#::Brain beats beauty any day { OOC }::

[ryescapades]

mine all mine | kaiju no. 8

characters: narumi gen x gn!reader cw: a bit ooc maybe but overall just fluff a/n: from this req! lowkey reminds me of darling dearest lol 1k wc

it's been almost an hour, and narumi is peeved. extremely, remarkably and astronomically peeved.

the kaiju attacks this year have been increasing exponentially, and so is the number of officers being dispatched everyday for the subjugation.

as a former operations leader, the amount of knowledge you have about the monsters is close to an infinitesimal amount, as studying kaiju has always been a significant part in your life. though it was only a matter of time before you discovered that you also possess an affinity in field-work as well.

able to bring out an astoundingly high combat power from the suit without prior training, you were immediately sent to be recruited as a soldier in the first division. not to mention a lot of people considered you as someone who is quite easy on the eyes.

an eye candy... so to speak. in short, you have it all; beauty, brains and brawn.

narumi has never had his ego swell this much but with you? he's so fucking proud he almost went up the tokyo tower just to shout out how incredible you are to the entirety of japan.

much to his dismay though, even the general public could attest to the same thing, seeing as how lately they've been making every effort to separate the two of you by catching you post-mission, regardless of the destruction and gore around them. he knows that the country knows you're with him, but that still doesn't make it any less irritating (it's even worse that these fans of yours are not among his own).

and today is no different.

there is a rowdy group of reporters and fans alike crowding around you, asking this and that while you're trying your best to adhere to each one of their requests. narumi is sure none of those extras is aware of it, but there's that hint of discomfort tinging in your eyes. he can see it as clear as day. but then again, narumi always notices all the little things about you.

why wouldn't he? you're the apple of his eye, his lover, his muse. it's only right that he paints the absolute perfection that is you on the canvas of his mind.

sauntering over with light footsteps, narumi relishes the way the small horde of people parts for him as he approaches you at the center of the commotion. his lips curl upwards into a smirk then, eyeing the people who are still hungrily vying for your attention, though some of them are starting to look at him with wariness.

one or two microphones are being shoved in your face, enthusiastic voices filling the space around you as you let out a bashful chuckle. "thanks for coming to see me here, really but—" your breath catches in your throat when an arm sneaks around your waist from behind before it settles on the side of your hips.

snapping your head around, your heart picks up its pace when your eyes connected with a pair of rosy, blooming irises. "oh - gen, hi! what are you doing here?" you ask inquisitively, assuming he had already gone back to base to report.

his teeth catch on his bottom lip, slightly in a trance as he continues to gaze at you. your blinding smile oozes so much of that familiar adoration and narumi almost kissed you right then and there in front of these... NPCs.

your boyfriend tucks you close to his front, letting you lean your body against his chest. his heart steadily beats against your back, and he really hopes that you can hear it. he needs you to hear it, in fact.

call him sappy, but narumi wants you to know his heart beats for you. it is a euphony that he makes sure only you can decipher the meaning of, and one he knows can never be attuned to anybody else.

"waiting for you, duh— wha - hey! turn that flash off!" he complains at one of the closest in particular, blinking his eyes from the temporary blinding light before sending them a scowl.

deciding to let him interact with your 'admirers' too, you continue to entertain them with small talks, selfies, receiving gifts and the likes when suddenly the girl in front of you gasps in surprise and mild irritation, the phone she once held nearly tumbling out of her hands as her eyes are glued to something behind you.

confused, you turn to see what her deal is but all that meets your eyes is narumi raising his eyebrows in question, a goofy smile plastered on his handsome face. if you didn't know any better, you would've thought there was a tail wagging curiously behind him. you giggle, forehead creasing slightly. "why are you smiling like that?"

"nothing. why can't i just smile for no reason?" he pouts as his fingers gently rub at your waist, his expression exuding only that of complete innocence before you shake your head fondly and turn back to the crowd. unbeknownst to you, narumi doesn't bother taking down the middle finger he was holding up behind his back, directed towards the guys especially and hidden from most cameras.

additionally, he couldn't find it in himself to feel any shame or guilt for sticking his tongue out at every flashing lens there is. the glaring competition he's currently having with that random girl still proceeds, both not wanting to back down in order to win the biggest prize of all; your attention and recognition.

regardless, it is the compelling truth that your affection only belongs to him, and there is no way he, your very much amazing boyfriend, is going to lose to some nobodies.

narumi gen is no artist, nor is he any poet. but one thing he knows is that he is yours, just as much as you are his, and his alone.

taglist: @maruflix @pixelcafe-network @iamjellyfish @ouiouimochi @yueliie @justwinginglife @lumiambrose @minasfwoopyponytail @17020 @bgyuus @moon-cakiie

©🅁🅈🄴🅂🄲🄰🄿🄰🄳🄴🅂. do not steal, translate or repost my work anywhere else !

[bountycancelled]

something more than friends

(lucy gray baird x reader)

tip me on kofi if you feel so inclined

requested: yep, I hope you like it anon♡

content: a little bit of angst but mainly fluff, men (derogatory), kinda lovesick!lucy gray, jealous lucy gray (we love to see it), pretty intense description of kissing but no smut.

warnings: a very brief mention of drinking, internalised homophobia but it doesn't last long, gay stuff (duh), lowercase intended I know boo I'm annoying.

a/n: I haven't read the book yet so idk much about the covey so their appearance may ooc but that's solely due to my lack of knowledge on them

lucy gray baird never faltered when she sang.

there were very few things that could get under her skin when she was on that stage, strumming her guitar and twirling in her skirt as the district folk stomped along to the beat.

sure, sometimes drunkards and the occasional hung up ex would try to cause a scene, attempting to gain her attention from below, but she would simply roll her eyes, waiting for someone to take care of them so that she could go back to doing what she did best. performing.

so what exactly had happened to make the lucy gray baird, forget a line in a song?

she was quick to remedy her mistake, carrying the tune in such a way that most patrons didn't even notice her mess up. but ironically enough, the very cause of her brain fog noticed. you.

you gave her a worried look, but she brushed it off, willing herself to continue playing as if nothing was wrong. and technically, nothing was wrong. you were there, in the far back of the crowd, wearing a white dress with a drink in your hand. and Lucy Gray didn't mean to be cliché, but you really did look like an angel, something divine that she had the honour of setting her eyes on.

but obviously, she wasn't the only one who thought that.

you were speaking to some man. which was fine, you were always the most gorgeous girl in the room in her eyes and she knew that she wasn't the only one who appreciated your beauty, you were always needing to awkwardly laugh at men's advances and brush them off as best as you could, but you weren't doing that tonight.

you were laughing, a genuine laugh, leaning in to hear his voice over the music, over her singing. she wanted to jump off of the stage and break her guitar over that assholes face, and she couldn't explain why.

she had always known that one day, you'd settle down with a kind man who cared for you (not nearly as much as she did, but that was okay) and then she would see you less and less. but knowing didn't make the taste in her mouth any more bitter.

the first time you told her about a crush that you had, on a boy named Tom, she spent the whole night convincing you that he just wasn't right for you. you believed her of course, rejecting him swiftly the next week when he asked you to go on a walk with him, walking instead with lucy gray, hand in hand.

but then, she did it every time you spoke about a boy, and you started to believe her less and less. 'I think you're just jealous lucy gray, and you don't anybody taking my attention away from you.'

you were right, she was jealous, and the thought of you, with a man, it disgusted her to her core. which is why she took off as soon as her set ended, not even staying for the applause as she searched for you outside.

there you were, and thankfully, you were alone, no undeserving man in sight.

she ran up to you, her brown eyes seemingly sparkling even in the darkened night. "how'd you enjoy the show, darlin'?"

her heart jumped when you smiled at her, your eyes crinkling in joy as you took both of her hand in yours, squeezing them affectionately. "you have the voice of an angel, lucy gray. and I envy the lucky fella who's gonna marry you, and have to serenade them whenever they want."

lucy gray rolled her eyes in a good natured fashion, trying to ignore the knot in her stomach when you mentioned her getting married. "I already serenade you, sweet thing. and im not gonna let some wedding band stop me."

you laughed airily, leading her by the hand towards the lake, where you spent most nights together. you sat down at the edge, laying your head in her lap when she sat beside you. her hand went to your hair, and she fought the urge to by giddy at the sight of your head in her lap, you were just... perfect.

"who was that guy that you were talking to back then? when I was singing, I mean." she asked, her voice uncharacteristically quiet.

you thought back to about an hour prior, picturing every person that you had been with throughout the evening as you tried to recall who she was asking about in particular. "oh! that was matthew, his dad and my dad go way back, but the two of us never really shared their closeness for whatever reason. but after speaking to him tonight I'm a bit upset that I never tried to grow a friendship with him earlier."

she nodded, her cherry glossed lips pressing into a thin line. "he doesn't just wanna be friends with you though, I could see it." you scoffed playfully, raising a brow at her curiously. "you were all the way up on stage, in the middle of your favourite song to perform, and somehow, you could tell that much from so far away?"

she opened her mouth to defend herself, but after realising just how insane the notion sounded when you phrased it in that way, she quickly closed it again. "I'm not gonna let any man take me away from you, lucy gray, believe me when I say that I can't live without you."

your words sent a fury of butterflies in her stomach, and she swore that felt dizzy as you picked your head up, moving your face so close to hers that your noses were almost touching. she wanted to kiss you. god, what the hell was wrong with her? how could she be thinking of you in this way?

despite her inner conflict, she made no moves to create some distance between your faces, selfishly wanting to stay like this for as long as you'd let her. "I wish we could get married." she sighed, her eyes widening at her own words. "I meant- not like, I didn't mean- not in, like, a husband and wife typa way-"

you cut her off with trying to, with a tilt of your head making her suck in a sharp breath. "you don't wanna do husband and wife things with me?" you asked, and she could swear that your voice had a certain tone about it, one that made her cheeks feel blazing and her breaths shallow.

she shook her head, her usually fierce tone reduced to a meek almost whisper. "we can't do those stuff together."

you were too close for comfort. she could feel the tip of your nose against hers and if you leaned in any further, she was sure that she would combust. "who cares if we can't? the more important question is, do you want to?"

inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. she had forgotten how to breath. this wasn't right, she knew that, so why were her lips on yours in a flash, her hands in your hair, around your waist, holding your hands, touching any part of you that she could reach as the two of you kissed? in public, no less?

she couldn't find it in her mind to stop, not when your soft, sweet lips moved in tandem with hers as if you were molded to fit each other. when you pulled away, with lucy gray chasing your lips with an involuntary whine, you held her by the shoulders, a look of concern on your face.

that was when she felt it. the guilt knawing at her stomach, and the tears that flowed down her face. was she crying because of how overwhelming her feelings were for you? maybe it was because she knew that you would have to hide... whatever had just happened between the two of you.

you leaned your forehead against hers, you sweet voice easing her fear. "I love you." she nodded, not being able to say it back just yet, but she could only hope that you knew. she moved to kiss you again, being startled out of her mind by a girlish scream in the distance.

it was maude ivory, eyes wide and hand slapped over her mouth in shock, with an equally suprised tam amber standing next to her. lucy gray felt sick to her stomach.

"I knew it." tam Amber said with a shrug, moving to sit next to the two fo you as she stared out at the moonlit lake. "no one looks at their friend like how lucy gray looks at you."

"can I be the flower girl? and the maid of honour? and the priest?" maude ivory rambled, laying half in lucy grays lap and half in yours. you simply laughed, explaining that her dream wasn't exactly possible but flower girl was certainly doable as lucy gray watched, tears threatening to fall from her eyes once again. only this time, they were of relief.

the joy she felt in her chest, at the thought that you could be... together in front of the covey was the best gift she could possibly be given. you and her, together. not just as best friends. although it was hard to wrap her head around it, she knew that it was exactly what she wanted and she had it on good authority that you wanted it too.

[restinslices]

Everything pt3

PJO Show Ares x Child!Reader (no gender specified)

Word count: 6999 (I made a few word changes at the last minute so this is inaccurate. Rip)

Summary: Everything pt1 and 2 from Ares perspective

Warnings: Sad shit. Ares threatening to murder Athena’s owl so animal cruelty? OOC Ares but this is not y'all first rodeo. Possible OOC Athena but who isn’t a little shit to their sibling? (The way that most of the gifs of him on here are him beating on Percy-)

You wanna know how to keep your sanity somewhat intact as a god?

Don't worry about your children. 

Gods are immortal. Their children? Not so much. If the gods watched over all their kids and were as involved as people wanted them to be, that meant everytime one of them died, they'd be torn up. Gods had too many kids. The grief would never end. 

That's how Ares saw it at least. Plus, that's how Zeus had it. You couldn't be too involved, and Ares didn't complain. Hating your kids was so much easier than openly loving them. Sure, he would watch his kids from a distance sometimes but there were gods like Hermes who thought about his kids every single day. One specific child tore him up from the inside. If anyone ever mentioned Luke Castellan, his face would go all solemn and he'd make some excuse to leave. 

That's what happened when you cared about one child. Imagine how it would be if the gods cared about all their kids this way. Endless torment. 

The brain was a funny thing though. You could try not to think about something, and it'd pop in your head anyway. Sometimes, you just did things because your brain was used to it. Like a morning routine. You don't think about everything you're doing when you're getting ready for the day, you just do it because that's what your brain is used to. Sometimes you'd look somewhere and be flooded with emotions linked to certain memories. The brain was very interesting. 

Ares didn't mean to stumble upon one of his kids. It just happened. Went back to that brain thing. Ares only meant to have a nice late night drive in the rain, no real destination in mind. That was his mistake. If he had a destination in mind, he wouldn't have been on autopilot and drove down a street that was linked with multiple emotions and memories. 

Memories of a woman he shared laughs with. Memories of a woman he'd hold hands with and take on various bike rides and walks. Memories of a woman he called beautiful and loving on multiple occasions. Memories of a woman that had one of his children and looked as happy as could be when she held them. 

There were other memories though. 

Memories of a woman he watched turn bitter and cold towards him. He was gone too often and they both knew she wouldn't be the last person he was with. There were memories of them fighting, of her telling him that he left her with a curse she couldn't get rid of. And Ares watched from afar as all the anger she had towards him was targeted at his child because they were within reach. 

He gritted his teeth as he thought about it, and he was planning on turning around, but he decided not to when he saw the figure sitting on the ground. He didn't have to be close to know it was you. You sat outside a lot, and he assumed it was because your house was too loud at times. Plus, you had a specific hoodie you got as a gift in middle school and you kept it ever since. Pros of getting a gift way too big for you. 

His mind screamed at him. “Do not go any closer! Just mind your business and turn around! Now!”

He didn't stop his bike as he was thinking, and the view of you and what he assumed was gonna be your poor excuse of an offering came closer and closer into view. A fruit roll up? He probably would've ignored you if he wasn't so close. 

“Tough night” he said once he was in front of you. Your confusion was clear. You hadn't technically made an offering, so you weren't expecting him to appear. “You were going to”. 

You asked why he was here and he responded a little more sarcastic than he meant to, but oh well. Wouldn't matter. He'd take you back to camp, forget this conversation, then that'd be it. 

“Why don't you like me?”

The question caught him off guard. It was sudden and came out of nowhere. He hasn't told you or any of his kids he didn't like them, so where the hell did you hear that?

Then you explained, and the conversation kept getting more heated. 

Anyone would expect for him to love arguments and usually, he did. This one though, he didn't. The more points you kept bringing up, the more he'd try to deflect and move on, and then you'd bring up even more points. You didn't accept him saying he didn't have to explain anything to you, and he hated it. Any other kid wouldn't dare talk to their parent this way, so why did he have to get the difficult one?

You made another good point about how his eyes shouldn't wander when he has Aphrodite and that calm facade slipped for a moment. Not because he didn't want you speaking about her, but because you were right and he had no actual answers for you. He should be satisfied with Aphrodite, and he was. But he was also a god and sleeping with mortals was part of the gig. They never really thought about what happened after. They weren't supposed to. 

“I didn't choose to be abandoned by my father and be stuck with a dysfunctional family for the rest of my life. You should be angry at that, not me mentioning Aphrodite. You should be enraged at the thought of anyone putting their hands on me and your hands should be covered in their blood! That is how it should be”. 

“Believe it or not, the gods aren't too keen on the idea of killing mortals”

But he wanted to. You had no idea how hard it was to watch one of your children be stuck in a situation you wanted to save them from but couldn't. 

Couldn't. 

Ares hated that word. As a god, he should've been allowed to do whatever he wanted. “Couldn't” shouldn’t be in his vocabulary, but rules put it there. You had no idea about all he had done to keep those types of men away from you. Did you honestly believe he “broke his wrist at work”? He worked at a fast food place. What were the chances?

He tried. The guy was just persistent. When he eventually gave up, your mom married another guy like him, just in a different font and had kids almost immediately with him. Like the last guy, this one was also persistent. There was only so much Ares could get away with before it'd cause a bigger problem, but he tried to make your life better from afar. 

He wanted to beat himself over the head. Why was he so frustrated with himself? The whole point of telling yourself and others that you hated kids, including your own, is that eventually you'd believe it. It was supposed to stay that way. He should've just said “I tried. Get over it”. Why did he wanna try harder? Why did he have this weird ache? Why did the rain suddenly hit him harder and the air smell so bitter?

“None of us asked for this. You all just decide to create and leave us. And you hating the people you created is… I don't know. And it's so stupid that I've spent years of my life trying to get you to be proud of me, only for it to be impossible!”. 

That wasn't true at all. Him not being proud of you? He wasn't supposed to have a favorite, but in the back of his mind he knew his favorite was you. He didn't give gifts to just any of his kids, it was for a reason. It was a small hint that he was watching and liked what he saw. He watched how you carried yourself in battle. You didn't just run in angrily, no. You understood battle. You understood your opponent. You actually looked into wars and you and a few of his other children would try to spot where his influence was. He'd be pretty stupid not to have you as a favorite. 

But you couldn't hear that. If he said any of that out loud, that'd make it real. If he said all of that out loud, his facade would crack and that's something he couldn't let happen. So he defended himself instead. “I claimed you didn't I?”. 

He didn't expect what happened next. 

Firstly, he didn't expect that you'd start to actually yell at him. Only fools who didn't care about their lives did that. Secondly, he didn't expect that ache he felt to get worse with every little thing you said. Especially the last part. 

“... If you asked me to extinguish the sun, I'd find a way to because to me… to me you were everything. You are everything”. 

The facade slipped from his face for a second. How couldn't it? You looked so beaten down and broken, and not because you were in a fight. He would've preferred that. If you had just finished a quest and you looked badly beaten with bruises everywhere, he would've felt better than he did now. At least then he wouldn't feel so guilty. Guilt was another feeling he hated. It meant he did something or made a mistake and he had a reason to feel guilty. Feeling guilty meant he cared enough about you and regretted what he done. It meant the lies he told himself for years weren't satisfying him anymore. It meant he had a problem. 

He tried to tune out the rest of the interaction. He heard your comment about being a burden, and your crying, then your realization that you had yelled at a god, and your comment about him cursing you, but he tried not to focus on any of it. All he did was throw a pouch of drachmas on your lap and watch you suspiciously open it. If you didn't want a ride from him back to camp, you could at least call for another. He could've just tossed you one, but you didn't have any on you. He figured you needed it more than him. 

“You're leaving?” You asked.

“I have a busy schedule”. It wasn't necessarily a lie. He had a particular house call he had to make, so technically he had something on his schedule. Besides that though, he knew he had to leave.

The thing about being away from your kids, is that it makes hating them easier. As twisted as it sounds, they're not there to defend themselves. It's easier to put walls up when there's not someone in front of you knocking them down over and over again. 

Then you did another thing that weirdly hurt. You didn't call him dad. 

What was wrong with him? Must've been just an off day. That's all it was, right?

“Yeah” he accidentally replied to himself out loud before he sped off. 

Just an off day. 

~

You wanna know another way to keep your sanity intact as a god?

Don't have an off day. 

Why? Because being around gods is like being around elementary school bullies. The gods still hadn't let Ares live down that day when him and Aphrodite got trapped by Hephaestus. Almost every single meeting they'd had, someone made a sly joke. Do you know how annoying it is to hear “I heard you're good at… NETworking” multiple times a year? You'd help Kronos escape too!

Gods notice when you have off days. They also dabble in business that had nothing to do with them. 

When Ares noticed he was missing offerings from a particular child, he must've seemed off. You know who smelled it on him? Athena. 

Ms “look at my owl! I'm so smart! Dad loves me more! Hahahaha I'm just so much better at war!”. Couldn't Kronos strangle her first?

“Ares, brother of mine, you seem so distracted”. Shielding her nosiness as concern. Of course. 

“I was taking in the view until you ruined it”. She smiled, but it wasn't a smile of joy. It wasn't a smile of bitterness and anger either. It was the kind of smile someone gave you before they dealt a crushing blow. Sinister almost. 

But sure, she was totally the better and nicer god. Yeah, ok. 

“Olympus certainly is beautiful. I'm surprised a brute can comprehend something as ‘beautiful’ and 'take in a view’ ”. 

He couldn't help but think to himself “this is the person people prefer?”. At least he was openly mean. Athena was like one of those mean girl characters in movies Aphrodite made him watch. Real snarky but hid it well. 

“You can't turn me into a spider, so I'll just say it; you're a real bitch and one day I'm gonna kill that disgusting owl of yours”

“You'll do no such thing!”. Threatening an owl made her angry? But if he called her pathetic then it's “Ares be nice to your sister!”. 

“Anger over an owl? You're pathetic-”

“Ares!” Hermes seemed to shout from out of nowhere “be nice to Athena!”

See?

He couldn't even throw something at Hermes because he was there one second and gone the next. 

Athena chuckled. “The smell up here is heavenly too. I can smell the offerings my children give me so well up here-”

“What do you want?” he asked, tired of this game already. “Get to it and make it fast. I don't like you”. 

“Hmm, you know who does like me? A particular child of yours”. She didn't need to say your name for him to know who she meant, but she did it anyway. 

“I don't care” he lied. It should've been the truth, but the memories of your last talk coming back and the fact that you chose her out of all the gods to switch over to pissed him off more than he liked to admit. “I have other kids”. 

“But each child is special, aren't they? There's only one of them”. 

“I don't care about any of them”. 

“Then you shouldn't care about what I'm about to say next; it's not just me. I asked around and I guess your child prefers others. Such a sad time. Speaking of other gods, did you know Poseidon got an offering from them recently? Poseidon, father of the child that beat you in combat, well they'll be watching over that child that beat you in combat. Maybe they'll even visit that beach where-”

“It was one time and his dad helped him!” 

“Whatever you say”. Ares had to remind himself that destroying another god wouldn't look good for him. That owl though? He was gonna poke a hole through it. 

“I couldn't imagine any of my children doing that. Must put a lot on your mind” she patted his shoulder then walked away. 

You gave offerings that belonged to him, to other gods. Worse of all, Athena. Then you decided to watch over Percy Jackson of all people? Really proved you were his. You knew how to hit people and make them feel it. It was just unfortunate it was happening to him. 

He didn't care. That's what he told himself. He was just being nosey. Hermes did it all the time, why couldn't he? 

He didn't think about your last conversation and ever since then he'd been watching over his kids more. 

He didn't care about one child not giving him his offerings. 

He wasn't seeing what the hell was going on being he cared. Absolutely not. He was just bored and nosey. That's all it was. 

~~

Ok so Ares had made a little oopsie. 

After your talk, Ares made a little house call and things got out of hand and some hospital visits had to be made. Whoops?

Because of that, your mom and step dad needed no convincing when you asked for legal documents so Sally could take you in. 

Well fuck. There went that obstacle.

And because he absolutely did not care and was only a bit nosey… he kept watching over you. 

He kept debating with himself. On one hand, he shouldn't have cared. Sure, he was missing offerings from one person but it was only one person. On the other hand, the fact that you kept making offerings to Poseidon, and he even gave you a gift, rubbed him the wrong way. Offerings, gifts, staying with that mortal woman and his son, going to school near each other, it's like you were changing families. Not only did that damage his pride as a god, but it also twisted a knife inside him that he didn't know how to get out. 

One day though, Ares got tired of it. He was a god and if he wanted you to cut this shit out, then he'd just force you to. All these emotions were making him weaker than he was, and he was tired of it. You weren't Poseidon's child, you were his. Simple as that. You just needed a reminder.

Slight problem. You and that Jackson boy were idiots. 

For reasons unknown to him, neither of you thought “hey, wouldn't two demigods attract a lot of monsters?”. So a big chunk of the time he was watching over you, he was killing monsters. You may have thought you were killing lots of monsters when you snuck over to Jackson's school, but he did a lot more work than you. Behind the schools, outside the apartment building, in between alleyways, everywhere. If he was anyone else, he wouldn't have been having as much fun as he was having. 

Fun had a limit though. He'd think about Poseidon and Percy and your last talk and that “fun” would become “annoyance”. Right now, the annoyance was higher than the fun bar. 

He was approaching the mall you worked at, and let out a deep sigh when he got closer. He was sure to mortals, it looked like a group of women were standing around and talking about whatever older women talked about. To him though, and anyone else that could see through the mist, the view was more sinister. 

Harpies. Not just one. Not two. Not even three. He didn't count them individually, but if he had to guess, there were at least ten. At least. 

Ten harpies. One demigod. 

One demigod that happened to be his child. 

All of that equaled one very pissed off god. 

The battle was short. The smart harpies flew away when they smelled him. The stupid ones were ripped limb from limb, beheaded and had holes put in them. 

Afterwards, he had a pep in his step. If there were at least ten outside, he could only imagine some made their way inside. 

By the time he found you, you had just stabbed your sword through a harpy’s throat. You pulled it out just as another harpy flew in the air. 

“MY SISTER!”, it shrieked. You looked up at it, no sense of fear in your body language. 

“You want more from the Child of Ares?! I have plenty to give!”. A sense of pride shot through him. 

You wouldn't get it unless you were him. He was the god of war for fucks sake, so not only was he watching a child of his in battle, but that same child used his name as a battle call. Sure, armies used to all the time, but it felt different when it was your kid. Once again, you wouldn't understand unless you were him. 

Unfortunately though, the fight was cut short. The harpy saw him and stopped, “L-L-Lord Ares. I-”. He didn't waste any time. He grabbed you and threw you at it, and watched as your sword lodged into the harpy and the wall. 

“What are you doing here?” You asked. 

“Saving your life”. 

Your face turned sour and he couldn't help but chuckle. Maybe you didn't know, but you looked the farthest from pleased. If he had to guess, you were probably thinking something like “I had everything 100% under control”. His children tended to have prides as big as Olympus itself. 

“Are you gonna catch me?” You asked.

 “What for?”

 “Because you threw me all the way to the fifth floor and it’d be nice not to break something”

 “You need me to warm up milk up for you too?”. Ares made smart ass remarks, and he expected you to make one back. Instead, you firmly planted your feet against the wall and pushed, and like a reflex he moved his arms so he could catch you. 

Ares couldn't remember the last time he held you. In all honesty, he wasn't sure he ever held you. He wasn't sure he held any of his kids. He used to. Time was hard to keep track of when you were immortal, but he remembers a time, maybe a hundred years ago, when he used to be present for his kids. Before rules were made and “couldn't” slipped its way into his vocabulary. He used to see his kids all the time. He'd actually keep track, help them on their journey and watch over them. When they died, he'd truly mourn them. 

Then rules were in place and now he kept his distance. When they died, did it hurt? Sure. Not as much as it used to though. A pro in a boatload of cons. 

When you slipped out of his hands, he noticed a few things. You were a few inches taller, and your hair had grown out. Such small things. Anyone else wouldn't notice, but because of his absence, he always noticed small things like that. He used to think “ok, whatever”. But now, he felt an aura of sadness. You, and the rest of his children, were getting older and he was never really there. 

He missed when he was just annoyed or angry when he saw his kids. Anger was way better than sadness. 

“I thought you're not allowed to interfere” you said, and he raised a brow. He thought it was real ironic that suddenly you cared for rules as if you hadn't been breaking them. 

“Are you gonna tell on me?”

“If you hadn't caught me”

“And now?”

“My lips are sealed”. He wasn't really bothered about you telling. Zeus would get over it, and you only knew about one fight. Not the others. 

He could've walked away and left it at that, but he didn't want to. Your words from last time kept ringing in his ears. 

“... If you asked me to extinguish the sun, I'd find a way to because to me… to me you were everything. You are everything”. 

He didn't know why it bothered him so much. Maybe it was because you were the only child of his that actually voiced how you felt. You made him feel guilty and that small amount of guilt cracked the walls and foundation he worked so hard to build mentally. 

Another thought crossed his mind. He didn't want this conversation to stop now. The gods were on borrowed time. Who knew when Zeus would get a bit nosey and he'd be forced to go? He craved what used to be normal hundreds of years ago, and even though it probably wouldn't be that way again, he could pretend for the time being. 

“You have money on you?” 

“Uh, yeah”

“You're paying for dinner. Let's go”. You owed him offerings anyway. 

“I can't” you said after you grabbed his arm. 

“Can't?”

“Yeah. I can't. My uh… my ride. Mom. She's coming to get me. You don't want mom knowing you're in town, right?”. Sneaky asshole. If he hadn't been watching, and if you hadn't paused so much, he would've believed you. 

He looked you up and down, debating on if he should pop your bubble now. 

“Just tax them another burger” he thought and didn't mention he already knew you were staying with Jackson and his mom. Instead, he told you the name of a diner nearby and to be there by noon tomorrow. There was no sneaking your way out of this one. 

~~~

Ares wouldn't say he was nervous. It just felt different. Not in a bad way either, which was alarming him. He enjoyed being around one of his kids, even though he was occupied with the Twitter war he started about vaccinations. 

You looked at him from across the table with a furrowed brow, and that's when he finally addressed you and told you what he was doing. 

He didn't know if you noticed this, but you made a little sound. Like you were beginning to scream but didn't. He looked up at you and you looked laser focused. Were you… were you screaming in your head? Alright. Maybe it was time to put the phone down before you popped a blood vessel. 

“You're probably wondering why I've called you here”

You squinted, “I'm wondering why I'm paying”

“Ask me”

“You know I wanna know though so why am I asking?”. He didn't respond. He just stared at you and tapped his foot on the floor loudly. He hoped it annoyed you as much as your smart mouth annoyed him. Maybe this was how parental relationships were supposed to feel though. It'd been so long. 

“Ares, the amazing God of War. The Protector of Mistreated Women. Wearer of biker jackets. I come before you as your humble child, begging thee to tell me what required my summons and why you were at the mall last night. Please please please tell me. I'll fall over and die if you don't”. Chiron was doing a terrible job when it came to teaching you manners and if you were anyone else, he would've gotten angry. Instead, he was mildly annoyed. 

He motioned towards the platter of burgers and fries, “this is your thank you. This is your offering to me since you haven't been doing that”. 

There it was. You visibly tensed now that you were caught. 

“You noticed?”

“I did. You demigods think you’re so smart. You have these big egos and think you’re ahead of us. You gave your offerings to Athena and Poseidon of all people” saying it out loud left a bitter taste in his mouth and he got angry again. Poseidon and Athena? Two gods that wouldn't have saved you from that mall incident. Two gods that didn't even try. In all the incidents you've had so far, it's been him trailing behind you and keeping you safe! “And then you stay with that fish boy and his mom. Yeah. I saw that too. And I save your life and you don’t seem the least bit grateful”.

“Yeah dad, I’m super grateful my life consists of monsters trying to eat me and a dad I only see once in a blue moon. Totally grateful”.

“We can’t interfere” he tried to defend his actions again. 

“Didn’t stop you last night”

He tsked, “I don’t get you. You complain about my absence then you complain when I’m here when I could be doing anything else!”. Ares kept putting his foot in his mouth. He was so bad at this, it was insane. Ares was never one to coddle his children, but he used to be able to be strict and stern without hurting someone's feelings… majority of the time. Sometimes things are said, but he didn't used to be this bad at it. What he should've done was apologize, but apologizing was never something he was good at. And if he apologized, he'd have to admit he was wrong and promise to do better, and he wasn't sure he could or that he even wanted to.

“Then go do those things. I’m not holding your hand and making you stay! And this isn’t about us and you know it. This is about you. This is about your ego being hurt. You don’t care about my safety. You didn’t go to the mall to protect me. You just love a fight and you were probably disappointed you couldn’t do more”. The scowl you had was so familiar, it was almost creepy. You weren't 100% his twin by any means. You had your own facial features, but dammit, anyone could tell by the scowl alone that you were his. It made that knife he couldn't get out twist a little more. 

You were so wrong. Sure, he was at the mall planning to set you straight but he genuinely did care about your safety. You had no idea how many monsters he killed or scared away that were tracking you down, and you had no idea about the other harpies outside the mall. The fact that you thought he didn't care about you at all, hurt him more than he ever wanted to admit. 

“That's what you think?” he asked. A tinge of anger in him, but mainly regret and sorrow. 

“That's what I know. And I didn’t need your help. I was just fine. The only thing you would’ve missed if I somehow died was your little offerings. I don’t matter to you. Just admit it so we can move on” he wanted to tell you how wrong you were, but you beat him to the punch. “And for your information Percy and Sally are very nice people. They feel more like family than you do”. 

The knife kept twisting. 

He wanted to share the blame. He wanted to find a way to blame you, or his other kids, or Zeus, but he knew he couldn't. Zeus was a problem. No point in denying that. But Ares could've always tried, and he didn't. He allowed himself to lie to himself over and over again about how he felt about his kids, and now it felt like you were slipping through his fingers and he wasn't strong enough to hold on. He wasn't fast enough to grab you. 

It got silent. He didn't know what to say. Ares hardly ever felt powerless, but that's exactly what he felt in this moment. Completely and utterly powerless. 

“Have you heard the song American Pie? Yes, it’s somewhat important to what I have to say. Yes or no only please”. He didn't need a mirror to know he looked unamused. What did a random song have to do with anything?

“I don't know. Maybe? Who cares?”. 

“There’s a line in the song that says this’ll be the day that I die. And for whatever reason it made me think about what I’d do if I were dying. If I woke up one day and I knew I was gonna die that day, what would I do? You wanna know what I realized?”. He leaned back in his chair. He had no idea where you were going with this but he might as well hear you out. “Shoot”. 

“I realized-” your voice wobbled and he did his best to not reveal how much it hurt to hear. “I realized I'd spend every second trying to make you love me”. 

The room stilled for him. Everything seemed to pause and he was left in a silent room. Everything was silent, except for his own heartbeat which thumped in his chest in an increasingly slow rhythm. 

If Ares was asked to describe how much those words tore him apart, he'd be at a loss for words. It was a feeling you'd only understand if you were a parent, and it was a feeling you'd hope you'd never feel. It was words you hoped you'd never hear. What was worse is that he only had himself to blame. Ares spent years lying to himself about how he felt. It became natural and sometimes he'd lie about things he didn't have to just because lying felt normal. It didn't feel that way anymore. It felt… he didn't know how to describe it. Each lie he's ever told in his life felt like it was being shot back at him at point blank range. He kept feeling various holes being shot in him and he had no idea how to cover them back up. 

When you started blinking, which was an obvious attempt to not cry and said “And I uh… I don’t wanna be that way anymore. And selfishly I hope that scares you” that knife kept twisting. 

“Gods don't feel fear” he lied. Gods felt fear. They were just better at hiding it. 

“Well whatever you wanna call it I hope you feel it. I hope -and I’m gonna keep calling it fear- I hope you feel afraid for what that means for us”. How defeated you looked filled his head with memories he wanted to keep buried. It reminded him of when he found you on that rainy night. It reminded him of when you started leaving cracks on his mental fortress. 

 “Allow me to humor you for a bit” all the sarcasm and hostility slipped from his voice now. He had a question but he wasn't sure he wanted the answer. “Why would you not wanting to spend your last day with me scare me?”

You gave him an answer and if he could go back, he wouldn't have asked at all. 

Ares knew that his kids wanted to bring honor to his name, and as demigods, it was kinda their job. With that being said, he still felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. 

Grief. 

Grief because your relationship was ending before it actually began. Hearing that you were intrigued by him before, and when you were claimed you read every story with him in it, only for all that excitement to be crushed… he wouldn't even wish this feeling on Athena, and on more days than not, he wanted to strangle her. It's a feeling you only wish on your worst enemies. 

“... And I hope the idea of me calling you Ares instead of dad terrifies you…”. 

It did. He never thought it would, but it did. Ares made many claims, like gods not dreaming or feeling fear but it was all false. Right now, he had a dream. A dream that this feeling would roll off him and he could go back to being how he was before. His fear was that that wouldn't be possible anymore. You cracked him. You broke his walls down but he was too late to welcome you in. He was too late to welcome any of his kids in. 

Everytime he tried to blame Zeus for his stupid rule, or Poseidon for welcoming you in before he did, it never stuck. He could only do so much blaming before he had to wake up and realize he wasn't fully innocent. None of the gods were perfect but some tried a lot harder than others. Why didn't he do that instead of convincing himself he didn't care for his kids?

“... and if you hate me I am begging you to have mercy and leave me be. No visiting. I won’t come to see you when we do that little field trip either. I’ll stay at camp or I’ll go bother another god. Hermes is really nice. And if I break my end of the deal you can do whatever you want to me. Turn me into an ant, rearrange my fingers, throw me down a flight of stairs at full force, whatever”.

He didn't hate you. He understood that a little too late. All of his kids thought the same? He understood why, but fuck. He missed when he was just angry. He missed how he was before he stopped to check on you that night. 

“You think, but you don't know anything” he managed to get out. Ares wasn't the type to cry, but his mind was going so fast and it was hard to slow it down. Each word that came out of your mouth twisted a knife inside of him more and more, and the injury was so severe, he could genuinely feel it. 

“Then tell me what I don't know”. 

Should he? Should he say anything? Should he tell you that he was sorry and he wanted to make things right, for not only you but for all of his children? Should he comfort you? Should he admit he was wrong? Should he go back to having a personal relationship with his children? Should he go back to fully mourning them when they passed?

No. 

What good would it do? Would he end up like Hermes? Paralyzed with grief for a son that wasn't even dead yet? Would him changing even mean anything anymore? He tried to be better, then what? He didn't even know how. He'd string his children along, making them believe it'd be better, then he'd be reminded of their impending deaths or the fact that gods couldn't be too close without there being a problem. Then he'd stop. Then his kids would push away harder. Then he'd be Ares, donor to many but father to none. 

“Sally's been waiting outside so…”

Wouldn't it be better this way? Let his favorite go and move on? Let the child that tore down his walls go and work on building them back up? Go back to being the Ares people expected?

“Yeah” he answered himself out loud. He let out a breath as he felt another twist inside him. “You want this?” he asked. 

“No” you said instantly. That voice wobble again… he was so much happier when people were angry with him. Anger he could take and give out, but he couldn't remember the last time someone was disappointed in him and he couldn't remember the last time he broke someone down without trying.  “No I don’t but this just seems like the best thing to do”. He didn’t argue with you even if he wanted to. 

Your hand went to reach inside your pocket for money but then he spoke again “keep it”.

Money was the last thing on his mind. 

“It’s no problem-”.

“Just keep it”.

You nodded. 

It fell silent for a moment. He could've just left, but he stayed seated. Ares from a couple years ago would probably feel lively and free, but Ares today? He felt like something was crushing him and that was hard to do. 

“Can you do me a favor?” 

“Another one?” he responded lifelessly. Pretending to be unaffected was exhausting, and he was beginning to feel the effects. 

“It's not a favor if you don't wanna see me either”. He didn't respond. He didn't feel like lying anymore. “Can we do that thing mortals do? You know, when they hug and say they love each other before they go their own way? Or maybe just the ‘I love you’ part”.

He stared at you as he debated on what to do. One on hand he knew if he did as you asked, it'd be harder to let you go. On the other hand, a war was brewing and if you fell in battle, he knew he'd have forever to live with the regret of not hugging you. 

So he stood up. 

You stood up. 

It's strange how something Ares hadn't done in years could feel so right. Like this was how it was always meant to be. Like he was always supposed to be the type of father that was so present, that his kids would hug him regularly. 

He felt warm. He didn't know how else to describe it. He was just warm. Imagine it's a freezing cold day and you're walking home from school. You walk and walk, trying to ignore how numb your hands feel and the cold nipping at your nose. The cold is terrible, but you remember you left the heat on and that idea alone warms your body and keeps you moving. That's how he felt as he held you. 

“I love you dad”. It was natural. He wished he heard it more often. 

Go back to the scenario from before. 

You get home, so excited about the heat, only to find out the heat is off. Maybe you turned it off and forgot. Maybe someone in your house did. Either way, it was off and the inside of your house is just as bad as outside. The cold feeling seems to get worse now that the warmth of hope is gone. That's how he felt when he said “I love you too”. 

He meant it, but that warmth faded when reality hit. This was it. There would be no more talks like this. This was only the second time and your talks never went the best, but he still valued them. Maybe he was wrong to have favorites and maybe he was wrong to feel so hurt when he caused this but he was in agony anyway. 

When the two of you pulled away and you left, the knife twisted one final time then cut straight through him. He watched as you left for a moment before he looked away and sat back down, the emptiness becoming loud. 

You wanna know how to keep your sanity intact as a god?

Don't care about your children. 

Don't care about anything. 

Stay detached. Stay far away. Stay to yourself and a few other gods you can tolerate. Don't think about your children. Put your walls up and don't ever let them down. 

Stay angry. Don't feel sorrow or sadness. You'll live forever and the chances of that grief getting better are slim. Stay angry because at least you'll look intimidating instead of weak. Let people make their assumptions. 

Just. Don’t. Care.

But as Ares looked to the side, towards an empty booth with a window that perfectly showed you sobbing in Jackson's car, and your seemingly new family being there for you… he wasn't sure he could do that anymore. 

Y’all I swear they will have a happy ending… just not right now. But before y’all beat my ass, y’all knew damn well this part had no chance of being happy. The happiness is coming! I swear! I think I got everyone on the taglist.

Taglist: @kyuupidwrites @chadmeeksmartinswifey @lebguardians @beansficreblogs @itzjustj-1000 @white-wolf-buckaroo @elsisenta @leathesimp @marshymallo

[sexysapphicshopowner]

🤎 Context/AU (Alternate Universe): Modern AU- You and Sevika are coworkers turned best friends at her mechanic shop. She's having a little trouble telling you...something. She uses her Secret Santa gift to you to tell you.

🤎 soft!mechanic!Sevika x bubbly!mechanic!reader

🤎 CW/TW: lesbians being lesbians, Sevika is Sevika but you make her feel things...she's not sure what to make of that, blossoming relationship, pining, christmas, santa, fluff, pet names, first kiss, mistletoe, suggestive talk (you gotta close your eyes though), no use of y/n, not proofread

🤎 A/N: I know I should be writing part 2 to 'Our Love' but this idea (and Sevika period) is giving me serious brain rot. Enjoy my probably ooc ass version of Sev. This sucks ass, butttt I'll make up for it with a better post later, I promise!!

🤎 Notes: most times, I will be explicitly writing a black reader. this is not one of those times. this is a fully ambiguous reader save for the gender- female. I'm a firm believer in the beauty of Sevika's scars so to keep them in this we'll say she's a surviving burn victim.

🤎 Word count: 2.7k

🤎 You were one of the first people to apply for work when Sev first opened her shop

🤎 It was basically run by the two of you the way you became quick friends

🤎 You had come in, already dressed in a worker's jumper, the top half off and wrapped around your waist with a black cami on

🤎 If it weren't for how you were dressed, she wouldn't have even realized you were here about the job posting because she was too busy focusing on how pretty she thought you were

🤎 You started the same day

🤎 It wasn't like you two didn't notice each other, but you both put into your heads that it would be unwise for you to let your attraction go anywhere due to you guys basically running a business together

🤎 So every time you caught yourself drooling over Sev as she worked under the hood of a car, muscles rippling, grease covering her in smudges here and there....whew boy, let's just say you take a lot of....water breaks

🤎 She's no better either

🤎 The way her eyes follow your curves every time you bend over to pick something up

🤎 She stares at your lips whenever the two of you are talking, be it inside or outside of work

🤎 Speaking of which, you guys hang out- a lot

🤎 Within the first month of you working for her, she had already invited you over for dinner- as a friend

🤎 Once you guys become besties, you're over her place more than your own

🤎 You two will talk about any and everything together

🤎 At some point you call yourself trying to ignore your raging crush on your best friend and get a girlfriend

🤎 It ends in you being cheated on serially

🤎 You go to cry at Sev's the night of the breakup

🤎 This is the first time....something happens between you two

🤎 You're both drunk of your asses, you moreso than her

🤎 She's watching you intently as you curse out your ex and ramble on about all the things she wasn't meeting the bare minimum with

🤎 It's not until you've been silent for a while, lips no longer moving, that Sevika looks back up to your eyes, the two of you now dangerously close to one another

🤎 "What's wrong? I was listening I swear," she starts to defend herself

🤎 Your pupils are blown, your eyes glassy and your face flushed- whether from the alcohol, your proximity to Sevika, or a combination of both, you were too inebriated to tell

🤎 You reached up, fingers just barely grazing her jaw as you spoke

🤎 "Your face is so....you're beautiful..." you slurred, fingers ghosting over the scars that were etched into the lower left side of her face, trailing down her neck and disappearing underneath the collar of her t-shirt.

🤎 Her ears burned red hot as she just let you talk

🤎 You continued to slur on, but she chalked it all up to you being drunk until you said some words that made her heart beat faster in her chest

🤎 "'M not....s'posed to....I think....I like you...." you whispered as you leaned against her chest

🤎 Had you been a little more sober, you would've noticed the way her heart started to beat out of her chest at your words.

🤎 Actually, had you been a little more sober...you wouldn't have said that, but shhhh....

🤎 You were out like a light afterward

🤎 It wasn't until that night that Sevika started to get worse with hiding her feelings for you

🤎 She was taking you on more...friend dates

🤎 Buying you flowers because she knew you liked them and "I know you don't have anyone to get them for you right now, so..."

🤎 If you have a hobby like reading or maybe art, she's buying you new sketchbooks and supplies or she's getting you the newest editions of your favorites- all signed because hello??? she's that type of bitch fr

🤎 She gets you guys matching bracelets for your birthday after 2 years of friendship- yes, it's been that long now

🤎 Then comes Christmastime

🤎 You talked her a long time ago into doing Secret Santa with the peeps at the shop

🤎 She doesn't really see the hype, not having much experience with Christmas and it's traditions given her rocky relationship with her father, but she does it (only for you though)

🤎 This is the second annual Secret Santa for the shop

🤎 Just your luck, you don't end up getting Sevika like you wanted

🤎 That's okay though because Sevika got you

🤎 And you know she got you because of how much she's suddenly stressing the secret part of Secret Santa

🤎 Last year, she told you who she had gotten immediately, the two of you picking out your gifts for your respective people together and everything

🤎 Not this year

🤎 This year she doesn't tell anyone, not you, not anybody in the shop- and you know it, you asked around about it

🤎 She racking her brain trying to decide what to get you

🤎 Doesn't help that you're starting to render her useless

🤎 You're catching her spacing out while staring at you more often

🤎 She gets this fuzzy feeling and this misty look in her eyes whenever you're around

🤎 You kinda have an idea that she likes you back, you play into it

🤎 6 months ago, you had started returning her actions- buying her little gifts, making her lunch everyday because she'd forgotten one so many times that now she 'doesn't even have to worry about it', you plan a few friend dates yourself, you cuddle up to her more often whenever you two have your annual movie nights every week

🤎 It's all making her think maybe you know, but...last she checked you kinda liked someone

🤎 You hadn't told her who, even though you knew it was her, but in her mind she was competing with whoever this mystery crush was

🤎 She just wants you to look at her the way she looks at you

🤎 Back to Secret Santa though

🤎 The Christmas party is fast approaching and you still have no clue what the hell you're gonna do to figure out what Sevika's gotten you since you know she's your Santa this year

🤎 You've tried begging, bribing, snooping, everything at this point

🤎 She's keeping her lips locked tighter than a chastity belt at this point

🤎 The party is being hosted at Sevika's penthouse this year

🤎 You aren't allowed to help set up

🤎 You are not happy about that fact

🤎 "Relax, sweets...can't have you snooping in the gifts while we put them under the tree. You might accidentally see whatever your Santa got for you," she teased, running her finger playfully down your cheek

🤎 It was a trick. Your gift is in fact not under the tree

🤎 You decide to play her at her own game

🤎 If she wants to flirt and do all of this stuff for you, you'll do a little something for her as well

🤎 Everybody knows Sevika's got a thing for your body

🤎 You two are best friends

🤎 Best friends.

🤎 You know...those best friends that share a bed like they're a married couple

🤎 The touchy ones that make people question if they're actually secretly in a relationship

🤎 She's never shy about grabbing or smacking your ass- I mean you aren't shy about doing the same to her so it's fair

🤎 The two of you will regularly poke each other’s breasts in passing 

🤎 Whenever she’s driving you to you guys’ “friend dates”, she has to hold your thigh- will 100% make up some lie that it’s for your safety (“How does you caressing my thigh make me safer, Sev?” “You’re asking too many questions here, sweets. Do you want me to move it?” “.....no.” “Then let’s ride.”) 

🤎 So, with all of that known, you decided to show off said body for the party tonight 

🤎 You wore a form fitting dress that was advertised as a sexy Mrs. Claus dress 

🤎 The soft fabric clung to your body like it was practically painted on, the cute little fur trimmings not helping cover the fact that the hem stopped right at your mid-thigh 

🤎 The spaghetti straps and plunging neckline were hidden underneath your dramatic (faux) fur coat 

🤎 You topped it all off with a Santa hat and your matching bracelet Sev had gotten you 

🤎 Needless to say she wanted nothing more than to see what you had on under that coat when you were the last to arrive to party- a detail you made sure you kept since she refused to let you come over to help with set up for the party 

🤎 Her jaw actually dropped when you finally did take your coat off 

🤎 You teasingly closed her mouth, smirking almost knowingly at her, “You’ll catch flies, hotshot.” 

🤎 She’s flustered all night 

🤎 Not only because you seem to be genuinely flirting with her, but because she knows what she has in store for you

Sevika was a bundle of nerves every time you looked up to catch her staring at you. You were drinking a glass of champagne, talking to...someone...she didn’t know, she was too busy looking at you to figure out which of her employees you were fraternizing with at the moment. 

The time to exchange gifts couldn’t come any sooner for her. 

She had been trying to work up the courage to just tell you that she’s in love with you for weeks now, and you with your games weren’t making it any easier. 

You’d take all her gifts with such a grateful smile, throwing your arms around her neck, pressing a kiss to her cheek, but then the very next day you were talking about your mystery crush again. 

You hadn’t said anything to the effect that you didn’t like all the advances she had been making, so she knew you at least felt...something for her...but she needed you to know exactly what she felt for you. 

You looked up to catch her looking at you again, throwing her a bright smile before you excused yourself from conversation with Danny and his girlfriend who’s name you forgot the second he’d introduced her, moving across the living room to go talk to her, “Hey you.” 

Boy if you could feel the way her heart was pumping and how sweaty her hands were the second you walked up. 

It took her a few moments- which you noticed- to find her voice, but she managed to smile back at you, “Hey yourself, Ms. Social butterfly. You’ve talked to everyone already.” 

You gave a soft shrug, “I mean, it’s not that hard to talk to them, I do work with them all, save for the people who brought their partners. Besides, I haven’t talked to you yet, hence why I’m over here.” 

“Hm, true, true....How come you didn’t bring your little secret crush? Not serious enough for that yet?” 

If only you know, huh? 

You gave a half-hearted shrug, “It’s...complicated.” 

“I see. W-” before she could continue, the alarm on her watch went off, signaling that it was time to exchange gifts. 

Seeing as she was hosting this year (you had hosted last year), she was in charge of pulling every gift from under the tree and giving them to whoever’s name was on them, that person then trying to guess who bought their gift. 

You didn’t get anything. 

There’s no way you couldn’t have been chosen. And no one else had gotten their gift from Sevika. 

With everyone else focused on their gifts, she pulled you aside into the kitchen, once again fdgety and nervous, “So...” 

“So?” 

“About your gift....before I....before I give it to you...I have to say a couple of things....” 

“Yeah?” 

She looked at you for a few moments, you could see her contemplating in her mind what she wanted to say. 

She had spent hours in her mirror rehearsing this moment, yet now that it was here, she couldn’t remember a single word she had wanted to say to you. 

She blinked as your hand came up to cup her cheek, “Huh?” 

You gave a soft chuckle, stroking your thumb over her skin, “I said what’s wrong? You’ve been acting all weird with me all night. You’re nervous. Just tell me, babes, you know I’ll love whatever it is, especially if it’s from you.” 

That did not help her calm down. 

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before looking back to you again, “Okay, so...I know that we’ve been really good friends for....a while now....but lately I’ve been thinking and....I....I like you...you’re nice...and you’ve managed to make 2 years feel more like 20...so...what I’m trying to say is that I....I’m-” 

Your lips pressing to her cheek in a fleeting kiss cut her off as she stared at you baffled, sputtering. 

You giggled again when she couldn’t come up with something to say, pointing above her head, “Sorry, couldn’t help myself.” 

She looked up to find herself standing underneath a sprig of mistletoe. Her cheeks flamed red as she looked away, pulling a small box out of the pocket of her slacks, “Here.” 

You eyed her for a few seconds before opening the box, gasping softly at the necklace inside. 

You knew that necklace anywhere. 

She told you about it the first time you slept over at her place. 

She had drawn up the design years ago, saying she was going to get it made when she fell in love with a girl. 

You were not emotionally prepared for more than a n ‘i like you’ tonight. 

Neither was your makeup when you started crying. 

She looked up worriedly, “You don’t like it....” she mumbled under her breath, sounding so unbelievably hurt. 

“No, Sev....I love it.....I love you.....” 

“You do?” 

You chuckled through your tears, “Yes, you idiot. Who’d you think my secret crush was? I thought you would’ve gotten it when I said ‘she brought me flowers yesterday’, but instead you brought me an even bigger bouquet the next day as if you weren’t the only person that had gotten me flowers.” 

She rolled her eyes, “Look, I just knew that I really, really liked you, and if I had to compete with someone else to show you how I felt, so be it.” 

“You’re cute.” 

“And you look like a drowned rat, stop crying sweets and let me put the damned thing on for you.” 

You rolled your eyes, turning around anyway as she took the dainty necklace to clasp it around your neck. You punched her in the shoulder, “That’s for saying I look like a drowned rat.” 

She took the jab in stride, pulling you closer to her as she lifted your chin with her other hand, “You’re the prettiest little drowned rat I’ve ever seen...” 

You bit your lip, looking away, “You’re gay.” 

“As are you, your point?” 

“My poi-” 

“Look at me when you talk, sweets.” 

She knew what the fuck she was doing. 

Even still, you brought your eyes back to hers, your voice soft as you whispered breathily, “I love you...” 

“I love you too....” 

“So....” 

“So?” 

“What now?” 

She looked back up to the mistletoe above her head, pulling you forward so that it was over you now, “I show you how to actually kiss under the mistletoe.” 

Kissing Sevika was instantly your new favorite thing. 

She tastes like bourbon and cigar smoke with a hint of cinnamon. 

Her hands went straight to your hips, pulling you flush against her, her lips were surprisingly really soft- you had yourself to thank for that for helping her “discover” lip balm- sucking you in and drawing all the air from your lungs. 

You had a giddy almost drunken smile as she smirked down at you, “I think that may be my new favorite tradition.” 

🤎©️ All work belongs to sexysapphicshopowner. Do not use or repost my content in any way without my consent or permission. Thank you! 🤎

🤎 Taglist 🤎:

@certainlynotasimp @trafalgardvivi @love-sugarr

[dreamkidddream]

I heard soft headcannons were wanted so...

Mammon loves receiving gifts as a whole, but he especially loves small handmade trinkets. Because he loves looking at the craftsmanship and carrying it around in his pocket if it's not fragile, he's got a little piece of Mc with him all day.

Don't get me started on hand written letters! Just the idea that Mc spent so much time thinking of him that they had to wirte it down, he's blushing instantly. And it doesn't even matter how masterful at writing they are just a "I like you" or something with a cute little doodle of them together(the doodle doesn't have to be more than stickmen, he'll fight anyone that says it looks bad), and he's going to be thinking about it for HOURS

(This was written on the spot so forgive any ooc ^^; )

HACK PLSSSSS THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUL-

It doesn’t matter what you make him- Mammon is protecting it with his life. Everyone knows how protective he is of his precious Goldie, so imagine how protective he is of a gift from you. The only difference is, he won’t brag and flash it around like he would with the card.

It’s…personal to him. Like a secret that only you two know- something special between you both. And he’s selfish enough to keep it that way.

Everytime he rubs his fingers over it in his pocket, his heart skips beat- he can’t believe that someone gave him a gift, let alone make one for him.

Whenever he needs a bit of luck or he’s had a bad day, he puts his hand in his pocket to mess with it- it’s a way of knowing that you’re there for him, even if you’re not physically by his side.

He’s careful with it, always handling it so delicately like it’s fragile- because to him it is. He won’t risk the others seeing it and he won’t risk it being broken either, because it came from you.

And with your letters- it’s getting harder and harder to fight the blush on his face. His eyes can’t stop scanning the words on the paper, and he has the cheesiest smile on his face. The others are rolling their eyes or looking confused at him, but he just ignores them and pockets the note. It’s hard to focus in class because all he can think about is your letters.

It’s weird seeing Mammon with a serious look on his face, and it’s even more weird to see him diligently writing stuff down in class. Some are impressed and shocked that he’s actually doing some work, but if you peek over his shoulder, you’ll see that it’s not- the tip of his ears are burning red as he’s trying to write out his feelings and even doodling a picture of you guys together. It’s poorly drawn, but he knows that you’ll love it as much he loves your doodles (and you in general).

He’s trying to play it cool whenever he slides his own note in your fingers, but his eyes are staring carefully at your reaction. His heart can’t handle the bright smile that spreads across your face, and his brain practically shuts down when you softly kiss his cheek as thanks.

Mammon keeps all of the letters and doodles you gave him hidden in his room. Whenever he can’t sleep or when he‘s missing you (which is pretty much whenever you’re not near him), he digs through and reads them over again. Everytime he does, an almost euphoric feeling washes over him, and he finds it easier to just…breathe. He feels more relaxed than ever, and whatever worries he felt before slowly disappears.

He doesn’t hide his smile now, and he feels a sense of freedom to write his thoughts out for you like this. And whatever he couldn’t express in the letter- well, actions speak louder than words right? And he can make up for that when he gives them to you in person (and behind closed doors).

[miercolaes]

okay. so i have been thinking about you in general for a while now, but the fact that it’s nye (well, nyd for me! i’m living in the future!!) prompted me to finally message you. you are one of my favourite people on this silly little site, and i really, really mean that. your writing is spectacular, your posts about wednesday are always so passionate and detailed, and i just really really adore everything you’re doing with her. and that you’ve kept it up even after the wednesday rpc died. i am so glad you didn’t die with it!! i’ll never forget the day you messaged me about being affiliates, because when the message popped up on my phone, i was literally watching jenna ortega in a show on television. in that. exact moment. and seeing her made me think of you, and i remember thinking to myself ‘when this is over, i’m going to pluck up the courage and ask veronica if she’d like to be affiliates.’ but you beat me to it! i know we don’t get to write or chat heaps these days, (and that’s purely on me bc i have been so slack lately), but i hope you know that i treasure every single conversation, every single thread we’ve ever written. you’re such a special person, and i’m so so lucky to know you. you’re so talented, thoughtful and kind, and i!!! i hope that 2024 is everything you hope it will be, and more!

as always, i'm going to put a uno reverse on you and i'm afraid i might have to use the read more function.

frankie my beloved! words can't even begin to describe how grateful i am for you being part of my silly life. believe it or not, it's been almost a year since we've became mutuals on this hellsite (it was 20th january, according to my previous blog) and honestly? i have no idea when the time has passed. but i want you to know that i treasure you and any of our interactions so much, be it ic or ooc.

now i gotta admit it's lowkey hilarious how that specific conversation went down. and i'm here to say : GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE. otherwise, i can't phantom how we both thought of the same thing at the same time. i can assure you i am not some kind of mind reader, the only tricks i can pull (and poorly, at best, may i add) are ones with cards. therefore, the only valid explanation is that we have great minds that maybe share one brain cell.

joke's aside, this is now my time to tell you something i've been meaning to for a while now. i've admired you and everything you do for that matter ever since i found your janessa blog. and btw, in my mind your janessa is an oc. like, i know i follow many other wonderful people writing eleven / jane, but i swear my brain can't comprehend that it's the same character. and particularly your version of janessa is something else. you got me to the point i actually think stranger things' el birth name is janessa. still baffled that it isn't. but i only know of janessa, written by the one and only frankie. i am so glad i gathered the courage to ask you to be affiliates because, first and foremost, you helped me a lot when it came to understanding how my own version of wednesday works. but wait, there's more!!! i hope you won't take this the wrong way, and hopefully i'll phrase it accordingly, but i was and still kind of am intimidated by you and what you do writing - wise. not in a im afraid of interacting with you, but moreso i am in awe at everything you do. i can see you put a lot of thought in janessa and what comes out is just too beautiful to be true (and it is true??). you're a bloody brilliant writer and tbh you inspire me to delve deeper into my own characters. i adore everything you do, but even if you weren't, who you are seals the deal. you're an amazing friend and icb this hellsite made it possible that i got to meet you.

it doesn't matter when you respond to me. it doesn't matter what you do with your blogs. because no matter what, as long as you'll have me, your local cryptid, i will follow you into the infernal pit and back. while it's true that i love wednesday and janessa interacting, i treasure the vero and frankie ones more. no matter how frequent it is. i'm glad i've met you. and you won't be getting rid of me easily (this is a direct and immediate threat btw). whether we'll pull a mind reading again or just chill, i'm looking forward to it all. i love you and your brand and i'm glad you too survived the stranger things purge that keeps on coming and going lmao

[saintobio]

pov: he’s a racer and you’re the finish line.

↳ oikawa tooru/fem!reader (feat. miya atsumu)

part 1/3. driven by the thrill of illegal street racing, an esteemed racer from Miyagi shows up and makes a tough bet against your toxic boyfriend in exchange for you.

genre. angst, fluff, street racer au

cw. ooc, illegal street racing, mentions of gambling, toxic and abusive relationships, profanity, violence, references to alcohol and drugs, atsuoi as rivals

notes. highly inspired from @aikk00’s beautiful fanart and from the 2Fast 2Furious movie bc i’m in love with it (missing brian o’conner hours). also!! i love atsumu w all my heart pls note that his character here is not the way i depict him irl :>

masterlist -> next

Sometimes you wished you could run away.

You thought about leaving everything behind and moving to a different city, a different environment, away from this scene that was once heaven but had turned into hell. It wasn’t like you had any choice, but you were dreaming of the idea of escaping because you knew that it was still possible. You knew that you could run away and live on your own, perhaps not now, but when you finally had the opportunity to do so.

Today just didn’t seem like it was. Like any other day.

“Just go check the engine and see it for yourself!”

For the past hour, you had spent your time exhaustingly listening to your boyfriend yell at his phone and completely lose his temper over something trivial. If you were being honest, you didn’t wish to be sitting next to him at that moment, but there was almost no escape to the sound of his loud voice as you find yourself trapped inside his car that was parked in front of a local 7Eleven.

The frown on Atsumu’s face was visible along with his furrowed brows and clenched jaws. This facial expression was something you had gotten used to seeing, yet these were the moments where you just wanted to see him smile again—even for a brief second—because you could barely remember the last time he had ever genuinely looked happy next to you.

“I already fucking told you I’ll be there on time!” he yelled angrily, almost popping a vein in his hand with how tightly he gripped his phone. “Stop asking stupid questions, ‘Samu!”

You let out a weary sigh. Poor Osamu.

His twin had to deal with Atsumu’s temperamental attitude and mood swings that only got worse lately because he was often under the influence. Drugs? Alcohol? You name it. Neither you nor Osamu could stop the guy from taking the substance until it came to a point where you just gave up. It was futile. The only two things that Atsumu would both live and die for were street racing and his vices. According to him, none of us could understand the addictive thrill of racing against the best racers in Hyogo in hopes of winning a hefty sum of cash.

Six years ago, Atsumu was still fairly new to the street racing scene, only ever sticking to his Hyogo usuals, and rarely meeting the real guys that defined the street racing culture in all of Japan.

Six years later, he still knew only a handful of racers outside Hyogo because he rarely participated in out-of-town races despite being known as 'the best racer' in the prefecture. He had been invited to join races in Tokyo, but he never dared to drive all the way to other towns to prove himself because he claimed that ‘Tokyo is not the standard’. One notable thing about Atsumu was how he believed that people were underneath him and that he didn’t need the number of experience to prove that he was the best. In Atsumu’s brain, he simply just had to beat the best racer of them all and that would instantly put him to the top. He believed that respect was something innate to him, not something he had to earn.

But other than reality punching his gut, he was also a sore loser. Not that Atsumu had ever been defeated before, but he hated the mere idea of losing so he would challenge anyone and everyone that was a threat to his reputation. He would often wager heck loads of cash to lure racers in and beat them in the race all while shoving it in their faces, only to further prove the rumors of his unprofessional conduct.

“‘Samu, I’ll talk to you later,” Atsumu hissed on his phone, reaching for the pack of cigarettes that he had placed on the cup holder. “Useless piece of shit.”

“Relax,” you asserted. "You don’t wanna stress yourself before your race later.”

After realizing that his pack was empty, he crumpled the small carton on his hand and withdrew a bill from his pocket. The same bill he was holding was later chucked to your direction before he gestured his head over to the store. “Buy me a pack,” he ordered indifferently, treating you like a dog that could go fetch things for him.

What a prick.

“You don’t have to be such a fuckin’ asshole.” Although you were chagrined to be the recipient of his rude behavior, you still picked up the money that he had carelessly thrown and afterwards removed your seat belt. “I swear one day I’m gonna leave your ass.”

“Say what?” His questioning gaze was meant to intimidate you.

But being a passive person, you chose to get out of the car before he could say anything further. “Nothing.”

“Whatever, bitch. Just get it fast!”

You slammed the door on his face and dragged your feet towards the store in vexation. The cold air and the smell of the convenience store food greeted you as soon as you got inside. Only the checkout person was in there and you would have obliged to Atsumu’s request of buying him a cigarette ‘fast’, but the rudeness in his tone made you want to stall a little. It wouldn't hurt.

With a small and nasty scoff leaving your lips, you headed towards the beverage section to get yourself a Mitsuya Cider. However, as you grabbed hold of the last standing bottle on the fridge, your hand came in contact with another one wrapped around the same drink as you.

“I saw it first,” the stranger promptly claimed, side-eyeing you to uphold his authority.

The guy was tall with tanned skin that matched his bronze hair and caramel eyes, but those weren’t his most noticeable traits. It was the bandaid on his cheek, the dragon tattoo on his neck that extended to his forearm, and the multiple piercings on his ear—all adding to the intimidation from his overall look. You found it quite contradicting that he had a cute, preppy vibe while also carrying a scary, bad boy aura around him. Fact was: you would be lying if you said that you didn’t find him attractive.

Still, you snorted and held onto the bottle tighter. No matter how handsome he was, you weren’t going to give him the pretty privilege. “I held it first, piss off.”

“Oh, so you’re the tough girl type.” He displayed an amused smile as he refused to let go, now gazing at your face with a glint of interest. “I’ll let you have it if you answer my survey.”

Survey? You rolled your eyes, raising an eyebrow afterwards, “What survey?”

The guy slipped his hand from inside the pocket of his ripped jeans before fishing out his phone. “You see, just put your name in here and your phone number for reference.”

You hated how he was grinning so smugly, but at the same time, you found his boldness entertaining. He was shooting his shot and you could tell by his stance that he expected you to give in. Just how many times had he done this to other women? Probably a lot.

“Nice try. I have a boyfriend,” you informed, remembering that you were keeping a guy with anger issues waiting in his car.

The brown-haired guy shrugged. “So? I don’t see him.”

“You don’t wanna see him.” You released the bottle from your hand. “He’s insane.”

Literally, because not even a few seconds after, Atsumu showed up from behind you with a scowl plastered on his face. “The fuck’s takin’ you so long?” He noticed the guy standing on your other side and glowered at him before turning back to you. “Give me the fucking money! I’ll buy the pack myself.”

You released a sigh of relief as you thought that he would incite a fight, or at least an argument against the brown-haired guy, but it caught you off guard when he simply stormed off and paid for the pack of cigarettes that he badly wanted to get. Perhaps there was just a lot going on in his head for him to even give a shit about you talking to another guy. Or maybe, he just didn’t care that much anymore.

“He seems pleasant,” the brown-haired guy commented, grabbing the bottle and handing it to you. “It’s yours. Just remember my name, it’s Tooru Oikawa.”

He said all that with a mischievous wink before he walked out of the store just after you paid for your stuff.

And, honestly…

Why did you ever think that Atsumu was all fine and dandy with it?

Because when you walked out of the store, you saw him on the sidewalk throwing a cold-blooded punch on Tooru’s face. The impact had the other guy staggering, but not enough to make him plummet to the floor.

“What the hell, Atsumu!” You hurried next to Tooru who simply laughed despite the blood on his mouth that he easily spat out.

“You know what happens to people who try to leave bruises on this pretty face?” he jeered at your boyfriend.

Though Atsumu just glared at him, unfazed. “I don’t give a shit. Back off my girl or you won’t live to see the next sunrise.”

“Bring it on, blondie.”

“Stop it!” you raised your voice, pulling Atsumu away and sending Tooru an apologetic look.

While the two guys sent each other a death stare, you insisted on keeping Atsumu away from him because you knew the kind of danger that awaited Tooru if this escalated. You knew by experience that your boyfriend could be an extremely violent guy, especially when he was fueled by his rage and you certainly didn’t want to witness another episode of it.

You were successful at making your boyfriend back off, although it seemed that his irritation had shifted onto you because his next response was to harshly shove you inside his black and gold Nissan GT-R Nismo. If not for your good reflexes, you would have hit your head on the roof of his car, but you managed to duck and get inside even with the searing pain on your shoulder.

Before you knew it, Atsumu already revved his engine and drove the car off at once—speeding on the street without a single care in the world. There was absolutely just silence inside, not a single music playing on his stereo except for the sound of his roaring engine, and it stayed that way for a couple more minutes until he spoke again in an authoritative voice.

“You're too bold tryna flirt with another guy in front of me.” He gritted his teeth with flaring eyes on the road. “Do it again or I swear to God.”

A bitter laugh flew out of your lips. He was surely good at this whole threatening game. “You’re one to talk, Atsumu. I’m not the cheater between the two of us.”

You frankly lost count of the amount of times that Atsumu had cheated on you with different women that he met from every race and you were certain that he would probably fuck one of those skanks again tonight, so it was very hypocritical for him to act jealous now.

“So, you’re gonna get back at me?” He snorted with overflowing sarcasm.

You kept a rigid face. “If I fuck another guy, that’s none of your business at this point.”

You were proud of yourself for saying that to him, but Atsumu’s sudden tight grip on your jaw stopped the sarcastic smile from tugging at your lips. At that moment, your heart was pounding and you could feel anxiety building up. This was painfully how your relationship with him has become—him, having to do what he wanted and you, allowing him to do what he wanted because you had no other choice.

Your reason for staying? You practically spent most of your life being grateful to his family for welcoming you after your parents died in a car crash when you were eight years old. You had no one else at that time, not even your mother’s nor your father’s side was willing to adopt you. If Atsumu’s parents weren’t close enough with your own family, nobody would have welcomed you the way they did and you would most likely be homeless.

Eventually, living with the Miyas also meant that you got closer to the twins, just a little bit more to Atsumu than Osamu because of, well, love. Once upon a distant time when Atsumu was still completely lovable and sweet, you fell in love with him after years of him trying to win your heart.

However, as seasons changed, his feelings changed, too. You were no longer sure if your reason for staying with him was still driven by love, because you knew that that same love had turned into loathe. Even if you and Atsumu had moved in together by yourselves, it only opened more flaws into your relationship because he was getting more and more comfortable at hurting your feelings knowing that he was going to get away with it.

Because you would end up forgiving him and you had nowhere else to go.

“You’re not in the position to talk back,” he spitefully reminded, leaving warm tears filling your eyes from his strong hold on your jaw. He harshly released your face and continued driving, never saying sorry and never telling you he loved you.

It was pretty quick for Osamu to point out the light marks on your jaw once he realized that they weren’t hickeys at all. They were bruises from his twin brother after he had unknowingly held you with lack of care this afternoon because of his unwarranted jealousy. The better twin didn’t approve of his brother’s random outbursts, but he couldn’t really persuade him into fixing his attitude because Atsumu wouldn’t listen to anyone except for himself.

Besides, you weren’t their main concern for the night.

Tonight, you were at an abandoned parking lot with the Miya Twins, Suna, and Kita along with the other spectators who were all waiting for another race to happen. Cars of different brands, designs, and modifications were all lined up in display for everyone to see. Every racer had their own crew and supporters cheering for them to possibly snatch the crown from the undefeated Atsumu Miya. Even though the whole place was pretty much loud, you could still hear someone blasting Act A Fool from their stereo with girls in mini skirts and crop tops littering the area like a swarm of bees that got out of their hive. This had been a typical scene for you for the last four years of being known as Atsumu’s trophy girlfriend. He was putting you on display because you were always watching his races on the sideline even when he hardly ever paid attention to you.

That was also the reason why no one had dared to ask you out because, even if Atsumu was an open cheater, he would still threaten guys who ever tried to get near you.

“You showed up late.” Suna pointed out while sitting on the hood of his modified maroon Toyota GT86. He was the second best racer in the crew, albeit still considered a rookie for having lesser races than Atsumu.

“Fuck off,” was Atsumu’s answer before he left you alone standing next to his car as he went to meet Aran Ojiro, the race host and organizer for all the street races in Hyogo.

Since the moment you two arrived, Atsumu had never spoken another word to you and it left you hurt and most definitely infuriated. No one could even blame you for growing tired of how he was treating you like dirt.

“He hurt you, huh,” Kita noted, briefly glancing at the light marks on your jawline. Kita was the contact of the crew—he was in charge of delivering the messages and other information to the crew such as when the next race would be or if there were any cops on standby. He was the main man in terms of communication between the other gangs and the event hosts.

You briefly touched your neck and wished that you should have worn a turtleneck instead of the beige tank top and mini skirt because you realized that the bruises were far too obvious even at night time. “He didn’t really hurt me intentionally.”

“You don’t have to lie for that bastard.” There was a look of disapproval that bathed from Osamu’s gunmetal eyes when he shut down the hood of his brother’s car after carefully checking the car parts as the crew’s mechanic. “Just break up with him.”

He was only stating the truth because as you looked at Atsumu, he was far too busy entertaining some of the girls that surrounded him, whispering in his ear and playing with the collar of his shirt like a bunch of desperate whores. He even held one girl on the bum like he didn’t have a girlfriend watching him.

“Go fuck yourself, Atsumu. I hope you lose tonight,” you muttered from a distance, crossing your arm and sitting next to Suna who was suppressing a chuckle.

“Don’t wish that, we need the money, too,” he joked, nudging your arm playfully. “Hey, why don’t you start racing? You can borrow my car and race for a pink slip so you can get your own.”

The term ‘racing for pink slips’ simply meant that you would be able to obtain the opponent’s car as a prize if you won the race. You had already thought about doing it before, but you just weren’t confident that Atsumu would easily allow you. Having your own car meant that you would have your own freedom to do what you wanted which was what he didn’t want.

“I don’t know,” you answered with a shrug, “Come on, Rin. Don’t act like you’d ever let me touch this baby of yours.”

An amused grin appeared on his face as he played with his car keys. “Maybe you’re an exception ‘cause you’re a sister to me and I trust your driving skills.”

“My driving skills.” You shook your head in good humor. “How’s the chick from your neighborhood that owns a pink Honda S2k?”

You brought it up because you recalled that there was a girl that Suna literally challenged for a race many times before, but he always somehow ended up losing to her. You had a theory that maybe Rintarou liked her despite antagonizing the girl at every race, but you couldn’t also deny that she was a good driver overall. You absolutely loved seeing women in their element.

It seemed that Kita had caught on and proposed the same theory, “I swear you like her. This whole rival thing is just a front.”

“No, the fuck I don’t,” Suna quickly denied, absolutely detesting the thought. “Kitashin, come on. Not you, too.”

Before you could even respond, a scene-stealer and perfectly modified electric blue Chevrolet Corvette pulled up in the middle of the lined cars, completely taking everyone’s full attention. Literally everyone in the parking lot stopped what they were doing as they all turned to the breathtaking car in both curiosity and wonder.

“Woah, woah! Is that a Corvette C7?” some guy fanboyed from the other side of the parking lot.

“Think it’s a C8, bro!”

“Sick car!” Suna gushed, just as awestruck along with the other racers and spectators. He even took out his phone to snap a quick photo of it.

On one hand, it wasn’t the car that surprised you the most, it was the driver.

As soon as the owner got out of his car, you almost shit your pants at the sight of him. The brown hair, the tattoos, the permanent smirk on his pretty boy face—the whole facade was screaming for one name and one name only.

“Tooru Oikawa,” you spoke in utter surprise. He asked you not to forget his name and there was no way you definitely could.

You watched the guy earn looks of intrigue from everyone like a famous celebrity as he made his way to greet Aran while he was collecting bets for tonight’s race. You couldn’t hear their conversation because the song Like A Pimp was playing from a stereo nearby, but you did notice that Oikawa and Aran seemed to know each other well.

You just couldn’t believe it. It felt like such a crazy coincidence that the man that flirted with you earlier was a street racer all this time because it was the least you expected from him. He had the vibe, but it still didn’t cross your mind.

“You know the guy?” Osamu asked you, eyeing Oikawa who was grinning at whatever Aran was saying to him.

You nodded with your eyes still glued on the said guy. “Yeah. We, uh, bumped into him this afternoon.”

Fuck. You were suddenly reminded of how Atsumu punched this guy in the face after he asked for your number. And funnily enough, all the girls that flocked Atsumu were now directing their attention towards this newcomer. Frankly? You couldn’t blame them. It seemed to have riled your boyfriend up because his hands were balled into fists as soon as the two guys recognized each other. Tooru wasn’t affected, in fact, they faced each other like two boxers preparing for a brawl. With a rigid and domineering stance, his face was simply smug and definitely the annoying kind of smug.

“Oh no,” you mumbled, pulling Suna and the crew towards them. “They had an altercation earlier. Don’t let them get caught in another fight.”

By the time you came to Atsumu’s side, you could already hear the insults and remarks coming out of your boyfriend’s mouth. Jesus. The blond was always one to sputter comments before he could receive one.

“So what’re you tryna do here, huh?” he taunted, keeping an unrelenting gaze on Tooru. “Showing off ‘yer daddy’s car?”

There were ‘oohs’ that collectively came from the crowd as you all watched the two run their mouths. Tooru, on the other hand, only got even more entertained and something told you that this was also the kind of scene that he was used to.

“Not sure ‘bout that,” Tooru responded, derisively. “I’m not the one driving daddy’s old GTR. Yours is more expensive than mine after all, ain’t it?”

Atsumu was quick to grab him by the shirt. “Watch it.”

Your instinct led you to get in between and separate the two for the second time today. Suna and Osamu helped with holding Atsumu back while Tooru’s eyes finally found yours at that exact moment. His lips instantly formed its trademark smirk just as he saw you like you were a shining gem that he had discovered in a wasteland. This very act was a declaration of war against Atsumu, because although knowing that you already had a boyfriend, Tooru was still pursuing you.

“What’s up, baby?” Tooru greeted you with a wink, causing your boyfriend to fume in jealousy.

“Tooru, what are you doing here?” you inquired, feeling all eyes on the two of you.

He didn’t even show the slightest interest towards anyone else but you. And even more, he seemed to have loved the fact that you referred to him by his first name. “Just thought it’d be fun to crash out-of-town races, plus I don’t wanna miss out on seeing a hot chick like you.”

Is he crazy?

Atsumu started laughing in disbelief. “I knew you’re not from here. Who the fuck do you think ‘ya are, huh?”

“Aran knows who the fuck I am,” Tooru answered, mocking Atsumu’s tone of voice before urging for Aran to speak up.

“Aight, y’all listen up! This guy’s the Grand King from Miyagi,” Aran then explained, much to everyone’s shock.

The fucking Grand King?!

You’ve heard enough about him from some of the racers who did out-of-town races, and from what you’ve heard, Tooru got the moniker ‘Grand King’ because he would crash out-of-town races just to beat every single gang and crew leader from all prefectures across Japan. Well, except Hyogo for now, but this place was obviously on his list.

He was that good.

He was also insane, because no one in Miyagi was good enough to beat him, which was why he would travel to every prefecture just to fill himself with the thrill that he badly wanted.

“Grand King, my fuckin’ ass,” Atsumu spat, pulling your arm while looking at him. “Race me.”

You winced from Atsumu’s hold as his nails dug crescent marks on your flesh. Oikawa was quick to notice this because his eyes flickered in anger for a second.

“Let her go,” he ordered under a stony gaze, only to receive your boyfriend’s sarcastic chuckle in return.

“I’ll do what I fucking want with her,” the blond bragged as though he was enforcing the idea to Tooru, “She’s mine.”

You tried to jerk your arm away unsuccessfully. “Atsumu, you’re hurting me—”

“Stop hurting her, ‘Tsumu,” Osamu commanded, “Don’t be an asshole just to show ‘yer tough.”

And with that, Atsumu’s ire only grew more. “Shut ‘yer trap! You’re always in my fucking business!” he yelled at his brother’s face before releasing you.

Your chest was aching along with the light red marks on your forearm. Suna’s immediate thought was to pull you behind him before standing on guard to protect you while Atsumu continued his conversation with Oikawa.

“What, too scared to race me?” Atsumu taunted, pushing Oikawa’s chest to incite a brawl, “I thought you’re the Grand King, huh?”

“Ooh.. Fight! Fight! Fight!”

“I’m not scared to lose and I hate guys who have bigger mouths than their car’s engine,” Oikawa retorted in a firmer stance, “Let’s race. If I lose, you get my car and I’ll pay you a hundred grand to match the GTR’s price. Clean and clear.”

What the—

The stakes were high for Atsumu and everyone else was profoundly shocked at the offer that Oikawa just gave him. Seriously. A hundred grand and a Corvette? Nobody in their right mind would even reject this chance.

“You willing to say goodbye to ‘yer car that easily?” your boyfriend sneered, already claiming his victory.

The Grand King remained confident in his own. “I have a McLaren at home. I’m not worried about a Chevy, bro.”

The audience broke into hoots and cheers. Even Suna and Kita couldn’t prevent themselves from displaying an impressed smile. Something about Tooru Oikawa being too relaxed about losing his Corvette because he had a freaking McLaren car definitely just thrashed on Atsumu’s superiority complex.

With all this, Atsumu huffed in aggravation. “And if I lose?”

“Simple.” Oikawa’s eyes met yours. “I get her.”

You froze from your spot as you looked into his eyes and just couldn’t wrap your mind around the deal that he just made. Your heart doubled a beat and raced like it was on its sixth gear because never in a million years did you think that you were going to be wagered into a fucking street race like you were some kind of a trophy.

This was just absurd. You were not to be treated as a transaction!

You furrowed your brows. “Are you crazy—”

“Fine.” Atsumu’s answer completely shocked you along with the surrounding audience.

Fine? Did he literally just agree to hand you over to a stranger? Was it that easy for him to lose you like you didn’t build a relationship for the last few years? Over a fucking bet? You knew Atsumu no longer loved you like he used to, but this was the peak of it.

“You know you can’t try to get her back once she’s mine, right?” Oikawa warned, watching Atsumu’s expression intently. “It’s a strict deal. You’re like making a deal with the devil.”

You were honestly offended at how they didn’t even consider your feelings before deciding on their crazy bet. You were being passed around like a blunt.

“Yeah,” Atsumu answered, clenching his fist to restrain his anger. “You can have that bitch, but you have to get through me first.”

“Atsumu,” you snarled, “How fucking dare you.”

“Piss off,” he told you, watching Oikawa’s scoff from the way the guy completely disregarded your feelings. Surely, he cared better for his pride than the bond you’ve had together.

It didn’t take long until the actual race was set and the audience surrounded the two. Aran later checked the modifications between both cars to decide if it would be a fair fight and all the while, Suna was doing his best to comfort you on the side.

“It’d be okay,” he consoled, rubbing your back.

Osamu ended up checking under the hood of Atsumu’s GT-R even though he already knew all of its specifications by heart. “Engine is a twin-turboed 3.6 liter V-6 with Nitrous Express in-car nitrous system,” he announced to an impressed crowd, “also an intercooler and a 545 horsepower.”

“Top speed?” Aran asked, turning to the car’s owner.

“220mph,” Atsumu boasted, sending his opponent a nasty look.

Oikawa just nodded in agreement. “Not bad.”

Soon enough, they went over to the Corvette and you noticed how Osamu’s eyes grew wide when he checked what was under the hood.

“Engine is a 6.2 liter LT2 small-block V-8. He’s got a Lingenfelter Extreme-S exhaust and a NOS fogger system,” Osamu explained, turning to Aran who then looked at Oikawa.

The brown-haired guy shrugged. “Top speed is just two hundred minus the nitro.”

“No downplay?”

“You’ve seen it, bro. It’s the skill, not the car.”

You could see the winning smile on Atsumu’s face at the fact that his car could go faster by 20mph and it made you roll your eyes heavily. No matter how fast his car was, it would always depend on the skill. Atsumu only ever cared more about the speed than the strategy and the only reason why he kept winning was because he owned one of the fastest cars ever made.

“Aight, we good?” Aran clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention before he looked at the two racers. “All good? The race is a 5km stretch along the construction site. We got people bordering the area so you know the path. First one to get back wins.”

“Sounds good, man.” Oikawa grinned, and in turn, made all the girls fall for his charm. Wasn’t it quite impressive how he only appeared today and yet he had already gained lots of fangirls?

Meanwhile, you were surprised when Atsumu approached you from where you stood and pulled you in for a rough kiss—in front of everybody—which he rarely did. And when he pulled away, he looked at you with less affection, but more rage. “Get in the fucking car with me. I’ll show this prick who owns you.”

“I-I don’t—!” You couldn’t even decline because he already gripped your arm and pushed you inside while Oikawa watched in distaste.

“Kissing her in front of me won’t make me want her any less.” Oikawa called out for one last time before getting in his car while Atsumu flicked him off.

“This is fucking stupid,” you hissed under your breath, leaning your head on the window with a frown.

The two guys revved their engines up as their cars were side by side in front of the red line. Aran stood in the middle to discuss the rules, the wager, and all the details they needed to know before the race. You knew that they weren’t even listening because they kept glancing at each other tauntingly, with Atsumu staring daggers at Oikawa and Oikawa giving him a sardonic peace sign in return.

Despite Oikawa's sarcastic wit, you didn’t miss the flash of sincerity in his eyes when he briefly looked at you, most likely telling himself that he would do whatever it took to win you. What you couldn’t really understand was why he chose you as the prize because this was just unreasonable. He must have wanted something else—something more.

And yet, this was the first time that someone was genuinely fighting for you.

As the flagger finally counted down to one, Atsumu hit the gas pedal and immediately accelerated the car at a speed faster than you’ve ever seen him do. It was clear as day that Atsumu was fueled by anger and driven by the motivation to beat the other guy. By then, you realized, it definitely wasn’t just about you. He was seizing the opportunity of dethroning the Grand King now that it was in his hands, whether he loses you or not, he was gearing more towards his pride and reputation than to keep you by his side.

To be fucking honest? It sucked.

Knowing that your boyfriend cared more about anything else than your own feelings. In the first place, he never regarded your feelings whenever he chose to wound your pride. Osamu was right—what was stopping you from just simply breaking up with him? The fear of loneliness? The fear of being abandoned? It wasn’t enough for you to take all of this toxicity and you should have realized that sooner.

“You know I’m not just an object, right?” you stated, watching him shift his gears aggressively.

“Shut the hell up!” he snapped, frantically glancing at the rear view mirror as he went past the Corvette. “I don’t know why that punk likes you so much, but I’m not gonna let him touch my things.”

His words elicited a bitter scoff out of you. “I’m a thing?”

“I said shut up, will ‘ya?!” He steered the car to the left with a scowl. “You’d be on the streets if we didn’t take you. You should humble yourself.”

His words hurt tenfold, so much that the pain was inflicted on your soul. That was what you’ve been doing all this fucking time—not being able to leave because you felt like you owed him and his family for the life they gave you, but here he was pouring salt to the wound.

“You’ve changed, Atsumu,” you said, swallowing the bile forming on your throat. He didn’t even listen to you. He was too busy grumbling as Oikawa’s car drafted closely from behind.

His engine roared and you could hear Atsumu cursing under his breath as he made another turn. The outside view was passing through your vision in complete blur because of the car’s velocity. Surprisingly, Oikawa skillfully oversteered his car and drifted with much precision until he was able to catch up in speed. The sound of his screeching tires rang in your ears for a few seconds, and in less than a minute, his car was head-to-head with Atsumu’s.

Oikawa’s face was visible from his window as he looked at your boyfriend, pulling a v-sign with his fingers between his mouth and displaying his tongue in between—bluntly mocking your boyfriend with the sexual act.

You weren’t going to lie. Oikawa’s mischievous and carefree nature almost earned a chuckle out of you, but this caused enough fury for Atsumu to hit the NOS switch.

It felt like your heart dropped to your stomach when the car accelerated to a dangerous speed. The sound of the turbo was so deafeningly loud that you would assume that you were speeding off to another dimension.

“What’cha got now, huh?!” Atsumu derided, laughing in absolute mockery.

It was the final turn.

You clutched the seatbelt as you watched his speedometer go from 160 to 180, but not long until he saw a roadblock sign that ultimately caused him to panic. “Watch out!” you nervously exclaimed.

“Shit!” Atsumu steered the car to the left and ended up losing his control for a brief second. His hands desperately tried to maneuver the steering wheel, but it was all too late.

A mere three seconds.

Only those three seconds were enough for Oikawa to catch up again and utilize his own NOS, boosting his car with the power of nitrous.

“Agh!” Atsumu pressed his foot on the accelerator at the intensity of his pique, chasing Oikawa very closely and bumping into him side by side. “I’m not letting you win!”

For the first time throughout the race, you saw Oikawa’s serious face and just how clearly focused he was in reaching the end of this race with enough determination. His vision was only on the finish line and his focus could not be broken by anything else, but the thought of winning you.

Good for him, because he did win by an inch.

Because you were his finish line.

The crowd ran and surrounded Oikawa’s car after he won the race while Atsumu pulled up behind and stayed inside the GTR. He was drawing in long, deep breaths of frustration and you suddenly felt scared that he wasn’t going to take his defeat lightly.

“Atsumu, it’s—”

“You wanted this, right?” he suddenly spoke, chest rising and falling with his restrained temper. He soon grabbed your wrist and looked at you with furious eyes. “You wanted to go to him! You wanted me to lose!”

“Atsumu, get off—” You tried to pull his hand away by clawing your nails on his forearm. You expected that he would take his anger on you like he always did, but not as soon as now. “Stop being a fucking dick to me! You’re the one who can’t race for shit!”

“You think I didn’t fucking see how ‘ya looked at him?”

“Let me go!”

You were grateful when the crew came and Osamu was banging Atsumu’s window to get him to stop holding onto you. His grip was strong, but you managed to reach for the lock with your other hand which was enough for Suna to open your door and help you off Atsumu’s hold.

“Dude, that’s enough,” Rintarou demanded, finally removing your bastard boyfriend’s hands off you.

You didn’t realize that you were already a crying mess as soon as you got out of the car and the crowd’s attention had shifted onto you. Particularly a very furious Oikawa.

Some girls quickly approached your side in both worry and concern.

“Hey, are you alright?”

“Are you okay?”

But then, you couldn’t answer the kind girls that reached out to you because your eyes were fixated on Oikawa who was marching towards Atsumu before swinging a fist on his face.

“Get your fuckin’ hands off her. You don’t touch a girl like that!” Oikawa glowered at the guy, readying himself in case Atsumu fought back, but Osamu and Kita already held him tight.

“Race me again!” Atsumu sternly proposed, still in denial with his loss.

He could win on the second try, but Oikawa already turned his back and headed towards you.

“I don’t race losers,” he merely said, earning a growl from your now ex-boyfriend.

When your breathing had calmed down, you could see Atsumu trying to argue with Oikawa even as you garnered all of the man’s attention.

“You good?” asked him, to which you nodded.

Before anyone could even speak again, there was a siren going off from a distance and the crowd quickly dispersed, with someone yelling, “Cops! Cops!” and it didn’t take long for the cars to drive off in every direction. The scene was absolute chaos.

“Get in my car,” Oikawa insisted, opening the door to his Corvette.

“Y/N!” Atsumu yelled, eyeing you with authority and urging you to go to him. “You’re not going with him!”

Remembering the amount of tears that you’ve let out during your time with him, there was no longer any reason to stay and see his reaction. “It’s over, Atsumu.”

It was an exhausting night and the whole high-speed police car chase added to the rollercoaster of emotions that you just went through. Despite all that, there were also many things that you noticed about Oikawa while you were in his car.

a) He was a really good driver

He managed to escape the cops’ line of sight by speeding off the freeway without causing damages or any casualties. At one point, he even drove through a narrow distance between two huge trucks while nearing 180mph.

b) He was pretty fucking smart

He was knowledgeable enough on how the police operate which was exactly why he managed to dodge the EMPs (Electromagnetic Pulse) that the police officers tried to shoot on his car.

“What were those?” you inquired as he drove away from the city.

He glanced from his side mirror and then back to you. “EDU launchers. They’re these hi-tech car zappers that have taser-like functions. If your car gets hit by one, it delivers a blast of radio waves powerful enough to knock out vital engine electronics, making the targeted vehicle stall and slowly come to a stop. That way they can catch and arrest you.”

You literally had no idea that those things even existed. “You’ve been arrested before, have you?” you asked, not meaning to offend him, but just out of curiosity.

His lips then spread into a smile. “No, they always give up on chasing me.”

At 1 a.m., you realized that he was driving more relaxed after the cops had completely stopped pursuing him and then it clicked to you that this guy was now driving out of Hyogo.

“Where are we going?” you asked in panic, looking at the road signage that said ‘You are now leaving Hyogo’.

He casually manned the steering wheel with one hand. “Home.”

You looked at him as your heart went into a frenzied state. Frankly, it still hasn’t sunk in that this guy won you as his prize and you had no single idea what he had in mind. What if he was a gangster? Or a pimp? What if he was involved in something like human trafficking? What if he sells your organs?

After noticing the expression on your face, the man let out a snort, “You don’t wanna go back to that bastard, don’t you?”

It was an 11-hour drive from Hyogo to Miyagi so you definitely could not come back as easily as you wanted, but you also realized that you did want this. You had the chance to finally leave your life with Atsumu and start somewhere new. This was your cue. This was the perfect opportunity to do it and Oikawa was the savior that helped you get out of it.

Still, he was a stranger and would remain a stranger for the time being.

“N-No, but,” you hesitated, averting your eyes away. “I don’t trust you.”

“You can trust me not to hurt you like he does,” he said, turning his stereo on, “Relax. It’s a long drive and I’m not a serial killer, by the way.”

He offered a chuckle as you eased on your seat, taking a small blanket that he reached from the backseat while he kept a playful hand on your thigh. The song Tokyo Drift was playing from his bass-boosted stereo, makung you wish that you could just keep watching him drive so attractively.

But there was another thing on your mind that was bothering you and you only got the courage to say it as he pulled up at a driveway of a motel in the middle of nowhere.

“Tooru?”

“Mm?”

You looked at his caramel eyes. “What are we?”

“Whatever you want us to be.”

[im-not-a-writer]

Assassins Creed Confession List

A preference list! How exciting! So here’s just a few fun prompts of how it think some of the AC characters would confess to you! I hope none of them are too OOC, enjoy!

Altair- 

At first, he sort of just stands there staring down at you from under his hood, you can’t see his eyes but you feel them burning into you. Your face is still red hot from your impassioned confession and right now the only thing you wanted to do was curl up in a ball and pretend this never happened. Of course your mentor didn’t return your feelings, Altair was… Altair. He was practically untouchable and yet you stood your ground. What was the worst thing that could happen? You see his mouth curl in a sideways grin and your heart skips a beat. Slowly he lifts his hands up and removes his hood and you freeze. His amber eyes meet yours and in an instant, you feel arms circle your back and pull you flush to his chest. Warmth spreads across your neck, ears, and cheeks and soon his lips are against yours in a shocking yet powerful kiss. You lose all senses and melt into his arms but he ends the kiss short by leaning into your ear and chucking a soft “Novice.”

Ezio-

You weren’t going to lie, you probably could have confessed in a more relaxed fashion. Something about screaming ‘I love you’ on the top of a roof while in the middle of what was supposed to be a covert mission didn’t seem like the best idea. Ezio practically jumped out of his skin when you did but instead of scolding you for possibly ruining the mission he just looked at you with a lopsided grin and slightly pink cheeks. Your heart started to race as you stared at him in front of you, his smile, his perfect jawline, my god he really is perfect. He shook off his shock and reached out to hold your hands.

“I’m glad to hear that, I’m sure half the guards in the city are glad to hear it too,” 

He kissed you somewhat lightly at first which surprised you but it wasn’t long before he deepened the kiss and had your back against the wall. 

“Why don’t we try to keep quiet from now on, hm bella?’

Connor- 

To be honest he wasn’t even sure he said it. It just sort of happened. One moment he was critiquing you on your archery skills and the next he was holding you tightly and running a hand through your hair. His hand resting on the small of your back and your middles pressed together. You always knew Connor was a man of few words and you always liked him that way, he was much better at showing his feelings than talking about them. His hand cupped your cheek and you smiled and leaned forward before rising up on the tips of your toes and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. You caught him off guard and when you pulled away he just stared down at you with this lost look on his face. 

“So um… is it safe to say… that...  you and I…” He started, blushing and avoiding your gaze. 

“Yes, it is,” You giggled and wrapped your arms around his neck. 

“...good,” He smiled and went in for another kiss, this time with much more confidence. 

Edward- 

The pirate captain himself, the demon of the seven seas, the master assassin Edward Kenway himself just confessed to you… and he was drunk. He was lying on his back on the shore, shirtless and still wet from his impromptu swim and he had the biggest smile on his face. 

“You are just absolutely beautiful… everything about you… you are so wonderful.” He laughed deeply and shook his head in disbelief. 

“I’d wager you aren’t even human, you’re too perfect,” He laughed and looked over at you. 

You were sitting next to him smiling, trying not to take his drunken confession too seriously. 

He beckoned you over and you obliged, walking over and sitting next to him. 

“Are you a Siren?” he asked, reaching his hand up to twirl a lock of your hair. “Trying to lure me to death with your beauty?”

“What do you think?” You replied. 

“I think I love you,” He smiled and cupped your cheek sweetly. 

“I love you too, now come on, it’s bedtime.”

Arno- 

You knew Arno might not be over losing Elise and the last thing you wanted to do was ruin your relationship with your best friend. It was just so hard keeping it quiet. You were pacing around the upstairs of the cafe theatre, your steps heavy as you frantically racked your brain for any sort of action. You knew you couldn’t just let this sit, it wasn’t healthy but what else could you do? You didn’t notice through all of your pacing when Arno walked upstairs and leaned on the banister to stare at you. 

“You know I can think of a few better places to take a walk but I guess this way you won’t get rained on,” he smirked and pulled you from your trance. 

“Hah hah, very funny…” you sighed and looked away, bringing your hand to your temples to rub out what stress you could. 

In just a few steps he was behind you, arms around your waist and head atop yours, “What’s wrong ma cherie?” his voice rumbling in his chest turning your attention to his very close position. 

“It’s really nothing,” you sighed. 

“I wouldn’t say that. love is a very serious emotion.” 

Your eyes widened in shock as you flipped around to face him. 

“Oh was it a secret?” He chuckled, “Don’t worry darling, for the record I love you too,” He laughed before pecking you on the forehead and smirking down at your shocked expression. 

Jacob- 

For a gang leader and a master assassin, Jacob was absolutely terrified of you. You were everything to him and the idea of losing you was too much to think about even for a moment. The moments that you spent together were the most precious in his life even if it was just missions and the occasional meeting in the pub. What he would give just to see you smile or hear you laugh, to have your arms around him and your lips on his. It was the most difficult when you were together. You were talking to him about your day, your eyes rolling with every snide comment, your fingers twirling your hair gently and he was entirely enamored by every movement, every word that fell from your lips. 

“I love you,” he thought. Outloud. shit.

“Ah-” you stopped and blinked a few times before widening your eyes and meeting his gaze, your cheeks flushed bright red. “ Jesus Jacob maybe give me some warning next time!” you gasped and he stared blankly contemplating what was wrong with him. 

“I love you too…. Wanker,” You laughed and swatted him on the arm. 

Evie- 

Evie knows the importance of professionalism. That’s why even when you distracted her to no end she tried her best to keep a level head and carry on with the job. You, on the other hand, felt no shame in love, but you did feel shame in not having the right timing. You were in the middle of training, throwing knives and sword fighting when you and Evie were locked in a ferocious battle. Fists flew through the air as you swung for her face and she went low instead. Luckily you both blocked expertly but unluckily for her, you weren’t going to let her win this. You caught her fist and yanked her towards you, wrapping your arms around her waist and crashing your lips into hers. Her eyes widened but she allowed herself to give into the kiss quickly, kissing back happily. A few passion filled moments passed before her knee flew up and jammed itself into your stomach making you double over in pain. 

“Smart move, won’t work a second time though,” She smirked. 

Kassandra- 

Kassandra was no stranger to passion but you on the other hand were a novice to the world of love. Whereas on the battlefield you were a master, ducking and sweeping, hacking and stabbing, evading and confusing, you were all too clumsy when it came to your feelings. You were sitting together, sharpening your weapons when she caught you staring at her, watching her graceful hands pull her blade across the whetstone. 

“Something wrong friend?” She looked over slightly as she continued to sharpen. 

“With me? Absolutely not, is there something… wrong with… uh is there…. Are you wrong?” You stuttered frantically as you forced your attention away from her and continued to sharpen. 

She stared at you slightly with wide eyes until tilting her head slightly and putting her sword down. 

“Are you? Nervous around me?” A sparkle came to her eyes. 

“What!? Absolutely not, I would absolutely never uh no of course not, you’re just stunning and- well that’s not what I mean to say but you are! Don’t get me wrong you are! It’s just you’re…. Ok now I’m a little nervous….” you stammered putting your blade on the table and shifting uncomfortably. 

Kassandra laughed and stood up, walking over in front of you and forcing your gaze to meet hers. She lowered a hand and pushed your chin up slightly before lowering herself down and straddling your thighs. You felt your entire face go red as you felt her sit on you and as her face was so close. 

“I uh er… I ah” You started but she just laughed and lowered her face to meet yours, saying just before kissing you, “it’s ok, we don’t need words, just actions yes?”

Eivor- 

You were a seer in training in the settlement under the guidance of your aunt Valka and Eivor was your favorite subject to practice on, when he was here of course. His absence gave you plenty of time to long for him and ask the gods for your help. You were out in the garden, praying to Freyja to help you gain the confidence to confess to Eivor but little did you know he had chosen this moment to eavesdrop. 

“Please Freyja, I ask for your help” You sighed and you lay in the grass. “How am I supposed to tell Eivor I love him… What if he doesn’t feel the same?” You looked down in anguish. 

“You could always ask him,” A gruff voice spoke from behind you. 

You flipped around to see the man himself and instantly your face went red. 

“His reply might surprise you,” He laughed as he kneeled down in the grass and took your face in his large hands and pressed a gentle kiss upon your lips. 

You leaned into the kiss and felt your heart melt as he wrapped his arms around your waist to keep you propped up. 

“...so your answer?” You asked sheepishly. 

Eivor laughed and pressed a sweet kiss to your forehead. “I think Freyja has brought me to you, I love you very much,”

[dianapana]

SH Day 6: Marriage Agreement: ‘Til Our Contract Do Us Part

@sasuhinamonth

Hello dears, this prompt is composed of an older story that I changed a bit here and there and finished just now (it’s somewhat finished as in the ending isn’t too open, but it is open enough for me to continue if I ever wish to). I was very excited to finally use it after having it in my docs for idk maybe a year or so. It’s veeery long compared to what I usually write for these prompts but it just didn’t feel right to split it into parts anywhere.

~Love, Dia

Modern AU, OOC

Champaign

Hinata couldn’t help but sigh in relief when the waiters started walking around with trays full of Champaign glasses, it meant that the speech and toast part would come soon, that was her dad’s way of ending these events, thanking everyone for coming. Usually after the toast people drank their glasses quite fast and they all shook hands with Hiashi before leaving, considering there were about a hundred people around that would take about another hour. She made it thought the preparations for the event and the event itself which took over 7 hours, the worst parts ended, she will survive the goodbyes.

Once the trays were all empty and everyone had a glass in hand Hiashi walked to the middle of the room at what seemed to be the slowest speed possible. Everyone was watching him, nobody dared talk. For most people this wasn’t their first Hyuuga Event and they knew how things worked, and even those that attended it for the first time were smart enough to follow everyone’s lead and stay quiet.

Finally reaching his usual spot Hiashi rose his glass and started speaking. Hinata sent a small prayer to the heavens wishing the speech to be short.

“I want to start by thanking everyone for coming over tonight, especially in such a short notice” it was indeed short notice, Hyuuga events happen 2 times a year on the 20th March and 23rd September; spring and fall equinox. But Hiashi decided a month ago that a mid-June event needed to be held this year. Nobody knew why. “I hope everyone had a pleasant time today, from our oldest friends,” Hiashi said turning to the Nara and Yamanaka leaders “to our newest friends” his eyes moved to Fugaku Uchiha “and everyone in between”

Hiashi started talking about the notion of friendship and how important bonds are in ‘our world’. Hinata could tell the speech would be a long one, and with every bullshit word coming out of her father’s mouth she wanted to roll her eyes. But she couldn’t. The elders were watching her every move, Neji and Hanabi were in the same position, having eyes on them at all times. They all had to smile and nod and act like these events are their favourite place to be, no matter how big of a lie that was. She was tired, the servant woke her up at 5 in the morning to start getting ready, her father didn’t agree with the first two dresses she had put on, the putting on and taking off, took her about 2 hours in total and was extremely exhausting despite the help from the servants. The preparations for the event also took longer than usual. Her father kept telling her how important it was for her to behave. Hinata had never been the one to cause problems during such events, no matter how much she hated them, but for some reasons, it was her that was always given the longest lectures.

The windows were open at least and the night summer wind gently blew inside. The dress Hiashi approved of was a deep red long evening gown. All the skirt layers were extremely heavy and she had been standing on high heels for longer than it should be humanly possible, the corset was so tightly tied, at times she’d have issues breathing and to top it all off the dress had long lace sleeves which were sticking to her skin. It had not been a fun dress to wear in the middle of a heatwave. Her mind was still drifting in space when all of a sudden, her father stopped talking.

“I know many of you have been wondering the reason for this event and we shall let you know. Fugaku would you mind joining me?” The Uchiha leader went to the centre of the room as well. Whispers started going around the crowd, nothing like that had ever happened before. Hinata looked to Neji trying to see if he was aware of any of that, but her cousin would not make eye contact with her. Neji’s head was lowered, his fist was clenched and the hand around the glass was white-knuckled, it was a miracle the glass hadn’t shattered in a million pieced from his grip. Neji was aware of what was about to happen and he was not pleased.

“Today is the first time in over 100 years when the Hyuuga and the Uchiha families meet in peace at an event such as this. The bond between the two is alone a motif to celebrate but we must do everything in our power to keep this bond as strong as we can which is why we have decided to bind the families together thought marriage.” Hiashi’s voice boomed with pride. The crowd’s whispers grew in intensity. Hinata looked at Hanabi, both girls looking shocked and even scared. Hanabi wanted to reach out and hold her older sister’s hand. Grip it tight and pray that they both get over this event intact, but before she could make a move Hiashi started speaking again. “Hinata, my daughter would you please come here”

All eyes turned to her. Her heart beat a thousand times per second, despite her sudden fear her body moved gracefully, her mind was in utter chaos but her body knew the drill, it obeyed whatever her father told her to do. As she was passing by people, a familiar hand gripped her for a moment, trying to say so many is such a small touch. Ino, her best friend, tried to give her all the strength she had, she wanted to assure her everything will be fine, and also thought that touch she said sorry. She said goodbye. Hinata reached her father’s side and turned towards the people. She had never been in the front of the ballroom before, had never had all the eyes on her. Hiashi put his hand on her shoulder and smiled at her, the kind of smile she had never seen before. The smile she had wished to see as a child, there was pride and content in it, but it only made Hinata’s heart break further. The emotions were not directed at her as a human, he was not proud of her, his pride came from finally finding it, a way to get rid of her. He had married her off.

“Sasuke my son, come!” Fugaku’s command was just as loud and even stiffer. Hinata found Ino’s eyes in the crowd. Her friend was crying silent tears. Seeing Ino cry made Hinata oddly detached. It was a strange sensation, she almost felt like her soul had left the body and she was watching from somewhere far away all of this happening to somebody else. The Hyuuga girl moved her eyes from her friend to the man walking towards them. Her future husband.

Once the young Uchiha stood in place Hiashi raised his glass and finished the toast. “To my beautiful daughter and her fiancé,” they cheered for her. They drank for her. And yet she didn’t. The Champaign glass was still full. She was lost… not in thought, her mind was blank but she wasn’t present either.

“Look alive princess” Came a voice from her right. Sasuke took her glass and finished it in one gulp. He placed both his and her glasses on the tray of a waiter and took her hand and kissed the back of it. People gasped and whispered. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. With her on heels, his mouth came to her ear. “Smile sunshine. This is supposed to be the happiest day of your life. Fool them all” His voice was oddly gentle and it broke something in her. She would have cried but Sasuke was right; she had a part to play. Taking a small breath in Hinata fell in character.

Hiashi told them to do the honours and say goodbye to everyone, after all that was their engagement party. Hinata looked up at the man she would spend her life with and gave him a sweet and shy smile, she even managed to make herself blush when he smiled back at him. She smiled and blushed whenever someone congratulated them or made a comment about their engagement. From time to time, she’d steal a glance at Sasuke and look at him with what she hoped came across as admiration. They made eye contact a few times, he winked at her twice. They were both playing their parts flawlessly. One could not tell that they had never met before, that they were not indeed lovers. Fugaku called Sasuke to him and Hinata was left alone to say goodbye to the guests. A few older ladies praised her for being able to catch such a handsome husband.

The next in line was Gaara. Hinata’s heart broke a little more upon seeing him. He too looked sad, which her brain turned to something else despite knowing it not to be true. Her feelings for Gaara had not gone away as she had hoped they would after finding out that he was in a secret relationship. “I am sorry Hinata” He whispered as he kissed her cheek. There was nothing either of them could do, people were waiting in line to talk to her after Gaara. Her father and fiancé were in front. Hinata smiled and thanked him just as she had everyone else. Gaara would not save her, he couldn’t and even if he could…he wouldn’t.

Ino was one of the last people to come talk to her. She had gone to the bathroom to pull herself together after crying. The blonde was stronger than that, but she had cried for Hinata because at that moment Hinata could not afford to cry. The Yamanaka girl hugged her tightly and whispered in her ear encouragements that they both knew would not help.

Everyone had left but the Uchiha family and the main Hyuuga family. Even the Hyuuga elders had seen themselves out. Habani was nowhere to be seen. Neji, her father, Sasuke, Fugaku and Sasuke’s elder brother Itachi were all talking among themselves. To the side was Mikoto, Sasuke’s mom. Hinata was still by the door; now that everyone had left, she was unsure of what to do, under normal circumstances she would be allowed to leave and go to her room, but her father hadn’t dismissed her yet. The Uchiha woman looked to her, smiled and started walking towards her.

“You look lovely dear. I’ve been keeping my eye on you the whole event but Fugaku would not allow me to come and talk to you sooner. Come dear let’s sit down and gossip while the men talk business”. The two women walked to the first table and sat down next to each other. “The event was so long; I thought your father would never make his speech. It must have been hard for you too, staying all those hours on high heels and in that dress, what were the servants thinking giving you such a heavy and warm dress to wear; do they not know it’s summer?” Mikoto went on about trivia things a moment longer. Hinata had yet to say a word, however, her future mother-in-law didn’t seem to mind her silence, for she filled it with mindless talk.

“I know it’s a difficult time for you,” The woman said and took Hinata’s hands in hers. “They were unfair to you, they should have let you know earlier.” Mikoto touched a strand of Hinata’s hair. “You have nothing to fear. We are a good family. My son will take care of you. It will take a while for you to adjust I know, but this is not the end of the world.”

Hinata opened her mouth to say something but found her throat was so dry she couldn’t say anything. After clearing her throat, she tried again. “Will I be leaving with you tonight?” the idea of leaving tonight and not being able to say goodbye to anyone was unboreable.

“No sweetheart. The Uchiha is an old family with old traditions, you will move in with Sasuke only on the night of the wedding. It is a sin to live under the same roof before that.” Hinata nodded. At least she still had some time before that.

“When is the wedding?”

It was easy to see Mikoto was an affectionate person, she moved her chair to be closer to Hinata and hugged her. Something about the woman put her at ease, her voice and hair reminded her of Hikari, her own mother, it was a strange feeling. “The wedding will be in three months. Before that we have to pick a dress, everything else has been pretty much done, you can look over everything and make the last-minute decisions. Of course you and Sasuke will spend some time together to get to know each other and-“.She was cut off by Sasuke himself when he addressed her “Mother” Mikoto squeezed her harder one more time before letting Hinata go. The woman got to her feet and kissed Sasuke’s cheek. “Goodbye Hinata, I will see you soon dear”

She and Sasuke were now alone. He took a seat in the chair Mikoto had emptied. For a moment they didn’t talk. It was all moving along too fast for Hinata to comprehend. Just under 2 hours ago, all she wanted was the event to end so she could sleep. Nothing could have prepared her for the change her life took. It almost felt like it wasn’t real; or that it was all happening to someone else. She had not made a single decision about this.

“Tomorrow I’ll come and we will have lunch together and talk more. It has been a full and exhausting day.” His voice was just as gentle as it was when he whispered to her before. “What would you prefer we eat? I will make reservations ahead of time”

“Anything will do, I don’t mind” Hinata answered. She appreciated that he didn’t want to ‘get to know each other’ then and there. She was indeed tired and needed to think about everything a little more, in order to realize that it was all indeed real. Looking up at Sasuke she had to say she was lucky; he was very good looking and so far, had shown her kindness. If what his mother said was true her destiny wasn’t as cruel as it could have been.

He got up and extended his hand for her to take, which she did. Hand in hand they walked back to where both families were still discussing. Neji would still not look at her, Itachi offered her a kind smile, Fugaku only a nod.

“I see that the two of you hit it off.” Her father said, it appeared he was really happy with the arrangements. Sasuke nodded to her dad. Hinata was certain that if Hiashi had his way she would leave with the Uchihas that very moment and never return.

“Hinata is tired, it is quite late so we should go. I will return tomorrow at noon in order to take her out for lunch Hyuuga-san.” Sasuke had not asked permission to take her out. He had simply stated that he would. That was the moment she realized her father was no longer the one to command her. Sasuke was. She wasn’t sure if what she felt was fear or excitement.

“Yes of course. Hinata you may leave” Hiashi said but Hinata didn’t move for Sasuke was still holding onto her hand.

“I will walk her to her quarter.” Hinata barely had time to bow to what would soon be her family before Sasuke started pulling her along. “In my presence you will not follow his word. My word is absolute, his is barely wind blowing by you.” Sasuke appeared to be annoyed by the fact that her father dismissed her. “If he says go but I am standing still, you too will stay unless I decide we will leave”

“Yes.” She knew how their world worked; despite them living in the 21rst century where women were seen as equals more and more every day, their world stopped evolving. The husband was the ultimate master while the woman was a possession. First, she was owned by her father, then by her husband.

They walked quite fast when leaving the ballroom, but once they were out of sight Sasuke slowed his steps. He was aware of the difficulty of walking in heels, his mother always made sure to complain about it. Her hand in his felt small and fragile, he had never been given something to take care of, sometimes that was his and his alone. He had been against the marriage at first. He wanted to wait until he was the Uchiha head later in life before taking a wife but his father insisted, he needed to marry young and have heirs because Itachi could not. His older brother had been his father’s favourite from a young age; that was until Itachi was 18 and Sasuke 13, about 10 years ago. On his 18thbirthday Itachi gave up his title as the heir in a very public way only to than later inform his father that not only does he not want to be head but he would not be fit for the role, for he could never give heirs to the clan. Itachi’s infertility came as a shock to the whole family. Sasuke was tested as well as soon as possible but thankfully the tests proved that he would be able to have children.

Fugaku had learned in the past 10 years to accept Sasuke as his heir, his relationship with his father was better now than it had ever been, but even so they were not as close as Itachi had been with him. But Fugaku put in all his efforts to try to make Sasuke the best, he taught him everything he could and allowed Sasuke to do as he pleases as long as what he did would be useful to the family. So, when he informed Sasuke he had picked a wife for him it came to no surprise that he had chosen a girl from a very important family, a family even older than the Uchihas and just as influential. The girl was known among her people as an angel and was believed to be the most beautiful Hyuuga girl to ever be, so of course, Fugaku wanted her for his own heir.

Upon seeing Hinata for the first time that night Sasuke had concluded the rumours had not been false. He had not been disappointed in the slightest. He was actually impressed. He expected two outcomes: either the girl to cry and make a fuss about the marriage or to be the ditzy kind of girl he had seen around that throws herself at him. She had been neither. For the shortest moment she had faltered and shown her true feelings, disbelief and numbness, but she pulled herself together as soon as he spoke to her. She had acted and played her part perfectly.

The pavement was old and uneven towards the main house. Almost nothing had been altered from the time the house was built, only maintained, so cracks and unevenness in the pathways happened. Hinata was trying her best to walk over them in her heels. Normally by that point in the night, she would take her heels off but she was not alone. Noticing her slowing down Sasuke stopped.

“Would you want me to carry you?” The offer was unexpected and it made Hinata quiet for a moment which Sasuke took as ‘yes’. He slightly bent and placed an arm under her knees and the other around her back. On instinct, Hinata placed both her hands on his shoulders to steady herself.

“You didn’t have to do that” Despite saying that she was thankful. Her feet were killing her.

“How high are your heels?”

“About 6 inches. Why?”

“6 inches and I’m still 6 inches taller than you.” He made a humming sound. Hinata didn’t know what he was thinking but she didn’t try to figure it out either. It was hard enough trying to figure out what she was feeling, there was no energy or time to uncover the mysteries of Sasuke’s mind. Her body was tired but her brain was even more exhausted. At this point not really caring anymore, she placed her head on his shoulder and just enjoyed the ride. Upon getting to the main house Hinata instructed him to go to the 2nd floor to the left. There was a guard outside her door that did not stop him from entering her room but actually held the door open for him. Two servants were inside waiting to help her undress and wash before going to bed. Sasuke put her on the edge of her bed.

“Thank you for bringing me here.” Hinata said. She felt a bit shy now, not really knowing how to say goodbye to him. This was the first time a man beside her dad and Neji entered her room. Not even the guards were allowed inside.

“Goodnight Hinata, I will see you tomorrow” Sasuke said, he kissed the back of her hand once more and left. Not waiting for her reply. Once again, a choice was made for her that day, but she was grateful for it this time.

The servants were gossiping about her fiancé and how gentle and beautiful he was, about how he had looked at her and how he had carried her like she was the most precious thing in the world. They guided her to her feet and to the full-length mirror to the side of her bed.

All their words were flying around her but none of them really registered; her brain was still not processing much of anything. She was still in the ballroom holding her Champaign glass praying for her dad’s speech to be short.

The servants untied her corset and Hinata took in her first deep breath in what felt like ages. They peeled off her sleeves and pulled the skirt away from her body. She was left in her underwear and heels in front of the full-length mirror. Her arms were splotchy and red from place to place from the itchy lace, her breasts and abdomen had red traces from where the corset was too tight on her. Her panties were red to match the dress, her legs were white and smooth but they were barely holding her at that point in the high heels, they were visibly shaking. Her eyes moved back up over every inch of naked skin until it reached her face. She wasn’t sure what she expected to see there, maybe something different. Some kind of evidence of the announcement from that night, but everything looked just as it did that morning.

One of the servants had just finished putting the dress away for it to be cleaned the next day, while the other filled her bathtub with hot water, salts and oils. Hinata would usually take off her heels and walk on her own to the bath but she was still looking at herself in the mirror, her eye make-up wasn’t smudged at all, her lipstick had gone after eating and drinking halfway through the event, so she excused herself to the bathroom several hours ago to take it off, her updo had lost some of its volume and a few strands had fallen around her face. She was too close to the mirror, her image being all she saw. Hinata took a few steps back and tried to picture Sasuke next to her naked body. They would make a beautiful couple even she could admit that.

Not being able to stomach the image she had in her head anymore the Hyuuga girl finally turned around and sat on the bed for a moment to take her heels off. She walked to the bathtub and took off her underwear as well and lowered herself in the hot water. Her head was resting on a soft towel; one of the servants started taking her make-up off and cleaning her face with scrubs and putting gels on her face and gently massaging everything in.

“Haruhi, could you please put some music on?” Hinata asked the servant that was not busy at the time. A moment later soft music started playing in the background. Once the facial massage was done a charcoal mask was applied to her face and finally, her hair was taken from the updo. Mina, the servant washing her poured some warm water on her head in such a way as not to get it on her mask. Her hair was shampooed twice and conditioned and rinsed and finally, put in a towel.

Haruhi came to help with washing her body, they scrubbed at her neck, collarbones, arms, hands, breasts, back and every other part of her. Her body was rinsed and washed again, more gently with moisturizing lavender soap and rinsed again. Her facemask was taken off, the water drained from the tub and she stepped out of it allowing the servants to towel her off. Mina placed a large towel over her bedsheets and Hinata laid on her back and enjoyed as both her servants massaged every part of her body with more oils, once they were done on one side she turned on to her front and they started to work again.

Her massage was almost done when Hanabi busted through her door. Hinata lazily opened her eyes, she was tired and finally relaxed, thus on the edge of falling asleep. Her sister was in her night attire, her hair still wet from her own bath most likely. Her eyes were red, she must have cried, but she looked angry at the moment. Hinata’s servants did not stop their massage despite the company of her sister.

“How can you stay there and enjoy your massage?” Hinata asked sounding astonished.

“You had enjoyed your bath time, why shouldn’t I?” Despite all of Hinata’s efforts over the years she and Hanabi weren’t as close as she wanted. Hanabi had always resented her for being older, the firstborn, the heir. When Hanabi was 3 and Hinata 7 the younger spent her days playing and reading stories and being watched by the elder women while Hinata was studying with the men. Hanabi had asked once why that was the case and an elder said “Your sister is the heir. She has to know how to be a leader, while you my dear, you will be a wife to someone” Despite that incident, things slowly started changing over the years, Hinata lost her father’s favour and Hanabi was taught leadership skills while Hinata was toughed to cook. Despite the obvious manner in which Hiashi favoured her now, Hanabi had always felt jealous of her sister, for she always believed what that old woman said to her in her childhood, she resented Hinata for she was to be the one that would not be married off. What an irony.

“Why aren’t you upset?” Hanabi’s voice was breaking and she was shaking. “Why aren’t you angry?” her fists were clenched and she looked like she wanted to start a riot. “Why aren’t you in dad’s office demanding he change his mind?”

“There’s nothing to change Hanabi.” Hinata finally got up and gestured to the servants to leave. She took the towel and put it around her body as the two bowed and left the room, left the sisters to talk among themselves. “Dad did it in such a way that it cannot be undone.” Hinata walked to her closet looking for something to wear to bed. “He didn’t tell me before so I couldn’t contest it, and now I can’t. Everyone that matters in this world knows about it. Unless I have a good reason, a very good one, there’s nothing that can stop this. In three months I will not be here anymore” Hinata finally picked a silk shorts and tanktop combo and put it on. “And you little sister.” The older one said as she walked towards her sister “You will be a Hyuuga forever, this will be the only house you know, these will be your people.” Hinata wanted to finish her sentence with ‘just as you’ve always wanted’ but stopped herself short.

Hanabi was crying again. She had prayed and wished to be the one to stay for so many years. But she had never thought about her sister leaving. She had always been bitter and held Hinata at a distance even when the older one tried to make the gap between them disappear. She had never taken the opportunity to get to know Hinata, and now she couldn’t.

“I’m sorry.” Hanabi said and hugged Hinata. They hadn’t hugged in ages. This time it was Hinata who pushed away.

“It’s over for today. I have not yet realized that this is not a dream. We will speak tomorrow. I’m going to bed now” She was a bit angry at Hanabi for only now trying to act like a sister. She had tried before that evening too, right before Hinata’s name was called, but even then it was in a moment of weakness, of fear, it wasn’t out of love or care. For most of her life Hinata tried to convince herself that she was fine with the way her and Hanabi’s relationship was, after trying for a few years to bond with her and being rejected, Hinata became content with what they had because she believed Hanabi not to be able to connect on a deeper level. She didn’t connect with Neji or Hiashi either. But seeing that she is indeed able of that connection, that she just didn’t want it before, hurt her more than Hinata would ever admit.

Hanabi left and Mina and Haruhi peeked in Hinata’s room. “Good night Himata-hime” they said in union and Hinata wished them a goodnight as well. Them calling her hime reminded her of the way Sasuke had called her Princess. ‘Smile sunshine. Fool them all’ he had said. And she did. She smiled and fooled them.

Now that her head was finally on her pillow, hair still damp, sheets cool and comforting, the room dark and quiet she allowed herself to admit a few things out loud. “I am getting married. I will be an Uchiha. Sasuke will be my husband.” The silence in the room was deafening “I am scared.” A little voice in the back of her brain whispered ‘I am excited’ but she didn’t say it out loud. With those thoughts in mind, she fell asleep.

________________________________

The next morning felt normal. She woke up, brushed her teeth, washed her face, got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast. She didn’t feel different. Upon reaching the dining room she realized for once she was the last to arrive. Hanabi was in her seat looking upset, Neji was frowning at his phone and her dad was reading something on his pad. That is what the house would look like in three months. She moved from the doorframe and all eyes turned to her. Hanabi still looked sad, Neji looked sorry and her dad was happy. Hinata walked around the table and sat in her chair.

“Good morning sunshine. How did you sleep?” Hiashi had stopped calling her sunshine when she was 4 years old and Hikari died.

“I slept very well, how about you father?”

“I did as well”

Neji was looking at Hinata almost expecting her to cry or scream. He was looking at her face trying to find proof of tears from the night before, but her face wasn’t red or puffy. She looked well-rested.

The breakfast was finally brought for them to eat and they did so in silence. Hiashi was the first to finish and instead of leaving to go do work as he would normally, he started talking.

“Sasuke will be here at noon. You should start getting ready after breakfast” Hiashi too wanted to test his daughter and see how she would address the situation. He wanted to know if he had to give her a lecture about her behaviour around the Uchiha heir.

“Yes, I know. I already thought of what I want to wear. I will change and come seek your approval as I would for an event.” Hinata said between bites. “He didn’t mention where we were going but he did say he will make reservations so I am assuming it is a dressy place despite being a lunch date”

Everyone was taken aback by her answer. Hinata had not lied, she slept very well and woke up early. She accepted her fate almost entirely, she picked what she wanted to wear and even thought about a few things she wanted to ask Sasuke. In all truthfulness, she was a bit excited but was trying to keep her expectations low, that way she would not be disappointed if this change was not for the better. The only thing she didn’t particularly like about this was not seeing Ino and Neji. They were her best friends despite Neji’s behaviour in those 2 days.

Seeing as nobody spoke anymore Hinata excused herself and went to her room to start getting ready. It was only 9 in the morning. Sasuke would only come in about 3 hours but there wasn’t much else she could do.

She didn’t even reach her closet to take out the outfit she had thought of wearing when Neji came into her room. He walked to her and bowed. “I’m sorry” he was apologizing for not telling her, for not being able to stop it, for the way he treated her.

“It’s ok Neji. Everything could have been worse.” She wasn’t lying. She heard of many girls that had married old and abusive men. Their whole life they were raped and beaten. She didn’t know Sasuke at all but from the 2 interactions she had with him, he didn’t appear like he would hit her. Mikoto too seemed nice enough. “What is one prison exchanged for another?” She wasn’t allowed to do much in the Hyuuga household anyways, read and study. She was a bit eager to see if she had a bit more freedom as an Uchiha and if not, she was already used to being a caged bird.

“I couldn’t convince uncle not to do that. The bond with the Uchihas was apparently necessary. And Fugaku requested you to marry his son. Uncle couldn’t deny a direct request like that. Plus...” Neji decided to stop there.

“Plus, dad would rather Hana be the leader.” Hinata continued what Neji wouldn’t say. “I know that Neji. I’ve known that for a while now.”

“If one of the leaders were to request to marry you as well uncle might need to reconsider” He didn’t sound sure at all.

“He wouldn’t change his mind. The relationship with the Uchihas is more important to him than any other family at the moment. In addition, nobody would risk their bond with both us and the Uchihas for my hand in marriage” Hinata absently replied while looking through her collection of necklaces while sitting at her vanity.

“If we ask Gaara maybe-“

“He wouldn’t. and I would never ask him either” Yesterday she might have jumped up at the idea of marring Gaara. But something changed and made her realize her feelings for Gaara were never really for the man, but the freedom he represented. Gaara was her friend, he was a leader and if he would have been her husband, he would have offered her the most freedom a woman can have in their world. “I would never ask your boyfriend to marry me” Hinata said this while watching Neji’s face in the mirror.

Her cousin blushed and looked alarmed. “You are mistaken Hina-“

“Stop” I know I’m not. Her eyes softened. “It took me a while to realize but I did. And I confirmed my suspicions when I told Gaara about my feelings a few months ago and he said he was in love with someone himself. I asked why he wasn’t marrying this girl and he replying that his relationship was taboo. I thought she was a married woman maybe, a commoner. But it clicked when I saw him look at you.” Neji was still not moving or breathing.

“I will not tell anyone about the two of you Neji. It is nobody’s business but yours.” She got up from the vanity and walked to him and hugged him. “For what is worth…I wish you both happiness.” She knew that their relationship would not be accepted in their world and her heart wept for both cousin and her friend. The world was cruel. “I hope you find a way to be happy and free” She wanted that for herself too. Happiness and freedom to find who she was and then be herself.

Neji hugged her back. “That means the world to me Hinata.” He sighed long and his body felt like it was deflating. “I hadn’t realized how it would feel to hear the words from someone other than him or me. How much I wanted someone to validate the way I feel” Neji took a step back and kissed her forehead. “I wish you happiness and freedom as well Hinata. I hope your life as an Uchiha to be better than your life as a Hyuuga has been.”

She hoped that as well. After another hug, Neji remained in her room and the two of them chatted while Mina and Haruhi were doing Hinata’s hair and make-up for her date. The dress Hinata had chosen was a black beach dress with daisies and sunflowers on the skirt. The skirt was cut on one leg to her mid-thigh. The upper part was like a tank top in the front but the back was almost bare, only a few strings places in a random pattern kept the front from falling. She would pair the dress with gold wedges and a gold choker and her normal hoop earrings. Her makeup was done also in soft golds and whites. Her hair was braided in the front like a crown and she asked Haruhi to braid some small daisies in as well. The rest of her hair was free and in waves from not drying it properly before bed. Neji had left right before she changed her clothes about 10 minutes ago. Being finally done she did as promised and went downstairs to get her father’s approval, it was still only 11 so if he had any complaints she would have the time to change, or so she thought. After knocking on his office door and being granted access Hinata opened the door only to find Sasuke in the room with her father.

Hiashi looked up at her and he only nodded his approval for her attire. Sasuke had on a white button up with the last 2 buttons undone and the sleeves rolled to his elbows and a short pair of black slacks.

“Come in Hinata, Sasuke came early so we had a talk while you were still getting ready” Hinashi beckoned her to enter the room but she didn’t move to which Sasuke smirked.

“Actually, I think we will be leaving now, seeing as she is ready as well. I will see you later Hiashi-san” Sasuke greeted the older man, took Hinata’s hand and closed the door of the office. Neither of them said anything as they walked to Sasuke’s car.

Hinata was starting to get nervous, not only for the date and being alone with Sasuke, but because she hadn’t been outside without her father or at least Neji. Sasuke opened the door of her and she got inside his car. He walked around and go into the driver’s seat. Before starting the car though, he kissed the back of her hand.

“You look lovely today as well.” He turned her hand around and kissed her wrist. “You were a good girl Hinata, not listening to you father.”

Her breath hitched due to the second kiss, no man touched her wrist before, let alone kiss it. During her talk with Neji they discussed Sasuke as well. Her cousin said that he is known to be cold and quite cruel. But he had been anything but that to her. He had been gentle and affectionate, something she had never experienced. Nobody in the Hyuuga household hugged her or kissed her hands.

Sasuke looked at her and smirked at her blush, he could tell this was the real deal and not a fake like the ones from last night’s goodbye charade. He finally started the car and drove down the Hyuuga driveway till he reached the first gate, one of the security men opened the gate for them and they continued down the driveway to the second and final gate, this was opened for them as well and they were finally on the road.

“I have never left without father or Neji the premises of the house.” Hinata admitted.

Sasuke looked at her for a split second from the corner of his eye. She was looking out the door with a small smile. “Not even to a friend’s house? I noticed you talking with the Yamanaka girl a lot. Were you never allowed to visit her just with a guard or two?”

“No. Neji always had to come along” Sasuke’s reply was a small hum. He hadn’t realized that the Hyuugas were that strict.

“I will assign my best guard to you once you move in with me. When I am at work; because unlike your father I am away from the house quite a lot, you will stay with him. You are free to go as you please as long as he’s with you”

‘You are free’ was what Hinata heard. She had wanted to be free for such a long time but now that I was so close to her, she wasn’t sure what she’d do with said freedom. The rest of the drive she spent trying to come up with what she would do the first chance she got.

The restaurant was in the centre of the city, where she had never been before. The amount of people walking around was mind-blowing. There were kids laughing, people talking walks and strolling around just because they could. Her whole life the thought of public space being dangerous had been drilled in her head. Other families could be around, they could hurt her. ‘People are mean and cruel’ that was Hiashi’s go-to answer when one of them wanted to go somewhere. Despite Hinata never really believing what her dad said, his words were on repeat in her head, so without really meaning to she took a step closer to Sasuke, held onto his arm with both hands and tried to hide away. Even if one does not believe the things they are told, if they are told them often enough, they become involuntary habits; she had been taught to think she was always in danger, paranoia was not easy to let go of.

When he had said they’d go eat at a restaurant she thought he meant one owned by the Hyuuga or by the Uchiha family, a restaurant from their respective part of Konoha. She knew what part of the city belonged to the Hyuugas and looked up what parts belonged to the Uchihas and this part wasn’t owned by either.

He noticed her stiffening in the car when he parked it. He noticed her fear and the way she clung to him for dear life. “What’s the matter Hinata?”

She looked up at him with big eyes, she looked like a deer caught in headlights. “Aren’t we in danger?” Her voice was low and trembling. Sasuke stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and took both of her hands in his. Hinata took a step in front and pressed her body to his, still trying to hide.

“Why would we be in danger?” he was genuinely confused.

“People are mean and cruel. This isn’t our territory. Someone could try to shoot at us.” The reply rolled off her tongue without much thought. She had heard them so many times they felt natural.

Sasuke placed one of her hands on his chest and the other on his back above the waistband of his pants. Hinata’s eyes grew even larger when she felt both guns. “This is neutral space. We’re not on anyone’s territory.” He said softly and let go of her hands but they stood in place. “And even if someone was to try to harm you, I’d kill them all” he whispered in her ear in the gentlest way possible. The threat should have scared her, but it made her feel secure. “I will protect you with everything I have. Nobody will dare touch a single hair from your head for the fear that I’ll destroy them all” Sasuke tucked a hair strand behind her ear as he continued to spill threats to any future danger. “Do you feel better now?” he finally asked.

“Yes” Hinata answered but couldn’t look at him. She felt silly and embarrassed for being worried. They were a few steps from the restaurant and had been standing in place being an inconvenience to people passing by. “Let’s go inside” she turned around and started walking to the door and Sasuke followed. He could see her flushed cheeks but allowed her to think she had hidden her discomfort from him. There were things on his mind, her fear had been real. She had been taught that if she were to ever leave her house she would die, her father hadn’t been above lying, traumatizing and manipulating her emotions to keep her in place and in control. He had always stayed home to work so he could keep an eye on all of them. Sasuke did not agree with his methods at all.

They were finally seated at a private table on the second floor. Hinata was looking at the menu with a sparkle in her eyes. “Do you know what you want to order?” Sasuke asked her. The restaurant was fancy enough to have steak and lobster but it also had hamburgers.

“I think I’ll take a chicken cheeseburger. I tried making one in secret home and it was good enough but I’m curious to see what a real one tastes like” She said with enthusiasm. “What about you? What are you ordering?”

“I think I’ll have a burger as well, the extra spicy one” Just as the two closed the menus the waiter came to take their order. Sasuke ordered for them the burgers and a big portion of fries and onion rings with a side of all of their 4 sauces, neither of them wanted soda so they decided to order a large bottle of water.

“You’ve never eaten a burger before?” Sasuke asked trying to go back to what she had said before.

“Only the one I made. Our cook usually makes food for 2 days so he has Tuesdays and Thursdays off. In those days I like cooking something that I want to try rather than just help him with whatever dad ordered he cooks…Most what dad wants is traditionally Japanese food and I like it, but I see some foods in movies and I want to try them.”

“So, you like watching movies?” He wanted to know what her hobbies and interests were in order to provide her with them so she wouldn’t get bored alone at the house when he was away.

“I watch a movie once every 2 weeks when Ino comes to visit me.”

“She only visited you two times a month?” He had believed the Yamanaka girl to be her best friend.

“Yes, that’s how many times father allowed her to come over…” Her voice so far had been light but it had a tint of sadness when she had revealed this last part.

“What about other hobbies. What do you do usually in a day?”

“Hobbies? Oh well, umm…Usually I wake up and if it’s a day where the cook is at work, I help him make breakfast, lunch and dinner. In between I had a few classes that the elders taught me about leadership. Neji and I usually have tea in the garden when he has the time…”

He was furious. Hiashi was killing her. He didn’t allow her to leave, but she couldn’t get visitors, she wasn’t allowed to do anything but exist. He wasn’t sure if he could wait three months for her to move it. Hinata was his and she was unhappy. He could tell Hinata was feeling a bit awkward because of her answer which is why he didn’t push it. The food came and they ate in silence. Hinata had loved her burger. She tried all 4 souses and really liked the sweet chilli and the honey mustard one. After the waiter took their empty plates Sasuke ordered dessert.

“Did you enjoy the food?”

“I did. The burger was much better than the one I made home…” Her smile had returned on her face. Despite the fact that he had been against the marriage before, Sasuke was eager for it now. From the moment he had laid his eyes on Hinata this feeling overcame him, the need to protect and please her. She was his and he would keep her safe and happy no matter what. Whatever she’d ask for he’d give her, if she wanted the moon, he’d find a way.

“I’m glad you liked it. Next time tell me what other foods you want to try and I’ll think of a place to go.” Hinata agreed. They talked a little more about the food when the dessert finally came. He had ordered a lava cake with vanilla ice cream, according to many people that was the best dessert the restaurant offered.

“There’s only one. Do you want to split it?” Hinata asked but Sasuke only shook his head and pushed the plate in front of her.

“I don’t particularly like sweets so you can eat it.” He watched her enjoy the cake. She had giggled after cutting into it and seeing the molten chocolate pour out. She had never eaten a lava cake, of course. His chest felt tight, like something was squeezing his heart and wouldn’t let go. He couldn’t stop thinking about how Hiashi had sheltered her from all these small pleasures of life, he wanted to hit the older man, but at the same time, he couldn’t wait to see Hinata experience everything for the first time. It was like watching a child, she had the same big and innocent eyes.

When Hinata finished the cake, the waiter took the plate and brought the check for which Sasuke paid but they didn’t get up to leave yet. “I have a few things for you” he said. And pulled from his pocket a new phone with the charger and its pair of headphones. “I already programmed my number there and Naruto’s; he will be your bodyguard. If anything happens during these months when you are still living with Hiashi call me and if by any chance I can’t pick up call him.”

Hinata was staring at the phone like it was alien technology. “You’re giving me a phone?”

“Yes. I want to be in touch. Sadly, I can’t come and eat with you every day so on the days we can’t meet I want you to call me. I’ll call you as well when I get home if it isn’t too late and we can talk, you can tell me about your day and such” Hinata nodded and took the phone from him and stared at it for a second longer. “You can add any number you want, Neji’s, Ino’s, your sister. It will be helpful to have them for when you come and live with me and feel lonely.”

“I can add other numbers…?” Hinata was once again hit with the realization that Sasuke was offering her freedom and she didn’t know how to take it. She was overwhelmed by the fact that she had a phone, let alone that she could use it to call Ino.

“Of course. It has an unlimited number of minutes and internet too. You can watch movies if you wish. Also, if you want to buy something online use the phone, I programmed it so it would automatically take money from my account and I’ll be notified.”

Hinata was trying her best to keep tears from spilling. For some reason the fact that he allowed her the freedom of a fully functional phone felt like a huge step, he was putting his trust in her. At that moment Hinata made a promise to never betray his trust. In the few hours that Sasuke was the one in charge of her, he had been more indulging and kinder than her father had been during 22 years.

“And the last thing” Sasuke said as he took a red velvet box out from his other pocket. He opened it and inside was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. The band was made of white gold and it had a big red ruby in the middle and on each side three smaller diamonds. The ring wasn’t overly huge, but it was beautiful. “I didn’t have the time to give this to you yesterday, I’m sorry” Hinata shook her head, there was nothing he should apologize for.

Sasuke held out his hand for her to place hers in so he could slip the ring onto her finger. It fitted perfectly and looked gorgeous on her finger. It felt a little strange, she had never put on rings on her left hand because it was considered bad-luck, so the feeling was foreign but she knew it would go away soon enough and the ring would turn into something that brought her peace at all times just from looking at it.

“I love it thank you” The squeezing was back and more powerful this time. She was wearing his ring. He had proof to show to the world that she was his. Sasuke was the one to get up first and Hinata followed. They walked out of the restaurant and back to the car hand in hand.

It was barely 2 in the afternoon. “I’m sorry I can’t spend more time with you today.”

“It’s ok. It was more than enough. I had a wonderful time, thank you” Hinata was still looking at the ring with a smile on. It was weird how something that yesterday felt like the end of the world, today felt like the beginning. Her heart fluttered when Sasuke opened the box and showed her the ring and it violently beat in her chest as he was putting it on her finger. Maybe marrying her off was the best thing her father could do.

They reached the Hyuuga house faster than either of them would have liked. “I’m not coming inside this time” Sasuke said as he walked her to the door. Hinata just realized that that had been her first date. She saw similar scenarios in the movies she watched with Ino. The boy walked the girl to the door after their date and he would kiss her. Would Sasuke kiss her? Did she want him to? A part of her was scared but the other part of her was screaming ‘KISS ME’. But Sasuke didn’t kiss her, at least not on the lips. Just like last night he kissed her forehead and left saying goodbye.

Hinata walked inside the house and it felt even colder and duller than normally. She wasn’t sure she could survive another three months there, not when freedom with Sasuke was that close. Hinata didn’t go to tell her father she was home, instead, she ran up the stairs to her room where Mina and Harushi were waiting for her. Her servants were a few years older than her, yet Hinata had never considered them friends because Hiashi drilled the belief that servants were to be servants since she was small, but her dad had been wrong before, so maybe he was wrong on this occasion as well.

The two girls bowed to her and Hinata stopped. She wasn’t sure how to act, a sudden image from a movie popped into her mind. When one of the girls would tell the others about her crush and they’d all jump up and down and screech. So, she took in a deep breath.

“You can raise your head” she said in her normal tone. The girls did as she asked. Taking in another breath she extended her left hand for them to see the ring. “Isn’t it beautiful?” Her energy was overflowing and she couldn’t contain it anymore. She started jumping up and down and laughing.

“Today was the best day ever. He was so lovely and just everything was amazing.” Hinata took one of Mina’s hands and one of Haruhi’s and started jumping up and down. The servants looked at one another before starting to laugh too and jumping with her.

“The ring is lovely” “And he’s so handsome” “I’m glad you had a lovely date Hinata-hime” “Did he tell you when the next one will be?” The two were talking alternatively.

“He didn’t but he gave me a phone and said he’ll call everyday he can’t see me” She showed them the phone as well. Hinata wanted to call Ino as soon as possible but she didn’t know her friend’s number. Whenever she wanted to talk to Ino she’d use Neji’s phone. Hinata started walking towards the door to the hallway, she wanted to look for Neji to get him to put his number and Ino’s in her phone.

The rest of the day went by faster than most of her days do. She talked to Ino on the phone for hours then took a bath and as she was changing in her night attire her phone rang. Sasuke had kept his promise to call her when he got home. She told him about talking to Ino and asked about his own day. Their conversation wasn’t very long but it still made Hinata smile. She fell asleep with a smile on her face and thoughts of Sasuke in her mind.

________________________

The following morning the first thing she did upon waking up was to check her left hand to make sure the ring was there and that it wasn’t all just a dream. She couldn’t help but smile upon seeing the piece of jewellery.

Sasuke’s question about hobbies bothered her a little, she had never really had the means of finding a hobby, she either didn’t have the time or didn’t know what to try besides cooking recipes she made up. But now she no longer needed to attend the leadership classes, her father informed her of that at breakfast, and she now had access to the internet, she could try learning a new skill, discover what she liked to watch or read, find out something she enjoyed doing. That was on her to-do list until she met with Sasuke the next time, get a hobby.

Ino liked gardening and making flower arrangements, Hinata liked helping her around the garden as well but doing the arrangements themselves was always difficult and not particularly enjoyable. The one thing she knew she’d like was drawing but was a bit scared. She had always doodled on her notes but had never tried to do an artwork. So that was the first thing she looked up on youtube, drawing videos. She found many and every single one was more amazing than the one before.

Hinata immersed herself in the videos and all the different ways in which one could create art.

________

Despite being in the middle of work Sasuke couldn’t help but think about Hinata and the things she said during their date a few days ago. She was basically a teenager getting her first phone. Sure, she knew a shit ton about leadership, her family and their world but she knew nothing about the outside world, technology and real human relationships. She didn’t know herself either, that part, seeing her figure out who she was as a person, what she enjoyed and what she didn’t, would be lovely to watch. But Sasuke was still confused about how Hiashi thought he could shelter his heir from everything, had Hinata been the leader she would have been lost, not because she wasn’t fit for it but because she didn’t know how to navigate her way through the outside world, she didn’t know what to do when someone wasn’t giving her orders. Her father had succeeded in turning her into someone submissive not because she was weak but because she had never been given the opportunity to be independent. Hinata had amazing skills, she knew over 5 languages and was taught how to fight, but she didn’t know many basic things.

Sasuke kept thinking of the best ways to slowly expose Hinata to more of the outside world and its customs, the Yamanaka girl wasn’t as sheltered but she wasn’t exactly well versed in ‘normality’ either. Naruto would spend a lot of time with her too but he couldn’t entrust the blond to teach her things, who knows what dumb stuff he would fill her head with. Of course, the obvious solution would be his mother, she was the sanest out of everyone he knew and she could help her prepare for the life of ‘the wife of the Uchiha leader’, but he would like to assign someone that’s around their age as well, someone Hinata could consider a friend and not feel overly anxious around.

Before he could find the perfect candidate, his cousin Shisui came to inform him his father wanted to talk to him. He forced himself to focus on work, but lingering thoughts of Hinata distracted him every now and again. He was still worried about her being in the Hyuuga household still, time seemed to be moving in slow-motion, the beginning of September appeared to be years away.

________

Her eyes were sparkling as she was telling him all about the painting tutorials she watched the past three weeks, she apologized for wasting so much money on ordering acrylic paints and brushes. When Hinata mentioned the money issue his temper almost got the best of him, Hiashi had so much money, enough to have a Rolex to ear for every day of the year, yet he couldn’t allow his daughter under 100 dollars to buy paints? Not to mention, but Hinata’s perception of money was off, she apologized for spending 12 dollars on a tube of paint without knowing that the phone she ordered it with was almost a thousand times more expensive. Hiashi only ever spent money on his daughters if it fit his needs, he dressed them well so people could see their wealth, Hinata had been nothing but a trophy.

“I’m sorry I asked for your address, but I just don’t want the order to come to the Hyuuga estate, I’m sure father would destroy everything I bought…” Hinata said, the tips of her ears red, as if she was embarrassed for having him as a father. It wasn’t her that should have been embarrassed but Hiashi.

“It was a nice surprise, seeing you order and send things over to my place already made it even more obvious to me that the wedding is going to happen soon” That wasn’t a lie. When her first order of brushes and canvases arrived Sasuke asked the servants to clear a whole room downstairs, one that had a glass wall towards their garden and turn it into a painting studio. Besides what she ordered he got more, he bought every type of paint there was, acrylic, water, oil and many others. He even talked to Sai, one of his workers that is a famous painter and asked if he would be open to giving Hinata a few hours, of course, provided she was fine with the idea as well.

“H-how do you feel about the marriage…? I can’t imagine you were pleased with it…” her face was lowered, her eyes watching as she was playing with her hands in order to distract herself from the question. She was scared he’d say he hated the idea, especially since over the past month since the announcement, her feelings slowly turned to happiness and excitement.

“I was slightly annoyed when dad first told me. But I’ve changed my mind and I cannot wait” Sasuke answered and placed one of his hands on top of hers to calm her down. “It drives me mad knowing you’re stuck in that house for another 2 months. I have to constantly fight the urge to just sneak in and kidnap you” His tone was light thus turning his words into a joke, Hinata giggled at it, but Sasuke was dead serious.

“I’m glad” Hinata admitted and grabbed his hand with both of hers and brought it to her lips and kissed his knuckles. Her feelings for Sasuke were complex, they started out as indifference when they were simply just individuals belonging to the same world, then they turned to fear and maybe a light form of hate the moment Hiashi announced she had been sold off, but after spending the slightest time with him, she felt relief, admiration and gratitude towards him. He represented a better future, one with freedom and happiness, a future away from her father. Sasuke was her saviour, but even those feelings started to change, her heart would flutter whenever his voice echoed from her phone, she’d constantly check for new texts from him, the days in between their meetings were the longest, while the time spent with him seemed to be so short. Every time he kissed her hand or her forehead she wanted to grab onto his face and bring it down to her face, she wanted to hold his hand, to hug him, but the urge she had most often and the one hardest to fight was to ask for the wedding to be held earlier. Whenever Sasuke drops her off at the Hyuuga estate she wants to ask him to marry her right that moment so she could go home with him.

She spoke to Ino about her feelings and about Sasuke, Ino told her that she was so glad the Uchiha was so nice to her, but that she should be careful, her feelings appeared out of nowhere and they developed so fast, she shouldn’t get too attached to him, shouldn’t become totally dependable of him because in their world ‘love’ was never one to last. Ino’s view on love was jaded after her parents’ divorce, Ino’s father was devastated when his wife left him and his daughter was there to pick up the pieces. Hinata was aware her friend was trying to warn her and shelter her from future heart break, but the thought of Sasuke hurting her seemed outlandish.

They ate pasta this time around, and with every bite, her eyes got bigger and bigger. “This is the best thing I have ever eaten. How can something be this delicious?” She kept praising the food throughout, whenever the waiter came to ask if they needed anything else Hinata would ask him to tell the chef that he is a genius, that his food is the most amazing thing ever. Sasuke smirked and shook his head every time.

“I can stay for longer today, is there anything else you’d like to try?” He asked her as they were walking around the pedestrian central part of Konoha. Hinata had been utterly confused with the concept of a part of the city denying car access, whenever they crossed a street, she’d still check for cars despite Sasuke assuring her that there was no way for one to get there. The central part was crowded and busy with people, Hinata stood a step behind Sasuke trying not to bump into anyone, looking over his shoulder at her to see if she heard his question Sasuke realized she had not, she was far too focused on not hitting anyone to concentrate on anything else. Reaching for her with his hand, he placed his arm around her waist and drew her close to his body. Her face instantly turned beet red and she looked up at him. He lowered his face towards her and Hinata’s brain picked up speed, he would surely kiss her, but there? In front of all those people? Wasn’t a public kiss a bit too much? However, his face passed by hers and only stopped when his lips were next to her ear “I asked if there is anywhere else you want to go. It’s too loud and you couldn’t hear me”

Due to her embarrassment and agitation, she simply pointed at a random building, which turned out to be a Starbucks. The two of them walked together, Sasuke still holding her by the waist, but upon walking into the café he let go, she was disappointed, but only for a moment, for he was simply letting go in order to hold her hand. Their fingers intertwined and the world fell into place, the smell of coffee wasn’t overpowering, actually, the café smelled more of chocolate. Sasuke stopped before reaching the end of the line.

“Take a look at the menu, being here for the first time can be overwhelming with all the options. If you want, we can buy so pastries as well” He already knew well that she enjoyed sweets very much. “What do you usually get?” Her eyes were glued to the menu reading all the ingredients for each beverage.

“I don’t think you’d like what I get. I get a large Americano with 3 espresso shots and no sugar.” Upon hearing his order Hinata scrunched her nose in a disgusted expression, she looked up at him. “So you drink just…black coffee, willingly?” he couldn’t help but laugh at her disbelieve “My dad drinks it that way too, says that putting anything else in coffee is blasphemy. I once asked for sugar and he got so mad… I hadn’t had coffee since then” Her story left a sour taste in his mouth.

“Maybe I’ll get a large Latte with 3 shots of espresso and one cube of sugar after all…” That conversation made him realize that there was nothing he’d hate more than her believing him and Hiashi had anything in common, he’d drink sweet coffee with milk from now until forever if it meant distancing himself from her father’s image. The change in his order made Hinata smile. “I decided as well, I want a vanilla and cinnamon Frappuccino with almond milk” Sasuke placed their orders and out a few fruit tarts as well. Their lunch date turned to a dinner date as well, which had been the longest period they had spent together in one day, thus making it especially hard when it was time for Sasuke to drop her off. Hinata watched from the hallways window as his car slowly disappeared behind the huge gates of their estate, watching him leave made her heart hurt. She knew Sasuke hated leaving her as well, still, she couldn’t help but feel abandoned.

“Are you back?” Hanabi asked as she exited the library, she probably had just finished one of her classes. All of Hinata’s bitterness towards her sister disappeared, now she only felt pity. Hanabi would be stuck in the house forever and she would be free, it was scary how one’s view on certain events could change so fast. Barely a few days ago Hinata thought she was the one being punished, but now realized it was her sister.

“Yes I’m back” Despite her pitying Hanabi, the two weren’t close enough to offer kind words of encouragement and support. “But I’m a bit tired so I’ll go to sleep”

“He didn’t hit you, did he?” it was barely a whisper, but it made Hinata’s blood boil. Her alliances changed the moment Sasuke treated her nicely, hearing Hanabi badmouth him made her want to scream at her sister, but she didn’t. She turned around slowly and smiled. “He didn’t. He would never. He won’t. he isn’t father, there is nothing about him similar to father” Hinata didn’t stay behind to hear Hanabi’s reply. She ran up the stairs and the moment her bedroom door was closed she called Sasuke, he picked up on the second ring.

“I miss you” The words were out of her mouth before she even realized, but she didn’t regret them. “I miss you” she repeated, to show to Sasuke, to herself that she meant them.

“I miss you too” his voice was softer than she had ever heard it, it was a shame she couldn’t see his expression. She closed her eyes and wished for the weeks to fly by.

________

Despite her newfound freedom in the form of a phone with full access to the internet, Hinata’s days seemed to move slower than ever. The time in-between her ‘dates’ with Sasuke were dragging on forever. She’d talk to Ino on the phone, watch videos, read from an ebook, listen to music, cook and barely 2 or 3 hours of the day would have passed. The highlight of her day was always her chat with Sasuke. Apart from their night calls, they kept texting throughout the day as well, but he was busy with work so his replies were few and far in between. Wasting time and dreaming of her future became her routine, each day seemed to be a carbon copy of the previous one. Not today, however, today was a special day, today she, Mikoto and Ino were going to choose her wedding dress. Hinata was practically bouncing, eager to leave the house, eager to try the dresses on, eager to see herself in white, the dress would be proof not only that the wedding was getting nearer, but also that it was indeed reality and not one of her daydreams.

She had been worried her father wouldn’t have allowed for it, but both Fugaku and Sasuke assure him that Naruto, her future bodyguard, was the best and he would be able to protect the three women for the day. Thankfully her father was just as excited about the wedding and would not go and do anything to potentially ruin his newfound friendship with the Uchiha head.

The plan was for Naruto and Mikoto to get to her house around noon, then they would drive to Ino’s and to the dress shop. After picking up the dress they’d go to eat and see the wedding venue and all the plans Mikoto arranged, to make sure Hinata liked everything and if she didn’t so they could change everything by the wedding which was 3 weeks away. Hinata woke up at 7, unable to contain her longing to be outside, she got dressed up, ate and has spent the last 4 hours pacing around the entrance hall.

When her father passed by her early in the morning he lectured her, telling her how she should behave, be respectful, yet vigilant because ‘people are mean and cruel’ because ‘the shop isn’t on out territory’, because ‘you are always in danger.

Neji also spent about half an hour with her talking about her feelings about the wedding, her impression of Sasuke. Her stories and happiness eased his mind and guilt, for he had not been able to stop the arranged marriage. He truthfully wished for her excitement to never die; he hoped the Uchiha household would be a proper environment for her growth.

The only one in the Hyuuga household that was not on board with the marriage was Hanabi. She continued making remarks about Sasuke’s renowned cruelness, hinting that Hinata would not know happiness in her marriage with him. She constantly asked whether he had any violent tendencies towards her, whether he ignored her, whether he cheated on her. Hinata always tried to not let her words get to her, Sasuke was wonderful and more than she had ever hope for, she had no reason to doubt him, so all of Hanabi’s words never had any impact but annoy her. Hinata always defended Sasuke and Hanabi would answer ‘my foolish sister’, patronizing her, making it seem as if she knew more than Hinata herself. Hinata tried to understand where Hanabi was coming from…all of her life she had hoped to be the heir and now she was. But Hinata’s happiness was yet another source of jealousy for Hanabi, she was slowly realizing that once again, she was the one who had the short end of the stick, thus all of her remarks weren’t for Hinata to believe, but for herself. She tried so hard to convince herself Hinata’s future was bleak and Hanabi had to pity her, not the other way around.

Once again, right before Mikoto and Naruto arrived Hanabi made a remark that hurt Hinata’s feelings, a remark which Hanabi too regretted instantly, her remorse could be read on her face, but her ego stopped her from apologizing. “Make sure you pick a pretty dress Hinata, that’s what you’ll be buried in when he kills you on the wedding night” she said loud and clear, for the servants around to hear, had Hiashi been there he would have punished Hanabi for trying to destroy the Hyuuga-Uchiha Union, but all Hinata did was give her a sad smile and answer with “Good luck to you too little sister” Their relationship could never be fixed, not when jealousy was the primal feeling Hanabi held for her, not when her ego stood in the way of a sincere apology, not when Hinata was resigned and no longer wished to try.

Mikoto came like a hurricane, she entered the house without knocking, she hugged Hinata and kissed both of her cheeks, she complimented her on her dress and make-up. Behind her was a blond young man that gave her a warm smile. “This is Naruto, he will be your bodyguard when you enter the family”

Naruto took a step closer but made no attempt to touch her, he simply smiled wider and bowed his head slightly. “It’s a pleasure to meet and protect you Miss Hinata” Naruto’s use of her name and not of Hyuuga felt odd, but freeing; she wanted to move past this family. She would not forget them, for they were part of her, they made her who she was at that moment, but she wanted to leave them and this variation of herself behind, she wanted to become independent and someone she chose to become.

After picking Ino up the group was ready to go to the dress shop, Mikoto had asked Ino to sit in the front seat for she wanted to talk to Hinata in the back. Hinata couldn’t help but notice her friend’s red cheeks whenever she looked Naruto’s way. Hinata couldn’t tell if the flushness was due to the fact that Naruto was a man Ino had never had contact with when she was young, thus she wasn’t used to his company, or whether her blush had a deeper meaning. In the backseat, Mikoto explained certain details about the wedding preparations, her tone was light and she talked without any formalities. Whenever Hinata answered it was an awkward mix of formal and informal language and she refrained from addressing Mikoto directly, for she didn’t know what to call her, Mrs Uchiha, or was that too formal for someone to be her mother-in-law in 3 weeks? Mikoto, but wasn’t that rude to address in such a manner to an older relative?

Upon reaching the dress shop, the designer working there assured the women that she had reserved the whole shop just for them. She was eager to help and to please any and all of Hinata’s requests. “Call me Sakura!” she said as they met “no need for formalities, after all I am here to help you find what you will be wearing on the most important day of your life”

Hinata tried on 5 dresses before finding ‘the one’. It was perfect in every way possible. The bodice was made entirely of lace that was a bit see-through, thus had white material around the chest area in a heart shape. The skirt was long and flowy but not overly heavy, it had beautiful lace details on the bottom of the skirt and a split on the left leg until above the knee. It was a stunning dress, but so were all the ones before, however, the moment Hinata tried it on, it felt different, it felt right. Seeing herself in the mirror her eyes got a bit misty and in her overflow of emotion turned around to hug Sakura who just finished buttoning the last button at her back. She told her how she felt the dress was the one and Sakura’s eyes got a bit misty too. This is what she did that job for, these moments in which a young woman found her perfect one and only dress to wear on her wedding day, she lived to see the happy tears and all the smiles.

“Stay here for a second, I’ll announce that this is it, this is the dress” She learned in the years of doing this job that whenever an instant click between woman-dress happened it should always be said to the party that came to help pick the dress as well so they would not criticize anything and break the magic spell of the moment. “Hinata found it, her perfect dress” Sakura said just moments before Hinata walked in wearing the most radiant smile ever, Ino screamed and ran to hug her and shower her in compliments, Mikoto watched from the side-line as the three young women discussed how perfect the dress was. After a short while, Hinata turned to Mikoto with bashful red cheeks “What do you think Mrs. Uchiha?”

Mikoto went to her and hugged her close as well. “The dress is perfect, it’s everything I hoped you’d find and more” she made a short pause for she felt this pressure in the back of her throat as id she too was about to cry. “and please, call me mother, I know that the wedding will only be in 3 weeks, but you already are my child Hinata dear” Mikoto’s kindness and warmth only made Hinata cry more. Naruto watched with a smile the whole event, he too liked Hinata from what he had seen of her, he was glad his friend was lucky enough for the arranged marriage to lead him to her. Even before he met Hinata he saw Sasuke’s expression when talking about her, he heard the soft tone in which he spoke about her and could tell that his friend held a deep affection for his fiancé.

After the dress picking event, Hinata asked for Sakura’s number to call her in the instance of the dress needing anything done day-of the wedding, that was the excuse anyway, in reality, she simply felt as if the moment they shared in the dressing room was special and wanted to try and keep in contact with her. Their next destination was the wedding hall, followed by other shops to get the wedding shoes, jewellery and her second wedding outfit in which she would change after their first dance. Just like the days in which she had dates with Sasuke, the time flew by and soon enough it was dark outside and time for them to return. After dropping Ino off, instead of driving back to the Hyuuga estate, Naruto took a sudden left turn which led to Hinata’s confusion, doubt and for the smallest second fear. Mikoto placed her hand on her knee and smiled at her, letting her know there was nothing to be afraid of. Despite being quite late, it wasn’t dark out yet, the summer sun refused to set.

The car stopped in front of a restaurant Hinata knew. “Are we getting dinner as well?” She was wondering why did they drop Ino off, maybe Mikot had something to discuss with her in private? Before she could come up with any other speculations, her car door opened and a familiar face greeted her with a smirk on. Her heart started beating faster the moment her eyes met Sasuke’s. She placed her hand in his and was smoothly pulled out of the car and into his arms. “Thank you, mother for dropping her off.” He said and then nodded towards Naruto expressing his thanks to him silently. Hinata was still in a daze and looking up at him as if he was a mere hallucination.

“I finished work earlier and Naruto told me you guys were still out so I asked him to bring you to me” He explained the situation to her and ushered her towards the entrance of the restaurant. It was the same restaurant in which they ate that pasta, out of all the things they tried together those were her favourite. Looking up at Sasuke Hinata kept wondering how Ino could expect her not to fall for him when he treated her this way, he had brought her more joy than she had experienced in her whole life, the memories she had of him were her favourite. He was slowly and steadily becoming the centre of her universe.

Since the moment they got seated and he reached out to hold her hand and slowly brush her wrist with his thumb, Hinata had been fighting the urge to simply utter ‘I love you’. Was it too fast? They met about 2 months ago, they went on dates about twice a week maybe three times if Sasuke’s work allowed for that, however they talked daily, her thoughts were filled with him. She wasn’t confused, these feelings might have started as gratitude for being saved, but they were romantic, she was in love with him, that much she knew. Sasuke noticed how distracted she was during their meal, she barely complimented the chef, but he decided not to pry yet, however, her silence during their walk after dinner bothered him more than he cared to admit. He loved how her eyes sparkled when she spoke about things she loved. She stopped walking and turned to face her, cupping her face in his hands, her eyes fluttered shut for a moment. She looked so lovely, and so utterly small and fragile, he would protect her with everything he had, he would help her build her strength enough to be able to protect herself, but even then, when she was capable, he’d do everything in his power to destroy anything that posed as a threat to her, whether physical, emotional or mental.

“What’s the matter Hinata? You’ve been in deep thought all night” he had been excited to hear all about her day, Naruto kept him updated every hour, but hearing the events from her would have been much more entertaining. Hinata looked into his eyes longingly, he wasn’t sure what she wanted but whatever it was he would give it to her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in.

“I have been...thinking whether I should tell you something the whole night and I cannot seem to find the right answer, what do you think I should do?” her eyes were still closed, too scared to see his reaction. Sasuke was the one confused now, why would she be struggling in such a manner? She should always tell him everything, anything no matter how trivia, he wanted to know every single thought that went on in her mind.

Sasuke took a step closer to her, their bodies were almost touching and he was still affectionately holding her face. “I think you should tell me; I think you should always tell me everything” Hinata’s heart was beating out of her chest, she was scared to look into his eyes as she said it, but she wanted to see him as she said it too. Choosing to be brave today, choosing to believe that Sasuke would catch her when she fell, Hinata opened her eyes, placed both of her hands over his on her face and smiled.

“Ok, I will tell you” Her mind was made, but she still needed a second to compose herself. “I love you”

The feeling Hinata had when putting the dress on was similar to what Sasuke experienced upon hearing those words, however, the magnitude of his feeling was much stronger, it felt as if the planets aligned, as if all the events ever in the world and its history happened as they did in order to lead to this very moment. A star exploded that lead to the creation of a galaxy, to the creation of a planet, to the creation of humanity, all for this one single moment.

He had not thought in depth about his feelings for Hinata, not because he didn’t want to admit them, but rather because it was unknown territory, but the moment she uttered the words he knew them to be true on his side as well. “I’m glad” he answered, his voice cracked so he cleared his throat. “I’m glad you decided to tell me” Hinata’s smile was stunning, she had told him and he was happy, he was moved, she could see a myriad of emotions in his eyes, all slowly falling into place. Sasuke wanted to say the words back but felt oddly fearful and uncertain, he had never experienced that level of awkwardness. “I do too” he muttered feeling defeated, he had chickened out and took a shortcut, but he will try to work harder, he will be able to express his feelings.

Hinata wasn’t mad or sad or disappointed by his answer, she could tell he was trying his best and if she were honest, it was lovely seeing him be the flustered one for a change. They were still in the same position, their faces close to each other, so Hinata once again took the initiative and raised on her tip-toes and kissed him, it was merely a peck. She knew the Uchiha traditions now and wished to follow them thus not being able to fully kiss him, however, the moment felt monumental enough for a small peck to be excused, plus nobody would ever know.

Sasuke stared at her for a moment longer, she was such a complex antithesis, she was weak yet strong, afraid yet brave, clueless yet intelligent, and everything about her made him glad for all the decisions he ever took that led him to her. He was thankful to his father which without even realizing he showed, since his and Hinata’s engagement was announced he and Fugaku have been getting along much better, everything at work went smoother and he often worked harder and faster in order to get a day off to spend with her. Hinata too helped him, their relationship was equally beneficial to both, they both took and both gave.

________

All of the final preparations for the wedding were coming along beautifully, the big event was the next day, but for Hinata even that was too long, the past three months had felt longer than her whole life before her engagement. Everything was better in the Hyuuga household, Neji and her were closer than ever, for he was finally able to be fully honest with her and she too was much happier and open. Her father mostly left her alone, apart from a small incident in which he admitted that he had spoken to her doctors to have her fertility tested almost half a year ago when he and Fugaku were first talking about the union, the test came back positive, but Hinata still felt like that was a huge invasion of her privacy and complained to Sasuke, who in turn argued with both of the older men, but the deed was long done and there wasn’t much he could do but think even lower of Hiashi and treat his father coldly for a while, until Hinata assure him that she had moved past that issue. Even Hanabi stopped her remarks after the incident on the wedding-dress day. After choosing the dress she and Mikoto went out to spend time together a few more times, she even met up separately with Ino and Sakura twice. When Hinata talked about her new friendship with Sasuke he was, in her words ‘delighted’; Sasuke had hoped for the wedding dress girl to become Hinata’s friend after she first told him about her. He had wanted her to have a friend that was well-versed into normality in order to help Hinata at times navigate society, however, he wished for that friendship to bloom naturally, sure he could have done as others would, namely bribe someone into being her friend, but that would only cause issues later, plus being close to Hinata is payment enough.

The weekend before the wedding Hinata was invited to have dinner at the Uchiha estate, she and Mikoto were already very close, however, Fugaku still scared her a little while Itachi seemed nice, but maybe a bit cold and detached, unwilling to fully interact with this world. He reminded her a little of herself when she still lived at the Hyuuga household. Being able to form that connection, after dinner she sought him out and talked to him alone, trying to relate his feelings with her own. Itachi wanted to be freed from his family much like she did, however, the ties keeping him there were much stronger, he loved all of his family but could not fully function and integrate into their world of organized crime.

After her talk to Itachi ended, Fugaku apologized for breaching her privacy and welcomed her to the family. She knew how much that meant, her father had never apologized for anything, so she could only imagine how hard it must have been for Fugaku to step over his pride and ego, she appreciated it more than she let on.

The night before the wedding Hinata had a dream, in that dream, she and Sasuke were laying together on a bed just looking at each other while holding themselves close, she felt at peace with her surroundings and Sasuke’s eyes on her made her feel seen and loved. The whole dream was peaceful, they sit in silence, then talk a little followed by kisses and laughs, which would quiet down to silence and the circle would start anew.

When her servants woke her up at 5 am, she wasn’t annoyed as she normally would have been before any other event, she had taken with her the peacefulness of her dream, she had waited so long for this day it almost felt like this was just another dream too, but the scrubbing her servants did during her bath stung, letting her know that this was reality, the happiness she felt was going to be a constant, for Sasuke will make sure to keep her smiling throughout their whole lives.

Unlike the preparations for other events in which Hinata didn’t particularly care about her looks, she was very specific this time around, she and Mikoto picked together her hairstyle too, her makeup colours and every little detail. Time seemed to dilate at times and a minute felt like an eternity, while other times it felt as if it were on fast-forward, she’d close her eyes for a second and a full hour would have passed.

By 9 am she was completely done, looking at herself in the mirror she remembered the day the engagement was announced, how picturing herself next to Sasuke felt strange, but now, picturing herself without him felt unnatural, her brain and heart finally agreed and they both knew Sasuke was her everything, he would be the one and only to ever stand by her side. While she was admiring herself in the mirror Neji walked in, telling her it was time to go to the church, the wedding was about to begin.

Nothing could ruin her perfect day, not even Hiashi holding her hand proudly as he walked her down the aisle, not even Hanabi refusing to make eye contact with her, all she could see and all that mattered was Sasuke at the end of the red rug, standing tall and handsome. Everything that had happened before in her life almost didn’t matter, this was the moment her life began. She barely heard anything the priest said, her answers were mostly done on auto-pilot, only when it was the moment for the rings to be exchanged did her eyes water, hearing Sasuke say ‘I do’ was a memory she’ll treasure forever. Their first official kiss was short, much shorter than she had hoped it would be, but even that didn’t ruin her mood, for she had walked inside a Hyuuga and left an Uchiha.

It was during their first dance that Sasuke whispered “I love you” he softly into her ear, only for her alone to hear, it had taken him a bit longer than her but he got to the point in which he could express his feeling in words too, for he had told her he loved her countless times with his actions alone. “I love you too” she replied and pulled his face to her for a kiss, not caring remotely that people were watching her. She would not be punished for causing a scene, Hiashi had no more power over her and Sasuke would never cage her or treat her like an inferior. She had the freedom to do whatever she wanted, and her first choice was to kiss her husband in front of all of those people on her wedding night.

@sasuhinamonth

[bruhstories]

I Swear It

Summary: He didn't hate you — you just happened to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

Pairing: Reiner Braun x Fem!Reader Warnings & Content: language, slightly ooc!Reiner in the beginning (I think), unprotected sex, fingering, oral sex (male receiving), so much angst, slight dubcon. Word Count: 1.8 k

A/N: What’s this, two one-shots in a day? Best not get greedy lmao, but this is the saddest piece I’ve written so far. I’m gonna have to give Reiner some good things in the future.

Reiner was done. He was so sick and tired of the fighting, the war, the discrimination. He didn't want his little cousin to inherit the Armoured Titan, but he didn't want Falco to have it either. He hadn't slept in days — whenever he closed his eyes the faces of the people he'd killed popped in his mind, giving him terrifying nightmares. He could blow his brains out, the appeal of suicide enticing him like a mirage in a desert. But then there was you, the kindest woman he'd ever met and the best doctor in Marley. You treated him with so much compassion that his mind thought you were playing disgusting psychological tricks on him. You weren't an Eldian, yet you treated Eldians with respect. You were the only person, aside from his family, who anchored Reiner back into reality, and the only reason he didn't end it all was because he wanted to see your radiating smile again.

When Marley took Fort Slava, you were there, patching up soldiers, good as new, your Y/H/C clipped back, dirt, sweat and blood on your beautiful face. When the army returned to Marley, you were there, carrying soldiers with other nurses, managing the hospital and taking care of the injured. Reiner took lives, like an angel of death, while you fixed the unfixable, like an angel of life. But you happened to walk in on the titan shifter at the worst possible time, gun in his mouth, tears on his cheeks, dishevelled and broken. Instead of your usual smile, he was greeted by shock and anxiety and he dropped the gun, arms hanging by his sides, eyes exhausted. You closed the door behind you and brought a chair from the corner of the room, no words spoken until you sat down in front of him.

"Give me the gun, Reiner." You urged him, voice meek but demanding.

"No." Traces of anger in his voice, you extended your hand, palm facing upwards.

"Please, just give me the gun and we can talk-"

"Talk?" The man mocked you, fingers tracing the barrel. "When did that ever help?"

"It does help if you give it a chance." You tried but he wouldn't listen. Head tilted slightly to his left side, he pointed the gun at you.

"They don't have guns on Paradis."

"R-really?" You stuttered, eyes glued to the gun, heart almost beating out of your chest. "What do they have there?"

"Families. Children. Loved ones." Reiner scoffed. "And lots of corpses. All because of me."

"It's not because of you-"

"Are you sure, Y/N?" He lunged at you, pressing the gun into your temple. "You weren't there to see it, to hear their screams of terror." The man walked behind you and you heard the key click in the door, the hairs at the back of your head standing up.

"That's why you need to talk about it." You tried again, too afraid to turn around.

"Why, so you can tell your superiors?" Reiner propped the gun at the back of your head. Panic instilled in you and you let the tears you've been holding back to roll down your face.

"So you can let it all out." You told him between sobs.

"Let it out, huh? No, Y/N, talking's not gonna help." And then you heard it — the zipper of his beige uniform trousers coming undone. "Take your shirt off."

"Reiner..." But the gun pressed harder.

"I said take your fucking shirt off."

You didn't have much of a choice and your trembling hands moved to the first button of your white shirt. Reiner walked back to the chair, gun still pointed at you.

"You don't have to do this-"

"Why did you have to be a Marleyan?" He cut you off and your eyes found his, confused at the question. "Better yet, why did I have to fall in love with the wrong person?" The second question caught you severely off guard, but you saw an opportunity when he lowered the gun, his grip around the handle loosening. You propped your hands on the chair and with all your gathered strength, you kicked the gun out of his hand, the weapon sliding under the hospital bed. You both stared at each other in confusion for a good second before you both dashed to grab the gun, your thinner arm reaching the weapon quicker.

"One missed shot and every man you saved dies." Reiner threatened as you aimed the gun at his head, your shirt unbuttoned, allowing him to see your exposed bra.

"Take your shirt off, Reiner."

"What?"

"You heard me." You lowered the weapon, pointing it at his chest. "You were right." You watched him like a hawk, brow quirked at his perfectly sculpted torso. "Talking isn't going to help." You threw the gun on the bed and leaped into his arms, pulling him into a ravaging kiss, careful not to draw any blood from the way you bit his lower lip.

"Why?" Reiner asked, pushing you onto the bed, fingers digging into your shoulders.

"Why what?" You asked back, fumbling with the belt.

"Why didn't you just leave? You had the upper hand." He sank his head into the curve of your neck, hungry kisses tingling your skin.

"Because," two fingers gently pushed his chin upwards and you looked him in the eye, "I also fell in love with the wrong person."

"Y/N, I'm so sorry... I don't know what's gotten into me."

"Hey, hey, it's alright." You looped your arms around his shoulders, pulling him into a comforting embrace. "You're a warrior, Reiner. I've seen exactly what this war is doing to people, good people." Your chin rested on his shoulder, your hand gently caressing his back. "But please, promise me you'll never point a gun at yourself. Promise you'll talk to me."

"I swear it." He pulled back from your arms and kissed your forehead. Your hands moved from his shoulders, down his abdomen and stopped at his bulge. "Can I... can I make love to you?"

"Yes."

Reiner's hand tugged at your bra, pulling it down slightly, enough for your breasts to bounce out of it. He took one of your nipples in his mouth and you threw your head back, your fingers trying desperately to unclasp the stupid belt. He laughed at your struggle, the sounds vibrating against your skin, and undid it himself, his trousers and underwear pooling at his knees. You lifted your skirt up and spread your legs, offering Reiner the view he'd so strongly desired. His eyes darted at the wet spot on your white panties and hunger filled his gaze. You pulled the undergarments off of you as he pressed gentle kisses on your knees.

"You're so beautiful, Y/N. I'll never understand why you chose to fall in love with me." The man's hand snaked around your thigh, his other palming your wet folds.

"I can't choose who to fall in love with, Reiner, but if I could, it would still be you." You smiled, your lips quickly turning into an O as he gently pushed one finger into your cunt. You didn't know how much your words meant to him, how they fought with his desire to die. Another finger and you flexed your muscles, hands gripping the sheets on the bed.

"Fuck, you're so wet." Reiner marvelled your spasms. You were definitely not his first woman, you'd sometimes spot him at brothels as sorrow filled your soul, but you were definitely the first woman he loved.

"Please..." You whimpered and he shot up, worried he'd hurt you. "Please make love to me, Reiner..." You begged him, eyelids drooping and thirst in your voice. His cheeks flushed crimson, albeit being used to prostitutes asking him to fuck them, but they weren't you. They never were. He positioned himself between your supple thighs, cock hard and eager to thrust into you. Reiner looked at you, as if waiting for approval, and you nodded, your hands gripping his muscular arms. He pushed the tip first and stopped as your walls stretched and adjusted to the girth, then thrusted some more. The expression plastered on your face encouraged him not to stop and he found a pace comfortable for both of you. His hands were propped onto the bed, your head between them and you looked him in his amber eyes. They didn't do a good job at hiding the pain and trauma he's been through, but it showed to you that he was only human. Not the spear and shield of Marley, not the Armoured Titan, but Reiner Braun, the man whose wounds you treated, the man you grew close to, the man you missed, the man you loved.

"Shit, you're so tight." He whispered in your ear and you wrapped your legs around his waist, telling him to go faster. You weren't a virgin by any means. In fact, you tried being in a relationship with a Marleyan while he was gone to Paradis Island, but you couldn't keep up with the charade and broke it off in less than two months. His thrusts made you realise who you truly belonged to, and it was none other than him.

"Reiner, I–"

"Love you." The man admitted as you came undone all over his cock, your fingers digging deeper into his arms. He stopped thrusting, instead he held you close to his chest. You felt his beating heart and tears formed at the corners of your eyes, knowing that your love was meant to be kept a secret.

"I love you, too." You told him, your forehead resting on his collarbone. None of you dared to move, afraid that the only moment of peace you both had in a very long time might end. Your head pushed harder into his chest, forcing Reiner to lean on his back as you removed yourself from his cock. You moved backwards on all fours, hovering over his member, tears falling on his naked body.

"What are you doing, Y/N?"

"I wish we could have a family together." You told him before taking him into your mouth. His head tilted to the side, realising that you made a smart choice by finishing him off with your mouth. Had he spilled his seed into you, you'd both be dead. Reiner's breath hitched as your head bobbed up and down faster, faster. The hot liquid tickled your throat and you swallowed every last drop, not wanting to risk anything.

"This isn't going to end well..." The man sighed.

"I know."

He leaned forward and embraced you, his touch needy yet grateful. You returned the embrace, quietly sobbing into his arms.

"I want you to know that I'll always love you." Reiner stated, and it felt like a promise.

"Please, come back to me. Whatever happens, come back to me, Reiner Braun."

"I swear it."

[thesweetestkimberry]

Beach Day

Pairings: Hanta Sero x Reader

Summary: 1-A goes to the beach, a day that began with insecurities and mishaps turned into a night of new love and acceptance.

Warnings: OOC characters, Mineta being a perv, might be some curses?, mentions of stretch marks and insecurities of the body

Notes: SO this was kinda written with a fuller body in mind because I have one, and a lot of the time I struggle with accepting my body. It’s not a huge factor in the story but it is there. I hope this story kind of helps you forget those insecurities for a bit.

『° 。✰˚⋆☾⋆。✰°』

“How come you’re still wearing your clothes (y/n)?” Uraraka asked sincerely as you tensed, shooting her a nervous smile, “I’ll take it off in a bit! I just wanna get situated.” You said taking a sip of your drink from your spot on the sand. You and Mina had set up underneath a large umbrella, putting your towels side by side and arranging your belongings.

“She’s just insecure.” Mina said, making you flick sand at her while she laughed, “Whaaat!?” The girls shouted, “You have nothing to be insecure about!” Momo tried, making your mind race,

“That’s what I keep telling her!” Mina once again interjected. It took all your will to not find a way to zip his trap with your quirk. “American and Japanese ideas on the body may be different, but that doesn’t mean yours is bad.” Tsuyu said in her usual blunt manner making you sulk,

“And with that new bathing suit Toru and Mina picked out, I’m sure you’ll look great!” Jiro said shooting you a thumbs up as her earphones waved. Knowing you weren’t gonna win this, you sighed, “Okay, but only for a bit.” You said as you began to remove your shirt and shorts.

The girls twittered amongst each other about how you looked, which made you insecure about your body. Your fingers subconsciously raced over the stretch marks on your stomach, breasts, and thighs, your mind shooting to what the ones on the back of your arms and thighs looked like. 

 Finally stepping out from under the umbrella, you tried to cross your arms over your stomach, which was softer than the skinny toned girls in your class. The pink girl huffed and tried tickling you to get you to ease up, tickling you to do so and as a result of your laughter, heads began to turn, and some stared a lot longer than you would’ve liked.

Suddenly you heard a loud SMACK, the boys who were playing volleyball winced and groaned. Turning your attention towards them, you saw Sero with a quickly reddening imprint of the volleyball on his face, making you cringe.

Kaminari patted Sero on the back and laughed, “That’s what you get for staring.” He joked, making the boy flush. “Don’t act like you guys didn’t look!” He yelled loudly making them all tense as you looked over. They all threw their quirks at him, either shocking, singeing, or freezing him.

You quickly turned away when the girls called you over again to join them in the water, which you had agreed too, since you usually swim far enough for the water to reach up to your chest. You and Tsuyu swam for a while, the other girls played with a beach ball on the other hand, laughing and splashing water at each other.

Suddenly, you froze and shrieked.

“Something touched me!” You yelled as you frantically looked around, Asui tilting her head curiously. “Was it some seaweed?” She asked you as you wiped the water off of your face,

“No no, like, something touched my ass!” You said as she disappeared into the water, probably to look around.

After about a minute, you heard splashing and yelling. Looking over in that direction, you saw Asui break the surface and come out holding Mineta with her tongue. Swimming over to the shore and shaking him

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” You said exasperated as he trashed in her hold, swimming back to shore to meet her. “I think this is the piece of trash that touched you.” She muttered as best as she could with her tongue sticking out.

“Hey let me go! I’m thorry it was just out there! You know you thouldn't be wearing thomething like that if you didn’t want anyone to touch you!” Mineta said aloud making you cover yourself as best as you could with your hands, even pulling down the bottoms to cover your ass that was barely poking out.

“The hell you say scumbag?” You heard an aggressive voice say, making you flinch. “He touched (y/n)!” Mina shouted as she came to console you, seeing how you had gotten.

“Give me the scumbag, Frog.” Bakugou said with a chilling smirk making your skin crawl. Asui did as he asked and tossed the kid at him, Bakugou caught him by the head effortlessly, careful to avoid actually grabbing his quirk. Mineta thrashed and cried out, pleading for help while everyone turned a blind eye.

“I'm about to win this game you damn extras.” Bakugou said as he ran back to the court, everyone following. 

Getting into position to serve, he threw Mineta up into the air as he screamed. The blonde ran up and jumped into the air, and spiked the screaming student using his quirk, sending Mineta over the net and creating a mini crater in the sand.

The other girls cheered while you winced, still covering your body. “Hey, you okay?” A voice behind you spoke. You turned around to see Sero, still adorning the bright red mark on his face, 

“Yeah.” You said with a small chuckle, reaching out to hold his face. He blushed as you examined the injury, noticing that you were very close to his face. “Check out this new spell that I found.” You said as you closed your eyes and focused on him, chanting some spell quietly, you then looked back up at him and smiled.

You gently bounced in your spot, making Sero notice how the air dried your hair, adding beach waves to your hair. “What’d that do?” He asked rubbing the back of his head, You pulled a small compact mirror from your bag nearby and showed him his reflection,

“Oh shit! You healed it?” He asked as he poked at his face, only making him flinch and gasp in response. “I only made the visual injury disappear, the pain is still here.” You said as he gently poked his face still. 

“It’s kinda useless, I know.” You said looking down dejectedly, but Sero quickly and gently grabbed your chin and tilted it up to look at you. “Nonono, it’s great! It’s pretty cool actually.” He said with his contagious smile. Realizing what he did, the two of you blushed, but before you could say something Kaminari cut between you two, 

“Leave room for the holy spirit.” He said leaving you two at about 3 feet apart, both laughing.

When the day began to darken and the air turned chilly, you all bundled up and started a bonfire with the help of Todoroki’s quirk. S’mores were made and stories were told and laughter was flowing. Everyone was having a great time, and you and Sero couldn't help the glances you two would share.

You later found yourself separating from the group and walking along the shore, feeling how your feet left imprints in the sand. 

“Mind if I join you?” A voice came from behind you, the wet sand concealing his nervous approach. You turned with a smile at the newcomer, nodding as you turned back around, “Of course. What draws you over here Sero?” You ask once he takes his place next to you, the boy in question shyly rubbed the back of his neck, 

“Well, you.” He mumbled, head turned away from you, obscuring his answer. You turned to him and asked him to repeat what he said, making him fluster, “W-Whales, you know?”

You chucked at how quickly he answered, turning back around and craning your neck up to the sky, “I don't think we’ll see any whales, but we can see the stars.” You say as the boy turned to look at you, seeing as though you had stopped walking. “They’re beautiful.” You whisper.

Sero looks at your hand that rested at your side, empty and waiting, practically begging for him to take it into his own. 

And that's exactly what he did. 

At the feeling of his hand in your own, you turned your attention to the blushing boy, your face turning into the same shade. “Sero?...” He swallows the nervousness he had gotten stuck in his throat, preventing him from speaking properly. “(y/n), we’ve been friends for a while, but I found myself wanting to be more than that.” Realizing where this was going, you stepped closer and squeezed his hand.

“You're beautiful, and I don't just mean physically. Your everything is beautiful! Your eyes, your smile, your personality. Not to mention you're so strong in so many ways! Your quirk, your reason to become a hero, the way you just exist is an amazing thing alone,” he rambled, words nearly blending together, your brain nearly frying to keep up with what he was trying to say.

“But why me?” You whisper more to yourself, only for him to hear you, “what do you mean?” He asks lifting your chin so his eyes could meet your glossy ones, “I don’t look like Momo, or-or Mina,” you begin, not looking directly at him in shame, “I’m not pretty like the other girls in our class im-” Sero cut you off with a hug, “Stop that, I don’t want Momo or Mina, I want you. It’s you who distracted me earlier from the volleyball, it’s you who I imagine holding close, your body is beautiful and you know why?” He asks holding you at an arms length to get a good look at you, as you shook your head, “It’s beautiful because it’s yours.”

You stare at Sero with wide eyes, admiring how cute a blush looked on his face, “Look what i'm trying to say is-” grabbing his cheeks and planting your lips on his, his eyes widened for a second, hands flying up in surprise, only for his eyes to begin fluttering closed as you deepened the kiss, his hands finding their place on your waist and pulling you in. With chests against each other, you both could practically feel how hard your hearts were beating, almost threatening to burst out of your chests.

He groaned against your lips when he felt you begin to pull away, making you giggle at his reaction, “can I finish my sentence next time?” He joked, eyes still shut in bliss, “maybe you just talk too much,” you quip back, now meeting his eyes, “I mean if that's your way of getting me to shut up then I'll just never stop talking.” 

The ocean stretched to where the two of you were, the surprisingly warm water sending a shiver through both of your bodies. “So, would you want to maybe go out? Maybe be my girlfriend?” He asks lightly squeezing your sides, making you sigh contently. “Not maybe,” you begin, pulling him down to another kiss, however you stop just as you feel his breath fan over you, “definitely.”

“Thank you Hanta.”

『° 。✰˚⋆☾⋆。✰°』

[zu-is-here]

{Our Love is Stronger}

(part 1)

Inspired by X-orcist story

X-orcist by @help-im-a-gay-fish and @zu-is-here

Cross!Sans by @jakei95

Dream by @jokublog

Shattered Dream by @shattereddreamsau

(This story is a continuation of Love and Passion by @zu-is-here ) (⚠️ Warning: contains grammar errors, OOC intensified, suggestive stuffs, totally incorrect exorcisms and other religious things ⚠️)

Written by @diofasolia

    It is supposed to be like any normal day. The optimistic skeleton comes over to Cross' place, hanging out with him.

    When do they become such close friend? Cross can't really remember. But there's something that he'd admit it.

    At some point, the feelings toward Dream slowly turns into something else.

    Something seems to be more deeper than their friendship. Something makes the priest's heart skip a beat whenever he sees the sunny skeleton smile.

    Something might be called…love?

    Cross freaks out. Yes, he does witness many beautiful weddings as the identity of the marriage officiant, watching lovers say their vows and then kiss each other while holding their partner in a tight embrace.

    However, the concept of love is still a haze to the skeleton.

    He's grown up in a messed up family, commiting many despicable things in his juvenile years.

    What is love? Does he love Dream? Or is it just a spark of attraction that'll eventually diminish away?

    What if he's only attracted to Dream because of physical desires?

    The priest's brain crams with doubts. Thus, he tries to conceal any unwanted feelings towards the cheerful skeleton. It's not an easy job for Cross yet he manage to hide his emotions well.

    And that may also be the reason why him gets the chance to lure Cross into his traps.

    "You don't have to be so tense anymore, Cross. That demon is already gone and my health is completely restore now!"

   Letting out a inaudible sigh, Cross forms a small smile on his face.

    "I know, Dream. I'm just a bit stressful lately."

    The voice of Dream's always sounds soothing to the priest. Indeed, he should listen to the optimistic skeleton and quit being on edge all the time.

    If only things can be that easy.

    "Are you sure you're all alright? There are dark circles under your eyes, Cross. I can leave if you don't feel well—"

    "No! I mean, I'm okay."

    "I'll…go make some tea for us."

    Quickly making his way to the kitchen, Cross tries to calm down his thumping soul. He doesn't know why he suddenly be in a state of agitation as soon as Dream says he's gonna leave the house.

    It's not like he won't be back once he walk out from the door. It's not like he's going to leave Cross.

    He helps Dream get rid of that terrible demon. He's a supportive friend, a successful exorcist, just like what Dream always tells him.

    As long as Cross keeps those secrets to himself, nothing will go wrong—

    "Ah!!"

    The boiling water spills on the priest's hand, snapping him out of his thoughts.

    What is he thinking?! He can't hide the truth from Dream forever! That's unethical!

    But if he told Dream…if he revealed what kind of disgusting things he had done…

    Cross stiffens. He hates to think about the consequences of telling the truth. The very thought of Dream looks at him with disgust frightens him.

    "Cross! I heard you screams in the kitchen! Is everything alright? Are you hurt?"

    Someday he'll tell Dream what he had done.

    "Don't worry! I'm fine! Just a bit distracted by an annoy fly!"

    But not today. 

    Cross is not ready for Dream to walk out from his life yet.

    "…and that man just suddenly blurt out, 'Sir! I think you'll be a perfect role of our newest project!!', He looks at me with so much enthusiastic! Pfft!! Can you imagine it, Cross? Me being an actor in an actual movie?"

    "Well, if you really do become an actor, I'll be your top one fans!"

    The priest letting out a hearty chuckle as he says with a joking demeanor. Holding a cup of steaming tea, Cross can see a faint yellowish hue dusts on Dream's bone cheeks. 

    "R…really? Wow, that's so nice of you, Cross!"

    There it is, the sweet smile that Cross loves so much. 

    "I'm your best buddy, Dream! Of course I'll support you on anything!"

    Though it's subtle, Cross notices that Dream's smile seems to falter a little.

    Does he accidentally say something wrong? Before Cross can ask any questions, the optimistic skeleton speaks up.

    "Cross,"

    Dream calls out the priest's name in a serious voice. Being taken aback by how the skeleton that currently sits beside him sounds, Cross gazes at Dream nervously.

    The funny thing is, Dream also looks at Cross with an anxious expression. A fluttering feeling occurs in Cross' soul when Dream holds his hands all of a sudden.

    "I know it's not suitable for me to say this…but I have to…it's killing me for not to express how I feel…"

    Gazing directly into Dream's eyes, Cross can sense his non-existent heart pounding against his ribs as Dream continuing his words.

    "You have no idea how much you mean to me, Cross. You're not only my friend but also my savior. You save my life and always stay by my side whenever I need you."

    Colors of sunshine seems to spread on Dream's face. It's so gorgeous that Cross can barely look away.

    "What I want to say is…I see you more than a friend. I understand it's inappropriate due to your identity. But I…I just…I……"

    The priest feels like his whole being is burning. Is it real? Is the skeleton in front of him actually confessing to him now?

    "I…Cross…I…"

    It's like a dream come true.

    "I lov—"

    A high pitched, painfully shriek abruptly comes out from Dream's mouth.

    "Dream?! Dream!!" 

    Clutching the arms of Dream's, the priest can sense that the skeleton shrivers pretty badly.

    "What happened?! Are you alright?!"

    "I don't…I don't know…I…Cross, I feel…dizzy…"

    Dream goes out like a light and nearly collapses on the floor if Cross hasn't caught him. The priest's mind flys into a panic mode as he lays the unconscious skeleton on the couch.

    What's going on? Why does Dream faint all of a sudden? Does he catch a cold without telling Cross? Oh no, is it because of the tea he makes for Dream? Many possibilities run through Cross' brain when he hears a shuffling from the coach.

    "Dream?"

    The worrying skeleton watches as Dream slowly sits up from his laying spot with a slouching posture. Still concerning about Dream's condition, Cross suggesting the skeleton who just awakes to rest on the couch for a bit.

    Much to the priest's surprise, Dream hugs him tightly without muttering any words. They're so close to each other that Cross blushes when he feel Dream breathes next to his skull.

    "You sure you're okay? Dream, I think you should—"

    "Nah, I like it more when our body press near to each other."

    Something is off.

    "What's wrong? Why do you stop patting my back? Keep doing it, it feels good."

    No.

    That familiar dark tone…

    Hastily pushing off Dream, Cross wobbly stands up and back away from the now grinning skeleton.

    It can't be…

    "You…!"

    The priest is at a loss for words while Dream approaching him with spreading arms.

    "Why are you so tense? It's just me, your soon-to-be lover! Don't you want to jump into my arms and make—"

    "Shut up!!"

    Finally get back to his senses, Cross grabs one of the metal cross that is hanging on the wall. His sweaty hands trembling due to the overwhelmed fright.

    "Stay back!! You evil creature!! You're not Dream! I shall banish you from this world and I demand you to leave the innocent soul alone!!"

"Banish? Haven't you already done that years ago? It's really taken a toll on me back then! But as you can see, it's not a big deal to me anymore."

With a cruel laugh, Dream, no, the demon tugs down the collar of his shirt.

    "Guess your faith and mind are not as strong as you think they are, little priest."

Struggling to resist the heated sensation on his face, Cross yells loudly.

    "What are you doing?! I command you to—"

    "Oh, come on, Crossy. Do we have to go through this act every time?"

    The clothes on Dream has been loosen up to the point that the priest can see those ivory ribs clearly. Standing before him, the demon whispers in a tempting voice.

    "You can't resist me. Don't lie to yourself, you want this. You want to feel Dream underneath you."

    It's so hard to think straight when the voice of Dream keeps ringing in Cross' ear bones. That's not him, the priest clutches the metal cross, attempting to block the alluring enticement.

    "I won't be lured by you again."

    "Such a confident words! But we both know that's not true."

    The demon brushes his hands against the priest's cheekbones while Cross taking every ounce of his willpower not to shiver under the touch.

    "You always give in to me. You say you don't want to do this yet you make no attempt to stop me now."

    No! Don't listen to him!

    "Forget all your troubles, Crossy. Just like how I tell you before, we're only helping each other. You get what you want and I get what I need."

    Every word, every lingering touch feels like drug to Cross.

    He can't! Cross screams to himself. He can't fall under the temptation again! He can't let his own desires hurt Dream once again!

    "You're worrying about your sweet Dream, right? Don't be. He hasn't notice a thing. Your dirty little secrets will be safe with me."

    The metal cross in the priest's hand feels somehow heavier.

    "I don't…want to lie anymore."

    Cross hasn't figured out that he's actually crying until he utters out the sentence. How pathetic, a priest whimpering in front of a demon.

    Maybe he's just as weak as the demon describes. Cross releases a shaking breath when he feels something slimy across his cervical bones.

    "Everybody lies, Cross. It's not a sin. Even Dream lies too. Some secrets better stay in the dark, right?"

    "But…"

    "What do you think it's gonna happen when you tell your dear Dream the truth?"

    The demon forces Cross to glance at him directly while taunting the priest.

    "Oh, poor naive Dream! He's going to be heartbroken when he finds out that the very person he falls in love with is also the one who hurts him the most!!"

    "I wonder what kind of expression will appear on his face! You don't want to lie anymore? Haven't you realize yet, little priest?"

    "You've past the point of no return."

    A clank noise rings in the air as the metal cross dropping on the floor. Cross shuts his eyes, feeling the hands roam freely on his torso. How he wishes he can deny all the facts of that the demon says.

    Dream will definitely hate him if he reveal the truth.

    He'll lose Dream. He'll lose the person who confesses his love to him.

    Images of the sunny skeleton flashes before the priest. Cross feels delighted whenever he's around Dream.

    He wants Dream to be truly happy with him too.

     There's no point if their love is basic on a facade.

    If Dream is in love with a selfish liar…

    Then Cross will rather shatter the beautiful deception with his own hands.

    Taking a deep breath, the priest pulls the skeleton closer to him and gradually setting both of them on to the ground.

    "Great, you finally decide to ditch your boring—"

    Strings of curses flying out of the demon as the priest fastly snatches the metal cross on the floor and press it firmly against Dream's chest.

    "What the?! What are you doing?!"

    "I'm doing what I should've done from long ago!!"

    Straddling the wriggling demon, Cross shouts at the creature beneath him.

    "You…insolent fool!! There's no way for you to get rid of me!!"

    Howls and screeches comes out of Dream's mouth.

    "In the name of Jesus and Christ, our God and Lord, strengthen by the intercession of the Immaculate Virgin—"

    "Ahhhhhh!!! Stop!! I'll…I'll make him hate you!! I'll let Dream witness…all the things you've done to him!!!"

    "—we confidently undertake to repulse the attacks and deceits of the devil—Oof!!"

    Cross temporary stop his sentences due to the demon punches him hard in the face. A streak of violet blood rolls down from his teeth.

    "I'll kill you!!!"

    "We drive you from us, who ever you may be—"

    "Stop!!!!"

Dodging another punch, the priest increases his volume despite he's panting like a dog.

    "—as smoke is driven away, so are they driven—"

    "Curse you!! You dumb…useless priest!!!"

    "—as wax melts before the fire, so the wicked perish at the presence of God—"

    "Are you deaf?! I say there's no way to banish me!!! You aren't strong enough!! You're just a weakling!!!!"

    "—Amen!!!!"

    As Cross finishes his prayers, the whole room is echoing in a chilling, deafening scream.

    "I may not be powerful enough."

    The priest mumbles, cradling the unconscious skeleton in his arms.

"But I believe in Dream. I believe his love for me is stronger than anything."

Thanks for reading this (long) fanfiction of X-orist!

It's not really good since it's the first time I write a story of 'Sans x Sans'. Mostly I write about the 'Sans x Reader' stuffs.

I try to write the story from the perspective of Cross that how he may feel during the exorcism events. A huge thanks to @zu-is-here and @help-im-a-gay-fish , you guys create a such wonderful stories of X-orist (♡ω♡ ) ~♪(♡ω♡ ) ~♪

**********

Oh my God... That's amazing!! \(//∇//)/ You showed their characters so accurately ☆ Such a pleasant gift, thank you very much! ♡

[midoriyashotos]

Anguish of the Quirkless

Fandom: My Hero Academia

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Relationships: Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shoto (could be platonic... though I ship them a lot lmao)

Characters: Midoriya Izuku, Todoroki Shoto; MENTIONED - Bakugo Katsuki

Summary: Izuku doesn’t explode.

But burn after burn, he can’t take it anymore.

AO3 / Fanfiction

A/N: I had no reason to write this other than the fact I’ve been really angry and I needed to write something down.

I guess this is technically my first Tododeku fic? But like, it isn’t the focus here, so interpret it the way you want (if you can). I hope this didn’t turn out to be too OOC, though.

Please be aware of the tags and disclaimers below. Be safe. <3

TRIGGER WARNINGS - childhood trauma, past bullying/abuse and injury

*NOT BAKUGO/BAKUDEKU FRIENDLY!

--

Izuku doesn’t explode.

If anything, he’s more than scared of explosions. The explosions that silence him, that burn his tongue and his arms and legs, and the notebook of his fanboyish train of thought. The blasts that keep happening no matter how far away he is.

So no, he doesn’t explode. He probably can’t.

--

Though every time he stares at the blond spikes of his classmate, Izuku is sickened by a cocktail of years of combustions.

Maybe he does admire the beauty of the explosions when far away. Depending on them, they can actually be quite beautiful when done for the greater good. But when he’s so near, to try to reach them, Izuku gets injured. It’s probably his fault to begin with.

But even with patience and care, Izuku is always exploded back to where he’s been stuck in since he was four.

Izuku is always behind Katsuki. He can’t go around him and walk away. He can’t push him aside, he can’t as much as talk to him. Katsuki will forever be a wall, a minefield that will remain activated until the end of time.

And most importantly, Izuku can never explode back.

He hates explosions, after all.

--

The flaming blend of feelings, however, reach his mind at times he should be feeling okay.

The image of himself exploding Katsuki, of yelling at him, beating the crap out of him sickens the young hero to no end.

But it replays in his head still, even when they’re not fighting and instead having fun with their other classmates. Izuku stares at Katsuki for mere seconds and the thoughts come to him. The freckled boy swallows it all back, until it comes to haunt him at night. Until the burns sting his arms and his heart.

Izuku has tense nights, yet he never explodes. Ever.

--

You’d think Izuku would be happy here. He is happy, though, to be where he’s dreamed of for so long.

But each day that passes, he seems to get worse, he’s sick and tired and angry, and the combustions are closer to his heart. The fantasies become more violent, they’re disturbing. Izuku stains his hands, massacring the remaining of blond hair and hateful red eyes.

Izuku could never take blood from someone. It’s awful – he’s being awful. What would others think? What would everyone else think? All Might, his mother, his friends?

Izuku knows he can cry, but what about the rage? What about the ticking bomb inside him? The bomb that might be close to destroying all around him?

He can’t let anyone see.

Least of all Katsuki.

--

Thankfully, U.A. owns several gymnasiums for the students to train. Few, though, are somewhat left aside due to the new ones, but they don’t really close them. His classmates don’t seem to use them either, as far as he’s concerned.

Izuku finds the classic training tools, including several, big punching bags – different from those you see in common gyms, obviously. They’re able to take up a lot more damage, useful for physical-focused quirks.

He prepares and attacks. Holding it back, Izuku knows to be careful, to protect others. He hates explosions. He hates hurting others.

(All everyone has ever done was hurt him. Why? He was powerless. Quirkless. Deku.)

(That’s why he reclaimed the name, to transform it into someone who could be trusted, someone who could never hurt.)

Izuku kicks, dodges, as if in a real fight. He gives the bag mercy. Probably unnecessary.

(No one gave him mercy.)

(Midoriya Izuku, a boy who could never do wrong, who did nothing but exist.)

(He was exploded like no one ever was.)

The boy’s hands shine red with One for All, as do his eyes. The punching bag absorbs the power, becoming harder to punch and overcome. Izuku continues to spare it, to no avail.

(No matter what he does, he’ll continue to be blasted on the face.)

(Whether he’s powerless or not. The explosions will punish him until he’s gone.)

It’s then that the bag’s energy turns against him and blows him away, Izuku falling back and failing, once again.

It’s all too familiar.

Izuku roars.

He advances with his all, at the same speed as Gran Torino’s, but with a rage unknown to others. A rage from no hero. Heroes don’t feel hate, only towards evil – yet never, never to this extent. With revenge comes nothing. No hero should be selfish.

(This doesn’t come from a hero. It comes from… a boy? A monster?)

And Izuku is attacking the bag with no barriers holding him back. The second time it attacks, Izuku doesn’t let himself fall again. He returns at full speed and destroys the bag. He’s yelling this entire time, his throat hurting yet he’s far from quitting.

“WHY?!” Izuku demands from the bag. “WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME?!”

As always, he gets no answer, only blows and ignorance. And he’s punching it again.

The red of the bag infuriates him, it’s all he sees, and he wants to eradicate.

All those years, all that time never fighting back, never looking for solutions after years of rejections; they all come back to stab him again.

You’re useless.

Pathetic.

You need to deal with it.

“You RUINED MY LIFE!” Izuku screams, eyes shut but red, dams overflowing. “AND YOU DON’T EVEN CARE!”

Despite his cries and punches, they’re not moving, they’re not listening. When have they ever? When?

“I HATE YOU!” Izuku yells, his most disliked words. He’d never say to anyone.

“I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!”

“I

HATE

YOU!!! ”

 CRASH!

He yelps at the force thrown back at him. Smoke enters his nose, painful coughs echoing.

When Izuku looks back, he gasps without making a sound.

He didn’t destroy just one bag – it fired back and damaged the other ones, now abandoned on the floor.

And even then—

Izuku growls and punches the floor, this time without any power left.

He’s still burning.

It doesn’t matter. It never matters.

Now everything smokes and suffocates him, and he’s crying the most he’s ever did.

That’s why he hates explosions.

--

Izuku doesn’t go to Recovery Girl, nor does he tell anyone. He hopes Aizawa-sensei never finds out what he’d done. He looked for cameras and, thankfully, found none.

He lies to his friends he trained in the woods and got a little ahead of himself. As a response, Uraraka tells him to be careful and Iida insists Quirk training should be balanced for him, as a hero in training. Two important statements, of course.

Todoroki, however, observes.

It’s the most he does. Todoroki watches and sees all, barely saying much. He reads people like no one else does. He was the first to realize something would go wrong with Iida, when the latter had wanted to seek his brother’s almost assassin.

This is different, though. So much different.

Izuku ignores it the best he can.

--

Late at night, he can’t sleep. The green-eyed boy sneaks in the kitchen, to grab some tea to make. His classmates seem to have healthy sleep schedules, especially when exams are out of the scene.

So slow steps take him off guard, and Izuku hides his arms under his sleeves.

“Midoriya.”

He sighs deeply. “Oh, Todoroki-kun… it’s just you. What’s up?”

Todoroki shrugs. “Couldn’t sleep.”

“Oh. Me neither.”

“Hm.”

Todoroki is doing it again, he can tell. Watching him. (Judging.)

Izuku hates being watched – he’s watched the entire time.

The tea doesn’t take much longer to be ready, so Izuku barely bats an eye to Todoroki and makes his way to the stairs.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he mumbles.

“Wait, Midoriya—”

“What ?”

Izuku regrets the moment he hisses, but he’s so tired.

“Just…” his classmate hesitates. “Take care of yourself, okay?”

Todoroki’s tone has… softened.

Izuku doesn’t turn around.

“… Good night, Todoroki-kun.”

--

The days go by like usual. It’s like nothing happened. No one has found out, or so he hopes.

Todoroki hasn’t talked to him since that night. Or well, Izuku tries to avoid looking at him for too long in the first place. They have lunch together with the rest, but there’s no direct contact at all.

Todoroki isn’t the kind of person you can make excuses. He reads into your tone, he knows something is wrong. While Izuku’s relationship with him has definitely improved since the Sports Festival and Stain, he still finds that aspect of him a little intimidating. Because Todoroki, in contrast, is hard to read most of the time.

Izuku might as well be avoiding him. Of course, he’s polite when Todoroki has a question or when he asks for a favor. Though he rejects the suggestion they train together in the next day. Mostly, because Izuku’s wounds still sting, and he refuses to go to the infirmary.

At last, Izuku finds himself going to the old gymnasium, with no intention to seethe like before, even if the urge screams in his brain. It looks… the same, on the outside. As for the inside…

Instead of the gray smoke and destroyed reds, Izuku stops as soon as he catches white strands connected to wine, fire red. A fire that doesn’t explode, but fire, nonetheless.

Izuku’s veins fill with One for All, and before he goes Full Cowling to get as far away as possible, he’s less than lucky to expose himself.

“Midoriya?”

Nononononono—

Even though Todoroki isn’t using his Quirk, Izuku feels like he’s frozen by his giant ice spikes, caught to explain himself.

Why on earth is Todoroki here? Does he also know this spot? Oh, of course. Todoroki often trains alone but Izuku never knew where. Oh my god.

There are no words shared or spoken, least of all whispered. Izuku can’t bring himself to look up. There’s only shame to be shared. No one was supposed to find out and yet he just revealed himself. Stupid. Idiot!

A step.

“Midoriya…”

Izuku shakes his head.

“I know what you’re going to say.”

Todoroki stops. “What?”

“… that I’m supposed to be a hero, right? That I shouldn’t have done this? I- I know I shouldn’t have.” Izuku clenches his jaw and his fists, to contain the trembling rage. “I shouldn’t be angry.”

The fallen punching bags stare.

“But I didn’t know what to do with this anger. It only kept growing and- and it keeps growing inside of me, these thoughts, this scream in my throat,” Izuku spits out without much thought. “I’ve been hurt my entire life and I hate- I hate hurting people back, I hate wanting to hurt them, but I hate them, too, I hate-!” For a moment, he bites back the poisonous name, yet he can’t take it anymore, he’s tired of being silenced by the explosions.

“… I hate Kacchan. I hate that he always explodes me in the face, I hate that he used to go after other kids, too. He always explodes and hurts people, and he doesn’t give a shit.” Izuku’s tone is wet, soaked with weight. “He doesn’t give a shit about me, he still hurts me no matter what I do, and I’m sick of it. And god, all I want is to punch his fucking face and scream, because he never cared about making me cry or burning me at all, he- he doesn’t care! And I don’t know why I still do, why I even try to communicate with him! Nothing I do is enough for him!”

Izuku observes the multiple layers of old wood under his feet, each second finding new details, new splinters.

“This is why I don’t explode. Why I never burst out. I-I don’t want to hurt anyone… but I’m still so angry, Todoroki-kun. I’m only feeling worse than before.” The freckled teen pathetically dries his drowned face. “It’s like nothing is ever going to get better.”

The temperature is a bitter cold, despite the sun outside.

Izuku cries like that boy he’d known in Middle School, the one that would weep to himself in the shadows after getting burned on the face.

“W-What should I do?” He asks to no one.

It’s, again, a question without an answer.

Except…

His arms are taken by two hands that slowly pull up his sleeves, revealing the wounds from the hazard. The hands brush against his blistered skin as gently as possible. One hot, the other cold, but equally mindful.

“I think…” Todoroki whispers, “you need someone.”

Izuku’s face is close to the piercing gray and blue eyes, the ones who always read him… but not in judgment, he realizes. They read each sentence, each word of himself and take it to their heart, hopefully to come up with a meaningful response.

“Because then… who will protect you from the explosion?” Todoroki questions, his right hand reaching Izuku’s left.

The question is one he’s never considered. Izuku makes sure no one gets hurt, and maybe he’s successful at that, yet…

Todoroki’s face is close enough for their heads to touch, some of his red and white bangs touching Izuku’s forehead.

“It’s okay to be angry, Midoriya.”

“You’re… not mad at me?”

“Why would I be?”

“I don’t know,” Izuku gulps, “I feel… disgusting.”

“I understand. But you’re not disgusting. You were hurt.”

Izuku’s mouth quivers. “I don’t want to hurt anymore.”

Todoroki’s hands move from his arms to his shoulders, pulling him forward. Izuku shivers.

He’s…

Todoroki has never hugged him before.

Sure, they’ve gotten so far as friends. But after all this time, they’ve never touched each other; least of all Todoroki, who is, reasonably, a more reserved person.

The hug is far from awkward, nonetheless. It’s… good. Izuku has never been hugged like this. Even with the crime scene of his anger right there for Todoroki and everyone else to see… the red-and-white-haired boy chooses to hold him.

(After all, he’s also a boy. A boy afraid of his thoughts. Afraid while no one knows.)

Izuku returns the contact, his face somewhat under Todoroki’s chin.

“I’m sorry Bakugo is a piece of shit.” He adds quietly, “Well, more than he already is.”

That manages to attract a miserable laugh.

“It’s okay.”

“It’s not.”

Izuku hums, not up to protest as he melts in his touch. He could never have imagined Todoroki to be this… comfortable.

The permanent smell of smoke and dust does eventually bother him, so Izuku suggests, “Want to get out of here?”

“Sure.”

And they leave the gymnasium behind, hopefully their secret will be left alone.

Todoroki takes Izuku to a tree, the leaves green like the latter’s hair. There’s enough of a shadow to cover them from the sun, from the burning flames far away. Todoroki helps a little with the burns, his ice the most soothing Izuku has felt.

Until the sun sets, their hands are intertwined, scars only they know.

[anakinthetrashking]

BnHA One-Shot Fic Recs (pt2)

 I AM HERE! With more recs for you! The last post was all about DadMight, such a beautiful genre *wipes tear from eye* This time its DADZAWA! if you happen to follow me, you might know that i really really(really) love Aizawa. a lot. So im going to try to keep this to only 10 recs, but,, well,,,, we’ll see anyway leTS GO

Aches and Pains by Badwolf36 Rating: G     Category: Gen     ~2700 words Summary: In which Izuku isn't willing to admit how much pain he's in, and Mr. Aizawa is just as much of a softie for his students as he always is. I’m always SO WEAK to stories that deal with the very real consequences of breaking all of your bones. Poor Izuku. I enjoyed the details of how he’s feeling, the way that the reader’s awareness of his pain waxes and wanes along with Izuku’s (temporary distractions can only do so much, A+ for realism there). Also, soft Dadzawa while not mushy-ooc-Aizawa! Conclusion: I love this and also want Aizawa to make me hot cocoa when there’s storms and i cant sleep!! (sidenote, everytime i see this username my brain shorts out bc my old ff.net account was also Badwolf## lol)

My Neighbor Shouta-ro by Hound_of_Heaven Rating: G     Category: Gen     ~2,700 words Summary: Yamada Hizashi, on Christmas Eve of the year he turns 19, jokingly presents Aizawa Shouta, also 19, with a Totoro kigurumi. Everything that follows after is pure chance. Heeeeeeeeeck this is ADORABLE. I- You guys- this is so pure and so precious and so!! go read it, i died. such fluff.

constrained by my own mind (im not fine) by CamsthiSky (tumblr: @camsthisky ) Rating: G     Category: Gen     ~1,500 words Summary: Midoriya Izuku is a problem child, and for some reason, Aizawa Shouta cares too much to let him fend for himself when the kid is obviously dealing with something First of all this is written by one of my fav Batfam writers!!! I was so hype when i saw this posted and OF COURSE IT WAS JUST AS WONDERFUL IF NOT MORE SO THAN I EXPECTED!!!! A+++++ in character for both Izuku and Aizawa. Izuku is jumpy and anxious and stressed and i love it. That the way Izuku started out, and while i am eternally happy at how much his life and social reactions have already changed, stuff like that doesnt just disappear in even a year, so I love fics that address that and expound on all the progress that he would have to make behind the scenes. and having Aizawa as the catalyst to begin getting actual help? *chef’s kiss* This checks boxes and then proceeds to cover the page in checkmarks LOL

remember from here on in by aloneintherain (tumblr: @captainkirkk ) Rating: T     Category: Gen     ~8000 words warning: spoiler heavy from manga chp 215 Summary: Aizawa glances from All Might to Midoriya quickly. It sounds impossible—he’s never heard of a quirk that can be handed down like a family heirloom—but at the same time, it makes perfect sense. Midoriya’s inability to use his quirk at the start of the year. The strange, familial relationship between All Might and Midoriya. The slow malnourishment of All Might’s body, like his power was being siphoned away. “You’re …” Aizawa begins.“I’m All Might’s successor.” Midoriya’s proud but shaky voice rings clearly down the empty corridor. Aizawa finds out about One for All. Awwwwwwww yiiiiiiiissssssssss!!!!! reveal fic!!!! one of my all time fav tropes!!! Plus it expounds on some future theorys/possibilities(Spoilers!!!) and you get some great interactions between Izuku and Shinsou, and plenty of opportunities taken to wear out our already worn out catepillar-sensei. poor guy needs a break but would do anything for these kids. Incredible characterization, great feels!!

Those Hardest to Love Need it Most by DancingintheStorm Rating: T     Category: Gen     ~8,200 words Summary: Shouta gripped the phone tight enough to make the phone case groan. “So it’s true. Midoriya was Quirkless.”“Until soon before the entrance exam,” Nedzu confirmed. “That’s not relevant now, though, because—““Relevant?” Shouta hissed. “Midoriya is barely functional, socially. He doesn’t trust any adult. He thinks the whole world hates him. He apologizes for everything except breaking the law, and I’m sure I can trace every single one of those things back to his Quirklessness. You call that irrelevant?”  Aizawa visits Aldera Junior High and finds out some disturbing truths. Yes. Just. Yes. Righteous anger abounds, local anxiety-child is told for the first time that his life has worth, more at 10 (I LOVE THIS ONEEE)

The Gaunlet and friendships and how memes tie the two together by averypassionateperson Rating: T     Category: Gen     ~3,500 words Summary: Shinsou walks into his first day in the Hero Course hoping to get politely ignored. He walks out having gotten into a sanctioned fistfight with the entire Bakusquad and a whole lot of new friendships. Also, memes are responsible for most of this. This fic is SOOOOOOOOO much fun. Always sure to bring a smile and honestly all I could want from a fic about Shinsou’s first day in 1A!!!

like light through a window by achievingelysium   (tumblr: @queenangst ) Rating: T     Category: Gen     1,139 words Summary: The first time Shouta sees what Hagakure looks like, it’s because she’s covered in blood. Coming from one of the best Dadzawa writers around, is a delightfully haunting fic centered on Hagakure!! The Dazawa is of course, spot on, the premise makes your heart ache as it plays out like a movie in your mind. So smooth to read, while so emotionally painful. Ouch. It is a fic with imagery that has stuck in my mind like a plant with deep roots, bc i keep thinking about it despite my too-much-fanfic-reading-adhd-muddled-brain. I feel like i had more to say but tumglr erased the paragraph i had originally written. D:   (side note, as i am keeping these posts to 10 fics... this fic came from her series of 30 min fics which you can find here on tumblr ao3  its an absolute goldmine of one-shots, go check it out)

a frozen pond, dark and deep by walking_through_autumn Rating: T     Category: Gen     ~3,800 words Summary: In the aftermath of Endeavour's battle against High End, Aizawa escorts Todoroki to his home for special leave, and they have a conversation that has been long in the making. (Or: Over two car rides and the mystery known as bubble tea, Aizawa divulges information, Todoroki returns the favour, and trust is built over unexpected similarities.) This fic felt just as quiet as the two characters it surrounds, which was really nice. Even deep emotional grieving can be quiet, since everyone feels things and reacts to things differently. It was a brilliant way to chip away at these character’s walls to let light shine through without creating an earthquake event to destroy the walls completely, you know? and it works off of canon so well. ah yes seeing the process of Aizawa realizing that hes has adopted another child is my fav    anyhow i enjoyed it very much!

but still my heart is heavy (with the hate of some other man’s beliefs) by honeyandsunshine Rating: T     Category: Gen     ~3,500 words Summary: Nemuri jerks a thumb to the side window, presumably the one with the best view of the front gates. When Shouta looks, a small crowd, all of which he can recognize from his class, are gathered around a sleazy looking man with a camera and a microphone. Half their quirks are activated. Bakugou and Todoroki are smoking. From the bushes nearby, a rather enraged stag emerges. As he gets up, Shouta just hopes they haven’t already killed him. Or:Class 1-A defends their own. Aizawa suffers, but looks after them anyways. I love how this doesn’t go the way you expect it to. and how much Aizawa loves and trusts his class full of gremlin heroes. The Dadzawa is so soft, his logic is sound, my heart aches, and i kinda want to cry. really, really, really great you guys

bend, don’t break by heyhamlet (tumblr: @hey-hamlet ) Rating: T     Category: Gen     ~4,100 words Summary: It started, as it always seemed to, on what was supposed to be a pleasant day. ---A Christmas shopping attempt gone wrong, Aizawa and Midoriya have to survive a strange nightmare quirk, all while trying to work out how to get out of there alive. Aizawa is injured, Midoriya is panicked. It's less a question of what could go wrong, but more what could go right. Another fic that has not left my soul since i read it. Some of it is truly terrifying in a way that I hope never haunts my own nightmares. and honestly isnt that reason enough to read it? While near death experiences bond people together well, nothing beats being trapped with someone in a nightmare that is feeding off of your deepest fears! If Aizawa wasn’t considering adoption before, he certainly is now. Found family before the monster finds you...0.o go read it, its a treat from another top notch writer!

well, thats 10! the next post will probably be misc. bnha one-shots. Enjoy and don’t forget to give the writers your souls love and comments!

[solllaris]

boys like you — bobby mckenzie. 

summary: despite only knowing him for a week, it never entered fallon’s mind that bobby might not be as genuine of a guy as she thinks he is. but that’s before the mean tweets challenge and now her mind is completely consumed with thoughts of him being a player. 

pairing: bobby/mc, mentions of bobby/lottie

word count: 2424

note: i cannot even tell you how long this has been sitting in my drafts just collecting dust. but!! the release of s3 really gave me the inspiration to finally finish it and after some editing i’m pretty proud of it! pleeease go easy on me b/c it is my first bobby fic so if he’s ooc please tell me and i’ll work on it. anyway i hope you guys like it!! :)

The strings of words on the page before her blurred together as her mind continued to drift. She was stuck in a never ending cycle of rereading the same lines over and over again, her brain never quite able to comprehend their meaning. The unwarranted, dangerous thoughts seared through her as her eyes, once again, shifted to the gentle lapping of the clear pool water against the coping. On any other Spanish night the sound of tranquil water would’ve soothed her to no end but the claws of self doubt and anxiety had sunken into her too deeply and there was no way for her to return. She was at their mercy and she despised it.

A loud resigned sigh huffed between the redhead’s lips, her berry colored lipstick having faded from the nights earlier festivities. She tipped her head back until it rested on the lounge chair she sat upon as she attempted to relax and loosen her tight muscles. The days busy events of the ‘mean tweets challenge’ and two boys — Rocco and Lucas — being dumped from the island had successfully wound her up until her nerves were shot. Yes, she was admittedly a bit sad to see the latter leave the Villa so soon but she was not as concerned about that as she was the challenge.

Her belly fluttered and twisted painfully as the tweet plastered onto the board flashed behind her eyelids. The words “player” and “Bobby” were never ones she’d even considered putting together before that challenge; but suddenly the ginger couldn’t drive them from the forefront of her mind and the seed of doubt in her body couldn’t be unplanted. It had sprouted its roots into her gut and raised tiny red flags where they hadn’t been previously.

Before, the teasing and little touches with Lottie had been easily brushed aside, reassuring herself that they were only friends; Bobby was a very friendly and affectionate guy to begin with, so it came as no surprise he was the same with his mates. However, as the redhead watched the way his muscular arms wrapped up her friend, peppering kisses to the top of her head to comfort her as Rocco left the Villa behind, she couldn’t stop herself from wondering. Was it all platonic? Did he really need to kiss into her hair? Did that simple act of affection mean anything? The questions were never ending, bouncing and ricocheting off either side of her skull until a dull ache began to split across her forehead.

Just when she’d snapped her book shut, the pages thumping together harshly as she swung her legs off the side of the chair, a tanned and defined chest came into view. He was still dressed in one of those wacky printed button-downs that only he could pull off. Only four buttons were done up, the remaining ones popped open and left his delectable pectorals on display for everyone to admire. His freckled cheeks were tinged pink from probably one too many drinks and she kind of hated how good he looked; it made it all the more difficult to be a bit distant and leery of him — especially with the way he gazed down at her, hazel irises holding all the affection and tenderness in the world.

With downcast eyes, she watched his feet move until he settled onto the lounge chair beside hers. He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his widely spread knees and he was close enough to reach out and touch. The twitch of his clasped fingers suggested that the same thought had flitted through his mind, so she was a bit disappointed when he didn’t move towards her.

“Hey,” Bobby murmured in his sweet Scottish twang that the redhead absolutely adored. “Fallon, are you feelin’ okay?”

Fiddling with the paper cover on the hardback book in her lap, Fallon hesitantly glanced upwards to look him in the face. God, he looked so, so pretty in his outlandish shirt that hugged his biceps perfectly — like the seams around the arms would burst and unravel. His short dreads were a little disheveled from who knows what and although all of his physical attributes were beautiful, Fallon was always utterly enamored by his eyes. They spoke the words he couldn’t illiterate, the vulnerability that he found it difficult to express oftentimes. As he looked at her by the pool that night, the twinge in her chest worsened because how could he be a player and look at her like that?

“I’m fine, love, I promise,” Fallon reassured and forced a smile that she hoped solidified the white lie she’d told.

Bobby cocked his head a bit to his right and studied her, his gaze flickered over the entire expanse of her face. She knew he could see straight through her; he always could. “Are you sure?” A mischievous, teasing smile stretched across his face. “Usually I can’t keep you off me, lass. Practically jumping my bones all t—“

Fallon’s foot knocked against his leg, shoving him back lightly as she laughed for the first time in a while. “That is so not true,” She giggled.

He beamed at the sound of her musical laughter, his lone dimple cratering itself deeply in the surface of his flushed cheek. He quirked a brow and his innocent grin morphed into a lopsided smirk, “S’not what it looked like this morning in the sh—“

“I will shove you in the pool, Bobby, I swear.”

Chortling, he caught her hand that had shot out to strike his shoulder and ran his thumb along her skin delicately. The playful pool-side atmosphere slowly filtered itself out as the couple fell into a few beats of silence and his smirk faded into something softer, something that Fallon quickly picked up as concernment. The gentle but firm squeeze he gave her significantly smaller hand had her heart thrumming a bit more heavily against her rib cage and she knew the conversation she had been dreading was looming over them. Truthfully, she had hoped their short moment of joking with one another had successfully diverted the focus off of the distance she’d put between them the entire day, but she should’ve known better; he was a person of validation, craving it to ease the insecurities in his mind from past relationships, so of course he’d picked up on her guarded behavior and wanted to fix it.

Dipping his head low, Bobby pressed the softest of kisses to each of her knuckles and she couldn’t help but watch in awe of the man across from her. His lips lingered against her last knuckle for a few seconds longer than the rest and with a cute nuzzle of his nose to the back of her hand, he rose back up to look at her properly. Vulnerability was written all over his normally smiling face, brows drawn together to form a tiny crease between them, and Fallon despised the fact that she was the cause of his worry.

“What did I do, lass?” He asked quietly, barely to even be heard over the lapping pool water.

The clear-cut sadness in his voice sent a ripple of a throbbing ache through Fallon’s chest. She suddenly felt really silly for worrying about that stupid tweet because how much could an absolute stranger know about someone they’d never met anyway? It was complete stupidity on her part for believing a random person on the internet over the man she was undoubtedly falling for after only eight days.

Fallon set her book aside and dropped Bobby’s hand just long enough to move to the lounge chair opposite her, sitting so close to him that every inch from their knees to their hips touched. She pressed her cheek against his left shoulder as their hands found each other’s again, digits slotting together like they were drawn back by an invisible force.

“It’s dumb, really,” She admitted shyly, a tinge of shame coating each word. “I feel stupid for worrying about it.”

“M’sure it’s not dumb.” He shifted his body to face her a bit more, his free hand cupping her jaw reassuringly. “I never want you to feel like you can’t talk to me about how you feel.”

She tilted her head to the side and pushed her lips to the warm skin on the inside of his wrist where his hand held her cheek. “I know,” She hummed softly. “I just… I dunno why I didn’t pull you aside to chat about it. I guess I just needed some time to clear my head. Figure out what I wanted to say and how to say it.”

Bobby’s heart plunged dangerously low. The cogs in his head whirred startlingly fast as he immediately assumed the worst. He wore his fear and insecurity plainly on his freckled face and Fallon instantly squeezed his hand, beginning to backtrack before the poor Scottish boy had a heart attack.

“Hey,” She whispered as his hand dropped from her cheek. “I’m sure it’s nothing, okay? It’s just about that stupid challenge…”

Her soft, musical voice trailed off and loud bursts of laughter from somewhere in the Villa carried across the lawn to fill the deafening silence. The ginger haired girl studied the side of Bobby’s face and watched as his slender fingers slid over his plump bottom lip. His dark brows scrunched together in contemplation, recalling the mean tweets they’d read earlier in the day before realization dawned on his face. When he turned his face to look at her again, there was a subtle glint of disbelief twinkling in his amber colored eyes.

“Ah. The infamous player tweet, huh?” His bare knee knocked against hers and a small amused grin ghosted across his mouth in spite of himself. “You know me. Player is my middle name.”

Fallon’s stomach twisted and she was sure her expression mirrored the irritation she felt. Moving her leg away from where it was pressed against his, she pulled her body up off the lounge chair with a frustrated sigh but she didn’t make it very far. She’d taken maybe half a step towards the villa when his warm fingers latched onto hers, gently tugging her back.

In his haste to get her to stay, Bobby had quickly stood up to catch her. The hand that wasn’t softly stroking over her knuckles came up to rest on her jaw, tilting her head up slightly to meet his gaze. Fallon felt a tug at her heart when she saw how alarmed and afraid he looked, a vulnerability that she caught quick glimpses of in only the mere week they’d known each other. It made her physically ache to consider the woman before her and what she had said or done to make him feel so afraid to lose what they’d built together.

Her resolve softened and her very short-lived irritation melted away; she could never stay upset with Bobby for long. It was like attempting to be mad at a puppy—a physically impossible feat.

“That is why I’m upset about it,” Fallon said quietly, making a conscious effort to keep her voice calm and level. “You keep cracking jokes about it but it’s not funny to me.”

His pretty, freckled face pinched in shame at the prospect of his thoughtless actions hurting her the entire day. “M’ sorry, lass,” He murmured. “It's just the idea of me being a player is so off-base that I thought it was funny. I forget sometimes we’ve only known each other for a week and you wouldn’t really know that about me.”

The redhead’s stare fell to the exposed skin of his chest where the top buttons were popped undone. She found herself instinctively tracing the clusters of freckles scattered along his sternum, collarbones, and pectorals—as if it were second nature and she’d been doing it her whole life; maybe she had been in another life and the familiarity of it bled into the one she was living.

When Fallon spoke again, she noted how her voice sounded tired. “You should’ve just told me that instead of laughing about it.” And then even weaker— “I was starting to believe that maybe you were just playing the game after all.”

Bobby’s thumb stroked along the curve of her cheekbone attentively. “Hey,” He hummed and the tenderness in the way his Scottish twang caressed that one word was enough to draw tears to her waterline. “Hey, baby, look at me.”

Embarrassment crept onto her cheeks and she felt her sun kissed skin burn against the palm of his hand but she obliged and the second her watery blue eyes peered up at him, all rounded out and doe-like, he felt like he’d been kicked in the gut. His brows scrunched together and his heart tugged. Seeing her cry because of him was absolute torture.

“I’d be the dumbest bloke around if I screwed us up.” The tip of his thumb caught the one stray tear that slipped over the rim of her lower lash line and he dipped lower to kiss it away. “I decree that you let me see that pretty smile of yours right now.”

The tiniest of smiles quirked up the corner of Fallon’s lips at his silly decree and Bobby frowned, clearly unsatisfied.

His expression softened into a loose smirk that reeked of mischief and the glint in his pretty eyes had her stomach flipping in anticipation. “Shame. I guess this calls for more extreme measures.”

With a brow arched in confusion, she started to curiously ask what these extreme measures were but the question died in her throat when he stooped to press his forehead against hers. The pace of her heart picked up in her chest and she was pretty certain she was holding her breath until the tip of his nose bumped hers. Fallon’s  breathy, blissful laugh filled the silence between them and his grin only grew wider as nuzzled her nose with his, back and forth a few times like an Eskimo kiss.

For a few content moments, her eyes fell shut and the worry weighing her down lifted. Bobby’s gentle Scottish lilt whispering a cheeky ‘boop’ had her lashes fluttering and she was met with one of his radiant smiles. There was no doubt in her mind that his smiles could rival those of the sun.

A boy like him with sunshine for smiles could never be a player.  He was sunshine embodied and he was the sweetest, most beautiful boy she’d ever known.

[opalmaplehibiscus]

Love of a Fox and a Hunter

Hello @ tellmesomegoodstory!! I’m so sorry that this request took so long ˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅ )‧º·˚ I really hope that you enjoy this and hope I actually wrote Rook well. I’m terribly sorry if he seems OOC though OTL

·       When he first stumbled upon her, he was mesmerized

·       Though it was an accident, he couldn’t believe how soft and silky her fur was, eyes bright and clear as well-cut gems

·       To be able to see such a beautiful fox in the forest behind the school… He never felt so thrilled in his whole life. Heck the feeling of excitement he was feeling could rival the times when he’s watching le Roi du Lion

·       But when he accidentally steps on a twig from where he was hiding, the fox snaps her head towards his direction before running away

·       Disappointment and regret filled his heart as he watches her disappear, thinking she was lost and that their meeting is a mere fleeting moment

·       Who would’ve thought that wasn’t the case though?

·       The next few days, Rook continued to meet the fox in the woods, never once getting tired from how beautiful she was

·       The fur that always shines under the sunlight with those same beautiful eyes – très bien! Beauté!

·       He used his hunting skills to try to get closer to her, trying to get to see how she behaves, moves, and appear up close

·       Yet, who would’ve thought that this fox was very sensitive to her surroundings? As if she could sense him when he’s 10 feet away, her eyes would meet his before she left again

·       Rook couldn’t help but think that the fox was teasing him, challenging him to try to get closer to her if he can. And as a pure, honorable hunter, of course Rook took up the challenge

·       His visits to the woods became more frequent as he already memorized the times the fox would appear. He even prepared the foods he often saw her ate and lay out traps, not to actually catch her though! Just to keep her stay in one spot so he could try to approach her

·       The determination to get close to her was to the point that Leona and Ruggie, for once, didn’t get spied on him for a whole week

·       Leona: I can finally nap in peace Ruggie: As much as I appreciate not getting my tailed pulled on, you shouldn’t be napping in the first place Leona-san!

·       Soon, a month passes and the day he succeeded was a day he couldn’t forget

·       He didn’t think the apples he used that day would’ve been so delicious as the fox, for once, got lost in eating it

·       Rook quietly gets closer to her, concealing himself and his aura until he was actually a foot away from her

·       He could hear his heart beat in his ears as crouched down and watched her, only to freeze when he noticed something strange

·       Was it because of how well-kept her fur was? Nope. How she was smiling when eating the apples? Nope

·       A hint of perfume coming from the fox and how elegant she was eating the apple, so clean and organized as if she was a human made the gears of his brain screech to a stop

·       Know that one meme with the lady and all those math equations? That was Rook during the moment. Just…with a confused smile

·       Hein? Hein? C’est quoi? Is she really a fox ????

·       His curiosity gotten the best of him as he tried to reason why the fox smelled and behaved like a human, not realizing how he was subconsciously reaching out and about to grab her, until he snapped out of it when he feels the softest fur he had ever felt in his whole life

·       Right after he touched her, the fox froze and turn her head toward him, finally realizing his presence

·       Rook tried to make himself look friendly in the eyes of the fox, waving a hand with a “Bonjour~”

·       He really shouldn’t be surprised that the fox bit his hand and ran away like usual. Doesn’t mean it wasn’t painful though

·       The fox doesn’t visit the forest for some time, putting Rook under the weather. By that, Rook often mentioning to the people around him how his cheri, seul et unique l’amour went missing

·       Rook: Ah~ Mon amour! Celle qu’a volé mon cœur ! Where are you ? Epel : Uuuhhh…what’s wrong with Rook-senpai ? Vil : Ignore him. He’s just crying over his fox again. Epel: Fox? Rook: Mon amour!!! I beg of you, come back!

·       As he waits for her to come back, Rook starts preparing another trap, this time to temporarily catch her as he knew that the next the two meets will most likely be the last

·       What seems like forever, he finally saw her again as he found her napping under a chestnut tree

·       Quietly setting the trap (yeah, he carried it with him after he completed it because he’s extra like that), he waited for her to wake up and fall for it

·       Good news, she fell for it. Bad news. Er, if it should even be considered bad news….The fox turned into a female human. With fox ears and tail.

·       It took him a while to finally realized what had happen as the now female human continued to struggle getting out of the trap

·       It was his first time seeing such beautiful person - perfect skin, clear eyes, and luscious hair

·       When she yelled at him to let her go, Rook snapped out of his thoughts before freeing her

·       Giving her a minute to rest, Rook grabbed her hands and looked at her with sparkling eyes

·       The way her eyes widened and ears perk looked cute in his eyes as he asked her if she was a beast-person

·       He ended up blushing when she was able to get out of his grip and ran away without answering his question

·       To meet a beautiful beast-person and strong, physically and magician-wise too! Merveilleux! Magnifique!

·       Soon enough their relationship changed to that of cat-and-mice, where Rook would try to get close and learn more about her while she would run away

·       During the chase, he would often ask her questions non-stop as he tried his best to get to know her more

·       Heck, he would appear and corner her at every single hiding place she knew of, making it harder for her to get him off her tracks

·       Yet, for some reason, he didn’t like it when someone was close to finding out about her existence in the forest, leading to be the reason of how she escapes him as he blocked anyone that was close to seeing her from actually taking a view of her

·       Overtime he realized that he actually fell for her

·       It became clear to him that he liked her when someone nearly saw her in her human form when she tried to get out of one the traps, he lied on the forest’s floor again

·       One thing led to another and he hid behind a tree with her in his arms, trying to keep her quiet as he waited for the student that was walking through the forest to leave the area they were in

·       When it seemed safe, he released a sigh before looking at her

·       He never would’ve thought that he would see her blush. And the fact that she was blushing made her seem adorable to him

·       He felt his heart beating faster as he saw her struggle to stay quiet and calm – her ears pressed against her head while, surprisingly, gently gripping the sleeve of his coat

·       When she finally noticed him looking at her, he couldn’t help but think that she was très mignonne

·       In fact, he could arguably say that she was more like baby fox than a full grown one

·       It was obvious that he was lost in thought as he got caught off guard when she shoved him and ran away but this time, not bothering to transform back into her animal form

·       Blinking a couple times, he blushed before his lips curled up after realizing that he, Rook Hunt, the hunter of love, is in love

·       It leads to the current situation, where he’s chasing after her again like usual. Only this time, he’s trying to get her to accept his feelings for her by carrying a bouquet of roses while running after her

·       “ Mon cheri! Attend-s’il vous plaît !!” He yells, only for her to yell back that he stop chasing her

·       It’s obvious that she was getting frustrated as he doesn’t stop, but instead, continues chasing her

·       Though he does wishes for her to accept his feelings despite getting rejected, but would’ve respected her answer had it not for the flash of fear and hurt that he saw in her eyes

·       The broken look she gave him, though only lasting for a second, made him worried and gave him warning bells. Especially, after being around her for so long, he knew something bad would happen if he were to let her run away like usual

·       It doesn’t make him feel any better, never thinking she would’ve experienced something so painful to the point of making such expression….

·       He could still feel his heart break when remember it

·       When she suddenly stops and turns towards him, he slows down and tries to walk towards her with the bouquet but ends up freezing from where he’s standing when she threatens to burn the forest if he takes on more step

·       His body feels it was poured with a bucket of ice-cold water as she growls how she hated men, especially those that were like them, going on how it was men like him that ends up just using women as they please and for their own ulterior goals

·       Feeling wronged, Rook tries to say something to her, how his feelings for her were genuine and honest

·       But, he ends up getting snapped at as she calls him a liar

·       Rook ends up going quiet, watching and listening to her past in between the insults she throws at him

·       And while doing so, he can’t help but for once, get angry

·       He rarely gets angry, as he was a hunter and hunting require patience in order to catch the best prey. Yet, he could feel the grip on the bouquet tighten while his free hand twitches no thanks to the feeling of wanting to hunt….something

·       C’est pathétique for man to abuse the love, the most beautiful thing in the whole entire world. And as a hunter of love, he is very. Offended.

·       The anger soon turns into a simmer of fury as his eyes are looking at the crystal tears rolling down her cheeks while she, now sobs, about the amount of hurt and betrayal she faced from her previous lover

·       The minute she mentions how she was a youkai, it makes Rook freeze and accidentally ask what she meant by that out loud

·       To him, who thinks laughter is also another form of beauty, he didn’t think her broken, heart-wrenching laughs are beautiful. Especially when she clarifies that she wasn’t a beast-person like he assumed but a Japanese fox-demon and ends up asking that, after finding out what she was now, is he going to hunt her too like her ex-lover

·       All patience Rook had disappeared in one go as he lets go of the bouquet, grab her hands and proclaims how he would never do that to her

·       Keeping a tight grip on her, preventing her from escaping and ignoring the threats she throws at him, Rook looks at her right in the eyes

·       His clear forest green eyes glows from the flames of anger, sadness, and the desire to heal her as he tells her that despite being a hunter, he’s a hunter of love not a hunter of killing people

·       He does his best to tell her how much he loves her, telling her how he actually fell in love with her since they day he met – loving her fox appearance very much only to fall deeper for her when she showed his humanoid side to her

·       He subconsciously shows desperation of trying to show his honesty and sincerity to hear as he continues to reveal how he much he adores her, that all his praises for her were all from his heart not from lip service

·       He never realized that he had gotten on a knee until he tells her how even if she were to reject him, he would’ve devoted himself to protect her even if it meant betraying whomever wished for him to catch her. Because to him, she was a precious and most beautiful existence he had ever seen

·       Rook could feel his heart beating pounding ferociously against his chest as he once, in a long time, felt nervous on what her reaction would be to his confession (first one didn’t count. He refuses to let it count)

·       Soundlessly, he gets up and brushes the tears from her eyes with his thumbs only to end up cradling her head between his hands as he gently tries to get her to stop crying

·       Once she calms down, he warmly smiles at her, asking if she was feeling better

·       His smile grows bigger after seeing her nod slightly, daringly kissing the crown of her head

·       At first, he didn’t catch what she said as she had whispered her answer

·       But, after hearing her reply the second time, he asks for permission before kissing her on the lips with joy and passion he felt for her

·       It only made him feel happier when he feels her kissing him back with her own free will while knowing that she actually felt the same way