#(she's fine she only fell once and it was onto nice fluffy dirt)

[hopefulqueer]

New patch for the pumpkin! I decided a little flowerpot was the perfect hide for a Sprout.

(Image description: a top-down photo of a plastic, cubic terrarium. There are a couple of tiny ceramic pumpkins, various pieces of moss and leaves, a water dish, and a small brown flowerpot turned on its side and half-buried in the soil. An orange and black spider is tucked up against the side of the flowerpot. End of image description.)

[sweetchup]

A Helping Hand 4: Ghosts of Past // Day 3 🌙

Type: Shalnark x reader

Au?: Savior Au

Word Count: 2,000+

Warning: Past Character death, Bribing, Drinking, Trauma

Author Note: Sorry this came out a little later in the day than expected. I hope people like it and let me know in the comments who you think the ghosts are. Sorry for making y’all cry

<—(Pt.4.3☀️) / (Pt.5)—>

A Helping Hand Masterlist

“All right.” You mutter to yourself, quickly centering the fluffy cat plush on the grave before taking a step back to take a look.

You and Shalnark had done a lot for Pakunoda’s grave, from cleaning up all the dirt and cobwebs surrounding it to getting some of her favorite things to place on her grave. You just hoped, somehow and somewhere, she would be satisfied…

As you wipe the sweat off your brow, you look out the window towards the already night sky. Time had passed by so quickly while you were working. So much so, you had nearly forgotten about Chloe. Thankfully, Shalnark had offered to go grab Chloe for you at the last minute while you finished things up.

“Hey nice job. You even lit the candles.”

Speaking of the devil, you turn around to see Shalnark entering the room, Chloe trotting close right behind him. As the cat comes running up to you, you notice Shalnark holding two bags in his hand.

“What did you get?” You questioned out loud as you lean down to pick Chloe up. Shalnark gives you a confused look before looking at his hand and realizing what you were asking.

“Oh.” Shalnark fumbles with the bag before handing you a can, “I got us a couple of beers to drink.”

“Beers? Shal I don’t think…” You watched appalled as Shalnark proceeded to chug a whole can down in front of you. “...you should be drinking…”

“Oh come on, Doc. A couple of drinks won’t hurt anybody.” Shalnark chuckles out, jumping back onto the rock behind him to sit before pulling out another can. Suddenly as he takes a sip of his next one, a mischievous look flashes on his face. “Hey (Y/n). I say we have a little drinking contest to see who has a bigger toleran—.”

“Nope” You deadpanned, not even leaving room for Shalnark to argue back. As a gust of wind passes through the old building, causing it to moan lightly under the wind’s strength, you feel a shiver run up and down your spine. Damn, even though you were wearing a ski jacket and scarf it was still cold.

Shalnark lets out a small sigh to himself before shrugging his shoulders, “Fine, Fine. Guess I’ll have to drink this all by myself then.”

“Shal no—.”

Quickly, you attempt to take the can from Shalnark’s hand but the male caught onto your intentions and was much faster than you. Holding the can far away from your reach, you glare up at him in annoyance.

Unfazed by your threats, Shalnark leans forward to you and whispers, “Then, Drink with me (y/n).”

After a couple of minutes of staring each other down, and an attempt from Shalnark to chug down another beer, you realize you have to give in. Sucking your teeth in, you, begrudgingly, open a can and take a sip. Instantly, you feel yourself cringe at the bitter taste the beer held. It definitely wasn’t your type of drink to have.

“Am I sensing a chicken?” Shalnark teases out, already in the process of crushing his second can in his fist. You send him a quick glare, already wanting to just strangle him right then and there, as you bring the can up to drink from again.

You can feel the alcohol flow through your body almost instantly as Shalnark makes you drink more. It was just like what those textbooks you were forced to read in college said. You felt it in your brain first, euphoric and relaxed as if you had no worries in the world. Like a false haze fell over your eyes, blinding you from the rough truths of the world. Then, you felt it in your muscles. Your speech was getting more and more incoherent, your hands were shaky and, eventually, it got to be such a struggle to even stand that Shalnark had to help you sit down next to him…

To him…

You let out a small giggle to yourself as you stare at Shalnark. His blonde locks shimmering under the light blue glow of the moonlight as he tipped his head back once more to take a gulp from his can. His Adam’s apple bobbing back and forth a couple of times as he swallows before he pulls the can down to rest against his thighs. You watch as his aquamarine eyes, that seem weirdly more blue now, turn to look over towards you.

“What?” He questions out, his words coming out as a whisper, “Why are you staring at me?”

Because your Handsome, obviously?

Perplexed, you watch as Shalnark suddenly throws his head back in a fit of laughs. What… What was wrong with him?

It takes a couple of minutes but eventually Shalnark calms down and looks at you; his face covered in a wide grin.

“Handsome, Huh?” He teasingly questions out, giggling slightly as you choke on your drink. As you hack your lungs out, you can hardly let out anything, only able to muster a small murmur of a word after a couple of minutes.

“W-whAt…”

Shalnark gives you a moment to compose yourself, handing you a water bottle after your coughing calms down before proceeding to explain.

“I think you might have drinked a little bit too much if you can’t distinguish between your thoughts and what you say, Sweetie.” You flash Shalnark a quick glare at his statement. He seemed to be having a playdate with the amount of teasing and reactions he has been able to wring out of you. You will admit it was funny at first but now it was just getting plain annoying.

Just give him a good smooch. It’ll shut him up real good.

You nearly choked on your water as you proceeded to quickly spin around. What in the world was that. There wasn’t anyone else around from what you could see and sense but you could have swore you heard another’s male’s voice. It couldn’t be Shalnark either. The one you heard was ruff and rumbly, nothing like Shalnark’s. So—

“You okay?” Shalnark calls out, breaking you out of your thoughts.

You feel yourself pause for a minute, your thoughts needing a minute a couple of minutes to catch up to you before answering, “Ah… Yeah. I just thought I heard something…”

Shalnark thinks for a second before letting a light hum in response.

“I don’t hear anything. Well… Unless you count Chloe rolling around in the petals—“

You cut Shalnark off with a loud gasp, “Chloe No. No. No!”

Quickly, you scamper over to Chloe, picking up the cat before she could possibly roll and knock over anything on the grave. She was usually quite the respectful cat, not much to cause trouble, so it surprised you that she was acting like this. You hoped the gods, or whatever supernatural force that existed out there, won’t strike you down for your cat rolling around on Pakunoda’s grave like that.

“What’s with you Chloe… you never roll around like this unless someone is giving you belly rubs—” You end up cutting yourself off as a loud yawn forces its way out of your mouth. Oddly, the tiredness of today’s events suddenly hit you like a truck making you feel absolutely drained.

“Eh? Tired already?” Shalnark chuckles out as you practically collapse next to him. “You do know our hotel is on the other side of the city right?”

“Please tell me you’re joking…” You pleaded out. You knew, from experience, how hard it could be to grab a cab this late at night especially if your hotel is on the other side of the city.

“Sadly not Princess.”

You let out a small whine as you defeatedly fall backwards to lay on the rocks.

“Well, didn’t you stay here with the troupe for a while? Do you possibly have a place to sleep here, just for tonight?”

“Well, we do. But, when we stayed here in York New it was during the summer, not the winter. So we don’t have anything that could possibly keep us warm except for the candl— what…” You sit up a little as you hear Shalnark pause and suddenly rummage through his plastic bag, “A Blanket…”

After hearing what he found, you fully sit up and lean over his shoulder to take a look.

“That’s actually perfect.” You murmur out, reaching down to touch the fabric, “It’s big enough for both of us and the fabric is extremely thick to keep us warm. We will be perfectly fine if we have this and our jackets on.”

“I-it’s not that. It’s just I didn’t— this wasn’t… in the bag before. I didn’t buy this.” Shalnark mumbles out confused as moves around the blanket. Testing to see if he was really seeing what was in front of you two.

“Perhaps… you accidentally grabbed it or switched up with someone else’s bag?”

“W-well no. I didn’t see the blanket when I took out the drinks earlier—“ Shalnark is cut off as you take the blanket from him. As you unfold the fabric, Shalnark sighs to himself. What was he thinking? Getting all worked up over a blanket. You were likely correct, he or the cashier likely misplaced a blanket in his bag. Shalnark huffs out a laugh as a sudden thought comes across his mind. Uvogin would surely beat his ass if he saw Shalnark suspicious of a mere blanket.

A frown slowly makes its way on Shalnark’s face as his thoughts escalate. What was he doing? Sitting here like a school boy with a crush, falling hopelessly in love with you. He wasn’t dead, he still had his nen, the rest of the troupe is very much still alive… and Hisoka was still on the loose. Plus, if…

“What's important is the survival of the whole, not the individual."

"The worst case is all of us dying. The end of the Spiders."

… Hisoka actually succeeds in killing the other spiders then he would have to rebuild the spider… Right? And, you… you couldn’t come along with him if that's the case. You live in a different world than him. You were a caring doctor and he a cold blooded kill—

Shalnark winces as a firm smack hits the back of his head, nearly sending him flying forward.

“Ow. (Y/n)... what in the world was that for?” Shalnark grumbles out annoyed as he massages the back of his head. He’s not sure why you’re mad but you didn’t have to hit him that hard.

“Huh? What are you talking about?” You questioned out. As Shalnark spins around to give you a piece of his mind, he pauses. You… you were on the total opposite side of the giant flat rock in the process of setting up the sleeping area. “Ah. Do you mean these pillows? I found them in the corner. It’s so weird, they are practically brand new.”

“Oh yeah… that's it…”

If you were over there, then who smacked him. Was it…

… A Ghost?...

… No, no. That’s totally absurd. That’s the type of stories the boss would believe in, not him. He just… drank too much. Yeah, That’s it.

As Shalnark finally calms himself down, he decides to make his way over to you. Slowly, as you two settle down to sleep onto the cold surface, Shalnark can already feel you begin to drift to sleep off in his arms. He, very carefully, pulls you closer to him.

As he does so, he can hear the faintest whisper off in the distance. He almost mistakens it as the wind if it weren’t for the distinct familiarity in the voice.

Be selfish, Kid…

.

..

…

“Uvo…?”

Shalnark decided that night…. that you two were going to leave York New the very next morning.

Taglist: @meromelodi, @quartetstarheaven , @yumezai , @lvndrhwis, @writtenappreciation , @jojo-sinner, @pastelbear12 , @aly-kurta , @bbunnycore , @feifood , @akobere7u7 , @aleksa784

[bloodpacks-archive]

Until We Meet Again

word count: 4.7k oops

summary: Cassian Andor fell in love once. He never said goodbye.

warnings: uhhh this is rogue one so uh. fluffy and then. and then. well. u know.

note: hi i made myself cry with this fic so i hope you enjoy it bc it is Sad but also lovely at some points and I- yeah. also this is my first time writing cassian so please don’t murder me if he seems off. i also don’t even know if people really write Cassian x reader shit but i don’t really care because I wrote this today and now it’s here

Cassian didn’t like goodbyes. Maybe he was superstitious, or just freaked out, but he never thought goodbyes were a good thing in the rebellion. Goodbyes meant an end, and he wanted a promise of a next time, so he never said goodbye.

When he met her, he was on a mission on Coruscant. He was supposed to meet another Rebel spy here, and in order to keep communications and suspicions down to a minimum, he wasn’t given her name.

He didn’t really understand the order, but Draven had made it clear. He would know when he saw her.

Cassian had never been the biggest fan of Coruscant. It was a bit too crowded for him. He liked the peaceful nature of Yavin 4, it was a nice break from the chaos that came with being a spy.

The one advantage to Coruscant was just how easy it was to blend in. He was given a location, he assumed it was a cantina, just based on Draven’s affinity to them as meeting spaces, and started looking.

The cantina was surprisingly calm. His eyes scanned the room. There were a few Twi’leks standing off in a corner, quietly talking to themselves. They weren’t glancing around the room and they didn’t seem skittish, so Cassian quickly dismissed them. He continued to scan, and then his eyes met hers, for just a moment. She was sipping on a drink, looking at him from over the rim of the glass. Something flashed in her eyes, familiarity, curiosity, he couldn’t quite pinpoint it, but it made him feel like she was the one he was supposed to meet.

When he walked over to the table, he said a quick verification code, and when she replied with the correct response, Cassian had to hold back a smile. He slid into the booth across from her, leaning forward onto the table as he spoke.

“So what are we doing here?” He asked. The girl raised an eyebrow at him.

“Did they not tell you?”

“I only know this location. They told me the rest was up to you. I don’t even know your name.”

She leaned back in the booth, letting her head fall to the side as she scanned Cassian up and down. He noticed how one of her hands lingered by her side, just above the hem of her jacket, and he raised his eyebrows at her, and then leaned in, dropping his voice down to a whisper.

“If you pull out your blaster, that’s gonna be a lot more paperwork than either of us want. Trust me, I know this looks suspicious that I don’t know anything, but the General told me it was to keep suspicions low. I was given the location and I knew the verification code. I can’t offer you anything else.”

It was then that her hand finally moved away from where he assumed her blaster was sitting. And now she was smiling, just faintly there, while she moved in closer to Cassian. He watched as she leaned forward on the table, leaving them maybe just a few inches more than a foot apart.

“Alright,” She whispered, “I’ll give you the rundown.”

—————

Their mission was to find a rebel who had been captured by the Empire. They were keeping him on Coruscant until he could be transported, which would be happening tomorrow. She had the location, she had an idea of who the rebel was, and she had a plan. The test was just getting in and out with minimal damage.

They went in at night, when the underground prison-camp would be at its emptiest. They were quiet, shuffling around and hiding behind walls whenever they thought they heard the familiar sounds of stormtrooper armor.

They turned a corner, and there he was. The rebel was sitting in the corner of his cell, hands tied behind him and head hanging at an awkward angle. Cassian kneeled down, going to pick the lock while the girl—whose name he still didn’t know—stood watch.

Finally, the lock clicked open, and Cassian quickly went into the room, kneeling down in front of the rebel prisoner.

“Hey, hey, we’re here to help you,” He whispered. The prisoner’s eyes slowly opened, he blinked a few times, and then his eyes looked over Cassian, before widening in realization.

“Captain Andor?” He whispered, his voice hoarse and weak. It was then that Cassian finally took a look at the prisoner, finally got a chance to see him from under the dirt and dried blood.

“Barid?”

“Now’s not really the time for a reunion, we have to go,” The girl whispered from just outside the cell. Cassian heard stormtroopers coming down the hallway, and quickly untied Barid and got him to his feet.

Barid hung onto Cassian, limping as he walked, and they both made their way down the hallway, following the fellow rebel spy through the corridors.

Suddenly, she turned, hiding behind a notch in the wall and pulled her blaster up. Cassian followed in suit, pulling Barid with him.

“Who’s there?” They heard, and then a stormtrooper turned the corner. Cassian held his breath, just listening as the stormtrooper came closer and closer.

And then he heard blaster fire. He turned out of hiding, his own blaster at the ready, and was met with the stormtrooper laying on the ground, the girl standing over him.

“We should go,” She said quickly, and they ran. Cassian held Barid close to him, hoping that by pure adrenaline Barid would be able to run just a bit faster than he was. Cassian saw a stormtrooper out of the corner of his eye and quickly turned to fire a few shots at him, and then they were out. Coming out of the underground bunker and into the brightness of the Coruscant lights.

“You got a ship?” The girl asked as they made their way through the streets of Coruscant, trying to blend in once again.

“What happened to yours?”

“There was,” She paused, “An issue?”

“That sounds like a lot of fun paperwork,” Barid chimed in. He was starting to walk a bit more normally, and was able to keep up with the other two, but he still had a bit of a limp. It was starting to make Cassian worry.

“The point is,” The girl said, giving a bit of a dirty look to Barid while he laughed, “mind if I get a ride?”

Cassian hummed, like he was thinking for just a moment, before answering.

“On one condition,” He said.

She groaned, rolling her eyes at him.

“You have to tell me your name.”

So when they got to the ship, he helped Barid on, guiding him to a chair so he could finally sit, and then he turned to the still-mystery-girl.

“So?” He asked. And she just sighed, taking a seat in the co-pilot’s chair while Cassian started the ship up.

And then she said her name. A bright, beautiful name, that seemed to fit her perfectly. And Cassian just repeated it, nodding his head a bit before he finally took off, sending them into Hyperspace.

—————

They were back on base around half a day later, and when they arrived, Barid was met with hugs from friends before being lead down to the med-bay.

She stood next to Cassian, arms crossed, watching the people run around the hangar with a bit of joy in her eyes.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been back,” She said. Cassian watched her gaze, but it seemed to flit around everywhere, like she was taking it all in at once.

“Well, welcome back.” Cassian started to move off the ship, but then he turned around, taking one last glance at her. “I’ll see you around.”

—————

The next time he saw her, it was at the mission debriefing. Draven had given them an hour to settle back in, especially since she hadn’t been on base for so long, before getting them back to business.

She handed Draven the data pad she had been filling out the whole way back, and Cassian noticed how she cringed a bit when she informed the General about her ship. Draven just waved it off, reading through the report and deciding that, based on the circumstances reported, it was unavoidable.

When they left the General’s office, she stood against the wall, leaning her head back and closing her eyes.

“You okay?” Cassian asked, his voice quiet.

“Yeah, I’m fine just-“ She paused, taking a breath, before opening her eyes and looking at him, “It’s been a while, you know?”

“Yeah, I get it.” Cassian paused for a moment, silence settling between them as she closed her eyes again. “Do you wanna grab something to eat?”

She looked up at him, eyes just a bit brighter then before, and smiled.

“Yeah, yeah I’d like that.”

And over the next few days, that became a tradition. They would see each other in the halls, and Cassian would ask if she had eaten yet, and she would almost always say no, so they went and they had lunch together.

Eventually, they started spending more of the day together as well. It had started with him walking her back to his quarters, and then she decided to come back to his quarters to work on some reports, until it eventually came to her knocking on Cassian’s door randomly throughout the day, just to sit by him while they both read.

So during those moments, where they’re between missions, they take every second they can get.

It’s during one of those days, when she’s filling out a report on her data pad from a mission she just went on, and Cassian’s looking over the intel he’s been given from informants, when Kay walks into the room.

“General Draven has requested both of you to his office.” Kay walks into the room, and then glances over what Cassian is looking at. “Based on that intel, I’d say there’s a 72% chance it has to do with that.”

Cassian closes out the data pad. “Thanks Kay,” He says, and then he looks over at where she’s sitting, still focused on her report as she starts to stand. “C’mon, we should go.”

And so she nods, finally setting her data pad down to go follow Cassian and Kay towards the General’s office.

When they arrive, the General is looking over his own data pad, his brows are furrowed together, and he’s rubbing a spot on his wrist. That’s a mannerism Cassian’s learned to be wary of.

“I’m guessing you saw the Intel from Kashyyyk?” Cassian says, finally speaking up. Draven nods, finally glancing up towards the two of them.

“I need the two of you to go to Kashyyyk, bring K-2SO, he might help you blend in.”

“Kashyyyk? It’s hell over there. Why would we go there?” Both Cassian and the General turned to Y/n. Her eyes were flitting between them, she was analyzing the interaction, trying to find some reason.

“We have reason to believe Saw Gerrera was there recently. Any intel you can bring back will be useful.” The General pauses, watching over the two of them for a moment. “Lieutenant,” He says, turning to her. It takes Cassian by surprise, he hasn’t heard anyone call her Lieutenant since they’ve come back from Coruscant. Based on the way she shifts, a bit uncomfortably, she isn’t a fan of the formality.

“Yes, General?”

“I’ll need you to gather as much intel as you can from your informants down there. We haven’t heard much from them in a while, so we don’t know much about the state of Kashyyyk.”

“I’ll get right on that,” She replies. She’s already pulling out her data pad, scrolling through her files when Draven turns to Cassian.

“Captain, I’ll need you to go down first. Communications will be at a minimum. We’ll send you in an Imperial ship with an Imperial uniform, and Kay will be with you. After a week, we’ll send the Lieutenant. You are just trying to find Gerrera. If a week after Y/n arrives you still haven’t found him or any intel on his whereabouts, you leave. We cannot risk you two being down there for any longer.”

“Understood, General.”

“You leave tonight.”

With that, they left the General’s office and went to their separate quarters to start preparing, which in Cassian’s case, meant packing. Kay was talking his ear off, saying something about how he’d never been on Kashyyyk, and how Wookies had a “54% chance of tearing your arms off at any moment” which, Cassian was sure must have been a glitch in Kay’s programming.

Cassian liked Wookies. But with the enslavement, he thought maybe the statistic was right. If his entire world was enslaved to the Empire, he thinks he’d have around the same statistic too.

He was just about to finish packing when he heard a soft knock at his door.

“Come in!” He’d yelled, and he heard the sliding of the door opening. When he turned back, she was standing there, looking a bit worried.

“You nervous?” She moved to where Cassian was kneeling in front of his bag, and sat down next to him. Her head leaned onto his shoulder, just staring down at the bag in front of them.

It was interesting. She was hell on the battlefield. Unconcerned and unapologetic. But here, in Cassian’s quarters, she seemed almost scared.

“No,” Cassian replied. He laid his head on top of hers, and the two of them sat there for just a moment, the silence between them. “Are you?”

He felt her sigh, “A bit? Kashyyyk, it’s- it’s hell over there right now. I was contacting a few of my informants and-“ She paused, “I can’t even imagine.”

Cassian nudged her a bit, making a small smile appear on her face.

“Hey,” He said, “That’s the great thing about the Rebellion. Everything we do is bringing people like them one step closer to freedom.”

“You’re right.” She moved away, sitting up and straightening herself out a bit.

“Cassian,” Kay said from behind them. He had gone on a quick run to fix up one of his drives. “I hate to break up the moment, but I’m afraid we have to leave.”

So Cassian rose, sighing a bit as he stood, and offered her a hand to stand up with him.

“See you in a week?” Cassian said, just the beginnings of a smile on his face.

“See you in a week.” She replied.

—————

He missed her. It was really odd, because they’d been apart before and it hadn’t been a big deal, but he missed her. Even with Kay by his side, he felt alone on Kashyyyk. Hiding out as an Imperial Officer was awful. He tried getting intel on where Saw Gererra would be, but nothing came up.

No one knew where he was.

He figured he was forgetting something, so he just waited for her to arrive. She’d have a better idea of how to look, he was sure of it.

And that week, it gave him a lot of time to think. Cassian sat in his Imperial quarters, laying on his bed and staring up at the ceiling while Kay sat on the floor and leaned against the wall.

“What do you think?” He asked. And Kay just looked up from what he was doing, tilting his head at Cassian.

“About what?”

“You know,” Cassian paused.

“I do not know.”

“Y/n. What do you think about her?” Cassian asked finally.

“I like her. She listens to me and she think I’m funny. Unlike someone.”

“The listening part or the funny part?”

“Both.”

Cassian laughed, sitting up in his bed and leaning his head forward in his hands.

“Why do you ask?” Kay said.

“I don’t know Kay, I just-“

“Do you like her?”

“Kay-“

“You know if you two end up together she could convince you that not only am I always right but I’m also funny.”

“You’re annoying,” Cassian replied, finally looking up at Kay.

“And funny.”

—————

It was a few days later when she arrived on Kashyyyk. She came into his quarters, and suddenly it felt like everything turned upside-down.

Is it weird how much he wanted to pull her into his arms?

But he brushed it off, and they went on through the week, trying to find more clues to where Gererra would be.

The week was cut short.

Around four days after she arrived, someone was alerted of their presence. Thankfully, Cassian had managed to intercept communications between stormtroopers and became aware of the situation before it was too late.

They were in their quarters when they realized, and it wasn’t long before all three of them were running out of the base.

They turned a corner, and there stood a group of stormtroopers, most likely heading towards their quarters.

“There! Intruders!” One of them shouted, and the three of them hid behind different notches in the corridors, hoping they would be enough cover.

Blaster fire flew by Cassian’s head, he heard orders being shouted out, and Kay was peaking out from behind cover to blast the troopers ahead of them.

Cassian managed to grab a hold of his blaster without getting shot, and started doing the same.

“Hey, maybe this is a bad time,” Cassian started, a bit out of breath from the running and the hiding, “but I kind of need to tell you something.” He heard Kay from behind him.

“Cassian, I don’t think this is a good time. There’s an 80% chance of-“

“I don’t wanna know, Kay!” Cassian shouted back at the droid. He heard Kay groan, but Cassian just ignored it.

“Is this the best time?” She asked from beside him. He watched as she peaked out and shot a stormtrooper, knocking him to the ground.

“Can you think of a better one?” He replied. She glanced at him and then at the thinning crowd of troopers. There were still too many.

“Alright, shoot,” She said.

“Kind of already doing that.” Cassian winked at her and then leaned out to shoot down another trooper. Eight left.

She cast a glare his way.

“You know what I meant!”

Cassian peaked out again, shooting once before just dodging blasting fire. Six.

“Okay well, I really missed you during that week, and it made me start thinking-“ Pause. Fire. Five. “That I don’t want to just be friends.” Fire. Four.

“What?”

Three more shots. One.

“He’s saying he likes you,” Kay finally said, coming out of his spot to fire at the last trooper.

“Yeah,” Cassian said, trying to catch his breath, “what he said.”

Her eyes flitted over his face, for just a moment, trying to take in every detail. But soon enough, Kay was running past them.

“We should go,” Cassian said, and he grabbed her hand, pulling her along and to their ship.

—————

The ride back to Yavin 4 is peaceful. Thankfully, they’d managed to gun down anyone who tried to follow them, and Kay made sure there were no trackers on the ship.

The ship is surprisingly quiet. Kay had retreated to the back, deciding to run some diagnostics, and while Cassian was sitting in the pilot’s chair, making sure everything was going smoothly, she was sitting next to him in the co-pilot’s filling out her usual reports.

Nothing seemed awkward, but she still wasn’t talking to him, and that made him irrationally nervous. Even if she didn’t reciprocate his feelings, he liked having her as a friend. He didn’t want that to change.

“Cassian?” She said, her voice quiet, but enough to break the silence. He looked over at her, and she had her head tilted to the side, just enough so it was resting against the back of her chair as she turned to look at him.

Cassian hummed in response.

“Did you really mean what you said back there?”

She seemed timid, and once again, he found himself shocked at the difference between on and off the battlefield. Her confidence almost faded away.

“Yeah, of course I did,” He replied. He noticed the way her lips began to quirk up into a smile.

“All of it?”

“All of it.”

She let out a sigh, closing her eyes a bit as she leaned back against her chair. And then she smiled. That perfect, bright smile.

“And here I was thinking I was going to have to tell you first,” She said finally, and Cassian laughed, leaning over to push her playfully.

And then their laughter filled the cabin, and all was well. She rose from her seat, putting the data pad to the side as she came to stand next to him. She leaned onto the back of his chair, and he grabbed her hand, lightly pressing his lips to the back of her hand.

She leaned down to kiss his temple, and all seemed well.

—————

They’d been together for ten months, and they’d been through a lot. Cassian getting injured probably too many times to count, her yelling at him, her disappearing for a few weeks for a mission. It was endless.

They spent a lot of time apart. So when they had time together, they made the most of it.

She had moved her stuff to his quarters a while ago, and now she spent every night she was at the base in his quarters.

This night was one of the lucky nights when they were both there. It wasn’t quite late enough that they should’ve been sleeping, but enough so that most of the other people on base were already in their quarters and getting ready for bed.

It was quiet, just the sound of their voices and the usual hum of the base their only noise.

Cassian had his arms wrapped around her, humming quietly in her ear as they both laid in the dark.

“Cassian?” She whispered. Her voice was soft, just barely there, but it was all he needed. “When this is all done, where do you want to go?”

He pressed his lips to her temple.

“Wherever you want to go, my love,” He whispered. Her laughter filled the room as she turned in his arms, finally face-to-face with him.

“Really, Cassian, where should we go when this is over?”

And he thought for a while, because he wasn’t really sure where. The Rebellion had been his home for so long. He couldn’t imagine calling another place home.

“I like Alderaan,” He answered, finally.

“Alderaan it is then,” She whispered, before leaning up to press a kiss to his lips.

And that was all he could have asked for. He had hope. Hope for something when all this was done. He had her, and she made him ridiculously happy, in ways that he couldn’t even explain, and that was all he had ever wanted. All he had ever asked for. And she was here. Right in front of him. He would never have to say goodbye to that, she would always be by his side.

“We could get married,” She whispered again, her eyes fluttering shut.

“That sounds like a dream, my love,” He whispered back. She opened her eyes, narrowing them at him.

“What’s with all the ‘my love’ stuff?” She asked. Cassian simply laughed, pressing his lips to her forehead.

“It’s just what you are.”

And he isn’t sure what makes him do it, what makes him reach over to his bedside table, and grab the chain out of the drawer, but he does. It’s just a simple chain, and on it is a ring. One that he’d bought when he was younger, hoping that maybe he could put it to use. He had mostly forgotten about it until now, but he can’t imagine a more perfect moment.

“As a reminder,” He starts, placing the chain in her hands, “of our life after.”

—————

Cassian doesn’t like goodbyes. He never says them, because he never thinks saying goodbye will turn out well. Saying goodbye is admitting the end, and he’s never been ready for that. So he doesn’t say goodbye.

He’s about to leave with Jyn, and Bodhi, and Chirrut, and everyone else for Scarif when he runs into her on the tarmac.

“Cassian what- where are you going?” Her hands flit over him, before finally stilling, going to press her thumb to the cut at the top of his head, resting one hand on his shoulder. Her brows are furrowed, and she looks terrified.

“My love, I’ll be back, I promise.”

“Cassian I haven’t seen you for days,” Her eyes fill with tears, and then her hands go up to cup his face. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to save the Rebellion. I’ll be back, okay? We’ll all be back.” He notices her hand fall down to the chain around her neck, and he grabs that hand, bringing it up to his lips.

“Remember our after, okay?” She asks.

Something tells him to pull her in, and so he does. He holds her, and she’s got her arms wrapped around him so tightly he isn’t sure that she’ll ever let go.

“I’ll see you later,” He says. And then he pulls away, taking one last glance at her.

She nods, still playing with the ring around her neck.

“Go save the Rebellion.”

As he turns back, he mouths an “I love you,” he notices she does the same.

—————

Cassian had never thought about an afterlife. With all the death he’d seen, you’d think he had. But he never had time for it. Now, with the threat so close to him, it was all he could think about. Were the men he had killed sent to an afterlife of happiness? Were the innocent men killed here on Scarif going to be sent somewhere warm? Somewhere they could be happy? With all the destruction, all the pain he’d caused in his life to get to this final sacrifice, would he join them?

Or was the only thing waiting for him oblivion? Was that all he had?

He wasn’t sure what he would feel like in these final moments, but as he and Jyn limped to the shore, to a place of beauty in all this terror, all he felt was warmth. It wasn’t happiness, he wasn’t sure he would ever describe it as that, but it was fulfillment. They’d succeeded. They’d gotten the message out. Someone would hear.

When they finally sat down on the sand, all he could think of was her. His mind drifted. Every moment of her laughter, every second of her smile, every time she said hello. And he never said goodbye.

He still wasn’t sure whether that was a good or bad thing. If the goodbye would have made this any less painful for either of them. He couldn’t be sure. But as the light grew, as he held onto Jyn as tightly as he could, imagining it was her, he just knew he wanted nothing more than to see her one last time.

He took a breath.

It was warm, the light. He could feel it getting closer. He felt every second as it passed, felt them as if they were stretching into hours.

And all he could think of was her.

He thought about his promise of after. His promise that he’d be back. He wished he could have that life on Alderaan. Wished he could have a house with her, wished he would get to see her walk down an aisle.

The heat grew stronger, still.

Cassian wondered if she wanted kids. What they might’ve looked like if they’d ever gotten the chance.

Warmer.

Soon enough, it was almost too much for Cassian to take. He gripped Jyn tighter. He was scared. And then he could feel the light, feel it all around him, see it through his closed eyes.

Until we meet again, my love.

Cassian Andor took his final breath, hoping to see her again.

I don’t know if I’ll write more Cassian or not?? But I don’t have a taglist for it so I’m just kinda winging it but I do know @anxieteandbiscuits​ asked me if I’d ever write Cassian and.... girl look.... i’ve done it big r.i.p though

[nekoabiwrites]

Battle Bonds

Ahhh! It feels so good to be back and writing again! Panto was great fun and I’m kinda missing it but also, I’m so happy to not have to watch the same show 60 times anymore...

Anyway, this fic was inspired by a freaking adorable piece of art by @artistictaurean with Roman and a lil cute Swablu: https://artistictaurean.tumblr.com/post/190329454010/holy-crap-i-actually-finished-something-just-a  Mega thanks to them for not only being super talented at making such darn cute art, but also for being chill with me writing this (even tho I was on anon asking but mehhhhhh details)

AU: None Pairing: None Words: 2644 Warnings: Remus and Deceit are in here. Anything else, please let me know!

Summary: Thomas has been on a bit of a pokemon kick recently and it has affected his imagination more than he would ever think of...

---

Due to the recent release and information about new titles in the Pokemon franchise, Thomas had been thinking about and playing a lot of the series – much to Logan’s dismay. It had just been something he was doing, not once did Thomas even give a thought to how his gaming habit would affect his sides.

Roman lightly chewed on the end of his pencil as he tried to work out the perspective of the next detail to his sketch. It was rare to have all of the sides in the imagination with him after all, even more so that it was for social reasons rather than important ones. He dropped his head and added detail to the figure of Logan in his artwork, doing everything to capture the bewildered expression that was currently resting on the logical side’s features and the open book in his hands.

The prince couldn’t fault Logan for this, as he could hear the excited squeals of Patton off to his left as he discovered yet another new species that he didn’t realise existed.

“IT’S A PUPPY!” The paternal side yelled, holding Rockruff high above his head in order to show it off to the others. An amused snort and swishing of grass told Roman that Virgil was heading towards Patton to get a closer look at the small animal.

Time passed leisurely as the cycle of Patton finding new species, calling out that he found a new one and then being told which pokemon it was continued to repeat itself, all while Roman continued sketching. Eventually, Patton and Virgil settled down in view of Roman, allowing him to finally add them to his piece. Then there was an odd breeze that ruffled his hair and a weight was added to the top of his head.

Roman dropped his sketchpad and held his arms up, yelping loudly in surprise. He knew deep down it was fruitless to try, but his instinct was to attempt to look up and see what was perched upon his head.

Another Patton squeal had Roman freezing in place. The moral side jogged on up to Roman and coo’d at the creature on his head, “It’s so fluffy and – Oh! – It’s just like a cloud, and its so soft! Virgil, Logan! What’s this one?!”

“If memory serves, it is a swablu, Patton.” Logan approached, flipping the pages. It took seconds for him to find what he was looking for and he began to read aloud, “It is a primary normal type with a secondary flying type that was introduced in the third generation. Its category is the cotton bird pokemon. According to several entries in the pokedex of various games, swablus are very concerned with cleanliness and enjoy perching upon the heads of people.”

“I thought you didn’t care about this stuff?” Virgil asked slyly, gently brushing a finger along the tops of the swablu’s fluffy wings.

Logan flushed slightly and cleared his throat, “I do not recall saying that I didn’t care about it. I was simply attempting to get Thomas to understand that playing such a game for long periods of time is unproductive and-”

“I was just messing with ya, Logan. It’s okay.” Virgil snorted and rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

Roman was remaining fairly motionless as the others fawned over the pokemon perched upon his head. After getting confirmation on what pokemon it was, he’d regained his composure, sure that there was little to no threat. The prince reached up to pet the extremely friendly pokemon, feeling the cloud-like wings for the first time while also bringing the attention back down to himself with an exaggerated clearing of his throat. “Not that I mind being surrounded by attention, but my art was almost completed and now you have all moved from your positions. I place the blame upon you all if this turns out absolutely horrendous.” He gestured to the forgotten sketchbook resting in the grass.

Shortly after Roman had begun yet another round of bantering back and forth with Virgil and Logan, Patton saw a new pokemon that excited him, and he ran off. Virgil trailed behind, watching with amusement. Logan eventually moved in the same direction once Patton called for him yet again. Roman was now alone with the creature atop his head.

He summoned a floating mirror before himself and saw the blue bird for the first time. It looked to be starting to dose off, clearly comfortable in its position. The royal reached up again and gently stroked the bird, who seemed pleased with the gentle attention as it chirped in response. “How do you like the name Alto?” Roman asked rhetorically. The swablu perked up and flew in a small circle, just above Roman’s head, before seating itself again and almost nuzzling into the creative side’s hair. “I’ll have to take that as a yes.”

It wasn’t long until the hype died down and Thomas went back to his usual level of enjoyment of the series. This meant that if the sides wanted to keep all the random pokemon, Roman would have had to start working extremely hard to keep them all around. Thankfully, Patton wasn’t going to push his fellow side like that, and they all compromised on only keeping certain pokemon that they’d all become attached to – mostly due to the fact that their attachments would take some of the strain off of the creative side.

Out in the dirt courtyard of the castle located near the entrance to the imagination, Roman had placed a battling area for the pokemon, giving all of them a place to battle in a regulated, enclosed space.

“Servine is unable to battle.” Patton called out, “All three of Deceit’s pokemon have fainted! Roman wins! Yay Roman!” The moral side applauded, causing the Lillipup currently resting in his lap to yap alongside.

Roman laughed heartily, “Of course I won. What were you thinking, putting your grass type out against my superior flying type?” Alto soared over to rest upon Roman’s head, allowing her trainer to give her well earned scritches.

Deceit rolled his eyes, “It was because I have no knowledge of typing and most definitely had nothing to do with the fact I only had one pokemon left and therefore had no other options.” As he spoke, he returned the pokemon to its pokeball

“Now Deceit, be nice…” Patton chastised.

“Apologies.” Deceit sarcastically responded before stalking off to who knew where.

Patton went to say something to Roman, but was cut off by the creative side, “It’s quite alright, Patton. Not even the attitude from a slippery snake can dampen my mood!”

“Well, good! Let’s heal everyone up before the final match!” Patton hopped up from his cross-legged position on the ground and took Roman off to the side. Instead of battling on his own, Patton had taken the role of judge and healer. He found it was far more rewarding to help the fainted and injured pokemon than be the reason why they were hurt in the first place. Due to the fairly decisive victory, Roman’s pokemon took very little time to heal.

“There you go! All better now!” Patton handed the pokeballs back over to Roman, who replaced them back into their places on his belt. The moral side then looked around and bit his lip a little in worry, “I’m sorry, kiddo… but I need to go and find out where Dee went. Are you alright to wait just a little longer?”

“Of course he is!” came a third excited voice, who made both sides jump with his sudden presence and arms over their shoulders.

Roman’s smile fell and he sighed heavily, “I hate to admit this… but, for once, my brother is right… It’s more than fine for you to attend to business, Patton.”

“If you require a moderator, I am free to fulfil that role in Patton’s absence.” Logan cut in.

“Ooo! Yes! Let’s murder both of these birds with the stone!” Remus gleefully clapped his hands and hopped in place, whilst the other sides simply agreed to Logan’s proposition.

The two sides of creativity took a spot at each end of the field, staring each other down; Roman with a hardened glare that aimed to strike fear in his brother, Remus with his signature unhinged grin and twitching fingers hovering just over the balls resting against his side.

“The usual format and rules apply. Three pokemon per user, first to have all three faint is the loser. Are we agreed on this?” Logan called out. Both of the participants nodded. “Let the battle commence!”

Roman tossed out his first ball, summoning his precious swablu onto the field. Both looked as determined as the other. Remus, on the opposite side, released his first pokemon and everyone in attendance immediately grimaced.

“What in the heck is that thing?!” Roman yelled.

“It’s an Arctozolt! Isn’t he just a precious little monster?” Remus coo’d, making kissy faces at the abomination before him.

Logan’s eyes darted between the two for a moment, clearly having knowledge that Roman did not. The prince was going to ask what had the logical side looking as though he was nervous for him but decided against it. Instead, he steeled his resolve.

“Alto, Cotton Guard!”

Using her wings, Alto managed to surround her entire body in layers of almost invisible cotton, using it almost as a shield against anything that would attack her. She then seemed to brace herself, watching the pokemon before her carefully.

“Thundershock!”

Time seemed to stop for a second as Roman heard the command. He hadn’t even considered the fact that Arctozolt had the type advantage, especially since he’d never seen it before. Now that he was helpless to do much other than stare, Roman managed to notice the thunderbolt-like growths on the pokemon’s top half and that it was shivering, which may indicate that it was also partially ice type. His thoughts were cut short as Alto screeched in pain as the electric attack hit her square on.

“Alto!” Roman cried out. He watched as the swablu dropped in the air slightly but managed to catch herself before hitting the floor. He let out a soft sigh of relief, “Shake it off and use Round!”

Alto did just that, physically shaking her body to clear herself of the shock before soaring in circles for a few seconds, ending up heading directly for Arctozolt, hitting it square in the chest. The odd pokemon recoiled slightly after the hit, but still seemed to be feeling alright. The same could not be said for Roman as he saw the smile on his brother’s face grow even larger.

“Arctie, use Avalanche!”

Once again, Roman cursed himself internally. “Alto, avoid as much as you can!” He called out, trying his best to get his beloved swablu to not take as much damage as humanly possible.

It was effective somewhat as Alto did avoid several hits, but it always put her in the path of another part of the attack. Overall, it was a severe hit and Alto’s energy seemed to be waning as she was taking far more effort in order to keep herself in the air. Thankfully, the cotton that surrounded her body did help in staving off some of the damage.

Racking his brain, Roman tried to think of the best way to win the battle that seemed almost completely impossible.

“What’s wrong, brother?” Remus jeered from the opposite side of the field, “Having problems?”

Roman glared harshly at Remus before issuing another command, “Alto, sing!”

Alto responded immediately. She swooped in to hang in the air just a short distance from Arctozolt and began to sing a soft melody, attempting to put the creature to sleep. However, before it could really take effect, Remus called out for Arctozolt to use another move.

“Use Echoed Voice!”

The abomination began to screech loudly, the sound causing most everyone in the surrounding area to cover their ears. Alto drifted backwards, clearly in pain from the hit to her senses, her song being cut short. She began to float downwards towards the ground, looking as though she were about to admit defeat. She turned slightly and was able to notice Roman staring at her, worry coursing through him. Her eyes started to shut as she fell closer and closer to the ground.

“Alto, no!”

Her body touched the ground for a brief second before erupting in a flash of light. Yet again, everyone in attendance flinched and avoided using one of their senses until the light died down.

Remus’ grin dropped completely off of his face as his mouth fell open once he’d caught sight of where Alto had once been.

In place of the small round fluffy-winged bird was a far larger version. Its neck extended upwards, causing her to look far more intimidating as she could look down upon him and its cloud like wings curled around its lower body, looking as though the wings were what made up the creature instead. Just behind, his brother was also as shocked.

“Uh Logan. Information please!”

“Alto evolved into her final stage, that being an Altaria. Her typing has now changed, becoming a primary dragon type with the same secondary flying type as its pre-evolved state.” Logan offered.

“That has to be cheating! That’s his second pokemon now, right?!” Remus pouted, stamping his foot like an angry child.

“Not at all. Evolution is a natural process of the pokemon species as a whole and it cannot be timed, at least in the case of the majority of evolutions. In terms of our ruleset, it is the amount of fainted pokemon that provide us with the final result. As Alto has only evolved and is, in fact, still very much present and aware, it still counts as Roman’s first pokemon.” Logan side-eyed the moustached side as he explained.

Roman was still a little surprised but was more than ready to fight back with his now larger cloud bird. Something in him just knew that Alto had learned something new, so he acted without much thought, “Alto! Dragon Breath!”

Alto reared back as she took in a large breath, physically puffing herself up in preparation. She stared straight ahead at the Arctozolt before letting the blue flames pour from her beak, engulfing the odd creature entirely. Remus also yelped and attempted to shield himself as the edges of the attack came close to reaching his position. The flames dissipated after a moment and Arctozolt seemed to be wobbling back and forth slightly before it fell over and was removed from the competition.

After two more quick battles, Roman was declared the victor of the small tournament and Remus went off to lick his wounds – everyone was sure that wasn’t just a turn of phrase when it came to the intrusive side. Patton returned shortly after the match and was more than a little enamoured with the giant cloud bird. Shortly after, the sides returned to their jobs and things went back to normal.

Later in the evening, Patton headed back into the imagination to call Roman for dinner, since he was nowhere to be found in the regular mindscape.

“Roman? Where are you? Dinner’s ready!” Patton called out into the distance as he wandered around the edge of the castle. He rounded a corner and had to clamp a hand over his mouth in order to muffle a happy squeal.

Alto was sleeping soundly, resting at the base of a tree on the edges of the forest. Curled up in her cloud-like wings was the figure of Roman. Evidently, he’d tired himself out and Alto had offered her soft wings as a base for him to nap. Patton quietly headed back, making a mental note to put Roman’s plate in the fridge for when he woke up.

---

My other stuff: http://nekoabi.tumblr.com/myworks Mobile Accessible Masterlist: http://nekoabi.tumblr.com/post/181954641376/fic-masterlist

General Tag List: @not-so-innocent-bi-sander @didsomeonesayprince @llamaly @justanotherpurplebutterfly  @iaminmultiplefandoms @ultimate-queen-of-fandoms2 @lowkeyvirgilobsessed @louisthewarlock @fangsandrainbows @xxladystarlightxx @sleepyssnail @ao-koshka @notalwaysthevillian @pumpkinminette @doces-e--tuga @coloursintheblur @safesandersides @hogwarts-my-love

[shameless-writes]

Zen x MC

Prompt: Zen has to learn how to ride horses for a role and MC teaches him.

Warnings: none

Author’s note: Its fluffy? I haven’t actually posted fanfic on this website before. Disclaimer, I own nothing except Del. He actually is mine.

Days like this were the days she lived for. Just before the sunrise, no one else around, nothing but her and the horse in the arena.

MC sat in the saddle, not bothered by how much of a tantrum he wanted to throw. The horse she was working was more buck than anything. He reared, he danced, he spun beneath her. Any time he felt her leg touch his side he kicked out behind and surged forward. She made sure to never catch him in the mouth - a problem he previous owner had that had started this whole mess. After endless dizzying minutes - he stopped. MC patted his neck, shifted in the saddle, and he walked forward. She continued the normal work out before she was satisfied.

“See? You don’t have to get so worked up.” She told him. “Big baby.” When she hoped off she had a moment of starstruck awe and the horse almost stepped on her foot. Standing ring side was a face she was familiar with, but not one that knew her. He leaned against the fence casually, white ponytail falling over his shoulder. The dark t-shirt he wore did nothing to hide the muscles he had and the jeans were anything but loose.

“Hi, you’re MC right? I’m Zen.”

“Nice to meet you! You’re early, I’m sorry I would have tried to cut the ride shorter.”

“I didn’t want to be late. That was amazing!” Zen looked at the horse, who momentarily made him question if riding horses was a good idea at all. But the rider was so pretty…

“Thanks. He’s a bit of a handful.” MC started leading the horse back up to the barn with Zen following her. She tried to hide the blush by focusing on not being stepped on by the horse, who enthusiastically tried to drag her up the hill back towards the barn where he knew breakfast was waiting.

“Thank you for agreeing to this so short notice.” Zen fell into step with her. “Its no problem! I’m thankful for the work. And I enjoy your musicals. Its a pleasure to get to help you.” She smiled. “How much do you know about horses?” She asked him, handing the horse off to a groom when they made it into the large barn.

“I have a motorcycle.” Zen replied, scratching the back of his head. It was a little embarrassing to admit he didn’t know much at all. “I know they’re beautiful, like me.”

“They’re not quiet comparable to you. Horses are kind of like motorcycles, but motorcycles with opinions.” MC laughed. She brought him to the last stall. In the stall was a large, round, thick legged, relatively tall red horse missing an eye. As soon as MC was visible he thrust his head out over the door. “This is Del. He’s seen it all, done it all.”

“Hi Del.” Zen pet his face. The horse tolerated the affection with a soft expression. MC had to quiet the giddy feeling in her gut. This was the best paid job she’d had in her career. She took Del’s halter off the hook and held it out to Zen.

“Lesson one.”

~

“Keep your elbows at your sides.” MC watched Zen walk Del slowly around the arena. “There you go, just relax. Don’t look at him, look ahead where you want him to go.”

“How does he know where I’m looking?” Zen asked with a nervous laugh, the horse following the line of his gaze. Del was a big horse and his walking motion alone was difficult to get used to.

“Your head weighs ten pounds. The horse can feel where that balance is.” MC replied. “Reins help too though. Here,” she walked up to Del’s shoulder and the horse stopped. She took Zen’s hand gently in hers, as she’d down a thousand times with her younger students though when she touched his hand she fumbled with nerves. Her brain melted when she looked up at Zen and he was expectantly looking at her. “Relax your wrists, and keep your fists closed. Hold your hands about…” she moved his hand so it was low in front of the saddle.

“Here.”

“What does that do?”

“Gives you a better connection to the horse. These,” she held the reins, “are your words. You don’t want to yell at him, just whisper. Little movements. He’ll feel them.”

“You’re really passionate.” Zen said after she’d withdrawn her hands. He knew that look, that tone of voice. She smiled and looked down, scratching her cheek sheepishly.

“Yeah… its my life. I like teaching people about it.” She smiled up at him. “Now, press your legs into his sides and ask him forward.”

~

Zen was a fast learner. He worked hard, giving whatever he was learning all he had. MC liked answering his questions. She looked forward to his lessons, the way he smiled at her at 7 am no matter the weather. She woke up at 4:30 to get ready for the day and she had a text that upset the usual morning schedule.

Zen: I broke my leg Zen: I don’t think I can ride for a while Zen: I’m sorry

The knock on the door piqued Zen’s curiosity. He stood up and hobbled over on his crutches. Opening the door, his brows raised in surprise.

“MC? What are you doing here?”

“You can’t just text me that you broke your leg and then not expect me to bring you food. Your release form has your address on it.” She grinned at him, holding up a bag of takeout.

Zen was in shock, stepping out of her way so she could come in. The thought of being alone with her in the apartment made his face red. “You didn’t have to drive all the way into the city for me…”

“I wanted to.” She set the food on his coffee table. “Besides, I live a few blocks from here.”

“You do?” Zen followed her. “Oh would you like something to drink?”

“Sure, I’ll take a beer if you have one.” She answered. “Wait let me get it, you should be resting.” She insisted, faster than he was. He fell back onto the couch and she copied him when she came back, setting down two beers.

“Its not a bad drive. I’ve been doing it for a while.” She shrugged, opening the bag of food. “So how’d you break your leg?”

“Practicing for the role.” Zen sighed, settling back into the couch. “I usually heal really fast…”

“That’s good. You’ll be back to dancing and riding in no time then.” She grinned at him, passing him a container.

“I haven’t even told the director yet…” Zen looked down. “I don’t even know if I can keep the role now.”

“Don’t give up.” MC drew his attention back to her. “You have plenty of time to recover. Just keep practicing your lines, exercise what you can, worry about the heavy physical stuff once you’re better.”

She said it so confidently, so relaxed, Zen could almost believe her. He smiled at her and her stomach started doing flips. MC smiled back.

“You can do this, yeah?”

“With your support, yeah. I can.” Zen agreed. “I really like spending time with you.” Zen surprised himself by saying that out loud.

“I like spending time with you too.” MC agreed, blushing. “Besides you’re the first person Del hasn’t dumped in the dirt in a while so there’s that.”

“What? Seriously?” Zen laughed and she nodded.

“I’ve owned that horse for 13 years, and you’re the first person besides me he hasn’t thrown into the bushes in about 5.”

“I didn’t know he was yours.” Zen chuckled, taking a sit of his beer.

“Yeah. The only family I’ve got.”

Dinner ended up leading well into the night. Around 2 am Zen took her up on the roof. She leaned against the roof’s barrier wall, looking out at the city lights with him.

“Its beautiful up here.” She commented, looking over at him. He was looking at her and she looked back at the skyline.

“Yeah. Beautiful.” He murmured, but he was still looking at her. “MC,” he licked his lips and she looked up at him curiously. “C-can I… can I kiss you?”  

MC found herself nodding, heart beating so hard and fast she could feel it hammering against her ribs. “Yes.”

Zen smiled, leaning down. He kissed her softly, her lips fitting perfectly against his. Zen wrapped one arm around her, the other finding her cheek. Her arms closed around his waist, pressing close to him. She couldn’t believe this was happening.

“Careful MC,” Zen laughed against her lips. “All men are wolves, that includes me.”

“I handle horses everyday, I think I can handle a wolf.” MC laughed, kissing Zen again. Zen hummed into the kiss.

MC headed home that night with a smile on her face. Zen sent her a good morning text and called her on her way to work. She sent a selfie with Del that resulted in Zen sending a selfie as well. This became a trend over the course of the week.

“Are you sure you’re ok?” Zen asked for the tenth time.

“Not the first time I’ve been bucked off into the dirt. Won’t be the last.” MC laughed. “Just a sore hip for a few days. I’ll be fine!”

“If you’re sure,” Zen smiled at her. The idea of her falling off didn’t sit well with him at all.

“I’m sure. Some ice, bottle of wine, I’ll be good.” MC finished her beer and flopped her head back on the couch. “I have to be up so early tomorrow. Can’t say I’m looking forward to it.”

“Will it be a long weekend for you?” Zen asked.

“Yeah. But the pay is good. Hopefully we’ll get some of the horses sold and I’ll get the trainer fee.” She closed her eyes. “I’ll miss our late night dinners.” “Me too. You’ll have to last three whole days without seeing this face.” Zen posed and MC laughed.

“I’ll never survive. You’ll have to send me selfies to get me through.” MC leaned on her hand, smiling at him. She moved closer to him to steal a kiss. Zen smirked and pushed her hair back out of her face. He drew a breath and kissed her deeper, pulling her closer so she was resting on his chest.

A knock at the door startled both of them.

“I got it.” MC jumped up and opened the door. A short dark haired girl with big blue eyes looked up at her, face immediately twisting into a scowl. “Um, hi?”

“Who are you?” A shorter girl questioned. “This is Zen’s place.”

“Who is it?” Zen pushed himself up and hobbled over on his crutches.

“Zen? Who is this woman?” The girl demanded.

“Oh, Echo Girl.” Zen blinked in surprise. “What are you doing here so late?”

“I came to see you of course!” Echo Girl pronounced loudly, stomping her foot.

“What are you doing with another woman?”

“I’ll let you handle this.” MC headed back into the apartment. She sat out of sight on the couch, listening to Zen repeatedly tell Echo Girl she needed to go, and that he would call her manager to come pick her up. She got upset and stormed off.

“That wasn’t weird.” MC finished off her beer and stood up.

“You don’t have to go,” Zen told her.

“I wouldn’t leave if I didn’t have to be awake in… 4 hours.” She checked the clock and smiled at him. Standing up on her tip toes she kissed his cheek. “I’ll see you in a few days.”

“Be safe and take care of yourself!”

“I will do my best.” She chuckled and Zen tilted her chin up to steal another kiss.

“Good girl.”

~

The next morning MC headed to work to help load a dozen horses into separate trailers. She had to drive, so by the time she got her phone it had blown up with her friends sharing news reports.

“Hana, what is going on? Why does the group chat have 243 messages? I’m at a show, I can’t-”

“Zen sexually harassed Echo Girl! Its all over the forums and twitter!”

“What? Hold on. Look, I’ll talk to you later.” MC hung up and started to scroll. That wasn’t possible… nothing of what Echo girl said was making any sense.

“MC! Come get this horse ready!”

“I’m coming.” MC sent a quick text to Zen.

MC: I’ll call you later.

And then she went to work. By the time she could call Zen she was exhausted and it was dark. It was a shared hotel room but while her roommate was in the shower she called Zen.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

Zen sounded down. Way down.

“What is happening?”

“Echo girl is blackmailing me. I promise, I’m not like that. I would never do anything she said I did!”

“I know, I believe you. I was there Zen, I remember what was said.” MC promised him. “This is insane. Just lay low for now. Focus on learning your lines and getting better. Did you eat dinner?”

“I had a beer. Or two. Did you eat yet?”

“We stopped at a convenience store on our way to the hotel.”

“That’s not good, you need a real meal!” Zen argued and MC had to laugh, a warm feeling filling her chest.

“I’ll get a real meal with you when I get back.” She promised him. “Don’t worry about this ok? The truth will win out. Just get some rest. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Dream of me.” Zen told her.

“Always.” MC hummed with a smile. “Goodnight Zen.”

“Goodnight, jagiya.”

The endearing term made MC grin like an idiot as she hung up. Zen sent her a selfie and she sent one back.

~

The first thing MC did when she got back was go see Zen. Infuriating enough, there was a crowd of women with signs shaming Zen. The shouted at her as she walked up to his door and she spun around. “Don’t any of you have anything better to do than harrass someone?”

“He harassed Echo Girl first!”

“And your proof is?” MC snapped, knocking on the door. “Zen? Its me!”

The door opened and she slipped inside, just as someone threw a full cup that exploded against the door.

“Tough crowd.” MC sighed, looking up at him. He looked worn. Tired. Beaten down. MC hugged him and after a moment his arms closed around her. “It’s gonna be ok.” She promised.

“How do you know?” He mumbled, face pressed into her hair.

“Because you have a witness.” She looked up at him. “You never called Echo Girl to your apartment to harass her. I was here. She showed up out of the blue and you told her to go away.”

“Yeah… yeah you’re right.” Zen grabbed his phone.

“Who are you messaging?” She asked.

“The RFA.”

~

In the next few days Zen was able to get his cast off. It was decided that a press conference would be held at the RFA charity party to clear Zen’s name.

“Will you be my date, jagiya?” Zen asked. MC was sitting against his side, his arm around her shoulders on his couch.

“Of course I will! I have to be your witness, don’t I?” She kissed his cheek. “Maybe I should spend the night, help you get ready.” She looked up at him with her big [e/c] eyes.

“MC~ you have to be careful! Don’t unleash the beast!” Zen groaned, tilting his head back.

“I’m not!” She laughed. “It’ll be like a sleepover. Face masks, movies, outfit selection. It’ll be fun!” She begged.

Zen looked over at her, smirking. “You don’t know what you do to me, MC.”

“Good things I hope.” She smiled up at him.

“All good things.”

MC ran home to get some clothes and toothbrush. When she came back she and Zen did what she’d promised - a musical on the TV, face masks, and MC helping Zen pick what to wear. Zen insisted on sleeping on the couch that night but he woke up to MC making breakfast. They almost started getting ready to leave too late.

“Are you ready, jagi?” Zen called from the bedroom. She’d been in the bathroom longer than he had.

“I think so,” MC came out. “How do I look?” She spun a circle.

“Gorgeous! But…”

“Come on, Zen. We’ll be late.” MC laughed.

“Yes, we should, but…” Zen looked her up and down, biting his lip. She was all leg in high heels. “Your short skirt makes me think two things. One, beautiful. So beautiful. Two, other guys will see how sexy you are and that’s not good… This is going to sound really childish but you have to stick right by my side, alright?”

“Alright, lovely Zen.” MC purred and Zen shook his head.

“There you go again, messing with the beast.”

“Come on,” MC laughed, grabbing his hand and tugging. Zen followed without protest.

Zen proudly introduced MC to the rest of the RFA at the party. They made small talk for a bit before Jaehee started off the press conference.

“Don’t be nervous.” MC straightened Zen’s tie and smiled at him. Zen went over to stand by the stage.

“Then I introduce you to the musical actor, Zen!” Jaehee stepped away from the podium for Zen to take his place.

“Question!”

“Me first!”

The journalists jockeyed in front of the stage.

“Its not time for questions yet!” Jaehee’s voice settled the crowd.

“Yes, I will answer questions later on.” Zen’s voice was calm. “First I’d like to deny all accusations against me for ‘sexually harassing’ Echo Girl. Such false accusations have damaged my reputation in an industry where public image is key…”

Zen gave his speech patiently, pointing out all the things that Jaehee and the others had collected from social media to defend himself.

“Before the night she claimed I harassed her she visited my house. There is a witness who was present throughout her visit.” Zen looked at MC. “MC.” She raised her hand, taking a few steps forward so she had the attention she needed.

“Zen had recently injured himself preparing for a role and like any good friend I brought food to him. Echo Girl knocked on the door, claiming she had snuck away from her manager to come see Zen. Zen tried multiple times to get her to leave, even offered to call her manager and have her picked up since it was around midnight when she arrived. When Zen refused to let her stay she stormed off.”

“Thank you, MC.” Zen nodded to her.

The reporters continued to throw questions at Zen, who remained calm throughout. When a reporter pointed out that his comments didn’t have as much validity because Zen was such a sensational bachelor, Zen stopped him.

“I’m not a bachelor.” Zen stopped him. He thought about what he was doing for only a moment, how it would affect his career. And he didn’t stop. “I have someone… that means a lot to me. Someone I love very much.” Zen looked at MC and she felt flutters in her chest. “MC, can you come here please?”

MC walked up to the stage, and took Zen’s outstretched hand.

“This is my girlfriend.” He smiled at her, and held her gaze as he continued to speak. “From now on I refuse to respond to any misunderstandings or scandals about my love life - because this is the woman my heart beats towards.” He turned towards her. “I just wanted to tell the whole world you’re mine… I love you.”

[crownvetch92]

Light Eternal Chapter 1

The moon shown down on lush green leaves as a large shadow swooped down over a sea of trees. A shrill screech filled the air, scaring up massive amounts of birds and insects from the branches. Yellow eyes searched the resulting panicked swarm, honing in on a particularly plump partridge. Gigantic leathery wings beat as the large bat creature snagged the partridge with furry spindly arms, sinking it’s large claws onto it’s prey, killing the bird almost instantaneously.

With her prey in her claws, the bat creature landed on a sturdy branch, plucking feathers off her catch. It was an old habit picked up from her time living amongst mortal humans, before the rise of Vlad the Impaler, and subsequent fear of vampires took hold. She huffed, brushing scratching her ear with her wing claw, as her hands were busied with plucking the last feathers off, and disposing of them into the pitch black forest below.

Aside from her spindly arms she looked just like a giant version of a big brown bat, standing 6 foot from head to talon, and a wingspan of 10 feet. She gazed up at the stars, admiring their tiny flickering lights. She chittered in excitement as a meteor shower began to light up the sky above. She continued eating, discarding bones and inedible gizzards into the leaves below. Small scavenging creatures leaped through the branches below, squabbling over the scraps. They looked like pale, twisted, hairless monkeys with needle sharp teeth. They squawked and chattered, bickering amongst themselves. One was brave enough to sniff at the giant bat’s three taloned feet. She shifted away in disgust, kicking the vile scavenger away. The creature hissed, and jumped down to a lower branch.

The bat finished her nightly meal, and started grooming herself like a rat would. A flash of light caught her large yellow eyes. A meteor passed right past the tree line, and into the forest below. The she-bat sniffed at the air, and then skittered down the tree. The forest was impossibly dark, at least for mortal standards. It was like descending into the deepest part of the ocean, where no light could ever reach. The she bat maneuvered down, using only the sturdiest branches.

She sniffed the air, trying to pick up any strange scent left by the falling star. She followed a scent, that of heated stones. She looked around, nothing was out of the ordinary. Only the bioluminescent flowers that littered the forest floor dimly pulsed with faint light. The she bat huffed, nothing was there, her curiosity lead to disappointment. She scuttled back to her cave.

“Was your hunt successful Estelle?” Echoed a deep yet powerful female voice.

“She smells of blood and bone, arvak.” Came a deep male voice.

“You could say zat...” Estelle the she bat replied, flying up to a large stalactite and clinging to it, “Vat about you?”

Arvak, a large ice dragon looked up, her scales glittering pale blue, “Boar meat, again.”

“Still better zan nosink.” Estelle replied. Ragnar, a red scaled fire dragon, just grumbled in response. Food was more important now that Arvak was heavy with eggs. Most of Ragnar’s kills went to feed his lifelong mate.

“If only prey was as plentiful here as it was on earth before humans came to be,’ he griped.

“You could vedy vell move,” Estelle squawked.

Ragnar blew sparks out his nostrils, “It is not that easy bat,” he shouted, “The humans destroyed my wings!”

He spread his once glorious leathery wings, now nothing more than heavily torn, hole filled connective tissue. He had lost his ability to fly when mortal humans discovered weapons. “I cannot fly at all!”

Estelle held her comment. She just huffed, buried her head in her wing and fell asleep. The next few nights brought more of the same, but she decided to catch a few fat birds for Arvak to dine on while the eggs developed. Arvak laid her eggs a few days later. The eggs were healthy despite their small size. While the eggs incubated in Arvak’s care, Estelle hunted for herself.

While hunting, she noticed an oddly soothing floral smell. She followed the floral scent, finding an enormous white lily. Estelle sniffed around, something seemed different, aside from a new bioluminescent flower suddenly appearing in a place she knew so well. Estelle heard something, akin to a puppy’s whimper. She twitched her ear in the direction of the sound. She slowly turned her head, out of the corner of her yellow eyes, she saw motion.

“Is alright,” Estelle crooned, “I von’t hurt you.”

A small child emerged from the bush.  She looked to be about 7 years of age. Her long hair was a dark blue, with small pinpricks of light, reflecting the night sky itself. The child wore a simple dress made of the same flower petals as the lily. It glowed white, making her exposed skin look ghostly pale. Her eyes glowed a vivid green, as her cat like pupils widened in silent panic at the sight of Estelle.

A tarantula sized jumping spider sat on her shoulder like a bird, reared in a defensive posture, fangs bared.  It’s white fur bristling.  Orange spots on the sides of it’s abdomen gleamed in the pale light from the flower, and 6 U shapes spots decorated it’s back. It was incredibly fluffy for an arachnid familiar, with large shining eyes facing forward, and 6 more smaller ones spread around the sides of it’s head. The spider had an incredibly cute features despite taking a protective stance.  Estelle looked around, the bodies of several scavengers littered the area. Surely they caught a whiff of the new flower, hoping for a fresh meal. There were fang marks on each one’s hairless body, as well as sticky spider silk covering their grotesque, twisted faces. The little girl had numerous scratches on her legs, and dirt covering her feet.

“Don’t worry little von,” Estelle crooned, “I vill not hurt you.”

There was no response aside from trembling from the girl, yet the spider had eased up, putting it’s forelegs down. The spider still eyed Estelle suspiciously, chittering quietly into the child’s ear.

“Zat is a little better,” Estelle said soothingly, carefully walking closer before brushing the child’s tangled blue hair to the side with her clawed hand, “Vat is your name child?”

The girl gulped, “c-c-caeweth…”

A deep growl sounded, Estelle’s fur stood up, this creature sounded large.

“Ve must go,” Estelle whispered, picking up the girl and spider in her spindly, fur covered arms as a giant skeletal dog like creature with saliva covered fangs and bloody elongated claws trode onto the light of the giant lily.

The grave dog completely lacked eyes, sniffing about the flower with it’s exposed bony nostril holes. The flesh on the top of it’s muzzle had long been stripped away, leaving only exposed bone. The animal hungered, salivating and gnashing it’s teeth, trying to chew on a petal, and poke it’s nose in the flowers center. Estelle took advantage of the creatures distracted senses, and fled with young Caeweth back to the safety of the cave.

“Damn grave dogs,” Estelle said under her breath.

“What was that thing?” Caeweth whimpered as she clutched Estelle’s soft, thick, brown fur.

“A grave dog,” Estelle said a bit louder, “Humans thought a dog would guide them to ze land of the dead, so zey buried them in grave yards. Unintentionally creating a twisted beast vitch dines on all types ov fae.”

Caeweth clutched Estelle’s fur tighter, making Estelle wince slightly.  The trip back to the cave went simply enough, as the scavengers and grave dogs were busy squabbling over meat scraps near the lily.  Within the cave, Ragnar lifted his head, smelling an odd scent

“What have you brought this time, Estelle?” He growled, spewing sparks out of his nostrils.

Estelle lifted her wings, revealing little Caeweth, “I found her in the nick of time, any later and she voud haff become grave dog prey.”

Ragnar growled, “You do realize that is a Night Fae?  If they find out, they could very well kill all of us without a second thought!”

“Vagnar,” Estelle said calmly, “She is but a child, born outside ze kindergarten, she vould surely haff died out in those voods.  Vat vood Arvak say, hm?”

Ragnar huffed.  Estelle had a point, Arvak’s motherly instincts would overturn any argument he had the audacity to come up with.

“Fine.” He growled, “But if any harm comes to my eggs, she will be left to the mercy of the forest.”

“Sounds fair,” Estelle nodded.

Caeweth had buried her face in Estelle’s fur, frightened by the loud confrontation.  Estelle’s fur was so unreasonably soft, silky, and comforting, she was practically embedded in the cloud like softness.

“You haff nosink to fear little von.”  Estelle cooed, moving deeper into the cave.

The sound of water echoed throughout the chamber.

“Where are we?” Caeweth asked tentatively.

“Zer is a spring here,” Estelle cooed, “a place to vash up.”

Caeweth dipped her toes into the clear water.  The water was comfortably warm despite the underground temperature.  She giggled as the water relaxed her sore muscles.  Before she knew it, a silver comb was passed through her tangled hair, preening out all the knots that had accumulated over the past few hours.  Caeweth washed off all of the dirt and sweat she gathered, and soon was wrapped in a warm blanket, placed on a soft, yet rudimentary, nest of straw.

“Do you feel better?” Estelle cooed softly, stroking Caeweth’s still wet hair, “never you mind Vagnar, he’s just grumpy.”

Ragnar huffed at the comment, laying down on the smooth stone floor of the cave.  His tail twitched back and forth uneasily, red scales glinting in the soft light of the glow moss lining the crevices in the walls.  He shook his horse like head, nearly hitting his ram like horns into the wall.

“Arvak better come back soon,” he muttered to himself.

Estelle was too busy soothing the little fairy child to sleep with lullabies and stories, while the jumping spider clung to the wall.  Caeweth drew one of the nest lining cloths into her arms.  She was not completely sure what was going on, but Estelle seemed nice enough.  This was better than the alternative of being ripped apart by scavengers, or disemboweled by grave dogs.  She yawned as her eyelids grew ever heavier, till she just drifted off into a deep sleep.

[queenofcats17]

In hell's studio I can see a homeless kid somehow sneak in the studio and make themselves at home in Wally's janitor closet and end up getting(somehow) adopted by Sammy as the kid needs a safe place and Sammy being extremely nervous that he might do something wrong(knowing him), but it would probably end on a good note with the two(though I do see that the kid might have some physical and mental issues from being on the street for some time)

Oh boy. I am going to make this as fluffy and comforting as I possibly can.

Sorry this took so long. ^^”

——————————————

Sammy Lawrence was not a heartless man. He may have been grumpy most of the time and had a reputation as the studio curmudgeon, but he was far from heartless. The younger members of the studio all knew this quite well, although they kept it to themselves. Many had been shown kindness by him at one point or another. More often than not it couldn’t be traced back to him, but they always knew who it had been that had helped them.

The truth was that Sammy had a soft spot for children. He always had. There was a secret part of him that hoped that one day he would be able to be a father, although it was something he shared with very few people. Susie knew, of course, but knew better than to bring it up in a work environment. But she brought it up sometimes when they were alone. She saw how happy he was when he babysat for his siblings or her family.

Sammy got quiet whenever she asked. As much as he wanted to be a father, he was absolutely terrified that he’d somehow mess up. He knew he could have a temper and he didn’t want to be the kind of father his children would be scared of. He just didn’t think he was ready yet.

But the universe evidently thought he was. Because one day, when he opened up Wally’s closet to get a broom, he found a kid sleeping on the floor of the closet.

Sammy froze, staring down at the child. They were small and absolutely filthy, so covered in dirt and grime that it was difficult to tell how old they were or what they even really looked like. Their hair was long and matted, similarly covered with dirt, and their clothes were essentially rags. They were shivering a bit, a spare blanket pulled tightly around their thin form. It was abundantly clear that this child had been living on the street for some time.

Sammy felt his heart beginning to melt. It had been especially cold the other night. The kid must come in to get out of the cold. There was no way their clothing would provide any protection from the cold. Sammy didn’t give much thought to how they’d gotten in. Wally had probably left the back door unlocked again.

“Poor kid,” Sammy murmured. He set the broom aside, kneeling beside the child.

“Hey, kiddo?” He gently shook the kid. The child’s eyes fluttered open. Upon seeing Sammy kneeling beside them, they screamed and scrambled back, ending up banging their head on one of the lower shelves.

“Hey, hey! I’m not going to hurt you!” Sammy put his hands up, keeping his voice low. The child whimpered, pulling the blanket tighter around themselves.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Sammy repeated, keeping his hands up. “My name is Sammy Lawrence. I’m the music director here. What’s your name?”

“Charlie,” the child mumbled.

“It’s nice to meet you, Charlie.” Sammy smiled gently at them. “Do you want something to eat?”

Charlie lowered their shoulders a bit, their expression suspicious but hopeful.

“Is Mr. Wally here?” They asked.

Ah, that explained a few things. Wally had probably left the backdoor unlocked on purpose for this kid. Everyone in the studio knew Wally would often help out the homeless people around the studio.

Sammy was about to say that he didn’t think Wally was in yet, only to have Wally round the corner with a pile of clothes and a thermos of what was probably soup. He froze when he saw Sammy kneeling beside Charlie.

“Mr. Wally!” Charlie lit up, trying to get to their feet. Unfortunately, as soon as they attempted to stand their legs gave out from under them and they went tumbling back down. Sammy caught them, noting with some sadness how skinny they were.

“Easy there, kid.” Sammy gently put them back on the floor.

“I’m fine,” Charlie mumbled, although their face was looking a bit red.

Sammy looked back at Wally. “Those employee showers Joey had put in are still working, right?”

“I, uh, yeah?” It took Wally a second to response, seemingly stunned by the fact that Sammy hadn’t yelled at him.

“Good.” Sammy looked back at Charlie. “Why don’t we get you cleaned up and then you can have the soup Franks brought.” Charlie’s gaze flicked to Wally, who gave them a nod and an encouraging smile.

“Okay.” They nodded slowly.

“Can you do it yourself or-?” Sammy began to ask. Charlie scrambled to their feet, bright red now.

“I can do it!” They stammered indignantly. “I’m not a baby!”

“Alright.” Sammy stood up as well. “Franks can show you where the showers are. I’ll guard the soup.” He smiled gently at them, taking the thermos of soup from Wally.

“Right, uh, follow me.” Wally gestured and Charlie followed.  

Once they were gone, Sammy went into his office to guard the soup and start to get some work done. After about ten to twenty minutes, Wally entered the office. He looked a bit nervous and wasn’t holding the clothes he’d brought.

“So, uh, you aren’t gonna yell at me about letting the kid in?” He asked.

“Of course not,” Sammy said. “They probably would have died if you hadn’t let them in. It was freezing last night.” He knew his reputation, but he couldn’t help but be hurt by the fact that Wally thought he’d be angry about this. It wouldn’t do to dwell on that, though.

“In any case,” he continued. “Do you know anyone around here who can cut hair? I doubt we’ll be able to brush out those knots. And we’ll need to find someplace for them to stay long term. Do you know if their parents are around? I don’t want to just turn them out onto the street again, not with the weather being what it is.”

There was no answer. Sammy frowned and looked over at him.

“Franks?”

Wally was just staring at him, his mouth hanging open a bit. Then his face split in what Sammy could only describe as a shit-eating grin.

“Y’know, I didn’t take you for the fatherly type,” he said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sammy sputtered, feeling his face beginning to get warm. He’d gotten so caught up in being worried about the kid that he’d forgotten that Wally didn’t know about his secret paternal instincts.

“You’ve known the kid for less than an hour and you’ve already basically adopted them,” Wally said, his smile getting even wider.

“L-Like I said, I can’t in good conscience turn a child back onto the street in this weather.” Sammy cleared his throat, trying to hide how red his face was getting. Thankfully, he was saved by Susie slamming the door open.

“I heard you found a kid in Wally’s closet!” She yelled. “Tell me everything!” Wally shrieked and stumbled away. Sammy quietly breathed a sigh of relief and explained the situation to Susie.

As he was explaining one of the interns appeared, pushing Charlie in a wheelchair. Charlie was now dressed in the clothes Wally had provided, which looked to be old clothes of his and were far too big on them. A faded sweater, a pair of old slacks, fuzzy wool socks, and a rumpled white button-up shirt.

“They said they wanted to come here?” The intern said, looking around at Susie, Sammy, and Wally.

“What happened? Why are they in a wheelchair?” Susie immediately looked concerned, as did Sammy although he wasn’t saying anything. He just walked brusquely over and knelt in front of Charlie.

“Are you alright?” His voice was soft.

“Yeah…I’m okay.” Charlie hunched their shoulders. “I just…Can’t stand too long. My legs got tired and I fell over.”

“I found them and helped them get dressed,” the intern explained. They didn’t need to explain where they’d gotten the wheelchair. Joey had started putting them in to make things easier for the workers who had mobility issues and those who had injuries.

“Sounds like I should’ve stayed and helped you get clean,” Wally joked. This, evidently, was the wrong thing to say.

“I’m not a baby!” Charlie snapped, their face getting even redder. “I don’t need help doing easy stuff like that!”

“Oh, sorry.” Wally backed up a bit, looking sheepish.

“There’s no shame in needing help,” Sammy said gently.

Everyone aside from Charlie was surprised by the tenderness in Sammy’s voice. None of them had ever heard him speak so softly or sweetly before.

“Everyone needs help sometimes and there’s no shame in asking for it,“ Sammy continued. “No one is saying you’re weak.”

Charlie said nothing, but their eyes were wide and shining.

“Now.” Sammy stood up, dusting himself off. “We’ll need to do something about your hair. I suspect we’ll need to cut it to get rid of all the matting. After that, we’ll figure out where you can live.”

“Where I can…live?” Charlie said slowly, almost too quietly to be heard.

“Oh! Oh! I can cut their hair!” Susie clapped her hands together excitedly. “I’ve been learning how to cut hair!” Sammy gave her a rather incredulous look.

“Well…You can cut the matted parts away,” he conceded. “But we’ll need to take them to a proper hairdresser later.”

“It won’t be that bad.” Susie folded her arms indignantly.

“I mean…No offense, Susie, but the last time you tried cutting my hair I couldn’t take my hat off for two months,” Wally said. Susie let out a small humph, sticking her tongue out at Sammy and Wally. By this point, the intern had fled, sufficiently weirded out by the situation.

“What did you mean when you said, where I can live?” Charlie asked, tugging on Sammy’s shirtsleeve.

“I’m not about to turn you out onto the street.” Sammy smiled at them. “So, we’ll figure out somewhere for you to live where you can be safe and happy.”

“Maybe we could adopt them,” Susie suggested, grabbing Sammy by the arm. “You’re already acting like a father toward them.”

“W-Well, I, er, um…” Sammy began to stammer and sputter, his face going red. He wasn’t ready. He couldn’t be ready. What if he messed up? What if he traumatized this child?

“Sammy? A dad?” Wally almost couldn’t believe what Susie was suggesting. There was no way Sammy would do well as a father. But…he was acting surprisingly kind and patient toward Charlie.

“You guys would want to adopt me?” Charlie’s voice was quiet and uncertain, as though they were afraid the offer would immediately be rescinded.

“Of course!” Susie pulled away from Sammy, taking Charlie’s hands in hers. “Sammy won’t admit it, but he’s always wanted to be a father. It would be lovely to welcome you into our home!”

Charlie looked at Sammy, as though to confirm Susie’s words. Sammy sighed. It looked as though the jig was up.

“I can’t promise I’ll be the perfect father,” he said, coming to stand at Susie’s side. “But I would like to try.” He knelt down, placing his hand on Susie’s and Charlie’s. “I would be honored to be your father.”

Charlie’s lip began to quiver and they sniffled loudly. Soon enough, they were bawling as Susie and Sammy hugged them. Wally edged out of the office. He figured he needed to tell Joey about this. And also probably find some way to get some adoption paperwork.

[fuwafuwamedb]

A Cursed G Pt 7(Gilgamesh, Hakuno)

Previous Part: One - Haku POV / Gil POV, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six

______

The sun was outside the window, setting over the neighboring buildings as Hakuno opened her eyes.

She’d slept the day away.

That was probably fine. She really hadn’t needed to work today. It was Sunday. No one was going to be looking for her on a day like this. She would have shifts during the week and sometimes on the occasional Saturday, but Sundays were her time.

No classes either.

There was no reason to get up.

The blankets were so warm and inviting. They felt so soft today, with her safely out of the way of the rest of the universe. She could just stay here until the late night and then sneak to the kitchen to snack on some cheese and wine. Maybe she could get some turkey out for G.

Ah, G.

Hakuno glanced over at the cat, yawning softly.

The fluffy grump was yawning back at her, scooting a little closer and beginning to lick her cheek.

Such an affectionate thing.

“Are you hungry, G?”

Hakuno sat up a little, pulling G closer.

Her eyes closed, her face pressing against his fur…

Emiya.

Gilgamesh talking to her over dinner.

SHIT!

Hakuno leaped to her feet, all but dropping G onto the bed as she hurried to find something to wear.

She owed Emiya explanations!

Gilgamesh was hopping down from the bed though, giving her a meow before heading for the living room.

There was no time for that now though. She really needed to get going. Her pants were thrown on without preamble. Her shirt was the first one that she could find nearby. Shoes were by the door, her coat was put on as Gilgamesh meowed from the living room.

“I’ll be back in a bit!”

She hurried out the door, locking it and running to her car.

Her phone was out and dialing Emiya as she pulled out of her driveway.

“The person you are trying to reach is unavailable. Please hang up and try your call again.”

“Emiya!”

Damn it.

He normally worked on Sunday evening. She could swing by his workplace with some food and get back onto his good side with food.

That didn’t seem like a bad plan.

She tried dialing again, thinking about food places when the phone picked up.

“Emiya-“

“Hi Hakuno!”

Sakura?

Hakuno pulled over, frowning as she picked up the phone and held it to her ear.

“Hey, what’s going on? I overslept today-“

“Emiya said that you had found someone and that you had a serious relationship happening.” The woman was smiling through the phone. “I’m so happy for you! You should bring him to our next study group.”

She couldn’t exactly do that when the arranger of the study groups was currently having someone else answer the phone. What was going on.

Hakuno shifted in her seat, the amount of energy she felt being stronger than usual.

“Am I missing a session?”

“No, Emiya and I are on a date.”

“O-oh.”

The woman on the other end of the line was talking a lot. She was sounding very excited about the whole thing, but…

When had they started to become close like that?

“Did you need something, Hakuno?”

“I-I forgot the homework for tomorrow.”

“Oh! I’ll have Emiya text you it when we get home!”

“Thanks, Sakura.”

She hung up before the other could speak any further. She pressed her phone to her chin, thinking quietly as she sat there in her car.

He’d seen Gilgamesh.

The arrogant king had made it clear that she was taken, going so far as to insult Emiya while he was at it. Since they’d never actually bothered with a relationship, it made sense that Emiya would take this as a sign that they were never going to actually date.

She hadn’t really wanted to date him, but…

“Ugh, what am I thinking?”

She brushed a hand through her hair, glancing at the dashboard of the car.

What time is it?

The car flicked on, the engine coming to life so she could see the digital clock display the time.

The keys-

The keys were still in the ignition, but they weren’t turned.

She turned it herself, finding the car making a dissatisfied sound from having the ignition pressured to begin twice.

What on earth…

She glanced around, narrowing her eyes on one of the people walking on the street.

What was he thinking?

Moments passed.

The man on the street glanced her way a moment and frowned, turning his head once more and heading down the street further.

So… no superpowers randomly appearing.

It was weird that her car had turned on though.

Maybe she had imagined that it had happened.

That must have been it. Shock, confusion, the whole situation with her cat being an ancient and long lost king from a far away country- it was all just getting to her now. Going home and resting was probably the best favor she could do for herself.

That and coffee.

She didn’t even hesitate from walking into the coffee shop, ordering a usual and ignoring the looks from her frazzled hair and haphazard dressing capabilities.

One sip of the coffee said don’t worry about it.

She was an overworked college student.

The sweet taste of expensive syrups, energizing espresso that would be running through her system like a marathon runner, and the fine taste of the milk to smooth everything out was going down nicely as she stepped back out and headed for her car.

She was awake now.

Fully awake.

No more weird occurrences.

…other than Gilgamesh being an ancient king.

Only one weird occurrence now.

Hakuno pressed her hands to the wheel and shook her head, smiling a little. “Car, turn on.”

The engine burst to life, idling in wait for her to reverse from the parking space and head home.

The keys were still in her pocket.

She leaned to the side, feeling the side of the steering wheel where she was supposed to be placing her keys. All that met her hand was the keyhole slot where her keys went.

This was not a newer car.

There was no push to start or voice action.

In fact, she was barely able to have the satellite radio that was popular.

How did I…?

Did Gilgamesh have something to do with this?

Gods, but what was she even asking? Her cat? How would he know how to do anything with her car when he was barely able to understand how the television worked? He’d called it a painting! Plays on a painting, if she remembered correctly.

She had to try something else.

“Car, turn off.”

The car shut off.

Maybe…

Maybe she had this power over technology?

There was no way she could just go home before she knew the extent of this power. She had to try something else.

Climbing out of the car, Hakuno headed down the road.

Just a short walk and then she would head home with her coffee and start making nice with Gilgamesh and thinking about what to do with him.

There were a few plants that were looking a little dry in flowerbeds nearby.

They would look much better in bloom.

Others on the street paused along with her as the blooms began to grow. The small, dying tree was suddenly shoot up higher, its leaves turning a deeper and richer green color before bursting forth with a handful of cherries.

HOLY SHIT!

“How did that happen?” a few people asked one another.

“That was cool!”

That was very cool.

Hakuno glanced to another tree nearby, watching it do the same as she focused on it.

So she could turn her car on and she could grow plants better than anyone would have ever expected. No mind reading though.

Although…

A couple people passed her by.

No mind reading.

Damn.

That would have been so useful for school.

She could make the graffiti on the walls of the buildings run down the side of the building like water, puddling on the ground in a dark mass. She could make the windows lose their dust and dirt, giving a clearer picture of what was inside.

More plants.

She made the whole area suddenly bloom and grow forth until it was a lush city center.

Her eyes looked up towards the heavens.

“Rain…”

A drop fell upon her nose.

Then another.

The amount of water had grown enough that the clouds were heavy enough to pour forth rain to the earth. A flash of light here and there went off, followed by thunder as people suddenly hurried to overhangs and to buildings nearby.

As the rain fell, Hakuno looked around in amazement.

She had a cat that had crossed ages upon ages of time.

She had unlocked the mysteries of his curse and probably could put some brainpower into it to resolve the problem.

Now, she was doing magic.

There was no other word for it. Superpowers would imply that she was born to power or somehow had gotten into some kind of weird accident. Superpowers tended to have names that were either ridiculous or impossible to remember. Or impractical.

No, she could just do magic.

She let the rain continue, heading to her car and driving back to her home.

With a wave of her hand, her front door unlocked.

It was so cool.

She’d never deal with a locked door for the rest of her life.

Gilgamesh meowed loudly, running forward and looking up at her. His tail swayed slightly, his eyes narrowing.

“Gil, I can do magic.”

Not a single change other than his tail continuing to sway back and forth.

“No, Gil… Come here.”

She picked the cat up, carrying him to the kitchen and looking up at the ceiling.

“Lights on!”

The lights burst on in the room.

Gilgamesh meowed at her.

He had to be impressed. That was the kind of magic that magicians themselves would have killed to possess. It was the kind of amazing talent that would have blown the minds of skeptics and fanatics alike. Magic was real!

“Let’s make a bath and warm the water with magic next,” she told the cat, carrying him towards her room.

She carried him further into the house, down the hallway towards her room and the master bath.

The world… spun.

Hakuno grabbed the wall, dropping Gilgamesh as she tried to keep herself from falling over. Her vision was blurring around her as Gilgamesh meowed.

“I think I just… need something with caffeine…”

She was suddenly so tired…

Why was she this tired?

The room spun more, those red eyes looking over at her as Gilgamesh hissed and hurried closer.

“I-I’m fine…”

She was fine.

Just… maybe a moment…

[wilsonsnest]

[w&s] after closing

just came back from a trip with a six hour drive. i had never heard of stuckeys in my life being a northern gal. and then we passed a place called wilson’s general store and an au was born. 

so have some small town sambucky au compliments of riding through virgnia

pairing: sambucky (samsteve mentioned) word count: 2,331

Sam let out a soft sigh as he locked the doors to his store, smiling a little as Sarge slunk cautiously towards the door. The orange tabby always sat at the door and waited until Sam was in his car before disappearing back into the darkness of the store.

Sam saluted the night watch before turning around and heading out to the parking lot. Tomorrow he wouldn’t open until 10, which was nice. It meant he could sleep in a little bit before it was time to come in and open up with his scarily efficient morning staffer, Nebula.

He had taken over the general store nearly three years ago, from an older, battle-axe of a woman who had decided she was good and done. Sam had moved to Hopeway about six years ago now. After serving in the Air Force, losing a friend and almost himself in the process, he got out and started to try and piece his life back together. It led him here, the small lakeside town was just what he needed.

Convincing Ms. Adler that he could run the shop had been a bit of a struggle, and there had been many a time when he wished he hadn’t done it. But after a while he got himself together, a lot of it with help from the locals who Sam had truly began to see as family.

Speaking of locals.

Sam raised an eyebrow as he approached his car, seeing a tall figure leaning against the passenger side. If he wasn’t used to this happening, he would have freaked out, instead he just let out a whistle so as to not start the man.

Bucky’s head lifted, though his eyes were still shadowed by the green Stucky's ball cap he was wearing. Judging by his jeans, white shirt and green jacket, he was already off work. Odd, since the neighboring diner didn’t close until 2am.

“Well this is unexpected.” Sam raised an eyebrow as he unlocked the car. “Steve get tired of you messing up orders?”

“Nah, cashing in.” Bucky lifted his chin, his blue eyes bright, reflecting the street lamp light above them. He held up a paper bag. “I brought dinner.”

“Oh well, I guess I have to bring you home then.” Sam smiled, ignoring the bag to lean in and kiss the other man’s cheek. “C’mon, get in, it’s too cold to be standing around like this.”

“You’re the boss.” Bucky’s voice was warm as he opened the door and climbed inside.

Sam couldn’t help but feel warmth bubbling in his chest as he got in and started the engine. Being a shop owner meant long hours, and not a huge ton of extra time for socializing. He had become fast friend’s with Steve Rogers, the de-facto owner of Stucky's when he had moved here seven years ago. It had taken a little longer for him to mesh with Stucky's (reluctant) co-owner and cook, Bucky Barnes. Funnily enough, it had been Barnes that had given him the idea to just go ahead and name it Wilson’s General Store.

“It’s your’s isn’t it?” Bucky grumbled setting down a huge roast beef sandwich and a side of mixed vegetables with Sam knew were definitely not on the regular menu. “No time to get shy about it now, Wilson. I bet Stevie would love to design you a sign or something.”

Sam remembered that conversation for two reasons. One, he had actually decided to go ahead and rename the shop. And two, it was the exact moment he realized he had a crush on a surly army vet who was an excellent cook and hated being co-owner of the diner ostensibly half-named after him.

At least having a crush on Bucky was in good company with his massive crush on Steve.

Surprisingly enough, Bucky ended up asking him out. Sam had been content to let both of his crushes sit and put all his energy into running the store.

But apparently Bucky Barnes had other plans. They had been out late at Red/Hawk’s with Steve and a few others. Bucky was usually pretty quiet, but that night he had been particularly anxious. He’d been fiddling with his prosthetic hand the entire night, prompting Sam to ask if he were okay. He knew Bucky still had bad days where wearing the prosthetic was more burdensome than helpful.

“No, I mean - I’m Fine. I just..” Bucky stuttered his eyes flickering down to the bar-top. He fumbled around in his jacket pocket and pulled out a half-crushed box of cigarettes. “Y’wanna get some air?”

Sam didn’t smoke himself, but he nodded and followed Bucky out to the front of the bar. They wandered a little ways down to a grassy area nearby. Bucky clumsily took out a cigarette, nearly dropping the box. Sam knew something had to be up.

It had taken at least another fifteen minutes of awkward small talk before Bucky finally looked over, past Sam’s shoulder and asked him if he would like to go out sometime. “Like a Date date.” He had said.

They had gone on said Date date to some cute little restaurant the next town over. Bucky had been clearly uncomfortable being out of Hopeway and Sam had been worried about Bucky the entire time. The whole affair had been awfully tense until Sam invited Bucky back to his place. They curled up on the couch with ice cream from Sam’s freezer and watched the Twilight Zone until they fell asleep. It had been totally worth the fifty texts Steve had sent to them both when Bucky ended up late for opening the next morning.

Sam couldn’t help but smile at the memory, glancing at Bucky out of the corner of his eye. Bucky’s eyes were closed, head back against the headrest as Sam drove. He probably wasn’t asleep, but he didn’t have his prosthetic today and his willingness to take off early probably meant he was exhausted in more than just a physical sense.

Sam pulled up the dirt path of his driveway and placed a hand on Bucky’s knee. The other man blinked open his eyes, squinting over at Sam as they parked. Once the car was stopped, he leaned he over and drew Sam into a gentle kiss before pulling away with a sigh.

“Sorry.” He mumbled quietly.

“It’s been a long day.” Sam smiled warmly. “Just give me time to shower and I’m all yours.”

They got out of the car, Bucky carrying the food as Sam took out his keys. As soon as they entered, Sam’s fluffy, red-furred Somali Cat practically charged them, meowing enthusiastically all the while.

“Hey, Redwing.” Sam smiled brightly as he scooped the cat into his arms. He wiggled a bit, butting his head against Sam’s face, a purr beginning to rumble in his chest. “Yeah, I missed you too.”

“M’gonna go warm this up.” Bucky was already heading toward the kitchen as Sam lavished Redwing with more kisses and pets. “Go take a shower!” Bucky called, slightly muffled.

“Can you feed, Redwing?” Sam asked as he headed toward the kitchen. “I’ll shower quick.”

“Sure.” Bucky agreed as he began to go to work in Sam’s kitchen.

With that, Sam let Redwing down, watching amused as the red-haired cat immediately went to go and inspect Bucky. He hurried to the bathroom so that he could freshen up. The shower was an absolute godsend, and while he would have loved to luxuriate for a bit longer, he was aware of how much he was missing his boyfriend. He hadn’t yet convinced Bucky that couples showers were totally a thing they would enjoy.

After hastily drying off and changing into a t-shirt and sleep pants he found his way back into the kitchen. Bucky had dished out Sam’s meal of meatloaf and potatoes onto a plate and set it on his tiny two-person kitchen table.

Sam hummed, his stomach growling at the sight of the undoubtedly delicious food. But first, he went to his boyfriend, who was standing over a kettle making tea. He had taken his green jacket and baseball cap off and Sam could see his face clearly. His eyes had dark circles under them, and the messy ponytail meant he had been hasty when getting ready that morning.

Sam placed a hand on the small of Bucky’s back, leaning his cheek against his boyfriend’s right arm. The taller man looked over at him, a little surprised at first before his expression softened. He leaned over to give Sam a light peck.

“Go eat.” He reminded Sam, shrugging a little to get him to move.

Sam pouted for show before heading over to the table. Almost immediately he fell upon the meal with the ferocity of a starving man. Bucky’s food was delicious, even more so after a long day’s work. He had no idea how this man ended up being so darned good at cooking, but he praised the lord every day that he had gotten so lucky. He wasn’t sure he was going to survive when he introduced Bucky to his Mama. The two of them could probably put a meal together that would make even the most discerning food critics weep.

He barely looked up when Bucky set a mug of tea down for him. He only looked up when Bucky returned to the table with his own mug and sat down across from him. By then he was more than halfway through his dinner.

“You’ll make yourself sick, Sammy.” Bucky chided, though he was clearly pleased seeing Sam eat. “You been eating breakfast and lunch?”

Sam rolled his eyes, having to swallow his stuffed mouth before replying. “Yes, mom.” Bucky had nearly had a heart-attack the first morning he had woken up at Sam’s and found out that he never ate breakfast.  “I boiled eggs the night before. Protein. Are you proud of me?”

Bucky didn’t seem impressed, but nodded anyway. They sat in companionable silence while Sam finished eating, Bucky watching him fondly as Redwing wound between their legs under the table. Sam was amazed just how domestic they were, but he supposed dating for nearly two years would do that to you.

Finally, Sam pushed his plate away with a sigh, feeling full and satisfied. If he were somewhere comfortable, he was sue he would be asleep in a matter of minutes.

“Steve coming over tonight?” Sam asked with a yawn. He wanted to make sure they weren’t expecting anyone before they bundled up int he bedroom for the night.

“Nah.” Bucky said quietly, something flickering in his eyes before he looked down.

“Bad day?” Sam asked, leaning over to take Bucky’s hand. It was rare these days for one of them to come over without the other. After the initial awkwardness of both Steve and Bucky dating Sam at the same time, they fell into a rather comfortable rhythm. But there were days when they needed their own couple time.

“Just tired.” Bucky answered, squeezing Sam’s hand back. “Storm a few nights ago didn’t help.”

Sam nodded sympathetically. The change in air pressure had been hell on Sam’s back, and he’d had to sleep on his front from two days. Bucky tended to have the same issue with his shoulder.

“Let’s head to bed then.” Sam said quietly.

Together, they cleaned up the kitchen before turning out the lights. It was still a little early by their standards, but cuddling in the bed was more inviting than forcing themselves to stay up and watch television.

In the bedroom, Bucky immediately went to his drawer to change into a comfortable t-shirt and shorts. Sam crawled into bed, rearranging his pillows for Bucky’s side and then plugging in his phone to charge. Sam glanced over as Bucky climbed into bed on the other side, smiling already at how relaxed his boyfriend already looked. They both slept better with one another. Bucky slept over as much as he could, though when Steve was over, fitting the three of them in Sam’s bed was quite a challenge.

Discussing moving in was a difficult subject when he had only been dating Steve for a year. Not to mention, the two friends still lived and worked together. It was going to take a lot of talks and planning to even approach the subject of cohabitation.

“C’mere.” Bucky waved his hand toward Sam, indicating his chest. “Wanna hold you, Sammy.”

Sam ducked his head, his facing heating up before turning off the bedside lamp. He shuffled his way closer to Bucky, placing his head on the other man’s chest. Sam wasn’t a small man, but Bucky was broad and thick and made Sam feel exceptionally secure. He’d seen out-of-towners try to start shit and nothing had prepared them for two hundred plus pounds of muscled one-armed cook to come storming out of the kitchen.

“Sleep over on Saturday?” Sam asked quietly, one hand under Bucky’s shirt, stroking the soft skin of his stomach. “You can stay and keep Redwing company.”

He heard Bucky let out a long breath above him before answering. “That’d be nice.” A pause before asking. “Y’want Steve to come?”

“If he wants to.” Sam answered. Personally, he loved having both his boyfriends around, but tried to work within their boundaries as well. “We could go to the lake once I close up.”

Stucky’s was closed on Sunday and Wilson’s only stayed open until 2:30pm. Sunday was the town’s quietest day, even Red/Hawk’s was closed. Sunday was a time for family, and rest - something everyone here believed in fiercely. Sam could think of nothing better than spending it with his two favorite people.

“I like that.” Bucky mumbled before pressing his lips to Sam’s forehead. Sam smiled against Bucky’s chest, letting the gentle rise and fall lull him to sleep.

will be x-posted to ao3

[xserpentlife]

Just Dance with Me

Request: @avenging-fandoms heyo! can I requests something with prompts 2 and 25 from prompt 3? thank you! :)

A/N: sorry this is so late I've been super busy with school work

Summary: Sometimes you just gotta to dance in the rain.

Warnings: None its just realllly fluffy

Word Count: 2017

You and Sweet Pea have been dating for about 4 months, and it was safe to say you fell head over heels for the guy. He was cheesy as hell always doing cute little funny things. Sweet Pea was quite literally the sweetest guy you had ever met. There were also parts of him though that really made him a big baby. Like when he would get upset when you guys couldn’t do something together or when you'd be cuddling and someone would interrupt. Here is a little backstory. You guys have known each other for a while because you were friends with Toni. One night after being at the Wyrm Toni’s bike broke down which led to you and her not having a ride home. Sweet Pea and Fangs offered and you both gladly accepted. Sweets took a wrong turn on the way home “by accident” which led to you getting “lost”. But let’s be honest it wasn’t an accident to get lost in a field of flowers with a blanket laid out. You had to admit though it was clever and super cute. After that night you guys made a tradition that once every other week you would drive to the field, and just spend some time together. 

This week was the week you were supposed to go to the field but you haven’t really been feeling up to it, and you’ve been busy the entire week. On Monday you were sick with a stomach bug from eating out someplace fangs found on his way home from a job in Greendale. Tuesday you had to help Toni with a photo series she was doing for Cheryl’s birthday. Wednesday you had to work at the Wyrm. Thursday you had to do a job with FP, and Pea was out doing a different job with fangs. Friday you all planned to go see a movie at the drive in, but it got crashed when you all got a call because the Ghoulies decided to try to trash pops. And Saturday was the day you planned on going with Pea but then got interrupted by fangs bike breaking down and needing a ride to go see his boy in Greendale. An entire week went by of you not being able to go to the field and Sunday was the day that you guys slept in and cuddled at home. You figured you’d go to the field next week and it would be fine. But there was no way in hell Pea was letting that happen.

Sunday came and Pea kissed your cheek waking you up. 

“Hey babe get dressed and let’s go to the field since we have been interrupted literally this entire week” you covered your head with the blanket mumbling no “what do you mean no Y/N we have been going every week for the past 4 months” you stood up to go to the bathroom and while walking out said “I know Pea but id rather just stay here and cuddle you like we do every Sunday” with that you shut the bathroom door assuming he would have gone into the kitchen to make breakfast like he always does but no. you open the bathroom door and there he is “but pleaseeeeeee I wanna goooooooo” you shook your head walking past him “Pea why does it matter when we go we can just go tomorrow” he walked in behind me in the kitchen snaking his hands around my waist as I was stood at the fridge “well if we can go tomorrow why can't we just go today Y/N” you shook your head at how childish he was being. I mean he was annoying you but he was also super cute when he was needy like this. “I just don’t feel like it okay Pea... we have been out literally this entire week and I just want to chill at home with you is that so bad” he turned me around towards him “no it’s not that it's bad but I still want to go. But since you don’t I'll drop it... for now” ughh you knew exactly what that meant and within the next 2 hours you knew he would be asking you again. We were watching a movie and he surprisingly only asked again once throughout the entire thing so that was a plus. “Hey Pea I’m gonna go take a shower” he held onto me tighter “Pea let me go I need to go shower I stink” he let me go but shook his head “Baby you don’t stink but alright go ahead. Oh, and are you hungry? While your in the shower I can run to pop’s and get us some food” you shook your head yes stating how hungry you were but before you could close the bathroom door he said, “oh and btw can we go to the wyrm later?” you thought it was weird because you usually don’t go to the Wyrm on Sundays “I mean yeah I guess but why?” he stood up putting his jacket on “Toni needs the homework from Friday that she missed cause she wasn’t at school remember” he was acting really weird but you just ignored it. You were still in the shower when Pea came back because you had decided to take a bath. “Y/N are you okay in there?” you chuckled to yourself surprised he hadn’t tried to open the door. I mean there was a reason you didn’t lock it “yeah, yeah I'm good I’m getting out now” you got out of the bath walking into your guys’ bedroom and got dressed. You walked out smelling the Pop’s Pea had brought home “Pea that smells so good I am starving” you sat on the couch next to him as he was placing the food on the coffee table. “why were you in the shower so long? are you feeling alright?” as you took a bite of the burger you chuckled to yourself. “Yeah haha I was fine I decided to take a bath” You were in a mood so you decided to be a tease. almost finished with your burger you looked at him laughing. “Why are you laughing at me? do I have something on my face? he was wiping his face all over “no haha I’m laughing because I’m confused why you didn’t try to open the bathroom door” he looked at me confused “I was going to but when I said your name you answered back instantly... why?” I looked at him again chuckling “well you should have... I left it open for a reason” he looked at you wide-eyed “well I mean you can go back in and I can open it” you laughed again standing up grabbing your jacket “Can’t baby we gotta go visit Toni... right?” he cursed under his breath standing up with a “yeah... yeah, we do” 

We got on Pea's bike and started driving towards the Wyrm but instead of going straight at the intersection the asshole made a damn left. You tapped him on the shoulder but he just kept driving. You knew exactly where he was going and you were pissed. You didn’t want to go to the field because it was a 20 min drive and you just didn’t feel like it. He pulled to a stop getting off the bike as you punched him in the arm. “OW Y/N what was that for” you looked at him sternly “Oh shut up that did not hurt, and I hit you because you lied to me. You said we were going to the Wyrm for Toni. This is not the Wyrm and Toni is not here” he looked at the ground kicking the dirt and went to grab my hand but I backed away “look, baby, I'm sorry but I didn’t want to break out tradition... its important to me” You looked up into his eyes and could see the plea. You knew he was sorry you were just a little annoyed. “You know Pea you're lucky your cute or else I would be super pissed right about now” he laughed lowly taking my hand to walk down to the field. You stayed at the field for a while just talking and having a good time. You had to admit it was nice being with him like this. This was your place you were the only two who knew about it and it was special. Whenever you were here with him it felt like nothing else mattered, and you had to admit holding onto him while riding a bike was a good feeling too. It was a few hours later and you both wanted to get home. He handed you your helmet as you guys got onto the bike. 

The drive home was good at first until you heard the rumble of thunder. It wasn’t supposed to rain today so you thought you would be okay but 5 mins into the ride home Pea had to pull over under a bridge because it was downpouring and hard to see. You were both soaked from head to toe. You stood there leaned against the bike pulling out your phone to look at the weather. You were pissed. “SEE PEA I TOLD YOU WE SHOULDN’T HAVE GONE OUT. ITS GONNA BE RAINING LIKE THIS FOR ANOTHER HOUR... LOOK” as you put your phone to his face. “His eyed looked sad you knew he didn’t mean it he just wanted to spend time with you, but you had wished he just waited one day just one day. You stood there for another few mins before he even said anything. “Look Y/N I i’m sorry I just... We haven’t seen each other all week really aside from sleeping and I know how it is we can get caught up in the flow of the week with work, and school and on top of that the gang. I just... I wanted to spend time with you away from the trailer no distractions” you could see how sorry he was so you stood off the bike and went over to hug him grabbing his face in your hand “I know you are I just wish you would have waited till tomorrow cause we're going to be stuck here for a while” He laughed grabbing your hand dragging you to the end of the bridge about to pull you into the rain. You yanked back and he looked down at you. “come on we’re already wet, and if we are going to be here for a while we mine as well have fun. Come dance with me” Is he insane you thought to yourself who in their right mind would willingly go dance in the rain. “You are actually insane Pea if you think I am going to...” he didn't even let me finish he literally pulled me into the downpouring rain. “come on baby dance with me pleaseeeee” you shook your head while snaking your arms around his neck you danced around for a few minutes having a great time and went back under the bridge out of the rain. You two stood next to his bike, and he looked at you and frowned “I... I hope you're not mad. I’m sorry I ruined our Sunday I just I...” you stopped him and kissed him not letting him finish his sentence “i”m not mad at you pea I could never be You’re my one and only.” He hugged you tight “good. I'm glad baby. I don’t want to lose you. Now as for opening the bathroom door... is that still on the table?” you laughed smacking him in the chest “Your lucky its still raining and I'm gonna be cold when we get home... I think I'm gonna have to take a warm bath” The rain started to die down and he hopped on the bike handing you your helmet. “well then we should get home” you climbed on the bike and he sped off towards your trailer.

[insfiringyou]

First time having sex with J-Hope

Contains: Fluff. Smut. Fingering. Vaginal sex.

AN: Although this can be read on its own, we imagine the girl here is his OTP, Nana, who features in our headcanon masterlist. You can find out more about our headcanon universe here

To read each member & their girlfriend’s headcanon universe fics in order, follow the links here: RM   /   Jin  /   Suga  /   J-Hope   /   Jimin   /   V   /   Jungkook & Our full masterlist can be found here

I was very excited to finally write this as Hoseok is my bias! Please enjoy. Very fluffy and smutty! ~Admin N

Rated written content below cut

Hoseok jolted suddenly as his phone slipped from his loose grasp and landed face down onto the gravel. He sighed in relief as he ran his thumb over the glossy screen. Luckily, nothing had broken. He had been distracted, as he sat on the bench, by the same young woman who had been circling the park for the past 30 minutes. She had first caught his attention because of how she dressed. Her tank top and matching skirt were impossibly white, a small crocheted bag hanging from her shoulder, the neon yellow of her beaded necklace matching her sandals. The day was overcast and gloomy, the earth a little soft from the drizzle that so often accompanied spring. It was not a warm day by any means, even though the sun was beginning to break from behind the clouds.

Secondly, her behaviour was very odd. She would circle any tree that she passed and stare for minutes into the beds of flowers, gently pulling aside leaves and patting the wet soil before moving to another. Hoseok was eyeing her, curiously, until suddenly she turned on the spot and met his eyes from across the path.  His heart pounded inexplicably as she strode over with purpose, her thin brows slightly raised. He parted his lips slightly to greet her, but stopped himself, as she brushed past the bench and began to peer in the thick shrubs beside him.  He couldn't help but watch, open-mouthed as she stepped into the mud, the loose weave of her bag catching in the twigs as she examined the leaves with extraordinary care.

"Excuse me..." Hoseok said, softly. "Is everything alright?"

She glanced at him, slightly taken aback as though she had not realised he had been sitting right beside her. Her face was heart shaped, her large brown eyes seeming too big for it  and surrounded by a fan of long lashes. There was a rosy tint to her cheeks, but otherwise her skin was pale, smooth and bare. Hoseok couldn't help but notice that she was incredibly pretty, despite her hair looking a little wild as it blew in the breeze.

"I'm looking for my other earring, " the woman replied, her fingers toying unconsciously with the brightly coloured, dangling hoops hanging from her earlobe. "I was walking my dog here earlier and I stopped to take off my jumper...I guess it came off then..."

She sounded a little scattered, as though more to herself than the man speaking to her. Stepping a little further into the shrub, she reached in and retrieved something between her fingertips. But she sighed as she withdrew a candy wrapper, muttering to herself.

"I hate that..." Hoseok heard her say under her breath, as she reached over to put it in the bin beside the bench. Before he could ask her where she thought she'd lost it, she lost her balance and fell unflatteringly onto the wet dirt. He sprang to his feet, eyebrows lost in his fringe as he rushed to her side and pulled her up by the elbow.  One sandal was missing, her bare foot covered in muck as she righted herself.

Hoseok guided her, hopping, onto the path. "Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself? Ah, look...your clothes..."

"No...I'm fine." She shook her head, checking herself over where he had indicated. The once white outfit was filthy.  She had placed one hand flat against the ground as she fell, and dirt was under her fingernails . A little confused, she looked around and grabbed for the sandal. "I slipped..."

She slid the shoe back on her muddied foot, and wiped her hand unceremoniously on her skirt. Noticing that she no longer had her bag, he unhooked it from the spiky branches carefully as not to snag the yarn .

"Do you want to keep looking? I can help." Hoseok offered, resting the bag back on her bare shoulder. He thought she looked more disappointed than embarrassed, her coral-pink lips slightly turned down at the corners.

"No thanks... I don't think it's here anyway," She sighed. They rattled cheaply as she brushed them with her fingers. She took out the remaining one and tucked it into her bag. "I should probably go clean up...too bad... I really liked those earrings. They were my favourite."

"Do you have far to walk?"

"To the library." She said, simply. "My apartment is opposite."

Hoseok frowned. "The library in town? That's kind of far."

The woman nodded, brushing her dirt-free fingers through her hair in an attempt to tame her wild curls. "There are no good parks near there...they're always so noisy. But I like this one a lot."

The offer was out of his lips before he could really consider how forward it would sound. "I live across the street. You can come up and clean yourself up a bit first, if you like?"

He blushed as she met his gaze, questioningly. After all, she didn't know this man, but she had no reason to distrust him. "Is that...really okay?"

Hoseok nodded, and to his relief, she didn't look alarmed by his proposal. He couldn't help but smile brightly at her, and she returned it with one that was slightly crooked. Following his lead, she dawdled slightly behind as they headed towards the street.

"Do you walk your dog here a lot?"

"Well...he's not really mine. Seulgi belongs to my neighbour. She broke her ankle, so she can't really do it herself with the crutches. But the cast is coming off in a few days. " Her voice was light and airy, almost musical in the way she spoke, and Hoseok inclined his head to listen better to the pleasant tone of it.

"You changed your hair colour," she continued, her eyes lingering on his black bangs.  She knew she recognised him, but it was only then that she had realised she'd seen him in the exact same spot, eating a banana just a few days before. The sudden change of conversation made him glance back at her, slightly bewildered, as he pushed the button for the crosswalk. "I saw you here last week. I remembered you because you had red hair. But you changed it."

"Yeah...it's more boring now, right?" He chuckled,  taking long strides forward as the crossing light turned green.

"I like it." She said, at once. " It makes your skin look glowy. Like you've just been on holiday or something."

Hoseok felt a warmth creep up his cheeks as he felt her eyes on him, a toothy grin breaking out on his face.

"I just got back from Europe," He said. " It was a little warmer...but just a little."

They were heading towards a shadowed a trio of immense glass buildings, easily the tallest of those around. She hurried a little behind him to catch up with his long strides. They had been clearly visible from the park, reflecting the breaking sunshine from the window panes. "What were you doing in Euro- oh."  She paused, staring skywards at the edifice as the man turned left into the first of the three buildings. " Is this where you live?"

The man nodded, looking a little sheepish. "I moved in a few months ago... but I'm not fully unpacked yet. " He punched in the key code to the building and led her through to the lobby, equally as impressive looking of marble floor and tall ceilings. Her sunshine yellow flip-flops slapped noisily against the white tile. She realised what a disaster she must look as a woman, pristinely dressed, passed by them with an obvious, lingering glare at the grass and mud stains on her clothes.

She was staring down at her feet, her green nail varnish now dull and brown, when Hoseok reached for her swinging hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"Don't worry about it." He whispered, under his breath, dimples forming on his cheeks as he smiled warmly at her. The gesture was simple, fleeting, her stomach flipping his fingers trailed away from her wrist. They took the elevator in relative silence, the curtain of curls disguising her private smile .

"Sorry, it's a little messy... " he said apologetically, beginning to step towards the staircase, away from the chaos of the living room. She shuffled out of her shoes and placed the bag beside his on the doormat, casting her eyes curiously around the open space. There was a half built entertainment unit in the middle of the room, screws and tools scattered everywhere, and several large boxes which she guessed contained more flat pack furniture. There were two half-filled glasses of orange juice by the couch.

"My friend was helping me put it all together, but he had to leave, so I gave up. I'm not great at that sort of thing." He rambled,  pausing as they reached a door at the top of the hall, slightly ajar. He peered in first, before pushing it open and lingering by the entrance as she slipped inside.

"Oh, it's so nice..."

"I'll leave you alone now, okay? I'll be down the hall." Hoseok smiled. She thanked him, and he pulled the door gently closed with a soft click.  Now alone, it occurred to her that she didn't even know the stranger's name, wishing she'd thought to ask him whilst they had been walking. He must have wealthy parents, she thought, to have such a spacious bathroom in Seoul. Her own was cramped, cluttered with products and odd towels that had followed her from apartment to apartment. Yet he seemed perfectly nice, kind, and she decided that nothing else mattered except for that. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she plucked a few small leaves embedded in her curls, trying to brush out the dirt that had managed to cling to the ends. She ran the tap and rinsed her hands underneath the warm stream and began to undress down to her pale pink briefs. Slim and shapeless, her breasts were too small to really bother with a bra. The tiny swell of them felt the chill of the airy space, her nipples hardening as she rinsed her camisole under the water. It ran brown as the mud washed away, and she lathered soap and worked at the stain until the fabric was completely sodden. Her skirt was even worse, and she ended up submerging it completely in a pool of warm suds before wringing them both out and draping them over the bare towel rack to dry. Atleast it was a little better, she thought, sliding down her underwear  and stepping into the shower cubicle. It took her a little while to figure out how to achieve the right pressure and temperature, the water pounding hard against the frosted glass as she fiddled with the chrome dials. Already drenched, she began to wash her hair, squeezing a little shampoo from a bottle on the rack. The scent of tea-tree was fresh and exhilarating, tingling as she massaged it into her scalp. Her mind wandered a little as she washed, her skin prickling pleasantly.

-

"They delivered the wrong speaker." A low purr rumbled against Hoseok's ear. "I had to send it back, so I guess I have free time after all. I'll be there in half an hour."

"Ahh,  now's not a good time," Hoseok said cautiously, eyes flickering to the door of his studio, which he'd left ajar. The hall was empty and silent, except for the faint sound of running water. "Something came up."

"What?" Yoongi inquired.

"Uhm, I have a guest...sort of."

"Ah, Hoseok..." He drew in air audibly between his teeth, but his voice was soft and playful, knowing that he wouldn't have to probe much for details. "Who is she?"

"I don't know her name..." The younger man said, quickly, his chair groaning as he leaned back. "But, it's not like that. She's just using the bathroom and I don't know how long-"

"Just let me know when you're done. I found the alan keys."  The call ended abruptly, and Hoseok slid back the phone into his pocket with a sigh. He ran his hand through his hair, staring blankly at his laptop screen, unable to concentrate on the document in front of him. A tentative knock on the door made him jolt from his seat, and guiltily he looked up to see her stood in the doorway.

His lips parted immediately, a slight gasp slipping from his lips. She peered around the door, thick hair heavy as droplets of water trickled down the pit of  her neck and between the crevice of her small breasts. The white camisole was damp, creased, clinging to every inch of her slim figure. He couldn't help but notice the little indent of her belly button and the two, hard protrusions of her mocha-coloured nipples, her areolas clearly visible beneath the white cotton. He swallowed hard, feeling his breath stutter as he met her large eyes.

"Sorry to bother you... I just wondered if you had a towel...I couldn't find one." She muttered, thinking she had disturbed something. He closed his lips, realising he had been staring.

"Uum, yes, I keep them in the closet...sorry, I guess I forgot to mention that."  Laughing nervously, he turned away a little and stood, his legs feeling odly numb. She had caught his gaze flicker down her body, and she realised in the artificial light how little her clothes had dried in the hot steam of the bathroom. A bright red flush crept up her cheeks. Suddenly, the air seemed too thick to breathe, heavy with silence. There was a crackle of electricity as he brushed past her and stepped out of the room. She pinched her shirt, trying to readjust how it stuck to her skin, but without much effect. He returned moments later holding a fluffy lime- green towel, his face equally crimson.

Their eyes met as she glanced up from his slender hands, and her stomach turned once again at the desire burning in his expression. She took it from him with a breathless thank you, the heat of his body radiating through the wet camisole as they inched closer together.

Frantically, their lips clashed together in a whine of pleasure, the towel dropping to their feet. They broke apart to take sharp breaths before they collided together again excitedly. Droplets of water continued to roll down her forehead and tip of her nose, intermingling in their kiss. The taste of him was intoxicating, making her ache as she matched his feverish pace, his hands busily roaming from her hips to her lower back. His pressure would have been firm where he to keep still for even a second. Yet there was a desperate edge to his embrace, one which deepened the pull in her navel, her libido craving more. She ran her fingertips through his hair, tugging it slightly as she intensified the flavour of the kiss.

"You're so sexy..." He panted, against her lips. She felt his teeth as he smiled against her, and he pushed back keenly.

Flushing in pleasure at his words, her heart skipped. She wanted to repeat the words back to him, but her mind was feeling very hot and fuzzy, and when she spoke again it was with an aching, wistful sort of sigh.

"Touch me..."

Hoseok's fingertips broke the barrier of her shirt and ran flat up her stomach. Her skin was burning, a little clammy from the shower, but beautifully smooth. His breath stuttered in his throat as he palmed her breasts. Though the flesh there very little, her nipples were hard, puckered, and felt incredible between his long digits. Too soon, they slipped away, and he began to peel the fabric over her head. The air was cool as it fully hit her skin, but warmed once more by his hands as they continued to clamber over every inch of her figure. He captured her lips once again, her clitoris pounding so hard that she thought she might lose her balance.

Instinctively, Hoseok sensed her discomfort and lifted her skirt, running his hand up her inner thigh and brushing the warm material of her panties. She groaned at the feel of his fingers against her, pushing the fabric against her centre before angling further up. Head thrown back,  he peppered her exposed throat with toothy kisses, circling the tiny bump with two fingers. Sighing in relief, she held herself steady by wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"That feels so good..." she moaned softly, though she knew he had heard her because she felt him grin against the space between her collar bones. They moved quickly down to take one of her nipples in his mouth and he flicked his tongue quickly over it, making her feel incredibly sensitive. She arched back, lips slack, sending a few droplets cascading down her back  as her clit ached between his fingertips. It was almost painful; sending shivers up her spine as she gripped his back more tightly.

"I want you," she whined. "Please."

Hoseok didn't need to be asked twice. His arousal was already straining against his jeans, and she gasped in surprise as she felt his erection push against her stomach through the denim. He released her nipple, his hand moving away from her panties and to clutching at her hips. Their lips crashed, and he guided her roughly to the tiny, two seater sofa that was usually occupied by Yoongi. Her skirt bunched up around her midriff as she sank back against into the cushions, his long legs awkwardly positioned half on the carpet as he rested his weight on her. Heart thumping, she tugged desperately at the waistband of his jeans, realising to her dismay that he was wearing a belt. Feeling her struggle a little with the buckle, he closed his fingertips around hers as he kissed her cheeks, and freed himself. She helped pull the band of his boxers over the head of his cock, pre-cum spreading across her palm as she jerked them down just enough to expose his shaft. He was rock hard, and she could feel the pressure of it against her, frustrated by the barrier of her underwear. Together, they dragged them down her thigh and he pushed into her slick folds. They both cried out at the sensation of it, an odd sense of relief and mingled excitement.

"You're so tight...feels...amazing..." Hoseok whined, his voice strangled, edged with pleasure. She felt so full, his cock fitting her curves perfectly. He was impossibly close, tangled completely around her. Aching to touch him, she skimmed her hands up his shirt, finding a comfortable grip on his shoulders. Her heart fluttered as she watched his face change, her breath hitching as he thrust sharply into her. Her damp curls would surely be a frizzy mess as her head bumped against the cushions over and over. But she couldn't care less. Holding him tightly, she inclined her hips to meet him in each movement, the angle earning each a loud moan of satisfaction. His rhythm was delightfully consistent, never losing its pace, but building in intensity. The sound of their high, breathy cries echoed around the barely furnished room; hers a little louder, as a warm tingle spread from her clit and resonated in a spot deep inside of her.

Her orgasm took her by surprise; the shockwaves of it catching her breath in her throat, and causing her to dig her nails hard into his shoulders. Hoseok felt every pulse of it around him, squeezing him, pulling him tightly.

"Ah...fuck..." He whined, drawing his lip between his teeth at the sensitivity. His hips automatically began to slow at the feel of her throb around him.

"Don't stop..." She managed in a desperate whisper. "S-so good..."

He pushed her thigh against her stomach, changing his position so that he was more upright, enabling himself to push back into her with more ease. His legs had begun to ache as he found his footing against the laminate. Able to see her face clearly now, he watched her expression change as her long eyelashes fluttered open, eyes sparkling back up at him. Lips parted, she inhaled sharply as he moved, clearly enjoying the sensation of him. It was beyond sexy to watch her lick her lips every now and again, dry from her moans, biting them as he buried himself deeper inside.

"I'm close..." Hoseok panted, cheeks reddening as his release grew quickly. He knew that he had to act fast, a panicked edge to his voice. "What should I do?"

"I don't mind..." She replied, almost dreamily, her face a picture of bliss.

Making his mind in that instant, and just in time, he grasped his cock by the base and pulled out of her, his seed spilling over her bunched skirt and pubic hair in a loud sigh of pleasure. It seemed to go on forever as he stroked himself until he felt too sensitive to touch. It took a minute for his orgasm to ebb away, his body overcome with a warm shiver that left his complexion rosy and glistening with perspiration. She thought he looked beautiful.

"I'm sorry, I messed up your skirt..." He breathed, his hand running down her thigh and to his fading erection. She caught a glimpse of black pubic hair disappearing over the band of his blue boxers.

"It was already ruined, " she said. " I couldn't get the stains out anyway."

Hoseok chuckled softly, though she looked slightly bewildered.

" I'm a teacher. I don't even know your name..."

"You're a teacher? That's really amazing. " Hoseok said brightly, eyebrows raised. His cheeks were glowy as he smiled, seeming genuinely impressed.

She flushed, hoping that he would not get the wrong impression of her. " I  don't usually do this... "

" Me neither." He agreed, and she knew he was telling the truth.

"My name is Nana. "

"I'm Hoseok. I'm sorry I didn't tell you that before we-  " A nervous laugh escaped his lips, dimples forming on his cheeks. "Really, I didn't expect to....was it really okay that I..."

She murmured in agreement, smiling kindly at him. "Don't worry.. I'm on the pill."

He sighed in relief."Can I get you something else to wear? Your clothes are still soaking."

Nana nodded, and he squeezed her hand before leaving the room. She used the excess fabric of her skirt to clean the traces of him that had caught in her pubic hair and along her thigh, before pulling it down her legs and bundling it. So he was called Hoseok- even his name made her feel warm, familiar. She cast her eyes around the room, mind whirling. There was a microphone by his computer and large, expensive looking speakers. She decided she would ask him about it later.

When he returned he was holding an oversized shirt and pair of elasticated , leaf-patterned shorts.  He looked a little apologetic, eyes skimming languidly over her naked body. " I don't have anything in your style." He said .

"Of course not, it's not like you were expecting me." she replied, voice sweet and teasing.

-

She dressed unhurriedly, his clothes hanging loosely from her small frame. Hoseok was watching her, eyes soft with affection.

"Wow...you look great, Nana."

Her heart did a little flip as he said her name, and she smirked in disbelief at him. "How could I? I look a mess."

She was referring to her hair, wild and unkempt. Dragging an elastic hair band from her wrist, she began messily tying it into a bun, away from her face.

"You're even cuter like this. So pretty."

Nana blushed hard as he stepped forward, one hand resting softly on her hips as the other cupped her face, pulling her into a sweet, chaste kiss. Surprised, she pressed her lips tenderly against his, suddenly feeling dread at the thought of having to leave.

"Can you stay?" Hoseok asked, his tone pleading and gentle. She felt comforted that he too was experiencing the same, strange sinking feeling in his chest.

However, Nana shook her head, regretfully. "I have to prepare for my classes tomorrow."

It was true; her kitchen table was a chaotic mess of scattered books, stickers, and lesson plans.

His smile fell a little. "Oh...that's too bad. I wish you could."

Her heart hurt at the disappointment in his voice.

"I have an hour before I absolutely have to leave, " She added quickly, sinking back onto the sofa. "Maybe we could get to know each other  a little better?"

"Really? That's okay?"  Hoseok beamed as bright as sunshine itself, and she couldn't help but grin back. Sitting next to her, he immediately wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him. They ended up laid down, her head on his shoulder, with  his long legs tangled around hers. Nana glowed, heart thumping as he continually toyed with her curls. Everything about him was warm, and she could easily have dozed off, but she wanted to talk.

"So what were you doing in Europe? I didn't get to ask you."

"Oh," said Hoseok, with a pause. He hadn't fully appreciated until that moment that she did not appear to know who he was, and he wondered if it would bother her to find out. "Me and my friends were travelling..."

She caught the hesitation in his voice, knowing that there was something he was not telling her. "Just travelling?" She prompted, softly.

"I really like you, Nana." Hoseok said. "Do you like me too?"

"Of course I do." Her voice was still gentle, sincere, but she was a little confused by his change in direction. She could tell that he was nervous. He shifted a little, one arm holding her against him as he reached into his pocket and withdrew his phone. After a moment of fumbling, her handed it to her. Bewildered, she took it and squinted a little at the photo on screen. Hoseok, looking sunkissed, was smiling broadly into the camera. Seated behind him were six others, dinner plates and half-empty bottles of Corona placed on the table in front of them.

"I took this of us at a restaurant whilst we were over there," he explained. "That's Yoongi, the one who was helping with the furniture. The one next to him is-"

"Wait," Nana interjected, slowly, eyebrows furrowed as she remembered an interview she had seen on TV a few weeks prior. "I recognise this guy. And this one was-.... ohhhhhh. Now it makes sense."

"What does?"

"Your microphone," She replied, a little dazedly. "I thought you were one of those bloggers who makes a killing from ASMR."

Hoseok exploded in a high pitched cackle.

"ASMR? Really?" He repeated. "I don't think I'd be very popular."

"Stupid guess, I know. I just didn't expect....I don't really keep up with idols these days."

"It doesn't bother you?"

"I think it's amazing. And your friends seem really nice."

Hoseok smiled, obviously relieved. "Yeah, they are."

-

It was several hours later when they eventually pulled up outside of her apartment. The streetlamps had already flickered on, and the windows of the library across the road were dark and empty. Hoseok apologised profusely for keeping her for so long.

"Don't worry about it. I'll catch up before class," Nana reassured, her cheeks slightly rosy. Neither had realised how long it had been as they chatted happily, simply content to hold each other and talk. She now knew that he had an older sister who ran a clothing brand, and that his parents were still living in his birthplace of Gwangju. She in turn had revealed that she had spent a few months in the city as a teenager, during her parent's divorce. He had listened sympathetically as she assured him that they were on good terms , and that she saw them often during the school holidays.

"Is it okay to call you tomorrow?" Hoseok asked.

Nana clutched the plastic bag, containing her clothes, making it rustle loudly as she unbuckled her seatbelt. "I'd be disappointed if you didn't."

They smirked, a familiar crackle of electricity passing between them. Without words, they leaned in close and captured each other in a kiss. She felt his hand caress her cheek, pulling away a little before pressing his lips tenderly once again to hers. Nana couldn't remember the last time she had butterflies like this, and with a little regret, she dragged the belt over her shoulder and began to slide out of the car.

"Thank you."  She said, dizzily. "I'm glad I met you today, Hoseok."

The recollection of that afternoon drifted between them, leaving a long, aching pause.

"Me too," he responded, their eyes meeting in an affectionate exchange.

After what felt like forever, she closed the door of the vehicle, turned her key in the lock, and heard the car pull away as she made her way to the second floor. With a little sigh, she placed the bag on the kitchen chair, gathering up all of the books and piling them back into a large backpack. It would have to wait until the morning.

-

The sound of kids screaming and playing outside drifted through the open window of the classroom. The light breeze was making the wind-chimes they'd made earlier that week tinkle prettily from the latch they were dangling from. Nana took another bite of her BLT, peeling golden stars with her right hand and sticking them into the exercise book in front of her. A soft buzzing made her pause, and she quickly swallowed as she slid open her desk drawer and saw her phone vibrating against her academic diary.

"Hello?" She asked, not immediately recognising the number.

"It's me." The voice on the other end of the line made her heartbeat accelerate, her face suddenly feeling hot.

"I wasn't expecting you to call so soon, " Nana said. "I'm just having lunch. Class starts in a few minutes."

"I'm sorry for disturbing you, I just wanted to ask you something."

Taking another, smaller bite, she urged him to continue, curious.

"Well I.. I haven't stopped thinking about you all morning." He said. He was speaking quickly, as though he had to get out what he was thinking in that instant. "I just wanted to ask if you would be happy if...if I asked you to be my boyfriend."

Nana choked a little on her sandwich. "Your boyfriend?"

"Girlfriend!  I meant girlfriend." Hoseok laughed, and it was infectious. Her stomach began to hurt, until the line went quiet, his soft breathing audible through the speaker. Her chest warmed at the implication, knowing immediately that nothing would make her happier.

"I'd love that." She replied, her smile stretching over her lips, imagining his face as she said it.  The school bell rang and a loud yell echoed from outside as students began to flood into the halls.

"Really? That's great." Hoseok exclaimed over the din.

Her face was beet red, eyes stinging a little, and she wiped the corners with her sleeve. "Yes..." She breathed. "But I have to go now. "

"Okay...well.." His voice was equally breathy."I'll see you soon."

She drew the phone away from her ear as footsteps thundered outside of the classroom door, along with the remains of her half-eaten lunch. Her heart felt so full she thought she might burst.

Needless to say, the class got gold stars on all of their assignments that afternoon.

***

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[tabletibbletobobble]

Gone in an Instant - Prelude

It was a cool October night and laughter echoed down the lonely street.

“You can’t do that!” a young boy shouted. “You can’t wear roller skates.”

It was true; she was wearing roller skates. “There’s nothing in the big invisible rulebook of tag that says I can’t,” she reminded him. She was eight, with black hair and golden-brown eyes. Her hair was curly and fell just past her neck.

“You’re too fast, it’s not fair,” the child continued to protest. His pale face was turning red, his lips rolled into a pout. A small group of fellow players circled around the boy, most nodding in agreement. “You can’t play until you take them off.”

“Who died and made you king of tag?” The girl countered. Her voice was harsher than she meant, but her face remained scrunched up in anger.

“Who made you so bad at running that you need wheels?” The boy laughed. A few children behind him gasped and oo’d.

“Fine!” she shouted. Her fists curled up in anger as she began to kneel down to unlace her skates. “I was just trying to be nice. I’m much faster without them,” she bragged, even unsure herself.

“This ought to be good,” said a spectator.

The girl’s skates weren’t just too big for her, they were high too, with lots of laces. She began unlacing, muttering every almost-swear she could think of. Her mom can’t get mad at her for almost-swears, right? The skates were hand-me-downs from the girl’s aunt. She was an odd woman who used slang incorrectly and talked a lot about bands the girl had never heard of. Her bumper sticker said “Disco Never Died.”

She was just about done with the first lace, when the boy who was it shouted, “Time in!” The entire group scattered.

“You guys are gonna be so sorry when I’m done.” She could here the pattering of footsteps getting more distant. She had to focus on the laces if she was going to be able to play. “I’m gonna run circles around-“ The girl was interrupted by a small hand pushing her firmly to the ground.

“You’re it!” The mean boy exclaimed as the girl winced in pain.

She pulled herself to her feet and saw not a single kid was in sight, except one, who watched the girl from a distance. One foot still in a skate, the other in nothing but a fluffy purple sock. She stood there feeling defeated and humiliated before looking at her arm. A small red cut puffed from her brown skin. She touched it and sucked in through gritted teeth. The girl pulled off her left elbow pad and threw it on the ground, before collapsing down to a knee once more to remove the other skate.

The remaining boy approached her. His hair was a dirty blond falling to bangs above his brown eyes. He wore an orange t-shirt with a shark on it, and a striped black hoodie over it. He walked slowly, as one would approach a stray cat.

“Are you okay?” the boy was nervous. He didn’t want to get yelled at, and he definitely didn’t want to be “it”.

“What do you care?” The girl sniffed, choking back tears.

“That was mean of them,” the boy offered. “I’m sorry.”

“Boys are jerks,” the girl muttered. She might’ve been the new kid, but she knew boys like the ringleader. They’re everywhere.

“Nuh-uh,” the boy argued. “Not all boys are jerks.”

“Name one,” the girl demanded.

“Name one what?” the boy scratched his head.

“Name one boy who’s not a jerk,” the girl looked up at him, as she pulled off her last skate with an “oof”.

“I’m not!” the boy protested.

“My mom says you’re not allowed to say if you’re nice or not.” The girl stood up, she was about the same height as the boy. Maybe a centimeter taller. “She says you can’t judge yourself. So, try again.”

The boy thought a moment. “Mufasa, Simba’s dad.”

“Nuh-uh,” the girl rejected. “He was a bad guy in Star Wars.”

The boy reconsidered for a moment. “What about Naruto?” The boy smiled triumphantly.

“Mom says kids who hurt their friends are jerks,” the girl quickly pointed out. “And him and Sasuke fight a lot.”

“They fight over a girl though!” the boy exclaimed. “They both like her.”

“Mom says boys who fight a lot like each other.” The girl put her hands on her hips confidently.

“Wait,” the boy’s eyes opened wide. “Boys can like other boys?”

“Yep!” the girl exclaimed. “My uncle Nate likes his boyfriend. They live in Boston.” The girl twirled around, picked up her skates by the laces, and began walking toward the two bikes lying on the grass.

The boy followed her. “How’d your mom get so smart?” the boy asked earnestly.

“She always was,” the girl smiled.

The boy smiled back. “Cool.” The two reached their bikes and pulling them up and walking down the street at their sides. “You’re new, right?”

The girl nodded.

“Do you have any friends yet?”

The girl nodded again, “I do, but they’re back California.”

“You can’t be far-away friends with someone,” the boy argued. “They’re pen pals. Do you have any friends here yet?”

The girl shook her head. “The boys are jerks, and the girls are bees!”

“Bees?” The boy questioned.

“It’s what my mom says when a girl is a jerk. I think it stands for something, but I haven’t figured that part out yet.”

“What did the girls do?” The boy asked.

“They said I couldn’t join sports because they didn’t have a surf club and that kids from California only know how to skateboard and surf.” She sighed. “And I don’t even surf! I mean, my dad does, and me and my mom tried it once, but my mom got stung by a jellyfish after we fell off so we had to go home.”

“Whoa!” the boy gasped. “Did she die?”

“No but her foot got red and puffy,” the girl explained. “I think it laid it’s eggs in her. Like in that movie dad said I couldn’t watch the rest of.”

“Which one?”

“ET, I think.” The girl finally mounted her bike. It had a sleek silver paint job, with pink and black waves painted on the handles and frame.

“So you need friends, right?” The boy stat out kind of startling.

“I guess so,” the girl answered. She shrugged. “If my pen-pals don’t count.”

“I’ll be your friend,” the boy offered. Releasing the didn’t even know each other’s name, he shoved out his hand, offering a handshake. “My name’s Nick.”

“Railly,” the girl reciprocated. She took the boys hand and shook it as hard as she could. The two laughed and jumped on their bikes. They raced to the end of their street, then back up where they had played tag. They dodged invisible alien laser blasts and chased off an evil space ship. Railly’s ship was faster, but Nick’s had a more armor and didn’t have to dodge as much.

It wasn’t long before the sky began turning orange and purple. The two were lying on the grass talking about their favorite Saturday cartoons, and who they were going to be for Halloween. Railly was still in her socks, not having removed her sneaker from her school backpack. Her eyes danced around the autumn sky. The gray clouds and what remained of the leaves made Railly think of visiting Uncle Nate. The sky was blue but was starting to shitft. At the first sign of sunset, Railly jumped up. “Oh shoot!” She exclaimed. “I told my mom I’d be home before now!”

The two pulled themselves onto their bikes and raced down the street. “Crap, crap, crap,” Railly repeated to herself. The two sped down the right side of the street, only slowing to cross the street.

Railly’s fuzzy socks were a present on the birthday before they moved. Her mom said she needed to stay warm in the great white north. Railly was not exactly used to the extra bulk of these socks as one got caught in the gears of her bike. She attempted to pull it away, but she over-corrected in trying and swerved to and fro. It was only inevitable that her bike would pull her off road. Onto the grass leading down the hill, into the forest. “Whoa, who, whoa!” She cried as he bike jumped the curb and began it’s bumpy descent. She swerved, nearly slamming her front tire into a large rock, but the bike was still on a collision course for an old willow that marked the forest edge. She should have hit that tree.

Nick’s eyes widened as he watched what had just unfolded. This fast, graceful girl thwarted by a sock, and now hurdling down the hill. He jumped off his bike, leaving it to fall in the middle of the street. He ran after her. He saw her mere inches from the tree and instinctively closed his eyes to avoid seeing the contact. But there was no crash, no scream, no thud. Nick opened his eyes to see nothing but woods and the small creek behind the tree line. Did she jump off her bike and hide just to scare him? Was she a ghost the whole time? Nick rubbed his eyes. There was no Railly. Just an empty silver and pink bike, leaning against an old oak tree. He called out to her. He tried again and again as sun set and the sky turned dark. His new friend was gone.

Railly stumbled forward, rolling into the orange dust of this strange place. She pressed forward back onto her feet, still only with the fluffy purple socks against the rock dirt beneath her. She looked up, seeing the red sky above her, and the orange mountain range in front of her. She looked around, feeling helpless and alone. She turned and pressed her hands against the dirt hill behind her. Could she go back? Could she get home?

[storiesandgarbage]

Broken (Part 1)

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x reader

Style: 2 part story // Part 2 here

Warnings: Mentions of broken bones, blood, fighting, swearing. Fluffy. Sweet Bucky is Sweet

Summary: After you’re injured on a mission Bucky takes care of you. Inspired by a writing prompt: “Are you gonna save me?”

A/N: Hi lovelies! I wrote this nice little two part story. I stumbled across the prompt in a list and this is where my imagination took me! If you want to be tagged in the second part or just in my work in general please please please let me know! Enjoy!

“Oh, fuck,” you exclaimed at the searing pain in your arm. The burly guard you had just taken down took you with him, twisting your arm under his weight in a way that was certainly not natural. You attempted to stand but felt a rush when you moved too fast. The pain began to make your vision spotty.

“It’s broken,” you murmured to yourself, looking to the arm in question, which hung by your side the hand facing the wrong direction. You sighed, pushing yourself off the ground with the remaining good arm.

“What’s broken?” A chorus of frantic voices all asked at once. You focused on the noise and it kept you grounded to where you were. The pain threatening to pull you under and make you lose consciousness.

“My arm,” you hissed as you tried to pick it up and examine it more thoroughly. You glanced around to make sure you weren’t gaining any company and when you determined it was safe you pulled out a knife and cut some fabric from the guard’s shirt to fashion a sling. Served him right for breaking your arm.

“What’s your location, Y/N,” Bucky’s tight voice rang out in your ear. You didn’t answer right away, distracted by your attempt at making the sling.

“Y/N, where are you?” Bucky’s voice came through again.

“Fourth floor?” You said it like a question, you were pretty sure that’s where you had last been but things were hazy in your mind. You finally got the sling tied, wanting to start moving as soon as possible. You were sure your whimpers of pain were audible over the comms unit but you struggled to care. Looking tough was the last thing on your mind when the rest of the team was still fighting which meant no one was coming to your rescue. You were going to have to get back to the quinjet on your own.

“I’ve got her tracker on the third floor, far side of the building,” You silently thanked Tony for double checking your hazed response to Bucky’s question.

“Y/N, I’m coming for you, stay put.” Bucky’s voice over the earpiece was like an angel. Your body cried in relief as you sat down immediately up against the far wall of the room you were in. You weren’t going to have to get yourself back, Bucky was coming for you. You held your semi-automatic across your lap and said a quick prayer that no more henchmen would find you. The gun though you loved it dearly was quite heavy and really required two hands. Not to mention your dominant hand that typically held the trigger was currently cradled against your body in the makeshift sling.

A few breaths later Bucky was in the room. “Buck,” you smiled lazily at him, the pain making you delirious, “are you gonna save me?”

“Of course I am sweet girl,” Bucky stooped low next to you, quickly examining your arm, “God you’re a walking train wreck aren’t you?”  He said this more to himself than to you as he lifted you off the ground. He froze momentarily when he felt a wet spot on your thigh where his hand held onto you.

“Y/N, it was just your arm that was injured right?” You tried really hard to think about it, but the longer time dragged on the more woozy you felt.

“Oh!” You exclaimed as the memory finally came back, “Some dick did stab me, but I was doing fine after that. I’ve been stabbed before James.” You laughed at yourself but Bucky didn’t seem willing to return the favor as he carried you quickly down the stairs.

“My arm hurts,” you sighed looking down at it, “Buck, I’m tired. I’m just gonna rest my eyes.”

“No, no, Y/N, you’ve lost a lot of blood. You’ve gotta stay awake for me.” Bucky tried to shake you and keep you awake while he kept moving toward the quinjet. “Keep your eyes open for me,” he begged and you tried to hang onto the sound of his voice but falling out of consciousness was like falling asleep. And you were so tired.

The last thing you heard were Bucky’s continued pleas: “No, sweet girl, hang on for me, I can’t lose you, come on Y/N.” Then, the world went black.

“If she’s going to be okay as you claim then WHY hasn’t she woken up yet?” Tony’s voice registered in your ears. He sounded upset.

“It’s been TWO days,” there he was again, “when is she going to wake up?”

Two days? Who needs to wake up? You were trying to process when you realized your eyes were closed. You took care in opening them to the light, it was blinding at first but when you focused you realized you were in the med bay. Memories of the mission came flooding back, you looked to your arm which was in a thick cast. Great, you thought to yourself, I’m going to be out for a month with this damn thing.

You felt pressure in your other hand and turned to see Bucky sleeping in the chair next to your bed, he held your hand even in sleep and your heart fluttered at the sensation. Smiling, you pulled your hand away from his and ran your fingers through his hair. The sensation startled him and he sat up, blinking quickly before registering that you were awake.

“Y/N!” He yelled and stood up, embracing you. Tony heard the commotion and came quickly to your side. Not long after, the rest of the team followed suit. They explained that the knife wound you received left you pretty well injured before you broke your arm. The blood loss seemed to have been your downfall because after you were rushed into surgery to repair your arm, you hadn’t woken up.

“We took turns sitting with you,” Thor declared, smiling from ear to ear now that he knew you were okay, “but the good Bucky refused to leave your side.” You turned your head to look at Bucky who just blushed and shrugged his shoulders.

“Buck,” you scolded, “you didn’t have to stay with me.”

“I know, but I needed to know that you were okay, that they were taking care of you.” Bucky revealed this in a low tone. Words only meant for you but that the rest of the team heard.

“Well, thank you all, for taking care of me.” Your words were sincere. The team was the only family you truly had, without them, you were nothing.

Everyone took their turns giving you hugs and well wishes before the doctors came in to examine you. Bucky stayed by your side the entire time even when everyone else left and when the doctors told you that you were clear to go back to your room Bucky put you in a wheelchair and took you there himself.

Upon arrival he took you straight to the bathroom at your request when you stood and looked in the mirror you gasped in shock.

“Did no one even attempt to clean me up?” You hair was knotted and sticking out in different directions, every visible part of your body was covered in dirt and you were pretty sure you smelled not so lovely.

“We figured you would be opposed to a sponge bath,” Bucky chuckled watching you try to brush the knots from your hair. When you gained some ground there you hobbled to the bathtub and began running the water. You added bubble bath and inhaled the scent deeply.

“I, uh, guess I’ll take my leave then,” Bucky said awkwardly and began to exit the room.

“Buck, wait.” You called to him and he halted his movements, turning to look at you once more. “I don’t think I can get in the tub myself, these don’t feel very good.” You gestured to the stitches on your thigh, just beneath the hospital gown you were still wearing.

Bucky blushed, he was going to have to put you in the tub? His heart raced at the thought.

“Maybe I should go get Natasha or something?” Bucky tried to get himself out of the situation, even if he believed it was innocent for you, he would not be able to ignore the weak feeling in his knees which came with the thought of your nakedness.

“Buck, come on,” you whined, “you’re already here, I need to sit down.” You said it with such finality. He knew there was not going to be any negotiation. You motioned for him to turn around and you pushed your underwear down until they fell on the floor, you used your bad leg to try and kick them out of sight.

“Okay,” you said, “I’m ready.” Bucky came over to you and scooped you into a cradle, lifting you up and over into the steaming water that was brimming with bubbles. Bucky turned again once he was sure you were steady and let you slip out of the hospital gown, he tried desperately hard to not look at you while he helped you into a sitting position.

“James Buchanan Barnes, are you blushing?” You teased him, which only caused his cheeks to grow warmer as he took a seat next to the tub in the desk chair he picked up from your room. He had made it this far, no sense in leaving now.

You laid back, careful to keep your cast out of the water and tried to relax. Dipping your head under the water to get your hair wet you absently wondered how you were going to thoroughly wash your hair with only one hand. Even if you wrapped your cast in a bag to keep it from getting wet you had no way to use your fingers. You entire arm was essentially just a club.

Bucky seemed to think of this as well, after watching you sit and try to fumble with the shampoo bottle he gently took it from your hand. You flipped your head around to face him, bewildered as to why he stole your shampoo.

“Relax,” he commanded when he saw your wide eyed expression, “I’m just washing your hair.” You began to protest, not wanting more help than you had already gotten from him but he quickly silenced you. “Just let me do this for you doll.” His words worked as a silencer, your heart fluttering in your chest at his sweet nickname for you. Gods above you loved that man, even if he never returned the feelings you couldn’t help the way your heart soared at the thought of him. You closed your eyes as me massaged your scalp, sighing in contentment.

Meanwhile, Bucky’s heart was racing. He combed his fingers carefully through the knots that had found home in your hair, he couldn’t help but notice the way your knees stuck out of the bath water or the fact that your body was only kept from his view thanks to the bubble bath you had added to the water. His body yearned for you in a way that he couldn’t recall ever feeling before. He wanted to be close to you, hold you, love you, and be loved in return.

He reached for the detachable spray hose on the tub and gently washed the soap from your hair. After he was done you did your best to scrub your body free of any remaining dirt then you sat until the bubbles began to dissipate.

“Alright, time to get out,” you said, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. He helped you stand and then handed you a towel, carefully averting his eyes the entire time. When you were sufficiently wrapped he lifted you out of the tub and walked you into your room, placing you on the bed. He turned to the dresser and picked out a pair of shorts and one of his hoodies which you had stolen long ago and tossed them to you, letting you get dressed.

“Now, I ordered take out for us,” Bucky said, standing at the foot of your bed, “but you are on strict r&r until further notice. No exceptions, don’t even try arguing with me.” Bucky caught your expression before you could even get any words out. You laid back on your pillow and pouted. You weren’t one for idle time and being sentenced to bed rest was a fate worse than death.

“Will you at least hang out with me so I don’t die of boredom?” You asked Bucky, smiling and knowing full well that he wasn’t going to leave you alone to be bored.

“Of course sweet girl, wouldn’t want to spend my time with anyone else.” His tone was playful but you wondered if there wasn’t something more there by the way he looked into your eyes when he said it.

Bucky left the room to meet the delivery driver at the front of the compound. You cuddled under your blankets and picked out something for you both to watch on Netflix while you waited for him to come back. He returned a few moments later with arms heaping full of food.

“I figured you may be hungry,” he said sheepishly, “you haven’t eaten in three days.” You just laughed at the sight of him. He sat down a pizza box as well as several Chinese food containers. There was even a bag with French fries in it. He handed you a can of your favorite drink and plopped down on the bed next to you. He lifted up the covers so that you could share and scowled at the sight of your stitches.

“It’s okay Buck, I’m okay,” you said as you reached your good hand to smooth a hair out of his face. His only response was to place a kiss to his fingertips and then gently touch those fingertips to your stitches. He had picked up the habit from you, you picking it up from your mother who had always healed all of your injuries with that simple action. You smiled at him as he met your eyes.

“All better?” He asked.

“All better,” you took in the sight around you. Surrounded by your favorite foods and your favorite person, comfortable and safe and you couldn’t help the words that spilled out of your mouth next.

Bucky’s eyes widened at the sound of those words coming from you. It was an innocent enough notion, something you said all the time, but you meant every syllable: “I love you, James Barnes.”

[urbigbiddygothgf]

Dirty Levi's

"Like this, daddy?"

"Not exactly, sweetheart. Aim higher. Yeah, now take a deep breath, and pull the trigger." Dean whispered as he covered his daughter's ears, the gun firing at a broken bottle. It shattered instantly and Grayson gasped, lowering the loaded gun. She looked back at her dad, searching his eyes for approval. He started chuckling and scooped her up, causing her to giggle and squirm.

"I did it!" Grayson howled, her wavy hair bouncing as Dean threw her up in the air and caught her. He fell though and they slid down the tiny hill, both laughing and howling at the sky. Grayson crawled over and laid her head on Dean's stomach, his hand immediately combing through her waves.

She was seven, and she was beautiful. Her eyes were a nice lime green, like Dean's. Her hair was a nice caramel color, and her skin was more on the tan side. Grayson's cheeks were rosy and she had freckles everywhere. All over her face, neck, arms, legs, etc. Her hair was shoulder length, and very wavy. She was rocking some half braids and wore her favorite pair of overalls, a nice mustard striped shirt underneath, and a pair of muddy cowboy boots. Grayson was a wild child like Dean, but also very calm and quiet with others.

"You had fun?" Dean asked. She nodded against his stomach, stretching. "We can fire off a few more rounds later, right now, I gotta get you cleaned up, little lady." She sat up and Dean got to his feet, placing his hands under Gray's armpits and lifted her up onto his hip. He walked up the tiny hill and made his way back to their cabin. They were only twenty minutes into the woods, so it wasn't a hassle for anything. He grabbed his gun and handed it to Grayson, who put the safety on, and tucked it under her arm. Dean smiled proudly and kissed her glabella. She showed off her toothy grin and kissed his cheek, tucking her head against his neck.

He opened the door and was shocked to see Cas staring out the window, his legs brought up to his chest and hunched over a cup of tea. His trenchcoat was abandoned beside him. Dean placed Grayson down and she put the gun on the counter before walking over to Castiel. He looked over at the tiny child and smiled.

"I finally hit the bottle, dad. Daddy even showed me how to put the safety on." Grayson said as she sat next to her dad on the bay window, facing him. Castiel motioned for her to come forward, and once she did he covered her cute little face with kisses, ending on her button nose.

"That's very sweet of him, huh bee?" Castiel whispered, admiring how Dean didn't completely screw up on the Dutch braids. Grayson nodded and Dean appeared beside them, leaning over to place a kiss on his husband's lips. Cas sighed against his lips as he brought a hand up to cup his cheek. Grayson rolled her eyes, but beamed at her dads. "I'm proud of you, bee. Just don't go running around with a gun." Cas chuckled. She nodded.

"What if we go on a walk in the woods? That old trail we use to take?" Dean offered. Grayson gasped, and nodded her head.

"Can we go, dad? I wanna go in the woods!" She asked Castiel. He smiled, and agreed to the idea. "I'ma go pack some water and those little peanut butter cups!" Grayson said, getting off of Cas and running to her room for a pack. Dean took her spot and kissed Cas again.

"When did you get home?"

"Ten minutes ago, when Grayson shot the bottle. I saw it." Cas smirked. "She's gonna wanna get better aim if she wants to hunt with her father." Cas added, finishing his cup of tea. Dean shifted uncomfortably on the idea of Gray hunting. There is to much dangers and caution.

She strolled out with her navy blue pack, strolling into the kitchen and filling it up with waters and snacks. Dean never got to clean her off from their roll down the hill.

"Hunting? With the monsters and stuff?" Gray asked, shoving another water bottle in the pack and zipping it closed. "When can I hunt?"

"You're not going to hunt. Not on my watch."

"But you can show me how to shoot a gun and make wardings?" Grayson pouted. Dean clicked his tongue.

"Exactly. I've been hunting since I was a toddler and I'm not going to let you get hurt, or worse, because I chose to let you go after those things." Dean added. Cas placed a hand on Dean's arm, giving him a reassuring squeeze. Grayson nodded, and walked over to hug him.

They've been on the trail for ten minutes or so, and Grayson was riding on Cas' shoulders, wrapping his wavy hair around her finger, and just running her tiny hands through his black fluffy mess. He snickered.

The trees were huge and blocking off any light, but none of them minded. Gray got burnt easily anyway. Dean started singing under his breath, and Grayson joined along but sang out louder. She patted her dad's shoulder and he let her down, she immediately ran over to Dean, slipping her hand into his. He looked down at her and they both snickered. Cas smiled at his two goofballs as they continued on.

They all say down near some rocks and picked at the peanut butter cups Grayson brought. She put her trash in a Ziplock bag and shoved it in her pack, looking down at her muddy overalls from earlier. She smiled at the memory and saw a squirrel picking at a leaf. She chuckled, and walked up to it, immediately it dashed away. Grayson rolled up her sleeves and ran after it.

Cas watched her run off, but didn't think twice about it. She always came when they called, and they put alot of trust in her. "So about earlier-"

"It's fine, Cas. I just don't want her to feel like I'm forcing her not to hunt. I want her to understand I'm looking out for her, that I don't wanna see her..." Dean went cottonmouthed as he threw away his peanut butter cup and chugged half of a water bottle. Cas leaned over and kissed Dean's cheek, jawline, and mouth. He tangled his fingers in the tiny hairs at the nape of Dean's neck, sucking lightly on Dean's tongue. They shifted and Dean's mouth was tucked against his husband's neck, taking in the scent of camomile and lemon soap.

Grayson groaned when the squirrel ran up a tree, banging her tiny fist against the trunk. "Dang it.." She wiped her hands and was ready to run back, but gasped at the sight of a girl. Gray backed against the tree, flinging out her tiny four inch pocketknife. "Who are you?"

"Me? Who are you?" She quipped. "You just pulled a knife on me. Which, will do nothing." Gray lifted an eyebrow. She stepped back, and a high pitched ringing sounded off, the girl's wings spreading out against the trees. Gray awed at the sight, remembering when Castiel showed her his wings, telling Gray about how he rebelled and went against Heaven's orders for her dad and uncle.

Castiel flinched at the ring that drew a shiver from him. Dean gasped and shuddered at the sound as well. They exchanged looks, Dean suddenly going pale. "Grayson?" Cas yelled, getting up quickly and looking for movement. "Grayson!"

"You're an angel.." Gray whispered.

"Smart kid. My name is Doeriel, what's your name?" She kneeled in front of Gray.

Gray looked down at her boots. "My daddy says angels aren't as nice as the Bible makes them seem.." Doeriel lifted an eyebrow, and took a step closer.

"You're daddy a smart man?" She whispered. Grayson nodded, keeping her pocketknife up at all times. "I thought I told you it wouldn't do anything-" She reached out, only to get her a giant laceration on her palm, that glowed. Doeriel hissed. It was made of angel blade steel.

Grayson glared at her. "I... D-Don't fucking touch me." She growled. The angel then gasped at realization.

"Wait a minute.." She vanished and appeared beside Grayson, causing her to stumble and crawl away. "No way... You're the daughter of Dean Winchester and Castiel Novak, aren't you?" Gray glared at her, her cheeks turning red from anger. "Yup, you even have Dean's eyes, and apparently, his temper. The rumors in Heaven are true, wow... I can't wait, to personally escort you to Heaven, and show you your many, many aunts and uncles. Now come, take my hand.."

"Get away from me." She growled. "My dad was a warrior, and he will kill you if you get near me. And my daddy will run you over with Baby!" Grayson huffed. Doeriel scoffed, and grabbed Grayson by her wrist. She screamed and bit her, causing Doeriel to let go. Then a choked sound came from her mouth. Grayson looked over and saw her eyes and mouth beaming light, then she fell to the ground, Castiel with his angel blade behind her corpse. She gasped and looked away, Dean scooping her up and checking her over. She's obviously seen dead bodies before, which Dean isn't proud of, but it never gets easier.

"Holy crap- Grayson are you okay?" Dean mumbled, checking her wrist, which was red now. Cas stared at the body, putting his angel blade back. "God-.. don't ever run off like that!"

Grayson stared at the dirt floor and nodded. Dean cursed at himself and hugged her tightly, glancing back up at Cas with teary eyes. He walked away from the body and kneeled beside Dean, joining their embrace. Gray hid her face against Cas' shoulder, and Dean squeezed her tightly, whispering 'she's okay, she's safe'.

After they checked her over for the thousandth time, she retrieved her backpack and now they were seated inside the Impala, driving down the dirt road towards town. Grayson fiddled with the hem of her overalls, rubbing off some of the dried up crusty dirt. She'd clean it up later before Dean finds out.

Castiel sat in the passengers seat, leaned back and staring out the window. He and Dean's fingers were intertwined though on the seat. "I was with Sam, today. He wanted help on a spell, so I offered assistance. He's two towns over, said you didn't wanna intrude." Cas spoke, looking over to his husband. Dean didn't move an inch, but sighed.

"Yeah, he- asked me. But, y'know, Gray and I always do target practice on Saturday, and Sam can... handle himself." Dean spoke as if it was all thought out before hand. Cas frowned.

"You miss hunting, don't you? I-I know you still do it, but not as frequent. Why don't you go with Sam the next time he calls? Just the two of you, like old times?"

"I.. I-I do, miss hunting. How could I not? It's been my whole life since I was five. But.." He glanced in the mirror, noticing that Grayson was asleep. "I'm not some reckless flirt anymore. I mean, Cas- I got a baby girl that I love so goddamn much, and a husband I wanna spend the rest of my life with." Dean brought up Cas' hand to his lips. "I can't just go back to the way things were, not exactly. I wanna give Grayson the childhood.." Dean trailed off as he parked the Impala in the lot of a restaurant. He turned slightly and looked over the seat at the now slightly conscious Grayson, rubbing her eyes and yawning. ".. the childhood I never had. And that means being there, dropping and picking her up at school, playing hide and seek, cooking with her, a-and baking-"

Castiel kissed him softly, wrapping his arms around his neck. Dean's muffled reply made Cas laugh, and connected their lips again.

"You are, an amazing father, Dean. I know you will give her all those things and so much more, god I love you. I fucking love you.." Cas whispered as he kissed Dean again, and again.

"Swear.." Grayson mumbled as she unbuckled herself, sitting up and leaning over the seats. Cas placed one more kiss on Dean's lips before hoisting Gray over the seats and seating her between them. The two glanced at each other in approval, and attacked Grayson with kisses. She screamed and giggled at the sudden attack, kicking her legs and trying to push them away, not really wanting them to stop. Castiel pecked her cheek, forehead, her ear, anywhere he can reach. Dean did the same, laughing at Grayson's scrunched up face. She did the same face Cas made when he was trying to hold in a laugh.

They all came down from a giggly high, Grayson fixing her braids. Castiel smiled down at her, and they exited the Impala, managing to get a booth as soon as they walked in. The married couple sat on one side and Grayson sat at the other. She jumped in her seat, excited, because after every meal they have, if it's in reach, they always have a slice of pie. Grayson truly is Dean's daughter because she is just about as crazy for pie as he is. Castiel always gets one scoop of ice cream, but if Gray is feeling generous, they both will share. The waiter came over and took their drinks, complimenting Grayson on her braids, Dean happily taking the credit.

It wasn't long after that Grayson got lost in her thoughts.

"That was the third angel this week that wanted to take me... why do they want me?" Grayson whispered, fiddling with the end of her straw. Castiel and Dean stayed silent, trying to think.

"Because they want me and your father to suffer. We've done... not so nice things to not so nice angels, and now that we have something very precious and dear to us, they sought to take it away. The sought to take you... away. From us." Castiel lowered his head as the food came, the thought of losing Grayson unnerving. "But they won't get you. Not on our watch. Soon they'll realize they can't lay a hand on you without risking their lives, so soon they'll use their head and stop." Castiel cleared his throat. Dean looked away, a headache starting to form from being deep in his horrible thoughts. Losing Grayson? Fuck. That'll shatter Dean, like throwing a rock at a window pane. He took in a shakey breath, allowing Cas to give his thigh a reassuring squeeze.

He hadn't even noticed Grayson crawled under the table and was sitting on his thigh, holding up a single fry in Dean's face. He smiled, and ate it. She giggled as she grabbed a chicken tender from her plate, and shoveled it into her mouth, then holding up more fries for Dean to eat. Castiel snickered, grabbing a fry off Dean's plate. He doesn't have to eat, but he still gets those cravings from when he was human. Grayson laughed and reached over to cup Cas' cheek, his stubble tickling her palm. He kissed her palm and all the tension melted away.

"Do I have to?" She groaned, pulling at her baby blue blanket. Dean snickered.

"Yes, you do. You don't wanna get bad sleeping habits like your father." Castiel quipped as he walked in, his mouth tingling from the minty toothpaste.

"Gee thanks hon." Dean deadpanned. Grayson snickered, leaning back against her pillow. The angel walked over and placed a kiss on Gray's forehead, whispering a 'goodnight' and ' I love you' before kissing Dean, telling him to come to bed soon. He nodded, and the angel left. "So, story tonight or no?" Grayson nodded, turning her head to look at Dean. "Any requests?"

"How about... you and dad?"

"I always tell you that one." Dean snorted.

"But I like it, so start talking."

Dean rolled his eyes and kissed her softly.

"One night, daddy was in a fight with some monsters, and he was losing the fight. He was surrounded. Then, the windows shattered, and in came a man, in a trenchcoat. They had met before, but for a meeting with a man who was evil, but they didn't know at the time. He helped daddy beat the monsters, and the two became good friends. Daddy, Uncle Sam, and the man became a team, and they added him to the family. Everything was amazing, for once they were content and happy. Until daddy though he screwed things up between him and the man, and daddy fled to the nearest park with Baby. He sat in his thoughts for about thirty minutes before the man appeared in the passengers seat, lecturing daddy about leaving like that. And... daddy cried. He was scared, because-"

"- because he loved the man." Grayson whispered. Dean nodded.

"Because he loved him. And they talked for hours.. and then, when daddy least expected it, the man grabbed him by the collar and kissed him. They discussed everything, and in the end," Dean stared at his wedding band. He lifted up his hand to show the gold ring. "They got married. And found a beautiful baby girl. And you know who that man was?"

Grayson smiled. "It was dad." Dean nodded, a smile creeping up on to his lips. Grayson yawned, and made grabby hands at Dean. He leaned over and hugged her, showering her with kisses. She pulled at his shirt. Dean already knew what she wanted.

Castiel placed down his book an hour later, wondering why Dean wasn't in bed. He kicked off the comforter and walked over to Gray's room, nearly crying at the sight.

Grayson's head and arm laid out on Dean's chest, and Dean was sleeping on his stomach, his arm tucked under his head. He had a protective arm around her, and the baby blue blanket was discarded on the floor. Castiel smirked, and turned off the light, walking over. He ushered them over and curled up against Grayson, laying an arm across them both and pulling em closer.

Grayson's dirty overalls would wait til tomorrow to get washed.

[langstwhynot]

Green field

Warnings: death, grammar mistakes.

The light green cover of grass on the dark brown dirt spread along the view far away, enough for it to reach the high mountains that you could see under the big fluffy white clouds.

The sky was light blue, and the sun hid behind a big cloud that moved slowly with the chilly wind, making the long blades of grass to lean down as well when it passed by once in a while.

The sound like it didn’t exist, only the birds who flew near the trees far away from the open field that called for their partners-to-flight and hit their wings in the air, with the leaves of the dark green trees brushing against each other when the wind came again after a few minutes, were heard. That was it. The things you could hear.

But it was so quiet, or so unimportant to listen to, that you won’t even notice their noise.

Lance lay on the grass, his jacket falling to his sides onto the ground to show his white blue shirt and his eyes facing up to the sky.

It was nice and peaceful, calm and comfortable.

He looked up to the clouds who took time to flew away because of how big they were. He always thought that they were beautiful.

Or maybe because his mind made them beautiful.

He couldn’t explain it, how every time they almost made him tear, or how the blank blue void joining them in the background made his heart clutch into itself. And at night- when the moon rose up and the shining dots of white lit his skin when he would walk outside home at times he shouldn’t- made a smile appear on his face.

Lance could spend hours on hours staring into the nothingness that covered the earth. He would think about how Earth was a floating ball of dirt in the middle of black, that doesn’t really have another name and explanation other than “space”.

He wanted to be up there, within the stars.

He wanted to discover and find other worlds, he wanted to see different creatures and nature that science never knew of. He wanted to learn the deepest secrets of the universe, maybe even tell them to others and open their eyes to the unknown.

But he was just a boy from Cuba.

Why would a boy from Cuba, who has done pretty much nothing in life, would find the truth to existence. The truth to the infinity.

The truth to everything.

He was nothing special, he didn’t save people from death itself, or cured illnesses, or solved world hunger, he was just...

Lance McClain.

A boy from Cuba.

He took a deep breath and realized that he had closed his eyes, so he opened them again and found nothing else than the bright blue sky and clouds. His ears focused on the birds and the leaves brushing against each other, and his mind was blank.

Stupid field, making him think to much.

“Hey.” A soft voice called from behind him. Lance pushed himself up with his elbows and turned his head around, lifting his back from the ground so he will be able to look.

“Oh, hi ma.” He gave her a small smile and leaned back on the grass. She stepped forward and lay next to Lance, for his right side.

They didn’t say anything for the first few minutes, just looking up to the clouds as they both lay on the green grass next to each other.

“What are you thinking about?”

Lance turned his head to his right side to see his mother looking at him, her elbow is lifting up her arm as she leaned on her hand.

“Life.” He smiled, and she chuckled.

Lance moved his head back to lie his face up to the sky and they both fell into silence again.

“Is there something that bothering you?” She asked, and Lance took a deep breath when she finished asking the question.

“No... yes... it’s complicated.” He pulled his arm up and ran his left hand through his hair. He turned his head again to face her, and she just raised her eyebrow with a grin.

“Ok, fine.” He took his other hand up to his face and covered it with both. “I’m just... I don’t know, curious.” He pulled his hands down and looked into his mother’s eyes for help.

She smiled at him. “Is it about the Garrison? You got accepted.” She reminded him, and Lance nodded and sighed. “Something like that.” He murmured.

He turned his head back to his mother when she looked at him in disbelief. “I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you...” he smiled and rubbed his face again. “I... I just don’t get why they let me in.” He spoke fast, but not fast enough for his mother to understand.

“What do you mean? You have a great potential and you’re a talented boy!” She talked loudly, offended that her own son couldn’t see his greatness. “Perhaps they need someone like you, that seeks for more.” She smiles at him, and he smiled back.

Then it was quiet again, for more 3 minutes, before Lance asked. “What do you think there’s out there?” He said, looking into the endless blue ceiling.

His mother eyed at him with a confused look, but then she smiled as understood what he meant to. “I don’t know.” She looked up as well.

Lance turned to her with his full body. “You can guess! That’s the fun thing about it.” He said in excitement. She shook her head. “I really don’t know, no human does.” She turned to him, but just with her head. “I think we, the humans, are not creative enough to think and imagine things like that.”

Lance eyes widened a bit in confusion and surprise.

“Everything we imagine is because of something we saw, or heard about, or took pieces of memories and put them together.” She explained calmly. “But if there are other worlds out there with living creatures, they must look far different from what we can think of, since we never saw an alien.”

Oh.

“Well said, ma.” He smiled at her. “But I think, that if the universe is infinity, so there must be some kind of creatures that will be familiar to us.” He leaned back on the ground. ”that means me can still imagin.” he smiled to himself.

“I guess so.” She laughed quietly to herself.

Lance could remember that place.

The green grass, with it’s long green blades. And the dark green trees, that stood proudly far away. And the birds who called for each other once in a while. The mountains in the background, under the big fluffy white clouds. And the chilly wind with the sun that hid.

He could remember their conversation, what he thought about, what it felt like just lying there in the mess of nature.

He could remember his mother’s laugh.

He could almost see the bright blue sky above him.

But now, it was gone.

The green grass was now black as coal, and the trees were tore down with their leaves lit on fire. The birds running away and flying as fast as they could and the only coulds up in the orange sky of sunset (that was supposed to be beautiful) were from smoke.

And he was standing there, in front of that broken gravestone. In front of the burnt flowers who sat together in a bouquet on the dirt.

He was standing there in front of her.

And she was gone, too.

It was ironic, actually. How they talked about the aliens, and what’s beyond the sky, in that stupid universe.

How it actually killed her off.

He started laughing as the tears fell down his face.

She was right, he could have never imagine that.

Because if he could, she would be still here, she would be alive, she would praise him and hug him and tell him how much she missed her youngest son who was missing for two years.

And he would tell her about space, and how beautiful it is, and how he is one of the defenders of the universe and that he is something important.

Not just a boy from Cuba.

He fell on his knees and buried his face in his hands.

Stupid green field, making him think too much.

[morkmywords]

Not Really a Cinderella Story | Royalty au | Exo | Sehun | Part 4

Masterlist | Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 8.5 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12  Part 13  Part 14 Part 15 [FINAL]

Length: 5.4k

Note: Sorry it was kinda late and it’s not the best but oh well

Summary: When a strange string of not so great events somehow and you with a job at the palace punching the wrong people can be not so great.

  You woke up startled when your felt someone roll over next to you. The other person shifted and you remembered it was the prince, you sat up as slowly and quietly as you could trying not to wake him up. A voice startled you from your sneaky maneuvres as you tried to get up and you fell onto the floor.

“I see you’re feeling better,” Doctor Kim said as he helped you up from the floor and helped you sit down on the next bed over. 

“I’m going to go get some equipment to give you a check-up, I’ll be right back,” He said as he walked away into a back room. You tucked your feet under the blanket and curled up your gaze travelling to the prince snoring softly in the bed beside you. He was still fast asleep in the bed, he looked really peaceful and you found yourself admiring the strong features of his face. You sat back up as Doctor Kim returned and set his bundle of medical equipment down on the table beside you. 

“Your headache is gone but you still have a high fever so I’d like you to stay for a couple more days,” he said as he finished doing his check-up, “Make sure you drink lots of water and if your headache returns tell me and I’ll give you some medicine.” You nodded in agreement as he packed things back up, he turned back around suddenly. 

“He’s been here ever since you first arrived,” Doctor Kim said gesturing to the sleeping prince before continuing on, “He hasn’t slept a wink in two days poor thing, ahhhh the things worry will do to you.”

“What?” you asked in confusion, still slightly dazed.

“He must really care about you, don’t hurt him too much,” he said with a small smile before leaving and leaving you there dumbstruck. You sat there with your mouth hanging open still confused by what he had said and trying to process it.

“pfffft ‘cares about me’ my butt,” you scoffed crossing your arms over your chest and falling back onto the stack of pillows.

 “How am I supposed to hurt him,” you muttered as you glared at the ceiling, “Stupid eyebrows, and fluffy hair, and..... annoying mouth!” 

“Will you stop talking, your voice is giving me a headache,” you were brought out of your angry rant by Sehun who was now sitting on his bed and looking at you.

“A headache,” you scoffed as you rolled your eyes, “You weren’t sick and out cold for the past two days.”

“Who was the one who sat beside your for those two days,” He said with a pointed look, you were about to answer when he cut you off.

“Anyway it was your fault you got sick,” he said before he walked out of the room. You were confused by him again, how could he have such drastic mood swings?

  “I’m so glad you’re feeling better, I was really worried about you.” Ji-Yoon sniffled as she pulled you in for a hug.

“I’m really okay,” you said as she released her hold on you, “But I’ll try my best not to make you worry about me ever again,” you said with sudden emotion filling your voice. She giggled at your determination and you ended you laughing along with her, not knowing why you said that.

“Well I definitely see you’re feeling better,” She said with a sneaky smile, “By the way, I saw a certain prince lurking in the hallway.” You stared at her as she wiggled her eyebrows confusion obvious on your face.

“The same certain prince who is rumoured to have stayed at your bedside while you were unconscious for two days,” she said wiggling her eyebrows again. You groaned and smacked her arm done with the mention of her royal brother.

“Oh how romantic!” she squealed batting her eyelashes at you.

“This means war!”You shouted before attacking her with tickles. You both ended up rolling on the giant bed holding your stomachs which were sore from laughter. You both lay on your backs staring up at the ceiling trying to catch your breath.

“You should get together with my brother,” she said out of the blue.

“I don’t think Jumyeon like me like that,” You replied not opening your eyes.

“Not Junmyeon,” she said with a sigh, “I meant Sehun.” You halfheartedly whacked her arm still not opening your eyes. After a few moments, she whispered, “I think he really likes you,” 

Your only response was a sleepy mhmm before you drifted off to sleep already exhausted.

During your conversation, neither of you were aware of the slightly open door, or the figure standing behind it listening to your sleepy ramblings. Their intention was to go in and although they did not get to do as they planned they left with a smile on their face.

  The next two days passed with many people coming to visit and chat, every one of the princes came and brought gifts, all your friends from the palace staff came to visit and Seon gave you an industrially sized batch of your favourite pecan tarts. By the time Doctor Kim gave you a clean bill of health you were itching to do something.   

    It was just after dinner but you still wanted to do anything. As soon as Doctor Kim left you jumped to your feet pulling any clothes you could find, not even bothering to brush your hair just throwing it up into a loose bun. You practically sprinted up to the stairs to the rooftop, you busted through the door ready to go panting slightly as you pulled out all your tools from the greenhouse. You huffed as you tried to kneel down in the dirt cursing yourself for wearing a dress, you’d have to make one of your extra skirts into a pair of pants. It was starting to get dark out but it was ok since the nights were still warm and there was no sun to get you sick again or give you sunburns.   

  The night passed relatively quietly, you submerged yourself in work managing to plant a whole flower bed. You were singing along quietly to a song that remembered from another time when you felt your eyelids droop. You guessed it was around two in the morning and you were beginning to feel tired, you yawned as you gathered all your tools and leftover seeds to place back into the greenhouse. You tripped on your skirt as you stood up and you heard somebody laugh, you looked up to see the culprit trying to hide his smile. “How long have you been standing there Sehun?” You asked giving him a glare, “How did you even find out where this place is?” 

“A have my ways,” he said nonchalantly while you stomped over to the greenhouse pulling up your skirt so you wouldn’t trip again. You shut the door of the greenhouse behind you with a smirk content with the fact Sehun ran right into it.

“What was that for?” He exclaimed as he yanked the door open and stepped in behind you. 

“You still haven’t answered my first question, how long were you watching me?”  you said as you put the seeds back on the shelf and spun around to face him. 

“Only for about an hour,” he said as he inspected some plants sitting on one of the shelves.

“AN HOUR!” you exclaimed in disbelief, “Why are you even awake at this hour?” 

He gave you that annoying smirk before answering, “Shouldn’t I be asking you the same question?” 

You could already feel the anger rising in your body as you let out a long breath, suddenly he was very close to you.

“your singing was very nice,” he said in a soft voice and suddenly the greenhouse was closing in on you. You pushed past him knocking him into one of the shelves not caring as the only thing on your mind was you had to get away from there. You took a deep breath once you were a fair ways away from the little glass house and the prince inside. You winced as you realized how hard you had shoved him, figuring he was probably hurt you made your way back to where he was coming out of the greenhouse hand rubbing his side.

“Are you okay?” you asked guilt evident in your voice. He just grunted as he stumbled on a rock and hit his side again. You quickly rushed to help him up muttering something about going to get infirmary before he got hurt anymore. 

“I’ll be fine I just need rest,” he said as he grimaced when you put his arm around your shoulder. You nodded skeptically before heading to the staircase that led back into the castle. Thankfully you were only a few inches shorter than him so the stairs weren’t too awkward to try and descend.

“Where’s your room?” you asked as you reached the royal wing, he just grunted before continuing on. Once you arrived in front of his room you pushed open his door and helped him to sit on the giant bed, when he settled you reached for the hem of his shirt lifting it up slightly.

“what do you think you’re doing?” he asked as he slapped your hands away and letting out a groan of pain. 

“At least let me look at the damage,” you said rolling your eyes at his assumptions. He just gritted his teeth as you lifted his shirt up to expose his side. The bruise was nasty, it was also black in some places and it was swelling like crazy, flustered by the damage you’d done you blurted out.

“Please don’t behead me,” He just sucked in a breath when he saw the damage you’d delt but otherwise was quiet.

“I-I-I-’m going to g-g-get some ice,” you stuttered out taking a step back.

“Wouldn’t that be a good idea,” you muttered as you turned around to leave. ‘Why do I keep getting into these situations?’ you thought to yourself as you grabbed some ice and wrapped in a cloth before returning to his room

 You pushed open the door to his room closing it behind you as quietly as you could. You turned around and were met with the sight of Sehun laying on his stomach shirtless. You tried not to let your eyes wander down his muscular shoulders to his back, but you couldn’t avoid it. You felt your face heating up as you neared the bed he was lying on, you reached out to tap his shoulder to let him know you were there. 

“It might sting a little,” you whispered before placing the cloth on his back. He hissed and jolted to the side, startled by the sudden movement you yanked your hands back.

“I’m sorry, did I hurt you, I'm so sorry,” you stuttered out afraid you’d hurt him again.

“I’m okay it just startled me, that's all” he groaned out as he rolled back over. Cautiously you shuffled closer to the bed and placed the ice on his back, he let out a hiss as you began moving it around the bruise, After a few minutes he began to relax and you unconsciously started humming again, once the ice had started melting you pulled it off his back and set it down in the bathroom. You returned to see the prince was fast asleep and the swelling had gone down, you still felt guilty for injuring him but you were happy to help. You tried to move to the doorway when a hand shot out and grabbed your wrist, it was Sehun who was still asleep that held your arm in his hand. Trying not to wake him you gently pried his hand off of you and placed it back beside him before you scooted out the door whispering a soft goodnight before closing is after you. As soon as you were out in the hallway you let out a sigh before trudging back to your room, exhaustion finally catching up with you.  

    You woke up the next morning at a fairly reasonable time feeling reasonably refreshed for the few hours of sleep you managed to get. Once you had gotten ready for the day you walked into the sitting room to see Ji-Yoon along with all the other Princes. 

“Y/N!” they all seemed to shut before they surrounded you in a group hug. 

“I’m so happy you’re okay!” Baekhyun shouted into your ear as he squeezed you tighter.

“I won’t be very okay if you keep squeezing me like this,” you teased as they let go of you.

“It was so boring without you,” Jongdae whined Resting his head on your shoulder.

“You literally all saw me yesterday,” you said giving him a pointed look as he moved his head off your shoulder.

“But you were in bed and couldn’t do anything,” Minseok said coming up to you with a smirk, “Not that I’m against you being in bed.” You slapped his arm before going to stand with Ji-Yoon. She spoke with a devilish smirk when you looped your arms.

“So y/n, care to tell us what happened with Sehun the other night?” 

“I regret my decision of being your friend,” you said as you groaned.

“With Sehun?” Kai asked in disbelief.

“Who knew y/n was that kind of girl,” Chanyeol said teasingly.

“I hate all of you, I’m going back to my room,” you said turning on your heal.

“Fine, fine, we’ll stop,” Minseok said as you opened your door.

“You had better promise,” you said as you made your way back to the group, “what are we doing today?” 

“Can we help with your garden?” Yixing said with a small smile, “Ji-Yoon said you were working really hard and that's why you got sick,” You gave her a glare and she replied with a small smile that seemed to say ‘Oops’ They all seemed very excited and you did need some help...

“Fine,” you groaned and they all started bouncing around, “But who’s gonna let me use a pair of their pants?”

    Soon enough you were all in the garden pulling weeds and planting things, at this rate you were sure that the garden would be done by the evening. At some point, Baekhyun and Chanyeol got ahold of watering cans and started spraying people till it became an all-out war. People were laughing and shouting as they ran between the foliage trying to escape the water, at some point, you slipped on a wet patch of cobblestone and fell but you soon got back up to continue playing. At some point, there was no water left and everybody lay down on the grass in the middle of the garden to let the sun dry them out. With the warm sunlight beating down on you while you were surrounded by your closest friends you could not feel happier. 

“I’m surprised any water made it onto the plants at all,” you said with a laugh.

“It wasn’t all my fault,” Baekhyun whined, “Chanyeol helped too!” You heard a smack and a loud ‘oooow’ from Beakhyun before you all burst into laughter.

“Ahhh this is the perfect way to relax, especially with that stuffy ball coming up,” Kyungsoo said with a sigh.

“I second that,” Minseok said putting his hands behind his head, “All those stuffy nobles, yuck!”

“You’re a stuffy noble too, you all are,” you said with a giggle and before they started to protest you cut in, “What’s this ball anyway?”

“Well,” Junmyeon started, “Every year there’s an annual ball held by every country all around the same time, we call it the ‘Ball Season’, Our home country  starts it off with the masquerade ball which will be happening in about 4 days.”

“Well no wonder all the staff are so busy,” you said.

Junmyeon continued, “They’re all so close together that we just travel from one country to the next like a tour it’s usually really boring, but this year you get to come with us!”

“Yep, since you’re my handmaid/lady in waiting now, you get to come with us!” Ji-Yoon chimed in excitedly.

“Oh a forgot that Y/n would be coming this year, I guess it will be fun after all,” Kai said and they all agreed. You all heard someone’s stomach grumble and Chanyeol said,

“Suddenly in very hungry, LETS EAT!”

“Only if Y/n makes us sandwiches!” Ji-Yoon said before skipping to the stairs, You groaned and followed after her unhappy with the idea of having to make 8 hungry guys lunch.

The kitchen was filled with the sounds of many people munching on sandwiches, you had used almost all the leftover ingredients in the kitchen to fill the stomachs of all the hungry boys and kitchen staff who let you use the kitchen without too many questions. After you had finished making the food you insisted that everyone take a break and the kitchen was filled with people sitting on chairs and counters eating some of the various dishes you prepared. Everyone seemed to be distracted by either cleaning or finishing up their food when Yixing pointed out your leg. 

“Y/n, Your pant leg is ripped and you’re bleeding.” You looked down to see your pant leg was stained with crimson.

“Oh, I must have cut it in the garden, I’ll go quickly get a bandage,” you said before walking to the infirmary. 

 You wandered into the infirmary knowing exactly where the bandages were kept from needing them so many times before. You quickly bandaged your leg before turning to head out, on your way to the door you were stopped by somebody calling your name.

“Y/n what did you do this time?” Doctor Kim asked with a smile.

“I just scraped my leg but I’m okay,” You replied

“Come back if it gets infected or anything seems out of the ordinary,” 

“I will!” you called over your shoulder as you turned around and walked straight into somebody’s back. You looked up to see the person who you just walked into was Prince Sehun.

“What are you doing here?” you blurted out.

“I just came to check if there was any irreversible damage done by you but the doctor said I would be fine for the Masquerade.” He replied.

“Ahhhh That’s right the masquerade,” you remembered back to that morning, “I’m really sorry again I didn’t mean to hurt you, uhhh we’re having lunch in the kitchen if you want to come have some.”

“Sure, lead the way,” he said with a smile before he followed you back to the kitchen.

  When you arrived back in the kitchen most of the staff had left and the few that remained were cleaning or working on meal preparations. You pointed Sehun in the direction of the food before you went to help clean dishes. You were chatting with some of the other kitchen staff until you heard a familiar voice in the background. 

“WOW, y/n how do you do it, always running into Princes wherever you go?” You turned around to see Mari with her arm around Ji-Yoon’s shoulder smiling like an idiot.

“And injure them,” Sehun continued with an evil smirk, everyone turned their attention to him.

“Oh she didn’t tell you?” he continued and you gave him a withering glare, “Last night in the garden she pushed me into a shelf and injured my back leaving me with a giant bruise.”

“ooooooo last night in the garden” Mari and Ji-Yoon cooed together.

“I didn’t think you were that kind of person y/n,” Jongdae said with a smirk.

“Shut up,” you muttered before giving them a glare. ou put away the dish towel you were holding and grabbed a sandwich before excusing yourself and heading back up to the garden. 

   The day of the masquerade finally arrived, actually it wasn’t the day yet but it was close enough. In the days leading up to the event, the staff were bustling around the palace making sure everything was perfect, because of all the preparations happening you spent most of your time cooped up in the sitting room with the other princes or in your garden. But tonight you had woken again in a cold sweat, from another nightmare. You pulled on your robe before walking up to the rooftop garden. You walked into the moonlight only to be met with someone else also in the garden. He turned around at the sound of your entrance and you were met with the face of Prince Sehun, Again. 

“So, why are you up here?” You asked as you came to stand beside him, “Were you waiting for me?”

“No it was a nightmare,” he replied as he turned to face you. 

“Me too,” You sighed, “ Let me show you something,” you said holding out your hand. He hesitated but you just smiled,

“I promise I won’t push you into a shelf this time,” With that, he grabbed your hand and you led him deeper into the garden where you reached the wall. You pulled yourself up onto a ledge so you could look over and Sehun stepped up behind you. From the wall, you could see from the town all the way to the mountains which formed the border between of your country.

“I like it up here it calms my mind,” You said to him not expecting a response and you two stayed there for a while just breathing the night air and calming your minds. It was a while later before you spoke again,

“Technically this garden is mine since Ji-Yoon gave it to me and nobody can enter without my permission or when I'm not around but you can come here whenever you want.” and with that, you went back inside

You spent the entire day preparing for the Ball season with Ji-Yoon, packing up everything you could possibly need for the next weeks you would spend out of the country. Ji-Yoon had met with the palace seamstress weeks before you had even known about the masquerade to plan your costumes and she wouldn’t tell you until it was time to start getting ready for the masquerade. These balls were the biggest events of the year and the masquerade was spring themed so your costume couldn’t be too outrageous but you never knew with Ji-Yoon. You two spent the whole day having various beauty treatments done to make sure you were looking your best, People slathered all types of creams, scrubs, and masks all over your body and by the time you were done your skin was so soft it felt like silk. You were sick of people touching you by the time lunch rolled around and it was time for you and the princess to start getting dressed. A maid knocked on the door to deliver the dresses and you took them into Ji-Yoon’s room when you opened the beg you learned she was going as a bunny rabbit. Her dress was a beige colour on the skirt while the top half was a white bodice covered in lace, there was even a little fluffy white tail added, her mask was white with the same metallic beige coloured detailing. 

   She excitedly revealed your dress, ripping it out of the bag it was in. Your dress had no particular character but was rather spring in general, the dress was a pale green colour that was covered in multicoloured flowers, Ji-Yoon had even taken your arms in consideration as it was off the shoulder neckline with sleeves that would reach your wrists. She excitedly pulled the mask out of the bag after she set down the dress, it was covered in the same coloured flowers as the dress and would conceal your identity perfectly.

“Do you like it?” she asked and you only nodded in amazement, “You’re a flower garden and since last time you looked really good with flowers weaved into your hair I thought why not put them everywhere.” 

“Thank you Ji-Yoon it’s perfect!” you said as you rushed over to hug her, “And yours is beautiful too!”

“Don’t cry,” she said as she wiped the tears from your eyes

“I’m sorry, it’s just that nobody’s ever done anything like his for me,” you said between sniffles.

“Well you're my best friend now so you better get used to it,” she said before she pulled you to the vanity so you could do hair and makeup. It took longer than last time since she had to weave many more flowers into your hair but you finished with enough time left to finish getting ready at a slower pace. You put on a small pearl necklace and matching earing before you went to put on your dress. Once it was on, it was definitely heavier than the last but it wasn’t too bad until you pulled on your shoes and started dreading the night ahead of you. Ji-Yoon Looked stunning in her outfit and mask, she looked experienced and beautiful compared to you who looked like a baby elephant learning to walk. You headed to the door and pulled on your mask when Ji-Yoon said,

“Wow, You’re gonna knock Sehun’s pants off, literally,” You groaned and walked out the door on your way to the grand hall. 

   Since it was a masquerade nobody was announced as identities were kept secret. You and Ji-Yoon made your way down the grand staircase and into the sea of people milling around the dance floor. You milled about the people trying to stay inconspicuous which was pretty hard since your large gown stood out. You found the layout of the room and where the food was before you made your way back to Ji-Yoon where she was talking to a group of other ladies and princesses. As soon as you arrived you could feel tensions rise, and you were attacked with an onslaught of underhanded compliments. There was one girl who was supposed to be a rose that was worst of all, she led most of the insults and attacks on you but you just stood there afraid of insulting somebody important. You were thankful when who you guessed were the king and queen stood up to give an opening speech. You listened to them drone on and on about parties and nobles and how thankful they were about something or other until they were finished and the band in the corner started playing as people cleared the dance floor. 

   Ji-Yoon was immediately swept away by some young noble and you were left to wander the sidelines alone. You made idle conversation with a few other people but you mostly kept to yourself watching the people dancing in the centre of the room. You were happily watching the musicians when two guys put their arms around your shoulders.

“What’s a pretty lady like you doing all alone?” one whispers in your ear.

“You could get hurt,” The other one whispers. You rolled your eyes.

“Hi Baekhyun,” You said to the shorter of the two, “Hi Chanyeol,” you said to the taller.

“Awwwwww you’re no fun, how’d you know it was us?” Baekhyun whined.

“You make it too obvious,” you said laughing at their antics.

“C’mon guys cut it out,” a man who you guessed was Junmyeon said, “You know she’s saving herself for Sehun.”

“Ugh, not you too!” you groaned at his cheeky response.

“What about Sehun?” Jongdae asked as he walked over to your little group.

“Nothing,” you exclaimed before shooting the other three boys a glance, “Where are the others?”

“Well Minseok’s parents are trying to find him a future bride so he’s probably dancing with some foreign princesses and Kyunsoo and Jongin are probably tied up with their families,” Jongdae says as he points out a group of similarly dressed people all huddled together.

“Well I hope they don’t get too bored,” you said as you scanned the crowd of dancers.

“Ahhh but I think it will, most of our parents are trying to set us up too,” Chanyeol chimed in.

“I guess I’m lucky then, being a servant and all,” you said turning back to the group of boys.

“But y/n, some noble boy might try to steal you for his own tonight,” Baekhyun said with a grin, “I would if I wasn’t friends with Sehun.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” you said with a huff crossing your arms over your chest and they all snickered.

“What’d I miss?” Yixing asked seeming confused by the boy's laughs and your grumpy face.

“Oh save me from these bullies my handsome prince Yixing,” You said before pretending to faint in his arms.

“Of course my beautiful princess,” he said playing along as he whisked you away into the crowd of dancers. You danced with each of the boys throughout the night laughing and having fun with each of them, you even danced with     Ji-Yoon for a couple of songs. You were standing on the sidelines tired out after dancing for so long when an unfamiliar man approached you.

“Why are you all alone?” he asked coming up close to you, he obviously wasn’t one of the guys and you were starting to feel uncomfortable.

“Would you like to come with me?” he asked again as you tried to move back he moved closer, his breath reeked of alcohol and you realized he must be drunk. 

“There you are darling, I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” someone called out before throwing their arm around your waist, “Excuse us, we should be going,” he said to the man before taking you to the dance floor.

“Thank you for saving me,” you said as you looked up a the man. You were greeted with a familiar smirk and you instantly knew who it was.

“Sehun?” you gawked in disbelief.

Tthe one and only,” he replied, “Care to dance?” he asked holding out his hand.

“You’re not going to insult me this time?” you asked cautiously as you took his hand. He shook his hand and pulled you onto the dance floor.

“I’m sorry about last time we danced,” he whispered to you as he spun you around.

“Thank you for saving me back there,” you said in response.

“Isn’t that what princes are for?” he asked smiling.

“I guess chivalry isn’t dead,” you replied laughing as he spun you again. You found yourself immensely enjoying your time dancing with Sehun but it was getting late and people were starting to leave. The dance floor was almost empty when he whispered to you,

“Would you like to go to the garden?” you only nodded before he pulled you to the staircase. Instead of going to the rooftop garden he took you to the garden where you first met the princess. He pulled you between the bushes until you reached the small pond in the far corner. He sat down and motioned for you to sit beside him, so you crouched down your dress ballooning out around you and causing you both to laugh. Once you had settled you two just talked for a while, learning more about each other and he was surprisingly pleasant to talk to.

“Thank you for dancing with me and showing me your garden,” he whispered turning to face you.

“it’s no problem,” you whispered back voice faltering as he drew closer to you, you felt the heat rising in your cheeks. He leaned in closer and it seemed like he was about to kiss you.

“I have to go,” you suddenly said shooting up from your place on the ground and hiking up your dress so you could run back to your room faster. Once you returned you tried your best to get the dress off on your own before Ji-Yoon came in and offered to help.

“Please don’t ask about Sehun,” you said as she helped you out of the dress and she only nodded before leaving you to put on your nightgown.

  Down in the garden he was picking up a small bouquet of flowers that had fallen from your hair before letting out a sigh and trudging back to his room.

  The next day you were leaving to the next kingdom so you stayed as far away from Sehun as possible climbing into your carriage with Ji-Yoon and some of the other princes.

“Fasten your seatbelts folks, Lokya awaits!” Jongdae said as the carriage rolled out.