#( sorry it took me so long to reply... my muse got a bit sleepy but i am back! )

[whatifyoulivelikethat]

honey, m | ksj

pairing(s): seokjin x reader — mentions of husband!yoongi x reader

summary: "Please let me borrow your husband." "You can if I can borrow Seokjin." And so Kim Seokjin agreed to this wife swap but... Min Yoongi's wife is scary. Very attractive, though. Extremely, mind-blowingly hot and she knows it, sitting calmly in her living room with her cup of tea. But scary...

warnings: rated M (18+) for language; you are married to Yoongi and you're about his fuck his hyung while he fucks he's hyung's wife, yup; tiny bit of crack + fruity flirting(???); slight D/s smut (fem reader, spit kink, nipple play, bondage, m-receiving oral, cowgirl); non-idol!BTS - dom!reader x not-your-husband, sub!Seokjin

--

"So... what happens now?"

"Nothing."

If you didn't know what was going on, you would think Kim Seokjin was about to be executed with how rigidly he was sitting on your sofa. Still good-looking, even though he refused to look at you. His eyes shifted in every direction except, well, the person who had replied to his question.

You were sitting right next to him.

You patiently let his eyeballs explore your plethora of home decor that included a violent amount of gaming memorabilia, your hobby, and just as many guitars, your husband's hobby.

"What do you think they're doing?" Seokjin gulped uneasily.

He was talking about your husband and his wife.

"Fucking, probably. That was the point."

You took a calm sip of tea as Seokjin had a (very handsome) mental breakdown in silence.

You savored the light flavor of peach white tea for a moment. Refreshing, with only the slightest hint of specialty honey your husband had purchased from abroad. The wistful taste of spring turning into almost summer, of lighter fabrics and colorful clothes, of waking up to the soft sunrise and Min Yoongi’s sleepy half-smile that he thought you couldn't see because you continued to pretend that you were asleep.

You placed your clean white cup on the black slate coaster in the middle of the coffee table. It was shaped like the head of a cat. You reached for your smartphone at the edge of the dark wood as you spoke.

"I could call Yoongi right now and tell him to stop."

"N... No!"

Seokjin's hand shot across the air and landed on your wrist, tightly gripping it and pulling your hand away.

"No... No, it's okay. I'm fine. It's fine," he coughed awkwardly, immediately letting go the second you turned your head to glance at him. Still not directly looking at you. Ears very red. He tucked back his long black hair, exposing his forehead and covering the tops of his tomato ears. "I agreed because I was okay with it. It will make her happy."

"If it doesn't make you happy, your wife won't be happy either," you said quietly, keeping your gaze on him. "We can stop all of this at any time, even if she's in the middle of orgasm." You smirked. "She might like that."

Nah, she wouldn't, but Yoongi and you would be highly amused. Perhaps inappropriately, but it was the truth.

Seokjin's large brown eyes darted back and there was a single millisecond of eye contact before he immediately abandoned that concept and stared at your empty cup instead. His full lips twisted slightly in a contemplative frown. "You're not worried that Yoongi might fall in love in my wife?"

You burst out laughing.

"Hey!"

"S-Sorry," you got out, buttoning up your chuckles as Seokjin glared at you indignantly. You gave him a cunning half-smile. "No. I'm not the least bit worried about my husband. He wouldn't have married me if he wasn't serious about going to the grave with me," you purred slowly, dangerously sweet like dripping honey that came with thousands of bee stings. Ah. He was looking at you now.

Seokjin blinked quickly.

Your smile grew.

"You won't fall in love with me, right?" you mused.

The dark-haired man huffed childishly, planting his hands on his waist with a tight shake of his head. "Of course not. I pinky-promised. And anyway..." He trailed off. His dark brown eyes slid away from you again.

You raised an eyebrow along with the corner of your lips.

Seokjin gave you the side-eye squint.

"You're scary."

You reciprocated with a smirk he knew very well. It did, after all, perfectly match your husband’s.

"Yoongi doesn't think I'm scary."

"That's because Yoongi is scary," Seokjin retorted.

"He's just a soft kitty cat."

Seokjin pretended to gag. "Don't talk about my friend like that."

"Why not? Your wife talks about you like that. She calls you her dinky-donk–"

In record-breaking panic, Seokjin's hand flew out once again and slapped over your mouth.

"Anyway!" he wheezed out shrilly.

You blinked once and let your eyes lock with his shaking brown orbs. Seokjin froze up instantly as soon as he realized how close he was to you. So close that you could admire the way black strands brushed against his dark brows. His black hair was cut similarly to your husband, a longer, mullet style. There was more wave to Seokjin's hair due to the thickness. Yoongi had straighter, sleeker strands. Seokjin was handsome in the classic sort of way – symmetrical face, chiseled jaw and neck, large eyes, all complimented by his superstar-glowing skin, plush pink lips, and a lively demeanor.

You inhaled lightly, pinpointing the scent of his cologne. Oh? Quite a manly scent. Spicer and stronger than you expected, accented with a hint of sweetness. Was that fig? How delicate.

Seokjin was staring at your collarbones.

Or your tits.

Both were well-shaped, so he couldn't go wrong with either.

You nudged his bare knee with yours. He jumped, but didn't move his hand away from your mouth, looking down. Possibly contemplating his choice of ripped jeans with huge holes in the knees that allowed the skin-to-skin contact. Or maybe his sudden bulging eyes were glued to your juicy thighs threatening to explode the hem of your black miniskirt.

You were sitting down, after all. These things were bound to happen.

Oi.

Seokjin wasn't looking at your face.

Your tongue wiggled out from between your lips and you licked his palm.

"What are you doing? Yah!"

Seokjin shrieked and tumbled back, attempting to fuse with the couch instead of trying to leave it, gawking at you bug-eyed as you pushed your hair back, parting your lips and extending your tongue, curving it slightly before it touched back to your teeth, tracing them slowly as you looked down at him.

“W-W-Why do you look like that…?!”

You didn’t move closer. You just let your hands waterfall down your chest, playing with the black ribbon tie of your white blouse, the tip of your tongue balancing on the corner of your lips. There were too many places to look. Seokjin’s poor eyeballs were working overtime. They stopped moving the second they reached your waist, cinched in tightly by the thick band of the miniskirt.

Slowly.

Slowly, Seokjin looked back up at your face.

You winked at him.

“You… You said nothing was going to happen,” he squeaked.

You shrugged casually. “Nothing was because you didn’t want anything.” You stroked one of the ends of the ribbon, humming thoughtfully. “You know, Yoongi wasn’t interested at first either. Not because he doesn’t like your wife. He thinks she’s funny.” You chuckled, unable to hide your small grin. “But he didn’t see the benefit for him.”

It seems like too much work to deal with a pillow princess like that.

You don’t have any emotional attachment.

Of course not.

No, silly, you don’t have any emotional attachment, so do me this favor and fuck her up. I would like her to feel completely and utterly destroyed. Also, she asked me if I could ask you to choke her.

You remembered Yoongi’s eyebrows shooting upwards. Ah. You’re having fun orchestrating this.

I said I wouldn’t ask. I’m just going to tell you to do it.

If there was something Yoongi liked, it was watching you enjoy being a mischievous, alluring, devious little fiend. Mostly because he was one too.

Hm, in that case… I wonder if you can seduce hyung then.

“I convinced him to think about it a little more.”

You tilted your head, letting your hair cascade over your shoulder.

“It’s fun sometimes, to do the wrong thing and get away with no consequence.”

Seokjin’s wide brown eyes got wider.

“I was wrong. You’re scarier than Yoongi,” he whispered.

Hah.

You paused a moment, leaning back against the sofa. Hm. This wasn’t exactly going how you planned. Was it your approach? Or maybe Seokjin was simply not interested at all. Well. There was no reason to press if that was it. You would just have to take the L and deal with Yoongi’s know-it-all smirk later. Ah, what a pain in the ass. Your pain in the ass. At least he was cute. Yoongi acted tough on the outside, like the resilient rind of a recently ripe tangerine, but deep down he was soft, refreshing, and deliciously juicy in more ways than one.

Pfft.

He would hate it if you phrased it like that.

Therefore, you kept a mental note of it.

“What kind of fruit do I remind you of?”

You jerked your head at Seokjin’s abrupt question. “What?”

He shrugged. “I dunno. You remind me of a pineapple.”

You blinked at him.

“What.”

Not a question. Only confusion.

He sat up halfway and molded his hands in the air in a vague pineapple shape. “A distinctive and noticeable appearance, tough on the outside, prickly. The fruit inside tastes really good, but if you have too much, it hurts, so only certain people who love it can have lots of it,” Seokjin explained, leaving you both informed and bewildered at his sudden fruit personality analysis.

You blinked again, but slower this time.

Seokjin shrugged his broad shoulders once again. “So, what do I remind you of?”

Well, if he wasn’t going to stick his dick in you, you might as well give him a fruit.

“A peach.”

He blinked rapidly. “Eh?”

You half-smiled, raising your hand with outstretched fingers to list your points. “Pretty looking. Well-liked. Soft and fuzzy appearance. Bruises easily if dropped carelessly.” Seokjin scrunched up his face as you lowered your thumb to give him the final point. “And a large, hard pit at the center where you hide all your negative emotions that you don’t let anyone see, especially the people you love, because you want them to always be happy, so you always give them the best of you and do dumb shit to make them laugh.”

Seokjin un-scrunched his face and stared at you.

You lowered your hand, placing it on your thigh. He might be older than Yoongi, but there was an unmistakable youth to Kim Seokjin, in both mannerisms and curiosities. Something endearing about his shamelessness and something confusing about how handsome he was regardless of the moment, even right now, on his elbows and half-laying on your black leather couch, in ripped blue jeans and an oversized white dress shirt with exaggerated lapels, the first few buttons undone and exposing that artfully sculpted neck. The work of genetics or gods, possibly both considering the result. His big brown eyes were as wide as his mouth was open.

Like a fish.

You raised your eyebrows.

Seokjin seemed to realize his super tuna state and closed his mouth.

Seconds passed.

You watched his eyes. They darted away slightly and came back to you.

Oh?

“Do you like peaches?” Seokjin asked quietly, as if it was a secret.

Ah.

“I do.” Faint quirk of the corner of your lips. “One of my favorite flavors.”

Eyes quickly darting from side to side. Then back to you. Seokjin still hadn’t sat up from your couch cushions. How curious.

“I…” Awkward gulp. “I like pineapples, but… they’re not that easy to get…” His eyes locked onto yours, chocolatey brown orbs quivering.

You felt your smirk widen.

Involuntarily, of course.

"You think so?"

He pulled an annoyed face, looking around him, as if the very objects around him reminded him were mocking him for his indirectness. "Well, yeah, no one in our friend group was crazy enough to approach you. Then we all find out that somehow Yoongi got you to sleep with him and we were all confused as shit. I thought we all agreed you were hot as fuck, but too hot to give anybody the time of day, and suddenly Yoongi is telling us you are off limits before anyone even had a chance to breathe next to you."

His eyes came back and you granted him an enigmatic smile.

"But I wouldn't date you. Too scary."

Seokjin stressed the word, determined for you to know he was not interested in wife-stealing, because he would surely be gutted by your husband who also happened to be his one fishing buddy and Seokjin took fishing extremely seriously.

"Mhm," was your calm hum of a response.

Eye shift to the left. To the right.

"But..."

You did not offer any assistance as Seokjin struggled.

"I mean... I can't really do anything if you..."

He stared at you, trying to prompt you to take the bait.

You raised your eyebrows.

"I will allow you to breathe next to me until my husband is done fucking the brains out of your wife."

Seokjin glared.

You grinned devilishly. "Not the answer you wanted?"

He puffed his cheeks into two mounds of bread. "Are you an idiot or–ahhh!"

In lightning speed, you twisted off the couch and planted your hands right under the open spaces by his armpits, prompting Seokjin to screech, but unable to scoot away without touching you. His body froze up the second your face stopped centimeters from his. It took your hair a moment to catch up from the speed of your movement, slowly tumbling down your shoulder and feathering against his neck and collar, covering you both in half-shadow.

"Now, Kim Seokjin," you murmured, low and dangerous, inhaling his shaking exhale with ravenous zeal. "Do you really want to be calling Min Yoongi's wife an idiot?"

Seokjin would, very firmly, call anyone an idiot if they were indeed an idiot, regardless of who it was, but he knew time and place and the correct ears to make such declarations to. You tilted your head. Slowly and with the malice of a predator.

He made a strange noise between choking and squeaking.

Sexy.

You didn't move.

You let him make the first one.

"Ahaha... y-you're just t-trying to scare me again... you wouldn't do anything crazy, r-right, ah, w-well, maybe I misunderstood, maybe you're actually demurer–mmphf!"

You grabbed Seokjin by the hair and gave him a kiss that said, with all due respect, shut the fuck up. Forceful, oppressive, overpowering. The kind of kiss where you worked your fingers into his dark locks, releasing him from the pain but not from the possession, drinking in his whimpers with flitting tongue.

Enjoy your evening.

You don't think you'll enjoy yours?

Ah, he's too faithful. Too much of a good boy. We'll probably just drink tea and chat.

Hmm. Yoongi had tilted his head at you. I wouldn't be so sure.

You had wondered what he meant, but that was before you tasted those soft, pillowy lips and then, well, it was obvious what Yoongi meant.

Heh.

Damnnit, you could hear your husband snickering in your head at your realization.

You couldn't, but you could.

You know?

Fuck you, Yoongi.

Because you had certain interests and Yoongi knew all your, ah, interests, and your interests included a handsome face making desperate noises while shivering under your fingertips as you traced his collarbones and down his chest, toying with the first button blocking your path. Your interests included duality, dichotomy, juxtaposition, a strong presence paired with the softness of his taste, melting under your aggressive presence, and you could tell from his sound that this was a vulnerable part of him that Seokjin didn't want just anyone to see, especially those he loved most.

He wanted those he loved most to have the happiest parts of him.

His shaking breath leaked between your open lips.

"This shirt... is e-expensive..."

You cocked an eyebrow.

"You can bill my husband."

You gripped the front of his shirt and Seokjin's hand shot up, wincing as he caught your wrist, as if him tightening his grip hurt him more than it hurt you.

"Let me take it off," he mumbled. "I don't need Yoongi glaring at me when I ask."

To be honest, you were completely joking, but you played the part, slowly unclasping your hand with a pointed glare that made Seokjin frown, and yet there was a playfulness to it because it was a childish pout that contrasted his nervous unbuttoning of his white, clean-cut dress shirt. It would be a lie if you said you didn't want to rip it off him, but only because he was so cute.

You know, that unexplainable feeling of wanting to destroy something perfectly innocent.

You would never describe your husband as perfectly innocent but he shared your sentiments.

Besides, making deals with the devil was much more fun than frolicking with angels, in your flawed and incredibly biased opinion.

You could be overbearing at times, but with more life lived you realized the importance of balance, of juxtaposition, of surprise as you leaned in and gently kissed the exposed skin. Soft gasp and warm skin under your lips, Seokjin's pitch hiking as you drew patterns with your tongue, hurriedly fumbling with the pearly buttons as you pushed aside the fabric, tongue and teeth and lips collecting moans like bees surrounding a pretty flower to gather the sweet nectar.

"Don't bit–ah!"

You placed your tongue around his nipple and flicked the other, making Seokjin buck into your couch, and there was nowhere to go, nowhere to escape, no one to stop you except him pushing you away, yet those hands were doing anything but, grabbing your hips and squeezing them in his large hands, gasping no and his body saying yes, grinding his crotch into your black miniskirt. Was he talking to you or himself? It didn't seem like the no was directed at you. In fact, you heard him mutter, Seokjin, don't freak out, she's crazy but this is Yoongi's girl, Yoongi wouldn't try to murder you, and you almost laughed.

Almost.

Almost, if you weren't so focused on dripping saliva all over that carved-out-of-marble neck, blowing on it, savoring his bewildered shiver and hasty blink before you licked it all up and spat it back out on his chest.

"Yah!"

He shot you a slightly judging look.

You smacked your palm down and smeared your spit all over his chest.

"What the–"

You snaked your other hand around his head, his holding you up as you kissed him again, silencing those meaningless protests as your slick fingers slid against his hard muscle, down and around his side, sinking your nails into his broad back. Slow smirk at his gasp that was swallowed by your hunger, whispering darkly into those pretty lips.

"Just be glad I'm not spitting into your mouth," you chuckled, low and devious. "I'm sure your wife asked Yoongi to do that after I told her about our interests."

Seokjin was observing you under lowered lids and elegant lashes, enviable lips dark pink and swollen by kisses. His black hair a mess in your hands, breathing hard, pupils blown-out.

He almost seemed drunk.

You hadn't even given him a single sip of alcohol.

"S... Spit in my mouth, then."

"... Hah?"

His eyebrow ticked upward. Half-smile.

"I like the taste of pineapple."

You know.

This, er, fruity flirting should be a turn-off, but this was Kim Seokjin asking you to spit in his mouth, and maybe this was actually a galaxy brain move on his part, maybe you were under his weird spell or some shit, because you leaned forward and held his head, pushing it back, Seokjin's mouth opening a little too much (this isn't an eating contest, you thought amusedly), but that was easily corrected by your nails raking across his spine. Soft yelp and clutching your hips tightly. His jaw relaxed, a spark of flitting fear in hazy eyes consumed by lust.

You spat in his mouth.

Seokjin flinched.

You removed your nails from his back and shut his jaw.

His wide brown eyes bulged out at you.

"Swallow," you growled.

He immediately did so. Loudly.

And that.

That was the moment.

Because before that, it was testing the waters, it was uncertainty, it was maybe-we-don't-actually-have-any-chemistry, thoughts buzzing around incessantly like bees in a beehive, but now, now all was silent, gazing at each other with honey in his eyes and dripping between you and him, shallow breath and excitement, your hand turning on his jaw, framing that chiseled shape, leaning in, your hair tumbling down, kissing that work of art, a marble statue on your sofa in your living room, taking his exhale like you owned it, at least for tonight, like you owned his blood, sweat, and tears.

Something like that.

Very dramatic.

Seokjin yanked up your miniskirt.

You raised an eyebrow.

Seokjin shrugged exaggeratedly with a pout. "Your thighs looked like they were suffocating."

Well.

He wasn’t wrong.

You straddled his waist and began to remove your blouse. Seokjin jumped and you squeezed him with your thighs warningly.

“W-Wait, um–”

You snapped your teeth and he cowered. Not before shooting you an indignant look though.

“What?” was your deadpan reply.

Seokjin coughed. “Shouldn’t we, uh… move to the bed?”

Slowly.

The corner of your lips lifted to a sly smirk.

“Sure.”

-

“Erm.”

Kim Seokjin was learning things about your relationship today.

“This isn’t…”

Like how you had an iron ring bolted to the back of the headboard so you could tie up his arms above his head while you climbed on top of his naked body. Not an everyday thing. Just a sometimes thing, when you or Yoongi were in the mood.

Or when talkative mouths were too squirmy.

“I didn’t exactly agree.”

“You didn’t try to run away when I went to get the rope either. You also raised your hands when I came back.”

“Well, aren’t you supposed to listen when someone tells you to do something?”

“Did I ask?”

He gave you his shifty gaze once more. “It was obvious. You were talking with your eyes.”

“You talk with your mouth, Seokjin.”

He gave you this look. The look of, do you just dad joke me while we are both naked, and, are you serious right now, and, hey, that’s my job, you can’t just take my job, which all disappeared when you leaned down and slurped his already hard dick.

“Yah!”

You weren’t sure what he expected but you didn’t care either, this is very clearly happening and it was going to happen right now. There was enough stalling against your will.

You curled your tongue around the dark red head, keeping aggressive eye contact.

“C… Could you stop staring at me like that…?”

You continued staring into his big brown orbs, licking down the length, fanning your fingers over his thighs, your manicured nails pricking at his skin. Never looking away, firm wet muscle dripping saliva, lewd loud kisses all the way to his balls, watching his chest shudder and his lips tremble, drinking in the fear, maybe too cruel to some, but you could see the pleasure in his glassy gaze, hear it in his gasping whimper, and Seokjin had every opportunity to look away, and yet he didn’t.

You tilted your head ninety-degrees and licked up and down, letting him see the flexibility of your tongue curl around his girth, sinking your fingernails into his abs and dragging down, leaving the red marks of a predator.

He squeaked in pain, handsome face contorted in mild agony, and yet he didn’t look away.

You wondered who else he gave this fear, because you knew he wasn’t giving it to his pillow princess.

You admired his body under you, tied up and pretty and well-sculpted.

Simply naturally beautiful.

“You know, Seokjin.”

You were on a time limit because of his tied-up arms.

“I always liked the taste of peaches.”

You rose slightly, extending your right hand, palm up, reaching out to him.

“Guilty pleasure, I guess.”

You saw Seokjin’s brain attempting to figure out what four-dimensional chess these statements were supposed to mean. He became further confused as you smiled sweetly at him.

“Spit in my hand.”

Invisible question marks popped up around his head. “Hah?”

“Seokjin, spit in my hand.”

He blinked rapidly. You raised an eyebrow.

Ploo!

You stared at the meager volume and lifted the other eyebrow. Did you actually need to repeat yourself? Thankfully, he got the hint and forcefully spat out a larger amount, slick and watery.

Good enough.

You brought your hand back and forcefully shot out another spray of spit onto your palm.

“Why did you make me do it if you were just going to – oh, fuuuck!”

You shut him up real quick by winding your fingers around his twitching cock and stroking him, slowly, dripping honey-like saliva all over him, mixing his and yours. The bedroom exploded into contained sound, pitched moans and choked gasps, one hand on his cock and the other scooping up his balls, covering them with the fluids and your mouth, both of them at once. The headboard was rattling, but it didn’t matter how much his upper half moved, it only mattered that your body pinned down his legs as you sucked on his balls and jacked him off, building the pace, faster, rougher, slippery. Tongue swirling, manipulating the position of his balls with only your mouth and expert precision. Lips sucking onto the sensitive skin, sliding up and down, peering up at that handsome face with his spit and your spit stuck to your cheeks and nose.

Arrogant smirk and shifting the way you stroked him, focusing more on the head and faster now.

Seokjin groaned out your name and his head hit the headboard.

“Ow!”

You popped your mouth off his nuts. “Careful.”

He whined and snapped his head back down, black hair flaring about, his forearms smacking the padded headboard and rattling the bed. “D-Don’t stop with the mouth, please.”

You released his throbbing length.

“Hey!”

You swallowed his cock.

“Oh, fuck!”

You didn’t need to reply, just licked him from his wet balls to the underside of the head. He was so hard that you needed to change the angle of your head to swallow it all, but that was no problem, gladly adjusting before moving up and down, lapping at his balls with every descent. Slow at first, and then a quick glance and you saw Seokjin was writhing, pressing the top of his head into the black leather of the padded headboard, hands in fists, arms flexed and straining, uncontrolled moans and rolled-back eyes, so you skipped the slow and grabbed his hips, focusing instead on achieving the depth without tightening too much. He was strong enough to thrust up from your hold. You used it to your advantage, tongue rubbing against the stiff length and pushing the engorged head to the roof of your mouth, then sliding it down your throat, blocking your own breathing, but he was close, so close, your name tumbling from Kim Seokjin’s sinful lips in the shared bed of you and your husband, surrounded by a mess of wrinkled sheets and saliva.

Seokjin jammed his cock all the way into your throat and came with a choked wail.

You felt it shoot into the back of your throat, filling up the tight space with his strong, salty taste. Swallowing fast and Seokjin gasped sharply, sensitive, please, ah, and you glossed your tongue over his length, smaller gulps and accepting the small perverse pleasure of his whimpers. He knew you had to swallow to even breathe, but he was in too much ecstasy to move, apologizing under his breath despite keeping his still-hard cock stuffed down your throat.

You didn’t mind.

“Hah… ah… wow…”

Leisurely, with languid licks, your lips parting. His cock slid out and painted your chin with your own saliva.

Seokjin watched every second, big brown eyes glued to the image.

“You… You’re crazy…” he wheezed.

You grinned. “Nah. I just like fruit.”

Seokjin coughed. Maybe regretting the fruit conversation now. “Er, yeah, me t–eh?! Your hands are wet!”

You ignored his protests as you climbed up his body, grabbing his face fiercely and consuming him with suffocating kisses, distracting him with your hungry mouth while one of your hands left Seokjin’s jaw to tug on the ropes, undoing them with one hand. It took practice and some preplanning for you to be able to do it one handed, but thankfully Yoongi was a participant.

A willing one?

Well.

Marriage was compromise.

Just kidding, Yoongi let you practice as long as repaid the favor and you always did.

“Mmphf? Oh, thanks–”

You shoved your nipple into his open lips and reached over to the nightstand, pushing one of his hands down and massaging his wrist. Despite his protests, his lips instantly wrapped around your left nipple, rubbing it with his tongue and sucking on it, surprisingly with some intensity. You smiled, mischievous and amused, switching hands and rubbing his other wrist, rolling your chest into his face.

“Switch.”

He moved over and you twisted your body, inhaling deeply as your felt the pleasure snake through you, feeling his hand raise and his fingers tug at your now wet nipple, gently at first, and then, with your encouraging noises, harder, a little rougher, focusing intently on your pleasure, closing his eyes as you rubbed your thigh against his crotch.

Still hard and getting harder.

You ran your fingers through his hair, burying one of your hands in those long black strands, breathing his name, soft and sweet.

“Seokjin…”

He had some confidence to his actions now, firmly holding you against him.

Until you ripped open the condom right next to his ear.

“Ah!”

You slid back, tossing away the wrapper, sliding down his torso.

“Should I move or–?”

“Just lay there and look handsome.”

“I’m good at that, that’s an excellent choice, maybe you should get a mirr–oh my God…”

This was a very different pace than usual. Much more talking, but for some reason you didn’t find it troublesome. It was simply part of the unique experience, and there was a distinct satisfaction in cutting Seokjin cut off with your pussy steadily sliding down his hard length, savoring it centimeter by centimeter, adjusting your hips to find the right angle for his cock. There was no need for words on your part, only the patient listening of Seokjin’s panicked gasps, wait, you’re so tight, are you okay, do you need help down there, hello, ignoring his quips and gradually massaging his length with the controlled pulsing of your walls.

“Do you need to be more turned on, I can–”

You reached up and placed your hands on your breasts, trapping your nipples between two knuckles and pinching them, sighing contentedly, rolling your hips to find your sweet spot.

“Hello, I have feelings, I’m not just a dick, could you at least tell me if you are enjoying this–”

You made pointed eye contact.

Seokjin shut up immediately.

You began to ride him.

Toying with your hard nipples, leaning forward to achieve that depth and the friction against your clit, ah, yes, right there, feeling Seokjin’s hands sliding up your thighs, familiar touch in an unfamiliar place, familiar position with an unfamiliar face, familiar lust shared by unfamiliar eyes, and yet you lowered your hands, leaning down, breezing kiss, tasting it, the flavor of Kim Seokjin, roughly slapping hips to crotch, gazing into dark brown orbs enamored by your strong passion, his fingers sinking into your thighs, imploring you to take it, to have a bite and let his peachy flavor seduce you with his sweetness and of course you allowed yourself be seduced.

You couldn’t resist it, couldn’t escape anymore, for he was too sweet, too sweet.

After all, forbidden fruit always tasted sweeter.

“I love your lips,” you breathed, filling yourself up with his rock-hard length and clenching all around it, watching those plump lips form the soft moan, glossy and pink, looking back up to those half-lidded eyes, glassy and pupils dilated from the mood.

Seokjin winked and kissed the air.

Mmm.

Wonders never ceased with this man.

You gave him an open-mouthed smirk.

Your hips shifted and you slammed his cock into you.

“Ah!”

“Sorry,” you murmured in your least apologetic voice. “Another guilty pleasure of mine.”

“Hearing me scream?” Seokjin snapped.

You grinned like voracious sin.

All irritation vanished from his expression.

“Yeah.”

You waved your entire body and smacked your hips against his, earning a sharp yelp, and whatever restraint Seokjin previously had now dissipated at your declaration, grabbing fistfuls of sheets and making every noise that came to mind, mostly breathless moans with some squeaky gasps in between. Your hands were now on the bed for leverage, staring down at him, and Seokjin’s gaze jerked up, acting as if he hadn’t just closely watched at your pussy swallowing his dick instead of looking at your face. You cocked an eyebrow and didn’t look away. Firm, measured slaps and tightening your core, looking down at his handsome features, feeling the power mixing with the adrenaline race through your veins, closer, rapid breath and breathless need, closer, one of your hands flying up and gripping his chin, pushing his head back into your pillows, snarling in your throat.

“Don’t close your eyes.”

Closer, closer, louder, harder, whimpers between fingers, there.

Seokjin didn’t close his eyes.

They rolled back into his head as he scream-choked your name, gargled from your strong grasp on his jaw, pretty face all messed up from the peak of orgasm and it was too much, too much for you too, feeling the violent rush and the pulsing clench around his throbbing cock, feeling every jolt pump his cum into the condom as your walls closed in, tight and unforgiving and delicious. Every shudder and shiver from the inside and against your thighs, yes, this, sweet and perfect and devoured, leaning down, kissing those plush lips once more, tasting him again, too sweet, too sweet, but it was a wonderful flavor in small, pungent doses.

-

“You actually did it.”

“I’m just surprised as you are. He started randomly comparing me to fruit.”

A brief silence. “Huh.”

“What?”

“His wife kept offering me tangerines. Said they reminded her of me.”

“Huh. Guess they are meant for each other.”

-

Yoongi's POV sting, m | myg

--

masterpost

[marvelous-harry]

Caught In a Lie Part 2

Harry/Florence/Reader Warnings: Needles, Dom!Harry, Dom!Florence, Sub!Fem!Reader Words: 4.9K Summary: It's time for the dreaded doctor's appointment. A/N: This took so long to finish cause of life and general writers' block. Hopefully, the story will be worth the wait! Part 1 “Babe, it’s time to wake up,” Harry whispered as he sat down at the edge of the bed and stroked a hand over my hair. Whimpering, I pulled on the blankets while shaking my head. “Still sleepy,” I whispered. “Cuddle,” I added as I grabbed his hand and hugged it.

“It’s 9.30 am love. You need to get up and get ready. Your doctor’s appointment is at 11, remember?” Harry said softly, leaning down to hug me as he pressed kisses to my cheek.

“I don’t feel very well, we should reschedule,” I whispered, keeping my eyes firmly closed and burrowed further into my pillow and blankets.

“That just means it’s even more important that we go to the doctor, baby,” Harry sighed as he sat up.

“Nooo!” I protested as he put his hands around me and lifted me up. “No! I’m not going, you can’t make me. I want Flossie!” I whined as I finally opened my eyes and looked at him. “Flossie!” I whimpered and tried to get out of his hold.

“Florence is at work, she left hours ago. We are going to the doctor, now you have 45 minutes to get ready and have something to eat. I don’t care if you spend those minutes being a brat, I’ll take you over my knee and then drive you there while you’re still in your pajamas. That choice is yours,” Harry said sternly as he gripped my jaw.

I whimpered and hugged him tightly as he let my jaw go. “But I don’t want a spanking!” I told him, pouting as I looked up at him.

“Well you better behave then so I don’t have to spank you,” Harry said with a little smile as he poked my nose. Grumbling, I pressed my face against his neck and played with his cross necklace.

“I know you’re worried and overthinking it but I’ll be right next to you the whole time if that’s what you want. It’ll be over before you know it. You can squeeze my hand as tightly as you can the whole time,” Harry spoke gently. “You need to go get ready like a good girl now okay? I’ll go make you some toast for breakfast,” he said as he pulled back.

Nodding, I stopped playing with his necklace. “Okay but I don’t want any breakfast. I’m not hungry,” I told him as I started moving off his lap.

“I’ll chop you up some fruit and if you still don’t feel like having anything when you’re done getting ready we can just eat it later,” Harry replied as he got off the bed and pulled the blankets down and over to air them and the mattress out. I just hummed a little note as I walked into the bathroom to get a quick shower and get dressed.

-

Pulling the cardigan tightly around me, I chewed on my lip as I walked into the kitchen where I could hear Harry moving about. A quick glance at the clock let me know we should probably start driving into town soon.

“I’m ready,” I announced and sat down on one of the kitchen table chairs. Picking at my nails, I kept staring at them as Harry put a glass of juice and a little plate of different kinds of fruit on the table next to me.

Harry pulled up a chair and sat down in front of me. “You should try and eat some and have the juice,” he said, pulling the plate closer while nudging me with his knee.

I moved from my chair and sat down on his leg. Twirling a strand of his hair around my fingers, I kissed his neck before moving up to his mouth. Closing my eyes, I kissed him eagerly as his hands went to my hips. Moaning, I stroked my hand down his t-shirt and over his crotch.

“Baby, stop,” Harry said as he ended the kiss and moved my hand off his crotch. “But I want to taste you. Please!” I pouted as I moved my hand back and stroked him gently.

Harry grabbed my arm firmly and moved it away. “That is enough. Did you think you could distract me from your appointment by offering a blow job like I’m some sex-crazed teenager? Hmmm? Do not try to manipulate me again. Now drink up your glass of juice, have a few pieces of each fruit. We need to get going,” Harry helped me off his lap before spinning me around and landing three hard smacks on my covered bum.

Sitting down, I wiped my eyes quickly before grabbing the glass of juice and chugging it down while Harry cleaned up the chopping board and wiped down the counters.

“Harry? I ate three of each, is that enough?” I asked as I pushed around a little blueberry on the plate.

Harry turned off the faucet and dried off his hands before walking over. He tilted my head up as he looked at me seriously. “Yes it is, thank you for listening. Do you understand why I got cross and gave you those smacks?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I replied quietly. “Not nice,”

“That’s right. We use our mouths to talk and we discuss if we want something, and we don’t use sex against each other to get our will either,”

“I’m sorry!” I whimpered, grabbing his hand and pressing a kiss to his wrist.

“You’re forgiven, I understand why you did it but next time I won’t be as l nice about it,” He explained and pulled me up from the chair. “Go put your shoes on, I’ll put this away,” he pressed a kiss to my cheek before grabbing the plate and the empty glass.

--

I could barely pay attention as the doctor asked me a bunch of routine questions so my answers were all over the place and before I knew it the actual doctors’ appointment was over and we were being told to go wait outside the lab for my turn to go in.

“I think I’m going to pass out,” I said as we stepped out of the doctor’s office and close the door behind us.

“Just keep breathing and if you do pass out I will catch you in my big strong arms,” Harry smiled as he put his hand around me.

“You’re not funny,” I huffed as I poked him hard in the side causing him to grin.

Waiting until Harry sat down, I took a seat in his lap and started plucking at my nails again as the nerves kept getting worse and worse.

Harry laced his fingers with mine and gave me a little smile as I leaned against him.

“Number 309?” A nurse asked as she stepped out into the hallway and looked around. I looked up at her wide-eyed and held my breath.

“Is it okay if I come in with her? She’s a little nervous about getting her blood drawn,” Harry smiled as he squeezed my hand.

“Of course! Why don’t you both take a seat at the examination table and we can have a little chat before we start,” the nurse smiled. I looked at her and she looked nice enough. Walking into the room, I took a seat next to Harry - never letting go of his hand.

“So you’re a little nervous?” the nurse asked as she sat down on her little rolling stool and moved closer to us. I nodded and bit down hard on my bottom lip.

“Is it the needle that makes you nervous or having your blood drawn? Or something else?” she asked, clasping her hands together as she looked at me. Harry stroked his thumb over my hand when I took a bit to answer.

“The needle,” I replied quietly and looked away. “I’m scared it’ll hurt or that it’ll break inside my arm,” I mumbled.

“It’s very common to feel that way. Have you had any bad experiences in the past with getting your blood drawn? Ever fainted or something like that?” she looked at me curiously. I nodded.

“I used to get sick a lot as a kid so I was at the doctors and the hospital quite often and it always hurt so much when they’d draw blood or put an IV in. And I’ve never fainted, just felt very lightheaded and like I was about to,” I explained.

“I see, I see. I can’t promise you won’t feel anything at all but it shouldn’t hurt. It should just feel like a little prick and maybe something like a pressure feeling as I move the needle just slightly into your arm. As for the needle breaking, it’s very very rare, I’ve not heard or seen it happen ever. The needles we use are made from stainless steel and it would take a great deal of force for it to break,” the nurse glanced at Harry.

“How are you with needles?” she asked while rolling over to her hand sanitizer and cleaning her hands.

“I’m good,” Harry smiled back with a small nod.

“Wonderful,” the nurse smiled as she looked back at me. “What would make you more comfortable going through the steps of what I need to do beforehand or telling you whilst I’m doing it or just do it with how I usually do it?”

I licked my lips nervously and looked at Harry for help. “You have to decide,” he urged me. “Emm just do as you normally do I guess. I don’t have to watch right?”

“No, you don’t have to watch. Could you take off your cardigan please?” she asked while grabbing her rolling tray and an arm support stand.

Letting go of Harry’s hand I slipped off my cardigan and rubbed my palms against my jeans as I looked over all the things on her tray. Blood vials in different colours, a sharps container, cotton balls, tape, and a bunch of needles were on it.

“Let’s see what hand looks the most promising,” the nurse mused as she gently turned over my arm and gave it a quick little glance before grabbing the tourniquet and securing it around my arm.

Grabbing Harry’s hand tightly, I turned my head against him and rested it against his shoulder as I tried to remember to breathe. Whimpering quietly as I felt her move my arm up on the arm support stand, and clean the inside of my elbow, I tensed up and held my breath.

“Baby, you have to breathe,” Harry whispered as he pressed a kiss to my head.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to think of anything else but the fact that I was about to be stabbed in the arm.

“Little pinch now,” the nurse said, causing me to squeeze Harry’s hand as tight as I could. I could feel my eyes welling up with tears and I felt slightly lightheaded as I could feel the needle going in.

“You’re doing really good, I’m almost done,” the nurse said encouragingly as she switched out the vial and put another one in. I did a sniffle and whimpered as I felt her pull the needle back out.

“That’s it! All done!” she grinned as she pressed down on the cotton ball she’d taped over the little needle prick. “The results of the blood tests will take a few days till a week and then they will be sent to your doctor and you’ll hear from her if there’s anything you need to know,” she patted my arm before she started cleaning up.

Sitting up, I looked down at my arm and pressed down on the cotton ball just in case I was still bleeding out.

“Are you feeling okay? Feeling any dizziness or like you’re about to faint?” she asked as she rolled the tray and the stand away.

I shook my head. “No, not now. I was a little lightheaded earlier but it’s gone now,” I grabbed my cardigan and held it close.

“Wonderful, that means you’re free to go,” the nurse said as she stood up and opened the door for us.

“Bye,” Harry waved as he took my hand and guided me out of the room. He glanced around the waiting room to the lab to check no one was around before kissing me hard.

“I’m so proud of you, darling! You did it! So brave,” Harry gushed and peppered little kisses on my cheek.

Giggling, I grinned. “I did it,” I said quietly and looked down at my arm again, feeling quite proud of myself.

“Come on, let’s go home,” Harry put his hand around my waist and held me close as we started heading out.

---

“I can’t wait to tell Flossie and show her. Do you know when she’s off work today?” I grinned while practically skipping up the three little steps to our front door.

Harry followed me up the stairs and unlocked the front door and held it open for me. “She’s already home,” he smiled and pointed at her keychain lying in our designated keychain bowl.

“Flossie!” I called out and kicked off my shoes. “Flossie, where are you?” I yelled again and listened for her reply while taking off my cardigan, getting ready to show her my ‘bandage’. Walking into the kitchen, I whined as she wasn’t there. “Florence!” I looked at Harry as I walked into the living room. “I can’t find her and she isn’t answering me!” I whined.

Harry rolled his eyes as he put his wallet away. “You checked one room, baby,” he chuckled and put his hands on my shoulders. “Let’s go see if she’s upstairs,” he said and turned me around.

“Well to be fair the kitchen is her favorite room in the whole house so the odds were in my favor,” I grumbled slightly while walking up the stairs. Opening the door to our bedroom, I grinned happily. “Flossie!” I shouted and ran over.

Florence jumped and took the AirPods out of her ears as she turned around in her seat by the vanity and looked at Harry, who gave her a smile and a little nod before she looked at me.

“I did it! Look! I didn’t faint, bleed to death or cry!” I said as I put my arm out and showed her the little cotton ball taped to my arm.

“Baby! I’m so proud of you! Come here,” Flo smiled and opened her arms.

Sitting down on her lap, I gave her a tight hug. “The nurse was super nice and Harry held my hand the whole time,” I explained while pulling back.

Flo looked over at Harry who had taken a seat on the bed and was looking at us endearingly. “Have you thanked him for coming with you?” she asked, running her hand up my thigh.

I shook my head no and bit my lip as she got closer and closer to my crotch.

“Well, that just won't do. Why don’t you be a good girl and ask him if he’d like your mouth or your pussy as a thank you,” she said while pulling her hand back.

I nodded as I stood up, got undressed, and stepped over to where Harry was before getting down on my knees in front of him. Looking him in the eyes, I put my hands behind my back and straightened up my back. “Thank you for coming with me today, Harry. I wouldn’t have been able to get through it without you. I’d like to make you feel good, please. Would you like my mouth or my pussy to use?” I asked.

Harry let his eyes roam all over me, making me all hot and bothered as he put his hands on his knees and leaned forward. “You want me to use you, baby? As my own little fuck toy?” he asked with a slight smirk.

“Yes, please,” I replied eagerly.

Harry stood up and took off his jumper before shrugging off the rest of his clothes, letting it all fall into a messy pile on the floor.

Putting my hands on my thighs, I looked at his cock and took a little breath to calm myself as Harry wrapped his fingers around his hardening cock and slowly stroked himself. “Open your mouth,” he ordered.

Quickly opening my mouth, I stuck my tongue out for good measure and looked at him eagerly.

“Pretty girl,” Florence smiled as she walked over and stood by Harry’s side, putting an arm around him. She too had gotten undressed.

My whole body heated up with embarrassment and horniness as they looked up at me sitting here with my mouth open, on my knees, and pussy on display.

“Go on, get your lips around me,” Harry said finally as he let go of his cock.

Shuffling closer, I grasped the base of his cock as I took him in my mouth. Moaning, I closed my eyes and licked at the cock head.

Flossie pulled Harry down for a kiss. “Fuck,” Harry muttered against her lips as he put one hand on my head, grasping my hair while the other wrapped around Florence, pulling her even closer.

Relaxing my jaw, I took a deep breath before slowly easing Harry’s cock into my mouth until it hit the back of my throat. I kept it in as long as I could before easing back a bit and just bobbing my head trying to make Harry moan or grip my hair tighter, something to let me know I was doing good.

Looking up I could see that Harry and Flossie were still making out, and Harry’s hand had traveled down to her bum, squeezing and stroking it, not paying nearly enough attention to me.

I moved off his cock and licked at the head before letting my tongue lick from the base of his cock and all the way up to the head before taking just the cock head in my mouth and sucking on it.

“Fuck, that’s nice,” Harry moaned and stroked my hair. “We should move to the bed. I want to eat you out,” he said as he looked at Florence.

“No objections from me,” Flossie grinned as she got up on the bed and piled the pillows together to lean on before spreading her legs.

“I want to eat you out too!” I protested as I stood up and quickly got on the bed, crawling quickly up the mattress - wanting to get to her pussy first.

“You come lie next to me, you can eat me out later. Harry is going first,” Florence patted the spot next to her.

Letting out a loud whine, I shook my head and moved a little closer to her pussy. “Me first!”

“Don’t be a greedy brat. Move,” Harry said sharply before landing a hard smack on my bum.

“It’s not fair!” I grumbled as I moved over and lied down next to Flossie, cuddling up to her as I watched Harry get between her legs. “I’m the sub, I’m the one who’s supposed to eat pussy, and suck cocks, and give you pleasure!” I protested, sticking out my bottom lip.

“If that was the case you’d never be on the receiving end of oral ever, darling,” Florence chuckled before letting out a breathy moan when Harry spread her pussy lips apart and swiped his tongue up before giving her clit a little suck.

“Well obviously it’s your job as my doms to take care of me,” I mumbled as I watched Harry.

“You clearly need to get spanked more. Such a fucking brat,” Flossie said before smacking my ass.

Harry pushed Flossie’s legs further apart with a smirk before pushing his face close and licking at her hole.

“Fuck!” Flo moaned loudly and reached down, grabbing onto his hair and pulling him even closer. “Your fucking tongue,” she hissed.

Licking my lips as I moaned. I couldn’t tear my eyes away. Harry looked so good with his face buried between her legs. I didn’t know who I was more jealous of. Harry or Flossie.

“Can I touch myself, please?” I asked and glanced up at Florence. I knew I was soaking wet, feeling the slick going down my thighs.

“Don’t you dare. You’ll get the attention you so badly want in a minute,” Florence replied in between moans.

Biting my lip, I tried to ignore how that sounded more like a threat than a pleasant promise. I got up on my knees and put my hands down on my thighs as I figured it wasn’t too late to start behaving and maybe convince them I wasn’t that much of a brat.

Harry moved his lips up to Flossie’s clit and flicked his tongue over it quickly while opening his eyes and looking up at her.

“So close,” Flo moaned as she tightened her hold on his hair and rolled her hips against his tongue. Throwing her head back as Harry sucked and licked at her clit faster, Florence let out a long moan as she cummed. She panted as she closed her eyes and let go of Harry’s hair.

Harry took one last lick at her pussy before pressing a kiss to her clit. He climbed over her leg and wrapped a hand around my throat, squeezing lightly as he leaned in and kissed me.

Moaning against his lips, I spread my legs as I felt Flossie stroking her hand up my thigh and stroked her thumb over my clit.

“Please. Want to cum,” I begged as two of Flo’s fingers prodded at my hole but didn’t go in. “Please,” Harry took his hand off my neck and let it fall to my boobs, taking one in each hand and used his fingers to flick at my hard nipples.

Whining as I thrust my hips into Florence’s hand. “Please! Stop teasing, I’m so close already,”

“Lie down on your back,” Harry instructed before giving nipples one final tug before letting them go.

Eagerly lying down, I spread my legs wide apart and looked at them both pleadingly. “Flossie, Harry, please,”

Florence leaned over me and kissed me slowly while she rested her hand on my lower stomach. “You want Harry to fuck you, darling? Make you cum?” she asked just as Harry teased his cockhead against my pussy lips.

Nodding quickly, I took a deep breath to try and calm down. “Please! You know I get so turned on watching you two, so hot,” I said while glancing between them.

“Oh, we know,” Harry smirked before thrusting his cock into me.

“Oh god, fuck!” I gasped, grasping onto the bedsheets and arching my back.

“All better now? Got your pussy all full and nice,” Florence teased running her fingertips up and down my stomach. I nodded, enjoying how Harry was thrusting in and out of me so deeply.

“She’s so fucking wet, love” Harry groaned as he dug his fingernails into the skin of my hips. “Don’t blame her. You’re very sexy when you get eaten out,” he grinned.

Florence chuckled and moved closer to give him a hot, deep kiss. “Not as sexy as you look between my legs,” she gave him one more kiss before giving my clit a little slap.

Letting out a little shout, I clenched around Harry’s cock and looked at them shocked. “I think I just came,” I said quietly and panted.

“From me slapping you? Did it feel nice?” she asked as she rubbed her finger over my clit.

Whimpering, I squirmed as it was even more sensitive now. “Yeah, definitely came, and no! I barely felt anything,” I whined and looked at them sadly.

“Poor little slut. Didn’t get to cum the way she wanted,” Harry teased while Florence kept rubbing my clit. “Nearly cummed as well when you clenched so tightly around me,” he said while fucking me faster and harder.

“With Harry being so generous and fucking you so nicely I think you can cum again, darling,” Florence smiled widely as she brought her hand up to my mouth and put two fingers into my mouth.

Sucking on them, I blushed and held her hand as she fucked my mouth slowly with her fingers.

“Yeah, you can,” Flo smirked and took out her fingers and put the wet fingers on my clit, stroking them up and down.

“Fuck, Flossie, please. Too sensitive,” I whined but pushed up against her and Harry as I could feel the familiar feeling of an orgasm building again. Her wet, soft fingers felt so good as she rubbed them over my clit.

Harry sped up his thrusts. “Going to cum soon,” he warned, closing his eyes as he held on even tighter to my hips.

Florence started swiping at my clit faster. “Doesn’t that sound nice, baby? Get filled up on Harry’s cum? Making him feel so good, pet. Such a good girl for us aren’t you?” she whispered close to my ear.

“Good girl for you,” I mumbled out, my fingers twitching against the bed. “I’m gonna cum,” I moaned, feeling so close again. “Please, can I? Need to cum,”

“You can cum, baby. Cum around Harry’s cock,” Florence said moving her fingers as fast as she could while Harry fucked me just as fast.

Moaning loudly, I held on tightly to the bedsheets as I cummed for the second time. Harry was moaning as well, blending together with mine as he buried his cock deep into me, filling me up.

He was breathing heavily and a strand of hair was handing over his forehead as he did a few lazy thrusts. “Fucking hell,” he breathed out before pulling out slowly.

Florence stopped rubbing at my clit and pushed her fingers into my pussy. “Jesus, you weren’t lying when you said she was wet,” she chuckled and did a few thrusts with her fingers before pulling them out. “Taste yourself and Harry,” she said and held the fingers to my lips.

Shuddering, I poked my tongue out and let it swipe over her fingers before opening my mouth and sucking off his cum mixed with my juices. I couldn’t help but moan at the taste and clean every inch of her fingers.

“Fucking hell, going to make me hard again already,” Harry said as he watched, propping himself up on his elbow.

Flo moved her fingers back down and eased them into me again.

Again, I couldn’t help the little moan that escaped me.

Florence smirked as she pumped her fingers into me a few more times before pulling them out and landing a smack to my pussy.

Letting out a little scream, I whimpered as I looked up at her with tired, hazy eyes. “Please, no more” I begged, seeing the look in her eyes.

“You got one more in you, I know it, pet. Harry, why don’t you pass me that clit vibrator that’s in the drawer and hold her hands down for me?” she asked and held out her hand.

“No, please. It’s too much, Flossie, please, I can’t cum again,” I pleaded as I brought my legs together and placed my hands over my pussy to protect myself while letting out a little sob.

“Here,” Harry handed over the vibrator before grabbing my arms and putting them over my head. He held them together with one of his hands and pulled on one of my nipples while he gave me a kiss. “Just one more, you can do it,” he whispered.

Florence spread my legs and kneeled between them as she ran a teasing finger over my sensitive clit. “You can cum when you need to,” she said while placing the vibrator against my clit.

Whimpering, I squirmed and tried to lift my arms up but they were so tired they had no chance against Harry’s grip. I got the tiniest little warning as I could hear Florence turning on the vibrator before I felt it come to life. My eyes closed and my mouth fell open as I tensed up. I could feel my orgasm building up but fuck it hurt so good. “P-please,” I stuttered out and tried opening my eyes to look at them but my eyelids were too heavy.

Harry kissed my nipple before taking it in his mouth. He placed his teeth around and pulled on it slowly before letting it go. “Turn it to the highest setting,” he told Flo and looked at her with a grin.

There was a quiet little click again before the vibrations got super strong. Pressing my heels down onto the bed, I arched up slightly and my legs trembled as I orgasmed for the third time. Collapsing back down on the mattress, I felt the vibrator getting turned off and Harry letting go of my arms.

Catching my breath, I smacked my lips as I let Harry and Flo move me around till I was under the blankets. “M’melted,” I mumbled as Harry wrapped his hands around me and pulled me close to his chest.

“Get some rest, darling. You’ve earned it,” Flossie said softly and pressed a little kiss to my forehead. I just hummed before my breath evened out and I fell into a deep, restful sleep.

Masterlist

[drarrily-we-row-along]

Day 140: I Need You

"Alright, Potter," Robards said, "I need you to finish filling out these papers, then I need you to finish that proposal we're sending to the minister about increasing the DMLE's budget for next year."

"Right," Harry said, taking a fortifying breath.

"Don't forget how important it is that we get that extra funding," he continued. "It could be the difference between life or death for some of our aurors."

"Yes," Harry affirmed. "I'll have it ready. I'll take it to Kingsley myself this afternoon."

Robards looked at him curiously, "This afternoon?"

"We've got a meeting about the upcoming charity season," he added. "trying to decide which events I'm needed to speak at."

"Right. Good," Robards said, and Harry could see the wheels in his mind turning already as he thought about the leverage this could conceivably give Harry.

Before he could say anything more or ask Harry to do something else that he wasn't entirely comfortable with, Harry fled, waving to Robards as he made a beeline to his office. He closed the door as quickly as he could, separating himself from the pressure waiting just outside his door.

"Rough start to the day?" Draco queried lightly.

Harry turned and glared at him, "I hate budgeting time! I hate charity season! I hate that I can't even make it to my desk in the morning before I'm accosted by these-" he broke off, searching for the right word, "these vultures!"

"Well, if it helps I brought you a pumpkin latte," Draco offered, pointing to the to-go cup on Harry's desk.

"That does help a little," he confessed as he made his way over to his desk and dropped his bag on the floor.

(Read more below the cut)

"So I'm guessing that we'll not be heading out on an active duty assignment today," Draco said with a sigh.

Harry winced and rubbed the back of his neck, "Probably not."

"Well. Which part should I help with first?" Draco asked.

He shook his head, "You don't have to-"

"What else should I do? Just sit at my desk all day and watch you?"

Huffing a defeated sigh, Harry held out the beginnings of the budget proposal he'd been writing, "Could you work on the budget, then?"

Draco took it from him, "Good choice," he said. "You know, our partnership really did end up working out well," he mused. "All of my father's political expertise has come in handy after all."

And Harry didn't say anything, but that was probably one of the most disheartening things he'd heard all day. Draco had joined the aurors to avoid becoming like he father and here he was, doing exactly what his father would have done, thanks to Harry.

If he hadn't felt like crap about himself before, he certainly did now.

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

It was a long day (most days were, if Harry was being honest) and after leaving a board meeting with Kingsley and a handful of other Ministry officials Harry trudged back to his office because he wasn't sure he'd be able to make it any further.

He collapsed into his chair and put his head down on his desk and tried to not think of all of the things he'd been asked to do, of all of ways he was needed.

"Hey," Draco said, entering the office behind him and Harry startled.

"What are you still doing here?" Harry asked, sitting up to look at the other man.

Draco shrugged, "I just had a few things to finish up," he said. It was a lie and they both knew it. "Wondered if you wanted to come to mine for dinner?"

Without letting himself think about whether it was an imposition or not, Harry nodded.

The other man smiled at him, "Let's go then. Everything else can wait until tomorrow."

"Oh," Harry said, frowning at the papers on his desk and thinking that he really ought to make himself a list of the things he'd agreed to at the very least, "I should just-"

"It can wait until tomorrow," Draco repeated, somehow firm but gentle all at once, grounding him in the way that no one else seemed able to these days.

He nodded once and they made their way toward the floo. It was late enough that the lights had all been dimmed and only the enchanted brooms and dusters were out, tidying from the day.

Harry followed Draco through the fireplace into his kitchen and collapsed into the chair at the kitchen table.

"I hate charity season," Harry groaned as Draco passed him a beer, the kind that Harry knew he didn't even like but got because Harry was at his house so often.

"Let's not talk about work," Draco said, as he headed toward his door just as the door bell rang, "Our Indian food is here, anyway," he added with a smirk since he knew that Harry could never work out how Draco always knew when the food was going to arrive.

When he got back to the kitchen, carrying bags that had Harry's mouth watering, Harry asked, "What would you like to talk about, if not work?"

"Literally anything," Draco said, handing him a container of rice and the chicken vindaloo.

He frowned as he dipped his food, trying to think of anything that he could talk about that wasn't related to work.

"You work too much," Draco informed him.

"You work as much as I do," Harry protested.

The other man snorted, "Only because if I didn't, you'd never leave."

"Great," Harry said, throwing his hands up in the air. "Let's just add one more thing that I am responsible for that I can proceed to fail at living up to," he snapped.

Draco's eyebrows rose in surprise as he froze with his fork midway to his mouth.

"Sorry," Harry said, shaking his head and trying to clear it. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Harry," Draco said softly, laying a hand on Harry's arm to draw his attention outward.

"What?"

"Relax," he said. "I don't need you."

Harry nodded, tears stinging the back of his eyes, "No, I know-"

"I do want you," he continued. "I want to be your partner, I want to be your friend. I'd want to be more if that was something you were interested in. But I don't need you."

Harry swallowed, a bit at a loss. He'd wondered (hoped) that Draco might feel the same way he did but he wasn't sure what to say.

"The pressure you're under," Draco said with a little shake of the head, "It's a lot, Harry. And I need you to know that no matter what, I'm here for you. I will always support you, I will always do my best to help you, and I will always tell you to take a break and take care of yourself," he said. "Or I'll insist that you let me take care of you."

"You shouldn't have to take care of me," he protested.

"I don't have to, I want to," he replied. "It's a small, but important distinction," he added with a little smile.

Harry looked down at his food.

Draco let him think, let him mull it over while they ate and listened to the quiet music drifting through the wireless.

Eventually, Harry said, "I think I want that, too," he swallowed. "The more than just friendship part."

The other man stayed silent, letting Harry speak and process.

"But I can't just jump into another commitment right now," he said. "Being a boyfriend seems like a lot of work, and I don't think-"

Draco's hand covered his and Harry looked up to see that Draco's eyes were on him, soft and understanding. "It's okay," he repeated. "If you just want to keep things the same as they are now, that's okay. If you want to spend Fridays cuddling on the sofa in front of the telly, that's okay. If you want to have someone to take to events with you, or if you want to take a step back," he shrugged. "It's all fine, Harry. I've loved you for a decade at this point, nothing's going to change."

A pleasant tingle of surprise drifted up his spine. "If I wanted to kiss you?" Harry asked before he could think better of it.

The corner of Draco's mouth curled at the corner, "I'd let you."

He leaned across the edge of the table and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of Draco's mouth where his smile had blossomed.

"Can we take this slow?" Harry asked, still only inches from Draco.

Draco nodded, "Slow as you like. All you have to do is tell me what you want."

"Can we cuddle after dinner?"

He smiled, "I'd like that very much."

"Would you-" Harry started before breaking off and pulling back slightly so he could search Draco's face.

"Tell me," Draco encouraged.

"Would you stroke my hair?" he asked quickly before his courage could desert him. Draco had done that once, when they were very drunk and Harry still let himself go back to that place in his mind when he was feeling tired or upset.

Draco smiled at him, "Yes," he replied immediately. "Yeah, I would like that very much, too."

"And if that's all I'm ready for?" Harry asked.

"Then that's what we'll do," Draco replied with a little shrug like he really didn't mind. "Let me," he whispered, thumb brushing over the back of Harry's hand. "Let me love you in any way you feel ready right now."

He took a deep breath. It was surprisingly terrifying, even letting down his guard that much, allowing even that tiny amount of vulnerability. "Okay," he finally said.

"Yeah?" Draco asked, eyes skimming over Harry's face, searching for any sign of unease.

"Yeah," Harry repeated, smiling at him.

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

After dinner the moved into the living room and Draco put on a movie. They just sat next to each other for a while, Harry's shoulder pressed against Draco's, his right thigh pushed up against Draco's left.

After about half an hour, Harry finally broke the silence. "Can you-?" Harry started before trailing off.

Draco looked over at him and gave him a little nod, putting a cushion on his lap so Harry could lay his head down. And then he started playing with Harry's hair, gently rubbing his scalp, combing his fingers through Harry's curls.

"Thank you," Harry murmured after a little while, feeling calm and a bit sleepy for the first time in ages.

"Anytime," Draco replied as he continued to toy with Harry's hair.

"I think I'm going to fall asleep," Harry mumbled.

Draco just kept stroking his hair. "Good," he murmured. "Sweet dreams."

And as Harry drifted off, he found that his dreams were in fact very sweet.

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

Day 139: Expectations | Day 141: What? Why? How? When?

[flourgirl]

Sleepyhead

Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader

Summary: Peter will try just about anything to help out the very pretty insomniac from his math class.

Work Count: 11.2k

Warnings: Just some sweet, pure fluff with a few curse words every now and then.

A/N: Either the tags aren’t working for me or you guys just didn’t like it, but the final part of “Even If It’s a Lie” has been out for a few days now if anyone’s interested in reading it 🥺 Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this super long piece I’ve been working on to help me get through finals <3

“Touch you softly I call you up late at night No doubt it isn't right But you could be my one and only” -Softly, Clairo

Peter had seen you around campus a few times, but it wasn’t until you started sitting two rows ahead of him in his linear algebra class that he really started to notice you. 

He thought you were really pretty, and he liked how cozy you always looked in the puffy winter coat you kept on in the perpetually freezing lecture hall. You took a lot of notes, which told him that you cared about the class, and never showed up without a giant cup of iced coffee.

You’re being a creep, Peter told himself. He had thought about switching seats to somewhere in front of you, so he could actually listen to his professor discuss permutations instead of staring at how you chewed on the end of your pen when you were thinking.

It was even worse when you started sleeping in class, your soft hair falling around your shoulders as you leaned your head against your desk. It seemed like all the coffee in the world couldn’t keep you awake, and Peter wondered if he should ask if you wanted to borrow his notes or something. But that would mean him admitting to looking at you way more than he needed to, and that was weird, so he quickly dropped the idea.

Still, he was worried about you. So when he came back from patrol in the middle of the night and bumped into you outside of the dorm kitchen, he figured it would be the perfect opportunity to introduce himself and maybe even find out why you were so tired all the time. 

The only problem was that he had accidentally knocked your pan of banana bread out of your hands, and you were currently staring at it laying on the floor with your sleepy eyes, not saying anything.

“Shit, uh, I’m so sorry,” he told you, crouching down to scoop up the remnants of your late-night snack into the pan. “Were you really up baking at 3 a.m?”

You blushed a little, starstruck that the cute guy from your math class was talking to you. “Um, yeah. I couldn’t sleep, so I figured I’d come down to the kitchen while nobody else was here and make something. Baking always helps me calm down, and so here I am. And here we are. And there’s my bread, all covered in whatever kind of dust the custodians refuse to sweep down here.”

He offered a soft smile, and it made you feel better about the fact that you were rambling way more than you wanted to.

“I’m Y/N,” you continued, gently taking the pan from his hands. “You’re in linear algebra with Professor Meyers, right?”

“Yeah, you, um, you sit right in front of me. Well, not right in front of me. Two rows in front of me. Shit. I’m not creepy, I promise. It’s just… uh… My name is Peter and I’m going to stop talking now.” 

That couldn’t have possibly gone any worse, he thought. You were probably thinking he was a serial killer or something.

“It’s okay. I know you sit behind me,” you reassured him. “You answer a lot of questions.” He was cute and smart, and you hoped he couldn’t notice how flustered you were to be this close to him.

“What are you doing up so late?” he asked, which made you laugh at how ironic his concerns were, considering he was also wandering around the dorm basement at this hour.

“I could ask you the same thing,” you replied, sitting on one of the benches that jutted out of the walls of the corridor. “I mean, you’re here too. At least I was baking. What’s up with you?”

You had a point. “I had an emergency… with my internship. I work for Stark Industries, and Mr. Stark rang me in the middle of the night to come to the lab immediately for something, so, yeah. That’s why I’m awake right now.”

“Okay,” you said, not buying his story. “So that’s why you have a black eye and you’re lurking in the basement hallway? Did Tony Stark punch you?”

Fuck. Did he really have a black eye and not notice? He didn’t think that Doc Oc’s stupid mechanical arm had punched him that hard, but apparently, he was wrong. And now he had to come up with some reason as to where it came from, although he could already tell that you were about to call his bluff.

The only solution he could think of was to change the subject. “Why are you always asleep during class?” he blurted out, causing you to give him a funny look before frowning down at your slippers.

“Isn’t it obvious,” you yawned, stretching your arms out in front of you. “I’m an insomniac. It’s actually kind of funny. I never really had any problems with falling asleep until I moved here. Maybe it’s the cold weather or the constant pressure to get good grades, but I just can’t sleep anymore. It sucks.”

Normally, you’d never tell this much about yourself to somebody, let alone a complete stranger. But somehow, you felt really comfortable around Peter. There was just something about him that made you feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Peter caught himself staring at you again, your baby pink pajamas a far departure from how put together your usual outfits were. Even without your makeup or hair done, you were still the prettiest girl he had ever seen. For some reason, even the dark circles under your eyes were really cute to him.

“You never answered my question,” you reminded him, hoping that he’d say something to fill the awkward silence. “What’s with the black eye and wandering around in the middle of the night? Are you some kind of superhero?”

“What? No! That’s crazy. Me, a superhero,” he laughed awkwardly, wondering if you had somehow figured out his secret identity. Had you spotted him that one time he made sure that you and your friends got home safely from a late-night study session? Even so, you totally couldn’t have known it was him, right?

“Relax, I’m just joking,” you giggled, thinking about how cute he looked when he was flustered. “Although my friend did tell me she thought she saw Spider-Man a few weeks ago on her way back from a party.”

“Haha, yeah,” he breathed out, a wave of relief washing over him. It was times like these that he really started to appreciate how well-hidden his muscles were underneath all of his oversized sweaters.

“Does that hurt?” you asked, bringing your hand up to lightly brush his lip, which was bleeding. He flinched instinctively before settling under your touch, your eyes focused on the small cut. “I have a first aid kit in my room if you want some help cleaning it up.”

“Oh, no, it’s cool. I wouldn’t want to bother your roommate,” Peter told you, scooting further away on the bench, nearly falling off the edge of it. Ned hated it when he stumbled in at some ungodly hour after patrol and woke him up. 

“Don’t worry about it,” you said, standing up and gesturing for him to follow you. “I have a single.”

Peter looked at you in awe. Freshmen never got rooms to themselves, and yet somehow you had one. “Okay, fine. But only because I’ve never actually seen a single in this building before.”

“That’s cool with me,” you smiled, reaching for his hand so he could keep up with your pace. He noticed that you were chewing some of the banana bread, which he really hoped was from the part that didn’t fall on the floor. To be fair though, it did smell really good.

Not only did you have a single, but you lived on the first floor. Peter couldn’t believe how lucky you were, considering the building that the two of you lived in didn’t have any elevators to traverse its seven floors.

He was even more shocked when you opened your door, revealing the coziest dorm room he had ever seen. How on earth did you transform the glorified prison cell into something that felt so... comforting? From the twinkling lights that were wrapped around everything and the soft rug under his feet, Peter found it really hard to believe that you had trouble sleeping here.

“Sorry, it’s a bit messy,” you apologized, piling your many throw pillows and blankets into a basket to clear up some space on your bed. “You can sit here.”

If this was messy, then Peter and Ned’s room needed some serious help. “No worries,” he said, watching as you rummaged around your drawers in search of your first aid kit.

Eventually, you found it hidden under a bunch of graph paper and colored pencils, untouched ever since your overprotective grandparents had helped you move in. “Here we go,” you mused, now looking inside it for alcohol wipes and band-aids.

He winced as you rubbed the little cloth against his lips, and you made sure to be more gentle as you cleaned up the other cuts on his face. Thankfully, nothing was bad enough to require stitches, something you were seriously under-qualified to do.

All Peter could focus on the entire time was how close you were and what it would be like to just kiss you right then and there, but he knew that was way too forward of him. Plus, he didn’t even know if you liked him like that. Surely you were just being nice.

Still, the way he caught you staring into his brown eyes after smoothing a band-aid on his forehead made him think otherwise.

“You’re going to have to tell me eventually who beat you up,” you sighed, gathering up wrappers to throw away and tucking the first aid kit back into its place in your drawers.

“It’s a long story,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding your stare.

“I’ve got time,” you replied, climbing onto your lofted bed to sit next to him, innocently brushing your bare leg against his jeans, which made his breath hitch. “Tell me about it.”

“Uh, how about another time?” he stammered, hopping off the bed and running his hand through his hair. “After class tomorrow, or something. It’s getting pretty late. We should, um, go to sleep.”

“You can stay here if you want,” you offered, his eyes widening at your invitation. “On the bean bag, I mean. It’s actually really comfortable. You mentioned something about bothering your roommate and I figured that maybe you’d like to avoid the trouble tonight.”

“Oh…” Peter hesitated, looking for a reason to say no. He knew he’d never be able to sleep knowing that you were in the same room as him. “I don’t have any pajamas.”

“True,” you agreed, a little disappointed that he wasn’t interested in sticking around.

“I don’t actually even wear pajamas to sleep,” he continued, making you look back up at him instead of playing with the hem of your shirt. “It’s just… I sleep in my boxers.”

“I’m sorry for asking. I didn’t mean to put you in an uncomfortable situation,” you sighed, your face hot with embarrassment.

“It’s not that! I mean, I do want to stay here. But, uh, you… well, you make me really nervous, Y/N,” he muttered, his glance bouncing around the room.

“Why?” you asked, your brows furrowing. “Did I do something?”

“No, no! Nothing at all. I promise, okay?”

“Okay. You can, um, get ready for bed, I guess. I promise not to look,” you assured him, turning on your side to face the wall.

“Thanks. Yeah, alright.” You heard him fumbling with his clothes, his sneakers making a soft thud on your floor. You did your best to resist the urge to glance back at him.

“Can I just use any of these?” he asked, although you had no idea what he was talking about.

“Peter, I’m not looking, remember? You’re going to have to be a little more specific than that.”

“The blankets. Do I just pick one, or are you particular about them?”

“Oh. You can use whichever one you want to. But the coral one’s the softest and my personal favorite.” Peter stared at the basket in confusion. To him, they were all just pink. But based on touch alone, he pulled one out that he figured was a little more orange than the others.

He walked over to the light switch and flipped off the overhead fluorescents, letting the room be illuminated by the warm glow of your fairy lights, which weren’t too bright, but still twinkly and beautiful.

“Goodnight, Peter,” you whispered, snuggling into your comforter in the hopes that your heartbeat would slow down and let you fall asleep for once.

“Goodnight, Y/N.” In a matter of minutes, you could hear his soft snoring, and you figured that it would be okay just to take a quick peek since he’d probably be bundled up in one of your blankets.

His hair was perfectly messy, and he looked so cozy wrapped up in the blanket you had recommended. Still, as much as you could stare at his adorable face all night, you were exhausted. Burying your face under the covers, you did your best to calm your nerves and get some rest before class tomorrow.

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

“Peter,” you whispered, jostling him lightly by the shoulders in the hopes of waking him up. “Uh, we have an hour before class. I was thinking that it would be enough time for you to go shower and change, and then we could go get coffee or something.”

He blinked back up at you, amazed at how well he slept on your bean bag. You had already gotten ready for the day, doing your makeup and picking out one of your many fluffy sweaters to keep you warm in the New York snow.

“Thanks, that sounds awesome,” he yawned, accepting the hand you held out to help him up. The blanket fell, and you stared at each other in shock, having forgotten that Peter was in nothing but his underwear.

You dropped his hand as fast as you could, covering your eyes. “Oh my god! I’m sorry. Shit, I completely forgot, Peter. I’m so sorry. I’ll let you get dressed.”

Peter watched as you stumbled around the room, your eyes squeezed tightly as your hands attempted to guide you away from him.

“Y/N,” he started, catching your attention as you nearly ran into your bed frame. “You can open your eyes. Really, I don’t care if you see me like this if it means I can keep you from breaking your nose.”

You hesitantly opened your eyes, relieved that Peter had already managed to pull his pants back on. Still, he was completely shirtless, and you found yourself staring at the abs you would have never expected to be hiding underneath his clothes.

Moments later, you averted your gaze, although you knew that he probably noticed you looking at where was now covered by his plaid button-down and dark blue sweater.

“I’ll, um, be right back,” he muttered, before practically sprinting out of your room and up the stairs. You groaned in embarrassment, burying your face in a pillow before attempting to take a quick twenty-minute power nap.

Peter couldn’t believe it. Sure, he had thought one time about you seeing him without clothes on, but this wasn’t how he thought it would go at all. Still, the image of you staring at him shirtless, your face flushed, made him feel like he was going to have a heart attack.

“Dude! There you are,” Ned screamed, startled at his roommate’s unexpected entrance. Peter panted, having run up four flights of stairs as fast as he could. “Wait a second. Did you finally get laid? Is this a walk of shame?”

Before Ned could praise him any further, Peter was grabbing a change of clothes and sprinting towards the bathroom. Don’t think about her, he begged himself.

The memory of your leg touching his last night immediately came to mind, and Peter was so angry at himself for being this starved for physical intimacy. To be fair, though, you were the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, and so he cut himself some slack.

Shit, he told himself, making sure the water was set to cold. He needed to calm down, but instead, his thoughts were stuck on how good you looked in your pajamas, but also how good you would look without them and—fuck it. 

Peter liked you a lot, and if thinking about you like this in private kept him from being a complete weirdo in person, then maybe he just needed to get his feelings of desperation over with.

When he came back down to your room about thirty minutes later, you were still super tired. You trudged your way towards the door, your hair now noticeably messier than earlier, but at least that meant your nap had been a success.

His hair was still damp and this time he was wearing yet another blue sweater, which made you wonder if he ever wore any other color. He had his backpack slung over one of his shoulders and a nervous smile on his face as he locked eyes with you.

“Hey,” he said, pushing some of his hair out of his face. “Are you ready to go?”

You leaned against the doorway a little bit, letting out a yawn that was literally the cutest noise Peter had ever heard in his life. “Yeah, let me get my backpack.”

“It’s so heavy,” you continued, rightfully complaining as the weight of all its contents practically pulled you downwards. “I think it’s so stupid how almost every professor bans computers from class. Like, it’s not fair that I have to lug around three textbooks every day. I don’t have time to run back to my dorm in between classes like some people!”

Peter frowned. Three textbooks were nothing to him, but he knew that you didn’t have spidey-strength and that you were also pretty tiny compared to him. It must’ve been hell on your back to be carrying all that stuff around every day.

“I can carry it for you,” he offered, holding out his hand to switch with you. “Here, you can take my backpack if it’ll make you feel better. I have a lot of programming classes today, so I’ve only got my laptop and a notebook in there.”

You gave him a look of gratitude as he traded bags with you, literally taking the weight off your shoulders. He was right. His backpack was much more manageable for you, even if the dark grey contrasted with the light colors you always wore.

In contrast, it looked kind of odd for him to be walking around with a backpack that was covered in a soft pink floral pattern, much like everything else you owned, but the sight of him carrying your books brought a smile to your face. 

It was one of the sweetest things a guy had ever done for you, and Peter wasn’t even your boyfriend. He probably didn’t even think of you in that way.

“Uh, where do you usually get coffee?” he asked, slowing his pace so you could keep up. He felt bad seeing how tired you were, no doubt due to the lack of sleep you got last night.

“The Starbucks next to Hendrie Hall,” you replied, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes. “You?”

“I don’t drink coffee,” he admitted. “I’m actually more of a tea person.”

“Oh,” you hesitated, wondering if it was worth it to walk all the way across campus just for a caramel ribbon crunch frappuccino. “We could go somewhere closer then.”

“It’s okay,” Peter reassured you, grabbing your hand and pulling you along to your destination. “I like walking.”

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

You hadn’t really talked to Peter since that morning before class, but sometimes you would peek behind you and catch him stealing glances at you. Eventually, he had started to feel brave enough to give you a little wave whenever you caught him looking at you. Well, at least the times when you were awake.

One day, not even the loud shuffling and growing chatter of your classmates exiting the lecture hall could wake you up, and Peter figured he better do something before you got chewed out by one of the TAs.

“Y/N?” he said, leaning closer so that you could hopefully hear him. “Y/N. You gotta wake up. Class ended three minutes ago.”

He shook you a little bit, nervously hoping that you wouldn’t mind him touching you. Your eyes fluttered open, and you smiled softly as soon as you realized it was Peter. 

“Oh. Thanks,” you said, standing up to slide your empty notebook into your backpack. Your hand brushed the side of your mouth, making sure you hadn’t drooled onto yourself.

“You can borrow my notes,” he offered, glancing at you sheepishly as you gathered up your coat and fixed your hair. “If you want to.”

“That’d be great,” you sighed, wondering whether you should skip your next class and just go take a nap. At this point, you weren’t even bothering to put on makeup and you basically wore whatever clothes you had that weren’t already sprawled across your room.

“Are you alright?” Peter asked, walking close to you to make sure you didn’t fall over. He knew you were an insomniac, but you looked seriously sleep-deprived today. “Have you been sleeping at all lately?”

“Nope,” you huffed, lugging your perpetually heavy backpack along. “But I’m skipping the rest of my classes today. I’d rather lie that I’m sick through an e-mail than have to explain to my professors why I was sleeping during their classes.”

“Fair enough,” he agreed, stopping you in your tracks to take your backpack from you. “I’ve actually got some time before my next class. I can walk you back to your room and give you my notebook if that’s okay with you.”

“You don’t have to do that,” you told him, reaching to take your bag back from him, although he didn’t let you. 

“Y/N. Come on, you’re exhausted. At least let me carry your stuff, alright?” He had such a kind look in his eyes, and you certainly didn’t have the energy to keep arguing for no reason.

“Okay.” You crossed your arms, the cold air slowly waking you up as the wind hit your face. Your ears were super cold, but you were glad you had pulled your hair into a quick braid to keep it from flying everywhere.

It wasn’t long before you were kicking your boots off in your dorm room, your teeth chattering as you wrapped yourself in a blanket. 

“Do you want some tea?” you asked Peter, inviting him to sit down wherever.

“Sure, but I thought you drank coffee,” he reminded you, watching as you pulled an assortment of tea bags for him to choose from.

“I do,” you said, handing him the box and running to your bathroom to fill up the electric kettle. “But you drink tea.”

Peter’s ears suddenly felt hot. You had gotten tea just for him. Or maybe you were just a really good hostess and kept some around for all of your visitors. Probably the second option, he thought.

“Are you even allowed to have one of those?” he asked as the two of you waited for the water to boil.

“No,” you laughed, sitting next to him on your bed. For someone with so much space to themselves, you really needed to invest in more places to sit. “But you can’t have candles or fairy lights either, so I guess I’m just a rule breaker.”

“Guess I’ll just have to report you to the RA,” Peter teased, getting up to make himself a cup of earl grey. “Do you have any sugar?”

“Top drawer on the right,” you replied. “Do you have a sweet tooth?”

“Yes.” You watched as his lips blew on the tea to cool it down before remembering that it was weird to stare.

“You should let me bake something for you. What’s your favorite dessert?” You were kicking your dangling legs, suddenly feeling a lot more awake than this morning.

“Chocolate cake. With chocolate frosting,” he said in between sips, walking back over to you. With you on the tall bed and him standing, your faces were level with each other.

“I’ll have to make you one to thank you,” you smiled, peering into his eyes. Peter felt your heartbeat quicken, and the grin on your face as you stared at each other made him weak in the knees.

“Can I get those notes?” you asked, making him remember that people don’t just look at each other and say nothing like that.

“Oh! Yeah, definitely.” He quickly set the mug down on your nightstand to rummage through his backpack, flipping one of his notebooks open before handing it to you. “There are the ones from today, but all of the ones I’ve taken this semester are in there too.”

“Wow,” you laughed, making a worried expression form on his face.

“What’s wrong? Are they not good?”

“No, it’s not that. They’re just, uh, very thorough.” He had basically transcribed your professor’s lectures onto the pages. “You must write really fast. But thank you, Peter. I really appreciate it.”

Peter nodded before nervously gulping down the rest of his tea, not even noticing how hot the liquid still was as it nearly burned his throat. 

“I should go now,” he started, looking around the room for his things. “I want you to get some rest, Y/N. Please.”

He had this look in his eyes that was so genuine—so full of care and concern—that it made you want to do whatever he asked you to.

“I’ll try,” you told him, awkwardly rubbing the top of your arm in the hopes that you could actually fall asleep after he left. “Have a nice day, Peter.”

“Bye, Y/N. I’ll stop by later,” he said, already halfway out the door. “For the notes, I mean! Uh, bye. Again. Okay. I’m going to go now.” 

You giggled, giving him one last wave before he left. Like magic, the more you thought about how Peter was worried about you, the easier it was for you to drift off into a peaceful sleep, finally feeling at ease for the first time in weeks.

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

You woke up later that day to Peter knocking on your door, this time standing next to some guy in a brightly colored Hawaiian shirt.

“Hi, Y/N,” Peter greeted you. You looked a lot less tired than when he saw you this morning, which relieved him. “This is my roommate, Ned. He just wanted to know who I’ve been hanging out with, so I hope it’s okay that I brought him here to prove you’re real and not a figment of my imagination.”

Ned leaned closer to you, your hair still a little messy from your nap. “Blink twice if he’s paying you,” he whispered, causing you to giggle. Peter looked on nervously, unsure of what his best friend had just said to you.

“What did you say!?” he asked, lightly pushing Ned on the arm, knowing that it was probably something meant to embarrass him.

“Ow! Okay, now I’m really not telling you,” Ned replied, rubbing the spot where Peter had just hit him.

“Y/N, what did Ned say to you?” He turned to you, a worried look on his face as you and Ned held back your laughter. Peter’s face turned as red as a tomato, making you instantly feel a little bit bad. 

“It was nothing, Peter. Really,” you said, pulling him into the room with you. “It was nice to meet you, Ned. I’ll make sure he’s back before curfew.”

Ned laughed, offering a quick thumbs up and mouthing “I like her” to Peter before you shut the door on him.

“I knew that was a mistake,” Peter sighed, his back against the door. You were still a bit giddy from the exchange, giggling softly as he slowed his breathing.

“You don’t need to be embarrassed around me,” you reassured him. “We’re friends, right?”

“Yeah, of course. It’s just that…”

“What?” You could barely hear him as his voice trailed off.

“Well, uh, not all of my friends are, you know…”

“Spit it out, Peter,” you said, leaning closer so that you could hear him better.

“They’re not as pretty as you,” he muttered, making you blush at his words. Did he really think you were pretty?

“Oh. Thanks,” you smiled, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear. Peter lifted his head up, relieved that you didn’t think he was a creep or something.

“Your notebook’s on my desk,” you continued, stepping back a little to give him some space. You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding as the distance between you and him grew. “I just took a bunch of pictures, so I can look at them on my computer whenever.”

“Alright, awesome,” he said, walking over to collect it before turning back to you. “How’d you sleep?”

“Pretty well, actually. The best I’ve slept in a while. I think you’re some kind of good luck charm.”

“Really?” he asked, a little surprised that he had been helpful.

“Really. You know, I’ve been thinking…”

“Yeah?”

“Maybe it’d be nice if we hung out somewhere that wasn’t my room all the time,” you said, a hopeful look in your eyes. “If you want.”

Peter had never noticed it before, but the two of you really did spend most of your time together in your room. It really was a nice room, but it made sense that you’d want to get out of it every once and a while.

“I’d like that. What did you have in mind?” Play it cool, Parker, he told himself. You can freak out with Ned later.

“How about ice cream on Friday?” you suggested, which came as a bit of a surprise to him.

“In the middle of winter?” As far as Peter could remember, you were always cold.

“Yeah. I really love ice cream,” you added, smiling up at him.

“Okay, then. Ice cream it is,” he agreed. There was absolutely no way he could ever say no to you when you looked at him like that.

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

“May! No, it’s not a date. She’s just a friend. Yeah, I got it. Open the door, pay for her, don’t be an idiot!” Peter sighed into his phone, hoping his aunt’s unwarranted crash course on first dates would be over soon. “Yes, I’m wearing the green sweater. Thanks, love you. Bye!”

“I have no idea who told her I had a date tonight,” he groaned, slumping down onto the couch next to his best friend.

“I texted her,” Ned replied nonchalantly, not even looking away from whatever video game he was playing. “Knew you’d need some kind of pointers. Y/N is way out of your league.”

“Hey!” Was he right? Yes. Did Peter need to be reminded of it right before his not-a-date date with you? Definitely not.

“Come on, you know I’m right. It’s Liz Allan all over again. I have no idea how you keep pulling all of these pretty girls, but hey, credit where credit is due.”

“You’re so mean.”

“I keep it real and you love it. Good luck, man.”

“Bye,” Peter grumbled, slipping on his coat and walking out of their room. Four flights of stairs later, he was at your door.

“Hi!” you squeaked, wrapping your arms around him. This was the first time the two of you had ever hugged and Peter was not going to forget about it anytime soon. “Come in. I have a surprise for you!”

“Here,” you continued, holding out a blue and white beanie for him. “I made it for you. To match all those blue sweaters you wear all the time.” Except this time, he was wearing a forest green one, which brought out the slight hazel tinge in his eyes.

“You made this for me?” he asked, eyeing the different stitches you had used and fiddling with the pom-pom on top. It looked store-bought.

“Well, yeah, silly. I just said that,” you replied, hoping that he liked it. With all the time you didn’t sleep, you were knitting anyway, but this was a special present for him. “Try it on.”

“I didn’t get you anything,” he sighed, pulling the hat onto his head. He looked really cute, the ends of his wavy hair peeking out from underneath the brim.

“Don’t worry about it,” you said, pulling him out of your room and towards the front of the dorm building. “Getting to hang out with you is good enough for me.”

“Where’d you learn how to knit?” Peter questioned, walking alongside you on the snow-lined sidewalks. With how cold it was, and considering he didn’t have a hood on his coat, it seemed like perfect timing that you had given him a hat.

“My grandma taught me,” you shared, taking in the twinkling of the streetlamps and how they bounced against the snow. In New York, that was practically the closest you could get to stargazing. “My, uh, grandparents actually raised me.”

“Oh. I was raised by my aunt and uncle,” Peter confided. It made you feel not so alone to find out that he didn’t grow up with his parents either, even though you knew firsthand just how hard it was.

“Do they live around here?” you asked, stealing glances at him and how rosy his cheeks were in the cold air.

“Yeah, my aunt lives in Queens,” he told you, staring at his feet to both avoid eye contact and make sure neither of you accidentally slipped. Not that he wouldn’t catch you, but he wanted to be safe. “My uncle actually passed away a couple of years ago.”

You stopped walking, immediately feeling a sense of regret. “I’m sorry, Peter. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“It’s okay, Y/N. There was no way for you to have known that,” Peter reassured you, his warm breath coming out in clouds, and he reached for your hand to run his thumb across your knuckles. He gently pulled you along, keeping you from dying of embarrassment in the middle of campus.

“What about you? Are you from around here?” he asked, hoping to break the silence and make you feel a little bit better.

“No, I just moved up here for college. I grew up in Texas but moved to North Carolina when I was 13, so I finished school down there,” you explained, Peter suddenly noticing a slight Southern twang to your voice. “I just really wanted to go to school in a big city and not next to a farm for once in my life.” 

“That makes sense,” he laughed, wondering what it would be like to live somewhere else. “I’ve only ever lived in New York City.”

“Do you like it here?”

“I love it. Wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, to be honest.”

“Me either,” you sighed, squeezing his hand tighter as the two of you enjoyed your walk in the snow.

It seemed like forever before you reached the ice cream shop, but you didn’t mind. That just gave you and Peter more time to get to know each other better. Turns out you both competed in academic decathlons, although you were more of a math person and he preferred science.

“Okay, you’re wrong. Night at the Museum 2 is so much better than the first one. I mean that kiss between Ben Stiller and Amy Adams? The Jonas Brothers as little cherub angels? Name one thing from the original that tops that,” you ranted in between spoonfuls of peppermint ice cream.

“I just really like when the little cowboy and gladiator are driving that toy car around,” he reasoned, subtly admitting defeat.

“Don’t even get me started on why the second Shrek movie—”

You were interrupted by the sound of Peter’s phone ringing, and you immediately recognized his ringtone as the Coconut Mall theme from Mario Kart. He peered down at his phone screen, sighing and mouthing an apology to you as he accepted the call.

“Uh, hey, Mr. Stark. Did you need something?” Well, at least you knew he wasn’t lying about his internship at Stark Industries. “Toronto? Tonight? I’m kind of busy.”

There was a long pause as Peter mentally kicked himself for talking back to Tony, resulting in an earful about how being an Avenger should always be at the top of his priorities.

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I’ll be right over… but I need a favor. Could you send Happy to pick my friend up? Yeah, it’s the ice cream shop on 1st. Thank you so much, Mr. Stark. Bye.” He frowned at you, and you could tell from what you had heard that he had to go.

“I’m sorry, Y/N. It’s just, something came up last minute and Mr. Stark really needs me to go on this business trip with him,” he apologized, pulling his coat on. “But, uh, he’s sending a car for you. So don’t worry about walking back alone, alright? I’m so sorry. I’ll make it up to you when I get back, okay? Bye!”

“Oh, okay. Bye!” you managed to call out before he was running out the doors and down the street. Lots of customers were staring as you awkwardly gathered your things and went to go wait on the sidewalk.

A few minutes later, a shiny black car had pulled up to the curb in front of you, a man rolling down the window.

“Miss Y/N? I’m Happy Hogan. Mr. Stark sent me to drive you home,” he called from the driver’s seat, before getting out to open your door for you. You stepped in, a little starstruck at how nice the car was. You had never been in anything this expensive before. 

The two of you were sitting in silence until you finally got the courage to speak up. 

“Mr. Hogan,” you started, causing him to turn down the smooth jazz that had been playing on the radio. “Do you know why Peter has to go to Toronto?”

“Yes,” he replied, glancing at you in the rearview mirror. “But I can’t tell you that.”

“Oh, okay,” you accepted, shifting to look out the window at all of the places in the city that you hadn’t yet gotten the chance to explore. 

Eventually, he was dropping you off in front of your dorm, and you were trudging inside to your room to sulk about how your not-a-date date with Peter had gotten interrupted. You stared at your ceiling all night, wondering when the next time you’d see each other would be, and whether or not he’d come back with the same cuts and bruises as when you had first met.

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

Peter had been gone for six days and counting, and you were starting to worry that he might never come back. You had already started missing him the night he left, and now it was just some agonizing waiting game for him to return.

You must have spent hours in the basement kitchen before deciding to visit the fourth floor where Peter lived. You knocked on the door and was quickly met with Ned’s shocked expression.

“Uh, hi, Y/N. Peter’s not here right now. Did you need something?”

“I know,” you acknowledged, holding up the plate in your hand. “It’s just, well, I’ve been baking a lot and I didn’t really know who to give all of these cookies to, so I was wondering if you wanted any.”

“Oh, in that case, sign me up!” You watched as his face lit up as he noticed the assortment of chocolate chip, sugar, and snickerdoodle cookies all still warm from the oven. He offered his hands out to take the plate from you, which you happily relinquished. 

“These are really good,” he complimented, his mouth full of a sugar cookie. “Can I keep the rest of them?”

“Yeah, of course,” you answered, doing your best to smile despite how much you wished it had been Peter opening the door. “I’ll see you around, Ned.”

“Hey, Y/N,” he called out to you, making you turn around on the stairwell. “Don’t worry. I’m sure Peter’s going to be back any day now.” You nodded, offering him a wave and walking back down to your room.

Turns out Ned had been right. The strange noises outside of your window were masked by how loud you were jamming out to We Didn’t Start the Fire by Billy Joel, jumping around and listing off the lyrics that had never made much sense to you. Peter knocked louder on the glass, startling you as you quickly switched off the music to investigate.

“Holy shit,” you whispered, squinting your eyes to make sure you weren’t hallucinating. “Spider-Man? Is that really you?”

You fumbled to push up your window, extremely confused as to why one of the Avengers was outside your bedroom this late at night.

“It’s me, Y/N,” he explained, his voice suddenly becoming extremely familiar. Your eyes widened as you realized who was behind the mask.

“Oh my god! PETER?” you screamed as he slipped through the window, pulling off his mask and clapping a hand over your mouth.

“Don’t freak out. It’s okay. It’s just me, okay?” he stammered in an attempt to get you to calm down before an RA heard. “I’m sorry, Y/N. I really wanted to tell you, but we were in public when I left, and I couldn’t risk it. And I didn’t want to text it or do it over the phone because it’s kind of a big deal, so I figured I’d just come to see you as soon as I got back and Mr. Stark said that you have to promise—”

“It’s okay, Peter,” you interrupted, wrapping your arms around him and burying your face into the very weird material of his spider-suit. “I won’t tell anybody.”

He softened under your touch, resting his head on top of yours. “I like your dance moves,” he whispered, making you glare up at him, your face suddenly very red.

“How long were you watching?” you groaned, dramatically throwing yourself onto your bean bag, your face covered by your hands.

“Only for about a minute,” he answered, pulling your hands down so you could see him grinning at you. “I especially liked how you used your hairbrush as a microphone. Plus, I thought we agreed to stop being embarrassed around each other?”

“Well, that was before I knew you were freaking Spider-Man!”

“Okay, fair enough,” he agreed, nudging you to scoot over and make room for him.

“So, that’s what that whole Toronto thing was?” you asked as he sat next to you, your knee touching his.

“Yep. There was this thing about aliens and these guys that could shapeshift. It’s a lot to explain.”

“Are you going to keep that thing on all night?” you asked, gesturing at his outfit, which was very tight and very distracting from whatever alien story he had to tell.

“Oh. Yeah, I guess so,” he shrugged. “I don’t have anything on underneath it.”

“How scandalous,” you teased. “Not so family-friendly after all, huh, Spidey?”

“Oh, shut up,” he quipped, rolling his eyes as you let out a long yawn.

“Have you been sleeping much?” he continued, suddenly remembering the issue that had brought the two of you together in the first place.

“Of course not. I’ve been too busy worrying about my classes and, oh, just some idiot I know that abandoned me in the middle of an ice cream shop. Pretty sure he said he’d make that up to me, by the way.”

“Okay, okay. Message received. What would you like?” Please say a kiss. Please say a kiss. Please say a—

“Can I meet them? The Avengers, I mean. It’s not like anyone else really has a secret identity except for you.”

“Oh. I mean, I’d have to ask Mr. Stark and the rest of the team and see if they’re cool with it, but I’ll see what I can do.”

“Awesome! You’re the best,” you chimed, wrapping your arms around him and planting a kiss on his cheek.

It was then that Peter decided he would just never be able to wash that side of his face again, his heart nearly skipping a beat.

“Peter,” you said, breaking the silence he had left the two of you in. “I’m tired.”

“Me too,” he sighed. “I should head up to my room. Gotta make sure Ned knows I’m still alive.”

“Yeah, of course,” you agreed, standing up to see him out. “Aren’t you worried somebody will see you, though?”

“Y/N, it’s 4 a.m. I’m pretty sure that you and I are the only people on campus that are awake right now.”

“Oh, right. Still, be careful, okay?” you told him, slightly worried at his secret identity being found out by some college kid that just couldn’t stay off Twitter.

“Will do,” he said, smiling and giving you a little salute before leaving.

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

A few days later, before you could even greet him, Peter was already walking into your room. It was 10 p.m., a little earlier than when he usually came over, but by now you were used to him showing up at your door unannounced.

He was already wearing his pajamas, a t-shirt with a science pun and some flannel pants that he had invested in to avoid any more awkward moments between the two of you. You were dressed in leggings and a sweatshirt, the clothes you usually threw on after class just in case you fell asleep on accident. There had been more times where you had woken up sweaty with your jeans stuck to your legs than you were willing to admit.

“Okay, so I asked Mr. Stark about your request and he told me he doesn’t think now is a good time, but…” he grinned, holding out a giant cardboard box with some kind of minimalist home appliance on the front for you to look at.

“Am I supposed to know what that is?” you blinked back, trying to figure out what the hell you were staring at, considering that all of the text written on it was in a language you didn’t know how to read.

“It’s some fancy white noise machine from Japan. If I remember correctly, Mr. Stark said he made Pepper order it because I wouldn’t shut up about you, and it would be in everybody’s best interest if you got some sleep, so I could stop annoying him and the rest of the team.”

“Oh. That’s pretty thoughtful, I guess,” you said, gathering things off your floor to make space for it.

He set the box down on your rug and got to work opening it. Meanwhile, you were busy translating what exactly Tony Stark had so generously gifted to you.

“Peter, wait. This thing is like $300. Doesn’t he know that you can just look up whale noises on YouTube for free?”

“Yeah, but this one adjusts its volume based on the noises around it, has a light that simulates the sun rising, and has an alarm noise that’s supposed to support healthy cortisol levels.”

Peter peered up to see your arms crossed and brows furrowed, it suddenly becoming clear to him that the things he had just listed meant very little to you.

“Plus, he’s a literal billionaire, so I don’t think it was that big of a loss for him,” he added.

“Fine. Let’s just hope this thing works,” you sighed, watching as Peter leafed through the instruction manual before tossing it behind him. “It’s a little early to go to sleep, though.”

“Y/N, plenty of people go to sleep at 10. Not everybody is nocturnal like you.”

“I guess you have a point,” you agreed, kneeling down beside him as he fiddled with all the settings.

“I know,” he said with a smirk as you rested your chin on his shoulder to get a better look at what he was doing. “What time do you want to wake up? 7 a.m. would give us time to go get breakfast before class, but we could do 8 if you wanted to sleep in.”

“We?” you mused, liking the sound of that. “I guess that means you’re staying here tonight?”

“Well, yeah. I’m not letting you have all these overpriced rainforest noises to yourself.”

“Do 7. We can go get those blueberry muffins that you like,” you decided, standing up to get Peter’s makeshift bed on your bean bag ready. “Do you actually like sleeping on this thing, or were you just trying to be polite the first time I asked?”

“Dude, that thing is awesome. It’s like I’m on this little cuddly cloud, and then you add all those warm blankets and the twinkly lights and it’s the perfect recipe for me to fall asleep.”

“Wow,” you nodded, looking around your room to see all of the things that Peter was talking about. “I wish it worked that way for me.”

“Maybe it will, tonight.”

It didn’t. You were tossing and turning for nearly an hour to the agonizing sounds of birds cawing and the occasional monkey chatter, all set against the backdrop of a heavy thunderstorm. To be honest, it was something that would’ve given you nightmares when you were little.

“Y/N?” Peter whispered from the floor. “Are you sleeping?”

“No.”

“Me neither.”

“Could you turn that thing off? It’s really distracting me.”

“Yeah, of course,” he said, leaning over to switch the noise machine off. “Can I ask you something?”

“You can ask me anything.”

He hesitated, not really sure if he should ask the question that he had been thinking about for a while now. “How old were you when your parents died?”

You had to think for a moment, not really sure about the answer. For as long as you could remember, you just lived with your grandparents. “Um, well my mom left when I was a baby. And I think my dad passed away when I was four.”

“Oh,” Peter mumbled. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have a parent leave you, but he didn’t want to pry just in case it was a sensitive topic. “Are your grandparents from your mom or dad’s side?”

You rolled over to rest your head on the edge of your bed so that you could see him better. He looked so cute bundled up in all of your blankets, his hair already a bit messy. “They’re my mom’s parents. It’s weird. I see a lot of pictures of her from when she was growing up, and I look so much like her, but she’s basically a stranger to me.”

Peter opened his mouth to say something else, but there was a long pause and he decided not to.

“What about you? How old were you when your parents passed away?”

“Five or six. They met while working at the C.I.A. together, but most of my memories are from the stories my aunt and uncle told me when I was growing up.”

For a moment, neither of you could find the right words to say to each other.

“Peter,” you spoke up, interrupting his thoughts. “I’m really glad I met you.”

“I’m really glad I met you too.”

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

Peter’s next plan of action involved even more advice from his fellow Avengers, and you were not looking forward to trying out any of their suggestions. 

“Okay, so, Steve—I mean Captain America—said that when he was little, you know, in the 1940s, all he had to do was drink a glass of warm milk before bed.”

“I’m lactose intolerant,” you groaned, crossing your arms.

“I just saw you eat an entire pint of Ben and Jerry’s in one sitting the other day.”

“Regular milk has almost 15 times more lactose than ice cream. You’d think a science nerd like you would know that.”

“I’m a geek,” he scoffed, clearly a little bit offended. “Not a nerd.”

“Yeah, I can see that now. It’s okay, though. At least you’re pretty,” you said, pinching his cheek.

“Just try it,” he grumbled, handing you the warm glass and waiting impatiently for you to take a sip. If anything, the milk did a better job at keeping you up that night than putting you to sleep. Not even thirty minutes after you had gone to bed, you were feeling sick to your stomach.

“I hate milk,” you gagged, Peter holding your hair back as you kneeled over the toilet bowl. “My grandpa could never get me to drink it as a kid.”

“Is that why you’re so short?” he laughed, helping you up. You glared at him as you moved to the sink to wash the acidic taste out of your mouth.

“Shut up, Parker,” you quipped, tired and grumpy from how terrible you felt. “Let’s just go back to sleep.”

“Alright, munchkin,” he smiled, pulling you out of the bathroom and back towards your bed.

Somehow, the warm milk wasn’t even the worst of Peter’s ideas, because a few days later, he was standing at your door with a bottle of some Asgardian sleep aid from the lightning god himself.

“Are you sure this is safe for me to drink?” you asked, your eyes widening as you stared at the silvery liquid that was almost shimmering.

“Uh, I’m about 87% confident you’ll live,” he said, “But I’m 100% sure that it’ll work.”

“Gee, thanks. Now I really want to drink this weird alien potion,” you sighed, looking at him nervously.

“Just drink a little bit and see if you feel anything,” Peter encouraged, leaning over your shoulder. You nodded, hesitantly bringing the drink up to your lips to take a sip.

“This stuff tastes amazing,” you mused, taking a bigger gulp this time. “Like a blue raspberry slushie.”

“Whoa, that’s enough,” he warned, taking the bottle from your hands before you could drink any more of it. “We don’t want you to go into a coma.”

“I don’t feel anything,” you shrugged, frowning back at him. “Maybe I should—”

You stopped mid-sentence to let out a loud yawn, the potion starting to take effect. Peter caught you as you slumped down in your chair, helping you into bed.

“Okay. I definitely feel it now,” you admitted, already half asleep. Peter tucked you under your blankets, placing a kiss on your forehead as your eyes fluttered shut.

“Sweet dreams, Y/N,” he whispered, turning off your lights and softly closing the door behind him. 

For a moment, Peter had thought he had finally found a solution to your insomnia. At least before you slept through class the next morning. And then the day after that. But it wasn’t until the third day that he really started to freak out.

“Where’s Thor!?” he panted, having run all the way from his class over to the Avengers Tower. Wanda and Vision stared back at him from the kitchen, very confused at what he was so panicked about.

“He’s in his room,” Bucky called from the couch, his mouth full of popcorn as 13 Going on 30 played on the big screen. “What’s going on, kid?”

“No time to explain. Gotta go!” Peter called, sprinting up the stairs towards Thor’s room. He knocked frantically until the door finally swung open.

“Greetings, young Spiderling. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Thor smiled, his long, golden hair shiny as ever.

“I think I killed my almost-girlfriend!” Peter blurted out, practically sweating from how stressed out he was. “She drank that stuff you gave me and she hasn’t woken up in three days now!”

Thor chuckled, patting Peter on the head. “Do not worry, my brother. I’m sure she will wake up given time. It was a very potent drink, after all. Calm yourself.”

“Okay,” he sighed, relieved to know that he hadn’t poisoned you to death. “Cool. Cool, cool, cool. She’s fine. Everything’s fine. Thanks, man. I’ll, uh, I’ll see you around.”

“Farewell, Peter. May we meet again soon,” he grinned before closing the door in Peter’s face.

On the way back down the stairs, Peter figured he’d give you a call and see if you were still sleeping.

“Hello?” you groaned, your throat dry from just waking up. “Peter, what the hell happened to me?”

“THANK GOD YOU’RE ALIVE!” Peter yelled into the phone, making you recoil from the volume of his excitement. “You’ve been asleep for three days, Y/N. I thought you were dead.”

“I am very much alive,” you laughed, slowly feeling the potion wearing off. “Where are you?”

“Uh. I may have run all the way to Midtown to ask Thor if I had killed you,” he admitted, feeling you roll your eyes through the screen. “I was worried, okay?”

“Now you know how I feel whenever you leave for a mission,” you countered, glad that Peter couldn’t see how much you were blushing. “Hurry up and get your butt back over here. I have the weirdest dream to tell you about.”

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

Even if you still weren’t getting a full eight hours of rest at night, it was obvious that all of Peter’s efforts had vastly improved your sleep schedule. Over the past few months, you had gone from staring at your ceiling all night to actually being able to stay asleep for small periods of time.

“Your eyelashes are so long,” you mused, playing with Peter’s hair. He was sitting in between your legs and How the Grinch Stole Christmas was playing on your TV.

“Really?” He tilted his head back to look at you, batting his eyelashes and making you giggle.

“Yes. It’s not fair that boys get all of the pretty eyelashes,” you pouted, watching as the Grinch explained his plan to steal all of Whoville’s presents to his dog.

“I think yours are pretty,” he replied, a soft smile on his face. “But there’s a rogue one just hanging out on your face right now.”

“Can you get it?” you asked, your eyes still glued on the TV screen. Peter nodded, twisting around to gently brush the eyelash from your cheek.

“Do you want to make a wish?” he laughed, holding the little eyelash on the tip of his finger in front of you.

“Okay,” you agreed, squeezing your eyes shut and blowing it away. When you opened them, Peter’s face was only inches away from yours.

“What did you wish for?” His gaze shifted downwards to look at your lips for a split second, before returning to look into your eyes.

“I can’t tell you, dummy. Then it won’t come true.” You weren’t about to tell your best friend that you wished for him to kiss you. At least not now, while the two of you were stuck in this really weird “not dating, but more than just friends” limbo.

“Fine,” he frowned, crossing his arms and pouting in a way that you recognized had been mimicked after you.

“Don’t make fun of me,” you said, mirroring his stance. Your puppy dog eyes were definitely a lot more convincing than his.

“I’m not.”

“Uh-huh, sure. You smell really good, by the way. Well, your hoodie does. I could just wrap myself up in it and fall asleep.”

“How come you’ve never mentioned that before? You could’ve been out cold every night months ago!”

“Guess I was just too distracted by your dreamy face,” you teased, causing Peter to blush.

“Whatever. Seriously, though. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I don’t know. I think it took me a while to realize how sleepy I got whenever you were really close to me,” you shrugged. “You’re not mad at me, right?”

“Of course not. But if I had known sooner I would’ve just given you one,” he said, slipping the hoodie over his head and handing it to you. “Here, put it on. You better fall asleep instantly or I’m calling bullshit.”

“You caught me, Peter. This was all some elaborate plan for me to steal one of your hoodies.”

“Just put it on. The suspense is killing me.”

You rolled your eyes and pulled his hoodie on. Just from looking at Peter and how slim he was, you never would have guessed that it would be this oversized on you.

“How do I look?” you asked, striking silly poses in front of him. Peter involuntarily licked his lips and he knew he’d be replaying this image of you in his head for the next few weeks.

“You’re going to have to keep that,” he stammered, doing his best to hide how much he really liked seeing you in his clothes. “It looks a lot better on you. I, um, have to go do my homework. And call my aunt. And walk my roommate.”

Peter stumbled to his feet, staring at his wristwatch to maintain his act that he was late for something before grabbing his things and heading out the door, making sure to hold his backpack in front of him. “Let me know if the hoodie thing works. Bye!”

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

Brushing off Peter’s strangely abrupt departure from last night, you nuzzled into your pillow, the warm morning light spilling through your curtains. Last night had probably been your best sleep in months, and you even got to wake up late since it was Saturday. Things probably couldn’t have gone any better.

Before you knew it, you were running up to Peter’s room and banging on his door. He opened the door on your fourth knock, right after Ned had chucked a pillow at him, and you were met with his sleepy eyes and messy hair.

“It worked!” you yelped in excitement, twirling around and still wearing his hoodie. “Well, kind of. I fell asleep after about an hour, and then I slept for maybe three after that. But I had to pee in the middle of the night, and when I got back into bed I couldn’t fall back asleep until 6 a.m.”

“That’s some good progress,” he yawned, stepping out into the hallway to keep your little celebration from bothering Ned too much. “If only we could get you to sleep the entire night.”

“I know right. But I’m so happy!” you cheered, wrapping your arms around him. “We finally did something right!”

“We need to celebrate!” you continued, grabbing Peter’s hand and dragging him down the stairs. “Come on. We’re making you a chocolate cake!”

You stopped by your room on the way to the kitchen, piling a bunch of ingredients into Peter’s arms from your mini-fridge and various shelves.

“Okay, eggs, flour, butter, sugar, chocolate. Damn it. We’re all out of milk.” You side-eyed him, remembering the whole Captain America induced fiasco from a couple weeks ago. 

“I think we might have some in our room,” Peter laughed. “Ned drinks a lot of milk mixed with Milo powder. It’s some obsession he picked up when his family took a vacation to Australia. I’ll go get it.”

He set all of the ingredients you had given him on your desk and sprinted back up the stairs to raid Ned’s stash, already thinking of ways to apologize for it later.

A few minutes later he was knocking on your door, out of breath, and dressed to brave the many inches of snow that had fallen overnight. 

“We didn’t have any milk,” he panted. “But I can run to the dining hall and get a few cartons.”

“I’ll go with you.” You quickly pulled on your snow boots and layered your puffer coat on top of Peter’s hoodie, wrapping a hand-knit scarf around your neck just to be safe. “All ready.”

Getting the milk was the easy part. Making sure you didn’t die of frostbite was another story. By the time you and Peter got back to your room, your nose was super red and you couldn’t feel your toes.

“Okay,” you said, your teeth chattering. “I thought I was used to the snow by now, but that was something else.” You dropped your coat on the ground and climbed into your bed, burying yourself under your comforter.

“I thought we were making a cake,” he laughed, walking over to see you peeking out of the pile.

“Cake will have to wait,” you whined, your voice slightly muffled by the blanket. “Come here. I need some of your body heat.”

“Okay,” he stuttered, kicking off his sneakers and climbing in beside you. He had sat on your bed a lot since the two of you met, but this was the first time that he was actually laying in it. You snuggled up to him, and he hesitantly wrapped his arms around you.

“This is nice,” you sighed, nuzzling your head into his chest. “Is this one of your superpowers? Spidey-warmth?” Peter let out a soft laugh. It was silly but true. Ever since the bite, he never really noticed how cold it was outside anymore.

“Y/N,” he whispered, tightening his grip around your waist. Your head was nestled underneath his chin, and he could smell the faint citrus scent of your shampoo. “I need to tell you something.”

“What is it, Pete?” you yawned, your eyelids heavy from how comfy Peter’s cuddles were.

“I love you.” He held his breath, nervously waiting for you to respond.

“I know,” you giggled, intertwining your legs. “Sometimes, you talk in your sleep. You’ve probably professed your love for me at least eight times by now.”

“Oh.” Peter had no idea how he was supposed to respond to that.

“Don’t worry. I love you, too,” you assured him, grinning and placing little kisses on his jawline. “I thought that was obvious.”

“Maybe you could make it a little more obvious,” he mumbled, his heartbeat getting quicker as you shifted up to kiss him on the lips, your hand running through his hair.

“I will,” you smiled, your forehead resting against his. “But after we take a nap, okay?”

“Okay,” Peter agreed, snuggling as close as he possibly could to you, never wanting to let go. In no time at all, he watched happily as you fell asleep in his arms, wondering how the two of you hadn’t thought of this sooner.

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

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[bevioletskies]

dream a little dream of me

summary: Ryunosuke had never been one for gloomy, rainy weather, had always preferred the comforting warmth of a clear, sunny day. When a particularly heavy rainstorm keeps him and Kazuma in bed for hours on end, he finds himself slowly starting to think otherwise.

word count: 2.4k | read on ao3

a/n: For @asoryuu-week, day four of seven (prompt: "domestic"). This fic takes place post-Resolve; mild spoiler warning for Adventures and Resolve, where events may be alluded to but not described in detail. All names and honorifics are taken from the official localization, with the exception of Sherlock and Iris.

Fic title is from the song Dream A Little Dream Of Me by The Mamas & The Papas.

“Remind me, Ryunosuke, what is it they say about a heavy head? Because yours is certainly making it harder for me to breathe.”

Ryunosuke sighed, lifting his supposedly heavy head from his partner’s chest to level him with a sleepy glare. “Good morning to you, too. Must you demean me before we’ve even gotten out of bed?”

Kazuma’s warm, slightly raspy laughter soothed Ryunosuke somewhat, though he still couldn’t help but feel slightly irritated. “Well, it’s hardly my fault you’re so fun to tease. No one else reacts quite like you do.” Then, Kazuma cupped Ryunosuke’s jaw in one hand, running his thumb across Ryunosuke’s mouth. “And I mean that in all manner of things, if you get my meaning.”

“You’re terrible,” Ryunosuke informed him, though he allowed Kazuma to kiss him anyway, grunting slightly when Kazuma rolled over to straddle him, sinking his entire body into Ryunosuke’s, fingers digging into his sides. “Mm...Kazuma, th-they’re waiting for us downstairs - ”

“Let them wait,” Kazuma murmured, playfully nibbling Ryunosuke’s bottom lip. One of his hands had now moved to Ryunosuke’s thigh, caressing him teasingly. “It’s been too long since we’ve had some time to ourselves.”

“You were only here two nights ago,” Ryunosuke said breathlessly; Kazuma’s mouth had quickly made its way from his neck to his collarbone, leaving a heated trail of kisses down the length of his throat. “Remember? That’s when I finally agreed to - ”

“Ry-u! Kazz-y! Won’t you be joining us for breakfast?”

“Damn,” Kazuma muttered, reluctantly climbing off so he could smooth out the front of his jinbei. Despite Ryunosuke’s continued annoyance at Kazuma’s insatiable nature, if he wanted to put it kindly, he also couldn’t help but admire how flushed Kazuma’s ears, neck, and chest had become in the last few minutes alone. “We’ll be right there, Iris, sorry for keeping you!”

“That’s okay!” Iris called back, her footsteps already beginning to fade away. “Just as long as you’re both properly dressed, alright?”

Ryunosuke groaned, dropping his head into his hands. “This is all your fault, you know that?” Kazuma merely scoffed, rifling through his bag so he could find the fresh set of clothes he’d packed for his overnight stay. “Though I suppose nothing will ever be as bad as the time you pulled me aside in the middle of an investigation and - ”

“I thought we both found that to be a thrilling and memorable experience, but fine,” Kazuma said with a dramatic sigh. “I’ll see to it that we won't try anything that adventurous ever again.”

“We almost got caught!” Ryunosuke exclaimed, agitatedly flapping his shirt in Kazuma’s face. “Don’t you realize how much trouble we would’ve been in?”

Kazuma stared at Ryunosuke in complete and utter disbelief. “...Ryunosuke, you’ve committed treason. You’ve implicated so many government officials, exposed so many government secrets - ”

“...all the more reason not to take a chance?” Ryunosuke offered sheepishly. “Anyway, let’s get dressed before they come looking for us again. I swear I can hear Susato-san’s footsteps coming up the stairs.”

A little over an hour later, Ryunosuke, Kazuma, and Susato returned to the attic, pleasantly sleepy from the generous meal that Iris had prepared for everyone. The rain was still thumping against the windowpane, an erratic tap-tap-tap that filled the entire room, rendering the three of them barely able to hear themselves or each other.

“I know you were planning on returning to your own flat, Kazuma-sama, but I would advise against it in a storm like this,” Susato mused, momentarily brushing the curtains aside so she could look out over the soggy, sorry state of London’s streets. “And I’m sure Naruhodo-san wouldn’t complain if you stayed.”

“I’m sure as well, though Ryunosuke is clearly in no position to answer either way,” Kazuma said dryly, gesturing in Ryunosuke’s direction, where he was currently curled up on the floor by Susato’s tea set, half-asleep and hugging his daruma to his chest. Susato watched, giggling, as Kazuma walked over to gently prod Ryunosuke in the shoulder with his foot. “Come now, Ryu, don’t make me carry you back to bed.”

“We both know you’d like that,” Ryunosuke mumbled. Susato only just managed to refrain from rolling her eyes at them - she’d been privy to far too many of their supposedly private conversations for her liking - instead electing to pat Kazuma on the arm.

“I think this is the perfect weather for a nap, personally,” she said, looking at him meaningfully. “If you plan on returning to bed as well, I can let Iris and Mr Holmes know not to disturb any of us until dinner.”

“That would be great, Susato-san, thank you,” Kazuma said sincerely, though he secretly suspected she just wanted to leave them be. Once she disappeared back down the stairs, he looked down at Ryunosuke with an irrevocably fond sigh. “Ryunosuke…”

“Yeah, yeah, ‘m getting up,” Ryunosuke yawned, reluctantly pulling himself to his feet. “Bed?” Grinning, Kazuma wordlessly took Ryunosuke by the hand and led him towards his bedroom - their bedroom, really, given how often he stayed over these days. Moments later, they clumsily tumbled back into bed, having changed into their sleepclothes once more.

“You’ve still got a bit of egg on your face,” Kazuma observed, wiping Ryunosuke’s cheek. “How does this keep happening to you?”

“Eat too fast,” Ryunosuke murmured, turning to kiss the palm of Kazuma’s hand. “Food...good.”

“Your grasp of both the Japanese and the English language is incredible,” Kazuma drawled, carding his fingers through Ryunosuke’s hair. He then pulled him closer, burying his face into Ryunosuke’s neck. “I thought you went back home to finish school, did you not? Surely you can do better than ‘food good’.”

“You’re so mean to me,” Ryunosuke said, sighing, letting out an exaggerated exhale directly in Kazuma’s face. Still, he turned over so he could wrap his arms around Kazuma’s waist, snuggling contentedly into his chest. “I really should just kick you out and make you go home.” Laughing, Kazuma kissed the top of his head.

“Not in this weather, you wouldn’t,” Kazuma replied. As if to illustrate his point, there was a loud, thunderous crack that practically shook the entire room. “If this storm keeps up, I might have to live here indefinitely.” Ryunosuke merely grunted in response. “Well, you don’t have to sound so pleased about it.”

“Oh - no, it’s not that,” Ryunosuke reassured him, sitting up somewhat so he could look Kazuma in the eye. Despite Kazuma’s typical brusque, yet affectionate nature, he could tell that Kazuma was slightly hurt. “I was just thinking about how much I dislike storms. Rain is fine on occasion, but...it seems as if London is in a permanent state of misery sometimes, you know? And it makes us miserable all the while.”

Kazuma’s clouded expression cleared up instantly. “It’s been ages since we’ve had sunshine,” he agreed, now dropping his head to rest on Ryunosuke’s shoulder. “It would’ve been nice to go for a walk together before I leave...whenever that is.”

“Like we used to do before class,” Ryunosuke said quietly, nodding. “You could never convince me to join you during your morning exercises, though.”

“Forget morning exercise, I had to literally drag you out of bed sometimes,” Kazuma snorted, tangling their fingers together. “I hear Susato-san hasn’t had any luck with getting you to exercise more, either.”

“I exercise enough,” Ryunosuke huffed, pinching Kazuma’s side; much to his dismay, Kazuma merely laughed in response. “I do plenty of pacing up and down during trials, you see.”

“I do see,” Kazuma teased. “I should look for permanent scuff marks behind the defense bench and the witness stand the next time we’re in court. You have a tendency to drag your feet, after all.”

Rolling his eyes, Ryunosuke made a show of yanking his hand out of Kazuma’s grasp and turning over with his back to him, pulling his side of the blankets over his head. “...I’m really starting to think you have nothing nice to say about me at all.”

Even when he wasn’t looking at him, he could tell Kazuma was smirking. “Oh, I think I praise you plenty. But in case you were wanting to hear it…” In one quick motion, Kazuma swept the bundled-up Ryunosuke into his arms, Ryunosuke’s back pressed against his chest, his breath ghosting the shell of Ryunosuke’s ear. “...I love you, Ryunosuke. And I’ll say it as many times as you’d like; all you need to do is ask.”

“Wonderful, now I just sound needy,” Ryunosuke said, sighing yet again, though he craned his neck to kiss Kazuma anyway, tossing the blanket around his shoulders so they were both enveloped in its warmth. Kazuma slowly lowered him onto his back, onto the mattress, knees braced on either side of Ryunosuke’s hips, fingers digging into Ryunosuke’s waist.

“You can insult me back, I don’t mind,” Kazuma murmured, sucking a bruising kiss along the crook of Ryunosuke’s jaw. Though they’d crawled back into bed for a nap, Ryunosuke was starting to feel more and more alert by the second. “Do your worst.”

Ryunosuke hummed, thinking. “...sometimes, you try too hard. You need to relax more, Kazuma. There have been some jurors and witnesses who’ve been intimidated by you, even though you aren’t trying to be malicious.”

“Fair enough.” Kazuma’s voice was low, raspy, sending shivers up Ryunosuke’s spine. “Anything else?”

“You have a bad habit of interrupting people,” Ryunosuke continued, prodding Kazuma in the chest with an accusatory finger. “Even Iris seemed annoyed with you last night, when she was asking us about our latest trial. I know you think you were helping, but I can speak for myself just fine. We’re not in school anymore.”

“...ah.” Kazuma looked humbled, almost remorseful. “I...I’m sorry, Ryu, I didn’t realize. I honestly thought we were just telling them about what happened together.”

“And you need to stop biting me like I’m a piece of meat - ”

“No one can see them!”

“Kazuma, you're doing it again - ”

“Doing wh - oh.” Kazuma burrowed his face into Ryunosuke’s chest, cheeks burning hot with shame. Ryunosuke couldn’t help but laugh; it wasn’t often that he got to embarrass Kazuma and render him speechless. “I...see that I’m not quite the partner I’d thought or, or hoped I was.”

“Last, but definitely not least - ” Ryunosuke abruptly took Kazuma’s face in one hand, squeezing his cheeks until his lips puckered “ - you don’t need to be quite so dramatic, either. I still love you all the same, Kazuma.” He smirked. “And I’ll say it as many times as you’d like; all you need to do is ask.”

Kazuma stared down at him with wide, imploring eyes. Then, he cocked his head to one side, his frown melting into a warm, radiant smile. “...again.”

“I love you.” Ryunosuke kissed Kazuma’s cheek, then the tip of his nose, then finally, his lips. Beaming, Kazuma kissed him back, a little sweeter this time, a little less sensual. “Especially because you’re a little needy, too.”

They fell silent for a few minutes, save for the steady sounds of the rain and thunder and wind whistling past their window, exchanging slow, languorous kisses and simply enjoying one other’s company. Though Kazuma spent more nights at Baker Street than not, in a way, it still felt as if they had months, even years, of lost time to make up for, even though they hadn’t been apart - or a part of each other’s lives, for that matter - for that long. It was times like these that Ryunosuke found himself reminiscing about their university days, the early days of their companionship, when they’d have spirited debates that ended in spirited laughter and meandering conversations about nothing in particular.

“I can hear you thinking, partner,” Kazuma murmured, brushing Ryunosuke’s hair out of his eyes. “Something wrong?”

“No, not at all,” Ryunosuke said, pulling away momentarily to yawn. “Only that we were supposed to be taking a nap, and instead, we spent the last ten minutes poking fun at each other. Though I suppose that’s just an extension of the way we speak to each other in court at times.”

“Susato-san has been scolding you about that as well, has she? Perhaps we do need to - I need to be more careful,” Kazuma corrected hastily when Ryunosuke leveled him with an impressively Kazuma-like glare. “Though we’d be in even more trouble if I were to, say, openly comment on how handsome you looked in court just last week, when your hair was a little bit longer in the back. I thought it suited you.”

“Why do we need to be in trouble at all?” Ryunosuke retorted, elbowing him a little harder than necessary. “I’d rather we do our jobs like the proper lawyers that we are - ”

“Well-behaved schoolboys, you mean,” Kazuma teased.

“ - and come home at the end of the day, where we can do as we please,” Ryunosuke finished.

Kazuma looked at him consideringly, his gaze impossibly soft. “Ryunosuke Naruhodo, are you implying you’d like me to move in someday?”

“What? I - ” Ryunosuke stared at him, momentarily stunned. Then, he relaxed, his head dropping back to his pillow, where Kazuma followed him down, their eyes still locked. “I, er...I thought that was a given. Though I worry that...that people might talk, as they’re wont to do.”

“Professor Mikotoba lived here with Mr Holmes for some time, did he not?” Kazuma pointed out. “Besides, even if people talk, why listen? All that matters is what we think of ourselves, as trite as that might sound.” He leaned in close, pressing a lingering kiss to Ryunosuke’s forehead. “So, just know that whenever you decide to ask, you already have my answer.”

“Then I think I’ll make you wait for just a little bit longer before I do...if only to get back at you for two nights ago,” Ryunosuke added with a smug smile, laughing when Kazuma glared daggers at him in response.

“And you think I’m the cruel one,” Kazuma muttered, pulling Ryunosuke into his arms once more so he could hold him rather possessively, their legs loosely intertwined beneath their mess of blankets. “You told me you enjoyed yourself.”

“I did, believe me,” Ryunosuke grinned, blushing faintly at the sudden vivid memory that had come to mind. “But just this once, I’d like to have the upper hand.” He then leaned in to kiss Kazuma’s exaggerated pout. “Anyway, we really should be getting to sleep now, or it’ll be time for dinner before we know it. I can barely keep my eyes open at this rate.”

“Agreed,” Kazuma said, yawning. He shuffled closer, dropping his forehead down to rest against Ruynosuke’s. “Good...morning, Ryunosuke.”

Ryunosuke shot him one last sleepy, fond smile before letting his eyes drift shut. “Good morning to you, too, Kazuma.”

_____

a/n: Welcome to my fourth entry for Asoryuu Week 2021! We've moved on from sad Kazuma hours to semi-horny Kazuma hours, I guess? Blame it on Kazuma talking about getting Ryunosuke off and holding his hand over a hot plate and finding ways to shut him up; you can't tell me he's not doing this at least a little bit on purpose. Anyway, I always love writing plotless cuddling fics where they basically talk about nothing. I could've made this way, way longer, easy, but we've still got three more days to go!

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! Likes and reblogs would be much appreciated, and I hope you're all safe and healthy and doing well ❤️

[selfships-in-spanish]

The Queen of Demons 4/?

Pairing: Erwin Smith x OC, Levi Ackerman x OC

Rating: Mature (the rating will go up as the story advances! But it will totally be explicit ;D I even have some smut chapters already half written woooo! But right now just in case)

Warnings: None for now, but sexist and misogynist upbringing (Eva's father is a huge asshole).

Word Count: 8885

ALSO POSTED ON AO3

A/N: FUCKING FINALLY. I was so stuck and had a severe writer's block, but here it is! Part 4! I feel like my writing went down a bit but I hope to make up for it on the next one. Finished, not perfect! I hope you enjoy this one and were we can see a bit more of the vets and the 104 kids ôô

CHAPTER 4: WINTER BLOOM

The pale morning rays of sunlight woke the Princess up, mumbling and turning to her side. Eva heard the distant chirps of birds flying by, as well as the sounds of the village being already busy. The neighing of horses, carts being pulled around, setting up the shops, the rooster screeching…

Wait.

That’s not what she usually woke up to.

Back home she only heard the birds and some maids, especially Flora when she would come barging in and opening the thick curtains of her windows, letting the sun hit right in Princess’ face as she knew how much Eva despised being woken up like this, hollering: “What–”

“–A great morning this is, your Royal Sleepy Highness!”

Ah, there she was.

Eva attempted a reply but curled up further into the duvet and blankets.

“Oh c’mon, Princess! We’ve got a busy day today! Lots of exciting things!”

“Exciting for you.” Eva mumbled covering her head with the thick bedding.

Flora snorted, rolling her eyes. Without any kind of remorse, Flora grabbed the end of the duvet and blankets and unceremoniously pulled them off the Princess, enjoying the irritated groan she let out as Eva tried to blindly find something to cover herself with.

“Rise and shine!” Flora said in a singsong, stepping out of the Princess’ reach as she tried to kick her leg.

“How can you be so happy and chirpy so early in the morning?” Eva gave up, sighing and rolling out of the oddly comfortable bed; Eva fell asleep earlier than she anticipated.

“Oh, spare me the dramatics! We gotta get you to eat breakfast and prepare you for—“

“I’m not hungry.”

“Yeah, sure thing Princess, as if you don’t gobble up like a duck when you are nervous.” Flora handed Eva her robe, guiding her to the bathroom where a basin already filled with water and a cloth awaited her.

Once her morning routine finished, Eva padded to the living room where breakfast had been already served. It smelled heavenly.

“I don’t gobble like a duck.” Eva sat down, huffing displeased.

The Princess served herself some warm bread, eyeing the jams and butter with a watering mouth. Flora set a steaming cup next to her before sitting down in front of the Princess.

“Sorry, not coffee yet.”

Eva sighed.

The Princess cut some more bread for her handmaiden, sharing the spreading knife after she was done with it. On the first bite Eva hummed, satisfied with the taste and texture. Freshly baked bread was the absolute best. Flora leisurely poured sugar over the butter, her smile widening at the sugary mess. Eva frowned, chewing.

“It’s still a wonder how your teeth haven’t rotten out yet.”

“Ah, family thing for sure!” Flora took a heartly bite of the sweet monstrosity in her hands. “Gramps still has his teeth intact and covers everything in sugar when he gets his hands on some.”

Eva’s lips curled into a grimace.

“I love sweets but I don't think that is healthy.”

“You just don’t appreciate the flavour.”

“I sincerely doubt there’s any flavour left in that.” Eva nodded towards Flora’s loaf of bread.

The handmaid shrugged, biting down on it and making a show just to irk the Princess further. Eva exaggerated a gag which made Flora giggle.

Three knocks on the heavy wooden door announced the Eldians coming to pick her up. Eva sighed as she watched Flora stand up from the chair next to the Princess and walk to the door, opening it with a short bow and a smile. Eva sat straighter as the looming and bulky figures of the Eldian warriors came into her view, entering the lodgings provided temporarily for her and her handmaiden. They were the same as yesterday, the giant called Mike, the female warrior that caught her attention, Nanaba, and another man Eva couldn’t remember the name right now.

The three warriors bowed, Nanaba and the other warrior waiting right next to the open door as Mike approached her. The giant warrior waved to the door, the message of “you have to go outside” quite clear in his movements. His face did not give away any of his thoughts, keeping a neutral expression as he watched the Princess stand up and follow him, Flora right behind her with giddy steps.

Flora should have been born a Princess or a noble, her happy and open disposition towards everything and everyone would win anyone over, as well as the way she found happiness in the little things of life. How Eva wished she had Flora’s positive mindset.

“Alright, ready for your big day?” the handmaiden asked in hushed whispers, something both women mastered from years of court banquets.

“Of course not. I want to run right back inside.”

“You’re such a big—” Flora was cut off by Eva’s gasp.

Flora raised her eyes just in time to see the giant warrior leaning way too close to the Princess’ personal space and… sniff. The Princess had turned around, disbelief and stupefaction etched on her face at the nerve this big, brute man had to go sniffing people without… without their consent. Eva found it uncouth, impolite, and her cheeks blazed in indignation.

Mike leaned back, humming, pleased at something Eva wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Nanaba immediately chastised the big man, kicking his leg and nagging at him as he shrugged, crossing his arms and looking slightly guilty. At the scene unfolding right outside the house, people began to stop and watch, and Eva felt her blood run cold at the sound of the Chief’s laugh coming from down the stairs. Hans and Friederich were already there, and the youngest of the two brothers was about to march upstairs, his displeased frown deepening. The Chief nodded to Moblit, motioning him to rush to them and clear misunderstandings. Levi rolled his eyes, clicking his tongue.

“Your Highness, please accept our deepest apologies.” Moblit hastily bowed, an apologetic smile in his lips. “Mike here has this habit of… uh, sniffing people.”

“Is he implying I smell?” Eva’s mouth was pulled into a tight line. Flora did not spend as long as she did grooming her and using those soaps and perfumes Eva loved for this man to mock her handmaiden’s efforts. Besides, she kept her hygiene up to date, thank you very much.

“No! Not at all, Your Highness. Mike has a great and sharp sense of smell, like a… ah, what’s the name... ah, wolf! Like a wolf, and although I do concede that it may be considered rude, he just does it from force of habit.”

Eva raised her brow skeptically.

“He meant no disrespect, Your Highness. It’s his way to say that he uh… he welcomes you.” Moblit ventured a quick glance towards the man in question, muttering something as he almost imperceptibly nodded towards the Princess with wide impatient eyes.

Mike huffed, but muttered something back to Moblit in a deep voice. Next to him, Nanaba nodded, pleased.

“He apologises, Your Highness, and compliments you.” that piqued Eva’s curiosity. “He says you smell comforting, of lavender and honey. That’s something he appreciates, with his sharp sense of smell he can easily get overwhelmed by strong scents.”

“Ah, that must be troublesome.” Eva turned to face Mike and inclined her head. “My apologies for acting harshly.” But Eva still thought her response was totally justified. A warning beforehand would have been nice, and she still had her pride.

Mike answered with one curtly bow of his head of his own.

“Indeed.” Moblit decided the issue was resolved and lifted his arm towards the Chief and the Gottesreichan Princes, watching the whole ordeal with amused expressions sans Friederich. He still looked murderous. “Please, after you, Your Highness.”

That shocked Eva. Normally back at Gottesreich she would walk behind the men and respectfully listen to whoever was talking, and even after visiting other countries, that rule still applied, or maybe they weren’t willing to go against Gottesreich. Either way, Eva was taught to never disrespect its citizens and rulers when visiting foreign kingdoms from her brothers, and the Princess always willed herself to follow the Kingdom’s culture and customs out of respect, despite what her father said on more than one occasion. Her brothers taught her to be respectful, and she would not ignore them, and even less be an embarrassment for her brothers. Summoning with all her will a composed mask on her face, Eva dared to take the lead and walk down the snow covered stairs to where her brothers and Chief awaited. Flora walked right behind her, always keeping a watchful eye to her skirts and cloak, in case they may get in the way.

The crunching of her steps on the snow were deafening for the Princess. Everyone stopped what they were doing to watch. She was used to having all eyes on her, from courts and dances and banquets, from nobles and princes trying to win her father’s good graces, but having the people of Eldia stop and observe every single move she was doing felt suffocating. One slip and she was probably doomed in their eyes.

Eva stopped right in front of the men, bowing respectfully.

“Good morning, my Lord. Brothers.” Moblit’s voice softly translated for the Chief, who didn’t take his eyes away from her the entire descent.

The Chief returned the greeting, bowing as well.

“I hope you had a pleasant sleep, your Highness.”

“I did. Thank you, my Lord.” Eva did not find the need to tell him how she tossed and turned around, her mind restless, musing over yesterday’s events –his touch– or how she missed her pillows back at the palace. The Chief seemed pleased, although there was a glint in his eyes that he most certainly caught the lie. Damn it.

“If there is anything we can offer to help you get settled and to further accommodate you, please do not hesitate to say so, your Highness. I understand it may be unpleasant being so far away from home and your people.” Eva was slightly taken aback at how the Chief seemed to be understanding of her situation, contrary to what she had heard and been told a husband would be once she married. The Princess didn’t want to let her hopes up in case the fall was to be harder than it would already be.

“Thank you for your consideration, my Lord. I will do so in case I need it.” Eva knew she wouldn’t say a thing, her stubbornness always playing against her favour.

The Chief seemed pleased enough with her answer. He turned slightly so he was facing the three Gottesreichan siblings, addressing the rest of the foreign party as well. Moblit translated for them all, and Flora managed to contain her excited hops when the Chief officially announced the start of their walk around the village.

Much to the Princess’ dismay, the Chief had offered up his right arm for her to hold on as they began the tour, an encouraging smile on his lips as if saying “go on, I will not harm you”. Eva had hoped her brothers would keep him distracted enough so she could trail behind and listen, observing her surroundings, but no such luck. It seemed like here in Eldia they weren’t as reticent of closeness as they were in Gottesreich, and women were treated differently.

The Chief was still as big and massive as the Princess remembered from yesterday’s banquet, thinking it was her own nerves and wine that exaggerated her memories, but the way her hands had trouble meeting on the Chief’s arm told her otherwise. The Eldian leader kept a slow pace, mindful of his companion and her shorter legs, as he began explaining their village and the way it was structured.

The Eldian architecture was entirely different from the one used in Gottesreich, as well as the distribution of the village itself. Where Eva was used to narrower streets with houses sharing walls, clustered, messy (although the closer to the castle, the better were planned the streets and districts), mossy cobblestones, puddles around the corners with barrels and wooden crates, the townspeople walking as merchants and shopkeepers yelled their offers to the passersby, pennants hanging from side to side of the streets with the Kingdom’s colours… Here in Eldia the streets were wider, the buildings lower in height which gave a sense of the town being less claustrophobic since you could easily see the scenery and the sky. Wooden fences, dark roofs made of slates, the streets made of the earth itself with grass heartily growing on both sides and wooden planks on the floor to help create a more visible path on certain parts, but one could clearly see the cart’s marks as well as the horses pulling them.

Although everything was covered in thick layers of snow, Eva had no doubts it would be a magnificent sight in spring, with the imposing mountains surrounding the village and the vast fields littered with the farmer’s homes composing a picture deserving of a painting. It was rurally beautiful. Different, more primitive, if she took into consideration her own Kingdom’s ways, but efficient. The Princess was sure this level of coordination would not be able to be achieved without years of honing this lifestyle, and it honestly intrigued her, her curiosity piqued. Eva hoped this curiosity and wonder for the novelty wouldn’t disappear quickly and would stay with her until her situation was more bearable, or grew accustomed to.

Moblit’s gentle voice guided the Gottesreichan guests through the Chief’s explanations, looking at the direction where the Chief pointed with his free hand while speaking, often stopping to further go into details about their dwellings, their storage facilities and barns, the marketplace with the villagers already busy with their daily chores. The town’s market was lively and uniquely beautiful, wooden stalls standing proud with all the goods on display. There was all kinds of variety, going from food to parchment and candles and clothes, to jewelry or tools for butchers or farmers.

The Princess’ heart thumped wildly on her chest, trying her hardest not to show her rising panic at the fact that she was walking around the village on the Chief’s arm, having everyone’s eyes on her as they kept their tour. The villagers stopped their chores midway to stare at them, whispering and chattering as they went through. Some respectfully greeted their Chieftain, mostly the warriors patrolling the streets doing a particular salute upon seeing them, but the villagers smiled and bowed, the children present doing the same as they tried to contain their laughs while not being able to keep their eyes off the scene in front of them. The Chief continued their walk after answering the greetings.

An excited giggle, followed by a shriek of what sounded like a name, startled the guests and their hosts, even. The Gottesreichan soldiers took a defensive stance, ready to pounce on the source of it as well as attack if necessary; their priority was defending the monarch's lives at any costs. Eva couldn’t help the scared jump her body did upon hearing the childish laugh and running steps on frozen ground getting nearer, gasping loudly in fear and tightly clutching the Chief’s arm with her tiny hands as she unconsciously leaned on him, seeking protection.

The Chief was ready to make her stand behind him and face the attacker, but stopped immediately upon seeing it was one of the children from before. The boy had rosy cheeks, the colour intensified by both the running and the cold, and probably the excitement too, and had a wide smile that was missing a few teeth. The kid was holding something in his hands, hidden behind his back, and with the eagerness of a child waiting for the exact moment an adult would pay them attention to show them what they got in their hands, the little boy almost shoved his possession to the Chieftain and the Princess.

Once he saw what the boy had in his hands, the Chief visibly relaxed, shoulders shaking in silent amusement at how a little kid got the best of them all. The Princess still looked uncertain, clutching and pressing herself into him. Eyes wide and breath a little bit short, Eva looked down at the kid’s hands. He was holding a… flower?

A flower in the middle of winter? How was that even possible?

The kid kept his eyes on the Princess, urging her to take his present with quick words and lifting his hands further up, his smile widening. Eva thought herself of a stupid fool. How could she have been scared of a child? What harm could he do? Unless… No, unless nothing. This was a little boy offering a flower, a beautiful one that Eva had never seen before. Father would not tarnish the good intentions of a child.

Upon not having, still, immediate response from the Princess, the kid hopped on his spot, irremediably making Eva show a timid smile; she could never resist a toothy grin and sparkling eyes.

One look at the mother told Eva how this was not planned and how the kid had ran off on his own volition. Everyone on the street stopped dead on their tracks and silently watched the exchange, not even daring to breathe. The mother’s wide eyes jumped from the Princess to the Chief, then to his child, not knowing if she should run and apologise to their guests or wait and have faith in their leader and his soon to be wife.

Eva understood quickly this was to be a decisive moment for her and her stay in Eldia. One wrong movement that led to misinterpretation could be beyond disastrous. She had to be good, she had to fulfill her duty and be a good wife and—

Eva took a deep breath. Focus. Don’t succumb into panic.

Fighting her burning cheeks out of her own embarrasment, Eva let go of her almost deadly grip on the Chief’s arm and faced the little boy alone. Keeping her smile on her lips, Eva approached the child with small steps, stopping right in front of him and elegantly folding her gloved hand on top of the other. The kid kept talking at a dizzying speed, and when he noticed how the Princess furrowed her brows in confusion, while still maintaining her smile, he understood not a word he was saying reached her.

Humming to himself while thinking hard, the kid’s face illuminated itself when an idea came to him. He hastily pointed to the flower and then to the Princess, practically shoving it in her hands. Eva looked down and then up at the kid, pointing at herself with a questioning look. The child nodded effusively, shoving the poor flower again.

Eva couldn’t help the soft chuckle upon his enthusiasm, never being able to resist a kid. The Princess took it, making sure to do a slightly exaggerated bow, lifting slightly the skirts and careful enough to not crumple the flower, so the little boy understood her gratitude. The kid happily ran back to his mother, skipping and laughing as he began talking at that incredible speed while his mother looked beyond relieved. Eva did a curtly bow to her too, trying to show the mother no offence of any kind was taken.

Returning to the Chief’s side, Eva brought the flower to her nose. She always did that whenever she came by one, out of habit, and was surprised by the faint but sweet fragrance it emitted. Eva would have to ask about them, knowing Gottesreich did not have any flowers blooming in winter.

Just when they were about to resume their walk, more excited giggles and shouts could be heard. Other children ran away from their mothers and fathers, holding the same flower in their tiny hands. Eva found herself surrounded by eager eyes and smiles, shoving their flowers up so the Princess would pick them up too. Some would tug at her cloak so she would pick theirs first, others jumping on their spot, other’s patiently waiting their turn as they marvelled on the fabric and embroidery of her pale blue winter dress.

The Princess ended up with a small bouquet of flowers, the children shouting and running happily back to their parents once they delivered their gifts. She did not know what to do with them now, and frantically looked at the Chief and her brothers, then to Flora when her siblings had confused expressions, for a clue. The Chieftain had an amused glint in his eyes, but half his mind was busy thinking about something. Finally, Flora took pity on her Princess and walked up to her with a smile on her lips.

“Let’s show off those gifts, shall we, your Highness?”

Flora expertly secured the flowers on the Princess’s up braid, the pure white and calm blue of the flowers an unexpected but welcome complement to the Princess’s own choice of wardrobe. Moblit later explained, upon inquiring about the flowers herself, that they were a special kind of flower that bloomed on their woods only during the cold season, earning the name of “winter miracle”. It also symbolized the welcoming of new people into their tribe, as its sister in the warmer weather.

Eva was touched, knowing not that those kids wanted to welcome her upon hearing she was to become one of them soon. The Princess only wished the adults would have the same feelings towards her.

Thankfully the walk around the village suffered no more incidents and surprises, and Eva was able to delight herself on the market and what it had to offer; she definitely had to go there often and take her sweet time. The quills looked absolutely exquisite, and those were the famous travelling books she heard so much about! Even the jeweller had a beautiful selection of earrings, bracelets, necklaces and rings that the Princess had no idea the Eldians were capable of such craftsmanship. She particularly liked the brooch with the silhouette of a bird resting on a golden branch, the gold of the bird expertly mixed with beautiful midnight blue gemstones, resembling feathers. Also the hairpins! They were absolutely marvelous. The jeweller himself was both pleased and proud that the Gottesreichan Princess liked his products.

Their next destination amazed and terrified the Gottesreichan guests.

Eldia’s military prowess was legendary, and right now, they had its base and core right in front of them. The training grounds were a massive expanse of terrain, with barracks, thoroughly used wooden dummies, racks full of well-cared training weapons of all kinds, archery ranges, horse-riding training fields… and each and every single space was filled to the brim with warriors and trainees.

It was frightening to see how Eldia’s army was composed of perfectly trained warriors with wide expertise in the arts of combat. Not a movement wasted, not a single error in the placement of their feet to maintain balance. Strength, power, endurance, knowledge— every skill needed to become a perfect warrior, it was taught here in the massive training fields.

The Chief walked them right through the training grounds, nodding towards the warriors and fresh trainees who ceremoniously saluted him and the entourage he was leading. It was the same salute the Gottesreichan guests had seen in their entire walk around the unexpectedly gigantic village: right hand closed in a fist over their hearts, left hand on the back, and a proud stance full of tenacity and devotion. The newest recruits surprised the royal siblings, full of young faces who couldn’t be older than 15, but with a fierce determination to learn and to prove themselves. All sizes, shapes and forms– if you were up to it, were ready to go through an intense training, it did not matter who you were: a farmer’s son, a baker’s daughter… if you dedicated your heart, trained hard and understood what values had an Eldian warrior, what a life meant, you were fit to become one.

They stopped to observe the fresh batch that just started training a few months back go through a hand to hand combat. The instructor, a tall and intimidating man, bald with prominent wrinkles on his forehead and very notorious dark circles under his eyes, yelled out orders to the recruits. Some flinched, some fought every fibre of their beings into not taking a step back –a few of them failing–, but some stood their ground with confident and resolved stares, bearing down the drilling of the grim and frightening man.

Upon seeing that their Chief, the veteran warriors and the Gottesreichan guests where watching them, the recruits swallowed down their fears and tried to impress their leaders and royal guests, trying to make a good and fearsome impression of what the Eldian training grounds and warriors were made of. Punches, kicks, throwing the opponent on the floor… the field became a controlled battlefield of snarls, growls and frustrated shouts that developed into determined grunts. The recruits’ clothes soon became soiled by a mix of sweat and dirt, as a result of their vigorous and energetic try of today’s exercises.

The Princess did not dare to voice it aloud, in fear of her thoughts being perceived as a critique and direct attack on the Eldian ways, but her heart shrank inside her chest at the sight of what must be the smallest, tiniest of the new recruits, a blonde girl with wide blue eyes like the sky above, go against a trainee twice her size. Eva involuntarily clenched her hands in apprehension on the Chief’s arm, eyes not able to look away from the imminent tragedy. She was too tiny to be there! That poor girl was surely to be beaten into a pulp, taken advantage of the fact that she was much weaker, much more smaller–

A large hand squeezed her tightly clasped ones, making the Princess tear away her concerned gaze, even if she thought it was impossible for her to do so, to look down and see the Chief’s one bury her own. The Princess immediately searched for the Chief’s eyes, surprised at how he was already gazing down on her and had a small reassuring smile on his lips, nodding towards the training field. Eva looked straight ahead, just in time to see the petite girl dodge and deliver a solid punch to her opponent, making the cadet stagger backwards and clutch their stomach in pain. It was still far from being perfect and devastatingly powerful, as Eldians were known for, but it was good enough for a start and for the tiny warrior’s size. A small breath of relief released itself from the Princess’ lungs.

It still shocked Eva to the core to see women amongst the military ranks and files of Eldia, and nobody questioning it. Apparently there weren’t any kind of laws to forbid them to enlist, or to do any other job that back in Gottesreich it was meant only for men. How could they do it? How could those brave women endure it? Eva had always been taught how them, the lesser, weaker sex, could not what a man could do, just because God said so in his holy words. Father was the High Priest of Gottesreich, Father preached the word of God, the Holy Scriptures, that he made memorise Eva the moment she began her intense training as the third Princess of Gottesreich. It was so deeply ingrained in her mind that the mere thought of thinking herself above a man and their role made the Princess want to get on her knees and beg for forgiveness from her God.

How far did the dissimilarities run between their nations? How could Father entrust her with his desire to enlighten the Eldians into the correct, pious path? Just the simple thought of questioning her husband-to-be and his ways chilled her entire body and soul. She just… couldn’t. Her father’s will confused Eva.

But still, deep down inside her, locked down and not even daring to let it see the light, she couldn’t help but to… envy them. Envy their freedom of choice, of options, of life. Could she ever be like them? Aspire to have their wide range of choices? Alternatives? Could she choose her own path? She had been taught since she was a little girl that she would spend her life in a home, with her husband and a child in her arms. Not travelling, not expanding knowledge, or meeting new people and cultures… Everything Father and the Governess told her reminded little Eva of a bird cage. Pretty, comfortable, enough to see what was beyond the bars… but a cage.

She learned to accept her fate quickly, not daring to cross Father ever again in her life.

Eva knew she was born in a privileged home. A castle. A Princess. Never hungry, never cold, only the best of the best for her. It only took a quick look beyond the capital to see how privilege fed and took care of her. All her whims and wishes met without hesitation. Not a single patch to fix on her dresses, her hairbrush not missing a single bristle and made of the best silver— a perfect, content life. All you have to do is your duty, Father said. Do what you were born to do. Your only purpose.

Make me proud of being your Father.

Bring glory to the Holy Kingdom.

She was made to be bred, she was made to bear children, heirs, she was made to be a leverage for deals, a bargain chip, as her mind whispered to her in her darkest moments, to bring prosperity and glory to the Holy Kingdom of Gottesreich. She was… She was…

“Your Highness?”

The Princess was brought back to the present by Moblit’s placid voice and the Chief’s gentle tug, as if she had been rooted there, staring at the warriors, and getting lost in her troubles instead of following her fiancé and Eldian hosts. They were staring at her. Everyone. At least it felt like everyone, even the animals. Her breath had caught in her lungs, her throat a hard knot she forced herself to swallow before speaking.

“My deepest apologies, my Lords.” Eva’s mind scrambled to find an appropriate excuse for her lack of manners and being caught zoning out. “I did not mean any disrespect by my actions or to show an unwillingness to follow this pleasant walk. I was simply transfixed by your warriors, admiring their tenacity and will.”

What a load of bullshit.

They all seemed to buy it. Not Flora, though. She could see right through Eva as if she had been made of glass. Her handmaiden would probably ask her about it later in the privacy of their own lodgings, but let it go for now, knowing it was no use to inquire about it in the middle of the village tour, even less in front of their hosts.

They resumed the walk, passing through the training grounds before turning to their right, strolling until they reached one of the biggest houses of the village. Moblit informed them it was where the sick and injured were taken care of. A house for the sick, a hospital. Gottesreich had its own physicians and doctors, but never a house dedicated for the sick, the poor. Eva knew the Palace had their own royal physicians, dedicated only to them, and the people needed to rely on the town’s doctors.

Eva wondered how did this hospital work. Did they dedicate a part of the taxes to it? Was it free? What remedies did they use? What—

One of the windows was slammed open, an excited yell coming out of it. Moblit let out a tired sigh, mumbling in Eldian, as if he knew exactly what was that about. Levi spoke too, the tone in his voice denoting annoyance. Eva felt the Chieftain chuckle, answering his right-hand man with something that made Levi snort.

A head poked out of the window, messy brown hair tied up in a scrambled ponytail. The stranger kept shouting, excited, continuous noises of delight coming out of their mouth. The person noticed the small entourage right down their window, and quieted down instantly, curious as to who were the ones standing there. Then, another excited screech, lurching their body almost out of the window as they enthusiastically waved down. Moblit let out a strangled noise, uselessly raising his arms as if he wanted to catch the over excited person dangling off the window.

Eva discreetly looked to her side, looking for an answer or explanation in the Chief’s eyes, but he was looking up with an amused smile. She used his distraction to look behind her, finding the exact confused expression on her handmaiden and brother’s faces. The Princess saw Flora quietly shrug her shoulders, and she was so tempted to join her, but refrained in case the Eldians caught her and found it impolite. The person on the window shouted something and disappeared inside, sounds of furniture being moved around reaching their ears. Moblit groaned, rubbing his temples.

A few minutes later the same person who had half their body out of the window came out from the main doors of the hospital. Levi discreetly stepped away, not wanting to be involved with the newcomer and the imminent events. He really wanted to go back to the privacy and tranquility of his own home, drink a nice cup of tea…

An excited exclamation followed by a strident laugh broke Levi’s long desired daydream. He watched their eccentric approach, wondering how their guests would react to them. Judging by how the delicate Princess gasped at anything that came running and loud, Levi guessed it would not go right. Mike silently joined him, crossing his arms as he, too, observed the catastrophe about to happen.

“Bets?” Mike’s low murmur made Levi snort.

“She will freak out.” Levi turned his head to amusedly stare at his fellow warrior. “Like she did with you.”

Mike scoffed, crossing his arms.

“C’mon, not you too. And I say she doesn’t, just to spite you.”

“Hah! Serves you right, you big-nosed moose.” Levi’s gaze fell back to the front.

“It was not my intention.” it truly hadn’t been. He couldn’t help it, Mike trusted his nose, knowing his instincts never failed him before. He had to know.

“Just, don’t go sniffing people.”

“I will not make such promises.” Mike’s lips curled into a smile, proud at the way he managed to make Levi’s shoulders briefly shake.

Both warriors kept watching the scene in front of them, with Moblit trying to save the situation from their beloved doctor’s clutches, quickly directing their attention to himself and his words. Everybody knew that Moblit had a reserved spot on their Goddesses’ paradise; nobody worked as hard as him, and was as skilled to manage the village’s resident genius doctor.

“Your Highnesses, it is my pleasure to introduce you to our doctor, Hange Zoë. They are the head of the hospital and–”

“IT IS PLEASURE TO MEET, HIGHNESSESES!” Hange cut the poor and exasperated Moblit out, excitedly looking from one sibling to the other. The royal hosts were surprised at the doctor’s broken Gottesreichan attempt, albeit enthusiastic.

Flora successfully covered an amused snort. Ardor! Fervor! Passion! Flora admired that in a person, and for now, Doctor Hange Zoë managed to catch her attention. The handmaiden was sure she could learn interesting things from this eager physician, and secretly wanted to see how Eva would react. It reminded her of her first week as the Princess’ handmaiden, chasing a scared and overwhelmed Eva down the corridors as she tightly clutched one of her precious books, wanting to volt out of any situation that involved a loud and chatty girl following her everywhere. Flora realises know that she had been a little bit insensitive to her poor friend, but in her defense she just wanted her Princess to live.

The eccentric doctor went from sibling to sibling, offering their hand for them to shake. Prince Hans took it surprisingly well, smiling warmly and shaking the offered hand with what would be considered a perfect grip, confident and secure, while Hange still kept letting out broken gottesreichan, not giving any thought to the mistakes. Friederich was confused, and as such, shook his hand with the same sentiment as he was feeling; the second Prince felt as if a strong wind knocked him out of his feet and all he could say was “huh?”.

But ah, Eva. Poor Eva. She had brief flashes of her childhood with Flora, of an overexcited girl running after her as she talked, and talked, and talked… until Eva began to enjoy her extroverted nature and secretly thanked her for dragging her out of her room or the library. But still, Doctor Hange Zoë managed to scare the living daylights out of her with their excited gasp and sparkling eyes. Eva clutched the Chief’s arm in a deathly grip for the second time that day.

Hange offered their hand out too, but then seemed to think about it. Did princesses shake hands too? Was it protocol? Well, Hange never truly cared about protocols, to be honest, Moblit usually took care of that. So maybe it was too forward? Should Hange bow? Did they thoroughly screw up in their eagerness–?

Eva raised her hand and took Hange’s as her brothers did, Forcing herself to paint a warm smile on her lips.

Her father and governess’ voices were screaming inside her head, louder than her own heartbeat. How dare you shake hands with a commoner, you, a princess of Gottesreich? A princess should never shake hands! Commoners must bow, must kneel, must–

“The pleasure is mine, doctor Zoë. I am afraid I do not know any word of Eldian yet, but thank you for your efforts. I hope to learn soon.” Eva would follow her brothers’ lead for now, as they discussed on their journey to Eldia. Father was not here. Father did not understand. If Eva was to settle here to start a new life and end it here, she could not start fights and discontent because of her father’s pride. It was the smart thing to do.

The coarseness of her father always upsetted her, even if she swallowed her discontent, not wanting to repeat that night.

Hange’s uncertain face instantly turned into a bright smile. They didn’t screw up! The doctor turned to say something to the Chief, who in return gained a brief smile. Then, Hange returned their attention to the siblings.

Levi was rendered speechless. He lost the stupid bet! Levi was sure the Princess would freak out upon Hange’s overly enthusiastic greetings, judging by how she had reacted earlier with Mike and his antics. He didn’t dare to turn to his left to see Mike’s moronic moustache smiling smugly at him.

“You owe me.” Mike’s grin could be heard in his voice.

“Shut up, you giant tree.” Damn it!

“Want come in? Show house?” Hange signaled to the main entrance of the Hospital, already thinking about the tour they would take the royal siblings and show how amazing their inventions and discoveries had been.

Should Eva say yes? No, that was arrogant of her, she couldn’t decide on a whim what or what to not do, even less without consulting it with her brothers or the Eldian leader. Didn’t the Eldians also have an itinerary already made for today? The people on the streets and outside the hospital were staring at them, curious about the scene in front of them. Eva was getting nervous. their stares were suffocating her, their attention adding more weight on her, her mind scrambling to find an appropriate response–

Moblit intercepted before Eva could begin, quickly saving the moment.

The Princess was grateful for it, feeling the weight of the decision on her shoulders diminish; she restrained her relieved sigh from escaping her lips, though. Moblit would handle it, thank God above! With a pang of pity in her heart, Eva watched Hange go from thrilled to crestfallen as Moblit spoke. Now she felt bad, knowing for sure they had the best intentions in their heart. Maybe the detour wasn’t that bad…?

But Hange immediately returned to their cheerful self.

“Must come other day! Question Erwin about it!” Hange clasped Eva’s hand in theirs, that exhilarated spark back in their eyes. “Must show you fun things!”

Eva pressed her lips into a tight, nervous smile and nodded, hoping it would be enough to quench Doctor Hange’s eagerness. Too forward! Too forward! Was this also an eldian thing? It seemed to do the trick, as they went back inside the hospital when an assistant called them from the door and enthusiastically waved goodbye.

“Apologies, your Highnesses.” Moblit deserved a raise and long vacations. It had been only a day, but it was clear for the gottesreichan guests that the poor man dealt with a lot, and it seemed that Doctor Hange occupied 80% of it. “I must ask for you to forgive Doctor Hange’s lack of protocol and take no offence by it. The Doctor really enjoys meeting new people and telling about their discoveries and new remedies.”

“No offense taken, Moblit. I’m sure Doctor Hange can make it up to us by showing us what they are so excited for, right?” Hans was genuinely interested, always asking the doctors and physicians back at the palace about everything, going as far as reading some books, although he understood half of it. He truly wanted to know Doctor Hange’s thoughts.

“Honestly, I’m curious now.” Friederich scratched his nose, mumbling. Hans sniggered, lowering his voice so only his brother and her sister’s handmaiden could hear him.

“You, willing to listen to non-battle-related things? Who are you and where is my dear brother?” Flora snickered, covering her mouth.

“Oi!” Friederich’s ears went red at the tips.

“We will have to come tomorrow, then.”

Moblit approached them, always with his calm smile on his face.

“May we continue, your Highnesses?”

Only when they resumed their tour, hearing Moblit talk with her brothers and the Eldian warriors escorting them, did Eva realise how Doctor Hange was wearing glasses.

Saying Eva was scared was not enough. Terrified? Frightened? Petrified? There was no adjective to describe the sheer terror those beasts instilled inside her heart. Those were not horses. No horse could be that monstrous size. Nope. No way.

She didn’t even reach the horse’s chest! And even one leg was as thick as her whole body! How did they even suppose she could get on one of them?

They were led to the village’s stables, where the stable hands and grooms had horses ready with their saddles. Each one of them had a different saddle pad, beautiful Eldian embroidery and motifs of golden and white thread on a teal fabric, most of them resembling the ones from the village’s houses, the themes of the needle work being mostly of mother nature herself. The leather of the saddles were beautifully taken care of, going from darker to lighter tints of brown, no doubt the artisans made a good work of the dyes and its delicate processes.

The horses looked healthy, robust and ready to be ridden by their masters. If Eva wasn’t as scared as she was, she would be admiring the animals and the pure strength they exuded.

Friederich was getting more invested into this part of the tour than the previous one. Yes, Eldia was beautiful and curiously different, but for Friederich, it was still boring; he had never been good at diplomacy and pleasantry visits. He had always heard of Eldia’s monstrous steeds, and was delighted to see such enormous and sturdy stallions, powerfully built and vigorous. You could see the raw power in them, and couldn’t wait to see what it felt to ride one of them. Maybe he could convince the Eldian Chief to trade some… Surely his enemies would piss themselves upon seeing a beast such as this charging against them. Yeah, maybe he could, preferably at the evening banquet. Now was not the time.

This was an important ritual for the Eldians.

Moblit gracefully explained how this was considered crucial when two souls got engaged in Eldia. Hunting was part of their culture, a huge one, and they would not bring shame to their traditions and ancestors. It was an art, and the Eldians deeply respected nature and what it provided for humankind, so the solemn air was palpable. For Eldians this was a trial, also. Those who proposed to their lovers would have to hunt a magnificent piece for their betrothed, to both show that they could provide for them and also have the strength, patience, wit and endurance used in hunting that would prevail in their lives.

Since the Chief was getting engaged to the Princess, he had to prove himself to her, so she would accept and approve of her future husband. This ritual held even more importance for who was performing it, and the villagers were actually curious about how well would their Chief perform; sadly, some couples had to use all three attempts to succeed. They hoped the Chief would succeed at his first try.

For Eva, it was basically a show to see how much of a peacock the man could be, not that different from those in court who would fawn themselves and their achievements to win her hand, and what came with it. Bitter? Maybe so. She was just tired of men, but would respect the Eldian tradition. After all, traditions were traditions, and one should always honour them, no matter what.

For Flora, it was just like her beloved romantic novels. A man proving their worth to their beloved? Man versus Beast? Oh, how she wished that for herself! Maybe one day she would find love here, in Eldia. Who knew what the future awaited for her?

“As tradition says,” Moblit spoke. “The future bride and groom must ride together, as the willingness of their souls to start a new journey.”

Eva froze.

No way.

No.

There had to be a mistake. She thought she would ride in a small carriage with Flora, as the men rode and discussed their matters. Her dress wasn’t suited for riding!

On cue, one of the stable hands brought a magnificent white stallion, it’s crest carefully brushed and not a single tangle and bit of dirt on it. It was bigger than the other horses, robust, and Eva understood now what people meant when they said pets and horses resembled their owners: a horse truly fit for a Chief; it had to be his judging by the proud look the man had on his eyes.

The beast patiently stood right in front of them, not showing an ounce of nervousness or uneasiness. How Eva wished she felt the same. She just wanted to bolt right out of there.

The Princess felt the Chief turn towards her, and automatically released her hold on his arm, although he kept her hand in his, gently guiding her towards the Chief’s own stallion. Eva didn’t want to get closer, even less mount on it. She was terrified! They stood in front of the beast’s head, admiring the noble profile and long golden lashes it had. Eva saw the Chief affectionately gaze at his horse, giving it a tender stroke on its muzzle. He looked back at Eva, inviting her to do the same, but the Princess remained rooted, frozen on the spot. The Chief nudged her to pet the stallion’s head by lifting her hand himself, slowly, always watching her reactions closely— the Chieftain knew he was pushing her, but Erwin believed this would help her lose a little bit of her fearful first impression.

Eva watched, between a mix of horror and wonder, how her gloved fingers brushed the horse’s muzzle, its heat warming up her palm. The stallion didn’t even flinch at the change, letting itself be pet. Eva was amazed, transfixed, not even aware of the Chief’s gaze on her. Slowly, a sensation of relief washed all over her body, feeling more secure now that the beast showed no trace of nervousness upon seeing a new face. Eva even let herself release a small smile, even though her heart was still pounding fiercely inside her chest.

More horses were brought to them, each warrior taking the reins of their own steed, as well as new horses for the Princes to ride. Friederich was beyond excited, eyes going from head to rear of the enormous beast he was lent to ride. He looked like a child in a candy shop back at the Capital.

Everyone waited for the Chief to mount first, as tradition dictated. The solemn air felt like a pressing stone on the Princess, not truly knowing what she was supposed to do besides having to ride with him. Should she say something? Perform a certain move? But the Princess stood rooted there, letting her never-fading anxiety begin to swallow whole again.

The Chief prepared himself to mount on, grabbing the pommel with his left hand and easily hoisting himself up when he set his foot on the stirrup. Every move he did looked effortless, as if even a child could do that with their eyes closed. If they thought Eva could achieve such levels, they were going to be thoroughly disappointed. The Chief extended his hand to the Princess, signaling her to come closer and join him on the horse.

The question is: how the hell is she supposed to get on it?

Moblit did not give any clues or hints about it, and everyone respectfully watched as the Princess approached the Chief with small steps. The Eldian leader never looked away from her, and she truly reminded him of a scared fawn.

What came next was a blur for the Princess. One moment she was standing right beside the Chief, timidly taking his hand and raising her other one to try to reach the pommel as the Chief did, her foot raising too to set on the lowered stirrup, and on the next moment Eva found herself being lifted as if she weighted nothing, strong arms pulling her up, easily turning her so she sat astride the horse with her back pressed against his chest.

Eva couldn’t focus on anything but the feel of his broad and strong chest snugly pressed against her back, despite the layers of thick clothing and cloaks between them. Eva did not pay attention to everyone else getting on their horses, or how Friederich couldn’t help the boyish grin on his lips, or how Flora turned beet red when she was made to mount on the same horse as the second Prince of Gottesreich, her confident and self-assured attitude gone for a moment. She couldn’t, not with how the Chief righted her stance with gentle hands, or how he straightened her own dress skirts and cloak without being prompted to do so, or how he guided her gloved hands to the crest and horn, so she had something to hold on to, even if the arms that caged her in wouldn’t let her slip and fall. The cold was forgotten for a moment, as well as her nervous tension.

Prompting the beast to an easy gait, the Chief led the party outside the stables and onto the main street. That’s when Eva snapped out of her trance and quickly ventured a look towards her handmaiden, seeing her grip the crest of the horse she was on with red cheeks. Both women crossed looks, twin bewildered expressions greeting each other. Eva silently cheered for her friend, but was too occupied herself with her own troubles to even waggle her eyebrows to tease her handmaiden.

This was going to be a long day.

The main street greeted them with the eldian villagers gathered on the sides of it, creating a passageway of curious and expectant faces. Everyone looked like they were waiting for a signal, eyes glued to the Chief’s horse and its riders, fingers and feet fidgeting. When the Chief and the Princess passed the first bystanders, the whole wide street exploded into cheers and shouts and blue.

The villagers threw flowers on them and the horses’ hooves, smiling and clapping as they passed by. Eva recognised the winter flowers from before, the same she wore now on her braid, and watched the villagers cover the entire street in a mantle of blue and white. The Chief did not turn to greet or answer them, keeping his head and eyes straight ahead in a solemn show of respect towards their faith in him. That’s when Eva understood this was part of the hunting ritual too, bidding farewell and good luck to the couple about to engage in the ritual. So, to not be disrespectful towards their culture and traditions, Eva did the same, looking straight ahead towards the main gate, into the sky blue path. A flash of the Chieftains’ eyes crossed her mind. The same blue.

It truly was a beautiful sight.

[quirklessidiot]

Title: wine nights [coward series au]  Pairing: F!Reader x Miya Atsumu Genre: fluff, parents au, slice of life au  Synopsis: in which the older Miya twins and you have a heart to heart talk over wine.

Warnings: brief mentions of trauma

notes;

highly suggest to read the series for more understanding but either ways be my guest and just read it as a standalone if ya want to. also um the taglist has been closed ever since chap 7 was out so im really sorry :( 

happy 415 followers btw uwu. will be releasing my kita angst fic next week to celebrate a new milestone.

read the series here!  [ ss;; one, two, three, four ]

Osamu admits that you and him never saw eye to eye back in college (actually it was mostly him), it only took a worse turn when you left his twin. Now that he knows that the person you loved was actually his twin and that the father was the said person, he takes it back.

Yep, he takes it all back.

After profuse apologies and numerous deadpan responses from you saying that it was alright. You sort-of developed a weird friendship? He’d tell jokes and you’d just give him a blank expression and shake your head as if you were disappointed to be in the same room as him.

You always invited him and Daiki to your home every week on Sunday dinners though, he’s glad to be a part of it. He’s getting to know you a bit more and he’s slowly starting to understand why his brother loves you a lot.

The night is young and Atsumu is in the kids room, putting them to bed while you get ready for wine night. The younger Miya twin sits at the counter and nibbles on the cheese crackers as he watches you dry the dishes, “Has ‘tsumu ever told you how he first met you?” he suddenly asks out loud, curious if you knew how whipped his twin was for you and how much power you held over him.

You turn to the grey-haired twin with a plate on one hand and a dish towel on the other, “I don’t believe he or Shion-san has ever mentioned it.”

He chuckles, of course they wouldn’t. It was usually kept in the dark then and because of your strained relationships towards them when you were in college, they never actually got to tell you the story.

“He saw you one day, earlier in the school year…”

“He did mention that one time.” your forehead creases as you remember a fleeting conversation you had back then.

“Yeah, he kind of fell in love with you at first sight, Y/N.” his twin chuckled, “Sounds crazy right?”

Growing up, Osamu knows that his brother had attitude problems so imagine his shock and surprise when his twin called him up on a random night and started talking about this girl. This girl who barely paid him any attention at all.

Osamu recounts his thoughts then, how cruel fate would be for his twin to fall in love with a girl who paid him no mind when he had many others on his beck and call. He recalls how he’d call his brother a masochist, telling him to stop the fruitless chase towards you because you barely gave a time of day to Atsumu even if it was clear that he was completely and utterly enamored by you. 

Well, it ended happily for the both of you. Stable careers, dreams reached, happy family, and adorable kids. 

Son of a bitch, the old Osamu would be given a run for his money if he saw what had happened to you two now.

“That must’ve been a long time, then.”

“Oh, trust me.” Osamu breathed out, taking a sip of his wine, “It was only the first few months of the school year that time, Y/N. He says he saw you all the time but he could never pluck out the courage to actually go and talk to you.”

“Hm.” You mused, “I always thought that Atsumu had women hanging by his shoulder.”

Osamu chokes at the idea of Atsumu being a player, “Before he met you, it’s always been about volleyball. The idiot would go so far as insult the girls when they’d disrupt practice.”

“Huh,” you blink, “Was I his first girlfriend then?”

“Not exactly.” Osamu drawls, tapping his chin, “‘tsumu would say yes to girls but he never really knew what being a boyfriend was, he never hung out with the girls he said yes so it never really was a relationship. Hence why he’s got a reputation as a player.”

Osamu recounts even one time how annoyed his brother was when one of his ‘girlfriends’  came to their matches and screamed out his name when he did serves.

“She was fucking annoying,” Atsumu grumbles, walking in the middle of his brother’s tale and casting his twin a look, “Although I do wish that Y/N would come to my games. You never did come to any of them back when I was in college.”

“I was trying to graduate early.” you deadpan, placing the last dish on the dish rack to join them on the table.

“You’re forgiven, sweetheart.” He fakes a coo, making you roll your eyes as you pour yourself a glass.

“Atsumu tells me that he’s never smooth around you.”

“He isn’t.” you glazed, “Back in college when I gave him a tuna flavored onigiri as thanks after our meeting at the frat party, he had a nosebleed.”

Osamu chokes on his drink, “What the hell, ‘tsumu?” he barked, howling in laughter at his twin.

Atsumu would never deny the fact that what we had towards you was a school boy crush at first, he’d always be a nervous mess or his brain would cease to function whenever you came by then in college. He couldn’t put two and two together too, when you simply gave him one word replies, he’d be lost immediately. Not knowing what to say, all the charisma and overconfidence he had went down the drain by your curt replies.

What would anyone expect, really?

He’s never had crushes on anyone growing up.

The idea of putting time and effort towards something that wasn’t volleyball disgusted him yet here he was now, completely whipped for you and the brats while putting volleyball on second.

My, my how the tables have turned.

“You were really hard to talk to then, sweetheart.” He murmurs, “For the record, Y/N was the very first girl I asked out and you didn’t exactly make it easy after. I was thinking I was going to fail after those countless rejections.”

“You’re more pushy than Daiki, I’d have to admit. The guy stopped after his third rejection.”

Osamu raises a brow, he knows of your situation, Atsumu has mentioned it in passing but hasn’t gone into full detail about it but he’s curious, Daiki’s been around longer after all, “He’s known you longer than, ‘tsumu. Probably even deeper back then, how come you never ended up with him?”

Atsumu blinks and turns toward you, he’s curious too, Daiki has even openly admitted that he proposed to you seven years ago after knowing about the kids but you rejected him yet again (that was the last and final attempt)

You swirl the wine around, thinking of a proper response, “To be honest, I don’t know.” you answered, pondering as you turn towards Atsumu, “I just- it never felt right.”

Osamu whistles, “Dang, you just love my twin too much too. I take it back, yer both simps for each other, it's sickening.”

Atsumu lets out a childish tongue out in which he is replied by a middle finger from his other half.

You three continue to talk about random things and after deeming himself too sleepy and needing to open shop early tomorrow, Osamu says his goodbyes.

You sat in front of your vanity as you did your nightly routine, brushing and untangling the tangles of your hair after you showered and changed to a comfortable bedroom attire.

Atsumu exits the shower half naked as usual, his hair damp as he ruffles the towel on it, he slowly approaches your side and dips down to kiss your naked shoulder, “Hey Y/N.” his voice is muffled and vibrating through your skin.

You hummed a reply, still brushing your hair.

“Why didn’t you marry Daiki?”

You paused mid-action and raised a brow at his sudden question, turning to him as he suddenly stood up straighter with his hand now replacing his lips, “Are you jealous?”

“Of course not,” he grumbles, he’s been married to you for two years already and everyday’s like a honeymoon phase that doesn’t end, why would he be jealous of that scrub? as if, “I’m just curious. The idiot’s good looking, rich, good with kids, and a full package. A blind man could admit that.”

“You're a full package too.” 

Atsumu narrows his eyes and shakes his head in disappointment, as if he was saying, really?

You chuckle in a low voice, “Because he’s like my psychiatrist, Atsumu.” You simply said, shaking your head as you turn back to the mirror, “Unlike you, Daiki found out about it accidentally and we weren’t on good terms before that when we were kids. He became nicer so you could say that we became friends because he pitied me.”

Atsumu blinks for a moment, taken aback by your explanation. 

“Growing up, the anxiety would eat me up that Daiki’s friendship and feelings all stemmed because he pitied me. You could never build a decent relationship with that, it wouldn’t be healthy.” you continued then you turned to him, “Remember what I said to you then? How I felt when I was with you?”

Atsumu slowly nods.

“You didn’t pry and that was probably the best and worst thing you ever did throughout our relationship in college.” You smiled softly, “I was never ready to tell you then and you didn’t force me at all. You just kept staying and loving me without knowing anything to the point where I took advantage of it.”

“Y/N-” He dryly starts, knowing where this is going.

“I know I shouldn’t apologize but it was toxic, atsumu.” You softly said, laughing, “I’m really sorry.”

“Well you gave your forgiveness in the form of kids and being my wife until I die, I think it turned out pretty well in the end.”

You cast him a glare in which he immediately raises his two hands, “Hey, we both had our downplays in the relationship. We’re not perfect, sweetheart.” he reassures you as he walks up to you and grabs a hold of your hand with a wedding ring on it, “But we try to improve, learn,and be the best for each other and for those two brat- i mean kids. ”

He proceeds to entangle your fingers with his, “I don’t regret it, ya know.”

“Yeah. I know.”

“I don’t regret hanging onto that girl who barely gave me the time of her day then. I don’t regret seeing ya on that random spring day where you give yourself heart palpitations or better yet, I don’t regret everything. I don’t regret any of that. I’d do that shit again if I get to be here now.” He reassures you, he never gets tired to remind you of that as he squeezes your hands.

You cut the serious moment with a laugh, Atsumu is happy these days because of how easy it is for you to be like this around him, “You’re batshit crazy.”

“I was expecting a confession too.” He feigned hurt, “You wound me, sweetheart.”

“You kind of are though.” You stop laughing,wiping the little tears on the side of your eyes, “You’re probably the only person who’d come back after that wretched heartbreak.”

“And you’re the only person who I’d do that to.” Atsumu sticks his tongue out as he tugs you to your shared bed, “Jus’ so ya know, Y/N. You’re impossibly hard to forget. If we never did end up together or if you ended up with Daiki, I think I’d focus on volleyball for the rest of my life.”

“I doubt it.”

Yet Atsumu doesn’t reply and just kisses your lips goodnight as he drags you back to bed, what you didn’t know was that he was telling the truth.

It was just you, the kids, and volleyball (and his brother).

taglist [officially closed, if you guys want to be removed for the side stories, feel free to tell me hehe ilyasm and thank you once again, coward wouldn’t be possible without all you people + other readers]

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@misosamu  @Etherynaw  @ryaaaax @allysasteaparty   @mikaashi  @brownie0food @ph10xy  @Chocolaterumble [hi, i can’t seem to tag u guys, i think you need to open your tags uwu]

[suituuup]

pieces - chapter three

Five years ago, Chloe dropped off the face of the Earth. Beca sees her again in the most unexpected place.

rated: E for drug use and sex scenes

AO3 LINK

*

“Bec?” 

Beca hummed absentmindedly, blinking out of her daze and twisting her head in the direction of the voice. 

Sarah smiled gently as she leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen. She cocked an eyebrow, giving a pointed look towards the sink. “I think the pan is clean.” 

Beca glanced down, stilling her movements. She had been scrubbing that pan for probably ten minutes now, her thoughts completely consumed by Chloe and what she was supposed to do next. 

Chloe clearly didn’t want to see her, and Beca wasn’t going to wait by the phone when it was clear that Chloe was far from okay. She was thinner than Beca remembered, and the look in her eye, the lack of light in those once bright blues, chilled Beca to the bone. 

She looked… broken. As though her spirit had repeatedly been battered until all that was left were mere pieces of her old self. 

If there were any left at all.

Beca couldn’t stand the thought of not doing anything, and she needed to come up with a plan to help Chloe without driving her into a corner and risk losing her forever. 

“What’s going on?” Sarah questioned, pushing off the doorframe and padding over. She rested her hand between Beca’s shoulder blades, her eyebrows knitted together in concern. “You’ve seemed off today.” 

Beca released a sigh, setting the pan down into the sink and reaching for the dishtowel laying next to her on the counter to dry her hands. “I’m sorry, I’m just… worried about a friend.” 

Sarah nodded slowly. “Do you want to talk about it?” 

Sarah was unexpected, to say the least. Beca was a workaholic, and her career was too time-consuming for her to get into the whole dating thing. But Sarah, who happened to work as a barista in Beca’s favorite independent coffee shop, had somehow managed to convince Beca to go out with her. One dinner surprisingly turned into a second date, then a third, and it just like that, it had been almost a year since they officially got together. 

Sarah was gentle, patient, understanding, overflowing with positivity, but most of all, incredibly kind. She reminded Beca of Chloe, sometimes. And maybe it was those similar personality traits that drew Beca to her in the first place. 

They didn’t live together. Beca could feel that it was the next expected step on her girlfriend’s end, but she didn’t feel ready to commit, yet. She liked her own space, her solitude. So Sarah spent a few nights a week at Beca’s place, like tonight, and Beca was fine with that. 

“Not really,” she replied, casting Sarah an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, it’s just-- complicated right now.” 

“You need to stop apologizing,” Sarah murmured, her expression soft and loving. Beca let her shoulders sag, ready to apologize again. “I understand. But if you do change your mind and need to let something off your chest, I’m here.” 

Beca nodded. “Thanks.” 

“Are you coming to bed?” 

“Not yet, I wanna get some work done, first.” She leaned in to peck Sarah’s lips. “You go ahead, I’ll join you soon.” 

Walking across the living room and past the huge floor to ceiling windows looking over Central Park, Beca made her way to her home office, her happy place. She had bought the Manhattan condo two years ago, making it a requirement during her house-hunt to have a large room with plenty of light and enough space to store all her records and her music equipment. It was also where she kept her Grammys and other prizes, away from the attention as nobody really stepped into her office.

She usually popped a blues album on the record player, enjoying the soothing instrumentals while she replied to various emails, but not tonight. Tonight, she grabbed a yellow legal notepad and her headphones from her desk and curled up on the leather couch tucked in the far corner, then scrolled to her Spotify playlists until she found the one she was looking for. 

she is magic

Beca couldn’t remember the last time she had listened to her Chloe playlist, one she had made back in Barden when she was hopelessly in love with her best friend. They were songs that reminded her of Chloe, or songs that Chloe liked. Or used to like, at least. 

As lyrics she knew so well poured into her headphones, blocking out the rest of the world, different ones flowed out of Beca’s heart, materializing on the paper in front of her in black ink as she scribbled across the page. Lyrics about friendship, unrequited love, and regrets for listening to her brain and not her heart all these years ago. 

It was pushing on two am by the time Beca called it a night. Her eyes burned, her mind felt mushy, but her soul felt a tiny bit lighter. Music had always been her therapy, and writing songs had always proved more efficient than paying a licensed professional, even though it had been years since Beca had last finished one, for lack of inspiration. 

Or rather, because of the absence of her muse. 

*

She woke up five hours later to a stiff neck and sore back, the bright sunlight pouring in from the windows lining one of her office walls drawing her from her sleep. She had meant to go to bed, before deciding to close her eyes for five minutes right on the couch. 

Straightening with a groan, she grabbed her phone and turned it over, hoping to see a text from an unknown number on her screen. 

Aubrey Posen [6:23am]

Any news? 

Aubrey Posen [6:37am]

Should I come to New York? 

Aubrey practiced family law up in Boston. She and Beca saw each other a few times a year, whenever Aubrey was in the city. Bella reunions were a bit more scarce now, with the girls being scattered all around the country. Their last one dated back to a year and a half ago, on the Fourth of July. 

Beca ran a hand over her face and heaved out a sigh, swiping her thumb across the screen to unlock it. 

Beca [7:16am]

No news yet. I think I’m gonna wait a few days before I head back to the club, if she doesn’t call in the meantime that is. The manager gave me serious sleazy vibes and I’m sure he could blacklist me if I’m too insistent. I don’t think there’s any need for you to come down for now. I’ll keep you posted. 

Hitting send, Beca pushed to her feet and shuffled out of her office, hanging a left down the hall towards the kitchen. A note next to her coffee thermos sat on the island. 

Missed you last night, but I hope you got whatever you needed done. I had to leave for my shift, you’re welcome to swing by for your second coffee of the day and your morning kiss ;) have a good day!

Sarah xx

Guilt swooped in over picking old feelings about an ex-almost over her girlfriend, and Beca let her head hang forward, releasing a grown. She was far from an expert at this relationship thing, but she cared about Sarah a lot and didn’t want to mess that up. 

Beca shook off the sleepiness lingering in her bones and the stiffness in her muscles with a long, hot shower, then got ready for her day. She usually got to the office at 8 sharp, but it was already 7:54 by the time she was out the door, and her commute lasted about twenty minutes, so she wouldn’t get the chance to stop by Sarah’s workplace. 

To: Sarah 

I’m sorry, I got caught up in work last night and ended up falling asleep on the couch around 2. Come over tonight? I’ll cook dinner. Have a good shift.

Her morning was spent in the studio canning vocals for girl in red’s new album, a project Beca was stocked about as she was BMLJ’s most promising artist for this year’s Grammy Awards. 

“That was awesome, Marie,” Beca spoke into the microphone, giving her a thumbs-up through the glass. “Let’s take a lunch break and resume in an hour?” 

“Sounds good,” the younger woman agreed with a smile as she took off her headphones. 

Beca headed back to her office down the hall and checked her phone for any new messages (finding none important), before shrugging on her thick winter coat and screwing her beanie over her head. 

“I’ll be back in an hour, Gina!” She told her assistant on route to the elevator. 

As Sarah’s workplace was just five blocks south from the label, Beca figured she would eat lunch there as she wasn’t able to stop by that morning. She stopped in the convenience store across the street from the coffee shop to buy Sarah her favorite magazine as she knew her break was coming up soon and she’d have something to read. 

Beca was scanning the press stand for that specific magazine, not paying attention to the person walking into the store until they spoke. 

“A pack of Marlboro, please.” 

Beca would recognize that voice anywhere. Her head snapped up so fast she felt something in her neck pull, and she was rounding the stand before she even registered giving her feet the order to move. “Chloe?” 

Chloe glanced over to her right and froze for a second, before fishing for a twenty in her jacket pocket and handing it to the cashier. “Are you following me or something?” 

Given their last encounter, Beca wasn’t surprised by Chloe’s snark, so she gave as good as she got. “You came in after I did, so maybe I should ask you that question.” 

Chloe stuffed the cigarette pack and the change into her pocket. “What do you want, Beca?” 

“To talk,” she replied, softly. “One coffee, that’s it. And if you decide you really don’t want me in your life, then I won’t bother you again. I promise.” 

Chloe seemed to ponder on that for a few beats. “One coffee.” 

“There’s a shop right across the street.” 

Taking her to the place her girlfriend worked at? Probably not the brightest idea, but she was afraid Chloe might go back on her decision if they spent too long finding someplace else. 

When Chloe nodded, Beca took the lead and stepped outside, forgetting all about that magazine as she racked her brain about what she should say. Tactfulness wasn’t her greatest suit; Aubrey would be so much better at this. 

They stepped inside Devocion and Beca picked a table in the corner, shrugging off her coat and draping it over the back of her chair. Chloe kept her jacket and beanie on, a bit hunched on herself as she sat down in the chair opposite Beca’s. 

“Beca?” 

Beca glanced towards Sarah as she approached, wearing a waist apron with the café logo on it. Her dark blonde hair was woven back in a French braid, a few strands escaping, and curiosity swirled in her green eyes as they flickered to Chloe. 

Okay, in hindsight, bringing Chloe here was a terrible idea. 

“Hey, um, Sarah, this is Chloe, a friend from college.” She cleared her throat. “Chloe, this is my girlfriend, Sarah.” 

“Nice to meet you,” Sarah replied brightly, her smile fading a little when all Chloe offered was a distant nod. Sarah met Beca’s gaze briefly, clearing her throat. “What can I get you guys?” 

“My usual. You want anything to eat, Chlo?” 

The nickname rolled off her tongue so naturally, Beca didn’t even catch it. 

Chloe shook her head. “Just a black coffee.” 

“Coming right up.” 

“Thanks,” Beca said as Sarah spun around on her heels, her focus shifting to Chloe. “So um, I wanted to apologize for the other day and putting you on the spot at the club. I just… wasn’t sure how else to talk to you.” 

“I can give you some of the money back if you need it.” 

Beca furrowed her brow, not having expected that. “No, no. I… it’s fine. I don’t care about money.” 

Something flashed in Chloe’s eyes at that, something Beca couldn’t quite pinpoint.��

Sarah came back with two coffees before she could analyze it further, setting the mugs down on the table. “Your club sandwich will be here in a few, babe.” 

Beca nodded, casting her a small, appreciative smile. 

Chloe straightened a bit in her seat, cradling the mug with both hands. “I’m not sure what you expect me to say or do, Beca.” 

Beca licked her lips. “I was hoping we could… hang out from time to time. I’ve missed you, Chlo. So has Aubrey.” 

The mention of Aubrey made Chloe lookup. “Does she live in New York, too?” 

“Um no, in Boston. She’s a lawyer. But she’d come down to have coffee, or lunch, or whatever you feel like doing. In a heartbeat.” 

Chloe shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” 

What little hope flared in the pit of Beca’s belly upon Chloe showing interest in Aubrey’s life vanished. “Why not?” 

“I told you. I’m not the same person anymore. I’m-- I’m not…” 

Beca tilted her head to the side. “You’re not what?” She pressed gently. 

Chloe’s gaze fleeted out the window as her rather calm demeanor now radiated agitation. Her knee started bouncing and her fingers tightened around the mug, and it was as though Chloe was battling against her own thoughts. 

She was itching to reach across the table to rest her hand over her wrist in a sort of grounding gesture, but something told her that would have the opposite effect. 

“Chloe?” Beca attempted once more, her voice as soft as she could muster, as it seemed like Chloe was on the brink of bolting. 

The tear slipping out of Chloe’s eye tore her heart into two. “I-I have to go.” 

Her chair screeched as she pushed it back roughly, and she was nearly out the door by the time Beca scrambled to her feet. 

It was lunch-hour rush in one of the busiest avenues in Manhattan, and Chloe had already disappeared in the crowd when she reached the exit, leaving Beca to helplessly wonder how someone like Chloe, once the epitome of sunshine, got herself trapped in so much darkness.

[pinepickled]

How about something Gen? Team Minato gets lost in a forest ans have to find each other. Sensei strategizes. Kakashi summons a tracking dog, rin follows the rivers but Obito gets Very Lost and perhaps stumbles upon something he shouldn’t. Maybe a sleepy Old Forest god? Shenanigans are always fun! Hopefully everyone gets home safely 😄 no pairing or just pre-relationship crushes please

Oooh, this is a very fun prompt Ana! I don't write gen often so this will be good practice, and hopefully it's up to your taste! No pairings as requested and Obito-centric.

He got lost in the woods and met a strange man who could do strange things.

Obito was a strong and brave ninja, he knew that for sure. Who else could claim the esteemed Uchiha name and sharingan while also being part of the yondaime's team? No one!

But that didn't change the fact that when a mission went wrong and he was separated from the rest of his team, he got a little scared. Just a little, don't be mistaken, Obito was still calm and in control, it's just that being stuck deep in a forest in the middle of the night would unnerve anybody!

Plus, out of the entire team, Obito had to admit- he was the least prepared to be lost. He'd been following what looked like wolf tracks for the past hour, hoping they belonged to Kakashi's summons and not an actual wolf, but he knew this logic was flawed. It wasn't like he could look at the stars and know exactly where to go like Minato-sensei, or just float down a river and somehow end up at his desired destination like Rin, so following wolf tracks it was.

Obito stopped for a rest and water, his breath coming out in puffs, the cold air bringing a flush to the boy's cheeks. He was tired and slightly injured from the fight that had separated the team, so he couldn't keep going for long. For all Obito knew, he could have been going in the wrong direction deeper into the forest and gotten himself in even more trouble than he was in before. The little Uchiha sighed in frustration.

"Whatever!" He said, turning his nose up. "I'll just keep going! No one and nothing can stop this ninja from completing a mission and going home!" He announced, giving himself an extra boost of energy with his words. He took off running in the direction of the wolf tracks, speeding through the forest as he used tiny amounts of chakra to make himself go faster. The full moon lit his way, and for just a moment, as Obito saw the trees thin, he'd thought he'd really made it!

But life could never be so fortunate.

Instead, he stumbled upon a clearing with a river snaking through it, fed by a small waterfall. Obito sighed and approached it, figuring it was time to try out Rin's method instead of Kakashi's. He was reluctant to step into the water- Minato-sensei had said that some rivers had poison in them that you couldn't swim in, and there were bioluminescent mushrooms going all up and down the banks of the river. Wild mushrooms were signs of poison, right? But Obito had never seen a wild mushroom that glowed in the dark in the forests near Konoha, though. He must have strayed further than he'd initially thought.

Obito sighed as he continued to look around. There were small fish and frogs in the water, seemingly unbothered by the glowing mushrooms. Fireflies floated aimlessly over the water, occasionally landing on beautiful red lilies that grew from the bushes near by. The entire clearing was filled with tiny wild flowers, and Obito absentmindedly thought to pick some for Rin. The boy looked further up the waterfall, and nearly fell over in surprise. Someone had been meditating on a rock in the middle of the pond the entire time, and Obito hadn't even noticed!

The man was tanned with chestnut brown hair, and he was wearing traditional clothing. Despite the cold weather, the man was meditating in a simple tan yukata, the folds of the robe open slightly to expose a muscled abdomen, as though the frigid air didn't affect him at all. The meditation was probably working, then. Figuring that Obito had already wandered too far off to find his way again any time soon, especially when he was cold and hurt, he strolled up the river and sat down to meditate near the man.

It would normally bore the young nin to death, but as his ribs throbbed in pain and his dry lips forced air in and out, he found he could do nothing but focus on the quiet. He closed his eyes and listened to the rattle of his own lungs, quietly wishing Rin would float down the river and patch him up. Obito didn't know how long he'd stayed like that, meditating in silence with the man, but a while later the rustling of cloth snapped him out of his meditation.

The man had gotten up and was wading through the water, the moon shining down on the water from where it sat at it's zenith. Obito stayed put as the man walked off, and startled when a hand patted his shoulder.

"Aren't you coming?" The man asked, golden eyes looking curiously down at the young nin. Obito stared blankly at the man before shrugging and getting up. Maybe the man knew a way out of the forest. Just as they began to walk toward the tree line once more, the man dragged Obito closer to his body.

"Oh my, you're freezing! Come on, come on, let's get inside." The man said. It wasn't so much that Obito was cold as it was that the man was oddly warm, so warm Obito had to double check the air around them to make sure it wasn't summertime. His own body was overcome with a strong, thick chakra, the kind that called back to springtime and the unstoppable force of nature, and in minutes Obito was warmed as well.

Obito reluctantly stuck to the man's side, trying to look tough even as he was warmed by the man's chakra, but his facade dropped when a cottage erupted from the ground right at their feet. The young nin nearly fell backwards, however the man's arm was strong and held him upright. He chuckled, turning Obito's face beet red.

"Sorry for scaring you. Welcome to my humble abode." He said, voice dripping amusement. Obito tried not to pout as the man opened the door for him. It truly was a humble abode, the kitchen and living space all in the same room, cozily pushed together, with a narrow hallway likely leading to a bathroom and bedroom. In the kitchen was a pot of stew on a low fire, it's aroma of meat and onions and all the good stuff filling the air. Obito's stomach rumbled pathetically, and the man cooed.

"Ah, hurt and hungry? I feel like I've found a stray kitten. Come, come." The man mused, gesturing the young nin closer into the kitchen space. He was sat down at the small table and poured a hefty bowl of stew, the man sitting opposite of him with an even bigger bowl. Obito cautiously took a sip. It was delicious, beautifully seasoned and the perfect temperature, and somehow it tasted like home.

"Thank you for the soup and stuff. What's your name?" Obito asked. The man waved off his thanks, golden eyes staring mirthfully at the young Uchiha.

"Hashirama. What's yours?" Hashirama asked. Obito blinked a few times.

"Like the first hokage?" He asked. The man nodded brightly.

"Exactly!"

Obito continued to stare at the man before shrugging. Coincidences happened, and although the first hokage was described to be tan with brown hair, that description matched 90% of the men in Konoha.

"I'm Obito Uchiha!" He said. Hashirama's eyes twinkled.

"An Uchiha, I thought so! What brings you so far from home then, little Uchiha?" He asked. Obito shrugged, not sure how much of the mission he could talk about.

"Was just out with my team and got separated and then lost." He mumbled, swallowing a few more mouthfuls of the soup. Hashirama made a sympathetic expression, nodding.

"Poor thing. Let me get something for that rib of yours, you can stay the night and return in the morning." He said, standing up and disappearing into the hallway. Obito had finished his stew fidgeted for a bit, looking around for any clues as to where he was. All of the decorations in the cottage were reminiscent of fire country, but fire country was humongous so that wasn't really helpful.

There were a few photos on the desk near by, and Obito peered at them curiously. There were photos upon photos of Hashirama holding various plants and animals, as though he'd raised them himself. There were a few photos of a man with white hair and red eyes being embraced by Hashirama, and some more still of a woman with red hair holding a little blond girl. Obito vaguely thought that the red haired woman looked a lot like Minato-sensei's wife, but the thought was short-lived. The genin spotted a photo tucked behind one of the pictures of Hashirama, this time holding a peach. Obito didn't want to take it out for fear of offending his host, so he only craned his neck to look at it.

As soon as he saw who was in the photo, he ran back to his seat and tried to look as polite and not-terrified as possible.

The man in the photo was unmistakable, especially to Obito, and the implications of who that was were too much for him to process. Hashirama came back from the narrow hallway holding medical supplies and some clothes. Obito smiled nervously and lifted his shirt to allow the man to work, hoping that he wouldn't be able to feel the genin's heart pounding through his ribs.

"So uh, have you ever lived in Konoha, Hashirama-san?" He asked, trying to be subtle about it. Hashirama smiled brightly and nodded.

"Oh yes, I was quite involved in the village for many years, and only moved out recently for my retirement." He said. Obito's mind drifted to the white haired man in the photo, and he felt his stomach turn over. If Obito was right, then that had to be...

"Where you friends with the Uchiha?" He asked. It took an effort to keep his voice light and airy, and Obito was sure Minato-sensei would have been proud of him.

"Yes! Myself and the Uchiha were at odds for a while, but now we are the best of friends." Hashirama replied. Obito giggled. With a swipe of chakra, some medicine, and a swift wrapping of the bandage, Obito was free from the man's ministrations. Despite how nervous Obito was at interacting with the Hashirama, he could sense no malicious intent, and Hashirama looked as though he was enjoying their awkward conversation. He was handed fresh clothes, but something in Obito's gut told him not to stay long.

"I'm sorry, Hashirama-san," He started, trying to be as polite as possible, "But I really need to get back home, my sensei is probably worried sick. Could you please just point the way?"

Hashirama blinked blankly at Obito for a few moments before smiling in defeat and nodding.

"Sure, I understand. You've made this old man a little sad, though. It's been so long since I've spoken to a living person." He said, golden eyes looking wistful. As Obito turned those words over in his head and studied Hashirama's face, an old Uchiha story drifted across his mind, but for the life of him he couldn't remember.

Hashirama led him to the door and handed him a packaged bowl of the stew. Whenever Obito looked back at what he'd said that day he could never explain the urge to blurt it out.

"Can't you just talk to Madara?" He asked. Hashirama looked completely taken aback, eyes blown wide in surprise, before he guffawed. That was who had been on the picture behind the peach, the former head of the Uchiha clan, one of the greatest shinobi in the world, who had Hashirama's arm around his shoulders and was smiling brighter than the sun.

"If I could, I would! Now get out of here, go defend that village I love so much." Hashirama said, chortling as his hand pushed Obito through the open door. The genin lost his balance and fell into what seemed to be an endless tunnel of darkness, the only light being the soft golden glow of Hashirama's eyes.

Then he crashed into a head of white hair and got cursed out by Kakashi all the way back home.

[bestillmyslashyheart]

under the sea pt 2

part one

Yusuf

Air. There was air.

He sucked in lungfuls of it greedily. Hands clutched at him, grasping tightly. It was Nicolo, he knew, but he couldn’t see him. It was too bright. 

“Yusuf,” Nicolo cried. He hunched over Yusuf, his head blocking the worst of the sun, and suddenly Yusuf could see him.

“Amore mio,” he croaked. His throat was fine, as healed as the rest of him, but it was like the muscles had forgotten how to form words. Nicolo didn’t seem to mind though, his smile wide and bright even as his eyes watered. Yusuf lifted a hand to his cheek, Nicolo’s eyes falling shut, and gently wiped away the tears. “Don’t cry,” he whispered. He wasn’t sure what language it came out in. “You found me.”

Nicolo sagged on top of him in relief. “I found you,” he whispered back. 

Two new hands grabbed his head. Yusuf jerked, his position lying prone on the floor with Nicolo holding him in place not allowing him much movement, and the sun was back in his eyes. He squeezed them tightly and trusted that Nicolo wouldn’t let anyone hurt him. A moment later soft lips pressed to his forehead and stayed there. A drop of water hit his nose. “Do not ever do that again,” a woman whispered in his own language, one he had not heard in centuries except from Nicolo’s lips.

Yusuf tried to shade his face from the sun in order to see. When he realized what was happening, Nicolo moved to block the light entirely and suddenly Yusuf could see Andromache’s face upside over his. “Andromache,” he greeted weakly, trying to smile.

Andromache smiled, her eyes watery. “Hello, Yusuf,” she said. “It is very good to see you.”

Yusuf reached a hand out to his left, Andromache’s right, where he knew Quynh must be. He was rewarded with two hands clutching him tightly. “You are the most beautiful things I have ever seen,” he told them honestly, his eyes drifting back to Nicolo as he spoke. 

“Let’s get you below deck,” Quynh offered. She picked over the words slowly, the sounds unfamiliar in her mouth though Yusuf knew she spoke his language fluently. She and Andromache moved back slightly and let Nicolo help him to his feet. Yusuf was unsteady on his feet but Nicolo held him surely, his arm clamped tightly around his waist, and Yusuf had no troubles leaning heavily on him as they made their way down into the blessedly dark cabins below deck. 

A wave of exhaustion crashed over him all of a sudden, his already unsteady steps becoming even more of a hindrance until Nicolo swept him off his feet into his arms and carried him the rest of the way. “I am tired Nicolo,” he murmured.

“Sleep,” Nicolo urged. “I will be here when you wake up.”

“Promise?”

“Always.”

Andy

Nicky disappeared into a cabin, Yusuf clutched carefully in his arms, and Andy hesitated only a moment before following. Quynh grabbed her hand and for a moment Andy feared she would try to hold her back but Quynh only squeezed tightly and walked next to her as they followed Nicky. 

Yusuf was laying on the bunk when they stepped into the cabin. Next to him, Nicky was stripping out of his wetsuit as fast as he possibly could, his eyes fixed on the man on the bed. 

“You need clothes,” Quynh noted. 

“They are on the other ship,” Nicky told her absently. He stripped completely before climbing into bed with Yusuf, his arms around him and his ear pressed to his chest. Nicky’s head moved up and down with the rise and fall of Yusuf’s breathing and Andy found herself mesmerized by it. 

“I will find them both something to wear,” Quynh touched her arm lightly. Andy nodded in acknowledgement but barely noticed when she left the small room. 

Yusuf was okay. They had found him. He was back where he belonged. 

It only took them five hundred years. Half of his life so far. 

Andy had given up. She’d known he was down there and she had given up. Andy buried her face in her hands to smother a sudden sob.

“Stop.” Nicky’s voice was loud in the silence of the room. Andy lifted her head to find him unmoved, his eyes closed as he listened to Yusuf’s heartbeat. “It is done. He is here. There is no point in worrying over the past now. It will not do him any good.”

Andy blinked away a few tears and forced herself to speak. “It’s not that easy.” She was the leader. It was her job to keep them all safe and she’d failed. Even worse, she’d walked away.

“Make it that easy,” Nicky countered. “All that matters is moving forward, Andromache.” He held out one of his hands to her, his eyes still closed. Andy moved to her knees next to the bed and took it. Nicky squeezed briefly and then brought their joined hands to the center of Yusuf’s chest and Andy could feel the life in him. His skin was warm, his chest moved with his every breath, his heart beat soundly under her hand. Yusuf was alive. “He is here,” he said again. “He has been gone from the world a long time,” he added. “As have I. We will need you to teach us what we have missed.”

They needed her. Both of them. Andy swallowed and nodded. She’d failed them both before, but never again. “I will,” she promised solemnly.

Quynh

Quynh wasn’t quite sure how but by the time she got back above deck, the two ships were pressed close together and joined by a gangplank. Rather than questioning either captain, she brushed past everyone and crossed to the other ship. “Where are his quarters?” One of the crew leads her to a small bunk that could have been anyone’s were it not for the two swords laying in the corner. Quynh gathered the few items that were not in the bag and stuffed them inside before grabbing it and the weapons and leaving the terrible room behind. 

No one stopped her or tried to speak to her as she crossed back to the other ship. Everyone seemed to have plenty of tasks to keep them busy though Quynh knew the second she was out of sight again, the work would stagger to a halt and the chatter would tick up.

“Quynh,” Nile stopped her with a hand on her arm. Quynh turned to her, a small amount of guilt welling up inside for having completely forgotten about the girl in the light of recent events. “Is Yusuf okay?��

Quynh smiled. New though she may be, Nile had a big heart and had clearly already welcomed Yusuf into it. “He will be,” she promised. “It will take time but he will be. Nicky will make sure of it.” She paused. “And so will we.” Nile nodded and took half a step back as if to separate herself from Quynh and the others. Quynh stopped her with a firm grip on her shoulder. “All of us. We are a team and a family and we will make sure Yusuf is okay. That includes you, Nile.”

Nile straightened her shoulders and nodded. “And Booker?”

There was that big heart again, Quynh mused. “That is up to Nicky.” She lifted the bag. “They need clothes.” Nile blinked as if seeing the bag for the first time and quickly moved out of Quynh’s way.

“Oh yeah, of course, sorry.”

“He is sleeping,” Quynh told her. “We should be ready to move by the time we get back to the port.” 

“I’ll get us moving,” Nile promised.

Quynh touched her arm in thanks and hurried back to the cabin. Inside, she paused briefly at the sight of Andy on her knees, her hand pressed to Yusuf’s chest and her head on top of Nicky’s, before closing the door to ensure their privacy.

Andy turned around at the sound and Quynh saw the tears still in her eyes. Nicky didn’t move. 

“I brought your stuff,” Quynh told him. Nicky didn’t react. “He’s still wet, Nicolo,” she reminded him gently. Nicky’s eyes shot open like he hadn’t noticed the wet cloth under his cheek. 

He looked from the bag in Quynh’s hand to Yusuf and back but he didn’t move. Quynh wasn’t sure he’d be moving anytime soon, truthfully. 

She dropped the bag to the floor and started going through it. Thankfully, Nicky was an organized packer and she found a full set of clothes rather quickly. Andy took it from her and handed them over to Nicky while Quynh kept searching for a second pair. When she found it, some sweats and a large t-shirt, something warm and comfortable, she stood up only to find Nicky struggling into his clothes as best he could without leaving Yusuf’s side.

“Nicolo,” she said quietly. Nicky’s movements paused. “Take a moment. It is alright.”

Nicky closed his eyes. If Quynh didn’t know him any better she’d say he looked like he was praying. After a moment he climbed out of the bed and pulled on the rest of his clothes with his newfound freedom of movement. As soon as he left Yusuf’s side, Quynh took over. She sat down next to Yusuf and pressed her hand to his chest and felt his heartbeat strong under her touch. Her shoulders sagged as the undeniable finally registered. She’d held his hand and heard his voice on the deck earlier but it still hadn’t quite seemed real until this moment. Quynh pressed a firm kiss to his forehead and raked her hand through his hair. It was longer and wilder than she remembered. 

Nicky and Andy let her have a moment but when she stood up, they moved in. Andy grabbed his shoulders to sit him up and Quynh reached out to steady him. “Nicolo,” he murmured, the movement waking him up.

“I am here, my love,” Nicky replied. Or at least, Quynh was fairly certain that’s what he’d said. There was a time when all of them had been equally fluent in each other’s native languages but Quynh hadn’t had the chance to practice Yusuf’s in a long time and her memory wasn’t as good as Andy’s when it came to the subject. Nicky seemed to have no trouble with it, though, murmuring soft words in his lilting accent. Together, they pulled the tattered remains of Yusuf’s shirt from him. Andy ran one of Nicky’s shirts over his back and chest to try and dry him off a little bit and then Nicky was helping Yusuf into the shirt Quynh had laid out. 

“Your accent is terrible,” Yusuf mumbled halfway through, as he always did when Nicky spoke his language. Nicky choked out a wet laugh. 

“My accent is romantic,” he countered, as Quynh knew he would. Yusuf leaned forward and pressed his forehead into Nicky’s neck, his hands clutching at his hair lazily in his sleepy movements. Nicky’s eyes closed and he clutched Yusuf back with shaky hands. 

Quynh shared a look with Andy and they came to a silent agreement. Without a word, they rose to their feet and slipped out of the room.

Nile

They needed to get back to land, that much Nile knew. But two entire ships full of people had just seen Nicky come back to life not to mention three people had gone into the water and four had come out. 

There would be questions, there had to be. And Nile had no idea how to answer them or how to contain this.

The second Quynh disappeared below deck, the frantic movement on both ships stuttered to a halt, everyone’s attention on the closed door and who lay behind it. 

“So,” the captain of the ship Nile, Andy, and Quynh had come out here on came up next to her. Nile waited but he didn’t say anything else. A moment later, the captain of the other ship came up on her other side.

“So,” he too said. 

They looked at each other over her head and Nile was surprised to see smiles on their faces. They both turned slightly giddy a moment later until they were breathless with laughter.

Nile stepped back to stare at them both. “What?”

“We found him,” one of them said. 

“Holy shit, we actually found him,” the other replied.

“What?” 

They turned to her. “Yusuf. We found Yusuf.”

Nile stared at the man who captained Nicky’s ship. “Wait. You knew?” She blinked and turned to the other man. “And you?”

They nodded. The man to her left looked over at his ship with a fond gaze. “We’ve been looking for him for a long time.”

“I don’t understand.”

The man on her right gestured between himself and the other man. “Our ancestors were on the ship that put him in the water,” he explained. “Ever since then, our families have been looking for him.”

Nile tried to process that. “But why? If your ancestors…”

They laughed. “Nicky’s very persuasive.” One of them shrugged. “I mean, in recent generations we wanted to help obviously. Once Nicky proved what he could do and we knew there was someone trapped, we had to help, but before that…”

“Let’s just say there’s a reason we’re the only two left?” 

Nile could read between the lines just fine. Nicky had made his way through the crew of the men who sealed Yusuf in his coffin and dumped him overboard until he found men willing to help him look. She assumed willing was a generous term. Just as she assumed those who weren’t didn’t have any descendents to help Nicky look. 

One of them clapped a friendly hand on her shoulder. “You’re new to all of this, aren’t you?” Nile only nodded. “You’ll get used to it. We all did.” He gestured to their combined crews. “Come on. We’ll head back to port now. You might want to get some rest until we get there.” 

Nile watched him go, watched the crews spring into actual action, and the two ships separated before turning back towards shore. After a moment where she only felt in the way, Nile made her way below deck, wary of intruding. She found Andy and Quynh in the first room she came across. It was a small break room and Nile helped herself to some coffee before sitting down next to them. “How are you two doing?”

“It’s, uh,” Andy laughed. “It’s been an interesting day.”

Quynh smiled. “We’ll be okay.” 

Nile took her word for it and let the rest of their journey pass in comfortable silence. When the captain came down to tell them they had docked, Nile let Andy shepherd her upstairs while Quynh relayed the news to Nicky and Yusuf.

They made their way off the ship and into a nearby coffee shop before Quynh joined them. Nile was halfway through her iced coffee when she spotted the two men. They were moving slowly across the deck of the ship, Nicky holding Yusuf tightly though it didn’t look like Yusuf needed the aid anymore. Nile watched as they made their way off the ship and shuffled along the pier. She’d look away if Andy and Quynh weren’t also fixed on the sight.

When the men were close enough to hear, Yusuf stepped out of Nicky’s grasp and held his arms out. His lips quirked in a rakish smile and he said something in that language that Nile didn’t know. There was a single beat, a moment where time seemed to stand still, and then both Andy and Quynh were on their feet, their chairs shoved back by the motion, and they were rushing into Yusuf’s arms. He wrapped his arms around them both as best he could as they clutched at him tightly. Behind him, Nile saw Nicky put his hands on Yusuf’s hips and his forehead into the back of his head. She wasn’t sure Nicky had actually stopped touching him yet. 

She pulled out her phone and took a picture of the four of them. Andy and Quynh had stressed the importance of not leaving a trail but Nile didn’t think they’d care in this case. She hesitated only a moment before sending it to Booker, no message attached.

His response came just a moment later: I’m glad.

“Nile.”

Nile looked up at her name to see Yusuf standing next to her. She jumped to her feet. “Hi.”

He smiled. “I have seen you in my dreams.” His English was halting, like he’d forgotten it, but his voice was warm and wrapped around her like a hug. A moment later, his arms followed the way of his voice and he pulled her close. Their hug didn’t last nearly as long as the others’ did but Nile felt grateful for it. 

“It’s really nice to meet you,” she told him honestly.

Nicky

Yusuf balked at the hotel. He’d watched the women walk in and taken a full step back, his eyes wide. Nicky saw it, because Nicky hadn’t looked away from him for a single moment yet, and led him away. Somehow they’d found themselves at the end of the pier, nothing before them but the shimmering blue water.

Nicky would very happily never go near the ocean ever again. Just the sight of it turned his stomach even though Yusuf was standing next to him. 

Yusuf was standing next to him.

It would take some time to adjust to. In the meantime, Nicky refused to apologize for being clingy. He let Yusuf stare out at the water and attached himself to his back, his arms wrapping around Yusuf’s waist. They would need to cut his hair. And give him a bath. But Nicky didn’t care about any of that right now.

“I never stopped looking for you,” he murmured in Yusuf’s Arabic. It was an antiquated version of the modern language with a distinct regional dialect that Nicky hadn’t let himself forget. It had been centuries since he’d been able to truly speak it with another person, since Andy had stopped responding to him in it, but it was still fresh on his tongue. 

“I know,” Yusuf replied. “I have had my dreams, Nicolo. They were brief and far between but I saw you. In Booker’s eyes and in Nile’s. I knew you were coming for me. I just had to be patient.”

“I’m sorry I took so long.”

Yusuf turned in his arms and cupped Nicky’s face gently. “Do not apologize. I do not want to hear that word from your lips.” Nicky might have protested, might have reminded Yusuf just how long Nicky had taken to find him, just how long Yusuf had had to suffer because Nicky wasn’t better at searching, but Yusuf kissed him and Nicky didn’t care about words anymore.

It was a terrible kiss.

It had been half a millennia since either one of them had had a kiss and they’d clearly forgotten a few things.

Nicky could not have cared less. He certainly wasn’t planning to pull away any time soon and from the way Yusuf was pressing up against him, neither did he. After a while, his lungs burned with the need to breathe but Nicky ignored it. If he died from suffocation from kissing Yusuf, it would be worth it.

Eventually, though, Yusuf pulled away. He was panting lightly, his eyes wide open as he sucked in gasps of air. After a moment, his breathing evened out and he smiled. “Hello, love.”

Nicky kissed him again, this time making sure to pull back before they got too far. It was a bit like riding a bike, the familiar motions coming back to them the longer they kissed. There was a time when Nicky knew Yusuf’s lips better than anything and if he didn’t remember, he was certainly going to enjoy learning them all over again.

Eventually, they slowed to a stop until they were simply sharing breath. The sun set behind them and the night air cooled around them and they didn’t move. “Why the pier?” Nicky asked. 

“There is wind. And the sun was high in the sky,” Yusuf answered. “And I can see the water below me. I am above it. I am not there anymore.”

“No,” Nicky promised earnestly. “You are not. And you never will be again.”

“Will you protect me?”

“Always,” Nicky promised. 

He could only hope desperately that he would be able to keep his promise this time.

[flooffybits]

Part of You

Idol: Bae Joohyun (Red Velvet) & Jennie Kim (Blackpink)

Irene and Jennie are forced to stay at home while their girlfriend is out of the country, touring with her group, instead of being at home. They understand, because they have to leave for tour, too. But when your tour is as frequent as yours, they can’t help but miss you more than they do.

“Jennie, come on, stop sulking.” The older girl cooed at her girlfriend when she entered the room, tablet in hand as she walked over to the bed where the Blackpink member was busy rolling and pouting to herself.

Said girl only stopped rolling around the bed and huffed, pout still present as she made room for the latter and then wrapped her arms around her waist to snuggle into her while she whined. “But I want Y/n to come home.” She complained, making Joohyun playfully roll her eyes whilst she patted the younger girl’s head.

“I know you do, and so do I, but she’s still in Europe with the rest of the girls.” She reminded before showing the tablet. “They have a show that we said we would be watching, so come on.” Groaning, Jennie moved so that they were both settled against the headboard of their shared bed.

Even though it was already late for them, the pair wanted to be able to watch your performance since they weren’t exactly capable of joining you on tour. With how long you’ve been away, this would be the only time they had together where they could see you.

Joohyun was preparing it to the link you had sent them so that they could see the concert live. It took a while of convincing from management, but you were able to make it possible without having the link leaked because it would be a very big question as to why you would have it in the first place.

As soon as the stadium was shown on the screen, Jennie’s eyes was immediately looking for the familiar figure of their girlfriend, despite the dark area. Joohyun was much more relaxed as she waited, grinning as she ran her fingers through Jennie’s hair in a comforting manner.

When the lights finally came to life and the screaming of fans increased, the two girls would feel pride swelling in their chest when you came up with your members. All of you were dressed in black and red clothing, dancing flawlessly, thanks to the countless times you’ve practiced.

They were cheering for you despite only watching from the screen, and when the camera panned over to show a close up of you, they would squeal even more, chanting your name as if they were in the crowd.

There was the change of outfits in between, so they were able to see some of your outfits in some of your music videos that made them more than pleased, especially when it came to performing your latest song.

When it came to special stages, they were holding their breath, waiting for you to make your appearance. Joohyun was no longer calm, frankly, she was just as excited as her taller girlfriend after watching you perform and hearing your voice.

“How are they able to do all that without looking tired?” Joohyun had questioned when she tucked her hair behind her ear, her motherly instincts picking up as she awaited your performance. “Their choreography is harder compared to ours. I’m just amazed that they’re still going, considering their concept is more on pop rock.” Jennie commented as she bounced in her place, making the older girl chuckle at her child-like expression.

When it was finally your turn, they were already giggling like school girls who had seen their crush. “Her outfit is always on point. Their stylist is good.” Jennie would say, making Joohyun laugh at the fashionista and playfully poke her side. “Of course, that’s what you notice.”

Jennie flinched at the poke and lightly swatted her hand away. “I was just saying! Our baby deserves to look the best.” She defended before turning back to watch you.

The moment they did, you were already at the chorus and both girls were blushing wildly because of the way your body moved. Of course, they expected this due to you dancing EXO’s The Eve, but they rarely see you performing songs with that kind of choreography.

Though there were times that your group covered for others with that kind of concept, it wasn’t often for them to see you dancing like that. Even with such a badass image, they knew well enough that you were capable of seducing anyone with a look, if the body rolls and winks weren’t enough proof of it.

They know that you aren’t usually like this. The confident and sexy Y/n was only for the stage, but when you were home, you were their soft and dorky girlfriend.

When the end of the concert finally came, the pair were cuddled up on the bed, the tablet resting between them as your group talked to the people who attended, thanking them for their time and saying goodbye.

But when the camera closed in on you, their brows quirked up at seeing you crouching down on the edge of the stage and talking animatedly to a couple fans. Looking closer, they could see something being handed to you before you gladly accepted it, making the shouting grow louder when you stood up, only to drape the rainbow flag across your shoulders and wrapping it around yourself.

The action made them smile even more, if that was possible. Something they loved about your group was that all of you were very open-minded people and that you never failed to show your support to anyone.

At first, it worried them because Korea wasn’t exactly very welcoming, but the more that time passed, your group has never gotten any form of hate or backlash and they were only left in wonderment as your popularity continued to grow. You may not have been too popular in Korea, but internationally, people knew who you were and that was more than enough.

Though they were a bit upset with the fact that your group still didn’t get your first win. They were sure you would have won when you performed at an award show with your comeback, but for some reason, the win went to someone else, where people found it odd with how the numbers just didn’t add up. Even those who weren’t fans of your group were sure that you would have won and others even did the calculations themselves. No matter how you looked at it, your group should have had your first win that day.

That was why it simply broke their hearts to see you so downhearted with your members. When the question of what your dream was, your answers were no longer “Our first win.” but “To have more fans” instead.

They did their best to cheer you up at that time and you were thankful for their support, but you eventually learned to move on from it. It had only served to make you work harder.

“Can she please come home, now?” Jennie whined as she watched you happily interact with your members. She missed you dearly ever since you had to leave last month. She actually complained that your tour was too long and Joohyun ended up laughing and teasing her for it because they were both away much more than you usually were.

Joohyun smiled at the younger girl and kissed her forehead. “You’re so clingy, Jen. She’ll be home in a few days.” She reminded, knowing that you would probably be filming a bit more before coming back. “But I want her now!” The younger girl protested before she looked to the other. “Don’t you dare make fun of me because I know you miss her, too.”

The latter raised her hands in defense, her eyes filled with mirth as she smiled. “I do, but you don’t see me acting like a baby, do you?” She retorted playfully, making the other pout as she crossed her arms across her chest. “You love me anyway.”

Now that earned herself a small smile from the older girl and a tender kiss was pressed against her lips before Joohyun kissed her cheek.

..

Joohyun wakes up, a little before six in the morning. Though she and Jennie stayed up to watch your performance, her body always woke her up early even when she didn’t need to.

It was something she often hated because she wants to keep sleeping, but at this moment, she was happy to be awake when she saw the text on her phone. Immediately, she pressed the call button and waited until you answered her.

Looking next to her, she giggled with how Jennie was still curled up on her side, one of your hoodies wrapped around her figure whilst Joohyun had another.

Her heart started beating faster when her phone finally showed the light of your hotel room. She was just so excited to see you, so when your face finally popped up, she couldn’t contain the smile that crawled up her face.

“Hi baby.” You murmur with a wave of your hand and she coos at how soft you looked. “Hey, why aren’t you asleep?” She asks quietly. Even with her want to see you, she could never help her motherly instincts when it came to your health.

“I just got cleaned up.” You tell her, stretching on the bed while a pillow was held to your chest. “Also, I was hoping to see at least one of my favorite girls.” You grin at her before a sound comes from the background.

“You called?”

From the screen, Joohyun could see as you playfully rolled your eyes and shooed the person away. “Sorry, that was Bora.” You apologize sheepishly due to your friend’s loud voice after you threw a pillow at her.

“I’m surprised you haven’t switched roommates.” Joohyun muses, knowing your members well enough to know just how playful and loud they could be.

If she thought her members were crazy, she was more surprised when she got to know more about yours.

You laughed at her remark and cock your head to the side. “It’s fine. Bora is fun to have around when she isn’t yelling all the time.” Jennie moved closer into Joohyun’s side as the older girl continued to listen to you. Her fingers moving to run through her soft locks.

“Is Jennie still sleeping?” You ask with a smile on your face. And as Joohyun was about to reply, the younger girl piped up, yawning as she moved so that she could peek at the screen and a sleepy smile appeared on her face. “Not anymore.”

Your smile only seemed to widen at the sight of your two girlfriends. “Good morning, princess.” She takes a while to properly wake herself, and when she realizes that she is talking to you, Joohyun is already grinning at her, stifling a laugh when she gave her a tiny squeeze.

“Y/n!” Jennie bolted upright, the phone coming to her hands when she snatched it from the older woman and both of you giggled before she’s hitting your other girlfriend. “How could you be on call without me?” Joohyun just rolled her eyes while you watch them in amusement.

“Is our Jennie whining?” You teased her but she only answered with a huff. “She’s been like this since yesterday when we were watching your performance.” Joohyun piped up when she rested her chin on the other girl’s shoulder. “I want Y/n to come now. I want her now.” She mocked in good nature while you smile at the two. “Don’t worry, I’ll be home soon.”

They could tell that you were tired, if having to sing and dance in front of thousands of people for a couple hours wasn’t tiring enough. They also knew that you were often one of the people in your group that made sure everyone was alright despite the fact that you weren’t exactly the eldest nor were you the leader.

“Is soon going to be in an hour?” Jennie asked hopefully, the adorable little pout on her lips again while she stared at you and you mentally cooed at your girlfriend’s antics. “I’m sorry, princess, but you know that we still have to film some things and I can’t back out since I’m the one who requested it.”

Damn you for being adorable, Jennie thinks, her pout growing deeper and Joohyun had to laugh before she’s addressing you. “Don’t worry about it, Y/n. We know that you’re busy. We just miss you.” She said, making you nod. “Also, while you’re away, please be careful. I don’t want another call from your members saying that you got lost while taking pictures.”

You just grinned sheepishly at your girlfriend while nodding your head. “I know. The unnies are always making sure that I don’t disappear without telling them, now.” Your love for photography was simply endearing and everyone knew that you loved to take pictures, but the one time you and your group went for a gathering due to a successful comeback, they ended up calling your girlfriends and asking if you had gone home.

It sent both girls into a panic when no one was able to find you, and the fact you weren’t answering made it worse. It wasn’t until the maknae spotted you by a few stalls did they all calm down, but you sure as hell did not hear the end of it with your members, only to have a second lecture when you got home to your worried girlfriends.

Checking the time, Jennie looked at you before she’s raising a brow. “Baby, it’s late.” She mumbled, seeing the way you were trying to keep your eyes open. “You’ve had a long day, and I’m sure that you’re busy tomorrow. You need to sleep.” Joohyun says worriedly and you smile at the pair.

“I know, but I want to hear about your day before I sleep. Did you enjoy the concert at least?”

Immediately, they smiled as they suddenly started gushing about the show, praising you for doing well and complimenting your members as well. “I feel like you intended to be a tease because you know we aren’t there to do anything.” Jennie huffed while shaking her head and Joohyun was crossing her arms. “Is this what happens when we go on tour?” She asked playfully. “You better be ready when you come home.”

But after they spoke, you didn’t say anything in reply. Curiously, their eyes went back to the tiny screen, only to see that your eyes have finally fallen shut and your breathing had evened out.

The peaceful expression on your face made both their hearts melt. It was always like this, and even when Jennie wanted to be annoyed, she couldn’t help but find it cute whenever you fell asleep. Joohyun, despite her worries, would feel a bit better because she’s given a reassurance that you’re able to fall asleep.

“Goodnight baby.” Jennie whispered quietly. “We love you, so much.” Joohyun added while she watched fondly, her hand gently rubbing at the younger girl’s side.

They let the call go on for a while, just quietly watching over you even with it just through a screen, until they’ve decided that it was safe to end the call.

You may not be physically there, but even when you were miles away from each other, there will always be a part of you in their hearts like you were in theirs.

So what if you had to be away for tours? At the end of it all, they were your home and vice versa. Being patient may have been something that each of you had to practice, but in the end, it was always worth it to have your favorite girls in your arms.

[fitzs-trained-monkey]

Chapter Nine: Sleep Peacefully

(Image not mine)

Rated: PG

~What story should I tell? Will it end happy, will it turn out well? What dreams do I own? Can I call any place my home?

And I rock myself to sleep, and I tell myself "don't get caught too deep" 'Cause I know by now, you're here for me.

And I tell myself "move along" and I tell myself "you were all wrong" But I know by now, wrong was right for me.

I'll sleep peacefully~

The black paved road of the near-empty highway stretched out in front of us, a stark contrast to the piles of glittering snow that the snowplows had pushed off the street. We had been on the road for 9 hours and were now somewhere in Iowa. The area we were now driving through was so much brighter than Copper Harbor ever was. There wasn't so much as a cloud to be seen in the sky. The last few orange rays of light from the setting sun sprinkled across the landscape as it dipped below the horizon, glittering and reflecting off hills blanketed in white. The sight almost hurt my eyes. It was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. Whipping out my phone I snapped as many pictures as I possibly could, though I knew they would never do justice to the spectacular view.

The sun sank lower and lower and eventually vanished beneath the horizon. Then the stars came out. Scattered across the black velvet sky, they were so numerous it seemed impossible. I could see the differences in colors and size, and I could trace the shape of the Milky-Way. There were no trees or streetlamps lining the Iowa highway and it felt as if I was swimming through inky blackness, like I was swimming between the stars. The glittering lights were so bright and so close. It was special sort of magical.

I rested my elbows on my knees and my head between my hands and stared out the windshield at the beautiful black expanse. On my right, Castiel copied my position.

"Jack tells me you like the stars," he said. Upon hearing his name, Jack briefly looked to me and smiled before turning his gaze back to the window. I had been drifting in and out of conversation with various partners throughout the car ride.

"I do, I love them," I kept my voice soft and my answer simple, "I've never seen so many at once before. I don't think I'll ever get used to it." Castiel smiled softly.

"You know, I am several billion years old, and I am still baffled by the magnificence of this universe. Sights like this, they never get old." I turned my head away from the bright lights in the sky to look at the angel beside me.

"Have you been up there?"

He nodded.

"Yes, I have."

"What's it like?"

Castiel sighed in a melancholy sort of way. I could see the reflection of all those stars gleaming in his eyes.

"It's more beautiful than you can imagine."

I nodded and gazed back out at view of the heavens.

"I wish I could live up there."

Castiel chuckled.

"Someday you might. Who knows what will happen?" He said.

"Yeah."

"However," he added, "As for right now, I think you need to get some rest."

"Nah, sleep is for the weak." At that moment I yawned, emphasizing my point. Dean glanced at me in the rear-view mirror.

"We can pull off and stop at a motel overnight if you need some sleep," He offered. I shook my head and tried to blink away my sleepiness.

"Don't stop on my account! I can sleep in the car," I insisted.

"You sure?" Dean asked. I gave him a thumbs up.

"Oh yeah. I actually sleep better in cars, if you can believe it. Something about the noise and the motion puts me to sleep like a baby, I'm all good." For once I told the truth. I really did sleep better in cars.

"Okay, as long as you're comfy, we've got about eight more hours till' we get there." Dean turned down the volume on whatever album we'd been listening to all day. I'd never been a fan of rock music, but some of Dean's songs weren't that bad.

"We'll try to be quiet for you, Marty," Sam said. I yawned again and rubbed my eyes.

"Thanks guys, for everything. Honestly, I can't even remember the last time I had a good night's sleep."

"You're welcome, kid. This is what we do. Now shut your eyes." Dean mock commanded. I rolled them instead and turned to Jack.

"Jack?" I said to get his attention.

"Hm?"

"What are your feelings on being used as a pillow?" Jack's face was painted with all shades of confusion.

"I-I don't, um, I-" He tried to answer but I cut him off with a wave of my hand.

"I'm just kidding," I explained. "You don't have a choice in the matter!"

I grabbed his arm and tugged it around my shoulders so I could lay my head on his chest. Jack's entire body stiffened, and he looked to Cas with an expression that said 'Help me, she's doing something weird. Tell me what to do'. Castiel merely shrugged and in the front seat Dean snorted. I chuckled and waited for Jack to shift around a bit and get comfortable before I closed my eyes.

"You're a comfy pillow," I remarked.

"Um, thank you?"

I couldn't see his face, but Jack sounded extremely confused. I decided then that I needed something to hold on to. It took me a few moments to feel around for his arm but when I found it, I gripped his hand and held it up.

"This is mine now."

Wrapping his arm around my waist, I tangled our fingers together and smirked when I felt Jack chuckle and wrap his other arm around me in a way that was friendly and natural.

"If this keeps up, I think we're gonna have to have a talk with Jack about a thing or two." I heard Dean whisper to Sam.

"I heard that."

"Shut up, Mcfly. You're supposed to be sleeping." He scolded, teasingly. I kept my eyes closed but stuck out my tongue at him. I smiled when I heard him laugh.

"Goodnight, guys."

"Goodnight." Dean, Sam and Cas chimed together.

"Sweet dreams, Marty," Jack whispered.

With that, I let myself slowly drift into oblivion's velvet embrace.

***

"Is she asleep, yet?" Dean asked in a whisper, peering in the mirror at the sleeping girl.

"Um, I'm not sure." Jack craned his neck in an effort to find out, but he just couldn't tell.

"I'm trying, Mom," Marty mumbled into Jack's chest. That made him grin.

"From that I'd say, she's close."

"I'm not your mom, Marty," Dean sighed.

"Sorry, dad." She murmured. Dean just shrugged.

"Well, that's a little closer I guess," He said, his lips twitching with a tiny smile.

"Say, Jack, when's the last time you slept?" Sam asked, turning in his seat to face Jack who's face scrunched up as he thought about his answer.

"Four days ago, I think." He replied. Now that he thought about it, Jack realized just how tired he was.

"Dude. Sleep. Now." Dean ordered. Jack blinked a few times and yawned.

"No, I can wait." He yawned again.

"Jack..." Cas pressed.

"I can't go to sleep yet," Jack insisted.

"Why not? Marty back there did it just fine," Dean said.

"Gimmie back my socks, Biden," Marty mumbled.

"See? Out like a flickering lightbulb." Dean joked.

"No, you don't get it. I can't go to sleep, she's right here. She'd think I'm weird or something." Jack worried.

"Well, you're not exactly normal, Jack." Cas muttered under his breath.

"Look, she's the one sleeping on you kid." Dean paused, glancing at the others in the car. "That came out wrong. The point is, she clearly doesn't know the meaning of personal space. Just go for it." He finished, refocusing on the road.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked. Dean's eyeroll was nearly audible.

"Go to sleep, Jack. She ain't gonna care."

Jack nodded.

Snow began to fall on the roof of the Impala with a tip, tip, tipping noise as Jack rested his head atop Marty's. Her hair was soft under his cheek and he matched his breathing with the gentle rise and fall of her chest.

"I love that sound," She sighed, in her half-asleep stupor. Jack guessed she was referring to the sound of the falling snow.

"Me too," he whispered, closing his eyes and drifting off to the same place as the girl beside him.

***

"Jack."

...

"Jack!"

...

"You have got to be kidding me... JACK!"

Jack woke with a start. Blinking rapidly, he attempted to make sense of the world around him. Confusion washed over him as he could have sworn, he had fallen asleep in the Impala next to Marty. But he wasn't there anymore. In fact, he wasn't sure where he was.

Everything was white. The walls, the ceiling, the floor. Well, actually this place didn’t really seem to have walls or a ceiling or a floor. It was all just white, stretching off forever. Behind Jack somebody coughed.

"Behind you," They said, sounding rather annoyed.

Jack turned around slowly and cautiously. Standing in front of him now stood Marty. Her tiny hands on her slim hips and her face twisting into a frown that was somehow amused and annoyed at the same time. She raised her eyebrows at him, and her foot tapped rapidly on whatever surface it was that they seemed to be standing on.

"Heya, Jack." Marty smirked.

Jack's eyes shifted nervously left and right. His hand reached up on its own accord to rub at the knot he felt in his chest. He got the distinct impression that something here wasn't right. He planned to figure out what was going on as soon as he could determine where exactly 'here' was.

"Don't worry Jack, it’s just us. Or, I should say, it’s just you," Marty said, clarifying and confusing things for Jack at the same time. Jack shifted his gaze back to the girl in front of him.

"Where are we?" He asked, his brows drawing together. Marty smiled at him pleasantly.

"We're inside your head!" She answered.

"What?" Jack wondered how she could answer his question while giving him so many more at the same time. She giggled a bit at his confused expression. Spreading her arms like wings, she spun in a circle.

"Look around, Jack! It’s so big! You should be proud!" She stopped spinning to grin at him. The line between Jack's eyebrows and his confusion were deepening quickly. Marty tapped her chin and looked upward with a smirk, as if thinking about something. "But we really should both be proud." She mused.

"Marty, what's going on? Are you okay?" Jack took a step towards the girl reaching his hand out. Marty flicked her eyes up and down between him and his outstretched hand, her expression darkened. She held up her hands in a defensive gesture as she took a few sauntering steps back.

"First of all, I'm not Marty," She stated, evenly. Jack's position instantly switched from inviting to aggressive. He bent his knees and widened his stance, shifting his weight onto the balls of his feet, readying himself for a fight.

"Who are you?! Where is she?! What did you do to her?!" He demanded. His eyes pulsed with an orange light as he prepared to use his powers. The person in front of him, who apparently wasn't Marty, put a hand on her chest, gasping with obvious mockery.

"You wound me, Jack! You're not even going to ask who I am? I thought we were better friends than this." She closed her eyes and shook her head, sighing in an obnoxious and sarcastic way. Jack wasn't having any of this thing's games. He clenched his teeth and raised his hand threateningly.

"Where's Marty?" He growled, trying his best to imitate Sam, Dean, or Cas when they were in similar positions. The not-Marty just rolled her eyes, like she was bored.

"Yeah, no. We ain't doing that in here." She frowned, waving her hand simply. Jack scowled and tried to blast her back with his power, but he abruptly realized that he couldn't. Nothing was happening. She had taken his powers away. His eyes snapped open wide and he stared at his hand. Now he was the one taking a few steps back.

"W-what? I-" Jack stuttered. The not-Marty crossed her arms and leaned back on her heels, taking on a much more relaxed position.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot here, Jack. Can we start over?" She tilted her head and smiled pleasantly at him before sitting cross-legged on the ground. Jack nodded at her with a distrusting expression but hesitantly copied her position.

"Thank you, Jack. I'm sorry about the attitude earlier, it's just that, with this form you gave me, her personality and came with it and then there was your expectations and perception to deal with, so I had to battle through that. I'm very sorry, but I think we're all good now."

Jack was struck by just how pretty the pleasant smile on her face was and had to remind himself that it wasn't really Marty.

"What do you mean? Who are you?" He asked, expecting another vague and confusing answer. The girl giggled, her laugh sounded exactly like Marty's bubbling, wind chime laugh.

"I'm you, Jack!" She replied, brightly.

"No, you're not- you can't- how can you be me? I don't understand," Jack shook his head, bewildered. The girl giggled again.

"I'm not you you, of course. I'm your conscience! Or your sub-conscious or whatever, really." Jack didn't know what to say. Not-Marty leaned forward as if to tell him a secret. "Ya remember what I said about us being inside your head?" She reminded him.

"So, this is a dream?" He asked. She nodded.

"You could call it that, yes. So, you don't have to worry about Marty. When you wake up, she'll be right were you left her, safe, sound, and all cuddled up in your arms." She wrapped her arms around herself, jokingly. Jack nodded, sighing with relief, now he could figure out the rest of this weirdness.

"If you're my conscience, why do you look like Marty?" Was his next question. The girl claiming to be his conscience shrugged.

"You were thinking about her when you fell asleep. It's that simple." Jack nodded slowly.

"This is confusing," he stated. The girl just nodded.

"It is. Let's make it a little less confusing, shall we?" She stretched her hand out for him to shake, "I'm not Marty so how bout' you call me Cricket?"

"Why Cricket?"

"Like Jiminy Cricket! From Pinocchio!" She cheered. Jack took her hand and shook it firmly, still not completely sure he trusted all she was saying.

"Hello Cricket, it's nice to meet you?" He said, more as a question than a statement.

"It's nice to meet you too, Jack!" Cricket giggled for a moment before sobering up in a snap, "But we need to have a talk," She said, her voice grave.

"About what?" Asked Jack, carefully. Cricket chuckled at his apprehensive tone.

"Relax kiddo, it's not like I'm mad at you!" She reassured him.

"Then why am I here? What do we need to talk about?" Cricket frowned; her expression dark.

"We need to talk about Marty," She said. Jack narrowed his eyes.

"What about Marty?"

"There's something off about that girl, but I don't know what it is," Cricket answered.

"Why not?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Well, if you don't know, then I don't know, and we don't know!" She he exclaimed.

"Oh."

"But I'm telling you, all five-foot-two of this," Cricket gestured at Marty's body, "Isn't what it seems." Jack frowned.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, Martina is dangerous," Cricket deadpanned.

"No! She's my friend! She's not dangerous!" Jack protested. Cricket raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Really? How much do you actually know about her? You don't even know her full name," She pointed out, her voice harsh. "She's keeping secrets, Jack."

"No."

"Don't make me the villain here, Jack. You're making me the villain, I'm not!"

"Stop! Get out of my head!" Jack shouted.

"Jack, listen to me. I'm you and I'm trying to protect us!" Jack scrambled to his feet, shaking his head.

"I don't believe you!" The girl in front of him stood too.

"If you won't listen to me, then maybe you'll listen to mom." Then Marty was gone. Standing in her place was Kelly Kline.

"Mom?" Jack whispered he couldn't stop himself inching forward. Kelly opened her arms.

"Jack! Please listen to me, you can't trust that girl. I know she's your friend, but you need to look-" Jack cut her off.

"You're not real!" He said, backing away. In an instant, Kelly was gone, and Cricket came back.

"Fine, suit yourself." Cricket's glared was ferocious and her voice was cruel. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

Jack blinked and when he opened his eyes, Cricket was gone.

***

"We should probably wake em' up," Sam whispered as the Impala rounded the turn off on the dirt road that led to the bunker.

"Wait! Cas, do me a favor," Dean said passing his phone to the angel in the back seat, "take a picture of those two." Jack and Marty were still fast asleep. The only thing that had changed in eight hours on the road was that Marty had grabbed a hand full of Jack's shirt. Taking the phone from Dean's hand, Cas snapped three pictures of the sleeping duo.

"Here." He passed the phone back to Dean who took his eyes off the road to observe the pictures.

"Awesome." Dean grinned. "These are going in the black-mail folder."

"In the what?" Sam asked.

"The black-mail folder, Sammy. You don't have one?"

"Uh, no."

"Your loss," Dean shrugged, turning his attention back to driving. The car was quiet for a few minutes.

"So, what's in the black-mail folder?" Sam asked after a bit. Dean smirked at his brother.

"You'll find out," He said, ominously, "Next time I want something, you'll find out."

Sam decided in that moment that he did not want to find out what was in Dean's black mail folder. As the bunker came into view, Castiel reached over and shook the shoulders of the sleeping pair next to him.

"Jack, Marty, we're here," Cas urged, gently. Jack eye's opened and he blinked the tiredness from them, his neck was stiff, so he stretched it out. Marty, however, did not wake nearly as easily.

"Martina." Cas shook her shoulder again.

"Hmm?"

"Wake up."

"Five more minutes." She murmured. Jack chuckled at her antics.

"Marty, wake up. We're home." Marty's big grey eyes fluttered open and she turned her head to look up at Jack.

"Home?" She sighed.

"Yeah, home," Jack said. Marty sat up and yawned, stretching her arms and rubbing her eyes.

"Home sounds pretty good."

~What story should I tell? Will it end happy? Will it turn out well? What dreams do I own? Can I call any place my home?

And I rock myself to sleep And I tell myself "Don't fall to deep" Cause I know by now You're not comin' for me

And I tell myself "Move along" And I tell myself "You were all wrong" But I know by now Wrong was right for me

I'll sleep peacefully~

Lyrics from: Sleep Peacefully by Lilly Kershaw

[captainlilyuniverseworld]

Son of A B****

Title: Son of Bitch Square Filled: Omega!Sam Ship (if any): Sam/Dean, Omega!Sam/Alpha!Dean Rating: T Tags: Omega!Sam, ABO, Mpreg, Backgound ABO Summary: Sam goes to see the doctor thinking there might be something wrong or that he’s too stressed, Dean thinks Sam’s just starting omegapause, turns out they’re both wrong Word Count: 2201 Written/Created for @spnaubingo

Son of A Bitch

“I’m sure you’re worried for nothing,” Dean said. “Just stressing yourself out.” 

“But it could be something,” Sam replied. “I’d rather just talk to the doctor and see what’s going on.” 

“Could be omegapause,” Dean mused. 

“…Are you saying I’m old?” Sam asked. “I’m not even 40 yet.” 

“Okay, pre-omegapause,” Dean added. 

Sam rolled his eyes. “Saying that isn’t actually making me feel better, Dean. If anything it’s making me think about morality and wills and burial plots.” 

“But you’re not thinking about what could be stressing you out,” Dean pointed out. “You’re welcome.” 

Sam snorted. “The way your mind works will never cease to amaze me.” 

“Sam Winchester?” 

He looked up at the sound of his name and saw a nurse standing in the doorway of the waiting room. 

“I gotta go, I’ll see you at home alright?” Sam added. 

“Everything will be okay Sam. And whatever it is, which is nothing, we will face it together. Like we always do,” Dean told him. 

Sam smiled a bit. “I know…Love you.” 

“Love you too.” 

Sam hung up as he stood and walked over to the nurse. “Right this way Sam. Since this is your first time seeing Dr. Sterns we have to do a couple routine tests for your file and then she’ll come in when we’re finished alright?” 

He nodded and went through the tests. He made a mental note to see about getting Dean to the doctor at some point. They were both pretty healthy, but it never hurt to have a doctor sign off on it. 

“Alright, I’ll take these samples to the lab and Dr. Sterns will be in a few minutes,” the nurse told Sam before stepping out. 

He leaned back in one of the chairs and tried not to let on how nervous he felt. He sat up straighter as the door opened and a young woman stepped into the room. 

“Sam Winchester? I’m doctor Sterns,” she smiled and offered her hand. “How are we doing today?” 

“Just trying to remember the last time I was in a doctor’s office,” he chuckled as they shook hands. “Moved around a lot for most of my life, so I’m more used to the whole free clinic, and urgent care types.” 

“Move around a lot for work?” she asked. 

“Something like that,” Sam answered. 

“Well, everything looks good, our labs are not too busy today so we should get those lab results back by the time we’re finished. I see you are a new patient with us, and you had a few concerns that prompted you coming in today. Why don’t we talk about those,” she said. 

“Right, uh it might be nothing, and it could just be me stressing out over nothing, I’ve been having trouble sleepy lately, and I’ve noticed that sometimes I get night sweats. I’ve also been getting headaches a lot more, haven’t been in the mood for sex much lately, my mate told me to mention that one, I’ve had some cramping on and off as well and some weight gain…I went online, and from what I’ve been seeing I guess I might going into pre-omegapause?” he explained. 

“If only all my patients were as thorough as you,” Dr. Sterns chuckled. “Some of the symptoms you describe can coincide with pre-omegapause. I see here you’re going to be thirty six soon, and it isn’t uncommon to start getting symptoms in one’s late thirties. However, what you’ve told me could also indicate pregnancy.” 

“Pregnancy?” Sam blinked surprised. 

That thought hadn’t crossed his mind. 

“You mentioned that you haven’t had your heat in a few months? When was your last heat?” she asked. 

“Mid May,” Sam answered. “And it didn’t last as long as it normally did. Usually it’s a week long this time it is a couple days. Three I think.” 

She nodded and wrote something notes down. “If you don’t mind me asking, why is it your first thought was pre-omegapause and not pregnancy?” 

“Well…if it was going to happen for me, shouldn’t it have happened by now?” Sam asked. “I mean…I’ve been with my mate practically all my life, and we’ve always shared my heat together, when I was younger I used to take birth control, but as I got older I started having bad reactions to it so I stopped, and there are times when we’ve forgotten protection, we just kinda assumed kids were just not in the picture for us.” 

“Have either of you been tested to know for certain?” She asked. 

“We were never in one place long enough to really think about it,” Sam admitted. He ran a hand through his hair. “But…you’re saying there’s a chance I could be pregnant?” 

“There is a chance yes,” she nodded. “The blood sample will give us a more definitive answer.” Her computer chimed and she turned to look at it. “Which, it looks like we’ve got the results.” 

“I haven’t been this nervous since I applied to Stanford,” Sam smiled a bit. 

“Alright, let’s see here. cholesterol looks good, negative for any STDs or infections which is good, and the HCG levels in your blood are on the higher side, you are pregnant Sam,” she smiled at him. 

“Really?” Sam asked. 

She turned the screen so he could see. “Normal HCG levels tend to be around here, but when you’re pregnant they’ll be around here, and get higher the further along in your pregnancy. In some cases, very high HCG levels could indicate twins or even triplets. Given your age, it wouldn’t be impossible for you to have fraternal twins.  Your hormone levels are a bit on the low side which could be playing a part in why you haven’t been feeling any nausea or morning sickness. That could spike the further along you get.” 

“Son of a bitch,” Sam sat back in the chair. “Sorry,” he blushed embarrassed. “I don’t mean to swear it’s just…the fact that I might be pregnant never even crossed my mind and then to find out I am, and that I could have twins…it’s a lot.” 

“Would you like to do an ultrasound?” She asked. “See what they look like? And it’ll tell us how far along you are.” 

“Uh yeah, sure,” Sam nodded. 

He got up and laid down on the exam table and unbuttoned his shirt while she wheeled over the machine. He shivered when the gel made contact with his stomach and watched the screen. 

“And there is your baby,” she turned the screen so he could see better and pointed. “Judging by the size, you’re just about shy two months, which means, you conceived during your last heat, which explains why it was so short. Generally once pregnancy takes, the heat is finished.” 

“Wow…They’re so small,” Sam was in awe. 

“Let me print you off a couple of pictures, and I’ll write down a list of prenatal vitamins for you,” she told him. 

She gave him some tissues to clean off his stomach and he sat up to wait for her. 

An hour had him pulling down the driveway to their house. After almost two years it was still weird to know they had a house to call home. A permanent home. He pulled his car in next to the Impala and grabbed the grocery bag off the seat and locked the doors before making his way to the house. 

“Dean?” He called as he stepped inside. “Hey boy,” he knelt down to receive a few kisses from their dog Zeppelin and Sam’s still not sure how Dean won that one one. “Where’s Dean huh? Where’s he at?” 

Zeppelin barked and ran over to the sliding glass doors that led to the back porch. Sam took the pie he picked up from the grocery store out of the bag and set it in the fridge. He was pleased to see the writing on it hadn’t smeared on the drive home. He hid a few beers and soda’s in front of it. And maybe that should have been the tip off. He can’t remember the last time he had an actual drink, as he’d been drinking soda and water a lot more. 

“Hey,” Sam stepped onto the back porch. 

“Hey,” Dean smiled. “How’d it go?” 

“Good, it was uh, it was good,” Sam answered. 

“See? I told you you had nothing to worry about,” Dean turned his attention back to the grill. “Figured I’d make kabobs for dinner. I even made sure to do a healthy amount of meat and veggies so you won’t complain this time.” 

“I don’t think meat on a stick by itself really counts as a kabob Dean,” Sam pointed out as he walked over. 

Dean wrapped his arm around him as he turned the kabobs over and leaned up to kiss his temple. “Well lucky for me, pretty much the whole world agrees that meat on a stick by itself does count.” 

Sam snorted and reached for a pepper. “I’ll go set the table. We eating inside or outside?” 

“Outside, the weather’s nice,” Dean answered. “Grab me a beer too would you?” 

Sam went back into the house and grabbed the plates from the cabinet and drinks for them. He stopped in the doorway when he saw Dean putting the kabobs on a plate, and tossing a few pieces of chicken to Zeppelin. 

He could already picture Dean standing at the same grill with their little boy or girl. Talking them through the intricacies of perfect grilling. Sneaking extra food to Zeppelin when Sam wasn’t looking. 

“I know you’re there Sam,” Dean said without looking over his shoulder. 

“He’s gonna get fat if you keep sneaking him food like that,” Sam said as he set the plates on the table. 

“He’ll be fine. Ain’t that right Zep?” Dean tossed the dog another piece before he turned off the grill and joined Sam at the table with a plate of kabobs. 

“I’ve never seen so many vegetables on your plate before,” Sam teased. “And such variety.” 

“At least I’m not getting a little paunch unlike someone,” Dean mused as he picked up his beer. 

My paunch is our baby, Sam was tempted to say, it was weird to think it but it made him feel warm inside. He knew deep down Dean had always wanted a family, and Sam had always felt a little disappointed with himself that he hadn’t been able to give that to Dean despite his claims that all he needed was Sam. But now he was pregnant, and as much as he wanted to tell Dean, he didn’t want to ruin the surprise, so instead he just kicked Dean under the table. 

“Ow,” Dean reached down to rub his ankle. “Mean.” 

They finished eating in mostly silence, comfortable silence that came from years of living in each other’s pockets and Sam pushed his plate away once he was done. He covered his mouth as he burped. 

“Excuse me,” he blushed. 

“I will take that as a compliment,” Dean grinned. 

“I picked up some pie on my way home,” Sam told him. “I put it in the fridge.” 

“Is it apple? I hope it’s apple,” Dean said as he stood up. “You want a slice?” 

“I’ll pass,” Sam answered. “But I’ll take a root beer on your way back.” 

“Must be some good news you got at the doctors. You’ve been smelling all good since you got home, and you picked up pie? If it weren’t the anti-possession tattoos I’d think you were possessed by a demon or something…Which reminds…me…” Dean’s voice trailed off. 

“Dean?” Sam leaned back to try and peer into the house. 

He stood up and walked into the house and found Dean in the kitchen. He was standing front of the fridge holding the door open. He was looking down at the pie in the fridge. Sam had asked the bakery clerk to write We’re pregnant on top of the pie in frosting. 

“Turns out it wasn’t pre-omegapause, or omegapause or stress…I’m uh. I’m pregnant Dean,” Sam told him. “We’re gonna have a baby.” 

“Son of a bitch,” Dean said. 

“Yeah…my thoughts too when I found out,” Sam chuckled. 

“But what about…and all those times,” Dean said as he looked at Sam. 

“Stress…it can decrease infertility and the chances of conceiving,” Sam replied. “The last decade and a half has probably been a little stressful what with hunting monsters and trying to keep the world from imploding…you know, just normal everyday stressful things.” 

Dean laughed a little. “Yeah, totally normal stressful things…fuck, Sam this is…” 

“Good?” Sam asked hopefully. 

“More than good Sammy,” Dean answered. He set the pie down on the counter and walked over to Sam. His fingers brushed their bond mark as he pulled him down into a kiss and Sam melted into it. 

“This is amazing,” Dean said as he pulled away. “You’re gonna get so fat.”

Sam snorted and shoved his mate. “Screw you.” 

Dean just grinned at him. “I mean consider screwing is what led us here…” 

“Oh my god, just eat your pie,” Sam laughed.

[vesuvian-american-fics]

Something Entirely New Ch. 8

Stolen Glances

As your friendship with Muriel develops, new feelings begin to arise. (AO3)

Words: 2,206

The sweet sounds of your laughter floated through the wind as Asra neared the oasis. A cheeky grin slowly spread across Asra’s full lips; they must be all better now. Silently he crept closer to eavesdrop on your conversation with the gentle giant Muriel.  

“Asra really did that?” You asked between stifled laughs, Muriel exhaled through his nose as he shook his head in mock disappointment.  

“Yes, I don’t think we’ve ever run so fast, that fake fortune teller was hot on our heels.” Muriel’s broad shoulders jumped as he silently laughed at the memory.  

“Asra’s always been one for mischief, but I think you help him stay grounded.” You said, smiling softly as you continued to aid Muriel with weed picking the garden. Muriel was silent for a moment before he spoke again.  

“I think you do too.” He reassured; his eyes focused on the task ahead of him as his timid nature began to control him again. As the comfortable silence drew on, Asra appeared from the brush, a basket full of wild daisy's in hand.  

“I remember owing you a month’s worth of smoked eel after that incident.” He added, shooting Muriel a knowing glance. Seeing his too favorite people share such a tender moment really made Asra’s heart flutter. Nothing could ruin this moment.  

Muriel whipped around at Asra’s voice before stammering out complaints that Asra shouldn’t eavesdrop. You and Asra could only laugh at the scene before you both, Muriel was slowly creeping out of his shell and it was a heart-warming sight.  

Muriel stood to his full height and you quickly followed suit, the three of you heading inside as the afternoon sun was high in the sky. Inside, you complained about your aching shoulders and yearned for a steaming bath.  

Muriel, being the secret gentleman he is, offered the bath to you first, but Asra quickly interjected.  

“Ah, actually, there’s a lovely bath house in town that I think you’d love, Y/N! You’ve been cooped up here since we arrived, I’m sure you’d love to explore town a bit before the festival in a few days.” Asra smiled as he clasped his hands together. Muriel watched as your eyes lit up and the thought of a spa day in town, your face, looking so happy and pure stole his breath away. He couldn’t take his eyes off of you.  

“That sounds perfect!” You chirp, before hopping upstairs for a change of clothes and a bag. In the few minutes Asra was alone with his hermit friend, he shot him a wink, violet eyes sparkling with interest.  

“I’ll be back in time for dinner!” You mused, and with that, you were out the door. Muriel’s mossy green eyes followed your movements and when the door shut, he finally released the breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. Spluttering when he caught Asra’s expression, the magician wiggled his sculpted ivory brows at his friend.  

Clearing his throat Muriel quickly excused himself to get cleaned up while Asra stayed downstairs twisting the flowers between his slender fingers. He wouldn’t be able to admit it, at the very least without stressing his dear friends out, but their tense relationship upset Asra to no end. He spent many nights awake staring at the ceiling wondering how he could mend this relationship. This new progress brought him a lot of peace of mind, tension he stored in his own body ebbing away.  

When Muriel descended the stairs once more, lunch waited for him on the table. Also there, was Asra munching away at his own food. Without hesitation Muriel sat at the small table and thanked his friend for the meal. As the late afternoon sun light filtered in through the windows Asra sighed to himself at the warmth cascading over his cheek.  

Muriel couldn’t help but hum in delight at the warmth as well, Asra taking the moment to speak.  

“You’re opening up to them~” He purred taking a sip of his cold drink. Muriel blushed lightly, hoping that the sun shining over his features did well to mask his new rosy tint. It didn’t.  

“N-no I’m not. I’m just... not being mean.” Muriel pouted, crossing his muscular arms over his wide chest, leaning back comfortably in his chair.  

“Right. Well anyway, I’m proud of you, Muri. It’s nice seeing you talk so comfortably.” Asra stood as he cleared the table of any empty dishes and discarded them in the sink. He turned around and leaned lazily against the kitchen counter as he surveyed Muriel’s reaction to the praise.  

Muriel seemed proud as well, his usual frown massaged from his features. As Asra began to busy himself with washing the dishes, Muriel couldn’t help but ask the one thing he'd been meaning to all this time..  

“How do I... get more time like that?” He asked timidly, his brows furrowing slightly at his own vulnerability. Asra chuckled at the vagueness of his question but being as perceptive as he was, he deduced quickly what Muriel was asking.  

“More time spent talking and laughing with my apprentice? Just be soft with them, that’s easy enough for you right?” He joked, Muriel scoffing at the comment. Muriel didn’t know how to be soft like you, but he got a glimpse at how easy it could be to talk to you today. He just craved more of that.  

“Help them cook dinner tonight while I nap.” Asra continued without missing a beat.  

“Or if you like, I can stay down here and watch?” He suggested, glancing over his shoulder as Muriel worried his lip at the prospect. To be alone with you, or have Asra there for support. It was natural enough earlier today in the garden but it was also spontaneous. Knowing that he would be alone with you in a few hours caused him a bit of anxiety, and he was afraid he’d mess up and say something stupid.  

“Asra... stay. Please.” Muriel’s eyes shifted up to Asra and was grateful that he had his back turned to him, he wouldn’t have to see such a sorry state he was in at the thought of being alone with you and trying to talk all by himself.  

“Of course. Anyway, they should be back any minute. Go rest a bit, recharge.” Asra wiped his hands dry on the kitchen towel before sauntering over to his friend. His slender yet toned arms entrapping Muriel in a friendly embrace, calming his friend's nerves.  

Clearing his throat, Muriel gave Asra a short, nod. Thanking him for his words and support. Before he continued up the stairs Muriel stopped himself, turning around and reappearing in the dining room.  

“Sorry I was so harsh on them. And you.” He said sheepishly but his large eyes were full of remorse and regret. It gave Asra pause, he knew how kind Muriel truly was and he was beating himself for his past actions. Asra knew it was partially his own fault as well, and being as familiar with each other as they were, they both understood each other’s feelings completely.  

“No worries, Muriel.” He whispered, leaning against the kitchen counter once more. He watched as Muriel ascended the stairs once more and heard the soft click of his door shutting.  

A moment of silence, and as if right on cue, you were shuffling in through the front door with a bit for food for dinner.  

“Oh, hi Asra! Whatcha up to?” You asked, your sunshiny personality seeming to brighten up the space. Asra chuckled to himself, a serene smile spreading over his face.  

“Nothing, nothing. I missed you.” He said, wrapping you into a short embrace before pecking a kiss to your cheek. He stifled a yawn and you giggled at his sleepy nature. Without missing a beat, you bid Asra a good night as he strode up the stairs for his late afternoon nap.  

You decided a nap was in order for yourself as well. You still had a few hours before dinner was due and it would be quick enough to make to where you could relax for a while. A sudden wave of drowsiness washed over you, and your fluffy bed was calling your name. You dropped onto your bed neglecting to kick off your sandals as you drifted off to a dreamless sleep.  

“Dinner time!” Asra shouted, poking his head into your bedroom and laughing at the wild position you slept in. You replied with a lazy laugh of your own as you slowly stretched and sighed at the soft pops of your joints.  

By now, Muriel was walking in front of your doorway and he quickly averted his eyes as he noticed your loose shirt rising about your waistband with your stretch. The sliver of soft skin he saw in that moment causing his face to heat up feverishly.  

You joined the two of them downstairs not long after you were woken up and got to cooking. Asra tapped Muriel’s large foot beneath the table with his own to give him the courage to ask you if you needed any help.  

Muriel’s heart fluttered deep within his chest, he fiddled with his fingers as he struggled to speak.  

“D-do you need any help?” Muriel asked, worried his voice was so soft in that moment that you failed to hear him. Your eyes widened a fraction, and your heart skipped a beat, you tried to calm yourself a bit before replying, afraid that if you sounded over eager you’d scare the poor man away.  

“Would you help me please, Muriel?” You said, offering him a shy smile as your eyes darted around focusing everywhere in the room but on Muriel.  

Silently, Muriel nodded and rose to his feet, he towered over you and your neck craned to look closely at his expression. He looked just as nervous as you were, making you all the more appreciative for his offer.  

Soon enough the two of you were shuffling awkwardly around the small kitchen preparing tonight’s meal. Small conversation filtered through the air and Asra found himself smiling at the interaction as he shuffled his deck of tarot cards to busy himself.  

The close proximity between you two made you giddy; Muriel was a handsome man without a doubt and it took until now for you to realize just how flustered he could make you. He was a little rough around the edges at first but could you blame him, he was so kind underneath it all and his shy disposition was extremely charming.  

Muriel found himself having fun cooking with you, you were funny, and very skilled with your hands. It was fascinating watching you work up close, talking him through your work as you moved around the kitchen, and around him, as much as you could.  

As the sauce was finished for the main course you gathered a bit on a spoon giving it a blow and offered it to Muriel. Feeling bold, your arm stretched upwards toward his lips offering him a taste. Muriel stiffened at the action, quirking a brow up in question without making a move toward the spoon.  

“Taste.” You giggled, stepping just an inch closer to the man. His cheeks dusted pink as he lowered himself toward the spoon but before he could take the sauce into his mouth your hand trembled with anticipation. To still you, Muriel gently held your wrist with his large hand. It was your time to blush now, as Muriel’s lips wrapped around the spoon and he hummed at the flavors. Savory with a kick of spice towards the end, it was perfect.  

He simply nodded his head as he stood back to his full height, averting his eyes and looking towards Asra to see if he caught that.  

Muriel’s eyes widened at the stargazed look stricken on Asra’s face, even he was blushing at what just happened. Muriel’s face reddened even deeper at that; he hadn’t realized how intimate that moment was as his heart pounded against his chest. He wondered if you could hear it.  

Returning his attention to you Muriel’s mouth slightly fell open as he saw you tasting the sauce yourself with the same spoon he just had between his lips. Muriel quickly retreated to the other side of the counter to put space between the two of you as his mind blanked. He tried to will the fiery blush from his features but it was all in vain. Luckily you never turned to look at him much more while you  prepared everyone’s plates, unbeknownst to Muriel you were fighting away a feverish  blush of your own.  

“That was reckless,” you thought to yourself, feeling a bit embarrassed at your actions but Muriel didn’t seem put off by It. For that you were grateful.  

The rest of the night continued on without much incident, you and Muriel stealing shy glances at one another. Asra carried the conversation for the evening, as he often did. After all of the dishes were cleaned away by your fluffy haired friend, the three of you retreated to your bedrooms for a night's rest. All three of you replaying the events of the day in your heads on loop.  

[suitofvibraniumarmor]

If You Just Realize

Part Three: Hold Me Up

Summary: Sebastian filled Y/N in on the upcoming custody issues.  Pairing: Sebastian Stan x Reader Word Count: 2065 Series Warnings: Death, angst, sadness. Lots of creative licensing, I’m sure. Square Filled: This entire series will fill my realized feelings square for @marvelfluffbingo. A/N: I’ve much enjoyed writing this series, and I hope all of you enjoy reading it! The tag list is open; requests to be added can be done so here. There are bits and pieces of Romanian throughout the series, mostly from Google Translate and the few things I’ve picked up as I learn the language. Happy Reading!

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After dinner, they gathered together in the family room to watch The Little Mermaid, at Milena’s request. They popped popcorn and had root beer floats — they were all full to the brim by bedtime. Milena wanted to watch another movie, so they started Despicable Me, but the family was asleep before the movie was half over. Anthony and Georgeta took Milena to bed with them, leaving Y/N and Sebastian to clean up from the snacks and shut the house down. 

Y/N shouldered her bag and switched from one foot to the other, nervous for some reason. She waited for Sebastian to be done in the kitchen, then asked if she should stay in the guest room. 

He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. “Uh, yeah, that’s fine, or you could — you could stay with me. If you want to. You don’t have to.”

“I mean, I don’t — if you want to be alone, I don’t want to …” She squeezed her eyes shut and groaned, then chuckled. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I feel nervous about this. We’ve slept in the same bed before, no problem. Maybe because it’s your parents’ house.”

Sebastian smirked. He loved the traditional, old-fashioned parts of her upbringing that would randomly show up in conversation or shine through in her preferences. He pulled his head in the direction of the room that would always be his in the house. 

“C’mon, Bright Eyes, let’s get some sleep.” 

Y/N smiled, grateful that he made the decision for her. She used the main bathroom in the hallway to wash her face and brush her teeth, and change from her jeans and t-shirt to a cotton nightgown. She packed her toiletries back into her bag and tiptoed back to Sebastian’s room. He was sitting up in bed, checking messages on his phone. 

“Who in the world would be messaging you this late with everything going on?” Y/N asked, dropping her bag next to the dresser before climbing into the big, comfy bed. She fluffed the pillow a couple of times, then lay on her side, facing Sebastian. 

He shook his head. “No one, I’m just catching up on some things I missed. Mostly people checking in, asking how the service went. Hey, do you wanna go have a coffee with me in the morning?”

“You don’t want to have breakfast with your parents and Milena?”

“I’m sure they’re all going to sleep late. Thought it might be nice to get out for just a little bit.”

Y/N nodded. “Sure, whatever sounds good to you.”

Sebastian plugged his phone into the charger then, and turned off the bedside lamp. He leaned over to kiss her forehead, thanking her again for being there with him. 

“I’m always gonna be here, Seb, whenever you need me,” she assured him through a yawn. “Wake me when you’re ready for coffee in the morning, if I’m not up already.”

Before Sebastian could reply, she was asleep. Smiling to himself, he pulled the covers a little tighter around him and tried to get some rest. 

After a night of restless sleep Y/N woke far earlier than she would have liked the next morning. After half an hour of more tossing and turning trying to go back to sleep, she got up and changed to the running shorts she had packed just in case, her t-shirt from the day before, then slipped into her favorite pair of running shoes — also packed just in case. Careful not to wake anyone else, she downed a glass of water to get some hydration in her system, then let herself out through the front door. 

As she ran through the neighborhood where Georgeta and Anthony lived, she breathed deep, enjoying the fresh air filling her lungs first thing in the morning. Her flight schedule the day before, followed by the immediate activity of the funeral, had left her feeling tired and weighed down. Oh, she wouldn’t have changed any of it for the world, but if she was going to be a support to her friend, she wanted to be refreshed and alert in the coming days. 

How heavy her heart felt for Sebastian; a heaviness that no run could shake off. He had been so close with his sister, so proud of her. Despite their age difference and the fact that she was, in actuality, his half-sister, Y/N had never known Sebastian to treat Irina as anything less than a sister he had grown up with his entire life. When he had called to tell Y/N about the car accident, to ask her to come for the service, his voice had been thick with tears. She had helped him through break-ups and things before, but this was one heartbreak she didn’t know if anyone could help him heal from. 

After a couple miles, she returned to the house. She found towels easily enough and showered in the main bathroom. Once she was dressed, she dealt with her hair and patted some moisturizer on her face. Upon opening the door, she saw a sleepy little girl standing in the hallway, still in Anthony’s t-shirt, her pigtails lopsided, and one chubby hand rubbing the sleep from her eyes. 

“Well, good morning, princess,” Y/N greeted, quiet but with a smile. “How are you today?”

Milena only nodded and stretched her hands up to be held. Y/N obliged her immediately, taking the girl to the family room for some morning cartoons. Milena sat in Y/N’s lap, curled up and leaning against her chest. Y/N took the throw blanket from the back of the couch and covered the both of them with it while they watched. 

Georgeta found them an hour or so later, greeting both girls with a kiss on the cheek. She offered breakfast, which Milena eagerly accepted — especially when she was given the opportunity to help make pancakes — but Y/N informed the other woman of Sebastian’s request that they go for coffee that morning. 

“Maybe I’ll go see if he’s ready to wake up,” she mused, folding the blanket before laying it on the back of the couch where it had been. 

He was facing away from the door, his breathing deep and even. His hair was mussed from quite a bit of tossing and turning himself, and Y/N contemplated if she should wake him or not. Biting her bottom lip, she seated herself on the side of the bed where she had slept the night before. Balancing herself on one arm, she leaned over to run her hands through Sebastian’s thick, brown hair. 

“Mmm.” The sound was scratchy and low in his throat. Y/N smiled and kept doing what she was doing, until he took a deep breath and reached up to catch her hand in his. “That was a really great wake-up call but if you keep doing that, I’m going to fall back asleep real quick.”

She chuckled. “Your mom and Milena are making pancakes. Do you want to eat with them or do you still want to go for coffee?”

He squeezed her hand before releasing it. Rolling to his back, he looked up at her and smiled. “Good morning.”

“Morning.”

“Yeah, let’s go for coffee, if you don’t mind. I’ll make you more pancakes when we come back, if there aren’t any left.”

Y/N scooted off the bed to give him some privacy while he got ready for them to go out. She joined Georgeta and Milena in the kitchen while she waited, but she didn’t have to wait long. Sebastian had donned a t-shirt and jeans, plopped a baseball cap on his head, found some shoes, and called it good. Y/N wished she could get ready that quickly and that easily. 

“We’re gonna go for coffee, but I don’t think we’ll be gone too long,” Sebastian informed his mother. “Is it all right if I take your car?”

“Sure,” Georgeta agreed. She accepted his kiss to her cheek and smiled when he hugged Milena so tight, the little girl giggled and tried to push out of the hug. 

“I wanna go!” Milena pleaded, dancing around the kitchen. 

Sebastian sighed. “This one’s just for me and Y/N, okay, munchkin? I promise, I’ll take you out, just you and me, soon.”

With her grandmother beginning to flip pancakes, Milena didn’t need much more convincing to stay behind. She climbed up on the footstool she had been using to see what was going on at the counter, her uncle and his friend forgotten for the time being. 

The ride to the coffee shop was quiet. They found a parking spot not too far from the cafe, and Sebastian held tight to Y/N’s hand as they crossed the street. He held the door open for her, paid for their coffees, and then sat across from her at a table with good sunlight but not right next to the window. 

“You sleep okay last night?” he asked. 

Y/N shrugged, savoring the warm feeling of the coffee as she sipped at it. “Tossed and turned a little this morning, so I got up for a run. I’m not too tired right now, though.”

“Good. When we get back, we can hang out for a little bit, then if you need to nap or anything, you should.” He blew on his coffee before taking a drink of the black brew. “So, I know that you know something’s up. After the heated discussion with Alice yesterday, and I’m sure things seemed a little tense when you came back with the food.”

She shrugged. “Yes, but considering the circumstances, I didn’t think much of it.”

He ran a hand over his face and let out a deep sigh. After another drink of his coffee, he plunged into it. “Apparently, Irina told Mom that if anything ever happened to her, she wanted me to take custody of Milena. I don’t know why, and there’s nothing on paper because …”

“Because she was in her mid-twenties and why would she worry that something would happen to her now,” Y/N supplied. 

“Exactly. The Hills — Milena’s other grandparents — want joint custody of her. It just seems like so much back and forth. Obviously, we want to keep whatever pieces of Irina that we can, but we also want to handle things the way she would have wanted them to be handled. They’ve already got a lawyer working on things, apparently, and I’m going to see my lawyer this afternoon. That’s really who I was messaging when we went to bed last night.”

Y/N reached over to squeeze his hand. “Sebastian, you know you’re gonna be great for her, right? Milena loves you — she thinks the world of you. If that’s what your sister wanted, it had to be for good reason.”

“But am I ready for this? Really? A little girl, in my care, who I’m responsible for? Why does that suddenly seem like the most daunting task I’ll ever take on.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. “The Hills think joint custody with my parents would be better because of my schedule, my job. They know I can provide for her, but they’re concerned she won’t get the attention she deserves.”

“So you’re worried about it, too,” Y/N surmised. “First of all, no one’s ever ready to become a parent. Even with all the preparation in the world, a lot of unexpected things are going to happen. Second, as far as work and giving Milena attention, that’s something you can balance. You can find help. I’ve been reading a few scripts, but I’m otherwise between things right now. My next movie doesn’t premiere for another six months. I can help you.”

“I can’t ask you to put your life on hold, Y/N.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re not asking, I’m offering. And even if I wasn’t offering, yes, you can ask. That’s what friends are for.”

He licked his lips and thought it over. The thought that had seeded in his mind the day before sprouted up again; he dismissed it quickly. 

“Maybe we start with you going to the lawyer with me this afternoon, go from there.”

“I think that’s a good plan,” she agreed, taking another drink of her coffee. “But my offer stands, Sebastian. Whatever you need from me, I’m happy to help.”

AllOfTheThings: @captain-s-rogers @star-spangled-man-with-a-plan @letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked @hurricanerin @horsesandbandsforlife @im-not-an-armrest-im-short @captain-rogers-beard @shynara51 @sea040561 @pinknerdpanda @xtina2191 @jackryanplz @beakami @heartsaved @fullprunerebelstatesman @blackwidowismyhomegirl @averyrogers83 @jennmurawski13

IYJR: @elsatxx @tanelle83 @amanda-teaches @etherealwaifgoddess @kmuir1 @ntlmundy @jayankles @rebekahdawkins @denise1605 @rhadigen @peace-love-hobbitness @itsallyscorner @mizzzpink @auspiciousharriet @the-murder-strut-murdered-me​

[sneezehq]

Shelter

The girls recover after the fight with the ace ops. Volume 8 spoilers.

Got this idea in my head and figured I'd go ahead and write it before I watch next week's episode and have to wrestle with how noncanon it is. Set directly after Volume 8 Episode 3, and includes minor elements from Episode 4. It's not entirely canon compliant as I have not seen the episode in it's entirety. Enjoy!

The rest of the trip to the Schnee manor passes in silence, with the driver and passengers of the airship either focusing on navigating, lost in thought, or in Nora's case, unconscious. The redhead hasn't so much as stirred since she collapsed, and little flickers of electricity keep sparking off her like static shocks. It's not exactly an encouraging sign.

They might have succeeded at getting the code that they needed, and sent Penny on her way to secure the launch, but looking at the face of her unconscious friend Blake can't help but feel that they haven't really accomplished much.

"We're here," Weiss announces, snapping Blake out of her reverie. Glancing out the window, she realizes that she must have zoned out for longer than she thought, long enough for them to arrive at their destination. The looming shape of the Schnee manor towers above them, intimidating even in the absence of its infamous patriarch.

"Let's get inside," May says, hoisting Nora into her arms. Weiss and Blake reluctantly follow, Ruby trailing behind them. Even without the presence of Weiss' overbearing father, it hardly seems like a welcoming place to stay. Still, it's not like they have a lot of options for refuge these days.

Ruby has been quiet since Penny departed, and Blake had figured that she was just tired and missing her friend. But she drags behind the rest of the group as they approach the house, and then proceeds to collapse as soon as they've crossed the threshold.

"Ruby!" Weiss yelps in alarm. Blake manages to catch her before she cracks her head on the floor.

"She must have overdone it with her semblance earlier," Blake muses, carefully arranging Ruby into a sort of awkward bridal carry in her arms. "I don't think she's ever used it on so many people before."

Biting her lip, Weiss nods. "There should be a spare bedroom just off the hallway where we can hole up for now. It's the first door on your left."

They settle both girls down on the bed. Blake pulls off Ruby and Nora's shoes, tossing them in the corner with the rest of their stuff. Outside, they can hear Weiss talking to someone.

"Who's there?" a young male voice asks. Whitley.

"None of your business," Weiss responds, tone sharp with annoyance. "Now, why don't you go to your room and stay out of my way."

May stands. "I'll go check to make sure that we don't have any more surprises out there waiting for us. You look after them."

Blake nods. She makes her way over to the bed to check on her friends.

Ruby is pale and warm to the touch, but her breathing is steady and she just seems to be deeply asleep. She probably just drained her aura by overextending her semblance. With a little rest, she should be fine. Nora, on the other hand . . .

Nora is burning up, her skin ghostly pale and her breathing erratic and shallow. And they probably won't know the full extent of the damage until she wakes up. If she wakes up . . .

No. She can't afford to think like that. Blake shakes her head, trying to banish the gloomy thoughts. She spins around in surprise when the door creaks open, but relaxes when she sees that it's Weiss.

"Just me," Weiss says, holding up her hands. She looks over at Ruby and Nora and swallows hard. "How are they looking?"

Blake decides to start with the good news. "Ruby should be okay with a little rest. She's just exhausted from using her semblance like that."

"And Nora?" Weiss is unusually quiet.

"She's not looking good, Weiss," Blake says with a sigh. "I don't think that there's anything we can do about those scars, and she's burning up."

"I could get a wet towel or something for her," Weiss offers, eager to do something to help. "There's a bathroom across the hall. I'll be right back."

Left in the silence, Blake tries to think of something to do. The last time they were here, the place was full of people and noise. Now, it's just unnervingly quiet. Blake just wants to hear a reassuring voice, to not feel so alone.

Before she can think better of it, she takes out her scroll and dials Yang. Her partner picks up on the first ring. "Blake! What's going on?"

"Yang." Blake swallows hard past the sudden lump in her throat. "I'm not sure what to do."

"Blake, what happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm okay. We're hiding out at the Schnee manor right now. We got the code that Dr. Pollendina needed, and Penny is on her way to Amity tower for the launch." Maybe if Blake sticks to just the bare minimum details, she can keep herself from crying.

Yang is quiet for a moment. Behind her, the door opens. Weiss comes back in, damp towel in hand, and lays it over Nora's forehead. "I'll go see if I can find something to eat," she announces, before leaving again.

Keeping busy in order to avoid your own feelings of helplessness. Blake can appreciate that.

With a jolt, she realizes that Yang has started talking again. "Sorry, what was that?"

"I said, it sounds like you guys have been pretty successful then. So, what's wrong?"

Blake looks at Ruby and Nora, unconscious on the bed, and feels anything but successful. She's quiet for a long moment.

"We ran into the ace ops while we were in the facility," she says finally.

"Did you guys have to fight them again?"

"Penny did. She was holding her own, but they managed to take one of her swords. We're not sure why. Nothing good, probably."

"What else happened?" Yang knows her well enough to know that that can't be all she's upset about.

Blake bites her lip. "During the fight, we got separated from Penny. Nora," she takes a deep breath. "Nora, she used one of the electrified doors to charge up her semblance. It worked, but. But it was way too much electricity even for her to take. She collapsed, and she hasn't woken up since. I don't know what to do, Yang."

"Nora's tough, Blake. I'm sure she'll get through this."

"You didn't see her," Blake says, shaking her head before remembering that Yang can't see her. "She looked really bad, Yang, and the scars." Her voice breaks. "I wish you were here."

"I wish there was more I can do to help. It sounds like we'll just have to wait it out for Nora, and hope that she surprises us. How are Ruby and Weiss?"

"Weiss is fine. Unhappy about being back here, but fine. Ruby overdid it a bit with her semblance, back at the base, so she's sleeping it off, but she's okay."

"What was she trying to do?" Yang asks, sounding worried.

"Well, Penny figured out a new trick for Ruby's semblance, which was really helpful, but took a lot out of her. She'll be fine with some rest."

"A new trick, huh? Wish I could have seen it."

"I'm sure she'll be happy to show you once we're all back together again. And you should see what May can do with her semblance. But never mind that, how are you guys doing?"

"Blake, are you talking to Yang?" Ruby's sleepy voice comes from behind her.

"Oh good, you're awake." Blake sits down on the bed next to Ruby. "Yes, I'm on my scroll with your sister. How are you feeling?"

Ruby squints up at her, then shrugs. "Uh, tired and sore, but okay, I guess. Especially compared to—" She cuts herself off, looking over at Nora. "Can I talk to Yang?" she asks, her voice small.

"Of course," Blake says immediately, handing the scroll to Ruby. She checks on Nora while Ruby talks to her sister. She's still deathly pale and way too warm, but her breathing is steadier.

When she looks back over at Ruby, the younger girl is out cold again, slumped on her side and still clutching the scroll to her ear. Smiling fondly, Blake gently extricates the scroll from her grasp and pulls the covers over her.

"I'm afraid you put her to sleep."

"Good," Yang replies. "Hey, thanks for that, by the way."

"Of course. I know that you two miss each other."

"You have no idea. Thanks for looking out for her, by the way."

"What are teammates for?" She'll never take Yang's place, but she can try her best. Blake wouldn't want anyone else watching her back. "So, how are you guys doing?"

Yang sighs. "Not great, unfortunately." She tells Blake about their efforts to help the refugees evacuate, and their encounter with the strange Grimm that took Oscar. "We're going to go after it of course, but we've got no idea how to fight it."

"I'm sure that you guys will figure something out," Blake tries to reassure her. "Jaune's an amazing strategist, Ren is a great fighter, and well, I wouldn't want anyone else watching my back besides you."

"Thanks, Blake," Yang says softly, her tone fond. "Well, as much as I'd love to keep talking to you, I should probably go check on the boys. Stay safe out there, okay?"

"You too," Blake replies, disconnecting the call. She smells food, and turns around to find Weiss in the doorway, holding a plate full of sandwiches.

"I got us some food," Weiss announces unnecessarily. "You doing okay?"

Blake smiles at her. She's still worried, but after talking to Yang, it feels like a bit of the weight has been eased off her shoulders. "I am, actually."