#⊰ ❀ *ﾟ⊱ ❝ blow away the dust ; find the key ; open my heart ❞ ( asks. )

[hyukaslvr]

just like the stars // j. han

<masterlist

summary✮⋆˙ you and jisung met unexpectedly, both of you being idols and needing to get away from stress and your thoughts. so when needed, you had each other, the hood of your car, and the stars beeming down against you two- and your long talks, of course.

genre✮⋆˙ fluff, idol!reader, idol!jisung, friends to lovers, secret friendship and relationship

warnings✮⋆˙ han jisung(yes, he is a warning, gosh)

w.c✮⋆˙ aproxx 1k

a/n: han han han han han. god, i love han. this has been in my drafts for awhile unfinished and i just had to finish it. also, please acknowledge my secret secret reference at the end, thank you love you💋.

han jisung was the light you needed in your life ; his laid back smile, his contagious laughter, his puffy cheeks, his crescent eyes, his soft and loving hands, his small careful gestures- everything about him glowed, shining like broken glass and straight through your pounding heart.

how you met was weirdly addicting, you thought about it almost everytime you snuck out with the boy. it was quiet funny too.

you were trying to escape your thoughts, stealing the keys to your companies car that is lended to your group and you whenever you needed to drive without a team member. you remember the night so vividly, you being stopped at a stop light, not even noticing the car doors were unlocked until the back opened, revealing and bundled up jisung, also trying to escape his thoughts. his apologies immediately rushing out as he thought you were an uber or a taxi driver, yet you let him stay. the two of you knew of each other, never talked before yet it was so easy to talk to him that night, and every night after that.

you drove him around for hours, almost until daylight rose, that’s how you found your special spot. driving around with no clue or direction, finding yourselves on a cliff with the most perfect view of the entire city lights.

you let yourself back into real time, letting yourself stare at the boy beside you. you couldn’t stop staring, even if you wanted to. you were way too distracted with his cute hand gestures as he spoke, letting his body and mind relax as the wind blowed against the two of you. you give him a hum of agreement, letting him know you’re listening to his ranting, but we both know your mind and heart was some place else, blown away by his beautiful structure.

the stars beamed down on him, like bright pixy dust, making him stand out in the dark night. god, you lived for nights like this, especially with him.

the both of you wrapped in your favorite blanket that stays in your car, specifically for nights like this, but you would never dare to tell him. the nights you both escape your dorms, away from your members and companies attentions, letting yourselves talk for hours in the middle of the night on top of the hood ; it was so peaceful, letting yourselves speak your minds to eachother, knowing you both wouldn’t dare mention any of these meet ups or what gets spoken about to anyone, not even chan or your leader.

“i think the song came out great, it isn’t the top song of our comeback- but it definitely made impact,” he finally faced you, his cheeks slightly pink from the cool breeze blowing harder against his skin, staring at you with a smile that almost reached his eyes.

“you did great, ji. but, i think secret secret is still my favorite produced by you, through-” he playfully pushed you, causing a fit of giggles between the both of you; not the both of you, just you, as he’s poor heart couldn’t handle the sound. now, he wishes he put your laugh in a song, it’s better than any song he’s ever heard. his cheeks may have been cold two seconds ago, but they’re flushed and heated now, eventually letting himself laugh with you, a huge smile plastered across his face.

“you’re taking the blanket!” he teases, tugging hard to get more warmth around his prickled arms from goosebumps, caused by mainly from what he calls: your music. you didn’t let go of the blanket though, you simply scooted closer to the boy, letting your side and your head fall onto his, a satisfied smile on your face as he stiffens at your touch and warmth.

“thank you, han,” your hands resting in his lap, snuggling your head deeper into his neck, “you always make things better, nights like this always do,” you continued, not letting him question your blurting. he lets his heart control his arm, letting it droop around your waist and pulling you closer to him. he would use an excuse of being cold right now just to hold you, but he couldn’t let this intimate moment down with his silly cover ups.

his empty hand reached to hold your cold to touch ones, letting his thumb slowly drag across the skin as his hums in agreement, “i like spending nights away with you,” he speaks quietly, closes his eyes slightly tight before opening them to look at you as your head raises a bit to listen to the man more intently.

“and i like you,” you blurt, lost in the look in his eyes, the stars glistening in them, “the stars look pretty tonight,” turning your head away to lose his locked eyes. a hand removes from your nestled ones, softly grabbing your chin and tilts your head back towards him, but you didn’t dare open your squeezed shut eyes.

“y/n, look at me,” he pouted, his heart beating like crazy watching your lashes fluttered open with your lids, almost immediately locking eyes with his shaken ones, “you like me?”

“so if i do? i like the stars too-”

“but you like me?” his face inches closer to yours, a smile enlarged his face, making your breathing hitch while his breathing tickles your lips. the distance being close enough to barley lean and kiss him right there and then.

“like you in what way?” you give him a teasing smile, hiding the fact your whole body was rising in heat and your stomach felt exploding with butterflies, “in a way i want to kiss your stupid smile off your face? maybe-” your remarks cut off in the best way possible, his soft lips locking his yours and you let him kiss you.

your hands left his lap, reaching to hold the face you always wanted to cup in your palms. you let yourself melt in his hold, his hand leaving your chin and wrapping around your waist tighter than ever, pulling your body closer to his if that was even possible.

kissing jisung felt indescribable, his head turning slightly to kiss your plush lips more deeply. you couldn’t put into words how accomplished you felt with yourself, you’d pay your shoulder if you weren’t mushy in his arms. his lips felt and tasted better than you ever thought they would, you imagined it happening but never expected it to be way better than your silly day dreams.

you practically chased for more once his lips pulled away from yours, trying to catch both of your breathings, letting you both stare in a daze at each other. he looked so beautiful in this moment, you wanted to take a picture of his slightly moisturized lips that were once against yours, his mouth slightly ajar as he caught his breath.

“and i like you, in a way i wanted to kiss you,” he finally speaks, his eyes searching around your face, watching your cheeks darken with a soft smile on your lips.

“yeah, i think i like you in that way too,”

“you think?!” he scoffs, rollling his eyes as you giggle, a smile never leaving his face though, turning his head completely away in childlike manner. you use the advantage of your hands still on his warm cheeks and pulled his back down to yours to leave another soft kiss on his lips.

“keep kissing me and i think i won’t be able to stop,” he says, letting his forehead lean against yours once your lips break apart.

“and what if i don’t want you to stop?”

“then you’re asking for it!”

his lips placing across the skin on your face, giggles emerged from your stomach and your chest as he sprayed you in kisses. “i, like, you, so, much,” he speaks between kisses; first on your cold nose, the second on your forehead, the third on your left cheek, the forth on your right, the last one being your lips. you kiss him back with just as much love, wrapping your arms around his neck, letting the noise of the car honking below you and the wind blowing against your ears fade away, as all you can pay attention to is the lips against yours.

han jisung was your light, your love, he was everything you’ve ever wanted, even if you’ll stay a secret. that was okay with you, your secret late night sneak outs made up for the fact you couldn’t look his way in public events.

he was your secret secret, and you were glad to be his.

[clydethesnake]

Icy Waters Vol. I

Chapter Eight

Kiko pulls the hood of her black jacket over her head, peaking over her shoulder to make sure no one was following her. The last thing she needed right now was to come face to face with her stalker for the first time.   

She clutches tightly on the bag of food she had taken away from the nice Fire Nation diner her and Lin had just eaten at. The waterbender’s heart thumps in anticipation as she walks over the hill; the gabled roofs of her old trailer park coming into view. Of course, this was probably the last thing she should be doing right now, but she misses her kids so much.  

The gravel crunches under Kiko’s feet as she walks through the estate. She notices that Ari’s light is on, and she does what she normally does when she visits, knocks on the window, using the rhythm that they had come up with together. That is, after making sure that she is alone in there; she doesn’t want her father, or god forbid her mother, to notice her.  

The girl comes to the window, a wide, joyful smile already plastered on her lips. She knows not to say anything, not if she wants to risk alerting her parents. Kiko can see that she is still following her advice.  

She opens it wide, allowing the waterbender to climb her way in. It's a little harder than it used to be; she had been eating much better on Air Temple Island recently than when she lived here. She had been skinny and spry from not eating, though Kiko knows that she feels so much better now that she isn’t reasonably underweight.  

It had taken a while to get used to; the eating whenever she wanted, not having to worry about where her next meal came from. She can only hope that Ari is given that luxury one day.  

Kiko takes notice of Ari’s grim little room. It's looking worse for wear than it had been before she moved. However, despite it all, the girl was still looking as pleased as ever at the sight of the waterbender.  

Her small arms wrap around Kiko’s waist, hugging her tightly. She kneels, holding Ari tightly to her, “I’m sorry, my sweet girl. I haven’t been around.” She whispers, speaking against the crown of Ari’s head, wispy baby hairs against her lips.   

Ari, the lovely, forgiving girl that she is shakes her head against Kiko’s neck, spouting her words innocently, “It’s fine Kiko. I understand.” But you don’t. Her pure words bring tears to Kiko’s eyes.   

The waterbender opts not to say anything, not risking the girl seeing her tears.  

They stay in that position for a good half an hour, after making themselves more comfortable on the Ari’s small mattress. It was lumpy, with a spring digging into Kiko’s lower back, but there was nowhere else she would rather be right now.  

Kiko rests her hands on the small girl’s shoulders, pulling away only a little to make eye contact, “Want to go find the others?” She asks, referring to the other children that Kiko often brings food for.   

Ari grins, nodding her head at the mention of her friends, “Yes!”   

“Okay, go and find them. Meet me back at my old place?”   

Ari nods again, springing to her feet with a little more enthusiasm than before and climbs out of the window. Kiko follows next.  

---  

Kiko waits in her old trailer. She hadn’t sold it when she moved in with the Avatar’s family, which is one of the reasons she got another job, even though the trailer is relatively cheap to own.   

However, as she opens the door, dust immediately enters her lungs. The waterbender coughs deeply, swatting her hand in the air in an attempt to remove the dust from her path.   

She has returned since she moved to Air Temple Island, once or twice, to continue to see Ari and the others. No one knows, and Kiko has made a silent agreement with herself that no one is going to find out. Both Katara and Lin would blow a fuse if she did.   

Kiko throws her keys down on the small table, along with the bag of food and turns on the lamp that is resting on it. It brings a warm glow to her home, transporting her back to the many nights she had spent here; with the kids, by herself, and occasionally a partner. Though, it is far more bare than it had been during any of those times. Kiko loves her house to be cluttered and cozy; just like Lin’s.   

It's not long before she hears feet on the gravel path outside. Her heart spikes with anxiety, but it’s relieved once she sees Ari poke her head into the trailer.   

Ari’s eyes light up, and she ushers three other kids into the room. They all rush to her, shouting an amalgamation of different words that Kiko struggles to make out; some her name, some about how they missed her, and she hears one particular voice ask if she brought food.  

“Yes, Karuq, I did bring food,” She wraps her arms around the children that have appeared at her side.   

The boy grins, showing of his missing front tooth, “Really?!”   

“Check the bag.” They boy does as she says, pulling out the boxes that she had taken back from the restaurant, “Finally lost that tooth?” She nods towards the brown-haired boy.  

One of the girls at her side, Isha snickers, “Only because he ran into a wall.”   

“Shut up, Isha!”   

“What?” Kiko questions the Water Tribe boy, “How did you do that?” Her eyes are blown wide in concern, but the other children just laugh at him.   

He looks away from her and rocks on his heels in embarrassment, “Tosa was trying to steal my roast duck!” Karuq looks back at Kiko, pointing at the boy in question as his voice suddenly louder with fervour, “I don’t get it often, so I was running away but I didn’t see where I was going and ran into the wall.” He says, with an angry sort of tone that Kiko finds endlessly endearing.  

She tries not to snicker as she sees Karuq’s annoyed expression, but Tosa outs her immediately, “See!? Kiko finds it funny!” He giggles along with her.  

Karuq huffs and sits down on one of the chairs grumpily, “Whatever.” He crosses his arms.  

“Oh, come on Karuq. It’s not that embarrassing.” Kiko attempts to keep her laugh under control, but ends up letting a few slip. To try and make him feel better, she detangles herself from the other children and receives a few plates from one of the cupboards, which she has to wipe dust off of. She lays them out on the table with some pairs of chopsticks and starts putting even portions of food on the plates, “Have some food.”   

He lights up a little when Kiko puts a plate in front of him, looking up at her reluctantly before shrugging and digging in. Kiko chuckles at the enthusiastic boy, before noticing that all the others are too.  

She sits down again, letting Ari lean on her side and lets out a sigh of content. I really need to visit more often.  

Suddenly, surrounded by her children, Kiko completely forgets about her stalker, shaking off the feeling of their eyes on her.  

It's not long before they have all polished off their plates, lounging around the trailer comfortably. The radio is on, playing smooth jazz, and Kiko is saying goodbye to the two Water Tribe brothers.   

“I’ll come and visit again soon, I promise.” Kiko has her arms wrapped around them, hugging them to her chest.  

They both nod against her, Karuq muttering, “You better.”   

Tosa, his brother adds on, “And bring food.” He seems a little lighter spirited, knowing that he’ll see the waterbender again soon.  

Kiko snickers at the boy, “Of course, of course, I’ll make sure to bring lots of food.” She gives each of them a kiss on the head, hugging them tighter for a few more seconds before letting them go. How they remind me of my own brothers. She shakes away the thought, watching them leave the trailer.   

Isha had left first, announcing that her parents would be looking for her. She's a sweet little girl, her family originally from Republic City, despite her distinctly Earth Kingdom name.   

Kiko smiles at Ari, watching her dance in the little empty space in the kitchen to the music playing on the radio. It's a small radio, with bad sound quality, but Kiko knows that Ari loves it; she doesn’t have anything like it at home.   

Her content mood is dampened, however, as she notices a bruise on Ari’s arm.  

How she had not noticed it before is unknown, likely because she had been too excited to see her children.   

Kiko knew that Ari’s parents were not good people; the type to leave Republic City for days without her, leaving the girl on her own without anyone to look after her, but she didn’t know that they were ever violent with her.  

“Ari, come here for a second.”   

The younger girl picks up on the waterbender’s sullen tone and walks towards her with no question.  

Kiko lifts her arm, inspecting the bruise, “How did this happen, my girl?”   

“I fell over.”   

Something in her voice seems off, and so Kiko raises an eyebrow, “You fell over?” She asks sceptically. Ari is trying to avoid eye contact with her, “Do you want to tell me what really happened, Ari?”   

“Promise not to tell?” Kiko’s heart breaks.  

The waterbender pushes a strand of hair away from Ari’s face, prompting the girl to look at her, “You know I can’t promise that.” They had agreed on this before; if anything that any of the kids tell her is really concerning, then Kiko would get help.   

Ari seems to realise this, and mutters out, “It was mommy. She was fighting with daddy and I tried to stop them.”   

Kiko feels a great sense of rage build up in her, but tries not to show it on her face, “Mommy did this to you?” She asks again, as if confirming what she heard.  

Ari nods, but soon picks her head up to face Kiko again, “But it was an accident!”   

“How was it an accident?”  

“She- she didn’t mean to. I was behind her and she turned around.”   

“Has this happened before?” Kiko asks, almost not wanting to know the answer.  

Ari reluctantly nods, “Only sometimes, when she gets angry with daddy.”   

Kiko doesn’t want this to feel like an interrogation, like Ari has done something wrong by telling her. But this is just too important. How could anyone do this to their child? She knew that Ari’s parents were bad people from the beginning; if Ari’s flinching at loud noises or aversion to shouting said anything, but she hadn’t realised that they were violent with her.  

The waterbender feels immense guilt at not realising it before. They used to see each other every day when Kiko lived at the trailer park, so how had she never noticed before?!  

The question weighs on her mind as she kisses the girl’s forehead sweetly, “You know I have to tell someone, Ari.”  

Ari nods against Kiko’s chest, “Are mommy and daddy going to get in trouble?”  

Yes, “We’ll see about that.” Kiko mutters, keeping her voice down, “I’ll tell the police and they will look into it.”  

“The police? But I don’t want the police to take mommy and daddy away.”  

I thought she was going to say something like that, “I know you don’t, darling. But it might be for the best.”   

The girl adamantly shakes her head and pulls away from Kiko, “No!”   

Kiko can tell that she is on the verge of fleeing, “Okay, okay.” She holds her hands out for Ari, to show her that she isn’t going to do anything, “Calm down, okay? I won’t tell the police.” As she notices Ari calming down a little, she carries on speaking, “How about, I tell a friend of mine and she can help you?”  

She is hesitant, Kiko can see that, but she reluctantly nods her head, “Just don’t take them away. Mommy didn’t mean to.” Her innocent words bring tears to Kiko’s eyes, who rests her hands on Ari’s shoulders.  

The waterbender sighs, “They won’t be taken away.” Ari seems to be a little more comfortable, her shoulders sagging. She doesn’t say anything else, but nods and hugs Kiko again, “You should probably get back home, sweet girl.” Kiko doesn’t want to send her back there, but what choice does she have?   

Ari nods against Kiko’s chest again, humming in agreement. The older girl kisses her forehead, before releasing her, “I’ll be back soon, I promise.”  

“Pinky promise?” The girl holds out her little finger.  

“Pinky promise.”  

---  

Kiko's shaky feet pad against the wooden slats, sobbing echoing through the empty hallway. Her breath is quick, heart thundering in her chest. A light shines through the gap beneath the door, her shadow casted upon it.  

The hysterical sobbing continues as she gently pushes open the door, eyes barely peeking through the gap. Before Kiko can pull away from the door, her father’s face whips around, revealing his grief stricken face and puffy red eyes. She'd never seen anything like it.   

Her father was always the brave one.  

She didn’t understand what was wrong, eyebrows furrowing, before she spots her. Lying there. Red was all she saw.  

Her knees hit the floor, eyes blurring and ears blocking out the sound of her father desperately shouting at her, “It’s all your fault, useless girl!”  

He gets up, standing in front of her, his large, intimidating figure casting a shadow over her cowering body, and Kiko braces herself. This had never happened to her before, her father was the most loving man she knew. To you... The words echo on her mind.  

He grips her chin, forcing her eyes open to look at his heartbroken face, “What do you have to say for yourself? Huh!? You’re a liability, I knew it from the start!” He shouts, beads of spit landing on her cheek. She doesn’t know what she did wrong.  

“I’m sorry!” Kiko wails, not even knowing what she’s apologising for.  

She hears a sudden smack, falling to the ground. Holding her cheek, she looks at the man she once called her father, but she can see that the loving man that she knew is gone. His eyes are dark and menacing as he crouches, not putting his hands on her further.  

“It’s your fault, Sehira. If it weren’t for you, she would still be here.” His voice is quieter now, eyes filling with sorrow once again.  

“I’m sorry.” The girl whimpers.  

He just shakes his head, and walks away.  

Sehira bows her head, sobbing into her arms and hair covering her eyes, before she feels the prickling feeling of a presence behind her, hair standing on the back of her neck. She tries to turn, but before she can move, a hand clamps down of her mouth just as it opens.  

“Don’t scream, little girl. Or daddy might be the next.” His breath is hot on her ear and she can’t help but squirm in his tight, unforgiving hold.  

The last thing she sees is a sight she’ll never forget; the body of her beloved mother lying in a pool of her own blood.  

Kiko shoots up in bed, chest heaving and sweat beading down her back. That was the first nightmare she’s had in a while.  

It was different this time; normally it just involves her parents. But she figures that it is likely the mental strain of everything that is happening; her mind trying to fill in the blanks. Where have I heard that voice before?  

Kiko attempts to shake it off, the feeling of sweat drying on her skin an unpleasant one. I’d better have a shower. Knowing she won’t get much more sleep for the rest of the night, glancing at the clock that reads 3:00 am, she undresses and heads to the bathroom.  

---  

The thought of tea is a pleasing one to Kiko. It always helps after the nightmares.  

She flops down on the soft, pillowy sofa, a stark contrast to the rather hard one she owns at the trailer, and heaves out a sigh. Her little cup of jasmine tea, her favourite, is cradled in her hands. I must ask Katara where she gets this tea.  

However, before the waterbender can take a sip, she feels the weight of another body sit next to her.  

Her head darts up, meeting eyes with Sokka.  

“Couldn’t sleep?” He nods to her, sipping on his own glass of water. He looks tired. Kiko nods, eyes shifting to the tea clasped in her hands as he continues, “Nightmare?”  

She nods again, “What are you doing up so late?” She asks, watching his eyes also downcast towards his glass of water.  

“Just couldn’t sleep, I suppose.”  

“Missing Suki?” Kiko had only met the woman once, but they had an immediate connection. The Kyoshi Warrior was unlike anyone Kiko had ever met; incredibly strong and confident, but also the sweetest woman anyone could ever know. Kiko missed her, but she had duties in the Fire Nation, which is why, the waterbender guesses, Sokka is looking more solemn than usual.  

“Very much.” He nods, heaving an almost contented sigh before placing his glass on the coffee table, “But I’m also incredibly proud of her for going to the Fire Nation, that’s what matters.”  

Kiko smiles at the man, she knows that he is missing his wife, and it’s good to know that he is so supportive of her. She places her now empty cup of tea on the coffee table too, “She’s amazing.” She marvels.  

He only nods, before looking at her again, “Didn’t see you at dinner tonight... is something going on?” He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively and Kiko rolls her eyes.  

“Nothing is ‘going on’. Me and Lin grabbed dinner. She was leaving the station when I was leaving work; boss called me in for the evening shift.” Sokka couldn’t know that Kiko had been going to visit her old home, she knows that it would only be a matter of time before the non bender let it slip to his sister. A white lie won’t hurt.  

However, despite Kiko’s denial, Sokka’s grin widens, “You ‘grabbed dinner’, huh? That’s how it starts y’know.”  

The waterbender rolls her eyes playfully again, “What are you talking about, old man?”  

“Don’t think that I haven’t seen how you two look at each other.” He cradles his face with his hands and plasters on a fake lovesick expression, “Head over heels.” Kiko scoffs, but before she can say anything more, Sokka continues, “I mean, how many times is it you’ve slept in the same bed?” He teases.  

“You really need to stop gossiping with Kya.” Apart from mild, feigned annoyance, she doesn’t react further.  

He snickers, “How else would I find out about your love life?”  

“Preferably you wouldn’t.” She can’t help but chuckle with him. Despite not knowing each other for very long, Sokka became immediate family to Kiko. She loved him to bits, all of his teasing aside.  

He shakes his head, expression dampening into something a little more serious, an expression Kiko doesn’t see often, “You should tell her.”  

“Tell her what?”  

Sokka lets out an exasperated sigh, “Wow, you really are oblivious.”  

The waterbender huffs, “If this is about Lin then I don’t want to hear it.”  

“I’m serious, Kiko. You should tell her; she definitely feels the same way.” He shuffles a little closer to the younger girl, hesitating a little before placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.  

“I can’t”  

“Why not?” The non bender’s voice is soft.  

“Look, I may heavily dislike Tenzin, but I couldn’t do that to someone.” Kiko sighs, fiddling with her fingers in her lap, “He’s been in love with her for spirits knows how long and then I just turn up and suddenly, there’s someone in the way of that.”  

Sokka’s eyes soften, “I understand, Kiko. But... you don’t realise how she looks at you, the look of pure adoration. She’s never looked at Tenzin in that way.” Kiko is about to interrupt, but he continues, “He’s her best friend, and I’m afraid she wants nothing more than that.”  

“Ganging up on your nephew, are you?” Kiko snickers half-heartedly.  

“I don’t want to see him getting his heart broken.”  

The waterbender shrugs, “I don’t know, Sokka.”  

He pats her shoulder before standing, “Please think it over.”  

Kiko only nods, watching as he retreats back to his room. Once he is fully out of sight, the waterbender sighs and runs a hand through her rarely loose hair, realising that it has gotten far too long. I’ll have to ask Kya to cut it.  

She thinks, standing from the sofa with her empty cup. Kiko places it in the sink, before retiring once again to her room. What have I gotten myself into?  

[scifrey]

NINE-TENTHS

Part Three

As soon as I shoulder open my apartment door, someone shouts "Surprise!" from behind my sofa.

"Shit!" I drop my bag on my foot in shock, grabbing at my shirt over my heart. 

The shout is followed by coughing, which isn’t a surprise. It hasn't been vacuumed back there since my roommate Katiya left on her Grand Backpacking-and-Smelly-Hostels Tour of The Continent with her fiancé. Happily, this means I get the place to myself for the rest of the year. Even more happily, it also means she's not bugging me every weekend to spin the chore wheel. 

Less happy for Dikembe, my fourth year lab partner, who is streaked with gray and crawling out from behind the sofa.

The "surprise!" is echoed from a few other hiding places around the apartment—not that there are many, it's just a two-bedroom, first floor of a crumby, crumbling row house in the student-ghetto part of downtown—and two more people tumble into the front hall. 

"This is a gross misuse of the emergency key I gave you," I say as Hadi steps out of my front closet.

"Happy birthday!" she jeers, detangling the back of her purple hijab from the Velcro on one of my coats.

"Keep your shoes on," Dikembe says. "About face." He pushes at me until my nose is nearly against the front door.

"No, no, no," I complain. "I've been on a train for five hours. I want to go to bed."

"You want to go with us to the bar and get waaaaaasted!" Mauli says, coming in from the kitchen. They're in their Party Skirt, the sparkly blue one, which means they are planning to really properly drink tonight. Shit, is that the last of Katiya's vodka swinging from their fist? 

 Dammit, I'm gonna have to buy a new bottle before she gets home. Make it an apology present to sweeten her up to the idea that I might not be moving out right away after all. The hope was that I would find a job and be outta her hair before January. But I'm starting to think that won't happen.

"It's a school night," I protest.

"It’s summer! And, you graduated a year ago!" Mauli reminds us.

"So it's a work night." I aim an elbow at Dike so he’ll back up.

Hadhirah makes a noise like an old-fashioned telephone and lifts her palm to the side of her face. "Hello? Yes? Hmmm, you don't say. I'll let him know." She drops her hand. "Your boss says it's fine."

"Har har." I let them manhandle me outside and down the grungy cement porch to the broken sidewalk. "Just don't be on my ass tomorrow if I'm hungover."

"Hey, they're not my tips at risk."

⛾

We end up at The Brass Monkey, just down from Beanevolence. My apartment is a few blocks north of the main street, where both the bar and the café are located. It’s one of the few advantages to living in a place where the smells and stains of a hundred students who rented it before me are ground into the carpets.

Hadi spends a few minutes chatting with the bartender, while Mauli opines on the wonders of microbreweries. Dikembe makes eyes at the girls at the table next to us, and tries to look as cool as he can with a Chez Levesque dust bunny stuck in his twists.

One of the other nice things about living and working within the same few blocks is that you get to know everyone else who does the same. And sometimes they give you free shit because of it. 

"Turn that frown upside down," Hadi says in a syrupy voice when she comes back with a basket of Cauliflower Bites. There's a candle in the curry mayo. "Look, on the house."

I didn't realize I was frowning. Must be more tired from the trip than I thought. I blow out the candle, and Mau and Dike pound me on the back like I've scored a winning touchdown. Our tasting flights come with an extra shot of Jaeger for the birthday boy, courtesy of the table of girls, and I tell Dike to go thank them for me. I even brush the dust bunny away first.

"You're not going with him?" Hadi asks as I down the shot.

"Nah, Too bagged. Long day, crappy travel."

I'm not… 

I'm not going to do it. 

I'm not. 

Somehow my phone is in my hand already, though, and from a distance I hear myself saying: "Rebekah usually has Mondays off. I could—"

"No!" Hadi shouts, so quick it's actually kinda insulting. 

Mau pulls the phone outta my hands. They're tipsy enough that they fumble it. If they drop it into one of their glasses, I'm going to eat their soul. But they shove it down the front of their skirt instead, right into the boxers below it.

"Don't think I won't go in there after it," I say, pointing at their nose. "You know the saying about a bi person sticking their hands in someone's pants and being happy with whatever they find."

"Buy me dinner first," Mau says, sticking out their tongue. I make a swipe for it and miss.

"What do you call this?" I Vanna White the cauliflower.

"Didn't buy it. No Gs, No Os."

"I can get my own Os!"

Hadi snorts, and I realize what I just said.

"I can do that, too," I say, leering cartoonishly. "Masturbation is a normal and healthy part of—" She shoves me. "Abuse! Abuse! This is homophobia!"

Hadi finally breaks out a real smile, instead of that tight, sardonic thing she likes to call one. Score.

 "If you can get your own, go get one from them." Mau leans across the table and flicks their eyes at someone at the bar. "They've been staring at you since we got in."

I turn to glance over my shoulder and—It’s him.

Previous Part | Next Part | Read on Wattpad

[khorosvein]

new tag drop.

[baroquebucky]

don’t

in which bucky quickly learns that communication is key for a good relationship

word count: 1.7k

angst w a fluffy ending <33

masterlist

a/n: hehe inspired by this song !! go stream it i love it sm namjoon always has the best lyrics eek !! hope u all enjoy <3 lyrics in bold !

You looked at bucky as he walked in, glancing at the clock on the nightstand. His fist was bruised and bloodied. You sat on your shared bed, eyes heavy as you leaned against the headboard. It was the first time he’d come home in three days.

“james” you spoke, looking at your boyfriend as he ignored you. “james” you called out once more, sighing as he continued to get his clothes from the drawer and walk wordlessly into the restroom.

“bucky!” You raised your voice, he stopped in his tracks and turned around slowly. Before you could get a word out he stopped you.

“don’t talk” he stated, setting his clothes on the counter and running his hands through his hair and sighing, “not yet, i know what you’re about to say” he mumbled. Your mouth hung open in shock before you shook your head.

“bucky look at me, don’t avoid my eyes” you spoke sternly, getting up from the bed and walking in front of him. His blue eyes gazed into yours, he could see how worried you were.

“you have to talk to me bucky, it’s been three days already and you didn’t tell me anything” you told him gently, knowing how stubborn he was.

Bucky had a horrible nightmare, tears on his face as he woke up, you were shaking him awake gently and he accidentally hit you with his metal arm, making your nose bleed. A look of horror on his face as he realized what he had done, as you ran to the restroom bucky packed a bag quickly, leaving to go stay at the compound for the time being. He ignored your texts and calls, too afraid to see what you were saying to him.

It was almost 3 am and he hoped you would be asleep by the time he returned so he could get more clothes before leaving again. You weren’t.

“i can’t hurt you again, i have to go i need to leave, i have to go home” he spoke, pain evident in his eyes as he avoided your gaze.

“our home is here james” you whispered, moving to slowly take his hands in yours, “it’s us.” He flinched away when you grabbed his metal arm, taking a couple steps back.

“I have to go shower” he mumbled, grabbing his clothes and locking the restroom door, tears stinging his eyes as he turned the shower on, letting the hot water relax his stiff muscles.

You wiped away the stray tears on your face, texting sam and asking him for any advice. You held back sobs as you explained to him what had happened and how bucky had been acting.

we’ve been through so much worse, this can be the end of us, surely he’ll come around ??

Sam replied quickly, assuring you bucky just needed some time, but you should be sure he knew how you felt considering how he tended to get into his head all the time.

You thanked him quickly, telling him goodnight and assuring him you would tell him if you needed anything.

You tried to stay awake, but you were so exhausted, your eyelids heavy as you waited for bucky to get out of the shower.

Sighing you laid down, scooting closer to his side of the bed, it still smelled like him and helped you relax.

The sound of keys made your eyes jolt open, you shot up when you saw bucky heading towards the door.

“don’t leave, i need you here, please don’t” you whispered, eyes watering and your chin quivered. Bucky hesitated, he told himself he wouldn’t sleep in the same bed as you anymore, he was too scared of hurting you.

All it took was one look at you for all his resolve to fade away. You were wearing his black t shirt, your eyes were red and nose pink, your hair was messy and he knew it was tangled.

He set his bag down and closed the bedroom door, taking off his shirt and pants and slipping into bed next to you, pulling him into his arms and holding you tightly.

“bucky” you mumbled, eyes still wide open as he held you. He frowned, heart falling as you used the nickname.

“what happened to calling me james?” He asked, voice small as he spoke.

“thought since you were mad you wouldn’t want me callin you that” you replied, fiddling with his dog tags quietly. Buckys heart sank, you thought he was mad at you?

“don’t take away the name only you know doll, you’re the only one who calls me that, nothing is gonna take that away” he spoke, “you’re the only one who knows me as James, not as bucky or the winter soldier, but as myself.”

You looked at him, eyes soft as he talked, running his fingers through your hair and gently detangling it. He continued his actions as he spoke up again.

“I’m not mad at you doll, I’m mad at myself for hurting you” he confessed, panic settling in. “I thought if i stayed i would hurt you, i don’t want you hurting because of me so i left” he looked at you, waiting for you to tell him he did the right thing, that he should pack his things and go.

“i wish i could just magically fix who i am” he whispered.

“oh angel,” you breathed out, moving so you were both sitting with your backs against the headboard. “I don’t need magic, just be here james, here with me.”

“but what if i hurt you again, what if i ruin everything and you hate me” bucky looked at you, tears rolling down his cheeks and you gave him a soft smile. Your hands caressing his cheek as you wiped away his tears with your thumbs.

“don’t abandon everything over on mistake james, don’t destroy us and everything we’ve worked for just because you made one tiny mistake.” You replied, looking at him before placing your hands back in your lap.

“please james, i know it’s not over yet, we just have to try” you spoke, letting out a soft sigh. “but if you want to, if you feel it’s what’s best for you, then go.” Your voice was shaky and you held back a sob.

Buckys heart fell. You thought he wanted to break up, to leave you. He felt like shit for making you think that’s what he wanted, it was so far from the truth.

“oh doll, i don’t want to” he replied, moving to face you, taking your hands in his and holding them tightly. “I want to wake up next to you and see your smile in the mornings, i want to hold you while we sleep and when we watch movies too late and eat too much popcorn” bucky continued talking, a smile on his face a he spoke.

You laughed a little bit, sniffling softly and slipping a hand out of his to wipe your tears.

“I’m sorry for acting so stupid, I’m realizing now i went about it all wrong and I’m sorry doll” he spoke, wiping away your tears and getting up to get you some tissues. You took them and thanked him softly, blowing your nose before he started talking again.

“i should’ve talked to you and let you know how i feel, instead i jumped to all these conclusions and just assumed how you would feel and-” he sighed as he cut himself off, looking at you before talking again.

“I’m really sorry darling, i hope you can forgive me” bucky spoke softly, you took his hand in yours, squeezing softly and smiling.

“i know how hard it is for you to talk about how you feel james, but if this is going to work you need to be willing to try” your voice was gentle, “i was worried sick these last few days, you didn’t even tell me if you were okay or if you were even alive” you spoke, bucky felt guilt tugging at his heart.

“from here on out, if something is bothering you or if you’re scared or worried about something i want you to tell me, so that we can talk through it and find a way to help” you suggested, a smile on your face as he nodded quietly.

“can i say something?” Bucky mumbled and you nodded, laughing softly. “is it okay- i mean you don’t have to i just” he stopped for a second, thinking before finally putting the words together.

“i would like it if you reassured me that you still care about me, i hope that’s not too much” he blushed, rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding your eyes. You smiled at him, wrapping your arms around him and holding him tightly.

“that’s not too much lover boy, I’ll be sure to tell you more often” you replied.

Bucky relaxed at your touch, exhausting settling into his body. He yawned and you smiled at him, pulling his softly so that he would lay down.

“i love you so much” you whispered, bucky smiled at you, kissing your forehead softly.

“i love you so much more” he whispered back, his heart felt lighter knowing you weren’t upset with him, that you still loved him just as much.

You felt safer and happier now that bucky was back home with you. You reveled in the way he held you tightly against him, the way he would draw circles with his thumb on your arm to relax you.

The two of you fell asleep not long after, happier and getting more sleep than you had gotten in the last three days.

Bucky was grateful for how patient and understanding you were. He promised himself he would be better at communicating, never again would he hurt you simply because he couldn’t say what he felt.

He kept true to his promise, he was much better at talking of his emotions, even opening up to you about the content of his nightmares.

You kept true to yours, showering him in compliments almost everyday, telling him how much he meant to you and how much you loved him. You enjoyed seeing the way he would blush, his ears going red and cheeks dusted with pink.

Bucky was glad he stayed that night, you were glad he listened to you. He knows if he hadn’t then he would be miserable right now, and he would most definitely not be in the arms of the love of his life, watching your favorite show and eating way too much popcorn for 2:47 am.

[highdramas]

the billboard said the end is near | b.b.

𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝'𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 | 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

pairing: bucky barnes x fem!reader

warnings: language, possible tfatws spoilers, canon typical violence, bucky is soft and loves his doll and will do anything to keep her safe

word count: 2184

summary: bucky is protective over what has given him solace.

note: here's tawlb part 4! you don’t have to read these in order, they stand independently, but they do all work together! PLEASE leave feedback/reblog! this is extremely helpful for me writing future parts to know what everyone likes or doesn’t like!

enjoy! <3

chaos has always controlled your life.

in all of the best ways, and all of the worst ones, too. in the best ways, it has allowed you to not take life too seriously. it has allowed you to let things roll off your shoulders and keep your easy breezy demeanor. you like to think that you don’t allow the little things to affect you-- you also note that it’s because the big things have been so all consuming.

who knew that turning to dust for five years would turn your life into such a shit show?

the five years hadn’t felt like five years to you at all. it felt like one day, you had been laying on your couch watching tv, and then five years later you were appearing in someone else’s apartment. all of your things, gone.

you will never forget their screams as they watched you materialize from nothing.

of course, you can’t blame them. and it wasn’t just this apartment. the screams and the chaos broke through the entire building. people busting from doors, crying and scrambling to use their cell phones, to see if this was really happening.

the couple that had moved into your apartment after you dusted had been kind, all things considered. the woman had held you and you could feel her crying and she kept saying do you have family? do you know their numbers?

finally, you couldn’t help yourself. you had asked, “what happened to me?”

“you’ve been gone for five years, honey.”

these sorts of revelations had ruled your life for the months since you came back.

like when you called your boyfriend only to find out that he was engaged.

like when you found out that you certainly didn’t have a job anymore.

like when you found out that you had no apartment, no savings, no anything. nothing left.

it has been over a year since the blip and you are still feeling the repercussions from it. you are still feeling the hurt of having your life upended, you are still feeling the hurt of missing a life that went on without you. it’s hard not to daydream about what could’ve been. what could’ve stayed the same.

then bucky looks at you, and you’re reminded that not all change is bad.

change is hard but you know that he kisses you and it makes your brain fuzzy, he lays you back on your mattress and he stays with you until the sun rises. change is hard but you introduce him as my boyfriend, james to every new person you meet and you watch as he smiles and pride lingers in his eyes and he carefully places his arm around your shoulders. change is hard but he doesn’t wear the gloves around you anymore.

change is hard, but bucky is better than any of it.

he’s been gone more than normal lately.

of course, you understand. and, really, you think it might be good for him. not the fighting-- while you understand the benefit it has for him, the purpose that it gives him, that’s not the thing that you believe serves him best. no, it is sam. it is sam’s family. it is knowing that there are other people out there in the world who are looking at him the same way that you look at him.

okay, maybe not exactly the same.

bucky had sent you a text from that stupid dinky flip phone that morning, saying that he would be home that night. the implications go unsaid.

you and the winter soldier have formed quite the routine-- he has a key to your apartment on his keyring (it’s a disney princess key. it’s the only spare that you had, and the laughter that erupted from you had made him relent in trying to barter for the cat printed key you have). he’s going to let himself in, probably around ten. you’ll already have the chinese takeout spread out on the table. you’ll spread your arms out and do little jazz hands towards the food and you’ll say, “ta-da.”

and you will watch as the tension in his shoulders starts to ease and he sets his duffel bag down in your entryway and he will cross the room to you. his arms will snake around your waist and his face will be buried into the crook of your neck. he will sigh and you will stroke his hair and you will say, “welcome home, buck.”

but now, it is nine. it is nine and you are curled up on your couch and kitty rests in your lap and you feel yourself growing antsy waiting for bucky to come home. she looks up at you and lets out that little trill as you scratch her head and you smile.

the smiling doesn’t last long.

the building that you and bucky live in is not swanky by any means. it was built in the 40s, with creaky floors and ugly carpeted hallways. the walls are thin and you can hear everything-- really, everything. and the shouting and commotion is certainly not typical.

you move to stand just as the door bursts--or explodes, you’re not sure which is the better word-- open. a scream leaves your lips and you hold onto your cat for dear life, scrambling back into your bedroom and clicking the door behind you. your limbs are shaking and you nearly trip over your dresser and your cat nearly claws your arm off.

you hear bucky before you see him.

“you really think i wasn’t gonna find out about this little stunt?” you’ve never heard his voice like this-- so low, so full of absolute rage. “you’re out of your fucking mind.”

the other person is stammering and though you don’t see the blow that bucky lands on their face, you do hear the aftermath. bucky is talking to someone and you finally set your cat down and you hear bucky on the other side of the door. “doll, it’s me.”

you open the door and look at him with a pounding heart and shaking hands. he looks just as shaken, but more than that-- he’s angry. his fists are clenched at his sides. “buck--” you lay a hand on your chest and you try to gain control of your breathing and you can see that he is doing the same. “what happened?”

bucky hesitates. you watch the gears turning in his head, and it makes your head tilt to the side. “bucky, i’m not kidding-- tell me.”

“we were on our way back and sam got a tip from torres that the flag smashers were--” he cringes even at the thought and he shakes his head. “they were going to try and--”

you watch as he struggles to say it, to really say it, and you touch his face. the touch seems to open him up. his hand takes your wrist and he rubs his thumb along the bone. “they wanted to take you as a hostage.”

a hostage.

bucky opens his mouth to say something else as you blink, trying to wrap your mind around the fact that someone wanted to take you as a hostage, but sam interrupts him. “sharon’s got the guy in cuffs downstairs,” he says in your doorway. when you look, you can see that a mess has been made of your living room-- and not the sort of mess that you create. no, it is a mess of destruction and chaos. “i’m gonna head out. call me if you need anything, i’m staying in town.”

bucky nods and you muster up your best smile to sam and then you look at bucky and you say quietly, “can we go to your apartment?”

he nods and you scoop up kitty and you pad down the hall beside him, still in your loungewear and fuzzy socks. you notice that he constantly keeps a hand on you. whether it’s his fingers tangling with yours or his arm around your shoulders or his palm pressed into the small of your back-- you know exactly what it is that he’s doing, and you lean into every touch, hoping that the contact whispers i’m here, i’m here, i’m here, and you are not losing me.

kitty drops to the floor and, surprisingly, it’s bucky that speaks before you do. “you’re gonna move in here. with me.” he stares at you firmly. “i’m gonna make sure that you’re safe. and the safest place you can be is with me.”

you open your mouth to reply but he continues. “i can’t--” you watch the gears in his head turning, the scenarios turning over and over and over again in his mind. “i can’t lose you.”

“buck…” you move over to him and you place your hands on his face. his eyes are fixed on the wall behind your head, and you watch as guilt overcomes him and you can practically hear him saying if i hadn’t been there in time… “bucky, you’re not going to.”

you feel his hands fist into the material of your t shirt and he holds you even closer. “i’ll move in with you,” you finally whisper against the stubble of his jaw. “and not just for safety. because i want to live with you.”

bucky pulls away and he looks at you with a wobbling lip and you shush him. “i’m okay,” you whisper and you lean your forehead on his. “i’m okay, and i’m here, and i’m staying.”

“okay.”

his hand caresses the back of your head and you touch the place where his heart is. you watch his shoulders rise and fall, you watch his eyes flutter shut and you see some of the tension finally seep out of his pores. he opens his eyes at you and he looks so tired.

“i sleep on the floor,” he blurts it as he pulls away slightly. for a moment, it looks like he regrets it, the way that he winces slightly. “i don’t like… i don’t like sleeping in the bed. it’s too… soft. i always slept in your bed when i stayed over because i didn’t want you to wake up and i wasn’t there.”

“bucky…” you lean into every single place that he touches. “i’ll sleep on the floor with you.”

an incredulous sort of laugh leaves bucky as he stares down at you. he shakes his head a bit. “i don’t want you to do that.”

“i don’t care,” you say with a steely resolve and confident defiance, jutting your chin up at him. “because i’m sleeping next to you. tonight, and every night after. i don’t care where. i’ll never care where.”

bucky’s exhale is shaky and broad arms encircle your waist entirely, drawing you in closer and closer. his face presses into your neck, the exact way that you had imagined him coming home to you hours earlier. you can feel his lips pressing into your skin, can feel the sheer need in it. “i don’t deserve you,” every movement of his lips against your neck is entirely felt, sending sparks through your limbs. “i don’t know what i did to get this lucky.”

“shh,” you rake your fingernails down his scalp and you can feel his fingers gripping you tighter. “if you say that stupid shit again, i’ll kill you. you deserve me.” you tap his chin and he fixes his gaze on you. “and i deserve you. we deserve each other. we deserve to be happy. together. and i’m tired of people thinking otherwise.”

bucky finally cracks a smile. “you’re very stubborn.”

“i thought you liked that about me.”

“i love that about you.” he takes a beat. “among other things.”

you bite down on your lip and finally lean up on your tiptoes. “i promise i’ll be a good roommate.”

“that’s bullshit,” he says and his hands find the curve of your waist once more, traveling to your hips. “i’m going to be cleaning up after you every damn day.”

“yeah, probably.” your hand goes to the back of his head. “it will feel safe. staying here.”

bucky’s nose trails up the side of your face. “good.” he presses his lips to your jaw. “i’m sorry about your apartment. that fucker would’ve been dead if you weren’t there.” he grows more serious again. “i would never let anyone get away with anything like that. i will never let it get that far again, doll. i swear to god.”

“bucky,” you breathe. “i know. it’s okay.” you take his hand and you pull a few blankets off his couch, toss down a few pillows. “let’s go to sleep.”

there’s a twinkle in his eye as he watches you shuffle around his apartment, putting together a makeshift bed on the floor. you fluff the pillows before setting them down and you give him a smile that tells him everything is going to be alright.

even though he says you moving in is about keeping you safe… he sleeps that night on the hardwood, holding you, and he feels safer too.

[hellogoonie02]

TW://self h*rm, mental illness, ab*ndonment

We met through a friend of a friend our freshman year. I was collecting people to keep around me like a shell to hide in. You were content with yourself and a few familiars. It would be years later when you told me you thought I was smart but naïve.

I thought you were stuck up.

Our original group drifted apart but you and I somehow stuck together. We shared the same class every year and it became the highlight of my day. My eyes always sought you out in the crowd of other students; where is she? Where is she?

You got a car in our junior year. It was a tiny, off-white, four-door with an engine so loud we had to shout to hear each other whenever you drove. We made it a habit to run through the Dairy Queen drive thru after school, usually my treat. You always got the M&M’s and cookie dough, and I always got the strawberry cheesecake. Even though I knew what yours tasted like I asked for a bite. 

One summer day you called and asked if I wanted to go on an adventure. 

With you? Always. We stuffed your trunk full; towels, floaties, clothes, shoes, snacks, water, and sunscreen. On the highway we blasted music so loud my ears were ringing but I don’t remember what it was, just that you were laughing so hard we almost hit the ditch. We drove an hour to Detroit Lakes because your cousin knew a nice, small beach on a lake outside the city where few people ever went. 

It took us forever to blow up the stupid floaties but it was worth it once we were on the water. The current took us way out to where our feet couldn’t touch and I hooked my leg onto yours so that you wouldn’t float away from me. The sun was hot but the water was cold and we talked for hours out there where no one could hear us. 

It wasn’t until we dried off that we realized how burned we were. Your arms were a candy apple color and my thighs looked like SOLO cups. You ran inside the local Walgreens and we slathered ourselves with aloe vera the entire way home, laughing at ourselves and tearing up because of the pain. 

That night I stayed for a sleepover. I stood awkwardly in my underwear (any more clothing on my skin was unbearable) while you made up your bed, wondering where I would sleep. You patted the twin mattress, inviting me in and I felt my breath leave my body. 

Will we both fit?

Don’t be shy. 

You weren’t afraid to snuggle into me. The door was open, we were two girls, just friends, nothing to gawk at. 

No, not just friends. Best friends. 

I could never explain to you how my heart swelled, wishing I could curl up inside your soul, be your best friend forever and ever until the sun died and we were nothing more than star dust. I couldn’t say anything about how tears spilled down my cheeks and I prayed silently to whatever god would listen, please please please let me keep this one. How I would give anything to be your best friend for the rest of time. 

I don’t think we should hang out anymore.

After graduation I got a full time job and an apartment with my [then] girlfriend. You were studying to get into Child Protective Services. The text came out of nowhere. 

It’s not that we can’t be friends, it’s just... I’m finally happy. And you’re not. 

I froze in the middle of the hallway, keys in hand, staring at my screen. I felt my stomach drop to my feet.

Whenever I’m with you, I feel like I need to be sad, too. 

I remember it had been a while since we hung out; we were both so busy with our own lives that free time became a rarity, usually spent catching up on sleep or with our families. I think we both knew it would be harder to find time together once we graduated. 

I’m sorry, I know this must be hard to hear. I don’t mean to hurt you, but I need to look out for myself. 

I made it to my bathroom before the lump in my throat burst out of my mouth as a choked sob and my eyes blurred with tears.

You’re a sweetheart and I’ll always care about you. Just… not as close as I had before. 

It wasn’t until the blood was running down my arms and into the sink that I realized I was doing the very thing you were distancing yourself from me for. You didn’t want me to stain your sleeves, too. To stain your happy life. 

You can always call or text, I’ll always be your friend.

As childish as it may have been, I lashed out. I wanted you to hurt as much as I was. I had once prided myself on my pragmatism, but in that moment I felt my world crumbling. I lit the match that burned our bridge.

Fuck you. I hope you rot in hell.

Still, you were better than me. You had self-respect. Boundaries. Limits. 

I won’t tolerate being spoken to like this. I’m blocking you, and I suggest you delete my number. 

Part of me was hurt that you wouldn’t put up more of a fight; argue with me, fight to keep me around. Part of me knows it’s not fair of me to make you jump through hoops like a circus animal. Friendships are two-way streets, built on respect and love. 

But… where was the love in abandoning me?

It’s been over a year now since we’ve last spoken. I stalk you on Instagram occasionally, but you don’t update that often. Every time I try to message you I get cold feet, unsure of what I should write. Do I even deserve you anymore? Did I ever deserve you? After all this time, do you even remember me…?

Even though we were never dating it still hurts like a breakup. The amount of tissues and ice cream tubs clogging my trash are a constant reminder that I’m just too tired to take out. 

If somehow you’re reading this, know that I’m sorry, and I miss you. I’m leaving this message in a bottle for you. Write me back.

[archived-kin]

one thousand and one nights with you (is not enough to spend)

note from kin: the title is from that song in twisted by starkid, but that’s about as far as the similarity goes

anyway you’re visionless and basically run a little witch shop in mondstadt, with flowers and cool gemstones and mysterious powders and potions and stuff. albedo gets a lot of his alchemy ingredients from you (also he’s dating you but not a lot of people know that)

fandom: genshin impact

character(s): gn! reader, albedo, plus a surprise venti cameo

pairing(s): albedo/reader

warning(s): i don’t know albedo that well so he might be ooc? also this is so cheesy it’s a little ridiculous

genre: fluff

“I’ll be going now, boss!”

You smile and return your assistant’s cheery goodbye wave as he disappears off into the night outside, freshly-filled coin pouch jingling at his hip. As the door swings shut with quiet click, your surroundings fall into quietude.

The candles keeping the room lit are beginning to burn down to stumps, throwing most of your shelves into shadow. You take a sip from the steaming cup sitting on your counter, then stand up to begin taking inventory and closing up shop.

The silence is comforting after such a long day. You’re not entirely sure what brought on the sudden increase in customers, given that your shop is tucked away in a quiet little corner of Mondstadt that not many tend to linger around. That had been a deliberate choice, and so was the lack of advertising - your speciality is the individual, not the crowd.

Still, you can’t say that it isn’t nice to have the increased income. More profit means better wages for your assisstant - and more Mora to buy even more cool things to stock.

You pass about an hour ambling around your shop, rearranging your products and making sure that everything is in order. Then, just as the bat-shaped clock on the wall chimes one o’clock, the bell above the front door jingles, and you hear quiet footsteps enter.

You don’t pay it any mind at first, instead focusing on rearranging the little bottles of various dusts and extracts on one of the ingredients shelves. A hand settles on the small of your back, and you feel the new arrival’s presence come to a stop beside you.

“We’re out of powdered lizard tail,” You say without looking at him.

A pause. Then a quiet chuckle. “That’s how you want to start the night?”

You smirk. “The night started a good while ago, darling.”

Albedo sighs as you turn to face him, though his soft smile betrays his faux-exasperation. “I did tell you I’d be late today.”

“You tell me that you’ll be late every day,” You reply, sliding one final bottle of powdered crystalfly into place, then move over to sit on your front counter. He follows, settling just beside you.

“I have a lot of things that need attending to,” He shrugs, leaning over and snatching your drink without asking. You shake your head, but let him take a sip from it anyway.

His eyes flicker up to look at you over the rim of the mug. “...though, of course, you’re the most important one.”

You laugh and bat at his shoulder. He doesn’t make any effort to avoid it, eyes twinkling as you smile. “Why not come round more often if I’m so important, huh?”

“Do you think I wouldn’t if I could?” He asks with a scoff, setting down the mug and gently nudging you in the side. “We both have jobs, [Name]. We need to actually do them.”

“Oh, I know that,” You return his nudge and hop down from the counter again. Albedo sighs a little at your restlessness, but follows as you swipe the keys from your drawer and open the door again. “But it doesn’t hurt to take a day off every now and then.”

“I’ve already taken far more in the last month than is reasonable,” Albedo says with a shake of his head, stepping out into the street at your indication and waiting as you shut and lock the door. “Grandmaster Jean will get suspicious.”

“Psh,” You dismiss, waving a whimsical hand about and nearly knocking the sign off of your door. “Why is it that you’re not telling her about us, again?”

“She doesn’t exactly like you,” He says, absently linking his hand with yours as the two of you begin walking aimlessly in no direction in particular. He’s removed his gloves, you notice. “You did set up shop without permission when you first got here.”

“Ah, right…” Now that you think about it, you seem to remember her shooting you a rather nasty look when you passed her in the street last week. Why she continues to hold a grudge is lost on you - after all, you did get the necessary documentation and everything eventually… though, to be fair, the method you used wasn’t exactly legal. “...well, forget her.  What do you want to do tonight?”

“Hmm,” He swings your linked hands about for a moment. “I saw a lot of dandelions growing just outside the walls earlier. Why don’t we go pick some seeds?”

“If you want to pick dandelion seeds, why not ask Sucrose?” You ask as he begins leading you in the direction of the main gate. “She’s the one with the Anemo vision.”

“Sucrose?” Albedo repeats, turning his head to look at you. His irises almost seem to glow in the darkness of the night, brighter than any of the stars above - it’d be unsettling if it wasn’t so beautiful. “Why would I want to go seed-picking with her?”

You raise an eyebrow. “...well, I’m assuming you need them for an experiment, and Anemo-blown sunflower seeds are always far more effective in that area.”

“If I needed them for an experiment, I’d just buy them from your shop,” He shakes his head. “This isn’t an ingredient hunt. This is different - it’s special.”

“Special how?” You question as the two of you walk through the gate. Albedo guides you over to a particularly thick cluster of dandelions just a few feet away, nestled in a lush copse of grass.

“Special… like you.” He cups both his hands around one of yours, the one that he’d been holding just before, and guides it over to one of the tallest plants. “Go on, show me that trick again.”

You laugh a little at his almost childish inflection, but do as he requests anyway. Albedo pulls his hands away from yours and watches as you carefully pluck off the head of the dandelion without disturbing any of its fluff-topped seeds, allowing it to rest on the tips of your fingers.

“There’s no trick to having a delicate hand,” You say as he watches your every move with the utmost concentration. “It just takes practice.”

Carefully securing the little bit of stem left at the bottom of the dandelion head between your index finger and thumb, you slowly raise your hand so that it’s suspended just above Albedo; he ducks his head a little, closing his eyes as you bring up your other hand to ever-so-gently flick the seeds from the head. The seeds drift about in the still night air for a brief moment before landing in Albedo’s blonde hair; their white colour is barely distinguishable against it.

He opens his eyes again as you pull your hands down again, lifting his head slowly so as not to disturb the little decorations you’ve added to it. “...so what did you grant me this time?”

“A good night’s sleep,” You say playfully. “As the seeds are carried away on the wind, so too will all your worldly burdens be blown away.”

He shakes his head, and several seeds are dislodged by the motion, vanishing quickly into the night. “If only it were that easy.”

“Hey, it worked last time,” You counter, sitting down in the grass. Albedo follows suit, reaching out and plucking a dandelion of his own - though with a lot less deftness than you did.

“That wasn’t the dandelions,” He says plainly, blowing lightly on the dandelion and watching the fluff disperse and disappear into the dark. “I just sleep more soundly when you’re beside me.”

You chuckle. “Sweet talker. So you’d sleep like a baby if I was around all the time, then?”

“Perhaps I would half the time,” He answers, smiling in a way that tells you that he knows exactly how sappy what he’s about to say is. “But I wouldn’t sleep nearly as well for the other half. I’d be too busy looking at you.”

Despite already knowing that it was coming, you can’t help but feel your heart flutter slightly at his proclamation. “I could say the same about. Bet you’ve broken a good few hearts with looks like that.”

“Then so be it,” He shrugs, eye-lids falling a little as he gives you a devilish little smirk. “Yours is the only one I care about.”

“When did you get so charming?” You flick him in the nose, effectively wiping off the smug look on his face. “Have you been studying love poems or something?”

“Love poems aren’t really my area,” He says, drawing back and rubbing at his nose a little reproachfully. “But Lisa and Kaeya have been giving me plenty of tips on my… 'romantic endeavours’, as they say.”

“Those two…” You shake your head. Kaeya and Lisa managed to find about your relationship with Albedo almost as soon as he’d confessed to you, though luckily they’d agreed to try not to mention it around Jean. “Have those tips been working?”

“Isn’t that a question for you to answer?” He picks another dandelion and blows it directly at you. “Is your heart being stirred?”

“Not while you’re blowing seeds into my face, it isn’t,” You shield yourself with one hand, pushing it in front of Albedo’s face to obscure his field of vision. “Quit it!”

He does drop the dandelion at your request, but, unusually, doesn’t give you a verbal response. You’re just thinking that he must be planning something when he suddenly leans forward and kisses the centre of your palm.

You immediately pull your hand back, feeling yourself heat up. Albedo leans forward, cocking his head to the side with a smile. “What about now?”

“You’re insufferable,” is your only reply.

Albedo’s smile turns into another smirk. He knows exactly what he’s doing. “I’m yours.”

“Mine, now? How nice,” You say, still trying to act unbothered. You can tell it isn’t working, though.  “Am I allowed to get a refund if you don’t work as expected?”

“Would you ever want to return me?” Albedo counters. You can’t exactly say yes - that’s both mean and untrue -  so you just sigh and shake your head. He smiles, clearly pleased.

You’re about to say something else when you hear a series of uneven footsteps coming from the gate. It doesn’t sound like a Knight of Favonius on patrol - in fact, it sounds more like a drunkard.

Albedo shuffles a little closer to you as a figure stumbles out of the gates. It’s someone you vaguely recognise by their green clothes - the bard who often plays in front of the statue of Barbatos. He’s holding a bottle that’s already half-empty, and you have a feeling that he’s already had a lot more before it.

The bard looks over at you and Albedo, and while you doubt he can recognise your faces what with both the darkness and the distance, it’s obvious enough that the two of you aren’t just a pair of good buddies hanging out. He raises the bottle in your direction with a hiccup.

“Wonderful night to meet a lover!” He calls, voice ringing so loudly that you’re sure that he just woke up a few residents of the city. “May your relationship last long as the wind blows!”

He doesn’t wait for a response before beginning to stumble his way across the bridge. As he goes, he exclaims to no one in particular, “The air is crisp tonight! Such good wine - what a wonderful city!”

He quickly disappears into the darkness. You exchange looks with Albedo. “...how much do you think he drank?”

“Far too much,” He replies amusedly. “He’ll regret it come morning.”

“And it isn’t too far off now,” You say, checking your pocket watch. “Will you be heading back to headquarters tonight?”

He considers, then shakes his head. “I don’t have anything that’ll need attention tomorrow morning. So, if you’ll have me…”

He doesn’t finish, but you already know what he’s asking. “There’s always room for you to stay over - you should know that by now, shouldn’t you?”

He smiles a little bashfully at that, and nods. “I suppose so… thank you.”

“You might as well move in at this point,” You comment, shifting slightly on the spot and patting at his arm. He holds his hand out obligingly, and you thread your fingers through his. “You’ve left at least three sets of pyjamas over already.”

Albedo opens his mouth to respond, and you shake your head, placing the index finger of your free hand to his lips to shush him. “Yeah, yeah, I got it, Grandmaster Jean’ll get suspicious…”

He blows on your finger to get you to retract it. When that doesn’t work, he pretends to bite at it, which is a lot more effective. “...I will tell her eventually. Just not now.”

“While you’re on the rocks,” You say with a nod, squeezing his hand. He sighs and nods as well. “But I still don’t think she’d fire you over who you’re dating.”

“Maybe not, but I don’t want to get any more on her bad side,” He mumbles. “She’s still annoyed about that floor I melted.”

“Didn’t you tell her that I was the one who made you drop the potion?” You ask, thinking back to that particular day - when you’d learnt that Albedo is very susceptible to your flirting when he’s in the middle of an experiment.

He shakes his head with a chuckle. “I didn’t think you’d appreciate me tattling. Besides, it isn’t like she punished me.”

“Well, you’re basically untouchable at the end of the day,” You comment, lying back in the grass and pulling Albedo with you. “It’s them who need you, not the other way around.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” He says, adjusting himself so that the two of you are pressed flush against each other. “If I hadn’t started working for them, we’d never have met.”

“We would have crossed paths eventually,” You say, smiling coyly when he turns his head to face you. “Though better sooner than later, I suppose.”

“Far better sooner,” He says, returning your smile with a much softer one. “I’m glad we did.”

Another dandelion seed drifts out of his hair and lands in the grass as you look at him. You'll be keeping this one for a long time, you decide. Probably forever. You like him.

You think he likes you, too.

[utterlyhopeful-fics]

Shotgun Wedding

MASTERLIST

Angel Reyes x Reader

Word Count: 1.1k 

Warnings: angsty angst, language, s3 spoilers, (gif not mine!)

Marisol Reyes’s diamond sparkled underneath the grim lighting of the Mayans clubhouse. The diamond she always imagined resting on her ring finger. Y/N stared blankly at the beaming woman glued next to Angel. Y/N tried her damndest to conceal her heartache keeping a calm demeanor. As if cemented in the very place she stood, Y/N didn’t dare move a muscle at the abrupt announcement. 

Her ears rung horrendously blocking out the unwelcomed laughter and cheers. Her blood simmered rising in temperature every passing second, but Y/N swore her heart stopped beating the moment Angel wouldn’t…couldn’t look at her. Tranq’s eyes searched the room finding Y/N all too easily, a familiar sadness rested behind her eyes showcasing her inner misery.

Nails’s smile continued to irk Y/N as her fingers wrapped around an empty beer glass.

Angel’s voice boomed through the room next; “That ain’t it..we’re havin a baby!”

Hoots and hollers broke out across the room celebrating the surprising news.

Y/N froze too stunned to glance up from the wood counter she was currently staring holes in. Ezekiel’s eyes followed suit; pity filled and genuine disbelief. Didn’t seem like big bro told him either. Suddenly glass shattered forcing Y/N’s gaze downwards, blood danced down her palm moving delicately towards her wrist. Two shards embedded deeply into her hand as her eyes bulged at the growing mess.

Tranq moved quick grabbing a towel. He hesitated sizing up the shards and their removal. His lips moved but Y/N didn’t hear a thing. A minor pinch resonated from her palm glancing down at the removed bloodstained pieces. Angel chanced a glimpse towards Y/N knowing the damage had been long done.

“Y/N?”  

She merely nodded applying more pressure to the cut.

Her voice dead-panned void of any emotion; “Shit, I spaced. Sorry bout the glass.”

His brow scrunched upwards at the overtly monotonous tone. Meanwhile, Y/N busied herself wiping up the crimson liquid. Not more than five seconds later her back was to him as she rushed to the back room. Tranq tailed her closing the door behind him. Her chest heaved unable to catch her breath as she paced in circles.

“Say somethin, anything…”

Y/N stopped, her eyes pierced his gentle ones; “Did you know?”

Without hesitation, Tranq answered; “No idea.”

He sounded just as hurt as she did causing concern to spread throughout her shivering frame; “I thought you and Nails were—”

“Me too. Guess not.”

Unshed tears begged for release but Y/N fought harder. Her voice sounded broken, laced in pain; “I hate him.”

Tranq rubbed her shoulder soothingly; “I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry, Y/N.”

Her shoulders deflated; “It’s not your fault. It’s fucking mine for giving him another god damn chance.”

“Stop. They made their choice. Does it fucking suck? Hell yeah, but it’s outta our hands for good. Don’t let that shit spread.”

“Your optimism is annoying as hell.”

His hand grazed over her chin keeping her attention; ““He doesn’t deserve you; he never fucking did.”

“And she’s a total bitch for blowing you off and running back to him the second he turns her damn direction.”

“I don’t want to hurt like this anymore, T. Angel will never choose me and that’s a hard pill to swallow. But seriously? Seriously? He fucking parades her around, proposes to her, and then knocks her up?! What fresh hell did I walk into tonight?”

“You and me both.”

Her fingers carefully grazed along the liquor bottles aligning the farthest wall; “I think I’m going to miss you the most.”

Confusion clouded his thoughts; “You—you’re leaving?”

“I have to. I can’t just stay here and watch him play house. Angel’s left me no other choice.”

Tranq closed the gap between them bringing her into his chest. Her arms wrapped around him trying to memorize every possible detail.

“I still have a phone, ya know. I’ll keep you in the loop, promise.”

“You are worth finding. Worth knowing. And undoubtedly worth loving. Don’t let him take that away.”

“You, my friend, have a way with words. This isn’t goodbye.”

“Just a see you later?”

The hallway light shone brightly as the door swung ajar. Picking up one foot in front of the other, Y/N stride didn’t falter instead focusing her energy straight ahead on the exit until an unwelcoming voice echoed out for her.

“Y/N, wait up!”

She began a light jog attempting to make a clean getaway. Heavy footsteps clogged about alerting her of another presence. Y/N fumbled for her keys but not before Angel Reyes caught up.

“There’s nothing left to say, Reyes. Your announcement made that crystal clear. Now go the fuck away.”

“At least gimme a minute to explain.”

“Explain what? How you told me you loved me TWO DAYS AGO and then proceeded to propose to your fuck buddy? Oh, congrats on the baby by the way. I hope you both burn in hell.”

Angel held her arm keeping her in place; Y/N fought against his grasp; “You’re a selfish, irredeemable shell of a bastard.”

“I know.”

“I love you, all of you so damn much. But I’m sick and tired of the bullshit. You’ve obviously made your decision, Gel. I gotta get out of here for a while.”

Guilt ran down his spine seeping into his stiff bones. Angel opened his mouth but no words followed. Not once in the last twelve hours had he stopped running at full speed. Now with the dust finally settling, Angel’s actions finally caught up with him.

“C’mon, don’t be like that.”

Her jaw nearly hit the ground at the audacity of this asshole; “I bet your fiancé is looking for you. Should probably head back.”

The words held a finality Angel wasn’t sure he was ready to embrace. His mind screamed at him to be honest, to tell Y/N she was the reason he got outta bed every day. But then Nails told him she was pregnant and the rest of the world became a blur. Angel never actually expected to lose Y/N. Now his reality had shifted, altered on its very axis and there wasn’t a goddamn thing he could do about it. The car door creaked open and shut in record time. Blurred headlights were all that remained as the distance grew further and further between them. Crickets chirped far too loudly as the silence set in. It was time for Angel to let Y/N go even if his heart resisted.

 ~~~~~~~

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[watfordgrimoire]

Any Way The Wind Blows Canon Spells

* indicates it was first seen in Carry On

** indicates it was first seen in Wayward Son

Hey you've got to hide your love away — protection and hiding spell

Keep it secret, keep it safe — protection and hiding spell

Mum's the word, mum's the word — protection and hiding spell

Under my skin — removes splinters (experimental spell by Dr. Bunce)

No trespassing — removes objects from where they are not supposed to be

Let bygones be bygones — memory erasing spell

Rock-a-bye, baby — puts someone to sleep

Rise and shine — wakes someone up

If you love someone, set them free — frees objects or people that are stuck

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust — turns objects into ashes

These go to eleven — turns music up past speakers ability

Like a glove — makes clothing fit a person perfectly

A penny for your thoughts — can be used to pay for items online (works really well for Penelope because of her name)

Get your goat — goat herding spell

Mary had a little lamb / Little lamb, little lamb / Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow / Everywhere that Mary went, Mary went, Mary went / Everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go / It followed her to school one day / School one day, school one day / It followed her to school one day, which was against the rules — draws goats or lamb animals to the caster

Full English — unknown usage

Primrose path — unknown usage

Bread and roses — unknown usage

Let it all out — when used on mages, it makes all of their magic come to them at once until it is used up; when used on normals it makes them immune to magic (forbidden spell created by Smith Smith Richards)

Death by chocolate — causes a giant chocolate bar to appear (difficult spell that can only be cast once per day)

**Light of day — causes light to emit from a mage's magical object

Sticking point — sticks objects, like paper, to a surface

Fair enough — puts enough money for a cab ride on a credit or debit card

*There's nothing to see here — draws people’s/creature’s attention away from whatever the caster wants (undoes your attention please)

Stay — forces pets to stay in place

Nigel, stay! Please — stronger version of the stay spell that Niamh uses

Just a tick — removes ticks

Down, boy — makes animals get down from furniture

Heel — forces animals to follow you

*Fine tooth comb— _ _ _ _ — searches a book for mentions of the chosen word/words

There's safety in numbers — encourages animals to stay in groups

*A place for everything, and everything in its place — puts objects away in their correct place

There will be blood — causes the person it is cast upon to start bleeding

Winter, spring, summer or fall — _____ — locating spell

Rosie Lee — tea making spell

Sparks fly — causes sparks to fly from the caster's magical object

*Clean as a whistle — gets rid of visible dirt

Caught on tape — when used on a tape recorder, turns the tape recorder into a magical object that takes away a mage's voice

**Now you see it, now you don't —hides who or what it is cast on from view

Tickled pink — turns objects or people pink

*Float like a butterfly —causes who or what it is cast on to float into the air a few inches

Roses are red — turns objects or people red

Violets are blue — turns objects or people blue

Cat nap — puts someone to sleep

*Cat got your tongue — stops a person from speaking (frowned upon because of a wizard’s reliance on their voice)

Find your way home — makes an object drawn to who it belongs to

*Open Sesame — opens doors

K.O. — knocks whomever it is cast on out

Put it out of your head — memory erasing spell (dangerous to use because of the potential effects on the person's brain)

**Freeze — stops objects or people

Gentlemen, start your engines — starts car engines without using keys

Dust up — removes dust

Test the waters — shoots a stream of water from the caster's magical object

Sent to Coventry — moves objects to Coventry

The beat goes on — CPR spell to try and restart unbeating hearts

Yeet — shoots a powerful blast out of caster's magical object

Abandon hope, all ye who enter — unknown use

Stone the crows — unknown use

What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive — if the person it is cast on has told lies, they will be covered in spider webbing

Liar, liar, pants on fire — causes a person's pants to start to light on fire

Crash and burn — causes a steam of fire to come out of the caster's magical object

Dutch courage — fills a glass with alcohol

Flesh and blood — confirms if people share DNA

A horse of a different colour — turns objects or people a different color

[softbean]

Did you know I’m a multimedia artist? I make (soft, mostly more like half soft/half angry lol, and low-production aka literally recorded at my desk) rap music. If you’re curious, give my latest track a listen. :)

Lyrics below

sure as the sun

At last it’s over. (It’s over) Nostalgic days of idleness 

Not ready for the mindfulness, I close my eyes from violent

Emotions clear as diamonds, Imposing blissful ignorance

 (ignorance) They fall through the cracks anyway, truths I can’t

Tolerate, that you’re the one that got away, but nothing is mine 

to keep at the end even if to god i pray, through pain 

and sorrow,  this self I borrowed too will rust, can you fathom? 

That everything returns to dust, it all returns to atoms?

 Clinging in attachment, running from aversion

Heart pinging from attraction, samsara’s no abstraction

 Bringing tears to both our eyes when you traverse those letters

I might know best, though I think the universe knows better

I’m sick with grief (I’m sick with grief), There’s no relief, (there’s no relief)

All my hopes and dreams are falling like a golden leaf (golden leaf)

I’ll resurrect once more through my sheer belief, that

The lock to my heart will surely have many keys

So Set me free (set me free), let me be (let me be)

Even if I’m going to miss you Terribly (terribly)

Next time I love I’ll love with Equanimity

All these fruits on the trees, all these fish in the seas

The river flows (the river flows), the zephyr blows (the zephyr blows)

Can’t stop it dear, this lesson is a bitter dose (bitter dose)

In the spring, from the flowers you’ll see nectars grow (nectars grow)

This hope I hold will heal me with forever gold

Life has no security, it’s impermanent

Cause and effect shapes us we all Interdepend. Want to 

Be able to feel your joy as my own joy promise

One day i will, but right now, I have no choice, you see

I fear I’ll never feel this way or find love again

The mindset of scarcity is what I’m up against

Embracing abundance around me is a peaceful heart

The bad and the good are possible in equal parts

Hope banishes fear; Slow, vanishing tears

Glow, searing into me until the damage is clear

But gold smears of filigree, encircle me like kintsugi 

Mend my skin where light has been, make those scars disappear

Applying to my injuries unquiet divine sympathy, cheers

loud like a symphony, god’s greatest ever simile

growing pains are part of me, golden veins and artery

Restore to this porcelain heart some artfully made harmony

Set me free (set me free), let me be (let me be)

Even if I’m going to miss you terribly (terribly)

Next time I love I’ll love with equanimity

All these fruits on the trees, all these fish in the seas

The river flows, (the river flows) the zephyr blows (the zephyr blows)

Can’t stop it dear, this lesson is a bitter dose (bitter dose)

In the spring, from the flowers you’ll see nectars grow (nectars grow)

This hope I hold will heal me with forever gold

The river flows, (the river flows) the lover chose (the lover chose)

Can’t stop it even if the sadness never goes (never goes)

This door to my heart will now rest forever closed

Will another one open? Only heaven knows

I’m on my knees, (I’m on my knees) so hear my pleas, (so hear my pleas)

Carrying my wishes through my rhyme and beats (rhyme and beats)

We’ll meet again, my dear, the day when I’m at peace (I’m at peace)

All these fruits on the trees, all these fish in the seas

[t0shii]

% pretty hands

.! timeskip! tsukishima, kageyama (sep) x gn!r

.! fluff, not proofread, mention of food in tobio's

.! this is like a pt 2 to my other "pretty hands" post, check that one out also!

tsukishima

it was common for you to sit or lay in tsukishima's lap while he read aloud for you. originally, he wasn't fond of reading out loud for you. he thought it was weird and awkward but one night when you just couldn't sleep, you'd asked him and he agreed, saying "if it'll help you sleep.... i guess so."

tonight was one of those nights, it was storming horribly and try as you might, you just couldn't sleep. tsukishima had grown irritated at your tossing and turning, "turn the lamp on, i'll get my book." you're not sure if you should be happy he's going to read to you or upset he's only doing so to stop you annoying movements, nonetheless the do as told, the now lit lamp beside your side of the bed just barely illuminates your room and you look to your boyfriend for further instructions. "c'mon then." he holds and arm out for you to climb under and you do just that, your own arms clinging to a penguin plush he'd gotten you at an aquarium a year ago.

he'd been reading for ten minutes and you still weren't budging. he pauses and takes a breath, "you sleepy yet?" you look away shyly, your answer barely audible "...no" he frowns at this, "i'll finish this chapter then find a different book." he mumbles, adjusting his glasses. truthfully, you hadn't been paying attention to the book at all, instead, your mind (and gaze) wandered to his hands instead, they were so pretty. pale and slender, worn-down baby blue nail polish on this nicely trimmed nails from where he'd let you, to your surprise, paint his nails one night many weeks ago and a dainty blue and white bead bracelet with your initials you'd made for him adorning his wrist, to which you had the match of with his initials instead.

he begins reading again but you can't stop looking at his hand- "so as he- what are you doing?" he looks at you confused as you take his free hand in yours, " kei, did you know you have really pretty hands?" you look up at him, "well... no? no one's ever told me that." his cheeks dust a light pink as you continue to inspect his hand, "well you do. they're so soft too, and way bigger than mine, look." you press the palm of your hand against his. of course he already knew his hands were bigger than yours, it didn't take much to notice the difference. you play with and compliment his hands for well over twenty minutes until your eyelids get droopy and eventually, you fall asleep. all this time, tsukishima never knew he had such pretty hands.

kageyama

it was routine that every tuesday evening you and kageyama had a little self-care night. face masks while taking a bubble bath together, movies, and of course take out from your favorite restaurant.

bubble baths were reserved for any thoughts or concerns the two of you needed vent out and the other would comfort you accordingly so. one thing to note about kageyama is that he's a hand talker not only this but his hands are beautiful (a compliment he's received from you many times before) as your boyfriend rants on about how his coach was making him sit out of a match they were having in a few days because his wrist was feeling off, he flicks some soap in your eye. really, you hadn't meant to be so dramatic with your, "AH tobio, be careful!" and you almost felt bad as he curses at himself. "oh shit, baby i'm sorry." he blows gentle, cool air onto your eye, "is it better?" after making sure his hands were free of soap, he gently rubs his thumb over your eye, "no, it stings really bad, tobi." you pout.

even with only one eye open, you can't help admiring your boyfriends hands. how nicely trimmed his nails were with a silver band around his ring finger that you'd gotten him for his birthday almost a year ago that he refused to take off, a mole on his wrist (which he hates) and a freckle in the shape of a heart right beside it. his hands were just pretty, they weren't too large but definitely not small. you take his hand in your own two, removing from your eye, "why are you wearing your ring in the bath?" you furrow your eyebrows at him, "uhh i never take it off. only for volleyball because coach yells at me if i don't." "oh."

you inspect his hand, fidgeting with his fingers and he lets you. "you trim your nails earlier?" "mhm" "i can tell. where'd this bruise come from?" "bumped it on the corner of the dining table." "ah. did i ever tell you that-" "yes, you've told me my hands are pretty. almost everyday, actually." you giggle at him, "that often huh?" "yep." "well, i mean it every time." you mumble, kissing his knuckles, "i know you do." he retracts his hand from yours, hooking a finger under your chin to force your face up, "you're eye looks better."

[hobidreams]

october 1865.

you never thought you would smile like this again, but here you are. and here he is, by your side.

pairing: joseon king!yoongi x reader genre: fluffy fluff words: 5k 😳 contains: historical au, chuseok date!, eunuch kim!, so much cuteness, guest appearances hehe

moonlit throne index. this is drabble 13. start from the beginning?

“How do I look, mom?”

Standing before the mirror, you nervously smooth the delicate sash of the pink hanbok for the hundredth time, careful not to lean down too much and dislocate the floral ornament carefully pinned in your hair. There have been doves fluttering in your stomach the entire afternoon; you don’t know if you tied this correctly or if your hair is braided right, and you can’t ask any of your nearby neighbours for fear of discovery that your plans are different than theirs tonight. Mother would know exactly what to do and what to say to make you feel at ease. But want you want most is for her to see you all grown up like this. Finally able to properly wear the outfit you coveted for so long, and hold your head high in it too. You think she’d be proud.

You manage a smile as you run your fingertips along the edge of the ornament, a gift from mother on your twelfth birthday. It’s almost been a year since her passing, and you still miss her more than anything. But you also know now that the best way to honor her is to be happy, and to carry on her work, her legacy. So far, you’ve begrudgingly won a few scraps of respect from the male physicians, and it’s a start.

“I hope you’re doing well up there,” you say, letting your gaze drift out the window to the beaming Chuseok moon, hoping the wind might take your words and your love all the way to her.

“Hey. Are you ready?”

You are grateful that the door is closed because the way you snap to attention is frankly embarrassing.

"Yes, just a moment, seja-jeonha!" you say in a nervous half-whisper, half-exclamation as you allow yourself one last glimpse at the mirror. This is going to be fine. You're going to be relaxed and have a good time, even if you are sneaking out of the palace with arguably the second most important person in the country.

Putting on a smile that hopefully looks effortless, you pull open the door and practically gasp out loud at the sight of him.

It's perhaps the first time you've seen the prince out of the traditional royal robes. It's an excellent disguise -- the clothes of a young yangban lord, done in a deep-dyed scarlet that contrasts his usual navy. A cinched belt fastens the coat deftly, juxtaposed against the dragging, silky sleeves beside it, making him seem somehow more elegant in the way he holds himself. Completing the look is the gat that sits atop his head, its wide-brim tilted low so it covers enough of his face that he wouldn't be recognized, at least not to anyone who spared him a passing glance (not that they would know his face to begin with). The gat strap hangs low in front of his chest, the intricate beading betraying just how truly expensive this hat is. He is, in short, unfairly, unfathomably handsome.

You are forever grateful that you chose to dress up; if nothing else, at least you will look suitable standing next to him, at least for a night.

If Yoongi thinks anything of your outfit, he covers it with a slight cough, his cheeks faintly reddened from the cold. “Good. Come on. We have to be quick.”

You nod, following him out into the night air.

With swift steps and strategic maneuvering, it doesn't take you long to reach one side of the imposing wall that separates palace from town. There, you find a familiar face waiting for you.

"Good evening," Eunuch Kim says with a bow. He’s wearing a different, muted set of green robes and donned a gat as well. “As you instructed, the select guards have been informed to keep quiet, and all else has been taken care of. Let us go."

He likely insisted on coming, as one of the caveats for your illicit excursion. You don't mind, since this isn't the first time he's had to do such a thing, always so worried about his rebellious, stubborn charge. You watch as he lets Yoongi go past first, then gestures for you.

“You look lovely tonight, uinyeo-nim,” Eunuch Kim says, and you share a small, furtive smile that feels like he’s cheering you on. Then you step past the official gates, feeling so acutely the pattering of your pulse because this is truly happening.

For the first handful of minutes, you remain both terrified and anticipatory that you'll be snatched back by the royal guard and accused of kidnapping the prince or something equally ridiculous as being on an actual outing with him. Beside you, Yoongi doesn't seem to have these worries as he walks by your side (though still a respectful, proper distance apart), letting his arms slightly swing while he kicks up dust with his slippers.

Just as you're wondering if you're being an awful companion and not making conversation, he says, "haven't been outside the palace in ages."

“Me too. It's… a little strange, having all this freedom to roam and do what I want. Even if it’s just for a night.”

“I'll say.” Yoongi makes an exasperated noise. “There are too many rules in that place. Can't do anything without being watched.” He gives a minor tilt of his head towards your chaperone, though it's more a tease rather than actually spiteful. Eunuch Kim, for his own sake, pretends not to see or hear the jab.

You smile. “It's for your safety, seja-jeonha.”

“So they say. But they'll regret it when I die of boredom first.”

He rolls his eyes and you laugh, and the palpitations in your stomach ease just like that.

As you draw ever closer to the town, the harmony of string and wind instruments crescendo and build with the jubilant chatter of the townspeople. It's getting to you in the best of ways; you're becoming so elated at the prospect of the festivities that you start to speed up, soon practically rushing towards the town square at a pace that forces Yoongi and Eunuch Kim to run to follow.

"…Wow!"

At the base of the square, your entire face brightens with the wondrous sight unfolding before you. There are people everywhere. Some down celebratory alcohol, others munch on sweet treats, and more still singing along to the traditional folk tunes with robust vibrato, regardless of whether they’re on key or not. You can’t find a single frown amidst all this mirth, and that’s just the way you like it. It’s overwhelming: the sights, the sounds, and the mouthwatering smell of something delicious and fried.

Yoongi eventually jogs up to you, forced to inhale a few quick breaths to refill his lungs. “Are you that hungry?” He asks, the corner of his lips curling up.

Oh god, you just made the prince run.

"No...! Not at all! I’m deeply sorry, seja-jeonha. I got too excited, didn’t I?”

“Not at all. Shall we get something to eat first then?”

You avert your eyes, though you really haven’t had dinner tonight. “No, please. Let us do what you would like.”

Yoongi grins as if it is of no consequence. “What I want? Well, then, I want to go this way.”

As is his habit, he begins to walk in the direction he chooses without notice, though this time he has to weave through the people that crowd the area. His disguise is working well; he is largely ignored as he passes, leading your little group all the way to an open alleyway where stalls line each side, lit up with lamps and vividly colored banners.

A twinge of sadness squeezes your heart as you look at the spread. You faintly remember a decade ago that there used to be a full row of assorted delicacies and sweets for purchase; now it’s mostly merchants with tables of books and hairpins, food becoming too scarce for most to sell with the grain shortage, even if they need the funds. Still, everyone seems to be doing their best with what they’ve got.

Sudden shouts ring out right beside you, nearly blowing your ears out with how loud they are.

“Jeon! Freshly fried shrimp and fish jeon for sale!”

“Hot, hot, hot nokdujeon over here!”

“Gaah!” you exclaim, eyes wide. You wouldn’t be surprised if the monks up the mountain heard about this jeon! When you turn to see who the hell is making all this commotion, you’re met with the scowling faces of two men, glaring furiously at each other in-between tending to their sizzling pans in adjacent stalls. The bearded one looks about seconds away from giving the other younger man a good smack with the fishing rod leaning on the wall behind him.

Said younger man gives a snicker. “No wonder my sales are beating yours. Why would anyone want your shrimp when they could have my delicious mung beans?”

“Say that again, if you dare.”

“Why would anyone want your gross shrimp when—”

“Yah, you can take your beans and shove them right up your nasty sokgot—”

“Excuse me,” Yoongi cuts in between them with a smirk. “I’ll take two orders of each. Preferably not ones shoved anywhere.” He drops coins on both counters, more than enough to cover the food.

“Ahem.” They levy two very similar glares at each other before beginning to package the orders for consumption, switching to polite honorifics in the process. “Yes, sir!”

“Right away, sir!”

They work deftly, obviously very practiced in the art. Neither of them drop so much as a crumb, even though they seem to be racing.

"My lord, here is your order," Fish Jeon says, only to be roughly shoved aside by Mung Bean in a rush to hand over the goods first.

"Please enjoy, sir!"

Yoongi takes the round and crispy nokdujeon, all wrapped in parchment paper. His amused chuckling makes you feel a little warmer, a bit fonder than you should. Especially when he then promptly passes the package to you.

"Seja--" You cut yourself off before you make the mistake. "Um. My lord, this is for me?" You ask, even though you're practically drooling at the scent.

"Did I give it to someone else? Eat."

He turns, hands off one of the assorted jeon plates to Eunuch Kim behind him, who accepts gratefully with a bow.

You, and your stomach, don’t need to be told twice. After blowing on the golden batter, you take a generous bite, accidentally smearing a bit of it on your cheek in the process but god, it tastes incredible. Mung Bean may be loud, but he clearly doesn’t tell lies. You have to hold yourself back from inhaling the pancake whole, instead savoring each nibble on your tongue.

“Come on. Keep going before the crowd grows,” Yoongi says, urging you forward with a jerk of his chin before biting into his own pancake. You don’t think you’ve ever seen him smile this much before, and it’s with slight regret that you tear your eyes away to look where you’re going.

From behind you as you start to walk, you hear, "Jungkook, you brat, shouldn't you be more respectful to your elders?!"

"Whatever, hyungnim. Nokdujeon! Better-than-his-fish nokdujeon!"

There is a very distinctive thwap as you move into the merchant area.

The first booth you come to belongs to a woman that you recognize, selling the latest romance novel by a rising author, Taehyun. She recognizes you too, waving you over with enthusiasm. “Oh, hello! We just received this last week. A tale of forbidden love between a yangban lady and a fisherman! Full of tension and…” she lowers her voice conspiratorially, “more than a few kisses!”

“Do people actually read things like this?” Yoongi mutters, staring at the covers.

“Huh? No! Well, hah, I certainly don’t!” You hope your face looks plausibly innocent. “But thank you,” you turn to say to the woman before hurriedly walking on before she can expose your ruse. The prince doesn’t need to know about the precious books you keep in a secret stash in your room. A lady can’t only study all day, right?

(You make a mental note to come back to town and pick up a copy later.)

Down the row you go, reluctantly finishing off the pancake on the way. Yoongi hands you the entire second plate of jeon not long after. “I don’t want it,” he says, watching you brighten at the prospect of more food. He does end up stealing a piece of shrimp from within your grasp later, throwing it casually into his mouth before you can even react.

The next display to really catch your attention is one laden with delicately handcrafted ornaments, pins, bracelets, and perfumes. “Wow!” You gush, leaning over the table as you try to calculate how much money you brought with you because you want it all, even though you rarely have the occasion to dress up. Still, you want at least something as a keepsake, to hold your memories of this precious day. Yoongi stops and waits for you; you forget it should be the other way around.

“Oh my, Eun-a-ssi? Is that you?”

What? You look up, breath hitched.

“Oh, my apologies.” The woman behind the booth is elderly, her hair grey, eyes wrinkling warmly as she smiles. “My mistake. My eyesight isn’t what it was. You… look a lot like a woman I know. I haven’t seen her in a long time now.”

“Eun-a… Eun-a was my mother,” you murmur. “She passed away last year.”

The woman’s eyes widen as she clutches her hands to her chest. “She did? Oh… Oh no… I’m so sorry, child. Then you must be—” She thinks for a moment, then says your name. You nod, and a small smile slips back on her lips, though now tinged with sadness. You know the feeling. “My name is Hong Sook-ja. I used to live right here in town with Eun-a-ssi, until all those years ago when she moved into the palace and I moved to the countryside. Your mother used to bring you into town for Chuseok and we got to know each other then. These days, I just come back every once in a while to see my granddaughter and great-grandson, so I must have missed the news.”

“It’s alright, Sook-ja-ssi. Mom lived well,” you say, ignoring the twinge in your chest. Any glimpse into mother’s life before she had you fills you with a certain homesickness, alongside the joy. “She was happy. And I’m sure she’d be happy to know that you are living well too.”

“Good. Good. She deserved happiness.” Sook-ja sighs, letting the information sink in. Only after one last kind smile does she finally seem to notice Yoongi standing beside you, trying his best not to intrude. “Now, is this handsome lord your companion? Perhaps your betrothed?”

“N-No!” You immediately cry, not wanting Yoongi to misunderstand, to think that his rank could be dragged so low as to match yours. Sook-ja should know that these class lines, even between yangban and cheonmin, are not so easily crossed. But the mischief in her gaze seems to suggest she doesn’t care much about that. “No, we’re just out. Together.”

“Yes. Out. Together,” Yoongi echoes, just as the door behind Sook-ja starts to open with a noisy creak.

A young woman dressed in a pretty hanbok steps out of the house with a smile. “Grandma, are you interrogating the customers again… Oh, hey! Kim-nim!”

All three of you turn your heads to look at Eunuch Kim, who couldn’t look more surprised at the woman’s appearance if Yoongi started growing a tail. He flusters, stepping back as if that could protect him. “Ahh, Chun-ja-ssi…! You’re, um, here! And you look, wow—” He almost drops the last piece of jeon altogether. “I was not expecting you to be here— I mean, not that I was thinking of you being elsewhere— Uh, not that I think about you that often—”

“This is my granddaughter,” Sook-ja explains, saving the poor man. “Chun-ja. She and her son, Han-jae, are the best parts of my life. She’s so clever, she can even read and write, you know!”

Chun-ja flushes under the praise. “My grandmother likes to exaggerate. But it’s very nice to meet you both,” she says, bowing in greeting as Sook-ja excuses herself, exiting through the same door.

Yoongi is once again smirking. “So, how do you know Kim-nim?”

“Mm, it was about two years ago? I was helping one of the merchants bring grain into the palace. Kim-nim saw me struggling with a particularly heavy pot, and so he helped me carry it. Since then, we chat for a bit every time he’s in town on an errand, and exchange the occasional letter! When he remembers to write me back, that is. Though his letters are often so lovely that I don’t mind the wait.” Chun-ja offers Eunuch Kim a grin that he can’t quite return with ease.

Yoongi has to work hard to keep his face relatively straight as he says, “hmm. So that is why he’s always disappearing from the palace with those weak excuses? And using all that ink? He always said it was for something important.”

“Seja— My lord! Please!” Spare me, Eunuch Kim’s wilted expression pleads. You have to hide your amusement behind a hand, lest you burst out with inappropriate laughter.

Once again, Sook-ja comes to the rescue as she shuffles out of the house, holding two familiar objects that make your eyes light up. “You’re both in luck. I knew we had a few extra this year, even after that rascal great-grandson of mine ruined a few with his roughhousing. He’d still be causing trouble if he weren’t off with his friends right now.” Sook-ja sighs. “I wish my grandson were still around to scold him. But anyway, I’d be happy if you’d take them!”

“Wish lanterns!” You exclaim, taking the lightly orange cloth contraption with glee. “Oh, I haven’t seen these up close in years.” The palace celebrations don’t usually include them, leaving you to try and catch the sight of the tiny, almost imperceptible lights floating into the sky from so far away. You’ve always loved the thought of the lamps surging towards that boundless sky, endlessly drifting, free to follow the wind.

“Do you know how to start it?” Chun-ja asks. You shake your head. “Let me show you.”

As Chun-ja explains the mechanisms behind the lantern to you, Yoongi reaches for his coin pouch. “We must give you something in exchange.” Yoongi produces several mun coins that are at least five times the lanterns’ actual worth, and tries to give them to her.

Sook-ja pushes his hand away. “No, no, it’s a present!”

“I insist.” Yoongi tries again, only to be rejected, again. He wonders if she would be so obstinate if she knew who he really was. (Probably yes.) “Alright… What if I take another item from the table to make it a fair trade?”

“Stubborn, aren’t you?” Sook-ja bursts into laughter, her belly shaking beneath her skirt. “Fine. Take your pick!”

Yoongi barely scans the accessories; he snatches up the bracelet you were looking at before and tucks it into his jeogori with a secret smile. “Thank you.”

“Thank you,” Sook-ja says warmly, before her smile dips down conspiratorially. “It’ll look good on her. Anyway, have fun! Enjoy the night.”

“I’m sure we will.” Yoongi shifts his attention to you. “All done? Then let’s keep going.”

“Yes, my lord,” you say, happily clutching the lanterns. “Thank you so much, Sook-ja-ssi. Chun-ja-ssi.”

Chun-ja beams. “Our pleasure. I hope we see each other in town again soon. And Kim-nim, don’t forget your letters!”

“Yes, of course, I will. I mean, I won’t. Forget, that is. Uh, I’ll write. G-Goodbye.” Eunuch Kim bows twice in quick succession before hurrying after you two, trying his best not to look back for one last glimpse of what he’s left behind.

You continue your wandering through the rest of the festival, marveling at the sheer strength of the wrestlers and then the elegance of the dancers. Absently, you wish this atmosphere could stay in place forever, and that everything else could just vanish into the smoke and ash of the burning campfires, but you know too well that life is a balance. And right now, with the prince’s silky sleeve pressed almost right against yours as you walk past a chorus of singers, the scales have temporarily tipped in your favor.

Eventually, all your wandering takes you to almost the outskirts of town, to an area you visited before with your mother. It takes some squinting but you eventually recognize the obscure path among the bushes, and immediately gesture towards it. The prince has shown you so much tonight; you want to return the favor, especially since his steps are beginning to slow. “This way! Please come with me.”

“Are you sure this is safe?” Eunuch Kim calls. “We cannot let anything happen to our lord!”

You start down the road. “Completely!”

It’s been so long since you last took these steps, but it all comes back to you effortlessly as you take the lead. It takes a few minutes, just a few, to reach the clearing you seek. And it is exactly as you remember it — the nature growing with a wild, greedy virility, the oddly shaped rocks studded in the dirt, and the reflecting pond, its water rippling from the drag of the autumn wind across its surface. There is no one here, which is exactly how you expected it to be.

“Here it is, seja-jeonha.”

“It’s quiet,” he marvels, and steps further in. He stops at the edge of the pond, staring not down but out, at the reflection of the full moon in its depths.

“I thought that you could use a change of environment. You look a little tired.” At this point, you know him well enough to tell that the neutrality of his expression shows subtle signs of weariness.

“The noise. It can be overwhelming at times. I’m not used to so much of it, usually. But I like the songs.”

You nod. “I understand perfectly! That’s why mom took me here in the first place. It used to be her secret spot when she was growing up.”

His arms shift, sleeves brushing the sides of his jacket. “She was a kind woman.”

“Very much so.”

You feel the breeze swiftly pick up, weaving through the strands of hair that have come loose from your up-do. The curling leaves around you rustle with welcome relief, bathing in the atmosphere, the rare tranquility of such a beautiful evening.

“Shall we float the lanterns?” You suggest after a spell.

“Sure.” Yoongi indicates for Eunuch Kim to bring the lanterns over. “Matches?”

Eunuch Kim fumbles in his robes for a few seconds before he realizes with a start that they’re just not there. “My apologies!” He bows. “I must have left the matches back at the booth!”

Yoongi sighs. “Too distracted by Chun-ja-ssi, hm?” Eunuch Kim flushes. “Go get them then.”

“But to leave you alone—”

“I’m not alone.”

Eunuch Kim looks between the prince and you a few times in rapid succession, his thoughts evidently as wavering as his eyes. He finally lands back on the prince.

“…Understood. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

You both watch him go, the quick pace of his steps no doubt brought on by anticipation.

“I can’t believe he’s been involved with a woman without any of us knowing,” Yoongi says, his tone betraying his real fondness.

“It’s sweet.” You smile, wondering if Eunuch Kim will ever manage to stop the stuttering long enough to actually tell Chun-ja how much he appears to like her. He is a mature man with most aspects, but apparently you’ve happened upon his one sole weakness. “But… He’ll probably be gone for a while. We won’t be able to light the lanterns.”

“I thought as much when I told him to go.”

“Well, it’s nice to take a break.” You don’t mention that you’d probably go anywhere and do anything, even if it’s just sitting around waiting, if it was with him. Instead, you look down at the pond, the water stilling enough for there to be a slightly blurry reflection of yourself awaiting below. “Hm. The water’s gotten a bit murkier these years. It used to be clear enough to see perfectly in. But it’s not so bad! Come look!”

Yoongi does. His pale face, all dark eyes and that rough, obvious scar, appears beside yours.

You fully intended on saying something else but that thought falls clear out of your mind when you realize just how undone your hair has become in all the bustle of the celebrations. I look like a mess, you think in a panic, hurriedly feeling for the strands to tuck them back. You’ve only managed to get one side fixed when a rock comes flying out of nowhere, plunging into the water with a noisy thunk! It disturbs both your reflections and wrecks the temporary mirror as cold droplets splash back.

“Hey!” You cry, leaping back from the pond to Yoongi’s grin. “What was that for?”

He has the audacity to look innocent. “Nothing. Haven’t you ever skipped rocks?”

“That was more a throw than a skip,” you grumble, checking your skirt as you hope it didn’t take too much damage. Thankfully, only a few drops actually landed on the precious fabric. “But yes, I love skipping rocks. Properly.”

“Here then.” You open your palm at Yoongi’s behest and he drops a stone into it. “Show me how to do it properly.”

You accept the challenge and plant one foot behind you, staring down a point in the middle of the pond, angling your arm as you position the stone in your hand. You most definitely look the part of an expert as you let the thing go. It shoots towards the water at a rapid speed, whooshing right through the air like a tiny bullet as it hits the surface at the angle and then proceeds to instantly sink to the bottom like, well, a rock.

Yoongi’s raucous laugh is no less than a roar, his entire body wracked with the exertion as he practically doubles over. He only gets louder when he sees the embarrassment on your face, the absolute mortification.

“I never said I was good at it…” You mutter, deciding to try a second time. This rock plummets right down to the watery floor too, refusing to save you even a little bit of face.

Yoongi’s settled into an infuriatingly smug look. “So, you can’t actually skip a stone. But you still love doing it?”

“That’s right.”

“Why?” He effortlessly makes a single skip before his pebble capsizes.

“I have a theory.” His curiosity piques at that; a turn of his head. “That it’s not up to us if the rock skips or not. Even if we have all the technique in the world,” you pick up another stone, “if the wind just happens to blow a bit harder, or if a fish from beneath disturbs the rhythm, or even if the tides themselves decide to surge up… It’ll fail. Or only skip the once. But—” You clutch the rock tightly in your hand and feel the weight, the cold, steady shape. “But if we wish hard enough. If we just keep trying every time we have the opportunity again and again…” This time, your rock is truly flying as it smacks the rippling water and skips a miraculous four times before finally dropping into the deep. “The universe might just make it happen.”

“…Or you need more practice.”

You shrug. “I’d rather believe that there are some things in the world simply out of our control. But that we can still hope for those things to shift, to change for the better if we never give up.”

Yoongi falls silent, staring at the ground through his downcast, delicate eyelashes. Maybe you said too much, you think. You didn’t mean to ramble. It’s just something you’ve thought about often. For these past months, it’s been the only thing keeping you going on the hardest, loneliest days. But you’ve made it. You’re still here. And by some miracle, he’s right here with you.

(You think maybe this is happiness.)

“I like that.” His eyes flick up to meet yours with an intensity that says he’s listening. He’s contemplating your thoughts and taking you seriously. He rubs the back of his neck, scratching at an invisible mark. “It’s a good theory. I… I understand it.”

There’s a weight to those words that you feel in the pit of your heart. A pull that draws you to him like the reckless tides towards his moon – a gravitational longing to know what truth vibrates beneath. You wonder if he feels it too.

“Seja-jeonha, I’ve returned!”

Eunuch Kim comes rushing back into the clearing, wielding the packet of matches. You both turn to him, letting the moment be whisked away with the wind whipping past the emerald robes, though you keep it safe in your memories. The eunuch has brought ink and brushes too, for you to write your wishes on the fabric itself. Increases the chance of their coming true, or so the legend goes.

After a few swishes of the brush, it doesn’t take long to light the fires. Your darkly inked characters are lit up by the flame, flickering staunchly beneath the opening as you each clutch a lantern in your hands and look at each other.

“What are you wishing for?” Yoongi asks.

“For more jeon,” is your reply, followed by an easy laugh that he echoes.

Then you let the lantern go as he does — two firebirds soaring side by side into the twinkling night.

a/n: *cue Can You Feel the Love Tonight playing softly in the background even though it hasn’t been invented yet*. hope you’re all enjoying sweet Yoon 🥺

[h2bakugou]

celebrating 1 year of h2bakugou | pumpkin patch date

a/n: we made it! it’s been a year since we launched h2bakugou as a side-tumblr account that has flourished into what i consider my job! 

-

on october 10th, 2019 i published my masterlist and my first fic on h2bakugou, and my first mha fic, ‘match’stick.

i continued to write throughout october and eventually i hit 100 followers. on november 5th, 2019, i published a shinso fic titled ‘hanging out’ and then disappeared off the platform, only to return on january 21st, 2020.

over the time i had amassed over 700 followers. it was mind blowing to me. but i opened up requests and now, we’ve grown, and looking back, it’s been so much fun.

i promise this isn’t going to be much longer and you can get to all the yummy headcanons down below, but from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much. when i started mha, i was just some fangirl who fell in love with characters and i combined something i loved with a hobby i had. 

thank you for the laughs, the tears, the joy, the happiness, all of it, i can’t wait to see what the future holds, h2bakugou isn’t just me as a writer, it’s all of us. i love you all so much <3

and thank you so so much for 4,500+ followers <3 !!

-

headcanon: them taking their s/o on a pumpkin patch date 

key: (y/n) - your name / (f/n) - first name / (l/n) - last name / (e/c) - eye color / (h/c) - hair color / (y/q) - your quirk

warnings: swearing, fluff

;cut for length;

»»————-　★　————-««

katsuki bakugou

»»————-　★　————-««

His goal by the end of this date is to bring home the biggest fucking pumpkin. I kid you not, this fool is going to be scouting the patch from the second he gets inside it.

It’s most likely a competition. You’re going to want a nice pumpkin to carve, so you look for one, and you find a nice, big one with plenty of room for a nice design.

Bakugou’s eyes land on your pumpkin as you heave it up into your arms and he’s like ‘oh hell nah.’

“Let me carry your-”

“Find your own pumpkin.” You stick your tongue out at him as you begin to rush back to where you purchase them and Bakugou begins to chase after you. He’d told you he was looking for a big pumpkin and while it had only just dawned on you that your pumpkin was great in size, you intended to keep this pumpkin.

Bakugou eventually gives up and settles for a slightly smaller pumpkin. He won’t admit defeat though. 

Later on the date, you two go on a hayride, and hold hands. The smell of pumpkin and fall seem to grow stronger as the day goes on.

After the hayride, there’s the corn maze. 

I hope you’re ready.

Because the winner, out of you and Bakugou, gets treated to lunch paid for by the loser, and gets bragging rights.

Bakugou is pissed when you dart of into the maze because clearly in the list of rules he’d laid out- yeah you stopped listening when he said rules and got a head start.

Bakugou is determined to find you, and without cheating. He sticks to the paths and eventually he can hear you laughing, because you can hear him shouting at the corn that keeps wacking him in the face as he tries to run through.

When he catches up to you, it’s too late. You’re already out of the maze and Bakugou is left dumbfounded. How did you complete it so fast?

“You followed me the whole time, I think you owe me two lunches.” You smile, hugging him as he stands at the exit of the maze.

“How-”

“Shh, let’s go get food, I’m starving.”

When you return back to the dorms, you head straight to Bakugou’s room. Lunch was great, all thanks to Bakugou paying.

You give Bakugou your big pumpkin and he’s hesitant at first.

“It’s yours. You found it-”

“Take it before I change my mind ‘Suki.” You lean up and give him a kiss on the cheek. He’s happy to carve some absurd picture into the pumpkin while you try your best to carve your own design.

A very successful October date.

»»————-　★　————-««

shoto todoroki

»»————-　★　————-««

Todoroki hasn’t been to a pumpkin patch in ages. He can’t remember the last time he went and actually had fun. But you were determined to make sure he had fun today.

You’d planned it all out, and you started with a hayride.

Sitting atop the hay, Todoroki sat close to you, his hand holding yours as the tractor began to move, pulling you along with everyone else in the open trailer.

“Do you know what you’re going to carve into your pumpkin?” You ask as you admire the fall scenery, taking in the lovely view of the color-changing leaves, the scent of pumpkin, and the sound of people running and having fun in the corn maze.

“I’ve never carved a pumpkin before.” Todoroki uttered, which blew your mind.

“You’ve never- Shoto Todoroki today you are carving a pumpkin.” You had a look of determination on your face.

After the hayride, you insisted on the corn maze, which Todoroki thought of as a challenge.

“So it’s a race.” Todoroki stood, looking at the entrance and the exit.

“No- it’s just a maze, but if you’d like to race, you can eat my dust!” You dart off into the maze and Todoroki charges after you. He’s smiling and happy. And that’s enough for you.

He catches up to you and traps you in a dead end you’d stumbled upon.

“Sho!” You smile and laugh as he hugs you. He pulls away ad leans to give you a quick kiss before darting off. You’re flustered but gather your senses as you try to locate the exit.

Todoroki makes it out first, but you’re close behind him. You congratulate him on his win and decide to head over to the pumpkin patch. 

Picking out a pumpkin was much more difficult than Todoroki had imagined. He was going to carve it, so he needed a good size for whatever he was carving.

He looked over and found you heaving a giant pumpkin in to your arms, a devious look on your face.

“That is a large pumpkin.” Todoroki states, trying not to laugh at you as you struggle to hold it in your arms.

“Which one are you getting?” You ask, heaving the pumpkin up onto your shoulder to carry it better.

Todoroki settles on a medium-sized pumpkin, with the perfect amount of space for a nice carving.

Taking them back to the dorms was easy, but you were not prepared for what was Todoroki carving a pumpkin.

He somehow managed to lose the top to his pumpkin after cutting it out, he got pumpkin guts everywhere, you were still finding seeds in the common room after you cleaned up.

But on the front porch of the dorms, sat your giant pumpkin carved with a spooky design next to Todoroki’s smiley-faced pumpkin.

»»————-　★　————-««

izuku midoriya

»»————-　★　————-««

Izuku is super excited. He’s all for carving a pumpkin and going on hayrides and much more.

When you arrive at the pumpkin patch, you decide to do the corn maze first. 

Izuku insists on completing it together, so you do. As you begin to walk through the rows of corn, trying to find the exit, you get lost a few times.

“Izuku I’ve seen this same stalk of corn before.” You laugh as you point at the corn stalk that had been bent in a funny way.

“Okay maybe we are going in circles.” Midoriya laughs as he stops to try and look for a different path.

When you finally make progress, Izuku wants to take a few pictures. Peaking out from the corn you smile as he snaps a picture of you, and you yank him into the corn for a cute picture together.

You kiss his cheek as he snaps the second picture. He’s a blushing mess, but it was worth it.

when you find the exit, you rush to it together, sprinting out of the maze.

Next is the hayride. Cozying up to Izuku, you admire the beautiful fall scenery as you ride along the pumpkin patch.

Laying your head on his shoulder, you’re happy to just be spending time with him. 

After the hayride, you head to the pumpkin patch to pick out your pumpkin. Izuku wants a nice-sized pumpkin, something he can have plenty of room to carve on.

You point to a green pumpkin and smile.

“Izu’ look! It’s a little Deku pumpkin.” You hold it up and giggle, Midoriya’s cheeks tinting red.

“Have you found a pumpkin yet?” Izuku asks, looking around until his eyes land on a good pumpkin.

“I think I like the little green one.” You hold it in your hands and walk with Izuku as he heads toward his pumpkin. It’s pretty big but he picks it up like it’s nothing.

Back at the dorms, carving the pumpkins is an adventure. Deciding to try and carve All Might, Midoriya is hard at work while you carve your pumpkin.

In the end, Izuku’s All Might is more of a stick figure with muscles. Nevertheless, they sit outside on the porch, lit with a candle setting the mood for fall.

»»————-　★　————-««

denki kaminari

»»————-　★　————-««

Kaminari is super excited as well. He’s up bright and early the morning of, surprisingly, and running out the door when it’s time to leave.

He wants to do the hayride first, and you sit beside one another, his arm around your shoulder. He holds you close to him as you admire the scenery.

He’s constantly making puns related to the change in season, and while they’re corny and simple, you love them.

“I guess you could say I’m really fall-ing for you.” Kaminari wiggles his eyebrows. You giggle and give him a peck on the cheek.

“You dork.” You smile and cozy up next to him for the remainder of the hayride.

After the hayride, you two go to pick out some pumpkins. Kaminari isn’t looking for the biggest pumpkin, but he definitely wants to impress you.

“This one’s the size of your head!” Kaminari lifts up a rather large pumpkin. Your eye twitches as you look at him.

“Wait shit, my bad! It’s the size of my head! My head! Your head is cute!”

The recovery is about as funny as the comparison he’d made but you decide to let it slide.

After settling on some medium-sized pumpkins, you set them in a safe place to come back to later so you can go and enjoy the corn maze.

When you enter the corn maze, the sun is shining. However, when you leave, the place is about to close, it’s dark, and all you’ve got when you leave is your phone flashlight which saved your life when it got dark.

Denki is nowhere to be found. 

He tried to be all funny and try and sneak off and scare you, but when you realize he’s not behind you after you told him it was time to exit the maze, you’re worried.

Darting back inside, you debate on calling for him or not. 

“Denki!” You call out, deciding it’d just be best to give yourself away in case he was trying to scare you.

“Denki come on, it’s not funny anymore, where are you?!” You yelled again.

“Boo!” He screams as he jumps out form between some corn. You let out a yelp and latch onto him.

“Asshole.” You mumble as you hug him.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think I’d still be able to scare you.”

“I was worried! You weren’t behind me and I-”

Kaminari hushed you with a kiss, his arms linking around your waist.

A bright light shone on your faces as the owner of the pumpkin patch called for you.

“We’re closing, come on and get out!” They yelled. 

Purchasing your pumpkins, you returned back to the dorms to carve them, and despite being a little upset at Kaminari for scaring you, you still cuddled beside him after passing out on the couch.

»»————-　★　————-««

eijiro kirishima

»»————-　★　————-««

Heading to the pumpkin patch clad in matching fall themed sweaters, Kirishima is going to spoil you.

He’s helping you carry the pumpkin you pick out when you look at all the pumpkins. He’s such a sweetheart.

He’s also going to have a lot of fun.

On the hayride, he’ll let you sit in his lap, which makes the ride that much more bumpy, you can’t count the amount of airtime you got and how much Kirishima laughed when you practically floated off his lap.

His arms hooked around your waist after the first few bumps to secure you, hugging you close to him.

After the hayride is the corn maze. And honestly like Kaminari, he could spend hours in there. Whether it be scaring you, or making a map of the place, he’s having fun as long as you are.

The first time you do the maze, you race one another. You finish first, although Kirishima was two steps behind you.

On the second run through, you go together. 

“I went this way!” You begin to pull him along but Kirishima doesn’t budge.

“I went this way.” Kirishima nodded toward the other path.

“Well who won?” You teased, following after him.

“I’d say we tied.” Kirishima replied, pulling you along the path. When the sun began to sink below the horizon, you tried to do the maze in the dark.

It was much more difficult than you thought. You bumped into Kirishima more times than you could count, and eventually you had to break out your flashlight.

And on the fourth time around, you entered the maze first and thirty seconds after, Kirishima entered to try and track you down.

It was slightly terrifying. Using your flashlight was sure to get you caught, but without it you could hardly see.

There were a few times where Kirishima had walked past you, where you had decided to try and hide rather than run away from him.

But when he found you, you had been cornered.

“Boo!” Kirishima yelled, scaring you. You jumped and let out a yelp as he gave you a hug, laughing it off.

“I got you!” He kissed your cheek as he held you close to him, smiling proudly.

“You didn’t have to scare me.” You smile, nuzzling into his chest.

“Let’s go carve some pumpkins.” Kirishima leads you out of the maze for the last time, having it memorized by now.

When you arrive back at the dorms to carve the pumpkins, it’s very late. 

Kirishima puts on a scary movie and the two of you carve away. 

You pass out in the common room, cuddled up on the couch after successfully placing your beautifully carved pumpkins on the porch.

»»————-　★　————-««

tamaki amajiki

»»————-　★　————-««

Tamaki is excited, and the entire date is hyped up by Mirio and Nejire. He’s happy to go on a date with you, albeit a bit nervous, but excited.

When he sees you, his heart flutters. You look beautiful in the autumn colors, and he’s falling even more in love with you as every second passes.

When you arrive at the pumpkin patch, you decide to go pick out your pumpkins first.

“Do you know what kind of pumpkin you want Tamaki?” You ask, holding his hand. Tamaki smiles at the warm feeling in his chest as you hold his hand.

“Something c-cute. Like you.” Tamaki complimented you. You let out a small laugh and hugged him.

“Well if that’s the logic, we’re both looking for cute pumpkins.” Complimenting Tamaki right back, you both head out to find pumpkins.

Tamaki returns with a tiny pumpkin, like comically tiny. It’s cute, and manageable.

“I’m going to name it Bunny. A-after you.”

Your heart melts at his action. You show him your pumpkin, which was on the medium sized scale, not huge, but enough for a small design if you wanted to carve it.

“I’ll name mine Suneater.” You lean and kiss his cheek.

After picking out your pumpkins, you decide to do the corn maze, which was a load of fun.

Tamaki’s hand in yours made you feel secure as the two of you navigated through the stalks of corn, trying to find the exit.

You probably spent an hour or so in it, just having fun and talking.

“Look! We did it! Tamaki we did it!” You smile and jump wit excitement as you exit the maze, giving him a short and sweet peck on his lips.

Tamaki blushed, his arms wrapping around your waist as he hugged you close to him during the unexpected kiss.

After, the two of you headed to the hayride. It was about 10 minutes long, and it gave you plenty of time to rest, even though you weren’t really tired, you cozied up to Tamaki as the ride started.

The leaves on the trees had changed color, each red, orange, and yellow leaf catching your attention as you enjoyed the faint scent of pumpkin in the air.

“It’s so beautiful.” You commented, holding Tamaki’s hand in your own. Tamaki nodded and nuzzled his head into your shoulder.

When the hayride was over, you purchased your pumpkins and headed back to the dorms.

Mirio and Nejire had agreed to carve pumpkins with you, and while Tamaki’s pumpkin was too small to carve, he definitely enjoyed helping the others.

Putting on a Halloween classic, you and Tamaki cozied up on his bed and fell asleep together.

»»————-　★　————-««

mirio togata

»»————-　★　————-««

Mirio has planned the entire thing out. He’s excited to spend the day with you. 

When you arrive at the pumpkin patch, he wants to ride the hayride first, insisting you sit on his lap. He wants to hold you, his hands intertwined with yours, taking in all the beautiful autumn scenery.

He’d given you one of his knitted sweaters to wear before going outside in the cool air. It looks good on you, and he can’t help but smile every time he looks at you.

“Do you have any idea of what kind of pumpkin you want to pick?” You ask, a soft smile on your lips. Mirio just hums, resting his head on your shoulder.

“One that’s cute, like you, sunshine!” Mirio kissed your cheek, a giggle escaping your lips.

“Mirio!” You snuggle into his arms as a cool breeze of wind blows by. 

Once the hayride is over, you head over to the pumpkin patch where you struggle to find a pumpkin.

You debate on something small or something big when Mirio approaches you holding a medium-sized pumpkin, perfectly round and ready to be carved.

“That’s like the perfect pumpkin how did you-”

“I thought you might like this one.” Mirio suggests, his eyes landing on another good one.

“But you found it, I-”

“It’s all yours, besides,” Mirio hands you the pumpkin before reaching and grabbing one that sat by your feet.

“This one looks more like me.” Mirio lifts the large and tall pumpkin up to his head and smiles.

“Did you just compare yourself to a pumpkin?” You smile whilst holding Mirio’s perfect pumpkin in your hands.

“I sure did.” Mirio laughs.

“You need help?” Mirio asks, motioning to your pumpkin. You shake your head and hoist it up into your arms with a better grip, walking around some more.

After picking out pumpkins it’s time to do the cornmaze. You decide to start seperately, racing to the end. You bump into each other a few times, and youe ven bust Mirio for following you.

“You’re cheating.” You pout standing in front of him.

“I was just following my dreams.” Mirio says smoothly. You sigh and place a kiss on his cheek before continuing off down the path you believed to be the exit.

Mirio follows suit and the two of you make it out at the same time.

“So much for a race.” You laugh. Mirio just waves his hand and hugs you from behind.

“Let’s go carve us some pumpkins!” He’s excited to get back and carve a pumpkin so you head on back to the campus.

Mirio carves a cute sun on his pumpkin and declares that it reminds him of you. It sits outside the dorm alongside yours, Tamaki’s and Nejire’s.

»»————-　★　————-««

hawks/keigo takami

»»————-　★　————-««

Avoiding paparazzi, it took you a bit of time to get into the pumpkin patch, but once you were in, you were in.

Hawks was trying to be smooth, acting tough and trying to carry each pumpkin you laid eyes on.

“I can carry my own pumpkin.” You smile, reaching down and picking up one of the largest ones you could find.

“Oh yeah?” Hawks went to grab it and immediately felt his arms drop as the pumpkin was way heavier than he expected. His feathers came to aid, lifting he pumpkin back up and saving it from cracking open on impact.

“Way to go, handsome.” You tease, deciding his feathers were fine to hold it if they so wished too.

“Hey-”

You shut Hawks up with a kiss, holding onto the edges of his fur lined jacket. He’d come straight from work, but he didn’t mind. As long as he was spending time with you, he could care less when or where it happened.

Hawks wasn’t complaining. He kissed you back and smiled, pulling away with a goofy grin on his lips.

You hiked over to the hayride next, hopping on some hay bales, you cozied up to Hawks, resting under one of his wings which hugged you closer to him.

As the tractor tugged the attached trailer which you and Hawks sat on along, you gazed at the beautiful pumpkin patch. It was simple and easy on the eyes with the beautiful and cute decorations set up for the fall season, as well as a few Halloween themed decorations.

“It’s so beautiful.” You commented, resting your head on Hawks. Hawks smiled and slid his hand in yours.

“Not as beautiful as you.” He cooed, thinking he was being smooth.

“Did you practice that one in the mirror?” You tease. You did love Hawks cheesy pick up lines that you’d heard a million times before, it was what made them that much better honestly. 

“You’re the one dating me.” Hawks mumbled, placing a short kiss on your head, mumbling something into your hair.

“Hm? What was that?” You ask, glancing up at you.

“I love you.” Hawks smiles at you. You return a smile and return to gazing at the scenery.

After the hayride, you take on the maze. Hawks is determined to finish it in some high score, but you want to enjoy it. 

Getting lost and hitting dead ends is what makes a maze that much better. It can be frustrating, but you enjoy it.

Hawks ushers yo down several paths that all end up back at the same place, and in the end, you lead him out of the maze.

“I had that down, babybird.” Hawks tries to reassure you that he had figured it out but you just laugh.

“Sure you did.” You smile, giving him a peck on the cheek.

You return back to his home and set up for pumpkin carving, promising to spend a little more time together before he eventually gets called back in for hero work.

You both fall asleep on the couch after carving, wore out and tired from a long day.

»»————-　★　————-««

dabi

»»————-　★　————-««

Villains have to be on the low about things. Dabi couldn’t waltz out in the public freely, he’d be spotted. So he has to go disguised.

At least, if you go during the day, that is.

Breaking into the pumpkin patch was way easier than it should’ve been, and for the first thirty minutes, Dabi was on edge, thinking that something was bound to go wrong and that you’d be caught up with him.

But alas, the night carried on and the chirping of crickets and other various nighttime creatures kept the chilling silence away.

“Alright baby, where do you want to go?” Dabi asks coolly, resting an arm around your shoulder. You nudge him toward the corn maze. 

It’s a race to the end the first time, but the second time around, Dabi wants to play hide and seek.

You’re it first, searching around for your villain companion, but you couldn’t even come close to finding him...until you notice a faint blue glow.

Creeping up on him, you decide to scare him.

It doesn’t entirely go that great.

Your face feels hot as a blue flame erupts in your field of view.

“Shit! Don’t do that!” Dabi curses, quickly extinguishing his quirk from further roasting you alive.

“I scared you though I totally got you!” You laughed, not at all bothered by the fact that he nearly singed you.

“Baby, you’re gonna regret that, because now I’m it.” Dabi’s voice was low and husky as towered over you. You smiled and leaned up, kissing his lips before darting off to go hide.

Your spot is pretty solid, hiding in a dead end, behind a few thick stalks of corn. You think you’re safe seeing as how you don’t even remember seeing this portion of the maze so how or why would Dabi come back here.

Everything’s going great until you hear things snapping and breaking behind you. You whip around to investigate but your back is forced to the ground as you look above you.

Dabi’s cerulean eyes peer down at you as a smirk dawns his lips. 

“Got you, baby.” Dabi kisses you passionately, his hands resting on the ground on each side of you.

When the make out is over, you both sit up and decide to go pick out a pumpkin. You can’t go on a hayride since that’d make a lot of noise and probably alert someone that people were here when they shouldn’t be, but Dabi promises to make it up to you.

Remind him to ask Tomura for a tractor. He can write it off as a league business expense or something.

Picking out a pumpkin was much more difficult. Dabi found his in a matter of seconds, ready to head back and get to carving. He was actually pretty excited about the whole thing. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed the fall season, or Halloween. 

He waited on you to pick out a pumpkin, watching as you searched for the perfect one.

You settled on a rather large pumpkin, something you could carve a rather large design into. You wanted to really go all out, and you wanted to try and show Dabi up.

Pumpkin carving was a hidden talent of yours.

Returning back to wherever the league was stationed this time, you and Dabi got to work.

Toga and Twice stopped by to watch as you carved away, giving some input and cheering you on as you tried to beat Dabi in some sort of pumpkin carving challenge.

“Shigaraki! Can you judge our pumpkins! You’ll decide whose is the best.” You call out to your ‘boss’ and smile.

“Whatever.” Shigaraki mumbles, trotting over to examine your pumpkin beside Dabi’s.

After way to long, Shigaraki decides to give you the win. Dabi is pissed after all the effort he put into it, but you assure him his pumpkin is amazing.

A blue flame flickers on the candles you placed inside your carved pumpkins and you cuddle next to Dabi a little more that night to make up for his loss.

»»————-　★　————-««

overhau/kai chisaki

»»————-　★　————-««

Chisaki wanted to spend time with you, and althhough he was a villain, he had connections that set up a rather autumn-themed date. he was taking you to a pumpkin patch.

He’d lent you his flufy green and purple jacket to wear, and he couldn’t deny that it looked adorable on you.

His gloved hand resided in yours as you walked through the cornmaze.

It was something he’d never really understood, but seeing the excitement on your face as you begged him to go through it with you, he decided to go along with it.

A few other members of the Shie Hassaikai were scattered around, making sure the place was empty, and keep an eye out for heroes and such.

“Which way do you think we should go?” You’d stopped at a forked path, confused at which way to go.

“This path looks like it loops back around.” Chisaki commented, the first path did turn whilst the second path seemed to go traight and then curve back right.

“Second path it is!” You tug Chisaki along with you. when you reach the end, you give him a brisk hug and jump around with excitement.

“That wasn’t so bad.” Chisaki glanced back at the cornmaze, throughly impressed with how difficult it had actually been.

There was no one around to give the hayride so you had to miss out, but walking to the pumpkin patch itself was more than enough. 

All the leaves had changed colors and the wind smelled like cinnamon and nutmeg.

Picking out a pumpking was fairly difficult. You wanted to carve something on it, but you didn’t know if you should pick the biggest one or something managable.

“Are you picking one Chisaki?” You ask, watchig as his amber eyes gazed around the field.

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt.” Chisaki sighs, bending down to pick up one he’d been staring at. It was a fairly large pumpkin. He held it carefully in his gloved hands, grimacing at the dirt that stained the white fabric.

You’d decided on a pumpkin and brought it back with you, excited to get back to the base and carve it.

Chisaki wasn’t excited about the mess, but watching you carve a design into the pumpkin took his mind off of it. He was happy just watching you be happy.

He didn’t carve his although you asked if he wanted help with carving it. 

They sat outside his room in the base, a small candle lit inside yours to illuminate the carving.

»»————-　★　————-««

tomura shigaraki

»»————-　★　————-««

Like Dabi, the two of you can’t exactly go to a pumpkin patch in broad daylight. Tomura is a wanted criminal, and since you’re associated with him, you’re not gonna get away entirely scot-free either.

So, a little breaking and entering never hurt anyone, and it was very mild compared to the things Tomura usually did.

Also similar to Dabi, the hayride is out of the question, but Tomura claims he can take you for a drive any day, all you have to do is ask, that is if  you feel safe with Tomura behind the wheel.

Picking out pumpkins first, you and Shigaraki tackle the patch together. It’s a struggle to find one you like, and even more so, to find one Shigaraki likes.

Carving it is really up to you, but whether you chose to carve it later or not, you want to pick one out.

“What about this one?” You ask, heaving a large on up into your arms. Shigaraki’s eyes land on the bright orange pumpkin in your grasp and suddenly it’s the single pumpkin that he wants.

“I want it.” Shigaraki mumbles. You let out a giggle and walk toward him.

“It’s heavy.”

“I can handle it.”

“Careful!” You transfer it to his grasp, rolling it into his arms. His upper body droops as he catches it, struggling to hold it without decaying it at his touch.

“I got it.” Shigaraki hisses, clearly struggling. The pumpkin begins to slip and you’re able to snake your arms under it just in time.

“How about we share one?” Your soft expression calms Shigaraki’s growing anger. With a nod, you place the pumpkin somewhere so you can head to the corn maze, the part Tomura was looking forward too.

“It’s like a stage from a video game.” Tomura began trying to think of all the possible ways to clear the maze, but with your hand carefully wrapped in his, you began pulling him along.

Tomura wouldn’t say it out loud, but when you held his hand, or trusted him in general with things like touch, he felt much closer to you. 

He didn’t feel so distant, he knew you weren’t scared of him, and that’s what he treasured.

“It’s this way.” Shigaraki’s sense were just leading you in all sorts of directions.

“Tomura, if we pass this little circle path again-”

“I know I know.” Shigaraki tugs you in another direction and sure enough, the exit comes into sight.

“We did it!” You hug him, pulling his face down closer to yours, pressing your lips on his gently.

Kissing you back, Tomura’s hands travelled to your hips, tilting his head ever so slightly to the side, deepening the kiss.

Returning back to the hideout, you set up to carve the pumpkin in your shared room.

Tomura gives some input on what you should carve and you get to work.

When the night is over, you’ve got a pumpkin carved sitting on the broken kitchen table for the rest of the league to admire when they stop by.

»»————-　★　————-««

eraserhead/shota aizawa

»»————-　★　————-««

Aizawa isn’t a big media fan, so he’ll try to avoid paparazzi or media at all costs. 

Taking you out on a little fall date was Hizashi’s plan, and Aizawa actually liked the sound of going to a pumpkin patch.

The first thing the two of you do is the hayride. It’s short and simple, you sit next to Aizawa, holding his hand as the two of you cozy up when a cool breeze blows.

Sho’s hair is tied back from when you were playing with it on the couch prior to leaving for the date, he just never took it down. It was a good look on him, anything was really.

“Thanks for taking me out.” You smile and kiss his cheek. It wasn’t rare to go out on a date, but you both preferred to be inside when it came to dates, whether it be ordering takeout and watching a movie, or attempting to cook a meal to have together.

“Of course.” Aizawa pressed a kiss of his own to your cheek, smiling against your skin.

The hayride was over in about ten minutes which gave you plenty of time to explore the patch.

Next you went off to the corn maze where you got lost. 

It wasn’t supposed to happen, but having so much fun, you lost track of where you were going, and somehow, you’d lost Shota along the way.

When you were finally reunited, an all black kitten laid in Shota’s arms.

“Sho...”

“It was all alone. Am I a hero if I can’t save-”

“It’s so cute!” You smiled, approaching the small kitten slowly. It warmed up to the both of you quite quickly, and it seemed to like Aizawa a lot.

Cradling it in his arms, Sho attempted to show you the way out. You followed behind.

Making it out of the maze, you headed toward the pumpkin patch, keeping the kitty some what hidden. Sho had every intention of taking it home with you, and you certainly didn’t have anything against it.

Picking out some pumpkins was easy, you settled for a pretty medium-sized pumpkin while Aizawa picked up something small, able to sit on his desk and not take up too much space so he could still sleep.

Getting the kitten home was Sho’s next top priority, right next to giving you a kiss before it got to crowded again.

Sneaking a kiss on your lips in the middle of the ‘deserted’ pumpkin patch, he kissed you tenderly, stroking the kitten in his arms as he did so.

Returning home, you pulled out the food bowls and filled one with some water and another with kitty food. Thanks to Sho having a habit of bringing home strays and nursing them up, you had quite the collection of cat toys, food, and other random assorted pet items.

“Are we going to name it?” You asked, sitting beside Aizawa on the floor as you watched the kitten eat. 

“You wanna keep it?” Aizawa questioned.

“I think we could handle another one.” You smile as one of your other cats comes pouncing into your lap, resting on your thighs as you pet it’s back.

“Alright then, how about Pumpkin?” The name was cliché but you loved it. Resting your head on Sho’s shoulder, you smiled as you enjoyed the rest of your fall themed evening.

»»————-　★　————-««

masterlist

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Day 2: Relationships / Matching

*Introducing the Perfect Pair Collection, featuring asymmetrical designs that match.* The oxymoron was not lost on her.

Time to switch to a completely different art style on day 2– 😣 Today’s prompt features the Pomefiore trio!

A harsh tug on his sleeve drew Jade to a halt. He glanced at Miss Raven, who clung to his side, pointing to a nearby shop window with her free hand. Jade followed her finger to what was on display—small boxes and racks, each displaying a glittering piece of jewelry.

“Oya, I do not believe we have baubles on the grocery list,” he tutted, teasingly wagging a finger. “To think that your interest would be so easily captured by mere shiny objects, Miss Raven... Corvids truly are simple-minded creatures. Perhaps you have more in common with the headmaster than I had initially thought.”

“I’m allowed to appreciate beauty, aren’t I?” Raven retorted, casting Jade a sideways glare. “Besides, you wear jewelry.”

“Ah, this?” He gently tapped at the earring dangling from his left earlobe. Three diamond-shaped scales cast a silvery-blue glow upon his skin. “I wouldn’t call it a piece of jewelry so much as a battle trophy.”

At this, Raven wrenched her face away from the glass display to stare at him. “Please don’t tell me you did something unsavory to get your hands on it.”

“You have such strange ideas, Miss Raven.” Jade chuckled as he slicked back his black stripe of hair behind his accessory-clad ear. “Fufu. There is nothing unsavory about victors claiming a prize for their triumph, correct? That is only the natural order of things.”

… I feel sorry for whoever the twins beat up.

She shook her head and returned her gaze to the display window--to the selection of earrings that were laid out upon velvet cloth. Introducing the Perfect Pair Collection, read a sign, featuring asymmetrical designs that match. (The oxymoron was not lost on her.)

Surrounding the sign were various pairs, as promised: a sun and a moon, a jar of jelly and another of peanut butter, a hand and a heart… but Raven felt herself drawn to earrings in the shape of a lock and a key. How peculiar that the head of the key curved into a heart and that its teeth were ribbed with pearls, and how slim yet stylish the lock was.

“My, are you interested in that pair? What an interesting choice.”

“N-No! I’m just admiring them,” Raven insisted. “You don’t normally see designs like this… I wonder how the jeweler was able to make objects so clunky and heavy into something wearable.”

“That is a fair point. The craftsmanship is indeed exquisite.” Jade’s sharp eyes carefully traced the shape of Raven’s ears--pointed, like the headmaster’s. “How unfortunate it is that you lack the piercings to wear them.”

Raven’s hands instinctively flew to her earlobes, as though trying to shield them from him. “I told you, I’m not interested in buying--” 

“Why, whoever said anything about you purchasing the earrings? I was keen to pick up a new pair for myself.” Jade provided a smile and a bow. “Now then, if you would excuse me for one moment…”

Before Raven could protest, he had already vanished inside the jewelry store, leaving her stranded on the street with a list of groceries to procure.

“... Fantastic.”

The bird sighed into her palms. From past experience, she knew that it would not be a wise idea to pursue Jade and attempt to drag him away. For as skilled as Raven was at weaving words, she often found that Jade’s natural charisma, paired with his silver tongue, often gave him the advantage in disagreements.

Best to just leave it for now.

Still, she warily eyed him through the store window as he conversed with a clerk. A few vague hand gestures, a practiced smile, a polite and controlled laugh. All motions Raven had familiarized herself with.

Entranced with her eel watching, Raven didn’t register the trio approaching her until one of the group called out to her.

“Mon petit oiseau! What a coincidence it is to be running into you today.”

“Oh!” She startled at the huntsman’s voice. “Rook…!! And… Vil-senpai and Epel-san. Hello…!”

Acutely aware of Vil’s sternness, Raven quickly lowered her head in deference. This earned a slight curl of the lips from him.

He was dressed as fashionably as ever--a white, frilly top with a V-neck, paired with sunglasses propped in his hair, sleek leggings, and glove boots. Several necklaces adorned Vil’s long, milky neck, and his face was expertly painted with a sheer wash of shimmering, nude makeup.

“Good day to you, Shetland potato,” Vil replied coolly. He passed a glance to Epel, who stood behind him, struggling to carry several rolls of fabric.

“G-Good day,” Epel managed, tugging at his collar. It appeared as though Vil had dressed him, too--for he was dressed in a lacey lilac blouse, and tied off with a black bow. Instead of leggings, Epel wore puffy shorts and striped socks.

“Such a treat it is to see you out of the attic and venturing out into the world!” Rook laughed, brushing back a wisp of his golden hair. He was without his trademark feathered hat, and had traded his dormitory robes for a button-down shirt--the sleeves rolled up and a few buttons undone, army green khakis, and boating shoes.

Compared to the Pomefiore trio, Raven looked like a spaghetti stain on a square of white fabric. She nervously dusted off her skirt, hoping that Vil wouldn’t harp on how she was wearing the same outfit yet again.

“What brings you to town?” Rook inquired, dropping the bags he had been carrying and excitedly grasping Raven’s hands instead.

“Just… groceries. Uncle is away for a conference, so I am to fend for myself in his absence,” she mumbled, gingerly prying her hands away. “Well… sort of. Jade has been mother henning me for the past few days.”

“Monsieur Mastermind? Ohoh. What a dynamic duo! Two halves of the same coin, trading bitter blows with their words… forever locked in verbal combat!”

“I… I guess?”

“I trust that he is looking after you well?” Rook’s smile widened. “If not... perhaps we should kidnap you away and stow you in Pomefiore until the headmaster’s return!”

“Absolutely not,” Vil snapped. “We have our hands far too full with play preparations to be hosting the Shetland potato--or anyone else, for that matter.”

… H-He didn’t object to Rook kidnapping people. Is that a normal thing for Rook to do? Should I be concerned? She shoved her question down to change the subject to something more comfortable. “Erm… Is that what the supplies are for?”

“Oui! Roi du Poison’s club is staging a performance in the winter. These materials are to make costumes.” The huntsman’s eyes suddenly lit up with a mischievous sparkle. “Fufu. Mon roi has thrown his heart and soul into direction. It is a treat to behold!”

“Congratulations, senpai.”

“Don’t congratulate me yet,” Vil commanded, holding up a hand. “We are still in the throes of auditions. Wait until you have witnessed the show for yourself before you cheer for it.”

“Oh, well… I hope you find suitable actors, then.”

Vil’s eyes suddenly narrowed. “Hm. Now that you mention it… Shetland potato!”

Raven jumped when he barked at her. “Y-Yes?! Look, I know I’ve been wearing the same outfit every time you see me, it’s just that Uncle fills my closet with nothing but duplicate clothes…!!”

“I think you would be fitting for one of the roles in my play,” Vil declared. “Report to Pomefiore at 8 am sharp tomorrow if you are interested in auditioning.”

“Huh?! Me, in one of your… I don’t think I’m…”

“Are you doubting my eyes?” His glare sharpened, turning into a pointed dagger.

“N-No, sir…”

“Good. Then I hope to see you then.” Vil spun around on his heel and waved a hand. “Rook! Epel! We’re going. Don’t dawdle, now.”

“Yes, Vil-senpai. I-I’m coming!”

Epel dashed after his Dorm Leader, Rook following suit--but not before he gave Raven one last glance over his shoulder, accompanied by a wave. Au revoir, he mouthed, the twinkle never parting from his emerald eyes.

She waved back absentmindedly, brought back from her daze only by the ringing of the jewelry store door swinging open again.

Jade emerged from within, bearing a small baby blue box with a white silk bow. “I have returned, Miss Raven. Fufu. I trust that you were not too lonely without me?”

She hastily hid her hands behind her back. “Of course not. You were only gone for a few minutes…!”

“So I was.” Jade’s eyes darted to the Pomefiore trio, whose figures were vanishing over the horizon. “Had I been absent a few moments longer, perhaps I would have had to wrangle you from the hands of an nosy huntsman.”

“As though forcing your way in and kidnapping me back would be any better!”

Jade stifled a laugh.

“In any case, I have procured the earrings I had my heart set on.” With deft fingers, he slid off the top, revealing a glittering lock and key tucked away inside. Jade plucked up the key by the head. “Miss Raven, do lend me your ear.”

“Those are yours…!”

“Correct--and therefore, I may do with these as I please.” He smiled pleasantly. “And I choose to lend you one to wear.”

“It’s not that simple! Have you forgotten already? I can’t wear it--don’t have piercings,” she protested. “You’re not going to jab it through my earlobes, are you?!”

“I will do no such thing.” Jade’s voice remained tranquil as he seized the raven by her chin and jerked her head to one side, yielding a clear opening for him to plant the earring. She squawked in surprise, flailing against him--but his grip was too strong, and she, too weak.

He sighed, continuing to speak as though he were describing the nice weather. “I assure you, this will not hurt one bit, fufufu. Now be a dear and hold still.”

It happened in an instant, despite the bird’s struggles. A slight pinch upon her earlobe, the kiss of the cool metal key on her skin, and it was over.

Jade straightened with a satisfied smirk, and patted Raven on the cheek. “There we are.”

“Eh? What? How did…” She cautiously poked at the earring. “There wasn’t a needle…?”

“I requested that the jeweler convert the key earring into a clip-on.”

“Wha…?! You… You tricked me again?!” Her face flared with a mixture of embarrassment and rage. “But why even bother with such a thing?”

“I wished to see how it would look on you. As I suspected, it is lovely on you.”

Raven gritted her teeth, praying that it would somehow help hide her flusteredness. “... And what do you plan to do with the lock earring? You didn’t also have that one converted, did you?”

“Certainly not.” Jade toyed with the lock in question, rolling it between his index finger and thumb. “I was thinking to wear it myself in lieu of my usual sturgeon scale earring, so that we may match.”

“Match?” Raven scoffed through her blush. “I didn’t know you cared so much about your accessories while grocery shopping.”

“I do not,” he confessed with a coy grin. “However, I would be remiss to pass up an opportunity to show to the world what a perfect pair we make.”

“You what--” Raven was interrupted by Jade grasping one of her hands and placing the lock earring into it.

“If you would do the honors,” he murmured, tilting his head to one side--and once more, slicking his black hair back. His tone was low and inviting, yet somehow she could hear him well and clear over the townspeople that bustled around them.

The scales suspended on his earring swung back and forth in a slow motion. Click, clack, against one another, in an almost hypnotic fashion.

His single, golden eye stared right at her. Waiting, pleading.

Raven swallowed hard. With trembling hands, she unfastened the sturgeon scale earring from his earlobe and secured the lock earring in its place. As soon as the deed was done, she rushed to wipe her hands off on her skirt.

Eel cooties, eel cooties, eel cooties…!!

“Thank you for your assistance, Miss Raven.”

“You’re… you’re welcome.” She pursed her lips, avoiding his eyes--but her traitorous gaze soon found itself lingering on the lock. “That suits you, in a way--like a lock, you guard many secrets, and it’s impossible to get you to open up.”

“Fufu. I am flattered to hear such kind words. If I may return the compliment, that key earring fits you like a glove.”

“Right. Because Uncle is adorned in keys, it would make sense for the motif to carry over to his relatives.”

“No, no, you misunderstand.” Jade held a finger to his lips, a twinkle of conspiracy in his golden eyes. “Come closer… and I shall impart one of my closely guarded secrets to you.”

“This isn’t another one of your tricks, is it?” she asked, her eyes forming suspicious slivers--but despite her curt words, the bird’s body instinctively leaned into his. She cursed her curiosity.

Jade chuckled and bent down, allowing his lips to hover by her ear. Time seemed to slow, but her heartbeat quickened. Face, hot--extremities, cold. Opposites, yet matching. One, unable to exist without the other.

And, at last, his answer came.

“It suits you well--for you hold the key to my heart, Miss Raven.”

[katsukikitten]

Part 10 of Irritated. Y'all thank Jo for this being updated lol.

⚠️ WARNING ⚠️ This is an 18+ Pro Hero AU, mentions of violence and death. Enjoy

The pungent smell of wet Earth and nose burning chemicals did not pair well with the harsh scent of rotting fruit. Sickeningly sweet as it rouses you, mind hazed as your eyelids refuse to open or even flutter. Weighted by lead and an endless sleep that tries to pull you under again. For once you submit.

More time passes, although you aren’t even sure you understand the concept any longer as that same smell stirs you again, a bang from an adjacent room pushes your eyes to flutter. Flashes of light against the start darkness before your eyes adjust to the low light of the room that seeps in from a few small rectangular windows. The panes are caked with dust while bricks are pressed into the seedy Earth, giving the room a natural coolness, there is only one set of stairs that lead up towards a door outlined in light. The sound of running water makes your throat constrict and your mouth dry, as if you swallowed cotton whole. Making you wonder just how long you had been pulled undertow. It takes your throbbing head a moment to catch up with your senses as a chill settles over your bare skin in goose flesh.

And then it all comes flooding back, the awful taste of his salty skin in your mouth, the fear gripping at your muscles as you finally realize that you are not in the safety of your apartment but somewhere forgein. Thrashing to get to your feet only to hit hard onto the icy concrete, wrists and ankles bound by white cuffs, a small whine escapes your raw throat. Your heart hammers in your chest before you feel a sharp prick in both of your wrists. A warm substance floods your system as your eyelids become heavy, mind trudging through abduction procedures before settling on blissful numb. A blurry figure comes from the only other door in the room that isn’t atop the staircase. You don’t need to fully focus on his face to know exactly what color his eyes are as they burn into your retinas before sleep hushes your frayed nerves. You dream of all consuming green that slowly fades to black.

Bakugou finds himself standing in the kitchen of his apartment, your spare key stares up at him from your paperwork. A sweating glass with melting ice and the reminisce of an amber liquid is his only company. He leers down at the address, wondering why the hell you were on such a seedy side of town, then he thinks of you shaking on the couch back at the hotel during the convention. His stomach churns, your final words and blow cause him to suck his teeth.

“Not my fucking problem.” He huffs to himself, refilling the glass before killing the light in the kitchen to settle on the couch. His grip is too tight on the crystal glass in his explosive palm, the glass threatens to shatter while an infomercial plays in the background. His mind is anywhere but the TV while indestructible pans are advertised across the large screen. Aggressively swirling the amber liquid as his thoughts become more and more loud. He swallows the whisky whole and with it the thought of you. Letting it all burn as it runs down his throat and heats his chest, a warm feeling flooding his veins as he sinks lower into the couch. Flipping channels as he forgets you.

Your key taped to your personal records, that Bakugou stole, do not sit on his fine counter much longer, soon it is swiped and shoved into a pocket. He slams the crystal glass on the counter as he reaches for his own apartment keys and his cellphone. Bakgou slams his apartment door, locking the deadbolt before he rushes down the stairs to catch the last train to you hellish part of the city.

The hour train ride sobers Bakugou and only sets him into further agitation. Glaring at anyone who thinks to look at him more than once, even going as far as baring his teeth. Before glaring at his own reflection, who sneers right back. His black tee is tight and a bit damp despite the cool air, the brim of his backwards cap pulls the hair away from his forehead as his faded sides breathe in the chill of the train. The hat, an excuse to hold in his hair, his hero gloves heating his hands as his fingers twitch, he hopes your apartment is hardwood throughout since he didn't have plastic bags to put his feet in while he looked for something. Anything. He was doing the best with what he had.

But the more he looks at himself the more he realizes he never really was doing his best. At least not when it came to you.

The address to your apartment complex is a few blocks away from the train station, his jaw clenched as he reaches the low lit building. Screaming comes from somewhere far off, his ears perk out of habit, but he was supposed to be off duty right now. Plus that wasn’t his current focus, not to mention should he help it would be suspicious as fuck as to why he was so far way from home tonight. He bounds up the stairs in the dank stairwell two at a time, huffing through his nose as he reaches the top floor. The carpet is worn threadbare and reeks of vomit and water damage. Silence envelopes the top floor compared to the yelling and crashing items on his way up. Slowly it dawns on him that you’re most likely renting out the entire fucking floor. He sucks his teeth, leaning in close to the door of the first apartment on the floor. Nothing comes from the other side of the thin cheap door, musty air flows from between the cracks as if the room had been closed for quite some time. It confirms what he’s been thinking. He finds your apartment door with ease, several bolts and locks lined up perfectly straight. He looks down at the one key and thinks about what happened in the short few years you started at the agency that you would need five, no six additional deadbolts on your door. He half wishes you hadn't made it so obvious as to which door was yours, thoughts creep into the forefront of his mind as he imagines someone else standing in his spot now. He thinks he will need a locksmith, but that would call attention to himself, he could attempt to pick them but he never really had time to practice the shady skill. Just as he is about to turn to brute force as the answer he notices that your door doesn't seem fully shut. He thinks of all the times that you bitched while on patrol about your damn door and how you had to literally slam it shut for it to actually lock. Gritting his teeth he gently pushes the door open with his gloved hand letting it swing open with an eerie creak.

Already things are out of place. Your suitcase stands alone, untouched and obviously unpacked from the clothes peeking out from beneath the zipper, by the front door. Your lanyard for your keys is on the floor instead of the table that is in the foyer and the converse you were wearing the day that you quit are missing. Faintly something gleems in the grainy light from the hallway from beneath the table in the foyer. Bakugou reaches for it tentatively, teeth gritting as he realizes what the glass rectangle is.

Your phone.

Specifically, your dead phone.

His hand hover over the unresponsive screen before deciding to leave it, this would be evidence they would need later but for now he knew he had to do something. Kamisama takes pity on the poor bastard and throws him a bone in the shape of a scrunchie. Your black scrunchie that seems to have been ripped from your arm. As he reaches for it he notices the faint residue smeared on the hardwood. His mind dredges up weeks ago of the guy trying to hide his quirk. Of the carpet by the hotel door in the hall just a touch darker.

He should have fucking killed him, he should not have listened to you. He snatches the scrunchie, heading towards your kitchen to look for a bag, tupperware, anything to trap the smell of you and possibly your assailant. He finds a plastic sandwich bag, shoving the broken hair tie into the baggie before sealing it shut. He heads for your door thinking better of slamming it shut in case he needs to return without the calvary. Pulling his phone from his pocket he dials an old number from memory, the other line picks up.

"Oi, it's time I cashed in on that favor you owe me."

After the short conversation and the long hour and a half in the cold a four door sudan pulls up to the train station by your house. Bakugou eagerly yanks open passenger side door, slamming it shut as he cranks of the heat in the car, giving the driver no room for questions let alone a greeting.

"Oi, I need you to find the owner of this." He flashes the scrunchie as the driver gives him a look, "Inu, you're hound's son aren't you? It's not impossible."

"It might as well be dude. What is this?" Inu snatches the bag from hot fingers, "Do you even know when the last time the owner wore this. And what exactly are we doing? Is this even fucking official?"

Bakugou narrows his eyes, mouth set in a harsh snarl as he leans in close to the driver's seat while Inu leans back.

"I dunno was your shit I helped you with official? Was it ethical for us to take out a mob boss for your now ex wife?"

Inu looks away into the rear view mirror, eyes boring holes into the glass and the blankets in the back seat. Bakugou doesn't notice, he takes it as admission before leaning away into the passenger seat.

"Now get to sniffing." Inu grits his teeth at the hot head's comments before sighing out. Opening the bag just a little to take a whiff. The smell was faint, indicating a large gap from the time it was last worn to now. Not to mention there was an odd smell, so unbelievably faint in the fabric that had Inu not already known what you smelt like he would have missed it. Just barely he could make out past the notes of your shampoo a salty harsh smell, almost like a preservative. Had it been any stronger it would have burned his nostrils. Sweat and...was that formaldehyde?

His stomach churns, slowly closing the baggie before cracking his window, catching the wind just right. He follows his nose, head halfway out the window as the car carries the men late into the night, all the way to the fringes of a suburb that was partly in the country. Inu parks the car on the wide street of the little neighborhood built to mimic an American suburb in the nineties. Homes of various sizes spread out and yet not too far from one another.

"This is it." Inu announces, throwing the car in park as it sits nestled between a beat to hell pick up truck and a dented sudan.

"You're sure?" Bakugou asks as he takes in the old home, it's upkeep is minimal at best, landscaping border line over grown as he can barely make out the small rectangular windows at the base of the house beneath the old dim street lamp.

"This is where both smells get stronger."

"Both?" A tic wounds tighter in Bakugou's jaw while a tremor runs through his arms. Inu nods as Bakugou reaches for the knob.

"Woah, woah!" Inu's large hand clamps down onto a broad shoulder, "Hold up man, if she really is involved then this is nothing like the sting we did bro. We need to call someone."

"Like fucking who?"

"I dunno Director Yami?"

"Yea so he can dismiss this again? Fuck that and fuck you. I'm going." He shoves Inu away reaching for the door again before the blankets in the back seat come to life. A mop of emerald curls with concern plastered across the giant's face appears to Bakugou's horror.

"Kaachan...you can't. We need to do this right, for her." And with that Bakugou snaps, lunging for his old friend, enemy. Climbing past the center console with his hands outstretched before they wrap around a thick column squeezing with all of his might. Deku doesn't do much to stop him, somehow knowing deep down that it isn't really him that the red eyed man wants to kill. He wraps broad hands around thick forearms giving them a gentle squeeze, he could snap them with One for All if he wanted. Instead Inu barks out a breathy "What the fuck?" as he wraps his arms around Bakugou's torso pulling him back into the passenger's seat. In the tussle either Bakugou or Inu hit the horn, causing Inu to panic as a light comes to life in the once darkened house. He forcefully shoves Bakugou into the front seat as he peels into the street, thankfully without burning rubber.

"Are you trying to blow our fucking cover?!" Inu shouts, "Like fuck! And what's killing Izuku-kun going to do?"

Bakugou turns to glare at the behemoth of a man in the back seat, he rubs his throat as red eyes watch bruises form.

"I'm not sorry Deku, fuck you." But Izuku can read between the lines, Bakugou saying he is sorry but still fuck you for trying to stop me while our friend is most likely on borrowed time.

"'S kay. We can help her."

A honk, rouses you before footsteps can be heard overhead rushing through the house before blinding light floods down into the basement.

"Finally you're awake." He flicks on all the lights, scrambling to put your feet under you so you can at least sit. Eyes flickering over the room as you try to give your throbbing, unresponsive mind to collect something, anything you can store away for later to aid your escape. Meanwhile the green eyed fucker monologues.

"It took some time for me to adjust your dose, I need you to be just under enough that you won't fight back, your heart rate spikes easily you know…." His words are lost to you as you glance over your shoulder only to wish you never did as your stomach churns in horror. Lined up against the wall behind you are women, women you had posed with.

But what haunts you is how it starts with your missing friend. Her eyes hollowed out, pitch black holes stare back at you as her skin looks paper thin, like a botched mummification or that whoever was trying to preserve her got lucky. She is still in her last scene clothes that are bloodied and torn. Your eyes struggling to follow the line as they progressively become more and more preserved, until your eyes finally land on your last instagram picture, you and that young girl. With the peace signs beneath your eyes.

She looks to still be alive, until you realize she is unblinking with glass eyes and a permanent smile with the help of a stich or two.

He notices your rigidness and frowns.

"Are you not happy? It's hard to save the eyes." He forces your face to meet him with his fingers on your skin, "I made them for you. They're your friends right? I wouldn't want my doll to be lonely."

Your breath comes in ragged huffs as rage consumes you, you were going to kill him. With whatever little power you had left, you were going to end him and savor it.

All these lives, twenty, that you could see, lost, because of you and you negligence. Your eyes glow before a prick comes at your wrist, the power dying in your fingers.

"No." You rasp out as your vision begins to fade.

"Ah come on, I just want you to be a wake for just a bit doll. Just a while longer before I make you mine."

Your world plunges into the depths of darkness.

Your dream of the girls behind you, of their scream as their preserved bodies animate, their glass eyes fixated on you as they crawl across the concrete. Their mouths smelling of formatihide and rot as they lean close to you, voices beneath water or worn by gravel.

"You did this. You killed us."