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weelittleweasley · 4 years

Text

crazy (f.w.)

prompt: something has been off between you and fred and trying to get to the bottom of it is madness.

pairing: fred weasley x fem! gryffindor! reader

warnings: mild language, crying, usage of marijuana, underage smoking, being high, dwindling relationships, angst

word count: 6.6k

taglist: @rosaliepostsstuff @harrysweasleys @gcdric @lumos-barnes @whizboingies @lumosandnoxwriting @pxroxide-prinxcesss @c-t-h @lol-idk-oops @another-lonely-heart-blog @parseltongueswriting @shilohpug @peachypotter @spacexcowgirl @paintballkid711@vogueweasley @kaseyrose96-blog @hufflepuff5972 @gryffindcrghost @wand3ringr0s3

The snow melted away revealing the lush, green Scottish landscapes that the Hogwarts castle proudly sat upon. Spring had made its arrival with the eruption of white forget-me-nots and blossoming wildflowers in the courtyard. The sight from outside your window made your heart fill with glee as you smiled brightly, a lighthearted giggle dancing off your lips. You turned to your roommates with bright eyes and a hopeful smile. Alicia sighs mellow dramatically as you run over to her with pleading eyes, “It’s a beautiful day outside. Don’t you want to enjoy the first day of spring?” you dance around her as Angelina enters your dormitory with a big, bright smile. She had the same idea as you, no doubt.

Alicia looks back and forth between you and Angie before surrendering, “Not too long please. I have an herbology exam and I need to do well on it.”

Without much more hesitation, the three of you are out of the dormitory and scurrying down the stairs. “We’ll be surrounded by the grass and the flowers and the trees; that oughtta help with studying, won’t it, Angie?” you tease as Angelina laughs in agreement, earning a sarcastic eye roll from Alicia. Finally, a warm day outside after the brutal and unforgiving winter. The sun was out, the grass was green, and the air was fresh with renewal. Spring was here.

As you walk through the common room, you stop in your tracks when your eyes land on Fred, your lips involuntarily turning up into a smile when you see him. Angelina and Alicia run ahead of you as you grab Fred’s hands with a smile. “Freddie!” you beam, looking at him with a happy grin, cheeks tingling from smiling hard.

He reciprocates a smile and places a kiss to your forehead. “Excited to see me, darling?” he teases. “Where are you lot off to?” he asks, resting one of his hands on your hips, looking down at you as you excitedly rock back and forth on your heels. Your lips are curled into a smile as you bite onto your bottom lip, lovingly looking at your Fred. “Take a picture, sweetheart, it’ll last longer,” he whispers, teasing you as you roll your eyes with a light swat to his chest, making him chuckle.

“We’re off to go outside. It’s beautiful out and we figured we would enjoy the weather,” you tell him as he tilts your chin up with this forefinger, rubbing his thumb over your bottom lip. You giggle lightly before biting his thumb gently as he chuckles. “You want to come with us?” you ask hopeful for his response.

Much to your dismay, Fred sighs, “I’m afraid I can’t. I have loads of work to catch up on today. I’m way behind in Potions.” You pout, displeased with the news, but Fred kisses your pouted lips which brings an instant smile to your face. “I’ll catch up with you later though, alright, darling?” You give him a small nod before he pecks your forehead and leaves you, catching up with George who waits for him at the bottom of the steps to the boys’ dormitories.

You run off, catching up with Alicia and Angie, linking your arms with them as you make your way outdoors. As soon as you step outside, the spring air fills your lungs, smelling of fresh grass and morning dew. A small smile forms on your lips as you happily sigh. Springtime made your heart soar. It reminded you of good things, happy memories. Running in the grass as you played games of tag as a child, going to the park and getting pushed on the swings as you swung higher and higher. Spring reminded you of laying underneath a tree, Fred’s head in your lap as you brushed through his hair, reading a book out loud to him as he happily shut his eyes, listening to the sound of your voice mixing with the springtime breeze.

Angelina immediately makes a run for a grassy patch covered with beautiful wildflowers, laughing in the process as you and Alicia run after her. All three of you immediately flop down, the grass molding to the shape of your bodies as you lay back, staring at the pale blue sky filled with cotton ball clouds. As if on cue, the three of you sigh out. “This is nice,” you speak as Angie hums in agreement. “Aren’t you glad you came, Alicia?”

Alicia sighs, “Yeah, I guess.” You push her arm teasingly, making her retaliate, “Okay, okay, yes. This is very nice. Thank you.”

The three of you lay in the grass for a long while, making quiet chatter. At one point, you start picking flowers, tying the stems together to create a crown for each of you. You skillfully plaited the stems of the purple, yellow, and white wildflowers before placing the crown on your two friends’ heads. With the other flowers you found, you started plaiting again, this crown for Fred as you smiled to yourself, quietly making your masterpiece.

“For Fred?” Alicia asks you as you nod your head, not looking away from the plaits. “Jeez, (Y/N), you’re like a lovesick puppy.”

This earns a slap on the arm from Angelina, a small ouch dropping from Alicia’s mouth. “I think it’s sweet, (Y/N),” Angie beams at you as you roll your eyes, knowing she found it tooth rotting-ly sick like Alicia did. But you didn’t care. It was the small things that you did that made Fred know that you loved him. Small kisses in between classes, closing his textbook for him when he needed a break, offering a hug when he was stressed, sneaking out of class to meet him in the hallway. It were the little things that made Fred fall in love with you and you with him. Although a flower crown may be silly, it was just a token of affection. To show him that you were thinking of him while you were outside.

Recently, you’ve been doing little things more often just because of how busy Fred seemed to be. Your hang outs have been getting cut short and he doesn’t seem to have as much free time anymore. Whether it’s quidditch practice, studying for exams, or running off to pull pranks with George, you always catch him when he’s busy. It was a little frustrating, feeling like your boyfriend had been casting you aside and taking priorities over something else. But rather than telling him how you felt, you convinced yourself that this was just temporary and it would phase itself out. But a month had gone by, and nothing changed. But you still hadn’t brought it up to him. Instead, you continued doing little things.

Alicia groans, peeling herself off of the fresh grass, shielding her eyes from the setting sun. “I should probably head back inside now to study. The exam is this week and I still have a lot of work to do,” she huffs before standing from the grass, brushing off her skirt as you and Angelina follow her lead.

You link arms with Angelina as Alicia leads the way. Angelina looks at you, as you play with Fred’s flower crown in your hands. “You alright?” she asks you as you look at her with a small nod. “You seem gloomy.”

You think for a moment. You could tell Angelina about the situation, but you didn’t want to drag your friends into your relationship problems. She could talk to Fred, but why would she talk to Fred when you could? With a shake of your head, you speak, “I’m alright, Angie. Thank you for checking in though.”

She hugs you to her side, “Of course. You are one of my best mates, I just want to make sure that you’re happy.” You nod your head and walk back into the common room.

Alicia and Angie start to the girl’s dorms as you part from them, towards the boy’s. “I’m gonna go to Fred’s. I’ll catch up with you lot later,” you smile at them with a wave before heading up the stairs to Fred’s dormitory. Nervously, you play with the flower crown in your hands, twisting it in between your fingers. You were hoping that you and Fred could finally have some alone time, hoping that George and Lee wouldn’t be in the room. It had been a long while since you had alone time with Fred. Even then, the last time was short lived, Fred leaving your room earlier than you had planned thanks to quidditch practice.

When you reached his dormitory, you lifted your hand up to knock, but stopped when you heard laughter coming from behind the door. There were a few people in the room. You could hear Fred’s voice, but also a handful of others in the room. Your heart sank as you listened to the muffled voices behind the door, having a laugh with each other. Did Fred leave you out intentionally? You were friends with the same people in your year which made no sense as to why he didn’t tell you of this hang out. You got along with everyone just fine.

You shake it off and knock on the door which causes all the voices to halt suddenly. You are so tempted to press your ear to the door to listen to the low whispering before you hear footsteps approach the door, the lock turn, and the door creak open to reveal Fred at the door. “Hi,” you speak timidly as Fred smiles.

But instead of swinging the door open as expected, Fred slithers out from the door and closes it behind him. “Hi, sweetheart,” he coos to you as you feign a smile. You look behind him at the door, wondering what could be happening behind it. “I didn’t expect you,” he interrupts your thoughts as you look at him.

“Well, you did say we would catch up later...and it’s later,” you chuckle as Fred smiles. “Um,” you stutter before formulating a sentence, “I, uh, are you busy now? I thought that maybe we could go out into the courtyard and grab a blanket and watch the stars? It’s supposed to be clear out tonight. Perfect for stargazing.” You had come up with this idea off the cuff, testing him. If he said no, he could invite you in to where he was clearly hanging out with some people already. If he said yes, it meant he was willing to ditch whatever was going on inside to be with you.

Fred gives you a sad smile. “That sounds lovely, but I’m afraid I’m slammed with work tonight,” he tells you as your heart falls. You wait for him to invite you inside to his room with the obvious group he had. But he mentions none of it. “But I promise I’ll make it up to you. Soon,” he explains, kissing your hairline as you gulp, trying to keep cool. “What’s this?” he refers to the flower crown on your head with a giggle as you lightly force a smile on your lips to cover your disappointment.

“It’s, uh, a flower crown. I made them in the field. I made one for myself and Angie, and Alicia, and I actually m-”

“I hate to cut you off, my love, but I really have to get back to work,” Fred interjects as you stand there, mouth agape and eyes filled with pure confusion. “I’m sorry about tonight, darling, but I have to get going. I’ll see you soon, I promise. Love you,” he kisses your parted lips before slipping back behind the door, leaving you speechless and upset.

The flower crown in your hand suddenly looks very wilted as you sigh at the sight of it. You gulp hard, trying to keep calm and collected, but you can’t help but feel so disappointed. And lied to. Fred obviously had people over in his room and he didn’t tell you about them when you gave him the opportunity to.

Even more upset than before, you walk down the stairs and back to the girl’s dormitory, throwing Fred’s wilted crown in the garbage in the process. With low spirits, you walk back into your dormitory to see Alicia reading a textbook on her bed while Angelina laid on the floor, painting her nails, both shocked to see you back so soon. But before they could ask you why you simply stated, “He was busy.”

You take off your jumper and change into a fresh shirt and comfortable sweatpants as Alicia closes her textbook and sighs. “(Y/N), is something going on between you and Fred?” she asks you as you face away from them, changing. As you fold your clothes, you try your best to not let your sad thoughts get the best of you. “The two of you seem a little off lately. Can we help?” she asks, but that’s when it gets to you. You couldn’t hide the fact that something was happening between you and Fred and not something good. This distance, the feeling like you were oceans away, was starting to show to the outside eye.

Without bothering to cover it up, you let a small sob escape your lips as you turn around to face your friends. Both of them rise to their feet to comfort you as Angelina wraps her arms around you, pulling you closer as Alicia rubs your back. You cry in Angie’s arms, speaking through small sobs, “I just can’t help but feel worried for us.” The two of your friends listen to you intently, not wanting to miss a single beat. “Why do I let myself worry wondering what in the world did I do?” you cry out. You can’t help but feel like you did something wrong that made Fred cast you aside.

You peel yourself from Angelina’s embrace you as you wipe your eyes with the cuff of your clean shirt. “I’m so sorry you feel like this, (Y/N). You don’t deserve any of it,” Alicia says. “He’s behaving like a child,” she shakes her head as you sniffle, Alicia still rubbing your back.

“It’s not even him behaving like a child. I’ve grown used to that. It’s just...” you sigh out, running your hands over your face. “I came to his room and there were people there...and he was hiding them from me. He came out into the hallway to talk to me and he didn’t invite me in when I knew there were people inside. He’s just become so...sneaky for some reason. And that’s not the Fred I know,” you trail off, thinking about how unlike Fred this was. “I feel crazy for feeling so lonely.”

The thought of Fred becoming someone you didn’t recognize made your stomach feel queasy and your chest feel tight. You fell in love with a wild, goofy, happy person who loved spending time with you. And now...now you barely even saw the boy to know what he was like.

Angelina looks at you with sad eyes, “Hey. You’ve got us.” You give her a sad smile and nod your head. She was completely right; just because your boyfriend didn’t want to hang out with you all the time didn’t mean that you didn’t have other people in your life. “Now let’s dry those eyes and enjoy the night. I’ll finish painting my nails and then we can do yours. After that, I say we sneak into the kitchens and get some snacks and head up to the astronomy tower. It’s supposed to be a clear night and that means it’s a great night for star gazing,” she suggests with a hopeful smile as you sniffle, a small smile emerging on your face.

You look to Alicia, an excited gleam in your eyes, looking for her answer. She sighs in defeat, “Yeah, I’ll join. But if I get a shit mark on this test, it’s you two’s fault,” she points a warning finger at you as you giggle.

“Thank you, the both of you,” you tell your two best friends. This was exactly what you needed. A night with your two best friends enjoying the views of the crystal clear night sky. It was exactly what you needed to get your mind off of your relationship with Fred.

Soon enough, Angelina had finished painting her nails and Alicia had finished cramming in some last minute studying. “You sure that you’re ready for the exam, Leesh? Because if you’re not, we can do a different night!” you try to sympathize with her.

Alicia shakes her head, “Nah, I should be fine. Besides, I sit next to Longbottom. If worse comes to worse-”

“Alicia!” Angelina laughs as she just shrugs as the two of you leave your dormitory room, headed for the kitchens. “Alright you lot, come on now. And remember to keep,” Angelina speaks in a hush whisper as you tip toe into the kitchen, but halting in your tracks when you realize you’re not alone, “quiet.”

Standing in front of you is a laughing Katie Bell as she stands in between the legs of Fred who is sat on top of the counter, munching on a chocolate biscuit. The two of them are a giggling mess as you spot George and Lee raiding the cupboards for more snacks. But the laughter dwindles down as Fred’s eyes land on you. When his chocolate eyes meet yours, your heart falls onto the ground. He was busy, eh?

Alicia looks at your reaction and what she sees is the look of heartbreak. Anger starts to bubble in Alicia’s chest when she notices how upset you are. Without further hesitation, she claps her hands. “Alright, you lot. The kitchens aren’t just for you. Come on. Give it up,” she walks further into the kitchens, plucking snacks as she sees fit, one of them being the biscuits that Fred had in his hand. She immediately sticks the treat in her mouth before Fred can protest. “Thanks, Weasley,” she says with a mouthful of chocolate biscuit.

You on the other hand stay put where you are, eyes glued on Fred and his on yours. Your eyes stare into his soul and you can feel how uncomfortable he is with you catching him redhanded. His eyes are like magnets, not letting you pull away from him. It’s like you’re in a trance and he’s trying to send you a mind message. But before he can say anything, you shake your head and break eye contact. Angelina mutters something under her breath as she walks towards Alicia to help her with snacks, but you can make out her saying something along the lines of how pathetic.

Walking into the kitchens, following Angelina, you grab a bag from Alicia filled with snacks. As you turn around, you bump into George who is a giggling mess. “(Y/N)!” he exclaims as you sigh and give him a curt smile. “I haven’t seen you in forever,” he whines as you look to Angelina for help with wide eyes. “Is Freddie keeping you all to himself again?” he teases you, wiggling his brows.

But as you look at his eyes, you see how bloodshot they look, how droopy and tired his eyes are. He sports a lazy smile and a giggle keeps reverberating in his chest. You furrow your brows, “Are you...are you high, Georgie?” you ask him.

He scoffs, “Me? High? Pffft, no!” You give him a look. “Okay, yes. I am.” You look to Angelina and gulp, wanting to leave now before things got ugly. “Freddie, I miss (Y/N). Where have you been hiding her?” George calls out to her brother who remains seated on the counter, staring at you the whole time.

Fred opens his mouth to say something, but you speak before he can, “You’ve been really busy, huh, Freddie.” He just sits there and stares at you. “Thank you for being honest with me.” Your eyes divert and see Katie who stands in between his legs, hands placed on his knees. The sight makes you feel sick. “Very important business to attend to, you know? Keeping up with Potions homework. Maybe Katie can help.”

Not wanting to wait in the kitchen any longer, you start out with Alicia and Angelina not too far behind. Fred calls out your name, once, and then twice when you don’t respond. When you’re out the door, you call back, “Talk to me when you’re sober.”

You, Alicia, and Angelina walk out of the kitchens and through the castle, the energy between the three of you noticeably shifting as anger, hurt, and sadness bubble in your bones. Angie speaks, “(Y/N), you wanna ta-”

“No. I want to watch the stars with my friends. That’s all.”

Alicia and Angelina share a look as you continue to march your way to the astronomy tower, trying to enjoy what is salvageable of your night.

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

The next morning, the emotions you felt from last night are only amplified. The night under the stars with Angie and Alicia was lovely, but you couldn’t help your mind from wandering to the sight of Katie next to Fred, his eyes glued on you. You felt sick. You didn’t want to jump to conclusions without hearing the full story, but your gut was telling you something wasn’t adding up. The relationship wasn’t what it used to be, but this...this was something you didn’t think would ever happen.

As you sit up in bed, you run your hands over your face in distress, trying to figure out how to approach the situation. Angelina and Alicia are still fast asleep, so there was no use asking them for advice. You were on your own with this one.

“Get dressed and then you can think of something,” you whisper to yourself. You hoist your legs over the side of your bed and stand up, stretching your arms out with a yawn. “You can deal with Fred later.”

And as if on cue, there was a knock at your door. You look at the clock. It was only nine in the morning on a Saturday, who was up this early on a day off? Slowly, you make your way to the door and speak from behind it. “Who is it?”

“It’s, uh, me. It’s Fred, (Y/N),” the voice speaks as you close your eyes, silently cursing to yourself. Shit. “We need to talk about last night and what happened in the kitchens.”

You remain behind the door, hand on the door knob, but not moving it. You knew you had to talk to him and sort this whole thing out whether you liked the ending or not.

“Please, (Y/N).”

Taking a deep breath in, you open the door gently to reveal a messy haired Fred in a t-shirt and sweatpants, still groggy from sleep or lack thereof. He gives you a weak smile, “Good morning, darling.”

But his pet names didn’t bring a smile on your face like they normally did. Instead, they made your stomach sour as you just looked to the floor, pulling your jumper closer to your body. “If you want to talk, we can’t do it here. Angelina and Alicia are sleeping and I’m not disturbing them,” you speak plainly, looking up at Fred with cold eyes.

He bites the inside of his cheek and speaks, “We can go into my room if that’s alright with you. George and Lee went down for breakfast.”

Even though you would have preferred to have this talk in your own room, your own space, it was better to do it in the privacy of Fred’s rather than having to wake up and shoo Angelina and Alicia, or worse, talk as they were asleep. Begrudgingly, you shut the door behind you and follow Fred to his dormitory, a familiar route to you, but one you’d rather not be taking now.

The walk there is quiet and awkward. It is obvious that Fred is trying to make light of the situation, asking you how last night was with the girls, asking you about the day in the grass and how the weather was. But instead of engaging in conversation, you just give him one word answers or remain silent.

When you reach his room, he opens the door for you and you step into his dormitory, immediately feeling like an outsider. It was unfamiliar. This room was where you spent most of your time for so long, but since you hadn’t been here in nearly a month you felt out of place. Like you were disturbing it. You were an intruder.

Fred taps his legs before sitting on the bed, expecting you to follow suit, but you remain standing in the middle of the room, staring at him in your pajamas. “I just want to apologize for last night and you having to see me like...that,” he sighs as you remain unfazed by his words. “I should have told you that the boys and Katie and I were hanging out instead of telling you that I was working. It was wrong and I feel like shit about it...I’m sorry, love. I really feel like a dickhead,” he apologizes to you as you fold your arms across your chest. “The truth would have been so much easier to tell you rather than lie about something as silly as a group hang out. I just didn’t tell you because the boys were complaining that they never see me anymore because of how much time we spend together and I figured that if I didn’t tell you, you wouldn’t ask.”

You give him a look that just screams, you’re kidding me, right? You were busy hanging out with him? For Merlin’s sake, you hadn’t seen your boyfriend in almost a month and that was his apology? Rather his excuse? “They haven’t seen you? Fred, I haven’t seen you in nearly a month! Every time I try and ask you to hang out with me or even talk to me you have something to do. Quidditch, pulling a prank with George, hanging out with Lee, studying for an exam. Don’t try and make this about me and my demands because it’s not,” you retort to him as he just sits on the bed and stares up at you as you vent. “Not to mention, since when has you dating me ever stood in the way of you hanging out with your friends? If you wanted to hang out with them so badly, then you should have told me and I still would have said yes, Fred! I’m not a monster who wants you all to herself, but Godric, I’m sorry that I’ve miss my boyfriend!”

Fred rubs his face and simply says, “Well, I have been busy over the past couple of weeks, so that’s not rubbish.”

You laugh at his response. “That’s all you have to say for yourself?” you exclaim. “Fred, I’ve been driving myself crazy over the past few weeks wondering what I did wrong. Why you pushed me aside, why you’ve tossed me away like I’m a piece of garbage!”

“That’s not true, (Y/N). Come on,” he shakes his head, looking away from you.

Now, you are getting angry. He was going to pretend like him ignoring you and denying you for a month was nothing. That’s not how things worked. “Yes, it is, Fred and you know it!” you cry out, not realizing how loud you’ve gotten. “I don’t know what is happening between us, but whatever it is, I don’t like it,” you confess.

Maybe it was your emotions talking, but you couldn’t help but feel like Fred didn’t mind the distance between you two. Maybe he liked not being as close. Maybe he wanted to have more alone time away from you. But the thought of losing Fred, someone you had loved so dearly, so intimately, made you feel lightheaded.

Fred stands up from the bed and you think he’s going to walk over to you and give you a hug, which you know you would gladly accept. You need his comfort right now. You need him to scoop you up and tell you that everything is going to be alright and that he’s sorry for making you feel so lonely and sad. But instead of him telling you all the things you want, no need, to hear, he speaks something different. “Maybe we’re just growing apart,” he suggests.

You turn to face him with so much hurt and pain in your eyes it was enough to shatter his heart twice. Your vision becomes blurry with tears as you swallow, pushing the lump in your throat down, blinking your tears away. What was happening? “We’re w-what?” you stutter.

“Growing apart,” he repeats. “(Y/N), we’re going to be graduating soon and we’re going to have to start thinking about what we want out of life. I don’t know if we want the same things,” he tells you as your heart is ripped out of your chest and stomped on at his words. All you can do is laugh in disbelief. “I’m serious. You always told me how after you graduated here you wanted to go back to school and become a Healer and have a family and move away from England...I just...Merlin, I don’t know how to say this...”

“Then don’t,” you cut him off as Fred looks at you, tears streaming down your face now. What he was saying to you know completely contradicted everything he had told you in the past. When you and Fred spoke of the future, he always spoke of you in it. He told you how he wanted to buy a house in the countryside and raise a big family together and take holiday vacations to America and do weekly visits to the Burrow. Fred always told you that no matter what happened, he wanted you in his future. And now, that was revealed to be a lie. “Fred, I don’t care about Healer school or moving away from England. What I want is you,” you tell him as you feel your chest tighten with pain. Now Fred’s eyes start to blur with tears as you look away from him, pulling at the roots of your hair in distress. It was like he changed overnight. “What...what happened, Fred? What happened that all of a sudden you tell me our futures don’t align?”

Fred wipes tears away from his eyes and takes a deep breath in. “It’s, um, it’s a long story, but um...the joke shoppe...it looks like it’s going to happen,” Fred tells you with a lighthearted chuckle. “Harry gave George and I the winnings from the Triwizard tournament to open up the joke shoppe. It’s happening. That’s why I’ve been distant these past few weeks. George and I have been planning like crazy for it. Testing products, crunching numbers, ordering stock, finding a location in London,” he rambles on. “Last night, the lot of us were testing out an...adult product and we didn’t realize the effects it would have...so that’s why we were like that in the kitchens.”

His words make your heart swell for a moment. Fred’s dream was coming to fruition. His own joke shoppe. A place he could call his own with his best friend and twin brother. He could finally start creating the life he wanted and you couldn’t be happier for him. Except it seemed like that life he wanted didn’t have you in it. And that’s when your heart stopped swelling.

You nod your head, “That’s...brilliant, Fred. I’m so happy for you. Really. About the joke shoppe...that’s great news.” Fred gives you a hopeful smile, thinking that the worst was over. But it hadn’t even begun. “But, I don’t understand why you had to hide it from me. Did you think I was going to be upset with you? You know that I’ve wanted this for you just as badly as you have,” you tell him with the utmost sincerity which Fred knew to be fact. “You just couldn’t have me know about it for what reason exactly?”

Fred scratches the back of his neck before pacing around his room, trying to avoid the question, but you weren’t going anywhere. “I just...ugh,” he groans and throws his head back. “I just didn’t think that you would be interested. Besides, I need to focus on my work. I can’t have any distractions,” he says this last part without looking at you.

Your stomach is doing somersaults and you feel like you’ve just been lied to your entire relationship. Fred thought that you wouldn’t be interested? How was he going to determine what you were and weren’t interested in? “You’re joking,” you speak. “Fred, I will and always will support everything you do. I can’t believe you’d even think that I wouldn’t be interested in something you are so clearly passionate about,” you tell him as he gulps, knowing he was in the wrong for making such a claim. Even after all of these explanations of him ignoring you and diverting his attention elsewhere, there was something that just didn’t add up. “So, you asked Katie Bell to help test out products with you? Instead of me. Or Angie, who is seeing George. Or Alicia, who Lee has been flirting with since the dawn of time.”

Fred becomes visibly uncomfortable at the mention of Katie’s name and that’s when you shake your head, the whole thing becoming very clear to you know. This wasn’t about the shoppe anymore. This was about something else. “It was never like that, (Y/N),” Fred speaks.

“It was never like that or you never intended for it to happen?” you ask him, your voice cracking as you pace back and forth in his bedroom. He was distant with you because he was falling out of love. That was it. “Good Godric, I feel like I’m going crazy,” you let out a shaky laugh, unable to believe what was happening. The story just kept on unfolding.

Fred walks over to you quickly, trying to calm your fears, “Nothing happened between us! I swear on my life!”

You let out a laugh, “Sure! That makes me feel better!” Fred gulps. “But there was something that was there enough to make you push me away,” you speak lowly as Fred searches your teary eyes for something. He doesn’t know what he’s looking for; hope? forgiveness? love? friendship? You start pacing the room again, the venomous thoughts coming into your head as they vomit out of your mouth, “You know people told me not to get involved with you because you were a flirt, Fred. But I told them that you were different with me. You saw a future with me, but now I am proven wrong,” you tell him as he shakes his head in disbelief, trying to get you to stop talking, but you don’t. The words just tumble out. “I knew you’d love me as long as you wanted. And then someday, you’d leave me for somebody new,” you spill. “I just didn’t think that this someday would come so soon.”

“I don’t want Katie, (Y/N)! I don’t! Godric! I don’t!” he yells out. “(Y/N), I love you! You know that!” he screams as you just cry harder at his words. Over the past month, you didn’t feel his love. It felt like a chore to get an I love you out of him. “I’ve been distant because I’ve been working hard for my dream! My future! Why can’t you understand that I’m working for something I want!” he yells.

And the truth comes out.

Instinctively, you yell back, “Because how am I supposed to understand something you never told me! You never told me about the joke shoppe and your plans for it! Hell, you never told me Harry gave you the money! How am I supposed to support you when you don’t tell me how I can?!” you yell through tears. “Don’t you hear yourself! Your dream! Your future! You want! What about us?”

The both of you are crying now, you covering your mouth to prevent sobs from escaping, Fred sitting on his bed, hanging his head in his hands, sniffling. This all blew up so quickly and neither of you knew how to recover from this. The damage that the past month had caused was enough to put a gaping hole in your relationship that would be very hard to cover up. That was if you wanted to cover it up.

It’s silent for a while. The air is still and untouched. Fred on the edge of his bed, you sitting on the floor, back resting against the door. You want to get up and leave the room. But you don’t. You sit there. And think.

And then Fred speaks. “Our futures don’t fit together,” he looks at you, eyes swollen and red matching yours. “We’ve tried to make them fit. But it won’t work.”

You laugh and shake your head, “Freddie...then you haven’t listened to anything I’ve ever told you.” He looks at you, twisting his face with confusion. “All I’ve ever wanted was you. I don’t care what happens after we graduate. Healer school was an idea. But you? You were never an idea. You were something I always wanted,” you confess as Fred gives you the saddest smile you’ve ever seen. “But if I’m not in your future...then...” you trail off, unable to finish the sentence. It was a nightmare.

It’s silent again.

But the longer you sit in silence, the more angry you get. Not at Fred. But at yourself. If you had known about what he wanted, what Fred wanted, you could have avoided all of his heartbreak and pain. But instead, Fred fed into your fantasy, this dream, this hazy future of yours and you let him. “I’m crazy,” you laugh as Fred look up at you. “I’m crazy for thinking that my love could hold you.”

Fred shakes his head, “No, (Y/N). You’re not. I love you and I always will.”

“Please don’t tell me that,” you close your eyes and bite down on your bottom lip to prevent the tears from falling again. You couldn’t let yourself hope for a future that didn’t exist with Fred. “This was never going to work. I’m crazy for trying,” you breath out before standing and brushing yourself off, Fred rising with you. “I’m crazy for crying,” you wipe away the remaining tears on your face.

Fred walks over to you as you place your hand on the door. “(Y/N),” he starts, “I never wanted us to end like this. You mean so much to me and I can’t just let you go like this,” he starts crying again, but you have to peel your eyes away. “We want to different things and we both deserve to be happy. Don’t you think?” he asks you. But his question sounded like he needed the reassurance from you. That he needed you to tell him that you agreed. To make it seem like you both wanted this break up.

Looking at Fred once more before you leave, you say, “We do want different things. You want your dream and I want you. But I can’t pretend like I’m happy that we are going our separate ways.” Fred nods his head, wiping his tears away. “I need space. And time. Away from you, Fred.”

And with that, you leave his room and start down the stairs back to your dormitory. You hide your face as best as you can from passing Gryffindor students, trying to be as incognito as possible. As you walk back to your room, you can’t help but think back on all of the happier times that you and Fred shared and think was it a lie? Was it all for show? It would be something that would keep you up at night.

You were crazy about Fred Weasley, that was for certain. But even crazier for loving someone who didn’t want you as badly as you wanted them.

Walking up the stairs, you look out the window to see the fresh spring countryside. Admits all the chaos, the flowers were still blooming, the grass still growing, and the sun still shining. Spring was still here and new as ever. The snow had melted away to reveal the fruitful, lush land. A new start. Maybe it was time for you to have one too.

#Fred and George #fred weasley #fred #Fred and Goerge Weasley #fred weasley imagine #fred imagine #fred weasley x reader #fred weasley x reader imagine #fred weasley x muggle!reader #fred weasley x female reader #fred weasley x fem!reader #fred weasley x gryffindor!reader #fred weasley smut #fred weasley fanfiction #Harry Potter #harry potter fandom #harry potter fanfic #Harry Potter Smut #harry imagine

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spencers-renaissance · 3 years

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Rain is a Chance to be Touched Ch.1

this arid world has turned my deep heart dry

This is the first chapter in my new ongoing hotchreid fic! Please click here for the fic summary, full tags, trigger warnings, more information etc.

Chapter Summary: follows S5E1 and Spencer's depression and disordered thinking is introduced.

TW: depression, disordered thinking, loneliness, the events of s5e1 (guns and knives)

Word Count: 3.4k

RCT Masterlist // Main Masterlist // Read on AO3

SPENCER

"She simply said this arid world has turned her deep heart dry, there was just one way she knew of to finally feel like she was free, and it was 1400 feet beneath the cold and stormy sea." — Erin Hanson

Spencer’s entire body feels heavy as he drags himself into work, and it’s not exactly a good sign when he can’t even find the energy to press the button for the right floor; he just stares pitifully at the array of numbers as if the elevator will read his mind and resolve the issue for him. Eventually, he brings himself to move his finger the short distance, cold metal colliding with cold flesh, and the doors shudder close, catapulting him up several storeys towards his fate.

Some might call the emotions Spencer’s experience typical burnout, far too common in the FBI and even more so in units that deal directly with horrific crime on the regular, but he knows it’s more than that. His entire life is operating in a minor key, he’s functioning entirely on auto-pilot, and chunks of his day are a blur, almost impossible to recall. He knows he’s depressed. Knowing such a fact, however, does little to cure the actual problem. He has no idea what to do with information like this except bottle it up and shove it as far down as possible while pretending as much as possible that absolutely everything is fine.

Emily and Derek are laughing about something as he approaches their group of desks. Only weeks ago he would’ve been crushed when they don’t so much as look over to say hello, but now he’s glad to not have to fake a smile, invent a story to tell about his weekend, pretend he’s not currently being held together with slowly peeling sellotape.

Instead, he focuses on feeling grateful that no one’s commented on him arriving a whole hour later than he used to as he unpacks his messenger bag. It’s not like it’s his fault he can’t pull his exhausted body out of bed in the morning, but since he’d rather not disclose such sorry information and finding an excuse is way too much effort, spending the morning in solitude seems the only option.

He doesn’t really understand how he’s gone from being a genuinely happy person, thick as thieves with everybody on the team, to this. It’s almost as though somebody’s cut the rope tying him to the others and now he’s drifting away, sinking without everyone else’s buoyancy to keep him afloat. He can see them all still tied together, barely seeming to notice their drowning team member, clearly not missing his presence.

This misery over his inevitable isolation, though, is his own fault: he can’t believe he let himself forget his place. He’s useful, good to keep around for his intelligence, his reading speed, his problem-solving skills, but it doesn’t go beyond that. Spencer is not friendship material. And he certainly isn’t relationship material.

The day starts off slow, everyone burying themselves in their paperwork, but Spencer finishes it far too quickly for it to really serve as much of a distraction. Depressingly, it’s still miles slower than he’s used to. Since his pile of consults seems too exhausting to even look at, he decides another coffee is very much in order.

“Hey, Spence,” JJ says happily as soon as he pushes his way into the breakroom. She’s leaning casually against the counter as she drinks her coffee, reading through what looks like case notes at the same time.

“Hi,” he says, trying for a smile but he knows there’s no way he could possibly match her relaxed grin. Instead of trying to converse, he just heads straight for the coffee machine, fixing his eyes on the steady stream of coffee pouring into his mug already piled high with sugar.

“You alright?” JJ asks, sounding a little suspicious. Not concerned, Spencer notes, just suspicious.

“Hmm?” He looks up and catches her eye before deciding he should probably answer verbally. “Yeah, yeah I’m good.”

“Are you sure? You’ve been acting a bit off the past few weeks.”

Spencer sighs. Maybe this is an opportunity to actually communicate his feelings. He doubts JJ will be able to help but really he’d just like a bit of comfort: he’s in so much pain that a hug would feel really nice right now. And besides Penelope, she’s probably the team member he’s most comfortable with. If he’s going to share with anybody, it should be JJ.

“I’ve been having a bit of a hard time, I guess,” he admits, looking up as his left-hand fidgets on the hot ceramic side of his coffee mug. He resents how vulnerable his voice sounds, he’s giving far too much of himself over to hands he’s not sure he can trust, but there’s nothing he can do about that now.

“Really?” JJ sounds surprised. Spencer recognises the tone as that of anyone who has a certain perspective on him realising that he also has feelings alongside his intelligence, and it hurts. “I’m sorry, Spence.”

Spencer just presses his lips into a thin line and nods awkwardly in thanks.

“I mean… at least you’re not going through what Hotch is,” she offers, completely unhelpfully. “He’s still trying to cope with his divorce and isn’t seeing Jack as much as he used to. Derek was almost killed by the Reaper just a few months ago, Emily only recently lost a childhood friend — I mean, the whole team has been through a lot. Keep your chin up.”

She smiles at him, patting him on the shoulder, before leaving the break room and heading back to her office, leaving Spencer standing in the middle of the room like an idiot. He wants to shout that he was literally poisoned with anthrax only a month ago, if they’re tallying bad things happening as a method of tracking who has the right to be miserable. The others might be going through a lot, that’s true, but it doesn’t lessen any of the pain thudding in his chest and stirring in his stomach.

As he walks back to his desk, he realises he’s learned one thing: opening up = not a good idea.

As completely fucking miserable as he might be, there’s exactly one person in this world who doesn’t deserve to be burdened with any of it, so he carefully tucks it away in his pockets and plasters on the mask he’d perfected so many years ago. It might be a little rusty, after all, it’s been little used in recent years, but it works just as well as it used to do when he pushes the door open to Penelope’s office.

“I bring blueberry muffins,” he says as cheerfully as he can muster, and something inside him does warm as Penelope’s face lights up, squealing a little as she reaches her arms out eagerly, making grabby hands at the paper bag he’s holding.

“Oh, you have no idea how much I love you,” she moans, keen to rip the bag open as he pulls up a chair next to hers.

“I think I do,” Spencer chuckles, and it’s one of the only genuine reactions he’s given in months, “mostly because you tell me every day.”

“Mm, that’s right,” she concedes through a mouthful of warm muffin, pointing a finger at his chest. “I love you even more than I love coding.”

“That’s a lot,” Spencer says, trying for serious but he can’t stop a fond smile slipping across his face.

Penelope swallows her rather large bite of blueberry muffin and passes him his one. “It is,” she says. “How are you, anyway? You look tired, poor baby.”

Spencer looks down for a moment, schooling his expression for a second before he forces himself to look back up at her. “Yeah, I didn’t… didn’t sleep well last night, I guess.” He tries for a reassuring smile but he knows it’s more of a grimace.

Penelope’s face immediately morphs into one of grave concern. Spencer knows that that’s just the way she is, melodrama and fierce protectiveness is virtually her brand at this point, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t any less agonising to see, or the anxiety of being found out any less paralysing. He decides not to give her any room to actually address it.

“I’ll be fine, Penelope, don’t worry,” he says, turning away to brush some muffin crumbs off the desk and into his hand, purely so he doesn’t have to attempt another pathetic smile. “A good night’s sleep tonight will fix me right up.”

“Are you sure?” she asks, still looking far too worried for Spencer’s liking.

“Of course, Pen.” He feels sick at lying to her, but he has no idea how to broach any of the tumultuous emotions raging inside of him, especially after JJ shut him down so brutally. “It’s only a bad nights’ sleep.”

He’s saved from her inevitable continued line of questioning by Emily poking her head round the door and asking for Spencer’s opinion on a consult.

While getting out of bed in the morning might be an almost impossible task at the moment, the idea of getting into it at night seems rather depressing, really. That’s probably the reason he’s still at the office, despite the time nearing 8 o’clock and exhaustion settling into every muscle fibre of his being. It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that it’s just a little more time in close proximity to one Aaron Hotchner.

Of course, he’d had to accept the fact that he was maybe, just a little bit in love with his boss a long time ago. He just refuses to admit that he’s this embarrassing about it. Perhaps staying late to spend more time with someone you like this much wouldn’t be so weird if there was a reasonable chance of conversation — if he ever even saw him — but there isn’t even that: Spencer sits and works quietly at his desk, Aaron sits and works quietly in his office.

Today, though, today his lingering finally pays off.

Aaron is on his way back from the photocopier when he stops by Spencer’s desk. He doesn’t see him coming, though, is the thing: he has no time to try and make himself look even a smidge less miserable or to school his surprised yet utterly lovesick expression.

“Won’t you want to be heading off soon, Reid?” he asks, clearly curious as to why Spencer remains at his desk when there’s no real work to be doing, but he cleverly paints it in a light-hearted tone. Even though Spencer is completely aware of what Aaron’s doing, he doesn’t feel attacked or under pressure.

“Oh,” Spencer says unintelligently, stammering a little as he scrambles desperately at a somewhat coherent reply, “yes, yeah, I’ll get going soon.” He doesn’t want to lie when he doesn’t have to, so he doesn’t try and offer an explanation for his staying late, and he knows Aaron won’t push. He manages an almost entirely genuine smile, though, which must count for something, even if it’s only because he’s hopelessly in love with the man leaning casually against his desk.

“Right then,” Aaron says, offering a small smile in response, letting his hard exterior drop in the nearly empty office, and even though it’s nothing special, not really, Spencer carefully files it away as his heart pitter-patters against his ribcage and his stomach pools with warmth. “See you tomorrow, Reid.”

Spencer just nods in response and gathers his things, placing them carefully in his messenger bag and shrugging his jacket on before walking out of the building. When he glances back, just as he pulls the glass door open, Aaron is watching him carefully. He doesn’t turn away but instead offers a small wave, which Spencer returns bashfully, blushing scarlet in the elevator and on the walk out of the HQ and during the whole trek down the street and sat on the metro train and on the final stretch home. He fumbles with his keys and curses himself for being so goddamn pathetic.

He doesn’t consider it for long, though, because he’s utterly exhausted and his tired bones collapse on the sofa, and who is he to try and get them to move again? Sleep is a mercy.

🌧

The case is gruelling and stressful enough without the endless and constant worry about where on earth Aaron is. He never turns his phone off and Spencer can’t think of a time he’s worked a case without him, not properly; he’s always the first one at the office, the first one on the plane, the first to jump out of bed towards the chance to make a real difference in the world. It’s so out of character for him and it’s utterly distressing.

Nevertheless, he focuses all his attention on the job; on protecting Jeffrey and Tom Barton, on bringing justice to the perpetrator when they inevitably find them. He offers lame and desperate excuses for Aaron not being there, all the while knowing full well that none of them are likely. Something is wrong and he’s powerless to help.

Emily tells him why. He sort of forgets how to breathe.

Getting shot in the leg while simultaneously petrified for the livelihood of the person you’re in love with is inconvenient at best when trying to talk down an unsub and protect a victim and eventually fatal at worst, but somehow he half-manages and Tom escapes unscathed, though he isn’t quite as lucky with the unsub.

That’s what matters, really, isn’t it? That others are safe, even if it means he’s in danger? After all, Tom Barton has lives to save and a son to raise, a wide social circle, and a loving family. What does Spencer have? No, it’s much better that he’s the one hurt than anyone else.

Of course, once the adrenaline of the situation starts to wear off and medics arrive on scene, he realises quite how badly he’s hurt. Already feeling woozy, energy seems to seep out of him as roaring, raging agony takes its place. It’s the first time he’s ever been shot and it’s worse than he could have imagined: no amount of studying literature and anecdotal evidence could prepare him for the feeling of a small metal ball tearing through the flesh and muscle and tendons — though, hopefully, and judging by the amount of blood he’s lost, no arteries or large blood vessels — of his thigh.

His team arrives, minus Emily and minus Hotch, and they’re concerned, of course they are. That is, until he presents them with someone they see as much more important, someone whose life is worth something, someone they care about deeply being hurt. And they leave.

He doesn’t get a chance to tell the medics that he doesn’t want narcotics, so the ride to the hospital is a blur of morphine and voices talking to him, though he can’t quite piece together what they’re saying. He wonders vaguely where everybody is, whether Hotch is alright, whether he’s about to die, but no real emotion is attached to any of these thoughts, they just… are.

He’s rushed into surgery almost immediately after he arrives at the hospital, and the next thing he’s aware of is a dull, ever-present, agonising ache in his upper thigh and exhaustion settled into his bones like his body is pain’s home, fatigue’s resting place. The last time he’d blinked himself awake in a hospital bed, blinding pain burning in one part of his body or another, Derek had been sat by his bed, eating jello.

There’s nobody by his bed this time.

A PCA pump is resting by his right hand but he doesn’t touch it. Clearly, nobody from his team has informed the hospital staff of his previous addiction; he doesn’t even know if they’re at the hospital; if they know what’s going on. The morphine he’s already had is going to be hard enough to deal with, he can feel the future cravings itching beneath his skin already, scarred-over track marks simmering away.

It’s over twenty-five minutes of lying helplessly on a hospital bed in a cool, impersonal room, feeling a certain kind of emptiness sitting in his stomach, before a nurse comes by. She looks pleased enough to see him awake, but he doesn’t care about her satisfaction, he cares about his team, about Penelope, about Aaron, and he’s too exhausted to do anything about it.

“Good, you’re awake,” she says cheerily and for once, he doesn’t try and conceal his despondency. It’s oddly freeing. “I’ll get the doctor to come and explain the situation.”

She bumbles out of the room, clearly not fazed by Spencer’s expression, so he resumes staring at the wall, allowing his thoughts to wander, still not managing to attach much emotion to them other than a miserable sort of emptiness.

The doctor is nice enough, making sure he understands his injury and the procedures he’s had done, as well as the recovery ahead of him, but he just can’t bring himself to care. It’s as though this is the last straw; this is the proof, the evidence to win the case he’s been fighting in the court of his mind. His team doesn't care. His life is worthless. He will always, always be alone.

JJ stops by briefly. This feels like it should be a consolation, but it isn’t. He learns of what’s happened to Aaron, what his family is going through, and suddenly he feels selfish: how dare he demand and crave attention when Aaron is far more hurt and injured than he is? When he’s far more important and far more deserving of the team’s attention? Self-loathing creeps up his throat and settles into grey cotton wool that won’t melt in his mouth.

Spencer doesn’t know how to react to the incredibly overwhelming events of the day, and JJ doesn’t seem to have time for this. “Right, Spencer,” she says, visibly impatient with his emotional floundering, his lack of verbal response, “I need to go. We need to sort this out for Hotch. We owe it to him.”

She leaves, and all Spencer can think is how much more worthless not being able to work on his case makes him. If he can’t even work to save the man he loves; if he can’t strive effortlessly to protect him and make him happy, then what is he doing here? Aaron will be furious when he finds out Spencer laid in bed lazily instead of diving headfirst into the case.

No. That’s not true. He’ll be sickeningly nice about it, while on the inside suppressing his disappointment, and Spencer will feel even more guilty, he’ll be even more irate with himself, and life will seem just a little bit bleaker.

He’s discharged a few days later, and nobody has visited, barring JJ’s fleeting, impatient stop by. He goes home in a taxi and struggles up the stairs on his crutches, almost glad he didn’t have many personal items at the hospital. Then again, that was because he was completely isolated. And if he did have people to bring him things in the hospital, then he’d probably have someone to help him up the stairs too.

It’s a moot point, really. He dives straight for the non-narcotic painkillers he’d been prescribed as soon as he sits down on his dusty couch in his messy apartment, desperate to relieve at least some of the agony throbbing in his leg still. Clearly, the universe decided he wasn’t in enough pain already; that the unrequited love and the growing depression and the recurring stomach cramps and clenches in his chest weren’t quite sufficient.

He knows the team is working flat out on the Foyet case. But even Penelope, who probably works the hardest of all of them, has had time to send him an encouraging text message promising to pop round as soon as she can. Other than that, his phone is dry and his heart slowly freezing over.

Truthfully, he’s not sure how much more of this he can stand. He’s feeling the same way he did as a child: isolated, othered, hurt, and utterly, utterly alone. When he’d joined the BAU and was welcomed immediately into the arms of a family, he promised himself he’d never feel like that again. He would never, ever allow himself to sink so low; not when he was surrounded by so many people who proved day in day out how much they loved him. Surely, feeling like this would simply be impossible.

For once, Doctor Spencer Reid is proved wrong. And it burns, festers, and screams like nothing else.

Chapter Two

taglist:@criminalmindsvibez @suburban--gothic @strippersenseii @takeyourleap-of-faith @makaylajadewrites @iamrenstark @hotchseyebrows @reidology @i-like-buttons @spencerspecifics @bau-gremlin @hotchedyke @tobias-hankel @goobzoop @marsjareau @garcias-bitch (taglist form)

(I'm tagging my usual hotchreid taglist but let me know if you would not like to be tagged in this fic OR if you'd only like to be tagged once it's complete! Either fill in the taglist form again or DM me.)

#hotchreid #criminal minds #cm #criminal minds fic #aaron hotchner #derek morgan #spencer reid #hurt spencer reid #spencer reid whump #aaron hotchner/spencer reid #aaron hotchner x spencer reid #spencer reid/aaron hotchner #hotch x reid #spencer reid x aaron hotchner #criminal minds fanfiction #my writing #RCT #RCT 1

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krsnbgirl · 4 years

Text

Fly High! || Kageyama x Fem!Reader || Part 1

Summary: Attending Karasuno High School was your way of starting over and moving on from your injury in middle school. What you didn’t expect was to be pulled back into the world that you tried so hard to stay away from. Along the journey of recovery, you didn’t think you would grow close to Karasuno’s Boys Volleyball Team. Also falling in love with a certain setter was definitely something you didn’t expect at all. There’s one thing in common that you two share and that it’s wanting to fly as high as you can.

Pairing: Kageyama Tobio x Fem!Reader

Genre: Rom-Com, Slice of Life, Sports

Word Count: ~3.4k

Warnings: Slight swearing, smoking (for Ukai), Signs of Anxiety from Reader, Timeline heavily based on the anime

Author’s Note: Hello, hello lovelies! This is my first fanfiction for Haikyuu!! so please be easy on me ^^; Watching the series and anticipating for the next part of Season 4 has me wanting to write a series while waiting for it to come out. As you can see it’s based off of the anime, but I’m slowly getting through the manga! Let me know what you guys think and hope you all enjoy this! Also if you want me to start a taglist for this, let me know too hehe! xoxo, Ren ❤

Part 1 || Part 2 || Masterlist

It was a typical day at Karasuno High School as you made your way through the gates and towards your locker. There was still time before the first bell rang so you took your time reaching your destination, putting your hands into the pockets of your blazer. Your mind began to drift towards what you wanted for lunch that day since the new school week meant a new rotation of dishes to choose from. As you continued your way through the school, you noticed that the hallways were filled with more buzz than usual. Curiosity picked at you as you rested your hands behind your neck and tried to listen in on some of the conversations around you. Humming to yourself, you heard the latest gossip float by as your ears perked up at certain names you knew.

“They made it through?”

“Wait, they were that close?” “Were we they that good?”

“So I guess they’re not The Fallen Champions anymore…”

‘Ah…so that’s what everyone’s talking about.’ You thought as you turned a corner.

Smiling to yourself, you finally reached your locker and began to change into your school shoes. Karasuno High’s boys volleyball team used to be its pride until their previous coach retired. The team lost its shine and you experienced first hand the toll it took on its members. They were left with no coach and the remaining upperclassmen on the team had to step up as coach in order to keep the club active. There was some hope for them when Coach Ukai returned and they were doing pretty okay but it was sad to see them go back to square one when their coach overworked himself and had to go into retirement once more. Now with recent changes, you were glad to hear that things were finally looking up for the boys.

As you were going through your mental checklist for the day and braiding your hair to keep it out of your face, someone leaned against the lockers beside you.

“Good morning (Y/N)-chan!”

You looked behind your locker door to see who greeted you and gave your childhood and best friend a warm smile.

“Yu-nii, how did the Inter High tournament go?”

You arched an eyebrow as you noticed the dark look on his face and he grew silent. He was always so upbeat whenever you two were together, so something must have happened at their game. You sighed knowing that it was a habit of his whenever he grew frustrated or angry. Once you finished tying the elastic band at the end of your braid, you glared at him before flicking his forehead.

“(Y/N)-chan, what was that for?!” he exclaimed and rubbed his forehead, pouting at you..

“Don’t let it get the best of you, nii-chan.”

After closing your locker shut, you began to walk away and towards your classroom with Nishinoya falling into step beside you. He stuffed his hands into his pockets as he clenched his jaw, his mind filled with thoughts of their previous match.

“If only you were there then you would’ve seen how cocky those bastards were. We were so close to beating them. Aoba Johsai ended up beating us by two points during the third set.” he grumbled.

Your mind flashed back to your post practice conversations with Nishinoya whenever he was invited over for dinner. He was always so fired up whenever he talked about the teams he wanted to beat, especially Aoba Johsai. They were one of the top teams in their prefecture and he swore revenge after Karasuno went against them for a practice match. Looking back at Nishinoya and taking in his frustrated features, you gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze as you reached your classroom. He looked at you as you gave him an encouraging smile with a familiar determined glint in your eyes.

Nishinoya’s eyes widened a bit as you tilted your head to the side with a cheeky smirk and said, “That just means you guys have to work twice as hard to beat them at the next tournament, right?”

The familiar burning passion rushed through his bones as he met your eyes and you slightly nodded, giving him a knowing look.

“AHHH, YOU’RE RIGHT. WHAT AM I DOING JUST MUDDLING AROUND LIKE THIS, I NEED TO GET STRONGER. THANKS (Y/N)-CHAN, YOU’RE THE BEST!” he exclaimed.

You chuckled underneath your breath as your fellow classmates gave him a weird look. With another scream he winked at you before running towards his own class. You playfully rolled your eyes with a small smile and watched him turn around with a new determined look on his face, smiling brightly. “I’ll see you later (Y/N)-chan!”

----

The bell for the day ended as you stretched your arms to relieve some of the stress from constantly writing notes. Your classmates greeted you as they walked past you and you took your time to gather your things. You weren’t popular in your grade, but you were well known to be that one person who easily got along with everyone and always lent a helping hand. You sighed to yourself as you slung your bag over your shoulder and took out your phone. Usually after school time was used to hang out with friends or attend club activities, but you decided that once you got to Karasuno that you would just take time for yourself. After what had happened to you in middle school, you wanted to make up for the lost time you didn’t put towards yourself.

You hummed in thought as your phone began to buzz in the middle of scrolling through social media. Pressing the green button, you answered the phone and leaned against the wall by your classroom door.

“(Y/N)-chan, I know you’re probably busy right now but do you think you can stop by the gym?”

“Eh? Kiyoko-san? Did you need anything?”

“I wanted to talk to you about something, if you don’t mind. I would come to you but the boys are about to start practice, so would mind meeting me here?”

“ I don’t know Kiyoko-san …”

“Please? I just need to talk to you in person about this.”

Based on Shimizu’s tone, you knew that this was going to be important and reluctantly agreed. With a groan, you shoved your phone into your pocket and went to meet up with your older friend. As you grew closer towards the gym, the familiar knotted feeling in your throat and stomach began to settle in. You slightly tighten your grip on the handles of your bag as Shimizu caught her eye and gave her a small smile. You followed Shimizu into the gym and a sense of familiarity crashed over you. The faint scent of salonpas filled the gym and the familiar sound of shoes squeaking against the court managed to calm you down for a bit. Two shouts disrupted your concentration and before you knew it, two boys were hugging you.

“(Y/N)-chan, you finally decided to visit us! You’re so mean to have us wait for that long. You didn’t even come see me after school on your first day here.” Nishinoya pouted.

“Yeah (Y/N)-chan, Nishinoya is right. We never thought you’d step back into the gym but here you are.” Tanaka smiled widely as he affectionately ruffled your hair.

“Ryu-nii you’re going to ruin my hair and I wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for Kiyoko-san.” You huffed before elbowing the both of them and made your way towards Shimizu who was standing by the bench on the side of the court.

The two boys’ eyes got teary-eyed and gave two thumbs up towards the girls and exclaimed, “That’s our Kiyoko-san!”

“Um...Nishinoya-senpai who’s that?” Hinata asked as he and Kageyama went up to them. The four of them watched as the third years went up to greet the girls.

“Ah that’s right you haven’t properly met her yet. She’s (L/N) (F/N), my childhood friend. We grew up together since we live on the same street. I think you guys might have seen her since she’s in your grade.” Nishinoya said as he crossed his arms and gave them a proud smile.

“Eh, she is?” Kageyama asked as he took a good look at her. He analyzed your looks and noticed that you had this welcoming aura around you. You were laughing at something that Asahi said and casually looked towards their direction. Your eyes met his and he stiffened for a second. You smiled at him before turning your direction back to Asahi’s story about how he accidentally scared the first years with his hair down.

“I don’t think we’ve ever crossed paths with her.” Hinata murmured as he tried to rack his brain to see if they had ever seen her in the hallways.

“Ah maybe it’s because she’s in Class 5.” Tanaka piped in and the boys’ eyes went wide.

“She’s in Class 5?!” they exclaimed. Kageyama’s eyes went back towards you and there was something about you that drew his attention. He wasn’t sure if it was the way that you carried yourself or if it was because you were in the college prep class.

Nishinoya and Tanaka burst out laughing, pointing their fingers at them. “She’s out of your league dudes. You guys are dumb.”

“Well so are you two, so let’s get back to practice alright?” Daichi interrupted and put his hands on their shoulders.

The four of them gulped as they noticed the look on Daichi’s face while Asahi and Sugawara joined to guide them back onto the court with the rest of the team laughing at their antics.

You sighed to yourself as you watched the boys gather into a circle to start their stretching routine. It was true that it’s been a while since you stepped onto the court, much less the gym too. The court used to be a safe haven for you but now, you weren't sure how you felt being back on the floor. You weren’t going to lie yourself; it felt nice being back in a familiar setting after so long. After swearing to never be on the court again, there was a huge part of you screaming to just grab a ball and hit it. Shimizu gave you a comforting smile before tapping the empty spot next to her on the bench.

“So what did you want to talk about, Kiyoko-san?” You asked as you sat down and turned towards her.

“After we came back from the Inter High tournament, Takeda-sensei called us into his office. He told us that we needed to start thinking about what our next step would be.”

“Oh yeah, you guys are graduating soon…” you murmured as the both of you watched the boys began to do dives across the floor.

“As third years and being in charge of the team, we also needed to figure out what to do with the boys. And as you can see, there’s no one else to be in charge of them once I’m gone.”

Your breathing hitched as you caught on to what Shimizu was asking you. You bit your lip and looked down at your lap. Fiddling with your hands, a sense of doubt began to wash over you.

“Kiyoko-san, I know you mean well but I don’t know if I’m worth it.”

“I know it’s been hard for you, but I saw the look on your face when you stepped into the gym. You still have the spark in your eye, (Y/N)-chan. And if there’s anyone I know that I can trust the club with, it would be you. You know what these boys are going through because you’ve been in their shoes before.”

You pursed your lips as many thoughts began to race in your head and a short silence fell between you two. It’s true that volleyball was something that you loved with all your heart, but you knew you weren't ready to get back into it just yet. The familiar weighted feeling in your chest began to creep into you and in order to try to calm yourself down, you decided to distract yourself by concentrating on the boys. Your attention naturally gravitated towards the guy that you met eyes with. It was his turn to serve and your eyes widened as he had perfectly gotten the ball over to the other wide with a jump serve.

“(Y/N)-chan, you don’t have to answer right away but at least take it into consideration.” Shimizu softly said as she gave her the form to fill out.

You smiled at Shimizu for giving you time and grabbed the form. Looking down at it, you did feel a part of yourself wanting to fill out the form but the other part just hasn’t found the will to move forward.

“Yeah...I’ll think about it.”

“Thanks for listening to me, (Y/N)-chan. You’re more than welcome to stay, I need to go find Takeda-sensei and discuss some things for their upcoming weekend training camp.” Shimizu smiled before patting your head and walking away.

“Oi, (Y/N)-chan~ do you want to go home together? It’s been awhile since we’ve done that.” Nishinoya asked as the boys headed towards you for a water break after completing their warm up drills.

You looked up in thought and seeing that you had nothing better to do, you might as well make your best friend happy by staying. Plus you wouldn’t admit it out loud, but watching Nishinoya toss and hit the ball made you feel like you were playing through him. You smiled at him and nodded. “I’ll just do homework while waiting for you then.”

“Eh? So this is what Shimizu’s been up to. Boys we might have our future manager right in front of us!” Daichi smiled as he bent over and grabbed the form out of your hands.

“Daichi, give that back to me!” You huffed as you stood up and Daichi immediately held the paper over his head. He laughed as he watched you jump around, trying to get the paper back.

“Screw you guys for being so tall.”

“Don’t you want to become our manager, (Y/N)-chan? It’d be a relief to know that the team is in good hands next year.” Asahi joined in as he slung his arm over Daichi’s shoulders and gave you a cheeky smile. They laughed as you blew some stray hairs away from your face.

“Eh? Manager?” Hinata asked as they all stared at you.

Rolling your eyes, you finally managed to snatch the form from Daichi and folded it before putting it into your pocket. You shrugged and said, “I don’t know yet.”

“What do you mean you don’t know yet, you’d be perfect for it!” Tanaka claimed.

“I think it would help you, (Y/N)-chan.” Nishinoya said as he gave her a pointed look.

You scowled under Nishinoya’s gaze and Tanaka joined in on him trying to corner you. A vein popped out of the corner of your temple and Sugawara stepped in to diffuse the situation. You were just about to approach the two and give them a hard knock on the head, when you felt him tug the edge of your blazer.

“Now, let’s not forget that it’s her choice at the end of the day. Whatever your decision is Haya-chan, I’m sure these two idiots will support you either way.”

You sighed in relief and threw your arms around Sugawara’s waist sticking your tongue out at Tanaka and Nishinoya.

“This is why I like you better than them, Suga.” You snickered.

“Oh and who might this be?”

Everyone turned around to see Coach Ukai step into the gym with Takeda-sensei and Shimizu. You and the boys bowed before Sugawara hugged you closer to him.

“Coach Ukai, meet (L/N) (F/N), our possible new manager.”

You sighed and slumped your shoulders. You should’ve known that Sugawara would also try to lock you in like the rest of the boys. Ukai looked at you and realized who you were right off the bat. He rubbed his chin in thought as you nodded in response. You shrugged and said, “I’m not sure yet but it’s nice to meet you.”

“A-Ah yes, nice to meet you. Did Shimizu recruit you?”

You nodded and Ukai smiled widely at her. “Well it’d be nice to have another person that can tame these boys so I hope you stop by frequently. Or better yet, become a part of the family here. I’m pretty sure you’ll easily fit in, hm?”

A shiver went up her spine as Haya looked behind her to see the entire team giving her expectant smiles. Turning your attention back towards the faculty, you suspiciously looked at the coach after noticing his tone. Ukai met your gaze and he gave you a smirk. He shrugged and said, “We’ll talk later, kiddo. There’s some stuff I need to ask you.”

Reluctantly, you agreed and started to grow annoyed with how everyone was staring at you. You sat back down on the bench and looked at Nishinoya for help. He sighed and started to push the team back onto the court.

“Alright boys, give it a break and let’s just continue with practice, alright?”

You let out a relieved breath as the boys went for their jog and the others stepped outside to talk about the other things needed for the team. Having left to your own for a bit, you let yourself move by instinct. Your eyes landed on the stray volleyball that was by the bench and you picked it up. Walking up to the serving line, you bounced it a couple of times. Everything began to slowly disappear around you and faint cheers filled the background as your senses flashed back to the day you played in the finals with Chidoriyama Junior High’s girl volleyball team. You were tied with your opponents and it would’ve been the set point for your team. The ball was served and your team tried to spike the ball but it was received by your opponent. When it was your turn to spike the ball over the net once again, you had managed just barely to get the ball passed its block. Then before you knew it, you had landed wrong and pain began to shoot up your leg, right in the knee. You were on the floor curled up in a ball as everything began to slow down. and later found out she had torn her ACL. After the game came to an end and you went to the doctor for a proper check-up, it was then that you found out that you tore your ACL.

Clutching the ball in your hand, you took a deep breath and tried to calm yourself down. You were still going to therapy to strengthen your knee after getting surgery, but your return to fully playing was never going to happen in your mind. You weren't going to lie to yourself though; having the ball in your hands once again felt nice. It made you happy as your body moved on its own. Twirling it in your palms, you felt yourself clock in on your concentration. Eyeing the other side of the court, you took a couple of steps back. Everything else was blocked from your sight as you zeroed in on the spot you wanted the ball to land.

Without you knowing, the boys had already returned but Nishinoya and the third years stopped the rest of the team from interrupting you. They all watched as you tossed the ball up in the air before running towards it and did a jump serve. Their eyes widened as the ball easily landed on the other side and could have been considered an ace if you were playing in a real game.

You hissed as you felt the familiar sting in your right knee and clenched your fists as you slowly walked back to the bench.

“(Y/N)-SAN THAT WAS AMAZING!!” Hinata exclaimed.

You gasped and turned around to see the boys looking at you with wide smiles. Hinata and Nishinoya were already making their way towards you with bright smiles and arms spread wide to jump on you.

‘Uh oh...’ You thought as you felt them tackle you with a hug.

159 notes · View notes

crystalstar8 · 3 years

Text

Eye of the Sky

Ch. 2

Pairing: Namjoon x oc

Genre: heist au, action

word count: 1,791

warnings: action, violence, gun violence, car chases, car crashes, swearing, blood probably

notes: heist au, action, adventure, crime, enemies to lovers, ooc namjoon, because he has his license lol

Summary: Ten years ago, Namjoon's father was killed by his best friend and partner in crime, A man who now goes by the name Hawthorne. Now, Namjoon wants to get into the family business in order to avenge his father's death. After finding the man who killed his father, Namjoon builds a team and creates an elaborate plan to finally take the man down.

But will they be able to get through Hawthorne's state-of-the-art security system? And will they succeed with a mysterious assassin chasing them? Let's just say, it's a good thing Namjoon's team members keep surprising him with useful skills.

@mozy-j @strawberriewithchocolate-blog @daechwitad-2

In the top floor penthouse in downtown Seoul, Taehyung stood in his walk-in closet, tying his tie in front of the floor length mirror. He checked the time. Five minutes before he had to leave. A text from his driver let him know that his ride was downstairs. After pulling his jacket on and checking himself one last time, he left his penthouse and made his way downstairs.

The drive was quiet. Taehyung appreciated his early morning drives to the museum; it was a moment of peace before getting to work.

His museum was his pride and joy. The building was all white marble, Grecian in design with a massive atrium dome in the center of the roof. He built it himself, without his father’s help. Not that his father would have helped him even if he were alive. His father was killed when Taehyung was a teenager, but the man was never very present in Taehyung’s life. He was almost always overseas on business, a business Taehyung was now in charge of.

Taehyung never minded. He loved what he did. The thrill of it was almost as great as the wealth that came with it. The only thing he wished was different was the fame. He was the owner of the biggest private museum in Korea, not to mention the youngest, and with that title came press. He passed a billboard on the way to his museum, his own face looking down at the expressway.

Stealing famous art and priceless artifacts would definitely be easier if his face wasn’t on every Louis Vuitton cologne and Rolex advertisement.

His museum came into view and he was pleased to see he already had a line outside, waiting for the doors to open. There was a new exhibit opening today, and he was just as excited about it as the people waiting along the sidewalk.

Once he was in his office, his assistant came in with a frazzled look on her face.

“Sir, there’s a big problem,” she said.

Taehyung took a deep breath before saying, “What’s wrong?”

“One of our tour guides called in, he said he came down with something,” she said, frantically riffling through the disorganized mess of papers in her arms. “Which leaves us with only five guides. We’re going to be overloaded. There’s going to be children running around like monkeys, putting their filthy hands on the new exhibit-“

Taehyung grabbed his assistant’s shoulders and fought against the smile threatening to come out. This was just like her, panicking every time something small didn’t go according to plan.

“I will take his place,” Taehyung said.

“But, sir…”

“It’s my exhibit after all,” said Taehyung. “Who better than me to give the tour?”

“Are you sure? People will recognize you,” she said. “Your most recent photoshoot for Hyundai is currently trending on Twitter. You’ll distract from the exhibit.”

“I am sure,” said Taehyung. “I don’t think I’ll be a distraction.”

His assistant gave him a skeptical and not at all placated look as she left his office.

The museum doors were finally open and visitors were pouring in. The crowd was split up into six different tour groups, and Taehyung began his speech throughout the new exhibit. Quite a few eyes were glued to him rather than the exhibit, but he paid them no mind.

A few tours later and something caught Taehyung’s eye through the crowd. He stuttered in the middle of his speech and stared wide eyed at the visitors waiting for him at the entrance.

“Everyone, if you would please pardon me for a moment,” he said. “Please be responsible and follow the signs through the exhibit. Another guide will find you in a moment.”

Taehyung pulled his earpiece and microphone off and pushed through the crowd of visitors. He made it to the front doors of the museum and stopped in front of two men, his smile dropping.

“What are you doing here?” Taehyung whispered.

Jin smiled and said, “What, we’re not allowed to visit an old friend?”

“I’m working,” said Taehyung. “You can’t bring this here-“

“Meet with us tonight,” said Namjoon. He handed Taehyung a slip of paper. Taehyung took it and slipped it into his inside coat pocket without tearing his eyes from them.

“I will speak with you later,” he said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I was in the middle of a tour.”

Taehyung backed away from them and then made his way back to his tour group.

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

“How do you know he’ll actually show up?” Jin asked as they drove back to Namjoon’s apartment.

“He will,” said Namjoon. “He lives for this kind of thing. Literally. He does jobs like this for a living.”

“I thought his museum was honest now,” said Jin. “Doesn’t he do modelling now too?”

“Oh, sure. His museum is honest alright,” said Namjoon. He took the turn into his parking garage. “If by honest you mean every single piece on display there was stolen one way or another.”

“Doesn’t he buy or…” Jin began.

“Sometimes. But most of the time, he acquires them himself,” Namjoon said as he parked the car. Jin’s Mercedes was parked beside them.

“I’m glad we have him on our side then,” said Jin. They sat in silence for a while before Jin said, “Well, I will see you later tonight. Tell your mother I say hello.”

“I will,” said Namjoon. Jin opened the passenger door and stepped out, getting right into his own car beside them. Namjoon waited a few minutes after Jin drove off before leaving the parking garage himself.

The prison loomed over Namjoon as he stood in front of it, leaning against his car. He didn’t have to wait long before he saw his mother step out of the double doors. He smiled as they met in the middle. His mom wrapped her arms around him and held him in a crushing hug.

“My son,” she said, her voice wobbly. “My beautiful son. Look at you.”

She pulled back and held his shoulders.

“You’re so handsome,” she said. “I mean, you’ve always been handsome, but there was that weird awkward phase you had-“

Namjoon scoffed and rolled his eyes as she burst out laughing.

“I missed you, mom,” he said.

“I missed you too.”

They got into the car and Namjoon began the drive back home.

“How’s your sister?” his mom asked.

“She graduated yesterday,” said Namjoon. “She wants to be a school teacher.”

“Good. I knew she’d be successful,” his mom said. “She’s a smart girl. You both are. How are you? What have you been doing with your life?”

“I work for a tech company in Seoul but I’m planning on leaving them soon,” said Namjoon. “I have a lot of work to do for my new job. Jin says hi, by the way.”

His mother narrowed her eyes as she scrutinized him. “You’re planning something, aren’t you?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” said Namjoon, keeping his eyes on the road.

“Well, I suppose it’s none of my business, as long you keep me out of it,” she said. “Whatever you’re up to, you know I won’t stop you. I just want you to be careful.”

“I will,” said Namjoon. They drove in silence for a while before he said, “I’m taking us out for dinner tomorrow to celebrate Geongmin’s graduation.”

“I can’t wait to see her. Why didn’t she come with you today?”

“She’s busy with interviews today,” said Namjoon. He chuckled at his mother’s shocked face. “I know, she doesn’t waste any time, right?”

“Good for her,” his mom said.

After getting home and helping his mother settle into her new apartment he had bought for her next door, Namjoon spent some time getting ready for his own meeting. Jin arrived early, then Taehyung shortly after. Namjoon served them drinks and then sat with them around his dining table.

“So, tell us the plan,” said Jin.

“Hawthorne’s collection is underground,” said Namjoon. “Behind a safe door that only opens with a password and thumbprint.”

“How are we going to get Hawthorne’s thumbprint?” asked Jin.

“We won’t,” said Namjoon. “Because that’s not the print we need. The only thumbprint that will open the door belongs to his son, Laurel Hawthorne. Laurel is the heir to the entire collection.”

“Ah! Laurel Hawthorne!” Taehyung exclaimed. “I’ve worked with him in the past. Not a fan.”

“You’re going to have to meet with him one last time to get the prints,” said Namjoon. “We’ll set up a meeting with him, where you’ll fake a sale. We’ll have someone hiding nearby with a tranquilizer gun. Once we take him out, you’ll nab his prints and we’ll be out of there.”

“This sounds dangerous,” said Jin.

“Inside the collection room is where the real trouble begins,” Namjoon continued. “Hawthorne uses a state-of-the-art technology to protect his collection. The security system inside uses gaseous detection. Once the door is opened, the room fills with a harmless gas. If there’s any kind of movement behind the barricades of the artifacts, another gas is released into the air, turning it toxic. From there, the person inside the chamber will only have a few minutes before dying. Once the security system is neutralized, and the cameras are placed in a loop, we’ll be able to just go in and take what we want. We’ll obviously replace everything with fakes, especially the Sky’s Eye, the item we need to leave with.”

“Ah, the Sky’s Eye,” said Taehyung. “I had a feeling the necklace was what this was about. But I thought only one man has been in possession of the Sky’s Eye for ten years.”

“You are correct,” said Jin. “Hawthorne is the very same man.”

Taehyung’s eyes widened as he made the connection.

“Hawthorne is Montgomery,” he whispered. “So, this job isn’t just for the necklace.”

“We’ll do all of this on the day of Hawthorne’s party, while he’s distracted,” said Namjoon. “We just need to find a way to get an invitation.”

“Yes, that will be difficult,” said Jin.

“Do you know anyone who’s going?” Namjoon asked Jin.

“I might,” he said.

“Do you think it’s someone you might be able to go with as their date?” asked Namjoon.

“Oh, trust me. I would die to be this man’s date. He is the most handsome man in the world, after all,” said Jin. Namjoon narrowed his eyes. Jin burst into laughter, slapping his knee and pulling an envelope from the pocket inside his jacket.

“You had an invitation all this time?” asked Taehyung.

“Of course!” said Jin, laughing and slapping his knee. Namjoon shook his head but couldn’t help a fond smile from pulling at his lips.

14 notes · View notes

muwur · 4 years

Note

If requests are open.. Suga x reader -3rd year student- where friends to pining where reader is a exchange student mid year -parent’s job- and reader is new to the school, can barely communicate Japanese and is too shy to meet new people.. reader is welcomed as a co-manager for vb club and all the other boys adopt her has their sister. She tutors them in their English lesson too.. also how would Suga help her open up from her shyness..

request: sugawara x fem! reader who is a shy exchange student!

another beginning.

✩ one-shot ✩ for sugawara bb

❧ fem reader

✎ 4.9k words

a/n: FINALLY GOT THIS BBY DONE, ty for being patient requester <3 i hope its ok, lmk if u would like smth different!

also curious but do yall listen to music when you write or read? i dnt always but when i DO i listen to some boppy music so i can shake mah ass (unles im depresso AHAHA) LMAO rec me some pls--

send me asks--

current listen: juicy by doja cat, gasolina by daddy yankee, 11 PM by maluma

A pencil dangled between two of your fingers, gently swinging back and forth as you tapped the eraser’s tip against your chin in thought. Looking over Hinata’s shoulder at the worksheet laying on the table, you extended your hand and made a neat scrawl on the page. “That’s good translating, Hinata! However,” you dragged your pencil across the surface, marking a line and arrow to point at a space near the beginning of his sentence, “keep in mind that although gerunds look like verbs, they act as nouns. So, this word should go here.”

Yachi, who was seated to your right, nodded in agreement. “I looked through his notes doodles, and it looked like they were going over gerunds in class!”

With narrowed eyes, Hinata scanned the page, muttering the sentence underneath his breath. Suddenly, his hazel eyes lit up in understanding and his lips morphed into a round “O.” “Ohhhh, that make a lot more sense! Thanks, (y/n), you’re a big help, especially in English! Also, look, guys!”

He rummaged through his cluttered backpack and fished out a slightly wrinkled sheet of paper with a red “14/50” marked on the top right corner. Holding it up proudly, he declared, “I got a better score than last time! By nine points!”

“That’s still an F,” Tsukishima pointed out, eyes glued to the pages of the book he was reading. Yamaguchi and Kageyama tried to stifle their snickers.

“Y-You’re not even looking!” Hinata defended. The ginger was met with a shrug. “I don’t need to see the score to know you failed.”

Before any fighting could break out, however, the door swung open, revealing the remaining third-years. Bags of snacks in their arms, the four of them stepped in. “We’re back! Your parent/guardian let us in, (y/n),” Sugawara announced, setting his bag down on the table. The rest followed suit and set the goodies down. Rummaging through one of the bags, Daichi pulled out a meat bun.

“Hinata, here’s your meat bun,” he said, handing the snack to the excited first-year, who had long-forgotten Tsukishima’s snide remark about his lack of intellectual aptitude. Kiyoko offered Kageyama his milk, the slight brush of their hands being enough to stir Noya and Tanaka into an envious craze. Asahi tried to settle them down, nervously reminding them that they needed to act respectful in your home, especially after your family had agreed to let you all study there. You stifled a giggle as Sugawara and Daichi joined in, scolding their underclassmen for their poor behavior and threatening them with a time-out.

With an exasperated sigh, Sugawara took a seat next to you on the mat. “Ah, I can’t help but worry about how Ennoshita’s going to handle both of them on his own.”

Giving a sidelong glance to the second-year, who was now forcing Noya and Tanaka to complete timed practice problems, your lips formed a small smile. “Looks like he does a pretty good job at it, though.”

Sugawara let out an amused huff. “Guess I’m worried over nothing. Oh, also,” he dug into the plastic bag in front of him, taking out your favorite snack and offering it to you. “Here you go.”

(can u tell from my stories yet that fav snacks aka actions are my love language--)

“Oh, thank you, Suga, I didn’t even ask for this…” you flashed him a grateful smile and took the package from his hands, suppressing the blush that threatened to overcome your cheeks as your fingertips brushed. He gave a sheepish smile and glanced to the side in response, giving the back of his neck an anxious rub.

“Ah, it’s the least I could do to thank you for letting us all come over to study. It’s really helpful. I appreciate it, (y/n).”

“It’s not much, really. I’m more than glad to help you all (read: Hinata, Kageyama, Tanaka, and Noya) out with English and offer my place. Having everyone together makes it easier. They need to pass these exams so you all get to play.”

Your offer to help the team with their studies may have seemed a simple gesture as both their friend and co-manager. On the inside, however, you really were more than happy to have everyone over for whatever reason. It left you with a feeling of awe. The last thing you would’ve expected 3 months ago was to be sitting in your new home in Japan, surrounded by a group of people who accepted you despite your poor Japanese and late appearance to Karasuno. Just 4 months ago, after you learned about your parent/guardian’s job transfer to Japan, you were left feeling an array of mixed feelings:

Anxiety – a whole new country? With a language you could barely even speak or understand? How was that going to work? Could you even make friends at school? God knows how long it took you to make the friends you have now.

Disappointment – you were looking forward to graduating high school with the friends you’ve made throughout the past few years. Having to say goodbye would be difficult, and you’d miss them.

Yet, you felt a sliver of hopefulness – new experiences were waiting for you. You had the opportunity to lead a new life in a foreign place. It filled you both with fear and exhilaration.

On the night before your first day at Karasuno, you could barely sleep after spending hours religiously practicing how to introduce yourself in Japanese. Having to introduce yourself to the class and speaking with your new classmates was inevitable, after all. And so the next day, you found yourself standing in front of the classroom, trying to suppress the nervous shudder that threatened to rack your body and ignore the prickles of sweat on your palms. Despite how much you mentally recited your introduction that morning, your current situation left your mind blank, unable to conjure any words. Fueled by the awkward silence, the numerous gazes focused on you, and the growing pit of anxiety in your stomach, what came out was a quiet, jumbled form of what you intended to say.

“Hello, (y/n) (l/n). I’m (insert your original country name here). I can’t Japanese, but I hope friends. Everyone, nice to meet,” you bowed, both in respect and so that you could hide your face, which was red from embarrassment. You knew you messed up, but you pretended otherwise, hoping that nobody would point out your mistake.

You straightened up after a few moments of silence, registering the confused looks of your new classmates and feeling another stab of shame. In response to your introduction, the teacher raised her eyebrows and blinked in confusion. Then her eyes warmed, and she offered you a smile as she spoke up. “Class, this is (l/n) (y/n). She recently moved here from (insert OG country here). She’s still learning Japanese; however, her English is perfect, so I’m sure you can all learn something from each other. Please make her feel welcome. Your seat is over there, (l/n).”

Shoulders sagging, you made your way to your desk, avoiding eye contact despite the pairs of eyes that followed you to your seat. Focusing on the lecture was a struggle. Not only could you barely understand anything the teacher was saying; worries about how the rest of the day would go also flooded your mind. This was only the morning; how could you navigate your way through the halls? Ask for directions? Would you meet people? Where would you eat lunch? How could you survive?

The remainder of the classes went by gruesomely slow. Too embarrassed from your slip this morning and too shy to meet new people despite wanting to make a friend, you successfully dodged conversation with any of your classmates. You were relieved that finally lunch came by, yet that presented another problem. You weren’t sure where to go, but you were sure that you were going to eat by yourself.

After a few minutes of walking around the hallways, you settled for eating lunch in the classroom. At least it meant you didn’t have to rush to class after the bell rang. Taking a seat, you pulled out your boxed lunch and set it out in front of you. Painfully aware of how alone you must have looked, you pretended to look really interested in your meal (am i the only one or--). You poked it, broke it into pieces, then brought each sliver to your mouth and chewed slowly. If only your family had switched your phone plans earlier, then you could at least spend time scrolling the internet or lament to your friends back home about how your day was going.

Still “engrossed” in your meal, you failed to notice a figure standing in front of your desk. Only after you saw a hand situate itself on the edge of your desk did you look up.

You met the chestnut eyes of a boy. He bore a warm smile that made a small crinkle in his eyes and beauty mark. Strands of grey hair draped naturally in front of his eyes and framed the sides of his face. Despite your unease, his soft features helped to calm your racing heart and mind. He seemed a friendly person; after all, he was able to approach you.

“Hey, you’re (l/n), right? I’m Sugawara Koushi, but you can call me Suga. I’m in your class,” he introduced in pretty darn good English.

‘Man, that means he heard me this morning…’ you thought miserably. Yet, you couldn’t help but feel some relief. Perhaps you hadn’t given others or yourself much of a chance before jumping to the conclusion that you were incapable of meeting new people.

Clearing your throat, you shyly extended a hand to him in greeting. “Yes, I’m (y/n) (l/n). Call me (y/n). It’s nice to meet you, Suga,” you replied hesitantly, finally using the correct words in Japanese that you had been practicing the previous night.

Shaking your hand, his eyes widened in pleasant surprise. “Your Japanese sounds pretty good! You just moved, so you’re still learning, right? How about I help you improve that while you help me with English?”

You were about to nod eagerly in appreciation when you both overheard some snickering across the room. Two boys and a girl sat together, whispering quite loudly and sneaking oh-so-inconspicuous glances over at your desk. Taking notice that they were caught staring, they presumed to loudly munch on their meals and talk about the weather.

Suga only shot them annoyed glare and shook his head before turning his attention back to you. “Sorry, those are my… Friends.” The strain in his voice after saying that last word made you question if they really were on friendly terms.

After that day, you found yourself spending every lunch period with Suga and his other third-year friends Daichi, Asahi, and Shimizu. You initially felt unsure of how to talk to them, but after Sugawara’s efforts to include you in his circle and some reassuring words about being yourself and not letting a small, temporary language barrier hold you back from making friends, you earned a bit of confidence. While you spoke a hybrid of English and Japanese with them, you eventually managed to pick up a lot of Japanese from talking everyday, and after these few months of constant exposure, you were able to hold decent conversations. Additionally, the extra help you sought from the teaching staff allowed you to be able to keep up in class, and your instructors were understanding enough to give you some leniency on your assignments during this adjustment period.

Hanging around your new friends often, it was only a matter of time before you were introduced to the rest of Karasuno’s boys’ volleyball team. It occurred one lunch period three weeks after you first arrived, when Asahi suggested that you join some club activities. You were discouraged, however, considering that it was already halfway through the year, you didn’t know enough Japanese yet to converse with just anyone, and you were a tad shy, which made joining clubs a bit difficult. At that moment, your new friends all made eye contact with each other, then looked at you.

“Why not join our volleyball club?” Suga asked. “Shimizu could always use the help. She’s our only student manager.”

Shimizu nodded in agreement, her blue gaze soft. “Your help would be really appreciated. There’s a lot to this job, so having someone to split the work with would be relieving. You can also help me look for someone to take my place when we graduate.”

Later that day you found yourself in the gym being blocked by Sugawara, who was protecting you from two crazed boys whose collars were held back by Daichi. A ginger-haired boy looked at you with curiosity, excitedly introducing himself as Hinata and pointing out the names of the other members on the court (“This is ‘Bakageyama’ and that guy’s ‘Four-eyed Jerk Face’—").

Upon their release (which was granted only after they promised to behave), Tanaka and Noya dashed over to you, tears in their eyes as they held your hands and expressed their gratitude for your presence. “Oh, (y/n), you kind soul, helping Shimizu with the managerial work. Better yet, now we have two cute girls to support us, this is amazing!”

And that’s how you found yourself sitting with your new friends in your living room and feeling grateful for their vibrant personalities, kindness, and acceptance. You couldn’t have asked for a better batch of friends to end your year with. Though, you were most grateful to Sugawara. If not for him, the last several months of your highschool experience may have gone by miserably, with nothing special to note and no new friends to celebrate with. His gentle, understanding nature had done nothing but support you and make you feel welcome. He helped introduce you to a new, comfortable life you had trouble imagining before your arrival to Japan. He dispelled your doubts and fears, instilling in you a newfound confidence in your abilities. It certainly helped that the team was just as supportive and patient with you.

You could recount the events of the past few months that brought warmth to your heart. These people were growing on you, making you feel like you could be yourself more each day. Daichi provided you a sense of security and leadership. Asahi was empathetic, quick to detect your feelings of uneasiness and asking you if you were okay. Shimizu made sure to make you feel welcome as a friend and fellow manager, even inviting you to a café over the weekend to brainstorm ideas on recruiting a replacement (who you both later discovered to be Yachi) and try out some desserts. Tanaka and Noya tried to teach you all the Japanese curse words they knew, initially lying to you about their meanings so they could see the rest of the team’s reactions when you would blurt things out in the middle of practice (Let’s just say that Daichi, Suga, Ennoshita, and Tsukki knew whose fault this was, and Asahi was real shook hearing a string of curse words from your mouth while you sat there, no ill intent emanating from you whatsoever). Ennoshita gave you a comforting, easygoing presence. Tsukki was… Tsukki (LOL). But he could carry on a conversation, often genuinely interested whenever you talked about the culture back in (other country). And you knew he was soft. Hinata was a burst of energy, and you found his bickering with Tsukishima and Kageyama silly and quite precious. You often stayed with Yachi to toss balls to Kageyama late at night, much to his appreciation. Yachi and Yamaguchi were some of the biggest sweethearts on the team, and all you could think about was needing to protect them.

There was definitely something different in your interactions with Sugawara, though. You found yourself closest to him out of everyone. It may have been because he was the first you talked to, or maybe it was because he was one of the most easygoing people you’ve ever met. That, and you found yourself wanting to get closer to him. You wanted to know more about him.

Sugawara chuckled in response. “I suppose you’re right. We wouldn’t have made it this far without everyone,” he said softly, a tinge of fondness showing in his brown eyes. He proceeded to take out his schoolwork and pen, resting his chin in his palm as he read the words across the page of his assignment. Occasionally, you glanced over at him, admiring the way his eyebrows knit together in concentration, and how his hair brushed his cheeks whenever his head shifted in its position. How the grey tips of lashes kissed his bottom eyelids with each flutter of his chocolate hues. You even took a mental note that his lips, currently pursed in thought, were rather smooth and full in appearance.

A rogue thought about how those lips would feel against your own flitted across your mind. It brought a small pang to your chest, and you had to mentally slap yourself back into reality. You noticed these new feelings were starting to become more prevalent the longer you hung around Sugawara. You consulted your friends back home about it, and in their excitement, they insisted you had a crush on this guy (and demanded photos). Heart palpitations, heat-flooded cheeks, covert glances, and a desire for closeness in all aspects possible? All symptoms of infatuation, your personal love doctors concluded. You recalled when these signs first appeared about a month ago, after he offered to walk you home when practice had gone late into the night. Initially you declined, not wanting him to go out of his way when it was already dark outside. However, after seeing the soft look in his eyes as he declared he wanted to ensure you got home safely and that he didn’t mind the walk, your heart couldn’t help but give in and agree.

It was a tranquil night, accompanied only by the sound of crickets chirping and a cool, whispy breeze. About 15 minutes after having left campus, you were both seated on an aged bench at a small park, snacking on recent convenience store purchases to satisfy your growling stomachs. A comfortable silence settled in the air. The nightly surroundings were illuminated by the gentle glow of several nearby lampposts and stars that burned lightyears away.

Your gaze followed the tracks of a small bug crawling across the sidewalk in front of your feet. It skittered soundlessly against the pavement, eventually disappearing in the security of a bush. A gentle sigh took hold of your attention, and your eyes flickered over to your friend, who was peering up at the star-dusted evening sky.

“Do you know what you’re doing after graduation?” he asked, a hint of wonder in his voice.

You shook your head. “No clue, to be honest. You?”

He pursed his lips and took a sidelong glance at you before focusing back upwards. “Well, I’ve always wanted to be a teacher…”

“Seems fitting. Your Japanese lessons have been really helpful,” you pointed out, smiling.

The tips of his lips curved upwards as well. “Really? I’m glad. You’ve improved a lot, too. You’re a quick learner.”

“Heh, well I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Another comfortable silence fell upon you two before he spoke again. “I was thinking about how to keep in touch with everyone after we left, and how it’s a shame we’re leaving so soon after you arrived. I would’ve liked to know you better, too, but there’s only a few months left...”

His genuine words left a rosy tinge on your cheeks. As you were thinking of a response, you looked down, noticing how close your hand lay next to his. Heartrate quickening, you stammered, “Y-Yeah, I wish we had more time, too.. T-To hang around each other, I mean. But graduation doesn’t have to mean goodbye, right?”

“That’s true... You always know just what to say, you know that, (y/n)?” he turned his gaze on you and held out an extended pinky. “Promise to talk to me after graduating, then?”

You rolled your eyes playfully and huffed in amusement. Taking your own pinky and intertwining it with his, you nodded. “So long as you keep your end of the promise, too.”

“Of course.”

Sugawara’s voice brought you out of your momentary flashback. “(Y/n)? Can I ask you a question?”

Blinking your previous thoughts away and calming the warmth on your cheeks, you responded, “What’s up?”

He slid his assignment closer to you, pointing at a section he was having trouble with. “Here. I’m not sure if I’m doing this correctly..”

You leaned in, scooching towards him and closing in on the gap between you. Focused on the homework, you failed to notice how the brush of your shoulders made Sugawara’s body stiffen slightly. With your proximity, your scent easily wafted to his nose, and he could observe the closer details of your appearance. The hair tucked behind your ear exposed your cheekbone, looking soft to the touch. Your determined hues scanned the page, and he could visualize your thinking through your small, occasional self-nods. You looked cute and comfortable in the casual hoodie you wore, bringing him a strange, mixed sense of bashfulness and ease. His mind wandered, trying to envision how you would look if you wore any of his jackets, but his thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of your sweet voice and scribbles against paper.

“It sounds great, Suga! I just made a note there on how you can fix it; otherwise, it should be okay,” you gave him a reassuring smile as you slid his work back to him. You, however, didn’t shift back to your original position and instead stayed seated mere inches from the boy. Not that he minded, but…

“O-Oh, alright, thanks!”

It made concentrating during the rest of the study session a little difficult.

Occasionally you did get up, helping mostly the first and second years with some of their English assignments. His eyes would secretly (but c’mon, everyone but Hinata and Kageyama could tell) follow your figure, admiring the way you looked as you interacted happily with the others and did whatever you could to assist them. Yet you always returned to the same spot, near Suga. Close enough that everyone else on the team took notice (if they haven’t already), relayed the information via mental telephone, and secretly agreed to depart a bit earlier than they had anticipated.

“Oh, you guys are leaving already?” you asked everyone as they were packing up their belongings.

They all nodded in response, offering up their reasons for leaving earlier than the original time you set, which ranged from, “My parents wanted me home for dinner” to “My sister’s wasted and locked out of the house, nobody’s home—” (u good der Saeko)

Standing at your doorway, you waved to your friends, sending them off with a “I’ll see you at school!” as they waved back and filed out of your home. Looking over to Suga, who was still standing beside you, you wondered, “Oh, you’re staying?”

“Oh, yeah! I was surprised to see everyone leave so soon, but I was planning to head home in another hour. B-But I can go now if you need me to..!” he answered a bit shakily, waving around his hands in small, bashful gestures.

You shook your head and you waved your hand dismissively. “It’s okay, you’re more than welcome to stay for however long you need to.”

Settled back in the common area, you both tried to resume your schoolwork, but to no avail. Groaning, you leaned back, using your arms to support you from behind. “I’m tired of workingggggg.”

He sighed in agreement, resting an elbow on the table and propping up his head in a closed fist. “Same. Do you want to do something else?”

“Hmm..” you pondered aloud. “Do you want to see my room?”

Shrugging and responding with a “why not?”, you both stood up, leaving the common area to go to your room. You opened the door and stepped inside, Suga closely trailing behind you.

“Welcome to my room. Make yourself cozy,” you insisted as you sat on your bed and pat the spot next to you. He took your offer, taking a seat beside you and looking around your bedroom in curiosity.

“Something about this place really seems like you, (y/n).”

You raised an eyebrow at his comment. “Is it the messy pile of clothes in that basket or the neat desk I cleaned up this morning?”

He chuckled and shook his head. “I suppose you could say those are part of it. I just meant there’s a lot to you that you should feel comfortable sharing with others. People are complex and there’s so many sides to a person we discover along the way. I remember how timid you were in our first weeks of knowing each other, and now you’re getting along great with everyone and work hard to improve everyday. You were able to overcome a stressful repeat of entering highschool, but this time in another country, and adapted just fine! Your kindness and determination is admirable.”

Twiddling with your fingers, you felt a sheepish grin form on your face. “Aha, you’re too kind, Suga. You know I couldn’t have made these friends or adjust so well without your help. I was too worried about talking to anyone until you came up to me, so… Thank you.”

You risked a glance towards the boy, finding his chocolate gaze already set on you. If none of your interactions in the past month had set your heart ablaze, then certainly this moment would take the cake. Sugawara’s eyes flickered downwards briefly in a moment of hesitance, then locked again onto yours with a hint of an undetectable emotion lurking behind those irises. Neither of you could bring up any words to say. The only sounds present were the soft hums of your breathing and the low creak of your bed as you found yourselves shifting your weight in order to inch closer to one another.

His mind flooded with a cacophony of emotions, from crippling nervousness to an allure for risk-taking. He could barely come to terms with the current situation and what might happen. Maybe he was overthinking it. Surely being this close face-to-face with someone who you just happen to like doesn’t automatically mean they like you back and want to kiss you just as much. Perhaps you were just leaning in to rest your head on his shoulder; after all, you did seem tired from the events of today. Or, you were scooting close for a better look at his face so you could point out, “hey, you got a little something on your face.” Perhaps a crumb from the cracker he had earlier?

But when he took note of the way your eyes fluttered shut, eyelashes caressing the tops of your dusted cheeks, his doubts began to waver. Maybe this was the chance he’s been seeking out lately. Once Daichi deciphered Sugawara’s affections for you, eventually the whole team found out and began to silently root for him. Thankfully, despite their blatant attempts to help him out, you hadn’t noticed a thing. It made him wonder whether you were oblivious, or just didn’t like him, or both. However, in this moment, when it appeared as though maybe you returned his feelings, he felt he should—as Tanaka would say—shoot his shot.

A sudden knock on the door sent you both jumping 5 feet away from each other. Frazzled and wide-eyed, you choked out a weak, “H-Hello?” in response to the interruption. The door opened, revealing your parent/guardian, who peeked inside.

“Dinner’s ready. Would you like to stay and have it with us?” they were asking Suga.

Heart still racing from the fear that gripped it, he blinked in surprise. He piped out a polite no thank you, reasoning that he didn’t want to intrude.

“Nonsense, we’re happy to have you. Come soon.”

They closed the door and left, leaving you two in an awkward silence that was soon interrupted by the sound of your cough. “We should, uh, get going…”

Standing up, you reached for the door with Suga in tow. The tension in the air remained between the two of you throughout dinner. Nevertheless, Sugawara was able to leave a good impression on your family by being a good conversationalist, even earning a few laughs from your parent/guardian. It made your heart swell at how natural it was for him to be able to get along with others.

After dinner ended and he packed his things, you stepped outside with him to send him off, closing the door behind you. He was about to salute you with a “thanks for having me over” when you gave him a peck on the cheek so sudden that he didn’t have time to react before you were already making your way back into your house.

“Thanks for coming, Suga! I’ll see you at school! Let me know when you get home!” you exclaimed animatedly, shutting the door quickly to hide your embarrassment from your sudden actions. You leaned your back against it, instantly regretting what you did with tightly shut eyes. ‘Oh gawd how am I gonna face him at school tomorrow dhefjkg.’

But on the other side of the door, Suga stood dumbfounded, hovering a hand over the area your lips had touch. Though highly embarrassed, he felt a rush of elation pass over him like a humongous wave that never stopped crashing against the shores.

He was starting to really think it was a good idea to introduce himself to the cute new girl in class. Nice one, Suga.

#haikyuu x reader #sugawara koushi x reader #sugawara x reader #sugawara koushi #haikyuu x y/n #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu x reader oneshots #hq reader insert #haikyuu reader insert #requests

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currywaifu · 4 years

Text

𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: rival 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩: sumeragi tenma/reader 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: sfw 𝐰𝐜: 2.9k words, 3 images

𝐚𝐧: two people from the filo discord (ty to sel & kai) gave me the idea for this! i meant to push this out a while back, but only got the time to finish it tonight! at... 5 am... sorry for the long delay, @chewie-santatoast !

If someone were to ask Tenma why he was stalking your Instablam right now, he’d be able to spout off various excuses— all with varying levels of believability.

His first excuse was that you were going to be one of his latest co-stars in a drama. Just because the both of you were going to be part of only a few episodes doesn’t mean he’s gonna stop being diligent. He’s just doing his best to be up to date with you and the other cast, for social reasons.

Why is he so focused on your page, then?

His second excuse would be that he’s only looking, following your account because you’re one of his rivals! Not only were you someone who also started acting at a young age, but you also recently started getting into theatre! Not only were you a threat to any possible awards he could get this season, but any notable troupe was a rival to Mankai for any possible competitions or awards! He’s only looking after the company by scoping out the competition!

Why is he so focused on a specific set of images?

His third excuse, actually still pretty believable, was that he was looking at your most recent posts wherein you were clearly promoting a new play, your repost of the poster signifying that you were the lead. Rival or not, he was still interested in plays or musicals— of course he was going to learn more about the production you were going to be a part of, right?

Why is he looking so intently at the caption and comments, then?

Even in his own brain, this is where Tenma began fumbling. You were just supposed to be promoting, so why were you posting a selfie with another actor, even mentioning that same person in the caption? And- and the people in the comments! Why were they talking about “shipping” you and that guy? Comments about how cute of a couple you’d make… were they fake fans of theatre or something? People who were more engrossed with the actor’s lives than the show?

That’s exactly it… he’s repulsed by people’s audacity. Fan service was alright, but you shouldn’t be feeding your followers anything unnecessary— and why were they so adamant in taking things too far and out of context anyway?

The door creaked open, and he quickly locked his phone as he hastily stashed it underneath his pillow, face unknowingly painted with a blush as though he was hiding something scandalous instead of a picture of you doing finger hearts at the camera.

… thank God it was just Misumi, who doesn’t mention anything possibly wrong with his appearance or attitude. The older boy mentioned something about eating triangle cakes together with the rest of the troupe, and he eagerly replied in agreement as he gets up from bed.

In his head, Tenma justified his actions by telling himself it’d just be a hassle if anyone (note: Yuki or Kazunari) caught him and automatically made assumptions.

When Tenma arrived on set, you were exiting out of your car as well.

‘I should probably be friendly and greet them, right?’ he thought to himself as his body was positioning itself to avoid you instead. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for him, you had already spotted him and with a loud “Tenma-kun!”, his gaze was forced to meet with yours.

You made your way beside him with a blinding smile, not giving him the time to formulate a greeting in return as you began talking up a storm.

“I’m excited to work with you again!” you said, briefly pausing to greet his manager as well before turning back to him. “The last time we’ve worked together was for a drama 6 months ago, right?”

“No,” he corrected immediately, the ‘you idiot’ that would have followed thankfully left out by Tenma. “We filmed a commercial 3 months ago, and then we had a magazine spread last month.”

When you blink up at him in surprise, he found himself getting a little conscious. “It’s… it’s not like I memorised it because of you, though!” he said, beginning to explain himself, “obviously a good actor remembers the things they’re a part of, right?”

When you giggled in response, a part of him started to feel… no, not worried, but something.

“No, no, I totally get that!” you raised your arms up in surrender, “I just meant like an actual acting gig, I guess? Nothing beats having a whole new script to learn, and getting to act with the people you admire. Right, Tenma-kun?”

Inclined to agree with you, he nodded in agreement. “Right…”

You looked at him with a blank stare on your face, like he was missing something (what was there for him to miss, though?) before quickly turning away to greet some of the production crew passing by with a wave and grin.

He, for once, managed to tune out the coos and comments of, “it’s so cute that they stayed friends after all these years!” and “aww look they even entered the set together!” in favour of wondering if there was something he said (or didn’t) that ended the conversation.

…

After filming finished for the day, he decided to lag behind instead of immediately leaving. He’s worked with a bunch of the cast beforehand, so it was a good thing to catch up with them.

“Mini Sumeragi,” one of his more… out there seniors, a friend of his father, began “are you gonna keep staring at their dressing room?”

Freezing up, he mentally took note to stop darting his eyes in that direction before anyone could make something out of it; it was too late, though, when the lead actress asked who occupied that room and several people replied your name in chorus.

“Ohoho~ our young boy is finally growing up,” the lead actor said with a grin, and the whole cast amusedly watched Tenma’s cool mask forming cracks.

“Could it be you’re waiting for them to go out? Is that why you’re staying behind to chat with us oldies?” none of them look the least bit offended, but while he was safe on that aspect, the little smirks and chuckles that escaped the others made him want to justify his actions somehow.

“It’s- it’s because I— have something to tell them!” Tenma explained, despite not knowing a) what he would even say to you, and b) that he was planning on talking to you in the first place. Even though all the signs were pointing to him wanting to do so, at least to an outsider’s perspective.

With widened eyes and an over-dramatised look of shock, the show’s director herself let out a gasp. “Sumeragi-kun, you don’t mean… you’re going to…“

Tenma’s perceptive after all, especially when it came to body language. He had to be as the Summer Troupe’s leader! He could tell there was something bothering you a while ago. As co-workers, he just doesn’t want you to have an issue with him is all! Not— not that he was super concerned about what you thought about him though, it was just—

“Tenma-kun?”

The whole group turned to look at the source of the voice, and who else could it be other than the devil itself.

“I’m glad you’re still here!” you exclaimed, a smile gracing your face as you approached the ginger. “I actually had something I needed to ask you about.”

“Huh? Oh, of course you did,” he crossed his arms, averting his eyes from your expectant gaze. “What did you want?” What— what else was he supposed to say?

Unexpectedly, you bring out your phone and hand it to him. Hold on, wasn’t this like those scenes in the dramas he acted in? Or Muku’s shoujo mangas? Where the main character would hand her phone to the guy she liked and asked for his number?

“Could we start chatting on LIME?” Tenma stiffened at your words, until you followed up with “Since you got into theatre before me, you’d probably have some tips or advice, right? I’m still inexperienced, so…”

After what felt like minutes, his thumbs quickly moved to enter his phone number, adding himself as a friend on your phone.

“I’m only doing this because it’s theatre related, okay? There’s no other reason!”

“Yes, yes, I know… Tenma-kun is always very nice to me,” with a closed-eyed smile making its way to your face, the both of you remained unaware of two things. First, the reddening of Tenma’s ears, and second, the hushed commentary of the others in the room.

“… that felt like a scene from a high school drama,” the director commented as soon as the both of you were out of earshot, looking contemplative, “they’re cute. Maybe I’ll cast them as the leads in my next show.”

Several laughs come out of the group, knowing glances thrown around from one person to another. The usually professional Sumeragi Tenma finally acting his own age, and the one who caused him to act that way. Whether you two knew it or not, you two’d become the hot topic amongst the crew for the next few filming sessions.

Unsurprisingly, Yuki’s the first one to notice something was up; while Tenma was good enough to be able to hide whoever it was he was chatting with on his phone, he was not slick enough to hide how affected he got upon hearing his phone ping, or the look on his face as he read and his fingers poised themselves to reply.

What kind of person gets smiley so early in the morning without eating breakfast, just because of a text message? Disgusting, really.

Also unsurprisingly, Kazunari’s second to notice, but unlike Yuki he’s the first to properly try and figure out who Tenma’s talking to instead of just making comments here and there.

After all, the blond can only conclude two things— first, they must be a special enough person to have the always busy actor chat with them consistently during his free time; second, Tenten… probably hasn’t noticed that he’s being so, so obvious to the point that Misumi thought their very own leader found a “very special triangle”.

Kazunari found it was a little difficult, trying to figure out who it was exactly that caught Tenma’s attention, especially with the latter keeping a tighter on his phone than usual.

However, it was not impossible.

It wasn’t uncommon for several members of the troupe to gather around the living room to watch the latest episode of whatever drama Tenma was currently in. It wasn’t that uncommon either for him to watch with everyone as well, judging his own acting and seeing how it turned out through the camera.

Tonight was different though, and it would seem that always having his phone on his possession had become his own boon… or perhaps the true boon was sitting in front of Kazunari, giving him the perfect view to have a bit of a peek without being evident about his intent.

…

Tenten—

Tenten, why—

Kazunari found himself sending a mental prayer to whatever deity existed in the universe, not just for his own sanity but for…

His eyes go to the one person on screen that Tenma’s clearly been hyper focused on. ‘Yes, I pray for your sanity, too…’ he thought to himself. It was so clear that you had some semblance of more-than-friendly interest towards his friend, and you were clearly fishing a compliment out of him— if not just for the sake of a compliment, then to gauge his interest level in you.

Honestly, he can’t let this go any further— him snooping getting revealed be damned. Tenma’s been typing and hitting the backspace key for a solid two minutes now, he was clearly hopeless, and Kazunari? Why, he was a texting MASTER— it was his duty to help out his poor disciple.

“Tenten~♪,” as soon as the ginger’s attention broke from the phone, he quickly grabbed the device out of said person’s grasp, ignoring his indignant noises as he quickly typed in a response that seemed in-character enough for Tenma, but enough to pander to you.

When Tenma finally got his phone back, Kazunari resisted the urge to take a photo of the former’s face, morphing and reddening as he registered the rest of the messages.

“Why’d you… why’d you call them cute?” Tenma whisper-shouted, looking around to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation, before turning back to Kazunari.

“Awww, so you don’t think they’re a cutie?” Kazunari asked, clearly baiting Tenma to refute.

“That’s not what I— that’s not the point!”

Unable to hold himself back, he let out a laugh while one of the more serious parts of the show was playing out, causing several people to look at him in wonder. He doesn’t really have an explanation without exposing Tenma, so he gave the vague excuse of seeing something funny on his phone.

Not his phone, but hot diggity dog, did he see something funny alright.

There was no way he’d ever admit this to you, or to anyone for that matter, but he genuinely doesn’t understand you. You were rivals, weren’t you? Sure he expected you to be civil, but you were being so friendly and kind… and even worse, you were making him feel weird. You were making him do things he normally wouldn’t do.

He glanced down, the newly bought bouquet of roses seated on his lap as he waited for the play to start— the opening night of the play you were going to be in.

Opening night… when the others found out about it, they gave him knowing glances, playful nudges, teasing comments but really, what did it matter if he just so happened to watch on opening night of all nights? It was the night he was free on!

Besides, you were his rival in acting! Obviously, he was going to watch your performance to simultaneously check out your strengths and weaknesses as an actor— how you differed on set and on stage.

… no, that didn’t sound right, even in his head.

Then, he’s watching you because you went through the trouble of asking him for tips about acting on stage, and getting into theatre. He’s kind of like your teacher, right? So he has to support you

… that didn’t sound right, either.

Even after the play ended, he waited for the audience area to be mostly deserted before coming to find you backstage, the stage manager apparently recognising him and letting him pass without much questioning on who he was here to see.

When he finally found you, he stilled in his spot. Oh, you were with…

For a few seconds, his stomach churned, like a fiery pit burning his insides on fire without so much a regard towards any pain he’d fill and—

“Tenma-kun!”

As quickly as it arrived, the fire gets extinguished at the familiar shout of his name. That person turned to you, quickly muttering something that made you giggle, the forming frown on his lips only leaving as the other man did.

“I’m really happy you came to watch me~” you told him, a little bashfully. “My parents couldn’t come tonight, so it was nice to have someone I recognised other than my manager in the crowd.”

Right, opening night was… a lot for him, too. Tenma nodded understandingly. “Obviously? Oh and congratulations, by the way, you did really well,” he added in, watching you gingerly take the bouquet of red roses from his grasp. Your eyes turned a little softer at the present, stuck on the little tag even though all that was written on that pre-made to and from card was your name and his respectively.

“I said I’d watch you, right? Besides, just because you’re my rival doesn’t mean I’m gonna go break a promise.”

You remained silent for a minute, and he worried again if he somehow found another thing that would cause you to stop talking to him, at least for a little while— a time period just enough to bother him.

When you break your silence, you make sure to make direct eye-contact with him.

“… rival?”

“Yes?”

With a heavy sigh, you began muttering to yourself. While he wasn’t able to pick up on comprehensible sentences, your expression was enough to tell him you were annoyed.

Before he could question you, the smile returned to your face.

“You think we’re rivals? That’s a shame… I don’t see you that way at all,” you remarked offhandedly, watching Tenma’s face morph into a mixture confusion and hurt.

“What? Do you not think I’m good enough to be your—“

“Okay! Stop the thought right now!” you interrupted, shaking your head vehemently. What kind of derivation was that? “I think of us as more than rivals, is what I mean.”

Tenma’s blush seared through his cheeks, looking almost as though his face was lit up on fire. Despite this, he made no attempt to move to shield his face from your gaze, or any movement at all really— save for how he sputtered in search of some semblance of a viable reply.

“What do you… what are you trying to imply? Are you saying you think of me as a friend or—“

He gets interrupted by the sound of you giggling. “Well, the meaning can be whatever you want it to be!” you exclaimed, the tone of your voice a little mischievous as you continued, “so just let me know which one, okay?~”

#a3! act! addict! actors!#a3!#tenma sumeragi #sumeragi tenma #cafe: dessert menu

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honeywithblueberries · 3 years

Text

Jumpstart Chapter 3

This is getting a lot of my attention. I really have no clue what started this Jack/Skye kick, but someone tell Kulkum we’re ready for another chapter of Savage Dark. I think that will cure my obsession :).

…………………………………..

The music was soft and lights dim, a romantic hue being cast over the reception hall. The Arctic todd clinked his scotch glass with his wife’s wine glass before turning back to the dance floor. The smile he had given his wife melted and became slightly sad and disappointed when he turned his blue eyes towards the dance floor. There, his little vixen was wrapped in the arms of the last mammal he would have chosen for her. And he had given it several shots throughout the years.

Daniel Frost remembered the day his nine year old daughter had brought her new friend over after school. At first he felt pride. His daughter had not only taken his words to heart but had gone out her way to unalienate the new kit in her class. He had called into work for the day to catch up on house repairs, and was finishing up repainting the kitchen when Skye came home from school with Jack. Standing at the sink, rinsing the paint roller, his ears perked at the sound of the door opening. A glance at the clock and he figured who it could be.

“Welcome home, sweetie! I’m in the kitchen!”

He set the roller aside to scrub his paws, only to pause at the sound of two sets of footsteps. Mixed with an unfamiliar male scent, his daddy instincts kicked in. Turning around, he was greeted by his Skye and an unfamiliar rabbit kit. The most ridiculous, little rabbit kit he had ever seen.

“Hi, Daddy!” greeted his little vixen happily. She put an arm around the small buck, who looked up at him with a shy smile, and gestured between the two males. “This is my friend Jack! He’s in my class. Jack, this is my dad.”

With eyes that took up most of his face and ears that were nearly as big as he was, the rabbit took a breath and stepped forward. Daniel blinked down at him and his tiny, outstretched paw. Combined with the dark stripes framing his face and running down his arms, it was a lot to take in. Fortunately, his astonishment lasted only a mere moment before he shook it off to accept the pawshake.

Such a formal, serious, weird little thing, he thought.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jack,” he said out loud, with a smile. Jack smiled back, his large teeth distracting him for a moment.

“Pleasure to meet you, too, Mr. Frost.”

Fantastic manners, though.

“Can Jack stay over for a while?” Skye asked, clasping her paws together in a pleading manner. “Please? I don’t have any activities today and Jack said he can help me with my math homework.”

“And I could really use Skye’s help with our vocabulary homework.”

Both kits looked up at him, Skye’s big blue eyes combined with Jack’s hitting him in a very unfair manner. Daniel looked from one to the other and saw no harm in saying:

“Sure! Go get started on your homework and I’ll get a snack ready for you two.”

Watching with bemusement as they grinned and darted to the living room, he thought about what an odd pair they made. Giving a final shake of his head, he chuckled, happy that his daughter had made a new friend. And knowing she was willing to risk her reputation to stick up for others made him proud as hell. The few times he had met that skunk had been less than pleasant, so he wouldn’t be sad if she was out of his daughter’s friend circle. But kids changed a lot as they grew up, so who knew how long a friendship with a bunny buck would last.

“I give it a month, tops,” he muttered with a smile.

Cutting up some veggies and making a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, he set everything onto plates just as the door opened again.

“Hi, Honey! Hi, Jenny Benny!”

His wife called back a greeting, followed by his youngest and echoed by Skye from the living room. Both plates were gathered up while his ears picked up sounds of his daughter introducing Jack to her mother and little sister. Daniel was secretly glad Marie was staying the night at her friend's house. She wouldn’t be able to stop herself from making snarky comments. He passed his wife on the way to the living room, the vixen giving him an odd look as she went by. It confused him for a moment until the reason became all too clear.

Skye and Jack were set up at the coffee table, workbooks, papers, and pencils spread out. Jack stood over Skye, who had remained seated, and explained the math problem to her, totally and completely in his daughter’s space. The young vixen was happily unbothered by it. She elbowed him, her own father, away on a regular basis due to her love of space. Jenny sat on the other side of the table with her own little workbooks (courtesy of the first grade), watching her sister and this new… friend with stunned curiosity. Daniel was immediately put off by how close the pair were but kept his mouth shut.

“Here you go, you two.” He set the plates down in front of them and received a pair of smiles and thank yous in return. Unease filled him when his daughter passed Jack half of one sandwich before taking the other.

Skye NEVER shares food!

“I’ll bring one out for you, too, Jenny Benny,” he assured his youngest, his eyes still on the odd pair, now working and munching.

“She can have this one, Daddy,” Skye offered, looking over at Jack, who smiled at the younger vixen and passed her the other plate. To Daniel’s astonishment, Jenny blushed and giggled, accepting it with a shy smile at the rabbit buck.

“Ooookay,” Daniel backed away slowly as the kits settled into their homework and snacks. He finally turned away when he reached the kitchen just as his wife Abigail was tying an apron on.

“Perfect timing,” she began with a smile, scooping up another and throwing it at him. “I need someone to peel the veggies.”

He caught it without a word, amazed at how undisturbed his wife was. All he could was gape as she started about the kitchen to make dinner. She paused, though, once she realized he was still staring at her in disbelief.

“What?” she asked with concern.

“Are you kidding me?” he asked. Glancing towards the living room, he got closer and lowered his voice. “What the hell is going on out there?”

Abby’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?” His paws gestured towards the room, approximately where Jack and Skye were working. She snorted in amusement. “Danny, come on. They’re kits. We raised a daughter who is so sweet and charming, she can put a bunny at ease. And let me tell you now, that kit looks like he needs some good friends.”

“And a hell of a personality,” Danny muttered under his breath. Abby snorted and gave him a light slap while chuckling.

“Just give it time,” his wife assured. “Kits outgrow friends all the time. Jack only recently transferred to this school and he just needs to break out of his shell. Skye’s great at helping others fit in! Once he finds his place in school, he and Skye will go their separate ways. Trust me! I’ll be very surprised if they’re still talking this time next year.”

4 YEARS LATER

“I can’t believe you’re not in ANY of my classes!” Skye stared down in disbelief at Jack’s school schedule. They sat in Skye’s family kitchen, tucked away in the bay window seat, the pair looking properly discouraged. Jack shook his head at Skye’s schedule in his paws.

“This is so unfair. Our first year of high school and they expect us to not be together? We even have different lunch hours! That’s sick!” Skye nodded in agreement before looking up when Jack snapped his fingers decisively. “I think I can get Trent to change it for me.” Skye beamed at him hopefully and Jack grinned at her. “He owes me a favor after I covered him on Mom’s birthday present. Mom would have killed him if she found out how much he spent on it!”

“She looked so good in that dress, though.” Skye scooted closer to him and put the schedules together. “I might be able to convince my parents to fix mine, too!” Her chin moved to rest on his shoulder as the pair debated and argued and negotiated on how things could be rearranged.

Daniel sat at the breakfast bar with a coffee in paw and a plate of fresh eggs and toast in front of him, his eyes glued on the duo. Jack was a frequent visitor in the mornings and afternoons, whereas Skye was usually found at his house on the weekends. Both felt Jack’s was too crowded to spend vast quantities of time at. Marie sat next to Danny, phone to her ear, jabbering away and oblivious to the resigned look her father had. Abby came to stand beside him, sipping from her own cup and gazing at the pair with her own brand of disbelief.

“She can’t possibly think we’re going to change her schedule to fit her friend in,” he whispered to her. He met her eyes, hers just as troubled as his. “Can she?”

They exchanged shrugs before looking over at them again.

“You both are in some serious denial,” came the voice of their youngest.

Jenny had entered the kitchen and bounced over to the stove to help herself to breakfast, Marie tuning in to briefly nod her head in agreement before jabbering away again. Everyone looked over to the pair when they started laughing with each other. Marie pulled the phone from her ear and pressed it to her chest to address her parents.

“Those two,” she pointed one perfectly manicured claw between Skye and Jack, who were grinning at each other, “are going to be together forever.”

“Get used to it,” confirmed Jenny as she sat on the remaining stool with her food.

Danny and Abby looked back at their daughter and her friend.

Skye had blossomed- as Danny knew she would- getting taller and more willowy like her mother, and just as beautiful. She had those sparkling eyes that could melt even the coldest heart and a smile that welcomed anyone and everyone. Jack, however, had remained small and out of proportion. His ears and front teeth were still comically too big, and he had barely grown at all.

Until that summer.

One moment, he was just the nerdy, little bunny that his daughter insisted on spending her time with. The next, he was only slightly shorter than Skye, his mouth growing around his teeth and ears growing into the rest of him. His face, once dominated by his eyes and stripes, now began to wear them as a compliment to the rest of his features. He still had the air of an awkward teen (his body had grown longer, leaving him lanky in the arms and legs, with no real muscle structure to compliment it, yet), but the todd knew it wouldn’t last forever.

It was only a small comfort that Skye hadn’t noticed yet.

4 YEARS LATER

Jack balanced a stack of boxes as he followed Danny down the hall. Young students of all species rushed past them, most with parents trailing behind. Around them, joy and anxiety circling the first year of college radiated. It was an emotional day for everyone. Especially parents who were going to be apart from their babies for the first time ever.

“In here, guys!” Skye’s voice called out.

Both males turned into the dorm room, greeted by Skye, who was setting up her side of the room with her mother. Abby smiled at them as she reached for the boxes her husband was carrying, though it became an eyeroll when her daughter ignored her father’s outstretched arms to approach Jack instead, relieving him of the boxes. The two teens smiled happily at each other while she set the stack on the floor next to them and embraced her friend. Jack closed his eyes and hugged her back fiercely.

“Thank you so much for helping, Jackie,” she muttered.

“I hate that name,” he protested with a sad smile. “And don’t thank me too much. You’re helping me move next weekend, remember.”

Skye loosened her grip and Danny smiled expectantly, re-raising his arms to accept a hug from her. But his face fell when she just held Jack at arms length and smiled at him sadly.

“But this is the first time we’re not going to have any classes together.” She sniffled and blinked away tears. “Or live next to each other!”

Jack’s eyes became misty as Danny and Abby rolled theirs.

“I know,” he choked out. “But if you start crying, then I’m going to cry, and if I start crying, you’re going to tell Josie and then I owe her thirty bucks and I don’t have that kind of money, Skye!”

She gave a small, watery laugh and hiccup as she tried to compose herself. “I would say, ‘I would never’, but you know me too well.”

He laughed, too, pulling her back in for another hug. It was a long one, one that the parents were going to interrupt before they finally broke apart and wiped away their tears.

“Okay,” began Jack, backing away with a sad smile. “Like a band-aid!” He gave her a wave and smile, before seeming to realize Danny and Abby were still there. His ears tinged pink but he still gave them a parting farewell. “Great seeing you two, Mr. and Mrs. Frost.” His eyes moved back to Skye. He held his paw up to his ear in a phone sign. “Call me later?”

“Definitely,” she assured with a nod. Jack grinned at her and gave her a thumbs up before turning to leave. He rushed out the door, past a pair of bunny does who gave him interested looks he didn’t notice. Skye did, however, and glowered at them unconsciously until they passed by; only then did she remember her parents were still there.

“Thank you, guys.” With tears still in her eyes, she moved to hug her mother and father.

“Of course, sweetheart,” her mother mumbled, burying her nose into her daughter’s head fur.

She still has that new baby smell, Abby thought sadly.

“Anything for you, princess,” Danny said gruffly. He squeezed a bit tighter and looked to where Jack had vanished. “And don’t forget-” Skye pulled away to look up at her father expectantly. “College is not just about grades and academics. It’s about meeting new mammals. Experiencing different cultures. Making new friends.” Skye blinked up at him. “Meeting new mammals.” He grinned down at her only to be gifted with a look of confusion from Skye and a small kick from Abby.

“Ooookay then…” his daughter said, backing away.

“Okay then!” Abby pulled away and clapped her paws together. She gave her daughter a final smile and hooked her arm through Danny’s. “We love you. Please be safe and call us if you need us.”

After Skye agreed, the Frosts gave her a final goodbye and left. The door closed behind them and they began the walk back to the car.

“This is the year, right?” asked Danny with a hint of worry.

Abby simply smiled and shook her head. “Nope.”

He looked down in alarm at her. “What makes you say that? It’s college! She’s bound to meet a TON of new mammals.”

“And she will,” Abby agreed. Her eyes looked up at Danny. “But Marie was right.” She sighed heavily. “Those two will be together forever.”

Danny groaned.

“That’s what I thought.”

5 YEARS LATER

“I think I claimed that apartment first,” Skye argued with a grin. Jack shook his head in disagreement. This was their latest ‘argument’.

“Considering I viewed the apartment first,” he countered, grinning at her eye roll and playful slap to his arm, “and have already signed the paperwork, I get first dibs.”

Skye leaned in to whisper something in his ear. Danny tried to not growl at their closeness, opting instead to drink deeply from the glass in his paw. Abby smiled at her husband and refilled his wine when he was done. The todd smiled his thanks before turning away from his middle child, towards his oldest in her wedding dress, greeting tables with her new husband. The handsome todd was positively radiating happiness, but the newlywed’s love for each other seemed to be dimmed by the pair next to him.

When Marie had sent out her wedding invites, the Frosts were eagerly hoping their middle daughter would find a proper date. But neither were surprised when Marie paw delivered Skye’s invite on a day Jack was joining them for breakfast and announced she expected both to show up. Skye was a bridesmaid and Jack a groomsmale, Sam (Marie’s fiance) having been a contractor who had worked with him at Jack’s lab. The bunny was the reason the couple had met. Neither Marie nor Sam had thought twice about including them on the same invite.

And Jack and Skye hadn’t thought twice about it either.

Danny had pretended to be resigned to the fact that his Skye and Jack were a permanent feature the day he dropped her off at college. But that was so it made it more natural to introduce her to any and every todd he met, any chance he got. A few times, she had even agreed to a meal with one or two, which made him optimistic. Only for the follow up to disappoint every time. Her relationship with the rabbit confused him, to say the least. They were always together, they carried each other’s scents, practically shared living spaces, yet had never announced their relationship to their families.

As far as Danny knew, Jack’s parents had not spoken to him about his perpetual bachelorhood. Nor about his relationship with his daughter. Danny got the impression they didn’t care one way or the other and the times they had gotten together with the Eairs-Savage clan, the rabbit couple only seemed to encourage it. As his fellow bunnies were settling down, Jack stayed by Skye’s side. Danny had heard he had a doe from time to time (which made the todd confusingly upset), but nothing that had been enough to derail his relationship with his daughter.

With every passing year, they’re relationship grew stronger.

And then, the day Daniel Frost had been fearing since Skye first brought him home at nine years old, when Skye showed up with Jack for dinner at their house. That was not an unusual occurrence. But his arm around her shoulders and her paw on his leg combined with the occasional nuzzle, elevated things to a whole new level.

After an enjoyable meal filled with the usual laughter and chatter, it was more than obvious they had finally transcended ‘just friends’. Daniel thought the news about Officers Hopps and Wilde getting married may have been the reason behind it. Which was a pity, because Danny remembered Nick Wilde from when he was in high school and had hoped to set Skye up, somehow. Marie, her husband, and their two kits had been visiting, and Jenny had come up from graduate school with her new partner to join them. As always, Jack charmed the vixens, bonded with Sam, and doted on the kits. But this time, Skye looked on with a naked look of love.

He could handle Jenny coming home with a vixen and declaring her love for her. His tongue was held when Marie had told him they were homeschooling their children and moving to the country for a more simple life. It was not his life they were living, after all. He even grinned and bared it when his wife decided to rent out their free rooms to travelers for extra cash.

But he was entirely unprepared for his daughter, his little genius and prodigy, to lean into the rabbit buck she had spent the last twenty five with and kiss him. She kissed his lips and he returned it with equal love and devotion. A small quiet fell over the dinner table. Considering this was the first time either had been intimately demonstrative of their relationship, it was understandable.

“I love you,” Skye told him, thumbing away a smudge of lip gloss from his bottom lip. Jack’s blue eyes drank in every detail of her face.

“I love you, too.” She beamed at him before realizing they had captured the family’s attention. Together, they blushed and laughed, the night carrying on after a moment.

Later, after the plates had been cleared and leftovers stored away, the females had branched away to visit with each other, leaving Daniel with Sam and Jack. The trio moved into the living room, Danny trying to drag out the boring conversation he was trapped in with Michael to avoid Jack’s questioning gaze in his direction. The buck sat at the piano and played a bit while waiting for an opening to jump in. It was to the older todd’s dismay that his son-in-law excused himself for the restroom, leaving him alone with the bunny for the first time since he was a child.

Jack continued to play the melody he had chosen, looking over to Danny with a grin.

“This is our favorite song to play together,” he explained. His finger’s moved across the keys with skill and grace. “Skye loves this part, right here,” he smiled and closed his eyes as the complicated notes echoed around them. The buck smiled, his eyes still closed. “I’ve been practicing for years and she can still play circles around me.” His eyes opened as the piece started to wind down. But the smile remained. “She’s way too good for me. But…” He played the final notes, pausing his fingers on the keys to let the sound play out. Once it faded, he lifted his paws and smiled again at the todd in his chair.

“I guess I’m a pretty lucky guy.”

Jack gulped and stood from his seat. He strode over to where Danny sat, the todd’s jaw set and eyes narrowed with suspicion. His blue eyes looked up at the handsome, successful buck in front of him, remembering the odd, almost ugly little kit he had once been, and braced himself.

“Mr.Frost,” Jack started after clearing his throat. “I love your daughter. I think I’ve loved her ever since the day I met her. She’s the most beautiful, wonderful, amazing, smartest mammal I have ever known. And I don’t want to spend another moment without her knowing I’m hers.” Jack shrugged. “For the rest of my life. I was hoping you would give me your blessing to ask her to marry me.”

Daniel Frost took a sip of his drink to gather his thoughts.

“No,” he said simply.

The way it was said, without hesitation or thought, had the buck blinking in response, obviously thrown by his answer. Jack opened his mouth to speak only to be cut off.

“My daughter can do better than you, Jack,” Daniel continued, his lips becoming more pursed with every sip of his drink. “And I’m happy to bide my time waiting for that day to come.” With a grin, he reached down to release the footstool on the recliner and gave a satisfied sigh when he reclined back and settled in. “I know tons of todds who would be a better match for her.” He gave the rabbit a smug look and shrugged. “It’s just a matter of time until she meets someone better.” A wink was tipped to Jack over the rim of his glass. “So, don’t get too comfortable, Stripes.”

The younger male gave him a look of disbelief before opening his mouth to argue.

“Asking you is just a formality.”

Both males jumped and looked over to the living room entryway. Skye stood, looking at her father with angry eyes. Behind her, Abby gave her husband a sympathetic look. Danny lowered the footrest and stood from his seat.

“Now, sweetheart,” he started, the paw not holding his drink out stretched, “I’m just looking out for you. You’re young, brilliant, and beautiful. Do you really want to waste your best years with a rabbit?” Her eyes widened at him but her father wasn’t done. “What about kits? Do you think you’d be able to start a family with him?” He saw Jack’s expression fall out of the corner of his eye and fought off the guilt. “I won’t let you throw your life away for someone who won’t be able to give you the life you deserve. And you deserve a husband who can provide for you and give you children and with whom you can grow old with.”

Skye’s eyes were filled with tears, but she nodded before turning her gaze to Jack. Jack’s own tears fell freely as his paws fiddled with the box in his paws. Daniel hadn’t noticed him pulling it from his pocket when he stood from the piano.

“If we gross you out so badly, Dad, you may want to look away.” Skye stepped closer to Jack and grinned, still teary eyed.

“Jack,” she got down on one knee and took his free paw, pulling her own ring box from her jean’s pocket, “I love you, so, so much. And the idea of not being yours for the rest of our lives sucks.” Both mammals laughed, Jack gripping her paw and bending to kiss it. “You’re my best friend, my confidant, my partner.” She gently tugged her paw free to open her ring box, Jack sob laughing at the sight of the silver ring hidden inside. It was removed and his left paw taken up for the ring to be slipped onto his finger. “ Jack Edmond Savage, love of my life. Will you marry me?”

Danny’s jaw dropped and his eyes went to his daughter on her knee, to his family watching with happy astonishment from the hall. Jack laughed through his tears of happiness and nodded, joining her on his own knees. His ring box was opened, Skye gifting him with a gasp of joy at the tasteful, vintage ring inside. He took her paw again and slipped it onto her finger with a smile.

“Yes, Skye Abigail Frost,” they exchanged looks of pure love, paws now clasped together, “I will marry you.”

There was no further discussion, Daniel realizing there was nothing he could do but sit with his mouth agape as his daughter embraced her new fiance. His wife, daughters, and their partners impatiently waited for the chance to congratulate the couple.

Which brought him to this moment.

The second moment he had been dreading since the day his little vixen brought that odd, awkward, unfortunate looking little rabbit kit home.

His daughter was marrying a rabbit.

He walked her down the aisle to the buck, whose eyes were alight with happiness at the sight of his bride. And Danny knew he was wrong. He wasn’t happy about it, but as he reluctantly released his daughter’s paw and stepped aside for Jack, he knew their lives were made for this moment. The disaster he had hoped for, never happened. They were together, for richer or poorer. In sickness and in health. It only made Skye and Jack’s bond stronger. Danny was used to it by Christmastime, when his wife opened the door to the happy couple. In his opinion, their relationship had desensitized himself from a lot of things life threw at him.

But not the positive pregnancy test the couple had gifted them for the holiday.

#zootopia #jacksavage #skyefrost #savagefrost

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thiswasinevitableid · 4 years

Note

82, Sternclay, NSFW if possible? Ty so much for all your great fics <3 -☀️

You’re welcome! I hope you enjoy the fill. It’s NSFW, and involves mating cycles, because my A03 stats suggest a lot of y’all like that.

82. you knock on my door at 2 in the morning because your very white cat got out and you need help trying to find them in the three feet of snow we have

He has no one but himself to blame.

Stern is always so careful about shutting the doors in this cabin, as the old hinges and worn frames can send them swinging open when coupled with a strong wind. He thought he had that same care when he came in with more firewood from the basement, which can only be accessed through by going out of the house and then down to the locked door.

Apparently not. At one, he went to check on Yeti and found the back door open and the faintest shape of feline paws leading into the darkness.

They’ve got two feet of snow on the ground, with another foot forecasted to fall by morning. And Yeti is sleek and snow-white.

He’s wandered the perimeter of the house, left her favorite blanket out on the covered porch, and tried in vain to follow the tracks, filled in by the falling snow. He’s been outside for an hour now, with no sign of her. Not even the jingle of her collar in the cold air. He’s shivering, but he can’t stop the search; Yeti is out here, cold and scared and it’s all his fault.

As he’s crunching through the snow, warm light spills onto the trees. His neighbors (a loose term out here) house. He couldn’t stand waking Barclay up to help him, but if he’s already awake…

Stern raps on the door, and four seconds later it opens, his neighbor looking like a lumberjack centerfold given life, even in his sweatpants and brown sweater.

“Joe? Is something wrong?”

“It’s Yeti, she got out without me noticing and I can’t find her, I’ve been out here an hour and there’s no sign. I, um, I know it’s a stretch but can you help me look for her? We can cover more ground that way.”

Barclay gives a small, worried smile as he nods, “Yeah, of course, lemme get enough on so that I don’t freeze and I’ll join you.”

He waves Stern inside, passes him a box of tissues before disappearing upstairs. Here he’d hoped the tears from his brief panic and self-blame spiral hadn’t left evidence. He’s good in a crisis, has handled much more stressful incidents with grace and calm. But for some reason every time he musters up those emotions, gult rips them to shreds. Yeti is his to look after, he’s supposed to keep her safe, and one careless move has her out in the woods, in freezing weather, with predators, or thin ice, or, or, or-

His brain is excellent at generating contingency plans on the fly, but tonight it directs that ability to making him think about all the bad things his error could cause.

“Okay, got my headlamp so I can keep my hands free. You got a light?”

Joe holds up his flashlight.

“C’mon, let’s go find the Yeti.” They set off side by side in the snow, “where do you want to look?”

“Fan out near the creek, I think. The snow isn’t as deep there, so she might have gone that way because it was easier to move.”

“She’s a climber, right? So how about this; we go on either side of the creek, you look on the ground and I’ll look in the trees?”

“That makes sense.”

It’s slow going, both of them being meticulous, shining their lights on every branch or under every bush. Stern’s always appreciated how careful Barclay is; he assumes it comes with a profession where being messy slows you down, but the first time he saw his well-organized kitchen his heart did a little dance of delight.

In the month and a half he’s lived here, the cook invites him over at least twice a week to try out a recipe. He works at Amnesty Lodge in the nearby town of Kepler, and spends some of his nights there. Still, he’s at his cabin often enough that Stern’s been able to invite him over some evenings. Though it’s odd he’s up so late on a work night.

“Do you not have to go in tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I’m taking this week off. I have some vacation time and when I get back it’ll be the holiday break rush until New Years. I got caught up in the latest Agent X novel and didn’t see how late it was until you knocked. How about you, staying up researching again?”

“Yes. I was trying to keep the fire going because it’s nice to work in that little living room but, um, going out to get the wood is how she got out. If I’d just gone to bed-”

“Whoah, hey, none of that.” Barclay stops, turning to face him, “shit happens, even when you’re careful. This isn’t your fault, Joe.”

“I know. It still feels that way.” He starts forward again, feet freezing in spite of his snowboots (chosen for optimal weight to insulation ratio). Part of him wants to keep talking, because Barclay is interesting to talk to, his years playing “Lodge dad” giving him endless anecdotes and the ability to be honest without being cruel.

It helps that his baritone voice makes Stern think of brown sugar; rich, complex, just the right kind of sweet.

After a solid hour of searching, Stern is so cold he’s having trouble getting words out. Barclay sets a big hand on his shoulder, guiding them towards Sterns cabin.

“Joe, you’ve gotta take a break. Worried your lips are gonna go as blue as your eyes, and then tonight will really suck.”

“But I haven’t found her.”

“And you won’t if you freeze to death or get so chilled you can’t think straight. At least sleep for a few hours.”

Stern’s about to protest as they reach the door, but then his knees buckle and he slumps against a broad chest.

“I’ll do one more spin into the deeper woods on my way home, and leave some blankets out on the porch in case she makes her way to me. She’s smart, just like her owner; I think she’ll get home okay.”

“Right. Okay. We’ll be okay.”

Barclay hesitates mid motion, then pulls Stern into a hug. Stern is not small, and at Six feet zero inches he’s used to being the tallest person in a room. Barclay always feels like he’s dwarfing him, though right now that’s the most comforting sensation in the world.

“I’ll check by in the morning.”

“Thank you, for everything.” He mumbles into Barclay’s scarf.

“Any time, Joe.”

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

Barclay waits until Joe is inside and the upstairs light switches on to leave the back porch. God, it’s so fucking cold tonight. He doesn’t blame Yeti for getting curious, but she could’ve picked a less awful time to do it.

He’s glad the other man came to him for help; he hates the idea of Joe out here alone and stressed, searching carefully and kicking himself the whole time. He’s glad Joe took the suggestion to sleep.

He’s glad the other man came to be his neighbor.

Ironically, they’d met when Joe came over and asked to borrow a cup of sugar. The dark-haired man was short on what he needed to cook, and Barclay was happy to supply it. It’s not everyday a cute guy asked him for some sugar.

They ran across each other in town, and Joe even came to eat at the Lodge, usually at off hours where Barclay had a chance to talk. That’s how he learned Joe was here to research a recent Bigfoot sighting.

“I used to be in the FBI, investigating the same thing. Then I got so frustrated, no one really believed in the possibility of unknown creatures, and the few who did saw them as having some sort of use to the department of defense. Great idea, find something so rare it’s existence is unproven, and then lock it away or blow it up.” The sip of coffee is more aggressive than usual.

“Won’t they get mad if you spill their secrets?” It was only half a joke.

“I doubt it. They weren’t too interested in my theories when I worked there; odds are they’ll keep an eye on me a little while and then ignore me. Unless I find Bigfoot, of course, in which case they may want me back. I’m not interested, from now on I monster hunt in the name of science.”

Barclay hopes Stern never finds Bigfoot and stays in his cabin, writing and researching and consulting and coming over to Barclay’s for dinner twice a week. He has a whole menu in his mind titled, “foods for seducing Joe” that he’s going to whip out in the next few weeks, he swears it.

He’s been swearing it for two weeks.

Joe is sophisticated, smart, has really good taste in books and food, and Barclay feels so listened to when they talk. Barclay starts blushing whenever Joe smiles at him, which would be embarrassing except Joe does the same thing whenever Barclay drops his voice a little. Besides, he likes it when Joe smiles.

Barclay would give anything to make Joe smile tonight. Which is why he’s tromping into the spot where they lost the last of Yeti’s footprints. He stands, listening for any sign of human life.

Then he slips the woven bracelet off his hand, and his foot-prints almost double in size.

It’s a bad idea, he’s not all that far from other houses or the road, but in this form his sense of smell is twice as strong and his night-vision a bit sharper. It’s also the reason he’s taking this week off work. Yes, he likes to rest up before the winter rush; but his heat, which comes ever fourteen years, is due in the next few days. He’s actually a little worried turning into his Sylph self will make his brain fuzzy enough to forget his mission. So he reminds himself, as he tromps through the growing blizzard, that he is doing this for the person he’d most like to impress in this world, and that does the trick.

A whiff of the same, non-human scent he stole a noseful of when hugging Joe catches his attention. He follows it to a disused burrow, gets down on his belly, and finds reflective eyes blinking back at him.

The animal hisses.

“Man, please be Yeti and not a bobcat. Duck’s gonna fucking kill me if I harass the wildlife.” He reaches into the burrow and hears a telltale jingle. Yeti, surrendering to her fate, goes limp in his hold. When he puts her against his chest she chirps, curiously sniffing him. As soon as the bracelet is on she blinks once, then purrs as he bundles her into his coat. She’s cold and damp, but she’s in one piece.

“C’mon cousin, let’s get you home.”

The lights are all still one, and the front door is wedged open the exact amount a cat would need to get inside. He steps in, kicks the wedge free and shuts the door. The fire is low, and there’s no sound of anyone moving around.

“Joe? Whoa, careful Yeti, I know you wanna get warm but we should show him your okay.”

“Mew!” Yeti bites the fringe of his scarf.

He tries again, “Joe, you still up? Got someone for you?”

A scuff and groan from the kitchen, “Huh? Oh, shit, I fell asleep, one second”

Yeti shifts her focus while Barclay is distracted. In one graceful leap she rips his bracelet away, lands, and bounds to the kitchen.

“Yeti! Thank the lord, there you are my little cryptid, I was so worried about you, don’t ever do that again, thank god you’re okay.” Joe’s voice goes muffled, as if he’s holding the cat to his face and talking into her fur. Barclay is frozen, not wanting to be seen but even less wanting to have Joe spot Bigfoot dashing into the trees.

“What do you have--Yeti, it’s rude to take things from the man who saved you from being-” Joe rounds the corner, cat in his arms, and gasps. Yeti, uninterested in the unfolding drama, tumps to the floor and scampers upstairs. Joe’s hands fly over his mouth the instant she’s no longer in them.

“Hey” Barclay waves.

“What the fuck?”

“I’m, uh, I’m Bigfoot.”

“What the fuck?” Joe isn’t moving, and Barclay decides now is his best chance.

“I’m just, uh, gonna go get my bracelet back.”

“No, you’re going to explain everything.”

“I really, really can’t, some of it isn’t mine to explain. I mean, uh, I can explain some bits later-” He creeps toward the stairs. Joe steps in front of him.

“Barclay, this can’t wait. You, you’ve been him the whole time, my entire world view is simultaneously being proven and flipped over, would you please just talk to me?”

“Mew?” Yeti is halfway down the stairs, watching them with the bracelet still in her mouth. Without breaking eye contact, Joe reaches up and out, plucking it from her teeth.

“You’re not getting this back until you explain.”

“Babe, please, I promise we’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

“No, wait, what did you call me?”

“Uhhhh” Barclay lunges for the bracelet instead of answering. Stern twists out of the way, sprinting for the kitchen. Barclay gets an arm around his waist and yanks backwards, sending them both over the back of the couch. Joe elbows him and scrambles up. Barclay only just manages to block him from going up the stairs, stalks him back onto the rug and tackles him. It succeeds in bringing the man down and keeping him pinned.

It also sends the bracelet flying onto the floor, where Yeti snatches it up and disappears up the staircase.

Barclay realizes he’s growling, stops so that he won’t frighten Joe, only for it to start up again as a reflex.

“Barclay, I swear, if you hurt my cat-”

“I won’t, I, that’s what not that noise is for. Or, uh, I mean I’m pissed you played keep-away with something I need, but I also have some bad news about Sy--uh, Bigfoot biology. Uh, so, first thing: I have a heat, which is why I was trying to stay away from people. Second thing: my kind uses a very intense game of, uh, chase as part of courtship.”

Stern shifts his thigh, “That explains what I’m feeling.”

“Fuck, I’m sorry. Look, can you go get the bracelet and then we can, like, have some tea and talk about this? I’m sorry, I feel so bad for making you deal with this.” The growl rumbles up again. He gears up another apology when he notices Joe’s blue eyes getting wider.

“Is this, um, only because of your heat? I mean, if you tackled some passerby, would the same thing be happening?”

“No.” Barclay squeaks.

“Then I’m not seeing how this is a bad thing, big guy.” He grinds his thigh up, making Barclay yip and pin him to the rug while touching as little of him as possible.

“Joe, this doesn’t make me like, mindless or anything, but if you say you want this you are signing up for several days of as much fucking as I can manage.”

“I don’t have any deadlines.” Joe’s eyes remain fixed on Barclays crotch.

“I’m serious, if you say stop I will, but if you don’t you won’t be able to get out of bed for days. And, uh, I can put my disguise back on, you don’t have to fuck me like this, I know it’s weird.”

“Barclay, I built my life’s work on weird.” Joe pets his arm.

“Yeah but not on fucking it.”

“How do you know? Lots of my time with the UP is classified.”

“Joe…” it’s a warning, the heat in his brain suggesting a dozen things to do so the human can’t be touched by another cryptid ever again.

“I want you, Barclay. In both forms. As long as you promise we’ll talk after, I’m okay with doing this first.”

“I promise”

“Good, because otherwise I was going out to see if there’s another bigfoot in the area who was interested.” Joe smiles, moves to pull off his shirt. He doesn’t get to; Barclay snarls possessively and drops onto him, biting his neck and ripping his clothing into a flurry of fabric scraps. The human moans, gasps when Barclay makes short work of his own pants and reveals what’s waiting beneath. Barclay doesn’t give him time to process, shoves his legs as far apart as they’ll go, and finally sinks into him.

“JesusfuckingCHRIST, ohfuck, ohmyfuckinggodAH!”

His cock is more thick than long, splitting the human open while bottoming out on every thrust. Joe’s fingers knot into the rug, his words morph into sharp, ecstatic sounds. Every creature in the forest can probably hear him.

Barclay clamps his hand down over the humans mouth, “shut up babe, don’t want anyone else in the woods getting any ideas about how good a fuck you are. You’re fucking mine.”

A muffled moan and, when he pulls his hand back, “Y-you really think I, fuck, I can keep quiet when you fuck me like this?”

“Thought they taught FBI agents discipline” he drags his claws across Joe’s chest, relishing the shaky, happy noise that gets him.

“There’s discipline and, AAHnnn, there’s inhuman restraint.”

Barclay slams the hand down again and growls, pleased, when Joe’s posture turns submissive.

“Here’s the deal; you keep quiet and take it like a good mate, and after I cum in you, can be as loud as you fucking want, because anyone who gets near you’ll know belong to me. I mean” he jerks his hips, “they’ll be able to tell that from the fact I’m balls-deep in you too, babe.”

Joe nods, replaces Barclays hand with his own as the Sylph hooks his knees over his shoulders. The next minute goes in a heat haze, his brain and body united in the desire to cum in Joe, to claim him, while the human stifles his screams and grows slicker with each thrust.

He tips his head back with a howlgrowlpurr as he cums, leaving faint clawmarks in Joe’s legs as he holds them open to make sure he takes every bit.

“Lord almighty” Joe’s hand falls to the floor, “that, that was amazing, why on earth were you acting like this isn’t something I’d waaAAAAAntohgod.” He whimpers as Barclay starts up again, fucking his cum up into him.

“Shoulda known you’d like it; you’re perfect, Joe.”

A blush and a shy moan, and he leans down to kiss him gently.

“You are. You’re the perfect man, the perfect mate, and we are gonna have so much fucking fun together.”

“And fun fucking?” He looks pleased with the wordplay.

He snorts, “Glad to know that sense of humor sticks around when I’m filling you up, oh, ohfuckyeah” another orgasm hits, milder this time.

“Are they near constant when you’re in heat?” Joe eyes the trail of cum sliding back down Barclay’s cock.

“No, just easy to have. So” he flips the human over, squeezing his ass appreciatively, “let’s try it from behind this time; wanna find out how it feels to cum in you while I get you off.” He slips his hand over Joe’s thigh and between his legs, “and you better fucking do it too, of I’ll drag you outside and fuck you against a tree so anyone passing by can see how fucking eager you are for me.”

“Please, we’ve spent so much time outside tonight.”

He thinks as kisses along Joe’s shoulders, “You’re right. I’ll fuck you against the door instead.”

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

When Stern wakes up, snow is falling in the grey light and his clock reads 2:30 P.M. Downstairs there’s a homey clink of pots and pans, and the smell of coffee winds it’s way to him.

He fell asleep around five, he thinks, when the cumulative exhaustion of his day overpowered the thrill of being with Barclay. Honestly, he’d have kept going, but Barclay was adamant he rest. So they finished with him fucking Stern’s slack, sleepy mouth, before the cryptid bundled him into bed and snuggled up to him with those deep, rumbling purrs that Stern now loves.

The bracelet is gone from the nightstand (Yeti didn’t eat it, thank god), so the chef must be making breakfast in his human form. Now would be a good time to go down and talk.

“Mew” A weight lands on his chest as Yeti kneads the blankets, purring when he reaches you and rubs her head.

“You know, little monster, this almost makes the heart attack you gave me worth it.”

“Mew?” The cat stares hopefully out the windows.

“Not a chance. I can’t take that stress again. Besides” he scoops her up, “we need to unbox that new toy I ordered. Barclay and I need some time to ourselves today.”

#agent stern/barclay #sternclay #winter fills #taz amnesty

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nadacwriter · 3 years

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A Monument of Love (TOH)

Amity, Gus, and Willow pay a visit to a monument just outside of Bonesborough to perform a midnight conjuring.

OR, @moringmark‘s art HURT me and I’m not okay with it.

Please read THIS comic first, as it inspired this piece. Here’s Markmak’s DA page. Please support him in any way you can. PHENOMENAL art.

Wordcount: 1,819

Amity had mixed feelings as she snuck out of the window of her room. Emira and Edric had, in a surprisingly tender moment, offered to sneak her out themselves, but Amity didn’t want to bring anyone else down with her if she got caught. This wasn’t Emira and Edric’s task, anyway. She didn’t want to saddle them with that kind of weight. Not even the twins needed THAT dose of reality.

As Amity’s feet touched the ground, and she pulled the dark cloak tighter around her, she wasn’t getting any more clarity out of her emotions. The cool night air, the soft breeze, the crystal clear sky, they were all distractions. Reminding her of-...the reason. That she was out here. The one she didn’t want to think of. The one she skirted around, as she gently closed the gate to the manor house behind her, and walked toward the market.

Despite her stoicism (and confusion), Amity nearly lost it as soon as she set foot in the market. But it wasn’t sadness that she felt; it was a bizarre frustration. A feeling of malcontent pervading her body. ‘It isn’t fair,’ she thought to herself, ‘it isn’t fair that she’s gone, and the woman who took her from me still stands there. Looming.’

Amity stopped only to look up at the poster of Lilith Clawthorne. Even SHE looked sullen and graceless in this new line of posters and propaganda. Amity could only imagine how Lilith felt about all this; what, with her sister gone and everything. It must have been a blow, despite the fact that Eda and Lilith never seemed too close…

But that didn’t mean Amity hadn’t lost someone. Nor did it mean she couldn’t be angry.

Amity COULD imagine how Lilith felt. Or she COULD burn the image to the ground. She chose neither, instead choosing to keep walking. One doesn’t want to stand still in the night market too long. Even though the full moon provided plenty of light, there were still pickpockets to worry about. So she kept moving.

Amity came out of the market, and walked to where she thought that the others may be. She was clear from population, out in the woods. But the hood still stayed up. She didn’t want any chance encounters with anyone out here, especially if they were the emperor's coven. They had gotten somewhat stricter about curfews nowadays. Petrification worked, but it didn’t stop riots. At least not for long.

Amity was getting closer and closer to what remained of-

“Amity!”

“AGH!” Amity formed a circle, “STAY BACK!”

Amity heaved a sigh of relief when she saw two bushes transform into Gus and Willow. Gus with a gentle smile, Willow sporting puffy eyes and a tear stained face; Amity wasn’t the only one feeling emotions this evening.

Amity dissipated the circle, finally removing her hood, “Sorry, but with the coven out you have to be jumpy.”

Willow walked forward and hugged her, “It’s fine. I’m just glad you made it.” She said, squeezing her tightly. She gripped that cloak, too. It still...it still felt just a hair like-

“I’ve got everything we need,” said Gus, joining into the hug, “and it’s good to see you, Amity.”

“You too, Gus. You too.”

And so, the trio walked, deeper into the woods, Amity still pulling the cloak tight to her. She wanted to keep it safe; after all, she was returning it this evening. And she wanted to keep it as safe as she could.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

As the three approached their destination, Gus was the first to speak up.

“I remember learning that bush trick, just to hide in front of the owl house. I use it all the time, now!”

Willow chuckled, “That was a year ago?” She shook her head, “It feels so recent. Maybe it’s the sky doing that.”

Gus nodded, ‘Same as last year, moon’s juuust beginning to rise, stars are all out…”

Amity, the quiet third in the middle, looked up at the stars. “...It was night time, when we-” her breath hitched, and she looked back down. She gripped the cloak, blushing a little, “When SHE…”

Amity felt Willow’s hand in hers, followed almost instantly by Gus’ hand.

“It’s okay, Amity.” Willow said, “It’s okay to cry.” She wore a gentle smile, a motherly one. Amity could barely bring herself to look Willow in the eye, but when she did, she saw that Willow was once again welling tears. When she looked to Gus, she saw much of the same. And so, Amity blinked, and stopped trying to resist.

She let tears fall from her eyes and roll down her cheek, looking back up at the moon. The light so bright it reflected off of her own tears. She also stopped walking, still gripping the pair’s hands with her own. Amity huffed, and stepped forward, clearing her throat.

“Agh,” She began, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have started crying before we even GOT there.” She said. She wiped her eyes with her own sleeve.

“Don’t be sorry, Amity,” Willow said, that same gentle smile on her face, “I’ve been a wreck all day. So’s Gus.”

Gus nodded, “My emotions have been all over the lace. I cried. You can, too.” he said.

And so, the trio walked on…

“...What was it like? When you two kissed?” Willow asked, looking to Amity.

Amity sighed, ‘It was...desperate. Eda had just been turned, and we knew what was going to happen, so before she went out there, I just…”

Willow nodded, ‘Yeah…”

“I never got to know how she felt about it.”

“Maybe you can ask her?” Asked Gus, reaching into his pocket and retrieving a pen and paper, “I don’t think she’ll be able to talk, but she can write to us!”

Willow nodded, “She’ll have to...look.”

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

The monument stood triumphant. If Amity didn’t know any better, she might’ve assumed that whoever this was died in some war, so stoically posed. Like she was ready to fight back a nation with her bare hands. And knowing her, she would have. Amity couldn’t help but smile.

“...Amity?” Willow looked over the second she heard a small giggle. “S-Sorry, I just...she’s doing that thing? With her pinkie. Where it juts out a little.”

Willow nodded, “She IS.”

Gus nodded, “I never really learned why she did that.” Gus said, getting closer to the monument. “She just looks so...ready to fight. Ready to go.”

Willow nodded solemnly, walking closer to the statue and putting her hand on the plaque, still looking up, “She always was. She fought for what she believed in. Always did.”

Amity walked to the plaque on the monument, reading it through Willow’s hand placed on the edge.

“LET THIS BE A WARNING TO ALL THE WILD WITCHES.

LUZ NOCEDA, apprentice of EDA CLAWTHORNE, petrified for WILD WITCHCRAFT and HARBORING A WILD WITCH.”

“Why put her so close?” Asked Willow. “To the house, I mean.” “Mockery.” Amity responded, blunt as always, “They wanted to turn her close to the house. So she would see it. See what she left behind.” Amity paused. “I’ve spent time with the coven. I know what they do.”

Gus got to one side of the statue. “Moon’s high. We ready?” he asked, extending both hands.

Amity took one of his, and then one of Willow’s. Willow mimicked the action, and all three were joining hands. They squeezed tightly, closed their eyes, and bowed their heads. Willow was the one to start the incantation.

‘Moonlight, we call, we sing,

Moonlight, take this chance.

Moonlight, come tie the string,

Moonlight, start the dance!’

Suddenly, they heard cracking. And the sound of stone, moving against stone. Rickety joints and dry rock crumbled and breathed. Amity opened her eyes, and saw the statue of Luz beginning to move. Its legs bent, then it slowly, methodically, stepped down off of the pedestal.

Amity felt the statue’s eyes on her, unblinking, unmoving. Luz’s lips and face did not move. Just her body and joints. She looked Amity in the eye, and the three dropped hands.

“It worked!” Gus said, smiling wide and gripping Willow, pulling her into a tight hug.

Willow hugged him back, before turning to face Luz, “We have to see if she remembers us…”

Amity blinked, and untied her cloak. “...Hi, Luz.” She said. “You left this with me, and I never got to give it back. So I figured you should have it, since it’s your cloak.” Amity was trying to keep her cool, but it wasn’t showing. Her facade was barely there, with hitching breath and teary eyes.

“Just. It’s yours. And you deserve it.” Amity said, taking the cloak and tying it around the statue’s neck and making sure it sat right. “Look, Willow’s here, a-and Gus, too! I needed them for the conjuring, and we brought a pen and paper, if you want to write anything, a-and we-” Amity gasped as Luz gripped her. Tight as she could, into a long, loving hug. Amity had never understood a hug. But she knew Luz only hugged people who mattered to her. Meaning that Luz did remember the trio. And that broke the last of Amity’s walls.

Not even Willow had seen Amity cry as hard as she did. And Gus had never seen WILLOW cry as hard as she did, breaking down and holding Luz. And Amity had never seen GUS cry so hard as that moment, hugging the last open bit of Luz he could grab.

For a while, they cried. Just holding Luz tight to them, and each other. When Gus eventually handed Luz the Pen and paper, she went about writing. She slowly, shakily wrote a note out, placing it onto the ground.

“Memories here. Love you all. Miss Mami. Miss Eda. Miss world. Love you, Amity. Love you all.”

Before she could write more, Luz shakily drew something out. A light Glyph, on the paper. The form was bad, the circle was more an oval, and it was kind of poorly drawn.

“It won’t work,” Amity whispered through tears, “the glyph, it won’t-” “Shhhh,” Gus squeezed her shoulder, “She needs this. Let her have it.”

Amity huffed, “I-I don’t want to see it not work, it isn’t fair,” she whispered, “She tried so hard, to learn it all, and it’s gone, and-...Titan’s Bones…”

Amity was interrupted when she saw Luz pat her hand onto the paper. And up from it? A single little light orb. It was small, shaky, like a leaf in the wind or an injured bird, just gently rising into the air. Luz looked, her expression still that gentle stoic expression. But her eyes closed. Like she was smiling. And her hands went together, as well, though, slowly, and barely moving.

The light was faded. But the light was there.

LUZ was there.

And for one night, Gus, Willow, and Amity had her back.

#The Owl House #Amity Blight #Gus Porter #Willow Park

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the-blind-assassin-12 · 4 years

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The Jilted Tourist - 1

A/N: Hi friends! Just sneaking in here at an ungodly hour to drop off this first part of the first one of the title game winners! This one kicks off a three part prequel to everything that has happened for Benjamin and the It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like... and Too Good To Be True Reader, and it takes a look at what is essentially the beginning of the end for Benj and Julia. Benjamin’s just gotten some bad news and decides to get a drink to take the edge off. But his plans change when he bumps into someone who’s had an equally bad day, and one drink turns into a few more.

Word Count: 4,187

Warnings: drinking, swearing, pub stuff.

Benjamin silenced his phone and sighed as its weight slid down into the bottom of his coat pocket. I know I shouldn’t be surprised… He used that hand to remove the glasses from the top of his head. Pinching one arm between his thumb and forefinger, he swung them down to comb the rest of his fingers through his hair. I guess… With a shove, he returned his glasses to his face, pushing them up the bridge of his nose as it wrinkled with a sniff. I guess I’m not.

Heading towards the staircase, he tossed the small bouquet he was holding into a trash bin. Stupid. Though the weekend had been planned as a celebration of Benjamin finishing his first year of graduate school, he’d wanted to give her something as a way to thank her for her support, to show her that he cared, that he he was always thinking of her, even when his nose was in a book or he spent an entire evening writing a paper. As a way to show you that you were wrong. Recently, Julia had told him that he only ever gave her flowers when he was apologizing for something. But I’m sure this will turn into something I’ll have to apologize for. Maybe this time I’ll skip the flowers.

He winced as he reached for the handrail and started climbing the stairs, immediately feeling guilty for being spiteful. That’s not helpful. If he was being honest with himself, he wasn’t sure that flowers, no matter what the occasion, were helpful either. Though the last few weeks had been good ones, he and Julia spending a decent amount of time together on days when he didn’t have classes or study sessions, it gnawed at Benjamin that he had to mark time between arguments in such short increments. Maybe she feels like I only bring her flowers when she’s upset with me but… He reached the top of the staircase and suddenly the idea of going back to an empty hotel room felt like the last thing he wanted to do. Maybe it’s because she’s always upset with me.

A loud, raucous cheer went up then as he followed the foot traffic at the top of the stairs, passing a crowded sports bar packed with patrons wearing kits and scarves supporting Brentford. The team had been making a run at the Premier League, and suddenly everyone had been swept up in their underdog story, following along and becoming inadvertent fans. Not where I want to be right now. He continued on, passing small shops and cafes until he found another pub, this one much quieter and less crowded. There, that looks more my speed, just want to get a pint and-

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a couple reuniting on the platform below, arms flying around one another. They look happy. He felt a half-hearted smile lift one cheek, but it fell as he found himself thinking that the likelihood of Julia greeting him with that much enthusiasm when she arrived in London tomorrow was slim. If she arrives tomorrow. He shook his head and turned away from the platform and back to the smaller, less populated bar. I need to get that pint.

Stepping out of the bright light of Waterloo’s main terminal and through the arched doorway of the small, dimly lit pub, he blinked a few times to adjust to the lighting. It’s just one night that she’ll miss, we have the room all weekend. I shouldn’t let it… With another hefty sigh, he unbuttoned his coat. He didn’t want to be upset that his wife had stood him up on the first night of their getaway. He wanted to believe that there was still some way to salvage the trip. She knows how important working towards this degree is to me, maybe tomorrow she’ll… But he was tired of breathing life into his hopes only to have them slashed and soured. We’ll see about tomorrow tomorrow. Glancing at the few people gathered around the bar rail, he chose to avoid the cluster of chatty looking middle aged men, instead finding a spot near a young woman sitting alone with her phone in one hand, the other wrapped around a nearly empty pint glass. She seemed the lesser of the two evils, and since Julia wasn’t there to create her own version of why he chose to sit where he did, he pulled out a stool that was two down from where she sat.

The bartender shuffled over and raised an eyebrow, reaching for a mug from the shelf below the bar counter. “The Tyne Bank, please.” Benjamin indicated the tap handle of the beer he ordered as he sank into his chair. “Thanks mate,” he sighed as the drink appeared in front of him, pulling out his wallet to hand over his card. “Open a tab, would you?” Wordlessly, the balding, apathetic man took it and nodded, already turning away in the direction of the post he’d been leaning on prior to pouring Benjamin’s drink. Don’t know how long I’ll stay but… He pushed two fingers up under the left lens of his glasses, pressing them into his closed eyelid before rubbing them down and out from underneath. Damn it, Julia, this was-

“Opening a tab at a commuter bar, huh?” He looked immediately in the direction of the woman two stools down, her slightly slurred accent hitting his ear. American. Her eyes were glued to the rim of her glass, watching her own pointer finger trace around the edge to create a high-pitched squeaking sound. “You must be having a day.” You could say that. She looked up, pulling her fingers from the glass so that she could wrap them around it to drain the contents. She was younger than he first thought, no more than 24 or 25 if he had to guess. She’s Leo’s age.

He noticed that her eyes looked red and puffy when she swung them over to him, and not just from the alcohol. She’s been crying. He picked up his glass and nodded. “Suppose I have been.” Bringing his glass the rest of the way to his lips, he took a sip and let the coppery colored ale coat his tongue before swallowing it down.

“Well then, you sir, have chosen the right seat because this end of the bar-” she flipped her hair over her shoulder in a dramatic fashion, like a matador might flourish their cape, and used the same finger she’d been tracing around her glass to point down at the wooden bartop. “Is for tying one on.” Lifting her hand from where she’d just pointed, she waved the bartender down to order another drink, the man huffing audibly at the fact that he had to move again.

Benjamin set his glass down and cocked his head to the side as the bartender grumbled under his breath, something along the lines of ‘she couldn’tve ordered when this bloke did, of course she couldn’t.’ The young woman either didn’t hear him, or didn’t care, and Benjamin had a sneaking suspicion that it was the latter. Once he’d slid the woman her beverage, the bartender looked pointedly at Benjamin, even though he’d only taken one sip that hardly even cracked the foam. “I’m fine,” he assured the man, who was only getting less hospitable by the moment, before turning to face her. “Not trying to get too tanked up here, just,” he sighed as she picked up her glass, pausing before bringing it to her lips. Just what? What are you doing, Benjamin? And why are you talking to a stranger about it? He shook his head. “Just wanted to take the edge off.”

“Well, that makes one of us.” She held her glass out and it took Benjamin a few seconds to realize that she was waiting for him to clink his against it. He blinked a few times before picking up his pint glass and tapping it to hers. “To me getting tanked up, and to you...well, not.” She blew out a breath in a sarcastic laugh, shaking her head.

That was a terrible toast. His mind flashed back to the one he’d delivered at his and Julia’s wedding- how hard he’d worked on it, how he’d practiced in the mirror for days before rehearsing it the morning off, how he felt invincibly bolstered by the love that he had for the woman he was pouring his heart out to. Good toasts don’t guarantee anything though.

“Cheers,” he responded as she took a large swig, her left hand combing her hair back out of her face as she drank. A falsely hearty sounding round of laughter rose from the opposite end of the long, straight rail, and even though it didn’t seem as though he would be granted the quiet drink he wanted, he was glad he had stayed away from whatever that was. “So,” he set his glass back down as he cleared his throat. “You had a-”

Her phone started vibrating on the bartop next to her glass, and Benjamin couldn’t help but notice the contact photo when the screen lit up. “Shit.” She picked it up and fumbled with the buttons on the side, her fingers not completely in compliance with the task at hand. “Fuck you, Eddie,” she mumbled as it buzzed again in her palm before she slid the bar across the bottom of the screen to shut it down.

Benjamin returned his eyes to his drink, trying to pretend that he hadn’t just seen a photo of the woman next to him laying a fat kiss to a smiling young man’s cheek and the name Edmund accompanied by a string of heart shaped emojis flash on her phone before she struggled to turn it off. I’ve got enough on my own plate to figure out, I should just finish this drink and head back to the ho-

“Damn it, sorry that was…” She reached behind her for the purse that was hanging on the back of her stool, grabbing the strap to pull it into her lap before jamming her phone into it. “Just my-”

Benjamin leaned over the empty seat next to him. “It’s fine, you don’t have to-”

She let go of her purse and slid from her stool onto the one next to it, leaving only one between them now. Oh, no, that’s… Benjamin straightened back up and seized his glass, but she didn’t come any closer, only reaching for her own glass to scoot it over in front of her new position. “No, I meant to turn the damn thing off anyway because I do not want to hear from him tonight...or…” she groaned into her pint. “Ever.” The last word echoed against the glass before she cut herself off by filling her mouth with liquid.

So I guess I’m not the only one having trouble in paradise tonight. He frowned, looking down at his left hand and the wedding band he’d been so eager to earn. I love her, I know I do, but she… He closed his eyes and took a drink, swallowing slowly. Does she? Benjamin curled his hand into a fist, until his knuckles blocked his ring from view. Stop. Don’t...not here. He flattened his palm back, eyes still on the gold band around his third finger. Not now.

“Oh, hey, you don’t have to worry about-” Huh? The woman laughed under her breath as she angled herself away from him. He looked up to see her motioning towards his flattened hand. “I saw you looking at your ring. You’re married.” She used one hand like a blade to cut a straight horizontal line through the air. “I get it, and anyway I’m not…” Her head shook from side to side, face tilting downwards as she picked up her glass again. She wasn’t kidding about...what did she say? Tying one on? “I’m not trying to flirt with you or anything I just-” Another little snort of laughter interrupted her sentence and she used the pause to take a drink. “Literally, just, broke up with one of you English assholes and I’m-” Benjamin raised one eyebrow, adjusting his glasses with a shove to the rim. “Shit, I don’t mean you’re an...ugh.”

The laugh was out of his mouth before he had time to question where it came from. It was small, not enough to lift him out of what he was feeling, but it wasn’t forced. “You never know, I might be one.” She picked her head up and gave him a gracious smile. “And anyway, on behalf of all of us,” he gestured around the bar with his glass. “I’m sorry that things didn’t work out with your boyfriend.”

Sighing, she let her shoulders drop as she sunk back into her stool. “Yeah, thanks.” Tilting her glass around, she swirled the half-empty contents, watching the foam cling to the sides and then run down them. “I’m sorry you’re having a shit day too.”

“Yeah,” Benjamin looked down his nose into his glass. It didn’t start out terribly, it was actually… He blinked and downed the rest of his glass. “Thanks.” I should go.

“I’m Jocelyn, by the way. Joss, really.” She spread her fingers to push her hair back before twisting to retrieve her purse again. Digging through, she pulled out a business card and handed it over. “Figure I should introduce myself, if we’re going to sit here drinking our woes away together.”

Looking down at the square shaped card he read the purple print. Jocelyn Hall, Copyeditor, R.J. Tully & Associates. Huh, what are the odds? He set her card down and reached for his wallet, pulling out one of his own. “I started out as an editor, too. I’m only part-time because I’m back in school, but they have me writing copy now. Big move.” He rolled his eyes and handed over his own card. “I’m Benjamin.” Jocelyn read his card over before flicking it against her thumb. “It’s nice to meet you, Joss, though I wish it were under better circumstances for… well for either of us.”

She laughed, turning to stuff his card in her purse before letting it swing back around the stool again. “It’s nice to meet you too, Benjamin.” When she turned back to him again, her eyes, though still puffy, looked less sad. Good. “But you know who’s having a worse night than either of us?” Well, we both had to turn off our phones because we’re avoiding people, so… She jerked her head in the direction of the bartender. “This guy really hates his job.”

With that she stood on the rung below her stool and waved the bartender over. His humph and trudge illustrated what she’d just said, and Benjamin felt a small smile form. Joss swallowed what was left of her drink before the man had finished his long and arduous journey down to their end of the bar, then pointed at Benjamin’s empty glass. “Can I buy you another beer and tell you about my shitty day, Benjamin? Or you can tell me about yours, or,” she blew out a breath. “Or fuck, we can talk about copywriting if you really want, it’s just that I’m not…” She was speaking more quickly, her words tumbling out as the bartender finally reached them. “Not ready to go back to an empty hotel room just yet and-”

“You want somethin’ girlie?” The man’s gruff voice cut her off as he leaned over the bar, his knobby knuckles gripping the curved edge.

Benjamin’s palms were sweating and a warning jolt went through his stomach. What would Julia have to say about me accepting this drink? It was a rhetorical question to himself, and even though Jocelyn had made it clear that she wasn’t interested in him- and I’m not… I love my wife, I’m not interested in this woman- he knew that if Julia were there she’d be plenty busy making up her own version of things. But she’s not here. She chose not to be. He noticed Jocelyn’s face falling as she nodded, reaching again for her purse, and he narrowed his eyes. Piss it. “Yeah, set us up again would you, mate? On my tab.”

Jocelyn smiled, letting go of her purse strap again, letting the small bag swing. “That was supposed to be on me.” I know. She leaned her elbow on the bar, setting her chin in her hand. “Thank you,” she said it as the bartender set her drink in front of her, though her eyes were on Benjamin. “For sticking around I mean, I just…” The gruff, wrinkled man passed Benjamin his ale before responding to the waves and calls of the men at the other end of the bar, grumbling as he headed in their direction. “I…” She pressed her lips together, running her fingers up and down the outside of her glass.

“Hey,” Benjamin lifted his glass. I get it. “My most thrilling copywriting story is about the time I had to write nine thousand words on mattresses in twenty four hours,” Jocelyn blew air through her nostrils in a laugh as Benjamin took a drink. “But if you want I can try to remember which ones were rated best.” But that’s not what she wants to talk about, is it? “Unless you just want to...talk about your day.”

She hummed, picking up her glass to take a sip. “I don’t want to,” she sighed and settled against the backrest of her stool, drawing one foot up to the seat so her shin was pressed to the edge of the bar rail. “But, I have been sitting here drinking for hours, and I have yet to say the words out loud.” Looking down into her drink, she took a breath before bringing her glass to her lips for another long swallow. “So,” she placed her glass back on the bartop and spread her arms wide, fingertips nearly brushing Benjamin’s shoulder. “Here goes. Today, I, Jocelyn Hall, boarded a plane in Washington D.C. and crossed the fucking Atlantic Ocean to visit my boyfriend in London, only to find him fucking some other woman.” Benjamin winced, sucking air through his teeth. That’s awful. Jocelyn took another big swig, clearing nearly half of her glass before Benjamin had had his second sip. “And you, Benjamin,” she pointed at him, finger swaying, “are the first person I’ve told.

Damn. He recalled the way it had felt when Allie had delivered the double blow to his heart that not only did she not want to marry him, but that she’d fallen in love with someone else. That betrayal was unlike anything he’d ever felt prior, and he handled it about as well as Jocelyn was handling things. “That’s terrible, what a prick.”

“You know, I never thought he was a prick.” Of course you didn’t, that’s why you were with him. “I thought he was,” she rolled her eyes and groaned at herself, one hand going to her head. “I thought Eddie was perfect.” She scoffed. “Stupid.”

Benjamin shook his head. “It isn’t stupid to want to see the good in people.” He raised his eyebrows and brought his glass to his mouth. “Especially the person you’re with.” He let another mouthful of ale slide down his throat. Julia has so much good in her. I saw it right away, but now its… He sighed.

“All my friends told me this would happen,” she reasoned, wrapping both hands around the base of her glass, condensation dripping over her knuckles. “They all warned me, when Eddie and I met, and,” she tilted her head, eyes widening. “They were right.”

“They couldn’t have known- you, you couldn’t have known when you met him that things would turn out this way though.” He tried to console her with the fact that there was no real way to prepare for the unknown; that Jocelyn or her friends couldn’t have possibly foreseen that Eddie would cheat on her. That I couldn’t see that Julia would push me aside. He shook his head and rubbed on hand over the top of his hair. Change the subject. “How did, um… how did you two mee then?” Shit, she might not want to- “I mean, only if you want to tell me, it’s-”

“We met while we were both spending a semester abroad in Florence.” Another eye roll. “We both accidentally signed up for a class that we thought was Italian, but it was actually Italian Literature, taught entirely in a language that neither of us spoke and,” she gestured with one hand while the other held her glass. “Well, we were able to transfer out of it, but we hit it off and started spending time together. A lot of time, all our time. Looking back on it now I...well,” she tapped the nail of her pointer finger on her glass. “It happened too fast, got... “ she made a sudden swiping motion. “Swept up in it I guess.”

Yeah, that tends to happen. He knew how easy it was to let the current carry you away once those first few feelings started swirling, especially when the circumstances were right. “Still, that doesn’t mean that you should have been able to predict that…”

“Our entire relationship was like a vacation, Benjamin, that should have been a clue. I mean,” she sniffed. “Weekend getaways in Vienna and Barcelona. Going here, seeing this, doing that.” She ticked her words off on her fingers. “Before the semester was even up we were already making plans to visit one another at home. He came over to the U.S. and stayed with me for ten days and it was great. It was a great ten days, but again, it wasn’t real life.”

Like Julia and I. The thought made his mouth go dry but the beer he tried to drink only caused him to choke, coughing and covering his mouth with his hand. In the beginning of their relationship they’d holed themselves up in hotel rooms, ordering room service and visiting tourist sights. It was so easy.

“But the crown jewel in this story,” Jocelyn smacked her palm down on the bartop causing Benjamin to snap his attention back to her. “Was me deciding to surprise Eddie by getting here three days earlier than we’d planned, and him deciding to surprise me by banging some redhead.” He frowned. Why do people cheat? I’ll never understand it. She sniffed again. “So, surprise. My friends were right, and I’m an idiot.” Her eyes were starting to shine again, and she snorted into her glass. “A drunk idiot.”

“You’re not.” She looked at him incredulously. “An idiot, I mean.” You’re definitely drunk. He put his glass down and leaned his forearms on the bar. “You dove in, really gave it a go. Now this Eddie? He sounds like an idiot if you ask me.” He licked his lips and scrubbed one hand over his beard. “It’s not stupid to trust people or to...to fall for someone.” Am I trying to make her feel better or myself? He sighed. “It’s shitty. It’s a shitty thing that he did to you and I’m…” I’m an expert at shitty things happening so I know what I’m talking about. “I’m sorry that it happened to you.”

Joss smiled sadly, but nodded and wiped her knuckle under her eye. “Thanks, Benjamin, that’s…” She let out a breath. “I appreciate you listening to me and trying to...just, thank you. It felt good to get that all off my chest I guess.” I’m sure. Since he married Julia he had been spending less and less time with friends like Bianca and Zach, and the few classmates he’d spoke with over the last year were no substitute, so he’d had no one to really talk to about the perceived problems in his marriage. He was glad that he was able to be a set of ears for Jocelyn to vent to.

“You know, I am about as far away from sage council as you could probably get, but if it’ll make you feel better to talk about your shitty day, we can put the next round on my tab.” A few more patrons had shuffled in since he’d sat down that Benjamin hadn’t noticed until he’d looked up at Joss’ alcohol and emotion flushed face. I shouldn’t… But why shouldn’t I? He asked himself the question almost immediately, knowing fully that his only intention in talking to Jocelyn was conversation and possibly some mutual empathy, nothing more.

He finished the rest of his drink and stood from his stool. “Alright,” he agreed. “But I’m going to step out for a smoke.” Joss made a scrunched face and he chuckled. “I know, bad habit, I’m trying to quit. But… yeah. Grab another round. I’ll be right back.”

“Great,” she stood to flag down the bartender. “Misery loves company.”

@something-tofightfor @its-my-little-dumpster-fire @malionnes @suchatinyinfinity @gollyderek @thesumofmychoices @becs-bunker @warriorqueenofnarnia @elanor-of-imladris @traeumerinwitzhelden @obscurilicious @octosapiens @luminex3 @songtoyou @with1love1anu @dearmarii @pheedraws @valkblue @alraedesigns @fific7

Thank you for reading! If you would like to be added or removed from my taglist for this or any story/character please feel free to let me know!

#the jilted tourist #benjamin greene #benjamin greene gold digger #benjamin greene x julia day #ew gross i gagged typing that last tag #benj meets joss #tgtbt benjamin #benjamin greene fanfic #title game #400 foreal?!

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padme-parker · 4 years

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Collide / Chapter 3

[a Star Wars x Avengers crossover]

Summary: You spend some quality time with Anakin, while also reminiscing about home.

Warnings: A few swear words, nothing else I can think of

Word Count: ~3.7k

A/N: this is a filler chapter, so it's all over the place. Bolded phrases are being spoken through the connection while Italicized phrases are your thoughts. !tags are open btw!

Song(s) of the chapter: Yellow by Coldplay, Mariposa by Peach Tree Rascals, and Fallingforyou by The 1975

read ch 2 here

“Look at the stars, look how they shine for you.” -Yellow by Coldplay

You were jolted awake by a loud noise, a speeder bolting past your window. It took you a second to recuperate and figure out where you were. Getting up and out of bed, you walked towards your closet changing into your jedi robes. Both of your undergarments and shirt had been white. Not a pearly white, but more like an ivory white, giving the clothes a slight worn look. The trousers they had given you was a light grey, the faintest hint of blue could be seen if you looked closely. But overall, your bottoms were more grey than blue. Throwing on the black robe, you made your way into the bathroom.

You were unsure what to do with your hair, should I leave it down? Tie it up? Give myself a padawan braid? Hold on, am I even a padawan? That was a question that the jedi council would be able to answer, but for now you were more focused on your hair. I guess I’ll tie my hair up. The jedi had been kind enough to supply you with some hair ties and a comb, along with a toothbrush and toothpaste. After tying your hair up, you grabbed your toothbrush and put a pea sized dollop of toothpaste onto it before brushing your teeth. You had just begun brushing your teeth when you were interrupted by a knock on your door. Left with no other choice than to open your door, you made your way over to it. Pushing the button, the door opened with a woosh.

“Good morning, Alyra. I trust that you slept alright?” Anakin’s eyes followed you as you made your way back to the bathroom, spitting out the toothpaste.

“Yes! The bed was more comfortable than I could ever imagine.” You might even have to smuggle one back home once you leave.

“Are you ready to leave for breakfast?” With a nod of your head, the two of you were off to the commons. The walk there was silent, but comfortable. The both of you appreciating the silence.

“Sorry, if the breakfast here isn’t as appealing as what you had at home. Everything here is bland and tasteless, just like some jedi” You let out a snicker.

“Yeah, well some food back at home isn’t that good either. I think I’ll be fine.” You reply, eyes scanning the food.

“I just hope you don’t have a weak stomach, for y’know, future missions.” After getting your food, you sit down at a barren table, Anakin taking his place next to you. Taking a look at the white, thick slop in your bowl, you decided to give it a taste. He watches as you put it in your mouth, your face scrunching up. You can hear Anakin laugh as you try to wash it down with your drink.

“Here, put some of this in it.” He hands you a light yellow liquid, it’s thick as you pour it out. You stir it around before trying it again. This time however, it has a slightly sweet taste to it.

“It’s certainly a lot better with the syrup, however I’ll probably get something else next time.” You say.

After finishing your meal, Anakin led you outside to the hangar where a two seat speeder was already warmed up and waiting for you. After jumping in and buckling up, Anakin sped off in the direction of the Market. You could feel the excitement pumping through your veins as your hair whipped around in every direction.

Quickly and effortlessly landing on the hangar, you watched as Anakin fiddled with the controls, shutting off the speeder.

“Welcome to CoCo town. Not exactly the lower levels, and not exactly the highest levels of Coruscant. Stay close to me, I don’t want you getting lost.” Walking forward, you were amazed by the buildings. The structures were very industrial-like, yet modern at the same time. Each having its own spunk and characteristics. Anakin directed you towards a small market.

“What do you need?” He asked, you listed off a few things as Anakin searched the aisles for them. Getting to the shampoo aisle, you grabbed a bottle off the shelf and took a sniff.

“As weird as it sounds, this scent reminds me of home.” The shampoo had smelt like strawberries, which was peculiar. You would have never guessed there was a similar smelling fruit on Coruscant, or any other planet for that matter. That must have been how Anakin smelt so similarly to strawberries and cinnamon. Or maybe it had been Padme’s scent that rubbed off on him.

“What’s your home like?” He pondered

“In a way, Coruscant is similar to my home. On Earth, you can find metropolitan areas with skyscrapers too. Except for the speeders, we don’t have the technology for that yet. Nor do I think we’re ready for it. People can’t even drive normally, there’d be chaos if we had flying cars all of a sudden. However, the one thing Coruscant lacks is greenery and nature. There’s an abundance of it at home. Quite frankly, I miss it. There’s no way I can explain my home without doing it justice. Just know that it’s beautiful. Maybe one day I can take you there, then you can decide if you think it’s pretty or not.” You continued to sniff all the shampoos, Anakin watched as you rambled, encaptured by your lips. After choosing your preferred scent, you put it in the basket that Anakin was carrying.

“Yes, hopefully one day I’ll be able to visit. I’ll be looking forward to it.” He commented, “What about your parents? They must be good people if they gave you a pretty name like Alyra.”

“Oh yeah… my parents are good people. I’m really glad they named me Alyra, and not some weird name like y/n…” You let out an awkward laugh, thinking about your family on Earth.

You had just recently joined the avengers, alongside Peter Parker. You were surprised at how young he was, but then again you were only 17, just two years older than him. What surprised you more was the fact that he was Spiderman. You couldn’t believe a mere 15 year old boy was swinging around Queens at night, saving people.

You were sat atop the Stark tower, watching the stars. It was something you found yourself doing often. Gazing, watching for something, someone. A sign of hope, that you weren’t alone. Ever since you were young, the stars and galaxies always amazed you. The prospect of other living beings amazed you. Who would’ve known that only 3 years later, you’d be standing in the very galaxy that you dreamed of.

You continued to gaze at the stars until you heard the soft landing of feet behind you. You didn’t have to turn around to know that it was Peter. He didn’t stay the night at the tower often, so you solemnly talked to him. But conversation came easily around the two of you.

“What’re you doing up and out so late at night, Y/N?” He asked

“I could ask you the same thing. But if you must know, I’m stargazing.” You turned to look at him as he removed his mask. He took a seat and joined you. Peter craned his head up, with his enhanced vision, he could easily see the stars. Although the light pollution still made it difficult for the both of you to see the universe in its full potential. It was quiet for a moment, before Peter broke the silence.

“Why?” His question was tentative, mysterious even.

“Why what?”

“Why do you like stargazing so much?” You were stumped, no one ever bothered to ask you this nor even care if you disappeared for hours. The one thing you had yet to get accustomed to was how much everyone in the tower cared. Before, you were transferred from foster home to foster home. Never really staying long enough to form special bonds with anyone.

“It… makes me calm, gives me tranquility. A sense of peace. It’s almost like everytime I look at the stars, I feel at home. Like I belong, and that I’m not alone.” You wanted to go on, but you didn’t know how to express your feelings. Peter let out a hum of agreement.

“Do you have a favorite constellation?” His tone was curious, as were his eyes.

You pulled out your phone, opening a night sky app. You searched for the constellation before showing it to him. “Look.” You handed your phone to him, careful to not change the positioning of your phone. Peter let out a quiet gasp of awe.

“The constellation is named Lyra. It contains the second brightest star in the northern hemisphere, Vega.” You continued to tell him about the constellation, it’s meaning of the name and back story. Soon this became a tradition for you and Peter. A couple of times a month, both of you gathered at the top of the Stark tower; accompanied by your blankets, snacks and drinks. Each time, you taught him about a new galaxy or constellation.

After the second month, Peter had started calling you Star, which the other members caught on to. Soon the Avengers and the public came to know you as Star. Bright and beautiful, yet dangerous and distant.

You let a smile creep onto your face as you thought of the memory. “When she was younger, my mother was enamored with the stars, and the universe in general. On Earth, there’s a constellation named Lyra. I’m not sure why she liked it, but she apparently liked it enough to name me after it.” You might’ve lied to him, but there was some truth in your lie.

You had finished shopping in a comfortable silence. Returning to the speeder, Anakin offered to carry the bags, which you gratefully accepted. As you approached the speeder, you were thrown off balance by a child running past you. You closed your eyes, anticipating to feel the hard ground at any second. However when the feeling didn’t come, you open your eyes in confusion. Only to find Anakin’s eyes peering into your own. His right arm firmly held your waist, you could feel his metal fingers through his glove. You watched his lips as he asked if you were alright, something that didn’t go unnoticed by him. You curtly nodded your head and he began to help you stand upright.

As the child’s mother reached you and Anakin, you could hear the apologies tumbling from her lips. You told her that it was alright. The mother's scolding could be heard as you walked towards the speeder, a comfortable silence filing the atmosphere once again.

This time, you decided to admire the architecture on the way back to the temple. The organized traffic still astonished you. Speeders whizzed past you, making your hair fly. From here, you could see the Jedi Temple in the temple district. The temple stuck out from the others, but wasn’t comparable to the skyscrapers you were passing. You’ve never experienced such beauty like Coruscant, you couldn’t wait to explore more of it. Perhaps even visit the senate building.

After arriving at the hangar, Anakin docked the speeder, making sure to turn it off before helping you out.

“I have to go, maybe I’ll see you for dinner?” Your question was timid. You’d only know Anakin for a couple of days, but it felt like years.

“Yes, I’ll make sure to invite Obi-wan.”

“Alright, I’ll see you then.” You gave him a wave before walking away. You felt your cheeks heat up as a smile grazed your lips. You still couldn’t believe you were hanging out with THE Anakin Skywalker.

You knew you shouldn’t have felt the butterflies in your stomach.

Or the tingles when he touched your hand.

Nor the rush you felt when you were around him.

This isn’t right, you thought to yourself. He’s married to Padme for crying out loud, expecting twins. But you couldn’t help yourself, before you knew it, you were falling hard. And you didn’t know why.

After putting away your belongings, you began to aimlessly wander the halls looking for Master Yoda and Master Windu. You had questions, and they had the answers.

“Master Yoda, Master Windu! May I speak to you in private?” You caught the two just as they exited the council chamber.

“Questions you have.” Master Yoda said.

“Yes, and I’m hoping you can answer them.”

“Come. Discuss inside, we will.” You followed the two into the council room, standing in the middle as they sat down.

“I would like some clarification. I know I am training in the ways of the Jedi, but will I become a Padawan? Or will my learning only pertain to physical training?” You queried.

“Padawan, you are not. Jedi, you are not. A learner, simply you are. Teach you the ways of the force, we will. Train you, we will.” At least the Jedi code didn’t apply to you. But considering the fact that all of your peers are Jedi, it was going to be hard.

“The way I see it, there is just no reason for you to fully train in the ways of the Jedi. After you have completed your mission, you will return back to your home planet. As you said, we also don’t have the time to completely train you, so you will only be taught fundamental information and techniques.” Master Windu said.

“What about…. lightsabers? Can I make one?” You raised one eyebrow. The question was ludicrous, but you just had to ask them.

“Yes you can, how else are you going to complete your mission on Titan?” Oh right, you completely forgot about that.

“Yes of course, how silly of me to forget. What about missions?”

“Missions won’t be a necessity, however we will send you on a few to accompany Obi-wan and Anakin. It’s vital that you work together as a team.” You let out a nod. “If that is all Miss. Alyra, you may leave. I need to discuss something with Master Yoda.” You quickly left the room, not wanting to get caught up in their business.

The two Jedi Masters waited for the doors to fully close before resuming their conversation.

You awake from you nap disoriented, the loud knocking on your door was incessant. You throw on your black robe before opening it, “Are you ready?” You nod and Anakin takes the lead. Instead of taking you to the cantina, he takes you to the hangar.

“Where are we going?” You asked.

“It’s a surprise.” He replied. “We will be meeting Obi-wan there.”

You got into the speeder, it was the same one from earlier in the day. He went as fast as he could, you drifted into a daydream. Yo you wanna see some real speed bitch? I’ll show you some real speed. You let out a giggle thinking about the tiktok, Anakin turns to you, “what’s so funny?”

“Umm.. nothing. If I tried to explain it, you wouldn’t understand.” You replied. He lets out a hum, before turning his gaze back to the traffic.

After landing, you find yourself in front of Dex’s Diner. Once you entered, the two of you looked for Obi-wan, until Anakin spotted him and led you over.

“Alyra, nice to see you again.” Obi-wan says as you take your seat, flashing him a brief smile.

“Have you ordered yet?” The strawberry blonde shakes his head, “No, Anakin. I was waiting for you.” He hands you a menu, hoping to find something you remotely recognized. It isn’t long before a female droid comes to take the tables order, Obi-wan and Anakin go first, giving you more time to decide. The droid finally looks at you, awaiting your response. “I’ll have a nerf burger and a photon fizzle please.” She nods her head, taking your order before taking the menus and giving the orders to Dex.

“You know, you never told me how you know Anakin.” Shit, well he can’t know about the real plan nor my slightly edited plan. What the hell do I tell him? Wait- can they hear my thoughts? I really hope they can’t.

“Before I came here… I was told the name and description of someone I should befriend within the Jedi temple. That he’d help me accomplish my mission, and of course that person was Anakin.” You said.

Why did you lie to him? Anakin’s voice reverberates in your nearly quiet mind.

Anakin, there is obviously a connection between us. I don’t know why. But don’t you think that if we told him about it, that he would tell the Council? We both know that attachments aren’t allowed.

First off, how do you know that? Second, I never said anything about forming an attachment with you. You roll your eyes.

George Lucas told me.

Of course.

The connection ended briefly as food was set down on the table. Wow, that was fast. The conversation continues as you eat your food. The burger really reminded you of a cheeseburger back at home, while the photon fizzle reminded you of boba tea. Except it was a fizzy liquid, instead of your usually milky black tea.

“Tomorrow, you start your training. We are going to assess your skills, along with weaknesses to try to strengthen them.” Obi-wan says. You give him a nod and return to your food.

Not much of a talker are you? His voice is raspy, sending tingles down your body.

Nope, I’m more of an observer.

Anakin pushes you to the ground, straddling your waist as you struggle to catch your breath. He holds the end of a wooden staff against your neck. “Again.” Obi-wan calls as he observes the two of you. Today was your first day of training, safe to say that it wasn’t going well.

I swear, I’m a good fighter. This time, it was you who initiated the conversation.

Oh yeah? Why don’t you show me. Flirting. He was totally flirting.

Fine. But don’t cry when I kick your ass.

This time, you're more focused. You watch Anakin’s moves, anticipating his strike. He charges, his staff clutched tightly as he runs towards you. Using the force, you call upon your staff, the very same one that Anakin had knocked out of your grasp earlier. Just as he’s about to strike, you block it, the clap of the two sticks meeting echoes. You back up, making yourself vulnerable to another attack.

Anakin charges again, you step to the side while simultaneously swinging your staff, jabbing it into his ribs. Since you didn’t have a lightsaber yet, it was only fair that they trained you with a weapon similar to it. The staff was heavy and dense, but it felt weightless in your hands. The two of you continue to duel until he knocks the staff out of your hands again. Frustrated you punch him in the ribs, precisely the spot you had hit earlier. He doubles over, grasping his waist. You waste no time in jumping up, one of your legs wrapped around his neck while the other was wrapped around his upper body. Using your weight, you force the two of you to the ground, his arm between your legs, locked into place by your arms.

If I were you, I’d tap out.

No way, sweetheart. Oh yeah, he’s definitely flirting now.

He tries to release himself from your grasp, but your grip only tightens until he can no longer move.

What’d I say? There’s a smirk on your lips as you see his free hand tap on the floor, signalling that the match was over.

“Good, Alyra. However we’re going to need to work more on skills regarding lightsabers and usage of the force. Your physical combat skills are superb. I think that’s all the training we’ll be doing today. I think you’ve bruised not only Anakin’s ribs, but also his ego.” Obi-wan says, a chuckle leaving his mouth. Anakin rolls his eyes, muttering “Oh shut up.”

Obi-wan goes to leave as Anakin and you stay behind to clean the training room.

“You know, you’re a pretty good fighter. Where’d you learn?” He asks

“Oh….um thanks. Just like this galaxy, my planet needs protection from corrupt individuals too. We try to be peacekeepers, but I think you know peace isn’t always an option.” You take a second to pause, putting the staff back in it’s correct place. “The woman who trains me, she’s extraordinary. Well technically I have two extraordinary women training me. One in physical combat and the other to help with my telekinetic powers. Or what you guys call the force. I’ve been training for a couple of years now, whereas other members of my team have been training for longer.” You explain to him.

“It must be hard, being here. You don’t really know anybody here, you don’t have any family with you. You’ve got the burden of the universe resting on your shoulders.” He says.

It must be hard for you too, Anakin. You’ve got the burden of bringing balance to the force resting on your shoulders.

“Yeah, well…. sacrifices have to be made sometime in order to save the greater population. I’m sure you know that.” You look around the room once more before deciding to leave. “See you later, Anakin.”

“See you tomorrow, Alyra.” He responds.

As you return to your quarters, you can’t help the sinking feeling in your stomach. Earlier you were energized, ready for a fight. Even now, you still feel some sparks of it flowing through you. However, the bad was outweighing the good. You couldn’t help but feel guilty yet also saddened. Anakin’s future was going to be a dark and rough one, you knew it to be true. He’s going to be put through so much pain and anguish, all because of stupid Palpatine and his stupid plans. Many people were going to perish if you didn’t try to at least help him.

Entering your quarters, there was only one thought going through your mind.

“Your destiny can change, just as quickly as the love in one’s heart can fade. Nothing is set in stone.”

#anakin #anakin sykwalker #anakin skywalker x reader #anakin skywalker x you #anakin skywalker fanfiction #anakin skywalker fanfic #anakin skywalker imagine #anakin skywalker series #obi wan kenobi #Avengers #natasha romanoff #wanda maximoff #star wars #star wars fanfiction #star wars x avengers

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jacquiesims · 4 years

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Viper Canyon - Chapter Six

‘...She met eyes with her reflection in the mirror.

“Yes. I’m fine.”’

September 1852

With every new morning, the same sun shone brilliantly above Viper Canyon; a testament to all who called the humble settlement their home that although much was uncertain in their lives, they could always depend on one thing – that each day was a new one, no matter how challenging the last, and every daybreak held infinite promise and possibility.

The early morning sun slipped through the windowpanes of Winnie and Beatrice’s cozy loft, where the two sisters were still sleeping soundly.

In her sleep, the eldest Hawkins daughter stirred gently, her eyelashes fluttering slightly as her murky dream shifted and changed until she was reliving moments that had passed not long before.

“This is where we’ll live,” Peter said proudly, surveying the vast plot of land in front of them. “And one day, when we have our own children and grandchildren…they’ll live here too, in the house we built.”

It was hard for Winnie to see the dazzling future that Peter had planned for them, but she shook away her doubts as her fiancé took her by the hand.

“What do you think?”

“Hm…well, it’s close to my parents and not far from town…the river is only a short walk from here, too. I think you’ve picked a fine place for us, Peter.”

He grinned broadly at her, something that had come to cause her heart to skip a beat. She returned the smile as they turned to the desert before them. Peter put his arm around Winnie, pulling her close.

“I’m glad you like it. I’m really glad, Winnie.”

“I know the house still has to be built before the wedding, but I can hardly wait that long. It’s foolish to say it but I feel like I’ve been dreaming all this time. To think that I’ll be marrying you…I’ve got to be the luckiest man this side of the Mississippi.”

She was touched by his affectionate words. Her cheeks were flushed pink as Peter turned to her, face dangerously close. She looked back and forth between his eyes, heart beginning to race.

Winnie had never been kissed before. The feeling was strange and foreign, yet somehow still comforting and warm. She could feel the gentle brush of Peter’s breath on her cheeks as her heart pounded madly in her chest.

Just like that, he pulled away. His ears were bright red and he avoided her eyes, still holding her.

“I – er…sorry, Winnie. I don’t know what came over me.”

She laughed. “That’s all right. I didn’t mind.”

Winnie awoke to the phantom feeling of Peter’s kiss lingering on her lips. She blinked the sleep from her eyes with a small sigh before throwing back the covers and getting out of her warm bed.

Beatrice was still in deep sleep as Winnie made her way to the wash basin, scrubbing her tiredness from her cheeks with lukewarm water. It wouldn’t do to be half-asleep, especially with all she had yet to do that day.

Dressed and put together, Winnie descended the stairs into the kitchen, where Mamma was already finishing breakfast.

“Good morning,” Mamma said cheerfully, greeting her daughter with a smile. Wrinkles pulled at her fair skin. “You’re right on time. I’ve just finished the porridge. You’ll have a nice hot breakfast before work.”

Winnie’s belly was full of Mamma’s cooking as she made her way to the barn. Papa had already taken his horse that morning, but Winnie’s handsome colt was still in his stall, eager to be taken out.

“Morning,” she murmured to him, giving his broad neck an affectionate stroke. He nipped at her hair. “It’s time to go to work.”

With learned hands, Winnie outfitted her horse with his bridle and saddle, mounting him and taking off down the dirt road.

Winnie arrived at the schoolhouse before any of the students. After loosely tying up her colt at the hitching post, she unlocked the front doors, stepping into the quiet building.

The interior smelled faintly of woodsmoke and chalk. She started a fire in the stove before taking a seat at her desk, looking out at the empty classroom. It still felt foreign to be looking at rows of desks instead of sitting at one herself – but there was no time to think about that. She had to get her lesson plans together before her pupils arrived and the school day began.

Just as she finished writing down her plans for the day, her students poured into the room from the front door. They grinned at Winnie as she stood up, brushing off her skirt.

“Good morning, class,” she called happily.

“Morning, Miss Hawkins!”

As her small group of students settled themselves at their desks, Winnie took a moment to gather her thoughts.

All had come from the California territory months prior. A terrible fire had ravaged a small settlement there, burning it in its entirety and claiming many lives and livelihoods. A few families who had survived the tragedy came to live in Viper Canyon, where the land was cheap and aplenty and there was much business to be had due to the miners slowly finding gold in the outlying area.

Many of Winnie’s students had lost homes in the fire, to speak nothing of their family members that had died in the disaster. Although she was happy to finally see children in town, she regretted the circumstances terribly and tried her best to be a charitable and kind teacher – her students had far better things to worry about than a harsh schoolmistress.

Winnie grabbed her scant roster from her desk. “All right. Now that we’re all settled, it’s time for attendance. Andrew Campbell?”

“Present,” the boy responded sweetly.

He was a mostly shy soul who rarely spoke up in class, but was a bright and diligent student nonetheless. He was the middle child of the Campbells, a couple who had recently opened a tailor’s on Main Street. Winnie had heard that the tiniest Campbell, only a few years old, had passed in the great fire. Her heart ached when she looked at the children who were surely missing their baby sibling.

“Bonnie Sampson?”

“Present.”

Although Winnie would never admit it out loud, Bonnie was one of her favorite pupils. She was the only child of a doctor and her mother had passed from complications after being caught in the fire. Despite this, she was a fiery and spirited girl who eagerly pursued knowledge with an unquenchable thirst. Winnie would sorely miss her when she finished her schooling that spring.

“Cora Campbell?”

“Present!”

Cora was the youngest child of the Campbells and their only girl. Although she was regularly a distraction to her classmates due to her talkative and friendly nature, Winnie could hardly find it in herself to scold the sweet girl who usually meant well and was always profoundly sorry for disrupting lessons.

“Ida Evans?”

“Present,” she answered softly.

Ida was one of the twins whose parents had lost their cattle ranch to the terrible fire. Her parents urged Winnie that she would eventually come out of her shell, but she had yet to see the girl playing with her classmates or laughing during lunchtime. Winnie found herself often worrying after the welfare of Ida despite her nearly perfect marks.

“Leonard Campbell?”

“Present.”

Leonard was the Campbell’s eldest. He seemed like a completely ordinary child to Winnie, who was happy to have him in her class. He was often the voice of reason and the younger students looked up to him as an authority figure – she thought the role suited him quite well.

“Isaac Evans?”

“Hmph.”

The last student on her roster was her most problematic. Isaac was Ida’s twin brother, and despite their uncanny resemblance, he in no other way reminded Winnie of his sister. He was constantly causing trouble, whether it be from creating messes or starting fights. It was a rare occurrence when Winnie could go an entire day without having to scold Isaac or avoid some kind of disaster that he had caused.

“Isaac, when I take attendance please answer ‘present.’”

The boy frowned silently, looking out the window and ignoring her. The rest of the class tried to not look in his direction but the desire was palpable. Winnie decided it was best to pick her battles and if Isaac wanted to pout, she would let him do so.

“Well, I trust we all had time to finish our homework last night? Bring your slates up to me, please. If you had any questions we’ll discuss them in a moment.”

The school day passed by without incident until noon. At lunch, Winnie caught Bonnie as the girl made her way outside to sit in the shade of the tree where all of the students enjoyed their midday meal.

“Bonnie, do you have a moment? I wanted to ask you something.”

Bonnie looked surprised. “Of course. What is it, Miss Hawkins?”

“Don’t worry. You aren’t in any trouble. I was only wondering if you’d taken the time to think about what I asked you last week, about what you think you’ll do once you’re finished with school.”

She looked uneasy. “Well, I have thought about it a little. I was going to ask you for your advice about it after school today, actually. Do you have the time now?”

Winnie was flattered. “Certainly. Though I’m sure you’ll succeed in anything you choose to do after graduation,” she added with a smile.

Bonnie was a little embarrassed by the flattery. “Thank you. You see, my father is a doctor, so I grew up knowing quite a bit about medicine – well, more than the average girl, I’d say. I just thought…maybe I could do something like that and follow in his footsteps. He always seems very fulfilled with his choice to study medicine.”

“That’s a fantastic idea, Bonnie! You have the perfect temperament to be a doctor or a nurse. And you’ve been such a model student – I’ll write you a glowing recommendation to any school you’d like, just say the word.”

Bonnie smiled weakly. “That’s very kind of you, Miss Hawkins, and I’m very grateful to you for offering. I’ll have to let you know once I’ve fully made up my mind about it all.”

Without another word, Bonnie walked over to join her classmates beneath the tree.

Winnie pondered over the conversation for a moment. She had no more than a few seconds to think over what Bonnie had said before there was horrible shrieking from where the students were eating their lunch.

“Miss Hawkins!” Cora screamed. “Miss Hawkins! Isaac poured his milk all over me!”

With a deep breath, Winnie collected herself, marching over to her pupils. She should have known better than to hope that Isaac would behave that day – or any day, for that matter.

The school day ended after Isaac received a harsh tongue lashing from Winnie and Cora’s hair had been thoroughly rinsed at the classroom’s wash basin. She always felt horribly guilty after and was unable to meet his eyes despite not raising a hand against the child. The thought had more than once occurred to her that he may derive some sort of smug pleasure from making Winnie miserable after punishing him – but each time she quickly pushed it away, wanting to never think such an awful thing of her pupil.

The students had gone for the day, leaving behind only silence and a moment of peace for Winnie. She took a few minutes to clean up the place, wiping down the blackboard and sweeping the dust out of the front door before taking her horse back home.

Winnie found her sister quietly painting on the porch when she returned home.

Beatrice had gained a sort of calm about her in the months that had passed since she found out about her sister’s engagement. She was more often than not found doing something silently, often painting, and had started doing her chores and helping out around the house unprovoked and without complaint. Her family wondered what had brought on such a change in her, but decided to not question what was for the better. It was no secret that she had also grown to be quite beautiful, following in the footsteps of her mother, but had shown little to no interest in settling down. It would seem that Beatrice was happy to paint the rest of her days away all alone.

“That’s lovely,” Winnie told her sister.

Beatrice looked at her, expression unreadable. She studied Winnie’s face carefully before bringing her brush back to the canvas.

“Thank you.”

Inside, Mamma was dicing potatoes in the kitchen.

“You’re home. How was school today?”

Winnie stretched, feeling exhaustion from a long day in her muscles. “It was fine. Isaac still enjoys tormenting poor little Cora, though. Would you believe that he poured his entire milk bottle on her head today at lunch? If he would just mind his manners, teaching them all would be much easier.”

Mamma laughed. “Oh, I shouldn’t laugh, but that’s terribly funny. Cora can be so dramatic at times. Anyway, I’m sure the poor boy doesn’t mean to be wicked. He’s been through an awful lot after losing his ranch and having to move here, you know.”

“I know, and that’s why I go easy on him. But it doesn’t feel like I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt when I have to shout at him in front of his classmates. It must be horribly embarrassing for him – I know it is for me.”

“Give him some time. He’s only eight or nine years old, isn’t he? There aren’t many well mannered children at that age. Watcher knows I had my hands full raising you and Beatrice when you were that small. Be a dear and help me with dinner, won’t you?”

Winnie wanted nothing more than to kick off her boots and put her feet up by the fire with a good book. Sometimes she hated that she was such a devoted daughter.

She rolled up her sleeves. “Of course, Mamma.”

Winnie felt Mamma’s eyes on her as she cut up the beef for the stew.

“What is it?” She asked.

Mamma waved her hand as if dismissing a thought from the air. “Nothing. I was just thinking that at this time, you should’ve been cooking meals for your husband instead of for us…you would’ve made a terrific wife, darling. I’m sure of it.”

A wave of emotion passed over Winnie like a cold front. She said nothing in response to Mamma.

“I’m sorry. I know you don’t like for me to talk about it, but it breaks my heart that Peter left like that.”

Winnie put down the knife with a bit too much force, causing Mamma to jump in surprise.

“Excuse me.”

She escaped upstairs in the loft with her chest aching. Memories she wished to forget came relentlessly flooding back all at once, overwhelming her senses.

“I can’t believe you!” Winnie shouted. “You’re really going to leave your family behind for those people?”

“'Those people' are my family!” Peter snapped back.

Winnie’s face twisted in anger. “They disowned your mother for marrying your father. She lost everything because of them, and now you’re ready to abandon your entire life here for their money?”

“You don’t understand – if I don’t go back east then that entire fortune will be lost. I’m the only one who can go there and save it! My grandfather put me in his will for a reason. I think this is his way of making amends. If I go back to the city and inherit – “

“Do you hear yourself, Peter? ‘Making amends?’ You never even met your grandfather! You told me that when you were born he didn’t care at all, he didn’t even write a letter to your mother. And you want to go there and save the fortune of some awful man who put your family through so much grief?”

Peter was silent.

“And…” Winnie said quietly. “What about me? And the wedding?”

Peter watched her with grief in his eyes.

“What about you and the wedding?”

She sniffed, hating that she was crying in front of him. “I thought you…loved me. That we had grown to care for each other. Am I truly not enough to keep you here?”

Peter wrapped Winnie in a shallow embrace.

“No. I’m sorry.”

She sobbed into his chest, feeling bitter sadness deep in her heart.

Winnie gritted her teeth as more molten tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

“Winnie? Are you okay?” Mamma called from downstairs.

She wiped her face with the back of her sleeves and tried to compose herself. She met eyes with her reflection in the mirror.

“Yes. I’m fine.”

To Be Continued

Previous Chapter | Viper Canyon Index | Chapter Seven

(Tumblr really didn’t want me to upload this chapter!!)

#ts2 #ts2 story #viper canyon #viper canyon story #viper canyon: chapter six

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abyss-in-machines · 4 years

Text

The First Move

AO3 link

Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama.

Chapter 1

She’s been appearing in his dreams far more frequently than he’d imagine she would. He doesn’t know how this came to be, and doesn’t know why it’s her, out of all the crazy women that he knows. And the craziest part of it all? He doesn’t seem to mind it one bit.

The dreams keep changing form and meaning every night, with the one common denominator being her. One dream would indulge his lust, showing how he’d have her all to himself, how he’d throw himself to her lips, and capture her beauty all for his own. Another dream would show an endless friendly spar between the two, exchanging smiles and blows. Yet among the multitude of dreams he’s had, the one he’d treasure the most was where he has a family of his own, kids that he fathered with her. A time lapse where he watches the kids grow up as his dream self and her hold each other’s hand and proudly watch them succeed. A dream where he watches himself grow old and happy with her. He remembers that one vividly, unlike the others, and he knows he won’t let that go.

Gintoki never cared much for flings or dates, let alone a long term relationship. A longstanding crush on Ketsuno Ana still remains, but he knows how far that’ll go. Celebrity crushes rarely come true, if at all. The stalker ninja would still keep popping up here and there, her appearances were more of an irritation that he’d not hesitate to squash away instantly. The glasses’ sister was more of a younger sibling he’d look out for, although with her brute strength matching that of a gorilla, he was pretty sure she’d rather pummel him to death. In short, he never considered any sort of relationship with any of them. But in comes Tsukuyo, messing it all up.

Gintoki racks his brains, trying formulate an answer to this new confounding issue. What triggered this? Any residual effects from the love incense? Granted, he inhaled a full blast of the damned scent, but the side effects couldn’t possibly have lasted this long... or could it? He doesn’t know. Or he does, but he simply doesn’t want to acknowledge it. It’s just an infatuation, couldn’t possibly be more than that, right? Right?

“Whatever”, he murmurs, slowly getting up from the futon and heading to the washroom. He thinks of going for a walk to clear his head once he’s done eating whatever Shinpachi made for breakfast. Perhaps a trip to Yoshiwara later in the afternoon to hit the pachinko would be nice...

“I’ve been seeing you a lot around here lately,” she says, taking a drag on her pipe. Her run-ins with the fish-eyed samurai had increased significantly since the end of the battle, and this one was no different. Of course, he’d be outside the pachinko place.

“Nothing much happening with Odd Jobs,” he replies, looking bored. “At least not for me. Shinpachi and Kagura have been handling most of the requests that we’ve been getting. I help out here and there whenever needed, but they insist on doing the work on their own. Something about being a grown up and handling more on their plate, I guess.”

“So you’re mooching off of them now.”

“It’s not mooching when I own the business, Tsukki. Plus, with our combined earnings, I’ve been able to pay the rent on time. Keeps the old hag off of my back.”

“You mean theirs.”

“Fuck off.”

“So what you’re saying is that the kids are not as lazy and incompetent as you? I wonder how that turned out to be.”

He shrugs. “Beats me.”

She takes another puff of the tobacco, slowly exhaling the smoke. “The kids have grown up so fast. You’ve really raised them well, Gintoki.” She smiles.

He notices her smile, and his heart tugs. He looks to the sky, and smiles as well. “I didn’t really do much at all, Tsukki. They did it all by themselves.”

“You underestimate your worth,” she states immediately, looking at him intently. “I don’t know how you’ve not realized by now, but you are important to us all, Gintoki. The kids have been looking up to you ever since you took them under your wing. Anyone with an eye could see how they’d look at you.”

Gintoki looks back at her, and notices her gaze. He knows she means what she said, and yet, after all this time, he can only shrug at the notion of his importance. To him, he had simply wanted to help out. But still, hearing it from her felt different.

Why did it feel different...

How would you look at me...

“Guess you’re still keeping busy with the Hyakka,” he muses.

“Yes. Work, as usual,” she replied. “Recruitment has never been better, and I’ve been spending more time training than patrols these days.”

“You’re a war hero, Tsukki. Of course they’d flock to you.”

“Says the one who did the heavy lifting at the battle.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he chuckles, winking at her. She immediately blushes and look the other way, making him grin. Even after all these years she was still too easy to tease.

They both notice the dark settling in. The streetlights and shop signs light up, and the narrow streets get busier slowly but surely.

“I should get going,” Tsukuyo spoke, breaking the brief silence.

“Where to?”

“Home. Help Hinowa with closing the shop, then I’ll retire for the night. Didn’t have much work today anyway.”

“Let me help out,” he blurts out.

She shakes her head. “You’re better off heading home and resting.”

“Don’t you be worrying about that. I’ve been useless the entire day. At least let me help out.”

“With that burnt forest on top of your scalp, you’d be useless regardless,” she shrugs, as she starts walking towards the shop.

“Can you not bring my hair into this...” he groans, itching his nose as they walk through the crowd. “I swear, this hair’s the reason why I’ve not been getting anywhere in the dating life.”

Tsukuyo looks back at him, and grins. “If that’s what you think, sure.”

“Maybe I should straighten it out. That’d make the ladies drool.”

“Still won’t change the fact that you’re a dumbass.”

“Keep hating, Tsukki.”

He smiles, thinking he could get used to this.

Despite those fish eyes and bored stares feigning indifference and laziness, Gintoki is a good listener and a hard worker, given the right motivation. She knows this about him, and a whole lot more than she’d care to admit. His unique way of displaying kindness and help was not lost on those who crossed paths with him. Case in point: he followed all the directions in packing up the right stuff for the shop, whilst talking with Seita about his school work and life. After they wrap up, Hinowa gets him have dinner with them, to which he gladly obliges. At dinner, he keeps on conversing with Seita, using every chance to tease the kid. Seita would always be elated whenever Gintoki would show up, and tonight’s surprise appearance was no difference. Tsukuyo feels at peace watching it all, and yet her mind wanders.

In recent weeks, her feelings for the silver-permed samurai had been reaching feverish peaks. Her thoughts seem to stray towards him ever since he reappeared, infecting her mind with all the new possibilities of a relationship with the permhead that she knows she’ll never let herself proceed with. She could only dream of how those possible choices would play out, replaying the consequences of each choice like it was a part of a different ending in a non-linear game. Entertaining herself with such delusions weren’t doing her any wonders, and talking to Hinowa about them only made Hinowa double down on trying to get her to face her feelings head on. Yet, she keeps telling Hinowa that the silver haired samurai would never reciprocate, something she’d been telling herself in the mirror for months. Trying to convince herself that it wasn’t worth the embarrassment, that it was too much of a risk.

What if he says “no”?

And yet, she couldn’t help it. She watches his eyes, how they show his happiness at watching Seita’s growth, despite the incessant teasing. The selflessness in offering help, the gratitude for a good day’s meal. He never did change since the first day she saw him, and she was glad for that. Their own conversations have evolved from full scale arguments, which involved a lot of kunais and blood, to light hearted banters. She’d still blush at one of his cheeky lines, but she understood that it was all in jest. She understood it all better now. Gintoki would never stop his teasing, just as much as he cares for everyone, to the point where he’d trade his life for such a cause. That’s what you’d expect out of a samurai anyway, even one as radical as Gintoki. He’d found a family to watch over, to love, to protect. Tsukuyo’s heart flutters as she pores over it all, not knowing just what to do anymore.

“...you alright there?”

She startles, noticing his hand waving in front of her face.

“I’m ok. Was just busy in thought.”

“Good to know,” he exclaims. “Thought you were falling for me.”

“Do tell me how you come to that conclusion,” she snorted, suddenly finding the food on the table very interesting.

“You were staring daggers at me,” no sooner had he finished the sentence than he found himself lying flat on his back, with a kunai planted at the middle of his forehead.

“There’s the dagger you were waiting for.” Dumbass.

He sits close to the porch, tying up the shoelaces, while she stands behind him, waiting. He finishes, and gets up slowly. “‘Twas a good way to end the day.”

“Yes, it was.” She admits sheepishly, her face showing the slightest hint of red.

“Would’ve been even better if I didn’t have a piece of metal stuck on my forehead.”

“Keep talking like that, and there’s gonna be more of those in places you’re gonna regret,” she growls. He never does fail to get under her skin.

“Oooh, kinky,” he remarks slyly, grinning. “What a S.”

“Don’t you have to be home?” she sighs, exasperated.

“Man, you want me gone that bad?” he smirks. “Whatever, Tsukki. You free anytime soon? Would be nice to hang out like today.”

She shrugs. “Maybe. My schedule is very erratic, so can’t predict when I’ll be free next time around. You’re free to drop by, though, seeing as you’ve got nothing much.”

He reaches for the door and slides it open. Halfway through going out, he turns back and looks at her, a gentle smile on his face.

“Maybe I will.”

She blushes, turning the other way and walking back to her room as fast as possible.

The next couple of weeks pass by, and she finds herself hanging out more with him with each of those weeks passing by. Somedays she finds him waiting outside the pachinko shop, and they talk for a while in one of the tea shops on the street sides, him munching on endless amounts of dango that he makes her pay for, while she smokes with her kiseru. Other times, he comes by late at Hinowa’s shop, having memorized the closing time of the shop, and helps out with the clean up, after which Hinowa gladly treats him to free dinner. He even joins her at work, helping her out with street patrols and rounding out rowdy drunk customers and two bit criminals. Slowly, but surely, she has gotten used to his presence, his wisecracks and his dead fish stares serving to brighten up her usual rigorous monotonous schedule. She’s grateful for it, even if she shows it by throwing kunais at him after every one of his jokes.

“You seriously gotta look for more opportunities to have fun, you know” he yawns, stretching out, as he reaches for one of the dango sticks on the plate.

“Any more fun than this, and the possibility of becoming a NEET like you increases dangerously,” she smirks, taking another puff.

“Would it really be that bad?”

“So you’re not even denying it anymore.”

He shrugs. “Tsukki, it’s not even worth trying to change your mind. I’m still doing my work and getting pay, I just end up with a lot more free time, unlike you. And you really gotta take a break. When’s the last time you did something that was genuinely fun?”

“I was teaching Seita history two days ago. It was alright.”

Gintoki shudders. “Wonder how that was fun for both you and Seita.”

She snaps. “Look, it was just one time, alright? I’ve definitely improved on it since the last time you saw us.”

Gintoki just smiles, and finishes the dango, reaching out for another stick. He finishes the rest of the sticks on the plate, while Tsukuyo enjoys her smoke, quietly observing the busy crowd in the street.

“Say Tsukki, you’re free tomorrow noon, right? Wanna go out with me?”

Tsukuyo drops kiseru and turns her head to Gintoki, her mouth open, shocked. “Huh?”

Gintoki nods. “There’s the new Aliens Vs Yakuza reboot that they say is actually good. I thought we could go see that movie and get ramen later on. I know a great place for ramen, you’ll love it. It’d be a fun way to enjoy the day.”

Tsukuyo processes it all whilst staring at his eyes, taking it all in word by word, too dizzy. She couldn’t believe it. All these years of harbouring a crush on him, unable to let him know how she felt, only for him to ask her out. This is actually happening?

“…you alright? Earth to Tsukuyo?” He waves his hand in front of her eyes, wondering where she was staring off to. She jolts, her eyes focused back on him. Her head immediately drops down, her blush intensifies, and she murmurs something that he can’t hear. He brings himself closer to her face.

“Couldn’t hear you, what’d you say?”

“…yes.”

He smiles, a big wide grin stretching from ear to ear. He gets up, puts the money for the dango on the table.

“I’ll pick you up at Hinowa’s place tomorrow at 2 then.”

#gintama #Gintoki x Tsukuyo #sakata gintoki #gintsu #tsukuyo gintama #romcom #fanfic #story

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