said or for deciding to grace this café and the city with your inadequate French. Both maybe?

He laughs and shakes his head before pointing to the seat across from you as if to ask permission. You nod, offering him a somewhat nervous smile as you watch him take a seat. He was tall and thin with the prettiest red hair you had ever seen. He squints his eyes at you a moment before plucking the menu from the table and reading it over. With nothing else to occupy your attention, you watched him, curious why he had decided to approach a complete stranger.

"Hmm, do you like sweet stuff?" He questioned, eyes peering at you from atop the menu, not a hint of French accent in a single syllable.

You smile and nod, humming in affirmation before your eyes widen. "Wait... You speak... You're not..." A sigh of relief passes your lips as you relax in your chair, grateful to not have to stammer and stutter through the minimal French you'd managed to remember. The red headed man snickered at your obvious relief, hiding his smirk behind the menu.

"Geez, you poor thing. I admire your courage."

"Courage?"

"Yea. I didn't try my hand at dining out for like the first 2 or 3 months." He lowered the menu, his smirk now visible to you as he placed the menu back down on the table.

"Oh, heh, yea probably not the smartest move. It just smelled really good and my stomach overruled my brain."

He nodded, almost as if to say he understood the feeling before glancing back up at you. "I know we just met and all but do you trust me?" He taps the menu as he asks, indicating the reason behind his question.

"I might be inclined to trust you a little more if I knew your name..." You chuckle, watching his eyes widen in the realization that not a single word of introduction had passed between you. The smirk that had been on his lips is replaced by a sweet smile, his squinted red eyes soften as his whole express shifts from that slightly mischievous one he'd been wearing to a rather warm one.

"Ah, yea. It's Tendou, Tendou Satori."

Several minutes later, introductions now over and your order placed by the very gracious man before you, you two sat chatting back and forth. Both curious what had brought each of you to Paris, almost equally as unprepared. You found out Tendou was attending school to get his associates degree in bakery and pastry arts with the intent on training to become a chocolatier after. You stared at him, eyes wide with excitement as he spoke very animatedly about his latest project.

"But yea, not super exciting or anything." His own excitement dwindled a bit, nervousness settling in as he realized he'd been prattling on about himself for the last ten minutes.

"That sounds incredible!" You finally say. It had been so fun watching and hearing him talk about something he clearly loved.

"What about you?"

"Me? Ah..." The main reason you'd come to Paris was school. Well that's what you told people when asked and it was true. Though you couldn't deny to yourself the underlying reason for moving halfway across the word was to get away from your family. They had wanted you to stay local, go to college and work at your uncles company when you graduated. What a nicely planned future, all neat and packaged with a bow. It wasn't what you wanted though and you expressed that on many occasions. In the end you decided that if you were going to go to school for what you wanted you might as well do it as far away as possible while you were at it. Not wanting to unpack any of that though you gave him a very watered down version of why you'd come to Paris.

Tendou could tell as you spoke that something was missing from your story. Maybe it was the way your eyes shifted around as you spoke, or the stiff smile on your lips, but it was clear to him you maybe weren't telling the whole truth. Though considering he was more or less a perfect stranger, he couldn't fault you for that. Just as you were wrapping up your food arrived so any further talk regarding your coming to Paris halted in favor of eating whatever deliciousness Tendou had kindly ordered.

"Ah, that was so good." You breath out happily, leaning back in your chair in an effort to alleviate the fullness in your stomach. Tendou gave you a wide grin as he set his empty cup down. "I did a pretty good job guessing at what you'd like then?"

"Mhm!" You agree enthusiastically. "God knows what I would have ordered if not for you. So.. uh..." You sit up a bit, fixing your eyes on him as your smile softens. "Thanks. I really appreciate it."

He shakes his head, waving off your gratitude. "Nah don't worry about it." The waitress comes back around and leaves the bill, just the one, but before you can even think about how to fix this, Tendou has paid for the both of you.

"Oh no you don't have.. "

"Consider it a welcome to Paris gift." He stands and smiles down at you before slowly turning, a bit of reluctance in his step.

This was not how you had anticipated your lunch going. If anything you thought you might order something, hopefully delicious but at the very least edible, in your awful broken French and then go home. You couldn't fathom you'd end up meeting someone so kind and generous, who you maybe also thought happened to be the most beautiful person you'd ever seen. Yet you had, and now you were sat in your chair like a complete idiot watching his back grow smaller and smaller, he'd be lost in the crowd by now if not for his lovely hair.

"What am I doing?!" You harshly mutter to yourself as you stand, grabbing up your jacket and bag before breaking out into a run.

Tendou chewed on his lip as his feet carried him away from the small café. It wasn't like it was totally unusual for him to talk to strangers but he'd never just invited himself to eat with a complete stranger, pay for their meal and then leave. Yet here he was, having done all that, though the latter was being done rather reluctantly. Part of him wanted to turn around and go back to you. You'd only spent the better part of an hour together but he was curious about you. There was something that had drawn him towards you. At first he thought he'd gone to you out of the desire to help, and that was part of it to be sure, but maybe there was more to it. Sure your wobbly French had drawn him over but that wasn't why he stayed. Was it the way you had smiled up at him? Or was it the way you sat and listened to him ramble on with actual interest? Perhaps it was the gentle look on your face when he'd caught you staring off into space. Whatever it was, it had his already slow pace halting.

"Tendou!" His eyes widen at the shout of his name, turning to see you waving at him as you run, reaching him a moment later half out of breath.

"Miss me already?" He jokes, watching as you lean down, bracing your hands against your thighs while you attempt to catch your breath. He isn't kept waiting long as you stand upright, a nervous chuckle finally coming out in response to his initial reply.

"Kinda, yea."

"I-- uh... What?" Tendou falters as he tries to process what you just said, not trusting his ears.

"I know we really don't know each other but it seems like such a shame to just... ignore this."

"Ignore what?" He asks, genuinely confused.

"This!" You state as you frantically motion between the two of you. "I mean what're the odds we'd even meet. Besides, I don't know about you but I don't really know anyone around here and it'd be really nice to change that..." You end with a shrug, starting to second guess this whole endeavour as you watch Tendou stare down at you. His dark red eyes were wide at first, surprised that you had even bothered to run after him but even more so that you wanted to be...well friends or at the very least friendly. His look of surprise softened a moment, a smile on his lips before he narrowed his eyes at you, a glint of mischief in them.

"Sounds pretty suspicious to me but I suppose I can show you around or whatever." His smile widens, almost curling at the ends. "But it'll cost ya."

"C-cost me?" Oh no, maybe this was a bad idea. Perfect stranger remember?! "W-what?"

"Whoa now." He chuckles, holding his hands up in as if the action would ward off whatever dubious thoughts were drifting through your mind. "Just your number... It'd be pretty hard to show you around if I can't get a hold of ya."

"Oh... OH, yea right." You nod, cheeks tinged pink from embarrassment. You pull out your phone and enter his details, not really sparing him a glance, too mortified by the assumptions that had sprung to mind.

"I'll text you so you have my number too." You mumble as you type a short message and hit send. A moment later you hear a ding and Tendou pulls out his phone.

"Ah, is that the time?!" He practically yells as the screen lights up, his carefree smile replaced with panic. "Shit, I gotta go!" He offers you an apologetic smile before hurrying away, leaving you a little startled by his sudden departure but overall happy with the outcome. Your grin down at your phone only to see it light up as it buzzes in your hand.

(02:37pm) Y/N: Hey it's Y/N :)

(02:41pm) Tendou: You Free tomorrow?

[chaseatinydream]

pirate king (19) || atz

You watch from the mast as Nassau comes into sight.

The past few days have been spent gearing up for the plan. To disguise the ship, you and the crew have all slaved away on your journey to Seonghwa’s hometown, taking down the distinct blue square sails of the ship and rigging the masts with patchy, torn sails grey from age.

Over the last few days, you and Wooyoung have gotten much closer from working together in the sails all the time. The head gunner had taken one look at your face after your incident with Yeosang and offered to sit with you in the crow’s nest until you felt better. Although you had been boiling over with fury, ready to push him away, he simply told you that he wouldn’t ask any questions.

He wasn’t smiling when he said that, so you agreed.

Yeosang never came to apologize, the coward.

The two of you had merely sat quietly in the crow’s nest, watching the sun set and the stars come out at night. Half the time you had expected Wooyoung’s mouth to open his mouth with some dumb question, but he had just remained silent the entire time, not even looking at you in the least. The two of you simply watched sky and sea become one, both melding into a single canvas of inky black, the stars both above and reflected beneath you. And you had thought long and hard about what you’d said to Yeosang.

I hate you.

You’d used the worst word you could have possibly have. You weren’t just angry with him. You didn’t just immensely dislike him. You had completely lost your damn mind.

Yeosang, one of the quietest and purest people to ever walk the earth and sail the sea. The silent, kind and all knowing navigator who you spotted talking to the birds in the harbor of Tortuga because he was so fascinated by them. The man who’d only ever shown you kindness and given you comfort. The one who never hesitated to help you no matter what your requests were and answered your questions about anything and everything. You’d told him that you hated him.

“I think I screwed something up.” You’d told Wooyoung, head resting against his shoulder. One thing you’d learned about Wooyoung was that he loved physical contact, craved it even, as long as you didn’t surprise him with it. His arm came around your shoulders, pulling you close to stay warm in the crisp night air.

“You just noticed?” The tone of his comment was anything but snark, and he didn’t say a word more. You’d fallen asleep against his shoulder, as if hoping his warmth could fend off the guilt and frozen anger in you.

The next morning when you had woken up, he was still there in the same position, one arm around you, watching the sunrise.

For the duration of the trip to Nassau, you hadn’t spoken to Yeosang once. Even though the two of you had bumped into each other rather frequently, Yeosang had just lowered his head and brushed past you like you weren’t there, and you had done the same.

You were still too angry to talk rationally to him.

I hate you.

You were still too confused to ask him why he would do this to you.

I hate you.

You were still too ashamed to face him for what you had said.

In an attempt to escape him, you’d simply juggled between staying in the rigging or cooking in the kitchens. San had asked you repeatedly about why your face had been so down during your lessons together, but you honestly didn’t know how to answer him.

So you simply hadn’t.

“Chin Hae?”

You turn absentmindedly on the yardarm to face Wooyoung as he makes his way to you, swinging between ropes as he settles next to your side. The two of you have finished your task in taking down the orange and black ATEEZ flag and carefully ripping holes in the sails, so you have nothing to do for now.

“Will everything really be okay?” You ask him quietly. You don’t like where this plan is going at all.

Wooyoung merely shrugs with a matter-of-fact smile as he glances at the dark shape that is Nassau begins to grow in size. “I trust captain. And even if it doesn’t turn out okay, I stick with the crew. They’ll never abandon us.”

You nod. Even if you’re not really very positive about where this plan is going, you’ll stay with the ship and its crew.

The plan, in fact, is to infiltrate Nassau as a merchant ship running from pirates. The cannons have been stowed in a special hidden space right beneath the main deck, and the weapons kept away in a compartment in the main hold.

But there’s a sinking feeling in your chest.

“Chin Hae! Wooyoung-ah!” Mingi calls from the main deck and you look down to see the quartermaster standing there. He looks equally as tense as you are, mouth pressed into a line. “Captain wants to see you to go over the plan one last time.”

You nod. Both you and Wooyoung leap from the rigging, sliding down easily with leather gloves on your hands and landing as lightly as a cat. If Yunho had the opportunity to see you instead of practicing his role in the plan, he’d definitely be proud of you.

The two of you move to the cabin, silently trailing the quartermaster quietly. There’s a tense silence over the deck as the crew merely watch the town of Nassau come closer and closer in sight. Everybody knows what the consequences are if the authorities see through your ploy.

The Treasure will be burnt to ashes.

The crew will be hung.

And yet none of them are backing down.

Your footsteps barely make sound on the wooden floorboards as you step into the captain’s cabin after Wooyoung. The door swings shut behind you and the two of you greet Yunho quietly, who’s seated on the bed silently rehearsing his lines.

Hongjoong turns from coaching Yunho and turns to the two of you. The first thing you notice is the dark circles beneath your captain’s eyes, as if he hasn’t slept in days, which is probably true. He’s carrying all your lives on his shoulders with this plan, and should it go wrong every single one of you will be strung up like dried fish in the marketplace.

You swallow uncomfortably at the thought and stand a little straighter in front of the captain’s desk.

The plan is scribbled down everywhere, on sheets of paper littered around the desk. Some you recognise as your captain’s calligraphy, some as Mingi’s scribbles, and the rest as Yeosang’s neat notes.

You force your eyes away from them.

“When we get to Nassau, it’ll be around evening.” Hongjoong jerks a thumb at Yunho, who’s rereading his script with the most haunted, terrified look you’ve seen. It’d make you worry, but you’ve already seen the careful construction that goes on behind this facade and know it’s nothing more than an act. “There’ll be an official coming to check the ship, so don’t be shocked when it happens.”

As Hongjoong and Mingi have discussed, the only literate people on this ship are Hongjoong, Mingi, Seonghwa, San, Yunho, Yeosang and you. Hongjoong is much too striking with his eye patch, so he can’t be the one the ship presents as captain when the ship enters the port of Nassau. Mingi’s out because of his deep blue hair.

San is needed on board as a healer, Seonghwa’s face is probably still on an arrest warrant in Nassau, and Yeosang simply doesn’t have a presence commanding enough to be a captain. You, too, have no idea how port authorities work, so the only one left to the role is Yunho.

It is strange to see your captain not in his usual red jacket, his signature look has been swapped out for a more unassuming white shirt and trousers. But no matter what he dresses in, he still exudes authority with every action and you hang on to every word he says.

“Yeosang and Seonghwa have done a map of where the official lives. It’s a small estate surrounded by a few houses in which the townspeople live. Do you remember his name?”

“Lucio Bartholomew.” Wooyoung echoes from memory. Hongjoong nods confirmation.

“You’ll need to infiltrate the estate from the back wall under the cover of night. Find out how many guards there are, where his office is and come right back.”

The head gunner inclines his head in understanding.

Then the captain turns to you, his eyes softening.

“Are you prepared?”

You nod. There’s a fear pulling at you from the inside, and you’re terrified as well.

Because you’re going on this mission too.

That’s why you’ve been spending so much time on the masts and rigging, learning how to move along ropes, to scale them as quickly and silently as possible. As the only other literate person on board who doesn’t have any outstanding physical traits for the town watch to recognize you by, your role in this mission is to read the plaques and clues around you to find Lucio Bartholomew’s room.

You’re also the only one light enough for Wooyoung to work with when using the grappling hook, thus you have been selected by the captain for this infiltration mission.

These five whole days in the rigging, you’ve memorized Wooyoung’s odd little cues and mannerisms, learning how to communicate with him silently without sound, familiarizing yourself with the way he moves. The two of you will need to move in absolute tandem, be of the same mind, before you can succeed on this mission.

The pressure is immense.

“This reminds me of those ninja I heard about before from Japan.” Wooyoung tries to smile, but it comes out more forced than reassuring. Hongjoong stands and inclines his head to the two of you.

“Thank you for doing this, Wooyoung, Chin Hae.” He says so seriously that you feel a lump growing in your throat. Everyone knows how risky this mission is, how dire the consequences will be if you fail. You won’t only be captured, but also jeopardize Seonghwa’s chances of ever getting to confront the official who’d killed his family.

“We’ll be fine.” You manage to lie through your teeth, trying to sound a lot more confident than you feel. Hongjoong’s eye shifts over to the head gunner next to you.

“Take care of Chin Hae, Wooyoung.”

Your captain’s care warms you for a short moment despite your mounting terror at what may be your a terrible fate. Wooyoung meets his captain’s gaze evenly.

“I will, Hongjoong-hyung.” No syllable is empty or void of intent. His words are a promise, a vow and an oath. “I’ll make sure he comes back alive.”

The captain holds the two of you by the shoulders, seemingly overwhelmed with emotion for a moment. “I wish you all the luck the world can offer. If my blessing could be of any use, I hope it will be on the two of you as well.”

The three of you fall silent for a moment, suddenly too aware of the fact that this may be the last time are seeing each other. Then Wooyoung looks up, sniffing the air once. You know what that means.

You’ve reached port.

Not a second later, the bell of the ship rings. You hear Mingi’s voice from the main deck, and Yunho stiffens uncomfortably, looking like a lamb that has just been sent to the slaughterhouse.

“We’ve arrived at Nassau!”

“Good luck, Yunho-hyung.” You say as brightly as you can, which isn’t much. Yunho smiles nervously, throwing the script into a drawer built into the captain’s desk as he fidgets uncomfortably, adjusting the collar of his silk shirt befitting the captain of a merchant ship.

“I’ll try my best.” With that, the four of you step out onto the main deck.

Wooyoung’s hand slips into yours as the two of you make your way to the bow. “Are you nervous?” He whispers out of the side of his mouth. You feel the cold sweat of his palm, the way his fingers seem to be locked in place, and you know that he is anything but calm on the inside. You decide to be honest.

“So much I want to dive straight into the sea and swim back to Tortuga.” You murmur back. Now that is no lie.

The Treasure has begun to enter the port, pulling up against a dock. Men working at the harbor catch the mooring lines your crew tosses over the side, pulling you against the wharf. Mingi gives the order for the anchor to be dropped.

The gangplank is lowered and the harbor official steps aboard, followed by a squadron of twenty soldiers, all armed with bayonets and flintlock rifles. His skin is pale, almost white as porcelain, and his hair is a shade of striking platinum blonde, his uniform neat and tidy. The way his fingers dance on the hilt of his cutlass tells you he’s a man who’s seen many a battle, and that the gold patches at his shoulders are not merely for decoration. A bead of cold sweat trickles down your temple as you take your place between Jongho and Wooyoung.

Jongho gives you a reassuring smile, but you can see that his eyes are dark with anxiety.

“Who’s the captain of this ship?” The official demands coolly, eyes scanning the number of seamen before him. Yunho steps forward, Mingi and Yeosang flanking him.

“I am. My name is Donghae.” He bows to the official, one hand over his heart in a sign of respect and honour. “I’m the captain of the Heron, this is my quartermaster Jiho and my bosun Sungjin.”

“I didn’t ask for their names. My name is Yoongi, head of port inspection and lieutenant of the Royal Navy.” The official replies curtly. His eyes remind you of a hawk’s, scanning the deck for anything out of place like a bird of prey. This man will be a difficult one to fool. “What is your business at Port Nassau?”

“My crew and I were threatened by pirates.” Yunho answers, inclining his head as if ashamed. “I could only let them take what cargo I had on board.”

The official raises a sharp, well defined eyebrow as he takes in the sight of the crew. “A rather merciful pirate ship if it let you go unscathed.”

“We did not put up any fight, good sir.” Yunho explains, sounding tired and defeated, as if he’s really spent the day before surrendering to a pirate ship. “They threatened us with cannonfire, but we hoisted the white flag before they could fire on us.”

“Is that so?” The lieutenant’s eyes rake every one of the crew. When his ice cold eyes meet yours, you feel a shiver travelling down your spine. “They didn’t fire on you?”

“No, sir.” Yunho confirms, nodding his head. The official’s eyes darken minutely.

“Then what is your purpose here?”

“To restock on provisions and freshwater, as well as mend the sails on board the ship.” Yunho says as honestly as he can. It’s technically not a lie, but it’s definitely not the whole truth either.

The lieutenant’s face remains unreadable as he turns away to face his men.

“Jungkook!” A young officer salutes and moves over to his lieutenant.

“Sir?”

“Register the Heron in dock seven. The rest of you, move back to your stations.”

You very nearly sag in relief, but you manage to keep yourself upright from sheer will alone.

“Yes sir!” The soldiers chorus, turning back and marching down the gangplank, boots thundering on the gangplank.

Yoongi gives Yunho a piercing stare. “Move your ship to dock seven. There is to be no one leaving the ship from between the evening bell and the morning bell for the safety of this town and its citizens. I hope you have a pleasant stay.”

He turns to leave, then pauses.

You see the lieutenant glance back at you for a moment, raising his nose to sniff the air. Then he whirls around and leaves.

Once the deck clears of the officials, you slump against Jongho, who pats you on the back comfortingly. You hadn’t even realised how terrified you had been until the ordeal was over, leaving you feeling boneless and weak.

The entire crew breathes a sigh of relief.

Yunho manages to shoot his captain a feeble grin, but he looks like he’s just been run over by a horse and then the cart the horse was drawing. “Phase one down.”

That night, you’re changing into a dark attire in your room with San’s eyes respectfully averted. You’re numb, what you’re about to do doesn’t feel quite real to you except for the terror slowly creeping up your legs. You fasten the clasp at the neck, before throwing a motley brown cloak around you to hide the bulge of the grappling rope tied at your waist.

“I’m done.” You breathe to San, and your master turns to you, passing you the silver hairpin in his hand. You tuck it in your belt, before looking at the healer. His face is completely unreadable, and for once, you find it difficult to interpret the look in his eyes.

Remember to smile.

You try to pull your lips upwards, desperate to ease the worry from his shoulders. “How do I look, master?”

Suddenly, San lunges forward, throwing his arms around you in a massive, rib crushing hug that seems impossible for a man so lithe. You can’t see his face because it’s buried in your shoulder, but you can feel the way his arms are trembling even as he tries to steady himself.

“Promise me you’ll come back to me safe and in one piece, alright?” His voice is just a little hoarse, cracking from raw emotion and vulnerability. You’ve never taken the time to fully appreciate how close you’ve gotten to San, what the green haired healer means to you. Your benefactor, your partner in crime, your master, your family. He is almost like flesh and blood to you at this point, your relationship as a master and apprentice nearly unbreakable.

But you don’t have the time to tell him what he has come to mean to you, so instead you return the hug as tightly as possible.

“I can’t promise that.” You’ve never lied to your master before, and you don’t intend to start making it a habit now. “But I will do my best to come back to you alive.”

The two of you stay like that for a moment, before someone knocks on the door gently. “Hey.” Jongho’s head peeks in through the doorway and the two of you slowly untangle from the hug. “It’s time to go.”

You give him the best smile you can muster and move over to the maknae, whose head is downcast. But something seems to weighing heavily on his shoulders, and you frown.

“What is it, Jongho-hyung?”

“If only-” His voice cracks, and he clears his throat, trying again. “If only I could read… I could have gone in your place. I don’t… I don’t want you to be in danger.”

You feel a gentle warmth stirring in you in spite of your fear.

“Thank you, Jongho-hyung.” You press him into a quick hug. The young battlemaster stiffens slightly upon the contact, but then squeezes you back tightly before releasing you. “But I’ll be fine.”

He clearly doesn’t believe you, but nods anyway. “Stay safe.”

It’s with their well wishes that you make your way up the main deck.

Wooyoung’s waiting for you at the stern of the ship with the Captain, Mingi and Yeosang. He’s dressed similarly to you, all in black with a brown cloak thrown over his shoulders. Mingi gives you a black scarf to tie around your neck.

“Don’t get recognized.” He warns you, but you see the concern etched in his face. You take the strip of black cloth gratefully. Then you see Yeosang at the side, looking a little hesitant, still afraid to speak to you. Your heart squeezes painfully with anguish.

“Chin Hae-” He begins to say, but you turn to Wooyoung before he can finish his sentence. The navigator falls silent behind you.

You force yourself to concentrate at the task at hand. Wooyoung’s already thrown a rope over the starboard, the side of the ship facing away from the port and the prying eyes of the watch. You sling your leg over the side and look down into the inky dark sea, and for some reason, you don’t feel scared anymore.

This is just like the rigging lines. Just like you’re on the main mast again, playing around with Wooyoung and Yunho.

Maybe the adrenaline is finally kicking in. Or you’re just too scared to feel it anymore.

“We’ll be going now.” You tell them seriously. Hongjoong’s eye fixes on yours.

“All the best, the two of you.” Then he exhales, closing his eyes for a moment. “Come back to me alive. That’s an order.”

A small, fond smile twitches on your lips and the two of you echo together. “Yes, captain.”

Then the two of you slide down the rope into the sea, disappearing into the darkness of the night.

[e-milieeee]

four ways to say i love you

Summary: It’s the little things—such as waking up at five in the morning to cook for him or lending her a coat when she’s cold—that mean the world. 

Because Marinette loves her partner very, very much, and she’s so lucky that he feels the same. 

Notes: I was initially going to do one side of the lovesquare, but all sides are equal and therefore have all four sides in this oneshot :) Post reveal, established relationship. A commissioned piece for @mlbforblm—there’s plenty of talented artists and writers who still have slots, so make sure to commission! 

Or read on AO3

Adrien is brushing his teeth when Ladybug comes crashing through his window.

He’s a little later than usual today, still decked in his Ladybug pajamas that he’s so unashamedly  proud of. He has tied his bangs back with an elastic band, and it sits like a little tree on top of his head, water still dripping from his face.

“And here I was, thinking you’d be ready to eat breakfast,” she tsks playfully.

He grins back. “Sorry, M’lady. Plagg turned my alarm off.”

His smile is, as usual, contagious and in a way that can’t help but to smile back. Ladybug returns to his room and takes out the box from her bag, where she’d painstakingly prepared breakfast for him at the expense of a shattered bowl and spilled jug of milk. It’s still warm to the touch, thankfully, and her slightly rough landing in his room hadn’t messed it up too much.

Adrien joins her a couple minutes later. He has taken the hair tie out, but his bangs fall softly over his eyes like it does when he’s Chat Noir, and Ladybug wants to run her hands over it so to feel just how soft it is. She refrains herself, though, as they both settle cross-legged on the ground where she has laid their breakfast out.

His mouth drops open. “Wow,” Adrien marvels. “When you said you were going to make a feast, I thought you’d fry an egg or two and slap it between some bread and that would’ve been it. This is… can you describe food as gorgeous? Because this is gorgeous.”

“Just because that’s the only thing you can cook doesn’t mean it’s all I’m capable of,” she sniffs, but underneath, Ladybug preens at the compliment.

It’d taken a lot of effort, and Ladybug had collected the ingredients the day before and planned every single detail before going to bed. Then, at five in the morning, she dragged herself out of bed looking and feeling like a zombie just to prepare it.

There are four egg rolls drizzled with homemade sauce, then sprinkled with dried seaweed and sesame. Next to that are neat cuts of green onion cake, made from absolute scratch (she burned herself in the process of deep-frying them). Inside the longest container are fried fish, the ones her mother had prepared the night before. Finally, the leftover mooncakes from the Lunar Festival are in the little box, tied with a red bow. Marinette had spent careful care on that one.

“Miso soup,” Ladybug tells him as she hands him the thermos. “Uh… I think I added too much paste and it’s too salty, so you might not want to drink that one. And…” She opens the last box, where a variety of fresh-cut fruit awaits. “For health reasons, there are fruits. Oh! Also a cheese platter for Plagg, but he’s still asleep, so he can have it later.”

Adrien is positively beaming when she unpacks everything. “You’re the absolute best,” he gushes.

“Couldn’t have you starving on your diet, right?” The nonchalant act can only go so far when she���s grinning so wide. “I’m just hoping it tastes as good as it looks.”

“It’ll taste good just because you made it.” He throws her an exaggerated wink, then immediately reaches for his chopsticks to dig in.

Ladybug watches him take a bite out of green onion cake. He chews, swallows, eyes lighting up. “This is amazing, and I promise I’m not just saying that because my diet’s forced me to eat boiled chicken breasts with no seasoning of the past week.”

She giggles. “Just let me know when you want me to bring you breakfast.”

He places a hand on his chest. “I can’t believe Ladybug’s my personal delivery girl. Do you offer lunch services as well?”

“Only for you, kitty.”

His grin is worth getting up for at 5am.

***

Marinette is freezing at lunch break, but they’ve agreed to eat outside, so she sucks it up. At least the lunch she’d packed for her and Adrien is warm.

It’s late autumn now, and the last couple of leaves cling to otherwise bare trees. She regrets the outfit she picked—cute, but not practical. Especially not in this weather. Looking at Alya bundled up in a hoodie and combat boots, Marinette really regrets the dress.

The noodles in the thermoses are slightly soggy, but the flavour is still there. They chat for a while—about upcoming tests, about projects and the end-of-the-year field trip that is still months away, and everything is lovely. Lovely, but cold.

Halfway through, her noodles emptied, Adrien notices her shivering. “Are you cold?” he asks, eyes growing wide in concern.

Alya halts her conversation with Nino as well. “Wait, Adrien’s right, you’re wearing a dress. I’m chilly and I have a sweater on.”

Marinette, who has refrained from speaking for the past couple of minutes in fear of her teeth chattering too loudly, manages to shake her head.

She gets a scrutinizing look-over by Adrien before he makes his verdict. “This isn’t going to do,” he declares firmly. Then, with one fluid movement, he shrugs his own sweater off and drapes it over her shoulders.

“Oh, he’s smooth,” Alya remarks with a wicked grin.

Smooth, indeed. The jacket is wonderfully warm, and, with a content sigh, Marinette slides her arms through the sleeves. There’s also the faint smell of his cologne and it’s so very him that she can’t help the smile that crosses her face.

He opens an arm in a beckoning gesture and Marinette happily settles into his embrace.

***

Because of his father’s strict rules, it’s much easier for Adrien to come by as Chat Noir after school, which he does almost everyday. Sometimes it’s between his schedules, sometimes it’s after, late into the night when both his father and Nathalie believe he’s asleep. Marinette always listens for the thump on the skylight, an indication that he’s there. The trap door is always left unlocked for him, so she only needs to wait as he climbs down the ladder.

It’s nearing nine when he comes this time. She sits at her desk finishing up the rest of the notes when the door creaks open and Chat Noir climbs down.

“Evening,” he greets. “What—ooh, you brought croissants for me.”

He zeroes in immediately on the food that Marinette had, admittedly, prepared for him. Between Adrien’s schedule and that godawful diet his father insisted putting him on and his time sprinting across rooftops and fighting akumas, it’s a miracle that he hasn’t fainted from lack of nutrition. Marinette has made it her personal goal to make sure he’s properly fed, and she ensures there’s a snack waiting for him every time he drops by.

Half a minute later, he’s munching enthusiastically on the food and Marinette can no longer focus on the rest of her notes. She sorts them out—there’s at least four pages that she’d copied in her neatest handwriting—and then hands them to Chat.

“Here,” she tells him. “You missed both physics and mathematics today because of the photoshoot, so I copied the notes from class and re-organized them. I also added a review section from last class so it’s easier to figure out just where we are since the two lessons are connected. And…” She shuffles through her desk once more, producing the textbook. “It’s on page one hundred and twenty seven to one hundred and twenty nine, if my notes don’t make sense. You can study here, if you’d like. My parents won’t be coming back up anyway, so we should be left alone for now.”

The last time her mother had walked in on her and Chat doing homework together, she’d been understanding. Understanding, but skeptical. It had been awfully hard to explain why Paris’ superhero was lounging in her room like he lived there—and much harder more awkward to explain that Adrien was one hundred supportive of her friendship with Chat after her father had become defensive that he had ulterior motives.

Chat takes the papers from her. “You’re absolutely unbelievable,” he tells her, eyes shining in a way only his can. “Seriously, Marinette, have I ever told you?”

She pretends to count on her fingers. “Let’s see… only about six times today. Why? He shakes his head, a grin pulling at the corner of his lips. In one fluid movement, he leans down to pluck the textbook from her hands and plants a quick kiss against her cheek in the process. “What would I do without you?”

“Go hungry, probably? Start lagging behind in all of your classes?” Marinette tsks at him. “God, you’re right. What would you do without me?”

Chat’s laugh is wonderful and full and happy. “Then aren’t I lucky to have you.”

***

The akuma strikes at midnight.

Marinette, about to change into her pajamas after just sending off Chat Noir, curses to herself. She’s tired and not in the mood to transform, but when Chat comes crashing back down from the skylight urgently, she knows she has no choice.

“Akuma!” he informs her, as if the tremors outside could be caused by anything else. “It’s close to here. We should be able to take this one quickly.”

“Why is Hawkmoth even awake?” Marinette grumbles, but transforms nonetheless. Chat waits patiently on the side, though he’s drawn taut, prepared to scramble into action the moment she’s ready. Then they’re climbing out of the skylight, into the light, where the akuma has begun its rampage. The once-quiet night is ripped apart with panic and terror.

The akuma is relatively easy to deal with: a little girl, apparently inspired by Frozen, is decked in full Elsa, wielding similar powers. She covers the streets in ice, a snowstorm whirling around her, as spirals of icy sculptures rise and fall.

Both she and Chat have icicles hanging off them by the time Ladybug purifies the akuma. Even after she releases the Miraculous Ladybug, the cold from the girl’s powers haven’t seeped out of her bones. Judging from Chat’s chattering teeth, he feels the same.

Despite her watch reading 12:32 and the next day hailing as a school day , they stop by at a 24-hour-cafe for hot chocolate. A couple minutes later, seated on the rooftops warming their chilled hands, they’re huddled against each other and staring out at the gleaming cityscape.

“Another successful take-down, m’lady?”

Ladybug laughs as he raises his cup for a toast, and she obliges and bumps her own against him. Hot chocolate sloshes over the lid, splashing onto her suit. She flicks it off. “What a team we make, huh? Now, if only Hawkmoth would get the memo and stop creating his akumas so late. Why is he even up now? Say, do you think he has a life outside of being Hawkmoth?”

“He probably wants to catch us off guard in the middle of the night. Remember that one time we got woken up at three because there was an akuma attack? Plagg wanted to tape my mouth shut so I couldn’t transform.”  

Ladybug groans. “I did really bad on a test the next day because I got three and a half hours of sleep—I fell asleep halfway through the test! It’s— ugh. He’s so annoying.”

“There’s one good thing about midnight akumas, though,” Chat points out.

She takes a sip from the hot chocolate, which, during their conversation, has cooled down to just below scalding. “A good thing?” Ladybug echoes. “Name one good thing, chaton.”  

He nudges her shoulder. “You, m’lady. It’s nice just being alone like this without anyone else, right?”

Then, like he’s said nothing out of the ordinary, Chat goes back to drinking his hot chocolate with infuriating nonchalance.

Ladybug finds herself smiling. “You know,” she tells Chat Noir. “You’re ridiculously good at this. Where do you even get the inspiration to say these things?”

“You.”

“You are completely overdoing it.”

“You love me, admit that.”

“No.”

“So you would get up at five in the morning to make breakfast for just anyone, Bugaboo?”

Ladybug relents. “Okay, maybe a little.”

Chat Noir’s laugh rings crystal clear throughout the night, loud against the crisp air. Ladybug wants to trap that laugh and hold it close to herself. She can’t help but treasure it, after all: it’s a sound that chases away worries, soothes fears, and she thinks she's so, so lucky to hear it everyday.  

“I love you,” he tells her when his laughter dies down. “Don’t forget that, m’lady.”

Ladybug leans her head on her shoulder. “I love you too,” she replies quietly. “You better not forget it, either.”

Notes: Here’s my fics masterlist! 

[our-wargame]

I’m No Angel, I’m Just Me

Rating: G Pairing: Oda Sakunosuke / Dazai Osamu Major Tags: Fluff, Friends to Lovers, CAREFUL; Ango’s a Hero Summary:

Odasaku gets a box. A heart-shaped box of chocolates on Valentine's Day. Ango looks rather bored in comparison to his puzzlement.

"Who would send me-"

Ango stares at him like he can't tell if he's being serious or not. "Are you kidding me."

Alternatively: Odasaku is oblivious, Dazai is ridiculous, and Ango is a goddamn saint who deserves a raise.

Word Count: 2,432 AO3 LINK

It begins like this. He's just sitting at the bar with Ango, discussing the latter's latest reports on weekly finances, when the bartender speaks, "Ah, Oda-kun?" He raises his head. The bartender offers a small smile. "I had a special request to give this to you." He bends over his side of the counter and when he straightens up, he has a little box in red in his hands. It's a heart shaped box. In the mafia, Valentine's Day is a joke; Port Mafia has their own little running tradition/gag. Instead of giving gifts to the person you love the most, you send candy to the person you like the least. Every year without fail, Dazai gets two or three subordinates to help him lug the bags of Chuuya's treats to the bar. Ango and Odasaku will each take a single piece or two upon being offered, while Dazai pick out all of his favorites. Then he tells Odasaku to take as much as he can for the kids and then asks if he still has contacts with that orphanage in the west of the city.

That’s why he doesn’t really understand what's going on right now. The bartender passes him the box. The heart shaped box. Full of chocolates.

In comparison to his puzzlement, Ango looks rather bored.

"Who would-"

"You already know the answer to that," Ango rolls his eyes.

Odasaku raises a brow at him.  "What are you implying?"

Ango glances at him. Then stares, like he can't tell if he's being serious or not. "Are you kidding me," he mutters, pulling out his phone, jabbing at the buttons with a certain kind of ferocity and then says into it, "...Dazai-kun?"

"Ango!" Dazai's chirp sounds through the loudspeaker. "How are we doing on this fine-"

"Did you know," Ango interrupts, holding the phone out a few inches from him like it's toxic. "That Odasaku received some chocolates today?"

"Is that so? I'm not surprised! Even though Odasaku isn't very well known among the mafia, he is an attractive, thoughtful, and intriguing single man! It's too bad he isn't actively looking, because if women knew about him they'd be stumbling over one another to give him things, and I don't think either you or I could stand the jealousy!"

"Is that so," Ango says flatly, and then barrels on. "Well. We're trying to figure out who sent them but we could use some help. When are you coming by?"

Odasaku is sure he looks completely bewildered but tries to focus when they get a hum from Dazai.

"Another hour or so! I bought Chuuya a gummy bear as big as him and I'm trying to figure out where to put it..."

"Is that so." Ango looks bored again. "In the meantime, will you share your brilliant deduction skills with us, Mister Executive? Figuring out Odasaku's secret admirer is some tough stuff. I'm stumped."

"I'd be delighted, Special Intelligence Officer! What do you know so far?"

Ango yawns. "Not much. The note-" Ango pauses, as if he's remembering something; still, Odasaku sure doesn't remember there being a note? "The note has neat handwriting so it's probably a woman's."

"Huh. Just to be clear," Dazai sounds very careful, all of a sudden. "There's a love letter? With the chocolates? Addressed to Odasaku?"

"Yeah."

"Huh. This is...interesting." Dazai says, not sounding particularly interested. "Ah, I've decided I'll send Chuuya his gift tomorrow, for the surprise factor. I'm heading to Lupin now."

"Alright, see you soon." Ango responds, promptly hanging up and fixing Odasaku with a look. "Well?"

Uh. Odasaku raises a brow. "Could I get a translation. What was all that just now?"

Ango puts his head down. "What am I going to do with you, Odasaku-san." he mumbles, before clearing his throat and fixing his glasses. "Okay. So. It may come as a surprise to you, but Dazai-kun is the one who sent you the chocolates."

Odasaku blinks. "What?" Why would Dazai do that? He's pretty sure Ango's quite off the mark this time. In fact, now that he's had a chance to think on it, it's more than likely it's an odd choice of prank from one of the other errand boys.

"Trust me," Ango interrupts his guesses as to whom it likely is. "It's Dazai."

"Why would Dazai-"

"I heard my name!" And the man of the hour walks in, with a smile as bright as the sun. "Let me get a crack at this-" His gaze shifts to the box in Odasaku's hand. "Oh. Odasaku really is popular. Is that a second gift?"

Before he can speak, Ango says, "Dazai, he knows it's from you."

Dazai opens his mouth. Closes it. "Oh."

"Yeah."

"Huh." Dazai says, scratching his head. "How did you know?"

This feels like a very bizarre dream, and it might be, because putting aside whatever is going on, it seems like the rules say he just doesn't get to speak. Again, Ango answers for him. "I'm a Special Intelligence Officer, Dazai-kun. Anyways, better question: where are my chocolates?"

"Your chocolates."

Ango looks at Dazai like he's the crazy one. "Uh, yes? My chocolates? I thought you were giving them to all your friends?"

Dazai breaks out into a grin. "Of course, I was!" He reaches into his jacket. Ango is handed a candy bracelet. "A friendship bracelet, if you will!"

"...is this Chuuya's candy-"

"I was kidding!" Dazai says, reaching into his jacket again. "You're no fun, Ango." And this time he pulls a little box the size of his fist, white with a little brown bow over the top. Now Ango wears surprise as he takes the box and examines the entire package before taking off the top. Indeed, there are chocolates there.

"...huh," says Ango.

"I know you didn't get me friend-chocolates back," he beams at Ango. "But it is okay, because I love you no matter what, Ango!"

"Thanks, Mister Executive," Ango stands up. "If you'll excuse me, I need to use the restroom." He disappears in an instant.

Dazai signals to the bartender. "Boss, will you get me a coffee? I'll need it to wash Chuuya's crap down. I should probably eat some, just to show him I appreciate how we maintain our mutual distaste for one another, right, Odasaku?"

Odasaku thinks about answering but then vetoes the idea, decides to ask, "Did you really send this?" with a little gesture to Dazai's apparent present to him.

Dazai clears his throat. "I did! Now where are Odasaku's other gifts. We'll figure out who sent them to Odasaku and then maybe we'll track her down, the two of you will go on a date and then kiss kiss, fall in love." Dazai's smile doesn't look very Dazai in the moment.

Odasaku makes an awkward shrug. "Ah...I'm not sure what Ango was trying to say but he made that up. Maybe he thought it'd be funny, or something?"

"Huh. Dazai says, pressing his lips together. "Did he."

When Odasaku does the same, Dazai's look fades away to a reassuring smile. This one's more real than the other one, Odasaku can see. But it's still not real enough for his preference.

He glances at the box he's placed on the counter, halfway between them. "Thank you, Dazai." He says. "No one's made me friend-chocolates before." And even though Dazai seems to be good at everything he does, he still took time and effort to make a gift for Odasaku. It's...really really sweet of him actually.

"Ah. They're not..."

"They're not...?" Made? When he'd looked at them, he thought they had to be made from an amateur's mold equipment.

Dazai doesn't reply. And when Odasaku looks at him closer, Dazai shakes his head and his bangs fall into his face, hiding his eye for a second. Odasaku feels an impulsive urge to reach over and tuck those strands behind his ear.

Head still down, Dazai talks to the floor. "Will you try them?"

Odasaku blinks. In the middle of Ango's enormously confusing behavior, he hadn't considered the idea at all but now there's no reason not to. He pops the lid off and places it on the side, then picks up a simple semi-sphere piece and brings it to his tongue. And. Wow. "It's...it's really good." He glances at Dazai, who doesn't look as pleased as Oda is used to seeing in situations like this, considering the occasions where Dazai makes him curry or the three of them hotpot, and a compliment sends Dazai into his little show of mock horn-tooting. "How...how long did it take you to learn how to make these?"

"Not very long." Dazai gives him a soft smile- this, this is the one Odasaku likes to see. Wants to see more often. "It was fun learning."

Odasaku nods his chin to the box. Dazai, agreeable and good-natured, picks up a triangular piece with rounded edges. His has caramel or something filling it inside, because a bit of sunset orange leaks out of the sweet when he bites down. It spills onto his lower lip before he swipes his tongue and licks it back into his mouth. Odasaku doesn't realize he's staring until Dazai glances at him, almost curious. Odasaku blinks, then gives the box on the counter a little push towards Dazai, who shakes his head a little. "I shouldn't spoil my appetite. Since Chuuya tried to outbuy me again...the least I should do is outeat him, right?"

"Do you ever let him win?"

Dazai grins again and then conversation about even sillier things breaks out.

A few hours later, Odasaku's in his study room when he gets a call that fills the entire apartment. It's Ango. "Hi, it's Oda-"

"Yeah, hey, so, uh? What the hell?"

He pulls the phone from his ear. "What? Also assuming your bladder didn't burst, next time let Dazai and I know you have to go. We were wondering where you were."

"You-" Ango exhales. "Odasaku-san. I." There's a muffled crackle and then a distant yell, like Ango covered the microphone to shout to the void.

"Ango?"

"Right. You listen very carefully," says Ango, in a rush. "I'm very tired of watching Dazai pine. It's not annoying so much as it is pitiful and if you show that guy pity, he considers killing you, so that's not very fun for me. Also since he's going to kill me after what I did today anyways, I just want to say: Dazai has a huge crush on you. He's in love with you. Has been, probably since forever. Please deal with him. When I die, buy me a grave somewhere I can overlook the sea okay, and on the headstone, it should say: Man Who Put Up With Too Much Shit. If I'm still alive after 48-hours, we'll go to the bar and I'll buy you all the scotch you can drink. Do not call me before then because you should be dealing with Dazai and I will be trying to avoid the inevitable hitmen. Goodbye, Odasaku-san."

Odasaku only catches the first half of his call. Dazai's...Dazai's what?

Ango's wrong. Dazai wouldn't...not with him. He's pretty sure. Pretty sure...

He thinks about every elapsed second when they were in the same room together, the warmth in Dazai's eyes when they'd parted a little past nine, the way he walked in and looked at Odasaku like-

Oh. Odasaku's stomach drops out of his body. The more time he spends reviewing, the more things starts to make sense. He starts turning the tape of his memory even further- last month, Tuesday, the Thursday before that-

Oh.

And then. He comes back to today. Thinks about orange caramel, pink lips, a smile of starlight-  

Oh.

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

Dazai's tired. Really tired okay. It's late and he's been working on a report that he actually planned to finish earlier. And it's been a long day. And last night, he stayed up kind of late to make sweets for people, including a friend (who no longer deserves to be named Such) and a silly guy who's as incredible as he is ridiculous and-

Bleh. This is getting gross. Frankly, he does not vibe with this.

So he pours himself a glass of milk and watches it go round and round in the microwave- radiation, what? -when his phone rings in the next room. The ringtone means it's Odasaku, he knows already, and thinks about pretending to be asleep. Doesn't really want to though, and so he takes the call, says, "Hi, it's Dazai."

"Are you busy?"

"Not really." Dazai drawls as best as he can. "Checking up on little lonely me, Odasaku?"

"Just wanted to make sure you were home."

A knock. At the door. Dazai turns and goes for it, working the latch lock at the same time he builds himself up for this. He pulls the door handle back. Odasaku stands there, filling the door frame.

"Hey," Dazai greets, smiling despite himself. "What can I do for Odasaku at this fine hour?"

"First of all, I've had to process a lot." Odasaku pauses. "And I'm as unused to expressing my shit out loud as you are, so fair warning but here it goes. I was going to try my hand at the making chocolates thing. I figured it'd show reciprocation? But it's even harder than I thought it was, and I didn't want to look like I don't care as much as you do." He puts his hand on the back of his neck, which Dazai has learned to mean equal parts sheepish and nervous- which in itself, rarely shows, but when it does, is Odasaku running a hand through his hair.

Of course, Dazai's not registering this at all. He's too busy trying to understand what Odasaku is saying, if Odasaku means...

"And I could learn and practice." Odasaku blinks at him. "But I didn't want to wait for White Day. I figured I've made you wait long enough."

Dazai laughs a little. Laughs a little more, and when he reaches for Odasaku's hand, Odasaku lets him take it, takes the encouraging pull for what it is and steps a little closer, still looking at Dazai like...Dazai is something he needs.

"Ango hasn't fully been pardoned yet," he tells Odasaku, after closing the door and leading them into the kitchen. The microwave shows the time. Dazai has a report to do that he minds a little less. "But I've decided I'll let Ango live a little longer. He's okay sometimes."

"Just okay?"

Dazai grins.

[tearsofgrace]

The King of Hearts

read below or find on archive!

“Soulmates? You’re kidding, right? You believe in that shit?” Dean set down the glass he was washing and turned to face his most recent pain-in-the-ass.

“I do.” Castiel’s bright blue eyes shone from underneath his glasses, and part of Dean was tempted to rip them off and pin him to the wall. Not that he thought they were soulmates or anything. The guy was cute. It wasn’t Dean’s fault. 

“So, what? You think there’s some guy out there who you’re destined to be with. Who’ll sweep you off your feet and make you his? Sorry, Cas, but I just don’t see it.” 

Cas shrugged and pulled a small card from his wallet. 

“Well, if you change your mind,” he slid the card across the counter and smiled, “let me know.” 

Cas turned and walked out the door, the small bell ringing on his way out. 

He picked up the card and couldn’t help the smile that formed on his face. It had a number written on it with neat, precise writing. Across the bottom it said “Castiel” with a halo over the “I” instead of a dot. 

Dean had met Cas about a month ago when he walked into the diner looking lost. He said his boyfriend wanted a burger and fries but he was vegetarian and didn’t know where to go. Which was frankly adorable. They’d got to talking, and Cas had come in every day since. He never ordered a burger again, though. Just fries and milkshakes. 

Dean found out later that Cas had gone home that night and broken up with his boyfriend. Something about not being right for each other and the guy taking him for granted. 

They’d gotten pretty close, but Cas had never asked to see him outside of work. And he’d never really made it seem like he was interested until today. He’d ordered a strawberry milkshake and fries and sat at the bar, staring at Dean as he wrapped his lips around the oversized straw. 

Dean had blushed and looked away, waiting tables until there was nothing left to do and he had to get back behind the counter. Then Cas had started talking about soulmates. 

He tucked the number in his shorts and went back to work. But he couldn’t stop thinking about it all day. And Cas was cute in a nerdy and awkward sort of way. So when he got off work he texted him and asked if he wanted to get drinks. 

He actually felt nervous when he was getting ready. Which hadn’t really happened in a long time. He didn’t get nervous for dates; he was Dean Winchester. Dates always went his way. But something felt different about this one. 

So he’d gone through his entire closet, trying on about six outfits before he decided on a black leather jacket and a plain grey shirt with a pair of simple jeans. He still thought he looked stupid, but he was going to be late so he just left it. 

When he walked into the bar, his eyes tracked through the dim light til he found Cas sitting at the bar, still wearing his sweater. 

“Hey,” he said, sitting down and ordering a beer. 

“Hey, Dean.” They lapsed into silence for a few moments and Dean cleared his throat, waiting awkwardly for the beer.

“How’s the pet shelter going?” Cas’ whole face lit up and he took a sip from his cosmo. 

“We got three new dogs in today. They were on the streets, starving, and we rescued them. And we already have an adoption lined up for one of them.” Dean studied his face and smiled. This guy was so different from the guys he dated. So much sweeter, so much more animated. 

“And the cat I told you about last week that management was going to…” he paused and Dean could see the anger rising on his face, “Well, anyway, a little girl is going to adopt him next week, so he’s safe.”

Dean smiled and took a drink of his beer, content to let Cas go on about every single animal in the shelter. After a few minutes, Cas seemed to realize Dean hadn’t said anything in a few minutes and he pulled up short in the middle of a story about a parrot with an affinity for cursing.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to go on like this. I don’t really know that much about you, Dean. How long have you worked at the diner?” 

Dean finished his beer and ran a hand through his hair. “Damn, I guess like seven years now.” Cas stared at him expectantly and reluctantly he went on. “I spent a lot of time there in high school, and I got to know Ellen pretty well. So she offered me a job.” 

“Right out of school?” 

Dean bit his lip and ordered another beer. 

“C’mon. I want to know you, Dean.”

He rolled his eyes. “Why? Cause you think we’re soulmates? Cas, look, I like you, okay? You aren’t the kind of guy I would normally go for… but for some reason I do. But that doesn’t make us soulmates.” 

Cas just shrugged and Dean sighed.

“I dropped out of college because my dad stopped paying and I couldn’t get a loan. So Ellen offered me the job, and I never really looked back.”

“Why’d your dad stop paying?” Cas finished his drink and set the glass delicately on the table, propping his hand under his chin. 

“Because he found out I was gay.” He didn’t know where it’d come from. Ellen was the only other person who knew that, and he hadn’t even told her, she’d guessed. 

“His loss.” Dean snorted and took another drink.

“You seem pretty out and proud though,” Cas said.

“Well, I am now. I wasn’t really.” He finished his second beer and ran his hand anxiously through his hair again. 

“You ready to go?” Cas asked, handing his credit card to the bartender. 

“Uh, go where?” Dean blushed and cursed himself silently. This wasn’t him on dates. He was always in control. What was it with this guy?

“Relax,” Cas smirked and took his card back, “It’s a surprise.” 

They walked out of the bar and Cas crossed the street. He walked up to a small door that was tucked in between a small office and a pizza place. 

Dean jogged across to follow him and stood in the cold with his hands in his pockets. He glanced nervously at Cas.

“If you’re gonna murder me, at least tell me now.” 

Cas laughed and turned back to the door. A young boy answered, glancing between them. 

“You found him?” 

Yep, I’m getting murdered tonight, Dean thought. 

Cas nodded and turned to face Dean. “This is Logan, he’s a psychic.”

“He’s like,” Dean looked at the boy again, “thirteen.”

“Well, he’s also my little brother. But trust me, he’s the real thing.” Cas walked through the door, following Logan and turned back to wait for Dean.

“I’m not going in there.” Dean backed up and looked up and down the street, but he didn’t leave. He felt himself being pulled inside, being pulled toward Cas. 

“Yeah, you are.” 

Dean shrugged and followed him through the door. Tonight was as good a night as any to get murdered, and Cas wasn’t a bad person to do it anyway. 

The hallway was brightly lit, but he couldn’t tell exactly where the light was coming from. There weren’t any lightbulbs on the ceiling, and there were no shadows either. The entire hallway was just bathed in a ghostly white light. 

Logan walked to the back into a small room, Cas closely in tow. Dean lingered in the hallway for a minute then followed them into the room. The only furniture in the room was a small table close to the ground. Logan and Cas kneeled at it and Dean joined them. 

Sitting in the middle of the table was a deck of playing cards.

“We gonna play some poker, or…” Dean gulped nervously and Logan laughed, picking up the cards.

“No, I use these to read you.”

“No tarot then?” He shifted on his knees.

“Nope.” 

Logan shuffled the cards and Dean glanced at Cas. His glasses reflected the light in the room, and his face was completely blank. 

With slender fingers, Logan dealt two cards face down, one in front of Dean and one in front of Cas. 

“Flip it,” Cas said, reaching for his card. 

Dean flipped his card over and saw the king of hearts, whatever that meant. Cas slid his card over to rest next to his. King of diamonds. So, the cards were both kings and both red. Dean yawned and looked at Cas and Logan with what he hoped was a skeptical scowl. 

“There you go. I told you,” Logan said, idly fanning the rest of the cards in front of him. 

“See, Dean? Soulmates are real.” Dean laughed and pulled his knees from under him, sitting cross-legged on the floor. 

“Right. Because your brother pulled two random cards from a deck and they happened to be similar, I’m supposed to buy that you and I are soulmates.”

“You’re saying there isn’t even a small part of you that believes it?” Dean made an effort to not run his hand through his hair, and shrugged. A nagging voice in the back of his head told him not to ignore this. Sure, Cas was weird. But he could actually see something here. Something real. 

Then he stood up and turned to leave. 

“What, you aren’t gonna stay for poker?” Logan called after him. 

He walked from the room without a word, but as he went, he heard Logan say in a hushed voice, “Don’t worry, he’ll be back.” 

The next morning, he went to work and tried to forget it all. He got there before anyone else and scrubbed all the tables and counters with a little more gusto than necessary. 

“How’d your date go last night?” He turned to see Ellen leaning against the register, a mischievous grin on her face. 

“It was fine.”

“That good, huh?” 

“Drop it, Ellen.” She held up her hands in surrender and he went back to wiping down tables. 

They opened at 9. At 9:03 Cas walked through the door in a different sweater. Dean didn’t think he’d ever seen it before. Not that he paid any attention to what sweaters Cas wore. This one was navy blue with a criss cross weave across the front. It looked good on him. 

Cas sat at the bar and ordered a strawberry milkshake. Dean was across the diner and he considered making a dash for the door when Cas waved him over. 

“Hey, Cas.” 

“Good morning, Dean. Can I talk to you outside?” Dean looked up at Ellen and she nodded with the same grin she’d been wearing earlier. 

They walked into the alleyway and Dean felt his nerves rattling. 

“Sorry if I freaked you out last night,” Cas started.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve dated some weird guys.” Cas raised an eyebrow and Dean fumbled to correct himself. 

“Not that I think you’re weird or anything, I just-”

“It’s fine, Dean. Look, I really like you. And I don’t want to mess this up, okay? So if you want to forget that whole thing ever happened, that’s totally fine. But I want to see you again.” 

Dean smiled and impulsively reached a hand out to play with the weave on Cas’ sweater.

“I’d like that. But we don’t have to forget. Do you really think we’re soulmates, Cas?” Cas’s eyes were fixed on his hand, watching it roam over his chest. 

“I do.” Dean pulled his hand from the sweater and instead put it on Cas’ chin, lifting his eyes to meet his own. He cupped the man’s face and took a deep breath. 

“Then I guess I can get behind that,” he said with a small smile. 

Cas smiled back and took a step closer, standing on his tiptoes and gently pressing his lips into Dean’s. He tasted like strawberry milkshake. Dean wrapped his hands around Cas’ waist and drew him further into him. 

When they broke apart, Cas reached into his pocket and pulled out two cards. 

“Here, this one’s yours,” he said, handing him the king of hearts. Dean pocketed it and looked into Cas’ blue eyes, getting lost in them. 

He still wasn't quite sure what the hell he was doing here. But maybe that didn't matter; maybe he didn't have to know. Something about Cas- something about the way their lips fit together- made him forget the craziness. And maybe that was enough.

[itswhumpday]

Hey! Just found out about this immaculate whumpy blog!! What about vampire caretaker x human whumpee? ❤

Thanks for using the word immaculate, you flatter me! Ooooh, this takes me BACK to the good old days. You say vampire caretaker and human whumpee? I raise you vampire caretaker as the accidental whumper to save human whumpee’s life!

Caretaker closes the door behind them. They’d dodged a bullet for now, but they had to leave and take Whumpee out of there tonight. Whumper had seemed suspicious of their interest for the blood bag, even though he assure it was only for grooming purposes, to make sure their master had everything they needed. Whumper had seemed to buy it, but that meant he’d be watching. 

In their room, Caretaker picks up the stuff they’d managed to get for the escape. A backpack with food, water and clothes for the whumpee, the keys to the gates to freedom and some money they’d managed to put together. Throwing a jacket on, they casually crossed the mansion, trying to ignore the sounds of vampires having their evening meal with their blood bags. If Caretaker got to the holding areas in a couple of minutes, Whumpee would have just arrived and it would be at least a full day before Whumper had a need for them again. 

Waiting in the hall, Caretaker tried not to worry. Whumper always boasted their absolute control over their instincts and how, different from the others in the house, they’d never lost a blood bag from feeding. However, Caretaker knew the truth. Their control excited them, made them want to test their limits. He’d never killed a blood bag, sure, but he’d gotten close enough. 

Caretaker had been a blood bag himself years ago, too many to count. They amused the Whumper, until one night he decided to turn him. He became his servant, minding the new blood bags after him. It was fashionable to have a turned servant at the time, but their position had since become obsolete. They often caught themselves clenching their jaw upon thinking that their life had been nothing but a fashion trend. 

Whumpee had been different. They hadn’t fought. They said they’d been a blood bag before to another master and they’d lost home of going home. During the patching up and the transfusions and the fluid replacements, they’d tell tales of a nice house, of warm dinner and beautiful sunsets over the city’s silhouette. 

If there had ever been a chance to do something useful with their afterlife, this was it. Caretaker heard the sound of Whumpee being wheeled in and started walking towards the cell. The other servant stayed a while longer than usual, but Caretaker waited in the hallway. They didn’t want them to see the backpack. But when the minion came out, they only gave them a suspicious smile, not even paying attention before vanishing. 

Caretaker walks into the poorly lit cell, his heart clenching inside his chest. Whumpee is laid across the bed as a forgotten toy. Their legs are in weird positions, their head tilted back as usual. There are purples of bruises starting to show on their arms. The new holes are just two in a neat row of bite marks. The Whumper never lets them heal it. They say they’re pride marks of a successful blood bag. 

They can see even before examining them that they’ve gone too far again. Whumpee is pale as snow, their pulse thumping quickly against the neck wound, spilling out. They’re out cold. Caretaker takes gauze and carefully patches the holes. They touch their friend’s cold face a couple of times, trying to make them come to. 

“Hey. Hey, wake up.” Whumpee’s eyes flicker open and they’re so weak it takes a couple of blinks to get them fully open. They open their mouth to try and speak, but they can’t. They’ll definitely won’t be able to get out of there walking. “I need you to be really quiet, okay? I’m getting you out of here.” 

Caretaker opens the freezer next to the bed and takes a couple of blood bags. Once they’re in a safe place, they can make the transfusion. But not yet. They have to get out of here first. They take off their jacket and puts around Whumpee’s cold body. 

They take Whumpee into their arms and start crossing the dark hallways. They can see Whumpee trying to stay awake, trying to come to. Their hands close around the Caretaker’s jacket: if it’s a sign of trust or an attempt of escape, they can’t tell. Most lords have retired into their chambers, so they don’t really have a problem going out into the cold night. It seems to have an effect on Whumpee, because they touch Caretaker’s face. 

“C-caretaker…” They whisper. “M-m-my arm.” 

Caretaker looks down, with a terrible feeling. Black lines are in the place where their veins climb up and down their arm, spreading. They’d thought they were this way because of the drinking. But no. It was mercy. 

Whumper knew. They knew Caretaker would try to take them out of there and was getting rid of them. Mercy was the quick and painful poison they used to dispose of the blood bags. It mimicked the effects of a drug overdose. Easy to hide in big cities. 

As a previous victim of the poison, Caretaker knew there was only one antidote for mercy. Vampire poison. Transformation. Whumpee started to shake. 

“I thought I’d never… I’d never see…” They needed to stop to breathe heavily. “They said… Said I was distracted… My time had come… I thought he’d kill me, but he... It… It burns.” 

Caretaker muffles their screams against their shoulder when Whumpee groans in pain. They run faster, to the gates. They look back and the house looks much bigger and scarier than they thought before.  

“Make it stop.” 

“I will.” They promise, thinking of an earlier time, when they were like the Whumpee, human. They remembered the pain of snake bite, the dizziness, the sureness of dying. They also remembered what saved their life. They lay the Whumpee on the floor, under the hiding of some bushes. They take a deep breath and tell themselves it’s possible. 

Their teeth sinks into the needle hole. 

Sweetness invades their mouth. They were fed recently, but this wasn’t like eating human food. It was always pleasure: more than human, animalistic, instinctive. They felt themselves pulling more and more, squeezing the arm harder and harder. The whumpee tries to fight with two weak slaps, but the shock is too much. Breathing hard, their free arm falls to their side and they roll their eyes back. Caretaker feels the moment they go limp and it’s ecstasy. They were made for killing: their heart catches up as Whumpee’s get slower and slower. 

Then, a pang of metal. The taste of the poison: burning their throat, invading their nostrils. The memories are too pungent. They say that the way you were killed as a human always is the worst way to hurt you as a vampire. They pull away, spitting the black liquid out on the grass. 

They lay there, on their knees, breathing hard, the poison entering their throat. They cough, dizzy. The poison won’t kill them, not now, but it hurts like they haven’t felt in a long time. And pain is not something a vampire is used to feeling. They raise their eyes, guided more by their instinct than anything else. Their eyes zero in to the bandage on Whumpee’s neck, where a bit of blood has made it red. It’d be so easy to rip it off, like opening a can. 

Whumpee is shaking, still unconscious. Sweat trickles down their face. There is something about this vision that reminds them they could never do that. They grab their bag and take out one of the transfusion bags, emptying it in a couple of heartbeats. Cold plastic blood bags is servant food, lords prefer the real stuff. But for them in that moment, is the best thing they ever had. It washes the poison down, where it starts to corrupt other parts of their body. That’ll buy them some time. 

They pick Whumpee up in their arms, stumbling to the gate, opening it with shaky hands and running out into the night. 

When Whumpee wakes up, they find Caretaker passed out on the floor next to their bed, where an improvised blood transfusion is happening. They look at their hands and feet and out the window. The sundown is happening and they can see it again. It’s so beautiful it brings tears to their eyes. 

Caretaker woke up with a start, looking expectantly at them. 

“Whumpee…” They murmurs. “I’m so sorry.” 

“You saved me.” Whumpee said, smiling through tears. “Why would you be sorry?” 

Caretaker, however, seems inconsolable. 

“I… I am…” 

“My hero.” Whumpee says. 

Caretaker dares to think they just don’t care, but the look of their eyes is vacancy, not acceptance. 

“What do you remember? About last night?” 

“You went to find me in my cell… You picked me up and took me. But I… I passed out.” They look at their own arm, touching the teeth holes. “That bastard.” 

The truth comes over Caretaker like a wave. Whumpee doesn’t know yet. They dont remember. They think it was Whumper. I loved doing this prompt. There’ll be a part II to this!  And as always, if you have a request, my askbox is open!

[s1cparvism4gna]

PuNK

WARNINGS: cursing

Pairings: Rafe Adler x OC

Tags: @desertvvitch, @courtenbae, @tiecladartist

Chapter 7

Rafe’s POV

“No.” I said firmly.

“And why not?” I was on a call with Nadine Ross. Since Samuel evidently had decided to take matters into his own hands and steal from me, I had to do a bit of damage control. I enlisted the help of Shoreline, a group of mercenaries for hire. Nadine was the leader and was currently fighting me to bring her men to the auction. But to me, that was unnecessary. I didn’t need a bunch of goons walking around a high class area flashing their guns at every suspicious person. The whole room was going to be full of suspicious people.

“Because I’m the one writing your checks. What I say goes. It’s either just you or nobody at all.” I was trying my best not to yell. When I looked up from my maps and books, I noticed Lyric passed out on the couch across from me, her hair hanging in her face and snoring a little. I smiled to myself and stood to grab my jacket.

“Rafe, what if—”

“‘What if’ nothing. I have it under control. Security will be tight enough and if anything goes wrong, they’ll handle it.” I said to her as I placed my jacket over Lyric’s thin frame, gently moving her hair from her face. Her thick lashes fluttered on her cheekbones as she groaned and turned in her sleep.

“Fuck…” she said rather clearly, scratching her head and pulling my jacket closer to her face. I smirked as I went back to my seat, wondering what she could possibly be dreaming about. I could hear Nadine arguing about whatever in my ear as I leaned back into my seat, just watching her sleep. She looked so peaceful. Like she needed the rest. Like she needed this trip. I hated to admit it but I needed it too. Things at work had been so stressful. Two or three days in Italy with someone who didn’t entirely piss me off seemed like a good way to wind down.

“No muscle at the auction, Ms. Ross, and that’s final. I’ll hear no more about it.” I eventually said, tired of the nagging in my ear. “I will see you at the auction.”

“Alright…” she answered defeatedly. And with that, she’d hung up.

I pulled the ear piece out and tossed it into my briefcase. I’d been working since we finished dinner and it was time I took a break. I organized my desk, putting my files and maps into a neat pile and sipped on my wine that I happened to forget about. The glass was no longer chilled but I didn’t care. It was a little something to relax. After a few sips, I reclined the seat, crossing my fingers and resting them in my lap as I threw my head back. I closed my eyes hoping that maybe I’d fall asleep. I was on the brink of drifting away when I heard a sigh. I opened my eyes just enough to see through my eyelashes. Lyric was moaning and whining in her sleep. Not the disturbed kind of noise though. More like arousal. For about ten minutes she went on like this, just shifting in her seat. I bit my lip as I listened to her sweet voice crying out softly in need. Now I definitely wanted to know what she was dreaming about. A high pitched soft moan and sharp gasp passed from her lips, causing my heart to skip and a twitch in my pants. It was absolutely inappropriate to think about but as my eyes wandered over her face, they landed on her lips. I wanted to kiss them. They looked so soft and warm and smooth. I could feel my face frowning, upset that I wasn’t the one making her sound this way. After a while, she quieted down but my thoughts did not. I wanted to dig my fingers into her wild blonde tresses, have her long long legs wrapped around my waist. I wanted her. The real her. Not the one she shows me at work. Even though I realized at that point that I barely knew who she was to begin with. I could only hope that would change throughout the weekend.

Eventually I found myself falling asleep. Not for long though. The stewardess ended up coming to wake me 15 minutes before we landed. When I opened my eyes, she gave me a kind smile. I looked out of the window next to me, blinking myself awake rather slowly as I admired the sunrise and the aerial view of Rome. In my opinion, it wasn’t such a bad thing to wake up to. I yawned and sat up in my seat, stretching my back, cracking my neck. She patted my shoulder in a motherly fashion and disappeared into the back of the plane again. I stood up, brushing the random strands of hair off of my face and sat on the couch next to my sleeping assistant. I yawned again, running my hand down her shoulder, shaking her awake gently as I whispered her name. Her eyes fluttered open and immediately her face turned a bright red. She jumped a little, startled by seeing me and I held my hands up in defense.

“It’s just me!” I said softly with a smile. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” She blinked at me a couple times as she sat up, my jacket falling off of her as she did. “We’re about to land and I, uh…. figured you might wanna see the sky view.” I told her, raising the blind that covered the small window near her head, pointing at the view. She turned around and the look on her face was priceless. She brought her fingers to her lips, concealing the wide grin that spread across her lips and gasped in wonder. The sunlight seemed to make her eyes shine a bit brighter than normal and I tore my gaze away to enjoy the view with her. It was a fantastic sight.

“This is amazing…” she said in awe.

“Wait til we actually get into the city.” I said, standing as I began to gather up my things to put them into my briefcase. She scooted to the edge of her seat and threw her arms in the air, stretching out her long limbs and I tried my damnedest not to look. She picked up her heels and put them back on her feet before leaning into the couch. I could feel her eyes on me as I got my things together. I looked up with a chuckle as her eyes narrowed.

“Did you finish what you needed to do?” She asked me.

“Uh… yeah.” I lied all too easily, sitting back in my recliner. The way she twirled a lock of hair around her finger told me that she didn’t believe a word.

“And did you get any sleep?” She asked. I forced a puff of air and ran my hand down my face tiredly.

“Actually, yes. More sleep than I would at home if you can believe it.”

“I don’t but okay.” She smirked. That time I was actually telling the truth. Normally I’d get maybe 2 or 3 hours in before I had to go to work. This time I got maybe 5. I could really feel the difference. If it were up to me though, I wouldn’t have gotten up at all. “You’re taking another nap before we go anywhere.” She told me boldly. I laughed. At least she cared enough.

“I think you missed the part where I’m your boss and I tell you what to do.” I said. But like a nagging wife, she was right. I could’ve used an hour or two more. “I’ll tell you what. We’ll both take some time to wind down before lunch.”

“What are we having?!” She damn near jumped out of her seat.

“I’m feeling like pasta.” I hummed. “With an excessive amount of Parmesan.”

When we landed at the hangar, we were greeted by a shiny black car, ready to take us to where we’d be staying. I booked a villa for us instead of a hotel. I figured it’d be quieter and not to mention there was a killer view from every balcony and patio. It was a nice 75 degrees out that morning. The wind pushed against us as we descended the stairs. The driver greeted us with a smile and opened the door for us before retrieving our bags. Lyric slid into the car and rubbed her eyes before groaning loudly.

“What is it?” I asked.

“I forgot I had makeup on… I probably look a mess now.” She grumbled.

“I don’t think so. You look good.” I told her truthfully. She stared at me as a blush tinted her cheeks.

“Thank you?” She wasn’t sure what to make of that. The fault being my own, I didn’t compliment her much. That was something that could change. The car began to drive us through the city and into the country just on the outskirts. A massive change from the big city buildings turning into rolling hills of green, some plots of land with small houses nearby. Everything looked so fresh and alive. A stark comparison to the area of New York we’d just come from. The skies were now blue and the clouds were perfectly fluffy.

It wasn’t long before we pulled into a long winding driveway, each side lined with well kept bushes of flowers. We pulled up to a two story beautifully stone built house, parts of it tastefully covered with vines and tall trees stood at its corners. There was a lovely little patio outside from what I could see. I could hear Lyric gasping as the car came to a stop. “No way we’re staying here….”

“Well I don’t feel like staying at a hotel so yes. We are.” I told her as the driver got out and opened my door. I then rounded the car and opened the door for her. Her eyes widened as she stepped out and looked around. The first thing she did was take her shoes off to walk in the soft plush grass out front. The grin on her face was something magical. I stood there a while and watched her wiggle her toes in the earth and my chest began to swell with adoration. She giggled and covered up her smile with her hands before looking at me.

“So… I can go inside there?” She asked rather childishly. I forced a laugh and nodded, shoving my hands in my pocket. She practically bolted into the house, throwing the doors open.

“And she’s off...” I chuckled as the driver began to grab our bags. I could hear her squealing from the upstairs.

“Holy shit!” I heard her swear and I burst into laughter. The house was pretty nice. Clean above all things, which I loved. The living space was open and looked cozy. The flooring was a pale hardwood and the walls, a detailed off white. Bricks molded the rounded archways and there was a fireplace as well. That bit I got excited about. I walked around, letting my fingertips grace the backs of the white couches and chairs, over the sea foam green colored pillows. That’s when my eyes landed on a massive, dark wood baby grand piano. Tucked in a corner was a beautiful Spanish guitar. ‘She’ll get a kick out of that…’ I thought as I pressed a few keys on the piano with a smirk. The driver placed our bags by the door and I paid him a generous tip, thanking him as he left us. I closed the double doors and sighed. It was going to be a long weekend.

Suddenly, Lyric appeared at the top of the stairs. “Did you see the piano?!” She exclaimed excitedly. I nodded.

“Yeah I did.” My heart was pounding from the beauty of her broad grin. “Did you see the guitar?” I asked.

“I MISSED A GUITAR?!” She began flying down the stairs to the corner I pointed at. She picked it up and her eyes seemed to light up.

“Do you play?” I asked feigning ignorance. Of course she played. You can’t be the lead singer of a band and not play.

“I play a little.” She answered coyly. I smirked.

“You’ll have to play for me some time.” I said, resting my jacket on the back of the couch and taking off my neck tie.

“You’ll have to get me really drunk. I get shy at small audiences.” She mumbled, running her thumb down the untuned strings of the instrument. The words just fell from my lips without thinking.

“You never have to be shy with me.” I said. She looked up and bit her lip nervously before setting the guitar back down. I tore my gaze from her to look down the hall. I could see the corner of a refrigerator. “Have you checked out the kitchen yet?” I asked. She shook her head no. “After you…” I gestured down the hall, stepping away to make room for her. She sauntered by and shuffled into the kitchen, me strolling behind her.

As we stopped at the bricked threshold of the kitchen, Lyric gasped. Turning around, she had the goofiest expression and let out a silent, whispery scream. I was impressed. The cabinets were all white and the countertops were a sandy granite. There was an island with a few stools and a massive refrigerator, complete with a wine cooler, stocked with the finest Italian wine. She gave an exaggerated gasp as she opened up the wine cooler and pulled a bottle of red. She looked at me with wide eyes.

“This kitchen…. I have to cook in this kitchen!” She exclaimed with an excited laugh. “Oh my god and look!” She said pointing to a massive rounded archway with double doors that led to the back. There were pillars wrapped in the greenest vines and on the bricked patio, a couple of dark arm chairs with white cushions, a coffee table was set in the middle of them decorated with a few candles and an ashtray. Along the outside wall were a few torches that could be lit on fire. Behind it was a set of bricked stairs, lined with small candles, that led into a grassy area. There was a small, rounded table near the edge where there was a magnificent view of the Italian countryside. I followed Lyric down the steps and we both stood by the edge of the grassy platform to stare at the sun still rising in the sky over the rolling hills. Further around the corner, was a decently sized pool and a hot tub. In an instant I began to think of all the things we could do. This was an unintentionally romantic place to be. If I had to be there with anyone though, I was glad it was her.

“Mr. Adler…. Thank you for taking me….” She sighed in awe, hugging the red wine bottle against her chest.

“Don’t thank me. Your research brought us here. You should enjoy it.” I said, leaning into the archway.

“No, Mr. Adler you don’t get it…. This is so much space… I…”

“If it’s what you wanna hear: you’re welcome.” I smiled. With that, I clapped my hands together and smiled. “Now. Since you’ve seen the upstairs before me, have you picked a room?” She turned to look at me with a puzzled expression.

“I was just gonna take the one you didn’t want… I mean I’m not picky.”

“Oh, please. Don’t women need their space to do…. woman things?”

“Yeah but you’re also my boss.” She told me. I stared at her a moment. Even away from the office, she tried her best to be a good employee.

“Such manners.” I mumbled. “Alright. I’ll go take a look and I’ll holler when I make a decision.”

It didn’t take long for me to choose. Both rooms were big and clean with their own bathrooms, both had nice TVs, both came with a massive window for a fantastic view of the countryside, both had decent closet and drawer space. The only difference was one had a vanity complete with a mirror and the other did not. I sighed, imagining Lyric sitting there, putting on her makeup or doing whatever it was she did to make her skin glow the way it did. I walked back down the stairs to grab my bag and took them to my room. Then I grabbed hers and laid them on the loveseat in front of her bed. Decisions made. “Lyric, I put your stuff in your room for you!” I hollered down the steps. I could hear the small pitter patter of her bare feet on the hardwood as she approached. Not wanting to swoon more than I already had, I grunted from behind my bedroom door.

“Are you sure that’s the one you want?” She asked me. I just nodded.

“I’m sure. Listen, you were right. I’m still a little tired so I’m gonna shower and take a few more hours.” I told her.

“Okay! Well… I’ll work on getting us a car and maybe do some grocery shopping.” She smiled.

“Alright. Be careful walking around by yourself. If you need me, you have my number.”

“Of course, sir—”

“You can drop the formalities, Lyric. We’re not at the office.” I assured her. I wanted her to be comfortable. Here and around me. I could tell it baffled her a bit by the way her mouth hung open. I smiled at her a moment and took off my neck tie. “Go do what you need to do.” I told her before closing my door. I pressed my back against the door and groaned. Behaving around her was certainly going to be difficult. Especially with her just being so cute. And then there was hearing her on the plane. Those moans weren’t something I could easily forget. Shaking off the nerves, I began to unpack and ready myself for a nice long shower.

[stateofloveandnegan]

Broken Ankle II - Richard Madden

If any of you would like a third part, let me know in the comments!

Requested by: no one

Part one / Part two / Part three

The next morning, I wake up with quite a lot of pain in my leg. I struggle and wince as I try to get out of bed. After a minute or two, I make it out and grab the crutches before making my way towards the bathroom to get some painkillers.

After taking them, I freshen myself up and grab my phone. I’ve got some messages, one of them putting a smile on my face.

-

Richard:

Good morning, (Y/N).

I hope you got some rest after yesterday.

Sent 9:11am

-

I take a seat on the edge of my bed and type out my response.

-

You:

Morning, Richard.

I did, I slept like a baby :)

How did you sleep?

Sent 9:36am

-

After sending the message, I go to my contacts and call my dad. With my leg like this, I can’t really dress myself. I mean, I can dress my upper body, but putting on a pair of sweats is harder than it seems with a casted leg.

My dad answers the phone almost immediately and tells me he’s already on his way to my room. I smile and end the call before putting my phone down, taking a not so charming, but comfy pair of sweats than I can fit over my leg.

A minute later my dad knocks on my door and I make my way towards it, taking a little longer than expected. “Sorry, I’m not quite used to these crutches yet.”

My dad simply chuckles, “It’s alright, darling. Take all the time you need, no need to rush.” Once I open the door, he smiles and comes in, closing the door behind him. “How did you sleep? Did it hurt?”

“I slept well. It didn’t hurt before, but now it does quite a bit. I’ve already taken some painkillers and got out some sweats I think will fit. Could you help with them?” I ask with a sheepish smile on my face. My dad smiles and nods. I go and sit on the bed so my dad can help me better, and much to our surprise, we manage to get the sweats on quite fast.

Together, we make our way downstairs, where we’ll have breakfast. “Did you already think about what we’ll do now?” I ask once we’re seated. My dad sighs a little, “Yeah. I’m afraid you can’t go with me on the bike, so we’ll have to book you a flight to get home.”

I sigh and look down, “I know. I don’t want to leave yet, though.” At that moment, my phone buzzes and I receive a text from Richard. A smile enters my face without my knowledge and when I look up at my dad, he has a funny grin on his face. “Did you and Richard have fun last night on the balcony?”

I blush and look down, “He’s just really nice, dad. He gave me his number before he and his mum left last night. He said that if we are to stay a little longer, he’d like to show me around a bit. He knows a lot of nice places in the area.”

“I’ve got an idea.” My dad says after a couple of minutes. I look up, taking a bite from my croissant, and nod so he’ll continue. “How about I go home by myself tomorrow. You can stay here for as long as you want, when you want to go home, you can ring me and I can book you a flight home.”

My eyes widen in surprise, I never expected my dad to be okay with something like that, I wouldn’t even have dared to propose that myself. Even though I’m twenty-three, my dad is still pretty protective. And honestly, I’m glad he is, it just means he cares a lot and doesn’t want me to get hurt.

“Are you serious?” I start, a smile spreading across my face, “That sounds like an amazing idea!”

My dad chuckles and reaches over the table to give my hand a soft squeeze. “I noticed how happy you were last night and figured it was because of Richard. I want you to enjoy this trip even with your leg like this.”

I smile at my dad, happier than ever to have him with me right now. “You are the best, dad.”

My dad just smiles and we both continue eating our breakfast. After breakfast we go back to our rooms for a bit. I grab my phone to see what Richard sent me earlier, excited to tell him the news.

-

Richard:

I slept very well, thanks for asking :)

Do you have any plans today?

Sent 10:01am

-

You:

I’m going to help my dad a little with packing some bags.

Sent 10:26am

-

Almost immediately, Richard answers.

-

Richard:

That means you’re leaving, then?

Sent 10:27am

-

You:

My dad, yes. He’s going back home tomorrow.

I’m not going home yet :)

Sent 10:27am

-

Richard:

What do you mean you’re not going home yet?

Isn’t your dad going home, because you broke your ankle?

Sent 10:28am

-

Instead of typing out my response, I click on his contact and call his number. I’m quite nervous about it, but I can’t really think about that, because before I know it, Richard has picked up. “(Y/N)?”

“Hey, yeah. I figured it’d be easier to tell you on the phone. My dad is going home, because I broke my ankle, yes. I can’t go home with him on the bike, so he said he’ll book me a flight. But he also said that if I wanted to stay a little longer, to… well,” I say, the nerves coming up as I say the next words, a blush creeping up on my face. “To spend some time with you, I could. I can give him a call if I want to go home and then he’ll book me a flight as soon as possible.”

“Really? That’s great!” Richard says, seemingly very happy about it. I chuckle softly, smiling brightly. “Yeah, I never expected that from him, but I’m really thankful for it.”

“I take it you’ll be spending your day with your dad?” He asks softly. “Yeah, he’ll leave tomorrow morning. So today will be packing backs and maybe going into town for a bit.”

Richard smiles, an idea popping up into his mind. “If you’d like, I can take you out for breakfast, tomorrow morning?”

I smile at the idea of having breakfast with him. My dad’s going to leave very early in the morning anyways, so I can easily get some breakfast with Richard. “I’d really like that, Richard.”

“I can pick you up at 9:15?” he proposes, and I tell him that that sounds perfect. “Have fun today and be careful with your ankle.”

“I will, Richard, don’t worry.” I say with a smile on my face, flattered that he cares. “I’ll talk to you later.”

Richard and I each say goodbye and we hang up. As soon as I do so, I get up from my seat and make my way over to my dad’s room so I can help him pack his bags. Later that day, my dad and I go into town to grab dinner at a nice Italian restaurant. The time flies and before we know it, we’re already back in bed.

I’m not super tired yet, so I grab my phone and send Richard a text.

-

You:

Hey,

How was your day?

Sent 11:26pm

-

I grab the remote of the tv and turn it on, surfing through some channels before ending up with Intouchables.

-

Richard:

Hey there,

My day’s been pretty active.

My mum and I have been working on the garden.

Was your day nice?

Sent 11:28pm

-

You:

That sounds quite fun.

is it beginning to look good?

My day’s been really nice,

My dad and I went into town, did some shopping,

After that we had dinner at this really nice Italian place.

Sent 11:29pm

-

Richard:

Yeah, it’s beginning to look really cosy and all beautiful!

That sound really nice.

What time will he leave tomorrow?

Sent 11:29pm

-

You:

That’s good :)

He’ll leave around 8.

Sent 11:29pm

-

Richard:

That’s pretty early.

Wish him a good trip from me?

Sent 11:30pm

-

You:

I will.

I’m going to watch a film now,

if that’s okay.

Sent 11:30pm

-

Richard:

Of course that’s okay!

I’ll see you tomorrow,

Good night, (Y/N).

Sent 11:31pm

-

I smile at my phone at quickly reply with a ‘Good night, Richard.’ before putting my phone away and shifting my attention to the tv.

The next morning, I help my dad get ready and when he’s gone, I go back upstairs, clumsily take a shower and get ready for breakfast with Richard. Yesterday I bought a nice pair of pants, wide enough to go over the cast on my leg, and very nice.

I mean, I want to look at least a little presentable when I’m with Richard… I do want to make an impression on him.

Suddenly a tiny blush creeps onto my face and I start getting a little nervous. It’s already 9 o’clock and Richard will be here very soon. I look in the mirror and I’m happy with what I see, even though one of my feet look stupid.

I texted Richard earlier that I’d be waiting outside the B&B on a bench, so that’s where I’m sitting right now, the crutches resting against the bench beside me. Not much later, a familiar figure walks up to me, he’s wearing nice black pants with a pair of very neat black shoes underneath them. On top of that, he’s wearing a good fitted black t-shirt with a brown corduroy jacket.

I grab the crutches and get up from the bench, smiling at him. “Good morning.”

“Hey there, good morning.” He smiles and to my surprise, he plants a gentle kiss on my cheek. “Shall we?”

“Yeah, let’s go. I’m quite hungry.” I smile, my cheeks covered in a light tint of red as we start walking. “Did you come here walking?”

Richard looks at me sideways, “Yeah, it’s not too far. Was about a fifteen-minute walk.”

“That’s where your mum lives, right?” I ask, looking at him for a moment before looking back out front to see where I’m going.

He smiles, “Yeah, it’s where I grew up as well.” He looks around him as we walk and that gives me the opportunity to study him for a moment, careful not to stumble as I do so. Richard isn’t super tall; his height is perfect.

He has a light stubble on his chin, and it suits him amazingly. The small curls on his head are endearing and sexy at the same time, but the thing that’s definitely sexy about his hair, is that grey streak.

We soon reach a nice place and Richard leads me inside, finding a nice table out on the terrace. “You comfortable?” he asks once I’m seated. I smile and nod, “Yeah, I am.” Richard grabs my crutches and gently lays them down beside us on the ground.

A young, nice-looking boy comes to our table, kindly offering us the menus. “Good morning, Richard. Can I get you the usual drink?” he asks, smiling happily at Richard. Richard chuckles softly, “No, thank you, Danny. I’ve got to give it some thought today, that good?”

The boy, Danny, smiles and nods, leaving us be. I look at Richard, raising one eyebrow in curiosity. He chuckles, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks. “I always come here to get a nice cup of coffee in the morning. Danny always works on the weekends.”

“He seems really sweet.” I smile at him, looking over at Danny for a moment as he walks about on the terrace. “He is, yeah. When I’m not here, he always makes sure to bring my mother something for lunch. He truly is an amazing young boy.”

I look at Richard, smiling as he looks at Danny, then back at me. “They’ve got some killer pancakes here.” He suddenly speaks, a grin on his face. “Oh yeah? I guess I’m gonna have to try those, then.”

Richard laughs softly and nods, “You definitely should, they’re amazing.”

Not much later, Richard and I are both digging into our pancakes, and as he said: they’re amazing. If it’s silent, because we’re eating or just because we’re quiet, it’s always a comfortable silence. I’ve never had something like this with someone I just met, but it just feels so at ease, so comforting.

I catch Richard looking at me every now and every time it happens, my heart flutters a little and my smile grows fonder. “You look really nice, (Y/N). I don’t think I’ve told you that before, have I?”

A tiny blush creeps up on my face and I shake my head, “No, you haven’t. Thank you, though. I tried my best to look at least decent enough.” I chuckle softly and Richard smiles, “You look much better than just decent.”

I smile at how sweet he is, “You look very nice yourself, Richard. Thank you for taking me out here.”

After we finish the pancakes, we both order a cup of coffee, enjoying each other’s presence. “Do you still live with your parents?” Richard asks and I shake my head, “I moved out very recently. I’ve got my own little apartment now, it’s still kind of a work in progress, but it’s beginning to feel more like home every time I’m there.”

“I know what you mean.” He smiles, “It’s nice to have your own place, though, isn’t it?” I nod at his question, “As much as I love to be around my parents, I definitely needed my own place.”

We both laugh and enjoy our cup of coffee. Once we’re both finished, Richard offers to pay, being the gentleman he is, and soon we’re on our feet again. We’re walking towards the city centre, because Richard wanted to show me where he had his first job when he was younger.

As we’re walking, Richard eventually breaks the comfortable silence with his slightly rough, yet gentle voice. “(Y/N), I just want to be sure…” he starts, and I raise my brows in curiosity at his tone, “but you’re not currently seeing anyone, are you?”

I blush and shake my head, “I’m not, don’t worry.” Richard lets out a happy sigh and smiles, causing me to gently bite down on the inside of my cheek.

They day goes by much too fast. Richard and I went out for lunch as well and an hour before dinner time, his mum called him, saying she had made dinner for us. Dinner with the two of them was amazing and delicious, but unfortunately now it’s time to go back.

“I’ll be out for a bit again, mum.” Richard calls to his mother and she smiles, I thank her for the amazing food and bid her a good night before walking out of the house with Richard behind me.

It’s a little colder than before, and since I forgot to take a jacket with me, Richard gently puts his around my shoulders. I put my arms through the sleeves and chuckle, “It’s much too big.”

“It’s cute.” Richard smiles and winks at me. I blush at his comment and we start making our way back to the b&b.

A couple of minutes later, we cross a nice ice cream parlor and I walk towards it. “C’mon, what would you like?” I ask Richard with a smile. “Strawberry, please.”

I order one Strawberry cone for Richard and a Stracciatella one for myself, paying for them as Richard takes them. We go to a little bench nearby and sit down, since I can’t walk with those crutches and eat the ice cream at the same time.

“Cheers.” Richard and I both say at the same time and we laugh softly before beginning to eat our ice cream. It’s very lovely and I snuggle into Richard’s jacket as the wind gets a little harsher.

“This is probably gonna sound like a ridiculous idea, so please tell me what you really think about it.” Richard speaks once we both finish our cone and I turn to look at him. “I was thinking, because there isn’t much more to do around here than what we did today… Would you like to come to London with me?”

My eyes widen a little at his question, but I almost immediately nod my head, “I’d love that!”

There’s a twinkle in Richard’s eyes and he smiles happily, “I can come tomorrow and help you pack your bags? If you want, we can leave in the afternoon. I’ve got my car here, so we don’t have to worry about public transport.”

“That sounds really good.” I smile as Richard helps me stand up again before we continue our walk to the b&b.

Once we get there, Richard helps me up to my room and smiles as he takes a look around. “I’ve crossed this building so many times, yet this is the first time I’ve ever came inside.” He chuckles softly and I smile. “Thank you for walking me back. And for everything we did today, I had a really good time. I’m really looking forward to going to London with you.”

He smiles and steps a little closer to me, “Me too, I hope I can make up for the shitty outcome of the trip with your dad.”

“You’re already doing an amazing job at that.” I blush lightly and look up at him, my breath catching slightly in my throat once I realise how close he is. “You’re absolutely beautiful, (Y/N). And definitely one of the kindest souls I’ve ever met.”

Richard’s voice is low and soft as he slowly brings his hand up to gently caress my face. I swallow softly, staring into his ocean blue eyes. “Does my age bother you in any way?” he asks a little unsurely, looking into my eyes for an answer. I shake my head, “It doesn’t, Rich.”

The insecurity leaves Richard’s eyes and he smiles, moving his face closer to mine. “May I?”

I don’t answer him with words, instead I move up a little and press our lips together, and I can feel him smiling against my lips before he starts kissing me back.

It’s a very innocent, yet passionate kiss. I’ve always wondered how it would feel to kiss someone and really mean it at the same time, and now I realise it’s better than anything I’ve ever imagined.

We break apart after a couple of minutes, cheeks flushed and both out of breath. Our foreheads are pressed together. “Good night, (Y/N). I’ll be here at around 11 tomorrow, that good?”

I smile and peck his lips once more, “Sounds good. Good night, Rich.”

[katsukiboom]

Your Silhouette || IzuOcha

Hey guys! Today I’m bringing you this commission I did for the lovely @xpegasusuniverse​, thank you once more for all the love and support my dude! The prompt given was “the Dekusquad was going to see a movie as a group, but everyone ends up canceling at the last minute except Izuku and Ochako” - I hope you guys enjoy it as well! <3

Ko-Fi || Commissions

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- Midoriya! Uraraka-san!

As they sat in class waiting for Aizawa to appear that Friday morning, both teens turned around from their small talk just in time to see a certain, usually serious blue-haired boy approach them through the small crowd of students gathered on the hallway with a slight frown adorning his expression - he seemed just a little bit sad and by what Uraraka could guess, it had something to do with their big plans for the night.

- I am so glad I finally caught up with you guys, - Iida said once he was by their side. He was a bit agitated as if he had run all the way from wherever he was, his cheeks just barely tinted red. – I… I’m so sorry, - he continued while dramatically wrapping an arm around Izuku’s shoulders and putting his free hand above his eyes, covering his glasses as well. Something about the whole thing didn’t seem ‘normal’ to Ochaco, but she attributed it to her surprise. – Aizawa-sensei needs me to run some errands for the upcoming festival, which unfortunately means I will not be able to join tonight’s meeting. I am sorry for the inconvenience; I hope you have a great time. – His short explanation was followed by a sigh, and she only smiled.

- It’s okay, Iida-kun, - she replied, one hand held in front of her as a gesture of understanding, - let’s make sure to do the next one when we’re all available!

But little did she know it was just the beginning of the day.

Next it was Tsuyu, who slipped a note to Ochaco’s desk in the middle of Present Mic’s class, her neat handwriting explaining that she would have to come back home for the night as something had happened with the babysitter and she’d have to take care of her siblings for the weekend; as she didn’t know when her mother would come pick her up, she had decided to stay in the dorms just in case she missed the timing. Ochaco was worried and thought that it must’ve been something quite important, but when she noticed her friend was smiling back at her and then gave a side glance to Iida’s desk the sensation that something was off started to form in her mind.

The last person to cancel was Todoroki, offering them little words about what was holding him back but Izuku seemed panicked when the dual-haired boy came up to them with a sulky face. – It’s just that I have a lot going on and it has left me a bit tired, - Shouto had said. - I think you two should get together anyways. It’d be such a shame to waste the tickets Iida got us.

It all seemed pesky.

- What do you think we should do? – A nervous Izuku asked Ochaco while they waited in line for lunch, both their minds analyzing the possibilities without the other one knowing. – I- I mean, I’m not sure if you’re comfortable with just the two of us going…

She didn’t reply right away, thankful that she was before him to get her meal and that he wasn’t able to see her cheeks turn red at the sound of those words. Alone with Deku? Did I win the lottery? – I’m okay with it as long as you’re okay too, Deku-kun, - she shyly replied, - we could go back to the dorms and change after classes end so we don’t have to deal with the uniforms, but we have to be super quick about it so we don’t come back too late.

With her back turned to him, she was unable to see the big grin that spread on his face.

The hours after that seemed to fly by, and in no time the bell that warned students about the end of the day; it was a quick trip to the 1-A dorms for the students and no one really suspected a thing when the pair bolted towards their respective rooms except for the three that had bailed out of the outing, whose understanding glances met at the same time as they shared an unspoken secret: it had all been just a ruse, a shortcut in the way of, hopefully, making the two lovebirds realize what they had been so oblivious to this whole time. Some might’ve argued that it was pushing the two into that position but truly their friends knew they were just quickening the inevitable, and with one last smile they all got into their own rooms as well.

                                                              -

Izuku was the first one to get out of his, wearing a plain black shirt with a pair of washed-up jeans, a black jacket and his usual red sneakers, having cleaned them enough to glisten underneath the ceiling lights. He was satisfied with his looks to say the least but he still feared he’d feel underdressed, even if Ochaco wore something similar. ‘What if we accidentally wear matching clothes? Would she feel embarrassed by that?’ his mind started racing and his cheeks turned slightly red, but he tried to hide it as he made his way to the common room where Aoyama and Kaminari were playing with cards, their loud voices a dead giveaway that Aoyama was actually winning.

- Hey, Deku, going out somewhere fancy tonight? – Sero asked from the small kitchen there, a glass of water in his hand. His eyebrows were raised and his usual smile rested on his face, but this time it felt a bit more teasing than usual. From his side, Jirou watched with amusement.

- Yeah, actually, - Izuku started saying but he was cut off by the timid sound of heels behind him, and he was sure nothing in the world could’ve prepared him for what was coming: Ochaco was wearing a baby pink button-up with a flowy skirt to match and white sandals with kitten heels. She was holding a small purse and seemed to have put on minimal makeup, although to him she looked just as beautiful as ever. – He-h-hello Uraraka-san, - he muttered, fighting the urge to look at her outfit just one more time. – You look gre... good. You look really good, - he added with a nervous laugh.

That was all he could say and he wanted nothing more than to slap himself for not being able to fully express himself, but her gentle smile more than made up for his mistake. - You don’t look bad either, - she told him while blatantly ignoring the many surprised looks they were getting from their present classmates. – Are you ready? We should go now unless we want to miss the movie, - she added with a little sigh at the end and Izuku smiled back, feeling his confidence resurging as he let her lead the way.

                                                              -

The way to the movie theater wasn’t as quiet as Izuku feared it would be; they talked about school, the upcoming festival and the holidays that would follow and their expectations for the night, and he was happy to see her just as excited as he was. – What was the name of the movie Iida bought the tickets for? – Ochaco asked just as they got to their destination, but before he could reply she found it while scrolling up their group chat in her phone. – O-oh, - she whispered, which made him feel just a tad uneasy. – It’s called Your Silhouette, - she explained as they walked inside the small venue, the volume of the chatting around them rising but still allowing them to talk normally through the noise. – It’s the latest film by Miyazaki; you know, the famous director. It’s got great reviews but it’s a romance movie, - she added, not taking her gaze off her phone, and he saw her cheeks turning red. – Are you still fine watching that together, Deku?

He thought about it for a second, taking his time to reply while scanning the different food options the place had to offer. – If Uraraka-san’s okay with it, - he finally replied, - then I’m okay as well. – Their eyes met and their hearts jumped as they smiled at each other. Izuku wondered when it had been the last time he had felt this comfortable being alone with a girl, but he knew it would be of no use to dwell on whatever he felt in the past and just decided to enjoy the night without caring about what would come after.

They bought two large sodas and only one bucket of sweet popcorn along with a bag of chips, as they had agreed that the movie would be too long for them to grab some dinner later. Feeling satisfied with their snacks, they headed to their designated auditorium and quickly found their seats – they were surprised to see that Iida had given them the only tickets that were located at the back of the room and that were in the two-seat row, giving them no option but to sit there just far enough from the rest of the movie-goers. Uraraka took the time before the movie started to make a quick trip to the bathroom and Izuku saw the chance to message one of his friends in search of answers.

‘It was all on purpose, right? Was this a set-up?’

His message was read almost instantly by Todoroki but he received no reply other than a wink face emoji, and he almost groaned loudly had it not been for the lights going down and the projection starting to run. Izuku was in the middle of texting his date to tell her to hurry up when a finger tapped on his shoulder, making him turn around abruptly; her round face was right behind him and the distance between them was shorter than usual, but when she whispered, - I’m back, Deku-kun, - he almost melted on the spot.

Carefully, he let her pass to the seat beside the wall, holding both sodas so that she didn’t accidentally spill anything. The movie started not long after, and as the whole room fell into silence only the munching noises could be heard around them. Taking a peek at the girl next to him, he saw her attentively watching the film as if she was trying to remember every line, which made him laugh silently yet caught her attention. – Is something wrong? – She mouthed, tilting her head to the side ever so slightly.

- Oh, no, it’s just that you looked so cute just now, - Izuku replied without really thinking, and didn’t notice until her eyes opened up like plates. It was too late to back down but he also didn’t want to lose the courage that had surfaced in his body, and instinctively reached out to grab her hand, giving it a little squeeze before pulling away and turning back to the movie. He seemed completely calm on the outside but his mind was reeling, telling himself that his impulse would cost him the friendship he held so dearly, but it was only a matter of time until he felt a soft touch against his arm again.

When he looked at her again, he saw her gleeful expression and her hand barely tugging at his jacket. Due to the darkened room and the constant lights flashing on her skin he wasn’t sure if she was blushing again, but maybe he didn’t need to know. – I think you look really handsome as well, Deku, - she said just loud enough for him to hear, and his heart skipped a beat yet again. Uraraka looked so innocent yet breathtaking, something only the atmosphere around them could cause, and he felt actually blessed to be able to take in such a scene.

They stood there, looking at each other before he slowly moved forward and she mirrored his actions, meeting him halfway and sealing their feelings for each other with a soft peck that lasted shorter than either of them would’ve liked. The film became the least of their worries as they melted into one another, his arm wrapping around her shoulders and keeping her glued to him for the rest of the date.

If anyone had walked in the room they would’ve seen only a silhouette of two people merged together, their hearts moving in sync after being released from their cages.

[hiddendreamerwriting]

Captured (Moxiety)

The moxiety version of the Captured stories. 

Royality | Logicality

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Patton shifted uncomfortably, the restraints irritating his skin where they rubbed along. Large leather straps kept him tied to the floor. It wasn’t the most pleasant way to way up, he’d admit. All he could remember was feeling a sharp pain as something pricked his neck, and then Patton passed out. How long had he been out? It could have been a few days for all he knew. The Giant looked around to try and gauge some sort of understanding from his surroundings. There was an unnatural light shining above him, and rounded metal formed a dome all around him.

Patton’s eyes widened in realization. He was inside one of those human structures. But how?

Hearing a sound, Patton turned his head to the side, watching as a human came out on what appeared to be a shaky metal bridge.

“Woah, you’re so small.” Patton gasped. He had never seen a human this close before. The human looked up, meeting his gaze. If Patton squinted, he thought the man’s cheeks had turned a bit red. Aw, was he embarrassed?

“I’m not small.” The human muttered, straightening his long white jacket. “You’re just huge.”

“I never thought humans were this small.” Patton rambled on. “What’s it like?”

“...what?” The scientist looked at him as though he grew two heads.

“I think it’d be really neat.” Patton gushed. “I’ve always wanted to be smaller. I think then I could make more friends because my size scares lots of animals away. Although if I lay down on the ground, I can sometimes pretend I’m small too.”

The human looked increasingly perplexed at Patton’s statements. Patton giggled at his confused expression, deciding this one was cute as he was tiny.

“Why would you ever want to be small?” The human asked. “When you’re small no one listens to you.”

“Well that can’t be true.” Patton frowned. “Humans talk to each other all the time! I don’t get to talk to anybody.”

“Well that explains your social skills.” The scientist shook his head. “We’re getting off track. Stay focused.”

“Okay!” Patton said cheerfully. “Although, um, I do have a couple questions. Who are you? Where am I? What’s going on, exactly?”

“…my name is Virgil.” Virgil looked down at a clipboard with a slight frown. “That’s all I’m allowed to say, I think.”

“Why?” Patton tilted his head.

“Nobody trusts me.” Virgil explained vaguely. “And I’m just an intern.”

“What’s an intern?” Patton asked. “Also, why am I tied down?” Patton wiggled against the restraints for emphasis.

Virgil paled significantly, watching as they both heard the leather begin to rip as Patton flexed lightly, testing the strength of the material. Apparently, not that strong.

“Uh...safety?” Virgil cringed, his voice cracking in his statement.

“Safety?” Patton frowned, deciding to stop now that they were loose enough for his liking. After all, there was no reason to break the restraints, especially when Virgil seemed attached to them.

Virgil seemed less sure of himself, taking a step back from the edge. “I-I mean, they said they would hold, but we weren’t sure, and ooh man Logan’s gonna be mad if he finds out about this....”

“What’s the problem?” Patton asked, oblivious.

“Y-you!” Virgil stuttered along. “I- you aren’t supposed to break those! You’re supposed to be contained!”

“What, just because I’m a giant?” Patton’s expression turned a bit sad, remembering how scared humans always were of his kind. “I think we can both agree that I’m nicer than most of the stories about giants, right?”

“Don’t try and guilt trip me like that, I don’t even know you.” Virgil frowned.

“Oh, I’m Patton!” Patton gave him a large grin. He wriggled his arm out of its band, intent on shaking Virgil’s hand. Unfortunately, the human seemed to think something else, as Virgil turned to bolt for the door.

“Oh, wait!” Quickly Patton sat up, no longer holding himself back as he ripped through the leather with ease. He reached out, putting his hand on the door so Virgil couldn’t leave. The scientist let out a gasp, the platform shaking as Patton scooted closer. His arm bumped the bridge, the structure creaking under his weight. Virgil began to slide towards the side and Patton let out a yelp, quickly cupping his hands beneath the edge to catch the human before he could fall.

“Phew! That would have been quite the fall! Good thing I caught you.” Patton brought Virgil closer to his face, worry lines appearing on his forehead. “Are you alright?”

“Don’t touch me!” Virgil flinched when Patton brushed his thumb against the human’s side. “Put me down. Now.”

Patton paused, looking down at the scientist in his hands with newfound interest. He had never held a human before. They were even lighter than he imagined, and he found he didn’t really want to put Virgil down. The human was just too cute and cuddly.

“Not yet.” Patton said, lifting Virgil even higher. Suddenly, Virgil grabbed onto his thumb, and Patton’s heart nearly melted. Following the human’s gaze, Patton looked down at the ground. “Aww, are you afraid of heights?”

“Yes!” Virgil cried out through gritted teeth, his eyes clenched shut. “Put me down!”

“Oh, sorry.” Patton did feel a bit sheepish about that. He adjusted to lay down, holding Virgil closer to the ground. “There, you can open your eyes now, you’re lower.”

“Put. Me. Down.” Virgil repeated, keeping his eyes closed.

“Come ooooooon.” Patton blew gently, teasingly, in Virgil’s face, but this only made Virgil flinch again. “Show me those pretty little eyes again. Please?”

The human just shook his head frantically. Patton leaned closer, trying to get a peek. This close he could see his breath rustling the little hairs on Virgil’s head. This close, Patton could tell the human didn’t seem to be having as much fun. In fact, the tiniest of tears seemed to be collecting in the creases of Virgil’s closed eyelids.

“oh hey now kiddo, don’t cry.” Patton stuck out his lip, getting a bit upset himself in sympathy. He reached up with his fingers, petting the scientist in what he hoped was a comforting manner, but it just caused him to let out a choked sob. He hadn’t realized just how freaked out the tiny must be of heights. That is, until he heard the smallest, quietest little plea.

“Please don’t eat me.”

Oh. Oh. “Oh, hey, no no no, I’m not going to eat you!” Patton’s expression turned a bit horrified. Is that what people thought of giants nowadays? No wonder people always ran away from him, and no wonder Virgil had gotten so scared all of a sudden. Now Patton felt bad.

“Okay, okay, I’ll set you down, alright?” Patton gently let Virgil down on the ground, allowing the human to stand on his own two feet but Patton kept his hands close just in case.

Virgil slowly opened his eyes, looking up at Patton wearily. Patton laid down on his stomach, folding his arms in front of him and resting his chin on them. Patton gave the human a gentle smile. “See? You’re okay, no need to freak, little guy.”

“You try not freaking out.” Virgil mumbled, quickly wiping at his face. “Being grabbed up by the scary government secret that you’re not getting paid enough to have to deal with, like what the heck I’m too young to die who’s pulling this crap?”

“...are you okay?” Patton asked cautiously. Virgil seemed to gauge his expression carefully. Virgil was quiet a moment, running his fingers through his hair.

“...you’re really not gonna eat me?” Virgil asked, seeming cautiously optimistic.

“Nope.” Patton assured him, getting a teasing glint in his eye as he reached out to boop Virgil on the nose, nearly knocking the human over in the process. “You’re too cute to eat.”

[d3-iseefire]

The Symphony of Cinderella Chapter 5

Minuet (Chapter 5)

Bilba hesitantly approached the small window in the front of Dale's main theater. Outside, she saw the same wide stairs she'd seen the last eight times she’d checked, leading down to the same narrow street. The day was bright and sunny, and a stiff breeze had the ribbons and kites dancig as if they too were celebrating.

"Relax," she ordered herself firmly, stepping away. "He's not even supposed to be here yet."

Her stomach fluttered and she spun on her feet, yanking nervously on the bottom of her short jacket. She'd worn the outfit she used for interviews. It and her performance dress were the only two nice pieces she had and, since she didn't fancy traipsing around Dale in an evening gown, red floral sundress and denim jacket it was.

She wasn't insane so she'd elected for her sneakers over the wedges she normally wore with the outfit and had used a barrette to pull her hair to the side so that it swept over her shoulder. She didn't have any jewelry unless Lobelia loaned it to her, and she'd never been allowed makeup, but she hoped she still looked nice.

She should simply be happy no one in her family had noticed how dressed up she was. For once, their general lack of care and concern about her had worked in her favor.

She risked another look, chewing nervously on her lower lip. As nervous as she was, she was also really excited. Lobelia's only concern was for the ball, so they'd arrived a day before it was scheduled, which meant the festival had already been carrying on for nearly a full week and was, by now, in full swing.

Bilba had been enthralled from the moment they'd entered the city. The architecture was closest to what she'd seen in Gondor, but more spread out and on a single level instead of multiple. The streets were narrow and clean, and everything was bright and cheerful.

And then, of course, there was the festival. All the buildings were decorated in one way or another, booths selling all manner of food and trinkets and music seemed to come from everywhere.

What caught her eye the most, however, were the rides. They were clustered on the plain that stood between Dale and Erebor and, while she couldn’t clearly see them from within the city, what she could see looked amazing. Giant spinning wheels and tracks on which cars ran through dizzying loops and curves. As she'd been dropped off at her hotel, she'd been able to hear the distant shrieks of excited people as they spun and twisted and dropped on the rides.

"Tsk," Priscilla had sneered as she'd slammed the car door shut after Bilba had gotten out. "All these idiots are giving me a headache."

"Don't concern yourself, my dear," Lobelia had responded, twisting in her seat to face her daughter. "All you have to worry about is the ball."

"First thing I'll do as princess is cancel this entire stupid thing," Priscilla had said with a huff as she'd flounced against the seat. "What a waste of money."

They had driven off, chattering about the ball, and Bilba had wisely held her peace and not commented on the fact that they still didn't have an invitation.

Or the fact that, as Fili had pointed out, the prince of Erebor was already spoken for.

They'd arrived too late in the day to do much, so she'd called Fili to tell him to meet her the next morning and now.... now she was waiting for him to arrive.

She clapped her hands, bounced on her toes and checked again for the...she'd lost count of how many times she’d check actually.

"Waiting for someone?"

Bilba yelped in surprise and spun to find Dwalin and Nori standing behind her. She nodded in excitement and clasped her hands together. "I'm going to the festival with a friend."

Dwalin looked unimpressed, which she was finding was his normal expression, while Nori looked amused. "I wasn't aware you knew anyone in Dale."

Bilba hunched a little in guilt and bounced slowly on her toes. "He's kind of someone I met in Mirkwood." Sort of. "We've been talking on the phone and now he's going to take me to the festival." She put her hands together and pleaded, "You won't tell my stepmother, will you?"

Dwalin shrugged. "Ain't none of her business, now is it?"

Bilba grinned and relaxed a little, only to immediately tense again as Nori, near the window, said, "This him, I'm guessing?"

Clutching her hands together until the knuckles were white, Bilba nervously moved up to stand next to Nori and look out. Her eyes went wide and her stomach clenched. "Oh, no," she breathed. "Oh, this is bad. This is so, very bad."

Nori half-turned toward her, an unreadable expression on his face. "How so?"

Bilba gave him an incredulous look and pointed out the window. A young man wearing black slacks and a plum colored dress shirt was coming up the steps. He had golden blond hair, worn to his shoulders in the common style of Erebor with four braids framing his face. Two more braids capped with beads, hung off the ends of a mustache and framed a neat, close cropped beard. He had a trim figure and moved with the ease and grace of someone comfortable in their own skin.

Somewhat to Bilba’s surprise, he looked vaguely familiar, but she imagined that must be from similar looking men she’d seen gracing the covers of various magazines, showcasing clothes or whatnot, because they were professional freaking models.

"He's attractive," Bilba said, voice almost panicked. "Really, really, attractive!" He was also nearly at the doors to the venue. Bilba shook her head. "Nope, I changed my mind." There was just no way. She'd be a babbling idiot, if she managed to find her voice at all. "I'm just going to run out the back door. If you'll excuse me."

She turned and made it a whole two steps before Nori snagged her around the waist and tugged her back around. He planted his hands on her shoulders and stood behind her, just as the door opened and Fili walked in.

Maybe it wasn't Fili, Bilba thought hopefully, even as she noticed the flowers he was carrying. Maybe it was just some random guy and Fili would show up later and be a nice, average look guy who wouldn't make her brain misfire every time she looked at him and --

He smiled at her. "Hey, Bilba."

Oh, dear.

Nori nudged her, and Bilba stumbled forward. "Hi," she managed to get out in a voice so low she almost couldn't hear it herself. She looked down, realized she was staring at his belt which was so very inappropriate, and refocused her gaze on his shoes.

He had very nice shoes.

She put an arm out stiffly to shake his hand, just as he held his arms out to hug her. Immediately she switched to hold her arms out, even as he quickly switched to trying to shake her hand.

Behind her, Dwalin made a disgusted noise, while Nori snorted. She and Fili finally managed to figure out a very awkward, sort of hug...like...thing before he stepped back with a shy grin and held out the flowers. "Here, these are for you."

Bilba's face went hot. She took them carefully, and ducked her head. "Thank you. I'll just--" she half turned and gestured down the hall. "I'll just take them to my dressing room. I'll be right back."

She hurried down the hall and put the flowers into the glass of water Nori had brought her earlier. She looked in the mirror to make sure everything was still more or less in place, took a deep breath and hurried back out again.

Fili was standing with Dwalin and Nori when she got back, all three speaking in low voices and she hoped desperately the two men weren't threatening him or scaring him off.

Fili smiled at her as she approached and held an arm out. "You ready to go?"

Bilba nodded and nervously wrapped her arm around the proffered arm.  

"You two kids have fun now," Nori said, sounding like he was having all together too much fun.

Fili sent him a deadpan look, but lightly tugged her toward the door and away from the two men. As they left, Bilba spotted an expensive looking car parked at the curb. "Is that yours?"

"My uncle's," Fili said. "Dale isn't so terribly large. I thought we could walk to a place for breakfast and then combine the tour with seeing the festival?"

Bilba nodded but couldn't help looking over her shoulder toward the plain beyond the city. "Are the rides very fun?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

Fili followed her gaze and smiled. "What do you say we find out later?"

Bilba's eyes lit up and she nodded. "Okay." They reached the street and Bilba felt a swell of just...peace, as they wandered along. There were people going past them, music, vendors hawking items from booths and it was all just so...normal. Perfectly normal and she was a part of it for the first time instead of being on the outside looking in.

They passed a shop filled with a window full of fancy dresses and her good mood wavered slightly. She looked down and tightened her grip on Fili's arm.

"Are you all right?" he asked, putting a hand over hers where it lay on his bicep.

"I'm fine." She shot a nervous look at the window. "I'm just a little worried my stepfamily might see me out here."

His eyes narrowed. "Do you know where they are?"

"I'm not sure where Lotho or Otho are," she confessed. "My stepsister said she had a headache and she and my stepmother planned to stay in, but you never know. It'd be just like them to decide to go shopping."

"I don't think they'll be a problem," Fili said with a confident grin. "You've been looking forward to this festival for awhile now. Don't let them ruin it for you."

Bilba smiled. She hadn't been looking forward to just the festival. "You're right," she said quietly. She'd already missed out on so much thanks to them, and who could say how much more she stood to miss out on as long as they controlled her finances.

Fili led them down a side street toward a very large, very upscale looking restaurant. As they headed inside Bilba had to bite her lip to keep from asking the very insulting question of whether he could afford the clearly expensive looking place. She really hoped he wasn't overspending to ensure she had a good time.

Somewhat to her surprise, a server appeared almost the second they walked in and proceeded to guide them to a small, private room at the back of the restaurant. They were both handed menus and then the waiter left to go and get their drinks.

"Wow," Bilba said honesty, "did you call ahead for a reservation? I've never seen someone get service so fast."

"You're clearly not going to the right restaurants," Fili said with a grin. He snapped his napkin out with practiced ease and set it on his lap before studying his menu.

Bilba did the same, only to nearly have a heart attack at the prices. She wasn't sure she could afford to even be sitting there, much less actually get something to eat.

When the waiter came back to take their orders she ended up ordering an appetizer and a small salad.

"Are you sure that's all you want?" Fili asked.

Bilba nodded. "I want to make sure and leave room for the festival food."

That was true enough. There was no reason to tell him she was worried about how much of his salary he was spending on this and didn't want to bankrupt him.

They engaged in small talk until their food arrived, broken up occasionally when Bilba got distracted staring out the tinted bay window they were sitting near to watch the festival goers outside. The more they spoke the more Bilba felt herself relax. It was different, face to face like this, and Fili was certainly more attractive than she'd expected, but he was still Fili.

He was still the same young man she'd spent hours talking to over the past several weeks, still had the same sense of humor, the same voice. The only difference was now she could see the sparkle in his eye when he spoke, could watch his hands wave about as he made a point, and could witness the quick grins that flashed across his face.

The only downside was she'd sincerely hoped meeting him face to face would help with the puppy crush she'd developed but, if anything, she could already tell it was only going to get worse.

Fili in person, at least so far, was even better than he'd been on the phone and meeting him face to face was far beyond anything she'd tried to imagine.

Near the end of the meal his eyebrows drew together, and he tapped his fork idly on the edge of the table. "Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?"

Bilba shook her head. "No, go right ahead."

"All right." He opened his mouth, paused and then asked, "you and your stepmother, is that the way your parents wanted it? How they intended if it something happened to you?"

Bilba flinched. "My parents had a will that stipulated my grandfather would have guardianship if anything happened to them,” she said, finally. This wasn’t what she’d wanted to talk about at all, but it was her own fault for giving permission before knowing the question. "It was written while my mother was still alive, however, and never changed after. Once my father passed away, my stepmother argued she should be allowed to have control." She frowned and focused on her empty plate. "My grandfather was very busy and had little desire to raise another child. He was more than happy to sign everything over to my stepmother and trust her to handle it."

"Why did he trust her?" Fili asked. "Besides the fact she was your stepmother, I mean. He just signed everything over to her? He never checked in on you?"

Bilba tensed. They were treading far too close to dangerous ground. The only way to explain would be for him to understand that her stepmother and Lotho were two different people, one in public and another in private.

She didn’t know how to explain to him without saying that, and couldn’t say it without risking him not believiing her the way her grandfather had.

To her utter horror, her vision wavered and the bridge of her nose began to burn. She curled her fingers, bunching the tablecloth under them, and clenched her jaw.

A second later she felt one of Fili’s hands gently cover hers. “Hey, it’s okay.”

Bilba force a shaky smile and shook her head. “Sorry,” she whispered.

Fili stood, took a few steps, and closed the door to the small room. He came back over and lightly grabbed her hand again. “Come here.”

Bilba hesitated, but then obediently got up.

He hugged her.

Bilba tensed in surprise but then, tentatively, wrapped her arms around him. The second she did, something inside her seemed to snap, and suddenly she was holding him in a near death grip.

She then proceeded to burst into tears.

He put a hand lightly on the back of her head and she buried her face in his neck. Her hands tangled in the fabric of his shirt and she almost sagged against him, his arms tightening around her waist in response to help keep her upright.

It took awhile to get it out. Years worth of being told she was worthless, of trying and failing to get her family’s love and attention and not understanding why. Resentment and anger mixed with despair and the overwhelming feeling of chains locking her away in a small box, forced to watch as the world passed her by.

It was only after she finally began to settle down that the humiliation began to settle in. She met him in person for the first time and proceeded to break down on him?

She’d be lucky if he ever wanted to talk to her again, let alone see her.

She’d turned her head at some point to stare aimlessly at the wall, and he’d moved to rest his chin on the crown of her head. Pressed this close, she could feel the outline of his body under his shirt. She’d been able to feel it the whole time but this was the first she’d become aware of it and her face promptly caught fire.

This whole thing just kept getting better, didn’t it? Not only had she cried all over him but now she was effectively taking advantage of his kindness to creep on him.

She took a shaky breath and carefully disentangled herself, eyes locked on the floor. “Sorry,” she said again. “You must think I’m crazy.”

“Not crazy,” Fili said gently. “Just hurt.”

He reached past her to turn her chair toward her and helped her sit down. He knelt in front of her and lightly grabbed the edges of the chair on either side of her body. To her surprise, he appeared to be blushing, just a little. “So, confession time.” He frowned. “Correction, partial confession time. I need to tell you a few things but, at the risk of freaking you out, I figure we should start small.”

Bilba twisted her hands in her lap and managed a genuine, albeit small, smile. “You’re not a serial killer are you?”

“Only on Tuesdays,” Fili replied with a matching grin. He settled back, until he was seated on the ground in front of her chair, and retrieved his phone. He found whatever he was looking for and, with a nervous look, handed it to her.

Bilba took it, looked at the screen, and blinked in surprise.

There was a picture of her on the screen. Well, to be more accurate, it was a photo op of hers. There she was, dressed in her performance gown and her mother’s jewelry, standing in the middle of a group of three.

But not just any three.

“Oh,” she breathed. “I thought you looked familiar.”

Familiar, because it was him. The blond she’d remembered staring at all those weeks ago in Mirkwood, him and the dark-haired man and the woman with the scarlet hair. The ones she’d tried to pretend she was a part of, if only for a moment. She put her fingers on the screen and pulled her fingers apart, zooming in on the shot of her face.

She looked like she was about to cry.

“I couldn’t get your eyes out of my head,” Fili said softly, getting up on one knee again, “or how hard you hung onto me. Kili said you held onto him just as hard.”

Kili, Bilba thought idly, that must be the brunette. The name was familiar but she couldn’t put her finger on why. Perhaps it was simply common, like Iris was in the Shire.

“I came back,” Fili continued. “I thought I could...I don’t know, do something. When I saw you and you were sick, it seemed the best thing I could do was--”

“Get me soup.” Bilba’s eyes narrowed in sudden understanding. The clothing he was wearing, his uncle’s car, this restaurant. “You’re not a stagehand.”

“Technically, I never said I was,” Fili said, with a cheeky grin. “I just...didn’t correct you when you said I was.” When she didn’t answer, he sighed and added, “I met your sister at that first concert and she made...less than a stellar impression. Then when you mentioned how much your stepmother valued wealth--”

“You had to make sure I wasn’t the same way,” Bilba said.

“Later it never really seemed the time to bring it up,” Fili continued. “It’s not exactly something you can just casually work into conversation.”

“Oh, by the way, I’m rich but didn’t mention it in case you were a raging psycho?” Bilba quipped with a slight grin. “I think I can see the problem.”

“And here I thought I was supposed to be the raging psycho.” Fili pushed to his feet and grabbed his own chair. He dropped into it and leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “Anyway, I left the phone -- I thought I could offer...something. I don’t know.” He let out a small laugh. “And then we started talking, and suddenly I wanted a lot more than to simply offer help.”

Don’t read into that, Bilba cautioned herself. He means you becoming friends, that’s it.

Even so...

“I don’t get it,” she ran a hand over the phone screen, which had long since gone dark from lack of use. “Why me?” Her eyes flickered up to meet his. “Or are you like the Pied Piper, collecting misfits as you go?”

Was she special. That was what she wanted to know. Did she matter, or was he just a compassionate soul and she was the latest in a long line of people he’d reached out to help.

“I’ve helped others in the past.” He shifted, settling back in his chair. “But I’ve never gone this far, never ended up with someone I already consider a dear friend.”

Bilba’s heart, which had started to fall at his first words, settled back into her chest again and a warm feeling passed over her. “So what’s different about me then?”

To her surprise, he looked away from her. He clapped his hands on his knees, made an aborted move to stand up, then rethought it and stood up anyway. He rubbed his hands on his slacks as if they were sweaty, and turned his gaze out the window.

When he refocused on her a moment later, his eyes were bright in a way they hadn’t been before. “Remember how I said I had a few things to tell you?”

Bilba nodded. “You’re afraid it’ll freak me out?”

“Perhaps freak out wasn’t the best term.” Fili pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and opened it. Bilba caught a glimpse of a huge wad of cash before he pulled out what looked like a high denomination bill and tossed it on the table like it was simply a piece of paper. “Overwhelm perhaps.”

“Oh.” Bilba handed him his phone back.

He slid it into his back pocket and then held his hand out to her. “How about I tell you more later, after we’ve seen Dale and the festival?”

“All right.” Bilba took his hand slowly, ignoring the way the action sent an electric surge through her, and allowed him to pull her to her feet. “As long as you can answer one question right now.”

He paused and raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Bilba grinned. “It’s not Tuesday, is it?”

                                                    ***

The rest of the day counted as the best one of Bilba’s life.

She and Fili wandered practically every street of Dale, visiting shops, booths, watching dancers and street performers, and sampling more varieties of food than she knew existed.

There were games, most of which Fili said were rigged against the player, but they played them anyway and even won a few. Bilba refused to accept any prizes, or allow him to buy her anything as she knew there was no way she’d be able to explain the purchases to her stepmother.

Still, none of that stopped Fili from dragging her into at least three photo booths to take small, grainy pictures where they did everything except look polished and professional.

More often not, as they ran from one place to the next, Bilba found herself holding Fili’s hand. Sometimes he reached for hers but, on a few occasions, she was the one to take his. Each time she scolded her heart to behave but, as the day went on, those scoldings became less and less sincere.

As they went from place to place, Fili added in the promised tour, showing her different buildings and explaining their history. He also added stories about strange events he’d heard about, usually involving nobility, that had her nearly doubled over with laughter.

A few times, as they turned a corner, or headed down a new street, Bilba thought she spotted Dwalin’s tattoed head, or Nori’s distinct hairstyle through the crowds, but they were always gone when she turned to get a closer look. Fili never seemed to see them so she decided not to point it out and instead took solace in the fact that they were apparently concerned enough about her to keep an eye on her.

It was an odd, but pleasant, thought to think there was anyone out there concerned about her.

When evening started to fall, they headed for the plain and the rides that had so drawn her attention when they’d first arrived. Fili had recommended they stop eating a few hours beforehand and Bilba soon found out why as they sat in small cars that shot off at ridiculous speeds before spinning into curves, flips, and dives. Half the time she found herself clinging to Fili’s arm. On at least one ride, and possibly two, she threw her arms around him and used him as a physical anchor as the ride screamed through several tight turns and even went fully upside down.

It was dark, the area lit only by the flashing lights of the rides, when she and Fili finally took a break. He bought them both cotton candy and they sat on a small, false retaining wall on the edge of the area housing the rides.

For awhile, they simply sat and watched the flashing lights and listened to the screams of excited people as they went on the rides.

Bilba finished her cotton candy and cleared her throat. “So,” she said finally. “You mentioned you’d tell me later, about why you’re going to so much trouble for me.”

Fili sighed. He popped the last piece of his own cotton candy in his mouth and idly stared out at the rides. When he looked back at her, Bilba was surprised at how openly nervous he looked. “All right.” He ran a hand through his hair and scowled. “I literally have no idea where to start with this.”

Bilba shrugged. “Just start anywhere.”

“Yeah.” He ran his hands down his thighs. “How much do you know about Ereboreans and our culture?”

“Not a lot,” Bilba admitted.

“Right.” Fili stood up suddenly, fast enough that Bilba started and her eyes widened. He looked apologetic before clasping his hands together and saying, “so, there’s this thing about us. Don’t ask me to explain it. I’ve heard some try to argue it’s biological, some that it’s spiritual and some that it doesn’t exist at all.”

“What doesn’t?” Bilba asked in confusion. “Are you talking about your Blessing?” She understood enough to know that each of the races in Arda had a blessing gifted to them from Eru. The Shirelinegs could literally grow anything, anywhere, no matter the conditions. Those from Rivendell, Mirkwood and Lothlorien were gifted in song and music (one of the major reasons she had so much trouble getting audiences, one look at her and people wondered why she was playing piano and not growing tomatoes) while those of Rohan and Gondor were charismatic and talented orators.

She wasn’t honestly sure that anyone knew what the gift of the Ereboreans was, outside of the people themselves. They were a very private people, possessing their own language and culture that they rarely shared outside of the mountain.

“We have something called a One,” Fili blurted out. “It’s --” he frowned and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s really hard to explain. Not everyone finds their One, but when you do, you just know. Or, eventually, you do. It’s hard when you’ve never felt it before to recognize it right away but--” He trailed off and gave her a hopeful look. “Do you know what I’m saying?”

“Not really,” Bilba confessed. “Are you talking about soulmates?”

“No.” Fili spread his hands wide and crouched a little as if he could simply will her to understand. “I’m talking about someone you were born to connect with. Someone Eru himself created to be in your life. Someone who will understand you in a way no one else does.”

Bilba’s eyebrows drew together. “How is that not a soulmate?”

“Because you believe someone is your soulmate,” Fili said intensely. “I know you’re my One!”

The second the words left his mouth he went white. Dead white. His eyes widened, and his mouth gaped. Bilba heard him swear viciously, under his breath, and then he ran his hands over his head.

“I can’t believe I said that,” he said, almost to himself. He turned away from her, hands still clutching his head. “I wanted to explain -- Aule, I’m an idiot. You must think I’m insane.”

Bilba hesitated. She had no idea what he was talking about, but there was one thing she did know with absolute certainty.

The last three weeks of her life had been the best she could remember, and it was all because of this man. No one had ever treated her with the kindness, or care, or compassion he had. No one had ever tried so incredibly hard to make sure that she was happy, that she was looked out for and cared for.

No one had ever sat and simply listened to her the way he had.

She didn’t feel like she had to behave a certain way around him, that she had to be on her best behavior, that she had to stop acting a certain way or begin acting another. Sometimes she worried he might think her a complainer, or that he’d fail to believe her her the way her grandfather had but, if she were honest, she’d already complained and he hadn’t left, already told him quite a bit about her situation, and he hadn’t left.

He. Hadn’t. Left.

Carefully, she slid off the low wall and went to him. She put a hand lightly on his forearm, and jumped in surprise when he spun around to face her.

“So,” she said, lightly reaching out to hook a couple of her fingers around a few of his. “What does that mean, exactly? To be your One?”

He took her hand more fully in his, and ran his thumb along the back of it. “It can mean a lot of things,” he said softly. “Sometimes it means a best friend, a bond that goes as deep as blood, if not deeper.”

“And other times?” As she asked, Bilba caught his other hand and intertwined their fingers. She had no idea where this sudden boldness was coming from, or maybe she did. After all, if she was his One, didn’t that make him hers as well? And wouldn’t that explain everything she’d been experiencing the last three weeks? Feeling a connection with him, constantly surprising herself with the realization that she hadn’t known him for years?

He pulled his hands free, only to settle them gently on her hips. He pulled her closer and rested his forehead against hers. “It can mean other things,” he said softly, “but only if both sides make that choice. That’s where the blessing comes in, and why they’re called our One. Your One will never betray you as it would be like betraying themselves. They’ll be there for you, always and forever. On the good days and the bad, Through sickness or injury, poverty or wealth, til Eru welcomes you home.”

Bilba pulled her head back enough to look at him, still so close they were sharing the same breath. “That almost sounds like the marriage vow they use in Gondor.”

Fili’s lips quirked into a lazy smile. “Does it? Perhaps they stole it from us.”

Bilba rested her hands on his forearms where he was still holding her hips. “So my choice, huh?” she asked with a small smile. She was shaking with nerves and her stomach was twisting in on itself, but even so. She pushed up on her toes, bringing her mouth within centimeters of his. “What about your choice?” she whispered, eyes focusing on his lips.

He chuckled, a low rumble that vibrated through her from how close they were. Then he lowered his head the last two centimeters and pressed his lips to hers.

Pure electricity seemed to surge right through her. Bilba let out a small gasp and wrapped her arms around his neck. He dragged her closer, up on the very tips of her toes and wrapped his arms around her.

He broke off and buried his face against her neck, hugging her. Bilba wrapped one arm around his back and lightly trailed her other hand along the side of his face, playing her fingers along the braids and beads in his hair and mustache.

Fili let out a breath against her neck, and pulled back. He kissed her on the forehead and then released her to reach inside his jacket. “On that note,” he said with a smile. “I have something for you.”

Bilba’s eyes widened and she felt a tiny surge of panic. She definitely loved him, was certain she was on her way to being in love with him, and she believed him about the One thing but that didn’t mean she was ready to --

He pulled an envelope out and she relaxed with a sigh of relief. He caught it and chuckled. “Worried I was about to propose?”

“Little bit,” Bilba confessed. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he said sincerely. “Ones or not, it has been just three weeks. There’s no need to rush anything. We’ve got plenty of time.”

“Do we?” Bilba asked. Everything about this day, and even the three weeks prior, had been outright magical but reality was slowly starting to sink in.

She was still trapped.

She was still at the mercy of her stepmother, totally dependent upon her for a roof over her head, food and clothing. Granted, the roof and money should have been hers, was hers, but there was nothing she could do about it. Step out of line, and Lobelia would simply throw her out.

“Here,” Fili handed her the envelope.

Bilba opened it and pulled out, of all things, an invitation to the ball taking place the following day. “An invitation to the ball?” she asked in confusion. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go, it was just she’d never expressed any particular interest one way or the other.

“Not quite.” Fili took it back and opened it to hand her a second sheet of paper. “You’re not just being invited to the ball. You’re being invited to play at the ball.” He bounced a bit as he spoke, eyes shining with excitement. “You play at Erebor’s ball and everyone is going to know your name, Ghivashel.”

Bilba frowned at the strange word he’d used, but was too busy trying to understand what he was saying to focus much on it. “I don’t understand. Why would that matter?”

“Because once the nobility of Middle Earth knows you’re supported by the royal family of Erebor, everyone is going to want you. You’re going to get invited to play everywhere, by very powerful people.” He took her hands in his. “People who pay very well, and your stepmother won’t be able to touch a single coin of it.”

“I--” Bilba stared at the invitation. How in the world had he even gotten it, much less gotten her the opportunity to play? “It won’t matter though. My stepmother will just take it. She takes everything.”

Fili shook his head. “Not this time. You’re an adult, Sweetheart. I want you to live with me -- “ he cut himself off and shook his head. “With my family,” he corrected. “My parents are both there, and my brother and fiancee. You’ll have your own room. You’ll have a place to stay, and your own money coming in. No one but you will touch it.”

Bilba blinked up at him, and then looked at the envelope again. “I don’t -- you don’t --” She frowned at him.

“You’ve had your life dictated to you long enough,” Fili said. “I don’t want you to ever feel like I was your only choice, or like I’m simply taking the place of your stepmother.” He folded his hands over hers partially crumpling the invitation in her hands. “Believe me when I say I want you to stay forever, but I want it because you chose it, not because it was all you had. You can play and live with us, or you can do something else. I just want you to know it’s up to you. Your own money. Your own choices. Your own life.”

Bilba stared at him, and then at the invitation again. Then she took a step forward, hooked an arm around his neck and kissed him. “Thank you.” She pulled away and realized she was shaking. She let out a breath and smiled shakily at him. “Sorry, it’s just--”

“A lot,” Fili said. “I know. Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” She smiled at him. “At least you don’t have to worry about it anymore, right? Everything  you needed to tell me.”

“Yeah,” he sighed and absently rubbed the back of his head. “About that. There is one more thing I’m going to have to tell you.” He gave her a bashful look that made him look incredibly young. “I was thinking I’d tell you tomorrow though, at the ball?”

“Is tomorrow a Tuesday?” Bilba asked.

“It is not,” Fili assured her with humor. “So no worries there.”

Bilba nodded. “All right then.” She reached out and took his hand in hers. “Until tomorrow then.”

His lips pulled back in a brilliant smile that made her want to kiss him again. “Until tomorrow.”

                                                      ***

Fili took her back to the venue and then drove her to the hotel she was staying in. Once there she couldn’t help but lean over to kiss him before getting out and heading inside. The hotel was one of the nicer ones she’d stayed in, with an entrance she needed a keycard to enter and an armed guard standing watch.

As she stepped off the elevator onto the floor she was staying on, Bilba was almost in a trance. The entire day had been a dream and she couldn’t help but twirl a few times as she made her way down the hall, almost euphoric with happiness.

She was in such a state, in fact, that she completely forgot the entire reason she’d been at the venue that morning was because she’d had a performance scheduled for that evening. A performance they’d sold exactly zero tickets for thanks to the festival going on, but a performance, nonetheless.

It had entirely slipped her mind during the day while she was out with Fili, and it continued to slip her mind, right up until the moment she opened the room to her door and found Lobelia waiting for her.

Follow on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22263070/chapters/53163472

[destiel-love-forever]

15.3 CODA: Part 2

Read part one [HERE]

Castiel wakes just as the sun is rising. Despite not getting much sleep, he feels rested and ready to take on the day. As rested and ready as possible under the circumstances, anyway. The coffee pot is full of dark liquid that’s still warm. A yellow sticky note is stuck to the front of the machine, neat writing informing him that Jody had to go into work early, and telling him to help himself to anything he needs until she’s back at four P.M.

After pouring himself a cup of coffee, Castiel walks over to the two large sliding glass doors by the kitchen table and heads outside. The air is cool and crisp, but it feels nice. Refreshing. Castiel leans on the railing of the wooden deck and looks out at the brilliant colors of the back yard. The leaves are breathtaking.

“It’s freezing out here,” Castiel hears from the sliding doors. He glances over his shoulder and forces a smile when he sees Claire standing there.

“I don’t mind.”

She gives him a critical look before stepping out onto the porch and offering him a blanket, hat, scarf, and mittens. When he stares at them instead of taking them from her, she rolls her eyes. “You’re such a doof. Come here.”

When Castiel approaches her, she tugs the burgundy hat over his head, then winds the scarf around his neck. He gets with the program and gives her his coffee so she can hold it while he puts the mittens on as well. After, she wraps the flannel blanket around his shoulders and pats him on the shoulder.

“Much better,” Claire declares. Castiel just now notices that she’s dressed similarly, her black jacket matched with a black hat, a gray scarf, and a pair of mittens that are black with white and gray polka dots. She gives him his coffee back and smiles. “Now, you go ahead and do your weird staring off into space thing that you were just doing, but when you’re done, come inside. We have a long day ahead of us.”

“We do?”

“Yup. All sorts of plans.”

“We have plans? You and I?” Castiel asks, trying to clarify.

She rolls her eyes. “And Alex, too, yup. Chop chop.”

With two claps of her mitted hands, she heads back inside. He stares at the sliding door for another moment before turning his focus back to the trees.

“What in the world could they have planned with me?” he asks the myriad of red, yellow, and orange.

The trees don’t answer.

Just another reason to hate Chuck.

----

The first stop on their schedule is to a bakery. Castiel, Alex, and Claire all get something to drink and eat before hopping back in the car. As they drive, Claire and Alex talk to each other in a constant babble, letting Castiel be as he enjoys his hot cocoa and blueberry muffin. He's feeling much better now that his stomach is full and he's decently rested. Claire must be able to sense this, because she broaches the subject they've all clearly been avoiding as Alex pulls the car into a store parking lot.

"How are you, Cas? Jody said it was a rough night?"

"Rough few days," Castiel says quietly, looking down at his empty to-go cup. "I'll be fine, though. I am always fine."

There's a pause long enough for him to glance up. He finds that both girls are now frowning at him. "What?"

"Well, you're talking to two experts on pretending to be fine when you're really a fucking mess, so don't bullshit us," Claire says matter-of-factly.

"What Claire meant to say in a much kinder way, I'm sure," Alex says with an eye roll, "Is that you don't have to pretend with us. We don't have to talk about it, but feel free to do so. Or to just be sad or whatever else you feel like being. Okay?"

Castiel nods, understanding. "Okay."

"Great. Now, let's fix your coat."

Looking down at his trench coat, Castiel asks, “What’s wrong with my coat?”

“First of all, it’s thin, and you’re clearly more human now considering the way you scarfed down that muffin, so you need something warmer,” Alex explains. “It’s nearly winter now. You’re going to be too cold in that, Cas.”

“Oh.”

“Plus, that thing is atrocious, and old. My dad got that for Christmas when I was like… five. Time for a change, dude.”

Castiel doesn’t like change. He’s had enough damn change in his life recently. Eleven years ago, he commanded a garrison. He was one of Michael’s chosen few. Was given the privilege to save the righteous man. Michael’s true vessel. It was one of the highest honors.

He was respected.

He was feared.

Then he fell in love with humanity. With Dean, if we’re being honest. Those freckles that were like a galaxy on pale skin. Those green eyes that held so many questions and even more answers.

Castiel lost it all.

But he’ll tell ya what - he still has this trench coat. It’s been to hell and back - more than once. It’s all he has left.

That’s why, even though he’s shown multiple options, given at least a dozen eye rolls, and told twice that he’s a doof, Castiel walks out of the coat store with something very similar to his trusty trench coat, just made of wool instead so it’s warmer.

----  

Pumpkin patches are wondrous places. Castiel had assumed it'd be a small farm with pumpkins everywhere, but that's not the case. At least not here. Yes, there are pumpkins. Many, many pumpkins, all of different shapes, sizes, and even colors. But there are also apples - an entire orchard of gorgeous red apples. There’s a corn maze, which Castiel finds both entertaining and frustrating. He gets lost so many times before a five or six year old child takes pity on him by leading him out. It was still a lot of fun, even if Alex and Claire teased him for being terrible at it.

They went for a hayride, too. The farm provided them with big flannel blankets and hot cocoa as they rode in the back, brought around the entire farm, the man driving telling them fascinating information on the crops and harvest, as well as the history of the area and the farm. Then they got to pet the farm animals. Castiel became fond of a horse that enjoyed licking his face. He even giggled, which felt very good to be honest.

Of course, Castiel’s favorite part of their day at the farm was the Bakery & Farm Store. He’s never tasted anything so delicious. They sat at a little table for over an hour, stuffing their faces until Castiel nearly got sick. Between the three of them sharing their treats, they all tried apple cider donuts, cinnamon rolls, strawberry crepes, apple pie, strawberry cream cheese danish, chocolate covered croissants, strawberry rhubarb pie, blueberry muffins, and caramel apple pie. The little old lady running the place liked them so much, she shared her pumpkin pie recipe with Castiel, who promised he’d go home and make it that night.

They left the farm with seven pumpkins, two bags of apples, a dozen apple cider donuts - which were Castiel’s favorite - and caramel apples to-go. By the time Castiel got to the car, he was full, happy, and exhausted. It was the perfect combo to curl up in the backseat and take a little snooze during their long ride home.

He fell asleep smiling.

----

Dean is wide awake despite it being the middle of the night. He's been stalking Castiel's Instagram. Yes. Instagram. Apparently Claire and Alex thought he needed one. Dean only has the damn thing to stalk Dr. Sexy MD actors, but now he's using it to stalk a certain falling angel he can't stop thinking about.

Since he saw the first picture, Dean has been refreshing the page every other minute. It had been a picture taken by Claire, which is how Dean originally came across it, with Castiel tagged in it. He was standing outside, wrapped in a flannel blanket and drinking something from a mug as he stared off at the colorful backyard. Claire's caption had been: Finally finding his peace.

That was at 4:07 P.M, though clearly it had been taken much earlier in the day.

Suffice to say, Dean has gotten nothing accomplished tonight. He hasn't even eaten dinner. All he's done is sit in his room, drink whiskey, and refresh the page.

At 4:37 P.M, there had been the first two photos uploaded by Castiel himself. One was of him reaching up to pluck a leaf off of a tree. The other was just his mitted hand holding the same leaf. The caption for the two was a simple: My favorite.

Dean ached at the fact he wasn't there. He wondered what Castiel's face looked like when he caught sight off this one perfect leaf. Wondered if he had smiled when he finally got it in his hands. Wondered if Castiel still had the leaf, or if he had easily tossed it onto the ground after the photo, just like Dean had done to him.

At 4:42 P.M, Claire uploaded a few photos. One was of Castiel in his new coat and winter gear Dean noticed in the previous photos. He was smiling at something off to the side, a pumpkin patch lined by colorful trees behind him. The next was of Castiel's mittens holding a blue travel coffee mug. Then a photo of Castiel's torso as he holds a pumpkin. Dean knew it was Castiel because of the tiny scar on his thumb. It was from nicking himself with an angel blade last week. With his lowered grace, it hasn't healed properly. Dean had to choke down a new wave of guilt at that reminder before he could look at the final photo. It was of the girls and Castiel around a table where they seemed to be carving pumpkins. They were laughing.

Castiel was wearing a new sweater.

At 5:13 P.M, Castiel posted a photo of a carved pumpkin. It was quite awful. The eyes were different sizes, the nose was partially cut out, but the piece of pumpkin was still stuck inside of it for some reason, and the smile was… unique. The caption was: Claire said I 'nailed it.'

Dean had to wait two hours for another photo. And that's what he did. He waited. Did nothing but drink and hate himself. And, of course, refresh the page.

At 7:22 P.M, Castiel finally posted another photo. It made Dean's heart skip. Well… the caption had, anyway. The pumpkin pie itself was a bit shaky, considering the darker-than-they-should-be edges. But the caption had brought tears to Dean's eyes. It would have tasted better with you.

Dean had tried calling Claire after that. Then Alex. Then Claire again. They ignored him. When he tried calling Jody, she sent a text back saying she was at work, asking if it was an emergency.

With a fresh glass of whiskey, he had waited.

At 8:36 P.M, Castiel posted two more pictures. One of someone making a s'more, a bonfire in the background. The other, two pairs of feet wearing wool socks as they rest up against the side of the fire pit. To the right were blue socks with little snowflakes on them. To the left were bright yellow socks covered in bumble bees.

Dean knew which one was Castiel.

The caption was a simple: Happy.

It made Dean curl into his pillow and cry.

The last one that Dean saw was at 11:57 P.M. It showed Castiel sitting on a bed, holding a purple mug with Witch Please written on it in one hand, and holding an open book in the other. He was in a gray hooded sweater, his legs covered with a blanket the same color as his gorgeous eyes. It was captioned: "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."

It's at 3:09 A.M. that Dean realizes Castiel must have fallen asleep.

He crawls under the covers and closes his eyes after, heart racing even though it has no reason to be. It takes a while for the whiskey soaked exhaustion to win over his mind, but eventually Dean slips into a dream.

Castiel is there. In a pumpkin patch. He looks at Dean with a smile and hands him a beautiful leaf. "My favorite for my favorite."

And Dean kisses him.

He kisses him like his life depends on it.

He kisses him like he knows, deep down, that he'll soon have to wake up.

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[cravingcrazewriting]

Reinvent Yourself {Treebros}

(Sorry about the error in the first one! It won’t let me edit it at the moment)

Being a shapeshifter was convenient for a number of reasons.

Evan could pretend to be anyone but himself, well, as long as he didn't strain himself too hard (that was never fun). He could completely redesign his body and alter the features he hated so much.

Even if he'd grown up in the confides of a government lab, and he didn't exactly get a childhood, he deserved to have a little fun, damn it, and explore the world he barely knew. He was finally free, and could do whatever he wanted.

Well, nothing illegal, obviously. He also had to keep an eye out for any government agents looking for him. But that was besides the point.

After flashing an ID at the bouncer, he stepped inside the bar and immediately was met with quite possibly the most beautiful person there.

They had a long, well built figure, with oak brown hair that poured down to their shoulders. Around their waist was a leather jacket, and they were wearing a black tank top, accompanied with multiple rings on long fingers, and ripped jeans to tie the whole outfit together.

Immediately, Evan turned on his heel and ran out and into an alleyway. He had to impress the beautiful stranger, and well, he couldn't, being his actual, boring self. His boring, actual self, who had sandy blonde hair, green eyes and the right mixed with red, soft skin, a snake tattoo on his upper back, little to no muscle whatsoever, and sort of plump build.

Throwing off a drawstring bag he previously had around his shoulders, he quickly stripped naked so his clothes wouldn't rip. Once this was done, he shut his eyes, and tried to imagine himself changing into a more attractive person.

He imagined curly, brown hair, a large physique, skinny waist, and a sharp jawline. Yeah, that'd do. He could change into the opposite sex, but most times he preferred using a male form, but couldn't do an animal, but everything else was fair game.

Bones began to unhinge and rearrange, as muscles started to expand, as his size grew, hair curled to his will, his vocal cords deepened, as his body made snapping and twisting sounds (it was never pleasant to do, let alone listen to).

When he opened his eyes, he was an entirely different person. On the outside, at least, but he could fake it till he made it, he supposed. It would work for the time being, until he didn't have to pretend anymore.

He doubted that'd be anytime soon, though, but that was beside the point.

Evan pulled out his ID again and looked directly at it. What was special about it was that it scanned all of his new facial features, and printed it onto the photo, adding on other specifics, like his height and stuff.

He strode over to the bouncer with confidence in his step, after putting a different set of clothes on, showed him the new ID, and went inside to find the beautiful stranger.

The Beautiful Stranger was sitting on a stool, on their phone, and a class of water sitting in front of them. They moved a hand downwards, and moved the sleeve of their leather jacket, before grabbing the water and taking a sip.

Evan decided to take the initiative, slowly sitting next to them, sparing a glance at their features.

They were a lot stronger than Evan anticipated. While they didn't have a body builder physic, the discarded jacket left a full view of two defined and broad biceps that this person could use to easily pin Evan against a wall or something because he just wasn't that strong of a guy. Sure, he could make himself strong, but it wore him out faster.

He wanted to speak to Beautiful Stranger, but the bartender already came over, and was asking him what he wanted to drink.

"Just some water, please," Evan didn't put any thought into the order, he just wanted the bartender to leave him alone. He spared a glance at Beautiful Stranger, wanting to initiate a conversation somehow.

Maybe a compliment would do? He wouldn't know, he never flirted with anyone before.

"Your hair looks soft," as he let the words unintentionally tumble out of his mouth, he realized that was a really fucking weird thing to say to someone. It sounded weird, too, and he was probably freaking Beautiful Stranger out, now.

Beautiful Stranger turned their head towards Evan, surprised by the compliment, but they smiled, and it was small and kind and friendly and just really nice.

"Thank you," they nodded their head at Evan, in a friendly type of way.

Evan wasn't good at upholding conversations. He really preferred it when someone else upheld it for him, because coming up with questions and creating small talk just wasn't his forte. "Where— where do you get it styled?"

"Oh um, this is all natural, actually," Beautiful Stranger gestured to the wild curls. Evan internally decided he'd keep referring to them as them until he heard a name or other characteristics because he did not want to assume anything. "It's god awful to take care of. It just— does it's own thing— that's how curly it is, it's ridiculous. Back in high school my dad would always tell me to chop it if I complained, but I was as stubborn as a mule, I suppose."

"I can't say the same," Evan chuckled meekly. "My uh— I was never aloud to grow out my hair. They always c-chopped it if I tried growing it out." Back when he was still living in a lab, his primary caretaker, Doctor Sherman, didn't let Evan grow out his hair or change it in any way, shape, or form. Previously before, he didn't know why they wouldn't let him grow it out or dye it, but he knew it was just to keep his appearance consistent on his file. Now that he was free, he was growing out his natural hair to a mullet.

"Oh," Beautiful Stranger looked like they wanted to say more, but chose not to. "I'm sorry," they looked away from him.

And just like that, the conversation died.

Evan resisted the urge to sigh, instead drinking his water, slightly disappointed. He needed a new plan, so he paid and left the bar, going back to the alleyway.

If some friendly banter didn't work, maybe seduction would do the trick? While he didn't know what attracted Beautiful Stranger, he decided he'd settle on a tall, skinny girl, with long, black hair, and would wear a shiny, ruby red dress with flats. It'd be the easiest way to find out what exactly caught Beautiful Stranger's eye (and if Beautiful Stranger seemed uncomfortable, Evan would back off, because he would never want to do something like that to them).

He let his muscles shrink and become more femininely shaped, as fat faded away and gentle curves smoothed their way up his thighs and hips, and his bones shrank and rearranged, as his face become a softer shape (despite having a women's body, he still preferred being as a guy).

Evan once again showed the bouncer his ID as he entered, spotting Beautiful Stranger just where he left them. He strutted over to him, feigning confidence, and willing his hands not to shake.

He gave them a gentle shoulder stroke to catch their attention, and trailed his finger down their arm.

Beautiful Stranger shuddered at the touch, and looked at Evan, seeming to be surprised.

"Hey hot stuff," he purred, silently hoping he was coming off as seductive and not as a predator or anything. "You're looking very nice tonight."

They chuckled somewhat awkwardly, and gave a little smile. "Um.. thanks?"

"You come here often?" Evan leant against the counter, allowing a relaxed pose to take its place.

"Not really? Look, you're attractive, and I mean like, super attractive, you're so beautiful but..." Beautiful Stranger let out a sigh. "I've stopped doing one night stands, and I'm here with my sister, celebrating something kinda important. So if you're looking for a hookup, sorry, but I can't."

Evan was surprised by his honesty, but stood up straight, knowing he wasn't wanted anymore. "Alright, I get it. I'll be on my way."

"Thank you," They seemed relieved. As Evan made his way out, he could feel their eyes on them. They cleared their throat and said, "Is that a snake tattoo?"

Evan turned his head back, seeing some of his tattoo slip out. He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised, as the dress he wore was a bit revealing, especially in his backside. He just nodded.

"What's it mean?" Beautiful Stranger asked.

Ironically, Evan had never been the one who chosen that tattoo. Doctor Sherman chose where it went and what it was, and that was that. That was four years ago, and he was just twenty two, and while he could try to get it removed, it was a special tattoo that changed along with whatever form he took (the same went with his right red-green eye).

"Er— I guess it's a conception of judging something by it's appearance, but it being completely different," he just made all of that up, because what else was he supposed to say?

Beautiful Stranger hummed thoughtfully, before turning away from him.

Throughout the night, Evan tried using different forms and personalities in an attempt to impress Beautiful Stranger, but none seemed to work. They didn't seem to bat an eye at the different people he made, and whatever conversations they had were short and unimportant. Evan could only assume they just didn't like him. It was somehow, still, just him.

Evan entered the bar a final time that evening, wearing a basic blue button up, neat jeans that had little to no holes, and a grey jacket, as he swung his drawstring bag that was filled with his various outfits he'd used that night. Evan was tired, and quite frankly just wanted to drink and to drown his sorrows in them. In the back of his mind, he told himself to stay sober enough to rent a motel to pass out in (he didn't have an actual place to stay).

He sat down a couple of seats away from Beautiful Stranger. He just couldn't bear another rejection or let down. He wanted to be alone, probably for the first time all night, with whatever drink he'd buy.

"What'll it be?" The bartender from earlier approached him.

"I'd like some Rose Wine, p-please," Evan fidgeted with the hem on his jacket. "And put it on my tab?"

As he ordered, he couldn't help but feel a set of eyes on him, which was weird, because he wasn't remotely interesting to be watching. While granted, Evan was a shapeshifter, he tried to live his life as vanilla as possible, because that's what he missed, he never got to live normally, and he probably never will, because the government is still after him, and all he wants to do is meet his mom, who supposedly just 'gave him up', which he doesn't really buy, not at all, and go live in Canada, because he erased all files on him before he left, so they wouldn't be able to get him (or at least, he assumed). The only thing holding him back was the lack of money he had, and he'd need a job for a good solid few months, but he also couldn't stay on the streets, because that was unsanitary, and it was only going to get colder and colder each and every day.

"Bad day?" A familiar voice asked above him, settling into the seat beside his.

Evan didn't even want to raise his head to face them, so he just shrugged feebly. "Shitty night..." he said softly, and fuck, when did his eyes start watering? Doctor Sherman always called him sensitive, and told him he needed to mask and control his emotions. It wasn't like he could control his emotions, no matter how much he wanted to, because feelings were complicated and messy, and he just wanted them gone so he wouldn't have to deal with him.

"You um, wanna talk about it?" The stranger offered, and his curiosity got the better of him, as he raised his head from the counter top, and wow, okay, it was Beautiful Stranger sitting next to him, giving him a look of worry that could be compared to offering someone their condolences when a family/friend died, which was kind of baffling, because they hadn't really cared about him before, well, more like the different versions of him, actually, they'd never formally met like his true, god awful form, and yet he was getting more attention than any of his others did.

For obvious reasons, he couldn't tell him he was trying to talk to him all night, because he'd sound crazy, so he had to make something up. "Er— my b-boyfriend, he didn't like how anxious I was— or well, still am, actually— with like, everything, and I— I tried to change for him, but... nothing worked... so he b-broke it off with me..."

"So wait. You were trying to change yourself for some selfish asshole, while you have anxiety?" Beautiful Stranger looked pissed off, but not at him.

Evan nodded feebly, not saying anything. Really, what could he have said?

"You deserve better than him," Beautiful Stranger said firmly, shaking their head. "You're better off."

The bartender set down a cup of Rose Wine, and Evan suddenly remembered his plan. Taking the cup, he downed it and asked, "Why're you here?"

"Celebrating with my sis. I'm four years clean from cutting and two years clean from smoking weed," it was weird, because they seemed more eager to tell him about this than before in his other form.

"That— that's great," he smiled at them, because it was great, and it had to be a big achievement if they felt the need to celebrate it.

"It hasn't been easy, but it's worth it... What about you?" Again, there's hesitation in their voice, but they fight through it. It's kind of admirable.

In a way, Evan's addicted to shapeshifting. He absolutely loves being able to reinvent himself, despite the pain that rushes through his body, and it never fails to get his blood pumping.

But it's another thing he can't tell Beautiful Stranger. So, he says, "Lying. I hate conflict."

"But you aren't lying to me," Beautiful Stranger was smiling at him, and was he flirting? Evan couldn't tell.

"Or— or so you think," really, he was lying to them, but only about small stuff.

"If you were lying, you'd get defensive, and well, you aren't," Beautiful Stranger laughed slightly.

Evan sputtered, "I mean— well—I guess."

Beautiful Stranger squinted at him, and then smiled, "Wait, hold on, you have it too?"

"Have— have w-what too?" Evan was confused by what he meant.

"Your eye. It's got a little red in it," they clarified.

Evan's face flushed, and he looked away, covering it. Doctor Sherman could never find out where the red came from, and called it a 'scientific anomaly'. "Oh... sorry. It's weird, I know."

"Wait, no! I didn't mean it like that!" Beautiful Stranger rushed, and— that's their hand? It's so soft. "Just. Look at me?"

Evan sighed internally, but complied, and watched Beautiful Stranger brush their beautiful, long hair out of their face, revealing his left brown eye with a large amount of blue in it. He gasped, gazing at it.

"I wanted to say we both have Heterochromia," they chuckled awkwardly.

"Oh..." Evan said softly, trying hard not to stare at them. He knew from experience how awkward it was to have people staring at him, but he couldn't help it. They were just... so beautiful (hence the nickname), and Evan would stare at them for forever if he could, and fuck, their hand was still on top of his, and their gaze was directed at him and felt all too tingly in a sudden moment.

His thoughts were interrupted by the bartender coming by. "Want a refill?"

Evan nodded to them, and watched as the cup filled once more with the Rose Wine, taking it afterwards, and took another drink.

Beautiful Stranger grimaced, "Please tell me you didn't drive here."

Evan finished half of it before setting the cup down. The alcohol was really starting to set in. "Can't drive if I don't have a car," he shot finger guns at him somewhat awkwardly.

"So you walked," they assumed, "cause I don't think you'll be okay to go out on the streets like this."

"I'll be fine!" Evan laughed, and oh yeah, the alcohol was really hitting now. "I don't—" he hiccuped, probably from not having any water in between drinks. "I don't even know y-your— name!"

"It's Connor. Connor Murphy," Beautif— no, Connor Mur— no, beautiful Connor Murphy, smiled at him, and Evan decided it was safe to assume his pronouns were he/him unless told otherwise.

Evan slowly raised his arm so Connor could take his hand, but it probably looked weird, but everything was spinning and he'd rather not fall off of his stool and get a concussion. Never the less, Connor The Beautiful took his hand and shook it.

"I'm... beautiful," he whispered, not really used to calling Connor by his actual name. He was just so beautiful, he couldn't help it.

"While I won't deny that, I still need your name," Connor laughed, letting go of his hand. Evan just let it drop, sort of like it was weightless.

"Oh," Evan drank the rest of his second cup, and asked for a third. He laughed at the fuzziness gathering in his chest and said, "It's Evan."

Oh so beautiful Connor was smiling shyly at him. "Well Evan, maybe I can convince my sister to give you a ride home?"

It dawns on Evan that he kind of can't accept his offer. He'd love to, definitely, without a doubt, but he just have a home. His cup was filled once again, so he took another drink, trying to figure out how to tell Connor he couldn't without hurting his feelings.

"I— don't have one," well, congratulations Evan, for being brutally honest with this super hot stranger that he'd never see again.

Admitting to homelessness probably always sparked concerned, Evan reasoned to himself, as he saw Connor's expression melt into shock. "What? But where have you been staying?"

"Shelters, hotels, motels, and sometimes on a bench," he laughed dryly. He was painfully used to this routine by now, but it's not like he could leave.

"God, I'm so sorry for asking," Connor groaned, hiding his face in his hand.

Another drink went down the hatch. " 'm not mad or anyth'ng, you d'dn't know." He was forgetting to articulate his 'i's, he was aware, but did that really matter? No, he was drunk, and he could do whatever he wanted (well, he'd probably get in trouble, but that didn't matter to his drunken mind).

"Fuck, are you going to be okay?" Again, there was that look of worry, while Sober Evan would appreciated, Drunk Evan didn't want to be pitied.

" 'll be fine," he insisted, his cup becoming empty. "Just need a motel."

"Well when you're done, can I take you to one?" Connor took a moment to pause. "And I know it's weird, because we barely know each other, but I promise it's not out of pity, but because you're important."

'Important to the government? Yes. Important around here? No,' Evan thought to himself, but didn't actually say it. "Okay."

While Evan had a couple more drinks, Connor made some small talk. He talked about how hellous his high school years were, as he was at the bottom of the food chain, among with the relentless expectations from his parents didn't make life easier. He'd spiraled into depression, and struggled with it for the longest time, but eventually got a support system he could fall back on if needed be. He went into Graphic Design and was interning to design Buildboards with a company. In the spring, he'd graduate and start working there, while his sister majored in Astromony, and her girlfriend, Alana graduated early with to be a Paralegal (that was normal for her, because she always went the extra mile, he explained).

Once done, Connor talked to a blonde haired girl Evan could only assume was Zoe. With every passing moment, he could feel his legs wobble and he had to use the counter to stay upright. Connor noticed this, and coaxed Evan into grabbing onto his shoulder for balance, which was super nice, as he lead him out into his car.

It was embarrassing that he couldn't even get his seatbelt on without help, but all he could do was slump back against against the seat and mope. Connor was typing into his phone, looking for a nearby motel, most likely, and Evan couldn't help but feel just... so lucky. He knew guys like Connor weren't nearly as common as he'd like to believe, and just the fact he was doing this for him... Just was amazing.

Finding a motel didn't take nearly as long as he thought it would, much to Evan's disappointment. Was it wrong he wanted to be around him so much? He barely knew him, and yet there he was, wanting to see him again.

"Can you get inside okay?" Connor turned to him once the car was parked.

Really, Connor was just too sweet for his own good. Was he trying to leave Evan swooning hopelessly after him, cause he hoped not. "Yeah. It's just a few feet."

But just when he was about to step out of the car, Connor spoke up, "Can I have your number?"

Evan felt frozen in his spot, out of fear or anticipation, he couldn't tell.

"It's just— believe it or not, I've had a really nice time talking with you tonight, and I wanted to see you again," Holy fuck, that smile, it was like finding a diamond in the rough. So beautiful and rare, and aimed just at him.

Evan could feel himself fumbling for his phone, and handed it over, watching Connor take his out so he could take it. He silently typed in his number, seeing Connor smiling as he did the same, and they swapped back. He couldn't believe it. He'd gotten Connor's number.

And as he stumbled into the cheapest motel room he could find for the night, he felt like he finally did something right for once.

[princess-kaulise]

@shinyorangemushroom, I’m your secret sant! Sorry I was late, I was out of town.  I decided that christmas shopping is something you do during the winter, right?  .... I’ll just let you get to reading ^.^;; Merry Belated Christmas!

AO3 Word Count: 1448

The dusting of snow along the school campus was light, falling to the ground and coating it for rarely more than a day. But the arrival of snow meant the arrival of cold, and for most students, that meant it was time to dig out warm clothing for the winter. Warm scarves and jackets and maybe hats, though there was no doubt part of that was to just look cute. Aelita was excited to go out and spend a day on the town. She had been making plans with all of her friends, to get some time spent in before winter break really got under way and everyone went home for the next couple of weeks. That way, even if she did decide to go home with someone, she had gotten time with everyone.

Now if only her ‘date’ for today would be on time. Here she was, waiting by the gate for Odd to make his way to the gate. Though she wasn’t surprised. Knowing him, he was just now getting out of bed because it was very much winter and he was even harder than usual to get up around this time. Or maybe she was wrong, if the blob of purple against the pure white background was any indication. “Hey Princess!” He came to a stop in front of her, absolutely not almost slipping in the snow trying to get to the gate. “You’re late, you know.” She reminded him. A yip drew her attention to Odd’s bag. Oh come on… Odd caught where Aelita’s eyes were looking. “Oh! Yeah, I brought Kiwi with me. He’s been real neglected lately with finals and stuff, ya know? I just couldn’t leave my poor dog in dorm all by himself!” He opened the bag to show Aelita the dog inside, and to let him out. And out popped kiwi, in all his doggie glory, with purple doggie jacket and pink booties.

“You remember we were planning to go christmas shopping right?” Aelita asked, kneeling down to greet the dog with a cheerful headscritch. Just because his owner was a dork didn’t mean that Kiwi didn’t deserve pets. “Yeah? What of it?” “...Dogs aren’t allowed in stores.” She had a feeling Odd knew that. And by the grin, she wasn’t sure she was going to like the answer that she was going to get. 

“Oh, I have a plan, don’t you worry Princess.” ...This was going to end with them banned from shopping, wasn’t it? 

The shopping center was moderately packed, with many people out to complete (or start, if you had chosen to procrastinate like Odd had) their christmas shopping. Bright lights covered the building with a gorgeous wreath in the windows. No matter how many years Aelita lived here, she didn’t think she was ever quite going to tire of the decorations.

All around them were equally decorated stores, windows lit up, displays drawing her attention all the way to the ceiling. Kiwi was trying to get away with from Odd to investigate the strange noises and smells. Odd was searching through his bag searching for his shopping list, face scrunched up slightly when he couldn’t find it. 

“Oh come on, I have to have brought it…” He grumbled under his breathe. Kiwi stuck his nose into Odd’s bag possibly to help him search. “No, Kiwi, I don’t have any treats for you right now- Aha!”

He held up a piece of folded paper, folded several times over with purple secret! Scrawled on the front. “Alright, let’s see…” He unfolded the present, skimming over it. Aelita craned her neck to see who he was shopping for out of curiousity. Kiwi was at the top of the list, with a drawing of kiwi doodled in the spaces next to it. Below that were their friends and his sisters. And in little writing at the bottom was a name beginning with a W before Odd folded it up. “Alright, got it!” He said triumphantly. Oh well, she was spying, she couldn’t complain if she didn’t see the whole thing. She’d probably figure it out. “Who do you want to start with?” There was a lot of places to go and she could barely choose between them!

Odd covered his eyes and spun around dramatically, making far more of a show than it needed to be. Plus if he riled up his dog, it could lead to unwanted attention. His finger landed on a fashion shop at the opposite end of the central lobby. “Let’s start there.” Well, it was as good a place as any to start, yeah? The two of them made their way towards the shop, and Aelita decided that it was a worthy first stop. Based on appearances alone, she wasn’t sure she’d find much that’d impress Yumi, but there was no way to knowfor sure until she looked inside. But there was certainly stuff int here that would interest her! It’d be a good look into stuff she’d want to buy later, and that made it a good stop by itself. “Now, Princess, I’m going to show you something really neat, alright?” Odd stepped out of line of sight from the window, and knelt down. “Come here Kiwi, c’mere, there we go!” He picked up his dog and held him to his chest. “See, he’s already dressed up, so if I carry him, it’s like I have a baby and they won’t know the difference!” She rolled her eyes. That was Odd’s bright plan? Somehow, she wasn’t really surprised, but if he thought it’d work… She reached over and grabbed the end of his scarf and draped it over Kiwi’s body. “I’m pretty sure human babies don’t have four legs.” “Psh, details, details. No one will notice, honest.”

Maybe she should let him go in by himself, so she could theoretically return later and get anything she wanted. . . Nah, she couldn’t abandon him to that. “Well, if you’re sure.” The clerk at the counter only spared them a short glance when they first walked in. Kiwi was behaving himself fairly well, or at least, wasn’t making much noise, seemingly contented by the gentle scritches on the head Odd was giving him. The selection of the store really was wonderful, and the accessories were cute. As guessed, there was no one really on Aelita’s shopping list that’d really like anything here, though there were cute gloves and hats that Aelita may just have to come back for herself.

Actually, with there was a cute barrette that was red and a dark enough purple to almost look black. Maybe she’d grab that, she could thing of someone that’d it look nice on… Mind made, she bought it.

“Alright, I think I got everything!” Odd said, the arm not holding Kiwi filled with miscellaneous goodies. Now, they’d have to go up and actually face the woman at the counter, and see if they could get away with actually breaking the rules.

Aelita checked out first, just in  case. She had less things, and she would like to be able to actually buy the barrette before they possibly got kicked out. She put the gift in her purse and stepped aside to allow Odd to drop his pile of presents onto the counter in front of the lady. And then things went wrong.

Odd nudged Kiwi enough while putting things down that he actually barked, causing the clerk to look up at him. “Is that a dog…” “Of course not!” Odd said, before she had a chance to convince herself that it was. “That’s just my son, Kiwi! He’s just learning to talk, you see.” Oh, don’t burst into laughter and ruin it early, Aelita. “That’s right!” She hoped her grin wasn’t too cheeky. “And he just loves animals.” Odd nodded. “Isn’t that right, my d- son.” He nuzzled the dog, causing him to bark again. Aelita held her arms out for Kiwi. “I’ll take our- son.” And she could get out of here before she burst into highly unfortunate laughter. “Thank you dear!” He handed the dog over to her, and she hurried out, catching the clerk’s “pay for your stuff and leave immediately, before I call security.” Odd ran out, yelling “Thank you!” over his shoulder as he joined Aelita. “I think we should probably head upward. I don’t think Queen Dog Spotter in there would appreciate us hanging around.” Aelita shook her head, passing his dog back to him. “I don’t think so either.” “Race you to the next floor?” “I guess I don’t really have a choice.”

The two took off running for the elevator, looking forward to finishing their shopping and getting lunch...