#(<- person who should have been doing assignments. sigh. tomorrow I will keep myself off from tumblr.)
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ai-the-broccoli · 1 month ago
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tbh, as much as I love to see positive depictions of Cluster B-coded characters in fiction, personally I often enjoy seeing unflattering/dubious portrayals of them just as much. like how Dorian Gray enjoys gazing at his portrait, except that this is infinitely more fun and also doesn't give you immense guilt, shame and emotional distress lol
also, personally, it just genuinely feels good -- to me -- to see characters with such traits represented (often on accident) even when they are villains or morally grey characters, especially when they aren't thoroughly and uniquely demonized by the narrative.
like. I'm happy to see traits like those (that I, and/or my fellow people, have) represented in Conventionally Morally-Good-ish characters because those are refreshing to see and such interesting depictions (see: Miyuki Shirogane, imo. and Tamaki. and Klavier), and I'm also happy to see those traits on characters who do indeed do horrible things (e.g. Dorian, Misa, mvk, Dahlia, Engarde, and for most-awful award a certain PM Yagami in the acclaimed fanfiction Hinterland Doctrine also comes to mind, though tbh so many characters in that series are such horrible people that he somehow isn't even so uniquely bad in most respects despite the odds. anyway regular Light probably goes here too)--
-- and everything in between, from "characters of highly dubious/unusual morality who do or attempt to do very harmful things, but are both clearly 'humanized' narratively, and treated as completely, unambiguously, very totally sympathetic on a narrative level" (e.g. Himena Aika, Bibi Reden, Sera Himeura, imo Mikoto Sena, and to some extent Alina Gray) (note: this differs a bit from villains who are 'very sympathetic to me specifically', and/or villains who 'may be somewhat sympathetic narratively, but about whom the narrative doesn't try to drill it into your head that you are meant to feel really bad for them'. e.g. Dorian isn't demonized and it's like the narrative treats him with... a lot of understanding, tbh, but he doesn't really go here. oh actually, so I don't think drama!Light is cluster b-coded, but he would be an example of a character who is treated as being totally completely very sympathetic narratively, compared to animanga Light), to "characters who are a bit unusual in morality and/or personality or behaviours, but either don't do -- or no longer do -- actually seriously harmful things" (overlaps a bit with the previous category, esp if they have had redemption or domestication arcs so to speak. but anyway some Saiki K characters are also like this right...? and then Franziska. also Kyoya. imo).
I'm rambling but like idk I think I'm often just very happy to see nearly any characters with those traits in general
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ptergwen · 4 years ago
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you know that one scene in ffh when people keep knocking on the door while fury is trying to speak to peter? could you maybe do something like that but instead it’s peter and stark reader wanting some alone time (you can make it smut or fluff idm!) also, i am so in love with your work it’s amazing :)❣️
knock before you enter
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w/c: 1.3k
warnings: implied smut, dirty jokes, swearing
a/n: i went a lil overboard because i was having too much fun :,) and i kinda combined the two i hope that’s okay!
-
you let out a breath of relief as peter finally presses his lips to yours. he grins at that, his hands continuing to roam your body while you kiss. it’s a needy kiss, one you’ve been waiting the whole day to share.
you’d thought europe of all places would give you the opportunity to explore each other more. you’re away from your overbearing father, you don’t have team responsibilities. there was one mishap with a water monster nearly destroying the city. you both managed to fight it off together. tony was right to make you bring your suit, and may encouraged her nephew to do the same. the stark’s and parker’s think alike.
most of the pestering you’ve faced this trip has come from your teachers and fellow classmates. whether it’s mr. dell assigning work or flash trying to film you two for a livestream, you and peter can’t get a moment alone. that’s about to change. you’re in peter’s hotel room after a fun yet highly supervised day in venice.
most kids are getting ready for bed, at mr. harrington’s request. he’s adamant on everyone having a good night sleep before the walking tour you’re taking tomorrow. you and peter plan to do everything but sleep, however.
“you taste like toothpaste,” peter mumbles against your mouth, arms winding around your back. “is that a good or bad thing?” you giggle and tug at his undone curls. that elicits a high pitched whine from him. “depends on who you ask. me personally, i think it’s sexy.” he’s laying over you on his bed, your fingers tangling in his locks. “open up, then,” you practically purr. peter happily obliges and resumes his kissing.
right when his tongue glides over your lower lip, there’s a knock on the wall.
“i thought you said ned wouldn’t be back…” your words trail off when peter starts to kiss down your neck. “for a while,” you add, softer. “he won’t. last time i checked, he was with betty,” peter replies and effortlessly finds your sweet spot. he nudges it with his nose, making a smile spread across your face. “ok, keep going,” you pull on the roots of his hair gently. peter pecks at your lips. “gotcha, baby.”
he’s kissing his way back to your sweet spot when there’s more knocking, this time much louder. with quirked eyebrows, peter detaches his lips from your skin. “um… hello?” he hesitantly answers. “finally. i was ready to come kick down your door, you idiot,” mj speaks through the thin wall. you squeeze your eyes shut in annoyance, not saying anything. “what do you want, mj? it’s late,” peter sighs back.
“so what? i know you’re not sleeping,” mj insists, leaning against the wall. “i can hear everything. hey, y/n.” peter’s face tints a light shade of pink. you make wide eyes up at him. “hi, i guess. you good over there?” her lips form a line. “i was until the horrendous sounds of parker clapping your cheeks disturbed my reading.” peter grips at your waist with a pout.
“what? we weren’t- i- i didn’t-“ “spare me the details,” mj sharply cuts in, opening whatever mystery novel she recently bought. “i don’t care what you do, as long as you do it quietly. deal?” seeing as peter is too flustered to speak, you take over again. “yeah, sorry. we’ll tone it down. goodnight, em.” “ciao,” she says before returning to her book.
peter shakes his head, fully burying his face in your neck. “that was embarrassing. she’s so…” “nosy,” you finish for him. your fingers brush back some hair that flopped over his forehead. “at least she’s not telling on us or whatever.” he puffs air out of his cheeks, placing a kiss under your chin. “true. you wanna pick up where we left off?” “ugh, yes,” you instantly groan.
your lips are colliding with peter’s again, just like that. it isn’t for too long. his hands settle on your stomach and under your shorts, then you hear someone banging on the door. they talk before either you or peter can tell them to fuck off.
“y/n, is that you?” brad questions, your face twisting in confusion. “uh, yeah. how’d you know?” peter bites the inside of his cheek while brad converses. “i stopped by your room. betty said you might be here… with him.” the him in question is peter, who chuckles bitterly. “what’s up, buddy? we’re kind of in the middle of something. i’m sure you knew that, too.”
“i didn’t, but thanks for sharing,” brad sarcastically responds. “y/n said she’d give me her notes on one of the da vinci exhibits.” peter cocks his head to the side. “she did?” he wonders, looking over at you. “you did?” “it was either that or help him myself,” you explain and drag your fingers along the back of his neck soothingly. “the kid doesn’t leave me alone.”
peter nods, wrapping a protective arm around your middle. “she’ll give you them tomorrow, brad. isn’t it past your bedtime?” “point taken,” brad scoffs and heads back to his room. you draw peter in closer to you. “thanks, pete. hopefully, that’ll be our last guest for the night.” he kisses both your cheeks with a grin. “where were we, mio amore?”
“ooh, i love it when you speak italian,” you giggle, peter cupping your face in his hands.“grazie, bellissima.” he winks and earns a puzzled face from you. “bellissima?” “that means beautiful.” instead of responding with words, you use your mouth to move on his. peter happily kisses back and lets your tongues intertwine. things quickly heat up, peter slipping your shorts down your legs and you lifting his pajama shirt.
you’re both only half undressed and running off broken up kisses, but so desperate. you part your legs for peter, his fingers hooking in the waistband of your panties. “think you can keep your oath of silence?” he teases and nips at your covered collarbone. “the real question is, can you?” you challenge. peter doesn’t get the chance to answer because the door suddenly flies open.
there stands ned, his mouth agape at the sight of a shirtless peter undressing you. you’re the first to notice. you see over peter’s shoulder and gasp. concern covers his features. “what is it, baby? do you want-“ “ned!” you whisper yell. his concern becomes shock. “you want ned?” “no, peter! he’s right there!” teeth sinking into your lip, you point behind him. peter looks and surely enough, there’s his best friend rendered speechless in the doorway.
“dude, what the hell are you doing here?” peter squeaks, you grabbing your shorts from next to you. he turns around to shield you while you put them back on. “aren’t you supposed to be with betty?” “we, um, finished,” ned gulps in response. “finished what- oh.” peter scratches the back of his neck as it hits him. “yuck, ned. a gentleman never tells.” “says you! this is my room too, you know,” he defends himself, you moving out from behind peter.
“and betty’s room is also mine. consider us even,” you hand peter his t-shirt with a satisfied smirk. he murmurs a thank you and throws it back on. ned uncomfortably shifts from foot to foot in the doorway. “that’s fair… are you leaving now?” “i should before mr. harrington makes his rounds,” you reluctantly decide. “i liked it better when people actually knocked,” peter says under his breath, standing to give you a goodnight hug.
“it’s not even this bad at home. i’ll take my dad and friday spying on us over a walk of shame any day,” you exhale as peter pulls you into his chest. hugging back by his torso, you give him an innocent kiss on the cheek. his lips brush your forehead. “maybe we’ll have better luck tomorrow. should we try again, same time?” a familiar and irritated voice yells through the wall. mj.
“please god, no!”
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gladerwolfstarkimagines · 3 years ago
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Imagine being Azula’s friend but secretly dating Zuko behind her back
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One of the first things you and Azula bonded over was your annoying brothers. Azula told you how her brother had stolen one of her best friends away from her and you related to that. Your twin brother was none other than Sokka of the water tribe, who was also very popular with women. Most of the women you knew liked him, from Yue to Toph to Suki to Ty lee! It sometimes felt like you were the second attraction in a friendship and so you and Azula quickly became close over your shared frustrations.
Then....you betrayed her.
Well, betrayal is a bit dramatic but maybe not given how upset she'd been when Mai and Zuko started dating. You knew that had been hard for Azula to process.  How difficult it had been wondering if her friends really liked her or just wanted access to her brother. So when you started liking Zuko you didn’t plan on acting on it at all. Then Mai broke up with him. 
Zuko was around at yours quite often, whenever he visited the water tribe he stayed in your home and when you visited the fire nation he extended the same hospitality. So throughout the years, you just naturally got closer and closer until....it happened. You started hanging out just the two of you and these occasions felt very date-like until Zuko just outright asked you out. You liked him and told yourself one date was fine, what harm could a single date do? But then as you kept seeing each other and one date soon progressed into many many more you knew your time to do the right thing and tell Azula you were dating her brother was approaching. 
However the idea of doing that idea terrified you. You guessed Azula wouldn’t take it well and didn’t want to lose your friendship with her because of your relationship with Zuko. You wouldn’t break up with Zuko just to make her happy but you also didn’t want to lose Azula’s friendship, so when Katara’s birthday arose you were fairly nervous. There was going to be a large party and all of Katara’s friends were coming...which included Zuko and Azula. You hadn’t been together with everyone since you and Zuko started dating so you had no idea how it would feel. The whole time you and Zuko would have to convincingly act like you weren’t a couple and not make anyone at the party suspicious of the two of you. So when Zuko’s ship got in you fixed your eyes on Azula and tried not to stare at him any more than usual. You greeted him formally and didn’t admire him as you usually would. You fell in step with Azula and decided just to focus on her. It wasn’t hard, you were best friends and very close...however fate was not on your side. You got seated across from him at dinner which felt like some sick punishment and struggled not to get lulled into conversation with him. It didn’t help that Zuko was in a playful mood. He kept making comments about the things you’d done on your date and then sending you sly looks across the table. When you met his eye he smirked blatantly and you lightly kicked him under the table. That only made Zuko chuckled and look adorable so you sighed and decided to just keep your eyes down the whole time to survive dinner. 
However, Zuko had no intention of stopping his teasing. After dinner you set about preparing the party for Katara tomorrow and having sent Sokka, Aang, Suki, Azula and Toph on their assigned jobs turned to your job of decorating. You were hanging streamers in the living room when you felt a hand curl around your waist. “Need some help there?” Zuko asked moving closer and he leaned up over you to hang it. “I could have done that myself” you smiled turning to face him and Zuko shrugged “I know you could’ve, but then I wouldn’t have been able to do this”. Zuko gently kissed your neck trailing down to your collar bone making you sigh. “Zuko...stop” you said faint heartedly and Zuko sensed that smirking "I don’t want to and you don’t want me to either, I can tell by how softly you said my name" he smiled "it’s been so long since we’ve had any time together". Your skin erupted in goosebumps and a shiver went down your spine as Zuko pressed closer against you. But you knew how badly this could end if literally anyone walked in. So swiftly you grabbed Zuko’s hands and twisted your way out of them. You held them tightly in one hand so he couldn’t try and slink around you again and used the other to make him look at you "Zuko we can’t okay, not on this trip. God knows i want to, i’ve missed you too but there’s too much that could go wrong i’m sorry". Zuko sighed but nodded his head "don’t worry i understand". Zuko’s shoulders sagged and you knew your insistance on keeping this quiet was difficult for him. "Thank you for understanding" you said hugging him quickly "i know it can’t be easy for you and I appreciate the effort you're going to for me". Zuko smiled resting his head on top of yours "it’s fine, i’d do a lot more for you if you asked but promise me it won’t always be like this....we will tell everyone soon?". You gulped but nodded pulling away "i promise, i will tell Azula...soon!". Zuko nodded “I believe you” and let his hands drop away from you. Not a moment later Sokka and Aang appeared in the room making the two of you jump. “Zuko just the man we need! We were thinking of making an ice sculpture, fancy some fire bending?”. Zuko nodded “sure” and with a last glance to you left the room. 
Hours later the party preparations finished you returned to your room which you were sharing with Azula for her visit. “Sokka made me blow up balloons” she said angrily “something about fire benders being full of hot air”. You smirked at your brother’s nerve when Azula’s next sentence wiped it off your face.  "Also I think Zuko’s dating someone again" Azula said softly and you paused. "Ow really?" you asked and she nodded "he’s been spending a suspicious amount of time in the southern water tribe lately. Lots of visits which he claims are diplomatic but I can’t work out what he actually does here! He doesn’t know that many people and so it got me thinking, y/n do you think your brother and mine....". "No Sokka's still with Suki" you said shaking your head. Azula sighed “and it’s obviously not Katara, she and Aang are basically married, have you seen him hanging around anyone else? He doesn’t know many people so it should be easy to spot". You paused pretending to think but were really just trying to buy yourself time. "Honestly i don’t pay much attention to him when he visits" you said cleverly covering your back "but i will from now on and let you know". "Thank you y/n" Azula smiled. You smiled back relieved Azula didn’t suspect anything and let out a large breath you’d been holding for this entire conversation. You were now more than ready for sleep and got into bed hurriedly. You laid your head on your pillow and closed your eyes utterly exhausted. 
"Goodnight y/n" Azula called and you nodded. You were very sleepy and after a long yawn smiled "good night Zuko".
You realised the name you’d said seconds after it came out of your mouth. 
You froze
As did azula.
"Did you just call me Zuko...". You blinked "did i? I’m sure i said Azula". Azula was quiet for 2 seconds before she shot up "it’s you!" she cried "you're the one my brother’s dating!". "No Azula that’s crazy!!! We'd just been discussing Zuko, that’s why he was on my mind!". Azula shook her head "you're lying! I can tell by the tone of your voice! You’re the new girlfriend aren’t you?". You sighed "Azula i’m sorry i was going to tell you...". "I can’t believe you" Azula yelled and suddenly the door opened. "What’s wrong?" Sokka and Zuko asked bursting in “we heard yelling” and Azula glared. "You! Couldn't just have Mai huh? Had to take another one of my friends? How about when you’re done with y/n you try things with Ty lee?". "Ow she told you...." Zuko frowned awkwardly. "No i worked it out!” Azula spat “Y/n accidentally uttered your name because she’s so lovesick" Azula cried "you both make me sick" and she strode away slamming the front door hard as she exited the house.
After Azula left you all looked at one another unsure what to do or say next. "So...you two are a thing?" Sokka asked and Zuko paused "yes...is your reaction going to be as bad as Azula’s or can i go deal with her?". Sokka shook his head "go deal with her before she burns the village down”. Zuko went to move past Sokka when your brother put a hand to his chest "but come back and see me after, me and Katara will want to talk to you about dating our sister". Zuko surprisingly looked intimidated and nodded "I'll be right back". "Zuko wait i should come too" you called "this is as much my fault as yours". Zuko nodded "let’s go" and led you outside into the cold night after Azula.
You found Azula trekking in the snow and as she wasn’t in proper shoes you gained on her quickly. “Azula!” you called and she jumped. She looked around and glared “ow look the happy couple, how nice of you to grace me with your presence”. Zuko rolled his eyes “only you’d be so attention-seeking to make this about you”. “Attention seeking? Who’s the person who can’t form his own friendships or respect boundaries? No always have to date my friends, is it some weird way for you to gain power over me? A sad way to boost your ego?”. As Zuko and Azula went to square up to each other you stepped between them. “Alright enough the both of you! Zuko please go back to the house, i’ll handle this”. “But she...”. “Zuko please” you said sharply and he nodded “fine” and with a glare left. You watched him go before turning back to Azula. You’d been about to suggest you go home given that Azula was surely freezing out here in the middle of the night but Azula broke into a rant. "Everyone leaves me for him" she cried "Mai! My uncle! Mother! Even my father...after i was smarter, a better fire bender, more loyal and younger he still gave Zuko every little chance and only crowned me after Zuko literally ran away! When will i be good enough people don’t just choose him without a second thought for me?". "Azula i didn’t choose Zuko over you! Just because i like Zuko doesn’t mean i don’t like you still". "That may be true but this changes our friendship completely, it did with Mai! People always prioritise their partners over their friends so i’ll be second best once again". "Are you kidding?" you asked "Azula now i need you more than ever! Relationships aren’t when you ditch your friends, they’re when you need them the most! Who else are you going to go to for a break or a nice getaway? Who else is going to support and love you in only the platonic way a friend can? Who else can i complain about Zuko to when he annoys me or we fight?" you asked "they’re all things you need your friends for! Desperately and that’s going to be the same for me". "But when Mai dated him...". "But i’m not Mai" you smiled softly "Azula we are good friends, i won’t sideline you because of this. You mean just as much to me now as before i started dating Zuko". Azula huffed but you could see her melting. "So...how about we go inside, get some warm milk and talk a bit more about this huh?". You offered Azula your hand and she took it but she didn’t stop there. Azula threw her arms around you and hugged you tightly. "I’m partly doing this for the cold but thank you" she said softly "nobodies ever tried to make me feel supported when they've chosen Zuko, they just tell me to deal with it but you’re the first to try and reassure me and so i know you mean it, to still be my friend". "Of course" you smiled "you're my best friend!". Azula smiled and linked her arm through yours "i like that!”. 
Zuko stared in awe as you and Azula returned grinning. "How did it go is everything okay?". You nodded "your extremely cool sister is fine with it". "Yes i thought this would be a great way to have an inside scoop on you zuzu". "She’s kidding i won’t talk to her about you...a lot". Zuko blinked "okay if everything's okay then i should go speak to Sokka and Katara, they’re waiting for me in the kitchen". Azula smiled "that’s a good idea, when you come back zuzu find me, i have some threats about what will happen if you hurt my best friend". You smiled at Azula and stepped to Zuko "good luck but don’t worry Sokka’s all bite, Katara’s the one to look out for but she has a big heart, just tell her how good a time we’ve had and you’ll be fine". "Good tips, any for my sister?". You smiled "Azula is one i have not worked out yet" you grinned "but i’m sure you’ll manage, you are the firelord after all". Zuko smirked and you patted his shoulder "after your appointment with my brother and sister and then your sister....you could always come find me in your room?". Zuko smiled "is that my motivation for surviving this?". You shrugged "you can think of it as that" and stepped away from him. Zuko watched you before sighing "alright let’s get this over with” he said loudly and strode towards the kitchen.
You turned back to Azula who raised an eyebrow at Zuko’s sudden confidence and she frowned. "Do i even want to know?" Azula asked and you shook your head "no". “Ow and don’t worry if I’m not in our room tonight”. “Euch Y/n!” Azula cried and you shrugged “what? I didn’t say why”. “I know why” she sighed before she smiled “at least I can have your bigger bed”. “Be my guest” you smiled, you had a firelord to get reacquainted with. 
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husbandohunter · 4 years ago
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Moments of Despair #1 [Genshin Impact/Diluc x Reader]
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Synopsis: “The man who was on fire and realized it too late.”
(A series of works where the boys deal with the passing of their beloved).
Albedo's despair
Warnings: angst, tragedy, major character death, graphic depictions of violence perhaps
(A/n): Had these ideas for a while after reading @/serensama To Mourn series of another fandom. So much sorrow and feeling I just was inspired to write 😫
_______________________________________________
The moment you fell lifeless in Diluc's arms, he wanted to disappear.
It was raining again, he had always despised the rain. How it trickles down the slope of your cheek, like tears falling from the heavens. The sight of it mixing with your blood creating a thin stream of red rivers flowing beside him. They patter down obnoxiously because time didn't care, the gods don't care, the world didn't care. You were just a small fragile person to their eyes but to him you were his light. A candle that used to shine in his dark world was now dissipitated by the waters of reality.
Many droplets have passed and he was still holding you. Diluc could do nothing but stare. He hadn't shed any tears nor could he make a coherent sound. Perhaps it was because his tears have long run out when his father was held in the very same way. Or it was because he was heartless. He's usually told for being cold and indifferent. But the pain clenching in his chest was proof that he still had one (proof that it was still beating), much to his dismay. It would be better if he didn't.
So why can't he just look away? Your wounds, your bruised features, everything now etched so deep into the back of his conciousness that is was starting to awaken his worst nightmares. They were the source of the bile growing in his stomach. The irony stench filling up his nostrils felt so sickening. He couldn't turn away. You're dead. You're dead. You're dead. As if reality had yet to register, or maybe he refused to accept it, Diluc helplessly gazed down your body with blank and empty eyes.
"Master Diluc..."
Jean's voice called out to him pitifully. He rises up with his back turned, ignoring the stares given to him, "Leave. The knights of favonius are not needed here."
"But she's a Mondstadt citizen," The anemo user retorts, slightly taken aback by his impassive reaction, "It's my responsibility to ensure this case doesn't go unnoticed."
Unnoticed. Diluc scoffs in his mind, what a tasteless joke.
"It seems you weren't listening," he announces as his head was turned ajar so they could see the deep hatred glowing red in his eyes, "Leave. Now."
Jean's lips trembled before barely being able to say, "Alright" and retreating her knights back to the city. Kaeya narrows his gaze at his bother, the sorrow was evident through his pupils. He steps forward until he was arms length away from his brother. Too little too late, another failure was added to the belt.
Kaeya was a man of many words but for once he was at loss of what to say. No underhanded suggestions, no ideas taunting him to spill his thoughts, he simply asks Diluc, "What are you planning to do now?"
Silence. Kaeya couldn't predict what sort of expression his brother was making as he looks at your corpse. It brought a heavy weight of unsettlement upon him and here he thought he had already grown used to his brother's quietness.
Slowly, he turns around while letting the water pour down his face. Kaeya tightens his jaw as Diluc drags his feet towards him, stopping when their shoulders were parallel, "It's none of your concern."
"You're just going to leave her here?"
There was a slight pause which was enough of an answer. The Cavalry Captain sighs when he watched him walk away, what was the point of asking when Kaeya knew Diluc so well? He glances at your form before swiftly shutting his eyes.
It was his concern.
-------
A week later, the staff of the Ragnvindr household could hardly recognize their Master's appearance. They knew not to bother him when he decides to lock himself in his chambers. Diluc drowns himself with work from hours to no end as he connects the findings of the person that took your life. As expected, it was one of his enemies- a fatui member. The question was, which one?
"Master Diluc, I beg of you, please take care of yourself," Elzer pleads.
The pyro user didn't bother to spare him a glance or look at the tray of food he carried.
Food...you always brought them whenever he had to work overtime.
"I do not remember specifiying anyone to be allowed in my office," he voices aloud, "If it's related to business affairs simply leave that with Adelinde and I'll take a look at it tomorrow."
"I understand. But you've been working all day and night yet refusing to take any breaks in between. At this rate, you'll harm your health."
The feather pen in his grip kept dragging it's course, "This is beyond the duties assigned to you Elzer."
"That's because it was a request sent by your father," he adds, knowing that stepping over his boundaries may cost him, "If Master Crepus was still here, I'm sure he would have said the same thing."
Taking a deep breath, Elzer lays out his last card, "And also your wife."
The pen slows into a halt.
No one had brought you up until now. Elzer anxiously watches his Master shifting in his seat, his red bangs covering half of his face but he could still see the frown pressing firmly on his lips. It wouldn't be a surprise if Diluc suddenly bursted at him for mentioning such a sensitive topic, all that matters was his master's well being and Elzer was willing to risk everything for it. But nothing. Diluc turns his attention ever so slightly at the tray he carried.
"Fine, but I'm not eating that."
"What? Wasn't this was her favourite-"
"Do I need to repeat myself?"
Elzer furrows his brows before sighing, "...No, Master Diluc."
He exits the room while carrying the fresh dish of Once Upon A Mondstadt that you loved so much. The door closes with a soft click and he was alone again.
People found it strange how Diluc seemed so vacant to your passing. He didn't even show up at your funeral. Instead, he continues his duties as a Mondstadt nobleman like usual while taking care of business matters associated with the winery. Except those who were close to him could see the difference in his actions. Apathy, he was so mechanical in every task he did. Like a marionette attatched on strings, a doll without a soul. After all, his soul died the moment when yours did too. What remains was a shadow of Diluc and a being existing solely for revenge and duty. He was nothing but a remnant.
Fatigue begins to wash over him and he fights to stay awake. Because once he gives in it will all be over. Once he closes his eyes, he would see your face with a multitude of images from the past. He would hear your voice calling out his name from a distant space as it echoes off the walls of his mind. He would fall into a dream where you were still with him and as always, waking up to see that it was never real.
I should have pushed you away.
Because what hurt Diluc the most wasn't that you were gone, rather, it was how you were still here.
Then you'd still be-
Something breaks and it turned out to be the pen he was holding so tightly. Only now Diluc realized how fast his heart was thrumming as beads of sweat began rolling down his forehead. Focus. Don't waste time. He won't grant himself the liberty of anything when your murderer was still on the run. Every wound they inflicted on you was going to be returned in tenfold. He'll make sure of it. That's why, he refuses to think about you at all. Diluc occupies his mind with other matters since at this point, work was the only efficient method of keeping his sanity in tact.
She needs you to focus.
The door opens and Kaeya enters the room while holding a document, "We found the guy."
His reaction was immediate, "Where?"
"Hm, now that we meet, it's actually quite debateable," The captain notes wryly, "When was the last time you've gotten proper rest?"
"I don't have time for this, either you tell me or I'll do it by force."
Kaeya couldn't help but sigh, "Apologies but you don't seem to be in any state for a fight. I'm sure you know how it would end up if you were to face your enemy right now."
"..."
"Diluc, this isn't healthy," Kaeya asserts, it's been a while since he sounded so sincere, "I'm not here to prevent you from doing what's necessary however, perhaps it would be better if I finished it in your stead."
"No," Diluc stubbornly answers, "Hand that over."
"...Heh, then there's really nothing I can do to stop you it seems," he whispers with a sad smile, "At the very least, be careful."
"I intend to," The pyro user snatches the paper parchment out of Kaeya's hands before opening the window, "Also, if Elzer returns, tell him there's a few errands I have to take care of."
The night was a full moon and the sky was empty, Diluc leaps off the edge and disappears into the darkness. There was no telling of what could happen next. Since you weren't here, it was up to Kaeya to watch over him.
-------
The claymore dropped to the ground with a clang as it soaks up the blood of the fatui he just killed.
Diluc was tired, so tired.
He slumps down against the wall from pure exhaustion, all that adrenaline and hatred went up in fumes, leaving behind whatever was left in his heart: nothing. Two hours, not even that far from Mondstadt, the fatui hid in an abandoned building as he cowarded for his life. When Diluc arrived, he never expected this monster to be so weak. This was the person who murdered you? A pathetic nobody that was simply following orders? This was the reason why he lost you forever?
In the end, the only one to blame was himself, for being weak and unable to protect you. He was supposed to be your hero ("Darknight hero," you'd always tease), the rock that shields you just as you had been the warmth he longed for many years, did he give you enough? Was this enough? He thought avenging your death would grant him a peace of mind and the justice you deserved but deep down, he knew it will never be enough when it comes to his love for you.
"Diluc."
He closes his eyes, he hears your voice. He was so tired, it wouldn't be a surprise if he started hallucinating.
"Diluc."
"I'm sorry..."
The man lets out a trembled breath as he apologized to the image of you in his mind. I'm sorry I failed you. They were repeated like a mantra in hopes to reach you somehow. Of course that was impossible, his feelings, his emotions, love and sorrow altogether will never reach you again. And your arms that once comforted him and brushed his hair with a soothing voice, saying everything will be okay, where are they now?
"Diluc."
"Stop," he didn't want to hear your voice.
"Diluc, I'm here."
"Stop..."
"Diluc..."
He jolts his eyes open and lets out a yell, what was he saying? He doesn't know. All he needed now was to drown out the fake voices mocking in his head. Diluc grabs the nearest object and shatters it against the floor, the dam was broken and it flooded uncontrollably, breaking everything in it's way. The abandoned house was filled with loud cries of a man sobbing with agony like a broken-hearted child. He crumbles to his knees and falls to his side, lifting his forearms while clutching his face.
And screamed.
Archons, what did he do to deserve this? Why do the people he cherish get taken away from him? Diluc never wanted to be the Darknight hero if it meant having his father perish in his arms. He didn't want the feeling of stabs against his chest with every breath he took. He didn't want to feel cold while knowing it was because you weren't here to hold him. He didn't want your voice, your pictures or your memory.
He wanted you.
"(Y/n)..." he chokes. Rolling to his back, Diluc moves his arms to cover his eyes, letting the tears run down to his ears, "(Y/n)..."
For who knows how long, he lays there in the abandoned building and mourns. Diluc doesn't have the strength to move from his position, he found himself staring mindlessly through the cracks of the roof when his voice had gone hoarse. The corners of his eyes still burned and his head was throbbing with so much pain. Maybe he should just stay here but the thought of being in the same room as your murderer was unfathomable.
Picking up his claymore once again, Diluc drags himself out of the door. Where would he go? It's not like he had a home to return to because home was when he was with you. A doll without a soul, the marionette moves as if the strings have commanded him to do so. Where ever it takes him, he didn't care. He just knew he had to go.
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syllvane · 4 years ago
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muscle memory pt. 3- sylvie x reader
a/n: i said i was going to post tomorrow but i couldn’t help myself. anyways, spoilers for episode 2 and 3 of loki, minor spoilers for the beginning of episode 3. final word count is 1.7k words!
read the previous part  read the next part   read the series  
“How is Loki doing?” You asked Mobius, walking with him to the mess hall.
“He’s doing great. Making real progress, I would say.”
“Didn’t you have to have a meeting with Renslayer this morning because of his actions?” You asked, raising your eyebrows. His face scrunched up for a second.
“It’s like every time he is making progress, he takes two steps back.”
“That sounds more believable. You still think he’s worth all the trouble though?”
Mobius sighed slightly. “I really do believe in him. It’s not just an issue of whether I believe in him though, it’s whether Ravonna and the Timekeepers do.”
“Oh, you’re on first name basis now, with Renslayer?” You turned and grinned at Mobius, who immediately flushed after realizing his mistake.
“Not a word of this to anyone.” He said strictly, although there was a smile on his face as well.
“Yeah, yeah.” You said, standing in line with Mobius as he ordered his lunch before sitting down at a two-seat table. “Ravonna and Mobius-”
“C-7.” Mobius said strictly, although you could tell he was partly amused by your antics.
You continued in the same quiet, sing-songy voice as before.
“-on a jet ski. K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”
Mobius finished taking a sip of his drink and then applauded quietly, so as to not draw attention.
“Has anyone ever told you that you truly have all the originality of a grade-schooler?”
Before you could answer, you were interrupted by a tall man with long dark hair speed walking over to where Mobius and you were sitting.
Although he seemed to be in a hurry, you could tell that he was sizing up everybody in the room, including yourself.
“I found- oh, sorry. Didn’t see you there. Would you mind moving so that me and my partner could discuss something?” He asked politely, even smiling.
You locked eyes with him, smiling back at him.
“I’m good, thanks. You can just pull up a chair.”
His smile wavered and he maintained eye contact for a couple of moments longer before breaking it, going to a different table and pulling over a chair.
(You ignored the pointed look Mobius shot at you, like he was asking you to be the bigger person here. Unfortunately for him, you had no such intentions.)
“Right. I know how the Variant is hiding.”
Mobius leaned back.
“Talk about burying the lead. How?”
Loki smiled slightly, this smile much different from his last- he was proud of himself.
“He’s hiding in apocalypses.” 
There was a moment of silence. You and Mobius exchanged a glance.
“Which one? There’s like a million all across history.” Mobius pointed out and Loki took a second to compose himself before starting his explanation.
You sat back as he explained his reasoning, watching with amusement as he put more salt and pepper into Mobius’ salad, handing him your own drink when he realized that Mobius’ drink was empty.
He gave you a nod of recognition and Mobius sent you another, even more exasperated glance as Loki poured your drink into the salad (although, in your opinion, seeing Loki grin like that made it worth it).
                                                             —— “How was Pompeii?” You asked, not even having to look up from the apocalypse case files to figure out that it was Loki who was approaching you.
He stopped for a minute, almost taken aback by your observation, before continuing and taking a seat in front of you.
“I was right, naturally.”
You scoffed slightly.
“Naturally.”
You looked up at him to find that his piercing eyes were already looking at you, almost curiously.
“You’re already sorting through the apocalypse files.”
“Naturally occurring disasters with no survivors, cross-referenced with the candy that Mobius picked up. You were confident that you were right so I figured I should start looking.”
Loki raised his eyebrows and smiled slightly.
“You’re smarter than you look. Could’ve saved me and Mobius some time.” 
“He forgot to cross-reference?”
He nodded, hesitating for a moment before he grabbed some of the files that you hadn’t started looking over yet.
You looked at him appreciatively, though he wasn’t looking at you anymore. 
The two of you sat there, looking at the case files in a comfortable silence for a couple of minutes before Mobius walked into your office as well.
“What’s this?” Mobius asked, taking a cursory glance at the file on top.
“Kablooie.” You said simply and Mobius sighed slightly, frustrated that he hadn’t thought of it.
He grabbed a couple of files as well, standing up as he started reading.
“I think I have something,” Loki said a couple of minutes later, splaying the case out on your desk so that everyone could see. “Class ten apocalypse. Alabama, 2050.”
You looked it over and even just with a cursory glance, you could tell that this is where the Variant was hiding- you looked over at Mobius and saw pride on his face.
“You’re gonna take my job if I’m not careful.”
“Now to pitch it to Renslayer.” You said and Mobius nodded, already halfway out of your office. He closed the door behind him and you looked at Loki. “I don’t think I’ve seen him this excited in a while. In fact, the last time I saw him this excited, I think we saw a jet ski on a mission.”
Loki smiled to himself, though the expression disappeared when he looked back at you.
“And what about you?”
“Hm?” You tilted your head slightly, caught off-guard by the question.
“What excites you?” 
You held his gaze for a couple of moments, feeling uncomfortable with how he looked at you, as if he knew something about you that you didn’t know about yourself. 
You finally looked away, standing up.
“We should go meet Mobius. We’ll be heading out as soon as he gets the approval.”
“You say this like it’s a sure thing.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Renslayer say no to him. Come on.”
                                                          ——
The rain sounded a hundred times louder when you were listening to it hit the roof of the Roxxcart, so loud that you could barely hear the sound of your own voice above the noise.
“What are you doing here?” You asked, positioning your reset baton defensively. The man standing by the plants seemed to hesitate slightly, although he was still much too calm for this kind of weather.
“Hurricane sale. Azaleas are half-off.”
“Could that be you?” You asked Loki, your eyes never leaving the man. Although his eyes continued to look between you and Loki, his gaze lingered on you longer.
“I… mean… I would’ve worn a suit, but it could be.”
You took a couple steps towards the man and he backed up, looking at you pleadingly.
“I don’t want to do this.” He said quietly and you tilted your head slightly, confused.
You took another step towards him.
“What-”
He grabbed your arm and a warm feeling came over your body.
A woman’s voice in your head lulled you to sleep, promising to bring you home and then everything went dark.
“Sylv, why are you acting so weird?” You asked, taking another sip of wine.
The blonde woman across from you smiled, although you could tell that she was forcing it for your sake.
“Another one of my suitors came and visited me today.” She said. You made a face and she laughed slightly.
“Complete fools, every one of them.”
“Fools for being deeply in love with me?” She asked, raising an eyebrow, almost as if she was allowing herself to play the part for a couple of brief moments.
“No, I’m above self-flagellation. They’re fools for thinking that they could ever win your heart.”
She laughed.
“And why is that?”
You leaned back in your chair.
“I have it on very good account that someone already has it.” You said and Sylvie‘s smile faded and her gaze didn’t quite meet yours, almost as if her mind was preoccupied elsewhere.
She looked back at you, her look apologetic.
The scene around you grew distorted, nothing quite clear anymore.
“I’m sorry.”
Her words repeated everywhere around you like you were in an echo chamber rather than…
Rather than…
Where were you?
The blonde woman that had been there a moment ago disappeared and with her, everything else.
When you came to, Mobius was kneeling beside you, waiting for you to wake up.
“C-7… are you okay?” He asked slowly, looking at you with more concern than you think anyone else ever has.
You propped yourself up and you looked around wildly for Loki or for the blonde woman- Sylvie- who had been in your head.
“Where are they?” You asked and you hated how desperate your voice sounded.
“They escaped. Take it easy, the Variant did a number on-”
“Mobius, I have to find her.” You said, trying to stand up only to be overwhelmed with nausea and dizziness.
Mobius supported you, keeping you from falling back onto the ground.
“I know. And we will, but we have more pressing issues right now. Come on.”
You didn’t protest, knowing that you wouldn’t be able to convince Mobius even if you promised to get him a jet ski afterwards.
What you had to do now, you would do alone.
He helped you through the portal back to the TVA and the rest of your team followed, all of them being immediately assigned to different Nexus events that were happening simultaneously.
You, being injured, were given the pass to stay back at the TVA. 
You wondered if the Timekeepers knew what you were about to do, if they could’ve predicted it- after all, they were the ones who had made you, right?
You headed to the sector of the TVA where they issued TemPads, looking at the data of where all the TemPads were jumping to and from when you stumbled upon something odd- there was a TemPad that only had one jump registered in its entire history.
TVA to Lamentis-1, 2077.
Huh.
The Variant- Sylvie- whatever her name was, must’ve found out a way to stop the TemPad from feeding data into the system, but it must’ve reset when she jumped to the TVA.
You grabbed one of the TemPad’s that were out of commission for charging, unplugging it. 
It was low on battery, but it would have to do.
You opened a portal for yourself using the exact same coordinates and time that they had put in and without any hesitation, you walked through.
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starryhyuck · 4 years ago
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falling star (m) | prince!hyuck
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pairing: donghyuck x reader
words: 7k+
summary: you’re betrothed to the handsome prince donghyuck, but when your life is put in danger, you’re unsure if you can trust him.
genre: fluff, angst, smut
warnings: prince!donghyuck, princess!reader, soulmate!au, mentions of death, unprotected sex, public sex, sex in prison lmao, impregnation, little bit of voyeurism
basically i rewatched moon lovers and i turned this fic into a kdrama,,, thank you for 1k followers!!
terms to know:
gongju - princess
jeonha - king
seja-jeonha - crown prince (next in line for the throne)
wangja - son of a king and a concubine
daegun - prince, but not made to be king
You first experience heartbreak when you are only three years old.
You watched as your mother faded before you, her life escaping her body as she consumed the dark poison hidden in her tea. You remember all of the servants rushing to her aid, screaming for someone to fetch the physician. It wasn’t until minutes later that someone realized you were still in the room, carrying you away as you cried for your mother.
Since that day, you’ve carried yourself with a heavy heart.
There were numerous whispers roaming around the castle — most of them talking about how you were a witness to your mother’s death, and how you never recovered. They weren’t wrong.
Your mother’s killer was never clearly identified. All of the servants in the palace had been thoroughly questioned but many false accusations were made and your father, who was in the depths of his grief, decided to kill the wrongly accused. He never launched a full investigation and instead, attended to you and your siblings to prolong the mourning period.
Your father became a more gentle king after his wife’s death. Wars ceased and the plantation in the kingdom became more fruitful after your father diverted the kingdom’s expenses. He did not take on any more lovers and focused on his palace and his children.
You, however, became cautious as you grew up in the palace, afraid that your mother’s killer still walks before you.
“Gongju, shouldn’t you be carrying out your duties?”
You blink when Mark rounds the corner, taking a seat beside you. The both of you rest peacefully underneath one of the blossoming trees, but you should know that your brother cannot keep silent for long.
“Donghyuck arrives today.”
“Good for him.”
Mark sighs. “I know you do not wish to be married, but-“
“But nothing,” you hiss, standing up and brushing off the dust on your skirt. Chaeyoung, your attending lady, rushes to your side once she sees your movement. She bows deeply in recognition of your brother’s presence. “If Taeyong wants to marry me off so carelessly, then so be it.”
“You know that’s not true-“
You don’t allow him to finish his sentence, walking off with Chaeyoung in step behind you. She says nothing but you can tell she wants to interfere.
Chaeyoung has been your best friend since you were younger, assigned to be your personal lady when you both were only eight years old. Chaeyoung knew you better than anyone else, and she understood your hatred towards your upcoming marriage.
It was only days ago when Taeyong, your oldest brother and crown prince, decided to persuade your father into finding you a suitable marriage. You were of age to be married and if you did not find a suitable partner in time, the palace would begin to murmur.
Donghyuck was a prince from a neighboring kingdom, sent by his brother, Moon Taeil, to arrange a marriage between you. Since Donghyuck was a result of one of his father’s affairs, he had no chance of becoming the king of his own palace. Taeil still loved his brother dearly and wanted to find him a good match.
Unluckily, that match was you.
You run into Taeyong on your way back to your quarters, and you offer him a bow.
“Seja-jeonha, nice to see you.”
He smiles tightly at Chaeyoung and asks her to excuse himself as he pulls you aside.
“You are supposed to be on the palace steps to greet Prince Donghyuck. He traveled five days just to meet you, you know.”
“Such a long time for something so disappointing.”
It’s clear Taeyong is distressed by your blatant disobedience. It’s not often a princess rejects a marriage offer, but you can’t help but be displeased. You’ve never wanted a conventional marriage and you hoped your father would never set you up for one.
“You’re lucky that Donghyuck accepted the offer. You know that most of father’s advisors wished to send you off like we did with Naeun. I’m grateful for Donghyuck so we could still have you in the palace.”
You know deep down that Taeyong means the best. He hates when his family is separated, and all of you were particularly saddened when Naeun was married off a year ago, leaving the palace to be with her husband. Because of the long travel and royal duties, you haven’t been able to see her since she left.
You understand why he wants you to get married so quickly. If you don’t marry Donghyuck now, your father’s advisors would convince him to marry you to another prince from a far kingdom.
You sigh. Although you don’t want to get married anytime soon, you’d rather stay in the palace than be forced to leave. “I understand, Taeyong. I’ll play my part if I need to. Is he at least good-looking?”
Taeyong laughs. “Yes, he’s quite handsome.”
“Excuse me, seja-jeonha.” Eunuch Kim bows deeply as he stands in front of you two.
“You can just call me Taeyong, Doyoung. We’ve been over this.”
You know, however, that no matter how many times Taeyong says it, Doyoung could never go against the honorifics.
“Gongju’s presence is requested at the front of the palace. Prince Donghyuck is arriving soon.”
You purse your lips. “I’ll be right there.”
He nods, bowing before stepping away. Taeyong envelopes you into a hug.
He whispers in your ear. “This is what’s best for you, forgive me.”
“You don’t need to be forgiven,” you mumble back, feeling slightly guilty that you’ve made your brother think so.
Once you part, you smile at Chaeyoung, who has been waiting patiently for you.
“Shall we?”
You two make your way to the front steps of the palace, where most of the palace is eagerly waiting to see the prince.
“Jeonha,” you greet your father, occupying the spot next to him. He smiles at you.
“You look lovely today. Excited to meet Donghyuck?”
You offer him your best fake smile. “Of course.”
Soldiers announce Donghyuck’s arrival before the gates of the palace are opened up for him. He comes in riding his horse, stopping in front of the palace steps and dismounting. He’s quick to bow and you’re a little taken out of breath.
Taeyong was right. He’s very handsome.
“Welcome, Prince Donghyuck,” your father shouts for the palace to hear. You can spot your other two brothers, Jeno and Seokmin, murmuring with each other as they eye Donghyuck. “We’re grateful that you have made the long trip to our kingdom.”
Donghyuck is listening to the king’s words yet he hasn’t taken his eyes off of you.
“Yes, I appreciate that jeonha has so graciously allowed me into the palace.”
You stare at him the same way he stares at you, and your father grins happily.
“Eunuch Kim will show you to your temporary quarters.”
Jungwoo is pushed forward by Doyoung, who gives him a stern expression. Jungwoo was new to the palace and Doyoung often needed to take care of him since he was head eunuch.
Donghyuck is escorted off and your eyes follow his figure.
Your father chuckles. “You two will get along just fine.”
Contrary to popular belief, Donghyuck hasn’t visited you since his arrival.
You’ve spent days waiting for him in your room, working on your studies and watching your door in case it swings open. You’re disappointed by his lack of interest in you, especially because you can still feel the warmth of his gaze from your first meeting.
You find out later from Jungwoo what he’s been up to.
“Wangja has been having trips with daegun, did he not tell you?”
Your eye twitches. “Donghyuck has been with Mark this entire time?”
“Yes, gongju. They have been eating together in the dining hall. I apologize for not telling you earlier.”
Jesus, was Donghyuck trying to marry Mark?
“It’s fine, Jungwoo. I’ll find them myself.”
He bows and you take off in search of your brother and fiancé. You ask Chaeyoung to stay behind and she takes to arranging your room in the meantime. You find the two figures near the river, and you narrow your eyes.
“Having fun?” You call out, and both of them turn around. Donghyuck bows at the sight of you.
Mark chuckles. “Yes, we were actually just speaking about you. Come join us.”
“No, it’s alright. I’ll leave you two to be acquainted with each other. It’s not like I’m the one marrying him after all.”
Mark rolls his eyes at your tantrum but Donghyuck seems to be thoroughly alarmed at your distress.
“Don’t be so dramatic.”
You, however, are highly offended and turn the other direction. You hear footsteps quickly follow you.
“I apologize, gongju. I did not mean to upset you.”
You sigh at the sound of Donghyuck’s voice. “Why have you not come to see me?” You question in a small voice.
You can hear the smile in his tone as he walks alongside you. “In all honestly, I have never been in the presence of such beauty before. I hope you can understand that I was a little intimidated.”
You cough, slightly embarrassed. “Where did you learn that from? I know Mark couldn’t have taught you that.”
He chuckles. His eyes are once again focused intently on you.
“I’m afraid no one has taught me anything. I was telling the truth, much to your dismay.”
You two walk on the palace grounds as the moonlight illuminates your figures. The servants nearby whisper at the sight of you two together.
“Well, regardless of your fear, I would enjoy if you would take my company. We are going to be married in case you’ve forgotten.”
He grins at the clip in your tone. “I remember quite well. I would love to have dinner with you tomorrow if you desire my company so badly.”
You ignore the smirk playing at his lips.
“Tomorrow shall be acceptable. I hope you will be able to step up in the future, Donghyuck, as I am not content with marrying a man who doesn’t speak to me.”
He laughs. “I apologize for disappointing you.”
You turn to face him as you stop in front of your quarters. His eyes are locked with yours, and he seems intent on staring at you until you grow more and more bashful. You think he’s about to lean in until-
“Ah, there are the two lovebirds!”
You huff at the disruption. Seokmin slides next to you, throwing an arm around your shoulder.
“Has my sister been living up to your expectations, Prince Donghyuck?”
Donghyuck smiles and you can tell he’s a little upset by Seokmin’s arrival. His heavy gaze is still focused on you.
“She’s been exceeding every possible expectation if I’m being truly honest,” he murmurs.
“Well, that’s the first time I’ve heard someone say that.”
You elbow your brother’s side. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”
“Nowhere else to be but with my lovely sister and her fiancé!”
You roll your eyes and shove his arm off of you. You step forward to open the doors of your personal area in the palace.
“Well, I’m going to bed.” You turn around once again to face Donghyuck. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
He smiles. “I’ll count the minutes. Sweet dreams, gongju.”
You enter your quarters in time to hear Seokmin say, “Smooth talker, aren’t you?”
You shake your head and smile, closing the doors behind you. You chew on your bottom lip and laugh. Who knew a prince would turn your insides into mush?
You greet the guards awaiting by your bedroom door and settle inside. Chaeyoung has made you your nightly tea, something you drink each night to help you sleep. You often had sporadic nightmares about your mother’s death and it was hard to fall into slumber most days.
As you raise the cup to your lips, the smell wafts through your nose.
It’s the same smell from when your mother was poisoned.
“Guards! Guards!” You call frantically, and they burst into your room, eyes scanning for any intruders.
You drop the cup of tea, watching as it shatters all over your floor. “Gongju!” One of the guards yells, rushing over to you and pulling you away from the scene.
It all happens frantically then — your father and brothers are all brought over when they hear that you’ve almost been poisoned. Jeno holds you as your father commands all of the guards to find the perpetrator.
The only thing you’re able to envision is your mother’s body lying on the floor, completely lifeless before your eyes.
“It wasn’t her!”
“How can you be so sure? She’s your closest servant and the only one who would have access to your room during those ungodly hours!”
“It’s not Chaeyoung!”
“Enough!” Your father commands, his voice booming throughout the throne room. You scoff and turn away from Taeyong.
He’s convinced that Chaeyoung was the one who put the poison in your drink, but you would never believe that she would bring harm into your life. You trusted her with every fiber in your being.
The rest of your brothers are oddly silent, and you presume that they agree with Taeyong. Your father is stricken by grief at the idea of losing one of his daughters like he lost his wife. His judgment is clouded, much like it was seventeen years ago.
“Please jeonha,” you beg him. All five of you are facing the throne and you almost sink to your knees. “Please do not allow this person to get away again.”
Your father glances at you solemnly.
“It has to be him,” Jeno speaks up. All of your eyes dart over to him. He stands proudly, eyes locked on your father. “Lee Donghyuck just arrived and our sister was almost poisoned. This cannot be a coincidence.”
Mark furrows his eyebrows. “It’s not him! I’ve been spending the past few days getting to know him.”
“He’s spent the past few days deceiving you,” Seokmin hisses at his younger brother. “I agree with Jeno. I was just outside of gongju’s quarters with him when she almost consumed the poison. It is too suspicious for us to not investigate, jeonha.”
“He wouldn’t,” you frown, coming to Donghyuck’s defense. You had only known him for a matter of days but you knew, deep down, that he would never try to maliciously hurt you.
“You trust too easily,” Jeno scolds. He turns his attention back to the man sitting on the throne. “I think we should launch a full investigation on both Lee Donghyuck and Park Chaeyoung.”
“It’s not them!” Your exclaim in horror, trying your best to undo your brothers’ words. “Please, jeonha! Please don’t convict the wrong murderer!”
You try your best to plead with your father, but he’s made up his mind.
“Jeno and Seokmin, I want you to conduct the investigation immediately. Find out who did it.”
You drop to your knees, sobbing in frustration at your father’s ignorance.
It’s late at night when you sneak into the palace prison.
You’ve managed to climb out of your window, hidden beneath one of your dark ensembles. Mark has been helping you unlike the rest of your family, distracting the guards long enough for you to enter the prison grounds.
You scramble against the cell door when you catch sight of Chaeyoung. She looks like she’s in incredibly poor shape — her face is completely drained of color and her body is limp against the wall.
“Chaeyoung!” You whisper, awaking her from her sleep. Her eyes widen at the sight of you, rapidly getting up and crawling to the door.
“Gongju, I did not do it, I swear-“
“I know you didn’t, Chaeyoung,” you assure her. She relaxes at your words. “I’m going to find out who did. Can you tell me what happened when you brought the tea into my room?”
“I just did my normal routine,” she explains breathily. “I brought the tea to your room, left a cup out for you, and went back to my own quarters. It’s the same thing I do every night. I didn’t notice anyone unusual when I left.”
“And the guards? What about them?”
“They were in their usual positions, standing beside the door and waiting for you to return from your walk with Donghyuck. That’s all I can remember, I swear.”
You nod. “Don’t worry, okay? I’m going to get you out of here. Just tell Jeno and Seokmin exactly what you told me.”
You hear a commotion outside and your body stiffens. You can hear Mark’s voice trying to distract the guards and you quickly stand.
“I’ll come back to see you again, okay? Don’t worry.”
Just as you’re about to exit the prison, you hear another voice calling out to you.
“Not even going to acknowledge your loving fiancé?”
You pause. Mark is slowly making progress outside, choosing his method of distraction as telling the guards a story about how he once ran straight into a wall.
When you turn, you see Donghyuck in his own cell, knees bent to his chest as he leans against the cold wall. You feel guilty that he’s put in this place but you’re reminded of what your brothers said — you barely know this man. For all you knew, his true intentions coming here were never to marry you.
“Did you?”
There’s a pause. He laughs. “Do you think I did?”
“I’m not in the mood to decipher your encrypted messages.”
“Gongju, when I confessed to you that night, I truly meant it. I’ve never been with a woman before and seeing such a perfect one become my fiancé took me by surprise. I thought we had a mutual understanding of one another.”
“We barely know each other,” you reply under your breath.
“But you felt it, didn’t you? You felt that connection between us. The astronomers say that when the timing is right and the stars align, soulmates find each other.”
You’ve heard the tale before. Your mother used to tell it to you when you were younger. Astronomers used to tell her that when there was a falling star, soulmates would align for each other. Your mother always liked to say the story of how you were born under a fallen star, your soulmate being brought to you by the universe. You believed her stories when you were younger but as you grew up without a mother and never feeling her warmth again, you could no longer believe in such tales.
“Do you think that’s what we are? Soulmates?”
He stares at you again, his eyes acting like dark hooks in your soul. He doesn’t get a chance to respond before the guards burst in through the door, and you can distinctly hear Mark shouting from a distance.
“I’m sorry, gongju, but you must be escorted back to your quarters. You are not allowed to see the prisoners.”
You glance at Donghyuck, who for the first time, isn’t looking at you. He’s merely staring at the floor.
“Very well then. Please escort me.”
As you trek back to your room, you question your head guard, Johnny. “Did you see anyone enter my room that night?” He immediately shakes his head.
“No one unusual, gongju. It was a very normal night, but I do not believe that Chaeyoung would bring something so vile into your place of comfort. I hope I’m allowed to speak on these matters.”
“You’re more than allowed, Johnny,” you guarantee him. “Thank you for being honest with me.”
“Of course.”
Before Johnny brings you inside, you glance up at the night sky. There are two stars huddled together, perfectly placed in the darkness.
Was Donghyuck your soulmate?
��
It’s only a day later when Moon Taeil arrives on palace grounds in search of his imprisoned brother. He’s clearly irate, dismounting from his horse and grabbing the nearest guard.
“Show me where he is!”
“Seja-jeonha!” You cry out, rushing over to him and pulling the guards away from him. He turns his attention to you.
“Is this how you treat my brother after I sent him to marry you? Excuse my manners, gongju, but I did not bring Donghyuck here for him to be put to death.”
“He won’t be! Please, seja-jeonha, let’s speak privately,” you plead. He finally comes to his senses, gazing around to see servants and eunuchs watching the scene unfold. He straightens his outfit and nods.
“Fine. Show me the way.”
You accompany Taeil to a nearby building, away from the prying eyes of the palace. You know you don’t have much time to speak before your father finds out of his presence and instructs a formal meeting in the throne room.
“My brothers suspected Donghyuck because of poor timing but I know he has not committed any crime. I need you to help me prove that he’s innocent.”
Taeil scoffs at your request. “What kind of game are you running around this kingdom?”
“Please, seja-jeonha. I don’t want Donghyuck to be convicted either.”
“Because you’re soulmates?”
You freeze. “How do you know that?”
“You two were born a month apart and on each of your birthdays, a fallen star was spotted in the sky. Our astronomers noticed it when they first came to visit your palace.”
“Wait, Yuta was your astronomer?”
Taeil chuckles. “Yes, he was. His father used to document star patterns and when Yuta visited and learned of your birth date, he informed Donghyuck immediately.” Taeil smiles at the thought of his younger brother. “Why do you think we arranged a marriage for you two so quickly?”
Your head is spinning. Donghyuck has known this entire time that you two were soulmates, and that’s the reason Taeil pushed the marriage between you two. The gravity of the situation dawns on you, especially now that your soulmate rests behind the bars of the palace prison.
You grab Taeil by the shoulders. “Tell jeonha immediately. He believes in this — he believes he and my mother were soulmates. He will spare Donghyuck if you tell him.”
The doors to the building swing open and Eunuch Kim takes a deep bow in recognition. “I apologize for interrupting, seja-jeonha, but jeonha is requesting your presence.”
Taeil gives you another look before following Doyoung back outside. It isn’t long until Mark finds you, his arms embracing you into a hug when he sees your stricken expression.
“What is it? What happened? Is Taeil threatening a war?”
You shake your head and bury yourself into his shoulder. He holds you steady.
“Donghyuck is my soulmate.”
You think Mark would be deep in thought or surprised by what you revealed, but he simply giggles.
“He mentioned that.”
You pull away and frown. “What are you talking about?”
“When we were by the river, he said you were his soulmate and that he was destined to be with you. I thought he was just trying to impress me since I’m your brother. Now that I think about it, maybe it wasn’t a joke,” he mumbles, scratching the back of his head.
You almost see red. You tackle Mark to the ground and he screeches. Some of the servants file in, attracted by the noise.
“You dumbass! You let me throw my soulmate in jail!”
“I didn’t know, I didn’t know!” Mark shouts, shielding his face as you slam your palms down on his skin.
Jungwoo rushes in, pushing the servants away and clambering over to the two of you.
“Gongju, daegun! Please don’t fight!”
You huff, separating from your brother and standing up. You straighten your chima and stare down at him with fire in your eyes.
One of your ladies ends up pulling you away while Jungwoo helps Mark off of the floor.
Seojeong, who has been your main attending lady since the accusation against Chaeyoung, looks at you worriedly as you storm off. She follows behind you along with the rest of your attending ladies.
“Gongju, are you alright?”
“I need you to do something for me, Seojeong,” you murmur as the palace prison comes into view. There are still ten guards blocking the entrance and you need to talk to Donghyuck before your father makes a decision about his fate. You fear that your father will feel guilty for imprisoning Donghyuck and he’ll send him back with Taeil.
“I’ll do anything,” she promises.
You turn her body so that she’s staring directly at Johnny. “Do you see him?” When she nods, you proceed with your plan. “I need you to go up to him and tell him that jeonha instructs for all of the guards to be in the throne room.”
She stutters at your request. “But jeonha never said-“
“I know jeonha never said. Tell Johnny anyways.”
You give her a little push forwards, ignoring the timid look on her face. You quickly dismiss the rest of your ladies and hide behind a nearby corner, peeking out to see Seojeong approach Johnny anxiously. You hear her small voice fill the air.
“J-Jeonha requests for t-the guards to be in the throne r-room,” she says, eyes glancing down at her feet.
Johnny raises an eyebrow. “Our orders are to stay here until a verdict is made.”
“Um,” she mumbles, trying to think of what to say next.
“Come on, Seojeong,” you hiss under your breath. You can see her gathering enough courage before she speaks, eyes ablaze.
“Don’t you understand? You have new orders! Hurry before jeonha gets angry at your blatant disrespect!”
That gets Johnny’s attention. He grabs his right-hand man, Jaehyun, and all of the guards scramble frantically towards the throne room. You smile at Seojeong’s work and once all of the guards have left, she gives you the okay.
You rush over and hold her hand. “You’re a lifesaver, Seojeong.” She beams at your compliment. “Keep an eye out for me, okay?”
She nods and you enter the prison building, descending down the concrete steps. You gasp when you see Donghyuck in his cell, body slumped over against the wall.
You fall to your knees and struggle to open the door. He wakes when he hears the commotion. His mouth slowly turns upwards when he sees you. You finally manage to throw the door open, swinging it to the side as you crawl over to him. You cup his face in your hands and he laughs.
“Excited to see me?”
You don’t waste a single second, pressing your lips to his. His hands fly down to your waist, pulling you in closer. He groans when you straddle his hips.
He pulls away, a little breathless. “Is she asleep?”
“Who?”
“Chaeyoung,” he murmurs, pushing his fingers through your hair. “Is she asleep?”
“I-I don’t know. I didn’t check on her.”
He calls out Chaeyoung’s name and when he gets nothing but silence, he pushes your body onto the floor. You gasp when he attaches his mouth on your neck, licking and sucking at the flesh.
“D-Donghyuck, we shouldn’t. We’re not married yet-“
“We’re soulmates,” he whispers against your skin. “Isn’t that enough?”
You moan when he reaches underneath your clothing to run a finger over your slit. You feel dirty on this prison floor, letting Donghyuck take you the way he wants. He brings his lips to yours again and you cry out when his tongue enters your mouth. He frantically undresses you and you’re embarrassed when he strips you down until you’re in your sokgot.
“Don’t be shy,” he speaks softly. “I’ll take care of you.”
You whimper when he fully rids you of your clothing. He sits up to undress himself and your mouth waters as he exposes himself to you. He discards the rest, throwing it to the side and leaning back down to kiss you. His hand cups your breast and your body twitches when he flicks his finger over your nipple.
“Such a good girl,” he praises you.
You gasp when his cock prods at your entrance. Your eyes dart down and they widen at the sight of him. He’s massive, and you’re unsure if he’s going to fit inside of you.
“Wangja, um, I don’t think-“
He snickers at your reaction. “Don’t think you can take it, baby? Don’t think you can take my big cock?”
You groan. “N-No, I can take it.”
“Good girl,” he smiles. He grabs his base and runs his tip over your folds. You moan at the feeling. 
Both of your eyes widen when you hear voices outside, and Donghyuck pauses.
“Seojeong, I’m not sure what you mistake us for, but we do not enjoy being treated as fools.”
“Fuck, baby, we have to be quick. Can’t have anyone seeing their gongju acting like a whore,” he hisses.
You whine. “Hurry, Donghyuck.”
“I’m here, I’m here,” he assures before pushing his cock inside of your weeping pussy. You cry out at the burn, tears brimming at your eyelids.
He releases a long groan when he bottoms out and you close your eyes, trying to adjust to his length. You can faintly hear Seojeong’s voice.
“I thought jeonha needed you! I didn’t know, Johnny, really-“
“You good, baby?” Donghyuck speaks lowly to you, brushing stray hairs away from your face so he can properly look at you. When you don’t respond, he rubs your hip gently. “Baby, tell me how you’re feeling.”
Your eyes flutter open when the pain begins to subside. “Good, good,” you blubber incoherently. You reach out for him and he intertwines your hands. “Hurry.”
He starts thrusting into you and you whimper. He leans down to press a kiss to your lips.
“So dirty,” he hums. “What would the palace think of their graceful gongju getting railed in the filthy prison cells? Can’t wait until you have our baby, then everyone’s going to know how much you like to get fucked.”
“Want to show them,” you murmur, eyes rolling back as his thick cock abuses your small pussy. “Want to tell them I’m your whore.”
“Yeah? You’re just my filthy whore, aren’t you?”
“Yes, yes, I’m all yours, wangja.”
You feel the pleasure building inside of your tummy, feeling every ridge and vein of his cock as he pounds into you. You swear he’s going to split you in half.
Seojeong is doing her best to distract Johnny outside.
“I need to tell you a story!”
Johnny is far from amused. “I have to check on the prisoners, Miss Seojeong-“
“It’s about the princess!”
Jaehyun sighs. “Seojeong, we don’t have time for a story-“
“But listen!” She exclaims, the gears in her brain turning. There’s a long beat of silence. “Um-“
Johnny rolls his eyes, entering the prison building and moving down the steps. He briefly pauses when he hears your moan.
“Wangja, please, please, please!”
Jaehyun thinks that you’re in danger and runs past Johnny, stopping in his tracks when he sees you and Donghyuck. The prison cell door is wide open, fully exposing the both of your figures as Donghyuck plows into you. Jaehyun immediately diverts his eyes when he catches a glimpse of your breasts.
He hurriedly pushes the men away from the sight, although none of them are able to get a peek.
“Move back! Move back!” Jaehyun orders. The guards scramble on the steps as Jaehyun forcefully moves them.
You wail when your orgasm hits, stars exploding in your vision. Donghyuck soon empties inside of you, painting your walls with his cum.
You’re both left panting and he kisses you gently, hand cupping the side of your face.
“Got to explain to your guards what you were doing.”
You laugh. “I was getting fucked. What is there to explain?”
He growls. “Dirty mouth on you, gongju.”
“Only for my wangja.”
Jaehyun can’t look at you in the eye when you exit the prison doors. Johnny has an idea of what happened down there, but he doesn’t want to even picture the idea of you doing such a lewd act.
They both escort you back to your dwelling after Johnny gives you a light scolding for breaking the rules again. When you arrive at your bedroom doors, you turn around and offer them a small smile.
“Sorry.”
No other words need to be said, and the redness of Jaehyun’s ears say enough.
Johnny coughs. “Jeonha spoke with Taeil earlier today and Donghyuck will be released tomorrow. I thought you would like to know.”
You cough. “Um yes, that’s good to know. Thank you, Johnny.”
You walk into your bedroom and shut the doors, still feeling embarrassed that your guards caught you in such an intimate position. You turn around, frowning when you see that you have company.
“Seokmin? What are you doing here so late?”
Your brother smiles at you, sitting down at the small table near your bed and gesturing for you to join him.
“I thought we could have a talk.”
You shrug, wincing as you sit across from him. Your legs still feel like jelly after Donghyuck gave you a good fucking.
Seokmin pours a cup of tea for you and puts it in front of you. He gives you that friendly grin of his.
“What have you been up to all day? I heard you almost killed Mark.”
You roll your eyes. “He’s being dramatic. I barely scratched him.”
He chuckles at your dismissive nature. He eyes the cup in front of you and gives it a small push.
“Drink up. I know you like to have tea before bed.”
“Thank you,” you murmur, taking the cup in your hands.
Seokmin starts speaking about how Jeno lost in combat today and you hum, raising the tea to your lips. You pause when you smell it.
The poison — you could smell it from miles away.
You pretend to drink while you watch your brother. There’s no way it’s Seokmin, your loving and devoted brother who used to play hide and seek with you when you were feeling upset. The brother who protected you when the palace was invaded by rebels. The brother who cared for you so deeply.
But you didn’t have time to think. Only time to act.
You slam the cup down and call out for Johnny. Seokmin lunges across the table at you and you release a bloodcurdling scream.
Johnny and Jaehyun storm inside and Johnny pushes Seokmin off of you. Jaehyun pulls you aside, checking for any bruises on your body.
“Stupid bitch! Why can’t you just drink your fucking tea-“
“Daegun, daegun!” Johnny bellows, trying to get a hold of your brother.
You’re in a state of shock, attempting to register the sight before you. Your brother just tried to poison you.
Jaehyun gets you on your feet and pulls you away from the scene. Soon enough, the palace hears Seokmin’s screams and Taeyong is the first to rush to your aid.
“What happened? Is that Seokmin?”
“Daegun tried to poison gongju,” Jaehyun explains. You’re still rooted in place, staring at your quarters as multiple guards flood inside.
“What?”
Mark is the second to arrive but before he can ask what’s wrong, Seokmin is dragged out of the building, screaming and thrashing under Johnny’s hold.
“You’re traitors! All of you!”
You watch as your brother is taken away into the same prison where your fiancé sleeps soundly.
You swear you can hear crickets chirping. You and your siblings have been called into your father’s bedroom after Seokmin’s arrest. The room is eerily silent for no one knows exactly what to say.
Taeyong clears his throat. He’s been crying, and you know this hurts him more than you can imagine.
“Why? Why would he try to hurt his sister?”
Your father sighs. He’s been pacing back and forth, struggling at what to say. You need an explanation from him as you cannot accept that Seokmin grew to hate you overnight. It wasn’t in his nature to ever accept that form of hatred.
“Jeonha, please,” Mark begs, on the verge of tears. “Why has he done this?”
“We need an explanation,” Jeno adds.
Your father finally glances at all of you, troubled by the grief in your expressions. You look exactly as you did when your mother passed.
“Seokmin is not your mother’s child,” he explains. All four of your heads dart up. “He- he was conceived through a concubine, but your mother was gracious enough to raise him as her own. We’ve accepted it since then. Seokmin was raised no differently than the rest of you, and we loved him just the same.”
You blink, rubbing at your temples to try and process this information.
“I’m sorry,” he apologizes, but the damage is done. “I never wanted to tell him because I feared this would happen, but I guess he found out somehow.”
Something clicks in your memory.
“Where is his mother?”
He exhales, running a hand down his face exasperatedly. “She was a servant here in the palace, but she left shortly after your mother passed away. She didn’t want anything to do with raising Seokmin.”
Your mind starts putting the pieces together. “She was a servant — a servant who had access to mother’s residence?”
Taeyong’s eyes move to you, catching what you’re implying. You step forward and look at your father dead in the eye.
“Don’t you see, jeonha? She was the one who poisoned mother. She was the one who had access to her room, the one who brought her tea every night. She’s the reason why Seokmin tried to hurt me, she must’ve brainwashed him into believing that we no longer care for him.”
Your father stares at you, taking in all of the information you’re telling him.
“But Seokmin knows,” Jeno interrupts. “He knows we care for him. I refuse to believe this! He was probably put up to it by that nasty Lee Donghyuck!”
“Hey!” You swivel around, growling at your brother. “Do not speak that way about him.”
Jeno scoffs. “What? Have you fallen for him?”
“They’re soulmates,” your father explains.
“Come on. Tell me you don’t believe in that!”
“Lee Jeno, I swear-“
Mark quickly holds you back before you charge at your brother.
“Listen,” your father’s voice booms throughout the room. You all freeze. “I know you are all upset by what Seokmin has done, but we are going to do our best to reverse whatever his birth mother has done to him. I’ll have the guards and soldiers search for her so we can bring your mother justice. In the meantime, I want you all to remember that we are a family. You grew up together and only we know the faults of our family.”
You eye Jeno and he narrows his gaze at you.
“You all are siblings, blood related or not. Do you understand?”
“Yes, jeonha.”
Seokmin is released from his confines a week later.
He cries when he sees you, enveloping you into his arms and sobbing into your shoulder. He apologizes profusely for his actions, stating that he would never try to bring harm to you again.
For five days, you all spend time together as siblings in an effort to turn Seokmin back into his normal self. You hold no grudges against your brother, loving him with all of your heart despite his brief wrongdoings.
Seokmin’s birth mother is arrested and taken into the palace, where she awaits your father’s verdict. You have a feeling about what future lies before her, but you would rather not speak of it out loud.
Donghyuck is released with Chaeyoung shortly after the incident. You embrace him fully when he returns and Chaeyoung becomes your main attending lady again.
You and Donghyuck are arranged to be married tomorrow. Taeil is still a little hesitant on having his brother live in a place that treated him so cruelly, but Donghyuck finds a way to convince him that he’s safe. Taeyong says that Taeil’s only fine with it because he sees the way Donghyuck dotes on you. He’s attending the wedding tomorrow before he has to return back to his own kingdom.
Donghyuck is supposed to separate from you until the day of the wedding, but he’s been sneaking into your room every night, pounding you into the pillow until you cry for mercy.
It was more difficult for him to sneak out tonight as your brothers wanted to officially welcome him into the family with a special party. He managed to get away when Jeno stands on the table, trying to dance but failing miserably.
He currently has your legs bent to your chest, thrusting deep into your weeping pussy.
“Such a tight pussy,” he hisses down at you, wiping the tears falling down your face. “Made for my fat cock, aren’t you?”
You respond incoherently, drunk on the feeling of him. He reaches down to rub at your clit and you sob louder, muscles aching.
“Good thing we’re getting married tomorrow, baby. Would be too suspicious if you got pregnant so fast, wouldn’t it be?” He questions, smirking at your loss for words. “Is my gongju fucked dumb? Can’t remember how to talk, baby?”
“F-Feels so g-good,” you blubber. “You feel s-so good i-inside me.”
“Yeah?” He laughs, plowing into your pussy faster. “Baby likes when my cock stretches her small pussy? I wonder how your brothers would feel about me if they knew I dump my cum into their sister every single night. Jeno would probably hate me even more.”
“G-gonna cum, gonna cum!” You screech, hands flailing. He pins your arms down and snarls.
“Cum all over my cock. Show me how much you want your wangja.”
You cream his cock and your back arches in ecstasy, moaning loudly at the pleasure overtaking your body. Donghyuck shoots his cum inside your womb, hissing as he empties himself.
He collapses next to you and you whimper when his cock leaves your hole. He brings you into his arms and kisses the top of your head.
“Can’t wait to be married to you.”
You laugh, your chest still rising from your heavy breathing. “If you had only waited 24 hours, we would already be.”
He chuckles. “Where’s the fun in that?”
You bask in the silence as his cum starts to spill out of you.
“I think I’m pregnant.”
“Good.”
He attaches his mouth to yours and you moan when his fingers part your folds. He lines himself up to your entrance once again.
“Let’s make sure.”
And so Donghyuck fucks you until the sun rises, marking the long awaited wedding day with your soulmate.
You thank the heavens for giving you your falling star.
1K notes · View notes
ijustwant2write · 4 years ago
Text
Subtle-Remus Lupin x Professor!Reader
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(GIF credit to @shurley​)
Requested by anonymous: ‘hello! can i request professor remus lupin x professor reader where they are married but try to keep it in secret just to avoid gossip but eventually students get suspicious because of their closeness? thank you, love your work💕’
Characters: Remus Lupin X Professor!Reader, Severus Snape x Reader (platonic), Minerva Mcgonagall x Reader (platonic)
Meanings: (Y/N)=Your name 
(Y/L/N)=Your last name
Warnings: Fluff, gossiping, hiding relationship/feelings
                                      *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Please make sure your homework is completed and handed in to me at the beginning of tomorrows lesson. You’ve had a week to complete it, so I expect full pile on my desk.” I shouted over the hustle of the students packing away their things.
I hated having the last lesson of the day. No one was focused, they were tired from their other classes, and all they could think about was getting to the Great Hall for dinner; although I was exactly the same, I couldn’t wait for a good meal. Now alone, I started to tidy up my classroom, yawning when I realised how tired I was as well. Luckily, it was the end of the week, and this weekend I was chaperoning the students to Hogsmeade, meaning I could have some retail therapy. I heard the door open, thinking it was a student who had forgotten something, but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw my husband waltz in.
“Oh, hello you.” I smiled as I approached him.
“Hello you.” he leaned down to kiss me before glancing around the room.“Need any help before dinner?”
“No, not tonight. I’ve just got to put a few things away in my desk.”
I went back to tidying, making sure I wasn’t coming back to a mess after the weekend, and that everything was in its right place.
He perched on a student desk.“Are you still going to Hogsmeade this weekend?”
“Of course. I can’t wait.”
“Did you want to...did you want to go for a drink?”
“I don’t think we should be drinking whilst looking after the students Remus.”
“We won’t have anything alcoholic. Perhaps even a meal?”
“What if someone sees us?”
“How many students have we seen go into a restaurant on any trip, hm? And if they do, it’s a meal between friends!”
“You know, I don’t think that whole story about us being old friends worked.”
He suddenly looked panicked.“Why? Have the children been saying anything?”
“No. I can just see it in their faces.”
“You’re overthinking this. It’ll be fine. Let me treat you.” a charming smile spread across his face.
I rolled my eyes, giving in.“Alright. But I’ve got to pop round some of the shops first.”
He groaned.“So we’ll have time for a starter then?”
I scoffed a laugh at him, grabbing a nearby scroll to hit him with.“I might be going shopping for you, did you ever think of that? I am a very loving wife after all.”
He chuckled, shielding himself.“Alright, alright!”
“Plus, and as much as it pains me to say this, we’ll be apart for a while. That means students won’t see us together.”
“Unfortunately, you’re right. We haven’t been too careful as of late.”
“Saying that, should we head to dinner?”
I walked out of the classroom first, checking the corridors, and like always at this time, they were empty. We freely walked towards the Great Hall, daringly holding hands whilst we were still far away. But as it neared, we sadly looked at each other, having to let go. It broke my heart that we had to hide our marriage, we couldn’t even wear our wedding rings for fear of being questioned, and accidentally revealing a detail that was too specific towards each other. 
“You two might want to be more careful if you don’t want your secret out.” the monotone voice of Severus said behind us. How was he always so quiet?
Remus sighed.“Well, do you see any students?”
“I was able to sneak up on you,” we were at the entrance of the Great Hall now,“and with all this chatter amongst the students, I would take extra precaution. The gossip is starting to disrupt my lessons.”
He walked away from us, and we glanced at each other. Severus was horribly truthful about these kind of things. I was right. The students had their suspicions. 
“Remus, what are we going to do?”
We began walking towards the head table.“Relax, we’ll draw more attention to ourselves otherwise. Look, just forget about what he said. I’m sure it’s a group of first years thinking they’ve discovered something and have irritated him.”
Although he was attempting to comfort me, the dreadful feeling of all the students eyes on me was making me feel sick. It wasn’t that I was ashamed to be with Remus, I loved him with my whole heart, I couldn’t wait to be with him forever. When we both got a job at Hogwarts, we had had a long discussion beforehand. Obviously we were excited to have new jobs, until I thought back to a friend who also worked with her partner. They were open with it, and unfortunately, the students would gossip, make up rude stories and interfere, ask too many questions to get into their personal life. It was awful for them. It sounds like a bunch of children ‘bullying’ professors wouldn’t effect them, you should be able to handle children as a professor; but it really took a tole on them.
"Chin up dear," Minerva said as everyone started eating,"I'm sure this will all pass by."
"You might be right. But I can't help thinking...maybe everyone knows." I stated down at my plate.
"Would that really be so bad?"
"I just don't want them talking about us. I've seen it happen to my friends, and I know a lot of married couples aren't work together because of it."
"Perhaps you two will be different."
I sighed."How many times has someone said that?"
"But, don't they see you leaving the castle together?"
"We said that we live near each other so we share lifts to work. It was the only thing we could come up with."
There was empathy on her face."It will all be fine (Y/N), just you wait and see."
The next day had arrived, meaning it was time to chaperone the students to Hogsmeade. When we returned home last night, I had dropped the subject, knowing Remus was much calmer about all of this than I was. I would only cause a fuss, which would perhaps lead to a small argument between us; and I didn't want the tension there tomorrow, if anything came out of this trip, I wanted to enjoy my time with Remus.
"Are you sure I cannot accompany you on the way there?" Remus had asked as the children's permission slips were approved.
I nodded."I just think it's best to split up for a few hours, then we'll meet up at that restaurant, yeah?" 
"Alright, see you later." 
In any other circumstance, we would have shared a small kiss before leaving one another, but everyone was here. A small smile graced our lips as he walked away, though mine disappeared as soon as he turned around. Sighing to myself, I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to keep warm as my group was assigned to me. 
The students practically ran off as soon as we got there, leaving me alone to wander. Remus was no where to be seen, but we had a set time to meet up. For now, it was aimless wandering.
I couldn't stop checking my watch throughout the day. I was too excited to see my husband, have a dinner out together. Teaching was hard, it took up so much time. Although in the evenings Remus and I were together, we weren't actually together. We weren't present because we would probably be marking papers. And having to constantly remember to hide our love at work was tiring and infuriating. Passing some students in shops, I politely smiled, maybe asked if they were having a good day or making sure they stayed in line, before it was finally time to meet my husband. 
There was much more of a spring in my step as I made my way to the designated restaurant. Luckily the number of students got smaller as I strayed away from the main hustle and bustle of Hogsmeade, though they should be minding their own business anyway (that would have avoided this whole mess in the first place). I almost missed the place because it was so small. It was made out of old, dark brick, with a narrow but long window, made of old wooden panes. The door was also small, and I smiled at the thought of Remus ducking through it. 
It felt more like a cafe than a restaurant. Like the window, it was long and narrow, tables either side of the room, because if there were tables lining down the middle, no one would be able to move. Remus caught my attention by standing up from our table. 
"You look beautiful." he greeted, kissing me. 
I scoffed as I sat."You knew what I was wearing, we do live together."
"Doesn't mean you're not beautiful." 
I bashfully smiled."You're still able to make me blush after all these years."
"Good, I must be doing something right then."
The lunch together reminded me of old times. It was easy to forget about the stress that had been piled on top of our usual schedule in that moment. We laughed, started reminiscing on our lives when we met each other, it was as if we were catching up after not seeing each other for a long time. When we weren't eating, one of our hands was holding onto each other. I knew I had to cherish every moment, especially since it went by far too quickly. 
We found ourselves putting on our coats and scarves, taking a few seconds to just gaze at each other. Neither of us wanted to leave. We felt safe here, hidden away from any prying students. Our marriage shouldn't have been hidden, we loved each other, it was supposed to be shown. 
"Ready?" he asked. 
"Ready."
We quickly kissed each other before making our way to the door. Thanking a waitress as we passed by, I was about to open the door when something in the window caught my eye. My heart dropped as I spotted three children poking their heads up, watching us until they realised they had been caught. 
"Remus!" I snapped."We've been spotted."
He had his usual calm tone."We're just two friendly colleagues getting lunch, there's nothing wrong in that." 
"We don't know how long they've been there. What if they saw us kissing?!" 
"Very friendly colleagues?" 
I huffed as I opened the door, trying to see if the kids were still there. They had started running off in the distance, headed in the direction of our meeting point. We had to head back now, it was the end of the trip, and I was expecting a lot of hushed whispers as we arrived. 
"Professor (Y/L/N)?" a fourth year student approached me as we rounded up our groups for counting. 
Here we go. 
"Yes?" 
She seemed nervous, glancing back at her friends."Um...just so you know, we all think you and Professor Lupin make a really cute couple. Like, you two are probably the coolest professors we have."
I was shocked by her words."O-Oh. Thank you...that's a very nice thing to say." 
She just smiled before leaving to join her friends again. There had been no point lying to her, it was obvious to everyone. But that small opinion meant a lot to me. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad thing to put our marriage on display.
" You see?" Remus approached me."It's not as bad as you thought."
"No, I guess not. I just...I didn't want anything to effect us."
"You're my wife. I love you with all my being. A few gossiping children wouldn't change any of that."
He leaned in to kiss me again, but I giggled as I stopped him.
"What?"
"We may let them know about our marriage, but PDA from staff is still frowned upon." 
"Do you know how hard it is to resist you?" 
"Guess we'll have to make up for it when we're home."
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jeonsjiddies · 4 years ago
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Show Me | pjm (m)
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Summary - Jimin shows you how good he can make you feel.
Word Count - 2146
Pairing -  Jimin x reader
Genre - smut
Warnings - penetrative sex, exhibitionism, voyerism, dirty talk, dom jimin
a/n -  another re-write from a previous fandom. :)
“This project will be worth 30% of your grade.“ 
A normal Wednesday morning in  your government class just got a little more interesting.
“I assigned you partners,“ the professor continued as a collective groan echoed through the classroom. 
“Jeon Jungkook  and Kim Taehyung.” 
Jungkook and Tae high fived.
“Kim Seokjin and Min Yoongi.”  
“Jung Hoseok and Kim Namjoon.” 
Hoseok whooped quietly, grinning at Namjoon
“Y/N and Park Jimin.” She said and you froze, glancing over at the notorious bad boy who raised an eyebrow at you, as one corner of his mouth tilted up.
You couldn’t focus on the rest of the names that she read off because you were too busy panicking. How did you end up paired with Jimin? Was the teacher trying to kill you? You had nothing against the blonde haired risk-taker, quite the opposite. You had a huge crush on Jimin. From his long soft, pushed back locks, to his shimmering brown eyes, to his freakishly large thighs and strong frame. He was terrifyingly attractive, sex on legs, and you were nervous as hell to work with him.
“Please get together with your partners and discuss your strategies for this assignment.”  
Jimin smiled that devilish smile, beckoning you over with one finger. You gathered your books and stood, walking on wobbly legs towards the sinfully gorgeous boy.
“Hey.”  
“Hey,” you tried to sound normal.
“Don’t be scared, princess. I don’t bite - hard,” he grinned, sensing your uneasiness.
He leaned far into your personal space as he said it and you noticed the tangy scent of his cologne as you sucked in a breath. He even smelled like heaven.
“I’m- I’m not,” you said  quietly.
“You seem pretty nervous to me. Listen, just because I’ve got a reputation doesn’t mean I’m some lawless thug who-“ 
“No! I don’t think that!” you interjected, “I don’t have anything against you or your reputation.” 
“Then why are you acting like you could jump up and flee out the nearest exit if I move too fast?” he accused. 
“Social anxiety.”  
“Oh,” he said, The guilt apparent on his features.
“Yeah. So which amendment did you want to start with?” you asked,  getting focused and trying not to sniff him; he smelled so good.
 20 minutes later, you’d both picked out which amendments you’d be showcasing as having a lasting impact on the country, and which ones seemed out of date. The bell rang and you stood up to leave when Jimin placed a hand on your arm, his fingers on your bare skin burned in a delightful way.
“I’m sorry about earlier, I… I'm just so tired of being looked down on for where I come from,” he explained. 
“I could never look down on you, Jimin. You’re too tall,” you joked, earning a rare Jimin genuine smile, “ should we exchange numbers so we can work on the project?“  
“Oh don’t worry y/n, I’ll find you,” He grinned deviously. 
You flushed, watching him saunter down the hallway.
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You organized records in alphabetical order a few nights later at your afterschool job. You didn’t hear the doorbell chime, so you nearly peed your pants when a soft, sultry voice whispered in your ear.
“Told you I’d find you.”
You whirled around, coming face to face with Jimin. He was dangerously close to you, if you just used your tiptoes, you could kiss him. Your heart beat like a hummingbirds in your chest.
“Hi,” you breathed out in a whisper.
“Hi,” he whispered back, gaze flicking from your eyes to your lips.
His tongue danced across his own lips, and he started to lean in. The doorbell chimed, breaking the spell you’d both been under and he stepped back quickly.
“So um, maybe tomorrow after school, you could come over and work on the government project?” he asked, running a hand through his hair. 
“Yeah, sounds good. Can I ride with you though? I’m saving up for a car,”  you looked down. 
“Sure, meet me by the front door after your last lecturel.”
You watched him walk out the door, letting out the breath you hadn’t known you’d been holding.
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You anxiously bounced your leg up and down during the last class of the day. You have been on edge all day. You were going to Jimin’s place. Would his roommates be home? Did he have roommates? Would you two be alone? So many of your naughty dreams had taken place in this seemingly imaginary place and this place was about to be real. You knew nothing sexual was actually going to happen, but you were still so nervous. The bell rang and you jumped out of your skin. It was time. You gathered your things, and walked to the front door, where Jimin was waiting for you. Hoseok and Jin  were by his side, all of them laughing.
“Hey y/n,” Jimin smiled. 
“Hey Y/N,” Jin and Hoseok said at the same time, both of them shouting “jinx!”
You giggled and waved hello.  Jimin threw an arm around your shoulders and walked with you to his bike. All eyes were on you, questions swimming through the halls of your university. People whispered to their friends and stared and ashamed.
“Everyone’s looking at us,” you whispered . 
“Good,” he winked and helped you onto the bike. 
You pressed your body close to his, arms wrapped tightly around his waist. He sped out of the parking lot, leaving the spectators in the dust. You buried your head into his back, trying not to watch the lines on the road flash by. When he pulled up to the apartment complex, you didn’t let go for a moment.
“You ok?”  
“Yeah, just give me a second. I’m a little woozy.” 
He got off the bike and looked at you for a moment, then picked you up and carried you inside.
“Put me down!” you shriek-laughed. 
“Didn’t want you to stumble since you were ‘woozy’,” he shrugged, plopping you into the couch. 
You hated to admit it, but being held in his lean, strong arms make you feel alive, like adrenaline have been shot straight into your heart. You already missed the warm, safe feeling. You sighed. 
“So… hungry? Thirsty?”  
“I’m okay, thanks,” you smiled and he sat next to you on the couch, far too close but not nearly close enough. 
 As you typed out which amendments were outdated, you were hyper aware of Jimins’ every movement. It was driving you crazy, being so close to him. You both chatted about random topics, as you worked. About halfway through, you stood up to stretch and take a break, as did Jimin. You took a step towards the kitchen for some water, tripping over your backpack, but Jimin’s strong arms darted out to catch you. Your hands on his chest, his arms around you, that’s where it really began. You were being electrocuted by his touch. You both stayed like that, lost in each other’s eyes. 
Jimin moved in slow motion, lips barely grazing yours in feather soft brushes. Gentle, sweet. You were floating on air. Then, the wild fire broke out, Jimin’s lips crashing down on yours with so much need and desire, you could barely keep up. He shoved you against a wall, hands roaming everywhere on your body, lighting you ablaze. You moaned into his mouth, able to stop it. His hands on your body sent you into another level of lust, another level of craving him. He bit down harshly on your neck creating a gasp from you. He blew cold air on it, licking the sore red spot. The stinging turned to tingling, sending shivers down your spine.
“Everyone’s going to see these tomorrow know that you’re mine,” he pulled your hips closer roughly.
“I’ve been watching you, princess. I’ve seen you in those pretty little skirts, completely unaware of all the boys watching you. Unaware of what you’re doing. Teasing. I’ve wanted this from the day I laid eyes on you. So many nights alone I would think of your pretty plump lips wrapped around my cock,” he groaned. 
His words had you soaking.
“Why did you wait?”    
“Didn’t think you’d want someone like me,” he shrugged. 
“Do you know how many nights I’ve touched myself to the thought of you, Jimin? How many times I’ve moaned your name, wishing your hands were the ones touching me? You’re so sexy, so brave. I’ve wanted you inside me for so long,” you whispered hotly 
“You got off thinking about me?”  
You bit your lip, nodding. 
“Show me,” he grinned mischievously. 
You bravely took his hand and had him guide you to his room. You crawled onto his bed as he stood, watching you. Your eyes locked on his, you began undressing. Slowly, you removed everything you were wearing, your hands going to your breasts. You kneaded them, rolling your nipple between your forefinger and thumb. 
“Mmm...” you closed your eyes, lolling your head back, “Fuck, Jimin.” 
Your hands slowly traveled down your body, until they landed by your aching heat. Your fingers danced along your slit, then you pushed one inside yourself, arching your back and groaning as you circled it around your clit. Jimin’s breath hitched as he watched you pleasure yourself for him. You added another finger, pumping it in and out slowly, squirming on Jimin’s bed. You’d done this a thousand times, but with Jimin’s face watching your every move, it was so much more thrilling, it was erotic. You began moving your fingers faster, his name falling from your lips as you got closer, your orgasm crashing over you. 
“Mmm… oh gosh, Jimin,” you moaned loudly, eyes connected with his, and you could hear his heavy breathing. 
You lay there, naked body on full display for Jimin. His eyes had darkened, his deep brown now resembling black. 
“Shit princess, that was so fucking sexy,“ he groaned, stepping towards the bed, “but I can make you feel even better.” 
“Show me,” you purred. 
Jimin sprang into action, flinging his shirt off and unbuckling his jeans faster than you’d ever seen anyone move. Down to his boxers, he crawled on top of you, kissing you rough and deep and so good. You couldn’t believe this was actually happening. His boxer-covered erection ground against your dripping core and you groaned. 
“You like that baby? Like how my big fat cock feels against that tight little pussy?” He moaned in your ear. 
“Yes, fuck,” you whimpered, “Jimin, I need you.” 
Jimin grabbed a condom from inside his night stand and slipped it on quickly, aligning himself with your entrance. He slowly pushed in, and oh gosh it stung. He was so big. He lay still for a moment, watching your face for a sign you were ready to move. When you nodded, he slowly pulled out of you, then gently thrust back in. The stinging turned to this amazing, warm, delicious feeling and Jimin started moving faster, whispering dirty things in your ear, telling you how good you felt around him. 
“So beautiful, you take it so good baby,” he encouraged you, but you couldn’t answer. You were a moaning mess underneath him.
Jimin hit every good spot, and knew exactly what he was doing as he pounded into you, and you’d never felt such bliss in your life. The fire deep inside of you was one that you weren’t sure could be quenched. He filled you up so completely, bringing you absolute ecstasy. Jimin was made to fuck, and he was amazing at it. You writhed underneath him, unable to keep still from the insane amounts of pleasure coursing through you. You knew you were close, and so did Jimin, his hand reaching down to draw figure 8’s on your clit.  When your orgasm came, it was like the entire world was shaking. You screamed out his name, back aching into his body, feeling like your soul was leaving yours. You were flying. You felt high. Jimin filled the condom seconds later, panting as his body collapsed on top of yours. He rolled next to you and gathered you in his arms. 
“Holy shit,” he breathed, chest rising and falling rapidly. 
“Agreed,” you nodded, snuggling into his embrace. 
He smirked, and kissed your cheek. You blushed and hid your face in his neck, making him laugh. 
“How can you be shy after all that?” 
“Shut up,” you mumbled into his skin. 
“Y/N?” He asked quietly.
“Hmmm?” 
“I want you, all the time. I don’t want to have to let you go after this, will you be mine?” he asked, and when you were quiet ( simply because you were in shock) he added “I promise I’ll treat you right, like you deserve.”
You lifted your head to meet his gaze, smiling at him as you nodded, telling him you would be his. 
“Show me.” 
261 notes · View notes
freddie-weaselbee · 4 years ago
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Kiss Her You Fool//F.W.
Pairing: Fred Weasley x Fem!Reader
Warnings: Very brief mentions of nudity (skinny dipping), one argument, mentions of food
Summary: The countdown is on until Fred and George plan on making their grand exit from Hogwarts. But that means Fred only has a short amount of time to finally confess his feelings to his best friend.
Prompt: Kiss Her You Fool by Kids That Fly
Word Count: 4.5k
A/N: For @amourtentiaa's writing challenge, with the song Kiss Her You Fool being the prompt. Second fic in Abby's Week of Weasley !
~Abby's Week of Weasley Masterlist~ ~Masterlist~
Five Days Left
Stop making up your excuses
Call her up, tell her you forgot something
“You’re staring again.”
Fred ignored his brother and continued to watch you and your friends spread out on the courtyard grass. He watched as you sat up and brushed the leaves out of your hair, laughing at something that your friend said. He admired your glowing smile, which always lit up the room. Your perfect, beautiful smile.
“Fred,” George said, this time a little more forcefully. Fred shook his head and finally took his eyes off of you, much to his disappointment. He blushed profusely and turned back to his brother, who was holding a list of all the things they would need to do before their departure in 5 days. “You’re whipped.”
“Am not!” Fred argued. “She’s just nice to look at, that’s all. Plenty of girls here are nice to look at.”
“Mhmm,” George replied. “So is that why you’ve turned down any advances from the other girls who are nice to look at? Just admit it, little Freddie’s in love!” George sighed dreamily, only to be met with a punch to his shoulder from his annoyed twin.
“She’s just my friend! My best friend. Even if I did see her that way, which I don’t--” George gave Fred an unbelieving look but Fred continued, “--it’s not like she would feel the same way. And we’re leaving in 5 bloody days! There’s no point.” He huffed and put his head in his hands, wishing there was some way that everything could work out perfectly for him and you.
“Stop making up your excuses, mate!” George said, completely done with his brother’s antics. “Just go tell her how you feel. Worst case scenario she rejects you, we leave in a few days, and you both have a few months to get over it. You’re making this too complicated.”
Fred looked back over to where you were, seeing that Roger Davies and his friends had made their way over to you and your friends. He noticed the small blush that appeared on your face as Roger brushed your hair behind your ears, and Fred had to pry his eyes away before he got even more upset.
“I can’t lose her, Georgie,” he said softly. “She’s my best friend. I need to have her in my life, even if that means just as a friend.”
George rolled his eyes but patted his brother on the back comfortingly. “You have to tell her some time, or you’ll go the rest of your life regretting it. You only have 5 days left before we’re gone for good.”
Fred nodded, courage surging in his chest. 5 days. That’s 5 chances to tell you and hope that against all odds you felt the same way. Feeling at peace with the time he had, Fred finally put his focus into helping his brother plan, but not before taking one last look over to where you laid so serene in the afternoon sun. He still had time.
Four Days Left
It's worth more than you are thinking
Don't be a fool, tell her you think she's cool
Fred stood alone outside of Snape’s classroom, leaning up against the cold corridor walls and waiting for the teacher to arrive. He was already in a fowl mood that day, and receiving detention from his second least favorite teacher didn’t help him at all.
He was considering just skipping detention altogether--what would Snape be able to do in a few days when Fred was no longer a student?--until he heard a familiar voice calling his name from down the hall.
“Freddie!” Fred’s mood did a complete 180 as he saw his favorite person come running down the darkly lit corridor toward him. Throwing yourself into his arms, Fred swung you around before placing you down and leaving a quick kiss on your forehead, a friendly gesture that he always did when greeting you. “I’m so glad you’re here, I thought I was going to have to handle the Greaseball all by myself!”
Fred laughed at your excitement, equally relieved that he wouldn’t be alone as well. He kept his arms around you, enraptured by your electrifying gaze. A harsh cough broke you two apart and you turned to see Professor Snape standing behind you.
“I should not have to be reminding you,” he drawled, “that in accordance with our Headmistress’ orders, boys and girls are not permitted within 8 inches of each other. As a punishment for that unnecessary display of affection, I’ll be adding an extra hour onto your detention for tonight.”
“Oh no!” you cried in mock horror. “Another whole hour spent with my best friend? Professor, how can you be so cruel?”
Fred beamed down at you proudly, your sarcasm and attitude always making him fall in love with you a little bit more.
Snape was not amused. “Two hours.”
You sent Fred a quick wink before following your teacher into the dark musty classroom.
Stalking dramatically around the room, Snape explained your task for the night, which consisted of cleaning every single one of the cauldrons, even the broken ones that no one used, with a brush smaller than your toothbrush. You leaned your head on Fred’s shoulder when Snape’s back was turned, sending a warm tingle down his spine.
You quickly shot away once Snape turned back, but luckily he didn’t seem to pick up on anything. “I hope that you two can make my room spotless?”
“Yes sir!” you said, saluting him. He grumbled something under his breath before exiting slowly, leaving you and Fred alone.
You hopped up on one of the desks and patted the space next to you, gesturing for Fred to join you. “So, what do you wanna do?” you asked him.
“Shouldn’t we, I don’t know, clean quickly so that we can get out of here?” Fred answered.
Suddenly you grabbed Fred’s cheeks in your hand, squeezing tight and looking at him suspiciously. “Who are you and what have you done with Fred Weasley? The Freddie I know and love would never actually want to work in detention.”
Fred smiled through his pinched cheeks, shaking out of your grip. “As much as it pains me to say this,” he said, “I don’t have time for mischief at the moment. I’ve just… got a lot going on. Big things are happening soon.”
You scooted closer and tried to read him. Fred would never pass up the chance to goof off during detention, especially when it was detention with you, and you knew that. “Hey, is something going on? Are you alright?”
Fred put on a fake smile and turned away from you. “I’m fine, love, just a little stressed out lately.” He should tell you that he was leaving. He’d been keeping it between him and George, and he knew the longer he waited the more it would break you to hear. But looking at your concerned expression laced with love and compassion, he knew he couldn’t bear to see you sad on his behalf. It could wait.
“What’d you even do to end up in here?” he asked, quickly changing the subject.
You shrugged. “Snape blamed me for cheating on my Potions assignment, which I didn’t, and even if I did I wouldn’t be stupid enough to get caught. But he wouldn’t listen, so I snuck into his classroom last night and set off a bunch of fireworks, courtesy of you, Mr. Weasley! The products you gave me for my birthday worked perfectly, thanks!”
You kissed his cheek, and he stuttered out a “you’re welcome,” hand coming up to touch the place where your lips were moments before. “Wait, so he caught you then?”
“Of course not!” you said, rolling your eyes. “I’m far too smart for that. He gave me the detention because he thought I had cheated, and he doesn’t have enough evidence nor suspicion to pin the fireworks on me. I figured if I was going to get a detention for something I didn’t even do, I might as well do something to deserve it!” You hopped down off of the table and went to grab the tools you needed for cleaning, an awestruck Fred watching with his mouth hanging open.
In Fred’s eyes, you were amazing. You were feisty, headstrong, and so incredibly smart. Not to mention he thought you were absolutely breathtaking, especially when you got that cocky and mischievous glint in your eyes.
“You’re so cool,” he sighed, making you turn to him with a slightly confused smile.
“Not the usual compliments I get from you, Weasley, but I’ll take it. I think you’re cool too.” You handed him a small brush and got to work on the cauldron nearest to you, scooting over so Fred could join you.
The two of you worked in comfortable silence, something Fred desperately wanted to preserve. As much as he yearned to tell you his feelings, he still had 4 days. It could wait until tomorrow.
Three Days Left
Stop waiting for a fairytale to
Take you away, don't wait for someday
Fred relentlessly combed his fingers through his hair, one moment deciding it was too messy and the next deciding it wasn’t messy enough. He’d been standing in front of the mirror for the last 30 minutes trying to figure out what he should wear, how he should style his hair, whether or not he should wear rings (he finally settled on yes) and pretty much everything else he could worry about for a date.
Except this wasn’t a date.
As much as Fred wanted nothing more than for him to hold your hand and walk through the Hogwarts halls as the cutest couple at the school, which he was sure you would be, this outing was just as friends.
Ever since you were both 14, you decided that once a month you would spend the day together, just the two of you. As friends. Sometimes it was informal, like hanging out in his dorm room or pulling a prank on a teacher or Ron. Other times it was very much like a date, where the two of you would get all dressed up and go out to Hogsmeade or find a secret spot on the Hogwarts grounds to spend your day. Today, the day trip was the latter.
Already late as it was, Fred decided he was content with how he looked, or at least as much as he could be. He grabbed the bouquet of flowers he had picked earlier and rushed out the door, having to listen to teasing from George, who had been watching him nitpick over his outfit and hair the entire time.
He sprinted down to the Middle Courtyard, hoping that you wouldn’t be too mad at him for being as late as he was. He came to a jolting halt when he saw you.
There you were, standing in the middle of the courtyard, a beautiful red sundress hugging your figure perfectly. Your hair was laying loose, but it looked as if you had curled it slightly, making it cascade past your shoulders and sway slightly in the wind. In your hands you clutched a picnic basket and blanket, prepared for your date/not date with Fred.
He walked up to you slowly, wanting to admire how angelic you looked for a bit longer, but you noticed him too soon for his liking. “Hey Fred, oh what are these?”
You were gesturing to the flowers he was holding, stems breaking from his harsh nervous grip. You took them from him gleefully and smelled the delicious scent, sighing in content and hugging them to your chest.
“You didn’t have to do this! I promise I’ll still be your friend even if you don’t bring me flowers every time we hang out,” you said.
“I know, but I wanted to see the cute look on your face when I gave them to you,” Fred said cheekily. You giggled bashfully and handed Fred the picnic basket so you could link your arm with his. The two of you made your way down to the Black Lake, Fred taking the lead and bringing you to a place you’d never been before.
“Where are we going?” you asked, too impatient for Fred’s surprises.
“It’s a secret darling, you’ll have to wait and see.”
You groaned and hit your head against Fred’s shoulder, continuing to ask and complain until you finally arrived at your destination. It was a beautiful clearing deep in the Forbidden Forest, a place Fred had found a few months ago when he was out exploring with George. There was just enough sunlight to create a small patch on the ground where you could both lay out in the warm daylight as you ate and talked the day away.
“This is beautiful!” you exclaimed, running over to set up the blanket. “How come you’ve never taken me here before?”
“We just found it,” said Fred. “But when I saw it, the first thing I thought of was taking you here.”
“You’re so sweet,” you said, pulling him down onto the blanket with you.
You and Fred enjoyed your picnic, occasionally throwing small bits of food at each other and rolling around in the grass. At one point you saw a small bunny hopping by and you immediately shot up to get a closer look.
As you moved closer it hopped away but you stayed standing, letting the sunshine hit your face with a dazed smile on you. You spun around a few times, soaking in the moment and trying to remember everything you could about this perfect day.
As Fred watched you, he couldn’t help but think that he was in a fairy tale. You were the beautiful maiden--no, beautiful princess. Yes, his princess. And he was your prince, and the two would run away together and spend the rest of your lives having wonderful picnics in the warm seasons, and dancing in the rain when the storms came around. He would sweep you off of your feet and you wouldn’t help but fall madly in love with your best friend. With your prince.
Now could be a great opportunity to tell you. To confess his feelings and deep rooted love. But today was perfect. If things went wrong, it would ruin this perfect day for the both of you. So he decided to wait, if only to preserve this memory. This moment in time when everything was how it should be.
There was no rush. He still had 3 days left. It could wait until tomorrow.
Two Days Left
She's thinking the same thing as you
Don't be afraid, dreams aren't found they're made
Fred was pulled away from subtly packing his things by the loud laughs that came from outside of his dorm, down in the common room. One particular laugh, the one he could distinguish from a mile away, caught his ear, and he rushed down the steps to see you and your friends standing by the fireplace, completely soaked.
“Do I even want to know?” he asked, catching your attention. Your friends gave each other looks, seeming to know something that you didn’t. One of them whispered something to you before leaving you alone with Fred, who was still awaiting an answer.
“We may or may not have gone skinny dipping in the lake,” you said, hand covering your face with embarrassment of being caught by your friend. Fred laughed at your confession, trying to distract himself from the thoughts of your naked body swimming through the glistening waters that kept popping into his head.
“And you didn’t invite me?” he said, crossing his arms in disappointment.
You chuckled and moved to the couch, wrapping a blanket around you tightly. “Ah yes, we all know you would never pass up the chance to join a bunch of naked girls in the lake, would you?”
Fred’s face dropped at your lighthearted joke, wondering if that was all you saw him as. Some player who wouldn’t hesitate to shag a random girl he thought was hot. Before he could think too much about this, he saw you shiver rather fiercely and he quickly went to join you on the couch.
“You alright, darling?” he asked as he wrapped a warm arm around you.
You nodded unconvincingly, teeth chattering loudly. Fred pulled you into his lap, putting both arms around your waist and leaning his chin on your shoulder in order to keep you as warm as possible.
“Thanks, Freddie,” you said gratefully. You moved to lie down and pulled him with you, entangling your limbs so that you were soaking up every bit of warmth he could give you, and Fred would give you the entire sun of it meant you would be happy.
You softly closed your eyes, a small smile resting on your wet features. As you nodded off to sleep, Fred thought back to all of the times George had mentioned that you felt the same way. His twin was positive that you were in love with Fred as much as he was with you. In moments like these, he allowed himself to believe his brother. He allowed himself to hope that you liked him too, and that it was your dream to be with him. Because it was his dream to be with you. He just had to stop waiting to find it and instead make it come true. But you were sound asleep at this point, cozied up next to Fred. He didn’t want to wake you up from your slumber. It could wait until tomorrow. He still had 2 days.
One Day Left
Cause you've only got one chance
You've only got one chance
It was your stirring and quiet moans that woke Fred up that morning. You were still asleep but trying to shift to get into a more comfortable position. His arm was hugging you tightly, your back pressed against his chest. He didn’t want to move from his position, but he needed to get up to finish his last full day at Hogwarts. His last day.
You groaned again, reaching your arms out to stretch and let out a loud yawn. You turned over so that your face was right next to Fred’s and you jumped when you noticed he was already awake.
“Hey,” you whispered.
“Hey,” he said back.
You looked so pretty lying there, hair ruffled and clothes a mess. No matter what state you were in, he always thought you were magnificent.
Kiss her you fool
You reached up to rest your hand on Fred's cheek, giggling as he leaned into the touch and shut his eyes. This was it. He could move in, close the gap between you. This might be his only chance to do so, and he couldn’t waste it.
Just as he mustered the courage to proceed, you slowly sat up. Fred sat up with you, wondering what had distracted you from the moment you were both having. He saw you looking at his shirt pocket, the one holding a piece of parchment on it. In your close embrace and drenched state last night, the water had made its way to the paper, causing it to become transparent and some words were becoming visible from the outside. A few of them being ‘escape from Hogwarts.’
In one quick moment you snatched the paper from him and moved to the other side of the couch. Your eyes hurriedly scanned the paper, not believing a word of what you were reading. Fred’s heart was racing, knowing that you were now holding the detailed plan of what was going to go down tomorrow. If only Fred could go back to the way you were moments before, clinging together with your lips seconds away from touching.
Kiss her you fool
“F-freddie,” you stuttered, still not wanting to accept that what you were reading was true. “What is this? Please tell me this is a joke, yeah it’s a joke right? You’re not actually leaving tomorrow, are you?”
Fred hesitated, dismayed that you had to learn about his plans this way. “Y/N, it’s not what it looks like.”
“Oh?” you asked, starting to get angry. “It’s not what it looks like? What it looks like is that you and your brother are leaving the school tomorrow for good. And you didn’t even tell me?! Do you care so little about me that you decided you could just up and leave without even saying goodbye?!”
“No, Y/N, it’s not like that!” Fred said, tears welling in his eyes. “I was going to tell you weeks ago, but I didn’t want you to be upset--”
“Weeks ago?” you nearly shouted. “You’ve been planning this for that long and you didn’t bother to at least give me a hint about it? I can’t believe you.”
“It’s not like I’m trying to hurt you!” Fred said, tears finally rolling down his cheeks. “This is our dream! George and I are finally opening the joke shop we talked about. Surely you can understand that we need to follow our dream.”
You stood up, brushing off your clothes and glaring at your best friend. “Of course I can understand. I would never stop you from following your dreams. But I thought that maybe you cared for me enough to let me in on them. But apparently I’m just another thing for you to leave behind, is that it?”
Fred was frozen, hating that he was the cause of your pain, that he was the one making you angry. The only thing he ever wanted to do was make you laugh and smile, to make you feel loved and safe. He just wanted to hold you, kiss you. To tell you that you were the most important person in the world to him.
Kiss her you fool
“I could’ve helped you!” You were tugging on the ends of your hair, hoping that this was all a dream. That Fred wasn’t really leaving. “I could’ve even gone with you! I’ve always supported your shop. I could work there with you!”
“Yeah,” Fred scoffed. “I’m not letting you give up your entire life just for me.”
“You are my life!” You were crying at this point too, tears pouring down your red cheeks. “All I want is to spend everyday with you! Fred, I love you so much, and if you didn’t even bother to tell me about your plans, then it’s quite obvious that the feelings are unrequited.”
Fred surged forward as you backed away, hoping for you to calm down and hear him out.
“No, Fred, I…” your voice shook as you continued to move. “I need to be alone right now. I’m sorry.”
You fled out of the Common Room and back to your dorm, slight sobs echoing against the walls.
Fred sunk back onto the couch, not even bothering to muffle his cries anymore. He had missed his chance. All of those times he could’ve told you how he felt and asked you to come with him, or at least asked you to be his girlfriend and wait a few months until you graduated. But he had missed his chance. There was only 1 day left, and he blew it.
Kiss her you fool
No Days Left
This was it. This was the day Fred and George had been waiting for for months. The one they had planned out meticulously, not only to escape, but to also provide Harry Potter and his friends a needed distraction for whatever they had gotten themselves into this time. There was no turning back.
Fred had locked himself in his room and cried all day yesterday, an act that obviously didn’t go unnoticed by his brother. George walked up to his twin and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Ready Fred?”
Fred took a deep breath and sighed. “Ready George. Ready as I’ll ever be.”
The twins raced toward the entrance hall, hearing loud shouts and grunts behind them. A crowd started to form, many students with wide grins on their faces and, of course, Dolores Umbridge herself, looking more furious than Fred had ever seen her.
“So!” she shouted. “You think it amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?”
“Pretty amusing, yeah,” said Fred, confidence in his plan and abilities rising. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a figure pushing through the crowd to get a better look. It was you, eyes puffy and red, wearing a pair of pajama bottoms and one of Fred’s sweaters you had stolen from him months ago. You must’ve been in bed and come running to see Fred’s final takeoff.
Fred’s attention snapped back to his inquisitors at the mention of him and his brother learning a lesson about the consequences of wrongdoing.
“You know what?” Fred asked. “I don’t think we are. George, I think we’ve outgrown full-time education.”
George beamed proudly and spoke much softer than his brother. “Yeah, I’ve been feeling that way myself.”
“Time to test our talents in the real world, d’you reckon?” He caught your eyes in the crowd, a small, pained smile gracing your lips.
“Definitely,” said George. Together they raised their wands and called for their brooms, which came rushing through the halls straight into their hands.
They jumped onto their escape vessels and did a few laps around the courtyard outside. Fred was about to yell back at Umbridge a snide remark, but he stopped when he saw you once again. He swooped down and hovered next to you, not getting off of his broom. His hand reached out to push a strand of hair behind your ear and you stepped closer to him. Fred was so caught up in the moment that he didn’t realize Umbridge was drawing nearer.
Cause you’ve only got one chance
You’ve only got one chance
“Kiss her you fool!”
George, growing impatient of the games you and Fred were playing, shouted from above. So, listening to his brother’s orders, Fred hastily pulled you toward him, sighing against your magnificent lips. It was everything he had expected and more, fireworks seeming to erupt in his stomach with every passing second your lips were on his.
Unfortunately, Fred was on borrowed time, and he darted away just in time to avoid being grabbed by Filch.
“Wait for me, will you?” he called down to you.
“I’ve only been waiting for the last 3 years,” you shouted back. “What’s a few more months?”
Fred was overflowing with happiness. The girl he was absolutely in love with was finally, after long last, his. “I love you, Y/N!”
“I know, you’re not very subtle. But I love you too.”
Fred blew you a kiss and sped up to meet his brother, grinning like an idiot as they soared off into the sunset.
“Looks like you didn’t miss your chance after all,” said George, giving Fred a soft punch to the arm.
“Yeah,” said Fred, “looks like I didn’t.”
Tag List: @famdomhideout
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dragon-kazansky · 4 years ago
Text
Til death do us part | Helmut Zemo
Tumblr media
Bodyguard AU! 🕶
Gender neutral reader
Collage by @realremyd
[Previous chapter] - [Next chapter]
Part 10
The very day the rest of the guards that Steve had contacted arrived. He gathered them for a meeting to brief them on the job. He was worried about the group that had taken you out of action for a while.
You had begun to suspect that Zemo knew exactly who they were and what they wanted, but he hadn't informed you about them at all. Since it wasn't deemed important enough for you to know, you didn't ask.
You had been excused from Zemo's side, reluctantly for him, to join Steve and Bucky outside.
The boys were stood with their hands behind the back watching the new lot get used to the grounds. It was important they knew their way around.
You came up beside Steve.
"Morning."
"Morning, Y/N," he smiles.
"How is it being Zemo's personal bodyguard?" Bucky asks.
You chuckle. "So far so good. No issues to report."
"And in the romance department?" Bucky asks, grinning like a fool.
"Non existent, Buck. Don't be silly," you scold him.
Steve is smiling.
"Not you too, Rogers."
"I'm sorry, Y/N, but I think Bucky is right. I honestly believe the Baron may have feelings for you."
"Why would he? He hated me when we met."
"You saved his life," Bucky reminds you, "that is plenty enough to change a point of view on someone."
You sigh.
"I suppose."
You knew it was probably true just from the way he had been treating you. You felt less like a bodyguard and more like a guest. Even you could tell he was reaching for any excuse to keep you near him.
You would just go back to being the professional you were and decline politely, having excuses of your own to do other things.
He was your boss.
"Nothing is going to happen, so no point in bringing it up any more," you tell them.
"You sound so sure of that," Bucky says.
"Because I am."
Neither one of them mentions it further. The new group finish their tour of the outside grounds, and it's here you decide to go back inside, leaving Steve and Bucky to show them the rest.
Bucky watches you go, feeling bad about teasing you, but also not because he knows it's true.
You pass Natasha on tour way back inside.
"Can I join you?" She asks.
"I don't see why not," you chuckle.
The pair of you walk in perfect sync as you head upstairs. The house is quiet as you walk your usual route.
"Are you not scared they'll come back?" She asks, looking at you from the corner of her eye. Natasha had been worried sick after you were rushed off to hospital. There hadn't been much word about your status until they all got back to the hotel. She was scared it was going to end badly.
Then they heard you were stable and she let out the biggest sigh of relief. It painted them that they couldn't all come and visit you, but Steve assured them you were on the mend.
You sigh softly.
"Honestly, yes."
Natasha didn't miss the way you reached u pro your shoulder for just a moment. Obviously it bothered you everytime that day was mentioned.
"But in here to do a job and I'll do it again if i have to. My life for his."
"It's a reckless job, isn't it?"
You smile softly. "Yes, it is, but it is also the most rewarding. We are duty bound to protect someone and I did just that."
She smiles.
"And I'm sure you'll be rewarded handsomely for it too."
You narrow you eyes at her, lips tugging into a frown.
"What do you mean by that?"
She laughs a little. "The Baron fancies you, perhaps your reward is, well, him."
"You too? Natasha, no! I just told Steve and Bucky off for this. Even if he does like me, I won't peruse it. I'm here to do a job, Natasha. He trusts me with his life."
"Maybe he just wants to keep you close to him."
"You're being ridiculous," you sigh.
The pair of you reach Zemo's office. You stop outside and turn to your dear friend.
"Trust me, nothing is going to happen here."
She looks sceptical, but Natasha doesn't say anything and just nods once. She gestures to the door and leaves silently.
You hold your head up high and knock on the door.
"Come in."
You open the door and enter. The door closes gently behind you, and then you make your way over to the Baron to stand behind him.
You ignore the way he watches you do so. You can feel his eyes on you as you pass him.
Helmut hides his smile as he looks back down at his work. He was glad you were here. He had missed your presence in the room. You had this calming affect for him and he noticed it greatly when you were gone.
He hadn't got very far with his work. For every time you leave him, his mind lingers on you. He wonders what you'll do, where you'll go, if you think of him as he does you.
Whenever he thought about that last part, his heart was skip a beat.
Zemo's thoughts came to a halt when another knock sounded at his door. He gave them permission to enter.
A maid enters. One you've seen around the estate. She is carrying a tray with a tea set on it. The maid approaches the desk and places the tray down. Helmut thanks her quietly and she then excuses herself.
Helmut pours himself a cup.
You admire the little tea set. It's all matching. All made from china. White with flowers painted onto them in an intricate design. Simple, yet classy.
Too busy admiring the teacups, you only just realise he is pouring another cup.
"Sit."
You glance at him quickly. He was obviously talking to you as you were the only other person in the room. Not wanting to argue with him, you take a seat opposite him, all while keeping your wits about you just in case.
Helmut places the other teacup in front of you. You stare at it.
"For you," he chuckles softly.
"Um, thank you, sir."
You accept it. You sip the hot contents of the cup and hum softly. It was very nice. You hide your smile behind your cup, hoping he wasn't looking at you right now.
Problem is, he is always looking at you when you're within his eyeline.
"How did you get into this line of work?" He asks, desperate to get you to open up to him. He wanted to know about you, hear you say more than a few words to him.
"Steve Rogers is a dear friend of mine. He was looking for recruits back when the agency was just starting. I told him I was interested, but I had no training. He assured me that was alright and introduced me to Natasha. She became my mentor. Everything I know, I learned from Nat. Within the first month of my employment, I received my first assignment. I've been a bodyguard ever since."
He smiled. This was progress. You were opening up to him and he was happy.
"Then I should thank Mr. Rogers and Miss. Romanoff," he says, smiling softly.
"Thank them?"
"If not for them, I wouldn't have such a hard working and efficient bodyguard."
"With all due respect, sir, you didn't think that way when we met."
His smile fades. Of course you wouldn't forget about that. First impressions are important and he had ruined it by thinking lesser of you.
You must really hate him for that.
Perhaps he didn't stand a chance with you after all.
"Yes, well, opinions can change," he said, lowering his cup onto it's saucer on the desk.
"Your opinion changed because I took a dee bullets for you. Your opinion changed because I did my job and saved your life."
Normally you would never talk back to your employer, but you wanted him to know how he made you feel.
"I apologise."
"Apologies are unnecessary when I'm doing my duty," you tell him.
"Do you ever not think of your duty?"
"No. When I'm working, all there is to think about is the job."
Helmut looks at you with a longing gaze, not that you see it as such.
"Are you happy?" He asks. The question startles you.
"Happy?"
"Happy doing your duty? Happy putting your life before others. Do you not think your life as important compares to those you serve and protect?"
You stare at him blankly.
"My purpose is to put my life before others. I do what I do because I'm good at it. It is my job to put myself before others in dangerous situations. I wouldn't want to do anything else. I'm here to keep you safe, sir."
Silence falls between you.
All you think about your job and for some reason he hates that fact. Right here in front of him, you aren't your own person, you're someone who lay down their life for whoever employs them.
Once upon a time he had happily felt the same, laying down his life for his country, but things changed. He changed.
"Anything you want, just say the word and I'll get it for you. I want you to be happy in my home."
Our home. He wanted to say our home, but that felt far too personal, even of you were living here now.
You put your cup down and stand up.
"If you'll excuse me, sir, I have to make my rounds."
You leave before he can say anything.
Helmut stares at your half empty teacup. He sighs. The most you had ever said to him, and he had only managed to upset you further. Judging by the way you left, he may have offended you.
His heart was going crazy.
"Why must romance be so difficult?" He sighed, sitting back in his chair.
He just wanted to know you. What a fool he was.
Sitting there in silence, he made a silent promise to make it up to you. He had a mission of his own now.
Helmut Zemo had accepted that he liked you, and now he just had to win you over. He would start tomorrow, when the day was fresh and today could be forgotten.
He was going to show you who he was underneath the title of Baron.
Helmut Zemo was going to win over your heart.
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sisterspooky1013 · 3 years ago
Text
Only One Choice, Part 2, Chapter 20
Read it here on AO3 / Tagging @today-in-fic
His apartment smells stale and dusty. His thrice weekly trips here to feed his fish are always quick and procedural; he hasn’t stopped to take in the state of the place in a while. A thick layer of dust covers most surfaces, his mattress is bare and there is no toilet paper in the bathroom. He sighs, frustrated and annoyed as he roots around in the closet for a set of sheets to make up the bed. He showers, remembering that his shower head is way too low for his tall frame, and misses Scully’s more luxurious setup.
He also, of course, misses Scully. He understands why she’s upset; he should have called, but the degree of her anger confuses him. When the X files reopened, he talked to her about the need to travel, and the potential for cases to disrupt their personal life. She said she understood, and they’ve worked through several hiccups already. So while he knew she’d be disappointed that he missed Thanksgiving and maybe even irritated at his lack of communication, he’d never anticipated being thrown out of her apartment.
He crawls into his bed, cold and lonely. They just both need a good night's sleep and this will blow over tomorrow, he’s sure. When he’s more well-rested, he’ll be able to explain, to help her understand.
In the morning, he feels a bit more clear-headed, but still decidedly off-balance; he needs to make things right with Scully. He packs up his things, feeds the fish, and drives back over to her apartment. He opens the door and finds the place quiet, the lights out. Something seems off, but he doesn’t immediately recognize what it is.
“Priscilla,” he calls, realizing that the cat hadn’t come to greet him at the door like she typically does.
He walks through to the bedroom, the bathroom, but there’s no sign of either of them. Back in the living room, he sees that the litter box is gone and his heart sinks. He goes back to the bedroom and throws open closets and drawers, checks the medicine cabinet. Scully’s overnight bag is gone, as is her toothbrush and the toiletries she uses daily. His heart starts racing, panic setting in at the idea that she’s left him, and taken his cat with her. This is worse than he’d initially thought, a lot worse.
He goes to the hallway and picks up the phone to try her cell, but it’s off. He tries her mother, who hasn’t spoken to her today. He tries Missy, who doesn’t answer. Not knowing what else to do, he calls Valerie.
“Hi, Will, good to hear from you,” she says, and he can hear the gurgle of her infant daughter in the background. Thankfully, he’d thought to call her a couple weeks ago and offer congratulations on her new arrival, so this phone call today won’t seem totally selfish.
“Hey, Val, I hope you and the baby are doing well,” he says, “I’m sorry to drop this on you, but I’m somewhat in need of advice.”
“Yikes, what’d you do?” she asks knowingly, and he hears her speak in hushed tones to her boyfriend as he takes the baby.
“I fucked up, Val. She’s gone,” he chokes out, tears constricting his throat.
Sitting heavily on the couch, he tells her about the X files reopening, about missing Thanksgiving, about Scully’s irrationally explosive reaction. She listens quietly, asking a few clarifying questions.
“I feel totally blindsided, Val. You and I were together when I was assigned to the X files before, and I had cases like this that took me away at odd times, but it wasn’t an issue. I don’t understand why it’s one now. I’m not sure which one of us is out of line here.”
“Wow, okay, where to start,” Valerie begins. “First of all, I think you’re both out of line. You are an epically huge asshole, Will, no question there, but taking your cat and disappearing is a bit much.”
He feels a pang of defensiveness for her saying something unflattering about Scully, but he pushes it down.
“Something else that strikes me,” she continues, “is your questionably accurate recollection of what our relationship was like when you were assigned to the X files.”
“What do you mean?” he asks, sitting up.
“Maybe I did a better job of hiding it than I thought, but I fucking hated that assignment, Will. I was relieved when it was shut down, but you were so upset I didn’t think it would be helpful for me to tell you as much at the time.”
“You hated it? Why? I always felt like you were supportive,” he asks, questioning his entire understanding of their relationship.
“I tried to be, but it sucked always coming second. I understood why it was so important to you in terms of trying to find out what happened to Samantha so I dealt with it, but it was kind of like the X files was the other woman in your life. I knew that if it came down to it and you had to choose, you’d choose her. It was really painful. I honestly think if they hadn’t been shut down, we probably would have broken up a lot sooner.”
He runs his free hand over his face. “Then what do I do? Quit the X files after I worked so hard to get them back? I haven’t felt this satisfied with work in years, I don’t want to have to do that.”
“I don’t think you need to quit, you just need to learn how to prioritize things differently. She needs to know she comes first.”
“That’s not how it works, Val, you know that. When a lead comes across my desk, I have to run it down. I have to go out, investigate. I have to find answers.”
“No, Will,” she says with a sympathetic sigh, “You don’t have to do that. You choose to. And you choose to do it at her expense. That’s exactly why she’s so upset. Even if in your mind it feels like you don’t have a choice, you do. That might mean missing out sometimes, passing on a case or not finding the answers. But you can’t have it both ways. You can put the X files first and be alone, or you can put her first and sometimes miss an opportunity to investigate the files.”
“Is it really that simple?” he asks flatly.
“It really is,” she answers. “The truth is, Will, that you may love those files, but they’ll never love you back. You’ll find yourself a lonely old man if you don’t get your priorities straight.”
He slumps down on the couch with a defeated sigh.
“Thanks, Val. I’m really grateful that I can talk to you about this,” he says earnestly.
“Happy to be of service,” she says lightly. “Let me tell you something else, Will,” she adds, “you better work this shit out before you have kids with her, because it gets twenty times harder.”
He chuffs a laugh, but the thought of having kids with Scully simultaneously makes him feel elated and terrified, because he’s not sure if he’s already messed it up too badly for that to be an option anymore.
———
She’s curled up on her side in the middle of Missy’s bed, Priscilla tucked against her belly and purring loudly.
Missy spends most of her time at John’s these days, so she offered her apartment as a place for Dana to crash, or hide out, or whatever it is that she’s doing. She’s honestly not sure, she just knows that she needs to be away from Mulder. To get space, to give it, to punish him, maybe all of those things. She wants him to hurt like she did, to not know where she is or when she’ll be back. She hopes that he fears she might be gone for good, though she knows she’s not. Taking Priscilla was just logical; having no idea when Mulder might come home she couldn’t very well leave her there to fend for herself. Knowing that it will add salt to the wound does give her some sick satisfaction, though.
The house phone rings and she lets it go, given that it’s not her apartment. The answering machine kicks on and Missy speaks to her as the message plays, telling her to pick up.
“Hello?” she answers, catching it just before Missy hangs up.
“Hey, Mulder is on his way over there,” Missy says breathlessly.
“What? Why?” she asks, not sure if she’s ready to see him.
“He showed up here, he’s been looking all over for you. He asked me if I knew where you were and I said no, but I’m a shitty liar, Sis.”
“Okay, I guess I have to talk to him sometime,” she answers, a sick feeling churning in her gut.
“Call me after, okay? Good luck.”
She relocates to the living room, not wanting this conversation to take place on Missy’s bed, and waits. The longer she waits, the more on edge she feels. When the knock finally comes, Priscilla startles and runs into the bathroom.
She stokes her own anger as she walks to the door, straightening her posture. She is mad, indignant, furious, ready to go into battle. That is, until she opens the door and sees his crumpled expression, his hooded eyes contrite and devastated. All the anger pours out through her heels, replaced by grief and fear. She feels her chin pucker, her nose burning as emotion wells in her throat.
“Scully,” he croaks out, and she steps forward, opening her arms to him. He folds against her like a rag doll, this big, strong man suddenly like putty. They make their way to the couch and he curls into her lap like a child, crying softly with a tortured grimace. She pets his hair, not offering any words of reassurance, but letting him know she’s there. He sits up a little, wrapping his arms around her rib cage and tucking his face into her neck.
“I’m so sorry,” he says in a harsh whisper, and her heart aches. She wants to forgive him, but sorry is not enough.
“I can’t live this way, Mulder,” she says against his shoulder, and he pulls back to look at her, not sure what she means. “I grew up watching my mother wait for my father to come home,” she explains. “Each time he didn’t write when he said he would, or call on a scheduled day, every time there was something about a navy ship in the news. We waited up, praying that he was okay, and it was torture. I swore that I would never put myself or my children in that position, and it’s a promise I intend to keep.”
His gaze drops away from her face and he nods sadly. “I didn’t understand, Scully, how to have both the X files and a relationship. I thought I was doing what had to be done, but I see now that I wasn’t putting you first, and I’m sorry. I’m going to do things differently, I promise. Please, give me another chance to get it right.”
He lifts his eyes to meet hers and she can see that he really means it, that he really understands. She nods, and he kisses her desperately; her lips, her cheeks, her ears, her hair. He kisses down her neck as he clings to her, his hands touching her back, her arms, her thighs.
“I was so scared, Scully,” he squeaks out between kisses. “I love you so much, and I was so afraid I ruined everything.”
He kisses the tears from her cheeks, finding her lips again as she grips the back of his neck, pushing her tongue into his mouth hungrily, needing him so much closer. He shifts to put his back against the couch, pulling her into his lap and gripping her hips, arching his pelvis up into her.
She’s overwhelmed with arousal, and love, and desperation. He pushes the hem of her shirt up and over her head, finding her braless, and sucks a nipple between his lips. She whimpers, slipping her hand down to rub her palm roughly over the bulge in his jeans and eliciting a deep moan from his throat. She stands suddenly, pulling down her cotton pants and panties, and he follows suit, standing just long enough to push his jeans and boxers down to his knees, sitting again as she climbs astride him. She impales herself on his erection, crying out in relief as they move together, foreheads resting against each other and their eyes locked as she flexes her hips forward and back, pleasure taking away all the hurt and pain.
When she closes her eyes to focus on the sensations, he brings his mouth to her ear, teasing at the lobe with his tongue and whispering to her, his thumb appearing against her clit and sending shockwaves down her legs.
“I love you so much. You’re the most important thing in the world to me, okay? You’re the only thing that matters.” His affirmations flood her with dopamine and she comes hard around him, the feeling extending to the tips of her fingers and turning her joints to jelly. He clutches her to him, finding his own release as he continues to make grand declarations of forever.
As they come down, he peppers her with kisses in the same way he’d started, desperation replaced with contentment. He pulls back a little to look at her.
“Will you come home?” he asks hopefully, and she nods with a soft smile.
“Don’t ever tell Missy we had sex on her couch,” she says, and they both laugh.
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realcube · 4 years ago
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her prince || fairytale au! iida x reader
summary: you disguise as a princess in order to get into a formal event at the palace with the intention of killing the king but then you encounter the prince, soon to be king, and he’s a bit more charming than you’d like to admit.
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(a/n): idk this might be a royalty au! or perhaps a medieval au! but idek tbh
tw// fem! reader, poison, mentions of animal zapping, begging, a bit of meanie iida
“Why does (y/n) get to be the princess?” Your friend, and fellow member of the SOIR, whined from beside you. “She has the most peasanty features out of us all!” 
Everyone else in the base groaned in union at her constant whining about the assigned roles, the ring leader of this operation — otherwise known as Katsuki Bakugo — finally broke his elongated silence as he previously seemed quite invested in whatever he was scribbling. 
Suddenly, he shot up from his desk then proceeded to slam his fist against it, causing all of it’s contents to tremble, “Shut up! As if you’re one to talk about peasanty features, Mina!” He barked at the girl, his aggressive demeanour faltering once he noticed how his hostility caused you to wear an alarmed expression. 
“We need her natural charm on the field, anyway.” he muttered, hastily sitting back down at his desk. Kirishima, Sero and Kaminari all had to do their best to suppress their snickers and focus on the tasks they had been given. However, they were all struggling as it was simply comedy gold to see their boss have such an evident crush on (y/n) but simultaneously be so far deep in denial for the sake of his pride.
Bakugo grabbed the scroll he had been writing on for the last few hours and held it up to display what looked like a numbered list, written in cursive. Therefore, you were unable to read it. In fact, none of you were able to read it; Bakugo was the only literate one among you, hence the reason why he immediately assumed leader of this operation even though it was originally your idea.
Upon noticing all of your blank expressions as you stared at what looked like a glorified piece of paper, he cleared his throat so he could begin explaining what he wrote to you. “I wrote out the plan-of-action for us to follow tomorrow but I forgot that you are all dunces so I’m going to have to read it aloud for you, aren’t I?”
You all nodded in unison which was promptly followed by Bakugo rolling his eyes once more and turning to read the plan.
“SOIR — stage one in (the) revolution — plan of action. Written and led by Katsuki Bakugo, soon to be King Explosion Murder!” He smiled to himself but it was accompanied by a chorus of groans from the rest of you.
“Step one; Kaminari steals a horse from his dad’s farm at exactly 5:15PM, rides it to the outskirts of the village so Sero can hook it up to the carriage. Meanwhile, Mina will assist (y/n) in putting on her gown and help ensure Kirishima puts on his suit and make-up properly. Afterwards, both parties will meet up by the carriage.
Step two; Sero will be coachman for the carriage to take (y/n) and Kirishima to the castle. Take the desired route and you should arrive at the palace by 6PM. 
Step three; Sero will drop off Kirishima and (y/n) then ride back to this base immediately, where Kaminari, Mina and myself will already be waiting. As for (y/n) and Kirishima, they will try to get into the palace and keep a low profile.”
You sighed, aware of how much Bakugo hates to be interrupted during his ‘serious monologue’, and you could tell it was one of those as he used your real names rather than the nicknames he’d given to you like ‘dunceface’ or ‘the pauper’. However, you just had to interject as you were yet to be filled in with some crucial information to your part of the operation.
“Bakugo,” You halted him as he finished his sentence, quickly averting your gaze to the floor as you had a habit of losing your train of thoughts as you looked into his fierce crimson eyes. “How are we supposed to get in? Are there any openings or secret passages you’ve located?” Your eyes widened in excitement at the idea that you could be like a proper assassin; using secret passages, going undercover, dealing with poison and all that good stuff! 
“No.” Bakugo replied bluntly, instantly shooting down any dreams you had of this being a cool mission. “Security on the palace will extremely tight considering this is a royal event. Only people who received an invite from the palace — hence, on the guest list — are allowed in, but I’ve already dealt with that obstacle--”
“You mean I dealt with that obstacle!” Kaminari cut him off with an offended tone before turning to look at you and Kirishima. “I was the one who zapped that messenger raven out of the sky to steal the invitation!” 
“Shut it, moron!” Bakugo barked, slamming his fist against the desk once again to grab everyone’s attention, his palm emitting tiny, and very much illegal, explosions. He slowly shifted his gaze on to you and spoke in an eerily soft tone, “Anyway, you and Kirishima will go under the aliases of ‘Princess Momo Yaoyorozu from the Yaoyorozu isles, and company’. So you will be able to waltz right in there, just don’t act suspicious.”
“How come (y/n) gets a cool, noble name and I am just ‘company’. Also, if my role is unspecified then why do I have to be her father? Can’t I just be her brother or something so I don’t have to wear that silly old-person wig?” Kirishima whined, immediately followed by Bakugo glaring daggers at him. 
“No, idiot, you have to be her father. If you dress as an old man then you’d be more likely to get in close proximity to the King.” Bakugo replied, impatience laced in his voice. He prided himself in coming up with such a logical excuse on the spot when in reality, the reason he wanted Kirishima to dress up as an old man was to guarantee that you don’t fall for him while on this mission. I mean, no matter how ravishing Kirishima was, how could you find him the least bit attractive while he looked like he was on the brink of extinction?
Kirishima grumbled inaudible curses under his breath as he slumped back in his chair defeatedly. Followed by Bakugo trying to resume his lecture but ceasing to do so as the familiar sound of groans erupted from all of you. 
“You’ve been over the last part of the plan, like, ten times already. Just today!” Mina pointed out, folding her arms of her chest and jutting her bottom lip out in disapproval. 
Sero hastily agreed with the girl, “Yeah! Here, I’ll summarise it for you.” Sero snickered before clearing his throat to prepare for his Bakugo impression, “ ‘You guys will sneak poison into the King’s quiche or whatever then I, King Explosion Murder, will come marching in to save the day and reclaim the land by declaring myself the new king! Bow to me, peasants!’ ” 
You and Mina both giggled at Sero’s rather accurate, yet satire, impersonation of the leader himself. While Kaminari and Kirishima both jokingly bowed to Sero, robotically muttering ‘all hail, king explosion murder.’
“Hey! Quit it!” Bakugo bellowed, furrowing his eyebrows as he clasped his hand together and pressed inwards, forcefully repressing his urge to blow up the whole fucking base. “I’m not going to go over the plan again so if one of you dumbasses mess it up tomorrow then you’re getting a boot to the face, got it?” 
“Yes, Lord Explosion Murder.” You all said monotonously in concert.
“You’re all fools!”
»»—————- ♔ —————-««
Step one, two and three had went smoothly. It almost seemed to good to be true.
Kaminari successfully managed to borrow the horses without anyone noticing, Mina did a spectacular job of making Kirishima look like an old man — as well as the skilful embroidery on your dress — and Sero managed to drive you here with all your limbs still intact. 
As for you and Kirishima, you both mastered the role of snobby aristocrats surprisingly fast, considering you both came from extremely deprived families. But it was as if the lifestyle just came naturally to you, hence you were both able to enter the castle without a problem.
However, no amount of acting expertise would allow you to hide the star-struck look which took over your features as you admired the massive Corinthian hall which you had the honour of stepping into. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, providing light along with the pale candles which sat in the alcoves of the walls. The roof was jaw-droppingly high and was expertly painted with detailed images of religious scenes; angels, the virgin mary, jesus, fairies, dragons, everything. 
At the other side of the hall sat none of than the King himself, looking smugly upon the crowds of people that filled his ballroom as he sat upon his extravagant throne, made of gold mined by slaves and welded together by citizens of the kingdom who were currently in poverty, but who the king also claimed to care so deeply about.
Disgusting. Consequent to seeing that evil vermin, your look of awe immediately dropped.
Your eyebrows knitted together as you simply could not avert your gaze from that man and his generally villainous demeanour that everybody just seemed to ignore. With a sigh, you leaned back against a pillar and mused, “Ugh, look at that vile creature just sitting here like he owns the place, just wait until he gets a taste of his own medicine. Right, Kirishima?”
You spoke, spinning your head around to look at your red-haired partner after you received nothing but a muffled ‘huh?’ as an answer. “What do you mea- oh!” you instantly cut yourself off upon realising that who you were spilling your plans to was not Kirishima but rather some dashing young man who was currently stuffing his was with damper bread.
“I- I am so sorry, sir. I thought you were someone else. Erm, uh, I shall take my leave now.” You stuttered, swiftly turning on your heels to bolt off in search of Kirishima but you were stopped in your tracks by the man scarfing the last piece he was holding to offer out his hand to you.
“No need to apologise! I, too, mistook you for someone else. That is why I was eating so gluttonously in your presence, my apologies.” He said, leaning forward into a bow to press a gentle kiss on your chuckles once you gave him your hand.
“I’m Tenya Iida, by the way. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”  He spoke, his tone suddenly becoming a lot less formal after he straightened up from his bow while slowly retracting his hand. “And would I be right in assuming that you are Princess Yoayorozu of the Yoayorozu Isles?”
Now that he was standing straight, without a pudding in his hand, you could take a moment to discretely examine him. He stood tall with his shoulders back and his head high to perfectly balance his glasses on the bridge of his nose, everything about his posture screamed ‘royalty’, not to mention his blue undercut which was slicked back into a loose comb-over. As for his outfit, he wore a white shirt along with a royal blue tie which complemented his blazer which was a similar shade, with the kingdom’s crest positioned on the left hand side of his chest. There was also his straight-legged navy trousers, his black derby shoes and his matching designer watch but what really brought the outfit together was his bold, enchanting smile. 
You blinked a few time as it took a moment for that name to register in your mind but once it, you nodded rapidly in response. “Ah, yes, that would be me.” You chirped casually until his name finally clicked in you’re head, “Wait, are you Iida Tenya like- the king’s son Iida Tenya or?” You inquired, trying to act ‘casual’ as if you hadn’t been practising many week preparatory for today but the nervous look in your eyes was unconcealable.
Iida couldn’t help but chuckle at how bewildered you seemed while asking that question, “Well, yes, unfortunately.” He mumbled the last part but it was still said clearly enough for you to hear. “As you are probably aware, today is my coronation. But to say that I’m dreading the crowning is an understatement.”
You quirked an eyebrow at this new information. Well, it wasn’t really knew. The whole of SOIR knew that the formal event was going to the coronation for the new king. Hence, you and Kirishima were made aware that you had two targets to eliminate, but if you had known that the to-be king was such a cutie nice guy then perhaps you would’ve fought his case.
Logically speaking though, for this plan to work, both targets had to be eliminated. It was pointless to only poison the current king, as the crown would already be Tenya’s since the dinner which you planned to spike was going to be served after the crowning. And if you only poisoned Iida, not only would that upset you but the king would simply hand his status over to Tensei, who had been pushed back in the line for the crown due to his impairments after leading and fighting in many wars. 
But, how could you kill Tenya when he was just so...charming?
None the less, somebody had to it. The lives of many citizens were in your hands tonight, as success would lead to improved situations for all. Once the monarchy is gone, there will be nobody stopping you from using your quirks freely! Plus, the royals would no longer hoard all the luxury and wealth of the kingdom, so everybody would be able to lead happy lives, free from financial burdens.
The list goes on but for now, you just had to look that fetching prince right in the eyes and think to yourself, ‘he’s the reason i’m poor’; which was easy to believe considering that the watch adorning his left wrist was probably worth enough to free your whole family from poverty.
It somewhat worked, but not really. The way his honeyed crimson eyes would gaze into your own was enough to make your heart flutter but you mentally reassured yourself that you were most definitely not falling and heart palpitations were just a symptom from your lack of sleep.
“Anyway,” Iida began once more, the tips of his ears heating up as he realised that he had been staring at you for an elongated amount of time. “It has been lovely speaking to you today but it’s about time that I take my leave, duty calls.”  He said, mentally scolding himself for being such a creep and hoping that you paid no mind to his lengthened gaze.
“Ah, alright, I wouldn’t want to keep you any longer than needed.” You sung, awkwardly fidgeting with your fingers as you recalled the ‘manner classes’  Bakugo made you and Kirishima take part in to help you avoid instances like this where you had no clue how to formally end an interaction, with a prince of all people.
It was a long shot but it was your best guess. You swiftly grabbed Iida’s hand, pulled it up to your face and before he had time to react, you planted a kiss on his knuckles — just like had done to you — before bolting off into the sea of aristocrats to go find Kirishima. Leaving Iida standing, blushing more than ever, slightly confused but mostly amused. 
“She’s really something.” He muttered to himself, scratching the side of his neck before hurriedly marching towards the throne, in search of his brother.
Although their interaction was brief, Iida would be lying if he said he wasn’t silently praying that he’d run into the girl again.
»»—————- ♔ —————-««
Step 4 went perfectly. 
‘mingle for exactly 10 minutes until food preparation. Then, (y/n) will use her quirk to sneak into the kitchen while Kirishima distracts anyone that could catch her in the act.’
Bakugo’s gruff voice echoed throughout your head like that of a siren, as you waited for the perfect opportunity to spike the three large, extravagant platters of food laying on the golden trolley which was rumoured to deliver all three of the king’s daily meals. 
At first you thought you had an issue as you had no idea which meal belonged to which person, they all looked almost identical, meaning that you might accidently poison the wrong meal, hence murder Tensei in vain. However, then you recalled a piece of wisdom Bakugo had given you offhandedly once, ‘y’know, there’s a tradition in this kingdom stating that the elders should be served the most salad on the side of a dish — so hand over your cucumbers, bitch!’
So with that in mind, your arm emerged from the shadows once most of the cooks had cleared from the kitchen to tend to other duties, and you dropped some of the poison into the dish with the most salad and the dish with the least to ensure that Tensei got to see the light of tomorrow. 
I mean, you could’ve just poisoned all three to avoid doing all that critical thinking but not only was it risky, you also kind of had a soft spot for Tensei despite the fact he was basically double your age.
Utilising the shadows as your disguise, you stuck out of the kitchen yet you were unable to find a pathway back into the ballroom since there were just so many chefs crowding around the entrance to kitchen. You were sure to get caught if you exited the shadows from there but luckily, there was alternative.
There was a back door of the kitchen which led out into the grand garden, allowing the chefs to waft the smoke out and into the open air, if needed. So through the shadows, you were able to sneak out into the garden without being noticed by a single person. 
Or so you thought.
As you jumped out of the shadows and swiftly turned a corner to look for a route back into the palace, you were greeted by a familiar face that wore an incredibly stunned expression. From behind their glasses, they squinted to try recognise you through the dark night. 
“Oh, Ms Yaoyorozu.” Iida chuckled, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck as he realised that it was you he had bumped in to during his attempt at ditching his own coronation. Also, since he had just witnessed you doing a rather illicit act. “I’m not sure if you were ever made aware, but quirk usage is very much forbidden in this kingdom.”
You blinked rapidly, surprised at how oddly level-headed he was being about having just watched you sneak out of the kitchen, “Oh-” you choked, looking around to see if anybody else was around but the coast seemed to be clear; well, as far as you could tell, but that wasn’t easy considering the foggy night appeared to fleece everything. “I am so sorry. I was never told about such rules but I’ll be su--”
“Yes, you were.” 
There was a while of silence between the two of you. To say you were taken aback was a understatement, why was he suddenly so confrontational? And why did he say that with such a nasty look in his eyes? Does he know something you do not? Even though you had only met him barely an hour ago, you could still tell that his comment was quite out-of-character. Hence you were hardly able to stammer out a reply, “W-w- um, was I?”
The tip of Iida’s lips twitched upwards as examined your bewildered expression; it brought him infinite amounts of amusement at how ignorant you must’ve thought he was to imagine that he could fall for your silly little ploy. 
“Yes. Well, I mean, Ms Yaoyorozu had knowledge of these laws; the rules of the kingdom were attached to the invite, but you’ve made it rather clear that you’re not Yaoyorozu.”  The words rolled off his tongue, each one sharper than the last; he didn’t plan on calling you out on your impersonation tonight but as his eyes skimmed over the terrified expression on you face, he was immensely glad that he did.
“So, tell me, who are you? Other than a scum-of-the-earth imposter that deserves to rot in slums for the rest of their poor, pathetic life.
You faltered slightly at his threat before blurting out, “Momo’s cousin.”
Iida snorted, but quickly tried to force a serious scowl back onto his features, “Exactly how gullible do you think I am?”
At this point, you were at a loss. The prince stood angry in front of you; meaning that it only took a yell for most of the guards in the palace come marching over to you, before tossing into the dungeon cell which you would have no choice but to call home for the rest of your life.
So if you didn’t act fast and wisely, this could be the last moment of freedom you’ll ever experience.
Throwing away your pride, you dropped to your knees in front of the prince, leaning forward to press your forehead against the shining tops of his derby shoes as you cried, but not loud enough to catch the guard’s attention.
 “Please, your highness! I- I’m just a kid; like you! I swear I wasn’t here to cause trouble, I just--” your pleas were cut off by your own saliva getting temporarily caught in your throat but this gave you the opportunity to conjure up a believable excuse.
“I just--” you repeated, desperately attempting to come up with something until you mindlessly blurted out, “I just wanted to feel like royalty! Please give me another chance!”
Iida eyes widened at this; was it too far-fetched to believe that you created an elaborate plan to sneak into the palace, all for the ‘aesthetic’? Perhaps. But the way your glossy, sorrow-filled eyes looked up at him from the ground made his heart sink to his stomach while a sickly feeling ascended to his throat.
He felt so guilty.
In a moment of panic, he used his power to threaten and frighten a poor girl to the point where she was now begging for life on the paving beneath him. Although you were technically a felon, there seemed to be no malicious intentions behind your crime so why should you be prosecuted for it? Yet Iida still used his status to instil fear into you, solely to feel superior.
Perhaps he is not as different from his father as he once thought; a horrible feeling really, as Tenya despised no one more than that man. Iida wants no association with him or the horrible monocracy established in the kingdom. Which is why he chose to run away from his coronation. He hoped to fake his own kidnapping for a few weeks, then he’d come out of hiding and pray that Tensei had been given the crown instead.
He couldn’t bare seeing you on the dirty ground any longer so he hastily took your hand to assist you in standing back upright, “It’s-- you’re pardoned, just please come with me. This’ll only take a moment.” 
At this point you’d just go along with anything he said, under the assumption that if you disobeyed, you’d be banished. So you trailed behind him, his hand acting as your guide since you could hardly see past the tears which clouded your vision. 
You both approached a white wooden gazebo with a matching pale metal bench, he quickly took a seat and pulled you down next to him, sandwiching your hand in-between his own and caressing the back with his thumb as he waited patiently for you blubbers to die down. 
His lips fell into a frown as he watched you desperately wipe the tears away from under your eyes but smear your expertly applied mascara in the process, “My sincerest apologies; I don’t know what came over me.” He spluttered, harshly biting his bottom lip to silence himself. 
You took deep breaths, hurriedly trying to compose yourself before the prince snapped at you again. So, once the tears had stop brimming in your eyes, you looked at him with a ready expression. However, your faint sniffles, red eyes and smudged make-up didn’t do a good job at reinforcing it.
“Alright,” Iida started, removing one of his hands from yours to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “I understa--”
“Are you going to imprison me?”
Iida choked on thin air, his eyes widening at your random — but seemingly genuine — inquiry. “Good heavens, no! Never! What makes you think that?” Was he really that menacing? He was only a prince and he was already using his authority for intimidation. Iida could only imagine how mad with power he’d become if he were to take the crown.
Good thing he wasn’t going to. 
The reality of the situation you were in hit you like a truck as you caught a glimpse of the time from Iida’s designer watch since he had his hand resting upon your knee. You inhaled sharply, doing your best to compose yourself, “Sir-”
“No need to call me ‘sir’, I’m Tenya. Plus, we’re around the same age so ‘sir’ is hardly appropriate.” He chuckled, his lips forming a reassuring smile. In any other case, he’d go by Iida but he didn’t want you to associate him with his father in any sense, even if it was just by surname.
“Oh, how rude of me. I completely forgot to ask, what’s your name? And you have my word that I won’t do anything spiteful with this information.”
“I’m (y/n).” You replied without a second though, before continuing, “Your crowning is supposed to be in 10 minutes, correct? I think you should get going.” You hummed, trying your best to hide how tense and conflicted you were. If Iida doesn’t bugger off right now then he’s gonna miss the ceremony which will lead to a high chance of the event being rescheduled, therefore you’re going to have to act out this plan all over again! How many more messenger ravens does Kaminari need to zap?! 
But on the other hand, there was some part of you that really didn’t want him to leave for some reason; perhaps you enjoyed his company a little more than you’d like to admit. Another part of you said that he doesn’t deserve to die, he’s too nice of a guy; then you remembered the evil, corrupt glint in his eyes as he told you about the fate he wished upon you just a few minutes ago, then you didn’t feel as bad.
Your kind reminder was met by Iida simply shaking his head, “Absolutely not! There is no way I can leave you after I said those horrible things. Plus, it’s not as if I want to be king, anyway.” He mumbled the last part but of course you heard it as his face was only a few inches away from yours.
“Why don’t you want to be king?” 
Iida didn’t even hesitate to reply with the response that had been waiting on the tip of his tongue, “I shan’t participate in the monarchy. I plan on staying in hiding for a week before coming out, hopefully by then Tensei will be crowned king and I will get to lead the army instead.” 
As soon as his plan fell from his lips, his eyes immediately widened. Why was he telling you this?! I mean, now that you knew his plan, once he ‘goes missing’ you could easily tell the king that this was part of his scheme all along, in which case the king wouldn’t crown Tensei and instead send out search parties for Tenya. But then again, why would the king listen to a pauper like you? No offence, it’s just that those who come from a lower social status are less likely to be allowed in the castle, and less likely to meet the king. 
So he reasoned to himself that there was no harm in telling you his plan, but a part of him couldn’t help but wonder why he subconsciously felt comfortable enough to tell you in the first place. I mean, he’s only known you for an evening; surely there’s no why he’s caught feelings this fast, right?
Your heart skipped a beat upon hearing his circumstances, thinking that this was the end of SOIR, but the more you thought about it, you realised that perhaps this was a good thing. 
This meant that — assuming the king eats the meal prepared for him regardless of the ceremony — the king will be dead so the only person you’d have to eliminate was Tensei who was widely known to be more lenient about the rules of the kingdom. I mean, he let his troops take a water-break during battle for goodness’ sake! Assassinating him should be a piece of cake, especially for the SOIR.
Also, this ensures that you won’t have to kill Tenya, which is a thought that made you oddly happy and relieved. 
Sniffling quietly, you rubbed beneath your eyes to further mess up the eyeliner and mascara Mina had done for you. Then you hummed, “Oh, that’s cool, Tenya.”
“And I would like for you to be my bride once I emerge from hiding!” 
You froze, blinking rapidly and inquiring further in hopes that perhaps you misheard him, “Huh? Your what?”
“Bride!” He chirped, scanning the baffled look on your face and figuring that he should elaborate, “See, I think it works in both of our favours; you get to live a somewhat royal life and I get to settle down with someone who my father did not pick out for me. Plus, though I’m no love expert, I can definitely feel something special between the two of us. I hope that’s not just me being a fool. But anyway, I completely understand if you refuse, marriage is a huge commitment.”
Even after he finished explaining, you still sat there staring at him, absolutely flabbergasted that he really just asked you to marry him. Also, quite shocked that there was a scarily large part of you that wanted to accept his offer. 
“Tenya, we literally just met a few hours ago.”
“Six, to be exact.” he corrected you, accompanied by a little shrug as to say ‘who cares?’
“And we are both sixteen.” You continued to rationalise but talking to Iida when he’s dead-set on something was like talking to a brick wall; a brick wall that provided logical arguments, the worst kind of wall.
“The average life expectancy in this kingdom is 35 years of age so if you think about, we’re basically half way through our lives already. Why not settle down?” 
Although, his statements were annoying as hell, the charming smile that decorated his face while he spoke was enough to convince that he was right. Despite the fact those statistics were clearly a sample from the lower class; royalty would obviously live to a much higher age. Plus, he was definitely correct about the special feeling between the two of you, like you have genuinely never felt more endeared by a person’s presence before, especially after they were just wishing hellfire upon you a few minutes ago. six, to be exact
As he sat there and exchanged a longing gaze with you, the voice in your head that wanted you to accept his proposal was getting larger and larger by the second, drowning out the voice that strictly wanted to put an end to his clownery and that voice sounded eerily like bakugo. You’re a woman of logic, and logic says you should accept. Because, if you say no, there’s no turning back and you’ll probably never get another opportunity like this again in your life. But if you say yes, you have two whole weeks to make up your mind as to whether you actually want to marry him or not, and if you don’t, you can always break up with him after he comes out of hiding. Additionally, you’ll be able to go back to the base and confer with the SOIR as to what you should do. Also, you were kinda in love with him, but logic disregards love.
Iida moved his hand from your knee to hold both of your hand in his own while his gaze filled with yearned remained locked onto your eyes, he’s truly never seen anyone more beautiful before. Despite the fact you make-up was ruined, tears were stained to your face and mascara was smeared under your eyes, you still looked ten times more divine than any queen he’s ever seen. 
“So, (y/n), what do you say?”
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passivenovember · 3 years ago
Text
Chapter Six of : If Snow Loves the Trees and Fields
--
Billy goes home less than an hour after Steve suggests they play operation. When he looks at Billy with eyelashes Neil Armstrong could see from the moon and suggests they cozy up among the coffee table books to do some lasting good in the world; get the tooth out of that guy's dick for him--
Billy has to get out of there.
It was too much.
The house. The colors. The fabric. The smell of Steve's shampoo, which is less like peeled lemons and more like funeral flowers, the longer Billy sits around getting sunburnt under the intense light of a man who wasn't interested in him beyond starched collar friendship.
And he's not mad at Steve. Isn't on his way to punch a hole in his drywall, or anything, but he's mad at himself. Mad at his heart for kicking up a cloud of pink smoke when Billy stands and says he'd better get going. 
And Steve's face falls like snow that covers Billy's driveway, that glues his feet together.
"Papers." Billy says quickly, searching for the coat he knows he didn't bring up the drive.
"Newspapers?" Steve goes along with him, adjusting the yellow bandana behind his ears. He turns with a swoosh of his orange rug robe to dig through the shelves on the wall. "I have some here. Old ones, new ones. There's an edition from 1985 about the mall burning down, it's pretty interesting. Would you like that?"
"Sure, I'll, uh--" Billy takes the yellowing pages from Steve without really thinking about it, jerking away when Harrington lands too close. Close enough that Billy can see the specks of green in his eyes. "I meant. Teaching papers. Assignments." The newspaper smells old. Like books and dust, and faintly of spilled bong water from the pipe of a baghead teenager long ago. "I have to grade papers."
Steve doesn't take it back from him. "I thought you taught kindergarten."
"I do."
"Kindergarteners write papers?" Steve's hair flops across his forehead. Like big, wavy puppy dog ears on either side of his face. 
Billy has to force his tongue to stay in his mouth, his eyes to stop staring. "I meant, like. Spelling. Numbers. Rudimentary bullshit." Billy shakes the newspaper at puppy dog Steve. "Declan Parks can't even tie his own shoes, so--"
"Alright. Okay." Steve says sweetly, pushing Billy's hand back to his own chest, fingers wrapping around his palm. "Take it with you. There's a lot of history in this town, mythology and folklore--rumors of bloodsucking aliens and evil scientists camping out under the power plant." Steve doesn't let go of Billy's hand. He grins instead, dimples popping like fireworks on his face. "We're a regular Twin Peaks ripoff. Read about it, let me know what you think." And.
Steve doesn't back away. Doesn't back down.
"I'll give you a ring sometime." Billy says suddenly.
"Okay."
"Yeah, alright, uh." Billy backs toward the front door, two finger salute making pink skies land on Steve's face. "Thanks for the grub. I'll see you in the driveway, or--"
Steve laughs, following Billy to the door. 
"Around. Yeah, Steve, I'll--"
Steve places a hand on Billy's shoulder and the world stops spinning. Melting right off the bone. Billy fights to get air in his lungs as Steve brushes a lock of hair from his forehead, fingertips lighting Billy's skin on fire.
"See you around, neighbor." Steve says.
And Billy knows, feels in his bones, that he'd do better moving across town.
--
It keeps snowing. 
Morning noon and night, wood nymphs piling on ice and hail down on a town of 36,000 people until Billy feels alone. Like an animal trapped in a beige house on a white street that exists in a bubble. A snow globe immune to light and sound. 
There's a period of days where school is cancelled and Billy runs out of things to keep himself occupied. All the books have been read and returned to their place on the shelf. All the films watched and replayed until Billy draws his own conclusions, until the characters feel like his own.
On the first day Billy feels like he's losing his mind.
He orders groceries. Picks up some thermal socks. Considers making a pie or something from scratch, like his mother used to do before Neil went missing on Christmas Eve, but. He doesn't have a rolling pin.
On the second day he drags a chair over to the window and stares at the warm, peachy light from Steve's upstairs window as it shine on the drifts that gather and climb toward heaven. Billy thinks about that living room as if it were a vision from some other planet. A universe crafted in the image of virality.
Billy thinks about Steve and wishes he could be like that. 
Wide eyed. Free.
--
On the third day, Megan says Billy should begin preparing for spring.
"We're snowed in." Billy mutters, cleaning up the polish on his toes. A gorgeous matte eggplant color that proves--spring isn't on his radar. 
"You're getting bogged down with the ice and snow," Megan reiterates, pen scratching across the page so loudly that Billy can hear it with the phone on speaker. "Before long the flowers will bloom again. The sun will shine, it's something everyone has to prepare for. Rebirth, growth--"
"I don't have a garden."
"Don't be a shitter, Billy." Megan sighs, but he can hear the smile in her voice. "We can work with that. Would it do some good to plant one?"
Billy starts painting his other foot. "I don't want to stay in Hawkins forever."
"That's understandable."
"And I have plans this spring." Billy twists the cap onto the nail polish, swinging his foot around in the air as if that'll make things move faster. "Max and I want to go hiking back home. I'm supposed to help my mom get the boathouse ready for the summer, and I don't want to start something permanent in a place I can't see myself settling down in--"
"A couple marigold bushes are not permanent, you could kill 'em off with a single neglectful week in the summer and you know it." Megan falls silent, only the click of her pen left behind. "This move has been rough on you, and it's been rough on your body, and it's been hell on your space."
Billy shrugs. "It's been fine on my space."
"Have you even finished unpacking?" Megan demands, strictly business.
"I don't want to set down roots--"
"You've lived in Hawkins for two years, Billy, and you haven't finished unpacking."
A lump appears in his throat, just like that, just. Choking the air from his lungs. Megan must hear Billy swallow, or sense the shift in the air because her voice goes soft around the edges. Pliant. "It's a new cycle." 
Billy tries not to think about Max. "Alright."
"Time to blow the cobwebs away." 
"Dust the spider houses." Billy says to himself. He tries not to think about their garden back home, the fertile smell of fresh Earth somehow finding its way to Hawkins despite Billy's efforts. He misses Mammoth Lakes. He tries not to think about it. Then; "Max is coming down for my week off."
"That's not until March."
"So?"
Megan sighs, like Billy should get it by now. "That's way into the spring season, what you need this year is to get a head start." She scribbles something down on the page again. "We've been through this before. You're beyond me spelling out what you need. You've been my client long enough to know the type of person you are, Billy."
He smirks. "Yeah, and what kind of person is that?"
"Someone who likes to open his doors and let in the fresh air." She moves some papers around, voice firm. "Bright colored walls, and bird baths littering diverse lawns even though they turn to green slime when not filtered properly. The kind of man who likes to shop second hand because 'everything has a soul--'"
"Are you reading from my journal?"
"Need I go on?" Megan lets Billy mull it over for a moment. Lets him draw is own conclusions. When she speaks again it's like Billy already knows what she wants to say. Already believes it himself, but. That's never stopped her before. 
"We were just talking about Steve last week."
"We're always talking about Steve," Billy snaps. "Last week, and the week before that, and yesterday and tomorrow--"
"Perpetually." Megan teases. "I know. But you said you liked his house. That's what we discussed last time; not Steve or his hair or how embarrassed you are about the rats--" Billy wishes everyone would let that part go. "But his house. The way it made you feel."
He can see it in his minds eye--Megan leaning forward, legs uncrossed on her big hammock chair, blue and gray glasses catching the glint in her eye as she pokes through his spirit and lands at the root.
The bone.
"What is it you liked about Steve's place and what is it you hate about your own and where is the through line?"
She gives him homework. Student and teacher.
Billy hates homework, but. He jots the instructions down in his notebook anyway and wonders, distantly, if the skies will continue to open above his head and if he'll ever learn to accept it.
--
On the fourth day Billy's power goes out. 
Just like that. 
With no bang or whimper it's just there one moment and gone the next.
One minute he's watching Wayne's World, wrapped in five blankets and eating soup from one of those bowls with the built in straw, and the next he's submerged in darkness. Looking around the living room like a startled chicken, still slurping down tomato soup and hoping it's just a surge.
It's not. 
Billy finishes his soup.
He manages to keep the feeling in his toes even as he wanders around the house lighting every candle he can find, sticking towels over the cracks in his front door and remembering to turn the faucets on drip so the pipes won't freeze overnight.
Outside the storms keep raging.
Billy can't see the end of the front porch, so he grabs his blankets and heads to bed. Remembers to plug in his phone, on the off chance that the power will come back on while he's out, and Billy feels good about himself for a lot of reasons. For remembering his Midwestern Winter Survival Skills, and buying thermal socks when he went shopping last week, and as the temperature keeps dropping Billy feels himself drifting off.
Warm and safe in his cocoon of blankets, he wonders if the power has come back on when someone bangs on his bedroom window.
Billy sits bolt upright, hissing as cold air manages to snake in through an opening near his feet. The knock comes again, louder this time, and Billy thinks about what he read from that article in the Hawkins Post dated July 5th, 1985. 
"Billy?" 
Harrington is wrapped in a blanket. 
That's all, just a knitted monstrosity of orange and green draped across his shoulders, paired with a black hoodie and the care bears scarf that haunts Billy's dreams. He's got yellow gardening gloves on his fingers and, over his head of wavy brown hair, a pink beanie that reads, If I Die of Aids--Forget Burial--Drop My Body on the Steps of the FDA, in teal block letters.
Steve Harrington could break hearts.
Billy's heart is floating through the air, just. Decimated. As Steve smiles and taps on the window. "I tried the front but I figured you were asleep." He says.
And it takes Billy a minute to find his voice. He opens the window, grimacing at the snow on the ledge that topples in. "What are you doing?"
"I cleared a path. Around the house. By the propane tank." Steve says, gesturing with his stupid little gloves. "I took care of the driveway for you. And put some ice melt down, brought some firewood up to the door."
"Wait, what?"
"I just picked some up from Melvalds yesterday, it's no biggie--"
"The powers out." Billy grumbles, using the corner of his blanket to scrub at his face. "Shouldn't you be stock piling layers, like the rest of us?"
"'S not so bad at home."
"It's colder in here than it is outside."
Steve jabs a thumb over his shoulder. "Mr. Bane's auditioning to be a starfish on my mattress."
"Push that little fucker over the edge." 
Steve leans back, gripping the window ledge with an easy smile. "I could never do that. We have a system--I let him sleep on my bed every night on the condition that he doesn't shit in the hallway anymore." Steve lifts one hand and taps his forehead, pleased as punch. "Work smarter, not harder. Right?"
And that makes Billy blush. Either from the image of Steve's fat Mainecoon running the show or the fact that Steve lets it happen, even on the coldest night of the year. 
It's sweet. 
Steve's sweet. Like sun tea with extra sugar, just--
"So where does that leave you?" Billy muses, picking at a loose thread on his pillow case just to keep his heart from beating out of his chest. "It's too cold for the floor, and the living room's gotta be drafty, right?"
Steve shrugs, leaning against the window pane and looking over his shoulder, as if daring the ice to fall again. "I have an extra blanket or two, should be alright."
With his head turned that way Billy can see moles--dozens of little chocolate kisses sprinkled over Steve's skin, swirling and disappearing under the hood at his neck. 
He's beautiful.
Billy thinks the moles could taste like cinnamon or nutmeg. Hot chocolate with little drops of citrus enriching the flavor--
"You could sleep here." Billy's mouth says. 
Steve stares at him, eyes wide, but. Not surprised. Not mean. "Really?" He asks, folding his arms on the window pane and studying Billy's face. Forehead and eyelashes and back again, like maybe this is a joke. "You'd let me sleep on the couch?"
"Sure."
"What makes you think your places' gonna be any better?" Steve demands.
Light.
Teasing.
Billy shrugs again and his stupid blanket slips off one shoulder, revealing a strip of hoodie that may as well be his bare fucking skin, the way Steve's eyes track the movement. Filing it away for some unknown purpose even as Billy rights himself again. He feels every bit like the heroine in those shitty dieback erotica's his mom still reads every Saturday morning. The window lets in gust after gust of frigid air and Billy decides that he isn't going to beg.
"I'm not going to beg," Billy reiterates, though he doesn't sound convinced. "Come sleep at mine or don't, that's--"
"Unlock the front door," Steve says, and then he's gone, rainboots leaving a trail of footprints to show that this was real. 
That one night, with ice covering the trees and fields like a blanket of hope, Steve was real.
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winryofresembool · 3 years ago
Text
Things We Lost in the Fire, ch 38
aka Caleo uni au
Fic summary: Calypso starts studying at a new university, but to her annoyance her new flatmate is a loud mouthed mechanic who also likes to sneak his dog in whenever. But as she learns to know him better, she realizes they might have more in common than what she first thought. Eventually, even the darkest secrets come out…
Chapter summary: A new semester is starting
A/N: We are finally done with the holiday chapters! When it comes to this chapter, I'd like to state that I only have some experience from a couple of Finnish universities so I really don't know a whole lot about how certain things work in practice in the States, so please ignore the possible inaccuracies for the sake of this fic. It feels weird after a couple of 'bigger' chapters to have a bit more 'fillery' one... but... but... there's Caleo in the beginning?? So I hope you'll enjoy nevertheless. I wish I could spread even more love towards this ship because they deserve it but sadly there are only so few hours in a day. The fandom seems so quiet these days...
Anyway, enough rambling! Now let's get to this chapter, and the usual reminder: I love to hear what you think! All comments are much appreciated :)
Words: 2500+ 
Genre: romance & hurt/comfort
Warnings: none
previous chapter / AO3
...
”Is something the matter? You look quite unhappy.”
Leo felt arms sneak around his shoulders from behind while he was sitting on the common area sofa, staring at his laptop with a frown. Some of the speaker’s reddish brown hair fell in front of his face, the smell of cinnamon drifting into his nose, and for some reason that alone was enough to relieve some of Leo’s uneasiness. The small, pale hands found their way down his biceps and stopped there, but he wasn’t going to complain. If he was honest, he was really happy about Calypso’s growing confidence when it came to the physical affection, because it told him she really trusted him. Sometimes he was still amazed that he out of all the people had managed to break the ice around her.
Before Leo let himself get too lovestruck, though, he reminded himself why he was staring at his laptop in the first place. The new semester was starting and that naturally meant new courses, new assignments, new texts to read and… new emails from his professors. One specific email had managed to twist his stomach quite badly. In it, the professor from his chemistry lab class had asked him for a meeting, and Leo assumed he wanted to discuss what had happened on the exam day. Wishing that he could just ignore that said message, he turned his attention back to his girlfriend.
“Just uni issues… nothing more severe this time,” Leo replied half jokingly. The holidays had given him some perspective on what really was important to him and failing a class didn’t feel quite as big an issue anymore. It was inconvenient, yes, on a few levels, but not entirely unfixable.
“Oh?” Calypso finally let her hands slide off of him and sat down next to him. She seemed a bit relieved that this was about the university and not something that was out of her reach, and if Leo was honest, he couldn’t blame her. “What kind of issues?”
“A professor wants to meet me face to face tomorrow. Probably to talk about my recent chemistry lab test or something like that.” He shrugged nonchalantly.
“Hmm… Isn’t it quite unusual for them to give special focus to a single student at this stage?” Calypso asked.
“Apparently they still do that in my department. Who knows, maybe they think I’ve caused them enough trouble by now and want me to quit.”
“But what happened in your lab test was not your fault. Do you think you are any closer to being able to finish it in case you get another chance?”
When Calypso was looking at him with those almost chocolate brown eyes, he felt that it wasn’t impossible.
“Some smart person once said that I need to believe in myself more, so that’s what I need to learn to do. After that… it might be possible.”
“I’m glad you’re listening to me at least sometimes.” Calypso gave him a lopsided smile. “The fact that you know what you should do means that you’re already on your way there.”
“Yeah. I guess so.” Wanting to talk about something else, Leo asked: “Well, what about you? How are you feeling about the upcoming semester?”
“I’m feeling… pretty good about it, you know? Sure, I’ve been reading our course plans and it sounds like our professors are planning to make us work like every day is an exam day and we have some group assignments and important presentations coming up, but… I really like learning? And I like listening to the conversations between our professors and my fellow students during our lectures because it’s something I never got to do when I was stuck at home… I feel like I get new points of views from them all the time. And Annabeth is a really big help; she knows everything about everything so if I ever feel like I can’t follow the lectures, she can always clarify them to me.”
“I have a hard time imagining you not being able to keep up with the professors… but yeah, it’s good you can ask for her help if needed.”
Calypso nodded.
“You know, I’m glad you two got your issues sorted out in the fall,” Leo added as an afterthought.
Calypso looked up at him with a slight frown as if she had completely forgotten about what exactly had happened in the fall. “Oh, right, that. I feel like it was just one big misunderstanding. Both of us realized that we can’t get stuck on something that happened so long ago.”
Leo couldn’t deny that he had also felt a bit jealous of Percy when he had first found out about his and Calypso’s past, but she had clearly moved on, so he wasn’t holding a grudge anymore either. Calypso had decided to date him, and that’s what mattered.
“Yeah, I know from my personal experiences that ain’t worth it,” he replied.
Calypso leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed.
“I have a… maybe a bit weird question. Do you believe in some kind of greater power? You know, like gods?”
Leo wondered why she would ask that. “I dunno. Maybe. I’m not really strongly for or against that. I think I’m the kind of person who needs to see it to believe it, but I don’t think it’s impossible. But why do you ask?”
“This will sound extremely cheesy but sometimes I wonder… if there was a reason why we two met. Like some greater power that pushed us together for some reason.”
“Wow. I don’t know if any greater powers had their fingers in that but I am glad that it happened.” Leo threw his arm around her shoulder and wondered briefly why it felt like such a natural thing to do. At one point he had been too intimidated to initiate any kind of physical contact but now that they were more open with each other and she had seen him in some of his worse moments – he didn’t mind anymore.
“Yeah. Me too.” Calypso whispered.
Only the buzzing of the fridge and some other kitchen machinery could be heard on the background while the flatmates were simply enjoying each other’s company, resting their heads against each other, but eventually Calypso suggested:
“Hey... I think I need something that will allow me to disconnect a bit, so… how about some Friends?”
Leo didn’t have anything against that suggestion. In fact, he always enjoyed the TV show or movie nights with Calypso, for various reasons. “Sure. That sounds great to me. You know I’m always ready to roast my homeboy Chandler.”
“I know you are.” Calypso nudged him and took the remote control to find the right episode. As they started watching and commenting on it (he always enjoyed how snarky Calypso’s comments could be), Leo almost forgot about the upcoming meeting with the professor.
The next day, Leo found himself in the building where the office of his lab professor was located. At the breakfast table he had practiced the meeting with Calypso, and Jason had also joined him a bit later to wish him luck. To Leo’s relief, he did seem a lot happier than when he had seen him before the holiday break, but he still didn’t talk a whole lot about his current situation. Leo himself decided that it was better if he didn’t guide his friends too much so instead he did a quick recap on the recent developments in his own life – without mentioning his new relationship status. Luckily Jason didn’t ask, as he seemed to be more worried about Leo’s upcoming meeting.
As he was waiting for the professor to arrive, Leo kept glancing at his clock nervously. The man was already a few minutes late. While Leo knew that wasn’t anything unusual in the university world, as the professors tended to be busy, he still kept wishing he could get the meeting over with as soon as possible. His leg started bouncing again on its own and his fingers were tapping against the wooden handle of the chair. Suddenly he didn’t feel quite as sure about what he was going to tell the professor as he had felt earlier.
Finally, he was pulled from his thoughts by a loud ‘ahem’.
“Mr. Valdez? Sorry I’m late, my meeting with a couple of coworkers got a bit long,” the professor said.
“That’s… that’s fine,” Leo stuttered. Some months ago he would probably have said something snarky as a response but right now he knew better than to take any risks.
“Go in, go in, so we can have a talk,” the professor encouraged. Unwillingly, Leo followed him into his office and had to be told to sit down before he even realized that there was a comfortable looking arm chair right next to him.
“So…” the professor started once he was seated behind his desk. “You probably know why I invited you here.”
“I… I do have an idea…” Leo said hesitantly, looking everywhere in the room except the professor. The man had a lot of engineering related books in his bookshelf, a big stack of papers - probably students’ assignments - and a fancy looking calculator on his desk. Behind him on the wall there was a single photograph of his family. Pretty much exactly how Leo had imagined the said professor’s room looking.
“I will be direct with you. Your achievements in the lab classes - or lack thereof - is a cause of confusion for us. In almost all of the theory related classes, you are on the top of the class – despite the occasional reports that your behavior towards the lecturers could use some improvement.” The man raised his eyebrow, but Leo thought he could see a glint of amusement in his eyes. That didn’t last long, though. “However, until now we have been willing to overlook that because of your talents. Maths, physics, chemistry… those things you clearly don’t have any issues with. But already for the second year you have been avoiding the lab classes for which you have been signed up and last fall you even left the chemistry lab test before you managed to get it completed. I’m sure you are aware that if you want to move onto the more advanced classes, you need to complete the mandatory ones before you are allowed to do that.”
“Yes, sir, I’m aware of that,” Leo replied stiffly, wondering briefly when was the last time he had called anyone sir, other than ironically.
“In that case…” His voice turned less formal, more fatherly as he continued, which surprised Leo. The professors he was used to dealing with were usually not all too nice to him, although he was willing to admit that some of it was probably deserved. “Can I ask you, is there a specific reason why you haven’t attended the lab classes?”
Leo wondered if he should come up with a quick lie. It wouldn’t be the first time in his life that he would have to do that in order to protect himself. However, the professor really seemed sincere and concerned about him and in a way his expression reminded him of Jo’s when she was expecting him to open up. Perhaps that’s why he ended up deciding to answer honestly:
“Yes. There is.”
“And? What is the reason?” The professor raised his eyebrow.
Leo inhaled deeply before forming his response. “I’m afraid of fire. Yeah, laugh ahead, but it’s true. I can’t deal with anything that requires heating because of some nasty as hell childhood trauma.”
To his surprise, the professor didn’t get angry at him for talking to him in such a manner. Instead, he furrowed his eyebrows.
“And you’re still planning to make mechanical engineering your career? Despite your fear?”
Leo nodded slowly. “Yeah. Building and fixing inanimate objects is the only thing I’ve ever known how to do. I was basically born with a hammer and a wrench in my hands and I was capable of building toys for myself when I was like four. After an accident…” He refrained from mentioning his mother because he couldn’t guarantee he would be able to stay calm if he brought that up. “… I haven’t been able to light up a match or anything like that. But almost five years ago, two awesome women adopted me and one of them is a mechanic. She reminded me what I really love about tinkering and it was then that I decided that I wanna keep trying. It’s a process but I am working on it.”
The professor smiled a little. “You know… a lot of our students were unable to take the chemistry lab course in the fall, so we decided to organize another course now in the spring. As it happens, there’s still some room for new people in it. So, if you’re interested, you’re welcome. But remember, you would need to attend all the mandatory classes and complete the tasks that you are assigned, no exceptions. That means we will not be going easy on you just because of your fear.”
Leo’s eyes widened with surprise. He hadn’t expected to get a chance like that.
“Woah, thanks sir! I won’t let you down!”
“That’s good to hear,” the professor nodded approvingly. “Can I ask you a question, though? Why do you want to become a mechanical engineer? I mean, what exactly is it that fascinates you about it, other than the influences you have gotten at your home?”
Leo imagined that the professor could probably see the bolts and nuts moving in his brain as he formed his answer. “I… I wanna learn to develop products that will help us make the world a safer, more sustainable place for us. We engineers, if anyone, can develop technology that will help us achieve that goal. But that’s not all. I also wanna learn more so I can help to share the information forward. I wanna show kids who come from similar backgrounds as I that they should keep on dreaming. There was a time when my mom ate porridge - only porridge - for her meals so she could pay the rent when her business was slow, but she still kept doing it. Because that’s how much she cared about her job. And I want to continue in her footsteps.”
The professor shifted on his seat. “That is an admirable goal, Mr. Valdez. I hope you will succeed. Remember, you do have the skill – you just need to know how to use it.”
“Yeah… Thanks professor.”
“No problem. Don’t forget the class enrollments end tonight so you need to be fast if you want to participate. That’s all for now. Good luck in your future endeavors.”
“Thanks. I’ll go enroll myself then. Bye for now.”
“See you, Mr. Valdez.”
Leo breathed a long sigh of relief the moment he stepped out of the professor’s office. The meeting had gone way better than he had dared to expect. He hadn’t thought he would get another chance so fast, but was grateful for the opportunity. Now, he would only need to kick his fears into the deepest pits of Tartarus, as Calypso would say.
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jitter-bug · 4 years ago
Text
Just Like Me
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Taglist: @artemisfowl11
Nines x Reader (Detroit: Become Human)
A/n: Did I hear costumes with a plot twist? And 10x scary???👀 so that the request wouldn't be too short ???🔫👀 I certainly fuckin' did. This one is too long. Sorry for rush. I love you :') plz enjoy(plz) I have so many request. And I am getting around to all of them. So don't worry for anyone that's waiting for your request, they will get done I promise! (Plz don't hurt me--)❤ enjoy- p.s I also had a hard time choosing the costume. I wanted something race neutral because as a person of color myself. There's not many couple costumes out there, that...you know. So 😌 uh. I had to run off a limb here for all my POC readers. (Gang gang 😩) (give me feedback if you any more of this, I know some people messaged me about continuing Fear. I don't do series. But I'll do em' we lit over here😩😪💅) p.s.s I edited it to gender neutral, so sorry for any errors-- (donthurtme)
-
"What do you mean, no?" The defeated tone of the detective echoed through the bullpen. Arms crossed as they stared at Hank. He was sitting at his desk. A hand placed on the desk as he stared at the terminal. In a way so he wouldn't have to stare at the perplexed expression of Y/n. 
"Kid. I'm too damn old to be dressing up in costumes." Was his reply. 
Y/n had woken up that very morning. An idea engraved in their brain like their body threatened them to remember it and not let the wonderful idea go. 
The DPD was throwing a Halloween party. Which was really a celebration for Chris, he was finally promoted to being an official Detective, and for his celebration. There would be a themed party. Considering the fact that Halloween was creeping in around the corner. Y/n soon thought that they wanted to wear a costume, with someone that is. They thought sharing laughs or even going to the party dressed as characters would be fun and yet entertaining. Their first thought was Hank. But, he undoubtedly shot the idea down. And declined. Hank saw the unamused expression on their face when he tore his gaze from the terminal. Their fist was planted on his desk. As their hand was on their hip. Their eyebrows furrowed. Giving him a look that he was used to seeing when they helped him speak with suspects in the interrogation room. Though, their expression was not as hard and more so serious.
Connor, who was sitting at his desk. Across from Hank. Stared between the two. His LED teetering back and forth from yellow to stark red. 
"Go ask Gavin." Hank brought up the name that seemed alien to him as he scoffed slightly at his name. Y/n quickly lost their expression before shaking her head. They couldn't say Y/n and Gavin were enemies. But they haven't interacted with each other to a point where Y/n would see themself asking him to join them on their dress up crusade. 
"No." They replied. Hank has been staring at the ceiling. Arms crossed. Once hearing Y/n once again. He landed his gaze back onto them. His index finger tapping his arm. 
"Go ask your partner."
-
Nines stared at Y/n. The two staring right through each other, but Y/n could feel themself crumble under his steel gaze. His eyebrows furrowed slightly. In an attempt to see through Y/n. 
Nines originally was Gavin Reed's partner. Until Chris was recently promoted to a Detective and made to be Gavin's partner. Which pulled Y/n from Hank and Connor, into being Nine's newest partner. 
Before then. They hadn't really interacted with him. Occasional greetings and ludicrous jokes between Y/n and Gavin. In which the rk900 ignored, he never cared to learn much about Y/n- or anyone at the station at that. He was reserved, observant, stern and very stoic. He...lacked certain things other deviant androids had. 
Emotions. 
People around the prescient knew about him. But never spoke to him, reasons being his lack of expressing himself gave people the assumption that Nines was genuinely just a rude android. Which...Y/n could see why. He didn't tolerate childish behavior, at all. Rarely participated in any outings the station threw, such as celebrations if someone was promoted. Birthday parties. Or just a genuine outing to celebrate and catch up with one another. Nines was always at the station, he - In a way deemed to separate himself from others. His eyebrows were always furrowed. In a way to resemble a scowl of some sort...which he always did. 
Of course, Y/n could somewhat tolerate him, once they were paired together, Nines was non-stop pestering Y/n with things they needed to get done, things that weren't done right. He always pointed out the imperfections and mistakes rather than the good. Y/n couldn't say they were exactly friends with the rk900. He made it hard for it to be anything other than being partners. But, today was the day, Y/n decided it would be best to try and find a way through his cold exterior. 
Nines didn't say anything. Y/n held her hands behind her back. The slightest smile trying to make its way onto their face. "So...I was thinking." 
They started. They didn't feel nervous. But rather awkward from the sudden request. Nines didn't say anything. Instead keep his arms behind his back as Y/n slowly sat down on the desk. Planting their hands on their knees. "I was thinking, maybe me and you should go to Chris's celebration together tomorrow night, you know. As partners? Amigos? Buddies?" Y/n reached up. Placing a half-heartedly punch on Nine's shoulder. 
"And. You know. Dress up? Costumes? I'd think you'd enjoy it. You know, you've been really working your heart out for these past few weeks Nines, and I think maybe you would like a break. You know, wind down." They explained. In their head. The explanation was fool-proof. Nines had been working a lot. In fact. The whole station was. With the new cases of Red Ice popping up around Detroit. Everyone had constantly been on their toes. 
"I'm incapable of getting tired, Detective." Nines replied. He turned to fully face Y/n. His arms that were once behind his back, now by his side. 
Y/n felt themself run into a dead end. 
"I know that Nine's I'm not stupid." She muttered. Instead of replying. He only stared at her. Blinking once, that was so it took. Y/n could tell what he was thinking. They sneered.
"That's not funny, I'm serious."
"My apologies. I was unaware I was making a joke--"
"Anyway!" Snapping their fingers to get back on track. Y/n sighed. Rubbing their temple before looking back at Nine's form.
"If. You go to the party with me, and agree to wear a costume with me. I promise I'll stop fooling around on the field." They tried to compromise watching as Nine's was already turning away from her to walk over to his desk. 
"I'll even stop making those lame ass jokes for an entire week. I can't say for..forever, But I mean a week has to be at least decent." They spoke up. Raising their voice so he could listen. 
"A month." Nines said. His back turned from them. But Y/n could see him grabbing stacks of papers and placing them in their designated manilla folders. Y/n stared at his back. Eyebrows furrowed as they tried to piece together what he meant, the rk900 seemed to be aware of how perplexed she was. 
"You'll focus on the assigned case you have, without constantly getting distracted, for a month. If you can agree to that. Then you've found yourself someone to go to the party with."
He explained. Y/n jumped slightly, the excitement shot through them like electricity, sparking them to life. This was new! Certainly new!
"Wait, are you serious? Oh my god!" They squealed. Kicking their feet so hard Y/n was afraid their shoe would fly off, flying across the room. As funny as the scenario might sound, Y/n was too distracted with the offer to worry about anything else. 
"1 month?" They asks. 
"1 month." He repeats. 
"I mean...what about 2 weeks?" They bargained. A month, where they couldn't bullshit around at work. It felt like a sin to Y/n.
"1 month."
"But...Nines that's too long." They tried to whine. But Nines turned around. Holding the folders in his hands. 
"1 month." He repeats.
"2 weeks?"
"1 month."
"....3 weeks?"
"1 month."
"No! Come on. 2 weeks. Take it or leave it!" Y/n shoots their hands in the air. Drastically expressing their distress. But Nines didn't seem to show an ounce of sorrow or care for the matter.
"Do I hear 2 months?"
"Okay, no! 1 month!" 
With what Y/n assumed would be the end of the discussion to Nines. He nods. 
"Okay then. Now. What is it that you have planned?"
-
"Okay. So. I think maybe we should do something scary. 2 years ago. Me and Hank dressed up as clowns, and scared the hell out of Gavin. It was hilarious." Y/n absently spoke. They searched through their phone for ideas that may spark interest in them. Deciding on creating something new and from scratch. 
Nines was busy placing items in Y/n's bag so the two could leave the station and do whatever it was Y/n had in store.
Nines zipped up the bookbag before turning away from the desk to face. Only to find them already examining his form. 
The yellow soon took the place of the blue on his LED. His eyebrows furrowed. 
"What?" He asks. Y/n hummed. 
"I was thinking of what would suit you." They replied. As they spoke Nines handed Y/n their bookbag, which they thanked him before slipping it on over their shoulders. 
"We can head to my house and see ideas from there." Y/n started. Adjusting the straps onto their shoulders as they took several steps forward towards the exit. They didn't have much time from now till tomorrow night, the gears in Y/n's head were turning. What should they do? What should they dress as for their costumes? And most importantly. Make sure Nines had a good night out for his first ever outing. 
Y/n placed the phone back in theirpocket. Before reaching over to unlock the door. They felt Nines walk behind them, swatting and flicking their hand away from the latch to open the door. 
"I'm driving. You get to the passenger side and think about what your plan will be." Nines spoke. Y/n flinched their hand away from the latch. 
"Ow, okay, okay--" they made their way around the car to the passenger side. Y/n was positive the only real reason he wanted Y/n to sit out on driving was because last time they were behind the wheel, a favorite song of theirs that they vaguely remembered from some time ago came on the radio station when they were patrolling the downtown area of Detroit. 
All Y/n could say was how Nines was extremely pissed with their screeching out lyrics that he wasn't paying attention to. More of Y/n's abrupt screaming. Which is why he didn't want them touching the wheel while he was in the car with them.
Slipping inside the car. Y/n closed the door. Hearing from their opposite side that Nines was in the car as well. 
"Keys." He spoke up. Y/n automatically reached in their dress pants pockets in search of the keys. Once feeling the cool metal against their digits. They handed them to Nines. Where as he started the car. 
Y/n slide off their bookbag. And turned to toss it in the back of the car. Where a paper bag was seen lazily balled up on the floor. Seeing the Red Ice cases increased exponentially, there were many stakeouts that Y/n and Nines were assigned to. Sitting out in the car for long periods of time did spike up an appetite in Y/n's stomach every once in a while. Of course, Nines scolded them for not eating before arriving on the scene, but that didn't stop them from getting food. 
Once situated and Nines driving down the street. Y/n slipped their phone back out. 
"So. How do you feel being a butcher?" They asks. Nines stared at the road. Silent for a moment as he contemplated what Y/n said. 
"A butcher..? Odd, how would that in any way be a good costume?" He asks. Y/n placed their phone their lap. 
"Bloody butcher. You know. Kill people? Chop chop? Blood. Chains and all that jazz." They replied. Flipping through the many photos of cheap costumes that would wear out in later than a few months if they were to purchase one.
"I can't make a firm decision on what to wear. You do that." He spoke up. Y/n hummed in acknowledgment. As much as they wanted Nines to choose for himself. He often had a hard time doing so. Of course he did things his own way, but only for a purpose of doing his job. Completing his mission. 
"Well then. Butcher it is," they replied. 
Once making it into the warm house that groped around Y/n with its comforting warmth. Y/n dropped their bookbag on the ground by the couch. Plopping down onto the cushion. And letting out a long needed sigh. They heard Nines close and lock the front door. 
The tension in Y/n's muscles slowly eased its way into relaxation. This wasn't the first time Nines had seen Y/n's place. Only resorting to be at their doorstep to wake them up at ungodly hours for emergency crime scenes that so happened to pop up out of nowhere. Or to drive them home when they are tired to do it half the time themself.
The TV was still on playing from earlier in the morning when Y/n left. On the same channel and same soft spoken volume. 
"Alright. Come on. Sit." They finally mustered up the energy to speak. Nines - who was standing next to the couch, took a seat next to Y/n as they opened their phone once more. 
"So. I was thinking on the way here. A bloody butcher. Both you and I. I think that would be fun." They proclaimed it was some extremely good news. But to Nines, it was more of good news to Y/n, but he didn't say anything. His pale optics pierced Y/n's face. His eyebrows raised slightly. Y/n gave him a smile, one of reassurance. "Oh come on, don't worry. You'll love it. I saw you have a knack for violent things." They chuckled. Moving over to their coffee table to pick up the laptop that was sitting on it. Nines LED flickered a stark red. 
"I'm assuming you would think I'm a violent person because of how I handle things on the field?" It didn't sound like much of a question.
 "Well duh. You do tend to man-handle the hell out of the suspects." Y/n replied. Nines didn't say anything else. Instead, watch as Y/n typed into the computer. After a while. They sat back on the couch and glanced at Nines. 
"This should work out. Not to mention be a good sight for my budget." They said. Y/n turned the laptop around and showed a photo of the costume, which was just general ideas of what items they planned on looking for. 
Nines stared at the screen. His LED circling around. Once. Twice. Before turning yellow. 
"Are you purchasing these from a store?" He asks. Y/n nods. Nines nods as well. 
"Yeah. Tomorrow after work we both are going to go gather the materials to put together the costume. Oh, this should be fun! Believe it or not. Gavin is such a scary cat. I'm pretty sure you'll be able to scare the hell out of him!" They gave a laugh before setting the laptop on the table. 
"But, really Nines. Thanks for agreeing to do this with me. I promise. That when this is all over. I'll not goof around for 1 entire month." They said. Y/n lifted their hand, poking out their pinkie finger. Nines stared at their hand before looking at them.He lifted his hand before pushing Y/n's hand away with his back hand.
"I'll take your word on it, Detective." He says. 
"Oh come on. Don't be like that. Smile for once. My gosh." Y/n lets out a chuckle. Lifting one hand to pull at his cheek. Her thumb tugging at the corner of his right lip in an attempt to tug it upwards. Nines - once again, swatted their hand away from his face. A scowl interrupting his blank expression.
"Stop."
"Whatever, tomorrow. It'll be great, you'll have fun, I promise."
-
Nines watched as Y/n stated at the rack of clothes. Having trouble deciding what Nines would best fit his costume. They decided to purchase his first. The two left the station an hour ago, to get ready for the party that was only 4 hours away. And time was ticking rather quickly with Y/n staring at the rack of clothes as if they had a hard time finding what to wear. 
Nines felt his hand lift up. Rubbing at his temple. His elbow resting on his other arm which was across his torso. 
"Y/n..."
Y/n let out a hum, signalling they heard what he said but kept their gaze on the rack.
"I think this would go by much quicker, if I were to pick out the clothes, and when you get home. You can put them together." He spoke. Y/n turned to face Nines. He saw them cross their arms. 
"Are you calling me slow?" They asks. But, he could tell Y/n wasn't offended by their ack of anger that he so happened to be acquainted with. 
"More, indecisive." He corrected. He saw their eyebrows furrow. But they quickly rose up as they understood what he meant. 
"I'm not having a hard time picking...just--look, this is supposed to be a me and you thing. Partner to partner, friend to friend. You know. So we can spend more time together instead of always yelling at each other like at work."
It was true. Nines and Y/n rarely got a long at work, Nines being a reason for the constant start of an argument between him and Y/n. That being either working on a case. At the station. Or even at a stake out. He always seemed to feed the flame just to spark Y/n's anger into nothing more than a hungry flame ready to lash out at anyone. But that was because Nines wanted things done the way he wanted them done. And Y/n rarely gave him what he wanted...and that was being serious on the job. But the explanation did make sense. More time spent outside to get to know more about each other...or rather spend more time with each other, could lower their rate or going after each other's throats. 
"So, you know. Come on. Let's Both pick our stuff out together." A hint of hope was evident in Y/n's voice. Nines nods, taking several steps forward, to analyse the rack. 
"I think you can do something with this."
-
"Ow! Stop! Stop!" Y/n hissed in pain, feeling Nines peel off the face mask from their face. They tried lifting their hand up to push his hand away. But he was one step ahead. Smacking their hand away for the upteempth time that week. The two finished picking out the clothing and items for their costume, only had 2 hours left to get dressed and ready, a lady that was an entrepreneur and had a clothing line. Gracefully gave Y/n and Nines a discount on what they needed for their costumes. Finding the generous offer kind, Y/n paid more than needed for the clothes, and spent almost half an hour speaking to the woman. Which knocked off much more time than needed. And Nines didn't want any delays in getting dressed - so almost immediately once the two reached Y/n's house. He started laying out stuff so the two could get ready. 
The first step being to peel off the face mask for Y/n so once they put the make up on their face for the costume it wouldn't be mixed with any bacteria and dirt. Which also was a pain in Y/n's ass to feel the mask pulling at their skin. And how Nines didn't seem to care much, instead. Resulting in him snatching off the mask piece by piece.
"You asshole! You're doing that on purpose!" Y/n barked. They reached up to punch Nines in his chest. But was interrupted by him snagging at the mask on their face once again. Placing the pieces in a trash can he took from the kitchen. 
"It shouldn't hurt that bad, stop whining. Or else this will take much longer than needed." He finally spoke up. Y/n sneered slightly as they felt him tilt their head so he could get the rest of the god-forbidden mask that seemed to be glued to their skin. 
After finally getting the pieces peeled off and placed in the trash. Nines stood up to take the trash back to its original spot in the kitchen. Y/n rubbed at their face. The skin feeling somewhat smoother, her pores finally able to get air comfortably. 
"Okay. Happy? The horrible dreadful part, as you quoted, is out of the way." Nines said. As he spoke Y/n mumbled a 'fucking finally' - and stood up. 
"Okay, we have plenty of time, Oh my god, this is going to be fun. Okay!" Almost immediately, Nines saw the excited expression overtake their expression again. Watching as they grabbed one of the bags and tossed it over to Nines. 
"Get dressed. I'll come back in here when I'm done."
Y/n was surprised with how their costume came out. The idea in their mind wasn't as exciting as they once was thinking. But seeing the white knee length apron. Black dress shirt, the tattered jeans that were tucked into the dark rain boots showed that the costume was supposed to resemble some sort of butcher. A few things are missing here and there. But was still proud of how it came out. 
Deciding on going back in the living room to get the last back on the coffee table they remembered leaving on the table. Which contained the makeup and fake blood for the costumes...which of course was supposed to be added last. 
Walking down the hall and into the living room. Which was empty, in which Y/n didn't seem to take surprise. Thinking Nines went off somewhere in the house(such as the bathroom) , go get dressed. They didn't bother calling out for him. Instead, picking up the bag on the table to look through it. Seeing the many items in the bag, having a hard time choosing what to use first, they stared at the back in contemplation. Unaware of the sauntering figure that was creeping up behind them.
Deciding on finding it to be best, wait for Nines to come back and help with choosing what happens next. They places the bag on the table once again. They turned around to go and look for Nines. Only to quickly pause in their movement upon seeing the figure behind them Y/n jumped slightly. Their calves hit the coffee table. 
It was Nines, dressed in the costume, the black apron tied to his waist tightly, instead of a dress shirt that Y/n sported, Nines had on a black turtleneck, which really fit with the costume. Y/n could see the chains wrapped around his wrist, the sound of the metal clanking against each other. 
They saw the pig mask, the one Y/n picked out because Y/n found it oddly suiting Nines. The boar's head seemed pretty realistic, the blemishes and red markings on the facial area wavered Y/n's sense of security. They could barely see his eyes through the mask...where the eyes are of course.
"Jeez. You scared me there for a second." Y/n mumbled. 
But, Nines didn't say anything. The feeling of his form towering over Y/n, made them realize how some suspects the two brought in everyday had to face his wrath in an interrogation...or just a simple ass kicking. From what Y/n remembers. Nines never lost in a single fight. 
"Is this your way in trying to scare me? If so. It's not working." They let out a chuckle, which was half-heartedly. Nines - instead of replying. Let out a grunt. Which Y/n could deem animalistic. Y/n flinched. Shooting him a glare in a way to get him to knock off whatever he was pulling. 
"The hell? Did you growl at me?" They spat. Instead of - once again. Not replying. Nines turned around to walk off down the hall where the bathroom was located. 
"Where are you going?" They asks. There was no reply. Only the sound of the chains clanking against each other and the squeaking of the rainboots answered them question. 
"..." Y/n felt their eyebrow twitch. Almost a second letter. Nines came back out the hall. Looking the same, except holding the boars mask in his hand, which he didn't seem to have any interest in wearing. 
"Dude, what the hell?" 
Nines looked at Y/n. His LED flickering to yellow almost instantly. He raised an eyebrow; "is there a problem?" He asks. Y/n scrunched their nose up and nodded. 
"Uh, yeah. You were just out here - not even a minute ago. You just walked off. Not to mention, growled at me." They answered. Y/n saw the LED on Nines temple slowly circled to the stark red, his eyebrows furrowed. 
"I was in the bathroom all this time." He said. Y/n only gave him a blank expression. Which only remsebled an expression that they didn't believe what he said. 
"I was--"
"Anyway. Come on. Let's put this last bit of stuff on so we can leave."
-
"You're getting blood everywhere." Nines informed. Watching as Y/n drove down the ride they tried sitting themselves in the seat comfortably so the fake blood on the apron wouldn't smear on the car seat. It would be a pain to get it out. 
"I know that, Nines. Shut up, pighead. Besides, it's not even real." They muttered. Nines lifted the corner of his lip in a way to sneer. 
"Hilarious. I almost forgot to laugh at that one."
"You forget to laugh everyday." They quickly shot back. Nines only rubbed his temple with a sigh. "You truly are a mess." He sighs. Y/n laughed, keeping their eyes on the road. 
"You're damn right, a hot mess. Trust me. Tonight will be fun! Don't worry, really!" Nines didn't reply. Instead watched the road and the many buildings that passed by. His gray optics flickered over to Y/n. Spending an entire day with his partner did have its ups and downs. But it wasn't as life-threatening as he thought it would be. 
"So. Are you enjoying yourself so far? You know. Being costume twins and all. I think it's fun." Y/n asked. Nines tapped his index finger in his knee. 
"Rather childish. But if it can get you to stop quiping me about dressing up with you. I guess this won't be too bad." He responds. Hearing Y/n tap the wheel with their fingers. 
"Thanks for doing this with me, really. Maybe tonight you and I can go and get something to eat."
"I don't eat."
"....I mean. You could at least act like you do. Like jeez, what the hell." They muttered. Once again, complaining. Mumbling about. "Just stuff the food in your mouth and spit it out. Make it seem like you can or something--"
"Alright--okay. I'll take you out to dinner tonight. Is that what you wanted to hear?" Nines finally spoke up. Interrupting her from her charades of complaining. Almost quickly, a smile replaced their frown. 
"Yes, sir. That's exactly what I want to hear. You. Nines. My partner. Taking me to get dinner." They quipped. Nines glanced at them. Shaking his head slowly. 
"Holy shit!" Gavin stared at the two. Watching as Nines was busy behind Y/n speaking to Hank from behind the boar's mask. A smile graced Hank's lips. His hands on his hips. He didn't dress as anything like the majority of the people did. Instead...well...showing up in his casual clothes. 
"Wow. Next year. Me and you and dressing up together." Gavin nudged Y/n's shoulder. Causing them to chuckle. 
"I mean. I was going around the office asking people. And they either were dressing up as something already, or were dressing up as something already. Same thing. I know." They grinned, already knowing what Gavin was about to say. 
"You didn't ask me you little shit!"
"Oops?"
Gavin rolled his eyes. Swatting his hands in a way to shoo the conversation away. "Nines look terrifying as hell." He looked over at their partner who was still speaking with Hank. Y/n nods. 
"I'm not surprised. You're scared of everything." She said. Gavin shot her a look. 
"Hey, plastic-prick. Over here!" Gavin snaps his fingers. Y/n saw Nines look away from Hank. And over to Gavin. Hank looked over as well. Nines walked over to the two. Once in earshot he turned his head away from Y/n to look at Gavin. 
"Yes?" He asks. Gavin flicked the boar's snout.
"Sup." 
"I don't know what I expected wasting my time walking over here." Nines muttered. Gavin laughs. Almost immediately, Nines jumped towards Gavin. Which also startled Y/n. The two shrieked at the sudden action from Nines. Hearing Hank laugh in the background was what pulled Gavin from his pose. Which he moved to grip Y/n's shoulder. In a pose like he was hiding behind them.
"You Jackass!" Gavin shouts. Hank howled with laughter. Walking over to give Nines a pat on the back. 
"Good one!" 
Y/n felt their heartbeat in their chest like drums. They couldn't find an exact reason why they got jumpy. Letting out a sigh as they placed a hand on their chest. Hearing Gavin bicker in the background along the lines of "I'll fucking end you!"
Meanwhile, Y/n stared across the street. Which had a good view of an alleyway. Seeing two figures facing each other. Once being noticeably shorter than the other.  The short figure...which the two really resemble the silhouette from the lack of light in the area (considering the sun had set) the short figure seemed to be pointing its finger at the taller figure's chest. From the body movements the person seemed to be angry. As on the other hand the taller figure - standing still and stiff as a plank just stood there. 
Y/n watched for a few more moments. Whatever commotion they were hearing on their side of the street was muffled to them.
Soon, the short figure head turned towards the direction Y/n was in - across the street. Which the taller figure took notice of. The two stared at them. The tall figure seemed to tap its leg. Causing the short figure the scurry off somewhere in the shadows of the alleyway. 
Raising a hand. The tall figure that was left in the alleyway waved. Y/n furrowed their eyebrows. 
Who the hell was that?
"Y/n! Come on, get your ass in here before you freeze!" Y/n heard Hank shout from the door. Y/n quickly snapped from their clouded reality. Looking at Hank who was holding the door open. Shoot a gaze back at the alley, only to see nothing. 
-
"And I said. Give me my shit. Or I'll put a foot up your ass." Gavin said. The booth that was placed in the back of the room, either chuckled, laughed or said commented on his story. Which was Chris. 
"Honestly. I wouldn't be too surprised if she got a restraining order on your crazy ass." Chris chuckled. Gavin only shot him a large grin. Chris's wife smiled at the two. Shaking their head. The majority of the party dressed up. Either it being werewolves, vampires, zombies. It was something...despite the fact that one of the officers came with a macaroni box. 
The booth sat, Connor, Hank, Nines, Y/n, Gavin, Chris and his wife. Drinks were passed, and also laughs. (Will except from Nines of course)
The night was smooth. And not to mention fun. 
Y/n, still kept tethering back and forth from the odd altercation at home with Nines. And from what they saw in the alleyway. 
Nines sat next to them. Listening to Gavin speak. On and on. 
"So. Are you two still together or not?" Chris asked. Gavin's and his significant other had...somewhat of a toxic relationship. Constant fighting, either it be verbal or...from what Gavin didn't want to admit. But it was obvious. Physical. From both parties. But, Y/n never really intervened. It wasn't their business. So they didn't care much about it. Though the stories were funny. 
Digging into their pockets in search of their phone. They didn't feel it. Taking note they must have left it outside in the car. 
"I'll be right back. I have to go get my phone."
-
Sitting in the driver's seat. Y/n checked to see if the device was at a proper percentage. She closed the car door and sighed. Scrolling through it sees nothing new. They turned around to face the building to return. They stopped and looked up. Seeing a figure by the light pole in front of them The figure had the same costume as Y/n. The apron. The boots. Pants. Looking up they saw...the same face. It was Y/n!
The dark circles under the eyes were much noticeable. The blue surgical mask covered the lower half of the person's face. But Y/n wasn't stupid. They saw themself many times in the mirror to tell who it was. And every strand of hair on the person's head. Could tell that certainly was Y/n. 
The e/c eyes stared at Y/n's form. Boring into their face. A feeling they similarly got only from Nines.  But the gaze coming from..them, made Y/n freeze.
Staring at the person. It was like an exact replica, a doppelganger. 
Y/n could hear the sounds coming from the person. A muffled purr of some sort, scuffling shoes. It couldn't seem to stand still.
"...who are you--" Y/n was cut off by the doppelganger launching itself towards them - gripping the side of their face. It's nails digging into their skin. Y/n let out a surprised scream. Hearing the strained grumbles and grows coming from the thing on top of them.
Y/n felt themself land on the ground. The concrete knocking the wind from their body. Y/n was more surprised than scared. Of course they had many hand to hand combat on the field. But this didn't feel right at all.
Acting quick and raising an arm to shove off the doppelganger. Switching sides as they were now on top of the person, straddling it by the hips, Y/n felt it shift and swing an arm. Y/n quickly backed off of the person in an attempt to not get hit. It had a knife. Making it clear that it was meaning to harm Y/n. Y/n quickly backpedaled and stood up.  The sound of their huffing and puffing. And both of their shoes scuffling on the pavement. The person stood up. Shaking itself as if to remove the dirt that collected on its shirt from the pavement.
"Y/n. What's ta-"
"Okay, so Nines! There's some weird shit going on!" Y/n jogged over to the door that Nines held open. He was now staring at Y/n's doppelganger who quickly had stood up staring at the two. Once it made eye contact with Nines. It seemed to stop in its former actions and stare, before scurrying away down the sidewalk. 
"Who was that? What's going on?" He asks. Y/n shoved Nines into the building as he spoke. 
"I don't know! But we have to do something!" She shouts. The LED on Nines temple was flickering from red to yellow. Y/n was already making their way towards the booth. 
"Hank. You would not believe this. But I just got attacked by my own self. We need to find out what's going on." Y/n interrupted whatever conversation he was having with the group at the table. Connor was the first to look over. 
"Yourself?"
"Yes! Now come on. This is serious." Hank could tell whether or not Y/n was joking or not. Which...truly wasn't that hard to tell if they were. He stood up from the booth, luckily he was seated on the outside. 
"What's going on?" 
Nines soon made his way over to the table. 
"I was attacked by someone who looked exactly like me. Which, that can explain what happened earlier today. But! I have a crazy ass doppelganger!"
"Oh Christ." Hank muttered. Crossing his arms and looking at Y/n and then at Nines. And back at Y/n.
Gavin soon stood up.
"Oh, I have to see this." He spoke up. Hank ignored the man and looked back at Y/n. "Where did you last see this person."
"When I was outside. It attacked me--"
"The hell? Did you go after them?"
"No. They ran away before I can even do anything." Hank nods. Snapping his finger and pointing towards the exit.
"To the car. Let's go. Connor. Come on." Connor stoop up and stood next to Hank.
"Looks like we got some searching to do."
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fandomlovingfreak · 4 years ago
Text
Take Two (2/?)
Fred Weasley/Reader
Rating: E for everyone
Word Count: 2871
MasterList Link I AO3 Link I Wattpad Link
Summary: Quidditch rivalries can cause tension between the houses but nothing is like the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Fred Weasley and (y/n) take Quidditch rivalries just a bit too seriously.
Disclaimer: Fred Weasley (George Weasley, any of the Weasley Characters, Harry Potter etc) is a character from Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. I don’t own Harry Potter or any of it’s characters, and I do not profit financially from any of my posts. (This is a transformative fair use work in accordance with Section 107 of the United States Copyright Act.)
Enjoy
I pass Fred Weasley in the halls multiple times a day, and every time I can't help but raise my chin slightly with pride. In turn, he scowls at me nearly every time we pass each other, making himself busy talking to whoever he's walking with or pushing his group of friends or twin into another corridor to avoid contact with me. Maybe it is a bit roguish of me to say, but I'd like to think I was to do with his discomfort. 
"Scared off Weasley, have you?" my Ravenclaw friend, Jack, jokes with me.
"Seems like it. Can't handle losing a fight to a girl."
"I think it's more like he can't handle losing a Quidditch game to Slytherin and then getting absolutely owned by their star Chaser."
"You flatter me. It's not that much of a victory when you're arguing with someone so dimwitted, though."
Jack snickers, "I'll see you later (y/n). That is if you're still available to study after dinner?"
"Yes! I desperately need help with my potions homework."
"Only if you'll help with Charms."
"Obviously! See you, Jack." I wave to my friend, turning a corner towards the Transfiguration classroom when I run into someone. I nearly fall to the floor, but whoever I've run into grabs me up and pulls me towards their chest before I can hit the ground. I'm about to thank them for saving me from a nasty fall when he speaks.
"Watch where you're going, (y/l/n)." I wince, looking up at Fred.
"I was turning the corner. What are you doing walking on the wrong side of the hallway?"
He rolls his eyes, "unbelievable. Should've let you fall."
Through my teeth, I growl back, "maybe you should've."
"Whatever." He lets go of me before he maneuvers himself around my person. Instantly, I feel terrible as I watch him walk away.
"Fred!" I shout down the hall getting a bit of attention from the other students walking. He stops and turns back towards me. He's wearing a scowl on his face as he barks out an annoyed 'what?'
"Thank you..." My voice is weak sounding, and I can't bear to say anything more. Fred's face softens a tiny bit, and it looks like he's going to say something... But it's all too embarrassing, so I turn and make a beeline towards Transfigurations. Hopefully, no one's noticed any of that. At least, I hope if they have, they have the decency to not remind me later on.
***
Unfortunately for my pride, I have Defence Against the Dark Arts with Fred and a handful of the Fifth year Gryffindors later that day. I glance his way for a moment when I walk in, feeling too embarrassed to do much more. Hating that he saved me from toppling over in the corridor, I try to busy myself talking to my deskmate, a Hufflepuff girl named Ava, who's become my friend since sitting by me at the very beginning of the school year.
"Are you okay, (y/n)?" Ava asks, decidedly concerned as to why I'm acting so frazzled today. I'm too uncomfortable, feeling Fred's gaze on me every so often during class. Why does he have to stare? 
"I'm fine. Did you understand question seven of the homework?"
"You seem odd today."
"I'm fine, really. I got counter jinx for question three, but I wasn't sure if that was correct."
Ava rolls her eyes, "quit changing the subject. Why are you being so strange today?"
I sigh, knowing Ava too well. She won't give up on asking me why I'm not acting like myself, "Were you at the match between Gryffindor and Slytherin this past weekend?"
"No, but I heard you got into it with Fred Weasley over the game-winning call."
"Yeah, well, that happened. We got into this whole argument, and of course, I won--" Ava giggles, "anyways, I ran into him. Literally ran into him in a corridor earlier, and he's such a--prick. I can't stand the Gryffindor brave type. Honestly, Ava, I'm convinced calling them brave is just the kindest way they could think of to call them thick. Of course, it's gone to their head..." Ava cackles over this, causing me to grin widely. 
"You ran into him? What do you mean exactly?" She glances over her shoulder at the boy in question.
"Don't draw his attention over here!" I squeak out, glancing at him to see if he's noticed. He looks up from his own work when I glance over my shoulder, causing me to whip my head back around to face the front of the classroom. I exhale shakily, suddenly feeling nervous...? No, not nervous. That isn't exactly what I'm feeling. 
"Anyways..." I whisper to Ava, "I ran into him when I was turning around a corner when I was walking to class, and I almost ate it. But--he caught me." Scowling, I go back to looking at my assignment.
"He saved you from falling, and now you're--what? Upset about it?" She begins to giggle again, finding my dilemma funny of all things.
"No, I'm not upset about that! Well, maybe I am a little... I'm more upset that I quarreled with him over it and then thanked him after he'd been a complete ass. And then-- I got all flustered over it and practically ran the other way to avoid any further embarrassment." She gives me a little grin like she's figured out something I haven't. I absolutely hate to feel like I've been left out of the joke. "What's so funny?"
"It's nothing," she shrugs, going back to her answers, "He's been looking over here quite a bit."
Pursing my lips, I look back at my own assignment, "I know. He's making it so much worse!" I scribble down the answer to question seven, my knuckles almost white from the way I'm gripping my quill.
"It's curious," Ava comments as she's reading from our textbook.
"What is?" 
"It's just strange that he's looking over here, I guess? Did he say anything back when you thanked him?" 
I chuckle, "I ran away before he got the chance."
"Maybe he wants to say something?"
I groan, "I hope not. I've had enough of him for the rest of the school year in one single week."
***
Class is dismissed. I say goodbye to Ava as I gather up my possessions. I'm about to walk through the doorway when I feel a tug on my robe's sleeve. I turn, expecting one of my friends to be getting my attention but find Fred Weasley's hand on my robe.
"What do you want?" I spit out before pulling my sleeve from him.
He frowns, "Can I talk to you?"
Sighing, I ask, "why?"
"Just--" he looks increasingly flustered... Odd. "Come." Again, he tugs at my sleeve, pulling me away from the crowds of students that flood the halls.
"What do you want?" I ask again when we're away from others.
"Why did you thank me and then run off?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Frederick. Should I have not thanked you?"
"You had the opportunity before you mouthed off to me."
My frown deepens, "Fuck you." I take a step away from him, but he's got a hold on my arm this time.
"Why--Why do you hate me so much?"
I scoff, "I don't have the time to hate you. Besides, you don't make it hard to see you're the one who hates me."
A dusty flush covers his cheeks, reaching the tips of his ears, "I do not! I doubt I've given you any impression that I hate you."
"You argue with me every instance you're given!" I raise my voice. How ridiculous to assume I wouldn't have caught on to how much he dislikes me. It's insulting really to think I didn't catch on! 
"I do not!"
"What is this, then?" I lean my weight onto one side, tapping my foot impatiently.
He scowls at me, "You're the one raising their voice! I didn't intend to argue with you." His grip on my arm seems to tighten momentarily. I don't want to be in the corner of the corridor any longer with him.
"Just let go of me!" I yell back. Right then, Professor McGonagall walks by. She stops and frowns at the two of us.
"What is going on here?" She comes up to us. Fred instantly drops my arm, and I let it drop dumbly to my side.
"Nothing professor," I try to look as innocent as possible.
"Nothing? I could hear the two of you arguing from down the hall."
"Professor--"
"Not a word Mister Weasley. Detention, both of you. After dinner at my office. We do not yell in the hallways. And Mister Weasley," she directs her authoritative glare towards him, "we do not grab other students. Do I make myself clear?" 
I try not to make a face, knowing Graham would chew me out tomorrow for getting detention and missing our night practice. There's no reason to get two detentions, and McGonagall looks to be in a rather unforgiving mood.
"Yes, Professor," Fred and I say in the same dull tone. McGonagall nods once before leaving.
"Good job! I had practice after dinner," I hike my school bag further up my shoulder.
"Oh, please. You can't blame me entirely for this."
"I can, and I will!" I walk off without another word.
"See you in detention (y/n)," I hear him call after me. I flip him the bird as I continue down the hallway.
***
"You got detention? You? (y/n) (y/l/n)?" Carina bursts into laughter, "and with Fred Weasley of all people! This is perfect."
I roll my eyes, "shut up. I'll be lucky to keep my spot on the team now, thanks to him. I bet this was Gryffindor's plan!"
"Or Fred's personal plan to get to hang around you," Carina teases.
"As if." I flick her on the shoulder.
She snickers, "Your First date under the dim candlelit glow of old McGonagall's office.. writing lines or whatever. It's so romantic, well, maybe for a Weasley."
I shake my head. This sudden hate instilled within my own house for the Weasley's was born when Malfoy was sorted into Slytherin. It was a bit ridiculous, in my opinion, and the comments made to the red-headed family were uncalled for and downright cruel at times, "There's nothing wrong with the Weasleys. Just Fred."
"Right," she rolls her eyes.
***
Changing into more comfortable clothing, I make my way to McGonagall's office. Unsurprisingly I get there before Fred.
Clearing my throat to get her attention, I ask, "What do you want me to do, Professor?"
"You and Mister Weasley will be hand cleaning the Trophy Room."
I nod, not surprised by the punishment, "Do you want me to wait for Fred, or can I go up and get started now?"
"You may wait for Mister Weasley in that chair. You shouldn't get a longer punishment just because you've arrived before you were summoned."
"Okay..." I sit down in one of the chairs, trying and failing to be patient. If he arrived on time, we'd already been starting our detention, but in Fred Weasley's fashion, he's made the task more complicated than necessary.
Finally, after ten minutes of waiting, Fred walks through McGonagall's door dressed in a casual sweater and trousers.
"Sorry. I had to sort something--"
"I don't want your excuses, Mister Weasley. You'll be hand cleaning the Trophy Room with Miss (y/l/n). You'll find all the necessary cleaning supplies waiting for you." Fred looks like he's going to complain but thinks better of it, stiffly nodding instead. Oh, so Fred Weasley can hold his tongue, eh?
I stand, "Do you want us to come back once we're done?"
"If it's a reasonable hour, then yes. If it's very late, you may be dismissed. Remember, I will be checking the Trophy Room tomorrow morning and will know if you've ditched." She gives Fred a look. I suppose as the head of the Gryffindor House, she knows a bit about Fred and his habits when it comes to detentions.
"Okay," I walk away, knowing Fred will follow behind me.
***
We sit on opposite sides of the room as we clean through the trophies. Fred's brow is furrowed in concentration, and his sleeves are rolled up above his elbow. It's only slightly distracting to watch him polish the trophies. I turn back to my own work, determined not to get distracted by the sight of him. Pathetic, really.
Somehow Fred has managed to get three done while I've only just finished my first. There's no way he's doing a satisfactory job at this pace!
"How are you so far along?" I stand, my hand on my hip, my polishing rag in the other hand.
"How are you so far behind?" He responds quickly, continuing to clean the golden plaque he's holding.
"Let me see one of your finished ones--" I walk towards him, picking up his first trophy. Much to my surprise, it's spotless.
I glance at him, shocked. Fred smirks, still continuing to work, "What's wrong (y/n)?"
"How?"
Fred chuckles, "I've done this exact work at least six times. You get faster with practice."
I roll my eyes, "How does one person get detention enough times to practically become a professional trophy cleaner?"
"Detentions my specialty, darling."
"Do not call me that," I walk back towards my side of the room. 
"No pet names in detention?"
"No pet names, period." I pick up the trophy I was working on before.
"C'mon. It's detention. You don't have to act like you hate me anymore. No one is around to witness."
"Like I said earlier, Frederick, I don't hate you."
"Well, I hate it when you call me Frederick."
I sigh, "That's exactly why I call you Frederick."
I hear him mutter, "I figured."
***
We continue cleaning in silence for what feels like days. Every so often, Fred will try to start up some small talk. Eventually, feeling sorry for him after I've shot down his attempts at conversation, I respond to one. That doesn't mean I choose to be perfectly civil with him as I respond...
"Obviously, I enjoy Quidditch. I play for my house's team, remember?" My back's to him, so I'm safe to crack a small grin over this.
"Oh, yeah. Obviously." I look over my shoulder at him. His back is also facing me.
He's got at least a third more of his side of the room done. "Honestly, I'm a little ticked you've got more of your side done..." I turn to face him, the trophy I've been working on for a hot minute in hand. 
"There's no 'my side.' We have to get the entire room done. If anything, I should be irritated that I'm going to do way more than half of the work." His voice has a tinge of annoyance to it.
"Calm down, fire-crotch," I roll my eyes as I continue to polish one of the golden trophies.
"I thought we said no pet names, (y/n)." He turns to face me, an annoying smirk twisting his lips in an admittedly attractive way.
"Shut up," I look down at my trophy, unwilling to meet his eye.
***
Fred does end up doing most of what I had designated as 'my side.' We end up sitting next to each other, chatting some as we finish up the last of the dingy trophies.
"Honestly, how do they get so dirty?" I laugh, glancing up at him.
"I have a theory," he grins at me.
"Let's hear it."
"You know my experience in this department...I've decided McGonagall must be the one who comes and dirties up the trophies so she can use the chore for detention."
I roll my eyes playfully, "c'mon. You think McGonagall, Professor McGonagall, who is notorious for being incredibly tidy, comes up to the third floor and what? Smudges each and every trophy just to make a little chore for naughty students?"
"What other explanation is there?" he chuckles.
Shrugging, I grin at the shiny surface of another cup for Merlin-knows-what. "I just don't think McGonagall has the patience for that nonsense. Shouldn't you know? You seem to be on her radar at all times."
"Still get away with a lot if that's the case," he bumps his shoulder against mine like we're buddies or something.
I stand to set down the newly polished trophy back in its glass case, "Oh! Looks like you've got the last one."
"Really? And it's only..." he glances towards the clock, "nearly eleven."
I can't help but yawn at the mention of the time, "well... I can wait for you to finish--?"
"No, go ahead. If you're tired--"
I don't understand why I feel sad that detention is over. "Oh--well, I'll see you in class soon?" Merlin, why does that sound so--
"Yeah. I'll er--see you." He looks down at his trophy. I falter over what to do next, ultimately deciding to leave the room.
I make my way back down to the dorms. It's quiet, the fire's crackle and the scratch of a seventh year's quill the only noises in the common room. 
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